Ditloids
Ditloids puzzles provide an easy source of materials for organisational development, team building exercises, team building games and quizzes of all sorts.
Ditloids are fun because the format is very quick and simple, and they combine aspects of maths, logic, lateral thinking and general knowledge.
See the free team building games for advice using these ditloids and other team building activities with workgroups.
Ditloids are very quick and easy to create, so you need never be at a loss for some light relief at any gathering.
For example, as an exercise ask teams to create their own ditloids puzzles for the opposing teams - using terms from their own organisational context. Creating ditloids puzzles in workgroups enables all sorts of otherwise dry materials to be brought to life in an interesting way.
Ditloids are also fun in training coffee-breaks, or as ice-breakers, especially if created for a relevant or topical theme.
The ditloids below generally include connecting words like 'in' and 'to', which is not always the case in ditloid puzzles.
The origin of the word ditloid is apparently from a cryptic crossword clue which appeared several years ago in the UK Daily Express newspaper: 1 = DitLoID, whose answer was One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, which incidentally is a novel written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Many ditloids adhere to the structure of the original crossword clue, that is, a number followed by the equals sign (=) then the abbreviation. Others have a more flexible format, which enables a wider variety of information and facts to be used in their creation, like the ditloids below.
Here's an example of the format used in the ditloids puzzles below: 12 M I T Y - (Answer, 12 months in the year)
How many of the following ditloids can you answer?
Easy ones first...
Answers are below.
Easy-to-Tricky
7 B F 7 B -
101 D -
3 B M -
T 10 C -
366 D I A L Y -
T 39 S -
6 W O H T E -
A B A T 40 T -
T 7 W O T W -
50 W T L Y L -
N 10 D S -
12 S O T Z -
16 O I A P -
T 3 W M -
13 I A BD -
26 L I T A -
10 G B H O T W -
4 L O A H -
A T W I 80 D -
2 W O A B -
52 C I A D -
2 P I A Q -
20,000 L U T S -
30 P O S -
12 I I A F -
147 I T M B I S -
24 H A D -
64 S O A C B -
H B S 16 -
50 S I T U S A -
T N H A 1000 E -
S W A T 7 D -
3 T A L -
4 A 20 B B I A P -
Tricky-to-Impossible
9 F H O A R -
4 S O A DB -
6 P O T SOD -
400 M A A A T -
8 T O A O -
5 P F A T I R U -
6 P O A ST O A PT -
8 F A 2 T O A P O H -
6 B I A O I C -
K 3 T B D F T O -
Killer
17 I T CR O 4913 -
SL T 8 M A 14 S T R T E -
T RN I 4145 M L -
12 I A H O T BS -
206 B I T H B -
20 B I A N -
4 F O A P -
176 V I T L P (I T H B) -
300 C W T L O T A -
Musical
2 T B F G T H -
S 2 B B -
2 H B A 1 B U 2 -
T 1812 O B T -
3 L B B B M A T W -
2 O O 3 A B B M L -
3 S T H B E C -
3 C I T F B F S -
3 T A L B T C -
4 S I 1 D B C H -
W U B 4 N B -
W 9 T 5 B D P -
S M B M 5 -
M N 5 B L B -
S 5 B I C -
25 O 6 T 4 B C -
6 D O T R B D D -
D S M B S C 7 -
7 L G (S I T B S) B P E -
S L M O F B S 7 -
8 D A W B T B -
8 M H B T B -
L P N 9 B T C -
S L 16 B C B -
16 G O 17 B R A H F T S O M -
18 W A B B P W -
19 B P H -
24 H F T B G P - T
R D W N 12 A 35 B B D -
50 W T L Y L B P S -
H 61 R B B D -
W I 64 B T B -
(G Y K O) R 66 B N K C -
68 G B T A -
S O 69 B B A -
74 75 B T C -
76 T F T M M -
1 A D A 200 S F B B F 5 -
I G B (500 M ) B T P -
505 B T A M -
L O 1000 D B W P -
S O A 1000 M B T T -
T N H A 1000 E B B V -
N Y M D 1941 B T BG -
D 1963 (O W A N) B T F S -
SC (1984) B T E -
1985 B B F S -
1999 B P -
D 2000 B P -
I T Y 2525 B Z A E -
10538 O B T E L O -
9,000,000 B B K M -
H I 10 Z L Y A B S W -
Answers
Easy-to-Tricky
7 B F 7 B - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
101 D - 101 Dalmations
3 B M - 3 Blind Mice
T 10 C - The 10 Commandments
366 D I A L Y - 366 days in a leap year
T 39 S - The 39 Steps
6 W O H T E - 6 wives of Henry the Eighth
A B A T 40 T - Ali Baba And The 40 Thieves
T 7 W O T W - The 7 Wonders Of The World
50 W T L Y L - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
N 10 D S - Number 10 Downing Street
12 S O T Z - 12 signs of the zodiac
16 O I A P - 16 ounces in a pound
T 3 W M - the 3 wise men
13 I A BD - 13 in a baker's dozen
26 L I T A - 26 letters in the alphabet
10 G B H O T W - 10 green bottles hanging on the wall
4 L O A H - 4 legs on a horse
A T W I 80 D - Around The World In 80 Days
2 W O A B - 2 wheels on a bike
52 C I A D - 52 cards in a deck
2 P I A Q - 2 pints in a quart
20,000 L U T S - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
30 P O S - 30 pieces of silver
12 I I A F - 12 inches in a foot
147 I T M B I S - 147 is the maximum break in snooker
24 H A D - 24 hours a day
64 S O A C B - 64 squares on a chess board
H B S 16 - Happy Birthday Sweet 16
50 S I T U S A - 50 states in the USA
T N H A 1000 E - the night has a thousand eyes
S W A T 7 D - Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs
3 T A L - 3 Times A Lady
4 A 20 B B I A P - 4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie
Tricky-to-Impossible
9 F H O A R - 9 finger holes on a recorder. (Holes six and seven are doubles, hole underneath is for the thumb.)
4 S O A DB - 4 strings on a double bass
6 P O T SOD - 6 points on the Star Of David
400 M A A A T - 400 metres around an athletics track
8 T O A O - 8 tentacles on an octopus
5 P F A T I R U - 5 points for a try in rugby union
6 P O A ST O A PT - 6 pockets on a snooker table or a pool table
8 F A 2 T O A P O H - 8 fingers and 2 thumbs on a pair of hands
6 B I A O I C - 6 balls in an over in cricket
K 3 T B D F T O - Knock Three Times by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
Killer
17 I T CR O 4913 - 17 is the cube-root of 4913
SL T 8 M A 14 S T R T E - sun-light takes 8 minutes and 14 seconds to reach the Earth
T RN I 4145 M L - the River Nile is 4145 miles long
12 I A H O T BS - 12 is a hurricane on the Beaufort Scale
206 B I T H B - 206 bones in the human body
20 B I A N - 20 bottles in a Nebuchadnezzar
4 F O A P - 4 faces on a pyramid
176 V I T L P (I T HB) - 176 verses in the longest psalm (in the Holy Bible)
300 C W T L O T A - 300 cubits was the length of the Ark
Musical
2 T B F G T H - Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
S 2 B B - Song 2 by Blur
2 H B A 1 B U 2 - Two Hearts Beat As One by U2
T 1812 O B T - The 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky
3 L B B B M A T W - Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers
2 O O 3 A B B M L - Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad by Meat Loaf
3 S T H B E C - Three Steps to Heaven by Eddie Cochran
3 C I T F B F S - Three Coins in the Fountain by Frank Sinatra
3 T A L B T C - Three Times a Lady by The Commodores
4 S I 1 D B C H - Four Seasons in One Day by Crowded House
W U B 4 N B - What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes
W 9 T 5 B D P - Working Nine to Five by Dolly Parton
S M B M 5 - Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
M N 5 B L B - Mambo Number 5 by Lou Bega
S 5 B I C - Saturn 5 by Inspiral Carpets
25 O 6 T 4 B C - 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago
6 D O T R B D D - Six Days on the Road by Dave Dudley
D S M B S C 7 - Don't Stop Movin' by S Club 7
7 L G (S I T B S) B P E - Seven Little Girls (Sitting In The Back Seat) by Paul Evans
S L M O F B S 7 - She Left Me on Friday by Shed Seven
8 D A W B T B - Eight Days A Week by The Beatles
8 M H B T B - Eight Miles High by The Byrds
L P N 9 B T C - Love Potion Number 9 by The Coasters
S L 16 B C B - Sweet Little Sixteen by Chuck Berry
16 G O 17 B R A H F T S O M - Sixteen Going on Seventeen by Rogers and Hammerstein from the Sound of Music
18 W A B B P W - 18 with a Bullet by Pete Wingfield
19 B P H - 19 by Paul Hardcastle
24 H F T B G P - Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa by Gene Pitney
R D W N 12 A 35 B B D - Rainy Day Women Number 12 and 35 by Bob Dylan (technically 'Rainy Day Women #12 & 35')
50 W T L Y L B P S - 50 Ways to Leave your Lover by Paul Simon
H 61 R B B D - Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan
W I 64 B T B - When I'm Sixty-Four by The Beatles
(G Y K O) R 66 B N K C - (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 by Nat King Cole
68 G B T A - 68 Guns by The Alarm
S O 69 B B A - Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams
74 75 B T C - '74/'75 by The Connells
76 T F T M M - Seventy Six Trombones from The Music Man
1 A D A 200 S F B B F 5 - One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces by Ben Folds Five
I G B (500 M ) B T P - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers
505 B T A M - 505 by the Arctic Monkeys
L O 1000 D B W P - Land of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett
S O A 1000 M B T T - Swords Of A Thousand Men by Tenpole Tudor
T N H A 1000 E B B V - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes by Bobby Vee
N Y M D 1941 B T BG - New York Mining Disaster 1941 by the Bee-Gees
D 1963 (O W A N) B T F S - December 1963 (Oh What a Night) by The Four Seasons
SC (1984) B T E - Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by the Eurythmics
1985 B B F S - 1985 by Bowling for Soup
1999 B P - 1999 by Prince
D 2000 B P - Disco 2000 by Pulp
I T Y 2525 B Z A E - In the Year 2525 By Zager and Evans
10538 O B T E L O - 10538 Overture by the Electric Light Orchestra
9,000,000 B B K M - 9 Million Bicycles by Katie Melua
H I 10 Z L Y A B S W - Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away by Stevie Wonder