NYT Spelling Bee

[ab_grp]

Good morning!

Also off to a good start on the bee with two pangrams but not quite to Alpha yet (183).  Congrats on your QB yesterday, Langue_doc, and on Alpha, cathwen!

For LB yesterday, I got a 2fer later in the evening: CAMELOPARDS-SENT.  Obviously not the schmofficial solution, but yay.  I had CLEMENT earlier on (like clement weather? clemency? not sure) but didn't find a mate.  I had nearly a full notebook page of contenders so glad I finally got something that worked! I agree, ciao_yall, the "solutions" are not great.

As for the 80s show, I should clarify that it's not a cool TV show but rather a kids show.  I had tried SPACEMONSTER and SPACELORD and thought SPACECOASTER! I asked husband wasn't there some show about a great space coaster? He was unfamiliar, but I started singing the theme, and he knew all the words as well! After he went into work, I looked it up and did not recognize it at all.  Something about singers transported to an asteroid? I am wondering if there was some brainwashing of children going on in the 80s since neither of us remember the show a bit but know the theme song by heart.   Here's the song, if you dare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddm5bQeKvg   Which I am now singing along to, again.  It is quite the jam.

Happy solving!

[ciao_yall]

The online solver also suggested camelopard which I thought was some sort of cross-breed between a camel and a leopard.

Done by test tube, obvi...

Turns out, it's a thing.

[cathwen]

My LB solution yesterday was dreamscapes-stolen.. 

I haven't found a 2-fer for LB yet today, although I have come frustratingly close (with all but one letter used). 

SB:  I never did progress beyond Alpha yesterday, despite Langue_doc's hints.  I already had peahen, but missed apnea!  I've gotten a little beyond genius today, with two pangrams, but not quite at beta. 

Ab_grp, I had never heard of Spacecoaster!

[ab_grp]

I wasn't sure what a camelopard was, but I see that there is a constellation with a similar name, so maybe that's where I pulled it from.  When I shouted with glee at finally getting the 2fer, I related it to husband, and he had not heard of a camelopard.  Thank goodness they are a thing, because I was going crazy.

As for the spacecoaster, same thing... I guess I dug it up from somewhere! If it was brainwashing meant to trigger some sort of behavior, I don't think it has succeeded in either of us (I hope). ;-)

Cathwen, I limped across the line to Alpha and am now about 10 points from QB, but it has not been easy.  Not enough points remaining for a third pangram, though, if that helps. 

Good luck getting those 2fers! I am have a few contenders, but not nearly as many as yesterday's ridiculous list.  One seems sort of promising, but I'm not sure.  It uses up a couple of the hard letters, at least.  Sounds like you are close, cathwen!

[Langue_doc]

I'm probably around alpha, and most likely not getting any further.

I'm learning new words from your discussions about LB!

[Parasaurolophus]

No pangram yet, and I'm not at genius yet, either. But I'm still hunting.

[ciao_yall]

Genius and a 2fer. PM me if you want a hint.

[ab_grp]

I finally gave up on the bee.  Decided to use the scaffolded approach and found that I had one lengthy word left.  Tried in vain.  Checked with husband to see how many words of that length he had; we each had one.  He was also missing another word.  Tried again in vain.  Checked the first letter of our lengthy words, and it was the same.  Gave him a hint on his other word, which he got.  We discussed our previous approaches, prefixes, suffixes, etc.  We then just kept trying stuff, and he got QB! So a very impure team QB.  Yuck.  Not feeling too badly about missing the final word.  Now more time for LB.  And I still have to try to finish today's hard sudoku.  I think this is the fourth one that I still have to solve.  I think I have lost the knack for solving them or am just getting lazy.

Congrats on your 2fer, ciao_yall!

Good luck to the hunters! I think this collection of letters was kind of a pain even though most of the words are not that tough or obscure themselves.  If you get one of the pangrams, there's a good chance that you will get the other!

[ciao_yall]

I like to go to the Crossword Puzzle comments thread. They have some really good scaffolded hints that help bring one over the finish line.

[ab_grp]

I like to go to the Crossword Puzzle comments thread. They have some really good scaffolded hints that help bring one over the finish line.

Maybe we'll try that next time we're both stumped! Luckily, he was able to guess the final word today, but there are days when we just look at the answers.   I usually avoid the comments anymore because now I play multiple games that get discussed there and don't want to see something for one puzzle while looking for a hint for or comment about another.  But that is a good idea.

[Langue_doc]

Two-fer, finally, but no progress on the bee. They're probably obscure words, so I won't be agonizing over them (sour grapes?).

Parasaurolophus, the pangrams are easy as they are both 7-letter words, and if the letters are in the right configuration, they just jump out at you. The pangrams were my first two words.

Incidentally, today's crossword includes a word that we often use on this thread.

[ciao_yall]

I like to go to the Crossword Puzzle comments thread. They have some really good scaffolded hints that help bring one over the finish line.

Maybe we'll try that next time we're both stumped! Luckily, he was able to guess the final word today, but there are days when we just look at the answers.   I usually avoid the comments anymore because now I play multiple games that get discussed there and don't want to see something for one puzzle while looking for a hint for or comment about another.  But that is a good idea.

If you sort by "most liked" you will see the Bee ones first. And they are all threaded together as replies.

[ab_grp]

I like to go to the Crossword Puzzle comments thread. They have some really good scaffolded hints that help bring one over the finish line.

Maybe we'll try that next time we're both stumped! Luckily, he was able to guess the final word today, but there are days when we just look at the answers.   I usually avoid the comments anymore because now I play multiple games that get discussed there and don't want to see something for one puzzle while looking for a hint for or comment about another.  But that is a good idea.

If you sort by "most liked" you will see the Bee ones first. And they are all threaded together as replies.

I wish they would make separate threads or fora for the bee and LB and get them out of the crossword thread.  I had no idea that sorting that way could help find the bee comments, though!

Congrats on your 2fer, Langue_doc!

I still have to submit my trivial league stuff and then try on LB again.

[Langue_doc]

Good morning!

Missed mondo, monodrama, and nonrandom. Didn't realize that these were actual words. As for today, found the pangram, and made it to slightly above genius.

LB: clockwise/etagere.

Happy solving, all.

[cathwen]

Good morning, and congratulations on everyone's successes!

I was at beta on yesterday's SB.  I missed nonrandom, maybe because SB rejects so many words with non- that I give up before trying.  I also missed monodrama, having never heard of it.  And I missed monad and nomad.  Sigh...

Today, like Langue_doc, I have found the pangram and am just slightly above genius.  But I'm out of ideas.  We'll see how it goes.

I never did find a 2-fer for yesterday's LB.  I did find one for today, though!