Q: The challenge is to find a chain of 'C' words to connect 'carbon' to 'circuit.' Each pair of words completes a compound word or familiar two-word phrase (e.g. CASH COW or CREDIT CARD). Will's chain has seven words between 'carbon' and 'circuit' for a total of nine words. The answer doesn't have to match Will's, but each word has to start with 'C,' and each has to combine with the words before and after to make a compound word or familiar two-word phrase.You can work this forward and/or backward; I did both. In retrospect I shouldn't have had so much trouble finding the joining word in the middle. It's hard to give clues without revealing the answer. I'll just say I'm pretty sure I have the same list as Will.
Edit: The hint above referred to the middle word in the chain which coincidentally was "center".
A: CARBON - COPY - CAT - CALL - CENTER - COURT - CASE - CLOSED - CIRCUIT
Blaine, 0 comments? No, we're not ignoring you! It's just that some of us started without you and posted our comments on last week's blog.
ReplyDeleteI know, I noticed that. I was a little behind in posting this week partly because I couldn't figure out an easy way to post hints without giving away much of the puzzle. I get the feeling others might be struggling with that too. It's actually easy to solve the puzzle than it is to give obtuse clues for it.
ReplyDeleteI guess I had the same experience as everyone else. I have now replaced the jargon word I used after the Celine Dion word (for a 7 word series) with a better word (for a 9 word series).
ReplyDeleteI started from the front and the back and came to a dead stop in the middle. I came up with an 8 word series then threw my keyboard out the window. I called tech support (which helped)and came up with the correct 9 word series.
ReplyDeleteHugh, I'll be interested in understanding your Celine Dion reference. Neither Canadian chanteuse nor Charlemagne, Canada were part of my chain!
ReplyDeletePhredp, I sure you now have the intended answer. However, your earlier reference to a "keyboard shortcut" intrigues me. I assume you were thinking of "Control C", but, going forward I couldn't get beyond "C clef".
ReplyDeleteI submitted my 15-word chain as a goof. We'll see what happens.
ReplyDelete-- Other Ben
Lorenzo, Celine Dion was the answer to one of WS's puzzles. Change 2 letters to produce words which can be described by one word. That word works with my earliest clue (not here) to hint at the technical jargon used in the 7 word series.
ReplyDeleteCARBON copy cat call center court case closed CIRCUIT
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone agree?
Lorenzo, I was thinking COPY COMMAND for the keyboard hint.
ReplyDeleteTech support referred to CALL CENTER.
CARBON - COPY - COMMAND - CENTER - COURT - CASE - CLOSED - CIRCUIT
Changed it to the same answer as Natasha posted
I had Court Clerk and couldn't get it to work with Closed Circuit. Guess I gave up too easily.
ReplyDeleteSince Will said he would accept alternative answers, I decided to give one.
ReplyDeleteCarbon-Credit-Card-Catalog-Company-Cellphone-Case-Closed-Circuit
Company is a little weak, I admit.
I submitted two answers. The first was the same as Blaine's, then this one:
ReplyDeleteCarbon-copy-center-court-case-closed-Circuit
The possible weak link is Copy Center which may not be common enough to be a "familiar two-word phrase."
http://www.copycenterplus.com/
http://www.conlinscopy.com/
I tried this:
ReplyDeleteCarbon copy cat call collect cash cow college circuit
Collect cash is the weakest link. Any thoughts?
Joe W, there were supposed to be seven words between carbon and circuit.
ReplyDeleteI submitted:
Carbon-copy-center-court-case-closed-caption-code-circuit
Obviously Will's answer has 7 words between carbon and circuit, but the puzzle specifically says the answer doesn't need to match Will's.
ReplyDeleteMy question is would a shorter chain or a longer chain be viewed as a "better" answer? I think it would be challenging to see how far you could get with a chain that connected the words, with extra credit for well-formed C-C pairs.
I'm curious Other Ben. What did you submit in your 15-word chain?
A shorter word list is:
ReplyDeletecarbon
copy
cat
cracked
case
closed
circuit
A Google search indicates that “cat cracked” is a common shortened version of “catalytically cracked”.
(and for good reason).
I liked this week a lot, perhaps because there is no right answer.
ReplyDeleteBlaine asked if a longer or shorter answer is optimal and I think there is no answer to that question either. A shorter answer is more elegant, but I failed to see "CENTER - COURT" (even though I'm a huge basketball fan. Perhaps it's tennis?).
So I went with the more creative, longer version, which was also fun. Here's a 15-word chain:
carbon
copy
cat
call
center
cut
clean
catch
cold
cream
cheese
cake
case
closed
circuit
And then I used the gerund CALLING to avoid my personal dead end of CENTER and submitted this shorter one too:
carbon
copy
cat
calling
card
case
closed
circuit
Not as short as Hugh's, but I hadn't ever heard of "cat cracked".
-- Other Ben
P.S. I was passed over this week for any Nobel prize whatsoever. I have almost no chance of winning economics, the last one left.
Other Ben, As Liane would say, "Great work!"
ReplyDeleteBUT I don't understand "cake case."
Geri,
ReplyDeleteEver go into a diner and there is a glass display case with all of the desserts, sometimes rotating slowly? That's a CAKE CASE.
Check it out:
http://images.google.com/images?q=cake+case
-- Other Ben
--Other Ben, Now I know. THANK YOU.
ReplyDeleteAn alternative with seven words...
ReplyDeleteCarbon, copy, cat, calling, card, carrying, case, closed, circuit
I am so glad that patdugg and Other Ben got the same answer as I did. I got this week's puzzle in under 120 seconds.
ReplyDeletecarbon-credit-card-carrying-case-closed-circuit
ReplyDeleteAlice's list is better than mine
ReplyDeleteMine was different as well:
ReplyDeleteCarbon
Credit
Card
Carrier
Case
Closed
Circuit
Any feedback on this one? Card Carrier and Carrier Case may be weak, but they both seem acceptable.
Here's the shortest one I could create:
ReplyDeletecarbon
carbon cycle
cycle cross (questionable)
cross circuit
circuit
carbon cycle cross circuit
cycle cross is questionable because it's an english-language corruption of the more-commonly-used term "cyclocross".
Here's the one I submitted:
carbon
carbon credit
credit card
card counter
counter charge
charge conference
conference circuit
circuit
carbon credit card counter charge conference circuit
I got 11: carbon-copy-cat-call-center-city-chest-cold-case-closed-circuit
ReplyDelete