Viral

People have noticed that 'Yellowhammer' is an anagram for 'Orwell Mayhem'

People have noticed that 'Yellowhammer' is an anagram for 'Orwell Mayhem'

A few weeks ago no one had even heard of 'Operation Yellowhammer' but now it's all people can talk about, apart from the unrelenting misery of Brexit and Boris Johnson's reign as prime minister.

The name, which is code for the UK Treasury and cross-government civil contingency planning for a no-deal Brexit, is apparently taken from the name of a small songbird and was chosen by random, as reported by The Times.

But was it chosen at random or is it a clever use of letters, which could easily be rearranged to read as something else and something far more critical of Brexit.

A few eagle-eyed folks on Twitter noticed that Yellowhammer is actually an anagram for 'Orwell Mayhem' a nod to the acclaimed author George Orwell who famously penned the dystopian novel 1984.

Soon enough #OrwellMayhem was all over Twitter and Reddit with people thinking that they have discovered something truly revelatory.

So, is this actually what the civil servants were aiming for or is it just a coincidence?

Logic would indicate the latter, as the 'song of the Yellowhammer' is also known as 'a little bit of bread and no cheese' which would appear to be a nod to the possible food shortages that Britain is likely to experience in a no-deal scenario.

More: Tory attempt to attack Swinson's Brexit stance backfires spectacularly

The Conversation (0)
x