Games World of Puzzles December 2019

Each of the 14 clues below can be answered by a word, phrase, or title that begins with the name of a familiar bird. For example, “Showy annual flower” would be answered by LARKSPUR, and “Noisy novelty timepiece” would be CUCKOO CLOCK. Twelve correct answers would be a feather in your cap, but to solve all 14 clues you’ll really need to earn your wings. ANSWERS 1. Robin Hood 2. Crowbar 3. Duck Soup 4. Goosebumps 5. Swan Lake 6. Dovetail 7. Eagle Scout 8. Jaywalker 9. Falcon Crest 10. Canary Islands 11. Hawkeye 12. Pigeonhole 13. Turkey trot 14. Cardinal points (or cardinal directions)…

FROM THE GAMES LIBRARY If you’ve been longing for some amusing yet challenging fun, there’s no shortage of ideas here. The concept is short and sweet: Nine “long” words and phrases are depicted on this page, and nine “short” words and phrases on the opposite page. For example, the policeman in the upper left corner represents the LONG ARM OF THE LAW. Can you guess the rest? Wordplay and soundalikes are fair game, so get ready to groan! If your solving efforts fall short, don’t put on a long face—just flip to the answers on page 71. ANSWERS page 10 (left to right and top to bottom): Long arm of the law Long time no see (“C”) Longbow Long-playing record Furlong Long johns Long range Long hair (hare) So (sew) long page 11 (left to right and top to bottom): Shorthand Shortstop Short story Shortwave radio Short-order cook Short term Shortcomings Shortcut Shortfall…

Even if you caught just a glimpse of this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, which was broadcast on ESPN, it was immediately apparent that spelling bees have changed dramatically since most of us were in grade school. And it isn’t just the media attention that is lavished on this annual event that is different: The words are way more challenging and the kids themselves are better prepared and savvier than was imaginable even a decade ago. What accounts for this transformation? What might it mean? Those are difficult questions. Fortunately, Shalini Shankar, Ph.D., a professor of Anthropology and Asian American Studies at Northwestern University, has been studying the Bee for the past few years. In fact, on April 30, roughly a month before the 2019 Bee, she published a thoughtful…

FIRST PRICE $100 5 RUNNER-UP PRIZES:A ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES This contest is similar to previous Coded Crisscross contests (June 2019 and October 2018 GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES). The grid below, if decoded properly, contains a set of 10 items reading across and down in the white squares. The two shaded entries name the category to which all of the other items belong. (Note that some sources would include an additional item in the set of items that appear in the white spaces; however, we have chosen to omit it.) We’ve replaced each letter of the alphabet with a number. A number stands for the same letter throughout the grid. There’s just one special rule: One of the numbers does not stand for a letter, but instead stands for…

A YULETIDE TRIVIA QUIZ Get 0–5 correct answers: You’ll be getting a lump of coal. Get 6–10 correct answers: Look at all those lovely socks. Get 10–15 correct answers: You win 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, etc. 1. Which of the following actors has not played Ebenezer Scrooge on TV or film? a. George C. Scott b. Patrick Stewart c. Dan Aykroyd d. Alastair Sim 2. What did the woman in “Christmas Wrapping” rush to the grocery store for on Christmas Eve? a. cranberries b. wrapping paper c. eggnog d. the world’s smallest turkey 3. According to tradition, the Three Wise Men are named Balthazar, Caspar, and…? a. Melanchthon b. Melchizedek c. Melancholia d. Melchior 4. In addition to the heartwarming classic, A Christmas Story, what is director Bob Clark’s other Yuletide movie? a. Porky’s 4: Winter Break! b. Black Christmas c. Silent Night, Deadly Night d. Santa’s Ho’s 5. What does the…

ALPHABET SOUP The crossword on this and the next two pages has two independent sets of clues: “Hard” and “Easy.” First, fold this page back on the dashed line so the clues below face the solving grid on page 69. If you use only the Hard Clues (appearing below and continuing under the grid), you’ll find the puzzle uncommonly challenging. If you want help, or prefer a less severe challenge, open to the Easy Clues (tucked in beneath your fold on page 68). HARD CLUES ACROSS 1 TV type 7 Responds to a ring 14 Previously, once 19 Enterprise competition 23 Worth more 24 Form of Vitamin A 25 Not as cold 26 Slight progress 27 Go along with 28 Shakespeare in Love role 29 Farm worker 31 Put away 32 Held back 33 Tongue, e.g. 34 Reflect 35 Rock blasters 36 McGwire rival of the late ‘90s 37 ___ Evil…