Eliot & Ari (who posted a blog entry on this very subject…) & I have been playing Scrabble the past two nights. We were inspired by the movie Word Wars that we watched together last week. The documentary documents G.I. Joel Sherman’s manhandling of three-time American Scabble Champ & shaolin taoist buddha-brahmin Joe Edley in the 2002 National Scrabble Championship. At one point in the film G. I. Joel sings “Across the Universe” at a piano, slightly out of key but largely stirring: “Words are pouring out like endless rain into a paper cup…” We were hooked and bought a Scrabble board over the weekend.
Now there have been many instances of competition between my roommates and me. We play 8-bit Nintendo (the Bible Adventure game with Baby Moses & how Noah balances three ponies on his head) and have Candlestick bowled against each other but mostly we are very cooperative: Instead of comparing paychecks and web stats biweekly we tend to combine resources to build our base for the rocket we call Future. But I think they would agree that Scrabble brought out an entire different side to our relationships. The shit talking started almost immediately.
Perhaps inspired by the bile that G. I. Joel’s stomach churns anticipating Joe Edley’s vocabulyrical skills, we lashed against one another in a several hour session Saturday night. At one point I vaguely remember heatedly responding to Eliot’s cries of “Go already! Hurry up and go!” with, “Get ready to access that part of your brain coded by Boston University!” Intense, perhaps because we as people occupy much the same level in the Scrabbleverse. The last game Saturday night was very close until I laid down all seven of my tiles off of one standing T to spell out “NOHITTER.” This gave me a huge score plus fifty bonus for using all my tiles in one play. It broke the game wide open.
Of course Eliot & Ari challenged NOHITTER. Does it merit a dash? But when we looked it up at dictionary.com there was indeed two listings for it, so that settled the dispute and I went on to win the game. The next afternoon, however, Eliot bothered me with the news that he found a Scrabble dictionary at Hasbro’s website and that NOHITTER was not listed as a valid Scrabble word. I was upset. This is controversial. IF an American English dictionary like dictionary.com says its a word who is Hasbro International, maker of toys, to contend that it isn’t? Here is what the board looked like when I laid down my big points: 
If anyone can clarify the status of this “word” please use my Contact page and let me know. Also with a touch of humility I will add that Eliot won our game this evening, but the spread of points was ridiculously low. The final score was Eliot @ 173, Arielle @171, and me @ 170. In other Scrabble news I may have to sneak downstairs and eat the letter tiles out of the velvet drawstring letter bag tonight: They look so delicious!WHERE WAS HE: Where the hell was King Kong when we needed him? Jeff Bridges plays an anthropologist in the 1976 remake who discovers the ancient Kong (the filmmakers built a 40 foot robot to play Kong but the machine never really worked so most of the shots were of a man in a monkey suit…) brings him back to New York, etc. EXCEPT, when King Kong goes to NYC in the 1976 (America’s bicenteniel) version, he does not climb the Empire State building. King Kong scales the World Trade Center!
[…] Scrabble Bonus Word Techniques. Description E-book About Scrabble Bonus Word Techniques. Excerpt from product page (Simulated image of PDF format ebook) Trevor Johnson's "Scrabble ® Bonus Word Techniques" Volume 1 – Six Magic Letters ISBN 0-9750340-0-6 Pages: 248 Special Offer… Volume 2 – "Power Tiles (J,Q,X & Z)" now only **$2.95** ! Instantly improve your Scrabble game by discovering the FAST way to hundreds of EASY 50 extra points bonus / bingo Scrabble words! Whether you play Scrabble online or in official tournaments, this essential Scrabble dictionary accessory is the help you need to dramatically improve your game scores. "Since reading the first draft you sent me, I have been enjoying playing Scrabble more than ever. Winning more games always makes playing more fun!" Helen Dantry – Texas, USA Dear Scrabble ® Enthusiast, If you are playing Scrabble ® at World Championship level, you don't need this ebook. You already know these techniques. Scrabble ® players at all other levels, though, will find this e-book about how to make up to 1,315 of the easiest and most common bonus Scrabble words (sometimes also called "bingo" Scrabble words) from their Scrabble rack the answer to their dreams. This is the Scrabble help you've been praying for. "I read that you said that your average score rose by 130 points after you discovered and started applying these techniques. In the 20 games I have played since reading your ebook, my game has already improved by about 85 points. I am absolutely thrilled!" Andrew Parker – Ontario, Canada Next to an official Scrabble Dictionary, Trevor Johnson's "Scrabble ® Bonus Word Techniques" Volume 1 – Six Magic Letters is the most important Scrabble help resource any serious Scrabble ® board game player could own. (Whether that is for serious club and tournament players, the hobby player who is serious about their fun, or those who prefer to play Scrabble online.) "Well written, well presented, and well worth the price. I bought the (e)book three weeks ago, and haven't stopped grinning since." – Sophie Yu, Liverpool UK This ebook has been written to suit players throughout the English speaking Scrabble game ® playing world. The techniques and various Scrabble word lists included in this e-book are all FULLY COMPATIBLE with 'Official Scrabble Players Dictionary' (OSPD3 & related TWL98), 'Official Scrabble Words' (OSW) and 'SOWPODS' Scrabble dictionary and Scrabble word lists, as used in Scrabble clubs and tournaments, and at sites where you play Scrabble online. This ground-breaking ebook will equip you with the following powerful knowledge and skills: "It is time for me to find a Scrabble Club and start entering official tournaments. Thanks for giving me the clues I needed in such a simple, easy to understand way." Rebecca Kingsley. – Tunbridge Wells, U.K. Know which are the six most versatile letters (the "Six Magic Letters") for forming multiple bonus words in almost every Scrabble game you play Know when to use them, and when to hold them Know WHY they are MAGIC letters Know the difference between a Magic Letter and a Wildcard letter, and know how many of each you want Understand how to balance your Scrabble rack to maximize your "50 extra points" bonus/bingo Scrabble word opportunities Have solid guidelines to follow when you need to 'trade in' any tiles Know the quickest way to fast-track a blank tile into "50 extra points" bonus/bingo Scrabble words Have the powerful keys to unlock the "risk verses reward" decisions you need to make in every Scrabble game Develop your memory skills to be able to mentally recall the 1,315 easiest and most common bonus/bingo Scrabble word possibilities Increase your vocabulary of official Scrabble dictionary words of seven and eight letters Hold startling knowledge of how to double your chances of scoring a "50 extra points" bonus/bingo Scrabble word from the suffix "~ing" Know every possible opportunity of combining a "power tile" (J, Q, X or Z) with the Magic Letters Make bonus/bingo words all the faster by knowing the most frequent first letters of bonus Scrabble words, and the most frequent last letter. "Before reading your e-book, I thought getting a "bingo" was a rare stroke of luck. Maybe one every three games or so. Now, with what you taught me, I usually get two, sometimes more, almost every game." Reg Petersen. – Melbourne, Australia. …… and most importantly: Increase your average Scrabble game score by 60 to 130 points – or even more! This exciting Scrabble help ebook was launched in January, 2003. It was the first and is still the only ebook you will find about Scrabble Words and Strategies online. That means very few, if any, of your competitors know these winning techniques yet! Order this ebook now, and YOU will gain the advantage over your competitors that, until know, you have only dreamed of discovering! "I've long wondered why I wasn't winning as many games as I thought I should. My vocabulary is strong, but the right tiles just never seemed to fall my way. But, now that I have read your ebook, I know the tactics I was missing. More importantly, because of your ebook, I now know what to do about it in future." – Allan Gimbrell, Louisville (KY) USA. Over 1,200 hours of computerized and manual data analysis and cross checking have gone into making this e-book the most accurate and easy-to-learn set of techniques for creating "50 extra point" bonus/bingo Scrabble words probably ever devised. Read the actual testimonies on this page from Scrabble ® tournament players, hobby Scrabble players, and some who play Scrabble online, of how Trevor Johnson's "Scrabble ® Bonus Word Techniques" Volume 1 – Six Magic Letters has greatly improved their scores, and increased their enthusiasm for their Scrabble game more than ever. "At first, I thought your web page selling this ebook sounded like a lot of sales hype, so I was sceptical. Very sceptical. But I was not winning often enough and I was at a point of either studying techniques or giving the game away. So, I bought your (e)book anyway. I am so glad I did. I can't thank you enough. I am winning more often and I am enjoying playing more than ever." – Elaine Webster, Edmonton Canada Now YOU TOO can hold these indispensable keys of knowledge, these easy-to-follow techniques for maximizing your Scrabble ® scores and gaining multiple bonus/bingo Scrabble words in nearly every game you play! Whether you play Scrabble online, or in official tournaments, this essential Scrabble dictionary accessory is indispensable. Click to Order Volume One now And now, there's also Volume Two ! (Simulated image of PDF format ebook) Trevor Johnson's "Scrabble ® Bonus Word Techniques" Volume 2 – Power Tiles (J,X,Q & Z) ISBN 0-9750340-1-4 Pages: 178 The definitive guide to the techniques and words for the highest scoring bonus Scrabble words. Whether you play Scrabble online or in official tournaments, this latest in the series of essential Scrabble dictionary accessories will dramatically improve your Scrabble game. Building on from the foundation laid in Volume One, "Volume 2 – Power Tiles (J,X,Q & Z)" continues the series of teaching YOU the techniques, strategies, memory skills & tools, and vocabulary enhancement to power your Scrabble game success with more and more bonus/bingo Scrabble words on YOUR score sheet! You too can consistently play more high scoring bonus/bingo seven and eight letter Scrabble J words, Scrabble Q words, Scrabble X words and Scrabble Z words – and stun your opponents with the powers within YOUR Scrabble racks! Consider these facts: There are close to 5,500 seven or eight letter bonus / bingo words which contain at least one Power Tile (J,Q,X or Z) Almost 400 of these contain two or more Power Tiles in the one word. It is possible to score over 400 points in a SINGLE MOVE – yes, not just a game score, but the score for a single move! If correctly placed, there are over 30 words worth in excess of 300 points for just the one Scrabble word played! Are you interested in achieving scores like these in YOUR Scrabble games? This vital and exciting new ebook teaches you how. And much, much more besides. Improve YOUR Scrabble game with the high scoring Power Tile bonus / bingo Scrabble words – all 5,500 of them, presented to you in easy to memorise "sub-groups", along with the statistics on the highest probability starting letters for Power Tile bonus/bingo Scrabble words. Naturally, following in the footsteps of the ground-breaking Volume One, "Volume 2 – Power Tiles (J,X,Q & Z)" has been thoroughly researched to be comprehensive, and designed to be totally suitable under all English language Scrabble dictionary authorities. Whether you play OSPD3, TWL98, OSW4 or SOWPODS, this ebook categorises every bonus Scrabble word according to the official Scrabble dictionary that YOU use. Click to Order Volume Two now …… Special Offer : Whether you play in Scrabble Clubs and Tournaments, on the kitchen table, or play Scrabble online, WINNING is always more enjoyable than the alternative. And THAT has a HUGE VALUE to any player. If not winning, still being seriously competitive against strong players (e.g. others who have ordered and studied these ebooks) still is a valuable and rewarding experience. So, if your competitors purchase these valuable "Scrabble ® Bonus Word Techniques" ebooks, and you don't, how many LOSING games in a row will it take before you lose confidence, lose interest, lose enjoyment in playing the game? Now, put a value on that. Go on – think about it for a moment. I am sure your answer is many times greater than the low price of only $19.95* for each Volume of these exciting PDF ebook Scrabble downloads. And, as a "Special Offer", I am offering you a limited time special price of a ridiculously low $22.90* if you purchase both volumes in the one order. That means that Volume Two is currently only $2.95 if purchased at the same time as Volume One. Enjoy ! Yours sincerely, Trevor Johnson Trevor Johnson. Click to Order now P.S. – The "Special Offer" price means that, when you order Volume One, you can also get Volume Two for only $2.95!* This is an enormous 85% discount on Volume Two when you order both Scrabble download ebook Volumes together. P.P.S. – Naturally, I cannot remain this generous, offering such a major discount, for too long. So, act now! Don't wait until next month! P.P.P.S – You are further protected by Clickbank's six week Guarantee! These e-books are in PDF format, which is compatible with Windows, Macintosh, Linux, UNIX, Palm, Symbian, Pocket PC, Sun Solaris & OS/2 operating systems. WebTV is NOT compatible. (Simulated image of PDF format ebook) Order securely online NOW with any major credit card for IMMEDIATE download. Volume One Volume Two BOTH VOLUMES – Six Magic Letters: $19.95* – Power Tiles (J,Q,X & Z) $19.95* – at the special price of $39.90 only $22.90* ! (Also accepts USA and Canadian online checks.) This site uses the services of Clickbank, a major international third-party e-commerce transaction processing provider. For your security, Clickbank uses 128 bit data-encryption technology to process your transaction. This is the WORLD'S STRONGEST SECURITY LEVEL available for online e-commerce, ensuring that your credit card transaction is 100% safe on this server. ** Special offer only applies where Volumes 1 & 2 are purchased simultaneously.* Scrabble® is a registered trade mark of Hasbro Inc in the USA and Canada, and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited (a subsidiary of Mattel Inc.) of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. Hasbro is not affiliated with J.W. Spear & Sons Limited or Mattel Inc. Neither Hasbro, Spear nor Mattel are associated with Trevor Johnson, or Bonuswords.com, or the ebook/s on the Bonuswords.com website. No association or endorsement by them is claimed or to be implied. * ClickBank's current return policy is as follows: ClickBank will, at its option, replace or repair any defective product within six weeks from the date of purchase. * All prices quoted are in US dollars. * Prices quoted do not included VAT for orders from various European Union countries. Clickbank may add the applicable rate of VAT for orders originating in such European Union countries, or other countries or States that require collection of VAT or sales taxes for online purchases. Newsletter | Affiliate Program | Play Scrabble Online | Scrabble Market Place | Scrabble Links | Privacy Policy | Contact | 'Spinach' is a 7 letter Scrabble bingo word | 'Dieting' & 'Obesity' are 7 letter Scrabble bingo words | Site Map Sites you may be interested in LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION® » Blog Archive » Not so Scrabulousççºèªé » Blog Archive » My first Scrabble bonus scorevideogaming247 » Blog Archive » EA confirms Monopoly and ScrabbleDinosaur Floss » Blog Archive » 1778 points for OXYPHENBUTAZONEYetAnotherPersonalHomepage » Tivo wordsmith gameOfficial Scrabble app ‘launches’ on Facebook, unplayable in North America | Techchill.comBlog & Biz of Arthur Robert Mullen III » Blog Archive » CONTROVERSY Tags scrabble word scrabble blast scrabble dictionary scrabble game scrabble scrabble board This product is also listed in Fun & Entertainment Games New Products Trends var html=”; html += ”; html += ‘ Gravity’; html += ‘ Popularity’; html += ‘ Referred’; html += ”; html += ”; html += ‘ ‘; html += ”; html += ”; html += ‘ ‘; html += ”; html += ”; html += ‘ ‘; html += ”; document.write(html); Pingback / Trackback In database since 2007-07-29 and last updated on 2008-06-16 Business to Business Education Publishing Industrial Management New Products Reports Promotion Web Design Health & Fitness Addiction Womens Health Spiritual Health Fitness Alternative Medicine Beauty Nutrition Mental Health New Products Diet Remedies Home & Family Cooking & Recipes Kids Garden Parenting Crafts Students & School Pets Marriage Family Tree New Products Home Improvement Real Estate Computing & Internet Network Administration Web Hosting New Products Browsers Programming Domains Site Design Email Services Graphics Money & Employment Debt Management Resume Education New Products Self Employment Investment Entrepreneur Home Business Finance Jobs Marketing & Ads Banners Submitters Classified Consulting How To's New Products Ezines Promotion Resources Fun & Entertainment Astrology Novels & eBooks Psychics Screensavers Games Tarot Music New Products Humor Magic Hobbies Sports & Recreation Autos New Products Golf Sports-picks Casino Training Team Sports Horseracing Extreme Outdoor Society & Culture Charity Language New Products Politics & Government Fine Arts Love & Romance Shopping Travel Investigation Law Enforcement Philosophy & Religion Science Random Synapse Stuff Netflix Kills HD DVD […]
For a friendly game, friends should decide BEFORE THE GAME upon a dictionary to be consulted for challenges. For a more serious, competitive game, the Scrabble dictionary or word list should be used. If he was okay at gametime with using Dictionary.com the play is good.
The OSPD was developed as the word authority for NSA-sanctioned clubs and tournaments. Selchow and Righter, the owners of Scrabble at the time, proposed that words contained in at least one of the following five dictionaries should be in the OSPD: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eighth Edition (1973), Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary of the English Language (1973), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1969), Webster’s New World Dictionary, Second College Edition (1970), and The Random House College Dictionary (1968). It has been updates several times to keep current with the evolving English language.