Sunday, November 09, 2014

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 9, 2014): I got Caesar dressing on my clothes!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 9, 2014): I got Caesar dressing on my clothes!:
Q: Name a well-known clothing company. Move each of its letters three spaces earlier in the alphabet and rearrange the result. You'll name something you don't want in an article of clothing. What is it?
I generally enjoy these letter rotation type puzzles, but it took me awhile to figure this one out.

Edit: The two clues were "I general..." (referring to General Zod from Superman) = IZOD and "awhile" from the phrase, "In awhile, crocodile." Though many people thought the animal on the Izod Lacoste polo shirt was an alligator, it was actually a crocodile, referring to tennis player Rene Lacoste's nickname of "The Crocodile".
A: IZOD = FWLA --> FLAW

115 comments:

  1. Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) 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.

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So if you enjoy this type of puzzle, Blaine, wouldn't you want the fun to go on and on and last longer?

      Is this a female perspective (fellow XX) or do some of you XY guys concur?

      Delete
    2. Really, Blaine? A Caesar cipher disk? Like we didn't have enough of the Romans last week?

      Delete
  2. Note this is the trendy/hip version of the clothing company, whereas the general version has been known to try to take over the world.

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  3. I got it, but it left me wondering how in the hell anybody discovered this. "Hmmm. I wonder what happens if you take the names of clothing manufacturers and shift all of their letters up or down the alphabet, and then scramble the results." WHO DOES THIS???

    Later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve Baggish of Arlington, Massachusetts according to Will.

      Delete
    2. He's created quite a few of the NPR Sunday puzzles. I wonder if he's related to Bilbo and Frodo?

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    3. Carl really loves anagrams (just thought you should know.)

      Delete
  4. I came up with an answer whereby the second part was an obscurely used word that would be undesirable describing a clothing defect.

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  5. Food clue: Spanish chicken croquettes

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  6. I perceive a paucity of comments this week. I suspect this may be because, especially after last week's debacle, many of us are tired of wasting our time on b**l shit puzzles like this new one that is nothing but tedious work without delivering anything redeeming in its wake.

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  7. To solve this one, you have to really open your jaws, bite your teeth into it, and be knowledgeable about sports.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think we are both on the same track. Is your word regarding what is undesirable in clothing a bit arcane; notwithstanding, its'
      appearance in the thesaurus?

      Delete
    2. I don't know what word you might be referring to.

      By the way, I can think of at least three sports and at least one team related to the answer.

      Delete
    3. Jaws--alligator (thanks for enlightening me that it's actually a crocodile)
      3 sports--baseball (flaw=error, a common occurance in the national pasttime)
      lacrosse--close in spelling to Lacoste
      polo--another clothing brand that went through my mind on my way to a solution

      sports teams--since corrected, but the University of Florida Gators, the nickname for all of their sports teams.

      Delete
  8. Spoke to the server at the local waffle emporium. She laughed and said, "Anagram this, Zeke." Those folks are awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The iconic symbol many will no doubt recognize, but the name of the clothing company was not on the tip of my tongue. As to the "something you don't want", the word applies to almost any manufactured part. Not a great puzzle but the bar has been set rather low of late...

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  10. Guys, I've never posted here before, but I can't help suggesting a musical clue: Oginski's masterpieces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, now I get it. Very nice. Also enjoying the music. Thanks.

      Delete
  11. I kind of agree with SDB – puzzles of this sort are rather tedious and you don’t really learn much of anything in the process. I have spent no time on it and don’t intend to. But I do have a general question about puzzles like these if someone would be good enough to tell me what is customary.

    If the clothing company contains an A, B or C, you can’t move back 3 letters in the alphabet – you run past the beginning of the alphabet. So – if that’s the case, do you simply not use a name with and A, B or C in it, or do you go around the horn? I.e., move an A to an X, B to Y and C to Z?

    Chuck

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    Replies
    1. You don't use a, b, and c. And yes, after last week's entirely bogus puzzle, this one is a close runner-up.

      Delete
    2. I vote for going around the horn, as does Blaine's illustration, as does convention.

      Delete
    3. You wouldn't if you were a programmer :) It yields a different ASCII code (non-alphanumeric).

      Delete
    4. I always thought that Will should make it clear each time he presents a similar type puzzle that we should treat the alphabet as circular. If he gave that instruction each time, including it would not be a clue to the answer.

      Delete
    5. Treating this as a Caesar cipher, A,B,C would go back to the end of the alphabet as X,Y,Z, just like my picture.

      But the other assumption you could perhaps make is that the clothing company doesn't contain the letters A,B,C or else Will would have mentioned what to do in that case...

      Delete
    6. Sidenote only (no clue):
      "..Will would have mentioned what to do.."?? Blaine, please, I think you are being naive on that point. Years of comments on this site have demonstrated that one has to be mercenary. Will's definition of puzzle incorporates obfuscation by poor construction of any clue.

      Delete
  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. In honor (?) of last week's puzzle, rotate one letter of the intended answer 90 degrees clockwise and rearrange the result to name something you definitely don't want in an article of clothing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can hardly wait until Thursday.

      Delete
    2. I got annoyed trying to figure out what you meant; then I realized you were talking about operating not on the clothing company, but on the thing you don't want in an article of clothing.

      Delete
  14. You guys have me in tears. Musical clue - Sir Elton.

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  15. New here. Either I am missing something, or the hints posted are pointing at a different solution than mine...

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  16. Welcome, new guy. Yeah, you can sometimes spend as much time figuring out the clues as you do solving the puzzle. And we sometimes do go off on tangents. Just go with the flow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "And we do sometimes go off on tangents."

      We go off on tangents more than a very angry person yelling at George Hamilton and his twin brother in Florida. On the beach. At mid-day. In July.

      Delete
    2. While we sometimes go off on tangents, we always sine our work.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. You can find lots of tan gents on the Riviera.

      Delete
    5. Speaking of tangents, and going around in circles, and the late Tom Magliozzi, here's a recent Car Talk puzzler.

      Delete
    6. jan,
      The problem with that Car Talk puzzler is it requires too much horsing around.

      Delete
    7. The question is, "Can he or can't he?"
      And my first thought is, "Well, now, it's not going to be very much fun if he can't, now is it?"
      As I'm making my sketch, I'm thinking, "It's not the horsing around; perhaps it's the paucity of practical applications."

      No ... I think it's a damned good puzzle!

      Later.

      Delete
    8. The answer was as easy as Pi.

      Delete
    9. Keep in mind, it is easy to start a carrousel, but it takes more than a revolution to rein it in and there will be lots of ups and downs along the way.

      Delete
    10. If you name your kids Biff and Skip, what other problems really matter?

      Delete
  17. You all have been nau help, spanx for nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Seems there are different answers being proposed. Mine is full of life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine is full of an author.

      Delete
    2. IZOD >>> FLAW

      The reference to "in Florida" referred to FL or FLA, the abbreviations for that sunny state.

      Delete
  19. Izod --> fwla --> flaw

    On Monday I posted that I wasn’t going to spend any time on this puzzle. And I didn’t. But while running some errands Tuesday afternoon – not even consciously thinking about the puzzle - Izod just popped into my head. When I got home I couldn’t keep myself from looking at Blaine’s letter substitution wheel. When you’re hot you’re hot :)

    Chuck

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  20. Clothing Company: IZOD

    I>>>F
    Z>>>W
    O>>>L
    D>>>A

    "Something you don't want in an article of clothing," a FLAW

    My anagram clue: “awful” = flaw + u.

    Zeke's anagram clue: “waffle” = flaw + fe.

    T. Boy's anagram: FLAW>>>FLAΣ>>>FLEA

    I am surprised that no one managed to work “ZODIac” into his/her post!

    ReplyDelete
  21. IZOD > FLAW

    Famous in the 70s & 80s for the Lacoste crocodile on Polo shirts

    ReplyDelete
  22. IZOD -> FLAW

    > There's a historical coincidence involving today's answer.

    On November 9, 1822, the USS Alligator battled 3 pirate schooners off the coast of Cuba.

    > Food clue: Spanish chicken croquettes

    Like the guy on this pollo shirt knows, when playing either pollo or croquette, it's important to keep your mallet up in the air, not pointed at anybody. As Lincoln said, "With mallets toward none...."

    > I got annoyed trying to figure out what you meant

    Rotate the Z in IZOD 90 degrees clockwise and rearrange to get NOID. I don't want to get a noid.

    > Just go with the flow.

    Got away with 75% of a giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Better. I thought you meant a flea in your garment was annoying, but I guess it's a bee in your bonnet.

      Delete
  23. I did not solve the puzzle this week because I did not want to spend more than a few minutes on it. I thought it tedious nonsense. However, I see now that in fact I did stumble across the answer and did not recognize it. I quickly thought of flaws and, of course, got IODZV. The problem then became my not being familiar with IZOD, although I did consider it. From the hints, I kept trying to make POLO work, but MILL did not seem to work either. I hated this crap puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I tried Izod - but overlooked the part about rearranging the result - Doh!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I had HOT LUXX ==> LIQUEUR.

    ReplyDelete
  26. A fly and a flea in a flue
    Were caught, so what could they do?
    "Let us fly," said the flea.
    Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
    So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jan,

      You beat me to it. This has always been my favorite limerick, perhaps the best ever written. Quite Nashian.

      LegoFlueBug

      Delete
  27. I guess I was off: I had "irregular" and "Bio Oxford."

    ReplyDelete
  28. Now that we're revealing our answers, could share what lists we were using? Specifically, what list of clothing companies includes Izod? I couldn't find the name Izod on Wikipedia's Category:Clothing companies of the United States page, or it's Category:Clothing retailers of the United States page, or on clothingmadeinusablog's Listing of American clothing manufacturers – Retail page, from which I got Hot Luxx. (It was #215 on their Blouses/Tops/Dresses list.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Huh -- I usually cheat, and find a list on Wikipedia, but this time I just tried a couple of short clothing company names, and found it on the 3rd try, I think. I guess it's a good thing I didn't try a brute force search this time.

      Delete
    2. Here ya go, E&WAf:

      http://www.ranker.com/list/world_s-top-fashion-brands/business-and-company-info?var=2&utm_expid=16418821-69.nU0NdIugQ6K34Kl1oxGbpg.1&page=3&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ranker.com%2Flist%2Fworld_s-top-fashion-brands%2Fbusiness-and-company-info%3Fvar%3D2%26page%3D2

      That's one time I'm grateful to Google for watching my every move.

      Delete
    3. Luckily, I did not need a list this week. Since moving letters later in the alphabet is easier than moving them earlier, I started with the thing not desired and after tying hole and tear, I quickly got to flaw.
      Best clue this week: Paul’s elegantly simple “Later.”

      Delete
  29. Polo & mill (which can mean a "defect")

    ReplyDelete
  30. My first clue in response to Jan's comment about Bilbo and Frodo:
    Frodo Would Love Anagrams.

    To Spipper, I assume you were referring to crocodile tears and EJ's Crocodile Rock

    ReplyDelete
  31. Izod - flaw
    My hint involved the gang at waffle house. The server, an avid puzzler, pointed to the menu and said, "Anagram this, Zeke. "Of course she was referring to the word, waffle, printed on the front. She covered the extra f and the e.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was also a hint to IHOP being similar to IZOD.

      Delete
    2. I'll bet she's also an avid George Carlin fan.

      Delete
    3. zeke,

      I anagrammed "this" and got another "four-letter word." I thought you did that intentionally. Did you?

      LegoFullOfThis

      Delete
    4. I thought your waffle remark was hinting at Nike because their first sneakers soles were made in a garage on a waffle iron.

      Delete
    5. Surely you are referring to hits, like this blog has been full of hits lately.

      Delete
    6. zeke,
      Methinks you might not win in a spelling bee. :-)

      Delete
  32. The late clue that I deleted was,"An inhabitant of the Phantom Zone. "
    General Zod from Krypton was the second on the Google list. Too close for comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I do own a garment or two made by the company (Xmas gift), and I have seen polo shirts with reptilian insignia, but I arrived at an answer via a list (see my response to E&WAf above).
    Will used ALLIGATOR as an example in his on-air puzzle.
    Jack Izod created or invented or discovered the Windsor Knot, according to Wikipedia (don't know; wasn't there).
    LEE makes BIB overalls. Someone must want them, but I don't, and if you read the question carefully.....

    I don't need this! I'm a VIP! I wear YSL!

    And I've got a geometry problem to solve.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your comment yesterday shows that you understand the geometry problem correctly. Surely you have solved it by now!

      Delete
    2. I finally figured it out this morning, and then found confirmation this afternoon. I didn't cheat, honest!

      Delete
    3. What's interesting about the area of an annulus is that the radius of the inner circle doesn't matter. In the degenerate case, the inner circle is zero and the measured chord is the diameter. In other words, the area would be the same for a circle with a 35' radius. A = Ï€•35².

      Delete
    4. Not quite. Both radii “matter.”
      The area of an annulus with outer radius R and inner radius r, is Pi*(R^2-r^2). The chord, and the two radii form a right triangle with one leg equal to half the chord length (C/2), the other leg r, and a hypotenuse R.
      By the Pythagorean theorem, R2 = r^2 + (C/2)^2. Rearranging, (C/2)^2 = R^2-r^2, so the area of the annulus = Pi*(C/2)^2.

      Delete
    5. What I meant was all annuluses with the same chord length have the same area. So we could just set the inner circle to zero and the chord (length C) becomes the diameter. And it then follows that the area would be the standard circle area of Ï€(C/2)², just as you stated.

      Delete
  34. Tommy Boy - yes, that was what they both were referring to. And I referred to last week's puzzle as a crock of !*! Should have mentioned that the answer was in the center of my birth state (Izod Center in NJ).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Snipper, I liked your crock clue very much, especially as it riffed off the previous week's clock puzzle.

      I toyed with Crocs, the shoes, and "IShod," but couldn't quite get there. Busy week.

      Delete
  35. My first clue was Cyclops, which has only 1 eye. Humans have two eyes (eyes even, but Cyclops has "eyes odd").

    Above Leo said his answer is full of life. I responded that mine was full of an author, that is the middle of Izod is "zo", the middle of flaw is "la", therefore "Zola" (Emile).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you sure? I always thought Emilezola was a brand of cooking oil.

      Delete
    2. I'm pretty sure that Emile Zola married Medusa Gorgon Zola, the cheese heiress.

      Delete
    3. You're right! I almost forgot about that cheesy wedding reception they had.

      Delete
  36. The answer has something in common with last week's incorrect puzzle. When you write "IZOD" using the numbers on a digital clock, it reads "12:00," which is ones of the times that Will neglected in saying that "only" his four times on an analog clock form Roman numerals.

        _    _    _
    |   _|  |  |  |  |
    |  |_   |_|  |_|

    ReplyDelete
  37. David - I liked your clue. It appears the answer was right in front of our "eyes-odd"ly enough.

    ReplyDelete
  38. My question re: biogeography: why are crocodiles found worldwide but alligators are found only in the U.S. and in China?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wanna see how Magdalen takes to a proposal of BIOGEOGRAPHY?

      Your venture or mine?

      Delete
    2. I decided to try it myself:

      Oops! There are no matches for “biogeograhy”.
      Please try refining your search.

      No reason to trouble Magdalen with it.

      Delete
    3. Hmmmm, "biogeography images" in Google scored at least four score images.

      This was my favorite. Scroll down a little to penguins talking about the lemurs. It's worth it.

      Delete
    4. I got much better results on Flickr when I spelled biogeography correctly.

      Delete
  39. Next week's challenge: Name a country. Drop one of its letters. Rearrange the remaining letters to name this country's money. What is it?

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  40. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  41. I was pretty slow this morning. It took 47.24 seconds

    ReplyDelete
  42. Could someone tell me why Solo (cycling clothes company) - pill (as a bobble) is not a legitimate answer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP,

      I cannot speak for Dr. Shortz, but I Will anyway. He would probably claim that Solo is not a sufficiently "well-known clothing company."

      SoloLambda

      Delete
    2. Yeah... I would say (and of course, it's in the eye of the beholder) that BOTH Izod and Solo are about as "well-known" as 4:07 looks like "C." But who am I to judge.

      Delete
  43. Although very late by now, I just have to mention
    this (silly) solution to the puzzle:

    WRANGLER == TOXKDIBO == (the) BOTOX KID or KID BOTOX

    Although I don't know who the "Botox Kid" is,
    I'm sure that finding him in one's clothing would
    scare the Wranglers right off the best of us.

    ReplyDelete

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.