Wordy Wednesday 437: We Have Everything Wrong!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #434
TOUCHWORD 23 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #435
PENT WORDS 87 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #436
SECTION SIX 43 (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 #437
WE HAVE EVERYTHING WRONG!
(click here for a PDF version)

Some villainous characters have thrown down the gauntlet, challenging us to fix their facts! What do we need to do to defeat the villains?

=============================================================================

FU EJXZEHY SC EBU GFJH, MDEUOHC FGY UWYF FLH BDH WGZC BMW EGNLHYEHGBU

TWJXLEUEGN F *AFTO FGY *AEZZ.

=============================================================================

VOPY IW LYN PIFU DFITOPNT SU *EVNFSPE SK ZFIXU HQ *YEXANQNK SU LYN KLELN IW

HIFNTIV.

=============================================================================

YVIJ S JSFTDJSFNMSK LDVGLDMFNPD, FTD GTSLD IY S XICEF IV S ASRDK NG MSKKDX S

*RDJNCN.

=============================================================================

HKKUAENSP OU H YCDD-LSUYS ECOCAPCSO IDUPHS, NT NO’I PUO OU FC KDCHS, NO’I PUO

OU FC LSUOOCE.

=============================================================================

*ZXCGZ *ZRHWPCFA XFZ *LGEEGXF *XFZBOTPF JXDPRTEA UEXABZ QWB JBZBOXE XLBFQT

*DREZBO XFZ WRDBORT.

=============================================================================

QOU *MUQKTJH GJMJRUIJUR “*QOU *ZDUUM’R *XPGAJQ” WUBJFQR P XJIT VOC JR ZDJQU

UHQIPCIWJMPIL PQ BTPLJMX AJMXC.

=============================================================================

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A puzzle that none of my Patreon supporters have solved yet! Can you outsmart them?

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words V! (Week 2 update)

For full rules, see here.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

Week 0:

The set of all 4-letter words which start with a vowel: ONE
The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): TWO

Week 1:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose second letter appears in the words "PANIC ROOM": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words whose first letter appears in the word "CAMPERS": ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing the letter R: TWO

Week 2:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose second-to-last letter appears in the words "THE GREAT ESCAPE": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words with an even number of letters: TWO

The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $18.

Submit more guesses!

Wordy Wednesday 436: Section Six 43

WORDY WEDNESDAY #433
HEX PATHFINDER 27 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
James Haddad *
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Mary Maynard **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #434
TOUCHWORD 23 (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 #435
PENT WORDS 87 (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 #436
SECTION SIX 43
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle's grid has six rings and six sections. Each ring contains a series of words placed end to end, reading either clockwise or counterclockwise; all the words in a given ring will read in the same direction. Ring 1 (the outer ring) contains six answers that read clockwise; the starting spaces are numbered in the grid. Clues for the answers in the remaining rings are given in order, but their starting points and direction are for you to determine. The sections (separated by the heavy lines radiating from the center) will help you place the inner rings: in a given section, each ring segment contains all but one of the letters in the next segment outward. In other words, a section's outermost segment contains six letters; the next segment inward contains five of those six letters in some order; and so on, until only one of the original six letters remains.

Arrange the letters in the six starred spaces to form the final answer, a 6-letter word.

Ring 1

1 Color similar to fuchsia

2 Records video footage

3 City on the Han River

4 Staunch

5 Make an out-of-court agreement, say

6 ____ cherry

Ring 2

* Omit, as a pronounced sound

* Feats

* Drive the getaway car, for example

* It connects two bones

* Far from respectable

Ring 3

* Place for a pump on a ship, perhaps

* “Sweet Love” singer Baker

* On the ____ (accurate)

* Afghanistan’s area: 2 wds.

Ring 4

* Not corporeal, as an asset

* “When all is ____ and done. . .”

* Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter designed the one on the Capitol Building

Ring 5

* Hammer’s target

* Material deposited by water

Ring 6

* Quaid who appeared in Movie 43 (2013)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A puzzle that has everything wrong!
* Patron Puzzle #89, which will be delivered on October 8, 2021, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Diagramless Crossword.

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words V! (Week 1 update)

For full rules, see here.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

Week 0:

The set of all 4-letter words which start with a vowel: ONE
The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): TWO

Week 1:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose second letter appears in the words "PANIC ROOM": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words whose first letter appears in the word "CAMPERS": ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing the letter R: TWO

The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $20.

Submit more guesses!

Wordy Wednesday 434: Touchword 23 & Wordy Wednesday 435: Pent Words 87

WORDY WEDNESDAY #432
TOUCHWORD 22 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Mary Maynard **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #433
HEX PATHFINDER 27 (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!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #434
TOUCHWORD 23
(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.

Arrange the letters in the shaded spaces to form the final answer, an 8-letter word.

1 Game played by painter Marcel Duchamp / Lays under the sun or in a bed, say / Prisoner

2 Bill Clinton’s daughter / Star Trek II: The Wrath of ____ / Items on a fishing boat

3 Iridescent mineral / Asian timber tree / It connects a horse and carriage

4 Bridget Riley’s specialty: 2 wds. / Beat with a whip / Author Hemingway

5 Twilight ____ (My Little Pony character) / ____ butter / Tidy

6 Smug facial expression / Pianist John / Newspaper posting regarding a job opening, perhaps: 2 wds.

7 Islamic empire / Totally crushed the hopes of

8 Senator famously found to be between 1/1024 and 1/64 Native American: 2 wds.

9 Public square / Underneath / Temptress

10 Blueprint / Violin relative / Egyptian god of the underworld

11 Move with a springing gait / Construction toy brand / Hindu garments

12 Pontiac model introduced in 1973 as a luxury/sport sedan: 2 wds. / An obsession with oneself

13 Seize / What beavers build / Neighbor of Moldova and Ukraine

14 Gift of gratitude / Colombo’s country: 2 wds.

15 “____ Kiss” (Faith Hill song) / Fork or spoon, say / “You ____ My Dreams” (Hall & Oates song)

WORDY WEDNESDAY #435
PENT WORDS 87
(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 Toaster ____ (Pillsbury product) / Diet cola brand

2 Astound / Super Smash Bros. ____ (2008 Wii game)

3 Golf ball feature / Brogan, for one

4 “____ to Joy” / Coiled tube in the ear

5 2016 board game named after an agricultural implement / Drift, as a smell

6 ____ on Pop (Dr. Seuss book) / The edible part of a carrot, for one

7 Ronald who was California’s governor from 1967 through 1975 / Aviator Sikorsky

8 Street where Mr. Hooper lived / Miami-____ County, FL

9 A shade of red / Sax-playing Simpson

10 Bird’s home / Turn away from sin

PENTOMINOES:

* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

* Emulate a goat or a sheep

* 1979 film with the tagline, “In space no one can hear you scream”

* Play a guitar, say

* ə

* Subdivision of an act

* Barcelona bye-bye

* Airline that, in 2021, promised to fine employees who choose not to get vaccinated against the “B.1.617.2 variant” of coronavirus

* Young knights in training

* Fruit Stripe mascot Yipes, for one

* More than enough

* Θ

* Pointed, as a gun

* Come up

* Routine task

* ____ throat

* Duck Commander offering

* Tine

* Trick or ____

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 6-letter word for "Quaid who appeared in Movie 43 (2013)"?

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words V!

NEW: The results page from the last contest includes a strategy guide that might help you out!

I am thinking of three distinct English words that are at least 2 letters long and no more than 15 letters long. All of the words are valid in Scrabble according to https://scrabble.merriam.com/. Your goal is to guess them. Everyone who guesses the trio of words correctly by the time the contest is over will be entered for a chance to win a gift card for Grandmaster Puzzles worth $10, plus a surprise gift featuring a fox/badger character that veterans of this blog might remember. Additionally, one random person who meaningfully participates in this contest (either by making a public guess at any time or by correctly guessing the word trio) will win the same prize package in a second random drawing.

Once per week, each and every single person reading this blog post is allowed to e-mail a set of words to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. To give me more time to prepare the weekly posts (in case of a freak statewide power outage, for example), the deadline to guarantee your guess being accepted is 12:01 AM Central time each Sunday. If it is a set of at least 10 words or it is defined by a property of the words rather than an explicit list, I will publicly post on this blog (on the following Monday at 12:01 AM Central time) whether NONE, ONE, TWO, or ALL of my words are in that set. If it is a set of 9 words or fewer and you list the words explicitly (that is, you guess "{CINQ, QADI, QAID, QATS, QOPH}" rather than "the set of all Scrabble-legal 4-letter words with a Q and not a U"), I will privately give you the same information in an email sometime that Sunday.

I reserve the right to reject any guess if it is impossible for the average reader (who doesn't know what my words are already) to determine whether or not any given word is in your set within a relatively short amount of time. This is a difficult quality to define empirically, but valid guesses would include "the set of all words starting with a letter in the word PRIME" or "the set of all words with a prime number of distinct letters", and invalid guesses would include "the set of the three words Grant is thinking of" and "the set of all words still in at least one possible word trio given the information publicly available right now, and which, if the words in that set were listed and numbered alphabetically starting from 1, would have prime indices". Keep it simple!

Once someone has guessed the trio of words (that is, submitted to me a set of exactly three words and gotten a result of ALL), one last weekly update will be posted on this blog, including one last hint from me, and then people who haven't guessed the words yet will have one more week to try to do so and be entered in the prize drawing. NEW: My final hint will be posted as a spoiler, so you can refrain from looking at it if you so choose. You must highlight the text with your mouse to see it. Practice on this text: You did it! Good job! The deadline for this final week will be 12:01 AM Central time on the following Monday (that is, the aforementioned 12:01 AM Sunday deadline will not be applied). The rules for private guesses still apply (you must explicitly list the three words you are guessing, not define them uniquely by some convoluted property).

This contest will also benefit the Food Bank of West Central Texas. The money pool will start at $22, the amount left over from the previous contest, and then go down $2 for every weekly update that has gone by without someone guessing the trio of words. (Exception: the value cannot go below $2.) The money pool will be donated once the words are guessed. Even if you aren't interested in the prize drawing, your participation may help someone else solve the words faster and thus help charity!

To kick things off, I'll make two guesses for you, chosen from among the guesses that were made in Let's Guess Three Words IV!. Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

The set of all 4-letter words which start with a vowel: ONE
The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): TWO

Good luck, and happy guessing!

Wordy Wednesday 433: Hex Pathfinder 27

WORDY WEDNESDAY #431
CRYPTICROSTIC 14 (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 **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Karen Spencer **
Tyler Hinman **
Dan Schwartz **
Jay Miller **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Lindsey Shultz **
Meg Duvall **
Michael Lebowitz **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #432
TOUCHWORD 22 (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 #433
HEX PATHFINDER 27
(click here for a PDF version)

In this puzzle, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered hexagon and winds through the grid, starting in the indicated direction. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries.

Rearrange the letters in the shaded spaces to get the final answer, a 7-letter word.

1W Popular fundraising event for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in which participants play games for 24 hours (9, 2 wds.)

2SW Vicious (6)

3NE Late television personality who, in his 1990 wedding to wife Jean, phrased his vows, “The answer is. . . yes” (10, 2 wds.)

4E Instrument for Ravi Shankar (5)

5W Wild ass of Asia (6)

6NE Remove slack (7)

6NE Grumman fighter aircraft with a feline name (8)

7W Burglary (5)

8SW Sixpence None the ____ (Christian rock band) (6)

9SE Marine animal resembling a dolphin (8)

10NE Historical period marked by the advent of blacksmithing (7, 2 wds.)

11E 1982 hit for Toto (11, 2 wds.)

12NE The value of one’s assets minus the value of one’s liabilities (8, 2 wds.)

13E Hunting prey stealthily, perhaps (10, 3 wds.)

14SE ____ of consciousness (6)

15SW Keep a close eye on, as someone suspicious (7)

16W Shine (7)

17NW Reptiles lithographer (6)

18NW Claims (8)

19NE Causes pain for (4)

20SE Road encircling an urban area (7)

21SW 2019 biopic about an English fantasy author (7)

22W Schedule (6)

23E It starts with Palm Sunday (8, 2 wds.)

24E More frigid (5)

25SE Government employee (12, 2 wds.)

26NE Position from which a thing is seen (12, 2 wds.)

27NE Shout from an excited roller coaster passenger (4)

28SW Deplaned (4)

29W Character who could be described as ewes-less? (12, 2 wds., hyph.)

30E Long-snouted beetles (7)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 15-letter, 2-word answer for "Senator famously found to be between 1/1024 and 1/64 Native American"?
* What's a 5-letter word for "Fruit Stripe mascot Yipes, for one"?

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words IV! (RESULTS!)

It's time for the results of this contest!

Wordy Wednesday 432: Touchword 22

WORDY WEDNESDAY #430
PENT WORDS 86 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Stephen Potter *
Tyler Hinman **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #431
CRYPTICROSTIC 14 (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 #432
TOUCHWORD 22
(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.

Arrange the letters in the shaded spaces to form the final answer, an 8-letter word.

1 Humanities and related college studies: 2 wds. / ____ shooting

2 Partners of gizzards / What finally breaks one’s patience and endurance: 2 wds.

3 U-turns / Criminal

4 Paper quantity / The ____ McCoy / Cognitive scientist Hofstadter

5 Trotted about playfully / Horn-shaped corn chip brand

6 One reselling tickets at steep prices / 12 Angry Men (1957) actor with a notable environmental activist son: 2 wds.

7 Agriculturist and rock band namesake Jethro / Gossip blogger Hilton / Space Jam: A New ____

8 Flower whose name is used as an acronym for Calvinist doctrine / All ____ and no steak / Off-color

9 Long, narrow pieces, as of bacon / Big name in polo shirts / Rough ____

10 There are two in a full count / Sweeney ____: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street / Angel ____ (toilet paper brand)

11 Most well-groomed, as hair / Xbox One, for one

12 Away from the wind / Like some training / Available at a reduced price: 2 wds.

13 ____ vera / A province of Indonesia / Carter’s veep

14 Certain single-celled organism / Name shared by a yellow candy and a vodka cocktail: 2 wds.

15 Notification to the public of an abducted child: 2 wds. / Razor-sharpening need

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "2019 biopic about an English fantasy author"?

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words IV! (Week 5 update - FINAL UPDATE!)

For full rules, see here.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

Week 0:

The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel: ONE
The set of all words containing a string of three or more consecutive consonants (e.g. THREE) and/or a string of two or more consecutive vowels (e.g. THREE): TWO

Week 1:

[Buster Beachside] The set of all words containing exactly four letters, exactly three of which are consonants: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all words that end with a vowel: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose first letter appears in the words "SPEED RACER": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): NONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which a letter appears more than once: TWO

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words which begin with a letter found in the words "FOOD BANK": ONE

Week 2:

[BentFork06] The set of all 4-letter words which start with a vowel: NONE

[Buster Beachside] The set of all 5-letter words: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all the words that contain the bigram PH: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose second-to-last letter appears in the words "RAIN MAN": ALL

[John Bulten] The set of all words in which the fifth letter exists and is a consonant other than S: ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing exactly two vowels: ONE

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that contain 3 or more vowels: TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words in which all vowels are in alphabetical order (examples: FACETIOUSLY, BABOON, HMM): ONE

[Spheniscine] The set of all words with at least three vowels: TWO

Week 3:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose third letter appears in the words "PERFECT BLUE": NONE

[John Bulten] The set of all words with an even number of letters greater than five: ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words of odd length (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15): TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length less than or equal to 5 letters: NONE

Week 4:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose fourth letter appears in "A MAN ESCAPED": ONE

[John Bulten] The set of all words whose fourth-to-last letter appears in "GOLDEN TAN": ALL

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words beginning with a letter in the first half of the alphabet: ONE

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that have a third letter found in "SUNSHINE DAY": ALL

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length 6, 7, or 8: TWO

Week 5:

[Grant Fikes] The set of all words with a total of exactly five occurrences of letters that do not appear in "THE THREE R'S": ALL

[John Bulten] [private guess of a set of 3 words]: ALL

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in the American English version of The Oxford 3000 (https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/external/pdf/wordlists/oxford-3000-5000/American_Oxford_3000.pdf): TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length 9 or 10: ONE

Since the trio of words has been guessed, $50 has been donated to the Food Bank of West Central Texas, and the remaining $22 in the money pool will carry over to the next contest!

Everyone now has one more week to guess the trio of words! Results will be announced on September 20, and then Let's Guess Three Words V will start on September 27.

Wordy Wednesday 431: Crypticrostic 14

WORDY WEDNESDAY #428
HEX PATHFINDER 26 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Mary Maynard **
Stephen Potter *
Tyler Hinman **
Brian Cross **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #429
CRYPTICROSTIC 13 (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 **
James Haddad **
Karen Spencer **
Tyler Hinman **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #430
PENT WORDS 86 (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 #431
CRYPTICROSTIC 14
(click here for a PDF version)

The answer is enumerated (3 3 5).

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

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

A useful transportation option, primarily! __ __ __ __

                                           18 25 04 31

Boss is part of telethon choir __ __ __ __ __ __

                               23 20 22 34 01 10

“Color a length of tree trunk” overheard in discussion __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                                                       08 33 12 19 15 07 02 38

Disgusting unkempt substance! __ __ __ __

                              29 16 06 13

Rationality of black cuckoo in pigpen __ __ __ __ __ __

                                      39 21 28 05 11 36                                            

Spiritual leader derides garments __ __ __ __ __ __

                                  26 32 24 30 37 35

Tune I remix is “Come Together” __ __ __ __ __

                                09 03 27 17 14

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What 12 Angry Men (1957) actor has a notable environmental activist son?

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words IV! (Week 4 update)

For full rules, see here.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

Week 0:

The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel: ONE
The set of all words containing a string of three or more consecutive consonants (e.g. THREE) and/or a string of two or more consecutive vowels (e.g. THREE): TWO

Week 1:

[Buster Beachside] The set of all words containing exactly four letters, exactly three of which are consonants: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all words that end with a vowel: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose first letter appears in the words "SPEED RACER": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): NONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which a letter appears more than once: TWO

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words which begin with a letter found in the words "FOOD BANK": ONE

Week 2:

[BentFork06] The set of all 4-letter words which start with a vowel: NONE

[Buster Beachside] The set of all 5-letter words: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all the words that contain the bigram PH: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose second-to-last letter appears in the words "RAIN MAN": ALL

[John Bulten] The set of all words in which the fifth letter exists and is a consonant other than S: ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing exactly two vowels: ONE

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that contain 3 or more vowels: TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words in which all vowels are in alphabetical order (examples: FACETIOUSLY, BABOON, HMM): ONE

[Spheniscine] The set of all words with at least three vowels: TWO

Week 3:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose third letter appears in the words "PERFECT BLUE": NONE

[John Bulten] The set of all words with an even number of letters greater than five: ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words of odd length (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15): TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length less than or equal to 5 letters: NONE

Week 4:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose fourth letter appears in "A MAN ESCAPED": ONE

[John Bulten] The set of all words whose fourth-to-last letter appears in "GOLDEN TAN": ALL

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words beginning with a letter in the first half of the alphabet: ONE

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that have a third letter found in "SUNSHINE DAY": ALL

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length 6, 7, or 8: TWO

The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $72. (Reminder: up to $50 will be donated for this contest, and the excess will carry over to the next one.)

Submit more guesses!

Wordy Wednesday 430: Pent Words 86

WORDY WEDNESDAY #427
PATHFINDER 24 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Kyle Nils **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #428
HEX PATHFINDER 26 (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 #429
CRYPTICROSTIC 13 (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 #430
PENT WORDS 86
(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 Oregon’s state fruit / Classic Ravel composition which almost became the title theme for The Legend of Zelda
2 Close buddy / 2002-2003 sci-fi series created by Joss Whedon
3 Noisy item on an ambulance / “Little ____ Coupe” (The Beach Boys hit)
4 Window covering / Couches
5 “____!... I Did It Again” (Britney Spears hit) / Steal repeatedly in small amounts
6 “____ to be Stupid” (Weird Al song) / Insect of the order Dermaptera
7 ____ Lake (the largest of New York’s Finger Lakes) / Texas ____ University
8 Setting of many a joke / Negative mark earned through a misdeed
9 Two Mules for ____ Sara (1970 western film) / Nixon’s nixin’
10 Former Italian currency unit / Fastening line

PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Terminate
* Terminated
* Tiny little Wonka candies
* Ann ____, Michigan
* Word before “diamond” or “sugar”
* Tropical mammal whose secretion is used in perfume
* Analyze
* Do the ____ Thing (1989 film)
* A washer cycle
* Love & ____ Drugs (2010 film)
* Pesto ingredient
* “What’s it all about, ____?” (Cher lyric)
* It's about 39.37 inches
* Do lawn care, perhaps
* Expressionist painter Neiman
* Beverage brand that sponsors the bus of the Carolina Hurricanes
* ____ flare
* Beyond angry

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Crypticrostic!

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words IV! (Week 3 update)

For full rules, see here.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

Week 0:

The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel: ONE
The set of all words containing a string of three or more consecutive consonants (e.g. THREE) and/or a string of two or more consecutive vowels (e.g. THREE): TWO

Week 1:

[Buster Beachside] The set of all words containing exactly four letters, exactly three of which are consonants: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all words that end with a vowel: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose first letter appears in the words "SPEED RACER": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): NONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which a letter appears more than once: TWO

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words which begin with a letter found in the words "FOOD BANK": ONE

Week 2:

[BentFork06] The set of all 4-letter words which start with a vowel: NONE

[Buster Beachside] The set of all 5-letter words: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all the words that contain the bigram PH: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose second-to-last letter appears in the words "RAIN MAN": ALL

[John Bulten] The set of all words in which the fifth letter exists and is a consonant other than S: ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing exactly two vowels: ONE

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that contain 3 or more vowels: TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words in which all vowels are in alphabetical order (examples: FACETIOUSLY, BABOON, HMM): ONE

[Spheniscine] The set of all words with at least three vowels: TWO

Week 3:

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose third letter appears in the words "PERFECT BLUE": NONE

[John Bulten] The set of all words with an even number of letters greater than five: ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words of odd length (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15): TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length less than or equal to 5 letters: NONE

The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $74. (Reminder: up to $50 will be donated for this contest, and the excess will carry over to the next one.)

Submit more guesses!

Wordy Wednesday 428: Hex Pathfinder 26 & Wordy Wednesday 429: Crypticrostic 13

WORDY WEDNESDAY #426
SECTION SIX 42 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Michael Lebowitz **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #427
PATHFINDER 24 (hint)

As of this writing, 10 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!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #428
HEX PATHFINDER 26
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron M. Sean Molley. 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, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered hexagon and winds through the grid, starting in the indicated direction. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries.

Rearrange the letters in the shaded spaces to get the final answer, a 7-letter word.

1NW From 2003 through 2016, he passed for a total of 34,183 yards, the most of any quarterback in Dallas Cowboys history (8, 2 wds.)

2NW 2007 hack and slash game with Travis Touchdown (12, 3 wds.)

3NW Small restaurant (6)

4SW Old Testament queen (6)

5SW “____ Tonight” (1979 hit for the Eagles) (9)

6NE ____ speaker (7)

7SW Blubber (4)

8SW Follow (10)

9NW Georges Braque, for one (6)

10NW Courage (5)

11E Royal seat (6)

12E CNN commentator Cooper (8)

13W Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team (14, 2 wds.)

14NW Board game originally released in France as La Conquête du Monde (“The Conquest of the World”) (4)

15W Mischievous one (7)

16NE March of ____ (organization that works for the health of mothers and babies) (5)

17SE Device on a submarine (5)

18NW “Dancing on the Ceiling” singer (12, 2 wds.)

19SW Deep cut in flesh (4)

19SW Pertaining to the stomach (7)

20NE 3-2-1 ____ (1980-1992 PBS science series) (7)

20SE Name shared by the southernmost city in Illinois and an African capital city (5)

21SE Like an autonomous car (10)

22E Doomed from the start (13, 3 wds.)

23SW ____ of Dreams (1993 Billy Joel album) (5)

24SW Attempts (5)

25NE Envision, as a concept (6)

25W Like some coffee (7)

26SW Wily trick (4)

27NW Japanese art of growing small potted trees (6)

27E “God ____ Our Homeland Ghana” (Ghana’s national anthem) (5)

28E ____ circuit (5)

29NE Electronic dance music genre originating from Chicago (5)

WORDY WEDNESDAY #429
CRYPTICROSTIC 13
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

The answer is enumerated (5-3).

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

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

Big name in home security beginning to bulwark skating arenas __ __ __ __ __ __

                                                              24 19 14 04 39 30

Bit of coffee blend is not strong __ __ __ __ __ __ 

                                  07 22 26 01 13 37

Demon loses one shield __ __ __ __ 

                       27 35 23 17

Endlessly fake leader in coronavirus information! __ __ __ __ __

                                                  18 03 29 15 10

Hazy comedian Rocca in the air above us __ __ __ __ __ 

                                        12 32 20 34 40

Reportedly damages car rental company __ __ __ __ __

                                      09 25 38 08 21

Wander back around central Beijing – monumental __ __ __ __ __

                                                28 33 36 06 02

Watch actor Danson around noon __ __ __ __

                               31 16 11 05

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Love & ____ Drugs (2010 film)"?
* Patron Puzzle #88, which will be delivered on September 1, 2021, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is titled Just Solve A Simple Word Search.

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words IV! (Week 2 update)

For full rules, see here.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

Week 0:

The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel: ONE
The set of all words containing a string of three or more consecutive consonants (e.g. THREE) and/or a string of two or more consecutive vowels (e.g. THREE): TWO

Week 1:

[Buster Beachside] The set of all words containing exactly four letters, exactly three of which are consonants: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all words that end with a vowel: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose first letter appears in the words "SPEED RACER": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): NONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which a letter appears more than once: TWO

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words which begin with a letter found in the words "FOOD BANK": ONE

Week 2:

[BentFork06] The set of all 4-letter words which start with a vowel: NONE

[Buster Beachside] The set of all 5-letter words: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all the words that contain the bigram PH: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose second-to-last letter appears in the words "RAIN MAN": ALL

[John Bulten] The set of all words in which the fifth letter exists and is a consonant other than S: ONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing exactly two vowels: ONE

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that contain 3 or more vowels: TWO

[Sam Levitin] The set of all words in which all vowels are in alphabetical order (examples: FACETIOUSLY, BABOON, HMM): ONE

[Spheniscine] The set of all words with at least three vowels: TWO

Kyle Nils was technically late this week, but since I had time to edit the post, and since Kyle and Spheniscine are demonstrating some amazing teamwork, I decided to include the guess anyway.

The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $76. (Reminder: up to $50 will be donated for this contest, and the excess will carry over to the next one.)

Submit more guesses!

Wordy Wednesday 427: Pathfinder 24

WORDY WEDNESDAY #425
PENT WORDS 85 (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:
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #426
SECTION SIX 42 (hint)

As of this writing, 10 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 #427
PATHFINDER 24
(click here for a PDF version)

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.

Rearrange the letters in the shaded spaces to get the final answer, an 8-letter word.

1 Moisten cooking meat, say (5)

2 NH3 (7)

3 Electric organ inventor and namesake Laurens (7)

3 Sports term originating from cricket, when H. H. Stephenson took three wickets in consecutive balls and was rewarded with a cap for the feat (3 5)

4 Items for fishermen (4)

5 Horror novelist Stephen (4)

6 Qualities (10)

7 Bangkok resident (4)

7 Stuff inserted in a needle’s eye (6)

8 Northern inlet of Asia’s Yellow Sea (5 3)

9 Margarine (4)

10 Sport from which the Japanese sport of gateball is derived (7)

11 Central American bird of the trogon family (7)

12 Film director Kubrick (7)

13 World ____ (annual baseball championship) (6)

14 Song in which Lee Ann Womack asks for “a man who can tame a wild mustang” (8)

15 Lacking wordiness (5)

16 Far from careless (11)

17 Prove the falsehood of (6)

18 Attractively full-figured (6)

19 Country in the Iberian Peninsula (5)

19 Certain Arabs (6)

20 Boats that carry people across a body of water (7)

21 Ventricle's counterpart (6)

22 My Friend ____ (1941 Mary O’Hara novel about a mustang horse) (6)

23 Wombs (5)

24 Zero out a scale (4)

25 Feline with orange and black stripes (5)

26 Royalty payment for a rerun, for instance (8)

27 Swiss breakfast made of rolled oats and fruit (6)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Name shared by the southernmost city in Illinois and an African capital city"?
* A Crypticrostic!

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words IV! (Week 1 update)

For full rules, see here.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

Week 0:

The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel: ONE
The set of all words containing a string of three or more consecutive consonants (e.g. THREE) and/or a string of two or more consecutive vowels (e.g. THREE): TWO

Week 1:

[Buster Beachside] The set of all words containing exactly four letters, exactly three of which are consonants: NONE

[Cody McWilliams] The set of all words that end with a vowel: NONE

[Izak Bulten] The set of all words whose first letter appears in the words "SPEED RACER": TWO

[John Bulten] The set of all words ending with a letter strictly after Q alphabetically (RSTUVWXYZ): NONE

[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which a letter appears more than once: TWO

[Kyle Nils] The set of all words which begin with a letter found in the words "FOOD BANK": ONE

The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $78. (Reminder: up to $50 will be donated for this contest, and the excess will carry over to the next one.)

Submit more guesses!

Wordy Wednesday 426: Section Six 42

WORDY WEDNESDAY #423
PATHFINDER 23 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Tyler Hinman **
Brian Cross *
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #424
CODEWORDS 15 (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:
Cindy Heisler **
Karen Spencer **
Tyler Hinman **
Brian Cross *
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #425
PENT WORDS 85 (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 #426
SECTION SIX 42
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle's grid has six rings and six sections. Each ring contains a series of words placed end to end, reading either clockwise or counterclockwise; all the words in a given ring will read in the same direction. Ring 1 (the outer ring) contains six answers that read clockwise; the starting spaces are numbered in the grid. Clues for the answers in the remaining rings are given in order, but their starting points and direction are for you to determine. The sections (separated by the heavy lines radiating from the center) will help you place the inner rings: in a given section, each ring segment contains all but one of the letters in the next segment outward. In other words, a section's outermost segment contains six letters; the next segment inward contains five of those six letters in some order; and so on, until only one of the original six letters remains.

Arrange the letters in the six starred spaces to form the final answer, a 6-letter word.

Ring 1

1 Derringer, for example

2 A city in Pennsylvania

3 Not correct

4 ____ Happened to… Robot Jones? (2002-2004 cartoon)

5 Fear ____ (reality series)

6 Old Faithful, for one

Ring 2

* “____ my dead body!”

* Shawl that might be used as a bedspread

* The ____ Inferno (1974 disaster film)

* Feeling apprehension 

* Feel sorry for

Ring 3

* It may be measured in pounds

* Garden-variety

* They beat deuces

* Footrace participant

Ring 4

* Certain blood vessel

* Boredom

* The ____ Channel (network with Local on the 8s)

Ring 5

* Page listing corrections to a printed work

* “The ____ Takes It All” (ABBA song)

Ring 6

* Harry who wrote the music for the musical 42nd Street, or senator Elizabeth

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "Electric organ inventor and namesake Laurens"?

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

Contest: Let's Guess Three Words IV!

New rules are in bold! Read them carefully!

I am thinking of three distinct English words that are at least 2 letters long and no more than 15 letters long. All of the words are valid in Scrabble according to https://scrabble.merriam.com/. Your goal is to guess them. Everyone who guesses the trio of words correctly by the time the contest is over will be entered for a chance to win a gift card for Grandmaster Puzzles worth $10 (its value is no longer tied to the charity money pool), plus a surprise gift featuring a fox/badger character that veterans of this blog might remember (same surprise as in my last contest — I don't wish to spoil the surprise, but I've got dozens). Additionally, one random person who meaningfully participates in this contest (either by making a public guess at any time or by correctly guessing the word trio) will win the same prize package in a second random drawing! Now you don't even need to solve anything to win, just help people solve something! This is truly remarkable!

Once per week, each and every single person reading this blog post is allowed to e-mail a set of words to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. To give me more time to prepare the weekly posts (in case of a freak statewide power outage, for example), the deadline to guarantee your guess being accepted is 12:01 AM Central time each Sunday. If it is a set of at least 10 words or it is defined by a property of the words rather than an explicit list, I will publicly post on this blog (on the following Monday at 12:01 AM Central time) whether NONE, ONE, TWO, or ALL of my words are in that set. If it is a set of 9 words or fewer and you list the words explicitly (that is, you guess "{CINQ, QADI, QAID, QATS, QOPH}" rather than "the set of all Scrabble-legal 4-letter words with a Q and not a U"), I will privately give you the same information in an email sometime that Sunday.

I reserve the right to reject any guess if it is impossible for the average reader (who doesn't know what my words are already) to determine whether or not any given word is in your set within a relatively short amount of time. This is a difficult quality to define empirically, but valid guesses would include "the set of all words starting with a letter in the word PRIME" or "the set of all words with a prime number of distinct letters", and invalid guesses would include "the set of the three words Grant is thinking of" and "the set of all words still in at least one possible word trio given the information publicly available right now, and which, if the words in that set were listed and numbered alphabetically starting from 1, would have prime indices". Keep it simple!

Once someone has guessed the trio of words (that is, submitted to me a set of exactly three words and gotten a result of ALL), one last weekly update will be posted on this blog, including one last hint from me, and then people who haven't guessed the words yet will have one more week to try to do so and be entered in the prize drawing. The deadline for this final week will be 12:01 AM Central time on the following Monday (that is, the aforementioned 12:01 AM Sunday deadline will not be applied). The rules for private guesses still apply (you must explicitly list the three words you are guessing, not define them uniquely by some convoluted property).

This contest will also benefit the Food Bank of West Central Texas. The money pool will start at $80, the amount determined by the previous contest, and then go down $2 for every weekly update that has gone by without someone guessing the trio of words. (Exception: the value cannot go below $2.) Up to $50 of the money pool will be donated once the words are guessed. If there's any money left over, it will carry over to another word-guessing contest one week after the results of this contest are announced. Even if you aren't interested in the prize drawing, your participation may help someone else solve the words faster and thus help charity!

To kick things off, I'll make two guesses for you (not four, because you people are getting smarter!), chosen from among the guesses that were made in Let's Guess Three Words III!. Note: Unless otherwise specified, "vowel" and "consonant" are defined as per National Puzzlers League rules, since those are the rules my readers seem to want to go along with. This means that A, E, I, O, U, and Y are vowels, and the other 20 letters are consonants.

The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel: ONE
The set of all words containing a string of three or more consecutive consonants (e.g. THREE) and/or a string of two or more consecutive vowels (e.g. THREE): TWO

Good luck, and happy guessing!