• Scrabble and Autumn: The Words You’ll Probably Hear a Lot

    Autumn

    Credit: Stiopa

    Summer’s over in a month, and autumn is finally knocking on our doors again – you would want to get a vacation right now (if you haven’t). Anyway, although this season is probably the right time to spend some time outdoors, the cold breeze might be too much for some people, so it’s preferable to get a cup of coffee and play Scrabble with the family. Word and board games can be as competitive as the NFL season, so it will definitely help if you add some valid Scrabble words into your arsenal. Keep the following autumn-related words in mind the next time you’re facing your letter tile rack!

    Touchdown – it’s football season

    NFL_Rams_vs_Panthers_2010

    Credit: David Herholz

    Although this word also used when a plane lands successfully, it is also used when a player in American football advances the ball into the opponent’s end zone. Whether you’re cheering for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts, touchdowns are something you should be excited about. In Scrabble, it gives a base score of 18 points. It’s a compound word, so forming it is a great option if there are words like TO, TOUCH, DOWN and DO.

    Pigskin – an American slang

    Wilson_American_football

    Credit: Torsten Bolten

    This word is still related to American Football: it’s actually a slang term used to call the ball itself. Why? Well, prepare to be surprised: soccer balls, and of course, the American football ones, were made from inflated pig bladders back in the day, hence the term, “pigskin”. The balls were later placed in leather covers, and today, balls are now made by engineers, having strict specifications at that. In Scrabble, it gives a base score of 14 points. Lastly, due to it having seven letters, it is a potential bingo word.

    Pumpkin – the Halloween plant

    French Market Pumpkins

    Information of New Orleans

    Although we have to wait for at least two months for Halloween, you will surely see pumpkins popping up in the markets in a few weeks. This fruit, a cultivar of squash, is popular during autumn, mainly because its shell is being carved and used as decorations – this is why you you see a lot of jack o’ lanterns during this season. Aside from which, it is also used as an ingredient in various dishes – pumpkin pies are popular in Thanksgiving dinners, while the juice made from this fruit dishes out a number of benefits. In Scrabble meanwhile, it dishes out 17 points. Like the earlier mentioned words, it is also a compound word, with PUMP and KIN.

    Harvest – fresh produce during autumn!

    vegetableIt’s almost autumn, but it’s definitely not too late to plant something in your vegetable garden! That said, there are a lot of plants you can plant now, only to harvest them right before winter. The best herbs include basil, dill, oregano, parsley and chives, which might add a little flavor to your Thanksgiving dinner. As for vegetables meanwhile, cabbages, kale, turnips, carrots, chicory and lettuce can be excellent and healthy additions to your diet. Overall, HARVEST garners 13 Scrabble points, but it’ll certainly give you fresh produce, and new word ideas: all the vegetables and herbs mentioned earlier are valid Scrabble words!

    Bear in mind that using compound words is an excellent way to close the board and play defense, so be sure to remember the above mentioned ones and use them the next time you play the game! Enjoy the rest of your summer and make the necessary preparations for autumn!