Mystery Hunt 2012 Recast: COMPLETE!!!

[novice]

Assuming all "disks" are the same size:

4 - GROAN - A bad joke teller might receive this - ORGAN - A donation that can’t be returned
10 - BUDGE - Move the tiniest iota - DEBUG - Get the code running
4 - ROWDY - Like mosh pit dancers - WORDY - In need of an editor
10 - EARTH - Kwame’s superpower - HEART - Word with “break” or “attack”
4 - WARPS - Travels from World 1 to World 4 - WRAPS - Disguises a box’s contents
FALSE - A Boolean value - FLEAS - A dog’s worst enemies
CLEAN - Without potty language or innuendo - LANCE - Renaissance fair weapon
RATES - Gives two thumbs up, perhaps - STARE - Give the evil eye
BRAID - Time-bending video game from 2008 - RABID - Fanatic
ARISE - Get up - RAISE - Negotiation bargaining chipGet up
ARGUE - Don’t agree to disagree - AUGER - You might need it if you’re boring
KNITS - Makes a sweater - STINK - Evidence of needing a diaper change
BAGEL - You might smear a shmear on one - GABLE - Actor who once played a Butler
MERIT - Deserve (as a reward) - REMIT - Don’t punish
HINGE - Turning point? - NEIGH - It’s straight from the horse’s mouth?

Not sure if this yields enough variation.

[novice]

Assuming letter index correlates to disk size, so a letter can only go on top of a letter originally to its left:

G R O A N - G R O AN _ - G R ON A _ - G R ON _ A - G R O N A - G R O _ AN - G R _ O AN - G _ R O AN - _ G R O AN - _ G RO _ AN - _ GO R _ AN - O G R _ AN - O G _ R AN - O _ G R AN - O _ GR _ AN - O R G _ AN - O R G N A - O R GN _ A - O R GN A _ - O R G AN _ - O R G A N

20? - GROAN - A bad joke teller might receive this - ORGAN - A donation that can’t be returned
BUDGE - Move the tiniest iota - DEBUG - Get the code running
ROWDY - Like mosh pit dancers - WORDY - In need of an editor
EARTH - Kwame’s superpower - HEART - Word with “break” or “attack”
WARPS - Travels from World 1 to World 4 - WRAPS - Disguises a box’s contents
FALSE - A Boolean value - FLEAS - A dog’s worst enemies
CLEAN - Without potty language or innuendo - LANCE - Renaissance fair weapon
RATES - Gives two thumbs up, perhaps - STARE - Give the evil eye
BRAID - Time-bending video game from 2008 - RABID - Fanatic
ARISE - Get up - RAISE - Negotiation bargaining chipGet up
ARGUE - Don’t agree to disagree - AUGER - You might need it if you’re boring
KNITS - Makes a sweater - STINK - Evidence of needing a diaper change
BAGEL - You might smear a shmear on one - GABLE - Actor who once played a Butler
MERIT - Deserve (as a reward) - REMIT - Don’t punish
HINGE - Turning point? - NEIGH - It’s straight from the horse’s mouth?

[gftt*]

Maybe I'm misreading your notation, but shouldn't there only be three pegs, not 5?

Start with G on R on O on A on N, then ROAN-G-*, OAN-G-R, AN-G-OR, GAN-*-OR, GAN-O-R, RGAN-O-*, ORGAN-*-*. I count 7.

[novice]

[novice]

Also you're placing the O on the R, which is illegal since the O disk is larger than the R. That was the reason I used 5 pegs, since otherwise the solution would be illegal.

[gftt*]

I think moving from one peg to another is always one move. Doesn't matter the "distance" between the pegs.

I think one can either do it with 5 pegs but different size disks, or 3 pegs with same size disks (if one is to anagram a tower of 5 disks they all have to be able to go on top of one another). I guess it's a judgment call as to which feature of the original Towers of Hanoi game is more important to maintain, the 3 pegs or the different sizes.

[novice]

[novice]

OK, three pegs and equal-sized disks:

budge,.,.
udge,.,b
dge,.,ub
ge,.,dub
e,g,dub
de,g,ub
de,ug,b
de,bug,.
e,bug,d
.,ebug,d
.,debug,.

7 - GROAN - A bad joke teller might receive this - ORGAN - A donation that can’t be returned
10 - BUDGE - Move the tiniest iota - DEBUG - Get the code running
7 - ROWDY - Like mosh pit dancers - WORDY - In need of an editor
8 - EARTH - Kwame’s superpower - HEART - Word with “break” or “attack”
6 - WARPS - Travels from World 1 to World 4 - WRAPS - Disguises a box’s contents
10 - FALSE - A Boolean value - FLEAS - A dog’s worst enemies
10 - CLEAN - Without potty language or innuendo - LANCE - Renaissance fair weapon
9 - RATES - Gives two thumbs up, perhaps - STARE - Give the evil eye
6 - BRAID - Time-bending video game from 2008 - RABID - Fanatic
4 - ARISE - Get up - RAISE - Negotiation bargaining chipGet up
9 - ARGUE - Don’t agree to disagree - AUGER - You might need it if you’re boring
5 - KNITS - Makes a sweater - STINK - Evidence of needing a diaper change
10 - BAGEL - You might smear a shmear on one - GABLE - Actor who once played a Butler
7 - MERIT - Deserve (as a reward) - REMIT - Don’t punish
8 - HINGE - Turning point? - NEIGH - It’s straight from the horse’s mouth?

[novice]

In a different line of investigation, here are the classes of anagrams involved:

abcde-cbade
GROAN-ORGAN
ROWDY-WORDY
MERIT-REMIT

abcde-ceabd
BUDGE-DEBUG

abcde-eabcd
EARTH-HEART

abcde-acbde
WARPS-WRAPS

abcde-acebd
FALSE-FLEAS

abcde-bdeac
CLEAN-LANCE

abcde-ecbad
RATES-STARE

abcde-bcade
BRAID-RABID

abcde-bacde
ARISE-RAISE

abcde-adceb
ARGUE-AUGER

abcde-edcba
KNITS-STINK

abcde-cbaed
BAGEL-GABLE

abcde-cebda
HINGE-NEIGH

[gftt*]

Looking at some of those numbers I think maybe you were right initially with the assumption that disks are of different sizes. With same-sized disks you can't get numbers that are very high, whereas with different-sized disks you can go up to at least 31. (Classical Towers of Hanoi with n disks is 2^n - 1 moves.)

Now, how to determine disk sizes? Note that KNITS and STINK are exactly reverse so it can't be just left-to-right order of letters.

[gftt]

OK, how about using alphabetical order as the disk size? Every word that I've looked at has only one way that it can be placed on the pegs if letters that are earlier alphabetically have to be on top of letters that are later. For instance GROAN has to go G on R, O, A on N, whereas ORGAN must go O on R, G, A on N. To go from GR, O, AN to OR, G, AN takes these steps:
GR, O, AN
GR, AO, N
R, AO, GN
R, O, AGN
OR, *, AGN
AOR, *, GN
AOR, G, N
OR, G, AN
So 7 again = G

BU, DG, E
U, BDG, E
EU, BDG, *
EU, DG, B
DEU, G, B
BDEU, G, *
BDEU, *, G
7 to move to U, * BDEG
*, U, BDEG
B, U, DEG
B, DU, EG
*, BDU, EG
E, BDU, G
E, DU, BG
DE, U, BG
DE, BU, G
I count 21 = U

R, OW, DY
R, DOW, Y
*, DOW, RY
3 to *, W, DORY
W, *, DORY
W, D, ORY
OW, D, RY
DOW, *, RY
DOW, R, Y
2 to W, OR, DY
12 = L

E, ART, H
2 to *, RT, AEH
R, T, AEH
7 to AEHR, T, *
AEHR, *, T
7 to R, AEH, T
*, AEH, RT
3 to *, H, AERT
H, *, AERT
3 to H, E, ART
26 = Z. Yuck.

GULZ...?

W, AR, PS
W, R, APS Huzzah, one move only! = A.

F, ALS, E
2 to AF, ELS, *
2 to *, AELS, F
3 to *, LS, AEF
L, S, AEF
7 to AEFL, S, *
AEFL, *, S
2 to FL, E, AS
18 = R

GULZAR is at least an Indian poet.

CL,E,AN
2 to L, AE, CN
2 to EL, *, ACN
3 to ACEL, *, N
ACEL, N, *
3 to EL, ACN, *
L, ACN, E
3 to L,AN,CE
15 = O

R,AT,ES
2 to AR, ET, S
2 to *, AET, RS
3 to *, T, AERS
T, *, AERS
7 to T, AER, S
ST, AER, *
3 to ST,AR,E
19 = S

GULZAR OS... OK, now I'm worried too.

[Suspence]

I like the idea, but I'm worried about the results.

I just checked, and none of the words would make identical towers:

[Suspence]

Starts GULZA and 15 letters? GULZARILAL NANDA

Unfortunately, I don't see a Woodstock band with the initials GN...
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[gftt]

[Suspence]

It wasn't a concern, just a shortcut. If any were identical, it would have saved you some work.
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[gftt]

[Suspence]

I stink at this kinda stuff.

I think I know where this is headed given the Wikipedia page for GULZAR and the necessary Woodstock connection, but I don't want to undermine your hard work with a guess.

Yep, that OS seems right on track
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[gftt]

Oh, I get it. GULZAR OSCAR SONG, probably. Call in JAI HO. Jimi Hendrix, undoubtedly. (I don't mind guesses if they can get me out of tedious work!)

[Suspence]

Yeah, that's why I hinted at my guess...you deserved the solve credit. You were busy with the real work while I was waiting for your updates trying to solve the whole thing.
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[LordKinbote]

[Suspence]

A GIRL LIKE YOU - First tune on “Groovin’” by the Young Rascals (1, 4, 4, 3)
COMFIER? - More cozy (7)
Locomotive ridden to meet another locomotive (10, 5)
HOMICIDE - It may be justifiable (8)
INFANCY GOSPELS? - Stories about the childhood of Jesus (7, 7)
IREX - iLiad maker (4)
MAR DEL PLATA - City that hosted the Davis Cup finals in 2008 (3, 3, 5)
SUPPLANTED? - How the superseded act (10)
RAW SIENNA - Yellowish-brown Crayola color available since 1958 (3, 6)
SATORI - Sudden enlightenment in Zen Buddhism (6)
THE PASSWORD IS - Whispered phrase on a TV game show originally hosted by Allen Ludden (3, 8, 2)
TUDOR - Dynasty from 1485 to 1603 (5)
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[LordKinbote]

[Suspence]

You're right. I've fixed the typo...
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[gftt*]

[gftt*]

[LordKinbote]

[Suspence]

OVERRIDDEN?
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[novice]

CONNECTING TRAIN?

[Scurra]

[Scurra]

And they've all got Solfege syllables in them for the chromatic scale.

TUDOR
THEPASSWORDIS
IREX
SATORI
HOMICIDE
INFANCYGOSPELS
COMFIER
<- 10 letters beginning with O and containing SOL! ->
RAWSIENNA
MARDELPLATA
AGIRLLIKEYOU
CONNECTINGTRAIN
_________________
_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Elethiomel]

OBSOLETELY - How the superseded act (10)

[novice]

[Scurra]

Any chance of amplifying that a little?

edit: oh, wait. I see it now. D'oh. I looked there during the increasing lengths bit, but didn't think to look there there again...

edit2: oh, you've done it anyway.
_________________
_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Elethiomel]

Of Course!

[Scurra]

Into the Woodstock (in no particular order)

KINGS HIGHWAY BRIDGE - Keef Hartley Band
REST STOP - Ravi Shankar
JACK CARDIFF - Joe Cocker
GO DUTCH - Grateful Dead
RUSH HOUR - Richie Havens
BAKING SODA - Bert Sommer
TERRY GENE BOLLEA - The Grease Band
CHRIST CHURCH REGATTA - Credence Clearwater Revival
JERRY WEXLER - Johnny Winter
JAI HO - Jimi Hendrix
JOSH SCHWARTZ - John Sebastian
_________________
_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[LordKinbote]

JOSH SCHWARTZ is correct. You have no idea how many teams called in "CHROMATIC" or variations thereof. Every time, I thought "Do you really think the Hunt would have a puzzle with no theme whatsoever that just required ordering by length?"

Next: Sounds Good to Me by by Seth Schoen and Vera Yin, with input from C. Scott Ananian and typographic help by Michael Constant

[Suspence]

The opening Greek string - νοτα βενε - appears to point to this Latin phrase:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene

The rest - νον σεκυιτυρ λινγυα Ιαπονικα - appears to say "non sequitur lingua Japanese"

So, something like "Take Note: Japanese language does not follow" in Latin, translated into Greek.

There's another Greek string in the middle of all the Japanese characters. I found it translated here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Greek%E2%80%93English_Lexicon

ἐκβουτῠπόομαι - to be changed into a cow
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[gftt*]

So the fact that this is not Japanese but the title is "Sounds good to me" indicates maybe that sounding out the characters will give something in a different language (in the same way that the Greek letters spelled something in Latin)...? I tried a sentence but couldn't discern anything, but maybe it's in Greek.

[Suspence]

The very first bit is とき！

と= to
き= ki

TOKI - allowing Google to detect and translated TOKI gives OF COURSE in Finnish.
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[jesternl]

If my latin does not fail me (and it is a liong time ago) you can also translate that as: "Pay attention (Nota bene), what follows is not the Japanse language"