Tuesday 10 April 2007

MISSING LINKS

For those still puzzling over Lewis Carroll's Doublets, here are the solutions. As both GILL and GOOD DOG correctly answered, this is how you turn FIRE into HEAT:

FIRE
Hire
Here
Herd
Head
HEAT

GILL also found a solution to putting MILK into PAIL:

MILK
Mill
Mall
Pall
PAIL

Lewis Carroll suggested MILL - PILL - PALL, but MILL - MALL - PALL is just as good.

What no one got was WHEAT into BREAD and then BREAD into TOAST...

So, here's the answers...
WHEAT
Cheat
Cheap
Cheep
Creep
Creed
Breed
BREAD
Break
Bleak
Bleat
Blest
Blast
Boast
TOAST

Don't feel any obligation, but can, if you like try increasing ONE to TWO, advancing FOUR to FIVE; turning TEARS into SMILE and making BLACK WHITE...

PS: I'm sorry that yesterday's blog did NOT allow comments (it's one of the more annoying aberations of New Blogger that it occasionaily - and arbirtairly - decides not to allow comments! Comment-leaving on that particular post has now been facilitated --- albeit a bit late!

[Image: Lewis Carroll by David Levine]
at

5 comments:

  1. AnonymousTuesday, April 10, 2007

    I'd love to spend more time on these, but can't at the moment. For now, I have to be content at getting FOUR to FIVE and TEARS to SMILE. Apologies that my solution for the latter included a rude word. No surprises there.

    FOUR
    POUR
    POOR
    POOL
    POLL
    POLE
    PILE
    FILE
    FIVE

    TEARS
    SEARS
    SEATS
    STARS
    STARE
    SHARE
    SHIRE
    SHITE
    SMITE
    SMILE

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brian SibleyTuesday, April 10, 2007

    Yes, well, the latter does NOT of course conform to Lewis Carroll's ruling: "It is, perhaps, needless to state that it is de rigueur that the links should be English words, such as might be used in good society." ;-)

    Anyone who would care to enter CLEAN version, please feel free!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousWednesday, April 11, 2007

    Oh, alright then. Just to show I can:

    TEARS
    SEARS
    SEATS
    STARS
    STARE
    STALE
    STILE
    SMILE

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousWednesday, April 11, 2007

    And while I'm at it, let me double my number of posts:

    ONE
    ORE
    ARE
    ART
    ARM
    AIM
    RIM
    RAM
    RAG
    TAG
    TOG
    TOO
    TWO

    And for monochromatic perfection:

    BLACK
    SLACK
    SLICK
    SLICE
    SLIDE
    SLADE
    SHADE
    SHARE
    SHIRE
    SHINE
    WHINE
    WHITE

    I feel like I'm cheating a bit with SLADE, but it is a valid word, meaning either:

    A little dell or valley; a flat piece of low, moist ground.

    or

    The sole of a plow.

    Let me try again, but without what looks like a 70s rock band getting in the way:

    BLACK
    BLANK
    BLINK
    SLINK
    STINK
    STING
    SWING
    SWINE
    TWINE
    THINE
    WHINE
    WHITE

    ReplyDelete
  5. Brian SibleyWednesday, April 11, 2007

    QENNY - you're pretty good at these... :-)

    Although I'm afraid Lewis Carroll just has the edge on you!

    FOUR to FIVE: you did it with 7 links; Carroll with 5, as follows:

    FOUR
    Tour
    Torr
    Tore
    Tire
    Fire
    FIVE

    TEARS to SMILE (your CLEAN version!) took 6 links; Caroll's solution again used only 5, the same words as you used but minus SEATS which you really didn't need since you could have gone from SEARS to STARS in one move...

    ONE to TWO: well done, this was hard and in your solution you made the switch with 11 links; however, Carroll did it in six (but it is tricksy):

    ONE
    Ope
    Opt
    Out
    Tut
    Tot
    Too
    TWO

    And, finally, BLACK to WHITE: both of your solutions - two first-rate attempts, by the way - use 10 links, but unfortunately Mr Carroll managed it with only 6:

    BLACK
    Blank
    Blink
    Clink
    Chink
    Chine
    Whine
    WHITE

    ReplyDelete