Thursday, February 05, 2009

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 1): Famous Living Woman...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 1): Famous Living Woman...:
Q: Think of a famous living woman whose first and last names are each accented on the second syllable. Say the second syllable of her last name, followed by the second syllable of her first name, and phonetically you'll get a word meaning very attractive woman. Who is it?
This one isn't that hard. The first woman I thought of was the right answer. Note: Put the syllable in the *last* name first.

Edit: The first woman I thought of was the first lady...
A: MICHELLE OBAMA --> BAM-CHELLE = BOMBSHELL
Posted by Blaine at 2:01 PM
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23 comments:

  1. How frustrating! Not the puzzle, but Blaine's clue, which was the one I was going to give. I hope this doesn't set a precedent.
    ReplyDelete
  2. [ "... you'll get a word meaning very attractive woman." (Soooooo typically misogynistic such a "puzzle" as this is ... that the marveling puzzle piece ANSWER surrounding THIS PERSON is - NOT - surrounding how brilliantly intelligent her BRAIN is ... WHOM, I wager, will tell you that THE LEGAL documented certificate of her birthing, of HER BEING on Earth at all, has on it her last name as ... ___ and NOT as ________) ... "Who is it?"

    Legion True
    http://bluemAAs.public.iastate.edu
    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice puzzle and great clue, Blaine. The first woman that you thought of was actually the second woman I thought of. GO STEELERS!!!
    ReplyDelete
  4. at first, this riddle was so hard i raised a clenched fist to the heavens, but the clues bumped me in the right direction.
    ReplyDelete
  5. Re: Last week's puzzle: Liane Hansen
    said, "Our listeners did well on this
    one. We had more than 2300 correct
    entries."

    This week Doug Heller certainly did
    pick "a very attractive woman."
    He could have added "super intelligent
    also."
    ReplyDelete
  6. What percentage of the people who
    attain fame are known by the names
    on their birth certificates?
    ReplyDelete
  7. Down to business now that the game is over. My daughter got this quickly; I didn't.

    The answer suggested a Beatles song with the certainly odd and apocryphal subtitle of "Home Suite Whom".
    ReplyDelete
  8. Geri, My guess is less than 30%, what with stage names, nicknames, aliases, names changed for ethnic reasons and people who take (or combine their name) with that of their spouse or partner. What's your guess?
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  9. Hugh, great song! I especially like the transition from the gal's name to the nickname of the telephone company.
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  10. The important question, though, is what dress is she wearing?

    - Other Ben
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  11. Hugh, where did you find that bit of Beatles trivia? I had never heard that one. I googled it and it didn't even come up.
    ReplyDelete
  12. lorenzo, 30% seems like a good guess
    overall. Some categories, perhaps
    sports, might not be that low and
    entertainment much lower.

    Dave and Hugh, I'd like to check out
    the Beatles lyrics but I've had NO
    success. Help?
    ReplyDelete
  13. I believe the song is done by Lynyrd Skynyrd according to what I read on the internet...certainly not my generation-LOL
    About using maiden names--here is my take on that: we, in Quebec, since the early 80's are obliged to use our maiden names except for social purposes, and we must be definitive with our children whether they will have 2 surnames or their maternal or paternal surname. It can be quite confusin if they have children and keep adding names.For people married or divorced by the early 80's, they retain their maiden names. We use it on our driver's license, to sign legal documents, etc. Hence, if a female child earns a professional degree while still unmarried, that is what she will most likely be referred to forever.
    I hope this somewhat clarifies the question.
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  14. Lynyrd Skynyrd had a song with the same name, but it's not the same song as the far more popular Beatles song with the same name.
    ReplyDelete
  15. OK Dave:
    I give up--I looked up all Beatles songs and this one isn't anywhere....perhaps you will tell us what you are thinking of-maybe it sounds like....
    ReplyDelete
  16. Hugh, it sounds like your daughter picked words that go together well.
    ReplyDelete
  17. Ben, Those spurious words were my own pick. That's not trivia that Dave's Googling.
    ReplyDelete
  18. Cookieface,
    When looking for the secret answer to this week's puzzle, do yourself a big service by studying the "Renaissance".
    ReplyDelete
  19. by the way, my clue above has got to be, hands-down, the best one i've ever left. booyah!
    ReplyDelete
  20. Cookieface, I was referring to the first name of the famous living woman.

    Hugh, thanks for clearing that up. I had never heard of that subtitle.
    ReplyDelete
  21. Did The Beatles play a lot in France when they were starting out, or was it just in England and Germany?

    They were so talented..all their words just went together well, all the notes clear as bells.
    ReplyDelete
  22. I have always had the answer but just never Clued-IN to Hugh's clue. LOL
    ReplyDelete
  23. Some of the referenced Beatles tune sounds like they were written specifically for crossword puzzle creators.
    ReplyDelete

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