ALTERED STATES IV

The Enigma

November, 2021

NEWROW

In this type of puzzle, a two-letter U.S. state abbreviation in a word is replaced by the abbreviation of a different state. The two letter abbreviation may occur anywhere in the word.

Examples: CANTER - WINTER

                  PROVIDE - PROVOKE

                  SPA - SKY

Many people in _ _ _ _ _ 

Build  _ - _ _ _ _ frame houses,

So the snow will slide off the roof.

 

Answers:

 

MAINE

A-LINE - - - MA becomes AL (Massachusetts - Alabama)

 

That both states have IN (Indiana) inside their names and that both end in NE (Nebraska) is interesting, but co-incidental to the puzzle. 

 

CONSONANTCY V

The Enigma

November, 2021

SCARAB

 

The cuewords in this flat follow consonantcy: The same vowels (C, R, S) are in the same order - with any number of vowels. Can you find the answer words - which also follow consonantcy?

 

I once had some faith in the evening

   news,

But then night after night, it was 

   CRUISE after CRUISE.

They COURSE on the screen, and the

   faith of my youth

Was completely destroyed in the era 

   post-truth.

 

HINTS:

1. The answer words begin with F.

2. The consonants are F, L, S, H, D. 

 

Answers:

 

FALSHOOD

FLASHED 

 

What do the following words have in common? After you get the answer, try to think of a clever title to this puzzle and compare it to the constructor's, which is shown below.

BOOM

PREY

MUON 

FLIER

Answer:

 

1. Each word becomes a new one with the insertion of TT:

 

BOTTOM

PRETTY

MUTTON

FLITTER

 

Credit:

Lynn Lempel (#1-3)

STRIPPED T's

 

The answer words to this flat differ by a single letter. The first answer has five letters, and the second six.

Some people won't eat horsemeat. 

I won't say that they're wrong, 

But when I'm lost and starving,

I'll take my _ _ _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _ _  .

HINT:

Think of a poetic name for a horse.

Answers:

 

STEED   STEWED

 

Credit:

The Enigma

November, 2021

TREESONG 

LETTER BANK XXXVIII

The first answer is a letter bank for the second.

A tax dispute _ _ _ _ _ about the 

   value of our farm.

The _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 's decision could

   create financial harm.

 

HINT: 

Both words begin with A.

 

Answer:

 

AROSE

ASSESSOR

 

Credit:

The Enigma 

November, 2021

BROBBERTY    

This flat was composed by myself (SHMENDRICK) and my daughter-in-law Melissa (SHMENDRICK JR.) and published in the November, 2021 issue of The Enigma. It is under the category of Successive Consonantcy. The three cuewords, BOO, HOO, and RUE represent three words which share alphabetically successive consonants in the same order, with any number of vowels - Y being treated as a vowel

An example of Consonantcy - but not successive consonantcy - would be ACORN, CRAYON, OCARINA - the same consonants - C, R, N - occurring in the same order in all three words.

I was feeling kind of blue,

I wasn't feeling close to you.

We love each other. What could this

   mean?

I think that things have just grown

   routine.

 

The key to more romance?

The BOO for my dejection?

Could it simply be a HOO of true

   affection?

 

Please, my love, return to me;

It may determine what our RUE's to be. 

 

HINT:

Each answer word has four letters.

 

Answers:

 

CURE, DOSE, FATE

LETTER BANK XXXVII

 

The first answer is a letter bank for the second. Use only the letters in the first answer, repeated as necessary, to get the second answer.

 

The Enigma 

November, 2021

LADY MONDEGREEN

I will not let our mother know

You painted her car blue - although,

That greenish shade? I don't know its name.

It may be _ _ _ _ , but I'm no

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ !

 

Answers:

TEAL

TATTLETALE

Can you think of a two-word answer to each clue in which the first word ends in "T" ? In addition, the T can overlap the two words to make a common expression. In the first two clues, the expression made by the overlapping T is related to the original expression. 

1. Babe who never lied

2. Plugged up loo

3. Tim Man's Problem 

 

Answers:

 

1. HONEST RUTH - HONES(T)RUTH 

2. TOILET ISSUE - TOILE(T)ISSUE

3. JOINT RUST - JOIN(T)RUST 

SYNONYM/ANAGRAM CX

PennnyPress Variety Puzzles

April, 2019 (#1-8)

 

The two words in each clue can be anagrammed into one - beginning with the given letter. A hint to the meaning of the anagram is given below the clues.

 

1. SUNNI + POSSE = S

2. RISER + BEVEL = R 

3. PERCH + STAID = D

4. GUISE + TONGS = S

5. DEIGN + UNCLE = I

6. LAMB + NATIVE = A

7. CARVE + LUNAR = V

8. MATH + DECENT = D

9. VANITY + IT = N

10. LURCH + SEEP = S

HINTS:

1. Temporary dismissal from school or work

2. Like some jackets and belts

3. One who assigns police units to trouble spots

4. Idea in a box, perhaps

5. A hot fudge sundae could be one

6. Having mixed feelings about something

7. Ordinary language spoken by the people of a region

8. State of being aloof or coldly objective

9. Creche

10. Burial chamber

Answers:

 

1. SUSPENSION

2. REVERSIBLE

3. DISPATCHER

4. SUGGESTION

5. INDULGENCE

6. AMBIVALENT

7. VERNACULAR

8. DETACHMENT

9. NATIVITY

10. SEPULCHRE

 

 

 

 

QUOTES CLXXVIII

Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed, it is completely honest.

Isaac Asimov

 

It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised; the mosquito is swatted.

 

I'm a person who spends a great deal of his time wondering why he's not happier. I have found that the only thing that does bring you happiness is doing something good for somebody who is incapable of doing it for themselves.

David Letterman

 

Human diversity makes tolerance more than merely a virtue; it makes it a necessity for human survival.

 

Some say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, it may be more likely that it is in fact envy that is the sincerest form of flattery.

Author Unknown

There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.

Will Rogers

 

Having the shortest temper doesn't make you a first responder.

BEYOND in The Enigma, August, 2021

 

 

LA Times Crossword

February 8, 2022

Jeff Stillman

I FELT THE EARTH MOVE

 

What do the underlined letters in each clue have in common, and what could be another clever title for the theme of this puzzle?

AS FAR AS I CAN SEE

PEDAL STEEL GUITAR

DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP

Answer:

 

The underlined letters spell out the names of three continents - Africa, Asia, and Europe. But the letters are not consecutive - they have DRIFTED - leading to the alternate title CONTINENTAL DRIFT.

 

The three words below can be preceded by three related words to make three common expressions. What are the words? 

________ DISASTER

________ QUESTIONS

________ RESOURCES

Answers:

COURT DISASTER

FIELD QUESTIONS 

POOL RESOURCES 

 

The first words, though usually used as nouns naming sports venues, are used here as verbs.

 

Credit:

NY Times Crossword

February 15, 2022

Claire Rimkus

 

NY Times Crossword

February 10, 2022 

August Miller

The same change can by made to each of the letter strings below so that they will make sense. The last clue provides a hint to the change.

 

1. JUIHROW

2. LAREIEXAS

3. AVOCAIOAST

4. YOUIHEMATH

5. TORPEIUBE

6. POLKAIS

7. Attend to details 

EXTRA HINT:

Cross your t's.

Answer to Clue 7: Dot your i's.

 

Answers:

 

If you change each "i" to DOT, the answers will make sense:

 

1. JUDO THROW

2. LAREDO, TEXAS

3.  AVOCADO TOAST

4. YOU DO THE MATH

5. TORPEDO TUBE

6. POLKA DOTS

 

The following three phrases have something in common that is hinted at by the last clue. Can you determine what it is?

1. LIMA BEANS

2. MAMA BEARS

3. TAKES A BEATING

4. Home of the Metropolitan Opera

 

Answer:

 

LINCOLN CENTER - - - ABE is in the (exact) center of each of the clues:

 

1. limA BEans

2. mamA BEars

3. takes A BEating 

 

Credit:

LA Times Crossword

February 7, 2022

Andy Wang and C.C. Burnikel 

TRIPLE HEADERS

How many three-word phrases and names can you think of in which all the words start with the same letter? Eleven are listed below.

(Possible) Answers:

1. World Wide Web

2. Love's Labor Lost

3. Double Dog Dare

4. Out Of Order

5. Chile Con Carne

6. Boston Baked Beans

7. Take To Task

8. Better Business Bureau

9. Civilian Conservation Corps

10. Hubert Horatio Humphrey

11. Social Security System

 

Credit:

1-7: Fred Piscop

TRIPLE HEADERS

SPOONERISMS XXX

The Enigma

October, 2021

The two flats below are Spoonergrams.

1)

My evenings I so often spend

In Lego building with a friend.

Then _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _  we decided that

We'd make a flag, just have it flat. 

Discarded green and gathered blue,

We saved the red, tossed pink ones, too.

But then we saw our fatal flaw -

Some black, some purple, but _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _.

HINT: 

o _ _   n _ _ _ _

n _ _ _   w_ _ _ _

2)

The literary critic tired

Of reading. Otherwise inspired,

He switched instead to catching fish:

He _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ , so he

_ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ .

 

HINT:

h _ _ _ _   b _ _ _ _ 

b _ _ _ _ _   h _ _ _ _

Answers:

 

1. one night

    none white

 

2. hated books

    baited hooks

 

Credit:
1. A. CHEMEM

2. LEXMAN

ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER

Randolph Ross

 

If the clue, One hectic and confusing thing after another, can be answered with THREE-RING CIRCUS, what about ................

1. One melodramatic event after another

2. One blunder after another

3. One unpolished performance after another

4. One musical success after another

5. One destructive event after another

6. One elaborate, but unrealistic, presentation after another

7. One crisis after another - all happening at the same time.

Answers:

 

1. Soap opera

2. Comedy of errors

3. Amateur hour

4. Hit parade

5. Demolition derby

6. Dog and pony show

7. Juggling act

 

The phrases below have something in common. Can you determine what it is? I took exception to the constructor's title of this puzzle. But I thought of a better one, in my opinion. Both are shown below.

1. FULLY ENGAGED

2. PAY ENVELOPE

3. CURLY ENDIVE

4. ODDLY ENOUGH

5. HAPPY ENDING

6. ROTARY ENGINE

7. EARLY ENGLISH

8. ARMY ENGINE

 

Answer:

 

Each phrase conceals the word YEN.

 

Consructor's title: LONG DIVISION

My title: SECRET LONGING

 

Credit:
Harvey Estes 

What do the following words have in common?

SIN

LOT

MEN

CAMP 

Answer:

 

Each word can be changed to a new one by adding US:

 

SINUS

LOTUS

MENUS

CAMPUS 

 

Credit:
Patrick Jordan

What single word can explain what's wrong with the following phrases?

PET PAIL

PEA PLUG

PAD PACK

PADDLE PORE

PEER PUCKER

Answer:

 

STOP - - - parse as three words: 

S (has been changed) TO P

 

SET SAIL

SEA SLUG

SAD SACK

SADDLE SORE

SEER SUCKER

 

Credit:

Paul Coulter

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAZE

Patrick Blindauer (#1-8)

Joseph Appel (#9-11)

 

The phrases below are anagrams for U.S. holidays. Can you unscramble them? The months in which they occur are given as hints below the clues.

 

1. VASE PROS

2. BAD ROYAL

3. CAR SMITHS

4. ANSWERED YAY

5. SAVING KNIGHT

6. PAY DIRT STACKS

7. NEEDY LATVIANS

8. DOUGHY DRAGON

9. WHEEL LOAN 

10. REUSE NASTY AD

11. CANDY NEEDED PINE

 

HINTS:

Months in which the holiday occur

1. April (usually) 

2. September

3. December

4. January

5. November

6. March

7. February

8. February 

9. October 

10. April (usually)

11. July

 

Answers:

 

1. PASSOVER

2. LABOR DAY 

3. CHRISTMAS

4. NEW YEAR'S DAY

5. THANKSGIVING

6. ST. PATRICK'S DAY 

7. VALENTINE'S DAY

8. GROUNDHOG DAY 

9. HALLOWEEN 

10. EASTER SUNDAY

11. INDEPENDENCE DAY 

 

The phrases below conceal related words. Can you spot them?

RUBBERNECKING

THERMAL IMAGING

EXTRA BATTERIES

DON'T QUIT ON ME

HEATHEN SYMBOL

 

Answers:

 

Each phrase conceals a foreign capital:

 

1. rubBERNEcking

2. thermaL IMAging

3. extRA BATteries 

4. don't QUIT On me

5. heATHEN Symbol 

 

Credit:

Alan Olschwang

INNER CITIES 

 

COMMON COMBOS V

Listed below are groups of four unrelated words. Find a word that can either precede or follow each word in each of the groups.

1. COVER, GAIN, ZERO, HOLY

2. BLACK, WHITE, TIME, LIFT

3. STEAM, BLADE, HIGH, PAINT 

4. BUCK, SIDE, ROOM, MEMBER

5. LESS, LIVE, TAP, HAY

6. BRASS, BAND, HIGH, CHECK

7. IRON, SNOW, SOME, OVER

8. BOOK, BITTER, GAME, LIVING

Answers:

 

1. GROUND

2. FACE

3. ROLLER

4. BOARD

5. WIRE

6. HAT

7. TIRE

8. END (End game)

TIME III

The Word's The Thing 

Dr. Louis D. Appel

The answer to each clue will be a word associated with time.

1. Period of a thousand years

2. Previous legal decision that serves as an example

3. Obsolete due to old age or technical advances

4. Forerunner, as in technical equipment

5. Living forever

6. The word to which a pronoun refers

7. Happening or liming within the same time period

8. Happening simultaneously

9. Happening one after the other, as college courses

10. Endless - as life after death 

11. Original condition, unspoiled by time

12. The right of the eldest son to inherit property from his parents  

 

Answers:

 

1. Millennium

2. Precedent

3. Superannuated

4. Precursor

5. Immortality

6. Antecedent

7. Contemporary

8. Concurrent

9. Sequential 

10. Eternal

11. Pristine

12. Primogeniture 

[Specialized Vocabulary]

LETTER BANK XXXVI

The first answer is a letter bank for the second in the two flats below:

1)

When the sommeliers _ _ _ _ _ a rare wine,

The _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ at the tasting is really high.

Everyone wants to try.

2)

The inker had _ _ _ _ for his

   morning meal,

For strength to draw _ _ _ _ _ _ _

   on chest, arm, foot, or heel.

Answers:

 

1. DECANT - ATTENDANCE

2. OATS - TATTOOS

 

Credit:

The Enigma 

October, 2021

BROBBERTY

  

 

Can you re-write the following statement using two different words - one a seven-letter word and the other a six-letter word - the same as the first but with the first letter dropped? 

I gather there were typos in your job summary.

Answer:

I presume there were typos in your resume.

Credit:

The Enigma 

October,  2021

HOOBOY 

SPOONERISMS XXXI

The Enigma

October, 2022

A. Chemem

The two phrases that answer this flat are Spoonerisms. 

My Brother was noted for schemes gone

   awry.

A rabbit farm? Yes. He chose twenty to 

   buy.

Informed by a friend they were does

   every one,

He needed some bucks, but  his funds - 

   he had none.

Though feeling quite guilty, ashamed,

   stole a ONE,

Was caught and arrested, and now

   needs some DONE.

HINT:

m _ _ _  b_ _ _ _ 

b _ _ _  m _ _ _ _

Answers:

 

male bunny

bail money

Can you think of an expression using a body part that is related to the following words?

1. Very loud

2. Eerie

3. Vain

4. Amazing

5. Savory

 

(Possible) Answers:

 

1. Ear-splitting

2. Spine-tingling

3. Chest-thumping

4. Jaw-dropping

5. Mouth-watering

 

Credit:
Wall Street Journal

January 28, 2022

Matt Gaffney 

DOUBLE DUTY CXC

Fill in the blanks with a word that will complete the word beginning on the left and begin the word or partial word ending on the right. The number of blanks indicates the number of missing letters. 

1. US _ _ _ NT

2. ASP _ _ _ _ ER

3. CUR _ _ _ _ AL

4. PLUM _ _ _ AL

5. SURF _ _ _ TIC

6. ROSE _ _ _ GET

7. BAR _ _ _ _ SAY

8. PLEA _ _ _ _ FIRE

9. CURT _ _ _ MENT

10. LOG _ _ _ SESSION

HINTS:

First of the missing letters:

1. A

2. H

3. R

4. M

5. A

6. B

7. G

8. S

9. A

10. J

Answers:

 

1. usAGEnt

2. aspHALTer

3. curRENTal

4. plumMETal

5. surfACEtic

6. roseBUDget

7. barGAINsay

8. pleaSUREfire

9. curtAILment

10. logJAM session

HYBRIDS

Mike Shenk

Wall Street Journal

 

Can you anagram the following phrases to get the names of two animals?

 

1. HEART SMART

2. PACK ANIMAL

3. TAKE UP ARMS

4. NAME CALLED

 

HINTS:

1. Rodent + Rodent

2. Llama-like + Weasel-like 

3. Primate + Rodent

4. Moose-like + Llama-like

Answers:

 

1. RAT + HAMSTER

2. ALPACA + MINK

3. APE + MUSKRAT

4. ELAND + CAMEL

 

AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING XLVI

1. Cashews grow on trees.

2. The Danube River flows through or beside 10 countries.

3. The worker designation "white collar" was coined by author Upton Sinclair.

4. Nauru, an island nation in the South Pacific, is the only country in the world without a capital city.

5. Kempt (neat and clean), Respair (full of hope), Maculate (stained), and Biophilia (love of life) are obscure - but real words.

6. Salmon P. Chase may be the most accomplished politician in our nation's history never to have served as President. Even though he was a governor of and Senator from Ohio, served as Secretary of the Treasury under Abraham Lincoln, and became chief justice of the Supreme Court, Chase is remembered by most people as they guy on the $10,000 bill.

7. The expression "Break a leg" - used to wish an actor or other performer good luck, dates back to Elizabethan times. Instead of applauding, the audience would bang their chairs on the floor. If the show was really good, sometimes the chair legs would break.

8. Buffalo wings get their name not from the buffalo, but from Buffalo, NY, where they originated in the 1960's. 

9. With worldwide album sales exceeding 220 million, Celine Dion is the best-selling female recording artist of all time.

10. There was no December 30, 2011in Samoa when the country moved to the west of the International Date Line, in order to boost trade with nearby Australia and New Zealand.    

 

BE A BETTER ANAGRAMMER LXXXIII

Each word on the left is one letter off from another word - whose initial letter is given at the right. Can you determine the other word?

1. FILET - E

2. VIDEO - A 

3. ORDER - R

4. STEAM - S

5. SPRUCE  - P

6. GOVERN - V

7. TENANT - A

8. ENDIVE - D

9. LUNGE - N

10. BASIC - C 

HINTS:

1. Select  

2. Keep away from

3. Cowboy event

4. Cooking

5. Go after

6. Seller

7. Be present at

8. Sacred

9. Prod

10. Dwelling

Answers:

 

1. ELITE

2. AVOID

3. RODEO

4. SAUTE

5. PURSUE

6. VENDOR

7. ATTEND

8. DIVINE

9. NUDGE

10. CABIN

ODD ONE OUT XXXV

1. Which word is the odd one out and why?

PORT

POSE

PEND

PACT

PRESS

POUND

 

2. Which word is the odd one out and why?

I'D

I'LL

IT'S

CAN'T 

DON'T 

Answers:

 

1. PACT is the odd one out. All the other words can be prefixed by IM and EX. PACT can only be prefixed by IM.

2. DON'T is the odd one out. All the other words would be valid words if the apostrophe were removed. DONT is not a word.

 

The two words answering this flat differ by only a single letter. The first answer word has seven letters, and the second, six. (For the purposes of the puzzle, the "ed" is discounted.)

To resurface my old wooden floor,

I am trying an online paint store.

I put cans in my cart,

But I see with a start

That the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ has _ _ _ _ _ _  ed.

Now I'll need more. 

Answer:

 

VARNISH - VANISHed 

 

Credit:

The Enigma 

October, 2021

HOOBOY 

 Fill in the blanks with a three-word palindrome using the name of an animal.

Q: "Are you part alpaca?"

A: "You insult me!" I _ _   _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ .

Answer:

(I) AM ALL LLAMA

Credit:

The Enigma 

October, 2021

AXIOM 

LETTER BANK XXXV

The word CLIENT is a letter bank for the word INTELLECT because INTELLECT is spelled only with the letters in CLIENT, repeated as necessary. In the flat below, the cueword LAPSE is a letter bank for  ASLEEP. Can you replace LAPSE with a word that is a letter bank for the word that should replace  ASLEEP so that the flat makes sense?

We had a festive family feast;

Discussion topics all were deep.

But one LAPSE seemed quite unaware.

His eyes were closed. Was he ASLEEP?

Answer:

 

COUSIN

UNCONSCIOUS 

 

Credit:
The Enigma

October, 2021

WITZ

The Enigma

NPL Magazine

October, 2021

UCAOIMHU

Can you make sense of this flat?

A bartender served a customer a foul-tasting beer. The customer then threw that BUMP IN THE got at me.

Answer:

The customer then threw that BUM PINT HE got at me.

NY Times Crossword 

February 24, 2022

Jake Halperin

If JOHNNY MNEMONC is a SILENT M MOVIE, what is ...........

 

1. CRUNCH (bar)

2. WIGHT

3. SLOTH

Answers:

 

1. HARD C CANDY

2. LONG I ISLAND

3. CAPITAL S SIN

The phrases below have something in common. Can you determine what it is?

NOBLE GAS 

JUNGLE GYM

MIDDLE GROUND

MISSILE GUIDANCE

PERISHABLE GOODS

 

HINT:

The puzzle title is KNEE DEEP.

 

Answer:

 

The word LEG, in the middle of each phrase, serves as a "joint" between the two words, as the knee serves as a joint in the middle of the leg.

 

nobLE Gas

jungLE Gym

middLE Ground

missLE Guidance

perishabLE Goods

 

Credit:
Harvey Estes 

KNEE DEEP

ADD A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD CLXXXI

Add the designated letter to each word and rearrange the letters to get a new word.

1. ASSET + I

2. STING + E

3. SCARE + O

4. GRIEF + N

5. TREND + A

6. ARSON + G

7. LEASH + S

8. ELOPE + P

9. TORAH + T

10. POISED + E

11. REPEAT + O

12. LATTER + S

13. CARROT + C

14. SILENT + U

15. TUREEN + V

 

HINTS:

1. Rest or nap

2. Swallow

3. Vulgar

4. Body part

5. Enthusiastic

6. Southeast Asian dress

7. Irritating inconvenience

8. Humans

9. Body part

10. One of a series, as on TV

11. Surgeon's skill

12. Scare

13. Farm machine

14. Fork or spoon

15. Risky undertaking

Answers:

 

1. SIESTA 

2. INGEST

3. COARSE

4. FINGER

5. ARDENT

6. SARONG

7. HASSLE

8. PEOPLE

9. THROAT

10. EPISODE

11. OPERATE

12. STARTLE

13. TRACTOR

14. UTENSIL

15. VENTURE

 

The six words below can be changed into new ones by making the same change to each of them. What is the change, and what are the new words?

1. PAY

2. FILE 

3. SALE 

4. TOLE

5. MULE

6. BEING

 

HINT:

The change has to do with inserted letters. 

Answers:

 

Each word can be changed into a new one by inserting DD into it:

 

1. PADDY

2. FIDDLE

3. SADDLE 

4. TODDLE

5. MUDDLE

6. BEDDING

 

Credit:

Patrick Jordan

 

 

The two words that answer this puzzle differ by a single letter - which is in the same position in both words.

Q: How do I make sure every potato _ _ _ _ _ is perfectly round? 

A: I turn them on my _ _ _ _ _ .

 

Answers:

 

LATKE

LATHE 

 

Credit:

The Enigma 

January, 2022

Author Unknown 

MISSING LINKS CCLXXXIX

Each pair or trio of words below shares a Missing Link - that is, its member have something in common, obvious or not. For example, RIVERS, NOSES, & VIOLINS can all have BRIDGES.

1. Horse..........Fashion 

2. Pot..........Maid..........Music

3. Red..........Blue..........Purple

4. Foot..........Fire..........Study

5. New..........Short..........Sound

6. Top..........Deep..........Trade

7. Long..........Game..........Straight

8. Air..........Water..........Egg shells

9. Home..........Visiting..........Dream

10. Engines..........Noses..........Politicians

Answers:

 

1. Sense

2. Chamber

3. States

4. Under

5. Kinds of waves

6. Secret

7. Kinds of faces

8. Metaphorical surfaces you can walk on

9. Kinds of teams

10. They all run.

QUOTES CLXXVII

If the art is concealed, it succeeds.

Ovid

 

Love is so short, forgetting is so long.

Pablo Neruda 

 

People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day. 

Pooh - in Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

 

After all, tomorrow is another day.

Scarlett O'Hara - Last line of the novel and film Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Everybody you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind.

Rex Chapman

 

An unpredicted disaster, even if it has no direct effect on us, shakes our confidence that we are in control of our fate.

Nate Silver

Although I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.

Jesse Owens

 

MIND FLEXERS LXXXV

Answer each clue by matching it with one of the choices below. The relationships are disguised by double meanings and/or altered spacing within words. The choices are in random order.

1. Carol's swimmer

2. Winners' circles

3. Catchy abbreviation

4. Where single people are not allowed  

5. Bunch of Brownies 

6. Go for the bronze

7. How to get to Carnegie Hall

8. Big or Little Dippers

9. Very small additional helpings

10. What the modest pastry chef said about her pudding cake

CHOICES:

a. Ladles

b. APB

c. Troop

d. Microseconds

e. Swan

f. Subway

g. A mere trifle

h. Olympic medals

i. Tan

j. HOV lane

Answers:

 

1. e - Swan (12 Days of Christmas)

2. h - Olympic medals

3. b - APB (All Points Bulletin)

4. j - HOV lane

5. c - Troop

6. i - Tan

7. f - Subway

8. a - Ladles

9. d - Microseconds

10. g - A mere trifle

Credits:

2-4:  Andrew Ries and Caitlin Reid

8-10: Aaron M. Rosenberg

STUMPERS CDXVI

Can you think of two common words that can be synonyms when used as verbs, but antonyms when used as nouns?

 

HINT:

1. The two words and often paired as ______ and ______.

2. C ______ and E______

 

Answers: 

 

CAUSE and EFFECT

 

Credit:

GAMES/World of Puzzles

January, 2022

Michael Hamm 

 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

January, 2022

Michael Strobach

 

Part 1:

There are five state capitals whose first and last letters are also a postal code for another state. Can you name them?

 

Part 2: Can you find the four pairs of state capitals that have the same first and last letters?

 

Answers:

 

Part 1:

ColumbiA - California

MadisoN - Minnesota

NashvillE - Nebraska

SpringfielD - South Dakota

TrentoN - Tennessee

 

Part 2:

AtlantA - AugustA

Baton rougE - BoisE

DenveR - DoveR

PierrE - ProvidencE 

 The answers to the clues below will have something in common.

1. Fit perfectly, completely satisfy (4 words)

2. Film (2 words) 

3. Useful example (3 words)

4. Cameo (2 words)

5. Sound enhancer ( 2 words)

6. Biblical command with "lest ye be")

7. Demand more to be acceptable (3 words)

Answers:

 

1. Suit to a tee

2. Motion picture

3. Case in point

4. Brief appearance

5. Hearing aid

6. Judge not

7. Raise the bar - - - Each answer contains a law (court) - related word. 

 

Credit: David W. Cromer

LEGAL HOLIDAY

 

 

 

How many words can you think of that can follow UNDER THE? Six are listed below.

(Possible) Answers:

UNDER THE ...........

1. Influence

2. Weather

3. Circumstances

4. Table

5. Wire

6. Hood (car) 

 

How many words can you think of that can follow OVER THE? Five are listed below.

 

(Possible) Answers:

 

OVER THE ...........

 

1. Top

2. Years

3. Counter

4. Rainbow

5. Coals (Rake over the coals - Harshly reprimand)

 

 

PANDORA'S BOX

Damien Peterson

 

What do the following words have to do with Pandora Box?

 

FRY

VAIN

BETS

PAGE

WING 

Answer:

 

When the box was opened, the ILLs of the world were released:

 

frILLy

vILLain

bILLets

pILLage

wILLing

 

 

The same three letters, in the same, consecutive order, can be added or inserted into each word below to make a new word. When you find the word, try to think of a clever title for this puzzle and compare it to the constructor's, which is shown below.

1. SEE

2. FAR

3. BAR

4. HEAR

5. FEAR

6. LOAD

HINT:

The three letters make up a word.

Answers: The letters are THE:

 

1. SEE - SEETHE

2. FAR - FATHER

3. BAR - BATHER

4. HEAR - HEATHER

5. FEAR -FEATHER

6. LOAD - LOATHED

 

Credit:
Doug Peterson

FEATURED ARTICLE

 

The answers to the clues below will have something in common.

1. Comment that might be made in the generator room of Hoover Dam.

2. Get on loan from someone or steal it

3. Like a moth approaching a flame

4. What one who favors 3.1415..... might say

5. First performance on TV - informally

6. King of the gods arrives by way of a canal

Answers:

The answers to the clues are palindromes:

1. SO MANY DYNAMOS

2. BORROW OR ROB

3. DRAWN ONWARD

4. I PREFER PI

5. TUBE DEBUT

6. ZEUS ALLA SUEZ

 

Credits:

1-5: Fred Piscop 

6: Joseph Appel

RHYMING RIDDLE ANSWERS XCVI

The answers to each item in the clues will rhyme.

1. Contest with words like "reveille", Like some teas or sodas, Southern cuisine tidbit, Arm of the Mediterranean

2. Area of high and relatively level ground, Secretive, "Well done", Things as they are now condition

3. Where to get your Kix, Categorize simplistically, Receiving government assistance, Graduating from college - for one

4. Kindergarten activity, "Smack my helmet", How you can always reach me, Where people you despise can go

5. Basic facts - metaphorically, Offensive linemen's goals, They can access your private information, P.E. exercise staple

6. Buy - Fix up - Sell activity, , Napa Valley activity - perhaps, Swimming naked

7. Bacon and sausage name, 5:00 a.m. perhaps, Redeemed from hock, Smarts and muscles

8. Big name in pens and lighters in the 70's, Halloween option, Remote sound,Comic's routine 

9. Words like "motel", Celebrated mime, 1890-1910 style of art and architecture, Former Canadian Prime Minister

Answers:

1. Spelling bee, Caffeine-free, Black-eyed pea, Adriatic Sea

 

2. Plateau, Down low, Good show, Status quo

 

3. Cereal bowl, Pigeon-hole, On the dole, Worthy goal

 

4. Show and tell, Ring my bell, Call my cell, Straight to Hell

 

5. Brass tacks, Quarterback sacks, Computer hacks, Jumping jacks

 

6. House flipping, Wine sipping, Skinny dipping

 

7. Farmer John, Crack of dawn, Out of pawn, Brains and brawn

 

8. Bic, Trick, Click, Shtick

 

9. Portmanteau,  Marcel Marceau,  Art Nouveau, Pierre Trudeau

 

Credit:

9: Fred Piscop

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

February 20, 2022

Will Shortz

From each word or phrase below, name a world capital whose name has the same consonants, in the same order, with no other consonants. For example, BERATE - BEIRUT. The consonants B, R, and T in BERATE are in the same order in BEIRUT.

 

1. POROUS

2. LEANED IN

3. DOUBLOON

4. THE NOSE

5. CIRCUS

6. HEAVEN

7. LESBIAN

8. REBOOT

9. PIEROGI

10. BELEAGURED

Answers:

 

1. PARIS

2. LONDON

3. DUBLIN

4. ATHENS

5. CARACAS

6. HAVANA

7. LISBON

8. RABAT

9. PRAGUE

10. BELGRADE

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

February 13, 2022

Hannah Wilson

Presented by Will Shortz 

Think of a boy's name and a girl's name that are pronounced the same, even though they have only two letters in common. And, if you reverse the boys name, phonetically you'll get another girl's name.

HINTS:

1. The boy's name starts with A, and the (first) girl's name starts with E.

2. The two letters they have in common are R and N. 

Answers:

 

AARON - ERIN

NORA

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

February 13, 2022 

Will Shortz

MEDITATION

Each clue below contains clues for two words. Insert the letters OM into the first answer word to get the second. For example, Sprinted - Person form the capital of Italy, the answers would be RAN - ROMAN

 

1. Popular sandwich cookie - Cry form Juliet (2 words)

 

2. Wild Australian dog - Spanish for "Sunday"

 

3. Brontosaurus or Iguanodon, informally - Gamepiece with dots

 

4. Store event with reduced prices - Richard Strauss opera

5. Come into contact with, as with the hand - Oversupply (2 words)

6. Word of appreciation - Star of "Forrest Bump" (2 words)

7. Consist of - Meet someone halfway

Answers:  

 

1. OREO - O ROMEO 

2. DINGO - DOMINGO

3. DINO - DOMINO

4. SALE - SALOME

5. TOUCH - TOO MUCH

6. THANKS - TOM HANKS

7. COMPRISE - COMPROMISE

NY Times Crossword

February 21. 20222

Natalie Murphy

What do the following phrases have in common?

1. Just for kicks

2. Levis blue jeans

3. Family dining room

4. Having said that

5. Going way back 

Hint:

It has to do with the initial letters.

Answer:

 

The initial letters of each word in the phrases are the initials of five U.S. Presidents:

 

1. JFK

2. LBJ

3. FDR

4. HST

5. GWB

HIDDEN PAIRS II

PennyPress Variety Puzzles

October, 2018

 

The pairs below, at first glance, seem unrelated. But, if you look carefully, you will see that each word in the pair contains a hidden word, and these two hidden words are related to each other in some way. For example, in the word pair HUMBLE - MISSING, the hidden related words would be HUM - SING.

 

1. NEWEST - ANAGRAM

2. GREATEST - SARDINES

3. TOPOGRAPHY - VALIDATE

4. GUNFIGHT - FLUORIDATED

5. MICROWAVE - BRAVENESS

6. RELAXATION - CASHEW

7. TODDLERS - SEVENTEENTH

8. GABARDINE - MEADOW

Answers:

 

1. EWE - RAM

2. EAT - DINE

3. TOP - LID

4. FIG - DATE

5. CROW - RAVEN

6. AX - HEW

7. ODD - EVEN

8. DIN - ADO

SYNONYM/ANAGRAM CIX

The two words in each clue can be anagrammed into one - beginning with the given letter. A hint to the meaning of the anagram is given below the clues.

1. COIL + FAINT =F

2. SIGH + BRIBE = G

3. TOIL + SPECK = S

4. TICK + LAPSE = S

5. COUP + RIPEN  = P

6. GLIDE + VIPER = P

7. ARIA + SLUMP = M 

8. SPOUT + TENOR = P

9. LOUSE + SMART = S

 

HINTS:

1. Pretend

2. Gobbledygook

3. Store, en masse

4. Doubtful

5. Animal

6. Having all the advantages

7. One has a joey

8. Ominous

9. Gymnastics move

Answers:

 

1. FICTIONAL

2. GIBBERISH

3. STOCKPILE

4. SKEPTICAL

5. PORCUPINE

6. PRIVILEGED

7. MARSUPIAL

8. PORTENTOUS

9. SOMERSAULT

The clues below can be answered with three-word phrases that have something in common.

1. Do wonders

2. Kansas, in the 1860's

3. Prolonged verbal argument 

4. Take without permission

5. Person tracked by the Guinness Book of World Records 

HINT:

The puzzle title is THE WOW FACTOR.

Answers:

 

Each clue can be answered by a three-word phrase whose initial letters are WOW:

 

1. WALK ON WATER

2. WAY OUT WEST

3. WAR OF WORDS

4. WALTZ OFF WITH

5. WORLD'S OLDEST WOMAN

 

Credit:
Stanley Newman

AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING XLV

1. The name of the game YAHTZEE is derived from the yacht on which its Canadian inventors first played it.

2. The first modern ATM was built by IBM in 1972 for a London bank.

3. In composing the original piano version of his Hungarian Rhapsodies, Franz Liszt deliberately made them so difficult to play that only he could perform them.

4. Ben and Jerry's VERMONSTER sundae has an estimated 14,000 calories. (It starts with twenty scoops of ice cream.) 

5. The Granny Smith apple is named after Maria Ann Smith, the Australian orchardist who originated the apple in the 1860's.

6. John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States, had 15 children - the most of any president. His successor, James K. Polk, had none.

7. James Buchanan is the only U.S. President who never married.

8. Of the 45 U.S. Presidents (counting Grover Cleveland only once), two have died in office (William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor) and four have been assassinated (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy) - a death rate of 13% - making it, statistically, the most dangerous job in the world.

FINE ARTS III

The Word's The Thing

Specialized Vocabulary

Dr. Louis D. Appel

The answer to each clue will be a word related to art, music, dance, or theater.

1. Muse of Music

2. Muse of Dance

3. Dancing, formally 

4. The conductor's stand

5. Actor or actress, formally

6. The conductor's stick or rod

7. The Virgin Mary in paintings

8. Music for a small group of instruments

9. Role of a young, innocent, guile-less girl 

10. Half-steps above and below musical notes

11. An artistic, dramatic, or musical interpretation

12. An eminent conductor, composer, or performer

13. An artist who lives in an unconventional manner 

14. The effect of distance upon the appearance of objects

15. A school devoted to music education and performance. 

16. Different songs or pieces arranged to flow into each other

17. A sequence of steps and movements in dance, especially ballet 

18. A sustained speech given by an actor or actress while alone on stage

19. An abstract composition of mixed, flat objects pasted together on a surface

20. Actor or actress prepared to take the place of another in a given role, if necessary

21. Musical pieces, song, plays, etc. that a performer or company is prepared to perform

22. The print produced by through the use of a flat stone or plate on which a drawing has been made

Answers: 

 

1. Euterpe

2. Terpsichore

3. Orchesis

4. Podium

5. Thespian

6. Baton

7. Madonna

8. Chamber

9. Ingenue

10. Sharps and flats

11. Rendition

12. Maestro

13. Bohemian

14. Perspective

15. Conservatory

16. Medley

17. Choreography

18. Soliloquy

19. Collage

20. Understudy

21. Repertoire

22. Lithograph 

The answers to the clues below will have something in common.

1. A lie

2. Arsonist

3. Cooperstown visitor

4. Mountain in the Alps

5. Paper towel roll center

6. Household electric sockets

7. Modified Halloween activity

8. Region between Mars and Jupiter

9. Emergency "tool" to release steam

10. It blossomed in the Old Testament

 

Answers:

 

1. Falsehood

2. Fire starter

3. Baseball fan

4. Matterhorn

5. Cardboard cylinder

6. Wall plugs

7. Trunk or treat

8. Asteroid belt

9. Escape valve

10. Aaron' rod - - - Each answer contains a word naming a car part. 

 

Credit:
Fred Piscop

ON AUTO 

Fill in the blanks with expressions in the form of _____ and _____ that answer the clues.

1. Childbirth

2. Patriot's words

3. Dr. Spock book

4. Symbols of monarchy

5. Destructive form of agriculture

6. Commuter lot by a bus or train station 

Answers:

 

1. Labor and delivery

2. God and country

3. Baby and Child Care 

4. Orb and Scepter

5. Slash and burn

6. Park and Ride

INFERRED HOMOPHONES I

Joseph Appel

In each sentence below are two words or phrases which can be re-written, by inference, as homophones. For example, in the sentence, I regret spilling punch on that draped Indian dress. ,  "regret" and "draped Indian dress" could be re-written as sorry and sari.

1. He had a secret supply of paper currency.

2. Blocks of gold are no good for making chicken soup. For soup, you need broth.

3. The chef told the little kids, "A cold bird is no substitute for a roasted turkey."

4. Smart alecks will sometimes put on air of intelligence.

5. If the horse ignores the word to stop, a sad story could follow.

6. The lab installed an alarm to prevent access to the poison.

7. Sadly, that brave woman became addicted to a deadly drug.

8. It's rude to say that a mixed, simplified form of English sounds like a bird.

Answers:

1. CACHE - CASH

2. BULLION - BOUILLON

3. CHILDREN - CHILLED WREN

4. WISE GUYS - WISE GUISE

5. WHOA - WOE

6. TOCSIN - TOXIN

7. HEROINE - HEROIN

8. PIDGIN - PIGEON 

 

 

NY Times Crossword

February 3, 2022

Adam Wagner

 

Below are the clues and answers to this very clever puzzle. Can you figure out how the answers make sense with their clues?

 

1. Warm coals - Down jackets

2. Key lime - Moment of truth

3. Goal keepers' kin - Shepherds 

4. One who makes bail, perhaps - Angler

5. Where a sleeping bag may be found - Teacup

6. One for whom libel is a major issue - Dalai Lama

 

HINTS:

Proofreader's reminder

 

Answer:

 

The "l" in each clue should be crossed - to make it a "t" for the clues to make sense with their answers:

 

1. Warm coats - Down jackets

2. Key time - Moment of truth

3. Goat keepers' kin - Shephers

4. One who makes bait, perhaps - Angler

5. Where a steeping bag may be found - Teacup

6. One for whom Tibet is a major issue - Dalai Lama

(HINT: - Cross your T's)