PUZZLE #184: Picross Words 3

PUZZLE #184

PICROSS WORDS 3

It's my birthday today! To celebrate, I'm going to give you guys a present: a picture-logic puzzle! The last time I made a Picross puzzle on this blog was quite a while ago (102 puzzles ago, to be exact), so I'll hope you'll enjoy this gift, and be sure to read the directions!

The numbers outside each row and column reveal how many groups of black squares there are in that line, all in order, and how many black squares there are in each group (So for example, "5 1" means there are five consecutive black squares followed by a single black square). If there's more than one number in that line, that means they're separate from each other and there's at least one empty square between them (Empty spaces could also be found at the start or end of a line). In case you're stuck or don't know what to do, you can always get some tips, tricks and techniques through this link.

As an added twist, the grid has been filled out by letters; once the Picross has been solved, the letters that have been colored in, when read up and down and then left to right, will spell out a hint that will lead you to the FINAL ANSWER.

The FINAL ANSWER is one of my all-time favorite television shows

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: The Spiral Squared 2

Wow! A lot of people solved "The Spiral Squared 2" from two weeks ago, eleven in all, and you can see them all in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Chris Hendricks ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Tawan Sunathvanichkul ****
• Dan Simonds *
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Mom ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Patrick Jordan ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****
• Debbie Benford ****

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a couple of brief solver comments!

PUZZLE #183: Link-Letters 5

PUZZLE #183

LINK-LETTERS 5

The answer to each clue on the left side of this puzzle's grid goes in the squares to the left of the first black bar, and the answers to each clue on the right goes into the squares to the right of the second black bar. Then a single letter (the "Link-Letter") goes in the square in the middle to complete a single word that reads all the way across. For example, if the two words are CON and ACT, you can put a "T" between them to get CONTACT.

Once you've filled out all eight rows, the central letters will spell out two additional words reading down. Add a letter between those two words in the red square to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: A proper name

And here are the clues in text format, sorted by the rows they appear in from up to down:

1) Turn bad, like fruit / Three Men and a Baby actor Danson
2) Nintendo Switch project that comes with cardboard / Debtors' notes
3) _____ City (Comedy Central series) / Autumn bloomer overused in crosswords
4) The Matterhorn, for one / Assist in wrongdoing
5) Cradle / "Iron" and "Information" follower
6) Chicago _____ (current NBC drama set in a hospital) / Top Ten and to-do
7) "Crazy on You" band / Word symbolized by an ampersand
8) Tommy Pickles' father in Rugrats / _____ Yang Twins (rap duo)

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: Central Scramble

Happy Father's Day! A LOT of people have solved my "Central Scramble" puzzle from a couple weeks ago, and you can see them in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Patrick Jordan ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Mom ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Dan Simonds & Vanessa Kean ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****

Now head below the break for the answers, as well as a couple solver comments!

PUZZLE #182: The Spiral Squared 2

PUZZLE #182

THE SPIRAL SQUARED 2

This puzzle turns in two directions. The Spiral's "Inward" clues yield a sequence of words to be entered clockwise in the spaces from 1 to 100. The "Outward" clues yield a different set of words to be entered counterclockwise from 100 to 1. Fill in the answers, one letter per space, according to the numbers beside each clue. Make sure to keep track of which way you're going!

Once you've filled out the grid, read out the highlighted squares diagonally to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a ten-letter word.

INWARD

1-4: "Win", "lose", or "draw", for example

5-7: Sheepish remark?

8-10: _____ Always Sunny in Philadelphia

11-17: "Shocking" foe of Spider-Man once played by Jamie Foxx

18-24: RPG video game series where you form "Social Links" starting in the third game

25-30: Hawaiian porches

31-33: _____-weaver spider

34-41: Luxury car with a trident emblem

42-48: Weasel cousins that make great pets

49-53: Insurance company named after a volcano

54-56: Pronoun typed out using only the top row on a keyboard

57-64: Female G.I. Joe villain who sounds like she's a noblewoman

65-73: Apprehend again

74-77: Zebra's hair

78-81: With "The", Jim Carrey character whose catchphrase is "Sssssmokin'!"

82-91: 0.3937 inch, roughly

92-95: Taj Mahal's city

96-100: CHAIN REACTION CLUE! Peach - _____ - Toast

OUTWARD

100-97: Partner of "ready" and "willing"

96-89: Are You There, God? It's Me, _____

88-85: Give off, as fumes

84-81: Adam's apple location

80-73: Wheel of Fortune category with puzzles like "BASKETBALL & SUPREME COURT": 2 wds.

72-70: Monotonous routine

69-64: NBA team based in Indianapolis

63-58: Mexican Mrs.

57-51: Able to float

50-45: _____ Island (it's also called Rapa Nui)

44-40: Overhaul, as a ship

39-36: God of war fought by Wonder Woman in her 2017 film

35-28: Food of the Greek Gods

27-24: Lioness who Simba falls in love with

23-21: Energy drink whose name is the opposite of "yeses"

20-15: Minority _____ (Tom Cruise sci-fi film)

14-7: Princess who raises the sun in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

6-1: Shortened word form, for short

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: Anacrossword 2

It's been thirteen days since I've posted "Anacrossword 2", and quite a few people since then have successfully solved it, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Mom ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****
• Dan Simonds & Vanessa Kean ****

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a couple solver comments!

PUZZLE #181: Central Scramble

PUZZLE #181

CENTRAL SCRAMBLE

Below are four octagons with letters inside. Place a different letter in the center of each octagon so that four 5-letter words can be unscrambled out of its four diagonal sections. Also, each added letter has to be in the exact center of each resulting 5-letter word.

Once you're done, take the four letters added to each octagon and place a fifth letter into the exact center of those letters (no scrambling required) to get the FINAL ANSWER: a material

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: The Block List 2

Before I get to the answers to my second "Block List" puzzle, I want to plug my Patreon once again: support me there, and I'll not only keep making puzzles, but I'll reward you with some bonuses, such as an exclusive puzzle every month! This month's exclusive puzzle for $5 Patrons is a Cryptic Crossword, which will be posted there tomorrow, so look for that if you support me at that level!

Not only that, since June is my birth month, I'm going to offer an extra incentive for that June puzzle! Solve tomorrow's Cryptic Crossword and send me the completed grid via email (redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com), and I'll randomly select one of the puzzle's solvers to supply a word or phrase for me to use for a future puzzle to be published in July (a perk normally worth $20)!

Now then, for the seven people that have solved "Block List 2":

• Grant Fikes ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Mom ****
• Dan Simonds **
• Lynn Sweeney ****

Now head below the break for the answers!