Curio Cabinet / Teaser Curio

Genius comes in all shapes. It might come in the shape of a mathematical symbol. Or in the shape of a pair of glasses with tape in the middle. Or, in the case of Word Genius, a 10x10 grid of letters meant to tickle your genius bone. And, in the case of this specific Word Genius puzzle, round is beautiful.
 
Today's daily Word Genius puzzle has no proper nouns and no multi-word answers. Solve it in Word Genius to learn an interesting fact about the puzzle's theme (and earn Word Genius coins, too!).

Did you get it? Get more (a LOT more) in Word Genius, available for iOS and Android.

Sometimes, you just want a simple question with a simple answer. No silliness, no lengthy preamble, just get down to business. Bringing the heat...
 
On an analog clock with smoothly moving hands, what is the first time after midnight where the minute and hour hands are 90° apart?
 
Note: the answer isn't a nice round time, so you can leave your answer with fractional time, or round it to the nearest tenth of a second.
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #155" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Kids are great! Really, they are. But sometimes, just sometimes, when they're being extra bratty, you just wanna tag out and not deal with them. This time of year, there are times you want to camp out in front of the TV, especially on the weekends, away from any bratty kids.
 
This quote from Jimmy Fallon might suggest that he wants to watch a lot of TV on the weekends, too. Two phrases from this quote have been scrambled. The phrases of the original quote have 2 and 4 words, respectively, with the number of letters shown. The phrases were scrambled independently (i.e., the letters from the first phrase aren't scrambled into the second phrase). Can you figure out the original phrase?
 
Remember, no Googling for help! We'd call you a brat for that.

Thank you... fantasy fat doll of brat, for letting me know that even in my fantasies, I top mad as brats.
 
Thank you... fantasy (8) (5), for letting me know that even in my fantasies, I (2) (3) (2) (6).

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #154" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

So it looks like you successfully figured out our phone number, and then did it again after we changed it. Persistent, are we? OK, ok, so now you want our area code. Fine.
 
Easy! Our area code is the largest 3-digit number that:

is the sum of two consecutive whole numbers
is the sum of three consecutive whole numbers
is the sum of five consecutive whole numbers
is the sum of seven consecutive whole numbers
is the sum of nine consecutive whole numbers

What's our area code?
 
Again, that's not our actual area code. This is just a math teaser, but you knew that, right?
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #153" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Solving a word square is all about being comfortable with the language. And we know that regular solvers of the Teaser Curio are comfortable with the language because we love word teasers. So, get to it, linguaphiles!
 
Remember: a word square is similar to a square crossword puzzle, but the same words appear across and down. Here's an example of a 3x3 word square:
 

CAT
AGO
TOY

 
Below are four clues, not in order. Can you make a 4x4 word square out of it?

You might need to know the language to get a good one
You might mess up the language if you get one too many
The language for an estimated 80,000 people
The place with an estimated 2,000+ languages

 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #152" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Feelings, nothing more than feelings, trying to forget my feelings of love. Teardrops…
 
First, you're welcome! We're glad that you appreciate us getting that song stuck in your head all day. If you need to get it out, focus on feeling your way around this word riddle.
 
This is a common 8-letter English word.

(The original word) Maybe you do this if a lot of you feel scared
(Remove the last letter) Maybe you did this if you felt angry
(Remove the 1st and last letters) Maybe you did this if you felt things were too loose
(Remove the 1st, 2nd, and last letters) Maybe you feel this way after solving this teaser

What's the original word?
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #151" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

What are the only things math geeks like more than numbers? Mathematical symbols. While there are only 10 digits, math uses Latin letters, Greek letters, Hebrew letters, symbols of operators, logical symbols, squiggly things, Facebook thumbs-up symbol, straight angular things, dotted things, etc. OK, we just threw one of those in to see if you were paying attention, but you get the point.
 
Today, though, you have to solve the teaser with some mathematical handcuffs. Using all of the digits and symbols below exactly once each and no other symbols or digits, can you construct a valid equation? (For instance, if you had 1 2 3 4 + + =, you could make 1+4=2+3.)

1 2 3 4 9 ✕ ✕ =

OK, that was probably pretty easy. Let's make it a little bit harder and take away one multiplication symbol.

1 2 3 4 9 ✕ =

And just for fun, you don't need that last multiplication symbol, do you?

1 2 3 4 9 =

What are the three equations? (And no, you do not get to rotate the ✕ into a +, or split the = into two separate lines, or anything like that. Nice creativity, though!)
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #150" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Have you ever seen a disgustingly dirty cuff on a sushi chef? Did you know that you can take that dirt off with laughter? At least that's true according to Victor Hugo in the quote below. Either that, or things got a little scrambled again.
 
Two phrases from this quote from Victor Hugo have been scrambled. The phrases of the original quote have 2 and 3 words, respectively, with the number of letters shown. The phrases were scrambled independently (i.e., the letters from the first phrase aren't scrambled into the second phrase). Can you figure out the original phrase?
 
Remember, no Googling for help! The chef would not approve.

Laughter is the sun that ever wins dirt from a tuna chef hem.
 
Laughter is the sun that (6) (6) from (3) (5) (4).

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #149" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Word Genius isn't really dangerous. The most it will do to you is get your pulse racing, make your heart beat a little faster, and maybe make you wish you had a bigger boat. So kick up your feet, make some popcorn, sit back and enjoy.
 
Today's daily Word Genius puzzle has 8 proper nouns and no multi-word answers. Solve it in Word Genius to learn an interesting fact about the puzzle's theme (and earn Word Genius coins, too!).
 

 
Did you get it? Get more (a LOT more) in Word Genius, available for iOS and Android.

Repent! The end is near! Repent for all your sins of any shapes! The sin of greed is rectangular, like money or gold bars. The sin of gluttony is circular, like a donut or a pizza or a donut pizza. The sin of sloth is strangely couch-shaped.
 
As we've never said before because it barely makes sense, if loving word squares is a sin, we are definitely guilty. Remember: a word square is similar to a square crossword puzzle, but the same words appear across and down. Here's an example of a 3x3 word square:
 

CAT
AGO
TOY

 
Below are four clues, not in order. Can you make a 4x4 word square out of it?

A famous place of sin
This curve starts with sin
It's not a sin to steal one
Sin agua

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #147" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Ron and Ava challenge each other with number challenges all the time. They love the flexibility, power, and most of all, precision of numbers. One day, Ava thought of a challenge that she thought would get him.
 
Ava: "I've grouped all the digits into two groups. The first group includes 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. The second group has 6, 8, and 9. Where does 0 go?"
 
Ron: "What about 4? You skipped 4."
 
Ava: "Well, that's a bit complicated, because it's not clear. Sometimes 4 is in the first group, and sometimes it's in the second."
 
Ron, confused: "What? That doesn't make any sense... 4 should be in one or the other, not both!"
 
Ava, smirking: "And yet, it is!"
 
Ron twisted his brain into a pretzel, but it suddenly it dawned on him.
 
Where does the 0 go and why?
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #146" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Be very wary, Mary. This week's riddle is a little hairy, but you can do it solitary, or to the contrary, do it with a full military. It's customary, though, to do it with nary a dictionary. You don't have to be visionary; the words are all ordinary and are in your vocabulary. But enough! Let's bury the unnecessary commentary. To the riddle!
 
This is a common 7-letter English word.

(The original word) Something you carry
(Remove the 3rd letter) Terribly scary
(Remove the 2nd and 3rd letters) When you should parry
(Remove the 1st and 3rd letters) One is to marry

What's the original word?
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #145" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

So you figured out our phone number, then you figured out our new phone number, and now you want the pin to our ATM card? Well, why not? What harm could that do?
 
The pin is a 5-digit number that is three prime numbers, all less than 100, written in a row, in increasing order. All the digits are strictly increasing; i.e., each digit is greater than the last. Still need more? OK, it's the largest number for which the above conditions are true.
 
What's our pin?
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #144" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

The World Cup is upon us with all of its competition, excitement, nationalism, rabid fans, and occasional scoring. And in that spirit (the love of competition, not the occasional scoring), we bring you this scrambled quote.
 
The end of this quote from soccer super-stud Pelé has been scrambled. The original quote ends with 3 words with the number of letters shown.
 
Remember, no Googling for help! That's cheating, and there's no cheating in soccer. Right?

The more difficult the victory, the greater the spinning naps I win, eh?.
 
The more difficult the victory, the greater the (9) (2) (7).

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #143" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Work, work, work. Even the best of jobs, after you've done them enough, feel like work sometimes. Take a break from your real job and work on this word riddle instead. Unless your job is solving word riddles; in that case, take a nap.
 
This is a common 5-letter English word.

You might have to work to reach a high one.
Reverse the letters, and you might have to use one to make sure your work is done well.
Change the last letter to R, and it can be used to make your work easier (famously in Greece).
Change the first letter to R, and this is something you can do after your hard work is done.

What is the original word?
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #142" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Writing years with just two digits doesn't really work anymore. Does '30 mean 1930 or 2030? For this teaser, we're going to ignore the 20th century and stick with the now!
 
Last week, we just passed a mildly interesting (and admittedly contrived) calendar milestone. On June 3, the product of the month and day was the year (6 x 3 = '18).
 
How many times does this happen in the 21st century? (Note: a product of 100 is not equivalent to a year of '00.)
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #141" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Summer's here! Time to party, maybe at the beach, maybe with a little lemonade, some BBQ... Or even better: a word square. 'Cuz there's no party like a nerd party.
 
Remember: a word square is similar to a square crossword puzzle, but the same words appear across and down. Here's an example of a 3x3 word square:
 

CAT
AGO
TOY

 
Below are four clues, not in order. Can you make a 4x4 word square out of it?

Where you might go to party hard
Where you might go to party bard?
A person who might party hard this time of year
What a party guard might do to you if you're not on the list

 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #140" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Really, you should download and try Word Genius. If you like Curios and word puzzles and fun facts and crosswords and learning things and animated owls (and seriously, who doesn't?), then Word Genius is for you. Here's a little taste. You might want to solve this one with about 100 of your talented friends.
 
Today's daily Word Genius puzzle has no proper nouns and no multi-word answers. Solve it in Word Genius to learn an interesting fact about the puzzle's theme (and earn Word Genius coins, too!).
 

 
Did you get it? Get more (a LOT more) in Word Genius, available for iOS and Android.

The royal wedding today has us thinking about weddings, and weddings have us thinking about cake. Actually, every gathering has us thinking about food. Does food make us think about brain teasers? No; thinking about food usually shuts down all other high cognitive functions.
 
Today, however, we're focusing enough to present you with a wedding-cake-themed puzzle.
 
Harry and Meghan (of course) are having a small, intimate wedding with only 20 total people in attendance. They have a two-tier wedding cake where the top tier is 8" x 8" x 4" tall and the bottom tier is 16" x 16" x 4" tall, and your job is to cut the cake. You can re-stack the tiers any way you like, but once you start cutting, you can't move the cakes around until all the cuts are complete.
 
What is the minimum number of straight-line cuts you need to make to cut the cakes into 20 pieces that are the same size and shape? (Imagine you have an exceptionally long knife, and don't worry about sharing the frosting equally. It's covered in fondant, and fondant's nasty.)
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #138" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

To all the mothers out there, we hope you have a wonderful Mothers' Day tomorrow. For our simple, nerdy tribute to mothers, we have a quote for you that needs a little... fixing.
 
The end of this quote from Victor Hugo has been scrambled. The original quote ends with 4 words with the number of letters shown.
 
And no Googling around for help! If you need help, you can only do one thing: call your mother.

A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children thump needles nosily.
 
A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children (5) (7) (2) (4).

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #137" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!