I liked merlyn's example so much that I put it to work somewhere (because it can be done, not because this construct is clear or pretty).

By the way, his answer reversed my original hash, but the idea was good, and its implication clear.

To see it in action in a fully functional NATO Phonetic Alphabet Translator see this link. It's an impractical application, and this method isn't the "best way to do it", but it's an example of putting this method to work.

Enjoy!

Dave

"If I had my life to do over again, I'd be a plumber." -- Albert Einstein