You've probably figured this out already, so you don't need my help this week.Q: Name a famous Olympics champion past or present — first and last names. Remove every letter from the name that appears exactly twice. The remaining letters in order will name certain minerals. Who is this Olympics star?
A: MICHAEL PHELPS --> MICAS
Q: Take the four four-letter words LIMB, AREA, CORK and KNEE. Write them one under the other, and the four columns will spell four new words LACK, IRON, MERE, and BAKE.
This is called a double word square. I'd like you to find a double word square with 6-letter words. Specifically, your square must include the words PONIES, ACCEPT, SEARED and CAVIAR. These four words must be among the 12 common, uncapitalized six-letter words in the square. Can you do it?
A: Here's the answer:
ACROSS
CLARET
CAVIAR
EMIGRE
PONIES
TRENDS
ACCEPT
CLAMOR
RAVINE
ORIGIN
SEARED
STRESS
The problem I had was that the name I would have used for the kitchen item has the same initial sounds. And what I would have called the men's item would have the same initial sounds. Thus they would both be spoonerisms of themselves, not each other.Q: A spoonerism is an interchange of initial consonant sounds in a phrase to get another phrase, as in "light rain" and "right lane." Name something seen in a kitchen in two words. Its spoonerism is an article that's worn mostly by men. What is it?
A: PIE TIN --> TIE PIN
A: Name a prominent American politician — first and last names, 11 letters total. Rearrange these letters, and you'll get a country plus the former name of another country. Who's the politician, and what countries are these?
A: NANCY PELOSI --> SPAIN, CEYLON
Q: Think of a phrase that denotes a particular major-league sports team in 12 letters. The first 6 letters are the same as the second 6 letters rearranged. What team is it?
A: THE MIAMI HEAT
Q: Take the word FALSE and divide it between the L and the S (e.g. FAL and SE). FAL is the start of the word FALL, and SE is the end of the word RISE. And, of course, "fall" and "rise" are opposites. Do the same thing for the word SHALL. Divide it into two parts, so that the start of it starts one word and the end of it ends another word — and those two words are opposites. The dividing point is for you to discover. There are three different solutions and you are to find all three.
A: SHORT and TALL, SHARP and DULL, SHAKY and STILL and SHAN'T and WILL
What are you waiting for? Something here to lead you to the answer?A: Think of two well-known American cities, each five letters long. The first two letters of the first city are the state postal abbreviation of the second city. And the first two letters of the second city are the state postal abbreviation of the first city. What two cities are these?
A: MIAMI, FL(orida) and FLINT, MI(chigan)
For some reason this reminds me of the Tom Hanks --> Thanks puzzle from nearly 10 years ago.Q: Think of a word that means "unfinished." Add one letter at the start and one letter at the end, and you'll get a new word that means the opposite of the first. What words are these?
A: ROUGH --> WROUGHT
Just read C D B! by William Steig and you'll probably get the answer. Or if not, he has a second book in the series called C D C!.Q: Take the word baci (Italian for "kisses"). You can rearrange the letters to "I C A B" — which sounds like a sentence, "I see a bee."
Now, think of a unit of measurement. Rearrange its letters and read them out loud to form a sentence complimenting someone on their appearance. What's the word, and what's the sentence?
A: QUART --> URAQT (You are a cutie)
I like to travel to see the world.Q: Name a famous actor — seven-letter first name, four-letter last name. Take four consecutive letters from the first name and three consecutive letters from the last name. These seven letters, in order from left to right, will name something that's often packed nowadays when taking a trip. What is it?
A: RICHARD GERE --> CHARGER
