Solution to II, 2

If you go about this one thinking it's a drop-quote, you'll find it impossible. Instead, start thinking horizontally. The blue letters and the blue boxes go together, obviously. How?

Alphabetically, of course, by ROW.

So.


H _ _ _ I _ A C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
W _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A D _ _ _ O_ A Q _ _ _ _ 
T _ D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B _ _ _ _ _ _
D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ P _ _ _ _ _ F _ _ _ _

The first row contains "O-" as a letter. Not a short word, obviously. A long word, beginning with a C and containing "O-"? Oh, yeah. Crypto-betical.
 
HERE IS A CRYPTO-BETICAL


Second row. No "F" so O_ must be OR. "Q" is generally followed by U. Third row, TO is obvious. Fourth row, Two Z's and a six-letter word starting with P strongly suggest PUZZLE, especially since the thing already seems self-referential. The end has to be "S."
 
HERE IS A CRYPTO-BETICAL
W _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A D _ _ _ OR A QU _ _ _ 
T _ D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B _ _ _ _ _ _
D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUZZLE F _ _ _ S.

The title is usually a big hint...

HERE IS A CRYPTO-BETICAL
W _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A DROP OR A QUOTE
TO D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B _ _ _ _ _ _
D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PUZZLE F _ _ _ _

Back to the second row. Unscramble W (HIOTTU) = WITHOUT.

"Here is a Crypto-betical without a drop or a quote to..." To do what?
 
The list of common seven-letter words staring with B is small. The structure suggests a preposition. BETWEEN works. The last word could be FILMS, but really? Puzzle films? How about FORMS.
 
HERE IS A CRYPTO-BETICAL
WITHOUT A DROP OR A QUOTE 
TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
DIFFERENT PUZZLE FORMS.
 
Okay, that was hard-ish. So, as a treat, here's an easy puzzle for your holiday table....

Don't drop that quote!

Series II : Crypto-beticals : Puzzle 2

 I was informed by a reader, to whom I owe munificent thanks, that last week's Crypto-betical was nearly identical to a form of puzzle called a "drop quote."  If the letters in the columns in a drop-quote puzzle are in alphabetical order, such a drop-quote would indeed be a Crypto-betical.  However, the Crypto-betical is a larger category. Its only rules are that  (1) the letters in  the solution are in alphabetical order in some way (by row, by column, by word length, etc.) and (2) that the entire solution is given 'cryptogram style' in blank squares.

It's my fault that the first one was a drop quote. It need not be.  Take this one, for example:

  
Link for the print-and-solve crew.

Hint (rollover to reveal):

1) What's with the blue squares? 2) Punctuation. 3) Letter combos, like q-u and z-z.

 Solution available Thanksgiving Day!

Solution to II, 1

Here is a video on how to solve this puzzle. 

New Series: Crypto-beticals

Series II : Crypto-beticals : Puzzle 1 

Image LINK for the print-and-solve crowd.

Hint (rollover to reveal):  

Crypto-betical, eh?  Half cryptogram, half alphabetical.  Well, the bottom half looks like a blank cryptogram. And the letters in each column in the top half are in alphabetical order...

Solution available Thursday, November 19. 

 

SOLUTION to I, 4

Robber | LP | NBA's Jeremy | stable space | pepper or spear | English sticky pudding ingredient | negative | not here | safeguards. || Long on giraffes | make small changes to | diarist Frank | utilize | auditory organ | leisure.

...in other words...

Thief | vinyl | Lin | stall | mint | toffee |

 no | there | wards.

Necks | tweak | Anne | use | ear | ease !

 

...in other words...

The final installment of  “… in other words...”.

Next week, a new series!

The Last One of This Group

Series I : "...in other words..." : Puzzle 4

Robber | LP | NBA's Jeremy | stable space | pepper or spear | English sticky pudding ingredient | negative | not here | safeguards. || Long on giraffes | make small changes to | diarist Frank | utilize | auditory organ | leisure.

...in other words...

_ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ _ |

 _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _.

_ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ | _ _ _ | _ _ _ | _ _ _ _ !

 

...in other words...

_ _ _   _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _    _ _  “… _ _   _ _ _ _ _    _ _ _ _...”.

_ _ _ _    _ _ _ _,   _   _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _ _!

Solution to I, 3

(1)    Alice | Tove | Dean | Ames | Hoff | Summer | Ella | T. | Valli 
       | Fay | Moss | Peirce | Suns

(2)    A list of the names of some relatively famous persons.


Your humble author is particularly fond of self-referential puzzles, like this one, and self-referential sentences, like this one.