/straw$/; # (3,5,5)
/\d+safety\d+/; # (6,6,2,7)
/^\@[67]+$/; # (10,2,2,5,3,6)
/(my |the high)way/; # (2,3,2,3,7)
/(Thomas|Richard|Harold)/g; # (5,3,4,3,5)
my $mouth =~ s/\b\w+\b//g; # (4,3,5,3,2,2,5)
s/it// || s/it/$&/; # (4,2,2,5,2)
assert(/(way.*){2}way/); # (6,6,1,5,3)
s/lehill/untain/; # (4,1,8,3,2,1,8)
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5$\begingroup$ Is this an xkcd title entry? $\endgroup$– noedneCommented May 29, 2018 at 8:12
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1$\begingroup$ @noedne, yup. $\endgroup$– BassCommented May 29, 2018 at 12:59
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3 Answers
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/straw$/; # (3,5,5)
The final straw.
/\d+safety\d+/; # (6,6,2,7)
There's safety in numbers.
/^\@[67]+$/; # (10,2,2,5,3,6)
?????????? is at sixes and sevens. [EDIT: "Everything," courtesy of Phylyp.]
/(my |the high)way/; # (2,3,2,3,7)
My way or the highway.
/(Thomas|Richard|Harold)/g; # (5,3,4,3,5)
Every Tom, Dick, and Harry.
my $mouth =~ s/\b\w+\b//g; # (4,3,5,3,2,2,5)
Took the words right out of my mouth.
s/it// || s/it/$1/; # (4,2,2,5,2)
Take it or leave it.
assert(/(way.*){2}way/); # (6,6,1,5,3)
There's always a third way.
s/lehill/untain/; # (4,1,8,3,2,1,8)
Make a mountain out of a molehill.
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2$\begingroup$ @Phylyp Thanks for fixing my disregard for the enumeration. $\endgroup$– noedneCommented May 29, 2018 at 8:20
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3$\begingroup$ @Bass I was very impressed with how well the clues fit. Most were obscured enough that merely glancing at the clue gave little insight, but reasoning about the regex would lead to saying the answer out loud and the wonderful "a-ha" moment. $\endgroup$– noedneCommented May 29, 2018 at 9:25
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3$\begingroup$ I echo what noedne said, @Bass , a very nicely constructed puzzle. $\endgroup$– PhylypCommented May 29, 2018 at 12:39
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1$\begingroup$ @Sweeper, they are an extra hint, and they also make the answers more or less unique. I borrowed the format from crossword puzzles: the numbers indicate the letter count of each word in the answer. $\endgroup$– BassCommented May 29, 2018 at 14:54
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1$\begingroup$ @Sweeper I thought the first one was "the last straw" but the numbers make it clear it's "the final straw." $\endgroup$ Commented May 29, 2018 at 16:38
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Partial answer
/straw$/; # (3, 5, 5)
The final straw
/^\@[67]+$/; # (10,2,2,5,3,6)
Everything is at sixes or sevens
/(my |the high)way/; # (2,3,2,3,7)
My way or the highway
s/it// || s/it/$1/; # (4,2,2,5,2)
Take it or leave it
s/lehill/untain/; # (4,1,8,3,2,1,8)
Make a mountain out of a molehill
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1$\begingroup$ Could be 'Gnxr vg be yrnir vg' like noedne's answer. $\endgroup$ Commented May 29, 2018 at 8:18
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(Not sure about line 8)
1.
the final straw
2.
there's safety in numbers
3.
everything is at sixes and sevens
4.
my way or the highway
5.
every Tom, Rich and Harry
6.
took the words out of my mouth
7.
take it or leave it
8.
assert itself the right way (?)
9.
make a mountain of a molehill
PS. 8. (courtesy of @noedne)
there's always a third way
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$\begingroup$ I was wrong about 8. Thought "assert" was part of the saying. $\endgroup$– NautilusCommented May 29, 2018 at 17:58
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$\begingroup$ In number 5, isn't Dick the more commonly used abbreviation for Richard? $\endgroup$ Commented May 30, 2018 at 11:39
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$\begingroup$ I knew the idiom "every Tom, Dick and Harry", but I didn't know Dick was a diminutive of Richard, so I searched for "Rich" instead. $\endgroup$– NautilusCommented May 30, 2018 at 18:18
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2$\begingroup$ @Nautilus - I first recall my confusion when as a child I read Enid Blyton's Famous Five, and was confused when the character named Dick gave his name as Richard to an authority figure. Took me years to figure it out, in those pre-Internet days (my country doesn't use Western names). $\endgroup$– PhylypCommented May 31, 2018 at 15:22