This puzzle consists of a list of movie titles with something in common. The titles have been broken into “doublets” and the doublets have been alphabetized. Example:
Title: High Noon Doublets: HI GH NO ON Alphabetizing: GH HI NO ON
Problems:
The titles were altered prior to being broken into doublets. Today we have a mystery guest, and due to the presence of this guest, I felt it prudent to alter the movie titles rather than have our guest _____________.
There is an extra doublet in each of the twelve doublet sets. These extra doublets are not part of the altered movie titles at all.
Mitigating Circumstance: Each extra doublet may be placed in the space to the left of its title number. When all extra doublets are in place, the solver should be able to read down, from 1 to 12, to discover the identity of our guest. He/she can also find the words that fill in the blank in “Problem 1”.
^^^^^^^^^^
___ 1. LE OU OW RD SE SN TB TS VA
___ 2. BO EC HE HI IR NE RU SS TH YS
___ 3. AT EE EM ES OF PI RE TH TR US
___ 4. AI AY DA IN GH LO ND OD RA YB YR
___ 5. DO NG PO RI RI SI UR WN
___ 6. AP CE CL EE IN IP LA OS SE TH
___ 7. BU DE RM RN RS TH TO UN US
___ 8. AO BE BU CC FA FC IM NH OK ON RE RM RO SN UL UM YB
___ 9. DA EO FA FT HE HE ID JO NE OG OT RS SM UR YT
___ 10. AN AS BU DA DT DY EK HC HD HE ID MI NC SI ST TC
___ 11. AI AR HE LE NI NK NT OO RI SI SP
___ 12. CL DB DE EV GW HE IL OU RT ST UN UR
Can you discover the titles, unmask our mystery guest, and fill in the blank?
Gyan9, experience with Biotop’s puzzles tells me that the alterations will be whole-word substitutions involving puns. The result is broken into doublets, then an extra doublet is added, then the doublets are put in alphabetical order.
And let me add that, beyond any shadow of a doubt, these are some of the soggiest puns under the you-know-what.
WOW.
Talk about tough. So far I think I can pull SENSE out of the first one and EMPIRE from the third. Are we supposed to do these togeather or individually? If so I’ll stop posting my ideas/possible soultions.
Ah, Biotop. Another excellent puzzle. I would never take unbrage with you, my man. I love how your puzzles have varying shades of difficulty. My buddy, Phil Connors, does these with me and, as he puts it, “wears on his face a dream of Spring.”
Gyan9: Your latter example is correct. Sorry my directions may have clouded the issue for you. Good luck.
xenothrope: This mysterious doublet puzzle now may be shrouded in darkness, and you feel almost…sunk. However, I’m sure with time and effort you can come out of the fog and into the light… and meet our mystery guest.
Peregrine and MonkeyMensch: You’re the SDMB’s two solving stars…and you seem to know what evils lurk in the hearts of puzzlemakers. I cheer you both: Ra! Ra! You both have a lot of…soul?