Scrabble Bingo of the Day: POSTICHE

POSTICHE  65 points (15 points without the bingo)

Definition: an imitation [n]

Not to be confused with pastiche, postiche simply means an imitation—a counterfeit of something. It could be anything, but most commonly it's referred to as false hair on the face or head, which include hairpieces, toupees, switches, wigs, and false beards and mustaches.

Postiche dates back to Ancient Egypt when Pharaohs used to wear false beards made of leather, felt, or metal on their chins. At first, it was real hair growing on the chin, which was frizzed, dyed, or had henna applied to it. Then gold thread was interwoven into it. Eventually, they ditched the hair completely for fake beards—postiches—made of metal and held in place by a ribbon tied over top the head and attached to a gold chin strap. It was a sign of sovereignty from about 3000 to 1580 BC.

Inflections: POSTICHES [pl.]
Also: POSTIQUE(S)

 Postiches for women.
 Photos by Glamlook

 Postiche on a Pharaoh.
 Photo by loveenki2-cb

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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