[Solution] Funny Pages

This puzzle consists of five lines of characters from comic strips which must be identified. Many can be identified through a reverse image search, while others require searching for descriptions or text in the picture. The characters and the strips they come from are:

  • Wanda (Baby Blues)
  • Elizabeth (For Better or For Worse)
  • Bucky (Get Fuzzy)
  • Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)
  • Opal (Pickles)

  • Monty (Monty)
  • Ignatz Mouse (Krazy Kat)
  • Cathy (Cathy)
  • Asterix (Asterix)
  • Nate (Big Nate)

  • Snoopy (Peanuts)
  • Wiley (B.C.)
  • Eek (Eek & Meek)
  • Roger (FoxTrot)
  • Marcy (Jump Start)

  • Irma (Nancy)
  • Nancy (Luann)
  • Uriah Pert (Gasoline Alley)
  • Sergeant Snorkel (Beetle Bailey)
  • Attila (Mother Goose and Grimm)

  • Nermal (Garfield)
  • Snert (Hagar the Horrible)
  • Wally (Dilbert)
  • Earl (MUTTS)
  • Rat (Pearls Before Swine)

The first letters of these characters taken in order spell out the phrase WEBCOMIC ANSWER MINUS ANSWER. This references the webcomic Garfield Minus Garfield. The answer is GARFIELD.

[Solution] The Missing Piece

This metapuzzle requires the answers from the previous two months. They are GRIT, ESCAPES, BUY, DEUCE, COVERT, FIST, HOSE, and INFECTION. The metapuzzle provides eight clues, which do not define these eight words. The breakthrough comes in realizing that the clues all describe the puzzle answers with an additional letter added – the “missing piece” of the puzzle title. The clues and their corresponding answers are:

  • Change – CO[N]VERT
  • Figure out – DE[D]UCE
  • Former prisoners – ESCAP[E]ES
  • Home – HO[U]SE
  • Modulation – INF[L]ECTION
  • Original – FI[R]ST
  • Support – BU[O]Y
  • Swindle – GRI[F]T

These extra letters don’t spell anything in the order given, but that order is merely alphabetical by clue. Solvers will notice that the answers begin with the letters from B through I. Putting the answers in alphabetical order gives the following:

  • BU[O]Y
  • CO[N]VERT
  • DE[D]UCE
  • ESCAP[E]ES
  • FI[R]ST
  • GRI[F]T
  • HO[U]SE
  • INF[L]ECTION

In this order, the added letters spell out ONDERFUL. The lack of a word starting with A suggests adding a letter to the front of this to form the answer WONDERFUL, as in “You did a wonderful job in solving this puzzle!”

[Solution] Clue Conundrum

This sort of puzzle, where solvers are tested on their ability to follow incomplete or otherwise complicated constructions, is often referred to as a Conundrum or Konundrum. In this case, solvers are given all the information, and this puzzle is just a test of their comprehension and ability to follow directions. This is easiest to do with a physical copy of the board game, but a wordy walkthrough is provided here.

The theming of the puzzle suggests the board game Clue (or Cluedo in the UK – the differences between the versions are immaterial for this puzzle). The first three paragraphs serve to set the scene and explain the rules of the puzzle. At this point MR. GREEN, MRS. WHITE, and the KNIFE are in the STUDY, PROFESSOR PLUM and the ROPE are in the HALL, COLONEL MUSTARD, MRS. PEACOCK, and MISS SCARLET are in the KITCHEN, the LEAD PIPE and REVOLVER are in the BALLROOM, the WRENCH is in the LOUNGE, and the CANDLESTICK is in the CONSERVATORY.

In the next turn, COLONEL MUSTARD moves to the STUDY, and MR. GREEN goes to the KITCHEN. MRS. WHITE arms herself with the KNIFE and moves to the HALL. MISS SCARLET and MRS. PEACOCK have no weapons to pick up, but both move to the BALLROOM.

Since MRS. WHITE is now holding the KNIFE in the same room as an unarmed PROFESSOR PLUM, she knocks him unconscious, and the KNIFE and PROFESSOR PLUM are removed from play. Write the letter F in the HALL.

In the next turn, MRS. WHITE picks up the ROPE. MRS. PEACOCK gets the LEAD PIPE and MISS SCARLET takes the REVOLVER. COLONEL MUSTARD moves to the CONSERVATORY and claims the CANDLESTICK, and MR. GREEN moves to the LOUNGE and gets the WRENCH. Everybody is armed, so no crimes are committed this turn.

Next, COLONEL MUSTARD with the CANDLESTICK moves to the LOUNGE, and MR. GREEN with the WRENCH goes to the CONSERVATORY.

There is only one pair of suspects in the same room, so at the end of the turn MRS. PEACOCK has the REVOLVER in the LIBRARY, and MISS SCARLET has the LEAD PIPE in the LIBRARY. The letter I is written in the LIBRARY.

The next clue references the KITCHEN, since it, the BALLROOM, and the DINING ROOM are empty. MR. GREEN with the WRENCH goes to the KITCHEN. COLONEL MUSTARD with the CANDLESTICK also reaches the KITCHEN. MRS. PEACOCK with the REVOLVER moves to the CONSERVATORY, MISS SCARLET with the LEAD PIPE goes to the BALLROOM, and MRS. WHITE with the ROPE ends up in the DINING ROOM. Since two armed suspects meet in the KITCHEN, write a T there.

MRS. PEACOCK leaves the REVOLVER in the CONSERVATORY and moves to the BILLIARD ROOM. MRS. WHITE drops the ROPE in the DINING ROOM and moves to the BALLROOM. There, an unarmed MRS. WHITE is knocked unconscious by MISS SCARLET with the LEAD PIPE. MRS. WHITE and the LEAD PIPE are removed from the game, and an I is written in the BALL ROOM.

COLONEL MUSTARD takes the CANDLESTICK to the BALLROOM, MRS. PEACOCK moves to the LIBRARY, and MISS SCARLET goes to the CONSERVATORY and then to the LOUNGE. At the end of the turn, no two suspects are in the same room, so an E is written in the LOUNGE.

There are unconscious bodies in the BALLROOM and the HALL, so MR. GREEN and the WRENCH move to the DINING ROOM, COLONEL MUSTARD takes the CANDLESTICK to the CONSERVATORY, MRS. PEACOCK goes to the BILLIARD ROOM, and MISS SCARLET enters the DINING ROOM. At the end of turn, MR. GREEN uses the WRENCH to knock MISS SCARLET unconscious in the DINING ROOM. MISS SCARLET and the WRENCH are removed from the game, and the DINING ROOM gets a C.

MR. GREEN is in the DINING ROOM along with the rope, so he remains unarmed and moves to the KITCHEN. COLONEL MUSTARD is in the CONSERVATORY with an unclaimed REVOLVER, so he keeps his CANDLESTICK and goes to the BILLIARD ROOM. MRS. PEACOCK is already in the BILLIARD ROOM, unarmed, so she gets knocked out by COLONEL MUSTARD with the CANDLESTICK. the CANDLESTICK and MRS. PEACOCK are removed from the game. An N is written in the BILLIARD ROOM.

By the penultimate turn, the only two rooms without weapons are the CONSERVATORY and the STUDY. Since the REVOLVER is in the CONSERVATORY, both remaining suspects rush toward that room. In one step, COLONEL MUSTARD reaches the CONSERVATORY and arms himself with the REVOLVER. MR. GREEN gets to the BALLROOM, but finds no weapon there with which to arm himself. (The one remaining weapon is the ROPE, currently in the DINING ROOM.) Write the letter O in the CONSERVATORY.

Since the STUDY is now the only room without a letter, MR. GREEN rushes there, where COLONEL MUSTARD knocks him unconscious with the REVOLVER. MR. GREEN and the REVOLVER are removed from the game, and the letter N is written in the STUDY.

Colonel Mustard may have knocked all the other guests out, but the puzzle asks what caused the death of Mr. Boddy. Reading the letters in the rooms clockwise starting in the library, spells out the answer, INFECTION. There was no murder done today.

[Solution] Triple Rhyme Time

Each of the clue phrases leads to a set of three words, all of which rhyme. This puzzle is based on the Jeopardy category of the same name.

  • A gaming stream’s connection desire. -> Twitch Hitch Itch
  • An Alaskan garden statue’s froth. -> Nome Gnome Foam
  • Cry of excitement upon seeing 1/100 of a Vietnamese dong as the price of ratatouille. -> Ooh! Xu Stew
  • Spooky and exhausted digital assistant. -> Eerie Weary Siri
  • A single sister rotated. -> One Nun Spun
  • Secures the bovine strolls. -> Locks Ox Walks
  • Archaeologist Indiana has AirPods. -> Jones Owns Earphones
  • Proudly spoken pavement poem. -> Crowed Road Ode
  • An alabaster location after dark. -> White Site Night
  • A strange grass-covered garment worn by ancient Jewish priests. -> Odd Sod Ephod

Reading the first letters of these triplets in the order they are clued gives the phrase THING FOX SEWS ON SLOW JOE CROW’S NOSE. This is a reference to the rhyming book Fox in Socks, which contains the sentence “Fox sews hose on Slow Joe Crow’s nose.” The answer is HOSE.

[Solution] Toe Touches

This is a word ladder from HAND to FOOT, but the clues are out of order. Each word differs by one letter from the previous word. The full ladder – including the clues which lead to each word – looks like this:

  • HAND
  • HIND – Rear, as a leg
  • WIND – Air current
  • WILD – Not tame
  • WELD – Connect metal using heat
  • MELD – Combine, often referring to sets of cards
  • MELT – Become liquid
  • FELT – Cloth made of pressed wool
  • FEST – Big party, for short
  • ???? – The answer to this puzzle
  • MIST – Fine spray or light rain
  • MAST – Vertical pole on a boat
  • MASH – Alan Alda show
  • MOSH – Dance violently
  • GOSH – Golly!
  • POSH – Swanky or luxurious
  • POST – Opposite of pre-
  • PORT – City with a harbor
  • FORT____ Sumter
  • FOOT

The only two four-letter combinations that can link FEST and MIST are FIST and MEST. Of those, FIST is the real word – and the answer to the puzzle.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Solution] The Long and Short of It

This puzzle consists of seven very simple mazes, each with a single yellow line through it. Solving the mazes and paying special attention to where the path intersects with that line gives the following:

The flavor text of the the puzzle references both Samuel and telegraph, suggesting that Morse code is necessary to get the answer. Reading the path/yellow line overlaps as dots and dashes gives . ... -.-. .- .--. . ... which translates to ESCAPES, the answer to the puzzle.

[Solution] Binary Logic

Each of the words can be preceded by either TRUE or FALSE to make a common phrase. (In certain cases, the reverse can also be a phrase, but it is always quite rare.):

  • FALSE PRETENSES
  • TRUE BLOOD
  • FALSE EQUIVALENCE
  • FALSE WITNESS
  • FALSE EYELASHES
  • TRUE BLUE
  • TRUE DEER
  • TRUE TO FORM
  • FALSE ACCUSATION
  • TRUE CRIME
  • TRUE COLORS
  • TRUE BELIEVER
  • FALSE BOTTOM
  • FALSE FLAG
  • TRUE BUGS
  • FALSE PROPHET
  • FALSE IMPRISONMENT
  • TRUE STORY
  • TRUE TO LIFE
  • FALSE DICHOTOMY
  • TRUE DETECTIVE
  • FALSE TEETH
  • FALSE ADVERTISING
  • TRUE VALUE
  • FALSE ALARM
  • TRUE NORTH
  • TRUE TYPE
  • TRUE O’BRIEN
  • FALSE START
  • TRUE ENOUGH
  • FALSE POSITIVE
  • FALSE COGNATE

Converting these True/False answers to binary (TRUE=1, FALSE=0) gives 01000111 01110010 01101001 01110100. The flavor text clues ASCII which can turn eight-bit binary numbers into characters. Translating these four numbers gives Grit. The answer is GRIT.