AFFAIR is the second word in a common two-word phrase where the first word is "family". Five other words that can fill the blank in "Family _____" are DOCTOR, FRIEND, JEWELS, LAWYER and SECRET.
Place these six words, capitalized above, into the grid below, one per row, keeping the five letters already filled in in place, such that one of the columns spells out a word, top to bottom, that is a clue to a ten-letter word that also can follow "family" in a common phrase.
What is the ten-letter word thus clued?
From the 2020 Mensa 365 Brain Puzzlers for 2020 calendar, puzzle for July 3, by Fraser Simpson, Workman Publishing, New York, NY.
We proceed with the given clues. After some tinkering with Cs and Es by way of trial and error, we arrive at a point whereby there are precisely two ways (supposedly) to fill the 6x6 array. These are:
(I)
F R I E N D
A F F A I R
S E C R E T
J E W E L S
D O C T O R
L A W Y E R
(II)
F R I E N D
A F F A I R
D O C T O R
J E W E L S
S E C R E T
L A W Y E R
The 4th column of CASE (I) offers little joy but, the corresponding column of Case (II) spells out EATERY.
So, the ten-letter word must belong in the category of eateries and has the ability to be conjoined with "family" to spell out a 2-word phrase.
Consequently, the required ten letter word must be RESTAURANT.
Edited on April 14, 2022, 1:37 am
Puzzle Solution
