Editor's Solemnity

[Scurra]

So, last weekend was the MIT puzzlehunt. Lots of the usual ridiculous complicated puzzles (ID costumes from Jane Austen movies that were recycled in other Jane Austen movies, solve a logic puzzle hidden inside a cryptic crossword, operas described as though they were tv dramas etc.)

Anyway, here's one of the shorter ones. You want to find a single-word answer.

F---! Our cost: a tern. Er, sport I on.
Countersign a gel Abe? Ls!
Jud, geo rap me a sure praise!
I stim; I’d to give Herbal Kings up port!
Expo interception: a lad vice.
Thebes tel.: I teach? I ever!
Comet ore—as in Fe. ’Ron?
Verb at I’m as split era leech.
A, the art of bravo: Welsh orchard!
Hew, hos! Elan dismal’s wed emo.
Int. hear lye we, eh? Ours!

[Wulfruna]

I have just found this! As you might guess, this sort of puzzle is up my street and I enjoyed finding the hidden messages. However, it is one thing finding a single word answer for each one, but rather more demanding to find a single overall answer, if that is what you mean? (...and more what I would expect from MIT!)

[Bunnylump]

I'm not really sure what we are trying to do here. I can see some hidden words, but don't really see what to do with it all. Too hard for me!

[LAT]

I can also see some hidden words but can't really think what to do with them and am probably overlooking lots in any case.

[Wulfruna]

What happens when you take out the hidden words?

[LAT]

when I do that I have nothing left but I still can't get an answer.

[Scurra]

What do all the hidden (answer) words have in common? It's a feature of the words, rather than their definitions or anything.

[Bunnylump]

What do all the hidden (answer) words have in common? It's a feature of the words, rather than their definitions or anything.

Nothing whatsoever, if you ask me! Well, there is one thing, they are all words.

[LAT]

Well I am prepared to admit that I might have parsed some of these incorrectly as some make more sense than others. I think most if not all have the letter E in them!

[Wulfruna]

Aha,.... maybe they do have something hidden in them after all Not sure if that is all I need to know or whether I still have to take another step?

[LAT]

I am now confused as I thought from your previous post you had solved this but now you are sounding as though you still have the final answer to find.

[SparkOut]

OK, I'll admit I was very confused about the format of the statements at first. I thought the whole thing had to be parsed, while some statements make more sense that way than others. I'm going to word this very badly It took me a lot to see that to parse each statement it should have a hidden word removed, which is the answer to that statement now parsed.
So now you have a list of answer words. Something about those words might help you see what you have to do to extract the final answer.
Pop the list into a word processor. Don't edit the words. Play with some format settings a specific formatting option.

[Wulfruna]

In my previous post I was just suggesting that you looked closely at what was left, as I thought it helped to understand the context of the actual answer words.
But I had not reached a final conclusion. I now spotted something that they seem to have in common, but am not at all convinced it is right!

[SparkOut]

I think for this one it is pretty certain you'll know when you have it. The thing the answer words have in common is fairly generic. I think I am pretty justified in saying it is merely that that general property is something that enables the simple answer extraction.

[Scurra]

Puzzles are often mostly about hiding things in obvious ways but pretending that they are non-obvious in the (perhaps reasonable?!) expectation that people won't think of the obvious things.
I think this is a good example of that.

[LAT]

I think I might have an answer now thanks to comments from SparkOut and help from our favourite rabbit. Some of the clues were just weird though.

[Bunnylump]

Agreed!There were several instances where an alternative word would be just as good as an answer, and one which doesn't really make sense to either of us! I liked the idea of the puzzle though.

[Scurra]

Can you explain what you mean by "where an alternative word would be just as good as an answer"? I genuinely don't understand because that doesn't make sense in the context of this puzzle.

[Bunnylump]

Well, I could, but it would be a massive spoiler!

[Wulfruna]

Well that took longer than it should have done - but as you say, there is not much doubt when you spot the answer!!