Friday, January 26, 2007

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 28): Is that really how you pronounce it?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 28): Is that really how you pronounce it?:
Q: Name a famous film director, whose last name has two syllables. Phonetically these two syllables sound like words that are opposites of each other. What are the words and who is the director?
I was looking through a list of Oscar nominees and winners for Best Director... I think I found the answer, but if that's it, it's really bogus.

Edit: Did you get the hint? Real --> TRUE, Bogus --> FAUX
A: François Truffaut (prounounced trū-fō') leading to the opposite words TRUE and FAUX.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 21): After the New Year's Shindig...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 21): After the New Year's Shindig...:
Q: A special challenge open for two weeks. The object is to arrange 16 different letters of the alphabet into a 4-by-4 square, so that four common, uncapitalized words read across and four common uncapitalized words read down. To start, the second word across is RULY. This is the only slightly unusual word in the square. Every other word in it is one any school child would know. Can you do it?
Now that my wife and I are done with the New Year's Eve shindig in the city, is time to get things back in order here. However, I will say we were quite a cute couple and my wife looked gorgeous in her fancy dress. Anyway, back to the puzzle solution. Given that you already know one of the words, and the letters can't repeat it really isn't that hard to figure out. I would definitely work on the word in the last column since there are fewer choices. From there things should fall into place. If you find it hard, at least you have a couple weeks to work on it.
Edit: Once you see my answer, you'll notice all the clues above. New Year's Shindig = Bash, In order = Ruly, Cute couple = Item, Fancy dress = Gown.
A:
BASH
RULY
ITEM
GOWN

I've learned from other sources that there is an alternate answer. After some additional trials, I came up with it too. It only varies in a couple letters:

GASH
RULY
ITEM
DOWN

Saturday, January 06, 2007

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 7): ...and a New Year Dawns

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 7): ...and a New Year Dawns:
Q: Think of a familiar two-word phrase, in the form, BLANK-OIL. And another familiar two word phrase, in the form, OIL-BLANK, in which the two words in the blanks are anagrams of each other. Here's a hint: Each of the anagrams is a regular four-letter word. What phrases are these?
Edit: Technically the answer to this could be LAMP OIL and OIL LAMP, but I think the intended answers are true anagrams of each other.
A: PALM OIL --> LAMP OIL