FAMILY MATTERS
Night of Scrabble challenging, but serves purpose

By Ka'ohua Lucas

"I've got it!" she shouted as she placed the wooden tile letter H on the vacant square.

"Yoah."

"Yoah? What the heck does that mean?" I asked.

"I don't know," my daughter said, then shrugged. "But it sounds good."

And that's how our evening began. We had just finished washing the dishes when someone suggested we play a game of Scrabble.

The board was set up, and we sprawled out on the wooden floor to play the game.

Now most Scrabble enthusiasts would shudder, witnessing our family's display of irreverence. But there was a reason for my scheming: to divert the 'ohana's attention away from the television and their favorite show, "The Simpsons."

My kids' Uncle Mike is a Scrabble buff and has recommended that our kids invest in a Scrabble dictionary, acquainting themselves with it.

To improve your chances of winning he said, "The first thing to do is memorize all 93 two-letter words."

Playing Scrabble is truly a science. Uncle Mike offers tips to his young protege, my 12-year-old son:

• Try to use the S to pluralize words. You'll maximize the number of points you can earn in one turn.
• Diligently study your Scrabble dictionary. You'll be able to increase your vocabulary and know when to challenge your opponents.

"There you go!" my husband announced as he placed his final letter on the board. "Gottem."

"That's not a word, Dad," my eldest son argued.

"It certainly is."

"What does it mean, then?"

"Gottem comes from the root word to get," he says matter-of-factly. "Which means to obtain or acquire; cause to be in one's possession or available for one's use or enjoyment."

This is one area that is not covered in the Scrabble gameplay guide, how to detect whether your opponent is bluffing.

With my husband, it comes naturally. He says things with such authority that anyone who doesn't really know him is convinced that he knows what he's talking about.

But his family knows better.

"OK," the 8-year-old said with a grin. "We want to challenge you!"

Out came the dictionary.

"There's gotra and gotten but no gottem," my daughter said, laughing, as she ran her index finger down the right-hand column of Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary.

"That's because your dictionary is an antique version," he said, then chortled.

Seizing the opportunity to create a word from my husband's, I urged the kids to give Dad a break. It was my turn, and about to be the end of the game.

I efficiently shuffled the remaining letters on the Scrabble rack.

Using the letter E of my husband's word, I carefully laid down my letters.

"Exficul," I announced. "I win!"

"That's not fair! That's not even a word!"

I looked at them and smiled.

"Come on now. This is certainly a legitimate word," I winked at my daughter. "Uncle Mike said so."

Everyone looked at each other afraid to challenge the words of Uncle Mike, the Scrabble guru.

"How's about watching a movie on television?" I suggested.

The letter pieces were immediately shoved into the felt bag and tossed into the Scrabble box to be used at a later date. It was an evening of family fun without the television and nobody seemed to miss "The Simpsons."

Ka'ohua Lucas is a mother of three and holds a master's degree in education curriculum and instruction. Reach her at Family Matters, 'Ohana Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; at ohana@honoluluadver tiser.com; or fax 525-8055.