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Many Happy Returns

专题: Brainteaser / 脑筋急转弯
难度: L7
来源: Jane Street

题目详情

中文译文待补充。

It’s our first day back at work – we just got our nametag¹. And yet we’re already in over our heads!

We have a set of returns to process:

1 “I need to return this recipient…”
1 “I need to return this popular type of street food…”
1 “I need to return this type of remark…”
1 “I need to return this suddenly canceled (agreement)…”
1 “I need to return this classical dance…”
1 “I need to return this graduate-to-be…”
2 “I need to return this soft touch…”
1 “I need to return this type of heron…”
2 “I need to return this soft but unruly drummer…”
2 “I need to return this group of criminals…”
10 “I need to return this type of understanding…”
9 “I need to return this BBB-…”
1 “I need to return this person who wants to quit…”
7 “I need to return this ugly facial expression…”
6 “I need to return this warm breakfast dish…”
10 “I need to return this brown-coloured ale…”
4 “I need to return this plant that grows underground…”
6 “I need to return this common solvent…”
7 “I need to return this partner dance…”
9 “I need to return this type of symmetry…”
Ø “I need to return these good luck charms…”

…but the list of recipients got all mixed up :-( We tried to put them back as best as we could, but only got this far:

…said an important C++ component ($4.09)
…said le supermarché, il ristorante and el dinosaurio ($5.08)
…said the counterargument ($5.08)
…said the laundry room staple ($5.09)
…said the heavy machine useful in forestry ($5.10)
…said the remnants of an explosion ($5.11)
…said the (story) that was worth repeating ($6.08)
…said Captain Marvel & Black Widow ($6.08)
…said this type of inexpensive flooring ($6.08)
…said the (fuse) that seemed ready to go off ($6.09)
…said the 4-dimensional solid ($6.09)
…said the distinguished ambassador ($6.09)
…said Duel (or High School Musical) ($6.09)
…said one of the major scenes in West Side Story ($6.11)
…said the narrow bike trail ($6.11)
…said the cozy wine shop ($7.07)
…said the total reprobate ($7.10)
…said the often-wet piece of equipment ($7.10)
…said the person who was here before me ($7.11)
…said the person hovering a foot off the ground ($8.09)

What do we need in order to finish all these returns?

(The answer to this puzzle is a person.)

though we have to hand it back in later to… the worker guarding the parking lot ↩

解析

中文解析待补充。

Original Explanation

Each of the 20 recipients had something to return, literally:

For example, that “important C++ component” was an allocator, which is “returning” the word taco (a popular type of street food). (“Allocator” has 9 letters and “taco” has 4, which is alluded to in the price.)

The first 20 return items – and their matching recipients – are as follows:

1 giftee, streetfight (one of the major scenes in West Side Story)
1 taco, allocator (an important C++ component)
1 biting, ignitible (seemed ready to go off)
1 reneged, degenerate (total reprobate)
1 ballet, tellable (worth repeating)
1 senior, heroines (Captain Marvel & Black Widow)
2 caress, tesseract (4-dimensional solid)
1 egret, detergent (laundry room staple)
2 animal, laminate (inexpensive type of flooring)
2 cartel, singletrack (narrow bike trail)
10 tacit, masticator (heavy machine useful in forestry)
9 rating, dignitary (distinguished ambassador)
1 seceder, predecessor (person who was here before me)
7 sneer, smithereens (remnants of an explosion)
6 omelet, telemovie (Duel, or High School Musical)
10 draught, mouthguard (often-wet piece of equipment)
4 tuber, rebuttal (counterargument)
6 acetone, enoteca (cozy wine shop)
7 tango, cognates (le supermarch, il ristorante and el dinosaurio)
9 rotative, levitator (person hovering a foot off the ground)

Taking the inidcated letter of each recipient gives an extra clue: “…said the dairy producer”. This is the person we need to match up the un-numbered 21st item (the good luck charms). And that person is a cheesemonger, who is returning some gnomes.

That was a tough one, congrats to those of you who figured it out! Just remember to hand in your nametag to the gateman when you leave :-)