Games World of Puzzles June 2020

We were working on this issue back in mid-March, when daily life suddenly changed. And just like you, we had to adjust to a new reality overnight. As everyone hunkered down, we couldn’t help but notice how many people turned to games and puzzles, either as a momentary distraction or simply for sheer enjoyment. For some, that meant a quick game of Go Fish with the kids; for others, it was solving the New York Times crossword puzzle on their iPad. The breakout sensation was undoubtedly Animal Crossing: New Horizons. When Nintendo released the latest installment of its popular social simulator on March 20, players around the globe flocked to the video game, which offered a brief respite from daily cares. We hope that the June issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES provides…

Each answer word in this crossword variation has two clues leading to it, using different meanings of the word. The clues are separated into Across and Down, but are otherwise ordered randomly. When you find two Across clues or two Down clues that seem to have the same answer, add up their clue numbers to determine the place in the grid at which the answer should be entered. For example, if the clue for 1-Across were “Metallic element” and the clue for 17-Across read “Starring role,” the answer would be “lead,” which would go in 18-Across (1 + 17). Note: Tags such as “Hyph.” and “2 wds.” have been omitted. ACROSS 1 New York Philharmonic section 2 Babe Ruth was one 3 Soprano’s operatic achievement 4 Sign up 5 Building floors 6 Like some rebates 7 River crossers 8 Cashier’s…

There is one place for each letter of the alphabet in the 26 empty squares of each blank column in the diagram below. Fill in each letter so that a word of at least five letters is formed reading across only. Not all of the letters to the left and right of the empty box are used; it’s up to you to determine which ones are needed to complete familiar words. Some letters may fit in more than one of the empty squares to complete words, but we only came up with one arrangement that would complete a word in each row. Maybe you’ll find a better solution. Proper names are not allowed. ANSWERS…

The answer to each Syllabism clue is a word or words made up of some of the syllables listed above the clues. The number of syllables in each answer is in parentheses following the clue. The dashes indicate the number of letters in the answer. After you use a syllable, cross it off; each syllable will be used only once and every syllable will be used in one of the answers. When you are through, read down the first letters of the answer words and then the last letters and you will discover the name of a person followed by a quotation by that person. ANSWERS 1. Harmonium; 2. Unscrew; 3. Backlash; 4. Bistro; 5. Anyhow; 6. Regalia; 7. Daiquiri; 8. Elephant; 9. Venus; 10. Economize; 11. Relax; 12. Yolk sac; 13.…

ACROSS 1 Yearning 5 Netflix alternative 9 Charlotte’s Web girl 13 Londoner’s baby buggy 14 Verve 15 Jai ___ 16 Common building material: 2 wds. 19 Word before joint or art 20 JFK posting 21 Lawn bowling game 22 ___ Cruces 23 Letter after sigma 24 Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes 26 Antagonist of Dr. Evil: 2 wds. 29 Craters of the Moon setting 30 Outlook folder 31 Private Twitter communications, briefly 34 Mathematician Descartes 35 Bilbo’s heir 37 Keg party host, briefly 38 Summer hours in NYC 39 Gang leader? 40 Cubic meter 41 Its logo is a pine tree inside a circle: 2 wds. 44 Formally withdraws 47 Key near the space bar 48 Bygone space station 49 Island off Venezuela 50 Colorful card game 51 Soviet fighter jets 52 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model: 2 wds. 56 Easy win 57 Ump’s call 58 “___ deal!”: 2 wds. 59 Archer of myth 60 Jupiter, by another name 61 Some NCOs DOWN 1 Showed approval 2 Flaky…

LOST IN SPACE Hidden in this scene from outer space are 18 out-of-place items. Can you spot them all? 1. BANANA 2. BASEBALL BAT 3. BELL 4. BUNCH OF CARROTS 5. COAT HANGER 6. CUP 7. DOUGHNUT 8. EYEGLASSES 9. HOT DOG 10. LIGHT BULB 11. MAN IN THE MOON 12. PENCIL 13. SAFETY PIN 14. SAILBOAT 15. SILHOUETTE OF A FACE 16. SWAN 17. TENNIS RACKET 18. WISHBONE SPACED OUT Many moons ago—on July 20, 1969, to be exact—Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. More than 50 years later, we pay tribute with this space-age puzzle. The planet below contains 36 words and phrases related to exploration of what was once the great unknown. Answers may launch horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, but always in a straight line. If you experience any difficulties on your mission, it’s A-OK to rocket to the answers for a…