I know I'm somewhat obsessed with the issue of plurals and what seems to me to be inconsistency in what's accepted and what isn't, but I just can't help it....

In yesterday's Challenge puzzle I tried both oldies and booties, both of which were rejected.  I don't understand why.  Oldy is an accepted spelling of oldie (which was also in the puzzle) so oldies should be an acceptable plural, and booties is the plural of booty, a common enough word (notwithstanding the fact that bootie, which has a different meaning from booty, was also in the puzzle).

I recall a similar thread a while ago regarding cabby/cabbie/cabbies (actually I think I raised that one as well) but it wasn't resolved.

I'm confused! 

Although I got ibid in yesterday's standard puzzle, I was quite surprised it was allowed.  Isn't it an abbreviation of a Latin word (ibidem) used in referencing?  Is it actually a word at all?  And if it is a word, is it common?

Is there any reason why it's possible to access the solution to the standard puzzle before the game closes, but not the Challenge or 10 letter puzzles?

Thursday's 10 letter puzzle included compeer as a common word.  I must admit, I'd never read or heard the word before.  It seems to be an archaic word dating from the 13th or 15th century (depending on which dictionary you consult).  Only six people got rosettes on that puzzle, so I suspect very few people got it.  A candidate for demotion to rare status perhaps?

I was a little surprised that strategise wasn't allowed as a second 10 letter word in yesterday's puzzle.  The American spelling with an 'ize' ending is listed in most dictionaries, usually with the British 'ise' ending as an alternate spelling.

I unsuccessfully played wives in yesterday's 10 letter puzzle.  In a previous post of mine about irregular plurals (life/lives) Alan had noted:

"But it does seem wrong to rule out wives because of the rare verb wive."

However, it wasn't on the recent update list.  So, Alan, can you please add it?

I've tried playing this word a few times (obviously I keep forgetting that it doesn't count).  It's used reasonably commonly in popular media and among young people as an adverb or adjective meaning extreme or excessive (e.g. 'playing word games is uber cool')  It's also listed in a number of online dictionaries, though it probably hasn't made it into the Oxford just yet.  Even so, I think it's worth including as a rare word. 

I unsuccessfully played the word 'eustress' in this puzzle.  Eustress is a term used in psychology to describe positive stress.  I think it was coined in the 1970s.  While obviously not a common word, it may warrant inclusion as a rare word.