MetaChat - Tricky anagram puzzle

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01 December 2009

Tricky anagram puzzle →[More:]

This is a multi-step puzzle.

I. Each word in the following list will donate two letters to the word below it and receive two letters from the word above it (it's circular; the last word on the list donates two letters to the first word.)

II. If the donated & received letters have been chosen wisely, then the results can be anagrammed back into another list of five seven-letter words.

III. Furthermore, the ten letters that were moved between words can be anagrammed into one additional ten-letter mystery word.

A complete solution consists of the new list of five seven-letter words, and the ten-letter mystery word. Have at it!

1. rancher
2. angular
3. preened
4. protect
5. calorie

post by: Wolfdog at: 07:58 | 10 comments

Since I'm not confident I've explained it well, here's a solved example using a shorter list.

The puzzle:
1. emperor
2. strange
3. heretic
4. plaster

Donate and receive letters:
1. eperrap (-mo, +pa from plaster)
2. sangemo (-tr, +mo from emperor)
3. retictr (-he, +tr from strange)
4. lsterhe (-pa, +he from heretic)

Unscramble to get the new list of four:
1. prepare
2. mangoes
3. critter
4. shelter

And unscramble the donated letters pamotrhe to get metaphor. Hoorah! It's difficult to guarantee that there will be a unique solution to a puzzle like this but I think the one in my original post has only one solution using common English words. I'll be delighted if someone finds a different one, though.

posted by Wolfdog 01 December | 08:08

And here is a slightly easier warmup puzzle, in which the mystery word is an element of the periodic table.

1. consume
2. torment
3. kidding

posted by Wolfdog 01 December | 09:10

Just for fun, here are two more short puzzles with elements of the periodic table as their mystery words.

1. captive
2. library
3. slammed

and

1. bravado
2. agendas
3. conceit

posted by Wolfdog 01 December | 09:26

avocado
badgers
ancient

carbon.

posted by Obscure Reference 01 December | 09:45

plastic
bravely
mermaid

silver.

posted by Obscure Reference 01 December | 09:51

*looks up, scratches head, returns to troglodytic crossword puzzle*

posted by Specklet 01 December | 09:59

demonic
entrust
kingdom

sodium.

posted by Obscure Reference 01 December | 11:53

Well done! Seriously well done. Wow. I kind of think the smaller ones are better, and having a theme is a good idea. I will keep that in mind when I make the next batch.

The original puzzle is still open. The ten-letter word is a profession, and it's a guy I might have to watch out for... at least, judging by my screen name.

posted by Wolfdog 01 December | 12:04

How I spent my day:

arrange
launder
percent
trooper
chalice

dogcatcher.

posted by Obscure Reference 01 December | 20:52

CAN WE PLEASE HAVE SOME APPLAUSE FOR OBSCURE REFERENCE?

Thank you. That was epic. And I am cringing in embarassment - I put that one together backwards, didn't I? Argh argh argh.

posted by Wolfdog 01 December | 21:28

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