Thursday, February 24, 2011

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 20, 2011): Know Your Anatomy

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 20, 2011): Know Your Anatomy:
Q: Spell a part of the human body. Change one of the letters to an E, and rearrange the result to name another part of the human body. What body parts are these? Clue: Both parts of the body are things you can see.
Within a minute I came up with 3 valid pairs of body parts. I have a fourth pair that is questionable, but still could work.

Edit: Time to reveal my 3 acceptable pairs.
A: NECK (C to E) --> KNEE
ARM (M to E) --> EAR
HAND (N to E) --> HEAD

Note: Will also accepted CALF (L to E) --> FACE

55 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. When I saw the puzzle for this week I could have pulled my hair out eye was so disappointed. Even Sarah Palin could solve this one if her family helped a bit. It took me only two or three minutes to get the answer, but my lips are sealed, so you are on your own. That cheeky Will needs to toe the line and give us a puzzle that challenges. I am pointing my finger at him and I am armed to the teeth. This is really beginning to smell in my opinion. Will a tongue lashing do the trick? Who nose? He should put his back into it. Maybe someone will
    give him a hand so he can get a leg up on this. If not then perhaps a kick in the shin. Sorry if it seems like I am developing thin skin, but this irritates me like fingernails on a chalk board. Maybe it will take some elbow grease for him to come up with a more interesting puzzle, but this is not hip. In fact it is limp wristed. In other words, we need a better one because this is giving me a pain the you know what.

    There might be a clue in there somewhere, butt I'm not sure.

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  3. I hope you're not calling Will a jerk because this is another puzzle with multiple correct answers. He needs to be a little flexible in accepting answers since there are more than one.

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  4. Anyone notice a relationship between elbow and bowel and below?

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  5. Blaine:
    Would your questionable fourth work better on a bird?

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  6. Blaine, do all of your pairs involve changing to the letter E or just changing any letter to another?

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  7. Did Will get some memo telling him to make the puzzles simpler? I started writing out a list of body parts and got the (an? Haven't checked) answer on the second word. Hint: I was going top-down on the list :)

    Took longer to look up the puzzle than to solve it :(

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  8. I bet Will just saw Black Swan. So give him a break.

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  9. I have four pair as well, and one pair (he typed, snickering) is "questionable" on a couple of different levels. I'd say it's valid, however.

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  10. @SDB, yes all my answers involve switching the E to another letter.
    @TB, I know what you are thinking of, but I was only using human body parts. In my questionable answer, one word describes a region of the body on the side.

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  11. I wonder if the final note in the puzzle: "Clue: Both parts of the body are things you can see" means that while many answers are possible, the correct one involves two body parts that are normally visible on a clothed person? That would negate the first answer I found. Or am I just reading too much into it?

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  12. @Doctechnical, I think I might know your questionable one. Did it involve changing the E back to an E (i.e. no change really) and is one body part able to be seen like a rib might be seen?

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  13. @Banje, all 3 of my normal answers could be visible on a clothed person, at least in the summer.

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  14. @SDB, I solved each pair backwards since that was easier. Take a body part containing an E and change it to another letter then rearrange. But you end up with valid pairs of words either way.

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  15. @Blaine: Yup, you and I are thinking the same thing. The two body parts are direct anagrams of each other.

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  16. I interpreted "you can see them" as in "you can see them on yourself", thus negating the really obvious answers (for example, you can't see your forehead or your eyes ...). But other than that, I came up with four, and then found the relationship of Butt and Bust, and spine is a nice anagram.

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  17. If the answer involves body parts that you really can see on yourself without being a contortionist then you are not sittng on the right answer. Since you can't see anthing above your chest or behind you, all 3 answers I found would be incorrect. True for all of you too?

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  18. @Anthony: If your standard is "you can see them on yourself" then you have an advantage over half the population.

    @ janeabelle - there are these things called "mirrors"... :)

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  19. Spell a part of the human body. Change one of the letters to an E, and rearrange the result to name another part of the human body. What body parts are these? Clue: Both parts of the body are things you can see.

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  20. @Anthony, Janeabelle, Mario,

    I took the phrase "...things you can see" to mean they are external (as opposed to liver, heart, brain), etc. As to whether not you can see them on yourself, none of mine would work without looking at someone else or in a mirror. All mine are visible even when clothed.

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  21. I agree with Blaine. Some of you are looking into the puzzle too much. I think Will is looking for external body parts. I also agree with the way you solved it, Blaine. Just find body parts with the letter 'e' in them and go from there.

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  22. Brevity is the soul(sole) of (w)it.

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  23. Blaine, Anthony, Doctechnical, TomR,
    I too thought Will meant external body parts. Answers came fast until I read Anthony's insightful question regarding being able to see them on one's self, without a mirror thus negating, neck, eyes, butt, etc. Anthony's comment made a lot of sense because otherwise there are too many answers to this puzzle. Guess I did not want to think the puzzle would be easy. So, as the Beatles would say, "here I stand...." and TomR, "and tediousness the limbs."

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  24. I don't know . I am going with the "you can see" so I think one part I can only see part of. But, not every good body does fine.

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  25. I just submitted my answers to NPR - and one of them kept the submission from going through due to "unacceptable language"! LMAO...

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  26. DT:
    LMAO? This must be a clue!
    But seriously, it is not really funny at all. It is just another indication of fascism creeping into our society. NPR is afraid/restricted to/from certain words being broadcast when they present a major play by a respected playright. Not so in Canada. In fact Canadian programs that are played here have those words blocked. But on the other hand Canadians have no resect for traditional marriage (whatever that means) and there is that little problem of their eating their dead.

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  27. The first pair took me only a couple of minutes of thought Sunday morning. The second pair just came to me out of the blue as I woke up Monday morning. The third pair was elusive until later in the day and yet now that I’m staring at it, it seems so obvious.

    As to the questionable pair some have mentioned, I don’t think Will would accept the answer. Over many years and many more puzzles he seems to have a demonstrated preference for straightforward, common parlance.

    Chuck

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  28. @SDB: My first reaction to the message was "What are you, six years old?!"

    The word wasn't obscene, or a slang term, or a euphemism; it's the proper English term for a specific part of the anatomy.

    At a guess I'm thinking I could have used a synonym for a rooster instead and it would have gotten past the filter. However, that wouldn't have met the puzzle requirements :)

    Silliness.

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  29. DT:
    I think you misunderstood my post.

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  30. @SDB - Whoops, my reaction was to the message from the NPR submission system, not to *you*. I'm sorry for not being more specific.

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  31. ***Puzzle alternative***

    Think of a body part, change 1 letter and rearrange to name another body part. For some people, these parts go together.

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  32. DT:
    Got it!
    So, now I'm back at my original thinking that we (you and I) are mostly on the same page here.

    When we are treated as if we (notice the clever way I avoided using the word, like here) are children by those in positions of power, then we tend to act childishly in our thinking.

    I have always been amused, but also disturbed, when I encounter adults admonish other adults for using sexual terms around children; frequently children who are way too young to even have a clue. Of course these same children both hear and use these types of words among themselves on a daily basis. I know of no negative consequences of their hearing these words, but violent language and behaviour is rarely addressed although much evidence is apparent as to its' destructive impact on society.

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  33. I am going retro but Barnes-Durco, you never explained your clue from last week and SDB, how can you get Chester Arthur from Bucharest if there is only one "e" and only one "r"?

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  34. RoRo:
    WOW!
    The president is Chester Arthur and who said anything about his first name being in Bucharest? And if I need to explain further—as with all the others the E is changed to another letter—in this case R. I think everyone else understood this.

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  35. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  36. You surprise me Tommy Boy. I did not think you would be so careless as to reveal so much that is negative about yourself in one short post. Your misogynistic, hypocritical, ad hominem attack reveals so much more about you than it does about me that I have been laughing ever since I first read it. Your self hatred is delicious.

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  37. For anyone confused by my previous post, now that TB has removed his post that prompted my above reply, I am reposting it for all to see. I thought he might do this, so I kept a copy. Here it is:

    Tommy Boy said...
    @SDB = Sarcastic Derogatory Bitch. If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you would have realized that we are a civil group of posters. We play off each other. We do not attack each other. You are kind of an obnoxious prick. Think about it.

    Tue Feb 22, 07:20:00 PM PST

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  38. Apologies to all, especially Blaine.

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  39. RoRo - re: your Q's about last week -

    Re: SDB's posts - I won't touch that.

    Re: "My hint = find(B$1,$A2,1),find(C$1,$A2,1),sum(B2:C2)
    But don't look for any #VALUE in the results."

    This was a sample of the formulas I entered into Microsoft Excel to solve the puzzle using a list of capitals. I usually get more enjoyment solving puzzles by programming than by eventually stumbling on the answer.
    I took those presidents names that had an R and put the other letters from each name in Row 1, with the capitals in Col A. #VALUE is what appears as a sum if any of the letters is not in the capital. Geeky, no?

    "I'll bet $2" was related to 2 BUCKS or BUCHS or 2 Bush's. Not too good, I know.

    Take it easy, everybody!

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  40. OOkey Dokey, Play nice guys. You both add a lot to this blog.
    @sdb, I get the feeling you have one of those quick minds and get ahead of yourself some times. Slow it down some for those of us on this other plane :). I understand your Arthur clue (forgot to add the r)and now say the clue should have been for four presidents, if overlap was allowed. Peace and Love!

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  41. Thanks B-D. Keep sharing. I am sometimes more fascinated by your techniques to solve than the puzzle itself.

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  42. Back to the NPR puzzle, does anyone have a valid answer that involves two common body parts that you can see on yourself without using a mirror?

    I guess we'll find out more tomorrow, but my 3 valid answers involve common body parts that cannot be seen on myself directly.

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  43. @Blaine - If I were a betting man, I'd put a double-sawbuck on Will's answer (or answers) being one of our three sets that "can't be seen on myself directly". I think our group has over-cooked the requirements, and the phrase "things you can see" was meant simply to rule out internal organs and the like.

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  44. i CAN SEE PART OF ONE AND ALL OF THE OTHER BUT IF I AM WRONG I WON'T HAVE A COW OVER IT

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  45. I have a total of 4 pairs. The first three are valid pairs, but one body part of each of the pairs needs a mirror to be seen. The fourth pair has one body part that you can see a portion of and is, I believe, the one DT refers to as a proper English name for that part of the anatomy. This fourth pair is really the most "truthful" answer of what can be seen but I am of the same opinion as DT and I do not think this fourth pair is a "Will" type of answer.

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  46. RoRo, I think I see what you mean if I pull an Alfalfa. Who knows?

    There's a lot of ambiguity here. For one, what constitutes a body part?

    Blaine, if you asked a manicurist/pedicurist and a fortune teller, they would tell you nails and lines (head, heart and life) are definitely body parts.

    Is hair a body part? Then what about beards and braids.

    All 4 can be seen without a mirror. Braids and beards depend on length.

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  47. My 3 acceptable answers are:
    NECK/KNEE (probably Will's intended answer)
    ARM/EAR
    HAND/HEAD

    My questionable answer:
    FLANK/ANKLE

    Other questionable answers:
    BACK/BEAK (only if you are a bird)
    SPINE/..... (can you "see" the spine? and the other is a direct anagram and only visible on an unclothed male)

    I'm sure there are others...

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  48. I had calf - face in addition to Blain's. I submitted arm - ear - but alas, got no phone call today.

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  49. head/hand
    calf/face
    neck/knee
    and the one being danced around: arms/arse
    Did NOT get arm/ear though
    So that's 5

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  50. calf to face was my original
    hints 1)music staff line notations "every good boy does fine" opposite space notes - f-a-c-e
    2) I won't have a cow.

    Like the arms to arse. I can see them both better.

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  51. I got the three main ones Blaine did, as well as the spine/etc. I really liked flank and ankle, I don't see how that's particularly questionable. Same with calf and face. I'd say those make a good solid 5 answers.

    I've heard a human nose, particularly if prominent, referred to as a beak. Arms/Etc is even better than spine/etc, IMHO :)

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  52. I submitted neck/knee and arm/ear. Hand/head and calf/face are equally valid, but I don't think Will was looking for flank/ankle. When was the last time you heard the term 'flank' other than referring to a piece of meat? Same goes for back/beak. Only some people, including myself, have beaks.

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  53. I came up with knee & neck as soon as I heard the puzzle and I did not look further as I knew I had the answer. Later, when I heard that there were more answers I quickly found head & hand and face & calf along with beak & back, which I did not like. I did not find ear & arm. Neither did I find ankle & flank because I have never heard of flank used in reference to the human body.

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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.

You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.