MDSCFone

Back to puzzles

Act I, Scene 1

Compression Fracture

Solution: ABSORPTIOMETRY

This puzzle features what looks like a normal crossword with Across ("Ribs") and Down ("Vertebral Columns"). But the Vertebral Columns have suffered crush fractures!

Crossword

After filling out all Ribs (noting that Ribs 10, 17, 24 and 30 wrap around to the left), we realise that each Vertebral Column word is missing two adjacent letters.

  1. PARA(TH)YROID
  2. R(EA)TTACHING
  3. CAUDAEQU(IN)A
  4. SYN(DE)SMOSIS
  5. SUBLU(XA)TION
  6. R(IS)ENDRONATE

The missing letters in order spell THE A IN DEXA IS, the answer to which is ABSORPTIOMETRY.