CENTERPIECES II
Credit: GAMES Magazine
March, 2001
Stephen Sniderman

The words below have all been extracted from longer words.  Can you find those longer words by adding one, two, or three letters before and after each of the clue words. STRUM in #1, for example, comes from IN(STRUM)ENT. As a solving aid, the letters you will need appear in random order below the clue words. The letter sets are intact, but the beginning and end of each set are for you to determine. Thus in #1, the letters INENT, which complete INSTRUMENT, could be crossed out.

1. STRUM
2. IDEAS
3. SHONE
4. RELIC
5. THERE
6. FELON
7. HOPED
8. POSTER
9. SEVERE
10. TERSE
11. ANKLE
12. DEMEAN

INENTPREOUSDETMTTHSSLIG
ORTICINCTDISTMISORPEROEAL

 Answers:

1. INSTRUMENT
2. MIDEAST
3. DISHONEST
4. DERELICT
5. ETHEREAL
6. LIFELONG
7. ORTHOPEDIC
8. PREPOSTEROUS
9. PERSEVERED
10. INTERSECT
11. THANKLESS
12. MISDEMEANOR