After six issues and six weeks of perplexing Pelham, the Voice's Pelham Puzzler feature is solved. Reader Emily Boss takes home the accumulated $180 in gift cards from Peter Piper's, Sobeys, Bloomin' Crazy, Minor Bros., PetValu, and PharmaChoice.
Started in the Voice's November 27 edition and refined slightly on December 4, the Puzzler provided the answer, "Butternut," and asked what was the question.
Readers were offered an increasing number of hints over the weeks, many relating to various forms of the word "search." Secondary clues hinted as to the solution's location.
A Tennyson quote, "The same words conceal and declare the thoughts of men," appeared vertically between pages.
In the end, Boss found the solution where it had been hiding in plain sight for each of the six weeks: in the Voice's Word Search feature.
Starting on November 27, and in each subsequent issue, the initial letter of each word combined to spell out the same sentence: W-H-A-T-I-S-T-H-E-M-O-S-T-T-A-S-T-Y-N-U-T-N-O-W.
"What is the most tasty nut now" was the question. "Butternut" was the answer. (And other nuts in later weeks.)
For how Boss solved the Puzzler, and a collection of many of the clues provided, see this week's centrespread in our print edition.
Here is each week's Word Search, starting on November 27, containing the solution:
