Today's teasers come from a pub quiz legend, Only Connect champion and pun wizard. Frank Paul.
One of its strengths is puzzles based on letter or word patterns, such as the ones below.
1. Grr! Ooo!
Here, each answer is a pair of words spelled identically, except that the three consecutive consonants in the first answer have been replaced by three consecutive vowels in the second answer.
Example: Soft; social environment.
Answer: to put it mildly, Wednesday
1. Splits; desk
2. Good qualities; demanding
3. Peers; Donald Duck's nephew
2. Striptease
Here, each answer is three words (or names) in which the first and last letters of the first word are removed to make the second, and the first and last letters of the second word are removed to make the third.
Example: Definitive, Indian drink, boob.
Answer: Classic, lassi, ass.
1. Astronomical event, mounts, body part
2. The most cheerful ones, dear ones, step back
3. The most ostentatious red areas, only a black man has won the Wimbledon singles title.
3. Word cycle
The easiest way to explain this is by showing the answer:
“Wait, immediately, desist.”
The answer is of the form AB, BC, CA, where A, B and C are individual words, in this case keep, forward and c.
The question was: “Talk for a long time; immediately; refrain”
Find the answer AB, BC, CA to
1. Disadvantage; minor circus attraction or distracting spectacle; decisive confrontation
2. Buttocks; an item used by skirted riders; pig breed
3. Gradually or unsystematically and fragmentarily; usually soon after waking up, around noon or in the evening; clock or clock
4. Rats!
Find the three hidden numbers next to each other in this piece of writing. (They are not 4, 6 and 3.)
This last mystery is taken from Frank S's latest book.Pin Off: Choose your puzzle-filled path to TV stardom, This is a charming and original (and a little crazy) puzzle book that is also a choose-your-own-path adventure. I'm sure readers of this column will receive many copies of this book for Christmas!
I'll be back at 5pm UK time with a solution. NO SPOILERS. Please add more Frank Paul style word puzzles below.
Spin-Off: Take a Puzzle-Filled Path to TV Stardom available from Guardian Bookshop.
I've been doing puzzles here on Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the lookout for great puzzles. If you would like to offer one, write to me.
