I have a suggestion for a new word game.
One person writes a sentence, and the next person has to use the last word of that sentence as the first word of the next.
The number of words in the sentence increases by one each time, from 2 up to 20, then returns to 2. Please indicate the word count in parentheses after each sentence.
Let us begin:
Have fun. (2)
Rare...no, well done. (4)
(The old rancher left his spread to his three sons, on condition that they name it "Focus," because that's where...)
Done properly, pancakes are delicious. (5)
Delicious, exclaimed Devon, begging for seconds. (6)
Seconds are the root of most obesity. (7)
Seconds are hours
The hours go so slowly
Still the sky is light
--Haiku from West Side Story
Obesity is a major cause of heart disease. (8)
Disease can be anything that has symptoms,
progressive, fatal.(9)
Fatal accidents can be reduced by some simple safety procedures. (10)
Procedures and regulations aside, sometimes one must go with
gut instinct.
(11)
good one AC
Instinct can be very useful indeed, but it tends to ignore consequences. (12)
Consequences could precede their causes if time travel into the past were possible. (13)
Possible reasons for the failure of the space mission were discussed by rocket engineers. (14)
Engineers in Victorian Britain devised many innovative structures that were the envy of other nations. (15)
Nations from around the world were meeting at the United Nations
building in New York City.(16)
City council members decided last week not to ban the use of motor vehicles on Bishop's Beach. (17)
Beach huts are a common sight in many British seaside resorts, although I myself consider them uncomfortably small. (18)
"Small" is in the eye of the beholder; compared to a foxhole, a tent is as spacious as heaven. (19)
Heaven knows how complex and incomprehensible these sentences would become if there were no limit on their length at all. (20)
Back to 2 words...
...Is that a jump back to 2 or are we going through 19->18->17->etc along the way?
...Is that a jump back to 2 or are we going through 19->18->17->etc along the way?
Jump back to 2.
This ice cream rocks! (4)
Rocks hurt car tire treads. (5)
Treads on mill belt for exercise. (6)
Exercise always makes the muscles much stronger. (7)
Stronger winds and rain will arrive later today. (8)
Today the Universe starts off afresh; nothing old matters. (9)
Matters being what they were, the situation remained very unsettled (10).
Unsettled by the commotion, the horse bolted, knocking a fence down. (11)
Down in the valley,
The valley so low,
Hang your head over...(12)
(can be sung)
Over the river and through the spooky woods to Grandmother's house we go. (13)
Go back to the beginning of the piece and play it slightly more slowly. (14)
Slowly approaching the squirrel,hand out, it took the peanut right
out of my hand. (15)
Hand in I shook it all about, did the hokey pokey and turned myself around again. (16)
"Again": how there's always time for doing it, although there's never enough time to do it right. (17)
"Right, left, right," the ants went marching two by two, the little one stepped in poo, boo hoo. (18)
Slowly approaching the squirrel,hand out, it took the peanut right out of my hand.
I think there's a dangling modifier there, Luke!
"Hoo", found in some place names, is an archaic English word meaning a peninsula or a spur of land. (19)
"Hoo", found in some place names, is an archaic English word meaning a peninsula or a spur of land. (19)
My favorite was Hōō.
Land is in short supply in the London area, and there is very little that anyone can do about it. (20)
Stinks disappear fast! (3)
Fast,quick thinking, Laddie ! (4)
Laddie, ye ken my style. (5)
Style without substance is no good. (6)
Good food is well worth paying for. (7)
For the love of Mike, it's getting hot ! (8)
Hot water can be obtained if you need any. (9)
Any old sheet will do for a Hallowe'en Ghost costume (10).
Costume parties are all the rage during this October holiday season. (11)
"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness", wrote Keats with typical Romantic feeling. (12)
Feeling an odd burst of energy,
eighty-one year old Henry,raked leaves. (13)
Leaves on the track at this time of year cause trains to be delayed. (14)
Delayed also at this time of year are airplanes due to
winter weather and "drones". (15)
Drones are played on various bass instruments during this piece to imitate that of Scottish bagpipes. (16)
Hopes for a bowl game are all but nil for our state football team:
too many losses.(17)
The Go Big Red is now just a pale blush !
Losses can and do accumulate and can eventually rise to the point that the head coach is fired. (18)
Fired up after the half time talk by the coach our state team
went out and lost the game. (19)
Not even Go Big Pink
Game, but rarely hunted much due to very strict regulations, the once vast herd was slowly but surely coming back. (20)
Not really a sentence Luke, but I'm game...
Doors are helpful. (3)
Helpful friends are invaluable.(4)
Invaluable, yes, especially in emergencies. (5)
Emergencies come in many different types. (6)
Types are stored in
California Job Cases. (7)
Cases of French wine can be purchased here. (8)
Here's Winter, leaves have all fallen from the trees. (9)
Trees, many different varieties, defined the border of the property. (10)
Property taxes in the area kept rising despite the aging houses. (11)
Houses around there are too expensive for ordinary people to live in. (12)
In Chile and Argentina they speak Spanish, but in Brazil they speak Portuguese. (13)
Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama figure prominently in the history of Europe. (14)
Europe would be a nice place to visit with their population of perky, pleasant people. (15)
People who wish to improve their English may benefit from playing word games such as these. (16)
These are the days of our lives, like sands through an hourglass, time waits for no man. (17)
I guess that makes woman reign supreme.
Man is an animal, a vertebrate, a mammal, a primate, and an ape; but he considers himself special. (18)
Special interest in patiserie and baking opens creative outlets that blend harmoniously with scientific processes, bridging subjective/objective gaps. (19)
Gaps in the fossil record encourage creationists to deride Darwinian evolution, but I find their ignorant arguments hard to take. (20)
We now go back to a 2-word sentence.
Gaps in the fossil record encourage creationists to deride Darwinian evolution, but I find their ignorant arguments hard to take. (20)
Take time. (2)
Gaps in the fossil record encourage creationists to deride Darwinian evolution, but I find their ignorant arguments hard to take. (20)
Take time. (2)
Because I forgot the (2) or is there something else I should be aware of?
I'm confuse. I'll join when this gets resolved.
I'm out. Much ado about nothing.
Please note (as stated in the OP):
the next person has to use the last word of that sentence as the first word of the next.
Got this game confused with another: my bad.
Time awaits none. (3)
Well, that's embarrassing. Where the heck was I? Superimposing something, I guess.
Sorry!
Work: the opiate of Pluggers. (5)
(or something like that...)
Pluggers plug things to stop leaks. (6)
Leaks must be stopped before floods occur (7)
Occur, or occur not...there is no Schroedinger. (8)
Schroedinger, replied the boy,answering the teacher's
pronunciation request (9)
Request a day off if your dogs are barking mad. (10)
Mad pseudoscientific theories are commonplace in discussion forums on the internet. (11)
Internet speeds are quite divine, especially when yours are slower than mine . (12)
(with apologies to A.A. Milne)
"...Mine has a hood, and I...pull my hood right over my head" (13)
Head down this here highway, stop by the big tree, and you are there.
(14)
There are some aspects of our universe that the physicists still have no explanation for. (15)
For more information please dial zero and an operator will be with you shortly; thank you. (16)
You can tell whether it will rain by looking at the shapes and movements of the clouds. (17)
Clouds move from west to east here,with the worst being the
destructive cloud known as the tornado (18)
Tornado season is upon us, if I remember correctly, it's time to batten down the hatches and take care. (19)
Care to remind me - does 20 words go right back to 2, or do 19, 18, 17, etc. stepwise intervene? (20)
don't learn very well, eh?Jail is for forgetters... (4)
But I think we're still supposed to be linking end-to-beginning, even at the jump back to start. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Forgetters like the mouse's ear. (5)
Sorry, I thought of the game Monopoly and didn't know if I made a correct "sentence."
Ear is what corn grows on. (6)
"On your mark, get set, go" - not. (7)
(Could that be the record for shortest letters-per-word?)(8)
"Go out and find something that may suffice." (8)
Suffice it to say, the force is with me. 9
Me own self, I like a snug warm cozy bed! (10)
Bed bugs bounce behind beautiful Bedouin bandits bagging big baked bagels.
Bagels are an acquired taste, or in my case an unacquired taste. (12)
Taste is in the mouth (and nose) of the beholder; a budding skill. (13)
Skill, to the ear, sounds like a saw; solubrious,serene, sharing it's toothy grin. (14)
Grin for the camera, folks — Christmas is here, so let us all look suitably joyful. (15)
Joyful and happy, but let's not expect more of the holidays
than they're able to bring (16).
Bring in the Christmas presents, and let's see if we can find something out of the ordinary (17).
Ordinary stresses we must learn to cope with, expecting holidays, for
instance,
to relieve stress won't work nohow.(18)
"Nohow, noway did three little kittens lose their mittens when walking through the woods one day!' said Mother Goose.
Goose and Gander, turkey, owl, thrush, junco, woodpecker, nuthatch,
hawk, sparrow, chickadee, jay, cardinal, his mate,visited my yard today.
(20)
Today a white truck with the license plate NOWHRMN crossed my path in a parking lot, which I found somewhat unusual. (21)
We've reached 21, I think that's when we start over with two words;
Faster Laddie!
Laddie paddles furiously.
Furiously the hurricane ravaged.
Ravaged by ebony and ivory.
Ivory Coast: on Ghana's West side.(6)
Side by side they remain, always inseparable. (7)
Inseparable were Chang and Eng, original Siamese twins (8)
twins as friends, three sets, have I, lucky me (9)
Me and my shadow plied her with questions until dawn. (10)
Dawn brought the year's first light, and 2016 receded into history. (11)
History usually shows that New Year's Resolutions
are fading already or gone. (12)
Gone in fleeting moments are signposts and synchronicities, moving beyond felicities, proverbial gold.
Gold from kingdoms: Quivera, and Seven Cities of Cibola,were
searched along the Missouri. (14)
I'm like a chicken who's found a knife; "Missouri loves company," she sighed almost sorrowfully. (15)
Sorrowfully, May:O, they will berate you, Uncool L-J snarling at your creative but "unruly" word sequence. (16)
Someone needs a New Years Resolution, but you are right, Endy, the new
sentence is supposed to begin with the last word of the previous
entry, not just appear somewhere.
So do we want to go with "Missouri loves company...etc"?
Ooooh, my bad. I got lost in translation. I totally forgot about the rule mid construction. I agree, out it goes. Sorry
Lol, literal confusion. "Like a chicken with a fork." From my recent watching of The Butterfly. A lovely French film.
Perhaps, I would have done better to channel my admiration for Stephen King.
Not a problem at all. Happy New Year, btw.
So your sentence is: Missouri.....
Happy New Year, Luke
Missouri, the great seal of the state is, united we stand [and] divided we fall. (15)
I joked that I was house sitting, going to write my novel (The Shining). We ventured west, travelled through Missouri (post card in every state for my grandmother) and hit treacherous roads in Colorado. A great joy to see Dan, my son. Making a stand in Nevada? Like walking through a whisper...now how does spelling or misspelling relate to candy via Sanskrit?
Fall to my knees, I do, and bow to anyone who Speaks or
even understands Sanskrit (16).
"Sanskrit," I've been told, is what a dyslexic striptease artist should look like halfway through her act (17)
"Act your age", a senseless command when spoken to a child
who is just being his age accordingly.(18)
Accordingly, I went to the haunted house, but my journey proved to be in vain, as nobody was in. (19)
In other words, "Malama Pono Aui Hou, Aloha;" I take care of the harmony within, until we meet again, Aloha. (20)
Restart the motor now. (4)
Now you may marry her (5).
Her wrinkles wondered why she worried.
Worried voters confound the predictions of pundits. (7)
Pundits pandering for political gain is pointless. (7)
Grand Canyon inspired, like water, know when to be hard and when to be soft. For lily livered list lickers, like me.
Pointless peace efforts daily in the Middle East. (8)
East Anglia is a picturesque region, but rather flat. (9)
Flat out, kipping, while cross the country tripping,Thoreau smiled. (10)
Smiled,read the wall poster, when it should have read 'smiling' (11).
Smiling with eyes only is not best way to encourage returning guests. (12)
Guests in nests, fonder of pests, rarely feel tense or bother making cents. (13)
Smiled,read the wall poster, when it should have read 'smiling' (11).
It is a misconception that Thoreau, New Mexico has much, if anything to do with Henry David Thoreau. Traveling in the early morning hours, before sunrise, one might experience (first hand) a feeling of....smiling.
I've never seen so many hawks in Oklahoma as I did today. The experience was definitely worth the turnpike tolls.
There is a hawk, my favorite raptor, which visits my feeders
daily (12).
And also an owl with a 3 foot wingspan.
Guests in nests, fonder of pests, rarely feel tense or bother making cents. (13)
Cents or pence, hidden in vents, are safe from thieves who can come anywhence. (14)
Anywhence words may travel, it is fair to say, my ignorance is sure to unravel. (15)
There is a hawk, my favorite raptor, which visits my feeders
daily (12).
And also an owl with a 3 foot wingspan.
This is the last posting. How can you miss three posts
inbetween????????????????
There is a hawk, my favorite raptor, which visits my feeders
daily (12).
And also an owl with a 3 foot wingspan.
This is the last posting. How can you miss three posts
inbetween????????????????
Remember that the last word of a sentence has to be the same as the first word of the next. So we have:
Smiled, read the wall poster, when it should have read 'smiling'. (11)
Smiling with eyes only is not best way to encourage returning guests. (12)
Guests in nests, fonder of pests, rarely feel tense or bother making cents. (13)
Cents or pence, hidden in vents, are safe from thieves who can come anywhence. (14)
Anywhence words may travel, it is fair to say, my ignorance is sure to unravel. (15)So I can't see where the sentences in the above quote box fit in.
Unravel the mysteries of the early universe, and a Nobel Prize is yours for the taking. (16)
Taking part of the equation and reversing the order only makes the hypothesis more inconceivable and falsifiable. (17)
There is a hawk, my favorite raptor, which visits my feeders
daily (12).
And also an owl with a 3 foot wingspan.
This is the last posting. How can you miss three posts
inbetween????????????????
Remember that the last word of a sentence has to be the same as the first word of the next. So we have:
Smiled, read the wall poster, when it should have read 'smiling'. (11)
Smiling with eyes only is not best way to encourage returning guests. (12)
Guests in nests, fonder of pests, rarely feel tense or bother making cents. (13)
Cents or pence, hidden in vents, are safe from thieves who can come anywhence. (14)
Anywhence words may travel, it is fair to say, my ignorance is sure to unravel. (15)So I can't see where the sentences in the above quote box fit in.
they don't appear on my screen - must be a gremlin in the works:
happens once in a while.
I was attempting to discern if you were being childish or childlike. I went with the latter and smiled...you were beyond tense 😬 Lol
Falsifiable theories are scientifically respectable, according to Karl Popper; unfalsifiable ones belong to metaphysics, religion, or mere pseudoscience. (18)
Pseudoscience and science are specialized words for the pursuit of knowledge, thereby perfunctory dismissal of either is ill advised. (19)
Advised to leave London for the sake of his health, he looked for some rural location where he could go. (20)
[Back to 2 words]
Dollars make much sense. (4)
Sense of epistemological signposts, indeed. (5)
Indeed, she exclaimed, what a surprise. (6)
Surprise endings are good; we like twists. (7)
Twists of limes are great in some martinis (8).
Martinis ginned up folks before the bow tie convention. (9)
Convention dictates that fictional heroes always prevail over the villains. (10)
Villains in black hats so often filled fifties television
screen time. (11)
Time was, when one had to search through printed encyclopedias in libraries. (12)
Libraries are still wonderful places to spend a rainy, or snowy, day off.
(13)
Off her shoulders chips scattered across the floor leaving bits of history never seen. (14)
Seen from atop something like the Eiffel Tower, the city and its
inhabitants seem small (15).
Small pieces of rock were collected from the Moon by Apollo astronauts and brought back here. (16)
Here is where the hearth is; the heart, a lonely hunter, did not yet get back home. (17)
Home can be a physical structure, but more often is
a connection to people, memories, and one's ideals. (18)
Ideals vary from person to person, and in the political arena they often clash, causing much dismay and acrimony. (19)
Acrimony and disarray is found on every news broadcast and
every network these days and is very discomforting and
hurtful. (20)
On the road, again, merrily. (5)
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is. (6)
Is life finite, or is it eternal? (7)
Eternal life is the hope of many religions (8).
Religions of ubiquity I know not of your antiquity. (9)
Antiquity is relative; it depends on the field of study. (10)
Study in any endeavor of academia can usually result in mastery. (11)
Mastery requires study and perseverance, but a natural aptitude helps too. (12)
Too many have no perseverance, inherit ability, nor study skills,
so they cheat (13),
Cheat death with these new improved longevity pills, recommended by many top geriatric specialists. (14)
Specialists learn more and more about less and less; eventually they know everything about nothing. (15)
Nothing, or nothingness, is a topic that has exercised many famous philosophers, so don't knock it. (16)
Nothing can be so infuriating as being totally engrossed in a
TV program interrupted by an advertisement. (17).
Advertisement campaigns canceled world wide leave many citizens stupefied and suffering, unable to think for themselves society crumbles. (18)
Crumbles are desserts, typically made with apple or rhubarb and topped with a mixture of butter, flour and sugar. (19)
Honey sweetens tea, too (4).
Too much honey spoils it. (5)
It may come as a surprise. (6)
Surprise me with a new Ferrari soon. (7)
Soon we will begin to see something different. (8)
Different opinions often lead to slugfests, instead of
reconciliation. (9)
Reconciliation can be difficult after a war, as history shows. (10)
Shows on streaming networks, like Netflix, sure make theater going obsolete (11).
Obsolete textbooks, inadvertently used by teachers, can cause examination candidates to fail. (12)
Fail, with a red "F" was something I used to mark papers frequently.
(13)
Frequently, the temperature in central London is considerably higher than in the suburban areas. (14)
Areas farther away from cement streets and walkways
are always cooler, because cement holds heat. (15)
Heat and light from the Sun, together with atmospheric oxygen and water, make earthly life possible. (16)
Possible life on planets beyond earth, even beyond the galaxy has fascinated
science fiction writers for eons. (17)
Eons are required for light from distant stars to reach us, but a mere eight minutes for sunlight. (18)
Sunlight is slowly getting longer and longer each day
as Spring changes the drab browns and greys to color. (19)
Color photographs are so common these days that it is easy to overlook the artistic potential of black and white. (20)
Scores mount rapidly. (3)
Rapidly flow water falls. (4)
Falls of snow are disruptive. (5)
Disruptive wrecks unfortunately cause highway havoc (6).
Havoc can also result from thick fog. (7)
Fog and catspaws are analogous, according to Sandburg. (8)
Sandburg, poet, writer and editor won three Pulitzer Prizes (9),
Prizes will not be given for the most imaginative entry. (10)
Entry fees must be received no later than midnight April fifteenth (11).
Fifteenth April, being a Saturday, comes the seventeenth this year (per IRS). [12]
IRS deadlines were the furthest things from my mind, when
making that post (13).
Post any interesting observations about the English language, or queries about aspects of it. (14)
It has been revealed to the querent that good health and fitness are sowilo characteristics. (15)
Characteristics of Spring here in the heartland are the
return of birds and flowers in bloom (16)
Bloom bright, ye plants, adorn the fields of Spring;
Announce the joys which Summer's warmth will bring. (17)
Bring some warm clothing and an umbrella if you visit a northern European country like Denmark or Sweden. (18)
Sweden, Norway and Denmark are among the few countries left in the world with a monarchy, albeit constitutional monarchy. (19)
Monarchy in England has changed enormously since King Henry VIII imposed his tyrannical will on political, legal and ecclesiastical matters. (20)
Suck something sweet, then. (4)
And hope tongue doesn't pucker (5)
Pucker like seersucker with Brian Malarkey. (6)
"Malarkey" said the disgruntled grandmither storming out (7).
Out cognitive dissonance hesychastic practice quiets grape thieves. (8)
Thieves get away while trying to translate all that (9).
"That" might be an anaphoric device used to engage readers. (10)
Readers of fantasy are well acquainted with the works of Tolkien (11).
Tolkien wrote, "Little by little one travels far;" promoting sense of calm. (12)
Calm skies at night, sailor's delight, stormy skies in morning, sailors take warning. (13)
"Warning Becomes Electra" isn't the title of a play by Eugene O'Neill (but close!). (14)
Close, but "I refuse to join any club that would have me for a member." (15)
Member qualifications for some clubs are such that one needs to be a millionaire to join. (16)
Join a club if you are bored or wish to mix with people whose interests are similar. (17)
Similar thought processes, interests, convictions and the like, on local and national scale, are what make political parties. (18)
Parties can be good fun, but there is always the risk that drunken guests will act in inappropriate ways. (19)
Ways of spending one's leisure time include listening to music, visiting art galleries, and playing games like this in Wordsmith. (20)
And one to carry
Wordsmith rocks! (2)
Gardens are environmentally valuable. (4)
Valuable coupons are on Groupon (5)
Groupon is not worthwhile very often. (6)
Often as not, it rains weekly here (7)
Here in London the buses are mostly red. (8)
Red sky at night, sailor's delight, morning is opposite (9)
Opposite the municipal library is a large new food store. (10)
Store the ammunition, eat a good meal, and praise the Lord. (11)
Lord Cornwallis was the British commander during the American war for independence (12)
Independence from an imperial power has often led to dictatorship or tribal conflict. (13)
Conflict and anger management should be mandatory for all in each and every prison (14)
Prison guards, taken by surprise, could not act quickly enough to prevent the mass escape. (15)
Escape is on the mind of every prisoner, in all prisons, the staff is also aware (16)
Aware that the enemy was planning to invade the undefended island, the authorities ordered a swift evacuation. (17)
Evacuation was a traumatic wartime experience for many British children, especially if the receiving family resented their arrival. (18)
Arrival and Departure gates at airlines are replete with angry travelers confused by restrictions and requirements
imposed by airlines.(19)
Airlines are fiercely competitive, and try to attract customers with advertisements that stress the comfort and glamour of air travel. (20)
Excellent AC
start over:
MY TURN
Down the street they rushed. (5)
Rushed, Mom dropped the milk bottle. (6)
Bottle or can — bring whichever you like. (7)
Like is a big thing on social media (8)
Media attention is something that celebrities are desperate for. (9)
For goodness' sake, that is because celebrities are so narcissistic(10)
Narcissistic players are a tiresome phenomenon in many sports these days. (11)
Days after the race had officially ended, the final runner came through. (12)
Through the entire race the stamina of all the runners was very apparent (13)
Apparent is important in rearing stable, well-rounded children; two would be even better. (14)
Better is the taste of lemons, limes, grapefruits,tangerines,, and other assorted citrus like vegetables.(15)
Vegetables are nutritious, and form an essential part of any healthy diet, according to doctors' advice. (16)
Advice, no matter who gives it, nor how often it is given is not heeded by fools. (17)
Fools can be found in any walk of life, and common sense is not guaranteed by academic qualifications. (18)
Qualifications for each event in the school's Field Day competition as well as sign up sheets are already posted. (19)
Posted over a decade ago, the early contributions to Wordsmith's forums, by members no longer active, can still be read. (20)
Memorize lines, perform well. (4)
Well Done! to First Responders (5)
Responders are what we rely on. (6)
"On responders we rely" was grammatically preferred. (7)
Preferred Customers Sale, read the posted entrance sign (8)
Sign your full name legibly in the space provided. (9)
Provided you follow instructions, good things will happen to you. (10)
You ought to take care,when you're at an advanced age (11)
Age cannot wither, nor custom stale, many people's appalling lack of civility. (12)
Civility needs to be taught to young children; it does not come naturally. (13)
NATURALLY DOES NOT PLAY FIRST BASE, NO MATTER WHAT BUD ABBOTT SAID; THAT'S WHO.
And if you don't believe me, see
here. It's worth it.
Who can even begin to stomach the late night clowns who pretend they are Carson? (15)
Carson may rule, but this routine would be funny even if done by you and me. (16)
"Me?" he asked incredulously, when the judges announced that he had won first prize in the competition. (17)
Competition is at the heart of every high school team from football to debate to science, very healthy (18).
Healthy food cannot guarantee longevity, but unhealthy food can certainly induce an early death, as doctors will tell you. (19)
Disagree if you like. (4)
"Like" is popular on Facebook (5)
Facebook has exsanguinated many small chatboards. (6)
Chatboards added a new dimension to conversation. (7)
Conversation is the last thing done on phones (8)
Phones have changed greatly over the past hundred years. (9)
Years divisible by 4 always include an American presidential election. (10)
Election results around the world have confounded many people's expectations recently. (11)
Recently I acquired a new puppy, five months old, and I'm busy. (12)
"Busy" sometimes means "I really don't want to, and I'm saying 'No' diplomatically." (13)
Diplomatically President Trump is on a whirlwind tour of Asian countries beefing up trade (14).
Trade names, like other proper nouns, are often disallowed by the rules of word games. (15)
Winter Games of a new Olympiad begin in February in Seoul, South Korea, hopefully, peace willingly.
Willingly, consumers spend large amounts of money on the latest ranges of fashionable goods promoted by advertisers. (17)
Advertisers are on the upswing, going nuts at this time of the year, to sell lots of merchandise (18}
Merchandise with a seasonal theme, such as Easter, Halloween or Christmas, is often sold off afterwards at a discount. (19)
Vigorous exercise boosts health. (4)
Health matters to us all. (5)
All people deserve good health care (6)
CARE remains a worthy charity deserving support. (7)
Support for the government's policies is running low. (8)
Low lands and low water levels created the Netherlands (9)
Netherlands landscapes in popular art often feature picturesque old windmills. (10)
Windmills once seen everywhere here on the plains are gone now.
Now is the winter of our discontent, or at least late Fall. (12)
Fall presages the coming of Winter, my least favorite season of the year (13)
Year in and out, seasons cycle hot and cold; but that's weather, not climate. (14)
Climate of the times, regarding art, between 1917 and 1931 was De Stijl, or neoplasticism. (15)
Neoplasticism was one of many artistic innovations of the early 20th century, that age of iconoclasm. (16)
Iconoclasm means “image breaking†and refers to a recurring historical impulse that complicates the religious veneration debate. (17)
Debate just might be the most important determinant of whether you succeed in catching your fish, or not. (18)
Not playing by the rules is not only frustrating to the players, but extremely, narcissistic, arrogant and self aggrandizing (19).
Self-agggandizing indeed. (2)
(Whew!)
Is pointing at specifics (4)
"Specifics" are the fine print. (5)
Print the rules and folly follows (6).
Follows those sneaky, little Hobbttses, Sméagol does. (7)
Does anyone speak Esperanto as their first language? (8)
9- Language, including Esperanto, is highlighted in Captain Fantastic movie.
Movie moguls such as Sam Goldwyn ran studios like dictators. (10)
Dictators need stenographers to transcribe their edicts, dubious rule-of-law status notwithstanding. (11)
Notwithstanding the fierce resistance, the Allies drove the Germans out of Italy. (12)
Interestingly, it would also be true to say:
"Withstanding the fierce resistance, the Allies drove the Germans out of Italy."
Italy looks like a boot, many of us were taught that in school? (13)
Schooling like that betrays your age: "...shaped like a boot, run by a heel..." (14)
Heel problems can afflict fast bowlers in cricket, due to the constant impact they make. (15)
Make haste, early bird catches the worm, only thirteen shopping days before Christmas, get going now (16).
"Now is the winter of our discount tents," said the sign in the cut-rate camping supplies store. (17)
(I saw this caption on a cartoon somewhere, but I don't remember exactly where, or the artist's name.)
Store flammable or explosive substances in a cool place, in closed containers well away from any electrical sources. (18)
"Sources say..." you can get away with anything you feel like writing here, provided you leave the "sources" unidentified. (19)
Unidentified flying objects, otherwise known as UFOs or flying saucers, have been a common science fiction theme for decades now. (20)
Two is even. (3)
(Actually, the limit is 20 - see my original post.)
Even so; we'll continue. (4)
Continue your holiday celebrations, please (5)
1!! (5)
Please do not play too loud. (6)
“Loud-amus te,†say the faithful every Sunday (7)
I believe it is "laud"-amus
Sunday funnies, a family tradition enjoyed on Sunday. (8)
Sunday sermons also encourage, for most minor peccadillos, forgiveness,. (9)
Forgiveness is a concept about which Christian theology is ambivalent. (10)
Ambivalent attitudes towards Hitler were common in Germany between the wars. (11)
Wars probably are occurring in half the countries of the world today. (12)
Today, the antepenultimate day of the year, is the fifth Friday of December. (13)
December is over, but the coldest part of the winter is still to come. (14)
Come what may, "this too shall pass" -- or so they would lead us to believe. (15)
Believe what your eyes and ears tell you, unless there is a good reason not to. (16)
To succeed as an artist in this democratic age, you need to cultivate an aura of notoriety. (17)
Notariety,lately, seems to be attached to everyone of the male gender because women assume all are perverts (18).
"Perverts," these days, is almost as much a poorly defined and conveniently imprecise over-generalization as "Liberals" (and also "Conservatives").(19)
Conservatives (or "Tories" as they are also known in Great Britain) can often be quite radical, though they deny it. (20)
"Sucks" + "inked" = "terse.†(3)
Terse and witty, what! (4)
What they want, they get. (5)
Get something tasty for dinner tonight. (6)
"Tonight there will be no morning star." (7)
Star players' earnings these days are often astronomical. (8)
Astronomical costs can be imagined to Elon Musk's endeavors (9)
Endeavors should not be mocked just because they have failed. (10)
Failed attempts many hundreds of times preceded Edison's light bulb invention (11)
"Invention is the necessity of Mother," Reverend Spooner lauded maternal ingenuity. (12)
"Invention is the necessity of Mother," Reverend Spooner lauded maternal ingenuity. (12)
You're one word short...
... will do it. (Iolanthe, Act II)
"Invention is the necessity of Mother," Reverend Spooner lauded her maternal ingenuity. (12)
'Ingenuity' is a badly formed word, apparently resulting from a confusion with 'ingenuous'. (13)
"Ingenuous" ought to mean the opposite of "disingenuous," but peculiarly enough it doesn't quite. (14)
Quite enough gun violence has taken place, and it is time to desensitize online gaming (15)
+
Gaming appeals to those British aristocrats who are too idle to go foxhunting or grouse shooting. (16)
Shooting the spectacular underwater fight scenes won the cinematographer a deserved Oscar at that year's Academy Awards. (17)
Awards, no matter how trivial, are always gratifying for the recipient; thus the popularity of the "igNobel Prize." (18)
Prize orchids were a favorite of Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout's fictional detective; his gardener, Theodore Horstman, cared for them. (19)
"Them and us" attitudes are an unavoidable part of human nature, and can sour relationships between different groups of people. (20)
“Disappoint†is expectations-dependent. (3)
can't do anything with 'expectations-dependent'
Expectations-dependent assessments are subjective. (4)
"Subjective" means "impossible to disprove." (5)
Disprove God's existence if you can. (6)
Can vegetables...a bumper crop this year. (7)
Year by year, the world's population goes up. (8)
Up the Yalu River, to Pork Chop Hill again? (9)
Again with the deadlock,why can't D's and R's agree? (10)
Agree, and you're just a yes-man; disagree, and you're a rebel. (11)
Rebel troops stormed the palace, but the president had gone into hiding. (12)
Hiding her riding hood, the little red-headed girl waited to ambush the wolf. (13)
Wolf tracks were discovered near the scene, throwing doubt on the police's initial assumptions. (14)
Assumptions about historical events and people often prove wrong when new evidence comes to light. (15)
Light cream in your diet isn't as unhealthy than the "Real Thing," even in your coffee. (16)
Coffee bean is my birthstone, as well as mothers' and I gave her a coffee bean necklace (17)
Necklace styles vary greatly in this year's fashion show, ranging from the exquisitely elegant to the downright bizarre. (18)
Bizarre happenings around the globe have convinced world leaders to make ends meet and come full circle once again. (19)
Again we see the unpredictability of international politics, with the prospect of peace between North and South Korea, it seems. (20)
Indeed, you are arrogant. (4)
Arrogant politicians seek more power. (5)
Power hungry politicians buy it monetarily (6)
Monetarily deficient men were shunned by ladies. (7)
Ladies had delicate sensibilities towards Hetherington's top hat. (8)
http://gratefulamericanfoundation.com/facts/10593/
Hat or no hat, Beau Brummell was impeccably dressed. (9)
Dressed in ermine, the Lords gathered for the State Opening. (10)
Opening ceremonies will be Monday, averting any conflict with weekend activities. (11)
Activities for the College World Series have been going on here daily. (12)
Daily beatings were a widely accepted feature of school life until quite recently. (13)
Recently an infestation of Japanese beetles has been decimating my grapes, time for insecticide. (14)
Insecticide can be a two-edged sword, as the DDT experience decades ago illustrates so poignantly. (15)
Poignantly reminiscent of happier times, hundreds of old magazines, posters and sepia photographs filled the room. (16)
Room service in some hotels is of poor quality, but generally you get what you pay for. (17)
"For Liberty, for Fraternity, for Equality", this motto delineates the ideals and the goals of the French Revolution. (18)
Revolution has often occurred in the history of France, which has been ruled by kings, emperors and republican presidents. (19)
Presidents dying on the Fourth of July: there have been three: Jefferson, Adams, and Monroe;Coolidge was born on same. (20)
Good July Fourth, everyone! (4)
Everyone likes holidays, don't they? (5)
They should use summers filling potholes (6).
Potholes in roads are a problem here. (7)
Here I stand; I can do no other. (8)
Here I stand; I can do no other. (8)
Other famous quotations may follow, should the opportunity arise. (9)
"Arise, shine, for thy light has come!" Handel quoted Isaiah. (10)
Isaiah had a son named Mahershalahashbash,and the Bible's longest word.(11)
Word classes, sometimes called 'parts of speech', include nouns, verbs and adjectives. (12)
Adjectives are overused by novelists who do not appreciate that 'less is more'. (13)
More and more, these days, news anchors are guilty of using really improper grammar(14).
Grammar runs afoul of the "We don' need no steenkin' roolz" principle, I heared tell. (15)
"Tell me, Holmes", asked Watson, "how on earth did you deduce that Mr Llewellyn is Welsh?" (16)
Welsh is central to the national identity of Wales, and is still spoken by many people there. (17)
There are many Native American nations for whom their indigenous language is also central to their tribal identity (18)
Identity is a confusing property in physics, where the same particle can seemingly be in two places at once. (19)
Identity was once the province of psychology, not physics...but, come to think of it, the "id entity" still is). (20)
Identity was once Once identity was the province of psychology, not physics...but, come to think of it, the "id entity" still is). (20)
...is correct. (2)
Correct change, please. (3)
Please walk like this. (4)
This day is too rainy (5)
Rainy days have inspired many artists. (6)
Artists who show work sell many things (7)
Things my math teacher said: “Show all work!†(8)
Work with no play makes Jack a dull boy (9).
Boy, was I glad when I saw her walk in! (10)
Hoping for a new, good day I jump out of bed (11)
Hoping for a new, good day I jump out of bed (11)
The last word in the previous post was "in". I suggest:In hope of a good day I jump out of bed. (11)
A version of Old-timers I guess, my bad. Thanks. can't even figure out where I got that.
In hope of a good day, I jump out of bed. (11)
Bed in evening, day is leaving; bed In morninng, new day dawning (12)
Leaving the television turned off all day I had the best day ever. (13)
That’s probably my fault. Four hours ago I swapped the clauses. Fifteen minutes ago, I suspect, Luke, you saw and responded to the older version of the since-corrected post.
Leaving the television turned off all day I had the best day ever. (13)
Ever the perfectionist, Wagner went through his entire opera manuscript again, making various changes. (14)
Changes are everywhere, as leaves turn color, brisk air, birds flying south, winter is coming (15)
Coming only five days after Halloween, Britain's traditional Bonfire Night has been eclipsed somewhat in comparison. (16)
Comparison and contrast are often used by all when trying to choose something and make a decision (17)
Decision followed decision in rapid succession, until everyone in the office felt exhausted and ready for a break. (18)
Break long words down into individual syllables, and say them slowly, to make sure you can pronounce them right. (19)
Right at the end of added time, Manchester United were awarded a penalty, but the Liverpool goalkeeper saved it well. (20)
Again, with the sarcasm??????(4)
Sarcasm is a character defect (5)
Defect in character can be contagious. (6)
Contagious diseases really plague West Africa today (7)
Today is the first day of...this coming week. (8)
Week after week, there's nothing but vulgar political infighting(9),
Infighting, unfortunately, has destroyed from within many a well-conceived plan. (10)
Plan well ahead if you are traveling this weekend, storms Sunday. (11)
Sunday may be stormy, but here we're more worried about recored-breaking cold.(12)
Cold dry nights and hot sunny days are the norm in desert climates. (13)
Climates span decades and centuries; individual weather events change them only by their sum. [14}
Sum up all the numbers and you get the total of all the individual items (15)
Items that are broken or worthless should be placed in the miscellaneous waste receptacle for disposal. (16)
Disposal of all items of waste in this city is pathetic, no glass, nor styrofoam recycle pickup (17)
"Pickup your troubles in your old kit bag and Smile, Smile, Smile!" was the theme-song of John Gambling. (18)
Gambling is, according to one's perspective, either a regrettable human vice or a welcome boost to the national economy. (19)
Economy of expression is something all writers should cultivate if they wish to persuade the public to read their work. (20)
Work hard ! (2)
{good sentence AC - I was trying for something similar, but you nailed it}
Hard problems persist. (3)
Persist to achieve success. (4)
Success: contentment with one's lot. (5)
Lot lost his wife to salt. (6)
Salt is one of several vital nutrients. (7)
Nutrients are listed outside most products' packaging wrappers (8).
Wrappers are often unnecessary, and a nuisance when discarded. (9)
Discarded plastic has become the recyclers bane in the oceans. (10)
Oceans are important in regulating the temperatures on the Earth's surface. (11)
Surface temperatures vary highly from the feel's like temperature in polar vortexes (12).
Vortexes form between tall buildings, causing debris to swirl and raindrops to rise. (13)
Rise above the woes of the world and glimpse paradise through calmness and meditation. (14)
Meditation may not give you any deep philosophical insights, but it will alleviate your stress. (15)
Stress and exercise in moderation are strengthening, but in excess they are likely to be destructive. [16]
Destructive winds were forecast for many parts of the country, especially northern and western coasts and hills. (17)
Hills Bros. coffee is going on sale at the A&P; buy one can, get another at half price. (18)
Price cuts always accompany the always sad situation of bankruptcy procedures or a store closing its doors for good (19).
Good Friday is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar; many hymns have been written for it. (20)
" Precious", said evil Gollum. (4)
Gollum - hard act to follow! (5)
Follow the Leader: a kids' game. (6)
Game, set and match to the Russian. (7)
Russian voters tend to admire strong, autocratic leaders. (8)
Leaders of politics make me want to scream aloud (9).
Leaders of politics make me want to scream aloud (9).
Aloud thunderclap accompanied the lightning flash and woke me up. (10)
(Of course you're going to tell me that isn't aloud...)
Up till now, the government has managed to avoid anything disastrous. (11)
Disastrous accidents can occur when folks drive over Sixty mph in rain. (12)
Leaders of politics make me want to scream aloud (9).
Aloud thunderclap accompanied the lightning flash and woke me up. (10)
(Of course you're going to tell me that isn't aloud...) I don't know: there is the Welsh Choral Group " Only Boys Aloud".
Rain which falls when the ground temperature is below freezing turns to ice. (13)
Ice, they say, can be most refreshing in the summertime on a hot day. [14]
Day One of the Wimbledon tennis championship saw the shock defeats of several big names. (15)
Names on the front, back and inside pages cheered the patient as his classmates remembered him. (16)
Him personally I find pretty obnoxious, but a lot of his instrumental music is worth listening to. (17)
To end a sentence with a preposition is not a grammatical mistake as some misguided pedants have thought. (18)
(attributed to Winston Churchill; I make no claim as to its validity)
Thought for the day: there's certainly no discussion about beginning a sentence with a preposition - so why ending thus? (19)
Thus do passionate linguists and logophiles dispute, seeking an elusive consistency in the way English language users speak and write. (20)
Twenty will be plenty. (4)
Plenty of delights were served (5)
Served properly cooked, turnips are yummy ! (6)
Yummy food can often do you good. (7)
Good things come to those who wait; right? (8)
Right, then – I shall be patient and keep waiting. (9)
Waiting is a frustrating pastime; I'd rather put something in. (10)
In waiting rooms one will always find decades old magazines everywhere (11)
Everywhere you look - old Sports Illustrated, old Boys' Life, old National Geographic... (12)
Geographic magazines so old, in fact, that they refer to the British Empire. (13)
"Empire Diamond and Gold-buying Service" used to advertise regularly on WQXR in New York. (14)
New York,New York, it's my kind of town, New York is,my town,yes. (15)
"yes I said yes I will Yes" are the last seven words of James Joyce's Ulysses." (16)
Ulysses, or Odysseus as the Greeks called him, had an eventful journey home, according to Homer's epic. (17)
EPIC is the name of a popular Electronic Health Record, a mixed blessing in a modern doctor's office. (18)
Office life can be a stimulating experience or a nightmare, depending on personalities and the nature of the work. (19)
Work for many can be a dirty four letter work, but with retirement comes the leisure to do or not (20).
Yo, nuncle, I shall hie! (5)
Hie thee to yon convent, wench! (6)
Wench, bring me some ale, I prithee. (7)
“Prithee, pretty maiden, prithee tell me true,“ wrote ______? (8)
Wrote the reply, moved on to the next game. (9)
Game over, the little league celebrated with pizza and cola (10).
Cola is popular in Britain as well as the United States. (11)
States' rights vs. Centralized Federalism is an argument contained in the Constitution (12)
Constitution Hill is a street in London; it is not really a hill. (13)
Hill follows hill as one traverses the Great Plains in the central United States (14)
States with a theocratic regime pose a danger to human rights, both internally and externally. (15)
Externally the tree looked healthy, but the arborist pealed back bark and found ash tree borer (16)
Borer of holes with its aptly shaped beak,
The busy bird pecks with a well known technique. (17)
Technique aside, this MacGyver fellow was a veritable jack of all trades with everything his two hands touched (18).
Forgot this game, thanks for finding it again, AC.
Touched by the stranger's kind offer, the decrepit old millionaire opened his wallet and gave her five thousand dollars. (19)
(Next post 20 words, then back to 2)
"Dollars to Doughnuts", he bet, " Memorial Day, the unofficial first day of summer it will be raining, just like always". (20)
In the US, Memorial Day, Last Monday of May, is called the unofficial first day of summer.
Smile like this. (3)
This is great advice
(4)
Advice is always available online. (5)
Online games addict many young people. (6)
People have lots of anger these days (7)
Days of intense activity seem to fly by. (8)
By the way, don't forget facemask and hand sanitizer (9).
Sanitizer should be used by customers before they touch anything. (10)
Anything on the shelves of a grocery story, could harbor covid (11),
The virus can linger, but usually no more than a day or so. (12)
The virus can linger, but usually no more than a day or so. (12)
That's 13 words – and it should start with 'Covid'.
Umm. Getting careless in my old age, I see. Shame on me. (12)
Covid virus can linger, usually no more than a day or so. (12)
(No more Bakers' Dozen; that would be the nadir of Boulangers.) (12)
Covid virus can linger, usually no more than a day or so. (12)
So disruptive was coronavirus that it eclipsed most other news for two months. (13)
Months of news about Covid and protests have left me wanting change of pace (14)
Pace is the factor that distinguishes the best fast bowlers in cricket from the others. (15)
Others may disagree, but I think the Bible combines ancient philosophy, moral guidance, history and myth. (16)
Myth and malice are among the commonest sources of Internet misinformation, and the most difficult to refute. (17)
Refute it as we may, the claim that the moon landings were a hoax will still convince many. (18)
Many are going to be so disappointed because they did not learn that history will repeat itself if forgotten (19),
Forgotten pleasures can come flooding back into the memory as a result of some sight, sound or other fortuitous experience. (20)
Now forward and onward (4)
Onward with resolution and confidence. (5)
Confidence in oneself is always essential (6)
Essential vocabulary should be learned and revised. (7)
Revised is the governments byword for something redacted (8)
'redacted' is one of the bywords of a kakistocracy (9)
:-)
Kakistrocracy is a terrific word for one person ruled nations (10)
Nations sometimes get the government they deserve — does that describe us? (11)
Us British, alas, some nations consider arrogant because of our colonial past. (12)
Past, present and future all exist simultaneously, according to some interpretations of relativity. (13)
Relativity involves the concept of spacetime, which many people unfamiliar with physics find confusing. (14)
Confusing and convoluting as the concept of space-time is, I still relish the concept. (15)
concept-wise many people are confused by the duality inherent in quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle. (2â´)
Principle should be tempered with pragmatism: do not let the best be the enemy of the good. (17)
Good times will return if we can beat Covid, but all these variants make that far from certain. (18)
Certain actions Covid has forced upon us, like masks, social distancing, isolating, have made life quite cumbersome for many. (19)
Many ills comparable to Covid have befallen the human race at various times in the past, as historical records show. (20)
Super work!
New:
Covid stinks. (2)
Say it loud, Everyone!!!! (4)
Everyone agrees it is so. (5)
So many deaths, true worldwide catastrophe (6)
Catastrophe is the right word for it. (7)
It is time for world leaders too cooperate. (8)
Cooperate to save the world, and reject selfish nationalism. (9)
Nationalism creeps into our culture whenever we get war weary (10).
Weary of life, the tragic hero drank the venom and expired. (11)
Expired auto license plates are not a police priority in this city (12).
City ordinances require a front license plate as well as a rear one. (13)
One plate front and one in back are required in this state as well (14).
Well, it is now May, but the weather in London is still cold and wet. (15)
Wet as well here, and has been raining for the last sixteen days: chilly, damp, cold (16).
Cold spring evenings are particularly depressing, as the lingering daylight focuses attention on the thick grey clouds. (17)
Clouds and rain and drizzle have been hanging over us for two weeks , how I long for sunshine (18)
Sunshine is welcome in temperate climates, but in the tropics it can lead to droughts, fires and health problems. (19)
Problems occur in every clime, but would trade any and all of them to get rid of snow and ice (20)
Your turn to start with 2 words.
Optional – for now. (3)
Now Covid's seclusion opens (4)