Friday, May 25, 2007

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 27): Hi Ho Silver, away!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 27): Hi Ho Silver, away!:
Q: Each answer is a familiar two-word phrase in which each word has four letters. The middle two letters of the first word are 'hi' and the middle two letters of the second word are 'ho.' Two different phrases have this pattern. What are they?
I'm not putting a lot of effort into a clue this week so you'll have to be on the lookout for your own answers. I will tell you that I don't think the answer is CHIC SHOP, THIN CHOP, THIS SHOE or WHIZ SHOW, but I guess that was obvious.

Edit: The clues were all in this sentence, "I'm not putting a lot of effort into a clue this week so you'll have to be on the lookout for your own answers." In golf, when you are slightly off the green (not putting), you might use a CHIP SHOT. And if you are in the crow's nest (as the lookout), you might cry, SHIP AHOY!
A: The two-word phrases I came up with are:
CHIP SHOT and SHIP AHOY!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 20): Mother's Day Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 20): Mother's Day Puzzle:
Q: Name certain internal parts of the human body, five letters, the word is plural. This word contains an 'i.' Change the 'i' to an 'o,' spell the result backward, and you'll name another part of the body that's very near the first ones. What body parts are these?
I know I ought'ta provide a clue to this puzzle, but I was too busy organizing a Mother's Day Brunch for my wife, my mother and my sister. A trio of moms, near and dear to my heart, were all treated to a scrumptious buffet in the atrium of a nearby hotel. Maybe if I have time, I'll post a clue later in the week.

Edit: So you caught all the clues, right? We had the phrase "I ought'ta" which sounds like "aorta" and then "A trio" which sounds like "atria". There was mention of my "heart" and finally the hotel atrium (plural = atria).
A: ATRIA (two upper chambers of the heart) --> AORTA (large artery leaving the heart)

Friday, May 11, 2007

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 13): I've Been By This River...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 13): I've Been By This River...:
Q: Think of two countries whose names start with the same three letters. Set these names side by side, drop the first three letters from each of the names, the remaining letters, in order, will spell the name of one of the longest rivers in the world. What are the countries and what is the river?
I actually went past this river on a trip my family took in 1980. I'm going to give a big clue; the river doesn't go by any major cities. And notice the puzzle says one of the longest rivers, so we can rule out the Nile naturally.

Edit: The Lena River is in Russia and flows to the northeast out of Lake Baikal then eventually due north into the Laptev Sea. My family rode the Transiberian Railway in the spring of 1980, shortly before the boycotted Olympics in Moscow. Most people aren't familiar with this river unless they've seen it in a crossword puzzle, but it is categorized as the 10th longest river in the world at approximately 2,650 miles. Incidentally, the name of the river was hidden inside of Nile naturally.
A: CHI(LE) + CHI(NA) --> LENA.

Friday, May 04, 2007

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 6): Knock, Knock... Who's There?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 6): Knock, Knock... Who's There?:
Q: Think of a six-letter plural word naming a certain category of foods. Change the first letter to a 'C,' then re-arrange the result to get an adjective that describes many of these foods. What is it?
The important letter in the clue is 'C'... Aren't you glad I'm here to give you clues?

Edit: Remember this old Knock, Knock joke?
"Knock, knock" Who's There?
"Banana" Banana Who?
"Knock, knock" Who's There?
"Banana" Banana Who?
"Knock, knock" Who's There?
"Banana" Banana Who?
"Knock, knock" Who's There?
"Orange" Orange Who?
"Aren't you glad I stopped saying Banana?"

The other clue was the letter C, as in vitamin C which is prevalent in citrus fruits.

A: FRUITS +C-F --> CITRUS