26 GAMES WORLD^ OF PUZZLES october 2019
LOGIC
THE ICE QUEEN
“I just want my baby brother back,” said Inga, her teeth chattering. The
ragged clothes from the orphanage had done little to keep her warm on
the long trek to the Snow Castle.
“I say I stole him, fair and square,” said the Ice Queen, “but whenever I
turn him back into his proper shape, he weeps in a way most tiresome to
me, so I will give you a sporting chance.
“Here he is, with five other items I’ve enchanted into different forms. If you
can correctly identify your brother Anders, the Bag of Loaves, and the Cask
of Wine (both of which are magical and can never be emptied); and Dietrich,
the young prince of Denmark, who had the Bag and Cask with him when he
came to my castle; Exultator, his sword; and Friska, his horse, then I shall
release them all! Which, by the way, will improve your chances against the
Frost Trolls as you cross the Glacier of Despair on your way home.”
Without rising from her throne, the witch made a mystical gesture that
swept aside the tapestry behind her, revealing six objects in an alcove: a
hideous Mask made of papier-mâché, a wooden Nutcracker fancifully
carved to resemble a soldier, a silver Piccolo, a red Rose, a golden Spoon,
and a brass Telescope.
Inga looked at them with dismay. “But how am I to tell them apart?” she
asked.
The Ice Queen sighed, thought again of Anders’s incessant wailing, and
said, “Very well, I’ll give you some hints.”- Your brother Anders was the last item I transformed.
- Nothing that I transformed into a thing with a face (like the Mask and
Nutcracker) had a face before being transformed (like Anders, Dietrich,
and Friska). - After the Telescope, the next thing I transformed was the Piccolo.
- One of the two magical items (the Bag and Cask) turned into something
with a face. The other was the first item I transformed into something of metal. - Dietrich, unaware the Nutcracker had been something that belonged
to him moments before, used it to crack some pecans to feed to Friska.
The horse was the next thing I transformed, right before Dietrich’s eyes. - I transformed the Cask after all the items that were turned into
something of metal.
“Now, if you can tell me what I transformed each item into, and in what
order, you will get your brother back and live happily ever after.”(^) Ƃ.1ȳǚǡ8ǤǝǟǜǙǝǞ
WORDPLAY
THE OLD SWITCHEROO
The answer to each clue below is
five letters long. Answer the first
clue in a set, then switch two
consecutive letters in that word to
answer the other clue. For example,
QUITE becomes QUIET when the T
and E are switched. Answers include
some proper names.
- Sickly pale
Easy victim - Be
Ways out - Change
Not now - Thicket
Deals (with) - Error’s partner
Hiker’s route - _ noir _
bean __ - Stenches
Portals - Trims a photo __
Peace _ - Mr. Thurmond
X-Men member - Wallops
X-Men member - A la _
Packing box __ - _ bleu!
Close call __ - Now
Sycophant - Drudge
Ointment - En _
Part of GPA __ - Poet W.B.
Brewer’s need - Journal
It’s got milk - Smackers
Soothes - Yearn for
Whittle - Pilot
1040 sender
Ƃ7ȱǝǘǘ)ǚȰǟȳǞ- ǕǣǠȰȱȳǚȰǙ•
TOUGH NUTS
IT’S ABOUT TIME
If a clock’s second hand is exactly on
one of the second marks and is
exactly 18 seconds in front of the
hour hand, can you figure out
logically what time it is?(^) Ƃ6ȳǓǟǝǞȰ0ǝǖȨ
NUMBER PLAY
POWERFUL DISCOVERY
Henry Dudeney noted the existence
of numbers with a certain unusual
property; these are now known as
Dudeney numbers. There are only six
such numbers: 1, 512, 4913, 5832,
17576, and 19683. What do they all
have in common?
(^) Ƃ6,;Ȩǣ
TEASERS
STOPPED SHORT
What unusual property do the
following words and phrases have
in common?
CENTRAL AMERICA
CHURCH
CIRCA
EDITED
HEIGHT
KENTUCKY
NEW TESTAMENT
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