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Word-Buff Stuff!
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| ACROSS | DOWN | |
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| 2. Moray, e.g. 4. Do-nothing 6. Metallic element 8. Major employer 9. Falling flakes 11. Commoner 12. Carol 13. Cut, maybe 15. Game piece 16. Wind instrument 18. Turned 19. Be in session |  | 1. Bridge site 2. Whirl 3. Island rings 4. Verse lines 5. Operational 6. Belief 7. Dough 8. A pint, maybe 10. ___ bit 14. Fancy marbles 15. Hair colorer 17. Archeological site |
Solve it online here.
Issue #3
Scrabble Word Finder
Below is a Scrabble position part way through a game. Given the rack provided, and the words on the board, your job is to find the play that makes the highest possible score. Note that you are not looking for the strategically best play here, just the one that racks up the most points.
When you've got your answer, click the board to see the solution.
PUZZLE NOTES — The answer to the Scrabble Word Finder puzzle, and all words formed by that answer, is always contained in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, which is the official dictionary used in North America for family and school Scrabble. You may however see other words on the board that are not in that dictionary. That's because the game itself is played to Collins Official Scrabble Dictionary, which is the official International Scrabble dictionary.
The puzzle is intentionally constructed so that the solution just happens to lie in both dictionaries. This is the best way I can think of to keep everybody happy. Confused? Here's an article I wrote about Scrabble Words that might help.
Word Search Spelling Bee
This issue's Word Search Puzzle continues the theme from Word-Buff's Corner. The list of words you need to find in the grid consists of the last fourteen 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee words required to single out a winner from the four final spellers.
Just click here to print the puzzle as a PDF and solve it offline. When you're done, come back and click the grid to reveal the solution.
SCHIZAFFRIN
WISENT
DIACOELE
REREDOS
ANTONOMASIA
BOUQUINISTE
ORIFLAMME
GUAYABERA
ISAGOGE
SOPHROSYNE
MENHIR
PHORESY
MAECENAS
LAODICEAN
PUZZLE NOTES — The words used in the Word Search Spelling Bee puzzle are all contained in Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, which is the official dictionary used in Scripps National Spelling Bee. So that's where to go to track down the meanings, pronunciations, and so forth. If a word appears as a link, it means I say something interesting about it somewhere on my website.
Crossword Diamond
If you're a keyboard & mouse type, there's no need to leave your computer. You can solve the crossword online here. The online version gives you all sorts of funky features to help you along, including a 'timer' (to help monitor your solving speed), a 'pencil' (for answers you're uncertain about), and a couple of 'cheat' buttons of course ;-)
If you're more of a pen(cil) & paper type, just print the crossword as a PDF and solve it offline. When you're done, come back here and click the grid to see the solution.
| ACROSS | DOWN | |
|---|---|---|
| 2. Kitchen pest 4. "Encore!" 6. Like Mayan pyramids 8. Grasped 9. "Cut it out!" 11. Volcanic flow 12. Bound 13. Bungle, with "up" 15. Clue 16. Short 18. Police operation 19. Blue | | 1. Become unhinged 2. Ancient 3. Inclines 4. Country albums 5. Having left 6. Evening hour 7. "Nothing ___!" 8. ___ and cheese 10. Darling 14. Adjusts, as a clock 15. Back 17. Sun ___ |
PUZZLE NOTES — The Crossword Diamond puzzle is an American-style crossword with one main difference. The answers are always real words. That means no phrases or proper names! Why? Because I'm a word-buff, not a trivia-buff, and I'm afraid I just don't know the name of President Nixon's dog ;-)
