PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 6!π SERVED
Schpuzzle of the Week:
“Toy jet! Yo-yo! Toffy! Wowee!”
On Christmas morning, a boy peeks inside his stocking to see what he got and exclaims:
Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is a Christmas
carol in Japan.
What three of those eight words within the quotation marks do not belong with the other five, and why not?
Hint: The phrase “...do not belong with the other five” might also be phrased “...are not as ‘pure’ as the other five.”
Appetizer Menu
Homographology Appetizer:
“Verbal Equivocation, Strad-Steiff Style”
In #11, you must find two related words that are spelled the same except that one has an additional letter.
Name these homographs:
2. shoe vs stop up
3. waver vs pastry
4. won’t vs trash
5. now vs flowing
6. thing vs. dissent
7. fungi vs Jell-O casing
8. pal vs flower
10. nearby vs non-fat
Find these two words:
11. Add one consonant to a word meaning “having fevers” to obtain a word for what such a condition might make you feel.
MENU
“Mixologists Need Not Apply” Hors d’Oeuvre:
Only the brainy will solve this Hors d’Oeuvre
Take a beverage.
Add to it, without a space, an alcoholic beverage. (But don’t do any mixing of these two drinks.)
The second and third syllables spell a body part shaped like the first syllable. Replace that body part with a synonym of that body part.
The result is a word for a brainy person (like one who solves this puzzle!).
What are these two beverages, the body part and its synonym, and the brainy person?
When Holidays Collide Slice:
Only the “wise” will solve this Slice
Take a word associated with a certain holiday. Replace one letter with a different letter.
What are these two holidays and two words?
Hint: The letters that you rearrange are almost consecutive.
Riffing Off Shortz And Robison Slices:
The human body and a humanity
Will Shortz’s October 11th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle, created by Samantha Robison of Eugene, Oregon, reads:
Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Robison Slices read:
ENTREE #1
Think of six five-letter words:
1. a month in the Hebrew calendar,
2. the first five books of the Hebrew Bible,
3. large pulpits in early churches and in contemporary Greek and Balkan churches.
5. the edible substance God provided the
Israelites in the desert following the Exodus, and
6. a fertile area of a desert that sustains plant life and provides habitat for animals.
Anagram the 15 combined letters of the first three words to spell the name of a puzzle-maker.
Anagram the 15 combined letters of the last three words to spell the name of that same puzzle-maker.
Who is this puzzle-maker?
What are the six words?
Note: Entree #2 was composed and contributed by our friend Plantsmith whose “Garden of Puzzley Delights” is featured regularly on Puzzleria!
Take a word that means “required.”
Add an “e” to the mix, then mix up the result to get a creature and the last name of a singer who hails from a place not far from where you might find the creature.
What is the synonym of “required”?
What are the creature and the last name of the singer?
ENTREE #3
Think of a word that means “obligatory.” Move its last letter into the third position and place a space after it.
What is the word that means “obligatory?”
What is the collection of crimson paper?
Hint: Place an anagram of “Mary” between the two words of your answer and change the third word to its homophone. The result is what those in the West commonly call a Russian armed forces choral ensemble founded during the Soviet era.
ENTREE #4
Think of a word that means “required.”
What is this synonym of “required”?
What are the mythological creature and real mountain?
What is the canal?
ENTREE #5
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its letters to name a three-letter synonym of “desire” or “longing” and a word for what may help satisfy that desire or alleviate that longing.
What are this synonym of “desire” or “longing” and what may help satisfy that desire or alleviate that longing?
What is the two-word term after you add a “c” to the mix?
Think of a word that means “required.”
Rearrange its letters to spell a synonym of “silent” and the name of a Greek goddess who is an eponym of a noun that is defined as “a combination of musical sounds that strikes the ear harshly.”
What is this word that means “required”?
What is the synonym of “silent?”
What is the name of the Greek goddess?
ENTREE #7
What is this synonym of “required”?
What are the two plural words?
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its letters to name an award, in four letters, and what the award often recognizes and honors, in five letters.
What is this synonym of “required”? What is this award? What does the award often recognize and honor?
ENTREE #9
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its ten letters to name:
2. a three-letter term for this ruler.
What is this synonym of “required”?
What is the jurisdiction of an Islamic ruler?
What is a three-letter term for this ruler?
Hint: The term for the ruler is acronymic.
ENTREE #10
An adjective, in 11 letters, that means “required” is sometimes used as a noun on college campuses.
Rearrange its letters to spell a two-word term that describes a certain “close-your-eyes-and-plug-your-ears” snippet or portion of movies such as “The Wild Bunch,” “Natural Born Killers” or “Pulp Fiction.”
What is the plural form of this “noun” that is used on college campuses?
What is the descriptive two-word term?
Dessert Menu
“Do You Hear What I Hear?” Dessert:
A horse of a different color, two things of a same color
“___ hear but don’t ______.”
Anagram the letters in the second blank to spell something that is usually a certain color.
Take a homophone of the word in the first blank. Add it to the letters in the second blank. Anagram the result to spell a second thing that is also usually that color.
What are these two things?
Every Friday 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!
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 Friday.
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.
Oh WOW, our red and green Christmas edition is up very very early indeed! [Perhaps last week's was also? But I completely forgot to check until late on Fri evening.]
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes i know what you mean. Nice ones V.T. And i hope Santa sticks a Steiff under the tree for ya.
DeleteThanks, Plantie. Sadly, Santa won't be coming to my house.
DeleteSorry to hear that.
DeleteI have been listening too Prince's, " Just Another lonely Xmas." Trying to understand it. Guess it is based on a real story-person- incident. It is the B side to "I would die for You."
DeleteSo the eight Schpuzzle words (since I got confused, asked a question about it thinking it was only seven words in color, then deleted after realizing I had missed "in quotations") are: "Toy, Jet,YoYo, Toffee, Wowee, Ode, to, Joy"?
ReplyDeleteMy other question, having nothing to do with solving anything is: do the Japanese sing it in German? (Which is great fun.) I can't imagine Ode to Joy in Japanese!!
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good question, ViolinTeddy. My guess is that they sing it in German. Perhaps it is on YouTube? I did just now find this! So yes, German it is! You were correct!
DeleteLegoNotesThatViolinTeddyIsAlsoCorrectAboutTheEightWordsInQuotationsInTheSchpuzzle:1.Toy2.Jet3.Yoyo4.Toffee5.Wowee6.Ode7.To8.Joy
Thanks, Lego. I have categorized a few of the words, but can't seem to get two groups, 3 in one group, 5 in the other. I have three 'leftover' words that I can't decide which category they fit into.
DeleteWow, that Japanese concert looks like a cast of thousands! Will look at it later...am currently listening to something else, while I try to enter sweepstakes AND solve P! puzzles! That's already doing three things at once!
Not really in the style of my usual opening post(and I certainly mean no offense here), but I just have to ask:
ReplyDeleteThis is a bit much for you to expect everyone here to do while we all must also celebrate Christmas(Eve and Day)going into next week, don't you think, Lego?
pjbHadNoRealTroubleWithVT'sAppetizer,Though(AsWellAsTheHorsD'OeuvreAndTwoEntreesAlready)
It's not that much, pjb. Most of the Entrees are easy. IMHO, Lego deserves our thanks for providing these holiday treats in spite of the other time demands I'm sure he had this time of year.
DeleteI second that motion!
DeleteYes, I'm pleased with the puzzles that Lego and guests contribute each week.
DeleteI can divide the eight Schpuzzle words into groups of three and five, but I can't be certain I have THE "standard of purity".
ReplyDeleteIf you can spell two common three-letter words with the initial letters of your three "non-pure" words, Paul, you may have my intended answer.
DeleteLegoWhoSuspectsAlternativeAnswersMay Abound
The above helped me, Lego. I think I have solved the Schpuzzle.
DeleteI find it extremely fascinating that skydiveboy has posted an eight part puzzle over at Blainesville. and there seems to be a natural 5,3 break in terms of solvability.
DeleteNODD HOLIDAY RIFF:
ReplyDeleteThe winter months are December, January and February in the Northern Hemisphere, and June, July and August in the Southern Hemisphere. Take one letter from five of these months and two letters from the remaining month.
Arrange these seven letters to spell a word for things that are used in a traditional holiday celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere winter each year. There are no repeated letters in the seven-letter word.
What is the holiday, and what are the things used in the celebration of it?
Have a great holiday, everyone!
Very nice riff, Nodd.
DeleteI have an answer that uses either the second letter or the penultimate letter from each of the five months that contribute just one letter, and consecutive letters of the alphabet from the month that contributes two letters.
LegoWhoIsCurrentlyGuiltyOfPerfomingAnIdiomThatInvolvesHisAnswerToNodd'sRiff(AndWhatMayBeNodd'sIntendedAnswer)
Did you send that one to Will? Seem like he might run it or should. Very nice.
DeleteThanks, Plantsmith. No, I've given up on Will. I sent it to Lego a while ago but I bet he forgot. If he finds my email he can check his answer referred to above!
Delete... but I decided that the wording of the puzzle applies more appropriately to a different holiday than I originally had in mind, so that part is new. The word for the things used to celebrate the holiday is still the same.
DeleteI agree with Plantsmith that Nodd's riff is top-notch.
DeleteI do apologize to Nodd (and to all with whom I correspond via email!) for "things getting lost in my mail!" I am so disorganized that my email inbox often becomes a cyber-black-hole!
LegoWhoDoesHoweverSuspectThatHeHasSucceededInFindingNodd'sIntendedAnswer
No apology needed! Emails are ephemeral, but Puzzleria! is forever -- so all is well.
DeleteLego, do you make folders for each person? That might help a little....if you now how to make email folders in your particular email program.
DeleteThanks, ViolinTeddy. I do, amazingly and believe-it-or-not, make folders for each person's puzzles... but not in my email (aol) but in my computer's storage folders. But, still, I amjust so darn lazy when it come to the tedious task of updating them, distinguishing the "USED" puzzles from the "UNUSED" puzzles, moving them from email to the file, etc. etc.
DeleteMaking up puzzles is so much more fun than writing them down!
LegoInDireNeedOfAnAmanuensis
Ah, but didn't you already pay for that once, when you lost all your files? Forewarned is forearmed!
DeleteNodd one word right? I had a two word answer that almost worked.
DeletePS, yes -- one word.
DeleteOK, have an answer, but it's a bit messy, because logically, three of the letters can be matched as follows: letter 1 = month A or month B; letter 2 = month A or month C; and letter 3 = month B or month C. Possibly my answer is alternative. I see a few other words that could possibly work, but this seems to be the most logical word.
DeleteI like this puzzle because I could try and solve it logically, rather than just go through a list of things.
My technique for writing puzzle ideas is greatly flawed. I'm using a program called Notion but I'm not using it in its intended format. I'm just writing down a list of puzzle ideas (at least I'm doing well with that), but it's a mish-mosh of half-baked ideas, not-so-great fully formed puzzles, and reasonably good fully formed puzzles Some of them have already been published by Lego, but I still have them in the main list. I have also submitted probably more than a dozen puzzles to NPR with no luck, but I'm trying not to send those puzzles to Lego, in case they are selected someday. (Probably they won't be, but I have no idea, since there is sometimes a delay.)
Nodd, I'm getting pickier in what I send to NPR because then I feel I can't really send those puzzles to Lego in a reasonably short timeframe. I can see why Will turned down some of them (too obscure, too large or small of a search space, not 100% accurate), but I have no idea why some others were turned down other than they didn't pass Will's excitement standard or maybe were used in the 1980s or 1990s.
Tortie, I don't think your puzzles are flawed at all. I think it's just a matter of the volume of puzzles WS receives.
DeleteHint for my riff -- the first letter in the answer comes from the first month named in the puzzle.
I probably would have given up on my NPR submissions a long time ago if I didn't realize that even people like Lego and eco have had rejections.
DeleteIn any case, the hint matches my answer. And if I have the right answer, I personally have a third Winter occasion to use the items.
I think you must have an alternative. You say that in your answer, letter 1 can come from month A or B, but in my answer, letter 1 is only in month A.
DeleteOops, I didn't explain this correctly. I was referring to the three letters in my solution that had could be tied to multiple months. In any case, the letters in my word that have two possible solutions are the second, third, and sixth letters.
DeleteStill possible I have an alt, though!
My second letter actually has three possible solutions. Other than that, your letters match with mine.
DeleteThis week's Entrees show the correctness of Lego's comment last Sunday (on that other blog) that "there just are not that many words that mean 'required.'" I would say Lego has managed to get maximum mileage out of the limited possibilities available.
ReplyDeleteAnd now, my official "opening post":
ReplyDeleteHappy Few-Days-Left-Until-Christmas to you all!
Mom and I are fine, as usual. We didn't eat out tonight, because Bryan and Renae took Maddy back up to Baltimore earlier this week for some surgery and physical therapy(poor thing, it's too complicated to even get into here), and we couldn't take Mia Kate out because she was the only one home, and they would've probably freaked out if Mia Kate wasn't there. But they got home this afternoon, and ended up stopping at Taco Bell to eat their supper in Fultondale(near Birmingham). So Mom and I decided to have supper from Jim 'n' Nick's, and she went through the drive-through. We've actually been eating drive-through food most of the week, ever since the guys who've been redoing my bathroom also redid the backsplash in the kitchen a couple of days ago. Tonight I had a chicken sandwich, a brisket chili, mac 'n' cheese, baked beans, and a Coke Zero. Mom had a "Kid's Meal" BBQ sandwich and mac 'n' cheese, and something to drink(I don't know what she ordered), and she still couldn't finish it! We also had a cheese biscuit each, but she couldn't believe there was that much food in the "Kid's Meal"! So she's saving the rest of the sandwich for tomorrow.
BTW I didn't mean to sound like I was complaining about how much is in this week's P!, it just seemed like a bit much when you know we all have our own other separate plans for Sunday and Monday, obviously. I have tried to do a little more within these past two hours on the Entrees at least, but I think it's the best I can do so far. Here's what I have as of last night(until I couldn't find the charger for my phone, and I use both devices at once to try to look up answers):
I've solved VT's Appetizer(unsure about #11), the Hors d'Oeuvre, and all Entrees except #2, #4, #7, and #10. Hints for all the rest will be "required", of course. Offhand, I'd say the Schpuzzle will prove to be the most difficult one in the bunch("Ode To Joy" in Japanese?!).
Good luck in solving to all, please stay safe, and may you and yours have the happiest of holidays, the merriest of Christmases, and the most prosperous of New Years, from all of us down here in good ol' AL. Cranberry out!
pjbNeverEvenRealized"OdeToJoy"EvenHadLyricsUntilJustNow!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
DeleteTöchter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum.
And I typed that from memory, except for double checking to make sure I got the umlauts in the right places.
Very impressive, VT!
DeleteLegoWhoIsJealousOfViolinTeddy'sUmlaudableGermanicFluency
Well, Lego, I would need to go spend time in Germany to actually be fluent; but I have sung Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, so I knew the words!
DeleteHee hee, and I often go around singing them, to boot!
DeleteFor an interesting variation, check out the "Chorfantasie" -- very similar melody, totally different lyrics, 15 years before the "Ode to Joy."
Delete...or, I should say, before the Ninth Symphony.
DeleteThe entrees I can't solve are 2, 7 and 8. Not the Slice or Dessert either.
ReplyDeleteHint for #8 -- one of Marion Crane's husbands.
DeleteThanks as ever, Nodd. I had actually tried that award, but didn't come up with the correct five-letter "what it honors." BUt just now did, and it was satisfying in that I had realized that that particular synonym of "required" had not yet been used.
DeleteE2. Thanks for some excellent editing, I had misspelled the surname- egads- and did not add the needed vowel- it is kind of Xmassy in that the surname in the puzzle is also the surname of an important fictional Xmas character.
ReplyDeleteOK, pretty sure i have the singer/character now. I found a possible word that is a synonym of "required" and contains the right sort of letters, but can't get the creature out of that.
DeleteHi, everyone. Progress report: Solved most of the Apps (fun puzzles, VT!), the Hors d'Oeuvre, and most of the Entrees. Have possible answers for the Schpuzzle and Apps #3 & #5. Still missing App #10, the Slice (have an Alt that involves swapping only two letters once the letter replacement has been done), Entrees #2 & #9, and the Dessert (which feels solvable, but none of my ideas have worked yet!).
ReplyDeleteI'm missing most of those too, but I do have a hint for Entree 9 -- the acronymic word is not related in any way to any Islamic term or title; it's just a general term that would apply to a ruler. That threw me off at first.
DeleteThanks Nodd. You make an excellent point about my "three-letter (acronymic) term for this ruler," which, as Nodd notes, is not exclusive to Islam. Sloppy wording on my part. I ought to have written: "What is a three letter term for this ruler?" (the article I used previously in Entree #9).
DeleteLegoWhoIsSometimesAVeryInaccuratePerson
Thank you, Nodd and Lego. I have the answer now. For some reason, this particular synonym of "required" eluded me the first time.
DeleteLego, I think you are too hard on yourself. Your wording was not inaccurate; the three-letter term applies to an Islamic ruler just as much as any other ruler. It's not unreasonable to expect solvers not to make assumptions, such as an assumption that only an Islamic term might qualify. Frequently, the puzzles that WS says are "tricky" are that way because solvers are likely to make assumptions that are not true. Like that one about the clock and the 54 vs. 58 times in 24 hours that only produced a few correct answers.
DeleteHello all,
ReplyDeletePre=hints, had everything except Appetizer #11, the Slice, Entrées #2 and 4 (have the mountain), and the Dessert.
We all seem to be stuck, if I have assessed properly, on the Slice, Entree 2 and Dessert, with other varied 'stumped-ness' for varied other participants. But i have yet to read Lego's hints below.
DeleteGeo, if you have the mountain for Entree 4, then it is a simple jump to which synonym you have to use, and it leaves the bird-creature kind of obvious (assuming you have heard of it, which this time, I had!)
DeletePer Wikipedia, several mountains were associated with the mythological figure. I chose the one where he was supposedly born (which I had never heard of), not the best-known one. Now I have it.
DeleteOh good.
DeleteEarly Pre-Christmas Hints:
DeleteSchpuzzle of the Week:
(4)(3)(5) (2)(1)(4) (5)(3)-(5)(3) (4)(3)(1.2)(1.2)(5) (4.6)(3)(4.6)(1)(1) (3)(0.8)(1) (4)(3) (2)(3)(5)
Homographology Appetizer:
I will defer to ViolinTeddy regarding hints for these eleven excellent puzzles. But I shall assay a hint to #10, which may be a bit of a stickler:
In Appetizer #10. The synonyms of "nearby" and "non-fat" are both, of course spelled the same. But the synonym of "non-fat" retains its hyphen.
“Mixologists Need Not Apply” Hors d Oeuvre
The original beverage (either before or after you add the alcoholic beverage) is associated with two holidays: Yuletide and Hogmanay.
When Holidays Collide Slice:
Hint # 1: The combined letters of the two holidays can be anagrammed to spell two synonyms of "affluence" and the first name of a man (who served in all three branches of the U.S federal government) whose middle name is an Oregon city that was named after a Maine city that was named after an isle in the English Channel.
Hint # 2: The letter and its replacement both sound like liquids.
Riffing Off Shortz And Robison Slices:
ENTREE #1
1. The month in the Hebrew calendar is just one S away from a Japanese automobile brand.
2. the first five books of the Hebrew Bible sound like one-third of an epic Pearl Harbor flick title with three excamation marks!!!
3. large pulpits in early churches and in contemporary Greek and Balkan churches rhyme with the possessive form of a "Sly character."
ENTREE #2
See Plantsmith's excellent hint at December 23, 2023 at 3:24 AM.
Also, Plantsmith's word that means “required” contains five syllables.
ENTREE #3
The "collection of 24 or sometimes 25 sheets of paper" is a homophome of an assemblage, perhaps in a loft, that may be singing Christmas carols presently in a church near you.
ENTREE #4
Take the initials of the mythological creature, the real mountain and the mythological figure whose name is the name of a real canal spelled backwards. They spell the first name of a fictional character on "Frasier."
ENTREE #5
The three-letter synonym of “desire” or “longing” is also a monetary unit. The word for what may help satisfy that desire or alleviate that longing begins with a common vehicle followed by a letter of the alphabet, spelled out.
ENTREE #6
The name of the Greek goddess is an anagram of a synonym of ascend.
ENTREE #7
One object is buried amonst short, fairway-height grass. The other object is violently buried within the woods!
ENTREE #8
Remove the first letter of the synonym of “required.”
The remaining letters, properly divided and in order, belong in the following biographical sketch; "Boris Johnson, a prime minister ___ _ ____."
ENTREE #9
The "state or jurisdiction of a ruler in Islamic countries who enjoys special privileges and prestige" can be rearranged to spell an eight-legged arthropod that, alas, often finds a home in the ear canals of household pets such as cats and dogs.
ENTREE #10
Take the adjective, in 11 letters, that means “required.” Replace is last three letters (an apostrophized word that consists of a subject and predicate) with a synonym of "capable." The result is a word that, at times, described Bob Dole, John Kerry, John McCain and Mitch Romney.
“Do You Hear What I Hear” Dessert:
A homophone can be a single letter.
The combined letters of the words in the blanks can be anagrammed to spell what the "second thing that is also usually that color," if defevtive, might have that makes it defective: a five-letter adjective and four-letter noun.
LegoSomewhatGrinchLikeWithHisHints
NoddDecember 23, 2023 at 3:21 PM
DeleteLego, I have a question on the Slice. When you rearrange “half of the letters of the result” to get the second word, does that mean the second word has half as many letters as the first, or do you keep the half of the letters that you don’t rearrange, so that the first and second words have the same number of letters? Thanks!
Nodd,
You do keep the half of the letters that you don’t rearrange. The first and second words do have the same number of letters.
Lego...
ViolinTeddyDecember 23, 2023 at 3:48 PM
Lego, you accidentally left the words on your hint for the Slice...very handy, of course, but not what I suspected you intended to do?
VT,
No. I just goofed.
Legoofed
TortitudeDecember 23, 2023 at 3:55 PM
VT, I mentioned that as well, and my post was deleted. In any case, I now have your #10 as well as the Dessert. Still have a few more puzzles to solve.
Sorry about your deleted post, Tortie!
Legopoligetic
ViolinTeddyDecember 23, 2023 at 4:12 PM
I've finally come up with AN answer for the Slice. However, it doesn't obey Hint #2 above, in that the letter I replaced with doesn't sound like a beverage. However, it meets all the other requirements, so I am calling it good!
ViolinTeddyDecember 23, 2023 at 4:14 PM
Tortie, you are saying that Lego DELETED your post in which you pointed out the hinting goof?
ViolinTeddyDecember 23, 2023 at 4:15 PM
Why wouldn't he just edit his hints and remove the goof? Like he always does...hee hee!
ViolinTeddyDecember 23, 2023 at 4:17 PM
Nodd, I assumed that we just use the half of the original word, and get a second word that indeed has half as many letters as the first. If not, then I must begin all over again. Sigh.
cranberryDecember 23, 2023 at 4:18 PM
I too noticed the answer for Slice Hint #1, but still can't quite figure it out from that. Also, I thought VT's #10 was "spare", but clearly I'm wrong(did figure out the real hyphenated word, though!). Definitely got Entree #10, but only figured out the "Frasier" character in #4(got the mythical character/canal part right away, but that's it).
pjbWillActuallyBeEatingAMealPreparedAtHomeTonight,NoDrive-Through!
TortitudeDecember 23, 2023 at 4:22 PM
VT, yes, it looks like Lego deleted his original hints post, along with my comment to it.
ViolinTeddyDecember 23, 2023 at 4:49 PM
We are talking about his hints for the Slice, correct? Well, I refreshed my page after reading your last post above, and the words are STILL THERE.
ViolinTeddyDecember 23, 2023 at 4:53 PM
Pjb, if you know the myth'l/canal character, then you should be easily be able to deduce the mountain associated with it. Then have a look at the few remaining possibilities for 'required' synonyms, and the word OUGHT to just pop out at you. That leaves a few letters for the other mythological creature. [It IS confusing that there are two separate imaginary beings in this puzzle...at first that completely threw me.]
LegoTryingToDredgeUpAllTheDeletedComments!!!
I don't have the strength at this point to LOOK, but are you saying, Lego, that you somehow accidentally deleted ALL the above comments, in your effort to remove the hint for the Slice? I am decidedly confused.
DeleteFinally got it once I realized the figure/canal was not a part of the anagram! Incidentally, in case anyone else is having trouble with this one, just know there is no synonym for "required" that contains a Z anywhere in it. Hope that's not TMI at this point.
DeletepjbWillBeAsleepThisTimeTomorrow(AsMostPeopleWillProbablyBe,OfCourse)
LEgo, I'm still hopelessly stuck on Entree 7. I can NOT figure out/google what could be 'violently buried in the woods.' I even tried a remaining 'required' synonym that you hadn't used, which seemed promising given the OTHER pointy item, but it leaves letters that form a weird verb, not a plural pointy object.
ReplyDeleteVT, what is "violently buried in the woods" is done so by a carpenter.
DeleteLegoApologetic
Thanks, Lego, I finally got it (7). Somehow I hadn't even come close to properly grasping the 'woods' hint. And had to throw out the word "pins."
DeleteDid you hear that Santa update on NPR yesterday? Rudolph has his own Podcast now- "Sleighs of my past," and he is Slaying it.
DeleteI got #7 as well. Thanks again, Lego!
DeletepjbMayNotAppearToBeAsleepAsTheTimeNotificationStatesOnThisPostVis-A-VisHisEarlierPost,ButYourTimeZoneMayVary
And you are from Oregon? And did you not read "Sometimes a great Notion?" by Ken Kesey. Egads.
DeleteSorry. Wasn't expecting it to read a time way before we were all supposed to be asleep going into Xmas Day. I may never really understand the time notification on this blog, or how it really works. I only know it's different from what time it really is here in AL(not Oregon). Plus, we've been awfully busy here at Christmastime with other things which obviously have nothing to do with time zones whatsoever.
DeletepjbIsNotAtAllAshamedToAdmitNotGettingTheKeseyReference(AndIsSure[PS]WillExplainItLater)
E2- If you change the first letter of the name you can get something edible.
ReplyDeleteThat verifies the singer. I'm still stuck on the word meaning "required" and the creature, though. I did find a word that has five syllables, added an "E", found the singer within the letters, but I can't seem to anagram the leftover letters into any sort of creature.
DeleteThe synonym of "required" I'm trying starts with an "E" and is commonly associated with a famous fictional character.
Still stuck on the Slice as well, even with knowing the two holidays involved.
Tortie, the synonym starts with a different letter than "E". It is not in common use but does appear in some lists. The first letter of the synonym is the second letter of the creature.
DeleteI don't have the Slice yet either.
Still don't have it, but at least I won't waste more time on the "bad" answer. Also, the NPR puzzle was so easy today (probably one of the five or so easiest puzzles of the year for me) that I have more time to devote to the missing P! puzzles.
DeleteHint for the synonym -- you've almost certainly thought of a closely related synonym that differs from the answer only in that it lacks two letters that appear consecutively in the answer. It's the shorter word that's generally used, making the longer one rare and awkward sounding. But that's the answer, Sir Starkey!
DeleteGot it now. I don't think I've ever heard of this word before, and the anagram solvers I was using didn't even show it.
DeleteIn the Hors d'Oeuvre:
ReplyDelete* the two beverages have 6 and 3 letters,
* the body part and its synonym have 6 and 4 letters, and
* the brainy person has 7 letters.
In the Slice:
The "half of the letters of the result (that you arrange) to spell a word associated with another holiday" are in the word's sixth, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth positions.
LegoCandidly
I STILL do not even understand what we are supposed to DO in the Slice. So clearly, it's a 12-letter thing, and we are take out letters 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. One of them presumably we are to change to a different letter (or is the change supposed to be in the leftover letters that apparently we do NOT discard?) So then what? We rearrange those six letters and stick them BACK into the original word? Or make a two-word item that belongs to the other holiday? I can't take this anymore!
ReplyDeleteTwo words just now hit me that are probably the Slice answer. (Both 12 letters)...but how to actually change one into the other is still a process that eludes me, even tho I did pick out the six letters, change one into another, and that sorta works. But given that the seventh letter has to sit in its position, this was still very, VERY confusing. But at least now I get it.
DeleteI have the Slice answer. I found the first word by searching for 12-letter Christmas words. The word could be viewed as a compound word consisting of:
Delete(1) a man's name suggested by Lego's sign-off in his post of December 24, 2023 at 6:56 PM; the name also can be a food.
(2) a word for something aromatic that, with a letter added at the end, means mad.
Nodd, thank you for that. I finally figured out the Slice.
DeleteVT, don't forget that you also need a change from one letter that sounds like a liquidy thing to another one.
TortieWhoIsThankfulOnChristmasThatThereAreNoP'sInThePuzzleAnswer
geofan had an epiphany and found the answer to the Slice.
DeleteTechnically, the 12-letter word is not associated with Christmas, though it frequently is, as on some religious Christmas cards.
Also there is a second 6-letter answer, but the letter switch does not correspond to recognizable liquids.
He also initially got stuck on the T-P switch.
Yeah, I too had NOT wanted to think about a T-P switch, so was very glad when I realized what the two words were, and saw that T was to be switched for a different letter that I had just not considered before. All told, I wonder if there was ANY way of posing this puzzle that could have proved less confusing...i.e. "keep the first five letters, then rearranged six of the remaining seven letters, and plug that rearrangement back into the original word." Or some such thing...
DeleteThe creature's first letter is two away from first letter of the singer in the Alphabet stream.
ReplyDeleteVT did you give a clue for your #10 Fatboy one? Maybe i missed it. I may have the dessert but it is kind of slippery.
ReplyDeletePS, Lego gave a hint for #10 above. Basically, you keep the dash (Dasher?) in the answer for "non-fat" but the words are otherwise spelled the same.
DeleteTortieWhoWishesEveryoneAMerryChristmasAsIMentionedLastYearYouCan'tSpellWithoutM-I-S-T-Y
I didn't bother to even try to think of any hints, since everyone seemed to have answers already, and Lego, yes, did do one for #10. I'm not sure how it has gone with #11 however....somebody (pjb?) mentioned not having it, but I haven't thought of any decent hint for it.
DeleteAnd I might mention that altho I BELIEVE I have the correct 'required' synonym for Plantie's entree, and actually had come up with it prior to all the hints, I still can't make it work out into a Christmas-connected creature and the singer whose name I THOUGHT Nodd was alluding to somewhere above, when he wrote "Sir Starkey" to Tortie.
DeleteVT -- the creature isn't Christmas-connected; the singer's last name is. "Sir Starkey" was a hint for the creature, not the singer.
DeleteNodd is correct. The creature, according to some, can be a pedagogue. Actually,it is, or could be Xmas orientated if you are Italian.
DeleteBoy, you guys, I will have to think about this, in the little time that is left. I am totally and utterly lost re Entree 2, and the clues being backwards from what I had thought. Maybe a burst of inspiration will come to me, but somehow I doubt it!
DeleteYon inspiration just arrived, moreso because I again went and anagrammed the chosen synonym, forgetting at first to add the 'e', but having spotted a creature that I then googled WITH "Sir Starkey", and lo and behold. NO wonder I had NO idea...I had never ever heard of that song/connection. That left the singer, who kinda fell out of the leftovers. I would be jubilant, but I am sick of the entire effort.
DeleteMerry Xmas.
DeleteGlad you got it. Well done!
DeleteThanks, guys!
DeleteName a twelve-letter item that you might see at the earlier of the two holidays in the Slice. Throw away half of the letters (hint: most of them are consecutive). Move one of the remaining letters. You'll have something you'll see in the other holiday. (Hint: this item usually comes in pairs.)
ReplyDeleteVery nice. A weather forecast for a loved one.
DeleteHints for Nodd Holiday Riff:
ReplyDelete(1) Replace one letter in the seven-letter word for things used in the celebration of the holiday to spell a word for things used in the celebration of the earlier of the two holidays in the Slice.
(2) The holiday in the riff, like the things used in the celebration of it, has seven letters.
Well, apparently, the three "profane" Schpuzzle words are TOFFY, WOWEE, and ODE. I knew ODE had to be one because O is the only initial vowel, and I surmised that the three-letter words were TWO and TOW (I wouldn't call WOT "common"), so I was only unsure about the T-word. I now understand that T=4, O=3, Y=5, etc., but I have no idea why, and I REALLY don't know where the fractions came from, but that must be the determining factor. (D=4/5, E=1, F=6/5 must mean something too, somehow.)
ReplyDeleteI had YO-YO, TOFFY, and WOWEE because:
a) they have more than one syllable
b) they have more than three letters
and c) they have repeated letters (2 Y's, 2 O's, 2 F's, 2 W's, 2 E's)
...actually, 'c' was what I noticed first.
Schpuzzle: TOY JET YO-YO TOFFY WOWEE ODE TO JOY impure (I think): TOY/TO/TOFFY, ODE, WOWEE.(TOFFY, ODE, WOWEE - contains letter that only appears in that word (F, D, W))
ReplyDeleteApp: 1. CHARM; 2. CLOG; 3. WAFFLE (or maybe TURNOVER) 4. REFUSE; 5. CURRENT: 6. OBJECT; 7. MOLD; 8. BUD; 9. SOW; 10. (Post hint:) LOCAL, LO-CAL; 11. FLUSH, FLUISH
Hors d’Oeuvre: EGGNOG, GIN, NOGGIN, HEAD, EGGHEAD
Slice: (Post hints:) FRANKINCENSE (change C to T), FRANKENSTEIN Hint #1: CHRISTMAS & HALLOWEEN, Hint #2: T & P (or C) (pre hint: LATKES, BASKET, doesn’t seem to fit hint, since you only need swap two letters)
Entrees:
1. SAMANTHA ROBISON; NISAN, TORAH, AMBOS, BROTH, MANNA, OASIS
2. (Post hint:) COMPULSATORY (Bob or Ziggy) MARLEY, OCTOPUS (pre Nodd hints: tried ELEMENTARY and IMPERATIVELY with no luck)
3. REQUIRED; RED QUIRE (Hint: RED ARMY CHOIR)
4. COMPULSORY; ROC, OLYMPUS; SUEZ
5. NECESSARY; YEN, CARESS; SCARY SCENE
6. REQUISITE; QUIET, ERIS
7. ESSENTIAL; NAILS, TEES
8. MANDATORY; TONY; DRAMA
9. IMPERTATIVE; EMIRATE; VIP
10. NONELECTIVES; VIOLENT SCENE
Dessert: (post hint: I had “LISTEN/TINSEL pre hint, but didn’t get “YOU/U”, although I did try “EWES/YEWS” at some point!) TINSEL, UTENSIL (YOU hear but don’t LISTEN; anagram LISTEN into TINSEL, which is SILVER. Homophone of YOU is “U” + TINSEL anagram is UTENSIL, which is usually SILVER)
Nodd’s puzzle: One possibility: CANDLES. The unique letters in the months listed are “abcdefgjlmnrst.” (Funnily enough, with another “a”, you can get my recent “craftsman/draftsman” puzzle words out of these letters!) Some holiday possibilities that contain these letters are antlers, bangles, dancers, jangles, and mangers, but the word I like the best was “candles” which is best for Kwanzaa and Hanukkah but also applies to Christmas. C = December, D = December, L = July, and S = August. That leaves A, N, and E, and January, February, and June. “A” can go with “Jan” or “Feb”, “N” with “Jan” or “June”, and “E” with “Feb” or “June.” If CANDLES is indeed the right word, then there is not just one possible solution, but two: “A”=“Jan”, N=“June”, “E”=“Feb” or “A”=“Feb”, “E”=“June”, “N”=“Jan”
Riff of slice: JACK-O-LANTERN; ANTLER
I just realized that my Schpuzzle has a lot of "show your work" on it. The answer I have is at the end: TOFFY, ODE, WOWEE - contains letter that only appears in that word (F, D, W)
DeleteFor App 11, I thought of FLUSH and FLUISH too, but the directions said to add "one consonant," so I figured that was not the answer. The best I could come up with was AGUED and PLAGUED, but that requires adding two consonants.
DeleteOops, missed the consonant instruction!
DeleteTortie, your "flush" and "fluish" come pretty close on my #11, although I believe it said put the new letter in the second spot. As shown below in my posting for this Wed, the anwer is AGUISH and ANGUISH.
DeleteApologies...Lego didn't include my little statement about the added letter being in the second position, and I never noticed or I would have given it as a 'hint.'
DeleteViolinTeddy, My apologies for not providing that hint. My bad.
DeleteLegoWhoIsSometimesHintless...AndClueless!
SCHPUZZLE – TOFFY, WOWEE, AND ODE do not belong. The other five are composed only of letters whose alphanumeric values are evenly divisible by five. TOFFY, WOWEE, AND ODE all contain at least one letter whose value is not.
ReplyDeleteAPPETIZERS
1. CHARM
2. CLOG
3. WAFFLE
4. REFUSE
5. CURRENT
6. OBJECT
7. MOLD
8. BUD
9. SOW
10. LOCAL; LO-CAL
11. HOT; SHOT ?
HORS D’OEUVRE – EGGNOG + GIN => EGG, NOGGIN; EGGHEAD
SLICE – FRANKINCENSE; FRANKENSTEIN
ENTREES
1. SAMANTHA ROBISON; NISAN, TORAH, AMBOS, BROTH, MANNA, OASIS
2. COMPULSATORY; OCTOPUS, [BOB] MARLEY
3. REQUIRED; RED QUIRE. HINT: “RED ARMY CHOIR”
4. COMPULSORY; ROC; OLYMPUS (ZEUS; SUEZ)
5. NECESSARY; YEN, CARESS; SCARY SCENE
6. REQUISITE; QUIET, ERIS
7. ESSENTIAL; TEES, NAILS
8. MANDATORY; TONY, DRAMA
9. IMPERATIVE; VIP
10. NONELECTIVES; VIOLENT SCENE
DESSERT – YOU, LISTEN; TINSEL, UTENSIL
TORTITUDE RIFF – JACK O’LANTERN; ANTLER
ANSWER TO NODD HOLIDAY RIFF:
The winter months are December, January and February in the Northern Hemisphere, and June, July and August in the Southern Hemisphere. Take one letter from five of these months and two letters from the remaining month.
Arrange these seven letters to spell a word for things that are used in a traditional holiday celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere winter each year.
There are no repeated letters in the seven-letter word.
What is the holiday, and what are the things used in the celebration of it?
KWANZAA; CANDLES
Oh, very clever on the Schpuzzle! I had the right answer, but not exactly for the right reason.
DeleteI figured it out from Lego's hint that consisted of just numbers -- E, J, O, T, Y = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25; but D, F, W = 4, 6, 23, so when you divide them by 5 you get 0.8, 1.2, and 4.6, which were the fractional values given in the hint.
Deletechpuzzle: JET, WOWEE, ODE contain E's. TOY.
ReplyDeleteTOFFY, WOWEE, ODE each contain two different vowels (hence less “pure”) → initial letters TWO, TOW from hint.
None contain an A, I, or U.
Appetizers:
1. CHARM
2. CLOG
3. WAFFLE
4. REFUSE
5. CURRENT
6. OBJECT
7. MOLD
8. BUD
9. SOW
10. LOCAL, LO
11. HEATED + C = CHEATED
Hors d'Oeuvre: EGGNOG + GIN → NOGGIN; EGGHEAD
Slice: FRANKINCENSE → ICENSE – C (sea) + G (ghee) → GENIES; [alt] – I + A → SEANCE
Entrées:
#1: SAMANTHA ROBISON → NISAN, TORAH, AMBOS; BROTH, MANNA, OASIS
#2:
#3: REQUIRED → RED QUIRE (hint: Red Army Choir)
#4: ZEUS (Suez) → Mount OLYMPUS, ROC → COMPULSORY
#5: NECESSARY → YEN, CARESS; NECESSARY+ C → SCARY SCENE
#6: DISCORD → ERIS (goddess) + QUIET → REQUISITE
#7: ESSENTIAL → NAILS, TEES
#8: TONY → MANDATORY → MADAR → DRAMA
#9: IMPERATIVE → EMIRATE, VIP
#10: NONELECTIVES → VIOLENT SCENE
Dessert: “YOU hear but don't LISTEN” → TINSEL (silver, sometimes gold); + U → UTENSIL (usually silver, sometimes gold), or LUTEINS (usually yellow)
Tortitude riffoff: FRANKENSTEIN – ESTEIN, chg E to L → TINSEL
Everyone seems to agree the answer to Entree #10 is NONELECTIVE(S), but I can't figure out how it squares with Lego's December 23, 2023 5:52 PM hint about the losing presidential candidates. I can't think of any three-letter synonym for "capable" that could follow NONELECT to make an intelligible word.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the replacement needs to be three letters in length. I think that "capable" = "able" and therefore, "nonelectable."
DeleteYou are probably right. I interpreted "replace" to mean letter-for-letter, but I guess Lego didn't mean it that way. Thanks for dispelling my mystification.
DeletePuzzeleria 12-27-23” -50 degrees this AM
ReplyDeleteSchpuzzle of the Week:
(Homographology Appetizer:
1.Charm,2. Clog 3 turnover 4. Refuse 5. Current? 6. Object 7.mold 8. Bud 9. Blue Bottle (synonym for police)
10. Flush, flushed?
“Mixologists Need Not Apply” Hors d Oeuvre
Eggnog, Gin, Egg- noggin, Egg head.
Riffing Off Shortz And Robison Slices:
ENTREE #1
Samantha Robision, Nisan,Torah,Ambos,broth, manna
ENTREE #2
Compulsatory - Octopus, Marley– Barley. Octopus is also at times featured in Xmas Eve. “feast of seven fishes. On my travels in Spain i had this at a barone time - smoked and marinated. Like i said one time. Fun movie “Feast of the seven fishes,” on Netfli- kind of Christmassy.
ENTREE #3
ENTREE #4Compulsory, Roc, Olympus, Suez
ENTREE #5
ENTREE #6
Requisite, quiet, Eris
ENTREE #7
Essential, tees, nails
ENTREE #8
Mandatory, Tony, Drama
ENTREE #9
ENTREE #10
Non electives- violent scence
Dessert: you hear - not listen
Listen, tinsel +you, Utinsils.
Plantie, I had kept getting caught up (while mixing up the various and plentiful hints) with CLAUS as being the 'creature' for your entree, thinking that Nodd had meant the Christmasy connection was for the creature. That, of course, left a bunch of letters (with or without the extra 'e') that got me nowhere with a singer surname....not to mention someone from near the North Pole!!!! Hence my frustration.
DeleteI did not see any Xmas connection till i saw that Movie.
DeleteAnd did you see the other movie?? " My Octopus teacher"
DeleteWhat movie(s)??
Delete"Feast of seven fishes." on Netflix
DeleteI look forward to seeing the official answer to the Schpuzzle, as I have no idea how to even begin to figure it all out(and no one else seems to have the same idea about it either).
ReplyDeleteAppetizer Menu
1. CHARM
2. CLOG
3. WAFFLE
4. REFUSE(two pronunciations)
5. CURRENT
6. OBJECT(two pronunciations)
7. MOLD
8. BUD
9. SOW(two pronunciations)
10. LOCAL or LO-CAL
11. AGUISH, ANGUISH(though I have to say I do like HOT/SHOT as well as FLUSH/FLUISH for alternative answers)
Menu
"Mixologists Need Not Apply" Hors d'Oeuvre
EGGNOG+GIN=EGG NOGGIN=EGGHEAD
When Holidays Collide Slice
FRANKINCENSE, FRANKENSTEIN
Entrees
1. SAMANTHA ROBISON
(1.)NISAN
(2.)TORAH
(3.)AMBOS
(4.)BROTH
(5.)MANNA
(6.)OASIS
2. COMPULSATORY, OCTOPUS, (Bob)MARLEY
3. REQUIRED, RED QUIRE, RED ARMY CHOIR
4. COMPULSORY, ROC, OLYMPUS, ZEUS(Suez)
5. NECESSARY, YEN, CARESS, SCARY SCENE
6. REQUISITE, QUIET, ERIS
7. ESSENTIAL, TEES, NAILS
8. MANDATORY, TONY, DRAMA
9. IMPERATIVE
(1.)EMIRATE
(2.)VIP
10. NONELECTIVE(S), VIOLENT SCENE
Dessert Menu
"Do You Hear What I Hear?"
YOU, LISTEN, U+TINSEL=UTENSIL
We will most likely be taking Mom out for her 81st birthday Friday night(though her birthday is tomorrow, in fact). It will be her choice of where to go, obviously. Details to follow later Friday night.-pjb
Re the Schpuzzle, you say "no one else seems to have the same idea about it either." Not sure what you mean. I posted the correct answer at 12:03, above.
DeletePjb, I keep telling you that you are inviting IDENTITY THEFT to repeatedly reveal both your mom's b;day and age...as well as when you do it for your own. Not a good idea....I wish I could convince you of that.
DeleteHappy B.D.to your m om.
DeleteThis week's official answers for the record, Part 1:
ReplyDeleteSchpuzzle of the Week:
“Toy jet! Yo-yo! Toffy! Wowee!”
On Christmas morning, a boy peeks inside his stocking to see what he got and exclaims:
“Toy jet! Yo-yo! Toffy! Wowee!”
Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is a Christmas carol in Japan.
What three of those nine words within the quotation marks do not belong with the other six, and why not?
ANSWER:
Toffy, Wow; Ode
(The ranks of E, J, O, T and Y in the alphabet – 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 – are evenly divisible by 5. The ranks of F, W and D – 6, 23 and 4 – are not evenly divisible by 5. Therefore, toFFy, WoW and oDe do not belong.)
Appetizer Menu
Homographology Appetizer:
“Verbal Equivocation, Strad-Steiff Style”
Instructions: In each of the first 20 problems below, each of the two parts is a synonym for, or clue to, the same word a word that you must find. Such words are called homographs, that is, words that have the same spelling but differ in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation.
For example, the answer to horsehide flung batterward vs piney substance on the batter s bat would be PITCH. (These homographs are pronounced the same.) The answer to fault vs forsake one s nation would be DEFECT. (These homographs are usually pronounced differently)
1. endear vs trinket
2. shoe vs stop up
3. waver vs pastry
4. won t vs trash
5. now vs flowing
6. thing vs. dissent
7. fungi vs Jell-O casing
8. pal vs flower
9. plant vs pig
10. nearby vs non-fat
11. Add one consonant to a word meaning having fevers to obtain a word for what such a condition might make you feel.
Answers:
1. endear vs trinket CHARM
2. shoe vs stop up CLOG
3. waver vs pastry WAFFLE
4. won t vs trash REFUSE
5. now vs flowing CURRENT
6. thing vs. dissent OBJECT
7. fungi vs Jell-O casing MOLD
8. pal vs flower BUD
9. plant vs pig SOW
10. nearby vs non-fat LOCAL (LO-CAL = non-fat)
11. AGUISH => ANGUISH
Lego...
This week's official answers for the record, Part 2:
ReplyDeleteMENU
“Mixologists Need Not Apply” Hors d Oeuvre
Only the brainy will solve this puzzle
Take a beverage.
Add to it an alcoholic beverage. (But don’t do any mixing of these two drinks.)
The result is three syllables long.
The second and third syllables spell a body part shaped like the first syllable. Replace that body part with a synonym of that body part.
The result is a word for a brainy person (like one who solves this puzzle!).
What are these two beverages, the body part and its synonym, and the brainy person?
Answer:
Eggnog, gin; noggin, head; egghead
(eggnog=>eggnog+gin=>eggnoggin=>egg+noggin=>egg+head=>egghead)
When Holidays Collide Slice:
Only the "wise" will solve this puzzle
Take a word associated with a certain holiday. Replace one letter with a different letter.
Rearrange half of the letters of the result to spell a word associated with another holiday.
What are these two holidays and two words?
Hint: The letters that you rearrange are almost consecutive.
ANSWER:
Christmas, Frankincense; Halloween, Frankenstein
FRANKiNcense -c + t => FRANKiNtense => FRANKeNstein;
Hint: "c" sounds like "sea." "t" sounds like "tea.")
GIVE THIS HINT IN COMMENTS: Hint: The letter and its replacement both sound like liquids.
Lego...
This week's official answers for the record, Part 3:
ReplyDeleteRiffing Off Shortz And Robison Slices:
The human body and a humanity
ENTREE #1
Think of six five-letter words:
1. a month in the Hebrew calendar,
2. the first five books of the Hebrew Bible,
3. large pulpits in early churches and in contemporary Greek and Balkan churches.
4. a savory watery liquid in which meat, fish, cereal grains or veggies have been simmered,
5. the edible substance God provided the Israelites in the desert following the Exodus, and
6. a fertile area of a desert that sustains plant life and provides habitat for animals.
Anagram the 15 combined letters of the first three words to spell the name of a puzzle-maker.
Anagram the 15 combined letters of the last three words to spell the name of that same puzzle-maker.
Who is this puzzle-maker?
What are the six words?
Answer:
Samantha Robison;
1. Nisan
2. Torah
3. Ambos
4. Broth
5. Manna
6. Oasis
Note: Entree #2 was composed and contributed by our friend Plantsmith whose “Garden of Puzzley Delights” is featured regularly on Puzzleria!
ENTREE #2
Take a word that means “required.”
Add an “e” to the mix, then mix up the result to get a creature and the last name of a singer who hails from a place not far from where you might find the creature.
What is the synonym of “required”?
What are the creature and the last name of the singer?
Answer:
Compulsatory; Octopus, (Bob) Marley (who hails from Jamaica)
ENTREE #3
Think of a word that means “obligatory.” Move its last letter into the third position and place a space after it. The result is a collection of 24 or sometimes 25 sheets of crimson paper.
What is the word that means “obligatory?”
What is the collection of crimson paper?
Hint: Place an anagram of “Mary” between the two words of your answer and change the third word to its homophone. The result is what those in the West commonly call a Russian armed forces choral ensemble founded during the Soviet era.
Required; Red quire
Hint: Red Army Choir
ENTREE #4
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its letters to name a mythological creature and a real mountain associated with a mythological figure whose name is the name of a real canal spelled backwards.
What is this synonym of “required”?
What are the mythological creature and real mountain?
Who is the mythological figure?
What is the canal?
Answer:
Compulsory; Roc, Olympus; Zeus, Suez
Lego...
This week's official answers for the record, Part 4:
ReplyDeleteENTREE #5
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its letters to name a three-letter synonym of “desire” or “longing” and a word for what may help satisfy that desire or alleviate that longing.
Take that same word that means “required.” Add a “c” to the mix. Rearrange the result to spell a two-word term that describes Norman knifing Marion, Regan spinning her head 180 degrees before facing her horrified mother, or Wendy cowering behing the bathroom door as her hubby Jack attacks it with his axe.
What are this synonym of “desire” or “longing” and what may help satisfy that desire or alleviate that longing?
What is the two-word term after you add a “c” to the mix?
Answer:
NECESSARY; Yen, Caress; (necessary + C =); scary scene
ENTREE #6
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its letters to spell a synonym of “silent” and the name of a Greek goddess who is an eponym of a noun that is defined as “a combination of musical sounds that strikes the ear harshly.”
What is this word that means “required”?
What is the synonym of “silent?”
What is the name of the Greek goddess?
Answer:
Requisite; Quiet, Eris
ENTREE #7
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its letters to name two plural words for objects, each with a pointed end that disappears when the objects are used.
What is this synonym of “required”?
What are the two plural words?
Answer:
Essential; Tees, Nails
ENTREE #8
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its letters to name an award, in four letters, and what the award often recognizes and honors, in five letters.
What is this synonym of “required”?
What is this reward?
What does the award often recognize and honor?
Answer:
Mandatory; Tony (Award); Drama
Lego...
This week's official answers for the record, Part 5:
ReplyDeleteENTREE #9
Think of a word that means “required.” Rearrange its ten letters to name:
1. the state or jurisdiction of a ruler in Islamic countries who enjoys special privileges and prestige, and
2. a three-letter term for this ruler.
especially : a high official with special privileges.
What is this synonym of “required”?
What is the jurisdiction of an Islamic ruler?
What is a three-letter term for this ruler?
Hint: The term for the ruler is acronymic.
Answer:
Imperative; Emirate; VIP (Very Important Person)
ENTREE #10
An adjective, in 11 letters, that means “required” is sometimes used as a noun on college campuses. Take the plural form of this “noun.” Rearrange its letters to to spell a two-word term that describes a certain “close your eyes and plug your ears” snippet or portion of movies such as “The Wild Bunch,” “Natural Born Killers” or “Pulp Fiction.”
What is the plural form of the plural form of this “noun” used on college campuses?
What is the descriptive two-word term?
Answer:
Nonelectives; Violent Scene
Dessert Menu
“Do You Hear What I Hear” Dessert:
A horse of a different color, two things of the same color
1. “___ hear but don't ______.”
Anagram the letters in second blank to spell something that is usually a certain color.
Add a homophone of the word in the first blank to those letters and anagram this result to spell a second thing that is also usually that color.
What are these two things?
ANSWER:
tinsel, utensil
"YOU hear but don't LISTEN." (LISTEN=>TINSEL; U+LISTEN=>UTENSIL)
Lego!