+-------+--------+-------+   
|  0    |   1    |  2    |  
+-------+--------+-------+  
| BALKS | MILES  | MUSHY |   
| GUSTO | GAUDY  | PATES |   
+-------+--------+-------+

A five-letter word needs to be determined. Several clues are provided in the grid above to help guess what it is.

In the column marked "2," you have words that share exactly two letters in the same position as the hidden word. For example, if the hidden word was TREAT, in column 2 we could put SWEET.

Column 1 contains words that share exactly one letter in the same position as the hidden word. In the example above, TREAT being the hidden word, column 1 could have PRIOR.

Column 0 has words that do not share any letter in the same position as the hidden word. For our example, column 0 could have SPOON.

Now, find the hidden word.

I agree with JYGM. 

If you apply the first column 0 words to the 
column 1 and two words, you can eliminate many letters:
	  
+--------+-------+   
|   1    |  2    |  
+--------+-------+  
| MI-E-  | M--HY |   
| --UDY  | P-TE- |   
+--------+-------+

So, looking at column 2, the target word must 
have a T as its 3rd letter and a Y as its 5th.
Also its 1st and 4th must be either M--E- or
P--H-.  But it cannot be M--E- because only
only letter can match in column 1.  So it must
be P--H-

Which makes our word:
	  
+--------+-------+   
|   1    |  2    |  
+--------+-------+  
| -I---  | ---HY |   
| ----Y  | P-T-- |   
+--------+-------+

PITHY.  Only possible answer.

Posted by Steve Herman on 2013-07-04 14:38:19