We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle solutions
(NY Times version). We have even touched on what constitutes offensive
('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not 'prick'). Today we have ... (to
be continued tomorrow).

On 07/04/2024 08:11, occam wrote:
> We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle solutions
> (NY Times version). We have even touched on what constitutes offensive
> ('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not 'prick'). Today we have ... (to
> be continued tomorrow).

I got it on the last attempt. All I will say is, it's not an English word.

On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote

> On 07/04/2024 08:11, occam wrote:
>> We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle
>> solutions (NY Times version). We have even touched on what
>> constitutes offensive ('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not
>> 'prick'). Today we have ... (to be continued tomorrow).
>
> I got it on the last attempt. All I will say is, it's not an
> English word.

Agreed. On the way to getting it (in 4), I discovered that the
following word was accepted, and I don't think it should qualify as
an English word.

I don't think is a spoiler, but I'll insert a spoiler space just in
case....
x x
x x
x x
x x
x (I don't know how much space is needed for this.....)
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x
x x

SPINA is apparently OK.

--
Cheers, Harvey

On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>
>> On 07/04/2024 08:11, occam wrote:
>>> We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle
>>> solutions (NY Times version). We have even touched on what
>>> constitutes offensive ('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not
>>> 'prick'). Today we have ... (to be continued tomorrow).
>>
>> I got it on the last attempt. All I will say is, it's not an
>> English word.
>
> Agreed.

+1. That was the point of my protest.

> On the way to getting it (in 4), I discovered that the
> following word was accepted, and I don't think it should qualify as
> an English word.

OK. You should know that there are 3 categories of words in the game of
WORDLE.

1- (acceptable) 2,315 five-letter word list, as defined by Mr. Wardle
(then subsequently tweaked by the NY Times).

2- (unacceptable) All possible 5-letter English words _minus_ those in
list 1 above.

3- A list of non-words ('test words' ) which are acceptable guesses but
non-English words nevertheless. (I cannot find the source where I first
read this. No matter, I've never used this option.)

>
> I don't think is a spoiler, but I'll insert a spoiler space just in
> case....
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> (I don't know how much space is needed for this.....)
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
> x
>
> SPINA is apparently OK.

How did you discover this, may I ask?
>

On 07/04/2024 14:20, occam wrote:
> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>
>>> On 07/04/2024 08:11, occam wrote:
>>>> We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle
>>>> solutions (NY Times version). We have even touched on what
>>>> constitutes offensive ('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not
>>>> 'prick'). Today we have ... (to be continued tomorrow).
>>>
>>> I got it on the last attempt. All I will say is, it's not an
>>> English word.
>>
>> Agreed.
>
> +1. That was the point of my protest.
>
>> On the way to getting it (in 4), I discovered that the
>> following word was accepted, and I don't think it should qualify as
>> an English word.
>
> OK. You should know that there are 3 categories of words in the game of
> WORDLE.
>
> 1- (acceptable) 2,315 five-letter word list, as defined by Mr. Wardle
> (then subsequently tweaked by the NY Times).
>
> 2- (unacceptable) All possible 5-letter English words _minus_ those in
> list 1 above.
>
> 3- A list of non-words ('test words' ) which are acceptable guesses but
> non-English words nevertheless. (I cannot find the source where I first
> read this. No matter, I've never used this option.)
>
>
FOLLOW-UP:

"That’s why Wordle has two word lists—a small list of possible answers
that are fairly common words and a larger list of possible guesses that
might be useful for your strategy."

Source: https://prowritingaid.com/does-wordle-use-plurals

>
>
>
>>
>> I don't think is a spoiler, but I'll insert a spoiler space just in
>> case....
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> (I don't know how much space is needed for this.....)
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>>
>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>
> How did you discover this, may I ask?
>>
>

On 2024-04-07 12:20:16 +0000, occam said:

> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>
>>
>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>
> How did you discover this, may I ask?

I would regard spina bifida as a complete phrase as English, but not
the individual words.

--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly
in England until 1987.

On 07 Apr 2024, occam wrote

> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>
>>> On 07/04/2024 08:11, occam wrote:
>>>> We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle
>>>> solutions (NY Times version). We have even touched on what
>>>> constitutes offensive ('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not
>>>> 'prick'). Today we have ... (to be continued tomorrow).
>>>
>>> I got it on the last attempt. All I will say is, it's not an
>>> English word.
>>
>> Agreed.
>
> +1. That was the point of my protest.
>
>> On the way to getting it (in 4), I discovered that the
>> following word was accepted, and I don't think it should qualify
>> as an English word.
>
> OK. You should know that there are 3 categories of words in the
> game of WORDLE.
>
> 1- (acceptable) 2,315 five-letter word list, as defined by Mr.
> Wardle (then subsequently tweaked by the NY Times).
>
> 2- (unacceptable) All possible 5-letter English words _minus_
> those in list 1 above.
>
> 3- A list of non-words ('test words' ) which are acceptable
> guesses but non-English words nevertheless. (I cannot find the
> source where I first read this. No matter, I've never used this
> option.)
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>> I don't think is a spoiler, but I'll insert a spoiler space just
>> in case....
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> (I don't know how much space is needed for this.....)
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>>
>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>
> How did you discover this, may I ask?

It was my third guess. My second (hairy) confirmed that A was going
to be either the 4th or 5th letter, and it seemed likely that the
word would end with an "A".

I don't know why Spina (bifida) came to mind, but I thought I'd see
if for some strange reason it was allowed -- expecting it not to be,
but there's no penalty for trying a disallowed word).

Given that something that non-English was accepted, I went for the
correct solution -- also a non-English word, but not as far out as
SPINA.

On 07 Apr 2024, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote

> On 2024-04-07 12:20:16 +0000, occam said:
>
>> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
>>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>>
>>>
>>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>>
>> How did you discover this, may I ask?
>
> I would regard spina bifida as a complete phrase as English, but
not
> the individual words.

Indeed, but I had a suspicion that the solution was going to end in
"A", and gave it a go on the grounds that the complete phrase had
popped into my head, and there's no penalty for trying a disallowed
word.

I didn't expect it to be allowed, but once it was, the actual answer
was worth a go -- not an English word, but somehow less "non-
English" than the first half of a medical term.

On Sun, 7 Apr 2024, at 09:36:56, HVS posted:
>On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>
>> On 07/04/2024 08:11, occam wrote:
>>> We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle
>>> solutions (NY Times version). We have even touched on what
>>> constitutes offensive ('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not
>>> 'prick'). Today we have ... (to be continued tomorrow).
>>
>> I got it on the last attempt. All I will say is, it's not an
>> English word.
>
>Agreed. On the way to getting it (in 4), I discovered that the
>following word was accepted, and I don't think it should qualify as
>an English word.
>
>I don't think is a spoiler, but I'll insert a spoiler space just in
>case....
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>(I don't know how much space is needed for this.....)
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>x
>
>SPINA is apparently OK.
>
It means the central barrier of a divided racetrack. Though why the
Romans used the word 'circus' for two parallel straights with a tight
connecting semicircular turn at either end seems odd to me.

It's also a word adopted long ago for use in English medical circles,
when Latin was the language of European intercourse for the educated.
--
Paul W

On 07/04/2024 14:06, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> On 2024-04-07 12:20:16 +0000, occam said:
>
>> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
>>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>>
>>>
>>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>>
>> How did you discover this, may I ask?
>
> I would regard spina bifida as a complete phrase as English, but not the
> individual words.
>
I've just checked my "Chambers".

"spina bifida"is included as one entry. "spina" on its own is not.

Interestingly, the Word In Question is included, correctly spelled with "à".

On 08/04/2024 09:53, John Armstrong wrote:
> On 07/04/2024 14:06, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
>> On 2024-04-07 12:20:16 +0000, occam said:
>>
>>> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
>>>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>>>
>>> How did you discover this, may I ask?
>>
>> I would regard spina bifida as a complete phrase as English, but not
>> the individual words.
>>
> I've just checked my "Chambers".
>
> "spina bifida"is included as one entry. "spina" on its own is not.
>
> Interestingly, the Word In Question is included, correctly spelled with
> "à".

That 'Voilà' (1) is included in a dictionary comes as no surprise. The
problem is that it is a French word (not English), used mainly in a
pretentious context by English speakers. (Pretentious. Moi? )

(1) Spoiler alert deadline has now passed.

occam wrote:

> That 'Voilà' (1) is included in a dictionary comes as no surprise. The
> problem is that it is a French word (not English), used mainly in a
> pretentious context by English speakers. (Pretentious. Moi? )

How about "gesundheit", "angst" and "ombudsman"?

--
Bertel
Kolt, Denmark

On 07 Apr 2024, Paul Wolff wrote

> On Sun, 7 Apr 2024, at 09:36:56, HVS posted:
>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>
>>> On 07/04/2024 08:11, occam wrote:
>>>> We have discussed BrE v. AmE spellings concerning the Wordle
>>>> solutions (NY Times version). We have even touched on what
>>>> constitutes offensive ('lynch', 'slave', 'wench',... but not
>>>> 'prick'). Today we have ... (to be continued tomorrow).
>>>
>>> I got it on the last attempt. All I will say is, it's not an
>>> English word.
>>
>> Agreed. On the way to getting it (in 4), I discovered that the
>> following word was accepted, and I don't think it should qualify
>> as an English word.
>>
>> I don't think is a spoiler, but I'll insert a spoiler space just
>> in case....
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> (I don't know how much space is needed for this.....)
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>> x
>>
>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>>
> It means the central barrier of a divided racetrack.

Thanks; interesting. I should have researched possible meanings when
it was (unexpectedly) allowed.

John Armstrong <jja@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> On 07/04/2024 14:06, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
> > On 2024-04-07 12:20:16 +0000, occam said:
> >
> >> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
> >>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> SPINA is apparently OK.
> >>
> >> How did you discover this, may I ask?
> >
> > I would regard spina bifida as a complete phrase as English, but not the
> > individual words.
> >
>
> I've just checked my "Chambers".
>
> "spina bifida"is included as one entry. "spina" on its own is not.
>
> Interestingly, the Word In Question is included, correctly spelled with "à".
>

I think "la spina" is also used in colloquial Italian to denote
a mains electricity plug (from a manufacturer's name):

<https://www.spinagroup.com/en/products/plugs-and-sockets/>

<https://mominitaly.com/electricity-in-italy-basics-for-travelers/>
----
"If you need to, you can ask in Italian:

Dov'è posso comprare un adattore da spina americana a
presa di corrente italiana?

Where can I buy a plug adapter for an American plug to
an Italian electrical socket?"
----

--
^Ï^. Sn!pe, PA, FIBS - Professional Crastinator

My pet rock Gordon just is.

On 2024-04-08 14:31:29 +0000, Sn!pe said:

> John Armstrong <jja@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> On 07/04/2024 14:06, Athel Cornish-Bowden wrote:
>>> On 2024-04-07 12:20:16 +0000, occam said:
>>>
>>>> On 07/04/2024 10:36, HVS wrote:
>>>>> On 07 Apr 2024, John Armstrong wrote
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> SPINA is apparently OK.
>>>>
>>>> How did you discover this, may I ask?
>>>
>>> I would regard spina bifida as a complete phrase as English, but not the
>>> individual words.
>>>
>>
>> I've just checked my "Chambers".
>>
>> "spina bifida"is included as one entry. "spina" on its own is not.
>>
>> Interestingly, the Word In Question is included, correctly spelled with "à".
>>
>
> I think "la spina" is also used in colloquial Italian to denote
> a mains electricity plug (from a manufacturer's name):
>
> <https://www.spinagroup.com/en/products/plugs-and-sockets/>
>
> <https://mominitaly.com/electricity-in-italy-basics-for-travelers/>
> ----
> "If you need to, you can ask in Italian:
>
> Dov'è posso comprare un adattore da spina americana a
> presa di corrente italiana?
>
> Where can I buy a plug adapter for an American plug to
> an Italian electrical socket?"
> ----

While hoping that a 110 volt device can stand being plugged into a 240
volt source. (Some can, of course, like modern electric razors.)

--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly
in England until 1987.

Sn!pe hat am 08.04.2024 um 16:31 geschrieben:
> I think "la spina" is also used in colloquial Italian to denote
> a mains electricity plug (from a manufacturer's name):
>
> <https://www.spinagroup.com/en/products/plugs-and-sockets/>

Just one of several meanings of "spina" in _Italian_. However, the
question here is if it's an acceptable Wordle word in _English_. I'll
leave the answer to English native speakers and the makers of Wordle.

Silvano <Silvano@noncisonopernessuno.it> wrote:

> Sn!pe hat am 08.04.2024 um 16:31 geschrieben:
> > I think "la spina" is also used in colloquial Italian to denote
> > a mains electricity plug (from a manufacturer's name):
> >
> > <https://www.spinagroup.com/en/products/plugs-and-sockets/>
>
>
> Just one of several meanings of "spina" in _Italian_. However, the
> question here is if it's an acceptable Wordle word in _English_. I'll
> leave the answer to English native speakers and the makers of Wordle.
>

I play 'Words With Friends' with my son - it's a Scrabble knock-off.
I've noticed that quite a few words that are not strictly English are
nonetheless permitted. I imagine that's because there are many
immigrants with their own languages in the US, all of which will have
contributed loan words to their own particular flavours of English.

--
^Ï^. Sn!pe, PA, FIBS - Professional Crastinator

My pet rock Gordon just is.

Sn!pe hat am 08.04.2024 um 20:57 geschrieben:
> Silvano <Silvano@noncisonopernessuno.it> wrote:
>
>> Sn!pe hat am 08.04.2024 um 16:31 geschrieben:
>>> I think "la spina" is also used in colloquial Italian to denote
>>> a mains electricity plug (from a manufacturer's name):
>>>
>>> <https://www.spinagroup.com/en/products/plugs-and-sockets/>
>>
>>
>> Just one of several meanings of "spina" in _Italian_. However, the
>> question here is if it's an acceptable Wordle word in _English_. I'll
>> leave the answer to English native speakers and the makers of Wordle.
>>
>
> I play 'Words With Friends' with my son - it's a Scrabble knock-off.
> I've noticed that quite a few words that are not strictly English are
> nonetheless permitted. I imagine that's because there are many
> immigrants with their own languages in the US, all of which will have
> contributed loan words to their own particular flavours of English.

You have a point, but I am not one of the makers of Wordle.
Just for the record, is "pense" accepted in Wordle? Five-letter word
used in British English for centuries. For people from former British
colonies: "Honi soit qui mal y pense".
Actually, I remembered another five-letter word: "honni", but Wikipedia
does not agree.

On 2024-04-08 20:13:46 +0000, Silvano said:

> Sn!pe hat am 08.04.2024 um 20:57 geschrieben:
>> Silvano <Silvano@noncisonopernessuno.it> wrote:
>>
>>> Sn!pe hat am 08.04.2024 um 16:31 geschrieben:
>>>> I think "la spina" is also used in colloquial Italian to denote
>>>> a mains electricity plug (from a manufacturer's name):
>>>>
>>>> <https://www.spinagroup.com/en/products/plugs-and-sockets/>
>>>
>>>
>>> Just one of several meanings of "spina" in _Italian_. However, the
>>> question here is if it's an acceptable Wordle word in _English_. I'll
>>> leave the answer to English native speakers and the makers of Wordle.
>>>
>>
>> I play 'Words With Friends' with my son - it's a Scrabble knock-off.
>> I've noticed that quite a few words that are not strictly English are
>> nonetheless permitted. I imagine that's because there are many
>> immigrants with their own languages in the US, all of which will have
>> contributed loan words to their own particular flavours of English.
>
>
> You have a point, but I am not one of the makers of Wordle.
> Just for the record, is "pense" accepted in Wordle? Five-letter word
> used in British English for centuries. For people from former British
> colonies: "Honi soit qui mal y pense".
> Actually, I remembered another five-letter word: "honni", but Wikipedia
> does not agree.

Honni is the modern French spelling, but it was spelt honi at the time
the motto was coined.

--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly
in England until 1987.

On 09/04/24 06:13, Silvano wrote:

> You have a point, but I am not one of the makers of Wordle. Just for
> the record, is "pense" accepted in Wordle? Five-letter word used in
> British English for centuries. For people from former British
> colonies: "Honi soit qui mal y pense". Actually, I remembered another
> five-letter word: "honni", but Wikipedia does not agree.

We used to have a Prime Minister called Malcolm, and that led to the
saying "Honi soit qui Mal s'appelle".

--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW

On 2024-04-08, Sn!pe wrote:

> Silvano <Silvano@noncisonopernessuno.it> wrote:
>
>> Sn!pe hat am 08.04.2024 um 16:31 geschrieben:
>> > I think "la spina" is also used in colloquial Italian to denote
>> > a mains electricity plug (from a manufacturer's name):
>> >
>> > <https://www.spinagroup.com/en/products/plugs-and-sockets/>
>>
>>
>> Just one of several meanings of "spina" in _Italian_. However, the
>> question here is if it's an acceptable Wordle word in _English_. I'll
>> leave the answer to English native speakers and the makers of Wordle.
>>
>
> I play 'Words With Friends' with my son - it's a Scrabble knock-off.
> I've noticed that quite a few words that are not strictly English are
> nonetheless permitted. I imagine that's because there are many
> immigrants with their own languages in the US, all of which will have
> contributed loan words to their own particular flavours of English.

WWF also allows a lot of things that are normally disqualified as
abbreviations or trademarks in Scrabble, such as "OK", "DBX", & "ESQ".

--
Now you're climbing to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesn't take too long
Can't you see there'll come a day when it won't matter?
Come a day when you'll be gone ---Boston