CRYPTO CLUES CCXXXIV 

GAMES Magazine

May, 1999

Mark L.Gottlieb (1-6)

June, 1990

Rosemary Scala (7-80

Todd Rew (9-10)

 

1. Start off happy, like a ballerina

 

2. Newfangled toaster spins in a circle

 

3. Kills winter vehicles, so to say

 

4. He quit yelling about property value

 

5. Huge dog ruined tea garden

 

6. Odd aspects of a Capri dove, a drake, and an anteater

 

7. Naysayer checked back

 

8. Sold one strange pasta

 

9. Raises tramps

 

10. More unfeeling cardinal or ordinal

 

HINTS:
1. Beheadment (drop first letter)

2. Anagram

3. Homophone

4. Hidden word

5. Anagram

6. Odd letters

7. Definition - Reversal 

8. Anagram

9. Homograph (two meanings)

10. Heteronym

 

Answers: 

 

1. LITHE (blithe) 

2. ROTATES (toaster)

3. SLEIGHS (slays)

4. EQUITY (hE QUIT Yelling)

5. GREAT DANE (tea garden)

6. AARDVARK (A cApRi DoVe A dRaKe)

7. DENIER (reined)

8. NOODLES (sold one)

9. HIKES  

10. NUMBER (silent B = unfeeling) 

Note from JA:

Dear Readers, 

I am going to make a change in the format of this blog. Until now, I have tried not to put the same types of puzzles too close to each other. In particular, I have tried to space out CRYPTO CLUES puzzles. But I still have hundreds of them in GAMES, GAMES/World of Puzzles Magazines that I would like to post - while I still can. So, from now on, I am going to post consecutive cryptics - as many as five in a row. Cryptic crosswords, from which I draw the clues, are the gold standard for word play in the crossword world. I hope you will enjoy more of these clever puzzles, or at least not find the repetition too tedious. Thank you. 

CRYPTO CLUES CCXXXIII

GAMES Magazine

June, 1999 

Rosemary Scala (1-5)

GAMES/World of Puzzles

March, 2015

Bob Stigger (6-10) 

 

1. Make holes in puzzle

 

2. Trade rabbit's feet back

 

3. Tough question for model

 

4. Period before certain removal

 

5. Trail menacingly, after first, conversation 

 

6. Flashy retro formal gown 

 

7. Blue under plumage

 

8. Seabird spotted in afternoon

 

9. Endless respect for Miss Lauder

 

10. Clue for oddly neglected zodiac sign  

 

HINTS:
1. Homograph

2. Reversal

3. Homograph

4. Two definitions

5. Beheadment

6. Reversal - hidden word

7. Three meanings

8. Hidden word

9. Curtailment

10. "oddly neglected"  refers to "Clue for"   

 

Answers:

 

1. RIDDLE

2. SWAP (paws)

3. POSER

4. ERASURE (era + sure)

5. TALK (stalk) 

6. GLAM (forMAL Gown)

7. DOWN

8. TERN (afTERNoon)

9. ESTEE (esteem) [Estee Lauder]

10. LEO (neglect the odd letters) [cLuE fOr]      

CLEVER ENDEAVOR VII

Find rhyming synonyms for the two words in each pair.

Ex. Get accustomed to something difficult - SAFE

Ans. INURE - SECURE  

 

1. PE class in school - Religious song

2. Very tired - Science-backed explanation

3. SPIRITUAL SAVIOR - OUTCAST 

4. Explosive device - Self-confidence, poise

5. Compliments - Vague discomfort, weakness 

6. Related to sound - HOMES is a famous one

7. FORCE - OPPOSITE

8. Exhibiting talent at an early age - Bad breath

9. MUSEUM SHOW - Hold back, prevent

10. Decorative light fixture - ROOSTER

 

Answers:

 

1. GYM - HYMN

2. WEARY - THEORY

3. MESSIAH -PARIAH

4. BOMB - APLOMB

5. PRAISE - MALAISE

6. SONIC - MNEMONIC

7. COERCE - REVERSE

8. PRECOCIOUS - HALITOSIS

9. EXHIBIT - INHIBIT

10. CHANDELIER - CHANTICLEER  

LOW SCORE WINS XVII 

Add the fewest possible letters to each group below - but at least one letter to each side - to form common words.

1. _____ ORB _____

2. _____ CIM _____

3. _____ IOL _____

4. _____ YON _____

5. _____ TCR _____

6. _____ ARL _____

7. _____ NGO _____

8. _____ USI _____

9. _____ JE _____ 

10. _____ GUA _____

HINT: 

It can be done by adding 26 letters. 

 

Answers:

 

1. FORBID

2. DECIMAL

3. VIOLA

4. BEYOND

5. OUTCRY

6. EARLY

7. INGOT

8. MUSIC 

9. EJECT

10. IGUANA  

FOODIE EXPRESSIONS V

Answer each clue with an expression containing a type of food or drink.

1. Simple

2. Impossible, unrealistic

3. From beginning to end

4. Keep your options open 

5. Deserving of respect or pay 

6. Metaphor for "the best thing"

7. Metaphor for a vast quantity

8. How the Great Plains appear to be 

9. More important things to attend to 

10. Have little information about a subject  

11. Purchase a car that has a lot of problems 

 

Answers: 

 

1. Easy a pie

2. Pie in the sky

3. From soup to nuts

4. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

5. Worth your salt

6. Sliced bread

7. All the tea in China 

8. Flat as a pancake

9. Have bigger fish to fry 

10. Know beans about

11. Buy a lemon 

COMPLETE-A-WORD XXXIII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

December, 2025

 

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

 

1. Hosiery hue          D _ _ O _ _ M

 

2. Eat well                _ W _ _ DL _  

 

3. Helpful hint         IN _ _ _ D _

 

4. Nifty                    U _ _ _ R _ H

 

5. Very serious        A _ M _ _ _ D

 

6. Apiary                 S _ R _ _ _ L

 

7. Hideout               G _ _ Z _ E _

 

8. Wait                     A _ R _ _ G _ 

 

Answers: 

 

1. ECRU - DECORUM

2. DINE - DWINDLE

3. CLUE - INCLUDE

4. NEAT - UNEARTH

5. DIRE - ADMIRED

6. HIVE - SHRIVEL

7. LAIR - GLAZIER

8. BIDE - ABRIDGE