Wordy Wednesday 606: Section Six 60

WORDY WEDNESDAY #604
FRAMELINKS 24 (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 **
James Haddad *
Michael Lebowitz **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Tamara Brenner **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #605
PENT WORDS 121 (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 #606
SECTION SIX 60
(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 Give, as blood or plasma
2 Abandon
3 Harshly denouncing
4 Remington ____ (1982-1987 detective drama series)
5 ____ diving
6 Dwarf from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs who never speaks

Ring 2
• Juvenile
• Nate who founded FiveThirtyEight
• Keto and paleo, for two
• A cellulosic textile fiber
• Mark numbers on a bingo card, perhaps

Ring 3
• Delicate
• July 24, 2024, for one
• Like your shoes after a trip to the beach, perhaps
• ____ or nothing

Ring 4
• Common Christmas tree decoration
• Able to float
• “All joking ____. . .”

Ring 5
• Locate
• “____ (Not Constantinople)” (They Might Be Giants song)

Ring 6
• Studio 60 on the ____ Strip (2006-2007 comedy-drama series created by Aaron Sorkin)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Logicrossword!

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

Wordy Wednesday 605: Pent Words 121

WORDY WEDNESDAY #603
SUDOKUROSTIC 2 (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 **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers *
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Tamara Brenner **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #604
FRAMELINKS 24 (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 #605
PENT WORDS 121
(click here for a PDF version)

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!

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 On the ____ of the moment / Witch doctor
2 Tricks of the ____ / Masked swordsman of fiction
3 Funeral sighting / Infrequently
4 Enjoys a novel / Language from which the word “corgi” is derived
5 A fungus produces it / Place to get your hair done
6 A trigonometric function / Landlord
7 Paint the ____ red / Funeral sighting
8 Item frequently eaten by a tree, much to Charlie Brown’s chagrin / Mutilate
9 Penny ____ (webcomic about video gaming) / Flat watercraft
10 Timon of ____ / Cupid’s Greek counterpart
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Reside
• Meerkat ____ (2005-2008 nature documentary series)
• Bay or cove
• Express scorn
• Partitions of a building’s interior
• Unit of gold purity
• Word after “cocktail” or “wedding”
• “Buy one, get one free” events
• Wander
• Maid of ____
• Handbag
• Ford model that explodes from a light rear-end collision in the 1984 comedy film Top Secret!
• Rectal injection
• Meet the ____ (Sunday morning NBC show)
• Tightly packed
• Cherish
• Puffy, rounded hairstyles
• Wrath

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Dwarf from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs who never speaks"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 604: Framelinks 24

WORDY WEDNESDAY #602
SUDOKUROSTIC (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers *
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #603
SUDOKUROSTIC 2 (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 #604
FRAMELINKS 24
(click here for a PDF version)

Fill in the empty squares in the diagram with the given letters to form words.
Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 8-letter word.

A A A A A A A   B B B   C C C C C C C C C   D    E E E E E E E E   H H   I I I   L L L L   M M M M
N N N N   O O O   P   R R R R   S S S S S S   T T T T T   W W   Y Y Y   Z

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Ford model that explodes from a light rear-end collision in the 1984 comedy film Top Secret!"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7: FINAL RESULTS!

FINAL SCORES

Here is a table of all of the participants and their scores (click to enlarge). Kudos to the 12 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 8400. Thus, the final money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $84.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $336.00. The total amount of money raised by Kevin's Puzzles at Home for various food banks now stands at $2,613.00.

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 September when I plan to launch Season 8!

Wordy Wednesday 603: Sudokurostic 2

WORDY WEDNESDAY #601
FOXGERYPTICS 19 (answer)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #602
SUDOKUROSTIC (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 #603
SUDOKUROSTIC 2
(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.

Mobile operating system developed by Google __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                            B9 D1 D6 H9 I1 I6 A4
Not the same __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
             B1 A8 I2 F9 A2 D2 H1 B4 F4
One giving money to a cause __ __ __ __ __
                            I9 H4 F8 F2 A6
Realm in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe __ __ __ __ __ __
                                               A9 H6 B8 H2 F1 I8
Mammal known for holding hands while sleeping __ __ __ __ __
                                              B6 A1 D9 D8 I4

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Framelinks!
* Patron Puzzle #122, which will be delivered on July 8, 2024, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Super Pent Words.

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7: Final hint and final week!

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7"): click here

Episode 1 (Five Easy Pieces): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Meteorological Mystery): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (App-y Days Are Here Again): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 4 (Texas Fever): 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 5 (Picture This): 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 6 (Yet Another Baseball Baffler): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 7 (I’ve “Add” It Up to Here!): 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 8 (Meta) (A Musical Meta): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

   

The total number of points scored is 8100. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $81.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $324.00. 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!

Wordy Wednesday 602: Sudokurostic

WORDY WEDNESDAY #600
PENT WORDS 120 (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 #601
FOXGERYPTICS 19 (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 #602
SUDOKUROSTIC
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at the Super Fan level ($5/month) and solve the monthly Patron Puzzle for a chance to suggest a seed word for a future puzzle, or at the Ultra Fan level ($20/month) to suggest one seed word every month!
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.

Register __ __ __ __ __ __
         E1 D6 F6 I7 I1 B6
The “p” in the physics equation p=mv __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                     C1 C9 D2 I9 I3 G9 A3 F4
Orange-clad ninja in a popular manga and anime __ __ __ __ __ __
                                               A1 A9 D8 H4 F2 D4
Feeling of intense fear __ __ __ __ __ __
                        A5 H2 I5 A7 H6 B2
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third vice president __ __ __ __ __ __
                                             B8 G1 F8 E9 H8 B4

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Mammal known for holding hands while sleeping"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7, Episode 8 (Meta): A Musical Meta

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7"): click here

Episode 1 (Five Easy Pieces): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Meteorological Mystery): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (App-y Days Are Here Again): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 4 (Texas Fever): 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 5 (Picture This): 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 6 (Yet Another Baseball Baffler): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 7 (I’ve “Add” It Up to Here!): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

 

The total number of points scored is 6150. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $61.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $246.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hints. These 7 answers will also be necessary for solving the meta below.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 7, EPISODE 8 (META):

A MUSICAL META

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin has composed a short song in honor of a deer (a female deer) who was his music teacher in
elementary school! Now that he’s written this masterpiece, what should Kevin do next?

---

(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 150 points, and stay tuned next week for Episode 8's hint, and then the week after for all of the solutions. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 601: Foxgeryptics 19

WORDY WEDNESDAY #599
ANACROSSWORD 39 (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 *
Randy Rogers *
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #600
PENT WORDS 120 (hint)

As of this writing, 13 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #601
FOXGERYPTICS 19
(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!

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. . .

* What's an 8-letter word for "The 'p' in the physics equation p=mv"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7, Episode 7: I’ve “Add” It Up to Here!

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7"): click here

Episode 1 (Five Easy Pieces): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Meteorological Mystery): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (App-y Days Are Here Again): 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 4 (Texas Fever): 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 5 (Picture This): 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 6 (Yet Another Baseball Baffler): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

 

The total number of points scored is 5200. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $52.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $208.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 7, EPISODE 7:

I’VE “ADD” IT UP TO HERE!

(click here for a PDF version)

These sums are making Kevin cross! Use your mathematical prowess to help him make the right totals across and down.

---

(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 7's hint and Episode 8's puzzle, a meta requiring the 7 previous answers to be solved. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 600: Pent Words 120

WORDY WEDNESDAY #598
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 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:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #599
ANACROSSWORD 39 (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 #600
PENT WORDS 120
(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 “Well done!” / Very angry
2 ____ Jam: A New Legacy (2021 film) / Model airplane wood, often
3 Ghost / What a deceiver might pull over your eyes
4 Periods of time in the name of Taylor Swift’s sixth concert tour / Shelter for aircraft
5 Twisting force / Neeson of The A-Team (2010)
6 Old Testament figure who killed an Egyptian / Rigoletto composer
7 “Another One Rides the ____” (“Weird Al” Yankovic song) / Travel website whose parent company is Expedia Group
8 White part of the eye / A Bantu language
9 Famous razor namesake / ____ of the crop
10 Helen who co-founded the ACLU / “This ____” (Faith Hill hit)
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• One employed to maintain records
• Mexican cheese dip
• Rotate
• The color blue, in heraldry
• Not quite right
• Goodbye
• “Yeah!” singer
• In grammar, it may be active or passive
• Valuations
• Sepulchers
• Organ that produces bile
• Humped animal
• Sea Salt & ____ (card game depicting origami artwork of sea creatures)
• Came up
• Name of the bear pilot in the 1990-1991 Disney cartoon TaleSpin
• ____ wolfhound
• Quality of a stereotypical Southerner’s accent
• Copper/zinc alloy

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A pair of Foxgeryptics!

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7, Episode 6: Yet Another Baseball Baffler

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7"): click here

Episode 1 (Five Easy Pieces): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Meteorological Mystery): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (App-y Days Are Here Again): 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 4 (Texas Fever): 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 5 (Picture This): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

 

The total number of points scored is 4450. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $44.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $178.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 7, EPISODE 6:

YET ANOTHER BASEBALL BAFFLER

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin has fond, albeit fuzzy, memories of a curious game of baseball which he had played as a pup.

Kevin’s visiting team, the Wolves, batted at the top of each inning, with the home team, the Foxes, batting at the bottom of each inning. The game was called on account of rain after five and a half innings. During each half-inning, only one batter successfully got a hit. Eleven different players got hits: Abel, Drew, Eric, Ezra, Gary, Huck, Leif, Liam, Nash, Raul, and Theo. Their hits consisted of three singles, three doubles, three triples, and two home runs. Using the clues below, determine which player hit in each half-inning and how many bases each hit was for.
1. Abel got a hit during an odd-numbered inning.
2. The two home runs were scored at the bottom of the 2nd and at the top of the 6th. One of the players who hit a home run did so one full inning after teammate Ezra hit a triple; the other one did so one half-inning after opponent Theo hit a single.
3. In the inning in which Drew of the Foxes got a hit, one of the Wolves hit a single.
4. Liam got a hit one full inning before teammate Gary did. Liam hit for fewer bases than Gary did.
5. Nash got a hit sometime before Huck did, but sometime after Eric did.
6. Leif of the Wolves and Raul of the Foxes hit in the same inning. Leif hit for more bases than Raul did.
7. The only two consecutive hits for the same number of bases were the two triples in the top and bottom of the 4th inning. 

---

(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 6's hint and Episode 7's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 599: Anacrossword 39

WORDY WEDNESDAY #597
FRAMELINKS 23 (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 **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis *
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #598
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 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!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #599
ANACROSSWORD 39
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Jeri Feaster. 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 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106
• ____: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004 Will Ferrell comedy)
• Whale or dolphin
• Benevolence
• Organic ____
• “For he’s a jolly good ____. . .”
• Material associated with a stereotypical lumberjack’s shirt
• From ____ to toe
• Frenzied
• Dog breed with a reddish coat: 2 wds.
• It often grows on tree bark
• Engage in contemplative reflection
• Took a siesta
• Batman villain with the ability to control plant life: 2 wds.
• Annual college football game in New Orleans: 2 wds.
• Flee, slangily
• Dutch Formula One driver Max
• A neighbor of Saudi Arabia

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Name of the bear pilot in the 1990-1991 Disney cartoon TaleSpin"?
* Patron Puzzle #121, which will be delivered on June 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 7, Episode 5: Picture This

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7"): click here

Episode 1 (Five Easy Pieces): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Meteorological Mystery): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (App-y Days Are Here Again): 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 4 (Texas Fever): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

 

The total number of points scored is 3600. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $36.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $144.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 7, EPISODE 5:

PICTURE THIS

(click here for a PDF version)

Can you help Kevin interpret these impossible images?

---

(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 5's hint and Episode 6's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 598: Spicy German Sausage 6

WORDY WEDNESDAY #596
SECTION SIX 59 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #597
FRAMELINKS 23 (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 #598
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 6
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Jeri Feaster. 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 German Sausage, a type of puzzle originating from the National Puzzlers League, when you take the indicated pairs of answers to the clues from the first list, combine their letters, and anagram them, you get the answers to the clues from the second list. (For example, if the answers to clues 1 and 2 were ANAGRAM and SEGUES, then the answer to clue 1+2 could be GERMAN SAUSAGE.) However, in this variation, you must add an extra letter to each pair of answers to make the longer answer (for example, you might make GERMAN SAUSAGE from ANAGRAM and GUESS plus an extra E).

Rearrange the added letters in (parentheses) to make a 6-letter word, and rearrange the added letters in [square brackets] to make a 6-letter word. Write these words in the final set of blanks, and rearrange the letters in {curly braces} to make a 6-letter word, the final answer. (All three words are uncapitalized and Scrabble-legal.)

1. Moral infraction
2. Figure skater Lipinski
3. Charged particle
4. Lauren who created My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
5. ____ of conduct
6. Vehicle on a railway track
7. Serpentine curve on a race track
8. Frighten
9. Cancer stick
10. Yellow citrus fruit
11. Regret
12. ____ liquor

1+2+(__). Like some wells
2+3+[__]. Item to wear during a downpour
3+4+(__). Decorative water reservoirs
4+5+[__]. Made unclear
5+6+(__). Number representing latitude or longitude, for example
6+7+[__]. Series of successively triggered events: 2 wds.
7+8+(__). Be selective: 3 wds.
8+9+[__]. Bouncing toy sometimes used in extreme sports: 2 wds.
9+10+(__). Hospitable
10+11+[__]. The capital of Victoria, Australia
11+12+(__). Program that lets you play Nintendo 64 games on your computer, for example
12+1+[__]. Amulet

(Parentheses): {__} __ {__} __ {__} __
[Square brackets]: {__} __ {__} {__} __ __
{Curly braces}: __ __ __ __ __ __

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What Batman villain has the ability to control plant life?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7, Episode 4: Texas Fever

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 7"): click here

Episode 1 (Five Easy Pieces): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Meteorological Mystery): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (App-y Days Are Here Again): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 2700. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $27.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $108.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 7, EPISODE 4:

TEXAS FEVER

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin made a diary recording his recent journey across The Lone Star State. Yeehaw!

“Of course I had to buy a ticket to watch the Texas Rangers play one of their home games in Globe Life Field in this city.”
“While in this coastal city, I paid a visit to an old WWII aircraft carrier which has been transformed into the USS Lexington Museum.”
“This city full of cattle ranchers was founded in 1849 as a military outpost, and was named after a major general in the US Army.”
“When NASA picked this city as the site for their Manned Spacecraft Center, it forever earned the nickname ‘Space City’.”
“The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Stonehenge, a replica of Stonehenge in this West Texas city, really ‘rocks’!”
“The residents here are obviously very proud of the Alamo, judging by its depiction on the city’s flag.”
“This quaint city on the Guadalupe River is way smaller than the Canadian city of the same name which serves as the capital of British Columbia.”
“No trip to this lovely city is complete without a visit to the Dr Pepper Museum.”

---

(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 4's hint and Episode 5's puzzle. Good luck!

Outside the Fox Puzzles Sampler!

OUTSIDE THE FOX PUZZLES: YEAR 1

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). I am in a long-standing professional relationship with Joon, who has published quite a few of my puzzles in Outside the Box Puzzles and thus helped me expand my audience. Joon forwarded me a subscriber's suggestion that I start a similar service for my invention Touchword, and Outside the Fox Puzzles is exactly that. It is also the world's only puzzle subscription service to guarantee that none of the puzzles have been eaten by a fox (very few people want to solve puzzles with fox bite marks or slobber on them).

Outside the Fox Puzzles uses a "pay what you want" model; the minimum price for one year of puzzles is US$10, but polling suggests that some folks are definitely willing to spend more than that, and I aim to please. Every Tuesday for 50 weeks (January 2 through December 10, 2024), 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 2023 or 2024. Otherwise, go to https://paypal.me/mathgrant. ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT: Mention “Outside the Fox Puzzles year 1” 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-1/. (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 2, 2024, 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.)

 

OUTSIDE THE FOX PUZZLES SAMPLER

Today marks my 37th birthday, and I have decided to give my readers a special present: a free sampler curated from the puzzles published thus far in Outside the Fox Puzzles! 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)