Wordy Wednesday 666: The Puzzle from Hell

WORDY WEDNESDAY #664
FRAMELINKS 28 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #665
PENT WORDS 133 (hint)

As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #666
THE PUZZLE FROM HELL
(click here for a PDF version)

Don’t bother spelling it with “double hockey sticks” – it’s way too hot to be playing hockey here.

A whale has one
Board on which felt cutouts of Bible characters might be placed during Sunday school
Creature often chased by a net-wielding SpongeBob SquarePants
Difficult problem
Like the ordering of phone book listings
____ tendon
United States : President :: Germany : ____
Valve game franchise with protagonist Gordon Freeman: hyph.
Waxy, fat-like substance that can clog arteries 

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 4-letter word for "The Price is Right host Carey"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 665: Pent Words 133

WORDY WEDNESDAY #663
TOUCHWORD 33 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #664
FRAMELINKS 28 (hint)

As of this writing, 11 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #665
PENT WORDS 133
(click here for a PDF version)

In this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (regions containing five cells each), and write a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the Across clues. The letters in the pentominoes, in reading order (left to right starting with the top row), will form the words hinted at by the Pentominoes clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example, the rows spell PLANT, SHARE, and BITES, and the pentominoes spell the words PLANS, TREES, and HABIT.) Use the ACROSS answers to determine where the pentominoes are.

ACROSS (two answers per row):
1 Place to sleep / Fastened with metal bolts
2 “Quite”, for example / “She’s a ____” (Tom Jones song)
3 ____ Pizza (1988 film starring Annabeth Gish and Julia Roberts) / Implements in a winter sport
4 Application / Stimulate, as one’s memory
5 Photo / Deviate
6 Popular song of yore / Cleanse with liquid
7 Behind ____ (in jail) / Harry Potter and the ____ of Fire
8 Helicopter parts / ____ Lake (Tchaikovsky ballet)
9 Certain marine snail / A Chinese tea
10 He was pardoned by Ford / Caesar ____
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• ____ bear
• ____ bear
• ____ bear
• ____ bear
• ____ bear
• Weary
• Begets
• “God ____ us, every one!”
• Ebbed
• Three-dimensional spiral
• San ____, California
• Small and glistening, as eyes
• Heron relative
• One-twentieth of a Benjamin
• Menial laborers
• Smiles from ear to ear
• Stanza
• Four-wheel ____

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* 😱😈

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 664: Framelinks 28

WORDY WEDNESDAY #662
LOGICROSSWORD 17 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #663
TOUCHWORD 33 (hint)

As of this writing, 15 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #664
FRAMELINKS 28
(click here for a PDF version)

Fill in the empty squares in the diagram with the given letters to form words.
Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 8-letter word.

A A A A A A A A A A A   B   C C C C   D   E E E E E E E E E E E   G G G G   H H   I I I I I I I I I
L L L L L   M M M   N N N   R R R R R   S S S   T T T T T T T T   U U U 

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "One-twentieth of a Benjamin"?
* Patron Puzzle #136, which will be delivered on September 8, 2025, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Framelinks.

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 663: Touchword 33

WORDY WEDNESDAY #661
MINI TOUCHWORD 8 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins *
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #662
LOGICROSSWORD 17 (hint)

As of this writing, 9 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #663
TOUCHWORD 33
(click here for a PDF version)

Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 8-letter word.

1 Little Bo-Beep lost them / “Forever in Blue Jeans” singer Diamond / Mia Hamm’s sport
2 Large sea vessel / Risks / Happen
3 Very cheerful / Mythological creature who was trapped in a labyrinth
4 It’s just below the lower jaw / Pathogenic microorganism / Set up, as a new program
5 Alter / 1986-1991 sitcom starring Sherman Hemsley as Deacon Ernest Frye / Not large
6 Certain aquatic bird / Substance covering teeth / Digital message
7 The largest Nordic country / Saunter / Ancient Egyptian goddess of motherhood
8 Portland-based rock band whose hits include “Of Angels and Angles” and “Sixteen Military Wives”: 2 wds.
9 “____ goodness!” / Middle point / Take ____ account
10 Actor Tudyk / Acute / Canada’s largest city
11 Cry of woe / Lottery-like casino game / Diadem
12 Monster / Methuselah’s father / Something of value
13 Kidney ____ / Shark ____ (2004 animated film) / The frame of a car
14 Surround on both sides / Guinness who played Obi-Wan Kenobi / Suspects’ excuses
15 Run away / Leg joint / Diameter of a bullet

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Framelinks!

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 662: Logicrossword 17

WORDY WEDNESDAY #660
PENT WORDS 132 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #661
MINI TOUCHWORD 8 (hint)

As of this writing, 15 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #662
LOGICROSSWORD 17
(click here for a PDF version)

Blacken some cells in the grid and fill the rest with letters to form words. Hereafter, a “word” refers to any string of two or more consecutive letters reading from left to right or top to bottom, bounded on both sides by black cells or the edge of the grid. All words are Scrabble-legal and appear in the NASPA Word List 2023 Edition (NWL2023). A list of all acceptable 2-letter words is provided as a solving aid; all of the words which are not on this list and not mentioned in the clues should be familiar to most solvers. Use the clues, logic, and your vocabulary to find the solution.

Arrange the letters in the highlighted cells to get the final answer, a single Scrabble-legal word. (If any of the highlighted cells are blackened, then the final answer will be less than 8 letters long.) 

AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY BA BE BI BO BY DA DE DO ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EW EX FA FE GI GO HA HE HI HM HO ID IF IN IS IT JO KA KI LA LI LO MA ME MI MM MO MU MY NA NE NO NU OD OE OF OH OI OK OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY PA PE PI PO QI RE SH SI SO TA TE TI TO UH UM UN UP US UT WE WO XI XU YA YE YO ZA
• No two black cells share an edge. All the white cells are connected through their edges. No word is repeated in the grid.
• Row 1 contains exactly one black cell.
• Row 3 contains a word whose first letter is W.
• Row 4 contains the words GI and WHOMSO, in that order from left to right; one of these words intersects DWARF.
• Row 5 contains a 6-letter word that contains the substring NF.
• Row 8 contains the word IN and a word that contains the substring HE.
• Row 9 contains a 5-letter word whose first letter is A and whose last letter is not E.
• Column D contains the letter S.
• Column E contains the word TO, which intersects the word OE.
• Column G contains the word IMID, which intersects the word MAC.
• Column H contains fewer black cells than column I.
• Cell C1 contains a letter.
• The words HYPOXIC, IT, NAIFS, and NARD appear somewhere in the grid.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's the largest Nordic country?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 661: Mini Touchword 8

WORDY WEDNESDAY #659
SUDOKUROSTIC 9 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Pavel Curtis *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #660
PENT WORDS 132 (hint)

As of this writing, 13 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #661
MINI TOUCHWORD 8
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by StrangerCoug. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word. 

1 Trickle / Hell for ____
2 One with two identical siblings / ____ Might Be Giants (rock band)
3 Fats Navarro’s instrument / Not difficult
4 ____ change / Bosom
5 Item to sit in / Basketball great Kobe
6 One with psychic perception
7 Set in the ground, as seeds / Simultaneous discharge of many projectiles
8 One of sixteen at the start of a chess game / Vehicle in an ethical thought experiment
9 Young deer / Support for climbing vines
10 Tinker Bell, for one / John McEnroe’s sport
11 Place where butter is made / Surname of the family from ALF

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Logicrossword!

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 660: Pent Words 132

WORDY WEDNESDAY #658
MINI TOUCHWORD 7 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield *
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #659
SUDOKUROSTIC 9 (hint)

As of this writing, 11 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #660
PENT WORDS 132
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Daren Crevan. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!

In this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (regions containing five cells each), and write a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the Across clues. The letters in the pentominoes, in reading order (left to right starting with the top row), will form the words hinted at by the Pentominoes clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example, the rows spell PLANT, SHARE, and BITES, and the pentominoes spell the words PLANS, TREES, and HABIT.) Use the ACROSS answers to determine where the pentominoes are.

ACROSS (two answers per row):
1 Sports official, briefly / 2001 PopCap game in which players turn lead into gold
2 Decorate / Conifer associated with Lebanon
3 The ____ and the Restless / Before and ____
4 Hip and trendy / Swimmer with whisker-like barbels
5 South Carolina representative Mace / Certain wading bird
6 Right-angle extension / Troublesome
7 Over there / Shesterkin of the New York Rangers
8 Blood-pumping organ / Plants-to-be
9 European capital formerly known as Christiania / Camel’s biome
10 Dog ____ dog / Tree related to the walnut
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Blunder
• “Let’s get ____ to rumble!”
• February 14 and March 17, for two
• One of the gifts of the magi in the New Testament
• Unaccompanied
• To ____ a Thief (1955 film)
• Mine finds
• Dense
• “Rock Me Amadeus” singer
• “Here’s the ____ of a man named Brady. . .”
• Bat from the Sonic the Hedgehog games
• Popular pub sport
• Book before Joel
• Common material for stockings
• Therefore
• Circular
• Wrinkle-removing implements
• Uncanny

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What is the surname of the family from ALF?
* Patron Puzzle #135, which will be delivered on August 8, 2025, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Large Sudokurostic.

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #3 (RESULTS!)

The 3rd triannual (soon to be quarterly) Triple Crown Fox Derby from two weeks ago has concluded. Click here for a PDF of all the puzzle solutions. The contest results follow.

22 foxes qualified for the first race, the Kittucky Derby, by solving all three puzzles. Race results:

Gate 1: Endless Foxtabilities, Farrah Foxcett, Generic Undisclosed Fox Pun, Ron, Tailwag
Gate 2: Paprika, Ruin Seeker
Gate 3: Baxter Foxworthy, Robin, Vulpine Victory
Gate 4: Fox in Socks
Gate 5: Neighsayer, Reykjavik Refur
Gate 6: Nickit
Gate 7: Derek, Faux-Chi, Mesquite
Gate 11: Bob, Cardigan, Ixnay Amenay

Gate 14: Reddy Fox
Gate 43: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson

Redd, who would have used gate 9, didn't even attempt the Shikaku. Had Redd managed to wrangle the rectangles, the outcome would have been unaffected (but I would owe the food banks an extra dollar). Gate 1 was especially crowded, with 5 foxes fighting over it. Besides the winner Fox in Socks, only 3 other foxes managed to finish.

23 foxes qualified for the second race, the Sneakness Stakes, by solving two puzzles. Race results:

Gate 1: Generic Undisclosed Fox Pun, Ruin Seeker
Gate 2: Endless Foxtabilities, Fox in Socks, Tailwag
Gate 3: Baxter Foxworthy, Reykjavik Refur, Robin, Vulpine Victory
Gate 4: Bob, Farrah Foxcett, Neighsayer
Gate 5: Mesquite, Paprika
Gate 6: Faux-Chi
Gate 7: Derek
Gate 8: Cardigan
Gate 9: Redd
Gate 10: Ron
Gate 11: Ixnay Amenay, Nickit
Gate 14: Reddy Fox
Gate 43: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson

The three foxes in gate 3 stubbornly stayed there, being joined by a fourth to make it the most crowded gate. Besides the winner Faux-Chi, 6 other foxes finished.

 

23 foxes qualified for the third race, the Tailmont Stakes, by solving one puzzle. Race results:

Gate 1: Fox in Socks, Generic Undisclosed Fox Pun
Gate 2: Faux-Chi
Gate 3: Baxter Foxworthy, Endless Foxtabilities, Mesquite, Neighsayer, Robin, Ruin Seeker, Tailwag, Vulpine Victory
Gate 4: Cardigan, Reykjavik Refur
Gate 7: Derek, Farrah Foxcett
Gate 8: Bob, Paprika
Gate 9: Redd
Gate 11: Ixnay Amenay
Gate 13: Nickit, Ron
Gate 14: Reddy Fox
Gate 43: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson
Generic Undisclosed Fox Pun's potential rival, Fox in Socks, got to sit comfortably on the winner's podium, allowing the former fox to take gate 1 without a fight. Gate 3 got even more crowded, with 8 foxes in total, including the three obstinate foxes from the Kittucky Derby who were determined to make the strategy somehow pay off. Besides the winner, only 4 other foxes finished.

The three winners, Brian Joughin, Michael Lebowitz, and Yossi Fendel, will soon be contacted about redeeming their prizes. Additionally, a $68 money pool will be split between the Food Bank of West Central Texas, the Food Bank for Larimer County, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank ($22.67 each), and this donation will be matched by three anonymous benefactors. Thanks to you all for participating! The 4th quarterly Triple Crown Fox Derby will be held on October 6, 2025.

Wordy Wednesday 659: Sudokurostic 9

WORDY WEDNESDAY #657
LOGICROSSWORD 16 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz *
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #658
MINI TOUCHWORD 7 (hint)

As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #659
SUDOKUROSTIC 9
(click here for a PDF version)

Solve the clues by writing one letter per blank; the clues are alphabetized by the answers as a solving aid. Transfer the letters to the corresponding spaces and fill in the remaining spaces to form a valid sudoku, but with 9 different letters instead of numbers. (Each row, column, and box must contain those 9 letters in some order.) Treat the finished grid as a word search and look for a 6-letter word, which is this puzzle’s final answer. 

Extraterrestrial being __ __ __ __ __
                       B3 F2 F7 H6 C8
Home ____ 2: Lost in New York (1992 film) __ __ __ __ __
                                          F6 H4 H8 B4 D4
Astrological sign represented by a goat __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                        F4 H2 B2 F8 B6 D7 D2 H3 G6
“Everything must go!” type of sale __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                   B8 D6 F3 C4 C6 D8 H7 C2 G8
Roaring animal in the MGM logo __ __ __ __
                               B7 G2 G4 D3

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Bat from the Sonic the Hedgehog games"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Wordy Wednesday 658: Mini Touchword 7

WORDY WEDNESDAY #656
ANACROSSWORD 45 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #657
LOGICROSSWORD 16 (hint)

As of this writing, 8 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #658
MINI TOUCHWORD 7
(click here for a PDF version)

In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word. 

1 Carouses / Gold bar
2 Like a fair playing field / “A leopard ____ change its spots”
3 “It's the ____ I could do!” / Nick who played Devon Miles in Drumline (2002)
4 Celibate / Site of a dam in Egypt
5 Constitution / Persuasive influence
6 May 4, to sci-fi fans: 3 wds.
7 ____ poll / Footwear brand mentioned in a Run-D.M.C. hit
8 Layers, as of sedimentary rock / Has supper
9 Explorer in a Nick Jr. series / One receiving on-the-job education
10 Finished / Take care of, as livestock on the range
11 Extend, as a subscription / Unmarried

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 9-letter word for "Astrological sign represented by a goat"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #3

 (Click here for a PDF of all of the puzzles and the contest rules.)

 

Outside the Fox Puzzles is proud to sponsor the 3rd triannual (and soon to be quarterly) Triple Crown Fox Derby! Up to three winners of this contest will receive their choice of one of these prizes, for themselves or for anyone else of their choice:
• A 1-year subscription to Outside the Fox Puzzles, which comes with 150 puzzles just like the ones in this contest!
• A $10 gift card for Grandmaster Puzzles, with which one can buy ebooks of beautiful logic puzzles written by talented authors from around the world!
• A 2-month Premium membership on Board Game Arena, with which one can play board games in real-time and turn-based modes against opponents from around the world!

With Kevin’s Puzzles at Home on hiatus, my plan is to run these contests on the first Monday of every January, April, July, and October, at 12:01 AM Central Time. This month, marking a transition period between the previous triannual schedule and a new quarterly one, is an exception. The entry deadline will be 13 days later (on a Sunday) at 11:59 PM Central Time; in this case, the deadline is Sunday, August 3, 2025, at 11:59 PM Central Time.

This contest combines a Touchword puzzle, a gridded logic puzzle, and a variety word puzzle with a fox race. Yes, in the real world, people bet on horse races and greyhound races, but in the fantastic world of Outside the Fox Puzzles, it is foxes who race. To participate in the contest, send an e-mail to glmathgrant@[at]gmail[dot]com. Your entry should include:
• Your answers to the three puzzles, as explained in their respective instructions. (Any format, including scans or photos of printed pages, screenshots, or plain text, will work, so long as I can read and judge it.)
• The name of the fox you'll be entering in the race (this is just for fun and has no effect on the outcome).
• The number of the gate your fox will start from (any integer between 1 and 50 inclusive) in each of the three races (the Kittucky Derby, the Sneakness Stakes, and the Tailmont Stakes). You can use the same gate any number of times.

The first race is the Kittucky Derby; to qualify, you must have submitted correct solutions to all three puzzles. The second race, the Sneakness Stakes, requires only two correct solutions, and the Tailmont Stakes requires only one. Winning an earlier race disqualifies you from a later race; otherwise, you can qualify for, and participate in, one, two, or all three races. The winner of each race is the fox that started from the lowest-numbered gate that nobody else selected! Unfortunately, when two or more foxes are crammed into the same gate, they have a tendency to fight each other and to not notice when the race has started. If no foxes qualify for a race, or if all qualifying foxes end up in fights, then there will be no winner.

The Triple Crown Fox Derby now also supports the three food banks featured previously in Kevin’s Puzzles at Home. For every valid puzzle solution received during the contest, I will add $1 to a money pool which will be split between the Food Bank of West Central Texas, the Food Bank for Larimer County, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank. The money pool is capped at $150 ($50 per food bank), and will be matched by three anonymous benefactors.

These statistics on the previous Triple Crown Fox Derbies may give you an estimate of how many entrants the current Derby will have and help you plan your strategy. Enjoy the puzzles, and yappy racing!

Derby #1: 22 triple solves, 24 double solves, 24 single solves
Derby #2: 21 triple solves, 23 double solves, 23 single solves 

TOUCHWORD

PUZ version

Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

1 To say the ____ / Ethnic
2 NBC Nightly News with ____ Holt / ____ and error
3 “____ not, want not” / Talk a blue ____
4 Amount of money staked / Sound made by a mouse
5 “Lions and ____ and bears, oh my!” / Certain elementary particle
6 Site of an annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in Manhattan: 2 wds.
7 ____ Raider (1996 video game) / Fish often packed in a can
8 Hair stylist’s item / President whose middle name was Gamaliel
9 Piece of fabric / What’s ____ Gilbert Grape (1993 film)
10 Conspire / Locklear of Melrose Place
11 Round green vegetables / “Hot for ____” (Van Halen song)

SHIKAKU
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Divide the grid along the grid lines into rectangles, each containing exactly one black circle. A number in a black circle indicates the area of its corresponding rectangle. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

MINI PATHFINDER
In this puzzle, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered square, goes in some direction, and makes one or more right-angled turns as it winds through the grid. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries. Answer enumerations have been withheld. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

 

1 Quality of something that strikes a chord
2 Make a correction to
3 Piece of septum jewelry: 2 wds.
4 Secure
5 ____ La Fume (skunk character in Tiny Toons Adventures)
5 Celebrity
6 Forebear
7 On the rise
8 Cosine’s reciprocal
9 Opening
10 Public-facing part of a brick-and-mortar or online shop
11 Las Vegas’s WNBA team

Wordy Wednesday 657: Logicrossword 16

WORDY WEDNESDAY #655
PENT WORDS 131 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad *
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
İnci Kıran **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #656
ANACROSSWORD 45 (hint)

As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #657
LOGICROSSWORD 16
(click here for a PDF version)

Blacken some cells in the grid and fill the rest with letters to form words. Hereafter, a “word” refers to any string of two or more consecutive letters reading from left to right or top to bottom, bounded on both sides by black cells or the edge of the grid. All words are Scrabble-legal and appear in the NASPA Word List 2023 Edition (NWL2023). A list of all acceptable 2-letter words is provided as a solving aid; all of the words which are not on this list and not mentioned in the clues should be familiar to most solvers. Use the clues, logic, and your vocabulary to find the solution.

Arrange the letters in the highlighted cells to get the final answer, a single Scrabble-legal word. (If any of the highlighted cells are blackened, then the final answer will be less than 8 letters long.)
AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY BA BE BI BO BY DA DE DO ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EW EX FA FE GI GO HA HE HI HM HO ID IF IN IS IT JO KA KI LA LI LO MA ME MI MM MO MU MY NA NE NO NU OD OE OF OH OI OK OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY PA PE PI PO QI RE SH SI SO TA TE TI TO UH UM UN UP US UT WE WO XI XU YA YE YO ZA 

• No two black cells share an edge. All the white cells are connected through their edges. No word is repeated in the grid.
• Row 1 contains two 4-letter words; the first letter of the one on the left is the same as the last letter of the one on the right.
• Row 3 contains a word whose first letter is V.
• Row 4 contains the word IDENT.
• Row 5 contains a word whose first letter is S.
• Row 7 contains the word ODEON and exactly two black cells.
• Row 9 contains the word DE, which intersects two words with a combined total of 9 letters.
• Column A contains a 6-letter word.
• Column B contains the word IF.
• Column G contains the word MASHIE.
• The word SI reading across intersects the word OES reading down at cell H3.
• The word MISE reading across intersects the word MU reading down.
• The word OATH intersects the word TEASE.
• The words HO and OK appear somewhere in the grid.
• Two 8-letter words with the same last letter appear somewhere in the grid.
• Cells D2 and F1 contain the same letter, but that letter does not appear anywhere else in the grid.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What footwear brand is mentioned in a Run-D.M.C. hit?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10: FINAL RESULTS!

FINAL SCORES

Here is a table of all of the participants and their scores (click to enlarge). Kudos to the 10 perfectionists (red) who scored 500 points and to the 6 completionists (orange) who solved every puzzle!

Participants are sorted by score (high to low), and then alphabetically (A to Z). The total number of points scored is 8750. Thus, the final money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $87.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $350.00. The total amount of money raised by Kevin's Puzzles at Home for various food banks now stands at $3,627.00.

Click this link for the solutions! Come back next Monday for the 3rd Triple Crown Fox Derby contest sponsored by my Outside the Box Puzzles subscription service! I have developed a great level of respect for Kevin putting these kinds of puzzles together every single week, but regrettably, my creativity seems to have come to an end, so until further notice, Kevin's Puzzles at Home is being suspended. As perhaps a small consolation, though, I plan to switch the Triple Crown Fox Derby from 3 times a year to 4 times a year, and to use it to benefit the same trio of food banks that Kevin's Puzzles at Home has supported. Thanks for your support, and be sure to visit the actual Kevin's website if you want more puzzles like this!

Wordy Wednesday 656: Anacrossword 45

WORDY WEDNESDAY #654
SUDOKUROSTIC 8 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis *
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Elaine Harger **
İnci Kıran **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #655
PENT WORDS 131 (hint)

As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #656
ANACROSSWORD 45
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78
• Lumberjack’s power tool
• Several tones played simultaneously
• “Order in the ____!”
• Argument
• “It’s over Anakin, I have the high ____!” (quote from Star Wars: Episode III)
• Perceive a sound
• “____ Dog” (Elvis Presley hit)
• Excessive pride
• Stinging ocean creature
• History Channel reality series featuring off-the-grid survivalists: 2 wds.
• Ska punk band with lead vocalist Gwen Stefani: 2 wds.
• Toy that is spun by the wind
• State mentioned in “Take Me Home, Country Roads”: 2 wds.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Logicrossword!

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10: Final hint and final week!

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here
Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 2 (Before and After): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 3 (Tabletop Talk): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 4 (Scrambled Crossword): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 5 (Mystifying Midpoints): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 6 (More Horsing Around): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 15 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 7 (Tales of the Cryptogram): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 8 (Cruel Crisscross): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 14 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 9 (Meta) (Vanishing Act): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 100 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 8750. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $87.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $350.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, or the meta for 50 points, possibly with the aid of the hints. This week is your final chance to score points and earn money for the food bank!

Stay tuned next week for all of the solutions and the final results. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 655: Pent Words 131

WORDY WEDNESDAY #653
MINI TOUCHWORD 6 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Elaine Harger *
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins *
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #654
SUDOKUROSTIC 8 (hint)

As of this writing, 12 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #655
PENT WORDS 131
(click here for a PDF version)

In this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (regions containing five cells each), and write a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the Across clues. The letters in the pentominoes, in reading order (left to right starting with the top row), will form the words hinted at by the Pentominoes clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example, the rows spell PLANT, SHARE, and BITES, and the pentominoes spell the words PLANS, TREES, and HABIT.) Use the ACROSS answers to determine where the pentominoes are.

ACROSS (two answers per row):
1 Japanese board game that resembles chess / Doom and ____
2 Pots and ____ / The Very ____ Caterpillar (Eric Carle book)
3 Tree that shares its name with a Colorado city / A dentist looks at them
4 Shift / Tally, as of population
5 Porridge made from ground hominy / A ship’s freight
6 Certain poker action / Organ that produces lymphocytes and filters blood
7 It covers the end of a lace / Proportion
8 Speedy / Amtrak vehicle
9 Actress Moriarty of The Boys / List of personnel
10 Finish / Early timepiece
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Traditional Inuit dwelling
• Traditional Navajo dwelling
• Circular
• Brian May’s band
• Weighing device
• Certain poker action
• Enormous
• Openly manifest
• Two strokes under par
• Involuntary muscle contraction
• Chris who played Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy
• Orange peels
• Sudden burst, as of electricity
• Former Indiana governor Mike
• False notions
• ____ by jury
• Adhere
• Shift

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What state is mentioned in “Take Me Home, Country Roads”?
* Patron Puzzle #134, which will be delivered on July 8, 2025, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Vocabulary Fun Pack.

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10, Episode 9 (Meta): Vanishing Act

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here
Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 2 (Before and After): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 3 (Tabletop Talk): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 4 (Scrambled Crossword): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 5 (Mystifying Midpoints): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 6 (More Horsing Around): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 15 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 7 (Tales of the Cryptogram): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 8 (Cruel Crisscross): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 14 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece.

The total number of points scored 7050. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $70.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $282.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hints. These 8 answers will also be necessary for solving the meta below.

KEVIN'S PUZZLES AT HOME
SEASON 10, EPISODE 9 (META):
VANISHING ACT
(click here for a PDF version)

It looks like Kevin has once again decided to take up the hobby of magic, this time showcasing his ability to make letters disappear! How did the audience respond to Kevin’s latest act?

“With a wave of my magic wand, every letter that’s identical to another letter in the same row will disappear. As a result, the visible letters in one column now spell a 4-letter word from top to bottom; those letters will also disappear. One row has exactly two visible letters; the one that is later in the alphabet is the next letter to disappear. The bottommost visible letter T will now disappear, as will any letter horizontally adjacent to it. Now you see 4 instances of one single letter, but with a wave of the wand, now you don’t see any of them. Two Roman numerals are visible in two horizontally or vertically adjacent spaces, but I’ll make them disappear because math class is tough. Next, I could change this letter to the letter R to spell a 6‑letter word in its row from left to right, but I will leave it alone and make the other 5 letters in that row disappear instead. The visible letters in two other rows spell words of 2 or more letters from left to right; I will make the last letter of the shorter word disappear, as well as all but the third letter of the longer word. Two consecutive letters of the alphabet occupy spaces which share an edge, and that’s right, they’re now gone. Four visible letters occupy four spaces which meet at a corner; all of the consonants in that group are gone. The final disappearance will be two letters occupying vertically adjacent spaces, the one on the bottom being a consonant. Ta-da!”

---

(This illustration by Infernal is not part of the puzzle. Any resemblance between this Kevin and the one who runs www.kevinspuzzles.com is purely coincidental.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 50 points, and stay tuned next week for Episode 9's hint, and then the week after for the solutions. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 654: Sudokurostic 8

WORDY WEDNESDAY #652
NEW MATH (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Cathy Bowen **
Christian H.P. **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **
Tower **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #653
MINI TOUCHWORD 6 (hint)

As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #654
SUDOKUROSTIC 8
(click here for a PDF version)

Solve the clues by writing one letter per blank; the clues are alphabetized by the answers as a solving aid. Transfer the letters to the corresponding spaces and fill in the remaining spaces to form a valid sudoku, but with 9 different letters instead of numbers. (Each row, column, and box must contain those 9 letters in some order.) Treat the finished grid as a word search and look for a 6-letter word, which is this puzzle’s final answer. 

Injury from a snake __ __ __ __
                    C2 B3 F8 D2
Pirates of the ____ (Disney movie franchise) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                             C3 E1 D3 F9 H7 B5 H5 I9 E8
Officially grant kingly power to __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                 I4 A1 G8 B4 H6 F7 E2 A6
Subject of Newton’s first law of motion __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                        I5 F1 E9 A5 G7 D1 A4
“I Won’t Hold You Back” band __ __ __ __
                             I6 G6 C4 D9

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Chris who played Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy"?

Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!