In this puzzle, you see a 4 × 4 grid of boxes that has 16 Egyptian hieroglyph symbols on it (the first 6 of which are the ones from the UK game show Only Connect, in order). These hieroglyphs also appear above the grid/wall in the same order, but with indexes after them in parentheses. Clicking on each box gets you a minipuzzle that pops up in a window with an answer checker as well. After a minipuzzle is solved, that answer and the hieroglyph now appear on the box, and the box has become “selectable.” Once you have begun to solve many of the minipuzzles, you are able to click on four boxes to try to make a set. Once you make a set, the set is removed from the grid and moved to the bottom of the page, and four clues appear below the grid. Eventually, all four sets will be at the bottom and the full set of 16 ordered clues will appear below the grid.
Each of the 16 minipuzzles gives a word or phrase, and you can then index into these answers using the hieroglyph-keyed numbers at the top of the puzzle to get the clue phrase USE FIFTH FOR VIGENERE KEY. These indexes and their order remain at the top of the grid, even as the answers move down after making sets. Each of the sets of four things you had connected in an Only Connect fashion could have a fifth word added, and the same word works in all four sets. That word is ARGO. Now you have 16 questions (with blanks) and your 16 answers fit into them to complete trivia clues, and the new set of 16 answers can be indexed by the number at the end of each clue. If you take this string of 16 “gibberish” letters, and use ARGO as the Vigenere key, it spells out “It’s INCLINED FAULT” and your answer is INCLINED FAULT.
Each of the clues gives a word in the official state nickname of the U.S. state. If you take the number and index into the state it spells “Connecticut’s.” If you repeat the process, Connecticut is officially the CONSTITUTION state, and that’s the answer.
Annoy persistently (4) | Badger | Wisconsin | C |
Not as far off in time (6) | Sooner | Oklahoma | O |
Coors-owned beer introduced in 1989 (10) | Keystone | Pennsylvania | N |
Like most American coins before 1965 (1) | Silver | Nevada | N |
One who offers help freely (9) | Volunteer | Tennessee | E |
Michael who wreaks havoc upon the Hoover Dam, Alcatraz, and New York City in his movies (6) | Bay | Massachusetts | C |
Cussler novel with antiquities hidden in Texas (4) | Treasure | Montana | T |
Emerald, e.g. (1) | Gem | Idaho | I |
1967, for Canada (1) | Centennial | Colorado | C |
Bill Monroe’s genre (5) | Bluegrass | Kentucky | U |
Marge Simpson’s hairdo (2) | Beehive | Utah | T |
Indian, e.g. (7) | Ocean | Rhode Island | S |
The first words in the list, before it becomes alphabetical, spell FORM GRIDS. If you make 5 × 5 grids (interlocking in alternate letters), you can make 4 grids from the 24 words.
The grids contain the words FIRST, BRACE, THREE, and FINAL which clue the ordering, and since the grids are symmetrical the central letter will always be the same, and in that order they spell LEAR.
FIRST BRACE THREE FINAL L E H L M X O E R U E E IGLOO OPERA TIARA GORGE R A R N E L E L T U V R TEXAN DURST MAMBO SEEDY
Each of these is a clue to a 4-letter word, and these form a looping word ladder that could only be missing one possible word to complete the loop, if repeated letter positions never repeat the change. That missing word is RAFT.
Hobbit clan | TOOK |
Buffoon | MOOK |
TV alien | MORK |
Grade | MARK |
Zenyatta, e.g. | MARE |
Lion’s pride? | MANE |
Walking implement | CANE |
Lean | CANT |
Chuck Palahniuk novel | RANT |
(Your Answer) | RAFT |
20th-century U.S. president | TAFT |
Dessert pastry | TART |
Wrongful act, legally | TORT |
Sound from a horn | TOOT |
Each of these clues is for a compound word or two-word phrase that form a looping chain. The element that is missing to complete the chain is FIREWALL. The clues are listed in alphabetical order so that you can form the chain.
Set of little kids having fun together as set up by their parents | PLAY GROUP |
Residence for a collection of people requiring care or supervision | GROUP HOME |
Person who rarely goes out | HOMEBODY |
Actor who stands in for a star, often during more revealing scenes | BODY DOUBLE |
Act of betrayal involving an associate | DOUBLE CROSS |
Former CNN nightly debate show | CROSSFIRE |
(Your Answer) | FIREWALL |
Metonym for the U.S. financial and corporate world | WALL STREET |
Item supported by a lamppost | STREETLIGHT |
S.H.I.E.L.D. bunker found near Lake Ontario, with “The” | LIGHTHOUSE |
Male domestic worker from the British colonial era originally | HOUSEBOY |
Young man who offers himself as a sex object | BOY TOY |
Dog breed much smaller than its standard version | TOY POODLE |
Fashion item popular with teenage girls in the 1950s | POODLE SKIRT |
Long, flat cut of beef often used for fajitas | SKIRT STEAK |
Utensil for cutting your T-bone | STEAK KNIFE |
Form of BDSM using daggers and swords | KNIFE PLAY |
Each of these clues is read aloud to you by the actual Only Connect host, Victoria Coren Mitchell. Each of them clues a 6-letter word that contains the letters AESTR and one other letter. These additional letters, in each case in order, spell out KING ARTHUR.
Run around intentionally naked | STREAK | K |
Gulliver's Travels, for example | SATIRE | I |
Aft | ASTERN | N |
Italian witch | STREGA | G |
Cowboy ropes | REATAS | A |
Collar | ARREST | R |
Winery employee | TASTER | T |
Famous American newspaperman | HEARST | H |
French painter of the late 1800s | SEURAT | U |
Decliner of a Nobel Prize | SARTRE | R |
Each of these sets of words contains an anagram of a word, an antonym of a word, and a rhyme of a word. If you read the first letters of these words, it spells out another set FELT, REFFED, RIGHT, which clues LEFT.
Antonym | Rhyme | Anagram | Word | First Letter |
---|---|---|---|---|
STURDY | STALE | FLAIR | FRAIL | F |
HARD | BREEZY | YEAS | EASY | E |
MINUTE | CHARGE | REGAL | LARGE | L |
STRAIGHTENED | SEIZED | SEDATE | TEASED | T |
FICTIONAL | STEEL | EARL | REAL | R |
APATHETIC | MEAGER | AGREE | EAGER | E |
STAGNANT | TRUANT | UNFELT | FLUENT | F |
TEPID | DIARY | REIFY | FIERY | F |
LATE | SURLY | LAYER | EARLY | E |
GLUT | MIRTH | HATRED | DEARTH | D |
CALM | CLOUDY | WORDY | ROWDY | R |
EXTERNAL | THINNER | RENIN | INNER | I |
STREW | SHEEN | ANGEL | GLEAN | G |
MOROSE | PARTY | EARTHY | HEARTY | H |
SAFETY | DEBT | HATTER | THREAT | T |
Each of these clues a word that is one letter off from one of the radio alphabet words. Taking the new letters in order spells SOUTH OPPOSITE which clues NORTH.
Enterprise helmsman | SULU | ZULU | S |
Pricey prom ride | LIMO | LIMA | O |
Tumbler or chrysalis | PUPA | PAPA | U |
Highland apparel | KILT | KILO | T |
Long walk in the woods | HIKE | MIKE | H |
Cinco y tres | OCHO | ECHO | O |
Speak directly to God | PRAY | X-RAY | P |
Constellation near Columba and Dorado | PICTOR | VICTOR | P |
Common name for infectious pododermatitis, which affects the hooves of cattle and sheep | FOOT ROT | FOXTROT | O |
Opening in the head where the shaft of a golf club fits | HOSEL | HOTEL | S |
Maeby portrayer | ALIA | ALFA | I |
Band that charted with “Together” in 1980 | TIERRA | SIERRA | T |
Pixar fairy tale | BRAVE | BRAVO | E |
Clues lead to answer pairs in which each answer has a single consonant—the same consonant in each pair. The consonants spell CBNCPTL which can be re-expanded to CUBAN CAPITAL or HAVANA.
Farewell in Firenze; Frigid | ciao; icy | C |
Reed instrument; One of many waterways in Louisiana | oboe; bayou | B |
Ancient region to the west of Lydia; Former Hawaiian senator | Ionia; Inouye | N |
Billiards need; Group Clarence Thomas once chaired | cue; EEOC | C |
Howard role; Fencing weapon | Opie; epee | P |
Tribe of the central plains; Sewing case | Otoe; etui | T |
Founder of the American Dance Theater; Fancy mayonnaise | Ailey; aioli | L |
The first clue in each pair leads to a “long” answer of 7 or 8 letters. The second clue leads to a “short” answer of 3 or 4 letters comprising the exterior letters of the “long” answer. The initial letters of the unclued, four-letter interior words spell out ACTOR BRONSON VESSEL which is another set of clues giving P(INCH)OT, and the unclued portion, INCH, is the answer.
Make rougher | Prisoner | CO(ARSE)N | A |
Director Linklater | Disencumber | RI(CHAR)D | C |
Adult male horse | German electric car due out in 2019 | S(TALL)ION | T |
Type of chemical bond | Penny | C(OVAL)ENT | O |
Like many infected wound discharges | Flat-bottomed boat | PU(RULE)NT | R |
Aria from Carmen, familiarly | “Abdomen” in Japanese medicine | HA(BANE)RA | B |
Let out of prison | Place to take notes | PA(ROLE)D | R |
Carbonate mineral used for decoration | Pass (out) | DOL(OMIT)E | O |
Phonograph needle holder | Male cat | TO(NEAR)M | N |
Separation in time or space | Craps need | DI(STAN)CE | S |
Solemn agreement | Inclination | C(OVEN)ANT | O |
Wisconsin city | Green New Zealand parrot | KE(NOSH)A | N |
Debased or distorted imitation | Waiter’s carrier | TRA(VEST)Y | V |
Money coming into a company | Bitter woody herb | R(EVEN)UE | E |
Baby holder | Feline-headed Egyptian goddess | BAS(SINE)T | S |
Having a front rim, as a hat | Short movie | VI(SORE)D | S |
Hillary’s daughter | Medical care provider in MIT’s town | CH(ELSE)A | E |
What Jeanne d’Arc was the maid of | Logic gates | OR(LEAN)S | L |
Each of these clues gives an answer that has an animal name hidden inside it. The first letters of those spell out PEANUTS DOG BREED which is BEAGLE.
Sparkling wine from Asti | spumante | PUMA | P |
Longest bone in the human body | femur | EMU | E |
Its capital was Nineveh | Assyria | ASS | A |
1,000,000 gram-meters per second squared | kilonewton | NEWT | N |
Moving with a sudden jerk, like when a subway starts | lurching | URCHIN | U |
Author of Doctor Zhivago | Pasternak | TERN | T |
Country that borders Namibia and South Africa | Botswana | SWAN | S |
Take arbitrary or forceful possession of, particularly for police or military use | commandeer | DEER | D |
Second largest city in the Netherlands | Rotterdam | OTTER | O |
Swift’s traveler | Gulliver | GULL | G |
Ent that hangs out with hobbits | Treebeard | BEAR | B |
Watery poop | diarrhea | RHEA | R |
New Hampshire county whose seat is Laconia | Belknap | ELK | E |
Rue | regret | EGRET | E |
Movie that has a 1976 sequel entitled Drum | Mandingo | DINGO | D |
Each clue in the first column can be paired with one in the second column such that their answers are reversals of each other. The initial letters of the second-column answers, ordered by the first-column clues of their reversed counterparts, spell out FLIP ACHY OR MAD which means reverse sore, or EROS.
Tiger’s sport | Whip | GOLF/FLOG | F |
Iniquitous | On-air | EVIL/LIVE | L |
Seaweed sheet | Press | NORI/IRON | I |
Small town or village | Goad | DORP/PROD | P |
Mediterranean island | Willing partner? | ELBA/ABLE | A |
Sam on GLOW | Study hastily | MARC/CRAM | C |
Expression of contempt | Earring shape | POOH/HOOP | H |
Heavy cart | Linear measure | DRAY/YARD | Y |
Famed captain | Sign | NEMO/OMEN | O |
Villain’s base | Shiraz scratch | LAIR/RIAL | R |
Type of cheese | Identified | EDAM/MADE | M |
Famed volcano | Pay to play | ETNA/ANTE | A |
The Defenders actor | Bambi, e.g. | REED/DEER | D |
Each of these sets contains three clues, where each clue solves to a 6-letter word, and in the first set the first two letters are the same, in the second set the middle two letters are the same, and in the third set the final two letters are the same. Taking these three bigrams in order spells DOMINO.
Medicinal amount | DOSAGE |
Set of cases before a court | DOCKET |
Aussie currency | DOLLAR |
Like a virgin, e.g. | SIMILE |
Stone used at a nail parlor | PUMICE |
Corn-based breakfast food | HOMINY |
One lacking melanin | ALBINO |
Foxwoods, e.g. | CASINO |
San Joaquin Valley city | FRESNO |
There are two columns of clues in alphabetical order. Each clue solves to a word that can be arranged with the other words into a series of transdeletions. The letters that are removed each time, from each of the three words, in each column, spell out QUA and KER to make QUAKER.
Sid Sackson game | Acquire | |
Amicus follower | curiae | Q |
Heath-type shrub | erica | U |
Cereal grass | rice | A |
Component of hair | keratin | |
Rods’ home | retina | K |
“Drops of Jupiter” band | Train | E |
One opposed | anti | R |
Each of these sets of clues is alphabetized, and the sets are alphabetized as well. Each set of clues solves to six 3-letter words, which will make a word square. Ordering by the upper left letters (which are A through G), the central letters spell RED STAR which is the answer.
Agency in HHS | FDA |
Hearing organ | EAR |
Legolas, e.g. | ELF |
Lentil dish | DAL |
Price to enter | FEE |
Sound from Sandy | ARF |
Aladdin’s partner in crime | ABU |
Close male pal | BRO |
Coastal Indian state | GOA |
Cross the sportscaster | IRV |
Home to the Cavaliers | UVA |
Insurance company bailed out in 2008 | AIG |
Antiquated | OLD |
Common chat request | ASL |
Employ | USE |
High school equivalency test | GED |
Pair | DUO |
Trygve follower | DAG |
Automated responder | BOT |
Caspian, e.g. | SEA |
Diet soda brand | TAB |
National anthem contraction | OER |
Ozawa used to head it | BSO |
Travel like a Whitelighter | ORB |
Corn remnant | COB |
Despot Amin | IDI |
Dry, as a wine | SEC |
Opposite of trans | CIS |
Pen manufacturer | BIC |
Poetic form | ODE |
Fish eggs | ROE |
For all time, poetically | EER |
Greek vowel | ETA |
Hon | BAE |
Recede | EBB |
“Takin’ Care of Business” band | BTO |
Fleischer the press secretary | ARI |
Period of time | ERA |
Ruby, e.g. | GEM |
Russian fighter plane | MIG |
Sack | BAG |
Yak | GAB |
AIG BSO COB DAG EER FEE GAB BRO OER IDI USE BTO DAL ERA UVA TAB SEC OLD BAE ARF MIG
At the top is a series of clues, clued in an important order. Below is a series of longer answers, clued in alphabetical order (though there is a missing clue, for the final answer). Each of the clues below is for a longer phrase that is an anagram of two consecutive words in the upper list. Upon doing this, there is no clue for BALL + PACKER which anagrams to BLACK PEARL, the minipuzzle answer.
Beer holder (5) | STEIN |
Director Frank (5) | CAPRA |
Oversee, as a bar (4) | TEND |
Gas (5) | VAPOR |
Garner vehicle (5) | ALIAS |
Hip-length clothing item (5) | TUNIC |
Vandyke and Balbo (6) | BEARDS |
Burning (5) | AFIRE |
Not shy (5) | UNCOY |
Washington, e.g. (5) | STATE |
Coming-out location? (4) | BALL |
Midwestern NFLer (6) | PACKER |
Milo’s partner (4) | OTIS |
Turbulence causers (2 wds.) | AIR POCKETS = PACKER + OTIS |
(Your Answer) | BLACK PEARL = BALL + PACKER |
Common American administrative center or home to local government (2 wds.) | COUNTY SEAT = STATE + UNCOY |
Living room furniture item | DAVENPORT = VAPOR + TEND |
What a police officer might investigate | DISTURBANCE = BEARDS + TUNIC |
Late Beatles hit (4 wds.) | FREE AS A BIRD = AFIRE + BEARDS |
Defiantly aggressive (hyph.) | IN-YOUR-FACE = UNCOY + AFIRE |
Blofeld's pet (2 wds.) | PERSIAN CAT = CAPRA + STEIN |
Caribbean nation (2 wds.) | SAINT LUCIA = TUNIC + ALIAS |
Source of iodine, usually (2 wds.) | TABLE SALT = BALL + STATE |
Gregory Hines, e.g. (2 wds.) | TAP DANCER = CAPRA + TEND |
Inflammation of connective tissue | TENOSITIS = OTIS + STEIN |
Indiana university | VALPARAISO = VAPOR + ALIAS |
Here, a list of trigrams can be arranged into four words. If you look at these words, they form a loop, where the first/last two letters of each overlap. Taking those overlapping letters in order spells AMETHYST.
AMULET | AM |
ETHNARCHY | ET |
HYPNOTIST | HY |
STYROFOAM | ST |
These 16 answers can be arranged into 4 sets:
Each of these sets could have a common fifth word added to them. That word is ARGO, which then becomes the Vigenere key.
Figuring out all 4 sets will give you all sixteen clues in order. Below are the answers to the clues, and the letter that is extracted from each answer.
Her ___ was angry (5) | INCH | HEDWIG | I |
Full name of the actress who played ___ in 1983 (1) | DOMINO | KIM BASINGER | K |
State where a ___ is the D-I sports mascot (6) | QUAKER | PENNSYLVANIA | Y |
Full name of the female athlete nicknamed The ___ (1) | BLACK PEARL | WILMA RUDOLPH | W |
Best-known work by Peter ___ (9) | BEAGLE | THE LAST UNICORN | N |
Month N : Month N - 1 :: ___ : ? (6) | AMETHYST | GARNET | T |
Youngest daughter of ___ (3) | LEAR | CORDELIA | R |
The last alphabetical attribute in the category with ___ (1) | CONSTITUTION | WISDOM | W |
Real full name of G.I. Joe character with the codename ___ (14) | FIREWALL | MICHELLE LACHANCE | N |
Wife of ___ (6) | KING ARTHUR | GUINEVERE | V |
A ___ can be found in the middle of a white region on this African flag (2) | RED STAR | DJIBOUTI | J |
Surname of French painter who painted a ___ from a famed shipwreck (9) | RAFT | GERICAULT | T |
Word after ___ in a Le Guin novel (2) | LEFT | HAND | A |
Full name of the singer of the 2017 hit song ___ (12) | HAVANA | CAMILA CABELLO | L |
___ of the Iran Contra Affair (6) | NORTH | OLIVER | R |
Goddess considered the mother of ___ (3) | EROS | APHRODITE | H |
Now you have IKYWNTRWNVJTALRH, which if you use ARGO as the Vigenere key can be decrypted to ITS INCLINED FAULT.