Amaze Your Friends

FARMER (showing off his farm to a friend):

How many sheep would you say were in that flock? See if you can get close with a rough guess.”

FRIEND (after short pause): “I’d say there were about 497 sheep there.”

“why, you hit it right on the head, that’s exactly right! How in the world did you know?”

“it was simple, really, I just counted all the legs, and then divided by four!”

            THE MEMORY stunt contained in this chapter may not be as astounding as dividing the legs of sheep by four, but it’s certainly easier to do. You’ll probably be glad to know that there are no mathematics involved at all-just a trained memory.

          A friend of mine in the textile business here in New York has told me that he has gained quite a reputation for himself by remembering numbers. He goes to lunch with a few business acquaintances each day, and he invariably asks them t9o give him any four or five digit number to memorize. He usually has anywhere from there to six people with him, and he memorizes the numbers they give him. They interrupt him during the luncheon to see if he can still recall the numbers, and, of course, he does.

        I don’t mention this because it’s a big  deal particularly, but it is a good conversation starter, and it has accomplished a purpose for my friend. He tells me that everyone in his trade is talking about him and his remarkable memory. I do mention it, however, to show you how people are impressed with any sort of memory feat; only because  they feel that they could never accomplish it themselves. If folks are so amazed when a man remembers a half dozen four or five digit numbers, you can imagine the fantastic effect upon them, after you’ve mastered the stunt contained in these pages.

How would you like to be able to memorize this list of numbers:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
A	9491	0261	4850	8210	1427	0214	5390	0141	7450	7590
B	2195	6140	5827	5197	4270	9401	4260	5014	1395	8150
C	8520	7461	9511	7157	9420	4532	1950	1404	7841	7410
D	2116	5152	9470	2154	9750	7471	7220	1941	0191	3102
E	4595	5891	3944	0182	0594	9414	6720	8227	8527	7480
F	0137	5814	9950	9427	1285	2754	3662	1540	8927	9521
G	9015	3145	8195	8540	9514	7040	7312	1211	9227	1270
H	9210	7427	0216	4910	7531	7421	1484	2469	0791	2520
I	4175	1842	3058	7462	3212	0746	7915	7527	0743	9710
J	4112	9434	0941	7212	9402	7213	5810	1204	6920	4210

          That’s right! You can memorize this list of four hundred digits, easily!! Not only will you know them in order, but also out of sequence! The idea is to give anyone a copy of this list, and have them test you on it. They may ask you to give the numbers across for letter G, or the numbers down, for column 4. They can ask for E7, and you will immediately give them the number 6720. In other words, you prove to them that you have thoroughly memorized the list; and so you have!

         My good friend and memory expert, Bernard Zufall, was the first one that I know of, to use this type of stunt. He has been using it for many years with three digit numbers instead of the four digit numbers that appear here. He, of course, utilized his own methods to memorize the list. I will teach you here the method that I use:-

         You must realize by now that it would be almost impossible to accomplish this without the aid of the phonetic alphabet. Certainly, it would be definitely impossible to memorize and retain the number  without it. As a matter of fact, this feat is so unbelievable to the uninitiated, that you will find some people examining the list to find some mathematical solution. Let them; since this is not based on mathematics at all, they’ll be more impressed and confused than ever.

          None of the four digit numbers in the list is repeated at any time, each one is used only once. The numbers have not been chosen at random, I’ve picked each one because it fits into the system. And, here is the system:- if someone were to call E7-here is the way my mind would work. My key word for E7 must begin with the letter E, and it must have one other consonant sound at the end. That sound (in this particular case) must be the sound that represents #7. Which is the k or hard g sound. My the phonetic alphabet tells me that “chickens” stands for 6720. If you’ll check the list, you will see that 6720 is the correct number!

         If B5 were called, I would know that the key word must begin with the letter B, and the word for B5 is “bell.” A bell rings. Rings-4270! Can you see the simplicity of it? don’t  get me wrong-it will take you a it of time and study to master all the numbers, but the system is easy. Again, may I mention that this is not only a fantastic memory stunt, but a wonderful thinking and memory exercise. Each time you master one of the stunts in this book, whether you care to present them or not, you are improving your memory, exercising that muscle and sharpening your wits.

           Well then, you know that each time a letter and number are called, you must transpose it into a key word. It doesn’t matter if the number is called first, the system is  the same. The letter is always at the beginning and the consonant sound that represents the number is at the end of the word. This key word is correlated to, or associated with another word; and this word gives you the four digit number, according to the phonetic alphabet. If someone were to call, “8C,” you would know that the key word starts with C and ends with the f or v sound. The key word is “cuff.” Cuff is correlated to trouser. Trouser-1404!

          The entire list for the one hundred four digit numbers follows here. After you have looked them over, I’ll explain some more about the presentation of the feat.

A1	Ate-burped
A2	Awn-sunshade
A3	Aim-rifles
A4	Air-vents
A5	Ale-drink
A6	Ash-cinder
A7	Ache-limps
A8	Ave-street
A9	Ape-growls
A10	Ace-clubs
B1	Bat-and ball
B2	Bean-shooters
B3	Bum-loafing
B4	Boar-wild pig
B5	Bell-rings
B6	Badge-breast
B7	Bag-oranges
B8	Buff-luster
B9	Baby-dimple
B10	Bass-fiddles
C1	Can-felines
C2	Can-crushed
C3	Comb-bald head
C4	Car-Cadillac
C5	Coal-burns
C6	Cash-real money
C7	Coke-tables
C8	Cuff-trouser
C9	Cap-covered
C10	Case –crates
D1	Dot-and dash
D2	Den-wild lion
D3	Dam-breaks
D4	Deer-antler
D5	Dill-pickles
D6	Dish-cracked
D7	Dog-canines
D8	Dove-white bird
D9	Dope-stupid
D10	Dose-medicine
E1	Eddy-whirlpool
E2	En-alphabet
E3	Em-emperor
E4	Err-is divine
E5	Eel-slippery
E6	Edge-border
E7	Egg-chickens
E8	Eve-evening
E9	Ebb-falling
E10	Ess-curves
F1	Fat-stomach
F2	Fun-laughter
F3	Foam-bubbles
F4	Fur-bearing
F5	Foil-tinfoil
F6	Fish-angler
F7	Fake-magician
F8	Five-dollars
F9	Fib-fibbing
F10	Fuse-blend
G1	Gat-pistol
G2	Gown-material
G3	Game-football
G4	Grow-flowers
G5	Gall-bladder
G6	Gush-geysers
G7	Gag-comedian
G8	Gave-donated
G9	Gap-opening
G10	Gas-tanks
H1	Hat-bands
H2	Hen-crowing
H3	Ham-sandwich
H4	Hare-rabbits
H5	Hill-climbed
H6	Hash-corned
H7	Hack-driver
H8	Have-ownership
H9	Hop-skipped
H10	Hose-nylons
I1	It-article
I2	Inn-tavern
I3	I’m-myself
I4	Ira-Gerah win
I5	Isle-Manhattan
I6	Itch-scratch
I7	Ike-capital
I8	Ivy-cling
I9	(y) ipe-scream
I10	Ice-buckets
J1	Jot-write down
J2	John-Barrymore
J3	Jam-spread
J4	Jar-contain
J5	Jail-prison
J6	Judge-condemn
J7	Jack-lifts
J8	Jive-dancer
J9	Jap-Japanese
J10	Juice-rinds

              You’ll notice that there is only one slight exception in the system, at i9. There is no word beginning with I and ending with the p or b sound. So I use the word “yipe,” which serves the purpose just as well. Also, in every possible case, the sounds representing the four digit numbers are contained in one word. There are only eight instances where I found it necessary to use a phrase of two words.

              I ‘m sure that you all can see the simple associations or correlations with each key word. If you go over them once or twice, concentrating on them. Each key word should  lead you logically to the associated word. Coke, for C7, is short for Coca-Cola, which is usually found on dinner tables. En, for E2, is just the name of the letter itself, which is part of the alphabet. I don’t think that any of the others need any explaining.

              You must learn all these words thoroughly before you can present this feat for your friends. After you’ve learned them, practice the transposing of the associated words or phrases into numbers. Once you can do that quickly, you’re ready to present the feat.

              You can have the list printed on a card, if you like, so that you can hand them out to your friends. Then after you’ve demonstrated your fabulous powers of retention and recall, you can let them keep the card as a souvenir. Let them try to memorize it, if they can!

             Aside from simply allowing your spectators to call the letter and number, you can go further. They can ask you to call out all the numbers diagonally from, say, A1 to j10. All you have to do, is give the numbers for A1, B2, C3, D4, etc. they might ask for row F backwards-you just give them F10, F9, F8, etc. if they want the four digit numbers backwards also, you can do that too. For example, you know the associated word for F10 (fuse) is blend-instead of giving the number 9521, give it as 1259! F9 is fibbing-backwards the number is 7298, and so on.

             If you’re asked to give row #6 backwards, simply call off, J6,I6, H6, G6 down, or up, to A6. I know that it is difficult for some people to work backwards with the alphabet. I can solve that problem for you, easily. You can learn the representative number of any letter in the alphabet by utilizing  the first twenty-six peg words in conjunction with a representative adjective. This is what I mean:-

Awful tie	Neat tire
Brave Noah	Old towel
Cute ma	Pleasing dish
Damp rye	Quiet tack
Excellent law	Red dove
Funny shoe	Solid tub
Guernsey cow	Tough nose
Heavy ivy	Ugly net
Idle bee	Virtuous nun
Jagged toes	Wonderful name
Korean tot	x-rayed Nero
Loud in	Yellow nail
Marble tomb	Zig-zag notch

                   Notice that the adjective for the peg word for #3 begins with the third letter of the alphabet ©; the 10^th adjective begins with the tenth letter j, etc. if you make a quick  picture in your mind of each of these, you will know the position, numerically, of ail the letters! Of course, you can use any adjective you like, as long as it begins with the proper letter. If you wanted to know the position, say, of the letter “o”-just think of the adjective that you used: old towel. You know that “towel” is #15, therefore “o” is the fifteenth letter of the alphabet.

               You can use this idea, or, elsewhere in this book (Chapter 12) you will find an idea of how to use the twenty-six letters themselves in order to have a list or twenty-six secondary peg words. You can tie these words to your basic peg words, and you will have accomplished the same thing. You will know the numerical positions of all the letters.

               Either one of these methods will enable you to use the letters of the alphabet to a much better advantage. Just thinking backwards from peg word #26 to peg word #1 will make it easy for you to recite the entire alphabet backwards.  This in itself is a good stunt, since most people cannot recite the alphabet backwards, without quite a bit of effort. However, the important thing is that this idea will be of use when you’re asked to give a numbered row backwards; or diagonally from J10 to A1, or J1 to A10.

            After doing this stunt for awhile, you will find that eventually you will not even think of your key words and associations! As soon as a letters and number is called, the four digit number will pop into your mind.

           That is the beauty of mnemonics, it is just an aid to your true memory. It is a means to an end, and once you’ve reached or acquired that end, you can forget the means!!