8. THRICE BEHEADED

Windmill

Can you divide a square into 15 parts, which can be built up into this windmill?

Solution

Untouched I tell of budding growth and life;Beheaded I lead upward more or less;Again—with varied fragrance I am rife;Again—but little value I express.

Solution

In this nest of 49 squares it is possible to count a great number of distinct and interlacing figures, whose opposite sides are equal, and whose angles are all right angles.

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Can you decide exactly the number of these rectangles, and say how many of them are square?

Solution

Search Holy Writ and you will seeA victory was won by me.Behead me, and I may be foundIn water or on hilly ground.Behead again, and then transpose,A snare my letters now disclose.If yet again my head you sever,No matter how sharp-set or clever’Tis all in vain you look about,For no one yet has found me out.

Solution

Can you, using all the dominoes except double five, five-six, and double six, construct with the twenty-five stones a magic square that adds up in all rows, columns, and diagonals to 27, and in which the stones in the cells marked by the same figures in this diagram also add up to that number?

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Solution

The problem is to construct, with all the twenty-eight stones, a domino pyramid of seven stages, starting with a single stone, and adding one stone on each successive stage.

The stones must be so arranged that the number of pips in any row or column are in all cases exactly three times the number of half-dominoes of which that line or column is composed. There are many solutions to exercise the solver’s patience.

Solution

Said a lawyer aside to his friend in the court,“Now I’d bet, were we not in this place,That my first is my second a bottle of port,”Then bright with my whole shone his face.

Solution

Six horse buses and four motor buses travel each hour from Temple Bar to the Bank. The horses take 15 minutes, and the motors 10 minutes on the journey.

If I come to Temple Bar, and wish to reach the Bank as soon as possible, shall I take the first horse bus that turns up, or wait for a motor? It must be assumed that I can only see a bus as it actually passes me.

Solution

The father of this venturesome lad, who was on the point of breaking out of bounds, came on the scene just in time to warn him in a sentence of nine words, five of which were “Never throw a leg, lad.”

Venturesome lad

Can you supply the other four words, which are spelt withexactly the same letters?

Solution

In this picture we see that a cat has sprung upon the table to interview the parrot.

The interview

The title “Catastrophe” recast by anagram, tells the parrot’s happy thought at this critical moment, and the appropriate sentence,

“New parrot-stand in a house,”

tells, also by anagram, how he put this into instant operation.

Solution

My first, if foolishly or rashly taken,May mar the future prospects of your life.My second, by her fickle lord forsaken(Sad type of many a gentle, patient wife),May toil and moil to feed his many babies,While he goes flirting off with other ladies.The thrifty monarch of a former ageMy whole a place in Britain’s history fills.Immortalised in Shakespeare’s magic pagesAs one who’d fain reform his tailor’s bills!

Solution

This is the picture of the first prize boy at a baby show. The judge, noticing the position of one chubby fist, said to the proud mother, “Your lad Tommy likes such tit-bits.”

Baby

To his amazement the baby, removing the comforting hand, replied in eight words composed ofexactly the same letters, “So to-day, sir,. .................” Can you complete the sentence?

Solution

The lady who is sitting at the back of this overloaded waggonette cries out, in her sympathy with the struggling horse, “This big load quite hinders his pull.”

Wagonette

Her husband, full of holiday spirits and energy, answers her in a sentence of mingled reproof and determination, which forms a perfect anagram of the words of his wife, and describes his feelings and action. Can you recast the letters?

Solution

At the moment when a burly and keen player was in this strange and striking attitude,

Burly player

a bystander whispered to the marker, “Eh! what a stout player is striking!”

Can you, using exactly the same letters, put into the mouth of the marker a reply appropriate to the position?

Solution

Mysecond, worn with pompous pride,Myfirsthad dangling at his side,On chain securely hooked.Myfirsthe came from o’er the sea,A bundle of conceit looked he,And he was all he looked.She led him to the village green,Where in desponding mood was seenMywhole, with drooping head.“Behold,” she said, “a perfect, true,And striking likeness, sir, of you!”And, laughing, gaily fled.

Mysecond, worn with pompous pride,Myfirsthad dangling at his side,On chain securely hooked.Myfirsthe came from o’er the sea,A bundle of conceit looked he,And he was all he looked.

She led him to the village green,Where in desponding mood was seenMywhole, with drooping head.“Behold,” she said, “a perfect, true,And striking likeness, sir, of you!”And, laughing, gaily fled.

Solution

There are two English words which are appropriate to thispicture—

Transformation and evolutions

One of them has as its anagram the very apposite sentence, “Or not a man first;” the other treated in similar fashion becomes, “O I love nuts!” What are the two words?

Solution

Who can turn WHEAT into BREAD with six links, changing one letter each time, and preserving the general order of the letters throughout?

Solution

How can we decide by anagram whether this is a fancy portrait of “William or dear Jack?”

Ye Joker

Shake up and recast the words in inverted commas.

Solution

Can our readers solve this enigma, which was published in 1811, and to which no answer seems to be known?

I’m one among a numerous host,And very useful in my post;There’s not a house in all the landWithout me properly can stand.Though men disputed long agoWhether I did exist or no,Once more some thousands have been slainBecause they could not me attain.

Solution

Take this picture in connection with the lines below it, and find out what it represents.

Ponderous guest

Begin with the end of my first,then you will find out the rest;For it all will appeal to your thirst,Or point to a ponderous guest.

Solution

His wife, who chanced to see Jiggers at the trying moment here depicted, said that he seemed to be in a “sad pet.”

Jiggers

How was this literally true?

Solution

Never was a cow so troublesome at milking-time.

Hayseed's cow

Our picture was taken at the moment when Farmer Hayseed was exclaiming, as he held on behind, “See, we hold this cow’s horns and tail!”

The same letters, recast by anagram, form this sentence spoken by hisforeman—

“She cannot toss,...............”

Can you fill in the five missing words?

Solution

These grave lips chatter no ill.orElephants, all to richest giver!

Can you recast the letters of these sentences so that either of them forms the same homely proverb, to which the first anagram is most akin?

Solution

This very resolute horse and his anxious driver take quite different views of the situation shown in this picture.

Carriage

We can fancy that the fast trotter, if he could be endowed with speech, would say, “I’m a train’d stepper!”

Can you take these same letters, and recast them into a sentence which would seem to express the driver’s point of view?

Solution

My first of rudeness has a sound;The rest is in a city found;My whole to win its way is bound.

Solution

In this picture a clever artist who has no arms is seen calmly painting with his feet.

Armless painter

One onlooker says to another, “Why, now I see this fine artist has no hand!” The other replies in a sentence which contains exactly the same letters:

“He draws in any fashion............. .”

Can you fill in the four missing words?

Solution

“This is a wine bottle, dear, on a lure,” said a crafty fisher of men to his better half, who was helping him, as he showed her this illustration of their aims.

Fisher1834PORT

1834PORT

She knew, however, that the fish he sought to catch was not to be tempted in this way, and she replied in words spelt with exactly the same letters, “And see, he will not.............!”

Can you fill in the four missing words?

Solution

This sturdy musical enthusiast, as he settled himself upon his chair, said, “What shall I play?” and some one replied, “Any strains of Beethoven, he charms all!”

Cello player

This suggestion, however, was not acceptable, and he, as he struck up a piece after his own heart, exclaimed, in a sentence composed of exactly the sameletters—

“Nay, for this ’cello.......... .......!”

Can you supply the missing words?

Solution

This picture represents a parsnip lying across a sturdy swede.

Parsnip and swede

Can you so readjust them that they seem to suggest a successful dramatist of the day? We give this broad hint byanagram—

“Here is our parsnip on swede.”ANAGRAMWise and superior person he!

Solution

Can you fill the places of these 21 asterisks with only three different letters, arranging them so that they spell a common English word in twelve different directions?

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Solution

My first is in cake, but not in bun;My second in light, but not in sun;My third is in night, but not in day;My fourth is in game, but not in play;My fifth is in head, but not in tail,My sixth is in wind, but not in sail;My seventh in wrong, but not in right,My eighth is in battle, but not in fight;My ninth is in sword, but not in knife,My tenth is in lady, but not in wife;My whole is a monarch at war with strife.

Solution

First form a short sentence with the ten letters that are above the line in thisdiagram:—

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Next number the letters of the sentence consecutively 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, and then work out a sum in addition with these numbers substituted for the letters with which they correspond.

Solution

Find within these borders twelve specimens of flowers andfoliage:—

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Move in any direction one square at a time, and so spell out their names, using the same square only once in each case.

Solution

My first except when it is oldIs never seen or heard;When it is heard the sound is tolledOut of a Jewish beard.My next was in Imperial Rome,It was her power and might;Then you had but to writeyou wish,And straightway ’twas in sight.My whole was FrankOf royal rank.

My whole was FrankOf royal rank.

Solution

To test the powers of his young pupils, Dr Puzzlewitz set the following little problem on hisblackboard:—

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What are the values of A and of B, when 4 is the result of dividing A by B, or of subtracting B from A?

Solution

How great in olden days my power!Oft have I saved a castle towerFrom war’s invading tide.Transpose me, and how great my fall!I am then the smallest of the small,That nothing can divide.

Solution

This compact Enigma take,All apart its letters shake.Let your 6, 3, 5 be high,Like 5, 1, 2 do or die.Who 4, 6, 5, 1 enjoysMore than 5, 6, 2 by boys?While 5, 3, 2, 1 are mine,May 4, 6, 3, 2 be thine.4, 1, 5 is rich and rare,6, 5, 1, 2 ends my prayer.

The figures indicate the position of the letters, which spell new words, in the original six-letter word.

Solution

Can you fill in the empty cells with letters, so that they form English words which read alike from top to bottom and from left to right?

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Solution

“Charlesthe First walked and talked,Half an hour after his head was cut off.”Old Couplet.Cut off my head, I’m every inch a King,A warrior formed to deal a heavy blow.Halve what remains, my second is a thingWhich nothing but my third can e’er make go.My third will vary as you take your line.This less than human, that way all divine!

“Charlesthe First walked and talked,Half an hour after his head was cut off.”

Old Couplet.

Cut off my head, I’m every inch a King,A warrior formed to deal a heavy blow.Halve what remains, my second is a thingWhich nothing but my third can e’er make go.My third will vary as you take your line.This less than human, that way all divine!

Solution

Taking the letters as arranged on this diagram for a starting point, can you place in some of the unoccupied cells five more of A, five of E, five of I, and five of O, making eight in all of each letter, so that in no case shall the same vowel be in the same row, column, or diagonal?

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Each vowel is to be regarded without any reference to the other vowels, and, of course, only one may be placed in a cell.

Solution

Mix together the letters which form the eight words on this draughtboard—

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and recast them so that they form eight fresh words, which when placed in proper order on the white squares, are a word square in which each word reads alike from left to right, or from top to bottom. The first of the fresh words is CROW.

Solution

Form a short sentence with the letters above the line in thisdiagram:—

Image

Number the letters consecutively 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, and then work a sum in addition, substituting these numbers for the letter with which they correspond.

Solution

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