I once wrote a palindrome. I think it’s a good one. Here it is:
I maim Nigel’s leg in Miami.
I’ve googled this palindrome; I’m reasonably certain no one else has thought of it. But I can’t be sure. That’s because the process by which I wrote the palindrome seems so simple and inevitable in hindsight.
How on Earth did I ever come up with this? Was it a moment of inspiration? Hours of toil? Therein lies a tale.
Here’s a secret of mine: I automatically reverse words, in my head. Not when I’m reading a book, and not when I’m writing, but when I see a word on a sign, or displayed prominently somewhere. If I see a stop sign, I immediately (and subconsciously) notice that it says “POTS” backwards. When I see the jar in a restaurant that says “tips”, I instantly notice that it is “spit” backwards. And so on. I don’t know how common this is, but I’ve always done it. It’s a sort of “word-dyslexia” although it has never inconvenienced me in any way.
Spit on no tips!
Just the other day, I saw the word “Avalon”. Immediately, I saw that it is “no lava” in reverse. As a mental exercise, I tried to make a palindrome using Avalon. After 30 seconds, I had composed the lame “No lava tub, but Avalon.” Hardly impressive.
But the one about Nigel’s leg…I think it’s a grade-A palindrome. Up there with “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!” and “Dog food lid: dildo of God.” How, exactly, did I write the palindrome?
One day, I saw “Miami” on a sign. I thought: “I maim”. Hmmm. Looks like a palindrome is possible. Here, then, are my attempts, palindromic at every step:
I maim Miami.
I maim Ni in Miami.
[Ni is not really a name. What names begin with Ni? Nikita, Nick, Nina, Nigel. Hey!]
I maim Nigel leg in Miami.
I maim Nigel’s leg in Miami.
That’s it. The whole process took maybe 3 minutes, and was triggered by seeing a sign with the word “Miami” on it. Nigel is not a common name in the USA, so maybe the palindrome gets an A- as opposed to an A. But hopefully my 3 fans in the UK (including chess grandmaster Nigel Short?) will give me a top score.
I’ll keep working on writing new palindromes. My latest observation is that “Pacer” is “recap” backwards. So I wonder if sports writers in Indiana give a “Pacer recap” after every game. If they don’t, they should. The world needs more palindromes.
Leg (in Sparta) traps Nigel?
Many Worlds Theory 
I’m very surprised to read a blog post from another person afflicted with the inability to stop reversing words he sees on signs, hears on the radio, whatever. I wouldn’t say it NEVER inconveniences me but such occasions are very rare. Usually such occasions are just some hint of annoyance as in “why can’t I stop doing that?” I can’t remember when it started.
I have typically noted when the reverse makes a word but never thought to extend it to creating palindromes. I wonder if there’s a name (or a DSM entry) for our shared condition/affliction.
I do the automatic letter reversal also….for as long as I can remember. There is not a DSM V entry (unless it falls, for some individuals, in the obsessive-compulsive category). I am tempted to consider it a sign of supra-genius, however it is most likely nothing more than than an endearing quirk.