Doubled for Friday, June 7, 2024
One picture, one hidden three-word chain. The first two words make a familiar phrase, the last two make another, and the middle word belongs to both. New to the game? Read how to play first.
Hints
Open them one at a time. Each one gives away a little more than the last.
Hint 1
The answer is 3 words long, with 8, 3 and 4 letters.
Hint 2
The shared word - the one that belongs to both phrases - has 3 letters and starts with P.
Hint 3
The first phrase is 2 words, the second is 2, and they overlap on one of them.
Hint 4
An old-fashioned writing instrument, then friends who exchange letters.
The answer
Stuck, or want to check? Opening this reveals the whole answer.
Reveal the answer
Fountain Pals
Fountain pen and Pen pals, joined on Pen.
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is the pen with a metal nib fed by a reservoir of ink, the classic instrument of handwritten letters.
Pen pals
Pen pals are friends who keep in touch by exchanging letters, often having never met.
How players did
Across 1,636 plays, 46% got the whole answer in one guess, 12% solved it without a miss, 14% got there after at least one wrong guess, 16% used a hint or finished on their last chance, and 14% did not get it.
This puzzle ran on June 7, 2024, June 7, 2025 and June 7, 2026.