The Sphinx's Lair

Gareth McCaughan

12:13 AM

And indeed you should. (And obviously you can use some other permutation -- change the second digit of the first number and the first of the second; the fourth digit of the third number and the third of the fourth; etc. Or whatever.)

An observation not always made: the diagonal argument, if you write your numbers in binary, is basically the same thing as Russell's paradox. Think of each number as defining a set of numbers -- the positions where there's a 1. The number we're constructing also corresponds to a set of numbers. "The nth digit is different from the nth number" says "n is in our set iff n isn't in the set labelled n".

If there were only countably many sets of positive integers, then we could label our sets with themselves instead of with the numbers 1,2,..., and then the new set we constructed would contain n iff set n doesn't contain n; that is, it would contain each set iff that set doesn't contain itself; this is exactly what Russell does.

Except that he does it with all sets rather than just sets of positive integers, and so what he proves in effect is that if we think we have a "universe" of all sets then we have to be wrong because here's a way of finding a new one.

AncientSwordRage

12:46 AM

Very clever

I never studied anything like that, but it is fascinating

Avi

1:00 AM

@GarethMcCaughan thanks for this; it was very intuitive!

or rather, it made sense to me on an intuitive level

Sphinx

1:44 AM

0

Q: How do I get quinaplus to give me words that are (word_a)* in word_b?

I would like to use the Quinaplus Matcher to look for words that are made from two letter sets, let's call them $word_a$ and $word_b$. The letters in $word_a$ can be in any order, and between $1$ and $n-1$ from $word_b$ in front and enter remaining $n-1$ to $1$ words behind. E.g. if $word_a$ was ...

0

Q: Blindfold Tic-Tac-Toe

You are playing the classic game of 3x3 Tic-Tac-Toe. You are blindfolded and you cannot see the grid, while your opponent can see it. When making a move you call out a cell. If that cell is taken you are told that it is taken and you can call out another cell until you find an empty one. You make...

strategy game

Bubbler

@Sphinx I'm inclined towards "you can't", but I don't have time to write down a full answer

Stevo

6:43 AM

hello avi :)

Avi

7:42 AM

oh, hi

Stevo

hi

lockdown finished here, so we went back to school today

Avi

2 am so I should be uh

attempting to not die from lack of sleep (aka, sleeping)

Stevo

i must say, face masks wearing for 6 hours is not good for your health

Avi

@Stevo better than uh

the alternative

Stevo

@Avi true...

Avi

7:43 AM

and actually I find that wearing a mask is relatively comfortable if you have a thinner face

Stevo

@Avi because there is air from the sides. ohh

Avi

but uh yeah

sleepy time

Stevo

ok goodbye

Avi

goodnight, and best of luck with the puzzlies

Stevo

if there is a puzzle

AncientSwordRage

8:15 AM

@Sphinx I'm over the moon about the answers

Stiv

9:54 AM

CCCC: There are fifty in America (including Louisiana and Connecticut) and one in Rome, and over time they become increasingly down-to-earth! (11)

Jafe

10:05 AM

this one's great

STA(LA+CT+I)TES, which over time become increasingly down-to-earth :)

Stiv

You got it :) I really enjoyed pulling this one together, have to say...

msh210

10:41 AM

@Stiv it's nice

Stiv

Thanks :)

Jafe

11:23 AM

CCCC: Novel with finest wonder? (3,5,2,6)

msh210

The something. :-)

The Winds of Winter

@Jafe

Jafe

that's right

i suppose the wordplay part is pretty obvious

msh210

yeah

but it's a good &lit

CCCC: Cooks pig on rotisserie, stuffed with halibut heart (5)

Jafe

i wanted "novel written ..." but the remaining letters weren't good

thanks

msh210

novel written on side'f HW

Jafe

11:35 AM

:P

msh210

11:47 AM

(I'm not 100% sure this clue is fair. Or, to put it another way: This clue is not 100% fair.)

(But IMO it's sufficiently fair. :-) )

Stiv

@msh210 BOILS (cooks) = SLOB< containing (-hal)I(-but), with 'on rotisserie' suggesting a reversal

msh210

@Stiv yes indeed

Stiv

I like the thematic 'on rotisserie' even if it isn't a standard reversal indicator

msh210

okay, thanks :-)

Stiv

The idea of 'turning around' was conjured up, although I guess usually a rotisserie is more a cyclical thing than a reversal per se... I see why you say it wasn't necessarily 'fair' in that regard!

msh210

11:53 AM

yeah, exactly

but I'm glad that didn't hinder its being solved, or certainly not much

Stiv

I figured that _I_ was part of the wordplay, so the definition had to come first. Thinking of 5-letter synonyms for 'cooks' soon led me down the right path :)

Anonymus 25

12:19 PM

#CCCC

I know this is random, but:

CMC: Make a Squid Game related puzzle

Jafe

no spoilers, haven't watched it yet :P

Stiv

1:15 PM

CCCC: Gossip after woman yells about nothing. (Extremely vague, sorry - essentially, people thought it was obscene...) (4,11,5)

Jafe

@Stiv LADY + CHATTER + LEYSL* + 0 + V(-ague)E + (-so)R(-ry)

Anonymus 25

1:38 PM

Is "tug" a good anagram indicator?

Jafe

don't think so, unless it has a meaning i'm unaware of

Anonymus 25

Can "run after" clue "go after"?

msh210

@Anonymus25 I think so, since you can consider a string of letters to be running.

Anonymus 25

Hmmmm...

I just thought of a clue

msh210

Blue's Clues: A Clue A Clue 22 Phrase

►

Anonymus 25

1:50 PM

A dillema: Does "green light" clue "yes" or "affirmative" that well?

If so:
Squid Game beginners before worshipping, contain "Green Light" decoration (9)

Noice

Jafe

green light for yes seems fine to me

Stiv

@Jafe Of course :)

Jafe

CCCC: Three-letter acronym describing important international airport in Los Angeles, California (that's one of the United States) (8)

msh210

@Jafe well, duh, obviously the answer is LAX

Jafe

2:06 PM

obviously

msh210

2:29 PM

@Jafe T(LAX CA)LA, you sneaky...

:-)

Jafe

hehe that's it

msh210

CCCC: Bookkeeper's helper parsed these poorly (11)

Stiv

@Jafe So is 'describing' here a container indicator?

@msh210 This is SPREADSHEET (Bookkeeper's helper) = PARSEDTHESE*

msh210

@Stiv yes indeed

You got my last 3 C4s.

Stiv

Ha, really?! There's been a lot of back and forth between about five of us lately...

msh210

2:42 PM

@Stiv I've often seen it as such.

bobble

:( bobble wants to join the club

Stiv

@msh210 I don't think I'd have thought about it that way...

msh210

Describe can mean to trace out (Jupiter describes an ellipse around the sun), though that's not quite what we need. I'm not sure why I've seen it used as a containment indicator, but I know I have.

It's listed at highlightpress.com.au/containers.html though not on other online lists that I checked.

Stiv

Interesting - a new one on me, I think

CCCC: "He put her toe on wrong - with students in attendance!" "You're kidding me!" (4,3,5,3)

msh210

2:59 PM

@Stiv pu(LL) the other one*

and, um, ew.

Stiv

Strange things happen in surgery...

(And yes, that's correct)

msh210

CCCC: Stylish? For sure. Till when? Who knows (12)

Sphinx

0

Q: Flying high with my travel agent

"Hi Pat." "Did you get the proposed trip I sent over? Better book soon, because this big-city tour is going fast!" "Well, if this is the route map you want me to choose from, I don't think this airline is going to be in business very long. Seattle must be one of the worst cities in America to hav...

enigmatic-puzzle geography

Taco タコス

4:20 PM

@msh210 is the lack of punctuation on the end intentional as part of the puzzle? Only ask because of the prior punctuation in the line.

Sphinx

4:42 PM

1

Q: I have a riddle for you

What is something for you can take but never give.

riddle

msh210

@Tacoタコス It's not. I omitted the punctuation because I wasn't sure what to put. "Who knows" in this (surface) context is a statement rather than a question, but is usually punctuated with a question mark nonetheless. But I didn't want to end my clue with a question mark, because that has a connotation in cryptic clues that I didn't want to impart.

(Also, because it's a statement rather than a question, I didn't feel bad about omitting the question mark.)

AncientSwordRage

5:45 PM

@msh210 my money is on either Abbott and Costello, The Doctor or Dr Seuss, but no 12 letter word jumps out at me

Stiv

My thoughts jump to CONTEMPORARY (stylish) with CON+TEMPORARY, but I can't think of a way to equate 'for sure' to CON, so it's probably not the intention...

AncientSwordRage

ANTIQUARIANS would fit perhaps? It's not technically a style, but I think you can call somebody that in reference to appearance (i.e. being antiquated) and the plural for the hobby...

juicifer

it's obviously INYESHOWLONG, which means, well, who knows?

2

M Oehm

6:13 PM

Trendwatcher? Trendsetters? That would make an &lit, but the Y from trend-y would have to go somewhere.

AncientSwordRage

@bobble they're too quick normally, I feel for you

Sphinx

1

Q: A cinematic masterpiece in matchsticks

Polanski's magnificent Chinatown (my all-time fourth favourite film) was produced among numerous other movies by Robert Evans, the second anniversary of whose death is today1. What better excuse for a commemorative brainteaser in the form of a matchstick puzzle? Move four matches to turn CINEMAT...

wordplay visual lateral-thinking letters matches

Avi

7:19 PM

@msh210 This is IN+CONCLUSIVE

had the word before I realized it worked 😅

msh210

7:34 PM

@Avi That was not my intention. "Till when" doesn't seem to fit.

Or at least not as well as in my intended solution. :-)

… imo, anyway.

Sphinx

9:16 PM

3

Q: The Wife's Notes

It was a typical Sunday morning: coffee in the sun room, me and the paper, the wife and her phone. But this day as I read, I became increasingly aware of the wife’s good mood. She was humming, swaying, and tapping away on her phone like I never saw before. I’m not a jealous or suspicious man but ...

knowledge enigmatic-puzzle

Jafe

10:44 PM

@msh210 i think it's actually IN+DEFINITELY (till when? who knows)

msh210

11:09 PM

@Jafe definitely

AncientSwordRage

@msh210 defiantly

Avi

@msh210 ah, that's much nicer

Sphinx

0

Q: Strange Math 2.2

I don't know why I even took this class. All the math is so complicated. We were learning order of operations and then I get this monstrosity. Can you help me do it? $(3+4)(2-3)=18-1$ $(2-7)^2+(1+5)=-44-33$ $(5-1)(9+8)=53+31$ $(6-2)^2-(10-13)= \ ?$

mathematics

Jafe

11:31 PM

CCCC: Horrific story o' rage: She burned many for treason (8,9,2,5,9)

Bubbler

11:43 PM

The entire clue is 41 chars and the enumeration is 33

Must be &lit and an anagram of everything except "Horrific"...

Jafe

CMC: clue a >30-letter answer using <30 letters

Sphinx

0

Q: Different solution of a norway mensa IQ test question

I am thinking about this question: The public solution is But I think I have another working solution, but I wasn't able to find any validation. I think it's Did I miss anything or is this also a valid solution?

logical-deduction pattern visual

Jeremy Dover

It's almost too easy...

AncientSwordRage

clearly™ its LEGACY BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ONTHEHILL

(don't check the enumeration, that's a betrayal of my trust!)

Jafe

11:58 PM

hehehe

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