Comments on Blaine's Puzzle Blog: NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 14): Ready for a test?

I submitted tendril/strand; I forget which one my ...

2009-07-08T05:33:06.547-07:00

I submitted tendril/strand; I forget which one my husband submitted but he also came up with all of ones Wolfone had with tension and also terrace/steppe.

Amswer submitted. This week's puzzle is not d...

2009-06-21T09:42:47.361-07:00

Amswer submitted. This week's puzzle is not difficult.

I too was surprised that there was no acknowledgem...

2009-06-21T08:35:23.758-07:00

I too was surprised that there was no acknowledgement of possible other answers. So if we assume there were 1500+ answers that were specifically TEMPEST/STORM, the actual number of entries (with alternates) was probably much higher. Maybe that's why he didn't even mention them.

"We had (unintelligible word) sixteen hundred...

2009-06-21T08:29:59.319-07:00

"We had (unintelligible word) sixteen
hundred entries this week."

Liane, You are sorely missed when
you are not with Will for the puzzle.

Tempest and Storm it was - but I was a bit surpris...

2009-06-21T05:56:02.030-07:00

Tempest and Storm it was - but I was a
bit surprised that Will didn't even acknowledge the alternate solutions.

I submitted tension and stress. They relate to te...

2009-06-20T21:57:36.738-07:00

I submitted tension and stress. They relate to test.

I submitted TEMPEST & STORM. But I would also ...

2009-06-20T19:21:49.182-07:00

I submitted TEMPEST & STORM. But I would also suggest TEMPERED & STRONG or TEMPERED & STEELED.

I submitted temper and steam...I think our friends...

2009-06-19T20:23:20.892-07:00

I submitted temper and steam...I think our friends on The Deadliest Catch would have sent in tempest and storm...

Here are few more "sort of" answers to a...

2009-06-19T18:23:07.391-07:00

Here are few more "sort of" answers to add to Wolftone's list:

textbook stock
terrace stoop
teeming stuffed

I'm expecting the "offical" answer t...

2009-06-19T13:53:09.039-07:00

I'm expecting the "offical" answer to be TEMPEST & STORM - the "in a teacup" phrase is pretty common. TENSION and STRESS/STRAIN should be viable answers too but STRESS and STRAIN are so close they almost suggest each other, making me think Will hadn't seen that solution (or the 13 others...)
Whatever the outcome, it will be interesting to hear Will explain why the puzzle was phrased as if there was only one solution.

My guess: whichever of the two most popular was th...

2009-06-19T07:30:37.732-07:00

My guess: whichever of the two most popular was the intended answer, they'll have accepted either. Which one do I think was the intended answer? Useless speculation, maybe; I lean towards Tempest and Storm, but it could easily enough be Tension and Stress.

I would bet on tension and stress. Tests produce ...

2009-06-19T07:07:36.919-07:00

I would bet on tension and stress. Tests produce those feelings, and it is graduation and finals time for many schools.

I had TENSION and STRESS. My wife had TEMPEST and...

2009-06-18T22:14:17.404-07:00

I had TENSION and STRESS. My wife had TEMPEST and STORM. But we also had found some of the variations like TENDRIL and STRAND, TETHER and STRAP, TEMPO and STEP (not so good). At that point we gave up thinking of more.

So any bets on the intended answer?

Amazing work, Wolftone! I submitted two answers: ...

2009-06-18T20:16:01.184-07:00

Amazing work, Wolftone!

I submitted two answers:

-- TEMPEST and STORM, which was hinted at broadly by several people here.

-- TENOR and STRAIN, a variant on a few of Wolftone's answers, as in the TENOR or STRAIN of a discussion or argument.

That also explains my Monday hint:

"One has been well covered by Carl and Blue. The other I don't see up here, but I haven't tried too hard to look for it." ("Trying too hard" was implying STRAIN.)

-- Other Ben

I chose tether and strap thus the clue "it wa...

2009-06-18T19:42:11.083-07:00

I chose tether and strap thus the clue "it was a cinch" and "saddle up or take my hot air balloon back to Kansas"

I had tether and stop because both related to rest...

2009-06-18T19:08:26.792-07:00

I had tether and stop because both
related to restrain but reading what was going on here all week I hadn't the nerve to submit.

Storm and tempest. (I liked the fact that tempest...

2009-06-18T17:39:05.023-07:00

Storm and tempest. (I liked the fact that tempest contained the word "test" which was the theme of the puzzle.)

I stressed over TENSION and STRAIN (after I strain...

2009-06-18T17:32:39.288-07:00

I stressed over TENSION and STRAIN (after I strained over TENSION and STRESS)

I tied myself down to TETHER and STRAP.

2009-06-18T15:59:34.500-07:00

I tied myself down to TETHER and STRAP.

Roll Call: I submitted technique & style

2009-06-18T15:47:34.300-07:00

Roll Call: I submitted technique & style

Wolftone, I am seriously impressed. Nice work the...

2009-06-18T15:24:50.897-07:00

Wolftone, I am seriously impressed. Nice work there! Amazingly enough, the answer that I submitted doesn't match any of your pairs. I submitted one answer from Column A and one from Column B: tether and string. Did anyone else submit the same pair?

Wolftone, Wow! I wonder if WS selected this perso...

2009-06-18T14:32:15.969-07:00

Wolftone, Wow!

I wonder if WS selected this person who attended the Liberace Museum 30th anniversary to announce the gifts to the winner of this puzzle.

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/photos/galleries/2009/apr/22/liberace-museum-anniversary/28404/

3pm has come and gone. Here are the answers I fou...

2009-06-18T12:19:53.758-07:00

3pm has come and gone. Here are the answers I found:

tempest storm
tendril strand
technique style
tension strain
tension stress
temper state
tether strap
tender stiff
tendon string
tenor style
tension stretch
tenure stretch
terrace steppe
temper strain
terrace street
tether stake
tetched strange

I earlier promised 18 answers, but had to eliminate 1 because the syllable count was wrong. Even the last one relies on a strange pronunciation. Let's call it 16 answers.

Some of these (tenor/style, tenure/stretch) rely on secondary or atypical definitions. Still, this is the same man who considered "nuts" and "crackers" to be synonyms in January so I figure these are fair game.

Carl, You deserve a GOLD STAR for conquering &quo...

2009-06-17T03:28:00.546-07:00

Carl, You deserve a GOLD STAR for
conquering "Shifty Business." I would
have given up on it. I don't get any
NYT puzzles. I do Washington Post,
Newsday, and Malibu Surfside News but only Sundays.

Thanks for the great clues...I took a breather to ...

2009-06-16T17:33:59.845-07:00

Thanks for the great clues...I took a breather to play on the Oregon Coast...