NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 16, 2018): Uncommon Commonality

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 16, 2018): Uncommon Commonality:

Q: These five 2-word phrases have something very unusual in common. What is it? When you find it, think of another two-word phrase that has the same property.

● Property rights
● Land mine
● Sales order
● Color scheme
● India ink

You are all very capable students of Will Shortz.

Edit: Using the same pattern on "CAPable STudents", we have CAPital and STate.

A: The first 3 letters (of the first word) are the start a state capital and the first 2 letters (of the second word) are the state postal code.
PROperty RIghts --> PROvidence, RI
LANd MIne --> LANsing, MI
SALes ORder --> SALem, OR
COLor SCheme --> COLumbia, SC
INDia INk --> INDianapolis, IN

A few possible phrases that also work:
BOSs MAn / BOSun's MAte --> BOSton, MA
COLlege SCholarship --> COLumbia, SC
DENtal COverage --> DENver, CO
HARbor PAtrol / HARem PAnts --> HARrisburg, PA
INDefinite INtegral --> INDianapolis, IN
LINgual NErve --> LINcoln, NE
LITerary ARts --> LITtle Rock, AR
MADeira WIne --> MADison, WI
PROmise RIng --> PROvidence, RI
RICkets VAccine --> RIChmond, VA
SACral CAnal / SACred CAbal --> SACramento, CA

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 9, 2018): Your Place or Mine?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 9, 2018): Your Place or Mine?:

Q: Think of two well-known companies — one in five letters, the other in four letters. Write the names one after the other.

The result, when spaced differently, will name a well-known geographical location in the U.S. (in two words). What is it?

Not counting mergers

Edit: Exxon merged with Mobil in 1999 to become ExxonMobil.

A: MOBIL + EBAY = MOBILE BAY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 2, 2018): Start Your Engines

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 2, 2018): Start Your Engines:

Q: The name of the film director David Lynch conceals the word AVIDLY in consecutive letters, spanning his first and last names. Can you think of a famous film director whose first and last names conceal a 6-letter name of car, past or present, in consecutive letters?

Tesla only has 5 letters.

Edit: Tesla has been naming their cars as the Model S, Model 3 and Model X.

A: GUILLERMO DEL TORO (MODEL T).
Alternate: DENIS SANDERS (NISSAN)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 26, 2018): Musical Body Parts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 26, 2018): Musical Body Parts:

Q: Think of a well-known musician whose last name contains a body part. The musician has a single-word nickname that anagrams to a different body part. Who is this musician, and what is the nickname?

The longer version of the musician's nickname also contains a body part.

Edit: Satchmo is short for "satchel mouth".

A: LOUIS ARMSTRONG --> SATCHMO --> STOMACH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 19, 2018): Part of a Complete Breakfast

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 19, 2018): Part of a Complete Breakfast:

Q: Think of a brand name you might see on your breakfast table. Change one letter to a Y and rearrange the result to get a familiar two-word phrase that names something else you might see on your breakfast table. What phrase is this?

It could be Grape Jell-O® but Grape Jelly doesn't involve any rearrangement.

Edit: My hint was about not being scrambled which is what you would need in order to see the egg yolks.

A: KELLOGG'S-L+Y = EGG YOLKS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 12, 2018): The Missing Link (Part 2)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 12, 2018): The Missing Link (Part 2):

Q: Continuing on from Part 1, here's Part 2 of the challenge.

These four words have a very interesting and unusual property in common — something about the letters in them (all the letters). What is it?

SCARECROW
SCREENSAVER
CAMERAWOMAN
CURVACEOUSNESS

When you know it, think of a common 7-letter word that shares the unusual properties of both last week's and this week's words.

If you are thinking anagrams, you are heading down the wrong path. Personally I don't feel the second property is that uncommon. However some of you may still be wishing the deadline was extended another week.

Edit: The hints were "down" and "extended" trying to hint at the missing descenders and ascenders when written in lowercase. And the word "uncommon" was an example of such a word.

A: In lowercase, the words have no ascenders and descenders
scarecrow
screensaver
camerawoman
curvaceousness

The common words that I found that could both contain a planet and only use these letters were:
aVENUeS -> VENUS
MAnneRS --> MARS
MAnuReS --> MARS
MARacaS --> MARS
MARoonS --> MARS
MARrowS --> MARS
MoAneRS --> MARS

I submitted AVENUES because VENUS wasn't included in last week's planet list.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 5, 2018): The Missing Link (Part 1)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 5, 2018): The Missing Link (Part 1):

Q: This is Part 1 of a two-week challenge. You'll need to solve both parts before you send in your answer. So hold your answer for now.

These four words have a very interesting and unusual property in common. What is it?
NEANDERTHAL
EMBARRASS
SATURATION
CONTEMPTUOUSNESS

Don't get overenthusiastic — be sure to wait until after the two-week deadline. Here's a link to Part 2.

Edit: oVerENthUSiastic contains the letters of yet another planet in order.

A: All the words contain planet names

nEAndeRTHal --> EARTH
eMbARraSs --> MARS
SATURatioN --> SATURN
coNtEmPTUousNEss --> NEPTUNE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 29, 2018): Let Me Phrase That Differently

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 29, 2018): Let Me Phrase That Differently:

Q: Think of a familiar two-word phrase in 8 letters — with 4 letters in each word. The first word starts with M. Move the first letter of the second word to the end and you'll get a regular 8-letter word, which, amazingly, other than the M, doesn't share any sounds with the original two-word phrase. What phrase is it?

A: MAIL SLOT --> MAILLOTS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 22, 2018): Part Human

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 22, 2018): Part Human:

Q: Name two parts of the human body. Say them out loud one after the other. The result, phonetically, will name something delicious to eat, in 7 letters. What is it?

I could claim credit for this puzzle based on something I wrote several years back.

Edit: I used BROW, KNEE (BROWNIE) as a hint to a previous puzzle involving body parts.

A: BROW, KNEE (BROWNIE)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 15, 2018): Famous Chicagoan

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 15, 2018): Famous Chicagoan:

Q: Name a famous person from Chicago — first and last names. The last name ends in an E. Change the E to an I and rearrange the letters in just the last name to get a famous actor — whose first name is the same as the first person's. Who are these people?

Technically their first names aren't the same. The actor has played a character in the same occupation as the person from Chicago and possibly based on the person.

Edit: The first names are AL(phonse) and AL(fredo). Al Pacino played Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy.

A: AL CAPONE --> AL PACINO