LOGICAL THINKING XXXVII

GAMES Magazine

December, 1983

David Diefendorf

Aunt Hildegarde has oddly fickle tastes. They change based upon the letter structure of the name of the relative she has most recently visited. For example, if she just visited Aunt Pearl, she would prefer chandeliers to lamps, football to soccer, and potatoes to yams - - - because she prefers things that contain parts of the body. Aunt Pearl's name contains an EAR - similarly, cHANDeliers, FOOTball, and potaTOES.

1. Can you determine Aunt Hildegarde's preferences after a visit to Aunt Louella?

Cinnamon or curry?

Brahms or Beethoven?

Wetsuits or bikinis?

Bananas or apples?

Piercings or tattoos?

2. Can you determine Aunt Hildegarde's preferences after a visit to Aunt Mary?

 

Prune or apricot?

Squid or octopus?

Centuries or decades?

Handyman or janitor?

Councilman or mayor? 

Answers:

 

1. Cinnamon, Beethoven, bikinis, bananas, tattoos: (LoueLLa)

    Aunt Hildegarde prefers words that use the same letter three times.

 

2. Apricot, octopus, decades, janitor, mayor: (MARy)

    Aunt Hildegarde likes words in which the first three letters are the same as the fist three letters of months of the year (APRil, OCTober, etc.)