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Apr 20, 2001

This week's theme
Words formed by metathesis or transposing letters

This week's words
scart
prad
bort
gride
scrimmage

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scrimmage

scrimmage (SKRIM-ayg) noun

1. A rough struggle.

2. A practice game, often between two parts of the same team.

3. A tussle for the ball in games such as football, rugby, soccer, etc.

verb tr, intr.

To engage in a scrimmage.

[Middle English metathetic variant of skirmish.]

"I depict her, ah, how charming!
I portray myself alarming
Her by swearing I would `mount the deadly breach,'
Or engage in any scrimmage
For a glimpse of her sweet image,
Or her shadow, or her footprint on the beach."
Charles Stuart Calverley; On the Beach; Anthology of Light Verse; 1935.

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