Dec 04, 2007 One Word Wonder Puzzle

wha wha wha....

I don't get it at all.

I can pair some of the words up, but now what?

*stumped*

In the road through the words always obey the signs!

[3] Did you do the first sign first?

[6] what is the first sign? Upper left?

[7] I'm trying to figure out the same thing.

Only one completion in an hour and a half (almost)?!?!

[6][7] The signs go left to right top to bottom, like English reading. I didn't number them as I was afraid that people would try to make something of the numbers.

[10] Looks like people aren't making much out of anything.

I'm at the curves sign...

okay - get the top three signs - what do you do with the curve ahead?

[9] Not quite, the site was down and the puzzles were posted late.

[10] I thought that was pretty straightforward (I wouldn't have assumed otherwise). I'm stuck trying to figure out what the first sign even means.

Still, it has been some time...and I need a sign that says "hopelessly lost, I surrender"

[12][13] It has something in common with "No Parking" in an antithesis sort of way.

Anybody know how to click on no stars for fun?

[15] Think lanes.

[15] I'm in the same boat, er, car. I have no idea what to do with the first sign, let alone the other 5.

this will be more fun than most after the aha moment

[19] What's a lane? a row of words? a column of words? Letters?

as for the signs: I got the first second, not third, think I got fifth and six....but still lost

are the words given like prefix/suffix? if so, i have 3 (maybe a 4th, but it doesnt seem to fit). and only 1 of those words matches a sign....

[22] I assume there are 3 lanes that run from bottom to top.

I updated the picture to break the dead-lock on the first sign.

I truly have no doubt that this is ridiculously clever. I'm sure there will be a head to desk moment once the solution is found :)

[23] You must do them in order.

I cant figure out what to do for the fourth sign.

I can't figure out the curvy sign.

This isn't helping me, is it helping anyone?

still stumped on the 4th sign - is it winding road ahead, s-curve, curve ahead?

[29] See [17] that should add something to your progress.

EDIT: A kind of salt in [32]

Um. 2nd. Except I have no idea why the answer is the answer. I followed the first three signs fine but don't understand the next two, and just started trying random things. o_O

[27] I'm already having the head-to-desk moment.

LOL! 3rd, and darn proud of it!

Take the bottom left sign VERY VERY literally.

What lane am I driving on? The middle lane? Is the right lane merging into the middle lane?

4th. And I think I sorta get it, but not entirely sure.

[33] Love it when I salt it and don't even know what I've salted.

I was fifth and I don't know why.

I should be in bed. grrrr.

[40] You were the fifth person to type in the correct answer.

holy cow, I guessed it and got it.

Edit: I have a rough idea how it's solved, but I dunno how all the exact steps are supposed to fit in. The late edits are what did it for me though. Thanks!

Ok I have spun myself around, I have four words and am adding a winding road ... please call 911 I have just had an accident...the airbag on my computer deployed. and I still don't know what the answer is

I got to the 5th sign and guessed correctly. Great idea, but awkward solve.

it is a curvy one!

Please note, I just posted this puzzle tonight. I was not exactly done fine tuning it.

I just edited the image one last time and I am confident that each sign has enough information to solve the puzzle.

[44] I am at the same spot. Four words, adding a fifth. Nwo trying to figure out what the 5th sign is telling me to do.

I got the answer. I think I see how it could work, but it doesn't seem to fit together very logically.

is there anyway I can ask someone if I even have the fourish words right?

[50] If you have four words, you've almost certainly got them all right.

I got about halfway and guessed. If I'm backsolving correctly, the upper right sign affects 2 words, not just 1.

[50] you can send me a tangagram if you want.

My final salt (as I think it is needed)

I almost dropped the 4th sign as it is the only sign that works at the LETTER level while all the others work at the WORD level.

I wish I waited to post this but I didn't expect it to go live tonight.

I think I understand how all of the signs work now that I guessed the answer, but looking back I shouldn't have overlooked the last sign so quickly.

[54] That's rough. Thanks for staying active on the thread and giving out salt.

Totally lost. I have four words after the 2nd sign (does the order matter?), but I thought the third sign would eliminate one of the words... but now [52] has me doubting that. And then I have no idea what to do with the 4th (add a letter to each word???)... ARGH!

[54] I tend to have a lot published the same day I submit them. Always a good idea to hold back any work-in-progress and only submit what is ready for prime time.

Not sure why leave hints. In 22 hours I'm just going to hit the "Show the answer because I don't have a freakin clue" button, right?

[57] The 3rd sign should definitely eliminate one of the words, if I'm doing it right.

I'm not sure what to do with the 4th sign at all.

[56] No problem. I am happy that the puzzle was selected. But when I saw that it was posted tonight, I knew that I needed to be available just in case. It is like how you can't see what you want to change in MS Word until you print the page.

Anyone else want the answer to be Roadkill? :)

[54] Are you sure you mean the fourth sign and not the fifth? Or maybe the "first" sign counts as three?...:( I felt so close about a half hour ago.

[60] All signs can affect more than one word.

[58] It was not actually a work in progress. I just like to take some time to look them over after I post it. See [61]

[63] Yup the 4th sign (the one with the "+")

had the answer for a while and tried to figure out what you meant with the last sign - then head hit the desk. tough puzzle - especially 4th sign. i understand the whole method, and it does make logical sense. thanks for the salt.

oh my god...

1hr 22 min, but it is done

i'm pretty sure i know what the first 4 signs do, but what i thought the 5th one did, doesn't clue me in to what to do

I arrived at the answer, but I don't know if I did it the "right" way or not. Since I didn't just guess, perhaps my method is the intended one.

If that's the case, then I'd say this: (1) [60] is right; (2) pay attention to [54]; (3) before forming the four words, note how their components are laid out on the page, because it might be useful later. (3) is the part I'm least certain about, but at least it helped _me_ out somehow.

my only salt request is, for sign #2, is it a perfect zipper and does it start on the far right?

Is this too salty?

Wow, that was hairy. I finally managed to make it work its way out. The bottom left sign was probably unnecessary, but I can see how it would be useful to keep people from guessing.

Salt: If step 2 gives you gibberish, do it a different way.

[70] No, and no.

Okay. Not a perfect zipper means the words could be matched up in any way and not right means left?

[73] Not right means exactly what it says. There's really only way to match up the words that remain.

Wow, I'm just amazed that you can submit a puzzle and get it posted the same day! I submitted some about a month ago, and never heard a peep. I guess they didn't like them, and couldn't even bother to let me know. :-(

Someone want to give me some salt on what to do with sign 4? I'm stumped.

[69] the way i solved it, [60] is not right. see [64] and [52].

[76] - see [32] and [54]

AAARRGGGG!!!

Finally.

Thanks gameczar.

I give up. :|

does someone want to give salt on how the last 2 signs affect the words?

You solved this puzzle in 1 hour, 24 minutes and 51 seconds and were the 67th Tanga member to solve it. You earned 28 points for solving this.

i had the answer about an hour ago after [32] but didnt try it because i'm stupid and thought it was too easy ... very frustrating

[82] Thanks. After I read your comment, I went back to the four words that I also got over an hour ago, and applied the 4th sign.

[81] Sign 5 is similar to sign 3. Sign 6, note the question mark ("?")

That's it? That's the answer? Color me non-plussed. Good idea with the signs, but I think this needed to germinate a little longer.

My comment must have been deleted during the downtime... :( I solved it, but I don't know how. Anyone want to message me with the method?

-JEEP

That...made some sense, kind of, but not enough for me to say I particularly enjoyed it.

Sign 5 should really have a small dot or "." included but if your this far you only have to pick from 2 words...

I was #90 but I only got 10 points? Shouldn't I have received 20?

[85] color you confused, bewildered? (nonplussed does not mean unimpressed, although that is what most people think.

[89] I think it is 100-# of solvers (minimum of 10 points). So really only the first 89 get more than 10 points.

For the saltiest salt in saltworld, hang a right at exit 49 - BGG Forums.

By the way, that last comment was not meant to be salt on its own, so don't let me mislead you.

Third sign was more general than I took it, but that only left two choices anyway. Well done!

Finally got it this morning.

What threw me was that I was using the actual meaning of the third sign (which eliminated only one of the 4 words -- I think having that actually BE one of the 4 words was misleading), rather than the one letter (which eliminates two of the words).

The 4th sign confused me a little, but I eventually had the right idea. On the 5th, I wasn't sure if I should use the "meaning" or what the sign looks like... but either way, the result was the same (eliminating one word).

However, without knowing that the 3rd sign affects two words, I was left with two words at the end, which made me think I did something wrong.

Oh well. An interesting puzzle idea, with a bit too much ambiguity.

Ditto to everything said in [94].

Dang nab it--after the easy one-word wonder, I tried typing "signs" but this didn't work. I guess it really is "hard."

[90] Bzzzt. It's supposed to be 10 points plus a bonus of 100 - n where n = number of previous solvers. I was #90, so I should've received 10 + 11 points, or 21.

this is bullshit........i had highway like 3 times......kept thinking i had the answer.....but a damn S kept me from it.......BOOOOOOOO!

same here (98). sigh

[98][99] Me three.