Letterpress is a great game. We’re all playing it, so we all know that.

It’s also educational! Here, in alphabetical order, some words that I learned by having others play them against me.

bolix – to do something poorly, to ruin something in execution. (Variant spelling of bollix which itself is derivative of bollocks) (Played by Bernard)

crunkles – to crumple (obsolete) (Played by Dad)

furzes – a spiny shrub common to Western Europe (Played by Dad)

gunsels – young men kept for homosexual purposes; catamites (Played by Dad)

revers – the parts of some garments that fold in such a way as to give the appearance of a tailored collar (obsolete) (Played by Matthew)

seiten – a type of chewy food made of wheat gluten (Variant spelling of seitan) (Played by Florence)

snook – a type of fish related to the bass (Played by Joyce)

Dads words in particular give me pause. Is he guessing these, or is this indicative of the vocabulary of a man who learned English by reading antiquated Biggles novels in a primordial jungle?