CRYPTO CLUES CLXXXXVIII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

May, 2025 (1-4)

GAMES/World of Puzzles

August, 2025 

Fred Piscop (5-6)

Bob Stigger (7-8)

GAMES editors: (9) 

 

1. Restaurants get new faces

 

2. Hand out Kleenex after commencement (beheadment)

 

3. My tales I transcribe with passion 

 

4. Recess for heartless medical examiner (missing letter)

 

5. Scoundrel with an accent (but not at first) [beheadment]

 

6. Moth infests violin section 

 

7. Abandons desolate areas (stressonym)

 

8. Car manufacturer somewhat automates labor 

 

9. Inexperienced bovine holds everything (container)

 

Answers:

 

1. CAFES (faces)

2. ISSUE (TISSUE)  

3. STEAMILY (my tales I)

4. CORNER (CORONER)  

5. ROGUE (BROGUE)

6. INSECT (violIN SECTion) 

7. DESERTS

8. TESLA (automaTES LAbor)

9. CALLOW (C ALL OW) 

 

 

MISSING LINKS CCLVIII

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

1. Star..........Bill..........Switch

2. Take..........Talk..........Team 

3. Hair..........Steam..........State 

4. Line..........Post..........Tender

5. Service..........Stick..........Read

6. Seat..........Number..........Stand  

7. Fence..........Blanket..........Chair 

8. Eggs..........Roses..........Doughnuts 

9. Blue..........Red..........Lead..........Grease

10. Letter..........Charge..........Girl..........Story 

Answers:

1. Board

2. Double

3. Words that can be preceded by "Head of"

4. Goal

5. Lip

6. Words that can be preceded by "Take a"

7. Electric

8. Things that are commonly bought by the dozen

9. Kinds of pencils

10. Cover  

 

Credit:

3: Michael Torch  

DROP A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD CXVIII

GAMES/World of Puzzles

August, 2025

Bob Stigger (1-5)

 

Drop one letter from each word and re-arrange the remaining letters to form six related words.

 

1. ALOFT

2. LOGIC

3. TABOO

4. ALFREDO

5. SUPPLIER

 

Drop one letter from each word and re-arrange the remaining letters to form five new words. The new words are not related.

 

6. ORANGE

7. BROWSE

8. CELERY

9. WINTER

10. ELAPSE 

 

Answers:

 

1. FLAT

2. CLOG

3. BOOT

4. LOAFER

5. SLIPPER - - - Footwear

 

6. ANGER

7. SOBER

8. LEERY

9. INERT

10. SEPAL  

 

  

PERFECT PAIRINGS XIII

Joseph Appel

 

Each clue can be re-phrased using wordplay - especially synonyms and homographs - to make a common phrase in the form of _______ and _______. For example, FELINE and CURSOR MOVER could be re-phrased as CAT and MOUSE.  

 

1. Ascensions and descensions

2. Adheres and rocks

3. Truth and pretend 

4. Money and bear 

5. Strike and an unmarried woman 

6. Fifty and thirteen on the U.S. Flag 

7. Present time and past time

8. Petroleum and acetic acid 

9. Sliced and dehydrated 

10. Saliva and burnish

 

Answers:

 

1. Ups and downs

2. Sticks and stones 

3. Fact and fiction

4. Cash and carry

5. Hit and miss 

6. Stars and stripes 

7. Now and then 

8. Oil and vinegar 

9. Cut and dried 

10. Spit and polish 

 

 

  

ODD ONE OUT LXIV

In this puzzle, either of two things can be the odd one out - depending on the context.

Example: AQUA, HAZEL, WILLOW, CHERRY, 

                WILLOW is the odd one out because it's not a color, but AQUA is also the odd one out because it's not a tree. 

 

1. PRINCE, DOUBLE, QUEEN, KING

 

2. CAT, SWORD, HAMSTER, DOG

 

3. LILY, JANE, TULIP, ROSE

 

4. ONE, TWO, BLUE, THREE

 

5. A TOYOTA, CIVIC,  MADAM, DODGE

 

6. SCARECROW, TIN MAN, MUNCHKINS, BUDDHA

 

Answers:

 

1. PRINCE because it's not a bed and DOUBLE because it's not a person of royalty

 

2. SWORD because it's not an animal and HAMSTER because it's not a fish

 

3. JANE because it's not a flower and TULIP because it's not a girl's name

 

4. BLUE because it's not a number and THREE because it doesn't have a homophone

 

5. MADAM because it's not a car and DODGE because it's not a palindrome

 

6. BUDDHA because he wasn't in The Wizard of Oz and MUNCHKINS because they weren't seeking anything*

 

*BUDDHA was seeking enlightenment.  

 

Anagram the two words below into common phrases in the form of ______ and ______. 

1. VIDEO LOG

2. SEE IMPACT

3. REBATE OFFER

4. PERSONAL PAGES 

 

HINT 1:

1. G_____ and _____

2. S_____ and _____

3. B_____ and _____

4. A_____ and _____

 

HINT 2:

1. G_____ and E_____

2. S_____ and T_____

3. B_____ and A_____

4. P_____ and O_____ 

 

Answers:

 

1. Good and Evil

2. Space and Time

3. Before and After

4. Apples and Oranges  

 

THREE RHYMING RIDDLES

1. Have a meal on a moon of Jupiter,

    Then join us together, if you're able,

    To make one found on a kind of table.

 

2. We are guards of a precious gate,

     Sometimes curved and sometimes straight.

     Some are brown and some are black,

     We always defend, but never attack.

 

3. Should a question arise,

    To learn I do strive.

    But if you change my first,

    Into anger I burst. 

 

Answers:

 

1. IO + DINE = IODINE (an element found on the Periodic Table)

 

2. EYELASHES

 

3. CURIOUS / FURIOUS