GC SF Sp WH BV YL BT CP SA CB CC Back to puzzle

Safari Adventure

The Cubs Scout

by Ian Tullis
Answer: I BET

How to Solve

The flavor text suggests Cub Scouts and baseball. The four colored squares correspond to these old Cub Scout badges:
badge picture from Cubs Scout site

The ????*? text highlights letters from bobcAt, woLf, beaR, tigEr. These (A, L, R, E) are standard baseball statistics that are commonly abbreviated by a single letter (ASSISTS, LOSSES, RUNS, ERRORS). Choose "feeder" answers that are the appropriate statistic plus a letter. Realizing that the four diamonds correspond to the four bases on a field, you can order the answers:

Critter "Feeder"
beaR RUINS
bobcAt BASSISTS
woLf LOESSES
tigEr ???

We know that the Tiger word is ERRORS with a letter inserted; TERRORS is the only word that fits.

Reading the added letters in base order yields I BET, something which would certainly get him in hot water.