The Sphinx's Lair

2:20 AM

@Ankit one of the standard edit rejection reasons is that an edit should have been a reply (comment/answer, as appropriate) instead. Please do not edit questions with clarifications or anything else that has the possibility of changing the meaning of the question, even if you think you know what the intent of the question is, especially here where the poster is reasonably likely to respond. Instead comment and ask for clarification. — bobble 46 mins ago

@bobble I am aware of that... I put the edit in cuz it would be trivial (to solve) and impossible (for the scenario to occur) otherwise — Ankit 33 mins ago

I... don't think that actually responded to the points I brought up, but then I'm biased. Thoughts?

msh210

3:03 AM

@juicifer that'd be ca. es T U.S., then

bobble

Another moderation thing: may I flag this as NAA because it is an exact duplicate of this answer which is earlier and better-explained? Or should I mod-flag? Or just comment? Or do nothing? The older answer's OP ain't coming back anytime soon

juicifer

@msh210 it sure would

msh210

4:27 AM

Weak, but:

CCCC: Spooner's diagnosis of a sentient car's mental health is considered one of the best picture shows ever? (7,4)

Jafe

6:56 AM

@msh210 CITIZEN KANE, a spoonerism of "K.I.T.T. is insane"!

also, wow i had been looking for the completely wrong words for the previous c4 because my brain somehow read the hint as T being the third letter

msh210

7:45 AM

@Jafe yep yep

Jafe

CCCC: The (slightly aged?) second given name of Simpsons character that's drowning in cash, lacking in both virtue and youth, ultimately (10)

Sphinx

0

Q: Puzzles selected by Des MacHale

Guardian published a bunch of puzzles selected by Des MacHale in https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/may/16/can-you-solve-it-the-funniest-jokes-in-maths And I don't get a single one and it annoys me ^^. MacHale has selected today’s puzzles, below. The first four are standard word or number ...

lateral-thinking

msh210

8:10 AM

@Jafe I almost have it… I think. I just don't see why h is missing… looks like an extra r instead.

Jafe

8:22 AM

double-checked for errors but i don't see it

Stiv

8:42 AM

@Jafe MONTGOMERY = T(-he) + (-a)G(-ed) + (h)OMER, all in MON(-e)Y &lit! for Mr Burns, and also the state capital of Alabama!

Jafe

that's right

Stiv

The building blocks come from: The (slightly | aged?) second | given name of Simpsons character that's drowning in cash, lacking in both virtue and youth, ultimately (10)

msh210

@Stiv oh Homer! I was looking at Moe (with e removed and bottom-to-top (drowning))

Another impressive Jafe clue.

Stiv

It's funny how the mind works - I was focussed on 'J' as the 'second given name of a Simpsons character' for a while myself

Jafe

8:56 AM

@msh210 thanks! these may become more and more convoluted towards the end because someone's been picking the easiest cases first...

msh210

9:35 AM

@Jafe your count?

Jafe

exactly

Stiv

9:56 AM

CCCC: Raise around one thousand euros to start 'Introduction to Osteopathy' course, to become alternative therapist (12)

Sid

10:13 AM

@Stiv I think this is... HIST(Raise??) around O+M+E O_ + PATH(course) giving HOMEOPATHIST

Not quite sure why HIST = Raise though...

Stiv

almost...

'HIST' doesn't mean 'raise' but you're very close to a word that does...

(the final answer is correct though - just need to nail the wordplay)

Sid

Yeah I am not quite sure about the wordplay here. I think HEIST = Raise is valid enough but then I don't understand how to make "Euros to start" fit in this wordplay

Oh wait, HOIST around M + E + O + PATH??

Stiv

@Sid That's the one :)

Got there!

Sid

yeah I am stupid. I should have gotten that the first time around.

Stiv

Hey, it was a wordy one to parse...

(Wasn't entirely satisfied with using 'Osteopathy' in the surface, as it contained a lot of letters in common with the answer, but I needed something thematic to fit with the surface, and I didn't find anything better...)

Sid

10:37 AM

CCCC: Starbucks employee possibly is a brat (7)

Jafe

barista*

Sid

Yup!

Jafe

CCCC: Right taken away from drug addicts – these include Harrison (Ford, an actor) and others (7, abbr.)

msh210

11:30 AM

@Jafe pot use(r)s :-)

Sphinx

11:44 AM

0

Q: Can you find the message hidden inside the picture?

I created the puzzle by myself using a Python program I wrote. Encoded message Transcription of encoded message 𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥 𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅗𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅯�...

enigmatic-puzzle visual computer-puzzle

Jafe

@msh210 that's right

Stiv

Haha! That's a fun one :) Totally didn't spot what you'd obfuscated in the second half of the clue, but really should have...

Sid

Was there a POTUS named "Ford"? I didn't know

Jafe

gerald ford, yeah

Jafe

12:12 PM

there's a story about president ford that i was sure was an urban legend but apparently it isn't

hockey player esa tikkanen was golfing with his edmonton oilers teammates back in the 1980s and they happened on the same golf course as gerald ford

they actually got to meet him, and tikkanen got ford really confused by asking him some questions about cars

he thought he was meeting the CEO of ford the motor company, not the ex-president of the US

msh210

I don't think Ford was under any allusions of being the most famous president.

CCCC: Equivalent of a backsplash, for instance (11)

Jafe

12:43 PM

COUNTERPART = counter part

msh210

1:06 PM

@Jafe indeed

Jafe

1:19 PM

CCCC: Set in Philadelphia (then state capital) (6)

msh210

@Jafe _a then s_

AncientSwordRage

@bobble "I know I shouldn't but I did anyway" is no good answer

Jafe

that's right

msh210

@Jafe me or @AncientSwordRage ?

AncientSwordRage

@bobble comment/move on?

Jafe

1:24 PM

both

AncientSwordRage

@Jafe woop

msh210

darn. I always use that "excuse"

Sphinx

1

Q: The new paper shredder

B: God, what happened here, it looks like a bomb went off... C: That's why we're here, Inspector Bolton, this tech company had no business exploding. B: They did acquire a new drink machine recently as well as a new printer. C: Yes, but those didn't lead to incidents, even the new head of the com...

story

msh210

@Jafe CCCC: Set in Miskolc (as Hungary's capital) (4)

Jafe

hehe

Chris Cudmore

1:27 PM

CASH

Oh, NOW formatting works for me.

_ C (AS H_

msh210

yes, indeed

Chris Cudmore

I'll pass back to @msh210 -- I don't have time to come up with one now.

Mithical

No rush, it doesn't have to be immediately.

msh210

Yeah, what @Mithical said.

Chris Cudmore

1:49 PM

CCCC: Hot tempers riled parent (10)

Jafe

stepmother*

Chris Cudmore

That's it

Jafe

CCCC: I try to embrace black people in Africa (4)

bobble

@AncientSwordRage but if it'd been caught at the time it'd almost certainly be deleted, so I want that fate for it

It is useless repetition

Stiv

@Jafe IGBO = I G(B)O

Jafe

1:54 PM

that's right

AncientSwordRage

@bobble you can still vote to delete I guess :)

bobble

2:08 PM

Not enough rep. So, I was wondering about appropriate flagging

AncientSwordRage

@bobble ohhh I see

mod flag is best then, but with a detailed explanation as to why you can't just VTD

bobble

Explaining in detail that ... I don't have rep? That seems short? I must be misunderstanding.

AncientSwordRage

@bobble yeah because if it's not clear they might decline thinking "Delete it yourself...?"

I'm not sure

flags are tricky and different per stack

@Mithical input?

Mithical

busy sorry

Mithical

2:32 PM

I'd probably just ping Gareth

Stiv

CCCC: In some parts of Argentina, Uruguay is "a tiny country" (5)

Chris Cudmore

NAURU

Stiv

@ChrisCudmore Yep :) Also, re an earlier conversation this week, this guy has cracked the Venn diagram puzzle in a much more satisfying way than my earlier suggestion...

Chris Cudmore

Saw that. I was mistakenly trying to match them all to seasons.

CCCC: Minions care about Nauru resident (11)

Jafe

micronesian*

Chris Cudmore

2:41 PM

Way too fast!

Jafe

although that's 11 letters :)

Chris Cudmore

Counting is hard.

4

Jafe

hehe

CCCC: Rabbit in film plays a type of horn (not the French) (4)

Chris Cudmore

BUGS? BUG -le S But not sure about the S

Jafe

well that is the correct answer

Chris Cudmore

2:49 PM

But not the right parsing?

Jafe

no that's correct, BUG(-le)S

bugles as a verb, "plays a type of horn"

Chris Cudmore

Ah.

CCCC: Politician's secret rendezvous is missing a dimension. (9)

Sphinx

3:33 PM

1

Q: What is this 3 word phrase?

If I say " 1 2 3" You might thank me politely. But if I " 1 2 3" You might scream loudly If I bowl " 2 3 1" You might cut it squarely What are the three words 1,2 and 3?

knowledge wordplay

Sphinx

4:23 PM

3

Q: Can I park here?

Help! I visit my mom tomorrow (Tuesday). This parking spot is right across from her house. But when the heck can I and can't I park there?? [ ------ Automatically generated photo description by CaptainCaption 2.0, copyright OttoEye, GmbH, 2022: ------ Three poles with numerous parking signs in f...

logical-deduction

Chris Cudmore

@Sphinx It's Beautiful!

bobble

5:48 PM

@GarethMcCaughan do you have thoughts on either moderation thing I mentioned above?

Sphinx

6:55 PM

0

Q: I do not exist: A riley puzzle

My prefix is your Spanish, My infix is radioactive, My suffix is what I am not, And I do not exist, like my imaginary friend.

riddle wordplay affix-riddle

0

Q: 🎵 A musical response 🎵

This puzzle is my own creation. The other day one of my coworkers asked me whether I was up for a challenge. I said sure, so he handed me a piece of paper. "Find the response that's hidden in this paper. It must be two syllables." he said, and walked off. I looked down at the paper that was in m...

knowledge visual story music

Gareth McCaughan

7:17 PM

@bobble Second question first because I think it's easier: a duplicate answer isn't "not an answer" so it shouldn't be flagged NAA. But for sure it's a bad, pointless, lazy answer and you should feel free to downvote it, vote for its deletion, etc. In fact, I think I'll just delete it now.

(done)

@bobble On the first one: I agree that third-party edits shouldn't make nontrivial nonobvious changes to other people's questions (unless maybe there's reason to think that the OP has vanished and the question is clearly defective). I haven't seen Ankit's actual edits; quite possibly they were in fact good, but still the right procedure is to ask questions and let the OP make whatever answers/edits they find appropriate. Accordingly, the reasons A. gives might well be correct [...continues]

... but don't actually constitute good reasons for making the edit in the first place.

bobble

8:01 PM

Thank you on both accounts.

The edit can be found in the question's timeline, for context

Sphinx

0

Q: Can the Spider catch the Fly?

The spider and the fly are both on an infinite line and the spider is hungry. He can move twice as fast as the fly, however his vision is very bad (he can only see the fly when he is 1 meter or less from the fly) and he doesn't know where the fly starts. The fly can always see where the spider is...

mathematics

Gareth McCaughan

@bobble That's pretty much what I expected: the changes are in fact small improvements, but OP should be making them rather than a third party.

Sphinx

11:09 PM

0

Q: Lots of dull colors!

Note: I created this puzzle. Good Luck!

enigmatic-puzzle visual steganography

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