[andromeda]

It was an early Christmas morning. Kat walked slowly into her brother’s room and woke him up by smearing some snow on his face.

“Kat! Stop it!” Liam yelled half amused, half annoyed.

“Wake up sleepy. It’s time to see what Santa put under the Christmas three”, said Kat laughing.

“Yeah... right... Santa...” added Liam sarcastically as he ran down stairs into the living room.

He greeted his parents with “Merry Christmas!!” immediately diving under the Christmas tree, looking at the name tags on the wrappers.

“Found it!” Liam shouted half excited, half disappointed.

He was holding an envelope and looking at Kat.

“This is the special present that you prepared for me? I hope it’s not one of your poems again...” said Liam rolling his eyes...

“Oh... just open it” Kat was clapping.

When Liam opened the envelope, the content puzzled him.

. I . . . . .II. . . . III. . . . IV

uplink . . spring . . thorow . . mutual

scaled . . tamped . . sawing . . winter

potman . . varify . . xylite . . embalm

hiding . . whines . . thorns . . sharks

sealed . . ratoon . . chilly

citrus . . mistle

encave . . zapped

upload . . idioms

zephyr

gadded

“It’s a riddle!” announced Kat with a big grin.

Liam produced a big smile and took a pen.

“Hahaha... citrus!” *

Thirty seconds later, he jumped up, ran in their parent’s bedroom and came back with his present.

“Thanks Kat! I enjoyed that one minute solving your riddle, and by the rattling that I hear from this box, I’ll enjoy playing this game too!” said Liam and sat down to open the rest of his presents while Kat was still standing startled, convinced that she shouldn’t have put the second picture in the envelope, because it was a total give away!

Can you find Liam’s present?

No math

No counting

No anagrams

No synonyms

No adding letters

No deducting letters

Dots are only there to add space between the columns !

* He said that because limeliam (10 year old BD member, this is about him and his sister Kat, also a member) likes limes

Think simple!

Have fun

[Guest]

Well, drawing an X on the 4 first lines and looking at the word that is approximately at the same position of the heart in the picture, I understand that the main word is "sawing".

I couldn't find a phrase, but because of the X-ray and "sawing" I can think of "behind the wooden statuette".

Is that it?

[Guest]

Well, drawing an X on the 4 first lines and looking at the word that is approximately at the same position of the heart in the picture, I understand that the main word is "sawing".

I couldn't find a phrase, but because of the X-ray and "sawing" I can think of "behind the wooden statuette".

Is that it?

How'd you get that word?

[Guest]

How'd you get that word?

First, take note of the words organizing them in columns. Then draw an X connecting the words: uplink-tamped-xylite-sharks and hiding-varify-sawing-mutual.

Than, the approximate position of the heart points to the word "sawing".

[Guest]

Why the red star next to citrus? below the code box

crossroads - choices

If you check the hints, it's just cause Liam is "Limeliam", so it was rather ironic. Not important.

<(^-^)>

[andromeda]

Snow blindness for sure

x roads = times or plus

I wld be so happy if i have helped

No math. It's in the OP as a hint!

well it seems to me that the crossroad picture is one that andromeda just found on the web, so in itself isnt important just what it represents. and the other picture it looks like the heart was drawn on afterwards, making me think that the heart is the important bit, and she just needed a picture with a cross on it. and finally the columns indicate letters in the word which are significant in some way.

is that pretty much a good sum up?

I love opening your spoilers because you are never far off from the truth, however....

Both signs are equally important. I didn't draw the heart, but I did colored it red just for the effect!

Again meanings of the words are not important. Your previous guess was much more important. Can't remember what post was it.

Start with the last column. Maybe it'll be easier to spot the pattern there!

Okay, from the posting Katheleen did and using the pictures from andromeda, I came up with the words, limp liar ad then ddpplitu. don't know what that means but I think the limp and liar was right......... was it?

No.

Well, drawing an X on the 4 first lines and looking at the word that is approximately at the same position of the heart in the picture, I understand that the main word is "sawing".

I couldn't find a phrase, but because of the X-ray and "sawing" I can think of "behind the wooden statuette".

Is that it?

No...

I tend not to do things approximately when it comes down to words!

X-ray is not important, but the X is! Both pictures represent an X. First one tells what to look for and second one tells you exactly what to look for!

Edited December 12, 2008 by andromeda

[Guest]

If you check the hints, it's just cause Liam is "Limeliam", so it was rather ironic. Not important.

<(^-^)>

Yes but why use it rather than confuse it and then try to un-confuse it by leaving it in and explaining it, which makes it more confusing.

Needless to say I may be confused or not I'm not sure

xylite a key - a spirit

Zephyr a wind and used to be a ford salon in the UK (n60s)

several items can point to garage or shed but can't be bothered to stay and work on it - sorry Andro. A bit lazy

Tried seeing the x as a diagram and the heart of the matter 'x = times' crossroads as plus

THATs ALL FOLKS

Lost it completely as I was on a conference chat and Skype, vedy confused

[Guest]

The crossroads signs intersect at the letter "R". I think it's coincidence based on what I've seen so far, but does that have anything specific to do with this?

[andromeda]

Yes but why use it rather than confuse it and then try to un-confuse it by leaving it in and explaining it, which makes it more confusing.

Needless to say I may be confused or not I'm not sure

xylite a key - a spirit

Zephyr a wind and used to be a ford salon in the UK (n60s)

several items can point to garage or shed but can't be bothered to stay and work on it - sorry Andro. A bit lazy

Tried seeing the x as a diagram and the heart of the matter 'x = times' crossroads as plus

THATs ALL FOLKS

Lost it completely as I was on a conference chat and Skype, vedy confused

I added an explanation for CITRUS aka LIME so that the members that have just joined know that it's not important that it says CITRUS but I merely added it because of limeliam!

Imagine that the words are written in Hungarian and that you don't understand a single thing!

Meanings of the words are NOT IMPORTANT!

The crossroads signs intersect at the letter "R". I think it's coincidence based on what I've seen so far, but does that have anything specific to do with this?

Look again!

On how many letters they actually "intersect"??

Edited December 12, 2008 by andromeda

[Guest]

Two questions, andromeda, if I may.

is there any meaning to the roads being the same name?

Is there any meaning to the fact the x in the second picture goes outside the frame?

[Guest]

I love opening your spoilers because you are never far off from the truth, however....

haha if u say I'm close I'll take your word for it, still can't see it myself

since the words themselves are not important, then its the letters in the word. in a previous post i had said that it is probably a 6-letter word we looking for, and the collumns represent the number of letters in each word in common with the solution.

but there are double letters...

they 'intersect' at The Blue Mountains

that important?

edit: another thing

Edited December 12, 2008 by FitzKaos

[Guest]

Since you emphasized the "intersections", I looked for the words with more letter coincidences on each column.

I got:

II: tamped and zapped: APED
III: thorow and thorns: THOR
IV: mutual and embalm: MAL

I: scaled and sealed: SALED

Now am I supposed to form a phrase with that? I could only rearrange the first to DEALS...

[andromeda]

Two questions, andromeda, if I may.

is there any meaning to the roads being the same name?

YES

What is an intersection?

Is there any meaning to the fact the x in the second picture goes outside the frame?

I Didn't think about it??

It's the hart that is important! Ha! OK imagine what would happen if you'd separate those two parts of the X to stand parallel to each other! Where would the heart be then?? Answer that question and you'll crack the phrase!

haha if u say I'm close I'll take your word for it, still can't see it myself

since the words themselves are not important, then its the letters in the word. in a previous post i had said that it is probably a 6-letter word we looking for, and the collumns represent the number of letters in each word in common with the solution.

but there are double letters...

they 'intersect' at The Blue Mountains

that important?

edit: another thing

Maybe I misunderstood your post because we are not looking for a six letter word! Double letters are there to confuse!

I don't know what a Blue Mountain is??

Since you emphasized the "intersections", I looked for the words with more letter coincidences on each column.

I got:

II: tamped and zapped: APED
III: thorow and thorns: THOR
IV: mutual and embalm: MAL

I: scaled and sealed: SALED

Now am I supposed to form a phrase with that? I could only rearrange the first to DEALS...

You are on to something but every word is important!

[Guest]

Maybe I misunderstood your post because we are not looking for a six letter word! Double letters are there to confuse!

I don't know what a Blue Mountain is??

You are on to something but every word is important!

It's the hart that is important! Ha! OK imagine what would happen if you'd separate those two parts of the X to stand parallel to each other! Where would the heart be then?? Answer that question and you'll crack the phrase!

If you put the parts of the X parallel the heart would stay at the same place!

Blue Mountain is written below the name of the streets in the picture. I think it's the district name...

[Guest]

Ok, I'm trying to see the pattern of the last column.

If I don't use any of the letters that are duplicated in a word or that are present on the others, it leaves me with the letters: WIN B HK

"Win" sounds good, but "bhk" can be a baby hamster kidney, or blue honor key, or bedroom hall kitchen... Oh my...

[andromeda]

If you put the parts of the X parallel the heart would stay at the same place!

YES

but on which stick??

Blue Mountain is written below the name of the streets in the picture. I think it's the district name...

I'm short sighted I should have seen that!

Ok, I'm trying to see the pattern of the last column.

If I don't use any of the letters that are duplicated in a word or that are present on the others, it leaves me with the letters: WIN B HK

"Win" sounds good, but "bhk" can be a baby hamster kidney, or blue honor key, or bedroom hall kitchen... Oh my...

What do the pictures say for you to look for?? You are doing the complete opposite to what the pictures say!

[Guest]

What do the pictures say for you to look for?? You are doing the complete opposite to what the pictures say!

So..

keep only the letters that are shared in any given column? one each or do we use all the multiples?

[Guest]

Well, considering only the intersections among different words of the lest column, I got the following letters: A L M R T.

I could form ALARM or ALTAR, but I'm convinced there's something missing...

[andromeda]

So..

keep only the letters that are shared in any given column? one each or do we use all the multiples?

No...

that's too much work. My solution you can read in a minute. Comparing all the columns is just way too much work!!!

It's interesting how you keep ignoring that clue?! Read it in a minute!

Well, considering only the intersections among different words of the lest column, I got the following letters: A L M R T.

I could form ALARM or ALTAR, but I'm convinced there's something missing...

No...

You missed something

And what different words? You shouldn't compare every word with every word that's too much work! Do less! My treasure hunts are simple, not much work is involved.

Don't give up! I have a feeling that you're almost there!

[Guest]

I Didn't think about it??

It's the heart that is important! Ha! OK imagine what would happen if you'd separate those two parts of the X to stand parallel to each other! Where would the heart be then?? Answer that question and you'll crack the phrase!

Gah! I don't get this clue!

If I separated the lines of the X, the heart would be in the middle...but didn't we figure out that the heart meant middle already?

<(^-^)>

[Guest]

Gah! I don't get this clue!

If I separated the lines of the X, the heart would be in the middle...but didn't we figure out that the heart meant middle already?

<(^-^)>

the heart would be slightly on the right line...

[Guest]

in each collumn do we get a letter a word or a couple letters?

[Guest]

...if the R's crossing on the signs are significant to the instructions? Like RR for railroad crossing? Is the second picture "cross your heart"? Am I way off track?

[Guest]

well this is what i did

i looked at all the words in each collumn and took the last 3 letters then i looked to see if any of the letters apeared 2 times or more this is what i got

column#1...d,i,n,e,l

column#2...i,e,n,o,d,s

column#3...n,r,i,l

column#4...alr

it doesnt really make sence but am i close?

[andromeda]

Gah! I don't get this clue!

If I separated the lines of the X, the heart would be in the middle...but didn't we figure out that the heart meant middle already?

<(^-^)>

Remove the fury guy!

the heart would be slightly on the right line...

Nope...

the heart would be on both of the sticks... that's what I'm trying to tell you

The problem is that I'm giving complicated hints to a very simple solution... <_<

in each collumn do we get a letter a word or a couple letters?

Every column will give you a word, that's why I said that it's much easier if you start with the last column!

...if the R's crossing on the signs are significant to the instructions? Like RR for railroad crossing? Is the second picture "cross your heart"? Am I way off track?

The fact that they both have the same letters is significant.

well this is what i did

i looked at all the words in each collumn and took the last 3 letters then i looked to see if any of the letters apeared 2 times or more this is what i got

column#1...d,i,n,e,l

column#2...i,e,n,o,d,s

column#3...n,r,i,l

column#4...alr

it doesnt really make sence but am i close?

No... Sometimes I'm thinking that giving hints is a bad idea, because instead just looking at the words you are trying to figure out what I meant when I wrote a certain hint so it's just getting more complicated every time I give a hint because I don't really know what to tell you. The riddle has a simple solution and it's hard for me to give a proper hint

Maybe you should just ask me yes and no questions...

Edited December 12, 2008 by andromeda

[Guest]

Looks to me like an "H" ...?

<(^-^)>