Medium Puzzles 

Workings

Hints
The first letters of the words are: L, C, E, E, A, A, L, S, F, G, S, A, C, C, M.

Answers
---rnt = learnt ---few = curfew ---ryo = embryo ---yme = enzyme ---rak = anorak ---urd = absurd ---ynx = larynx ---mpi = scampi ---hom = fathom ---ovy = groovy ---lpt = sculpt ---hma = asthma ---voy = convoy ---web = cobweb ---mur = murmur

Workings

Hint
How many clock minutes pass in a real hour?

Answer
1:20pm.

Reasoning
The clock now shows 10:12am, so we know that 10 x 60 + 12 = 612 clock minutes have passed.

Since the clock is losing 6 minutes every hour, for every real hour that has passed, the clock will show 54 minutes.

So, 612 ÷ 54 ≈ 11.33 real hours have passed.

This equals 680 minutes, which is 11 hours and 20 minutes = 11:20am.

The clock stopped 2 hours ago, therefore the time must now be 1:20pm.

Workings

Hint
Another example, PEN is a complete word because:
   -en = ten
   p-n = pin
   pe- = pea

Answer
Three of the words are not complete: flew, rook, lamp.

Reasoning
The remaining 7 words can be changed as follows:
team:  -eam = beam
 t-am = tram
 te-m = term
 tea- = tear

cost:  -ost = host
 c-st = cast
 co-t = coat
 cos- = cosy

flew:  -lew = blew
 f-ew = ---- X
 fl-w = flow
 fle- = flex

ward:  -ard = card
 w-rd = word
 wa-d = wand
 war- = warm

fail:  -ail = nail
 f-il = foil
 fa-l = fall
 fai- = fair

rook:  -ook = book
 r-ok = ---- X
 ro-k = rock
 roo- = roof

soft:  -oft = loft
 s-ft = sift
 so-t = sort
 sof- = sofa

most:  -ost = cost
 m-st = mast
 mo-t = moat
 mos- = moss

lamp:  -amp = damp
 l-mp = lump
 la-p = ---- X
 lam- = lamb
Note that LARP is an uppercase acronym, and not in any of my word lists.

load:  -oad = road
 l-ad = lead
 lo-d = loud
 loa- = loaf

Workings

Hint
deny + e = needy.

Answers
deny + e = needy mail + c = claim exit + s = exist gosh + t = ghost city + h = itchy newt + i = twine type + m = empty
The letters ECSTHIM are an anagram of CHEMIST.