The Sphinx's Lair

Sphinx

5:21 AM

0

Q: Fill this Sudoku variant so that the sums of numbers in the outlined regions are all different

Place numbers in the grid so that each row and each column contain all the numbers {1,2,3,4,5} (each exactly once) and the sums of numbers in the outlined regions are all different. Attribution: momath.org

msh210

10:44 AM

C4 hint: The definition is at the start of the clue.

Stiv

10:57 AM

The CCCC gives me vibes of postal votes or absentee ballots ("While absent, making your voice heard") but not spotting any inroads there yet...

Jafe

11:15 AM

hmm that's suspiciously plausible

maybe something+emoting for "boosting male signals" with V replacing the M?

Stiv

Oh, that's it! PROXY VOTING = PRO XY (m->V)OTING (boosting male signals)! @msh210

Thanks @Jafe - I'd considered the 'M' to 'V' exchange but didn't think of EMOTING at all...

Jafe

ha!

Stiv

Well, it's not quite emoting, it's promoting with xy in there

Jafe

ah right

Stiv

I think?

Jafe

11:21 AM

hm, is "signals" the insertion indicator then

Stiv

I don't see how, I don't think I've quite got this after all but I think that will be the answer for sure...

Unless 'moting' is a kind of shortened slang for 'emoting'

Then you could be "PRO XY MOTING" before swapping a V in for the M

We're close, I feel, anyway...

Jafe

yeah i think that has to be it, just need to pin it down

Stiv

'Male signals' might even be a unit for 'XY'

What if it's:
boosting = PROMOTING
male signals, with = include XY
victory for men = put V for m?

i.e. the 'with' goes with what precedes it?

Jafe

could be

oAlt

@Stiv I think XY with V is substituted for M

but other than that, "promoting" has to be it

Stiv

11:35 AM

@oAlt Ah yes, so it's PROMOTING (boosting) with 'XYV' for 'M'

That makes sense - so the substitution is three letters for one

Jafe

11:47 AM

pinging @msh210, then

msh210

@oAlt @Stiv yep!

teamwork makes the dream work :-)

Jafe

i hear the managers over at dreamworks make the team work

2

msh210

what?? I thought they just sit around fishing on the moon all day

Stiv

Cool, who should go next? oAlt was able to untangle the crucial missing link

Jafe

i'd say stiv gets the goal with assists to me and oalt but i guess msh210's call

(don't tell me there' no assists sheet in the archive doc)

Stiv

12:05 PM

Okay, sure - let's keep this thing going then...

CCCC: What might ensue after flagging is saluted at sea? (9)

oAlt

@Stiv lassitude anagram – flagging = getting weaker, so what ensues afterward could be fatigue or lassitude

Jafe

no no it's clearly delta-sisu

Stiv

@oAlt Yup :)

oAlt

@Jafe Loll

CCCC: Disorder in Times Square (4)

Jafe

_mes s_

oAlt

12:18 PM

@Jafe correct!

And with that I've finished another sequence – how are the clue answers related?

I'll say that one of them is also misspelled for convenience...

Jafe

hmm!

CCCC: Water energy corporation finally follows through (5)

Stiv

Was oAlt's last sequence the one ending in pneumono...etc.?

41 clues since then, but some likely not in the sequence as they were referencng other themes at the time...

SIQUIJOR, HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, BISHKEK, MINUSCULE, DORMANT, HELIUM, SOLE, GINGIVA, ETA, TEA, PIZZICATO, DOUBTS, ZAPORIZHZHIA, YAREN, LONG BEACH, CAIN, YLANG-YLANG, GITHUB, NAYPYIDAW, GUEST, SOCCER, NOVA SCOTIA, DIARY, RULES, LAST, DOG, TRUTH, CABIN, WHEEL, HARD, HAUL, SCHOOL, DOUBLE, GETAWAY, MELTDOWN, BALL, END, SHOT, DIAPER, NO, MESS

oAlt

(oops, i unpinned the wrong one, sorry about that. repinned)

Stiv

^ These are the ones since...

oAlt

I wonder if I should already say at least/most how many clues there are...

Jafe

12:27 PM

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary (although he insists that it is a journal). Kinney spent eight years working on the first book before showing it to a publisher. In 2004, Funbrain and Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The website made daily entries from September 2004 to June 2005. The online version had received almost 20 million views by 2009. Nonetheless, many online reade...

Stiv

Your call!

TakingNotes

i did not realise they had written so many diary of a wimpy kid books (everything since DIARY is the name of a doawk book i believe)

damn jafe beat me to it

Jafe

hehe

Stiv

Ah, nice spot

(both)

oAlt

@Stiv Agreed :)

Here's the collection

Jafe

12:30 PM

comic sans detected

juicifer

@oAlt impeccable theming

oAlt

12:59 PM

@Jafe :p

@juicifer thx hahah

Sphinx

1:34 PM

0

Q: Find my birthday day!

I designed this riddle for my now-wife in November 2019. The clues gradually become easier, offering more guidance toward the solution as you progress. I intentionally made the riddle challenging and, at times, frustrating, but I'm sure this won't stop experienced riddle-solvers :). Originally, I...

riddle

Jafe

2:26 PM

congrats to our new #1 all-time user, @stiv!

6

Lukas Rotter

do you have a notification for that or something? Just surpassed Deus by 1 point xD

Jafe

been keeping an eye on the race since the difference was like 700 points :P

msh210

@oAlt :-)

Nice theme.

And even a thematically designed spreadsheet! Very nice indeed.

Stiv

2:58 PM

@Jafe Oh wow, ha! That's very cool :) Even if it's only temporary - it's only one point after all! It's been an incredibly fun and educational 5-and-a-bit years for me so far, and I've got plenty of ideas for more puzzles currently in the mix. I'm hoping to stick around a while longer, though not necessarily at #1 - I guess I should make the most of the view while I am here... #screenshot

Sphinx

0

Q: "00000000000000"

Who am I definitely refering to? Explain. SENROSNANOGENVENIMOHYEANSANRAIGCAIGGORGIMOHYCRIGEORENIVNCOERRYIMOHY

knowledge enigmatic-puzzle

oAlt

3:17 PM

@msh210 Ahh, aha! When did you catch on, out of curiosity? (Also thanks :))

msh210

@oAlt then — at that clue. (That's why I didn't answer any of them since.)

oAlt

Ahhh

msh210

@Jafe E via _n

Jafe

correct

msh210

that was a nice clue. I thought for sure the def is "water energy" or "follows through"

Jafe

3:27 PM

thanks

msh210

CCCC: High-quality, taxing river activity (5-6)

juicifer

@msh210 extra-virgin*

oAlt

oh of course

msh210

@juicifer yes indeed

Sphinx

3:49 PM

2

Q: What do I NEED?

What do I... (-11,-10,7) (-16,-17,7) (9,12,5)(13,-2,5) (-2,-8,7)(-16,-17,9) (10,12,9)(-16,-17,5) (-4,-6,11)(6,7,11) (-7,-10,9) (6,7,7) (−2,-2,3) (13,16,9) (15,7,3) (10,9,11) (7,9,5) (13,12,11) (−14,-15,7) (13,12,3)(3,0,1...

enigmatic-puzzle

juicifer

CCCC: Lead's morning routine (4)

oAlt

4:03 PM

@juicifer am (morning) MO (modus operandi) = ammo (lead, ammunition)

juicifer

@oAlt exactly right

oAlt

4:15 PM

CCCC: Stop – striking out æ (3)

Sphinx

4:34 PM

1

Q: Third Time's The Charm

(code 1) = COMMA = PSYCH APEIRON = (code 2) = FRANKEN ROSEN EELS = LUSAKA AND = (code 3) ? (5) = (Japanese city) = (TF2 class) (Tasty) = ? (6) = (Round) (Rumors) = ? (6) = (Response of affirmation) (Pastimes) = (Sticker) = ? (5) (Criminal) = (Bird) = ? (5) Check your words: ...

word enigmatic-puzzle cipher

msh210

5:46 PM

@oAlt en d(ash)

Sphinx

6:26 PM

1

Q: Alice splits the bill not too generously with Bob

Alice and Bob go out for dinner and the restaurant bill is $100$€. Beforehand, they had agreed to evenly pay half of the bill, but suddenly Alice is in a bit of a generous mood and offers Bob a probabilistic opportunity to pay less than half. Alice tells Bob: I have a $100$bit number in mind (i.e...

mathematics probability

Sphinx

7:34 PM

0

Q: Minimum number of negative clues for a 9 x 9 Sudoku

It is known that an ordinary Sudoku with a unique solution must have at least 17 clues. A clue is a statement that a particular cell $(i, j)$ must contain a particular value $k$. But we could also consider "negative clues". A negative clue is a statement that a particular cell $(i, j)$ does not c...

sudoku

oAlt

11:01 PM

@msh210 yep!

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