Fun with words by Susan Sanderson

Bananagram tiles (author's own image)

Most newspapers include word puzzles such as a word wheel, where the letters of a nine-letter word are arranged in a circle with a letter in the middle. The letter in the centre has to be included in every word and there are targets to be aimed at (I’d have said aimed for, but archers definitely aim at targets).

Using a Scrabble dictionary to check words I am not quite sure about, I discovered that even the ‘excellent’ target can be overshot. I like puns (but I don’t like to have them pointed out by comments such as, 'Did you see what I did there?').

Since I started to use BorrowBox’s eNews I tackle a word wheel almost every day. I have noticed that some nine letter words include the letters of other related words. It seems to be human nature to look for connections between things.

The puzzle I am writing about here has the letters B,G,R,H,O,I,N,E with T in the middle (from The Guardian 10/12/2024). The target for 'excellent' is 68. I spotted the combination GHT, so that is where I started. I look for anagrams and rhymes. The nine-letter word in this instance was the 47^th word I found! It wasn’t one that I jumped out at me immediately, although some words do.

I’ll wait while you have a go, before discussing the words!

Scroll down when you are ready!

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The nine-letter word is BOTHERING.

Valid words include BOTHER, OTHER, THE, BOTH (all with letters in the same order); GHT words are BRIGHT, RIGHT, BIGHT, EIGHT, NIGHT (which is an anagram of THING), but what about connected words?

The word BOTHERING makes me think of three things

1.     Taking trouble (as in going the extra mile Matthew 5:41)

2.     Worrying (as in Winnie-the-Pooh’s, ‘I am a bear of little brain and long words bother me’)

3.     And prayer (as in God-bothering) Not that God minds us bothering Him. Quite the opposite.

Someone BOTHERING may BRIGHTEN THE NIGHT for those in THEIR ORBIT.

BIRTH of a TIGER or EIGHT might be BOTHERING. (Bothersome would be a better word.)

What connections can you find?

And before I go, how about these 9-letter anagrams, which might help crossword-solvers: CARTHORSE/ORCHESTRA and FOOT FERRY/OFFERTORY?

Susan is a reserve blogger for MTW. She always wanted to be a writer.  In 2012 she revived her interest in writing with a blogging project to collect the kinds of sayings, which were much used in her childhood.

Susan experiments with factual writing, fiction, humour and poetry.  She does not yet have a book to her name. Her interests include words, languages, music, nature study and gardening  She has experience of the world of work, being a stay-at-home mum and an empty-nester.   She is active in her local community and Church. She and her husband live in Cumbria, where she coordinates Cumbria Christian Writers.