SHUFFLE 'EM LXVI

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

December, 2025

 

Two unrelated six-letter words with their letters in correct, but not consecutive order are combined in each row of letters below. To solve the puzzle, separate both words. There are no extra letters and each letter is used only once.

 

1. P E A C N T I C I L O N

 

2. T A L E M P G E N E R D

 

3. F P I E R N S O G E N R

 

4. R E W A I N S O D O N W

 

5. C F A N A C D T O L E R

 

Answers:

 

1. PENCIL - action

2. TAMPER - legend

3. FINGER - person

4. REASON - window

5. CANDLE - factor  

CLEVER ENDEAVOR V

Find rhyming synonyms for the two words in each pair.

Ex. HINDER - ADMIT DEFEAT

Ans. IMPEDE - CONCEDE

 

1. OBVIOUS - Basic, essential, natural

2. RAID, First attempt - Stale expression

3. DILIGENT - VAGUE

4. COAX, Flatter - Supervised release from jail

5. FOREVER - HELLISH

6. Find and sign up new people - Assign blame

7. COMMENT - Set off on a journey

8. GET USED TO - SURRENDER

9. ARROGANCE - THE MINIMUM

10. DEAD BODY - Idle, meaningless talk

 

Answers:

 

1. APPARENT - INHERENT

2. FORAY - CLICHE

3. ASSIDUOUS - AMBIGUOUS

4. CAJOLE - PAROLE

5. ETERNAL - INFERNAL

6. RECRUIT - IMPUTE

7. REMARK - EMBARK

8. HABITUATE - CAPITULATE  

9. CONCEIT - AT LEAST

10. CADAVER - PALAVER  

FOODIE EXPRESSIONS III

Answer each clue with an expression containing a type of food or drink.

1. Simple task

2. Intellectual type

3. The best of the best

4. Very controversial subject or issue 

5. Something of little value or importance 

6. Metaphor for an easy, pleasant, care-free life 

7. Person or problem that is very hard to deal with 

8. Troublemaker or corrupt one who spoils it for others

9. Two completely different things that can't be compared

10. Disguise bad news or hard facts by talking about them in a way that makes them softer -  less harsh or painful than they really are

 

Answers:

 

1. Piece of cake

2. Egghead

3. Cream of the crop

4. Hot potato

5. Small potatoes / Hill of beans

6. Bowl of cherries

7. Hard nut to crack

8. Bad apple

9. Apple and oranges

10. Sugarcoat  

EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT IT  II

Answer each clue with a phrase containing a word related to weather.

Ex. Decline or postpone to a later date

Ans. Take a rain check  

 

1. Daydreaming, distracted, unrealistic

 

2. Not feeling well

 

3. Completely unexpected

 

4. Hear about something

 

5. Start a conversation

 

6. Endure a difficult period

 

7. Develop a liking for someone  

 

8. Lack of work, progress, romance, etc. 

 

9. Do something risky, pushing the limits of safety and the law 

 

10. Upstage someone by saying or doing what they were about to say or do

 

11. Recovered from an illness, completely healthy, in perfect working order 

 

 Answers: 

 

1. Head in the clouds

2. Under the weather

3. Out of the blue

4. Get wind of

5. Break the ice

6. Weather a storm

7. Take a shine to

8. Dry spell

9. Sail close to the wind

10. Steal someone's thunder  

11. Right as rain 

The words below are the first half of words made up of two smaller words - but they are not compounds. For example, KID and NAP could be combined to get KIDNAP, but KIDNAP is not a compound word (like BEDROOM), since its two parts are not related. Can you think of the other half of the words below to make them longer - but not compound words? Some of the words may have more than one answer. 

1. DO

2. FOR 

3. EAR

4. ARC

5. ANT

6. LAM

7. BRIE  

8. FLAG 

9. MUST

10. HEAT 

 

(Possible) Answers:

 

1. DOMAIN

2. FORTRESS 

3. EARNEST

4. ARCHIVE

5. ANTELOPE

6. LAMBENT

7. BRIEFEST

8. FLAGRANT

9. MUSTACHE

10. HEATHEN 

TWO OUT OF THREE X

Anagram two of the three words in each clue to get a synonym of the third word.

Ex. NICE, PLAN, SOAR  

Ans. NICE + SOAR = SCENARIO (plan)

 

1. DIVE, PUN, LEG 

2. ID, LASS, NAME 

3. ADD, GAME, NUT 

4. SEE, WASH, CLAN 

5. SCAT, RANT, DEAL 

6. PARE, COAX, USED

 

HINTS:

One of the words to be anagrammed:

1. PUN

2. NAME

3. NUT

4. SEE

5. RANT

6. PARE

 

Answers:

 

1. PUN + LEG = PLUNGE (dive)

2. ID + NAME = MAIDEN (lass)

3. GAME + NUT = AUGMENT (add)

4. SEE + CLAN = CLEANSE (wash)

5. SCAT + RANT = TRANSACT (deal)

6. PARE + USED = PERSUADE (coax)  

Answer each clue with an expression in which every word starts with T.

Ex. Make a comeback

Ans. Turn the tide

 

1. Speak frankly 

2. Capsize, flip over 

3. Reverse a situation 

4. In direct opposition 

5. What you swear to do in court 

6. Speak confidently, but without action 

7. Reprimand, hold accountable for a fault 

8. She sells seashells by the seashore, for one 

 

Answers:

 

1. Talk turkey

2. Turn turtle

3. Turn the tables

4. Toe to toe

5. Tell the truth

6. Talk the talk

7. Take to task

8. Tongue twister