Sunday, July 24, 2016

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2016): Men's Kitchen Attire

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2016): Men's Kitchen Attire:
Q: A spoonerism is an interchange of initial consonant sounds in a phrase to get another phrase, as in "light rain" and "right lane." Name something seen in a kitchen in two words. Its spoonerism is an article that's worn mostly by men. What is it?
The problem I had was that the name I would have used for the kitchen item has the same initial sounds. And what I would have called the men's item would have the same initial sounds. Thus they would both be spoonerisms of themselves, not each other.

Edit: I'd probably call the kitchen item a pie pan and the clothing item a tie tack.
A: PIE TIN --> TIE PIN

191 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.

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  2. I am thinking real, imaginary, and natural. ---Rob

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  3. Replies
    1. I understand why the Car Talk Puzzlers are all repeats, but what's Will's excuse?

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    2. Perhaps Will wanted in on the plagiarizing theme this week, so he decided to "plagiarize" himself.



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    3. Perhaps the puzzle checkers are just inept?

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    4. Will ought to hire us!

      As to puzzle checkers, apparently there is a game called Chuzzle. . .

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    5. As to inept puzzle checkers, the Sunday Puzzle web page, with the new puzzle, still says "Include a phone number where we can reach you Wednesday, July 21, at 3 p.m. ET." (And July 21 was a Thursday, of course.)

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    6. That's two reruns in a row. The Nancy Pelosi was used in 2006.

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  4. A quaint puzzle.

    Bonus Puzzle: Name something that describes Ted Cruz last week; its spoonerism is something many want to say to Donald Trump.

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    Replies
    1. I'm stuck on a spoonerism for "drop dead".

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    2. NO HOPE = HO (a woman) NOPE

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    3. That wasn't it? It must be a SOILED SPEAKER and a SPOILED SEEKER...

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    4. Your man Bernie may wish he could simply drop dead when CurlyShultz gets her clutches on him. He and that WikiLeaks fellow are crossways with the wrong bunch this time. No puzzle to that one.

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  5. Figured this out pretty quick then went to play golf. Left my clubs behind.

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    Replies
    1. What kind of golf do you play without clubs? Frisbee golf. Frisbees were originally PIE TINs.

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  6. Well, it's not the pintsize JELLY BEANS that are often found in the kitchen and the BELLY JEANS that are mostly worn by men...

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  7. My kitchen is stocked with OATMEALS. A man's home is his castle, and my defenses are stocked with MOAT EELS. (As Dino said, "That's a moray!")

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    Replies
    1. MOAT EELS are bright enough to make a lamp pray.

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  8. My kitchen has a cereal bowl, and I'm a beery ol' soul.

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  9. The non-Spoonerism I thought of first was HOT TAP and TOP HAT.

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    Replies
    1. And just why doesn't that work in your opinion? It is a Spoonerism, just not as WS incorrectly describes them.

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  10. The answer to this is simple and childish and Will has never correctly described what a Spoonerism is, but that being said, I came up with a far more elegant answer than the intended one, but due to the phrasing Shortz used it will not be accepted, although an argument can be made that it does indeed fit the parameters.

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    Replies
    1. A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched between two words in a phrase.

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  11. This isn’t one of Will’s tougher puzzles. Tough to think of a good clue that isn’t close to a dead giveaway though...

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  12. How have I not come up with the answer yet? I've literally gone through every item in a kitchen and every possible male-oriented piece of clothing...

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    Replies
    1. Both the kitchen item and the clothing item are known by multiple names.

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    2. I'm starting to think I actually do not know what the clothing item is - so I can't get it... Why are the easy ones always the hardest?

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    3. Clothing? Who said anything about clothing?

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  13. I'm an occasional user of the kitchen item. As a man, I don't think I've ever worn the full two word item.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Have you ever worn the item as a woman?

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    3. I was going to ask Snipper that, eco, but thought it was a little snarky. (snittle larky?)

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    4. Haha. I have worn a pea coat and kippot (yarmulkes).

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  14. Movie clue: The Secret of NIMH.

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    Replies
    1. I'm going to need the National Institute of Mental Health after this stupid puzzle!

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  15. I've come up with a possible answer. But, the device is not exclusive to the kitchen, and is unlikely to be used by an adult member of the household. In fact, I think it might be frequently used in a garage or enclosed porch.

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  16. I'm guessing anywhere from 50 to 3141 correct answers will be submitted this week.

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    Replies
    1. The last time they ran this puzzle, Liane reported "just a few hundred entries". (Please don't ask "Liane who?")

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    2. I miss Liane! And she enjoyed the puzzles. . .

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  17. I haven't gotten this supposedly easy puzzle yet. Any suggestions on where I might look up the answer?

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    Replies
    1. Really?? Do you know what a search engine is?

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    2. Patrick, I actually FOUND the prior puzzle (quite a while ago, though) with its answer.. if you start Googling the proper words, you can probably find it too. It does appear in TINY print, though....

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    3. Thank you. Knowing it was a repeat really helped. I miss Liane too. --Margaret G.

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  18. In response to jan's stupid question, yes dumbass, I know what a search engine is!

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    Replies
    1. Well, then, lazy, try typing three key words into Google, and you'll see the previous puzzle on the first page of hits.

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    2. Not necessarily, jan. I think Google tailors its searches to the individual user. Even if you don't have an account, I think they can hack into your brain waves.

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    3. Naturally, I had to speculate about the possibility of wearing a pie tin (or something similar).

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    4. This Sydney Opera House Hat, made from 5 paper plates, is fun, too.

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  19. VT, I don't know where you're looking that it actually has the answer to this stupid puzzle, but I can't find it! I know what words to Google, but it's not going to give me an answer.

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    Replies
    1. I don't think there is much more I can tell you without giving it away (I can't even actually remember, at this point, what exact words I typed. The trick is to see the same puzzle, essentially on the Google page, then note the DATE and go after that.

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    2. Actually, I think it is a rather disappointing answer...I never would have thought of the kitchen item at all.

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  20. You know what? I don't need this. I have two doctor's appointments coming up this week and the next. I sure as hell don't need this.

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    Replies
    1. PJB - I only found a search engine useful after I figured out the answer. As WW noted this is a repeat puzzle, but you'd have to use the Wayback Machine to find the original.

      I first thought of single words that rhymed (WS doesn't use SDB's more complex Spoonerisms) that fit the criteria. Like Blaine I struggled with the other word, not the most common for either element.

      Fun and useless fact: last Friday, July 22 would have been Reverend Spooner's 142 birthday.

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    2. Spooner was also albino, which contributed to his very poor eyesight, which may have, in turn, contributed to his original spoonerizing.

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    3. Are you saying he had sore pie sight?

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    4. Last Friday, July 22, was relevant to this puzzle in another way, too.

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  21. Replies
    1. Makes me nostalgic for "To Sir, With Love."

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    2. That was a food gilm, but even wetter buzz, To Stir With Glove, starring Pidney Soitie in the peed lart. At thiest I lot sow.

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    3. You've gone wog hild with spe thoonerisms, sdb!!

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    4. All this Sidney talk reminds me of the new cooking fraternity, Pidney Chi.

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    5. Spoonerizing with a touch of forkery?

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    6. Me no speak with torqued fung.

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    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    8. Clavell gave it right to me. Strange how you can't think of the answer until just the right hint comes along.

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    9. You should have told me earlier, patjberry, I was under the impression you didn't want any hints.

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  22. It may be immature but, my wife and I were laughing at the "art fair" sign near our home.

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    Replies
    1. If you and your wife were truly immature you would have pulled over and actually done something to improve that sign. I'm sure you two could have found a way to reach up and fix it. :-)

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  23. Spin-off puzzle:

    Take the solution in the form of the item worn by men. Now, think of two words that are synonyms of each other. Put one of these synonyms before the first word of the solution and the other after the second last word. The result will be that the first two words and the last two words each form (at least phonetically) common words or phrases. What are the synonyms?

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  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  25. Second Ponus Buzzle (real easy):

    Spoonerize the first and last name of a well-known politician to get their pronunciation of a recreational activity. Hardly original, but I don't think it made it to this blog.

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    Replies
    1. I came up with that one way back in the day and I must have posted it here too.

      skydiveboy Wed Jan 16, 09:12:00 PM PST

      No. That was Parasalin.

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    2. That was in 2013, but I came up with it when she was running with that Arizona idiot years earlier.

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    3. Dang. I searched the blog for "parasailing", "parasailin", and just plain "para", but I didn't try your atrocious spelling, and I guess the machine only checks for full words. Should have known you'd done it.

      Okay party smants: Bird Thonus:

      Spoonerize a well-known author to get someone who builds religiously.

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    4. If one accepts Mormon as being a true religion.

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    5. How about Spoonerizing the name of a famous American author describing a place where mythical humanoid creatures live in a very dark place indeed.

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    6. Ah, America's Sweetheart!

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    7. ron,
      Did you miss my giveaway hint above?

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    8. Correct! The only one I ever saw was named Ethel.

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  26. Now that I've finally found the answer, I think I can safely point out that most grill-y sins are committed in the backyard or on the patio, rather than in the kitchen (with acknowledgements to jan's previous quip).

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  27. I own both these things, but the last time I used either was a long, long time ago.

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  28. Reading some of the entries on Richard Renner's old page shows a lot about the (d)evolution of the Sunday Puzzle.

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  29. We will be running a fresh new skydiveboy puzzle in Puzzleria! this Friday.

    We will also run a few “Riffing/Ripping Off Shortz” puzzles this Friday. But here, to whet your appetite, is a simple sample of what to expect:

    Name something seen in a kitchen in two words. Its spoonerism is a two-word description of of a celebrity stalker with binoculars and a crowbar. What is it?

    LegoBelievesThatThisGuy’sKitchenIsWellStockedWithThese!

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  30. For another rip-off. Name someone who works in a restaurant kitchen. Spoonerise to get a depressing personality...

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    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. As noted below to coolinacrisis, my understanding is a Spoonerism should be a shift of pronunciation, not spelling.

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  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  32. No clue here, but I use one of these to scare away annoying pigeons!

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  33. How about a kitchen appliance and Santa Clause's hopeful reindeer?

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    Replies
    1. Are yours and SuperZee's more of a spelling Spooner than a pronunciation Spooner? At least outside of Boston (Bahstan)?

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    2. Good point, eco, about the distinction between pronunciation and spelling spoonerisms. My answer to SuperZee's nifty rip-off is a "Spelling Spooner" in which one of the words for the "depressing personality" is the name of one of the nine reindeer. I haven't solved coolinacrisis's nifty rip-off yet.

      LegoNotesThatTheSpellingOfTwoOfSanta'sReindeerHaveVariants

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    3. Ah, Word Woman is a smart solver for both SuperZee and me!

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  34. I see lots of us are on the same wavelength, proving the old adage that great minders think alike.

    Burger, anyone?

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  35. We got after an hour of deep thought. Had it been a woman's clothing item we'd have gone for jelly beans and belly jeans!

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  36. Y'know what I hate? When you're just trying to play a nice little game of catch, you know, back and forth, back and forth, it's fun, no winners, no losers, just, whoops! that one went a little wild, can I catch it? Yesss!! A little bit of spin on this one ... etc., and then some clown comes along and parks his hot dog cart smack dab in the middle of your operation.
    There oughta be a law!

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    Replies
    1. ...a law establishing a biz-free Frisbie zone.
      I failed to specify the shape of the object being thrown back and forth. Sorry.

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    2. Paul, the Ultimate answer. . .

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  37. I guess I'll find out just what that law oughta be.

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  38. Bill Clinton is giving his speech at the DNC. I just heard him say back when he was in Yale, as was Hillary, he drove her home to meet her parents. Now, come on! Are we to believe she didn't know who her parents were?

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  39. One part of the answer sounds like you'd have to know something about math and the periodic table. The other part sounds like, in two words, how you might write the answer if you're using a computer.

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    Replies
    1. Wow, you put a lot of effort into this effortless puzzle

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    2. Wow, you put a lot of effort into this effortless puzzle

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  40. Reverse spoonerism: Take something found in the kitchen. Spoonerize it and reverse the words. The result is something you might listen to. What is it?

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    Replies
    1. It has to be either reason or authority, right?

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  41. Reverse spoonerism: Take something found in the kitchen. Spoonerize it and reverse the words. The result is something you might listen to. What is it?

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    Replies
    1. That was not the one I had in mind. I think there's a better answer.

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    2. SALAD BOWL>>>SOUL BALLAD

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    3. Nice one, ron. We also always enjoy your puzzles on Puzzleria!

      LegoWhoLikesStrawberriesAndOtherJuicyFruitInHisSoulBallad

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    4. I had shocked, shocked that Ron didn't get the first bonus puzzle....

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  42. If Donald Trump had been running for the nomination against Martin Luther King instead of Ted Cruz, would he have called him Lion King rather than Lyin' Ted?

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  43. Being a New York City dweller, this spoony hits close to home:

    Tough Rent vs. Rough Tent

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    Replies
    1. I have been noticing this week that some this not seem to understand that a Spoonerism has little to do with changing consonants or spelling, but it is simply switching sounds in words, but not changing pronunciations.

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    2. No offense, but, you are one smart feller.

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  44. Or SDB could be considered a shining wit!

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    Replies
    1. patjberry:

      PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT MISS YOUR TWO DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS.

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  45. Never gave a thought to saying "This is the fun part!" before. . .

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    Replies
    1. Funny how quickly things digress to scatological humor. I suppose there's worse than a loopy punchline.

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    2. Sorry about that. I take full responsibility for path taken.

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    3. No worries, loop. Fair to midden here.

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  46. sdb:
    Have you ever met Luke Aikins from Tacoma?

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    Replies
    1. I never even heard of him until last weekend at a local wine tasting where the young wine steward who has fewer than a hundred jumps mentioned the upcoming idiot jump. He wanted to know what I thought about it. I asked if anyone had actually checked to see if he really does have that many jumps, but he didn't want to address my concern. The sport is filled with guys who brag about all the jumps they don't really have, and they do not log them either. I remember someone way back saying, "Why is it all the jumpers with the most jumps don't log them?" I have always meticulously logged all my skydives, and many jumpers who did not personally know me could not understand how I could have so many jumps living in this rainy area, but I forced a USPA official to meet with me and prove it to him. I set the meeting with him at a restaurant. He did not want to meet with me because he was one of those denouncing me, but would deny it. I insisted he do it as it was part of his job. When I arrived at the restaurant he was already waiting in the foyer. I held out my hand but he refused to shake it. We were seated at a table and I returned to my car and returned with several large boxes of documentation from the dropzone filled with student waivers and plane load forms for individual loads and my log books and on and on and on. When we left the restaurant he could not stop shaking my hand and spread the word everywhere he went from then on until his death that I actually had the jumps.

      I think people who do crazy stuff like base jumping give the sport of skydiving a bad name. They die frequently, but the public pays little attention to that.

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  47. I am just so happy we have a presidential nominee who can so glibly "joke" about enticing our enemies to spy on our government officials. Why oh why couldn't Nevil Chamberlain have used a little more levity in his dealings with Herr Hitler just prior to WWII? Despots are people too. Ours will just play the Trump card more often.

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  48. PIE TIN > TIE PIN

    My more elegant answer: CANNED HAM > HAND CAM

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  49. PIE TIN >>> TIE PIN

    "Y2K" referred to the year when this puzzle was first presented by Will. I did not intend to reveal what my clue referred to until today but the cat was let out of the bag sooner.

    I remembered the puzzle from 2000. I duckduckgoed "NPR puzzle spoonerism kitchen" to find this page. It's fun to look over the small set of archives.

    "Headline" referred to this newspaper headline for classified ads from 1930.

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  50. A PIE TIN (Pie Pan) is normally found in the kitchen and spoonerizes to TIE PIN (Tie Clip), an article mostly worn by men.

    My “giveaway” clue: “PINTSIZE” = PIN + TIE when the S & Z are removed...

    The Missios spin-off puzzle: BOW TIE & PINFOLD. Bow (capitulate, bow out) = Fold.

    Lego's Spoonerism: FRYING PAN>>>PRYING FAN.

    I suspect that SDB has a “Tie Pin” (lapel pin) from his membership in the CATERPILLAR CLUB. You are, along with John Glenn and others, a member, aren't you?

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    Replies
    1. ron:

      No, I am not a member, although I always thought it would be fun to be and have the pin. This is a club where membership is unplanned and cannot be controlled. The first time I had access to a parachute while in an airplane was on a military flight from Seattle to Tampa on December 31, 1963 and January 1, 1964 that I hopped in order to return to crypto training in Georgia at the end of my Xmas leave. Had the plane puked I would have qualified for the pin. I knew a friend of the family when I was a child who qualified for the pin in a big way, but most likely never knew it existed. I have numerous skydiving pins, some of which I wear on suits and my tux, but lots of them are too large to wear in good taste. I also have a couple of pins no one else has that were made specifically for me by the manufacturer and inventor of Tandem parachutes, Ted Strong of Strong Enterprises. Most people do not know of the Caterpillar Club.

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  51. PIE TIN, TIE PIN, just as it was when this puzzle ran on February 6, 2000.

    Googling "spoonerism", "kitchen", and "puzzle" produced a link to the original airing on the first page of hits.

    > Movie clue: The Secret of NIMH.

    Based on the book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The Frisbee flying disk was named for the Frisbie Pie Company, which supplied pies to Yale University, whose students discovered the aerodynamic properties of the empty pie tins.

    >> Fun and useless fact: last Friday, July 22 would have been Reverend Spooner's 142 birthday.

    > Last Friday, July 22, was relevant to this puzzle in another way, too.

    22/7 is Pie, er, Pi Approximation Day.

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  52. I tossed out the word "sweetheart" after discovering the Y2K week corresponding to this puzzle's previous incarnation.

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  53. I used the term "inept" for puzzle checkers; it contains all the letters in the puzzle answer (of course with 2 i's, like most of us except Peter Falk).

    Bonus Puzzle: Ted Cruz was a "booed guy", and many want to say "goodbye" to DT. Or "good buy" considering the bargain price he paid for the nomination.

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  54. I wrote, "I am thinking real, imaginary, and natural." Pi is a real number; i is an imaginary number; and ten is a natural number. Anagram pi i ten. ---Rob

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  55. I think nearly complete and very detailed is a better description of the Topica resource than "small set."

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    Replies
    1. Ah, I see, Mendo Jim, that there are many more than the two dozen or so weeks displayed on just one page on my phone.

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    2. And, under "Suggested Links" on the newer NPR Sunday puzzle Google group which followed the Topica group, Blaine's Puzzle Blog is listed as "snarky takes on the listener challenges." . . .

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    3. . . .who like Harskey and Stutch?

      Anyone here following the NPR Puzzle Google group?

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  56. Juice Packet and Puce Jacket.

    Oh, *now* I remember the pie tin answer. And I remember then that I thought it was easy.

    I miss Lianne who did enjoy the puzzle. I find Rachel ' s psych-out introductions to be patronizing and actually very offensive. I don't think she can comprehend some people like puzzles.

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    Replies
    1. Wow, I'm so glad you agree with me on Rachel's obnoxious tone. I can't believe they let her partially cover DNC.

      I recommend another maternity leave.

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  57. My non-clue fact: I actually do use pie tins to keep pigeons away from the windowsill. They're not big fans of shiny objects.

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    Replies
    1. coolinacrisis,

      Well, the pigeons may be annoying, but a least they are not Yahoos!
      I had a mental picture of you waving pie tins in the air like a windmill run amok, occasionally nicking the occasional annoyingly too-bold pigeon in the beak!

      My secondary mental picture had you sticking the pigeons with tie pins... not as effective.

      LegoWhoseMentalPictureOfcoolinacrisisHasHimResenblingWalterPidgeon

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    2. Now that you mention, sticking wooden chopsticks (perhaps cousins of tie pins, twice removed) into windowsill planters is a great way to keep those vermin away!

      Be aware that NYC pigeons do gossip, as I've been having to protect my head walking down the street...or in the Park

      #coolinacrisisAKAWalterAntiPidgeonWhoHasLEGOtattoo

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    3. This talk of pie tins and pigeons makes me think of, "...four and twenty black birds..."

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    4. This talk of pie tins and pigeons makes me think of, "...four and twenty black birds..."

      Delete
  58. I submitted hot tap, top hat. I know it was not accepted because it fails to meet Will’s definition of a Spoonerism. But like the die-hard Bernie supporters, I still like it best :)

    BTW, now I do remember when the pie tin puzzle first ran.

    ReplyDelete
  59. PIE TIN, TIE PIN
    My clues had to do with pi, tin, and "type in".
    One doctor's appointment down, one to go.
    Sodium is not my problem anymore. Sodium phosphate is.

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    Replies
    1. patjberry,

      Consider yourself lucky. My problem used to be odium. But now I have come to the realization that I must accept my odium as fate.

      LegoWhoCanNowLiveWithHimselfButDoesNotActuallyLikeHimself

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  60. PIE TIN/TIE PIN
    What confused me was my habit of calling the first a Pie Pan, and the second a Tie Tack. It seems Blaine has the same issue, ergo his comment that the terms spoonerise themselves.

    My literary clue....James Clavell was a pointer to his book Tai-Pan (leading, hopefully not to directly, to Pie Pan..)

    Lego's rip off of a crowbar wielding celebrity stalker is a Frying Pan/Prying Fan.

    And my depressing kitchen worker is a Dish Washer/Wish Dasher.

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  61. My heavy handed hint centered on 50 as the atomic number for tin and 3141 being the first four digits of pi.

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  62. So, the answer to my original spinoff puzzle was PAD and CUSHION. The when placed around TIE PIN, you get PAD TIE (THAI) PIN CUSHION.

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  63. For the actual puzzle I was wondering if Thai tea and tie tee would work but it's the same "tee" sound.

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    Replies
    1. Snipper,
      I contend that you have a kosher answer there, according to Will's "spoonerism" definition:
      A spoonerism is an interchange of initial consonant sounds in a phrase to get another phrase, as in "light rain" and "right lane."

      You interchanged the initial consonant sounds to go from "Thai tea" to "tie tee." It makes no difference that the sounds are the same. You can still interchange them! Your answer is ingenious.

      You deserve a box o' lapel pins, also known as Thai tax.

      LegoLambdaWhoseNameSpoonerizesToLegoLambda

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  64. It’s Friday. Puzzleria! is now uploaded. (Click “Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! on Blaine’s PUZZLE LINKS.)
    We offer 11 puzzles this week.

    Our feature puzzle is by skydiveboy. It is titled “Hickory dickory doc, and please iron my lab frock.” You’ll find it beneath our main MENU.

    A quintet of “ripping-off-Shortz” puzzles is titled “Try licking these kitchen spoonerisms.”

    Our other puzzle titles are:
    “Lead foot meets metal floorboard,”
    “Talking heads on four legs,”
    “Branding a second fiddle,”
    “Goeth Pride…” and
    “Olympilackadaisical.”

    Please drop by and puzzle with us.

    LegoLambdadaisical

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    Replies
    1. I was this week's winner. Having sent entries since 1993, I was in shock and denial when I got called Thursday. Incidentally, I was called right around 2 PM Eastern time, I learned that they may impose an earlier deadline than 3 PM. I enjoyed the experience a great deal.

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    2. Congrats, ronsaturday! Please tell us more. . .

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    3. Congratulations! That is interesting about the unannounced early deadline. I wonder if NPR's lawyers know about that! (Of course, the NPR Sunday Puzzle web page still says that the deadline is Wednesday, July 21, at 3 p.m. ET, even though July 21 was last week and was a Thursday.) When I got the call, it was about 3:15 p.m., or so. Anyone else ever get an early call?

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    4. Yeah, I did this morning when some scammer posing as an IRS agent woke me up very early. I know we are not supposed to kill, but wouldn't this be an exception?

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    5. That's wonderful, ronsaturday! Looking forward to listening.

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    6. SDB: You could have done like Hillary did when she got the 3 a.m. call. Worked on an alibi.

      Delete
    7. GB,
      I see we both have something in common. We both have no idea what YOU are talking about.

      Delete
  65. I'd never heard of mistress dispelling, but I have a dyslexic colleague who often experiences misspelling distress.

    ReplyDelete
  66. One thing you should also know is that I submitted the winning entry about 11 AM Eastern Time on Thursday, so it's definitely a valid day to submit entries, but my call at 2 PM ET Thursday suggests that they did wrap it an hour early,at least this one time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Way to go, ronsaturday. I will be listening intently Sunday to your on-air heroics, and pulling for you after the fact (like cheering during a Super Bowl replay that was VCRed/Tivoed/Downloaded!).

      LegoLog:ronGetsTheCallOnThursday,TapesTheSegmentOnFriday,PreparesHisSanyoAudioCassetteRecorderOnSaturday,AndWowsTheVastNationalPublicRadioAudienceOnSunday!

      Delete
    2. Great job, ronsaturday!

      My question is, after you answered the phone call did you have to play the puzzle immediately or did NPR give you a little bit of time to put your thinking cap on?

      Delete
  67. Next week's challenge, from Ed Pegg Jr. of mathpuzzle.com: Take the four four-letter words LIMB, AREA, CORK and KNEE. Write them one under the other, and the four columns will spell four new words LACK, IRON, MERE, and BAKE.

    This is called a double word square. I'd like you to find a double word square with 6-letter words. Specifically, your square must include the words PONIES, ACCEPT, SEARED and CAVIAR. These four words must be among the 12 common, uncapitalized six-letter words in the square. Can you do it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have an answer. I wonder if there's more than one.

      Delete
    2. "Can you do it?"

      I am going to submit "yes" as my answer.

      Delete
    3. Hint for my answer: revolution.
      I hope that's not a giveaway.

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    4. I think I can say that PONIES, ACCEPT, SEARED and CAVIAR can't all be on rows (or all on columns) in the answer.

      Delete
    5. Are you saying that you have a solution where all four words appear horizontally (or all vertically)?

      Delete
    6. I thought they had to be, given Will's example. However, in rereading the puzzle, I see that is not a stipulation. Thanks, jan, that made things easier.

      Delete
  68. Replies
    1. Yes, you so rocked today, you should change your handle to ronsunday!

      Delete
    2. Or perhaps ronfriday...(since Sunday's NPR broadcast is an audio-tape replay of a Friday event).

      LegJoe"JustTheFacts,Ma'am"Friday

      Delete

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.