Now I Know My ABCs (solution)

by Kai Huang and Jennifer Louie with assistance from Edward Huang and Melissa Shi

The title hints at the alphabet song, which provides a mapping from letters to notes: A↔Do, B↔Do, C↔Sol, D↔Sol, E↔La, F↔La, G↔Sol, H↔Fa, I↔Fa, J↔Mi, K↔Mi, etc.

The way each clue works is as follows. The word clue portion usually contains two separate clues for two words, with a “+” symbol to denote concatenation of the two answers. When the word clue(s) are solved correctly, the total number of letters in the concatenated answers exactly fits the number of notes in the associated image. The circle in each musical note is to be filled in with a letter. (Note that the musical notes requiring filled-in black circles have been shaded light gray instead, so that it’s clear you can still write a letter inside those circles.) Furthermore, the correct letters, when played/hummed using the alphabet song’s letter-to-note mapping and using the given note/rest lengths, produce a possibly-transposed version of a recognizable tune. Finally, the number in parentheses in large font at the end of each clue is an index into the name of the tune for extracting a letter.

Here are the correct answers for the clues:

Clue(s)Answer(s)TuneTune nameIndexLetter
Stick out +
Al Bundy’s son
JUT +
BUD
Mi Mi Mi Do Mi SolSuper Mario Bros.1S
EndureABIDEDo Do Fa Sol LaHome on the Range6N
A stooge +
Group -C2H5
MOE +
ETHYL
Re Re La La Mi Fa Mi ReScarborough Fair3A
Yugoslav president +
Branded icon
TITO +
LOGO
Mi Fa Mi Re Re Re Sol ReThink of Me5K
Pimple +
What’s holding up your head
ZIT +
NECK
Re Fa Mi Re La Sol MiHarry Potter (or Hedwig’s Theme)10E
Butt +
Mustard type
ASS +
DIJON
Do Fa Fa Sol Fa Mi Re ReWe Wish You a Merry Christmas5S
Cardboard container +
Buzz
BOX +
HUM
Do Re Fa Fa Mi ReShe Loves You5O
Redden +
Teapot opening
BLUSH +
SPOUT
Do Re Mi Fa Fa Fa Do Re Mi MiThis Land is Your Land13U
Polish currency +
Dismay
ZLOTY +
APPALL
Re Re Re Mi Mi Do Do Do Do Re ReWhere in the World Is Carmen Sandiego7N
Spinning toy +
Mongrel
TOP +
MUTT
Mi Re Do Re Mi Mi MiMary Had a Little Lamb7D
Forbid +
Deep hole
BAN +
PIT
Do Do Re Do Fa MiHappy Birthday to You3P
Trousers +
Hawaiian dance
PANTS +
HULA
Do Do Re Mi Fa Fa Mi Re DoLean On Me1L
Gal’s fella +
Lion’s home
GUY +
DEN
Sol Mi Mi Sol La ReHey Jude5U
Professionals’ chargesFEESLa La La FaSymphony No. 51S
Adult film rating +
Oxygen deficiency
XXX +
HYPOXIA
Fa Fa Fa Fa Mi Do Re Fa Fa DoPuff, the Magic Dragon10G
Boat +
Organized criminal group
SHIP +
MOB
Fa Fa Fa Do Re Re DoOld MacDonald Had a Farm19R
Hack +
Nearest star
PRANK +
SUN
Do Sol Do Re Mi Fa Mi ReCan’t Help Falling in Love19O
Flying mammal +
Shirt type
BAT +
POLO
Do Do Mi Do Re Re ReIt’s a Small World10W
Containing no water +
Covered in frozen water
DRY +
ICY
Sol Sol Mi Fa Sol MiDing-Dong! The Witch Is Dead12W
Version control system +
Island near Sicily
GIT +
MALTA
Sol Fa Mi Re Do Re Mi DoDeck the Halls2E
Russian arcade gameTETRISMi La Mi Sol Fa FaThe Phantom of the Opera6A
Creepy +
A Great Lake
EERIE +
ERIE
La La Sol Fa La La Sol Fa LaOh, Pretty Woman4R
Followers of Shaka +
Prepare
ZULUS +
PLAN
Re Mi Re Mi Fa Do Re Do ReClimb Ev’ry Mountain9Y

The extracted final clue is SNAKE SOUND PLUS GROW WEARY, which you must solve in the same way as the initial clues, except without the help of given note/rest lengths. The correct solution in this case is HISS + TIRE. It produces the tune “Fa Fa Fa Fa Mi Fa Sol La” from the song I DREAMED A DREAM, which is the answer to this puzzle.

Watson 2.0
Watson 2.0