ANAGRAMS

They are one of the oldest forms of linguistic maneouvring and another example of a ludic pastime which brings us both the best and the worst in people. They are often encountered in children's word-game books, party games and crossword-puzzle cryptic clues, where their role is occasional and innocent enough. But for language play enthusiasts, the aim is not simply to reorder the letters in a word or phrase in order to find any other word or phrase - rail and liar, for instance. That is far too straightforward. The true aim is to find a transposition which relates in meaning to the original - whether serious, ironic, jocular etc.

Example: desperation                a rope ends it.

the eyes

negation

cabaret

Add your transpositions in comments. Thank you!

From Language play by David Crystal.