Sunday, August 23, 2026

Spy Sudoku for 8/23/2026: OXIMS

Today's keyword is OXIMS.
Drop "X" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "A" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.
Solve the 5x5 to discover a keyword anagram.

Today’s hidden words may be less familiar; your Sudoku skills will reveal them!
-X
+A
Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

All puzzles and text contained in this blog are copyright © 2008-2026, David H. Thompson. All rights reserved. Please tell your puzzle-loving friends to follow this blog. Thank you!

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: DRUNK
4x4 (DRUNK - D): KNUR
6x6 (DRUNK + E): DUNKER

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku (Did you hear?) Puzzles for Sunday, 8/23/2026

Did you hear about the injured mansplainer? He fell down a manhole--but it was actually a well.
A Did you hear? joke is really a bad Dad joke in disguise. The badder, the better! Every other Sunday in 2026, I'll challenge you to groan even louder.

MOWING
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once


CADS
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once


HEFT
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid
Did you hear about …

KARMIC
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once


WOUNDS
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once


FILTHY
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid
Solutions first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

(All puzzles and text contained in this blog are copyright © 2008-2026, David H. Thompson. All rights reserved. Please tell your puzzle-loving friends to follow this blog. Thank you!)

 

Solutions to the Saturday Paraprosdokian Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday’s Qudoku puzzle sets spelled out wordplay known as a paraprosdokian.

(Too much?)

The Sunday Challenge in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Spy Sudoku for 8/22/2026: DRUNK

Today's keyword is DRUNK.
Drop "D" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "E" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

Today’s hidden words may be less familiar; your Sudoku skills will reveal them!
-D
+E
Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: HAJES
4x4 (HAJES - J): SHEA
6x6 (HAJES + D): JEHADS

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku (Paraprosdokian Sudoku!) Puzzles for Saturday, 8/22/2026

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire … but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
A paraprosdokian is wordplay where the latter part of a statement forces you to reinterpret the first part. The phrase intentionally leads you in one direction—misleads you into thinking one way—and then abruptly changes direction, ending with the unexpected twist. The origin of the word is Greek, meaning "against expectation."

Most of the statements in these weekly blog posts are actual paraprosdokians; you might possibly dispute a few. But since they’re still fun plays on words, I’m sharing them anyway.

Because paraprosdokians come in two parts, I present each part as a separate quote, each revealed by solving its own set of word Sudoku puzzles.

I might possibly have gone a bit overboard on the second set of puzzles: There are nine word Sudoku puzzles; and it takes TWO quote grids to contain the full, long-winded, perhaps even palaverous answer!

CADGER
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

POTFUL
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

WHISKY
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid to spell out the quote



KLUTZY
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

FJORDS
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

QUALMS
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

CROWDS
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

PROVED
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

STUPOR
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

CABLED
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

FLUX
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

NIGH
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid to spell out the quote


Solutions first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to Friday's Word Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday's 5x5 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in ER + SIX (SIXER) and the 7x7 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in COME + SIX (EXOSMIC).
The Saturday paraprosdokian in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Friday, August 21, 2026

Spy Sudoku for 8/21/2026: HAJES

Today's keyword is HAJES.
Drop "J" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "D" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

Today’s hidden words may be less familiar; your Sudoku skills will reveal them!
-J
+D
Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave