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The answer to a problem may be known but it is not understood. These questions explicitly request additional details on how a problem is solved or why the current solution is appropriate.

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LinkedIn's Queen #564 (HARD difficulty) I am watching the commentary of today's Queen puzzle (a 1* Star Battle puzzle), given that I complete it in about 2 minutes. But one thing I don't quite ...
Hector Lai's user avatar
  • 109
0 votes
1 answer
178 views

For part C of the this problem: The Big Cube and Squares Puzzle, the solution states: However, 6 is not achieveable, because we can show by contradiction that there must be at least one 'move' that ...
Ash's user avatar
  • 3
5 votes
1 answer
734 views

Scientific American started publishing science-themed crosswords a few months ago, with a few words and a theme inspired by stories in the same issue. I really like them, but this month's grid ...
Don Kirkby's user avatar
  • 2,809
5 votes
1 answer
371 views

Rules of Yin-Yang: Fill each empty cell with either a black circle or a white circle. All white circles should be orthogonally connected, so do all black circles. There may not be any 2x2 cell region ...
Mil's user avatar
  • 151
3 votes
1 answer
555 views

A friend sent me this picture from a kid's math competition (this is a chinese competition for kindergarten kids so the answer is unlikely to involve fibonacci triangles or anything beyond elementary ...
Barbaud Julien's user avatar
  • 209
14 votes
1 answer
642 views

This is the puzzle page from the September 1909 issue of "The Ladies' Home Journal". You have to guess what letter of the alphabet is represented by each of the nine pictures. The answers ...
Marnanel Thurman's user avatar
  • 241
5 votes
0 answers
315 views

I came across the following puzzle in "Puzzles, Patterns, and Pastimes from the World of Mathematics" by Charles F. Linn (https://archive.org/details/puzzlespatternsp00linn/ page 50): For ...
commutatertot's user avatar
  • 151
10 votes
1 answer
645 views

I was busy creating a sudoku on the Interactive Sudoku Solver when I found that if I were to use the Full Kropki rules without any dots (i.e. no orthogonally adjacent squares may be consecutive or ...
Dylan Levine's user avatar
  • 283
7 votes
1 answer
441 views

This is annoying. I got so close to finishing my latest puzzle but with one clue left, a clue I couldn't understand even once I gave up and checked the solution. This is from the Sunday Times Quick ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
326 views

I am an enthusiast solver of Fish Fillets NG game. Here, in this short manual the game all rules are described. They can be summarized as follows: You control the two fish seen in the bottom left of ...
Puck's user avatar
  • 171
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

The answer to a clue in a cryptic crossword (Sunday Times Cryptic No 5147 by David McLean, 26-Jan-2025) is EIGHT but I cannot work it out. The original clue was 29 - 17 = 12
Ann's user avatar
  • 49
12 votes
1 answer
756 views

This problem is from USAMTS 2024 round 3. The solution is provided on the website, but it doesn't show how to obtain that solution, which is what I am really interested in. In a Markdown Table (with ...
Bayesian Hat's user avatar
  • 341
21 votes
2 answers
4k views

The clue comes from a Guardian Newspaper cluing competition from 2020. It’s carelessly set down: π – 1 + 50 + ⅔ × 1000 (5) The answer is PLONK. It’s carelessly set down = PLONK π – 1 = P [Pi - i = ...
mattst's user avatar
  • 385
1 vote
1 answer
217 views

I just moved from normal to hard in an online crossword game today, and one clue was simply 'entertainment'. The answer turned out to be 'review' and I have no idea how that links using the standard ...
SeriousBri's user avatar
  • 111
5 votes
2 answers
680 views

I'm playing a 2-star 9x9 grid game. The app provides incremental clues when requested. In this scenario, the clue states "the green region cannot be finished." I'm just not seeing it, nor ...
Robert Chapin's user avatar
  • 153
2 votes
0 answers
247 views

Clue is “Tame comedies and West End production.” Solution is “domesticate” which is probably an anagram of “comedies” and something else but I can’t work out what.
Nick Street's user avatar
  • 21
9 votes
1 answer
4k views

This question is 18 across in puzzle No 33, The Sun Two-Speed Crossword book... Q: Ice mass broken off a little lower? A: Calf Some of my thought processes are: Ice (diamonds?); ice mass (iceberg?); ...
user 55905's user avatar
  • 195
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Clue: Tree that's sported to keep visitors out at university (3). Answer: Why?
Bill's user avatar
  • 101
2 votes
1 answer
394 views

Clue: Large area left on the map of Canada (7). Answer: ALBERTA. Why? I can see that Alberta is "of Canada". Attribution: https://puzzles.standard.co.uk/ (Evening Standard Cryptic 5/29/...
John's user avatar
  • 37
0 votes
1 answer
214 views

The clue, from Which magazine, November 2023: Adventure beginning by way of hill. One in 10! The answer, I believe, is "aviator" from the first sentence but I don’t understand the ...
Helen's user avatar
  • 1
3 votes
1 answer
353 views

The Persistence Of Memory The Memory Labyrinth Rules You are currently just behind the door in the bottom right. You must walk through each of the other rooms before returning to the first room. ...
ApexPolenta's user avatar
  • 4,674
4 votes
1 answer
816 views

Man of note got TE Lawrence in one (7) I guessed the solution from the cross clues and have, what I believe, is the correct answer. Please provide an explanation.
Dave's user avatar
  • 49
17 votes
4 answers
3k views

Let me start with a formulation of the problem for people who aren't familiar with Magic: the Gathering. You have a stack of distinct cards face-down. You can apply the following actions arbitrarily ...
A. P.'s user avatar
  • 6,160
3 votes
1 answer
575 views

The puzzle is Alter Rival from 2013 Aquarium Hunt. Every article or post I found tells me it is a fairly easy puzzle. The answer of the puzzle: What I tried: I noticed the capitalized letters at ...
Jusolin's user avatar
  • 75
4 votes
2 answers
715 views

https://www.brainzilla.com/logic/logic-grid/beach-umbrellas/ has the following puzzle: Four families are going to the beach in the morning and are bringing their family-size umbrellas. Which family ...
Joseph Sible-Reinstate Monica's user avatar
  • 1,944
2 votes
1 answer
214 views

Rainwear wrapped around heartless lothario (6) ANSWER: Golash It's not drunk at the Officer's Mess - the public can't buy either (7,4) ANSWER: Private Sale Improve at noon? (5) ANSWER: Amend I ...
Dee's user avatar
  • 31
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

A Fate who didn’t finish the material (5) Answer: CLOTH This is a cryptic clue from The Post (NZ) and appeared on the 22nd Jun 2023
Suchi's user avatar
  • 69
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

Clue: A world that was once bereaved of children Answer: "ORB". What is the the connection between "orb" and "bereaved of children"?
Dave's user avatar
  • 51
3 votes
1 answer
929 views

In the NPR Sunday Puzzle recently, the "weekly challenge" asked about what times on a digital clock (not using military i.e. 00-24:00 time) would read the same if the clock was turned upside ...
DreiCleaner's user avatar
  • 327
2 votes
1 answer
717 views

The NYT crossword on 10/29/2005 had the clue 'front' for 34 across. The answer turned out to be VAN. Can someone explain the logic behind that to me?
Emlee's user avatar
  • 29
3 votes
0 answers
343 views

The question is Certainly not a rude man. (8 5) The answer is COURTESY TITLE Source: Shrewsbury Chronicle (UK) dated October 12, 2023 I was expecting an answer relating to man and/or certainly. I ...
JaneP's user avatar
  • 31
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

What does the term ‘one left’ mean in relation to cryptic crosswords? I can see from some answers that it basically means to add a letter ‘L’ to the definition answer, but this clue has me stumped… ...
Danielle's user avatar
  • 31
3 votes
1 answer
390 views

There are 5 figures shown on the top With their code written at the bottom of each figure, We need to find the code for fig.1 Source: UCEED 2016 question paper (entrance exam for design colleges in ...
Sumeet Redhu's user avatar
  • 33
0 votes
1 answer
215 views

Please explain this clue: Trouble follows loud bomb The answer given is:
John Lofthouse's user avatar
  • 1
6 votes
1 answer
570 views

This is a question from an IQ test (NSE test designed by Ivan Ivec and Theodosis Prousalis). The link for this test is https://free.ultimaiq.net/nse.htm The sequence is: 120, 10, 3, ?, ? The answer ...
Von's user avatar
  • 69
21 votes
1 answer
4k views

While doing a crossword today, I came across the clue "Thou". The correct answer ended up being "oneg". I can't make heads or tails of this, no matter how I parse it. How does &...
Kevin's user avatar
  • 2,256
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

In today’s Sunday Times concise crossword, there’s a clue (Middle Row) ———- (7) with brackets and a dash, as shown. The answer appears to be Lebanon. I’m baffled. It’s not a cryptic clue. Any ideas?
Sally-Anne Thomas's user avatar
  • 61
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

The answer to the clue is 'laundry', which is l-a-undry. Where does the 'la' come from? Source: The i's Five-Clue Cryptic, 12 April 2023
user82519's user avatar
  • 375
2 votes
1 answer
774 views

Source (Page 26-28) Frieda was fond of visiting exotic locations. On her visit to the island of Yippiekaiyay, she was surprised that the natives of the island could be classified into one of two ...
Fin27's user avatar
  • 131
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

The clue in question is Labour leader entering into deal upset one in 10? (5) I have solved this via the wordplay but I don’t see how the definition applies. The answer is 'ladle' (L in (DEAL)) but ...
LongwellJ's user avatar
  • 123
-2 votes
1 answer
136 views

I'm having trouble solving a puzzle in Swedish. I've translated it to English: Two masons work on a project. One mason can complete the project alone in 8 hours, while the other can complete it alone ...
cricket900's user avatar
  • 191
5 votes
1 answer
314 views

The clue was "Last two of juicy sweets?" and the answer was 'Candy'. I don't understand why.
Kevin Lea's user avatar
  • 51
4 votes
1 answer
498 views

I know the answer to the crossword clue ‘lock up devil is said to be in revolt’ is 'imprison' but I can’t explain the wordplay ‘devil is said to be in revolt’. This clue was in The Sun's 2-speed ...
Graham's user avatar
  • 51
9 votes
4 answers
849 views

I've been repeatedly asked to turn this into a PSE question, so here goes. Some people may have noticed that, when I answer a grid-deduction question, my answer often includes, as well as a step-by-...
Rand al'Thor's user avatar
  • 120k
0 votes
1 answer
273 views

I was doing a crossword from the NY Times (from Tuesday, October 25, 2022 By Ashleigh Silveira, Nick Shephard / Will Shortz) and I got the following clue. 29 DOWN - Loss leader? The answer is "...
lipeiran's user avatar
  • 543
-2 votes
1 answer
490 views

Explain why “anagram” is the answer to the clue “I’m not as active for Vacation times.”
JNM's user avatar
  • 1
14 votes
2 answers
1k views

The clue is: Policeman's large Elvish dagger (5) The answer is: Sting How is the answer derived?
user82519's user avatar
  • 375
10 votes
1 answer
2k views

Found this cryptic clue in the #1 Times quick cryptic book. I got it for Xmas so I could graduate to some more complicated cryptic puzzles than the rubbish you see in the mass market ones though, if ...
user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

This crossword clue: "Men in a state of agitation a very long time (7)" has the answer Please explain the "men" aspect.
user82519's user avatar
  • 375
9 votes
2 answers
3k views

This is a clue from the Irish Times cryptic crossword: Weird arachnid with venomous tail in the French cemetery Answer: "necropolis". How was this arrived at?
Paddy's user avatar
  • 91

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