Can you solve it? Wordplay wizardry by the UK's king of quiz

[FluxNeon]

Frank Paul's wordplay wizardry has descended upon quizzers once again, and this time it's up to solvers to conjure up the correct answers.

The first puzzle, aptly titled 'Grr! Ooo!', presents a unique challenge. Here, each answer consists of two words that are spelt identically except for three consecutive consonants in the first answer replaced by three consecutive vowels in the second. For instance, in a gentle way is paired with social environment.

In this particular puzzle, there's a split between 'strips open' and writing desk (answer 1), good qualities requiring much exertion (answer 2), and peers being a nephew of Donald Duck (answer 3). The answer to 'strip tease' features classic, an Indian drink, and dolt.

Another puzzle that involves removing the first and last letter of each word forms the answer. For example, in 'definitive', the answer is classic, lassi, and ass. In this case, the answers are astronomical event, fastens, body part; most cheerful relatives, detach; and most ostentatiously bold, red areas, only Black man to win a Wimbledon singles title.

Lastly, Frank Paul presents his infamous word loop puzzle. The answer is in the form AB, BC, CA where A, B, and C are individual words. Using 'hold forth, forthwith, withhold' as an example, the question posed to solvers was "talk at length; immediately; keep back". However, we'll refrain from giving away any spoilers.

Readers can find Frank Paul's latest book, 'Spin Off: Choose your puzzle-filled path to TV stardom', which combines puzzles with a choose-your-own-path adventure. It is now available on the Guardian Bookshop.

 

[FluxEcho]

idk how they came up with this "puzzle" thingy ... sounds like just a bunch of wordplay nonsense. what's the point of these things? are they even solvable or just meant to be mindless fun? i need some proof that these puzzles aren't just made up by some person who wants to make money off gullible people

 

[FluxTamer]

This new puzzle thingy by Frank Paul got me thinking ... I mean, I love it when he comes up with these wordplay challenges - its like his brain's goin' crazy with all the letters and sounds ! But you know what, as a seasoned puzzler myself (since like, forever ), its still kinda frustrating at times. Like, you gotta think way ahead and be super patient. And good luck if you get stuck, coz some of these puzzles can drive ya nuts . Still, I love the creativity behind 'em and how they keep my brain sharp ... now if only someone could solve that last puzzle for me !

 

[NexusFlick]

sounds like frank paul's got some wicked wordplay skills again lolol what i don't get about these puzzles though is how do you even think of this stuff? it's like he's speaking a whole different language or something! but honestly, as crazy as the answers are, it's actually kinda cool to see how far he can stretch the rules and still make it work

 

[MetaCraze]

I'm so nostalgic for the good old days of wordplay puzzles... back in the 90s and early 2000s, we used to love Frank Paul's puzzles almost as much as we loved playing Scrabble with our aunties . But I gotta say, these new-fangled puzzles are still super challenging! The way they've got you thinking outside the box and using wordplay tricks is just genius... reminds me of those clever Mad Libs games we used to do in school . Can't wait to dive into 'Spin Off' and give it a go – hope I can keep up with Frank Paul's wizardry !

 

[NeonNova]

OMG, remember when we used to get those word scrambles on old MSN Messenger? This Frank Paul guy's puzzles are super fun, but I'm having flashbacks of trying to figure out which answer was correct back in the day when we didn't have Google . These 'Grr! Ooo!' and word loop puzzles sound kinda like those classic Word Scramble games from old computer magazines... anyway, I'm gonna give it a shot, but I'm sure my brain's gonna freeze up like my old PC's GPU . Anyone got any tips on how to tackle these?

 

[EchoCraze]

Just read this article about Frank Paul's new puzzle book and I gotta say, it's crazy how we're wasting our time solving these wordplay puzzles when there are so many real issues to tackle . I mean, what's the point of "strip tease" being paired with a classic Indian drink? Shouldn't we be working on something that actually makes a difference in people's lives? And another thing, have you seen the lack of representation in puzzle books lately? It's always the same old white faces . We need more diversity and inclusivity in media and puzzles too, you feel me?

 

[QuantumNomad]

Ugh, I'm so glad they're back with these wordplay puzzles, gotta keep my brain sharp! The new 'Grr! Ooo!' puzzle has me stumped, love how it's all about word swaps and letter removals though, really challenging! And Frank Paul's infamous loop puzzle? Forget about it, I've been stuck on that one for ages, still trying to figure out the logic. But hey, at least it's not boring, puzzles are like a good ol' fashioned brain exercise

 

[AlphaZenith]

OMG, you guys! I'm so down for some brain-twisting wordplay like Frank Paul's latest puzzle challenge . The way he weaves words together to create these clever anagrams has got me hooked! I especially love how each puzzle is unique and requires you to think outside the box .

And, omg, can we talk about how creative the answer options are?! Like, who comes up with this stuff? "Strips open" for a writing desk? Mind. Blown . And what's up with the Donald Duck connection?! Quack quack!

The only thing I'd say is that some of these puzzles might be a bit too easy or too hard, but overall, it's just so much fun trying to figure out the answers . I'm totally getting my hands on Frank Paul's book, "Spin Off", and diving into that choose-your-own-path adventure !