ArcaMax

Mike and Dave like to play Scrabble. Mike never cheats. He always plays valid words and never plays out of turn. Dave, however, cheats. Sometimes he plays invalid words, but Mike never challenges. Sometimes he makes two plays in one turn. Mike never notices. Today, Mike and Dave have started playing a game. Mike played first. After 7 plays, the board looked like this:

SPUD
PORE
OPEN
TEAT

As usual, Dave has already cheated one time. How has Dave cheated?

The following three equations represent words that have a common relationship. The first letter of each word is given. Where will you find the following equations to be true? (Be sure to 'check' your answer carefully.)

Q = 1, B = 2, P = 8

Each statement describes two words that when fused together create a new unrelated word (not a compound word). The clues do not necessarily indicate in which order the two words are attached. Example: This is the oldness of a tablet (pill + age = pillage).

1) This is the part of a book that describes sheep.
2) This is the natural way to turn a grape into a raisin.
3) These are informal neckwear.
4) This is the admission price for an enthusiastic follower to enter a stadium.

What is the meaning of this rebus?

FEANCIENTFE

Each of the following sentences contains clues to a set of three words that are anagrams of each other (each sentence describes a different set).

1) I have a painting of a small mammal wearing a coating without the feathers.

2) A winged apparition will harvest the grain where the two lines intersect.

3) The members of the two groups were fearful of the Holy Grail.

4) Trying to reach home and score the winning run, Joe jumped over the catcher and ripped the fold of his uniform.

Six words have had their birds removed. The birds have been placed into Group A. The remaining letters of each word have been placed into Group B. Your task is to reconstitute the words by merging each bird with the proper set of letters. Other than merging the two groups together, there is no rearranging of the letters. Example: sand + pne = spanned (SpANneD).

Group A: crow, hawk, owl, raven, robin, wren
Group B: itt, ndior, ossb, tre, trsig, tulg

Letter Equations are well known phrases or facts where the key words have been replaced with the first letter of that word. These are often in the form of an equation, which contain a number, an = sign and the rest of the obscured phrase or fact.

1 = H on a D C

Six words have had their colors removed. The colors have been placed into Group A. The remaining letters of each word have been placed into Group B. Your task is to reconstitute the words by merging each color with the proper set of letters. Other than merging the two groups together, there is no rearranging of the letters. Example: sand + pne = spanned (SpANneD).

Group A: blue, brown, cyan, green, pink, red
Group B: agssivess, astr, bac, rstllie, snaer, urig

Which element in Group B can be added to Group A? Why?

Group A: Iridium, Vanadium, Xenon, Lanthanum, Carbon, Dysprosium
Group B: Radon, Barium, Uranium, Platinum, Manganese, Phosphorus

Letter Equations are well known phrases or facts where the key words have been replaced with the first letter of that word. These are often in the form of an equation, which contain a number, an = sign and the rest of the obscured phrase or fact.

3 = S in the F V of C C (N, P, S M)

Change COLD to HEAT by changing one letter at a time. Each change must produce a valid word in the English language. But there is a catch. You must make the change by going through COOL and WARM. No word can be used more than once.

COLD ---- COOL ---- WARM ---- HEAT

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) The subject of the meeting was "The Poisonous Elixir".

2) When the man refused to fight, it caused the bully to shout "Are you chicken?".

3) When the cows heard the snake shake, there was a fight for survival.

4) Unable to see, the doctor was still able to concoct a mixture that was soothing to the stomach.

What song lyric does this rebus describe?

Caspar says "Idiots will always enter a burning building."
Melchior says "They will do so, even when no one else will try."
Balthasar says "Not only that, but those dupes will do it quickly."

Which word in Group B can be added to Group A? Why?

Group A: complex, on, rat, stall
Group B: accord, gallop, new, tandem