Wordy Wednesday 562: Codewords 25 & Wordy Wednesday 563: Anacrossword 35

WORDY WEDNESDAY #560
PENT WORDS 112 (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 **
Randy Rogers **
Bart Gold **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Tower **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #561
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 5 (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!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #562
CODEWORDS 25
(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.

WORDY WEDNESDAY #563
ANACROSSWORD 35
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

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!

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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
• Reservation, as for a flight or a hotel room
• Disregard
• Alice’s cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• It was built to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution: 2 wds.
• Dinner and a movie, perhaps (or, alternatively, making balanced): 2 wds.
• Charles Gounod opera
• “____ is where the heart is”
• Gland that can secrete milk
• The Joe Rogan Experience, for one
• Actor who portrayed Zed in Men in Black: 2 wds.
• Talk back to
• Gastroenterologist’s concern
• George who sang “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”
• Provable mathematical proposition
• Food for ____
• Frugal
• Successfully oppose
• Quiver
• Like many a woven basket or chair

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 5, Episode 4: The Name Game

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 5"): click here

Episode 1 (Veg Out): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Baseball Baffler): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (Musical Arrangement): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 3100. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $31.00. Four anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $155.00. A special thank you to my newest anonymous benefactor for hopping aboard. 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 5, EPISODE 4:

THE NAME GAME

(click here for a PDF version)

Can you help Kevin figure out what these trios of famous people have in common?
Burnett, Channing, Kane
Griffith, Samberg, Warhol
Dreyfuss, Gere, Nixon
Colbert, Hawking, King
de la Hoya, de la Renta, Wilde
Grace, Pelosi, Reagan
Darwin, Dickens, Lindbergh
Rickman, Thicke, Turing
Baio, Bakula, Joplin
Hunt, Keller, Reddy
Attenborough, Bowie, Letterman
Murphy, Van Halen, Vedder
McCartney, Rudd, Simon
Dinklage, Frampton, Jackson

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

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!

Wordy Wednesday 561: Spicy German Sausage 5

WORDY WEDNESDAY #559
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 25 (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 **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Tower *

WORDY WEDNESDAY #560
PENT WORDS 112 (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 #561
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 5
(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.

1. Trade
2. Former Kansas City Royals outfielder Otis
3. Cut with blows from an ax
4. Jimmy Eat World drummer Zach
5. Digit on a foot
6. Not false
7. Lament
8. ____-only memory
9. Cliché saying
10. Jeweler’s magnifier
11. Timid
12. Blue-haired Fire Emblem character who's playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

1+2+(__). Certain heraldic emblem: 3 wds.
2+3+[__]. Jeopardy!, for one: 2 wds.
3+4+(__). India’s capital: 2 wds.
4+5+[__]. What you might hear when picking up the phone: 2 wds.
5+6+(__). Casino game in which you can bet on red or black
6+7+[__]. Top part of a fraction
7+8+(__). Galaxy named after the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia
8+9+[__]. Phrase on the back of a car with tin cans tied to it, perhaps: 2 wds.
9+10+(__). Having several different possible functions
10+11+[__]. Pee-wee’s ____ (children’s television series starring Paul Reubens)
11+12+(__). Alcoholic beverage associated with Tennessee
12+1+[__]. Foodstuff that might be an unwanted Christmas gift

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

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Codewords!
* What was built to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 5, Episode 3: Musical Arrangement

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 5"): click here

Episode 1 (Veg Out): 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 2 (Baseball Baffler): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 2025. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $20.25. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $81.00. 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 5, EPISODE 3:

MUSICAL ARRANGEMENT

(click here for a PDF version)

Help Kevin arrange the letters in each column to make musical instruments reading across the rows of the music box!

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 50 points, and stay tuned next week for Episode 3's hint and Episode 4's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 560: Pent Words 112

WORDY WEDNESDAY #557
ANACROSSWORD 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:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Tower **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #558
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 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:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Randy Rogers **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #559
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 25 (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 #560
PENT WORDS 112
(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 “The wheels on the ____ go round and round. . .” / Critical remark aimed at an easy target
2 Sailor’s affirmative response / Either of a dog’s front limbs
3 “____ Brew” (Cream song) / “____ Me to the Moon”
4 Baltimore bird / Woof’s counterpart
5 Impose a penalty on / “____ the front door!”
6 Part of a church, perhaps / ____ Dare (Nickelodeon game show)
7 Gas, in London / Certain marine mammal
8 Foe / Drink made from oranges, perhaps
9 Nissan crossover model / Extraterrestrial being
10 Common stocking material / Judge’s hammer
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* English author Carroll
* English author Carroll’s title character
* Monopoly player’s purchase
* Monopoly player’s purchase
* Russian currency unit
* Underdog’s victory
* Andrews of Mary Poppins
* Merrily We Roll ____
* Aswan’s country
* Fur trader John Jacob
* “Let the ____ beware”
* Quality exhibited by satire
* Unclearly expressed
* Belly button
* ____ of Empires (browser-based strategy game)
* “A leopard cannot change its ____”
* Oddly amusing
* Negatively charged atom or molecule

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What galaxy is named after the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 5, Episode 2: Baseball Baffler

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 5"): click here

Episode 1 (Veg Out): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 1000. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $10.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $40.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzle for 25 points, possibly with the aid of the hint.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 5, EPISODE 2:

BASEBALL BAFFLER

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin found this old collection of baseballs and baseball bats, suspiciously arranged as though he had meant to encode some kind of secret message with them when he was younger. Remorsefully, Kevin does not seem to recall what that message was!

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 50 points, and stay tuned next week for Episode 2's hint and Episode 3's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 559: Snake Crisscross 25

WORDY WEDNESDAY #556
SECTION SIX 55 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #557
ANACROSSWORD 34 (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 #558
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 12 (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 #559
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 25
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains words suggested by patron Cathy Bowen and 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!
This puzzle’s crisscross grid contains entries which read across and down as normal; these are defined in alphabetical order by length under the heading “Crisscross Words”. The grid also needs to be divided into a number of areas which follow a single clear path, called “snakes”. Each of these snakes contains an entry reading from one end of the path to the other; these are defined in alphabetical order by length under the heading “Snake Words”. You must determine how the grid is divided into snakes and which entry corresponds to each snake.

Arrange the letters in the highlighted cells to form the final answer, an 8-letter word.

CRISSCROSS WORDS
3 LETTERS
Certain limb
What a beaver builds
Make a mistake
Actress Longoria
Confederate general Robert E. ____
Body of agua
Notorious cryptocurrency entrepreneur Bankman-Fried
4 LETTERS
Prayer-ending word
Do last-minute studying for a test
Reverberate
Genesis paradise
Jane ____ (Charlotte Brontë novel)
Certain apple variety
Game show host Monty
False god
Disembark
Socially awkward person
The Secret Life of ____ (2016 animated movie)
Two cups
Sulk
Mexican foodstuff in a crunchy shell
5 LETTERS
Walk with an easy gait
Harsh
Deck often used in fortune-telling
The human trunk
6 LETTERS
Creed played by Carl Weathers in the Rocky movies
“I ____ allegiance to the flag. . .”
Smooth transitions
7 LETTERS
Boo from Baldur’s Gate III is this type of rodent
City near Galveston Bay
Shrimp, lobster, and oysters, say
____ glass window
11 LETTERS
Idiot (or someone addicted to clammy soup?)
SNAKE WORDS
5 LETTERS
God’s name in Islam
Right, as a wrong
Fall bloomer
Group of singers in a church
Suspicious
Month before April
Crow relative
6 LETTERS
Mint that excites felines
Distributed ____ of service attack
Spoonful, as of sour cream
Play roulette or craps, say
Book of accounting records
7 LETTERS
Skilled speakers
Colorfully-named tree
Leave for a short while: 2 wds.
8 LETTERS
Unable to differentiate musical pitches: hyph.
9 LETTERS
City in which the Museum Van Loon is located
10 LETTERS
Visitor to one’s abode

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Andrews of Mary Poppins"?
* Patron Puzzle #112, which will be delivered on September 8, 2023, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Mini-Puzzle Fun Pack.

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 5, Episode 1: Veg Out

INTRODUCTION

This series is inspired by the website Kevin's Puzzles, on which Kevin Orfield posts an instructionless puzzle-hunt-style puzzle every Monday. Kevin Orfield's puzzles usually lean towards the easy side of this genre in order to target a less experienced and/or younger audience. Kevin's Puzzles at Home is my knockoff of Kevin's Puzzles, so called because of the "we have X at home" meme:

The puzzles in Kevin's Puzzles at Home are intended to be easier than my Wordy Wednesday posts, and hopefully at least 80% as entertaining as the real Kevin's Puzzles. Kevin's Puzzles at Home will be presented by my "we have X at home" version of Kevin, a prodigious and colorful wolf named Kevin Edmund Kepler:

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of any puzzle. Any resemblance between this Kevin and the real Kevin, or any real Kevin, is entirely coincidental.)

 

Every Monday during September and October 2023, a new episode will be posted at 12:01 AM (Central); as with the real Kevin's Puzzles, as is the standard with other puzzle hunts, the final answer will be a word or phrase. Email me (at glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com) the correct solution to this puzzle within the next week to score 50 points. Each puzzle will also have a hint posted for it one week later; solving the puzzle while the hint is up will be worth 25 points. Episode 9, which will be posted on October 30, is a meta puzzle which requires the answers to all of the previous puzzles in order to be solved; this puzzle will be worth double (100 points before the hint, 50 points after). The highest possible score a solver can attain will thus be 500 points, by solving each puzzle during its first week. In an effort to aid people who don't have food at home, for every point scored by my readers by 11:59 PM (Central) on November 12, I will donate 1¢ to the Food Bank for Larimer County, up to a maximum of $100. (Thus, each solver can contribute a maximum of $5 to this pool.) Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match my donation as well, making the maximum possible donation $400 (and thus the maximum contribution to this donation by a single solver $20). To date, the Kevin's Puzzles at Home series has raised $1,332 for various food banks! A huge thank you to the solvers and anonymous benefactors who have made this impact possible!

Unlike the real Kevin's Puzzles, which posts each puzzle's solution one week after its hint is posted, all puzzle solutions will be posted simultaneously on November 13, one week after the final hint is posted. This will make the meta slightly harder, since you can't just look up the solutions to the previous puzzles to start solving it, but will also permit latecomers to score more points (and thus raise more money) than otherwise possible.

Astute readers will notice that the words "Season 5" appear in the title. Links to the previous seasons follow:

Season 1 (May-June 2022): Puzzles and hints, solutions.

Season 2 (September-October 2022): Puzzles and hints, solutions

Season 3 (January-February 2023): Puzzles and hints, solutions

Season 4 (May-June 2023): Puzzles and hints, solutions

Have fun, and remember to check out the real Kevin's creations (which go up at noon Central time every Monday) if these fake ones are up your alley!

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 5, EPISODE 1:

VEG OUT

(click here for a PDF version)

As a wolf, Kevin is quite an avid meat eater – but all he has in his kitchen right now are vegetables!

---

(This illustration by Tintinabar is not part of the puzzle.)

Submit your answer to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com for 50 points, and stay tuned next week for Episode 1's hint and Episode 2's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 557: Anacrossword 34& Wordy Wednesday 558: Diagramless Crossword 12

WORDY WEDNESDAY #555
PENT WORDS 111 (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 **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #556
SECTION SIX 55 (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!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #557
ANACROSSWORD 34
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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
• Wailing female spirit in Irish folklore
• One who studies plants
• Popular seafood soup: 2 wds.
• Curb Your ____ (HBO series since 2000)
• Type of scanner or truck
• Israelite
• Enclave of South Africa
• Interlock
• Device for reheating leftovers, often
• Yale University’s home: 2 wds.
• Biblical ark builder
• Chief magistrate
• Emitted rays of light
• ____ Dogg (rapper)
• A decimeter, in relation to a meter
• Carry, as in a bag

WORDY WEDNESDAY #558
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 12
(click here for a PDF version)

This crossword has 62 entries in a 15x15 grid, obeys American crossword rules, and has standard rotational symmetry.

ACROSS
1 ____ Rich or Die Tryin’ (50 Cent’s debut album)
4 Renown
5 Natural ____
8 Quench
11 Venomous Egyptian snakes
13 ____ 1 Imports
14 Palo ____, California
17 First part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
21 Structures used in funeral rites
22 Berets and beanies
23 Car
24 Morays and congers
26 “It Can Happen” band
27 Male fox
28 20 quires
30 Emulate Duke Kahanamoku
33 A large deer
36 Way cool
38 Lawman Wyatt
40 Princess Celestia’s sister in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
42 Local ____ network
44 Untitled ____ Game (2019 video game)
47 Second part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
50 Anime ____ (Los Angeles anime convention)
51 One of Columbus’s three ships
52 Sandwich shop
53 Besmirched
55 Mystery novelist Stout
56 ____ Rabbit (Song of the South character)
57 Not good
DOWN
1 Computer company associated with black and white spotted boxes
2 United Arab ____
3 Brewed beverage
4 Country music star Hill
5 Surprised sound
6 Covered in burnt remains
7 Slash on a bowler’s scorecard
8 Health resort
9 Sunbathing outcome
10 Anna’s sister in Frozen
12 Scornful expression
15 Promote
16 Aware of
18 ____ of Man
19 Installment of a magazine
20 “____ Bless America”
25 Silverman of stand-up
29 Sauce whose name means “sailor” in Italian
31 A mode in Indian music
32 Palm leaf
33 2003 holiday film starring Will Ferrell
34 Fisherman’s need
35 Scottish Reformed theologian John
37 Longed for
39 Item near a fireplace, perhaps
41 What electric guitars plug into
43 Li’l ____ (comic character)
45 The bottom of the foot
46 Square ____ (Final Fantasy publisher)
48 Actor Selleck
49 Scottish boy
54 ____ and flow

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "Boo from Baldur’s Gate III is this type of rodent"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 556: Section Six 55

WORDY WEDNESDAY #554
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Smith *

WORDY WEDNESDAY #555
PENT WORDS 111 (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 #556
SECTION SIX 55
(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 six starred spaces to form the final answer, a 6-letter word.

Ring 1
1 Viral disease also known as infantile paralysis
2 A clean bill of ____
3 One in a box of 64, perhaps
4 Like distinctly bright colors
5 Idaho farmer’s crop, often
6 Yardsticks and such

Ring 2
* “____ lips sink ships”
* Booby ____
* Fuss: hyph.
* Material for phonograph records
* Equine character in Lamb Chop’s Play-Along: 2 wds.

Ring 3
* Golden, as bygone days
* Kappa’s predecessor
* Gasoline, in Liverpool
* Perfume ingredient extracted from petals: 2 wds.

Ring 4
* Greek god of the sun
* The process of learning via repetition
* Not compulsory or necessary

Ring 5
* Porch
* Asthmatic’s need

Ring 6
* Charlton of 55 Days at Peking (1963)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What do you call one who studies plants?
* What computer company is associated with black and white spotted boxes?

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

Wordy Wednesday 555: Pent Words 111

WORDY WEDNESDAY #553
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 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 **
Cole Kendall **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
David Bronshvayg **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #554
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 24 (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 #555
PENT WORDS 111
(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 A type of billiards shot / Gather
2 Michele who played Rachel Berry on Glee / The time and place a book’s events happen in
3 Collectible for an animation fan, say / One of five New York City subdivisions
4 Word before “shirt” or “rehearsal” / Passover wafer
5 Section of a circumference / Entices
6 Horned African mammal, for short / “____ Home Alabama” (Lynyrd Skynyrd song)
7 In a perfect world / Make a choice
8 Shrill scream / Billionaire Musk
9 0.00001% of a joule / Captain ____ (Marvel character)
10 One who leads prayers in a mosque / Plane for dropping explosives
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, for one
* Use a broom
* It supports a painter’s canvas
* A skateboarding maneuver
* Moon who married Rob Zombie in 2002
* “____ Grove” (The Doobie Brothers song)
* Gin’s partner
* Not large
* An orange yellow hue
* Ballroom dance of Cuban origin
* The color blue, in heraldry
* “Float like a butterfly, ____ like a bee”
* Dull people
* The ____ & the Papas
* Naive rural resident
* Many a Twitch user
* Conifer of the pine family
* Salmon relative

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 6-letter word for "Charlton of 55 Days at Peking (1963)"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 554: Snake Crisscross 24

WORDY WEDNESDAY #551
CRYPTICROSTIC 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:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #552
FRAMELINKS 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:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #553
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 23 (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 #554
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 24
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle’s crisscross grid contains entries which read across and down as normal; these are defined in alphabetical order by length under the heading “Crisscross Words”. The grid also needs to be divided into a number of areas which follow a single clear path, called “snakes”. Each of these snakes contains an entry reading from one end of the path to the other; these are defined in alphabetical order by length under the heading “Snake Words”. You must determine how the grid is divided into snakes and which entry corresponds to each snake.

Arrange the letters in the highlighted cells to form the final answer, an 8-letter word.

CRISSCROSS WORDS
3 LETTERS
Electric guitarist’s need
Brian of Roxy Music
Important period of time
“To ____ is human. . .”
Arden of Our Miss Brooks
On the ____ (running from the law)
Prepare, as a dinner table
Goody ____-shoes
4 LETTERS
Downwind
Thing not to put before the horse
State of prolonged unconsciousness
Novelist Ferber
Adventures of Huckleberry ____
Period preceding Easter
Marlin’s son, in a Pixar movie
City in which the Iditarod ends
Violent anger
Strap for controlling a horse
Annoy
Certain clay mineral
“Will this be on the ____?”
5 LETTERS
Sheath on a shoelace
Very thin pancake
Snowy ____ (bird)
Barkin of Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Group of warships
Go against the ____
Tacitly suggest
Consumer advocate Ralph
Frighten
Mexican foodstuffs served in crunchy shells
Polynesian carvings made of wood or stone
Walks at a moderate speed
6 LETTERS
Votes into office
Yeast, for example
Bother
7 LETTERS
Tower of a mosque
Snake
8 LETTERS
Very brief joke: hyph.
10 LETTERS
Role for Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game (2014): 2 wds.
11 LETTERS
Power derived in environmentally friendly ways: 2 wds.
17 LETTERS
The Quebec Nordiques, since 1995: 2 wds.
SNAKE WORDS
5 LETTERS
^
Bald ____ (bird)
Large spiral-horned antelope
Tiny, like Santa’s helpers
“____ Sandman” (Metallica song)
Dormant
Some small hawks
The last Greek letter
Irish playwright Wilde
The 86th element
National Organization for ____ (feminist group)
6 LETTERS
“____, vegetable, or mineral?”
Most recent
Magician’s interjection
Rue
Just
Superficial facade
7 LETTERS
“____ Bogey March”
Carmen who played Lani McKenzie on Baywatch
Military weapon sometimes called a pineapple
Mountain in the state of Washington
Unable to reproduce
8 LETTERS
Jeep pickup truck named after a Native American tribe
Light fixture that might be favored by a hippie: 2 wds.
9 LETTERS
Stuff that wards off insects
Going on a risky undertaking

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Moon who married Rob Zombie in 2002"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 553: Snake Crisscross 23

WORDY WEDNESDAY #550
PENT WORDS 110 (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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Derek Allen *
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #551
CRYPTICROSTIC 19 (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 #552
FRAMELINKS 19 (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 #553
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 23
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Cindy Heisler. 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!
This puzzle’s crisscross grid contains entries which read across and down as normal; these are defined in alphabetical order by length under the heading “Crisscross Words”. The grid also needs to be divided into a number of areas which follow a single clear path, called “snakes”. Each of these snakes contains an entry reading from one end of the path to the other; these are defined in alphabetical order by length under the heading “Snake Words”. You must determine how the grid is divided into snakes and which entry corresponds to each snake.

Arrange the letters in the highlighted cells to form the final answer, an 8-letter word.

CRISSCROSS WORDS
3 LETTERS
Poetic preposition
Mine find
____ doll
Health resort
4 LETTERS
There are three in a yard
Mulberry relatives
Rock music genre with dark, morbid lyrics
Foal’s mother
Lifestyles of the ____ and Famous
Peel, as that of an orange
Wander
Davenport or divan
Scrabble piece
5 LETTERS
First-class
“Anything Could Happen” singer Goulding
“Cat Scratch ____” (Ted Nugent song)
Have another go at
Wintertime wrap
Sneer
Identified as male or female, as an animal
6 LETTERS
The color silver, in heraldry
Building for horses
7 LETTERS
Far from harsh
Young tree
12 LETTERS
Something advantageous kept hidden until needed: 4 wds.
SNAKE WORDS
5 LETTERS
Port of ____
Gold brick, for example
Metric unit of volume
New Zealand native
Any row, column, or box in a standard Sudoku grid, vis-à-vis the whole grid
____ ribs
6 LETTERS
City near the Rio Grande: 2 wds.
Name of the barber in The Barber of Seville
7 LETTERS
Small intestine infection which might be spread through contaminated water
Someone who isn’t Jewish
Lists of topics in the backs of books
8 LETTERS
Bugle call heard at sunrise
1983 film starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana
11 LETTERS
Piece of furniture on which a drink mug might be set: 2 wds.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 10-letter, 2-word answer for "Role for Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game (2014)"?
* Patron Puzzle #111, which will be delivered on August 8, 2023, 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!

Wordy Wednesday 551: Crypticrostic 19 & Wordy Wednesday 552: Framelinks 19

WORDY WEDNESDAY #549
TOUCHWORD 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 **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Derek Allen *
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #550
PENT WORDS 110 (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!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #551
CRYPTICROSTIC 19
(click here for a PDF version)

(click here for rules)

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!

The answer is 7 letters.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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

Back talk backfires (rough!) for wayfarer __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                          06 41 25 36 33 29 13
Doyle ordered to sing Alpine music __ __ __ __ __
                                   28 24 46 37 42
Ike sitting in sun is unexpected __ __ __ __ __ __
                                 31 43 40 15 09 23
It is necessary to work bread dough, we hear __ __ __ __
                                             35 20 16 10
Join forces with reporter Anderson __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
    at beginning of exposé         21 12 07 05 45 17 34 44 03
Revolutionary steals bar seat __ __ __ __ __
                              30 19 14 04 38
Small actor Danza in “Rocky” __ __ __ __ __
                             08 11 26 02 39
Some marathon garment: it might be worn as underwear __ __ __ __ __
                                                     32 22 01 18 27

WORDY WEDNESDAY #552
FRAMELINKS 19
(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, an 8-letter word.

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

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "'Anything Could Happen' singer Goulding"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 550: Pent Words 110

WORDY WEDNESDAY #548
ANACROSSWORD 33 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Nan **
Tyler Hinman **
Derek Allen *
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #549
TOUCHWORD 29 (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 #550
PPENT WORDS 110
(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 Book of maps / A cut in the skin
2 ____ Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004 Nintendo GameCube game) / Unmanned aircraft
3 City in which Universal Studios Florida is located / Auditory organ
4 Tarry / Insect that eats clothes
5 Intense / Wily trick
6 Device for keeping a ship still / An American, to a Brit
7 Mock / Reason to call a plumber, perhaps
8 The slightest notion / Waikiki wearable
9 Dark-colored hedgehog who first appeared in the 2001 video game Sonic Adventure 2 / Fictional detective Wolfe
10 Be a better gamer than / “____ a stupid question. . .”
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Below
* Below
* “Don’t ____ and drive”
* Throng
* Four-time NBA All-Star Rajon
* Machine for vending newspapers
* Joint where the foot and leg meet
* It might be measured in radians
* Wrath
* Rightful possessor
* Reepicheep of The Chronicles of Narnia, for one
* Makers of the Lynx handheld game system
* Epic poem about the Trojan War
* Dry lake bed
* You might do this from the rooftops
* Fold on the front of a coat
* ____ bear (arctic animal)
* Port of ____

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Crypticrostic!
* A Framelinks!

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