Shakespeare Teacher Special Feature III: Another Magic Word

Well, I’m off on vacation, and so I’ll be away from the blog for a few days.

I’ve posted some extra “content” this morning, and of course, here’s another Shakespeare Teacher Special Feature!

The rules are almost identical to the last Shakespeare Teacher Special Feature. Here’s how it breaks down:

  • I. Thursday Morning Riddle: Please find below four brand-new riddles. Each riddle is numbered. Once you’ve solved the riddles, replace each number in the Venn Diagram below with the answer to the riddle that has that number.
  • II. Shakespeare Anagram: Once the numbers have been replaced by the riddle answers, the letters in each circle of the Venn Diagram can be anagrammed into the title of a Shakespeare play. However, this can only be done after the question mark in the center section is replaced by a magic word. What is the magic word? And what are the three play titles?
  • III. Conundrum: This week’s challenge is to come up with 26 words, any words commonly used in English, each of which features a different letter ______. (Fill in the blank with the magic word from the center section of the Venn Diagram.)

Use the comments section below to register any and all answers, discussion, and comments. I won’t be around for the next couple of days to moderate this, so please work together. If someone posts an answer you think is right, go ahead and say so and offer some words of encouragement. Also, feel free to pass this along to anyone you think may be interested. Here is the direct link.

The Riddles:

1. In stone primitive natural dwellings we lurk;
We think GEICO’s campaign was designed by a jerk;
But we’ve picked up a sitcom – a programming quirk;
And stay plural we must for this puzzle to work.

Who are we? (7 letters)

2. I’m a bag where potatoes are kept by the pound;
When your boss decides he doesn’t want you around;
If you hit me at night, you’ll be soon sleeping sound;
And I’ll bring any quarterback straight to the ground.

Who am I? (4 letters)

3. I’m the first in the spectrum that split light creates;
In the ledger, my presence a loss indicates;
I’m far left in the East, but I’m right in the States;
And the Hanrahan prefix in stories by Yeats.

Who am I? (3 letters)

4. I’m the boyfriend to Barbie who’s dapper and neat;
I’m the junior in baseball who’s primed to compete;
I’m the Cuckoo’s Nest novelist, sort of a beat;
And the Jeopardy champ who accomplished a feat.

Who am I? (3 letters)

So the solutions to this feature are four riddle answers, one magic word, three play titles, and up to 26 Conundrum words.

Good luck!

UPDATE: Riddles 1-4, Circles A, B, C, and the magic word all solved by Annalisa. Conundrum answers provided by Annalisa (22) and, in my own special way, me (4). See comments for all answers.

8 Responses to “Shakespeare Teacher Special Feature III: Another Magic Word”

  1. Annalisa Says:

    Riddles:
    1 Cavemen
    2 Sack
    3 Red
    4 Ken

  2. Annalisa Says:

    Play 1 The Merchant of Venice
    Play 2 King Richard the Second
    Play 3 Hamlet Prince of Denmark

    Center word: THRICE

  3. Annalisa Says:

    Aaa analytical
    Bbb babble
    Ccc coccyx
    Ddd daddy
    Eee eerie
    Fff fluffy
    Ggg giggle
    Iii inimical
    Lll lollipop
    Mmm mommy
    Nnn nanny
    Ppp pepper
    Rrr restorer
    Sss sassy
    Ttt tattle
    Uuu unusual
    yyy syzygy
    zzz Zizzer (Yes, okay, it’s a proper noun – the mascot of West Plains HS in Missouri – and in case you want to know what a “zizzer” is: it’s a lightning bolt. My HS used to play their HS. They’ve got some serious – and seriously crazy – fans. Or at least they did – that was about 100 years ago!)

  4. Annalisa Says:

    ooo photojournalist

  5. Annalisa Says:

    kkk kickback

  6. Annalisa Says:

    Hhh hitchhike

  7. Annalisa Says:

    www powwow

  8. Bill Says:

    Wow! Very nicely done, Annalisa. Correct on everything.

    If a “zizzer” is also a lightning bolt, then it does not have to be a proper noun. But I’m glad to see you finish the list with such pizazz.

    The only remaining letters are J, Q, V, and X, so I think I can take this out of the “Active” category.

    Since I am, I may as well throw out some completely invalid answers for the remaining letters.

    J-j-jitterbug (from Wham)
    Quaquaqua (from Waiting for Godot)
    Vavavoom
    XXX-rated

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