Scrabble words

[watervole]

I'm playing four or five games of Scrabble at present, and several times now, I've thought - well, that sounds like a plausible word, let's check it out in the dictionary. 

So, I look it up in the dictionary and get the really irritating reply that  "This word exists in the Scrabbulous dictionary, but we do not have a definition for it"

Two other online dictionaries that I try don't know it either.

eg. 'bien' is in my son's copy of 'Scrabble Words' and in SOWPODS  online (though not in TWL, so I can't actually play it in any of my current games), but what does it mean?

I like to play words that I know the meaning of!

Comments

[jthijsen.livejournal.com]

It's French for "good" or "alright". Do French words count for that game of scrabble?

[watervole.livejournal.com]

That's why I tried the word. I thought it might mean the same in English. Foreign words aren't allowed in their own right.

[megamole.livejournal.com]

I think it's the French word, used in phrases that have passed into English such as "bien cuit", "bien pensant" etc.

I've just played a 7-letter French word (RONDEAU) at you :-P

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I have this sneaky suspicion that you're going to wipe the floor with me...

I need to learn more French...

[lucas-t-bear.livejournal.com]

I'm suddenly grateful I took A-level French ;-)

(but you'll probably wipe the floor with me anyway)

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

The OED has it as the French word as used in phrases used in English. Their citations are to Thackeray and George Elliot.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Ah, the full OED isn't available online as far as I know. I guess that paper still rules for some things.

[alex-holden.livejournal.com]

I'm told you can get to it via this link if you have a library card (I haven't had one for years so can't try it): http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/lclogin

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Says you can't bookmark the page and have to enter via the web site of a subscribing library, so really a bit too much effort to use casually even if you have a card.

[alex-holden.livejournal.com]

I don't know if that's true - the guy who told me about it said he can use it from anywhere.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

I log in via my local library site. I bookmarked the page of the library site (http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/Web/corporate/pages.nsf/Links/92BFEE66FF32CB0880256FBA005151AA) that has the link and then follow it. As long as I remember my library card number begins with 4 Firefox remembers the rest for me.

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

From ABSP Sowpods words list (http://www.absp.org.uk/words/4b.html).

bien (Scots) well off, comfortable. Also BEIN

As I've said before this is the full list with definitions and if this is the sort of thing you are interested in it's the first place you should look. Saves you a lot of searching and misunderstandings as to why it's an acceptable word.

Where to get Scrabble words

[(Anonymous)]

A good place to find a short definition and create automatic ways to study the words in all the common Scrabble dictionaries is with a piece of free study software called zyzzyva. It is available at www.zyzzyva.net.

And while you are at it, you should try playing more Scrabble in person - it is a lot more fun! There are over 200 official Scrabble clubs in the US. There is a list at http://www.scrabbleassociation.com/clubs/roster.html

Have fun!

- Mitch