Today’s brain teasers were written by Lewis Carroll, the creator of the famous story Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. These puzzles can be found in a charming collection of his non-Alice writings, Lewis Carroll’s Guide for Insomniacs, selected by LC superfan Gyles Brandreth. Although they may be considered old, they are still enjoyable!

1. The Chelsea Pensioners

Out of all the individuals who have lost an eye, ear, arm, or leg, what is the minimum percentage that must have lost all four body parts, given that 70%, 75%, 80%, and 85% respectively have lost each body part?

2. Apples appear

is a common idiom

A popular phrase is picturing apples on a wall in a dream.
I dreamt;

I frequently found myself dreaming, my dear.
notifications and comments I total.

I imagined that I would have a grand total of all my notifications and comments if I counted them.
How many would be shown?

3. Russian sons

A Russian had three sons, each with different occupations. The first son, Rab, pursued a career in law. The second son, Ymra, became a soldier. The third son chose to become a sailor. What was his name?

4. Word ways

a) Find a bird with the letters ‘gp’ as its nucleus.

Find a fruit with the central letters of ‘emo’.

5. Doublets

The doublet, also referred to as a “word ladder”, is a popular puzzle created by Carroll. The challenge is to start with two given words and find a sequence of words that differ by only one letter in order to go from one word to the other. For example, to change HEAD to TAIL, one could use the sequence HEAD, HEAL, TEAL, TELL, TALL, TAIL.

a) Prove RAVEN to be MISER (3 links)

b) Change OAT to RYE (3)

Cannot reword.

Put BEANS on SHELF (7)

I will return with the solutions at 5pm in the United Kingdom.

Kindly refrain from posting any spoilers. Instead, feel free to share your favorite characters, puzzles, and lines from the works of Lewis Carroll.

UPDATED: See the responses below.

Lewis Carroll, also known as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was a well-known mathematician and writer from Oxford. He struggled with insomnia and published a book called Pillow Problems, which consisted of puzzles he would contemplate while attempting to fall asleep.

In 1979, Gyles Brandreth compiled a collection of Carroll’s puzzles, rhymes, and musings in a book titled “Lewis Carroll’s Guide for Insomniacs.” The book has recently been reprinted by boutique publisher Notting Hill Editions, with an added introduction. It is a stunningly presented selection, and I highly recommend it.

The book is available for purchase at the Guardian bookstore or other online retailers.

Since 2015, I have been posting a puzzle on alternate Mondays and constantly searching for new and exciting puzzles. If you have any suggestions, feel free to email me.

Source: theguardian.com