PUZZLE POTLUCK 3

Solution – Black Widow
ANSWER – BLACKBELT
by Rajeev Nayak

Black Widow's web is a word-association map that needs to be filled out. Each word or phrase in the web is connected to other words or phrases that are associated to it in some way. Blue hubs are categories – every green word connected to a blue hub is a member of that category. Here's the full web:

(click for full-size image)

The flavortext suggests that Black Widow has caught many disguised flies in her web. There are 9 entries in the web where replacing a word with "fly" results in a common word or phrase. The 9 replaced words can be entered in the blanks at the bottom of the puzzle in alphabetical order. A good way to notice this pattern is to realize that the only word in the web that fits in the last set of blanks is "Writing's".

BEER
butterbeerbutterfly
BORN
dragonborndragonfly
CRYSTAL
crystal ballfly ball
POWER
horsepowerhorsefly
PUNCH
fruit punchfruit fly
ROAD
On the Roadon the fly
WALL
wallpaperflypaper
WORKS
fireworksfirefly
WRITING'S
Writing's on the Wallfly on the wall

One of the blanks in each word has a number underneath it. Putting the numbered letters in order spells the answer, BLACK BELT.


Author's Notes

  • Ever since playing Funny Farm a long time ago, I always wanted to try making one of my own. I remember one or two Mystery Hunt puzzles that used this idea before, but I figured it had been long enough that it would feel fresh to have one in this hunt.
  • Making the web was much harder and more time-consuming than I expected. It went through 3 major revisions. Thanks to Curtis’s testing and feedback each time, we were able to figure out which types of connections were the most fun and satisfying to solve.
  • I had to constantly make sure that I wasn’t accidentally adding other potential “fly” phrases in the web. I made sure to check for “flies” as well, which is why I very carefully avoided “Lord of the Rings”.
  • Best Wrong Answers:
    Wrong AnswerSubmitted by:
    SHECANFLY2 teams
    MARIOKARTddeupbbap
    BATMOBILEScenic Travelers

Stats

  • 359 solves
  • 516 incorrect guesses
  • Most common incorrect guess: ESPIONAGE (guessed 15 times)
  • First solve: Aviation Laws in 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 23 seconds

PUZZLE POTLUCK 3