NYT Spelling Bee

[ciao_yall]

Genius, pangram. Will see how the rest of the day unfolds.

[ab_grp]

Good morning!

There were some tough words yesterday on the bee.  I don't think of tailcoat as a word, so the compound distribution definitely helped with that one, as I knew there was an 8-letter T that was a compound.  But my final ones were lollipop and capicola, which I kept thinking about but always hear "gabagool" in my head and couldn't figure out how to spell it.  I have finally started to get ocotillo on a more regular basis after missing it a lot, because I think we have some in our yard or there is one across the street or something.  Thanks for the parade! Only missing a few yesterday also deserves a parade!! And congrats on finding all the pangrams and sailing into genius, Parasaurolophus!!

It took me to genius + to find the pangram today.  Then, of course, it was obvious. ;-) I don't think husband has found it yet.  Not quite at Alpha yet.

I got the same LB as ciao_yall.  Congrats on your 2fers today, cathwen (on your first try!) and ciao_yall!

Today is another conference day, plus my stupid desktop keeps freezing and/or restarting with error codes, so I have to figure that out.  Didn't even get to sudokus yet, haven't looked at LB.  Ugh.  Time for breakfast!

Happy solving!

[Langue_doc]

Woohoo, ab_grp! I missed ocotillo not too long ago, and recall looking up the word.

Almost genius today, and that's going to be it, I think. Lots of fun activities already and more to come later today. The highlight of my day though was going to the laser car wash.

Happy solving, all!

[ab_grp]

Thanks, Langue_doc!

I looked up what a laser car wash is but would love to hear what it was like (when you get a chance).  Enjoy your activities! It sounds like you are having a lot of fun!!

Finally made it to Alpha, but there are three words left.  At least I remembered the one that kept me from QB on my birthday.  I will never forget!!

[cathwen]

Woo-hoo!  QB, with a little help from Shunn. The last word was one I'd never heard of before; I was just playing around with combinations in desperation.

Langue_doc, it sounds as though you've been having several great days in a row!  The laser car wash also intrigues me.  Enjoy the rest of your day!

Ciao_yall and ab_grp, I like your LB solutions a lot better than mine.  At least they're normal words!  However, my solution did give me a word for the part of a drawbridge that goes up (which I previously called "the part of the drawbridge that goes up").  I must work it into a conversation sometime.

[ab_grp]

Congratulations, cathwen!!! We haven't gone to Shunn yet, but I can see that trip on the horizon.  Good to know that there is a tough word that might still be out there.  Hoping to take a break when this session winds up in a few and get back to it.

If you manage to work the drawbridge part into conversation, please do share! I forgot to say that the word I was trying to force yesterday was inexcusable, leaving only P and G, and I even "encouraged" husband to help me try to find a mate, but no luck.  It's hard to give up on a word sometimes.  I had expunging earlier on but never would have found the mate you found!

ETA: Oh I totally forgot to say I have a 2fer! And also ships.

[ab_grp]

And finally got to an impure team QB with the help of Shunn for first letters.  Two of my final three were ones I probably should have gotten.  The other, well... glad I finally remembered that one from looking it up before.

[Langue_doc]

Made it to genius! Congrats on all the achievements.

As for the laser car wash, a friend got me hooked on this. The downside is that only the exterior gets washed. You sit in your car, select one of four options, and wait for the green signal to pull into the bay. First, your car is sprayed with water, then detergent, then the rinses. Watching the grime get washed out is quite therapeutic. After the washing and rinsing, your car gets air-dried. What I like about this wash is that nothing touches your car except for the water, detergent, and air. I couldn't find anything like this within 100 miles of where I live because what is listed as a laser car wash often has brushes that touch your car and can also have people dry your car. The quality of the rinsing and drying seems to have deteriorated as today I had to use paper towels to dry the windows and other parts of the car. There were other drivers manually drying their cars as well. I have been taking my car to the laser wash place whenever I'm visiting here for the past several years and will most likely continue to do so as I haven't found one like it near where I live or work. It's no more expensive than getting a regular wash.
https://www.detailxperts.net/blog/2016/12/26/need-know-laser-car-wash/
https://www.opwglobal.com/pdq-vehicle-wash-systems/products/touchless/laser-wash-360-plus

[ciao_yall]

ab_grp congrats! Even with Wordplay definitions I'm still a few short. Some new words.

Langue_doc very cool. I had my pits and bikini line lasered which changed my life. If I stick a leg out of the car will it do those as well?

Looking forward to seeing everyone's solutions tomorrow.

[ciao_yall]

Morning!

SB - Yesterday finally hit the Wordplay blog. A new word arhat, missed a few easy bee specials tutti, cacti, hatha, hath, but never could get to QB despite all the hints with easy ones chitchat, circuit, tiara. Gah. Amazing with pangram so far.

LB - watching-grody. Looks tricky today with b4ss issues and no e. A few good contenders but no 3fer yet. Finishing up coffee then off to yoga. And a stack of grading, Academic Senate, and my last class before summer! WOOOT!

Happy solving.

[ab_grp]

Good morning!

I got the same LB as you, ciao_yall, and it wasn't schmofficial! Wonder what others got.  Also got a couple sets of ships: drowning-catchy and coward-thingy.  I was hoping it would take crowdwatching, but no.  Enjoy your yoga and final class!

Today I just have just one more 5-letter word until QB.  Hoping to find it without Shunn, but it took me forever to get the penultimate one, and I am out of ideas right now.  Will have banana and coffee and think about it later.  Yesterday's bee did have some tough words.  I managed to recall arhat and will never forget catarrh!

Thanks for the more detailed description of the laser car wash, Langue_doc.  I kind of like those big soapy noodles, though honestly I am not sure I have ever washed my car in the 16 years I've had it.  It used to be fun to be at the car wash! I might owe my car a trip to one at some point and will see if they have the laser option around here when I do.  I'm glad you were able to do that on your trip!

Happy solving!

[cathwen]

Good morning!

I also got watching-grody for yesterday's LB.  That makes three of us!

I have a 2fer for today, but it did not come easily!

SB:  arhat was new to me, too.  That was my last word, found only by combining letters in desperation, hoping that some weird combination would actually be a word.

Against all odds, I made QB today with only minimal help from Shunn to check on the initial letters of the last two words.  I didn't find anything that was weird or impossibly arcane this time.  (Yes, I have been up a long time.  Late dinner...had trouble sleeping.)

Ciao_yall, enjoy yoga and your last class! 

Ab_grp, congratulations on your "impure" QB!

Langue_doc, the next town over from mine has something very much like what you're describing—it's called Buggy Car Wash.  They have one bay that is touch-free that sounds exactly like your laser car wash (although they don't mention lasers), one bay that has the traditional brushes, and one bay with hoses for people to wash their own cars.  Inexplicably, it also has two rooms for dog washing, equipped with towels and shampoo!  We don't have a dog, but we do have cars, and we usually choose the touch-free unless the line is very long.  Today I plan to go to a different car wash, one where you leave your car and wait in a waiting room until it's done.  These people will vacuum the interior, and it's time to have that done.

Happy puzzling!

[ab_grp]

Congrats on the QB, cathwen! Woohoo!! I may have to go with the initial-letter scaffold if I can't figure it out on the next break.  Too much to catch up on today.  Eating dinner late disrupts my sleep, too.  But, at least you put it to good use! And congrats on your 2fer, too! I will go take a look at LB and see what's up there since it sounds as though it could be difficult.

[ciao_yall]

Genius, 3fer so far.

cathwen congrats on the 2fer! Funny that we all got the same one yesterday.

[ab_grp]

Got to a team QB after comparing hashes! Didn't have to look at Shunn since we each had each other's missing word, and the first letter helped.  Yeah! Wish I could have just gotten the final word without the first letter help, though.

Good luck, ciao_yall! I need to get back to LB.  Only one contender so far...

ETA: Got a 2fer!