Crypto City (12/1)

Take the city MIAMI. It is a cryptogram for a well-known type of car. That is, each of its letters represent a different letter with the first two and last two letters repeating.

What's the car?


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Hawaiian Surprise (11/30)

I'm thinking of a something associated with Hawaii. Add an H, rearrange the letters, and you'll get a well-known business.

What's the Hawaiian surprise and what's the business?


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Big People (11/29)

I'm thinking of a synonym of the word 'big.' Drop four letters from this word, and you'll have an Asian ethnic group.

What's the adjective and ethnic group?


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So Many Rhymes (11/28)

I'm thinking of several nouns that rhyme: a country, an island, a painter, and a boxer.

What are they?


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The A-List (11/27)

Who's on the A-List? That's the big question for today. Every word below uses the vowel A exclusively, ignoring the Y as a vowel.

For example, the clue MID-WESTERN STATE would produce KANSAS.

Ya wanna start?

1) Night-wear
2) Mystical jewish book
3) African-American holiday
4) Critter that eats ants
5) Louisiana dish
6) Poor Richard's book
7) Two southern states
8) One northern state
9) Desert
10) Mexican general
11) Spicy seed
12) Day of rest and worship
13) Popular musician
14) Objectivist
15) Gourdlike plant


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Phonetic Alteration (11/26)

I'm thinking of a game. If I change its spelling based on its phonetic pronunciation, I come up with a make-believe word which means "false move."

What's the game and word?


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Backward Business (11/25)

I'm thinking of a business's name in reverse, and it's a two-word pharse. I could describe this new phrase as "Railway car regulations."

What's the phrase and what's the business I'm thinking of?


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Going Through the Alphabet (11/24)

There are words in the English language whose letters are in alphabetical order. For example, the word GHOST can be spelled.

Can you think of another alphabetical no-see-um in five letters?


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A Capital Agreement (11/23)

I'm thinking of a country's capital in six letters. Add a letter in the center, then switch the second and third letters. Now you'll have a perfect English sentence with subject-verb agreement in two words.

What's the capital and what's the sentence?


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Sequence of Events (11/22)

I started off with the following sequence: 15.

Then I moved on to this: 1514.

Then halfway through, I had the following sequence: 81115149101312.

At the end, I had this: 811155414917610133122.

I'd like to add a 0, but I want to ask you first.

Where does it go?


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Totally Classic (11/21)

I'm thinking of a classic movie and a classic game which rhyme perfectly in two syllables. There is an ongoing interest in both.

What are they?


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Alpha Order (11/20)

The alphabet is in the perfect order for this next game. To solve each clue, you must insert the letter(s) given somewhere in the alphabet and form a word with touching or surrounding letters.

For example, if the clue were CELESTIAL BODY / OO, you would place the OO between the M and N to form MOON.

You never have to separate or rearrange the given letters, and no rearrangement of the alphabet is allowed. Go get 'em!

1) secret language / O
2) doctor's tool / RA
3) fruit / ELO
4) withstand / ESI
5) like a candle / A
6) romantic drama / OST
7) some rooms have this / IE
8) computer program / ASI
9) comedy with Will Ferrell / L
10) weaver's tool / OO
11) strange / UEE
12) part of a maze / TAR
13) skillful / T
14) attractive / FO
15) nursery rhyme superstar / AC


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Ol' McGreek (11/19)

I'm thinking of an old farm tool. Change one letter to a P and rearrange the letters to form the name of a mythological Greek character.

What's the tool and who's the character?


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Broken Name (11/18)

I'm thinking of a famous person. I've broken the name into four parts, two for the first name and two for the last. Each of the clues are in order.

1) alien
2) color
3) thumb
4) farm animal

Who is the person?


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Mirrored Icon (11/17)

I'm looking for businesses which actually use an image from the name of the business. For example, one that meets this criterion is Taco Bell, as it uses a bell as part of its display. One that doesn't work is Burger King; although it uses buns in its display, there aren't any burgers or kings.

Can you think of another business whose title (or word in the title) and graphic art are the same? Can you think of another?


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Phase Five (11/16)

I'm thinking of a common two-word phrase, five letters in each word, which refers to a person in a certain profession. Each word contains the same four letters with one of them occurring twice in both (that is, each has a different doubled letter). Furthermore, the first word begins and ends with its twice-repeated letter, while the second word begins and ends with its twice-repeated letter.

What's the phrase?


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Bathroom Zine (11/15)

I'm thinking of the names of a magazine and bathroom item, both of which rhyme. Furthermore, they rhyme on purpose.

What are they?


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Triple Homonyms (11/14)

A homonym is a word which sounds like another word, usually with a different root, meaning, and spelling. A triple homonym is a group of three words which are all homonyms of one another, like THERE, THEY'RE, and THEIR.

I can think of two sets of special triple homonyms. They're special because within each set every first letter is different.

What are the two sets of special triple homonyms?


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Stated in Reverse (11/13)

Below are clues which, when solved, will give you a backward two-letter state abbreviation and ultimately a state's name.

For example, ‘Musical tone’ would produce the middle answer LA; backward this is AL or the final answer ALABAMA.

Can you solve the rest?

1) Popular car
2) Narnian’s initials
3) Santa’s famous laugh
4) Unregistered trademark
5) Much-needed in Florida
6) Sound of disappointment
7) College-level high school classes
8) Hindu meditative word
9) What you can call Paul Simon
10) Farming major
11) Dormitory floor boss
12) Nearly every home in America has one
13) Boxer’s goal
14) Computer knowledge
15) Every newspaper has one


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Just Plain Fruity (11/12)

I'm thinking of a fruit. Switch the first and third letters, and you'll get another fruit.

What are the two fruits?


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Insert Here (11/11)

When looking at the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, you can see half-formed words. By inserting one or more letters, a word can be made.

For example, if I said to find a four-letter word by inserting an A, you could point out WXY and spell WAXY. If I said to find a five-letter word by inserting an OO, you could point out RST and spell ROOST.

Can you find a six-letter word by inserting AC?


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Mirror Image (11/10)

The state abbreviations of Louisiana (LA) and Alabama (AL) mirror each other.

Can you come up with another pair?


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From Four to Two (11/9)

I'm thinking of a four-legged animal in six letters. Drop the first letter and it becomes a two-legged animal in five letters.

What are the two animals?


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Classic Abbreviation (11/8)

I'm thinking of an extremely common three-letter abbreviation which appears in a classic actor's name. The letters of the abbreviation are in order and unseparated.

What's the abbreviation and who's the actor?


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Ethnic A's (11/7)

I'm thinking of a regional American food in nine letters which has five different consonants and four A's.

What is it?


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A Little Late (11/6)

Family is visiting, and I forgot to get a pencil puzzle up last night. After furious scribbling and brainstorming, I present to you the following mythological puzzle.

Every word or phrase is one letter short of a Greek god, person, creature(s), or mythological tale.

For example, SUE + _ = ____. The missing letter is Z, and the final answer is ZEUS.

After answering each of the clues, the missing letters can be rearranged to form a two-word answer answering the question at the end of the puzzle.

1) DASH + _ = _____
2) PERUSE + _ = _______
3) RICE + _ = _____
4) AMUSE + _ = ______
5) NOR AGUA + _ = ________
6) DIAL + _ = _____
7) USAGES + _ = _______
8) RESHIP + _ = ______

What did I do with this puzzle before putting it up? (two words)
I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


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Movie Title Showdown (11/5)

I took the title of a popular movie from the 1980's which is comprised of three words. I dropped the last letter of the second word and the first letter of the last word. I now have an altered movie title which could be paraphrased as "The Heirs Gallop."

Can you figure out the altered movie title and then the original movie title?


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Blue Tacos (11/4)

There are four colors which make up the old Taco Bell bell icon and three colors which make up the new Taco Bell bell icon. Only one color overlaps.

What is it?


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Cinematic Imperative (11/3)

I'm thinking of a two-word movie title (this movie was popular in the 1980s). If you add an S to the beginning of the first word and an S to the end of the second word, you'll get an imperative statement which aims to limit one of our freedoms granted in the Bill of Rights.

What's the movie and what's the slogan?


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Oh, So True (11/2)

I saw a hardware store today named "True Value." Shortly thereafter, I realized that the name of a small island country, which has been making the news the last few years, could be spelled by dropping three letters and pushing the remaining letters together. The country's letters are in their correct order and need not be rearranged.

What's the country and why has it been making the news?


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