PUZZLE POTLUCK 3

Solution – Thor
ANSWER – RELATIVELYLOWKEY
by Lindsey Shi and Rajeev Nayak

In the first part of the puzzle, each image clues a single word. Each image in the left column can be paired with an image in the right column to form the name of a celebrity (phonetically). For example, ATOMS + COT = Adam Scott. Both columns are given alphabetically to aid the solver. As shown below, drawing a connecting line between each pair of images yields sixteen letters.

The order of your sixteen letters is given in the second part of the puzzle. Each of the 11 images at the bottom is associated – either literally or fancifully – with one of the celebrities. These images are in no particular order (aside from being the correct order you need for your cluephrase), but depending on how you describe them, they are alphabetical as well.

ImageImage DescriptionAssociated CelebrityLeft WordRight WordLetters
Canadian flagJoe ClarkJOKELARKR
Channel OrangeFrank OceanFRANCOSHINEL
Daisies (Pushing)Lee PaceLEAPACEA
Donkey (Democrat)Tom SteyerTOMSTIRETI
Hall (Daryl)John OatesJAWNOTESV
Hamburger (McDonalds)Ray KrocRAKEROCKEL
Mockingbird (To Kill a)Harper LeeHARPEARLYY
Party DownAdam ScottATOMSCOTLO
PonyoNoah CyrusNOOSIRISW
Raptor (Jurassic World)Chris PrattCRISPRATKE
RedTaylor SwiftTAILORSWHIFFEDY

After ordering the celebrities using the bottom images, the letters on the lines above spell out the answer, RELATIVELY LOW-KEY.


Authors' Notes

  • The answer to this puzzle has a double meaning: Thor’s personality is relatively low-key, but also his relative is Loki. Get it???
  • Curtis and I (Rajeev) were writing Soul and we came up with the ability RELATIVELY LOW-KEY, but there was still no puzzle idea for Thor. A few days later, Lindsey completely randomly messaged me: “rake rock” is the founder of McDonald’s, and I realized that fit really well with the low-key/Loki wordplay. And that is the origin story of this puzzle.
  • H/T to the incomparable Shankari Rajagopal for providing me (Lindsey) with “rake rock.” I forget what we were talking about, but it was in one of those late-night conversations about nothing and everything that this puzzle was born.
  • Rajeev’s favorite pairing is Tailors Whiffed. Lindsey’s favorite is Harries Tiles, which didn’t make it into the puzzle because we couldn’t find a good way of cluing “harries” in an image.
  • Best Wrong Answers:
    Wrong AnswerSubmitted by:
    DIVERSITYTater Tot Casserole
    AVERYYELLOWTIEthe_underscore_ _ _underscore_team
    RELALOVELYTIWKEY → REALLYLOVELYTIMEnishmel

Stats

  • 335 solves
  • 228 incorrect guesses
  • Most common incorrect guess: RELATIVELYLOKI (guessed 6 times)
  • First solve: hoME AT last in 1 hour, 43 minutes, and 28 seconds

PUZZLE POTLUCK 3