It’s Wordle Wednesday again, folks—the first Wordle Wednesday of April. You may not remember, but I’ve recently started doing something special on Wordle Wednesdays and on Fridays. Fridays are double XP days, so you get twice the score (good or bad) when you play by my Competitive Wordle rules (see below). Wednesdays, on the other hand, are for riddles. I’ll post a riddle every Wednesday and you try to solve it. If you do, let me know on Twitter or Facebook. I’ll also (try to remember to) post the answer on Thursday’s Wordle post.
Here’s today’s riddle:
Where is the only place where today comes before yesterday?
Good luck, dearest Wordlers. May the Force be with you.
Alright . . . . Let’s do this Wordle!
How To Solve Today’s Wordle
The Hint: Hulk is big into this.
The Clue: This word has a double letter in it.
The Answer:
.
.
.
Man oh man, my first guess was so good today! So good but I still only got it in three. It’s funny that you can guess a word that leaves you with 300 words remaining or one that leaves you with just six and still get to the answer in two more guesses.
In any case, share was my attempt to basically ape slate (Wordle Bot’s daily opening guess) by guessing several of the same letters. Turns out, that worked pretty well, especially since I had the ‘H’ in there. From here, I suspected the word had to end with ‘H’ and that meant it probably ended with ‘SH’ so I guessed one of the many ‘ASH’ words I could think of (out of slash, stash, smash etc) and came up with four green boxes. Once again, I knew I had a few to go through so I just guessed what I came up with next: smash. Thankfully, that was the right answer.
Huzzah!
Wordle Bot also got it in three today, so that’s 1 point for guessing in three and zero for tying the Bot. Not too shabby!
Today’s Wordle Etymology (Via ChatGPT)
The word “smash” has an interesting etymology. It is believed to have originated in the 18th century as a verb and later evolved into a noun. Here’s a breakdown of its etymology:
- Verb form: The verb “smash” comes from the Middle English word “sma(c)shen,” which was derived from the Old English word “smeascian” or “smeoscan,” meaning “to break into pieces” or “to crush.” These Old English words are related to the Old Norse word “smjúga,” meaning “to creep, crawl,” and the Middle Low German word “smēssen,” meaning “to crush, smash.”
- Noun form: The noun “smash” is thought to have emerged in the late 18th century as a slang term for a violent collision or a noisy impact. It is likely derived from the verb form of “smash,” described above, which was used to describe the act of breaking or crushing something into pieces.
Over time, the word “smash” has taken on various meanings and uses beyond its original definition of a violent collision, and it is now commonly used in contexts such as describing success or popularity, as in “box office smash” or “social media smash.” Its etymology reflects its history and evolution as a versatile word in the English language. So, the word “smash” has its roots in Old English, Old Norse, and Middle Low German, and has undergone semantic shifts and changes throughout its history to become the word we know and use today.
Note: ChatGPT totally freaked out when I asked this question. it started repeating the same sentence over and over and over again. I thought it might just keep going, ad infinitum, and possibly smash the internet. Here’s a screenshot:
So, the word “smash” has its roots in Old English, Old Norse, and Middle Low German, and has undergone semantic shifts and changes through its history to become the word we know and use today. So, the word “smash” . . . .
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).
- 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 Erik
- 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 Erik
I’d love it if you gave me a follow on Twitter or Facebook dearest Wordlers. Be well, and happy April!
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/04/04/todays-wordle-655-hints-clues-and-answer-for-wednesday-april-5th/