Answer deskVerified edition · 2026-08-13
Bracket City Answers – August 13, 2026
Final sentenceOpha May Johnson becomes the first female Marine
The puzzle is a nested word ladder. Each clue gives a short word, and the bracketed structure shows how these words combine to form the final sentence: 'Opha May Johnson becomes the first female Marine'. The solution is found by solving each clue, then following the nesting to assemble the sentence.
The answer key
Clue by clue
- 01
"___ un___" (phrase spoken while twice bending the index and middle fingers with remaining fingers kept curled)
quote
The phrase is 'quote unquote', spoken while making air quotes with two fingers on each hand.
- 02
"and this is a ___ quote" 🎬️
direct
The phrase 'and this is a direct quote' is often said before quoting someone verbatim.
- 03
Store with Angry Birds
app
The 'App Store' is a digital storefront where apps like Angry Birds are sold.
- 04
___tag (like a scrappy team that just might win this thing)
rag
'Ragtag' describes a group that is disorganized but spirited, like an underdog team.
- 05
direction you wake ☕️
up
When you wake up, you are waking 'up'.
- 06
like 12 Men in a movie 😡
Angry
'12 Angry Men' is a classic movie about a jury.
- 07
paragraph you might write about yourself in the third person
bio
A 'bio' is a short biography, often written in the third person.
- 08
place standing on the podium closest to the ground
third
On a podium, the third-place position is the lowest step.
- 09
the shortest month?
May
May is the shortest month name in terms of letters (three letters).
- 10
to come up this is to not have enough 📏
short
To 'come up short' means to not have enough of something.
- 11
🎶 i➡️ ___ ⬅️cast 🎤
pod
A 'podcast' is an audio program; the word combines 'pod' and 'cast'.
- 12
💎 aqua➡️ ___ ⬅️ biologist 🪸🐙🐬🐳🪸
Marine
A 'marine biologist' studies ocean life; 'marine' means relating to the sea.
Working notes
How the brackets resolve
- 1
Solve the innermost clue: 'quote unquote' gives 'quote'.
- 2
Combine with the next layer: 'and this is a ___ quote' gives 'direct'.
- 3
Solve 'direction you wake ☕️' as 'up' and 'to come up this is to not have enough 📏' as 'short'.
- 4
Solve 'the shortest month?' as 'May'.
- 5
Solve 'Store with Angry Birds' as 'app' and 'like 12 Men in a movie 😡' as 'Angry'.
- 6
Solve '___tag (like a scrappy team...)' as 'rag'.
- 7
Solve 'paragraph you might write about yourself in the third person' as 'bio' and 'place standing on the podium closest to the ground' as 'third'.
- 8
Solve '🎶 i➡️ ___ ⬅️cast 🎤' as 'pod'.
- 9
Solve '💎 aqua➡️ ___ ⬅️ biologist 🪸🐙🐬🐳🪸' as 'Marine'.
- 10
Assemble the nested structure: 'Opha [the [to come [["and this is a ___ ["___ un___"]ion you wake ☕️] this is to not have enough 📏]est month?] Johnson becomes the first female [💎 aqua➡️ ___ ⬅️ [pa[___tag (like a scr[Store with [like 12 Men in a movie 😡] Birds]y team that just might win this thing)]raph you might write about yourself in the [place standing on the [🎶 i➡️ ___ ⬅️cast 🎤]ium closest to the ground] person]logist 🪸🐙🐬🐳🪸]' becomes 'Opha May Johnson becomes the first female Marine'.
Puzzle source: official game page · Historical source: August 13, 1918:. Explanations on this page are independently written.