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Here's How You Should Celebrate Palindrome Week

by Alicia Lu

You probably didn't know this, so drum roll: it's Palindrome Week. That's because May 10, 2015 through May 19, 2015, when written out, are palindromes — 5/10/15, 5/11/15, 5/12/15, 5/13/15, etc. Neat, right? OK, so it might not be as raucous as St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo, but believe it or not, there are plenty of ways to celebrate Palindrome Week that don't require you to be a lexical nerd. And if you're still not convinced, I have two words (one palindrome) for you: taco cat.

If you're not familiar with palindromes, they're words that are perfectly symmetrical, reading exactly the same frontwards and backwards, kind of like a Rorschach inkblot but with letters. Some simpler examples: mom, boob, dewed, Hannah. However, what many people don't know that palindromes aren't just limited to one-word examples, but can be entire phrases that are already crazy enough without also being totally symmetric.

Some examples?

  • Dentist? Sit Ned.
  • A nut for a jar of tuna
  • A man, a plan, a cat, a ham, a yak, a yam, a hat, a canal-Panama
  • Ma is as selfless as I am
  • I roamed under it as a tired, nude Maori
  • Was it Eliot's toilet I saw?
  • Step on no pets
  • Pull up, Eva, we’re here! Wave! Pull up!
  • POW, ami! O’ Gad, ami! Go hang a salami, doc! Note; I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod. I’m a lasagna hog. I’m a dago! I’m a wop!

See what I mean? We can get crazy with this. Here are some suggested ways of celebrating Palindrome Week.

Watch The Movie Palindromes

The most obvious way to celebrate Palindrome Week is by watching the 2004 Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse) dark comedy, Palindromes. It might not be the most cheery movie, but it's certainly... original.

Order Dessert Like A Boss

Go out to eat with your friends Bob, Anna, and Aviva, and after your entrees, yell at the waiter, "Desserts, I stressed!"

Watch A Gérard Depardieu Movie

Somehow, the mega-famous French actor even makes an appearance in a palindrome: Depardieu, go razz a rogue I draped.

Watch The Cosby Show While Eating A Caprese Salad

Another celebrity-centric palindrome is Lisa Bonet ate no basil. So what better way to pay tribute to it than by watching the actress as Denise Huxtable and eating basil?

Make T-Shirts

Make t-shirts of the shorter, more punchy palindromes, like "Dammit, I'm mad!" or "Egad! An adage!" Or you can make them more visual with pictures of Emily's sassy lime or an evil olive.

Or just this.

Throw A Taco Cat Party

Obviously, taco cat must be involved. It's best to go literal with this one — well, not too literal, as in putting a cat in a giant taco. Throw a taco party and invite your friends who have cats. Instagram the mayhem and hashtag it #tacocat and #palindromeweek. This might be something I'd do even if it wasn't Palindrome Week.

Images: My Funny Memes, Distractify/Facebook, Giphy, Meme Crunch, Cat Sweaters/Pinterest, MoreSexy