Scrabble Bingo of the Day: JUMBUCK

JUMBUCK  74 points (24 points without the bingo)

Definition: a sheep [n]

There are many different words for sheep—not sheep breeds, but words separating sheep by ages, sex, and by the use of the animal itself. Some of these words include buck, dam, ewe, ram, hogg, hogget, wether, bellwether, lamb, mule, teg, tup, downs, slink, bell, and shearling—all legitimate Scrabble words. But today's Bingo of the Day is all about jumbuck, which is an Australian term for sheep that generally denotes a difficult to shear one, either large or untamed.

Jumbuck was featured in Banjo Peterson's bush poem from 1895, "Waltzing Matilda," which has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia".

Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Inflections: JUMBUCKS [pl.]
Similar Words: BUCK, DAM, EWE, RAM, HOGG, HOGGET, WETHER, BELLWETHER, LAMB, MULE, TEG, TUP, DOWNS, SLINK, BELL, SHEARLING

 A jumbuck who gave up the fight.
 Photos by Mainely Ewes Farm

 A jumbuck making it hard on the shearer.
 Photo by Old Picture of the Day

So, just what is 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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