Blaine's Puzzle Blog

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 30, 2011): Q to N, Synonym Puzzle

2011-02-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 30, 2011): Q to N, Synonym Puzzle:

Q: Think of a common word that's six letters long and includes a Q. Change the Q to an N, and rearrange the result to form a new word that's a synonym of the first one. What are the words?

I'm feeling this puzzle could be hard... how about you?

Edit: I had a couple hints, one about how you might feel and then hard was a synonym for "uneasy".

A: QUEASY - Q + N --> UNEASY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 2, 2011): First Puzzle of the New Year

2011-01-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 2, 2011): First Puzzle of the New Year:

Q: Take a plural noun that ends with the letter S. Insert a space somewhere in this word, retaining the order of the letters. The result will be a two-word phrase that has the same meaning as the original word, except in the singular. What word is this?

Hmm... the first puzzle of the new year is usually easy. I would like to say I have it, but the answer currently eludes me. I'm positive I'll get it eventually.

Edit: Yes, I had the answer despite what I wrote. Here are my hints: "Easy" is an anagram of the answer. "I have it" is close to the phrase "the ayes have it". If you combine "say" with the "e" in eludes, you also get the letters in the answer. And "positive" was a hint to "yes" being a positive response.

A: AYES --> A YES

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 22): Okie-Dokie!

2009-11-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 22): Okie-Dokie!:

Q: Think of a word containing the consecutive letters O-K. Remove the O-K, and you'll get a new word that's a synonym of the first word. What words are these?

The first thought I had when I figured out this puzzle was the Latin phrase "cavit lukom". You can argue that I haven't got the right conjugation but looking back on it, I still contend that the clue is useful nonetheless.

Edit: If you followed my hints you would take that bogus Latin phrase and write it backwards as MOKULTIVAC. After removing the OK you have MULTIVAC. If you Google for that you'll find that Isaac Asimov had a loosely connected series of stories involving a fictional computer called Multivac. One of those stories was Jokester (1956).

A: JOKESTER --> JESTER

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23): I like knocking down pins

2009-08-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23): I like knocking down pins:

Q: Think of two words that each mean 'bowler.' Put them together, one after the other, and you'll name a sport in two words that is not related to bowling.

On a different note, remember how bowling used to be frequently televised? I don't think I've seen it that much these days...

Edit: There isn't much need for me to explain my hints, but the title refers to knocking things down. That applies to bowling or the answer to the puzzle. Similarly, both bowling and this sport used to be frequently on TV, all the time it seemed in the early 70s; now not so much.

A: ROLLER DERBY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16): Beware of Invisible Cows

2009-08-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16): Beware of Invisible Cows:

Q: Think of a common street sign with three words: four letters in the first word, four letters in the second word and three letters in the last. Drop the last letter of the first word in the sign and you'll get a new word that is a synonym of the last word in the sign. What is the sign?

Mr. Shortz states that it is a "common street sign" so I'm sure it's not Beware of Invisible Cows. However, I'm suspicious; I've looked up and down a list of Road Signs and don't see the answer. No doubt I'm thinking too hard so let me ponder this a bit more.

Feel free to add clues in the comments, but no outright answers or spoilers, please.

Edit: Remember Will didn't say traffic signs. That was a clue. In addition, hopefully my clue indirectly made you think of animals.

A: CURB YOUR DOG (Cur = Dog)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 5): I Won't Divulge the Answer

2009-07-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 5): I Won't Divulge the Answer:

Think of two terms that mean 'to divulge information.' Write them one after the other with no spaces between words. The result is a nine-letter word for a card that you might hold in a card game. What card is it?

I must admit I've been a little pre-occupied getting ready for our trip so I didn't add a post earlier. We'll be gone by the time Thursday rolls around, so I won't be entering this week. But feel free to discuss it here. Incidentally, do you know where we are going? I wonder if it was inspired by a recent puzzle...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28): Apparel Synonyms

2009-07-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28): Apparel Synonyms:

Q: Take 'tire' and 'exhaust.' They're both things a car has. But as verbs, in a non-car sense, they're synonyms. The challenge is to name 2 articles of apparel, things to wear, each with 4 letters, and as verbs, in a non-apparel sense, the 2 words are synonyms. What words are they?

No hints are necessary, just pay attention to the example Will gave.

Edit: For the on-air puzzle, Will gave the example "Hit or Miss" with *Hit* being a synonym for both verbs. And incidentally, after a pair of socks go in the dryer, one always seems to go *miss*ing.

A: BELT and SOCK

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 14): Ready for a test?

2009-06-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 14): Ready for a test?:

Q: Think of one word that starts with 'te' and another word that starts with 'st' — and they're synonyms. Hint: The 'te' word has two syllables; the 'st' word has one.

Anyone else worried that there might be several possible answers this week? I always hated when teachers had one answer in mind on a test that was worded such that there could be several potential answers. On the other hand, it must be hard as a teacher to design a test so it accurately measures whether students understood the material that was taught. Oh well, we'll see at the end of the week if we passed or failed this test.

Edit: My hints were 'worried ... [about] a test' (stressed), 'taught' (synonym for 'taut' (tense)'. In the first comment, I mentioned 'emphasize' (stress).

A: As I mentioned, there are numerous good answers. The two pairs I liked the most were:
TENSION and STRESS
TEMPEST and STORM
Check the comments to see other choices.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 22): What's on your desk?

2009-02-26T17:26:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 22): What's on your desk?:

Q: Name an item often found on a desk. It's a hyphenated word. Add an 'S' to the beginning of each part, and you'll get two synonyms. What's the item?

I'm looking at my desk trying to figure out what this item must be. My desk is pretty clean except for the items I'll eventually need to do my taxes (...that nasty IRS!). My wife was thinking it's something related to "ink" --> sink. I was thinking of something related to "light" --> slight. But neither of those ideas seemed to pan out.

I get the feeling people won't be happy when they hear the answer. Anyone else bothered by the puzzle this week?

Edit: There were quite a few clues in my post: Paperwork that is yet to be handled probably appears in this place, "Nasty IRS" is an anagram of the two synonyms, and "pan" is a synonym for tray, while "out" is an antonym for in.

A: IN-TRAY --> SIN, STRAY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 8): What is the Country? What are the Synonyms?

2009-02-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 8): What is the Country? What are the Synonyms??:

Q: Take the name of a country, interchange two consecutive letters. Add an 'e' after the fifth letter. The result will be two synonyms, one after the other. What is the country, and what are the synonyms?

Anyone notice that the language of this country sounds like another synonym?

Edit: The language is Finnish, a homonym for "finish".

A: FINLAND --> FINAL, END

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 25): Starts with M, Ends with M

2009-01-29T13:45:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 25): Starts with M, Ends with M:

Q: Think of a word that starts and ends with the letter M, drop the first M, insert an O somewhere and you'll get a new word that means the same thing as the first word. What words are these?

Truth be told, I'm not positive I have the right answer so I won't say anything (As they say, "A closed mouth gathers no foot.")

Edit: "Truth" was an obvious hint to the synonyms.

A: MAXIM --> AXIOM

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 18): Everything but the Kitchen Sink

2009-01-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 18): Everything but the Kitchen Sink:

Q: Name an implement that might be in a kitchen drawer. It's a compound word. Add the letter S after each half of the compound, and you'll get two synonyms. What implement is it?

This one is hard. I've been going crazy trying to think of the answer. For awhile I was stuck on dessert implements (pie slice, icecream scoop, etc.). I just couldn't stop thinking of sweets! Oh well, maybe someone else will know the real answer...

Edit: I was going to say "this one is hard to crack", but I thought that would have been too obvious. The "crazy" clue referred to the synonyms that are eventually formed. "Sweet" really was a reference to Tchaikovsky's "Suite".

A: NUTCRACKER --> NUTS, CRACKERS (as in crazy)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 3): Mathematical Synonyms

2008-08-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 3): Mathematical Synonyms:

Q: Start with an eight-letter mathematics term. Remove the first, fourth and eighth letters to produce a synonym of the original word. What is it?

A small percentage of the population might struggle on this, but I think most will find this puzzle relatively easy.

Edit: I was probably too obvious with the hints which included obvious synonyms of the answers. Check the comments for other hints that were provided.

A: FRACTION --> RATIO

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 1): Movie Star Synonyms

2008-06-06T00:46:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 1): Movie Start Synonyms:

Q: Name a famous male movie star. Change the first letter of his first name to a G and change the last letter of his last name to a T. The result will be two words that are synonyms. Who is the movie star and what are the words?

The first time I tried to figure this out I was little lost, but at last, after 3 or 4 attempts, the answer was completely clear.

Edit: It was crystal clear...

A: HARRISON FORD --> GARRISON, FORT
Click the link for Harrison Ford's first uncredited movie role (yes, that's the extent of it) as the bellhop.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25): I.O.U. a clue

2008-06-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25): I.O.U. a clue:

Q: The phrases 'part time' and 'time share' are familiar phrases with 'time' in them, and the adjoining words, 'part' and 'share,' are synonyms. Find two phrases that work similarly with the word 'child.' What are they?

Even with an extra day over the long weekend and I wasn't able to figure this one out yet. I have a couple answers where the words don't seem like strong synonyms, so I don't think either is the answer. One has 4 letter words for both parts. The other has words that start with the same letter. This week I'm hoping the commenters will come up with good clues in my place.

A: The accepted answers are up on the NPR website. Personally I have issues with all of them so I won't transcribe them here.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 11): "The Troubadour" Anagrams

2007-11-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 11): "The Troubadour" Anagrams:

Q: Take the title Il Trovatore by Verdi. Drop one letter. Rearrange the remaining 10 letters to spell two synonyms. What are they?

I was accused last week of giving away too much in my clue... so this week, in order to prevent another fight, I'm only going to give one small hint. The letter you want to ignore is the first one.

Edit: It is after the deadline, so I can reveal my clues and the answer. First, if you read above, I mentioned a "fight"... this was a subtle clue toward the answer. Next, I gave a very misleading clue... "The letter you want to ignore is the first one." Here I didn't mean the first one in the word, but the first one in the alphabet. Tricked a few of you on that one, didn't I?

A: Il Trovatore, remove the letter A and rearrange.
REVOLT and RIOT

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 4): Fibonacci's Lieutenant

2007-11-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 4): Fibonacci's Lieutenant:

Q: Take a common three-letter word, move each letter three places later in the alphabet, the resulting letters can be re-arranged to spell a new word that is a synonym of the original. What are the two words? And here's a hint: all three letters in both words are in the first half of the alphabet.

Honestly, I haven't a clue...

Edit: Well, actually I wasn't being truthful. I did have a clue in the title. And my dishonesty was another clue.

A: FIB --> LIE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 23): Football on your FM Dial...

2007-09-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 23): Football on your FM Dial...:

Q: Name something a football player wears, in eight letters. Rearrange the eight letters into two four-letter words associated with a fraud. What words are these?

My FM radio is on the fritz, so I had to go to the NPR website for the puzzle. However, you'll ace this puzzle, if you ask me.

Edit: Put it all together, FM + ace + ask

A: FACEMASK --> FAKE + SCAM

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 2): They're both trees -- but quick, are they synonyms?

2007-09-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 2): They're both trees -- but quick, are they synonyms?:

Q: Rearrange the letters in CHARADES, to make two words that are synonyms. What are they?

My first attempt resulted in CEDAR and ASH -- while they may both be trees they certainly they aren't synonyms (anymore than black and white could be considered synonyms). But I do have the correct answer, and I've already given you a couple clues...

Edit: The title has a dash in it... and mentions being quick. And later on there is another dash and a mention of black and white which, among other things, are types of races. So the answer is:

A: CHARADES --> DASH + RACE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 31): As the Year Comes to an End...

2006-12-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 31): As the Year Comes to an End...:

Q: Think of two words, one starting with O, the other starting with R. Both end with ING, and they have the same number of letters. In one sense the words are synonyms and in another sense they're antonyms. What are the words?

The only clue I'll give is the title.

Edit: 2006 is leaving us... it is the outgoing year, or the retiring year, is it not?

A: OUTGOING and RETIRING
Synonyms in the sense of leaving a position, as in the OUTGOING or RETIRING person.
Antonyms in the sense of having an OUTGOING (extroverted) versus RETIRING (introverted) personality.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 3): Sacramento Anagrams

2006-11-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 3): Sacramento Anagrams:

Q: Take the name 'Sacramento,' the capital of California. Re-arrange these 10 letters to spell two words that are synonyms.

There's barely a whiff of anything I can say that would be helpful but I'll tell you the words are both 5 letters long.

Edit: Okay, "whiff" was a pretty lame clue, I know.

A: SCENT and AROMA

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 22): A Politician's Name is Synonymous with...

2006-10-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 22): A Politician's Name is Synonymous with...

Q: Name a well-known 20th century political figure, now deceased, with a two-syllable last name. The word spelled by the first syllable is a synonym of the word spelled by the second syllable backward. Who is this famous person?

I have no clues this time, not a one. But you will recognize the person.

Edit: Time to reveal who the person is. Remember, I gave you *no* clues!

A: Richard NIXON --> NIX and NO.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 18): R-blank and F-blank become Synonyms

2006-06-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 18): R-blank and F-blank become Synonyms:

Q: Think of a phrase of the form, Blank and Blank. The initials of the two words in the blanks are R and F. Change the first letter of the second word from an F to a V, and the two words will become synonyms. What are they?

The way I solved this was to look for words in the dictionary... I started with words starting with V and considered which would make words starting with F. Once I hit the word, it was obvious that it was the right answer. I won't give any hints since I think this puzzle should separate the elite from the run of the mill puzzle solvers. My answer after the deadline.
Edit: Who are the opposite of the elite? I guess I did give a clue.

A: RANK and FILE --> RANK and VILE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 4): Synonyms in the News

2006-06-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (June 4): Synonyms in the News:

Q: Name two people who have been in the news together recently. One of them has a three-letter last name. The other has an eight-letter last name. Move the first letter of the eight-letter name to the start of the three-letter name. The result will be two words that are synonyms. Who are the people and what are the synonyms?

My first thought was that the three-letter name had to be an Asian name, but I was completely wrong. Just think about people in the news and you'll have this puzzle licked.
Edit: I was trying to give a clue where I said 'have this puzzle licked' but it was rather obtuse. So who has been in the news recently?

A: Former Enron executives Kenneth LAY and Jeffrey SKILLING were recently found guilty. The answer is: LAY + SKILLING --> SLAY + KILLING

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 26): Getting rid of two desires

2006-02-23T23:25:00.000-08:00

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 26): Getting rid of two desires

Q: Think of two different words meaning desire. Add the same letter in front of each of them, and you'll get two new words, each meaning "get rid of." What words are these?

Since we were away in Hawaii, I didn't post this earlier in the week. Instead, I'll just have to post the puzzle and my answer all at the same time.

A: URGE and ITCH --> PURGE and PITCH