[Solution] Secret Agent Recruitment

The first step in solving this puzzle lies in noticing the abundance of words from the NATO phonetic alphabet. In order, those words are Whiskey Oscar Romeo Delta Sierra Papa Echo Romeo Sierra Echo November Tango Echo November Charlie Echo, which spell out the phrase WORDS PER SENTENCE.

Counting the number of words in each sentence gives 1, 14 19, 23, 5, 18, 3, 15, 22, 5, 18, 20. With A=1, B=2, etc., this translates to ANSWER COVERT. The answer is COVERT.

[Puzzle] Triple Rhyme Time – 16 December 2024

The hint for Toe Touches, the puzzle from last week, is now available, as is the solution to Secret Agent Recruitment from two weeks ago.

The new puzzle for this week is Triple Rhyme Time. It’s prime time to rhyme!

Please enter your answer below, leaving out all punctuation.

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    [Solution] What a Card

    Each of the clues leads to a phrase beginning with the name of a card, given in order from ace to king:

    • Jim Carrey role: ACE Ventura
    • Opinion: TWO cents
    • Nursery rhyme characters: THREE blind mice
    • Schoolyard game: FOUR square
    • Chinese seasoning: FIVE spice
    • Amusement park: SIX Flags
    • What you might sail: SEVEN seas
    • Beatles hit: EIGHT Days a Week
    • What a cat has allegedly: NINE lives
    • Religious rules: TEN Commandments
    • Personification of winter: JACK Frost
    • Rapper and actress: QUEEN Latifah
    • The Jungle Book character: KING Louie

    The cards given with each clue are the length of the answers, not counting the card names. This allows solvers to create a cipher key based on the answers. For example, the first row of cards spells out VENTURA, so the ace of diamonds must represent V, the two of clubs is E, etc.

    Applying this cipher to the unclued cards at the bottom spells out the phrase A TWO SLANGILY. A slang term for two, used most commonly when referring to cards, is DEUCE.

    [Puzzle] Toe Touches – 9 December 2024

    The hint for last week’s puzzle, Secret Agent Recruitment, is now available, as is the solution to What a Card.

    The new puzzle for this week is Toe Touches. Just how flexible are you?

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      [Solution] Missing Vowels

      Each of the rows is missing all of its vowels. Once the words are reconstituted, they look like this:

      • Star Wars Characters:
      • PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA (11)
      • COUNT DOOKU (6)
      • ADMIRAL ACKBAR (7)
      • Classic Board Games:
      • THE GAME OF LIFE (11)
      • SNAKES AND LADDERS (4)
      • BATTLESHIP (6)
      • Fictional Trains:
      • THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE (10)
      • THE POLAR EXPRESS (5)
      • HOGWARTS EXPRESS (4)
      • School Subjects:
      • ENGLISH (7)
      • MATHEMATICS (7)
      • EARTH SCIENCE (4)
      • US States:
      • OKLAHOMA (4)
      • NEVADA (3)
      • OHIO (1)
      • Pokemon:
      • MEWTWO (5)
      • EEVEE (4)
      • ALAKAZAM (2)
      • Animals:
      • SPIDER (2)
      • HORSESHOE CRAB (12)
      • SIBERIAN TIGER (9)

      Indexing into each of the full answers by the given numbers reveals the phrase I’d like to what a vowel, Pat. This is a reference to a commonly spoken phrase on Wheel of Fortune, where contestants must buy vowels. The answer is BUY.

      [Puzzle] Secret Agent Recruitment – 2 December 2024

      The hint for last week’s puzzle, What a Card, is now available, as is the solution to Missing Vowels.

      The new puzzle for this week is Secret Agent Recruitment. Can you understand this officer’s speech?

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