FAMOUS DOGS

Can you name the dogs featured in these movies, books, TV shows, or comics?

1. The Thin Man 

2. Peter Pan

3. The Call of the Wild

4. The Big Red Dog

5. The Wizard of Oz

6. I Love Lucy

7. Dick and Jane

8. Huge Great Dane

9. Garfield

10. Dilbert

11. Beetle Bailey

12. Superman 

13. RCA ads

Answers:

 

1. Asta

2. Nana

3. Buck

4. Clifford

5. Toto

6. Fred

7. Spot 

8. Marmakuke

9. Odie

10. Dogbert

11. Otto

12. Krypto 

13. Nipper 

COMMON COMBOS XVII

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. SAW, GARAGE, SHELL, BRASS

2. TOP, TOOTH, EAR, RUN

3. WORM, KEY, MASTER, TOSS

4. DAY, HOLD, BUCK, THINK

5. BOARD, TIME, FREE, BENCH

Answers:

 

1. BAND

2. DOG

3. RING

4. FAST

5, PRESS

CHAIN WORDS VII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

November, 2019

 

Beginning with NORTH, join these twelve words into a chain. The word that follows each entry will do at least one of the following:

1. Rhyme with it

2. Have the same meaning

3. Have one different letter

 

Faint     Value      Stein      Swing

Pivot     North     Vague    Taint

Stain     Swine    Divot     Worth 

Answer:

 

North > Worth  Value  Vague  Faint  Taint

Stain  Stein  Swine  Swing  Pivot  Divot

 

MISSING TRIOS XVII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

November, 2019

 

In each numbered group, fill in the same three letters to complete a seven, six, five, four, and three-letter word. The letters may be filled in in any order and are different for each group. 

1. S _ _ RRO _

    U _ _ _ RD

     S _ _ _ N

      S _ _ _

        _ _ _

2. FIN _ N _ _

    BL _ _ _ H

     S _ _ _ E

      _ _ G _

       _ _ _

3. _ _ CH _ NE

     _ TO _ _ C

     _ _ _GE

      _ _ _L

      _ _ _

4. P _ O _ _ LE

     _ _ GU _ E

     G _ _ E _

       _ _ _ T

        _ _ _

5. CR_ _ T _ L

    _ H _ GG _

      _ E _ _ T

       E _ _ _

         _ _ _

6. N _ _ _ MAN

     LO _ _ _ T

      _ HR _ _

       _ I _ _

        _ _ _

Answers:

 

1)

The letters are PAW:

     SPARROW

      UPWARD

       SPAWN

        SWAP

         PAW 

 

2. The letters are ACE:

           FINANCE

           BLEACH

            SCARE

             CAGE

              ACE 

 

3. The letters are AIM:

         MACHINE

          ATOMIC

           IMAGE

            MAIL

             AIM 

 

4.  The letters are FIR:

           PROFILE

            FIGURE

             GRIEF

              RIFT

               FIR 

 

5. The letters are SAY:

          CRYSTAL

           SHAGGY

             YEAST

              EASY

               SAY 

 

6. The letters are SEW:

       NEWSMAN

         LOWEST

          SHREW

            WISE 

             SEW

TRADE OFF VII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

November, 2019

The answers to the two clues in each line below are six-letter words that differ by only one letter, which is given. For example, given

Nook partner  _ _ _ _ N _     _ _ _ _ K _  Grouchy,

the answer words would be 

                     CRANNY       CRANKY

 

1. Create  _ _ _ _ N _     _ _ _ _ R _   Flip over 

2. Gooey  _ _ I _ _ _      _ _ O _ _ _   Thick-set  

3. Distress _ _ _ _ _ Y   _ _ _ _ _ L    Dreary

4. Taste  _ A _ _ _ _      _ I _ _ _ _     Not complex

5. Steady  _ _ _ B _ _   _ _ _ P _ _     Paper fastener

6. Humor  _ _ _ _ D _    _ _ _ _ L _    Attractive

7. Repartee  B _ _ _ _ _    C _ _ _ _ _  Simple gallop

8. Explore  _ E _ _ _ _     _ T _ _ _ _   Laundry item

Answers:

 

1. INVENT - INVERT

2. STICKY - STOCKY

3. DISMAY - DISMAL

4. SAMPLE - SIMPLE

5. STABLE - STAPLE

6. COMEDY - COMELY

7. BANTER - CANTER

8. SEARCH - STARCH 

 

 

JOKES

Reader's Digest 

October, 2020 

Submitted by Richard Hoffman

While in paratrooper training school, I asked the instructor, "What happens if the parachute doesn't open?" "Son," he said, "this parachute was made by the U.S. government. It's guaranteed. If it doesn't open, just bring it back and we'll give you a new one - no questions asked." 

************************** 

Reader's Digest

September, 2020

Submitted by Betty Alexander

A kindergarten teacher was telling her class about different kinds of animals. 

"Whales are the largest," she said, "but they cannot swallow people, because their throats are too small."

"But in the Bible it says that Jonah was swallowed by a whale." said a little girl. 

"You can't always believe what you read," the teacher replied.

"Well, when I go to Heaven," said the little girl, "I'll ask Jonah."

"And what if Jonah didn't go to heaven?"

"Then you can ask him."

********************************

Reader's Digest

October, 2020

Submitted by Cheryl Strickland

 

My dad, a pastor, was attending a national Nazarene convention when a woman pointed to an empty seat next to him and asked, "Is this seat saved"?  Dad replied, "No, but we're praying for it."

*********************************

Reader's Digest

Deember/January, 2022

Every year I spell Hanukkah differently, but it's always right.

 

HANUKKAH Explained 

Imagine your cell phone battery was on 10% and it lasted for eight days. Now you understand Chanukah.

 

 

 

LA Times Crossword

October 30, 2022 

Christina Iverson

What do the following words have in common?

1. TEXTBOOK

2. GRAPHIC

3. COURT

4. SCALE

5. UNION

6. FOR

Each word can be followed a related word that means an example of something.

Answers:

 

1. Textbook example 

2. Graphic illustration

3. Court case

4. Scale model

5. Union representative

6. For instance

INFERRED HOMOPHONES VIII

Joseph Appel

 

In each sentence below are two words or phrases that can be re-written, by inference, as homophones. For example, in the sentence, The synagogue singer loved to ride his horse at a lively gait. , synagogue singer and lively gait could be re-written as cantor and canter.

1. The newspaper blurbs for the wood-shaping tool offered a great deal.

2. The guy who stole that hay bundle is out of jail on bond.

3. No church law talks about a piece of wheeled artillery.

 

4. The grand exploit he described was meant as a joke. 

5. The ball that went out of bounds almost hit a bird flying by.

 

6. They found that scoundrel hiding in the central part of the church.

 

7. The guest at the shared-lodging inn were very unfriendly to newcomers.

 

8. The cars were parked so close together that getting dings was inevitable.

 

9. The military officer ordered his men to count every unit on an ear of corn as a punishment

 

10. It was sad that the man did not make enough money to afford the burial vessel he wanted for his father.

Answers:

 

1. ADS - ADZE

2. BALE - BAIL

3. CANON - CANNON

4. GEST - JEST

5. FOUL - FOWL

6. KNAVE - NAVE

7. HOSTEL - HOSTILE

8. DENSE - DENTS 

9. COLONEL - KERNEL

10. EARN - URN

DROP A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD LXV

FAMILY REUNIONS

GAMES/World of Puzzles

September, 2022

Regis Modesta

 

Drop one letter from each word below and re-arrange the remaining letters to get a new word. The new words will have something in common. 

 

1. DEIST

2. SHIFT

3. BRACE

4. FEWER 

5. RAKISH

6. AWHILE

7. GALENA

8. DESTROY

HINTS:

Letters to be dropped:

1. S

2. T

3. E

4. W

5. I

6. I

7. N

8. D 

Answers:

 

1. TIDE

2. FISH

3. CRAB

4. REEF 

5. SHARK

6. WHALE

7. ALGAE

8. OYSTER - - - All ocean dwellers

 

 

LA Times Crossword

October 28, 2022

Wendy L. Brandes

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

 

1. PEN 

2. LEG

3. MET

4. SPIN

5. PRIM

6. SAND

7.GLOB

8. Favorite time of school day for both students and teachers 

 

Answer to Clue 8:

DISMISSAL

 

Answer to Clues 1-7:

Each of the clue words would be a new word when followed by AL: (PENAL, PRIMAL, GLOBAL, etc). So, to get the clue words, you DISMISS AL.

 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

September, 2022

John J. Catalano

 

What do the following words have in common? 

EASE

POSE

PATCH

SOLVE

LODGE

TRIBUTE

Answer:  

 

Preceding each word with DIS changes it to a new one:

 

DISEASE

DISPOSE

DISPATCH

DISSLOVE

DISLODGE

DISTRIBUTE

Wall Street Journal Crossword

October 17, 2022 

Naomi Klarreich and Daniel Shapiro

MENTAL GYMNASTICS

 

1. Snacks for Simone Biles 

2. What Simone Biles might use to cut metal

3. Where Simone Biles might keep her gold medals

4. Where Simone Biles might testify in support of legislation

 

Answers:

 

1. Granola BARS

2. Laser BEAM

3. Bank VAULT

4. Senate FLOOR 

What do the following letter strings have in common?

1. EDO

2. ERAN

3. VICT

4. TOR

5. ATIC

6. EREE

 

Answer:

 

They can follow three-letter words such that the three-letter word is the informal form of the longer word:

 

1. TUXedo

2. VETeran

3. CONvict

4. DOCtor

5. FANatic

6. REFeree

 

Credit: 

GAMES Magazine

May, 1989

Stephen Sniderman

 

 

 

 

LA Times Crossword

October 27, 2022 

Michael Lieberman

The four clues below have something in common that is hinted at by the fifth clue. Can you determine what it is?

1. IN THE BAG

2. SWAP PLACES

3. LATE SLEEPERS

4. THE END IS NEAR

5. Matters left to settle

HINT: 

Partial names:

 

Answer to Clue 5:

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

 

Answers to Clues 1-4: 

Each clue contains the name of a business - but short by one letter:

1. in thE BAb - EBAY

2. swAP PLaces - APPLE

3. laTE SLeepers - TESLA

4. the enD IS NEar - DISNEY

 

 

Wall Street Journal Crossword

October 15-16, 2022

Zhouqin Burnikel

(Title shown below)

 

The same change can be made to each of the following words to get new ones. Can you determine the change?

 

ANT

PAT

POT

PORT

ANNA

 

HINTS:

1. The change involves the same three letters.

2. BIT and KIT could be added to the list.

 

Answer:

 

The letters (word) TEN can be added or inserted somewhere in each word to change it into a new one: 

 

TENANT

PATENT

POTENT

PORTENT

ANTENNA 

(BITTEN/KITTEN)

Puzzle title: PERFECT GAME

 

RHYMING RIDDLE ANSWERS CI

The answers to each item in the clues will rhyme.

1. Wanting to know, Extremely angry, Not what it purports to be 

2. Jim Dandy to the _____, Hardy grass,  Romanian dictator 1967-89

3. Have enough money for, Agreement, On a train, Loved deeply

4. Arrest, One of the deadly sins, Nerve (idiomatically), Fair

5. Oppose, Demand, Deep pit or huge gap, Sign up for military service

6. Careless mistake, Ransack, Torn apart, Think about something

7. Two-for-one feature, Beatles classic, Massacre site 300 Lakota Indians by the U.S. Army, Narcissist's creed

8. Below the expected standard,  Rather strange, Require more to qualify, What you might say in a huge parking lot

Answers:

1. Curious, Furious, Spurious

2. Rescue, Fescue, Ceausescu 

3. Afford, Accord, Aboard, Adored

4. Bust, Lust, Crust, Just

5. Resist, Insist, Abyss, Enlist

6. Blunder, Plunder, Asunder, Wonder

7. Get one free, Let It Be, Wounded Knee, "It's all about me."

8. Not up to par,  A bit bizarre, Raise the bar, "Where's my car?"

 

 

BE A BETTER ANAGRAMMER XCVII

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. STOIC - T

2. AMUSE - P

3. THICK - I

4. SPRING - S

5. STUPOR - U 

6. WISDOM  - D

7. HECTIC - C

8. COZIEST - S

HINTS:

1. Poisonous

2. Delay

3. Scratchy

4. Hidden gunner

5. Move from home or a familiar place

6. Renounce 

7. Over-used phrase

8. Organization formed for a particular purpose

Answers:

 

1. TOXIC

2. PAUSE

3. ITCHY

4. SNIPER

5. UPROOT

6. DISOWN

7. CLICHE

8. SOCIETY

FLEXERS XCIX

Answer each clue by matching it with one of the choices below. The choices are in random order. Wordplay is fair play.

1. Ear part

2. Headlock

3. First place

4. Birthday suit

5. Cabinet maker 

6. Imported wheels

7. Award-winning simian

8. KN for an English major

9. Question with a ring to it

10. Make dough from scratch 

CHOICES:

a. Cheeses

b. Original skin

c. Proposal

d. Tress

e. Win the lottery

f. Kernel

g. Prize monkey

h. Eden

i. Heart of Darkness 

j. POTUS

 

Answers:

 

1. f - Kernel (ear of corn)

2. d - Tress

3. h - Eden

4. b - Original skin

5. j - POTUS (President of the U.S.)

6. a - Cheeses

7. g - Prize monkey

8. i - Heart of Darkness (novel)

9. c - Proposal

10. e - Win the lottery

 

Credits:

5: J. Lee

8: Bob Stigger

9. Joe Rodini

10. Rafael Musa

QUOTES CXLIV

I feel we are all islands  - in a common sea.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

The innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time. 

William Butler Yeats

The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.

Edwin Schlossberg

 

America is a series of moral panics held together by freeways.

Sarah Marshall

 

Every author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach.

Samuel Johnson

 

I have a confidence now that comes from a combination of years of experience and not caring anymore.

Alton Brown

 

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.

Bertrand Russell 

They say that every generation is defined by a great struggle. Our kids will never know there was a time you had to choose between being on the Internet or being on the phone.

Hasan Minhaj

 

Wordplay response to to age-old query, "Are we there yet?": "We are  here, which is eighty percent of the way to there."

WITZ in The Enigma 

July, 2022

 

If you put away the clean laundry on the same day that you wash it, you should put that on your resume. 

@abbyhasissues 

STUMPERS CDXXXIX

GAMES Magazine

June, 1985

 

A certain three-letter word appears twice - both times spelled backward - in a certain nine-letter sports word. The longer word (which is not a proper name) happens to be the place where the shorter words compete. Name both words.

 

Answer:

 

CAR - RACETRACK

 

 

CRYPTO CLUES XIII

GAMES Magazine

June, 1985

Combined: 

Toni Green/Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Each clue is a cryptic crossword contains two parts: a definition of the answer and a second description of it through wordplay. Finding the dividing point between the two parts is the key to solving. Watch for anagrams, second definitions, words "containing " other words, homophones, and other language tricks.

1. Burden's on you and me. 

2. Best gem captivates Tim.

3. Crash diets to become trends.

4. Corn I planted in twisty path.

5. Fastener for any pets if restless. 

6. Groom chose rare thoroughbred.

7. Buck keeps part of leg in hiding.

8. Vision problem? Yes, retina's damaged. 

9. Desecrating shrine will get you a black eye.

10. Charm a stubborn beast with the end of a carrot

11. Mixed up downhill racer conceals irritated mood.

Answers:

1. ONUS 

2. OPTIMAL (OPtimAL)

3. TIDES (anagram)

4. MAIZE (maze)

5. SAFETY PIN (anagram of any pets if)

6. RACEHORSE (chose rare)

7. STASHING (STAshinG)

8. EYESTRAIN (anagram of yes, retina)

9. SHINER (anagram of SHRINE)

10. AMULET (2nd definition of CHARM)

11. SHUFFLED (ShuffLED)

 

IN OTHER WORDS VII

GAMES/World of Puzzles

September, 2022

Stephen Sniderman

 

The five clue words in each set below are derived from an answer word that's made up of at least nine letters, none of which are repeated. The letters of each clue word appear in the answer word in correct left-to-right order, though not necessarily consecutively. For example:

 

Given the set of words: COLT, COMPLY, EXIT, MET, PITY - - - the answer word would be COMPLEXITY - - - which contains all the given words in correct left-to-right order. One word in each set appears in the answer word intact (EXIT in this example). The intact words are given as hints below the clues. Can you determine the answer word for each set?

1. FORT, MIST, RUNE, SORE, STUN

2. HOP, LIFE, PIER, SIT, SOFTER

3. LAW, LIGHT, PAY, RIG,WIT

4. ERA, MOST, MUSE, SET, STRAP

5. NOW, OWL, SOAK, SOFA, WAKE

6. AMOS, ASP, HER, MOPE, TOPIC

HINTS:

The clue words appearing intact in the answer words are:

1. FORT

2. HOP

3. RIG

4. TRAP

5. NOW

6. HER

Answers:

 

1. MISFORTUNE

2. SHOPLIFTER

3. PLAYWRIGHT

4. MOUSETRAP 

5. SNOWFLAKE

6. ATMOSPHERIC

INCOGNITO V

GAMES/World of Puzzles

September, 2022

Stephen Sniderman

The answer words in this puzzle have cleverly disguised themselves as (sometimes nonsensical) two-word phrases. Your mission is to reveal their true identities by changing only two letters per phrase - one in the first word and one in the second word - and eliminating the space. For example, FRED BENT (#1 below) becomes FREQUENT if you change the D to Q in the first word and the B to U in the second word - and eliminate the space.

The newly transformed letter in the second word of one phrase is the same letter you'll need to insert in the first word of the  phrase that follows it. Thus one letter of THOR (#2 below) will be replaced by a U. 

1. FRED BENT

2. THOR GUTLESS

3. EAR AWARE

4. REF EMOTION

5. AREA MOLE

6. UNCUT TOYING

7. BEGOT FATE

8. ERR ELEGANTLY

9. RESOLUTION ARK

10. SKI PACKING

11. BIG SAM

12. SALT KING

13. RAW ORBACH

 

Answers:

 

1. FREQUENT

2. THOUGHTLESS

3. HARDWARE

4. REDEMPTION

5. PREAMBLE

6. UNBUTTONING

7. NEGOTIATE

8. IRRELEVANTLY

9. REVOLUTIONARY

10. SKYJACKING 

11. WIGWAM

12. WALTZING

13. RAZORBACK 

LOGICAL THINKING XVI

Reader's Digest 

July/August, 2020

Matt is a bit odd. He likes only certain things. Can you figure out one of the things he likes, based on the information below? 

Matt likes gum, but not mints.

He likes cotton, but not wool.

He likes crystal but  not quartz

He likes medicine, but not doctors

He likes the beach, but not the ocean.

Answer:

 

Matt likes different kinds of balls:

Gumball

Cotton ball

Crystal ball

Medicine ball

Beach ball

NY Times Crossword I

October 23, 2022

Daniel Bodily and Jeff Chen

 

The first three clues in each set below lead to an answer that is hinted at by the fourth clue in the set. The answers only make sense according to a certain pattern. Can you figure out what's going on?

 

Set I

1. Prefix meaning "against"

2. A long search for something 

3. Metals in the earth

4. Shops peddling collectibles

 

Set II

1. "Look" - in Spanish

2. Short for an ancient queen of Egypt

3. Pleasant

4. Historic hockey upset

Set III

1. Clothing

2. Well along in years

3. Baseball refs

4. Waste disposal locations

Answers to the first three clues in each set:

 

Set I

1. ANTI

2. QUEST

3. ORES

 

Set II 

1. MIRA

2. CLEO

3. NICE

 

Set III 

1. GARB

2. AGED

3. UMPS 

 

Answers to Clue 4 in each set:

 

Set I : ANTIQUE STORES

Set II: MIRACLE ON ICE

Set III: GARBAGE DUMPS 

 

Explanation: Run the first three answer words in each set together and space appropriately to get the answer to the fourth clue.

 

STUMPERS CDXXXVIII

Name a five-letter country whose name becomes a dance when its two vowels are switched.

HINT: 

It's an island nation.

 

Answer:

 

TONGA (TANGO) 

 

Credit:

Joe Rodini 

What do all of the following words have in common?

ALONE 

ASH

ATE

DUCT

LATE

ODE

OUT

RIDGE

ROAD

SENT 

SOLVE

HINT:

The same two letters will change each word into a new one.

Answer:

 

Each word can be preceded by AB to make a new word:

 

ABALONE

ABASH

ABATE

ABDUCT

ABLATE

ABODE

ABOUT

ABRIDGE

ABROAD

ABSENT 

ABSOLVE

 

 

 

 

 

How many familiar expressions can you think of containing the word WRONG - such as, "Sorry, wrong number"? Seven are listed below.

(Possible) Answers:

1. What's wrong with this picture?"

2. Barking up the wrong tree

3. Backing the wrong horse

4. Wrong Way Corrigan

5. Two wrongs don't make a right.

6. Be in the wrong place at the wrong time 

7. Be on the wrong side of the law

 

Credit:

GAMES Magazine

March/April, 1979

Henry Hook (1-4)

MISTEAKS

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XVII

March/April, 1979

Will Shortz

APRIL FOOLS

 

PART I

How many fill-in-the blank expressions can you think of to which the answer is NOTHING? Tweny-four are listed below.

PART II

How many questions can you think of to which the answer is NOTHING? Ten are listed below.

PART I (Possible) Answers:

1. _____ to it

2. Good for _____ 

3. Here goes _____

4. To say _____ of

5. Come to _____

6. Have _____ to do with

7. Leave _____ to chance

8. Leave _____ on the table

9. Leave _____ behind

10. Leave _____ to the imagination

11. Is _____ sacred?

12. Thanks for _____

13. Double or _____

14. _____ new under the sun

15. _____ to worry about

16. Take _____ for granted

17. In _____ flat

18. Better than_____

19. _____ doing

20. "I have _____ to wear."

21. Much Ado About _____

22. _____ succeeds like success

23. _____ ventured, _____ gained 

24. What's more fun than _____ (you name it)?

 

PART II (Possible) Answers:

 

1. What did Lady Godiva wear?

2. Answer to "What are you doing?"

3. What does an amnesiac remember?

4. What are the contents of the null set?

5. What's in the middle of a doughnut?

6. What's an anagram for NIGHT ON?

7. What's certain besides death and taxes?

8. What moves faster than the speed of light?

9. What did Old Mother Hubbard find in her cupboard?

10. What was the Emperor wearing in The Emperor's New Clothes?

 

 

ANTIGRAMS XIII

Can you find an anagram for DRY HEAT that means essentially the opposite?

Answer:

HYDRATE

Credit:

The Enigma

NPL Magazine

July, 2022

LEXMAN 

STUMPERS CDXXXVII

Fill in the blanks with the same four letters to get two common words.

_ _ _ _ H
_ _ _ _ T

HINT:

The first word has one syllable, the second word has two.

Answers:

 

REACH

REACT

 

AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING LXX

1. A ten-gallon hat holds three quarts.

2. French fries were invented in Belgium.

3. Catgut isn't made from cats; it's made from sheep.

4. When asked, most people say their favorite color is blue.

6. Walt Disney himself was the original voice of Mickey Mouse.

7. Orchids don't need soil to grow. Thefy get nutrients from the air.

8. Japan has the most vending machines per capita than any country in the world. 

9. Koala bears aren't bears. They're marsupials - animals that carry their young in a pouch.

10. The seven deadly sins (pride, lust, envy, anger, greed, gluttony, and sloth) are all bad, but theologians reserve a special place for pride, as the deadliest of the seven - the root of all evil and the beginning of all sin.

ADD A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD CXCVI

Add the designated letter to each word and re-arrange the letters to form a new word.

1. VAIN + I

2. SLIDE + P

3. THICK + S

4. SERVE + A

5. CHIDE + N

6. TEASE + N

7. CERISE + N

8. AMUSE + S

9. DAUNT + A

10. GRINCH + A 

 

HINTS:

1. Innocent

2. Make disappear

3. Showy, but shallow stuff

4. Disinclined

5. Crept slowly forward

6. House cousin

7. Genuine

8. Take for granted

9. Far northern region

10. Regret, shame

Answers:

 

1. NAIVE

2. DISPEL

3. KITSCH

4. AVERSE

5. INCHED

6. SENATE

7. SINCERE

8. ASSUME

9. TUNDRA

10. CHAGRIN

What do the following words have in common that has nothing to do with their meanings?

PIES

WARD

ACHES

 

HINTS:

1. Each word can be changed by the same two letters.

2. The same two letters precede each word.

 

Answer:

 

Each word can be changed to a new one when preceded by CO:

 

COPIES

COWARD

COACHES 

 

Credit:

Wall Street Journal Crossword

October 5, 2022

Mike Shenk

HOLDING COMPANIES 

INFERRED ANAGRAMS XVIII

Joseph Appel

Each sentence below contains two words or phrases which can be expressed in a different way such that the rephrased versions are anagrams of each other. For example,

As one grows older, hopefully he becomes wise.

 

The two related anagrams, by inference, would be AGES (grows older) and SAGE (wise).

 

1. They highly praise water-based paint.

 

2. A basic sewing need has been in very short supply.

 

3. Keeping the house neat was a  matter of pride to her.

 

4. Each unit that was to let had an animal horn on the door. 

 

5. The screenplay was altered to make it more racially inclusive.

6. She had such a keen eye that she noticed the one flaw in the sculpture.

7. The poet used his artistic freedom to recite a poem which included a pause without sound.

8. After yelling for help to be rescued, his voice was raspy when he managed to reach the beach.

9. Smoke will put bees into a kind of stupor that will stop them from gathering flower secretions.

 

10. Some politicians celebrate victory with a lot of hullabaloo, while others prefer more understated festivities.

 

Answers:

 

1. EXALT - LATEX

2. THREAD - DEARTH

3. TIDYING - DIGNITY

4. RENTAL - ANTLER

5. REVISED - DIVERSE

6. ASTUTE - STATUE

7. LICENSE - SILENCE

8. HOARSE - ASHORE

9. TRANCE - NECTAR

10. BLUSTER - SUBTLER 

 

NY Times Crossword

October 11, 2022

Ailee Yoshida (1-4)

 

What do the following words have in common?

 

1. Star

2. Pretty

3. Good

4. Rockin'

5. Lazy

6. Brown

7. Spinning

8. Compass 

Answers:

 

Each answer word can be followed by a feminine name to make a familiar phrase:

 

1. Star Lily

2. Pretty Penny

3. Good Faith

4. Rockin' Robin (1958 song)

5. Lazy Susan

6. Brown Betty

7. Spinning Jenny

8. Compass Rose

 

 

STRESSONYM

Can you think of an eight-letter, three-syllable word that, pronounced with the accent on the first syllable means "hid away", and with the accent on the second syllable means "released - as a substance".

Answer:

SECRETED

 

LA Times Crossword

October 18, 2022

Annie Walker (1-4)  

 

The answers to the clues below will have something in common, but  the common property does not relate to the meanings of the answers. Can you determine the common property?

1. Noon to 1:00 p.m. at a diner

 

2. What you might do on a cold night with a short blanket

 

3. A reserve of money used for illegal purposes, especially political bribery 

4. Peanuts, pretzels, fish and chips -  in a London bar

5. Dull, monotonous, mundane 

6. Choice at a door

 

7. Single payment, rather than an annuity

Answers:

 

1. LUNCH RUSH

2. SCRUNCH UP

3. SLUSH FUND

4. PUB GRUB

5. HUMDRUM

6. PUSH/PULL

7. LUMP SUM

 

What the answers have in common:

 

"U" is the only vowel used in the answer words.

NY Times Crossword

October 18, 2022

Dan Schoenholz

 

The three phrases below have something in common that has to do with four individual letters in each phrase. 

1. IF I'M BEING HONEST

2. RESERVE ONE'S SPOT

3. AND MAKE IT SNAPPY

 

HINTS:

A. The four letters reflect the meaning of their phrase. 

B. Abbreviations

Answers:

 

1. If i'M being HOnest - IMHO - In My Humble Opinion

 

2. ReSerVe one's sPot - RSVP - ReSpondez s'il Vous Plait

 

3. And make it SnAPpy - ASAP - As Soon As Possible

LITTLE DEVILS

GAMES Magazine

April, 1990

Lori Zlatkin

 

How many words can you think of that begin with IMP, such that the added letters form a valid word in themselves. For example, IMP + ROVING = IMPROVING is acceptable. But IMP + EDE = IMPEDE is not - because EDE is not a word.  The hints below give the first of the added letters in the 10 words we found.

HINTS:

First of the added letters:

1. A

2. L

3. L

4. A

5. L

6. A

7. E

8. R

9. A

10. A

 

(Possible) Answers - in any order: 

1. IMPALE

2. IMPLYING

3. IMPLORE

4. IMPAIR

5. IMPLODE

6. IMPACT

7. IMPEND

8. IMPROPER

9. IMPART

10. IMPASSES

 

 

 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XVI

March, 1990

Will Shortz

 

Each word below contains a doubled letter. Change this to a new doubled letter to form a new word. For example, STUBBY would change to STUFFY.

1. Willow

2. Arrest

3. Bullet

4. Grille

5. Cotton

6. Oddish

7. Dazzle

8. Accord

9. Sudden

10. Preppy

11. Choose

12. Allure

13. Missay

14. Assent

15. Puddle

Answers:

 

1. Willow - Winnow

2. Arrest - Attest

3. Bullet - Buffet

4. Grille - Grippe (influenza)

5. Cotton - Common

6. Oddish - Offish

7. Dazzle - Dabble/Dapple

8. Accord - Afford

9. Sudden - Sullen

10. Preppy - Pretty

11. Choose - Cheese

12. Allure - Assure

13. Missay - Midday

14. Assent - Accent

15. Puddle - Puzzle

WORDLINGS

GAMES Magazine

February/March, 1990

Lori Zlatkin

The suffix" -LING means "small," "young," or "insignificant," as in words like "duckling," "seedling," and "weakling." With this in mind, we've come up with new meanings for a number of words ending in LING. For example, a minor Hollywood actor would be a STARLING. Can you guess the right word for each new definition below?

1. A short farm worker

2. A devalued dollar

3. A cut-rate doctor's bill

4. A mongrel pup

5. Petite clothes

6. A small knotted ribbon

7. An arrest for a small infraction

8. A ultra-tiny blood-sucking insect

9. A small amount of iron corrosion

Answers:

 

1. Handling

2. Buckling

3. Feeling

4. Curling

5. Garbling

6. Rustling

7. Bowling

8. Bustling

9. Tickling

 

FOUR-MID-ABLE IV

GAMES Magazine

December, 1986

Bernie Cosell

The letter strings below consist of four letters which appear consecutively in common, uncapitalized, single words. What are the words? For example, given the letters THTU, the answer word would be BATHTUB. This is a difficult puzzle, and hints to the answer words are given below the clues.

1. XOPH

2. AGHE

3. UCUM

4. AILU

5. ETTU

HINTS:

1. Music

2. Pasta

3. Vegetable

4. Turkey, slangily 

5. Vegetable

Answers:

 

1. SAXOPHONE

2. SPAGHETTI

3. CUCUMBER

4. FAILURE

5. LETTUCE

 

CRYPTO CLUES XII

Cryptic clues 1-3 use hidden words to disguise the answers. Clues 4-7 use anagrams. Clue 8-9 use homophones. Clues 10-11 use containments.

1. Universal sauce

2. Klingon's limitless jargon

3. Stick with terrific linguine ingredient

4. Began work with dietician 

5. The rain ruined cook's headgear

6. Lacrimal secretions from alien predators

7. Drop from the sky? Better heat up car

8. Underwrites math functions

9. Relations with colonists overheard

10. Following a backward meeting in the emergency room

11. Cast embracing pastry treat is unexpected ("cast" as in throw)

Anwers:

 

1. SALSA (univerSAL SAuce)

 

2. LINGO (kLINGOn [

   (dropping first and last letters = limitless) 

 

3. CLING (terrifiC LINGuini)

 

4.  INITIATED (dietician)

 

5. HAIR NET (the rain)

 

6. TEARDROPS ( predators)

 

7. PARACHUTE (heat up car) 

 

8. COSIGNS (cosines) 

 

9. AUNTS (ants)

 

10. RETINUE (unite in ER)

 

11. STARTLING (tart in sling) 

 

Credit:

GAMES Magazine

February, 1998

Combined:

Todd Rew

Harvey Estes

 

QUOTES CXLIII

Author: Ann Landers

Problems are inevitable. Misery is a choice.

Being interested is more important than being interesting.

Never let an opportunity pass to give a well-deserved compliment.

Maturity is the ability to live in peace with what we cannot change.

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. 

In the end, it's not what you do for your children, but what you've taught them to do for themselves.

One out of four people in this country is mentally unbalanced. Think of your three closest friends. If they seem OK, you're the one.

Fill in the first blank with a five-letter word. Drop the first and last letters of this word to fill in the second blank with the remaining three-letter word. 

I stole a LONG in Peru,

I did it as a sport.

It wasn't very smart to do

As now I'm on the SHORT.

 

Answers:

 

I stole a LLAMA in Peru,

I did it as a sport.

It wasn't very smart to do

As now I'm on the LAM.

 

Credit:

The Engma

July, 2022

FAIRFAX FRANCIE 

Either of TWO words will answer this flat. One of the words has three letters, and the other has four, for a total of four letters. 

He said he'd be true.

It was but a TWO.

 

Answer:

 

LI(N)E

 

Credit:

The Enigma

July, 2022

ALF 

The two answer words to this flat differ by a single letter. With the exception of this letter, the two words are reversals of each other. 

Her clothes looked so _______

I thought she was a _______.

But her attire was trendy,

Her money spent at Fendi.

 

Answer:

 

RAGGED - BEGGAR

 

Credit:

The Enigma

 NPL Magazine

July, 2022

TYGER 

Fill in the fist blank with a seven-letter word. For the second blank, reverse the word and change one letter.

If Kenya shared a landmass with both Portugal and Spain, then someone hailing form ________ could be called ________.

HINT:

The first answer is the capital city of Kenya. 

Answer:

 

NAIROBI - IBERIAN

 

Credit:

The Enigma 

NPL Magazine

July, 2022

AXIOM 

SIX RIDDLES 

1. What does the future hold for glass coffins?

2. What was the man's complain about the soup du jour?

3. What's the difference between a hippo and a matchstick?

4. What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet?

5. If you have a bee in your hand, what do you have in your eye?

6. What did the sign by the cash register in the used record store say?

7. What happened to the guy who sued the airline for his lost luggage?

8. What did the psychiatrist tell his patient who dreamed he was drowning in an ocean of orange soda? 

Answers:

1. Remains to be seen

2. He said, "I've had soup du jour before, and this isn't it."

3. A hippo is really heavy, but a matchstick is a little lighter.

4. "SUPPLIES!"

5. Beauty (Beauty is in the eye of the bee holder.)

6. All Sales Vinyl

7. He lost his case.

8. "It's just a Fanta sea." 

STUMPERS CDXXXVI

From Reader's Digest

May, 2022

 

________ spelled backward is what you do when you take them out of the oven.

Answer:

 

MUFFINS - - - SNIFF UM

 

 

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

October 16, 2022

Will Shortz (modified)

 

Each word on the left can be paired with one of the words on the right so that each pair has something in common. The common property is found by changing each word of the pair in the same way.

 

1. DRILL              SHALL

2. LATKE             CHARTER

3. BLUSH            VENUES

4. SCORN            TAUNT

5. MARKS           BANDANA

6. STATUE           BERET

7. PREACH          TAUNT

8. CLOSEST        STAGE

9. FEATHER        POUND

Answer - Part I:

These are the pairings: What do they have in common?

1. DRILL - STAGE

2. LATKE - POUND

3. BLUSH - CHARTER

4. SCORN - BERET

5. MARKS - VENUES

6. STATUE - COUNTRY

7. PREACH - BANDANA

8. CLOSEST - SHALL

9. FEATHER - TAUNT

Answer - Part II:

If you drop a single letter from each word of the pair, you are left with two words that are in the same category.

1. DILL - SAGE - - - herbs

2. LAKE - POND

3. BUSH - CARTER - - - U.S. Presidents

4. CORN - BEET

5. MARS - VENUS

6. STATE - COUNTY

7. PEACH - BANANA

8. CLOSET - HALL - - - rooms

9. FATHER - AUNT - - - family members

 

COMMON COMBOS XVI

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. HALL, AGE, BY, ION

2. RUG, REST, GRAY, CODE

3. CLASS, TASK, MIND, RING

4. HORSE, BALL, POP, HOUSE

5. FAMILY, NAMES, MARRIED, DAY

 

Answers:

 

1. PASS

2. AREA

3. MASTER

4. FLY

5. NAME 

What do all of these words have in common?

ASTER

CARD

CORD

COUNT

CHARGE

CONCERT

 

Answer:

 

Each word becomes a new one when preceded by DIS:

 

DISASTER

DISCARD

DISCORD

DISCOUNT

DISCHARGE

DISCONCERT 

 

Credit:

GAMES/World of Puzzles

September, 2022

John J. Catalano 

 

ICY CITY

The Enigma 

Golden Sphinx Bits

June, 2022

SCARAB

The two answer words to this flat follow the pattern of CITY / ICY in that the first answer has one more letter than the second. Otherwise, all the letters are the same. CITY stands for a nine-letter word.

"Somelier! This isn't pretty!"

"I'm right here, sir. Don't raise your

   voice."

"A fly is crawling up my CITY!"

"It's ICY, sir. It has no choice."

Answers:

 

A fly is crawling up my WINEGLASS.

It's WINGLESS, sir. It has no choice.

SYNONYM/ANAGRAM CXXX

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

February, 2019/January, 2020

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. RUN + LATE = N

2. CAP + BOLE = P

3. YET + LIAR = R 

4. SILK + SEEN = L

5. COLD + RAIN = I

6. LION + TIGER = L

7. MINE + TRENCH = E

8. FERN + DEMURE = R

9. REEL + ACCEPT = R

10. YIELD + FEINT = D

11. ARGON + MOM = M

12. PRONE + SCROD = C

13. CAMEL + CABIN = M

14. COMIC + PLANE = C

 

HINTS:

1. The N in PRNDL

2. Sugar pill, perhaps

3. It may be virtual

4. Similarity

5. Impenetrable

6. Hanging around suspiciously

7. Improvement, enhancement

8. Public vote on a single issue

9. Trash can, for one

10. Positively

11. RLS is one

12. Write letters to someone

13. Kind of engineer

14. Acting in accordance to a request or demand 

 

Answers:

 

1. NEUTRAL

2. PLACEBO

3. REALITY

4. LIKENESS

5. IRONCLAD

6. LOITERING

7. ENRICHMENT

8. REFERENDUM

9. RECEPTACLE

10. DEFINITELY

11. MONOGRAM

12. CORRESPOND

13. MECHANICAL

14. COMPLIANCE 

 

FOUR-MID-ABLE III

The letter strings below consist of three or four letters which appear consecutively in common, uncapitalized, single words. What are the words? Example: Given SGUS, the answer word would be DISGUST. This is a difficult puzzle, and hints to the answer words are given below the clues.

 

1. WBO

2. WBE

3. RWO

4. BST

5. MPH

6. TOPU

7. UMNU

8. WESO

9. NOSA

 

HINTS:

1. Watercraft

2. Fruit

3. Excessive hours at the job

4. Fish

5. Stress

6. Fish

7. School graduate

8. Very impressive

9. A thesaurus is not one

 

Answers:

 

1. ROWBOAT

2. STRAWBERRY

3. OVERWORK

4. LOBSTER

5. EMPHASIS

6. OCTOPUS

7. ALUMNUS

8. AWESOME

9. DINOSAUR 

Credits:

1-5: GAMES Magazine

        November/December, 1978

        George Bredehorn

6-9: GAMES Magazine

        December, 1986

        Bernie Cosell