#252: Numbers Game
Hi all! A 15x15 grid with rather more obscure words and phrases than I usually do—good luck! All solutions may be found in the Collins online dictionary. (parses) Thank you to Liari and MP for testing this puzzle.
💬 Archived Comments
Jack Keynes on 2024-10-09
Ha, thanks! :D
Tim Walters on 2024-10-09
Cruel—especially for Yanks—but fair.
Archives
2025
- #316: Gold Rings
- #315: Mystery Meat
- #314: One (or Two)
- #313: Naff Coffee
- #312: Clash of Titans
- #311: Monopoly Money
- #310: Memory Foam
- #309: Rudolf the Red
- #308: Draw Strings
- #307: Gyre and Gimble
- #306: Batmobile
- #305: Play Possum
- #304: Free Port
- #303: Butterfly Knives
- #302: Nature Red
- #301: Micro Nation
- #300: Foreign Exchange
- #299: Viking Longship
- #298: Doggy Paddle
- #297: Rank Hypocrisy
- #296: Full Tilt
- #295: And Be Merry
- #294: Window Dressing
- #293: Icarus Falls
- #292: Temple of Doom
- #291: Gangster Money
- #290: Ring Fences
- #289: Pirate Port
- #288: Yorkshire Unions
- #287: Sharp Shooters
- #286: Root Beer
- #285: Slippery Creatures
- #284: Banana Doughnut
- #283: Pony Express
- #282: Rock Star
- #281: Troy Ounces
- #280: Panic Stations
- #279: Scare Tactics
- #278: Show Stopper
- #277: Revolting Rhymes
- #276: Pew Pew
- OUTTAKE 29: General Knowledge 14 "Arm Wrestle"
- #275: Green Ink
- #274: Ghost Train
- #273: Tower Hamlets
- #272: Amazing Grace
- #271: Murphy's Law
- #270: Spy Network
- #269: Foreign Aid
- #268: Awfully Funny
- #267: Running Late
- #266: Comic Sans
- #265: Strong Liquor
2024
- #264: Man Crush
- #263: Legal Briefs (Extra Tricky!)
- #262: Impulse Buy
- #261: Infinity Pool
- #260: Pips to the Post
- #259: Left Winger
- #258: Plot Maps
- #257: Lies and Statistics
- #256: Devil's Drink
- #255: Special Forces
- #254: Sunshine and Roses
- #253: Breakneck Speed
- #252: Numbers Game
- OUTTAKE 28: General Knowledge 13 "Unbeatable Enemies"
- #251: Source Code
- #250: Stark Raving
- #249: Drink Dry
- #248: Fruit Salad
- #247: Neverending Story
- #246: Unrequited Love
- #245: Fashion Forward
- #244: Transport Infrastructure
- #243: Smooth Feathers
- #242: Musical Arts
- #241: Freedom Fighter
- #240: Magical Realms
- OUTTAKE 27: General Knowledge 12 "Ordered by Surname"
- #239: Scotch Egg
- #238: Peninsular War
- #237: Paradise Lost
- #236: Play Conkers?
- #235: Gun Runner
- #234: Flat Key
- OUTTAKE 26: General Knowledge 11 "Treasure Hunt"
- #233: Canal Boat
- #232: Stoke Flames
- #231: Running Clothes
- #230: Hurdles Event
- #229: Beatlemania
- #228: Silly and Sweet
- #227: Flight of Fancy
- #226: Bio Tech
- #225: Gunboat Diplomacy
- #224: Petit Fours
- #223: Number Three
- #222: Hot Outlaw
- #221: Shot Put
- OUTTAKE 25: Packing Crates 4
- #220: Break Bread
- OUTTAKE 24: Spiral Puzzle "Jewel Thief"
- #219: Invisible Ink
- #218: Social Graces
- #217: Strike Gold
- #216: Cheap Trick
- #215: Troublemaker
- #214: Golf Clap
- OUTTAKE 23: General Knowledge 10 "Adventure Games"
- #213: Yes or No?
- #212: Spin Doctor
2023
- #211: Merry Christmas
- #210: Pirate Ninjas
- #209: Self Checkout
- #208: Running Joke
- #207: Clothes Peg
- #206: American Film
- #205: Fair-weather Friend
- #204: Cocktail Lounge
- #203: Sugar-Dusted
- #202: Manipulative Mephistopheles
- OUTTAKE 22: General Knowledge 9 "Construction Site"
- #201: Boss Music
- #200: Alien Sun
- #199: Casual Air
- #198: Trendy Pedestrian
- #197: Dawn Chorus
- #196: Chocolate Ice-Cream
- #195: Trap Street
- OUTTAKE 21: General Knowledge 8 "Creative Enjambment"
- #194: Inertial Confinement
- #193: Own Goal
- #192: Hidden Jokes
- #191: Iron Bars
- OUTTAKE 20: General Knowledge 7 "Cowboy Music"
- #190: Monetary Contribution
- #189: Worthless Greenbacks
- #188: Antique Land
- #187: Monkey's Paw
- #186: Diplomatic Immunity
- #185: Court Disaster
- #184: Fast Track
- #183: Escape Blame
- #182: Speakeasy Music
- #181: Buy Time
- #180: Spare Change
- #179: Secret Sauce
- #178: Inside Job
- #177: Buffoonish Smugglers
- OUTTAKE 19: General Knowledge 6 "Garden Rocket"
- #176: Blackout Poetry
- #175: Shot in the Dark
- #174: Rabble Rousing
- #173: Mother Goose
- #172: Smoke and Mirrors
- #171: Ad Infinitum
- #170: Free Swimming
- #169: Devil's Work
- #168: Too Many Cooks
- #167: Spider Orchid
- #166: Half Baked
- #165: Quixotic Smorgasbord
- #164: Main Characters
- #163: Battered Fish
- #162: Diminished Fifth
- #161: Cold War Chaos
- #160: Clear Cut
2022
- #159: Santa Claus
- #158: Animal Familiar
- #157: Vegetable Pizza
- #156: Concert Setlist
- #155: Privy Chambers
- #154: Keep Score
- #153: Rogue Planets
- #152: Lose the Plot
- #151: Flower Power
- #150: Pay Disrespect
- #149: Golden Goose
- #148: Esprit de l'Escalier
- OUTTAKE 18: General Knowledge "Shooting Stars"
- #147: Inside Men
- #146: Nuclear Option
- #145: Haphazard Spartans
- #144: Rigging Elections
- #143: Levantine Mythology
- #142: Psychic Medium
- #141: Paris Fashion
- #140: (Ir)reconcilable Differences
- #139: Caped Crusader
- #138: Drive-Thru Dinner
- #137: What Nonsense!
- OUTTAKE 17: Printer's Devilry "Underground Spaceflight"
- #136: Cruise Control
- OUTTAKE 16: General Knowledge 4 "Ninety One"
- #135: Dungeons & Dragons
- #134: Catching Flak
- #133: Custom Claymore
- #132: Bullets Flying
- #131: Battlefield Knowledge
- OUTTAKE 15: General Knowledge 3 "Space Travel"
- #130: Frozen River
- #129: Slippery Creatures
- #128: Eleven Eleven
- #127: Chacun à son Goût
- OUTTAKE 14: Novelty Cryptic "Raw Deal"
- #126: Strange Bedfellows
- #125: Better Safe
- #124: Impoverished Gentry
- #123: Pole Arm
- #122: Looking Daggers
- #121: Ragtime Music
- #120: Pagan Religion
- OUTTAKE 13: General Knowledge 2 "Revolutionary War"
- OUTTAKE 12: American-Style 1 "Daylight Robbery"
- #119: March Hares
- #118: Bad Guys
- #117: From Dusk Till Dawn
- #116: University of Lincoln
- #115: Hell on Wheels
- #114: Cold, Hard Cash
- #113: Consanguineous Marriage
- #112: Byzantine Chant
- #111: Double Definition
- #110: Prepare for the Worst
- #109: Justice League
- OUTTAKE 11: Spiral Puzzle 'NAME HERE'
- #108: Mirror, Mirror
2021
- #107: Captain, My Captain
- OUTTAKE 10: General Knowledge 1 "Cook the Books"
- #106: Christmas Magic
- #105: Piratical Cutlass
- #104: Capsula Cacaoticorum (Box of Chocolates)
- #103: Cup Final
- #102: Autochthonous Animals
- #101: Star Crossed
- #100: Grand Scheme
- #99: Outlawed Maths
- #98: Star of Bethlehem
- #97: Hothouse Flowers
- #96: Christmas Card
- OUTTAKE 9: Packing Crates 3 "Chemical Wit"
- #95: American Exceptionalism
- #94: Dead Space
- #93: Death in Every Direction
- #92: Pointless Meddling
- #91: Naval Gazing
- #90: Irish Monastery
- #89: Brazil Nuts
- #88: Godfather Flock
- #87: Green Knight
- #86: Notable People?
- #85: Neighbourhood Superhero
- #84: Arthur and Merlin
- #83: No Wonder!
- #82: Money to Burn
- #81: Missionary Position
- COLLAB 2: Movie Stars
- OUTTAKE 8: Spiral Puzzle 'Undertale & Minecraft'
- #80: Forest Fire
- #79: Alphabet Mafia
- #78: Fire Escape
- #77: False Impression
- #76: Stark Mad
- OUTTAKE 7: Packing Crates 2 'Clock Tower'
- #75: Executive Propaganda
- #74: (In)visible Capitalism
- #73: Godly Family
- #72: New York Odyssey
- #71: Pease Pudding
- #70: Famous Last Words
- #69: Seven-Course Meal
- #68: Atmospheric Pressure
- #67: Flint and Steel
- #66: Red Hood
- #65: Danish Pastries
- #64: Epson Salts
- OUTTAKE 6: Spiral Puzzle 2 "Unfortunate Crocheting"
- #63: Saltwater Symphony
- OUTTAKE 5: Spiral puzzle 'Funny and Handsome'
- #62: Holey Devil
- #61: Black Beauty
- #60: Reflection and Refraction
- #59: Pandora's Talks
- #58: LOL JK
- #57: Vegetable Vegetable
- #56: Christian Charity
- #55: Rome, Italy
- #54: Adventure Novels
- #53: Extra Cool
- #52: Fish Stew
- OUTTAKE 4: Crate Packing "Mayor Cooper"
- #51: Black Hole
- #50: Shrinking Violet
- #49: Salad Days
- #48: Folk Stories
- OUTTAKE 3: Junimoji "Dead Lift"
- #47: Improper Fraction
- #46: Pilot Fish
- #45: Redacted Reverend
- #44: Significant Figures
- #43: Brute Force
- #42: Sleeping Pills
- #41: Law Suit
- #40: Foster Child
- #39: Indiana Sky
- #38: Junk Bond
- OUTTAKE 2: SudoCross
- #37: Chocolate Shoes
- #36: Charming Deception
- #35: Look at the Letters II
2020
- #34: Jordan Memories
- #33: Persian Tiger
- #32: Snowy Festivities
- OUTTAKE 1: Seven by Five
- #31: Crown Prince
- #30: Manhattan Orchestra
- COLLAB #1: Sunday Solve?
- #29: Superlatively Discombobulate
- #28: Toad Stick
- #27: Top Dollar
- #26: Circus Tent
- #25: Regrettable Comments
- #24: Raising Puppies
- #23: Glass Portals
- #22: Bit Flips
- #21: Mocking Pastry
- #20: Final Remarks
- #19: Record Dreaming
- #18: River Time
- #17: Fiery Unrest
- #16: Greek Philospher
- #15: Orbital Dancing
- Note to the Interested Reader
- #14: Spicy Relations
- #13: Crossing Threshold
- #12: Communist Utopia
- #11: Malaysian Land
- #10: Look at the Letters
- #9: Unorthodox Sandwiches
- #8: Middle Square
- #7: Anonymous Introduction
- #6: Ink Cloth
- #5: Royal Flush
- #4: Friends and Enemies
- #3: Divine Element
- #2: Flat Earth
- #1: Spinnerette
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