A further find in the paper-midden: a scrap dated 16th February 1992.

Yesterday I considered a string of words to form an alphabet, words beginning and ending a-b, b-c, c-d and so on. Let’s see if I can remember it. Alb, basic, cod, drone, earmuff, flailing, garish, hoi-polloi, [imaj?], jack, kernel, loom, marzipan, no, orlop, [p-q], quiver, railings, squirt, tofu, [u-v], vow, wax, xerophilously, [y-z], zeugma. The idea is (after finding something for the missing words – invented proper names if necessary) to write a story which mentions all those in order.

This story was never written, twenty years ago, but perhaps I shall apply myself to it now, or in the near future.