title: Using asterisk character (*) as joker in python string replacement?
body: <p>I am a beginner in python an am currently struggling with something:</p>
  <p>I want to make a couple of changes in a single string.
  Is it possible to use a single asterisk sign (*), as a replacement-joker for a couple of characters?
  For example I have a string:</p>
  <pre><code>string1 = &quot;The new year is about to become an old year&quot;
  </code></pre>
  <p>And I want to use this pattern for finding:</p>
  <pre><code>find:
  *year*year*
  
  replace it with:
  *century*one*
  </code></pre>
  <p>Which will result in:</p>
  <pre><code>string1 = &quot;The new century is about to become an old one&quot;
  </code></pre>
  <p>Meaning &quot;*&quot; character will replace all those characters between, and before the &quot;year&quot; and &quot;year&quot; words.
  Is that possible?</p>