h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You might get a smart opponent who realises what you're doing and gets the letters first. Oh dear...

Having worked on this theory over Easter, I constructed a most unlikely-looking board, which - in theory - can give you the massive total of 718 points for DISINCLINATIONS, using the D as the final D of OXIDIZED etc. etc. Any takers for a higher score?

B

Not from me. At least not at the moment.

Onbly 718?

Did you include the double letter squares?

WElll.... you got me thinking, I thought about this and decided there had to be a 15 letter word with Z and X in it.... and so I tried Oxidationally... which, unfortunately doesn't exist....

BUT...

Well I did a search and came up with : OXYPHENBUTAZONE

Which, on its own scores:

(1 + 8 + 4 + 3x2 + 4 + 1 + 1+ 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 10x2 + 1 + 1 + 1)x27 = 1458....
(ooh + the bonus 50) = 1508...
Combined with others....

Say Along the top you had

____HEN__TA_ON_

and your letters were:

OXYPZBUE

You could create various down words, just taking the triple words and the double letter scores....

So word beginning with O, and that mean something without the o on the front....
paque - becomes o-paque for 3 * (1+3+1+10+1+1) = 51
P.... simple one ant becomes p-ant for 3x2 + 1 + 1 +1 = 9
B.... on trip word score... raiding becomes b-raiding = 3 * (3+1+1+1+2+1+1+1) = 33

Z.... Hmmm Doub let... ones becomes z-ones = 10x2+ 1+1+1+1= 24

Finally E trip word .... jaculating becomes e-jaculating 3x(1+8+1+3+1+1+1+1+1+2) = 60

So added up we have:
1458 + 51 + 9+ 33 + 24 + 60 + 50(bonus) = 1685!!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.


Which, now I check it out I find is 103 away from highest theoretical score.... (according to : http://home.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/faqtext.html) Which is where I got jaculating from.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
OK so that's also where I got OXYPHENBUTAZONE from too But I knew there had to be one with XY and Z in it....

There is just one major flaw in your calculations....

If you have the letters OXYPZBUE, as you say. Then you have 8 letters on your rack and are cheating.

Nice try though...

ARSE!!


Of course I meant that the I'd onlyhave .... 7 of those letters...

How about a word with QZXYJ and K in it....

Can't see how ARSE would score very much

Have you never played it with bonus scores for certain words? ....

Surely a good variant. Then you can spend hours arguing over whether 'bloody' is indeed a rude word.

B

It all depends on how it is used...

Recently downloaded a version from the NET, which seems to have an American dictionary... It doesn't have ZO (a type of cattle) but allows nth!!!!!!

I once played with someone who insisted on allowing the word QT

if that's not an abbreviation then I don't know what is! Also, it takes all the fun of (the other person) being stuck with the Q in the end game

Wow - nice thread revival. I'd forgotten about this one.

I've also played against an American who alleged that QT was a word. I don't understand it, but if we can get away with PH, then maybe QT whould be allowed too.

B

We can get away with pH?

Didn't know that...

do now

Actually it's quite a coincidence this popped back up on my list of conversations earlier as I've recently started playing again at home.
Spooky!

nth? Presumably the mathematical term, but in a mathematical paper you'll rarely see it written simply as a word. Modern tendency is to have the n in italics and the th in normal.

quite....

pH allowed? How's that then...

Allegedly because, although it is an abbreviation, it doesn't begin with a capital letter.

Which is, more or less, the most feeble argument I have ever heard.

B

Is it in the Official Scrabble Words book?

Yup. 'Fraid so.

B