Doubled for Wednesday, January 22, 2025
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 6, 4 and 4 letters.
Hint 2
The shared word - the one that belongs to both phrases - has 4 letters and starts with M.
Hint 3
The first phrase is 2 words, the second is 2, and they overlap on one of them.
Hint 4
A proper, filling dinner, then a larva sold as pet food.
The answer
Stuck, or want to check? Opening this reveals the whole answer.
Reveal the answer
Square Worm
Square meal and Mealworm, joined on Meal.
Square meal
A square meal is a substantial, satisfying meal.
Mealworm
A mealworm is the beetle larva sold as food for reptiles, birds and fish.
How players did
Across 639 plays, 10% got the whole answer in one guess, 3% solved it without a miss, 7% got there after at least one wrong guess, 21% used a hint or finished on their last chance, and 59% did not get it.
This puzzle ran on January 22, 2025 and January 22, 2026.