Infuriating Puzzle

Posted by: JeremyD on 25 February 2004

Here's a Puzzle in case anyone is interested. However, if you don't get the answer you may be furious when you find out what it is - don't say I didn't warn you.

The puzzle will be presented as a set of nine lines containing letters and/or numbers and asterisks. The asterisks represent spaces and may be ignored. The lines may be presented in the "wrong" order - whatever that means. No further clues will be given.

The answer is a sequence of six letters and/or numbers. It is unlikely but not implausible that someone will get the answer after the first line.

Here is the first line:

T U E D I E

Any ideas?

PS anyone who gives the answer before all lines of the puzzle are listed should provide the missing lines (in any order).

Posted on: 25 February 2004 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly

quote:
Originally posted by JeremyD:

Any ideas?

I dont even understand the question

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy

Posted on: 25 February 2004 by Thomas K

Jeremy, do you have to speak or at least understand English to be able to solve the puzzle?

Thomas

Posted on: 25 February 2004 by JeremyD

Mike,
Understanding the question and finding the answer are more or less synonymous.

Thomas,
Yes, you need to know English.

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by JeremyD

Today's line:

* A S A L X

BTW I forgot to mention that one line contains an apostrophe.

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by seagull

Anything else you've forgotten to mention?

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly

quote:
Originally posted by JeremyD:
Today's line:

_* A S A L X_

BTW I forgot to mention that one line contains an apostrophe.

Like I said, I don't even understand the question. What hope do I have if even you dont understand it??

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Tim Jones

This is a hoot!

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by ChrisD

quote:
Originally posted by mike lacey:

quote:
Originally posted by JeremyD:

Any ideas?

I dont even understand the question

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy

i think the main reason none of us understand the question. is that there doesnt actually seem to be a question! or am i just being stupid?

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by JeremyD

Mike,

quote:
Like I said, I don't even understand the question. What hope do I have if even you dont understand it??

This question will be answered later.

Seagull,

quote:
Anything else you've forgotten to mention?

Ummm... Well, I deliberately omitted to mention that some of the asterisks actually represent irrelevant symbols rather than spaces. I thought it would be too confusing to explain this.

As for the part where I said no further clues would be given, well...

Chris,

quote:
i think the main reason none of us understand the question. is that there doesnt actually seem to be a question! or am i just being stupid?

Part of the question is to work out what the question is.

The problem is to get from almost impossible to absolutely obvious in a way that gives someone an opportunity to get the answer before the "absolutely obvious" point. I'm not sure if I'll succeed but in this but I'm trying...

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly

quote:
Originally posted by JeremyD:

Seagull,
quote:
Anything else you've forgotten to mention?
Ummm... Well, I deliberately omitted to mention that some of the asterisks actually represent irrelevant symbols rather than spaces. I thought it would be too confusing to explain this.

...

Thanks for clearing this up.

By the way, should you ever need to borrow an Atlas, ensure that the page giving your destination is ripped out - to ensure that you do not get lost.

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Don Atkinson

Part of the question is to work out what the question is.

....here is the second "infuriating puzzle"......

Q:

Cheers

Don

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly

Don

Its either "42", or "P I G T R O M B O N E"

Regards

Mike

On the Yellow Brick Road and Happy

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Don Atkinson

Its either "42", or "P I G T R O M B O N E"

Mike,

Is this the question, or the answer, or just a taster of each....

Mind you, I'm not yet saying whether you are right or wrong...

Cheers

Don

Posted on: 26 February 2004 by syd

quote:
Originally posted by Don Atkinson:

Mind you, I'm not yet saying whether you are right or wrong...

Cheers

Don

It must be wrong if as Jeremy stated at the start the answer is

quote:
a sequence of six letters and/or numbers.

The above answer doesn't fit.
Jeremy states that there will be 9 lines which I presume will appear as

T U E D I E
* A S A L X
though not necesarily in that order, and is the second line being BOLD significant?

Yours in Music

Syd

Posted on: 27 February 2004 by JeremyD

The second line was in bold to simply to make it easily findable.

Only one line [which I expect to give on Sunday or Monday*] will contain more than one character for any of its six entries, and the problem can be solved without that line. In fact, if anyone finds the answer before I give this line then the line itself is an acceptable answer. This would allow others to keep working on the puzzle to find the six character answer.

Lines so far:

T U E D I E
* A S A L X

Today's line:

1 I 6 C T H

BTW I nearly replaced one of today's characters with a different one - an understandable mistake.

* NB the choice of day is not a clue - it's just a question of guessing from people's replies whether they are thinking along the right lines - or for that matter still interested in the puzzle - and providing further lines accordingly.

[This message was edited by JeremyD on FRIDAY 27 February 2004 at 13:19.]

Posted on: 27 February 2004 by Don Atkinson

Just a brief re-cap....

The puzzle will be presented as a set of nine lines containing letters and/or numbers and asterisks and one line will contain an apostraphe and one line will contain two characters representing a single entry but this line isn't really needed to find the solution, but....it will be accepted as a valid solution if identified soon enough. The asterisks represent spaces and may be ignored. but sometimes the asterisks actually represent irrellevant symbolsThe lines may be presented in the "wrong" order - whatever that means. No further clues will be given.

However, further clues have been given

The "wrong order" could have a number of possible meanings eg "back to front"; "out of sequence";.....

The lines are not linked to the days of the week.

The first line is enough to solve the problem, but unlikely.

Its important to recognise the difference between 1 and I (possibly)

Jerremy might still have "forgotten" to mention a few things.....

Cheers

Don

Posted on: 27 February 2004 by garyi

Lets be honest though once he gives the answer we will all go: "Oh yeaaaa" which I think is the point.

I havn't got a clue by the way.

Posted on: 27 February 2004 by GML

Got it

Posted on: 27 February 2004 by MichaelC

M I N D F C U K

This is evil...

It's bugging me...

Aaaagggghhhh

Mike

Posted on: 28 February 2004 by JeremyD

Lines so far:

T U E D I E
* A S A L X
1 I 6 C T H

Today's line:

H 2 * 4 3 5

Posted on: 28 February 2004 by count.d

Jeremy,

You're right about it being infuriating.

Posted on: 28 February 2004 by GML

To put everyone out of misery, here's the answer:

If you take cranberries and stew them like apple sauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.

So there you have it - next puzzle please.

Posted on: 28 February 2004 by JeremyD

Oh dear: this thread seems to be collapsing into an indeterminate mixture of anarchy and cookery advice, so I'd better give you the next line.

Lines so far:

T U E D I E
* A S A L X
1 I 6 C T H
H 2 * 4 3 5

Today's second line:

H * ' * * *

Posted on: 28 February 2004 by ErikL

Got it:

STALLION SAYS HI TO ALL THE PATHETIC LAB RATS OF THE NAIM FORUM. GOTCHA!

...U-571...over...

Posted on: 28 February 2004 by JeremyD

LOL!

<Benjy and Frankie mouse exchange wicked glances>

[This message was edited by JeremyD on SATURDAY 28 February 2004 at 23:42.]