The Grey Labyrinth is a collection of puzzles, riddles, mind games, paradoxes and other intellectually challenging diversions. Related topics: puzzle games, logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, philosophy, mind benders, brain teasers, word problems, conundrums, 3d puzzles, spatial reasoning, intelligence tests, mathematical diversions, paradoxes, physics problems, reasoning, math, science.

Mr. President · Daedalian Member

Can you think of a word that has to deal with a certain topic, and when you re-arrange the letters, you come up with another word that means basically the same thing?

Hint, after you re-arrange the letters, the second word means basically half of the first.

I don't think this is a chestnut because I thought it up myself...

Speaking of which, did you know that when Gollum and Bilbo were exchanging riddles, Gollum complained that Bilbo was giving him chestnuts? I've read that book many times, but completely missed that reference until the last time I read it.

Suspence · Daedalian Member

Maybe a word length would help us start.

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I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature

Mr. President · Daedalian Member

Sorry...

8 letters. More clues to come if this stumps everybody...

Mr. President · Daedalian Member

Oh, and if you re-arrange this word yet a third time, you get something that can only happen if the first two words have 'happened'.

Suspence · Daedalian Member

Mr. President, would this be a term from science???

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I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature

Mr. President · Daedalian Member

Not really...

Ok, a few more things. Let get this straightened out...

We now have four words.

Word 1
Word 2
Word 3
Word 4

Word 1-3 are all the same letters, simply re-arranged. Word number four contains seven of the same letters of the original eight, plus an additions letter so that it contains 8 as well.

Word1 + Word4 = Word2

However, you can't have Word2 without Word3.

Got all that?

And no, this isn't scientific. I'm sure everybody here is familiar with all of the words...

[This message has been edited by Mr. President (edited 03-14-2002 04:14 PM).]

ronl · Daedalian Member

I understood it before you explained it ... now I am totally confused.

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This post is rated NWS: Not Worthy of a Signature.

Mr. President · Daedalian Member

I tried to clarify. And no, these aren't numbers or things you can mathematically 'add'. But they do serve as very nice clues...

Ghost Post · Icarian Member

Would the words be parental, paternal and prenatal?

Mr. President · Daedalian Member

Bingo... and of course you finish that out with maternal...

Nice job.

Ghost Post · Icarian Member

... and while we're on this type of thing ...

how about three words, all anagrams of 10 letters with no letters repeated within a word, that can form the following sentence.

0123456789 1679405382 9805371462.

As a hint, it may explain why K-Mart went broke.

Mr. President · Daedalian Member

Crappy customer service? No, that doesn't fit. Unknowledgeable sales staff? No that doesn't work either... Too dang expensive? Won't give refunds?

Hmmmm, this is harder than it looks. So many reasons...

[This message has been edited by Mr. President (edited 03-14-2002 05:57 PM).]

eixdeuce · Daedalian Member

The answer is Discounter Introduces Reductions.