Larry Hosken: New: Tag: enigmarch

It is March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "ship".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump (egged on by his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk) wants to take away birthright citizenship! It's in the USA constitution, but it's not like he swore an oath to uphold that old rag, right? Anyhow, federal judges keep stopping him. This must be very frustrating.

So let's take away from some other -ships. Below are some clues for some -ship words. The clues are kinda vague, so you probably want to look at the "What remains" section down there. For each of those, you want to add one letter, then re-arrange, and then put a -ship on the end. That will give you one of the -ship words. You can see that we added a T to carotid to get the dictator in dictatorship.

Keep track of those letters you added. When you're done, you'll get the name of a ship that was directed about as well as Trump directs the USA. It feels like he's trying to reach Autocracy; but his track record says he'll hit Bankruptcy (again) first.

Autocracy: dicⓉator ship
Political tilt: ____________ship
It might be marital: ____________ship
Nice board seat: ____________ship
Good will: ____________ship
Following: ____________ship
Bankruptcy: ____________ship

What remains: aileron, carotid, fired!, reverie, rich man, spartan, spliced

Clues, rot-13'd:

Solution, rot-13'd:

pnebgvq / qvpGngbefuvc / Nhgbpenpl
fcnegna / cnegVfnafuvc / Gvyg
nvyreba / erynGvbafuvc / Vg zvtug or znevgny
evpu zna / puNveznafuvc / Avpr obneq frng
sverq   / sevrAqfuvc   / Tbbq jvyy
fcyvprq / qVfpvcyrfuvc / Sbyybjvat
erirevr / erPrvirefuvc / Onaxehcgpl

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It is March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "quarter".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump (egged on by his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk) have canceled science grants to study mice because they think the scientists are trying to make mice transgender. This is, of course, stupid nonsense. How could they believe it?

One theory: They don't know the difference between the words transgender and transgenic. It would be nice to think that the people pointlessly wrecking so much did so because they were just ¼ wrong. (Does -der/ic count as three letters or two? If we split the difference and say 2½ letters, that's about a quarter of the word.)

(The Snopes fact-checkers pointed out a hole in this "transgenic" theory. They think Trump believed a remarkably-wrong investigation that "found" university experiments turning mice transgender. The investigation was stupid; it would only convince the most gullible… Oh no! Anyhow, let's stick with the "transgenic" theory for now because I can make a puzzle out of it.)

So now I see we must explain the differences between words, because those words are mostly the same. But in each pair of words, one has IC, and the other has 1-3 other letters. E.g.: here we see that Voice and Volume are mostly the same (looking like Vo_e), but VoⓁⓊⓂe has a few different letters, which we circle:

🗣️: v o🄸🄲e   v oⓁⓊⓂe   🔊
Fashion ____: 🄸🄲_ _   ◯◯◯_ _   Robber _____
 
Indifferent a la Zeno: _ _ _🄸🄲   _ _ _◯   🛑
Lies in literature: _🄸🄲_ _ _ _   _◯◯◯_ _ _ _   Form follows _____
Nice, as in view: _ _ _ _🄸🄲   _ _ _ _◯   Aroma, as in p-u
Rigid: _ _ _🄸🄲_   _ _ _◯_   Swagger
It must flow: _ _🄸🄲_   _ _◯◯_   Rampage, but for shopping

Ic-words, transposal'd: Cceins, Ceiov, Ceips, Cfiinot, Cino, Ciost, Cirstt
These are the IC-words, each a transposal (that's old-timey wordplay jargon for "anagramming"). We crossed out Ceiov, because we already figured out Voice.

When you're done, the circled letters should spell out a science-y way Congress might try to find a spine.

Some hints, rot-13'd:

Puzzle solution, rot-13'd:

ibVPr / ibYHZr / 🗣️ / 🔊
VPba / ONEba / Snfuvba ____ / Eboore _____
fgbVP / fgbC / Vaqvssrerag n yn Mrab / 🛑
sVPgvba / sHAPgvba / Yvrf va yvgrengher / Sbez sbyybjf _____
fpraVP / fpraG / Avpr, nf va ivrj / Nebzn, nf va c-h
fgeVPg / fgeHg / Evtvq / Fjnttre
fcVPr / fcERr / Vg zhfg sybj / Enzcntr, ohg sbe fubccvat

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It is March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "link".

There's no story or secret message today. This is just a word ladder. If it's working correctly, then typing a letter in one square will make that letter also appear in the appropriate squares in the same row and in the adjacent rows above and below.

But if typing in letters haphazardly is no fun, know this: these are the names of USA presidents since 1937 ordered by their average approval ratings in polls. Highest approval rating is at the top, lowest is at the bottom.

[quiz | solution ]

 

Lowest average approval rating, hmm. Who could it be?

If you would have preferred a tougher step-linking challenge, check out the Raddle daily puzzle page. I tried it out and I liked it so far.

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It is March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "turn".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump (egged on by his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk) needs to appoint cabinet members and agency heads! He certainly doesn't want to choose based on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, because that's liberal code for excluding failsons such as himself. Instead, he will choose based on merit. But, to fit the theme of this puzzle, he must give the meaning of merit a 180-degree turn.

For each dunderhead listed below, choose a job for them based on their qualifications. Write the four-letter job code in the blanks. You can see we already wrote ECON in for Kevin Hassett. When you're done, the circled letters should spell out another word for "turn".

EO N   :
Kevin Hassett
He coauthored Dow 36,000, a book which predicted a 4x rise in the stock market (a year before the market fell 37%). In early 2020, he predicted coronavirus deaths would be near-zero by May and thus encouraged the administration to re-open the economy.
_ _◯_   :
Linda McMahon
When vetted for the Connecticut Board of Education, she lied about having a bachelor's degree in education.
_◯_ _   :
Sean Duffy
His understanding of climate change could explain his later elimination of electric vehicle incentives: "If you say the climate's changing, is it coming from CO2 or is it coming from the sun?" (Must have been a strong contender for head of NOAA, but that job went to the Sharpiegate guy, so find another job.)
◯_ _ _   :
Pete Hegseth
Encouraged Trump to pardon soldiers convicted of war crimes.
_ _ _◯   :
Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Spread anti-vaccine misinformation and disinformation.
_◯_ _   :
Billy Long
During his time representing Southwest Missouri in Congress, he pursued legislation to abolish the Internal Revenue Service.

Job codes (and full titles)

DEFE : Secretary of Defense

ECON : Director of the National Economic Council

EDUC : Secretary of Educaction

HEAL : Secretary of Health and Human Services

REVE : Commisioner of Internal Revenue

TRAN : Secretary of Transportation

Hints:

Solution, rot-13'd:

Xriva Unffrgg        : rPba
Yvaqn ZpZnuba        : rqHp
Frna Qhssl           : gEna
Crgr Urtfrgu         : Qrsr
Eboreg S Xraarql We. : urnY
Ovyyl Ybat           : eRir

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It is March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "trap".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump (egged on by his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk) said he was doing his part to help the economy by imposing tarriffs, but in fact fell into a trap. Now investors have figured out that the economy is trashed and they're selling off stock in American companies. Kind of interesting how trap and part are spelled backwards-ly.

Anyhow, solve this puzzle and the circled letters will tell you a word for someone who does things backwards-ly from what he said.

🦇🦇🦇: ◯_ _ _   _ _ _ _  :🔪🔪🔪
sketch: _ _◯_   _ _ _ _  :protect
Not PCs: _ _◯_   _ _ _ _  :trap
🪢: ◯_ _ _   _ _ _ _  :Honky-____
March 1: _ _ _◯   _ _ _ _  :🐺
🐾🐾🐾: _◯_ _   _ _ _ _  :🔄
🦌: _ _ _◯   _ _ _ _  :River-side plant
Having double nature: ◯_ _ _   _ _ _ _  :Praise
Catan is ____ 10+: _ _ _◯   _ _ _ _  :Game machine
 
🐀🐀🐀: ◯_ _ _   _ _ _ _  :⭐
____ Neeson: _ _◯_   _ _ _ _  :📨
👿: _ _◯_   _ _ _ _  :Not pre-recorded
🪢 part: ◯_ _ _   _ _ _ _  :Merge

Some hints, rot-13'd:

All the puzzle data, also rot-13'd:

o / ongf / 🦇🦇🦇 / 🔪🔪🔪
n / qenj / fxrgpu / cebgrpg
p / znpf / Abg CPf / genc
x / xabg / 🪢 / Ubaxl-____
j / sybj / Znepu 1 / 🐺
n / cnjf / 🐾🐾🐾 / 🔄
e / qrre / 🦌 / Evire-fvqr cynag
q / qhny / Univat qbhoyr angher / Cenvfr
f / ntrf / Pngna vf ____ 10+ / Tnzr znpuvar
e / engf / 🐀🐀🐀 / ⭐
n / yvnz / ____ Arrfba / 📨
v / rivy / 👿 / Abg cer-erpbeqrq
y / ybbc / 🪢 cneg / Zretr
    

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It is once again March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "heart".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump and his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk have canceled hundreds of contracts while accomplishing nothing! Alas, they have disrupted government operations, breaking many things.

Below are clues for many broken things, specifically broken seven-letter words. Each word was broken in half. We gathered up the left-halves and the right-halves. Whoopsie, we lost the middles, the "hearts," as it were. Using the clues, can you figure out the broken words? You can see how we figured out "Madison" from mad and son.

Some might think Trump and Musk are heartless, but when you've figured out the words' missing hearts, you'll find another adjective.

Father of the Constitution: M a d / Ⓘ / s o n
Source of hot air: _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _
Place for a cabinet: _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _
Out of control: _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _
 
Captain or one who flees town: _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _
 
Group of vehicles(!): _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _
$, slangily: _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _
Swamp, e.g., Washington DC: _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _
Tried to make a deal: _ _ _ / ◯ / _ _ _

Left-hand words: cab, car, fur, kit, mad, off, run, ski, wet

Right-hand words: ace, age, and, hen, per, red, son, van, way

 

Some hints, rot-13'd

Puzzle solution, also rot-13'd:

znqvfba / Sngure bs gur Pbafgvghgvba
sheanpr / Fbhepr bs ubg nve
xvgpura / Cynpr sbe n pnovarg
ehanjnl / Bhg bs pbageby
fxvccre / Pncgnva be bar jub syrrf gbja
pnenina / Tebhc bs iruvpyrf(!)
pnoontr / $, fynatvyl
jrgynaq / Fjnzc, r.t., Jnfuvatgba QP
bssrerq / Gevrq gb znxr n qrny

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It is March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "psychic".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump and his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk don't understand gender and it's led to a bizarre pronoun-phobia! Pronouns are handy referential-ish words; it's hard to communicate clearly without them. The first word of the US Consititution is a pronoun. (Then again, those guys do their best to ignore the Constitution…)

They removed the pronouns from several words and names below. Fortunately, we kept track of the pronouns, so now we can add them back in. We figured out that MAPSYCHCGRL was really Mai the Psychic Girl. Can you fill in the others to restore clear communication? When you're done, the circled letters should spell out a referential-ish word, itself made up of four pronouns.

1980s manga MAPSYCHCGRL he, i, i, it Mi   t h e   p s y c h i c   g i r l
Uncanny, Death, or Ohio V all, ey _ _◯_ _ _  
Sounds like "Lost Wages" LG as, as, ve ◯_ _   _ _ _ _ _  
 
Audio art MC i, us _◯_ _ _  
÷ DON i, i, vis _ _ _ _◯_ _ _  
 
Legacy AGE her, it _ _ _◯_ _ _ _  
 
Body of water R i, ver _ _◯_ _  
A republic, if you can keep it ARCA i, me _ _◯_ _ _ _  

cover art from Mai the Psychic Girl collection. In the foreground, cartoon girl looks towards us. In the background, a fistfight

Some hints, rot-13'd:

All the puzzle data, rot-13'd:

zncflpuptey  /  zNv gur cflpuvp tvey     / vg, ur, v, v / 1980f znatn
i / inYyrl / nyy, rl / Hapnaal, Qrngu, be Buvb
yt  /   Ynf irtnf  / nf, nf, ir / Fbhaqf yvxr "Ybfg Jntrf"
zp / zHfvp / hf, v / Nhqvb neg
qba   / qvivFvba    / ivf, v, v / ÷
ntr  /  ureVgntr         / ure, vg / Yrtnpl
e / evIre    / ire, v / Obql bs jngre
nepn / nzRevpn / zr, v / N erchoyvp, vs lbh pna xrrc vg

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It is March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "staff".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump and his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk are halting a huge-yet-arbitrary chunk of research at the NSF, NIH, and possibly other science agencies I overlooked!

Alas, our puzzly chemists' supplies were disrupted. They tried to make some words, but each word is missing two chemical symbols. For example, they tried to make "staffers", but were missing flourine (F) and iron (Fe), so they got staFFers = stars. Can you reconstruct the other words they were trying to make? Each is missing two symbols. Despite what you might think from that "staffers" example, the symbols might not be right next to each other.

When you're done, the circled letters should spell out the general character of the disruption.

Organization people stars s t a F e r s
Assocation many _◯_ _ _ _ _  
Without reason ram _ _ _ _◯_  
Not precipitate soon _ _◯_ _ _ _ _  
Resistance option _ _ _ _ _◯_ _ _ _  
America's pastime bell _ _◯_ _ _ _ _  
Device mine _ _ _◯_ _ _  

Missing chemistry symbols: Ac, As, Ba, Co, F, Fe, H, Lu, Nd, O, P, Po, Si, Ti

Some hints, rot-13'd:

All the puzzle data, rot013'd:

fgnef / fgnSsref / Sr S / Betnavmngvba crbcyr
znal / pBzcnal / Pb C / Nffbpngvba
enz / enaqBz / Aq B / Jvgubhg ernfba
fbba / fbYhgvba / Yh Gv / Abg cerpvcvgngr
bcgvba / bccbfVgvba / Cb Fv / Erfvfgnapr
oryy / onFronyy / Nf On / Nzrevpn'f cnfggvzr
zvar / znpUvar / Np U / Qrivpr

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It is once again March and the lovely EnigMarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "flow".

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump and his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk fired hundreds of people at the NOAA, the USA's weather prediction agency! We can expect billions of dollars in damage to transportation and other sectors that rely on weather. We can see the effects already below. E.g. That "heat flow" has a problem: it contains letters from "waft" but should have letters from "wind". So we cross out the letters W, A, F, T from heat flow to get H E L O. Then we add the letters W I N D to the right places HELO to get Whieldon, as in the influential pottery-maker Thomas Whieldon. (Gee, that's kind of obscure, like a puzzle designer was pretty desperate to shoehorn "flow" into this puzzle somehow. Let's hope the rest of the answers are easier!) No doubt that "Thomas _____" is the clue that points to Wieldon, so write it into the top set of blanks. Now do that for the rest of the entries.

When you're done, the circled letters should spell out the root of the problem (and dare we hope its solution?).

at the age   Thomas ___: W h il d o n
directional   Knowledge: ◯_ _ _ _ _ _ _  
East Timor   Disaster: _ _ _ _◯_ _  
footprints   Teachers: _ _ _◯_ _ _ _ _  
forget   Innovative: _ _ _ _◯_ _ _  
heat flow WIND↗ Jeremiad: _ _ _ _ _ _◯_ _  
mornings   Hand-eye _____: _ _◯_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
narrative   Anarchy: _◯_ _ _ _  

Weather phenomena: calm, clear, corona, dry, fog, frost, gale, heat, ice, mist, rain, scud, smog, sun, waft, wind

Some rot-13'd Hints:

All the puzzle data, all rot-13'd:

  
urng sybj / jnsg / jvaq / juvRyqba / Gubznf ___
zbeavatf / fzbt / tnyr / Yrneavat / Xabjyrqtr
ng gur ntr / urng / qel / gentRql / Qvfnfgre
rnfg Gvzbe / zvfg / fphq / rqhPngbef / Grnpuref
aneengvir / enva / vpr / pernGvir / Vaabingvir
sbbgcevagf / sebfg / pnyz / pbzcynVag / Wrerzvnq
qverpgvbany / pyrne / pbeban / pbBeqvangvba / Unaq-rlr _____
sbetrg / sbt / fha / hAerfg / Nanepul

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