Wordy Wednesday 519: Anacrossword 28 & Wordy Wednesday 520: Pent Words 104

WORDY WEDNESDAY #517
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS (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 **
Dc **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Damon French **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #518
CODEWORDS 21 (hint)

As of this writing, 7 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #519
ANACROSSWORD 28
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96
__ __ __ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105
• ____ and Cleopatra (Shakespeare play)
• Place to buy a cappuccino
• Move slowly and stealthily
• Physicist Albert
• “Tusk” band: 2 wds.
• Allergic reaction triggered by pollen: 2 wds.
• Hoist
• Magazine installment
• “Rock and Roll Ain’t ____ Pollution” (AC/DC hit)
• Rule
• Place for a wedding band: 2 wds.
• Shape of a ball, in geometry
• Road relative
• What a drink of water might quench
• Have difficulty sleeping, in a way: 3 wds.
• Media franchise featuring the segment “Silly Songs with Larry”

WORDY WEDNESDAY #520
PENT WORDS 104
(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 Sanctuary / Conceal a playing card or a coin, perhaps
2 City in Ector County, Texas / Simpleton
3 Two-legged dragon / Baseball great Babe
4 Japanese or Chinese person, for example / Deadens
5 Weapon at a sleepover fight / Like some tradition
6 “____ of Love” (hit song for the Dixie Cups) / ____ wolf (extinct canine)
7 Harsh / Make amends
8 Wicked ____ (reality series about fishermen) / Keyboard user
9 Rant and ____ / Allow
10 Gaucho’s weapon / Noted film dancer Rogers
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Getting old
* Calendar page
* Cuban ballroom dance
* Bishop’s headdress
* Place to get your hair done
* Dapper
* Part of a flight of stairs
* Some precipitation
* Presses
* Swiftness
* Laurie of The Hustler (1961)
* A Night at the ____ (Queen album)
* Belly button
* Engine supercharger, briefly
* Eye-catching
* A savory jelly
* Kathmandu’s nation
* Render void, as a marriage

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Codewords!

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 3, Episode 4: Totally A-Mazed

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 3"): click here

Episode 1 (Name That Toon): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Fuzzy Flock): 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 3 (Tricky Triplets): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!) 

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

The total number of points scored is 2500. Thus, the current money pool for the Palm Beach County Food Bank is $25.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $100.00. 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 3, EPISODE 4:

TOTALLY A-MAZED

(click here for a PDF version)

Kevin finds it very easy to get lost in a puzzle like this one!

---

(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 518: Codewords 21

WORDY WEDNESDAY #516
SECTION SIX 51 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #517
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 13 (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 #518
CODEWORDS 21
(click here for a PDF version)

In the crossword puzzle above, every letter is represented by an integer from 1 through 26. You must decipher the code to reveal the words.

Arrange the letters in the shaded spaces to spell the final answer, an eight-letter word.

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What media franchise features the segment “Silly Songs with Larry”?
* What's a 5-letter word for "Laurie of The Hustler (1961)"?

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 3, Episode 3: Tricky Triplets

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 3"): click here

Episode 1 (Name That Toon): puzzle PDF, hint PDF

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

Episode 2 (Fuzzy Flock): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!) 

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

The total number of points scored is 1600. Thus, the current money pool for the Palm Beach County Food Bank is $16.00. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $64.00. 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 3, EPISODE 3:

TRICKY TRIPLETS

(click here for a PDF version)

Can you help Kevin put the trios of letters in the blanks in the right order?

 

EAC ECH EUN FIL FTH HEF HOL IRS MEO MTH OIN PLA REE THE TNA TOR TST WHA WHO YED YTH

 __ __ __ __’__    __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __    __ __
         ^           ^           ^        ^           ^           ^
 __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __ __
      ^           ^        ^           ^           ^        ^
 __ __ __ __    __ __    __ __ __    __ __ __ __   “__ __ __
         ^           ^           ^           ^           ^
 __ __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __”?

      ^        ^           ^

---

(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 517: Divided Into Columns 13

WORDY WEDNESDAY #514
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 10 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #515
PENT WORDS 103 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #516
SECTION SIX 51 (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 #517
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 13
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

Did away with, as a law __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                        78 52 32 70 19 87 05 49 45
French farewell __ __ __ __ __
                44 53 10 26 80
New York’s second-largest city __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                               81 13 43 34 73 60 31
Possessing nothing: hyph. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                          69 20 67 79 39 02 07 22 56 28 14
Not at all cheap __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                 42 27 47 74 71 12 21 06 48
It’s said to always be 20/20 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                             37 50 11 57 03 86 09 29 62
E.L. Fudge manufacturer __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                        65 01 41 17 55 25 84
Game in which you don’t want to be  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
   the last player standing: 2 wds. 51 63 30 46 64 08 15 85 82 77 75 33 36
It can be ingrown __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                  38 23 18 76 68 61 58
“____ Crawl” (Tracy Byrd song) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                               72 40 04 54 24 16 59 35 66 83

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* A Codewords!

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

Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 3, Episode 2: Fuzzy Flock

PREVIOUS EPISODES

Introduction (what these puzzles are and why they're called "Kevin's Puzzles at Home Season 3"): click here

Episode 1 (Name That Toon): puzzle PDF, hint PDF (new!) 

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

The total number of points scored is 750. Thus, the current money pool for the Palm Beach County Food Bank is $7.50. Three anonymous benefactors have agreed to match this donation, meaning that the Palm Beach County Food Bank will actually receive $30.00. 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 3, EPISODE 2:

FUZZY FLOCK

(click here for a PDF version)

(Edited at 12:17 AM on 2023-01-09 to fix a minor issue that didn't arise during testing.)

Kevin just wants to run his fingers through the fleece of these fantastic creatures!

---

(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 516: Section Six 51

WORDY WEDNESDAY #513
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 12 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Pavel Curtis **
Tyler Hinman **
Damon French **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #514
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 10 (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 #515
PENT WORDS 103 (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 #516
SECTION SIX 51
(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 Flat-roofed American Indian dwelling
2 Like marketing designed to spread on social media
3 ____ Girls (2004 Lindsay Lohan film)
4 Started
5 Ahead
6 Colorful term for police officers

Ring 2
* It’s measured in decibels
* ____ Croft: Tomb Raider (2001 film)
* City on Maine’s Penobscot River
* Possible quality of someone who enjoys traveling
* Speed

Ring 3
* A type of pill
* 2023 HBO Max series which is a spin-off of the Scooby-Doo franchise
* ____ republic
* Web-based game bought by the New York Times Company in 2022

Ring 4
* 1996 hit for the Spice Girls
* A shade of purple
* “Is nothing ____?”

Ring 5
* 2007-2008 sitcom, spun off from GEICO ads, about Neanderthals living in modern times
* Medal or trophy

Ring 6
* State in which Area 51 is located

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "New York’s second-largest city"?
* Patron Puzzle #104, which will be delivered on January 8, 2023, 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 3, Episode 1: Name That Toon

INTRODUCTION

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

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

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

Kevin Edmund Kepler, the colorful and prodigious wolf depicted above with a new simplified design that is intended to be less nightmarish for my illustrator to draw, hopes that you enjoy the puzzles that he will be offering you over the course of these coming months!

 

Every Monday during January and February 2023, a new episode will be posted at 12:01 AM (Central); as with the real Kevin's Puzzles, the final answer will be a word or phrase. Email me (at glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com) the correct solution to this puzzle within the next week to score 50 points. Each puzzle will also have a hint posted for it one week later; solving the puzzle while the hint is up will be worth 25 points. Episode 9, which will be posted on February 27, 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 March 12, I will donate 1¢ to the Palm Beach County Food Bank, 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 or Colorado; this food bank is local to a tester who lives in Florida, 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 March 13, one week after the final hint is posted. This will make the meta slightly harder, since you can't just look up the solutions to the previous puzzles to start solving it, but will also permit latecomers to score more points (and thus raise more money) than otherwise possible.

Astute readers will notice that the words "Season 3" appear in the title. Links to the first set of puzzles from last May and June, plus all of their hints, can be found here, with their solutions here. Links to the second set of puzzles from last September and October, plus all of their hints, can be found here, with their solutions 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 3, EPISODE 1:

NAME THAT TOON

(click here for a PDF version)

Oh no! Kevin is drawing a blank on the names of these beloved animated characters!

He often says, “Good grief!” __ __ __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __
                                32 22                11    06
Gumball’s goldfish who grew legs __ __ __ __ __ __
                                 25 30    14 08
Angel the Bunny’s pony caretaker __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                    28       07       01 17
The father of Pebbles __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                            24 18                31    16
His debut was in Steamboat Willie __ __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __ __ __
                                  23 29                05 19
Inspector Gadget’s intelligent niece __ __ __ __ __
                                     04    10 21 13
Canine named after Frank Sinatra’s scatting __ __ __ __ __ __-__ __ __
                                                  12 27          03 09
Hundred Acre Woods resident with a bouncy tail __ __ __ __ __ __
                                               02 15 26 20

---

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

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

Wordy Wednesday 514: Diagramless Crossword 10 & Wordy Wednesday 515: Pent Words 103

WORDY WEDNESDAY #512
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 11 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Jason Boomer **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #513
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 12 (hint)

As of this writing, 10 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #514
DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 10
(click here for a PDF version)

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

ACROSS
1 “While My Guitar Gently ____”
6 Andy Warhol’s movement: 2 wds.
7 Rapper Tyler, The ____
8 Excessively
9 Longoria of Desperate Housewives
10 First part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
16 Barkin of Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
17 Goof up
18 Prank
21 Talks
23 Young lady
25 Long fish
26 Word after “income” or “sales”
27 Assist
29 The Wild Bunch (1969) director Peckinpah
31 McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
33 Sloth in the Ice Age films
35 You might wear one while dining on ribs
37 25 Words or Less emcee Meredith
39 Bear, in Barcelona
40 Spigot on a cask
42 Killed, as a dragon
43 Second part of a clue to the final answer: ? wds.
47 Hot tub
48 Schumer of stand-up
49 Pays attention
52 Give drugs to a druggie, for example
53 New ____, India
DOWN
1 “____ is me!”
2 Grp. concerned with pollution
3 Consumed
4 Brigham Young University’s city
5 ____ World (2022 Disney film)
6 Poetry’s opposite
7 Gathering of comic fans, briefly
8 Big name in toy trucks
10 ____ Side Story
11 Beto O’Rourke’s birthplace: 2 wds.
12 Bledel of Gilmore Girls
13 Pod vegetable
14 Unit of work
15 Important time periods
19 Antenna
20 “Conga” singer Estefan
22 Bro or sis
24 Loo
28 Featherbrain
30 Young lady
32 You can go out with one
34 Vehicle pulled by huskies
36 Sheepish sound
38 One of Santa’s helpers
41 Flat two-dimensional surface in geometry
44 Express a view
45 Pertaining to a sniffing organ
46 They’re twice as wide as ens
50 “Quite frankly”, in a text message
51 Peyton Manning’s brother

WORDY WEDNESDAY #515
PENT WORDS 103
(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 Crustacean that’s often the “Maine” dish / Doze
2 Prophet whose name means “salvation” in Hebrew / Came up
3 Ginger ____ / Pommel horse user
4 “Do ____ others. . .” / Eucalyptus-eating marsupials
5 Sprang / Item supporting an injured arm, perhaps
6 Operatic solo / Native American tribe whose language was used by WWII code talkers
7 Sounds / With !, onomatopoeic title of Terry Pratchett’s 34th Discworld novel
8 Male merino / Starting the pot
9 Cow’s nipple / Hiss of meat being fried
10 Unaccompanied / “____ Seems to Be the Hardest Word” (Elton John song)
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* Condiment magnate Henry John ____
* Daniel of City Slickers (1991)
* Hillbilly ____ (2020 film)
* Eagle’s claw
* Speak pompously
* Frequent
* Devil ray
* Motortruck, to a Brit
* ____ Shrugged (Ayn Rand novel)
* Grey wolves
* Herb related to the carrot
* Become educated
* Church projections
* Sailor’s “Stop!”
* Shoptalk
* Clothing measurements
* Certain African ungulate
* Drawbridges can help you get across them

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 6-letter word for "State in which Area 51 is located"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 513: Divided Into Columns 12

WORDY WEDNESDAY #511
ANACROSSWORD 27 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Nan **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Jason Boomer **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #512
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 11 (hint)

As of this writing, 7 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

WORDY WEDNESDAY #513
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 12
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

“Quit while you’re ____” __ __ __ __ __
                         04 35 55 67 86
Helper __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
       24 16 76 43 74 91 57 40 50
Eli Whitney’s famous invention: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                       62 46 88 19 10 53 02 36 84
Scare __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
      39 70 73 41 52 81 28 26
Language from which we get the word “polenta” __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                              80 69 07 45 22 89 32
Author of the memoir Becoming: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                      05 31 08 42 47 64 18 68 87 72 54 25 82
Plumbing fixture in many rural areas __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                     48 03 85 29 23 14 77 15
Hairy spider that’s popular as a pet __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                     59 79 30 66 13 20 61 44 01
“I Wanna Rock” band: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                            34 71 09 60 27 21 11 17 63 56 49 90 75
“Captain” who’s Mr. Krupp’s superhero alter ego __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                                78 83 51 38 33 06 58 12 65 37

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What is the name of Peyton Manning’s brother?
* What's a 5-letter word for "Condiment magnate Henry John ____"?

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

Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy: Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy Pack #4

Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy Pack #4 is the biggest Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy pack yet! As a sequel to the three previous packs, this pack consists of Patron Puzzles #73-#100, all of which were exclusive to Patreon supporters. It also includes issues #4, #5, and #6 of Fox & Badger Magazine, my digital faux magazine which returns with a vengeance after being absent in the previous pack. Each issue contains not only a suite of puzzles with a meta at the end, but also a new Odds & Ends section with a variety of other puzzles to solve. By my count, there are over 140 puzzles altogether, and they're yours for US$10.

This time around, Patron Puzzles include the following:

* Six Codewords puzzles (example).

* One large Snake Crisscross puzzle (example).

* A themed 15x15 Pathfinder puzzle (example) which may have been my most well-received Patron Puzzle to date.

* Three diagramless crossword puzzles (example).

* Three Super Pent Words puzzles, in which some of the answers in a standard 10x10 Pent Words combine to make a miniature 5x5 Pent Words.

* Two Mini-Puzzle Fun Packs with several bite-sized grids to tackle.

* A weirdly experimental puzzle hidden in a custom Chip's Challenge level pack.

* And much more!

As a reminder, this is a charity initiative. Please e-mail me (glmathgrantATgmailDOTcom) a copy of your charitable receipt to my local food bank, the Food Bank of West Central Texas, to receive this puzzle pack. (It must be a new donation, dated no earlier than one day before you email me.) Click here for a list of all of the puzzle packs in this initiative. Happy solving!

Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy: A list of available puzzle packs

Below is a list of all of the puzzle packs available in the Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy series. To make the math simpler, this series has been reformatted so that every pack costs either US$2.50, US$5, or US$10. I have also decided to narrow the focus to the Food Bank for West Central Texas, my local food bank, as charity on a more local level is where my passion has been as of late. Please e-mail me (glmathgrantATgmailDOTcom) a copy of the receipt for your donation to receive the puzzle pack(s) of your choice. (It must be a new donation, dated no earlier than one day before you email me.) The current combined price of all of the packs below is US$95, if you wish to get them all. Happy solving!

$10 Packs
* Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy Pack #1: Patron Puzzles #1-#24 and Fox & Badger Magazine issues #1 and #2, all previously exclusive to Patreon supporters.
* Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy Pack #2: Patron Puzzles #25-#48 and Fox & Badger Magazine issue #3, all previously exclusive to Patreon supporters.
* Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy Pack #3: Patron Puzzles #49-#72, all previously exclusive to Patreon supporters.
* Patron Puzzles for Philanthropy Pack #4: Patron Puzzles #73-#100 and Fox & Badger Magazine issues #4, #5, and #6, all previously exclusive to Patreon supporters.
* Anacrossword Twenty-Pack: 20 crossword-style puzzles which reveal quotes as you fill them in.
* Anacrossword Twenty-Pack Two: 20 crossword-style puzzles which reveal quotes as you fill them in.
* Anacrossword Twenty-Pack Three: 20 crossword-style puzzles which reveal quotes as you fill them in.
$5 Packs
* LiveJournal Logic Pack: 300 vintage logic puzzles in a variety of styles.
* Section Six Six-Plus-Six Pack: 12 Section Six puzzles full of well-rounded wordplay.
* Magnum Opus Snake Crisscross: Only one puzzle, but it's probably the largest of its kind ever written. Over 300 answers read across, down, and along slithery paths.
$2.50 Packs
* 10x10x10 Crosswords: 10 miniature crosswords, including themed, themeless, vwllss, and Something Different.
* 10x10x10 Crosswords II: 10 miniature crosswords, including themed, themeless, vwllss, and Something Different.
* 10x10x10 Crosswords III: 10 miniature crosswords, including themed, themeless, vwllss, and Something Different.
* 11x11x11 Touchword: 11 miniature specimens of my original invention Touchword, in which answers touch at identical letters rather than crossing.

Wordy Wednesday 512: Divided Into Columns 11

WORDY WEDNESDAY #509
TOUCHWORD 27 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cindy Heisler **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Joe Bernard **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #510
PENT WORDS 102 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #511
ANACROSSWORD 27 (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 #512
DIVIDED INTO COLUMNS 11
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

This puzzle contains words suggested by patron Cindy Heisler and 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!

Long-haired breed of hunting dog: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                         96 43 11 80 55 29 04 33 47 64 15
Another name for a cougar or a lynx __ __ ___ __ __ __ ___ __ __
                                    18 69 103 48 82 06 100 75 78
____ suey __ __ __ ___
          26 79 65 102
Tony the Tiger’s cereal: 2 wds. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                                08 51 40 36 32 93 66 38 28 85 77 63 84
Off-kilter __ __ __ __ __ __ __
           97 62 31 05 44 54 24
Lemon- and lime-flavored  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
   tonic beverage: 2 wds. 50 87 09 12 19 74 23 58 14 68 92 90
____ and development __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                     95 59 35 30 07 41 73 89
Casino game with a wheel __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                         98 71 86 67 52 17 57 42
Card game in which you can bid blind nil __ __ __ __ __ __
                                         13 16 22 76 94 46
Third-person shooter franchise in which players __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
   engage in turf wars with colored ink         56 25 53 37 03 60 83 10
____ Susan (1996-2000 sitcom) __ __ __ __ __ ___ __ __
                              72 99 01 88 81 101 39 21
The Horse ____ (1998 movie) __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
                            20 02 49 91 45 27 61 70 34

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 7-letter word for "Language from which we get the word 'polenta'"?

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

Wordy Wednesday 511: Anacrossword 27

WORDY WEDNESDAY #508
CRYPTICROSTIC 18 (answer)

Here is the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Bonnie Veenschoten **
Cathy Bowen **
Cole Kendall **
James Haddad **
Michael Lebowitz **
Nan **
Stephen Potter **
Tyler Hinman **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #509
TOUCHWORD 27 (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 #510
PENT WORDS 102 (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 #511
ANACROSSWORD 27
(click here for a PDF version)
(click here for rules)

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96
__ __ __ ___ ___ ___
97 98 99 100 101 102
• Like Cubist artwork
• Seat for some “quarterbacks”
• Harper’s ____ (fashion magazine)
• Sneaky thief: 2 wds.
• Combat pilot
• Steam-powered winch used in logging: 2 wds.
• Percussion instrument of the bass or snare variety
• Remove, as pencil marks
• Furniture namesake Allen
• Robbery
• Flightless bird of New Zealand
• Orlando’s NBA team
• Production company famous for the web series Red vs. Blue: 2 wds.
• Mischievous one
• Small item for tallying the points of an ongoing game
• Used up
• Upper leg
• Popeye’s cohort who would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

* What's a 6-letter word for "Card game in which you can bid blind nil"?
* Patron Puzzle #103, which will be delivered on December 8, 2022, exclusively to Patreon supporters at the Super Fan level and up ($5 or more per month), is a Mini-Puzzle Fun Pack. Patreon supporters at all levels ($1 or more per month) will also receive Fox & Badger Magazine issue #6!

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

Wordy Wednesday 509: Touchword 27 & Wordy Wednesday 510: Pent Words 102

WORDY WEDNESDAY #507
CODEWORDS 20 (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 **
Michael Lebowitz **
Tyler Hinman **
Damon French **
Ezra Brauner **
Kevin Orfield **
Patrick Jordan *
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **

WORDY WEDNESDAY #508
CRYPTICROSTIC 18 (hint)

As of this writing, 11 people have solved this puzzle. Haven't solved it yet? Here's an easier version. Send your answers to glmathgrant[at]gmail[dot]com within the next week to appear on the solvers list and be recognized for your puzzle prowess. Good luck, solvers!

LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH = DOUBLE WORDY WEDNESDAYS!
WORDY WEDNESDAY #509
TOUCHWORD 27
(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 Felt hat / Endures / Traveled via horse
2 Rage / Nautical interjection that’s the name of an antivirus software / Breathe loudly during sleep
3 Read a forum without posting / Event with glow sticks, often / Theater set designer’s concern
4 2022 animated film with a black cat named Bob / Discourage / Green relative of the carrot
5 Establishment for playing video games / ____ Days Grace (rock band) / Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile star Collins
6 Length times width, for a rectangle / Family Guy creator MacFarlane / Rodents often kept as pets
7 Musical set at Rydell High School / Cereal mascot Tony, for one / Slant
8 Stand-up comic also known as Fluffy: 2 wds.
9 Convertible coupe / Ulcer, for example
10 Certain keyboard instrument / Benedict Arnold’s crime
11 Cultivar named after a musical instrument: 2 wds. / It may be acquired
12 Rocksteady’s cohort / Knowledgeable person / Feed the kitty
13 I, ____ (Isaac Asimov novel) / Wheel’s shaft / Posture
14 Judge’s garment / Having the most height / The Amazing ____ (reality series)
15 ____ Trade Commission / Inspector portrayed by Rupert Graves on Sherlock

WORDY WEDNESDAY #510
PENT WORDS 102
(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 Russian chess grandmaster Anatoly / ____ Season (2006 animated film)
2 It may have the word “welcome” printed on it / It may be poetic or artistic
3 Off-color, as a joke / One who pays undue attention to minutiae
4 Next of ____ / Oil rig sighting
5 Crafty person / Having the most slack
6 Lager with a strong hoppy flavor / Miner’s find
7 Fail to have / Egyptian amulet based on a beetle
8 Try / “My dog ____ my homework”
9 “Goddess in the ____” (Mick Jagger song) / Chest muscle, briefly
10 Sequel to the computer game Myst whose title means “torn asunder” / “You are the salt of the ____. . .”
PENTOMINOES:
* HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER
* One Halloween choice. . .
* . . . and the other
* Fall ____ at the seams
* Buddhist concept sometimes summarized as “what goes around comes around”
* Word before “card” or “finger”
* ____ and field
* One who prefers solitude
* Some fencing swords
* Hardwood tree with nuts
* A tubular pasta
* Thorny flowers
* Mushroom-shaped growth in the body
* Well-groomed
* Three-box automobile
* Grouchy Sesame Street resident
* The Republic author
* Maneuver a car
* Ice hockey great Gretzky

COMING NEXT WEEK. . .

*Who is Popeye’s cohort who would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today?

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

Fox & Badger Magazine #6 is coming soon!

As my gift to all of my Patreon supporters at all dollar levels, the sixth edition of my sporadically published digital magazine Fox & Badger Magazine will be sent out on December 8, two weeks from today! This edition features a 12-puzzle meta titled "The Puzzle of the Month Club", plus a bevy of miscellaneous puzzles in the Odds & Ends section. If you currently support me on Patreon, I hope you enjoy! If you don't currently support me on Patreon, you could change that right now! Or not, it's your choice.