Wordplay

Details: Written by HG; Category: Wordplay; Published: 25 July 2020; Hits: 2744

Face masks have becoming mandatory this week in shops etc.

This week we are giving you 2 answers (aren't we kind !)

a) what are the front hooks to ACE? i.e 4 letter words ending ACE ?

b) what are the back hooks to ACE? i.e 4 letter words starting ACE ?

c) what are the front hooks to MAS ? ie 4 letter words ending MAS?

d) what are the back hooks to MAS ? ie 4 letter words starting MAS?

There are 19 words in total, well done if you got more than 12/13.

Answers below

Coming soon

Here they are

Now :

DACE, FACE, LACE, MACE, PACE, RACE, TACE

ACED, ACER, ACES

AMAS, OMAS

MASA, MASE, MASH, MASK, MASS, MAST, MASU

Details: Written by HG; Category: Wordplay; Published: 18 July 2020; Hits: 2809

Below are 10 racks of tiles, each containing a K.

Assuming each is your opening rack in a game, what is the highest score you can achieve with each rack. The highest answers all use the K !

AAEGKRT

BEFIKLN

AIKOPRS

ADEKLOP

DGIKMNO

EHKLOOW

AEEKRUX

AEIKLLU

AAEKPRT

IKMNOOW

Do let us know how many maximums you got !

Answers coming up

Soon

Coming soon

Nearly there

Almost

Here they are :

KARATE 30

KNIFE 34

OKAPIS 34

POLKAED 84

KINGDOM 90

WHELK 40

EUREKA 30

ALIKE 20

PARTAKE 86

KIMONO 34

Details: Written by HG; Category: Wordplay; Published: 11 July 2020; Hits: 2786

In honour of the return of CRICKET, here is a simple quiz : how many words of 4 – 6 letters can you make from the letters in ‘cricket’ ? Answers below : there are 38 in total and 20 or more is a good score.

Answers below ...

Answers just below ...

In the tables below, the letters in the first column are 'front' hooks e.g. an N can be placed before ICER to make NICER. And the letters in the third column are 'back' hooks e.g. a D can be placed after CITE to make CITED.

4 LETTERS
	CERT	sy	(short for) a certainty [n -S]
	CIRE	s	(French) a fabric with a waxed finish [n -S]
	CITE	drs	to quote as an authority or example [v CITED, CITING, CITES]
	CRIT	hs	(short for) criticism [n -S]
csx	ERIC	aks	(Irish) a murderer's fine in old Irish law, also ERIACH, ERICK [n -S]
m	ETIC	s	a type of linguistic analysis [n -S]
dnr	ICER	s	a person who makes or applies icing [n -S]
	KEIR	s	a bleaching-vat, also KIER [n -S]
s	KIER	s	a vat for boiling and dyeing fabrics, also KEIR [n -S]
s	KITE	drs	to obtain money fraudulently [v KITED, KITING, KITES]
dtw	RECK	s	to be concerned about, also REAK, REKE [v ROUGHT or RECKED, RECKING, RECKS]
	REIK	is	(obsolete) a prank [n -S]
dgpt	RICE	drsy	to form soft foods by pressing through a ricer [v RICED, RICING, RICES]
bceptw	RICK	s	to pile hay in stacks [v -ED, -ING, -S]
tuw	RITE	s	a ceremonial act or procedure [n -S]
	TICE	ds	(Shakespeare) to entice [v TICED, TICING, TICES]
s	TICK	sy	to make a sound like a clock [v -ED, -ING, -S]
	TIER	s	to arrange in rows [v -ED, -ING, -S]
	TIKE	s	a dog, a cur, also TYKE [n -S]
s	TIRE	ds	to grow tired [v TIRED, TIRING, TIRES]
	TREK	s	to go on a journey, also TRECK [v TREKKED, TREKKING, TREKS]
	TRIE	drs	(Spenser) to try [v TRIED, TRYING, TRIES]

5 LETTERS
	CERCI	s	CERCUS, (Greek) a sensory appendage of an insect [n]
	CERIC		containing cerium [adj]
	CITER	s	one who cites [n -S]
	CRICK	sy	to cause a spasm in the neck [v -ED, -ING, -S]
	ERICK	s	(Irish) a murderer's fine in old Irish law, also ERIC, ERIACH [n -S]
bdhklnprstwy	ICKER	s	(Scots) a single ear of corn [n -S]
	KITER	s	one that kites, obtains money fraudulently [n -S]
	RECIT	es	(French) the narrative of a book as opposed to the dialogue [n -S]
	RECTI		RECTUS, (Latin) any one of several straight muscles in the body [n]
	TRECK	s	to go on a journey, also TREK [v -ED, -ING, -S]
	TRICE	dps	to haul up with a rope [v TRICED, TRICING, TRICES]
s	TRICK	sy	to deceive [v -ED, -ING, -S]
s	TRIKE	s	(colloquial) a tricycle, also TRYKE [n -S]

6 LETTERS
	CRETIC	s	a type of metrical foot [n -S]
cp	RICKET	sy	a mistake or blunder [n -S]
s	TICKER	s	(slang) the heart [n -S]

Details: Written by HG; Category: Wordplay; Published: 04 July 2020; Hits: 2750

To celebrate the reopening of hostelries today...

what 4 letter words can you make with INN and a blank ?

what 4 letter words can you make with PUB and a blank ?

There are 14 in total, 6 are very common everyday words... so well done if you get 7 or more!

Cheers!

Answers below

Coming soon

INN +

A - NAIN

E - NINE

G - GINN

J - JINN

L - LINN

O - NONI

S - INNS

W - WINN

PUB +

A - BAPU

E - PUBE

M - BUMP

R - BURP

S - PUBS

Y - UPBY

Details: Written by HG; Category: Wordplay; Published: 03 July 2020; Hits: 2835

During June, we set the following Solitaire Scrabble Game for our members :

Scrabble Solitaire is played with a subset of the 100 tiles. Your subset is :

L I F E I N L O C K D O W N I S N E V E R E N D I N G

Your first rack is the first 7 letters from that phrase : L I F E I N L.

You can play as many or as few letters as you like on each move , but to fill your rack for the next move, you keep the unplayed letters and take the next consecutive letters from the 27 tile phrase.

For example if you played FILL on move 1, your next rack would be E I N + O C K D.

This continues on with your next and subsequent moves so if you played NICKED from your second rack (making FE and ID)

you would have O + O W N I S N as your third rack. etc.

Your objective is to play all 27 tiles and score as many points as you can.

Some hints :

1. Playing fewer tiles sometimes scores more in the long term than playing one long original word (For example NICKED may have accrued more points by playing ED, KED, NICKED).

2. Because you can see the future tiles, you may be able to play a couple of smaller scoring moves to ensure you get a bonus word in a few letters time.

3. You may even be able to set up a 9 timer if you can place a tile between two triple word scores.

Remember your objective is to score as many points as you can, this may be consistently scoring 25 points on every move or a couple of very big move scores.

You must take the tiles in order from the phrase. The last letter you draw will be the G.

--------

Report on the results !

Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry to this puzzle - it wasn't easy so top marks just for entering.

There were a surprising number of different bonus words appearing over the different entries and these included FLOCKED (by far and away the most popular) as well as :

FLICKED, CLINKED, VENINES, RENDING (a last move double-double) and SNORING.

A few people managed some nine- timers too. These included OVERSEEN (Frank) and SWERVING (Joyce). We also found INFERNOS when we attempted the puzzle.

In second place, with an impressive 311 was Joyce but the DESERVING (nine letter word, nine timer!) winner was Wanda with 380 points. Well done Wanda!

Her moves and board are attached.

RACK	WORD	POSITION	SCORE	CUMULATIVE SCORE
LIFEINL	LI	H8a	4	4
FEINLOC	IN	H9a	8	12
FELOCKD	FLOCKED	I7a	86	98
OWNISNE	OW/WE	M6d	32	130
NISNEVE	WEE	N6d	6	136
NISVENR	WEEN	N6d	7	143
ISVENRE	IN	M9a	3	146
SVENREN	INS	M9a	3	149
VENREND	FIND	I7d	8	157
VEBRENI	INN	H9a	3	160
VERENIN	NO	K6d	2	162
VERENIG	DESERVING	O7d	218	380

Page 22 of 39

(F) ACE MAS(K)

Special K

Is it CRICKET?

INN & PUB

Solitaire Scrabble