For explanations of NPL-style puzzles and their solutions, you may refer to the online Guide to the Enigma.
Solutions
303. OVERLOADED HOMONYM (5, 4)
Sex and violence don't belong in cinematic arts.
I'm sick of all those films that feature bloody BANG-BANG parts.
(May 2006)
304. REVERSED LETTER SHIFT (5)
A creature had a PM deemed,
By Debussy and Mallarmé,
Divine. But TENS, to me it seemed,
Were just a NEST with DNA.
(May 2006)
305. METATHESIS (3) (ONE = abbr.)
LETTER SHIFT (2 2, 4)
An asteroid could bring us to our knees—
One 65 ONE TWO have Aed the Bs.
(May 2006)
306. OVERLOADED DELETION (7)
Having a pacemaker's sometimes a pain.
But if it were missing, it's perfectly plain
I'd suffer. I'd long for its timely return.
You could say its absence would make my heart YEARN.
(May 2006)
307. REVERSED FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (5) (PILOT = NI3)
Sukkoth comes but once a year.
We're shopping for some cheap supplies. . . .
Look! Palm PILOTs, five bucks, dear—
That's good TO LIE: a nice surprise!
(May 2006)
308. SPOONERGRAM WE NEVER FINISHED READING ([*4 *5], 4 5)
Casper bought a home
In the ritzy part of Nome. . . .
(May 2006)
309. LETTER BANK (6, 7, 9) (SHAVE, HEAVES, SHEAVES)
In my violin teaching,
I'm always beseeching
My students: "Please stay with the SHEAVES!"
As their SHAVE and their guide,
I try to stress pride
In good discipline. They cry: "It's HEAVES!"
(June 2006)
310. PHONETIC BEHEADMENT (7, 4)
If you're playing Leporello,
Keep your distance from the fellow
That you're serving. Else the bellow
From that LOW'll give you an 'ELLO.
(August 2006)
311. PHONETIC DOUBLE-CROSS (5, 5, 4, 5-6)
From Kmart to Wal-Mart to Walgreens I go,
Through thunder and lightning and blizzardy snow.
Why has this quest perilous fallen to me?
My kid wants C-3PO under the tree!
To make dreams come true for my eight-year-old son,
I'll THREE through a TWO for a little FOUR ONE.
(August 2006)
312. LETTER BANK (9, 14)
Velikovsky wrote a book in 1950,
Which many bought and thought was really nifty.
But scientists who bought it didn't "buy" it.
They quite denied wild, sky-wide TIDIED DIET.
(September 2006)
313. SECOND-TO-THIRD CHANGEOVER (5)
If you're ten feet eight,
But your total weight
Is one hundred two,
You're a real CUTE CLUE.
(September 2006)
314. SIXTH-SOUND CHANGE (9) (RED HAWK = not MW)
It's the norm in our dorm to commandeer a common door
And swap dandy little candies through the crack.
It's not fair not to share—wouldn't dare hoard your store!
Give a RED HOT to your RED HAWK, get one back!
(September 2006)
315. PHONETIC BEHEADMENT (6, 6) (LAD, ADD)
MADD and SADD
Came to be
'Cause a LAD could ADD
You or me.
(October 2006)
316. ENIGMATIC REBUS [*4 *5]
N F major
A sweet young girl shares
Her short life upstairs.
We're all in SOL's debt.
Let us never forget.
(November 2006)
317. OVERLOADED HOMONYM (4, 5) (4 = NI3+)
My horse has rhinitis and walks with a limp—
I'd best have the vet take a look at his CHIMP.
(November 2006)
318. REVERSED PALINDROME DELETION (5 4, 4)
"Those newts in your painting are dead!"
"Yes—this is my ^DEEPER with ^RED."
(November 2006)
319. FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (6, 5) (SILK, TILQUE)
I like to dunk my donut in my milk.
It soaks it up 'cause it's a quite SILK TILQUE.
(December 2006)
320. ENIGMATIC REBUS (^4 ^4: ^3 ^4 ^10) (BOO)
B
D1024T Homo Canis
Clue:
New
Crew. . . .
Clue
2:
Q. . . .
BOO!
(Who
Knew?)
(January 2007)
321. PHONETIC FALSE PLURAL (10, 7) (WON = NI3)
A town was circled roundabout
By jungle—no roads in or out.
A WON dropped in and cured the sick.
. . . That seems a TOO! So what's the trick?
(February 2007)
322. TRANSPOSAL (5)
The bloodhound's SECOND sniff away,
And very soon it FIRST its prey.
The cops close in and THIRD the creep.
(That's how the bloodhound FOURTH its keep.)
(February 2007)
323. WELDED TRANSPOSAL (*5 *5 2 8) (*5 *5 = not MW)
The Cougars beat the Bruins in '68.
The Houston papers had these words to state:
"FIVE FIVE TWO EIGHT! His basketball's first-rate!"
(February 2007)
324. FIRST-TO-LAST CHANGEOVER (5)
Most bears will stand by what they do:
You'll hardly ever see ONEs TWO.
(February 2007)
325. ENIGMATIC REBUS (4 2 3)
Muggle-Wump
The Muslim prayer, though set to tunes in C,
Was chanted by a holy man in B.
I winced and asked, "My goodness—is that ME?"
(March 2007)
326. FIRST-TO-SEVENTH CHANGEOVER (8, 2 4 2)
Let the flutes, oboes, ONE, and the clarinets in.
TWO they're set, let the woodwind rehearsal begin!
(March 2007)
327. LETTER BANK (8, 3 5 9 2 3 8) (RIPE PEPPER SWIPERS = not MW*)
One of my sisters
Despises tongue twisters.
Count her among WIPERS
Of "RIPE PEPPER SWIPERS."
* A different rendering of the phrase is more common, but this version is also Web-findable.
(June 2007)
328. LETTER BANK (5, 8) (ONE = phrase usage)
(with apologies to Ogden Nash)
Come crown my brow with leaves—ONE myrtle.
I know the TWO's part of a turtle.
(June 2007)
329. BEHEADMENT (7)
I'll hit the beach and get a tan.
I'll get a good one AN it's MAN.
(July 2007)
330. DELETION (6) (SPRAY)
Biologists are currently determining the sequencing of elf, dwarf, fairy, imp, sprite, troll, and goblin DNA.
This follows the announcement of a week ago that scientists at NIH had totally decoded the SPRY SPRAY.
(July 2007)
331. SECOND-SOUND CHANGE (5, 3 3) (EAT, EVE)
If Sweeney Todd had worked in Tel Aviv,
His "Little Priest Steak" might have been EAT EVE.
(July 2007)
332. LETTER BANK (9, 4 12) (ROSE TREES = not MW)
The world beat a path to my door
'Cause I did it! I built me a STORE
That was better than any before.
Now a bit of advice, if you please:
When you bait it, use firm, solid cheese—
Not some kind that will melt at ROSE TREES.
(August 2007)
333. PHONIGMATIC REBUS [4 6]
my wage = 3.14
It fooled those prospectors again!
They thought it was gold; it was TIN.
(October 2007)
334. LETTER BANK (9, 15) (SESSION = NI3)
The SESSION gives orders to all the violinists.
(The SESSION's the boss, not just "one of the boys.")
One SESSION, who used to boss folks in an office,
Learned how to talk loud speaking over the NOISE.
(October 2007)
335. THIRD-LETTER CHANGE (8, 3 5) (TWO = NI3)
Jeez, it's Eddie the Eel. Boys, a hit job this gory,
ONE-style execution? I'd say Salvatore
The Shark. Stuck his air bladder. Skewered poor Ed. See?
Went right through his TWO. Now this lake is the Red Sea.
(October 2007)
336. ENIGMATIC REBUS (11)
B
James Fenimore
The writing of combiflats
Requires a lot of HATS.
(October 2007)
337. PALINDROME (4, 2'1 5, 2)
"So quiet here near Hudson Bay."
"OH HO? Damn right—no noise, you say?"
(October 2007)
338. OVERLOADED FREEWHEELING DELETION (1 5, 5)
The actress, to every last tittle and jot,
Had patterned herself after Garbo. The thought
Of varying slightly from Greta was not
An option. Her motto: "I want to be HOT."
(November 2007)
339. OVERLOADED CURTAILMENT (5)
When my big water bird
Saved a small duckling's life,
I exclaimed, "Oh, my word!
I'm so proud! What a WIFE!"
(November 2007)
340. ENIGMATIC REBUS (6)
XXL
The tools of a sculptor comprise
One hammer and one SUPERSIZE.
(February 2008)
341. OVERLOADED CURTAILMENT (*1*1*1, *1*1) (GOD) (both parts = abbr.)
CURTAILMENT (*1*1, *1) (GOD) (longer part is the same as shorter part of OVERLOADED CURTAILMENT)
TRIPLY OVERLOADED FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (*1) (one part is the same as shorter part of CURTAILMENT)
My dentist doubles as a priest. No fool,
He made the dean's list every year in school.
His wisdom comforts me. It's nice to know
That GOD's report card never had a GO.
(September 2008)
342. HOMONYM (2 3, 6) (DUG, DOUG)
When you purchase a rug,
You have DUG for that DOUG.
(October 2008)
343. HETERONYM (*1 2 2 *1, 6) (CLOSE, C LOSE)
Some singers at a songfest sang a soporific glee.
The weary hearers soon commenced to snooze.
Two listeners tried focusing by guessing at its key:
"Is it in CLOSE?" "Who knows? It's just C LOSE."
(January 2009)
344. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*8, 3)
There's so much good that could be said about him,
This TWO of ONE. We make no cents without him.
(January 2009)
345. PALINDROME DELETION (*9, 3) (ONE = not MW)
"The Laugh Revue." Took my daughter Helen.
ONE splattered TWO with a watermelon.
(February 2009)
346. (Picture flat)
FREEWHEELING LETTER BANK (5 2 1 *1, 3 *7 ^8) (*1 = abbr.; *7 ^8 = an IMDb-findable phrase)
(Click here for image.)
(March 2009)
347. PHONETIC CURTAILMENT (4 4, 7)
Eggs (sometimes fried and served YEN)
Start out in the YEAH of a hen.
(March 2009)
348. REVERSED DELETION (6, 2 3) (TWO WORDS = not MW)
The poor, exhausted fish from Spain swam up the stream to spawn.
"TWO WORDS!" the ONE WORD cried. His strength of will was all but gone.
(March 2009)
349. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^5 ^4 ^2 ^2 ^6?, *4) (LONG = not MW)
I hope that I shall never see
A PM ad-lib on TV.
If Harold SHORT appeared on LONG,
He'd have to sing a funny song.
(April 2009)
350. PHONETIC PALINDROME (7 2 *7) (*7 = not MW)
Fans in Detroit stood and yelled, "Go, Bird! Go!"
They lustily PACK A CAP struck out a foe.
(May 2009)
351. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*4 *5 *5, *8; *1*1) (SHORT PART = abbr.)
(can be sung)
On a clear day, you can look at LONG PART,
From the great Gateway Arch.
In the SHORT PART, french fries, Belgian waffles,
Canneloni, and strudel are sources of starch.
(May 2009)
352. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*8 *7, *8; 4) (CLEAR CRICK INN)
As you leave CLEAR CRICK INN and head west for Pikes Peak,
The altitude may cause your engine to LEAK.
(June 2009)
353. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (*12, *7; 4)
For 500 miles, drivers zoomed through the slush. . . .
(June 2009)
354. LETTER BANK WE NEVER FINISHED READING (7, *6 *8) (longer part = not MW, Wikipedia-findable)
(can be sung)
O mio babbino caro!
The tenor has run away!
Run after him! Tomorrow
He sings the matinee. . . .
(June 2009)
355. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*3-*3 *6, 4) (REREAD = not MW)
Padawan, tiptoe past your Master's bed!
Anakin, you don't want to AD REREAD!
(July 2009)
356. TERMINAL DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (*6, 4)
In northern Alaska, it's brutally cold,
And so nonfat milk is infrequently sold. . . .
(July 2009)
357. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (4 4 2 4, *3) (both parts = not MW)
A teen by the name of Michelle
NIB teed off with the male pros as well
As the girls. Fellows teased her,
Which rather displeased her.
That's par for the course. NELLIE BELLE.
(August 2009)
358. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (3 6, *1)
I did a project on cayenne just last
Semester. It was bad. I barely passed.
(August 2009)
359. FREEWHEELING SECOND-SOUND CHANGE ([4 4], 3 1 6)
Mark well what I say:
Skullcap? This thing here? Uh-uh.
I.e., ONE: it's TWO.
(August 2009)
360. PALINDROME DELETION (8, 2)
The violinist thought:
"That note has got a dot,
NOT I must play DID NOT."
(January 2010)
361. THIRD-TO-FOURTH CHANGEOVER WE NEVER FINISHED READING (*5, 5)
The Rangers, Stars, Cowboys, and Mavs,
Spurs, Astros, and Rockets. (Not Cavs!)
(January 2010)
362. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^7 ^5 2 ^9, *1*1) (LONG = not MW; SHORT = MW-findable)
She must have been SHORT just before she was "LONG"
(The latter according to Hammerstein's song).
(March 2010)
363. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*5 2 *12, *1*1) (BIG BITE = not MW; GTE = abbr.)
If the company brass like a southwestern site,
They might move the corp's GTE to BIG BITE.
(July 2010)
364. REPEATED BIGRAM DELETION (5, *1)
My breath is atrociously foul — beg your pardon.
MA ate a TOMATO that grew in my garden.
(October 2010)
365. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (10 11, 2) (RAPPAPORT = NI3, 11C-inferable)
Designing circuits is my forte:
I'm very good TO RAPPAPORT.
(October 2010)
366. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (7 11, 3) (NEUTERED DRESSES = 11C-inferable)
"When I eat butter, milk, or cheese,
I feel discomfort in my gut.
Your diagnosis," he asked, "please?"
"Well, you have NEUTERED DRESSES, NUT."
(November 2010)
367. OVERLOADED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (7, 3)
Creationist writers would have us surmise:
Biology textbooks are laden with lies.
Their Bible's account is the literal truth.
The righteous choose Scripture; all others choose YOUTH.
(November 2010)
368. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*4 *6, 3) (ONE = not MW, TWO = NI3 confirms usage)
Most composers are hims — that cannot be denied.
But the viewers of Beresford's film known as Bride
Of the Wind know that ONE, wife of Gustav et al.,
Was a TWO: not a guy but a musical doll.
(January 2011)
369. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*7 *9, 3) (ONE = not MW)
Like father, like son:
Woody's dad, namely ONE,
Was a TWO. Both spent years
Behind bars. Got it? Cheers!
(January 2011)
370. HOMONYM WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6, 4. . . *4) (*4 = not MW)
The '80s tennis player seemed resigned:
He'd lose his match, despite his robot mind.
(April 2011)
371. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^4 ^6, 4) (YUD = +)
The GOOD GUY, masquŽ, gallops off on his horse.
The bad chaps all end up in YUD – but of course.
(May 2011)
372. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*7, 3)
At the Robin M. Williams Film Fest,
His Awakenings drew crowds the best.
But cartoon films? The numbers were sad:
The DAN BENNETT attendance was BAD.
(July 2011)
373. HETERONYM (12, 3 5 4)
"The life preserver (one that girds
My waist) has been my friend,"
The man said. Or, in other words:
PORTEND, it's been PORT END.
(July 2011)
374. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^3 ^7 ^4, 3) (ONE = not MW)
Turner Classic Movies TWOed a film called ONE this past
Week, with Cooper, Malden, Schell, and others in the cast.
(July 2011)
375. PALINDROME DELETION (8, *1*1) (SO SAD = NI3+, not 11C but has an entry at m-w.com) (AD = abbr.)
Dear Mum and Dad,
I met a lad, went to his pad. Ooh — we were bad! What fun we had!
'Bye, Mum and Dad!
AD. I'm SO SAD. Please don't get mad.
(July 2011)
376. REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*5, *1*1*1)
The LONGs are known for wandering.
But wand'rers can get lost!
A purchase well worth pondering
For LONGs? SHORTs! Worth the cost.
(September 2011)
377. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (9, 5)
Check your houses for C — it's a clear, toxic gas.
Make your annual test a June 1 MAMA CASS.
(November 2011)
378. PALINDROME DELETION (8, 2)
My companion and I heard a rock group last night.
Now our hearing's impaired: those guys gave WHITE BOBWHITE.
(January 2013)
379. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^5 ^11 ^3 2 ^5 ^6 ^8, *4) (THE HEAT = not MW)
The titular guys from a '65 movie,
THE HEAT, could now touch down at A! Ain't that groovy?
(February 2013)
380. PALINDROME DELETION (*8, 2) (MOMMY = not MW)
MOMMY landed on MY isle
And was stranded for a while.
(April 2013)
381. REPEATED BIGRAM DELETION (5 5, 4)
If you toot your own TWO all the time, folks will say
You're a self-centered, arrogant brat. Listen, son:
Let your efforts just speak for themselves. That's the way
That you'll earn some respect. That's just good, solid ONE.
(September 2013)
382. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (*9, 9) (PLOWER, FLOWER) (FLOWER = NI3)
After a shower, a Texan, a PLOWER,
Tilled through the soil till he found a big FLOWER.
(March 2014)
383. PALINDROME DELETION (^5, *5!; 3) (GRIEVED = not MW; *5 = part of an 11C entry but not MW usage)
I'm in the mood for a Broadway show.
GRID — looks like GRIEVED is onstage! Let's go!
(May 2014)
384. METATHESIS (6)
Last week a bully WAS on Steven.
Steve, SAW drawn, would soon get even.
(May 2014)
385. PALINDROME DELETION (9, 5)
People lacking proper GOAL
Manners make me cross and WHOLE.
(June 2014)
386. LETTER BANK (10, 15)
(Can be sung. With apologies to June Hershey.)
The flowers at night
Are big and bright. . . .
Deep in the heart of Texas:
The fireflies light
And shed INSIGHT. . . .
On all the THINGS in Texas.
(August 2014)
387. LETTER BANK (8, ^9 2 *7) (LONG = not MW)
Tonight's guest SHORT on What's My Line?
Is LONG's Meg Ryan. (Don't say "Ryne.")
(September 2014)
388. LETTER BANK (7, 11) (LONG = not MW)
Drew Barrymore, a cute blonde kid, just barely four feet tall,
But cursed with a destructive power: the SHORT LONG of them all.
(September 2014)
389. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^5 ^4, 3) (ONE = NI3; TWO = abbr., not MW but findable in Urban Dictionary, Online Slang Dictionary, etc.)
REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^5 ^4, *1*1*1) (ONE, THREE = abbr.)
(Both ONEs are the same.)
The Pajama Game was given by an amateurish crew.
Their singing was horrendous. "ONE" was so pathetic. (TWO)
Next month they're doing G&S's show THREE Pinafore.
But I'll be staying home. No way I'm going back for more.
(January 2015)
390. LETTER BANK (5, 8)
You can eat delicious BAN on our terrific diet plan: a
Tasty way to drop some pounds without becoming, well, BANANA.
(January 2015)
391. DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6) (for British solvers, this might be a SECOND-TO-THIRD CHANGEOVER WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6))
BEHEADMENT WE NEVER FINISHED READING (4)
When a foe wields a foil or a saber or such,
I might need new undies, it scares me so much.
(April 2015)
392. REVERSED PALINDROME DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (7, *2.)
An article written by Steinem appeared in her magazine (what is its name?)
Called " 'Feminist,' 'Libber,' or 'Equal Rights Advocate': Are All Their Meanings the Same?"
(May 2015)
393. FOURTH-TO-LAST CHANGEOVER (5)
I tried to get a tan.
It didn't come out right.
I now hope that I can
Get used to my WHIST WHITE.
(May 2015)
394. REPEATED-LETTER DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (7, *1 4) (*1 4 = NI3, 11C-inferable)
Thomas Brady, uncontrite one,
Struck a black key (not a white one).
(May 2015)
395. LAST-SOUND CHANGE (7, 7)
From female GLUE an egg descends,
Then gets expelled . . . or not: depends
On if it's fertilized. If so,
She'll end up pregnant, and she'll GLOW!
(May 2015)
396. TRANSDELETION (7, ^6) (EARTH, HEAT)
LETTER BANK (7; ^4 ^2, *4) (EARTH, HEATHER) (HEATHER = not MW; *4 = part of an 11C entry but not MW usage)
(Both EARTHs are the same.)
Take Broadway musicals. If we
Sit down and try to list them,
Put HEAT . . . and HEATHER. It would be
A big EARTH if we missed them.
(June 2015)
397. REVERSED PALINDROME DELETION (8, 3)
Before one swims in the TWO so blue,
One ONE undercurrents, and checks the depth, too.
(June 2015)
398. PHONETIC METATHESIS (*6, 6) (KEEL, LEAK)
On Shabbos she goes to the Temple.
She has a job during the week
Maintaining the pipes for the city:
That KEEL helps take care of our LEAK.
(August 2015)
399. INTERLOCK (*10, 4, 3-3)
When planes flew o'er
New Jersey's shore,
They dive-bombed LONG,
But they aimed wrong:
A chicken run
Lost several ONE.
The farmer, who
Got mad, fired TWO.
(August 2015)
400. LETTER BANK (6, 6, 9)
In LONG, teddy bears are a quite common sight,
But real ones might cause the tots terrible fright.
So don't leave out food—tell the kids and their teachers—
To SHORT ONE they're safe from those big SHORT TWO creatures.
(August 2015)
401. LETTER BANK (7, 11, *7 *4) (THREE = not MW)
THREE, who plays second base for the Ran-
gers, rode TWO on the subway in Spain.
Then he shouted olés
At the myriad ways
That a matador ONE would remain.
(September 2015)
402. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING (7)
The witch plied his craft from the shore to the shoals,
Each paddle held fast in its place by its tholes.
(September 2015)
403. LETTER BANK (3, 7) (LONG = +)
"What length dashes in this letter?
Long or short?" "LONG SHORT are better."
(October 2015)
404. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*8, 2) (LONG = not MW usage)
Give me a fancy new LONG car. I'll flaunt it!
My SHORT says, "I want it! I want it! I want it!"
(October 2015)
405. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (7, *1*1*1)
You can't catch AIDS from fish-lime stew.
So eat your ONE sans fear of TWO.
(October 2015)
406. LETTER BANK (4, *1 ^2 *6) (STATE = not MW; *6 = not MW)
Miss Yousafzai's book is terrific! It's great!
So order from Amazon: they can EAST STATE.
(October 2015)
407. REVERSED REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*2-*3, 3) (ONE = not MW)
It'll make you run
When you quaff a brew
If they slipped some ONE
In your keg of TWO.
(October 2015)
408. REVERSED PHONETIC DELETION (6, *4) (TWO = not MW usage)
An arrogant track star was sure he could outrun a horse.
He laced up his TWOs, raced a ONE — and lost badly, of course.
(October 2015)
409. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*8 *7, 2) (LOOSELY = not MW)
You hated your role in Star Trek: TOS?
Oh, say it ain't YES, LOOSELY. Say it ain't YES!
(November 2015)
410. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (5 6, 4) (LET DAD LOOK = MW-inferable)
As soon as you turn 50,
Be sure to make a date
With a gastroenterologist,
'Cause LET DAD LOOK is KATE.
(November 2015)
411. LETTER BANK (7, 10)
We never dine out.
We stay home to eat.
It's not in our BET
To try out a BEET.
(November 2015)
412. REVERSED REPEATED-BIGRAM DELETION (*8, 4) (ONE = not MW)
Is politics making you look
For some respite, as each loudmouthed schnook
TWO his views down your throat
As he pleads for your vote?
Switch the tube off, and go get a book!
My favorite story—bar none—
Is where Beren (with help) cuts a ONE
From foul Lord Morgoth's crown,
Then a wolf gobbles down
Beren's hand once the brave deed is done.
(November 2015)
413. LETTER BANK (6, 9)
"Hey, man! How many joints have you got in your hands?"
"Are you speaking of reefers, or GANGLAND to GLANDs?"
(December 2015)
414. INTERLOCK (6, 3, 3) (WHOLE = 11C-inferable, TWO = abbr.)
Deanna Troi's a WHOLE:
She feels what's in your soul.
If your stomach starts to growl
While you're talking to that gal,
She'll commence a ten-TWO run
To Ten Forward, starved, to ONE.
(December 2015)
415. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (4-2 5, 4) (ONE = not MW but has an entry at merriam-webster.com)
A ONE (ad-hoc fallacy) can't be proved true,
Though you'd swear it in front of a judge and a TWO.
(December 2015)
416. SPOONERGRAM (*4 *5, 4 2 3)
The boxer ONE, in the maternity ward,
Asked, "Is that TWO?" "Yes. You may now cut the cord."
(December 2015)
417. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (5 4, *1*1*1) (ONE = not MW)
Pssst! Last night at the bar, heard some gossip: they're saying
Some big movie star left some joint without paying.
He left them a TWO and took off at a run.
I don't know if it's true, but it's hot in the ONE.
(January 2016)
418. PHRASE SHIFT (6, 4)
In a science-fiction classic, Valentine and her brother
Are of opposite THE ANSWER parents as one another.
(January 2016)
419. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*3. *8, *1*1*1) (neither MW; *8 = 11C but not MW usage)
What does the graduate, now back home, do, once all of his classes are done?
Well, there's plastics, or running computers for TWO . . . or maybe just fooling with ONE.
(January 2016)
420. LETTER BANK WE NEVER FINISHED READING (8, *11'1)
Fairfield and Hartford and Litchfield and Windham,
New Haven, New London — no, no, that's not all — and
Another one, Middlesex — now, then, I've thinned 'em
Way down, to just one, and that last one is Tolland.
(January 2016)
421. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (6 3, *1*1*1) (TWO = abbr.)
Eli Whitney made a ONE.
An animated film was done
With high-tech processes, like TWO,
To bring his life and world to view.
(January 2016)
422. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^5? ^5 2'2 5 2 3'1 4 5, 3) (ONE = not MW)
The last line of Back to the Future, a box-office TWO,
Was "ONE." (This foreshadowed the sequel, which showed cars that flew.)
(January 2016)
423. REVERSED PHONETIC CONSONANTCY (6, *1 4 *3) (LAUGH, FLEE) (FLEE = not MW, *3 = not MW)
"Ha!" hissed the hag in the pointed hat.
"Bah! I ain't disappointed that
Old Adlai lost!" She LAUGHed "Tee-hee!"
And pointed at her button: "FLEE."
(February 2016)
424. FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (4, 5) (FLU, GLUE)
A golfer saw a sports shrink
Because she'd had the FLU.
Dx: hypoglycemia.
Rx: some fish and GLUE.
(February 2016)
425. DELETION (7, ^6)
REVERSED SECOND-LETTER CHANGE (*5, 5) (SCALY, Y-LAWS)
Postprandially, an Israeli
Craved MONTH. "My mouth's dry as the SCALY
MOTH!" Friends offered cheesecakes.
"Oy! I can't eat these cakes —
I'm Y-LAWS! (I miss dairy daily!)"
(March 2016)
426. LETTER BANK (6, *9) (BARNYARD = not MW, but has entries at Dictionary.com, The Free Dictionary, etc.)
David gets randy
As BARNYARD BRANDY.
(May 2016)
427. CURTAILMENT (4 2, 5)
A spaceman, knocked cold by a thump from a BOOT,
BOOTHed with space ice all over his nice pressure suit.
(May 2016)
428. LETTER BANK (*3, 5 5 5) (HAISE = not MW usage)
Miss HAISE sang, "Que sera, sera:
Whatever . . .," . . . whatever . . . I SEE! AHA!
(May 2016)
429. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^3 ^5 ^8, 4) (ONE = not MW)
In the fifth Star Trek film, which was subtitled ONE,
Some crazed guy tells the Enterprise crew
They'll find God. They don't find Him, nor does that crew run
Into angels, each wearing a TWO.
(May 2016)
430. LETTER BANK (3'1, 4, 8) (NIGHT, THING, THINNING)
Does lying make NIGHT THING get longer?
THINNING! Things don't get much wronger!
(May 2016)
431. LAST-LETTER CHANGE (*7 *5, *7 *5) (neither MW)
ONE flew on a shuttle, STS-43.
TWO played Lindsay Gardner on TV's The O.C.
(June 2016)
432. LETTER BANK (5, ^3 ^2 ^2, 8, *5 *4) (FIVE, THREE-TWO-TWO = not MW)
A teenage girl in Germany
Had such a crush on Elvis P.
"Er FIVE mich!" Then "Er FIVE mich nicht!"
Would daisies grant the wish she wished?
The other girls would tease and EIGHT her
Dream of being Presley's mate, her
Future as a Southern wife:
The FIVE-FOUR as her home for life.
She soon outgrew her puppy crush:
She moved on to the thrill and rush
Of "Penny Lane" and "THREE-TWO-TWO."
Her future with The King was through!
(June 2016)
433. CONSONANTCY (6, *4 *4) (TWO = not MW)
I'm a spy, like my ONE,
TWO. She's proud of her son.
(June 2016)
434. FREEWHEELING REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (3 3'1 4, 3 4 4 4; [*1*1*1])
Don't you dare fool around
When your wife's out of town,
With "When LONG" as your rationale.
She'd find out — eh, capiche?
Then the rage she'd unleash
Would make SHORT look like nothing, pal.
(June 2016)
435. THIRD-LETTER CHANGE (^6, 6) (DUD, DUE)
The violinist asked his prof,
"Should I play Bruch or Glazunov?"
"Both fine. Or get a cellist. You
Might find the Brahms DUD would be DUE."
(June 2016)
436. TRANSDELETION (6) (TWO = NI3)
The ancient Greek intoned sad TWOs:
"I'm ONE. Forgive my base boo-boos."
(June 2016)
437. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (8, 3)
If you were SHORT Brexit, congrats on your win.
Be gracious in victory: don't rub it in.
You're anti? The way it turned out may feel wrong.
Accept it. Keep smiling, mate: don't be a LONG.
(July 2016)
438. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (10, *1)
In cello class I played on pitch.
My good PITCH-PEEP earned me an ITCH.
(July 2016)
439. REVERSED SECOND-LETTER CHANGE (*5, *5) (HAIR = not MW usage, RICH = not MW)
Some RICH, folks from (old) Star Wars III
(Now VI), found they just loved to ski!
They'd drive up to HAIR,
Vermont, rent a pair,
And schuss down the mountainside. Wheeeeee!
(August 2016)
440. FREEWHEELING METATHESIS (*6, 3 3) (*6 = not MW)
When Rachel ONE was young, before her leftist show was on,
Did Rachel's mother cut the grass, or did her TWO the lawn?
(August 2016)
441. LETTER BANK WE NEVER FINISHED READING (7, 8, 4-*8)
The guys at the prison watched Cabaret twice
In one afternoon. Afterwards there was a nice
Long discussion on one of the film's central themes:
Persecution of Jews was increasing, it seems.
(August 2016)
442. LETTER BANK (7, *6 *6) (TWO = not MW)
Those two are divorcing.
Their marriage is through.
He keeps the Pathfinder,
And she ONE the TWO.
(August 2016)
443. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*5 2 *10, 3 *1) (ONE = a form is 11C, TWO = 11C-inferable)
We saw ONE, which my young son was in.
(He played Tweedledum, Tweedledee's twin.)
From our great seats, in TWO,
We could easily view
Every tooth in the Cheshire Cat's grin.
(August 2016)
444. LETTER BANK (5, 5-*1 3) (LONG = not MW)
"These are not LONGs!!" The diner SHORT with fervor,
Berating his beleaguered breakfast server.
(September 2016)
445. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^3 ^4 3 ^4 2 3 ^5 ^5, 4) (LONG = not MW)
In William Shirer's LONG, we learn
How Hitler, that accursèd German,
SHORT, deceives, and lies to turn
Good people into Nazi vermin.
(September 2016)
446. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^7 ^8 ^4, *1'1) (ONE = not MW)
As we trek towards the bright rising sun,
TWO resetting my watch to show ONE.
(September 2016)
447. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (5 11, 5) (LONG = not MW)
Hey! LONG to us! Our marriage now is 50 (wow!) years old!
Too bad my skin breaks out in SHORT whenever I touch gold.
(October 2016)
448. LETTER BANK (*5'1, 10) (SPREAD = not MW)
Just after dinner, Stacy grabbed and punched a fellow—hard!—
Who tried to steal a scrumptious bite of SPREAD strawberry SPARRED.
(October 2016)
449. LETTER BANK (9, 1 9 2 1 4 4) (TWO = not MW)
The last week of December,
Then each day up through 1/5,
TWO would be ONE my true love's hands
For mine (one hopes, alive!).
(October 2016)
450. LETTER BANK (7, *11)
In fifteen hundred fifty-two,
A DUDE dude died from taking DUE.
(October 2016)
451. FIFTH-LETTER CHANGE (6)
A man from New Orleans
Was caught molesting teens.
He was, as hatred grew,
A ONE throughout his TWO.
(November 2016)
452. LETTER BANK (9, 12)
Kids from Goa to Delhi dropped balls
To see which were the LAST in the STALLS.
(December 2016)
453. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (9 2 3 5, 1) (GO-GO PANTS = not MW)
Ventured Frank: GO-GO PANTS
Exchange many PANTS glance.
(December 2016)
454. LAST-SOUND CHANGE (8, *4 *2'1) (WRITE, RIPE) (RIPE = not MW)
Bloody Mary's song is getting tons and tons of hype —
I've never seen them WRITE a song the way they're doing "RIPE."
(January 2017)
455. PHONETIC BEHEADMENT WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6, 5)
His gear aboard,
The engine roared.
The truck began to move.
"Someday," he thought,
"They'll pay a lot.
My art will fill the Louvre!"
(January 2017)
456. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (12, *1*1)
A man's performance flagged, so he set up a doctor visit.
A SHORTER took his vitals, then he asked the doc, "What is it?"
The doctor said, "We'll run some tests. But I believe I know
Already what the problem is: your LONGER level's low."
(February 2017)
457. DELETION (5)
Next to Nessie, there swam
A CLAM in the CAM.
(February 2017)
458. PROGRESSIVE BEHEADMENT (5) (TWO = abbr.)
The League of Limnobiology
Demands the return (with apology)
Of a huge, massive THREE. In a FIVE,
It was stolen. We hope it's alive.
6 TWO wide—yet in spite of its FOUR,
Those crooks moved it and fled out the door.
(March 2017)
459. LETTER BANK (7, 10)
A facial surgeon wondered why a few
Diseases—MS, cancer, what have you—
Are central focuses of fund campaigns,
While ASTIN and the like are merely STAINS.
(June 2017)
460. THIRD-LETTER CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING (4)
A soprano? Can you
Sing a lower range, too?
(June 2017)
461. DELETION (8)
In Freddie's Fritters batter room,
A janitor swept with a broom.
Some LONG kicked up into my eye
And caused some SHORT discomfort. (Sigh.)
(June 2017)
462. THIRD-LETTER CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6)
In daylight we see just one star
Of all the billions that there are.
At nightfall we see many more
Of them than we could see before.
(July 2017)
463. THIRD-LETTER CHANGE (7)
I love to snack!
Oh, CLICK beats CLACK.
(September 2017)
464. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (5 8, 3) (LONG = not MW)
Charlie Cowell and his fellow LONG
Need SHORT and vigor: they must be strong!
(November 2017)
465. METATHESIS (5)
"You're the best—my ideal, my good friend!"
"Now, you've made me a NED, mi buen END!"
(January 2018)
466. REVERSED PALINDROME DELETION (7, *1*1) (ROW = not MW usage)
"Pop! Waaahhh! I'm so thirsty! I want some pop now!"
"Stop being a WORDED. I'll get you a ROW."
(January 2018)
467. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*10, 4)
Among the fine tributes to Civil War days:
McLaglen made SEEK; many poets wrote KS.
(January 2018)
468. LETTER BANK (4, 8)
The barkeep thought the stranger came from far across the earth
But had to BET HER that when she revealed her pointed BERTH.
(June 2018)
469. LETTER BANK (4 6, 13) (RACK = part of an NI3 entry)
The liquor store sold us both wine.
Yours tasted like pee. So did mine.
We went back. I got a full RACK.
You didn't. Tee-hee! I have CRACK!
(June 2018)
470. PROGRESSIVE PHONETIC CURTAILMENT (*5, 4, 3)
The script says, "The bad guy spurs on his small horse."
So LONG, cue the SHORT on his MIDDLE, of course.
(July 2018)
471. LETTER BANK (3 6, 5 7) (PLATELET = 11C-inferable)
A Japanese restaurant in Washington state
Served hot broth with PLATELET and grilled local PLATE.
(December 2018)
472. DELETION (^4 ^2, ^5) (PRO = not MW but listed in many online dictionaries)
Eliza's entreaty to Freddy,
Called "Show Me" by Lerner and Loewe,
When reset in Yinglish (get ready!),
Was retitled "PYRO and PRO!"
(February 2019)
473. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*1 ^6 2 *1 ^6, 2) (LONG = not MW)
They requested a J. J. Niles song,
SHORT the chorus performed for them "LONG."
(March 2019)
474. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^3 [*9 *7] ^7, 2) (ONE = not MW)
"I TWO founding ONE. Why not?!"
Mary Baker Eddy thought.
(March 2019)
475. FREEWHEELING SECOND-SOUND CHANGE (4 1 4, 8) (FORMS, FIRMS)
If you're sometimes confused by the terms
For amphibians vis-à-vis worms,
You might make a mistake and FORMS "FIRMS."
(April 2019)
476. REPEATED-SOUND CHANGE (5, 5)
That TIGHT old weasel wants a fight.
There'll be a full-blown PIPE, all right!
(April 2019)
477. BIGRAM SHIFT (7)
A ONE—a singing group—
Drank water fouled with poop.
They all came down with TWO
From gulping down that poo.
(April 2019)
478. PHONETIC BEHEADMENT (9, 5)
Steel? Feh! Flubber!! Tsvantsik-pound
Suit he wore! (Mit such an "S"!)
SHORT tall buildings. Single bound!
LONG a shiksa in distress!
(May 2019)
479. LETTER BANK (9, ^5 ^7) (SEVENTEEN = not MW)
In Star Trek: SEVENTEEN, a Vulcan visited the earth.
He'd seen a warp-drive signature, and recognized the birth
Of humans' capability to pass the speed of light,
When theretofore mere VENTS of c had been achieved in flight.
(June 2019)
480. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (5)
As food for mares and does
Gives some folks bellyaches,
They'll rue the day they chose
To have ONE three TWO cakes.
(July 2019)
481. FREEWHEELING REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION ([6 4], 1 3)
A man will be attending
A formal dress-up ball,
So dough he'll soon be spending
(He'll charge his LARGE) on SMALL.
(August 2019)
482. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (8, 4)
Own up to who you are.
Don't E your true TARTARE.
(September 2019)
483. PHONETIC FALSE COMPARATIVE (7, *8) (SHORT = MW-inferable usage; LONG = NI3, not MW usage)
If Scrooge had played the piano,
I wonder just what sort
Of tunes old LONG would play on
Those ivories and SHORT.
(December 2019)
484. FIFTH-LETTER CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6)
They say that Clara Bow had "It."
But Gracie Allen had more wit. . . .
(December 2019)
485. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (9, *3) (ONE = NI3, TWO = not MW)
Bofur's loafers: scuffed and dull! TWO's, too!
Thorin's orders: ONEs for all his crew.
(January 2020)
486. REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (4, 1.1.) (IT = abbr.)
The number I'm thinking of? It's
The least odd composite: IT, SITS.
(January 2020)
487. FREEWHEELING LETTER BANK (6 2 *1, *9 *4-*7) (MAMMY = not MW but has a Wikipedia entry)
One morning on the Tobin Center stage,
Rehearsal ends just after letter K.
That afternoon, musicians turn the page
And watch as their conductor, MAMMY, MAY.
(February 2020)
488. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (8, 4)
I hate when things itch.
STREEP'S PITCH is the RICH.
(February 2020)
489. OVERLOADED FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (6)
You want to be pretty, or plain?
It's your choice: will you look MAINTAIN?
(March 2020)
490. FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (7, 9) (LISLE, DIAL)
A lady in a dress of silken LISLE
Swung back, then DIAL my ball a country mile.
(July 2020)
491. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (8, *1'1)
Six Weeks to a Svelter Physique?
PANS kill for a cuter SNEAK PEEK!
(July 2020)
492. OVERLOADED CURTAILMENT (6)
"Aw, Mr. Miyagi, he's huge! There's no way I can win!"
"Use training. Use mind, Daniel-san. You must trust your THINK/THIN."
(August 2020)
493. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (11, 3)
"When can I date and wear makeup and stay out past 10?"
"LONGs on that start at SHORT 15. Be patient till then."
(August 2020)
494. FALSE COMPARATIVE (4, 6)
Solving a flat is a test of one's will.
One NO MORENO one's courage and skill.
(August 2020)
495. LETTER BANK (6, 9)
"My SHORT hurts so bad! Should I soak it?"
Doc: "Splint." So I'm LONG that I broke it.
(August 2020)
496. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (12, *6) (*6 = not MW)
When Andrew Shepherd ran for reelection,
His foe gained points decrying his connection
With Sydney Ellen Wade. A mohel found this
All moot: Election Day, he'd work a bris.
(August 2020)
497. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (4 2 1 3 2 1 3, 3) (LONG = not MW but listed at dictionary.com)
The Lord fashioned Eve from a spare SHORT of Adam, they say.
Those two clung together, LONG, thenceforth, all night and all day.
(August 2020)
498. CHOP & SWAP (6, 5)
I love you so, dear one:
You're the apple of my eye.
I'm nuts about you, hon:
You're the EAT of my A TIE.
(September 2020)
499. TERMINAL DELETION (*3*3, 4) (ABC = not MW but listed at merriam-webster.com)
If you are (unlucky bloke)
Allergic to tobacco smoke,
You could ditch your cigs and B,
Or you could pack an ABC.
(September 2020)
500. LETTER SHIFT WE NEVER FINISHED READING (*3 *4, 7) (*3 *4 = not MW)
She drives with wild abandon, filled with glee,
To host her show on MSNBC.
(October 2020)
501. LAST-LETTER CHANGE (8) (TWO = + variant)
Before the service starts,
The ONE must TWO his charts.
(October 2020)
502. THIRD-LETTER CHANGE (6) (PITCH = NI3)
A PITCH and a PINCH:
A cub and a finch.
(November 2020)
503. LETTER BANK (*5, 8) (BRAN = not MW; BARBARA ANN = not MW but has an entry at merriam-webster.com)
If you'd like to get
Facts re Gimli's old man,
You can go on the net
And try BARBARA ANN "BRAN."
(November 2020)
504. METATHESIS (7) (FILES = NI3)
"A top-notch FILES. You do good work,"
He said to his Marathi clerk.
"But black face paint around your eyes?
Remove it. You look like a FLIES."
(January 2021)
505. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (8, 2)
For those in the math-teaching biz,
No subject's TWO fun TWO ONE is.
(January 2021)
506. FIRST-SOUND CHANGE (*7, 7)
NBA contracts for Asian-born players are rare.
Yao, Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, and Zhou Qi were CARE BEAR.
(January 2021)
507. PHONETIC BEHEADMENT (6, 1-4)
The CRONE checked her ROAN,
Then turned off her phone.
(January 2021)
508. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (5 3 6, 2)
I asked the Greek prof, "What's that Greek cursive letter?"
"An R." "How'd you know?" "It's my line. It's my TETTER."
(February 2021)
509. BEHEADMENT (5, 4) (SHOD, HOD)
BEHEADMENT (3, *1*1) (TROD, ROD) (ROD = 11C-findable)
(Both HODs are the same.)
SHOD's odd,
Not HOD.
HOD: TROD;
Not: ROD.
(February 2021)
510. PHONETIC WORD DELETION (10, 7, 4)
Your Covid test's positive? Have to stay home?
You're DEIGN to be done with DOMAIN, I would OHM.
(March 2021)
511. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (8, *4)
PI: the very first bad kid.
He kept his parents up at night.
To stay up days, here's what they did:
They drank PERRIER. Oh, sure—that's right.
(March 2021)
512. SECOND-LETTER CHANGE (5)
This Chopin BLOCK is really tough!
Those runs just BROCK my hands. It's rough!
(March 2021)
513. CONSONANTCY (6, 7) (GOAT, GATE)
HOMONYM (4 4, 7) (PEEK, PIQUE)
On the ranch, when I'm herding my GOAT,
Sometimes a mad PEEKs at me! So
I flee to the edge of the lake. Midst the PIQUEs,
Cylindrical dark brown GATEs grow.
(April 2021)
514. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (7, 2) (TWO = phrase usage, 11C-inferable)
A ONE can fish, or nap, or drink a beer
All day, because they've called TWO a career.
(May 2021)
515. LETTER BANK (*7, *3 *7) (HOLE = not MW)
Both Carney and HOLE had worked in HELLO.
In Miami Beach, they starred in HOLE's show.
(May 2021)
516. DOUBLE-CROSS (3, 8, 6, 5)
There ONE a pirate in a THREE.
He pulled a TWO out, then thought: "Gee —
I FOUR they'd take this! That was dumb!"
Then dug out two bits for his rum.
(May 2021)
517. LAST-SOUND CHANGE (6, 6)
If you're vegan, here's a RAY:
ROE is fish eggs. Stay away!
(June 2021)
518. FREEWHEELING REVERSED REPEATED-LETTER DELETION ([5 3], 2 3)
"Invisible Wall" was a gas:
Marceau made us marvel ARC CRASS.
(June 2021)
519. REPEATED-LETTER CHANGE (6)
The child was told he couldn't have ice cream.
His change in mood from good to DOOM was DEEM.
(June 2021)
520. SECOND-TO-LAST CHANGEOVER (5) (BOAT, BATE)
HOMONYM (5, 4) (BATE, BAIT)
(Both BATEs are the same.)
As they rode in a BOAT headin' west from St. Joe,
Some folks got held up and relieved of their funds.
The marshal caught up with the lawbreakers though.
In their lair was a BATE full of BAIT, and some guns.
(July 2021)
521. TRANSPOGRAM (2 4, 6)
Soymilk is something you might try
ONE TWO is rough on your GI.
(August 2021)
522. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (5-8, ^3)
Baum's TWO Man can't walk normally, like folks with healthy knees.
His joints are stiff, so ONE's his gait of choice for greatest ease.
(August 2021)
523. WELDED LAST-LETTER CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6)
He taught a lot. He
Taught karate.
(September 2021)
524. HEAD-TO-TAIL SHIFT (*1*1*1, *3) (ONE = abbr., TWO = not MW)
The Russian composer was shot with a gun.
TWO's surgery's finished; he's now in the ONE.
(October 2021)
525. WELDED METATHESIS (*5 ^3) (not MW)
If employed as a Fed, says the SOL,
Your political leeway is small.
(October 2021)
526. REPEATED-LETTER CHANGE (4)
Short-order cooks rule!
They sling STEEL with STOOL.
(November 2021)
527. FIRST-LETTER CHANGE (^3 *5, *3*5) (DOC, ROC = neither MW; *5 = not MW)
When Don Adams goes to a shop and buys
His doggie and kitty and bird supplies,
The onlookers whisper and point and gawk:
"That actor from DOC—shopping here at ROC!"
(November 2021)
528. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (^3'1 ^4 1 ^4 2 3 ^4?, *1*1) (FINAL DEED = not MW)
Dean Martin's "FINAL DEED," released in '60, was on vinyl.
In '04 it was Track 1 on his compilation FINAL.
(November 2021)
529. METATHESIS (6)
When Peter Piper picked hot peppers, some were hard as rocks.
He used a ONE to split those TWO, then put them in a box.
(December 2021)
530. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (*7, *3 *4; *1*1) (TWO = abbr.)
From Scarsdale to ONE:
Head TWO. Ten-mile run.
(December 2021)
531. HETERONYM (4 1 *1*1, 7) (*1*1 = abbr. = not MW; its spelled-out antecedent and usage are NI3; usage is not exactly 11C but findable)
When a fan ONE game, their ears may ring: ball crowds makes such a din
If the lead TWO back and forth before one team secures the win.
(December 2021)
532. OVERLOADED HEAD-TO-TAIL SHIFT (4) (first part = NI3)
Star-Kist
Cans TWIST.
(January 2022)
533. HETERONYM (3 *4'1, 8) (P EARL, PEARL) (*4'1 = not MW)
If a Mayberry boy weds a nice Jewish girl,
P EARL friends put up one of those nice wedding PEARL?
(January 2022)
534. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (9, 4)
An ill-matched couple tied the knot.
Each day, each night, they fussed and fought.
And even when they'd pause their feud,
The prospect of the next ONE TWOed.
(January 2022)
535. REPEATED-TETRAGRAM DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (11)
He hit on me! That heel! That jerk!
(He thought his "magic word" would work.)
(January 2022)
536. LETTER BANK (7; ^8, ^8)
"I'll Never Fall in Love Again": not bad
For local A.D. talent doing ADD.
(January 2022)
537. REVERSED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (10, 4)
Proctologist:"I'll treat you for a song—
Why, I'll just cut those out, one SHORT per LONG."
(February 2022)
538. OVERLOADED MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (6, *1*1) (shorter part = abbr.)
A GI doctor might
Make someone's BUN run right.
(March 2022)
539. METATHESIS WE NEVER FINISHED READING (*5, 5)
The goddess of beauty (per Rome)
Had a beauty mark. (That's the whole poem.)
(April 2022)
540. FALSE OPPOSITE (3, 4) (MED, YOU'D)
He drank too much MED and ate too much rich food.
He developed cirrhosis and suffered from YOU'D.
(April 2022)
541. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (3 4 4 8, *1*1*1) (REARED = not MW; AD = abbr.)
In major cities, rush hour can be bad,
The traffic barely moving, oh so slow.
But if you carpool, you can use the AD
Lane ("REARED," as Peck might say) and go, go, go!
(April 2022)
542. WELDED REVERSED METATHESIS WE NEVER FINISHED READING (8)
In dugouts, he
Sits next to me.
(May 2022)
543. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION (9, *1)
Most people dig popular music.
They know every Top-40 song.
That's not my thing. Give me the oldies:
Bach, Beethoven, Brahms. . . . SHORT love LONG.
(June 2022)
544. PHONETIC FALSE PLURAL (4, 4)
Great Caesar BOUGHT his schedule on the BOTS.
His fate that day? To fall, in Roman plots.
(June 2022)
545. FIRST-SOUND CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING (*5, 6) (*5 = not MW)
I checked out this video. Clerk said, "It's great!
Patinkin and Streisand and Irving!" Can't wait!
(July 2022)
546. CHARADE (*10)
In WHOLE, Slovakia, one way of getting folks to dance
TWO to pay a little ONE to drop hot THREE chunks down their pants.
(July 2022)
547. HOMONYM (7, 6) (SOLED, SOLD)
At the supermarket yesterday, the bread was full of mold.
"I have never seen a loaf look SOLED!" I promptly told the SOLD.
(August 2022)
548. MULTIPLE REPEATED-LETTER DELETION WE NEVER FINISHED READING (3 2 2 4 2, *1*1*1) (longer part = not MW but listed in many online dictionaries)
www.congress.gov/bill/112th-
congress/senate-bill/600 . . . Go! Happy solving! Here's to your health!
(August 2022)
549. LETTER BANK WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6, 9)
My guide and my teacher
Told me of a creature
With fur and four legs
That, strangely, lays eggs.
(November 2022)
550. LETTER BANK (8, 11)
Before they metamorphosize
To large and lovely butterflies,
All LONGs start small. They grow a bunch
From all the SHORTs of leaves they munch.
(January 2023)
551. CONSONANTCY (5, 4-3) (EWE, WOO)
A warm wool EWE
Helps you get WOO.
(March 2023)
552. FOURTH-TO-FIFTH CHANGEOVER WE NEVER FINISHED READING (9)
A bad boy at school got kicked out when he
Blew up the whole chem lab with TNT.
(April 2023)
553. BEHEADMENT (4)
If you are not vegan, the milk that you drink
Might come from the teats of some MOTHERs.
But if you are vegan, I'd certainly think
You'd prefer that it's made from some OTHERs.
(May 2023)
554. LETTER BANK (6, 5 4) (KINK = not MW but has an entry at merriam-webster.com)
If you exercise, you may get INK;
If you don't, all your muscles will KINK.
(August 2023)
555. REPEATED-BIGRAM DELETION (9, 5)
The last girl I SMALL
Said, "Get lost, stupid pig!"
I continue to call
Up young ladies. I'm BIG.
(December 2023)
556. LETTER BANK (6, 9) (BANANA-BEE = 11C-derivable, findable in various online dictionaries)
When you toss your briefs in the washing machine,
The bubbly BANANA-BEE cleans your BEAN.
(December 2023)
557. FREEWHEELING FOURTH-SOUND CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING ([3-5], 3 4)
Excessively, Janus
Was hauling anus.
(December 2023)
558. FOURTH-LETTER CHANGE WE NEVER FINISHED READING (6)
A cryptic message! From the time they read it,
Ten years would pass before someone would get it.
(December 2023)
559. FALSE COMPARATIVE (4, 6)
After most Molva molvas' twenty-three skiddoo,
A few, just a few, of those ONE just TWO.
(January 2024)
560. REBUS (8)
When the meaning of a word has undergone
A change, we must SOL it in the lexicon.
(February 2024)
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