Perplexity

Mixed doubles:

Towering beetle galloped - dents strong rains.

If you regroup the above six words into three pairs, then rearrange the letters within each pair, you can unscramble three two-word answers which are numerically connected. A prize of the Chambers 21st Dictionary will be awarded to the sender of the first correct answer we open on 10 July. Answers to: Perplexity, The Independent, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL.

21 June answers:

The series posed were as follows:

3, 6, 11, 15, 19, 22, 27, 32, 36, 39

3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 27, 29, 31

5, 4, 3, 6, 6, 9, 8, 11, 10

In the first, the differences between successive terms are the numbers of letters in the words one, two, three, four etc. In the second, the terms are formed by adding the digits of the first series: 3, 3+6, 3+6+1, etc. The last gives the number of letters in three, nine, ten etc, from series two.

Winner: Arthur Hall (Goring-by-sea)