NASPA Word of the Day: AVIDIN n a protein found in egg white. Hook:avidinS. Typo:amidin. Anahook:invaLid. Blanagrams:aidinG diaMin diaZin divanS divinE divinG inLaid invadE navAid viMina viandS. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

Hanging up the laundry in -20°C

NASPA Word of the Day: CLAYBANK n a yellow-brown color. Hook:claybankS. Blanagrams:Playback backlanD blaTancy. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

It’s a shame I don’t need to buy a vacuum cleaner more often, because the guys at VACSMART have an amazing combination of technical knowledge, improv skills that make me feel like I’m in an Abbott and Costello skit, and inventory that always has things I didn’t know I needed, at a reasonable price.

Day 9 of no Internet because backend issue. Bell will send a tech on D14. TekSavvy sending a new modem today, but must sign for it, so I have to be home. Where there is no Internet. CBC.ca/lite helping; any other text websites still out there? Please send bandwidth.

NASPA Word of the Day: SUINT n a natural grease found in the wool of sheep. Anagram:units. Hook:suintS. Typos:quint saint skint stint suing. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: CAIQUE n a long, narrow rowboat. Hook:caiqueS. Typos:calque casque clique. Anahooks:acequiA acquiRe caCique caZique. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: PASH v to strike violently. Anagrams:haps hasp. Hooks:pashA pashM. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: CULICINE n a mosquito. Hook:culicineS. Typo:colicine. Anahook:nucleiNic. Blanagrams:Glucinic encliTic leuciTic nicKelic nucliDic unicYcle. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

“Every […] bicycle shall be equipped with an alarm bell, gong or horn, which shall be kept in good working order and sounded whenever it is reasonably necessary…”

No Internet at home since late Friday night. My theory is that Bell Canada fired the dev who supported 3rd party PPPoE over VDSL, and they're stalling because the overseas company they outsourced that role hasn't yet told them that they don't understand the issue.

NASPA Word of the Day: MANSE n a clergyman's house. Anagrams:amens manes means mensa names nemas. Hook:manseS. Extension:manseRVANT. Typos:hanse manes mange marse masse mense. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: EPIBOLY n the growth of one part around another. Blanagrams:bioType pReboil. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: GRIVET n a small monkey. Hook:grivetS. Typos:privet trivet. Anahooks:vertigO virgAte. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: GUFF n foolish talk. Hook:guffS. Extensions:guffAW guffAWED guffAWING guffAWS. Typos:buff cuff duff gaff gulf huff luff muff nuff puff ruff tuff. Anahook:gRuff. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: MITRAL adj pertaining to a valve of the heart. Anagram:ramtil. Typo:citral. Anahooks:maltiEr maritAl marlitE martiAl miStral ramtilS timBral. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: NUMMARY adj pertaining to coins. Typo:summary. Blanagrams:Juryman manuAry. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: SWARTH n turf. Anagrams:thraws wraths. Hooks:swarthS swarthY. Extensions:swarthIER swarthIEST swarthILY swarthINESS swarthINESSES. Typo:swarty. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

Comfortably dressed for waiting for the bus, but for some reason my iPhone facial recognition has stopped working.

Keeping bus services running in a snowstorm includes digging through snowdrifts at bus stops. Thank you to whoever dug this path.

NASPA Word of the Day: PLUMULE n the primary bud of a plant embryo. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

60 cm of snow, and our laneway is transformed into a network of narrow footpaths shovelled out by neighbours reaching out to each other.

NASPA Word of the Day: TONETICS n the phonetic study of tone in language. Anagram:stenotic. Anahooks:coRnetist notcHiest stocKinet tAconites tectoniCs tectonisM. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

Listening to it for the first time, I realize that I might have come across as a little nerdy when I cited the mediæval board game of Arithmomachia as an example of Grognard capture.

NASPA Word of the Day: BENTWOOD n wood bent for use in furniture. Hook:bentwoodS. Blanagrams:Unbooted beAtdown downbeAt woodbIne woodnOte woodtOne. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

And amazingly, John Chew is also leading the charge for the new Canadian English Dictionary. Grammarpaloozians at Patreon get a bonus episode today about that project: why it's needed, how it started, and how they're funding it. Join now to listen: bit.ly/GGpalooza 3/3

Ever wonder why Scrabble feels like a word game *and* a strategy game? In today's podcast, I find out with John Chew, a mathematician and a big name in competitive Scrabble. 1/3 WATCH: youtu.be/tlPBkn86CAA READ: grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/105... LISTEN: pod.link/173429229

I had a lot of fun chatting again (after ten years) with @grammargirl.bsky.social for her Grammar Girl podcast about competitive Scrabble, and on her subscription-only (but now would be a good time to try the 14-day free trial option) Grammarpalooza about the Canadian English Dictionary.

NASPA Word of the Day: CLUPEID n a fish of the herring family. Hook:clupeidS. Anahooks:clupeOid pelLucid pulicIde upcOiled. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: GAWSIE adj well-fed and healthy looking. Anahooks:eaRwigs gawKies swagGie. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: CALAMITE n an extinct treelike plant. Hook:calamiteS. Typos:calamine calamity catamite. Anahooks:acClimate calmatiVe malacHite. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: BARYE n a unit of pressure. Anagrams:bayer yerba. Hook:baryeS. Typos:barbe barde barge barre. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: BETISE n stupidity. Anagram:bestie. Hook:betiseS. Extensions:ALPHAbetise ALPHAbetiseD ALPHAbetiseS. Typos:betide betime. Anahooks:Website beAstie beiGest bestieS betiDes be... https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: SALVO v to discharge firearms simultaneously. Anagram:ovals. Hooks:salvoR salvoS. Extensions:salvoED salvoES salvoING salvoRS. Typo:salve. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: PROXIMO adj of or occurring in the following month. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: THERMAE n hot springs. Typo:thermal. Anahooks:earthmeN erYthema. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: CHUSE v to choose. Hooks:chuseD chuseS. Extensions:DEINONYchuseS TUchuseS. Typos:cause chase chose chute cruse. Anahooks:Muches Ouches Ruches Tusche chOuse chuTes heucHs sh... https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

Thanks to the technician at the Apple Store who was able to safely extract the tip of my Lightning connector (bottom left in photo) from my iPhone, solving a no charge problem for no charge.

NASPA Word of the Day: CYANOSIS n bluish discoloration of the skin. Typo:cyanoses. Blanagrams:Pycnosis acyLoins caissonS cassinoS cyCasins isosTacy naRcosis scansioN synoVias. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: DOGSTAIL n a grass with spiky flower heads. Anagram:dogtails. Hook:dogstailS. Anahook:dialogIst. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: ATAVISM n the reappearance of a genetic characteristic after several generations of absence. Hook:atavismS. Typo:atavist. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: ERYNGO n a medicinal herb. Anagram:groyne. Hook:eryngoS. Extension:eryngoES. Typo:eringo. Anahooks:Cryogen Progeny Pyrogen goOnery groyneS orAngey orOgeny yoUnger. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: CRIMINE interj {mdash} used to express surprise or anger. Anagrams:cremini mincier. Typos:crimini criminy primine. Anahooks:Urinemic creminiS. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: KINO n a gum resin. Anagrams:ikon oink. Hook:kinoS. Extensions:CROkinoLE CROkinoLES MASkinoNGE MASkinoNGES. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: SONSY adj comely. Extension:UNsonsy. Typos:donsy sonly sonny. Anahooks:Hysons syCons synoDs. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: MACHREE n dear. Hook:machreeS. Anahooks:Demarche caShmere marcheSe meNarche. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: LAKEFILL n an area of land built by filling a lake. Hook:lakefillS. Blanagrams:Calflike falliBle fillaBle killaBle leaflikE. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: GIMBAL v to support on a set of rings. Hook:gimbalS. Extensions:gimbalED gimbalING gimbalLED gimbalLING. Typos:gimmal timbal. Anahooks:ambliNg blamiNg lambiNg mailbAg. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl

NASPA Word of the Day: CACOMIXL n a cacomistle. Hooks:cacomixlE cacomixlS. Extension:cacomixlES. Blanagrams:coSmical coxalGic. https://scrabbleplayers.org/cgi-bin/wotd.pl