Puzzles

By Paul Holmes

Keep you brain active with a few different sorts of puzzles, with many original one interspersed with the odd quiz questions (to keep your memory muscle amused), lateral thinking puzzles and wordy interludes and few of the better known puzzles and riddles from history with a little background to their origins.

Want to try a puzzle? Here’s an intriguing word search.

How many concealed countries from around the world are you able to uncover in the following story? There are 27 lurking in here.

I needed a holiday in order to renew zeal and interest in my job. In their eagerness to help, the travel agency sold me a package to go on safari in Africa, which I naturally leapt at.

At the tiny airstrip the pilot descended to land, or rather, attempted to land in the bush. Tumbling from the tiny plane, facing the wind, I almost fainted when I noticed a lion cub about to pounce. I cautiously observed the animal in the tree, but as I was unwell, suffering from swollen glands, I kept a safe distance, then I geriatrically hobbled away. The pilot, who was also acting as our guide, advised us to give the animal a wide berth, even though only a young cub. ‘Fix it in the eye, men ‘ he instructed dramatically, but it was too late. It pounced, scratching the pilot badly, and in his pain, he gestured to a drab hut and started to sprint on gallantly to the safety of the building. Although I had experienced danger many times before, I ran for shelter. Once inside, I decided to double check my insurance renewal, especially since one of our number had been injured already. I was in danger of losing the money that I bet on emerging unscathed from this safari. I would either have to give up or tug alarmingly at my reserves of courage to carry on. I had been expecting to see impala, ostrich, adders and other exotic wildlife. We ate supper unusually early that evening, in the hopes of seeing a bonobo or perhaps a moa in the inspiring ambiance that is Central Africa.

If you want to find out if you are correct, you will find the answer in the book *mischievous grin*

• Language: English
• Publisher: The New Curiosity Shop
• Release date: Dec 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311203885

Paul Holmes

Paul has been writing puzzles for many years. Equally intrigued by anagrams and word puzzles, mathematical conundrums, logical enigmas and lateral thinking problems, Paul enjoys solving puzzles almost as much as setting them. Born and bred in Yorkshire, he has had a varied career, being an accountancy trainee, and astronomy student in Newcastle and Edinburgh, a post-doc physics researcher in Oxford, a businessman in the packaging trade in Bradford and a personal tutor in Ilkley, but throughout it all his fascination with puzzles has remained undimmed. He still gives talks on Astronomy, plays racketball badly and has a fondness for real ale. He lives in Yorkshire with his lovely Scottish wife and ageing dog.

Book preview

Puzzles

Paul Holmes

Contents

Title Page

Curious About Puzzles

Puzzle 1: Hans Slammer

Quiz Questions 1: Languages of the World

Puzzle 2: Orderly Vowels

Lateral Thinking 1: Albatross pie

Puzzle 3: Ben Chimes

Odd One Out 1

Puzzle 4: Triplets’ Birthday

Wordy Interlude 1: African Safari

Puzzle 5: The Brave Warriors

Lateral Thinking 2: Sleepless Nights

Puzzle 6: Headwind

Quiz Questions 2: Euro Trivia

Puzzle 7: Polly Syllabic

What’s Next? 1

Puzzle 8: Fisherman

Conundrum 1: The Odd Paragraph

Puzzle 9: James Lockchain

Wordy Interlude 2: Beginnings and Endings

Puzzle 10: Mr Bramley’s Apple

What’s Next? 2

Logic Puzzles

Puzzle 11: Interstellar Conversation

Quiz Questions 3: Various Valentines

Puzzle 12: Old Beans

Wordy Interlude 3: Old Money

Puzzle 13: Who wants to be a Millionaire?

Conundrum 2: Kangaroo Words

Puzzle 14: Logonian Bouncing Beans

Wordy Interlude 4: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Puzzle 15: Sir Roger Hamster

What’s Next? 3

Puzzle 16: Grand Alignment

Quiz Questions 4: Modes of Transport

Puzzle 17: Farrendepth

Lateral Thinking 3: What’s the date?

Answer to Puzzle 1: Hans Slammer

Answer to Quiz Questions 1:Languages of the World

Answer to Puzzle 2: Orderly Vowels

Answer to Puzzle 3: Ben Chimes

Answer to Odd One Out 1

Answer to Puzzle 4: Triplets’ Birthday

Answer to Wordy Interlude 1: African Safari

Answer to Puzzle 5: The Brave Warriors

Answer to Lateral Thinking 2: Sleepless Nights

Answer to Puzzle 6: Headwind

Answer to Quiz Questions 2: Euro Trivia

Answer to Puzzle 7: Polly Syllabic

Answer to What’s Next? 1

Answer to Puzzle 8: Fisherman

Answer to Conundrum 1: The Odd Paragraph

Answer to Puzzle 9: James Lockchain

Answer to Wordy Interlude 2: Beginnings and Endings

Answer to Puzzle 10: Mr Bramley’s apple

Mr Bramley’s calculations

Answer to What’s Next? 2

Answer to Puzzle 11: Interstellar Conversation

Answer to Quiz Questions 3: Various Valentines

Answer to Puzzle 12: Old Beans

Answer to Wordy Interlude 3: Old Money

Answer to Puzzle 13: Who wants to be a millionaire?

Answer to Conundrum 2: Kangaroo Words

Answer to Puzzle 14: Logonian Bouncing Beans

Answer to Wordy Interlude 4: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Answer to What’s Next? 3

Answer to Puzzle 16: Grand Alignment

Answer to Quiz Questions 4: Modes of Transport

Answer to Puzzle 17: Farrendepth

Answer to Lateral Thinking 3: What’s the date?

Answer to Puzzle 9: James Lockchain (Supplementary)

Answer to Puzzle 14: Logonian Bouncing Beans (Supplementary)

Answer to The Riddle of the Sphinx

Meet the Author

Curious About the New Curiosity Shop

Puzzles

Paul Holmes

Copyright © Paul Holmes 2013

Published by The New Curiosity Shop at Smashwords

www.newcurioshop.com

Edition 1.0

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Paul Holmes has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

Cover design: Digital Hearth, based on a photograph by Bonnie Ann Cain-Wood.

Curious About Puzzles

Mankind is a curious animal. We are curious in the sense that we are an inquisitive species and eager to learn, and we can also be curious in