Friday, April 25, 2008

U.S. Timezone Conundrum

Wendy lives in a state that is on the West Coast. Edward, on the other hand, lives in a state that is on the East Coast. One day Wendy calls from her home and finds Edward also at home.

"Hey Edward, I'm not so good with timezones. I was wondering. What time is it there?"

Edward, checks his clock and reports back with the accurate time.

"That's funny," says Wendy. "It's exactly the same time here."

Where do Wendy and Edward live and how can this be?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 20): As Easy as 1-2-3...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 20): As Easy as 1-2-3...:
Q: Take the title 'Candid Camera.' Write down the first appearance of each letter, ignoring any repeats, in the order these letters appear. You get C, A, N, D, I, M, E, R. By doing the same thing to the title of what other well-known TV program do you get the letters S, E, A, M, T, R?
I don't think I can count the number of episodes of this program that I've watched...

Edit: Can you tell me how to get, how to get to...
A: SESAME STREET

Friday, April 18, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 13): A Quick Snack

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 13): A Quick Snack:
Q: Name some places where people eat, add one letter at the end of the word, and you'll get an adjective that may describe the places' food. What are the words?
I'm packing for a trip so this week's clue will be short. Both words in the puzzle answer leave me wanting more.

Edit: Apart from both words being shortened words (delis instead of delicatessens, delish instead of delicious), the word "delish" is hardly one that I see a lot in formal writing. It does appear in the dictionary however.
A: DELIS --> DELISH

Friday, April 11, 2008

Can you turn 2008 into 73?

Okay, here's another puzzle in the 2008 series. Can you use the digits in 2008 to form an expression that will equal 73.

If you need the full instructions, check the prior puzzle which had a different target result but the same rules.

2008 Math Expression Puzzle

Thursday, April 10, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 6): I'm Fired

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 6): I'm Fired:
Q: Think of a six-letter hyphenated word meaning 'eager.' Change the fourth and the sixth letters to get another hyphenated word meaning 'less than eager.' What are the words?
I was all excited because I figured out the puzzle. I even wrote a post with all the clues (I thought the answer was ON-EDGE --> ON-EGGS). I even "pulled the trigger" and posted it. I showed it to my wife and she told me I was all wrong. Hearing her answer, I realize I totally missed the target. Boy am I embarrassed! My new clue is the hyphen doesn't stay in the same spot.

Edit: I seems like most people finally figured this one out. Credit this week goes to my wife since she had to tell me the answer.
A: GUNG-HO --> GUN-SHY

Friday, April 04, 2008

Hitting the Target Puzzle

Here's a quick puzzle. In the attached image, a circle is inscribed in a square which is inscribed in another circle.

Of the outside yellow ring, or the inside purple circle, which has the bigger area, and why?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 30): Over and Out

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 30): Over and Out:
Q: Think of an adjective starting with 'over.' What follows 'over' is a word that has a homophone — that is, a word that sounds the same but is spelled differently. For example, in 'overcast,' 'cast' is a homophone of 'caste.' Think of an adjective starting with 'over' that is frequently used with the homophone of the word that follows. What is it?
I'm a little confused this week. I see lots of choices that might work but I'm not sure I get what the puzzle is asking. For example you could argue that any of the following might work: overseas --> seize, oversight --> site, overrode --> road, overhaul --> hall, oversees --> seas, overheard --> herd, overflew --> flue, overlaps --> lapse, overdue --> do, overawed --> odd, etc. I have a potential answer (not listed here), but I'm not even happy with it and am ready to discard it.

Edit: The title (Over and Out) was obviously a clue and so was the sentence about being unhappy and discarding some(one). I submitted the answer below, but there is still a possibility it isn't the intended answer. At least phredp (see comments) seems to concur, so hopefully it is right.
A: OVERTHROWN --> THRONE, as in the monarchy (throne) was overthrown.