LETTER BANK LI 

The Enigma

NPL Magazine

February, 2026

Nemo DeSluymp 

 

[In a letter bank, the letters of one word or phrase are used - and repeated as necessary - to spell a longer word or phrase. For example, IMPS is a letter bank for MISSISSIPPI. That is, the only letters in MISSISSIPPI are I, M, P, and S - repeated as necessary.]

 

In the flat below, PETITE is (appropriately) a letter bank for GRAND.

 

Riding hard on PETITE makes me

   grumpy:

With no damper or GRAND, it gets 

   bumpy.  

 

HINTS:

PETITE is a compound word with an animal.

GRAND is two words. 

 

Answer:

 

Riding on HORSEBACK makes me

   grumpy:

With no damper or SHOCK ABSORBER, it gets

   bumpy.  

 

 

 

 

PARAPROSDOKIANS XXXVII

[For an explanation of paraprosdokians, please see the post of April 21, 2018]  

You never know what you have until it's gone, and I wanted to know what I had, so I got rid of everything. 

Steven Wright  

QUOTES CCLXVII

The best mirror is an old friend.

George Herbert

 

The first duty of love is to listen.

Author Unknown

 

Compassion is the basis of morality 

Arthur Schopenhauer

  

Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy.

Author Unknown 

 

The most effective form of government is still the family.

Author Unknown 

 

Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.

Morticia Addams 

 

Courage is knowing it might hurt but doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that's why life is hard.

Jeremy Goldberg 

 

Blessed are the peacemakers. But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.

Pope Leo XIV 

 

  

ASSOCIATIONS

 

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

October 15, 2025

 

Form a chain of associated words by filling in the blanks with the letters listed on the right. Each word will be associated in some way with the words above and below it. The initial letters of the words are already in place. Each letter on the right will used only once.

 

APPLE                      A A A

P _ _                                 C

P _ _ _ _                    E E E 

S _ _ _ _                        I  I

H _ _                             O R

W _ _ _ _                   T T U

SLIDE                           Z Z  

 

Answers: 

 

APPLE

PIE

PIZZA

SAUCE

HOT

WATER

SLIDE 

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

October 15, 2025

 

Find the names of ten U.S. presidents by adding one of the given letters to each word and re-arranging the letters. Each letter will be used only once.

 

E    F    G    H    K    L    R    S    T     W 

 

1. YENNED + ?             6. PRICE +?

 

2. TREY + ?                   7. LIONS +?

 

3. ARENA + ?                8. DARING + ?

 

4. TRACE + ?                9. ROD + ?

 

5. RANG + ?                 10. DOMAIN + ?

 

Answers:

 

1. K - KENNEDY

2. L - TYLER

3. G - REAGAN 

4. R- CARTER

5. T - GRANT

6. E - PIERCE

7. W- WILSON

8. H - HARDING

9. F - FORD

10. S - MADISON 

  

1. What do these two words have in common?

VALUABLE

FLAMMABLE

 

2. What do the three words below have in common?

 

GAWKER

CONSULT 

TEMERITY  

 

HINT:

2. Drop a letter 

 

Answers:

 

1. Both words can be preceded by IN and retain their original meaning - unusual in that the prefix IN normally means NOT and negates a word. 

 

2. If you drop one letter in each word and anagram the remaining letters, you get the name of an insect:

 

EARWIG

LOCUST

TERMITE  

COMMON COMBOS LXIX

Each group below contains four unrelated words. Find a word that can either precede or follow each of the words in each of the groups.

1. UP, DOWN, EAR, WATER

2. SPELL, MARK, PAY, LIST

3. SHOW, PEP, RADIO, BABY

4. TOUCH, FACE, MILE, WALL 

5. FUEL, SOLAR, PHONE, MATE

6. MOON, WHITE, SAND, TIGER 

7. YARD, LAW, MASTER, NIGHT 

8. BOARD, TELLER, SHORT, GHOST 

 

Answers:

 

1. MARK

2. CHECK

3. TALK

4. STONE

5. CELL 

6. PAPER

7. SCHOOL

8. STORY