AWOKK, Day 6: KenKen Glossary
September 24, 2016 at 5:05 am Leave a comment
KENgratulations! You’ve made it to Day 6 of MJ4MF’s A Week of KenKen series. If you happened to miss any of the fun we’ve had previously…
- Day 1: Introduction
- Day 2: The KENtathlon
- Day 3: KenKen Times
- Day 4: My KenKen Puzzles
- Day 5: Harold Reiter’s Puzzles
Robert F. Fuhrer is a toy inventor with a knack for coming up with creative names, including Crocodile Dentist, Gator Golf, T.H.I.N.G.S. (Totally Hilarious, Incredibly Neat Games of Skill), Rumble Bugs, Missile Toe (literally, a rocket in the shape of a toe), and many others. As the president of Nextoy, LLC, which holds the registered trademark for KenKen®, Bob now uses his creative naming abilities for the appellations of KenKen-related products.
The word that started this post, KENgratulations, is just one of his many linguistic creations. I rather like the term he coined to describe the computer application that randomly generates KenKen puzzles.
KEN·er·a·tor n. the “machine” (computer application) used to automatically generate KenKen puzzles
Quick! We need more 6 × 6 puzzles. Crank up the Kenerator!
The name conjures images of a machine from Willy Wonka.
Oompa, loompa, doom-pa-dee-do,
I’ve got a perfect puzzle for you…
Numbers and operations go in, puzzles come out.
Bob can also take credit for the following:
KEN·cil n. a pencil used to solve KenKen puzzles
I prefer kencils rather than pens when solving KenKen puzzles.
KEN·grat·u·la·tions n. an expression of praise for solving a KenKen puzzle
Kengratulations for solving that puzzle in less than 7 years!
KEN·thu·si·ast n. someone who likes to solve KenKen puzzles
Most Kenthusiasts solve more than one KenKen puzzle a day.
There’s no doubt, Bob is good. But as you saw in a previous post, I’ve got a knack for coining terms, too…
KEN·tath·lon n. competition involving multiple KenKen events
I complete a Kentathlon consisting of a 4 × 4, 5 × 5, and 6 × 6 puzzle every morning.
e·go·KEN·tric adj. a person who thinks that they are better than others at solving KenKen puzzles
He’s completely egokentric, even though he’s never won a KenKen tournament.
KEN·tral of·fice n. where KenKen puzzles are made
The Kenerator resides in the kentral office.
KEN·te·nar·i·an n. person who has solved 100+ KenKen puzzles
He became instantly addicted to KenKen puzzles; he became a kentenarian in less than 3 weeks.
su·per·KEN·te·nar·i·an n. person who has solved 100+ KenKen puzzles in one day
She became a superkentenarian by completing all the puzzles in Ferocious KenKen on Saturday.
KEN·ta·gon n. the arena in which KenKen tournaments take place (analogous to the Octagon, the eight-sided chain-link enclosure used for Ultimate Fighting Championship matches, though usually less violent)
Enter the kentagon, prepare to solve!
KEN·o·pause n. the period in a puzzle solver’s life when KenKen ceases to be fun
Kenthusiasts who have entered kenopause usually solve fewer than one puzzle a day, on average.
KEN·i·ten·tia·ry n. where KenKen solvers are locked up if they’re caught cheating (syn prism)
If you copy off your neighbor at a KenKen tournament, you’ll be sent to the kenitentiary.
KEN·al·ty n. a disadvantage imposed on a puzzle solver at a tournament for an infringement of the rules
He was given a 15-second kenalty for “using a kencil in an unsafe manner.”
KEN·ais·sance n. the period from roughly 2008 to 2010 when KenKen puzzles experienced tremendous growth in popularity, likely the result of publication in The Times (London), the NY Times, and other newspapers
Harold Reiter’s interest in KenKen started long before the Kenaissance.
KEN·der·foot, n. an amateur; someone who has solved only a few KenKen puzzles
He’s such a kenderfoot; he doesn’t even know the X-wing strategy!
KEN·den·cies n. the habits of a KenKen solver; analogous to a “tell” in poker
He has a kendency to complete all of the addition cages before attempting any subtraction cage.
hy·per·KEN·ti·late n. to breathe heavily while solving a puzzle (usu., a result of having difficulty)
At the 2013 KenKen International Championship, she started to hyperkentilate when she had trouble with a difficult 6 × 6 puzzle.
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: Bob Fuhrer, definition, dictionary, glossary, KenKen, puzzle.
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