Beyond The Book: Some Unusual Gift Ideas For Word Freaks

Yes. Today is already December 18. And you know what that means: Hanukkah is only two nights away! Also, Christmas is in a week. Are you still looking for last-minute gifts for those in your life who love words? Sure, since they are probably avid readers, you could always get them books. But—hello?—don’t you think they already have books?? I mean, come on. Besides, if you are looking for hardbacks, paperbacks, and Kindle credits to put under the tree, in a stocking, or wherever your family happens to put these things, expert contributors have offered excellent advice here, here, here, and here.

But if you’re looking for a more unorthodox suggestion—something off the page and also, perhaps, completely off the wall (and, in at least one case, on it), here are a few different ideas, any of which can be on its way to your beloved word-lover with a few clicks on the "Word" Wide Web…

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Friends With Words With Friends

Ah, Words with Friends: the addictive touchscreen bastardization of Scrabble that is now so popular that even the most (only?) talented member of the Baldwin family would rather get kicked off a plane than surrender his chance at instant triple-word-score gratification. It is not so much a test of what words you know—even the hard-copy version of Scrabble requires a working knowledge of words on the official Scrabble list—but how well you can make letters fit.

That Alec Baldwin is a handsome man. And he loves him some Words With Friends.It’s annoying for those of us who pride ourselves on the words we already understand. The way the game is designed allows for what I’ll call “soft cheating.” It’s not quite the same as consulting one of the many, uh, helpful sites that can tell you the highest-point word possible in any situation. But the built-in trial-and-error function—there’s no penalty for placing a non-word other than being made to try again—allows you to play your letters until you hit on an acceptable word, which is an all likelihood a word you’ve never seen before (or you would have guessed it in the first place, no?).

But ultimately, I’ve come to embrace “Words with Friends,” not as a test of vocabulary, but as an opportunity to expand it. If not for WWF,* I would likely still not know words like “toxemia” (the presence of toxins in the blood), “quale" (the quality of a thing), or for that matter “ai” (a three-toed sloth).

*Not to be confused with the WWF,** without which I would likely not know words like “sleeper hold” or “Hulkamania.”

**Not to be confused with the WWF, without which I would likely not know words like “endangered species” and “giant panda.” Okay, I probably would.

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