Thursday, May 18, 2006

Fun with wurrds

So I may have mentioned in the past that I’m a big word nerd. Yep – pretty sure I’ve mentioned it. And I think in order to be a word nerd, you have to play Scrabble. If there were a word nerd handbook, that would probably be one of the cardinal rules.

The great thing about growing up reading all the time and being in spelling bees and developing a love for words is that I had an awesome mentor along the way – my dad. Like Yoda to my Luke (only with more big words and less backward grammar), I learned how to play Scrabble with the master. We’ve been playing for years – sometimes we’d play for an entire Saturday afternoon – and it took me until my 20s to beat him on a semi-regular basis. It was like my crowning moment. There was a lot of dancing around and gloating, but hey – I learned the art of winning from him as well.

But sometimes even the wordiest of nerds can get frustrated with the lack of decent letters necessary to spell high-scoring words. Enter Phonetic Scrabble. It’s exactly what the name says it is – you spell the words the way they sound. The only rule is that you have to use the word in a sentence. Also, you probably shouldn’t play with people who are obsessed with political correctness, because to use most of the words in a sentence, you have to use an accent or a speech impediment of some sort.

So last night, The Bad Cop and I decided to play Scrabble, but it was kind of late when we made that decision, so we decided to play Phonetic. It’s faster because you’re not governed by that pesky “actual words” rule, and also if you’re really creative, it’s possible to use all your letters every turn.

I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I would start laughing to myself before I even put my words down. Not even so much about the actual word, but the accent I was going to use. Seriously. Half the fun is using the word in a sentence. Actually, no, that’s MOST of the fun. The accents kill me.


I wish I would have kept the board intact when we were done, because I can’t remember all the words. However, I do remember some.

“I had to put the sadoe on my horse before I rode him.”
“So I says to her, I says ‘Marvel, we need to replace this wood panou on the wall.’”
“And then I got in ma car and I drove to Dukatr…”
“…Unfortunately I rolled ma car and ended up in a guly.”
“I like to do arts and & crafbts (the b is silent).”
“Oh my god! A midjet!”
“Look! It’s a smidjet! If you pile a bunch of them on top of each other you have a regular sized midjet!” (I warned you about the political correctness – also you say “smidjet” with an English accent. No, I don’t know why. Yes, you have to.)
“That senator veeteaux everything.”
“Watch out for the rear faqshion!”
And finally, when The Bad Cop was left with a few too many gs: “Hey man! You’re my daagg…g!”

You like how I bolded the words, as if you wouldn't have figured them out otherwise?

Ahem. So. Next time you find yourself with a word nerd, a Scrabble board and short attention span? Phonetic Scrabble. Fun times guaranteed. Or you could make up new lyrics to well-known songs involving what you’re eating at that moment. Or both. We did both.

17 comments:

Carl Spackler said...

my sister is quite possibly the best scrabble player this side of the mississippi. no lie.

Alice said...

oh. my. god. i love it. i had not heard of this phoenetic scrabble before, but i am currently ENAMORED of the idea. hee. heehee.

Cheryl said...

Wow. I am s finding a word nerd in Chicago to play this! I love it!

One time my sister and I used every letter and blank tile and I took a picture. Why? Cause I too am a word nerd.

dasi said...

Hey Cheryl, I'll play! We can round up all bloggers in or near Chicago to join us - just no vodka... ;) Amber, that sounds like SO MUCH FUN!! And right now, I could use some fun. Too bad I am stuck at work with Satan, or I'd pull out the scrabble board right now!!!

Unknown said...

One time I ended up drunk and playing Scrabble with josh's parents.

SO NOT FUN.

It's hard to make words, and even harder to place letters without messing up the whole board.

Eventually I got tired of playing and proceeded to sit behind Josh and bite his neck.

Yeah. I hated my life.

lol

Whinger said...

Try Proper Name scrabble.

You'd be amazed what people think can pass for a proper name.

Dreamlover said...

I love scrabble, u can play it on yahoo.com as literati.

BTW, I am so listening to James Blunt and David Gray right now as well.

Just thought you would want to know!! haha

Carl Spackler said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Just Me said...

this is the funniest freakin thing i've heard in a long time!

TrappedInColorado said...

You and your friends show up at the patio of The Keg in LoDo tonight and I'll buy you all a round. If you don't see me there I will be at the Chop House. If I'm not there I will be on the patio of the new Venice bistro where Adegas was. If I'm not there I will be at Sullivans listening to jazz. Keep an eye out for a guy who thinks he recognizes you from your Vegas pics. :)

We'll play phonetic drinking games.

Peace

Marissa said...

I'm DYING! This post is so hilarious I can't stop laughing. Phonetic Scrabble. My new favorite game!

Miladysa said...

We have sooo got to play 'AmDad Scrabble' this weekend :)

HomeImprovementNinja said...

In grade school my teacher would have weekly spelling bees and give out a little stupid prize at the end. Since I always won, I wasn't allowed to play. (bitch!) So I started losing on purpose once in a while so that I'd be allowed to play again. True story

Amy said...

Your blog is my new addiction.

JillWrites said...

I must immediately find someone to play this with me. IMMEDIATELY. I read all of your sentences aloud, with appropriate accents.

Carl Spackler said...

i heart carrie underwood.

Amanda said...

enormous scrabble fan here. i think it's a genetic thing, also. parents who play scrabble have children who play scrabble...to paraphrase a commercial from our youth.
xoxo