Author Topic: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle  (Read 766 times)

ridethetalk

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Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« on: July 28, 2021, 07:29:59 PM »
Words to consider for inclusion:

FITTLE – Food. ‘celebrate our heritage with live music, comedy, fittle, and ale’ - Origin Mid 19th century dialect spelling of victual.
LIFTIE – someone who operates a lift at a ski resort
FOOTIES – exactly what it sounds like (FOOTY is the singular)


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jancsika

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2021, 10:01:09 PM »
Isn't footy/footie an abbreviation of "football" (the game, rather than the object) and therefore doesn't really have a plural?

I came a cropper in the "plurals ending in -ies" minefield several times. I still get confused by how it all works! For example:

"Lefties" was common but "leftie" was rare. Presumably, this is because "lefty" is common.  Fair enough.

However "titties" and "tittie" were both rare, but I seem to remember "titty" being common, so if we apply the same logic as we do to "lefties", "titties" should be common.

I'd also quibble about "softies" as it was rejected.  I'd say "softy" is more common than "softie"  but that's a matter of debate, I guess!

mkenuk

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2021, 10:16:51 PM »
Indeed, Jancsika, I agree 100%.
Having already played 'leftie', I couldn't see that there was any point in playing 'lefties', because Chi doesn't normally allow such words.

Inevitably, lefties was one of the two words I missed..... >:( >:(

The other word I missed was 'toilette'.
Is this really common in English except as part of the phrase 'eau de toilette'?
COD describes it as 'old-fashioned'.
Common, I guess, in historical fiction and 'bodice-rippers'!

ridethetalk

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2021, 02:55:21 AM »
Isn't footy/footie an abbreviation of "football" (the game, rather than the object) and therefore doesn't really have a plural?

I came a cropper in the "plurals ending in -ies" minefield several times. I still get confused by how it all works! For example:

"Lefties" was common but "leftie" was rare. Presumably, this is because "lefty" is common.  Fair enough.

However "titties" and "tittie" were both rare, but I seem to remember "titty" being common, so if we apply the same logic as we do to "lefties", "titties" should be common.

I'd also quibble about "softies" as it was rejected.  I'd say "softy" is more common than "softie"  but that's a matter of debate, I guess!

It's often the case that dads will go and have a kick of the footy with their kids. You can also go and spectate at a game of footy...

I missed lefties (like Mike) and didn't try titties for the same reason...

I notice whilst typing this that tittie, titties and titty all produce that squiggly red line under them signifying bad spelling - go figure!  :o ???
The greenest watt ever produced is the one you never use. Playing as jk1956 & John is my name.
When we come out of the Covid-19 crisis, we need to make sure recovery efforts address the Climate Crisis (which can't be solved using social distancing!)

Alan W

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2021, 02:13:58 PM »
Liftie is in Wiktionary: "(informal, skiing, snowboarding) A person who helps novices on and off of a skilift". It looks like a typical piece of Aussie slang, but it seems to be used most often in Canada and New Zealand. E.g. in the Otago Daily Times last June:

Quote
The lifties were even cheekier and more cheerful than usual and there was a strong sense of camaraderie among the skiers and snowboarders.

I'm adding it as a rare word.
Alan Walker
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ridethetalk

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2021, 02:34:47 PM »
Thanks Alan (on behalf of all the lifties out there who will rest easier) ;)
The greenest watt ever produced is the one you never use. Playing as jk1956 & John is my name.
When we come out of the Covid-19 crisis, we need to make sure recovery efforts address the Climate Crisis (which can't be solved using social distancing!)

Alan W

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #6 on: August 25, 2021, 03:02:55 PM »
As for fittle, I take it you are from Birmingham or the Black Country, ridethetalk. I base this on the word being included in an article, "The 50 sayings you only know if you're from Birmingham or the Black Country" in the Birmingham Mail in 2017:

Quote
Fittle is a local word for food, and therefore 'bostin' fittle' is a way of saying great food - it's also the name of a restaurant in Dudley.

Up until this year I would have had little hesitation in rejecting this suggestion. It's not listed in the OED or Wiktionary. The only professionally edited dictionary I could find it in is the Century Dictionary, an enormous dictionary more than 100 years old. According to the preface of the online manifestation of this dictionary:

Quote
In a way The Century Dictionary can be considered the Titanic of dictionaries, fabled in its day as the largest, most comprehensive dictionary yet completed.

Examples of the word actually being used are thin on the ground.

However, in a forum discussion a while ago, many people felt that any "actual" word should be allowed, however rare. I wasn't totally convinced, but I have been more easygoing about accepting new words. With some reluctance, I'll add fittle as a (very) rare word.
Alan Walker
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ridethetalk

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2021, 03:20:42 PM »
As for fittle, I take it you are from Birmingham or the Black Country, ridethetalk. I base this on the word being included in an article, "The 50 sayings you only know if you're from Birmingham or the Black Country" in the Birmingham Mail in 2017:

Thanks Alan.

No I was born in Glasgow and migrated to Australia when I was six. My mum, however, was a pom (though hailed from London). I expected that the word might be an alternative spelling of vittle (I hope that word is in the lexicon)
The greenest watt ever produced is the one you never use. Playing as jk1956 & John is my name.
When we come out of the Covid-19 crisis, we need to make sure recovery efforts address the Climate Crisis (which can't be solved using social distancing!)

Alan W

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2021, 03:27:03 PM »
Yes, vittle is a playable word.
Alan Walker
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mkenuk

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2021, 05:25:59 PM »
Derived presumably from victuals, pronounced 'vittles', or, in the case of Dickens' Sam Weller, 'wittles'.

I think my school had a copy of these gigantic tomes [The Century Dictionary] in its sixth-form library.
I wonder if it's still there.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2021, 05:30:44 PM by mkenuk »

ridethetalk

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #10 on: September 02, 2021, 11:01:35 AM »
@Alan, any word on the other word FOOTIES???
The greenest watt ever produced is the one you never use. Playing as jk1956 & John is my name.
When we come out of the Covid-19 crisis, we need to make sure recovery efforts address the Climate Crisis (which can't be solved using social distancing!)

Alan W

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #11 on: September 02, 2021, 04:22:16 PM »
Footies is not allowed because it can be the plural of footie, which is an acceptable word. Of course it's also the plural of footy, which make it difficult to know what's best to do. If I allow footies there'll probably be people saying, "I could play footie, so I assumed I wouldn't be able to play footies."

Hence, for the past few years I've deferred almost all issues related to plurals.

By the way, although footy and footie are used quite a bit in several countries to refer to various codes of football, it seems to be almost exclusively in Australia that a football is referred to as a footy, so footies is largely an Australian term.
Alan Walker
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ridethetalk

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Re: Tuesday 27th July 7-by-many LOFTIEST puzzle
« Reply #12 on: September 02, 2021, 05:32:26 PM »
Worth a shot - thanks anyway...
The greenest watt ever produced is the one you never use. Playing as jk1956 & John is my name.
When we come out of the Covid-19 crisis, we need to make sure recovery efforts address the Climate Crisis (which can't be solved using social distancing!)