PUZZLE #539: Touchword 3

PUZZLE #539

TOUCHWORD 3

One of the clues for this puzzle (suggested by Patron Grant Fikes) contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

In a normal crossword, words cross each other; in this puzzle, they simply touch. More specifically, all answers read across each numbered row (ranging from two to three answers per row), and every letter touches, along an edge, at least one identical letter above or below it. Since the top and bottom rows also loop around and connect with each other, they're considered touching as well.

Once everything is filled out, read out the highlighted diagonal line for the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a video game for the PlayStation 3

1) See what someone is saying?: Hyph.

    Indoor dog or cat, say

2) Londoner's liquid measurement

    "Aw, crud!"

    Tennis tournament that Coco Gauff won in 2023: 2 wds.

3) Placed in opposition, with "against"

    Fanfiction.net genre involving inner emotional turmoil

    Lucy Liu's role in both Kill Bill movies: Hyph. (answer hidden in FORENSIC)

4) Blast from the ____

    Odie's original owner in Garfield who hasn't been seen since 1983

    Typhoons, tempests and tornadoes, for three

5) In conclusion

    Mounted medieval soldier (or a mustached ally of He-.... errr, Prince Adam’s heroic alter ego): Hyph.

6) Plastic building block company that will release a Game Boy set in fall 2025

    Cybernetic daughter of Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    Stuns for a loop

7) "Away with thee!"

    Bladed construction vehicle such as Komatsu's huge D575 model

8) Gets started

    Ferrell who played Alex Trebek in SNL's "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches

    The Mars-exploring robot Curiosity, for one

9) Shroud of _____

    Big gulp from a big drink

    Shows to be true beyond a reasonable doubt

10) Rutabaga relative

      Purple vegetables known as "aubergines" in the UK

11) Manitoba's capital where the NHL's Jets are based in

      Georgia's capital where the above mentioned Jets were originally from

12) Feathered limb of a harpy

      _____ de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise's role in Interview with the Vampire)

      Roo's mother from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

13) Mutilate beyond recognition

      Some Christmas decorations hung by the chimney with care

14) Cartographers' creations

      "Well, one thing _____ another, and...": 2 wds.

      High-stress situations

15) Expire, as a magazine subscription

      Like an impromptu meeting: 2 wds.

      Option for changing a password you've forgotten

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Gryptics 9

Two weeks have passed by since "Gryptics 9" was posted on this blog, and an impressive twenty-two people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Cindy Heisler
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• CP80
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Stasi Gustafson
• Craig Leach
• Wendy Walker
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney
• KeoFam
• Steve Gunter
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Patrick Jordan

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

PUZLLE #538: Semicircle Sorting 7

PUZZLE #538

SEMICIRCLE SORTING 7

Below are 12 semicircles, each containing three or four letters. Your job is to combine them all into six circles so that a common word (either 6, 7, or 8 letters long) can be read either clockwise or counterclockwise in each circle. However, in order to do that, six of the semicircles need to be rotated 180° upside down so that they can be correctly matched up with the remaining six semicircles.

Once all of the circles have been solved, select two of the resulting words and combine them to get the FINAL ANSWER: the two-word name of a hit disco song

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Fumble

Roughly two weeks have gone by since my tribute to Jumble called "Fumble" was posted on this blog, and twenty-one people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• OkieBoy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Craig Leach
• Tamara Brenner
• Chris Kochmanski
• Mom
• CP80
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Wendy Walker
• Steve Gunter
• Stasi Gustafson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #537: Gryptics 9

PUZZLE #537

GRYPTICS 9

Insert a single letter in each space of each grid so that each grid's five rows and five columns spells a word from left to right or top to bottom (including the letters outside the grid).

Once you're done, take a word from the first grid and a word from the second grid and pair them up to get the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a movie released in 1990

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Triangle Tangle 7

It's been almost two weeks since "Triangle Tangle 7" was posted on this blog, and an impressively high twenty-two people have solved it since then! Take a look:

• Marie desJardins
• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Tamara Brenner
• CP80
• Wendy Walker
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Craig Leach
• Steve Gunter
• Stasi Gustafson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #536: Fumble

PUZZLE #536

FUMBLE

This puzzle type was suggested by Patron Grant Fikes. Normally, you can suggest a puzzle type of your own choice over on my Patreon page, but both slots are still full, so you might have to resort to PayPal if you still want to make a request of your own.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the Jumble newspaper comic (in case you aren't, you can find an interactive version through the Chicago Tribune's website right here), so for this month's request, Grant wanted me to make use of my drawing skills and craft my own tribute/ripoff of That Scrambled Word Game®. No directions will be provided, however, as everything that you need to know will be provided inside the cartoon panel below.

The FINAL ANSWER to this puzzle is a four-word phrase

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Quadruple Cross 6

It's been almost two weeks since "Quadruple Cross 6" got posted on this blog, and an impressive twenty-two people have solved it since then:

• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Sam Levitin
• Stasi Gustafson
• Okieboy2008
• Wendy Walker
• CP80
• Patrick Jordan
• Tamara Brenner
• Craig Leach
• Mom
• Pavel Curtis
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #535: Triangle Tangle 7

PUZZLE #535

TRIANGLE TANGLE 7

To solve this puzzle, enter the 4-letter answer to each clue into the diagram either from top to bottom or diagonally upward. There are two numbers starting each clue; each answer begins in the triangle marked with the first number, and ends in the triangle marked with the second.

Once the grid has been filled in, there are two more words hiding in the topmost row of letters and the bottommost row of letters. Combine them both to get the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a basketball video game

1-2) _____-chat

2-3) DVR brand that turned 25 in 2024

3-4) Preposition between "head" and "heels"

4-5) Not a dream, a hoax, or an imaginary story

5-6) Extol and exalt

6-7) Two-player card game battle in Yu-Gi-Oh!, for one

7-8) Type of year with an extra day in February

8-9) "A Whiter Shade of _____" (#5 hit song by Procol Harum)

9-10) State trees of Massachusetts and North Dakota

10-11) Cause of a bad air day in L.A.

11-12) Point scored in Super Mario Strikers (HINT: it's a soccer video game)

12-13) Hang out in a hammock, perhaps

13-14) Miller who played the Flash in 2023's The Flash (or poet Pound)

14-15) United _____ Emirates

15-16) The Tin Woodman of Oz author L. Frank

16-17) Button to make talk shows stop talking

17-18) Handmade crafts website with a "Games & Puzzles" section

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Mini-Marching Bands 8

It's been about two weeks since "Mini-Marching Bands 8" was posted on this blog, and over twenty-three people have solved it since then! Go ahead and take a look at that massive amount:

• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Michael Lebowitz
• Wendy Walker
• KeoFam
• Chris Kochmanski
• Tamara Brenner
• Derek Allen
• Craig & Tracy Leech
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• CP80
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Stasi Gustavson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #534: Quadruple Cross 6

PUZZLE #534

QUADRUPLE CROSS 6

This puzzle contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

To begin solving this puzzle, view each numbered square in the grid as being in the center of a plus-shaped cross where two five-letter clue answers intersect. There are two clues corresponding to each number, and each numbered pair of crossing answers has the same middle letter. Here's the tricky part: which one of each pair's two answers goes across and which one goes down is for you to figure out, so make sure all of the answers overlap each other properly!

Once the grid has been filled in, read the sixteen outermost letters in a clockwise fashion to get the FINAL ANSWER: the name of an Oscar-winning film from the 1960s

CLUES

1) Inner turmoil for a teenager

    Winter Olympian on a sled

2) Cinnamon roll's scent, say

    Wood-burning appliance of old

3) Bespectacled cartoon character who first says "Jinkies!" in The New Scooby-Doo Movies

    Where's _____? In Hollywood (1993 picture book)

4) Corn, or a color named after corn

    Mammal whose full name is from the Greek for "nose-horned"

5) Bank of America's virtual assistant whose name is hiding inside "BANK OF AMERICA"

    Spanish island known for its nightlife

6) Avant-garde rocker Frank who once wrote a song about yellow snow

    Flavor of syrup that Canada has an emergency reserve of

7) Temporarily stop a Netflix video, perhaps

    Tic-Tac-_____ (game show where Thom McKee won 43 matches in a row in 1980)

8) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, for one

    "Lucky" digit on a slot machine

9) Bright-eyed and _____-tailed

    Social system of ancient India

10) Bloodsucking parasite, literally or figuratively

      Laughing carnivore

11) Blinky, Pinky, Inky, or Clyde from Pac-Man, e.g.

      Smile 2 actress Scott

12) Dungeons & Dragons monster that can imitate treasure chests (or a synonym for "imitate")

      Hunter Fudd from the Looney Tunes short Rabbit Fire

13) Male singing voice higher than baritone

      Wing newly added to a building

14) Banish to parts unknown

      East Asian country where fireworks were invented

15) Group of employees

      Terrier's tether

16) Greek muse of poetry (anagram of OATER)

      "_____ Your Groove Thing" (disco song by Peaches & Herb)

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Moving Staircases 15

I'm sorry that this got posted later than usual; I forgot to schedule this one until now. Anyway, there were a lot of people who solved "Moving Staircases 15" from two weeks ago (twenty-one, in fact!), and here they are!

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Mike Armstrong
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Tamara Brenner
• Stasi Gustafson
• Chris Kochmanski
• KeoFam
• Patrick Jordan
• Wendy Walker
• Mom
• Craig Leach
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #533: Mini-Marching Bands 8

PUZZLE #533

MINI-MARCHING BANDS 8

The answers in this grid march both across the Rows and around the Bands. Each row contains two answers, clued in order. Their dividing point is for you to determine, except in Row 5, where the two answers are separated by a black square. The answers in each Band will be entered clockwise, starting at a lettered square (A-D) and ending in the space below that square. The dividing points in each band's string of words are also for you to determine. Each square will be used twice; once in a Row's word, and once in a Band's word.

Once you've filled everything in, read the letters on the diagonal dashed line for the FINAL ANSWER: The name of a newspaper comic character

ROWS
1) Marshy area such as the one where Shrek lives

    Synonym for "prance" that rhymes with the previous answer

2) Victory that wasn't even close

    Tales from the _____ (influential comic book series)

3) Forever and a day

    Monopoly space surrounded by "Just Visiting": 2 wds.

4) Masked swordsman whose name is Spanish for "fox"

    "Invisible" singer and American Idol alumni Aiken

5) Beech or birch

    Donkey _____ Jungle Beat (Nintendo game where you control an ape with bongos)

6) Cocker spaniel voiced by Peggy Lee in a 1955 Disney film

    "Red" flying ace on boxes of frozen pizza

7) Persevere

    Org. with Grizzlies and Timberwolves

8) Hoity-toity types

    I _____ What You Did Last Summer (Lois Duncan novel)

9) Suffix for "million" or "billion"

    Air freshener brand that manufactures PlugIns

BANDS

A) Did the backstroke or breaststroke

     Right away without delay

     Bit like a beaver

     Largest nation in Africa, after South Sudan split off of Sudan in 2011

     Alka-_____ ("Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz" product)

B) Public uproar

     Keyed instrument played by Rowlf from The Muppet Show

     Knocks on the noggin

     Annual music festival held in Tennessee since 2002

C) Stealthy Japanese assassin such as Sekiro from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

     Longtime Saturday Night Live producer Michaels

     Boat's steering blade

D) Opening word for a lullaby involving a falling baby: Hyph.

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Code Crossword 2

Roughly two weeks have gone by since my second-ever "Code Crossword" puzzle (not counting the ones exclusive to my Patreon page) was posted on this blog, and seventeen people have solved it since then:

• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Dave C
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Lynn Sweeney
• Derek Allen
• Craig Leach

Now head below the break for the answers as well as a solver's comment!

PUZZLE #532: Moving Staircases 15

PUZZLE #532

MOVING STAIRCASES 15

The two staircase-shaped halves of a "Moving Staircases" puzzle are designed to be pushed together in two different ways, horizontally and vertically. A horizontal push creates shorter words ("Shorts"), while a vertical push creates longer words ("Longs"). The example above shows a completed grid and the grids that result from pushing it both ways. The lists of clues given for the Shorts and Longs are not in order; it's up to you to determine where the answers go by working back and forth between the two lists.

Once you've completely filled out the grid, hidden inside it will be this week's FINAL ANSWER: a fanciful noun which is not hidden horizontally or vertically.

SHORTS

• From Dusk till Dawn actor Keitel

• Invented (a phrase)

• MGM's theatrical Tom and Jerry cartoons, e.g.

• Not digital, like the stopwatch from the 60 Minutes logo

• Petrified _____ (California landmark with large trees that have turned to stone)

• Pollen-producing part of a flower

• Walk like a penguin

LONGS

• "'Bees' is to 'hive' as 'wasps' is to 'nest'", for one

• Bundle up a baby

• Finished furniture with wood finisher

• _____ Moon (Neil Young album named after an autumnal full moon)

• Partners in crime

• Worksite bosses such as Spike from The Super Mario Bros. Movie

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Insiders 4

It's been almost two weeks since "Insiders 4" was posted on this blog, and a whopping twenty-three people have solved it since then! See for yourself:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Mike Armstrong
• Derek Allen
• Mom
• KeoFam
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• Wendy Walker
• Tamara Brenner
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Josie Giles
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Craig Leach
• Steve Gunter
• Stasi Gustafson

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #531: Code Crossword 2

PUZZLE #531

CODE CROSSWORD 2

This puzzle type was suggested by Patron Grant Fikes. Normally, you can suggest a puzzle type of your own choice over on my Patreon page, but both slots are still full, so you might have to resort to PayPal if you still want to make a request of your own.

In this crossword puzzle, the numbers in the grid's squares (from 1 to 26) stand for letters of the alphabet. You must crack the code to reveal the words. For each letter that matches a certain number, place that letter in each square containing the number as well as the answer key next to the grid, with all 26 letters appearing at least once in the completed grid. As a little help, one of the letters has already been decoded and placed in the grid.

Once everything is filled out, look through the grid for a clue that will lead you to the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a company that's over 100 years old (HINT: Try reading through either a few consecutive rows or columns)

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 links to two .PDF versions which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Slide Show: Double Feature 7

It's been almost two weeks since my seventh "Slide Show: Double Feature" puzzle got posted on this blog, and nineteen people solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Josie Giles
• Mike Armstrong
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Chris Kochmanski
• KeoFam
• Tamara Brenner
• Patrick Jordan
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Wendy Walker

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #530: Insiders 4

PUZZLE #530

INSIDERS 4

One of the clues in this puzzle contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

Each row in this puzzle consists of two answers, clued in the order in which they appear. Going across both of these answers is a third word, known as an "Inner Word". For example, if a row's two answers were JETSAM and PLEA, then the Inner Word for that string of letters would be SAMPLE (like so: JETSAMPLEA). The Inner Words are listed in no particular order, and shading them or crossing them out in each row is highly recommended.

Once everything's been filled in, all of the letters not used in the Inner Words, when read left to right and row by row, will spell out a clue to the FINAL ANSWER: the names of two fictional characters

ROWS

1) Post-_____ examination (autopsy)

    Defendant's reply of "not guilty", say

2) Nay's rhyming opposite

    Ladies "in distress" that need saving, in an ancient cliché

3) Herr's wife

    Vegetable (or is it fruit?) that's the basis of Campbell's first soup flavor

4) Long hand on an analog clock's face

    David Lee who was the original lead singer of Van Halen

5) Evoke, as a response or memory

    Iron oxide

6) Norse god/Marvel superhero with a weekday named after him

    Living _____ (1990s sitcom with Queen Latifah)

7) The Shawshank Redemption actor Freeman

    Pastry bag squeezer

8) Eyelash enhancer

    Guess a price on The Price Is Right, preferably without going over

INNER WORDS

• Beetle seen in hieroglyphs

• Early 20th century restaurant where food is served through coin-operated doors

• Fruits such as lemons and limes, but not lychees

• Goofing (around), like an equine?

• Indiana Jones and the _____ of Doom (blockbuster film from 1984)

• Nirvana album released roughly two years after Nevermind: 2 wds.

• The "O" in "OLED" (which is used in some 4K televisions)

• Watership Down author Richard

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Family Reunions 8

It's been about two weeks since "Family Reunions 8" was posted on this blog, and seventeen people have successfully solved it since then, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Kevin Orfield
• Josie Giles
• Michael Lebowitz
• Mike Armstrong
• Chris Kochmanski
• Sam Levitin
• Tamara Brenner
• Wendy Walker
• Stasi Gustafson
• Lynn Sweeney
• Mom
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Derek Allen

Now head below the break for the answers as well as some solvers' comments!

PUZZLE #529: Slide Show: Double Feature 7

PUZZLE #529

SLIDE SHOW: DOUBLE FEATURE 7

In each of the two puzzles below, slide the 18 letters surrounding each grid into the empty squares so that four words are made reading across and five words are formed reading down. Letters above and below the grids slide vertically to any position without changing columns, and letters to the left and right slide horizontally without changing rows. All of the exterior letters are used only once, and as a help, each grid has two letters already placed inside.

Once both grids have been filled in, pick out one word from each and combine them to get the FINAL ANSWER: the two-word name of a thriller movie from the early 2000s

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Sudokurostic 5

It's been nearly two weeks since "Sudokurostic 5" was posted on this blog, and sixteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Mike Armstrong
• Sam Levitin
• Pavel Curtis
• Mom
• Tamara Brenner
• Michael Lebowitz
• Wendy Walker
• Derek Allen
• Kevin Orfield
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter
• Chris Kochmanski
• Josie Giles

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #528: Family Reunions 8

PUZZLE #528

FAMILY REUNIONS 8

For this puzzle, just change the group of 10 words below into a "family" of different words (that is, words or proper names that all have something in common) by dropping one letter from each word and then rearranging the remaining letters. For example, if three of the initial entries are HATRED, UNSTRAP, and AUBURNS, you could drop the D from HATRED to get EARTH, drop the P from UNSTRAP to get SATURN, and drop the B from AUBURNS to get URANUS, all in the category "Planets". As an additional help, the category for the new words will also be listed on top.

Once you're done, the letters that have been deleted from each word will unscramble to spell out this week's FINAL ANSWER: a ten-letter word that also fits the category

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Line 'Em Up 14

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Line 'Em Up 14" was posted on this blog, and twenty people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Cindy Heisler
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Tamara Brenner
• Wendy Walker
• Jim Cremer
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Josie Giles
• Lynn Sweeney
• Mom
• Derek Allen
• SquishmallowsUnited

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #527: Sudokurostic 5

PUZZLE #527

SUDOKUROSTIC 5

This puzzle type was suggested by Patron Grant Fikes. Normally, you can suggest a puzzle type of your own choice over on my Patreon page, but both slots are still full, so you might have to resort to PayPal if you still want to make a request of your own.

Below is supposed to be a sudoku/wordoku puzzle, but unfortunately, the whole grid is completely blank. To fill it in, solve the clues so that the answers fill out the dashes (one letter per dash), then transfer each letter to the grid according to the coordinates below each dash, like an anacrostic puzzle. For example, if the coordinates were "e6", then its corresponding letter should go in the square in row "e" and column "6". Not all of the grid's squares will ultimately be filled in, so it's up to you to complete the rest of the wordoku puzzle, making sure that each row, column, and 3x3 box contains the same nine unique letters without any repeats.

Once the grid has been completely filled, look through it like a word search to find the FINAL ANSWER: a noun that's at least six letters long

• Arabian Nights character who said "Open Sesame!": 2 wds.

   __ __ __ __ __ __ __

   f5 h4 b3 c9 h7 f3 b6

• Bryant who narrated the Oscar-winning animated short Dear Basketball

   __ __ __ __

   e1 i1 d7 g5

• Controversial short video app that shares its name with a Kesha song

   __ __ __ __ __ __

   e3 c5 d4 a7 e7 a2

• Made-up names for criminals

   __ __ __ __ __ __ __

   e9 g3 a9 i3 b4 e6 d5

• "Taste the Rainbow" candy seen in the video game Darkened Skye

   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

   g1 f7 e4 i8 f6 c7 d3 h6

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 links to two .PDF versions which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Compound Crosswords 11

It's been almost two weeks since "Compound Crosswords 11" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Josie Giles
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Chris Kochmanski
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Patrick Jordan
• KeoFam
• Lynn Sweeney
• Mom
• Tamara Brenner

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #526: Line 'Em Up 14

PUZZLE #526

LINE 'EM UP 14

This puzzle contains a word or phrase suggested by Patron M. Sean Molley. Support me on Patreon at $15 or more per month to suggest one word or phrase for me to put into a puzzle every month!

Place the answers to each numbered clue in the squares to the right of each corresponding number (a number in brackets following each clue will tell you how many letters are in each answer). Once you have the answers, align them properly in the grid so that going down, a two-word phrase will be spelled out by the two red columns in the grid's center.

This week's FINAL ANSWER is a two-word phrase associated with business meetings

1) With "The", "You Really Got Me" rock band [5]

2) Marshmallow bird seen around Easter [4]

3) Tree that sounds like a second-person pronoun [3]

4) _____ Duck: Goin' Quackers (2000 Disney video game) [6]

5) Tiny castle that can only move vertically or horizontally [4]

6) TNT and CNN founder Turner [3]

7) South American country where Raiders of the Lost Ark's boulder chase occurs [4]

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: New Year's Presents

It's been almost two weeks since "New Year's Presents" got posted on the last Monday of 2024, and a whopping twenty-one people have solved it since then! Take a look:

• Cindy Heisler
• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Josie Giles
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Derek Allen
• Tamara Brenner
• Wendy Walker
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Stasi Gustafson
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #525: Compound Crosswords 11

PUZZLE #525

COMPOUND CROSSWORDS 11

Fit the words hinted at by the clues into the nine grids below so that the two words in each grid combine to create a two-word phrase or compound word. There may be multiple possibilities for these phrases, but there's only one way that all the words will fit in all of the grids.

Once each grid is filled out, the pink letters in each grid will spell out the FINAL ANSWER: a compound word

CLUES

• 2010 indie film about a living car tire on a killing spree (or what a car tire's made of)

• Bean-shaped organ that filters blood

• Breathes like a tired terrier

• Chicago _____ Sox

• Emma who won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Poor Things

• Fast, like the brown fox that jumps over the lazy dog

• Installed on the wall, as a painting

• Judge, _____, and executioner

• NBA player from Milwaukee

• Part of CBS or GPS

• Restaurant chain that once offered $5 footlongs

• Rock _____ 2 (2008 video game where you can play guitar, drums, or vocals)

• Royal residency that you try to hit in the pinball game Medieval Madness

• Sir Hiss from Disney's Robin Hood, for one

• Stephen who wrote The Running Man under the pseudonym Richard Bachman

• _____-Sun (pouched juice brand)

• Tsuyu from My Hero Academia has all the powers of this hopping amphibian

• "U Got the Look" singer

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 even ask for a hint, though you'll be marked as having used one if you do so) 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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Puzzle in the Round 8

It's been about two weeks since "Puzzle in the Round 8" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have successfully solved it since then, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Kevin Orfield
• Wendy Walker
• Patrick Jordan
• Tamara Brenner
• Lynn Sweeney
• Josie Giles
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!