QUOTES CCLXXVI

Great music always catches us by surprise.

Author Unknown

 

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.

Stephen Hawking  

 

Humility hardly belongs among the humbler virtues.

Author Unknown

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. 

Bill Nye 

 

Act as if what you do makes a difference, because it does. 

William James 

 

Anger is a rough wind that blows out the candle of reason.

Author Unknown

 

The kindest word in the world has to be the unkind word left unsaid.

Author Unknown

 

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by discomforts.

Arnold Bennett 

 

Advice to children: The best way to get a puppy is to beg for a baby brother or sister. They'll settle for a puppy every time.

Winston Pendleton

 

It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them.

Agatha Christie 

 

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Albert Einstein 

 

RHYMING RIDDLE ANSWERS CXXXIII

The answers to each of the items in the clues will rhyme.

1. Untrustworthy/temporary, He's the one, Way cool, Highly illuminated  

2. Violent anger while driving, What the groom's mother should do, California shrub with lavender flowers, Basic pay for low-level jobs

3. Words on a package marked "fragile", Parsley/sage/rosemary/and thyme locale, Site of 1989 pro-democracy protests, Adult male and female horses

4. Easy task, Accepting bribes, Very alert, English explorer of the 16th century

5. Low-risk wager, Chill out, Student despised by fellow students, Where to hear an aria

6. Burst of success - but nothing after, Losing candidate, Traditional children's game, Common cooling device

7. Group with a #1 song- but no other, Ripped apart, Australia - informally, Talking too much - for example

Answers:

1. Fly-by-night, Mr. Right, Out of sight, Burning bright

2. Road rage, Wear beige, Purple sage, Minimum wage 

3. Handle with care, Scarborough Fair, Tiananmen Square, Stallion and mare

4. Piece of cake, On the take, Wide awake, Sir Francis Drake

5. Safe bet, Don't fret, Teacher's pet, At the Met

6. Flash in the pan, Also-ran, Kick the can, Ceiling fan

7. One-hit-wonder, Torn asunder, Down under, Social blunder  

MISSING LINKS CCXXXIV

Each group below shares a Missing Link - that is, its members have something in common, obvious or not. For example, RIVERS, NOSES, & VIOLINS can all have BRIDGES.

1. Turkey..........Fish

2. Worm..........Rabbit

3. Ball..........Start..........Suit

4. Run..........Lift..........Mask 

5. Fire..........Oath..........Pressure

6. Bath..........Clean..........Engine

7. Double..........Secret..........Free

8. Wings..........Color..........Cannon 

9. Bank..........Blanket..........Fashion 

10. Picture..........Record..........Stamp

 

Answers:

 

1. Cold

2. Hole

3. Jump

4. Ski

5. Things you can be under

6. Steam

7. Kinds of agents 

8. Water

9. Statement 

10. Album               

COMMON COMBOS LXXII

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. HOLE, HIT, HOOD, HEAD

2. HAT, POLL, LAST, SHORT

3. IRON, MAID, GLAD, HELD

4. DATE, OUT, HASTE, GOAL

5. WALK, PUSH, WASH, WATER

6. BINGO, WAY, MARK, DANCE

7. BIG, STREET, MONEY, SPEAK 

8. SAGE, STROKE, BROAD, BACK

 

Answers: 

 

1. MAN

2. STRAW

3. HAND

4. POST

5. BACK

6. HALL

7. EASY*

8. BRUSH

 

*The Big Easy is the nickname of New Orleans, LA.  

  

BETWIXT AND BETWEEN XII

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

August, 2025

 

For each pair of words below, find a common word that comes between them alphabetically in the dictionary. No word is merely a different form of one of the given words. The length of the word in between is indicated by the number of dashes.

 

Ex. ATTEST

       _ _ _ _ _

       ATTIRE

 

The in-between word would be ATTIC.

 

1. LENIENT

    _ _ _ _ _ _

    LEOPARD

 

2. GAZEBO

     _ _ _ _

     GECKO

 

3. DRY

    _ _ _ _

    DUCK

 

4. SKEDADDLE

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    SKEW

 

5. PRY

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    PUB

 

6. BOTTLE

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    BOUNCE

 

7. ACUTE

    _ _ _ _ _

    ADAPT

 

8. GUZZLE

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

    GYRATE 

 

Answers:

 

1. LENTIL

2. GEAR

3. DUAL  

4. SKELETON

5. PSYCHIC

6. BOULEVARD

7. ADAGE

8. GYMNAST  

CRYPTO CLUES CCXXXVI

GAMES Magazine 

October, 1986 

Fraser Simpson (1-8) 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

June, 2026 

Stella Zawistowski (9-10) 

 

1. I rant, rave wildly in story 

 

2. Destruction of bad medication

 

3. Muslin enthusiast stocks bedsheets 

 

4. Solo crashes in Scandinavian capital

 

5. Hungarian composer's roster announced

 

6. Bad swan shaped with wood-cutting tool 

7. Charming hotel room, but the sound of it 

 

8. Hot dog topping gathered for the audience

 

9. Nominates bad state

 

10. Drop fruit next to New York museum 

 

HINTS:
1. Anagram

2. Anagram

3. Hidden word

4. Anagram

5. Definition - homophone

6. Anagram

7. Homophone

8. Homophone

9. Anagram

10. Two definitions - two words 

 

Answers:

 

1. NARRATIVE (I rant, rave)

2. DECIMATION (medication)

3. LINEN (musLIN ENthusiast)

4. OSLO (solo)

5. LISZT (list [roster])

6. BANDSAW (bad swan)

7. SWEET (suite)

8. MUSTARD (mustered)

9. MINNESOTA (nominates)

10. PLUMMET (plum met [Metropolitan Art Museum])  

 

 

SHUFFLE 'EM LXIII 

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

August, 2025

 

Two six-letter words with their letters in correct, but not consecutive order are combined in each row of letters below. Can you find both words? There are no extra letters and each letter is used only once. The two words are not related.

 

Ex. D R E T H Y O T H U R M 

Ans. D r E T h y O t h U R m 

        DETOUR - rhythm

 

1. F R E L I T U G H R N T

2. S P R O O C I F I A L T 

3. S A T T A T T A U C E H

4. P E I N B V E B L N E T

5. C H I R A C Z A L E R D

 

Answers: 

 

1. FLIGHT - return

2. SOCIAL - profit

3. STATUE - attach

4. PEBBLE - invent

5. CIRCLE - hazard