Games World of Puzzles June 2021

Here at GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES, we eagerly anticipate the month of June and the extra hours of daylight that it brings. In fact, the longest day of the year—the summer solstice—occurs on June 20. And what better way to while away some of those hours than relaxing outdoors with the June issue? To that end, we’ve packed this issue with engaging articles and creative puzzles. We suggest beginning on a light note with Erich Friedman’s “Emoji Musical Groups” (page 33). This colorful visual puzzle won’t tax your brain too much; it’s perfect to play with friends or family. Give it a try! Next, move on to Andrew Parr’s “The Puzzlemaster Revisited” (page 34). As part of his “Flashback 40” series, Parr spoke to current New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz,…

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 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 Ghost 2 “Great job!” 3 Act part 4 Object 5 Backstage gofer on The Muppet Show 6 Wounded by a bee 7 Big director Marshall 8 Collective bargaining group 9 Subscription units 10 Subjects of…

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…

No reason to feel cowed by this bullish little quiz, in which each of the answers to the 14 clues is a word, phrase, or title containing the word BULL. For example, the clue “Michael Jordan’s former team” would be CHICAGO BULLS, while “Alert put out by the cops” is ALL-POINTS BULLETIN. We’re sure you can solve them all, and that’s no bull! 1. Assume control of a sticky situation 2. Machine often seen at construction sites 3. Nucleus of an archery target 4. Super-fast rail transport 5. Kid who might steal your lunch money 6. Clumsy lummox who might break something 7. Gold or silver in the form of bars 8. Kevin Costner film about minor league baseball 9. Rocky the Flying Squirrel’s sidekick 10. Actress who starred in Ocean’s Eight 11. Start of Three Dog Night’s “Joy to the…

ACROSS 1 Lima’s land 5 WWII sub: Hyph. 10 Hollywood Walk of Fame sight 14 Genesis garden 15 Scandinavian 16 Donned 17 Dutch cheese 18 Milky coffee-chocolate drink: 2 wds. 20 Excessive suspicion 22 Online message 23 Planted 24 Pantry basics 26 1974 Carly Simon-James Taylor duet 30 Additional 31 Burden 32 Restaurant bill 35 Kind of poker 36 Stopped snoozing 38 “He’s a Rebel” singer Vikki 39 Cruise or Hanks 40 Direction on a script 41 Major artery 42 Nursery rhyme “author”: 2 wds. 45 Church officials 49 Army scofflaw, for short 50 Hitching post? 51 Police stings 55 “Unsinkable” Titanic survivor: 2 wds. 58 CHiPS costar Estrada 59 October birthstone 60 Fast-paced 61 Web location 62 Loch ___ Monster 63 Ultimate Greek letter 64 Winter coat? DOWN 1 Chick’s sound 2 Icelandic epic 3 Bring up 4 Exposed the true character of 5 Like a neglected lawn 6 Angry fans’ activity 7 Killer whale 8 Fireplace residue 9 It may be served with scones 10 Inundate with work 11 Kit and caboodle 12 Clarinetist Shaw 13 Rod…

CRAZY CROSSWORD BY DAVID LaROCHELLE To solve this mixed-up crossword puzzle, you’ll first need to rearrange the words for each clue. Hint: The first word of each clue is capitalized. fun Have and luck good! ACROSS 1. for name Another taxi a 3. nose A orange snowman’s 6. class rings the end of It at 7. melted on It’s often popcorn 8. clues describes A word that these 13. whose Robin partner is Superhero 14. face Halloween your worn on It’s on 15. racquet with a played Sport 16. shoelace do You a this to DOWN 1. queen for king or Home a 2. furry growls that Large animal 3. knights played Game with rooks and 4. twelve Measuring that’s long device inches 5. each one hand on There’s 9. them Cowboys up round 10. together of Opposite 11. fruit Sour yellow 12. students school Where at sit 13. and son Homer Marge’s ANSWERS ACROSS 1.…