UNUSUAL WORDS CXXXIII

Can you give a simple definition of these less-frequently-used words?  

1. LEA (lee)

2. KEA (kee' uh)

3. VENAL

4. CAMBER

5. BLANCH

6. CARYATID

7. EXTIRPATE

8. TUROPHILE

9. SERENDIPITY

10. STAR CHAMBER

 

Answers:

 

1. LEA - A meadow or grassland

2. KEA - A highly intelligent parrot 

3. VENAL - Corrupt, open to bribery

                     Very serious - as certain sins

4. CAMBER - Inward or outward tilt of a 

                         vehicle's wheels  

5. BLANCH - Lose color, become pale or white

6. CARYATID - Sculpted female figure serving 

                            as an architectural support

7. EXTIRPATE - Root out, completely destroy

8. TUROPHILE - A lover and connoisseur of cheese

9. SERENDIPITY - Unexpected good luck, with an 

                                  aptitude to recognize and benefit from it

10. STAR CHAMBER - A court of the 1600's infamous for arbitrary methods and secrecy. Today, a metaphor for any secretive, autocratic proceeding where the rights of the accused are ignored. 

PAIRS IN RHYME

Each of these pairs is a rhyme for a familiar phrase

1. Quote and vie

2. Grunt and hack

3. Why and bow

4. Prom and lad

5. Darts and finds

6. Crow and mice

7. Gourd and shady

8. Rob and thieve

9. Fleece and diet

10. Hopin' and nut

11. Sing and a mare

12. Swore and laughed

 

Answers:

 

1. Coat and tie

2. Front and back

3. High and low

4. Mom and dad

5. Hearts and minds

6. Snow and ice

7. Lord and lady

8. Bob and weave

9. Peace and quiet

10. Open and shut 

11. Wing and a prayer  

12. Fore and aft

 

COMMON COMBOS LXXI 

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. SKI, START, SUIT, HIGH 

2. EASY, WING, FIRST, LIFT

3. BILL, DECK, HOUR, BAG 

4. KEY, WORK, TASK, RING 

5. SUN, PARTY, HEAD, ROAD

6. POCKET, STAGE, PRIZE, STEP

7. HOME, SURF, BUSY, LANGUAGE 

8. BACK, COACH, WHISPER, SOUND

 

Answers:

 

1. JUMP

2. CHAIR 

3. HAND

4. MASTER

5. BLOCK

6. DOOR

7. BODY

8. STAGE  

 

DROP A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD CXLIV

GAMES/World of Puzzles

June, 2026

FAMILY REUNIONS

Bob Stigger

 

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

 

1. LODGE

2. ROBIN

3. ZELDA

4. SVELTE

5. SABERS 

6. SHRIVEL

7. CLINKER 

8. CANISTER

9. MOOCHER 

10. HUMILITY 

 

HINTS:

First letters of the new words:

1. G

2. I

3. L

4. S 

5. B

6. S

7. N

8. A

9. C

10. L 

 

Answers: 

 

1. GOLD

2. IRON

3. LEAD

4. STEEL

5. BRASS

6. SILVER

7. NICKEL

8. ARSENIC

9. CHROME

10. LITHIUM - - - Metals

 

TRIPLES III

In each compound word or two-word phrase below, the same word can follow the first word and precede the second word to make up two other compound words or two-word phrases. What are the connecting words?

Ex:  HIGH POWER

(Possible) Ans: HORSE (high horse / horsepower)

 

Ex: OUTLINE

(Possible) Ans: SIDE (outside / sideline)

 

1. HOME RUN

2. HIGHBALL

3. LOW NOTE

4. RAP MUSIC

5. CRACK SHOT

6. FRENCH BREAD 

 

Answers:

 

1. FREE

2. JUMP

3. KEY

4. SHEET

5. POT

6. FRY  

 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

June, 2026

Stu Agler 

 

FRONT, MIDDLE, BACK

 

Below are clues - in random order - to words that start and end with the same letter, and also have that same letter somewhere in the middle of the word. The placement of the repeated letters is given below. Can you match them up with the clues?

 

1. Bribe of a sort              R _ _ _ R _ _ R

2. Court presentation       B _ _ B _ B

3. Naval fleet                   M _ _ _ M _ M

4. Garbage dump             E _ _ _ E _ _ E

5. Marijuana cousin         N _ N _ _ _ _ _ _ _ N

6. Direct confrontation     D_ _ _ D _ _ D

7. "Tree of Life"               H _ _ H _ _ H 

8. U of Maine location      K _ _ K _ _ K

9. Stockholder's earning    L _ _ _ _ _ LL

10. Upper limit                  F _ _ _ -_ _ F

10. Elementary school

      musical instrument      A _ M _ _ A 

11. Free from political

      affiliation                     O _ O _ O

 

Answers:

 

1. Bribe of a sort - KICKBACK

2. Court presentation - EVIDENCE

3. Naval fleet - ARMADA

4. Garbage dump - LANDFILL

5. Marijuana cousin - HASHISH

6. Direct confrontation - FACE-OFF

7. "Tree of Life" - BAOBAB

8. U of Maine location - ORONO

9. Stockholder's earning - DIVIDEND

10. Elementary school

      musical instrument - RECORDER

11. Free from political

      affiliation - NONPARTISAN  

WORDS OF A FEATHER

GAMES/World of Puzzles

June, 2026

Shawn Kennedy

 

Each clue answer consists of a type of fowl plus one extra letter - either at the front, middle, or back of the word. The number of blanks indicates the number of letters in the answer. The extra letter added to each fowl - in order - will spell out what you need to solve this puzzle.

 

 

1. AKC-recognized dog breed _ _ _ _ _ _

 

2. The world largest furniture retailer _ _ _ _

   

3. Took the car _ _ _ _ _

 

4. What three is, so they say _ _ _ _ _

 

5. Streamlet _ _ _ _ _

 

6. Be remorseful about _ _ _ _ _ 

 

7. Red Planet inhabitant _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

 

8. Male suitor, in literature _ _ _ _ _ 

 

9. Like an apartment ready for immediate occupancy

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _   

 

10. Back of a boat _ _ _ _ _  

 

Answers:

 

1. BEAGLE (EAGLE + B)

2. IKEA (KEA + I)

3. DROVE (DOVE + R)

4. CROWD (CROW + D)

5. BROOK (ROOK + B)

6. REGRET (EGRET + R)

7. MARTIAN (MARTIN + A)

8. SWAIN (SWAN + I)

9. TURNKEY (TURKEY + N) 

10. STERN (TERN + S)  - - - - - - -  BIRDBRAINS