Raining from Start to Finish

Having seen the second and third days of the cricket heavily affected by that wet stuff falling out of the sky I thought I might use RAIN as a theme. Keeping the format similar to last week I am going to give you a quiz at the top of this blog, with the answers at the bottom.

This quiz is a little different. It is to see how many 8 letter words you can think of that start with RAIN. So you are looking for words that would fit into this pattern:

R A I N _ _ _ _

There are 14 words for you to find.

While you are pondering that I am going to give you a list of all the 7 and 8 letter words that end with –RAIN. These would have been much harder to think of because the meanings have nothing to do with rain. Whereas all the ones that start with RAIN are precipitation related.

CLARAIN Lustrous bands in coal DARRAIN To place into array for battle. Look out for DARRAINE DETRAIN To get off a train ENGRAIN To fix deeply ENTRAIN To get on a train INGRAIN To impress firmly on the mind MURRAIN A disease of cattle REFRAIN To withhold oneself from action RETRAIN To train again. Look out for PRETRAIN TERRAIN A tract of land UPTRAIN To educate VITRAIN A separable constituent of bright coal

DISTRAIN To seize and hold property as security ENDBRAIN A part of the brain MADBRAIN A rash or insane person MIDBRAIN The middle region of the brain MISTRAIN To train improperly PEABRAIN A stupid person PRETRAIN To train beforehand QUATRAIN A stanza of 4 lines rhyming alternately RESTRAIN To hold back RIVERAIN A riverside dweller SEATRAIN A ship equipped to carry railroad cars SUZERAIN A feudal lord

In the 16th century Nostradamus made his predictions in quatrains. Maybe one was:

Some scrabblers who should know better Will go straight to the answers for the quiz They should respect the problem setter By giving that puzzle another squiz

OK, so if you have found all fourteen R A I N _ _ _ _ words, or have given up on finding any more, the answers are:

RAINBAND A band of rain bearing clouds. Look out for TRAINBAND RAINBIRD A bid supposed to foretell the onset of rain RAINBOWS RAINBOWY Like a rainbow RAINCOAT RAINDATE An alternate date in the event of rain RAINDROP RAINFALL RAINIEST Look out for BRAINIEST and GRAINIEST RAINLESS Without rain. Look for BRAINLESS / GRAINLESS / TRAINLESS RAINOUTS Atomic fallout occurring in precipitation RAINSUIT A waterproof jacket and pants RAINWASH to wash material by rain. Look out for BRAINWASH. RAINWEAR

Cheers

Patrick