Chinchilla?

[Jacki]

This has probably been discussed and I’ve missed it, why does the ten letter game have Chinchilla in the background and the others say Chihuahua?

[nineoaks]

I think it's because 'chinchilla' is a ten-letter word.

[Jacki]

Oh ok, thanks. Being from Queensland, there’s a town there called Chinchilla and I wondered if it had any correlation.

[blackrockrose]

And also because, like chihuahua, there aren't too many words you can make from the letters in chinchilla.

[Jacki]

Oh is that the idea? Fascinating, thanks! I know when I was interviewed for a job at my local paper about thirty years ago, I had to do a spelling test and chihuahua was one of the words (fortunately I spelt it correctly and I got the job!) I didn’t know why the game was called Chihuahua.

[auntiemo]

Hi Jacki.
If you scroll down, way below the puzzle, you'll come to a Question and Answer link. On that page there are several headings....go to "Other" and you'll find the answer to why it's called Chihuahua. I found it interesting.
Moyra

[Jacki]

Yes that is interesting - thanks!!

[Alan W]

You can follow the discussion that came up with the name Chinchilla in the Big Chihuahua coming topic from 2011. As you can see, I didn't originally envisage the 10-letter puzzle having its own name, but some forumites raised the idea.

The town in Queensland (population about 7000) has no relation to the animal. Its name is thought to be derived from an Aboriginal word for the cypress pine.

When planning to introduce the 7-by-many puzzle I considered possible animal names. The best I came up with was Chickadee - a word with seven different letters, starting with "chi" and designating a type of animal, a bird. But I was a bit put off by the fact that the same seven letters can make "dickhead". Also, it seemed to me that the Chinchilla name hadn't really taken hold of people's imaginations. So I went with 7-by-many, which attempts to encapsulate the concept of the puzzle.

[ridethetalk]

But I was a bit put off by the fact that the same seven letters can make "dickhead".

Laugh...
Out...
Loud...
 

[Jacki]

Ditto!

[ridethetalk]

But I was a bit put off by the fact that the same seven letters can make "dickhead".

How about chickpea??? Not an animal, I know, but often used in recipes as a replacement for animal protein... 

[Calilasseia]

Since rodents have been a major feature of this thread, perhaps it's time to remind everyone of the more outlandish members of the Order ...

[Maudland]

But I was a bit put off by the fact that the same seven letters can make "dickhead".

Laugh...
Out...
Loud...
 

This has made my day 😂