Answer to Puzzle Contest (from the winner):

"Answer: 3. I laugh until I nearly lose the meal I last ATE. The word 'ate' is the key because it is a homonym of the number 8. 1 - won 2 - too 4 - fore! ('for' also appears, but it is out of order) 8 - ate"

These might be better described as homophones than homonyms, although the dictionary.com definition for homonym shows that it is acceptable. Most people answered #5: "People hold their ears due to the piercing sound," with second runner up being #1: "I laugh so hard that I nearly cry." Those may have seemed appropriate, but neither one is really better than the other or more logical, and #3 would also work (although it's less funny). It is the hidden sequence within the silliness that reveals the most "logical" answer. :-)

Winner: Mark Rahija, Kansas City

Contest Statistics: Newsletter sent to 307837 subscribers, 24 answers submitted, 4 answers correct, 16.67% accuracy (oddly enough, 1 in 6 with 6 options, as if people had randomly guessed, although it is clear most did not). Chance of a correct answer winning: 25.00%.