Two youngsters decided to spend their weekly allowance on bubble gum. In addition to their 85˘, they managed to dig up $1.31 from under the sofa cushion. If the pieces of bubble gum had been one cent cheaper each, they would have received three more pieces of bubble gum than they did. How many pieces did they actually get?
A pithy saying has been dropped onto the blanks below. Word divisions are indicated by X's and the letters for each blank have been placed in alphabetical order below each column. A dash indicates a word continuation. Fill in the letters to read the statement.
_ _ _ X _ _ _ _ X _ _ _ _ _ X _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X _ _ _ X _ _ _ _ _ _ _ X _ _ _- _ X _ _ _ X _ _ _ _ X _ _ X _ _ _ _ _ _- _ X _ _ _ _ X _ _ _ X _ _ _ _ X X X X X G H A H A N L A N G E I A G G E O R H A T H E N O N O T O T H I N I N G T T I E T W O U T W Y T T S N T W W S N T Y Y U W T
Start with the letter A. Add the letters below in order, making a new word at each step, until you make a seven-letter word. Adding S to make a plural is not allowed; you must rearrange the letters or add a letter to make a completely new word. (Example: I, it, tin, tine)
R E C S S T
A simple magic square is easy. It's a square in which all the numbers from 1 to 9, placed in a grid as shown below, add up to 15 in each direction. Make an anti-magic square, in which each line total, across, down, and long diagonals, is different.
Magic square Anti-Magic Square 4 9 2 ? ? ? 3 5 7 ? ? ? 8 1 6 ? ? ?
Of the three finalists in the science scholarship contest, John, William and Sally came in one, two, and three, but not necessarily in that order. The winner was the physicist. The one who was not last or first was the mathematician. The one who came in last had black hair. John had brown hair. Sally had red hair. John did not have any training in physics. Who was first?
It's difficult being called on unexpectedly in class, but Professor Jones decided to do it to wake up his sleeping students. "I don't mind if you know my age," he said. "It's in all the directories, and I can assume the approximate age of one of you. No written homework tonight for the first person who can solve this: If you subtract one age from mine, you'll get 44, but if you multiply them together, you'll get 1280." It took Tom fifteen seconds, because he tried his age in the problem, and it was right. How old were Tom and the professor?
Palindromes are words, phrases, or sentences reading the same backward as forward, like Madam, I'm Adam. Here are some palindrome defintiions. Fill in the palindromes.
Some confusion about a vehicle or an animal in
sight:
___ __ _ ___ __ _ ___ _ ___?
Roy didnt like the big city at all and wouldn't
stay:
___ ___ ____, ___ ____ __.
The weary clothing merchant was cleaning up from his "after the holidays" coat sale. He had already marked the coats down twice, but he still had one nice coat for sale. It had originally been $300. At the first markdown, he had reduced it to $210. At the second markdown, he tagged it at $147. If he marks it down now on the same principle, what will the new price be?
Can you discover the word that this verse discribes?
My first is in fish but not in snail
My second in rabbit but not in tail
My third in up but not in down
My fourth in tiara not in crown
My fifth in tree you plainly see
My whole a food for you and me.
The following is a simple substitution cryptogram in which a number has been substituted for a letter. The same number stands for the same letter each time.
26 23 18 9 23 18 13 7 19 22 19 26 13 23 18 8 14 22 8 8 2.
Can you go from GLOW to WORM in only seven steps, changing one letter at a time and making a good English word at each step?
G L O W _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W O R M
Gabe was having trouble lining up his tin soldiers. He didn't have all that many, fewer than one hundred, but he couldn't seem to arrange them on parade properly. He kept having odd numbers left over. He tried rows of five and there were four left over; he tried rows of six and had four left over; rows of seven with one left over. He finally decided to have a very narrow parade and arrange the four abreast. That worked. What's the smallest number of toy soldiers he could have had?
Find a five digit number in which the last number is the sum of the first, second and third; the third is four less than the last; the fourth is two less than the last; and the first and fourth added are one less than the last. The last number is also three times the second.
A palindrome is a word, phrase, sentence, or line that can be read backward or forward. (Example: Madam, I'm Adam.) Here are two palindrome descriptions to figure out:
Instructions to someone who is afraid, in a gun duel: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _All the inhabitants of ancient Rome were smart, not stupid: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
At the winter carnival, you see a new ring toss game. There are five rings, numbered 16, 17, 23, 24, and 39. You can use each ring as many times as you want to reach the score that is picked for each game. While you were watching, the salesman chooses 100, and dares the crowd to pick the smallest combination of ring tosses that will give you that score. What rings will you pick?
Each of the following jumbled words has had at least three of the same letter removed from it, a different letter from each word. find the missing letters and reconstruct the words.
YTHLNM AEEHNRU DEINNOI
Darlene likes 225 but not 224; she likes 900 but not 800; she likes 144 but not 145. Does she like 1600 or 1700?
The following sentence has two blanks. The same six letters, rearranged, can be used to make two different words which will fill the blanks appropriately. Find the words.
The little woodland _ _ _ _ _ _ was having a wonderful time playing with all the animals in the woods; unfortunately, she had no previous knowledge of the pretty furry little animal with the peculiar _ _ _ _ _ _ , but soon was sadder and wiser.
..‹÷ µEach of the following words contains the letters FEB. Fill in the missing letters.
Feverish: F E B _ _ _ _ Untenable; that cannot be excused or justified: _ _ _ _ F E _ _ _ B _ _ Not strong: F E _ B _ _
If 9 is twice 5, how will you write 6 times 5 in the same system of notation and what will the answer be?
Find the correct letters from the given clues to form a new word.
My first is in ocean but not in sea
My second in milk but not in me
My third in three but not in throw
My fourth in vow but not in crow
My fifth in eight but not in night
My last in wrong and also in right
My whole is praise for thoughts or men
Or women too or tongue or pen.
Each of the letters below has been given a numerical value. The sum of each row and column except one is shown. Figure out the missing number.
X Y Z W 110 Y X Z W 110 Y W Z X 110 X Y W Z 110 90 105 125 ?
A word square is a square in which words read the same across and down. Make up a four letter by four letter word square in which you use five E's, four N's, two M's, two each A and D, and one S.
The wicked witch of Puzzleland, angered by three Liars from the under 30 set, told each of them how much longer he was going to live. The witch said, "You have a total of 130 years left among you. The oldest has already lived half his life; the second oldest has lived one third; and the youngest, who told me more lies than anyone else, has already lived one third of his life." How old are the Liars?
The following groups of four letters are each missing one letter (the same in each word) to form a word when rearranged. When the same group of letters appears more than once, this means you must form more than one word from the same letters. Find the missing letter and unscramble the words.
M L E P ? P L M E ? L D E I ? X L Y L ? F Y F D ? D R F W ? G M D O ? D L I E ?
At the Puzzleland toy store, the proprietor has priced a game at 14˘, a doll at 21˘, a koala bear at 28˘ and a top at 14˘. Using the same logic, how much does he charge for a pinwheel?
What relationship to you is your father's only brother's wife's only brother-in-law?
If Boston is east of New York, cross out all the A's. If not, cross out the R's. If Paris is south of New York, cross out all the O's. If not cross out the I's. If Sri Lanka is in Asia, cross out all the B's and U's. If not cross out the C's. The remaining letters will be the answer to this puzzle.
C A A O I I A B U R R I A U E I B B C I A U T
Can you figure out how many birds (two legged) and how many mammals (four-legged) are at your local zoo? You counted 78 legs and 35 heads. How many of each were there?
The old lady who lived in a shoe was having some trouble buying Valentine's Day presents for her enormous family. Although she bought the least expensive Valentines she could find, the bill was high. Of course, both a 15% sales tax and a 5% luxury tax were added to the original price. She paid a total of $100. What was the cost of the Valentines before taxes?
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, so we now celebrate President's Day around this date. Each of the following three lines contains three presidents' names. Unscramble them to find the chief executives.
R T O K O E S N E R V N E U L E M D T A N Y
J J T E O F Y F H L E N E R S R O S O N N
T C A O W F O A S T L H I I D N G G E T O N
Can you complete the square logically?
1 1 1 1 1 3 5 7 1 5 13 25 1 7 25 ??
Six men, A, B, C, D, E, and F, for short, and their mothers live in a village.
Each mother was widowed and has married as her second husband one of the men other than her son.
Mrs. D points out to C's mother that, by marriage, she (Mrs. D) has become the great-grandmother of Mrs. E, A has become B's stepgrandfather, and Mrs. F is the daughter-in-law of Mrs. C's granddaughter-in-law.
Who married whom?
In the following puzzle ">" represents arrows.
8 > 10 > > > 16 > 18 > 20 > > 24 > > > __
What number belongs in the empty space after the three arrows?
These words follow a logical progression:
SUNKEN
MONASTICISM
TUESDAY
WEDGIES
THUMB-SUCKER
FRIVOLITY
Which one of these words should be next?
SQUANDER
SATIATE
MINE
TABLE
Complete the following square logically:
A A C A E A B B B D B E A C C C D ? D B D C ? ? A E B ? ? ? F A ? ? ? ?
A rather softhearted antique dealer often paid more than she should and sold for less than she could. This time, she was figuring out her costs and profits. Her sister said, "You sold that dish for only a 5 percent profit. If you had bought it for 10 percent less than you did pay, and sold it at the same price, you would have made a $15 profit." How much did the antique dealer pay for the dish?
All the vowels have been removed from the following sentence. Put back the vowels to find the sentence. The letters have been broken into groups of five with three nulls.
THRSN TMSCN NTHSW HLPLC SDTHC NDCTR TNLSS LYXXX
Each of the following four words has the same vowel removed. At least three of that vowel are missing from each word. What are the reconstructed words?
PRMAT RHARS TNAGR FORSR
Each of the following sets of letters has three or more related words interlettered. Unscramble the words, in which all the letters appear in their proper order. (Hint: think food.)
BPKIAINNPEWEAAAINPFCAPRLUEITH
PSPMIEAAZGHTZEBTAATLILS
CPCAURKEADEMDPIUNFGFS
Can you go from PINK to ROSE in four steps, changing one letter at a time and making a new English word each time?
P I N K _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R O S E
The local recycling plant had a contract requiring anyone who obtained recycled bottles for storage from them, to bring them back to be recycled again. The plant could make one new bottle from every seven bottles returned. One week they got 343 bottles to recycle. Assuming that everybody brought back all the empties, how many could they eventually make from 343?
Each of the following words contains the letters MAR. Using the defintions below fill in the blanks:
More insane; also a paint color: M A _ _ _ R Where goods are sold: M A R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Scanty: M _ A _ _ R
Draw a square. Inside the square draw four lines from top to bottom and four lines from side to side, creating a 5 x 5 grid. How many squares of any size are in the diagram?
If three salesmen can sell three stoves in seven minutes, how many stoves can six salesmen sell in seventy minutes?
Each of the following words includes the letters MAR. Using the definitions, fill in the words.
An unusual type of boat: _ _ _ _ M A R _ _ An Italian seafood: _ _ _ _ M A R _ A title of nobility: M A R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
March usually brings warm weather. Can you go from COLD to WARM on paper in only four steps?
C O L D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ W A R M
There was a fabric sale going on at Caveat Emptor Goods. True to his store's name, the owner had a slightly short yardstick-3 inches short, to be exact. However, to make up for this, and so he wouldn't lose too many customers, he added 5% to whatever yard goods he gave, which was usually enough. This time, however, Sally ordered 5 yards of curtain material, having measured her windows very exactly. Was she short or over and by how much?
Each of the following words can be changed into something edible by scrambling the letters and making a new word. Can you name them?
PLAYERS SANDIER ASSUAGE BARELY
Only one word can be anagrammed from SPRINGIEST What is it?
My first is in silly but not in fool
My second in pupil but not in school
My third in read and also write
My fourth in glimpse and also light
My fifth in ten but not in three
My last in glad and also glee
That's clue enough to figure out
What word this poem is about
There are many common English words that become plural by adding an s. There are only a few that become singular again by adding another s. Can you name two?
Each of the following four words is the name of a bird, but most of the letters have been removed. Fill in the blanks to get the names of the birds.
_ A _ _ I _ A _ _ L _ _ I _ G _ _ P _ R _ O _ P _ R _ _ _ E _
For St. Patrick's Day the letters ERIN have been placed in the square below. Fill in each line so that those four letters are in each row across, down, and on the long diagonals. No two letters may be the same in any line, nor may two identical letters be next to each other.
E _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ I _ _ _ _ N
Each of the following groups of letters can be anagrammed into at least two words. Unscramble the letters.
EFIRSSU EEMPRSU EENPRST
If TEN = 20 - 5 - 14; and MEN = 13 - 5 - 14; what do WOMEN equal by the same logic?
Find the correct letter for each definition or explanation, and complete the word.
My first is in sugar but not in tea
My second in swim but not in sea
My third in apple and also pear
My fourth in ring and also hare
My last in ten but not in herd
My whole a complimentary word.
What is the five-digit number, no zeroes, in which the second digit is three times the first, the third is one more than the second, the fourth is four times the first, and the last is one-half more than the second?
Complete the last square of letters, using the same system as followed in the previous four squares.
T H U Z I S E O ? ? P E D Q S S I L Z A M S F ? ?
One of the marks of creativity is seeing associations. The following list of words should call to mind other words using this word, whether as part of a word or part of a phrase, or just in a relative manner. (Example: TAG--- tag along, tag out, ragtag, tag sale) The book asks for four for each word, but I'll take three for each for the point.
WAIST
SPOT
LOVE
CHECK
In Puzzleland's silly grocery store, the proprietor has decided to price things a certain way. A daffodil is worth 10˘; a carrot is worth 8˘; a peach is worth 5˘; a zucchini is worth 10˘. What is a plum worth and what is a cherry worth and why?
Solve the following cryptogram:
D'B T RAIPFWONH XANKFCFFZFW. FLFWM UDBF D EFU PDLAWGFP, D CFFZ UXF XANKF.
~SKT SKT ETVAW
Find the starting point and move from letter to adjoining letter, horizontally and vertically, but not diagonally, to spell a twelve letter word. What are the missing letters and what is the word?
E _ I R B A A _ T _ O I
K'JZ GZZS PDKSA FZA FKYLB YWKLIYTFFH YDV
WGDTL YKYLZZS HZWVB, WSP LIZ DSFH LIKSA
LIWL IWB ADLLZS LIKSSZV KB LIZ RWVNZL
UIZVZ K IWJZ GZZS PDKSA LIZ FZA FKYLB.
~VKLW VTPSZV
What is the answer if, from the number below, you multiply by five the number of even numbers that are immediately followed by an odd number?
4 7 8 5 3 1 9 7 8 4 4 7 8 9 2 3
What word continues the following sequence and why?
PLEAD LABEL ALBUM LUSTY
A. FROWN
B. UTTER
C. LUNCH
D. DREAM
E. CHARM
What number comes next in the following sequence?
34 7 29 11 23 16 16 22 ?
A word can be placed in the brackets that has the same meaning as the words on the outside. What is it?
ENCLOSURE {_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _} COMBINE
If the missing letters in the two circles below are correctly inserted they will form synonymous words. The words do not have to be read in a clockwise direction, but the letters are consectutive. What are the words and missing letters?
S S ? U I ? S A ? E R N D N E ?
If you divide 552 by 1/4, and then divide the result by half the original figure, what is the answer?
Complete the three letter words, which reading down, will reveal a country.
T E ? N I ? F O ? T I ? B A ? O B ? E R ?
Which of the following is not an anagram of a fruit? What are the anagrams of the others?
MINK PUP BURY REBEL PLANE PIPE MANS GUTS DAMN RAIN
Rickey and his friends decided to get together to celebrate his birthday. There were 11 people at the party. They clinked glasses with each other, every person with every other person, just once. How many times did the glasses clink?
YLBMRY--ZYBR CK EJOLVIG BJL BMZBKG IJOVDOVU RQ ALEQJL RYLK EBMM IQZV. ~WYKMMOG IOMMLJ
6 2 5 7 8 3 17 7 9 2 9 9 7 4 10 ?
Which of the following should replace the question mark and why?
A. 24
B. 30
C. 18
D. 12
E. 26
SECOND {ARDENT} NATURE
Following the same rules as above, what word should go in the brackets?
VALISE {______} OPENLY
What three letter word can be placed in front of the other five to form five new words?
ABLE
PIN
FOLD
DON
ANT
KNPRLRY ZFGS, "GU'Z IPU KNRUNRY CPH KGI PY QPZR UNFU BPHIUZ," WYPDFDQC QPZU. ~XFYUGIF IFLYFUGQPLF
1. In what sequence must you write down the number 3 so that the end result will be 4?
2. Use the number 3 in three different combinations, seven, eight and nine times respectively, so that the result is 100 every time.
GLOSSY METALS is an angram of a well known three-word phrase (3,7,2) which could also be "ready for the off". What is the phrase?
WUJQ FOJS WM OUMMW OULAYJQ WJVBYJ WUAMFKU KHFDJ. WUJQ MFKUW WM OUMMW VJ WUAMFKU YLCMYJFV.
~WHYYFYHU RHCGUJHS
A man returned from his greenhouse with a small basket of cherries. To his first friend he gave half his cherries, plus half a pair of cherries, to his second he gave half of what he had left, plus half a pair of cherries, and to the third he gave half of what he had left plus half a pair of cherries. This meant he had no cherries left. How many did he start with?
What number replaces the question mark?
1 7 5 9 5 7
6 4 8 1 4 4
2 3 2 ? 9 2
9 1 2 3 3 5
2 6 5 4 3 7
What 5 letter word can be placed in front of the other five to form five new words?
TIME
CLUB
LATCH
CAP
DRESS
Place two three-letter segments together to form a shade. ISE SCA YEL LEW CER LET
BESMUS MKKSBF TC WSUHQDMFHPD. H YPD'F GMDF FP RSEPDQ FP MDC KEOR FZMF GHEE MKKSBF TS MU M TSTRSW.
~QWPOKZP TMWL
If the missing letters in the two circles below are correctly inserted they will form antonymous words. They don't have to read clockwise, but the letters are consecutive. What are the words?
E ? ? S ? I O C T D I A N I T ?
Insert + and - to make each of the following equations correct.
1. 2 9 3 5 7 1 = 9
2. 4 4 5 7 2 8 = 8
3. 3 6 5 2 4 4 = 0
4. 8 4 3 5 2 1 = 7
What four letter word can be added at the end of the following to make five new words?
A ? ? ? ?
I N ? ? ? ?
C O ? ? ? ?
T O ? ? ? ?
S ? ? ? ?
AV KFSEZAGXUNF PSM S DNFV XGIKU PGASE. MUN CIFLNZ XUFNN UIMCSEZM. XPG GB XUNA PNFN OIMX ESTTLEK.
~FLXS FIZENF
Five friends met every week for a card game. They used a table with six chairs. Eventually they realized that they had chosen a different seating arrangement each week and had exhausted every possibility. How long had the friends been playing cards together?
How many minutes is it before 10:00 pm if, 50 minutes ago, it was four times as many minutes past 7:00 pm?
ROWS SOFTWARE FATE ???? COMPLETE MELT Which word below should replace the question marks above? A. COME B. POET C. COPE D. LOPE E. CODE
Place two three-letter segments together to form an item of clothing.
ORA TER GOT ROS FED RUF
What number should replace the question mark?
2 -1/3 1/18 ? 1/648A. 1/108 B. 1/324 C.-1/324 D.-1/108 E. 1/36
In the course of making soap, the cutting machine produces scraps. The scraps from 11 bars of soap could be cut into one extra bar. How many bars can be made after cutting 250 bars of soap?
Find two words with different spellings, but sound alike, that can mean: BOUNTY / MEDDLES
NKX RJPXS NZC, OFSH ETPG PGR VKFKX VKCPXKF ZCPTF T PZXC BXRRC.
~ WSYTW FRPPRXUSC
What 4 letter word can be placed in front of the other five words to form five new words?
BLOWN
PELT
GROWN
BODIED
BACK
What number should come next?
1 2 3 7 22 ?