Daily Brainteaser

[rokapoke]

July 31st
Fit the words crossword-style into this grid. We've given you one letter to get you started. To be extra tricky, we've added two extra words to the word list that you won't need to use.

._ _ _ _
|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|
|_|_|_|_|

AIDE SWIG GENT TAGS IDEA TWIN NEAT WIRE SAWN WREN

Answer:

SWIG
AIDE
WREN
NEAT

No twin, no tags.


August 1st - In Short
What do the following words have in common?

INTRODUCTION, BIOGRAPHY, EXPOSITION, LIMOUSINE, KILOGRAM, BROTHER, PSYCHOPATH, STENOGRAPHER, RHINOCEROS, MAYONNAISE

Answer:
These words can all be shortened to common English slang terms -- with no change in meaning. Intro, bio, expo, limo, kilo, bro, psycho, steno, rhino, mayo.

 

[turgy22]

August 2nd - Tom Swifty
Unscramble the letters in each word below, then unscramble the order of words to create a Tom Swifty sentence. (Tom always speaks adverbially.)

MSRALYT I SMUTTBDEI YM OT MSNEA ENITILLGENCE TSET ERULSST DIAS MOT


August 3rd - Puzzling Prices
In the odd clothing store, the owner has his own system of pricing items, using vowels and consonants. A sandal costs $10 and a purse costs $8. According to the same system, how much does a shirt cost?



July 31st Answer:

SWIG
AIDE
WREN
NEAT


August 1st Answer:

They're all often referred to by a shorter version of their names ending in O.

 

[rokapoke]

August 2nd - Tom Swifty
Unscramble the letters in each word below, then unscramble the order of words to create a Tom Swifty sentence. (Tom always speaks adverbially.)

MSRALYT I SMUTTBDEI YM OT MSNEA ENITILLGENCE TSET ERULSST DIAS MOT


Answer:
"I submitted my intelligence test results to MENSA," said Tom smartly.



August 3rd - Puzzling Prices
In the odd clothing store, the owner has his own system of pricing items, using vowels and consonants. A sandal costs $10 and a purse costs $8. According to the same system, how much does a shirt cost?

Answer:
A shirt will cost $9. Each vowel cost $1, each consonant costs $2.

 

[Spiderman]

August 3rd - Puzzling Prices
In the odd clothing store, the owner has his own system of pricing items, using vowels and consonants. A sandal costs $10 and a purse costs $8. According to the same system, how much does a shirt cost?


Answer:

If x is consonants and y is vowels, then

4x + 2y = 10 and 3x + 2y = 8

So 2y = 8 - 3x from the second

Subbing into the first, 4x + 8 - 3x = 10, so x = 2 and thus y = 1

So a shirt would cost $9

 

[turgy22]

The main currency of Europe, Japan, Denmark and Norway, and China appear respectively in the four hidden words below. Use the clues to fill in the blanks.

_ E U _ R O _ ............Tiny thing
_ _ _ _ Y _ E _ N ........Easter basket treat
_ _ _ _ K _ R _ _ O N E ..Communications device
_ _ _ Y U _ _ _ _ A N _ ..Rollerblade material


August 2nd Answer:
"I submitted my intelligence test results to Mensa," said Tom smartly.


August 3rd Answer:

$9. Each vowel is worth $1 and each consonant is worth $2.

 

[rokapoke]

August 4
The main currency of Europe, Japan, Denmark and Norway, and China appear respectively in the four hidden words below. Use the clues to fill in the blanks.

_ E U _ R O _ ............Tiny thing
_ _ _ _ Y _ E _ N ........Easter basket treat
_ _ _ _ K _ R _ _ O N E ..Communications device
_ _ _ Y U _ _ _ _ A N _ ..Rollerblade material



Answer:
nEUtROn
jellYbEaN
speaKeRphONE
polYUrethANe

 

[turgy22]

While shopping, you meet your maternal aunt's husband's only sister-in-law.
What do you call her?


August 4th Answer:

neutron
jellybean
speakerphone
polyurethane

 

[rokapoke]

August 5

While shopping, you meet your maternal aunt's husband's only sister-in-law.
What do you call her?


Answer:
Mom.

 

[Spiderman]

While shopping, you meet your maternal aunt's husband's only sister-in-law.
What do you call her?


Answer:

grandma

 

[EricBess]

If my kids are with me, then I agree with Spiderman, otherwise, I agree with rokapoke

 

[turgy22]

A store offers two types of chocolate bars: giant ones for $13 each and tiny ones for 50¢ each. Josie buys 100 bars for $100. How many of each type of bar does she purchase?

August 5th Answer:

Whatever you normally call your mother.

 

[rokapoke]

August 6

A store offers two types of chocolate bars: giant ones for $13 each and tiny ones for 50¢ each. Josie buys 100 bars for $100. How many of each type of bar does she purchase?

Answer:
She buys 4 bigass chocolate bars, and 96 tiny little ones.

Good old trial and error!

 

[Spiderman]

A store offers two types of chocolate bars: giant ones for $13 each and tiny ones for 50¢ each. Josie buys 100 bars for $100. How many of each type of bar does she purchase?


August 5th Answer:

Dang.

Answer:

13x + .5y = 100 and x + y = 100
So y = 100 - x
13x + .5(100 - x) = 100
13x + 50 - .5x = 100
12.5x = 50
x = 4 so y = 96

So 4 giant ones and 96 tiny ones.

 

[turgy22]

August 7th - Is Anybody There?
The six words below are anagrams of words that have something in common. What are those words and how are they linked?

EARTH FETE
VILER FRINGE
SLUNG SATCHMO



August 8th - Odd Man Out
Which of the scrambled words below is least like the others? The difference has nothing to do with vowels, consonants, or syllables.

AAALTTN
CEILNDA
OOSTBN
WRAENK



August 6th Answer:

4 giant candy bars and 96 tiny bars.

 

[rokapoke]

August 7th - Is Anybody There?
The six words below are anagrams of words that have something in common. What are those words and how are they linked?

EARTH FETE
VILER FRINGE
SLUNG SATCHMO


Answer:
Heart, feet, liver, finger, lungs, stomach. They're body parts.



August 8th - Odd Man Out
Which of the scrambled words below is least like the others? The difference has nothing to do with vowels, consonants, or syllables.

AAALTTN
CEILNDA
OOSTBN
WRAENK


Answer:
Atlanta, Iceland (had a lot of trouble with that one), Boston, Newark.
Three are major American cities. Iceland, not so much.

 

[turgy22]

August 9th - Alphabet Soup
The sixteen letters below can be anagrammed into a three-word phrase meaning "a measure of how you spend your money." The enumeration is (8 2 6).
What is the phrase?

F I N D V A I N G O L D S T A R



August 10th - Jumping to Conclusions
Look before you leap! Two different letters can fill each blank to fit the clue given. After you've worked out the 10 total letters, anagram them to form something associated with jumping.

M _ N E T . French painter
F L A _ E . Bright light
T R A I _ . It could take you home
C H I _ S . Things on some poker tables
_ N T E R . Put in, in a way



August 7th Answers:

body parts: heart, liver, lungs, feet, finger, stomach


August 8th Answer:

Iceland. The others are American cities: Atlanta, Boston, Newark.

 

[rokapoke]

August 10th - Jumping to Conclusions
Look before you leap! Two different letters can fill each blank to fit the clue given. After you've worked out the 10 total letters, anagram them to form something associated with jumping.

M _ N E T . French painter
F L A _ E . Bright light
T R A I _ . It could take you home
C H I _ S . Things on some poker tables
_ N T E R . Put in, in a way



Answer:
O, A -- Monet, Manet
R, M -- flare, flame
N, L -- train, trail
P, T -- chips, chits
I, E -- inter, enter

TRAMPOLINE

 

[turgy22]

Supply the missing number.

9
9
5
11
6 9 7 ?



August 9th Answer:

Standard of living


August 10th Answers:

Manet, Monet
flame, flare
trail, train
chips, chits
enter, inter
TRAMPOLINE

 

[Spiderman]

I don't get this one. I figured out the value of the card suits but have no idea how to apply it, if I even need to, to the last line...

 

[rokapoke]

August 11
Supply the missing number.

9
9
5
11
6 9 7 ?



Answer:
= 1, = 2, = 3, = 4
The missing number is 12, the sum of the symbols in the fourth column.