On The Subject of The Odd One Out

Question

^{(This is part of a series of puzzles written for Timwi for a Secret Santa puzzle exchange, themed around various custom modules for the game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. No KTaNE knowledge is necessary for any of these puzzles except the final meta; each puzzle resolves to a single word or short phrase.)}

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On The Subject of The Odd One Out

• AID AND ABET, CAT SCAN, HAIR TRIGGER, NINEVEH, SEES

• AFTEREFFECTS, FREEZER, NOCUOUS, VERTEX, WARFARE

• ALUMINOSILICATES, BELOVED, HIMALAYAN, INDIA INK, VERISIMILITUDE

• ANTHERS, DOUGLASS, FIREBAR, SLUMBER, THOUSAND

• BATHROBE, BRAZEN, CAROUSEL, ELLIPSIS, WEIGHTIEST

• CARBON COPY, CROSSTALK, PENNY DREADFUL, TROUSERS, TURN UP

• CARDIOID, LINNAEAN, NICOTINIC, PALEOETHNOLOGY, TOE OF FROG

• COMMENCEMENT, DETOURS, JASMINE, JOINT HEIRS, THIS

• CONSOLATE, CORRIGIBLE, NEATH, SENSICAL, WHELMED

• DAGGER, EVITATIVE, LOZENGE, PILCROW, TIE

• DEIFIED, KOOK, RIYAL ICON, PUT UP, RADAR

• DIE, ERT, GOOSE, SERAPH, SURGEON GENERAL

• HIGHLIGHTER, HOTHATCH, INDEPENDENT, PHENOMENON, SEVENTEENTH

• LABYRINTHINE, MOTHY, PATHED, THINNER, UNTHINKABLE

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Hint:

The answer is not any of the words in the puzzle.

Hint for "CARBON COPY" group:

Think cryptically. The fact that each is two words / a compound is important, but not the only detail.

Answer 1

The answer is:

CHINESE LANTERN

First:

In each group, one word is the odd one out because it doesn't fit a pattern that fits the other words.

AID AND ABET, CAT SCAN, HAIR TRIGGER, NINEVEH, SEES

SEES, each word starts with a broadway musical, AIDA, CATS, HAIR, NINE (from @HTM)

AFTEREFFECTS, FREEZER, NOCUOUS, VERTEX, WARFARE

NOCUOUS, each word can be typed with only the left hand on a keyboard (from @HTM)

ALUMINOSILICATES, BELOVED, HIMALAYAN, INDIA INK, VERISIMILITUDE

INDIA INK, each word alternate vowels with consonants

ANTHERS, DOUGLASS, FIREBAR, SLUMBER, THOUSAND

ANTHERS, each word has a construction material in its suffix, GLASS, REBAR, LUMBER, SAND

BATHROBE, BRAZEN, CAROUSEL, ELLIPSIS, WEIGHTIEST

ELLIPSIS, take away first and last letters of each word to form a new word, ATHROB, RAZE, AROUSE, EIGHTIES

CARBON COPY, CROSSTALK, PENNY DREADFUL, TROUSERS, TURN UP

TROUSERS, each phrase contains a word which clues a letter that starts the other word: CARBON = C (chemical symbol), CROSS = T (T-cross), PENNY = D (symbol for predecimal penny), TURN = U (U-turn) from (@Stiv)

CARDIOID, LINNAEAN, NICOTINIC, PALEOETHNOLOGY, TOE OF FROG

NICOTINIC, each word contains an ABA vowel pattern, cardIOId, linnAEAn, palEOEthnology, tOE Of frog

COMMENCEMENT, DETOURS, JASMINE, JOINT HEIRS, THIS

COMMENCEMENT, each word's suffix is a possessive, OURS, MINE, THEIRS, HIS

CONSOLATE, CORRIGIBLE, NEATH, SENSICAL, WHELMED

NEATH, each word is normally used with a prefix that makes it the opposite, DISCONSOLATE, INCORRIGIBLE, NONSENSICAL, UNDERWHELMED

DAGGER, EVITATIVE, LOZENGE, PILCROW, TIE

EVITATIVE, each word is a symbol

DEIFIED, KOOK, RIYAL ICON, PUT UP, RADAR

RIYAL ICON, each word is a palindrome

DIE, ERT, GOOSE, SERAPH, SURGEON GENERAL

ERT, each word is a singular whose plural is nonstandard, DICE, GEESE, SERAPHIM, SURGEONS GENERAL

HIGHLIGHTER, HOTHATCH, INDEPENDENT, PHENOMENON, SEVENTEENTH

HOTHATCH, each word contains a repeated 3 letter pattern, IGH, NDE, ENO, ENT

LABYRINTHINE, MOTHY, PATHED, THINNER, UNTHINKABLE

LABYRINTHINE, for each word, replacing the TH with an "S" sound makes a word: MOSSY, PASSED, SINNER, UNSINKABLE

Then:

The odd words out each belong to 2 other groups (except for EVITATIVE which belongs to 3). We can list these words in a cycle based on the 2 groups they belong to (from @hdsdv). If we start with COMMENCEMENT (perhaps a hint as to where we should start), we get this:

COMMENCEMENT = Repeat 3 letters (MEN), Suffix building material (CEMENT)
HOTHATCH = Suffix building material (THATCH), Cryptic (HOT = H like on a faucet)
INDIA INK = Cryptic (India = I from NATO alphabet), ABA vowel pattern (IAI)
NOCUOUS = ABA vowel (UOU), Prefixed means opposite (INNOCUOUS)
ERT = Prefixed means opposite (INERT), Typed with left hand
SEES = Typed with left hand, Palindrome
EVITATIVE = Palindrome, Musical (EVITA)
LABYRINTHINE = Musical (LABYRINTH), Possessive suffix (THINE)
ANTHERS = Possessive suffix (HERS), Replace th with s sound (ANSWERS)
NEATH = Replace th with s sound (KNEES), Remove first and last letter (EAT)
TROUSERS = Remove first and last letter (ROUSER), Irregular plural (TROUSERS)
ELLIPSIS = Irregular plural (ELLIPSES), Symbol
RIYAL ICON = Symbol, Alternating consonants/vowels
NICOTONIC = Alternating consonants/vowels, Repeat 3 letters (NIC)

Now, taking the first letter of each word, we get CHINESE LANTERN.