ArcaMax

Black as night I can be,
Until my Mother sits on me;
Then clear as ice I become
In the rough, thank you Mum.

What am I?

Each of the following sentences contains clues to a set of three words that are spelled the same, except for one letter (each sentence describes a different set). Example: malt, melt, molt.

1) Billy discovered a cylindrical chest buried beneath the knoll.

2) The only evidence found by the detective was some adhesive in the chimney passage.

3) The bashful bovine rested on the small bed.

4) The latest fad was for people to desire the ingestion of a tall wading bird.

1a) to wriggle 1b) a member of the British gentry 1c) a small forcible stream of liquid

2a) this color is a blend of red and yellow darkened by black
2b) the top of the head
2c) to cover with water

3a) more recent
3b) rubbish
3c) a written communication

4a) free from color
4b) a high-pitched plaintive cry
4c) although

Jennifer reported to work, and has been at her task for almost eight hours. She has been looking forward to the big softball game tonight, and is worried about how well she will play after a grueling day on the job. Change WORK to PLAY by changing one letter at a time. The change must go through TASK and GAME. Each step must produce a valid word in the English language. No word can be used more than once. (It will take more than one step to get to the next word!)

WORK ---- TASK ---- GAME ---- PLAY

The following 15 words can be divided into 5 groups of 3 words. The words in each trio will share a similar characteristic. What are the groupings? Why?

astern, bony, con, deal, land, lien, nit, pending, pinion, range, slander, steroid, tile, vary, venue

In Major League Baseball, the World Series is a best of seven series. The first team to win four games is the champion. The Series is scheduled so that one team hosts the first two games and the last two games, while the other team hosts the middle three games. The World Series ends as soon as one team wins four games, so the Series could be completed in as few as four games.

In this fantasy Series, the New York Yankees played the Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles hosted the first two games. The final scores of the games were:
Game 1: 4 to 3
Game 2: 6 to 5 (11 innings)
Game 3: 11 to 7
Game 4: 16 to 9
Game 5: 9 to 6 (10 innings)
Game 6: 2 to 1
Game...

What does this rebus represent?

gloomy turquoise
temperamental cyan
sullen aquamarine
despondent azure
morose cerulean

What word/phrase is described by the following rebus?

Julio Iglesias
Lana Turner
Dinah Shore
John Wayne
Robert Redford
John Ireland
Elizabeth Taylor
John Travolta
Barbara Eden
Jack Nicholson

Three 5-letter words,
Anagrams of each other.
One is a cloth,
The second a spot,
The third is at home with the Father.

What are the three words?

Each of the following sentences contains clues to a set of three words that are spelled the same, except for one letter (each sentence describes a different set). Example: malt, melt, molt.

1) Instead of buying one baked good at the restaurant, Mark bought a whole box.

2) Do not decline to prove the falseness of the necessity of a shelter.

3) Neil loves to brag about how he killed the animal with an explosion.

4) The uncommon rabbit should not challenge the common tortoise.

The names of four famous people have been scrambled. They are: an astronaut, a dictator, an inventor, and a sportsman (though not necessarily in that order). Who are they?

1) had most noise
2) lady riles
3) man rolled par
4) triad of hell

According to this rebus, what can be said about Kerry?
(ignore the periods; they are only for spacing)

Jerry: Zn...Ti...Mn...Fe......Personality......Fe...Mn...Ti...Zn
Kerry: Zn...Ti...Mn.........FePersonalityFe.........Mn...Ti...Zn
Perry: Zn...Ti...Mn...Fe......Personality......Fe...Mn...Ti...Zn
Terry: Zn...Ti...Mn...Fe......Personality......Fe...Mn...Ti...Zn

The following clues give definitions for world capitals. These definitions describe what the capitals (just the city) sound like they would mean.

1) This capital is a recently opened store for cooked meats.
2) This capital is plant-covered bovine.
3) This capital is a tool used for fighting.
4) This capital is a royal weight.
5) This capital is a cheer for a body of water.
6) This capital is the legendary vehicle graveyard.
7) This capital is something that annoys a religious figure.
8) This capital is a basic digit.
9) This capital is something you get from the sun.
10) This capital is a score for a ringer.

Six words that contain YO as a letter-pair have had all of their other letters removed and placed into a pool. Put those letters back in their proper places. What are the words?

YO---, YO----, -YO---, --YO--, ---YO-, ----YO

Pool: A, B, B, C, C, D, D, D, E, E, E, E, I, L, M, M, N, N, N, N, P, R, R