Word Play - Toughie

By solving the definitions below, you will find ten words composed of the abbreviations of 44 elements from the Periodic Table. Each abbreviation is used only once. Example: rage = RA (Radium) + GE (Germanium). Each word uses between three and five elements.

-1. Large semiaquatic rodents of tropical South America
-2. The middle regions of the bodies of arthropods
-3. Having been legally declared financially insolvent
-4. A psychiatric disorder marked by deficits in communication and social interaction
-5. Meddles
-6. Trite, dated, melodramatic, or mawkishly sentimental
-7. A scamp; a scapegrace
-8. To condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful
-9. Descriptive of an extremely thin crack
-10. A specialist assigned to the staff of a diplomatic mission

4. autism = Au(Gold) + Ti(Titanium) + Sm(Samarium)

3. Bankrupt = Ba(Barium) + N(Nitrogen) + Kr(Krypton) + U(Uranium) + Pt(Platinum)

1. capybara = Ca (calcium), P (phosphorus), Y (yttrium), Ba (barium), Ra (radium)

Michele and Koala

LadyK, you've got the word (but it should be plural) and the first two elements correct.

10. attache
at (astatine) ta (tantalum) c (carbon) he (helium)

Yes, manxman!

5. In (Indium) Te (Tellurium) Rf (Rutherfordium) Er (Erbium) Es (Einsteinium)

8. Pr (praseodymium) Os (osmium) Cr (chromium) I (iodine) Be (beryllium)

Proscribe.

1. capybaras = Ca (calcium), P (phosphorus), Yb (ytterbium), Ar (argon), As (arsenic, but no old lace)

7. rascal - ra - radium sc - scandium al - aluminum (or aluminium )

2. Th O Ra Xe S

Thorium
Oxygen
Radium
Xenon
Sulfur

9. H A Ir Li Ne

Hydrogen, Argon, Iridium, Lithium, Neon

Gaaah - having done it, rea;ised I'm wrong - argon is Ar, not A.

Cue, curly, LadyK and Jenny

Sondi (wrong word) and UW (right word), keep trying!

6. corny = Co(cobalt) + Rn(radon) + Y(yttrium)

Well done, Michele!

I was also stuck on 9, being unable to justify A (or perhaps Ha)

Hhmm - could be, Lex - is Hafnium Ha

I'm anxious to see how 'hairline' is the answer.

I have tried everything.

7. rapscallion = RA(radium)P(phosphorus)SC(scandium)AL(aluminium)LI(lithium)O(oxygen)N(nitrogen)

Sorry Redz, wrong word. Keep trying.

#9 starts with Ha

7. scalawag = S(sulfur)CA(calcium)LA(lanthanum)W(tungsten)AG(silver)

Ha
formerly the suggested symbol for the name "hahnium", which was applied variously to two elements, now called dubnium and hassium

Erudite on the part of Mxm and sneaky on the part of Panda Sue!!

Me? Sneaky?

Joan, so close! The word is correct but the first two elements are not.

so, I'm guessing you spell scalawag with a double "L"

7. scallawag = SC(scandium)AL(aluminium)LA(lanthanum)W(tungsten)AG(silver)

That's a hit, Joan!

Why did I think this one was finished? The answer to #9 is Ha/ir/li/ne, but I'm pretty sure you all know that already.

I made this puzzle in 2004. I have the printout of the list of the element abbreviations I used. Ha is definitely on it. I had no idea it had been changed to Db.