The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life

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7. Solutions to Seven Rebuses from History begin on this page.

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relatively recent addition to the word puzzle category is Equation Analysis Tests, also known as Ditloids (a word coined by William Hartston, author of A Brief History of Puzzles, in 1999). A Ditloid consists of a common phrase—usually one that begins with a numeral—that has been reduced to its initial letters. For instance “52 W in a Y” has the an

1. MOON STARERS (the answer is an occupation) 2) BAG MANAGER (occupation) 3) A STEW, SIR? (occupation) 4) MR. MOJO RISIN’ (singer) 5) ONE COOL DANCE MUSICIAN (singer) 6) GENUINE CLASS (actor) 7) RADIUM CAME (scientist) 8) CASH LOST IN ’EM (object) 9) BUILT TO STAY FREE (landmark) 10) DIRTY ROOM (place) 11) VIOLENCE RUN FORTH (historical event) NPR

The rebus below dates back to at least 1780s England, when it gained fame as the name of a champion racehorse. According to legend, the rebus was inadvertently created by a stableboy who misunderstood the horse’s name, and wrote it down in this unusual form: POT OOOOOOOO

1. Matchsticks have been a puzzle staple since the 1800s. Here is one from The Moscow Puzzles by Boris A. Kordemsky (1956), the most popular puzzle book in the history of the Soviet Union. Correct the equation by shifting just one match. 2) Kinship-themed puzzles have also been around for centuries. Here’s a classic: Two girls were born to the same mo

2. Rebuses were popular in the nineteenth century, including this rebus-style “escort card” a man might give a woman at the end of a date. 3) During the Great Depression, Old Gold cigarettes ran a rebus contest that became a nationwide craze. Contestants had to solve 270 rebuses for a $100,000 prize. A 1937 Life magazine article reported that two mill