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Odd One Out

By Scott Weiss

Each string consists of several elements from a particular category. Only the odd letters of a particular element are given, and one of the odd letters is missing. Those missing letters form the odd letters (minus one) of another element from the category. The missing letters from these “bonus” elements spell the puzzle’s answer. For each string, the elements making up the string are given, followed by the bonus element, followed by the missing letter from the bonus element. The final answer is UNCLE SAM.

  1. NWO KA ANA (New York – Kansas – Arkansas – Kentucky – U)
  2. ROET JFEN CIG MKN (Roosevelt – Jefferson – Coolidge – McKinley – Eisenhower - N)
  3. BSA HIBR PIEC BNOG (Bismarck – Harrisburg – Providence – Baton Rouge – Carson City – C)
  4. AEUIUN TEECOTEAB SHLRLS TEATME TENSPTET GAIT TEETD WSSDSO(A Beautiful Mind – The Silence of the Lambs – Schindler’s List – The Last Emperor – The English Patient – Gladiator – The Departed – West Side Story – Million Dollar Baby – L)
  5. YSAAA UENTOS LCLS MRILTKNJ (Yasser Arafat – United Nations - Lech Walesa - Martin Luther King Jr - Elie Wiesel – E)
  6. HRINGGR RUHGI HRCSHR SRUAK RNSE LRVLET NVLOGOTM (Hermione Granger – Rubeus Hagrid – Horace Slughorn – Sirius Black - Ron Weasley - Lord Voldemort – Neville Longbottom - Albus Dumbledore – S)
  7. CMCNRL AEIAMVELIS SIIHN BCMR CEDIEES ENETIMNTVSO - Comedy Central – American Movie Classics – Sci Fi Channel – BBC America – CNN Headline News – E Entertainment Television – Disney Channel – A)
  8. CLSDAS JCNOLC RBRMPTOP AWRO (Charles Addams – Jackson Pollock – Robert Mapplethorpe - Andy Warhol - Ansel Adams – M)