Sunday, July 19, 2009

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19): On Vacation -- Returning Soon

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19): On Vacation -- Returning Soon

Our vacation to Madagascar finishes up in a couple more days, but I'm still not around to supply any hints. Perhaps once I return I can add to the comments. Until then you are on your own; play nice.

Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any outright spoilers before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here. Thank you.
Posted by Blaine at 6:00 AM
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59 comments:

  1. Liane said, "We had over 2200 entries. . . "
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  2. OK, Blaine Nation:

    Here is the latest food for fodder --

    Think of a word starting with G and ending in R. Remove the G and R, and the remaining letters can be rearranged to spell a synonym of the original word. What words are these?

    Here's Blaine's standard reminder... don't post the answer or any outright spoilers before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here. Thank you.

    P.S. And despite the fashion-obsessed girlfrind who I dumped before meeting my wife, I'm almost certain that GLAMOUR is not a synonym for MOULA.
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  3. Ben, It sounds as if you don't long wistfully for that gal.
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  4. I believe that both Ben and Lorenzo have the answer to what may be one of the more difficult puzzles.

    Too bad the pair "grandmaster" and "tradesman" doesn't qualify.

    A portion of the title of a radio program originating in Michigan might provide a clue.
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  5. re folks including Nampeyo, Evans, Anthony and Rankin, google hits state anywhere from 76 to 100, depending upon who these people are -- but not, of course, google's flip / reverse.

    Straightforward, Mr S stated.
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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.
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  7. I was thinking "grandmother" & "and mother" was jolly clever answer, although _not_ a synonym. I'll keep trying...
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  8. I thought of a possible solution but the resulting word is slang. Anyone else come up with an answer involving bacon?
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  9. Actually, the first word is slang and the resulting word is, in a way, related to bacon.
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  11. Anybody have a clue what the advertising revenue was for that ABC series, "Alias?"
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  12. Great clue rogerbuch. I'd like to compare the revenue of "Alias" to one of the Private Investigator shows from the 1970s.
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  13. Warning - don't go to the Englishman who solves crosswords - some nimrod posted the answer
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  14. I think Roger kinda did too.
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  15. Oh, you've done it again!
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  16. I gathered all the G-R words I could imagine, and I’m pretty certain I was able to bring in the intended answer.

    Yet looking at G and R surrounding every anagram revealed new solutions, some of which were plausible but silly.

    Perhaps Dave with his bacon thought was seeing (as I was) GREASER and EASER (as the greaser of the proverbial wheels might somehow ease things along). I’m sure it isn’t the intended answer, but it’s estimable and reasonable nonetheless.

    -- Other Ben
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  17. Hubby came up with "ghostlier/hostile" before we figured out the real answer. We assumed that wasn't going to be it since the former is a comparative adjective, and they weren't exact matches, but I thought it was some decent brainstorming!
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  18. My EYES rose from the GEYSER as the GANGSTER's AGENTS fell upon me at the construction site. I HATE when they GATHER in GNARLIER LINEAR fashion on an i-beam. My GLIDER IDLED too far away to reach, the increasingly GRAVER conditions causing me to RAVE as my foes grew more HOSTILE and GHOSTLIER. I threw out one of the GUTSIER moves from my SUITE of attacks - displaying my GROSSER SORES and while giving a GLIBBER BIBLE reading about OILED GODLIER prophets. It seemed to take an EON and I was sure I was a GONER. Unaffected, my FOE dispatched a GOFER to fetch a GOOBER-shooting OBOE. Its assault was fearsome, and I developed a TEAR in my GARTER. Suddenly, my solution appeared: the geyser turned GUSHER as HUES of grey steam IRED the GIRDER upon which they stood. I bid ADIEU to the GAUDIER mobsters as they fell to the earth, their REHEATED bodies GATHERING on the ground. I escaped to a DELI for a celebratory GRINDER, for there is no GREATER EATER than I. Every YEAR I grow GRAYER and the job gets harder, but you should fault the game, not BLAME the GAMBLER.

    That story sucked. Maybe I'll hire the WORTHIEST GHOSTWRITER I can before my thoughts become more IMPURE and GRUMPIER.
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  19. The previous story contained no clues, so you can leave it UNREAD in its GRANDEUR. I suspect that its length will cause me to amass nothing but scorn for my Maverick ways.
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  20. Very, very lovely, Wolftone.

    No scorn or corn -- just, from moi, to orn your story = simply lovely.

    ... -- Signed, Barta --
    [Bret's (other) cardsharking sistah]
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  21. Wolftone,

    1) Thank you.

    and

    2) Is there anywhere you know of where I might procure a goober-shooting oboe?

    Sounds fun.

    - - Other Ben
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  22. Wolftone, that's brilliant! However, DELI and GRINDER don't fit the pattern, nor do REHEATED AND GATHERING.

    Ben, I was thinking about a different set of words that involve BACON. The second word (after removing the G and the R) is related to the actor, BACON. Think about his movies.
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  23. @dave - you're right. I mistranscribed from my list.

    It should be DINER/GRINDER and REHEATed and GATHERING.

    I'm glad to have someone DARE to be my GRADER. Thanks for being GENIAL about my GANGLIER errors.
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  24. To reveal the answer would be far from the ultimate gift...
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  25. Wolftone and Ben, DINER/GRINDER was actually the first answer that I came up with before hitting on the correct one. Kevin Bacon was in the movie, Diner. In today's slang, to grind is to eat, so DINER/GRINDER could work as a possible solution.
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  26. Only a competitive Scrabble-player would have immediately seen GRAVEDIGGER -> AGGRIEVED, but I think it's a doozey. My wife (Roxie) came up with GORGER -> OGRE, which created a spirited debate, more empowering than my morning cup of Joe. The other one she came up with was: GELDER (to castrate)-> DELE (to delete). The actual answer was utterly mundane.
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  27. Dave,

    Haven't we learned that EVERYTHING is related to Kevin BACON?

    -- Other Ben
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  28. Ben, EVERYTHING is related to a VERY THIN Kevin Bacon.
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  29. Dave's Puzzle #10:

    Remove the middle letter in the last name of a well known politician. The resulting word is an accurate description of that politician.
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  30. Remove the letter l then, Dave, not?

    -- Signed,
    ... O She Who Herself Has Been Ascribed Such The Same Appellation Maaaaany, Many A Time ...
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  31. Blue, I think that it's safe to say that Democrats and Republicans would agree on my assessment.
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  32. Dave's Puzzle #10: The best I can do is to remove a middle "y" and then be bothered by an ending "s" but everything else fits just fine. Is Thursday the deadline for the answer?
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  33. Geri, there's no deadline. My wife may have a good clue about the person I'm thinking about, so I'll ask her.
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  34. Said politician's description is an alternate spelling of my last name.
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  35. Geri,
    I googled your answer, and it's pretty funny.

    Regarding the real answer to Dave#10, I remember that the second most famous person with that last name made a silly campaign for office last year.
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  36. RE: Dave Puzzle #10 I'm thinking of potatoes and politicians, however (RE: Ken) your answer is much, much funnier than mine :-)
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  37. Is Blaine on vacation to buy a car? Or is Blaine actually on another continent?
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  38. Now that it is after 3pm Thursday, I guess we can open the floodgates.

    I sent in GARNER and EARN. Alas, no call from Will.

    I hinted at GARNER/EARN here with my comment that perhaps I was able to "bring in" the intended answer. I also spelled out EARN with "every anagram revealed new" and "estimable and reasonable nonetheless."

    I didn't spell out GARNER, but I do own a GARMIN GPS.

    - - Other Ben
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  39. Women, among whom are Evans (Dale or Mary Anne [of the purposefully garnering nom de plume, Mr. George Eliot]), Anthony (Susan B), Rankin (Jeannette Pickering) and Nampeyo (Iris), that is who are of the initials E A R and N, actually ... still ... earn anywhere, depending upon their 21st Century - paying positions ... 76 to 100 percent per any 100 cents earned by male counterparts in same posts.

    Still.

    And, of course, thus is soooo not so ... when the genders are flipped and reversed and, thus, so studied.
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  40. Yeah, I submitted GARNER and EARN as well. However I think it's hardly - well - worthy of an enigmatological mention. My favorite is still GORGER and OGRE, while my hubby loves GRAVEDIGGER and AGGRIEVED (he's the competitive scrabble player in the family). Other than GRANDMASTER and TRADESMAN, did anyone else come up with creative answers to this week's puzzle?

    PS: I missed the call from NPR about two months ago - please shoot me.
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  41. DAVE---PLEASE!!! #10 ?????
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  42. Well I missed several puzzles, didn't I?

    For SINGLETON puzzle, I've never played bridge and wouldn't have ever gotten this one. Good thing I was too busy packing.

    For HEAVY METAL, I think I would have gotten it if I had thought a bit more.

    For GARNER/EARN, I wish there had been more clues on the length of the words because, as Wolftone (and others) noted, there are quite a few options to filter through.

    Anyway, we are back from Madagascar (the country, not the movie). Nope, there weren't any lions, zebras or giraffes. And there certainly weren't any penguins. However we did see quite a few lemurs, chameleons, geckos and zebu.
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  43. We had a few hints towards garner as well: @rogerbuch pointed us towards Jennifer Garner with his Alias reference. @curtis and @wolftone hinted James Garner with "70's private eye" (rockford files) and Maverick respectively. Did I miss any other GARNER clues?
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  44. My clue of, "Oh, you've done it again!" is a quote from Mr. Magoo. Jennifer Garner was one of the voices in the movie.

    Geri, read my last clue again: My wife may have a good clue about the person I'm thinking about, so I'll ask her.

    Let me know if that helps. May I have a clue to the person you're thinking about? Thanks.
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  45. Dave, although I got your puzzle immediately, I only just got your hint.

    Geri, I too would like a clue about your "Y" person.
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  46. The more I think about it the more I wish I had not mentioned "y" because I cannot make con-man out of "coners."
    He is not in trouble; hia wife is.
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  47. Geri, did you figure out puzzle #10 yet? I ate at a restaurant tonight named Mick 'n Lee. Great salmon.
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  49. Geri, you give up? Then you are on the RIGHT TRACK!
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  50. Dave, #10 Good one. I liked Blue's response to it.

    Blue, I mistook "Nampeyo" as an association with "urn". Your clues provide me with a real #10.

    I guess my clues in general are too archaic:

    2009 = MMIX Tom Mix
    Very small wager, Blondie = Penny SINGLETON
    WXYZ Detroit, The Lone RANGER = anagram GARNER
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  51. As is likely already known, Iris Nampeyo was a potter, urns ... as well as "earns" ... among her works, in a somewhat longer line of similarly potting artisans -- -- also named Nampeyo.

    A ... true ... Lone Ranger would, no doubt, very much admire Ms Iris' urns. And of my using 'slow language' (as of the same vein as 'slow food') and from said Ranger, female or male, garnish for Ms Iris on any of those urns of hers, its full 100 - percent earns.
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  52. Geri, as William stated, you hit the nail on the head when you gave up. You're going to kick yourself when you realize how easy this one was.

    "I'll ask her." = ALASKA

    "Mick 'n Lee" = McKINLEY

    Salmon = ALASKAN FISH
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  54. If you take Geri's answer of Rep. Conyers as the well-known politician and remove the middle letter, you get "coners". Google "coner" and the first hit is an Urban Dictionary definition that is hilarious. Considering Conyers and his wife (ex-Detroit City Council), the plural of coners might just be an accurate description of the pair.

    Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame, made a comic run for POTUS under the Silly Party after Sarah became famous last year.
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  55. Liane said, "We had only about five
    hundred entries."
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  56. This one should net more than five hundred. Answer submitted to NPR.
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  57. Six-letter city. Remove first and fourth letters and get four-letter city in a neighboring state.
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  58. Geri, I bet there will be over 2100 correct answers.
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  59. This comment has been removed by the author.
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