Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #2 (RESULTS!)

The 2nd 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.

21 foxes qualified for the first race, the Kittucky Derby, by solving all three puzzles. Race results:
Gate 1: LUPI is VULPINE not LUPINE
Gate 3: Endless Foxtabilities, Paprika, Red Grey Silver, Ruin Seeker
Gate 4: Sly Guy, Snagglepuss, Vulcano
Gate 5: Fox Force Five, Mesquite, Neighsayer
Gate 6: Manic Monday, Squid
Gate 7: Derek, Fern, Fox in Socks
Gate 8: Vixen for a Fight
Gate 9: Sandy Tails
Gate 15: Swiper
Gate 17: Baxter Foxworthy
Gate 34: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson

CP80, who intended to use gate 1, was disqualified for having one wrong letter in the Touchword solution (E-FRAME instead of A-FRAME); had CP80 qualified, Vixen for a Fight would have won instead from gate 8. Besides the winner LUPI is VULPINE not LUPINE, 5 other foxes finished; gate 3 was the most crowded gate, with 4 foxes.

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

Gate 1: CP80
Gate 2: LUPI is VULPINE not LUPINE
Gate 3: Endless Foxtabilities, Mesquite
Gate 4: Manic Monday, Red Grey Silver, Ruin Seeker, Vulcano
Gate 5: Fox Force Five, Fox in Socks, Neighsayer
Gate 6: Snagglepuss
Gate 7: Derek, Paprika
Gate 8: Fern, Vixen for a Fight
Gate 9: Sandy Tails
Gate 10: Squid
Gate 13: Sly Guy
Gate 15: Swiper
Gate 17: Baxter Foxworthy
Gate 30: Calisse Tabarnac
Gate 34: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson

The fox who couldn't even enter the previous race due to a Touchword mistake completely made up for it by winning this race. Besides the winner CP80, 8 other foxes finished; gate 4 was the most crowded, with 4 foxes.

 

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

Gate 1: CP80, Fox in Socks, Vixen for a Fight
Gate 2: Mesquite
Gate 3: Endless Foxtabilities, LUPI is VULPINE not LUPINE
Gate 4: Ruin Seeker, Vulcano
Gate 5: Fox Force Five, Neighsayer, Red Grey Silver
Gate 7: Derek
Gate 8: Manic Monday, Snagglepuss
Gate 9: Fern, Sandy Tails
Gate 11: Paprika
Gate 14: Sly Guy
Gate 15: Swiper
Gate 17: Baxter Foxworthy
Gate 19: Squid
Gate 30: Calisse Tabarnac
Gate 34: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson
Fox in Socks and Vixen for a Fight were the last two foxes to enter; both of them tried a gate 1 strategy, which unfortunately did not work for them as it did for the winners of the previous two races. Mesquite, who nearly won the Tailmont Stakes last time until being beaten by a last-minute entry, has demonstrated the power of persistence by winning this time around. Besides the winner Mesquite, 9 other foxes finished; gate 5 was the most crowded, with 3 foxes. (Gate 1 would have tied gate 5, but CP80 had won a previous race.)

The three winners, Brian Joughin, CP80, and Justin Weinbaum, will soon be contacted about redeeming their prizes. Thanks to you all for participating! The 3rd triannual Triple Crown Fox Derby will be held on July 21, 2025.

Wordy Wednesday 641: Foxgeryptics 20

WORDY WEDNESDAY #639
SUDOKUROSTIC 7 (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 **
Derek Allen **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #640
PENT WORDS 128 (hint)

As of this writing, 19 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 #641
FOXGERYPTICS 20
(click here for a PDF version)

Insert a single letter in each space of each grid so that each row and column spells a word from left to right or top to bottom (including the given letters outside the grid).

Arrange the letters in the shaded spaces to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 8-letter word.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Framelinks!

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

Wordy Wednesday 640: Pent Words 128

WORDY WEDNESDAY #638
MINI TOUCHWORD 3 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **
Steve Levy **
Tower **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #639
SUDOKUROSTIC 7 (hint)

As of this writing, 12 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #640
PENT WORDS 128
(click here for a PDF version)

In this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (regions containing five cells each), and write a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the Across clues. The letters in the pentominoes, in reading order (left to right starting with the top row), will form the words hinted at by the Pentominoes clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example, the rows spell PLANT, SHARE, and BITES, and the pentominoes spell the words PLANS, TREES, and HABIT.) Use the ACROSS answers to determine where the pentominoes are.

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

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A pair of Foxgeryptics!

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

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #2

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

 

Outside the Fox Puzzles is proud to sponsor the 2nd triannual Triple Crown Fox Derby! Up to three winners of this contest will receive their choice of one of these prizes, for themselves or for anyone else of their choice:
• A 1-year subscription to Outside the Fox Puzzles, which comes with 150 puzzles just like the ones in this contest!
• A $10 gift card for Grandmaster Puzzles, with which one can buy ebooks of beautiful logic puzzles written by talented authors from around the world!
• A 2-month Premium membership on Board Game Arena, with which one can play board games in real-time and turn-based modes against opponents from around the world!

My plan is to run these contests on the third Monday of every March, July, and November (shortly after each season of Kevin’s Puzzles at Home ends), at 12:01 AM Central Time. The entry deadline will be 13 days later (on a Sunday) at 11:59 PM Central Time; in this case, the deadline is Sunday, March 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM Central Time.

This contest combines a Touchword puzzle, a gridded logic puzzle, and a variety word puzzle with a fox race. Yes, in the real world, people bet on horse races and greyhound races, but in the fantastic world of Outside the Fox Puzzles, it is foxes who race. To participate in the contest, send an e-mail to glmathgrant@[at]gmail[dot]com. Your entry should include:
• Your answers to the three puzzles, as explained in their respective instructions. (Any format, including scans or photos of printed pages, screenshots, or plain text, will work, so long as I can read and judge it.)
• The name of the fox you'll be entering in the race (this is just for fun and has no effect on the outcome).
• The number of the gate your fox will start from (any integer between 1 and 50 inclusive) in each of the three races (the Kittucky Derby, the Sneakness Stakes, and the Tailmont Stakes). You can use the same gate any number of times.

The first race is the Kittucky Derby; to qualify, you must have submitted correct solutions to all three puzzles. The second race, the Sneakness Stakes, requires only two correct solutions, and the Tailmont Stakes requires only one. Winning an earlier race disqualifies you from a later race; otherwise, you can qualify for, and participate in, one, two, or all three races. The winner of each race is the fox that started from the lowest-numbered gate that nobody else selected! Unfortunately, when two or more foxes are crammed into the same gate, they have a tendency to fight each other and to not notice when the race has started. If no foxes qualify for a race, or if all qualifying foxes end up in fights, then there will be no winner.

These statistics on the previous Triple Crown Fox Derbies may give you an estimate of how many entrants the current Derby will have and help you plan your strategy. Enjoy the puzzles, and yappy racing!

TOUCHWORD

PUZ version

Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

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

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

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

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

Wordy Wednesday 639: Sudokurostic 7

WORDY WEDNESDAY #637
CODEWORDS 31 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #638
MINI TOUCHWORD 3 (hint)

As of this writing, 18 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #639
SUDOKUROSTIC 7
(click here for a PDF version)

Solve the clues by writing one letter per blank; the clues are alphabetized by the answers as a solving aid. Transfer the letters to the corresponding spaces and fill in the remaining spaces to form a valid sudoku, but with 9 different letters instead of numbers. (Each row, column, and box must contain those 9 letters in some order.) Treat the finished grid as a word search and look for a 6-letter word, which is this puzzle’s final answer.

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

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

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

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

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

FINAL SCORES

Here is a table of all of the participants and their scores (click to enlarge). Kudos to the 11 perfectionists (red) who scored 500 points and to the 6 completionists (orange) who solved every puzzle!

Participants are sorted by score (high to low), and then alphabetically (A to Z). The total number of points scored is 9250. Thus, the final money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $92.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $370.00. The total amount of money raised by Kevin's Puzzles at Home for various food banks now stands at $3,277.00.

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

Wordy Wednesday 638: Mini Touchword 3

WORDY WEDNESDAY #636
SECTION SIX 63 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
CP80 **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Squishmallows United **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #637
CODEWORDS 31 (hint)

As of this writing, 11 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

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

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Cathy Bowen. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word.

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

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 4-letter word for "____ John’s (pizza restaurant chain)"?
* Patron Puzzle #130, which will be delivered on March 8, 2025, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Framelinks.

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

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

PREVIOUS EPISODES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

The total number of points scored is 9175. Thus, the current money pool for Palm Beach County Food Bank is $91.75. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $367.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, or the meta for 75 points, possibly with the aid of the hints. This week is your final chance to score points and earn money for the food bank!
 
Stay tuned next week for all of the solutions and the final results. Good luck!