Wordy Wednesday 653: Mini Touchword 6

WORDY WEDNESDAY #651
ANACROSSWORD 44 (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 **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #652
NEW MATH (hint)

As of this writing, 15 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 #653
MINI TOUCHWORD 6
(click here for a PDF version)

In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word. 

1 Lack / 1/50 of a rapper?
2 Maltreatment / Mortar ingredient
3 Animal in “Hickory Dickory Dock” / Grieve
4 Tasty nugget / “. . . for ____ waves of grain. . .”
5 Measures of music / Pound mercilessly
6 According to May 2025 courtroom testimony, Sean “Diddy” Combs took ecstasy pills shaped like this politician’s face: 2 wds.
7 Lustrous fabric made on a jacquard loom / Confessions of a Teenage ____ Queen (2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan)
8 Death / Adorn, as with folds of cloth
9 Place to buy meats and sandwiches / Excessive bureaucracy: 2 wds.
10 Upset / Give back
11 Increased / Chaperon

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "Subject of Newton’s first law of motion"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10, Episode 7: Tales of the Cryptogram

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here
Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): 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 (Before and After): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 3 (Tabletop Talk): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 4 (Scrambled Crossword): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 5 (Mystifying Midpoints): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 1 person solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 6 (More Horsing Around): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 15 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 5325. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $53.25. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $213.00. 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 10, EPISODE 7:
TALES OF THE CRYPTOGRAM
(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin’s not quite sure how this substitution cipher can be considered “simple”, but maybe you’ll have better luck reading it.

BU DBSM JBIFSNRM VRDPBLMY, NOXA XA NOR VRD NOLN

JLFXNLTXGRA TRNNRMA LUY NSMUA UXURA LUY GRMBRA XUNB

FLMRUNORARA.

---

(This illustration by Infernal 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. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 652: New Math

WORDY WEDNESDAY #650
PENT WORDS 130 (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 **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #651
ANACROSSWORD 44 (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 #652
NEW MATH
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Russ Kale. 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!

Back in my day, we didn’t have Arabic numerals, you whippersnappers!

Comforter on a bed (5)
Employee at a British pharmacy (7)
Figure of speech using “like” or “as” (6)
Focus one’s gaze or attention (6)
Freight-carrying unit on a train (6)
Pertaining to the outer part of something (8)
Secret assembly of cardinals to elect a pope (8)
Shudder (7)
The buying and selling of goods (8)
Wideness or scope (7)
Wisconsin’s capital (7)

____________-1001=____________ (4)
____________-   5=____________ (2)
____________-1000=____________ (4)
____________-   9=____________ (3)
____________-2000=____________ (4)
____________-  90=____________ (3)
____________-  50=____________ (4)
____________- 500=____________ (5)
____________-   1=____________ (3)
____________- 501=____________ (4)
____________-  10=____________ (5)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What lustrous fabric is made on a jacquard loom?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10, Episode 6: More Horsing Around

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here
Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): 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 (Before and After): 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 (Tabletop Talk): 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 (Scrambled Crossword): 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 5 (Mystifying Midpoints): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 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 10, EPISODE 6:
MORE HORSING AROUND
(click here for a PDF version)

Remember that chessboard covered in letters that Kevin showed you 6 seasons ago? Turns out that he has another one! Can you help the knight to make a tour of this second chessboard?

__ __   "__ __    __ __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __",  __ __ __ __ __

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

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

__ __ __ __ __ __?

---

(This illustration by Infernal 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 651: Anacrossword 44

WORDY WEDNESDAY #649
LOGICROSSWORD 15 (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:
Derek Allen **
Randy Rogers *
Russ Kale **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #650
PENT WORDS 130 (hint)

As of this writing, 16 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 #651
ANACROSSWORD 44
(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

• ____ of the curve
• Windbag
• “____ Ground” (Stevie Wonder song)
• A tax or levy
• Without any interruption
• She played Lady Lou in She Done Him Wrong (1933): 2 wds.
• Asian cat breed featured in the original animated Lady and the Tramp (but not in the remake)
• Go underwater without a breathing device: hyph.
• The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, collectively: 2 wds.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* Can you do some math?
* Patron Puzzle #133, which will be delivered on June 8, 2025, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Logicrossword.

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10, Episode 5: Mystifying Midpoints

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here
Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 2 (Before and After): 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 (Tabletop Talk): 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 (Scrambled Crossword): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 19 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 3575. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $35.75. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $143.00. 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 10, EPISODE 5:
MYSTIFYING MIDPOINTS
(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin could totally draw a loop and solve this puzzle himself, but he’s in the middle of something more important that’s the center of his attention, so he’s outsourced that task to you. Lucky you!

---

(This illustration by Infernal 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 650: Pent Words 130

WORDY WEDNESDAY #648
KEVIN'S UNFINISHED PUZZLES AT HOME (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 **
Christian H.P. **
Derek Allen **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers *
Russ Kale **
Jason Boomer **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #649
LOGICROSSWORD 15 (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 #650
PENT WORDS 130
(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 Did some hair care / “To thine own ____ be true”
2 Shrek, for one / Cured air-dried sausage
3 ____ friends forever / Former late night host Johnny
4 Geometric oval / A Brit’s afternoon drink
5 A synthetic rubber / Bathroom item
6 One who alters garments / Feudal slave
7 Constricting snakes / Honolulu’s state
8 Pay it ____ / Lounge around, with “out”
9 Low step-in shoe / Festive party
10 ____ Champion (early NES fighting game) / Elbow or knee, for example
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Thin cracker
• Baker’s need
• Direct the course of
• Fast food order of a burger, fries, and a drink, for one
• Relinquish, as a right
• “Remember the ____”
• Stringed instrument in bluegrass music
• Broken piece of glass
• Jeweled headband
• Forbidden
• Name of the female protagonist in the Twilight books
• Frighten
• Glorify
• Loses traction, as on ice
• Geographical depression
• Ill-fated Ford model named after Henry Ford’s son
• ____ for the wear
• Meet and ____

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* Who played Lady Lou in She Done Him Wrong (1933)?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10, Episode 4: Scrambled Crossword

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here
Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 2 (Before and After): 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 (Tabletop Talk): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 17 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 2600. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $26.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $104.00. 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 10, EPISODE 4:
SCRAMBLED CROSSWORD
(click here for a PDF version)

The numbers in this crossword are mixed up, and so are the clues! Can you help Kevin sort everything out?

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
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
CLUES
• Greek mathematician who supposedly shouted, “Eureka!”
• Insect that shares its name with a British sport
• X-Men character with the real name Max Eisenhardt
• ____ American (magazine that published Martin Gardner’s “Mathematical Games” columns)
• The ____ of the Traveling Pants (2005 film)
• Drink served by a jerk
• Quality of a good ninja or spy
• Pixar film featuring Buzz Lightyear: 2 wds.
• Go from bad to ____
• ____ Sam (Looney Tunes character)

---

(This illustration by Infernal 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!

Wordy Wednesday 649: Logicrossword 15

WORDY WEDNESDAY #647
MINI TOUCHWORD 5 (answer)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #648
KEVIN'S UNFINISHED PUZZLES AT HOME (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 #649
LOGICROSSWORD 15
(click here for a PDF version)

Blacken some cells in the grid and fill the rest with letters to form words. Hereafter, a “word” refers to any string of two or more consecutive letters reading from left to right or top to bottom, bounded on both sides by black cells or the edge of the grid. All words are Scrabble-legal and appear in the NASPA Word List 2023 Edition (NWL2023). A list of all acceptable 2-letter words is provided as a solving aid; all of the words which are not on this list and not mentioned in the clues should be familiar to most solvers. Use the clues, logic, and your vocabulary to find the solution.

Arrange the letters in the highlighted cells to get the final answer, a single Scrabble-legal word. (If any of the highlighted cells are blackened, then the final answer will be less than 8 letters long.)

AA AB AD AE AG AH AI AL AM AN AR AS AT AW AX AY BA BE BI BO BY DA DE DO ED EF EH EL EM EN ER ES ET EW EX FA FE GI GO HA HE HI HM HO ID IF IN IS IT JO KA KI LA LI LO MA ME MI MM MO MU MY NA NE NO NU OD OE OF OH OI OK OM ON OP OR OS OW OX OY PA PE PI PO QI RE SH SI SO TA TE TI TO UH UM UN UP US UT WE WO XI XU YA YE YO ZA

• No two black cells share an edge. All the white cells are connected through their edges. No word is repeated in the grid.
• Row 1 contains a 9-letter word.
• Row 2 contains the word IODID. Besides IODID, exactly one other 5-letter word reads across.
• Row 4 contains exactly two black cells.
• Row 8 contains the word EDENTATES.
• Column C contains the word EGO.
• Column D contains a word that contains the substring EG.
• Column E contains a 5-letter word.
• Column F contains exactly one instance of the letter J.
• Column G contains the words BATTU (which intersects TEA) and ENG (which intersects IGLU).
• Column I contains a 5-letter word that contains the letter M, but not the letter H.
• The words EN and EW read across.
• The word NOLO reads down.
• The words AMIDO, EMO, and REES appear somewhere.
• A 4-letter word that starts with B and ends with one of the first 9 letters of the alphabet appears somewhere.
• A 4-letter word that contains the letters F and R appears somewhere.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Name of the female protagonist in the Twilight books"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10, Episode 3: Tabletop Talk

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here
Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 2 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 2 (Before and After): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 18 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 1750. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $17.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $70.00. 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 10, EPISODE 3:
TABLETOP TALK
(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin has been logging some interesting board games he’s played.

• My friend and I played this game for stakes using the doubling cube, and it was very satisfying when I would hit his blots and send them to the bar. Buy yourself a briefcase edition and enjoy this classic yourself! I won 6 games out of 10.

• The spaghetti western theme of this game designed by Emiliano Sciarra pulled me in. Note to self: the “birra” (beer) cards stop healing you when only two players remain. Obviously, the message of this game is to only drink beer in the company as many other people as possible. I won 1 game out of 4.

• I’ve fallen in love with this Michael Kiesling game inspired by Portuguese tilework, and look forward to trying some of the spin-offs such as “Stained Glass of Sintra” and “Summer Pavilion”. I won 1 game out of 4.

• Marc André designed this modern classic in which players play the role of Renaissance gem merchants racing for prestige. Be sure to reserve the card you want before someone else does, and don’t forget about the Noble tiles. I won 3 games out of 8.

• Is chess not educational enough for you? Try this Japanese game which is similar to chess, but you get to learn kanji along the way! Being able to drop the pieces you’ve previously captured is a very fun gameplay mechanic. I won 3 games out of 5.

• This game sounds like it would be played by Tom Cotton, Chuck Schumer, and 98 other people. However, it was actually first played by ancient Egyptians, and is strictly for 2 players. Throw the sticks to determine how many spaces to move, and try to get your pieces off the board. I won 3 games out of 5.

• Few people are aware that Leslie Scott designed this dexterity game or that its name comes from Swahili, but everybody knows not to make the tower of blocks collapse. I won 2 games out of 5.

---

(This illustration by Infernal 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 3's hint and Episode 4's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 648: Kevin's Unfinished Puzzles at Home

WORDY WEDNESDAY #646
SECTION SIX 64 (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 **
Russ Kale **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #647
MINI TOUCHWORD 5 (hint)

As of this writing, 16 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 #648
KEVIN'S UNFINISHED PUZZLES AT HOME
(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!

 

As you may already be aware, I like to present my blog’s readers with simple puzzles without instructions, using the colorful anthropomorphic wolf Kevin Edmund Kepler as a framing device. Go behind the scenes and take a look at some of my unfinished Kevin’s Puzzles at Home puzzle ideas!

Unfinished Puzzle #1
When Kevin looks up at the stars, he can’t help but sometimes feel like they’re trying to communicate a message to him!
[to do: The use of “feel” in the flavortext might be too subtle a hint for newer solvers as to what encoding is being used. But I “cannot see” a way to clue it that isn’t overly blunt.]

Unfinished Puzzle #2
Grab yourself a “Greece” pencil and help Kevin recall the details of his and his friends’ trips!
[to do: Extracting the answer will be straightforward enough, but some solvers may not be familiar with grid logic puzzles like this. I might translate the puzzle to Greek to make it harder, if only I knew someone who speaks Greek. Oh well.]
Kevin and three of his friends all took vacations to the beautiful nation of Greece. From the clues below, determine in what year and for how many nights each of them did so.

1. Concord either visited Greece in 2025 or stayed there for 7 nights, but not both.

2. Douglas stayed in Greece for exactly 2 nights longer than did the one who visited in 2024.

3. Buck’s trip to Greece was exactly 2 years after the 4-night stay.

Unfinished Puzzle #3
Kevin had a dream that a shadowy figure demanded of him, “State your name!”
[to do: Is this puzzle too America-centric? And will my solvers think to look vertically for the final answer?]
• Natural • Golden • Sunshine • Aloha • Hawkeye • Pine Tree • Bay •

Unfinished Puzzle #4
Can you help Kevin locate these duos of shaded cells?
[to do: Is it fair to expect novice solvers to know what a Norinori is? And if they manage that, will they figure out how the column numbers of the shaded cells affect the given letters? I might need to brainstorm some better hinting.]

Unfinished Puzzle #5
Kevin simply cannot understand abstract art. Can you help him?
[to do: Should I mention that the artist’s name is “Samuel Finley Breese”? A reference to Piet Mondrian could also tip solvers off to the solving method.]

Unfinished Puzzle #6
Kevin has rediscovered the party game Musical Chairs, in which players scramble to get seated and not be left behind.
[to do: Should I put the items in column B in the correct order? Some people are very bad at anagramming, and they might get frustrated with the added element of figuring out which answer goes where. But some solvers might find this order to be a good solving aid, too. We’ll have to see.]

COLUMN A
1. Frequent hangout, as for a ghost
2. One who reads omens
3. Striped mammal related to the horse
4. Take on legal custody, as of a child
5. Lip ____ (cosmetics item)
6. “Great minds think ____”
7. Large abyss
8. Garment covering one’s trunk
9. Hooded Indian snake
10. Cleanse with water
COLUMN B
• Folk musician Joan
• Sideways-walking crustacean
• Expert or spiritual guide
• Pipe problem
• A lumberjack’s felled tree trunks
• Prepare potatoes, perhaps
• A trigonometric function
• Mix, as ingredients in a bowl
• Warty amphibian
• Fishy mascot Charlie, for one

Unfinished Puzzle #7
Kevin has found that Disney songs keep getting stuck in his head, and in an effort to get them out of his head, he has started rating them on a numerical scale.
[to do: Hopefully my solvers will be smart enough to figure out what those numbers are actually for, and I won’t have to give blatant hints. Surely someone will get suspicious and count the number of letters in each Disney movie title. . . right?]
“The Second Star to the Right” - 6 out of 8
“Little April Shower” - 5 out of 5
“Surface Pressure” - 5 out of 7
“Baby Mine” - 5 out of 5
“Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” - 1 out of 10
“Go the Distance” - 4 out of 8
“Oo-De-Lally” - 6 out of 9
“One Jump Ahead” - 6 out of 7

Unfinished Puzzle #8
Oh no! Kevin’s board game shelf collapsed, and now the components of some of his games got all mixed together! Can you sort them out?
[to do: Hopefully all of these board games are relatively familiar, but even if they aren’t, the fact that all of the words in their names are ordinary non-capitalized dictionary entries should help. Well, except for that very capitalized, but very well-known, Asian city in row 2.]

Unfinished Puzzle #9
Normally, Kevin enjoys a trip to the zoo to meet his fellow mammals, but the layout of this zoo was very confusing, and he had difficulty finding all 17 exhibits!
[to do: It’s a good thing that all of the mammals are 5 letters or longer, or else some solvers would get flashbacks to that viral “Find the Fox” word search book. As for the other solvers, hopefully they can figure out that the unused letters aren’t random.]

Unfinished Puzzle #10
Kevin has decided to enhance his enjoyment of sports by risking his money on sports betting. He's even placed bets on sports that most people wouldn't expect to be able to bet on!
[to do: This puzzle might have a bit too much math in it for some people’s tastes. I guess they should be grateful that it’s just arithmetic using numbers from 1 through 26 and not differential calculus. Once they’ve figured out the numbers and turned them into letters, finding the right order will be as easy as ABC. . . fingers crossed!]
All bets were in positive, whole dollar amounts. No two bets were of the same amount.
The largest bet was on golf, and the smallest bet was on baseball.
There was no $5 bet.
The bet on hockey was equal to the combined bets on archery and darts.
The bet on darts was equal to the combined bets on cricket and equestrian.
The bet on archery was 2 times the bet on baseball.
The bet on golf was 5 times the bet on cricket.
The bet on football was equal to half the combined total of the bets on darts and hockey.
The bets on golf and hockey were for a combined total of $35.

Unfinished Meta Puzzle
[to do: Well, crap, I have all of these unfinished puzzles that will never see the light of day. It’s a shame, really. All this effort put into writing puzzles that nobody will ever see. Unless. . . wait! One of my Patreon supporters suggested a really interesting word to me. I could use it as the answer for a meta-puzzle, and throw all of these unfinished puzzles together into a big unfinished mess, and. . . yes! Maybe the effort I put into writing these unfinished puzzles won’t go to waste after all! Just make sure the puzzles are presented in the right order to extract the answer; most anagram engines are going to be extremely unhelpful in solving this obscure word. But if my solvers fact-check me, they should indeed find a few sources which attest to its word-ness. It’s rather meatier than my usual Wordy Wednesday offerings, but maybe it won’t be too overwhelming if all of the parts are simple enough. Done!]

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Logicrossword!

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10, Episode 2: Before and After

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10"): click here

Episode 1 (Crazy Clocks): 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 of West Central Texas is $8.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of 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 10, EPISODE 2:

BEFORE AND AFTER

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin’s lynx friend was supposed to help him identify the missing links between these words, but shockingly enough, the lynx also went missing!

---

(This illustration by Infernal 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 2's hint and Episode 3's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 647: Mini Touchword 5

WORDY WEDNESDAY #645
PENT WORDS 129 (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 **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Ryan Faley **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #646
SECTION SIX 64 (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 #647
MINI TOUCHWORD 5
(click here for a PDF version)

In a crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they merely touch. More specifically, all answers read across, and every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. (If you want more of these puzzles, the author offers the Touchword subscription service Outside the Fox Puzzles.) Arrange the letters in the shaded squares to form the final answer, a Scrabble-legal (unhyphenated, uncapitalized, etc.) 6-letter word.

1 Wooden boxes / Bakery offering
2 Fad / “Mandinka” singer O’Connor
3 Jacket worn by an arsonist? / ____ tube
4 1982 film adaptation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: 2 wds.
5 The obverse side of a coin / Castigate
6 Rope-making fiber / Language from which we get the word “patio”
7 Paint made from egg yolks / Throw
8 Baby Bop of Barney & Friends is one
9 Dupe / Series of cooking instructions
10 Smooth and glossy / Make a choice
11 Scheduled / The Princess ____ (1987 film)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A bunch of puzzles that I never got around to finishing. Sorry!
* Patron Puzzle #132, which will be delivered on May 8, 2025, 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 10, Episode 1: Crazy Clocks

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 Infernal, previously known as Tintinabar, is not part of any puzzle. Any resemblance between this Kevin and the one who runs www.kevinspuzzles.com is purely coincidental.)

 

Every Monday during May and June 2025, 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 June 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, 75 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 July 13, I will donate 1¢ to the Food Bank of West Central Texas, up to a maximum of $150. (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 $600 (and thus the maximum contribution to this donation by a single solver $20). To date, the Kevin's Puzzles at Home series has raised $3,277.00 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 July 14, 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 10" 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

Season 5 (September-October 2023): Puzzles and hints, solutions

Season 6 (January-February 2024): Puzzles and hints, solutions

Season 7 (May-June 2024): Puzzles and hints, solutions

Season 8 (September-October 2024): Puzzles and hints, solutions

Season 9 (January-February 2025): 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!

 

Special thanks to Jason Boomer, John Bulten, and Joseph DeVincentis for testing these puzzles!

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 10, EPISODE 1:

CRAZY CLOCKS

(click here for a PDF version)

While visiting his uncle, Kevin had two huge questions on his mind. First, why does one person need so many clocks? Second, why do those clocks not all tell the same time?

---

(This illustration by Infernal, previously known as Tintinabar, is not part of any 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 1's hint and Episode 2's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 646: Section Six 64

WORDY WEDNESDAY #644
MINI TOUCHWORD 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 **
Derek Allen **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Randy Rogers **
Russ Kale **
Jason Boomer **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **
Tower **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #645
PENT WORDS 129 (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 #646
SECTION SIX 64
(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 Canadian province neighboring North Dakota and Minnesota
2 Examine critically
3 Digging device with a helical shaft
4 Careful reading
5 “Tell Me the ____ of Jesus” (Christian hymn)
6 Programming language associated with turtle graphics

Ring 2
• The ____ Birds Movie (2016 animated film based on a smartphone app)
• Water lily associated with a yoga position
• By and ____
• Safeguards
• Small particle of matter

Ring 3
• Money borrowed at interest
• Complain
• Flying ____
• Administrative

Ring 4
• Devoted
• Porch bordered by colonnades
• City northeast of San Francisco famous for its wine

Ring 5
• In the future
• Concern for Milton Friedman or Thomas Sowell

Ring 6
• Item in a colorful box of 64

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's an 11-letter, 2-word answer for "1982 film adaptation of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"?

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