Every number (1-36) enclosed by parentheses must be substituted by a word ending in “ice”. Hoping that Mr. A. D. Mylos, the author of this hundred-years old puzzle wouldn´t mind, I already wrote the first letter of each one to make it easier.

At the time of the summer s(1), the iceman, whom no one should accuse of a(2), or a(3), put up a n(4) at an o(5) in his e(6), put the effect that with m(7) toward none he would give good s(8) to all, without c(9) or p(10).

Accordingly, he supplied the polician with o(11), the lawyer with p(12), the doctor with a p(13), the judge with j(14), the builder with a c(15) and a l(16), the gambler and his a(17) in their den of v(18) with d(19), the bridal party with r(20), the clergyman with a s(21), the cat with m(22), the drinker with j(23), the geologist with p(24), the woodman with a c(25), the sailor with a s(26), the dentist with a d(27), the dressmaker with a b(28), and no one with the p(29).

But in spite of all his efforts to supply ice to s(30), some people objected so strongly to his c(31), that they applied to the p(32) for a(33) regarding a d(34), by which they might either push him into a c(35) or over a p(36)!

My answers: solstice, avarice, artifice, notice, edifice, malice, service, cowardice, prejudice, office, practice, poultice, justice, cornice, lattice, accomplice, vice, dice, rice, surplice, mice, juice, pumice, coppice, splice, dentifrice, bodice, price, suffice, caprice, police, advice, device, crevice, precipice.

I'll confess that I used a list of words ending in -ice.  And even so, I had to look some of them up.  We just don't use words like dentifrice or surplice any more.  And it was a long time ago that sailors concerned themselves with splicing rope.

Posted by Leonidas on 2005-10-17 19:19:17