Posts

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  🕵️‍♀️ LEXBUZZ Edition #8: The Case of the Public Domain!
  L lexulous

  

  ✨ From the Editor’s Desk

  Hello Lexulous Community!

  Did you know that as of this month, several beloved literary classics have officially become part of our shared cultural heritage? Every year, a new selection of creative works enters the "public domain," and for 2026, we are celebrating the class of 1930.

  This is a wonderful milestone for mystery lovers! It means iconic stories like the very first Nancy Drew mysteries and Agatha Christie’s first Miss Marple novel, The Murder at the Vicarage, are now more accessible than ever. These stories have officially transitioned from being private works to becoming a permanent part of the world’s collective library, ensuring they can be enjoyed and preserved for generations to come.

  It’s a lovely reminder of how stories eventually weave themselves into the fabric of our culture. So, have you read any of these classics? Maybe it's time to revisit the vicarage or solve a mystery with Nancy this weekend!

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: APRICITY

  Pronunciation: a-PRIS-i-tee

  Definition: The warmth of the sun in winter.

  Origin: From the Latin apricitas (sunniness). It’s a 17th-century word that sadly fell out of use but is making a comeback because there is simply no other word that captures that specific, golden feeling of feeling warm on a freezing day.

  Usage:

  • She stood by the window, closing her eyes to soak in the fleeting apricity of the January afternoon.

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  🗓️ Of the Day and Its Charm: A Week of Icons

  • Jan 12th – The Queen of Crime: Speaking of mysteries, this day marks the passing of Agatha Christie (1976). She wrote 66 detective novels and is the best-selling fiction writer of all time. Her only rival in sales? Shakespeare and the Bible.

  • Jan 14th – Makar Sankranti (The Kite Festival): In India, this festival marks the sun’s journey north. The sky fills with millions of colorful kites, symbolizing high hopes and waking up the gods after their winter sleep!

  • Jan 15th – Wikipedia's 25th Birthday: On this day in 2001, Wikipedia was launched. A quarter-century of free knowledge! It’s the modern library of Alexandria, built by volunteers one edit at a time.

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  👊 Punbelievable Punchlines

  "I'm reading a book on anti-gravity... it's impossible to put down!"

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  📜 Fill in the Fable:

  The Grateful Guest

  A weary traveler knocked on the door of a _______ (1) cottage. The old woman inside offered him a bowl of _______ (2) soup. He had no money, but he promised to pay her with a _______ (3). He pulled out a small, wooden _______ (4) and began to play a tune so _______ (5) that even the fire in the hearth seemed to dance. "Gratitude," he said, "is music for the _______ (6)."

  Moral: True wealth is found not in your pocket, but in your appreciation of what you have.

  Drop your words in the comments!

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  💡 Tricky Tidbits: Mystery Scramble

  Since we're talking detectives, can you unscramble these words related to solving crimes?

  1. DCEEINV → _______ (Hint: Proof!)
  2. LUEC → _______ (Hint: A hint)
  3. TSLEHU → _______ (Hint: Another word for a detective)

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  Last Week’s Answers (Edition #7):

  🌸 Fill in the Fable: 1.Robust 2.Feign 3.Turbulent 4.Eroded 5.Perfect 6.Unwavering

  💡 Tricky Tidbits: N, which stands for Neptune.

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  Wishing you a wonderful weekend of warmth and winning words!
  — The Lexulous Team

  Lexbuzz

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  How do I begin a game with a fiend
  L lexulous

  @Bob You can sign in at www.lexulous.com, or download the Lexulous app from the App Store on your device.

  For detailed instructions, please refer to this guide:
  https://forum.lexulous.com/topic/4/initiating-game-with-friends

  If you need any further assistance, you can also contact us here:
  https://www.lexulous.com/v2/contactus

  Questions / Playing Tips

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  6th January 2026 - Edition #7
  L lexulous

  

  ✨ From the Editor’s Desk

  Good Morning,

  Happy New Year! How did you celebrate the New Year—did you travel, spend time with family, or enjoy a cozy movie night?

  Speaking of movies, did you catch that Paul Thomas Anderson’s 'One Battle After Another' stole the spotlight at the Critics Choice Awards 2026? It took the crown, earning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

  Have you seen the movie yet? How did you feel about it?

  — The Lexulous Team

  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: "Quincunx"

  Pronunciation:
  kwin-kuhngks

  Meaning: A quincunx refers to an arrangement or pattern of five dots that form a square with the remaining dot placed at the centre. This resembles the dots found on the figure 5 of a dice.

  Origin: The word "quincunx" is Latin, in which "quinque" means five, and "uncia" means one-twelfth; in ancient Rome, "quincunx" originally referred to a coin worth five-twelfths of a unit.

  It was in due course of time that this name leapt from money to pattern—because this coin very often displayed five dots arranged like the face of a die showing five. That stuck and the term went on to describe the familiar five-point arrangement we know today.

  Usage:

  • The lights on the stage formed a quincunx, drawing the audience’s eye straight to the glowing centre.

  • The orchard followed a quincunx arrangement, making the central tree the quiet star of the landscape.

  📝 Player vibes:

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  Christmas decoration was made by one of our beloved players.
  -- Dee (Playing since 2009)

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  💫 Of the Day and Its Charm

  3rd Jan - International Mind-Body Wellness Day

  Celebrated every January 3rd, International Mind-Body Wellness Day acts as a vital "New Year reset" for the soul. It honors the 5,000-year-old philosophy that the mind and body are a single, interconnected system. It’s a brief moment to pause after the holiday rush and ensure our newest resolutions are built on a foundation of true, balanced wellness.

  4th Jan - World Braille Day

  Commemoration of the birth of Louis Braille, who became blind when he was very young. This day honors his revolutionary invention: the Braille system. Braille removes the barriers to learning and information, ensuring that sight is not a prerequisite for a full education.

  5th Jan - Epiphany Eve

  Known as Twelfth Night, is the ultimate New Year transition, marking the official end of the Christmas cycle.

  6th Jan - World Day of War Orphans

  A day of deep reflection and advocacy, the day urges the global community to safeguard children lost in the shadows of war. It focuses on providing the specialized care and education necessary to break the cycle of trauma, turning a new page for the world's most vulnerable survivors.

  8th Jan - Earth’s Rotation Day

  Marking the first rotations of the new year, this day honors the brilliance of French physicist Léon Foucault. With a single, suspended brass ball in 1851, he turned the abstract concept of planetary motion into a visible reality. It’s a day to celebrate the inventor’s mind—the courage to ask "why" and the technical skill to prove that, despite appearances, the ground beneath us is on a constant, magnificent journey.

  9th Jan - International Choreographer's Day

  Dedicated to the legacy of George Balanchine, this day marks the birthday of the man who first defined the title of "Choreographer." It is a tribute to the visionaries who draft the blueprints of motion, transforming the intangible energy of a new year into the powerful, structured stories told through the universal language of dance.

  👊 Punbelievable Punchlines

  Why do people love the way the Earth rotates? Because it really makes their day.

  🌻 Of Rhymes and Giggles

  Not everything broken needs fixing.
  Some patterns exist as Quincunx,
  Balanced by patience,
  And strengthened by experience.

  🌸 Fill in the Fable

  The Silver Thread

  The kitchen was filled with the ________ (1) scent of coffee and honest conversation. After twenty years of friendship, Diane and Claire no longer felt the need to ________ (2). They sat across from each other, two women navigating the ________ (3) waters of their mid-forties, realizing that their bond was the only thing that hadn't ________ (4). "I used to think I needed to be ________ (5)," Diane whispered, leaning over her chipped mug. Claire reached out, her hand a ________ (6) anchor, and replied, "You only ever needed to be here."

  Moral: True friendship isn't about being perfect together; it's about being broken together and staying anyway.

  How to Play

  • Fill in the blanks with your own words (the funnier, the better!)

  • Share your version as a reply to this post.

  • Our version will be revealed next week.

  💡Tricky Tidbits

  What is the logic behind this string of letters?

  M, V, E, M, J, S, U, ___

  Hint: Look up at the night sky.

  👉 Answers next week! Watch out on this topic.
  Don’t forget to share your valuable feedback.

  Last Week's answers

  🎯 Fill in the Fable : 1. Formidable 2. Oneiric 3. Vintage Merlot 4. Passport 5. Mischievous
  6. Predictable

  💡 Tricky Tidbits :
  IFMMP → HELLO
  UFTU → TEST
  GSJFOE → FRIEND

  Lexbuzz

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  27th December 2025 - Edition #6
  L lexulous

  

  ✨ From the Editor’s Desk

  Good morning,

  How was your Christmas? Did you find a moment to pause, or did the day move faster than expected?

  As our final newsletter of the year, we found that many of you read us quietly every week but don't tell a single word. Do share your moments of joy with the community on the forum.

  For 2026, we wish you good health and joyful moments.

  — The Lexulous Team

  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: "Oneiric"

  Pronounciation:
  oh-NYE-rik

  Meaning: Describes anything connected to dreams or that feels dream-like, surreal, or unreal.

  Origin: oneiros → onirique → oneiric

  The word oneiric comes from the Greek word oneiros, which means “dream.” It later passed into French as onirique and then entered English in the late 19th century, mainly in literary, artistic, and psychological contexts.

  Usage:

  • Her memories blended into an oneiric blur.
  • His voice echoed through the hall, creating an oneiric atmosphere.

  💫 Of the Day and Its Charm

  27th Dec - IMF officially coming into existence

  In 1945, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was officially born from a post-WWII desire for global stability. 29 nations agreed to look out for one another’s financial health. An unknown quirk of its history is that it was largely shaped by two men with competing visions: a flamboyant British economist and a reserved American official, proving that even global finance starts with a conversation.

  28th Dec - Cinema’s First Spark

  The world’s first commercial movie screening took place in a Parisian cafe basement in 1895. The audience was so blown away by the footage of a train that they literally ducked for cover! But here’s the kicker—the brothers themselves famously claimed that cinema was "an invention without a future." They were sitting on a goldmine and didn't even realize it.

  29th Dec - The Science of the Strings

  International Cello Day isn't just for music buffs; it’s a tribute to human anatomy and persistence. We celebrate it on the birthday of Pablo Casals, the man who dragged the cello out of the back row and into the spotlight. There’s a biological reason the cello hits us differently: its frequency range is nearly identical to the human voice, which is why it feels less like an instrument and more like a conversation.

  31st Dec - New Year’s Eve

  The celebration of "the eve" stretches back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia, where noise and light were used to chase away the old year’s spirits. Our modern traditions took a romantic turn with English and German folklore, which claimed the first person you met at midnight would determine your luck—hence the "midnight kiss." In 1907, after fireworks were banned in New York, the first "Ball Drop" was created using a 700-pound iron and wood sphere, turning a rowdy street party into the shared global countdown we know today.

  1st Dec - New Year’s Day

  The Roots of the New Year: Celebrations actually began 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon, but they didn't wait for winter—they celebrated in mid-March during the spring equinox. It was a 11-day festival called Akitu, timed to the rebirth of nature. There’s something so intuitive about starting the year exactly when the flowers begin to bloom, isn't there?

  The January Shift: We can thank Julius Caesar for our January 1st start date. In 46 B.C., he moved the holiday to honor Janus, the Roman god of doorways. With two faces—one looking back at the past and one looking toward the future—Janus reminds us that for over 2,000 years, we’ve been using this day to stand in the "threshold" of our lives.

  2nd Dec - double whammy

  World Introvert Day and Science Fiction Day
  After the noise of the holidays, your brain needs this day to recharge. It’s also Isaac Asimov’s birthday—a guy who "dreamed up" things like pocket calculators and video calls decades before they existed.

  👊 Punbelievable Punchlines

  I whispered ‘Happy New Year’ to my tiles… they answered with a smug triple-word score.

  🌻 Of Rhymes and Giggles

  Oneiric healers mend the invisible wounds,
  Balms of forgiveness in twilight attunes.
  Let go of grudges that weigh down the flight,
  Oneiric mercy restores inner light.

  🎯 Fill in the Fable

  The New Year’s Resolution

  At the annual neighborhood party, Evelyn wore her most _______ (1) dress and a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Her neighbor, a man who spoke in an ______(2) drone about his stock portfolio, asked if she had any resolutions. Evelyn took a sip of her ______(3) and thought of the ______(4) hidden in her desk drawer. "My resolution," she said with a ______(5) glint in her eye, "is to stop being so ______ (6)."

  Moral: You owe it to yourself to be the architect of your own story.

  How to Play

  • Fill in the blanks with your own words (the funnier, the better!)

  • Share your version as a reply to this post.

  • Our version will be revealed next week.

  💡Tricky Tidbits

  Letter Shift
  Each letter backward by one in the alphabet to reveal the word:

  IFMMP → ___
  UFTU → ___
  GSJFOE → ___

  Hint:
  Think alphabetically
  B → A, C → B…

  👉 Answers next week! Watch out on this topic.
  Don’t forget to share your valuable feedback.

  Last Week's answers

  🎨 Fill in the Fable : 1. Feel 2. sketch 3. Heart 4. Eyes 5. visual

  💡 Tricky Tidbits : MORE to SENT

  MORE → BORE → BERE → BENE → BENT → SENT

  Lexbuzz

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  24th December 2025 - Edition #5
  L lexulous

  

  ✨ From the Editor’s Desk

  Good Morning,

  Merry Christmas, the final countdown is on—just one more sleep until Christmas! The magic of 2025 is in the air—and even in the sky!

  Don’t forget to glance at the stars—the Ursid Meteor Shower is peaking right now. A cozy blanket and hot cocoa make the perfect companions for spotting shooting stars. Did anyone catch a glimpse this morning?

  We’d love to hear how your Christmas preparations are going. Are you all set, or still wrapping last-minute gifts? Share photos of your trees and decorations—we’d be delighted to see how you’re brightening your homes.

  This year, we’re excited to celebrate with you over a few games of Lexulous—the perfect way to relax and stay connected. See you on the board, and wishing you a joyful Christmas!

  — The Lexulous Team

  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: "Tantivy"

  Pronounciation:
  TAN-ti-vee

  Meaning: (Adverb or adjective) moving or done at full speed, headlong, or at a recklessly fast. Many times, it conveys wild energy or unbridled momentum.

  Origin: Early 17th century English, probably from a hunting cry to drive hounds full speed. Its playful sound echoes its meaning— fast-moving, spirited, and impulsive.

  Usage:

  • The horse bolted tantivy across the open field.

  • Ideas ran tantivy through her mind as the deadline neared.

  • The children went tantivy down the hill, right merry.

  📝 Player vibes:

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  "I hope you are all enjoying Lexulous over the festive season!

  I played the board game when I was a kid, and we had a twist on the use of the blank tiles:

  Before taking their turn, any player could take one blank tile off the board and use it again, provided they replaced it on the board with any letter that created an acceptable word. For example the blank in H_TTER could be replaced with A, I, or O. Recycling the blanks in this way creates more opportunities for bingos and adding on to words.

  With that rule in play, my longest word was an unforgettable 15 letters across all 3 triple word spots along the bottom of the board. It started as HEART on the middle triple word spot, which was extended to HEARTEN, HEARTENING, DISHEARTENING and DISHEARTENINGLY.

  I’d be interested to hear what everyone thinks of having the option to use this Blank Tile Rule in Lexulous?

  H_PPY NEW YEAR!" --- Elaine May Smith (Dedicated player since 2008)

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  💫 Of the Day and Its Charm

  21st Dec - The First Crossword Puzzle

  Let us honor Arthur Wynne, whose creativity and love for puzzles led him to design the first diamond-shaped word puzzle with imaginative clues. His invention revealed the magic of words and their power to engage minds and emotions. On 21st December, we remember this milestone that continues to connect generations through the joy of language and problem-solving.

  24th Dec - Christmas Eve

  Wishing you a happy Christmas Eve, this night will bring joy, hope and much gratitude for the light from God we all share on Christmas Eve. We pray that you will have peace in your homes and have hope to shine brightly in your lives during this time together. Have a blessed Christmas Eve, surround yourself by all that is good in life, love, light and God’s grace.

  25th Dec - Christmas Day

  May the holiday spirits write a story of happiness in your heart, creating a magical glow in your eyes and a radiant light in your soul that represents everything the Christmas Star stands for.

  26th Dec - Boxing Day

  A day that gives us the wonderful opportunity to put a smile on someone else’s face.

  👊 Punbelievable Punchlines

  I played GHOST; tantivy the letters flew, and my opponent’s score was haunted for days.

  🌻 Of Rhymes and Giggles

  The moral escaped from the fable,
  Refused to be stated tantivy.
  It winked at the plot,
  Said “Find me or not,”
  And vanished in plausible deniability

  🎨Fill in the Fable

  Silent Strokes

  An artist who has the ability to create non-visible images. People will see images, but they will _______(1) them, experiencing them on a deeper level beyond colour and form.
  One person asked the artist to _____(2) a scene for them, yet he cautioned the visitor, "To see truly, you will have to look with your _______(3), not your ______(4)."
  Once the artist had completed his painting, the visitor began to understand that art goes beyond mere _______(5) representation, it is something more, felt rather than merely observed.

  Moral: True understanding can often come from things other than form, or things that are not seen with the eyes.

  How to Play

  • Fill in the blanks with your own words (the funnier, the better!)

  • Share your version as a reply to this post.

  • Our version will be revealed next week.

  💡Tricky Tidbits

  Make one letter change in the given word to form a different word, and repeat this process one letter at a time until you arrive at the final word.

  MORE→..... → SENT

  Hint:

  • Every step must be a real English word

  • Think creatively—there may be multiple solutions.

  👉 Answers next week! Watch out on this topic.
  Don’t forget to share your valuable feedback.

  Last Week's answers

  🐭 Fill in the Fable : 1. Embers 2. Squirrel 3. Embers

  💡 Tricky Tidbits : E (One, Two, Three, Four, ..Eight)

  Lexbuzz