Scrabble dictionary adds 300 words, including 'twerk' and 'bestie'
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The newest dictionary for Scrabble, the popular board game in which players use lettered tiles to spell words, includes more than 300 new entries, including "ew," defined as an expression of disgust; "bestie," a best friend, and "twerk," which is a dance that involves shaking your buttocks while squatting.
The arsenal in the update released on Monday also includes "beatdown," defined as an overwhelming defeat; "bizjet," a small airplane used for business; and "frowny," which unsurprisingly means showing a frown.
While some additions skew toward younger players, others exude the sophistication of an international traveler. Those include arancini, which Italian food aficionados will recognize as balls of cooked rice, and qapik, a monetary unit used in Azerbaijan.
Her favorite new addition, she said, is qapik, because it begins with "Q," a high-scoring tile in the game, but doesn't require being followed by the usual "U" to complete the word.
"It's really exciting for Scrabble players. It's a pretty great edition," Brewster said.
The game that would eventually be called Scrabble was invented by Alfred Butts, a jobless architect during the Depression, in his apartment in the Queens borough of New York City. It started out slow but gained enduring popularity after it was discovered at a resort in 1952 by a vacationing Macy's executive, who arranged to have the game sold in the world's largest store.
Tags
Who is online
77 visitors
I wonder what are the criteria for becoming an official word? Let's see if we could come up with some of our own suggestions.
Considering how much fun people, me included, had with Trump's Covfefe, it should have been included.
Why is bestie spelled with an ie? I would have thought it would be spelled "besty." Is it because it's a noun maybe? Adjectives like hasty, tasty, dusty, and musty are spelled with y.
Interesting. I have no idea. Maybe my dad spelled it, since Perrie, is usually spelled with a y, too, i.e. Perry.
It may simply be that that's how most people are spelling it. The Dictionary is not really supposed to be the authority on how words should be spelled or used. The Dictionary-makers themselves will say that their book reflects usage not rules. So if people are spelling a word a certain way, even if it violates accepted rules of spelling, it may go in to the dictionary just based on the usage.
For better or worse, that means that in an age of nearly universal literacy and published writing (thanks internet), the unwashed masses now determine the rules of English.
i honestly don't know but i'm guessing because it's referring to a person (or people, because i think originally it came about by saying "we're besties" as in best friends ?)
I think you're right. I've never heard those words before, but if I did I would guess a "bestie" is definitely a noun, and "besty" would be an adjective. (And what about "bestly"? Probably an adverb???)
I love playing Scrabble, however, sadly, I am deprived as there is nobody around who has sufficient English ability to play the game. The last time I played was about a year ago with an American expatriate who owned a restaurant near my home. However, we played one game wherein I scored twice as many points as him and he refused to play with me again. I have, and use, the original paperback Merriam-Webster 1976 (or is it 1978?) Scrabble dictionary, but I also have and permit the use of 3 pages of two-letter words that are not included. Those are my rules. When I lived near my nephew I would have a challenge, as I do when my brother used to visit, because we all play with scores in the 400s. I can't wait until my stepdaughter returns with her B.A. from Germany next summer, because at least she has fairly good English ability, although she sometimes slips into German when speaking. Of course her mother tongue is Mandarin.
I like playing Scrabble but I am usually the worst speller of the group, so I tend to lose. It's still fun.
Here is a funny story. My sister was playing Scrabble with her wacky girlfriend and she was losing. It was her turn and she put down the word "Keyo". My sister contested the word and her girlfriend said if it was good enough for Sting, it should be good enough for her. LOL.
I know this might leave you at a bit of a deficit, to the joke, so here it is. The word in question is at the end of the song.
LOL. Thanks for the song, but I wonder if what they sang was "Keyoho" rather than "Keyo" - it was not on the subtitles.
I was thinking you should buy a Chinese Scrabble set. But it seems they aren't any yet.
However it seems this guy is designing one.
That link won't open for me.
When young my daughter invented reverse checkers.
The idea was to lose all your pieces faster than your opponent.
The rule of must take all jumps available applied.
I never beat her. Not once. Nobody could beat her, ever.
No game ever lasted more than a couple minutes.
LOL, I have never heard of reverse checkers. Sounds like fun.
LOL, not fun if you were going to play against her. Losing was the only possible outcome.
Then there was my little sister who was the "world champion" of a card card game. I think it was called slap?
I could be wrong, but I think the objective was to capture every competitors cards. I forgot the rules as to why or how you would capture these cards.
Everyone would lay out a card each time they had a turn and based on some rules you could pick up cards.
She would bide her time while everyone was working in normal real time speed.
Then all of a sudden her hands would take off like a mini gun firing. Then most or all the laid out cards in her favour at that point.
She would do that a couple time in the game. Game over. Again, the only possible outcome was losing against her.
I think someone should design a game of reverse 3 dimensional Chess!
Good idea, but I think you just invented it.
Well I tried, . . . but failed. it was a mere Fig Newton of my imagination.
True story:
When I was a very young girl, 19 years old, I began working for a large international law firm. There was a senior associate there who loved, and I mean LOVED, to make me laugh. He actually made me laugh until I puked. Literally. I kept motioning for him to stop making me laugh because I was going to throw up, but he kept on. We were working in Century City and we were outside in the square; since he wouldn't stop, I puked as close to his shoes as I could. I was thoroughly annoyed because he was pleased as punch that it happened, not pissed off as I expected him to be.
One day, he came by my desk and he had the most serious look on his face. He seemed concerned. "Did you read the Wall Street Journal this morning??!?" he said. "No, they don't have a comics section" I responded. He didn't even crack a smile. He was almost wide eyed. "Websters removed a ton of words out their abridged dictionary to make room for all the computer words and acronyms!" I couldn't believe it. "Are you kidding? Like what" I said. He went through a couple of words. Then with an almost angry look on his face, he said "they took out the word 'gullible'!" I said, "What?!? Are you kidding me??!?!?"
His work was done. He sauntered away with a smirk I wanted to slap off his face. What a jerk.
I swallowed a Scrabble dictionary once. That was thesaurus my throat's ever been.
Word that should be included in Scrabble dictionary: Askhole. An idiot who asks ridiculous and pointless questions.
Given today's news climate, perhaps this should be included:
There is a reverse Poker game called "Blind Man's Bluff" Poker.
In a regular Poker games you see you own cards, but you can't see other peoples' cards. In this game its the "reverse" of regular Poker games--you see all their cards-- but not your own!
Each person gets only one card, and doesn't get any more. Each person holds their card up to their forehead, facing out, ( without looking at it). So its a pure psychology game. Based on the other players cards (all visible) as well as their facial reactions as they look around, players bet if they think they have the high card. (Or fold).
Its actually more fun than it sounds-- I used to pay this in college (in between my more serious activities-- such as chasing girls and drinking YUGE amounts of beer).
LOL, sounds like an ex brother in law of mine. That YUGE amount of beer seemed to always get in the way for him.
Speaking of games-- perhaps its time to re-visit this olde seed:
Old Tyme Arcade Games
Link