majeure, cordon bleu, butterbur, underfur, * restaurateur, entrepreneur, folie à deux, arbitrageur, droit du seigneur, * agent provocateur
11.2 blurb, curb, herb, kerb, Serb, verb, * perturb, disturb, superb, * adverb, EPIRB, proverb, potherb, suburb, * willowherb
The cars and the lorries run over the kerb,
And the villagers put up a notice: road closed –
So that nothing untoward may chance to disturb
Deuteronomy’s rest when he feels so disposed.
T. S. ELIOT
11.3 curbed, * perturbed, disturbed, * unperturbed, undisturbed
11.4 berk, Burke, Chirk, cirque, dirk, Dirk, erk, irk, jerk, kirk, Kirk, lurk, murk, perk, quirk, Quirke, shirk, smirk, stirk, Turk, work, * Dunkirk, de Klerk, McGurk, berserk, rework, * hackwork, handwork, waxwork, patchwork, artwork, part work, craftwork, glasswork, spadework, paintwork, framework, brainwork, casework, lacework, Selkirk, legwork, headwork, fretwork, network, breastwork, guesswork, earthwork, beadwork, fieldwork, teamwork, piecework, brickwork, shiftwork, bridgework, firework, wirework, brightwork, timework, clockwork, Falkirk, Ormskirk, coursework, groundwork, outwork, housework, coachwork, scrollwork, homework, stonework, brushwork, woodwork, footwork, * Atatürk, handiwork, latticework, masterwork, basketwork, paperwork, metalwork, trelliswork, needlework, timberwork, wickerwork, ironwork, donkey work, bodywork, pokerwork, overwork, openwork, * cabinetwork
11.5 circs, irks, jerks, perks, quirks, works, * gasworks, waxworks, glassworks, steelworks, fireworks, wireworks, saltworks, roadworks, * ironworks, waterworks, etc.
11.6 birch, church, lurch, perch, search, smirch, * besmirch, research, * Fenchurch, wordsearch, research, Whitchurch, Christchurch, * silver birch
11.7 bird, blurred, Byrd, curd, erred, furred, gird, heard, herd, Kurd, nerd, purred, sherd, shirred, slurred, spurred, stirred, surd, third, turd, whirred, word, * occurred, concurred, unstirred, conferred, averred, unheard, absurd, Cape Verde, reword, recurred, begird, deferred, referred, preferred, inferred, misheard, * blackbird, catchword, yardbird, password, swearword, jailbird, game bird, cage bird, headword, f-word, sea bird, keyword, firebird, lyrebird, swineherd, byword, songbird, crossword, watchword, potsherd, shore bird, foreword, cowherd, bowerbird, goatherd, codeword, loan word, lovebird, buzz word, bluebird, * afterword, ladybird, word for word, early bird, whirlybird, weaverbird, reoccurred, dickybird, wattlebird, mockingbird, water bird, overheard, undergird, Douglas Hurd, hummingbird, undeterred, * Richard the Third, four-letter word, etc.
And what mortal ever heard
Any good of George the Third?
WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR
11.8 scurf, serf, Smurf, surf, turf, * windsurf, * AstroTurf®
11.9 berg, Berg, erg, * Hamburg, Hapsburg, Strasbourg, Salzburg, Marburg, Carlsberg, Schoenberg, Sternberg, Lindbergh, Strindberg, Pittsburgh, Spielberg, Freiburg, iceberg, homburg, Coburg, Joburg, Newburg, * Brandenburg, Battenburg, Gettysburg, Württemberg, Königsberg, Hindenburg, Heidelberg, Gothenburg, Nuremberg, Luxembourg, Gutenberg, * Johannesburg, Saint Petersburg
11.10 dirge, merge, purge, scourge, serge, Serge, splurge, spurge, surge, urge, verge, * converge, submerge, demerge, emerge, diverge, * upsurge, * dramaturge, demiurge, thaumaturge
11.11 churl, curl, earl, furl, girl, hurl, knurl, Merle, pearl, Pearl, purl, Searle, skirl, swirl, twirl, whirl, whorl, * uncurl, unfurl, * ball girl, call girl, cowgirl, showgirl, schoolgirl
11.12 curled, furled, hurled, knurled, swirled, twirled, whirled, world, * uncurled, unfurled, * afterworld, underworld
Proud Wellington, with eagle beak so curled,
That nose, the hook where he suspends the world!
LORD BYRON
11.13 firm, germ, Herm, perm, sperm, squirm, term, therm, worm, * affirm, confirm, half term, preterm, midterm, infirm, * ragworm, sandworm, flatworm, tapeworm, threadworm, earthworm, wheatgerm, eelworm, mealworm, silkworm, pinworm, ringworm, inchworm, wireworm, blindworm, roundworm, glow-worm, slowworm, lugworm, bookworm, hookworm, woodworm, * pachyderm, endoderm, ectoderm, reaffirm, gymnosperm, isotherm
11.14 permed, squirmed, wormed, * affirmed, confirmed, * unconfirmed, reaffirmed
11.15 Bern, burn, Byrne, CERN, churn, earn, Ern, erne, fern, föhn, girn, kern, Kern, learn, quern, spurn, stern, Sterne, tern, turn, urn, Verne, yearn, * astern, Ahern, Traherne, unlearn, concern, adjourn, relearn, epergne, return, intern, inurn, discern, Sauternes, Auvergne, Jules Verne, lucerne, Lucerne, * Blackburn, pastern, heartburn, Braeburn, Raeburn, Hepburn, lectern, extern, Redfern, windburn, Swinburne, bittern, intern, Tyburn, wyvern, nocturne, sojourn, downturn, Woburn, Cockburn, sunburn, upturn, Crewkerne, U-turn, * Bannockburn, taciturn, three-point turn, Comintern, nonreturn, overturn, unconcern, * pay-as-you-earn
11.16 burned, earned, learned, spurned, turned, yearned, * unburned, upturned, unturned, unlearned, unearned, concerned, adjourned, hard-earned, well-earned, returned, interned, discerned, downturned, * overturned, unconcerned, etc.
11.17 burnt, learnt, weren’t, * unburnt, unlearnt, * sunburnt
11.18 Burns, churns, earns, Ern’s, ferns, learns, turns, urns, yearns, * concerns, returns, * sideburns, etc.
11.19 burp, chirp, slurp, twerp, * usurp, * Antwerp, * Wyatt Earp
11.20 burps, chirps, SERPS, slurps, stirps, turps, * usurps, * Wyatt Earp’s
11.21 burped, chirped, slurped, * usurped, * excerpt
11.22 curse, Erse, hearse, nurse, purse, terse, verse, worse, * asperse, averse, perverse, traverse, adverse, converse, submerse, transverse, disburse, disperse, reverse, inverse, rehearse, immerse, diverse, coerce, * adverse, wet nurse, inverse, obverse, converse, commerce, cutpurse, * reimburse, intersperse, universe
An open foe may prove a curse,
But a pretended friend is worse.
JOHN GAY
11.23 burst, cursed, durst, first, Hearst, Hirst, Hurst, nursed, pursed, thirst, versed, worst, wurst, * accursed, traversed, conversed, submersed, headfirst, well-versed, disbursed, dispersed, reversed, rehearsed, immersed, coerced, * Pankhurst, Sandhurst, knackwurst, bratwurst, starburst, cloudburst, outburst, Dewhurst, * safety first, twenty-first, reimbursed, interspersed, liverwurst, unrehearsed
11.24 Bert, blurt, Burt, cert, curt, dirt, flirt, girt, hurt, Kurt, pert, shirt, skirt, spurt, squirt, wert, wort, * avert, pervert, subvert, advert, convert, unhurt, alert, assert, concert, revert, invert, inert, insert, desert, dessert, exert, divert, obvert, overt, * Frankfurt, advert, ragwort, Blackshirt, hair shirt, expert, sexpert, sweatshirt, pervert, sneezewort, T-shirt, ribwort, milkwort, figwort, stitchwort, insert, nightshirt, convert, outsert, overt, lungwort, woundwort, * malapert, bladderwort, Engelbert, Ethelbert, extrovert, pennywort, reconvert, feverwort, reassert, reinsert, introvert, slipperwort, liverwort, disconcert, inexpert, miniskirt, controvert, overskirt, underskirt, undershirt, * overexert
11.25 Bert’s, flirts, hertz, Hertz, hurts, shirts, skirts, squirts, * adverts, experts, Weltschmerz, T-shirts, converts, outskirts, * extroverts, megahertz, introverts, gigahertz, kilohertz, underskirts, just deserts, etc.
11.26 berth, birth, dearth, earth, firth, girth, mirth, Perth, worth, * unearth, self-worth, rebirth, * Dankworth, Tamworth, Hayworth, Knebworth, Hepworth, Petworth, Emsworth, Letchworth, Wordsworth, stillbirth, childbirth,