I just noticed how close we are to Wordle #800! Just five more days and we turn the corner, and then just 200 days until Wordle #1000. If—and this is a big if—but if my math is correct, we should hit the 1,000th Wordle on March 15th, 2024. That’s kind of a startling date for such a momentous occasion. We know it as the Ides of March. Ides refers to the first full moon of a given month, but for March it has historical significance.
Roman ruler Julius Caesar, worried about his future, employed the seer Spurinna, a haruspex who used the entrails of animals to divine the future. Spurinna repeatedly warned Caesar to beware the Ides of March, but the proud ruler ignored the warnings.
On March 15th, 44 B.C. a group of 60 conspirators led by Marcus Brutus and Cassius Longinus fell upon the dictator and stabbed him to death. Thus, our 1,000th Wordle will come 2,068 years to the day after the death of Julius Caesar.
The conspirators killed their leader because he had declared himself dictator for life and they professed a desire to restore the Roman Republic. Civil wars erupted after his death, and none other than Caesar’s great nephew, Octavian, emerged the victor. The Roman Senate gave Octvanian a new name, Augustus, which means “exalted one” and he became the first true Emperor of Rome.
In any case, we’re not at the Ides of March just yet. In fact, it’s Wordle Wednesday and I have a riddle for you:
Which of these is the correct Roman numeral for the number 4: IV or IIII?
Let me know if you solve this one by hitting me up on Twitter or Facebook. I’ll post the answer here tomorrow.
Now friends, Wordlers, countrymen, let’s do this Wordle!
How To Solve Today’s Wordle
The Hint: It’s a bittersweet symphony.
The Clue: This Wordle has two double letters.
.
.
.
See yesterday’s Wordle #794 right here.
Wordle Bot Analysis
After each Wordle I solve I head over to the Wordle Bot homepage to see how my guessing game was.
I don’t feel great about today’s guesses. I got very lucky with my third guess, but I could just as easily have had bad luck. Not much skill today is what I’m saying. But I’ll take good luck over bad. Then again, this is a tough word! Two V’s and two E’s!
My opening guess was also lucky. Queue is a vowel-heavy five-letter word I hadn’t used yet and I scored by getting two E’s. I wanted to rule out the other vowels and Spain certainly did that. I also like using Spain because Wordle Bot always says “Wow you have such an amazing vocabulary” or some such, which cracks me up since it’s Spain. Not exactly genius level to know the name of a very well-known country, but okay.
Trove derived from Spain actually. I thought of those Spanish galleons that sunk to the bottom of the ocean (I need to use ocean as a starting guess!) and the treasure troves of gold and jewels and artifacts lost to the depths, glimmering sacrifices to dark sea gods.
From here, there was only one word remaining, though I didn’t know it at the time. I had to think long and hard to finally come up with verve. Actually, the word makes me think of the British band The Verve and their megahit Bittersweet Symphony:
The song has a sordid history of its own. After it was released, Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein sued the band. The Verve had used a short sample from the Stones song “The Last Time” with permission but Klein argued they used more than the agreed upon amount. Richard Ashcroft, who wrote the song, lost basically all publishing rights and royalties until over 20 years later when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards signed over their rights to him, which he called “ a truly kind and magnanimous thing for them to do.”
Today’s Score
Wash wash wash. I get zero points for guessing in 4 and zero points for tying the Bot. Zero! Huzzah! It really is a bittersweet symphony, this life.
Today’s Wordle Etymology
The word “verve” comes from the Old French word “verve,” which originally meant “spirit” or “enthusiasm.” It ultimately derives from the Latin word “vervex,” meaning “active” or “eager.” The Latin word “vervex” itself is believed to be related to the verb “vervēre,” which means “to sweep” or “to brandish.” Over time, the meaning of “verve” evolved to refer to a lively and enthusiastic approach, often associated with creative expression, energy, and vivacity.
Play Competitive Wordle Against Me!
I’ve been playing a cutthroat game of PvP Wordle against my nemesis Wordle But. Now you should play against me! I can be your nemesis! (And your helpful Wordle guide, of course). You can also play against the Bot if you have a New York Times subscription.
- Here are the rules:
- 1 point for getting the Wordle in 3 guesses.
- 2 points for getting it in 2 guesses.
- 3 points for getting it in 1 guess.
- 1 point for beating me
- 0 points for getting it in 4 guesses.
- -1 point for getting it in 5 guesses.
- -2 points for getting it in 6 guesses.
- -3 points for losing.
- -1 point for losing to me
You can either keep a running tally of your score if that’s your jam or just play day-to-day if you prefer.
I’d love it if you gave me a follow on Twitter or Facebook dearest Wordlers. Have a lovely day!
As always, I’d love it if you’d follow me here on this blog and subscribe to my YouTube channel and my Substack so you can stay up-to-date on all my TV, movie and video game reviews and coverage. Thanks!https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/08/17/todays-wordle-790-hints-clues-and-answer-for-friday-august-18th/
Read the full article here
