+Authors: Erin Rhode and Jason Juang +
+ +Each of the grey bands on the finger nails contains a link to cartoon image. Each cartoon illustrates a color in the OPI nail polish catalogue. Using the nail polish color to colorize the bands, each finger nail can now be treated as a resistor with colored bands. Using the resistor color code and mapping the resulting numbers to the alphabet gives the phrase "CAMRYS AND TERCELS." Both are TOYOTAS.
+ + | |
| A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find (Orange) | |
| Orange = 3 = C | |
 | |
| Brisbane Bronze (Brown) | |
| Brown = 1 = A | |
 |  |
| Tickle My France-y (Brown) | In My Back Pocket (Orange) |
| Brown Orange = 13 = M | |
 |  |
| A-Piers to Be Tan (Brown) | Suzi Takes the Wheel (Grey) |
| Brown Grey = 18 = R | |
 |  |
| First Date at the Golden Gate (Red) | Here Today Aragon Tomorrow (Green) |
| Red Green = 25 = Y | |
 |  |
| Sprung (Brown) | Alpine Snow (White) |
| Brown White = 19 = S | |
 | |
| Java Mauve-A (Brown) | |
| Brown = 1 = A | |
 |  |
| Barefoot in Barcelona (Brown) | Need Sunglasses? (Yellow) |
| Brown Yellow = 14 = N | |
 | |
| Don't Talk Bach to Me (Yellow) | |
| Yellow = 4 = D | |
 |  |
| An Affair in Red Square (Red) | Black Onyx (Black) |
| Red Black = 20 = T | |
 | |
| Gargantuan Green Grape (Green) | |
| Green = 5 = E | |
 |  |
| Chocolate Moose (Brown) | French Quarter For Your Thoughts (Grey) |
| Brown Grey = 18 = R | |
 | |
| Y'all Come Back Ya Hear? (Orange) | |
| Orange = 3 = C | |
 | |
| Green-wich Village (Green) | |
| Green = 5 = E | |
 |  |
| Wooden Shoe Like to Know? (Brown) | Red My Fortune Cookie (Red) |
| Brown Red = 12 = L | |
 |  |
| San Tan-tonio (Brown) | Funny Bunny (White) |
| Brown White = 19 = S | |
+Authors: Erin Rhode and Jason Juang +
+ +Each of the grey bands on the finger nails contains a link to cartoon image. Each cartoon illustrates a color in the OPI nail polish catalogue. Using the nail polish color to colorize the bands, each finger nail can now be treated as a resistor with colored bands. Using the resistor color code and mapping the resulting numbers to the alphabet gives the phrase "CAMRYS AND TERCELS." Both are TOYOTAS.
+ + | |
| A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find (Orange) | |
| Orange = 3 = C | |
| |
| Brisbane Bronze (Brown) | |
| Brown = 1 = A | |
| |
| Tickle My France-y (Brown) | In My Back Pocket (Orange) |
| Brown Orange = 13 = M | |
| |
| A-Piers to Be Tan (Brown) | Suzi Takes the Wheel (Grey) |
| Brown Grey = 18 = R | |
| |
| First Date at the Golden Gate (Red) | Here Today Aragon Tomorrow (Green) |
| Red Green = 25 = Y | |
| |
| Sprung (Brown) | Alpine Snow (White) |
| Brown White = 19 = S | |
| |
| Java Mauve-A (Brown) | |
| Brown = 1 = A | |
| |
| Barefoot in Barcelona (Brown) | Need Sunglasses? (Yellow) |
| Brown Yellow = 14 = N | |
| |
| Don't Talk Bach to Me (Yellow) | |
| Yellow = 4 = D | |
| |
| An Affair in Red Square (Red) | Black Onyx (Black) |
| Red Black = 20 = T | |
| |
| Gargantuan Green Grape (Green) | |
| Green = 5 = E | |
| |
| Chocolate Moose (Brown) | French Quarter For Your Thoughts (Grey) |
| Brown Grey = 18 = R | |
| |
| Y'all Come Back Ya Hear? (Orange) | |
| Orange = 3 = C | |
| |
| Green-wich Village (Green) | |
| Green = 5 = E | |
| |
| Wooden Shoe Like to Know? (Brown) | Red My Fortune Cookie (Red) |
| Brown Red = 12 = L | |
| |
| San Tan-tonio (Brown) | Funny Bunny (White) |
| Brown White = 19 = S | |
This puzzle consists of twelve videos (starring Usman Akeju) that parody Isaiah Mustafa's Old Spice video responses to Twitter questions, which can be found at +http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL484F058C3EAF7FA6. + +Each parody video has Isaiah responding to a different fictional Twitter handle, and the video ends with a caption (an enumeration and a timestamp) that is displayed while a variation on the Old Spice jingle (with the last note changed) plays. +
+The solver must: +
+The table below shows all the relevant information for each video; ordering the extra letters by musical note gives the answer TESTOSTERONE. + +
+
| Real Twitter Handle + | Fake Twitter Handle (Anagram) + | Video Phrase + | Time + | Clued Phrase (Transdeletion) + | Enumeration + | Extra Letter + | Order + | Note + |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kmanchester + | NetherSmack + | EARTH ROTATIONS + | 0:33 + | ART INTRO OATHS + | 3 5 5 + | E + | 8 + | A♯ + |
| RoseMcGowan + | WrongCameos + | PICTURE ALBUMS + | 0:30 + | BURLAP MISCUE + | 6 6 + | T + | 4 + | F♯ + |
| DrPeteNathaniel + | HerniatedPlanet + | HEART REPLACEMENT + | 0:14 + | EPHEMERAL TRANCE + | 9 6 + | T + | 7 + | A + |
| TechFrog + | ChefGort + | SWAN DIVE + | 0:30 + | DAN VIEW + | 3 4 + | S + | 3 + | F + |
| RyanSeacrest + | NecessaryRat + | SINGING STAR + | 0:20 + | GIANT SIGNS + | 5 5 + | R + | 9 + | B + |
| KentVillard + | VerdantKill + | ELEPHANT KICK + | 0:25 + | INK CAKE HELP + | 3 4 4 + | T + | 1 + | D♯ + |
| MindOfChester + | FonderChemist + | MANSION HOUSE + | 0:14 + | ONION HAS SUM + | 5 3 3 + | E + | 12 + | D + |
| IsaiahMustafa + | AShiatsuMafia + | PORTLAND OREGON + | 0:11 + | PROLONG A TREND + | 7 1 5 + | O + | 5 + | G + |
| ProtoCollie + | LoopierColt + | SUPER STRENGTH + | 0:15 + | REPS HURT GENT + | 4 4 4 + | S + | 6 + | G♯ + |
| VenessaLocher + | SeveralChosen + | NOSE HOLES + | 0:18 + | SHOE LENS + | 4 4 + | O + | 10 + | C + |
| TheEllenShow + | OwlThenHeels + | EASTERN LATVIA + | 0:25 + | SILENT AVATAR + | 6 6 + | E + | 2 + | E + |
| LisaBarone + | AerialSnob + | MONEY BILLS + | 0:28 + | SMELLY BIO + | 6 3 + | N + | 11 + | C♯ + |
This puzzle consists of twelve videos (starring Usman Akeju) that parody Isaiah Mustafa's Old Spice video responses to Twitter questions, which can be found at +http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL484F058C3EAF7FA6. + +Each parody video has Isaiah responding to a different fictional Twitter handle, and the video ends with a caption (an enumeration and a timestamp) that is displayed while a variation on the Old Spice jingle (with the last note changed) plays. +
+The solver must: +
+The table below shows all the relevant information for each video; ordering the extra letters by musical note gives the answer TESTOSTERONE. + +
+
| Real Twitter Handle + | Fake Twitter Handle (Anagram) + | Video Phrase + | Time + | Clued Phrase (Transdeletion) + | Enumeration + | Extra Letter + | Order + | Note + |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kmanchester + | NetherSmack + | EARTH ROTATIONS + | 0:33 + | ART INTRO OATHS + | 3 5 5 + | E + | 8 + | A♯ + |
| RoseMcGowan + | WrongCameos + | PICTURE ALBUMS + | 0:30 + | BURLAP MISCUE + | 6 6 + | T + | 4 + | F♯ + |
| DrPeteNathaniel + | HerniatedPlanet + | HEART REPLACEMENT + | 0:14 + | EPHEMERAL TRANCE + | 9 6 + | T + | 7 + | A + |
| TechFrog + | ChefGort + | SWAN DIVE + | 0:30 + | DAN VIEW + | 3 4 + | S + | 3 + | F + |
| RyanSeacrest + | NecessaryRat + | SINGING STAR + | 0:20 + | GIANT SIGNS + | 5 5 + | R + | 9 + | B + |
| KentVillard + | VerdantKill + | ELEPHANT KICK + | 0:25 + | INK CAKE HELP + | 3 4 4 + | T + | 1 + | D♯ + |
| MindOfChester + | FonderChemist + | MANSION HOUSE + | 0:14 + | ONION HAS SUM + | 5 3 3 + | E + | 12 + | D + |
| IsaiahMustafa + | AShiatsuMafia + | PORTLAND OREGON + | 0:11 + | PROLONG A TREND + | 7 1 5 + | O + | 5 + | G + |
| ProtoCollie + | LoopierColt + | SUPER STRENGTH + | 0:15 + | REPS HURT GENT + | 4 4 4 + | S + | 6 + | G♯ + |
| VenessaLocher + | SeveralChosen + | NOSE HOLES + | 0:18 + | SHOE LENS + | 4 4 + | O + | 10 + | C + |
| TheEllenShow + | OwlThenHeels + | EASTERN LATVIA + | 0:25 + | SILENT AVATAR + | 6 6 + | E + | 2 + | E + |
| LisaBarone + | AerialSnob + | MONEY BILLS + | 0:28 + | SMELLY BIO + | 6 3 + | N + | 11 + | C♯ + |
+Author: Harvey Jones +
+ +Each clue actually clues a pair of songs, which can be filled into the +corresponding grid. Each pair of songs was sampled and combined into a +single Girl Talk track. Each grid represents one of Girl Talk's three +most recent album. Take the grid crossings that correspond to two +songs that appeared in the same track together and order them by +(album, track number) to get PLAYEDSTARSHINEFREEDMAN, cluing the +answer SUZANNE CROUGH.
+
+
+
+
+ Note from HQ: When you originally solved this puzzle, we had given you a transparency. If your team doesn't still have it, we can only conclude that there was some sort of hilarious mishap involving it being eaten by iguanas, and it is permanently lost. Unfortunately, we don't have any extra copies to give you, so please don't call HQ to ask.
+ +However, since you've already solved the puzzle, please feel free to look at the solution:
+ +This puzzle consists of a single transparency sheet, looking a bit darker than a normal transparency. It is perforated so that it can be separated into four smaller horizontal strips of equal size.
+ +The sheets appear at first glance to be blank, but if you overlay them on an overhead projector, you can see the title spelled out. This is because each strip is a 16×7 rectangular grid of square cells, each of which is a linear polarizer oriented at some multiple of 45 degrees.
+ +To solve the puzzle, put the strips on top of one another, preserving their original top-to-bottom order, and see what image you get if you remove one of them. The table below shows the four corresponding images, each resulting from removing a different strip. A white cell represents the maximum possible light intensity passing through the overlaid sheets; a black cell represents no light passing through; and shades of gray represent intermediate intensity levels.
+ +| Overlaid strips | Image | Letters |
| 2, 3, 4 |  | W, I |
| 1, 3, 4 |  | L, L |
| 1, 2, 4 |  | I, A |
| 1, 2, 3 |  | M, S |
If you look carefully at the images, the cells with the highest intensity spell out two letters in each image. Order the images by the position of the strip removed, as shown above, and the letters spell out the answer WILLIAMS.
+ + + +The following is a piece of another puzzle that got carried here by the wind. It is not related to this puzzle or any metapuzzle.
+
The puzzle is divided into two parts. In the first part, each line corresponds to a pun on a +brain-related word. The task is to identify the word, then identify the cranial nerve that +the part in parentheses is referencing. The second half of the puzzle includes definitions of +the words that are punned. To solve the puzzle, correctly identify each neuro word and +the corresponding cranial nerve, and use the cranial nerve # to index into the brain word. +Once you do this, the clue phrase reads "OF SOUND MIND FOUR LETTERS." The answer to +this puzzle is therefore SANE. + +
| Neuro word clue | +Nerve clue | +Letter | +
|---|---|---|
| Flower holder subjugatin' vase oppressin' → vasopressin |
+ *depresses and intorts eyeball* 4 (superior oblique muscle) |
+ O | +
| Sly animal fox → falx |
+ *senses smell* 1 (olfactory) |
+ F | +
| Chancellor Angela vends merkel sells → Merkel cells |
+ *shrugs* 11 (trapezius muscle) |
+ S | +
| En passant chess pieces pawns → pons |
+ *views* 2 (visual system) |
+ O | +
| School for hungry animals hippo campus → hippocampus |
+ *vocalizes* 10 (innervates voicebox) |
+ U | +
| Give steroids to Idi dope amin → dopamine |
+ *tasted a lot* 7 (facial nerve) |
+ N | +
| Vehicle decayed car rotted → carotid |
+ *smiles* 7 (facial nerve) |
+ D | +
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer maya lin → myelin |
+ *smells cherry blossoms* 1 (olfactory) |
+ M | +
| Mrs. Palin liftin' weights sarah tonin' → serotonin |
+ *loses balance* 8 (innervates vestibular system/balance) |
+ I | +
| Spoken filler from a 1984 gold medalist gymnast retton uh → retina |
+ *closes jaw* 5 (muscles of mastication) |
+ N | +
| Anemic-looking speech filler pallid um → pallidum |
+ *looks sideways* 6 (abducens) |
+ D | +
| Purposed as prayer ender for Amen → foramen |
+ *is nosy* 1 (olfactory) |
+ F | +
| Expert had a stannum deficiency pro lacked tin → prolactin |
+ *shrinks pupils* 3 (pupillary constriction reflex) |
+ O | +
| Rejection of clutter from a preppy retail store Gap junk shun → gap junction |
+ *talks* 5 (jaw innervation) |
+ U | +
| Manger amendment crib reform → cribriform |
+ *lifts voicebox* 9 |
+ R | +
| Talons play guitar claws strum → claustrum |
+ *takes in the scene* 2 (optic tract) |
+ L | +
| Mr. Paul post-makeover new Ron → neuron |
+ *beholds* 2 (optic tract) |
+ E | +
| Fare charged to outcasts pariah toll → parietal |
+ *synchronizes eye movements* 6 (abducens) |
+ T | +
| Disorder in the coldest place in Tunisia Thala muss → thalamus |
+ *detects odor* 1 (olfactory) |
+ T | +
| Whitefish consumed cod ate → caudate |
+ *cried tears of joy* 7 |
+ E | +
| Copernicus, Jonas, Cage, and Tesla four Nicks → fornix |
+ *eyelids droop* 3 (function of oculomotor nerve) |
+ R | +
| "Gluttony" and "Sloth" for iPhone sin apps → synapse |
+ *turns out eyeballs* 6 (abduction of the eyeball) |
+ S | +
The puzzle is divided into two parts. In the first part, each line corresponds to a pun on a +brain-related word. The task is to identify the word, then identify the cranial nerve that +the part in parentheses is referencing. The second half of the puzzle includes definitions of +the words that are punned. To solve the puzzle, correctly identify each neuro word and +the corresponding cranial nerve, and use the cranial nerve # to index into the brain word. +Once you do this, the clue phrase reads "OF SOUND MIND FOUR LETTERS." The answer to +this puzzle is therefore SANE. + +
| Neuro word clue | +Nerve clue | +Letter | +
|---|---|---|
| Flower holder subjugatin' vase oppressin' → vasopressin |
+ *depresses and intorts eyeball* 4 (superior oblique muscle) |
+ O | +
| Sly animal fox → falx |
+ *senses smell* 1 (olfactory) |
+ F | +
| Chancellor Angela vends merkel sells → Merkel cells |
+ *shrugs* 11 (trapezius muscle) |
+ S | +
| En passant chess pieces pawns → pons |
+ *views* 2 (visual system) |
+ O | +
| School for hungry animals hippo campus → hippocampus |
+ *vocalizes* 10 (innervates voicebox) |
+ U | +
| Give steroids to Idi dope amin → dopamine |
+ *tasted a lot* 7 (facial nerve) |
+ N | +
| Vehicle decayed car rotted → carotid |
+ *smiles* 7 (facial nerve) |
+ D | +
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer maya lin → myelin |
+ *smells cherry blossoms* 1 (olfactory) |
+ M | +
| Mrs. Palin liftin' weights sarah tonin' → serotonin |
+ *loses balance* 8 (innervates vestibular system/balance) |
+ I | +
| Spoken filler from a 1984 gold medalist gymnast retton uh → retina |
+ *closes jaw* 5 (muscles of mastication) |
+ N | +
| Anemic-looking speech filler pallid um → pallidum |
+ *looks sideways* 6 (abducens) |
+ D | +
| Purposed as prayer ender for Amen → foramen |
+ *is nosy* 1 (olfactory) |
+ F | +
| Expert had a stannum deficiency pro lacked tin → prolactin |
+ *shrinks pupils* 3 (pupillary constriction reflex) |
+ O | +
| Rejection of clutter from a preppy retail store Gap junk shun → gap junction |
+ *talks* 5 (jaw innervation) |
+ U | +
| Manger amendment crib reform → cribriform |
+ *lifts voicebox* 9 |
+ R | +
| Talons play guitar claws strum → claustrum |
+ *takes in the scene* 2 (optic tract) |
+ L | +
| Mr. Paul post-makeover new Ron → neuron |
+ *beholds* 2 (optic tract) |
+ E | +
| Fare charged to outcasts pariah toll → parietal |
+ *synchronizes eye movements* 6 (abducens) |
+ T | +
| Disorder in the coldest place in Tunisia Thala muss → thalamus |
+ *detects odor* 1 (olfactory) |
+ T | +
| Whitefish consumed cod ate → caudate |
+ *cried tears of joy* 7 |
+ E | +
| Copernicus, Jonas, Cage, and Tesla four Nicks → fornix |
+ *eyelids droop* 3 (function of oculomotor nerve) |
+ R | +
| "Gluttony" and "Sloth" for iPhone sin apps → synapse |
+ *turns out eyeballs* 6 (abduction of the eyeball) |
+ S | +
+Author: Dan Katz +
+ ++The vocabulary exam consists of, as advertised, a series of definitions +where the testee is asked to give the word from the vocabulary list. +To pass the exam, the testee has to get through all 22 questions +without making a certain number of mistakes; this number starts at +two but is raised for each subsequent exam attempt. +
+Hunt HQ administers the eggsam using this script. +
+Once they pass, they are given a list of the exam answers as follows: +
3. KERFUFFLE
+
10. ORGANELLE
+
15. DEFENESTRATION
+
8. ECTOPLASM
+
1. LARKSPUR
+
7. JEROBOAM
+
13. CODSWALLOP
+
9. BUNGALOW
+
19. ZYGOTE
+
6. GUILLOTINE
+
16. NIPPERKIN
+
21. BIVOUAC
+
11. GRENADE
+
22. SYZYGY
+
20. FLOTSAM
+
17. PHILTRUM
+
12. IDOLATRY
+
14. LIMONCELLO
+
18. MUTINY
+
5. HALITOSIS
+
2. SCOFFLAW
+
4. GAZPACHO
+
+Each of the given definitions defines a real word in English; the correct +words for the definitions of the words above are: +
3. iceberg (A large piece of frozen water that breaks off a glacier and floats in the ocean, causing a hazard for ocean liners)
+
10. arsonist (A person who intentionally and illegally destroys property by setting it on fire)
+
15. triage (The assignment of degrees of urgency to medical conditions, used to decide the order of treatment of a large group of patients)
+
8. Velcro (A fastening mechanism, often seen on children's shoes, in which a sheet of tiny hooks attaches to a sheet of tiny loops)
+
1. shillelagh (A wooden cudgel with a large knob on top that is symbolically associated with Ireland)
+
7. aglet (A small plastic sheath at the end of a shoelace that prevents the lace from fraying)
+
13. ophthalmology (The branch of medicine dealing with the anatomy and physiology of the human eye)
+
9. Iberia (The European peninsula that contains the nations of Spain and Portugal)
+
19. theocracy (A system of government in which God is considered the head of state, usually represented by a ruling class of priests)
+
6. cockatrice (A mythical beast with the head of a rooster and the body of a two-legged dragon, possessing a gaze that turns beings to stone)
+
16. mutant (An individual with new characteristics caused by a DNA sequence change, such as Colossus or Wolverine)
+
21. aphid (A very small sap-sucking insect, known as a greenfly in the United Kingdom)
+
11. rhinoceros (A thick-skinned herbivorous ungulate with a distinctive horn that may be sold illegally)
+
22. uranium (The 92nd element of the periodic table, known for its unstable isotopes and uses in nuclear technology)
+
20. Everest (The highest mountain on the planet, named after a former Surveyor General of India)
+
17. anemometer (A device, often consisting of four cups mounted on a rotating shaft, used to measure wind speed)
+
12. Pangaea (A supercontinent theoretically formed about 300 million years ago, when all current continents were physically connected)
+
14. rabies (A viral disease spread by dog bites and associated with animals foaming at the mouth)
+
18. narcolepsy (A disorder causing someone to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedly, as in the title of a Ben Folds Five song)
+
5. tambourine (A percussion instrument consisting of a circular frame and small metal jingles that jingle when the instrument is struck)
+
2. kaleidoscope (A cylindrical toy containing mirrors and colored glass that reveals pleasing patterns when one looks through it and rotates)
+
4. Rwanda (A country approximately the size of Maryland, bordering Uganda and Burundi)
+
+Rearranging these by question number and reading the first letters +gives the phrase "SKIRT CAVIAR PORTMANTEAU." The definitions given +for SKIRT and CAVIAR actually define the words "Pensacola" and +"forgiveness." A portmanteau (a word coined by Humpty Dumpty) is +a new word formed by combining parts of two words; applying this +process to "Pensacola" and "forgiveness" gives the puzzle answer, +PENSIVENESS. + +
Decode the cents in the prices using A=1/Z=26 to spell the clue INDEX DOLLARS INTO THE DESCS.
+Indexing the dollar amounts into the dish descriptions spells the clue READ CHINESE NOT UTF SIXTEEN.
+The Chinese characters are complete nonsense — encoding them into UTF-16 (big-endian) and looking at the raw bytes yields the a sequence of ASCII values. For example, "卯牴" is the two characters U+536F, U+7274, which is 53 6F 72 74 in ASCII, or "Sort". Doing this for all of the Chinese characters yields the clue phrase SortDishesByCostNextConvertDishNamesToNumbersAIsOneBIsTwoCIsThreeEtcFinallyAddUpNumbersModuloTwentySix.
+Performing that transformation yields the final clue phrase THE WRITING IS BLANK FOR OMEN, which leads to the answer ON THE WALL.
+ + +Decode the cents in the prices using A=1/Z=26 to spell the clue INDEX DOLLARS INTO THE DESCS.
+Indexing the dollar amounts into the dish descriptions spells the clue READ CHINESE NOT UTF SIXTEEN.
+The Chinese characters are complete nonsense — encoding them into UTF-16 (big-endian) and looking at the raw bytes yields the a sequence of ASCII values. For example, "卯牴" is the two characters U+536F, U+7274, which is 53 6F 72 74 in ASCII, or "Sort". Doing this for all of the Chinese characters yields the clue phrase SortDishesByCostNextConvertDishNamesToNumbersAIsOneBIsTwoCIsThreeEtcFinallyAddUpNumbersModuloTwentySix.
+Performing that transformation yields the final clue phrase THE WRITING IS BLANK FOR OMEN, which leads to the answer ON THE WALL.
+ + +
Answer: PRAWN
+Each picture is one letter short of a food item, with the food item corresponding to the enumeration given:
+ +SQUID
+RABBIT
+PESTO - movie The Pest
+ORANGE
+GRAIN
+WHEAT - from The Adamms Family
+OREO
+RICE
+CANDY
+PHEASANT - peasant from a Monty Python skit
+BREAD
+DESSERT
+SQUASH - a Pokemon move with a unique animation
+PEAR
+COOKIE
+MACE
+CHARD - still from the music video Hard by Rihanna
+PATE - the bunny from the cover of the book Pat the Bunny
The extra letters yield STOOGE OR CHESS PIECE, cluing PAWN and therefore finally the answer, PRAWN.
+ + +Answer: PRAWN
+Each picture is one letter short of a food item, with the food item corresponding to the enumeration given:
+ +SQUID
+RABBIT
+PESTO - movie The Pest
+ORANGE
+GRAIN
+WHEAT - from The Adamms Family
+OREO
+RICE
+CANDY
+PHEASANT - peasant from a Monty Python skit
+BREAD
+DESSERT
+SQUASH - a Pokemon move with a unique animation
+PEAR
+COOKIE
+MACE
+CHARD - still from the music video Hard by Rihanna
+PATE - the bunny from the cover of the book Pat the Bunny
The extra letters yield STOOGE OR CHESS PIECE, cluing PAWN and therefore finally the answer, PRAWN.
+ + +
There are seven answers of seven letters each. The answers start with letters ROYGBIV, which we use as an ordering on the answers. Furthermore, each answer is from a puzzle whose telescope (in the round art) has some color bands. Those colors are then used as indices into the answer.
+ +
ROYGBIV + +Time is out of Joint REPRISE YGB PRI +Nina OSMOSIS OY SM +Wizardly Tales YAHTZEE OG AT +Captain Ager's Puzzling Adventure GRAPHIC IV IC +This Puzzle Has No Errata BLOOPER BIV PER +Montages ITSCOOL RYGB ISCO +Wait, What Did You Say? VAMPIRE GV PE+ +These letters spell the answer, PRISMATIC PERISCOPE. + + +
There are seven answers of seven letters each. The answers start with letters ROYGBIV, which we use as an ordering on the answers. Furthermore, each answer is from a puzzle whose telescope (in the round art) has some color bands. Those colors are then used as indices into the answer.
+ +
ROYGBIV + +Time is out of Joint REPRISE YGB PRI +Nina OSMOSIS OY SM +Wizardly Tales YAHTZEE OG AT +Captain Ager's Puzzling Adventure GRAPHIC IV IC +This Puzzle Has No Errata BLOOPER BIV PER +Montages ITSCOOL RYGB ISCO +Wait, What Did You Say? VAMPIRE GV PE+ +These letters spell the answer, PRISMATIC PERISCOPE. + + +
Answer: RAPTORS
+Each sentence describes a TLA (three letter acronym) that has two different meanings. Here they are:
+ +Take the first letters in order to get the answer, RAPTORS.
+ + +Answer: RAPTORS
+Each sentence describes a TLA (three letter acronym) that has two different meanings. Here they are:
+ +Take the first letters in order to get the answer, RAPTORS.
+ + +"What is the power dissipated by a software freedom activist, on average?"
+ +"This cash dispenser is really in the here and now... especially now."
+ +"This checkout terminal is extremely terrible."
+ +"My favorite station is showing a special about marijuana compounds in the 20th century."
+ +"Agent, use the following data to encrypt your message: 'HARRYSNAPEARYAGENDRY...'"
+ +"I have my orc roll to shoot an explosive at the tank."
+ +"That bastard isn't getting enough air."
+ + +
Each of the clues leads to a two-letter answer.
+ +Microchip (IC)
+Superman's Krypton surname (EL)
+Sumerian sky-god (AN)
+Prince William's mom (DI)
+One hour earlier than ET (CT)
+The fatal quantity of a poison (LD)
24, above Mo (CR)
+WHO parent organization (UN)
+Switzerland, from Latin (CH)
+Kinetic or static coefficient (MU)
+Palmetto State (SC)
+Novelist John ____ Carré (LE)
Spin doctor's specialty (PR)
+Where the weak shall be eaten (EC)
+Talking horse's surname (ED)
+"It" in Germany (ES)
+Subject of 8.02 (EM)
Combining the answers gives three new clues:
+ +ICELANDIC TLD (IS)
+CRUNCH MUSCLE (AB)
+PRECEDES EM (EL)
The answer is ISABEL.
+ +Microchip
+Superman's Krypton surname
+Sumerian sky-god
+Prince William's mom
+One hour earlier than ET
+The fatal quantity of a poison
24, above Mo
+WHO parent organization
+Switzerland, from Latin
+Kinetic or static coefficient
+Palmetto State
+Novelist John ____ Carré
Spin doctor's specialty
+Where the weak shall be eaten
+Talking horse's surname
+"It" in Germany
+Subject of 8.02
Each of the clues leads to a two-letter answer.
+ +Microchip (IC)
+Superman's Krypton surname (EL)
+Sumerian sky-god (AN)
+Prince William's mom (DI)
+One hour earlier than ET (CT)
+The fatal quantity of a poison (LD)
24, above Mo (CR)
+WHO parent organization (UN)
+Switzerland, from Latin (CH)
+Kinetic or static coefficient (MU)
+Palmetto State (SC)
+Novelist John ____ Carré (LE)
Spin doctor's specialty (PR)
+Where the weak shall be eaten (EC)
+Talking horse's surname (ED)
+"It" in Germany (ES)
+Subject of 8.02 (EM)
Combining the answers gives three new clues:
+ +ICELANDIC TLD (IS)
+CRUNCH MUSCLE (AB)
+PRECEDES EM (EL)
The answer is ISABEL.
+ +
Answer: BLAZER
+Each fish picture clues a letter using Semaphore. When a card is flipped over, it usually gives the same image. The letters corresponding to the grid are:
+ +CRGDOI +ATLGBS +IULPHH +SRPCOA +NEQTBN +EUQFDF+ +
However, the player finds that when they try to flip two of the same at once, the second one shows a different picture than usual. The letters corresponding to these secondary pictures are: + +
HBFNCK +OGNUPO +GLSUTQ +AZMIDE +KCIFQD +TPHMRS+ +
Most of these letters are paired up; read the ones that are not paired up to get the answer, BLAZER.
+ + +Answer: BLAZER
+Each fish picture clues a letter using Semaphore. When a card is flipped over, it usually gives the same image. The letters corresponding to the grid are:
+ +CRGDOI +ATLGBS +IULPHH +SRPCOA +NEQTBN +EUQFDF+ +
However, the player finds that when they try to flip two of the same at once, the second one shows a different picture than usual. The letters corresponding to these secondary pictures are: + +
HBFNCK +OGNUPO +GLSUTQ +AZMIDE +KCIFQD +TPHMRS+ +
Most of these letters are paired up; read the ones that are not paired up to get the answer, BLAZER.
+ + +
Answer: PAPERS
+The picture contains a bunch of things cluing things from the song La Vie Boheme from RENT. See lyrics here.
+ +
Identify each of the images. When you put them in the order they are mentioned in the song "La Vie Boheme", they match up with the bottom part of an acrostic. Fill in the acrostic to get the phrase “The character proposing a toast to Lenny Bruce earlier sings this word directly before singing ‘that I know’.”
+ +This unambiguously clues the answer, PAPERS.
+ + +Answer: PAPERS
+The picture contains a bunch of things cluing things from the song La Vie Boheme from RENT. See lyrics here.
+ +
Identify each of the images. When you put them in the order they are mentioned in the song "La Vie Boheme", they match up with the bottom part of an acrostic. Fill in the acrostic to get the phrase “The character proposing a toast to Lenny Bruce earlier sings this word directly before singing ‘that I know’.”
+ +This unambiguously clues the answer, PAPERS.
+ + +
The title is a Spoonerism of “Little Spoon.” Fittingly, each story can be ended with a phrase that is a spoonerism of an English idiom. Correct the spoonerisms to the original idiom and read down the initial letters to find FAR BED. This is a spoonerism of sorts for BARFED, the answer.
+ + + +| Mare to fiddling | Fair to middling |
| Basalt and 'attery | Assault and battery |
| Habit role | Rabbit hole |
| Had bear day | Bad hair day |
| Beers are earning | Ears are burning |
| Fog dude | Dog food |
The title is a Spoonerism of “Little Spoon.” Fittingly, each story can be ended with a phrase that is a spoonerism of an English idiom. Correct the spoonerisms to the original idiom and read down the initial letters to find FAR BED. This is a spoonerism of sorts for BARFED, the answer.
+ + + +| Mare to fiddling | Fair to middling |
| Basalt and 'attery | Assault and battery |
| Habit role | Rabbit hole |
| Had bear day | Bad hair day |
| Beers are earning | Ears are burning |
| Fog dude | Dog food |
Description of vets by a tomcat? (4 4 2 4)
+Two smelly rugby teams? (6 5 3)
+Tale of loopy cheapskate? (5 5 4)
+Fido wins poetry slam despite stature? (4 4 6)
+Cyan game chicken laying rare earth eggs? (4 7 3)
+Helpful DNA recommendation to RNA? (4 3 7)
+Angry cry of herb farmer's heir? (5 2 2 5)
+Barney Stinson might hum this when he wants to get laid? (5 5 4)
+Property of even metallic shacks? (3 3 8)
+ 
+ |
+
+ CUSPS + DELVE + DISKS + IMPLY + MORON + OLDEN + ORBIT + RADAR + ROTOR + SENSE + SMASH + UNIFY + WALTZ + |
+
Each island in the solved Hashi puzzle corresponds to one word in the column on the right. Two islands have one or two connecting bridges if the corresponding words share one or two letters in the same positions. Read the letters on the double bridges to spell out the answer, ROSES.
+ + +|
+
+ |
+
+ CUSPS + DELVE + DISKS + IMPLY + MORON + OLDEN + ORBIT + RADAR + ROTOR + SENSE + SMASH + UNIFY + WALTZ + |
+
|
+
+ |
+
+ CUSPS + DELVE + DISKS + IMPLY + MORON + OLDEN + ORBIT + RADAR + ROTOR + SENSE + SMASH + UNIFY + WALTZ + |
+
Each island in the solved Hashi puzzle corresponds to one word in the column on the right. Two islands have one or two connecting bridges if the corresponding words share one or two letters in the same positions. Read the letters on the double bridges to spell out the answer, ROSES.
+ + +
In the treasure chest, teams received a physical Rubik's cube that was scrambled like this:
+
+Each square has a letter, and part of a path. In the solved cube, the letters on each face have the same orientation, and the black lines form a continuous path that winds around the cube. (There are two satisfying solutions, but one of them does not lead to a sensible clue phrase.)
+The solved cube looks like this:
+
Reading the letters along the black path gives the clue phrase SURNAME OF THE TEACHER WHO TAUGHT HARRY POTTER TRANSFIGURATION. The answer to the puzzle is MCGONAGALL.
+ + +In the treasure chest, teams received a physical Rubik's cube that was scrambled like this:
+
+Each square has a letter, and part of a path. In the solved cube, the letters on each face have the same orientation, and the black lines form a continuous path that winds around the cube. (There are two satisfying solutions, but one of them does not lead to a sensible clue phrase.)
+The solved cube looks like this:
+
Reading the letters along the black path gives the clue phrase SURNAME OF THE TEACHER WHO TAUGHT HARRY POTTER TRANSFIGURATION. The answer to the puzzle is MCGONAGALL.
+ + +
You find a map in the treasure chest! You also find a UV light in the treasure chest and shine it on the map, yielding some shovel drawings (represented in blue below). When you find an upgrade for your submarine, submit it as an answer.
+
+
+ 
Answer: BIG SUR
+
These are cryptic clues, except that in some cases the wordplay and definition halves indicate words that are one letter different from each other.
+
+If you read both halves of those one-letter differences in order of the grid, you get the cluephrase:
+IN CO AS TA LC AL IF OR NI AR IG SU BT RA DE LI MI TS
+
+(The order of the letters in the bigrams is ambiguous -- use your judgement to make a phrase).
+
+Solve this final clue to get BIGSUR.
Answer: BIG SUR
+ These are cryptic clues, except that in some cases the wordplay and definition halves indicate words that are one letter different from each other.
+
+If you read both halves of those one-letter differences in order of the grid, you get the cluephrase:
+IN CO AS TA LC AL IF OR NI AR IG SU BT RA DE LI MI TS
+
+(The order of the letters in the bigrams is ambiguous -- use your judgement to make a phrase).
+
+Solve this final clue to get BIGSUR.
Answer: SHIPWRECK
+After solving each ocean meta, teams unlocked one of Mr. Turtle's five shell pieces. The answers to the metas are written on the contiguous shell by following Mr. Turtle's rules.
+The solved shell is below (the different pieces are colored to show how they fit together, constraints are shown faded behind, numbers in the upper-left corner are the number of edges darkened, path of meta answers shown in yellow highlighter).
+
+The darkened edges form into letters that spell the answer SHIPWRECK.
+ +Answer: SHIPWRECK
+After solving each ocean meta, teams unlocked one of Mr. Turtle's five shell pieces. The answers to the metas are written on the contiguous shell by following Mr. Turtle's rules.
+The solved shell is below (the different pieces are colored to show how they fit together, constraints are shown faded behind, numbers in the upper-left corner are the number of edges darkened, path of meta answers shown in yellow highlighter).
+
+The darkened edges form into letters that spell the answer SHIPWRECK.
+ +
++
+
+ 
+
+ All you're doing is training your loyal follower to go up when the course +goes up and down when the course goes down. How hard can it be?
+ +
+
+
+
+ 
+
+ by Craig Kasper
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++AU-------DI--O-- +---LA-DE---N---- +-----N-ERD-----S +--S----E--IN--E- +-US-A-------G-E- +A--LA-D--DIN---- +-U---NDER---GO-- ++ The answer is AUSLANDER DINGOES. +
+
+ by Craig Kasper
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++AU-------DI--O-- +---LA-DE---N---- +-----N-ERD-----S +--S----E--IN--E- +-US-A-------G-E- +A--LA-D--DIN---- +-U---NDER---GO-- ++ The answer is AUSLANDER DINGOES. +
+
+ No dogs here, despite what you might expect.
+ +|
+
+ + + + + + + + + |
+
+ No dogs here, despite what you might expect.
+ +|
+
+ + + + + + + + + |
+
+ by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+Mattresses may be stacked as shown to create pairs of clues reading down the columns. Q's on the mattresses are convenient starting points and the break between clues in each pair is uniquely positioned, which allows stacks to be oriented per the inserted peas.
+ +
The answers to each pair of clues differ by exactly one letter and in order these spell SKILLZ CEELO SONG. This refers to the answer SUZIE Q.
+
+
+ by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+Mattresses may be stacked as shown to create pairs of clues reading down the columns. Q's on the mattresses are convenient starting points and the break between clues in each pair is uniquely positioned, which allows stacks to be oriented per the inserted peas.
+ +
The answers to each pair of clues differ by exactly one letter and in order these spell SKILLZ CEELO SONG. This refers to the answer SUZIE Q.
+
+
+ by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+Mattresses may be stacked as shown to create pairs of clues reading down the columns. Q's on the mattresses are convenient starting points and the break between clues in each pair is uniquely positioned, which allows stacks to be oriented per the inserted peas.
+ +
The answers to each pair of clues differ by exactly one letter and in order these spell SKILLZ CEELO SONG. This refers to the answer SUZIE Q.
+
+
+ 
+
+ by Megan Russell, Arshia Surti, Heather Sweeney, and Hosea Siu
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+
+
+ by Megan Russell, Arshia Surti, Heather Sweeney, and Hosea Siu
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+
+
+ by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+This is a Double or Nothing crossword. In each box enter either two letters + (which are read in the same order for the across and down answers) + or no letters (in which case the box is simply skipped over for reading the answers). Once the Double or Nothing puzzle is solved, additional bigrams can be entered in the four spaces indicated in order to complete entries for the additional clues. In grid order these spell EL / MS / WE / LL.
+
+
+ by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+This is a Double or Nothing crossword. In each box enter either two letters + (which are read in the same order for the across and down answers) + or no letters (in which case the box is simply skipped over for reading the answers). Once the Double or Nothing puzzle is solved, additional bigrams can be entered in the four spaces indicated in order to complete entries for the additional clues. In grid order these spell EL / MS / WE / LL.
+
+
+ by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+This is a Double or Nothing crossword. In each box enter either two letters + (which are read in the same order for the across and down answers) + or no letters (in which case the box is simply skipped over for reading the answers). Once the Double or Nothing puzzle is solved, additional bigrams can be entered in the four spaces indicated in order to complete entries for the additional clues. In grid order these spell EL / MS / WE / LL.
+
+
+ by James Hopkin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+Each of the pictures shows something that can be named with a toponym, + a word derived from the name of a geographical location. All of the + locations are in or near Europe. Plot these locations on a map, and + connect the ones in each row to form the shape of a letter. +
+ +
+
+ by James Hopkin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+Each of the pictures shows something that can be named with a toponym, + a word derived from the name of a geographical location. All of the + locations are in or near Europe. Plot these locations on a map, and + connect the ones in each row to form the shape of a letter. +
+ +by Tyler Hinman
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+by Tyler Hinman
+Answer: Click here to reveal
+This is the craziest golf course you've ever seen! Back and forth across the entire kingdom multiple times, and there are no distance markers on the holes. If you owned this golf course, you'd be willing to take anything in exchange for it.
+
This is the craziest golf course you've ever seen! Back and forth across the entire kingdom multiple times, and there are no distance markers on the holes. If you owned this golf course, you'd be willing to take anything in exchange for it.
+
by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Answers can be split in half and reassembled to form four palindromes that each have a pair of mismatched + letters. The mismatches occur in unique positions, which provides an ordering for the mismatched letters, + which spell the answer. +
| 9 | 7 | + | ||||||
| 9 | 1 | 6 | + | |||||
| 4 | 8 | 5 + | ||||||
| 7 | + | |||||||
| 1 | 4 | 8 | 6 + | |||||
| 8 | 1 | 5 | 9 | + | ||||
| 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 + | |||||
| 7 | 2 | 3 | 8 | + | ||||
| 5 | 7 | + |
| 9 | 7 | + | ||||||
| 9 | 1 | 6 | + | |||||
| 4 | 8 | 5 + | ||||||
| 7 | + | |||||||
| 1 | 4 | 8 | 6 + | |||||
| 8 | 1 | 5 | 9 | + | ||||
| 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 + | |||||
| 7 | 2 | 3 | 8 | + | ||||
| 5 | 7 | + |
by Mike Sylvia
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Clued by "scholar" and "mate" in the flavortext, answer words + start with the letters representing the pieces involved in + the Scholar's + Mate. +
++ The distances moved by the pieces are used to index into each + answer word to spell the answer. +
Note: The last move of the Scholar's Mate actually has length 2. Despite this, the third letter of QWERTY is extracted.
+by Mike Sylvia
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Clued by "scholar" and "mate" in the flavortext, answer words + start with the letters representing the pieces involved in + the Scholar's + Mate. +
++ The distances moved by the pieces are used to index into each + answer word to spell the answer. +
Note: The last move of the Scholar's Mate actually has length 2. Despite this, the third letter of QWERTY is extracted.
+by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Each puzzle is provided with three "hints". The hints for a + given day comprise a 3x4 matrix. Hints are actually statements + about the answer word, and, while not necessarily helpful, + they are all true. +
+If any day answer is applied to any 3x4 matrix, the pattern + created by accurate hints will create a letterform. Reading + down the daily matrices for each mini-meta answer, in order by + day, gives: +
by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Each puzzle is provided with three "hints". The hints for a + given day comprise a 3x4 matrix. Hints are actually statements + about the answer word, and, while not necessarily helpful, + they are all true. +
+If any day answer is applied to any 3x4 matrix, the pattern + created by accurate hints will create a letterform. Reading + down the daily matrices for each mini-meta answer, in order by + day, gives: +
by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Each of the dream fragment puzzles from the previous rounds + gives a short word. These puzzles also have associated sets of + symbols which indicate how to divide each answer into + two pieces (except for the last one). +
++ The puzzles are presented as nested circles, which suggests splitting each fragment answer as indicated and nesting the results, ten deep. +
+RIME = R IME +OUT = OU T +SESAME = SE SAME +TACT = T ACT +HEX = H EX +EAT = E AT +SLICKS = SL ICKS +EEK = EE K +PERUSE = PER USE +SNOW = SNOW ++ +
by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Each of the dream fragment puzzles from the previous rounds + gives a short word. These puzzles also have associated sets of + symbols which indicate how to divide each answer into + two pieces (except for the last one). +
++ The puzzles are presented as nested circles, which suggests splitting each fragment answer as indicated and nesting the results, ten deep. +
+RIME = R IME +OUT = OU T +SESAME = SE SAME +TACT = T ACT +HEX = H EX +EAT = E AT +SLICKS = SL ICKS +EEK = EE K +PERUSE = PER USE +SNOW = SNOW ++ +
by Mark Halpin
+Answer: Click here to reveal
++ Each of the dream fragment puzzles from the previous rounds + gives a short word. These puzzles also have associated sets of + symbols which indicate how to divide each answer into + two pieces (except for the last one). +
++ The puzzles are presented as nested circles, which suggests splitting each fragment answer as indicated and nesting the results, ten deep. +
+RIME = R IME +OUT = OU T +SESAME = SE SAME +TACT = T ACT +HEX = H EX +EAT = E AT +SLICKS = SL ICKS +EEK = EE K +PERUSE = PER USE +SNOW = SNOW ++ +
+
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