ANSWERS: Puzzle in the Round 9

Two weeks have passed by since "Puzzle in the Round 9" was posted on this blog, and nineteen people have solved it since then:

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

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #582: Puzzle in the Round 9

PUZZLE #582

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 9

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.

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of a grammatically incorrect Internet meme

1) Brazilian ballroom dance

     _ _ _ _ _

2) The Silence of the _____ (1991 horror film)

     _ _ _ _ _

3) Culpability often shifted onto someone else

     _ _ _ _ _

4) "Ehhh, it's a possibility"

     _ _ _ _ _

5) The city of Townsville's leader in The Powerpuff Girls, for one

     _ _ _ _ _

6) Trashy talk show well-known for its paternity tests that lasted over 30 seasons

     _ _ _ _ _

7) Supply with weapons again

     _ _ _ _ _

8) Honey-colored

     _ _ _ _ _

9) 2016 animated Disney movie set in Polynesia

     _ _ _ _ _

10) Perry _____ (fictional TV lawyer)

     _ _ _ _ _

11) Angel's opposite

     _ _ _ _ _

12) He never stays in the same place for very long

     _ _ _ _ _

13) Gru's eldest adopted daughter in the Despicable Me films

     _ _ _ _ _

14) 24th (and final) letter in ancient Greece

     _ _ _ _ _

15) Action hero first played by Sylvester Stallone in First Blood (1982)

     _ _ _ _ _

16) "When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's _____"

     _ _ _ _ _

17) Florence Foster Jenkins star Streep

     _ _ _ _ _

18) Atlanta university where Jimmy Carter once taught

     _ _ _ _ _

19) Literal gold digger such as Donkey Kong at the start of Donkey Kong Bananza

     _ _ _ _ _

20) Filthy stuff to scour out

     _ _ _ _ _

21) Paris _____ (French subway system)

     _ _ _ _ _

22) Basement Jaxx song named after Juliet's lover

     _ _ _ _ _

23) Lament a loss

     _ _ _ _ _

24) Standards that are to be expected

     _ _ _ _ _

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: Puzzle in the Round 8

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

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

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #523: Puzzle in the Round 8

PUZZLE #523

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 8

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.

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of a comic book series from the mid-20th century

1) "_____ Burr, Sir" (song from Hamilton)

     _ _ _ _ _

2) Heaviest (and most radioactive) noble gas

     _ _ _ _ _

3) Mist or steam, say

     _ _ _ _ _

4) Pagliacci or The Pirates of Penzance, e.g.

     _ _ _ _ _

5) Condor's claw

     _ _ _ _ _

6) _____ Recall (1990 film where Arnold Schwarzenegger gets his butt to Mars)

     _ _ _ _ _

7) For everyone to hear

     _ _ _ _ _

8) Dahl who wrote The Witches (1983)

     _ _ _ _ _

9) Anyone strutting her stuff at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

     _ _ _ _ _

10) Forms for making die-cast toys

     _ _ _ _ _

11) Hatred, like the kind that Garfield feels about the dog he lives with?

     _ _ _ _ _

12) Baseball pitcher's place

     _ _ _ _ _

13) X-Men member who can control the weather

     _ _ _ _ _

14) Kitchen, library, and seven others in Clue

     _ _ _ _ _

15) _____-Goldwyn-Mayer (movie studio that turned 100 in 2024)

     _ _ _ _ _

16) The Simpsons dad who once asked a phone operator for "the number for 911"

     _ _ _ _ _

17) Centers of apples and pineapples

     _ _ _ _ _

18) Use steel wool on

     _ _ _ _ _

19) Future oak tree, assuming it's buried properly

     _ _ _ _ _

20) Die like a frog?

     _ _ _ _ _

21) Remote-controlled aircraft with its own racing league

     _ _ _ _ _

22) _____ Drive (short-lived game show named after a street in Beverly Hills)

     _ _ _ _ _

23) Not nearly as good

     _ _ _ _ _

24) Mister, in Mexico

     _ _ _ _ _

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

ANSWERS: Puzzle in the Round 7

It's been nearly two weeks since "Puzzle in the Round 7" was posted on this blog, and everyone who has solved it since then is listed below:

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

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #472: Puzzle in the Round 7

PUZZLE #472

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 7

Happy New Year! Since it's officially New Year's Day, I've made sure that my first puzzle of 2024 also involves the New Year (kinda)! Take a look:

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of a film with a scene set at a New Year's party

1) Leafy green vegetable that comes in a "Fordhook Giant" variety

     _ _ _ _ _

2) 23-time Jeopardy champ Mattea (or a bug in ads for Raid)

     _ _ _ _ _

3) Product by Seiko with a strap

     _ _ _ _ _

4) "De-fense! De-fense!", for one

     _ _ _ _ _

5) _____ Picchu (Incan ruins in Peru)

     _ _ _ _ _

6) The Scream painter Edvard

     _ _ _ _ _

7) From the Netherlands

     _ _ _ _ _

8) "_____ of Grey" (The Grateful Dead's only Top 10 hit)

     _ _ _ _ _

9) Car with two doors and two rows of seats

     _ _ _ _ _

10) Walt Disney World park with the "Journey into Imagination with Figment" ride

     _ _ _ _ _

11) With "The", NBC singing competition that Morgan Wallen once competed on

     _ _ _ _ _

12) Group of thirteen Wiccans

     _ _ _ _ _

13) Bus stop’s seat

     _ _ _ _ _

14) Ergo

     _ _ _ _ _

15) Coach Lombardi who is the namesake of the Super Bowl's trophy

     _ _ _ _ _

16) Sibling’s daughter

     _ _ _ _ _

17) Metal planned to be recycled

     _ _ _ _ _

18) Manila envelope closer

     _ _ _ _ _

19) _____ Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981 book)

     _ _ _ _ _

20) Huge tumble at the stock market

     _ _ _ _ _

21) Food-ordering app for local pizzerias named after a pizza piece

     _ _ _ _ _

22) Honeycomb compartments

     _ _ _ _ _

23) Mohs _____ of mineral hardness

     _ _ _ _ _

24) Twenty-six containers of varying dollar amounts in Deal or No Deal

     _ _ _ _ _

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: Puzzle in the Round 6

It's been close to two weeks since "Puzzle in the Round 6" was published on this blog, and seventeen people (one of whom solved it as a family) have solved it since then:

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

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #429: Puzzle in the Round 6

PUZZLE #429

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 6

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of a video game for the Nintendo Wii

1) Shows some courage

     _ _ _ _ _

2) "When out on the lawn there _____ such a clatter..."

     _ _ _ _ _

3) College student's cheap noodles

     _ _ _ _ _

4) Word following "watch" or "widow"

     _ _ _ _ _

5) Hagrid's facial hair

     _ _ _ _ _

6) Game show host Wayne who won season 2 of The Masked Singer

     _ _ _ _ _

7) Swallowed some Sprite, say

     _ _ _ _ _

8) Radioactive noble gas with the atomic number 86

     _ _ _ _ _

9) Salty like sea water

     _ _ _ _ _

10) "Eleanor ____" (Beatles song)

     _ _ _ _ _

11) MTV series where celebs show off their ridiculously expensive residences

     _ _ _ _ _

12) The Invisible Menace actor Karloff

     _ _ _ _ _

13) Yellow liquid that's too crude to appear in the morning crossword

     _ _ _ _ _

14) Not external

     _ _ _ _ _

15) Took a stab at

     _ _ _ _ _

16) Knight _____ (TV show with KITT the talking car)

     _ _ _ _ _

17) Type of eel with a second set of jaws

     _ _ _ _ _

18) Jouster's strong suit?

     _ _ _ _ _

19) Telegraph inventor Samuel

     _ _ _ _ _

20) Weather-manipulating mutant played by Halle Berry in X-Men (2000)

     _ _ _ _ _

21) Red, in French (HINT: Think of Louisiana's capital)

     _ _ _ _ _

22) Green-skinned bully from Doug (or critic Ebert)

     _ _ _ _ _

23) Incorrect

     _ _ _ _ _

24) Snowballs in size

     _ _ _ _ _

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

ANSWERS: Puzzle in the Round 5

Roughly two weeks have passed by since "Puzzle in the Round 5" was posted on this blog, and fourteen people since then have correctly figured it out, all of whom are listed below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Chris Kochmanski
• Joe Bernard
• Tyler Hinman
• Kevin Orfield
• Meg Duvall
• Sam Levitin
• Tamara Brenner
• Mom
• Al Sisti
• Wendy Walker
• Lynn Sweeney
• Michael Lebowitz

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #383: Puzzle in the Round 5

PUZZLE #383

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 5

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of an anime series from the 2010s

1) Glasses-wearing member of Alvin and the Chipmunks

     _ _ _ _ _

2) Deafening

     _ _ _ _ _

3) Drizzles or downpours

     _ _ _ _ _

4) Mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments

     _ _ _ _ _

5) Fashion designer Mizrahi

     _ _ _ _ _

6) They turn litmus papers red

     _ _ _ _ _

7) "Major" or "Minor" dog constellation

     _ _ _ _ _

8) First name of the first Latina member of the Supreme Court

     _ _ _ _ _

9) _____ May Cry (video game series featuring the demon hunter Dante)

     _ _ _ _ _

10) Letter in "VHS" or "VCR"

     _ _ _ _ _

11) Wept

     _ _ _ _ _

12) Cuts cucumbers into cubes, say

     _ _ _ _ _

13) Tiny square segment of a Super Nintendo game's graphics

     _ _ _ _ _

14) DNA strand's curve

     _ _ _ _ _

15) Showing fleet flexibility

     _ _ _ _ _

16) Big-nosed father from The Wild Thornberrys

     _ _ _ _ _

17) Freckles or red hair, for instance

     _ _ _ _ _

18) 4:1, 7:2, or 16:9, e.g.

     _ _ _ _ _

19) Descriptor for any Boy Scout badge

     _ _ _ _ _

20) "I _____ Sins Not Tragedies" (top ten hit by Panic! at the Disco)

     _ _ _ _ _

21) Like wet towelettes

     _ _ _ _ _

22) Quick clips at the barbershop

     _ _ _ _ _

23) Spinning subway entrance

     _ _ _ _ _

24) Weight-loss plans that never seem to work for Garfield

     _ _ _ _ _

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

ANSWERS: Puzzle in the Round 4

Thirteen days have gone by since "Puzzle in the Round 4" was published on this blog, and just like last week's answer post, eighteen people have successfully solved it, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes
• Cindy Heisler
• Giovanni Pagano
• Dave C
• Joe Bernard
• Kevin Orfield
• Patrick Jordan
• Sam Levitin
• Karen Spencer
• Tamara Brenner
• Tyler Hinman
• Stephen Potter 
• Al Sisti
• Wendy Walker
• Mom and Alex Milton
• Lynn Sweeney
• Peter Abide

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #340: Puzzle in the Round 4

PUZZLE #340

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 4

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of an illustrated children's novel

1) Spiteful, like a feline?

     _ _ _ _ _

2) Luxury boat seen in the "I'm on a Boat" music video

     _ _ _ _ _

3) Like a 3° angle

     _ _ _ _ _

4) New York city on the Mohawk River

     _ _ _ _ _

5) _____ remover (product such as Spray 'n Wash)

     _ _ _ _ _

6) Poorly-received version of Windows released in 2007

     _ _ _ _ _

7) Sculpture of Jesus and Mary signed by Michelangelo

     _ _ _ _ _

8) Create on canvas

     _ _ _ _ _

9) Favre who was in (and won) Super Bowl XXXI

     _ _ _ _ _

10) Choctaw, Chickasaw, or Cherokee

     _ _ _ _ _

11) Aquatic mustelid

     _ _ _ _ _

12) Rock singer Reznor who won two Best Original Score Oscars

     _ _ _ _ _

13) Three threesomes, say

     _ _ _ _ _

14) Redundant partner of "foremost"

     _ _ _ _ _

15) Seven-minute movie

     _ _ _ _ _

16) Life preserver shape

     _ _ _ _ _

17) The Joker's hired goons, e.g.

     _ _ _ _ _

18) _____ Sudan, Africa

     _ _ _ _ _

19) UFO-worshipping groups, for some

     _ _ _ _ _

20) Garth Brooks' Oklahoma birthplace

     _ _ _ _ _

21) Be a braggart

     _ _ _ _ _

22) Talking canine seen in Jetsons: The Movie

     _ _ _ _ _

23) It shoots electric darts

     _ _ _ _ _

24) NES controller button that either begins or pauses a game

     _ _ _ _ _

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: Puzzle in the Round 3

Roughly two weeks have gone by since "Puzzle in the Round 3" was published on this blog, and ten people since then have successfully solved it, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Giovanni Pagano ****
• Joe Bernard ****
• Cindy Heisler ****
• Kevin Orfield ****
• Patrick Jordan ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Stephen Potter ****
• Mom ****
• Lynn Sweeney ***

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

CIRCULAR M◎NTH! PUZZLE #291: Puzzle in the Round 3

CIRCULAR M🟢NTH!

PUZZLE #291

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 3

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of a comedy film

1) Aristotle's teacher

     _ _ _ _ _

2) Young fowl (HINT: It has all the same letters as Mickey Mouse's pet)

     _ _ _ _ _

3) Ruin a film's twist ending, say

     _ _ _ _ _

4) TV show's test episode

     _ _ _ _ _

5) He's listed first alphabetically in the current Supreme Court roster

     _ _ _ _ _

6) Vulture’s claw

     _ _ _ _ _

7) Señor Picasso

     _ _ _ _ _

8) Bear who taught Mowgli about "The Bare Necessities"

     _ _ _ _ _

9) Defects in diamonds

     _ _ _ _ _

10) Toronto Maple _____ (hockey team)

     _ _ _ _ _

11) Herbivorous fauna's food

     _ _ _ _ _

12) Baby zebras

     _ _ _ _ _

13) King Triton's redheaded daughter

     _ _ _ _ _

14) Absorb knowledge

     _ _ _ _ _

15) George who plays "Pops" on The Goldbergs

     _ _ _ _ _

16) Spiny plants that provide soothing succulents

     _ _ _ _ _

17) "Grillz" rapper

     _ _ _ _ _

18) Paul who was often the center square on the original Hollywood Squares

     _ _ _ _ _

19) Casaba or cantaloupe

     _ _ _ _ _

20) Sierra _____ (African country)

     _ _ _ _ _

21) Fiji won their very first one in the 2016 Rio Olympics

     _ _ _ _ _

22) Word following "roller" or "razor"

     _ _ _ _ _

23) Two under par

     _ _ _ _ _

24) Hostile look

     _ _ _ _ _

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

ANSWERS: Puzzle in the Round 2

My mom's favorite Homer Simpson quote, which I first brought up to her after getting a similar deal from a similarly average pizzeria (HOMER is one of this puzzle's answers, by the way)

Thirteen days have passed since "Puzzle in the Round 2" was posted on this blog, and a surprisingly high twelve people have solved it since then, as you can see in the list below:

• Grant Fikes ****
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Joe Bernard ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Patrick Jordan ****
• Stephen Staver ****
• Mom ***
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Lynn Sweeney ***
• Debbie Benford ****
• Dan Simonds ****
• Eric Maddy ****

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

PUZZLE #228: Puzzle in the Round 2

PUZZLE #228

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND 2

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of a currently-airing anime series

1) Vampire-slaying spike
     _ _ _ _ _
2) "We R Who We R" singer
     _ _ _ _ _
3) Flip-chart stand
     _ _ _ _ _
4) Light-emitting part of a bar code reader
     _ _ _ _ _
5) .jpeg or .png file
     _ _ _ _ _
6) Magazine that ends each issue with "The World's Most Ornery Crossword"
     _ _ _ _ _
7) _____ Callender's (frozen food brand)
     _ _ _ _ _
8) Cheap noodles often eaten by college students
     _ _ _ _ _
9) Vitaly from Madagascar 3, for one (okay, he's a striped orange cat)
     _ _ _ _ _
10) Cheri who impersonated Judge Judy on Saturday Night Live
     _ _ _ _ _
11) Short, like a legal paper?
     _ _ _ _ _
12) A _____ Called Quest (hip-hop group)
     _ _ _ _ _
13) Limerick feature
     _ _ _ _ _
14) Twilight and Eclipse author Stephenie
     _ _ _ _ _
15) Code with dits and dahs
     _ _ _ _ _
16) The Simpsons character who popularized the exclamation "D'oh!"
     _ _ _ _ _
17) Million Dollar Password host Philbin
     _ _ _ _ _
18) Bob who led the Silver Bullet Band
     _ _ _ _ _
19) Part of XXL
     _ _ _ _ _
20) A+ or B-
     _ _ _ _ _
21) Door pivot
     _ _ _ _ _
22) One of the wish-granting title characters from Shimmer and Shine, e.g.
     _ _ _ _ _
23) She's possessed by a demon named Pazuzu in The Exorcist
     _ _ _ _ _
24) Kind of salami named for an Italian city
     _ _ _ _ _

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 two versions you can print out: a .PNG and a link to a .PDF!

ANSWERS: Puzzle in the Round

Before we get to the answers to "Puzzle in the Round", remember when I said last week that I was going to post a puzzle to Patreon before today? Well, I've managed to do so... roughly two hours before this post went up! Talk about living on the edge! Speaking of living on the edge, I just remembered that I was supposed to give my $5+ Patrons an exclusive puzzle last Monday, and as of this writing, I haven't made one yet! Hopefully, I'll have provided one by tomorrow, but until then, here are the seven people that have solved "Puzzle in the Round":

• Grant Fikes ****
• Chris Hendricks ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Lynn Sweeney ***
• Mom *
• Debbie Benford ***

Now head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #123: Puzzle in the Round

PUZZLE #123

PUZZLE IN THE ROUND

To solve this tough puzzle, fill in as many of the 5-letter answers next to their clues as you can. Next, look for shared letters, and then enter each letter into its correct place in the diagram (though you'll most likely need to scramble the order of the letters to make them fit). The letter in the grid's center will be shared by all of the answer words. As a little hint, look for unshared letters to help you determine the letters that will go in the outer ring to form the FINAL ANSWER, reading from 1 to 24.

The FINAL ANSWER is the name of a recent anime series.

1) A nightmare is a bad one
     _ _ _ _ _
2) Ran on TV
     _ _ _ _ _
3) Green _____ (Eva Gabor TV series)
     _ _ _ _ _
4) Spook someone
     _ _ _ _ _
5) It connects the foot bone to the leg bone
     _ _ _ _ _
6) "Queen of Mean" Helmsley
     _ _ _ _ _
7) "Li'l" comic strip character created by Al Capp
     _ _ _ _ _
8) Joe Louis _____ (Home of the Red Wings)
     _ _ _ _ _
9) Celebration often thrown by Pinkie Pie
     _ _ _ _ _
10) Not together
       _ _ _ _ _
11) Squirrel-like character from the Ice Age movies
       _ _ _ _ _
12) List of hit songs from Billboard, e.g.
       _ _ _ _ _
13) Boot-shaped country
       _ _ _ _ _
14) Like popcorn or seawater
       _ _ _ _ _
15) Like video games rated "M", in theory
       _ _ _ _ _
16) Prefix for "violet" or "violent"
       _ _ _ _ _
17) Geometric calculations that equal length times width (for rectangles)
       _ _ _ _ _
18) _____ of War (Shooter video game series for Xbox)
       _ _ _ _ _
19) Asian nation divided in two
       _ _ _ _ _
20) The Carpenters' lead singer
       _ _ _ _ _
21) Like numerals used in most Super Bowl logos
       _ _ _ _ _
22) Home run hero Hank
       _ _ _ _ _
23) Pinky's partner in a '90s cartoon
       _ _ _ _ _
24) Mark that's burnt onto a cow
       _ _ _ _ _

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