Recently, while playing Words with Friends on my iPhone, I was asked what the word I had just played, awa, meant. I admitted that I did not know. All I knew at that point was that the word was accepted, and that I had scored many points for it. (The best thing about this game is that you can score a lot of points by making words; words may be worth over 100 points--it's a bit thrilling at times!) In this game, you can make all kinds of crazy, short words that you'd mostly likely never use in oral or written communication. I decided to feature some here for BermudaOnion's magnificent meme for logophiles, Wondrous Words Wednesday, although only a few, as I don't want to give away too many secrets (I do want to win the game once in a while). These words would also be good to use in Scrabble, a game I loved as a child (and still do), which may be played on a traditional board or online.1. awa: away; departed; onward
It's as if the 'y' in away went awa. This word sounds like it belongs in poetry. Awa is an adverb that I will now be able to play with confidence.
2. qat: a tropical evergreen plant whose leaves are used as a stimulant
Qat is a great word to keep in mind and play, when you have a 'q' without a 'u'. The plural form of this word, qats, is also acceptable. In House Rules by Jodi Picoult, Jacob, a young man with Asperger's syndrome, lists some short words such as qat for use in the game Scrabble. (Words with Friends is very similar to Scrabble, and when I first started playing Words online a couple of months ago, I mistakenly called it Scrabble.)
3. ki, chi, qi: three excellent little words to play, which mean the vital energy or force in the body
When my ki is off, I don't feel up to par and fail to make high scoring words in Words with Friends. The plural forms of these words, kis, chis, and qis, are also acceptable.
What wondrous new words have you encountered in your reading recently--or while playing word games?
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Oh, I'd never thought of getting words from WwF, but I play plenty of words that I don't know the meaning of, like qi! Thanks for defining that one for me.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't bother me that I didn't know the meaning of the little words I played, until this instance. Thanks for stopping by, Kathy!
DeleteFun new words Suko! I try to keep my Chi healthy by meditating.
ReplyDeleteI know you enjoy words with friends. At the moments I'm hooked on Temple Run.
I've never played Temple Run, Naida. Best if I stay away--or awa!
DeleteStrange seeing Chi as one of your words as it features in my post for tomorrow which I have just finished typing - a strange coincidence, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteMere coincidence? Or something more? I look forward to your post, Petty!
DeleteQ’s without U’s rock! Qi, Qat, Qaid and Qanat. Another great skill-builder is unscrambling anagrams to make words from a jumble of letters. If you like TV trivia and anagrams, my blog is fun and good practice for WWF. Let me know what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteLeona
Leona, thanks for stopping by! I stopped by your blog briefly, and it looks like a great site! I used to do the word scrambles in the newspapers fairly often and improved my "skill". :)
ReplyDeleteI've already written down these little words. We love to play Banana Grams (similar to Scrabble, only faster) and to win you need lots of good little words. I'm so glad you played along today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Margot! This meme is about learning and making discoveries about words--I adore it!
DeleteI nce scored big points for "Puja" which I didn't even know was a word, until I looked it up! Words With Friends can be so enlightening! Great post today, Suko!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been playing Words with Friends, but it sounds like something I'd enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI've resisted playing words with friends, I don't need another time occupier at the moment! Great words today though. I only knew chi.
ReplyDeleteI was just talking with my mother the other day about Scrabble and told her about qi being an acceptable word but I'd never heard of qat so now I'm super excited. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHere's one of my favorite obscure words: vug. "Vugs are small to medium-sized cavities inside rock that may be formed through a variety of processes."
ReplyDelete"It's as if the 'y' in away went awa."
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute way to put it! I'm taking notes for my future games :)
Kay, I'm not sure if I used the word correctly, but I couldn't resist writing that. Thank you for your kind words.
DeleteThree excellent words for the scrabble : I can use them in French ; qat ki, chi qi, but alas not awa.
ReplyDeleteI put a lot of words but some of it I didn't know the meaning. Thanks for some info. Its really a great game and I've learn from it and it broaden my knowledge.I have always used the Anagrammer with great results.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.anagrammer.com/words-with-friends