The Sphinx's Lair

1:31 AM

@Avi That's ... concerning

at this point Avi I'm pretty sure you can just make up an abbreviation and there's a good chance it'll exist

Q: Only one square for the white king

1:49 AM

Consider this position. It is white's turn to move. Only one position of the white king is possible for white to have an overwhelming (winning) advantage. Where is it? Please note that: While Queen usually wins against a bishop and knight, it is possible (yet rare) for a bishop and knight ...

2:09 AM

Q: Generating special numbers

Here are three numbers that are related to one another: 9841, 8591, 4800 How are these numbers related and how are they generated?

number-theory

5 hours later…

jafe

6:53 AM

CCCC: Frances's first Oscar-winning film (5)

1 hour later…

7:53 AM

@jafe F+Argo, &lit

Very nice clue.

jafe

8:25 AM

correct!

thanks

8:40 AM

CCCC: Investigator, arrest a lout in forgery ring (16)

jafe

well the enumeration certainly narrows the options down here

Wait, I erred. Lemme edit….

@jafe heh, yeah

1 hour later…

9:59 AM

@msh210 Is it TINTINNABULATION = TINTIN + NAB + (A LOUT IN) anag

"ring" being the def

10:35 AM

Yep, precisely, @hexomino. Nicely found

By the way, I debated among "forgery" and other words before deciding on "forgery": "mayhem", "perverted", "busted", "trafficking". Which (or another) do you think best?

@msh210 For me, forgery seems the best, working with the surface as well as making sense as an anagrind

Okay. Thanks for the input

CCCC: Following God's lead, make a mistake on last day yielding an expression of derision. (9)

2 hours later…

Q: What is correct option here?

12:24 PM

I believe it is like a to e? What do you think

riddle mathematics logical-deduction

1 hour later…

1:43 PM

I agree that "forgery" is the best of those options.

Q: I need help with a difficult metal puzzle

here is the picture and a link to the puzzle: https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32473415899.html How is it possible to solve it? Greetings from Austria

logical-deduction geometry metapuzzles

2:39 PM

Video game character you ship, mostly (5) -> YO_ SHI_

Is this valid?

2:55 PM

Make a mistake on last day with R&D that's treacherous (9)

- DASTA(RD)LY*

Deusovi

3:16 PM

@Avi hm, I'd say you should have multiple indicators for that kind of thing. There's no way to apply "mostly" a single time to YOUSHIP to get YOSHI

3:29 PM

agree

@Avi You could've clue something about removing the ends

Video game character you ship endlessly (5)

yeah

hmm

That's actually a pretty good surface.

3:35 PM

yeah

too bad I can't use it anymore

You got a star for it tho ;)

hmmm

so if you have a specific name for a specific type of cuisine in a country

e.g. Yakisoba

can you clue it with "Noodles with sauce"? Or is "Japanese noodles with sauce" necessary?

Deusovi

both are fine; the former is harder so you may want to consider using it with easy wordplay, or using the latter with harder wordplay

3:50 PM

ok, cool

Hart half hidden in lettuce makes for angry customers, perhaps? (5) - C(HA_)OS

yikes - a deer in your food

@hexomino Your expression of derision is a RA'S PB ERR Y.

oh myyy - well done

I'm not hexomino, but here's one for you

Bed September, the escort (5)

@GarethMcCaughan Correct and well done!

4:06 PM

y'all have a habit of turning God into Ra

Q: Make 100 with only 9 numbers

4:39 PM

Make 100 with ONLY 9 numbers Hint 1: Hint 2: Hint 3: Hint 4:

riddle formation-of-numbers

Essentially, water contained here's not half bit opaque inside - T + A + H(O_)E_

5:03 PM

derp, underscores

Essentially, water contained here's not half bit opaque inside (5) - _T_ + _A_ + H(O_)E_ (&lit)

5:28 PM

CC request: "WEATHER" wherein it's some variation of WE EAT HERE, WE'RE THERE, or WE nearly (-f)ATHER

or WE EAT HER but that's a little less original

5:41 PM

@Avi I don't fully understand this wordplay. I guess it's water contained for the first two letters but not sure about the rest.

essentially, waTer contAined

HEre's not half -> HE

bit opaque (a little bit of opaque) = O_

HE, O_ inside = H(O)E

Ah I see

&lit -> lake tahoe is well known for having clear water

6:11 PM

Demeaning, unpleasant odor making a mess of initial agent (11) -

hmmmm, not sure the "agent" -> G is valid, but if it is

HUM + (ILIATIN)* + G

Q: Given a 7x7 grid, what moves need to be made to get two agents on their respective opposite sides of the grid on the diagonal?

6:36 PM

Say I had the following 7x7 grid and two agents on the grid facing one another as shown. The agents can follow the following commands: moveForward, turnRight, turnLeft. The agents have to follow the same set of instructions. What set of instructions would get the green agent on the green squ...

graph-theory

Q: Is there a code in this painting?

This was posted in a Facebook group yesterday. It’s also made the rounds on Reddit but all of the commentary seems like scattershot speculation so far. From the post: This is a painting done my grandfather. I acquired it second hand from my mother. He was an electrical engineer for various go...

cipher pattern visual

1 hour later…

8:04 PM

CCCC: Hype? No way -- I disapprove (3)

ON+ (way-i) probably

= O NO somehow

#BadC4Solutions

8:23 PM

Ah yes I understand - since I come from my DA, therefore I = DA

ON* + DAO - DA = ONO!

Q: How to make 4 rectangles out of 4 lines

8:58 PM

Use any drawing software like Paint or the like to draw 4 triangles using only 4 straight lines! Also, the borders of your drawing don't count ;)

geometry

9:08 PM

^ title has been fixed for that one - it's actually triangles

was fun to experiment with, but not too puzzling

9:59 PM

BOAST - ST (street/way) = BOA (Bank of America, of which many people disapprove)

#BadC4Solutions

I'm starting to think that Hype? is the def

why could "classy" be abbreviated to U?

from here

I'm thinking the definition is NIX

10:20 PM

Q: Marking the Occasion

I don't have any letters. I used to have one letter (and a dash). If you run, I have one letter (and a digit). When I have twelve letters, no two of them are the same. What am I?

riddle

11:11 PM

The definition can't be NIX because the definition is part of the clue. The answer could conceivably be NIX (or any other three-letter word).

U and non-U English

U and non-U English usage, with "U" standing for "upper class", and "non-U" representing the aspiring middle classes, was part of the terminology of popular discourse of social dialects (sociolects) in Britain in the 1950s. The different vocabularies can often appear quite counter-intuitive: the middle classes prefer "fancy" or fashionable words, even neologisms and often euphemisms, in attempts to make themselves sound more refined ("posher than posh"), while the upper classes in many cases stick to the same plain and traditional words that the working classes also use, as, confident in the security...

@GarethMcCaughan Can you elaborate on what you mean by the definition being part of the clue?

Oh wait, I understand what you're saying