The Sphinx's Lair

Avi

12:06 AM

can somebody explain "Terrifying pawn invades half a prison (8) - S(HOCK)ING_ [prison = sing sing]"?

I get the prison part, but not how terrifying pawn -> hock

Deusovi

"pawn" = "hock", in the sense of leaving someone an item as collateral for a loan

Avi

what is terrifying doing there?

oh, definition

I'm thinking this one is sort of okay?

To the degree it's inside funky afros (7) = IN + AFROS* = INSOFAR

Deusovi

12:29 AM

hm, not quite sure about the part of speech for "insofar" / "to the degree it"

Avi

It's a bit hard

to precisely define insofar, because it's usually a part of the phrase "insofar as"

Now I need to think of an anagram for satan's pants

"tan(atan(p)) = SSS" - confused Devil's garments

Fish getting into woodworking (9) = CARP + ENTRY

Deusovi

is "satan's pants" a thing? I'm not familiar with that phrase

also, "getting into" for "entry" is a bit questionable

Avi

12:47 AM

yeah I'm just making that up

wouldn't use it in a real CC

MilesZew

Can anyone explain what CC/CCC is?

Sphinx

0

Q: Puzzle Hunt 03: As a bat

This is part three in my clichéd treasure island puzzle series. The story carries directly on from part two. Part one is here. There may be a bit of a gap before part 4 as I'm running out of ideas :) The message from the cave is clear - if somewhat ominous. With a slight chill of apprehensio...

Deusovi

CC means "cryptic clue" -- it's a type of crossword clue common in the UK, where each clue has two parts and you have to figure out how to separate them.

CCCC is "Cryptic Clue Chat Chains", a game we play in here (for a very loose definition of 'game') -- there's always a cryptic clue sitting on the starboard at the right, and whenever someone solves it they post a new one.

(There's a guide for solving cryptic clues here! They take a bit of time to get used to, but I think they're a lot of fun once you do.)

Alconja

1:06 AM

Speaking of... anyone got any leads on the current C4 (or its hints)? Loud (with L in 5) could be churlish, impolite, tactless, growling. The hints seem to point at acronyms/initialisms maybe, or just capital letters = shouting (=loud)...

Deusovi

Loud could also be F, which was my first thought.

(Or even FF.)

Puzzling Meta

0

Q: meta puzzles that don't state the puzzles they rely on - adding difficulty or just wasting time

I am currently posting some meta puzzles, and originally planned to not mention the previous puzzles. I would then elude to it being related to another puzzle in a clue. Is this just increasing the time it takes to solve the puzzle but not making it harder? ie. It's not very hard to just look at ...

discussion meta

Avi

Those allegedly possessing a curse speak justified lines (8)

MilesZew

@Deusovi thanks :)

Avi

= PHARAOHS (sounds like "fair rows")

Alconja

1:11 AM

That would put the def at the end. If it was "included" is there a way to use "is not"? If not, then the def must be "(is) not included"

Avi

little sketchy with the rows -> lines

Deusovi

I figured "not included" was a potential def. But "is not" could be something like "ISNT". (Not likely given the rest of the clue, but possible.)

@Avi seems fine to me!

Avi

yey :D

PiIsNot3

For the current C4, I've been trying to get "disorderly" to work as an anagrind

So either an anagram of LOUD or RESULT

Deusovi

that was my first thought too, but now I'm not so sure -- I don't see a clean way to get it to work out

PiIsNot3

1:13 AM

But neither one has produced results, at least as far as I can search

Deusovi

the letter counts in the surrounding words don't work

except for "result is", but then we've got both the left and right side unused, and only one can be the def

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

anyone up for a quick game of codenames?

it's not quick, but still

I really want to try being spymaster, and it's getting kind of late

Deusovi

not sure I have the time right now, sorry

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

that's fine

PiIsNot3

As usual, not everybody has the time unfortunately

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

1:20 AM

OK, maybe another day

PiIsNot3

But I'll put myself in just in case

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

Hey, I'm going to sleep in about 2 hours

I can wait

if i have to

MilesZew

1:32 AM

So for CC could the answer be hidden within the clue and nothing else in the clue matter?

ThePuzzlingPlatypus

pretty sure they don't work that way

part is definition, part is wordplay

though the wordpllay could be hidden in the clue, the whole thing matterws

MilesZew

Ok, just checking

Unruliest might work if it wasn't 9 letters :(

nvm

Deusovi

2:09 AM

yeah, everything in the clue has to be used somehow

Sphinx

4:41 AM

0

Q: What's the most rewarding path?

Get from the top-left to the bottom-right using only right and down moves. Pick up as much gold as possible. There is only one maximum.

no-computers combinatorics mazes

msh210

8:24 AM

@Deusovi @Avi I think "insofar" = "to the degree" so the clue would be okay if you allow "it's" as a connector.

Deusovi

(I don't)

msh210

You mean you don't allow "it's" as a connector? Yeah, I don't blame you. :-)

Sphinx

10:07 AM

-1

Q: Driverless car Puzzle

2 self driving vehicles are being tested. Both vehicles are exactly the same. Both are fitted with a camera on the Dashboard, although in car A it is a slightly older model and is 1 kg heavier than in vehicle B. The M25 is 117 miles long. Vehicle A started 2 mins before vehicle B and they both cr...

calculation-puzzle puzzle-identification cards

Sphinx

10:29 AM

1

Q: Three letters, one dial

You, a great scientist, is being held hostage by aliens. They want to test human intelligence and see if the human race is worth to collaborate with. According to the aliens, if you manage to escape human race will live and be valued as allies. They give you two items: -a dial with the whole al...

riddle cipher

Avi

2:09 PM

@hexomino more hints pls :)

Avi

2:32 PM

Uh, backwards coil's turn without store: two-faced rebel? (13)

ER< + VOLUTION + (-bin)ARY

Avi

2:43 PM

Rebel turns negatives into zeros, having very old Spanish uncle scramble yarn (13)

Re(v.o.)LU + TIO + YARN* = REVOLUTIONARY

"scramble" could also be replaced with "tangle" to the same effect

Avi

2:57 PM

Disconcertingly, none but the stormy shall take away my reputation (3, 6, 7) - THE BOUNTY MONSTER = (NONE BUT THE STORMY)*

obviously not a common phrase

just thought it was funny

Avi

3:22 PM

Is this valid: Permitted retiree back to the fantasy ad dispenser - LET< + _E + VISION

Maybe C4 hint #2 (modified) refers to the word "ACROSTIC"?

msh210

@Avi What's "to the" doing?

Avi

"back to the" = _E

retiree is reversal for Permitted = LET

if you retire, you lean back?

msh210

Oh, sorry, I was reading "retiree back" as "E" (and didn't realize LET was backwards).

Avi

ok :)

msh210

I suppose "back to the" is okay for E. E is, after all, a back to "the", much as silver is a back to a mirror.

But "X retiree" for a reversal of X I'm not seeing.

Avi

3:37 PM

X retired?

"retiring" works better for the surface

msh210

@Avi nor that IMHO

Avi

isn't it a synonym of retreat though

and retreat is a reversal indicator

Avi

3:51 PM

Knock out convict king (4)

CON + K

Avi

5:46 PM

A gentleman's spy (5)

Deusovi

6:03 PM

A+GENT

Avi

you got it

MilesZew

6:48 PM

Amazingly arty leg (7)

Deusovi

6:59 PM

GREATLY*? You need an anagram indicator

A cryptic clue has two parts:
- a definition, which is a synonym for the answer
- and wordplay, which is a series of instructions for how to modify other words to reach the answer.

Wordplay is generally made up of indicators, which are instructions, and fodder, which are what the instructions should be applied to

you have the fodder but not an indicator

Avi

:( was so confused

"leg" = end of arty? - that was my thought process

MilesZew

Maybe amazingly was not the best synonym for greatly

"arty leg" is an anagram for greatly

Avi

I understand that, but you need an indicator

MilesZew

I guess I don't know what that is

Avi

Arty gel agitated very much (7)

MilesZew

7:06 PM

I clearly have much to learn

user58

81

Q: Cryptic Clue Guide

This post is not a puzzle. There is nothing puzzly hidden inside it or the self-answer, posted at the same time. What exactly is a cryptic crossword clue, and how do I write one?

wordplay puzzle-creation cryptic-clues cryptic-crosswords

Deusovi

@MilesZew that was fine -- but you need a word like "mixed-up" or "resorting" to show that the letters need to be anagrammed

MilesZew

Ok I see

Deusovi

(if you want to reverse a word, you include something like "west-bound" or "back-to-front", or "in return"; if you want to take a homophone, you include "overheard" or "on the radio" or "to the auditor"; etc)

MilesZew

That makes it a lot easier to some of these

*solve

Deusovi

7:12 PM

yeah, they're an important part of the clues! some cryptic clues can get really complicated, with lots of transformations and combinations, and they would be ridiculously unfair without indicators

MilesZew

7:25 PM

A bit long, but: Forgetting one's lines while holding things, flipping car and starting kindling (4)

Deusovi

wow that's a lot for 4 letters

MilesZew

oops

not 4

sorry

It's (6, 4)

Deusovi

hm, I don't see what this one could be

MilesZew

Let me know if you want a hint

msh210

sure

that is: I do

Deusovi

7:30 PM

same

MilesZew

ok, "flipping car and starting kindling" is the wordplay part

Deusovi

(I'd also be interested in just hearing the answer so I could give feedback)

MilesZew

Ok, Its drying rack

msh210

@MilesZew that sounds like RACK

Deusovi

I don't see how the definition works

and yeah that just sounds like RACK

where does DRYING come from? how does the definition work?

MilesZew

7:31 PM

drying is sometimes used as slang for forgetting lines

racks hold things

Deusovi

the definition and wordplay both need to give the full answer, independently of each other

"while holding things" is not a synonym of "rack", and "forgetting ones lines while holding things" is not a definition for "drying rack"

and it looks like your wordplay doesn't give the word "drying"

MilesZew

Ok, got it

Deusovi

(I apologize if I seem harsh, by the way - it takes a while to learn cryptic clues! There are lots of standards that aren't obvious.)

Avi

^ no kidding

MilesZew

It's ok, i'm not taking it personally

Deusovi

7:35 PM

but yeah:
- definitions should be actual definitions for the full answer (not just cluing parts of them separately)
- definitions and synonyms must match in part of speech ("holding things" doesn't work for "rack" because "holding things" is a verb and "rack" is a noun. same reason "shines" is not a definition for "sun")
- wordplay should also give the full answer, independently of the definition. your wordplay gives RACK (though some might quibble over "starting kindling" needing to be "kindling's start" or something to that effect, because "starting X" does not mean "the start of X"), but…

msh210

@MilesZew thanks, I've learned something today

Deusovi

(oh also yeah, I didn't know that! that's really interesting)

MilesZew

Ok lets see if this one works: Reasonable, not over sitting up on messed up bale (14)

jafe

understandable

MilesZew

yes

msh210

7:45 PM

sitting up = stand ?

MilesZew

Just noticed that

msh210

Or am I parsing it wrong?

MilesZew

no, it was my error

msh210

ok :-)

Avi

8:36 PM

is it reasonable to clue fruits using "Fruity"?

like Fruity -> Orange, lemon, lime, etc.

Deusovi

8:50 PM

no

"fruity" is an adjective; fruits are nouns

Avi

Fruity not as the definition

but as a part of the wordplay

Deusovi

doesn't matter

the synonyms in the wordplay should follow the same rules as the definition

Avi

ok, I see

That's unfortunate

Deusovi

(in fact, they should be more strict: "it [does X]" is an acceptable structure for definitions, according to some, but not as part of the wordplay)

Avi

Plan for fruit medicine never begun (6)

FIG + (-c)URE

is "def for wordplay" allowed?

Usually what I see is "wordplay for def"

msh210

9:00 PM

@Avi that's fine, the opposite is weak

Deusovi

^

msh210

It's because your wordplay yields a (in this case) plan. To say a plan yields the wordplay is… well, not true.

Avi

:'(

msh210

You could do something indicating the reverse relationship. Like "from"

"out of", maybe

Deusovi

right, same type of thing as "[wordplay] produces [def]" or "[wordplay] leads to [def]"

Avi

9:07 PM

Fruit medicine never begun to plan (6) ?

wordplay to def

msh210

That works anyway because "to plan" itself means "figure" (verb) (I think). Not sure about using "to" as a connector like that, though: that, too, seems weak to me. But then you'll find people use all sorts of things as connectors that I wouldn't be very happy with, so maybe you shouldn't take my word for it

Avi

is E = Everyone?

or vice versa, rather - I don't plan on using E -> Everyone, just Everyone -> E

msh210

I can't think of a context where that's true. Is it a game or movie rating or something?

Avi

Movie rating E for Everyone

msh210

Oh. Then yeah, sounds good. (I thought G was for everyone, at least stateside. Maybe I'm behind the times.)

Avi

9:22 PM

Everyone, revolutionary drug shrink has to hurry left with force (8)

"Dex" is short for Dexedrine.

E + DE(PELL)X< = EXPELLED

or "left by force"

is "drug shrink" valid for "an abbreviation of a drug"?

msh210

Pell means to hurry?

@Avi it's cute. I think it's okay. Let's see what the experts here think.

But I don't think "AB has XY left" can yield BXYA.

Oh nevermind, you're using "revolutionary" for the reversal.

Sphinx

0

Q: Nominally, he has only half a life at 59! - British cryptic crossword question

I believe cryptic crossword questions are valid here, though do forgive me if I'm wrong! NOMINALLY, HE HAS ONLY HALF A LIFE AT 59! (5) The "(5)" denotes the amount of letters in the answer. HINT: What's the answer, and why?

cryptic-crosswords

0

Q: Three button calculator

A calculator has only 3 buttons. The first multiplies the current value by 3, the second adds 2 and the third subtracts 2. Starting with 0 what is the least number of presses you need to reach 100?