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(This is part of a series of puzzles written for Timwi for a Secret Santa puzzle exchange, themed around various custom modules for the game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. No KTaNE knowledge is necessary for any of these puzzles except the final meta; each puzzle resolves to a single word or short phrase.)


On The Subject of The Odd One Out

  • AID AND ABET, CAT SCAN, HAIR TRIGGER, NINEVEH, SEES

  • AFTEREFFECTS, FREEZER, NOCUOUS, VERTEX, WARFARE

  • ALUMINOSILICATES, BELOVED, HIMALAYAN, INDIA INK, VERISIMILITUDE

  • ANTHERS, DOUGLASS, FIREBAR, SLUMBER, THOUSAND

  • BATHROBE, BRAZEN, CAROUSEL, ELLIPSIS, WEIGHTIEST

  • CARBON COPY, CROSSTALK, PENNY DREADFUL, TROUSERS, TURN UP

  • CARDIOID, LINNAEAN, NICOTINIC, PALEOETHNOLOGY, TOE OF FROG

  • COMMENCEMENT, DETOURS, JASMINE, JOINT HEIRS, THIS

  • CONSOLATE, CORRIGIBLE, NEATH, SENSICAL, WHELMED

  • DAGGER, EVITATIVE, LOZENGE, PILCROW, TIE

  • DEIFIED, KOOK, RIYAL ICON, PUT UP, RADAR

  • DIE, ERT, GOOSE, SERAPH, SURGEON GENERAL

  • HIGHLIGHTER, HOTHATCH, INDEPENDENT, PHENOMENON, SEVENTEENTH

  • LABYRINTHINE, MOTHY, PATHED, THINNER, UNTHINKABLE


Hint:

The answer is not any of the words in the puzzle.

Hint for "CARBON COPY" group:

Think cryptically. The fact that each is two words / a compound is important, but not the only detail.

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5
  • $\begingroup$ I don't know if this counts as partial so I just comment here: rot13(Jr arrq gb svaq gur bqq bar bhg sbe rnpu yvar: (3) VAQVNVAX - nygreangvat ibjry-pbafbanag (4) NAGUREF - cersvk/fhssvk jbeq vf zngrevny? (5) RYYVCFVF - arj jbeq jvgubhg fgnevat naq raqvat yrggre (8) PBZZRAPRZRAG - fhssvk vf cbffrfvir cebabha (9) PBEEVTVOYR - haqre- ? (11) EVLNYVPBA - cnyvaqebzr (13) ??? - fbzrguvat nobhg bppherapr bs yrggref.) $\endgroup$
    – athin
    Feb 4, 2020 at 3:45
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @athin I'm at all but 4 now, but I also don't know if it really counts as partial because I haven't figured out how to put it all together yet. BTW rot13(Gur bqq jbeqf bhg nyy svg va ng yrnfg 1 naq hfhnyyl zber guna 2 bgure pngrtbel.) $\endgroup$
    – JS1
    Feb 4, 2020 at 6:07
  • $\begingroup$ @JS1 OwO that's great! I'm pretty sure yours can be counted as partial especially for your finding on the last sentence! $\endgroup$
    – athin
    Feb 4, 2020 at 6:14
  • $\begingroup$ Building off of @athin’s work, some more observations/thoughts: rot13(1 (NVQ NAQ NORG) nyy fgneg jvgu gur anzrf bs Oebnqjnl zhfvpnyf rkprcg sbe gur ynfg jbeq; 6 (PNEOBA PBCL) znl fvzcyl or pbzcbhaq jbeqf, va juvpu pnfr gur bqq bar bhg vf gur sbhegu; 7 (PNEQVBVQ) nyy pbagnva n eha bs guerr pbafrphgvir ibjryf rkprcg sbe gur guveq; 9 (PBAFBYNGR) nccrnef gb or jbeqf gung ner nagbalzf bs gur jbeqf sbezrq ol chggvat gurve zbfg pbzzba cersvk va sebag bs gurz, rkprcg sbe gur guveq; 10 (QNTTRE) ner nyy glcbtencul flzobyf rkprcg sbe gur frpbaq...) (1/2) $\endgroup$
    – HTM
    Feb 4, 2020 at 7:08
  • $\begingroup$ rot13(...naq 13 (UVTUYVTUGRE) nccrne gb nyy pbagnva rknpgyl guerr bs bar yrggre rkprcg sbe gur ynfg. V fhfcrpg 12 (QVR) unf fbzrguvat gb qb jvgu cynpvat “va” fbzrjurer va gur jbeqf/cuenfrf, ohg V unira’g tbggra naljurer jvgu gung vqrn fb sne. Gur bgure gjb, 2 (NSGRERSSRPGF) naq 14 (YNOLEVAGUVAR), V unir ab fbyvq vqrnf lrg.) (2/2) $\endgroup$
    – HTM
    Feb 4, 2020 at 7:09

1 Answer 1

16
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The answer is:

CHINESE LANTERN

First:

In each group, one word is the odd one out because it doesn't fit a pattern that fits the other words.

AID AND ABET, CAT SCAN, HAIR TRIGGER, NINEVEH, SEES

SEES, each word starts with a broadway musical, AIDA, CATS, HAIR, NINE (from @HTM)

AFTEREFFECTS, FREEZER, NOCUOUS, VERTEX, WARFARE

NOCUOUS, each word can be typed with only the left hand on a keyboard (from @HTM)

ALUMINOSILICATES, BELOVED, HIMALAYAN, INDIA INK, VERISIMILITUDE

INDIA INK, each word alternate vowels with consonants

ANTHERS, DOUGLASS, FIREBAR, SLUMBER, THOUSAND

ANTHERS, each word has a construction material in its suffix, GLASS, REBAR, LUMBER, SAND

BATHROBE, BRAZEN, CAROUSEL, ELLIPSIS, WEIGHTIEST

ELLIPSIS, take away first and last letters of each word to form a new word, ATHROB, RAZE, AROUSE, EIGHTIES

CARBON COPY, CROSSTALK, PENNY DREADFUL, TROUSERS, TURN UP

TROUSERS, each phrase contains a word which clues a letter that starts the other word: CARBON = C (chemical symbol), CROSS = T (T-cross), PENNY = D (symbol for predecimal penny), TURN = U (U-turn) from (@Stiv)

CARDIOID, LINNAEAN, NICOTINIC, PALEOETHNOLOGY, TOE OF FROG

NICOTINIC, each word contains an ABA vowel pattern, cardIOId, linnAEAn, palEOEthnology, tOE Of frog

COMMENCEMENT, DETOURS, JASMINE, JOINT HEIRS, THIS

COMMENCEMENT, each word's suffix is a possessive, OURS, MINE, THEIRS, HIS

CONSOLATE, CORRIGIBLE, NEATH, SENSICAL, WHELMED

NEATH, each word is normally used with a prefix that makes it the opposite, DISCONSOLATE, INCORRIGIBLE, NONSENSICAL, UNDERWHELMED

DAGGER, EVITATIVE, LOZENGE, PILCROW, TIE

EVITATIVE, each word is a symbol

DEIFIED, KOOK, RIYAL ICON, PUT UP, RADAR

RIYAL ICON, each word is a palindrome

DIE, ERT, GOOSE, SERAPH, SURGEON GENERAL

ERT, each word is a singular whose plural is nonstandard, DICE, GEESE, SERAPHIM, SURGEONS GENERAL

HIGHLIGHTER, HOTHATCH, INDEPENDENT, PHENOMENON, SEVENTEENTH

HOTHATCH, each word contains a repeated 3 letter pattern, IGH, NDE, ENO, ENT

LABYRINTHINE, MOTHY, PATHED, THINNER, UNTHINKABLE

LABYRINTHINE, for each word, replacing the TH with an "S" sound makes a word: MOSSY, PASSED, SINNER, UNSINKABLE

Then:

The odd words out each belong to 2 other groups (except for EVITATIVE which belongs to 3). We can list these words in a cycle based on the 2 groups they belong to (from @hdsdv). If we start with COMMENCEMENT (perhaps a hint as to where we should start), we get this:

COMMENCEMENT = Repeat 3 letters (MEN), Suffix building material (CEMENT)
HOTHATCH = Suffix building material (THATCH), Cryptic (HOT = H like on a faucet)
INDIA INK = Cryptic (India = I from NATO alphabet), ABA vowel pattern (IAI)
NOCUOUS = ABA vowel (UOU), Prefixed means opposite (INNOCUOUS)
ERT = Prefixed means opposite (INERT), Typed with left hand
SEES = Typed with left hand, Palindrome
EVITATIVE = Palindrome, Musical (EVITA)
LABYRINTHINE = Musical (LABYRINTH), Possessive suffix (THINE)
ANTHERS = Possessive suffix (HERS), Replace th with s sound (ANSWERS)
NEATH = Replace th with s sound (KNEES), Remove first and last letter (EAT)
TROUSERS = Remove first and last letter (ROUSER), Irregular plural (TROUSERS)
ELLIPSIS = Irregular plural (ELLIPSES), Symbol
RIYAL ICON = Symbol, Alternating consonants/vowels
NICOTONIC = Alternating consonants/vowels, Repeat 3 letters (NIC)

Now, taking the first letter of each word, we get CHINESE LANTERN.

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  • 2
    $\begingroup$ For 2, I think the pattern might be that rot13(nyy bs gur jbeqf pna or glcrq hfvat gur yrsg unaq ba n fgnaqneq xrlobneq rkprcg sbe gur guveq.) And for 13, rot13(gungpu vf n ohvyqvat zngrevny.) $\endgroup$
    – HTM
    Feb 4, 2020 at 18:29
  • $\begingroup$ Rather than rot13(pp jbeqf), is it possible that rot13(cnegf bs gurfr jbeqf pna or phg bhg naq pbzovarq jvgu "sver"? Guvf vf bayl cnegvny, ohg "pebffgnyx" lvryqf "pebffsver," "pneoba pbcl" lvryqf "obasver," "ghea hc" lvryqf "sver hea" (ovg bs n fgergpu), naq fb ba. Guvf pbhyq nyfb or n tebhc sbe "ubgungpu" fbzrubj.) $\endgroup$
    – CGreen
    Feb 4, 2020 at 21:06
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Worth noting is that, contrary to one of your assertions, rot13(GEBHFREF jvgubhg svefg naq ynfg yrggref vf “ebhfre”, bar jub ebhfrf bguref sebz fyrrc). $\endgroup$
    – Rubio
    Feb 7, 2020 at 13:59
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ For the CARBON COPY group, aside from TROUSERS rot13(rnpu pbagnva n jbeq gung pna or nooerivngrq gb n fvatyr yrggre: (P)NEOBA PBCL, PEBFF(K)GNYX, (C)RAAL QERNQSHY, GEBHFREF, GHEA (H)C. Va fbzr pnfrf gur yrggre rira eryngrf gb gur bgure unys (craal pna nyfb or Q - sbe Qernqshy - va cer-qrpvzny Ratyvfu zbarl, Pbcl ortvaf jvgu P, n G-pebff zvtug pbaarpg jvgu Gnyx, naq n H ghea...) ohg gung znl or ernqvat gbb zhpu vagb vg...) $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Feb 7, 2020 at 18:32
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ oh, ignore above comment - NATO alphabet. $\endgroup$
    – hdsdv
    Feb 7, 2020 at 20:47

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