More puzzles!
Use your amazing powers of deduction and logic
to identify the misfit in each of these groups, and explain why. Use your
dictionary only as a last resort.
1. ANOINTMENT, APPOINTMENT, OINTMENT
2. SICK, SICKLE, SICKLY
3. ROSELLA, RUBELLA, SALMONELLA
4. MACHINATION, MACHINE, MACHINERY
5. HISPANIC, TEUTONIC, SARDONIC
6. TENDER, PURLOIN, STEAL
7. ACCIDENT, OCCIDENT, ORIENT
8. CENTIPEDE, MILLIPEDE, VELOCIPEDE
9. COW, HIPPODROME, HIPPOPOTAMUS,
10. APOSTROPHE, CATASTROPHE, CATACLYSM
Odd One Out
In each of these groups of three words, there is one which does not belong. The
other two are related in some way. Identify the words that are related. Explain
why or how they are related. Explain why the odd one out is not related to the
other two.
1. ALLERGY, ALLEGORY, FABLE
2. ASTROLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY
3. EXCHANGE, BARTER, BANTER
4. BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, PESSIMISM
5. COLON, COMIC, COMMA
6. MARSUPIAL, MAMMAL, MANDIBLE
7. CURRANT, CURRENT, RAISIN
8. AVUNCULAR, PATERNAL, CUBICLE
Middle meddles
Test your word power with these puzzles!
Middle meddle 1
These 8-letter words all have the letters T T in the middle This is the letter
pattern of each one-word answer to the clues: TT. Fill in the missing
letters to complete each word. The answers are in alphabetical order. The first
one has been done for you
1. A place where animals are killed for food. TT. Answer ABATTOIR
2. Someone's personal possessions. This is not a very common word. TT
3. Extreme praise of someone but it might be insincere praise. TT
4. "All that —— is not gold." TT
5. Greed. TT
6. Small caves, sometimes with attractive features. TT
7. The act of using needles and wool to make clothing. TT
8. Spreads or distributes. TT
Middle meddle 2
This is the letter pattern of each one-word answer to the clues: SS. Fill
in the missing letters to complete each word. The answers are in alphabetical
order.
1. Totally and wonderfully delightful. SS
2. Capital of a country and name of a sprout! SS
3. Categorise. SS
4. Some bicycles have one of these. SS
5. An explanatory word list. SS
6. The Greek name of Ulysses. SS
7. Something which is left out. SS
8. You can cut nails with these. SS
Middle meddle 3
This is the letter pattern of each one-word answer to the clues: CK. Fill in
the missing letters to complete each word. The answers are not in alphabetical
order.
1. An old fashioned farming implement. CK
2. This person, depending on how you use the word, cuts wood rather clumsily or
breaks into computer programs. CK
3. To interrupt and annoy a speaker, especially a public speaker such as a
politician. CK
4. This noun can mean either (a) a wooden fence post or (b) a trade union member
who prevents other people from entering a workplace during a strike. CK
5. A model of a piece of apparatus, a book, or other item. It shows what the
finished article will look like. The answer is one word, but it sometimes
appears as two words and sometimes with a hyphen between them. CK
6. This is a small container to hold a picture of a close friend. It is
sometimes made of a precious metal and hangs from a necklace. CK
7. This verb describes something a hen does. It is an example of onomatopoeia.
CK
8. If you have written a document on your computer, and lose it, you will have
to do it all over again if you haven't made one of these. It is sometimes on
one, sometimes two words with a hyphen. CK
Middle meddle 4
The letter patterns in these words vary. Fill in the missing letters to complete
each word. They are not in alphabetical order.
1. It contains recipes. CK
2. You will find at least one of these in a library. KC
3. A small squirrel-like mammal. CK
4. Bound to be a place to keep a record of financial transactions. CK
5. Affecting emotions or feelings. Can also mean "to the point". GN *
6. Not flowing, inactive. GN
7. You hope that your doctor will do this when you visit the surgery. GN
8. A monarch is doing this. GN
* Extra cryptic clue to no. 5: It compounds into pang..
Yes, you can scroll down for the answers. Please don't do that until you have
really thought about them and discussed any you are not sure about.
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Answers to Misfits
1. ANOINTMENT, APPOINTMENT, OINTMENT
Appointment is the misfit became ointment comes from anointment, and has a
related meaning.
2. SICK, SICKLE, SICKLY
Sickle is the misfit, because sick and sickly are related.
3. ROSELLA, RUBELLA, SALMONELLA
Rosella is the misfit, because rubella and salmonella are both something to do
with disease and sickness.
4. HISPANIC, TEUTONIC, SARDONIC
Sardonic is the misfit. The other two relate to peoples and their languages.
Look them up if you are not sure what they mean.
5. TENDER, PURLOIN, STEAL
Tender means offer. Purloin means steal. Tender is the misfit.
6. ACCIDENT, OCCIDENT, ORIENT
Occident means west. Orient means east. Accident is the misfit.
7. CENTIPEDE, MILLIPEDE, VELOCIPEDE
Centipede and millipede are insects. Velocipede is the misfit because... well,
look it up!
8. COW, HIPPODROME, HIPPOPOTAMUS
Hippodrome and hippopotamus derive from the Greek root hippo, meaning horse. Cow
is the misfit.
9. APOSTROPHE, CATASTROPHE, CATACLYSM, MAELSTROM
Apostrophe is the odd one out. The others refer to disastrous events.
Answers to Odd One Out
1. ALLERGY, ALLEGORY, FABLE Allegory and fable are related. Allergy is a health
problem.
2. ASTROLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY Psychology and sociology are both academic
sciences. Astrology is not a real science. It is based on superstition.
3. EXCHANGE, BARTER, BANTER Exchange means the same as barter. Banter means
"playful teasing".
4. BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, PESSIMISM Buddhism and Hinduism are religions. Pessimism
is a gloomy attitude.
5. COLON, COMIC, COMMA Colon and comma are punctuation markes. Comic means
"funny".
6. MARSUPIAL, MAMMAL, MANDIBLE Marsupial and mammal are types of animals. A
mandible is the bottom part of a bird's beak or the lower part of a the jaw.
7. CURRANT, CURRENT, RAISIN Currant and raisin are types of dried grapes.
Current means "flow" especially of water or electricity.
8. AVUNCULAR, PATERNAL, CUBICLE Avuncular means "behaving like an uncle".
Paternal means "behaving like a father". A cubicle is a small room or
compartment.
Answers Middle meddle 1
1. ABATTOIR
2. CHATTELS
3. FLATTERY
4. GLITTERS
5. GLUTTONY
6. GROTTOES
7. KNITTING
8. SCATTERS
Answers Middle meddle 2
1. BLISSFUL
2. BRUSSELS
3. CLASSIFY
4. CROSSBAR
5. GLOSSARY
6. ODYSSEUS
7. OMISSION
8. SCISSORS
Answers Middle meddle 3
1. SICKLE
2. HACKER
3. HECKLE
4. PICKET
5. MOCKUP
6. LOCKET
7. CACKLES
8. BACKUP
Answers Middle meddle 4
1. COOKBOOK
2. BOOKCASE
3. CHIPMUNK
4. CASHBOOK
5. POIGNANT (anagram of into pang)
6. STAGNANT
7. DIAGNOSE
8. REIGNING