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Give Your Lexicon a Shot at Astoria's Drunk Vocabulary Bee

 Astoria Coffee and the Astoria Bookshop are teaming up to host the Drunk Vocab Bee on Saturday.
Astoria Coffee and the Astoria Bookshop are teaming up to host the Drunk Vocab Bee on Saturday.
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DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

ASTORIA — Can you, hic, define "inebriated?"

Wordsmiths will be able to test their skills in Astoria this weekend, as a local coffee shop and the neighborhood bookstore team up to host a "drunk" vocabulary bee.

"Vocabulary is more fun than spelling — it's not just a question of right or wrong," said Lexi Beach, owner of the Astoria Bookshop, which is partnering with coffee house Astoria Coffee on the event Saturday.

She said vocabulary lends itself to potentially sillier responses, and in addition to prizes for the winners, they'll also likely be rewarding contestants who gave the "best wrong answer."

"We want this to be a fun event for everyone," she said.

The contest will be limited to the first 15 participants to sign up.

Contestants will be given a list of words that they'll have to define in writing, before moving onto the spoken rounds, where they'll have 30 seconds to say the definition of their given word. A panel of judges will score their answers.

"A panel of three totally unbiased and incorruptible judges will hand out scores for technical merit and artistic presentation," the Facebook post about the contest reads.

Astoria Coffee will be serving beer and wine, though contestants aren't required to imbibe to compete, organizers said.

The cafe is using the event to test out serving the libations — a departure from its regular caffeine-fueled menu — with a plan to eventually add drinks to its permanent offerings, according to owner Dennis Lee.

"We're doing events to kind of feel out the vibe," he said.

Winners will score prizes, including gift cards to both businesses, according to organizers.

The Drunk Vocab Bee will take place at Astoria Coffee, located at 30-04 30th St., on Saturday, Feb. 7. Participation is limited; competitors will be able to sign up at the cafe starting at 7 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, visit the event's Facebook page.