For explanations of NPL-style puzzles and their solutions, you may refer to the online Guide to the Enigma.

Solutions

Note to NPL Krewe: I will not be responsible for withholding solutions to any of my puzzles that may be published in Enigma after April 2005.


1. HETERONYM (3 3, 6) (2nd 3 = NI3, part of 11C phrase)

ONE de mer experts suggest Dramamine:
Take two if you tend to turn ten shades of green.
At the dance in the ballroom, you won't be so queasy,
Which is good: Cleaning stains on your TWO isn't easy!
(July 2003)


2. ANAQUOTE (7 8 4 7 6 2'1 6 6 6 2 3. *4 *1. *6)

AVI CCE CCE DYA EDS EOP ESU FRA FYO GSU HIN IDO LEA LIK NEY NGP NLE NOT ROO SSI SSU TSH UAN
(July 2003)


3. ANAQUOTE (9 3 9'1 4: 7 7 6 2 6-5 7 6. *7 3 3 (*1. *1. *9))

ANS ATH CEP CON CTR DGE DGE DON EDO ELE ENT FIR FOR GCL GUI HER HUM ITE KEA KNO KNO NOT NTY SEW SSA STC STE TWA TWE URY WLE WLE
(July 2003)


4. ANAQUOTE (7: 2 14 11 2 1 7 8 9 2 13 10. *4 *6)

ABL ACT AFR ALC ATO EDI EIV ELL INC INC KER LEC LIT MEN NBY NOF NSR OMP OMP ONC RAU REA RES RUC SIB SIO TIO TOM UDY ULA UTA YAN
(July 2003)


5. FALSE COMPARATIVE (*5, 7) (SHORT = not MW usage)

The great SHORT Sanders ran and ran—
The darling of each Lions fan.
But he would tire of his sport;
Of Payton's LONG he would fall short.
(July 2003)


6. CHARADE (8) (FIRST = *, not MW)

Crouching in a foxhole next to my SECOND,
I said, "Gee! You smell awesome! Did you use FIRST?"
He thought my word was "awful," and so he beat me TOTAL.
I had the best intentions, but he assumed the worst.
(July 2003)


7. SPOONERGRAM ([*6, *5], 6 2 4)

In A, a rich oil man, J.T.,
Raised the ire of his wife (number three):
When he made out his will,
He named her for a mil,
Then said, "Hell, spread the wealth!" and he B.
(July 2003)


8. HETERONYM (*5 7; 3, *3. 6) (*3 = 11C-inferable)

A pair of composers, American icons,
Come back to life in 2003.
They walk down the street. One's moving Adagio;
The other steps lively. The first says, "J. P.?
I'm starving! But look—just five bucks in my pocket.
I'd love a big steak, but unless you've got dough,
It looks like McDonald's!" ONE on, saying, "Listen—
I ain't got a TWO on the double! Let's go!"
(July 2003)


9. WORD DELETION (4) (HIDE = abbr., *)

Let's bring to WHOLE hoops stars whose art gives us thrills. . . .
Recall "Doctor J," with his surgical skills?
His court operations saved many a game.
And now, fans, Tim Duncan has HIDE HEART his name.
(July 2003)


10. FALSE PRACTITIONER (8, 8)

In temples exotic all over the world,
Millions of Buddhists are practicing Buddhism.
In ways nonerotic, yet frankly unfurled,
Millions of nudists are practicing nudism.

Atheists, terrorists, Marxists, and sexists
All practice those isms. I hate to be meddling
With logic so perfect. . . . Yet one question vexes:
Re: Swells, 8-foot stops, diapasons, and pedaling. . . .

I'd very much like it if someone would tell me for what reason under the sun,
Though TWOs often practice, and TWOs must be ONEs, why a TWO simply can't practice ONE!
(July 2003)


11. DELETION (*7) (ONE = not MW; SIX = *, +)

As the ONE get positioned for 2004,
A young soldier TWO him- or herself with war.
As THREE are blown up and civilians dodge shots,
The hopefuls will smile, shake hands, and FOUR tots.
Then they'll hop on a FIVE, flash a "V," pose for pics. . . .
Campaigning is really a big load of SIX.
(July 2003)


12. TRANSADE (9)

Some days you can't move, like you weigh half a ton.
I'm a TOTAL old coot, and I know.
My doctor says: "Applesauce, TWO well with ONE
Every day, and it's 'ready, set, go!'"
(August 2003)


13. ENIGMATIC REBUS [8 7]

     -1 to +1

If pure and natural's your thing, I'm subject to your ban,
But most folks aren't so picky. I'll be sitting in your can
If polysorbate 80, carrageenan, BHA,
Or artificial flavoring or coloring's OK.
(August 2003)


14. FALSE RELATIVE (*5 *4, 5 4)
TRANSADE (*5 *4)(both *5 *4s are the same)

FELLOW played no COUSIN; they invented it too late.
In COUSIN, you jump in the OWL (best wait if you just ate).
You score if you can get the ball to ELF into the net.
If your victory feast includes spaghetti, you're in FELLOW's debt.
(August 2003)


15. ACROSTICAL ENIGMA (3-6)

A. To logic always turn when you must come to a decision—
Like getting to the bottom, looking up things, having vision.

B. Mercy! It takes thoroughness and dedication rare.
If one consults a source, it must go deep and must be fair.

*C. Landers wrote advice that one might give consideration;
Or a place on the Atlantic might give space for meditation.

So many factors figure in, and each one plays a part.
And when one's time comes, that's the time for following one's heart.
(August 2003)


16. FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (*8, ^4 ^5) (MELLOW, CELLO) (neither MW)

A jazz-sax legend was John MELLOW,
And so he never played on CELLO.
(August 2003)


17. ALTERNADE (5)

Each night we get worn out and so
Undress and go to bed.
In ALL, the same, TWO screen, earns dough.
"We could go ONE!" I said.
(August 2003)


18. TRANSADE (9) (SECOND = *, not MW)

A change they've WHOLE helps actors feel empowered.
Not SECOND (Reeves), but Reiner and Ron Howard
Became directors after deep reflecting—
And that's a FIRST, like acting or directing.
(August 2003)


19. DELETION (9)

When a candidate's elected (maybe riding in on STEEDS),
The loser might go fishing in a lake, among the SEEDS.
(August 2003)


20. CONSONANTCY (5) (D = + usage)

The firm hired a hot new defender.
In court they would see how she B.
"You're A!" read the note they'd soon send her:
No clients were C—they all D.
(August 2003)


21. FALSE COMPARATIVE (5, *7) (*7 = not MW)

I looked up the Oscars for '73 and was so disappointed to learn
There was no win for Winfield in BURNER, nor even the obvious nod for best BURN.
(September 2003)


22. CONSONANTCY (*5 *4, 5 4) (CAMPUS, COMPOSE) (neither MW)

Diane's adopted surname came from Buster;
She has the great comedic skills to muster
As many laughs. The voters of the A.M.P.A.S.
Rewarded (la-di-da) her work in CAMPUS.

She's brilliant in dramatic work as well.
In Reds she played a communist who'd tell
The workers they could organize and meet
In a COMPOSE or picket in the street.
(September 2003)


23. BIGRAM PHRASE SHIFT ('1' 3 2 3 6)

O'Connor 'n' Reynolds 'n' Kelly
(As Cosmo 'n' Kathy 'n' Don)
Seem to stay so chock-full of high spirits
When their luck, work, 'n' money are gone.

One might ask, "What's their trick?" It's their munchies!
They nibble on booze-infused fruit:
There's vermouth in the cranberry, schnapps in the prune,
THAT GILBEY'S-FILLED GRAPELET TO BOOT.
(September 2003)


24. HETERONYM (^2 ^4, [3 3]) (CAP-TWO CAP-FOUR-LETTER-WORD, HETERO) (^2 = usage comparable to part of an 11C * entry)
TRANSPOSAL (3 3, 6) (HETERO, TRANSPOSAL) (3 3s are the same)

A border ornithologist, a whiz on all that flies,
Writes articles in Spanish, using English otherwise—
And thus his magnum opus, which Anglos call The Bird,
Is called (by his convention) CAP-TWO CAP-FOUR-LETTER-WORD.

His tome gives habitats of species. One (it's rather cute)
Lives near the author's home. Its cousins screech, hunt mice, and hoot.
A fully-grown male HETERO is tinier than his
TRANSPOSAL Strigiformes specimen most likely is.
(September 2003)


25. SIXTH-LETTER CHANGE (*7, 7) (D, E)
FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (4, 3) (A, C)
FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (3) (B, C) (Cs are the same)

An Animal Lover's Response (with apologies to D and for E)

I've never seen A purple cow;
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather C than B one.
(September 2003)


26. CONSONANTCY (6, *5, 6, *4'1, *5, 6, 6, *6) (A = some NI3 addenda; D = not MW usage)

This travelogue filmer delivers
Her G touting mountains and rivers:
"Climb high in the B,
Or bathe in the E!
The West H: healing balm for the shivers!"

But a scene-change she craves.... "I'll be famous!
I'll bring back that pair—those guys, Amos
And ...." Now? Bare romps—A—
Light, nostalgic, and gay:
When Amos F  D C, laughs claim us.
(September 2003)


27. LADDERGRAM (4) (ONE = part of 11C phrase) (start word and end word both *)

The foxes would sneak from their TWO
And steal all the eggs from the THREE.
Alas and alack! Ah, lamentable loss!
Would our chickens thus doomed ever be?

"Hey, you!" boomed a voice from on high,
"Git on out! Put those back! Those are FOUR!"
Our ONE "eggs" machina, old Hiram P. Brown,
Had come down through the old farmhouse door.
(September 2003)


28. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (6)
TERMINAL DELETION (6)
TETRAGRAM TERMINAL DELETION (11)
DELETION (7)

A force of FIVE LIVE warriors HOP on a mission, thinking,
"We (nearly) seven dozen can survive this without drinking
Water." MOISTNESS to their needs took quick effect. T, SHOPS,
Then POPS, then forty, fifty, sixty cried out, "I'm so PLOPS!"
(September 2003)


29. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (6)
REPEATED-TETRAGRAM DELETION (*9) (TWO = abbr.)

Nerds with their slide rules and PIMPLE protectors
Call "TWO-minus ten!" as they calculate vectors. . . .
The ONE, Isaac Newtons, von Brauns, Goddards—giants
In physics of flight.... Yes, this is SIMPLE science.
(September 2003)


30. LETTER BANK (6 4, 8 11, 10 11) (FLOTATIONS = not MW, A, B)

To be the one who steers the swiftest yacht in the regatta,
Whose boat's superb construction makes it faster on the water,
Study up on substances' and gadgets' applications:
Major in both A and B to be the best FLOTATIONS.
(September 2003)


31. TRANSPOSAL (5-4, 4-5) (GERIATRIC = 4-5 = 11C-derivable)

I'm HALF A DECADE SHY, so any day I'll start to get
Requests to join AARP, the GERIATRIC set.
(September 2003)


32. OVERLOADED HETERONYM ([4 3 4], 4 *7)

I've flown above northeastern Mass
En route to southern Maine
So many times. No doubt I'll pass
The same way ONCE again.
(September 2003)


33. ENIGMATIC REBUS (9)

     A pound container of snack mix

A couple built a lovely home upon a plot of ZINC.
The two of them made everything except the kitchen sink.
(September 2003)


34. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (4)
ORDER TAKEOUT (12)

Oh, JAPES. My resume is weak. OK—I'll use my smarts.
How's this? . . . "A brief, yet juicy role" and "Covered countless parts"
(Was one of several backups [DEAD] for 'AD-clad bunch of grapes').
Hey—thanks a "bunch," Fruit of the Loom, for covering my NAPES.
(September 2003)


35. WORD DELETION (7)

The knights had won their battles,
So they threw a fief-wide party.
"Fruit drink for lads; for adults,
There be stronger brew! Drink hearty!"

A taste of honey was the goal
Of one determined page:
"That I might quaff some IN, not WHOLE,
I'll OUT about my age!"
(September 2003)


36. PHONETIC BEHEADMENT (10) (SLEIGH)
HOMONYM (3'1 5, 10) (10s are the same)

Though the little dog laughed to see such sport
When the dish and the spoon ran away,
The gemsbok and muskmelon stayed home to court,
Since a LAY really SLAY with a SLEIGH.
(September 2003)


37. TRANSADDITION GROUP (8, 5, 6, 5)

Each of the ONE, like the sting of a THREE,
FOUR the whale as it struggles in TWO agony.
(September 2003)


38. CONSONANTCY (9, 8, 6) (ARTS, RITES, RETUSE)

Because of the ARTS of the fumbling RITES
To RETUSE the castle gate,
The king had to yell to the grumbling knights:
"Just hold your horses! Wait!"
(September 2003)


39. REVERSED PHONETIC CURTAILMENT (9, *7) (CURD = 9 = not MW usage; RUCK = not MW)

As he set out to kill Harper Lee's mockingbird,
Sylvester the Cat gamely snuck.
But that feline made tracks with a "Sufferin' CURD!"
When shooed off by a Finch, namely RUCK.
(September 2003)


40. LETTER BANK (-9, 15 4) (NAILS = -9 = NI3) (That's a hyphen, not a negative sign, preceding the "9"!)

"Conditions of the digits" was our topic yesterday
In med school. I had no idea that blasted prof could say
So much on toes and fingers. I've been studying those NAILS
So hard, I have a headache. Would you bring two tabs of SNAILS?
(September 2003)


41. MUTUAL REPLACEMENT (6) (OTTO = phrase usage)
FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (5, 7) (PRIZE, FRIES)

Renowned entomologist Gayle
Will end breeding by wild OTTO flies.
By removing the TOOT from each male,
She will PRIZE all those dipteran FRIES.
(September 2003)


42. PHONETIC FALSE INCREMENT (^5 ^5, 9) (LEASTS = not MW)

When I was small, at bedtime, without fail,
Dear Gramps and Granny told a fairy tale.
My favorite had a blonde girl and some beasts:
I loved it when my MOSTS read me "The LEASTS."
(September 2003)


43. TRANSPOSAL (*6, 6) (*6 = HORSES = not MW)

Little ones love dinosaurs.
So when toting your tots into stores,
Prepare for some noise
As you pass by the toys:
They can sense when a HORSES is SHORES.
(September 2003)


44. DELETION (7)
TRANSPOSAL (7) (GRIST is the same for both)

A chef-in-training at the cooking school
Was roughly pulled aside: "You wasteful fool!
Let's GRIT about the proper use of sprigs:
The finer chefs will always use GRIST TRIGS."
(September 2003)


45. TRANSPOSAL (7)

Today the mailman pummeled me till I was black and blue.
Between my shrieks and screams, I groaned, "Hey! What is wrong with you?
A courteous reminder would have done the trick just fine.
You needn't act like SINEW just because I skimped on SWINE."
(September 2003)


46. HOMONYM (10, 3 8) (BUSHEL, BUSH HELL)

A few months ago, every voice shouted loud:
"We're going to war! We're tough and we're proud!"
Our confidence soared as we heard the hawks speak
At decibel levels maxed out at their peak.

We've seen, as the losses and casualties mount,
A gradual decrease in that decibel count—
A dark, veiled suggestion that all is not well:
This BUSHEL in volume is tinged with BUSH HELL.
(September 2003)


47. CONVERGENCE (8) (IN = *)

A WHOLE man was Shlema: few had any doubt
That he was the sagest, most wise in the shtetl.
The folks said, "IN Shlema, you've made it all OUT!"
With every deep issue and squabble he'd settle.
(September 2003)


48. REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (6) (TRIPE = *)

The gossip was more than just noise;
It was biting and cruel and TOO RIPE—
Like, "He smiles at the girls and the boys.
Let's start a rumor he's TRIPE."
(September 2003)


49. DELETION (5)

As a lame play on words, I suggested
A "weeknight"'s a horseman who's TYING.
My wit couldn't get me arrested,
But you have to admit that it's TRYING.
(October 2003)


50. PERMUTED CONSONANTCY (7, *3, 2 7, 6, 8, 2-4) (THREE = +; SIX = 11C-inferable)

The harried housewife couldn't cope: she turned to booze and TWO.
She couldn't face her husband, so she gradually withdrew.
One day, he growled, "I've had enough. I'm heading out the door.
Our love life doesn't matter? Fine! I'll find a girl who's FOUR!"

His ultimatum jolted her: she finally took him THREE.
She flushed those TWO with: "Starting now, I am a SIX! I'm free!"
To bed that night she wore a gown of flimsy, lacy ONE.
"You dress like that," he winked, "I guarantee I'll be FIVE, Hon!"
(October 2003)


51. BIGRAM PHONETIC CURTAILMENT (*4 *7, 8) (DC = not MW)

A rep in Washington, DC,
Thought, "Bigger things are meant for me."
The rep, when probed on global matters,
DEE and left those dreams in tatters.
(October 2003)


52. ACROSTICAL ENIGMA (12)

A. Boy, what a feeling to be a new bride!
I don't want to bottle this all up inside!

B. Alone, I was sullen and moody. Now I,
Bursting out like a blooming rose, part with gloom. 'Bye!

C. Elsewhere, some young lady's heart's not complete.
If it has a hole, girl, just hop to your feet.

D. Under Cupid's sweet influence, quickly you'll be
Running or jumping or skipping. You'll see!

In this life, the winners do more than just manage—
Be one who gets going and takes full advantage!
(October 2003)


53. CHARADE (10)

A worker at the Hoover ^FIRST spied something mighty strange:
A brightly-colored TOTAL, swimming far outside its range
(That piscine creature thrives near coral reefs). The worker reckoned,
"Aquariums will want it, but I'll keep it!" She was SECOND.
(October 2003)


54. LAST-LETTER CHANGE (7)

"I'd driven all day and well into the night
When, just past Toledo, a welcoming SIGHT
Came in view." "How's Ohio?" "I've never been there."
"That sounds like a SIGHS, man! I'm puzzled, I swear!"
(October 2003)


55. LOCK & DROP (5, 7, 3, 6) (LEFT, RIGHT, IN, OUT)

Sometimes I'd get hungry; I'd crouch down and reach
Way back in the fridge for a nice juicy peach.
But when I chomped down on that big fuzzy sucker,
I'd find it so tart it would make my mouth pucker.

I wanted that fruit juice to run down my chin!
So I got an idea. I whipped out my IN.
I sat at my desk with my thinking cap on,
And inside twenty minutes, a blueprint was drawn.

Now it seems that I've found me a brand-new career
Explaining: "To LEFT fruit, just drop it in here!"
I've been OUT to that patent place every darn night
In my car. Five years later, it's still "patent RIGHT."
(October 2003)


56. CONSONANTCY (7) (BEAT = 11C-inferable word, NI3 confirms usage)

When Mr. Spiner won his BEAUTY role,
The show's producers all came up to greet him:
"The others drew emotions from the soul,
But, Brent, you showed that you knew how to BEAT 'em."
(October 2003)


57. REVERSAL (5) (HA = NI3)

My shampoo has a yellow hue,
Which comes from flowers—citron, too.
The blooms come from the furzy AH;
Of course, the citron is a HA.
(October 2003)


58. CHOP 'N' SWAP (7)
TRANSPOSAL (7)

My hallux had a DEAD CAT, which caused grief.
ADD clippers gave me great ACT and relief.
(October 2003)


59. WORD DELETION (8) (IN = *)

Tomas, a Casanova down in IN, in Costa Rica,
Swore "I'm faithful!" to his sweetie, then he ran right out to seek a
Little extra hanky-panky. So his girlfriend made a note: "I'll
Get that lousy lying cheat!" She left, then made him OUT her TOTAL.
(October 2003)


60. PHONETIC FALSE TITHE (6, 6)

When our new product, "Lithe," is rubbed on tough and gristly meat,
It melts right in your mouth and slides right down—a treat to eat!
No need to cry, "The turkey's dry!" Thanksgiving Day this fall:
Just add some Lithe, and they'll all TITHE, "How can it be so ALL?"
(October 2003)


61. OVERLOADED HOMONYM (5, 1'*4)

He invited her up. "You like classical fare?
I'll put on some music and pour us some wine.
How 'bout this Symphony on a French Mountain Air
By . . . some French composer?" "Yes—that would be FINE."
(October 2003)


62. BIPHONEME DELETION (9) (SUE = *, not MW) (can be sung)

Would you like to whistle a song?
Learn some facts as you go along?
Are you just content to be wrong,
Or would you rather know some chem?

A SCREW is a molecule that's hollow and round,
Where carbon, and nothing else, is found.
Some call its shape a "geodesic sphere":
An apt description that comes pretty near. . . .

But hey! You know how to whistle, don't you, Krewe?
If not, just learn it from Ms. SUE.
(October 2003)


63. PHRASE SHIFT ('3'! *1, 6 2 *1)

The bright lunar orb in South Florida woke
Gregor Samsa, who realized (pitiful bloke)
He'd morphed into a cockroach. Assessing his status,
He cried, "I'm not even a cow that says GLADYS!"
(October 2003)


64. APT CONSONANTCY (10)

NO DICE! . . . YES! . . . NO! . . .
(November 2003)


65. SECOND-LETTER CHANGE (11, 4 7) (GRASS, GLASS)

The risk of blazing timber's always there with widespread GRASS;
The Ranger Service asked for funds to build a brand-new GLASS.
(November 2003)


66. REVERSED CONSONANTCY (*5, 7) (RUBY, BRIE)

Tim, a high-school whiz from Austin,
Made it into MIT.
Nervous as he flew to Boston,
Tim filled up with RUBY BRIE.
(November 2003)


67. CONSONANTCY (8)

Edinburgh's flies
Have proven just as wise
As Pavlov's dogs, who drooled and licked their chops.
When a burry "MACKEY!" blares
From a window high upstairs,
Flies swarm below and MUCK await the slops.
(November 2003)


68. PHONETIC PALINDROME (*5 4)

"Cut! Cut! Cut! Now why in hell
Did I not hear a blasted buzzer?!
Zsa Zsa missed her entrance 'cause her
Script reads: 'Enter. Answer bell.'"

"The sound-effects man's on a break."
"Why must the guy that does the CAKE?"
(November 2003)


69. LAST-LETTER CHANGE (4, *4) (HAT, HAM)

At the HAT for a boy, you should have a nice spread.
But don't serve them HAM; put out cream cheese instead.
(November 2003)


70. PHONETIC DELETION (6)

When physicists publish their scholarly articles
Treating of pions and muons and WHOs,
I make illustrations of all of those particles,
Using my bright colored pencils and HUEs.
(November 2003)


71. OVERLOADED HOMONYM (9, 6 5)

Spectacular! Gargantuan! The likes of Ringling Brothers!
Two groups display their talents; then, for laughs, each tries the other's!
The Ice Capades, plus singers of the Mormon Tabernacle,
Boast brilliant, showy styles: come see the ice troupe sing and TACKLE!
(November 2003)


72. HOMONYM (1 7, 9) (RYE, WRY)

A leg that's broken near the thigh
Takes weeks to heal: RYE break's not WRY.
(November 2003)


73. FALSE OPPONENT (*1, 5) (DAVE, GOLIATH)

Opera buffa is the style that's got to be my fave:
Dig that wild, GOLIATH tenor as he tries to nail that DAVE.
(November 2003)


74. CONSONANTCY (6, 4) (ARENA, RAIN)
CONSONANTCY (6, 3) (COHORT = 6 = 11C-findable)
CONSONANTCY (4, 6) (GO IN, AGAIN)

I'll cram all night: my final's in the morning.
Already each ARENA feels like RAIN.
Dear COHORT: nudge my CHART if I start yawning;
GO IN my face if I should fall AGAIN.
(November 2003)


75. TRIPLY OVERLOADED BEHEADMENT (6)

Cattle, sheep, and wine grapes share
My farm. Each ONE gets loving care.
(November 2003)


76. TRANSPOSAL (*9, 4-5) (SCOOT = 4-5 = 11C-inferable)

Among the psych community, the Jungians held sway.
Their counterparts were mired in disrepute,
With bank investment balances declining day by day:
Those poor old COOTS would have to learn to SCOOT.
(November 2003)


77. PHONETIC CURTAILMENT (7)

Many folks haven't the INDIA notion
Attending the INDY can cure spastic motion.
(November 2003)


78. PHRASE SHIFT (3 6—3 6)

"Keep your eyes on the flag wrapped 'round lovely Virginia.
When Old Glory unfurls, try to keep your eyes in ya!"
She winks at the gawkers—she welcomes all FACTIONS
To her native state. "See Virginia's attractions!"
(December 2003)


79. TRANSPOSAL (6)

A little pot may come your way
If you can come up with the hay;
But if you show a certain letter,
Pot-wise, you will fare much better.
If you thought this TOP was not
A hard one, you sure know your POT!
(December 2003)


80. FALSE MUSICAL COLLEAGUES (7, 12)

The manager at Blockbuster is pulling out his hair.
Frustratedly, the sign below he readies:
"Each patron who MACDONALD tapes: Our deepest thanks—take care!
You others: There'll be serious, grave EDDYs!"
(December 2003)


81. MYNOMOH (6 4. 3—2 4, 5 5. 9) (LATE, TAIL)

Dogs like me weren't meant to sail the main.
The motion nauseates; the glare brings pain.
So spare me, please, the LATE types need a rest!
This rocking makes my TAIL: I like that best!
(December 2003)


[The following verse was published in Enigma, but with part of the base omitted. It is presented here in its original form.]

82. METATHESIS (4) (ONE, TWO)
CONSONANTCY (6, 8) (ONE, TWO)

Each time we go for seafood, our small daughter acts so selfish!
She screams and throws a tantrum till she gets some squid or shellfish.
We've pleaded: "Sweetheart, please pipe down!" We've begged, cajoled, implored her.
But there's just one way to make her ONE: bring out a fried TWO order.
(December 2003)


83. LETTER BANK (7, 8, *9, 10)
HOMONYM (4)

All NINEs can take pride in their city:
It's New England's great SEVEN of knowledge.
There, great TALEs help lit majors grow witty;
EIGHTs and TENs study TAILs while in college.
(December 2003)


84. PHONIGMATIC REBUS (*6 *1*1) (*6 = not MW)

     2400

"Rap fanatic": that's Bart,
My fifteen-year-old cousin.
He knows, all by heart,
Every TWO HUNDRED DOZEN.
(December 2003)


85. LETTER BANK (*5, 7, 8) (TEN, TEEN, TENET)

Some Mennonites moved to Japan and opened a cafe.
They served raw fish, a local-type cuisine—
Preparing it, however, in their own accustomed way.
Result: a crazy TENET of TEN TEEN.
(December 2003)


86. OVERLOADED DELETION (7)

One wonders if, on being told: "There's no room at the inn,"
Did Joseph, or did Mary, say, "We want to see the KIN."
(December 2003)


87. FIFTH-LETTER CHANGE (*7, 7) (SHOAL, SHOAT)

When little SHOAL brought Grandmama a poem that he wrote,
Did she frame it and display it on the wall,
Or did that proud babushka use a pointy little SHOAT
To affix it to a corkboard in the hall?
(December 2003)


88. TRANSDELETION (7) (SIX = *)

In 1549 the king of England killed a snake—
A 15-footer! In that time predating instant pics,
How could he prove how big it was? He had three servants take
Its carcass out to show the throng that FOUR FIVE SEVEN SIX.
(December 2003)


89. ENIGMATIC REBUS [6 2 3 10] (NI3)

If rubric symbols topped this rhyme,
You'd find the sol indeed.
The rubric is the verse this time;
By JOVE, you won't succeed.
(December 2003)


90. REVERSED BIGRAM TERMINAL DELETION (*6 *5'1) (neither MW)

At a dairy in Vienna in the fin de siècle age
(A time when in the arts Expressionism was the rage),
The boss eyed the facilities and deemed them too austere:
"ONE Judith on the TWO would surely liven things up here!"
(December 2003)


91. ANAGRAM (*5 *7 3 *3 *6 4 3 ^5)

E.G., RID M-EARTH OF RING, SMASH DANG S.O.B. MEGAFOE
(December 2003)


[The following flat was published in Enigma, but the wording was improperly changed by the editor. It is presented here with the original, correct wording.]

92. ENIGMATIC REBUS (10 4)

     death March 1942

This old soda has passed the BATAAN,
And so I shall return it anon.
(December 2003)


93. ENIGMATIC REBUS [7 4] (NI3, 11C-findable)

     Pres. Abraham 500

I love rye bread! . . . Well, maybe
Not so much if there's a case
When a little HONEST ABIE
Finds an interdental space.
(December 2003)


94. ENIGMATIC REBUS [6 5]

     hit the rod

As a kid, when I felt bad,
I would badger Mom and Dad
Till I got a great big BOP
(With a cherry on the top).
(December 2003)


95. OVERLOADED REVERSED CONSONANTCY (9, 10) (FRANCE)
OVERLOADED FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (4)

I have interests in space
And in issues of race.
I'll take studies in FRANCE
To learn more of black ANTs.
(December 2003)


96. CONSONANTCY (*6, 4 3) (JOCK, JACK) (JACK = 11C-inferable and sort of -findable)
CONSONANTCY (8, 7) (BLOCK, BLACK)
TRANSPOSAL (8) (STACK, TACKS)
FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (7) (CUT, RUT)
THIRD-LETTER CHANGE (10) (SPLAY, SPRAY)
WELDED LAST-LETTER CHANGE (6) (NINE)

In Cambridge, north of JOCK,
There's a school called M.I.T.
One freshman class was BLOCK
By lack of numeracy.
The prof: "They don't know JACK
(That's decimal). Alas!"
She typed and stapled STACK
And gave them to the class:

"Now if the power's two,
You get one BLACK. It's three?
Well, if it's three, then you
Will get a TACKS. You see?
A TACKS TACKS is one CUT;
Continuing this way,
A TACKS CUT is a RUT.
Pretty big, you say?
Well, a TACKS RUT RUT's one SPLAY,
And a TACKS SPLAY's one SPRAY. Fine?
One BLACK's the power? Hey!
That number's called a NINE."
(January 2004)


97. REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (8)

Since a PORTION is a portion of a pollen granule's wall,
It's involved in reproduction; thus it heightens flowers' ALL.
(January 2004)


98. REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (6)

The chauvinist snuck in and crashed a meeting of the NOW,
But those liberated ladies pushed that MELLOW out the MEOW.
(January 2004)


99. BEHEADMENT (*5) (neither part MW, HARTS = *)

The pantheon of animation
Boasts the name of Walter CHARTS.
His redhead, cackling brat creation,
Woody, lives in all our hearts.

In '98, HARTS hit the screens
To raves: an animated goody.
Stealing its hilarious scenes,
Of course: a redhead wit named Woody.
(January 2004)


100. HOMONYM ([2-4 2-4], [2 3]: 2 3) (WIZEN, WHEEZIN')

During mating season,
There's only one good reason
For an owl
On the prowl
To say "WIZEN," WHEEZIN'.
(January 2004)


101. REVERSED CHARADE (7) (both shorter parts = *; ONE = not MW)

Let me tell you all a story:
An Icelandic laboratory
Cooked up a demonic scheme
To fulfill some twisted dream.
They would nab a VIP,
Then replicate him endlessly.
Christian ONE: yes, he was whom
They'd grab, while he designed perfume.
As Christian sketched some piece of jewelry,
Vanished!—prey to cruel tomfoolery.
Here the wicked plans diverged.
"Make a TOTAL!" several urged.
"What power we'd wield if we just made a
Thousand robots, a la Data!"
"No, my friends. That will not work. It's
Too much wire, too many circuits.
Clone him! That's what we should do!
Replicate him from his TWO!"
There was a leak; word reached a minister.
She'd not abide a plot so sinister.
She told the police force in the town,
"This black lab has to be put down."
(January 2004)


102. OVERLOADED HETERONYM (5, 3 1*1)

A chap from Tel Aviv named Uri
Started up a microbrewery.
When he brewed his first test bottle,
Uri told his cousin Motel,
"Try it! Do you hate it? Love it?
Tell me what you're thinking of it."
"First off, mensch, it's too acidic.
(Truth you want? So I'm a critic!)
Make the label letters go
In one straight line. Your HEART's too low."
(January 2004)


103. CONSONANTCY (6, 6 2) (RICH, REACH)

Tess the Tease, who dated often,
In the end went to her coffin
RICH: she'd told each wishful wooer
"REACH!" if he got too close to her.
(January 2004)


104. OVERLOADED DELETION (9) (11C-inferable)

Kitty, an aspiring model,
Tried "Enhancer-in-a-Bottle."
She'd no need to see a surgeon:
Pills made Kitty's FRAMEWORK burgeon.
(January 2004)


105. HETERONYM ([2 5 4 4 5]; 8 *4 "2 *1/*3, *1*1) (ONE = +; *4 = not MW usage; *1/*3 = 11C-inferable coinage [contains abbr.]; *1*1 = abbr.)

When I'm in a nostalgic mood,
I think back to a singer who'd
Had some success in '60s pop. . . .
Lithe and stunning, blonde on top,
Nancy, "the TW3
Girl"—it all comes back to me.
Now I read a critic who
Has penned a vicious, cruel review
Of Nancy's work. They say this writer's
Gorgeous. Well, black widow spiders
May look pretty, too—and then
They strike, like this gal's poison pen.
The critic, whom I now call "ONE,"
TWO singer." I wrote: "Some might shun
Nancy's stylings; even still,
I'd not suggest she got a thrill
From joyfully inflicting pain
On others or herself. Insane!
And Nancy's genre's pop, OK?
Not heavy metal, as you say."
(January 2004)


106. DELETION (8)

"Let's craft some music symbols—
Supplies are on the shelf."
Folks snatched some clay, or thimbles;
I grabbed some yarn myself.
My partner deftly gave her
Best efforts to create
A sequined semiquaver;
I FRIGHTed me a FREIGHT.
(January 2004)


107. FREEWHEELING REVERSED CONSONANTCY (4-4, 3 [4 3]) (FORGE, GRIEF)

We have a FORGE relationship.
Its moods are often brief:
One moment gazing longingly,
The next one giving GRIEF.
(January 2004)


108. PARTIAL TRANSADE (7) (EON = * abbr., not MW)

In L.A. and environs, football fans are used to seeing
Their EON Trojans filling up the ^TWO Bowl. If one's being
Especially observant, one might note, in suchlike vein,
That TOTAL fills the sugar bowl (as long as folks raise cane).
(January 2004)


109. PHONETIC FALSE HALF (5) (X, V)

Leopold the Maestro moved from Europe to the States.
He studied U.S. history—the names, the wars, the dates. . . .
He ran across a document that started off: "Fourscore
And seven years ago. . . ." He thought: "I won't read any more
Until I learn what all that means!" He wondered what to do.
Then: "Ah!" He grabbed the music to a symphony he knew.
Page 1: a cello solo; but then, right there on page 3,
The word above the cello line was boldly printed: "V."
"So—in a score there's 'V'; and, clearly, V is half of X. . . .
Fourscore, then, must be 80. . . . Independence. . . . Yes, it checks!"
(January 2004)


110. TRANSPOSAL (5) (MOSH = part of + phrase)
METATHESIS (4)

The luthier Lupot, when he crafted a bow,
Oft used whalebone in making the grip
(These days, that's a MHOS; it was legal in those).
So say "MOSH, PIT" when music says "TIP."

(An irony here: although PITs are, yes, whales
With bones, they've no whalebone; and thus, "MOSH, PIT" fails.)
(January 2004)


111. OVERLOADED FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (2 4, 6) (2 4 = 11C-inferable usage; 6 = some NI3 addenda, +)
(with a nod to January KU-1)

When Wabbit tried to CLEAN her carpets with that blasted Oreck,
She called the thing a lemon. That was nicely metaphoric!
(January 2004)


112. REVERSED CONSONANTCY (*7 *4, 11) (ALICE = not MW, COLE = 11C-inferable)
HOMONYM (11, 10) (COLE, COAL) (11s are the same)

ALICE was born as a coal miner's daughter.
She didn't reside on the shore, near the water:
She was COLE. She's got Nashville all wrapped 'round her finger
(That's a COAL metaphor; even so, she's some singer!).
(January 2004)


113. PHONIGMATIC REBUS (6 4)

Paganini studied hard
For months before he played a CARD.

     putrid parador
(January 2004)


114. WORD DELETION (9)

An angler, failing in his quest to hook some yellowfin, sighed:
"Fishing's clearly not my OUTSIDE." (That was TOTAL for the INSIDE.)
(January 2004)


115. SPOONERGRAM ([3 3], 3 2)

I've had a few TALL BREWs.
Now I can't BALL TRUE shoes.
(January 2004)


116. CONSONANTCY (3 3, 6 3) (SHAM, SHAME)

When I came to the league, things was different then.
The guys in the dugout—those fellas was men.
We'd play with a sprain or a bad busted knee.
We worshiped the game: we'd've played it for free!

The youngsters these days? They whine and they shirk.
Tell 'em, "Go shag some SHAMs!" . . . "Nah, man—too much like work!"
They've got "chronic fatigue"—hell, it's just the damn SHAME.
The national pastime? It just ain't the same. . . .
(February 2004)


117. LAST-LETTER CHANGE (*1 3 *1, 5) (PUNK = abbr., PUNY)
CONSONANTCY (*2 *4, 4) (BILLY'S, EYEBALLS)
CURTAILMENT (4)
(should be set to PUNK music)

Headin' out to far West Texas, where the winds roar cross the plain,
Couldn't wait to get to BILLY'S, so I could kiss my BRAIN.
Her EYEBALLS, sweet as PUNY, to mine I longed to press. . . . A
BRAINY came and blew my truck and me back to Odessa.
(February 2004)


118. OVERLOADED HETERONYM (1 5, 6)

Her husband grabbed his clubs and said, "I'm leaving to play FUN."
Her trusting heart assumed a pair of words and not just one.
(February 2004)


119. SECOND-SOUND CHANGE (3/3, 6) (PEACE = 3/3 = contains NI3 pronunciation)

Last night I couldn't sleep,
'Cause Pat next door (the creep!)
Kept singing some Pete Seeger song (the pest!).
I got down on my knees
And begged: "Would someone please
Give PEACE a PASS so I can get some rest?!"
(February 2004)


120. OVERLOADED HOMONYM (6, 4 3) (4 3 = 11C-inferable)

I was five. "Teach me math, Mom and Dad!"
"Sure—we'll teach you some SUM, little lad:
1 plus 2 equals 3, son; and then,
If you add 3 plus 3, you get 10."
(February 2004)


121. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE GROUP (5, 4) (SAUCE, SUNDAE)

I stopped my low-carb diet just last Monday.
Now I scarf chocolate SAUCE with white-hot SUNDAE.
(February 2004)


122. CHOP 'N' SWAP (5) (SHORT = compound-word usage) (can be sung)

SHORTworm, SHORTworm, measured all the marigolds;
Started on a redwood tree, but found it too darn big.
Cousin LONG worm, seven hundred ninety-two
SHORTworm lengths from stem to stern, said, "Beat it, kid. My gig."
(February 2004)


123. CHARADE (*4-1-*4) (TWO = not MW)

What kind of creature should this year's ALL be like?
Should it be canine, or should it be treelike,
That puppet for pelting? A ONE or a TWO?
(I'd better decide ere Shrove Tuesday is through.)
(February 2004)


124. WELDED TRANSPOSAL (7 2 [*5 *4]? 5 2, *1*1) (three parts) (*5 *4 = NI2)

"I phoned home, Elliott. They're on their way.
Until they get here, could we spend the day
Exploring Paris, amblin' to and fro
Towards that famed cathedral? Then I'll go."

"What?! Go to Paris? Blithely PASS A PAPS!
You can't be seen in public! Under wraps
Is where you'll stay. Here—take this: you can see
Gene Kelly's Paris romps on DVD."
(February 2004)


125. REVERSED CONSONANTCY (*6 *5, 4 4) (LACEY = not MW; a form of CLAY is 11C, NI3 confirms)

If LACEY were a plumber
In Paris or Calais,
Would he make French connections
With 6-inch lengths of CLAY?
(March 2004)


126. HOMONYM (9 6; 4 1 [4 1'4], 3) (PAIN, PANE)

The royal PAIN grew weary of his job,
Wherein he'd take voracious fish and lob
Those piscine predators into the moat.
"Advancement opportunities," he wrote,
"Are slim to none with this king on the throne."
To trusted allies he let it be known
He meant to overthrow the tyrant king.
Alas, a bribe induced one knave to sing.
Advisors pledged, "Your Highness, we shan't PANE!
The royal guard fights hard to save your reign!"
(March 2004)


127. SPOONERGRAM ([*6 8]; 6, 8) (2nd 8 = not MW)

Thanksgiving with my relatives is fun.
They do not eat fastidiously. They
Anoint their salad greens with lots of ONE;
Once they thus TWO commences straightaway.
(March 2004)


128. BEHEADMENT (*5, 4) (MARTIN, ART-IN)
METATHESIS (4, *4) (ART-IN, TRAIN)
HOMONYM (*4, 5) (EE, E)
(4s are the same) (TRAIN EE = 11C)

When they teamed Lewis up with MARTIN, top execs chose brilliantly.
It wasn't on an ART-IN that Herr Engels joined a young TRAIN EE.
Yes, shrewdly paired such duos were who'd leave their E on history.
(March 2004)


129. HETERONYM (4 2, 6) (YOUTH = +)

The merchant touted everything
He offered as "fit for a king."
In Misr once, the claim was truth:
He YOU TH' aglet to the YOUTH.
(March 2004)


130. REVERSAL (3, *2*1) (DOG = +, GOD = abbr.)
(with a nod to April 32)

Mother Horner said to Jill,
"Eat your DOG, or else I will
Take you to Fermilab (in Ill.)
And zap you with a GOD, ma fille."
(April 2004)


131. FALSE NEGATION (5, 8)

The IT girl sat in math class,
Daydreaming of her beau.
Her scores had been increasing.
Love broke the UNIT, though.
(April 2004)


132. REVERSED CONSONANTCY (6)

The Brobdingnag Wal-Mart
Sells hectare-size tissues:
The output's prodigious
When AUSSIES get ISSUES.
(April 2004)


133. HETERONYM ([*1. *1. *5], *1*1 5) (ST. RAW, STRAW) (*1*1 = abbr.)

I'm a die-hard blues fan.
Play the old classics, man:
I'll give anything for some ST. RAW.
If, while grooving to blues,
I drink too many brews,
I'll give anything if there's a STRAW.
(April 2004)


134. METATHESIS (3-4, *7) (MAINE = 3-4 = 11C-inferable)

As I sit at the wheel of my shiny big rig,
Totin' a load down the road for a piece,
I might, right in MAINE, stick some tunes that I dig
By A MINE in the tape deck (I just love Les Six).
(April 2004)


135. REPEATED-BIGRAM DELETION (6) (DIMINUTION = abbr., *)

Dalmatian denotation:
"DIMINUTION ELONGATION."
(April 2004)


136. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (7 5) (S = *)

S made sure his lithographs were wholesome and G-rated.
If figures had to be unclad, their TATTLETALES were shaded.
(May 2004)


137. PHONETIC DELETION (6)

The Transcendental Tale of Mr.
Rowe: One day, he told his sister,
"Let me take your girls to eat
Dessert." "Oh, Thor, that would be sweet!"

"Some cake!" exclaimed one of the nieces.
"I'm starved!" the other cried. "Two pieces!"
"And you, sir?" "Let's see. . . . I'll have pie."
The waiter, puzzled, said, "I'll try—
But cutting it may prove a crisis:
I've never LOPPED a LOT of slices!"
(May 2004)


138. OVERLOADED ALTERNADE (4) (both shorter parts = *)

When I walked into the clinic at the U.S. Army base,
I was greeted by a doctor with a great big, goofy FACE.
(May 2004)


139. REPEATED-LETTER CHANGE (6, 2-2-2) (TOT, POP)

It hardly can be said that TOTs are wimps
At carnal pairings. These rare "pygmy chimps,"
When faced with POP decisions in re mating,
Will do the dirty, seldom hesitating.
(May 2004)


140. SECOND-LETTER CHANGE (7) (SPURGEON = +)

Steatopygic Scottie says to surgeon:
"Take a wee sma SPURGEON off each STURGEON."
(May 2004)


141. PHRASE SHIFT (3. "*1'1 *3. [3 2]) (*3 = not MW but possibly inferable)

"Cheek to Cheek" was on everyone's lips.
A youth pressed the master for tips.
He sputtered, "Sir? Mr. Berlin?
I don't aim to make it on Tin
Pan Alley. I come from the sticks.
I sort of got into a fix:
I made up a good bluegrass song,
But what I wrote down just sounds wrong.
So, Mr. Berlin, sir, could you
Help me write out a chord change or two?"
Berlin winked and grinned ear to ear.
"We don't stand on formality here.
I'll get me a real swelled head
With the 'Mr.' and 'sir' bit," he said
To the PHRASE lots of hours with some books
On harmony: good, thorough looks
At diminished and major and minor. . . .
Soon you'll be a big country headliner!"
(May 2004)


142. ENIGMATIC REBUS [8 4]

     NPL

Look at her face! It's simply glowing!
She must have had a BEST BAND GOING.
(June 2004)


143. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (13 8)

I can't stay home and watch my soaps. Boo hoo!
But I can tape them D OUAGADOUGOU.
(June 2004)


144. REBUS (3 3 7 4 4 2 11: "*4) (*4 = not MW usage; reading contains NI3, 11C-findable material)

     hi!

When Star Wars wrapped, "Luke" gave to "Leia"
Flowers in a big bouquet—a
Nice touch. Carrie, much impressed,
Thanked HI!, you sweetie, you're the best!"
(June 2004)


145. OVERLOADED BEHEADMENT (8)

A:
A PLAY.
(June 2004)


146. FALSE ASSOCIATE (5, 7) (both +)

A junkie will FIRST for a hit,
'Cause he ain't got the SECOND to quit.
(June 2004)


147. HOMONYM (^5 ^5, 6 5) (NOSE, KNOWS)
BEHEADMENT (*6) (not MW)
FIFTH-LETTER CHANGE (7, *4 3) (PLANE = *4 3 = 11C-inferable)

In his fine book The NOSE,
Tom Wolfe KNOWS, gritty prose
About JANE, who was ANE
To fly a PLANK PLANE.
(June 2004)


148. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*5 *7) (not MW)

"Hold on to this. Just keep it for a spell,"
The hobbit said, then moved to Rivendell.
If MR. HAMSTER'd known what Frodo faced,
He'd not have been so quick to make such HASTE.
(June 2004)


149. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*11)

Genetic engineers get roundly BAITS
For putting BARE ILL TREES upon our plates.
(June 2004)


150. FREEWHEELING REPEATED-BIGRAM DELETION (^6' 2 3 ^4) (LIMO contains * abbr.)

Imagine yourself as a studio head
In the '50s. In time, you have come to just dread
All those writers, directors, and riffraff who walk
In your office, then stand there and pitch you their schlock.

"I call it The War for Olympus!" you hear.
You mutter "Oy vey," try to slip out the rear.
"It's gods versus goddesses! LIMO drives squads
Of her supergirl soldiers against those Greek gods!"

"Get out!" You've arrived at the end of your rope
When Stan Donen appears, thereby kindling some hope. . . .
"A musical. Kelly's shown interest. He'll croon
While it's pouring. I call the thing ON LION MOON."
(June 2004)


151. CHARADE (8) (ONE = compound-word usage, TWO = phrase usage)
(should be set as an irritatingly insipid jingle)

ONEcats! TWO cats! Every kind of feline
Just loves ALL! Your cat will make a beeline!
Meow! It's lobster! Meow! It's liver!
Yum! ALL's both, and ALL's what you should give her!
(June 2004)

Puzzles, July 2004–April 2006
Puzzles, May 2006–present



Back to my home page.
Back to my main links page.