Thursday, August 28, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 24): CH-CH-CH-CH-CHanges

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 24): CH-CH-CH-CH-CHanges:
Q: Think of a person's job title that contains the consecutive letters C-H. Move the C-H to the front, then take what used to be the first letter and put it where the C-H was. The result will be another person whom the first person tries to catch. What words are these?
Hmm... another "less than satisfactory" puzzle. The answer came to me right away as I'm sure it has for others. Personally, I don't think the words are really such a pair, and the pairing is rather contrived. I'd give you more hints, but I don't think it would be fair to those that figured out on their own.

Edit: I don't think it was a coincidence that school starts around this time...
A: TEACHER --> CHEATER

16 comments:

  1. I solved it this morning in about twenty seconds or so. Then a little while ago I submitted my answer. I very seldom submit an answer because I have little desire to play on the air; I like to let others enjoy that experience and I've always been a bit prone to stage fright. Got over it a lot when I was studying graphic design, but it's an old habit of mine to avoid that kind of attention. Main reason I submitted the answer was to take that opportunity to complain, gently, about how easy the puzzles have been lately.

    Maybe that'll have some slight influence on Will's future puzzle selections...

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  2. Easy? Yes
    Not a pair? Happens all the time.
    Contrived pairing? ibib

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  3. Okay, here's another puzzle. Need to get away from the anagrams and do something more original but I kinda like this one...

    Take the twelve-letter title of a critically acclaimed film of 2005 and rearrange the letters to form two words, of seven and five letters, that describe the results of the most well-known dramatic program ever broadcast on radio.

    HINT: (don't keep reading if you don't want this hint) The 2005 film's main character had masculinity issues...

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  4. Sorry, should have said, "twelve-letter, one-word title of...

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  5. I hadn't seen the film, but was familiar enough with it to get it from your clues. This is also a puzzle that can work either way, so you can solve it backwards too...

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  6. So Blaine, did you solve the previous puzzle, two five-letter words become one hyphenated word describing a type of novel? Do you want another hint? Have you forgotten it and do you wish I hadn't reminded you?

    And, while I really don't know anything about your taste in films, I heartily recommend the title that's the solution of my more recent puzzle; I loved it.

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  7. I do remember the other puzzle but I'm still stumped. Since Spock doesn't show any emotions, he probably wouldn't do anything related to the 2nd word, whether that were to laugh, smile, cry, etc. (assuming you ignore episodes like "The Naked Time" or "This Side of Paradise").

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  8. Blaine, I think you missed the point of my clue that said something about not focusing on Spock's name... as in the clue in that sentence might not have had a thing to do with Spock. As in think about the name of Spock's home planet, a name reminiscent of a geographical feature on earth...

    I think you'll get it now; I probably made it too easy.

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  9. Yes, I did get misled by that hint. The funny thing is I already had the first word and was trying to make "cliff-hanger" work; nevermind that it has too many letters. :-) I've got it now with your latest clarification.

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  10. Carl, I implore you to reveal the
    answers to your puzzles. I need to
    "get some sleep."

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  11. Regarding Carl's comment "I very seldom submit an answer because I have little desire to play on the air . . ."

    I also have little interest in playing on the air but I always submit an answer if I have one so that NPR knows the extent of audience interest. I leave the phone number blank.

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  12. Joe W, that's a good point. I'll submit my answers from now on.

    Geri, sorry. Would have done so sooner if someone had asked. First puzzle's answer is Anger and Erupt become Page-turner. Second puzzle is TransAmerica becomes Martian Scare.

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  13. Did someone figure out Ben's Olympic Puzzler, about the athlete with the last name that's a homophone of a word that pertains to the athlete's particular talent? I've been waiting for the solution to that one and probably should have been asking someone to reveal it...

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  14. The only other clue I saw was something about needing to know professional athletes. I did notice that he deliberately didn't mention the gender of the athlete.

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  15. I just turned on Who Wants to be a Millionaire while I was eating and a male contestant was using his phone-a-friend lifeline for an $8000 question. The question was something like: Aibohphobia, which reads the same forwards or backwards, is a fear of... and the choices were palimpsests, puns, palindromes, and portmanteaus. His friend couldn't figure it out. He finally decided he didn't want to guess so he walked with $4000. THAT'S why it's so fun to get to watch something like Ken Jennings' reign of terror on Jeopardy.

    I remember seeing Jennings run a category that was all about 19th century governors. It was kinda cute when he ran a category of clues pertaining to cocktails and Trebek teased him about being a Mormon and knowing so much about mixed drinks...

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