Sunday, June 01, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25): I.O.U. a clue

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25): I.O.U. a clue:
Q: The phrases 'part time' and 'time share' are familiar phrases with 'time' in them, and the adjoining words, 'part' and 'share,' are synonyms. Find two phrases that work similarly with the word 'child.' What are they?
Even with an extra day over the long weekend and I wasn't able to figure this one out yet. I have a couple answers where the words don't seem like strong synonyms, so I don't think either is the answer. One has 4 letter words for both parts. The other has words that start with the same letter. This week I'm hoping the commenters will come up with good clues in my place.
A: The accepted answers are up on the NPR website. Personally I have issues with all of them so I won't transcribe them here.

39 comments:

  1. I could help you out but I don't need the responsibility.

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  2. I can't share my affection for this week's puzzle after last week's struggle.

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  3. If you are hinting at the words I think you are, then that would have been my first potential answer with 4 letters in each answer. But I would question whether I would consider them synonyms. The first seems a much stronger word than the second.

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  4. Good point. Although I must say part and share (the clue examples) aren't strong synonyms. I would further posit that you can use my solution words much more interchangeably than part and share.

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  5. I'm jumping into the middle of this discussion. I'm not sure if my solution is right, but I really got into the puzzle.

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  6. I was trying to come up with an answer as I was playing tennis, but I got nothing.

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  7. I'm with Blaine on this one. Otherwise, there's obviously noone to lean on here so I'm off to my panic room to sulk.

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  8. Yeah, if the answer is what all us hippies seem to think it is, it does seem a little weak.

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  9. I think I have a far better answer and when you get the real one, perhaps you will back me.

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  10. It took me a few minutes on Sunday to come up with the two four-letter words. I share Blaine's view that the words aren't exactly synonyms, but I also agree with Don that the example words in the puzzle aren't exactly interchangeable either. I feel fairly certain that that was the intended answer, but I'm also curious what other answer Alilin has in mind.

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  11. Any commit-o-phobe would know that the 4-letter answers are NOT synonyms.

    I fully back herblady and alilin, But what do I know? I'm just a humble farmer. Raising chickens and quieting lambs with no contact with the worlds outside of my own.

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  12. Okay, LOVE child and child CARE are out. But am I to assume that LOVE child and child ******* is the intended answer? Any further assistance would be welcome.

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  13. In the words of Tina Turner, a pillar of wisdom, "What's love got to do with it?"

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  14. I think I have the child (blank) but can't figure the (blank) child...

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  15. I wonder if any of the posters here have any proof of the true answer? Or are we all off track with this one? The clock is ticking.

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  16. I do wish I could stick around to give out more clues but I'm having an old friend for dinner.

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  17. I feel like a snart aleck
    but I think my answer is
    outstanding.

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  18. Do I detect a bit of "Pied Piper" occurring?? I go back to the idea of part and share not being strong synonyms, hence love and care continue to make sense to me.

    Good discussion this week - even if I am wrong OR there are two correct answers.

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  19. Whether "love/care" was the originally intended answer or not, I would be shocked if they did not accept it. There's another decent solution that people have hinted at above. One or the other of these was presumably the original answer, but it seems likely to me that both will be accepted. We've seen this happen before, the existence of one or more viable alternative answers not known at the time the puzzle was created.

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  20. Just FYI, "foster child" and "child support" were what my hints were getting at. I picked up on herblady's Jodie Foster reference and ran with it.

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  21. Hadn't even thought of "foster." I was thinking "bear child" and "child support."

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  22. Are you trying to end this week's discussion with a bang?

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  23. child support and foster child were exactly what I had in mind. LOL

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  24. I'm sticking with my
    answer: child prodigy
    and gifted child even
    though child prodigy is
    a bit redundant.

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  25. I submitted "foster child" and "child care" but would have gone with "child support" if I'd thought of it.

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  26. What about brain child and child prodigy?

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  27. Were these all the submissions?

    foster child care
    foster child support
    gifted child prodigy
    love child care

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  28. The official answers posted to the NPR site are:
    - foster child and child care
    - foster child and child advocate
    - wonder child and child prodigy

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  29. I submitted child prodegy
    and gifted child to NPR
    early Sunday and got a reply of answer received.

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  30. Hey Eric,
    What is the navigation or URL to "The official answers posted to the NPR site?"

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  31. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91016877

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  32. Geri, you could have submitted "ham sandwich" and gotten a "received" email.

    The official answers aren't the best sample of possible answers. In particular, "foster/care" is problematic because only foster is a transitive verb: you foster something, but you care FOR something.

    This lack of congruency prevents them from being true synonyms. Will Shortz would never bless the use of one as a clue for the other in the NYT crossword, so why do it on the radio.

    I could also quibble with "foster" and "advocate" as synonyms. To foster is to allow or encourage to thrive, whereas to advocate is to argue for. "Love/care" are at least as synonymous as these.

    Finally, "wonder child" and "child prodigy" are so close in meaning that it's less satisfying than, e.g., love/care where you have two totally unrelated concepts that nonetheless carry synonyms.

    All in all, an interesting puzzle, but a somewhat sloppy presentation.

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  33. "Foster child" and "child support" is a much better pair thant the one they gave.

    So, for that matter, are "bear child" (as in give birth) and "child support." Bear and support can each mean to carry the weight of something, and thus make perfectly viable synonyms.

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  34. I would take issue with the use of the phrase "wonder child." I have never used or heard anyone use it and I don't feel it's truly in the vernacular.
    What I have seen and used is the German term "wunderkind", which has become an acceptable phrase in English. To me,"wonder child" is just a translation of that.
    Just MHO, of course.

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  35. The answer I devised was

    inner child centered

    As a mom, "child centered" is part of my everyday vocabulary (describing educational philosophies, etc.) but I don't know if it would be considered common outside this sphere.

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For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.

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