National Puzzlers' League

The World's Oldest Puzzlers' Organization

Contents

• Decagon
• Diamond Variant
• Equilateral Triangle
• Flat Form
• Greek Cross
• Inversion Square
• Pambrun Pentagon
• Pentagonal Hourglass
• Portland Pentagon
• Trisquare
• Versified Flat Base Square
• Windmill Cross
• Word Association Form

 DECAGON

A variation on an enneagon.

DECAGON
J	A	I	L
A	M	B	E	R
I	B	E	X	E	S
L	E	X	I	P	H	A	N	I	C
	R	E	P	R	O	B	A	T	E
		S	H	O	U	L	D	E	R
			A	B	L	E	I	S	T
			N	A	D	I
			I	T	E	S
			C	E	R	T

The decagon was invented by Quiz.

 DIAMOND VARIANT

A variation on a diamond where the words are read across and diagonally, down from upper left to lower right. The shape is as follows:

DIAMOND VARIANT
			A
		B		C
	D		E		F
G		H		I		J
	K		L		M
		N		O
			P

If you write the across clues as down, and the diagonal clues as across, however, it becomes a rhomboid:

RIGHT RHOMBOID
			G	K	N	P
		D	H	L	O
	B	E	I	M
A	C	F	J

As an example:

DIAMOND VARIANT
			I
		P		C
	J		O		B
D		O		O		M
	R		A		H
		A		N
			W

The diamond variant was invented by Rain Man.

 EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE

Penetralia note in Aug 2004: In an equilateral triangle (invented by Gabby), the words proceed across, down from upper right to lower left, and up from lower right to upper left. Three examples are in this issue, as well.

This description is from an email by 530nm330hz: An Equilateral Traingle has got 120-degree dotational symmetry, which results in some unusual repeated-letter requirements.

       A
      B E
     C F D
    D G G C
   E F G F B
  A B C D E A

1. A
2. BE
3. CFD
4. DGGC
5. EFGFB
6. ABCDEA

 FLAT FORM

A form in which the various entries are clued in the style of the flat. The usual clues are replaced by the cuewords that replace each entry. Words may be tagged if the composer or forms editor feels it is necessary.

SQUARE

MENU (obs., NI3) CABBAGE BIVALVE WALRUS CARPENTER OYSTER BEDS TABASCO SAUCE SEALING WAX (NI2)

The WALRUS and the CARPENTER Were in the Middle East. (That means they both were SEALING WAXed Regarding East, at least.) They cursed the finance minister: "The deficit's increased!"

"Our country needs TABASCO SAUCE From us!" the WALRUS said. "That passive, BIVALVE minister Is willing to be led. Instead of overspending We need CABBAGEs instead."

"But don't tax me!" the CARPENTER Responded, turning blue: "With the budget in your MENU That's a dismal thing to do!" "Votes can't be kept," the WALRUS cried, "And budgets balanced too--

"I'll join his staff--become his friend-- Turn WALRUS in a week! With hidden guns--the havoc That my OYSTER BEDS will wreak!" "You'll need me," said the CARPENTER, "For Farsi's what he'll speak."

= Xemu and Lucifer

The solution:

G	U	A	R	D	A	G	E
U	N	D	E	R	R	U	N
A	D	Y	N	A	M	I	C
R	E	N	E	G	A	D	E
D	R	A	G	O	M	A	N
A	R	M	A	M	E	N	T
G	U	I	D	A	N	C	E
E	N	C	E	N	T	E	R

 GREEK CROSS

A form shaped like a cross formed by five adjacent, non-overlapping squares.

GREEK CROSS
			P	A	D
			E	L	O
			R	E	M
P	E	R	O	X	I	D	E	S
A	L	E	X	A	N	D	R	A
D	O	M	I	N	A	T	E	D
			D	D	T
			E	R	E
			S	A	D

The Greek cross was invented by Dart.

 INVERSION SQUARE

In the only inversion square published, a ten square by Cubist, the second five words were the first five, written again but backwards. Although the type seems unlikely to repeat, in general any form in which some words are reversed would be a variation on this theme.

INVERSION SQUARE
D	E	T	A	S	S	E	L	E	D
E	X	E	R	C	I	T	A	T	E
T	E	C	T	O	N	I	C	A	L
A	R	T	H	R	O	L	I	T	E
S	C	O	R	P	I	O	N	I	S
S	I	N	O	I	P	R	O	C	S
E	T	I	L	O	R	H	T	R	A
L	A	C	I	N	O	T	C	E	T
E	T	A	T	I	C	R	E	X	E
D	E	L	E	S	S	A	T	E	D

The inversion square was invented by Cubist.

 PAMBRUN PENTAGON

A form shaped like a square topped by a pyramid. One can also have a truncated Pambrun Pentagon; it has an even number of clues in each direction, instead of odd.

PAMBRUN PENTAGON
			P
		B	E	D
	N	O	T	E	D
P	E	D	I	C	A	B
A	G	I	T	A	T	E
R	E	C	E	D	E	S
E	V	E	R	E	S	T

The Pambrun pentagon was invented by Gabby.

 PENTAGONAL HOURGLASS

A Pambrun pentagon and an upside down Pambrun pentagon joined at the tip.

PENTAGONAL HOURGLASS
M	A	S	S	A	G	E
A	L	T	E	R	E	D
R	O	A	M	I	N	G
S	E	R	I	A	T	E
	S	C	A	N	S
		H	U	S
			T
		M	O	M
	M	E	M	O	S
T	I	R	A	D	E	S
E	M	E	T	I	N	E
M	E	L	A	S	S	A
P	S	Y	T	H	E	S

The pentagonal hourglass was invented by Gabby.

 PORTLAND PENTAGON

A form shaped like a square with one corner truncated. There are four versions, depending on which corner has been truncated, referred to as northwest, southwest, northeast or southeast.

NORTHWEST PORTLAND PENTAGON
			B	E	A	M
		D	A	N	N	Y
	D	O	I	N	G	S
B	A	I	L	O	U	T
E	N	N	O	B	L	E
A	N	G	U	L	A	R
M	Y	S	T	E	R	Y

The Portland Pentagon was invented by Gabby.

 TRISQUARE

A form shaped like a square with one quadrant removed. This form is left if the long words go on the left, and right if on the right. It's inverted also if the long words go along the bottom.

LEFT TRISQUARE
C	O	N	T	R	A	C	T
O	P	E	R	A	T	O	R
N	E	M	A	T	O	D	E
T	R	A	P	E	Z	E	S
R	A	T	E
A	T	O	Z
C	O	D	E
T	R	E	S

The Trisquare was invented by Gabby.

 VERSIFIED FLAT BASE SQUARE

Each answer word is clued twice: by context in the verse, and by the type of flat given in the list above the verse. Non-11C answers are also tagged. The other (non-answer) words required to make up a base of the given type all appear somewhere within the verse. E.g. if schooled were an answer word, it might be clued as "Alternade" and the words shoe and cold would both appear in the verse.

VERSIFIED FLAT BASE SQUARE

Note: the first answer word is clued differently from the remaining words. One element of one of the bases (not one of the eight form words) is an 11C phrase.

??? Alterposal (NI2+) Reversed consonantcy (NI2+) Charade Phonetic linkade (NI3) Consonantcy (NI3) Partly reversed word-deletion (NI2+) Charade (NI2)

Here's a sad New England story of an Irish priest from Maine. It's the annal of his daughters: Josephine and Jane Back in 1650. They were talented and smart. But Papa favored Jane, which nearly broke poor Josie's heart.

Jane was an enameler; she liked to paint and draw. She sketched her fill of heather, ling, and furze, and many more. She gave her Dad a FIVE rock that she'd found, picked up, and carved. But Jo knew that if Jane had been the cook, they'd all have starved.

Jo watched her father drill a hole right through that leaflike stone And hang it on the wall for show, and then, in scornful tone, Remark to her, "I wish your stew could meet Jane's standards, Jo." (Jo knew her stew was sabotaged, but how? She didn't know.)

Jo had a yen to TWO her sister in her father's heart. She loathed to hear his "Ah!"s of pleasure at her sister's art. She longed to hear him rave about her chicken a la mode. The things she did with geese and pork made taste buds just explode.

One day their father came and said, "My darlin' SEVEN, draw near; The Indians who own this land now want it back, I fear. They have a lien upon our land, and want EIGHT out of here. They say we're killing off the SIX (some beetles they revere).

"So though I hate to THREE myself and leave the church's work, I must support my family--a task I will not shirk." So said he in his slow, FOUR voice, but Jane cried, for she knew: The SIX were gone, for that was how she'd sabotaged the stew.

= Xemu and Lucifer

The solution:

W	O	R	D	P	L	A	Y
O	V	E	R	H	A	L	E
R	E	L	A	Y	M	A	N
D	R	A	W	L	I	N	G
P	H	Y	L	L	I	N	E
L	A	M	I	I	D	A	E
A	L	A	N	N	A	H	S
Y	E	N	G	E	E	S	E

The bases are:
alterposal--oVeRhAlE, hole, rave;
reversed consonantcy--relayman, enameler;
charade--drawling, draw, ling;
phonetic linkade--phylline, fill, lien;
consonantcy--Lamiidae, a la mode;
partly reversed word deletion--alannahs, annal, "Ah!"s;
charade--yengeese, yen, geese.

This puzzle type was invented by Xemu and Lucifer.

 WINDMILL CROSS

A form shaped like multiple overlapping windmills, to form the overall shape of an X.

DOUBLE WINDMILL CROSS

U

D

I

S

H

C

O

A

R

B

P

I

N

K

Y

O

S

T

A

R

B

O

O

E

D

N

I

M

B

I

I

N

F

E

R

I

D

A

I

C

D

E

F

L

O

R

E

S

C

E

N

C

E

G

H

A

N

A

R

O

S

A

L

A

D

E

P

S

S

L

I

P

P

E

R

S

H

A

P

E

D

T

O

R

A

H

A

N

O

L

E

A

W

A

R

E

P

I

L

O

T

M

E

T

E

R

E

T

A

P

E

P

R

E

S

S

D

A

R

E

R

The windmill cross was invented by Lucifer.

 WORD ASSOCIATION FORM

A form in which the clues are not definitions, but words which can be placed before or after the word to be entered to make a phrase or compound word. For example, a clue for book might be open (open book) or shelf (bookshelf).

The solution:

The word association form was invented by Bluff.