# Sunday Morning Puzzle #74 --- Mystery Guest...and Friends? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2003, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729 "2003-07-20T11:47:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/1 "2003-07-20T11:47:49Z")
This puzzle owes a reference debt to QDKHZGZTYK (2001). In this rather bellicose cryptolist, two do not belong. One does not belong because the order is reversed. One does not belong because it is absurd. Can you identify both anomalies and name the mystery guest? Bonus points for noticing the coding pattern. The 11 were encoded in alphabetical order. ########## 1. (Mystery Guest) QVMDZCCLYSH 2. (Mystery Guest) QVFHZUFHRMTVG 3. (Mystery Guest) QVBDYFFGDKZUL 4. (Mystery Guest) QVBDYFBZYF 5. (Mystery Guest) QVAHJGLFZKNDCCLDD 6. (Mystery Guest) QVAHFLCZY 7. (Mystery Guest) QVAZYVSHUNHUZ 8. (Mystery Guest) QVAZSGUL 9. (Mystery Guest) QVSGHJZVADJAZYVSHU 10. (Mystery Guest) QVSGHVHLAZYVSHU 11. (Mystery Guest) QVSGHVAZFAZYVSHU ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/2 "2003-07-20T21:45:41Z")
Dang. This is no way to treat a guest! The guest comes, new to the city, and is pretty much left to stumble around on his own. ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/3 "2003-07-20T23:35:01Z")
Well, I’m still just mystified. I think this is one of those where counting is not going to help a whole lot. And you know, I really don’t know what I’m looking for. I don’t think I have grasped the structure of this puzzle. How do I get one mystery guest out of eleven mystery guests? Are the numbered clues names or descriptions? Or something else? Ooh–maybe they are expressions with a common word or phrase, which is the answer we’re looking for. Or not. I’ll just keep trying on syllables until the next tantalizing hint. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/4 "2003-07-21T02:49:47Z")
Now **Peregrine** , if I told you any more details of the structure I fear that might give the whole thing away. Can’t do that. It’s a simple cryptolist. Simple letter substitution. I don’t recommend keeping our mystery guest waiting too long. Not the most patient fellow, he. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/5 "2003-07-21T03:43:46Z")
Ummm, I’m guessing QV=MR, but other than that I’m stuck. I seriously suck at cryptograms. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/6 "2003-07-21T12:06:56Z")
Interesting hypothesis, **Mr. (Ms.?) Rabid\_Squirrel**. Good luck in your battle with this puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/7 "2003-07-21T16:55:59Z")
No.2 would be rather one-sided. No.4 is back-to-front. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/8 "2003-07-21T17:20:45Z")
**Usram** got it! The fighting is over and we have a winner! Looks like you flattened the opposition this week! ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/9 "2003-07-21T17:54:50Z")
🙂 I had to double check that No.2 was made up - well, you never know! Nice puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/10 "2003-07-21T20:46:41Z")
You know, I just realized we never ever get solutions to these. Does **Biotop** just leave people who found these in archives to hang forevermore? Or can we actually find out what these cryptic answers mean? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/11 "2003-07-21T22:07:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Leaper \* > \*\*You know, I just realized we never ever get solutions to these. Does **Biotop** just leave people who found these in archives to hang forevermore? Or can we actually find out what these cryptic answers mean? \*\* Sometimes the answer gets posted. Other times I figure that an unanswered puzzle sitting in the archives might provide someone some enjoyment sometime in the future. Occasionally the solver posts the answer his or herself. Usually the solver drops a few more hints to help others still searching for the answer. Anyone who wants to know the solution to an unresolved older puzzle can e-mail me, and I’ll be happy to provide. ---
**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/12 "2003-07-22T02:41:44Z")
**Usram** : “No.2 would be rather one-sided.” ahh haaa… So the structure of the puzzle is [Name of the mystery guest] VS [Name of an opponent]. The flattened opposition claims the bonus point for revealing the coding for the unused letters: (clear=\>code) F=\>I J=\>E P=\>W Q=\>X X=\>O Y=\>P ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-74-mystery-guest-and-friends/189729/13 "2003-07-22T04:01:41Z")
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ LMJKHIFGDEBCA YZWXUVSTQROPN Our Mystery Guest sure seems to have trouble getting along with others. Perhaps he just needs some positive behavioral re-inforcement and coping alternatives.