Today is National Scrabble Day!

From the ‘Broncs’ to ‘Coney,’ New York as a Scrabble Board

By DAVID BUKSZPAN

In the battle of the boroughs, it’s Queens, 15; Manhattan, 14; and Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island with 0; at least when it comes to Scrabble.

Today is National Scrabble Day, celebrated annually on the birthday of Alfred Mosher Butts, the out-of-work architect who created the game in the 1930s in his Jackson Heights home. A missing sign commemorating the achievement was recently restored at the corner of 81st Street and 35th Avenue.

But New York’s ties to Scrabble run deeper than that. Scrabble’s big break came when Macy’s started carrying it; no less a personage than the Queen Mum came to New York to purchase a set at Saks in 1939; and it was in the chess clubs of the West Village of the 1950s that the finer points of its rules became established and the level of play started to really explode. (Think of it as the time when players went from spelling CAT to KHAT.)

What many don’t realize is that the city around them — even the street or neighborhood they may be crossing — is rife with playable Scrabble words. The Scrabble lexicon does not include proper nouns, but words thought of primarily as proper nouns, like Peter, are often playable because they are also common nouns or verbs, like peter (to slowly diminish).

So “queens” is playable. So is Manhattan (the cocktail). The words Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten are all illegal, but broncs (broncos) works.

Players down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass will be pleased to know that “dumbo” (a fool) is playable. And Mermaid Avenue residents can take pride that “coney” is another word for rabbit. Then there’s “sheepshead” (the fish). Playable streets in Brooklyn include Smith and Avenue S (think about it).

Sports fans can’t play Knicks, but “knickerbockers” works. Yankees is a no-no, but “yanquis” (Americans) works. They might also qualify as “nonmetropolitans.” Gotham is out, but “batman” (a servant or orderly) is all right.

Other New York places and things that are (or are nearly) playable include Mott Haven, Port Morris, Hunts Point and Great Jones. Upper West Siders can find themselves in “vrouws,” Upper East Siders in “sues.” Residents of NoHo can find themselves in “nohow,” SoHoites in “gasohol.”

Also approved: el, spaldeen, pedicab, bodega, schlep, tchotchke.

Then there are the people: spike and lee are fine Scrabble words. Also alec (a herring) bald win. Not eli, but manning; not bloomberg, but mike; not jay-z, but jay and zee, and shawn (a tense of show) and carter.

The list could go on forever, and with your help, it might. What are some more New York-related Scrabble words?