Phoenix Scrabble Club

BINGO BLOG #131 by Jeff Kastner

Phoenix Scrabble Club 123; Week #19; Meeting of Wed, Feb. 5, 2020.

We celebrated the February birthdays with our monthly potluck. “Weekly Winner” was Gary with a perfect 3-0, +229, and 6 bingos. Next was Martin with 3-1, + 319, and his 3 bingos included a 102-point “Double-Double” prizewinner. I had the only other plus score, with 3-1, +228, and 5 bingos. Satya was “Bingo King” with 9 bonus plays. He also had the “High Game” (473), and his “High Play” (158) cleaned out the “Triple-Triple” pool. Karin took home the “Nightly Play” prize, plus her 358 score earned her the “Low Win” gelt. Sarah had the “HG/BH” (455), while Bonnie had “High Loss” (427). Interestingly, there were no phonies among all the bingoes remaining on the boards that evening.

I’ll have more to say below about all the prize-winning bonus plays. As usual, your challenge is to solve the following quizzes, all based on Wednesday night’s bingos. The solutions are given at the bottom. Feel free to "LIKE" and comment here on Facebook.

Quiz #1: I laid down the high-probability bingo TESTIER. I consider the 8’s stemming from these tiles to be essential knowledge, so let’s see how many you know. Find all the 8’s in TESTIER + A, D, F, G, L, M, N, and P.

Quiz #2: Gary played SILENCE, an anagram of LICENSE and SELENIC. These tiles pop up often, so let’s test your knowledge of the 8’s. Can you find all the 8-letter bingos in SILENCE + A, C, D, E, O, R, S, T, and U?

Quiz #3: Sarah played PROVIDER. Can you find all the 6’s from within the 8 tiles of PROVIDER?

For extra credit, what is the 9-letter anagram of the plural PROVIDERS? (I think most of you are capable of getting this one, so don’t prove me wrong!)

Quiz #4: Satya had the “High Play” and earned a fistful of cash with his “Triple-Triple” CALIBERS for 158 points. How many 7’s can you find from within the 8 letters of CALIBERS?

Quiz #5: With a rack of EGIOUS + blank I “lit up the board” with BOUGIES, which are wax candles. Don’t feel bad if you’re unfamiliar with this word…it was once challenged against me by a 2000+ rated player! My question for you is: Can you “light it up” by uncovering the only other bingo in this same rack of EGIOUS + blank?

I also bingoed with GENEROUS. Can you “dissect” the only 7-letter bingo contained within these 8 tiles?

Quiz #6: Martin played TOLLMAN, defined as a TOLLER, one who collects tolls. Let’s use the plural form TOLLMEN for this quiz. What is the only tile that combines with the 7 letters of TOLLMEN to produce an 8-letter bingo?

Returning to the original bingo TOLLMAN, replace an ‘L’ with a blank. What is the only other tile that can combine with the 6 letters of “TOLMAN” to produce another 7-letter bingo? (In fact, this single letter makes 3 different bingoes, so find all of them.)

Quiz #7: Larry played ZENITHS. Using the singular ZENITH, aside from the -S plural, what is the only other tile that can combine with the 6 letters of ZENITH to make another 7-letter bingo?

Quiz #8: Satya played RAMPANT, an anagram of MANTRAP. Aside from the obvious -S plural (for MANTRAP), what is the only tile that can be added to the 7 letters of RAMPANT to produce an 8-letter bingo?

Quiz #9: Martin won the “Double-Double” prize with his 102-point bingo BONEHEAD (a stupid person). How many other 8’s can you name that also begin with the prefix BONE?

Quiz #10: Now let’s segue from prefix to suffix BONE words. Satya played HAMBONE, a verb meaning: to overact. Aside from the obvious -D and -S back-hooks (making HAMBONED and HAMBONES), which two other tiles combine with the 7 letters of HAMBONE to form 8-letter bingos?

Quiz #11: Bonnie played CHEMIST. Aside from the obvious -S plural, what is the only other tile that can combine with the 7 letters of CHEMIST to produce another 7-letter bingo? (In fact, this single letter makes 4 bingoes, so find all of them!)

For extra credit, the bingo CHEMIST has an alt. sp. with CHYMIST. What is the anagram of CHYMIST?

Quiz #12: Karin wasn’t fooling around when she earned the “Nightly Play” (“Contains the letters F, L, and O”) with FOOLING. There are 5 tiles that combine with FOOLING to produce five 8’s. What are these combining tiles and the resulting 8-letter bingos?

BONUS QUESTIONS: Let’s continue the “mnemonic phonies” theme from my last several blogs. To reiterate, these phony words (or phrases) are useful devices that can help spark one’s memory towards uncovering the actual bingos. For example: “LOINERS” = NEROLIS. Or, “BEANIEST” = BETAINES.
The following 20 words or phrases are “mnemonic phonies.” This week’s theme: Contains both the letters ‘F’ and ‘E’ for February. For example: “FOREMANS” = FORAMENS. Note that sometimes multiple bingoes are possible, so be sure to find all of them!



BEAT LIFE =

BEFARMS =

BEFIRES =

END FUELS =

END FUROR =

ENFLANK =

ENUF LIRA =

FAILS PET =

FAIR OGRE =

FAKE TOUR =

FAME DIES =

FAMINIZE =

FAN COVER =

FAR CURE =

FATAL ICE =

FEAR CITY =

FEAR GAS =

FEAR LOVE =

FECIALLY =

FED FIRES =



SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!

SPOILER ALERT…ALL SOLUTIONS ARE BELOW!







QUIZ SOLUTIONS:

Quiz #1: TESTIER + A = ARIETTES, ITERATES, TEARIEST, TREATIES, TREATISE (all basic bingoes from the “SATIRE” list); + D = TIREDEST; + F = FRISETTE (alt. sp. of FRIZETTE, a frizzed fringe of hair); + G = GRISETTE (a young French working-class girl) and TERGITES (alt. of TERGUMS, the back parts of arthropod segments); + L = RETITLES; + M = EMITTERS (takes an R- front-hook) and TERMITES; + N = INSETTER (takes a P- front-hook), INTEREST, STERNITE, and TRIENTES (plural of TRIENS, a coin of ancient Rome); and finally, + P = PRETTIES (v., makes pretty). Were you able to find the majority of these 17 bingoes?

Quiz #2: SILENCE + A = SALIENCE; + C = LICENCES; + D = DECLINES, LICENSED, and SILENCED; + E = LICENSEE; + O = CINEOLES (alt. of CINEOLS, liquids used as antiseptics); + R = LICENSER, RECLINES, and SILENCER; + S = LICENSES and SILENCES; + T = CENTILES (values of statistical variables); and finally, + U = LEUCINES (amino acids). Were you able to uncover at least half of these 14 bingoes?

You should be aware that the verb LICENSE can also be spelled LICENCE. This produces several alt. spellings for the above bingoes, such as: LICENCED, LICENCEE, and LICENCER (anagram: ENCIRCLE).

Quiz #3: From within the 8 tiles of PROVIDERS here are all ten possible 6’s:

DEVOIR, DOPIER, DORPER, DRIVER, DROVER, PERIOD, PROVED, PROVER, ROPIER, and VOIDER.

PROVIDERS = DISPROVER.

Quiz #4: Here are all ten 7-letter bingoes from within the 8 tiles of CALIBERS: ASCRIBE, BAILERS, CABLERS, CALIBER, CALIBRE (the anagram of CALIBER, it takes -D and -S hooks), CARIBES, CLARIES, ECLAIRS, SCALIER, and SCRIBAL (adj., pertaining to a public clerk or secretary).

Quiz #5: EGIOUS + N = IGNEOUS, pertaining to fire. (Did my “light it up” clue help you any?)

Starting with the 8 tiles of GENEROUS the only 7-letter bingo contained within these 8 tiles is SURGEON. (Did my “dissect” clue give it away?)

Quiz #6: TOLLMEN + Y = MOLTENLY, the adverbial form of MOLTEN, defined as: made liquid by heat.

The tiles “TOLMAN” + E = LOMENTA (one of the 2 plurals of LOMENTUM, a type of plant pod), OMENTAL (adj., relating to OMENTUM, a fold in an abdominal membrane), and TELAMON (a male figure used as a supporting column; its only plural is TELAMONES).

Quiz #7: ZENITH + R = ZITHERN, an alt. of ZITHER, a stringed instrument.

Quiz #8: RAMPANT + E = PARAMENT, an ornamental vestment. It can be pluralized either PARAMENTA or PARAMENTS.

Quiz #9: Aside from BONEHEAD, here are the seven other 8’s that begin with the prefix BONE: BONEBEDS (areas containing dinosaur fossils), BONEFISH (anagram of FISHBONE), BONELESS (anagram of NOBLESSE, meaning: nobility), BONEMEAL (fertilizer or feed made from crushed bone), BONESETS (perennial herbs), BONEYARD (a junkyard), and BONEYEST (an alt. sp. of BONIEST, this is the only one that is not a compound word, and therefore the toughest to find!).

Quiz #10: HAMBONE + I = BOHEMIAN (n., an unconventional person); HAMBONE + R = HORNBEAM (a small tree).

Quiz #11: CHEMIST + A = HEMATICS (blood disease medicines); MASTICHE (defined as: a MASTIC, an aromatic resin); MISTEACH, and TACHISME (an alt. sp. of TACHISM, defined as: action painting).

CHYMIST = TYCHISM, the proposition that chance is operative on the universe.

Quiz #12: FOOLING + D = FLOODING (noun, a filling with fluid to excess); + I = FOLIOING (the verb FOLIO means: to number the pages of); + R = FLOORING (noun); + T = FOOTLING (the verb FOOTLE means: to waste time); and finally, + Z = FOOZLING (the verb FOOZLE means: to bungle).



ANSWERS TO BONUS QUESTIONS:

BEAT LIFE = FLEABITE

BEFARMS = FERBAMS

BEFIRES = FRISBEE

END FUELS = NEEDFULS

END FUROR = FRONDEUR

ENFLANK = FLANKEN

ENUF LIRA = FRAULEIN

FAILS PET = FLEAPITS

FAIR OGRE = FAIRGOER

FAKE TOUR = FREAKOUT

FAME DIES = SEMIDEAF

FAMINIZE = FEMINAZI

FAN COVER = CONFERVA

FAR CURE = FARCEUR

FATAL ICE = CALIFATE

FEAR CITY = FERACITY

FEAR GAS = AGRAFES

FEAR LOVE = OVERLEAF

FECIALLY = FACILELY

FED FIRES = SERIFFED



Feel free to share your ideas and thoughts in the Comments section below, and I’ll be seeing you next time.

Jeff Kastner

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