[New York Times Spelling Bee, May 23, 2023.]
I thought that alembic would be one of today’s pangrams. “Not in word list,” says the Bee. Humph.
Merriam-Webster has it covered: “an apparatus used in distillation,” “something that refines or transmutes as if by distillation.” There’s even an illustration.
Sample sentence: “I thought that alembic would be one of today’s pangrams.”
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Alembic, humph
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Highly significant in alchemy, if memory serves :)
ReplyDeleteRight. And an ancestor of the pot still.
ReplyDeleteI've come up with a couple of words that the Spelling Bee didn't recognize. I've tried to report them, as suggested, but only get an automated, unsatisfactory response.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think there’s no arguing with the Times. Some choice words are excluded for obvious reasons. But I think that with pangrams, the puzzle should be as generous as possible. It’s like they’re holding your vocabulary against you when a pangram is excluded.
ReplyDelete