It's time for the results of this contest!
Wordy Wednesday 412: Anacrossword 25 & Wordy Wednesday 413: DIV IDE DIN TOT RIP LES 11
WORDY WEDNESDAY #410
PENT WORDS 82 (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:
PENT WORDS 82 (answer)
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
M. Sean Molley **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Izak Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
WORDY WEDNESDAY #411
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 6 (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!
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 6 (hint)
LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #412
ANACROSSWORD 25
This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Kyle Nils. 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!WORDY WEDNESDAY #412
ANACROSSWORD 25
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91
Note: The symbol † indicates headlines from The Babylon Bee, the “trusted source for Christian news satire”.
• † “Biden Appoints Construction Worker Donaldio Trumptinez To Finish ____ Wall”
• † “Hillary ____ Suggests That Americans Vote For President By Email”
• † “Calvinist Utterly Paralyzed By Number Of Choices On Coca-Cola ____ Machine”
• A reddish shade of purple, or a flower
• † “L, G, T, Q, And + Publicly Execute B For Implying There Are Only Two ____”
• ____ Troop (1992-1993 Disney cartoon)
• Portion of profit paid to the government: 2 wds.
• † “____ Sued For False Advertising After Study Shows Cats Were Just Making Standard Cat Noises And Not Asking For A Particular Brand Of Food”: 2 wds.
• Kid’s mother: 2 wds.
• Back of the neck
• Link’s Good Mythical Morning co-host
• Endurance
• Debut single for the Spice Girls
• Wesley Crusher portrayer Wil
• On a ____ (because of a sudden decision)
• Ineffectual or indecisive: hyph.
• Wimp
WORDY WEDNESDAY #413
DIV IDE DIN TOT RIP LES 11
DIV IDE DIN TOT RIP LES 11
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __’__ *__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __-__ __ __ __ __
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __, __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
*__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __?
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84
__ __ __ __ __ __
85 86 87 88 89 90
Note: The symbol † indicates headlines from The Babylon Bee, the “trusted source for Christian news satire”.
Rwanda's southern neighbor __ __ __ __ __ __ __
60 73 08 11 43 22 06
Omega-3, for example: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
33 04 58 67 88 42 19 37 66
The Scarlet Letter novelist Nathaniel __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
84 51 79 56 65 46 36 21 09
Big name in hotels __ __ __ __ __
54 14 48 83 64
Either of Harley Quinn’s pets Bud and Lou, for example __ __ __ __ __
77 24 03 26 07
† “____ Adds 'Potentially Offensive' To __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Every Definition Just To Be Safe”: hyph. 63 25 18 38 87 01 81 76 32 23 52 89 69 29
† “Melania Trump Criticized For Not Being Michelle ____” __ __ __ __ __
80 16 20 50 62
Song sung by a sailor during work __ __ __ __ __ __
53 34 10 47 75 85
† “The Lengths People Go To In Order To Avoid ____: This Guy __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Refused To Finish Writing The Books His Favorite TV Show 39 45 35 15 40 28 57 86
Was Based On So He Could Be Surprised”
† “Service ____ Begin Widening Signs In Preparation For Higher __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Gas Prices” 44 27 78 61 17 72 05 49
Its governor is Greg Abbott __ __ __ __ __
70 41 82 13 55
† “Jussie Smollett Offered Job At CNN After Fabricating News Story Out Of __ __ __ __
____ Air” 74 31 30 71
† “New Exercise Bike Forces You To ____ Christian Movies Until You Hit __ __ __ __ __
Your Calories Goal” 90 59 12 02 68
COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's a 17-letter, 3-word answer for "Byron White's 1993 replacement"?
* Patron Puzzle #85, which will be delivered exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is titled Drawing a Blank.
Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, keep on living, and happy solving!
Contest: Let's Guess Three Words III! (Week 5 update - FINAL UPDATE!)
For full rules, see here.
Week 0:
Week 1:
Week 0:
The set of all words where the fourth letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
The set of all words containing a doubled consonant (BB, CC, DD, FF, . . . XX, ZZ): ONE
The set of all words in which the 3rd and 5th letters both exist and are a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y) and a consonant (any letter besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y) in some order: TWO
The set of all words that begin with and end with a consonant (anything besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y): ALL
Week 1:
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing at least one of the letter combinations HH, KK, LL, SS, and ZZ: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing at least three instances of vowels (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
Week 2:
[Izak Bulten] The set of all words containing 7 or more letters: NONE
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant and at least one instance of the letter I: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): TWO
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that are greater than or equal to 6 letters in length: ONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length less than or equal to 6 letters: ALL
Week 3:
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant, but containing neither O nor U: ONE
[Kevin Orfield] 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): NONE
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that begin with R, S, T, L, or N: TWO
[Ryan Faley] The set of all words consisting entirely of letters worth at most 3 points in English-language Scrabble (ABCDEGILMNOPRSTU): ONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length 4 or 5: TWO
Week 4:
[Izak Bulten] [private guess of a set of 3 words]: TWO
[John Bulten] The set of all words where exactly two letters are B, H, K, or L: TWO
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant and beginning with a letter between L and V inclusive: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing W, X, Y, or Z: NONE
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that begin with and end with the same letter: NONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words containing exactly one distinct vowel (and any number of instances of that vowel): TWO
Week 5:
[Grant Fikes] The set of all 4-, 5-, and 6-letter words whose second letter appears in PARTS OF A GUN and whose last two letters do not appear in PARTS OF A GUN: ALL
[Izak Bulten] [private guess of a set of 3 words]: ALL
[Kevin Orfield] [private guess of a set of 3 words]: ALL
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that end with the letter S: NONE
Since the trio of words has been guessed, $42 has been donated to the Food Bank of West Central Texas!
As detailed in week 2, 16 copies of the Anacrossword Twenty-Pack will be given to participants in this contest!
Everyone now has one more week to guess the trio of words and get entered into the prize drawing for a $42 gift card for Grandmaster Puzzles! Results will be announced on May 31.
Wordy Wednesday 411: Diagramless Crossword 6
WORDY WEDNESDAY #409
TOUCHWORD 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:
TOUCHWORD 20 (answer)
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Kyle Nils **
Mary Maynard **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Seth Christenfeld **
WORDY WEDNESDAY #410
PENT WORDS 82 (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!
PENT WORDS 82 (hint)
WORDY WEDNESDAY #411
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 6
(click here for a PDF version)
This crossword has 52 entries in a 15x15 grid, obeys American crossword rules, and has standard rotational symmetry.DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 6
(click here for a PDF version)
ACROSS
1 Constellation with Regulus
4 Pertaining to spring
7 Surname of R&B brothers Aaron, Art, Charles, Cyril, and Ivan
8 First half of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
14 German military sub: hyph.
15 Iranian ruler
16 Pro wrestler Van Dam
18 They house farm animals
19 State whose flag depicts a banner reading “Battle Born”
21 Bit of Kyoto currency
22 Book before Nahum
23 ____ and flow
26 Gab
27 Chef’s hat
29 The Love ____ (1968 Disney film)
32 Entertains
34 Fills with food
36 Higher learning institution, briefly
37 By the ____ of your pants
40 American Red Cross founder Barton
41 Second half of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
44 Certain woodwind
45 Glorifies
46 Jazz guitarist Montgomery
DOWN
1 Popular jeans brand
2 Bergen of Madam Secretary (2014-2019)
3 Borrowed: 2 wds.
4 Puzzle
5 Medieval science of transmutation
6 Honolulu souvenir
7 Butterfly-catching items
8 Lump
9 Popular auction site
10 Had on
11 Tailor’s need
12 Mouse relative
13 Baby ____ (sci-fi fan nickname for Grogu)
17 “____! Humbug!”
20 By way of
24 Greyhound vehicle
25 “Mind your own ____!”
27 Twice pi, in math
28 1978-1997 sci-fi magazine
30 Moab's state
31 Former Spice Girl Halliwell
33 Playground lever
34 Read a bar code, say
35 Day after Fri.
38 Walk down the ____ (get married)
39 Some horse gaits
42 President Lincoln, familiarly
43 Uno y uno
COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* Who is Link’s Good Mythical Morning co-host?
* What's a 5-letter word for "Either of Harley Quinn’s pets Bud and Lou, for example"?
Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, keep on living, and happy solving!
Contest: Let's Guess Three Words III! (Week 4 update)
For full rules, see here.
Week 0:
Week 1:
Week 0:
The set of all words where the fourth letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
The set of all words containing a doubled consonant (BB, CC, DD, FF, . . . XX, ZZ): ONE
The set of all words in which the 3rd and 5th letters both exist and are a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y) and a consonant (any letter besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y) in some order: TWO
The set of all words that begin with and end with a consonant (anything besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y): ALL
Week 1:
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing at least one of the letter combinations HH, KK, LL, SS, and ZZ: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing at least three instances of vowels (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
Week 2:
[Izak Bulten] The set of all words containing 7 or more letters: NONE
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant and at least one instance of the letter I: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): TWO
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that are greater than or equal to 6 letters in length: ONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length less than or equal to 6 letters: ALL
Week 3:
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant, but containing neither O nor U: ONE
[Kevin Orfield] 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): NONE
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that begin with R, S, T, L, or N: TWO
[Ryan Faley] The set of all words consisting entirely of letters worth at most 3 points in English-language Scrabble (ABCDEGILMNOPRSTU): ONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length 4 or 5: TWO
Week 4:
[Izak Bulten] [private guess of a set of 3 words]: TWO
[John Bulten] The set of all words where exactly two letters are B, H, K, or L: TWO
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant and beginning with a letter between L and V inclusive: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing W, X, Y, or Z: NONE
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that begin with and end with the same letter: NONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words containing exactly one distinct vowel (and any number of instances of that vowel): TWO
The Grandmaster Puzzles gift card value is now $42.
The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $42.
Call it a hunch, but based on Izak's guess, I have a sneaking suspicion that this contest is almost over!
Submit more guesses!
Wordy Wednesday 410: Pent Words 82
WORDY WEDNESDAY #407
THIS PUZZLE IS 2 SHORT! (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:
THIS PUZZLE IS 2 SHORT! (answer)
Cole Kendall **
Karen Spencer **
Leo Termin **
Stephen Potter **
Kevin Orfield **
Lee Glascock **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
WORDY WEDNESDAY #408
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 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:
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 16 (answer)
Cindy Heisler **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Leo Termin **
Mary Maynard **
Stephen Potter **
Kevin Orfield **
Lee Glascock **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
WORDY WEDNESDAY #409
TOUCHWORD 20 (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!
TOUCHWORD 20 (hint)
WORDY WEDNESDAY #410
PENT WORDS 82
(click here for a PDF version)
PENT WORDS 82
(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 2012-2018 series with Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope / Bovine comment
2 Get ready to be photographed, say / Potion
3 Irritating skin sensation / Some wading birds
4 Bit of Warsaw wampum / Solitaire waste pile
5 Loosen shoelaces, say / With “the”, 2020 Taylor Swift hit that begins, “Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?”
6 Fleets of warships / Make a choice
7 Fought, as families / Berserk
8 Anger / Land for grazing
9 Pita bread sandwich / “Are we ____ fun yet?”
10 ____ Libre (2006 comedy film) / Jesus wore one made of thorns
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Wreak ____
* Interrogation response, possibly
* Courage
* Word on a triangular sign
* Give back, as loaned money
* All ____ Up! (2003-2008 Rugrats spin-off)
* Famed fabulist
* Italian shroud site
* Metal band Papa ____
* Pretend
* New ____, India
* Welles of Touch of Evil (1958)
* Sitcom title character Findlay
* American Olympic swimmer Mark
* Like the Islamic calendar, but not the Gregorian calendar
* Pursue secretly and obsessively
* Add fuel to, as a fire
* Boat for Pocahontas, perhaps
Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, keep on living, and yappy solving!
2 Get ready to be photographed, say / Potion
3 Irritating skin sensation / Some wading birds
4 Bit of Warsaw wampum / Solitaire waste pile
5 Loosen shoelaces, say / With “the”, 2020 Taylor Swift hit that begins, “Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?”
6 Fleets of warships / Make a choice
7 Fought, as families / Berserk
8 Anger / Land for grazing
9 Pita bread sandwich / “Are we ____ fun yet?”
10 ____ Libre (2006 comedy film) / Jesus wore one made of thorns
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Wreak ____
* Interrogation response, possibly
* Courage
* Word on a triangular sign
* Give back, as loaned money
* All ____ Up! (2003-2008 Rugrats spin-off)
* Famed fabulist
* Italian shroud site
* Metal band Papa ____
* Pretend
* New ____, India
* Welles of Touch of Evil (1958)
* Sitcom title character Findlay
* American Olympic swimmer Mark
* Like the Islamic calendar, but not the Gregorian calendar
* Pursue secretly and obsessively
* Add fuel to, as a fire
* Boat for Pocahontas, perhaps
COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What state's flag depicts a banner reading “Battle Born”?
Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, keep on living, and yappy solving!
Contest: Let's Guess Three Words III! (Week 3 update)
For full rules, see here.
Week 0:
Week 1:
Week 0:
The set of all words where the fourth letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
The set of all words containing a doubled consonant (BB, CC, DD, FF, . . . XX, ZZ): ONE
The set of all words in which the 3rd and 5th letters both exist and are a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y) and a consonant (any letter besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y) in some order: TWO
The set of all words that begin with and end with a consonant (anything besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y): ALL
Week 1:
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing at least one of the letter combinations HH, KK, LL, SS, and ZZ: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing at least three instances of vowels (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
Week 2:
[Izak Bulten] The set of all words containing 7 or more letters: NONE
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant and at least one instance of the letter I: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): TWO
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that are greater than or equal to 6 letters in length: ONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length less than or equal to 6 letters: ALL
Week 3:
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant, but containing neither O nor U: ONE
[Kevin Orfield] 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): NONE
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that begin with R, S, T, L, or N: TWO
[Ryan Faley] The set of all words consisting entirely of letters worth at most 3 points in English-language Scrabble (ABCDEGILMNOPRSTU): ONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length 4 or 5: TWO
The Grandmaster Puzzles gift card value is now $44.
Wordy Wednesday 409: Touchword 20
WORDY WEDNESDAY #406
SECTION SIX 40 (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:
SECTION SIX 40 (answer)
Cindy Heisler **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Kyle Nils **
Leo Termin **
Mark Ballinger **
Stephen Potter **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
WORDY WEDNESDAY #407
THIS PUZZLE IS 2 SHORT! (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!
THIS PUZZLE IS 2 SHORT! (hint)
WORDY WEDNESDAY #408
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 16 (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!
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 16 (hint)
WORDY WEDNESDAY #409
TOUCHWORD 20
(click here for a PDF version)
This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Sagar Sarda. Support me on Patreon at the $5 per month level and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the $20 per month level to suggest one seed word every month!
TOUCHWORD 20
(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 Decisive blow: 3 wds. / Supermodel Kate
2 Very brief poem / With The, 1985-1992 Canadian cartoon with aardvark villain Cyril Sneer
3 Entire / Reckon
4 Mexican foodstuff in a husk / “There's a ____ in My Beer” (Hank Williams song) / Pie shell
5 What Buzz McCallister has as a pet in Home Alone / Least common
6 Oppressive ruler / Extreme / For fear that
7 Big name in hotels / Prepare a manuscript for publication, say / Nastiness
8 Police, slangily / Ennui / The Postman Always Rings ____
9 Star Trek actor Nimoy / Boot / Become aware, with “up”
10 Simpleton / Protective suits / Come up
11 Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix / Parkay product
12 Item in a golf bag / North Dakota’s largest city / Stereotypical magician’s prop
13 What whole milk has more of than skim milk / Former Governor of Vermont Dean
14 Carried / Newspaper comic named after creator Parisi: 3 wds.
15 Wiener and batter on a stick: 2 wds. / N95, for one: 2 wds.
COMING NEXT WEEK. . .
* What's a 5-letter word for "All ____ Up! (2003-2008 Rugrats spin-off)"?
Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, keep on living, and yappy solving!
Contest: Let's Guess Three Words III! (Week 2 update)
For full rules, see here.
Week 0:
Week 1:
Week 0:
The set of all words where the fourth letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
The set of all words containing a doubled consonant (BB, CC, DD, FF, . . . XX, ZZ): ONE
The set of all words in which the 3rd and 5th letters both exist and are a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y) and a consonant (any letter besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y) in some order: TWO
The set of all words that begin with and end with a consonant (anything besides A, E, I, O, U, or Y): ALL
Week 1:
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing at least one of the letter combinations HH, KK, LL, SS, and ZZ: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words containing at least three instances of vowels (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): NONE
Week 2:
[Izak Bulten] The set of all words containing 7 or more letters: NONE
[Kenneth Wilson] The set of all words containing a doubled consonant and at least one instance of the letter I: NONE
[Kevin Orfield] The set of all words in which the second letter is a vowel (A, E, I, O, U, or Y): TWO
[Kyle Nils] The set of all words that are greater than or equal to 6 letters in length: ONE
[Sam Levitin] The set of all words of length less than or equal to 6 letters: ALL
Special shout-out to Izak Bulten and Sam Levitin on their impeccable teamwork this week!
Due to a donation to the Food Bank of West Central Texas on my behalf (by a donor whom I shall leave anonymous), I have decided to offer 11 copies of the Anacrossword Twenty-Pack to participants in this contest. The randomly-selected winner of this contest as laid out in the existing rules will get first dibs, followed by anybody who solves the word trio and then anyone who merely participates but doesn't solve the words. An additional copy will be added for every $8 in the final money pool, rounded down.
The Grandmaster Puzzles gift card value is now $46.
The money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is now $46.
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A guide to recurring Wordy Wednesday formats.
I have set out to write a page on longtime recurring Wordy Wednesday puzzle formats in which instructions were initially deemed unnecessary, perhaps because I didn’t foresee them recurring as often as they do, and because they employ conventions that every veteran puzzler takes for granted, yet which utterly elude newbies. As my audience expands to include said newbies, it is seeming necessary to lay these conventions and rules out more explicitly. In many cases, there isn't room on the page of the actual puzzle PDF for the full instructions without making the text smaller, and editing numerous past puzzles to include them is a hassle, but future installments of these formats will include a link to this post for reference.
If a puzzle includes no instructions and a number at the end of its title, it possibly belongs here. If a puzzle includes no instructions and doesn't have a number at the end of its title, it's often a Mystery Hunt-style puzzle where figuring out the instructions is the meat of the puzzle.
Anacrossword
Solve the crossword using the clues provided. When the letters in the numbered squares are transferred to the same-numbered blanks, you will reveal a clue to the final answer. Work back and forth between the blanks and the crossword to finish the puzzle. In the hard versions, the clues are listed alphabetically by their answers; you must determine where each answer belongs. Additionally, spaces and punctuation are not provided for the final clue. In the easy versions, the location for each answer is given, as are spaces and punctuation for the final clue.
Crypticrostic
Solve the cryptic crossword-style clues; numerous guides to cryptic crosswords exist online, including this one from the National Puzzlers' League. Transfer the letters from the numbered blanks to the same-numbered blanks at the top to form one final cryptic clue whose answer you seek. In the hard version, spaces and punctuation are not provided for the final clue, and the other clues are listed alphabetically by the clue itself so as to provide no assistance to the solver. In the easy version, spaces and punctuation are provided for the final clue, and the other clues are listed alphabetically by the answer. Additionally, the type(s) of wordplay in each clue, including the final one, is shown as a solving aid. (A peculiar convention of my easy Crypticrostics, initially born out of ignorance, but now kept in play for the sake of internal consistency, is that what the NPL guide calls "deletions" are split into two separate types of wordplay, referred to as "deletion" and "subtraction". A "deletion" involves removing letters from a specified position in a word, such as the first, central, or last letter; a "subtraction" involves removing specified letters, such as the letter A or T or even a string.)
Divided Into Columns
A fusion of anacrostic puzzles (minus the crostic) and dropquotes. Solve the provided clues, transferring the letters from the numbered blanks to the same-numbered squares in the grid at the top. As a solving aid, the clues are listed alphabetically by their answers, and the letters are also alphabetized within each column. Then figured out the correct order to place the letters in each column in the white squares below to spell a clue to the final answer. Black squares (and nothing else) indicate the end of a word; a word can wrap from the right end of one line to the left end of the next. In accordance with dropquote conventions, capitalization and punctuation aren't show except for hyphens. In the easy version, the top set of squares in the dropquote grid is removed, and the squares in the final clue are directly numbered.
DIV IDE DIN TOT RIP LES
A fusion of anacrostic puzzles (minus the crostic) and a puzzle the National Puzzlers' League calls "anaquotes". Solve the provided clues, transferring the letters from the numbered blanks to the same-numbered blanks in the middle of the puzzle, which are grouped into threes. As a solving aid, the clues are listed alphabetically by their answers, and the trios of letters are also alphabetized. Then figured out the correct order to place the trios of letters in the top set of blanks to spell a clue to the final answer. Carets (^) are shown below the blanks to delineate the groups of three as a solving aid. In accordance with NPL conventions, an asterisk (*) to the left of a blank indicates a letter that is capitalized all the time due to its use in a proper noun or adjective, and a caret (^) to the left of a blank indicates a letter that is capitalized due to its use in a title. For example, ^Sir *Isaac *Newton's favorite film is "^Gravity". In the easy version, the middle set of blanks is removed, and the blanks in the final clue are directly numbered.
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