Nah, the very slight fuzziness around the specification has made this one of the most intriguing of teasers. It has certainly generated a lot of different interpretations and most contributions for quite a while. I always consider with these teasers that it is the thought process that is most interesting.
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It’s either 3 5/8” or something else.
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I’ve certainly enjoyed the range of alternative thoughts and solutions. 
I think we’ll settle for "… or something else "
Well done !
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Can we assume no dust covers?
If so, for English would have to go with 2”.
Poor worm would have been left most unsatisfied, both literally and literarily.
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Whoops!
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Definitely, and we can also ignore whether he has to chew through Page No 1 of Vol I at the start, or whether we can assume Page 1 was already behind his mouth when the adventure began
Interestingly, a version of Don’s worm puzzle was the final question on the 1% Club last night. The final contestant gave up a guaranteed £10k to have a go at the (unseen) question to win over £90k. Unfortunately, she got the wrong answer so went home with nothing.
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To all on the Forum who browsed, took part, and especially those who got the right answer to this Forum teaser, well done …
but …
I’m afraid there isn’t, and never was, any prospect of winning £90k for getting this teaser (or any other teaser) correct on this Forum - Unless Richard knows otherwise
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We’ve all heard of Charles Dodgson who, among other things, created a few interesting puzzles. He called one such type of puzzle ‘doublets’. His concept was to change one word into another, but limited by the following rules:
You must only change one letter at a time
The remaining letters must stay in position
Each of the intermediary words must be in the dictionary.
Here is a simple example: change BAT into MAN
BAT : MAT : MAN
Try the following:
Let JILL come tumbling after JACK
Swap TILES for SLATES
Lead your HORSE out to GRASS
You will need to OPEN the GATE
How many steps for each one?
The first I can solve in 5,
The second is impossible
The third in 6
Last one needs 5
Ooopps !
It should have said “Swap TILES for SLATE”
Apologies … yet again !
Best I can get is 7 …
Those are very good scores WalnutTree.
There are certainly more ways than one to achieve these transformations.
One of my grandchildren brought a batch of these home from school to help fill his time on rainy days during half term. He’s eight.
My solution for Jill - Jack was …
Jill
sill
silk
sick
sack
Jack
JILL > WILL > WALL > WALK > WACK > JACK
JILL > TILL > TALL > TALK > TACK > JACK
Your solution and my two all need to have the J changed first and then changed back at the end. Cannot see a way without that first change.
I started off using my Oxford Colour Dictionary which is a convenient hand-held A6 size book, about an inch thick. I soon realised that the internet revealed a lot (huge array) of additional and newer words than my 50-year old paper-back offering.
For example ‘wack’ isn’t in my dictionary, but it was certainly in my Headmaster’s vocabulary and action list !!
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WACK - a friendly term of address used around Liverpool. Is it acceptable in the UK? Not sure, although Scrabble says yes - https://scrabble.collinsdictionary.com/check/
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WACK is certainly an acceptable word. And the solution that you used it in is perfectly valid.
Its just not in the dictionary that I often use. And possibly not in the dictionaries used by others on the Forum. Hence my validation of your use by reference to the Headmaster. I suppose I could also have reference the fairground stall “Wack a mole” as further validation of your choice of that word.
Better still .. as you say, scrabble
To me it is “Whack-a-mole”
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