Strange Words

[Kai Laddiman]

What are the strangest/best/weirdest words you've got? Mine would be JALAPENOS, ENCHILADA (those 2 in goatdown) and NAARTJIES.

[Phil Reynolds]

I was quite chuffed at getting FUSTIAN and ABALONE in this game yesterday, although the first wasn't a max and neither is especially uncommon. I think it's just an ego thing of being pleased with myself for having a wide vocabulary and having an opportunity to use words that aren't often useful in everyday conversation.

[Simon Myers]

What are the strangest/best/weirdest words you've got? Mine would be JALAPENOS, ENCHILADA (those 2 in goatdown) and NAARTJIES.

If you're partial to Mexican food you'd come across jalapeños and enchiladas quite frequently, along with other lovely words such as chimichangas, fajitas and quesadillas (unfortunately only one short enough to be found on Countdown).

I don't spot too many strange words myself (SCIAENID once or twice), but I love to look at the reviews of any Goat games with Apterous Rex involved, which very often makes interesting (double) darrenical picks.

[Ben Wilson]

I spotted PLANGENCY in a conundrum attack today and was rather chuffed about it, though to be fair this is largely because I've set it in an msn game before now.

[Jimmy Gough]

My favourites are probably tzigane, fiacre and troika. I too like naartjies (artesian +j) but I've never spotted it. I've managed to get quantiser a couple of times and I suppose STERADIAN is quite an unusual common word. The conundrum GUACAMOLE seems to get me everytime though.

[Kirk Bevins]

My favourites are probably tzigane, fiacre and troika. I too like naartjies (artesian +j) but I've never spotted it. I've managed to get quantiser a couple of times and I suppose STERADIAN is quite an unusual common word. The conundrum GUACAMOLE seems to get me everytime though.

GUACAMOLE + F = ?

[Jimmy Gough]

CAMOUFLAGE. Kind of weirdly I now remember that conundrum by CAMOULAGE.

[Charlie Reams]

A handful of ones that I got that I was pleased with at the time. Starred ones are from Goatdown so probably a bit less noteworthy.

TOKAMAK*, GENDARMES, EXEGESIS*, MATZOHS, LIONHEADS, MAXILLAE*, TRENDOID, SHEIKH (just because it's so unlikely), HOTHEAD, CONEHEAD and BONEHEAD (liking the -HEAD words), RITENUTI, VERACITY, MINATORY, DIAPASON, MILEPOST, AMPHORAE, PISTOLERO (useful anagram of the invalid POORLIEST), GEMSTONE and PONYTAIL (in the same game), CHEDARIM, DYSURIA, LAAGERED, LINGERIE, NAARTJIE (before it was fashionable!), THESAURI, PLAYMATE, ECLOSING, CHEERIO, MEIOTIC, LITERATI, ARMISTICE (before I knew it was just MATRICES+I), NEURONIC, BILINEAR, KEYSTONE, ZEBECS, DEXTROSE, AIRMISS, ELASIPOD, NUBILITY, GOUACHE, OILSKINS (and bottled VAQUEROS in the same game ), KATIPOS, ULTERIOR, EUCRITE, STEINBOK, BURPEES, KLUDGE, CRAMPONS, SUITCASE, UXORIAL, MONAZITE, TRAPEZIA, AIRSTREAM and TITANOUS (same game, sorry Jim!), REVALUING (don't often risk 9s, so this was nice), EARLOCKS, SEAFRONTS, JABIRUS, POPADUMS, MAESTOSO, BONXIES, FUNEREAL, HERPTILE (thanks Paul), MEATUSES, BLANCOES, HIDALGOS, ARGONAUT, TANKINI*, TMESIS, DEERSKIN, FOOLSCAP*, ZEALOTRY, CADENZA, POONTANG, PREEMIE, and (from the pre-database days) FREEBASE and HEADCOUNT.

Who says reading the dictionary doesn't pay off?

[Phil Reynolds]

If you're partial to Mexican food you'd come across jalapeños and enchiladas quite frequently, along with other lovely words such as chimichangas, fajitas and quesadillas (unfortunately only one short enough to be found on Countdown).

You have to be careful with it, too: I seem to remember someone getting FAJITA disallowed, evidently under the mistaken impression that it was the singular of FAJITAS.

[Kai Laddiman]

If you're partial to Mexican food you'd come across jalapeños and enchiladas quite frequently, along with other lovely words such as chimichangas, fajitas and quesadillas (unfortunately only one short enough to be found on Countdown).

You have to be careful with it, too: I seem to remember someone getting FAJITA disallowed, evidently under the mistaken impression that it was the singular of FAJITAS.

That was Ben Hunter (against me ).