Weird and Wonderful Words from the Scrabble Championships

Nearly 10000 online viewers were glued to their computer screens last Saturday as the ultimate board-gaming event of the year came to its exciting climax when Paul Allan seized the title of British Scrabble Champion from his opponent Allan Simmons with the winning word ‘bandura’, a type of Ukrainian lute (86 points).

It’s a game that has caused many a family feud and sibling squabble and yet Scrabble remains a firm favourite in many households all over the world.

The game was originally invented in 1938 by out of work architect Alfred Mosher Butts during the Great Depression in America. Initially called ‘Criss-cross Words’, the game combined the vocabulary skills of crossword puzzles and anagrams, with an added element of chance. It is now available in 29 languages with around 150 million sets having been sold in 121 different countries.

For those of you who enjoy a good board game, Scrabble is the perfect way to put your English vocabulary to the test and learn some new (and slightly obscure) words along the way. Why not try out one of these lesser-known words of the English language that were played during the final of this year’s Championship:

Aecia: A fruiting body of a rust fungus

Atigi: A type of parka worn by the Inuit in Canada

Bandura: Ukrainian lute

Coniines: Alkaloid that makes up the poisonous part of hemlock

Enew: Falconry term for driving a bird into the water

Erev: The part of the day or the day immediately preceding the Jewish Sabbath or a Jewish holiday

Evet: The common newt

Jingo: A vociferous supporter of policy favouring war, especially in the name of patriotism

Khis: Plural of khi, the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet

Litu: Plural of Litas, a former silver coin and monetary unit of Lithuania

Ny: To approach

Qat: variant spelling of khat, an Arabian shrub whose leaves are chewed as a stimulant

Swarf: Fine chips or filings of stone, metal or other material produced by a machining operation

Ugh: Used to express disgust or horror

Vela: Plural of velum, a glass screen

Zeds: Name of the letter Z, plural

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/national-scrabble-championship-the-big-match-won-by-the-playing-of-a-ukrainian-lute-bandura-86-points-8919939.html

Ratchet

Are you ready for the new hip word on the streets?  Well it is: ratchet.

To the cool kids of 2013 to be 'ratchet' is the ultimate compliment - your outfit can be ratchet, your hair can be ratchet, your nails can be ratchet.  It's very Rihanna!

The word made its first appearance in the late 1990s when it was taken to mean 'real, ghetto, gutter'.  It comes from a working class area in Louisiana and has featured in hip-hop music over the years.  However in the last year, 'ratchet' has been taken on by an new posse - the teens of Middle England.  It now signifies a certain look: heavy jewellery, vintage Moschin, bright trainers, tight shorts.  It is 'part 1990s, part ghetto fabulous'.

There is some debate around the word and the connotations are not always positive.  But for those who have newly acquired the word it is used to mean something positive and real, neither insulting nor a badge of honour.  It is the new hip slang word on the streets!  Get yourself down to Topshop and get some ratchet earrings, hot pants and leggings.  Its definitely what I have planned for tomorrow's lunchtime.

No photo: For key ratchet looks google Rihanna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga!