3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions

A Guide by John Franklin

Version 1.01 — December 1, 2006

Don’t Print This Guide!

This guide is formatted so that each puzzle in the game has its own page, so that you
can see only the solution you want. Many of the solutions are only a single paragraph,
so this wastes a lot of space. The page numbers in the table of contents, which begins
on the next page, are accurate within this PDF document, and you can use the “Go to
Page” command in Acrobat Reader or Preview to see only the solution you want.

There is another version of this guide which has no extra white space. If you want to
print the guide out, print that version instead.

Note on the Lift Puzzles

Only the first and last lift puzzles have solutions in this guide. The others are too com-
plex to be worth writing down. Just keep at it, and you’ll get there.

Note on the Mesh Puzzles

All the mesh puzzles can be solved with relative ease by starting with the center of the
puzzle and working outward. (This sometimes involves lots of clicking on the 3 to keep
in mind what the end result is meant to look like.)

Note on the Pick Puzzles

None of the “Pick” puzzles have solutions in this guide, because the objects move
around at random. Just keep staring at the screen. (You may find that switching to black
and white mode helps, or switching to color if you were already in black and white. Don’t
forget to take a break every so often to avoid eyestrain!)
 Table of Contents

Prologue 3 Pick A Fight 36

For Letter or Worse 4 By Virtue Of 37
No Business Doing 5 Mesh About 38
Account for Yourself 6 Fall from Grace 39
Meltdown 7 Lift Up 40
Outside In 8 Race Ahead 41
Safety in Numbers 9 Mesh Around 42
Level Two 10 Whale of a Time 43
Level Four 11 Pick on You 44
Level Eight 12 Half-Hearted 45
Mind’s Eye 13 Third Degree 46
The Lift 14 Foreign Objects 47
Dove Owls 15 What a Mesh 48
Show Your Colors 17 B’s in her Bonnet 49
Take your Pick 18 Pick Up the Tab 50
Trust in Us 19 Actions Speak Louder 51
The Mesh 20 Lift a Finger 52
Learn your ABC’s 21 Finale 53
Another Mesh 22 Finders Keepers 54
Crash of the Symbols 23 Inside Track 56
Roaming Numerals 24 Temple of Rhyme nor Reason 58
Pick up the Pieces 25 The Letter Legislature 60
Half a Notion 26 Birds of a Feather 61
Lift Off 27 Central Processing Unit 63
Half A Mind 28 Character Recognition 64
Why Pick on Me 29 Mind your P’s and Q’s 65
Yet Another Mesh 30 Hang in There 66
On Speaking Terms 31 This, That, and the Other 67
Beg the Question 32 Lift and Separate 68
Meshed Up 33
A Sole Soul 34
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 3

Prologue

This isn’t a puzzle. This section exists so that the Table of Contents will match the
menus in the game.

—3—
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 4

For Letter or Worse

The letters will ask the same questions in the same order every time. If you answer a
question incorrectly, it will be moved to the end of the list and asked again when you
have completed the other remaining questions.

Question Words Letter

What letter makes a taxi complain? CAB ➡ CRAB R
What letter makes a male sheep wander? RAM ➡ ROAM O
What letter makes a boy happy? LAD ➡ GLAD G
What letter makes an evergreen impartial? FIR ➡ FAIR A
What letter makes a needle blush? PIN ➡ PINK K
What letter turns a flying insect into a vegetable? BEE ➡ BEET T
What letter gives the elderly a chill? OLD ➡ COLD C
What letter makes frozen water sinful? ICE ➡ VICE V
What letter makes your household animal a nuisance? PET ➡ PEST S
What letter makes a truck conceited? VAN ➡ VAIN I
What letter makes a young man float? BOY ➡ BUOY U
What letter makes a female deer fall asleep? DOE ➡ DOZE Z
What letter makes your relatives humane? KIN ➡ KIND D
What letter scares the fuel in your car? GAS ➡ GASP P
What letter makes a night bird holler? OWL ➡ HOWL H
What letter makes a point fuss? DOT ➡ DOTE E
What letter makes tree fluid brittle? SAP ➡ SNAP N
What letter makes a picnic insect desire? ANT ➡ WANT W
What letter makes a paper sack boast? BAG ➡ BRAG R
What letter makes Noah’s boat yelp? ARK ➡ BARK B
What letter makes wry humor wither? WIT ➡ WILT L
What letter turns one guy into a crowd? MAN ➡ MANY Y
What letter heats up a battle? WAR ➡ WARM M
What letter makes a performance a reality? ACT ➡ FACT F

—4—
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 5

No Business Doing

The finished screens of text are shown below.

—5—
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 6

Account for Yourself

Each row can be corrected in three clicks. Using the built-in column headings, the
cells to click are:

Row Columns to Click

1 CFC
2 GED
3 EEE
4 DFF
5 GDG
6 ECD
7 EDC

—6—
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 7

Meltdown

Each row contains the initial letters of integers in sequence. The first row is just inte-
gers counting upwards from one, the second is even integers starting with two, and
the third is multiples of three starting with three. Therefore the solution is:

Row Letters to Type

1 SENTETT
2 FSETTTT
3 TTTTTTT

—7—
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 8

Outside In

Each of the twelve clickable doors controls exactly one of the 12 non-clickable
doors. Therefore the shortest solution has to involve clicking each door once. There
is more than one possible solution to the puzzle. (In fact, there are 63686 12-step
solutions, out of a possible 479001600 ways of clicking on each of the doors once.)
One solution is shown in the diagram below.

9 5 1 2
3 4 11 6
7 10 8 12

—8—
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 9

Safety in Numbers

Since there are nine doors, and each time you click on a door, three doors change
state (between open and closed), the number of clicks in a solution must be an odd
number. There are 4024 nine-step solutions in which each door is clicked once. An
example is 1 2 5 6 7 3 4 8 9.

Interestingly, there are also shorter solutions. Some of these involve clicking the
same door twice, but not all do. There are 246 solutions of 5 moves (of which
1 2 4 8 5 is one), and 19546 solutions of 7 moves (of which 1 4 9 3 8 6 5 is one).
(There are also, of course, lots of solutions in 9 moves derived from the 5-move so-
lutions; for example, 9 9 9 9 1 2 4 8 5 is a solution, even though the first four moves
cancel out.)

—9—
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 10

Level Two

The words all have the number 2 substituted for the homophonic syllable at the be-
ginning. Thus the solutions are, in order:

2TOR
2LIP
2GETHER
2NIGHT
2MOR
2NIC
2SDAY
2MORROW

— 10 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 11

Level Four

The words all have the number 4 substituted for the homophonic syllable at the be-
ginning. Thus the solutions are, in order:

4CAST
4HEAD
4EVER
4GIVE
4HAND
4GET
4MULA
4WORD
4CLOSE

— 11 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 12

Level Eight

The words all have the number 8 substituted for the homophonic syllable at the end.
Thus the solutions are, in order:

LUBRIC8
ELIMIN8
FABRIC8
GENER8
ANIM8
INFL8
EXAGGER8
FRUSTR8
ILLUMIN8
RENOV8
DECOR8

— 12 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 13

Mind’s Eye

Eye #1’s word is spelled using the initial letters of his sentence: DISCOVERY

Eye #2’s word is spelled using the final letters of his sentence: AWARENESS

Eye #3’s word is spelled by taking letter 1 of word 1, letter 2 of word 2, letter 3 of
word 3, and so on: COMMUNITY

— 13 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 14

The Lift

All the lifts can be moved to the same height as the one on which the 3 starts. Start-
ing with the rightmost lift, keep clicking on each lift until they are all at the same
height, and the 3 will move directly across the screen.

— 14 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 15

Dove Owls

The items in this puzzle are selected at random. In alphabetical order by clue, the
answers are:

BGGRS CNT B CHSRS H WH HSTTS S LST

Beggars can’t be choosers. He who hesitates is lost.
BLD S THCKR THN WTR HST MKS WST
Blood is thicker than water. Haste makes waste.
BRDS F FTHR FLCK TGTHR LK BFR LP
Birds of a feather flock together. Look before you leap.
BT S N TH F TH BHLDR LL THT GLTTRS S NT GLD
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. All that glitters is not gold.
BTTR LT THN NVR LTTL STRKS FLL GRT KS
Better late than never. Little strokes fell great oaks.
BTTR SF THN SRR LTTL THNGS FFCT LTTL MNDS
Better safe than sorry. Little things affect little minds.
CHRT BGNS T HM MN S TH RT F LL VL
Charity begins at home. Money is the root of all evil.
CRST KLLD TH CT MSR LVS CMPN
Curiosity killed the cat. Misery loves company.
CT N GLVS CTCHS N MC N GD TRN DSRVS NTHR
A cat in gloves catches no mice. One good turn deserves another.
CTNS SPK LDR THN WRDS N NWS S GD NWS
Actions speak louder than words. No news is good news.
DNT JDG BK B TS CVR N PPL D KPS TH DCTR W
Don’t judge a book by its cover. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
DNT LK GFT HRS N TH MTH NCSST S TH MTHR F NVNTN
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Necessity is the mother of invention.
F TH SH FTS WR T NTHNG SCCDS LK SCCSS
If the shoe fits, wear it. Nothing succeeds like success.
FMLRT BRDS CNTMPT NTHNG VNTRD NTHNG GND
Familiarity breeds contempt. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
FRND N ND S FRND NDD NVR TH RS WTHT TH THRN
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Never the rose without the thorn.
GD FNCS MK GD NGHBRS PCTR S WRTH THSND WRDS
Good fences make good neighbors. A picture is worth a thousand words.
GNRNC S BLSS RLLNG STN GTHRS N MSS
Ignorance is bliss. A rolling stone gathers no moss.

— 15 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 16

RM WS NT BLT N D TH SQK WHL GTS TH GRS

Rome was not built in a day. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
STLL WTRS RN DP TW HDS R BTTR THN N
Still waters run deep. Two heads are better than one.
STRK WHL TH RN S HT TW WRNGS DNT MK RGHT
Strike while the iron is hot. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
STTCH N TM SVS NN VR DG HS HS D
A stitch in time saves nine. Every dog has his day.
T F SGHT T F MND VR DRK CLD HS SLVR LNNG
Out of sight, out of mind. Every dark cloud has a silver lining.
T MN CKS SPL TH BRTH VRT S TH SPC F LF
Too many cooks spoil the broth. Variety is the spice of life.
T RR S HMN T FRGV DVN WHT GS P MST CM DWN
To err is human, to forgive divine. What goes up must come down.
TH RL BRD CTCHS TH WRM WST NT WNT NT
The early bird catches the worm. Waste not, want not.

— 16 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 17

Show Your Colors

The words are RED, BLUE, and GREEN. The key to solving the puzzle is to use the
top row and the lower right corner square to set up columns in which two of the let-
ters are the same, and then use the bottom row to swap letters through the columns.
This allows you to swap out individual letters at will and reorder them.

— 17 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 18

Take your Pick

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 18 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 19

Trust in Us

Numbering the lifts 1 through 5 from left to right, you must click on 1 3 3.

— 19 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 20

The Mesh

Sorry, there is no easy solution to this puzzle. One strategy is to start in the middle,
and work outward, using the wrap-around properties of the puzzle to swap tiles in
and out.

— 20 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 21

Learn your ABC’s

The letters are apparently selected at random, so there is no solution which can be
followed directly, but the key to the game is the scoring. The individual letter scores
are as follows:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z

When you select a letter, its score is added to yours. If your score goes above nine,
then the digits are added together. (For example, if you have 7 points, and choose a
W worth 5, the sum is 12; since 12 is greater than nine, your score will be the sum of
the digits, or 3.)

The strategy which seems to work best is to spend the first two rounds trying to pick
a letter with a value of 3, 2, or 4 (in that order of preference), and then use the last
round to fill in the gaps. No strategy will work 100% of the time.

— 21 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 22

Another Mesh

Sorry, there is no easy solution to this puzzle. One strategy is to start in the middle,
and work outward, using the wrap-around properties of the puzzle to swap tiles in
and out.

— 22 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 23

Crash of the Symbols

The correct order is:

! “
% ; *
& , - .
: + ?

— 23 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 24

Roaming Numerals

The correct order is:

IV IX XIII V
XIV X III VI
XV VII XI II
I VIII XII XVI

— 24 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 25

Pick up the Pieces

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 25 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 26

Half a Notion

The boxes should be filled in as shown below.

— 26 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 27

Lift Off

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 27 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 28

Half A Mind

The boxes should be filled in as shown below.

— 28 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 29

Why Pick on Me

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 29 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 30

Yet Another Mesh

Sorry, there is no easy solution to this puzzle. One strategy is to start in the middle,
and work outward, using the wrap-around properties of the puzzle to swap tiles in
and out.

— 30 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 31

On Speaking Terms

From top to bottom, the correct words are:

ICY
OWE
SEE
EXCESS
IVY
EASY
EMPTY
EYE
ENVY
DECAY
BEE

— 31 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 32

Beg the Question

The words are YES, NO, and MAYBE. The key to the puzzle is creating columns
along the edge in which the same letter appears twice, allowing you to remove the
other letter with ease.

— 32 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 33

Meshed Up

Sorry, there is no easy solution to this puzzle. One strategy is to start in the middle,
and work outward, using the wrap-around properties of the puzzle to swap tiles in
and out.

— 33 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 34

A Sole Soul

The items in this puzzle are selected at random. In alphabetical order by clue, the
answers are:

actual - fishing spool just and honest - fee for travel

REAL - REEL FAIR - FARE
an equal - boat landing lazy - object of worship
PEER - PIER IDLE - IDOL
animal - precious location - something worth seeing
DEER - DEAR SITE - SIGHT
animal - raspy voice meat - tent peg
HORSE - HOARSE STEAK - STAKE
appear - sewing term military rank - seed of corn
SEEM - SEAM COLONEL - KERNEL
aromas - perceive narrow waterway - not crooked
SCENTS - SENSE STRAIT - STRAIGHT
atmosphere - one who inherits not me - female sheep
AIR - HEIR YOU - EWE
body area - squander not moon - not daughter
WAIST - WASTE SUN - SON
bucket - whitish observe - ocean
PAIL - PALE SEE - SEA
car control - smash onto pieces of chief importance - horse hair
BRAKE - BREAK MAIN - MANE
conceited - blood vessel one step of many - intent look
VAIN - VEIN STAIR - STARE
distasteful - birds part - calm
FOUL - FOWL PIECE - PEACE
female mammal - money slang payable - morning moisture
DOE - DOUGH DUE - DEW
flatland - aircraft plank - disinterested
PLAIN - PLANE BOARD - BORED
get better - shoe part puny - unit of days
HEAL - HEEL WEAK - WEEK
golf term - hot drink quick look - mountaintop
TEE - TEA PEEK - PEAK
gring - very good rob - metal
GRATE - GREAT STEAL - STEEL

— 34 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 35

rule - type of weather to color - pass away

REIGN - RAIN DYE - DIE
run away - insect two - fruit
FLEE - FLEA PAIR - PEAR
sense of style - emergency torch type of bread - ironic humor
FLAIR - FLARE RYE - WRY
shed skin - ring a bell vegetable - gem measurement
PEEL - PEAL CARROT - CARAT
skillful deed vegetable - hit
FEAT - FEET BEET - BEAT
story - animal appendage voting place - flag stick
TALE - TAIL POLL - POLE
sugary - apartment wild pig - dull person
SWEET - SUITE BOAR - BORE
to request of God - victim window term - ache
PRAY - PREY PANE - PAIN

— 35 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 36

Pick A Fight

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 36 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 37

By Virtue Of

The three words are FAITH, HOPE, and CHARITY. One strategy is to arrange the
word FAITH first using any method possible. Then use the multiple Hs to swap let-
ters into the center space to spell HOPE. Move HOPE around until it spells OPEH,
and use the two Hs along the right edge to rearrange the letters at the bottom. (Note
that the middle and bottom rows can be rotated independently of the rest of the puz-
zle.)

— 37 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 38

Mesh About

Sorry, there is no easy solution to this puzzle. One strategy is to start in the middle,
and work outward, using the wrap-around properties of the puzzle to swap tiles in
and out.

— 38 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 39

Fall from Grace

Numbering the lifts 1 through 5 from left to right, you must click on 2 4 4.

— 39 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 40

Lift Up

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 40 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 41

Race Ahead

Numbering the lifts 1 through 5 from left to right, you must click on 3 4 3.

— 41 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 42

Mesh Around

Sorry, there is no easy solution to this puzzle. One strategy is to start in the middle,
and work outward, using the wrap-around properties of the puzzle to swap tiles in
and out.

— 42 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 43

Whale of a Time

The three words are YESTERDAY, TODAY, and TOMORROW. This is the hardest of
the rotating letters puzzles, having no columns. But you can take advantage of the
fact that each pair of words has at least one letter in common. (Y, D, and A between
the first two, T and O between the second two, and R between the first and third.)
After getting a word mostly in position, shift it so that the letter which will be shared
with the next word will be one the two have in common.

— 43 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 44

Pick on You

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 44 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 45

Half-Hearted

The boxes should be filled in as shown below:

— 45 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 46

Third Degree

Sorry, no easy answer. Just keep trying!

— 46 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 47

Foreign Objects

The correct order is:

∏ ∑
Ø ß Æ
¶ Œ Ç ¥
Ω £ §

— 47 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 48

What a Mesh

Sorry, there is no easy solution to this puzzle. One strategy is to start in the middle,
and work outward, using the wrap-around properties of the puzzle to swap tiles in
and out.

— 48 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 49

B’s in her Bonnet

The top section has multiple possible solutions, including a few which are shorter
than the number suggested in the description in the puzzle menu. It has 14 solutions
in 5 moves, although all of them involve clicking on the leftmost door of the second
row twice. A representative solution would be the following:

3
1 2 4 5

There are 898 possible solutions in six moves, although only 242 of these do not in-
volve clicking on the same door twice. One representative solution is:

1 2 3 4 6
5

As for the lower section: there are 560 possible solutions in 7 moves, although they
all involve the same doors. (The order is not complete arbitrary; there are 5040 pos-
sible sequences involving those doors.) A representative solution would be the fol-
lowing:

3 1
4 7 2
5 6

— 49 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 50

Pick Up the Tab

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 50 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 51

Actions Speak Louder

The solution is shown below:

— 51 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 52

Lift a Finger

Sorry, there is no easy answer. Just keep trying.

— 52 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 53

Finale

This isn’t a puzzle. This section exists so that the Table of Contents will match the
menus in the game.

— 53 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 54

Finders Keepers

The first six grids are smaller but more difficult than the last one. In the first six, there
are usually interlocking paths which require that the letters be allowed in and out in
particular order. (For example, the I and the O in the sixth grid will activate each
other if allowed to continue moving.) The best general strategy is to stop all the let-
ters, and then move the critical letters into place. In the first six grids, the critical let-
ter is generally the one on the middle row, although the I in LIE is more difficult to
deal with than the K in SKI in the third grid.

J A W
E
T R Y

Z A P
E
T U G

S H Y
K
L I E

F R Y
I
B U M

3 R D
O
T A X

C O B
I
3 R D

(The seventh grid is on the next page.)

— 54 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 55

On the seventh grid, there is a definite strategy: solve the two left-hand corners first,
then the top right corner, then the center, then the bottom right. That order will help
stop vowels from bumping into each other and activating everything.

J U G A I M
O I
Y E E L X
N
A 3 R D I
S V
H U E I C Y

— 55 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 56

Inside Track

The answers are:

E G O
I N D E P E N D E N T
A L O N E

C O O P E R A T I O N
F E L L O W S H I P
R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

O P T I M I S M
E N T H U S I A S M
E X P E R I E N C E
E M O T I O N
D E S I R E

U N I F Y
C O E X I S T E N C E
C O M M U N I T Y
S E R V I C E

F R E E D O M
O P P O R T U N I T Y
D I S C O V E R Y
A D V E N T U R E

E S T A B L I S H
I N V E S T
E X P L O I T

— 56 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 57

U N D E R S T A N D I N G
A W A R E N E S S
D I V I N E
K N O W L E D G E
I N S I G H T

S C I E N T I F I C
A N A L Y T I C A L
L O G I C A L
M E T H O D I C A L
P R A C T I C A L

I N T U I T I V E
A R T I S T I C
I M A G I N A T I V E
C R E A T I V E

— 57 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 58

Temple of Rhyme nor Reason

The columns must be filled with the three-letter groups which the letters in For Letter
or Worse yell at each other after that puzzle has been solved. The order is such that
the leftmost column spells “FRIEND” when read downwards:

F U T
R I T
I N O
E E M
N I K
D A Q

As for the clues: the clues lead to words which must be entered into Inside Track.
The words themselves are listed under that heading. But as for the explanation of
the clues:

Three keep an eye out - three words are in Mind’s Eye

Three are on the level - one word each is in Level Two, Level Four, and Level
Eight

Three are halfway there - one word each is scrambled in Half a Notion, Half A
Mind, and Half-Hearted

Three are from 9 equal parts - the parts can be found in Show Your Colors,
B’s in her Bonnet, and Mind your P’s and Q’s (use one part from each puzzle
in each word)

Three are from 9 unequal parts - the parts can be found in Dove Owls, A Sole
Soul, and Birds of a Feather (each word uses one size of clue only, so there
is a 3-letter word, a 6-letter word, and a 9-letter word)

Three need uplifting recognition - in The Lift, Lift Up, and Lift a Finger, clicking
on some of the lifts will cause the letters on their bases to disappear. Remove
all the letters of this type, and then note the remaining letters (left to right);
type them into Character Recognition for three more words

Three lack that certain something - three words appear without vowels in By
Virtue Of, Whale of a Time, and This, That, and the Other

One is a mesh - each of the Mesh puzzles provides a letter for a (scrambled)
word

One is on speaking terms - there is a word spelled vertically in On Speaking

Terms

— 58 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 59

One is binary - the scrambled letters of a word appear amongst the binary
numbers of Central Processing Unit

One is a legal symbol - in The Letter Legislature, some symbols have occu-
pied the chambers; note their order and click on them in that order in Crash of
the Symbols for a word

One is an objective account - note the order of the characters in the word bal-
loon coming out of the hole in Account for Yourself; click on those characters
in that order in Foreign Objects for a word

One roams down - in Meltdown, some of the numbers are replaced with Ro-
man numerals; note their order and click on them in that order in Roaming
Numerals for a word

Nine are in safety having learned their ABC’s - each row in Safety in Numbers
contains a word encoded using the scheme from Learn your ABC’s; this takes
some work to decode since each number can stand for two or three letters

— 59 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 60

The Letter Legislature

The correct order is (in a serif font to help distinguish upper-case from lower-case
letters):

E N D J v
A S P a k l
I L K f y d F
O R B c i t h w
z T o g X W u Z
U r n x e q Q m V
s G b C M j p H Y

— 60 —
3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 61

Birds of a Feather

The items in this puzzle are selected at random. In alphabetical order by clue, the
answers are:

BCK T TH DRWNG BRD G DWN N HSTR

back to the drawing board go down in history
BHND TH GHT BLL G GNST TH GRN
behind the eight ball go against the grain
BRK P TH WRNG TR GHST F CHNC
bark up the wrong tree ghost of a chance
BT DD HRS JST WHT TH DCTR RDRD
beat a dead horse just what the doctor ordered
BT RND TH BSH KP STLL PPR LP
beat around the bush keep a still upper lip
BV ND BND TH CLL F DT KP TH BLL RLLNG
above and beyond the call of duty keep the ball rolling
CHNG HRSS N MDSTRM LCK STCK ND BRRL
change horses in midstream lock, stock, and barrel
CHP FF TH LD BLCK LK FSH T F WTR
chip off the old block like a fish out of water
CST PRTT PNN LT TH CT T F TH BG
cost a pretty penny let the cat out of the bag
DD T TH WRLD LTTL BRD TLD M
dead to the world a little bird told me
DRP N TH BCKT LV N STN NTRND
a drop in the bucket leave no stone unturned
DRP TH THR SH LV T F STCS
drop the other shoe live out of a suitcase
DRSSD T KLL LV T FRST SGHT
dressed to kill love at first sight
FL LK MLLN DLLRS LV WLL NGH LN
feel like a million dollars leave well enough alone
FLL B TH WSD LW MN N TH TTM PL
fall by the wayside low man on the totem pole
FNDRS KPRS LSRS WPRS MK LNG STR SHRT
finders keepers, losers weepers make a long story short
FRWTHR FRND N PNS ND NDLS
fair-weather friend on pins and needles

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3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 62

N TH NCK F TM RCH FR TH SK
in the nick of time reach for the sky
NTHNG T SNZ T RD BTWN TH LNS
nothing to sneeze at read between the lines
NTHNG T WRT HM BT S CM S G
nothing to write home about easy come, easy go
PCKD LK SRDNS SGHT FR SR S
packed like sardines sight for sore eyes
PL CT ND MS SGN N TH DTTD LN
play cat and mouse sign on the dotted line
PN CN F WRMS SPRT TH MN FRM TH BS
open a can of worms separate the men from the boys
PNT TH TWN RD T F CLR BL SK
paint the town red out of a clear blue sky
PTH F LST RSSTNC WHN LL S SD ND DN
path of least resistance when all is said and done

And the word containing all the vowels in order is FACETIOUSLY. (This is the short-
est English word with this property, but not the only one; ABSTEMIOUSLY also
works.)

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3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 63

Central Processing Unit

There is no easy answer for this puzzle, but here’s a strategy which works: start in
the upper left corner and work your way across. Each time you click, arrange things
so that the top or left box being altered is the leftmost one in the top line which has
any boxes left which need to be altered. If this cannot be done because there are not
enough spaces left, click in a corner so that only one number changes; the next time
you are unable to make a move you can click in that corner again.

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3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 64

Character Recognition

In order, the words are:

SEAL
DEAL
AISLE
JAIL
VEAL
WHILE

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3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 65

Mind your P’s and Q’s

In order:

1. Click on the top Q.

2. Click on the bottom P.
3. Click on the second-to-the-bottom P.
4. Click on the top Q.
5. Click on the second-to-the-top Q.
6. Click on the second-to-the-bottom Q.
7. Click on the bottom P.
8. Click on the second-to-the-bottom P.
9. Click on the second-to-the-top P.
10. Click on the top P.
11. Click on the top Q.
12. Click on the second-to-the-top Q.
13. Click on the second-to-the-bottom Q.
14. Click on the bottom Q.
15. Click on the bottom P.
16. Click on the second-to-the-bottom P.
17. Click on the second-to-the-top P.
18. Click on the top P.
19. Click on the second-to-the-top Q.
20. Click on the second-to-the-bottom Q.
21. Click on the bottom Q.
22. Click on the second-to-the-top P.
23. Click on the top P.
24. Click on the bottom Q.

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3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 66

Hang in There

Numbering the lifts 1 through 5 from left to right, you must click on 3 3 2.

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3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 67

This, That, and the Other

The words are ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, and MINERAL. Although there are no col-
umns which can be formed, the words have so many letters in common that this
puzzle is relatively easy. Try working from top to bottom.

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3 in Three: Puzzle Solutions 68

Lift and Separate

This is the only lift puzzle with a solution that can be written down easily. Without
clicking on anything else, click on the lift which is furthest to the right.

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