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BS: crosswords

30 Sep 00 - 01:33 PM (#309038)
Subject: crosswords
From: Llanfair

I have to admit to yet another addiction. I bought a cheap crossword game on CD, expecting it to be like SCRABBLE, and it turned out to have it's own American dictionary. It won't accept british spellings, and the higher the level I set my "opponents", the dafter the words they use, and get away with. If I switch off the dictionary, they start to make words up.
Anybody know of a really good word game to play on the PC with a British dictionary?
Yes, I know I should get out more, but I've been poorly................
Cheers, Bron.


30 Sep 00 - 01:46 PM (#309045)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Jon Freeman

Llanfair, I have a copy of a game of Scrabble that a few of us have played over the internet but can also be played as a stand alone game. The spelling is British but some of the words are a little questionable (can't find them in Chambers). If you or anyone else would like a copy, send me a PM with your email address.

Jon


30 Sep 00 - 04:17 PM (#309130)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Llanfair

Thanks, Jon. PM sent. Cheers, Bron.


30 Sep 00 - 06:11 PM (#309182)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: McGrath of Harlow

The late Sir John Gielgud had a practice on trains of doing the Times Crossword at incredibly high speed - just glancing at the clues, glancing at the ceiling, and then scribbling madly away. Folding the paper he would something to the effect that they were making the crosswords in the Times ridiculously easy these days, leaving his companions marvelling.

In fact what he was doing was just scribbling down random letters and acting a part.

I think you've got a computer program which is haunted by the spirit of Sir John Gielgud, acting being American...


30 Sep 00 - 06:20 PM (#309186)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: catspaw49

Okay Bron.......Let's start with 1 across, 10 letters (2wds),..."Addicting site on the www."

Spaw


30 Sep 00 - 06:29 PM (#309194)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Uncle_DaveO

WWW.SLIMEDOG.ORG Uh, no, too many letters. I give up.

Dave Oesterreich


30 Sep 00 - 07:56 PM (#309243)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: hesperis

Spaw, that wouldn't be a certain 'catfish forum', now, would it?


30 Sep 00 - 08:09 PM (#309248)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: catspaw49

Well hesp, let's check since Dave didn't get it. Okay now, let's see -- 1 Down is also two words,....8 letters....."Psychotic astronaut"............Then let's check 3 Down......7 letters......"Little Hawk"...4th letter seems to be "B"...ends in "SS"................Then there's 9 Down....7 letters, "Last name of late night forum vampire"...............See if those work.

Spaw


30 Sep 00 - 08:24 PM (#309256)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: hesperis

1 down: MAJORTOM
3 down: DUMBASS (Why am I not surprised you'd do that, Spaw!)

9 down: starts with F? I'm clueless here, sorry.
(FLATULENCE is too many letters...)


30 Sep 00 - 08:59 PM (#309277)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Little Hawk

Flattery will get you nowhere, Spaw. I hate crosswords, but I like scrabble...explain that! Maybe we should discuss it on "Explaining the Unexplained"...


30 Sep 00 - 09:13 PM (#309286)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: hesperis

FREEMAN! That's IT!

Thanks, Spaw, this was fun...


30 Sep 00 - 09:15 PM (#309289)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Little Hawk

Examples of cross words:

"You dirty rat! Oooo...you dirty rat!"

"You rotten creep!"

"You copulating piece of organic waste!"

"You copulating female canine!"

"You copulating person of low intelligence quotient!"

"You intellect-impaired, copulating, phallus-devouring, person of little value, who doesn't tend to do well in most competitive endeavours, and also needs a bath immediately if not sooner!"

"Oh, CATSPAWWWW!!!"

...hmmm, we seem to be stuck in a rut of some kind here...this is how people talk at Jonathan and Wendy's mineral water and avocado dip bar in beautiful downtown Brechin when the patrons are REALLY MAJORLY (there's that word again!) ticked off at someone. To utter the phrase "Oh, CATSPAWWW!!!" has been known to lead to really serious altercations, including nose-tweaking, eye-sticking (a form of hockey violence generally associated with the Quebecois), and noogies, so it is not generally used except in cases of absolute fury.


30 Sep 00 - 09:39 PM (#309300)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: catspaw49

Well its nice to be Number One!!!

Spaw


30 Sep 00 - 10:01 PM (#309311)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Little Hawk

"It's" should have an apostrophe. Gotcha!


30 Sep 00 - 10:14 PM (#309323)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: catspaw49

Actually not. Check the Harbrace College Handbook.

Spaw


30 Sep 00 - 10:20 PM (#309326)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Little Hawk

The what? When "it's" means "it is", it has an apostrophe. When it means "belonging to it", it doesn't.


30 Sep 00 - 10:25 PM (#309329)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: CarolC

Sorry, Spaw. According to my Websters, "its" is the possesive form, and "it's" is the compound of it is, or it has.

Carol (word police)


30 Sep 00 - 10:36 PM (#309337)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Mbo

Don't get me on the case! I'm a crossword puzzle feind, and my family have dubbed me "The Closer" because I can finish half-completed crosswords is very short amounts of time.


01 Oct 00 - 04:21 AM (#309446)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Llanfair

I'm pedantic about apostrophes, and get cross about greengrocer's signs "apple's 99p a kilo", and the kilos are another story!!!!
Spaw, perhaps they use the Harbrace college handbook as dictionary for the crossword games. It wouldn't accept "zen" for instance!! and since when was "bi" a word!!!
Cheers, Bron.


01 Oct 00 - 07:27 AM (#309477)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Pixie

HEY! HEY! If there are Mudcat Scrabble players out there playing each other, let me know! I play on the MS Game Zone on occasion on the internet, so would love to play a game with someone from here! Email me and let me know if you want to play!

Pixie


01 Oct 00 - 01:15 PM (#309626)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: McGrath of Harlow

"Well its nice to be Number One!!!

Unless you get flushed with success...


01 Oct 00 - 01:36 PM (#309639)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: catspaw49

or you step in Number Two.

Spaw


01 Oct 00 - 05:53 PM (#309804)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Ely

Every weekday morning, there's a race in my house to get to the NY Times puzzle first (or at least, before my dad, who will fill in spaces with the first thing that comes to mind and has no qualms about misspelling it to make it fit). We're all fiends.

I'm sure there are doctors for things like this.


02 Oct 00 - 12:13 AM (#310030)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Little Hawk

... or executioners.


02 Oct 00 - 03:14 AM (#310104)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Jon Freeman

With regard to crosswords, I don't do them any more but I have been known to complete the ones in the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian in the past.

My dad was always the family expert with crosswords and before his stroke, he could rattle of the Telegraph one in about 10 minutes and also played a pretty mean game of Scrabble - he would slaughter me without even trying. He is not too bad now either - he still completes the crosswords and I believe has been beating my mum at Scrabble, it is just that he needs a lot of thinking time now.

Jon


02 Oct 00 - 06:57 PM (#310541)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: okthen

jon, was your dad Welsh?

the Welsh love words,my dad(Gwyn Owen) did the telegraph xword every day, even after his stroke (tho' my mum wrote the words in)not much good myself (except the sun and that don't count)

favourite clue (cue for a new thread?)

5 LETTERS

HIJKLMNO

cheers

bill


03 Oct 00 - 02:38 AM (#310759)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: Jon Freeman

No Bill, I live in Wales but my dad is English. He is from Norwich and moved back to Norfolk about 3 years ago.

Jon


03 Oct 00 - 03:57 AM (#310778)
Subject: RE: BS: crosswords
From: GUEST,Paul Burke

My favourite crossword clues:

Cool, OK? (8,5)

This one from the Guardian a few years ago:

Damn'd siesta! My God, I'm not Gunga Din! Heel, hounds!

(3,4,3,10,2,3,2,3,3-3,3) ....

OK, you haven't the time or patience for this sort of stuff. So the answers:

First one: absolute zero (from the Kelvin scale)

t'other: it's just one giant anagram..

mad dogs and englishmen go out in the mid-day sun.

Cheers Paul Burke