PUZZLE #419: Anagram Magic Square 7: Still More Subtracting & Scrambling

PUZZLE #419

ANAGRAM MAGIC SQUARE 7: STILL MORE SUBTRACTING & SCRAMBLING

It's the day after Christmas, which means that it's Boxing Day in Canada! And to celebrate that fact, I'm bringing out a puzzle type that just so happens to have a bunch of boxes in it! Since it's been over a year since I last posted a puzzle of this type (and even longer since I last posted its "subtraction" variant), here are the directions in case you need a refresher:

The 6-letter word in each box is an anagram to the answer to each of the clues below.... almost. You see, in this puzzle, all of the answers are five letters long, so remove an extra letter from each 6-letter word to get each answer. Put the number of each corresponding clue into the small box below the initial word and write down the anagram on the dash directly below that. The numbers in each row and column will add up to 65.

Once you're done with the puzzle, the subtracted letter of each answer, in numerical clue order, will spell out a clue; the FINAL ANSWER is the proper noun hinted at by the clue.

1) Snared with a lariat

2) The five stages of _____

3) University of Florida athlete

4) Scuba tank wearer

5) Battery, bribery, or burglary

6) "Ewwww, yuck!"

7) Enjoys Juicy Fruit, say

8) _____ of a Wimpy Kid (book series by Jeff Kinney)

9) Janet Jackson hit where she states "My first name ain't 'Baby', it's Janet"

10) Kindergartener's wheels, for short

11) The "Good Little Witch" who's pals with Casper the Friendly Ghost

12) Walked back and forth and back and forth

13) Pulsate like a headache

14) Make dough, literally

15) Type of leaf on the back of a Canadian penny

16) Tips on how to solve a puzzle in the Professor Layton games, e.g.

17) Protrude outward

18) Do not open _____ Christmas

19) Medium for KROQ-FM

20) Traveling carnivals

21) National flower of both Turkey and the Netherlands

22) Group of Wiccans

23) Shovel Knight's suit

24) Laundry room's lint collector

25) Common thread in a crossword puzzle's longest answers, perhaps

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: Mini-Marching Bands 6

Merry Christmas! And since it is Christmas Day, I'll keep this brief and head straight to the solvers of "Mini-Marching Bands 6" from thirteen days ago:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Mike Armstrong
• Sam Levitin
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• KeoFam
• Tyler Hinman
• Wendy Walker
• Patrick Jordan
• Steve Gunter
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers, as well as a short explanation on how this coincidentally overlapped with one of my solver's puzzles!

PUZZLE #418: Helter Skelter 7

PUZZLE #418

HELTER SKELTER 7

This puzzle contains a word 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 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 associated with mathematics

1) Recorded film scene that might need to be redone multiple times

2) Chicken _____ (Ukrainian dish)

3) Nevada city that's home to the Penn & Teller Theater, for short

4) Milton's prized paper-fastening device from Office Space

5) Gullible sap

6) Hairy creature from DreamWorks' Abominable, for example

7) Installing ceramic squares on a floor

8) PlayStation video game series featuring the deity-slayer Kratos: 3 wds.

9) Subtitle of the Thor movie with Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster

10) Islamic book fully memorized by a hafiz: Var.

11) Costume designer's creations

12) Throw in the _____ (phrase that originated from boxing)

13) Annoying delay of button presses in an online game

14) Staring open-jawed

15) Jane Jetson's husband

16) Time for prime time TV

17) Number of seasons that Seinfeld ran for

18) Toe part made of keratin

19) Type of pre-Christmas calendar containing chocolates

20) Battery measures

21) _____ gun (rhyming tool for self-defense)

22) Sheepskin boot brand originally popular with surfers

23) Sudden burst of wind

24) Ingredient in a Skor bar

25) Surround an airport with heavy mist, say: 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: Drop Tower 10

It's been about two weeks since my tenth "Drop Tower" puzzle was posted on this blog. Quite a few people have successfully solved it since then, and they're all listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Tyler Hinman
• Mike Armstrong
• KeoFam
• Charles Flaster
• Mom
• Sam Levitin
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter
• Tamara Brenner
• Wendy Walker

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #417: Mini-Marching Bands 6

PUZZLE #417

MINI-MARCHING BANDS 6

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 comic book character

ROWS
1) Smallest bills in a tip jar

    _____ horizon (black hole's point of no return)

2) Seven in Japanese (or the Darlings' dog in Peter Pan)

    Supply that's squirreled away

3) Romantic fling in many a soap opera plotline

    Rightmost numeral on a grandfather clock

4) “Ehhh, it's a possibility"

    Impressive achievement

5) Emmy-winning Family Game Night host Newton

    Abbr. on an invite

6) Marshmello music video with over 23 million likes on YouTube

    Cupcake froster

7) Color of the M&M's character who wears glasses

    Furthermore

8) Category for one of the Golden Globes' two "Best Motion Picture" awards

    The Indianapolis 500's 200

9) "_____ on Jeopardy" ("Weird Al" song featuring the voice of Don Pardo): 2 wds.

    Company that manufactured the Saturn video game console

BANDS

A) 6/42 as a simplified fraction: Hyph.

     Computer support ace: 2 wds.

     Like the wisest advice

     _____-state drive

     The Caped Crusader

B) 1997 animated movie whose titular princess is voiced by Meg Ryan

     Scooter brand whose name means "wasp" in Italian

     Hedley _____ (Blazing Saddles villain who frequently gets called "Hedy")

     Do nothing, like bread?

C) Winged creatures that revive your health in the Legend of Zelda games

     Close-knit Scottish unit

     Cowboy toy whose phrases include "There's a snake in my boot!"

D) Become buddies with

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: Dilly Dally 5

It's been nearly two weeks since "Dilly Dally 5" was posted on this blog, so now's the time for me to reveal the list of everyone who has solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Michael Lebowitz
• Tyler Hinman
• Kevin Orfield
• Stephen Potter
• Wendy Walker
• Sam Levitin
• Mike Armstrong
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• KeoFam
• Patrick Jordan
• Stasi Gustafson
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #416: Drop Tower 10

PUZZLE #416

DROP TOWER 10

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

• A or an, grammatically speaking

• Banjo-strumming Scruggs

• Cartoon mermaid who initially thought a fork was a comb

• Kal-_____ (Superman's birth name)

• Opposite of wholesale

• Seagram's Ginger _____

• Woodwind instrument played by Squidward (poorly, I might add)

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: Anagram Chambers 10

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Anagram Chambers 10" was posted on this blog, and fifteen people (plus a family group) have solved since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Joe Bernard
• Michael Lebowitz
• Tyler Hinman
• Kevin Orfield
• Mike Armstrong
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom [Hints Used]
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Wendy Walker
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter

If you want to know the answers to this puzzle, head below the break to view 'em!

PUZZLE #415: Dilly Dally 5

PUZZLE #415

DILLY DALLY 5

This is my fifth time creating a "Dilly Dally" puzzle, possibly my most restrictive format to craft. Not only do I have to come up with alliterative two-word phrases where both words are of the same length, I have to come with concise clues for them as well (which, depending on the phrase, isn't as easy as it sounds). So this time, I've decided to change things up quite a bit, both to make it slightly easier on myself, and to ensure I won't run out of alliterative phrases for future puzzles. This will necessitate a change in directions, though, so read on for how to solve this newly-revamped puzzle!

Each answer in the grid below consists of two words that both start with the same letter, like ASKING ABOUT. However, each clue's answer only makes up half of the phrase (either the first or second half), while the second half is in a separate list of clues, in random order. It's up to you to match up the answers from both lists to fill in each two-word phrase.

Once the grid has been filled out, hidden inside and going up, down, or diagonally will be the FINAL ANSWER: A cult film from the 2000s whose name also consists of two words starting with the same letter.

NUMBERED WORDS

1) They "Run the World", according to a Beyoncé song

2) 1/1,800th of a half-hour

3) _____ Guiana (South American territory)

4) State's section, like one of 62 in New York

5) Part of "XL"

6) One of ten turns for bowling

7) Sheep's grazing area

8) Hearts and clubs, for two

9) "_____ the beef?" (quotable line from a Wendy's ad)

10) Ticking timepiece in the stomach of the crocodile from Peter Pan

11) 2005-2017 crime procedural series on FOX starring Emily Deschanel

MISSING WORDS

• Bird on a box of Cocoa Puffs

• Computer gadget with a scroll wheel

• Cooks in oil

• "Don't move a muscle!"

• In _____ Color ('90s sketch comedy series)

• Like a very rare (and very leaky) steak

• Ralph Emerson's middle name

• Sense involving the eyes

• _____ State Warriors (2022 NBA champions)

• Tennis venue

• Web browser preinstalled on an Apple iPad

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 2

It's been close to two weeks since "Edges of Glory 2" was posted on this blog, so now it's time for me to reveal all the people who have figured out its Final Answer (who, coincidentally, just had what would've been his 100th birthday yesterday):

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Tyler Hinman
• Sam Levitin
• Mike Armstrong
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Wendy Walker
• Tamara Brenner
• Michael Lebowitz
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #414: Anagram Chambers 10

PUZZLE #414

ANAGRAM CHAMBERS 10

For this puzzle, there are several dark-green "chambers" with yellow rectangles and light green squares in them. For each chamber, you take a word in the first yellow rectangle as hinted at by the clue, add a letter from the light green square, and scramble them to get a word in the second yellow rectangle, then you repeat the process to get the word in the third yellow rectangle. Unfortunately, none of the chambers are labeled, and all seven sets of clues are in no particular order, so you have to figure out which set of answers go to which proper chamber so the columns of light green squares will both spell out words reading vertically.

Once all of the chambers are in the correct order, the light green squares will spell out the FINAL ANSWER: a two-word phrase

• [They make up molecules] + _ = [Blue tank engine from a long-running children's show] + _ = [Organ attached to the esophagus]

• [Mobster John nicknamed "The Teflon Don"] + _ = [Hauling around, as a shopping bag] + _ = ["Heartache _____" (Eagles song)]

• [Royal domain] + _ = [Duchamp who painted Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2] + _ = [Werther's Original product]

• [Be an unsportsmanlike winner] + _ = [Italy's version of ice cream] + _ = [America's best-selling toothpaste brand]

• [Verses collected in Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic] + _ = [Ask too much of] + _ = [Pinky swear, for one]

• [Cloaks on the backs of many superheroes] + _ = [Carrie actress Sissy] + _ = [Tiny containers of Sweet'n Low]

• [Vice _____ (the other way around)] + _ = [Strongly wants, like food] + _ = [Neckwear for snowmen]

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 10

Thirteen days have passed by since "Pieces of Nine 10" was posted on this blog. Plenty of people have solved it since then, and they're all listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Tyler Hinman
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Tamara Brenner
• Bill Lombard
• Mom
• KeoFam
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #413: Edges of Glory 2

PUZZLE #413

EDGES OF GLORY 2

One of the clues in this puzzle contains a 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!

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 cartoonist

1) Maldives' continent

2) Jeff Bridges' brother

3) Skewed view

4) Last name of "Break Your Heart" singer Taio

5) Ringlet of hair

6) Future inheritor

7) The Sensational She-_____ (comic book series about Bruce Banner's cousin Jennifer Walters)

8) Speak like Sylvester the Cat

9) Break in the action (HINT: three-quarters of its letters are identical to each other)

10) Planet with a crater resembling a smiley face

11) Football interception

12) _____ Krispies Treats

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: Wordy Web 5

It's been about two weeks since my Halloween puzzle, "Wordy Web 5", was posted on this blog. Fifteen people (plus a family) have successfully solved it since then, and they're all listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Tyler Hinman
• Sam Levitin
• Mike Armstrong
• Wendy Walker
• Michael Lebowitz
• Mom
• Tamara Brenner
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Steve Gunter
• KeoFam

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #412: Pieces of Nine 10

PUZZLE #412

PIECES OF NINE 10

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: the two-word name of a legal drama film

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: Chain Reaction: Extra Links 10

It's been nearly two weeks since "Chain Reaction: Extra Links 10" was posted on this blog, so now's the time for me to unveil the list of everyone who has solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Tyler Hinman
• Mike Armstrong
• Sam Levitin
• Michael Lebowitz
• Adam Weaver
• KeoFam
• Wendy Walker
• Tamara Brenner
• Lynn Sweeney
• Mom

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #411: Wordy Web 5

PUZZLE #411

WORDY WEB 5

Happy Halloween, everyone! And to celebrate, I've brought out my spookiest puzzle format: Wordy Web! Its Final Answer is appropriate for today, too, so read on for directions on how to figure it out!

This Web's set up with Circles and Strands, but there are no letters with which the words are woven. To complete this puzzle, enter the answers to the Circles' clues (numbered 1 to 6) clockwise around the concentric rings of the Web, though it's up to you to determine the starting point for each Circle. All of the Circles' clues are presented in order. To help figure out the Circles' starting points, fill in the Strands' answers (marked with A to L) starting at each respective letter and traverse the Web from left to right. Some of the strands have only one answer, while others have two.

Once you've completely filled in the Web, the letters in the red spaces, reading down, will spell out this week's FINAL ANSWER: some people you might encounter today on Halloween

CIRCLES
1) Transform like a Power Ranger

    Do the math

    Steed's straps

    Players in a play

    Fear the Walking Dead network

2) Lord Farquaad's kingdom in Shrek (2001)

    Collect too much stuff

    Place to drill up black gold: 2 wds.

    Native American tribe whose name is 3/4ths vowels

3) _____Hot (liniment brand shilled by Shaquille O'Neal)

    Rays that make a fluorescent object glow: 2 wds.

    State where Donny and Marie Osmond were born

    Annie Lennox album with the hit song "Walking on Broken Glass"

4) Zits and pimples

    Rocko's _____ Life (classic Nicktoon)

    Controversial airport agcy. with full-body scanners

5) "Burnt" Crayola color

    Tony-winning musical set in Lower Manhattan's East Village

6) Short vocal solo in opera

STRANDS

A) Grandpa Pickles from Rugrats

B) Ibuprofen brand introduced in 1984

C) Disney villainess with henchmen named Jasper & Horace

D) Joseph who composed the Surprise Symphony

    Rock's narrow fissure

E) _____ Mountains (Pennsylvanian chain whose highest peak is Camelback Mountain)

    Dickinson from 1960's Ocean's 11

F) Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda

    At a greater distance

G) The "O" in "AOC"

     Emulate The Undertaker or The Ultimate Warrior, say

H) Takes up residence at a new home: 2 wds.

     Luxury car brand with four rings in its logo

I) Ron Howard's younger brother

   Like _____ of bricks: 2 wds.

J) Whiskered fishes whose name sounds like muck-covered felines

K) Temporary committee type: 2 wds.

L) Favorite drink of the March Hare and the Mad Hatter

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: Semicircle Sorting 4

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Semicircle Sorting 4" was posted on this blog, and a number of people have solved it since then, all of whom are listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Mike Armstrong
• KeoFam
• Charles Flaster
• Tyler Hinman
• Mom
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Lynn Sweeney
• Tamara Brenner
• Michael Lebowitz

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #410: Chain Reaction: Extra Links 10

PUZZLE #410

CHAIN REACTION: EXTRA LINKS 10

For this puzzle, there are seven golden "links" that link together six two-word phrases when reading down. However, it's completely blank, save for some dashes that reveal how long each word is (four dashes translate to a four-letter word, for instance). To help you figure out these words, though, there are some extra silver links with words already in them which, when combined with the golden link to the left or right of it, make another two-word phrase. In the above example, the two-word phrases with silver links in them are "Chain Restaurants", "Gut Reaction", "Time Zone", and "Fruit Flies", so the final "golden chain" is "CHAIN - REACTION - TIME - FLIES".

Once you've completely filled in the chain, scramble the letters in the orange squares to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a seven-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: Diagramless Crossword 6

It's been close to two weeks since "Diagramless Crossword 6" was posted on this blog, and a whopping seventeen people (one of which is a family group) have correctly figured out its Final Answer, all of whom are listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Mike Armstrong
• Mom
• Wendy Walker
• Tyler Hinman
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Dan Schwartz
• KeoFam
• Steve Gunter
• Tamara Brenner

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #409: Semicircle Sorting 4

PUZZLE #409

SEMICIRCLE SORTING 4

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: a two-word party game.

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: Pent Words 18

Thirteen days have passed by since "Pent Words 18" was posted on this blog, which means that it's time for me to reveal the list of everyone who has successfully solved it:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Steve Gunter
• Mike Armstrong
• Tamara Brenner
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• Tyler Hinman
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #408: Diagramless Crossword 6

PUZZLE #408

DIAGRAMLESS CROSSWORD 6

This puzzle contains a word 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!

Diagramless crosswords are solved by using the clues and their numbers to fill in the answers as well as the black squares. When completely filled in, the black squares in the grid will have diagonal symmetry, meaning that they'll look the same when rotated upside-down. As a help, the first number has already been placed in the grid.

Once everything's filled in, two of the across answers will spell out a clue that will lead you to the FINAL ANSWER: A person's name.

ACROSS

1) Perlman who won four Emmys for acting on Cheers

5) Fend (off)

10) Track & _____ (Olympic-themed NES video game)

11) Word before "bear" or "vortex"

12) Seasoning herbs of the mint family

13) Breed of Hachikō, a very loyal dog immortalized with a bronze statue in Japan

14) Split from a country, like South Sudan did in 2011

15) "...Kissed the girls and made them _____" (nursery rhyme lyrics)

16) PART ONE OF THE FINAL ANSWER'S CLUE

19) British songstress Rita

20) "Turn to Stone" band, for short

21) Numeric online addresses, for short

24) Flowing waterway crossed in the "Fox, chicken, and grain" puzzle

27) Journalists' workspace where The Mary Tyler Moore Show is set

30) Relating to birds (or bird-like anthropomorphic characters)

31) 19th-century soldier dressed in gray

32) Installment of Inc., e.g.

33) His song "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" hit #1 in 1977

35) Pinball machine manufacturer whose name is a synonym for "strict"

36) Beats by _____ (brand of expensive headphones)

37) Prefix for "corn" or "cycle"

38) Post-op stop

39) PART TWO OF THE FINAL ANSWER'S CLUE

45) Intelligent primate from George of the Jungle named after his own species

46) Groups in some essential acids found in proteins

47) Playable Mario Party Superstars character with a green hat

50) Like the color of straw or blonde hair

51) Find common ground

52) Brown, Dartmouth, and Harvard, for three

53) Sears slightly

54) Hair-stiffening goops

DOWN

1) The Dark Knight _____ (film directed by Christopher Nolan)

2) Children's novel about a girl in the Alps living with her grumpy grandpa

3) First name of Ripley from Alien (1979)

4) Online annoyances that can be blocked in Firefox with extensions

5) Captain Jack added to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in 2006

6) City where the statue mentioned in 13-Across's clue is located

7) Baba who encountered forty thieves

8) Cauldron

9) Significant stretch of time

10) Two-_____ (coin-flipping comic book villain)

12) Manner of conduct

14) Gave it one's all

15) People person, for short

17) Last name of Bobby from Bobby's World (EASIER CLUE: Not brand-name)

18) "_____ World Problems" (Weird Al song with lyrics like "There's a pixel out in the corner of my laptop screen")

19) Type of exam with no writing

22) Greek equivalent of the Roman sea god Neptune

23) What statements marked with "[citation needed]" need

25) Let up on the difficulty

26) Genetic material hidden in the word "fingernails"

28) Bro's sib, sometimes

29) Drop-down _____ (list of options in a computer program)

31) Zellweger with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

34) Materialistic characters in American Psycho or Wall Street, for example

40) Impatient, like a beaver?

41) Bisect

42) Message sent to itsredhead64@gmail.com, perhaps

43) Blends ingredients

44) Addition column to the right of the tens

47) French word for a body of water smaller than a sea

48) "Blecch!"

49) Rosemary's Baby author Levin

50) _____ Newtons

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: Triangle Tangle 4

It's been about two weeks since "Triangle Tangle 4" was posted on this blog, and plenty of people have solved it since then, all of whom are listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Tyler Hinman
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Mike Armstrong
• Patrick Jordan
• Wendy Walker
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Tamara Brenner
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #407: Pent Words 18

PUZZLE #407

PENT WORDS 18

For this puzzle, you must divide the grid into pentominoes (they’re sorta like Tetris pieces, except they’re areas made up of five squares each) and put a letter in each cell. The rows, reading from left to right, will contain the words hinted at by the ACROSS clues. The letters in the pentominoes, reading left to right beginning with the top row, will form the words hinted at by the PENTOMINOES clues; these clues are presented in no particular order. (In the example above, the rows spell out CHINS, PARTY, and ANKLE, and the pentominoes spell out the words CHINA, STYLE, and PRANK.) Use the across answers to figure out where the pentominoes go.

Once you're done, combine the two unclued pentominoes to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a two-word phrase

ACROSS (Two answers per row)

1) Pageant crown worn by Lola from The Loud House

    Pull a harp string

2) Southpaws

    Dilbert's curved-up neckwear

3) Hot rod's rod

    "On the Internet, _____ knows you're a dog" (caption of a New Yorker cartoon)

4) Hines from Curb Your Enthusiasm, or the role she plays

    Got a perfect score on

5) Stretchy, like Mister Fantastic's superpowered body

    Newton who was the Panthers' quarterback in Super Bowl 50

6) Word following "belly" or "go-go"

    Turnable part of a 1950s TV set

7) Entertainer in a kimono

    Wily maneuver

8) Route for avoiding road construction

    "Yankee Rose" singer David Lee

9) Florida-based NFL team with a human mascot, for short

    Temporary mobile phone

10) Gland located below the Adam's apple

      Gibson _____ Paul (classic guitar model)

PENTOMINOES (Five letters per answer)

• HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

• THE OTHER HALF OF THE FINAL ANSWER

• _____'s Razor (principle that says the simplest solution is usually the correct one)

• Feral donkey in Mexico

• Mold and mildew remover owned by Clorox

• They write "Happy Birthday" on cakes, sometimes

• Like a dream that you can control

• Cape Fear actress Jessica

• Sits around doing nothing

• Short-tempered pigeon from Animaniacs' "Goodfeathers" segments (or a green sauce)

• To Say the _____ (short-lived word-guessing game show from the '70s)

• Last choice on a survey question, often

• Any musician's first album, say

• In a gallant manner

• Like a spring day with too much precipitation

• Protective clothing worn by Mama from the Cooking Mama video games

• The _____ & Scratchy Show (Bart Simpson's favorite cartoon)

• Vandalized a car with a tool meant to unlock it

• Needed a massage

• Color of a zebra's skin underneath its fur

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: Honeycomb 4

It's been nearly two weeks since "Honeycomb 4" was posted on this blog, and plenty of people have solved it since then (over fifteen, in fact):

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Mike Armstrong
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Michael Lebowitz
• Tyler Hinman
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney
• Tamara Brenner

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #406: Triangle Tangle 4

PUZZLE #406

TRIANGLE TANGLE 4

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 comic book character

1-2) Lamb _____'s Play-Along (PBS series that starred puppeteer Shari Lewis)

2-3) Joy Harjo or John Keats, e.g.

3-4) Lorde song with the lyrics "I'm kind of over being told to put my hands up in the air, so there"

4-5) Severely mangle

5-6) My Hero Academia character with acid-based superpowers (answer hidden in DETERMINATION)

6-7) Website for finding contractors that shortened its name in 2021

7-8) The Rite of Spring composer Stravinsky

8-9) Full-grown joeys, informally

9-10) Alphabetize, say

10-11) Numero before cuatro

11-12) Prefix for "colon" and "conductor"

12-13) Colorful computer that first went on sale in 1998

13-14) Hombre's home

14-15) Makes an inquiry

15-16) By the _____ of my teeth

16-17) Number of slots at the bottom of a Plinko board in The Price is Right

17-18) Deadly sin associated with the color green

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: Coined Phrases 6

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Coined Phrases 6" was posted on this blog, and since then, twelve people (and a family) have successfully solved it, all of whom are listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Chris Kochmanski
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• Tyler Hinman
• KeoFam
• Mom
• Lynn Sweeney
• Tamara Brenner

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #405: Honeycomb 4

PUZZLE #405

HONEYCOMB 4

One of the clues in this puzzle contains a 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 six-letter word is to be entered clockwise or counterclockwise around the correspondingly numbered black cell, though the direction and starting point of each answer is for you to determine.

Once the grid has been filled out, the colored hexagons, when read either clockwise or counterclockwise (but not both at once), will spell out the FINAL ANSWER: a 6-letter word

1) The northernmost capital in the United States

2) _____ Augustus (Roman emperor who, ironically, wasn't born in August)

3) Ascent automaker

4) Gave shelter to

5) Apple music application that debuted before Apple Music

6) Nickname of a supposed loch resident

7) Relatives of minks and martens

8) _____ jeopardy

9) Bun, bob, or beehive, e.g.

10) Bright green topping on a Chicago-style hot dog

11) Dorough from the Backstreet Boys and Mandel from America's Got Talent, for two

12) Not very sensible

13) Gassed up a jet

14) Attacked the fridge, maybe

15) Syndrome's female assistant in The Incredibles

16) Practices one of the three R's (specifically, the one listed before "recycle")

17) Greek island once home to the Ancient Wonder known as the Colossus

18) Descend: 2 wds.

19) Relating to mushrooms and yeast

20) Overly ornate

21) Inflatable part of a steering wheel

22) Car repair shop

23) Fast & Furious 6 actor Gibson

24) City that's home to Texas A&M International University

25) "We Have the Meats", to Arby's

26) Tesla who invented the Tesla coil

27) _____ Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (point-and-click adventure game)

28) American Red Cross founder Clara

29) Home for a beekeeper's hives

30) Ongoing story, such as a soap opera

31) Shown to one's seat: 2 wds.

32) Performing a feint on a hockey rink

33) Remove a salmon's skeleton, say

34) It's "in the Sky" in a Norman Greenbaum song

35) "history of the _____ world, i guess" (animated YouTube video with over 146 million views)

36) Navy rank that's above no other rank

37) Exceptionally talented

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: Slide Show: Double Feature 4

It's been close to two weeks since "Slide Show: Double Feature 4" was posted on this blog, and it proved to be on the harder side, since the number of solvers wound up being lower than usual:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Mike Armstrong
• Michael Lebowitz
• Sam Levitin
• Tyler Hinman
• Lynn Sweeney
• Mom
• KeoFam

If you want to know the solution to this tough puzzle, just head below the break!

PUZZLE #404: Coined Phrases 6

PUZZLE #404

COINED PHRASES 6

There is a set of five coins, all of which have one letter on each of their two faces. Each letter appears only once throughout the set, and no two coins share the same letter. Random flips of all the coins have produced six 5-letters words hinted at by the numbered clues. Once all six answers have been solved, use logic and deductive reasoning to figure out the letters that are printed on each coin. Finally, rearrange the coins so that both sides spell out two more 5-letter words that combine to make a two-word phrase.

This week's FINAL ANSWER is a term associated with card games

1) "Quaking" poplar that's Utah's state tree

2) Great blue _____ (wetland bird)

3) Singer whose first seven singles all cracked the top ten, starting with "Tik Tok"

4) Small bodies of water where you may feed ducks

5) Lying flat on one's face

6) Command to make a dog "talk"

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 11

Thirteen days have passed by since "Link-Letters 11" was posted on this blog, so now's the time for me to reveal the list of everyone who has solved it since then:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Sam Levitin
• Mike Armstrong
• KeoFam
• Tyler Hinman
• Mom
• Patrick Jordan
• Michael Lebowitz
• Wendy Walker
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #403: Slide Show: Double Feature 4

PUZZLE #403

SLIDE SHOW: DOUBLE FEATURE 4

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: a two-word phrase that's also the name of a PlayStation Portable game

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: Sunburst 4

It's been about two weeks since "Sunburst 4" was posted on this blog, and since then, fifteen people (plus one family) have successfully solved it:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Michael Lebowitz
• Stasi Gustafson
• Mike Armstrong
• Kevin Orfield
• Patrick Jordan
• Tyler Hinman
• Sam Levitin
• Mom
• KeoFam
• Wendy Walker
• Lynn Sweeney
• Peter Abide

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #402: Link-Letters 11

PUZZLE #402

LINK-LETTERS 11

There are two clues for each numbered row. The answers to each row's first clue go in the squares to the left of the first black bar in each correspondingly numbered row in the puzzle's grid, and the answers to the second clue go 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 words reading down. Add a letter between those two words in the red square to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a noun relating to anatomy

1) Shedding-type card game from Mattel that comes in Minecraft and Super Mario variants

    Gestured for a photographer

2) Tales from the _____ (HBO horror anthology show that got a kid-friendly cartoon spinoff)

    Roughly .035 ounces

3) Culture Club song that mentions "a clock in my heart" in its lyrics

    Paved-over parking place

4) Target for Advil or Aleve

    Punches with big red gloves, perhaps

5) _____ the King's Men (1949 film that won the Best Picture Oscar)

    Like slasher movies with a high body-part count

6) Completely lacking in cash

    969 years, for Methuselah

7) With "The", Chris Hardwick-hosted game show that's basically a giant version of Plinko

    Appendage of Chicken Boo from Animaniacs

8) Whistleblower on the gridiron, for short

    Play's performer

9) Successfully make a pair in a game of "Memory", say

    Insect or checkmark

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

It's been nearly two weeks since my 400th puzzle, "Insiders", was posted on this blog. Plenty of people have solved it since then, and they're all listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Joe Bernard
• Pavel Curtis
• Kevin Orfield
• Tyler Hinman
• Mike Armstrong
• Wendy Walker
• Mom
• Michael Lebowitz
  
• Sam Levitin
• KeoFam
• Patrick Jordan
• Lynn Sweeney

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #401: Sunburst 4

PUZZLE #401

SUNBURST 4

One of the clues in this puzzle contains a word 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!

First, solve each 4-letter word listed in the first set of clues, then rearrange them and attach an extra letter to its end (which will be up to you to determine) to form a 5-letter word that matches one of the answers listed in the second clue set. For example, if an answer is ATOP, scramble those letters, add another letter to the end, and form the 5-letter word TOPAZ. Next, place each resulting 5-letter word into the Sunburst at their corresponding numbers, starting at the outermost tile and reading inwards. Since all the 5-letter words have the exact same final letter, make sure that each 5-letter word ends in the center of the grid.

Once the grid has been filled in, the outermost ring of the Sunburst, when read clockwise from 1 to 18, will spell out the FINAL ANSWER: The name of a television show that debuted in the 1980s

4-LETTER WORDS

1) Sea mammal with white ovals called "eyespots" or "eye patches"

2) College graduate, for short

3) Miami team that Dwyane Wade originally played for

4) Aloe _____ (houseplant used as a lotion ingredient)

5) Redding nicknamed "The King of Soul"

6) Shoestring with an aglet

7) Orbs in a pot pie

8) Bide one's time

9) 3,600 seconds

10) Real first name of the X-Men foe Juggernaut (or Adam & Eve's eldest son)

11) Klutz's interjection

12) Chuck-a-luck or Chinese checkers, e.g.

13) Fruit company with a sun in its logo

14) Long location to dock a ship

15) "I'm the _____ One" (top ten single for Melissa Etheridge)

16) Female friend in France

17) Borrowed bank money that usually costs more to pay back

18) The Mothman Prophecies star Richard

5-LETTER WORDS

• 1998 Disney film with characters named Cri-Kee and Mushu

• Age like bananas

• _____ as a whistle

• The Blacklist actress Boone

• Businessman Bushnell who founded both Atari and Chuck E. Cheese's

• Colorado city where the Winter X Games are held

• "Er, um, ah, well, that is to say....": 2 wds.

• Great Lake with the second-shortest name

• It ran away with a dish

• Joel Coen's brother

• Like bygone days

• Oak seed that's also the name of a former British computer company

• "Ohhh, you are going down!": 2 wds.

• Onetime worshipper of the sun god Inti

• Plastic used in most dental floss

• Skin color of Peridot from Steven Universe

• That's So _____ (2000s Disney Channel sitcom)

• Tom Sawyer Abroad novelist Mark

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: Color Wheels 4

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Color Wheels 4" was posted on this blog, and quite a few people since then have correctly figured it out, all of whom are listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Joe Bernard
• Chris Kochmanski
• Kevin Orfield
• Mike Armstrong
• Tyler Hinman
• Sam Levitin
• Wendy Walker
• KeoFam
• Peter Abide
• Lynn Sweeney
• Mom
• Michael Lebowitz

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

PUZZLE #400: Insiders

PUZZLE #400

INSIDERS

It's my 400th puzzle, everyone! And to celebrate that milestone, I'm gonna debut a puzzle format that's brand new to this blog! It's strongly based off of the "Rowed Signs" puzzles from the short-lived magazine Will Shortz's Wordplay, so if you've never had a chance to do those puzzles before (either in Wordplay or through reprints in books like Super Wordplay Crosswords), here are the directions on how to solve 'em:

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 GRINS and IDEAS, then the Inner Word for that string of letters would be INSIDE (like so: GRINSIDEAS). 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 name of a fictional character

ROWS

1) "Break On _____ (To the Other Side)" (song by the Doors)

    More common name for "sodium hydroxide"

2) Airplane's airborne trip

    Brockovich who was portrayed by Julia Roberts in a 2000 movie

3) French phrase between "chicken" and "king": 2 wds.

    Park pavilions that are often octagonal

4) Non-lethal phaser setting on Star Trek

    Sucks the energy out of

5) Out-of-nowhere victory

    A hint of color

6) Cliché dog name (besides "Fido" and "Spot")

    _____ 1⁄2 (manga about a boy who changes his biological sex when soaked with water) (anagram of "AN ARM")

7) More dangerous

    Go "Boo-hoo!"

8) Crow or Tom Servo from Mystery Science Theater 3000, e.g.

    Strategic board game that the "eight queens puzzle" is based off of

INNER WORDS

• Approximately

• Flame source held by a concertgoer

• Messes up, as a wrestling move

• Sped past the end of

• Staring with strong focus (HINT: it doesn’t end in “-ING”)

• Toyota truck named after a frigid environment

• _____ up to fail (creating a no-win situation)

• Winter athletes playable in the arcade game Alpine Racer 2

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!