The Sphinx's Lair

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msh210

3:37 AM

ER is also the American king, Elvis Rex.

5 hours later…

Sphinx

8:56 AM

Q: Determine the minimum number of numeric clues to make these mini-Sudoku puzzles have a unique solution

Below are three grid layouts for mini-Sudoku puzzles. For each type (Square, L and T), determine the minimum number of numeric clues you (as puzzle composer) would have to place in the grid so that there would be a unique way (for a puzzle solver) to fill the remaining empty squares in the grid s...

Q: My outfix did record infixes

My prefix is like $\cup$ My infix is like $\bigcirc$ My suffix is like $\supset$ I move like $\downarrow$

riddle word knowledge wordplay affix-riddle

1 hour later…

PolygonPotpourri

9:56 AM

Synonym for 'looking' after 'family heirlooms', [it opens stores all around]?

oAlt

10:12 AM

Or maybe looking after as in nursing...

2 hours later…

Sphinx

12:18 PM

Q: The X-Factor: 18 And Over

The three overlapping ellipses form seven regions. Place exactly one tile per region so that the tiles in each ellipse obey its rule. Is the solution unique?

logical-deduction calculation-puzzle

msh210

12:36 PM

It opens stores could be the letter s.

1 hour later…

Stiv

1:50 PM

Or KEY

I get the feeling something that looks like a unit here isn't actually a unit... Like 'Looking' could be the def, with NOTICING or EYESIGHT being the answer, or 'family' is KIN and 'heirlooms' is something entirely separate...

Don't know why, just getting that vibe...

oAlt

2:06 PM

I guess that's possible, I mean oxyopia before was just clued as "to see a little too well"

Sphinx

Q: Individual pangram lists for words of lengths 12-letter, 13-letter, 14-letter, and 15-letter

9 letter. Molybdate Jarovized Squawfish Pickaxing. 10 letter. Jackknifed Squeezable Playwright Overmixing. 11 letter. Squawfishes Platemaking Objectivity Deoxidizers. Now, I'm looking for four more pangrams for wordlengths 12, 13, 14, and 15. To be clear as clear can be, each list should have onl...

letters pangram

Jafe

2:32 PM

yeahh the ripple effect is not happening, jeez this is annoying

this time i meticulously checked that every digit is the correct distance away from its counterparts from the get-go... twos at least two away, threes at least three away... row by row

then managed to find a completely new way to fail, somehow put 12325 in one box instead of 12345

Stiv

Maybe you should focus instead on a 'nipple effect' puzzle, where numbers of the same type appear in concentric circles...

(Real constructive help there, Stiv...)

Jafe

*googles nipple effect* hmm wait

but hey the good news is i actually have the next puzzle ready now, it's a choco banana+hitori from december 2022

prolly posting it sometime over the weekend, still need to write the rules and preamble

Stiv

I'm glad I'm not the only one with what appears to be files and files of partially formulated ideas that I fully intend to return to one day...

Jafe

somehow working on a lot of small things in parallel is more satisfying than working on one big thing for a long time

oAlt

What did he say meme

►

As for me, I've got a crossword I haven't finished still and a puzzle idea about colors that I still haven't developed fully (and also am kind of worrying about how I would transcribe the info for the colorblind without spoiling the puzzle solution)

That crossword's gonna hit 3 months on the 26th. The colors puzzle has stuck in my mind for far longer...

Sphinx

2:55 PM

Q: Which tool has been used to make this puzzle?

Bridge, or...? SE Oban (J) Part 'un' Di- Tri- Po- Dubber R&L Pre- v. IC 'P' or TV man A stat: I=RA M????: Al, Ga, B (or O), N, ?? Which tool has been used to make this puzzle?