COMMON COMBOS LXIV

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

April, 2025

 

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. OVER, DEEP, INSIDE, MAIL

2. MOTHER, MUD, GREEN, SITUATION

3. HOLDER, BREAKER, KEEPER, PLAYER

4. LAUNCH, TREATMENT, PICTURE, SHOPPING

5. SEA, SHOW, PLAN, GROUND

6. YEAR, DAY, HOUSE, TABLE

 

Answers:

 

1. VOICE

2. ROOM

3. RECORD

4. WINDOW  

5. FLOOR

6. LIGHT    

PLUS ONE

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

April, 2025 (1-2)

 

Add one letter, a vowel or consonant as indicated, to the letters given and re-arrange all the letters to form a word.

 

1. H + E + W + R + N plus one consonant

 

2. U + A + O + D plus one vowel

 

3. M + O + L + C + U plus one consonant

 

4. S + C + H + I + P + Y plus one consonant  

 

5. N + E + A + R + O plus one consonant

 

6. M + E + T + H + O + R plus one vowel  

 

7. A + I + D + E plus one vowel

 

8. E + P + O + R + Y plus one consonant 

 

Answers:

 

1. + C - WRENCH

2. + I - AUDIO

3. + N - COLUMN

4. + S - PHYSICS

5. + C - CORNEA

6. + E - THEOREM

7. + U - ADIEU 

8. + S - OSPREY  

AFRICAN NATIONS

 

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

April, 2025 

Complete the name of an African country by answering one of the clues below and putting the answer on one of the blanks.

1. BOT _____ A

2. _____ ZANIA

3. BU _____ DI

4. UG _____ A

5. MA _____ I

6. _____ ON

 

Choices:

a. Additionally

b. Chatter

c. Statute

d. Type of dive

e. Shade of brown

f. Hosiery mishap

 

Answers:

 

1. d - Type of dive - SWAN - BOTSWANA

2. e - Shade of brown - TAN - TANZANIA  

3. f - Hosiery mishap - RUN - BURUNDI 

4. a - Additionally - AND - UGANDA

5. c - Law - MALAWI

6. b - Gab - GABON  

ODDS AND ENDS

Can you think of a clue that would satisfy the following answers? The constructor's clue is shown below.

OFFICE

COFFIN 

COFFEE

OFFEND

CUTOFF 

 

Constructor's (Alexander Liebeskind) clue:

 

Certain sale markdown

 

Answer to clue:
Fifty percent off

 

The three letters OFF are half (50%) of the six letters of each answer word.  

  

The answers to the clues below will have something in common.

1. Brain power

2. Very infrequent, rare 

3. Memorable, as a day

4. Bring lunch to work

5. Seller of fruits and vegetables 

6. Symbol of welcome and support 

7. Special message for a missing child

8. Positive side of a negative experience 

9. One who has gone astray from family traditions 

10. Termination notice or automobile ownership proof 

11. Useless, often expensive possession that's hard to get rid of  

 

Answers: 

 

1. Gray matter

2. Blue moon

3. Red letter

4. Brown bag it

5. Green grocer  

6. Yellow ribbon 

7. Amber alert

8. Silver lining

9. Black sheep

10. Pink slip

11. White elephant 

CRYPTO CLUES CCX

GAMES Magazine

September, 1982

Will Shortz (1-8)

Gary Disch (9-10) 

 

1. Shipment said to come from vein in silver mine (homophone)

 

2. Real ingenue is disguise (anagram)

 

3. One of three travel by permit (two words)

 

4. Skunks have it. So do rats, to some degree (hidden word)

 

5. Lamps will be provided to airplane rides after the first (beheadment)

 

6. Impish cartoon boy did a no-no on the escalator (reversal)

 

7. Sick in bed, as charged (container)

 

8. I, for example, dispatch (second definition)  

 

9. Exchange hands the wrong way (reversal) 

 

10. This involves taking everything off the damaged tapestries (anagram)

 

Answers:

 

1. LODE (load)

2. GENUINE (ingenue)

3. TRIPLET (trip = travel/let = permit)

4. ODOR (sO DO Rats)

5. LIGHTS (Flights)  

6. DENNIS (sinned [no-no] {going up - as an escalator})

7. BILLED (B ILL ED)

8. LETTER (I is a letter/dispatch, as noun, is a letter)  

9. SWAP (paws) 

10. STRIPTEASE (tapestries)

INSERT-A-WORD LX

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

March, 2025

 

Insert a word from Group B into a word from Group A to make a longer word. Each word is used only once.

 

GROUP A                GROUP B

 

1. DOE                         TAR

2. AND                         MAN

3. HOSE                       ART

4. SLING                      THOU

5. CANE                       CHORE

6. HEADER                  SAG

7. HEY                          MAST

8. HUE                          MICA

9. ABLY                        ROTE  

 

Answers: 

 

1. DO SAG E - DOSAGE

2. AN CHORE D - ANCHORED

3. HO THOU SE - HOTHOUSE

4. S TAR LING - STARLING

5. CA ROTE NE - CAROTENE

6. HEAD MAST ER - HEADMASTER

7. HE ART Y - HEARTY

8. HU MAN E - HUMANE

9. A MICA BLY - AMICABLY