Wordy Wednesday 658: Mini Touchword 7

WORDY WEDNESDAY #656
ANACROSSWORD 45 (answer)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #657
LOGICROSSWORD 16 (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 #658
MINI TOUCHWORD 7
(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 Carouses / Gold bar
2 Like a fair playing field / “A leopard ____ change its spots”
3 “It's the ____ I could do!” / Nick who played Devon Miles in Drumline (2002)
4 Celibate / Site of a dam in Egypt
5 Constitution / Persuasive influence
6 May 4, to sci-fi fans: 3 wds.
7 ____ poll / Footwear brand mentioned in a Run-D.M.C. hit
8 Layers, as of sedimentary rock / Has supper
9 Explorer in a Nick Jr. series / One receiving on-the-job education
10 Finished / Take care of, as livestock on the range
11 Extend, as a subscription / Unmarried

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 9-letter word for "Astrological sign represented by a goat"?

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

Outside the Fox Puzzles: Triple Crown Fox Derby #3

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

 

Outside the Fox Puzzles is proud to sponsor the 3rd triannual (and soon to be quarterly) Triple Crown Fox Derby! Up to three winners of this contest will receive their choice of one of these prizes, for themselves or for anyone else of their choice:
• A 1-year subscription to Outside the Fox Puzzles, which comes with 150 puzzles just like the ones in this contest!
• A $10 gift card for Grandmaster Puzzles, with which one can buy ebooks of beautiful logic puzzles written by talented authors from around the world!
• A 2-month Premium membership on Board Game Arena, with which one can play board games in real-time and turn-based modes against opponents from around the world!

With Kevin’s Puzzles at Home on hiatus, my plan is to run these contests on the first Monday of every January, April, July, and October, at 12:01 AM Central Time. This month, marking a transition period between the previous triannual schedule and a new quarterly one, is an exception. The entry deadline will be 13 days later (on a Sunday) at 11:59 PM Central Time; in this case, the deadline is Sunday, August 3, 2025, at 11:59 PM Central Time.

This contest combines a Touchword puzzle, a gridded logic puzzle, and a variety word puzzle with a fox race. Yes, in the real world, people bet on horse races and greyhound races, but in the fantastic world of Outside the Fox Puzzles, it is foxes who race. To participate in the contest, send an e-mail to glmathgrant@[at]gmail[dot]com. Your entry should include:
• Your answers to the three puzzles, as explained in their respective instructions. (Any format, including scans or photos of printed pages, screenshots, or plain text, will work, so long as I can read and judge it.)
• The name of the fox you'll be entering in the race (this is just for fun and has no effect on the outcome).
• The number of the gate your fox will start from (any integer between 1 and 50 inclusive) in each of the three races (the Kittucky Derby, the Sneakness Stakes, and the Tailmont Stakes). You can use the same gate any number of times.

The first race is the Kittucky Derby; to qualify, you must have submitted correct solutions to all three puzzles. The second race, the Sneakness Stakes, requires only two correct solutions, and the Tailmont Stakes requires only one. Winning an earlier race disqualifies you from a later race; otherwise, you can qualify for, and participate in, one, two, or all three races. The winner of each race is the fox that started from the lowest-numbered gate that nobody else selected! Unfortunately, when two or more foxes are crammed into the same gate, they have a tendency to fight each other and to not notice when the race has started. If no foxes qualify for a race, or if all qualifying foxes end up in fights, then there will be no winner.

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

These statistics on the previous Triple Crown Fox Derbies may give you an estimate of how many entrants the current Derby will have and help you plan your strategy. Enjoy the puzzles, and yappy racing!

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

TOUCHWORD

PUZ version

Every row has one or more answers clued in order. Every letter shares an edge with at least one identical letter either immediately above or immediately below. The top and bottom rows are considered adjacent. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

1 To say the ____ / Ethnic
2 NBC Nightly News with ____ Holt / ____ and error
3 “____ not, want not” / Talk a blue ____
4 Amount of money staked / Sound made by a mouse
5 “Lions and ____ and bears, oh my!” / Certain elementary particle
6 Site of an annual New Year’s Eve ball drop in Manhattan: 2 wds.
7 ____ Raider (1996 video game) / Fish often packed in a can
8 Hair stylist’s item / President whose middle name was Gamaliel
9 Piece of fabric / What’s ____ Gilbert Grape (1993 film)
10 Conspire / Locklear of Melrose Place
11 Round green vegetables / “Hot for ____” (Van Halen song)

SHIKAKU
Illustrated rules on puzz.link | Solve on puzz.link
Rules summary: Divide the grid along the grid lines into rectangles, each containing exactly one black circle. A number in a black circle indicates the area of its corresponding rectangle. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

MINI PATHFINDER
In this puzzle, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered square, goes in some direction, and makes one or more right-angled turns as it winds through the grid. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries. Answer enumerations have been withheld. To qualify for the Triple Crown Fox Derby, submit the completed grid.

 

1 Quality of something that strikes a chord
2 Make a correction to
3 Piece of septum jewelry: 2 wds.
4 Secure
5 ____ La Fume (skunk character in Tiny Toons Adventures)
5 Celebrity
6 Forebear
7 On the rise
8 Cosine’s reciprocal
9 Opening
10 Public-facing part of a brick-and-mortar or online shop
11 Las Vegas’s WNBA team

Wordy Wednesday 657: Logicrossword 16

WORDY WEDNESDAY #655
PENT WORDS 131 (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 **
İnci Kıran **
Kevin Orfield **
Marie desJardins **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Steve Levy **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #656
ANACROSSWORD 45 (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 #657
LOGICROSSWORD 16
(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 two 4-letter words; the first letter of the one on the left is the same as the last letter of the one on the right.
• Row 3 contains a word whose first letter is V.
• Row 4 contains the word IDENT.
• Row 5 contains a word whose first letter is S.
• Row 7 contains the word ODEON and exactly two black cells.
• Row 9 contains the word DE, which intersects two words with a combined total of 9 letters.
• Column A contains a 6-letter word.
• Column B contains the word IF.
• Column G contains the word MASHIE.
• The word SI reading across intersects the word OES reading down at cell H3.
• The word MISE reading across intersects the word MU reading down.
• The word OATH intersects the word TEASE.
• The words HO and OK appear somewhere in the grid.
• Two 8-letter words with the same last letter appear somewhere in the grid.
• Cells D2 and F1 contain the same letter, but that letter does not appear anywhere else in the grid.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What footwear brand is mentioned in a Run-D.M.C. hit?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 10: FINAL RESULTS!

FINAL SCORES

Here is a table of all of the participants and their scores (click to enlarge). Kudos to the 10 perfectionists (red) who scored 500 points and to the 6 completionists (orange) who solved every puzzle!

Participants are sorted by score (high to low), and then alphabetically (A to Z). The total number of points scored is 8750. Thus, the final money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $87.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $350.00. The total amount of money raised by Kevin's Puzzles at Home for various food banks now stands at $3,627.00.

Click this link for the solutions! Come back next Monday for the 3rd Triple Crown Fox Derby contest sponsored by my Outside the Box Puzzles subscription service! I have developed a great level of respect for Kevin putting these kinds of puzzles together every single week, but regrettably, my creativity seems to have come to an end, so until further notice, Kevin's Puzzles at Home is being suspended. As perhaps a small consolation, though, I plan to switch the Triple Crown Fox Derby from 3 times a year to 4 times a year, and to use it to benefit the same trio of food banks that Kevin's Puzzles at Home has supported. Thanks for your support, and be sure to visit the actual Kevin's website if you want more puzzles like this!

Wordy Wednesday 656: Anacrossword 45

WORDY WEDNESDAY #654
SUDOKUROSTIC 8 (answer)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #655
PENT WORDS 131 (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 #656
ANACROSSWORD 45
(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
• Lumberjack’s power tool
• Several tones played simultaneously
• “Order in the ____!”
• Argument
• “It’s over Anakin, I have the high ____!” (quote from Star Wars: Episode III)
• Perceive a sound
• “____ Dog” (Elvis Presley hit)
• Excessive pride
• Stinging ocean creature
• History Channel reality series featuring off-the-grid survivalists: 2 wds.
• Ska punk band with lead vocalist Gwen Stefani: 2 wds.
• Toy that is spun by the wind
• State mentioned in “Take Me Home, Country Roads”: 2 wds.

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: Final hint and final week!

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; 2 people 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; 4 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 7 (Tales of the Cryptogram): 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 8 (Cruel Crisscross): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 14 people solved this within the first week for 50 points apiece; 3 people solved it later for 25 points.
Episode 9 (Meta) (Vanishing Act): puzzle PDF, hint PDF
* 16 people solved this within the first week for 100 points apiece.

The total number of points scored is 8750. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank of West Central Texas is $87.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank of West Central Texas will actually receive $350.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points, or the meta for 50 points, possibly with the aid of the hints. This week is your final chance to score points and earn money for the food bank!

Stay tuned next week for all of the solutions and the final results. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 655: Pent Words 131

WORDY WEDNESDAY #653
MINI TOUCHWORD 6 (answer)

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

WORDY WEDNESDAY #654
SUDOKUROSTIC 8 (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 #655
PENT WORDS 131
(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 Japanese board game that resembles chess / Doom and ____
2 Pots and ____ / The Very ____ Caterpillar (Eric Carle book)
3 Tree that shares its name with a Colorado city / A dentist looks at them
4 Shift / Tally, as of population
5 Porridge made from ground hominy / A ship’s freight
6 Certain poker action / Organ that produces lymphocytes and filters blood
7 It covers the end of a lace / Proportion
8 Speedy / Amtrak vehicle
9 Actress Moriarty of The Boys / List of personnel
10 Finish / Early timepiece
PENTOMINOES:
• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
• Traditional Inuit dwelling
• Traditional Navajo dwelling
• Circular
• Brian May’s band
• Weighing device
• Certain poker action
• Enormous
• Openly manifest
• Two strokes under par
• Involuntary muscle contraction
• Chris who played Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy
• Orange peels
• Sudden burst, as of electricity
• Former Indiana governor Mike
• False notions
• ____ by jury
• Adhere
• Shift

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What state is mentioned in “Take Me Home, Country Roads”?
* Patron Puzzle #134, which will be delivered on July 8, 2025, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Vocabulary Fun Pack.

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