The Sphinx's Lair

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Sphinx

00:31

Thanks for the engagement everyone! Yet another challenge of the kind I posted here. The rules: Each board is 6x6 squares in size. Each board contains 8 unique contiguous strips of squares that are of sizes 1 through 8. Strips are 1-width polyominoes. They cannot overlap, fill the same space, sh...

Sphinx

00:53

Q: 2025 challenge math worksheet

Use the digits 2,0,2,5 exactly one time each along with any mathematical symbol or operation of your choosing to create expressions equivalent to the numbers between 1 and 20.

word

2 hours later…

oAlt

02:39

Q: Cryptic Family Reunion: Fanfare for the Common Man

The answer to this puzzle is a list of ten thematically related words or proper names or phrases. Each of these is clued cryptically, and the theme is to be determined. Since the definition part of a cryptic clue would give away the theme, these cryptic clues use a family member (e.g., mom, siste...

cryptic-clues

Does anyone know what #4 actually is?

1 hour later…

Jafe

03:41

it's shaker -> hake

oAlt

04:31

Aha

oAlt

04:50

@msh210 steven ddef

> (Northern England, Scotland, obsolete) A voice, especially when loud or strong.

2 hours later…

Jafe

06:50

argh i thought of steven tyler but was like nah that doesn't mean voice

Jafe

07:27

Dec 14, 2024 at 3:46, by bobble

I'm always here, of course. Watching you. Always watching. Don't worry about the bobblecrowns in your walls, they won't hurt you if you don't post NAAs.

also, any time you resort to violence, prepare to get tagged because violence is not an answer

Sphinx

Q: What is the largest possible value of the first number in the list?

In the list p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, each letter represents a positive integer. The sum of the values of each group of four consecutive letters in the list is 35. If q + v = 14, what is the largest possible value of p? Note: After the right aha! moment, this puzzle could be easily solved in your ...

mathematics calculation-puzzle optimization no-computers

3 hours later…

PolygonPotpourri

10:53

@Jafe Oh really? Then what's the answer to this cryptic clue: 'Violet once cut to find force (8)'?

Sphinx

Q: A n icosahedron numbering puzzle: matching vertex sums

Wrap yourself around this puzzle! The faces of a regular octahedron may be numbered from 1 to 8 in such a way that the sum surtounding antly vertex is the same: The only other platonic solid for which distinct numbers can be used to get matched vertex sums is the regular icosahedron (you need tg...

mathematics pattern magic-square

Daniel S

11:05

@Jafe Yep, those capitonyms can really catch you by surprise.

... in fact, just checking if daniel is a capitonym, I was distressed to find this: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/daniel Does anyone know what the etymology is?

Jafe

11:24

ouch

i know a jay is some kind of bird that has trouble crossing the street at the appropriate spot

oAlt

@DanielS I only just realized that the theme got continued lol. Also that daniel entry is unfortunate

The clues for my cryptic family reunion are complete, gonna double-check it for tomorrow

msh210

@oAlt yes indeed

oAlt

CCCC: Justifies ultimately end of the world - on a Sunday? Having energy to take note (7)

Jafe

12:25

i think this is DFED (last letters of "end of the world") plus S (sunday) containing E (energy) and N (note) = DEFENDS (justifies)

dirty tactics using words like "end of" as fodder hehe

juicifer

13:18

@DanielS american here; never heard anybody call it that

oAlt

13:39

@Jafe yep and hehe that was indeed kinda the intent

Jafe

CCCC: Nab's ok (11)

today's clue comes with paid sponsorship from Nab – use code PSE420 to get 69% off, offer valid from the sixth Thursday in January onwards

msh210

@oAlt clever

oAlt

That clue reminds me of this... "Lyx" had to be decomposed, so maybe "Nab" also has to. But of course, there's still the chance that I'm completely wrong

@msh210 lol thx

Did it partially because of that, did it partially because I couldn't think of a better cluing that could be made from the title

I did think of "doomsday" for end of the world but "day" was already there in Sunday

msh210

@oAlt maybe serviceable (=ok)?? ab is an able-bodied seaman in crosswordese IINM, so maybe an "able", and N=Navy, a service??

^ @Jafe

Jafe

not the intended answer, i'm afraid

msh210

13:49

I'm relieved

(as they say in the Navy (e.g.))

oAlt

@Jafe ah, it's appropriate ddef

Jafe

correct

msh210

ah that's way better than my nonsense

oAlt

CCCC: Live with what horse has for benefits (8)

msh210

@oAlt be hooves?

oAlt

13:59

@msh210 yep!

Jafe

nice.

i figured "what horse has" could be a unit but was looking for noun answers

juicifer

lol I love that

msh210

CCCC: Children's author Spooner's shrewdly influenced by alcohol (7,6)

bobble

14:52

@Jafe "added broader tag" :)

oAlt

15:05

@msh210 Beverly Cleary (Spoonerism of "cleverly bleary")

msh210

15:48

@oAlt cleverly beery, but yes

oAlt

Oops, I'm facepalming hard right now

CCCC: Ball game, golf, in toy set is open here (8)

juicifer

16:06

@oAlt to(polo g)y

oAlt

@juicifer yep!

juicifer

16:28

CCCC: France anxious to capture a castle in Spain (7)

1 hour later…

AncientSwordRage

17:49

@juicifer MANRESA MANIA (anxious) -I (for A) +R (castle) ES (spain)

wait.. I forgot about france

juicifer

@AncientSwordRage happens to the best of us

bobble

really does france exist

AncientSwordRage

@juicifer Thanks

I love the surface

@bobble If not, then what are French Fries made of? :p

juicifer

@AncientSwordRage french fries were notably invented in not france

@AncientSwordRage thanks :)

@bobble not sure about france, but I know arkansas definitely doesn't exist

bobble

our kansas might not exist, but a Kansas does >:D

AncientSwordRage

17:57

All I know is whoever Ar is, they can saw.

juicifer

whoever they ar

AncientSwordRage

@juicifer pirates

juicifer

lol

bobble

I'm definitely helping this conversation

All my inputs are constructive

For more of my usual fare, I'm not sure what to do about this suggested edit - it feels wrong to edit over someone else's answer to "correct" it, but also it's so old that a comment to the OP probably wouldn't have produced any movement, so...

juicifer

18:15

I don't think it's correct

wait nvm I was looking at the wrong number

Sphinx

19:04

Q: Four primes potion - make 3527 from 2, 3, 5 and 7

Please try my tricky number problem, to create the prime number 3527. Use all the first four primes 2, 3, 5, 7 in this order. Allowed input manipulation: Concatenation, decimals, leading point, recurring digit. These may be applied only to combine the input digits. Some examples are 23 and 2.35 a...

mathematics logical-deduction calculation-puzzle computer-puzzle formation-of-numbers

1 hour later…

Sphinx

20:33

Q: Honesty and Intelligence

Arthur, Benjamin, Charles, and David are four entirely different men. Among them: One man is honest and intelligent. One man is honest and foolish. One man is dishonest and intelligent. One man is dishonest and foolish. Honest people always tell the truth, while dishonest people always lie;...

logical-deduction liars

AncientSwordRage

21:25

@bobble 🎶Carry on my wayward... bobble🎶

@bobble I'm in two minds and I think the platform fails us a little that we can't resolve it well either way

One idea would be to keep the answer as I'd, but move the correction to a footnote?

Stiv

22:18

The CCCC could be FANTASY from F (France) + A in ANTSY (anxious), if 'castle in Spain' means FANTASY somehow, but I cannot find a Spanish castle that goes by that name and can't think of another way this might be cryptically worded...

Like is there a different Spain that needs examining?

msh210

22:34

@Stiv maybe from Don Quixote?

Stiv

That could potentially work... but no question mark...?

Sphinx

Q: Packing coins in a square frame

Show that there exists a square frame and a set of identical circular coins, such that the coins can be rigidly packed in the frame in more than one arrangement. Remarks: "Rigidly packed" means no coin can move independently. If two arrangements are the same upon rotation or reflection, then th...