Rung #119 hints and answer

September 26, 2026. Here is the full clue ladder for this puzzle, gentlest first. Each rung is worth fewer points, so open only what you need. The answer stays hidden until you click.

Hint 1, worth 5 points

For thousands of years people have chewed me to calm a cough or soothe a sore throat.

Hint 2, worth 4 points

I come in ropes, coins, and pipes, and a northern-European love for me baffles the rest of the world.

Hint 3, worth 3 points

Dark and sweet, I take my flavor from the root of a plant, not from any fruit or berry.

Hint 4, worth 2 points

Intensely bittersweet and argued over at every party, I come as a chewy lace or a hard glossy twist.

Hint 5, worth 1 point

Half the room loves me, half recoils. I am that slick black candy with the love-it-or-hate-it bite.

Extra hint, the shape of the answer

8 letters, starts with “L”.

Reveal the answer to Rung #119

LICORICE

Real black licorice can raise your blood pressure and lower potassium, so much that doctors have documented cases of people eating too much and landing in the hospital.

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