Wordy Wednesday 490: Pent Words 98

WORDY WEDNESDAY #487
PATHFINDER 30 (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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
M. Sean Molley **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman *
Kevin Orfield **
Mary Maynard *
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #488
FEED THE FOXES (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 a hint. Here's a list of people who solved it:
M. Sean Molley **
Michael Lebowitz *
Randy Rogers **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman *
Jason Boomer **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #489
FRAMELINKS 14 (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 #490
PENT WORDS 98
(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 One-armed ____ (slot machine) / “Mickey” singer Basil

2 Radiant with warmth / Jeremy of The Lion King

3 Word before “coat” or “warfare” / ____ Ant (cartoon superhero)

4 Word of agreement, perhaps / It’s between the toes and the ankle

5 Skin with a knife / Attack from low-flying aircraft

6 “Taxation is ____” / Exact genetic copy

7 Minnesota port / Church projection

8 Mental picture / Unit of radioactivity

9 “____ and Ivory” (Paul McCartney/Stevie Wonder duet) / Like the flavor of many toothpastes

10 ____ shark (shark species named after a folkloric creature) / Minor dent

PENTOMINOES:

* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

* San ____, CA

* Certain bulb

* One convicted of murder, for example

* Machine for hoisting

* Spine-chilling

* Carrot relative

* A tropical fish

* The county seat of Florida’s Hillsborough County

* ____ as a bat

* “I bless the ____ down in Africa. . .” (Toto lyric)

* Word of agreement, perhaps

* Making a knot

* Anguish

* Change to a reading of zero, as an odometer

* Cowboy’s leggings

* Certain woodwind

* ____ the Yard (2007 dance drama film)

* Trite

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Crypticrostic!

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

Wordy Wednesday 489: Framelinks 14

WORDY WEDNESDAY #486
SECTION SIX 48 (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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman *
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #487
PATHFINDER 30 (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 #488
FEED THE FOXES (hint)

As of this writing, 8 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's a hint. 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 #489
FRAMELINKS 14
(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, an 8-letter word.

A A A A A A   B   C C C   E E E E E E E E E E   G   H H   I I I I I   K   L L L   M M   N N N   O O O O O O   P P

R R R R R R   S S S   T T T T T T T T T T T T   U U U   Y

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "'I bless the ____ down in Africa. . .' (Toto lyric)"?
* Patron Puzzle #99, which will be delivered on August 8, 2022, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Meandering Word Search.

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

Wordy Wednesday 487: Pathfinder 30 & Wordy Wednesday 488: Feed the Foxes

WORDY WEDNESDAY #485
PENT WORDS 97 (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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #486
SECTION SIX 48 (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 #487
PATHFINDER 30
(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 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 Planters (10)

2 Ones who are easily spooked (7-4)

3 Lawyer Vasquez who gained fame during the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial (7)

4 Members of Generation Y (11)

5 Killed, as a dragon (5)

6 Dock (4)

7 Certain chess piece (4)

7 Vincent van Gogh, for one (7)

8 Arachnid that hunts its prey instead of spinning a web (4 6)

9 Borrower’s payment (8)

10 They might have driver’s licenses in them (7)

11 Waterspout (9)

12 Autoinjector trademark (6)

13 Harris who played Max Troy in the film Dragnet (1954) (5)

14 Item in a fortune-teller’s pack (5 4)

15 Kneecap (7)

16 Injury created by abrasion (6)

17 Unceasing (7)

18 Use a spittoon (11)

19 Madrid resident (8)

20 A noble gas (5)

21 Not abed (5)

22 Portions of a circle’s circumference (4)

23 Passionate (6)

24 “____ Love Out of Nothing at All” (Air Supply song) (6)

24 Pertaining to the sea (6)

25 Certain chess piece (4)

WORDY WEDNESDAY #488
FEED THE FOXES
(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!
These foxes thought that they’d find food in this grid, but now they’re frustrated! Arrange the lettered pieces, without rotating or reflecting them, to fill the empty grid spaces, and then move each fox the number of cells indicated to help it find what it wants to eat. Foxes may only move horizontally or vertically (not diagonally), but their paths may turn. No fox will cross the path of another fox or retrace its own path. Not all cells will be visited by foxes.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Framelinks!

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

Wordy Wednesday 486: Section Six 48

WORDY WEDNESDAY #484
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 10 (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 **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #485
PENT WORDS 97 (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 #486
SECTION SIX 48
(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 ____ collie

2 Letter before pi

3 Journalist Stahl

4 Grating, as a voice

5 Anklebones

6 “Heart-Shaped Box” band

Ring 2

* ____ and board

* Montalban who played Vincent Ludwig in The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!

* Most prodigious

* Sterling silver, for one

* “I Am Woman” singer Reddy

Ring 3

* Breed of dairy cattle

* ____ Day (holiday for planting trees)

* Tall wardrobe

* “____ You (And You Alone)” (The Platters song)

Ring 4

* The largest city in Nevada’s Washoe County

* Delirious behavior

* Spanish-speaking neighborhood in the United States

Ring 5

* Off the ground

* Multitude

Ring 6

* Dan who was a regular on 48 Hours

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "Lawyer Vasquez who gained fame during the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial"?
* Can you feed the hungry foxes?

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

Wordy Wednesday 485: Pent Words 97

WORDY WEDNESDAY #482
CRYPTICROSTIC 16 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Cathy Bowen **
Cole Kendall **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Jason Boomer **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #483
FRAMELINKS 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:
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #484
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 10 (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 #485
PENT WORDS 97
(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 Springer ____ / Guided
2 Rib / Deplorable
3 Baltimore baseballer / “Chocolate ____” (2007 hit for Tay Zonday)
4 Absolutely dry / The allocation of treatment to hospital patients
5 Absolute ruler / Spar on a ship
6 Door joint / Verbally
7 Sea anemone, for one / Sharpened
8 Legally bar / Rabbit relatives
9 Stay the ____ (persist) / “Praise the Lord and ____ the Ammunition”
10 South American mammal related to the raccoon / θ
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Garlic-flavored mayonnaise
* Herb of the carrot family
* Barkin of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
* Church offering
* ____ Puffs (General Mills cereal)
* Musical composition for developing a specific technique
* Shepherd’s ____ (annual herb)
* Horned African mammal, briefly
* Some heart chambers
* Spaghetti or ravioli, for example
* Say Yes to the ____ (TLC reality series)
* Short-tailed weasel
* Icon or symbol
* Waikiki welcome
* “Live Like You Were ____” (Tim McGraw song)
* Fall bloomer
* Devil May Cry protagonist
* Green Italian sauce

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 6-letter word for "Dan who was a regular on 48 Hours"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home: FINAL RESULTS!

FINAL SCORES

Here is a table of all of the participants and their scores (click to enlarge):

Participants are sorted by score (high to low), and then alphabetically.

* Bo & Becky Green got to see some puzzles early, since y’all aren't competing against each other, but against my wallet, and therefore I’m actually only hurting myself. However, I have put this asterisk here in case y’all care about comparing yourselves to each other. Also, now that I have three anonymous benefactors matching my donation, and y’all are competing against four wallets instead of one, maybe I should refrain from this practice if there’s ever a “Season 2” of Kevin’s Puzzles at Home. . .

The total number of points scored was 7675. Thus, the final money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas was $76.75. Three anonymous readers are offering to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $307.00. Thanks in advance to all of you for your generosity!

Head below the break for the actual solutions!

Wordy Wednesday 484: Divided Into Columns 10

WORDY WEDNESDAY #481
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 8 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #482
CRYPTICROSTIC 16 (hint)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #483
FRAMELINKS 13 (hint)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #484
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 10
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

Plant used in skin care products __ __ __ __

                                 67 43 51 08

Community star who played   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

   Pierce Hawthorne: 2 wds. 24 50 40 70 17 01 76 53 89 60

Pick and ____ __ __ __ __ __ __

              86 28 16 07 22 25

NBC series hosted by Joe Rogan with a brief  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

   revival on MTV hosted by Ludacris: 2 wds. 46 81 72 52 20 91 05 26 39 56

Place to buy secondhand items: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                                      41 77 73 18 14 27 65 09 37 04

1995 Al Pacino/Robert De Niro film __ __ __ __

                                   38 31 90 69

Many a secular thinker __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                       61 35 95 66 83 54 30 11

Like a desperate final effort: hyph. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                                     87 23 68 34 57 82 33 36 94

Soccer star born in Selma, Alabama: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                                           15 74 49 06 12 88 58

Hangman’s knot __ __ __ __ __

               85 62 03 59 19

Breakfast item that’s an ingredient in some cookies __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                                                    42 63 48 55 93 84 21

Landmark in Wiltshire, England __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                               96 79 29 64 02 92 13 10 32 45

Daihatsu’s parent company __ __ __ __ __ __

                          44 47 71 78 75 80

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Barkin of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)"?
* Patron Puzzle #98, which will be delivered on July 8, 2022, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Vocabulary Fun Pack.

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

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

PREVIOUS ENTRIES

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

Part 1 (See Monsters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 6 people solved it later for 25 points.

Part 2 (The Joy of Paintings): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 3 (Side Effects May Include Disney-ness): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 4 (Overbooked): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 5 (Air Letters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 6 (Words on Rye): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 7 (What's the Deal?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 8 (Breakfast Scramble): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 9 (Meta) ("Ate" Queens Problem): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

* 8 people solved this within the first week for 100 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 7375. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $73.75. Three anonymous readers are offering to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $295.00. Thanks in advance to all of you for your generosity! If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, or the meta for 50 points, possibly with the aid of the hints. This week is your final chance to score points and earn money for the food bank!

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

Wordy Wednesday 482: Crypticrostic 16 & Wordy Wednesday 483: Framelinks 13

WORDY WEDNESDAY #480
PENT WORDS 96 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #481
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 8 (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!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #482
CRYPTICROSTIC 16
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

The answer is enumerated (5 4). (Note: The final clue ends in an exclamation point, and is &lit.)

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

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __!

30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

A transgression: imprisoning a Japanese person __ __ __ __ __

                                               30 38 29 05 17

Charming introduction: first part of play has desert plants __ __ __ __ __

                                                            28 23 39 34 07

Church official interferes with temple leader __ __ __ __ __ __

                                              25 14 03 35 10 41

Dirty male friend scratching head __ __ __ __ __

                                  04 13 33 20 42

Musician in Mississippi performance __ __ __ __ __

                                    24 40 01 32 22

Praise synthetic latex __ __ __ __ __

                       27 36 16 08 31

Reddish brown or gold flame __ __ __ __ __ __

                            37 11 15 18 06 19

Reportedly hide fruit __ __ __ __ __

                      12 21 26 02 09

WORDY WEDNESDAY #483
FRAMELINKS 13
(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, an 8-letter word.

A A A A   B B   C C C C C C C   D D D D D   E E E E E E E E E E   F F   G G   H   I I I   K   L L   M M M M   N N N

O O O O O O   P P   R R R R R R R R R   S S S   T T T T T T   U   V   W   Y Y Y

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 4-letter word for "1995 Al Pacino/Robert De Niro film"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home, Part 9 (Meta): "Ate" Queens Problem

PREVIOUS ENTRIES

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

Part 1 (See Monsters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 6 people solved it later for 25 points.

Part 2 (The Joy of Paintings): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 3 (Side Effects May Include Disney-ness): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 4 (Overbooked): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 5 (Air Letters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 6 (Words on Rye): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 7 (What's the Deal?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 8 (Breakfast Scramble): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 6550. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $65.50. Three anonymous readers are offering to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $262.00. Thanks in advance to all of you for your generosity! If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hints. These 8 answers will also be necessary for solving the meta below.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME, PART 9 (META):

"ATE" QUEENS PROBLEM

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin was gifted a chessboard and a bunch of chess queens made from chocolate, and after arranging the queens on the board, Kevin decided that he needed a snack and devoured some of them. However, now he has a stomachache! What’s the solution to Kevin’s gastric woes?

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 100 points, and stay tuned next week for this puzzle's hint, and then the week after for all of the solutions. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 481: Diagramless Crossword 8

WORDY WEDNESDAY #479
FRAMELINKS 12 (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 **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #480
PENT WORDS 96 (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 #481
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 8
(click here for a PDF version)

This crossword has 66 entries in a 15x15 grid, obeys American crossword rules, and has standard rotational symmetry.

ACROSS

1 Fore’s opposite

4 Hen house

6 Little ____ of Horrors (1986 movie)

10 Swap

11 Certain African ungulate

12 First part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.

16 Charged atoms

17 Pacific ____ (2013 movie)

18 Nut in some pies

20 Schemes

22 Beverly Hills ____ (1984 movie)

24 Mark Mothersbaugh’s band

25 Rocker Clapton

26 The Born ____ (comic strip)

28 Make a quilt

29 Havana’s country

31 Part of an eye

33 Wetland

36 Labyrinthine puzzles

38 Bangkok resident

41 Certain horse breed

43 Tropical tuber

44 Video game princess named after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife

46 Put off

48 Regret

50 Black, poetically

51 Second part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.

55 Samuel after whom a New York island is named

56 Home

57 Bass Pro Shops purchase, perhaps

58 Captain in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

59 Lower limb

DOWN

1 Type of poem in which the initial letters of the lines spell something

2 Young horse

3 Bridges of Diff’rent Strokes

5 ____ pressure

6 Emulate Picabo Street

7 Certain fastener

8 Decided

9 “I Fall to ____” (Patsy Cline song)

10 What mama sang in Johnny Cash’s “Daddy Sang Bass”

11 Some people learn through it

12 Gratuity

13 “Ace in the ____” (George Strait song)

14 Puerto ____

15 Rant and ____

19 Currently

21 Stuff in a pond, perhaps

23 For each

26 According to the Gospel of John, Jesus resurrected him

27 Snack cracker brand

30 Film director Michael

32 Border collie, for one

33 Michael Jackson album with “Smooth Criminal”

34 Sandwich cookie brand

35 Lighting electrician on a television or movie set

37 Flightless Australian birds

39 The Zoo Story playwright Edward

40 False god

42 ____ of the ball

45 Picnic pest

47 Aggravate, with “up”

49 Peters of X-Men: Days of Future Past

52 Zip

53 Cain’s victim

54 A city in Alaska

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Crypticrostic!
* A Framelinks!

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home, Part 8: Breakfast Scramble

PREVIOUS ENTRIES

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

Part 1 (See Monsters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 6 people solved it later for 25 points.

Part 2 (The Joy of Paintings): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 3 (Side Effects May Include Disney-ness): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 4 (Overbooked): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 5 (Air Letters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 6 (Words on Rye): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 7 (What's the Deal?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 5775. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $57.75. Three anonymous readers are offering to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $231.00. Thanks in advance to all of you for your generosity! If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME, PART 8:

BREAKFAST SCRAMBLE

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin always starts his day with a hearty breakfast.

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 50 points, and stay tuned next week for Part 8's hint and Part 9's puzzle, a metapuzzle requiring the previous 8 answers to be solved. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 480: Pent Words 96

WORDY WEDNESDAY #478
BONING UP ON MATH (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Tyler Hinman **
Jeffrey Smith **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin *

WORDY WEDNESDAY #479
FRAMELINKS 12 (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 #480
PENT WORDS 96
(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 Sandwich cookie brand / Central part, as of an apple

2 Disney character voiced by Paige O’Hara / Start

3 Examine carefully / Deed

4 Lucille of I Love Lucy / Harvesting implement

5 Horne who played Glenda the Good in The Wiz (1978) / Facade

6 Place formerly occupied by a predecessor / Certain deciduous tree

7 Nook / “Let them eat ____”

8 Deer relative / Certain pastry

9 Expel / Whitaker who played Zuri in Black Panther (2018)

10 Danger / Star Trek: ____ Decks (animated series since 2020)

PENTOMINOES:

* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

* Head over ____

* Dog breed famously favored by Queen Elizabeth II

* Three-masted Mediterranean ship

* Pisa has a leaning one

* ____ the Gungeon (2016 video game)

* Comical

* Pompous gait

* Misanthrope

* Zondervan offering

* Sites for vampire bites

* Absolutely love

* Spud

* Rescued

* Not below

* Certain African predator

* Far from fresh

* Jeweler’s magnifier

* Ruffle

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What video game princess is named after F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home, Part 7: What's the Deal?

PREVIOUS ENTRIES

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

Part 1 (See Monsters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 5 people solved it later for 25 points.

Part 2 (The Joy of Paintings): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 3 (Side Effects May Include Disney-ness): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 4 (Overbooked): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 5 (Air Letters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 6 (Words on Rye): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 4900. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $49.00. An anonymous reader is offering to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $98.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME, PART 7:

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin likes to play all sorts of card games!

“We played a game similar to Uno, where each card played must be the same suit or the same rank as the previous card.”

“Paul knocked early into the hand, but luckily I was able to lay off enough deadwood to undercut him!”

“I claimed the entire pile of cards, as I was the first to slap it when a card was played which matched the rank of the first card played to the pile – a Top Bottom!”

“It was a good omen when I dealt the first hand and my opponent cut to a Jack, giving me 2 points for heels.”

“That accursed Queen of Spades and its associated 13 points really did me in that hand.”

“Poor Landon was stuck holding the final Queen when the other cards had been successfully paired up, and lost the hand.”

“I asked Liam for Kings, but he didn’t have any, so I had to. . . you know.”

“A black 3 was turned as an upcard, freezing the discard pile.”

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 50 points, and stay tuned next week for Part 7's hint and Part 8's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 479: Framelinks 12

WORDY WEDNESDAY #476
SECTION SIX 47 (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 **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman *
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #477
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 20 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman *
Kevin Orfield **
Mary Maynard **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #478
BONING UP ON MATH (hint)

As of this writing, 4 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's a hint. 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 #479
FRAMELINKS 12
(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, an 8-letter word.

A A A A A A A A A A   B B   C C   D D   E E E E E E E E   G   H H   I I I I I   K K K   L L L L L L   M M

N N N N N N   O O O O O   P P   R R   S S S S   T T T T T T T   U U   Y Y Y

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Dog breed famously favored by Queen Elizabeth II"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home, Part 6: Words on Rye

PREVIOUS ENTRIES

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

Part 1 (See Monsters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 5 people solved it later for 25 points.

Part 2 (The Joy of Paintings): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 3 (Side Effects May Include Disney-ness): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 4 (Overbooked): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Part 5 (Air Letters): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 4125. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $41.25. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME, PART 6:

WORDS ON RYE

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin is hungry for a sandwich, but all he has for bread are words, and all he has for filling are letters!

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 50 points, and stay tuned next week for Part 6's hint and Part 7's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 478: Boning Up on Math

WORDY WEDNESDAY #475
PENT WORDS 95 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #476
SECTION SIX 47 (hint)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #477
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 20 (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 #478
BONING UP ON MATH
(click here for a PDF version)

These numbered tiles have given me a new way to practice my arithmetic.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Framelinks!
* Patron Puzzle #97, which will be delivered on June 8, 2022, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Fill-In Crossword.

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