Larry Hosken: New

It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is odd.)

"I want to write a parody. What are some movies with odd numbers in the title?"

"Wait, how do you spell 'parody'?"

_   Snow White and the _____ Dwarfs
_   The Whole _____ Yards
_   _____ Psychopaths
_   _____ Samurai
_   The Magnificent _____
_   Ocean's _____

Hints and solution, rot13'd:

Sbe rnpu zbivr gvgyr, svyy va gur oynaxf jvgu na bqq ahzore jvgu lbhe rkgrafvir zbivr xabjyrqtr.

Bapr lbh xabj gur ahzore A, wbg qbja gur Agu yrggre bs gur gvgyr. Sbe rknzcyr, frira: fabj ju*V*gr.

v : frira : Fabj Juvgr naq gur _ Qjnesf
a : avar : Gur Jubyr _ Lneqf
f : frira : _ Cflpubcnguf
n : frira : _ Fnzhenv
a : frira : Gur Zntavsvprag _
r : ryrira be guvegrra, jbexf rvgure jnl : Bprna'f _

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2024-03-19T01:03:07.307592

Club Bangers

It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is club.)

Here are some song lyrics. Alas, there's a word missing from each. Maybe you have some of these memorized. Maybe you can figure others out from context. If this isn't your forte, you can always search your favorite lyrics site. (That's how I got most of these.)

Ed Sheeran Shape of You
♫ A club isn't the  _ _◯_  place to find a lover / So the bar is where I go (Mm) ♫
 
Beyoncé Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)
♫ Up in the club (Club), we  _ _ _◯  broke up (Up) / I'm doin' my own lil' thing ♫
 
Cardi B Bodak Yellow
♫ You in the club just to  _ _◯_ _ , I'm there, I get paid a fee ♫
 
50 Cent In da Club
♫ You can find me in the club,  _◯_ _ _ _  full of bub' ♫
 
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Thrift Shop
♫ That shirt's hella dope / And  _ _ _ _◯_  the same one as six other people in this club is a hella don't ♫
 
Justin Bieber Love Yourself
♫ For all the times that you rained on my parade / And all the clubs you  ◯_ _  in using my name ♫
 
J. Cole Power Trip
♫ The same clubs that I used to get  _ _◯_ _ _  out / Life got Kriss Kross'd: totally crossed out ♫
 
Beyoncé Partition
♫ See me  ◯_  in the club with fifty-'leven girls / Posted in the back, diamond fangs in my grill ♫
 
Young M.A. OOOUUU
♫ This Hennessy gettin' to me / I ain't gonna  _◯_ , I'm a little smizz / I'm a little drizz / But we in the club, man / OOOUUU ♫
 
DJ Khaled I'm the One
♫ When I met her in the club, I asked her who she  _ _ _◯  ♫
 

Hints and solution, rot13'd:

Lbh pna svaq zbfg bs gurfr ylevpf ol tbvat gb travhf.pbz naq frnepuvat sbe "pyho" va ylevpf

Urer'f nyy gur qngn:

f ; orfg ; Rq Furrena ; Funcr bs Lbh ; N pyho vfa'g gur orfg cynpr gb svaq n ybire / Fb gur one vf jurer V tb (Zz)

g ; whfg ; Orlbapé ; Fvatyr Ynqvrf (Chg n Evat ba vg) ; Hc va gur pyho (Pyho), jr whfg oebxr hc (Hc) / V'z qbva' zl bja yvy' guvat

e ; cnegl ; Pneqv O ; Obqnx Lryybj ; Lbh va gur pyho whfg gb cnegl, V'z gurer, V trg cnvq n srr

b ; obggyr ; 50 Prag ; Va qn Pyho ; Lbh pna svaq zr va gur pyho, obggyr shyy bs oho'

a ; univat ; Znpxyrzber &nzc; Elna Yrjvf ; Guevsg Fubc ; Gung fuveg'f uryyn qbcr / Naq univat gur fnzr bar nf fvk bgure crbcyr va guvf pyho vf n uryyn qba'g

t ; trg ; Whfgva Ovrore ; Ybir Lbhefrys ; Sbe nyy gur gvzrf gung lbh envarq ba zl cnenqr / Naq nyy gur pyhof lbh trg va hfvat zl anzr

f ; gbffrq ; W. Pbyr ; Cbjre Gevc ; Gur fnzr pyhof gung V hfrq gb trg gbffrq bhg / Yvsr tbg Xevff Xebff'q: gbgnyyl pebffrq bhg

h ; hc ; Orlbapé ; Cnegvgvba ; Frr zr hc va gur pyho jvgu svsgl-'yrira tveyf / Cbfgrq va gur onpx, qvnzbaq snatf va zl tevyy

v ; yvr ; Lbhat Z.N. ; BBBHHH ; Guvf Uraarffl trggva' gb zr / V nva'g tbaan yvr, V'z n yvggyr fzvmm / V'z n yvggyr qevmm / Ohg jr va gur pyho, zna / BBBHHH

g ; sryg ; QW Xunyrq ; V'z gur Bar ; Jura V zrg ure va gur pyho, V nfxrq ure jub fur sryg

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2024-03-18T01:54:54.994705

I'm @lahosken on the Spill social app. Several days back, I got word that Spill, previously iOS-only, released an Android beta test. So I installed and tried to sign up, but sign-ups didn't work…maybe because a bazillion Android users were all trying to sign up at the same time? Anyhow, I thought to try again today and it worked! If I know you and you're on Spill, I'm (predictably) @lahosken. And if you tried to get on Spill but it never sent you a login code thingy, you might try again today; I bet it works for you today.

screen shot of a social media profile

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2024-03-17T22:57:31.422830

Happy March 17th! It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is ancient.)

How often do men think about the Roman Empire? Anyhow, it was still present in Britain in the 5th century, such that someone born there/then might reasonably be expected to spot what's going on in this puzzle, even if they were captured by slavers and taken to a foreign land:

_ The Irish Sea
_ visionary
_ very pretty
_ uprising
_ every year
 
_ visions
_ antiquities
 
_ spirit
_ partition
_ Visigoths
_ known to exist

Hints and solution, rot13'd:

Lbh jnag gb rkgenpg bar yrggre sebz rnpu cuenfr.

Va rnpu cuenfr, gur yrggref V, I, naq K ner obyqrq. Zber fhogyl, gur yrggref P, Y, Q, naq Z qba'g nccrne ng nyy.

Ebzna ahzorevat vf vzcbegnag.

Sbe rnpu cuenfr, chyy bhg gur Ebzna ahzrenyf naq fgvpx gurz gbtrgure gb znxr n ahzore A. Gura hfrq gur Agu yrggre bs gur cuenfr.

Sbe rknzcyr, va "Gur Vevfu Frn", gur Vv Ebzna ahzrenyf znxr gjb. Gur frpbaq yrggre bs "Gur Vevfu Frn" vf U.

Urer'f gur shyy yvfg:

U Gur Vevfu Frn
N ivfvbanel
C irel cerggl
C hcevfvat
L rirel lrne

F ivfvbaf
G nagvdhvgvrf

C fcvevg
N cnegvgvba
G Ivfvtbguf
F xabja gb rkvfg

Gur yrggref fcryy Unccl Fg Cngf!

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2024-03-17T01:36:14.438969

Many Hands Make Aight Work

Happy March! It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is hand.)

Although I am an enthusiastic member of my MIT Mystery Hunt team, my attention to detail is… what it is. My teammates insist on checking my work, even on my favorite parts:

_ Marching Hands
_ Rubik's Cuba
_ Vows Garden
_ Deck Konundrum
_ Pyre Meta
_ Point by Numbers
_ Solitaire Hanuman
_ Burkina Fast
_ Scavenger Hurt
_ Knights and Knives
_ Connect the Does
_ Rush Dour

If they find me staring stuck at a puzzle, they find my mistakes and point me at "_ _ _ _    _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _"


Hints and solution. First (accessibility-ish) hint is in clear; other stuff is rot13'd:

This puzzle assumes you know some MIT Mystery Hunt jargon: Duck Konundrum, Pure Meta.

Rnpu cuenfr unf bar yrggre jebat.

R.t., gurer'f n chmmyr glcr pnyyrq "znepuvat onaqf" abg "znepuvat unaqf"

Sbe rnpu cuenfr, abgr qbja gur jebat yrggre. R.t., gur U va unaqf. Chg 'rz gbtrgure gb sbez n cuenfr.

Urer'f gur shyy yvfg:
Znepuvat Unaqf (Znepuvat Onaqf)
Ehovx'f Phon (Ehovx'f Phor)
Ibjf Tneqra (Ebjf Tneqra)
Qrpx Xbahaqehz (Qhpx Xbahaqehz)
Cler Zrgn (Cher Zrgn)
Cbvag ol Ahzoref (Cnvag ol Ahzoref)
Fbyvgnver Unahzna (Fbyvgnver Unatzna)
Ohexvan Snfg (Ohexvan Snfb)
Fpniratre Uheg (Fpniratre Uhag)
Xavtugf naq Xavirf (Xavtugf naq Xanirf)
Pbaarpg gur Qbrf (Pbaarpg gur Qbgf)
Ehfu Qbhe (Ehfu Ubhe)

Gur zvfgnxra yrggref fcryy Unir Lbh Gevrq

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2024-03-16T01:33:28.790117

3D Movies

It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is 3D.)

See if you can figure out what movies I'm* talking about here. Put together their first letters to remind yourself what you did with those large-volume sodas at at the movie theaters.

◯_ d_ _ _ _ d_ _ _ _    D_ _ 
The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.
◯_    _ _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _ d'_    _ _ dd_ _ _ 
When a woman's long-time friend reveals he's engaged, she realizes she loves him herself and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding.
◯_ _    D_ dd_ 
A lazy law school graduate adopts a kid to impress his girlfriend, but everything doesn't go as planned.
◯_ d_ _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _    _ _ d   _ _ _    _ _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _ d_ 
In 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again
◯_ _ _    _ _ d   _ _ d'_    _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _    _ d_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
Two rock-'n-rolling teens, on the verge of failing their class, set out on a quest to make the ultimate school history report
◯d_ _ _ d _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ d_ 
The solitary life of an artificial man—who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands—is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family
Ⓓ_ _ _    _ _ d D_ _ _ _ _ 
After a woman leaves a briefcase at the airport terminal, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend set out on a hilarious cross-country road trip to Aspen

*Here, "I'm" is short for IMDB, whence I stole the summaries


Hint: You either need to know lots of movies or be good at searching teh internets.

Solution, rot13'd:

Vaqrcraqrapr Qnl
Zl Orfg Sevraq'f Jrqqvat
Ovt Qnqql
Vaqvnan Wbarf naq gur Ynfg Pehfnqr
Ovyy naq Grq'f Rkpryyrag Nqiragher
Rqjneq Fpvffbeunaqf
Ⓓhzo naq Qhzore

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2024-03-15T02:44:43.992883

Happy Pi Day! This round's on me. It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is spirit. Kinda spooky.)

You might think the words below are just nonsense, but they're actually alcoholic spirits. Each has an additive mixed into it until it's nearly unrecognizable. Hopefully you can recognize them nonetheless. Combine the additives to find out what Ghostbusters do when they see a spirit.

COPIES _   _ _ _ _ _
QUANTILE _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _
JOUST _   _ _ _ _
DVORAK _   _ _ _ _ _
GAIN _   _ _ _
CARPARK _   _ _ _ _ _ _

Hints and solution, rot13'd:

Urer'f n yvfg bs fcvevgf juvpu vapyhqrf nyy gur eryrinag barf naq n srj bguref gb xrrc lbh ba lbhe gbrf:
neenpx, oenaql, pbtanp, tva, zveva, cvfpb, ehz, fbwh, grdhvyn, ibqxn, juvfxl

Gur svefg fcvevg vf CVFPB naq gur rkgen yrggre vf R

Urer'f gur shyy fbyhgvba:
pbcvrf / r / cvfpb
dhnagvyr / a / grdhvyn
wbhfg / g / fbwh
qibenx / e / ibqxn
tnva / n / tva
pnecnex / c / neenpx

Gur rkgen yrggref fcryy ragenc

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2024-03-14T01:34:32.128500

Happy #PiDay ! Here's a picture of a couple of Portuguese pasteis de nata I picked up from the local branch of the, ahem, Pineapple King franchise.

two egg custard tarts

Scholars of solid geometry and the European colonization of the Americas might wonder: Why two tarts? With their area 2πr2, that's half the surface area of a sphere. And the Treaty of Torsedillas, of course, divided the earth in two; Portugal would colonize land on one side of the line, Spain on the other. But it should be noted that while Spain hoped the treaty divided the globe in two equal halves, Portugal disagreed and claimed more than half.

To those confused scholars, I say: I just wanted two plain ol' egg custard tarts. Pineapple King had already sold out of the regular kind, but they still had some Portuguese-style.

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2024-03-14T16:11:30.888089

Happy Marsh March! It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is wave.)

The Marshall Islands are in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. If you're sailing/rowing there, you really don't want to miss, or else you can find yourself in the middle of nowhere, short on supplies. These islands are low atolls; they don't stick up very high. (Maybe you saw a viral video some weeks back with a wave of water bursting through doors to swamp a room at a US Army base? That was at the Marshall Islands.) This low-ness means that if you're rowing/sailing there, you might be kinda-close, but still not be able to see an island over the horizon.

Thus, back in the days before GPS, anyone who wanted to settle in the Marshall Islands, occasionally sail out for an excursion and find their way back and not die had to be super-good at navigating. Thus the Marshall Islands are the last place on earth where there's still traditional knowledge of wave piloting, navigating by feeling the waves.

In wave piloting a navigator pays attention to the waves that toss and turn their boat. When I, an ignorant city slicker, look out at ocean waves, I just see a confusing mess of motion. But a skilled wave pilot figures out something like "Most of these waves are going from east to west; but some of them are coming from from an angle off that-a-way. Therefore, there must be an island off over the horizon that-a-way that these waves are bouncing off."

With that in mind, see if you can figure out this four-word phrase based on the waves radiating off it:

puzzling image; an expanse of cyan with some black squiggles that could be the outlines of letters

I have no idea how to hint this one, sorry. I bet it's either totally easy or impossible, but I'm not sure which.

Solution, rot13'd:

Gur zrffntr vf onfx va ersyrpgrq tybel.

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2024-03-13T01:29:26.565125

It is #EnigMarch, and each day the excellent EnigMarch people post a prompt word; then puzzle nerds try to design puzzles around that word. (Today's word is shield.)

The language of heraldry and the language of flags have much in common. With this in mind, consider how one might exercise one's arms so one could carry a heavy shield around all day.


Hint and solution, rot13'd:

Gurfr fgenatr jbeqf ner ryrzragf bs urenyqvp qrfvta. Jung qb gurl ybbx yvxr?

Jbaqre jul gur synibegrkg jnagrq hf gb guvax nobhg syntf.

Pbhyq vg or frzncuber? Bu ab, vg'f frzncuber.

Gur funcrf bs gurfr urenyqvp guvatvrf xvaqn fhttrfg fbzrbar ubyqvat gurve nezf ng frzncuber-vfu natyrf. Gung jbhyq fcryy: CHYY HC

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2024-03-12T01:38:39.823666

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