| Author | Message | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 344 Registered: 3-2004 |
Was is it, that in a to - and of - the? | ||
| Ohlala8 (Ohlala8)
New member Username: Ohlala8 Post Number: 438 Registered: 6-2009 |
Could this be read as a grammatically correct sentence as it is written here? Would it be clearer if certain words had quotes around them, denoting that you're talking about the words themselves? Is there any missing punctuation? Missing words? Missing letters? Is there a code or cipher at work? | ||
| Ohlala8 (Ohlala8)
New member Username: Ohlala8 Post Number: 439 Registered: 6-2009 |
Also, is the title a clue? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 346 Registered: 3-2004 |
Ohlala8: Could this be read as a grammatically correct sentence as it is written here? No Would it be clearer if certain words had quotes around them, denoting that you're talking about the words themselves? No, it's already clear as mud Is there any missing punctuation? No, certainly not. Missing words? No Missing letters? No Is there a code or cipher at work? Not really, but slightly OTRT. Also, is the title a clue? In a twisted way, yes. | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 91 Registered: 6-2009 |
OTRT? Only Tommyp Reads Thesauruses? Do you have to scramble words? Letters? Do you have to take away word? Letters? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 349 Registered: 3-2004 |
Quovynyte: OTRT? Only Tommyp Reads Thesauruses? On The Right Track (From the LTPF list of acronyms) Do you have to scramble words? Letters? Do you have to take away word? Letters? No to all | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 93 Registered: 6-2009 |
Do you have to modify and letters? Is the way it's written here the way you're to read it? Duke = nobleman/British Peer of highest rank? Do the -'s denote brackets? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 351 Registered: 3-2004 |
Do you have to modify and letters? No Is the way it's written here the way you're to read it? No, not really the way anyone would write it either. Just some obfuscation. Duke = nobleman/British Peer of highest rank? Yes Do the -'s denote brackets? No, they're just there to irritate. :-) | ||
| Ohlala8 (Ohlala8)
New member Username: Ohlala8 Post Number: 442 Registered: 6-2009 |
Not a duke... is it a duchess? count/countess? earl/whatever the female version of that is? lord/lady? marquis/marquise? prince/princess? king/queen? commoner? pauper? not a noble status at all? not a person at all? Is the puzzle statement an anagram? Do some words/punctuation/letters need to be taken away? moved? rearranged? Do the words/letters stand for something else? Eht - fo dna - ot a ni taht, ti si saw? The - of and - to a in that, it is was? (Do either of these statements mean anything? Would either of them work as an alternate puzzle statment?) Anything to do with the most commonly used words in the English language? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 362 Registered: 3-2004 |
Ohlala8: Not a duke... is it a duchess? count This, but... /countess? earl/whatever the female version of that is? lord/lady? marquis/marquise? prince/princess? king/queen? commoner? pauper? not a noble status at all? not a person at all? Correct Is the puzzle statement an anagram? No Do some words/punctuation/letters need to be taken away? They don't need to be taken away, but they serve no function there apart from decorating the puzzle statement. So just pretend they're not there. moved? rearranged? Do the words/letters stand for something else? No Eht - fo dna - ot a ni taht, ti si saw? The - of and - to a in that, it is was? (Do either of these statements mean anything? No Would either of them work as an alternate puzzle statment?) Only for an alternate puzzle, not this one Anything to do with the most commonly used words in the English language? Very much so :-) | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 797 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is it simply the list of the most commonly used words in the English language? In order ("was" is most common, then "it," etc.)? In reverse order ("the" is the most common, then "of," etc.)? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 376 Registered: 3-2004 |
Noel: Is it simply the list of the most commonly used words in the English language? Yes In order ("was" is most common, then "it," etc.)? In reverse order ("the" is the most common, then "of," etc.)? This. The puzzle is not solved now, but well on its way! | ||
| Alhucema (Alhucema)
New member Username: Alhucema Post Number: 1240 Registered: 11-2008 |
Is "count" a verb? | ||
| Applesbananas (Applesbananas)
New member Username: Applesbananas Post Number: 3 Registered: 10-2009 |
All these words are the most common. Commoners cannot be Dukes. Therefore, the words are not dukes. Is this right? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 377 Registered: 3-2004 |
Alhucema: Is "count" a verb? Yes, and then some... Applesbananas: All these words are the most common. Commoners cannot be Dukes. Therefore, the words are not dukes. Is this right? While all this is correct, it's not relevant for this puzzle, but good thinking. | ||
| Ohlala8 (Ohlala8)
New member Username: Ohlala8 Post Number: 447 Registered: 6-2009 |
I'm intrigued, and yet I'm not sure where to go from here. Does "count" function as both a verb and a noun? Do we need to know anything more about the puzzle statement than the fact that it is a list of the top ten most commonly used English words, in reverse order? Does this list provide the key to something we need to count? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 378 Registered: 3-2004 |
Ohlala8: I'm intrigued, and yet I'm not sure where to go from here. Does "count" function as both a verb and a noun? Yes and Yesish Do we need to know anything more about the puzzle statement than the fact that it is a list of the top ten most commonly used English words, in reverse order? No, those words are just that, but... Does this list provide the key to something we need to count? The list is a key to get to what could be called "The Second Puzzle Statement", similar to woubit's "A Better Tail" puzzle. | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 855 Registered: 7-2009 |
Which of the following aspects about the puzzle statement point towards the meaning of the clue: Backwards? Least to most? Common? Count? Count words? Common words? The English language? The most common words of the English language? 10? Ranking something? The fact that it ends in a question mark? Reverse? Front to back? Back to front? Reverse order? It seems to say "The 10 most common words of the English language in backwards order." But that's not really a clue to anything because you've already given us the list of words. | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 379 Registered: 3-2004 |
Noel: Which of the following aspects about the puzzle statement point towards the meaning of the clue: Backwards? Yesish Least to most? Common? Count? Yes, this Count words? Common words? The English language? The most common words of the English language? 10? Ranking something? The fact that it ends in a question mark? Reverse? Yesish Front to back? Back to front? Reverse order? Yesish It seems to say "The 10 most common words of the English language in backwards order." But that's not really a clue to anything because you've already given us the list of words. The "puzzle statement" I'm looking for only consists of one word, I think that's a help :-) Then, when we have the puzzle statement, it's not much left until the puzzle is solved. I didn't want to make this my first puzzle in a long time lasting too long. | ||
| Alhucema (Alhucema)
New member Username: Alhucema Post Number: 1274 Registered: 11-2008 |
A wild guess at the puzzle statement: Common? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 864 Registered: 7-2009 |
Countdown? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 380 Registered: 3-2004 |
Alhucema: A wild guess at the puzzle statement: Common? Sorry, not useful right now. Noel: Countdown? YES! well done. So, now we have the puzzle statement "Countdown". But it's not so that we start all over with just that word and nothing else sofar has any meaning, we are still "in the same realm" (and not so far from the goal at all). | ||
| Alhucema (Alhucema)
New member Username: Alhucema Post Number: 1275 Registered: 11-2008 |
It seems as if the words have been ordered in a reverse order as to their frequency in the English language - like a "countdown" which goes down from No 10 or whatever to No 1. | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 866 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is the English language still a relevant clue to solving the puzzle? Or is its usefulness finished? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 381 Registered: 3-2004 |
Alcuhema: It seems as if the words have been ordered in a reverse order as to their frequency in the English language - like a "countdown" which goes down from No 10 or whatever to No 1. Yes, that is the way to get to Countdown. | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 382 Registered: 3-2004 |
Noel: Is the English language still a relevant clue to solving the puzzle? Or is its usefulness finished? The English language in itself is now only useful for our questions/answers, but something else from above is useful. | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 204 Registered: 6-2009 |
Is frequency still relevant? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 384 Registered: 3-2004 |
Quovynyte: Is frequency still relevant? In a way, but can mislead. | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 867 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is the word common relevant now? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 385 Registered: 3-2004 |
Noel: Is the word common relevant now? Yes | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 930 Registered: 7-2009 |
Are we supposed to count down something else that is common? Is this also about common words? A common occurrence? A common trait? A common mistake? A common problem? A common name? Countdown: of a rocket? A missile launch? A race start? A deadline? A holiday? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 386 Registered: 3-2004 |
Noel: Are we supposed to count down something else that is common? No, not really Is this also about common words? A common occurrence? This fits best A common trait? A common mistake? A common problem? A common name? Countdown: of a rocket? A missile launch? A race start? A deadline? A holiday? This | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 387 Registered: 3-2004 |
Terrorist A to Terrorist B: "All set up for blowing up the bomb and kill some capitalists. At which of the occasions we discussed shall we do it?" Terrorist B, who likes his puzzles: "Was is it, that in a to - and of - the?" | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 941 Registered: 7-2009 |
Is it a US holiday? A religious holiday? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 388 Registered: 3-2004 |
Noel: Is it a US holiday? Not US-specific, no A religious holiday? For some, yes. For many, not. | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 227 Registered: 9-2009 |
Countdown to the new year? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 389 Registered: 3-2004 |
Galfisk: Countdown to the new year? Exactly! ********************SPOILER************************* The original puzzle statement was: Was is it, that in a to - and of - the? That's the ten most common words in the English language, in reverse order. So they're number 10, 9, 8 and so forth to 1. That gave the second puzzle statement Countdown Since it was a countdown of the most common words, it should also be the most common countdown. And at the last ten seconds of New Year's Eve, a lot of people around the world (though one hour apart) are counting down from ten. ...and maybe opens a bottle of champagne. Champagne to Galfisk, Noel, Quovynyte, Alhucema, Ohlala8 and Applesbananas! |
