Welcome back, Wordlers! It’s the last Tuesday of August. By Friday, September will be here and the last few weeks of summer will stretch out before us. I’m ready for Autumn, which is my second favorite time of year after monsoon season.
There is a problem with Autumn, however. It’s bittersweet and brief. The leaves change and it gets absolutely gorgeous out, and the weather dips into temperate perfection, but then it’s gone. The leaves fall. The temperature keeps dropping. Winter is always in a hurry and Autumn never languishes the way a long summer might—and never digs in the way a long winter sometimes will.
Ah well. No point in dwelling on death. Summer is here for a while longer yet.
Let’s do this Wordle!
How To Solve Today’s Wordle
The Hint: Not quite a heist, but similar, nor what one would think of when contemplating berries or skipping down a country lane.
The Clue: This word begins and ends with consonants.
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See yesterday’s Wordle #800 right here.
Wordle Bot Analysis
After each Wordle I solve I head over to the Wordle Bot homepage to see how my guessing game was.
Not bad today, though I got pretty lucky on guess #3 thanks to a breakfast of Lox and Bagels (bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers).
My first guess, however, was quite good on its own. Reach left me with just 13 words. Unfortunately, cream was not quite as successful, leaving me with 7 remaining choices. I wasn’t aware of that at the time, of course, and simply entered the first word that came to mind: caper, for the win!
Today’s Score
I did well today. 1 point for guessing in three and 1 point for beating Wordle Bot who guessed in 4. 2 points total! Huzzah!
Today’s Wordle Etymology
The word “caper” has an interesting etymology that traces back to Latin and Greek roots.
In Latin, the word “capparis” referred to the caper plant, a plant that produces small, pickled flower buds that are commonly used as a seasoning or garnish in various cuisines. The word “capparis” itself is thought to have been borrowed from a non-Indo-European language, possibly a language spoken in the Mediterranean region.
The Greek word “kápparis” also referred to the caper plant, and it’s likely that this word influenced the Latin term. The use of capers in cooking dates back to ancient times, and the word was gradually adopted into various languages with similar or related meanings.
The English word “caper” first appeared in Middle English, borrowed from Latin and possibly influenced by Old Norse “kafarr,” which referred to the caper plant as well. Over time, “caper” came to refer not only to the plant itself but also to the pickled buds, as well as to playful and lively activities. The latter sense of “caper,” meaning a playful leap or skip, likely comes from the idea of energetic and spontaneous movement, much like the bouncing or skipping of the plant’s buds on the branches.
So, the word “caper” has a journey through different languages and cultures, ultimately coming from Latin and Greek terms related to the caper plant and its culinary and playful connotations.
Play Competitive Wordle Against Me!
I’ve been playing a cutthroat game of PvP Wordle against my nemesis Wordle But. Now you should play against me! I can be your nemesis! (And your helpful Wordle guide, of course). You can also play against the Bot if you have a New York Times subscription.
- Here are the rules:
- 1 point for getting the Wordle in 3 guesses.
- 2 points for getting it in 2 guesses.
- 3 points for getting it in 1 guess.
- 1 point for beating me
- 0 points for getting it in 4 guesses.
- -1 point for getting it in 5 guesses.
- -2 points for getting it in 6 guesses.
- -3 points for losing.
- -1 point for losing to me
You can either keep a running tally of your score if that’s your jam or just play day-to-day if you prefer.
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Read the full article here