As solvers begin to identify the answers to the clues, they will notice certain similarities between the answers in the top and bottom lists. More specifically, each answer from the bottom sounds like an answer from the top when spoken with a lisp. (“Suffering succotash” is a line frequently spoken by lisping Looney Tunes character Sylvester the cat.) Some of the clues are quite difficult, but by pairing them up, they are all solvable. Since the bottom list is given in alphabetical order, solvers know to use the order of the top list. The pairs are:
- IN PHASE – INFAITH (The American Sunday School Union, today)
- NORSE – NORTH (A direction)
- PASS – PATH (Trail)
- ANSWER – ANTHER (Part of a stamen)
- IN GROSS – INGROWTH (Expansion toward the interior)
- NIECE – NEATH (Under, poetically)
- FORCE – FOURTH (Like The Battle of the Labyrinth)
- OR SO – ORTHO (Prefix meaning straight or right)
- UNSINKABLE – UNTHINKABLE (Inconceivable)
- RISE – WRITHE (Twist or squirm)
The first letters of the answer spell out IN PAIN FOUR, which when stylized as In pain (4), is another clue and the length of its answer. The only answer which fits the lisping theme is SORE, which is transformed into THOR, the solution to the puzzle.