AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING CLXXIX

A gram is about the weight of a standard-size paper clip (not a jumbo). 28 grams = 1 ounce.

There are over 15,700 described species and sub-species of ants, with experts estimating there are thousands more undiscovered.

What we call housing projects in the United States are called council estates in England.

Spelled out, every odd number contains the letter E at least once.

No-see-ums are tiny biting gnats, usually 1-3 mm long, known for being nearly invisible to the naked eye. They are notorious for painful bites. The term originated around 1840 -1850 in North America either as a colloquialism for "You cannot see them" or as (allegedly) spoken by American Indians.

Rodeo is the official sport of Montana, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Alaska - dog mushing, Delaware - bicycling, New York - baseball, North Dakota - curling, North Carolina - stock car racing, California - surfing

"There She Is, Miss America" is a song written by Bernie Wayne for the Miss America Pageant. It was first made famous in 1955 by master of ceremonies Bert Parks, who sang it every year for 25 years to serenade the newly-crowned Miss America.  

The current population of the world is about 8.3 billion people. Of these, 1 billion 470 million live in India and 1 billion 410 million in India. The population of India and China combined make up about 36% of the world's people. The United States' population, at 348 million, is about 4% of the world population.

The Hershey Company makes more that 70 million chocolate Hershey Kisses every day in its Pennsylvania factories to meet world-wide demand. That's 60,000 per minute - 25 billion per year. Estimates for M&Ms production by Mars, Inc. vary from 400 million to 1 billion per day.

 

SYNONYM/ANAGRAM CCXXIV 

The two words in each line below can be anagrammed into one - beginning with the given letter. The meanings of the anagrams are given below the clues.

1. GOLF + MAIN = F

2. ROAM + SIGN = O

3. FOAL + MIND = M

4. LIMO + SHED = D 

5. CART + STUB = S 

6. HISS + PONY = H

7. REEL + TINY = E 

8. CARP + CITE = P

 

Meanings of the anagrams:

1. Bird

2. Living thing

3. Various, diverse / engine part

4. Raze

5. Arithmetic

6. Altered form of consciousness

7. Wholly

8. Rehearse

 

Answers:

 

1. FLAMINGO

2. ORGANISM

3. MANIFOLD

4. DEMOLISH  

5. SUBTRACT

6. HYPNOSIS

7. ENTIRELY

8. PRACTICE  

NY Times Crossword

May 5, 2026

Max Schlenker 

 

Q. Why is a ladyfinger something easy? 

A. Because it's a piece of  cake.

 

Can you think of a short phrase in the form of "It's _______ ." or "It's a _______." to explain why the clues below can be thought of as something easy?

 

1. SIMON SAYS

2. TRADE WIND 

3. EASY NATURE HIKE 

4. HEADLESS HORSEMAN

 

Answers:

 

1. It's child's play.

2. It's a breeze.

3. It's a walk in the park. 

4. It's a no-brainer.

  

POINTS TO PONDER CXXIX

Beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts. You have to remember this when you find yourself at the beginning. 

Sandra Bullock

 

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It may be popular to point out that the sun is merely one star among a myriad of stars, and perhaps merely an average one, but it is nonetheless supremely important to everyone on earth.

Author Unknown 

 

QUOTES CCLXVIII

Money talks, but it mumbles.

R. Eric Thomas 

"Asking Eric" newspaper advice column

 

Those with fine teeth are quick to laugh.

Author Unknown 

 

It takes more courage to change your opinion than to stick to it.

Author Unknown

 

It's all right to complain sometimes, but complain to the right people.

Author Unknown 

 

Children who are one of many siblings will usually become good at fractions.

Author Unknown 

 

Revenge leads to retaliation. Resist it, and you will be beyond the reach of your enemies.

Author Unknown

 

It says a lot about your character whether you lament a lost chance to do good or to be bad.

Author Unknown

 

I am human and I make mistakes. Therefore my committment must be to truth and not to consistency.

Mahatma Gandhi 

 

If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

Roald Dahl 

 

Life is like a landscape. You live in the midst of it but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance.

Charles Lindbergh 

 

 

 

  

GAMES/World of Puzzles

April, 2026

Alan Arbesfeld 

 

PRINTER'S DEVILRY

 

In this very challenging puzzle, each clue is a passage (one or two sentences) from which the name of a European country has been removed: closing the gap between words, taking liberties sometimes with punctuation and spacing, but not disturbing the order of the letters. 

 

Ex: Pete seeth ink is sounder; appreciated as an artist (7)

Ans: Pete SeeGER, MANY think, is so under appreciated as an artist.

 

Note that when complete, the passage makes sense, and the clue is full enough to hint at the overall idea without giving away the actual name of the country. The number of letters in the missing country is indicated in ( ) after each clue. Can you match each clue with the correct country listed below the clues? 

 

1. I once wanted to be an artist, so museums make me misting (5)

 

2. Astronauts are a great source - O', for barns! (5)

 

3. Can't rue grit? Beth oughta mine film. (6)

 

4. Shameful acts? Could be, Theon! Ey, do in G (6) 

 

5. I'd like to know to what Dell phones distract students in classrooms (6)

 

6. The bread shop: pee behind the counter! (7)

 

7. The former educator turned corporate chi enters fort raining. (6)

 

France         Italy          Hungary

Greece        Norway

Spain          Sweden

 

HINTS:

Where the name of the missing country should be entered:

1. after the s in misting

2. after the b in barns

3. after the i in minor

4. after the E in Ey 

5. after the e in Dell

6. after the first e in pee 

7. after the first e in enters   

 

(BIG) HINTS:

The names of the missing countries:

1. Spain

2. Italy

3. Norway

4. Sweden

5. Greece

6. Hungary

7. France    

 

Answers:

 

1. I once wanted to be an artist, so museums make me misS PAINting.

 

2. Astronauts are a great source of orbITAL Yarns.

 

3. Can True Grit be thought a miNOR WAYne film? 

 

4. Shameful acts could be the oneS WE DENy doing. 

 

5. I'd like to know to what deGREE CEll phones distract students in classrooms.

 

6. The bread shoppe HUNG A RYe behind the counter.

 

7. The former educator turned corporate chieF RAN CEnters for training.

 

Note from JA: I did not include three other clues that were in the puzzle because I felt their solutions required specialized knowledge. 

                                                                    

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzles 

May 3, 2026

Will Shortz

 

Each of the words and phrases below can be anagrammed into a German word that has been adopted into English. For example, GNATS could be anagrammed into ANGST.

 

1. PILES

2. ELIDES

3. MUTUAL 

4. WE'RE IN

5. POSTAGE 

6. GET LAST 

7. BENT OVER

8. ADULT WRENS 

 

Answers:

 

1. PILES - SPIEL

2. ELIDES - DIESEL

3. MUTUAL - UMLAUT

4. WE'RE IN - WIENER

5. POSTAGE - GESTAPO

6. GET LAST - GESTALT

7. BENT OVER - VERBOTEN

8. ADULT WRENS - WANDERLUST