PAIRS AND SNARES XLIV

The words in each group can be confused. Can you give a simple definition of each one that shows the difference between them?

1. ANNUALS - PERENNIALS

2. GOURMAND - GOURMET

3. INCREDIBLE - INCREDULOUS

4. COLLABORATE - CORROBORATE

5. DISINTERESTED - UNINTERESTED  

Answers: 

1. ANNUALS - Flowering plants that complete their entire life cycle in one growing season and die

    PERENNIALS - Flowering plants that bloom season after season

 

2. GOURMAND - A lover of food and drink who focuses more on large portions than on the finer points of eating / glutton

    GOURMET - A connoisseur of food and drink who values quality, taste, and the refined elements of food, wine,  and dining

 

3. INCREDIBLE - Describing things or events that are hard to believe

    INCREDULOUS - Describing people who are experiencing disbelief 

 

4. COLLABORATE - To work together with others on a project or goal 

    CORROBORATE - To confirm or back up a statement, theory, or claim with supporting evidence

 

5. DISINTERESTED - Objective and impartial, having no personal stake or bias in an outcome - as a third party in a dispute

   UNINTERESTED - Bored, indifferent, not paying attention 

FAMILY TIES XLII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

November, 2025

 

Each group below contains four unrelated words. Without changing the order of the letters, change one letter in each of the words in each of the groups to get four related words. 

 

1. Spender.....Slip.....Shinny.....This

2. Spill.....Balm.....Quilt.....Peach

3. Pact.....Loaf.....Staff.....Dram

4. Ace.....Risen.....Nature.....Glow 

5. Plum.....Rung.....Shopper.....Fork  

6. Path.....Cow.....Sledge.....Premise

 

Answers:

 

1. Slender, Slim, Skinny, Thin

2. Still, Calm, Quiet, Peace

3. Pack, Load, Stuff, Cram

4. Age, Ripen, Mature, Grow

5. Plug, Bung, Stopper, Cork

6. Oath, Vow, Pledge, Promise  

 

COMPLETE-A-WORD XXX

Fill in the dashes with the 4-letter answers to the clues to complete 7-letter words. 

1. Dwindle                      _ R _ _ GL _

2. Litter's smallest          P _ _ DE _ _  

3. Goatee site                 _ US _ _ O N

4. Feeling, sense            _ IS_ _ L _

    (informally)

 

5. Unaccompanied         CO _ _ G _ _

 

6. Lenient                      _ MB _ _ S _ 

 

7. Not that                     _ _ _ R _ TY

 

8. Depose                      T _ _ RI _ _

 

9. Predominant             I _ _ G _ _ E

 

10. Melee                     _ AI _ W _ _ 

 

Answers:

 

1. WANE - WRANGLE

2. RUNT - PRUDENT

3. CHIN - CUSHION

4. VIBE - VISIBLE

5. LONE - COLOGNE

6. EASY - EMBASSY

7. THIS - THIRSTY

8. OUST - TOURIST

9. MAIN - IMAGINE

10. FRAY - FAIRWAY  

MISSING LINKS CCXXXI

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. Sea..........Car..........Air

2. Nap..........Trip..........Play 

3. Saw..........Land..........Talk 

4. Ice..........Rule..........Circuit 

5. Tight..........Front..........Taxi

6. Chain..........Block..........Call

7. Sound..........Fast..........Inside

8. Stitch..........Store..........Letter 

9. Rock..........Music..........Medicine 

10. Entrance..........Legal..........Transfer 

 

Answers:

 

1. Port

2. Power

3. Table

4. Breaker

5. Water

6. Kinds of letters

7. Track

8. Chain

9. Folk

10. Kinds of fees  

 

Credit:

9: Gene Louise De Vera 

 

MISSING TRIOS CXII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

Volume 141 (1)

February, 2025 (2,3)

September, 2025 (4,5,6)

 

For each group below, fill in the same three missing letters to make 6, 5, 4, and 3-letter words. The letters may be filled in in any order, and the missing trio will be different for each group.

 

1. F _ _ EIG _

     _ _ A _ GE

      _ _ BI _

      W _ _ _

         _ _ _ 

 

2. AR _ _ U _ A

      _ _ I _ TY

      F _ _ N _

       _ _ _ P

        _ _ _ 

 

3. E _ IN _ N _

     _ US _ _ R

      _ O _ _ L

        I _ _ _

          _ _ _ 

 

4. _ _ S _ AND

     _ R_ NC _

      S _ R _ _

       _ _ S _

        _ _ _ 

 

5. _ NIC _ _ N

    T _ _ _ GH

     H _ M _ _

       T _ _ _

         _ _ _ 

 

6. _ EA _ IL _

    _ ON _ E _

     _ AI _ _

     _ A _ _

       _ _ _ 

 

Answers:

 

1. The letters are NOR:

         FOREIGN

          ORANGE

            ROBIN

            WORN

              NOR 

 

2. The letters are LUG:

         ARUGULA

           GUILTY

            FLUNG

             GULP

              LUG

 

3. The letters are MET:

         EMINENT

          MUSTER

           MOTEL

            ITEM

             MET 

 

4. The letters are HUB:

          HUSBAND

           BRUNCH

            SHRUB

             BUSH

              HUB 

 

5. The letters are OUR:

          UNICORN

           TROUGH

            HUMOR 

             TOUR 

              OUR 

 

6. The letters are DRY:

           READILY

           YONDER

             DAIRY

              YARD

               DRY 

  

  

 

DROP A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD CXLI

Drop one letter from each word and re-arrange the remaining letters to get new words.

1. INTACT

2. GENIAL

3. PRAYER 

4. STEADY

5. RUMPLE 

6. FUMBLE 

7. BRISKET 

8. MAJESTY 

9. STRIDENT 

10. INCUBATE

11. GENEROUS 

 

HINTS:

First letters of the new words:

1. T

2. A

3. A

4. Y

5. L

6. F 

7. S

8. S

9. D

10. C

11. S

 

Answers:

 

1. TACIT

2. ALIEN

3. APERY

4. YEAST

5. LEMUR

6. FLUME 

7. STRIKE

8. STEAMY

9. DENTIST

10. CABINET

11. SURGEON  

 

Wall Street Journal Crossword

May 27, 2026

Marc Goldstein

 

The answers to the first four clues will have something in common that is hinted at by the last clue.

 

1. North American rattlesnakes 

2. Dorothy Gale's magical shoes 

3. Two-word nickname of Ireland

4. Canadian tourist attraction northwest of Banff  

5. Two-word phrase for a difficult beginning 

 

Answer to Clue 5:

Rocky start

 

Answers to Clues 1-4:

 

1. Diamondbacks

2. Ruby Slippers

3. Emerald Isle

4. Jasper National Park - - - The first word of each answer is a precious gem.