Perplexity

Mixed doubles:

Bade ripe sick roots squint harder.

That sentence conceals three closely related one-word answers. To find them, all you need do is regroup the six words into three pairs, then rearrange the letters within each pair.

A Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia will be awarded to the first correct answer opened on 28 November. Entries to: Perplexity, The Independent, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL.

2 November competition answers

The items in the series indicated the position on a typewriter or computer keyboard of the letters of the alphabet starting with 2.1 (row 2 key 1) for A, then 3.5 (row 3 key 5) for B, and so on. The answer is thus 3.6 (row 3 key 6) for N. Winner: Michael Donaldson (Berkhamsted).