tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post1686625254244788420..comments2024-02-29T03:29:52.934-05:00Comments on A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago: Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02113168955236758821noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-10211751226898389862011-07-12T11:27:59.077-04:002011-07-12T11:27:59.077-04:00Nope, Nupur, I'm totally on board with you abo...Nope, Nupur, I'm totally on board with you about "preux." It was only after the bee that I realized that if you could think of the French number deux, you might be able to pull it off without having seen it.<br />I seem to remember one other bee (1990?) where some hapless girl was given a word without any helpful information. One (and only one) weird pronunciation, no known etymology, a really unhelpful definition, and equally unhelpful sentence...and I really wish I could remember the word! I may be underselling it, but it definitely ranked with "aitch" as one of the cruelest words ever given.Uncle Spikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-66027251799893235752011-07-10T23:06:11.302-04:002011-07-10T23:06:11.302-04:00I agree about "aitch." "Aitch"...I agree about "aitch." "Aitch" was just awful and unnecessary. Amy and Uncle Spike threw in some good candidates with "naumkeag," "zwischenspiel," "sangsue," and "zanja." I know people will disagree with me but "preux" was pretty terrible unless one had viewed it before.Nupurnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-21264239090494789002011-07-08T15:43:04.849-04:002011-07-08T15:43:04.849-04:00My original post disappeared! :( Anyhow, the wo...My original post disappeared! :( Anyhow, the word that will always stick in my head as the worst ever was 'aitch'. I mean, we have a perfectly acceptable way to spell it already: H! It was several years ago (maybe mid-90's) and I still remember the look on that poor girl's face when she asked to hear it in a sentence. The example was something like "Aitch is the 8th letter in the alphabet". She was as befuddled as I was. At first I thought it must be a trick question!sophetjenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-47577084694081797582011-07-08T14:15:25.240-04:002011-07-08T14:15:25.240-04:00Adam: agreed. Uayeb was the most inscrutable word ...Adam: agreed. Uayeb was the most inscrutable word I heard this year. I think German contributes a lot. I would have to add "zwischenspiel," "schwarmerei" and "schuhplattler" to the list of toughest words given...well, in the past 10 years, at least. As far as this year's bee goes, I also got a kick out of "renminbi" and "abhinaya." Also, "zanja" stymied me - I don't recall ever hearing an "ng" sound in Spanish.<br /><br />Charles: I remember "couac," too! One of the more amusing words from the Words of the Champions back in the day.Uncle Spikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-31405787585247263682011-07-08T09:52:32.356-04:002011-07-08T09:52:32.356-04:00I thought "<span>uayeb" was partic...I thought "<span>uayeb" was particularly thorny this year. Mayan, really?</span>Adamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-9221366036646905502011-07-08T08:59:56.286-04:002011-07-08T08:59:56.286-04:00For my money, it is 'aitch'. Not intrinsi...For my money, it is 'aitch'. Not intrinsically difficult-I mean I can pronounce it!- but it's just something that should never be spelled in a million years. We have a perfectly acceptable way to spell it: H.Sophietjenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953654.post-24278173371147262622011-07-08T08:54:15.500-04:002011-07-08T08:54:15.500-04:00I don't know if it's ever been used in the...I don't know if it's ever been used in the National Bee--I remember it from the 1980s-era Scripps-provided study guides--but "couac" was one of my favorite insidious words. It sounds just like "quack." The language of origin would help spellers know the difference, but the sudden, distracting appearance of ducks in your head can make it hard to spell.Charlesnoreply@blogger.com