For the last two years, when it came to X, I’ve cheated. I admit it. I’ve found weaselly ways to get around the most challenging letter in our alphabet.
Not this year.
I’ve picked a pair of words, neither of which I knew before I perused my handy thesaurus. Do you know them? Here, before we get to what they mean?
I think they sound like a couple of characters in a fantasy novel, Xanthous and Xyloid, an oafy pair, Xanthous huge and unwieldy, Xyloid smaller, more dexterous, but every bit as dull. Massive long arms, skin a murky green, Xanthous and Xyloid were sent by their village chief on a quest.
Mainly to get them out of the village, because the cost of fixing the stuff they wreck is really adding up.
Interestingly, spellcheck doesn’t think either one is a word, so today we are all smarter than spellcheck. Ready for definitions? Here we go. Xanthous means blonde or fair; xyloid means having the characteristics of wood. Outside of a Scrabble board, these words probably won’t get used terribly much, as it’s much easier and clearer to say “blonde,” and much more fun to describe the characteristics of wood.
Besides, I prefer my duo of trouble-prone dolts.
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A Bit to Read 
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