The Sphinx's Lair - 2017-04-05

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3:15 AM

1

Q: If Cinderella's Slippers

If Cinderella's slippers fit her perfectly, why did one slip off as she ran? Pretty tough. I can't figure it out.

5 hours later…

8:02 AM

1

Q: Pattern Recognitionn

Question Link Can someone help me solve this puzzle and predict the pattern . There are two questions in link above , please provide your answer of choice and reasoning for each

8:21 AM

Hi @Deusovi need an advise/approval on my next puzzle idea. Can I send you a spoiler?

0

Q: Arrange numbers 1 to 9 into the upsilon grid

Arrange numbers 1 to 9 into the octagon, so the operation is correct. C is a constant. Do the math operation in sequence, ($×$) and ($/$) is NOT HIGHER than ($+$) and ($-$).

formation-of-numbers number-theory

2 hours later…

10:04 AM

@Emrakul Did you misunderstand 'collaboration'? I meant for creating, not solving, as I thought my example had made clear...

0

Q: Arrange (+,-,x,/) into the upsilon grid

Put operators $(+,-,×,/)$ into the squares. Each operator must appears exactly 3 times to make the operations correct. C is a constant. No BODMA rules ((×) and (/) is NOT HIGHER than (+) and (−)), do the math operation in sequence. Check this puzzle for example.

formation-of-numbers number-theory

2 hours later…

12:16 PM

0

Q: Which tile completes the set?

This one puzzles me. I hope you can solve it.

pattern geometry visual

12:48 PM

I think @GarethMcCaughan just ninja'd me on a Meta comment. Lol.

?

Gareth McCaughan

@Rubio why yes, it seems I did. (By five minutes.)

1

Q: Making broken love smile again!

A friend of mine stopped by last night. Sad, depressed, was about to cry when I asked him, what's wrong. He narrated this story to me - Today at cafe, I met her. We had a little chat where I was expressing my love for her, and she was just bashing my words. Me : Honey She : Don't dare...

enigmatic-puzzle story visual

1:11 PM

I'm currently on mobile and spent basically that whole 5 minutes typing and editing to get under max length hehe.

Gareth McCaughan

1:50 PM

Text entry on mobile devices is horrible.

I tend to typo more (because I swype) but other than that I have no issues with it

@Techidiot Sure!

Thanks @Deusovi I will drop it soon

user275302

Is anybody expert on Cryptic clues here ?

@Deusovi

2:05 PM

Deusovi :P

Apparently, I am.

Also, @Deusovi a hint for the CCCC , please.

If not expert, very knowledgeable

Oh right, that's still up.

Hint: The answer is a name.

user275302

Well, I need suggestion for a CC site, but consider the fact that (i) I am an absolute newbie (ii) I hate googling up words. So, the CC's should be like a good riddle- easy to appreciate, but hard to answer.

2:07 PM

I am like 20% sure it is Santa Claus.. There is ho ho backwards there.

user275302

Some of the CCCC's in the links are gems (EVEN), but some requires crazy googling. [cc: @Deusovi ]

but santa is not a performer and how would Richard fit that

Like I said, 20% sure.

user275302

What about my question ?

CC site=puzzling. mainly TSL

user275302

2:12 PM

Well, as I said before, there are some excellent clues, but some requires Google to a horrible extend. (I am not providing examples, because then some may stupidly think that criticizing the CCCC is criticizing the author)

user275302

Okay, I guess nobody is interested for my previous question. Here's a (quick but) good one: What's the area of a right triangle with hypotenuse and altitude from right angle to hypotenuse, both 10 units ?

Um... @Deus, it feels like our old friend is back again.

user275302

Oops sorry, nevermind.

user275302

Jan 13 at 17:32, by Rand al'Thor

> And the Deus, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting,
> On the riddled bust of Xim'nes just above the Sphinx's Lair.

user275302

2:29 PM

I gotta go, but if anybody care to reply back, then reply to my (CC related) question.

2:44 PM

@VordDust If you're asking for a place to find cryptic clue examples that are easy to appreciate, but hard to answer, but don't require looking up words ... you might try, say, theguardian.com/crosswords/series/cryptic and troll through their archive of posted puzzles. There are many excellent cryptics in those. However, being a UK paper, many of the clues or answers are going to be aimed at folks from that region and may or may not be comprehensible to you.

user275302

@Rubio (Troll through ?) Okay thanks for the link.

If you want a cryptics how-to, I'll recommend you do ONE google search, for "cryptic clues". The first page of results is replete with some very excellent resources that include plenty of good example clues and how they work, along with indicator lists and expanations.

The Guardian cryptics are something else. I can hardly solve them. And it's tough to grasp even after seeing the answer.

user275302

I don't actually want how-to guide, that comes from practice than passively reading, but well - most guides are (as Ankoganit said before) propagating a dumb (and stupid) view of Cryptic Clues. BTW, You know any other ?

BTW, have a look here for a good laugh.

user275302

2:53 PM

@Ankoganit: Haha, hilarious. I will give that guy an inifinite amount of money for such a good joke. (BTW, Obviously, $1 this week, $1/2 the next, $1/3 the later, and so on)

heh

3:40 PM

@VordDust: I second Rubio's suggestion. The Guardian website have a cryptic crossword aimed at beginners called Quiptic, which appears online every Monday. If you want to have the solutions explained, there is Fifteensquared, where the daily crosswords of Guardian, FT and Independent are covered. That's quite helpful for newbies.

Gareth McCaughan

Also, the Guardian's (main) cryptics are of consistently pretty high quality. Other UK broadsheet newspapers have cryptic crosswords too. The Times is also of high quality. The Telegraph is not so good but tends to be distinctly easier than either Times or Guardian. The Independent somewhere in between, nearer to Times/Guardian than Telegraph, I think. The Independent's are available on their website [continues]

but be warned that the user interface is horrible and festooned with advertisements. I don't know about the Times (I expect not; most of their stuff is paywalled) or the Telegraph.

0

Q: How to solve Rubic cube by using Mathematical formulas?

I am trying to solve Rubic cube, but it took 1 month for me when I was started. There is any mathematical formulas, rules and tips for solving Rubic cube in less time (Min's)?

mathematics logical-deduction calculation-puzzle

If you waqnt a really easy cryptic, this site has daily cryptics that are not very challenging and may be a good start to get going. (The Quiptics can sometines be a bit difficult, even if they are supposed to be for beginners.) The Tutorial on that site is short and quite useful, I thought.

So long Vord Dust. It was nice seeing you again, not really.

AK, for the love of all that's holy, just stop.

Yes, the Indy crossword interface is horrible. Best to print it out, although even that is quite bad.

3:48 PM

@MOehm I've another ASCII in if you are interested

So, Deusovi's cryptic: O'Hara something? Ohara something? There's a verbatim and RA from Richard at first, but unless first is doing double duty there's a performer in between. The def copuld be initials: OH.

@Techidiot You write them just for me, don't you? :)

@MOehm Haha.. :D I have taken your "wavelength" thing seriously ;)

@MOehm I'd punctuate the enum if the answer had any punctuation.

@Deusovi Sent you the email

@Deusovi In my experience, apostrophes aren't always shown in the enumeration. Anyway, I just wanted to throw something out to bring the attention back to your cryptic.

4:00 PM

And @Deusovi Congrats for Galactic

GentlePurpleRain

Oh, OH or Oh! is an interjection, proclaiming surprise. It may refer to: == Arts and entertainment == === Music === ==== Albums ==== Oh! (Girls' Generation album), 2010 Oh! (ScoLoHoFo album), 2003 Oh!, by Switchfoot, 2006 ==== Songs ==== "Oh" (Ciara song), 2005 "Oh!" (Girls' Generation song), 2010 "Oh!" (Pink Lady song), 1981 "Oh!", by Boys Noize from Oi Oi Oi "Oh!", by The Breeders from Pod "Oh", by Dave Matthews from Some Devil "Oh", by Fugazi from The Argument "Oh", by Juliana Hatfield from Made in China "Oh!", by Micky Green from White T-Shirt "Oh!", by Sleater-Kinney from One B...

@MOehm ^

As if I hadn't visited this page already. :) I think I'll skip this one.

@Techidiot Thanks! :D

4:37 PM

@n_palum I finally got to see your puzzle's solution. Very cool, nicely done.

@Rubio The Apocalypse Peaks one?

yah

Thanks :) it had a few hiccups but it seemed to work out

I was playing a game on kongregate yesterday and it gave me a really fun idea for a puzzle. Hopefully I can start to work on it soon

5:17 PM

0

Q: Water level change problem?

A farmer wanted to sell watermelons in the city. To reach the city, he had to cross a river. So, he embarked on the journey while it was raining. On the way, he felt hungry and thus ate one of the watermelons. Further on a certain distance, he came across a Shark. In order to save himself, he hit...

riddle logical-deduction puzzle-creation science

@Sphinx Probably one of the more peculiar questions I've seen on here...

youtube.com/watch?v=XDXrP9HET2A ... oh dear. I've stumbled into that part of the internet again.

I have no sound, what is that? lol

@Rubio did you look at that question? (water level one)

Yeah, it's ... um ... surreal

Well, it's deleted now

It was a verbatim copy of this

5:29 PM

The posited answer on that site is wrong anyway

The comment points out why

I know, either way it makes no sense

the whole question is terrible. lol

It is

Kind of like this

The fifth panel also applies to postmodernists.

Would've preferred if that didn't take my whole screen...

Does a puzzle divided in parts, with each part with its own solution, combining them to form the final answer makes it meta puzzle?

I would think so, but I can't vouch for others

5:55 PM

It depends on what "each solution" is.

That's a good general description of a metapuzzle, IMO, but typically the solutions are words or phrases.

(Speaking of which, I have a puzzle planned for the upcoming FTC! :D )

@Deusovi Yeah. I meant words as well

And I guess your team was the first to solve the meta in hunt :)

6:23 PM

Two of the metas! (And second to solve two more!)

6:34 PM

hey @deus, is puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/50716/30633 undeletable? it arguably should be undeleted

GentlePurpleRain

7:17 PM

Anyone up for a game of Contact?

Currently happening in Contact.

8:24 PM

2

Q: The Legend of Sally the Cow

I was looting exploring Pelagia Farm and I stole found this note in a locked chest on the ground. It seems that one of the farmhands had tried their hand at poetry. I want to know how it ends but some ink bottles next to the note had spilled and obscured the last words. While I look for my next t...

visual computer-puzzle

1 hour later…

9:43 PM

@Deusovi Still waiting for the topic to roll over :P

@Sp3000 Oh, do you have something planned too? Sounds interesting

Yeah, but slow progress :/ Am more eager for the solving side though!

I'd like for the meta to be resolved before the end of the challenge...

Mine? Well, it may or may not be. (I mean, I expected my chess puzzle to be over fairly quickly, and look how that lasted...)

What? I mean the meta about private rooms :P

9:52 PM

Oh, the question on meta.

(I'm more used to "meta" meaning "metapuzzle".)

I guess I spend too much time in the TL now :P

How's being a mod? Having fun (ab)using your powers?

of course

Deus knows all about abusing power

@Deusovi RING + O + STAR + R[ichard], &lit

9:56 PM

Yep, nicely solved!

woooow

Knowing it was a name made it a lot easier... :P

(I was hoping to get the R by extracting from "drummer" or something similar, but I feel that would've made the def reading worse.)

10:08 PM

A game of Contact is currently happening!

omg. that's awesome.

10:22 PM

CCCC: Descendant supporting millennials? (7)

11:05 PM

@Deusovi ringo was the beatles second drummer technically, so could've gone with "Oh, oh, a performer - second drummer"

I checked - he actually wasn't!

he wasn't?(!)

They had a number of smaller drummers "rotating out"

user image

(from Wikipedia)

well there you go...

Just a thought @Deus but would it make sense to possibly make a second Contact game room? So two 4-5 size people games could go at once instead of like 10 people at once so that overload of clues doesn't keep happening when people hop in randomly? It would also allow another set of room owners to help pin stuff

11:17 PM

I'm not sure.

We typically have a lot of trouble getting games started. Not sure why we've had this sudden surge.

More of a future thought.. like if this keeps happening

@Deusovi Yeah, it's weird.

At some points today there's only a few people but then suddenly there's 7, 8 + plus people and it gets confusing

Especially when some people (not naming/blaming) give out like 3 clues at a time

I'm wondering whether someone advertised it elsewhere, say PPCG. At the very least, I was surprised to see Helka Homba playing yesterday

Yeah, people were talking about it in PPCG. Not sure how they discovered it, but I'm not complaining

11:19 PM

I think one room is fine because it'll likely die down a little later

Like I said, just a thought if it doesn't die down or even continues to grow

Hmm right, will see in that case then I guess...

Yeah, I don't think it's an issue now, but if it becomes one we may need to make a second room.

violent rage, consuming one's heart (5)

^ I really liked this :)

Nice!

(Solution is ANGER)

11:24 PM

actually whipped that off in Contact for AN

(fyi C4's up there unpinned on case people missed it. Answer may be somewhat debatable, but I'm just going off Wiki for this one.)

I was going to make a puzzle out of those types of word pairs (RAGE/ANGER) but the only other one I could find was BUSH/SHRUB

you missed this one too, i think - Ted follows inner self, becomes lively (8)

there was a moment of debate on "becomes", any thoughts on it?

I don't have any issues with it

[wordplay] becomes [def]

sounds alright to me

Wesley said "became", presumably because it sounds better grammatically, but I think it's fine

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Apr '175

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