Coincidence? The question numbers included in the errors noted on this page are almost all #13 (and 12 and 14 average out)...

Coincidence - the issues have been noted before, and in different sets.

From today's set:

11. Banch
Your answer: (law) the seat for judges in a courtroom

I think this probably should be "bench".

Luckily I assumed it was a typo - none of the other answers seemed to fit the non-existant word "banch" either!

If you go back to an earlier page of this thread, I did actually track down an online source that is probably where it comes from. This game uses an external source, not a FunTrivia database.

A rather novel use of quotes/apostrophes.

Not a biggie, but:

4. A territory that is controllled by a ruling state

3 'l's in controlled?

10. Works for an expert to learn a trade
Your answer: prentice

It appears to missing missing the AP at the start.

There's nothing missing, it's just an older way of saying apprentice.

Just seeing if anyone else is having interesting draws for the letters for the Mini-Game. In the last week, it seems like it is all vowels. Had a streak of 11 straight vowels then 2 consonants and now am working on 13 out of 15 vowels again! Been running about 90-95 percent vowels. Makes it interesting having to trade in 6 vowels or more just to make a short word!

These things happen - there has been quite a bit of discussion about it on another thread. The last time I ended up with 12 consonants I did some trades, and by the time I was back up to 12 letters was able to play my first (and, so far, only) 12-letter word, so there is hope.

edited to remove typo

We use a database provided by Princeton's dictionary project.

I think the "free dictionary" you folks sometimes refer to is also derived from that same project, which is why you can often find words there that match what we use.

Yikes -- it has been a while since I did a prune.

But it has been done...

Over 500 entries removed based on all of the feedback to this point. Lots of drug street names removed, lots of fish / types of meat, and entries with errors.

Thanks for posting the errors you have found. Something that is very nice to see is that there was actually quite a lot of duplication of errors found over the months. That means we're actually covering most of the word database, and lots of errors have come out. Hopefully we've trimmed out most of the "obvious" stuff by now. Well, fingers crossed at least!

As for why we used this obviously error-filled database: well, for one it was free. It is simply prohibitive to use say Webster's dictionary in our games. It's simply not available. And even if we had a more thoroughly edited dictionary, we'd still have every single one of the "ambiguity" issues, because those are a function of extracting random words from any dictionary.

The other reason is that I like some of the weird definitions that make their way into word wizard. This is a trivia site after all, and trivia is all about strange, unexpected bits of information. This Princeton dictionary is filled with bits of culture and history, and to me at least, that's pretty cool. Keeps things interesting.

Terry

Raine D2007,

No, the technical term is "panovariohysterectomy" for a female cat or dog.

Spay is usuable for both genders, but is usually used only for females with neuter for males.

30 years in a Veterinary Hospital...

Edited to address to whom the message was meant.

I agree with the strange definitions being in keeping with linguistic trivia. Thanks for the pruining!

Sue

I think it's nice that Terry did some pruning. However, I honestly didn't mind the game as it was. I didn't mind drug references (there isn't a policeman on earth who wouldn't recommend that all parents learn every "nickname" for stuff sold on the streets) or any other seemingly "obscure" stuff.

Word/phrases have many different meanings and I think it's cool that some of those "different" meanings will still be included. Sure, there might be a typo here or there - who cares? Most of the folks under 25 these days don't use real English anyway when messaging LOL! Regardless of the "nitpicky" errors, I'd have to say that in most cases, those situations wouldn't cause you to get the actual question WRONG : ) And I really don't care what dictionary is used, but it's good that Terry explained about it.

If I can get the monthly word wiz badge, then I suspect most other people can too (although perhaps not on the first attempt) - regardless of how many typos they might find. Very very few answers are illogical. I still like the game (and will keep playing it because I need a zillion or so points to get the WordWhatever mega badge) and I quite honestly don't know why people still continue to complain about it.

Just came across this in WW...

"Prudence
Your answer: the quality of being prudent and sensible
the quality of being prudent and sensible is the definition for "wisdom"

The correct answer was discretion in practical affairs"

Six of one and half a dozen of the other....

I'm trying to turn in the word "adulthood". The word is rejected because of a "missing" letter "d".
The "d" is not missing, it's there!
The word is accepted by FT dictionary. What's my solution!

It's OK, problem solved. Thanks for being patient!

5. Technical terms for pregnancy

Your answer: replication

replication means "the persistence of a sound after its source has stopped"

The correct answer was gravidity

Sure, I missed the word gravidity when I chose replication (which would be a correct answer), but the given definition for replication doesn't make sense. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary:

replication |ˌrepliˈkāSHən|
noun
1 the action of copying or reproducing something.
• a copy: a twentieth-century building would be cheaper than a replication of what was there before.
• the repetition of a scientific experiment or trial to obtain a consistent result.
• the process by which genetic material or a living organism gives rise to a copy of itself: HIV replication | a crucial step in cold virus replications.
2 Law, dated a plaintiff's reply to the defendant's plea.

I believe your definition is for reverberation.

"8. Toner
Your answer: the purple or black-and-blue area resulting from a bruise

the purple or black-and-blue area resulting from a bruise is the definition for "ecchymosis"

The correct answer was a lotion for cleansing the skin and contracting the pores"

I only thought of ink toner, which is clearly not appropriate for cleansing the skin - quite au contraire, I dare say.

Hi wonderputz,

I thought exactly the same as you but, looking at online dictionaries, it turns out that WW is correct.

From "The Free Dictionary by Farlex":

rep·li·ca·tion (rpl-kshn)
n.
1. A fold or a folding back.
2. A reply to an answer; a rejoinder.
3. Law The plaintiff's response to the defendant's answer or plea.
4. An echo or reverberation.
5. A copy or reproduction.
6. The act or process of duplicating or reproducing something.
7. Biology The process by which genetic material, a single-celled organism, or a virus reproduces or makes a copy of itself: replication of DNA.
8. In scientific research, the repetition of an experiment to confirm findings or to ensure accuracy.

Also wonderputz, be aware that the dictionary source for this game and other word games on the site is outside the control of Fun Trivia. We cannot make corrections to any errors found. I think the only game using individual records that we can influence is the database maintained by jmelston for the Who Am I? Game.
Back to the other games, Terry can and does I think block some content (for vulgarity?) from those other sources but cannot control their content once accepted. The other entities have copyrights on the material, meaning our use precludes changing anything even if we wanted to on our side of the virtual curtain.

Note also that you will encounter many archaic definitions to words in widespread use under different definitions (example not included since thinking of those things hurts the brain and brings back memories of a puppy I once had who...sob! Now see what you've done?)

This might only interest me but I am sticking it up in case anyone else is interested.

"And when you saw his chariot but appear,
Have you not made an universal shout,
That Tiber trembled underneath her banks
To hear the replication of your sounds
Made in her concave shores?"

~ from Shakespeare (Julius Caesar)




But so far I can find nothing reliable for "Banch":






A couple of online dictionaries list it like this but I suspect (as Terry says upthread) they are using the same database and have copied a typo.

A court can sit "en banc" or "in banc" and a judge's seat is a "bench". But no banch.

This is just for interest because I find it interesting that accidentally repeated typos on the internet may be responsible for future changes in our language.

French for `worst going' - typo
The first quotation mark is an accent.