Thursday, October 09, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 5): Anagram Interaction

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 5): Anagram Interaction:
Q: Rearrange the 11 letters of 'interaction' to make two closely related words. What words are they?
I seem to be in the habit of pretending I don't have a clue, when I really do. Is this week any different?

Edit: The hidden clue was "habit"
A: INTERACTION --> TAR and NICOTINE
Posted by Blaine at 5:48 PM
Labels: ,

26 comments:

  1. I think I spotted a trap in this puzzle in the nick of time.
    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, right! And two excellent reasons to quit a bad habit!
    ReplyDelete
  3. "Interaction" is also an anagram of two words that represent opposites, more or less. Any guesses?
    ReplyDelete
  5. Michael,

    One of those words you are referring to is a noun, but the other is an adjective. Not a very good pair of opposites!
    ReplyDelete
  6. plummew, I knew that - that's why I said "more or less" :) The principles are opposite.
    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for not... being too obvious with your clues.

    As for my clue: Google "favorite Jim Carrey quotes."

    I think I've got it; just trying to figure out how reaction and tin are closely related to each other...

    No wait, reaction and NIT. Now that makes more sense...
    ReplyDelete
  8. I was out to dinner tonight thinking about this puzzle, fortunately I live in Massachusetts and didn't have to hold my breath thinking about a clue.
    ReplyDelete
  9. barrieau, you reminded me of one of my very favorite cartoons by Wiley Miller. It involved patrons seated near the border between two different "sections" of a restaurant and featured a very obvious and funny violation of the laws of physics. If I knew how to find it and post a link to it, that would make a good clue.
    ReplyDelete
  10. Michael,

    Your near words are what slowed me up. For a time I thought I had misremembered "interaction" for "interactive" in which case your noun/adjective related pair becomes related adjectives.
    ReplyDelete
  11. Well, I have the words Michael refers to, but I'm not getting the others.
    ReplyDelete
  12. At first I couldn't get this one. Then I took a quick break and POOF I got it.

    - Ben
    ReplyDelete
  13. Ben, isn't it a drag when the answer just won't come to you? Sometimes I just feel like the butt of my own joke when something so eludes me. I feel like my so-called intellect has become worthless as ashes in the wind... But hey, one day at a time, right? Maybe I can patch together some semblance of a normal life it I just don't go so hard on myself.
    ReplyDelete
  14. Mandy, How did you do it?
    Carl, Is DRAG a clue?
    Ben, I lost my POOF this week.
    WOE IS ME!
    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.
    ReplyDelete
  16. Geri, some of these puzzles are pretty tough, but if you keep at it, usually you can smoke 'em out!
    ReplyDelete
  17. Geri,
    I just went to an anagram solver and found it very quickly. Good luck.
    ReplyDelete
  18. WHOOPEEeee! Thanks everybody.
    I got it just in time. Answer
    submitted!!
    ReplyDelete
  19. i'm hooked on The Sunday Puzzle, though i was really in the black on this week's answer. who knows what it could be!?!?
    ReplyDelete
  20. Minncognito, I'll bet Popeye the Sailor knows the answer. Those old seafarers learn a thing or two in their adventurous lives...

    I love those scenes where he sucks his spinach through his pipe when it seems there's no way out of a jam. Seems like a lot better use of that pipe than, well, you know...
    ReplyDelete
  21. I thought of Popeye early on because "tar" is a word for sailor; wonder if anyone got that hint?
    ReplyDelete
  22. Carl,
    I never knew that Tar was a word for sailor. Interesting.
    ReplyDelete
  23. Natasha, Yes, and nicotine is a word for someone who repairs horse tack.

    Just kidding. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
    ReplyDelete
  24. Natasha, The word "TAR" is an
    "old friend" to crossword puzzle
    fanatics. It usually appears as
    the answer to clues involving the
    word "sailor." I think that is the
    only venue where it is used nowadays.
    ReplyDelete
  25. You may also like to try out this new puzzle Suduro which is a fun, elegant new variation on Sudoku, combining the challenges of Sudoku and Kakuro puzzles. I loved it and recommend it thoroughly. You may find that site on http://www.suduro.com/

    Thanks and regards

    Fahd Mirza
    ReplyDelete
  26. Actually sailors were called Jack Tars because they would put tar in their hair (pony tails) to keep the hair off their face. That's the reason sailor uniforms have that square flap of fabric on the back of the neck. It was to keep the tar from ruining the uniform.
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)