STUMPERS DLXIX

OPEN = CLOSED 

Add one word on each side of the = sign to make this equation correct.

Answer:

HALF OPEN = HALF CLOSED  

 

 

STUMPERS DLXVIII

Can you think of three names - two that start with consecutive letters of the alphabet and the third that starts with the next letter - but phonetically?

1. _ _ _ (boy)

2. _ _ _ (girl)

3. _ _ _ _  (girl)

Answers:

1. JAY

2. KAY

3. ELLE 

 

Credit:
Jake Halperin 

STUMPERS DLXVIII

1. What single word, when properly placed, can change the word TENDER into two new words?  

2. What single word, when properly placed, can change the word DETER into two new words?

Answers:

1. The word OR: tenORder - TENOR - ORDER

2. The word BUT: deBUTter - DEBUT - BUTTER   

STUMPERS DLXVII

Complete the partial words below by adding the same three letters in the same order.

1. AR _ _ _

2. RO _ _ _

3. SE _ _ _

4. VA _ _ _

5. VO _ _ _

 

Answer:

 

1. ARGUE

2. ROGUE

3. SEGUE

4. VAGUE

5. VOGUE  

 

STUMPERS DLXVI

Winston Churchill made the unkind comment about someone: "He's a modest man with much to be modest about."

Can you fill in the blanks below with two words that will complete a phrase describing someone who is arrogant, but has nothing to be arrogant about?  

HE HAS _ _ _ _ _ TO BE  H _ _ _ _ _ Y ABOUT.

HINT:

The five letters of the first word are also in the second word - in the same order.

 

Answer:

 

HE HAS AUGHT TO BE HAUGHTY ABOUT.  

 

STUMPERS DLXV

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

July 13, 2025

Henri Picciotto and Joshua Kosman

Presented by Will Shortz  

 

Think of a word that means DELAY. Drop one W from this word to leave another word that also means DELAY - without any re-arrangement of letters.

 

HINT:

Take the instructions literally.

 

Answer:

 

The first word that means delay is STONEWALL. Remove "one W" to leave STALL, which also means delay (STONEWALL).  

 

 

STUMPERS DLXIV

Can you think of a common abbreviation for distress in which the same letters of the abbreviation describe the consequence of what would happen if the distress called was not answered in time?

Answer:

SOS - Save Our Ship

Sink Or Swim  

 

STUMPERS DLXIII

Think of a word that means to ogle - stare at in a lecherous way. Add a letter to this word, without re-arranging any letters, to get a word that means to be wary of people that ogle.

Answer:

LEER

LEERY 

 

STUMPERS DLXII

What's in CELERY, but not CABBAGE,

In RICE, but not CORN, 

In A PIECE OF CAKE, but not the CAKE itself?

 

Answer:

 

The soft C sound  

STUMPERS DLXI

1. What is the largest number between 1 and 1,000,000, when written out in words, that has no letter N?

2. March, May, and August all have 31 days. Yet one of the months is shorter than the others.Which one - and why? (There are two answers - one much simpler than the other.)

Answers:

1) 88 (eighty-eight) 

2. Simpler answer: May - because it is spelled with the fewest letters

    Second answer: March - because the clock is turned back for DST - making March one hour shorter than the others

 

STUMPERS DLX

Hanh Huynh

 

Can you insert the same four-letter word onto the dashes to make two phrases?

 

1. RE _ _   _ _ EA

2. LO _ _   _ _ T 

3. CU _ _ _ _ D

HINT:

First letter of the missing word: S

 

Answers:

 

STAR

1. reST ARea - REST AREA

2. loST ARt - LOST ART 

3. cuSTARd - CUSTARD 

 

STUMPERS DLIX    

A certain five-letter word can be preceded by one letter to change it to a six-letter word that has the opposite meaning. Can you determine the two words?

HINT:

First letter of the six-letter word is F.

 

Answer:

 

  UTILE  (useful)

FUTILE  (useless)

 

STUMPERS DLVIII

Fill in the same three letters, in the same order, to complete the words below.

_ _ _ ION
AD _ _ _

_ _ _ IC

 

Answer:

 

The letters are OPT:

 

OPTION

ADOPT

OPTIC 

 

STUMPERS DLVII

Two common 8-letter words end with the same six letters, in the same order. The first two letters of the words are the same - but in reverse order. What are the words?

HINT:

Geography

 

Answer:

 

ALTITUDE

LATITUDE 

 STUMPERS DLVI

Can you think of six four-letter words that have G as the second letter?

Answer:

AGAR

AGOG

AGUE

EGAD

OGRE

UGLY 

STUMPERS DLV

Can you think of a common female name of four letters that can be re-arranged to form another female name?

Answer:

MARY - MYRA

Credit:

Adrian Johnson 

 

STUMPERS DLIV

Can you make three changes to the expression below to get another two-word phrase meaning "despairs" - without changing the order of the letters?

CLOSE SHOP 

Answer:

Drop the C - leaving LOSE SHOP

Move the S in SHOP to the end of LOSE -  leaving LOSES HOP

Add an E to the end of HOP - forming LOSES HOPE

 

Credit:

Rebecca Goldstein and Adam Wagner

NY Times Crossword

January 16, 2025

STUMPERS DLIII

1. Can you think of two four-letter words that have opposite meanings and end in the same three letters, in the same order. The first letters are given:

F _ _ _

H _ _ _ 

2. Can you think of a respectful title that is an anagram of another respectful title?

 

Answers:

 

1. FIRE

    HIRE

 

2. SIR

    SRI (used in India) 

STUMPERS DLII

Can you think of two seven-letter words that differ only by their second letters - which are given below?

_ C _ _ _ _ _

_ L _ _ _ _ _

HINT:

The third letter is L. 

Answer:

ECLIPSE

ELLIPSE 

STUMPERS DLI

Think of a five-letter word that names a crime. Add one letter to it and re-arrange the letters to get a six-letter word associated with another type of crime. 

HINT:

1. The five-letter crime begins with A. 

 

Answer:

 

ARSON  + M = RANSOM