The Sphinx's Lair

OK, my last one was solved in like 30 seconds, let's try for a better one. A pirate's favourite word inside the leader of an ancient pantheon inside moved quickly inside espouse one's opinions violently inside to increase one's skill level inside rice-and-cheese-based French food inside increase...

Deusovi

That's where everyone else is stuck right now.

Rubio

geez Deus. ^ fast enough?

dcfyj

8:10 PM

?

Deusovi

I answered a question in 17 seconds.

dcfyj

ah

Rubio

it shows 73 seconds to me

Deusovi

Er, apparently a minute and 13 seconds. I guess the time since posting didn't update until I refreshed the page.

Rubio

well - post to answer

still, that's barely enough time to read and type :)

You're gonna give that OP a complex.

Deusovi

8:14 PM

Still haven't beaten my old record of 37 seconds, unfortunately.

Maria Deleva

Let me give you an "easy" riddle, according to my 5-year-old daughter. "What is yellow, white and orange"?

incesterror21

An orange?

Maria Deleva

A chair.

And what is "white and orange"?

dcfyj

@incesterror21 Where do you get your oranges that they're yellow white and orange? Please tell me you've not been eating those.

Wrong reply, :P

incesterror21

Well there's white and orange inside

Maria Deleva

8:17 PM

The answer to the second is a "clown fish".

According to her.

dcfyj

True, hadn't through about the inside

@MariaDeleva closed as too broad :P

Maria Deleva

Well, we can excuse her - she is just 5. :D

dcfyj

I know

Maria Deleva

Her riddles are always like that. :D

Deusovi

NO EXCUSES. THE CLOSEHAMMER OF JUSTICE SHOWS NO MERCY.

Maria Deleva

8:19 PM

@Deusovi I bow to you. :D

incesterror21

#dontBeNiceToChildren

Maria Deleva

hhahaha :)

And did you know that when the pig grows big, it becomes a bull? Another one of her deductions. :D

Children can be hilarious

dcfyj

apparently

Rubio

I love children.

Juicy and tender.

with new potatoes and a nice red wine.

Maria Deleva

Juicy? I hope you do not eat them :D

Yeah, wine solves all my problems, too. :D

Deusovi

8:23 PM

@dcfyj, how's set 5 going for you?

Rubio

I've a modest proposal for you, one that helped me solve some of my problems.

dcfyj

Not finding the balancing numbers

Maria Deleva

@Rubio do tell

Rubio

meh. I hate when I type those backwards.

Maria Deleva

Ah, I haven't heard of this proposal. Seems funny. :)

Sid

8:28 PM

Hey @Deusovi, Can you give me some example of a cryptic clue with two wordplays and no def?

Deusovi

No, because that's not a proper cryptic clue.

Rubio

@MariaDeleva It's rather famous.

dcfyj

Or is it infamous?

Maria Deleva

@Rubio, well, I guess it is not so famous in my country - have no idea why...

I have heard the author, but not the work.

Sphinx

0

Q: I need help solving this riddle! It's driving me crazy!

Both a noun and a verb, but issued in a tiny blurb. An airplane today, trash tomorrow, all of these require a bit of power. Delivered via server, mail or store; throw it away, or use it some more.

riddle

Deusovi

8:33 PM

Hey Sp!

Sp3000

Hey :)

Deusovi

@Sp3000: Have you tried Witless yet? It's pretty good.

18

Q: WITLESS - A Puzzling Journey

IMPORTANT! READ ME: The only 'puzzle' parts of this are the links, titled 'Set X', 'Inscription X', or 'Constellation X'. Everything else is flavortext, apart from this readme section, although the flavortext does tell you that the meaning of the inscriptions is not supposed to be deduced until...

grid-deduction

Sp3000

@Ankoganit [h]OP[e] + TIM + IS + T[his]?

Deusovi

@Sp3000 That's gotta be it!

@Ankoganit: I loved that clue.

Sp3000

Probably not any time soon unfortunately, took a quick glance yesterday when I saw you guys solving though :P

Deusovi

8:42 PM

You should try to solve it! It's a lot of fun.

dcfyj

ONce I knew the rule 1-4 were easy, 5 is still evading me though

Deusovi

That's where everyone else is stuck right now - I'm writing up my (partial) answer, and calling that one "The Second Roadblock".

(The first is set 4.)

dcfyj

I had no issues with set 4, is the rule perspective change the same?

Deusovi

Hm? The rule perspective change?

dcfyj

Well, the rule never actually changes, just your perspective of it

Rubio

8:45 PM

Huh. That was clueing taking the heart of hope? I totally didn't read that into it

Deusovi

As you've probably guessed, you should be learning the meaning of the square.

dcfyj

of course

Rubio

I think the meaning of it is - 5.4 .... and, back to square one

dcfyj

@Sp3000 I just noticed, but what's the definition?

Deusovi

@dcfyj The whole thing! It's an &lit clue.

Rubio

8:46 PM

@dcfyj it's a &lit. the whole thing is the def

dcfyj

ah

Rubio

hence the ! at the end

dcfyj

Yeah, I don't read into those

Makes me surprised I ever solved one

Deusovi

Cryptics are fun! You should do more of them. :P

dcfyj

I'm pretty ok at building them, solving (like most other puzzles) not so much

Deusovi

8:50 PM

Hey Chris!

Sp3000

First few sets seem simple enough, will have to sit down and try some other time though (will probably be busy soon, and you know why :P)

Deusovi

@Sp3000 Yep! I'm leaving for Boston in a few hours.

dcfyj

Because you sir, have a C4 to write :P

Deusovi

That too.

dcfyj

(or ma'am)

Sp3000

8:51 PM

Should I wait for confirmation first?

Deusovi

That's definitely correct.

dcfyj

@Sp3000 May as well start writing, no?

Sp3000

True :P

dcfyj

Gives you more time to make it epic :P

Let's not make it rotten though, right @Deusovi?

Chris Cudmore

He gave an az126 hash of 121 somewhere

Deusovi

8:53 PM

I'm not apologizing for that clue.

dcfyj

lol, I'm not saying you should

Rubio

it has 121 for its az126

GentlePurpleRain

@Deusovi Anywhere but here, it would probably be considered too obscure.

Deusovi

cool, sounds good to me

dcfyj

It would, afterall, ruin your evil appearance

Rubio

8:54 PM

so - even if it wasn't obviously right, it is now :)

Sp3000

Gonna need to transcript to see what you're talking about :P gimme a sec...

Deusovi

@Sp3000 I can tell you

"It makes wet god - disgusting! (6)"

previous C4

GentlePurpleRain

Nov 23 '16 at 16:27, by dcfyj

answer: Rotten (rot10)

Deusovi

it's a double def!

ROTTEN and ROT-TEN

dcfyj

I'm positive someone other than myself solved that

Deusovi

8:55 PM

Sconibulus did

dcfyj

I believe I was simply reiterating

GentlePurpleRain

@dcfyj I think the above quotation was just the explanation.

Chris Cudmore

5 hours ago, by Ankoganit

Alright, the A1Z26 sum is 121 and I'm off for now

Deusovi

Nov 23 '16 at 16:17, by Sconibulus

@Deusovi I think I hate you

see, that's how you can tell he solved it

(that and the answer right afterwards)

Sp3000

I'd have a question mark instead of an exclamation mark but otherwise seems fine, although a longer pair of words would have been fairer :P

Deusovi

8:56 PM

Well, I gave the words verbatim in the clue. And I found those manually. :P

Sp3000

I'd be concerned if you didn't give them verbatim :P

Deusovi

I mean, I could've used synonyms to clue them.

That'd be unfair though.

dcfyj

Just a tad

Sp3000

Very much so, hence why I'd be concerned :P (given the unexpected mechanic, it'd be like an indirect anagram if you synonym'd it)

dcfyj

Pretty sure it'd be worse than that

Deusovi

8:58 PM

I've done unexpected mechanics with synonyms before.

"Trained to weave stiff footwear (8)" was one of my favorites.

Sid

@Deusovi You are not permitted to solve my latest puzzle. :-)

Deusovi

Fair enough!

dcfyj

Go SP!

Sp3000

If weave does what I think it does (opposite of odd/even) then that's fine, since it clues what to do with the letters. But "it makes" is a backwards inference.

Deusovi

@Sp3000 Yep. COLD + SHOE --> SCHOOLED

Sp3000

9:01 PM

Nice :)

Rubio

I still think that one was mean :)

Deusovi

"It [verb characteristic of object being described]" is an alternate, sometimes acceptable form of definition.

Here, [verb COOBD] is "makes _ [into] _".

(Oh, and thanks! I loved how well the surface reading there worked)

Sp3000

I guess I'm fine with it because I know a friend who weaved FBI with ARC :P

Deusovi

heh, clever :P

@Sid I don't remember seeing any of those clues. Am I just being forgetful again?

Sid

Oh, The final clue is the perfect one. :-)

Deusovi

9:06 PM

Ah, alright!

Sid

Which they have to find out.

Okay, I gotta sleep. It's 2:30 local time here. I hope my puzzle would be solved by the time I get up.Good bye. :-)

Sphinx

0

Q: Metacryptic Puzzle (Part 1)

Okay, this is stolen from Matt's Metacryptic puzzle. Former PM, a backless Camera with an opposing kill. (7) Exertion without myself gets a headless era;Puzzling? (7) Affection is the body of the toil mixed with the heartless villainy. (4) 7 is the number of letters of the final word.

cryptic-clues

Chris Cudmore

Nice Rubio

Now to parse the first one properly

Why did he delete?

Rubio

9:21 PM

I.. don't know?

@Silenus Why delete yours?

Volatility

I'm pleasantly surprised that WITLESS hasn't been solved yet

Rubio

@Volatility Deus is getting there

everyone else is stuck on set 5

or earlier

Deusovi

Yep!

I'm at the summit.

It's hard.

Rubio

@ChrisCudmore can you delete your comment to remove the spoilers

i added what he had, I'm trying to finish the construction for #1 and have no idea how hehe

@Deusovi or anyone, any idea how to get ON from "an opposing kill" ? (or, possibly, any rightward substring of AMERON)

Deusovi

Nope.

I only looked at the final (meta-) clue there.

Chris Cudmore

9:34 PM

done

Rubio

it's obviously right, but I have no idea how he got to CAMERON with the wordplay

Chris Cudmore

Could opposing be a reversal? Can we get a left substring of NOREMA from KILL?

Neon612

@Rubio David Cameron, former PM of UK

David Cameron

David William Donald Cameron, PC (/ˈkæmᵊrən/; born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 2010 to July 2016. He served as the Leader of the Conservative Party from December 2005 to July 2016, and was Member of Parliament for Witney from June 2001 to September 2016. Cameron identifies as a One-Nation Conservative, and has been associated with both economically liberal and socially liberal policies. Born in London to wealthy upper middle-class parents, Cameron was educated at Heatherdown School, Eton College, and Brasenose College, Oxford...

Chris Cudmore

Who was his opposition leader?

Deusovi

The definition is fine. We need the wordplay.

Neon612

9:39 PM

Yeah, my bad

GentlePurpleRain

Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)

The Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition (more commonly known as the Leader of the Opposition) is the politician who leads the official opposition in the United Kingdom. The Leader of the Opposition by convention leads the largest party not within the government: where one party wins outright this is the party leader of the second largest political party in the House of Commons. The current Leader of the Opposition is Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, who was elected to the leadership of the Labour Party on 12 September 2015. The Leader of the Opposition is normally viewed as...

There's a chart in there.

Nothing jumps out.

Rubio

Huh. So weird.

We don't often find ourselves with the right answer and no clue how to show it :)

Neon612

Seems like you're looking for a word that could mean NO

Opposing flips it

Maybe?

Deusovi

Witless partial answer posted.

Rubio

oh

i got it

Deusovi

9:42 PM

Hey @Rand!

Rand al'Thor

@Silenus Ah, OK. Makes sense.

Evening all.

Volatility

@Deusovi can we take a peek at 5? >.<

Deusovi

I've posted hints for the sets too.

Volatility

Ah ok

Sp3000

That feeling when the definition of the &lit you have in mind isn't quite correct...

Deusovi

9:44 PM

You may find my first hint for #5 to be useful.

(Please, use the hints sparingly.)

Rand al'Thor

@Deusovi Flagged for swearing on the starboard :-P

Deusovi

@Randal'Thor Have you tried that puzzle? You'll see exactly why I swore. :P

(And besides, I don't think there's any rule against it as long as it's not excessive.)

Rand al'Thor

Which puzzle was it?

Deusovi

Witless.

Rand al'Thor

@Deusovi I was just kidding :-)

Deusovi

9:45 PM

(I know!)

20

Q: WITLESS - A Puzzling Journey

IMPORTANT! READ ME: The only 'puzzle' parts of this are the links, titled 'Set X', 'Inscription X', or 'Constellation X'. Everything else is flavortext, apart from this readme section, although the flavortext does tell you that the meaning of the inscriptions is not supposed to be deduced until...

grid-deduction

Rand al'Thor

Blimey.

TL;DR.

Deusovi

grid-deduction puzzles that you have to learn the rules of as you solve.

Rubio

@Deusovi There are only two bears currently asking me rather insistently for the answers to Set 5, but they seem to be growing increasingly agitated. Is it ok if I peek?

Deusovi

Twelve sets of five puzzles each. The fifth set tripped everyone up because of a new symbol being introduced. I solved it after a long time.

Rubio

I had several ideas. One, maybe, would work, but it feels so wrong, and I don't want to push on without having a good feel there.

Deusovi

9:47 PM

Does it give a unique solution to all 5?

@Rubio I suppose that's acceptable, as long as they've made it clear that the promise of those solutions is what's keeping you alive.

Rubio

I think it did. I was toying with it yesterday, haven't really looked again today

Deusovi

I'm curious to see what it was.

Rubio

it had to do with symmetries and intersections.

Deusovi

Nope.

incesterror21

good job

Rubio

9:49 PM

make it a real url?

Add http://.

that's how you do it

Very good

huh.

Huh!

Deusovi

Huh?

Rubio

9:50 PM

read the cleartext for 5

Deusovi

Did you get it? Or was my hint just surprising?

Yep, I know.

Rubio

didn't expect that. :)

well - more correctly - I considered it, then discarded it as I didn't know what else it would be

Rand al'Thor

Hey @Deusovi, I need some help polishing a cryptic clue - can I shoot you an email about it (and prevent you from being able to post an answer when it goes up)?

Deusovi

@Randal'Thor Is that second one your real motive? :P

(yeah, sure!)

Rubio

It's good enough for me. I'm gonna start cc:ing you on every puzzle I do. ;)

Rand al'Thor

9:52 PM

Heh.

Rubio

(Actually I think I'm safe. I'm trying to remember if you've even answered any of mine, and I'm drawing a blank)

boboquack

Every time I'm thinking of something for set 5, 1.2 screws me up :P

Deusovi

I answered Koffka Words.

Rand al'Thor

I'm very pleased with the overall theme of this puzzle, and the surface reading of most of the clues - there's just one which isn't really up to scratch.

Deusovi

@boboquack Maybe 1.2 isn't the best control then.

Rand al'Thor

9:53 PM

Now to find your email address from however long ago the metapuzzle email was ...

Deusovi

It's on my profile.

deusovi@mail.com

Rand al'Thor

There, you've gone and given me the solution.

Rubio

Oh yeah you did. And you sort of answered Christmas Words, but that one's not actually fully answered yet

Rand al'Thor

Needs a spoilertag on that.

:-P

Deusovi

Huh?

boboquack

9:54 PM

@Deusovi Though I'm sure @TheGreatEscaper wouldn't make something that wasn't supposed to help...

Rand al'Thor

@Deusovi The solution to the puzzle of "finding Deusovi's email address".

Deusovi

@Randal'Thor Oh. :P

@boboquack I never said he would.

Right now, just focus on set 5.

boboquack

@Deusovi That's why I'm using it as a control. And it's so annoying, trying to find something symmetrical in () and ()

Okay...

Sphinx

0

Q: What is a Powerful Word™?

This is based on the What is a Word/Phrase™ series of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles, started by JLee. If a word follows a certain rule, then I call it a Powerful Word™. If it violates this rule, then it is not a Powerful Word™. Use the example word lists below to find the rule. Powerful Word™, N...

pattern word-property

0

Q: What are your first steps when attempting to solve a puzzle?

When you begin undertaking a puzzle, be it long or short, mathematical or not, where do you begin? Do you start by making a bank of known information, or do you try to find patterns? What works best for you?

strategy

0

Q: Rendering the number 10,958 with the string 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Brazilian mathematician Inder Taneja has found a way of expressing every number between 1 and 11,1111, except 10,958, by inserting mathematical operators in between the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and evaluating the expression. He did so using the four basic arithmetic operations, exponentiation, c...

mathematics calculation-puzzle formation-of-numbers

Rubio

goldurnit

Sp3000

9:58 PM

CCCC: Cruciverbalist's song about Australian automobile (9)

In case we need it. Lacking in ideas so archive diving.

Rubio

I was close to figuring the squares out, too

Rand al'Thor

@Deusovi Sent!

Deusovi

Oh no, Aussie trivia.

@Rubio What happened?

Rand al'Thor

Oh, did someone solve Will's CCCC?

Rubio

@Randal'Thor Yeah, last night

incesterror21

9:59 PM

What does CCCC mean again?

Deusovi

chat cryptic clue chain

incesterror21

CCCC: CCCC (20)

Deusovi

the game in chat we play where whoever solves a cryptic clue posts another one

incesterror21

(Y)

Deusovi

That's not a cryptic clue. :P

Rand al'Thor

10:00 PM

@Sp3000 You're Aussie, right? (I think I remember you from way back in the Old Days™ of Puzzling, unless I'm getting you mixed up with someone else.)

Rubio

@Deusovi when I mentioned symmetries I actually was referring to exactly the right thing, just in a hazy way

I just didn't connect the other bit to it

Deusovi

@boboquack You're allowed to do whatever you want.

The rules never change: only your interpretation of them.

Sp3000

@Randal'Thor Yes I am :)

Deusovi

Right now, focus on set 5.

Rand al'Thor

@Rubio HIVELESS?

Rubio

10:02 PM

yah

don't blame me ;)

incesterror21

I think I'll have to train harder in order to solve all those things you're talking about!

Deusovi

Wow Rand, those restrictions you mentioned are fairly strict. I assume it does have to be that answer, too?

Rubio

interesting. so @Deusovi I guess I don't get this after all, because the idea I had worked for 5.2 but not 5.1 lol

Deusovi

@Rubio Interesting! I'm curious to hear about it.

Mithrandir

I have no idea what they are talking about, and I have been here for half a year...

3

Deusovi

10:05 PM

Hm? I can explain things.

Probably.

incesterror21

Never mind, I'll stay with my simple riddles!

Rubio

that was for you @Deusovi :)

Rand al'Thor

@Deusovi I'd kind of like it to be, but it's not necessary; those other restrictions are more important.

Rubio

or is your plaintext hint entirely literal?

Deusovi

My plaintext hint is completely literal.

Mithrandir

10:08 PM

I'm just bad at cryptic clues :)

2

Deusovi

That first half of the idea you had goes against my hint.

Rubio

Yes, clearly. hehe

Deusovi

@Randal'Thor So other words are possible too? Your clue structure would be possible, but the surface reading might be bad.

Volatility

I think just given that hint, there's only one possible solution for 5.1. I have no idea how to interpret it though :/

Rubio

I think 5.1 has to have a, well, straightforward solution

Volatility

10:11 PM

right

Rand al'Thor

@Deusovi Hang on, I'll send you another email.

Rubio

I'm just not clear (yet) what the new toy is doing in there (yet)

Heh, "toy".

More like "toyer"

ohhhhh.

10:12 PM

Oh?

OHHhhhh.

Oh!

oh :/

It's what makes 5.2 and 5.3 solutions unique, isn't it?

Deusovi

Well, considering that all the solutions are unique...

Rubio

10:13 PM

Well, yes, but if they weren't there at all, those two wouldn't be unique

Deusovi

That's a true statement, yes.

Rubio

but it tells you which of the possibilities is the right one

Volatility

I will now do a brute-force on 5.2 and 5.3

Deusovi

Yes, that logically follows from the other statements.

Sp3000

Hmm I get the feeling I might have done something slightly off with my CCCC

Deusovi

10:15 PM

Have you figured out what the symbol means yet?

Rubio

I think so? hehe

Deusovi

Does it make the set unique?

Rubio

interestingly enough, it makes me still have questions on 5.1, but - yes

Deusovi

Wait, really?

Sp3000

CCCC: Cruciverbalist's song about gold automobile (9)

Deusovi

10:17 PM

Ah, Australian = gold = AU

Sp3000

^^ definitely fine now, but I've just given some letters away...

Deusovi

yep :P

Sp3000

Yeah AU = Australian doesn't quite cut it

Rubio

yeah I don't think that would have been legit

Deusovi

Australia, maybe, but not Australian

Chris Cudmore

10:18 PM

I had that as a possible bit, but was thinking more AUS.

Sp3000

I had the clue with gold originally but wanted to switch it up, not realising what I did :P

Deusovi

@Randal'Thor: The above message is for you.

incesterror21

@Deusovi do eyes care about all 4 directions?

Deusovi

I'm not going to answer that question.

incesterror21

Whatever. I thought you might have an error there. I'm not going to tell you then.

Rand al'Thor

10:24 PM

@Sp3000 Should have done "Australian online", like I did for PT a while back ;-)

Deusovi

You're reading my solution? D:

I mean, it's possible that I have an error. Still though, you should be solving for yourself :c

incesterror21

Why would someone put something on the internet if they didn't want people to read it...

Rand al'Thor

@incesterror21 To get rep?

:-P

Sp3000

@Randal'Thor I think in the context Australian might still work, but didn't want to risk it while I'm away :P

incesterror21

I'm reading it because I don't have time to solve it but still want to see how well it's done!

Rubio

10:25 PM

I think this puzzle is worth getting through on your own, even if the answer is right there

incesterror21

@Randal'Thor I think Deusovi will get all of the rep available

Rubio

It takes through, what, set 4 max to see how well it was done :)

Everything after that just magnifies it

Sp3000

@Randal'Thor Online's a nice way though

Rand al'Thor

What do you think of my feedback section here? Too harsh?

8

A: Edward and Bruce

Edward and Bruce After spending quite a while researching Robert the Bruce, his younger brother Edward Bruce, and other related historical figures, I hit upon the idea of considering Turning my back on you A la a dramatic insult Like Edward and Bruce QUWZTF Z'QAQ UXTRO SXURM YYYQZ MMMD' ...

Rubio

@Randal'Thor I think you captured my frustration at looking at that puzzle

Required hints aren't hints, they're essential elements to the puzzle and should be given as such.

Deusovi

10:29 PM

Yep, agreed

Rand al'Thor

I mean, it looked like it could be a great puzzle.

It just ... didn't live up to its potential, sadly.

I'm tempted to switch my upvote to a downvote.

Rubio

Enigma posted up a set of puzzles that were all similarly inscrutable

I hope the rest are better, but I fear they're not

(and this is why I don't upvote until a puzzle is solved, with rare exceptions)

Rand al'Thor

Please see the feedback section I just edited into my answer - and apologies in advance if it feels too harsh :-) I suggest you un-spoiler-tag Hint 1, as the puzzle isn't really solvable without it. — rand al'thor 21 secs ago

@Rubio I get that rationale, but with some puzzles you really can tell their quality as soon as they're posted.

Like your Puzzling Times, for instance.

Rubio

Well. Like I said, with rare exceptions :)

5½ hours to hint 1 on the Times for anyone keeping tabs

Sphinx

10:53 PM

0

Q: Jon Mark Perry's Grid Logic Puzzle

Consider the following puzzle type proposed by Jon Mark Perry. Start with a square grid of arrows, each one pointing in one of the four cardinal directions. For example: You start at the top left. You travel 1 step in the direction of the arrow you are on. Continue until you reach ...

logical-deduction strategy solvability grid-deduction

Transcript for