Wordy Wednesday 640: Pent Words 128

WORDY WEDNESDAY #638
MINI TOUCHWORD 3 (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 **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **
Steve Levy **
Tower **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #639
SUDOKUROSTIC 7 (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 #640
PENT WORDS 128
(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 Lion or tiger, for one / Petition
2 Read the ____ act / Covered in thistles
3 Song at a funeral / Handbag
4 Split pea ____ / Economist Sowell
5 Vehicle at a funeral / Glasgow native
6 “And now a word from our ____” / “____ the Force, Luke”
7 Design inked on one’s skin / Did 70 in a 55 zone, for instance
8 “____ in a Manger” / Sharp pain
9 Geraldo who hosted The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults in 1986 (spoiler: the vaults contained nothing but debris and empty bottles) / Certain small-scaled trout
10 Treasure ____ / Item on the left side of a ledger
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• “Little Deuce ____”
• 48 ____ (CBS series)
• Wandered
• In the red
• Places where people live
• Lacking in skill
• What students do in school
• Cairo’s nation
• Former New York governor Spitzer
• What a nun wears
• Jewish Passover meal
• Duke who played Neely O’Hara in Valley of the Dolls (1967)
• Pyromaniac’s crime
• Relinquish, as a right
• Baker’s need
• Jeweler’s magnifier
• George who founded the Open Society Foundations
• Minute amount

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A pair of Foxgeryptics!

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

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #2

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

 

Outside the Fox Puzzles is proud to sponsor the 2nd triannual 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!

My plan is to run these contests on the third Monday of every March, July, and November (shortly after each season of Kevin’s Puzzles at Home ends), at 12:01 AM Central Time. The entry deadline will be 13 days later (on a Sunday) at 11:59 PM Central Time; in this case, the deadline is Sunday, March 30, 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.

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!

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 Small snack given to a dog / Holiday associated with egg hunts
2 Burglar’s crime / Turned reddish, as oxidized iron
3 Gordon Ramsay is one / “For purple mountain majesties above the ____ plain”
4 The 4 in the term 4x, for example
5 Humorous / Tenant’s payment
6 Along ____ a Spider (2001 film) / Turn aside, as from a discussion topic
7 Nation of which Pierre Trudeau was prime minister / Snake in the ____
8 Word game that comes in an ap-“peel”-ingly shaped yellow pouch
9 Hockey mascot Blades is one / Certain support structure: hyph.
10 Tom of Born on the Fourth of July (1989) / One of 24 in Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier
11 Line made by folding paper / Ancient Roman diviner

AQRE
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Shade some cells black. A number inside an outlined region indicates how many black cells are contained in that region. All of the black cells must be connected through their edges. No row or column may contain four consecutive cells of the same color (black or white). To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

 
LETRAVEX
Write the 4-letter clue answers in the square tiles in each grid, one letter per triangle, so that adjacent triangles across tiles have the same letter. Each answer reads clockwise, starting in the triangle indicated by the arrow. Answers are alphabetized; you must determine which answer goes in which tile. The letters on the grid’s perimeter will spell a song title, going clockwise from the leftmost triangle on the top edge. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the song title.

• Petri ____ →
• Severely gloomy ←
• Laundry detergent brand name that’s synonymous with “profit” ↓
• “Get off my ____!” (stereotypical shout of an old homeowner) ←
• Not short →
• Butter alternative ←
• Like two ____ in a pod ↓
• Farming implement for breaking up soil ↓
• ____ and proper ↑
• Peril ←
• Motown singer Diana ↑
• One of two long narrow openings in a quantum physics experiment ↑
• Curved line connecting two notes on a music staff→
• Rod for holding roasting meat ←
• Thomas the ____ Engine →
• Disney movie with a star named Star ←

Wordy Wednesday 639: Sudokurostic 7

WORDY WEDNESDAY #637
CODEWORDS 31 (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 **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #638
MINI TOUCHWORD 3 (hint)

As of this writing, 18 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 #639
SUDOKUROSTIC 7
(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.

Flammable liquid hydrocarbon __ __ __ __ __ __ __
   mixture used as a solvent C9 C6 I6 D1 D8 A6 G2
____ John’s (pizza restaurant chain) __ __ __ __
                                     A5 B7 G1 H4
Toxic when ingested __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                    C8 E1 I3 F1 F9 E8 B5 H5 I4
180 degrees on a compass __ __ __ __ __
                         D7 A7 E2 F3 G4
The price of schooling __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                       B6 D9 E9 I5 A4 H3 F2

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Duke who played Neely O'Hara in Valley of the Dolls (1967)"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9: FINAL RESULTS!

FINAL SCORES

Here is a table of all of the participants and their scores (click to enlarge). Kudos to the 11 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 9250. Thus, the final money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $92.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $370.00. The total amount of money raised by Kevin's Puzzles at Home for various food banks now stands at $3,277.00.

Head below the break for the actual solutions! If you're looking for more easy-ish puzzles in this style, remember to visit the actual Kevin's website every single Monday, or come back to this site in May when I plan to launch Season 10! (As of this writing, the illustrations are in progress, after which point the final testing will begin.) Also come back next Monday for the 2nd triannual Triple Crown Fox Derby contest sponsored by my Outside the Box Puzzles subscription service!

Wordy Wednesday 638: Mini Touchword 3

WORDY WEDNESDAY #636
SECTION SIX 63 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #637
CODEWORDS 31 (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 #638
MINI TOUCHWORD 3
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Cathy Bowen. 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 Long reclining chair / ____ Danger (2014-2020 Nickelodeon series)
2 The scientific study of apparently random behavior: 2 wds.
3 Guitar-playing accessories / Multitude
4 Superman wears one / “____ at the Sun” (U2 song)
5 Small stream of water / Oceanic
6 “It’s all ____ to me!” / Three-time NBA MVP Moses
7 Classified / Money borrowed at interest
8 Company of theatrical performers / Long couch without a back
9 Common Christmas decoration / Vehicle for a stereotypical soccer mom
10 Sovereignty
11 Commend / Ergo

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 4-letter word for "____ John’s (pizza restaurant chain)"?
* Patron Puzzle #130, which will be delivered on March 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!

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9: Final hint and final week!

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9"): click here

Episode 1 (This One's for the Dogs!): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 2 (Scintillating Sci-Fi): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 3 (Hopefully Not "Sew" Much Harder): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 4 (Why Can't We Be Friends?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 5 (Musical Letter Chairs): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 20 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 6 (Perplexing Pearls): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 7 (Love Connection): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 8 (Meta) (And Bingo Wasn't His Game-O): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!) 

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 150 points apiece. 

 

The total number of points scored is 9175. Thus, the current money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $91.75. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $367.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, or the meta for 75 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 637: Codewords 31

WORDY WEDNESDAY #635
PENT WORDS 127 (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 **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #636
SECTION SIX 63 (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 #637
CODEWORDS 31
(click here for a PDF version)

In the crossword puzzle above, every letter is represented by an integer from 1 through 26. You must decipher the code to reveal the words.

Arrange the letters in the shaded spaces to spell the final answer, an eight-letter word.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's an 11-letter, 2-word answer for "The scientific study of apparently random behavior"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9, Episode 8 (Meta): And Bingo Wasn't His Game-O

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9"): click here

Episode 1 (This One's for the Dogs!): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 2 (Scintillating Sci-Fi): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 3 (Hopefully Not "Sew" Much Harder): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 4 (Why Can't We Be Friends?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 5 (Musical Letter Chairs): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 20 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 6 (Perplexing Pearls): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 7 (Love Connection): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece.

 

The total number of points scored is 6600. Thus, the current money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $66.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $264.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hint. These 7 answers will also be necessary for solving the meta below.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 9, EPISODE 8 (META):

AND BINGO WASN’T HIS GAME-O

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin hasn't had very good luck in his last seven games of bingo; despite using a different card in each game, he always seemed to wind up one space away from a winning line. What game should Kevin play next if he wants to turn things around?

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar 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 150 points, and stay tuned next week for Episode 8's hint, and then the week after for all of the solutions. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 636: Section Six 63

WORDY WEDNESDAY #634
MINI TOUCHWORD 2 (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 **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #635
PENT WORDS 127 (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 #636
SECTION SIX 63
(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 starred spaces to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word.

Ring 1
1 Ringing kitchen gadget
2 The universe
3 Extreme
4 Michelin product
5 Relevant
6 Explosive that is thrown

Ring 2
• Cowell of America’s Got Talent
• The calm before the ____
• Yield
• Real number without a fractional component
• Treaty

Ring 3
• Large striped feline
• Enthusiastic
• Systems made up of microphones and loudspeakers
• Symbols on a music staff

Ring 4
• Certain male choir member
• Dispute
• Jamaican music genre associated with Bob Marley

Ring 5
• Snorkel’s rank in Beetle Bailey
• ____ beer

Ring 6
• ____ 63 (name of a NATO assault rifle, and not the 63rd person to use marijuana)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Codewords!

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9, Episode 7: Love Connection

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9"): click here

Episode 1 (This One's for the Dogs!): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 2 (Scintillating Sci-Fi): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 3 (Hopefully Not "Sew" Much Harder): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 4 (Why Can't We Be Friends?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 5 (Musical Letter Chairs): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 20 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 6 (Perplexing Pearls): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece. 

 

The total number of points scored is 5725. Thus, the current money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $57.25. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $229.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hint.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 9, EPISODE 7:

LOVE CONNECTION

(click here for a PDF version)

While Kevin is content to stick with puzzles and stay away from romance, he can’t help but be fascinated when the people around him pair up and make meaningful connections.

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar 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 7's hint and Episode 8's puzzle, a meta requiring the 7 previous answers to be solved. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 635: Pent Words 127

WORDY WEDNESDAY #633
FRAMELINKS 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 **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz *
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #634
MINI TOUCHWORD 2 (hint)

As of this writing, 17 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 #635
PENT WORDS 127
(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 Quantity with magnitude, but not direction / Shopping center
2 President who’s the namesake of a dam / Gull relative
3 Walks leisurely / “Cut me ____ slack!”
4 Hit with the foot / Robinson ____ (Daniel Defoe novel)
5 Make into law / Masked vigilante created by Johnston McCulley
6 The largest organ in the human body / Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis ____
7 Title role for Bruce Boxleitner in a 1982 sci-fi flick / Delivered a blow to
8 Ribald / Post that supports a sail
9 Nimble / Genghis Khan was one
10 “All ____ the Watchtower” / Cleanse of soap
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Wrinkle-removing implements
• Tim of Home Improvement
• Smiles
• Surrounded by
• “____ Your Groove Thing” (hit song for Peaches & Herb)
• “The ____ is in the mail”
• Interrogate
• Place to get your hair done
• Partitions into regions
• Juliet’s lover
• The outermost part of a loaf of bread
• Consecrate
• Committed robbery
• Mistake
• Clever trick
• Beeping clock feature
• Plainly manifest
• Play a guitar

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What is Snorkel’s rank in Beetle Bailey?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9, Episode 6: Perplexing Pearls

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9"): click here

Episode 1 (This One's for the Dogs!): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 2 (Scintillating Sci-Fi): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 3 (Hopefully Not "Sew" Much Harder): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 4 (Why Can't We Be Friends?): 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 (Musical Letter Chairs): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

* 20 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece. 

 

The total number of points scored is 4600. Thus, the current money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $46.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $184.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hint.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 9, EPISODE 6:

PERPLEXING PEARLS

(click here for a PDF version)

Can you help Kevin make a chain using these black and white pearls?

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar 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 6's hint and Episode 7's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 634: Mini Touchword 2

WORDY WEDNESDAY #632
MINI TOUCHWORD (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 **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #633
FRAMELINKS 26 (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 #634
MINI TOUCHWORD 2
(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 Poker hand just below a full house / Type of cuisine associated with Louisiana
2 Close grouping, as of stars or galaxies / Lack of difficulty
3 Linkin Park vocalist Bennington / Foundation
4 Cheese named after a village in Somerset / Porgy and ____
5 ____ & Crazy Kids (1990-1992 Nickelodeon game show) / Makes moist
6 Quaker who founded the city of Philadelphia: 2 wds.
7 “Thanks a ____!” / Localized aching sensation
8 Wisconsin’s capital / Water container fetched by Jack and Jill
9 Vegetable of the mustard family / “____ showers bring May flowers”
10 Divides / Pence’s successor
11 Plead the ____ (refuse to testify against oneself) / Christmas songs

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "'____ Your Groove Thing' (hit song for Peaches & Herb)"?
* Patron Puzzle #129, which will be delivered on February 8, 2025, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Super Pent Words.

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9, Episode 5: Musical Letter Chairs

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9"): click here

Episode 1 (This One's for the Dogs!): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 2 (Scintillating Sci-Fi): 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 3 (Hopefully Not "Sew" Much Harder): 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 4 (Why Can't We Be Friends?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece. 

 

The total number of points scored is 3700. Thus, the current money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $37.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $148.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hint.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 9, EPISODE 5:

MUSICAL LETTER CHAIRS

(click here for a PDF version)

As a pup, Kevin enjoyed this party game in which players scramble to get seated and not get eliminated.

COLUMN A
1. Sewing strand
2. Parody
3. Fourth-year college student
4. A type of skiing
5. Climb, as a mountain
6. Snickers ingredient
7. Dire
8. Apparel
9. Indicator light
10. Rotated, as a crank
11. Was home to
12. Jasper’s partner in crime in 101 Dalmatians
 

COLUMN B
• Exterminator’s target
• Distinguishing quality
• Inputs a phone number
• Passenger car in a three-box configuration
• Be in agreement
• Indian stringed instrument
• Drench
• Absolutely apparent
• Tricks of the ____
• Loud, unpleasant sound
• Emaciated
• Not over

COLUMN C
• Washington bills
• Skipjack or albacore
• Moved smoothly along a surface
• ____ monster (venomous lizard)
• Jack and Jill’s water holder
• Lyric poems
• A couple’s romantic night out
• “____ My Love (To Your New Lover)” (Adele song)
• Acidic in taste
• McDonald’s logo feature
• Elder Futhark symbol
• Mix, as ingredients

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar 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 5's hint and Episode 6's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 633: Framelinks 26

WORDY WEDNESDAY #631
ANACROSSWORD 43 (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 **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #632
MINI CROSSWORD (hint)

As of this writing, 17 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 #633
FRAMELINKS 26
(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   B   C C C   D D D   E E E E E E E E E   F F F   G   I I I I I   K   L L L L L L   N N N N N N   O O O O O O O   P   R R R R R   S S S  T T T T T   W   Y Y

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's an 11-letter, 2-word answer for "Quaker who founded the city of Philadelphia"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9, Episode 4: Why Can't We Be Friends?

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 9"): click here

Episode 1 (This One's for the Dogs!): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 2 (Scintillating Sci-Fi): 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 3 (Hopefully Not "Sew" Much Harder): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 2725. Thus, the current money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $27.25. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $109.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hint.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 9, EPISODE 4:

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS?

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin is a firm believer in maintaining international relations by having U.S. embassies all around the world.

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar 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 4's hint and Episode 5's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 632: Mini Touchword

WORDY WEDNESDAY #630
PENT WORDS 126 (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 **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis *
Randy Rogers *
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #631
ANACROSSWORD 43 (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 #632
MINI TOUCHWORD
(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 Intimidate / Trademarked name of a nonstick coating
2 Disney Princess voiced by Paige O’Hara / Render less harsh
3 A ____ of Unfortunate Events / Lyle or Pascal of the Animal Crossing games, for example
4 Indian’s women’s garments / Empty talk: 2 wds.
5 Overly flashy / Country where the Cantabrian Mountains are located
6 Dingy diner: 2 wds.
7 Local ____ network / Asian hurricane
8 Not together / Shape of a ball
9 What slashes on a bowling score sheet represent / “I Saw Her Standing ____” (hit song for the Beatles)
10 Insinuate / Boxer Michael Spinks’s brother
11 Horse-drawn carriage / Rat out: 2 wds.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Framelinks!

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