Water Slides
by Charlie Graham, Asher Walkover
Answer: HOP OFF
The children are playing a word game on top of the board of Chutes & Ladders. Each of them play a word for each move and their text hints to the word. For example, Abby’s first word is START.
When their word contains the word “UP” or “DOWN” it always goes up a ladder or down a chute and the word “UP” or “DOWN” is replaced with the ladder or chute respectively. For example, Ben’s first move is SUPERGA which starts at S, goes “up” the ladder to square 38 and ends at square 41.
Each square has one letter.
Players continue to play words and go up and down the board. At the end of the game, Abby is at square 76, Ben is at square 100, Chloe is at square 93 and Dave is at square 37.
From here they hop onto new squares relative to where they ended to spell out the answer HOP OFF.
Dialog Answers
Abby: We all know the game but the rules are obviously a bit different. I’ll begin by making my move first. 5 points for me! (START)
Ben: Well I just jumped way out in front. It must be because of the new kicks I’m wearing. (SUPERGA)
Chloe: My move is pretty great if I don’t say so myself but not as good as yours, Ben. (SUPER)
Dave: I am so going to be a famous celebrity after this move. Just not point-wise. (STAR)
Abby: Ugh! I feel like I could just maul you Ben. (BEAT UP)
Ben: I would say let’s take this outside but that would be totally contrary to the move I am making. (INSIDE)
Chloe: With my move my score only grows. (GAINS)
Dave: Hopefully my move can turn the table on the scores. (UPEND)
Abby: Making my move. I suggest we get a notary in order to authorize the results. (SIGNER)
Ben: Abby, I hear you. Maybe we should team up? You’d make a good partner. (ALLY)
Chloe: At best, I am now tied for the lead! (IDEALLY)
Dave: OMG. I am really disheartened right now. (DOWNBEAT)
Abby: Well this game is getting a bit topsy-turvy for me. I can’t tell heads from tails anymore. (UPSIDE DOWN)
Ben: I agree. I’m heading back to where I came from - and yet somehow still go up in points. Nice! (UTURN)
Chloe: Well I’m moving to a higher level - and the lead! (UPWARD)
Dave: I’m so far behind everyone. Maybe I should just temporarily stop? (SUSPEND)
Abby: My last move was the perfect prelude to this one as I am now 28 points above Ben, 14 above Chloe and 68 above Dave. (SET UP)
Ben: My move quality clearly has taken a skid. I don’t seem to be moving anywhere. (DOWNTURN)
Chloe: I think I might just sit down after this move. (SOFA)
Dave: My move feels pretty useless too. (FUTILE)
Abby: I feel pretty rejected about this move as I am clearly no longer in the lead. In fact I am now only beating Dave. Ugh! (SHOT DOWN)
Ben: Well I winnowed my choices for this move but still did not move very far. (NARROWED DOWN)
Chloe: I guess it’s time for me to go into beast mode. (LLAMAS)
Dave: I feel like this whole game was arranged ahead of time. (PRESET)
Abby: Ok. Time to take a step back and start anew. (RESET)
Ben: Sorry I quarreled with you earlier, Abby. (ROWED)
Chloe: Weird. It all feels like we are in a different time period to me. (TAISHO)
Dave: Not to me. I think I am going to quit based on this last move. (RESIGN)
Abby: The final result of all of this is that I am back in the lead. Haha! (UPSHOT)
Ben: But... I appear to be heading in your direction. (TOWARD)
Chloe: With one tiny stride I just pulled ahead of everyone! (TAD)
Dave: Well, I clearly made a mistake. (ERR)
Abby: I really like the word “really.” (ADVERB)
Ben: This finish is going to be bigger than some of the biggest championships! (SUPER BOWLS)
Chloe: I really like the word “like.” (VERB)
Abby: It looks like my last move will be my undoing. I was so close! (DOWNFALL)
Ben: I finished! I win! (END)
Game Board / Grid
List-answers
- Part of speech (6) ADVERB
- First name of female attorney in a popular 1990’s TV Show (4) ALLY
- Dilapidated, shabby (4,2) BEAT UP
- Pessimistic; gloomy (8) DOWNBEAT
- Movie with the Hitler meme (8) DOWNFALL
- A decline in the economy (8) DOWNTURN
- Finish (3) END
- Miscalculate (3) ERR
- Resistance according to the Borg (6) FUTILE
- What an investor wants (5) GAINS
- In a perfect world... (7) IDEALLY
- Where Intel was in the 90’s (6) INSIDE
- South American pack animals (6) LLAMAS
- Reduced the number of choices (8,4) NARROWED DOWN
- Arrange ahead (6) PRESET
- Zero out (5) RESET
- Bring back an athlete for another stint (6) RESIGN
- Propelled a boat by means of oars (5) ROWED
- Arrange, as a blind date (3,2) SET UP
- Nixed (4,4) SHOT DOWN
- John Hancock was the first of these for the Declaration of Independence (6) SIGNER
- Couch potato's spot (4) SOFA
- Sol, for example (4) STAR
- Begin (5) START
- Very good or pleasant; excellent (5) SUPER
- Tom Brady has been MVP in 4 of these (5,5) SUPER BOWLS
- The People's Shoe of Italy (7) SUPERGA
- Something you might do to disbelief (7) SUSPEND
- Abe’s boy (3) TAD
- Japanese era (6) TAISHO
- In the direction of (6) TOWARD
- Flip an object over or put it on its side (5) UPEND
- The final result/outcome (6) UPSHOT
- A possible new state of the object if you do the clue two above this. (6,4) UPSIDE DOWN
- Toward a higher place, point, or level (6) UPWARD
- A 180 degree change in direction (5) UTURN
- Part of speech (4) VERB
Final extract
To get down they followed these steps…
Abby moved up 1 (H)
Ben moved down 3 (O)
Chloe moved down 8. (P)
Dave moved up 3 and right 2. (O)
Then Abby moved down 1 and right 3. (F)
And Ben moved down 5 and right 3. (F)
What should they do next? (HOPOFF)