Games World of Puzzles December 2022

Welcome to the December issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES! Before we delve into the details of what’s inside, we have some exciting news for you: A special 96-page Holiday issue will hit newsstands in late November! Included will be an expanded game review section, plus extra articles and puzzles for your enjoyment. Consider it our early holiday gift to you. In the meantime, this issue contains plenty of treats for you to enjoy in the here and now. For starters, check out “Mind Games” (page 34), Todd Kreisman’s Q&A with A.J. Jacobs, author of the 2022 book The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. Pay close attention as you read through this fascinating interview—you may discover…

Each answer 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 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). Tags such as “Hyph.” and “2 wds.” have been omitted. ANSWER, PAGE 70 ACROSS 1 Mathematical operation 2 Computer logon requirement, often 3 Free throw, e.g. 4 Beauty pageant accessory 5 Do nothing 6 Took for a test drive, perhaps 7 Super Bowl…

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. Proper names are not allowed. ANSWER, PAGE 71 52-SKIDDOO…

Although the signs clearly stated that the Gregory family garage sale would begin at 9:00 a.m., by 8:30 there were already five eager bargain hunters circling the card tables and Army blankets piled high with goods. Each of these early birds was already holding and inquiring about a different item. Each item was marked at a different price ($2.00, $2.50, $3.00, $4.50, or $5.00). Can you figure out the price of each item and who wanted to buy it? ANSWER, PAGE 71 1. Agatha didn’t want the item that was priced at $4.50. 2. Babette was holding either the chess set or the 3D jigsaw puzzle. 3. Together, the chess set and the item that Camille wanted cost less than $7.50. 4. Dirk wanted an item that was marked either $2.00 or $4.50. 5. The knife…

ACROSS 1 Andy or Flo of the funnies 5 Those folks 9 Chubby Checker’s dance 14 Squashed circle 15 He saves the day 16 Result of carelessness 17 Word sung twice after “Que” 18 Come down in buckets 19 Former labor leader George 20 CATERPILLAR: 2 wds. 23 Signs in Vegas 24 Thumbs up, at NASA: Hyph. 25 In the past 27 Noblewoman 30 Squirrel’s snack 33 Welsh dog breed 35 “Strange Magic” band: Abbr. 36 The two together 37 COCOON: 3 wds. 41 Galahad’s “Golly!” 42 Scarf down 43 Glorify 44 Tierra ___ Fuego 45 Indonesia’s capital city 48 The Nautilus went 20,000 leagues under it 49 Poetic contraction 50 Kind of chemical bond found in salt 52 BUTTERFLY: 2 wds. 58 Courtroom excuse 59 Gear teeth 60 Pack ___ (give up): 2 wds. 61 Already out of bed 62 Weapon with a guarded tip 63 Missile or grain building 64 E, on the dashboard 65 Danson and Williams 66 They may be doffed DOWN 1 Expenditure 2 State…

Here’s a quiz for egomaniacs: The answer to each clue below is a word, phrase, or name in which the only vowel is I. For example, the clue “Swimming with a face mask and flippers” would lead to the answer SKIN DIVING, while “Mrs. Paul’s product” would be FISH STICKS. With it? Fill it in! ANSWERS, PAGE 71 THE I’S HAVE IT 1. Miniskirt 2. Hitchhiking 3. Rin Tin Tin 4. Pink slip 5. Fighting Irish 6. Missing link 7. Civil rights 8. Skim milk 9. Night shift 10. Film critic 11. Switch-hitting 12. Slim pickings 13. Bikini 14. Fistfight…