this week's winning sentences...and game 3 comes to an end

First of all, here's a look at the sentences Annie chose this week:

Debi might have been more SOLICITOUS, but she knew all too well Rich's tendency to MALINGER to avoid even the few duties required for his SINECURE. (Jean)

The THESPIAN was RANKLED bu the critic's review, noting that it contained many a CLICHE but not a single BON MOT. (Jean)

That arrogant, annoying, narcissistic, moronic, stupid, supercilious jerk actually told me that he would never be confuted. (Rich)

The dog was indignant when I told him that it was cliche to pee on a fire hydrant. (Rich)

I was once arraigned for putting a chink in the wall of the White House with an errant shot from my catapult. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: nostalgia (Jean)

Okay, and now for the imaginary drumroll...the winner of Game 3 is...

Jean!!!

Yeah, like anyone's surprised, huh? :)

Deeply felt thanks to everyone who played, be it for one week or all eight! You have no idea how much we appreciate it!

Game 4 will begin in January, and will be held over at Nothing of Importance. If anyone would like an e-mail notice of when we get started, just leave a comment here.

Thanks again! And congratulations Jean!!!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 8

So are you ready for the final round of Game 3? I guess we already know who our winner is, but I do hope you'll play anyway so Annie gets the benefit of hearing her words in use.

*abase

*solicitous

*malinger

*rankle

*cliche

*insolvency

*truncate

*pastiche

*eponymous

*sinecure

*pater

*bon mot

*bete noire

*agglutinate

*agitprop

*fulminate

*confute

*indignant

*arraign

*chinks

*errant

*ponderous

*nostalgia

*thespian

Good luck! And thanks for playing!

this week's winning sentences

The wolf pack's SOLIDARITY was evident in its well planned and executed INCURSION into Farmer Johnson's cattle pen. (Jean)

The clown was DISPIRITED, as the PARESIS of his JOWLS made it impossible to smile. (Jean)

The Republican candidate pounded the podium and PROGNOSTICATED that RECIDIVISM would rise were he not re-elected (he was wrong). (Jean)

I was certainly in a quagmire when I became overcome by paresis while climbing the crag, but the mountain climbing ecclesiastic saved me and carried me to safety. (Rich)

I became wan and despondent when I discovered that my work was moot and that my students were still idiots. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: horripilation. (no points awarded)

*Special note: Rich is being penalized 3 points for posting a sentence (which I deleted) that was wholly inappropriate for a home schooling blog.

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 7

My sincerest apologies. Again. Rich just called me to ask where this week's words were. I know I typed up the post Monday morning, but he's right...it's definitely not here. (Wonder if I put it on the wrong blog or something?). Anyway, since I'm such a ditzoid, you now have until Monday to do this week's sentences. (Which actually works out okay, because there wasn't going to be a list next week due to the holiday anyway.)

*grandiose

*dispirit

*abate

*closure

*solidarity

*prognosticate

*incursion

*recidivism

*horripilation

*wan

*moot

*jowl

*promiscuous

*despondent

*quagmire

*remonstrate

*paresis

*crag

*badinage

*ecclesiastic

Sorry! And good luck!

this week's winning sentences

Well, better late than never, huh?

This week's winners:

Rich thought his lecture on the fusion of ROCOCO and ABORIGINE art was truly ENGIMATIC; to his class, however, it was merely HYPNAGOGIC. (Jean)

Women have a predilection to be enigmatic. (Rich)

When I finally cajoled an answer out of him I could tell it was a lie, as his story about being grabbed by armed gunmen, taken to France to join the resistance, and finally abducted by aliens was simply too rococo to be true. (Rich)

I glowered at the student, whose grade was in the lower echelon, when she divulged that my lecture was extremely hypnagogic. (Rich)

The fish was lubricious but delicious. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: cajole (Jean, Rich)

Thanks for playing!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 6

Please forgive me for not posting this earlier. Things have been a tad stressful around here, and frankly, I just forgot. :(
(To make it up to you, Annie won't be judging until Saturday morning.)

This week's words:

*glower

*dissipate

*rococo

*cajole

*predilection

*echelon

*aborigine

*skulk

*putative

*gleek

*lubricious

*gamine

*hypnagogic

*pyre

*voluptuous

*enigmatic

*divulge

*implacable

*snood

*immolate

Again, I apologize. And good luck!

this week's winning sentences

Our numbers have dwindled, as for the second week in a row we've just got Jean and Rich duking it out. We certainly do miss Raidergirl3 and Awesome and Carl and Medbie...you all write such fabulous sentences. Hope you'll think about coming back, at least from time to time.

But for now, I suppose we shouldn't keep Jean and Rich in suspense any longer. Let's see how they've added to their point totals:

Joe's excellence at MASONRY was more than offset by this tendency to GOLDBRICK. (Jean)

The demi-god's ICHOR turned VISCID and PUSTULANT just before it TRANSMUTED into gold. (Jean)

You really can mummify a Cornish game hen without its becoming PUTRESCENT if you just follow my directions. (Jean)

She yelled at me and ran to her room to cry when I told her that her new boyfriend appeared to be feral and jaundiced. (Rich)

The woman tried in vain to transmute her putrescent goldbrick of a husband into a man she could view with approbation, but eventually she gave up, moved out, got a dog, and lived happily ever after. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: feral (Rich)

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 5

I apologize for being late again once again. And because they are late, we'll extend the time to get your sentences in. The judging won't take place until Friday morning this week.

Well, we're half-way through Game 3. And I do believe that despite Jean's lead, anyone could still win. So PLEASE keep playing!

(Oh, and here are the updated rules, in case you haven't seen them.)

*cachet

*mellifluous

*jaundiced

*rancor

*dilatory

*paramour

*feral

*abrogate

*approbation

*culmination

*putrescent

*ichor

*transmute

*viscid

*pustulant

*conduit

*profane

*masonry

*goldbrick

*doleful

Good luck, everyone!

this week's winning sentences

Down to two players this week...I do hope that's simply because everyone has been busy and not because you're dropping out for good! Anyway, we missed you!

So, here are this week's chosen gems:

The plump FACTOTUM ABSCONDED as fast as his chubby legs would carry him, before his master's MERCENARIES realized his PERFIDY. (Jean)

Besides DESPOILING you toys or even DESECRATING your diary, little brothers can be quite PESTIFEROUS when they aren't being just BANAL. (Jean)

As the moon rose over the prairie, the warriors DISSIPATED to the CADENCE of the drums. (Jean)

As he walked toward the edifice at Hogwarts School, Harry was weary from being harried by the perfidy of Voldemort and the Deatheaters. (Rich)

Americans now demur the desecration and despoiling of our nation by the nefarious man known to the world by a single letter...W. (Rich)

And this week's bonus word: banal (Jean, Rich)

Congrats to both of you! And do come back everyone!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 4

So, what did you all think of the new rules? Annie and I thought it worked out pretty well, so we're going to stick with them for now.

This week's words:

*banal

*mercenary

*abscond

*spurious

*cadence

*perfidy

*despoil

*harry

*edifice

*pestiferous

*vestibule

*desecrate

*redoubtable

*equanimity

*demur

*dissipate

*edema

*factotum

*interregnum

Good luck...and have fun!

this week's winning sentences

Not sure how you all felt, but we think the new rules worked out well. Think we'll stick with them for the time being and see how things go.

The winners:

The wolf cub studied his sire's visage, seeking a clue to his mood. (Jean)

Rich tried to establish close rapport with his students; unfortunately, his garish dress, peremptory manners, and cumbersome lectures repelled them. (Jean)

The disrepute that the dog felt after it was discovered that he could not chase cats or pee on fire hydrants was a personal travesty. (Rich)

I wrote my powerful new theory on why fish swim on the whiteboard only to have it effaced by a careless custodian while I was out having a celebratory aqueous martini. (Rich)

The dog's loud flatulent miasma caused the woman and her cats to flee the room in search of fresh air. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: scion. (Jean, Awesome, Rich)

Thanks everyone! As always, we really enjoyed your sentences, each and every one. Hope you'll all be back next week!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 3

O.K., as I explained in the last post, we're in need of a change in rules here. You all are just too darn clever for your own good. ;) So let's try these out for a bit, and see how it goes...

1. You may use up to, but may not exceed, 10 vocabulary words.

2. No more than 4 vocabulary words may be used in any single sentence.

3. You may use less than 10 words. If you just want to write one sentence, using just one word, that's perfectly fine!

4. Annie will choose her five favorite sentences. Each vocabulary word in these sentences earns a point.

5. A "secret" bonus word will yield everyone would happens to use that word an extra point.

6. Sentences must be posted in the comments by late Thursday afternoon (EST), as judging will take place Thursday evening.

Words at your disposal for this week:

*disrepute

*travesty

*cumbersome

*efface

*rapport

*acclamation

*peremptory

*garish

*cerements

*adamantine

*interstice

*pabulum

*scion

*coeval

*importunate

*matelot

*pullulate

*miasma

*gamut

*denigrate

*visage

*pique

*rend

Good luck, everyone!

Game 3, Round 2 Points

O.K., it's obvious that we're going to have to change the rules, aren't we? Since you all are so talented, and so willing to risk going down in flames for the big score, it's sort of making things boring, isn't it? What fun will it be if everyone uses all 10 words in one sentence, so Annie is forced to choose every sentence? (And Rich, I apologize for handicapping you this week by asking you to write more than one sentence, but otherwise it just would have been pointless.) Anyway, we'll be sure to let you know the updated rules when we post the next list.

Now, on to this week's point winners:

Donald gamboled through life, his bibulous bonhomie contrasting sharply with his brother Steven's bellicose diablerie, a trait their mother disavowed as leading only to the gibbet, and which she not so trenchantly attributed to Steven's ill-gotten wealth rather than to her poor parenting. (Jean)

Much to my dismay, the dog was a Republican, but he disavowed the party after 7 years of George W. Bush. (Rich)

The dog dabbled in diablerie in an attempt to get the Master to cook some bacon. (Rich)

On Monday, the much maligned monkey migrated to Montgomery, Mississippi. (Rich)

Russet faced and bellicose at the memory, I, a humble fakir--a liaison of Allah--hereby bequeath to you this tale of diablerie, with all bonhomie, of that malign night whence that roly-poly rascal, my so-called brother, didst eat the last of the jelly donuts and then, to my great horror, proceeded to gambol about the room, wiping his rubicund face on my most cherished antimacassar. (Carl) I think I pulled off the melodramatic ominous part, but I'm afraid my English accent was a total failure.

This week's bonus word: russet (Carl)

As usual, great sentences everyone! Hope to see you all next week!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 2

First let me apologize for posting these a bit late this week...Miss Annie was at a sleepover so we couldn't klatch last night. So as not to shortchange you on time, judging won't occur until Friday morning this week.

Anyone new playing along? If so, you might want to check out the rules here.

And here's this week's list:

*liaison

*enjoin

*bibulous

*russet

*accede

*disavow

*peregrinate

*bellicose

*diablerie

*bonhomie

*trenchant

*gambol

*expostulate

*depute

*gibbet

*inculcate

*rubicund

*fakir

*presumptuous

*malign

*antimacassar

*ill-gotten

*attribute (we're focusing on the verb, but feel free to use it however)

*broach (again, we're focusing on the verb, but feel free use it however)

*fusillade

Good luck to one and all!

Game 3, Round 1 Points

Whoa, you people are impressive! Annie had the hardest time weeding down to five sentences...she even asked if we couldn't just bend the rules and pick more. But she finally did manage to stick the rules and narrow it down to five.

This week's point winners:

The blogger was lauded throughout the internet for her "What's in a Name?" challenge. (Raidergirl3) Looks like flattery pays off. :)

She did not thing she would ever ACCLIMATE
To her master's tendency to VITUPERATE
And belittle her attempts to CEREBRATE
Unless her heart she could somehow INDURATE. (Jean) Oooh, and poetry nonetheless!

The chef on board the CANARD denied that he had served chicken rather than CANARD as the poultry course, and attributed the CANARD to his jealous assistant. (Jean) And you taught us two additional meanings to the word in the process!

The Vatican police chief let out a saturnine sigh as he read the file; while most of the criminals he dealt with were disgruntled votaries caught practicing the rudiments of purloining in the refectory at supper-time, this man was the apotheosis of his art, a pinnacle of sangfroid and sleight-of-hand, and the chief knew he was more than just a tenebrous canard. (Awesome) The big gamble paid off!

When Dr. Feelgood, the facinorous mad scientist and much lauded votary of dance music, asked Professor No-Body, a brain kept alive in a tenebrous jar, what his favorite song was he replied with sangfroid, “Why, Cerebrate Good Times, of course!” (Carl) Annie's favorite for the week!

And this week's "bonus" word was saturnine. (Jean, Awesome, Rich)

Thanks everyone, for playing! Hope you'll all be back!

Using that Vocabulary, Game 3, Round 1

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but Annie is mighty excited about starting a new game. In case, I haven't said it before, a huge thank you to all who play! It really is a fun way for Annie to see her vocabulary words in use, which is obviously a lot better than just reading a definition.

In case we've got any new players, here's a brief recap of the rules:

1. Write as many sentences as you wish, but use no more than 10 of the vocabulary words. (That is, you can write ten sentences each using one word each. Or you can write one sentence using ten words. Or you can write six sentences using one word each and two sentences using two words each. Etc. You choose.)

2. You may use less than 10 words. If you just want to write one sentence, using just one word, that's perfectly fine!

3. Annie will choose her five favorite sentences. Each vocabulary word in these sentences earns a point.

4. A "secret" bonus word will yield everyone would happens to use that word an extra point.

5. Sentences must be posted in the comments by late Thursday afternoon (EST), as judging will take place Thursday evening.

6. Once again, the game will consist of eight rounds. Don't worry if you have to miss a week or two or even more...it is definitely still possible to win!

*Please feel free to ask, if anything is unclear.

*The prize for this game will be a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate.

*Again, just a hint...playing to Annie's passions can pay off! (She still loves wolves, ravens, and most any other animal. She still loves fantasy. Halloween themes are likely to be well-received. And she definitely seems to go for humor.)

And now for this week's words:

*disgruntled

*vituperate

*purloin

*canard

*subterfuge

*rudiments

*acclimate

*tangential

*semaphore

*sangfroid

*facinorous

*cerebrate

*refectory

*lauded

*egalitarian

*tenebrous

*apotheosis

*saturnine

*halitus

*deliquesce

*prognathous

*votary

*ambuscade

*indurate

Good luck everyone!

And the winner is...

First of all, here are this week's winning sentences:

I thought the EXECRABLE, RUGOSE, CHIMERA to be one of the most ELDRITCH beings I encountered in that INSULAR world, a creature so INELUCTABLE and ATAVISTIC that I suffered from URTICATION just thinking about it in its DORMANT phase let alone its RECRUDESCENT one. (Jean)

Make sure you buy the rugose chips that hold the dip so well in their grooves. (RaiderGirl3)

Two roads diverged in a wood and I had a choice: parsimony or affluence for the rest of my life which really wasn't much of a choice. (RaiderGirl3)

The constantly cranky chimera was glad of his sudden recrudescence, for now his execrable younger brother could not refer to him as a rugose old fart. (Carl)

When the execrable and affluent lothario returned home, he felt sure that his alibi would satisfy his empathic wife, but after he fell asleep and began to snore as she was talking to him, she let her gravamen be known by gluing him to the couch as he slept, loading the couch onto the truck, driving it to the sea, depositing it in the tidal pool of her insular retreat and awakenening her dormant octupi and jellyfish which she let enjoy their recrudescence by giving the sleeping idiot a good urtication. (Rich)

This week's bonus word: eldritch (Jean, Carl)

Well, both Jean and Rich went for the gusto this final week, and it paid off for both of them! The winner turned out to be Rich, and though I swear it was entirely above board, we want to avoid the appearance of impropriety and are going to give the second place finisher, Jean, a $10 Amazon gift certificate as well. And don't worry, Rich, we're giving you one, too!

Thank you all so much for playing! Not only do we really enjoy reading all your fabulous writing, it really is helpful to Annie as well! I was amazed at how close a game it was all along. I really, really, really hope you ALL will come back and play Game 3! Annie has a review test for the quarter coming up next week, and then has a couple weeks break before we begin her next vocabulary unit. But please come back the first week of October when the first round of Game 3 will be posted. Thanks again!

using that vocab-game 2, week 8

Last week of Game 2! Good luck everyone!

*gravamen

*empathy

*recrudescence

*affluence

*insular

*dormant

*parsimony

*chimera

*supernumerary

*eldritch

*execrable

*rugose

*atavistic

*ineluctable

*concatenation

*urtication

*lothario

*alibi

winning sentences (game 2, week 7)

Sorry for the delay in judging/posting this round's winners. Blame is fully mine (not Annie's) with equal parts busyness and disorganization involved.

This week's winning sentences:

Alyson stomped her feet and cried at her husband, "Your orange sweater, green pants and purple hat have completely ruined the aesthetic of this room and you will rue the day you tried to dress yourself!" (RaiderGirl3)

Conflate 'lunch' and 'breakfast' and you get my favorite meal: brunch. (RaiderGirl3)

Dude, only someone with hypoxia would think skateboarding down a mountain is a good idea. (RaiderGirl3)

The wolf SUCCORED his mate, licking her SUPPURATING wound to help it heal. (Jean)

I rue the day that I tried to bamboozle the mummy of King Rootentooten and had to suffer the incurable malediction of forever being a peripatetic moron with no sense of the aesthetic. (Rich)

Secret bonus word: malediction. (Carl, RaiderGirl3, Jean, Rich)

I can't believe how close this game is going into the final round! That $10 Amazon gift certificate could go to anyone. Anyway, this week's words should be posted this evening...and we'll try to get the judging done Thursday evening. Again, I apologize for being late this week.

using that vocab-game 2, week 7

Just two more lists before we "crown" our winner. Shorter list of words to choose from this week. And a couple extra days to write. (Judging will take place next Thursday, August 28th.)

*bamboozle

*malediction

*peripatetic

*aesthetic

*rue

*succor

*embroil

*conundrum

*penury

*suppurate

*propitious

*conflate

*hypoxia

*interlocutor

Good luck, everyone!