A Puzzle Chewy as Tentacles on Toast

By Mark Jones

A Puzzle Chewy as Tentacles on Toast

The puzzle has three parts: a clue list, a passage from a classic science fiction novel with words omitted, and a word search puzzle where all the words omitted from the passage are concealed. The object of the puzzle is to find all the concealed words in the word search puzzle and put them in the correct blanks in the passage. I designed this puzzle to have three levels of difficulty. Clue List Like a clue to a crossword puzzle, each word or phrase on the clue list suggests one of the words omitted from the passage. The clues are in the same order as the corresponding words omitted from the passage. For example, the fifth clue on the list corresponds to the fifth blank in the passage. Word Search Words concealed in the word search puzzle are written up, down, diagonally, forwards, or backwards. The Dark Passage The passage comes from a critical moment in a great science fiction novel, written long ago. Levels of Difficulty I've described the medium level of difficulty above. For a harder puzzle, throw away the page with the Medium Clue List. Now try to work the puzzle. I dare you. For an easier puzzle, I've supplied an Easy Word List containing all the words omitted from the passage. It's at the end of the answer section. Tear off the Easy Word List from the answer section, turn it right side up, and use it to solve the puzzle. Unlike the clue list, the order of the Easy Word List is scrambled. Otherwise, the easy puzzle would hardly be a puzzle at all.

Medium Clue List

1. not deceased 2. pertaining to the Roman god of war 3. to picture in mind 4. dreadfulness 5. look 6. extraordinary 7. yap 8. sharp 9. above your eye 10. lack 11. under 12. ranking less high 13. unceasing 14. trembling 15. Medusa or one of her sisters 16. tempestuous 17. weird 18. weightiness 19. soreness 20. word specifying a type of attraction 21. familiar planet 22. fervency 23. optics 24. queasiness 25. mushroom-like 26. integument 27. rhymes with celebration 28. structural units of a symphonic work 29. deep vertical holes 30. planets

The Word Search

The Dark Passage

Answers

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