Chimera Puzzlers

By William F. Bultas
These 10 puzzles are in general very difficult & I encourage you to use any reference materials you think might help. I have placed the answers on a separate page to keep you from looking until you're ready. The titles of the puzzles sometimes provide a useful hint, but in some cases are either useless or even misleading. The ranking scale below was created to give you competitive types something to shoot for. If you enjoy these puzzles, try the other tests & puzzles at PUZZ.COM. Happy hunting!


Number Correct             RANK
     0-1                   Novice
     2-3                   Dilettante
     4-5                   Puzzler
      6                    Puzzle Expert
     7-8                   Puzzle Master
     9-10                  Puzzler Par Excellence

Honesty is the Best Policy Q1. Insert the letters AACEEELPR in the spaces below to create two words that are synonyms. The two long spaces contain two letters each.

_R_VA_I__T_ P__T_R

Mystical Square Q2. What number should replace the ? in the number square below?


4  10  17
5   6  32
 3   4   ?

Rule Out Enchilada Q3. Make two words for Mexican food items out of the words RUB RIOT COAT

Pseudonym of the Orchid Q4. The renowned explorer & treasure hunter Alabama Smith happens upon the fabled Book of Erehwemos in the Temple of an ancient theocrat known only as the Orchid. On the book's cover, under the title, it reads: "Ten Psiop Or Tkoo Tsih Afo Pegapeht." Many explorers had gone in search of the book before Smith, but none of them ever returned. Can you determine why?

Heartbreak Bridge Q5. When the soldiers of Bravo Company crossed a bridge, it collapsed just before the first row of soldiers reached the other side. The bridge was in good condition, & normally would have been able to support all of the soldiers & their equipment without any trouble. Nothing was on the bridge other than the soldiers & their equipment, & no damage was done to the bridge or the cliffs supporting it by weapons, explosives, tools, or weather, & no vehicle collided with the bridge. What perfectly plausible explanation is there for the collapse of the bridge?

If You Meet a Chimera.... Q6. If you encountered an actual chimera, what example would lead you in dealing with it? The answer is hidden in the words below.

HELP LONE ROB

Homophonetics The last four puzzles consist of two words each, followed by 2 numbers in parenthesis. The first word is a synonym of the word that is one of the answers to the puzzle. The second word is a synonym of a homophone of the answer to the first part of the puzzle. The homophone is the answer to the second part of the puzzle. A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another, but is different in spelling & meaning. The numbers represent the number of letters in the answers to the first & second parts of the puzzle, respectively. If this seems confusing, this example should help:
A. reason, extracted (4, 5). The answer is MIND & MINED.

7. whirl, actual (4, 4)

8. bay, sting (5, 4)

9. ring, skin (4, 4)

10. routine, scribed (4, 5)

Answers