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#72359 06/16/02 07:05 PM
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I'll need to think about it.

I think I'm going to have some fun this evening.

thanks!
k



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Wofa wrote Some folk with no significant command of English do a well as any and better than most.


Very true. OTOH, those who do love the words set higher standards for themselves than those who don't. And while there are a lot who don't care about the words, I believe there are a great many (perhaps not most, but a great many) who do.

Regardless of how much a particular player enjoys or loves words, the games themselves are symbol manipulation, as you say.


k




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tsuwm posted a link to the pro scrabble book.

Very interesting. I didn't realize there was such a thing as a professional scrabble player. Bare minimum I'm going to browse this book first time I can find a copy.


The second message in that thread, though, was great though. You just made me laugh till I had tears in my eyes (re the query concerning the hyphenation of anal retentive). Very, very cute.


k





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Many very bright people fail because they are unable to express themselve well.


#72363 06/17/02 11:38 PM
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I think you are referring to Cryptic Crosswords

Thanks, I was. Thought "cryptograms" was another name for them - oops! That'll larn me to use my dictionary.

PS: (senselessness) Got it in one!

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

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Many very bright people fail because they are unable to express themselve well.



So very true, Dr Bill. I know a fellow who fancies himself an editor. He's an orthographic machine and a relentless, punctilious grammarian. Unfortunately, he is also miraculously devoid of creative instinct. One can barely make a point in person with him, because he's wired to instantaneously correct any spoken or written venial error before the transgressor is able to complete his thought. Understandably this results in tedious and generally painful conversation. He has an alchemical ability to transmute any beautiful prose into a tidy list of words.

I was somewhat irritated the first few times my own work came under his red pen, until I learned that he often practices on great works of literature. From vibrant, lovely, and universally revered writing he produces hideous verbal corpses. "Bwahaha! Now isn't that better!"

You take a stick and poke the tidy list of words. They do not move. They do not breath. They do not quiver in response. Better than what?

Call it sour grapes, but I think it's possible to know the words and how to spell them and the rules and how to implement them and still miss the point.

k



#72365 06/18/02 09:19 PM
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I'm as dumb as a post, I guess, but what is this "e (13 letters)" bit? The answer was "senselessness"? Why? I guess I need to learn a new word game.

Robert


#72366 06/19/02 02:08 AM
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what is this "e (13 letters)" bit? The answer was "senselessness"? Why?

sense, less ness, leaves only "e."

get it? get it?! (take letters from "ness" out of word "sense" and all that remains is an "e")

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

#72367 06/19/02 09:36 AM
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e (13 letters)

Wow. I'm glad someone did this before I started on it.

I thought the cryptogram was "e (13 letters)"

k



#72368 06/20/02 03:28 AM
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I thought the cryptogram was "e (13 letters)"

Sorry, FF. I prolly dint explain it very well. Shoulda said something like, "clue: e. solution is 13 letters long."

Let us go in peace to love and serve the board.

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