STUMPERS CLIV

What is the next pair of letters in this very familiar sequence?

ST   ND   RD   TH   ??

Answer:

TH............firST, secoND, thiRD, fourTH, fifTH

SHORT ORDER
Credit: GAMES Magazine
April, 2001
Kay Grant

Of the fifty US states, the first ten are listed below in an order determined by a certain logic. Can you determine what it is and add the eleventh state to the list.

NY, MD, GA, ME, TX, LA, ND, ID, MA, NV ??

Answer:

The states are listed in the alphabetical order of their capital cities:

Albany, NY
Annapolis, MD
Atlanta, GE
Augusta, ME
Austin, TX
Baton Rouge, LA
Bismarck, ND
Boise, ID
Boston, MA
Carson City, NV

The eleventh state on the list would be West Virginia - Charleston

STOP THE PRESSES!
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1983
Dave Downey

The stories described by the these fictitious newspaper headlines are actually the titles of eight nursery rhymes. Can you guess the rhyme from the headline?

1. UN-COOPERATIVE HORTICULTURALIST INTERROGATED ABOUT NURSERY

2. DINING DEB ALARMED BY ARACHNID

3. ELDERLY PET OWNER NOTES FOOD SHORTAGE

4. FLUTIST'S SON CONVICTED IN SWINE LARCENY

5. WOMAN ATTACKS RODENT TRIO WITH A BLADE

6. BOY, GIRL INJURED IN TOPPLE FROM WELL

7. SHEPHERDESS CONSOLED AFTER DISAPPEARANCE OF HERD

8. TWO DOZEN LIVE POULTRY FOUND IN ROYAL DESSERT

Answers:

1. "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"
2. "Little Miss Muffit"
3. "Old Mother Hubbard"
4. "Tom Tom, the Piper's Son"
5. "Three Blind Mice"
6. "Jack and Jill"
7. "Little Bo-Peep"
8. "Sing a Song of Sixpence"

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

1. Hopeful Mideast protest movement that began in 2010
2. Cash cache location, perhaps (with "bank")
3. Morally obliged
4. Emergency fix for a dead battery
5. Trusting act, often in a religious context
6. California city by Joshua Tree National Park

Answers:

1. Arab Spring
2. Bank vault
3. Duty-bound 
4. Jump start
5. Leap of faith
6. Twenty-nine Palms

Credits:
LA Times Crossword
February 29, 2016
C. C. Burnikel (#1-4)
LEAP DAY
 
NY Times Crossword
February 29, 2000
Peter Gordon (#5-6)

The clues below can be answered with a familiar name or phrase - with the addition of the same two consecutive letters. Wordplay is fair play.

1. Moisturizer based on a play set at Christmas, 1183
2. Shakespearean moor's money pool
3. "Blazing Saddles" director's home for the night
4. Movie theater feature that erases lines
5. Title of Queen Elizabeth's body double
6. Exactly fitting for a small child
7. Spoils at your male neighbor's house
8. Messed up and did away with voting

HINT:
The additional letters are OT.

Answers:

1. The Lotion in Winter (The Lion in Winter)
2. Othello Kitty (Hello Kitty)
3. Motel Brooks (Mel Brooks)
4. Botox office (Box office)
5. Other Royal Majesty (Her Royal Majesty)
6. Suited to a tot (Suited to a T)
7. The booty next door (boy next door)
8. Dropped the ballot (Dropped the ball)

Credit:
LA Times Crossword
February 28, 2016
Jeffrey Wechsler
PUTTING IN OVERTIME

CENTERPIECES III
Credit: GAMES Magazine
March, 2001
Stephen Sniderman

The words below have all been extracted from longer words. Can you find those words by adding one, two, or three letters before and after each of the clue words? BERATE in #1, for example, comes from LI(BERATE)D. As a solving aid, the sets of letters you will need appear in random order below the clues words. The letter sets appear intact, but the beginning and end of each set is for you to determine. Thus in #1, the letters LID, which complete LIBERATED, could be crossed out.

1. BERATE
2. ERMINE
3. VERSE
4. LABOR
5. STAMEN
6. OATHS
7. OLDEN
8. ANGER
9. ANGST
10. OPENS
11. OODLES
12. SCENT
13. ORATOR

LIDGRODOASBLSMIUMDETSGER
PRITYCRESTETLOMETINECOLATE

Answers:

1. LIBERATED
2. DETERMINES
3. OVERSEAS
4. COLLABORATE
5. TESTAMENT
6. LOATHSOME
7. GOLDENROD
8. TANGERINE
9. GANGSTER
10. PROPENSITY
11. BLOODLESS
12. CRESCENTS
13. MORATORIUM

What do the following animals have in common?

PELICAN
BEAVER
BADGER

Answer:

Each animal is the nickname of a US state:

Pelican State - Louisiana
Beaver State - Oregon
Badger State - Wisconsin

FLEXERS XXIV

STRICTLY SPEAKING I
Credit: GAMES Magazine
June, 2000
Jack Donohue (#1-6)

Answer each clue by matching it with one of the choices listed below. The choices are in random order. Wordplay is fair play.

1. Fibs habitually
2. Empty a PC folder
3. Remove a car's chrome
4. Advanced more money to
5. Needed more aspirin
6. Keep changing clothes
7. Distant object
8. Cost of a Van Gogh painting
9. It's in the far Northwest
10. Product of Greek culture

CHOICES:

a. Attained
b. Feta cheese
c. Farthing
d. Correct a wrong
e. Give in
f.  Vincent Price
g. Guardian
h. Escape key
i. Puts trust in
j. Make dirty

Answers: 

1. i - Puts trust in (relies/re-lies)
2. j - Make dirty (defile/de-file)
3. g - Guardian (defender/de-fender)
4. e - Give in (relent/re-lent)
5. a - Attained (reached/re-ached)
6. d - Correct a wrong (redress/re-dress)
7. c - Farthing (far thing)
8. f - Vincent Price (Vincent van Gogh)
9. h - Escape key (computer keyboard position)
10. b - Feta cheese (starter culture)

Credits:
#9-10: Paula Gamache

MISSING LINK CVI

Each trio of words 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. Sponge..........Sheet..........Fruit
2. Goody..........Hand..........Paper
3. Lip..........Drum..........Fish
4. Card..........Horn..........Light
5. Liner..........Lid..........Shadow
6. Fly..........Stick..........Dodge
7. Bridge..........Farm..........Clock
8. Table..........Sea..........Rock
9. Boom..........Ghost..........Home
10. Dress..........Flower..........Light

Answers:

1. Kinds of cakes
2. Kinds of bags
3. Stick 
4. Things that can be green
5. Eye
6. Ball
7. Things that have hands
8. Kinds of salt
9. Kinds of towns
10. Sun 

1. Can you name the first five books of the Old Testament (Torah)?

2. Can you name the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

3. Can you name the four main characters from The Wizard of Oz and what they wanted from the Wizard?

Answers:

1)
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers 
Deuteronomy

2)
Famine 
War
Pestilence
Death

3)
Scarecrow - A brain
Tin Woodsman - A heart
Cowardly Lion - Courage
Dorothy - A way back home to Kansas

DEAD RECKONING
Credit: GAMES Magazine
November, 2000
Christopher T. McColl

Postal workers have to deal with dead letters. What dead things do the following workers have to deal with?

1. Bodybuilder
2. Butcher
3. Canal worker
4. Chef
5. Geometry teacher
6. Ornithologist
7. Percussionist
8. Riveter
9. Doorbell repairman
10. Translator of Virgil's Aeneid 

Answers:

1. Dead weight (or lifts)
2. Dead meat
3. Deadlocks
4. Deadpans
5. Deadlines
6. Dead ducks
7. Deadbeats
8. Deadbolts
9. Dead ringers
10. Dead languages 

STUMPERS CLIII

Credit: GAMES Magazine
November, 2000
Lloyd King
WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?

Can you place the letters below in order to leave a two-word noun?

I   N   A   L   N   U   M   B

HINTS:
#1: Read the directions literally.
#2: Can you place the letters below in order to leave a two-word noun?

Answer:

ORDinal numbER

SECRET AGENDAS II
Credit: GAMES Magazine
October, 2000
Stephen Sniderman

1. How are the following words related?

SEEN
SI
FIE
FUR
TREE
TO
ON

2. The following words can be paired up in a certain way. Can you determine what it is?

DOMINO
BUS
CALLS
GORGE
PLACID
ARIA

HINT:
1. Say the words out loud from the bottom up.

Answers:

1. The words are the numbers from seven to one, with one letter dropped in each word.

2. By adding one letter to each of the words, they can be paired up to name three famous people:

PLACIDO DOMINGO
GEORGE BUSH
MARIA CALLAS

LA Times Crossword
February 19, 2016
Steven J. St. John (#1-3)

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

1. Suspected of misdeeds
2. Spent/exhausted, with "out"
3. State Department nickname
4. Environmental concern
5. Jimi Hendrix classic
6. Novel relating Arthurian legends from the perspective of female characters

Answers:

1. Under a cloud
2. Out of steam
3. Foggy Bottom
4. Acid rain
5. "Purple Haze"
6. The Mists of Avalon

BY THE NUMBERS
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 2000
Raymond Love

Note from JA: I rarely use TV shows in puzzles, but this puzzle is so clever I couldn't resist. It's true that those of a certain age will have an advantage, but I'm of a certain age, so - who's complaining?

Some TV shows such as Beverly Hills 90210, have a number in their title. Can you fill in the blanks with the digits that complete the titles of the TV shows listed below, and solve the arithmetic problem to check your answers?

PLAYHOUSE   _ _
                     +   _ _  SUNSET STRIP
      +  ADAM    _ _
                    +    _ _  MINUTES
          +   9 TO      _
          + THE  _ _ _  CLUB
                  +      _ _  JUMP STREET
      +  ROUTE  _ _
                  +     _ _  HOURS
           + CAR   _ _ WHERE ARE YOU?
_________________________________
                    _ _ _ _
 - RESCUE    _ _ _
_________________________________
      ROOM    _ _ _

Answers:

PLAYHOUSE  90
                      +  77  SUNSET STRIP
     +  ADAM    12
                   +     60  MINUTES
         +  9 TO      5
       +   THE   700  CLUB
                  +      21  JUMP STREET
    +  ROUTE    66
                   +     48  HOURS
    +       CAR    54  WHERE ARE YOU?
                      1133 
 -  RESCUE   911
       ROOM   222



 

HAVE YOU HERD
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 2000
Francis Heaney

The first and last letters of a six-letter animal can be changed to make a word that can be used to refer to a group of that kind of animal. What are the words?

HINTS:
#1: The group word is only used for a limited time in the lives of these animals.
#2: The first and last letters of the group word are L and R.

Answers:

KITTEN
LITTER

SHIFTY CHARACTERS
Credit: GAMES Magazine
June, 2000
Douglas Tench

A single letter in each of the following words can be moved into a new position to create a new word.
The letter to be moved is in the same position in each word, and it is moved to the same new position to create the new word. Can you determine which letter in each word  should be moved, where to place it, and the new word thus formed?

BEAD       ELBOW
GREET     HOSE
INFER      MISLED
STAIR      TASTE

Answers:

The third letter in each word should be moved to the beginning of its word:

ABED          BELOW
EGRET       SHOE 
FINER        SMILED
ASTIR        STATE 

LETTER CARRIERS
Credit: GAMES Magazine
July/August, 1982
Will Shortz

The two blanks in each clue below can be filled in with an abbreviation suggested by the descriptions listed below the clues. The completed words will not be related to the clues. For example, given the clue  _ H _ NE and the description LETTER CARRIER'S BASE, you would fill in the abbreviation P.O. to complete the word PHONE. [To make the puzzle more challenging, try to fill in the blanks without looking at the descriptions.]

1. CE _ _ R
2. _ AR _ H
3. _ IMI _
4. S _ O _ E
5. P _ _ UE
6. CH _ _ K
7. C  _ UM _  (dated term)
8. C _ _ EL
9. S _ RU _
10. _ A _ OR
11. _ _ EAL
12 _ U _ HY

DESCRIPTIONS (in random order)

a. Executive, perhaps
b. World body
c. Record
d. Show host
e. Trucker's "ears"
f. Afterthought
g. Prosecutor
h. Home entertainer
i. Six pointer
j. Morning
k. Kind of bracelet
l. Brains rating

Answers:

1. g - ceDAr
2. d - MarCh
3. i - TimiD
4. h - sToVe
5. l - pIQue
6. b - chUNk
7. c - cLumP
8. j - cAMel
9. e - sCruB
10. a - VaPor
11. k - IDeal
12. f - PuShy

ESPYGRAMS I
Credit: GAMES Magazine
March/April 1982
Willard R. Espy

Each Espygram below is a poem that contains at least two missing words, the letters of which are represented by asterisks. All the missing words in a given poem are composed of the same letters; their order has simply been re-arranged. Use the context of the lines, the meter, rhyme scheme, and titles provided to deduce one of the missing words in a poem, and you'll have a big clue to the others - they're simply anagrams of the first.

1)
Post-parental Plaint
When I ******** to be a father,
You ******* my willingness to even bother.
Now you *******; you never knew
I'd save the ******* just for you.

2)
The Fox and the Fowl
A fox asked a fowl to run loose
In the ******; he said, "Let's make a truce."
The fowl, sensing ******,
Hid deep in the manger.
Said the farmer, "That ******'s no goose."

3) Less Is More
The humbler ***** will do for me,
On ***** of greatness I need not be.
Though some men do to these heights mount,
And leave behind us no-accounts.
I like a man who ***** his best,
But effort ***** me; and so *  ****.

4) (Dis)order of the Garter
The ***** truth I must relate:
The queen won't wear her ***** of state.
It ***** her when her Royal Guard
Mistake her for a playing card.

Answers:

1. Aspired, praised, despair, diapers
2. Garden, Danger, Gander
3. Rites, tiers, tires, I rest
4. Sober, robes, bores

After a certain change, each of the words below can be preceded by the same three letters to form new words.

1. SCENT
2. SEED
3. DUCKED
4. TRACKED
5. SENSES

HINT:
The words are all homophones.

Answer:

Each word has a homophone that can be preceded by CON to make a new word:

1. CONSENT
2. CONCEDE
3. CONDUCT
4. CONTRACT
5. CONCENSUS

Credit:
GAMES Magazine
November, 1083
Robert Leighton
CON QUEST 

QUOTES XXXIV - Yogi Berra

1. It ain't over 'til it's over.
2. It's deja vu all over again.
3. Never answer an anonymous letter.
4. You can observe a lot by watching.
5. When you come to a fork in the road, take it. 
6. Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.
7. Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
8. The towels were so thick there, I could hardly close my suitcase.
9. You should always go to other people's funerals. Otherwise they won't come to yours. 
10. I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.
11. I can see how Sandy Koufax won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five.
12. I never said most of the things I said.

ALPHABET SOUP
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1983
Carlene Stroup

Re-arrange the letters of each word to make eight new words with something in common.

SIP
HIP
TEA
BEAT
DEALT
MAGIS
MAGMA
MORONIC

Answers:

Each word can be anagrammed into a letter of the Greek alphabet:

PSI
PHI
ETA
BETA
DELTA
SIGMA
GAMMA
OMICRON

TWO-WAY WORDS
Credit: GAMES Magazine
December, 1983
From Aha! - March, 1983
Alfred Eichner

The four words in each group below can be combined with another word - the same for all four - to form two-word phrases or compound words. The new word can go either before or after the given word. For example, given the words

Rattle, oil, eyes, charmer -

the answer word would be SNAKE, as in rattlesnake, snake oil, snake eyes, and snake charmer.
Each group uses a different new word.

1. Odd, room, foot, point
2. Front, war, turkey, shoulder
3. House, country, soda, book
4. Pack, green, track, feed
5. Third, road, split, guard
6. Deep, flint, pig, onion
7. Hen, party, open, maid
8. Fish, peanut, out, sea
9. Cloth, saw, jacket, bowl
10. Push, up, hole, panic
11. Out, blank, rubber, point
12. Hole, pass, ring, skeleton

Answers;

1. Ball
2. Cold
3. Club
4. Back
5. Rail
6. Skin
7. House
8. Shell
9. Dust 
10. Button
11. Check
12. Key 

TWO LITTLE LISTS II
Credit: GAMES/World of Puzzles
January, 2016

The words in List A can be paired up with the words or partial words in List B in a certain way to reveal seven related words. The words in List B are in random order. Can you determine the relationship and find the related words?

List A                 List B
WED                  ENIA
BAN                   FCE
ARM                  GERY
TON                   SEN
RAN                   ESIA
MAN                  ALIA            
                 
Answers:

The three-letter words in List A can be inserted into or precede the words or partial words in List B to reveal the names of seven countries:

SWEDEN
ALBANIA
ARMENIA
ESTONIA
FRANCE
GERMANY

         

ONE WORD LEADS TO ANOTHER VII

STATION TO STATION
Credit: GAMES Magazine
March, 1983
Barry Cohen

Can you fill in the missing links with a word that will pair up with the word above it and the one below it to form a familiar compound word, hyphenated word, or two-word phrase? For example, given the clues

STATION
________
NECK
________
PIN
________ , the missing words would be BREAK, TIE, and WHEEL - as in station break, breakneck, necktie, tie pin, and pin wheel.

STATION
________
NECK
________
PIN
________
CHAIR
________
OFF
________
BLIND
________
CAT
________
STORY
________
CLUB
________
FOUNTAIN
________
FIRST
________
BUG
________
GUN
________
WATER
________
JAM
________
RAT
________
HORSE
________
GROUND
________
WILD
________
TIME
________
TOP
________
SERVICE
________

Answers:

Station break, breakneck, necktie, tie pin, pinwheel, wheel chair, chair lift, lift off, off color, color blind, blind alley, alley cat, cat fish, fish story, story book, book club, club soda, soda fountain, fountain head, head first, first lady, lady bug, bug spray, spray gun, gun fire, fire water, water log, log jam, jam pack, pack rat, rat race, race horse, horse play, play ground, ground hog, hog wild, wild life, lifetime, timetable, table top, top secret, secret service, service station

ONLY MONEY
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1983
Greg Wymer

Listed below are the denominations of U.S. paper money and the historical figure on the face of each. Below them, in random order, are the embellishments on the backs of the bills. Can you match the fronts and the backs?

$1 - Washington
$2 - Jefferson
$5 - Lincoln
$10 - Hamilton
$20 - Jackson
$50 - Grant
$100 - Franklin

Embellishments

a. U.S. Treasury
b. Independence Hall
c. U.S. Capitol
d. White House
e. Great Seal of the U.S.
f. Lincoln Memorial
g. Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Answers:

$1 - e - Great Seal of the U.S.
$2 - g - Signers of the Declaration of Independence 
$5 - f - Lincoln Memorial
$10 - a - U.S. Treasury
$20 - d - White House
$50 - c - U.S. Capitol
$100 - b - Independence Hall

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle
February 14, 2016
Will Shortz

Change one letter in each word below to another, then re-arrange the resulting letters to form a new word - so that this new word can follow the original word to form a familiar phrase. For example, given the word FALL, you would change one of the L's to a T, then anagram the letters to form FLAT - which can follow FALL to form FALL FLAT. One of the answers is a proper name.

1. RUSH
2. PORE
3. LONG
4. WORN
5. MIXED
6. EDGAR
7. METAL
8. EQUAL

HINTS:
The letters to be changed are:
1. S
2. P
3. L
4. R
5. X
6. R
7. M
8. Q

Answers:

1. RUSH HOUR
2. PORE OVER
3. LONG GONE
4. WORN DOWN
5. MIXED MEDIA
6. EDGAR DEGAS
7. METAL PLATE
8. EQUAL VALUE

STUMPERS CLII

What are the next two letters in this very familiar sequence?

TT  FF  SS  _ _

HINT:
Each letter is the first initial of something.

Answer:

EN............TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE

HO - HUM
Credit: GAMES Magazine
March, 1983
Isabel Livingstone

The answer to each clue below is a word containing the letters HO or HUM.

1. Phantom
2. Man or woman
3. Chess piece
4. Bambi rabbit
5. Hotel worker
6. Modest
7. New Mexico Native American
8. Intimately sociable
9. Picture
10. Funny
11. Kind of whale
12. Easily swayed person
13. Six feet in a sub
14. Sleeveless cloak
15. Farm grass

Answers:

1. GHOST
2. HUMAN
3. BISHOP 
4. THUMPER
5. BELLHOP
6. HUMBLE
7. NAVAHO
8. CHUMMY
9. PHOTOGRAPH
10. HUMOROUS
11. HUMPBACK
12. PUSHOVER
13. FATHOM
14. PONCHO
15. SORGHUM

E.T. ISN'T ONE
Credit: GAMES Magazine
June, 1983
Becky Griffith (adapted)

Can you identify the eleven fairy tales/children's stories listed below by their initials?

1. C.
2. R.
3. S.B.
4. S.W. and the S.D.
5. H. and G.
6. The U.D.
7. The T.L.P.
8. The E.N.C.
9. G. and the T.B.
10. B. and the B.
11. L.R.R.H.

Answers:

1. Cinderella
2. Rapunzel
3. Sleeping Beauty
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
5. Hansel and Gretel
6. The Ugly Duckling
7. The Three Little Pigs
8. The Emperor's New Clothes
9. Goldilocks and the Three Beas
10. Beauty and the Beast
11. Little Red Riding Hood

The ten words below share an unusual quality. Can you determine what it is?

1. ANCESTOR
2. TOREADOR
3. BANJO
4. STORE
5. TURBAN
6. RYE
7. YEAR
8. DANCE
9. DORY
10. JORDAN

HINTS:
#1. The words can be written in an unusual way.
#2: It has to do with the beginning and ending letters of the words.
#3: It starts with TURBAN.

Answer - part 1:

The last two or more letters of each word will be the starting letters of another word. By eliminating the overlapping letters and the spacing between the words, you can telescope the words into a consecutive string of 27 letters. For example, given the words PYTHON, VOLCANO, and CANOPY, you could telescope them into VOLCANOPYTHON. Can you do it with the ten clue words?

Answer - part 2:

TURBANJORDANCESTOREADORYEAR

Credit: GAMES Magazine
July, 1983
Will Shortz
THE TELESCOPE

Each word in column A below can be matched with a word or phrase in Column B according to a certain relationship between the words. The words and phrases in Column B are in random order. Can you determine the relationship and pair up the words?

Column A                   Column B

1. METAL                  TWIST            
2. INJURY                  MORE DEADENED        
3. SWINE                   CHANNEL
4. PLUNGED             COILED
5. BREEZE                 PLANT
6. STITCHER             GUIDE               
7. DIGIT                     PEACE SYMBOL

HINT:
Here are the paired-up words. Can you determine their relationship?

1. METAL - GUIDE
2. INJURY - COILED
3. SWINE - PLANT
4. PLUNGED - PEACE SYMBOL
5. BREEZE - TWIST
6. STITCHER - CHANNEL
7. DIGIT - MORE DEADENED

Answers:

Each word in Column A can be defined by a heteronym - a word that has two distinct pronunciations and definitions . One of those definitions appears in Column A. The other definition of that heteronym appears as its match in Column B:

1. METAL - Lead (short e) and lead (long e) - GUIDE 
2. INJURY - Wound (bullet wound) and wound - as a spring - COILED
3. SWINE - SOW (female pig) - SOW (to scatter seed) - PLANT
4. PLUNGED - dove (past tense of dive) - dove (the bird) - PEACE SYMBOL
5. BREEZE - wind (moving air) - wind (as a hair braid) - TWIST
6. STITCHER - Sewer (needle and thread) - underground pipe - CHANNEL
7. DIGIT - Number (1, 2, 3) - number (less feeling) - MORE DEADENED 

Credit: GAMES Magazine
July, 1983
Vicky Gehrt (adapted)

 

RHYMING RIDDLE ANSWERS XXX

The answers to each item in the clues will rhyme.

1. Conquer, Finish, Do over, Tactful

2. Huge, Uncertainty, Abridge, Distribute

3. Church singing group, Steeple, Dress, Secure

4. Humiliate (oneself), Obliterate, Shame, Disfigure

5. Kind of tree, Indian chief, Nursery rhyme name, Horse halter

6. Uncultivated - as land, Yellowish - as skin, Inexperienced, Consecrate

7. Diminish - as fears, Pay the cost of, Determine the value of, Rot

8. Aroma - as wine, Epicure, Provocative, Evening party or reception

9. Based on a mistaken belief, Lying, Talkative, Devouring great quantities

10. Characteristic, Living thing - human or animal, Church leader - perhaps, Stadium seat

Answers:

1. Defeat, Complete, Repeat, Discreet
2. Immense, Suspense, Condense, Dispense
3. Choir, Spire, Attire, Acquire
4. Abase, Erase, Disgrace, Deface
5. Sycamore, sagamore, Hickamore, Hackamore
6. Fallow, Sallow, Callow, Hallow
7. Allay, Defray, Assay, Decay
8. Bouquet, Gourmet, Risque, Soiree
9. Fallacious, Mendacious, Loquacious, Voracious 
10.  Feature, Creature, Preacher, Bleacher

CLASSIFIED ADDS II
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1991
Stephen Sniderman

Each word in the "ads" below can be changed into a new one by adding a single letter. The single letter is the same for all five words in that ad. The letter may be added at the beginning, middle, or end of the word, but no re-arrangement of letters is necessary. The resulting list of words isn't meant to make sense. For example, given the ad

FOR SALE: ROUND WINERY HEATER,
you would add T to each word to get
FORT STALE ROTUND WINTERY THEATER.

1. CARET LAID INTO POLAR ARTICLE
2. LAYER HOLLY SEED AND HOSE
3. MAIM FOES! ETERNAL FLU ALE
4. FINER RESINS: REAL, PURE, RUBY
5. NEED MONEY? SEW FAIR LACING
6. FAULTY RADIAL? REDO WITH RAYON!
7. MANGER PLACE INDICTED; DEFER REPLY
8. BOUGHT: COUNTY MOOSE GENE STUDY

Answers:

1. P- CARPET, PLAID, PINTO, POPLAR, PARTICLE
2. W - LAWYER, WHOLLY, SEWED, WAND, WHOSE
3. X - MAXIM, FOXES, EXTERNAL, FLUX, AXLE
4. G - FINGER, RESIGNS, REGAL, PURGE, RUGBY
5. K - KNEED, MONKEY, SKEW, FAKIR, LACKING
6. C - FACULTY, RADICAL, CREDO, WITCH, CRAYON
7. A - MANAGER, PALACE, INDICATED, DEAFER, REPLAY
8. R - BROUGHT, COUNTRY, MOROSE, GENRE, STURDY

BAD PUNS III
Credit: GAMES Magazine
June, 1983
#1: Ruth W. Wall
#2: Len Elliott

Can you fill in the pun(ch) lines to these contest-winning puns?

1. Eve thought Adam needed a change of clothing, so she persuaded him to _____   _____  a  _____   _____ .

2. The boy simultaneously contracted measles, mumps, chicken pox, and a cold. His mother took him to a doctor who cured him of everything. The doctor _____  with the _____   _____ .

Answers:

1. turn over (a) new leaf
2. dispensed with the four maladies 

GIVE AND TAKE III
Acknowledgements:
Idea: Pamela Wylder
(GAMES - Give and Take - Sept. 1999 - posted 11/2/14)
Resource: Regis Modesta
(GAMES - Family Reunions)
Joseph Appel

In each pair of words below, remove a letter from one word and add it to the other. Then re-arrange the letters in both words to form two new words naming items that belong to the same category.

For example, given the word pair RENEGE - GROAN, you would transfer an E from RENEGE to GROAN and anagram the results to form GREEN - ORANGE - two colors. The transferred letter may come from either word. [As a solving hint, the categories that the two anagrammed words belong to are given below the clues. Using the hints significantly reduces the challenge of the puzzle.]

1. REACH - GOATS
2. TASK - FOREST
3. DEER - WITH
4. RUNE - INSISTED
5. ADDLE - LOG
6. TIARA - TOME
7. CLAIM - DAH
8. AVENGEE - IRE
9. FLOUR - KITES
10. SUCTION - HOMER

HINTS:
The categories are:
1. Parties
2. Poets
3. Colors
4. Professions
5. Elements
6. Music
7. Countries
8. Lakes
9. Baseball
10. Family

Answers:

1. SEARCH -TOGA
2. KEATS - FROST
3. RED - WHITE
4. NURSE - DENTIST
5. LEAD - GOLD
6. ARIA - MOTET
7. MALI - CHAD
8. GENEVA - ERIE 
9. FOUL - STRIKE
10. COUSIN - MOTHER

ADD A LETTER - GET A  NEW WORD XVII

Add the designated letter to each word and re-arrange the letters to get a new word.

1. UTAH + T
2. IDAHO + R
3. NEVADA + C
4. MAINE + G
5. TEXAS + C
6. CRETE + J
7. GUAM + T
8. BALI + S

HINTS:
1. Ghost
2. Perm
3. Move forward
4. Puzzle
5. Demands
6. Refuse
7. Range
8. Herb

Answers:

1. HAUNT
2. HAIRDO
3. ADVANCE
4. ENIGMA
5. EXACTS
6. REJECT
7. GAMUT
8. BASIL

MISSING LINK CV

Each trio of words 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. Phone..........Plug..........Drum
2. Note..........Board..........Hole
3. Side..........Sand..........Space
4. Dial..........Belt..........Screen
5. In..........Hour..........Tolerance
6. Coat..........Key..........Table
7. Place..........Price..........Share
8. Pound..........Pan..........Cup
9. Bean..........Paper..........Carpet
10. Foot..........Eye..........Hand

Answers:

1. Ear
2. Key
3. Kinds of bars
4. Sun
5. Zero
6. Turn
7. Market
8. Kinds of cakes
9. Bag
10. Ball 

COMMON STOCK III
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1991
Mike Shenk

The four answers to each numbered set below have something in common. To discover what, fill in the blanks to complete the words reading across. The letters you put in the blanks, taken in order from left to right, must also spell shorter words. These shorter words will all be members of the same category. For example, the first word in Set #1 is QUADRILLION, with the shorter word being QUAIL. The remaining three shorter words in #1 will also be names of birds. Getting one answer in a set will help you get the others, but breaking into a set can be tricky. [The categories of the two other sets are given as a hint, but that significantly reduces the challenge of the puzzle.]

1)
_ _ _ DR _ L _ ION
P _ _ _ AT _ O _
B_ LLI _ E _ _ N _
G _ _ _ _ STO _ E

2)
_ _ _ _ NGRO _ _ R
_ _ AGR _ _ _ _
_ MMOR _ _ _ IT _
IN _ _ IR _ T _ O _

3)
EI _ HTF _ _ _
_ LODH _ _ _ _ _
_ MP _ _ VI _ G
_ _ MON _ _ E

HINTS:
The three categories are:
1. Birds
2. Countries
3. Metals

Answers:

1)
QUAdrIlLion
pROBatIoN
bElliGeREnT
gRAVEstoNe

2)
GREEngroCEr 
FRagrANCE
ImmorTALitY
inSPirAtIoN

3)
eiGhtfOLD
ClodhOPPER
ImpROviNg
LEmonADe 

With the addition of a single letter, the words below can be anagrammed into new words. The added letter is the same for all the words. What is the letter, and what are the new words?

1. NONE
2. PEEL
3. TREE
4. VINE
5. WADE

Answers:

The letter is X:

1. XENON
2. EXPEL
3. EXERT
4. VIXEN
5. WAXED

Credit: GAMES Magazine 
July, 1991
Charles Connolly
MARK MY WORDS 

[See also similar puzzle posted 2/1/16]

Can you name the Seven Deadly Sins?

Answers:

1. PRIDE
2. ENVY
3. WRATH
4. SLOTH
5. GREED
6. GLUTTONY
7. LUST

SCANAGRAMS
Credit: GAMES Magazine
May, 1983
Eugene T. Maleska

In each of the following couplets, one of the words is an anagram of the word to be filled in the blank. For example, in the couplet

For Olympic athletes strong and pure,
The _______ wreath has great allure.

The blank should be filled in with LAUREL, which is an anagram of ALLURE.

1)
The drunkard, crawling on all fours,
Said, "_______ people are such bores."

2)
A baby _______ ! Let us greet it
And hope the mother will repeat it.

3)
The _______ woes he could abide,
Whatever came he took in stride.

4)
My _______ pilot knows the stream,
So give my ship a head of steam!

Answers:

1. SOBER (bores)
2. EGRET (greet)
3. DIREST (stride)
4. MASTER (stream) 

ANIMAL CRACKERS III
Credit: GAMES Magazine
May, 1983
Paul Morgan

A Det******d Puzzler

[Submitted as a follow-up to "Animal Crackers" by Henry E. Leabo, GAMES - Jan. 1983 (posted as ANIMAL CRACKERS I - 2/1/15) See also the response form the GAMES Editor shown below.]

Here's a new twist on [see above] in which you complete a set of common words by replacing the asterisks with animal names. I've found two additions - words that are in themselves animal names and also contain animal names within:

B*****S  and  W*****ORWILL

Answers:

bEAGLEs
wHIPPOorwill

Response by GAMES Editor:

We're e****ally grateful, not to mention e****ient, that this d******d puzzler p***ed them along. 

Answers:

TERN
BULL
ERMINE
***

 

PANGRAMS II

A pangram is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once. The fewer letters used, the better the pangram - theoretically. The shortest pangrams usually pay the price of being awkward and near non-sensical.

The following pangrams are from GAMES Magazine - May, 1983.

Six of my tranquilized pigs have bad lockjaw.
Edward Dermon - 37 letters

Crazy kid quit job to help fix woman's glove.
Nancy Wiser - 35 letters

Quiz show vexed by lack of rating jump.
John Meader - 31 letters

FOR BIRD "BRAINS"
Credit: GAMES Magazine
May, 1983
Len Elliott

Each clue in this puzzle can be answered by a word, phrase, or title that begins with the name of a familiar bird.

1. Sherwood Forest archer
2. Novelty timepiece
3. Prying tool
4. Marx Brothers movie
5. Nazis' marching style
6. Faith, hope, and charity
7. Thanksgiving run
8. Tchaikovsky ballet
9. Compartmentalize to excess
10. Precisely fitting wood joint
11. Showy annual flower
12. Childhood malady
13. Pear tree dweller
14. He  has 21 merit badges
15. Reckless street crosser
16. Bogart classic film noir
17. Spanish territory off Morocco
18. Possible nickname for one with good vision

Answers:

1. Robin Hood
2. Cuckoo clock
3. Crowbar
4. Duck Feathers
5. Goose step
6. Cardinal virtues
7. Turkey trot
8. Swan Lake
9. Pigeonhole
10. Dovetail
11. Larkspur
12. Chicken pox
13. Partridge
14. Eagle Scout
15. Jay walker
16. The Maltese Falcon
17. Canary Islands 
18. Hawkeye

 

DOUBLE DUTY LX

The blanks in each clue below can be filled in with letters which will complete the word or partial word beginning on the left and begin the word or partial word ending on the right. The number of blanks indicates the number of missing letters.

1. TAN _ _ AT
2. PRO _ _ _ FUME
3. NOTE _ _ _ LOCK
4. SAW _ _ _ _ PAN
5. WIND _ _ LET
6. FA _ _ _ _ E
7. W _ _ _ IGO
8. FA_ _ _ND
9. AU _ _ _ _ AX
10. FL _ _ _ NA

HINTS:
The first of the missing letters are:
1. G
2. P
3. P
4. D
5. O
6. M
7. I
8. B
9. T
10. A

Answers:

1. tanGOat
2. proPERfume
3. notePADlock
4. sawDUSTpan
5. windOWlet
6. faMOUSe
7. wINDigo 
8. faBLEnd
9. auTHORax
10. flAREna
 

FLEXERS XXIII

Credit: NY Times Crossword
February 9, 2016
Lynn Lempel

Answer each clue by matching it with one of the choices below. Wordplay is fair play.

1. Detonates a weapon in the underworld
2. Raises the prices of some pastries
3. Clocks trainees for a fabled race rematch
4. Cuts up little bloodsuckers
5. Puts up with one's family
6. Scrutinizes the underworld

CHOICES:

a. Chopsticks
b. Upstarts
c. Eyeshades
d. Bombshell
e. Timeshares
f. Bearskin

Answers:

1. d - Bombshell (Bombs hell)
2. b - Upstarts (Ups tarts)
3. e - Timeshares (Times hares)
4. a - Chopsticks (Chops ticks)
5. f - Bearskin (Bears kin)
6. c - Eyeshades (Eyes hades)

BUILDING BLOCKS II
Credit: GAMES Magazine
Dec/Jan 1990
Will Shortz

Three letters in each line of the puzzle below are already in place. To complete the words, insert the letter "blocks" below the puzzle into the remaining blanks - without re-arranging any letters - to complete eight nine-letter words. For example, the first line in the puzzle would be completed by adding the blocks WAS and TEL to form WASTELAND.

_ _ _ _ _ _ AND
_ _ _ _ _ _ NCE
_ _ _ _ _ _ SUS
_ _ _ _ _ _ ATE
_ _ _ _ _ _ KIN
_ _ _ _ _ _ ARD
_ _ _ _ _ _ TRY
_ _ _ _ _ _ AST

AGG   EVA   LAN   SEN
ADC   GAL   BRO   SHE
CON   GRI    REG   TEL
COU   EPS   RTY   WAS

Answers:

WASTELAND
GRIEVANCE
CONSENSUS
AGGREGATE
SHEEPSKIN
COURTYARD
GALLANTRY
BROADCAST

Each of the words below can be changed into a new one according to a similar pattern. Can you determine the pattern and the new words?

ACE
AIDE
APE
ARE
LOP
ODE
RIM
ROD

HINT:
ABLE could be added to the list.

Answers:

Each word can be preceded and followed by the same letter to form a new word:

RACER
RAIDER
LAPEL
DARED
ELOPE
MODEM
PRIMP
ERODE
(TABLET)

Credit:
Joseph Appel 

Note from JA: This puzzle was published in the May, 2016 issue of GAMES/World of Puzzles under the title MIDDLE GROUND.
 

CROSSING STATE LINES
Credit: GAMES Magazine
January, 1983
Merl Reagle

How many states' names can you string together so that the last letter or one becomes the first letter of the next? For example, WashingtoN, NevadA, AlaskA , etc. The most we could get was 13. Can you do better?

(Possible) Answers:

UtaH, HawaiI, IdahO, OhiO, OregoN, New YorK, KansaS, South CarolinA, ArkansaS, South DakotA, ArizonA, AlabamA, Alaska

A QUIZLING
Credit: GAMES Magazine
February, 1983
Dan Crawford

If a duckling is a small duck, does it follow that a short celebrity is a starling? Probably not. But if it did, then each definition below would suggest a common word ending in LING. A tiny hair ribbon, for example, would be a BOWLING.

1. A small pushpin
2. A small planet
3. A minimal charge
4. A short, gullible person
5. A small Halloween prank
6. A drop of writing fluid
7. A small helper on a ranch
8. Gypsy Rose Lee as a child
9. A tiny arachnid
10. A mild word expressing frustration

Answers:

1. Tackling
2. Earthling
3. Feeling
4. Sapling
5. Trickling
6. Inkling
7. Handling
8. Stripling
9. Tickling
10. Dangling
 

RHYMING RIDDLE
Credit: GAMES Magazine
February, 1983
PUZZLES OF 1893
Eli Lemon Sheldon

POETICAL ENIGMA

I have but one eye,
and that without sight;
I am sharp without wits,
without senses I'm bright.

Answer:

A needle

1. What do the following words have in common?

AT
MAN
WAN
OGLE
SLING

2. What do the following words have in common?

DO
ID
GO
WE

Answers:

1. The letters (word) GO can precede, follow, or be inserted into each clue to form an new word:

GOAT
MANGO
WAGON
GOOGLE

2. Each clue word can be preceded by the letter A to form a new word:

ADO
AID
AGO
AWE 

Credit #1:
NY Times Crossword
December 31, 2015
Ben Tausig
GOSLING

TWO LITTLE LISTS I
Credit: GAMES/World of Puzzles
January, 2016

The words in List A can be paired up with the words or partial words in List B in a certain way to reveal five related words. The words or partial words in List B are in random order. Can you determine the relationship and find the related words?

List A        LIST B
PIE            AS
RUM         GT         
RAN          HS
DAM         RCE           
AYE          TAN

Answer:

The three-letter words in List A can be inserted into or precede the words or partial words in List B to reveal the names of five U.S. Presidents:

PIERCE 
TRUMAN
GRANT 
ADAMS
HAYES

Note from JA: Other examples included in the puzzle:

MADison
fillmORE
cooLIDge
wASHington
harDINg
NIXon
clEVEland

       

A CHARADE is a type of word puzzle in which the answer is broken up into syllables or other parts of the words making up the answer - as in the party game.

1)
              My first beneath
            my second is seen,
     And moves at pleasure there;
 My whole an arch of beauty stands,
       supported by - not a trace - 
          to grace a pretty face.

2)
      My first is found in many mines;
             And there my costly
                 second shines.
    As for my whole - what shall I say?
        It seems intended to betray.

Answers:

1. Eyebrow
2. Stratagem

Credit: GAMES/World of Puzzles
January, 2016
Sam Loyd (1841-1911)
(#1: modified)
(#2: shortened)

DROP A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD XIII

FAMILY REUNIONS
Credit GAMES/World of Puzzles
January, 2016
Regis Modesta

Drop one letter from each word below and re-arrange the remaining letters to find eight related words.

1. THRUM
2. WHALE
3. DOMAIN
4. GRAHAM
5. HARASS
6. SHELTER
7. CHORALE

HINT:
VEER could be added to the list. 

HINTS:

Letters to be dropped.

1. M

2. W

3. D

4. M

5. S

6. L

7. O

Answers:

1. RUTH
2. LEAH
3. NAOMI
4. HAGAR
5. SARAH
6. ESTHER
7. RACHEL
    (EVE) - - -  All women of the Bible
 

A BLANK LOOK
Credit: GAMES/World of Puzzles
January, 2016
Raymond Love

Can you fill in the blanks in each row below with the same five letters in the same order to make five common words?

_ _ _ _ D _
_ _ _ _ F _
_ _ _ _ K _
_ _ _ _ P _
_ _ _ _ V _

HINT:

First of the missing letters: S

Answers:

The letters are S, T, R, I, and E:

STRIDE
STRIFE
STRIKE
STRIPE
STRIVE

TIME TO RHYME I
Credit: GAMES/World of Puzzles
January, 2016
Stephen Sniderman

Each pair of words below rhymes with two antonyms. In #1, for example, SCARRED rhymes with HARD and QUEASY rhymes with EASY.

1. SCARRED and QUEASY
2. SHAKE and STEAL
3. CALF and STY
4. JERK and SWAY
5. POWER and HEAT
6. MEND and TOW
7. SUGGESTION and DANCER
8. STATIC and PLACEMENT
9. RENT and RATE
10. SONG and CHEEK

(Possible) Answers: 

1. HARD and EASY
2. FAKE and REAL
3. LAUGH and CRY
4. WORK and PLAY
5. SOUR and SWEET
6. FRIEND and FOE
7. QUESTION and ANSWER
8. ATTIC and BASEMENT
9. BENT and STRAIGHT
10. STRONG and WEAK

Notes from JA:
Alternate answers to #6 - MEND and TOW
LEND and OWE 
REND and SEW

Can you think of two sets of antonyms that rhyme with 
BEAST and PEST?

1. The answer in GAMES
2. ????????????????????

Answers:
1. EAST and WEST
2. LEAST and BEST

 

WHAT'S IN A GAME?
Credit: GAMES Magazine
October, 1991
Will Shortz

What games use the following words?

1. Check, pawn, knight
2. Pocket, scratch, break
3. Chance, house, jail
4. See, straight, call
5. Mustard, kitchen, knife
6. Bust, hit, soft

Answers:

1. Chess
2. Pool
3. Monopoly
4. Poker
5. Clue
6. Blackjack 

MIND FLEXERS XX
Credit: GAMES Magazine
October, 1991
Rosalie Moscovitch

Match each item on the left with one on the right based on similar or related meanings. The relationships are disguised by the use of double meanings or altered spacing within words.

1. BLUSHER                       FIRE PREVENTION
2. HEARING AID               KENNEL FEE
3. FEATHERED                  COQUETTE
4. ENDANGER                   REDONE
5. SPLIT DECISION          GAVEL
6. SPOT REMOVER           ORTHOPEDIC DEPT.
7. LOW BLOWS                 BEARING DOWN
8. CURRENT                      DIRTY SOCKS
9. TENURE                         DIVORCE
10. AT EASE                       DOG CATCHER
11. BACKWARD                COOL DOWN 

Answers:

1. Blusher - REDONE (RED ONE)
2. Hearing aid - GAVEL (court hearing)
3. Feathered - BEARING DOWN (i.e. goose down)
4. Endanger - COOL DOWN (end anger)
5. Split decision - DIVORCE
6. Spot remover - DOG CATCHER
7. Low blows - DIRTY SOCKS (socks - hits)
8. Current - KENNEL FEE (cur rent)
9. Tenure - FIRE PREVENTION (job security)
10. At ease - COQUETTE (a tease)
11. Backward - ORTHOPEDIC DEPT. (back ward)

 
            

Can you identify the familiar names on this unfamiliar list?

1. Addlepated
2. Aesculapian
3. Allergic
4. Dyspeptic
5. Riant
6. Somnolent
7. Timorous

Answer:

They are the Seven Homunculi:

1. Dopey
2. Doc
3. Sneezy
4. Grumpy
5. Happy
6. Sleepy
7. Bashful

SOUND THINKING
Credit: GAMES Magazine
October, 1991
Karen Anderson

We can think of only two pairs of homophones that have no letters in common. Can you do any better? Both of our pairs of answers involve only familiar English words.

HINT:
One of the words in each pair is a pronoun.

Answers:

The homophone pairs are YOU and EWE and I and EYE.

Note: See also STUMPERS XVIII (GETTING PERSONAL)
                         posted Oct. 17, 2013 

 LETTERS ONLY VII (AND NUMBERS)

MIXED CHARACTERS
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1991
Will Shortz

Each of the clues below leads to an answer that is a letter and a number, or a number and a letter, or some combination of letters and numbers. For example, "Club originally founded for rural youth" leads to the answer 4-H.

1. IRS tax withholding form
2. Military reconaisance plane
3. Second highest peak in the world
4. Giant WWII bomber
5. Renowned ocean liner
6. 1963 film about John F. Kennedy
7. Popular steak sauce brand
8. Company that makes Scotch tape
9. Foot race just over six miles
10. Certain engine or vegetable juice

Answers:

1. W-2
2. U2
3. K-2
4. B52
5. QEII
6. PT 109
7. A-1
8. 3M
9. 10K
10. V-8

Here is a complete list of states in the order they appear on a trip taken by countless people every year. Can you identify the nature of this trip?

VERMONT
CONNECTICUT
VIRGINIA
TENNESSEE
NEW YORK
KENTUCKY
INDIANA
ILLINOIS
NORTH CAROLINA
PENNSYLVANIA

HINTS:
#1: In the original puzzle, the last line of the introduction is, "Can you, by any chance, identify the nature of this trip?"
#2: The title of this puzzle is TOKEN STATES.

Answer:

The list contains the states appearing in the names of the avenues on a Monopoly board in the order they're encountered traveling around the board.

Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1991
Peter Gordon
TOKEN STATES 

Note: Similar puzzle in November, 1982 GAMES by Bob Duchnicky (GO FOR IT)

TAKING THE FIRST
Credit: GAMES Magazine
December, 1991
O. J. Robertson (#1-7)

In each sentence below, fill in the first blank with a five-letter word, the second blank with the four-letter word formed by removing the first letter of the five-letter word, and the third blank with the three-letter word formed by removing the first letter of the four-letter word - so the sentence makes sense. (#'s 8 and 9 will have six, five, and four-letter words, following the same pattern.)

1. The dinner _____ was empty when she arrived _____, so she _____ leftovers.
2. A _____ bracelet that has some sharp edges might _____ your _____.
3. If you try to _____ someone and that person doesn't seem to _____, you _____ apt to be disappointed.
4. He caught a _____ while climbing the steep _____, and now he's _____.
5. The _____ of converted _____ at my supermarket is less than that of _____ cream.
6. If you like freshly-baked bread, mix _____ with other ingredients, _____ it, and _____ it.
7. At the _____ shopping _____, _____ of the stores know their customers.
8. The _____ on the _____ crew was exacerbated by the _____.
9. You'll make me _____ if you spill _____ on this _____ of paper

Answers:

1. plate, late, ate
2. charm, harm, arm
3. scare, care, are
4. chill, hill, ill
5. price, rice, ice
6. wheat, heat, eat
7. small, mall, all 
8. strain, train, rain 
9. scream, cream, ream 

The following words share an unusual property. Can you determine what it is?

MIRE
REDO
FARE
SORE
TIRE
DODO
SOFA

HINT:
It has to do with music.

Answers:

Each word is composed of two tones from the diatonic scale (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do).

Credit: GAMES Magazine
December, 1991
Peter Kaplan
NOTEWORTHY WORDS

STUMPERS CLI

When it starts, the first word millions of people say is "Happy." When it ends some time later, the last word millions of people say is "one." What is it?

Answer:

It's a year. It starts with people saying "Happy New Year!" and ends with people saying "........three!.......two!........one!' 

Credit: GAMES Magazine
December, 1991
Robert Leighton
PARTY TIME

ADD A LETTER - GET A NEW WORD XVI

Add the designated letter to each word and re-arrange the letters to get a new word.

1. MICA + L
2. GAME + I
3. WAKE + S
4. DIVAN + E
5. TRAIN + E
6. PEARL + Y
7. SNARE + I
8. EATING + R
9. BLAME + R
10. PIETY + R

HINTS:
1. Assertion
2. Picture
3. Misshapen
4. Attack
5. Eye
6. Do over
7. Woken up
8. Stone
9. Stone
10. Mineral

Answers:

1. CLAIM
2. IMAGE
3. ASKEW
4. INVADE
5. RETINA
6. REPLAY
7. ARISEN
8. GRANITE
9. MARBLE
10. PYRITE

FLEXERS XXII

WORD BREAKS
[CRYPTIC CLUES]
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1991
Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

The word HEARTBROKEN, viewed literally, might be seen as a clue to the word EARTH, since EARTH is a "broken" version of the letters of HEART. Similarly, each word below might be seen as a cryptic clue to a word suggested by one of the definitions found below the clue words.

1. WRONGDOING
2. SKEDADDLED
3. BATTLEGROUND
4. CLOUDBURST
5. ISLAMABAD
6. PEANUTS
7. FIRECRACKERS
8. FALSETTO

Definitions - in random order:

a. Abundant
b. Pill
c. Australian dog
d. Pupil spot
e. Little kid
f. Copy
g. Had the ability to
h. Hero-ic stuff

Answers:

1. c - Australian dog - (dingo)
2. d - Pupil spot (desk)
3. b - Pill (tablet)
4. g - Had the ability to (could)
5. h - Hero-ic stuff (salami)
6. f - Copy (ape)
7. a - Abundant (rife)
8. e - Little kid (tot)

COMMON STOCK II
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1991
Mike Shenk

The four answers to each numbered set below have something in common. To discover what, fill in the blanks to complete the words reading across. The letters you put in the blanks, taken in order from left to right, must also spell shorter words. These shorter words will all be members of the same category. For example, the first word in set #1 is POTLUCK, with the shorter word being POLK. The remaining three shorter words in #1 will also be names of Presidents. Getting one answer in a set will help you get the others, but breaking into a set can be tricky. [The categories of the two other sets are given as a hint, but that significantly reduces the challenge of the puzzle.]

1)
P O T L U C K
_ E _ _ T R E N _ _ _ _
S _ E _ D _ A S _
_ _ _ E _ A K _ _

2)
E _ _ _ I N A T _
_ _ _ _ I A N C _
_ R  _ D _ T O _
_ E T R O _ E _ _

3)
C O _ P _ _ I _ O N
_ _ _ _ _ A T I O _
C A _ _ R _ O _ _
_ O L  _ _ _ I _ N

HINTS:
The three categories are
1. Presidents
2. Fruits
3. Planets

Answers:

1)
POtLucK
HeARtrenDING
sTeAdFasT
CAReTakER 

2)
eLIMinatE
APPLiancE
PrEdAtoR
PetreLeUM

3)
coMpARiSons
SATURatioN
caVErNoUS
PolLUTiOn

CLASSIFIED ADDS I
Credit: GAMES Magazine
August, 1991
Stephen Sniderman

Each word in the "ads" below can be changed into a new one by adding a single letter. The single letter is the same for all five words in that ad. The letter may be added at the beginning, middle, or end of the word, but no re-arrangement of letters is necessary. The resulting list of words isn't meant to make sense. For example, given the ad

FOR SALE: ROUND WINERY HEATER,
you would add T to each word to get
FORT STALE ROTUND WINTERY THEATER.

1. CLAP MOUSE: PRIM, PROPER, DECENT
2. NICE TENT - USERS WERE BUSY
3. SAVE STATE CRISES: SHUT ACTIONS!
4. TRADE, APPLES, CONFER, PATIENT, SMILE
5. ROUST OTHERS! SUPER GARAGE SALE
6. LIVE CORNETS! BRING PALS THROUGH
7. DIVERS CASES: CRATES STAMPED "SECRET"
8. CAROUSE! AWFULLY DARING PARTY FOURISH

Answers:

1. S - CLASP, MOUSSE, PRISM, PROSPER, DESCENT 
2. H- NICHE, TENTH, USHERS, WHERE, BUSHY
3. U - SUAVE, STATUE, CRUISES, SHOUT, AUCTIONS
4. I - TIRADE, APPLIES, CONIFER, PATIENT, SIMILE
5. R - ROBUST, BOTHERS, SUPERB, GARBAGE, SABLE 
6. O - OLIVE, CORONETS, BORING, OPALS, THOROUGH
7. E - DIVERSE, CEASES, CREATES, STAMPEDE, SECRETE
8. L - CAROUSEL, LAWFULLY, DARLING, PARTLY, FLOURISH 

With the addition of a single letter, the words below can be anagrammed into new words. The added letter is the same for all the words. What is the letter, and what are the new words?

1. DIME
2. INTO
3. LUTE
4. THIS
5. ROBE

Answers:

The letter is X:

1. MIXED
2. TOXIN
3. EXULT
4. SIXTH
5. BOXER

Credit:  GAMES Magazine
July, 1991
Charles Connolly
MARK MY WORDS 

[See also similar puzzle posted 2/11/16]