A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

AND WE'RE OFF (this just in, via Adam): As always, the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee begins with a twenty-five word written section. One point per word spelled correctly here, plus three points if you get your first word correctly in front of the microphone (because you can't send a kid home without doing that once), and the top 90+ get to proceed after lunch to the rest of the competiton.

Here, then, are some of your written round bafflers:

2. buh-NAL-ee: how this round began.
3. uh-PAR-uhl: what youre wearing
6. koo-LOTS: them trouser-skirt thingies; an item of uh-PAR-uhl.
7. duh-ROG-uh-tore-ee: what your parents will think of you if you screw this up
9. IH-muh-lait: if you dont make it out of this round, theres plenty of room on the Mall for you to do this, as one anti-war protestor did on the Amherst town green in 1991.
11. lie-KAN-thruh-pee: Where wolf? There wolf!
15. nuh-LEE-pah-rah: what Angelina Jolie was, until recently.
16. MAY-lay: tables, ladders and chairs, yall.
21. CHEM-buh-low: a harpsichord
22. puhr-chuh-TEL-ee: long, tubed pasta. Yes, the food words are back.
23. kuh-FAR-nee-um: a jumble.
24. uh-YADE: to ogle. Hint: from the French. Not that itll help.
25. SHPRAHK-guh-fyool: a feeling for what is linguistically effective or appropriate. Indeed.

Round two already in progress. Details to come. Betting pool to open soon.