What do the following word pairs have in common? 

1. Between - Destiny 

2. Twangy - Opalescent

3. Mainstay - Antagonist 

4. Recoil - Smorgasbord 

5. Wholesome - Palpitate 

6. Polyester - Luminosity 

7. Whittle - Transmission 

8. Espresso - Environment

9. Withholding - Tragedies 

10. Lithography - Surfboard 

11. Coincidence - Concentric

12. Clockwise - Monkeyshines 

Hint:

Hidden words

 

Answers:

 

Two related words are concealed in each pair:

 

1. betWEEn - desTINY  

2. tWANgy - oPALEscnt

3. mainSTAY - antaGOnist

4. recOIL - smorGASbord

5. wHOLEsome - palPITate

6. polYESter - lumiNOsity 

7. wHITtle - transMISSion

8. esPRESSo - envIRONment 

9. withhOLDing - trAGEDies

10. litHOGraphy - surfBOARd 

11. COINcidence - conCENTric

12. cLOCKwise - monKEYshines

 

Each phrase below contains a related word with the letters in consecutive, but scrambled order. Can you spot them?

1. BANK ASSET

2. GAME NIGHT

3. STONE GROUND 

4. GRAVE DANGER

5. PAST EXPERIENCES 

Answer:

 

Each phrase contains the name of a U.S. state with the letters in scrambled order:

 

1. bANK ASSet - KANSAS

2. gAME NIght - MAINE

3. stONE GROund - OREGON 

4. grAVE DANger - NEVADA

5. pAST EXperiences - TEXAS

 

Credit: 
Noelle Griskey 

 

Oh, Oh!

GAMES Magazine

November/December, 1981

Will Shortz 

 

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

 

1. Verbatim

2. Lowest point 

3. LDS Scripture 

4. Kind of puzzle

5. Kind of channel 

6. O negative is universal

7. Baby and child care guru 

8. Bodie, California - for one

9. Bible book after Ecclesiastes 

10. "Keep the good luck coming " 

Answers: 

 

1. Word for word

2. Rock bottom

3. Book of Mormon

4. Crossword

5. Flood control

6. Blood donor

7. Doctor Spock

8. Ghost town

9. Song of Solomon

10. Knock on wood - - - Only vowel is O 

 

ROCK COLLECTING

GAMES Magazine

November/December, 1981

Gene Traub 

 

The answer to each of the following clues is a word, name, or phrase containing the word STONE. For example, "Old street material" would be "cobblestones."

 

1. Old Faithful's location

2. Prehistoric family in cartoons

3. Icy precipitation

4. Famed Confederate general

5. It gathers no moss, in a proverb

6. Working diligently

7. Short distance away

8. Period of prehistory

9. Town of the O.K. Corral

10. Oft-kissed Irish landmark

11. Policemen of silent comedies

12. Building foundation

13. British monolith site

14. Glen Campbell song

15. Bombastic preacher's topic

16. Search meticulously  

 

Answers:

 

1. Yellowstone

2. Flintstones

3. Hailstones

4. Stonewall Jackson

5. Rolling stone

6. Nose to the grindstone

7. Stone's throw

8. Stone Age

9. Tombstone

10. Blarney Stone

11. Keystone cops

12. Cornerstone

13. Stonehenge

14. Rhinestone Cowboy

15. Fire and brimstone

16. Leave no stone unturned  

ALL OF ME

Can you think of six expressions that mean "everything" - the entire lot, every single part of a group of things or people - each containing the word WHOLE.

Answers:

1. The whole shebang

2. The whole megillah 

3. The whole enchilada

4. The whole nine yards

5. The whole ball of wax 

6. The whole kit and caboodle

 

 

 OUT OF IT

Answer each clue with an expression containing the words OUT OF.

Ex. No longer in danger, trouble, etc.

Ans. Out of the woods

 

1. Remote

2. Not dating, say 

3. Terrific, fantastic

4. Having no choice

5. Beyond reachable limits 

6. Rusty, as at a skill or activity

7. Not available at the bookstore 

8. Grouchy, not feeling like yourself

9. Someone or something easily forgotten 

10. Awkward, uncomfortable in a social setting

 

Answers:

 

1. Out of the way

2. Out of circulation

3. Out of this world / Out of sight

4. Out of options

5. Out of range

6. Out of practice

7. Out of print

8. Out of sorts

9. Out of sight - out of mind

10. Out of place  

1. What do the following word have in common? 

GUST

BURN 

SPICE 

 

2. What do the following words and phrases have in common?

 

CALL LOG

BLOW OFF

FLASHLIGHT

PLAYGROUND 

DOUBLE DATE 

 

Answers:

 

1. Each word could be preceded by AU to make a new word:

AUGUST

AUBURN

AUSPICE

 

2. The word BACK can follow the first word of each phrase or compound word and precede the second word.

 

CALL BACK - BACK LOG

BLOW BACK - BACK OFF

FLASH BACK - BACK LIGHT

PLAY BACK - BACKGROUND

DOUBLE BACK - BACK DATE

 

Credit:

2: Kelly Morenus 

 

Universal Crossword

August 21, 2026 

Max Schlenker 

 

Each of the four phrases below contains a related word with its letters in consecutive, but scramble order. Can you spot the words?

 

1. BELLY RUB

2. MINOR SCALE

3. I'M ON A ROLL

4. SEE ME AFTER CLASS 

 

Answers:

 

1. bellY RUB - Ruby

2. MINOR SCale - Crimson

3. i'M ON A ROll - Maroon

4. see me afTER CLASs - Scarlet - - - Shades of red  

Answer each clue with an expression containing an article of clothing. 

1. Marry

2. Traitor 

3. Be in charge 

4. Take a big loss

5. Avoid a subject 

6. Guarded, secretive

7. Reversed situation

8. Construction worker 

9. Military training center 

10. Get ready to do hard work 

11. Show your feelings openly

12. Extremely close relationship

13. High-ranking military officer  

14. Immediately, without hesitation 

15. Be the exact right size and shape 

16. Show extreme kindness and generosity 

 

Answers:

 

1. Tie the knot

2. Turncoat

3. Wear the pants

4. Lose your shirt

5. Skirt the issue

6. Keep close to the vest / under your hat

7. The shoe's on the other foot

8. Hard hat

9. Boot camp

10. Roll up your sleeves 

11. Wear your heart on your sleeve

12. Hand in glove
13. Brass hat

14. At the drop of a hat  

15. Fit like a glove 

16. Give someone the shirt off your back 

What do the following three-letter words have in common?

1. HAD

2. GEE

3. CUR

4. FOR

5. LAW

6. HER

7. WAR

8. IRA

9. BOA  

10. ALA

11. SPA

12. MEN

13. VIE

14. APE

15. BUS

 

Answer:

 

Each three-letter word becomes a new four-letter word when a successive letter of the alphabet is added at the end - starting with J - with the exception of  added letters V and Z.

 

1. HADJ  

2. GEEK

3. CURL

4. FORM

5. LAWN

6. HERO

7. WARP

8. IRAQ

9. BOAR

10. ALAS

11. SPAT

12. MENU

13. VIEW

14. APEX

15. BUSY 

 

NOTE: For a similar puzzle with words ending with letters A - I,  (parka, plumb, maniac, etc - see post of 3/17/26.

  

 

 

LA Times Crossword

July 20, 2026

Rena Cohen 

 

The answers to the first four clues will have something in common that is hinted at by the fifth clue. Can you determine what it is?

 

1. Nickname for Hollywood

2. Result of running a red light or speeding, perhaps

3. "She sells seashells by the seashore", for example

4. Forward and backward in science fiction tales

5. Collections with cups and saucers

 

Answer to Clue 5: 

Tea sets

 

Answers to Clues 1-4:

 

1. Tinsel Town

2. Traffic ticket

3. Tongue twister

4. Time travel - - - Each word in each two-word answer word starts with T = T sets  

Universal Crossword
July 16, 2026

Drew Schmenner 

 

The first three clues have something in common that is hinted at by the fourth clue. Can you determine what it is?

 

1. ADIEU, ADIEU

2. MEDIEVAL STUDIES

3. AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE 

4. Ideal vacation spot

 

HINT:

4. Homophone

 

Answer to Clue 4:

PARADISE (PAIR OF DIES) - - - Each of the three clues has DIE twice:

 

1. aDIEu, aDIEu

2. meDIEval stuDIEs

3. an olDIE but a gooDIE 

  

       

LA Times Crossword

December 24, 2017

Paul Coulter 

MAGNETISM 

 

The first five clues below have something in common that is hinted at by the sixth clue. Can you determine what it is?

 

1. PROBATION OFFICER

2. SPIN OUT OF CONTROL

3. WHERE THERE'S A WILL

4. PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY 

5. EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY 

6. Opposites attract 

 

Answer:

 

Each clue conceals a pair of opposites right next to each other:

 

1. probatiON OFFicer

2. spIN OUT of control

3. wHERE THERE's a will

4. percy byssHE SHElley

5. every tiME YOU go away  

NY Times Crossword

June 30, 2026

John Liber (1-4)

 

The answers to the first seven clues will have something in common that is hinted at by the last clue. 

 

1. What King Midas had

2. Opulent ones were once called picture palaces 

3. Sure source of income, often used derogatorily 

4. Reckless motorist in The Wind and The Willows

5. Home of 7 X 8 = 56 

6. Sign on a freeway on-ramp 

7 Idle period while waiting for something else to happen 

8. Remarks void of meaning and a phonetic hint to the clue answers

 

Answer to Clue 8:

EMPTY WORDS 

 

Answers to Clues 1-7:

 

1. Magic touch

2. Movie theaters

3. Meal ticket

4. Mr. Toad 

5. Multiplication table 

6. Merging traffic

7. Marking time  - - - MT words  

GAMES/World of Puzzles

June, 2026

Todd Kreisman

 

A part of each word below is associated with the same group. What is the group?

 

1. Stallion

2. Bullet

3. Rampart

4. Searcher

5. Fisherman 

 

Answer:
 

The signs of the zodiac:

1. stalLION (Leo)

2. BULLet (Taurus)

3. RAMpart (Aries)

4. seARCHER (Sagittarius)

5. FISHerman (Pisces)  

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

1. Winter weather danger

2. Conversation starter

3. Relax, informally 

4. Static moment in a film 

5. Paper money, informally

6. Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck genre  

 

Answers: 

 

1. Frostbite

2. Ice breaker

3. Take a chill pill

4. Freeze-frame  

5. Cold cash

6. Cool jazz  

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

1. Make spiffy

2. Peace offering

3. Target for a bribe 

4. Beginning of Lent

5. Yearn for longingly 

6. Kitchen furnishings

7. Breakfast condiment 

8. Well-worn joke or story 

9. Noted Los Angels Hospital

10. Andrew Jackson, familiarly 

11. Metaphor for grief and resilience

 

Answers:

 

1. Spruce up

2. Olive branch

3. Itchy palm

4. Ash Wednesday

5. Pine away

6. Oak cabinets

7. Maple syrup 

8. Old chestnut

9. Cedars of Lebanon

10. Old Hickory

11. Weeping willow - - - Names of trees

NY Times Crossword

June 24, 2026 

Kevin Curry and Zhou Zhang 

 

What do the following words have in common?

 

1. Jolly

2. Glazed

3. Carbon

4. Chicken

 

HINT:
Walkie-Talkies

 

Answer:

 

Each of the clue words can be followed by a standard word meaning "understood" when communicating by walkie-talkie (or other radio devices) to make a familiar phrase:

 

1.  Jolly Roger

2. Glazed over

3. Carbon copy

4. Chicken out 

LA Times Crossword

June 24, 2026

Sala Wanetick and Dena R. Verkuil 

 

The answers to the clues below will have something in common. Can you determine what it is?

 

1. Theory of the birth of the universe 

2. Time of financial growth and a kind of box 

3. 1929 event that triggered the Great Depression

 

Answers:

 

1. Big bang

2. Economic boom

3. Stock Market crash - - - Dramatic endings  

 

The following ten, eleven, and twelve-letter words have something in common that has to do with their letters rather than their meanings. Can you determine what it is?

BACKGROUND

SUBORDINATE

PROBLEMATIC

AMBIDEXTROUS

 

Answer:

 

The words are unusual in that for such long words there are no repeated letters.