Thursday, June 5, 2025

“Compound it!” “...hee’s Jason... (Bateman, not Batman!)” Synonymous Syllabification; Camels’-food-words; Child’s play turns violent! Geometric Geography

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 5πe2 SERVED

Schpuzzle of the Week:

Synonymous Syllabification

Place a pair of two-syllable synonymous nouns, in alphabetical order. 

Replace a vowel in the first synonym with two
different vowels. The result is a synonym of the first syllable of the second synonym.

 What are these two synonymous pairs?

Appetizer Menu

Ecompounding Interest Appetizer:

Compound it!  

We weren’t done with the Compounding Puzzles featured on April 3rd. There are many compound words in the language, made from two or more words or stems that combine to make a new word with a distinct meaning.  

For example:  Many will be _________ (9) this puzzle’s ___, __ ____ (3,2,4) cheers at the very least.  

ANSWER:  Many will be ENDORSING this puzzle’s END, OR SING cheers at the very least. As in this example, letter counts are provided.  

1.    ⏺🔊🕺We didn’t like old records and found the ____ ___ _____ (4,3,5) grandfather recommended to be ____________ (12).

2.    🔮The mystic could not _____________ (13) on what the ___-_______ ___ (3-7,3), since dinner already happened.

3.    ⛪For __, _ ____ (2,1,4) _______ (7) of a person’s morality is how they treat those beneath them.

4.    💊The drug addict I ___ ___ ___ (3,3,3) dose of _________ (9) on him.

5.    🚗🚘At the tunnel wash, the claustrophobic man opened his window during the last cycle and was __ ___ _______ (2, 3, 7) because he felt ____________ (12).  

[The seven-letter word may not be known to all.]

6.    🦎Upon completing its evolution, the new
land creature said “________ (8) !  That’s the last ___ _ ____ (3,1,4) !

7.   🖻 🖺 I granted my lawyer the power of attorney; when it comes to important documents she can ____ __ _ ____ (4,2,1,4), which is a ___________ (11) responsibility.

8.    💰💸As an aside, the corrupt MAGA billionaire said “____________ (12), the ___ ____ _ ____ (3,4,1,4) with has given me a lot of money!”

MENU

Triangulation & Rotation Hors d’Oeuvre

Geometric Geography

Lop off the triangle-shaped half of a U.S. state. ROT10 a city in the remaining half of the state to spell a word that describes the shape of that remaining half. 

What are this state, city and descriptive word?

Dangerous Loom & Doom Slice:

Camels’-food-words

Anagram a three-word idiom for a looming danger to form the missing words in the following potentially dangerous phrase: BLANK from BLANK of BLANK. 

What are the idiom and phrase?

Hint: The initial letters in the three-word idiom spell a word for something that is broken or busted.

Riffing Off Shortz And Chaikin Entrees:

“...hee’s Jason (Bateman, not Batman)!”

Will Shortz’s June 1st NPR puzzle challenge,  from Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco, reads: 

Think of a famous current actor. His first name is also the name of a famous movie character. Drop the middle letter of his last name and you'll name another famous movie character.
Each character is a central figure in a dozen or more films. What actor is this?
 

Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Chaikin Entrees read:

ENTREE #1

Lop off the upper half of a lowercase letter in the name of a puzzle-maker to form a different lowercase letter. Rearrange the letters of this altered name to spell:

* the name of place in the Bible,

* something that was swallowed in that place,
and

* the generic name of what was swallowed.

Who is this puzzle-maker?

What are the place, what was swallowed, and the generic term for the “swallowable?”

Note: Entrees #2 through #7 were composed by Nodd, creator of “Nodd ready for prime time.”

ENTREE #2

Take the first name of the central figure in a five-film crime drama franchise. Follow this with the last name of a miserly character in a famous movie from the 1940s. The result will name the central figure in another multiple-film franchise. Who are these three movie characters?

Hint: The first names of the central figure in a five-film crime drama franchise and the miserly character in a famous movie from the 1940s share the same first, fourth and fifth letters.

ENTREE #3

Take the first name of a famous movie actress from the 1930s-40s. Add a preposition to the beginning of the name. 

Follow this with the last name of a movie actor whose first name is the same as the first four
letters of the actress’s name. The result, phonetically, will name a famous character in a series of popular movies. 

Who are the actress, actor, and character?


ENTREE #4

Take the first name of a famous movie actor who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1960s. 

Follow this with the first name of a retired actor who was primarily known for a television role as a police officer but also appeared in some movies. 

You’ll get the name of a character who has appeared in at least nine popular movies. 

Who are the actors and the character?

ENTREE #5

Take the first and last names of a famous maker of numerous films. 

Replace a T with an L and rearrange to name a character who has appeared in more than ten films. 

Who are the filmmaker and the character?

ENTREE # 6

Take the first name of a popular singer-songwriter who has also appeared in numerous films. 

Change the first letter to the letter three places before it in the alphabet. Follow this with an anagram of the past tense of a verb that describes what movie stars wish film critics would do about their performances. The result will name a central character in a well-known film franchise. 

Who are the singer and the character?

ENTREE #7

A movie released in the 1950s was a dramatization of a controversial novel. Take the names of two actresses who starred in the movie. The first name of one of the actresses, followed by the last name of the other actress minus its last letter, spell the name of a recurring character in a TV series the name of which may suggest cramped living conditions. 

Who are the actresses and the character?

ENTREE #8

The middle name of an actor (whose surname, minus its middle letter, is the name of a superhero) is also the surname of a famous movie character who, after he changed into his “superheroic” persona, wore a cape. 

The first name of this famous movie character is also the first name of a past famous movie actor known as the “King of Hollywood.”

Who are this actor, movie character and “King of Hollywood”?

Dessert Menu

Polite and Popular Dessert:

Child’s play turns violent!

Rearrange the combined letters in a polite and popular children’s game to spell two violent
synonyms. 

What is this game?

What are the synonyms?

Every Thursday at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! we publish a new menu of fresh word puzzles, number puzzles, logic puzzles, puzzles of all varieties and flavors. We cater to cravers of scrumptious puzzles!

Our master chef, Grecian gourmet puzzle-creator Lego Lambda, blends and bakes up mysterious (and sometimes questionable) toppings and spices (such as alphabet soup, Mobius bacon strips, diced snake eyes, cubed radishes, “hominym” grits, anagraham crackers, rhyme thyme and sage sprinklings.)

Please post your comments below. Feel free also to post clever and subtle hints that do not give the puzzle answers away. Please wait until after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesdays to post your answers and explain your hints about the puzzles. We serve up at least one fresh puzzle every Thursday.

We invite you to make it a habit to “Meet at Joe’s!” If you enjoy our weekly puzzle party, please tell your friends about Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! Thank you.

47 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. SUNDAY HINTS FOR ENTREES 2-7:
      2. Soiled, hirsute.
      3. Senior Democratic Senator.
      4. Noble gas.
      5. French athletic supporters.
      6. Remove R and V from the last names, rearrange, read books.
      7. Colts’ stadium, 1998–2011.

      Delete
    2. Sunday-Melting-Into-Monday Hints

      Schpuzzle of the Week:
      Synonymous Syllabification

      "The 1.) wise men 2.) teared up as they beheld the 3.) tiny newborn babe."
      Replace the three words that 1.), 2.) and 3.) hint at. Rearrange the result to spell the "pair of two-syllable synonymous nouns."

      Ecompounding Interest Appetizer:
      Compound it!

      I shall give ecoarchitect the first crack at giving hints for his "Ecompounding Interest Appetizers."

      Triangulation & Rotation Hors d’Oeuvre
      Geometric Geography

      The state with the triangle-shaped half is situated west of the Mississippi. The descriptive word contains four letters. It is sometimes used to describe certain "unstreamlined" vehicles.

      Dangerous Loom & Doom Slice:
      Camels’-food-words

      The "three-word idiom for a looming danger" contains but one "word".

      ENTREE #1
      The name of place in the Bible is an anagram of a collegiate spring tournament. What was swallowed in that place was once water.

      See Nodd's hints for his #2-through-#7 Appetizers in his "June 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM" comment, immediately above.

      ENTREE #8
      The name of the famous movie character, before he changed into his “superheroic” persona, was a candy bar brand and gasoline brand.

      Polite and Popular Dessert:
      Child’s play turns violent!
      The violent synonyms:
      a month, a word often paired with "haw," and an anagram of a synonym of "troika."

      LegoWhoSays"ThereWillBeHellForHimToPay"IfTheseHintsFallFlat!

      Delete
    3. Got the Schpuzzle, got Entrees #1 and #5.
      pjbDoingBetterHereThanIfHe'dKeptGoingWithTheSundayPuzzle

      Delete
    4. Appetizer hints:
      1. Grandpa's tastes went far beyond disco.

      2. You can't predict what the hint will be.

      3. You might be able to gauge what the hint will be here.

      4. Get oud of here!

      5. I won't wax poetic about this.

      6. If I were a gambler I'd bet $5 no one can get this.

      7. A not unimportant puzzle!

      8. I wish I could make THIS up!

      Delete
    5. Thanks, for posting those hints, Eco. Lots of tough puzzles on our blog this week.
      LegoFromTheHinterlands

      Delete
    6. Thanks for the hints. I now have the Schpuzzle (never would have solved it without the hint) and App #5. Also, I"m pretty sure I have the right idiom for the Slice (had it earlier, but dismissed it), but can't get the “BLANK from BLANK of BLANK” part yet.

      Delete
    7. I also had what I think was the correct idiom for the Slice before the hint, but have yet to get the blanks, either.

      However, I seem to be the only one YET to work out the Schpuzzle. That is very discouraging, as I'm pretty sure TWO, at least, of the hint words have to be correct....but the third has many possible synoyms, NONE of which have worked for me in finding two two-syllable words (let alone, their workign out for the REST of the Schpuzzle.) As so often happens, I am at the 'give up' stage.

      Delete
    8. VT, I'm sure you've got the word that means "wise men". The two other words, like "wise", also begin with W. Once you figure out the right words, and rearrange everything, the two synonyms should become clear to you.
      pjbThinksMaybeViolinTeddyIsJustTooTense(That'sWhatItSoundsLike,Anyway)

      Delete
    9. Thanks much for that info, pjb. I'm not tense, just always exahusted, with way too much else to do, that I can't afford to spend hours trying to solve things that simply refuse to cooperate! [How Tortie does it, I will never ever understand.]

      I did already try two "W" words along with the first word that you are sure I have correct. BUt still saw nothing in the anagram list. I guess I'll have to go back and try again! Thanks.

      Delete
    10. Ah, pjb, I just used the anagram page that I used to use before we were advised to use Inge's, and lo and behold, up came the two synonyms! Hurrah...now to go finish the Schpuzzle....thanks again.

      Delete
    11. Well, the rest was easy! : o )

      Delete
    12. As I think Tortie indicate somewhere, this Schpuzzle was IMPOSSIBLe without a hint. I don't know how Lego could have expected any of us to pick out those two synonyms from among the thousands of two-syllable nouns in the English language!

      Delete
    13. VT, I'll explain the "too tense" comment and its relation to the pair of synonyms on Wednesday.
      pjbBelievesHe'sToppedAllTheBlaine'sBloggers'MostOpaque(Opaquest?)"Hints"WithThisOneInnocent-SoundingComment

      Delete
    14. Ah, ok, I didn't catch on that that wasn't a 'real' comment, but rather a Blaines-esque type hint. I look forward to the explanation.

      Delete
    15. I figured out pjb's comment, but not right away.

      Has anyone solved the Slice? I've looked off and on since I read the hint, but nothing is jumping out at me as being the solution.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Dessert Riff: Subtract a four-letter word meaning to disfigure from the children's game to get a kind of hypothesis.

      Delete
    2. May I extend my congratulations.

      Delete
    3. : o ) Well, this week other than several of the Appetizers, the Dessert is the only puzzle I have been able to solve (actually, I haven't READ the Entrees beyond #1; it all became too exhausting and discouraging)....thus, it wasn't too hard to solve your Riff, Nodd.

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Currently, I am missing the Schpuzzle (feels impossible without a hint), Apps 5 & 6, the Slice, and surprisingly, Entree 1.

      Delete
    2. App 6 is what you'll be when you're all done. Can't help on the rest; I don't have those either!

      Delete
    3. Nodd, thanks! I actually figured out that one shortly after posting!

      Delete
    4. Just got Entree 1. What was swallowed was a beverage.

      Delete
    5. Thanks! I wasn't on the right track at all with that, except for I figured which letter need to be changed.

      By the way, I forgot to mention that the hardest Entree for me this week, other than #1, was #7. I solved it by coming up with the wrong TV show first, which just happened to have a character with the same first name as the intended one!

      Delete
    6. I'm impressed you got them all with no hints. Unless you've seen the movie, #7 was pretty hard. I haven't seen the TV show but I read way too many comics as a kid.

      Delete
    7. Just got App #6, thanks to Nodd's earlier post. Wish I could say the same for Lego's latest Sunday Puzzle.
      pjbConsultedListsOfFemaleAnimalsAndAnimalOffspring,ButNothingLeapedOutAtHim(AndThere'sALotOfRepetition,Too!)

      Delete
    8. I have an answer for the Sunday Puzzle, but I'm unconvinced that it's correct. It matches some of the hints on Blaine's blog, but not others. I don't know what Scarlett's "1942" hint is about, but apparently, it helped some posters verify their answers are correct.

      Delete
    9. Oh, I think it's possible I figured out what "1942" means and it does match my answer.

      Delete
  4. Good Friday evening to all upon this mighty blog!
    Mom and I are fine. We didn't eat out tonight because Bryan and Renae will be taking Mia Kate out for her(I think)17th birthday tomorrow evening. I hope Mom and I will be invited to join them, but we've got bad weather this weekend, and it's possible no one will be going out tomorrow night, if it's really stormy out. But tonight, Mom and I had to fend for ourselves, and we didn't feel like cooking, so I suggested Freddy's, and she wanted Subway. So she went to both places. I ordered the jalapeno pepper jack double burger, onion rings, a Diet Dr. Pepper, and an Oreo Double Trouble(ice cream). She said they now have key lime ice cream, and that's what I actually got for dessert. She never said what kind of sandwich, or anything else with it, she got. She's not too happy with going to a fast food drive-through anymore. We have way too many Hello Fresh meals in the fridge right now, and some of the meats that go with them may have gone bad after some time, and Mom says we need to be eating more of them for supper these days. Nevertheless, we did not eat any of them tonight. After we got through with what we did eat, I solved the latest Prize Crossword on the Guardian website(set by Matilda), and then tried to get more of the Entrees, but I could only get #6 tonight.
    My progress so far is mostly made up of Appetizer answers and Entrees. I got Apps #1, #3, and #4, Entrees #2, #6, and #8, and the Dessert(BTW The game has a similar name to that which was involved in a puzzle from a few P!s ago.). Very tough ones otherwise. I could never find the 50s movie based on the controversial novel, though I'm 99% sure I have the correct TV series. Am looking forward to any and all hints for everything else, as usual.
    Good luck in solving to all, and please stay safe, and I'd like to remind y'all in closing that my next cryptic crossword should be appearing here in the next edition of Puzzleria! next Thursday. I will be communicating with Lego outside of the site regarding the puzzles packaging, though I will also be busy getting my outfit ready for next Saturday's family wedding which we will be attending. My cousin Tammy's son Austin will be getting married that day, so if you don't receive any posts at all that afternoon, now you know the reason why. Cranberry out!
    pjbHopesEveryoneElseWillBeExperiencingBetterWeatherThisWeekendThanWeWill(NoTornadoes,ButStillPleasePrayForUs)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Plantsmith: Not much of a puzzle, but Benny goes to Omaha.

    ReplyDelete
  6. RIP, Brian Wilson.

    Schpuzzle: (Post hint: ) TEPEE, WIGWAM; TOUPEE, WIG
    App:
    1. DISCOURAGING
    2. PROGNOSTICATE
    3. MEASURE
    4. METHADONE
    5. (Post hint: ) INCARCERATED (I did have to look up what “cerated” means)
    6. FINISHED
    7. SIGNIFICANT
    8. TANGENTIALLY
    Hors d’Oeuvre: NEVADA, RENO, BOXY
    Slice: SWORD OF DAMOCLES (SOD, anagrams to CAMELS’-FOOD-WORDS), ????
    Entrees:
    1. ANDREW CHAIKIN (change h to n); CANA, WINE, DRINK
    2. (DIRTY) HARRY CALLAHAN, HENRY POTTER, HARRY POTTER
    3. DEANNA DURBIN, DEAN JONES, INDIANA JONES
    4. CLARK GABLE, KENT MCCORD, CLARK KENT
    5. JACQUES COUSTEAU, INSPECTOR JACQUES CLOUSEAU
    6. GARTH BROOKS, DARTH VADER (RAVED)
    7. LANA TURNER, HOPE LANGE, LANA LANG (SMALLVILLE) (solved this in an unusual way; searching for “1950s controversial novels made into movies’ got me nowhere. My first TV try was “Too Close for Comfort” which also got me nowhere. Then I tried “Three’s Company” which doesn’t even necessarily fit the clue, but there was a character named Lana on that show, and while her last name of “Shields” eventually got me nowhere, I looked up Lana Turner. Then I found 1950s movies with Lana Turner, and thought Peyton Place was a good possibility. I saw Hope Lange was in the movie as well, and then guessed at a character named Lana Lang, who I had never heard of before, and then got to Smallville. Whew!)
    8. JASON KENT BATEMAN, CLARK KENT, CLARK GABLE
    Dessert: MOTHER MAY I; MAYHEM, RIOT

    Riff: MAIM, THEORY

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congrats on getting App #5. I also hadn't known what cerated meant.

      Delete
  7. SCHPUZZLE – TEPEE, WIGWAM; TOUPEE, WIG
    APPETIZERS
    1. DISC OUR AGING; DISCOURAGING
    2. PROGNOSTICATE; PRO-GNOSTIC ATE
    3. ME A SURE; MEASURE
    4. MET HAD ONE; METHADONE
    5. ??
    6. FINISHED; FIN I SHED
    7. SIGN IF I CAN’T; SIGNIFICANT
    8. TANGENTIALLY; TAN GENT I ALLY
    HORS D’OEUVRE – NEVADA, RENO, BOXY
    SLICE – SWORD OF DAMOCLES; ??
    ENTREES
    1. ANDREW CHAIKIN; CANA, WINE, DRINK
    2. HARRY CALLAHAN (“Dirty Harry” et al.); MR. POTTER (“It’s a Wonderful Life”); HARRY POTTER
    3. DEANNA DURBIN; DEAN JONES; INDIANA JONES
    4. CLARK GABLE; KENT MCCORD; CLARK KENT
    5. JACQUES COUSTEAU; JACQUES CLOUSEAU
    6. GARTH BROOKS, DARTH VADER
    7. LANA TURNER, HOPE LANGE (“Peyton Place”); LANA LANG (“Smallville”)
    8. JASON BATEMAN; CLARK KENT; CLARK GABLE
    DESSERT– MOTHER MAY I; MAYHEM, RIOT
    NODD DESSERT RIFF: MOTHER MAY I MINUS MAIM = THEORY

    ReplyDelete
  8. SCHPUZZLE: TEPEE & WIGWAM => TOUPEE / WIG

    APPETIZERS:

    2. PROGNOSTICATE. PRO-GNOSTIC ATE

    3. ME, A SURE MEASURE

    4. MET HAD ONE METHADONE

    5. IN HOT ??????? =>

    6. DIP I SWIM/TAKE

    SLICE: SWORD OF DAMOCLES => FLOWS from CADRES of DOOM? Or perhaps SCARED from FLOW/WOLF of MOODS?

    ENTREES:

    2. HARRY CALLAHAN [Dirty Harry] & HENRY POTTER [It’s a Wonderful Life] => HARRY POTTER

    3. DEANNA DURBIN & DEAN JONES => INDIANA JONES

    8. JASON KENT BATEMAN; CLARK KENT; CLARK GABLE

    DESSERT: MOTHER MAY I? => MAYHEM, RIOT

    NODD’s Dessert RIFF: Mother May I - MAIM => THEORY

    ReplyDelete
  9. Schpuzzle
    TEEPEE, WIGWAM, TOUPEE, WIG
    Appetizer Menu
    1. DISC OUR AGING, DISCOURAGING
    2. PROGNOSTICATE, PRO-GNOSTIC ATE
    3. ME A SURE, MEASURE
    4. MET HAD ONE, METHADONE
    5. IN CAR CERATED(?)INCARCERATED
    6. FINISHED, FIN I SHED
    7. SIGN IF I CAN'T, SIGNIFICANT
    8.TANGENTIALLY, TAN GENT I ALLY
    Menu
    Triangulation & Rotation Hors d'Oeuvre
    NEVADA, RENO, BOXY
    Entrees
    1. ANDREW CHAIKIN, CANA, WINE, DRINK(the "h" would be changed to an "n")
    2.HARRY(Harry Callahan, "Dirty Harry" movies), POTTER(Henry Potter, "It's a Wonderful Life"), HARRY POTTER
    3. DEANNA(Durbin), (Dean)JONES, INDIANA JONES(in+Deanna)
    4. CLARK(Gable), KENT(McCord, "Adam 12"), CLARK KENT(Superman)
    5. JACQUES COUSTEAU, JACQUES CLOUSEAU(the "Pink Panther" movies)
    6. GARTH(Brooks, though I don't recall him ever being in any films), RAVED, DARTH VADER(the "Star Wars" movies)
    7. LANA TURNER, HOPE LANGE("Peyton Place"), LANA LANG("Smallville")(Tortie first tried "Too Close For Comfort", I tried "Full House". The "cramped living conditions" part threw us both, obviously.)
    8. JASON KENT BATEMAN, CLARK KENT(again), CLARK GABLE(again)
    Polite and Popular Dessert
    MOTHER(not "captain")MAY I, MAYHEM, RIOT
    A joke for ViolinTeddy:
    PATIENT: "Doc, you've got to help me. Last night I had a dream I was a teepee. The night before I dreamt I was a wigwam. What's wrong with me?"
    PSYCHIATRIST: "I'd say the problem is you're too tense."(TWO TENTS)
    I'll just show myself out now...-pjb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok, very funny.....if that WERE a Blainesville hint, it would certainly help nobody solve the Schpuzzle...not that those hints, I realize, are MEANT to help anyone solve the puzzles....if they do, they get deleted by administrator.

      Delete
  10. 6-11-25” 78 degrees
    Schpuzzle

    Appetizer Menu
    1. Discouraging, disc our aging
    2. Prognosticate, pro- Gnostic ate
    3. Me asure, Measure
    4.
    6. Fin i shed, finished
    7. Sign if i can’t, significant
    8.
    Menu

    Entrees
    1. Andrew Chaikin, Cana ,Wine Drink.
    2.

    Dessert
    Hide and seek, Shanked–???

    Clue for Blaines. Perhaps TMI- Carly Simon “ Nobody does it better”.


    ReplyDelete
  11. This week's official answers for the record, part 1

    Schpuzzle of the Week:
    Synonymous Syllabification
    Place a pair of two-syllable synonymous nouns, in alphabetical order.
    Replace a vowel in the first synonym with two different vowels. The result is a synonym of the first syllable of the second synonym.
    What are these two synonymous pairs?
    Answer:
    Tepee, Wigwam; Toupee, Wig
    ("Tepee" becomes "Toupee," a synonym of "Wig")
    Lego...

    This week's official answers for the record, part 2

    ReplyDelete
  12. This week's official answers for the record, part 2

    Appetizer Menu
    Ecompounding Interest Appetizer:
    Compound it!

    We weren’t done with the Compounding Puzzles featured on April 3rd. There are many compound words in the language, made from two or more words or stems that combine to make a new word with a distinct meaning.
    For example: Many will be _________ (9) this puzzle’s ___, __ ____ (3,2,4) cheers at the very least.
    ANSWER: Many will be ENDORSING this puzzle’s END, OR SING cheers at the very least. Letter counts are provided.

    1. We didn’t like old records and found the ____ ___ _____ (4,3,5) grandfather recommended to be ____________ (12).
    2. The mystic could not _____________ (13) on what the ___ _______ ___ (3,7,3), since dinner already happened.
    3. For __, _ ____ (2,1,4) _______ (7) of a person’s morality is how they treat those beneath them.
    4. The drug addict I ___ ___ ___ (3,3,3) dose of _________ (9) on him.
    5. At the tunnel wash, the claustrophobic man opened his window during the last cycle and was __ ___ _______ (2, 3, 7) because he felt ____________ (12). [the seven-letter word may not be known to all]
    6. Upon completing its evolution, the new land creature said “________ (8) ! That’s the last ___ _ ____ (3,1,4) !
    7. I granted my lawyer the power of attorney; when it comes to important documents she can ____ __ _ ____ (4,2,1,4), which is a ___________ (11) responsibility.
    8. As an aside, the corrupt MAGA billionaire said “____________ (12), the ___ ____ _ ____ (3,4,1,4) with has given me a lot of money!”

    ANSWERS:
    1. We didn’t like old records and found the DISC OUR AGING grandfather recommended to be DISCOURAGING.
    2. The mystic could not PROGNOSTICATE (13) on what the PRO-GNOSTIC ATE (3,7,3), since dinner already happened.
    3. For me, a sure (2,1,4) MEASURE (7) of a person’s morality is how they treat those beneath them.
    4. The drug addict I MET HAD ONE (3,3,3) dose of METHADONE (9) on him.
    5. At the tunnel wash, the claustrophobic man opened his window during the last cycle and was IN CAR CERATED because he felt INCARCERATED. [“created” means “covered with wax”!]
    6. Upon completing its evolution, the new land creature said “FINISHED! That’s the last FIN I SHED!
    7. I granted my lawyer the power of attorney; when it comes to important documents she can SIGN IF I CAN’T, which is a SIGNIFICANT responsibility.
    8. As an aside, the corrupt MAGA billionaire said “TANGENTIALLY, the TAN GENT I ALLY with has given me a lot of money!”
    Lego...

    ReplyDelete
  13. This week's official answers for the record, part 3

    MENU
    Triangulation & Rotation Hors d’Oeuvre
    Geometric Geography
    Lop off the triangle-shaped half of a U.S. state. ROT10 a city in the remaining half of the state to spell a word that describes the shape of that remaining half. What are this state, city and descriptive word?
    Answer:
    5. Reno, (Nevada); boxy; RENO ROT10 = BOXY
    Answer:

    Dangerous Loom & Doom Slice:
    Camels’-food-words
    Anagram a three-word idiom for a looming danger to form the missing words in the following potentially dangerous phrase: "BLANK from BLANK of BLANK." What are the idiom and phrase?
    Hint: The initial letters in the three-word idiom spell a word for something that is broken or busted.
    Answer:
    SWORD OF DAMOCLES; FLAMES from CORDS of WOOD

    Riffing Off Shortz And Chaikin Entrees:
    “...hee’s Jason (Bateman, not Batman)!”
    Will Shortz’s June 1st NPR puzzle challenge, from Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco, reads:
    Think of a famous current actor. His first name is also the name of a famous movie character. Drop the middle letter of his last name and you'll name another famous movie character. Each character is a central figure in a dozen or more films. What actor is this?
    Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Chaikin Entrees read:
    ENTREE #1
    Lop off the upper half of a lowercase letter in the name of a puzzle-maker to form a different lowercase letter. Rearrange the letters of this altered name to spell:
    * the name of place in the Bible,
    * something that was swallowed in that place, and
    * the generic name of what was swallowed.
    Who is this puzzle-maker?
    What are the place, what was swallowed, and the generic term for the “swallowable?”
    Answer:
    Andrew Chaikin; (h=>n) Cana, Wine, Drink
    Lego...

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  14. This week's official answers for the record, part 4
    Note: Entrees #2 through #7 were composed by Nodd

    ENTREE #2
    Take the first name of the central figure in a five-film crime drama franchise. Follow this with the last name of a miserly character in a famous movie from the 1940s. The result will name the central figure in another multiple-film franchise. Who are these three movie characters?
    HINT: The first names of the central figure in a five-film crime drama franchise and the miserly character in a famous movie from the 1940s share the same first, fourth and fifth letters.
    Answer:
    HARRY CALLAHAN (“Dirty Harry” et al.); MR. HENRY POTTER (“It’s a Wonderful Life”); HARRY POTTER

    ENTREE #3
    Take the first name of a famous movie actress from the 1930s-40s. Add a preposition to the beginning of the name. Follow this with the last name of a movie actor whose first name is the same as the first four letters of the actress’s name. The result, phonetically, will name a famous character in a series of popular movies. Who are the actress, actor, and character?
    Answer:
    DEANNA DURBIN; DEAN JONES; INDIANA JONES

    ENTREE #4
    Take the first name of a famous movie actor who appeared in films from the 1920s to the 1960s. Follow this with the first name of a retired actor who was primarily known for a television role as a police officer but also appeared in some movies. You’ll get the name of a character who has appeared in at least nine popular movies. Who are the actors and the character?
    Answer:
    CLARK GABLE; KENT MCCORD; CLARK KENT

    ENTREE #5
    Take the first and last names of a famous maker of numerous films. Replace a T with an L and rearrange to name a character who has appeared in more than ten films. Who are the filmmaker and the character?
    Answer:
    JACQUES COUSTEAU; JACQUES CLOUSEAU

    ENTREE #6
    Take the first name of a popular singer-songwriter who has also appeared in numerous films. Change the first letter to the letter three places before it in the alphabet. Follow this with an anagram of the past tense of a verb that describes what movie stars wish film critics would do about their performances. The result will name a central character in a well-known film franchise. Who are the singer and the character?
    Answer:
    GARTH BROOKS; DARTH VADER (Movie stars wish film critics would have RAVED about their performances.)

    ENTREE #7
    A movie released in the 1950s was a dramatization of a controversial novel. Take the names of two actresses who starred in the movie. The first name of one of the actresses, followed by the last name of the other actress minus its last letter, spell the name of a recurring character in a TV series the name of which may suggest cramped living conditions. Who are the actresses and the character?
    Answer:
    LANA TURNER; HOPE LANGE (“Peyton Place”); LANA LANG (“Smallville”)
    Lego...

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  15. This week's official answers for the record, part 5

    ENTREE #8
    The middle name of an actor (whose surname, minus its middle letter, is the name of a superhero) is also the surname of a famous movie character who, after he changed into his “superheroic” persona, wore a cape. The first name of this famous movie character is also the first name of a past famous movie actor known as the “King of Hollywood.”
    Who are this actor, movie character and “King of Hollywood”?
    Answer:
    Justin Kent Bateman; Clark Kent (Superman); Clark Gable

    Dessert Menu
    Polite and Popular Dessert:
    Child’s play turns violent!
    Rearrange the combined letters in a polite and popular children’s game to spell two violent synonyms.
    What is this game?
    What are the synonyms?
    Answer:
    2. “Mother, May I?”; Mayhem, Riot;

    Lego!

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