Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2, Episode 8: The Art of the Matter

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2"): click here

Episode 1 (Photographic Mammal-ry): 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 2 (Spot the Difference): 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 (Perplexing Pairs): 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 (Sports Stats Stumpers): 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 5 (Kevin Watches Movies): 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 6 (Special Arrangements): 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 7 (Connect the Peri-Dots): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 5800. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $58.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $232.00. 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 2, EPISODE 8:

THE ART OF THE MATTER

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin’s newest piece of abstract artwork is eye-catching so far, but can you help him figure out how to use his four colors of paint to finish painting the rest of the artwork, while being aware of the borders between regions?
(Note: As an aid for solvers who are colorblind or who have black and white printers, the PDF, linked above, includes a second page with a black and white version of this puzzle, with shapes instead of colors.)

---

(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 8's hint and Episode 9's puzzle, a metapuzzle requiring the previous 8 answers to be solved. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 502: Snake Crisscross 21

WORDY WEDNESDAY #500
PENT WORDS 100 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #501
TOUCHWORD 26 (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 #502
SNAKE CRISSCROSS 21
(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
It might belong in a museum
Bear’s home
The day before Christmas, for example
Prune
Light bite
Bowling alley item
Pea container
Unhappy
Vietnamese New Year
4 LETTERS
English mathematician Turing
Treble’s opposite
Reverberate
Banner
Jeans namesake Strauss
Prominent feature of a giraffe
Part of a Venetian blind
Arctic ____
Large book
5 LETTERS
Military flutes
Rottweiler’s restraint
It’s measured in beats per minute
Church donation
6 LETTERS
Julia’s Seinfeld role
Idiot
Cosine’s multiplicative inverse
9 LETTERS
Ladies’ counterparts
13 LETTERS
2022 roguelike video game in which a young sheep amasses religious followers: 4 wds.
SNAKE WORDS
5 LETTERS
____ Cody Banks (2003 movie)
Jeans material
Bloodhound biters
Express a view
6 LETTERS
Heroic Polonaise composer
Silver and gold, for two
Small amounts
Pardonable
7 LETTERS
Likely to arouse intense feelings
Everlasting
Many a church meal
10 LETTERS
High-ranking diplomat
15 LETTERS
1997 science fiction movie starring Gary Oldman as the evil Zorg: 3 wds.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* In what 1954 thriller does James Stewart play nosy photojournalist L.B. Jefferies?
* What woodwind shares its name with a Dragon Ball character?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2, Episode 7: Connect the Peri-Dots

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2"): click here

Episode 1 (Photographic Mammal-ry): 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 2 (Spot the Difference): 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 (Perplexing Pairs): 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 (Sports Stats Stumpers): 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 5 (Kevin Watches Movies): 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 6 (Special Arrangements): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 5275. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $52.75. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $211.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 2, EPISODE 7:

CONNECT THE PERI-DOTS

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin found a box full of precious stones, and has decided to make a necklace out 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 7's hint and Episode 8's puzzle. Good luck!

Wordy Wednesday 501: Touchword 26

WORDY WEDNESDAY #498
HEX PATHFINDER 32 (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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #499
ANAWORDSEARCH 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 **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #500
PENT WORDS 100 (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 #501
TOUCHWORD 26
(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.

Arrange the letters in the shaded spaces to form the final answer, an 8-letter word.

1 Jonah, for one / Group of cattle / Hard fat surrounding the kidneys in beef
2 Cliché  / Recipient of a gift / Question
3 Underwater projectile / ____ for Speed (2014 film) / Spheres
4 The human trunk / Judges’ garments / Day of Pillow Talk (1959)
5 Associate / “Honesty is the ____ policy” / Part of the eye
6 Terminator: The Sarah ____ Chronicles / Kiss and ____ / Weary
7 “You ____ Me Round” (Dead or Alive hit) / Shakespearean character who killed Desdemona / Grass
8 2022 horror movie in which three friends get locked in a spooky costume store: 2 wds.
9 Feed / Pollen, for example
10 “Meat” and “potatoes”, for two / ____ Dunk (manga series about basketball) / A union of two companies
11 Advise / Gun store purchase / Equal
12 Scorch / Rarely / Word following “soap” or “space”
13 Stock purchase unit / Change decorations / Konami game in which Bill and Lance fight the terrorist organization Red Falcon
14 Genuine / Vessel for serving wine
15 Recipe amount, perhaps / Erstwhile anesthetic / Fall bloomer

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 15-letter, 3-word answer for "1997 science fiction movie starring Gary Oldman as the evil Zorg"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2, Episode 6: Special Arrangements

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2"): click here

Episode 1 (Photographic Mammal-ry): 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 2 (Spot the Difference): 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 (Perplexing Pairs): 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 (Sports Stats Stumpers): 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 5 (Kevin Watches Movies): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 4350. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $43.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $174.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 2, EPISODE 6:

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin is very mixed up by this word puzzle!

ETRIER

MELENA

LAMPAS

MESTEE

REALIA

RHYTON

BAWLER

TIEING

SPITTY

COHEIR

ALBEDO

RHODIC

DRAPEY

CILICE

PEACES

LIEDER

---

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

Wordy Wednesday 500: Pent Words 100

WORDY WEDNESDAY #497
HEX PATHFINDER 31 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Mary Maynard **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #498
HEX PATHFINDER 32 (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 #499
ANAWORDSEARCH 4 (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 #500
PENT WORDS 100
(click here for a PDF version)

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

In this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (regions containing five cells each), and write a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the Across clues. The letters in the pentominoes, in reading order (left to right starting with the top row), will form the words hinted at by the Pentominoes clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example, the rows spell PLANT, SHARE, and BITES, and the pentominoes spell the words PLANS, TREES, and HABIT.) Use the ACROSS answers to determine where the pentominoes are.

ACROSS (two answers per row):
1 Butcher’s knife / Not bright
2 Persia, now / Austria’s capital
3 Psychiatrist Jung / A Brit’s afternoon drinking vessel
4 Like much modern plumbing / Summon, as a taxi
5 Top ____ (BBC series about cars since 2002) / Mock
6 Follow-up installment / For fear that
7 Loud metallic sound / Certain church official
8 Propels with oars / Kilt’s pattern, often
9 Certain violet / Yardstick relative
10 U-shaped fastener / Atlas Shrugged protagonist John
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Educate
* La Traviata composer
* ____ as a bell
* Magician Criss
* Was helpful to
* Red button on a Nintendo 64 controller
* Boston ____ (2004-2008 ABC series)
* Metalworking tool that’s often dropped on cartoon characters
* Boredom
* Hockey infraction
* Fervor
* Pacify
* Harry Potter and the ____ of the Phoenix
* Painter’s stand
* Shock jock Howard
* Watchful
* Kingly topper
* Spaghetti or ravioli

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 15-letter, 2-word answer for "2022 horror movie in which three friends get locked in a spooky costume store"?
* Patron Puzzle #101, which will be delivered on October 8, 2022, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Fill-In Crossword.

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2, Episode 5: Kevin Watches Movies

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2"): click here

Episode 1 (Photographic Mammal-ry): 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 2 (Spot the Difference): 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 (Perplexing Pairs): 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 (Sports Stats Stumpers): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

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

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 2, EPISODE 5:

KEVIN WATCHES MOVIES

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin always keeps an ample supply of popcorn handy!

Over the course of 5 days from Monday through Friday, Kevin has watched 5 different movies (including that 1992 biopic about labor union leader Jimmy who mysteriously disappeared). After watching each movie, Kevin gave it a different rating from 1 through 5 stars. Using the clues below, determine what movie Kevin watched each day and the rating it was given. You might even figure out the title of the movie Kevin plans to watch next.

1. On Thursday, Kevin watched that movie in which a bus has to travel at 50 miles per hour or faster to avoid setting off a bomb.

2. Kevin watched the 1-star movie the day immediately before watching that movie in which Shia LaBeouf plays a boy named Stanley Yelnats who is forced to do a lot of digging in a desert detention camp.

3. That movie in which Adam Sandler can control reality with a magic remote was rated exactly 1 star higher than the movie that Kevin watched on Wednesday.

4. The movie that Kevin watched on Tuesday was rated with twice as many as stars as that M. Night Shyamalan movie about crop circles in a cornfield (which Kevin watched the day immediately before he watched the movie that earned a 5-star rating).

---

(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 498: Hex Pathfinder 32 & Wordy Wednesday 499: Anawordsearch 4

WORDY WEDNESDAY #496
SECTION SIX 49 (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 **
Cindy Heisler **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
renee hoppe **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #497
HEX PATHFINDER 21 (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!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #498
HEX PATHFINDER 32
(click here for a PDF version)

In this puzzle, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered hexagon and winds through the grid, starting in the indicated direction. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries.

Rearrange the letters in the shaded spaces to get the final answer, a 7-letter word.

1W Certain Methodist (8)

2W Thin surface layer (6)

3NE Rodent found in a waste conduit (8, 2 wds.)

4E Haphazard (7)

5SW Website for buying handmade goods (4)

6SE Submarine, for example (8)

7W In style (4)

8E Something prohibited (5)

9SE Put an end to, as a law (9)

10E Mediate (9)

11NW Walk like a duck (6)

11NW Hit song for country musician Freddy Fender (25, 5 wds.)

12SE Guest of ____ (5)

13W Multistoried residence (9)

14SW Optimistic (4)

14SW ____ numerals (5)

15E Rhyme’s partner (6)

16E Certain diacritical mark (5)

17NW “Too ____ cooks. . .” (4)

18SE Old Testament book following Judges (4)

19SE Flexible (7)

20E City in New York with a monument to basketball’s shot clock (8)

21E Current beneath water’s surface (8)

22SE 2014 video game in which players can control gods (5)

23SW Some tire shop purchases (4)

24SW Simpletons (11)

25NE ____ of the Titans (1981 film which was remade in 2010) (5)

26NE Calculator predecessors (5)

27W Luigi’s ____ (Nintendo GameCube game) (7)

28SW 1960 movie character who said, “We all go a little mad sometimes” (11, 2 wds.)

29SE Tears (4)

30W Regale (5)

31E Potent potables (7)

WORDY WEDNESDAY #499
ANAWORDSEARCH 4
(click here for a PDF version)

This puzzle contains a word suggested by patron Daren Bischel. 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!

(A sequel to WW67, WW169, and WW402.)

The leftover letters in the word search below spell a clue to the final answer.

1989 Don Bluth film whose title suggests the afterlife destination of the

    10 entities, each of 5 of more letters, hidden in the word search

    above: 5 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 

                  A5 G5 A1 B9 D8 F5 I4 D9 E7 B2 F9 B3 D5 I3 A6 I5 F4 

Frog or salamander, for one __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

                            E5 E8 C9 G2 C4 C5 H6 A4 I6

Conduct oneself properly __ __ __ __ __ __

                         G4 A2 G3 F8 C6 H8

Jeff who owns The Washington Post __ __ __ __ __

                                  E9 H5 C7 E6 G1

Ancient Celtic priest __ __ __ __ __

                      F6 I9 H3 I8 A8

Comfy upholstered seat: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 

                               B8 E1 G8 C2 H2 B5 F3 A7 C1 

Something that brings bad luck __ __ __ __

                               I7 C3 H7 G9

One of three that Angel Alvarado solved in 4:31.01 while juggling them to

    set a new world record in 2022: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 

                                           A9 F1 I2 D1 D2 E2 A3 G6 F7 H4 

Surgeon’s stitch __ __ __ __ __ __

                 I1 F2 E4 E3 D7 H9

Arnold Palmer’s pegs __ __ __ __

                     B4 B1 B6 G7

Vile and wicked __ __ __ __ __ __

                D6 D4 D3 B7 H1 C8

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 5-letter word for "Boston ____ (2004-2008 ABC series)"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2, Episode 4: Sports Stats Stumpers

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2"): click here

Episode 1 (Photographic Mammal-ry): 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 2 (Spot the Difference): 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 (Perplexing Pairs): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

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

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 2, EPISODE 4:

SPORTS STATS STUMPERS

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin wants to write letters to the people whose idea it was to fill sports with so many confusing numbers!

Topmost number on a standard dartboard

Maximum roster size allowed in the NHL during the regular season

Score of a tennis player who has scored once in the current game

Maximum number of throws possible for one player in one game of bowling

Number of flag posts in the perimeter area of a rugby union field

Number of points a grand slam is worth in baseball

Number of points the blue ball is worth in snooker

Number of players on an Australian rules football team who are on the field at once

Number of pawns on the board at the start of a chess boxing match

Maximum number of yellow cards a soccer player may get without being dismissed from the game

Peyton Manning’s retired jersey number for the Indianapolis Colts

---

(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 497: Hex Pathfinder 31

WORDY WEDNESDAY #495
PENT WORDS 99 (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 **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #496
SECTION SIX 49 (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 #497
HEX PATHFINDER 31
(click here for a PDF version)

In this puzzle, each answer starts in the correspondingly numbered hexagon and winds through the grid, starting in the indicated direction. When you have finished, every letter will be used in exactly two entries.

Rearrange the letters in the shaded spaces to get the final answer, a 7-letter word.

1W 1986 hit for the band Wang Chung (23, 4 wds.)

2E Popular food fish (11, 2 wds.)

2SW Common skin cream ingredient (8, 2 wds.)

3NW Be overly sweet (4)

4SE References as a source (5)

5E Notches in an archer’s arrows (5)

6SW Offensive (5)

7SW In the ____ (nude) (4)

8NW Halite (8, 2 wds.)

9SE Small bit of burned coal (6)

10NW Texas city in which the first Church’s Chicken restaurant opened (10, 2 wds.)

11SW In advance (5)

12W Rip (4)

13SE Pay for, as a pedicure? (11, 3 wds.)

14E Leave out (4)

15SE ____ on 34th Street (7)

16NW It overhangs a roof (4)

17E Reverberate (4)

18NE Where a ship’s freight is kept (9, 2 wds.)

19NW Singer Ariana (6)

20E Ian Hunter song which was famously covered by the glam rock band Great White (18, 4 wds.)

21NE Certain salamander (4)

22W Offhand (4)

23E Pulling power (8)

24SW ____ training (5)

25SW Shaft on which a wheel rotates (4)

26SW Erudite (7)

27NW It’s often listed beneath the subtotal on a receipt (8, 2 wds.)

28NE Frigid (7, hyph.)

29SE Sober (7)

30SW Rail against (6)

31E Stand and ____ (1988 movie) (7)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "Luigi’s ____ (Nintendo GameCube game)"?
* What's a 5-letter word for "Jeff who owns The Washington Post"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2, Episode 3: Perplexing Pairs

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2"): click here

Episode 1 (Photographic Mammal-ry): 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 2 (Spot the Difference): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!)

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

The total number of points scored is 1825. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $18.25. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $73.00. If you haven't already, you may solve the above puzzles for 25 points each, possibly with the aid of the hints.

KEVIN’S PUZZLES AT HOME

SEASON 2, EPISODE 3:

PERPLEXING PAIRS

(click here for a PDF version)

Can you help Kevin puzzle out these partnerships?

Lure in a customer with a cheap item in order to offer an expensive item

Offering at a combination bakery/dairy?

Forcefully trespassing 

System where multiple branches of government all have some control over each other

The Mikado creators

Children’s game of stealth

Music genre derived from jazz

___ ___ ___ [__] & ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ [__]

___ ___ [__] ___ ___ ___ & ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ [__] ___

___ ___ [__] ___ ___ ___ ___ & ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ [__] ___ ___

___ ___ ___ [__] & [__] ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ [__] ___ ___ ___ ___ & ___ [__] ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ [__] & ___ ___ [__] ___ ___ ___

___ [__] ___ ___ ___ ___ & ___ ___ ___ [__] ___

A A A A A A  B B B B B B B  C C C C  D D  E E E E E E E E E E E E  G G G  H H H H H

I I I I I I I  K K K  L L L L L  M  N N N N N  R R R R R R  S S S S S S  T T T T T T T  U U U  V  W  Y

Final answer: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

---

(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 496: Section Six 49

WORDY WEDNESDAY #493
HEX PATHFINDER 30 (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 **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
M. Sean Molley **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Mary Maynard **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #494
FRAMELINKS 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:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #495
PENT WORDS 99 (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 #496
SECTION SIX 49
(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 It may be granulated

2 The ____ and One Dalmatians (Dodie Smith novel)

3 Bank statement datum

4 Steven of martial arts films

5 One who has served in the armed forces

6 Time long past

Ring 2

* Experience

* Remain

* Kingly

* Simplicity

* Lumiere of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is one

Ring 3

* “Better safe than ____”

* Based on cursory examination: 3 wds.

* Alan of M*A*S*H

* Put up with

Ring 4

* They hold up stockings

* Like a zombie

* Venetian waterway

Ring 5

* Sweater or overcoat whose sleeves extend to the neckline

* Allergen that a dog owner might have to deal with

Ring 6

* ____ 49 (2004 drama film about firefighters)

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 23-letter, 4-word answer for "1986 hit for the band Wang Chung"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2, Episode 2: Spot the Difference

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 2"): click here

Episode 1 (Photographic Mammal-ry): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!) 

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

The total number of points scored is 900. Thus, the current money pool for the Food Bank for Larimer County is $9.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Food Bank for Larimer County will actually receive $36.00. 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 2, EPISODE 2:

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

(click here for a PDF version)

Using his sharp eyesight, Kevin has figured out that the pictures in the top row are not the same as the ones on the bottom row.

---

(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 495: Pent Words 99

WORDY WEDNESDAY #492
TOUCHWORD 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 **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Karen Spencer **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
John Bulten **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #493
HEX PATHFINDER 30 (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 #494
FRAMELINKS 15 (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 #495
PENT WORDS 99
(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 Last Week Tonight with ____ Oliver / Crown and ____ (gambling dice game)
2 Press / Certain mollusk
3 Feudal peasant / Drive-in restaurant employee
4 Stun gun brand / A shade of brown
5 In good spirits / Big name in audio equipment
6 “Out of ____, out of mind” / Become mature, as fruit
7 Gin’s partner / Unit of gold purity
8 1997-2001 Disney Channel series which takes place at Third Street School / Part of an eye
9 “The ____ of Hearts, he stole the tarts. . .” / The capital of Delaware
10 Alan of M*A*S*H / Render powerless
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Brother’s daughter
* Bird associated with babies
* Certain passenger car
* On the ____ (in a defensive position)
* United States ____ Academy (Annapolis institute)
* “The ____ of Dreams” (Billy Joel song)
* The ____ Limits
* Parenthetical remark
* Ceiling-supporting beam
* Grouchy Sesame Street resident
* Routine task
* With The, 1993-1999 sitcom starring Fran Drescher
* Stretch out your hand
* Leases, as a car
* The number 1, in piano fingering
* Certain building block
* ____ is Enough
* Transport by boat

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 6-letter word for "____ 49 (2004 drama film about firefighters)"?
* Patron Puzzle #100, which will be delivered on September 8, 2022, 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 2, Episode 1: Photographic Mammal-ry

INTRODUCTION

This series is inspired by the website Kevin's Puzzles, on which Kevin Orfield, who is a regular reader of this blog, posts a 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. The operative word here is "usually":

Kevin's Puzzles at Home is my knock-off "we have X at home" version of Kevin's Puzzles. The puzzles in Kevin's Puzzles at Home will 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 with a solved 7x7x7 Awoo-bik's Cube in his paw, hopes that you enjoy the puzzles that he will be offering you over the course of these coming months!

Every Monday during September and October 2022, 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 October 31, 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 10 November 13, 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.) Not all hungry people live in Texas; this food bank is local to some very beloved relatives who live in Colorado, and I wish to support it this time around. 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 November 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 2" appear in the title. Links to the first set of puzzles from this past May and June, plus all of their hints, can be found here. The solutions are all here.

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 2, EPISODE 1:

PHOTOGRAPHIC MAMMAL-RY

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin has started taking photos of all of the interesting animals that he sees.

---

(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!