Scrabble Bingo of the Day: ZEBRASS

ZEBRASS  68 points (18 points without the bingo)

Definition: the offspring of a zebra and an ass [n]

Didn't know they had a name for it, did you? Well, they do, and it's a nice looking portmanteau word that's exactly what it sounds like—a hybrid animal produced by breeding a zebra with an ass (i.e. donkey). Some like to call this offshoot a zonkey, but unfortunately, that's not a Scrabble word. A zebrass is also a zebroid (which is also a zebrine), a generalized term for any zebra/equine hybrid, but it mostly refers to a zebra and horse mix.

Zebroid and zebrine can also both be used as adjectives, though there are some discrepancies in dictionaries. OSPD4 refers to zebroid as an adjective of zebrine, though Hasbro's website is a little more specific, stating it as resembling a zebra. Zyzzyva says it's pertaining to a zebra. But they all agree that a zebrine [n] is the offspring of a horse and a female zebra. The Collins Scrabble Checker just refers to zebrines and zebroids as zebras.

Inflections: ZEBRASSES [pl.]

Similar Words: ZEBRA(S), ZEBRAIC, ZEBRINE(S), ZEBROID

 A zebrass—zebra/donkey hybrid.

Photo by Ondrejk

 A possible zebrass in Arkansas, but surely zebroid.

Photo by doug_wertman

So, just what is a Scrabble Bingo?

A bingo is when a player empties his or her rack in one turn, placing all seven of their letters on the board to create a word that's at least seven letters long. The term "bingo" is used primarily in the U.S., but elsewhere it's simply known as a "bonus" because you get a bonus of 50 points added to your turn's score. "Scrabble Bingo of the Day" will focus on these high scoring plays, teaching you some interesting and possibly unusual seven-letter or longer words accepted in a game of Scrabble.

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