Scrabble Bingo of the Day: VERONICA

VERONICA  n pl. -S  a handkerchief bearing the image of Christ's face

63 points (13 points without the bingo)

Veronica was the name given to the cloth veil that was supposedly impressed with an image of Jesus's face. The veil was given to Christ by Saint Veronica of Jerusalem as he carried a cross to Golgotha for his crucifixion during the 1st century AD. Jesus wiped the sweat from his forehead and gratefully handed it back to Saint Veronica, his face miraculously stamped in the cloth. Since then, "veronica" refers to any reproduction of the cloth which resembles the legendary one.

The Veil of Veronica is considered to be one of the most precious Catholic relics, and is said to be stored at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It's also said that some of the Son of God's blood is on the cloth, presumably from the wounds caused by the crown of thorns. It's not to be confused with the Shroud of Turin, which is believed to be Jesus's burial sheet.

The word "veronica" is a combination of Latin (vera) and Greek (icon) meaning "true image."

Also: VERNACLE(S), VERNICLE(S)
Similar Words: SUDARIUM(S), SUDARY, SUDARIES

 Hans Memling's oil painting, Saint Veronica, c. 1470.
 Image by The Yorck Project

 The supposed Veil of Veronica owned by the Vatican briefly displayed in St. Peter's Basilica.
 Photo by NorthStar

 Jacopo Bassano's oil painting, The Procession to Calvary, c. 1540.
 Image by Catholic Tradition

 Domenico Fetti's oil painting, The Veil of Veronica, c. 1620.
 Image by Postdlf

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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