Thursday, March 31, 2011

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 27, 2011): This Puzzle is Rated PG for Mild Language

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 27, 2011): This Puzzle is Rated PG for Mild Language:
Q: Take the word 'calm' and flip the letters A and L to get 'clam.' Take the last name of a film director known for using profanity, and flip two pairs of letters in place to get a word used as a substitute for profanity. Who's the director, and what's the word?
Have I ever used profanity? I plead the fifth.

Edit: The name Quentin comes from the Latin quintus meaning "the fifth"
A: Quentin TARANTINO (swap AN and NO) --> "What in TARNATION!"

Thursday, March 24, 2011

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 20, 2011): Consumer Protection Laws Anagram

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 20, 2011): Consumer Protection Laws Anagram:
Q: Take the phrase 'consumer protection laws,' and rearrange the letters to name a person in broadcasting and an issue of public debate. Hints: The name of the person in broadcasting has five letters in the first name and five letters in the last name. For the issue of public debate, it's a familiar two-word phrase with seven letters in the first word and five letters in the second. What name and phrase are these?
If NPR keeps posting the puzzle this early we'll have to stop calling it the Sunday puzzle! Are you following what I'm saying? Are you clear? Cool.

Edit: The NPR puzzle is part of Weekend Edition Sunday (host Liane Hansen). The day before, NPR broadcasts Weekend Edition Saturday (host Scott Simon). "Are you following what I'm saying?" was a hint to the game Simon Says. "You clear" was a hint to "nuclear" while "Cool." was a hint to cooling down a reactor.
A: SCOTT SIMON, NUCLEAR POWER

Thursday, March 17, 2011

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 13, 2011): Sounds Like Another Name Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 13, 2011): Sounds Like Another Name Puzzle:
Q: Think of a five-letter girl's name that ends in a 'J' sound. Change that to a 'CH' sound to get a common five-letter boy's name. What names are these?
Not to be a pest but didn't we have a puzzle recently involving names? If you thought Marsha and Martha were less common girl's names, what about the names this week? I was going to clump together a clue or two from last week, but I think I'll refrain.

Edit: The first clue was pest as in a tiny fly. The second hint was clump as in comic book character, Midge Klump. The third clue was a reference to last week's post where I mentioned people that shared birthdays on March 10, including gymnast Mitch Gaylord. The final clue was refrain, an indirect reference to the show Sing Along with Mitch.
A: Midge and Mitch

Thursday, March 10, 2011

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 6, 2011): In a Galaxy, Far Far Away...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 6, 2011): In a Galaxy, Far Far Away...:
Q: Think of a two-word phrase that means a time long ago. Move the third, fourth and fifth letters to the end of the phrase, without rearranging those three letters, to get a new two-word phrase that means the beginning. What phrases are these?
One less than Osama's and one less than Les Essarts.

Edit: Today (March 10) happens to be the birthdays of Sharon Stone and Osama bin Laden. Sharon's age is 53, Osama's is 54. That was the hint for STONE AGE. The other hint was a reference to the Tour de France 2011. Stage two of the race will be a circuit out and back to Les Essarts. Decrementing you get STAGE ONE.
A: STONE AGE --> STAGE ONE

Thursday, March 03, 2011

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 27, 2011): Acacia and Acadia, I'm Done!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 27, 2011): Acacia and Acadia, I'm Done!:
Q: Take a common girl's name that's six letters long. Change the fourth letter to the next letter in the alphabet to get another common girl's name. What names are these?
I had to laugh when I figured out the intended answer. But it reminded me I needed to pick up some candy at the convenience store.

Edit: My hints - MARS (candy), MART (convenience store), HA HA (laugh).
A: MARSHA --> MARTHA