Wordy Wednesday 541: Codewords 24 & Wordy Wednesday 542: Diagramless Crossword 11

WORDY WEDNESDAY #539
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 4 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Derek Allen **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #540
PENT WORDS 108 (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 #541
CODEWORDS 24
(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 #542
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 11
(click here for a PDF version)

This crossword has 58 entries in a 15x15 grid, obeys American crossword rules, and has standard rotational symmetry.

ACROSS
1 “My lips ____ sealed”
4 Six-pack muscles
7 An astronaut wears one: hyph.
9 Walter ____ National Military Medical Center
11 Not taking place in a building
13 “Curiosity ____ the cat”
15 First part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
18 “Girls Just Want To Have ____”
19 Sailor
20 Peyton Manning’s brother
21 Humorist Bombeck
23 ____ as a beet
24 Drink in small quantities
25 Like a 45-degree angle
27 ____ talk
28 ____ and downs
31 Make a misstep
33 Catty comment
34 Play it by ____
35 ____ and a Half Men
38 Second part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
45 Episodic
46 Gave up possession of
47 Small flat squares of butter
48 Preadolescent child
49 Item at the center of a peach
50 Barrett of Pink Floyd
DOWN
1 Q8 maker
2 Quiet ____ (heavy metal band)
3 College in Berkshire, England
4 Extremely dry
5 Lugosi who played Dracula
6 “Note to ____. . .”
7 Expert
8 Shock
10 Inhibit
11 Not on
12 ____ of return
13 Robin the Frog’s uncle
14 Editor’s mark indicating something to remove
16 An opossum is one
17 Disencumber
22 Mimic
25 Inclined
26 Common breakfast item
28 Thurman of Pulp Fiction (1994)
29 Some writing implements
30 Clean with a broom
32 Make supplications to God
35 Persil alternative
36 English architect Christopher
37 Unusual
39 Shrink ____
40 A tubular pasta
41 West’s opposite
42 Lice eggs
43 Moist, as grass in the morning
44 Ran off the edge of the page, as printed matter

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What 1993-1999 sitcom starred Fran Drescher?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4, Episode 5: Confounding Columns

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4"): click here

Episode 1 (The Writing on the Wall): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Baffling Banners): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (Humor Me): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 4 (Garden Paths): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

 

The total number of points scored is 3325. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for West Central Texas is $33.25. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for West Central Texas will actually receive $133.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points apiece, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 4, EPISODE 5:

CONFOUNDING COLUMNS

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin needs a break from this pestilent puzzle! Can you help him arrange these columns of letters?

---

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

Wordy Wednesday 540: Pent Words 108

WORDY WEDNESDAY #538
FRAMELINKS 18 (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 **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Derek Allen **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #539
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 4 (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 #540
PENT WORDS 108
(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 Pertaining to a church singing group / Racetrack shape, often
2 Finite portion of a line / “____ the Force, Luke”
3 Local ____ network / On Fire with Jeff ____ (official Survivor podcast which debuted in 2023)
4 From head to ____ / Related to the outer layer of the eye
5 Sodium hydroxide is one / Meat from a calf
6 Inclined, like a skiing course / Traveled via horse, for example
7 Word before “can” or “talk” / Relinquish, as a right
8 Its flag represents its Catholic and Protestant populations and the peace between them / Long fish
9 “Friend”-ly name of Arthur Read’s pet dog / Cheese named after a village in Somersetshire, England
10 Kim Hunter’s role in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) / “New ____” (Tom Lehrer song)
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Water lily which serves as a Hindu symbol
* Tool for ensuring that something is perfectly horizontal
* Certain camel relative
* Journey to the Center of the ____
* Big name in oil and gas
* ____ and well
* One paid to park your car
* Out of bed
* Assisted
* Investigate thoroughly
* Ring-shaped coral reef
* Adhesive substance
* Item in the logo of the Disney cartoon Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
* Quick-cooking Japanese egg noodles
* Felt a dull, persistent pain
* Become overwhelmed
* Opted for
* The Phantom of the ____

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Codewords!
* What item is at the center of a peach?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4, Episode 4: Garden Paths

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4"): click here

Episode 1 (The Writing on the Wall): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Baffling Banners): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 3 (Humor Me): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

 

The total number of points scored is 2375. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for West Central Texas is $23.75. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for West Central Texas will actually receive $95.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points apiece, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 4, EPISODE 4:

GARDEN PATHS

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin has planted bunches of beautiful blooms along the meandering paths in his garden. You might want to pick out a dozen of them!

---

(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 539: Spicy German Sausage 4

WORDY WEDNESDAY #537
ROUTE-NUMBERED (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:
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Derek Allen *
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Spheniscine **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #538
FRAMELINKS 18 (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 #539
SPICY GERMAN SAUSAGE 4
(click here for a PDF version)

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. Texas city in which Baylor University is located
2. Tampa Bay’s MLB team
3. ____ Titans Go! (Cartoon Network series since 2013)
4. Presses, as wrinkled clothes
5. Suffered a dull pain
6. Nickname for Dwight D. Eisenhower
7. Board game featured in the 2004 documentary Word Wars
8. Wine and ____
9. Like a cloudless sky
10. Male bovine
11. Gear tooth
12. Gimme a Break! (1981-1987) star Carter whose name sounds like the toll of a bell at a funeral

1+2+(__). Flightless bird related to the emu
2+3+[__]. In a sincere manner
3+4+(__). Thick Italian vegetable soup
4+5+[__]. Shape of a 20-sided die
5+6+(__). My Little ____ (1940 film starring Mae West)
6+7+[__]. Fruits named after their dark color
7+8+(__). Surpassing what can be expressed through words
8+9+[__]. Character who “kissed a snake” in a jump rope rhyme
9+10+(__). Like a worker who performs manual labor: hyph.
10+11+[__]. Implement for Lee Trevino: 2 wds.
11+12+(__). The most abundant protein in the human body
12+1+[__]. Money paid weekly to a child, for example

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

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Water lily which serves as a Hindu symbol"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4, Episode 3: Humor Me

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4"): click here

Episode 1 (The Writing on the Wall): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Baffling Banners): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 1575. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for West Central Texas is $15.75. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for West Central Texas will actually receive $63.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points apiece, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 4, EPISODE 3:

HUMOR ME

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin’s dad was always telling him corny jokes as a pup, and a number of them still resonate with him even now that he’s “groan” up.
“I worked as a waiter for four years. I was hired because I bring a lot to the  __ __ __ __ __.”
“How did the ocean greet the two beachgoers? It  __ __ __ __ __.”
“I sold my two vacuum cleaners because they were just gathering  __ __ __ __.”
“I found four wooden shoes stopping up my toilet. It was  __ __ __ __ __ __ __.”
“The five bakers were very rich because they made a lot of  __ __ __ __ __.”
“How did the five mathematicians travel to the geometry convention? Via  __ __ __ __ __.”
“I would tell four jokes about hats, but they would go over your  __ __ __ __.”

---

(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 538: Framelinks 18

WORDY WEDNESDAY #535
PENT WORDS 107 (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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman *
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #536
SECTION SIX 53 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman *
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #537
ROUTE-NUMBERED (hint)

As of this writing, 5 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's a hint. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #538
FRAMELINKS 18
(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   B B   C C C   E E E E E E E E   F F   G   H H H H   I I I I   K   L L L   N N N N N N N N
O O O   P   R R   S S   T T T T T T T T   U U U U   V   Y Y

 

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* In what Texas city is Baylor University located?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4, Episode 2: Baffling Banners

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4"): click here

Episode 1 (The Writing on the Wall): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 800. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for West Central Texas is $8.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for West Central Texas will actually receive $32.00. 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 4, EPISODE 2:

BAFFLING BANNERS

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin was told that he’d have a “merry time” figuring out the meanings of these flags, but so far, it hasn’t been smooth sailing.

---

(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 537: Route-Numbered

WORDY WEDNESDAY #534
FRAMELINKS 17 (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 **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Derek Allen **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Tamara Brenner **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #535
PENT WORDS 107 (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 #536
SECTION SIX 53 (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 #537
ROUTE-NUMBERED
(click here for a PDF version)

What item could be used to help you manage all of these links?

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Framelinks!
* Patron Puzzle #108, which will be delivered on May 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!

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 4, Episode 1: The Writing on the Wall

INTRODUCTION

This series is inspired by the website Kevin's Puzzles, on which Kevin Orfield, who is a regular reader of this blog, 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 markedly inferior 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:

(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.)

Kevin Edmund Kepler, the colorful and prodigious wolf depicted above, hopes that you enjoy the puzzles that he will be offering you over the course of these coming months!

 

Every Monday during May and June 2023, a new episode will be posted at 12:01 AM (Central); as with the real Kevin's Puzzles, 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 June 26, 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. For every point scored by my readers by 11:59 PM (Central) on July 9, I will donate 1¢ to the Food Bank for West Central Texas, 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). Get to work!

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 July 10, 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 4" 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

Have fun, and remember to check out the real Kevin's creations if these fake ones are up your alley!

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 4, EPISODE 1:

THE WRITING ON THE WALL

(click here for a PDF version)

Some of Kevin’s favorite words sat on this wall, but they had a great fall! With any luck, you won’t need any horses or men to place the bricks and put the words back together again.

---

(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!