The Sphinx's Lair

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stacksfiller

00:27

DEC(AD)ENT

finally

Erik the Outgolfer

@Level51

stacksfiller

been working on that one forever

Level 51

congrats! :D

Erik the Outgolfer

so, stacksfiller, nice part 1/2, but there's also part 2/2, which is to make a C4 yourself now :P wonder if that would be too exhausting

stacksfiller

well

ive done it before

Deusovi

00:34

oh, it's literally the word DECENT

stacksfiller

CCCC: Arrangment in boring place between countries. (10)

1 hour later…

Gareth McCaughan

01:38

"Surely there must be a handy short word meaning 'decent'", I thought. "But I can't find any I can insert anything into." Bah. :-)

stacksfiller

i did the same

another thought was WITHDREW for "abandoned" and was thinking "indecent" would mean something along the lines of WITH D OUT

so very very wrong

4 hours later…

Sphinx

05:13

Q: Bumblin' Stumblin' Rumblin' Jumblin'!

This is an entry into the Fortnightly Topic Challenge #36 Jumble® was one of my favorite puzzles growing up. They were quick and fun and relatively easy; they took just long enough to keep me occupied while eating cereal before the school bus came every morning. Below are eight jumble-style ...

2 hours later…

Kamigaku

07:32

Is anyone doing the "Why do you love me II?" puzzle here ?

Mithrandir

@rubio puzzling.stackexchange.com/users/50179/ikonlake

Sphinx

Q: Did anybody use Anagramsolver.pro

I've found a new online anagram solver Anagram Solver & Scrabble Word Finder Did you use it, what are the advantages?

anagram scrabble

Mithrandir

07:47

@Sphinx this seems suspiciously like spam; both of this user's posts are promoting this site.

A: How to solve 5-10 letter anagrams (without a computer or electronics)?

Use this online anagram solver, it will help you to find all words for this anagram. online anagram solver

This is a rather common spam tactic.

What say you, @Rubio, since you're commenting?

Rubio

It's actually an on-topic answer to that question, though bumping a question from 2014 is of little value

Mithrandir

The question specifically asks for non electronic method.

Rubio

oh did it, I missed that

then by all means ding the answer accordingly

.. and deleted

2 hours later…

Erik the Outgolfer

10:24

@Rubio hm, what's your opinion for the question you commented on? red-flag it or not? I'm not so sure if I should flag it as a spam post, since I'm not really sure if it's 1) unsolicited advertisement or 2) advertisement at all

puzzling.stackexchange.com/q/67431/12114 (OK no need to onebox everything)

Rubio

@EriktheOutgolfer I mean, it looks exactly like what someone would do who was trying to solicit traffic to their own site, but absent reasonable proof that it's what's actually happening here, red-flagging it seems overly harsh

Erik the Outgolfer

hm, I'd say it's very fit for deletion though

only if I were able to...

Rubio

roomba will tidy it up in 10 days

it's below the threshold of what shows up on the front page, so meh

Erik the Outgolfer

I sometimes use something called the "moderation tools" (nothing to do with diamonds) to tidy up stuff faster than the roomba, because, that way, I rack up moderation counts :P (not that I'll be a candidate anytime soon, but badges are sweet)

1 hour later…

Mithrandir

11:57

@Rubio searching indicates that "John" has been posting recommendations for this site over the internet - see e.g. comments on crosswordfiend.com/2018/06/03/monday-june-4-2018

2 hours later…

ManyPinkHats

13:27

@Rubio puzzling.stackexchange.com/users/50161/nba-draft-2018

1 hour later…

Gareth McCaughan

14:31

@stacksfiller Solution to your CCCC is ORDER in BLAND making BORDERLAND, a place between countries.

Sphinx

14:43

Q: How to solve attached screen shot problems

In the image there are 4 question are there Can anyone guide me how to solve below questions

mathematics calculation-puzzle

Sphinx

15:16

Q: I come in all shapes and sizes, and I can offer all sorts of prizes

Give me a fruit, I'll turn it to pieces, A turn of bad luck, and your plan ceases. Mistaken for death, if I'm without friends, Bringing with a breath, success will I send. Let's not forget, the adventurer's quest, Eyes of the snake, and they'll become the best. What am I?

riddle wordplay rhyme lateral-thinking

2 hours later…

stacksfiller

17:20

Yea Gareth

2 hours later…

paramesis

19:15

I believe that one of my earlier puzzles (Desert Irrigation Project) has been satisfactorily solved via several excellent partial answers.

A Meta question about what to do at this point (linked) suggests that I could make and accept a community answer that quotes, curates, and confirms the partial solutions, and perhaps also gives some making-of insights and process. Is this a widely agreed upon solution, or is there another preferred way to handle this?

Q: Handling puzzles with multiple steps and the posting of partial answers

Note: This post was created specifically due to mod flags, and comments on answers in my treasure hunt question, however the discussion is probably more broadly applicable than that. Obviously, the ultimate goal of any StackExchange site is to collect high quality questions (in this case good qu...

discussion answer-quality specific-question

1 hour later…

Deusovi

20:29

That's a perfectly valid solution, and what I'd recommend (though you may want to accept the final answer over your own, or you may prefer to accept your own answer. Your call.). You could also nudge the person with the final answer to edit the other parts in to provide a complete solution.

Gareth McCaughan

21:06

CCCC: Last month, half the church choir left for a brief period of prayer and fasting (5)

Erik the Outgolfer

@GarethMcCaughan are you sure that's a C4 and not a news headline? :P

Gareth McCaughan

Yup. (But it's always a good sign when a cryptic clue can plausibly be read as something else.)

Erik the Outgolfer

hm, can I solve a C4 if I'm not in the mood of making another?

Gareth McCaughan

Yes, but then you have to make another anyway.

(why, have you solved it already?)

Erik the Outgolfer

oh, it's a duty? :( I had brushed a solution in my mind

Gareth McCaughan

21:09

We are all firmly and inescapably bound by the Cryptic Clue Chat Chains.

Erik the Outgolfer

guess I'll not share my solution then, it's after midnight and I had some karate practice just over an hour ago

Gareth McCaughan

shaaaame

You don't have to post another clue immediately.

It's often been several hours, sometimes as much as a day, between solution and posting of next clue.

Erik the Outgolfer

should I be able to explain my solution?

Gareth McCaughan

Yes. If you can't then what you have is a guess rather than a solution :-).

(in which case of course you are under no obligation to post a new clue...)

Erik the Outgolfer

alright, posting my guess then :p

MAYOR

Gareth McCaughan

21:13

Nope, that is not my intended solution.

Erik the Outgolfer

yeah, I knew it was totally wrong :p

Gareth McCaughan

(Nor do I think it works; if that's the answer, where in the clue is the definition?)

Erik the Outgolfer

(as I said, don't ask for an explanation)

hm, may I post a hint if you approve it? or is it only you who posts hints?

Deusovi

well, it's only been ten minutes since the clue

a hint is probably unnecessary at the moment

Erik the Outgolfer

who said right now...

Deusovi

21:18

that is a very nice surface though

Gareth McCaughan

@Erik You're welcome to post anything! Think of it as a contribution to solving the clue, rather than a hint, though -- after all, you might be wrong. And whether you want to help other people solve the clue is up to you :-).

Erik the Outgolfer

ah, so you don't want to confirm my partials? :P

Gareth McCaughan

I may or may not comment on anyone's suggestions.

(It's usual not to unless specifically asked.)

Dragonrage

last month was May, and I don't think there are any words that mean last month, so ill hazard a guess and say that isnt the definition

Erik the Outgolfer

yeah, I guess that the first letter is H

like, the last letter of MONTH

Dragonrage

21:26

yeah, that was my thought

Erik the Outgolfer

and so MAYOR isn't the answer :P

but Gareth is challenging here ;)

hm, I'm not really sure if the , there is innocent

I can imagine Gareth giggling right now :P

Gareth McCaughan

21:48

the comma is the definition

(not really)

Erik the Outgolfer

heh, who buys that the definition is between two chunks of wordplay :P

Avigrail

Good evening people

1 hour later…

Sphinx

23:18

Q: Cryptic Haiku: Cornflakes are the bomb

First puzzle, so be sure to help me get this right. (Tag suggestions, clarifications, etc) Bailing out on me? I'm sure it will be okay #Corn Flakes are the bomb Looking for a particular event, and for a bonus, I would be impressed with a particular number Hint 1: Hint 2: Hi...