Jean Gleason has invented a brand new test for adults to try, not just kids!
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
2
-
$\begingroup$ By the way, I accidentally searched and found the answers on reddit. Next time can you try posting your puzzles simultaneously (if you want to post on multiple sites) and inform each site of the other's presence please? Perhaps it'll be a nicer way of bringing the communities together. Please let me know what you think. $\endgroup$– Benjamin WangOct 4 at 11:05
-
1$\begingroup$ i don't htink it's possible for me to post htem simultaneously given the rules of the other community, but of course i always encourage people to join us over there. anyways idk if spoiling is a problem i might add a disclaimer that these have been posted elsewhere $\endgroup$– empyreuOct 4 at 11:39
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
9
The Wug Test is a test to determine how well children can pluralize and conjugate nonsense words, based on their understanding of the language.
This "Wug Test for Grownups" employs a similar methodology. Each of the clues refers to a made-up word, that nonetheless makes sense based on its roots.
To further confuse things, the letters next to each clue do not correspond to that clue; the letter groups and clues are randomly arranged.
Here are the answers to each clue, formed by rearranging one of the groups of letters provided:
A revitalized form of a 1980s hiphop genre that pays homage to the Illest Villain (2 wds)
DOOM BAP
- a portmanteau of DOOM (referring to MF Doom, a character created by Illest Villain) and BOOM BAP (a hiphop genre)
A shape with half a side
SEMIGON
- from SEMI-, meaning half, and POLYGON
A unit of 10^9 animals
GIGAZOO
- GIGA- is the prefix for 1 billion, or $10^9$, and ZOO
Alien conversation
XENOLOG
- from XENO-, meaning alien, and LOGOS, meaning word or language
Dotty, sommwhat like a Signac painting
STIPPLY
- STIPPLE is a series of small dots, like the pointillism used in Signac paintings. (At least one dictionary claims STIPPLY is a valid English word, but it doesn't seem to appear in others.)
Having an elevated blood level?
ACREMIA
- from the prefix ACR-, meaning high, and -EMIA, meaning blood-related
Of or related to stars
ASTERIC
- from the Latin ASTER, meaning star, and the suffix -IC, meaning "of or related to"
Sunrise-based divination
EOMANCY
- from the prefix EO- (related to dawn) and the suffix -MANCY (method of divination)
It seems clear that these words must each be placed on one of the Scrabble boards shown in order to score the number of points indicated next to the clue, but I have had a lot of trouble getting the correct scores. I have found several locations where one of the solutions fits perfectly between other words, but doesn't score the number indicated in the clue.
Example: On the second board on the bottom row, EOMANCY fits horizontally between ARTERIAL and DESISTED (beginning above the first D in DESISTED), but it scores 123 points instead of the 110 indicated next to its clue.
I did get two words to score exactly as indicated:
STIPPLY on the bottom-right board, using the Y in STIPPLY to make yOURSELVES
ACREMIA on the top-right board, using the C and M to make PUSHcHAIR and DECOmPOSE
I wondered if there was perhaps a further message hidden in the score discrepancies (e.g. if the actual score is 5 more than listed, that could indicate an E (5th letter of the alphabet)), but that seems hard, because if you are not trying to match the score, there are many places you could put the words, resulting in many possible discrepancies.
I have not been successful in matching any other scores. Perhaps someone else can take up the mantle and finish the job.
answered Oct 3 at 18:48
-
$\begingroup$ For the blood one, I think it's rot13(NPE-RZVN yvxr npeb-ongvpf naq na-rzvn) $\endgroup$– caPNCApnOct 3 at 19:02
-
$\begingroup$ @caPNCApn Ah, I like that better. I'll update it. Thanks. $\endgroup$ Oct 3 at 19:12
-
4$\begingroup$ I think your E-----Y does fit where you speculate for the total 110 - remember you don't count double/triple word/letter score spaces that are already used in the other side words, only those you are covering on this turn :) $\endgroup$– StivOct 3 at 19:44
-
2$\begingroup$ @GentlePurpleRain read what stiv said and make sure you're counting the points correctly $\endgroup$– empyreuOct 4 at 17:11
-
1$\begingroup$ In addition to what you and @Stiv found, the following words can be placed in the corresponding grids by also forming the word listed after them: rot13(2. krabybt, rknpg 3. frzvtba, bzvffvba 5. nfgrevp, rnpu 6. tvtnmbb, tebbzvat); not sure where the remaining one goes in the first grid, but I kinda gave up 😅 $\endgroup$– samm82Oct 4 at 18:16