words ending in gry

Meaning

Origin

This isn't a phrase but it is included here as many people search this site looking for the mythical 'third word ending in GRY'. If you are one such, read the explanation below and relax - you can stop searching. The story goes like this:

A riddle of this form is circulating widely on the Internet: "There are three words in English that end in GRY, hungry and angry are two, what is the third?" Much effort has gone into finding the word and various pseudo-medical or otherwise obscure words that purport to fit the bill have been put forward. The confusion comes from the fact that the version of the riddle in circulation isn't the original and misses a vital part of the wording. In its original form the riddle went like this: "Think of words that end in GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is." You will have realised by now that it's all a linguistic trick and the the third word in 'the English language' is of course 'language'. So, now you can give up the search and move on to more useful pastimes.