Aardwolf: Master of Puzzles

By William F. Bultas

The legendary Aardwolf, a hero, magician, adventurer, and scholar, was also a Master Puzzler, which is indeed a title bestowed on few. During his many adventures, trials, and tribulations, he was in several unusual situations that tested his puzzling skills. See if you can pass some of Aardwolf's tests, some of which relate to his adventures, & some of which have been altered to relate to the present day. Feel free to use a dictionary and anything else that you believe might help you, but if you get help from other persons, the great hero would call you a turbquayle (a strange creature that resembles both a chicken and a hippopotamus). You may rank yourself with the scale below when you are finished. Good luck, and enjoy!


Number Correct           Aardwolfian Rank
     0-1                   Well Digger
     2-3                   Basin Scrubber
     4-5                   Learned One
      6                    Wise Man/Woman
     7-8                   Astute Magician
     9-10                  Master Puzzler


1. While tracking a thief who had stolen a set of Gold Dragon eggs across the Dragon Breath Plain, Aardwolf stopped in a tavern in the town of Sdrac, hoping to find the thief. When questioning some rogues who were gambling in a back room, a tough looking character laughed, and carved some words into the table with his dagger:

shovel infield bosom

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He then looked at Aardwolf, and said: "If you can tell me which word from the bottom row belongs with the words on the top row, I will tell you which way your 'friend' went, after he lost a pound of gold coins to me. You get only one guess, and if you are wrong, you will give me your boots, or your life...."

Not wanting to travel on bare feet, Aardwolf thought hard, and when he answered, the challenger ceased to smile, and pointed the hero in the right direction. What is the answer to this strange conundrum?

2. Shortly after leaving Sdrac, a wolflike creature emerged from a cave. While our hero was deciding what he should do, he sized up the creature. Its body was four times as long as its head, & its head was a third of the length of its tail. The creature was 5 1/3 feet in length, from the top of its head to the end of its tail, so how long was its tail?

3. The records in a certain town indicate that a man had a brother who died. Other records indicate that the man who died had no brother. Neither report was false. What is the most plausible reason for this?

4. Determine which of the following letters doesn't belong:

S D F G H J T L

5. Determine which of these letters does not belong:

D V O N A S W

6. If I take a $10 bill, 3 $1 bills, 5 quarters, 2 dimes, & 8 pennies from a cash register that contained 7 $20 bills, 8 $10 bills, 19 $5 bills, 27 $1 bills, 28 quarters, 37 dimes, 28 nickels, & 173 pennies, how much am I left with?

For the last four puzzles, you are given 3 words or names, and told the number of letters in a fourth word or name. The first three words/names all have some relationship to the fourth word. Try to figure out what the fourth word or name is.

7. Bush Curious Town (6 letters)

8. Session Dunk Fruit (3 letters)

9. Horse Firearm Initiate (7 letters)

10. Door Bear Reves (4 letters)

Answers