Let's Try This Again

As you can see from the results of the earlier poll, multiple choice was not the way to go. So! This time, you can only pick one. If there's still a tie when that's done, I'll make another one. But this should make things easier.

And if two similar choices seem to have split votes (The two word options, for example), I will take that into consideration. Time permitting, I'd like to get around to all of these some day.

So, get to the voting!

And The Winner Is...

VORTEX!

Coming in to this one, I would have thought Spork would win it handily. However, the sleeper hit Vortex came away with the win! It shall be forever remembered as the original champion of The War Of The Words.

So... This was fun. Do you all want to do it again? Or maybe something kind of different. Numbers? Quotes? Symbols? TV Characters? 16th Century French Poets? Vote in the new polls, and leave me a comment somewhere if you've got a terrific idea!

Huge thanks to everyone who voted. It wouldn't have happened without you.

For now, though, for all those other words that didn't make it... Thanks. It's been fun.

The Final Showdown!

The air is filled with an eerie stillness. A tumbleweed rustles by, giving contrast to the otherwise silent surroundings. Three words remain - Three words that have fought tooth and nail for their spot here, leaving dozens of words in their tracks.

And now, it all comes down to this. Spork. Hurricane. Vortex. Each one a contender in this final round. Who wants it most of all, though? That's for you to decide.

No further commentary on this round. You know these words by now. Let your votes do the talking.

The heat will be on!

What Happened To Those Votes? Oh Well, Time For The Semifinals!

What happened, Blogger? Votes disappeared from my polls! Lame.

Anyway, I have a rough approximation of where the votes where, so here comes the semifinals!

Yes, semifinals, not quarterfinals. Things are different now that we're getting down to the nitty-gritty! Thanks to some ties, there's 10 words remaining, and they'll have to fight their way to the final round, where the surviving words will fight it out in a Winner-Take-All Battle Royale Finale! Doesn't that sound exciting!?

Before that, though, we have to determine the winners of the groups we've established. So here we go: The three group, with some specialist analysis offered by yours truly!

Group 1: Spork vs. Lightsaber vs. Hobbit

Analysis: This looks to be a hotly contested group, with all of these items being popular with the offbeat "nerd" culture (which the author is a proud member of). Spork is probably the least so, which could be of great benefit; Lightsaber and Hobbit will likely steal many votes from each other. Can one of them muscle through and overthrow the ever-popular Spork?

Group 2: Jeopardy vs. Zombie vs. Hurricane

Analysis: A diverse group here, with no clear ties between the words. This one is definitely up for grabs.

Group 3: Spatula v. Vortex v. Fluff v. Pistachio


Analysis: Spatula has been popular throughout the contest, but one of these other words could come up and snag a spot in the final. Who's it going to be in the end?

Now then, let's hope votes don't get wiped out again this time! Go ahead and VOTE!

Round 3: Divisional Championships (East)

I'm just too excited! Round 3's battles continue with the other votes still going! Here we go!

REMINDER: The words with the most votes should be at an advantage next round! Choose carefully!

Division V: Jeopardy v. Library

JEOPARDY: How did it get here?
-Defeated Eyebrow in first round
-Defeated Opossum in second round
-Is a TV show

LIBRARY: How did it get here?
-Defeated Dinosaur in first round
-Defeated Pimento in second round
-Replaces TV (Hopefully...)

Division VI: Hurricane v. Lightsaber

HURRICANE: How did it get here?
-Defeated Ring in first round
-Defeated Potato in second round
-Was well covered by the Weather Chanel on TV

LIGHTSABER: How did it get here?
-Defeated Goblin in first round
-Defeated Grocer in second round
-Comes from a movie, and movies are like TV

Division VII: Fluff v. Submarine

FLUFF: How did it get here?
-Defeated Hovercraft in first round
-Defeated Utopia in second round
-Most modern TV shows are made of it

SUBMARINE: How did it get here?
-Defeated Fall in first round
-Defeated Stop in second round
-Appeared in a few TV shows... About submarines? 

Division VIII: Pretzel v. Pistachio

PRETZEL: How did it get here?
-Defeated Bend in first round
-Defeated Wish in second round
-Tasty to eat while watching TV

PISTACHIO: How did it get here?
-Defeated Wand in first round
-Defeated Ekklesia in second round
-See above (Ooh, tough choice!)

Round 3: Divisional Championships (West)

The dust has settled. Only 16 words remain, leaving 48 behind. Only one will be named The Champion of Words, a title which I just made up. Who will it be? It's up to you to decide!

ALSO: Top vote-getters from these rounds will be at an advantage! Go out and earn your favorite words as many votes as possible!

Division I: Spatula v. Soup

SPATULA: How did it get here?
-Defeated Laundry in first round

-Defeated Turkey Bacon in second round
-Flipped pancakes

SOUP: How did it get here?
-Defeated Graduation in first round
-Defeated Towel in second round
-Was served with pancakes

Division II: Zombie v. Hobbit

ZOMBIE: How did it get here?
-Defeated Disneyworld in first round
-Defeated Gerbil in second round
-Also flipped pancakes

HOBBIT: How did it get here?
-Defeated Potluck in first round
-Defeated Pizza in second round
-Ate pancakes

Division III: Spork v. Helium

SPORK: How did it get here?
-Defeated Styrofoam in first round
-Defeated Gravity in second round
-Used by Hobbits to eat pancakes

HELIUM: How did it get here?
-Defeated Hide in first round
-Defeated Play in second round
-Had nothing to do with pancakes

Division IV: Dirigible v. Vortex

DIRIGIBLE: How did it get here?
-Defeated Doctorate in first round
-Defeated Veranda in second round
-Carried pancakes

VORTEX: How did it get here?
-Defeated Owl in first round
-Defeated Virgule in second round
-Absorbed pancakes

EDIT: Fixed typos and formatting issues (12:56 AM CST 1/21/11)

Divisions VII/VIII: Round 2

If you're upset that I didn't update last week... Blame Mickey Mouse! At any rate, let's get started with the last of the Round 2 battles!

NOTE: Due to laziness, the entries this session will only be accompanied with a definition from merriam-webster.com because the author is feeling lazy.

Battle 1: Utopia v. Fluff

UTOPIA: an impractical scheme for social improvement

FLUFF: something fluffy

Battle 2: Submarine v. Stop

SUBMARINE: a large sandwich on a long split roll with any of a variety of fillings

STOP: a depression in the face of an animal at the junction of forehead and muzzle

Battle 3: Wish v. Pretzel

WISH: an invocation of good or evil fortune on someone

PRETZEL: a brittle or chewy glazed usually salted slender bread often shaped like a loose knot

Battle 4: Ekklesia v. Pistachio

EKKLESIA: of or relating to a church (Actually the definition of "Ecclesial", since there was no definition for "Ekklesia")

PISTACHIO: a small Asian tree (Pistacia vera) of the cashew family whose drupaceous fruit contains a greenish edible seed; also : its seed 

So, was that so bad? Or do you miss the old way? (This required a lot less effort, so I personally am in favor of it)

Anyway... VOTE!