-- return 1st `n` chars of the word
local start = function(word) return function(n) return word:sub(1, n) end end;
-- return 1st half of the word w/ middle char if any
local half = function(word) return start(word)(#word / 2) end;
-- return true if `word` is palindrome, or false otherwise
local function pali(word) return half(word) == half(word:reverse()) end;
-- print results
print( pali( (...) or "" ) );