The Sphinx's Lair

AncientSwordRage

12:38 AM

@GarethMcCaughan ahh I am not as au fait on my drugs

Sphinx

12:51 AM

0

Q: Cube Connect Challenges

Cube Connect is a Flow-like mobile puzzle game on the surface of a cube. Rules of Flow (which is simply Numberlink with colors instead of numbers; copied from Nikoli rules with small modification): Connect pairs of the same colored dots with a continuous line. Lines go through the center of the ...

Anonymus 25

1:02 AM

White powder company sings "CANE" (7)

Playing a bit with indicators today

msh210

7:33 AM

@AncientSwordRage not my intention

AncientSwordRage

@msh210 no worries, I'll keep thinking on it

10 hours ago, by msh210

Well, gameN. This C4 I do not expect to fall quickly. (But I've been wrong before.)

I definitely felt like taking this statement on as a challenge, but so far it's proven true

Anonymus 25

8:26 AM

Pretty sure the C4 ends in DIA (A line in DA(wn))

Stiv

8:47 AM

My thinking all revolves around it ending just in 'D' (the 'crack of dawn' implying its first letter). This would fit the general ending of words that are synonyms of 'tormented' also...

Something like HARASSED, where you have HARE (speed) 'inhaling' A+SS, all followed by D(-awn). If SS=line (e.g. via shipping, somehow) then this might work

(I've also been working with RATE and PACE and similar short word for 'speed' that end in an 'E' to give us the useful 'ED' ending...)

Anonymus 25

BOTHERED could maybe work if everything after "Speed" could clue THERE inside BO_D, maybe "At" inside (inhaling) "a line" and D as you said

Stiv

How does 'speed'=BO though?

Anonymus 25

Shrugs

AncientSwordRage

9:16 AM

@Stiv harried for tormented?

Stiv

Not enough letters unfortunately

AncientSwordRage

9:34 AM

@Stiv I mean as fodder in some way?

although I realise in my haste, that's the wrong part to fodderise based on your thinking

My thinking, as I don't think I'll get any further on my own, it was COCKCROW and line -> ROW (although, first issue not inhaled) leaving one of the C for speed( of light) and the rest... no idea

Maybe 'speed inhaling' is a slightly cryptic description of gasping?

Jafe

10:52 AM

line is abbreviated l. so "xxxx inhaling a line" could be "AL inside xxxx"

AncientSwordRage

11:17 AM

@Jafe that's the normal wordplay, sure

AncientSwordRage

11:27 AM

@msh210 HARROWED: HARE inhaling ROW + D(awn)

Stiv

That looks good!

AncientSwordRage

@Stiv you did a lot of the hard work, getting me HERE~HARE

:p

AncientSwordRage

11:59 AM

(I'll wait for confirmation)

msh210

@AncientSwordRage yes!

Anonymus 25

Nice!

AncientSwordRage

CCCC: Army Ration: remove/squeeze end, before second mouthful, swallow (and in France, it comes in a tube?) (5)

@msh210 that's awesome, I loved the misdirection (that I thoroughly fell for) :D

msh210

@AncientSwordRage thanks

@AncientSwordRage METRO (it comes in a tube) = MRE remove squeezE before mOuthful; swallow ET

Anonymus 25

Dangit

Jafe

12:11 PM

argh that's exactly what i was trying to make work

didn't know about MRE

AncientSwordRage

@msh210 thats it

@Jafe it's a slightly niche acronym (Meal Ready to Eat)

msh210

CCCC: Perhaps some hens and does caught victims at the start (5)

Jafe

hen can be a female bird other than chicken too, right? i think this is V_ in DOES = DOVES

AncientSwordRage

12:27 PM

@Jafe nice!

Sphinx

1

Q: Ripple Effect ... with Inequality Sign

I was making ripple effect but failed on uniqueness. That lead me thinking of putting inequality sign to fix the puzzle. Then, I'm wondering, what if I make a new one with intentional inequality sign? So, here we are! Rules (from Nikoli): The areas divided by bold lines are called "Rooms". Fill ...

logical-deduction grid-deduction

Jafe

ooh, a ripple effect!

msh210

@Jafe yep!

Jafe

CCCC: There's oil spilt all over New England footballers (5,5)

"spilt" still looks weird but i'm forcing myself to use it

AncientSwordRage

@Jafe recoils in BrE

msh210

12:32 PM

spilt's spelt weird

AncientSwordRage

@msh210 Rye would you say that?

msh210

@AncientSwordRage because I barley ever have seen it spelt that way

AncientSwordRage

@msh210 not using the right suffix 'ere gets my 'oat

Anonymus 25

PUNS

msh210

@Anonymus25 yes, whea try

Anonymus 25

12:37 PM

Very apeeling

Oh no, what have you done

AncientSwordRage

@msh210 it's teff to think of anymore

msh210

@Jafe three lio(n)s*

Jafe

@msh210 that's right

msh210

(had to Google English national team to learn it was called that)

AncientSwordRage

@msh210 New England REALLY through me

msh210

12:38 PM

CCCC: TV (a/k/a telly) I played loudly (11)

AncientSwordRage

ahhhh I mean threw

Chris Cudmore

@msh210 TALKATIVELY*

Anonymus 25

Dangit I just found that

msh210

@ChrisCudmore yep!

Chris Cudmore

CCCC: Banner makes strange rat do more. (9)

AncientSwordRage

12:44 PM

MODERATOR*

Chris Cudmore

Yup

Jafe

hehe

msh210

heh nice

AncientSwordRage

I should do some more work-word before I get to involved in making more cryptic-word

Anonymus 25

This catacomb, I care initially (7)

Best clue so far that I have made

Chris Cudmore

12:53 PM

@Anonymus25 CRYPT+I+C_

Took a look at the thesaurus

Anonymus 25

Yep! Not a C4, but fun

msh210

Maybe "cemented" instead of "care"

"this catacomb, I care initially" is not something anyone would ever say, I don't think, whereas "this catacomb, I cemented initially" is

Chris Cudmore

or closed

msh210

yeah

Anonymus 25

Takes notes

msh210

1:00 PM

@ChrisCudmore cf.

Chris Cudmore

1:13 PM

@msh210 Cool!

Taco タコス

Gonna do 4 edits for [rubiks-cube] today since two of the ones at the top of the list are dupes.

Does anyone think we should create a terminology tag?

I've seen a few examples of where it would be useful, though it's not very common from my understanding.

Stiv

When would it be used?

Taco タコス

For example, this question I'm currently editing asks if a specific algorithm has a name which fits that type of tag.

Stiv

Can you picture an occasion when someone might wish to see lots of puzzles requesting correct terminology?

(Since tagging is for filtering purposes, largely...)

Taco タコス

Yes, though they'd be quite infrequent (in my opinion).

bobble

1:26 PM

The closest thing we have is puzzle-identification, which asks for a specific type of terminology: puzzle names

Stiv

Have to say, I'm not really seeing it... If someone wants to ask about Rubik's cube terminology, for example, they are probably most likely to get an answer by tagging it with [rubiks-cube] rather than [terminology]. Ditto for cryptic crosswords, or grid deduction puzzles. I can't think of a situation where you would ever use it on its own, without already having another tagged puzzle type for reference.

Chris Cudmore

[terminology] seems more of a meta-tag than a topic tag

Taco タコス

@Stiv I'm thinking of it from the perspective of looking for questions that are requesting terminology, no specific puzzle type, just terminology requests.

However, I will say I don't see a lot of benefit; but since I thought of it, I wanted to get the opinion of others. :)

Would anyone here add solvability to this question?

I'm on the fence

It's looking for detecting solvability, not if a specific configuration is solvable so my instinct says no.

But it deals with the solvability of a cube, so I'm on the fence.

Stiv

That's all this is, of course - my opinion (I can't speak for others) - and I agree with what Chris says above: it does feel a bit of a 'meta tag' rather than a topic in its own right. [puzzle-identification] I get, because in those instances you don't have a lot to go on; but [terminology] as described above really sits inside another more pertinent tag that you could use, depending on the type of puzzle you're inquiring about.

(And if you don't know the type of puzzle itself, we're back to [puzzle-identification] instead!)

Anyway, never any harm in asking!

Taco タコス

@Stiv nope, I'd prefer to get the idea out there at least :) doesn't hurt if the answer is no.

I can't think of a single day where I said to myself (I wonder how many questions we have requesting terminology). :)

Taco タコス

1:51 PM

I gotta head out for now, back later!

AncientSwordRage

2:49 PM

CCCC: Backstab Gin Rummy pal, missing the opening to call for help when, perhaps, a joker is spotted? (3-6)

Stiv

3:21 PM

@AncientSwordRage BAT-SIGNAL = STAB< + GIN* + (-p)AL (def=call for help when, perhaps, a joker is spotted?)

AncientSwordRage

3:48 PM

@Stiv exactly

Stiv

Cool. I played with (-sta)B for a while, before eventually realising what 'back' was meant to imply here :)

AncientSwordRage

@Stiv I'm hoping it wasn't too unfair

Stiv

No, not at all.

I've seen wordplay used like that before

(plenty of times)

It's probably not Ximenean, but...

AncientSwordRage

Good to know, I have less Ximenean things ... Planned. Best to test the waters first.

Stiv

CCCC: Try one's hardest to assist crook past stern guards (4,4,9)

Avi

4:13 PM

Was browsing dad jokes when I came across this gem:

"My wife always complains that I have no sense of direction, so I packed up my stuff left away and right!"

2

bobble

4:36 PM

How is this not opinion-based? It's literally asking for an opinion on best scramble method. Answers end up being recommendations for methods/software the answerer personally likes.

AncientSwordRage

@bobble in theory "most random way" might be if enforced ?

bobble

As the answers show, people are interpreting it to mean "share your favorite scramble method!" and everyone provides why they like their method and why it's random "enough"

Chris Cudmore

@bobble I voted that as P.O.B as soon as I saw it yesterday.

bobble

3 people disagree

Stiv

@Avi Oh, I really wish he had packed down his stuff...

Chris Cudmore

4:50 PM

Leave Open reviews?

samm82

@Stiv BEND (assist crook?) + OVER (past) + BACK (stern) + WARDS (guards); (def: try one's hardest)

bobble

@ChrisCudmore 3. I don't understand. Was hoping someone in chat could illuminate possible reasoning.

msh210

@samm82 "assist" is part of the definition methinks. bend=crook

samm82

Oooh that tracks

Chris Cudmore

I'm of the opinion that the question is only on topic if it asked for an authoritative scrambling method from the ANSI standard on Rubik's Cube Scrambling or other competent body. And even then, it's a LMGTFY question

samm82

4:56 PM

I wasn't sure if "to assist" was a valid connector and I was pretty sure it wasn't, but being part of the def makes a lot more sense

Chris Cudmore

and merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crook gives BEND first up.

Have we accepted any particular Dictionary/Thesaurus as canon for the CCCC?

samm82

I don't think so - I think as long as it seems like a reasonable definition/synonym

@Stiv So I guess this becomes BEND (crook) + OVER (past) + BACK (stern) + WARDS (guards); (def: try one's hardest to assist)

Stiv

5:26 PM

@samm82 That's correct :)

samm82

Alright, let's see how fair this next one is....

CCCC: Greek character is modest and a little sentimental (5 or 5)

with (5 or 5) meaning that there are two solutions - I think that's the right syntax for that

Avi

@Stiv brilliant!

"My wife always complains that I have no sense of direction, so I went up the staircase, packed down my stuff left away and right!"

trying to fit in "up" but not sure it worked as well

maybe just stick to "My wife always complains that I have no sense of direction, so I packed down my stuff left away and right!"

samm82

what about "after I calmed up"?

Chris Cudmore

"I caught my wife doing food colouring shots. I think she died a little inside"

Avi

"I couldn't calm up after my wife complained that I have no sense of direction, so I packed down my stuff left away and right!"

@samm82 nice one

@ChrisCudmore I dyed laughing at this

samm82

5:32 PM

There it is! Love it

Chris Cudmore

@Avi It's better spoken.

Avi

of course

@ChrisCudmore made a pun on "Cudmore" but not sure if you're okay with people punning on parts of your name. would you like to hear it?

Chris Cudmore

Go ahead.

Avi

One of Chris' friends: "His last name is Cudmore, but he wants to be your bud more."

fairly harmless but I just wanted to check beforehand

Chris Cudmore

I've heard worse.

Avi

5:41 PM

good to hear I'm not the worst of the batch :P

AncientSwordRage

@bobble you just get it sometimes where people do bad reviews because it's something they 'like'

Avi

For which question

AncientSwordRage

Maybe worth going to meta?

Chris Cudmore

@samm82 MU + SHY is one solution.

Avi

ooh nice

Chris Cudmore

5:44 PM

The same construction gives nushy, xishy, pishy as possibilities, but none are words

Avi

somehow I always forget what pithy means x.x

samm82

@ChrisCudmore Yup! Now if someone else gets the other solution I'm going to have to decide who goes next in the chain lol

AncientSwordRage

@Avi if you follow the chat chain there's a link somewhere

Chris Cudmore

@bobble @avi -- this is the start of the discussion.

Avi

fair

feels like it should be locked, not closed

like, it has historical significance

but it shouldn't have new answers because it doesn't fit the format of the site

bobble

5:56 PM

A "historical significance" lock is applied only to off-topic questions, so saying it should get that also means you're saying it should be closed

It's meant to apply when a question is off-topic but deletion should be prevented due to useful answers

Avi

86

Q: What is a historical lock, and what is it used for?

Historical locks are sometimes applied to questions. What is a historical lock? What is the purpose of a historical lock? How are questions affected by historical locking? When is it appropriate to lock a question for historical reasons? When is it not appropriate? How do I request a historica...

support faq moderator-tools historical-lock post-notices

this to be precise

AncientSwordRage

@Avi locked questions are closed more or less

Also, it should be "The post is stellar, in spite of its off-topic nature"" which I'd argue it's not

Sphinx

7:07 PM

0

Q: What is the missing term in this numerical sequence?

The missing term in this sequence has been replaced by the placeholder "—". What is the missing term, and why? 10000 121 100 — 24 22 20 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

sequence

msh210

@samm82 PAR = average sort of means modest, in the "a modest apartment" sense. "a" = one = I. "little sentimental" = its first letter, S. So you get PARIS, a Greek character. I suspect this is not the intended solution.

Gareth McCaughan

A lovely idea, but I think the PAR part is too much of a stretch.

samm82

Can confirm, this is not the intended solution

msh210

@GarethMcCaughan Yeah, me too.

Jafe

8:19 PM

i think one solution is MU+SHY (a little sentimental)

Stiv

3 hours ago, by Chris Cudmore

@samm82 MU + SHY is one solution.

(Sorry Jafe - that one's gone!) :)

Jafe

oops sorry, missed that!

Chris Cudmore

The other one is really stumping me.

Whoever gets it deserves the win.

Stiv

It could maybe be MIDAS = MID (modest) + A + S(-entimental)?

Chris Cudmore

Looks good.

@Stiv @samm82

Stiv

8:25 PM

(if MID=modest is considered fair)

If not, then the AS ending might be something to work with

Chris Cudmore

If he's doing a Schroedinger, we have to allow a little latitude.

samm82

Not quite what I was going for, although it fits rather well

Stiv

Fair enough :)

Jafe

8:42 PM

dry can mean "lacking embellishment", so maybe DRY+ A + S_?

a lot of options for greeks ending in S

i wonder if the "is" is important since it's not used in the first solution

samm82

9:00 PM

@Jafe Once again, not quite what I had in mind....

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