Posts

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  Lexbuzz Edition #41: How is a word tile like an insect segment?
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  What do a beetle and a dictionary have in common?

  Both are built from small pieces joined together. Both carry a long history inside them. And both reveal something interesting when you look closely.

  On 27 August 2026, a paper published in Nature described a 324-million-year-old fossil insect from western Texas that is quietly rewriting the origin story of every bug that has ever lived. The little creature, named Chosha praecursor, kept paddle-like abdominal limbs that helped it swim — long after its ancestors were supposed to have committed to dry land.

  The takeaway? Insects didn't conquer the land in one bold leap. They waded in, a series of small changes, the same way a word builds itself tile by tile.

  The word INSECT itself comes from the Latin insectum — "cut into" — because their bodies are split into segments.

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: EXUVIA

  Pronunciation: ek-SOO-vee-uh

  Part of speech: Noun

  Definition: The cast-off outer covering of an insect, crustacean, or other arthropod — the empty exoskeleton left behind after a moult. Sometimes used more broadly for anything shed or discarded.

  Origin: From Latin exuviae "that which is stripped from the body" — originally the spoils taken from a defeated warrior. The verb is exuere "to strip off, lay aside, put off." Borrowed into English in the 17th century, first by literary writers; popularised in zoological use by 19th-century naturalists. The same root gives the verb EXUVIATE ("to moult").

  Usage:

  1. After the cicada's final moult, the papery exuvia clung to the bark of the tree for weeks.
  2. Paleontologists often identify ancient arthropod species from a single fossilised exuvia rather than a whole body.

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  🔬 What's Special?

  On 1 September, the world quietly marks World Letter Writing Day — a small holiday built around one large question: when did you last write a letter to someone you love?

  Most of our writing now happens in chat threads and email subject lines. A letter is something else — slower to send, slower to arrive, and almost always slower to forget. It can be held, re-read, and kept in a drawer for a decade.

  Many of our players have fond memories of writing and receiving letters. Do you still write to friends or relatives? Do you keep a special letter — Share a memory with us.

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  🧩 Community Puzzle — Letter Swap

  Jumbled Letters: Unscramble these words.

  1. RFEILFY (Glows on a summer evening) →

  2. SPGSRAHEOPR (Long-legged insect that can leap great distances) →

  3. AICCDA (Insect famous for its loud summer song) →

  4. ETMREIT (Insect that lives in a colony and can damage wood) →

  5. GDARONLFY (Fast-flying insect that catches mosquitoes) →

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #40)

  Jumbled Letters

  1. LYOLERGA — ALLEGORY (an extended metaphor conveying a moral truth)
  2. PALRABE — PARABLE (a short narrative illustrating a moral lesson)
  3. TONMEMY — METONYMY (substitution of a related word or phrase)
  4. UAEQTANYRR — QUATERNARY (relating to the number four)

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  Lexbuzz

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  Lexbuzz Edition #40: Hidden History of "Hobbit"
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  Did you ever wonder where the word Hobbit came from?

  In 1937, Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien introduced it to the world in a wonderfully ordinary sentence — “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit” — while correcting student papers. That little word became the title of his novel The Hobbit, and eventually led readers into the much larger world of The Lord of the Rings.

  A curious little beginning for two of the most beloved works of fantasy literature and for a word that would eventually find its way into dictionaries and onto word-game boards.

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: Depone

  Pronunciation: dee-POHN

  Part of speech: Verb

  Definition: To give evidence or testimony under oath; to make a formal statement, especially in a legal setting.

  Origin: From Latin dēpōnere, meaning “to put down” or “to lay aside.” The word entered English through legal usage.

  Usage:

  1. The witness was asked to depone about what he had seen that night.
  2. Several experts were asked to depone about the circumstances surrounding the case.

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  📖 More Three Words

  i. Smial — Tolkien created smial for a Hobbit's underground home, drawing on an old English dialect word meaning a burrow.

  ii. Orc — Tolkien incorporated orc into his mythology, while drawing on older Germanic/Old English linguistic material rather than simply inventing the sound from nothing. His early invented languages already contained Elves, Orcs, trolls and other creatures.

  iii. Mithril — Tolkien-created word for the precious silver-like metal found in Middle-earth. It became so recognizable that mithril is now used outside Tolkien's fiction as a fantasy term.

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  🔎 Community Puzzle

  Jumbled Letters: Unscramble these words.

  1. LYOLERGA —
     (Extended metaphor that conveys a deeper moral or political truth)

  2. PALRABE —
     (Short narrative illustrating a moral lesson through symbolic characters)

  3. TONMEMY —
     (Substitution of a related word or phrase for another concept)

  4. UAEQTANYRR —
     (Relating to the number four)

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #39)

  Jumbled Letters

  1. TANOILE — ELATION
  2. AUHPORIE — EUPHORIA
  3. BNLITJUA — JUBILANT
  4. PERUTAR — RAPTURE
  5. COLIFR — FROLIC

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  Lexbuzz

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  Lexbuzz Edition #39: What Keeps Us Curious at 90?
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  “I can’t get into my Lex games — please help, I am 90 years old.”

  Before we can even ask for a few details, another message often arrives: “Managed it now. All OK. Back to play!”

  Many of our players in their eighties and nineties continue to approach new devices, changing screens, and unexpected tech glitches with remarkable patience and determination. Their enthusiasm to keep playing is almost always stronger than the obstacle itself.

  That kind of quiet persistence isn't new. The world’s oldest surviving photograph, taken in the 1820s, required hours of continuous exposure just to capture a single image. Imagine the sheer patience behind that one frame.

  It feels like a perfect reflection of this week’s theme. Whatever challenges arise, true enthusiasm reveals itself through curiosity, patience, and the quiet refusal to give up—a spirit our oldest players demonstrate every single day.

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: EXULTATION

  Pronunciation: eg-zul-TAY-shun

  Part of speech: Noun

  Definition: A feeling of great happiness, triumph, or elation; jubilation; the state of leaping for joy.

  Origin: From Latin exsultationem ("a leaping for joy, jubilant leaping"), from exsultare / exultare ("to leap about, dance, rejoice") — itself ex- ("out") + saltare ("to leap, dance"). The same root gives French exulter, Italian esultare, and Spanish exultar. English has had the verb exult since the 15th century; exultation as a noun followed a century later.

  Usage:

  1. The stadium shook with exultation after the winning goal.

  2. There was a quiet exultation in her voice — the satisfaction of a puzzle solved.

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  ✨ Did You Know

  Never Give Up Day (Aug 18): This day was inspired by the belief that persistence is like a muscle—the more you practice sticking with tough tasks, the stronger your brain gets at solving them!

  World Photography Day (Aug 19): The world’s oldest surviving photograph was taken by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce around 1826. Titled View from the Window at Le Gras, the image shows the rooftops surrounding his estate and required hours of continuous exposure to capture!

  World Senior Citizens’ Day (Aug 21): Recognizing the wisdom, achievements, and invaluable contributions of our older generations.

  • Fauja Singh finished the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2011 at the age of 100, becoming the first centenarian to complete a full marathon.

  • Hamako Mori (known online as "Gamer Grandma") officially set the Guinness World Record as the oldest gaming YouTuber at age 90.

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  COMMUNITY PUZZLE

  Jumbled Letters: Unscramble these words.

  1. TANOILE (Sudden, soaring happiness) —

  2. AUHPORIE (A feeling of intense, exaggerated well-being) —

  3. BNLITJUA (Triumphant, celebratory) —

  4. PERUTAR (A state of being carried away by joy or pleasure) —

  5. COLIFR (To play or move about in a carefree, joyful way) —

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #38)

  Jumbled Letters

  1. KSWIHRE — WHISKER
  2. NLEFIE — FELINE
  3. WLROP — PROWL
  4. GLIHTWIT — TWILIGHT
  5. WDECLOR — CLOWDER

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  Lexbuzz

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  End of game problem
  L lexulous

  Thank you for letting us know. We've resolved the issue.

  Questions / Playing Tips

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  Lexbuzz Edition #38: What Happened in That Medieval Library?
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  Have you ever noticed how often cats turn up in books?

  Not just as pets, but as mysterious companions, silent observers, and occasionally the most memorable character in the room.

  Writers have trusted cats with an unusual role for centuries: they appear whenever a story needs a touch of mystery.
  T. S. Eliot gave them secret identities. Hemingway surrounded himself with extraordinary six-toed cats. And somewhere in a medieval library, a cat walked across a freshly inked manuscript and accidentally became part of literary history.

  The manuscript survived. The ink survived. Even the paw prints survived. The cat simply walked away, leaving future readers with a mystery that has lasted for centuries.

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: CREPUSCULAR

  Pronunciation: kri-PUS-kyuh-ler

  Part of speech: Adjective

  Definition: Of, relating to, or resembling twilight; dim. In zoology, describing an animal that is most active at dawn and dusk.

  Origin: From the Latin crepusculum, meaning "twilight" or "dusk," itself from creper, "dark" or "obscure." It entered English in the 1600s in the plain sense of "dim," and by the 1800s naturalists had adopted it as the technical term for animals that come alive in the half-light. English kept the softer form too — crepuscule is a rare and rather lovely noun for twilight itself.

  Usage:

  1. The cat slipped silently through the crepuscular shadows, as if it belonged more to twilight than to the day.
  2. We walked home in the crepuscular light, the street lamps not yet on and the sky not quite dark.

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  🐾 What's Special?

  Today is International Cat Day, so here is a feline who lived a life worthy of a novel.

  In the early 1800s, explorer Matthew Flinders sailed around Australia with a cat named Trim. Trim climbed ship masts, survived storms, and became such a beloved companion that Flinders later wrote a biography in his honour.

  Not many cats can claim to have been remembered not for sleeping on a windowsill, but for sailing through uncharted waters and earning a place in both history and literature.

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  COMMUNITY PUZZLE

  Jumbled Letters: Unscramble these cat words.

  1. KSWIHRE (The long tactile hair on a cat's face, used to judge a gap) —

  2. NLEFIE (Of or relating to cats) —

  3. WLROP (To move slowly and stealthily, the way a cat hunts) —

  4. GLIHTWIT (The soft half-light after sunset — a cat's favourite hour) —

  5. WDECLOR (The collective noun for a group of cats) —

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #37)

  Jumbled Letters

  1. DIMRAPY — PYRAMID
  2. HIVRCAE — ARCHIVE
  3. VILCIZATIONI — CIVILIZATION
  4. MCRONIHEL — CHRONICLE
  5. MIRPEE — EMPIRE

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  The best moves, like the best cats, tend to arrive quietly and without warning. Until next week, keep playing.

  — The Lexulous Team

  Lexbuzz

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  Lexbuzz Edition #37: Can Words Bridge 1600?
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  Not every buried treasure glitters. Sometimes it arrives written in ink.

  History has a wonderful habit of hiding its most fascinating clues in unexpected places. Last week in Egypt, Archaeologists digging through a Roman-era tomb found something unusual that historians are still trying to make sense of it. It wasn’t a treasure chest or a royal artifact — it was a clue made of words.

  The object had been hidden away for roughly sixteen centuries, and its presence inside the tomb has opened up a fascinating mystery: who put it there, and what did it mean to them?

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: UBIQUITOUS

  Pronunciation: yoo-BIK-wi-tus

  Part of speech: Adjective

  Definition: Present, appearing, or found everywhere; omnipresent.

  Origin: From Latin ubique, meaning "everywhere" (from ubi, "where"). First used in English in the 1830s, originally in biology and natural history to describe species found across many different habitats. The same Latin root gives us ubiety (the state of being in a particular place) and the literary motif ubi sunt ("where are they now?").

  Usage:

  1. Smartphones have become so ubiquitous that it's hard to remember a time before they were everywhere.
  2. Coffee chains are now ubiquitous in most major cities — you can barely walk a block without seeing one.

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  Archaeologists found Roman-era tomb

  A Poem, Still Reading After Sixteen Centuries

  The "clue made of words" turned out to be a Greek papyrus fragment of Homer's Iliad — Book II, the famous "Catalogue of Ships" — placed inside the mummy itself. It's the first time a Greek literary text has ever been found in that position, and the find has left scholars with a quiet question still open after sixteen centuries.

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  COMMUNITY PUZZLE

  Jumbled Letters: Unscramble these words.

  1. DIMRAPY (A monumental stone tomb built by ancient Egyptians for rulers) —

  2. HIVRCAE (A collection of historical documents preserved for study) —

  3. VILCIZATIONI (An advanced society with its own culture and systems) —

  4. MCRONIHEL (A historical account of events arranged in time order) —

  5. MIRPEE (A large group of territories ruled by one powerful authority) —

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #36)

  Jumbled Letters

  1. TTRSU — TRUST
  2. YNUTI — UNITY
  3. IRGSHAN — SHARING
  4. NOCPIMOAN — COMPANION
  5. CTEXSNOEECI — COEXISTENCE

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  Sometimes the most powerful moves come from the most unexpected places. Until next week, keep playing.

  — The Lexulous Team

  Lexbuzz

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  Lexbuzz Edition #36: Can Lexulous Create Lifelong Friends?
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  Do you remember the Franz Kafka and Max Brod story we shared? It reminded us that even the deepest friendships can be wonderfully complicated, where loyalty and legacy don't always point in the same direction. This week, we're exploring friendship through a very different lens. Not in libraries or history books, but in the wild—where a forest, a tiger, and countless unseen lives have been quietly keeping one another alive for centuries. Some of the world's greatest friendships, it turns out, were never meant to be noticed.

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: SYLVAN

  Pronunciation: SIL-vuhn

  Part of speech: Adjective

  Definition: Relating to, inhabiting, or characteristic of woods or forests.

  Origin: From Latin silva, meaning “forest” or “wood.”

  Usage:

  1. The hikers followed a sylvan path beneath a canopy of old trees.
  2. A sylvan setting can make even a quiet conversation feel special.

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  What's Special?

  This Week's Global Observances

  🌿 26 July — International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
  Recognised by UNESCO in 2015, Mangroves can store up to four times more carbon than most tropical forests, making them some of Earth's most powerful natural climate defenders.

  🐅 29 July — International Tiger Day
  Established in 2010 during the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.
  Tigers rely on healthy forests, and in places like the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest is also home to the largest population of mangrove-dwelling tigers.

  Did you know? The rarest tiger on Earth, the South China tiger, is believed to be extinct in the wild.

  🤝 30 July — International Day of Friendship
  Proclaimed by the United Nations in 2011.

  Did you know? Bottlenose dolphins form long-lasting friendships. They prefer the company of certain dolphins for years, help injured companions, and even use unique signature whistles—something like calling each other by name.

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  COMMUNITY PUZZLE

  Jumbled Letters: Unscramble these words.

  1. TTRSU (The foundation of every lasting friendship) -

  2. YNUTI (Strength that comes from standing together) -

  3. IRGSHAN (A simple act that makes friendships stronger) -

  4. NOCPIMOAN (A loyal friend who stays by your side) -

  5. CTEXSNOEECI (When different people, animals, or nature live together in harmony) -

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #35)

  A. Jumbled Words

  1. EZOD — DOZE
  2. UMSLRBE — SLUMBER
  3. ASTSEI — SIESTA
  4. MANTRDO — DORMANT

  B. Sleep-Term Definitions

  1. LULLABY
  2. SANDMAN
  3. NAP
  4. NOCTURNAL
  5. INSOMNIACS
  6. DREAM

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  ⭐Beyond the game, has Lexulous brought a special friendship into your life? We'd love to hear your story.

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  Until next week, keep playing.

  — Lexulous Team

  Lexbuzz

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  Lexbuzz Edition #35: A 269-Move Draw?
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  A football match lasts 90 minutes, but a chess game can stretch on for hours. But did you know the longest officially recorded chess game lasted 269 moves, took more than 20 hours, and still ended in a draw? That was back in 1989. This weekend, the FIFA Club World Cup Final crowns a champion on July 20—a day that also marks World Chess Day, recognized by the United Nations. Enjoy the weekend, and may your next great move be in Lexulous!

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: HYPNOPOMPIC

  Pronunciation: hip-nuh-POM-pik

  Parts of Speech: Adjective

  Definition: It refers to the transitional state between sleep and wakefulness, when a person is just waking up. During this state, people may experience vivid dreams, hear sounds or briefly feel unable to move (known as sleep paralysis).

  Origin:
  The word hypnopompic has a fascinating Greek origin:

  'Hypno' - comes from the Greek word hypnos (ύπνος), meaning “sleep”. It is also the name of Hypnos in Greek mythology and 'Pompic' - comes from the Greek word pompos (πομπός), meaning “guide”, “escort” or “one who leads”.

  Usage:

  1. "Top grandmasters guard against the hypnopompic state before tournaments — those first few minutes of wakefulness where blunders come easy."
  2. "She woke in that hypnopompic fog and immediately saw the winning move she'd missed the night before."

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  The Longest Chess

  That 1989 game was between Yugoslav players Ivan Nikolić and Goran Arsović, played across several days in Belgrade. By move 269, both players had run through their opening repertoires three times over — the game ended in a draw by threefold repetition. The record still stands.

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  COMMUNITY PUZZLE

  A. JUMBLED WORDS

  1. EZOD -
  2. UMSLRBE -
  3. ASTSEI -
  4. MANTRDO -

  B. Find the correct terms for these definitions from the box below.

  1. to sooth someone to sleep.
  2. a mythical creature said to bring sleep by sprinkling sand into people’s eyes.
  3. a brief, light sleep.
  4. Term used for animals that stay active at night.
  5. People who cannot sleep at night.
  6. a series of events or pictures which hapen in your mind while you are asleep.

  A J R M Q N A M D N A S W
  S L E E Y P M A N I A N O
  F G I N S O M N I A C O U
  E W G H I N V I S I B O D
  G R P S R E R B N S R D P
  L A N R U T C O N A W S U
  W J I N C O N O X L A S H
  A D R E A M O E R S U V O
  Q A Z W S Z O K M J Y L P
  U H N G E E T R W D C B L
  

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #34)

  A. JUMBLED WORDS

  #	Jumbled	Answer
  1.	SPIRIEN	INSPIRE
  2.	MTROOWOR	TOMORROW
  3.	ITSMPOMI	OPTIMISM
  4.	COUAGER	COURAGE
  5.	LIBEVEE	BELIEVE

  B. WORD HUNT (from HOPEFULNESS) — open-ended; share your favorites in the comments!

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  Lexbuzz

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  Lexbuzz Edition #34: Grow a Hope Tree Together
  L lexulous

  

  Hello, Word Lovers!

  Every month gives us an opportunity to reflect on an idea that brings us together, and this time, it's hope. Hope takes many forms across different stages of life. Notice how the focus often moves from "Who will I become?" to "What can I build?" to "What will I leave behind?" Yet beneath these changing aspirations lie the same human desires for safety, love, purpose, and belonging. While each person's journey is unique, hope remains a shared force that connects us all.

  As we mark the International Day of Hope on 12th July, recognized by the United Nations, we are reminded that hope continues to inspire individuals, strengthen communities, and shape a better future.

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  🌀 Weekly Word Wonder: ESPERANCE

  Pronunciation: /ˈɛspərəns/

  Parts of Speech: Noun

  Definition: Hope or expectation; a state of looking forward to something desired. A somewhat archaic or poetic word for the quiet, forward-leaning feeling of hoping — anticipation tinged with trust that what is wished for may yet come to pass.

  Origin: From Middle English esperance, borrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French esperance ("hope"), from Latin spērāre ("to hope"), related to spēs ("hope"). The same root also gave us despair, desperate, prosper, and prosperous—words that all trace back to the ancient idea of hope.

  Usage:

  1. "She waited in esperance for the letter that would decide her future."
  2. "The crowd held its breath in esperance as the final seconds of the match ticked away."

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  ⭐ Let these hopeful quotes brighten your day!

  “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” — Albert Einstein

  “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.” — Emily Dickinson

  “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘it will be happier.’” — Alfred,
  Lord Tennyson

  There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.” — Bernard Williams

  

  Feel free to write some of your own favourite or your original quotes in the comments!

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  💡 COMMUNITY PUZZLE

  A. JUMBLED WORDS

  1. SPIRIEN (to make somebody want to do or create something) -

  2. MTROOWOR (what comes after today) -

  3. ITSMPOMI (always thinking positively) -

  4. COUAGER (a warrior has it) -

  5. LIBEVEE (to feel sure that something is true) -

  B. WORD HUNT

  How many words can you make from the letters in HOPEFULNESS?
  Examples : hope, help, feel….

  Write five or more words down in the comments!

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  Last Week's Answers (Edition #33)

  A. Synonym Match

  #	Word	Match	Synonym
  1.	tyro	→ C.	novice
  2.	errata	→ D.	errors
  3.	palaver	→ E.	clamor
  4.	coda	→ B.	ending
  5.	elegy	→ A.	lament
  6.	lexicon	→ F.	glossary

  B. Two Literary Idioms

  1. "To gild the lily" — (b) Adding unnecessary decoration to something already beautiful.
  2. A "Catch-22" — (b) A self-contradictory trap where every escape route cancels out another.

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  Until next week, keep playing.
  — The Lexulous Team.

  Lexbuzz