All,

    Just four players this week – the two Gary’s, Jim, and Chris.

    Gary R. came in remarkably strongly right off the bat, solving eleven of the riddles in his first guesses, just ten hours after the riddles were launched. Our Learless Feeder followed shortly thereafter, at the eleven-hour point, killing nine of the riddles in his first worksheet.  Jim came in just eleven minutes after Gary H. with nine kills, followed at the fourteen-hour point by Chris, with eight kills in his first set of guesses.  Gary H. persisted and took the lead, eventually scoring 15 kills, for a final score of 75%.

    Gary H. will host Rogue Riddle #1108 next week.

    The final riddle status is as follows:

4 correct – 6:  1, 2, 3, 8, 17, 20

3 correct – 3: 7, 15, 19 

2 correct       – 2:  5, 9

1 correct – 5:  4, 12, 13, 16, 18

0 correct       – 4: 6, 10, 11, 14, Bonus 1 and Bonus 2

Unattempted          – 1: 10, Bonus 2

    One-quarter of the riddles – five riddles – were solved by every player within 14 hours of the Rogue Riddle launch, just six minutes into the New Year.

========================================

Rogue Riddle #1107

A New Start

    This is the first Rogue Riddle of the year, and as such .

    This week’s Rogue Riddle consists of twenty riddles, but in a different mix from past Rogue Riddles.

    Because of the recent resurgence in interest in limericks, and in a nod to the recent riddle format of our founder, Gary Hallock, this week’s Rogue Riddle set consists of fourteen limericks, and will be posted both on PUNY and on the Limericks ‘n’ Haiku list (which I began back in 1998).

    The fifteen answers to these fourteen limericks can be rearranged to form two sentences appropriate to this week’s Rogue’s theme.  These two sentences form bonus riddles. 

    To round out the number of riddles to the usual twenty, five more riddles have been added to the fourteen limericks.  Each of these riddles has punned and unpunned answers, each of which must be provided for full credit.

    The riddle will run until 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.  As usual, the first person to solve all the riddles will be declared the winner.  If no one has solved all the riddles by 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, the one with the most correct answers will be declared the winner and will host Rogue Riddle #1108 next week.

    As with previous riddle sets, the word BLANK can replace more than one word.  In other words, seeing the word BLANK does not indicate how many words should replace the word BLANK.  Further, the article preceding the word “blank” will always be “a,” never “an,” regardless of the punned word.

 
    There is a theme, which should become obvious as one begins to solve the riddles.
 
    Now, on to the riddles.
 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

        1.

The hoop’s a piece of jewelry gear

An adornment there or here.

While some suppose

It’s best in the nose,

Some others lobe the BLANK.

EAR

2.

The scared coven of witches

Was overcome with serious twitches:

They learned the crowd

Had been allowed

To harry them with BLANK.

SWITCHES

3.

The creature really was new,

Resembled no other I knew.

A wilder beast

Come from the east --

They tell me its called a BLANK.

GNU

4.

Yet another West End day,

At a truly cunning play,

Whose clever capper

Elicited a dapper

And very English, “BLANK!”

I SAY

        5.  BLANK:  A surprising divine or supernatural disclosure reached after a night of noisy carousing.

             REVELATION

         6.  BLANK:  To purchase something to give to a particular actress.

               BIFURCATE / BUY FOR CATE

               The clue given was:  “I hear the purchase could involve a split.”

               BUY FOR CATE sounds like BIFURCATE, hence the “I hear.”

7.

The headman’s axe’s not for free –

Its victim pays the BLANK.

Ask not for whom

The empty tomb –

It takes a toll of BLANK. 

FEE / THEE

8.

They say that those who sell

Their souls for gain are fell.

Among the worst,

And vilely cursed --

And they shall go to BLANK.

HELL

         9.  When faced with a homeless person behaving quite strangely and irrationally, why might trimming his fingernails help settle the person down?  Because it’s a BLANK.

               MANICURE / MANIC CURE

        10.  BLANK:  Something usually carried on the bottle of rich, sweet wine.

                PORT AGE / PORTAGE

11.

Expressing the year in one-six,

The number is easy to fix –

A simple relation:

They founded the nation

In 17 BLANK.

7E6 / SEVENTY-SIX 

This one requires some explanation, obviously.

12.

In schoolyard:  “Are not! And you

Alone won’t force me to!” 

Anyone can see

That he’s with me --

 And thus I reply, “Am BLANK.”

TWO

       13.  The two musicians, who played the same instrument, had been competing while playing in their orchestra, to the detriment of the music.  They finally reached an agreement.   Naturally, that quickly became known by the name of yet another instrument – the BLANK.

        HARPS ACCORD / HARPSICHORD

14.

All,

   All is quiet still.  Has everyone given up on this set of Rogue Riddles?

Okay, here are some more clues, plus a minor (inconsequential) typographical error has been corrected in #11, and another clue has been provided fir this one.

    The current riddle status remains is as follows:

4 correct – 6:          1, 2, 3, 8, 17, 20

3 correct – 3:          7, 15, 19 

2 correct – 2:          5, 9

1 correct – 5:           4, 12, 13, 16, 18

0 correct – 4:          6, 10, 11, 14, Bonus 1 and Bonus 2

Unattempted – 1: 10, Bonus 2

    One-quarter of the riddles – five riddles – were solved by every player within 14 hours of the Rogue Riddle launch, just six minutes into the New Year.

Hints:  

• One of the 4.0 busters is number 11.  This one requires very careful reading of the set-up to get correct.

• In general, it pays to read the set-up carefully.  While the limerick form provides  a key clue to the answer in the form of rhyme, on some there may seem to be several possible answers.  The set-up should indicate which answer is being sought.  

========================================

Rogue Riddle #1107

A New Start

    This is the first Rogue Riddle of the year, and as such .

    This week’s Rogue Riddle consists of twenty riddles, but in a different mix from past Rogue Riddles.

    Because of the recent resurgence in interest in limericks, and in a nod to the recent riddle format of our founder, Gary Hallock, this week’s Rogue Riddle set consists of fourteen limericks, and will be posted both on PUNY and on the Limericks ‘n’ Haiku list (which I began back in 1998).

    The fifteen answers to these fourteen limericks can be rearranged to form two sentences appropriate to this week’s Rogue’s theme.  These two sentences form bonus riddles. 

    To round out the number of riddles to the usual twenty, five more riddles have been added to the fourteen limericks.  Each of these riddles has punned and unpunned answers, each of which must be provided for full credit.

    The riddle will run until 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.  As usual, the first person to solve all the riddles will be declared the winner.  If no one has solved all the riddles by 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, the one with the most correct answers will be declared the winner and will host Rogue Riddle #1108 next week.

    As with previous riddle sets, the word BLANK can replace more than one word.  In other words, seeing the word BLANK does not indicate how many words should replace the word BLANK.  Further, the article preceding the word “blank” will always be “a,” never “an,” regardless of the punned word.

 
    There is a theme, which should become obvious as one begins to solve the riddles.
 
    Now, on to the riddles.
 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

       1.

The hoop’s a piece of jewelry gear

An adornment there or here.

While some suppose

It’s best in the nose,

Some others lobe the BLANK.

(3)

2.

The scared coven of witches

Was overcome with serious twitches:

They learned the crowd

Had been allowed

To harry them with BLANK.

(8)

3.

The creature really was new,

Resembled no other I knew.

A wilder beast

Come from the east --

They tell me its called a BLANK.

(3)

4.

Yet another West End day,

At a truly cunning play,

Whose clever capper

Elicited a dapper

And very English, “BLANK!”

(1, 3)

        Surprising that only one player has gotten this one.  As the Englishman might remark upon learning the answer, BLANK.

        5.  BLANK:  A surprising divine or supernatural disclosure reached after a night of noisy carousing.

              (10)

        6.  BLANK:  To purchase something to give to a particular actress.

              (3, 3, 4 / 9)

              I hear the purchase could involve a split.

7.

The headman’s axe’s not for free –

Its victim pays the BLANK.

Ask not for whom

The empty tomb –

It takes a toll of BLANK. 

(3, 4)

8.

They say that those who sell

Their souls for gain are fell.

Among the worst,

And vilely cursed --

And they shall go to BLANK.

(4)

        9.  When faced with a homeless person behaving quite strangely and irrationally, why might trimming his fingernails help settle the person down?  Because it’s a BLANK.

               (5, 4 / 8)

        10.  BLANK:  Something usually carried on the bottle of rich, sweet wine.

                (4, 3 / 7)

                An easy one if one remembers that information can be carried on a bottle.

11.

Expressing the year in one-six,

The number is easy to fix –

A simple relation:

They founded the nation

In 17 BLANK.

(3 / 7-3)

This is the tricky one!  Read it very carefully to get to first base for the punned answer and to get the target.

In particular, read the first line carefully.

        (Everyone has gotten the unpunned answer.)

12.

In schoolyard:  “Are not! And you

Alone won’t force me to!” 

Anyone can see

That he’s with me --

 And thus I reply, “Am BLANK.”

(3)

        There are three possible answers here.  The set-up indicates which of the three is correct.

        13.  The two musicians, who played the same instrument, had been competing while playing in their orchestra, to the detriment of the music.  They finally reached an agreement.   Naturally, that quickly became known by the name of yet another instrument – the BLANK.

                (5, 6 / 11)

                Think of another word for agreement, and the answer should become clear.  I am not just stringing everyone along here.

       14.

All,

    All is quiet still.  Has everyone given up on this set of Rogue Riddles?

    The current riddle status remains is as follows:

4 correct – 6:  1, 2, 3, 8, 17, 20

3 correct – 3: 7, 15, 19 

2 correct       – 2:  5, 9

1 correct – 5:  4, 12, 13, 16, 18

0 correct       – 4: 6, 10, 11, 14, Bonus 1 and Bonus 2

Unattempted          – 1: 10, Bonus 2

    One-quarter of the riddles – five riddles – were solved by every player within 14 hours of the Rogue Riddle launch, just six minutes into the New Year.

Hints:  

• One of the 4.0 busters is number 11.  This one requires very careful reading of the set-up to get correct.

• In general, it pays to read the set-up carefully.  While the limerick form provides  a key clue to the answer in the form of rhyme, on some there may seem to be several possible answers.  The set-up should indicate which answer is being sought.  

Clue Set 1:  The letter counts for the first five riddles are provided below.

Clue Set 2:  The letter counts for the second five riddles are provided below.

Clue Set 3:  The letter counts for the third five riddles are provided below.

Clue Set 4:  The letter counts for the last five riddles are provided below.

Clue Set 5:  The letter counts for the two bonus sentences are provided below.  Plus clues are presented for the more difficult riddles.

========================================

Rogue Riddle #1107

A New Start

    This is the first Rogue Riddle of the year, and as such .

    This week’s Rogue Riddle consists of twenty riddles, but in a different mix from past Rogue Riddles.

    Because of the recent resurgence in interest in limericks, and in a nod to the recent riddle format of our founder, Gary Hallock, this week’s Rogue Riddle set consists of fourteen limericks, and will be posted both on PUNY and on the Limericks ‘n’ Haiku list (which I began back in 1998).

    The fifteen answers to these fourteen limericks can be rearranged to form two sentences appropriate to this week’s Rogue’s theme.  These two sentences form bonus riddles. 

    To round out the number of riddles to the usual twenty, five more riddles have been added to the fourteen limericks.  Each of these riddles has punned and unpunned answers, each of which must be provided for full credit.

    The riddle will run until 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.  As usual, the first person to solve all the riddles will be declared the winner.  If no one has solved all the riddles by 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, the one with the most correct answers will be declared the winner and will host Rogue Riddle #1108 next week.

    As with previous riddle sets, the word BLANK can replace more than one word.  In other words, seeing the word BLANK does not indicate how many words should replace the word BLANK.  Further, the article preceding the word “blank” will always be “a,” never “an,” regardless of the punned word.

 
    There is a theme, which should become obvious as one begins to solve the riddles.
 
    Now, on to the riddles.
 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

        1.

The hoop’s a piece of jewelry gear

An adornment there or here.

While some suppose

It’s best in the nose,

Some others lobe the BLANK.

(3)

2.

The scared coven of witches

Was overcome with serious twitches:

They learned the crowd

Had been allowed

To harry them with BLANK.

(8)

3.

The creature really was new,

Resembled no other I knew.

A wilder beast

Come from the east --

They tell me its called a BLANK.

(3)

4.

Yet another West End day,

At a truly cunning play,

Whose clever capper

Elicited a dapper

And very English, “BLANK!”

(1, 3)

        5.  BLANK:  A surprising divine or supernatural disclosure reached after a night of noisy carousing.

              (10)

        6.  BLANK:  To purchase something to give to a particular actress.

              (3, 3, 4 / 9)

              I hear the purchase could involve a split.

7.

The headman’s axe’s not for free –

Its victim pays the BLANK.

Ask not for whom

The empty tomb –

It takes a toll of BLANK. 

(3, 4)

8.

They say that those who sell

Their souls for gain are fell.

Among the worst,

And vilely cursed --

And they shall go to BLANK.

(4)

        9.  When faced with a homeless person behaving quite strangely and irrationally, why might trimming his fingernails help settle the person down?  Because it’s a BLANK.

               (5, 4 / 8)

      10.  BLANK:  Something usually carried on the bottle of rich, sweet wine.

              (4, 3 / 7)

              An easy one if one remembers that information can be carried on a bottle.

11.

Expressing the year in one-six,

The number is easy to fix –

A simple relation:

The founded the nation

In 17 BLANK.

(3 / 7-3)

This is the tricky one!  Read it very carefully to get to first base for the punned answer and to get the target.

(So far, everyone has gotten the unpunned answer.)

12.

In schoolyard:  “Are not! And you

Alone won’t force me to!” 

Anyone can see

That he’s with me --

 And thus I reply, “Am BLANK.”

(3)

         13.  The two musicians, who played the same instrument, had been competing while playing in their orchestra, to the detriment of the music.  They finally reached an agreement.   Naturally, that quickly became known by the name of yet another instrument – the BLANK.

                 (5, 6 / 11)

14.

All,

    Still only four players – both Gary R, Gary H, Jim, and Chris – and still very quiet.

    The current riddle status is unchanged, and remains as follows:

4 correct – 6:          1, 2, 3, 8, 17, 20

3 correct – 3:          7, 15, 19 

2 correct – 2:          5, 9

1 correct – 5:           4, 12, 13, 16, 18

0 correct – 4:          6, 10, 11, 14, Bonus 1 and Bonus 2

Unattempted – 1: 10, Bonus 2

    One-quarter of the riddles – five riddles – were solved by every player within 14 hours of the Rogue Riddle launch, just six minutes into the New Year.

Hints:  

• One of the 4.0 busters is number 11.  This one requires very careful reading of the set-up to get correct.

• In general, it pays to read the set-up carefully.  While the limerick form provides  a key clue to the answer in the form of rhyme, on some there may seem to be several possible answers.  The set-up should indicate which answer is being sought.  

Clue Set 1:  The letter counts for the first five riddles are provided below.

Clue Set 2:  The letter counts for the second five riddles are provided below.

Clue Set 3:  The letter counts for the third five riddles are provided below.

Clue Set 4:  The letter counts for the last five riddles are provided below.

========================================

Rogue Riddle #1107

A New Start

    This is the first Rogue Riddle of the year, and as such .

    This week’s Rogue Riddle consists of twenty riddles, but in a different mix from past Rogue Riddles.

    Because of the recent resurgence in interest in limericks, and in a nod to the recent riddle format of our founder, Gary Hallock, this week’s Rogue Riddle set consists of fourteen limericks, and will be posted both on PUNY and on the Limericks ‘n’ Haiku list (which I began back in 1998).

    The fifteen answers to these fourteen limericks can be rearranged to form two sentences appropriate to this week’s Rogue’s theme.  These two sentences form bonus riddles. 

    To round out the number of riddles to the usual twenty, five more riddles have been added to the fourteen limericks.  Each of these riddles has punned and unpunned answers, each of which must be provided for full credit.

    The riddle will run until 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.  As usual, the first person to solve all the riddles will be declared the winner.  If no one has solved all the riddles by 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, the one with the most correct answers will be declared the winner and will host Rogue Riddle #1108 next week.

    As with previous riddle sets, the word BLANK can replace more than one word.  In other words, seeing the word BLANK does not indicate how many words should replace the word BLANK.  Further, the article preceding the word “blank” will always be “a,” never “an,” regardless of the punned word.

 
    There is a theme, which should become obvious as one begins to solve the riddles.
 
    Now, on to the riddles.
 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

        1.

The hoop’s a piece of jewelry gear

An adornment there or here.

While some suppose

It’s best in the nose,

Some others lobe the BLANK.

(3)

2.

The scared coven of witches

Was overcome with serious twitches:

They learned the crowd

Had been allowed

To harry them with BLANK.

(8)

3.

The creature really was new,

Resembled no other I knew.

A wilder beast

Come from the east --

They tell me its called a BLANK.

(3)

4.

Yet another West End day,

At a truly cunning play,

Whose clever capper

Elicited a dapper

And very English, “BLANK!”

(1, 3)

        5.  BLANK:  A surprising divine or supernatural disclosure reached after a night of noisy carousing.

             (10)

         6.  BLANK:  To purchase something to give to a particular actress.

               (3, 3, 4 / 9)

7.

The headman’s axe’s not for free –

Its victim pays the BLANK.

Ask not for whom

The empty tomb –

It takes a toll of BLANK. 

(3, 4)

8.

They say that those who sell

Their souls for gain are fell.

Among the worst,

And vilely cursed --

And they shall go to BLANK.

(4)

        9.  When faced with a homeless person behaving quite strangely and irrationally, why might trimming his fingernails help settle the person down?  Because it’s a BLANK.

              (5, 4 / 8)

      10.  BLANK:  Something usually carried on the bottle of rich, sweet wine.

            (4, 3 / 7)

11.

Expressing the year in one-six,

The number is easy to fix –

A simple relation:

The founded the nation

In 17 BLANK.

(3 / 7-3)

12.

In schoolyard:  “Are not! And you

Alone won’t force me to!” 

Anyone can see

That he’s with me --

 And thus I reply, “Am BLANK.”

(3)

        13.  The two musicians, who played the same instrument, had been competing while playing in their orchestra, to the detriment of the music.  They finally reached an agreement.   Naturally, that quickly became known by the name of yet another instrument – the BLANK.

                (5, 6 / 11)

       14.

All,

    After the initial flurry of activity with four players – both Gary R, Gary H, Jim, and Chris – things have gone largely quiet.  No more takers?  Too hard?  Too busy?

    The current riddle status remains is as follows:

4 correct – 6:          1, 2, 3, 8, 17, 20

3 correct – 3:          7, 15, 19 

2 correct – 2:          5, 9

1 correct – 5:           4, 12, 13, 16, 18

0 correct – 4:          6, 10, 11, 14, Bonus 1 and Bonus 2

Unattempted  – 1: 10, Bonus 2

    One-quarter of the riddles – five riddles – were solved by every player within 14 hours of the Rogue Riddle launch, just six minutes into the New Year.

Hints:  

One of the 4.0 busters is number 11.  This one requires very careful reading of the set-up to get correct.

In general, it pays to read the set-up carefully.  While the limerick form provides  a key clue to the answer in the form of rhyme, on some there may seem to be several possible answers.  The set-up should indicate which answer is being sought. 

========================================

Rogue Riddle #1107

A New Start

    This is the first Rogue Riddle of the year, and as such .

    This week’s Rogue Riddle consists of twenty riddles, but in a different mix from past Rogue Riddles.

    Because of the recent resurgence in interest in limericks, and in a nod to the recent riddle format of our founder, Gary Hallock, this week’s Rogue Riddle set consists of fourteen limericks, and will be posted both on PUNY and on the Limericks ‘n’ Haiku list (which I began back in 1998).

    The fifteen answers to these fourteen limericks can be rearranged to form two sentences appropriate to this week’s Rogue’s theme.  These two sentences form bonus riddles. 

    To round out the number of riddles to the usual twenty, five more riddles have been added to the fourteen limericks.  Each of these riddles has punned and unpunned answers, each of which must be provided for full credit.

    The riddle will run until 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.  As usual, the first person to solve all the riddles will be declared the winner.  If no one has solved all the riddles by 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, the one with the most correct answers will be declared the winner and will host Rogue Riddle #1108 next week.

    As with previous riddle sets, the word BLANK can replace more than one word.  In other words, seeing the word BLANK does not indicate how many words should replace the word BLANK.  Further, the article preceding the word “blank” will always be “a,” never “an,” regardless of he punned word.

 
    There is a theme, which should become obvious as one begins to solve the riddles.
 
    Now, on to the riddles.
 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

1.

The hoop’s a piece of jewelry gear

An adornment there or here.

While some suppose

It’s best in the nose,

Some others lobe the BLANK.

(3)

2.

The scared coven of witches

Was overcome with serious twitches:

They learned the crowd

Had been allowed

To harry them with BLANK.

(8)

3.

The creature really was new,

Resembled no other I knew.

A wilder beast

Come from the east --

They tell me its called a BLANK.

(3)

4.

Yet another West End day,

At a truly cunning play,

Whose clever capper

Elicited a dapper

And very English, “BLANK!”

(1, 3)

5.  BLANK:  A surprising divine or supernatural disclosure reached after a night of noisy carousing.

(10)

6.  BLANK:  To purchase something to give to a particular actress.

(3, 3, 4 / 9)

7.

The headman’s axe’s not for free –

Its victim pays the BLANK.

Ask not for whom

The empty tomb –

It takes a toll of BLANK. 

(3, 4)

8.

They say that those who sell

Their souls for gain are fell.

Among the worst,

And vilely cursed --

And they shall go to BLANK.

(4)

9.  When faced with a homeless person behaving quite strangely and irrationally, why might trimming his fingernails help settle the person down?  Because it’s a BLANK.

(5, 4 / 8)

10.  BLANK:  Something usually carried on the bottle of rich, sweet wine.

(4, 3 / 7)

11.

Expressing the year in one-six,

The number is easy to fix –

A simple relation:

The founded the nation

In 17 BLANK.

(3 / 7-3)

12.

In schoolyard:  “Are not! And you

Alone won’t force me to!” 

Anyone can see

That he’s with me --

 And thus I reply, “Am BLANK.”

(3)

13.  The two musicians, who played the same instrument, had been competing while playing in their orchestra, to the detriment of the music.  They finally reached an agreement.   Naturally, that quickly became known by the name of yet another instrument – the BLANK.

(5, 6 / 11)

14.