Quiz Guy John Chaneski dons his deerstalker cap and offers a cryptic puzzle in which the combination of two clued words results in a single word. Take, for example, this clue: “A word meaning ‘distant,’ and the end of him is where you’ll find things...
Why do speakers of the same language have different accents? A lively new book called Why We Talk Funny offers a linguist’s look at how and why accents develop. And: If you’ve “stood up” at a wedding, were you supporting the marriage or objecting to...
For this week’s puzzle, Quiz Guy John Chaneski has been swapping out a single letter within each of three words in a category. Suppose, for example, the category is fruit. What three fruits might you produce by changing just one letter in each of...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a take-off puzzle involving the letters V and W. Each sentence clues two words, one of which has lost either a V or a W. For example, what two words does the following sentence suggest? He plugged his guitar into the...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle relies on voiced and unvoiced consonants, specifically the consonants D and T. One clue brings to mind a famous name with an unvoiced T sound in it, but also a clue to the name if you replace the voiced T with an...
Whether it’s a Rubik’s cube or a round of Wordle, why do so many of us find puzzles irresistible? A new book celebrates the allure and psychological benefits of brain teasers. Plus, powerful language for talking about the chronic illnesses and...
