ANSWERS: Brick By Brick 11

It's been almost two weeks since "Brick By Brick 11" was posted on this blog, so now's the time to list all eighteen people who have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Derek Allen
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Chris Kochmanski
• Mom
• KeoFam
• Steve Gunter
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #610: Empty Word Ladder 6

PUZZLE #610

EMPTY WORD LADDER 6

In normal word ladders, you have to turn one word into another word by changing it one letter at a time (such as CAT — COT — DOT — DOG). However, this word ladder is completely blank, meaning that the starting and ending words are completely unknown. To fill it in, we've provided clues to all of the words that link the two mystery words, though they're not listed in any particular order. Rearrange the clues' answers so that they form a proper word ladder in the white spaces, then figure out the two mystery words on the ladder's top and bottom, signified by the yellow spaces. Combine both words in the correct order to make the FINAL ANSWER: a two-word phrase relating to automobiles.

CLUES

• WORD AT THE START OF THE LADDER

• WORD AT THE END OF THE LADDER

• Film's orchestral soundtrack

• Flies high like the majestic eagle

• Hippie's tie-dyed top, e.g.

• Illinois-based team that recorded "The Super Bowl Shuffle" (and won it weeks later)

• Jersey _____: Family Vacation (MTV show that's somehow still airing)

• Martin who appears with Steve Martin in Wells Fargo commercials

• Permanent markings, such as those on the Joker's mouth in The Dark Knight

• Startle someone with a shout, say

• Wild pigs

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 link to a .PDF version which you can print out!

ANSWERS: Section Six 12

It's been roughly two weeks since "Section Six 12" was posted on this blog, and seventeen people have solved it since then, as you can see by the following list:

• Marie desJardins
• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Sam Levitin
• Michael Lebowitz
• Wendy Walker
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Steve Gunter
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney

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

PUZZLE #609: Brick By Brick 11

PUZZLE #609

BRICK BY BRICK 11

 

Place the 2x3 bricks into the grid below so that a crossword puzzle with rotational symmetry is formed. Each of the Across and Down clues hint at answers that appear in that row or column, all of which are in order. Be careful with the rows marked with a 7, 8, and 9, as the bricks that are placed in those rows will be split in half by a blue line, which you can see in the diagram above. Also, the letters that go in the blue line's squares will complete one answer in every Down column, though you'll have to figure out what those letters are.

This week's FINAL ANSWER is the name of a 1990s sitcom

ACROSS

1) The Mystery of the Blue Train and Murder on the Orient Express author Christie

    Not powered on

    Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, for two

2) Fungus such as Iceland moss (even though it's not closely related to moss)

    Word following "turf" or "Trojan"

    Cote d'_____ (the French Riviera)

3) Too, too much

    Environmentally-friendly prefix

    _____ chocolate M&M's

4) Jeopardy (and not the kind seen on a quiz show)

    Paper-delivery kids that went on strike in 1889

5) Phileas who went around the world in 80 days

    Original The Closer cable network

6) Subtle summons that's surprisingly legal to play in Scrabble

    Prior to, poetically

    City that's home to Iowa State University

7) Letters between a real name and a nickname

    Like something that can't be bought anywhere

8) THE FINAL ANSWER

9) Ninths, after being halved

    Suffix for "velvet"

10) Captain of the Nautilus submarine in two Jules Verne stories

      Abbr. on a Broadway sign that basically means "no seats left"

      "Puppy Love" singer Paul

11) Ignited

      Spheres such as the Dragon Balls from Dragon Ball

12) Take money from the bank (legally, of course)

      Enemy of Spider-Man dressed like a horned gray mammal

13) Long-Haired ____ (short film with Bugs Bunny dressed as a conductor)

      Had ham, perhaps

      Site for many brawls in many western films

14) Frankenstein's lab assistant not present in the original Frankenstein novel

      Spanish version of "Huh??"

      Indiana or Illinois, on a Monopoly board

15) "Danger _____" (Kenny Loggins hit)

      Little rascal

      Pyramid builders of Chichén Itzá

DOWN

1) Skewed

    Cover with asphalt or blacktop

    Kraft Cheez _____

2) Donate to a blood drive, say

    Bundle of yarn

    Parrot who has his own musical number in Aladdin: The Return of Jafar

3) Taiwanese PC manufacturer

    Beetle Bailey's short-tempered superior

    1982 sci-fi film with a villainous Master Control Program

4) "_____ Shop" (Macklemore song where he raps about buying used clothes)

    Volt ÷ ampere

    At this very location

5) "Greetings!"

    Numerous, like stories that were never narrated

6) Press _____ key to continue

    Magical being such as Shazzan or Kazaam

    Resident of Basra or Baghdad

7) Christians' pre-meal prayer

    21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street star Channing

8) A Prayer for _____ Meany (John Irving novel)

    Chris who played both Captain America and the Human Torch

    Cry like a willow?

9) Sapphire's side

    Gray Great Dane owned by the Jetsons

10) :(

      Blood of the Greek gods

      Yosemite _____ (Looney Tunes cowboy)

11) Purposefully delays play, in the NFL

      Cheer for an Italian diva

12) Door hinge holder

      One-time Chinese chairman Zedong

      The Olsen twin who's slightly older by two minutes

13) Playable protagonist of Assassin's Creed II

      Buddy who played Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies

      New York college with a name that's three-fourths vowels

14) In a proper manner

      Aerodynamic

      Part of a sentence such as "part" or "sentence"

15) Majorly miffs

      The highest active volcano in Europe

      Lowest dollar denominations in the board game Spy Alley

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: Fronts Off 9

Two weeks have passed by since "Fronts Off 9" was posted on this blog, and eighteen people have successfully solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Okieboy2008
• Patrick Jordan
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• KeoFam
• Wendy Walker
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Sam Levitin
• Bart Gold
• Mom
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #608: Section Six 12

PUZZLE #608

SECTION SIX 12

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.

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 outermost 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, and each answer’s starting points are marked with a dot [•]. However, which direction they proceed in is for you to figure out. The sections (separated by the heavy lines radiating from the center) will help you figure out the letters in 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.

Once you're done, unscramble the six spaces with stars in them to get the FINAL ANSWER: a six-letter word.

RING 1

1) "YEOW, that hurts!"

2) Welded together

3) Joey formerly of *NSYNC (answer hidden in SOLFA TONES)

4) Drop the ball, if you're a clumsy NFL player

5) CVS _____ (America's largest drugstore chain)

6) Completely dead, as dodos and dinos

RING 2

• Electric current unit whose symbol is the first letter of the alphabet

• Deceptive poker ploy

• The Phil _____ Show (1967-96 daytime talk show)

• Merit badge earner

• Imprecise

RING 3

• Spots or sees

• Amount that fits into a fist

• Word following "balance" or "laser"

• Before the government's share is added to a grocery bill, say

RING 4

• Don't Forget the Lyrics! hostess Niecy (or a bandmate of Crosby and Stills)

• Quoted out of _____

• Went on and on with tangent after tangent and with seemingly no real point to be made

RING 5

• Beach umbrella's offering

• "Un-Break My Heart" singer Toni

RING 6

• Boston baseball team featured in the 2005 film Fever Pitch: 2 wds.

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: Code Crossword 3

Thirteen days have passed since "Code Crossword 3" was posted on this blog, and it proved to be quite a toughie, since only fourteen people managed to solve it:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Cindy Heisler
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Chris Kochmanski
• Michael Lebowitz
• Derek Allen
• Sam Levitin
• Darth
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Mom

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

PUZZLE #607: Fronts Off 9

PUZZLE #607

FRONTS OFF 9

First, find the answers to each clue so that there are two words in each rectangular box. Then change the first letter of each word to the new same letter for both words of a pair to form two new words, and write the new letter in the square box to the left of the rectangle.

Once you're done, read down the boxes to get the FINAL ANSWER: a seven-letter word

1) Numeric unit scored in any pinball game

    Askew (anagram of CODEC KEY)

2) A rolling one gathers no moss (as proved by the Mythbusters)

    Purple plants that are the state wildflowers of Louisiana and Michigan

3) Hand covering for Mario or Wario

    All covered with age lines

4) Actress Blair who played Regan in The Exorcist and Exorcist II

    Tiny bite

5) Castle dungeon’s light source

    Dragon from Walt Disney World's Journey into Imagination (or a "fraction" of imagination)

6) _____ Jack (British flag)

    Shutting up the pundits on TV, in a way

7) Under-the-table payment

    Clara Cluck, Miss Prissy, and Foghorn Leghorn, for three

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: Lucky Sevens 16

About two weeks have gone by since "Lucky Sevens 16" was posted on this blog, and an astounding twenty-one people have solved it since then! Take a look:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Patrick Jordan
• Derek Allen
• Wendy Walker
• Chris Kochmanski
• Nicholas Weaver
• Lynn Sweeney
• SquishmallowsUnited
• Mom
• Steve Gunter
• Bart Gold
• Ian Hunter

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

PUZZLE #606: Code Crossword 3

PUZZLE #606

CODE CROSSWORD 3

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 you're done, look through the answer key using a certain pattern to get the FINAL ANSWER: A 13-letter word

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: Pieces of Nine 14

It's been almost two weeks since "Pieces of Nine 14" was posted on this blog, so now's the time to list all eighteen people who have solved it since then:

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

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #605: Lucky Sevens 16

PUZZLE #605

LUCKY SEVENS 15

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!

Stacked together below are seven Sevens made up of 7 squares each. The answers to each Seven start in their respectively numbered squares and continue along its path surrounded by a bold outline, going right and then down. Meanwhile, the answers to the Rows go straight across the grid, including those with only one or two letters in them.

Once you've filled in the grid, the letters in the colored squares (in the order of the Sevens that they appear in, starting with the Seven marked with a 1) will spell out this week's FINAL ANSWER: A seven-letter word associated with grammar

ROWS

i) Literal pen name that's also a brand of lighters

ii) "Roger that"

iii) Playful prank

iv) The titular Abbott Elementary, for one

v) Stock character defined by her innocence & naïveté

vi) Talking white cat from Sailor Moon (or the Greek goddess of the hunt)

vii) Stringed instrument whose name is an anagram of INSEAMS

viii) Abbr. preceding a date on a cornerstone

ix) _____ Boot (1980s German film about a submarine)

x) Article that may go before the word "article"

xi) Letter in American Sign Language formed by sticking out the pinkie and thumb

SEVENS

1) Type of delivery for when it absolutely, positively has to be here right now: Hyph.

2) Skilled breadmaker, for one

3) Wolfs down

4) Connived and conspired

5) Former Supreme Court justice Scalia

6) Ludicrously abundant

7) "_____ Race" (Queen song about how much the singer wants to ride his two-wheeler)

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: Quadruple Cross 7

I hope this doesn't become a pattern, because this is the second time in three weeks that I forgot to schedule the answers post in its usual time. Ah, well, at least "Quadruple Cross 7" got the most solvers I've had in a long while, with an astounding twenty in total:

• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Nicholas Weaver
• Chris Kochmanski
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Wendy Walker
• SquishamllowsUnited
• Patrick Jordan
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Bart Gold
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #604: Pieces of Nine 14

PUZZLE #604

PIECES OF NINE 14

Arrange the trigrams (blocks with three squares/letters in them) to make nine 9-letter words. After that, sort the new words so that the first one alphabetically is in row 1, the second one alphabetically is in row 2, and so on.

Once you're done, read down two of the columns for the FINAL ANSWER: a two-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: Drop Tower 14

Two weeks have passed by since "Drop Tower 14" was posted on this blog, and sixteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Pavel Curtis
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Bart Gold
• Derek Allen
• Patrick Jordan
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Mom

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #603: Quadruple Cross 7

PUZZLE #603

QUADRUPLE CROSS 7

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 a video game for the original PlayStation

CLUES

1) Charlie Chaplin losing a Charlie Chaplin-lookalike contest, for example

    Magnifier attached to a sniper rifle

2) "Kick it up a _____" (catchphrase of Emeril Lagasse)

    Plucked piece of a peony

3) Car rental company surprisingly not based in Texas, despite its name

    Irritate, like a too-tight spandex suit

4) Big, Big Hero 6, or Big Trouble in Little China, e.g.

    Crow cousin

5) Bespectacled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character and others with the same name (anagram of RAMIS)

    Naiad or dryad, for one

6) _____ con carne

    Stage actor's line spoken directly to the audience

7) Barrier that may be topped with barbed wire

    Dame Judy who played M in eight James Bond films

8) Group of at least three musical notes

    Really tall mushroom with a really tiny cap

9) _____ Food (Ben & Jerry's flavor named after a jam band)

    Gooey gunk that the panelists on Nickelodeon's Figure It Out often get covered with

10) Genius group whose name comes from the Latin word for "table"

      Tablecloth material

11) Westernmost capital city in America's 48 contiguous states (HINT: It's in Oregon)

      Yo-Yo Ma's stringed instrument

12) Small stall in a mall

      ✅, 🚫, or 🤷

13) Act as a sheep's barber, so to speak

      Like the best possible possibility

14) Excuse such as "I was at the arcade at the time"

      Huge computer built in the mid-1940s

15) _____ certificate (paper for a new baby)

      Singer of "Yellow Flicker Beat", "Green Light", and "Royals"

16) Head held by Hamlet (or what's left of that head, at least)

      Hitchhiker's digit

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: All Four One 2

Whoops! I forgot to schedule this one 'til now! Sorry for the extra wait! Anyhoo, here's the list of all sixteen people who have solved "All Four One 2" from two weeks ago:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Cindy Heisler
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Steve Gunter
• KeoFam
• Wendy Walker
• Chris Kochmanski
• Bart Gold
• Mom

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #602: Drop Tower 14

PUZZLE #602

DROP TOWER 14

Starting with an 8-letter word on top of the "tower", drop one letter and rearrange the rest to form a 7-letter word. Continue this process until only a 2-letter word remains. Since the tower is completely blank, use the randomly-ordered clues to figure out the words that go in each row.

Once the grid is completely filled in, look inside it for this week's FINAL ANSWER: a six-letter word that can be read going down and in a straight diagonal line.

CLUES

• Deiced one's windshield, in a way

• Hang down loosely

• One jumping jack, e.g.

• Prickly _____ cactus (state plant of Texas)

• San Diego MLB team whose mascot is the "Swinging Friar"

• Spin doctor's specialty: Abbr.

• Where to write down who's currently winning at minigolf, say

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: Diagramless Fill-In

About two weeks have gone by since my first "Diagramless Fill-In" puzzle was posted on this blog, which means that it's time for me to reveal the list of everyone who has solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Chris Kochmanski
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Mom
• Derek Allen

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #601: All Four One 2

PUZZLE #601

ALL FOUR ONE 2

There are four mostly-empty 4x4 crossword grids, as well as four sets of eight clues. Arrange the answers from each set of clues into a grid where they can all properly fit, so that every grid has four words reading down and four words reading across. After that, transfer the completed grids into the four sections of the larger diagram beneath them so that four 8-letter words are formed reading across the top and bottom, and down the left and right sides.

Once everything is correctly filled in, take one of the newly-formed 8-letter words and combine it with one of the 4-letter entries (not necessarily in that order) to get the FINAL ANSWER: the name of a hit song from the 1980s

SET #1

• Away from the wind, to a ship's captain

• Egyptian Monster High character named after her country's last queen

• Iranian currency that becomes an animal den when spelled backwards

• Norwegian capital with a viking ship museum

• Pumice or Petoskey stone, for example

• Roundish roller coaster segment

• Speck of land on an ocean map

• "You _____ Me Hangin' On" (#1 hit by the Supremes or Kim Wilde)

SET #2

• Birthstone for October

• Dog food brand that anagrams to the previous clue's answer

• Finish Press Your Luck with four Whammies and no dollars, say

• Grunge band fronted by Courtney Love

• Power_____ Simulator (pressurized water cleaning-based video game)

• "Red" and "Yellow" bodies of water (but not "Blue", weirdly enough)

• Sweater fabric that a ewe grew

• Vowel-heavy form of margarine

SET #3

• Brickell who sang "What I Am" with the New Bohemians

• Colored part of a human eyeball

• Grew older, but not necessarily wiser

• Malice (1993) actor and one-time Match Game host Baldwin

• Person wearing a pearl earring in a famous Vermeer painting

• Sneaker brand hiding in the name "OCTAVIAN"

• The "D" in CD-ROM

• Veni, _____, vici

SET #4

• Chess position where a checked king has nowhere to go, for short

• "Coming _____ to a theater near you!"

• Make a buck or two

• Princess from Flash Gordon (or a New Age-y glow)

• Swirl around a swizzle stick, perhaps

• Vehicle from Volvo or Volkswagen

• What kilograms measure (HINT: it's not "weight"; that'd be too long)

• Yakko, Wakko, and Dot from Animaniacs, for one

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 10

It's been almost two weeks since "Gryptics 10" was posted on this blog, so now's the time to look at everyone who has solved it since then:

• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Grant Fikes
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Derek Allen
• Chris Kochmanski
• Patrick Jordan
• Wendy Walker
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Mom
• Bart Gold
• Lynn Sweeney

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

PUZZLE #600: Diagramless Fill-In

PUZZLE #600

DIAGRAMLESS FILL-IN

This puzzle type was (partially) 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 full at the moment, so you might have to resort to PayPal if you still want to make a request of your own.

It's my 600th puzzle! And whenever I reach a big milestone like that, I tend do do something special for the occasion, and this time, it's an all-new-to-this-blog format! This one will be a toughie, however, so I'd suggest reading the directions carefully before jumping straight in.

Below is a fill-in crossword, where all of the answers have been given and all you need to do is to put them into the grid so that they'll all mesh together correctly. However, almost all of the black squares have disappeared, and the only thing left are all of the places where the letter "E" appears. To get started, look for patterns in the provided "E"s that will match the words in the answer list; words with double "E"s and/or multiple "E"s will help out the most. Then, continue fitting the remaining words into the grid. Don't forget to add black squares before and/or after each word (where applicable), and then add their counterparts on the opposite side of the grid so that all of the black squares will have rotational symmetry (two black squares have already been filled in to provide a visual example).

There are two words in the list that have not been revealed, neither of which contains an "E". Figure them out, then combine them to get the FINAL ANSWER: a two-word phrase

3 Letters

ADS

COY

END

FIX

LAW

LOX

OFF

RUG

RUN

TOM

VEG

ZEO

4 Letters

ATOP

BLUE

DEFT

DENS

FLAG

FREE

HIYA

MOCK

OMEN

OPEN

PAPA

REIN

SNOT

TAXI

TEED

YALE

5 Letters

ASIAN

CYCLE

ELITE

FLEES

FORTY

GETUP

GIFTS

GRIEF

LEERS

PESOS

PETER

PSHAW

ROPED

VAPOR

6 Letters

APOGEE

ARTIER

EXOTIC

GINKGO

GUSHED

GYRATE

HEREIN

SNEEZE

TOBIAS

TOYOTA

7 Letters

ASSORTS

CHIEFLY

DEFAMED

EXECUTE

PERPLEX

REPTILE

8 Letters

HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

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 9

It's been close to two weeks since "Mini-Marching Bands 9" was posted on this blog, and sixteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Marie desJardins
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Patrick Jordan
• Bart Gold
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #599: Gryptics 10

PUZZLE #599

GRYPTICS 10

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!

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: a piece of construction equipment

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: Edges of Glory 5

Two weeks have passed by since "Edges of Glory 5" was posted on this blog, and it must've been on the tougher side, since the number of solvers has decreased from the weekly average:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Michael Lebowitz
• Bart Gold
• Mom
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Wendy Walker

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

PUZZLE #598: Mini-Marching Bands 9

PUZZLE #598

MINI-MARCHING BANDS 9

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 fictional villain

ROWS
1) Molds and mushrooms, e.g.

    Ran in the wash

2) Email pretending to be from Amazon asking for your password, most likely

    Chinese bear such as Ling Xiaoyu's pet in Tekken 8

3) Protects with metal suits, maybe

    "To _____ is human, to forgive divine"

4) Action word

    Nationality that lends its name to the alphabetically last of the seven "-stan" countries

5) Smallest dollar amounts in Monopoly

    Evil plumber from the "Ghost Story" episode of Salute Your Shorts (answer hidden in MAZE KEEPER)

6) Sister with a habit

    Pete's _____ (1977 live-action/animated Disney flick)

7) Scattered all over

    Prefix for "corn" and "cycle"

8) Redheaded WarioWare character who shares her name with a da Vinci painting

    Apple music players discontinued in 2022

9) Literal pick-me-up?

    Another name for the crazy, nasty honey badger

BANDS

A) The "F" in "NFTs"

     Turn down the brightness

     Puny part of an archipelago

     Movies that are stereotypically incomprehensible to everyone except their directors: 2 wds.

     Stars that suddenly become a lot brighter

B) Go roughing it

     "The Giant" of 1980s pro wrestling

     Organizing consultant Marie who asks "Does it spark joy?"

     Someone who makes baby grands pitch perfect: 2 wds.

C) Samuel with an eponymous telegraph code

     "We've Only Just _____" (hit song by the Carpenters)

     Jewish actor Klemperer who played Colonel Klink in Hogan's Heroes

D) Vulture relatives such as Beaky from Looney Toons

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: Vanishing Act 6

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Vanishing Act 6" was posted on this blog, and quite a few people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Marie desJardins
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Wendy Walker
• Sam Levitin
• Chris Kochmanski
• Patrick Jordan
• Mom
• Derek Allen
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #597: Edges of Glory 5

PUZZLE #597

EDGES OF GLORY 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 full at the moment, so you might have to resort to PayPal if you still want to make a request of your own.

There are several squares divided into four triangles each, plus a grid to fit them all into. First, fill in the squares with the 4-letter answers to each corresponding clue, starting with the numbered triangle, and going clockwise. Then, fit all of the filled-out squares into the grid below (without rotating them) so that wherever two squares touch along one of the heavy lines, the letters on both sides of the line are the same.

Once everything's in its proper place, the outer edges of the grid, when read clockwise, will spell out the FINAL ANSWER: The name of a platformer video game

1) Titular "Alligator Boy" from an animated Netflix film (anagram of ORAL)

2) Oozing red monster from a 1958 sci-fi movie

3) Abel's brother in DC Comics' House of Mystery (and the Bible)

4) _____ Factor (stunt-based reality/game show once hosted by Ludacris)

5) It's a lot like a lyre, and that's no lie

6) Nasty-sounding partner of median and mode

7) Command to sled dogs

8) Lobster traps

9) Feng _____ (art of rearranging furniture)

10) Tart-tasting

11) The most recent U.S. President to have a moustache

12) Bulky brass instrument that Larry the Cucumber plays in VeggieTales' theme song

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: Question Quest 3

About two weeks have gone by since "Question Quest 3" was posted on this blog, which means that it's time for me to post the list of everyone who has solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Wendy Walker
• Sam Levitin
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Okieboy2008
• KeoFam
• Mom

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #596: Vanishing Act 6

PUZZLE #596

VANISHING ACT 6

Below are a set of what are supposed to be valid words, but instances of one duplicated letter in each word have all disappeared! Your job is to reinsert the missing duplicate letters into each numbered string of letters so that the resulting words all match up to the provided clues (listed in no particular order). The number in square brackets next to each group shows how many of the same letter need to be inserted into it. For instance, if one of the groups is "XAMPL [2]", then you'll need to insert a letter two times ("E" in this case) to get "EXAMPLE".

Once you've completed everything, the letters that have been added back in, in order, will form another incomplete string of letters. Insert three more of the same letter to get the FINAL ANSWER: an 11-letter noun

CLUES

• 1996 tornado movie that got a sequel 28 years later

• Broadway play that was brought back, say

• Chocolate candies from Hershey's with paper strips sticking out of them

• Hit song by one-hit wonder Shawn Mullins whose chorus contains the word "rockabye"

• Mass multiplied by velocity

• Silencing someone with a tied-up handkerchief, perhaps

• Small booklet with instructions on how to play an Atari 2600 game

• Triangular flag waved by a baseball fanatic

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: Helter Skelter 10

It's been almost two weeks since "Helter Skelter 10" was posted on this blog, so now's the time to look at the seventeen people who have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Sam Levitin
• Chsir Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Patrick Jordan
• Wendy Walker
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Steve Gunter
• Michael Lebowitz

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #595: Question Quest 3

PUZZLE #595

QUESTION QUEST 3

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!

Below, there's a sentence with multiple blanks, and the words that fill in those blanks have been split apart and scattered throughout the grid. Your job is to locate the correct first letter for each word and then follow the given compass directions throughout the grid for each answer (So for example, "2W" means to move two spaces west). Each letter in the grid will be used exactly once. As a helpful tip, try to look at the directions for the following letters to see how far from the grid's top, bottom, or sides you must look. For instance, if the directions for a word's second letter are 6N, the first letter must be somewhere in the bottom two rows.

Once you've filled in all of the blanks and finished each word, read the finished sentence and solve the resulting clue for the FINAL ANSWER: a two-word title

What __ __ __ __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __ __ __ __

     ?? 5N 5W 6S 2E 5N 2E   ?? 5E 3N 3W 5S 3W 2S

__ __ __ __ __ __ is about a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

?? 2N 3E 3S 3E 2N            ?? 2S 1E 3S 3E 2N 2W 3N

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ sent to the __ __ __ __ __ __

?? 2W 3N 1W 1N 4W 1S             ?? 4W 4S 1W 2N 4E

after being __ __ __ __ __ into a __ __ __ __ __ __ by a

            ?? 5S 3E 2E 4N        ?? 2S 3W 2S 2E 5N

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __ __ __ __?

?? 1W 2N 4W 3N 3E 4S 4W 1S 2E 4N 4E 1S   ?? 1W 2S 4E 5N 4W 2S

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: Deck It Out 11

It's been close to two weeks since "Deck It Out 11" was posted on this blog, and seventeen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cathy Bowen
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Sam Levitin
• Derek Allen
• Chris Kochmanski
• Okieboy2008
• Patrick Jordan
• Bart Gold
• Michael Lebowitz
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter
• Qmark

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #594: Helter Skelter 10

PUZZLE #594

HELTER SKELTER 10

Each answer in this crossword variation starts at the indicated number, and then moves towards the direction of the next number (though it may or may not stop there). The direction of the last answer is to be determined by the solver.

Once the grid has been filled out, unscramble the gray squares to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: An 8-letter word

1) Least quiet

2) Wife _____ (2000s reality show ripped off by Trading Spouses)

3) Promising prodigy

4) Tropical fruit in smoothies

5) "Get Him Back!" singer Rodrigo

6) Nonliteral saying

7) Eye-related (anagram of RUCOLA)

8) Quinn who played Benny in Benny & Joon

9) Home planet of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

10) Caffeinated root beer brand claiming "It's Good Since 1898"

11) Rapper from A Tribe Called Quest named after a stick with cotton swabs

12) Bible quote such as "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another"

13) Lunchmeat with the first name of O-S-C-A-R?

14) Book-loving pig from U.S. Acres

15) Under the effects of Novocain, say

16) Chicago-style deep dish pizza chain, informally

17) The _____ of '76 (patriotically-named pinball machine)

18) Garlic-crushing device

19) Sword holder

20) The horizontal line seen in the answer to clue #11

21) Classical element other than water, fire, or air

22) Card such as the Wheel of Fortune

23) Wrapped-up headwear worn by Piccolo from Dragon Ball Z

24) Cruel boor

25) Progressive rock band with vocalist Geddy Lee

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: Link-Letters 15

Two weeks have passed by since "Link-Letters 15" was posted on this blog, and eighteen people have solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Cathy Bowen
• Marie desJardins
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Okieboy2008
• Michael Lebowitz
• Chris Kochmanski
• Derek Allen
• Patrick Jordan
• Wendy Walker
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Steve Gunter
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #593: Deck It Out 11

PUZZLE #593

DECK IT OUT 11

Fill in the answers to the clues below, then transfer the letters marked with playing card symbols to their proper places in the grid below. The number (or letter) of each clue will tell you what column to place those letters in. Once it's completely filled in, the grid will spell out a sentence that will provide a hint to the FINAL ANSWER.

This week's FINAL ANSWER is a proper name

A) Nationality that precedes "bread", "horn" and "kiss"

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♥   ♠   ♦           ♣

2) Vole, mole-rat, or regular rat, for example

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

            ♠   ♣   ♦   ♥

3) Thin, rectangular layers inside a Kit Kat bar

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♣           ♦   ♥   ♠

4) Once in _____ (occasionally): 2 wds.

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♣   ♦   ♠   ♥

5) "Ladies and Gentlemen" hard rock band named after spit (yes, that’s really what they went with)

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♣   ♠   ♦       ♥

6) Fool's gold

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

        ♦   ♠   ♥   ♣   

7) Pointy punk hairstyle

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

            ♣   ♥   ♦   ♠

8) Medieval funnyman wearing a cap with bells

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

        ♣   ♠   ♥   ♦

9) Mythological Greek beasts that grow more heads every time you chop one off

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♣       ♦   ♥   ♠

10) How to Train Your _____ (DreamWorks film series with Hiccup and Toothless)

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

            ♥   ♦   ♣   ♠

J) Patterns usually seen on Scottish kilts

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♥       ♦       ♠   ♣

Q) Male Manx or Maine Coon, maybe

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

    ♠       ♦   ♥       ♣

K) Hate, hate, hate, haaaate something or someone

   ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

        ♣   ♥       ♠   ♦

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!