Some Untapped Words

How many 7 letter words can you make from ANPTU and two blanks?

There are 32 valid answers, but it would be far too tough to ask you to find them all. Instead see if you can find a quarter of them. Your target is 8 words.

Last week I got away with a dud word. My rack was an uninspiring ANNNPTU but there was such a good score available on the board for UNTAP that I took a chance on it even though it still left NN as my leave. Fortunately my opponent didn’t think twice about it, after all UNTAPPED is a word, so I kept my good score.

I had a look at that type of word with the idea of doing a list of those that were based on a verb and those that were only good in the UNTAPPED form. However that list would have been over 500 words. A very large number are like UNTAPPED where the shorter words are no good. All I will say is, unless you are sure of them, give some consideration to challenging if your opponent plays an UN word that looks a little odd.

With that list being too long I went for a "blank out" question. The term is based on Roger Cole-Baker’s observation that words can be hard to see when you have to work with two blanks.

How did you go with the quiz? Have you found your 8 words?

Here are the answers:

AUTOPEN A mechanical device to produce imitation signatures

DUSTPAN A pan for holding swept dust

NUPTIAL Referring to weddings

OPUNTIA A genus of plants including the prickly pear and Indian fig

OUTPLAN To surpass in planning

OUTSPAN To harness a draft animal

PANTOUM A Malaysian verse form

PANTUNS Malaysian verses. Same as PANTOUM

PATULIN A drug derived from penicillin

PEANUTS Also called the monkey nut or ground nut

PESAUNT A peasant

PETUNIA An ornamental plant

PIQUANT Having an agreeable sharp taste

PULSANT Pulsating

PULTANS Indian regiments

PURITAN A person who is strictly moral in conduct

PUTAMEN A fruit stone or a membrane lining an eggshell

STANDUP Having an upright position

SUNTRAP A sheltered, sunny place

TAPUING Forbidding the use of

TIPUNAS Maori ancestors

TUPUNAS Maori ancestors. The same as TIPUNAS

UNADEPT A person who is not adept

UNAPTLY In an unapt or unfit manner

UNPAINT To remove the paint from

UNPLAIT To undo the plaits of

UNSTRAP To remove a strap from

UPLEANT Rested one’s weight

UPSTAND To get to one’s feet

UPTAKEN Taken up

UPTRAIN To train up or educate

UTOPIAN Someone who believes in an ideal place

There are certainly enough easy words that anybody could find 8 words, although the two blanks does make them hard to see. On the other hand.....

If you didn’t learn any new words from that list, then you are too good for me! :-)

Happy Scrabbling Patrick