Sunday, June 29, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 29, 2025): Famous Movie Actor and Brand

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 29, 2025): Famous Movie Actor and Brand
Q: Think of a famous movie star (6 letters, 6 letters). The first name, when said out loud, sounds like a brand of a certain object. The last name is someone who uses this object. What movie star is this?
Has this puzzle got you over a barrel?

Edit: A barrel maker is a cooper which is also a model of the Mini car brand.
A: MINNIE DRIVER --> MINI, DRIVER

Sunday, June 22, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 22, 2025): Film Award

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 22, 2025): Film Award
Q: Take the first and last names of a major film director. Drop the last six letters of his name, and rearrange what remains. You'll get the name of a major film award -- for which this director has been nominated six times. Who is he and what is the award?
Technically, the director has one more name.

Edit: Wikipedia adds his maternal surname (Caballero). Also, I probably shouldn't have used the graphic that I did.
A: PEDRO ALMODÓVAR, PALME D'OR

Sunday, June 15, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 15, 2025): Child's Play

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 15, 2025): Child's Play
Q: Take a child's game, in eight letters. Change the sixth letter to 'ch' and, phonetically, you'll have a popular animated children's character. What are the game and the character?
How manu of us remember the first time we played this?

The first time I played this game, I was on the receiving end and don't remember playing. But I do remember later when I was on the giving end.
A: PEEK-A-BOO, PIKACHU

Sunday, June 08, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 8, 2025): Female Animals and Their Offspring

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 8, 2025): Female Animals and Their Offspring
Q: Name certain female animals. Insert a T somewhere inside the word, and you'll get a synonym for this animal's offspring. What animals are these?
Of course I appreciate this puzzle along with all the puzzles created by our esteemed LegoLambda.

Edit: Did I overdo it with my "fawning" over Lego?
A: DOES --> DOTES, FAWNS

Sunday, June 01, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 1, 2025): Famous Movie Characters

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 1, 2025): Famous Movie Characters
Q: Think of a famous current actor. His first name is also the name of a famous movie character. Drop the middle letter of his last name and you'll name another famous movie character. Each character is a central figure in a dozen or more films. What actor is this?
Let me add that I've already heard part of this wordplay. The puzzle might have been more relevant in a couple weeks, give or take.

Edit: "add" = "ad" --> Recent State Farm commercials have made fun of asking for "Bateman" when you really want "Batman". The only Friday the 13th this year will occur this month; a hint toward "Jason Voorhees".
A: JASON BATEMAN --> JASON and BATMAN.

Sunday, May 25, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25, 2025): Unusual Wordplay

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25, 2025): Unusual Wordplay
Q: The onetime country duo "Montgomery Gentry" and the classic song "Go on With the Wedding" have a very unusual wordplay property in common. What is it?
Those that have read the Narnia series will have an advantage.

Edit: The phrase NARNIA SERIES is another example of a "pair isogram".
A: Each phrase can be considered a pair isogram where each different letter appears exactly twice.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 18, 2025): You Read It Here First

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 18, 2025): You Read It Here First
Q: Name a popular magazine. Rearrange its letters. Then add an O at the end and you'll name a prominent subject in this magazine's new issue. What magazine is it? Hint: You don't need to read this magazine in order to guess the answer.
You can add a few more letters and the answer still works.

Edit: You can add X, I and V.
A: PEOPLE, POPE LEO

Sunday, May 11, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 11, 2025): Famous Singer

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 11, 2025): Famous Singer
Q: Name a famous singer past or present. Remove the first and last letter from the first name and the result will be a potential partner of the last name. What singer is this?
Little did I know that my first guess was close.

Edit: My first guess was Lady Gaga
A: GLADYS KNIGHT --> LADY, KNIGHT

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Happy Birthday Bob!

As part of a birthday celebration for Bob, we created a short crossword puzzle. The partygoers seemed to have a fun time with it. How many answers can you figure out?

Update: If the dynamic version of the crossword stops working (it has a limited number of sessions), you can download a printed copy of the puzzle

Sunday, May 04, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 4, 2025): Rhymes with Spain

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 4, 2025): Rhymes with Spain
Q: There are four countries whose names have one-syllable anagrams that rhyme with "Spain." What are they?
Check your globes; I think you could fly in a straight line over all 4 countries.

Edit: I assume you'd fly in a plane to chain the countries together. Here's a great circle route from Niamey, Niger to Shenzhen, China.
A: NIGER (reign), IRAN (rain), NEPAL (plane), CHINA (chain).