Last night,
Emma and I attended the
Atlanta Open Orthographic Meet, an annual spelling competition held at Manuel's Tavern. My score was 19 total, although I feel bad pronunciation robbed me of of 'pharoah.' These are the words from each of four rounds with my best effort to recall the particular definition provided during the competition.
Round 1
pharoah - a tyrant
shellacked - to defeat decisively
corpuscle - an unattached body cell, such as a blood or lymph cell
artisan - a skilled manual worker; a craftsperson
ululate - to howl or wail, as with grief
metallurgy - the study of metals and their properties in bulk and at the atomic level
bulwark - wall or embankment raised as a defensive fortification
privilege - a special advantage, immunity, permission
artesian - a well from which water flows spontaneously due to internal pressure
mischief - behavior that causes discomfiture or annoyance in anothe
sauerbraten - pot roast of beef marinated in vinegar, water, wine, and spices before being cooked
poltergeist - a ghost that manifests itself by noises, rappings, and the creation of disorder
deuce - a tied score in tennis
lien - right to take and hold the property of a debtor as security for a debt
apropos - being at once opportune and to the point
rendezvous - meeting at a prearranged time and place
vaudeville - theatrical performance of this kind; a variety show
pharisaic - hypocritically self-righteous and condemnatory
apiary - place where bees are kept
bamboozle - to take in by elaborate methods of deceit
Round 2
grok - to understand profoundly through intuition
uxorious - excessively submissive or devoted to one's wife
apocopate - to omit the final sound or sounds of (a word)
diurnal - occurring or active during the daytime rather than at night
succedaneum - a substitute
poinciana - having large orange or red flowers
snollygoster - one, especially a politician, who is guided by personal advantage rather than by consistent, respectable principles
involucrar - ??
viand - a very choice or delicious dish
onomatopoeia - the formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
??? -
antipyretic - a medication that reduces fever
trepanation - the medical procedure of making a hole in the skull
anneal - to subject glass or metal to a process of heating and slow cooling in order to toughen and reduce brittleness
coccygodynia - pain in the coccyx or tailbone area
Round 3
kuemmel - a sweet, colorless liqueur flavored with caraway seed
zugzwang - a situation where one player is put at a disadvantage because he has to make a movel the player would prefer to pass and make no move
fissiparous - inclined to cause or undergo division into separate parts or groups
psammite - a metamorphosed rock unit with a dominantly sandstone
smaragd - having the color of emeralds
coryphee - a ballet dancer
ratamacue -
majuscule - capital letters
mirliton - a pear-shaped vegetable or its vine
claquer - an organized body of professional applauders
Round 4
cimicine -
rijstaffel - a dish originating in Indonesia; a wide variety of foods and sauces are served with rice
mbaqanga - a style of Black popular music of urban South Africa
jobbernowl - a blockhead
tchick - a slight sound such as that made by pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth and explosively sucking out the air at one side, as in urging on a horse
