FILL 'ER UP I
Credit: GAMES Magazine
May, 1999
Stephen Sniderman

Each word below can be expanded into a new one by inserting two or three letters. That expanded word can be expanded yet again into another new word by inserting two or three more letters. The letter pairs and trios are shown below, and each one will be used only once. They may be inserted anywhere in the shorter words, but the letters stay together and in the same order.

For example, in the clue

CARS     C _ _ _  _S          C _ _ _ _ _ _ S, the answer would be

CARS     CARESS            CARELESS   (carESs - careLEss) -

the letters ES being inserted in CARS (after the R) forming CARESS, and the letters LE being  inserted in CARESS (after the E) forming CARELESS.

VE     EC     TI     MA     LI     CE     ISH
YG     OV    RS    DE      XE    AM      PRI

1. REAL        R _ _ _ _L              R_ _ _ _ _ _ L
2. PAN           P _ _ _ N                P _ _ _ _ _ N
3. RENT        R _ _ _ _ T             R _ _ _ _ _ _ T
4. ON             O _ _ N                  O_ _ _ _ N
5. REND        R _ _ _ _ D            R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D
6. PRINCE     P_ _ _ _ _ _ E        P_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E
7. FED           F _ _ _ _ D             F _ _ _ _ _ _ D

Answers:

1. reVEal - reveRSal
2. pECan - peLIcan
3. reCEnt - reTIcent
4. oXEn - oxYGen
5. reMAnd - rePRImand
6. prOVince - proviDEnce
7. fISHed - fAMished