NYT Spelling Bee

[Langue_doc]

There's only one weird word (5 letters). There's a chemical word that I've seen in a previous puzzle, and that I remembered from my high school chemistry class. Let me know if you need a hint, ab_grp. 47/172.

Free hints today, available to all!

[ab_grp]

Thanks, Langue_doc! I'm at 45/161, so I will hope it's a 5 and a 6 and not the other option.  Maybe you can tell me if there is a 10-letter word in there (please, no!)? I have a 7-letter that's definitely chemistry that I thought was a little tough but happened to get early on for whatever reason, and I have a 5-letter that's science but not sure about chem.  Does anyone else sometimes have to count on their fingers rather than trying to count the letters on your screen? Probably just me. 

[Parasaurolophus]

Just hit genius, now for the rest.

[Langue_doc]

Just hit genius, now for the rest.

Woohoo! Congrats on the genius.

ab_grp, no ten letter words, alas. I always, always count on my fingers. The two longest words are eight letters each. Now that I think about it, the weird word isn't so weird.

[ab_grp]

Thanks again, Langue_doc! Looks like I have an eight, but I think the other long one I have is a nine.  I am just glad there are no 10s! Maybe that would be easier, who knows.  We are about to have a quick bee break, so I will try some more. 

Congrats, Parasaurolophus! And continued good bee luck!

[Langue_doc]

My apologies, it's an eight and a nine, the latter the pangram.

[ciao_yall]

Everybody's getting two-fers. Not me, sigh.

Yesterday I found negligee early on and was tempted to give a hint, but resisted. Several of the other words were familiar because I'd seen them in previous puzzles.

What is driving me batty is yesterday I thought "lingerie oh no r, never mind" and didn't flash on negligee."

[ciao_yall]

There's only one weird word (5 letters). There's a chemical word that I've seen in a previous puzzle, and that I remembered from my high school chemistry class. Let me know if you need a hint, ab_grp. 47/172.

Free hints today, available to all!

Wooohoo, got another one! Any other weird ones?

Maybe we need a rule that after a certain time, say 8 pm Eastern, hints are fair game for the thread?

I have a 2fer and will share hints but don't want to ruin it for anyone so if you want to PM, fine, otherwise I would put them in the thread.

[cathwen]

Good morning!

Well, if I had sat here until Doomsday, I would never have found toluene, in spite of Langue_doc's hint about a chemical substance—but if it has appeared in a previous puzzle, it will surely appear again, so I'll try to remember it.  I also missed lento and (annoyingly) oleo.. 

Congratulations on genius, Parasaurolophus!  Ab_grp and ciao_yall, did you reach QB?  Congrats on QB, Langue_doc!  You are surely the queen of QBs!

Ciao_yall, I agree to the hints after 8pm rule. 

Today's SB is at genius.  Once again, I need to walk away from it and come back with (hopefully) fresh eyes.

As for LB, I got the "official" solution yesterday, and I found one for today as well.  I kind of like the idea of a magical leftover—what is rejected and tossed aside turns out to be powerful—or something like that.  Aren't there at least a thousand variations on that theme in literature? 

Happy puzzling, everyone!

[ciao_yall]

Morning! Yesterday's SB wouldn't take lotte.

I also got magical-leftover for LB. Like a mystery tour and the best part of Thanksgiving?

Happy solving, all!

[Langue_doc]

Good morning!

Today's SB isn't too bad as I made it to genius without pausing. The rest of the words are another matter, though.
As for toluene, I remember it as one of the component words in TNT. I could spell it then and I can still spell it without having to look it up.

LB: magical/leftover

Posting hints after 8 sounds like a good idea. East Coast time or West Coast time?

[ciao_yall]

8 PM East Coast time is fine by me. I'm on the West Coast but if I haven't gotten it by 5 PM I'll appreciate a few hints. Earlier is good as well.

Made it to genius as well. Not sure what you mean by "not pausing." I did refill my coffee and do a few reviews of what I had already, but I didn't feel a need to leave and come back.

Now to start LB. Already got what I call a "tight 3fer" where I had a weird little word to use up a last letter or make a transition between two contenders.

[ab_grp]

Good morning!

Congrats on all the 2fers yesterday! I got magic but apparently never thought to add to it.  And congrats on yours already today, cathwen! And a promising 3fer for ciao_yall!

And congrats again on your QB yesterday, Langue_doc! I agree, you are the queen of the QBs.  We missed tootle and unlet.  I don't think I ever would have gotten unlet.  Toluene came pretty easily for me, though I did not recall what it was.  I actually thought it was in one of my facial cleansers, but that is apparently a sub-brand (?) toleriane.  I guess one wouldn't want to use toluene on one's face.

At 98 today, so Alpha but stuck for now.  One pangram, not enough points left for a second.  This is a busy week with deadlines, and husband has to go into work today for however long, so we'll see what we get to.

Have fun, everyone!

[Parasaurolophus]

Had an easy time to genius this morning. Now for the rest!

[ab_grp]

Good luck, Parasaurolophus!

I got to QB, not too bad overall.  It took me a bit to find the final two words I was missing.

A couple LB contenders, but nothing great so far.