The Sphinx's Lair

6:34 AM

@Stiv when is the deadline?

I think either @GarethMcCaughan has completely forgotten about the C4 or he is preparing a Garethian Clue

Q: The battle of Mathematics and English

My friend sent this to me through WhatsApp: The battle of Mathematics and English. Let’s see who can get it right: Question: 1 rabbit saw 9 elephants while going to the river. Every elephant saw 3 monkeys going to the river. Each monkey had 1 tortoise in each hand. How many animals ...

mathematics lateral-thinking

1 hour later…

8:02 AM

I haven't completely forgotten about the C4. There's an idea I've been intermittently trying to make work and failing, and I've been busy with other things, and I am always easily distracted. Sorry.

1 hour later…

9:20 AM

CCCC: A free national broadcaster (6)

(in case anyone cares, that isn't the idea I was intermittently trying to make work, but it'll do)

1 hour later…

mathematics calculation-puzzle

10:32 AM

Q: Calculation puzzle 005

396 ? 556 99 872 664 I tried to solve it but to no avail. Possible answers are 666, 491, 654, 999 and 917; since, the exam was multiple choice we were offered potential answers. The helpless hints I used while trying to solve it are: 872 -> 664, there 8x8=64; 99 -> 872, there 9-1=8 a...

@GarethMcCaughan it's fine

11:02 AM

noice, i have four clues left to make. the crossword will come out at tuesday or earlier (UTC ofc, hehe)

2 hours later…

12:39 PM

If "organization" is not allowed as an anagram indicator, then does "new organization" fix that problem, or is it still not allowed as an anagram indicator?

jafe

1:10 PM

i think some recommend not using any nouns as anagram indicators

1:36 PM

@GarethMcCaughan is it A+UNTIE which is a colloquial term for the BBC?

1:50 PM

Hehehe, if that indeed is the correct answer then it would be very similar to an earlier CCCC's cluing (A+UNTIES), also using "free" for "untie". (I think it was hexomino who wrote that CCCC?)

@jafe yeah, they're said to not indicate movement at all

Omega Krypton

2:09 PM

lurks

@jafe ah that one

2 hours later…

4:30 PM

@Sid Yup. If there was an earlier clue that worked the same way, then I beg everyone's pardon -- I had completely forgotten it.

I think "new organization" is almost exactly as good or bad as "organization" as an anagrind. It's indicating an organization of whatever letters they are, and if that isn't good enough for you then indicating a new organization of the letters isn't going to be any better :-).

Ha, and it appears I was the one who solved msh210's AUNTIES clue. I have the memory of a goldfish.

It wasn't even very long ago.

(msh210 had "Algonquin chief frees some relatives (7)". I confess I like mine better.)

Incidentally, "Auntie" is apparently also used in Australia for their national broadcaster.

John Dvorak

dance of the sugar plum fairy = guru family raps

4:58 PM

CCCC: Watch long and hard and utter, "Run" (5)

bobble

Still over here with no hope of getting any CCCC ever

you will get it soon. It's usually a bit daunting but after looking at these things for a long time, you will slowly get the hang of it

bobble

I've looked through the Cryptic Clue Guide, and I might have a chance on anagram or hidden-word clues

but everything else is just NOT how my brain operates

Deusovi

Cryptic clues take type to learn. And CCCCs aren't the easiest clues either - generally, the easier CCCCs will be snapped up by one of the more experienced solvers pretty quickly.

bobble

like you

msh210

5:59 PM

@Gapmeister66 thanks

@Sid stare (utter "stair", as in google.com/search?q=run+rise+stair )?

I really was expecting to come back from my sabbath (viz, now) to find more of my "game of charades" solved.

@msh210 Correct! Well done.

msh210

@Sid thanks

CCCC: "People in the end, in the end, in the end, in…." It continues endlessly. Give up your sanity at the outset. (4,4)

6:29 PM

Nice surface!

msh210

7:07 PM

thanks. Though it's a bit long.

Q: Cryptic Family Reunion: An Unexpected Puzzle

7:49 PM

The answer to this puzzle is a list of ten thematically related words or proper names or phrases. Each of these is clued cryptically, and the theme is to be determined. Since the definition part of a cryptic clue would give away the theme, these cryptic clues use a family member (e.g., mom, siste...

knowledge cryptic-clues

2 hours later…

10:10 PM

Q: Like pie and buttermilk

The set of sixteen words below can be partitioned. Each partition is of four words that have something in common. I invite you to figure out the partitions and commonalities. You'll find that the four commonalities have, themselves, something in common. ART, BAND, BEE, BLOUSE, BRIDGE, CHANGE, CO...

connect-wall

1 hour later…