Wordy Wednesday 626: Section Six 62

WORDY WEDNESDAY #624
LOGICROSSWORD 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:
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz *
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #625
PENT WORDS 125 (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 #626
SECTION SIX 26
(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 Kevin who played the atheist philosophy professor in God’s Not Dead (2014)
2 Seat in a park
3 Meticulously refurbish, as a car
4 “Gimme ____” (Rolling Stones hit)
5 Movement associated with Andy Warhol: 2 wds.
6 ____ Peninsula (peninsula comprising Spain and Portugal)

Ring 2
• New ____, India
• Snoozed
• Surgical procedures
• Big name in online vacation rentals
• Solemn promise

Ring 3
• Get oneself cleaned up
• High point of a small mound of earth
• Fanatical devotee to a political faction
• Metallic element whose symbol is Fe

Ring 4
• Dried grape
• Bordello
• Certain African mammal, briefly

Ring 5
• It means “tray planting” in Japanese
• Not rude at all

Ring 6
• City on the Mexican border located at the western end of U.S. Highway 62: 2 wds.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What is Florida’s official state marine mammal?

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

Wordy Wednesday 625: Pent Words 125

WORDY WEDNESDAY #623
CODEWORDS 29 (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 **
Randy Rogers *
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #624
LOGICROSSWORD 12 (hint)

As of this writing, 6 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 #625
PENT WORDS 125
(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, 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 1959-1965 TV series starring Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates / Storage container
2 Dah’s counterpart / Challenge
3 Large body of water / Upright part between stair treads
4 Casing for a knife blade / Dog-biting insect
5 Platter carried by a waiter / Read carefully
6 Cartoonist Disney / Tibetan mountain guide
7 Fashion designer Giorgio / Closed circuit
8 Spiky desert plant / At any time
9 One who belongs to a club / Hand over ____
10 Cult of the ____ (2022 roguelike video game) / The third-most populated city in Colorado
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Overly excited
• Overly excited
• Rage
• Windows version after XP
• Structure on which sacrifices are offered
• “____ lips sink ships”
• “____ Ga Ga” (1984 Queen song)
• A potato is one
• “You Make Me Wanna…” singer
• Venomous African snake
• National ____ Association (gun rights group)
• Red ledger entry
• Rub out, as pencil marks
• Hummingbirds’ homes
• Barbarian portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Plastic drinking implement
• Swindler
• Humped mammal

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 6-letter, 2-word answer for "City on the Mexican border located at the western end of U.S. Highway 62"?
Submit your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com. Until next time, happy solving!

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #1 (RESULTS!)

The 1st triannual Triple Crown Fox Derby from two weeks ago has concluded. Click here for a PDF of all the puzzle solutions. The contest results follow.

22 foxes qualified for the first race, the Kittucky Derby, by solving all three puzzles. Race results:
Gate 1: Foxy McFoxface, Michael J. Fox
Gate 2: Endless Foxtabilities
Gate 3: Neighsayer, Paul
Gate 4: Bright Tail, Not a Werewolf
Gate 5: John Quincy Adams
Gate 6: Fox in Socks
Gate 7: Derek
Gate 8: Mesquite, Paprika, Vixen for a Fight
Gate 9: Sandy
Gate 10: Alex, Finn Shenanigan
Gate 11: Sean Ryan Fox
Gate 14: Kit Katsune
Gate 17: Vivica A. Fox
Gate 21: Granny Fox
Gate 28: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson
Gate 42: Oxxo

Endless Foxtabilities had a bit of difficulty qualifying for this race, as a PNG of the LITS solution was not attached correctly in the initial email. Luckily, a follow-up email resolved this issue. 10 other foxes finished; gate 8 was the most crowded, with 3 foxes.

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

Gate 2: Endless Foxtabilities, Foxy McFoxface, Michael J. Fox
Gate 4: Mesquite, Neighsayer, Not a Werewolf, Paul
Gate 5: Bright Tail
Gate 6: Fox in Socks, Kitsune
Gate 7: Derek
Gate 8: Vixen for a Fight
Gate 9: Sandy, Sir Fluffington
Gate 12: Sean Ryan Fox
Gate 13: Paprika
Gate 14: Alex, Finn Shenanigan, Kit Katsune
Gate 16: John Quincy Adams
Gate 17: Vivica A. Fox
Gate 21: Granny Fox
Gate 28: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson
Gate 42: Oxxo

Shocking, none of these foxes were bold enough to try gate 1 (or 3), which would have changed the race outcome significantly. Besides the winner Bright Tail, 9 other foxes finished; gate 4 was the most crowded, with 4 foxes.

 

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

Gate 1: Vixen for a Fight
Gate 2: Endless Foxtabilities, Mesquite
Gate 3: Foxy McFoxface, Michael J. Fox
Gate 4: Not a Werewolf
Gate 5: Neighsayer, Paul
Gate 6: Bright Tail, Finn Shenanigan, Fox in Socks, Kitsune
Gate 7: Derek
Gate 9: Sandy, Sir Fluffington
Gate 13: Sean Ryan Fox
Gate 14: Kit Katsune
Gate 16: Alex
Gate 17: Paprika, Vivica A. Fox
Gate 21: Granny Fox
Gate 28: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson
Gate 29: John Quincy Adams
Gate 42: Oxxo
Vixen for a Fight, whose gate 1 strategy paid off handsomely, was the second-to-last fox entered (hours before the deadline); 10 other foxes finished, including Mesquite at gate 2 who would have won without this last-minute entry; gate 6 was the most crowded, with 3 foxes (though it would have been 4 foxes had Bright Tail not been busy celebrating at the Sneakness Stakes winner's podium).

The three winners, Ken Crowell, Spheniscine Kynosoura, and Tamara Brenner, will soon be contacted about redeeming their prizes. Thanks to you all for participating! The 2nd triannual Triple Crown Fox Derby will be held on March 17, 2025. Perhaps the participants will have a better idea of how many other participants there will be this time, and factor that into their strategies. . .

Wordy Wednesday 624: Logicrossword 12

WORDY WEDNESDAY #622
LOGICROSSWORD 11 (answer)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #623
CODEWORDS 29 (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 #624
LOGICROSSWORD 12
(click here for a PDF version)

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

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

AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY BA BE BI BO BY DA DE DO ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EW EX FA FE GI GO HA HE HI HM HO ID IF IN IS IT JO KA KI LA LI LO MA ME MI MM MO MU MY NA NE NO NU OD OE OF OH OI OK OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY PA PE PI PO QI RE SH SI SO TA TE TI TO UH UM UN UP US UT WE WO XI XU YA YE YO ZA
• No two black cells share an edge. All the white cells are connected through their edges. No word is repeated in the grid.
• Rows 2 and 8 contain the words ENAMEL and EUCHRE, in some order.
• Row 3 contains the word OPS.
• Row 4 contains a 2-letter word.
• Column C contains a word whose first and third letters are the same, and whose second letter is the same as the topmost letter in the column.
• Column D contains the word ROE.
• Column E contains the words LUDO and LUNA.
• Column G contains the word WAX.
• Column H contains the word TEA.
• Column I contains exactly 1 black cell.
• The words NOO and UNI intersect.
• A 5-letter word and a 6-letter word intersect at A9.
• Two words of the same length intersect at B1.
• The words DAFT, ECO, IN, MU, and TO appear somewhere.
• The rightmost letter in row 6 is the same as the bottommost letter in column F.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "National ____ Association (gun rights group)"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 623: Codewords 29

WORDY WEDNESDAY #621
GET YOUR FLEET WET

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #622
LOGICROSSWORD 11 (hint)

As of this writing, 6 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 #623
CODEWORDS 29
(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. . .

* A Logicrossword!

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

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #1

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

 

Outside the Fox Puzzles is proud to sponsor the 1st 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, December 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM Central Time.

This contest combines a Touchword puzzle, a gridded logic puzzle, and a variety word puzzle (see the next pages) 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 consist of the following:
• Your answers to the three puzzles, as explained in their respective instructions.
• 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. 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 Injures / Cogitate
2 Pointy projection, as on a fishing hook / Very thin
3 Indiscreetly reveal a secret / Magician’s skill
4 Country singer Shelton / President Eisenhower’s first name
5 Reached a high point / Conestoga ____
6 1977 film with the song “Candle on the Water”: 2 wds.
7 Location / Person in an operating room
8 2002 M. Night Shyamalan film in which crop circles are found in a Pennsylvania cornfield / Pressing, as a need
9 A variety of brandy / ____ Orange (Vietnam War herbicide)
10 Certain punctuation mark / Play the chess move O-O or O-O-O
11 Soccer great Mia / One of Jesus’s twelve

LITS
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Shade some cells black. Every outlined region must contain exactly four black cells, which form a tetromino (that is, they are all connected to each other through their edges). No 2x2 area may be entirely black. No two tetrominoes of the same shape (including rotations and reflections) may share an edge. All of the black cells must be connected through their edges. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

 
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 quote followed by its author. Work back and forth between the quote and the crossword to finish the puzzle. The clues are listed alphabetically by their answers; you must determine where each answer belongs. Additionally, spaces and punctuation are not provided for the quote. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit either the completed grid or the full quote (including the author).

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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
CLUES
• Small fish used as a pizza topping
• Upper room used for storage
• Culpability
• Comic book publisher acquired by Disney in 2009
• “Live long and ____” (phrase accompanying the Vulcan salute)
• According to the book of Genesis, it’s a sign of God’s promise not to flood the Earth
• Avoid, as by moving laterally
• Louise who played Ginger Grant on Gilligan’s Island
• Canadian city that hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics

Wordy Wednesday 622: Logicrossword 11

WORDY WEDNESDAY #620
PENT WORDS 124 (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 **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #621
GET YOUR FLEET WET (hint)

As of this writing,7 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 #622
LOGICROSSWORD 11
(click here for a PDF version)

Blacken some cells in the grid and fill the rest with letters to form words. Hereafter, a “word” refers to any string of two or more consecutive letters reading from left to right or top to bottom, bounded on both sides by black cells or the edge of the grid. All words are Scrabble-legal and appear in the NASPA Word List 2023 Edition (NWL2023); except for some 2-letter words (listed at the bottom of the page) and some obscure words which are mentioned explicitly in the clues, all of the words in the solution should be familiar. Use the clues, logic, and your vocabulary to find the solution.

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

• No two black cells share an edge. All the white cells are connected through their edges. No word is repeated in the grid.
• Row 1 does not contain the letter A or U.
• Row 3 contains the word NEE (which intersects EGER and NEUM).
• Row 8 contains the words BRR (whose last letter intersects ART) and OORIE (which intersects HIE).
• Row 9 contains exactly one black cell, but does not contain the letter D.
• Column A contains a 6-letter word beginning with W. Column A does not contain the letter D, G, or Y.
• Column E contains two 4-letter words, one of which is PRIG.
• Column F contains a 9-letter word, which is the only word longer than 6 letters in the grid.
• Column G contains the letter T.
• Column I contains a 6-letter word beginning with S.
• The word AI intersects the word GI.
• The word LULU intersects a 5-letter word beginning with N.
AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY BA BE BI BO BY DA DE DO ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EW EX FA FE GI GO HA HE HI HM HO ID IF IN IS IT JO KA KI LA LI LO MA ME MI MM MO MU MY NA NE NO NU OD OE OF OH OI OK OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY PA PE PI PO QI RE SH SI SO TA TE TI TO UH UM UN UP US UT WE WO XI XU YA YE YO ZA

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 8: FINAL RESULTS!

FINAL SCORES

Here is a table of all of the participants and their scores (click to enlarge). Kudos to the 9 perfectionists (red) who scored 500 points and to the 3 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 7350. Thus, the final money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $73.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $294.00. The total amount of money raised by Kevin's Puzzles at Home for various food banks now stands at $2,907.00.

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 January when I plan to launch Season 9! And come back next Monday for a special contest sponsored by my Outside the Box Puzzles subscription service. Yep, contests are coming back!

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Year 2!

OUTSIDE THE FOX PUZZLES: YEAR 2

"Touchwords are my favorite crossword variant" - Daily Crossword Links

Outside the Fox Puzzles is a puzzle subscription service in the style of Joon Pahk's Outside the Box Puzzles (spelled with a B, not an F). It is the world's only puzzle subscription service to guarantee that none of the puzzles have been eaten by a fox, and judging by the relative success of Year 1 (which is 90% finished as of this writing), I think I can justify offering a Year 2.

Outside the Fox Puzzles uses a "pay what you want" model; the minimum price for one year of puzzles is US$10, but some folks are willing to spend more than that, and I aim to please. Every Tuesday for 50 weeks (January 7 through December 16, 2025), at 8:00 AM Central Time, I will release three new puzzles:

* A Touchword. This is a crossword variation of my own invention, featuring words which touch instead of crossing. These alternate between 11x11 (mini) and 15x15 (standard) puzzles each week.
* A gridded logic puzzle. Any logic puzzle genre which is playable on puzz.link is fair game.
* A variety word puzzle. It could be a meaty 15x15 Pathfinder, it could be a brief one-liner like you'd hear Will Shortz give on NPR, it could be anywhere in between. The only guarantee is that your wordplay abilities will be tested, and hopefully rewarded to some extent.

You will get three PDF's each week: one for the puzzles, one for the hints, and one for the solutions. You will also get two PUZ files for each Touchword (one for the normal version and one for the easy version), plus PUZ files for any variety word puzzles which I can offer in that format. Becoming a subscriber to Outside the Fox Puzzles is a simple 4-step process:

Step 1: Add outsidethefoxpuzzles@gmail.com to your address book or whitelist to ensure smooth email delivery.

Step 2: Send me a payment of at least US$10. You may skip this step if you were a Patreon user at the $20/month Ultra Fan level at any point during 2024 or 2025. Otherwise, go to https://paypal.me/mathgrant. ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT: Mention “Outside the Fox Puzzles Year 2” and the email address with which you want to subscribe!

Step 3: Request to join the Google group at https://groups.google.com/g/outside-the-fox-puzzles-year-2/. (This step is mostly optional, since I can usually invite you to the group or even add you directly if you gave me an email address with which to do so during step 2, but it does help. If you do this step, chances are the email address that Google will use is the Gmail address with which you were signed in; if that's different from the email address that you mentioned to me, then I will assume that the latter is the one you actually want.)
 

Step 4: Wait for me to manually vet your request and add you. You are now a member of the group and will receive a weekly dose of puzzle fun via email! If you joined after January 7, 2025, you may also dive into the archive of puzzles you missed while you wait for the next weekly email! Yappy solving! (Reach out to me via email at glmathgrant@gmail.com or outsidethefoxpuzzles@gmail.com if you have any issues.)

 

Want to subscribe to a previous year? You can instantly download all of Year 1's puzzles as a ZIP file!

I would like to publicly thank the members of the Outside the Fox Puzzles testing team who have made this experiment possible: Jason Boomer, John Bulten, Joseph DeVincentis, Tower Lachesism, Sam Levitin, Spheniscine Kynosoura, and Kevin Orfield.

 

OUTSIDE THE FOX PUZZLES SAMPLER

To entice you, here is a free sampler curated from the puzzles published thus far in Outside the Fox Puzzles! (This is the same sampler that I published on my birthday in May, so if you already saw it, feel free to skip.) Click here for a PDF of all of the puzzles, click here for a PDF of all of the hints (the "hint document" referred to in the instructions of each puzzle), and click here for a PDF of all of the solutions.

YEAR 1, WEEK 13 (MARCH 26, 2024)
TOUCHWORD

PUZ version | PUZ version (easier)

Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. If you want help, full answer enumerations are in this week’s hint document.

1 Seductress / One of the Great Lakes
2 State represented by Bernie Sanders / One of the Great Lakes
3 Pests / Ganders’ mates
4 Surname of the first host of Jeopardy! / Symbol for silence on a music staff
5 Thoroughfare associated with the British national press: 2 wds.
6 Brings back to an initial state / Seven Years in ____ (1997 movie starring Brad Pitt)
7 Word in the fine print of many beer ads
8 ____ of mass destruction / Like Larry’s songs in VeggieTales
9 “If the shoe fits, ____ it” / Phi’s predecessor
10 Rip to shreds: 2 wds. / Boca ____, Florida
11 Feminine hygiene item / 4:3, for example

YEAR 1, WEEK 20 (MAY 14, 2024)
TOUCHWORD

PUZ version | PUZ version (easier)

Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. If you want help, full answer enumerations are in this week’s hint document.

1 Relocate / Common allergen / Typeface ornamentation
2 The Spy Who ____ Me / Antics / Browse, as the Internet
3 Portrait’s counterpart / Remove doubt
4 A sedimentary rock / Charm
5 Ointment / Mass of lymphoid tissue in the throat / Oaf
6 Like a cloud’s figurative lining / 2015 animated film about Riley’s feelings: 2 wds.
7 Share, with “up” / Starr of the Beatles / ____ Note (2006-2007 anime)
8 Stop-motion series whose opening theme is an instrumental version of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”: 3 wds.
9 Captain ____ and the Teen Angels (1977-1980 Hanna-Barbera cartoon) / ____ saving time
10 Walking stick / Spotted Central American cat / The Hateful ____ (2015 film)
11 Balsamic ____ / Cheer / Composer Stravinsky
12 MasterCard alternative / Use mouthwash / One under a legal age
13 Have different opinions / Symposium
14 “Consider it ____!” / Arborist’s concerns / This Is ____ Tap (1984 rock mockumentary)
15 Impressionist Claude / Brand of chocolate mints / Danger

YEAR 1, WEEK 12 (MARCH 19, 2024)
MID-LOOP
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Draw a single loop composed of horizontal and vertical line segments connecting the centers of cells; the loop may not cross itself or branch off. Every dot must mark the midpoint of a horizontal or vertical line segment in the loop. If you want help, solving hints are in this week’s hint document.

YEAR 1, WEEK 16 (APRIL 16, 2024)
CROSS THE STREAMS
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Shade some cells black. Numbers to the left of a row or above a column represent the lengths of the blocks of consecutive shaded cells in that row or column, in order. “?” represents a block of any length; “*” represents any number of blocks, including possibly none. No 2x2 area may be entirely shaded. All of the shaded cells must be connected through their edges. (The thick grid lines are a counting aid, but are otherwise meaningless.) If you want help, solving hints are in this week’s hint document.

YEAR 1, WEEK 10 (MARCH 5, 2024)
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 quote followed by its author. Work back and forth between the quote and the crossword to finish the puzzle. The clues are listed alphabetically by their answers; you must determine where each answer belongs. Additionally, spaces and punctuation are not provided for the quote. If you want help, the locations and full enumerations of the answers and the spacing and punctuation of the quote are in this week’s hint document.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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 92 93 94 95 96
__
97
CLUES
• Sailor’s greeting
• “Praise the Lord and Pass the ____”
• Irritate
• PopCap puzzle game in which players match gems
• Start up, as a computer
• The capital of Wales
• Certain onion relative
• Snowman in an animated Christmas special
• The Rocky ____ Picture Show
• Johnson Space Center’s city
• Immediate
• Character portrayed as a brown bear in Disney’s Robin Hood: 2 wds.
• “Monster ____” (Bobby “Boris” Pickett song)
• Like a boxing event on HBO: hyph.
• Wrinkly Chinese dog breed: hyph.
• Stiffening agent used in laundering
• Classic puzzle game whose spin-offs include Arika’s Japan-only The Grand Master arcade games
• Plane, train, or automobile

YEAR 1, WEEK 18 (APRIL 30, 2024)
PATHFINDER
In this puzzle, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered square, goes in some direction, and makes one or more right-angled turns as it winds through the grid. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries. If you want help, full answer enumerations and starting directions of the answers are in this week’s hint document.

1 Street ____ (4)
1 Goblet (7)
2 The Phantom ____ (Norton Juster novel) (9)
3 Boston ____ (2004-2008 series) (5)
4 Gad about (9)
5 Famous Edvard Grieg work (26, 7 wds.)
6 Accounting concern (7)
7 Glutinous grain with a gluelike texture (10, 2 wds.)
8 Board game in which players claim railway routes with train cards (12, 3 wds.)
9 Pieces of furniture housing printed materials (9)
10 Citrusy name of an ocean predator (10, 2 wds.)
11 The first tsar of Russia (15, 3 wds.)
12 Wormwood- and anise-flavored liquor (8)
13 Former German chancellor Angela (6)
14 Knight’s spear (5)
15 Samples, as food (6)
16 Computer directory (6)
17 Onion relative (7)
18 Have an excessive preoccupation (6)
19 Rich cake (5)
20 Goatlike companion of Dionysus (5)
21 Truck company with a bulldog in the logo (4)
21 Brief written message (4)
22 The lead singer of U2 (4)
23 Like Arial, but not Times New Roman (9, hyph.)
24 Tennis great Arthur (4)
25 Certain seabird (4)
26 Trends (10)
27 A beachgoer might want to get one (6)
28 Pressing need? (4)
29 Certain cut of pork (6)
30 Crowded (5)
31 Recently formed (7)
32 Long-barreled firearm (5)
33 ____ of contents (5)
34 ____ of ceremonies (6)
34 Singer-songwriter Alanis (10)
35 Climb (6)
36 ____ verb (“be”, for example) (7)
37 Natural incline (8)
38 Cold sensations (6)
39 Karate teacher (6)
40 Towards the back of a ship (6)
41 Psycho (1960) villain Norman (5)
42 Toss, as dice (4)
43 Jeweler’s unit of weight (5)
44 Comedienne Burnett (5)
44 Cloudy area of the lens of the eye (8)

Wordy Wednesday 621: Get Your Fleet Wet

WORDY WEDNESDAY #619
SUDOKUROSTIC 6 (answer)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #620
PENT WORDS 124 (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 #621
GET YOUR FLEET WET
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Russ Kale. 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!

You’ve fired many shots at this fleet, but it keeps eluding you! Can you use the radar clues to end this naval battle once and for all?

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Logicrossword!
* Patron Puzzle #126, which will be delivered on November 8, 2024, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a pair of Codewords.

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 8: Final hint and final week!

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 8"): click here

Episode 1 (Confection Conundrum): 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 2 (Can "Ewe" Count?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 3 (It's Not Rock-et Science): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 4 (Subterranean Stumper): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 5 (Challenging Choices): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 6 (What Word'll Be the Answer?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 15 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 7 (Get Rect): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 8 (Are You Ready "Four" a Challenge?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 9 (Meta) (When Kevins Collide): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 7250. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $72.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $290.00. 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 620: Pent Words 124

WORDY WEDNESDAY #618
ANACROSSWORD 41 (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 **
Nan *
Pavel Curtis **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #619
SUDOKUROSTIC 6 (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 #620
PENT WORDS 124
(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 Mia Hamm’s sport / On a boat on the ocean
2 Place of worship / Inch, foot, or yard
3 Fabric sample / Green vegetable related to cabbage
4 Companion of Simon and Theodore / It’s held in a courtroom
5 Certain Volkswagen model / Semicircular vaulted recess
6 Furor / Like all prime numbers except for 2
7 Red ____ (children’s game) / Surname of the family from the soap opera Dallas
8 Fungus used in brewing / Bell’s sound
9 Give a darn / Creature from the Black ____ (1954 film)
10 Sticky stuff / Part of a retirement plan, often
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Narrow shelf projecting from a vertical surface
• Bulbous vegetable
• Unlocks or unlatches
• Stone lined with crystals
• Completely destroy
• Adult insect
• ә
• Love Is a Many-Splendored ____
• Not hidden
• Hauling machine
• Florida’s third-most populated city
• Exit
• Item used by Bob Ross
• Happen
• Roger Radcliffe’s wife in 101 Dalmatians
• Skin ointment
• ____ pants
• ____ and bounds

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* Can you think on your "fleet" and solve this puzzle?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 8, Episode 9 (Meta): When Kevins Collide

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 8"): click here

Episode 1 (Confection Conundrum): 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 2 (Can "Ewe" Count?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 3 (It's Not Rock-et Science): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 4 (Subterranean Stumper): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 5 (Challenging Choices): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 6 (What Word'll Be the Answer?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 15 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 7 (Get Rect): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 8 (Are You Ready "Four" a Challenge?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 6075. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $60.75. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $243.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hint. These 8 answers will also be necessary for solving the meta below.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 8, EPISODE 9 (META):

WHEN KEVINS COLLIDE

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin bumped into a human who also loves puzzles and who is also named Kevin. It turned out that the two had other things in common as well! What did the wolf say about the encounter afterwards?
🐺Get Rect🐺
😀Friendly Words😀

🐺Challenging Choices🐺
😀Myth Taken😀

🐺Are You Ready “Four” a Challenge?🐺
😀Losing Battle😀

🐺It’s Not Rock-et Science🐺
😀A Picture’s Worth😀

🐺What Word’ll Be the Answer?🐺
😀True/False😀

🐺Can “Ewe” Count?🐺
😀Destination Vacation😀

🐺Subterranean Stumper🐺
😀Complete the Set😀

🐺Confection Conundrum🐺
😀Nearly There😀

---

(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 100 points, and stay tuned next week for Episode 9's hint, and then the week after for all of the solutions. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 619: Sudokurostic 6

WORDY WEDNESDAY #617
ANACROSSWORD 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:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Russ Kale **
Christopher Shaw **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #618
ANACROSSWORD 41 (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 #619
SUDOKUROSTIC 6
(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.

Mountainous region of the Eastern __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
   and Southern United States     A6 H5 E9 G7 C2 B3 A1 I5 D1 E1
Ghirardelli or Lindt offering __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                              E2 C3 B5 H7 G6 F7 F9 H6 A5
The only nation bordering the Dominican Republic __ __ __ __ __
                                                 D9 I4 A4 D3 G8
Author of a sonnet or a limerick __ __ __ __
                                 D2 E8 I9 C4
“Double, double ____ and trouble. . .” __ __ __ __
                                       F8 F1 I6 B4

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Roger Radcliffe’s wife in 101 Dalmatians"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 8, Episode 8: Are You Ready "Four" a Challenge?

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 8"): click here

Episode 1 (Confection Conundrum): 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 2 (Can "Ewe" Count?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 3 (It's Not Rock-et Science): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 4 (Subterranean Stumper): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 5 (Challenging Choices): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 6 (What Word'll Be the Answer?): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

* 15 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 0 people solved it later for 25 points.

Episode 7 (Get Rect): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 5500. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $55.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $222.00. 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 8, EPISODE 8:

ARE YOU READY “FOUR” A CHALLENGE?

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin is failing to fathom these frustrating, fiendish foursomes! Be a friend and do him a favor!

 

[Edit 2024-10-21: While this did not come up in testing, a solver has since discovered that this puzzle has two possible answers. The one with no repeated letters is the correct one.]

---

(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 8's hint and Episode 9's puzzle, a meta requiring the 8 previous answers to be solved. Good luck!