Polywords

Dill

Make as many words as you can from the letters of a nine-letter word, making sure you use the highlighted letter. Can you beat our score?
© Przykuta, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0. Source

About this picture …

Dill (anethum graveolens). It was prescribed in the 9th century Anglo-Saxon herbal ‘Bald’s Leechbook’, possibly made as part of King Alfred the Great’s educational reforms, for a wide range of ailments, including headaches, jaundice, liver problems, and especially stomach upsets. The author made an effort to draw on classical Greek medicine as well as English lore. In 2015, a remedy from the Leechbook was put to laboratory test as a possible remedy against MRSA. See New Scientist (March 2015).

Dill

Make words using the letters shown in the grid. Your words should be four or more letters in length. All your words must include the highlighted letter in the centre. Tap on any letter to use it for your word.

admen admin aeon aide ailed aimed alien allied almond aloe alone amen amend amid anode daemon dale dame damn deal dean deli dell demo demon denial denim dial dill dime dine dole doll dolmen domain dome done elan eland email idea ideal idem idle idol laden ladle laid lain lame land lane lead lean lemon lend lido lied lien lilo lima lime limed limo line lineal lined lino lion load loam loan loaned lode loin lone made maid maiden mail mailed main male mall mane mead meal mean medal medallion media median meld melon mend menial mien mild mile mill milled mind mine mined moan moaned modal mode model mole moll monied nail nailed name named nodal node nomad oiled oilman oilmen olde olden oldie omen
domain denial menial maiden allied almond melon lemon ideal alien ladle medal media laden amend nomad model alone mane mine mead mall male made maid mail main name meal mole mild mile mill mend mind mean moan nail dine dill dial dole doll idea done dome amen aloe aide amid dale deal dame idle line lime lion load loan lied lame lain laid idol land lane lend lean lead lone
admen admin aeon aide ailed aimed alien allied almond aloe alone amen amend amid anode daemon dale dame damn deal dean deli dell demo demon denial denim dial dill dime dine dole doll dolmen domain dome done elan eland email idea ideal idem idle idol laden ladle laid lain lame land lane lead lean lemon lend lido lied lien lilo lima lime limed limo line lineal lined lino lion load loam loan loaned lode loin lone made maid maiden mail mailed main male mall mane mead meal mean medal medallion media median meld melon mend menial mien mild mile mill milled mind mine mined moan moaned modal mode model mole moll monied nail nailed name named nodal node nomad oiled oilman oilmen olde olden oldie omen

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Featured Music

1 2 3

Rondo Brilliant

Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870)

Performed by Marc Andre Hamelin.

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The Keel Row (arr. S. Kanga)

Traditional English folksong (18th century)

Performed by Tommy Reilly (harmonica) and Skaila Kanga (harp).

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Irish Suite

2. The Minstrel Boy

Leroy Anderson (1908-1975)

Performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin.

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Transcript / Notes

The Minstrel Boy

The Minstrel-Boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you’ll find him;
His father’s sword he has girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him.
“Land of song!” said the warrior-bard,
“Tho’ all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!”

The Minstrel fell!—but the foeman’s chain
Could not bring that proud soul under;
The harp he lov’d ne’er spoke again,
For he tore its chords asunder;
And said, “No chains shall sully thee,
Thou soul of love and bravery!
Thy songs were made for the pure and free,
They shall never sound in slavery.”

In the film The Man Who Would Be King (1975) the tune is set to the words of the following hymn by Reginald Heber (1783-1826), Bishop of Calcutta, and is sung by Dan Dravot as he goes to his death. In the original story by Rudyard Kipling (1888), the hymn is sung (without any indication of the tune) by Dan’s friend Peachey Carnehan right at the end of the tale as he is going mad, as if it has meant something to him for a long time.

THE Son of God goes forth to war,
a kingly crown to gain;
his blood red banner streams afar:
who follows in his train?
Who best can drink his cup of woe,
triumphant over pain,
who patient bears his cross below,
he follows in his train.

That martyr first [St Stephen], whose eagle eye
could pierce beyond the grave;
who saw his Master in the sky,
and called on him to save.
Like him, with pardon on his tongue,
in midst of mortal pain,
he prayed for them that did the wrong:
who follows in his train?

A glorious band [the Apostles], the chosen few
on whom the Spirit came;
twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
and mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant’s brandished steel,
the lion’s gory mane;
they bowed their heads the death to feel:
who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys,
the matron and the maid,
around the Saviour’s throne rejoice,
in robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of heaven,
through peril, toil and pain;
O God, to us may grace be given,
to follow in their train.