Because there just ain’t enough madness in our world – let’s pick the best sound effect ever!
The brackets were named in honor of favorite sound effects of the Dope, and based on the categories given in Steven Glazier’s Word Menu (one of the most useful reference books ever put together for writing puzzles). It’s impossible to seed something like this, so I just tried to get a good cross-section then did the match-ups alphabetically.
Since this is obviously completely arbitrary, you can use whatever criteria amuses you to make your choices.
Voting for Round I will remain open until 7 PM EDT Monday June 16th.
The MEH bracket (actual sounds)
Beep vs. Zing
Buzz vs. Yikes
Chirp vs. Whizz
Eek vs. Varoom
Fizz vs. Tweet
Hiccup vs. Splat
Mewl vs. Quack
Oink vs. Ping
The WHOOSH bracket (descriptions of sounds)
Bleep vs. Zoom
Crackle vs. Yodel
Croon vs. Whinny
Drone vs. Twang
Flutter vs. Thunk
Gurgle vs. Sizzle
Hush vs. Screech
Jangle vs. Neigh
The SQUEE bracket (speech sounds)
Babble vs. Yowl
Bluster vs. Whimper
Cackle vs. Twitter
Grumble vs. Squeal
Guffaw vs. Snicker
Hoot vs. Quibble
Jabber vs. Prattle
Murmur vs. Natter
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Aargh vs. Zzzzz
Achoo vs. Whomp
Boing vs. Va-va-voom
Ding-dong vs. Ugh
Erf vs. Thunk
Floosh vs. Oof
Fweet vs. Ka-ching
Grr vs. Harrumph
The MEH bracket (actual sounds)
Beep (Naturally – I’m an IT guy)
Yikes
Chirp
Eek
Fizz
Hiccup
Quack (and no one knows why)
Ping
The WHOOSH bracket (descriptions of sounds)
Zoom
Crackle (and a tasty treat!)
Croon
Drone
Flutter
Sizzle
Hush
Jangle
The SQUEE bracket (speech sounds)
Babble
Whimper (oh, why couldn’t we have had a category with “bang” vs “whimper”???)
Cackle
Grumble
Snicker
Quibble
Prattle
Murmur (I ain’t no nabob)
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Aargh
Whomp
Boing
Ugh
Thunk
Oof
Ka-ching
Harrumph
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Zzzzz
Whomp
Boing
Ding-dong
Thunk (Why’s Thunk in here twice? Is it the Harpsichord Effect? :D)
Floosh
Ka-ching
Grr
The MEH bracket (actual sounds)
Beep vs. Zing
Buzz vs. Yikes
Chirp vs. Whizz
Eek vs. Varoom
Fizz vs. Tweet
Hiccup vs. Splat
Mewl vs. Quack
Oink vs. Ping
The WHOOSH bracket (descriptions of sounds)
Bleep vs. Zoom
Crackle vs. Yodel
Croon vs. Whinny
Drone vs. Twang
Flutter vs. Thunk
Gurgle vs. Sizzle
Hush vs. Screech
Jangle vs. Neigh
The SQUEE bracket (speech sounds)
Babble vs. Yowl
Bluster vs. Whimper-- I refuse to decide!
Cackle vs. Twitter
Grumble vs. Squeal
Guffaw vs. Snicker
Hoot vs. Quibble
Jabber vs. Prattle
Murmur vs. Natter
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Aargh vs. Zzzzz
Achoo vs. Whomp
Boing vs. Va-va-voom
Ding-dong vs. Ugh
Erf vs. Thunk
Floosh vs. Oof
Fweet vs. Ka-ching
Grr vs. Harrumph
The MEH bracket (actual sounds)
Zing
Yikes
Whizz (freakin’ chirping cell phones will be the death of my sanity)
Eek (genuinly a hard choice)
Tweet
Splat
Quack
Ping
The WHOOSH bracket (descriptions of sounds)
Zoom
Crackle
Croon
Twang
Thunk
Sizzle
Screech
Jangle The SQUEE bracket (speech sounds)
Babble
Bluster
Cackle
Grumble
Snicker
Quibble
Jabber
Murmur
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Aargh
Whomp
Va-va-voom
Ugh
Thunk
Oof
Ka-ching
Harrumph
The MEH bracket (actual sounds)
Beep vs. Zing
**Buzz **vs. Yikes
Chirp vs. Whizz
**Eek **vs. Varoom
Fizz vs. Tweet
Hiccup vs. Splat
Mewl vs. Quack Oink vs. Ping
The WHOOSH bracket (descriptions of sounds) Bleep vs. Zoom Crackle vs. Yodel Croon vs. Whinny
Drone vs. Twang
Flutter vs. Thunk Gurgle vs. Sizzle
Hush vs. Screech Jangle vs. Neigh
The SQUEE bracket (speech sounds) Babble vs. Yowl
Bluster vs. Whimper
Cackle vs.** Twitter**
Grumble vs. Squeal
Guffaw vs. Snicker Hoot vs. Quibble
Jabber vs. Prattle
Murmur vs. Natter
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects) Aargh vs. Zzzzz
Achoo vs. Whomp
Boing vs. Va-va-voom Ding-dong vs. Ugh
Erf vs. Thunk
Floosh vs. Oof Fweet vs. Ka-ching
Grr vs. Harrumph
So far a few tight races and a lot of clear favorites. Vote now if you’re a fan of mewl, gurgle, bluster, or floosh, because they’re all getting creamed in their respective brackets.
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Zzzzz
Achoo
Boing
Ding-dong
Thunk
Floosh
Ka-ching
Harrumph
****I have to admit, my reaction to some of these is along the lines of “this is a real sound effect description/spelling used by someone?”
The MEH bracket (actual sounds)
Beep vs. Zing
Buzz vs. Yikes
Chirp vs. Whizz
Eek vs. Varoom
Fizz vs. Tweet
Hiccup vs. Splat
Mewl vs. Quack
Oink vs. Ping
The WHOOSH bracket (descriptions of sounds)
Bleep vs. Zoom
Crackle vs. Yodel
Croon vs. Whinny
Drone vs. Twang
Flutter vs. Thunk
Gurgle vs. Sizzle
Hush vs. Screech
Jangle vs. Neigh
The SQUEE bracket (speech sounds)
Babble vs. Yowl
Bluster vs. Whimper
Cackle vs. Twitter
Grumble vs. Squeal
Guffaw vs. Snicker
Hoot vs. Quibble
Jabber vs. Prattle
Murmur vs. Natter
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Aargh vs. Zzzzz
Achoo vs. Whomp
Boing vs. Va-va-voom
Ding-dong vs. Ugh
Erf vs. Thunk
Floosh vs. Oof
Fweet vs. Ka-ching
Grr vs. Harrumph
The MEH bracket (actual sounds)
Beep vs. Zing (5/6)
Buzz vs. Yikes (6/5)
Chirp vs. Whizz (7/4)
Eek vs. Varoom (7/4)
Fizz vs. Tweet (7/4)
Hiccup vs. Splat (2/9)
Mewl vs. Quack (2/9)
Oink vs. Ping (6/5)
The WHOOSH bracket (descriptions of sounds)
Bleep vs. Zoom (5/6)
Crackle vs. Yodel (6/5)
Croon vs. Whinny (6/5)
Drone vs. Twang (2/9)
Flutter vs. Thunk (3/8) <see note>
Gurgle vs. Sizzle (1/10)
Hush vs. Screech (4/7)
Jangle vs. Neigh (6/5)
The SQUEE bracket (speech sounds)
Babble vs. Yowl (8/3)
Bluster vs. Whimper (2/8/1 abstention)
Cackle vs. Twitter (8/3)
Grumble vs. Squeal (4/7)
Guffaw vs. Snicker (3/8)
Hoot vs. Quibble (8/3)
Jabber vs. Prattle (7/4)
Murmur vs. Natter (9/2)
The TWEE bracket (comic sound effects)
Aargh vs. Zzzzz (7/4)
Achoo vs. Whomp (4/7)
Boing vs. Va-va-voom (7/4)
Ding-dong vs. Ugh (7/4)
Erf vs. Thunk (1/10) <see note>
Floosh vs. Oof (2/9)
Fweet vs. Ka-ching (1/10)
Grr vs. Harrumph (2/9)
Note: I mistakenly put “thunk” in twice, once in the Whoosh bracket and once in the Twee bracket. It won both matchups, but one of them needs to come out so we don’t end up with it battling itself at some point, so I gave the Whoosh matchup to Flutter (which got 3 votes to Thunk’s 8), and let the Twee matchup go to Thunk (10 votes to Erf’s 1).
