AS EASY AS ABC

How many words can you think of that start with AB and have a C somewhere in the word? 

Eight are listed below. 

Ex: ABSTRACT

(Possible) Answers:  

1. ABSTRACT

2. ABSCOND

3. ABACUS

4. ABDUCT

5. ABSCESS

6. ABSCISSA 

7. ABDICATE

8. ABUNDANCE 

LOW SCORE WINS XVI

Add the fewest possible letters to each of the groups below - but at least one letter on each side - to complete common words.

1. _____ SEF _____

2. _____ CR _____

3. _____ TAF _____

4. _____ ENR _____

5. _____ AGL _____

6. _____ ERH _____

7. _____ EOR _____

8. _____ RDE _____

9. _____ YEN _____

10. _____ PR _____

HINT:

It can be done by adding 24 letters.

 

Answers:

 

1. USEFUL

2. ECRU

3. STAFF

4. GENRE

5. EAGLE

6. PERHAPS

7. THEORY

8. ORDER

9. HYENA

10. SPRY   

PAIRS XXXV 

Place the same pair of letters on both sets of dashes. The letter pair will be different for each answer.

1. _ _ RLI _ _ E

2. _ _ YLI _ _

3. _ _ CI _ _

4. B _ _ G _ _ E

5. _ _ EEPI _ _

6. C _ _ RTE _ _ S

7. H _ _ N _ _

8. _ _ R _ _ LADE

9. _ _ ST _ _ NE

10. V _ _ AL _ _ Y 

Answers:

1. CUrliCUe 

2. STyliST 

3. DEciDE

4. bAGgAGe

5. SHeepiSH

6. cOUrteOUs

7. hOBnOB

8. MArMAlade

9. POstPOne

10. vITalITy  

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