NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 16, 2020): Be Quiet!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 16, 2020): Be Quiet!:

Q: What familiar 10-letter word contains a silent B, E, and O — not necessarily in that order. And those three letters don't have to be consecutive in the word.

I hope I don't get called this week.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 9, 2020): World Traveler

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 9, 2020): World Traveler:

Q: My friend Penelope, who is from La Jolla, went on a world vacation. She stopped in Santa Rosa, Toronto and Casablanca. What European capital did she also visit?

This puzzle shouldn't require much more than a list or an atlas.

Edit: The word "REquiRE" also starts and ends with the same two letters.

A: AMsterdAM follows the same pattern as PEneloPE, LA jolLA, SAnta roSA, TOronTO and CAsablanCA.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 2, 2020): Forwards and Backwards

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 2, 2020): Forwards and Backwards:

Q: The actress Michael Learned, who played the mother on The Waltons, has an unusual property in her name. The last three letters of her first name are the same as the first three letters of her last name reversed. The name of what current celebrity has the same property? Here's a hint: The first and last names each have 6 letters.

I guess I'll just be content knowing I finally have the answer, even if I had to ask family members for help.

Edit: In particular, a younger member of the family. Also her initials are hidden in the word "be".

A: BILLIE EILISH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 26, 2020): What's My Job

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 26, 2020): What's My Job:

Q: Write down the letter C. Beneath that write ENT. And beneath that write a G. What profession do these letters represent? Here's a hint: It's a two-word phrase — 10 letters in the first word, 5 letters in the second.

I believe the operative word is "write".

Edit: Actually the operative word is "operative" :)

A: Under C, Over a G, ENT --> UNDERCOVER AGENT

P.S. If anyone is interested, an almost identical version of the puzzle was played on-air about 10 years ago.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 19, 2020): Staying Alive

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 19, 2020): Staying Alive:

Q: Name something everyone has, starting with H. Add an E, and rearrange the letters. You'll name two things that every person must do to stay alive.

I'm pretty sure my grandpa doesn't have this.

A: HEARTBEAT + E --> EAT, BREATHE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 12, 2020): Three Word Phrases

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 12, 2020): Three Word Phrases:

Q: Think of a familiar three-word phrase that has the following property: The first word is a number. Let X be that number. Then the last X letters of the second word form, in order, a common abbreviation for the third word.

I might have heard my wife utter this in the last couple weeks.

Dancing on New Year's Eve?

A: TWO LEFT FEET --> FT., FEET

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 5, 2020): Informal Names of Body Parts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 5, 2020): Informal Names of Body Parts:

Q: Think of an informal term for part of the human body that consists of two alcoholic beverages, one after the other. What is it?

I got stuck on "beer gut" but I should have used the resources at hand sooner.

Edit: I should have used my head

A: NOG + GIN = NOGGIN

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 29, 2019): World Leader Turns to Martial Arts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 29, 2019): World Leader Turns to Martial Arts:

Q: Everyone knows what a spoonerism is, right? That's where you switch the initial consonant sounds of one phrase to get another — like "light rain" for "right lane." Here's the puzzle: Name a well-known world leader, first and last names. Spoonerize this, and you'll get a phrase that means "to have confidence in one of the martial arts." Who's the leader, and what's the phrase?

I guess there's no need to craft an enigmatic clue when the puzzle is this easy.

The clue was "craft" as in Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Canada has the highest per capita consumption of Mac & Cheese.

A: JUSTIN TRUDEAU --> TRUST IN JUDO

Annual Video and Puzzle for 2019

Our annual video and puzzle is available now. Simply solve the puzzle to get the password.

Click on this link to the annual video and type the password to see what we have been up to in 2019.

Feel free to add a comment below to let us know that you successfully figured it out (without giving away the answer to others). We are always looking for new ideas for next year's Christmas puzzle, so submit those too.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 22, 2019): Noted TV Journalist

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 22, 2019): Noted TV Journalist:

Q: Name a noted TV journalist — five letters in the first name, six letters in the last. Change an I in this name to a W and rearrange the result. You'll get a two-word phrase for where you might see this journalist. Who is it?

Edit: I got stuck for too long on KATIE COURIC and DIANE SAWYER. With everything that was happening for Christmas, I never found time to come back and find the real answer.

A: PIERS MORGAN --> NEWS PROGRAM