Matt J's "Word Racing" timewaster/game for the stay-at-home COVID-19 days of 2020

[Balderdasha]

I have to admit, one of the little joys is seeing a few people get it and trying to guess when they got it, and then seeing the flailing from others and wondering what I've kept too obscure.

The 'answer-in-the-form-of-a-question' felt so blatant, I couldn't believe only a few people actually did it.

Can I stick a question mark on the end of my entry for this race, e.g. Wrest every wreck?

[matt j]

Also:

If not obvious, 'Week 2' will extend into next week to finish off race 9 and race 10. I'll have a good long think about what I've done and reconsider my course of actions this weekend.

[matt j]

Can I stick a question mark on the end of my entry for this race, e.g. Wrest every wreck?

the judge prefers proper punctuation for every entry, but a question mark won't really do you any good for this race.

[Wouter D]

The 'answer-in-the-form-of-a-question' felt so blatant, I couldn't believe only a few people actually did it.

Jeopardy! is not really a thing in the Netherlands.

[Wouter D]

Yes, as DR has it, Hewed is the verb, Eider is the noun

I was working under the assumption that the order "noun, verb, other word" was imposed. But I appreciate that the original instructions did leave room for your and DR's interpretation.

[Balderdasha]

the judge prefers proper punctuation for every entry, but a question mark won't really do you any good for this race.

Fair enough, leave it as it was then!

[Hot Orange]

Bored sheep excel.

[matt j]

Results coming in probably a few hours for Race #9. There is still some time for missing racers to submit their sentences.

(Results will also be delayed until I come up with a plan for Race #10, so there is that too.)

[Various Artist]

I was basically off the boards last week (for sanity reasons), so didn't have the chance to follow up my encouraging late debut in Week 1. I assumed today would be another fresh start, yet I see from the posts on this page the previous set of races are apparently not complete yet – was there some controversy holding things up?

I'm wondering if it's still possible in that case to run in today's race just as a pacemaker and see how long I can hold up for, or will I need to train another day or two to get match-fit once more first?

Addle every devil.

[matt j]

Yes, the controversy being that I was much slower getting results posted than I planned last week.

Judge badly plans.

[matt j]

Results of Race #9:

The sticklers race...

or sorry, not a race but a 'competition', since this particular 'competition' although it does cover a distance... okay, so it doesn't actually cover a distance, but instead, is on the basis of time... well, not an actual deadline of time, but instead is a 'competition' based upon travelling as far as one can... in a certain amount of time allotted, going as far...

wait, isn't that still a race?

At any rate, after the traditional selfie-stick-of-violence-battle, the race began in earnest!

The 12-panel board of observers were quite ecstatic to see that all racers came prepared with a classic sentence, though at least 11 of them got the vapors from the ad hoc team's formulation. "Oh, I feel faint," each one of the 11 exclaimed. (The 12th, Jimothy Moe Bob, just stuck his horn to his ear and led out a long drawn-out "EHHHHhhhhhh, whipper-snapper?")

At any rate, the ad hoc team looked likely to be in the running for the race for the podium of the position that represents the top 3 spots of the finishers. Big "D", Wouter D, also had his engine clearly tuned and running like hot butter off your garlic bread into the oven burners, letting off an acrid smoke. Excuse me for a moment....

Also in the top 3 from the get-go was late entry, Various Artist, turning from his lucrative recording career to the Word Racing Circuit. "I love your 'Greatest Garage Rock hits of the 70s'," screamed the fans.

Struggling from the off, indigestion sufferer delicatemoth, nmrfox, and daffy or donald-ish elguapo04. Also Sporting.

"Noun-verb-other-werb" chanted the fans in attendance, or rather fan, or rather Herbert.

Into the second stretch, known locally as "the good time for a nap", where Various Artist couldn't keep pace with the two leaders, falling behind to sign a few Motown box sets. Sits, around the house, Shen of the Sead of the Sean , and ye olde S-B found a gear they'd forgotten about, and put in a good effort. A real solid effort the boys should be proud of, real 100%, leaving it all there on the track. Something to build on for the future, really contributing to the overall competition.

Not really finding his groove thing was slackster, his turbines whining and exhaling a strange purple haze.

The final lap! elguapo04 found some speed, a really good bag of, and then the Hot! Hot! Hot! Orange did as well, but let's be clear, in the first ever sticklers race, there was no competition for a duo of Wouter D and the ad hoc team, the latter slowed slightly, but the former didn't, and under the rules of word racing, the first ever tie for first place!

Not too far of the pace, VTS, putting in fine last leg (don't sue us), as did Of the Shed Sean of the, who speaks for the trees.

A sad day for delicatemoth, slackster, and nmrfox. No soup for you.

[matt j]

Team/User	Place Race #9	Points Race #9
Wouter D	1	33
ad hoc	1	33
Vicarious Thrillseeker	3	30
Sean of the Shed	4	28
lambers	5	26
Diable Rouge	6	24
San Bernardhinault	7	21
Various Artist	7	21
Hot Orange	8	18
Balderdasha	10	16
elguapo04	11	14
sits	12	12
Sporting	13	9
Southport Zeb	13	9
nmrfox	15	5
slackster	15	5
delicatemoth	17	2

[matt j]

Team/User	Week 1 points	Race 6 points	Race 7 points	Race 8 points	Race 9 points	Week 2 Total	Season Total
lambers	118	36	32	28	26	122	240
ad hoc	126	34	20	32	33	119	245
San Bernardhinault	82	26	27	30	21	104	186
Wouter D	120	7	22	34	33	96	216
sean of the shed	122	14	30	22	28	94	216
Vicarious Thrillseeker	48	7	27	26	30	90	138
hot orange	96	11	36	20	18	85	181
diable rouge	88	32	12	14	24	82	170
sits	54	23	16	24	12	75	129
Balderdasha	14	19	18	16	16	69	83
Southport Zeb	68	16	34	2	9	61	129
slackster	68	30	12	6	5	53	121
elguapo04	60	23	4	8	14	49	109
nmrfox	56	3	12	18	5	38	94
Sporting	68	3	8	12	9	32	100
delicatemoth	88	19	6	4	2	31	119
andrew7610	104	28	2			30	134
Patrick Thistle	10		24			24	34
Various Artist	46				21	21	67
ursus arctos	70	11				11	81
s.aureus	0			10		10	10
Kevin S	110					0	110

[matt j]

Race #10:

The end of the season! The end of the official week 2 closure cup competition! The last chance for individual glory, respect, the love of your parents, free toilet paper, and lots and lots of imaginary money! Like so much, I'm waving like millions of it right now.

What are the rules for Race #10? None but the following, to proceed around a bird watching path through beautiful suburban <redacted> you must submit:

1) 15-total letters

2) they must form at least 1 word, or 3, or 5, or 7. Any number of words, even an even number of words.

3) The letters and words, in their proper order, must also have, to be judged by the judge, proper punctuation. Indeed! (e.g., they still must be 'sentences' but a declaration/exclamation like "Indeed!" would qualify as a sentence, if it had 15 letters, which it doesn't.)

4) Everyone must provide context. Just cause I think it's funny when you do.

Final Clue for this week:
"Accomplishments?" - a dreadful scorer

[Balderdasha]

How does this work?

(That is both a question about the game which I have no longer got any clue how the scoring works, and my submission for this week).

[Sean of the Shed]

Reused shreddies.

[matt j]

Reused shreddies.

I would ask for context, but having googled shreddie... no, I don't really need to. Do they at least add some sugar to them?

[matt j]

How does this work?

(That is both a question about the game which I have no longer got any clue how the scoring works, and my submission for this week).

Well, it makes you feel better, your results are certainly coming to a middle.

[andrew7610]

Confusion reigns.

[elguapo4]

Drive me to drink.........and I never had the courtesy to thank you.

[nmrfox]

Vodka never helps. Which explains my pitiful showing so far.

[matt j]

Drive me to drink.........and I never had the courtesy to thank you.

no problem. and "drives" probably?

[Sean of the Shed]

I would ask for context, but having googled shreddie... no, I don't really need to. Do they at least add some sugar to them?

There is a completely different context if you look up shreddies on Urban Dictionary

[elguapo4]

Drive me to drink.........and I never had the courtesy to thank you.

I've just realised that's only 14 letters so,driven me to drink.

[San Bernardhinault]

We ride or we slide!

This was the proclamation from the organisers of an early edition of the Giro when there was black ice for most of the descent of the Stelvio. They refused to cancel the stage and said that the riders could choose to descent on two wheels - riding - or on their arses down the ice - sliding.