A Gallimaufry Word Game

Answers to the Feb. 13 Arcade game appear at the end of this post. 

It’s fitting that there are so many words that express the idea of a jumbled assortment, but it made it difficult for me to choose a name for this word game. Hodgepodge is an old favorite and certainly captures the pieced-together aspect of the game, but I can never resist a new favorite. In this case: gallimaufry (audio pronunciation) which narrowly beat also-new-to-me salmagundi. Gallimaufry, like many other lovely words, comes to us from French, circa 1550s: galimafree stew. Other contenders were hash, hotchpotch, medley, mélange, miscellany, mishmash, pastiche, patchwork, and potpourri. 

To solve this gallimaufry game, unscramble the first four words. Use the letters in the X’d spaces to form the word or phrase that answers the clue for the final puzzle. [Answers in the Mar. 2 National Grammar Day quiz post.]

k l o o = _ x x _

l e l s w  = _ _ _ x x

n o n e t c t = x _ x _ _ x _

m o i r l e o h = _ x x x x _ _ _

Building blocks of the lobby pillar at Ford's Theatre Center for Education and Leadership:

x x x x x x x      x x x x

Example/Hint

t c a = _ x _ = cat = a

n e t o = _ x x _ = note = o t

n g i i c = x x _ x _ = icing = i c n

What the director yells at the beginning of the take:

x x x x x x = a o t i c n = a c t i o n

Answers to “Arcade Time: Wordiness”

Reducing wordiness is along the lines of like eliminating redundancies: removing inessential words in an effort to make the meaning clear. When writing is found to be is cluttered with unnecessary phrases, a large number of many readers lose interest, turning elsewhere for their information. Editors are in a position to can help. If you encounter writing that is deficient of lacks a clear message, make corrections to correct wordiness first. Once the writing is pared down, you will be able to can more easily find the location of any issues with organization and word choice. With a sufficient amount of enough diligence, we can make the world a nicer place to read.

Image courtesy of Loozrboy.