15 July

words from wordle 1,852

Curator’s Note on PSHAW

Today’s Wordle-derived constraint word, pshaw, reminded me how much Worku lives at the meeting point of puzzle and poem.

It was difficult enough to find in Wordle. Several worki described circling it through wrong turns, nonwords, and sheer fatigue: knowing it had to be some strange PS word, realizing they had ruled letters out too early, hitting that familiar late-game state where the mind just starts throwing sparks. One person said simply, “I cheated.” Another said, “yeah i’m struggling.” That, too, is part of the charm.

What interests me most is what happens next. Once a word like pshaw is discovered, it has to be carried into haiku. And pshaw is not an easy haiku word. It is old-fashioned, performative, almost pure tone. It does not naturally offer image; it offers attitude. That makes it hard to place, but also wonderfully alive.

For me, that difficulty is part of the value of Worku. It asks us not just to solve a puzzle, but to listen more closely to language. In trying to work with pshaw, I found myself wandering through synonyms and antonyms, delighting in words I had forgotten and words I had never really known. My favorite discovery was “the dickens,” which led me to its history as a euphemism for the devil. That kind of side trail feels like a gift of the game.

I love that Worku creates room for this sort of play. It is playful, yes, but not shallow. It sharpens strategy, invites curiosity, and keeps opening language back up. A hard word can frustrate the solve, but it can also deepen the poem.

The poems

Diana Marie 4/6
Did she BOINK the boss??
That will CRASH her rep with HASTE
PSHAW! We all did!

Debbie Wilson 3/6
Praying as a SPORT
New PSALM every minute
PSHAW! A piece of cake! 🍰

Robo 3/6
PASTE the wicked words
From the fake electric PSALM
Scream end with PSHAW

auntie jj 6/6
SCOUT FRESH wordle clues
this one WHAMS, solve on WASHI?
it’s ASKEW, PSHAW!!

Lari 3/6
Captain says, “BRAIL sails!”
ASHEN-faced sailors yell, “wave!!”
“PSHAW! ‘Tis but water!”

Mark 6/6 – My movie review of Hitchcock’s “The Birds” in 17 syllables….
A GREAT FOCAL perch
AVIAN SQUAD attack, run!
ASSAY fear? PSHAW

Mick 5/6 – Re
The GREAT CABAL rose
and sat on the cramped DIVAN
“ASSAY wrong? PSHAW!”