They Are All Snollygosters

Snollygosters is a real word. Although it may be hard to play it at scrabble, it would be legal. I guess if someone played GOSTERS, (which means to laugh uncontrollably) then both of you would crack up completely if it was extended to SNOLLYGOSTERS. Apparently a snollygoster is a shrewd, dishonest person, particularly a politician.

Wouldn’t it be fun to go to the beehive and shout “you’re all a bunch of snollygosters”?

However you came here to learn some words for scrabble. These 10 words are all archaic terms, like snollygoster, but they are all much more useful at scrabble. Well, actually 7 of them are useful at scrabble, because 3 of them are not correct. Can you identify which ones are the 3 phonies?

BATTERO A club. Something to batter with. DROOMES Drums FOULDER To thunder INGENES Ability or genius MANTELE A cape for a lady RETRAICT Retreat RUNDLET 15 gallons STROOKE A stroke TAILARD A person with a tail WAGMOOR A quagmire

As usual the answer to the quiz is at the bottom of the blog.

To tie this blog together I am going to look at the letter group GOSTER. This wouldn’t be a very popular letter group for bingo hunters because it makes bonus words with only 10 letters. Although it isn’t such a good group to have it is nevertheless one that we often wind up playing with, so knowing all of these words will come in handy sometime even if you don’t actually try to get this letter group.

GOSTER + A GAROTES Executes by strangling ORGEATS Syrups made from almonds STORAGE A place for storing TOERAGS A tramp

GOSTER + D STODGER A dull person TODGERS Slang term for penises

GOSTER + F FORGETS Fails to remember

GOSTER + G GORGETS Armour for the neck TOGGERS plays football

GOSTER + I GOITERS Enlargements of the thyroid gland GOITRES Enlargements of the thyroid gland GORIEST Bloodiest

GOSTER + M GROMETS Reinforcing rings of metal

GOSTER + N TONGERS Someone who gathers oysters with oyster-tongs

GOSTER + R GROSERT A gooseberry

GOSTER + S GOSTERS Laughs uncontrollably GROSETS Gooseberries STORGES Parental affections

GOSTER + V GROVETS Wrestling holds where the head is gripped

So how did you go on the quiz about archaic words?

Have you decided which 3 words weren’t correct?

The three words you should have chosen were:

INGENES MANTELE WAGMOOR

However these words were not completely made up. They were all nearly right:

INGINES – is the correct word for ability or genius.

MANTEEL – is a cape for a lady, and also a soldier’s cloak

WAGMOIRE – is the archaic word for a quagmire.

I must admit before I saw the meaning of that last word, I thought it was a bird.

Cheers Patrick