PUZZLE POTLUCK 3
Solution – Hawkeye
ANSWER – BIRDSMITH
by Curtis Liu
After finding the words in the word search grid, you might notice that the words appear in parallel pairs. Also hidden in the word search grid are Hawkeye’s “trick arrows”, which transform one word into another. Each arrow points to a letter in the transformed word. Reading those letters from top to bottom gives the answer: BIRDSMITH.
This is the fully highlighted grid:
(click for full-size image)
The transformations are:
| TREES + HACKING | LUMBER |
| DELIVER + BOOMERANG | REVILED |
| BRISKET + SMOKE | PASTRAMI |
| DRAW + BLAST (B-LAST) | DRAB |
| ISLAND + FLARE | RESCUE |
| NEEDLE + MAGNETIC | COMPASS |
| WATER + FREEZING | ICE |
| SOLDIER + PARACHUTE | PARATROOPER |
| CLOUD + ELECTRICAL | LIGHTNING |
Author's Notes
- Word transformation puzzles are one of my favorite types of puzzles!
- The arrows in this puzzle were originally based on a Wikipedia entry on Trick arrows which has since been deleted. In test solving, not having a canonical source of trick arrows didn't seem to deter solvers from being able to identify them, so I ended up keeping them the same.
- Several teams found a red herring that we were completely unaware of. The letters at the arrow tips spell out ANTISTARK, and coincidentally there exists an Anti-Iron Man Arrow!
- Best Wrong Answers:
Wrong Answer Submitted by: ANTISTARK 5 teams ISEEBETTERFROMADISTANCE 2 teams NOTHINGHAWKEYESUCKS findingfriends PUTABIRDONIT The Bowser Bunch
Stats
- 367 solves
- 680 incorrect guesses
- Most common incorrect guess: BOOMERANG (guessed 9 times)
- First solve: 🟢🥚➕🍔 in 1 hour, 37 minutes, and 22 seconds