30 Jan 2007

Scrabble tip

If you have a Q and are struggling to pick up a U – here’s a real word that doesn’t need one:

qat
noun
the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis which are chewed like tobacco or used to make tea; has the effect of a euphoric stimulant; “in Yemen kat is used daily by 85{a9f0d31f6175b3e4775e11a66c07db268fb74408d6095f6b46eeec420c0e9f62} of adults”.

aka Khat

Wikipedia:
Bundles of Khat.

Khat (Catha edulis, family Celastraceae, Ge’ez ጫት č̣āt; Arabic: قات), pronounced “cot” and also known as qat, gat, chat, and miraa), is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa. Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, it is a shrub or small tree growing to 5–8 m tall, with evergreen leaves 5–10 cm long and 1–4 cm broad. The flowers are produced on short axillary cymes 4–8 cm long, each flower small, with five white petals. The fruit is an oblong three-valved capsule containing 1–3 seeds.
Khat contains the alkaloid cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant which causes excitement and euphoria. In 1980 the World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence, and the plant has been targeted by anti-drug organizations like the DEA. More…

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