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My brain! Puzzles that show me how dumb I am!

DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
edited July 2009 in Social Entropy++
So I was given a rubik's cube, and I can't quite solve it, but it is fascinating me

so I looked it up online

the things I found broke my head

Do you know any good puzzles and brain hurters SE++? You are all smart people, I am sure some of you have challenges to make the rest of us confront our dumbness with.

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Davoid on
«13

Posts

  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I... I do New York Times Sunday crossword books? Constantly?

    I used to be really into logic puzzles, but then I realized that crosswords were even more obscure.

    So, uh... Oh, okay, here's one that I stole from the NPR Sunday Puzzle last week! Ho ho!
    Think of two terms that mean, "to divulge information." Write them one after the other with no spaces between words. The result is a nine-letter word for a card that you might hold in a card game.

    And the week before it was this:
    Take "tire" and "exhaust." They're both things a car has. But as verbs, in a noncar sense, they're synonyms. The challenge is to name two articles of apparel — things to wear — each with four letters; and as verbs, in a nonapparel sense, the two words are synonyms. What words are they?

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • Randall_FlaggRandall_Flagg Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    kenken is super great and I do it every day

    according to will shortz it is the new sudoku

    it is at kenken.com

    Randall_Flagg on
  • DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I.. I can't even think of a 9 letter name for a card


    I just got one out of a book I was reading though



    Infront of you are 4 cards. Each card has a letter on one side, and a number on the other. If you are told "prove or disprove that a D always has a 3 on the other side by flipping two cards over." which of these do you choose:

    D F 3 7

    Davoid on
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  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    kenken is super great and I do it every day

    according to will shortz it is the new sudoku

    it is at kenken.com

    More like Randall_Plantt

    Butler on
  • JordynJordyn Really, Commander? Probing Uranus. Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Take "tire" and "exhaust." They're both things a car has. But as verbs, in a noncar sense, they're synonyms. The challenge is to name two articles of apparel — things to wear — each with four letters; and as verbs, in a nonapparel sense, the two words are synonyms. What words are they?
    sock and belt.

    Jordyn on
    thumbsupguy-1.jpg
    JordynNolz.com <- All my blogs (Shepard, Wasted, J'onn, DCAU) are here now!
  • DarricDarric Santa MonicaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Picross is pretty repetitive after a while but it sure is addictive.

    Darric on
  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    The card one is stupid hard, actually. I didn't get the answer at all. The "tire" and "exhaust" one is much easier.

    Also Macro, I don't know how to tell you this, but if that's the box from Hellraiser... don't solve it.

    E: Yay Jordyn!

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    lament_move.jpg

    Macro9 on
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  • DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Wow, how does that thing work Macro?

    Davoid on
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  • JoeUserJoeUser Forum Santa Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I used to do ARGs and play around with various ciphers. Vignere, etc.

    JoeUser on
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I... I do New York Times Sunday crossword books? Constantly?

    I used to be really into logic puzzles, but then I realized that crosswords were even more obscure.

    So, uh... Oh, okay, here's one that I stole from the NPR Sunday Puzzle last week! Ho ho!
    Think of two terms that mean, "to divulge information." Write them one after the other with no spaces between words. The result is a nine-letter word for a card that you might hold in a card game.

    And the week before it was this:
    Take "tire" and "exhaust." They're both things a car has. But as verbs, in a noncar sense, they're synonyms. The challenge is to name two articles of apparel — things to wear — each with four letters; and as verbs, in a nonapparel sense, the two words are synonyms. What words are they?

    The second is
    Sock and cuff

    Edit: Oh okay I guess Jordyn's works too

    Straightzi on
  • JoeUserJoeUser Forum Santa Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Davoid wrote: »
    Wow, how does that thing work Macro?

    It opens a gate to Hell, unfortunately.

    Doug+Bradley+Pinhead+Hellraiser.jpg

    JoeUser on
  • DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I actually got the 4 card one I posted on my own, it took some thought, but it was an awesome little logic puzzle in the end.

    Edit: Oh, well, then I'm glad it looks too intimidating for me to try.

    Davoid on
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  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    JoeUser wrote: »
    Davoid wrote: »
    Wow, how does that thing work Macro?

    It opens a gate to Hell, unfortunately.

    Doug+Bradley+Pinhead+Hellraiser.jpg

    His suffering will be legendary, even in hell.

    Macro9 on
    58pwo4vxupcr.png
  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Lace and ties? I mean you have a shoelace and you COULD wear two ties at once. But the verbs are conjugated differently...

    Butler on
  • i kan reedi kan reed Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Jordyn wrote: »
    Take "tire" and "exhaust." They're both things a car has. But as verbs, in a noncar sense, they're synonyms. The challenge is to name two articles of apparel — things to wear — each with four letters; and as verbs, in a nonapparel sense, the two words are synonyms. What words are they?
    sock and belt.

    Alternatively:
    Tie and Lace

    i kan reed on
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    So wait, what did they say the correct answer for the synonymous verb clothing puzzle was?

    Straightzi on
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    i kan reed wrote: »
    Jordyn wrote: »
    Take "tire" and "exhaust." They're both things a car has. But as verbs, in a noncar sense, they're synonyms. The challenge is to name two articles of apparel — things to wear — each with four letters; and as verbs, in a nonapparel sense, the two words are synonyms. What words are they?
    sock and belt.

    Alternatively:
    Tie and Lace

    You clearly cannot read, as the question specifies that they are four letter words

    Straightzi on
  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I love the Hellraiser movies

    Every time I say this I feel the need to apologize immediately after

    Butler, that wasn't the answer, although lace and tie could hypothetically work if you stretched it a little!
    Also I think "cuff" should be accepted along with "sock" and "sock," personally.

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Straightzi wrote: »
    So wait, what did they say the correct answer for the synonymous verb clothing puzzle was?

    Jordyn got what Will Shortz called the right answer pretty much immediately!

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Yeah I'm trying to come up with alternative answers now. That's how I roll B-)

    Butler on
  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I love the Hellraiser movies

    Every time I say this I feel the need to apologize immediately after

    They're great movies if you're interesting in creepy things.

    Macro9 on
    58pwo4vxupcr.png
  • DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    My cousin had a terrible experience with an ambuigous crossword hint once

    the hint was "A tower of strength", 7 letters

    Nothing seemed to work with the other words present (tower of babylon maybe?), biblical references, literary references, nothing

    So at a party, she mentioned the problem, and one of her friends figured it out. "Tugboat."

    Davoid on
    rqv6.png
  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Davoid wrote: »
    My cousin had a terrible experience with an ambuigous crossword hint once

    the hint was "A tower of strength", 7 letters

    Nothing seemed to work with the other words present (tower of babylon maybe?), biblical references, literary references, nothing

    So at a party, she mentioned the problem, and one of her friends figured it out. "Tugboat."

    ...

    Butler on
  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I don't... that doesn't even make sense? That clue is a dumb clue.

    On a related note, I have such a love/hate relationship with crossword puzzle words

    Like "olio" and "otoe" - why do these appear so often? Will I ever use them in a sentence? No one will ever know!

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    The_Scarab on
  • ButlerButler 89 episodes or bust Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    tower as in thing that tows

    Butler on
  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    oh shit

    ahahahaha

    Okay, now that I get it? I love that clue.

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    She admits to it being an awesomely devious clue

    but it still had her and her flatmates stumped for weeks before that breakthrough

    Davoid on
    rqv6.png
  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    And people say crosswords aren't a team game.

    Also, I just started doing the classic crossword on the NYTimes website (because what else do you do at 1:30 a.m.?) and the second clue I filled in had "otoe" as the answer. Amazing.

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I watched a pretty cool documentary on the NYT Crossword a while back. It was fun.

    Abracadaniel on
  • DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I had to look otoe up

    Davoid on
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  • Lost SalientLost Salient blink twice if you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I swear you will only ever see it in crosswords. At least, I've never seen it anywhere else. There are a whole bunch of them.

    SH, what was the documentary called? This seems... how do you say... relevant to my interests.

    Lost Salient on
    RUVCwyu.jpg
    "Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
  • crwthcrwth THAT'S IT Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    i've got the NY times crossword game for the ds

    i can't do any past tuesday because i am an idiot

    crwth on
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  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I swear you will only ever see it in crosswords. At least, I've never seen it anywhere else. There are a whole bunch of them.

    SH, what was the documentary called? This seems... how do you say... relevant to my interests.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6hY0x6WB-Y

    Wordplay. It has Bill Clinton, Jon Steward, and some baseball guy!

    Abracadaniel on
  • TaramoorTaramoor Storyteller Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Wordplay is a fascinating documentary.

    Taramoor on
  • The GeekThe Geek Oh-Two Crew, Omeganaut Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2009
    We have a nifty little NYT Crosswords game for the DS. Tons and tons of crosswords.

    The Geek on
    BLM - ACAB
  • DavoidDavoid Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    Crosswords do wonders for your vocabulary I imagine. I should probably start doing them regularily.

    Davoid on
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  • JoeUserJoeUser Forum Santa Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    crwth wrote: »
    i've got the NY times crossword game for the ds

    i can't do any past tuesday because i am an idiot

    Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a neat puzzle game for the DS. The puzzles are pretty much classic ones though.

    JoeUser on
  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    edited July 2009
    I HAVE BEATEN YOU, TARAMOOR

    I AM THE KING OF SEMI-INTERESTING LINKS

    Abracadaniel on
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