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Paul

Interesting that the Spanish word for pawn, peon, was in the Times crossword yesterday. I didnt know it was an English word too.

grunge @704

Yes, PEON is fine in Scrabble. I tend to rely on Collins Official Scrabble Words rather than dictionaries for validity. The game is quite liberal with words you might think belong only to another language. I once tried a risky bonus, PEONAGE, in a tournament. Challenged unsuccessfully.

BAUER* is German for the chess pawn - invalid in Scrabble, indicated by *.
I had a chuckle recently when reading about the US Chess Federation being under pressure from women's groups for not doing enough about the accusations of inappropriate behaviour by male chess coaches. The President has been fighting back in distinctly non-PC style. His name: Randy Bauer. Priceless!

Grunger

I suppose you liked connoisseurship in the Times yesterday. But can you add -ship to a French word?

Connoisseurship appears in the novel Tom Jones (1749).

Thanks Orson

jigjag, Orson

I was surprised by the word, which I have never heard and also thank Orson for confirming it.

I suppose you can add -ship to any, position, condition etc, whether foreign or not. Ships that I have had include governessship and schoolmistressship. The one that I like the most is shipwrightship, but I am unlikely to get such a post, I'm afraid.

Grunger

I am sorry you wont be able to get a shipwrightship, but have you noticed that Amazon are advertising for "shippers". I am not sure what they do, but perhaps a shippership or shipperessship would suit you?

Trainee Vicars could take a Worshipship

Tyke

I love Worshipship.

Jigjag

It is very kind of you to offer me career advice, and though I would love a shipperessship, I want nothing to do with Amazon. I am not very fond of "ship" in the dispatch sense, too American I'm afraid.

tyke

Yes very good and I suppose your vicar at sea would hold a shipworshipship.