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Word Nerd: Dispatches from the Games, Grammar, and Geek Underground
Word Nerd: Dispatches from the Games, Grammar, and Geek Underground | John D Williams
6 posts | 1 read | 3 to read
Beginning his career on a lark as a freelance contributor to SCRABBLE News, John D. Williams fell down a rabbit hole inhabited by gamers, geeks, and the grammar police. For twenty-five years, as the executive director of the National SCRABBLE Association, Williams served as the official spokesperson for the game, and as the middleman between legions of fanatical word-game fans and the official brand. Now Word Nerd takes readers inside the byzantine, dog-eat-dog world of top tournament players, creating a piquant (seven-letter word, 68 points!) work that is part pop-cultural history, part anthropological study. Indeed, what Christopher Guest did for the world of dog shows in his film Best in Show, Williams does for the world of competitive word games in this funny and perfectly observed memoir.As readers will discover, Word Nerd explores anagrams, palindromes, the highest-scoring SCRABBLE plays of all time, the birth of the World SCRABBLE Championship, as well as many of the more colorful figures that inhabit this subculture. Die-hard word fans will find invaluable tips on how top players see their boards and racks to come up with the best play, how they prepare, and the psychology of tournament competition. Those uninitiated in the mysteries of SCRABBLE mania will find a delightful, madcap memoir about all the fun people have with language and how words shape our lives and culture in unexpected ways.Whether reminiscing about past national champions, detailing the controversy over efforts to purge the Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary of all offensive words, opining on the number of vowelless words that are allowable (cmw for a Welsh deep-walled basin or nth for the ultimate degree), noting how long it takes a word to get into a dictionary, or explaining why there remain more male than female champions, Williams crafts a loving tribute to words and the games people play with them. Word Nerd will fascinate both amateurs and seasoned experts alike.
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ravenlee
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Kiddo is studying present participles in Spanish, and we noticed that “participles” could sound like an ancient Greek hero if pronounced “Par-TISS-i-plees.” So kiddo‘s cheetah stuffy and kiddo collaborated on this comic. You‘re welcome.
#cheetahsofLitsy

Alfoster 👍❤️! 2y
BookNAround Love it! 2y
35 likes2 comments
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Gissy
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591 words x 10 points =5,910 + 1 point for post it =5,911 points

I can still find more words but I didn‘t want to be over the due date to post this challenge.

@staycurious #Scarathlon #TeamHendrix

bthegood Good luck on your race and happy birthday - 2y
Avanders Happy belated birthday!! 🥳🥳♥️ 2y
Gissy @Avanders Thank you!🥰 2y
Gissy @bthegood It was great, well it took me forever but I finished it!
🏃🏽‍♀️🍂🍁🎃🤎🧡👻🧙🏼‍♀️🖤🖤🖤
2y
32 likes4 comments
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MeganAnn
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I‘ve been working on this word game when I have a few minutes. Started writing them down which quickly got out of control so I entered them all into a spreadsheet to make it easier to check for doubles. I love word games like this! 🖤

Calling it at 907 words x 10 points = 9,070 points for #teamhendrix #scarathlon2021

link to my list: https://docs.google.com/file/d/1vMPOTweSthc5zDOUTPkJLlDjVq6CMulZ/edit?usp=docsli...

DebinHawaii Ooh, a spreadsheet is smart! 🤓I have been writing them down a few at a time & you are right—it gets out of control. 2y
31 likes1 comment
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bibliobliss
This post contains spoilers
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• December 10th ❄️ ❄️ of the #WinterGames
HOW MANY WORDS...? •

Holy, days, days, said, shy, shyly, lid, lids, pap, pay, pays, dial, dials, sail, sails, pod, pods, old, hay, hays, silo, slid, hold, holds, yap, yaps, daily, soil, solid, dash, ash, ashy, sad, das, plod, plods, sap, sappy, happy, slap, dap, daps, ploy, ploys, had, yip, yips, pip, pips, holiday, holidays, paid, shop, shod, pop, pops, lisp, continued below ⬇️

#TeamFestivus

bibliobliss Lispy, pad, pads, lap, laps, sold, dip, dips... 4y
wanderinglynn I count 65 words. 🙌🏻 Tag me again if you come up with more words. 😀 4y
7 likes3 comments
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bibliobliss
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• December 4th ❄️ ❄️ of the #WinterGames
CHRISTMAS RIDDLES •

1. Santa Clues
2. Silent Night
3. A Christmas quacker
4. Jungle Bells
5. Claus-trophobics
6. Crisp Kringle
7. Saint Nickel-less
8. It was feeling crummy
9. At Snow-balls
10. An ice-burger
11. A cookie sheet
12. Fleece Navidad
13. Merry Xmas, Deer!
14. Low 'elf-esteem
15. Santa walking backwards
16. It's Christmas, Eve
17. The elf-abet
18. Santa Paws

Oh what FUN!!

#TeamFestivus

wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻⛄️ 4y
7 likes2 comments
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bibliobliss
This post contains spoilers
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• December 4th ❄️ ❄️ of the #WinterGames
WORDS IN A WORD •

1. Year
2. Same
3. City
4. Heat
5. Hair
6. Stem
7. Cash
8. Share
9. Steam
10. Ram
11. Chair
12. Earth
13. Shy
14. Mast
15. Rat

#happyholidays #MerryChristmas #Christmas2019 #games #wordgames #wordnerd #TeamFestivus #wordsinaword

wanderinglynn Awesome! 🙌🏻⛄️ 4y
11 likes1 stack add1 comment