In a 1954 interview for Look magazine, Duke Ellington observed that “Playing bop is like Scrabble with all the vowels missing.” If you find yourself faced with a Scrabble rack full of consonants, you can play bop with these words:
- brr: used to indicate that one feels cold (also brrr)
- crth: an ancient stringed instrument (pl. -s) (pronounced to rhyme with booth)
- cwm: a cirque (a deep, steep-walled basin on a mountain) (pl. -s) (pronounced to rhyme with boom)
- hm: used to express thoughtful consideration (also hmm)
- nth: describing an unspecified number
- pfft: used to express a sudden ending
- psst: used to attract someone’s attention
- sh: used to urge silence (also shh and sha)
- tsk: to utter an exclamation of annoyance (-ed, -ing, -s)
- tsktsk: to tsk (-ed, -ing, -s)
Jane Lucas 