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Puzzles for October, 2020
with Jim Horne comments

Thu 10/1/2020
EPICUNPCDLATE
NANONORADELVE
GRAONTROLOFFAL
TAOISMGIRDS
SADIESINGES
TRUEBETMIA
EGGSUMOOGRES
TOUCHTONEPHONES
SPOOLICETLAP
NEECONTALU
MANTRASTIED
SAVERFILMIR
TRICETWEENAGER
AGATEROARCAKY
GENGSANDSKLEE
Fri 10/2/2020
AMBERRELYBETA
CAIROAXIOMATIC
MINEOZENMASTER
ENGFROCKCAUSE
SCOOTERSSAL
ONLOWSCUTTLE
QUIDPROQUOHIT
URGEIDBETDIVA
ISHTESTSCORES
KETTLESMOLDS
WESPRECEPTS
AMBITPLANKARA
JAILBREAKPORES
ANKLEBONEIOTAS
RYESGNARTHYME
Sat 10/3/2020
SILKBOXERSATVS
ONEFINEDAYUHOH
PETCARRIERDELI
SSTNESTICICLE
FCCHEARTIES
PHARAOHSNOOTY
LUCYRUSTCRABS
AMTADSPEAKDAH
NAIADTARNPELE
NORMALSTROLLS
SENTINELEEL
ERVINGLOLASFO
TRESECOLOGICAL
TORTROSEPARADE
ORBSSTAGENAMES
Sun 10/4/2020 YOU'RE TELLING ME!
ADMIREACTUPHOTDATE
GODSENDDIANETRUEDAT
OCTOBERMAKINGMEBLUSH
MUMBAIEQUALSALTO
OUTOFYOURGOURDBYTES
WHARFBLARNEYOJOS
LUMPALISHOOGAS
SHAHSMISSINGTHEPOINT
THATDERAILROAR
BOOHOOSFLOWERPETCO
INFORITNOWDARNTOOTIN
GEHRYIROBOTOURSONG
TOESHANGRYSTET
ONLYASGOODASTHEAMITY
PEPBIOSAHAACRE
FLAGDIALINGCREEL
CAMRYCOMPANYYOUKEEP
OTOESAIDNONURSES
SOMETHINGELSEOATMILK
TWOPAIREXAMSSKIAREA
ANARCHYSTRUTAPNEWS
Mon 10/5/2020
PINPATENTFDIC
ESEOLIVERTERI
RAWFOOTAGEMBAS
PIERREASPER
SARIMITRAIMI
HALFBAKEDIDEAS
LIEGEWOEFUL
ANGTMIHERSIA
CORONAPOETS
COOKEDTHEBOOKS
TRUSSEDSDICE
PISANSOOTHE
PRIGBURNTUMBER
EDENBREYERAMI
PASSRENEWSGEE
Tue 10/6/2020
HISSPATYADDA
ACTIARCHELIOT
LEONSOLESAMOA
FRIGHTFULOWNER
SCOURMME
FRACKANDRUIN
CODTYPEIODINE
AVIDUSCSEXT
LEVIEDHAHASSS
FRANKAMATEUR
ERAIDEAS
FRISKYBUSINESS
PIANOTAFTARGO
ANJOUAMOSMOTH
MEANTGASESSO
POW Wed 10/7/2020
TWASPIGGYPITA
GALAOSHEAEROS
ITLLPLOTSREUP
FETALASSRINGS
RODENTHBLEH
NCOSADSONGACC
ALTGEHRYDRE
NORMERITEDLOO
ACURASPYENEWS
KEELSTBIRD
TEALBARN
LOOKMANOHANDS
MUIRBUENOIRON
MINTAGREEEASE
ASKSSHOTSSTOW
Thu 10/8/2020
ALOEHOWIESIS
BABEBARONYTMC
SPARECHANGEARE
SMIRCHADDSIN
PIANOACAONICE
STEEDHARDCASH
PURSEDNCR
PASSEDTHEBUCK
KEAWANING
TWOCENTSLITER
SHOALYAPSTREP
HORRORONACID
OUTTIMEISMONEY
UGHHOOPLASEED
THYSTPATTSPS
Fri 10/9/2020
ECONMAJORHANGS
MANOAMANOEXERT
OLIVEPITSLEVAR
BIOLOYALATE
ACNETSPNOIDEA
NODSTOOATMASK
DEICERFLITS
SPACESTATIONS
PHISHARMATA
GAMENEENEARER
WHODATWOKDYER
BIBGODOTAPE
USTENIRONCROSS
SEINESLEEPONIT
HEEDSHDSCREENS
Sat 10/10/2020
WHAPMAMASASIF
HOVERCRAFTRENO
EBOLASCARETITO
TONICAMONGJED
CYANBOOBIRD
SOFACEDEBIOME
PLANETJACUZZIS
AMTMOJITOSALE
CASTIRONITSWAR
ENDONEGANPANT
PROPELSISLA
RIMMACJRIMHIT
OVIDTHEBAMBINO
BENDIMSUREOFIT
EROSNOUSETITS
Sun 10/11/2020 &pi;r<sup>2</sup>
DOTTEDISMOSTPUMPON
ORNAMENTALLENIGUANA
CONSPACYTHEORYNANTES
SEDALIAUSESSELA
HOMESENLACEPESTS
UNATWOTISHVAMPEBAT
BARGAINSATEANAEROBE
CULOTTESASSIGNSOBA
ATONEGOUTINLAWTIT
PONESPRUCEENOYES
RESPATORYSYSTEM
SPAMAOINNATEAMAL
HAWUSUALNAPSBRAVE
AREASEPTETSPOAGNEW
REIGNITELOCOINBOUND
PENNANTSLOOPTOYAGE
SURGEBITMAPABLER
TAPSSOUPFLONASE
OXIDESMISSISSIPPIVER
RENEWSALIKEELSINORE
EDGIERTSARREENGAGE
Mon 10/12/2020
BESTFRANBANAL
AVERLEGOALIBI
BARITONESNACHO
ENVOWEETDHON
ELLEBROILERS
RATEDRAINTI
AMITYBINGACDC
MMMAMALGAMRUE
POETALESAMINO
ACIDYGRATES
ENDZONESAGRI
KIAASABROCOE
EVILSGOODTHING
BERETLANEISTO
YAYASETONDMVS
Tue 10/13/2020
EBAYBETAFALSE
BELAEPICETAIL
BLOWININTHEWIND
STENCILSALADS
EGOSSORE
KNOWINGWINKYOS
CONANEMODENT
USERCRAFTASEA
PEATHARBLOBS
SSNTOWINGWINCH
DROPNORA
LOONIESONATAS
WINWINSITUATION
EFLATPREPOMNI
STYNENAPSMEET
POW Wed 10/14/2020
ASSAYALPPLAZA
CHUTESHEOATES
TANTOHANGLOOSE
IMGAMESARIPTA
VULCANSALUTE
AKNOTEGGON
MOSSKUSHLOIRE
OKSVICTORYVEX
ARESOKYRANEST
BASICAFROS
CANIGETALIFT
APULYLESPITON
HOPEFULLYIMAGO
OLDERBIODIGIT
KOOKYEDUSTONE
Thu 10/15/2020
EFLATSPECBOAS
PLATYNADALIME
SESUPAUSTRALIA
OUTLIERSTUB
MRSFREEDOMMEA
EISFAYKANG
COFFEEPOTSOORA
AWORDTRUTAROT
VEGETRAMPOLINE
ETIMHAMSRA
SONREPOMENTAP
OAKMACARONI
DOWNUNDERDIDGE
OPRYOINKOODIR
STYXTOTSSTYES

Fun puzzle. To paraphrase Ms. Zellweger, "You had me at VEGEMITE."

Fri 10/16/2020
HONORSORSEDAM
AMAZONBATFLIPS
LADYDIIMALLSET
THEMSTHEBREAKS
SARAISLES
NEEDEDHELMS
HEADTRIPMORE
ACCIDENTSHAPPEN
NCAAACIDTEST
SEISMICETSY
UTAHNSASS
JUSTASITHOUGHT
ZEPPELINEMIGRE
ENCODINGENTREE
EASTAGEDISOWN
Sat 10/17/2020
QUINCUNXCAIRNS
UNDERSEAANTEUP
EMOTICONSALTII
BANSGNASHLUST
EDTADARAT
CELTSTUDSANNA
IRATERESTOCK
ICKIERLABFEE
CLEMSONNEWAT
EATSPUMASTHOR
CFONIHENE
HOBSENSUEDJED
EUROPEHATFIELD
STALAGATTENDEE
TIGERSPLUSSIGN
Sun 10/18/2020 TITLE BASIN'
YOSHIMAUDETOAST
ASTONSLUGFESTSELBOW
LSATSLIFEOFPIEADORE
LORDDEAFICEDCUTE
TENDERISTHEKNIGHT
INASNAPNUKESIDEATES
MONKEYSNOMTOEPICK
ARECANDIEDMRI
YAWNSORLYNUITTEEUP
OHSTOPROOMED
INSEARCHOFLOSTTHYME
ADOEGOAWRAPEVEOOF
ROVERSNIDEELENA
FLAXGAPILLAVAETSY
THELITTLEPRINTS
SWEARSTOHEADSLAP
HEARSTSPEEDOSSHIRAZ
ENSNAREGOTONSCIENCE
ISAJULIUSSEESHEROKS
DEBODEONSPENTLET
IIIBEANALESDRY
Mon 10/19/2020
BUSHCAIROSAM
ANTEALDERWINE
STORMCLOUDARTS
AIRDATEPEEVISH
LEERUNSRAY
LASOVERLOAD
CIVICSAIDIDLE
OMEGACNNSNIPE
MATHFADETENOR
EMOTIONSSOS
BAROPELGAP
LEGUMESEPITOME
OVALSWEATDROPS
LIMBEARLEOSLO
ALEEGRETTEES
Tue 10/20/2020
ALDASTUSTRAFE
PORSCHESPREPAY
TOOKHEEDYUPPIE
EMOELMOSEAR
SPLIFFTROLLED
TASKBLEEPLSU
EASYALATETO
BACKORDERED
SIESTAGOTTA
ARFITSONMIAS
WOOKIEEROOMBA
NUNTIMIDASU
TOLIFESPOONFED
PREFERSATRIANI
SEDERSAASANTS

Let's play RegEx again: BACK-ORDERED words at least five letters long.

Wed 10/21/2020
BEEFPHOBIALIE
AGRABARUCHOCT
BERNBRIDGESCAR
USOFAMELCANE
TRIBEREDEALT
CANNESOPENER
GTEHADGENEVA
REVDABESEWEI
ALISONKOISNL
DELHICOUNTER
TWOTERMSLEWS
IHOPIQSSTOOP
MOMSEOULSEARCH
UNAAULAITIMHO
SSNPRETTYLYIN

Homophone themes are tricky.

Jeff is sure the French city is pronounced KAHN. I've only heard KAN, even when I was there. Wikipedia agrees with me (French: kan.) Merriam Webster agrees with me (preferred pronunciation kan, but to be fair, also accepts kän.)

Case closed? Maybe if you're a Parisian, but in France, the further south you go, and the closer you get to Italy, the more people tend to follow the Italian tradition of pronouncing every vowel. Cannes is right on the Mediterranean, very close to Italy. This native speaker adds the very French sort-of "uh" semi-vowel. So, we're both wrong.

POW Thu 10/22/2020
STRAPACDCWOW
ERODESLIEUOOH
LABORUNIONSUZO
LYETABLES
DUVETSCAD
BOASDRUNKDIAL
WANTEDJETE
HYPEATONEOVEN
IOUSTAJTAKEIT
GURUNANAKDERN
SNIPES
PEPPERLAXJUG
OXORUNSONEMPTY
OPSVEILSCREAM
FOEESPYSIGHS
Fri 10/23/2020
PANELMIMIAPBS
ASIDEEVERLSAT
TAKEABREAKLONE
SHORTLISTFORK
YINHOTARTIST
CEOACNEAHA
WORDPROCESSOR
PINSTRIPESUIT
FAKEEYELASHES
CPIAPPSTIS
CAPOTECOPAKA
BEDSSTARPOWER
REDORISKSITALL
PAIRBRAENOISE
IRASGIRDGETON

I've often said that crosswords is unusual among puzzles because your life experiences greatly affect your solving experience.

Is BRAE obscure for you? I'll never forget it. On my first trip to the UK, I hired (not rented) a car in London and drove it all the way to a fishing town on the north coast of Scotland to meet a shirt-tail relative. The further north you go in Scotland, and the further you travel from large cities, the stronger and more incomprehensible the accent becomes. By the time I got to Buckie, I could barely pick out a word per sentence.

My directions in town were spotty, so I stopped the car to ask a boy on the street how to get to the Council House that I knew was close to my destination. "De ya nae ken Buckie?" he asked. This much I understood. I explained I was a visitor.

"Aye, then, well ya see the wee quinie doon the brae?" I was at a complete loss. The young loonie (boy) was frustrated with my stupidity but I eventually came to understand that a quinie was a girl and doon the brae was down the hill. I think of that story with great pleasure every time BRAE pops up in a grid.

Because of your own life adventures, you know plenty of obscure things that most people nae ken. I bet each time you encounter one in a grid, it makes you smile.

Sat 10/24/2020
RIFFSCOVERART
AVILAURBANAREA
ZONALNEATTRICK
ORGYGIMMEEASE
RYECOTEACH
STROLLCHASSIS
HOTRODDERICANT
AWINGANDAPRAYER
REPOSAUTODRIVE
PRSTUNTSOFTIE
PAYLESSPDT
ABCDSPADETREF
BREECHINGKRONA
BADBOUNCESOUCI
AGETOAGEUNDER
Sun 10/25/2020 AT THE HALLOWEEN PLAY ...
SLEPTMMSAIMEMAILS
MANORSMYLANTANESTEA
AUDIENCEHISSEDGNAWAT
CRINKLEEPHEMERAPANE
KANTMARIOIRVSTE
BAREBONESRENDITION
DEBGENLTANGELO
AVARIETYOFPARTSLUCAS
SECONDBOLGERSERAPE
HUGPAIGEEATSLIE
SPEXWARTSANDALLGLAD
EELWARMSAUTEIRE
TROJANHATERSANORAK
HURONNOBODYTOACTWITH
ETAILERSIREDMZ
REFLECTEDONHISROLE
ELODOTOATESSAGS
TEXTLIVEOAKSERITREA
AVIARYATTHEWRAPPARTY
PEERATCARSEATMOTETS
ENRAGEALAMREDETOO
Mon 10/26/2020
WASIHOPESTATS
ALLMODELERNIE
SOYCODEBREAKER
PEAPODRAESLIT
SELLSATHENA
STANDUPCOMIC
CAFMARXCABIN
AROMACELKNIFE
NEXUSEDITTSA
CHIROPRACTOR
DASHESSADIE
IDEALASIAGREE
GETCRACKINGEVA
ALOHATEPEENES
TENONSEARSDRY
POW Tue 10/27/2020
KISSPLUSSLO
AMOKMIAMIUPON
POLITICSASUSUAL
UNOINCHNANNY
TIADUHJODI
TREASUREHUNTER
TELESMEAVA
PAILBRATSABET
ITSSAILDHL
GETTINGMARRIED
ARKSLIELUV
HENCEELSAIRE
TRAININGSEMINAR
TILTLUGESPENS
PEAKNOTANTE
Wed 10/28/2020
TRICKYTOPSTSAR
REMOVEOBOEHURT
IMARETMIKEPENCE
COMPLICATEDAND
ERALSATICEAX
ACREYOURENEVER
ODDZAPSIRA
GABEDEFINECLOY
EGOFALLEMU
REALLYSUREARFS
METOOETTUOPS
YOUGOTTHERIGHT
TRATTORIASEABEE
SORELEVILENORE
KIDDFOOLANSWER

My proof that the two-thirds of the Fibonacci numbers must be odd:

The sequence starts 1, 1. Each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two.

We will never see two even numbers in a row. The only way there could be consecutive even numbers is if we started with two even numbers, and then all numbers in the sequence would be even. That's not the case.

Now, look at any even number in the sequence. I'll use 8 in this example, but any even number will do. The number before it (5) must be odd because there are no consecutive evens, so the next number, the sum of those two, the sum of an even and an odd (5+8), must also be odd (13.) Continue to the number after that. It must be odd too because it's the sum of the previous odd number (13) plus the one before that (which must be even, in this example, 8.)

After that, we have the sum of two odd numbers, which is even, and the odd-odd-even cycle repeats.

Thu 10/29/2020
FREEZESOTBACH
DARNITHURALOE
AMALGAMATEDIAL
ISLANDERBRO
BIASLEOODIST
INSTALLDAISES
DOTBEERODD
NOMATTERWHICH
USBPESOAAA
SCATHEPEGASUS
PAYEEAMOPALP
AVESUPERCOP
RIALFASTASLEEP
TAYEORSEMERGE
ARESSTYNOTNOW
Fri 10/30/2020
NAZARENERAJAHS
ORALEXAMAMULET
DOMINATEDESADE
RUBELTRAINTBA
ASEATESLADEEM
MEZZOROOTBEERS
ASIANSNEERING
LEISIT
DEEPSIGHSILEX
KALAMAZOOKEANE
AYESBOOTYSTAR
PTAMEDDLESEMO
LINTELJASONFOX
AMORALOVERHERE
NERUDABASELESS
Sat 10/31/2020
BESTSELLERSCAR
ACCENTAIGUCANA
CHARLESTONARID
KORNARTSRAMI
EECALGERTAPAS
DREAMONICEBATH
COSAPAMCEE
MALLETSPEEDS
ALABIBSTUN
TOWPATHAEROSOL
TUNASULTRAVOL
RESTSTEPREDO
ETATCAERPHILLY
STLOUNDERRATED
SEENDISPOSSESS
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