Althouse: "The four spellers before you receive 'quandary,' 'ethanol,' 'brigadier' and 'chary.'"

May 30, 2013

"The four spellers before you receive 'quandary,' 'ethanol,' 'brigadier' and 'chary.'"

"Then you're asked to spell ahn-uh-MASS-tuh-kon, 'a collection or listing of words especially in a specialized field.' Yeah, life's not fair sometimes."

12 comments:

Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Better the kids should learn cal-i-sten-ics.; 5/30/13, 10:11 AM
MisterBuddwing said...: I still remember the kid from many years ago who won the Bee on the word "luge."

Huh?; 5/30/13, 10:24 AM
Portia said...: I was a great speller once. Never went national but did all right in the 6th grade. Yeah, life's not fair.; 5/30/13, 10:24 AM
edutcher said...: skuh-DAD-uhl -- as in, "scram!"

skedaddle - you know that if you saw any Westerns - which these kids haven't.

mehr-uh-TOK-ruh-see -- which the Bee pretty much is.

meritocracy

ahn-tuh-LAHJ-uh-kuhl -- of or relating to the science or study of being.

ontological

ehv-uh-DEN-chee-ehr-ee, one of two law-related words to confound folks so far. (Lieu being the other.)

evidenciary (not sure of that one); 5/30/13, 10:25 AM
lemondog said...: I like chary ice cream.......; 5/30/13, 10:51 AM
sakredkow said...: Nope, life is not fair, you best get that through your head. I can't imagine it was ever intended to be. It's all about playing the hand yer dealt, spell bitches.; 5/30/13, 11:38 AM
Patrick said...: b*i*t*c*h*e*z; 5/30/13, 11:45 AM
Dr Weevil said...: Since when is 'onomasticon' an obscure word? I have at least four of them ('onomastica' of course) sitting on my shelves - three for Cicero and one for the Younger Pliny.; 5/30/13, 12:23 PM
fivewheels said...: It's a little obscure, but it's not difficult. If you were guessing, isn't that how you would guess?

As a fourth-grader, the word that tripped me was fuchsia. I'd never heard of it. What little boy would have?; 5/30/13, 1:58 PM
rhhardin said...: Just ask google, e.g. supposing you're doing astronomy

sisagee

Did you mean

simisage siagie sagee sisgi; 5/30/13, 2:00 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Dr Weevil said...

Since when is 'onomasticon' an obscure word? I have at least four of them...

I had one of those, in Pokemon Platinum ( I think. ) Took it forever to evolve into a 'wallymammal'.; 5/30/13, 2:15 PM
Patrick said...: Minnesota kid got knocked out. sarrusophone.; 5/30/13, 4:01 PM