Scrabble Bingo of the Day: COXSWAIN

COXSWAIN  v -ED, -ING, -S  to direct (a crew) as coxwain

70 points (20 points without the bingo)

The definition for coxswain could be pretty confusing if you don't know what a coxwain is, but perhaps even more confusing is the fact that coxwain is not an acceptable word in Scrabble, even though in the definition for coxswain, coxwain is not regarded as a proper noun. Yet another thing that's confusing about this is that the Official Scrabble Player Dictionary (OSPD) defines coxless as having no coxswain, where "coxswain" is regarded as a noun—a person, though the dictionary refers to it as a verb.

With that to ponder, let's get back to explaining coxswain. A "coxwain" is a person responsible for the navigation and steering of a boat, usually a racing boat. In rowing, they usually sit in the stern section of the vessel and have the duty of coxswaining, i.e. steering the boat and coordinating the power and rhythm of the rowers. In the picture below, the person on the far left coxswains.

Now, back to explain the confusing part. The OSPD is not meant to be an extensive dictionary. It's meant to compliment the game of Scrabble, for learning new words and looking up challenges. The definitions are always the most popular usage, though a word may actually means multiple things. It's what makes it so compact.

So, outside of the OSPD, coxswain and cox can both also refer to the person, as in coxwain, not just the action. Coxswain and cox are therefore both verbs and nouns. And all three terms can refer to any skipper of any small boat, not just rowboats. Coxswain is also used by the Royal Navy and the United States Coast Guard for ranks and badges.

Synonyms

COX  v -ED, -ING, -ES  to coxswain

In the above picture, the coxwain (also coxswain or cox) is on the far right.

Related Words

COXLESS  adj  having no coxswain (the director of the crew of a racing rowboat)
COCKBOAT  n pl. -S  a small boat
HELM  v -ED, -ING, -S  to steer a ship
HELMSMAN  n pl. HELMSMEN  one that steers a ship
ROWBOAT  n pl. -S  a small boat designed to be rowed

The picture above is of a female rowing team, with the person on the far right coxswaining.

Photos by Buffalo News, Fcb981, Sherurcij

What's a Scrabble Bingo?

A bingo is when a player empties his or her rack in one turn, placing all seven of their letters on the board to create a word that's at least seven letters long. The term "bingo" is used primarily in the U.S., but elsewhere it's simply known as a "bonus" because you get a bonus of 50 points added to your turn's score. "Scrabble Bingo of the Day" will focus on these high scoring plays, teaching you some interesting and possibly unusual seven-letter or longer words accepted in a game of Scrabble.

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