And Dr. Bailly likes jicama

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 14:00

Bee Week

Speller 423, Will McCollom, wanted to know more about "jicama," a tall-climbing Mexican vine with showy flowers and a sweet watery root that is sometimes eaten raw or cooked.  Dr. Bailly read ...

Read More

Marie Kondo in here

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 13:56

Bee Week

The word was "topsy-turviness," and James Roach, speller 394 and a Puerto Rico eighth grader, was about to get it right. But first, he had to determine whether the word's sentence sparked joy. Spoi...

Read More

Doing pretty well

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 13:48

Bee Week

It was an OK morning for speller 387, Ganga Sivanta Siddam. "I'm OK, how are you?" Ganga told Dr. Bailly. "Doing pretty well here," Dr. Bailly said. The Pennsylvania sixth gr...

Read More

We love a good pun

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 13:36

Bee Week

Almudena Soler, speller 379, got this gem, the sentence for "cantilever." (It's a projecting beam or member supported at only one end, as by being built into a wall or a pier.) "While trying t...

Read More

What Dr. Bailly does in his free time

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 13:31

Bee Week

One word -- "kiva," spelled correctly by speller 362, Jeff Zheng -- gives us a clue about what Dr. Bailly does when he's away from the spelling bee. A kiva is a Pueblo Indian structure used as a ce...

Read More

It is also a Girl Scout cookie

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 12:53

Bee Week

Benjamin Zobian, speller 359, may have had a leg up on his word if he has a sister. The Pennsylvania eighth grader's word was "trefoil." It means any of the common clovers. It's also the name of ...

Read More

Could you give me everything?

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 12:37

Bee Week

It's a question we're hearing a lot of today, including from recent speller Simona Milev, speller 333. When the Mississippi seventh grader asked for everything for her word, "neuron," she got every...

Read More

It is OK to start over

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 12:32

Bee Week

Speller 314, Ava Himmelsbach, started over twice on her word, "abeyance," meaning cessation or suspension (as of a customary practice). She also scribbled with her finger on the back of her placard...

Read More

We remember you

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 12:24

Bee Week

Shruthika Padhy, speller 307 and another returning speller, wasn't taking any chances on "dalliance" -- she wrote it on her hand with her finger. The New Jersey eighth grader got it right. Shrut...

Read More

They are being honest

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 12:15

Bee Week

"Hi, how are you, Harini?" Dr. Bailly asked Harini Gottumukkala, speller 282. "Nervous," Harini replied. "Nervous? OK, take a breath," Dr. Bailly suggested.  Still, Harini misspelled "pe...

Read More

We like it, too

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 12:03

Bee Week

"I just love this new microphone," said Ranjana Ramesh, speller 259. "Isn't it cool?" Dr. Sietsema replied. In case you missed it, the microphone raises and lowers as the spelle...

Read More

Homonyms

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 11:47

Bee Week

Here's a quick pattern: three words in a row had homonyms. Speller 246, Wyatt Opperman, had the word "comity," which means friendly civility : mutual consideration between or as if between equ...

Read More

The definition?

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 11:41

Bee Week

"May I please have the -- " started Arden Peterson, speller 243. "Definition?" Dr. Siestsema offered. "Yes, definition," Arden said. The Kansas seventh grader spelled "harrier" corre...

Read More

We're bringing Max back

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 11:21

Bee Week

Speller 30, Max Greenspan, was eliminated by the judges earlier this morning. But the judges reviewed his spelling, officials announced, and determined that should not have been the case. He'll be rei...

Read More

They seem easy

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 11:13

Bee Week

"Hey, Dr. Bailly, give me a nice easy word, please," asked Liz Jergensen, speller 217, and an Idaho seventh grader. "They seem easy to most of you," Dr. Bailly replied. He gave her "scrofulous,"...

Read More

Three pointer

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 11:05

Bee Week

Zaila Avant-garde, speller 211, is pretty well known for her basketball skills -- check her out on Instagram, @basketballasart. The Louisiana sixth grader is pretty good at spelling, too. In her fi...

Read More

Magic mic

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 10:57

Bee Week

"No need to touch the mic. It'll take care of itself," Dr. Bailly told Srinidhi Rao, speller 206, when she grabbed it before spelling "tattersall." It's a fabric woven or printed in a pattern of ...

Read More

Place names

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 10:27

Bee Week

Sometimes, you notice themes with the spelling bee words. This morning, we've had a lot of place names or words relating to place names. They include Santiago and Valparaiso, both cities in Ch...

Read More

She can do it

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 10:22

Bee Week

"Ready?" Dr. Bailly asked Louise Julia Grimaldo, speller 159.  "No," she said. "But let's do it." She did it, indeed. The Idaho eighth grader, in her third Bee, spelled "mako" correctly. It...

Read More

Letters are in the air

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 10:19

Bee Week

Raj Thakwani, speller 155, spelled "injurious" correctly, drawing each letter largely in the air. The Ghana eighth grader got it right. ...

Read More