Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Pic-Tac-Toe (5th edition)

After you create a small handful of Pic-Tac-Toes, it's no longer enough to find 9 images that fit together in a 3x3 pattern. Some of the themes have to get harder and weirder, and maybe a little irritating to the puzzle solver. Don't be afraid.

To view the past puzzles, click here. (There's also a Pic-Tac-Toe link under the "Exclusive Features" section in the right column of this page.) Your goal is the same as always: determine the theme that unites each line of 3 images. There are 8 themes total: 3 rows, 3 columns, and 2 diagonals.

(Click the image to enlarge. Guess in the comments section.)

SOLVED! K-Lyn of And She Was... weighed in with 7 correct themes, leaving the middle column unsolved. Bill of Shakespeare Teacher ran through some interesting guesses before locking in on the answer. Skip the comments if you want to remain unspoiled.

19 comments:

K-Lyn said...

Top: The View
Middle: Baby
Bottom: 21 ?

Left: Ghost
Middle: ?????????
Right: John

backslash: magazine covers
forwardslash: wearing black

Neel Mehta said...

Correct on 7 counts. You seem uncertain about the bottom row, even though your guess is right.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I had six of those seven. For the slash, I had half-embraces.

I also was stumped on the middle column.

Anonymous said...

How's this...?

Kucha TRIBE
Wu Tang CLAN
21 Jump Street GANG

Neel Mehta said...

Bill: Clever, but no.

I consider this one harder than "Brands of Chili" in the last puzzle, but still solvable, of course. For one thing, it's not particularly regional.

I have 2 good hints. Let me know when you want them.

Anonymous said...

Monarchs of England

ELIZABETH Hasselback

VICTORIA Beckham (or whatever it was at the time)

JOHNny Depp (or STEVEN Williams)

Neel Mehta said...

Another interesting but wrong guess. But I think you're looking at it the right way. I have the feeling you'll figure it out soon, without any hints.

Anonymous said...

Characters from Guiding LIght in the 1970's: Elizabeth, Victoria, Holly.

That's it, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Earlier roles of people now much more famous for something else?

Neel Mehta said...

Characters from Guiding Light in the 1970's: Elizabeth, Victoria, Holly.

If that were the answer, then I would NOT consider this puzzle solvable. Anyway, I grew up as more of a General Hospital person.

Keep guessing. You'll figure it out.

Neel Mehta said...

Earlier roles of people now much more famous for something else?

Not exactly, though that's kinda true. It was an unexpected benefit that these images are from a while ago.

(Are the Spice Girls known for something different now?)

K-Lyn said...

I just don't know WHY it is 21 for the 9th picture. But was confident based on the first two in that row. So it was a bit of a guess...

the middle colum must be awesomely bad hair?

Neel Mehta said...

K-Lyn: Picture #9 features the main actors and director behind Quiz Show, which depicted the cheating scandal behind the game show "Twenty-One."

the middle column must be awesomely bad hair?

Another unexpected benefit, I suppose.

Anonymous said...

Victoria is now better known as Mrs. David Beckham, a megastar in Britain, though the press still loves to call her Posh.

Anonymous said...

And so, of course, that's the answer.

Footballers wives.

Neel Mehta said...

You phrased the answer as perfectly as intended. Well done.

I wondered if that Spice Girls question was a little too directional.

Anonymous said...

No, it was the perfect hint. It moved me in the right direction without my knowing it was a hint.

Neel Mehta said...

Hey, if I can steer you exactly to my way of thinking, then well, that's scary.

To anyone else reading: these two puzzle solvers are quite good, aren't they?

For the record...

Top Row: 'THE VIEW' (Barbara Walters & Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Rosie O'Donnell)

Middle Row: BABY (Frances "Baby" Houseman, Baby Spice, baby Sean Lennon)

Bottom Row: 21 ("3 of 21" slide show image, 21 Jump Street, actors and director behind the film Quiz Show, which depicts the "Twenty-One" game show scandal)

Left column: 'GHOST' (Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore)

Middle column: FOOTBALLERS' WIVES (Mrs. Tim Hasselbeck, Mrs. David Beckham, Mrs. Rodney Peete)

Right column: JOHN (John McCain, John Lennon, John Turturro)

159 (\) diagonal: Magazine covers (TV Guide, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly))

357 (/) diagonal: All-black attire

K-Lyn said...

Yup, NEVER would have got that.

But I tried making me own. Go take a look...