The Sphinx's Lair

« first day (3933 days earlier) ← previous day next day → last day (4 days later) »

oAlt

03:15

Does Mr. Sethuraman handle grants in the NSF? There's "a man" (this person) there, but I don't see any more good justifications for this as the answer. Besides, it feels weird to only clue the first name...

Sphinx

Q: Ten-T puzzle. Place nine sets of the ten given T-shapes in a 20x36 rectangle

This set of T-shapes was devised by Jim Kerley who asked whether 1,2,3, or 4 sets would tile a rectangle (they will probably not, search nearly complete, tilings can be found for five sets or higher). No overlaps/gaps, and you can flip the Ts if you think that will help. I rate this as surprising...

oAlt

I guess it's understandable when it makes for good &lit material, but I still don't think this is the answer.

4 hours later…

Jafe

06:51

if it's an &lit surely the answer is someone who was actually alive during grant's presidency

the A at the start is likely significant

msh210

07:25

A, potential = V, leader of Grant = G, so it's gotta be someone whose name starts with AVG

and who was a potential leader of Grant's administration

(still assuming it's an &lit)

(and yes I'm kidding)

I suppose you could say Horatio Seymour and Horace Greeley were potential leaders of the Grant administrations.

Serious question: If it's &lit, what does "carried out" mean in the surface? Literally borne from a room? Can it mean "kill" perhaps? (Wiktionary doesn't have that meaning, but I haven't checked elsewhere.)

oAlt

07:46

Same... it feels like "carried out" is more apt for describing plans, ideas, etc. rather than people, unless it was a literal physical carrying out of some room/office or whatever

msh210

08:16

That's the primary reason I'm doubting it's &lit.

msh210

09:16

Collins and MW dictionaries online don't have any meanings of "carry out" that can apply to a person.

Jafe

09:49

"administration was carried out by this person" could be something like vaccinator

msh210

or doser, if "(the) Grant" can clue 5 letters

Daniel S

@msh210 Grant = let, allow, permit?

msh210

10:04

yeah, but allowdoser isn't a potential leader (though tbh I haven't checked)

Ah! Grant = Cary. And administration…person = doctor per Jafe. So we get carydoctor, a potential leader.

oAlt

Ah, nice find! (Not)

Stiv

Well, in that case it must be APOTHECARY = A + P_ + O' + THE + CARY

msh210

ah, thank you!

Stiv

Meaning 'administration was carried out by this person'

@juicifer ^

Very much a joint effort, that solve!

And of course the use of 'Cary Grant' explains the capital G too

oAlt

10:22

ah wow, nice find (for real this time)!

TIL this is another word I've never learned how to pronounce right all this time... I put the stress on "the" when neither UK does it (they stress it at "po") nor the US (they stress it at "ca") apparently, according to Wiktionary

msh210

@oAlt As a native Usonian, I've always stressed the "po".

oAlt

My bad, I meant both of them stress it at "po". I misread one of the IPA marks as a stress mark

msh210

Thanks for the clue, @juicifer — now I'll be able to remember how to spell apothecary without trial and error.

@Stiv good find, btw

Stiv

Most of the parts were there spread across everybody else's suggestions - I think it was only the O' THE that remained...!

msh210

10:39

"It takes a great mind to coalesce others' ideas." — Confucius, or someone

Sphinx

11:27

Q: An inspiring game, get it?

A tower stands in the center, 4 people who dare to enter. Each skills unique, all of them trying to reach the peak. In their way looms death, but it only gives them strength. From the start the choice is yours, choice to fight or take detours. Each way to the top different, except when you fin...

riddle knowledge

2 hours later…

juicifer

13:45

@Stiv precisely :)

@msh210 glad I could help lol

Jafe

14:06

he be called apothecary because a pot he carry at all times

Stiv

14:22

CCCC: Model car's first across line, having rounded backfiring truck (9)

Sphinx

14:48

-1

Q: Two nice puzzels

Look at this formula VII=I Move one line to correct it. With 6 matches build a 3D triangle. Good luck.

enigmatic-puzzle

msh210

15:08

Can "rounded" mean "with the last letter removed"? (Like rounding a corner of a paper by cutting off the very corner, or rounding a number by cutting off the last decimal places.)

Jafe

15:42

i wouldn't use it that way but that doesn't mean stiv wouldn't

Stiv

I've not seen it done before, but I'll happily own that there is nothing unorthodox in this clue - it's all pretty standard usage...

Jafe

15:54

in other words the answer could be patriarch but not pope or rabbi

CLASSICAL means model and has the C...L around but that would require ACISSAL to mean truck

GentlePurpleRain

16:24

@Stiv I think this is C_ OVER GIR< L, but I'm not sure where the "rounded" comes into the wordplay. "Car's first" -> C, "across" -> OVER, "line" -> L, "backfiring truck" -> RIG reversed. "Model" being the definition.

Stiv

@GentlePurpleRain Correct :) 'having rounded' is intended as a containment unit, as in 'having gone round'

bobble

@Sphinx one more CV needed. The OP has come back to comment, but they did not address either close-worthy issue I told them about.

GentlePurpleRain

CCCC: Follows up after a fault, when playing for keeps. (8)

2 hours later…

Sphinx

18:31

Q: Missing letters (should have received more)

The following three lines of letters have been constructed using an equivalent logical process but based on different source materials (which have something in common): _ _ _ M O T E W D H F R I A _ _ _ Y L O W G N B U P I K A C _ _ _ P E Y H A G R U M S L N Z B F The first three letters in eac...