tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156598182024-03-12T21:13:37.104-07:00The PuzzlerSometimes the best way to start work is by doing something completely unrelated ... like a puzzle! Grab a paper and pencil or simply 'free your mind' and try out these daily puzzlers. You'll feel loosened up, refreshed, and ready to tackle the day. For the answers, visit "The Puzzler Unpuzzled" at www.unpuzzled.blogspot.com. Have fun and good luck!Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1147062288333727462006-05-07T21:14:00.000-07:002006-05-07T21:24:48.346-07:00EndingsDear Puzzlers,<br /><br />It has now been one month since I have posted on this site. I have not stopped writing puzzles, but I'm afraid I have decided to discontinue this site. I was able to keep it up for close to eight months, but fatigue and an impending book conference caught up to me. <br /><br />For much of the past month, I was drained of creativity and inventiveness. For example, when I was with it and I saw a stop sign, all I could see was POTS! Conversely, when I became drained, words were just words again and nothing more.<br /><br />Perhaps I'll start up this site again, but perhaps not. In the meantime, please enjoy this on-line archive of free puzzles, and puzzle till you drop!<br /><br />Thanks,<br />smattSmatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1144430577132662752006-04-07T10:12:00.000-07:002006-05-07T21:13:40.280-07:00Two Types (4/7)I'm thinking of two types of food which are both eight letters long. Their first six letters are exactly the same. Their last two letters share a letter but in a different spot (like 'B' in AB and BC). One is eaten all the time by kids and the other is an occasional adult treat. And they both start with M.<br /><br />What are they?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/05/two-types-answers-47.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1144429927423883342006-04-07T09:46:00.000-07:002006-05-07T21:12:38.066-07:00Compound Crackers (4/6)Many compound words overlap with one another.<br /><br />For example, GRASS, BIRD, and PRINT can all be made into compound words by adding BLUE in front, thus forming BLUEGRASS, BLUEBIRD, and BLUEPRINT.<br /><br />Now take the following words: BAG, STORM, BOX.<br /><br />What word compounds these?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/05/compound-crackers-answers-46.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1144216628820870612006-04-04T22:45:00.000-07:002006-04-07T09:45:54.190-07:00Oldies Station (4/5)An old philosopher's name can be rearranged to form an old 50s band.<br /><br />Who is the philosopher and what's the band?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/04/oldies-station-answers-45.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1144128151455012362006-04-03T22:20:00.000-07:002006-04-04T22:45:42.430-07:00Shifting Letters (4/4)I'm thinking of a sport. Shift the first letter up one (like A to B) and shift the last letter down one (like B to A), and you'll get something critical to that sport.<br /><br />What's the sport and what's the something?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/04/shifting-letters-answers-44.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1144128000220793122006-04-03T22:17:00.000-07:002006-04-04T12:21:11.420-07:00Bookseller Land (4/3)One of my bosses at Barnes and Noble is named Vernon. I informed him that a famous author's first and last name contain every letter of his name VERNON.<br /><br />He got the answer in under 30 seconds.<br /><br />Can you?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/04/bookseller-land-answer-43.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1144127791182247032006-04-03T22:14:00.000-07:002006-04-04T12:20:12.253-07:00An Essential Item (4/2)In many professional kitchens, you can find an essential kitchen item in two words. Both words start with the same letter; furthermore, all the letters of the second word are at the start of the first word, albeit in a different order.<br /><br />What's the essential item?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/04/essential-item-answer-42.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143842652625998542006-03-31T14:02:00.000-08:002006-04-04T12:19:19.000-07:00Yes, Yes, Yes (4/1)I'm thinking of a common game. Divide the five-letter game's name into two parts which both mean "yes."<br /><br />What's the game?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/04/yes-yes-yes-answer-41.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143786058224847782006-03-30T21:59:00.001-08:002006-04-04T12:18:26.440-07:00Two Games and Two Brands (3/31)Take the name BLOGGER. From these seven letters, you can form the names of two games, a toy brand, and a food brand. Each word is formed with BLOGGER being a letter bank; it is unnecessary to use all seven letters in each word.<br /><br />What are these four names?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/04/two-games-and-two-brands-answers-331.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143766612560630762006-03-30T16:54:00.000-08:002006-03-30T21:58:58.863-08:00First Letter Refrain (3/30)Here are the first letters of each word from the refrain of an older popular song:<br /><br />AITTMWAWW<br /><br />What's the refrain and what's the song?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/first-letter-refrain-answers-330.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143617222188242182006-03-28T22:55:00.000-08:002006-03-30T16:54:37.823-08:00Cash Register Land (3/29)I was standing in line at a bookstore and watched the customer in front of me buying a book. I didn't see how much the book cost, nor did I see how much the customer paid the cashier. I did see that the customer forked over a single bill of some unseeable amount. Then the customer said, "That's the last bit of cash I have on me. I hope to see some of it again." I heard the following sounds "clunk," "shick," and "cling," indicating that the bill had been taken and that a single bill and single coin had been given in return. The customer looked at his change and said, "Oh, good. Enough for another copy and a phone call."<br /><br />How much was the book?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/cash-register-land-answer-329.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143530727334563152006-03-27T23:17:00.000-08:002006-03-28T22:53:51.126-08:00My Brother (3/28)My brother's given name is NOLAN, but we call him NICK. Within these nine letters (NOLANNICK), you can spell two words which both mean family. There will be two letters leftover which could also have been an exclamation by Nick after being told who his family was.<br /><br />What are all these words?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/my-brother-answers-328.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143441520892784962006-03-26T22:33:00.000-08:002006-03-27T23:17:00.213-08:00Friend or Foe? (3/27)In most action movies, the main character is up against a bad guy with a whole bunch of his cronies. I'm thinking of a synonym for the bad guy in seven letters. Change one letter to an 'e', rearrange the letters, and you'll get a synonym for his cronies. I must add that both of these words are in relation to the good guy.<br /><br />What are the words?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/friend-of-foe-answers-317.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143332209134254152006-03-25T16:03:00.000-08:002006-03-26T22:33:29.986-08:00Sequencing (3/26)Examine the following sequence:<br /><br />10, 20, 30, 41, 50, 61, 70, 82, ??<br /><br />What number comes next?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/sequencing-answer-326_26.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143331425717824232006-03-25T15:45:00.000-08:002006-03-26T22:30:45.870-08:00Comp Time (3/25)I'm thinking of two two-syllable six-letter terms thrown around in the tech industry. One is something physical that you use, while the other is something non-physical that you use. If you take the first term, change the fourth and fifth letters (both letters which when spoken are also words) to two other letters (both of which when spoken are also words), and read it backward, you'll get the second term.<br /><br />What are these two terms?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/comp-time-answers-325.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143183916665399302006-03-23T23:02:00.000-08:002006-03-25T15:45:00.510-08:00Three-Letter Abbreviations (3/24)I'm thinking of a three-letter abbreviation which was interchangeable with a movie title (for example, T2 was interchangeable with Terminator 2). Take the first letter and move it to the end, and you get a well-known three-letter abbreviation from the tech world.<br /><br />What are the abbreviations?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/three-letter-abbreviations-answers-324.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143125617271462752006-03-23T06:46:00.000-08:002006-03-23T23:02:24.746-08:00A Strange Combo (3/23)Examine the chess piece names and divide each of them into first sound and then the rest of the word. By taking the first sound of one and the last part/sound of another, you can form various words.<br /><br />For example, if the clue was "SCHOOL SUPPLY," you could take the B from 'Bishop' and the OOK from 'Rook' to form the answer "BOOK."<br /><br />Now the clue is "SOMETHING THAT FLIES."<br /><br />What is it?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/strange-combo-answer-323.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1143049589427936742006-03-22T09:04:00.000-08:002006-03-23T06:46:05.100-08:00Author Experiment (3/22)I've taken an contemporary author's name, mixed it with one of his/her works, and anagrammed all the letters to make the following statement:<br /><br />KEEP STING THIN.<br /><br />Can you figure out the author's name and work?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/author-experiment-answers-322.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1142955459614054392006-03-21T07:28:00.000-08:002006-03-22T09:04:14.203-08:00Bits and Pieces (3/21)I've broken up a director's name into bits and pieces. See if you can figure out who it is below:<br /><br />1) TARNISH<br />2) METAL<br />3) IMPORTANT TO SPORTS<br />4) THREE-LETTER VERB<br />5) LETTER OF THE ALPHABET<br /><br />The above parts are phonetic and when combined make the full name of the director.<br /><br />Who is it?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/bits-and-pieces-answer-321.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1142834132705932942006-03-19T21:48:00.000-08:002006-03-21T07:28:21.473-08:00Refrain From That! II (3/20)Back by popular demand! The string of words below rhymes with a line from a refrain from a popular song:<br /><br />BEN HUR THING FROM HER DOOR DOLL BAWL KNEW TOT SUE WHO HIS PAUL.<br /><br />What's the refrain and what's the song?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/refrain-from-that-ii-answers-320.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1142752428782532982006-03-18T22:58:00.000-08:002006-03-19T21:47:50.596-08:00Spider's Sunday Puzzle (3/19)The other day, a friend of mine Spider inquired about this daily puzzler, and this prompted me to write today's puzzle.<br /><br />Every answer below contains the letters S, P, I, D, E, and R. I have given the extra letters (in one case there are no extra letters) and a clue about the answer to each one.<br /><br />For example, "SPIDER'S PET GOLDFISH DID THIS FOR THE LAST TIME YESTERDAY + R + E" would produce the answer "RESPIRED."<br /><br />Got the rest?<br /><br />1) SPIDER USED TO WEAR THESE + A<br />2) SPIDER LIKES THESE KIND OF SHIRTS + T<br />3) THIS IS THE FIRST WORD OF SPIDER'S FAVORITE JAPANIMATION FLICK + I + T<br />4) SPIDER'S CEREAL IS THIS TO PERFECTION + C<br />5) WHEN SPIDER WRITES, SHE TENDS TO BE THIS + N + I<br />6) IN A FORMER LIFE, SPIDER BOUNCED AROUND THESE KITTY GROUPS<br />7) SPIDER HAS HAD TO DO THIS OVER THE HAPPENINGS OF HER IMPROV MEETINGS + E<br />8) LAST YEAR, SPIDER WALKED IN THIS MANNER + A + T<br />9) AT THE END OF EVERY IMPROV MEETING, SPIDER ALLOWS THE MEMBERS TO DO THIS + S + E<br />10) ONE DAY, SPIDER WILL RUN FOR THIS GOVERNMENT OFFICE + T + N + E<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/spiders-sunday-puzzle-answer-319.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1142704209100189632006-03-18T09:40:00.000-08:002006-03-18T22:58:00.666-08:00An Odd Coincidence (3/18)The other day I was thinking about a couple of men (one a writer, one an actor) with an unusual pair of names. The writer has two syllables in the first name, one in the last, while the actor has one syllable in the first name and two in the last. Their first names are from the same base (like Bill and William), while their last names each contain a word which are exact opposites of one another.<br /><br />Who are these men?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/odd-coincidence-answers-318.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1142624274280463752006-03-17T11:35:00.000-08:002006-03-18T09:39:49.153-08:00Adjectival Abbreviations (3/17)There are two adjectival abbreviations being used in the public school system today. Oddly enough, their spellings are opposite one another. If that's still not enough, one of them is a state abbreviation.<br /><br />What are the adjectival school abbreviations?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/adjectival-abbreviations-answers-317.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1142487998043614622006-03-15T21:42:00.000-08:002006-03-17T11:34:49.490-08:00Prime Gum (3/16)<em>(Someone asked for a math problem. Hope this does the trick.)</em><br /><br />In grade school, a friend of mine sold sticks of gum for profit. One day, I had 50 cents in my pocket and decided to buy one. After popping the gum in my mouth, I realized that the price of the gum and the change I had leftover were both prime numbers. Then I bought two more sticks of gum, and my change was still a prime number. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough money to buy another stick.<br /><br />How much was a stick of gum?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/prime-gum-answer-316.html">Click here for the answer!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15659818.post-1142404625778404992006-03-14T22:35:00.000-08:002006-03-15T21:42:23.326-08:00Be All That You Can Be (3/15)I'm thinking of two words, often associated with the armed forces, which when put together phonetically form a car's name.<br /><br />What are the words and what's the car?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://unpuzzled.blogspot.com/2006/03/be-all-that-you-can-be-answers-315.html">Click here for the answers!</a>Smatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08728966785725757302noreply@blogger.com0