MORE LIKE BABBLE
MORE LIKE BABBLE
“You were playing dog, they were playing dogmatic.” -Peter
Here’s a Clareified free tip: never challenge the Scrabble skills of people who brought a Travel sized Scrabble game with them to the delivery room.
“OK, honey, one last push.”
“Just a sec. Here, I’ve got agonyclites–with a triple letter score for the y and double word score, plus, I’ve added an S also makes xylophones for 234 points.”
Yikes.
So there I was, all proud that I’m playing with actual words rather than my usual “bonrelaxer” or “elesson” (respectively, a very good relaxer and an electronic lesson.)
I made “arena,” for a not too shabby five points. Then “feel” for six and I even got a 12 pointer with “nailed”, I was on fire!
And then Lola and Polo taught me all about “setting up triple word scores,” which is apparently something I was doing all over the place, cause as soon as I’d put down my tiles, they would start salivating as they scooped up their trays and concocted the most esoteric words involving only x, y, j and q that you ever did see.
My favorite play of the night was when Polo sighed and said “well, I’m not winning anyway and this needs to be done.”
He then put down a q and an a to make “aqua” using two words above and below the line for like 36 points — triple what I had gotten for “kitten,” a much longer and realer word, I might add.
AND THEN Lola adds an ’s’ to that, for “aquas,” puts an x on the other side to make sax, ox, wax and lord knows what else for the dramatic grand tally of 912 points.
Oh, so, then my second favorite play of the game was getting all excited at a snagging double word score, only to find out it was just a trick to get me to set up a triple word score for “peony.”
I was had, I tell you.
Bamboozled, hoodwinked, I didn’t land on Plymouth rock, Plymouth rock landed on me.
Well, actually it was girardia –where polo used all his letters, got a triple letter score on g, and a double word score for 2,398 points — what really landed on me.
By day two, I realized that my only chance was to return to my previous “word invention” strategy.
However, unlike my previous Scrabble hosts, Lola and Polo were having none of my “vicitiate” or “jem” (”What is that? You mean like the cartoon rock star from TV?” Shut it. She was truly, truly, truly outrageous.)
So fine. I may have lost a Scrabble game or two.
But I am getting a tutor.
And the next time we play, they will be sorry.
Hmm…now that I think about it, maybe we should just play Sorry.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Oh yeah, he’s a really good ‘tutor’.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Oh yeah, he’s a really good ‘tutor’.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Oh yeah, he’s a really good ‘tutor’.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
hahahahahhahahaha. So i’ve heard tell.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
hahahahahhahahaha. So i’ve heard tell.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
hahahahahhahahaha. So i’ve heard tell.
March 13th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
I don’t understand why jem isn’t a word. rubies and diamonds are jems, aren’t they?
March 13th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
I don’t understand why jem isn’t a word. rubies and diamonds are jems, aren’t they?
March 13th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
I don’t understand why jem isn’t a word. rubies and diamonds are jems, aren’t they?
March 13th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
No they’re gems. But it’s an honest mistake. Wanna play scrabble sometime?
March 13th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
No they’re gems. But it’s an honest mistake. Wanna play scrabble sometime?
March 13th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
No they’re gems. But it’s an honest mistake. Wanna play scrabble sometime?
March 13th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
Perhaps a separate Scrabble blog is in order?
March 13th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
Perhaps a separate Scrabble blog is in order?
March 13th, 2006 at 11:49 pm
Perhaps a separate Scrabble blog is in order?
March 14th, 2006 at 12:14 am
mmmm
March 14th, 2006 at 12:14 am
mmmm
March 14th, 2006 at 12:14 am
mmmm
March 15th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
It was giardia, not girardia. Everyone knows girardia’s not a word.
March 15th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
It was giardia, not girardia. Everyone knows girardia’s not a word.
March 15th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
It was giardia, not girardia. Everyone knows girardia’s not a word.
March 16th, 2006 at 1:06 am
Eh, I say ga to that.
March 16th, 2006 at 1:06 am
Eh, I say ga to that.
March 16th, 2006 at 1:06 am
Eh, I say ga to that.
March 16th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
“ga” isn’t a word either, but if you don’t challenge it, that’s not my fault.
March 16th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
“ga” isn’t a word either, but if you don’t challenge it, that’s not my fault.
March 16th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
“ga” isn’t a word either, but if you don’t challenge it, that’s not my fault.
March 16th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
March 16th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
March 16th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
July 1st, 2007 at 12:04 am
[...] In case you didn’t miss it, that’s loser talk. Now, as satisfying as beating Fisch all the time was, the real Scrabble gold standard was Lola and Polo. Year after painfully horrible year, they would crush me and my little spirit. As Peter said I was playing dog, they were playing dogmatic. Ah, but that was then. Even tonight, Lola scared the crap out of me when she bingoed on her second freaking turn taking a 70 point lead. I was running third. Then she played the x…but also an E! The e which allowed me to bingo with dressier on a double double and I never looked back. Polo resorted to blantant cheating and setting his wife up with triples…but the unstoppable Dawn Summers Scrabble machine could not be stopped! Heh. “Keep gloating Dawn and I’m going to spend a week studying the Scrabble dictionary just to beat you,” Lola said after her defeat. Ha! Studying the dictionary. Amateurs. [...]