Since the Word Wizard database has been changed, a new Comment/Complaint thread seems in order. Please post Word Wizard comments, suggestions & complaints here.

Happy Word Wizard Trivia!

Copied from the old thread:
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From abechdtein:

This is from the new(?) database.

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3. Rebuke formally

Your answer: discipline

discipline means "training to improve strength or self-control"

The correct answer was criminate

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This definition is one of those questions where there are two possibly correct answers. Arguably, "criminate" is a better word for "rebuke formally", but, as the second definition of "discipline" is "the act of punishing", I don't think that these two words should be in the same answer set for this definition, for the reason that there's only a minor semantic difference between "rebuke formally" and "the act of punishing". That is, is not a formal rebuke a punishment?

Another one from the new game -- this one seems to be an incomplete definition:

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6. Early_winter_cress

Your answer: boreal or alpine sandwort

boreal or alpine sandwort is the definition for "mountain_daisy"

The correct answer was of southwestern europe; cultivated in florida
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From lilyalli and me:

Birdbrain
Your answer: a stupid foolish person

a stupid foolish person is the definition for "nincompoop"

The correct answer was a person with confused ideas

Either definition is valid as most definitions state both, e.g.
1 : a stupid person 2 : scatterbrain. — bird-brained\adjective.
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Happy WW Trivia!

were lots of "of XYZ" entries, from some flora section of the dictionary. all removed.

An interesting occurrence in the latest round -- two words came up which each had the same definition as the correct answer. Neither was an incorrect definition for that word, but I thought I would mention this as a possible adjustment.

<< two words came up which each had the same definition as the correct answer >>

In two different questions, so both were answerable, right?

Sure, not a problem there. I was just commenting on it in case it's something that wasn't desirable. I don't think it needs to be fixed; it was just an interesting occurrence.

There were a few cases in the old database of words with multiple definitions. I'm sure that most people never noticed it. If there are more of these in the new database, it will make the game a little trickier.

Happy WW Trivia!

13. Direct
Your answer: indicate by signs

indicate by signs is the definition for "omen"

The correct answer was guide the actors in (plays and films)

Duplicate definition for 'direct'?

There may be a typo or two in the new database.

14. A lively dance originating in France in the 18th century

Your answer: cotilion

Cotilion does occur in 8 online dictionaries, but those entries may have derived from one source. It doesn't appear in any of the standard works (Websters, etc.)

Cotillion occurs in 24 online dictionaries including the standards.

Not a big deal, but I thought that I would note it here.

Happy WW Trivia!

9. Hanuman
Your answer: short-tailed monkey of rocky regions of asia and africa

short-tailed monkey of rocky regions of asia and africa is the definition for "macaque"

The correct answer was langur of southern asia

A langur is a monkey. I suppose the africa part might have ruled out that definition, but it does seem ambiguous in this case.

Happy WW Trivia!

I was going to comment on that, too. I answered in exactly the same way.

Here's a typo from that set:

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1. Play_a_joke_on

Your answer: subject to a palyful hoax or joke

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Should be "playful".

I notice that many UK colloquialisms have been used so far; noticeably more than in the former quizzes. Will it remain this way? Thanks.

Also, I must be thick, because I don't understand how "bottom" means "come to understand"...

I'm surprised to read the suggestion that UK colloquialisms have been used. I'm finding that it's more a case of finding the word or meaning that differs least from the one I was looking for, not the best match, and I thought that was probably because of Americanisms!

2. Gnat
Your answer: necklace that fits tightly around a woman''s neck

necklace that fits tightly around a woman''s neck is the definition for "dog_collar"

The correct answer was british usage

None of the choices made sense, so I assume some relevant words got dropped before "british usage".

Yes, DNT, I came to report that one; guess the definition's incomplete:

2. Gnat

Your answer: british usage

Guessing it should be:

2: (British usage) mosquito

http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/gnat

Re. "bottom," which I didn't get:

v 1: provide with a bottom or a seat; "bottom the chairs"
2: strike the ground, as with a ship's bottom
3: come to understand [syn: penetrate, fathom, bottom]
http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/bottom
(I learned something here.)


But I did get
3. Fuddy-duddy

Your answer: a bore

A bore? I agree with this dictionary:
one that is old-fashioned, unimaginative, or conservative
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fuddy-duddy

Qp may be old-fashioned, unimaginative, and conservative, but is not consistently boring. Hey! Stop yawning!

This game is fun!

11. Prairie_rattler

Your Answer: widely distributed between the mississippi and the rockies

The definition seems to be missing the word 'snake' or something like that.

Happy WW Trivia!

PS: Terry, it looks like I'm going to need thar Edit Option after all.

I just got stung by the Gnat too LOL

Yawn too wide and you'll swallow a gnat!

Okay, I got it right, but come on! How does "144" qualify as even being a word? *sheesh*...

Ugh! Gross!

13. Lead a passive existence without using one''s body or mind

Your answer: vegetate

one''s should be one's, of course.

Happy New WW Trivia!

I was going to post that it seems all of the apostrophes seemed to be displayed as a single quotation mark (or double apostrophe).

Quote:

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Ugh! Gross!

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I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that one...

lol, it's only a matter of time before something truly offensive pops up.

I manually trimmed out every swear word I could think of, as well as the racial slurs, etc. I'm sure I missed a few though.

Anyway, please keep reporting these things. I'm trying to generate some general rules to trim not only your specific examples, but other similar entries.

P.S. there are over 190,000 entries in this lexical database / dictionary. So to remove specific examples isn't entirely useful... it's much more important for me to be able to weed out everything else LIKE the problem.

For example, I just removed 520 entries containing numbers and dates from the word dictionary.

Wow! I had guessed 40,000 to 50,000 for the old WW database. I suppose I underestimated that one too. I don't suppose that you want to tell us the source or sources of the current DB? The oddities keep coming from the same 8 possibilities when I check through www.onelook.com for them. Of course, the source could be something else entirely.

I'll keep reporting 'problems' that I find, of course.

Happy New WW Trivia!

Wrong answer: a message transmitted by means of the sun''s rays

As Abechstein noted above it does seem that apostrophes are doubled.

Happy Punctuation Trivia!

14. The basic unit of money in Syria
Your answer: pound

What are the capitalization criteria in the current WW? Syria was capitalized in the question in this case. It seems that as in the old WW that if the definition was to be selected, it would not be capitalized. Since the questions are not being capitalized currently should Syria and other similar cases be lower case?

Happy Capitalization Trivia!

These definitions seem to be way too close together in meaning to be included in the same answer set:

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1. Aberrancy

Your answer: an event that departs from expectations

an event that departs from expectations is the definition for "discrepancy"

The correct answer was a state or condition markedly different from the norm

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I know it's got to be tough to figure out how to exclude semantically equivalent definitions from appearing in the same set, but at least I get a little bit of venting out of the way by posting these here...

<< Since the questions are not being capitalized currently should Syria and other similar cases be lower case? >>

Proper nouns should be capitalized.