Wednesday, April 25, 2018

An Answer to Everything, or at Least My Code

Two weeks ago, I posted a code puzzle.  I gave readers two weeks to come up with an answer.  Here it is, as well as an explanation.  I coded the puzzle using the Spanish alphabet, based on my memories of my college classes, so forgive me for any mistakes that crept in.  The letters 'k' and 'w' are not used in native words, only in loan words from other languages, so they didn't appear in the message.  Furthermore, certain letter combinations are treated as one letter.  In the message, these are 'ch' and 'll'.  Also, the letter 'ñ' is also used; I transcribed it as 'ny'.  Whenever any of these combinations were used, I made sure that both parts were in the same font and that the letters both before and after them were in different fonts, to alert solvers that something was going on.  Lastly, since the letters 'b' and 'v' are pronounced similarly, I used them interchangeably for the same letter.  I alternated them in words, as opposed to randomly choosing them, as a clue in solving.  [I also almost changed the coded message into a second phonetic code in a language using a different alphabet entirely, but I ran out of time, and it was way harder than I wanted to work.]  Anyway, here is the decoded message.  The code key will be at the end of the page.

In this quiz, you are just looking for a ten letter word, each one different.  When read backwards, the last four letters spell a word involving movement.  Same goes for the first six, if one is removed.  In its entirety, it completes this series of related synonyms (from MN)--GEMINI, UNTAMED, and BESERKER.  As an extra hint, Jazz can be its enemy, especially when quite alone.

As you can see, I used every letter at least twice, to help hide certain things and make the puzzle harder.  The answer, of course, is TIMBERWOLF.  The last four letters, when read backwards, spell 'flow'.  The first six, when read backwards with the 'b' removed, spell 'remit'.  The three words are synonyms for professional sports teams from Minnesota:  Twins, Wild, and Vikings.  [In my original puzzle, from the early '90s, the Wild were replaced by the North Stars, now the Dallas Stars.]  Finally, as a hint about the NBA, I included the Jazz, which is one of the Timberwolves sometimes foes.  I hoped you liked this puzzle and code.  Expect more when I get a good idea and the time.
Key:  First is actual letter, second is the coded letter/s.  A=NY, B=Z, C=O, D=I, E=B and V, F=Y, G=M, H=D, I=C, J=S, K=P, L=A, M=R, N=E, O=N, P=T, Q=X, R=LL, S=CH, T=H, U=L, V=J, W=Q, X=G, Y=F, Z=U
I deliberately chose my words to create unusual letter combinations for the message, as an additional hint about the code.
 

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