Sunday, May 07, 2017

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 7, 2017): Medical Procedure Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 7, 2017): Medical Procedure Puzzle:
Q: Name a familiar medical procedure in nine letters. You can rearrange these letters to name two people who might get this procedure. The answer consists of informal names for these people. Who are they?
Using an anagram solver, I came up with an alternate pair of names. I'll tell you more next week.

Edit: The word "anagram" was a hint. And the alternate answer it came up with was MOMMA and GRAM.
A: MAMMOGRAM --> GRAMMA + MOM

157 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 can't be bothered with this right now as I have a rather pressing engagement, but I feel the answer is right on the tip of my tongue.

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  3. I bounced around a few ideas in my head and then it became apparent to me that this puzzle is easier than I thought.

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  4. If you say the two names together (in the right order) it sounds like a kid's pronunciation of the synonym of one of them. ---Rob

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  5. One success: no more guests on the puzzle.

    Two disappointments: 1) no posting of alternate solutions to the Billboard, might have been fun reading, and 2) this week's puzzle, which bears further scrutiny.

    Par for the course.

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    Replies
    1. Will did read two more runner up entries on the air. I too was expecting to read quite a few on the website, as in past creative challenges.

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    2. I concur with eco and Berf. Reading all the runners-up is always a hoot. None of my three entries were runner-up-worthy. I'm sure, but you can find them here near the beginning of my "Ripping Off Shortz Slices."

      LegoHoweverDidEnjoyHearingTheCleverWinningAndRunnerUpEntriesThatWillDidReveal

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    3. I'm disappointed too about that. I don't know if any of my entries were even considered at all as runners-up. Oh well. It was great to take part.

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    4. I dare say not having a runner-up list to look at, I'm totally crushed.(There's a hint in this post.)

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  6. The puzzle's wording actually provides a clue to its answers.

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  7. My post from the end of last week's thread: The answer my friends, is blowin' in the wind. And, it's also somewhere in this alphabetical list: http://www.medicinenet.com/procedures_and_tests/alpha_a.htm

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  8. although an ENDOSCOPY (EGD) might be given to DOPEY or to CONS,or a MASECTOMY might be given to MOM or STACEY, I do have the intended answer.

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    Replies
    1. No, "mastectomy" is 10 letters, but an INJECTION might be given to either JENNI or
      COTI.

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    2. Right, but what is a masectomy? Just a made up word?

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    3. Click on MASECTOMY above.

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    4. The link took me to a page where people misspelled mastectomy.

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    5. You call it a misspelling, I call it many different uses and axamples of the word "masectomy."

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    6. Gotcha. Sort of like calling an airplane a watermelon. Words have very loose meanings and can basically mean whatever you'd like them to mean. Makes sense.

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    7. Right! I was once going to start an airplane manufacturing business using watermelons, but I couldn't get the seed money.

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    8. When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'

      'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

      'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master — that's all.'

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    9. Word Woman again with one of her hatchet jobs!

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    10. Quite a large collection of oxymorons there WW.

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    11. Alternate answers, alternate spellings, alternate facts...

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    12. Axamples of a word” are examples of a word with a letter “chopped off.”(masectomy) I thought that would be clear, but only WW seems to have understood. “Axamples of a word” is similar to “eggsamples” of a certain Easter activity which was wildly popular in the press.

      Delete
  9. If an answer is more than one word, Will usually states how many words there are and the length of each. Since he did not provide this information this time, should we assume the answer is a single word?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, the procedure could be a Chest-xray.

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  10. And speaking of medical procedures, Chuck's having cataract surgery in one eye this week. So well wishes all around, I hope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had both eyes done last May. Just be sure to take all the drops and on time. I wish you well on your vision quest.

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    2. All the best in surgery, Chuck.

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    3. I've had both eyes done also. I wish you good luck, Chuck.

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    4. Yes, Chuck. Wishing well wishes to you. I see clairvoyance in your future.

      LegoSincere

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    5. Dave, it reminds me of the back and forth a few weeks ago about how Santa Fe is/is not located on Route 66.

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    6. I need cataract done soon too. Scary.

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    7. Phaco news!

      (Good luck, Chuck, though you'll likely not need it. The surgery is usually well tolerated and successful.)

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  11. France is saved!

    Now Trump can hire Le Pen to help bring our country together.

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    Replies
    1. American news has been reporting all afternoon that Marcon is the youngest ruler ever of France. Apparently they never heard of Napoleon.

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    2. The mistake by l'aile droite (everything sounds sexier in French) is you have to destroy the educational system and get people hooked on mind-numbing TV fluff FIRST, and only THEN can you terrify them, destroy the economy and their future, and finally get them to vote for your outrageous ideas and their ultimate destruction.

      Of course the Germans didn't eviscerate the education system first 80 years ago, but their economy was seriously ravaged with a little outside help...

      As Trump Don-John (aka Our Fear Leader) said in Nashville, "Time for us to embrace our glorious national destiny." Watch out Canada, with climate change (that doesn't exist) we're going to need some serious lebensraum!

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    3. En Marche, yes, France votes "non" to Frexit...

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  12. I feel like I may have an advantage on solving this puzzle. --Margaret G.

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  13. I wish we has something other than this utter nonsense to work on.

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  14. It will surprise many (most?) Blainesvillians, especially those who have peered behind my screen name, to learn I've had this procedure twice.

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  15. LuLu did mention lots of input about last week's show and then, thankfully, no "celebrity guest."
    Would PM deign to expand? Is this your first time here?

    I suppose it is not too late to look for a post of runners-up. It is the only thing that might bring the wasted two weeks some value.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't been able to find any myself. Does anybody know where we could find a site showing them? I don't know where else to look outside the NPR or Will Shortz sites.

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  16. If this puzzle causes an erection lasting over four hours you should see a mental health professional right away.

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  17. Excuse me whilst i get my cat scanned https://laughingsquid.com/cat-scan-or-copy-cat/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't forget to take your retriever in for his Lab work

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  18. For those seeking enlightenment... aka "a hint" here in Blainesville:
    What Babe Ruth's birthplace was named after
    Sim Sala Bim. Thank you...

    LegoWhoWelcomesYour"Your'reWelcomes"ButDoesNotCraveOrRequireThem...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Super Ball, Slip 'N Slide, Silly String...
      Batman punches Joker or Robin smites Riddler.
      Gracias...

      LegoWhoSinceHisGoldenShpCameInWantsAllTheWorldToWinAPin

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. I'm getting nowhere with this puzzle.

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    Replies
    1. I think one pressing point I'd make about this puzzle is that one of the "informal names" seems to be a less common spelling/pronunciation variation. And, these aren't proper names, like Cynthia, or Ms Smith.

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    2. I got it eventually ... with a little help from my friends.

      I think it's Mom & Gramma ... or is it Momma & Gram ... or Ma & Grammom???

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    3. Thanks, Paul. That gave me a laugh

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  20. What's really interesting about this medical procedure are the tattoos often used to cover up the scarring.

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    Replies
    1. We might have different answers. The procedure I submitted generally doesn't result in scars.

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    2. You are right to correct me. I actually do have the right answer. It was all the mastectomy talk I was referring to. I just submitted my reply in the wrong spot in the chat. My bad.

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  21. Creative challenge for this week: in October 1973 Nixon launched what became known as the "Saturday Night Massacre". The challenge is to come up with a new name for yesterday afternoon's event. Some examples:
    The DeComeyssioning (best said with a Peter Lorre accent)
    The Tuesday Afternoon Internecion

    Entries will be judged on cleverness, naturalness of reading, memorableness and overall elegance. All entries belong to ME!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is closing down May 21st, do you think the midgets will go on to a short acting career?

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    2. Ironic that the elephants won't be all under the big tent.

      How about calling it The Extwerpation?

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    3. Trump cleans house at F.B.I. and didn't need a Hoover to sack Comey, although some in Congress think it still sucks.

      Delete
    4. Tuesday afternoon Moody Blues for Comey.

      Delete
    5. eco,
      While "the elephants won't be all under the big tent," the final performance still promises to intense.

      Delete
    6. "Comey f****d-over by the Comb-over"
      (more of a "headline" than a "name," perhaps)

      LegoVanGoghBegsThatYouPardonHisStarryStarryFrench

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    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    8. Hosanna
      Hey Sanna Sanna Sanna Hosanna
      Hey Sanna Hosanna
      Hey JC, JC you're alright by me
      Sanna Hosanna
      Hey Superstar

      Delete
    9. SDB: riffing on yours, how about "Sacks Trump Avenue?"

      Delete
    10. eco: I like it, but I'll still take the Fifth.

      Delete
    11. The Fifth will be shut down soon.

      Delete
    12. Given his "aesthetic tastes" (is that a giant hairpiece hanging from the ceiling?) perhaps we could call it Gold Man Sacks?

      Delete
    13. "Yes sir, yes sir, three sacks full (of bullshit) sir"

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

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    15. In answer to ecoarchitect's challenge, "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Bedlam".

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    16. In light of the Tangerine Tornado's hair, can we just call it a Comey Over?

      Delete
  22. Comey irreplaceable
    Comey unreliable
    Throw in undependable, too

    Do my foolish alibis bore you?
    Well, I'm not too clever, I
    I just abhor you

    So, Comey unpredictable
    Tell me I'm intractable
    Indictments, I'm inclined to pursue

    Comey irreplaceable
    Yes, I'm unreliable
    But it's undeniably true
    That I'm irreconcilably mad at you

    Do my foolish alibis bore you?
    Still, I'm not too clever, I
    I just abhor you

    Comey unpredictable
    Tell me…

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  23. When the Washington Post is contacted by a whistle blower, if they haven't been already, I suspect he will be nicknamed "Tweet Mouth." Or perhaps, "Cheep Mouth."

    I also suspect Trump will soon be caught with his hand again where it shouldn't be exploring and he will have to give a speech in his defense that will rival Nixon's "Checkers Speech." I think it will be referred to as his "Check Hers Speech."

    ReplyDelete
  24. Putin On The Ritz

    Have you seen the well to do
    Up and down 5th Avenue
    On that famous thoroughfare
    With their noses in the air
    High hats and narrow collars
    White spats and lots of dollars
    Spending every dime
    For a wonderful time
    Now, if you're blue
    And you don't know where to go to
    Why don't you go where fashion sits
    Putin on the Ritz
    Different types who wear a day coat
    Pants with stripes and cutaway coat
    Perfect fits Putin on the Ritz
    Dressed up like a million dollar trooper
    Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper
    Super duper
    Come, let's mix where Rockefeller's
    Walk with sticks or "umbrellas"
    In their mitts
    Putin on the Ritz
    Now, if you're blue
    And you don't know what to do with Comey too
    Why don't you go where fashion sits
    Putin on the Ritz
    Different types who wear a day coat
    Pants with stripes and cutaway coat
    Perfect fits
    Putin on the Ritz
    Dressed up like a million dollar trooper
    Trying mighty hard to look like super duper
    Mr. Cooper
    Come, let's mix where Rockefeller's
    Walk with sticks or "umbrellas"
    In their mitts
    Putin on the Ritz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jan: I don't remember it, but that is great!

      Delete
    2. Yes, I will back jan up on having recently blessed us with that one at one of our Rotary meetings.

      Delete
  25. Regarding the investigation of the Russian Connection and firing of James Comey, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are certainly bASStions of patriotism! It leaves me wondering just what it takes for a Republican to actually care about the country he lives in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SDB: I keep thinking the same thing, especially regarding the 2nd part!

      Delete
  26. John and Tommy are both pitchers, they had a procedure known as Tommy John.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Mammogram > Momma & Gram or Mom & Gramma

    This puzzle stood out from most others and was somewhat uplifting, but I still think it sucked, although I remain in support. I imagine jan had a hard time keeping his hands off it too. Now, please pardon me while I turn my head and cough as you grope for an answer. I know, I am milking this one for all it’s worth, but it is the breast I can do under the pressure. Anyway it will be a mammoriable puzzle after we lay it to rest.

    ReplyDelete
  28. MAMMOGRAM -> MOMMA, GRAM (or MOM, GRAMMA)

    > I wish we had something other than this utter nonsense to work on.

    Or, as we say in NJ, I wish we had something udder than this udder nonsense to work on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Something else to work on?
      Is there a US city whose name matches it ZIP Code when run through the basic a=1, b-2 cipher?
      It can have 3, 4 or 5 letters.
      Erie, e.g., would be 51895 (NOT its ZIP).
      I have not found one yet.

      Delete
    2. Are you going to allow a leading zero, e.g., a=01, b=02, to give cities in the Northeast a chance?

      Delete
    3. I have been working on the "nope" premise, but if it works, go for it.

      Delete
    4. Jan: If you use 01, 02 for A, B etc., you can't make 5 digit numbers.

      Delete
  29. Did this puzzle leave you thirsting for more?

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  30. My hints:
    1.
    "What Babe Ruth's birthplace was named after..."
    "Sim Sala Bim. Thank you"

    "Ridgely's Delight," the neighborhood where Babe Ruth was born, got its name from Charles Ridgely II's plantation Ridgely's Whim. "Whim" sounds like "Wham!" Andrew Ridgeley was a member of the duo Wham!
    "Sim Sala Bim":
    "Bim" sounds like "Bam".
    "Wham, B(l)am, thank you, Ma'am"(2:49) is an idiom.
    "ma'am" sounds like the first syllable of "mammogram."
    2.
    "Super Ball, Slip 'N Slide, Silly String..." are "Wham-O" products.
    Batman punches Joker or Robin smites Riddler, results in a cartoon-bubble-like "Bam!"
    Gracias... = "Thank you"
    "Wham-O, Bam-O!, Thank you, Ma'am-O-...gram!"

    LegoThinksJokerAndRiddlerShouldAskBatMmanAndRobin"DoYouReallyWantToHurtMe?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suspected you might be heading in that general direction, but I thought were gonna get to "Wham" via the Sultan of SWAT.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, that would of worked too, jan. But it didn't cross my tunnel-visionary mind.
      As for my sign-off: (LegoThinksJokerAndRiddlerShouldAskBatMmanAndRobin"DoYouReallyWantToHurtMe?"), I've always had difficulty distinguishing between Culture Club and Wham!, for some reason.

      LegoStrivingNotToPostGiveawayHints

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  31. My clues:

    - "bounced" around a few ideas....(no comment)
    - ...became "apparent" (mom and gramma are each "a parent"
    - puzzle question: "familiar" procedure - familiar's root is family which includes mom and gramma

    ReplyDelete
  32. MAMMOGRAM >>> MOMMA, GRAM (also MOM, GRAMMA)

    "Axamples" >>> “Lizzie Borden took an axe/And gave her mother forty whacks/When she saw what she had done/She gave her father forty one.”

    After that cheery note, Happy Early Mother's Day, to moms, mommas, grams, and grammas here.

    ReplyDelete
  33. The procedure is a MAMMOGRAM ; the people MOMMA and GRAM , or GRAMMA and MOM.

    Regarding my “surprising” comment. Although male, I have twice had mammograms because of benign lumps in my breast area. What was fascinating was the mad scramble as the staff arranged for a place for me to disrobe. The facility layout was based on certain assumptions - that I didn't conform to.

    ReplyDelete
  34. MAMMOGRAM = GRAMMA + MOM.

    Or = GRAM (and Gramps) + MOMMA (Mother).

    ReplyDelete
  35. MAMMOGRAM, MOM and GRAMMA
    "completely crushed" was my clue. A little crass, perhaps? I know one of the two people will be honored this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Sheesh, posting on Thursday seems to be impossible for me. I just forget all about it.
    Mammogram: Momma,Gram or Mom,Gramma

    ReplyDelete
  37. I wrote " this week's puzzle ... bears further scrutiny" hinting that not only is the procedure a "deeper look" at something that bears, but also that there is debate about how often mom, gramma, and the partially disrobed SuperZee should have a mammogram.

    But more important, the winners of the creative challenge! First, the entries were all excellent, and I hope everyone enjoyed them. The two that stood out for me:

    1) SuperZee's "Comey Over" was an excellent double entendre, beautiful in its simplicity.
    2) SDB's "Tuesday afternoon Moody Blues for Comey" worked a great band name/ song (for those of a certain age) into a phrase and a tie-in to last week.

    Both SDB and SuperZee have great future careers writing headlines for the NY Post.

    I also liked "Gold Man Sacks", but modesty prevents me from praising it like I just did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congratulations to SuperZee and skydiveboy! I agree with ecopuzzlemeisterarchitect that they are indeed worthy winners of his creative challenge.

      My only concern, eco, is how will sdb and SZ be rewarded for their creative brilliance?
      Will you UPS them golden ECO lapel pins?
      Perhaps keepsake locketed locks of orange hair from Bozo the Clownshow?
      Or maybe boxes o' orange Tic-Tacs to break out when the bus stops?
      Pray tell.

      LegoWhoThinksWeAreAllBozosOnThisBus

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    2. Thank you. No physical prize is necessary. Accolades from this august group, even in May, are worth far more than any lapel pin.

      Delete
    3. SDB and SZ can each have two scoops of ice cream.

      Serious question: how often do you do an on-line search of Trump Don-John, just to see what the latest outrage is? Anyone else feel it's like babysitting a petulant 3 year old that you have to keep checking on, or the O.J. trial all over again?

      Delete
    4. Well I must admit to admiring SuperZee's splendid display of humility, however, that being said, I am still looking forward with great anticipation to receiving my coffee table book prize: "The Wit And Wisdom Of Jeff Sessions" compiled and edited by Kim Davis, with a forward by David Duke. Thank you, eco.

      p.s. You can keep the autographed Hoover dirt bag signed by J. Edgar Hoover.

      Delete
    5. Thank you, except for the fact that I seem to remember that the exceptional Roy Cohn was Trump's mentor and attorney long ago, and he wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue as I also recall.

      Delete
  38. This week's Puzzleria! is uploaded.
    Seven puzzles this time, including three "medical procedure" Shortz Rip-Offs. They're not half bad... perhaps 3/8 bad, but not 1/2.
    The other four are okay too. One involves mothers... but not mammograms.
    Look for Blaine's PUZZLE LINKS, then select and click "Joseph Young's Puzzleria!"
    Thanks.

    LegoSaysWeAlsoHavePuzzlesThisWeekInvolvingStringBeansOwlsAndButtKicking

    ReplyDelete
  39. I complained for years that Wee Willy insulted us by not posting the open-ended, subjective "puzzles" that he found wanting for some reason or another.
    Last time, whatever it was, he relented and let us share several of the submissions that his millions of listeners sent in.
    I guess he decided that once was enough.
    I also got to thinking that the titles he asked for are copyrighted material.
    Well, he owns the submissions now and any problems that might arise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree it's shameful that WS said he got a lot of good responses, and then never bothered to share them. Is he saving them for his book?

      My understanding is titles are generally not copyrighted, as they are often too short to be considered eligible - Sherry, for example, though Itsy bitsy... might be. Some, especially very popular ones, could be trademarked.

      But there is also fair use, which allows anyone to comment, criticize, transform, or parody a work without permission (speaking of which, where is "Enya and Weird Al Fan"). I suspect a court would say making up stories out of titles is a fair use.

      Delete
    2. That is correct. Many movies and books share the same titles, but with different stories. Also Dwight Eisenhower's memoir is, At Ease. I am working on my own memoir of my three years in the service. It is also titled, At Ease. I doubt very much the two of us would agree on the intentions of those titles however.

      Delete
    3. I thought it was Bravo Echo Bravo?

      Delete
  40. A prime example of the POTUS calling the kettle black.

    LegoWhoSays"YouKnowThatIKnowThatEverybodyKnowsThat..."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Or calling Hillary "crooked".

      The recently released Dutch documentary "The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump" sheds some light to his connections, not with the official Russian government, but the oligarchy, criminal billionaires, and Mafia, which the film claims laundered money through Trump. The Russian government is only a small step away. I read somewhere the FBI was starting down this investigation path too.

      Follow the money, then as now.

      Delete
    2. Or Lyin' Ted Cruz, Little Marco (Rubio), etc.
      I suspect one of Trump's reasons for canning Comey is because of their relative statures. Comey towers above Trump, physically and morally.

      LegoLaments:WeHaveElectedAPresidentWhoseGuidingLifePrincipleSeemsToBe"AndWhenYou’reAStarTheyLetYouDoIt;YouCanDoAnything"

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    3. What a week for news regarding Twump! Can it get any worse? (and I bet it will, too!)
      I'm still looking forward to SNL tonight!

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    4. What is amazing to me is how his approval ratings haven't dropped. Someone on a news show tonight said that will change quickly if the democrats start to field a credible alternative.
      So, will somebody credible please step forward!

      Delete
    5. If you think that is amazing wait until you hear about my experience this afternoon at a Kruger/Fred Meyer wine tasting.

      Several of us were standing around the cart located by the wine department sampling the four wines when some employee appeared with a cart of strawberry halves that were complimentary. Half of them were dipped in milk chocolate and the other half had been dipped into coco butter.

      When I protested that there is no such thing as white chocolate the woman standing to my left insisted it was chocolate! She was not at all interested in learning the truth about this scam.

      Now if the public is that resistant to learning the truth about a confectionery fraud then how do you expect these idiots to comprehend the Trump lies, deceit and that since the firing of Comey we are now a dictatorship?

      Delete
    6. SDB - I never really considered white chocolate "real chocolate" but reading about it on the internet a little bit ago was interesting. It's something what the chocolate industry can get away with as far as defining what chocolate is or isn't.

      Delete
    7. I wonder which ones voted for DT and if there is a correlation. You could write it up and publish.

      Delete
    8. 68Charger: I think as long as the stock market is good DT is safe.

      Delete
    9. Natasha - I think you are right!! The percentage of people who voted for Twump will stand behind him no matter what!
      Yes, as long as the stock market stays up people won't really care. But, if health insurance costs go south, watch out Twumper and his defenders!

      Delete
    10. They get away with it because there is no law against calling it chocolate even though there is not a scintilla of chocolate in it. And another amazing detail is that they charge just as much as they do for true chocolate. If it wasn't a health issue I imagine they, or at least some of them, would dip rabbit turds in chocolate and advertise them as Chocolate Hareliquin Fudge.

      Delete
    11. Actually very few invest in the stock market, although it receives a lot of media attention, whereas there is a paucity of reporting on Labor, which most people are engaged in. There is already the beginnings of an uproar regarding healthcare and let's hope it builds rapidly.

      Delete
    12. I used to believe white chocolate was chocolate and could not understand how they found white cocoa beans til I looked it up. I think I know many people who believe it is chocolate. Will survey my students and friends. And ask whom they voted for also. Then submit for publishing...lol.

      Delete
    13. Natasha - Maybe that should be if health costs go north?!

      Delete
    14. Then you can ask them if they know wild rice is not rice.

      Delete
    15. Now I can't get rid of thoughts of an upcoming movie: Willy Wonka and the Coco Butter Factory.

      Delete
    16. 68Charger:
      I misspelled harlequin on purpose.

      Delete
    17. SDB - Maybe they will have a new spoiled brat character who succumbs to 'partially hydrogenated fat'!

      Delete
    18. SDB - Good one on the spelling, that went right over my head! My spelling ability is not what it should be, as fur as I'm concerned!!

      Delete
    19. 68Charger - I read your post and felt your pain.

      Delete
  41. 68Charger: As long as the Dow Jones is up, I do not think the health care matters to these dt supporters. You wait and see....My friends say the same as you but watch out...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No kidding, kinda scary!

      As a side note, no duplicates so far...!

      Delete
  42. Next week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Steve Baggish of Arlington, Mass. Take the brand name of a product that's usually consumed in the morning. Drop the first two letters and read the remaining letters backward. You'll get a word associated with the evening. What is the brand, and what's the word?

    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.