Gems from old Games Magazines XXIV

GAMES Magazine

November/December, 1981

Henry E. Leabo

GIVE AND TAKE

 

What do the pairs of words below have in common? 

1. TINES - BIDS

2. SHOVEL - HACK

3. RELINE - LICE

4. SURGED - PURRED

5. SHEAVES - CATS

6. ARENA - RAGE

7. FLOAT - BRING

8. CLOCKS -  LATHES

Answer:

 

By shifting a single letter in each pair from one word to the other, without re-arranging the letters, you can create a pair of synonyms:

 

1. TIES - BINDS

2. HOVEL - SHACK

3. RECLINE - LIE

4. URGED - SPURRED

5. HEAVES - CASTS

6. AREA - RANGE

7. FLAT - BORING

8. LOCKS - LATCHES

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XXIII

A Meaningful Change

December, 1993

Rosalie Moscovitch

 

Without scrambling the order of the letters, change one letter of each word to form three new words that are synonyms of each other. For example, EAST, THROB, HULL could be changed to CAST, THROW, HURL.

 

1. Healthy, loaned, rice

2. Avert, clover, quack

3. Flesh, now, repent

4. Guest, inner, reduce 

5. Clear, shrub, wasp

6. Guzzle, power, tenser

7. Oat, plume, strut

8. Boot, dish, rug

9. Curve, out, slick

10. Strong, twice, word

11. Shall, tint, woe

12. Chase, half, suit

13. Gas, goad, slated

14. Beau, marry, tore

15. Bail, coy, sow

16. Choir, sect, beach

Answers:

 

1. Wealthy, loaded, rich

2. Alert, clever, quick

3. Fresh, new, recent

4. Guess, infer, deduce

5. Clean, scrub, wash

6. Puzzle, poser, teaser

7. Fat, plump, stout

8. Bolt, dash, run

9. Carve, cut, slice

10. String, twine, cord 

11. Small, tiny, wee

12. Cease, halt, quit

13. Gay, glad, elated

14. Bear, carry, bore

15. Bawl, sob, cry (also Wail)  

16. Chair, seat, bench

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XXII

GIVE AND TAKE

Pamela Wylder 

Original puzzle: September, 1999

Posted: November 2, 2014

GIVE AND TAKE II

 

In each pair of words below, remove a letter from one word and add it to the other, then re-arrange the resulting letters to form two words naming items that belong to the same category. For example, given RENEGE and GROAN, you would transfer an E from RENEGE to GROAN and anagram the results to GREEN and ORANGE. Two answers include proper names. As a solving hint (not given in the original puzzle), the first word is the one from which the letter is to be taken.

 

1. PALMER - DEALER

2. LOONIER - RADICAL

3. SNORE - RAINCOAT

4. CLICHES - BARROW

5. CORNEA - TEAMS

6. FUTILE - CENTRAL

7. PANICS - DANIEL

8. RATHER - AUNTS

9. ROBIN - ACORN

10. INTENTS - NEWSGIRL 

Answers:

 

1. PEARL - EMERALD

2. ORIOLE - CARDINAL

3. ROSE - CARNATION

4. CHISEL - CROWBAR

5. OCEAN - STREAM

6. FLUTE - CLARINET

7. SPAIN - ICELAND

8. EARTH - SATURN

9. IRON - CARBON

10. TENNIS - WRESTLING

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XXI

April, 2009

Deann Brasher

 

What do the following words have in common?

 

1. RESPITE

2. FRAGILE

3. RESTRAINT

4. OUTSPOKEN

5. PERCEIVABLE 

6. DESTRUCTION

Answer:

 

Each word contains a synonym of itself. The letters of the synonym are in proper order, though not consecutive:

 

1. RESpiTe

2. FRAgILe

3. REstraINt

4. OutsPokEN

5. peRcEivAbLe 

6. destRUctIoN

 

 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XX

April, 2005

Jennifer Orehowsky 

SHOW AND TELL

It's possible to think of a one-word synonym for each word below such that all the synonyms have a unique property in common. Can you think of it. 

OIL

EVIL

LEASE

LOCKS

FELINES 

HINTS:

1. The first word of the title is a hint.

2. The synonym for OIL is GREASE.

 

Answers:

 

Each word has a synonym that is the title of a Broadway show or musical:

 

OIL - GREASE

EVIL - WICKED

LEASE - RENT

LOCKS - HAIR

FELINES - CATS 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XIX

April, 2005

From the GAMES Library

The words in each set below are incomplete. Can you figure out what shorter word is missing - intact - from the words in each set?

1. UNCH

    SHERN

    CURIER

    BIQUE

2. TAN

    CON

    CHER

    STLE

3. ATD

    INSE

    USIL 

    LAT

4. COLL

    MY

    HST

    CORT

HINT:

All four of the missing words are three-letter words.

Answers:

 

1. OUT:

    UNCOUTH

    SOUTHERN

    COUTURIER

    BOUTIQUE

 

2. ART:

    TARTAN

    CARTON

    CHARTER

    STARTLE

 

3. TEN:

    ATTEND

    INTENSE

    UTENSIL

    LATTEN

 

4. ONE:

    COLONEL

    MONEY

    HONEST

    CORONET

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XVIII

July/August, 1979

Crossword a l"Anglaise

Doug and Janis Heller

 

[This is a British-style crossword which we call a cryptic puzzle. Each clue contains a definition or direct reference to the answer, like a regular crossword, but also contains a second description of the answer through wordplay.]

1. Mother with her boy bricklayer

 

2. Cry of pain is raised, we hear

 

3. Everybody can be Jefferson, Nixon, and Truman

 

4. Cease hostility and place in jeopardy

 

5. Make catcalls while around the street

 

6. Farmer has a change of heart and becomes a contributor to the Constitution 

Answers:

 

1. MASON (ma + son)

2. GROAN (homophone) 

3. TOM, DICK, AND HARRY

4. ENDANGER (end anger)

5. WHISTLE (while around st.)

6. FRAMER

 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XVII

March/April, 1979

Will Shortz

APRIL FOOLS

 

PART I

How many fill-in-the blank expressions can you think of to which the answer is NOTHING? Tweny-four are listed below.

PART II

How many questions can you think of to which the answer is NOTHING? Ten are listed below.

PART I (Possible) Answers:

1. _____ to it

2. Good for _____ 

3. Here goes _____

4. To say _____ of

5. Come to _____

6. Have _____ to do with

7. Leave _____ to chance

8. Leave _____ on the table

9. Leave _____ behind

10. Leave _____ to the imagination

11. Is _____ sacred?

12. Thanks for _____

13. Double or _____

14. _____ new under the sun

15. _____ to worry about

16. Take _____ for granted

17. In _____ flat

18. Better than_____

19. _____ doing

20. "I have _____ to wear."

21. Much Ado About _____

22. _____ succeeds like success

23. _____ ventured, _____ gained 

24. What's more fun than _____ (you name it)?

 

PART II (Possible) Answers:

 

1. What did Lady Godiva wear?

2. Answer to "What are you doing?"

3. What does an amnesiac remember?

4. What are the contents of the null set?

5. What's in the middle of a doughnut?

6. What's an anagram for NIGHT ON?

7. What's certain besides death and taxes?

8. What moves faster than the speed of light?

9. What did Old Mother Hubbard find in her cupboard?

10. What was the Emperor wearing in The Emperor's New Clothes?

 

 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XVI

March, 1990

Will Shortz

 

Each word below contains a doubled letter. Change this to a new doubled letter to form a new word. For example, STUBBY would change to STUFFY.

1. Willow

2. Arrest

3. Bullet

4. Grille

5. Cotton

6. Oddish

7. Dazzle

8. Accord

9. Sudden

10. Preppy

11. Choose

12. Allure

13. Missay

14. Assent

15. Puddle

Answers:

 

1. Willow - Winnow

2. Arrest - Attest

3. Bullet - Buffet

4. Grille - Grippe (influenza)

5. Cotton - Common

6. Oddish - Offish

7. Dazzle - Dabble/Dapple

8. Accord - Afford

9. Sudden - Sullen

10. Preppy - Pretty

11. Choose - Cheese

12. Allure - Assure

13. Missay - Midday

14. Assent - Accent

15. Puddle - Puzzle

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XV

November/December, 1978

FILL-IN STATION

by George Bredehorn 

Fill in the blanks with consonants to form 12 or more different words. ALL the vowels are given.

_ _ OU _ _      _ _ OU _ _

_ _ OU _ _      _ _ OU _ _
_ _ OU _ _      _ _ OU _ _
_ _ OU _ _      _ _ OU _ _
_ _ OU _ _      _ _ OU _ _
_ _ OU _ _      _ _ OU _ _

Answers (in any order):

 

SCOUT       SPOUT

SCOUR      SNOUT

FLOUR      STOUT

FLOUT      GHOUL

CLOUT     TROUT

CLOUD     GROUT

GROUP     CROUP

SHOUT

 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XIV

February, 1983

Ellie Aehlig 

RHYME AND REASON

Each word, in order, in the two sentences below is a rhyme for the corresponding word in a famous proverb. What are the proverbs?

1. Gaul folks some brittle horns know.

2. Many eyes sound ghoulish.

Answers:

 

1. Tall oaks from little acorns grow.

2. Penny wise pound foolish

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XIII

February, 1983

Otto P. Kramer

 

FUTURE SHOCK

 

Need something to worry about? 

Some people consider the Great Depression year 1930 unlucky because the sum of its digits totals 13. What is the next year in which the numbers will again total 13?

Answer:

 

2029

 

 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XII

September, 1982

Virgilia Becker

 

Y NOT? 

Using the initial letters provided, can you come up with a five-letter word for each in which the only vowel is Y? For example, C _ _ _ _ - CRYPT. Three of the answer words have a single Y, and the other three have two Y's.

1. D _ _ _ _

2. F _ _ _ _

3. L _ _ _ _

4. N _ _ _ _

5. P _ _ _ _

6. T _ _ _ _

Answers:

 

1. DRYLY

2. FLYBY

3. LYMPH

4. NYMPH

5. PYGMY

6. TRYST

Gems from old GAMES Magazines XI

March/April, 1981

Lucille Latham White

 

COLORFUL CREATURES

 

A city in the Yukon Territory is Whitehorse. What colorful creatures do the following clues suggest?

 

1. Family outcast

2. Clue designed to mislead

3. Handsome older man with graying hair

4. Unwanted item that's hard to get rid of

5. Kind of contract, now illegal

6. Old-time radio hero

7. 1960's militant

8. Exodus idol symbolizing the loss of faith

9. Blitz in football - charging the quarterback

10. Largest mammal on Earth

Answers:

 

1. Black sheep

2. Red herring

3. Silver fox 

4. White elephant

5. Yellow dog

6. Green Hornet

7. Black Panther

8. Golden Calf

9. Red dog

10. Blue whale

Gems from old GAMES Magazines X

March/April, 1981 

HARD, HARDER, HARDEST

1. Name a ten-letter word with three sets of consecutive double letters.

2. Name a two-word phrase of eight letters with three sets of double letters - but not consecutive.

3. Name a 19-letter word that could mean a gender-neutral assistant to the answer to #1 that has four sets of consecutive double letters followed consecutively by two sets of triple consecutive letters.

 

Answers:

 

1. BOOKKEEPER

2. GOOSE EGG

3. SUBBOOKKEEPERPERSON 

Credit:

Kathy Hutko

 

 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines IX

 

FORE AND AFT

GAMES Magazine

September, October, 1980

Will Shortz

 

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

 

1. SHOVEL

2. BOUGHT

3. HEARTH

4. GRAVEL

5. PLEASE

6. ASTERN

7. BUTTER 

8. SPARSE

9. AVERSE

10. STRIPE

HINT:

It has to do with the first and last letters of the clue words.

 

Answers:

 

If you drop the first letter of the word, you get a valid word remaining. If you drop the last letter of the word, you also get a valid word remaining:

 

1. SHOVEL - HOVEL, SHOVE

2. BOUGHT - BOUGH, OUGHT

3. HEARTH - HEART, EARTH

4. GRAVEL - GRAVE,  RAVEL

5. PLEASE - PLEAS, LEASE

6. ASTERN - ASTER, STERN

7. BUTTER - BUTTE, UTTER

8. SPARSE - SPARS, PARSE

9. AVERSE - AVERS, VERSE

10. STRIPE - STRIP, TRIPE

 

 

 Gems from old GAMES Magazines VIII

 

PROVERBS AND CONVERBS

GAMES Magazine

May/June, 1979

Mac Simms

Each proverb or saying below has a contradictory one. Can you name it?

1. Out of sight, out of mind.

2. Keep your nose to the grindstone.

3. It's never too late to learn.

4. Many hands make light work.

5. Seek, and ye shall fine.

6. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

7. A penny saved is a penny earned.

8. Look before you leap.

9. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Answers:

 

1. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

2. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

3. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

4. Too many cooks spoil the broth.

5. Curiosity killed the cat.

6. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

7. You can't take it with you.

8.  He who hesitates is lost.

9. Nice guys finish last.

Gems from old GAMES Magazines VII

November/December, 1979

ANAGRAMS 

by Henry Hook

For its challenge, competitiveness, and quiet elegance, the game Anagrams earned the title "the sport of sports" when it first caught on during the 1920's. Alexander Woollcott reported home-contest highlights in The New Yorker, and Silas Seadler's The Anagram Book (1929) went through a couple of editions. Every game store stocked wooden Anagram tiles. There was even a group called the Amateur Anagram Society of America, which promoted the game and codified the rules. 

   Today the game is still sold in many game shops and is widely played. The object is to "capture' words. To make a capture, all the letters of an existing word must be re-arranged, along with a new letter or letters, to form a single, longer word. For example, LOADING is captured with an A (as Alexander Woollcott discovered in an actual game) by scrambling and making DIAGONAL. SCYTHE can be taken with a K (as observed by writer Dorothy Parker) to make the lovely anagram SKETCHY.

   Test your Anagram skill with the 26 examples below, one for each letter of the alphabet. Proper names and hyphenated or foreign words are not allowed. G is plural. K, M, and Q are past tense. R is a valid, but outmoded word.

A + PENCIL ________________

B + LEAF __________________

C + PLAITS ________________

D + PAIR ___________________

E + FERVOR ________________

F + TEAR ___________________

G + ISSUE ___________________

H + PRICE ___________________

I + QUEEN ___________________

J + AROUND _________________

K + CREDIT __________________

L + WHOMEVER ______________

M + SCOOPED ________________

N + THOSE ___________________

O + FINGER __________________

P + LIME _____________________

Q + DILUTE __________________
R + CARAFE __________________
S + PRONE ____________________

T + OSTEOPATH _______________

U + BASE _____________________

V + COAL _____________________

W + FITS ______________________

X + ELUDE ____________________

Y + SPUR ______________________

Z + BONER _____________________

Answers:

 

A - PELICAN

B - FABLE

C - PLASTIC

D - RAPID

E - FOREVER

F - AFTER 

G - GUISES

H - CIPHER

I - EQUINE

J - ADJOURN

K - TRICKED

L - OVERWHELM

M - COMPOSED

N - HONEST

O - FOREIGN

P - IMPEL

Q - QUILTED

R - CARFARE

S - PERSON

T - TOOTHPASTE

U - ABUSE

V - VOCAL

W - SWIFT

X - DELUXE

Y - SYRUP

Z - BRONZE

Gems form old GAMES Magazines VI

November/December, 1979

Cherchez La Femme

Matchmakers, unite! Find the feminine mates for these masculine nouns.

1. Stallion

2. Fox

3. Maharajah

4. Peacock

5. Baron

6. Jackass

7. Gander

8. Earl

 

Answers:

 

1. Stallion - Mare

2. Fox - Vixen

3. Maharajah - Maharani

4. Peacock - Peahen

5. Baron - Baroness

6. Jackass - Jenny

7. Gander - Goose

8. Earl - Countess

************************

 

List Dept.

 

For the insatiably curious, here is the frequency of letters in a sample can of Campbell's Alphabet soup.

 

[Top four] 

 

H - 14

W - 10

X - 10

Y - 10

 

Source: The Food Lover's Book of Lists 

               Patricia Altabello and Deirdre Pierce

               1979 

Gems from old GAMES Magazines V

September/October, 1979

Trivia

CONFUSABLES 

1. Was it Charlotte or Emily Bronte who wrote Jane Eyre?

   

2. Was Romeo a Capulet and Juliet a Montague, or was it the other way around?

3. Ice formations hanging from the ceiling - are they stalagmites or stalactites?

4. Facing the bow (front) of a ship, which side of the ship is starboard - left or right?

5. What common alloy is made from copper and tin, brass or bronze?

6. Which is the high point of an orbit, the apogee or the perigee

7. In the battle between the Monitor and Merrimac, which was the Confederate ship?

8. Is the boiling point of water higher or lower at higher elevations?

Answers:

 

1. Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre, Emily Bronte wrote Wuthering Heights, Anne Bronte wrote Agnes Grey.

 

2. Romeo was a Montague and Juliet was a Capulet.

 

3. Stalactites hang from the ceiling.

 

4. Right - Left is port.

 

5. Bronze - Brass is copper and zinc.

 

6. Apogee is the highest, perigee the lowest. 

7. The Merrimac was the Confederate ship.

8. Lower