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Friday puzzle -- two words

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Friday puzzle -- two words

#1

Friday puzzle -- two words

Alex Y

Taking a break from probability-based puzzles, here is a word-based one:

I am looking for two 5-letter words related in these ways.

1) The first word can be "morphed" into the second by:

  • dropping the rightmost letter

  • replacing the new rightmost letter with the next letter in the alphabet, and

  • adding a new leftmost letter

2) Word two represents something that is made up of a specific finite number of the things represented by word one.

An example of rule 1 is react -> reac -> read -> bread (but react and bread clearly don't meet rule 2)

An example of rule 2 is singer, trio; a trio represents a specific finite number (3) of singers. Obviously, this pair does not satisfy rule 1.

Suggested obfuscation: If you figure this one out, answer only with the number that relates words one and two.

There may be multiple answers, but I know of only one.

Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#2

reads like something from Will Shortz

Gary Smyth

and he gives a week to solve. Have a great Holiday.

Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#3

Hint

Alex Y

Weights and measures

Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#4

Re: No answer yet, ...

Larry Barrett

Haven't got it yet, but here are some 5 letter second words that don't work, because the possible 5 letter first words (working backword) aren't words that I recognize:

quart, pound, ounce, liter, caret, tonne, stone, cubit, meter, (and also octet and nonet which aren't weights and measures).

Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#5

Re: No answer yet, ...

Alex Y

here are some 5 letter second words that don't work, because the possible 5 letter first words (working backword) aren't words that I recognize:

quart, pound, ounce, liter, caret, tonne, stone, cubit, meter, (and also octet and nonet which aren't weights and measures).

I wouldn't be so certain about that... ;)

Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#6

Re: No answer yet, ...

Larry Barrett

Thanks to your hint and prompting, and finding at least one error in earlier effort, I think the number you are looking for is 16.

Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#7

 


Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#8

Answer

Alex Y

Larry found the solution.

There are 16 ounces in a pound, and if you drop the "e" from the end of "ounce", convert the "c" to a "d", and add a "p" at the front, you end up with "pound".

Re: Friday puzzle -- two words

#9

Re: reads like something from Will Shortz

Alex Y

Gary, thanks for "introducing" me to Shortz. I have not heard him. Sounds like I need to expand my Saturday NPR listening.

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