Puzzles for Adults and Children
The solution to the January-February metapuzzle, Ordered Series, is up now. Fifteen of you solved it. Well done and thank you to all you, as well as anybody who solved any puzzles in the set. The hint for last week’s puzzle, Some Sums, has been posted as well.
This week’s new puzzle is Sound Initials. R U Ready?
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Each of the clues references two words which when combined sound like another word, which is also clued.
Reading the first letters of the longer words gives the phrase MAGISTRATE INTENDED. This is a clue for JUDGE MEANT, which sounds like JUDGMENT, the answer.
The metapuzzle Ordered Series has been out for a week now. If you’re struggling, check out the hint below.
This week’s new puzzle is Some Sums. It’s the first puzzle in the new March-April puzzle set.
The seven things given in this puzzle are the first, second, third, etc. objects in seven different sets. Each of the answers to the previous seven puzzles is also a member of one of those sets.
The first metapuzzle of the year, Ordered Series, has been out for a week, and there have been thirteen solvers so far. Check out the hint if you want to join them. The solution to Pungent Puns is also up and may help you.
The first puzzle of the new set is Some Sums. Get ready for some alphabetic arithmetic!
All eight puzzles of Grant Fikes’ ninth season of Kevin’s Puzzles at Home have now had their hints released. You have one more week to earn some money for the food bank!
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This is a regular crossword, except that some of the clues give an answer that is twice as long as the number of squares given. These are all preceded by “50% OFF” indicators, and either the first or second half of the answer must be left off to form a crossword-legal entry to place in the grid. The completed grid looks like this:
Here are the longer answers to the 50% off clues, in case the grid doesn’t help with them: 1A) CHICKENS, 9A) WILLIAMS, 10A) CHLORIDE, 14A) FIBULA, 16A) NUCLEI, 17A) MACRON, 31A) TRUSTY, 32A) BO PEEP, 33A) HORNET, 35A) EXPONENT, 41A) COURTIER, 42A) FEMININE, 43A) ANYWHERE, 2D) ARCHIE, 3D) UPHILL, 4D) CLEFAIRY, 5D) ARTHUR, 6D) VIOLATIONS, 8D) DELICATE, 18D) ARIANA, 25D) STAIRS, 26D) REPEAT, 27D) FLASHY, 30D) LAST SUPPER, 32D) BETHSEDA, 34D) BARITONE, 36D) BEFORE, 38D) DIPPER, 39D) CAPONE, 40D) SEETHE
Clue 24A, “The answer, without a discount” can be determined from the crossing down clues to be MILITARIES. To solve the puzzle, take 50% off from this to get ARIES.
The puzzle Pungent Puns has been out for a week now. If you’re struggling, check out the hint below.
The metapuzzle for January-February is Ordered Series. Check it out once you’ve completed last week’s puzzle, or give it a go anyway if you’re still stuck.
The sentences have been split up into their component clues to make them easier to understand. The first one has been given as an example. Two of the clues cannot be broken up, but still lead to a two-word phrase which sounds like a single word.
| First Word Clue | Second Word Clue | Combined Word Clue |
| fellows (MEN) | mystical glow (AURA) | candelabra (MENORAH) |
| Colony member | runs off to get married | deer |
| needlefish | burrow | flower bed |
| hotel | peer group | harm |
| desert | enchantress | lunch, perhaps |
| oak or maple | child | Betrayal |
| uncooked | monarch | moving back and forth |
| Noah’s boat | assistant | gaming center |
| discuss | transgressions | poisons |
| Norse epic | bovine | Consumable |
| What a pen makes when writing (2 wds.) | slope | |
| sister | throws | weapon |
| platter | Sorento | airway |
| treefolk | wrath | full |
| garden decoration | commercial | wanderer |
| Part of a swimming pool (2 wds.) | rely | |
| What someone with a phobia might say | mouth | gum |
| campus housing | something found in the freezer | animals |
You will get a clue phrase, which clues a pun of an eight-letter word.
The hint for last week’s puzzle, Pungent Puns, has now been posted, as has the solution to Everything Must Go!, the puzzle from two weeks ago.
The metapuzzle for the past two months is Ordered Series. ERRATA: The puzzle incorrectly listed “The High Priestess”, rather than “The Empress”. This has been corrected. Apologies for the confusion. Thanks to Grant for the correction. Use your answers from the last seven puzzles to solve it. Or, if you haven’t gotten last week’s answer yet, try to solve it with only six answers for a little extra challenge. Next week we will start another two-month puzzle set.
Reminder that Grant Fikes is wrapping up his ninth season of Kevin’s Puzzles at Home. These puzzles run to the easier side, and for every solve, he donates to a food bank. All eight puzzles are now available, so go check it out!
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Each of the clues refers to a very long word, generally one specifically coined to be long. Indexing into these words by the numbers following their clues spells out shorter words. The long words and their shorter counterparts are as follows:
Reading the shorter words in order gives the clue phrase INHALING TINY PARTICLES MAY INFLICT THIS DISEASE. Following the pattern established previously, this is a clue for PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS. Indexing into this word by the numbers at the bottom spells out the final answer, SILICON.
The puzzle Everything Must Go! has been out for a week now. If you’re struggling, check out the hint below.
Once you’ve finished that, check out Pungent Puns, the new puzzle for this week.
Here is an easier version of the puzzle, with both the full and 50% off answers clued.
A hint for last week’s puzzle, Everything Must Go!, has now been posted, as has the solution to Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, the puzzle from two weeks ago.
This week brings the final regular puzzle for this puzzle set, Pungent Puns. Come back next week for the first metapuzzle of 2025.
Reminder that Grant Fikes is continuing his ninth season of Kevin’s Puzzles at Home. These puzzles run to the easier side, and for every solve, he donates to a food bank. There are only a few weeks remaining, so go check out the puzzles!
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