WHAT’S IN A DAME

Score! Scrabble game to upgrade

Scrabble - or Words With Friends as it’s known in the app world - can be very “mazy” (18-point word for resembling a maze), particularly for inexperienced players.

High-scoring Scrabble staples like “xi”and “mu” are certainly Greek to novices. Well, they’re Greek, period. They are letters of the Greek alphabet, according to the online Scrabble Dictionary, found at hasbro.com/scrabble - you know, on the Internet (which, go figure, is not an official Scrabble word) - where we found the definitions included in this story. (All point totals given are minimum, not reflecting triple-word scores, etc.)

And there are all the “mucid” (10-point word for musty) and obscure Scrabble-accepted words no one uses, at least not beyond those college science classes you should have attended more regularly: “aa” (two-point word for lava), “aal” (three-point word for East Indian shrub), “pyxie” (17-point word for evergreen shrub), “pyxidium” (23-point word for seed vessel), “qat” (12-point word for evergreen shrub) and “qiviut” (18-point word for wool of a musk-ox).

One will “aby” (eight-point word for pay the price - but not in “xu,” the nine-point word for Vietnam currency) for not knowing game lingo and will certainly “banjax” (22-point word for ruin) their chances of winning.

And then there are commonly used words not recognized as official Scrabble words, for example, Arab, Christmas and Jew (however, “jeu” is accepted as 10-point word for game). So as not to offend anyone, they exclude everyone?

It’s all enough to prompt a perplexed player to jump off a “quay” (16-point word for wharf).

But - oyez! (16-point word for a cry before a court session) - now the tiles have turned. Scrabble’s maker Hasbro is seeking nominations on its facebook site.com/Hasbrogamenight.

“One word can change everything. We’re updating the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online Official Scrabble Players Dictionary for the first time in nine years with the #ScrabbleWord-Showdown! Nominate your word in the COMMENTS below until March 28th! The power is in YOUR hands …”

At least it is for three more days.

Here are some of the top suggestions so far:

Ew (Eh, er, why isn’t this one an accepted two-letter word already?)

Zen (Because how much more zen would everyone feel if we could have another simple 10-point Z-word?)

Queso (In “queso” you have a pesky Q you can’t use!)

Craycray (The cutesy way of saying crazy would be worth a cuckoo 18 points. Hasbro Game Night, which responds enthusiastically to many of the entries, also liked that one, saying, “Totes love abbreves!”)

Twerk (Hasbro Game Night responded with a wink and “Good thing this isn’t a Guesstures brainstorm.”)

Kwyjibo (Described by Urban Dictionary as “A big, dumb, balding North American ape. With no chin and a short temper.” The Scrabble word was invented by Bart during a Simpsons episode. Speaking of Simpsons vernacular, how about “Doh!”)

Others include: onesie, text, photobomb, lifehack, bling, bromance, emo, bitcoin, ribeye, nucleic, hangry, Zumba, crowdfunding, geocache, staycation, ginormous, muggle and redonkulous.

Hurry and submit your word! Don’t sleep - “zzz” (10-point word relying on use of two blank tiles) - and “muff ” (12-point word for bungle) this opportunity!

Be a good mun (five-point word for fellow) and email: jchristman@arkansasonline.com What’s in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman ’hood.

Style, Pages 29 on 03/25/2014

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