What does caulk mean?...

TWITTER users were once again left at odds after Wordle’s daily puzzle was revealed as caulk.

But what is its meaning and where did it originate from?

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According to the Cambridge Dictionary, caulk is a material or substance used for filling in the gaps around the edge of something.

Another definition “is a material used to seal joints or seams against leakage in various structures and piping”.

Examples of where a caulk may be used includes a bathroom and a kitchen.

It is the waterproof sealant that can be bought in any DIY store that seals the gaps round the edge of the bath or where a backsplash meets a countertop in the kitchen.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word first appeared in the 14th century meaning "to stop up crevices or cracks”.

The oldest form of caulk consists of materials driven between the seams on wooden boats and ships.

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Traditional caulking materials used fibres of cotton and oakum and were administered with a caulking mallet and a caulking iron. 

In modern terms, caulking is usually used in the building trade and provides thermal insulation, controls water penetration and reduces noise transmission.

The word caulk began trending online as it was revealed to be the answer on Wordle’s daily puzzle for February 16, 2022.

Many disgruntled users on Twitter questioned whether the building term was even real.

One said: “What sort of word is caulk.”

Another added: “The NYT can caulk off.

“What the f**k is a CAULK? At this point the New York Times is just making up words

“Can we give wordle back to the guy who made it for his gf so she could actually have fun playing it and not stress out over these words."

Wordle solutions have been known to cause a stir on social media.

Twitter users take to the site to discuss the not-so-funny spelling of a day's word.

Answers such as "humor" disgruntle some players for using the American spelling of the word.

A puzzle on January 12, 2022 caused similar outrage for ditching the U in favour, with favor being the day's answer.

Previous Wordle answers so far in February 2022 have included:

• February 15, 2022 #241: AROMA
• February 14, 2022 #240: CYNIC
• February 13, 2022 #239:  ROBIN
• February 12, 2022 #238: ULTRA
• February 11, 2022 #237: ULCER
• February 10, 2022 #236: PAUSE
• February 8, 2022 #234: FRAME
• February 7, 2022 #233: ELDER
• February 6, 2022 #232: SKILL
• February 5, 2022 #231: ALOFT
• February 4, 2022 #230: PLEAT
• February 3, 2022 #229: SHARD
• February 2, 2022 #228: MOIST
• February 1, 2022 #227: THOSE