The Sphinx's Lair

Ankoganit

7:36 AM

@Deusovi you around by any chance?

Deusovi

yeah, what's up?

Ankoganit

I realized my connect-wall puzzle is a bit underclued, so I thought of a way to modify the puzzle to fix that. Trouble is, that invalidates about 15% of progress posters have have already made

Think this is a good move?

Deusovi

hm, up to you

"invalidates" as in you're changing the content of the puzzle? (say, some of the clues?)

Ankoganit

yes, and adding a small element that helps bridge the next step

Deusovi

might be good to ask the posters what they think

Ankoganit

7:39 AM

good idea

will do that

thanks!

@Stiv and @msh210 thoughts on above?

oAlt

Intrsting, I also need Deus for something

Tho anyone who can edit the C4 spreadsheet could help as well. In any case, I can't find GentlePurpleRain's email address-- I have checked his(?) Puzzling profile and I have also checked the "document details" of the C4 spreadsheet on both mobile and desktop. I couldn't make a single email address show up.

To be fair, I did send a request for edit access, but that was months ago, and I'm not sure whether or not to follow up with a direct email.

Ankoganit

7:57 AM

(maybe ping Deus)

oAlt

Let's see

@Deusovi

msh210

8:12 AM

@Ankoganit I don't know PSE rules/mores.

@oAlt @GentlePurpleRain please see the message I'm here responding to

Ankoganit

@msh210 I don't think PSE rules disallow this; if @Stiv and you are fine with it, I'll go ahead and make the edit

If not, I can always just add a hint

Deusovi

the rules don't disallow it, and i think it's better long-term to edit (even if short-term it's an inconvenience for answerers)

@oAlt hm, might be best to make a new copy of the archive sheet entirely then, and i can give out access?

are you looking to help update it?

jafe

8:28 AM

re the current c4: cat is a slang term for a person so cats = folk, and cats is a musical... could be a triple definition if cats = cover somehow

Stiv

8:49 AM

@Ankoganit No worries - happy to modify my answer once the edit is in :)

Ankoganit

Good to know!

Will edit in an hour

oAlt

@Deusovi yup

Bubbler

Oh wait, I didn't notice the CORONA sliding puzzle has got a (so big) bounty...

oAlt

hahahah

Bubbler

I didn't mean to snipe it, I just coincidentally started working on it before the bounty started

Deusovi

9:06 AM

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/…

@oAlt neat! made a copy here - go ahead and request edit access and i'll give it to you

Ankoganit

@Stiv edited :)

oAlt

okie, will do so in a while

done deus

Deusovi

9:25 AM

alright, you should have edit access now!

@Ankoganit Can you double-check the bottom right clue? (Should it be "the bier"?)

oAlt

thanks deus :D

Stiv

@Ankoganit Noted, thanks and editing my answer now...

Deusovi

hm, i see A Thing but don't know the specifics of how to execute it

...no, never mind. it looks like a pattern holds up most of the time but not all

Ankoganit

@Deusovi I think "beer" is correct. (I'm using an uncommon variant spelling of the word, if that helps)

Deusovi

ahh

well, not seeing it and i should probably sleep soon. good luck, stiv (and others working on the puzzle)!

Stiv

9:44 AM

Thanks @Deusovi - it's got interesting!

Deusovi

(also i now see what i was missing from your answer - counting is hard)

Ankoganit

@Stiv looks good so far :)

Stiv

@Ankoganit Thanks. Not yet spotted the next step (there are a lot!) so will think on it during breaks today - unfortunately my working day now begins proper! Will be interested if other puzzlers spot it first :)

Ankoganit

Sure, no rush

oAlt

10:07 AM

ok, here's where my non-expertise in cryptics shows:

How does "the queen" clue ER?

Stiv

@oAlt It stands for 'Elizabeth Regina'

'Regina' means 'Reigning queen'

msh210

@oAlt it's a standard abbreviation for "Elizabeth regina" (Queen Elizabeth). If I'm not mistaken, it appears on every current British coin.

oAlt

ahhh

so "EIIR" is not the only accepted version of the abbreviation it seems

(or maybe thats the current one idk)

but thanks

Sphinx

2

Q: Some mathematical magic

The magician will perform some mathematical magic. He asks his guest to secretly pick any two digit number and then perform a number of operations on it. If the number is even, divide by 2, if it is odd subtract 3 and then divide by 2. Multiply by 3. Add 5. If the number has 3 digits, subtract 1...

msh210

It seems I am mistaken.

oAlt

10:16 AM

oh and

Jun 28 at 11:34, by oAlt

Whoever last edited the C4 archive, you spelled hexomino's username wrong, hehe.

(probably @Deusovi ? idk but yea it's still there at row 1694 of the original sheet :0 )

oAlt

10:36 AM

oofie imma stop there for now

academics and other requirements time :'(

Sphinx

2

Q: freeiqtest.info question - what number should replace the question mark?

I took an online IQ test(http://www.freeiqtest.info) and encountered this question: I could not find out any valid pattern that determined what number is in the third section of the pie chart(the one that is represented with the question mark). The only patterns I found were very arbitrary, some...

mathematics visual

Sphinx

11:01 AM

2

Q: Bridges of Carcass County

This is a Carcass Walking puzzle. The objective is to place the given cities into the grid, connect them with roads, draw one river across the grid, and find places for the given number of cloisters. The river (blue squares) runs from one edge of the grid to another in one continuous path which ...

grid-deduction

jafe

11:20 AM

found an old meta post listing the best clues of CCCC and holy cow that top one

15

Q: Best "Cryptic Clue Chat Chains" (CCCC) Questions

Since November 2016, there has been a game ongoing in The Sphinx's Lair called Cryptic Clue Chat Chains. It involves one person thinking up a cryptic clue, such as might be found in a Cryptic Crossword, and everyone else trying to solve it. We have been maintaining an archive of these clues, but...

discussion chat best-of

Sphinx

0

Q: Connect Wall - Grid Puzzles Edition!

This is an entry for Fortnightly Topic Challenge #42: Wordless Connecting Walls. Huge thanks to bobble and Deusovi for playtesting! >< And hey, this one may also mark my 100-day puzzle here in PSE, aye-aye the golden Socratic badge! XD The $16$ grid puzzles above should be divided into $4$ cat...

logical-deduction knowledge grid-deduction connect-wall

oAlt

11:45 AM

Tbf I also considered making a grid deduction connect wall but I abandoned that quickly and am trying to find better alternatives

same jafe omg

Ankoganit

@jafe ah yes, that was mind-blowing

I remember being all "did that just happen?"

Sphinx

2:18 PM

0

Q: What is so unique about these four numbers?

These four numbers look like ordinary four numbers. But I found something unique about these four that I do not think is true for any other set of numbers-- unless you raise the bar-may be. So what is that unique properrty shared by these four? ** 1644 1646 1664 1666 **

riddle number-property

Puzzling Meta

2:33 PM

1

Q: Meta post where users can share scripts people will find useful when solving/making puzzles

Is there a Puzzling Meta StackExchange post where users can share useful scripts people might use a lot when solving/making puzzles? If so, can someone direct me to it? If not, can we create one? I'm talking about tools we can't find anywhere else, so no copying from other sources, and no links.

discussion feature-request support meta

oAlt

Find it weird that an answer to an IQ test question would have more votes than the question itself

It's weird to me because I'm not interested in those types of questions at all, and so I disregard both question and answer

But then again, I'm only one person...

jafe

low-quality questions can still have a high-quality answers

Transcript for