Wordy Wednesday 684: Codewords 33

WORDY WEDNESDAY #682
LETRAVEX 5 (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 **
Steve Levy *

WORDY WEDNESDAY #683
ANACROSSWORD 47 (hint)

As of this writing, 9 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #684
CODEWORDS 33
(click here for a PDF version)

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

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

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Irish poet William Butler ____"?

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

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #5 (RESULTS!)

The 5th quarterly Triple Crown Fox Derby from two weeks ago has concluded. Click here for a PDF of all the puzzle solutions. The contest results follow.

19 foxes qualified for the first race, the Kittucky Derby, by solving all three puzzles. Race results:

Gate 1: Farrah Foxcett, Fleet Fox
Gate 2: Endless Foxtabilities, Nesi, Paul, Ruin Seeker
Gate 3: Bob, Pifoot
Gate 4: Cowlitz, Guy, Isaac, Run Ron Run
Gate 7: Faux-Chi
Gate 11: Open Scoregami Ties
Gate 13: Pandora’s Fox
Gate 18: Fennik
Gate 22: Fonks the Fox
Gate 23: Vera Vixen
Gate 45: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson

At the Beach and Fox U did not even attempt the Pentominous. No fox tried to use gate 5 or 6; if one had, they could have stolen the win from Faux-Chi. Gates 2 and 4 were the most crowded, with 4 foxes each. Besides the winner Faux-Chi, 6 other foxes managed to finish.

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

Gate 1: Fleet Fox, Pifoot
Gate 2: Endless Foxtabilities, Paul, Ruin Seeker
Gate 3: Cowlitz, Farrah Foxcett, Nesi
Gate 4: Isaac
Gate 5: Faux-Chi
Gate 6: At the Beach
Gate 7: Guy
Gate 8: Bob
Gate 13: Run Ron Run
Gate 15: Open Scoregami Ties
Gate 17: Fonks the Fox
Gate 18: Fennik
Gate 23: Pandora’s Fox
Gate 29: Fox U
Gate 31: Vera Vixen
Gate 45: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson

Gates 2 and 3 were the most crowded, with 3 foxes each. Besides the winner Isaac, 11 other foxes finished.

 

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

Gate 1: Faux-Chi, Fleet Fox
Gate 2: Bob, Cowlitz, Endless Foxtabilities, Nesi, Paul, Ruin Seeker
Gate 3: Fonks the Fox
Gate 4: Isaac, Pifoot
Gate 6: At the Beach
Gate 7: Farrah Foxcett
Gate 8: Open Scoregami Ties
Gate 9: Guy
Gate 10: Run Ron Run
Gate 17: Pandora’s Fox
Gate 18: Fennik
Gate 29: Fox U
Gate 32: Vera Vixen
Gate 45: Ferris Homer Swiper Carlson
Thanks to Faux-Chi hanging out in the winner's circle, Fleet Fox's bold gate 1 strategy managed to pay off. In fact, only gate 2 had more than one fox in it, but with 6 foxes fighting over it, it was a real bloodbath. Besides the winner Fleet Fox, 12 other foxes finished.

The three winners, Grayson Holmes, KeoFam, and Yossi Fendel, will soon be contacted about redeeming their prizes. Additionally, a $61 money pool will be split between the Food Bank of West Central Texas, the Food Bank for Larimer County, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank ($20.34 each), and this donation will be matched by three anonymous benefactors. Thanks to you all for participating! The 6th quarterly Triple Crown Fox Derby will be held on April 6, 2025.

Wordy Wednesday 683: Anacrossword 47

WORDY WEDNESDAY #681
TOUCHWORD 34 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #682
LETRAVEX 5 (hint)

As of this writing, 7 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 #683
ANACROSSWORD 47
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Daren Crevan. 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!

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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
• A traveler’s suitcases
• Hometown for the Hornets
• Fat also known as theobroma oil: 2 wds.
• Beverage brewed from beans
• Shortage
• Cleaning appliance in a kitchen
• Positively sentimental: hyph.
• Get
• Possession
• Hey You, ____! (Nintendo 64 game in which the player talks to a Pokémon)
• Burst of renewed energy: 2 wds.
• Salsa composer Puente
• Native American ax
• Large green fruit

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Codewords!

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

Wordy Wednesday 682: Letravex 5

WORDY WEDNESDAY #680
PENT WORDS 136 (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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #681
TOUCHWORD 34 (hint)

As of this writing, 14 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #682
LETRAVEX 5
(click here for a PDF version)

Write the 4-letter clue answers in the square tiles in the 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 the final answer, a song title, going clockwise from the leftmost triangle on the top edge.

• Helper ←
• “There Is a ____ in Gilead” →
• ____ Pro Shops ↓
• Alpha’s successor ←
• Annoying spoiled child ←
• A Great Lake →
• Perceive, as a sound →
• Arm or leg →
• Misplaced →
• Margarine ↓
• Pertaining to the mouth ↑
• “All roads lead to ____” ←
• Baking ____ →
• Propel oneself through water ←
• Fee, as for using a bridge ←
• “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak ____” →

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What fat is also known as theobroma oil?
* Patron Puzzle #140, which will be delivered on January 8, 2026, 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!

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #5

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

 

Outside the Fox Puzzles is proud to sponsor the 5th 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 first Monday of every January, April, July, and October, 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, January 18, 2026, 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.

The Triple Crown Fox Derby now also supports the three food banks featured previously in Kevin’s Puzzles at Home. For every valid puzzle solution received during the contest, I will add $1 to a money pool which will be split between the Food Bank of West Central Texas, the Food Bank for Larimer County, and the Palm Beach County Food Bank. The money pool is capped at $150 ($50 per food bank), and will be matched by three anonymous benefactors.

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!

Derby #1: 22 triple solves, 24 double solves, 24 single solves
Derby #2: 21 triple solves, 23 double solves, 23 single solves 

Derby #3: 22 triple solves, 23 double solves, 23 single solves 

Derby #4: 13 triple solves, 15 double solves, 15 single solves  

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 Spirited strut / Spicy dip for tortilla chips
2 Electric light fixtures that resemble candlesticks / A greenish shade of blue
3 Slide while seated / Rotation force
4 Italian dish often colored with saffron / Anger
5 Racy / Vibrato
6 Sport played in a four-walled court
7 Glossy varnish / Catherine who played Daisy Duke
8 Send off, as a rocket / Insect of order Blattodea, commonly
9 Like food that makes loud grinding sounds when chewed / Sign of things to come
10 Pleasure trip on a boat / Oman’s southwestern neighbor
11 Commendations / Pataky of Netflix’s Tidelands

PENTOMINOUS
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Divide the grid along the grid lines into regions, each containing exactly five cells. A letter in a cell indicates the shape of its region; the legend below indicates which letter corresponds to which shape, but shapes may appear rotated or reflected from their orientations in the legend. A region may contain no letters, one letter, or multiple letters. No two regions with the same shape (counting rotations and reflections as the same) may share an edge. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

PATCHWORK
Each row in this puzzle has two answers, to be entered in the grid in order from left to right. Answers will also be entered in irregularly-shaped patchwork pieces, always left to right, row by row within each piece, as in the examples at right. You must determine how the grid is divided and which answer goes with which piece; every square of the grid is part of exactly one piece. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid, including piece boundaries.

ROWS
1 Portugal’s neighbor / ____ wave
2 “Bohemian Rhapsody” band / What a window is made out of
3 Shaved piece of citrus peel / Saint Paul’s birthplace
4 Fashionable / Bit of corn
5 Towards shelter / Certain kitchen appliances
6 It’s in an envelope / Involuntary spasms
7 Macdonald who once hosted Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update / Ninety-nine divided by nine
8 Move smoothly / 4:3, for example
9 ____ Claire, Wisconsin / Strictly self-disciplined
10 Become less harsh / Leaf-gathering implement
PIECES
• Item in an art gallery
• NHL team with mascot Victor E. Green: 2 wds.
• Intelligent
• Throw down the gauntlet
• Nissan compact car brand
• Face the ____ (CBS public affairs program)
• Extracts toothpaste from a tube
• Enjoy a share
• Futile
• Extra hours of work
• Hardy’s partner
• Board game in which players form train routes by playing sets of matching train cards: 3 wds.
• Single-named country music singer-songwriter who collaborated with Morgan Wallen