NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 18, 2022): Are You Using a Modern Modem?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 18, 2022): Are You Using a Modern Modem?

Q: If you squish the lowercase letters "r" and "n" together, they look like an "m." Think of a word that ends in the consecutive letters "r-n." Squish them together to get a homophone of a synonym of the first word. What words are these?

Clearly "porn" and "pom" don't work, and I'd never expect to hear that as the answer on NPR either.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 11, 2022): It's Not Over...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 11, 2022): It's Not Over...

Q: Name something, in eight letters, that you might hear at an opera. Drop three of the letters, without changing the order of the remaining five. You'll name something you might see at an opera. What things are these?

If you remove a large quantity, you get something soft you can eat.

Edit: A large quantity is "A TON" which leaves (in order) "BRIE"

A: BARITONE --> BATON

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 4, 2022): Postcards from Two Countries

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 4, 2022): Postcards from Two Countries

Q: Name two countries with a total of 12 letters that, when spelled one after the other, form six consecutive state postal abbreviations. What are the two countries?

Anagram all the letters and you get something that means "loony sail".

Edit: Rearranged you get "mad spinnaker"

A: DENMARK, SPAIN (Delaware, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Indiana)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 28, 2022): Switcharoo!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 28, 2022): Switcharoo!

Q: Name a well-known island. Move the first letter six spaces later in the alphabet. Read the result backward. You'll get where this island is located. What island is it?

I'm not familiar with the island of HAECO, are you?

A: Intended answer = MALTA --> ATLAS
Alternate answer = JAMAICA --> A CIA MAP

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2022): A Pair of Girls Names

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2022): A Pair of Girls Names

Q: Think of an eight-letter noun composed phonetically of two consecutive names traditionally given to girls. Remove the sixth letter and rearrange the result. You'll get an event where you might hear the thing named by the original noun. What words are these?

If you remove the first letter and rearrange, you get a place you probably wouldn't want to hear the original noun.

Edit: Removing the first letter and rearranging you get LATRINE.

A: CLARINET (CLAIRE, ANNETTE) --> RECITAL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 14, 2022): Oklahoma, OK!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 14, 2022): Oklahoma, OK!

Q: This is a continuation of a two-week creative challenge. The object is to write a sentence using only the letters of any particular U.S. state. You can pick the state and repeat letters as often as necessary. For example:

OREGON --> Roger, go gorge on green eggnog.

NEBRASKA --> Sen. Ben Sasse's sneakers reek. [Note: Ben Sasse is a U.S. senator from Nebraska]

Entries will be judged on originality, sense, naturalness of syntax, humor, and overall elegance. No more than three sentences per entry, please. Deadline is Wednesday this week.

Winner:

West Virginia: In tennis news, a new era starts as Serena is retiring. - Kate Simpson

Honorable mentions:

Massachusetts: At the museum, esthetes hate the cute statues that amuse the masses. — H.S. Hughes

Rhode Island: Denise hoarded sand and seashells inside her shoreside diner. — Rawson Scheinberg

Rhode Island: Dolores had to dine on nine dollars she had hidden in her sandal, so she ordered a side salad and a dinner roll. — Kevin Root

Washington: Shania Twain is in town tonight, singing Gaga's hit songs at Santana's San Antonio gig. — Kerry Fowler

New Mexico: Native educational wisdom makes eradicating xenophobia its core obligation. — Tamar Stieber

Massachusetts: As she teaches math, she must use the state tests that she hates. — Rick Cleary

Texas [only 5 letters to work with!]: Texas axes estate taxes. — Charvaka Duvvury

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2022): Oh I, Oh!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2022): Oh I, Oh!

Q: This is the start of a two-week creative challenge. The object is to write a sentence using only the letters of any particular U.S. state. You can pick the state and repeat letters as often as necessary. For example:

NEW YORK --> No one knew we were ornery.

WASHINGTON --> Sighting a ghost tonight was astonishing.

Entries will be judged on originality, sense, naturalness of syntax, humor, and overall elegance. No more than three sentences per entry, please.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 31, 2022): American TV Personality

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 31, 2022): American TV Personality

Q: Name a famous person in American television — 6 letters in the first name, 4 letters in the last. Switch the last letter of the first name with the first letter of the last. Then reverse the order of the two modified names. You'll get a phrase meaning "almost typical." What is it?

There's clearly a reason this puzzle was picked. That being said, I can't think of a single show I've seen them on.

Edit: There was cLEARly a reason, since he just celebrated turning 100. He's a famous person for writing and producing numerous television shows, but he's had only a smattering of acting roles. He has appeared on lots of shows as himself however.

A: NORMAN LEAR --> NEAR NORMAL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2022): 1989 and 1992

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2022): 1989 and 1992

Q: This week's challenge will require a little research. The 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 1992 Olympic gold medal in giant slalom both suggest, phonetically, a certain square number. What is it?

Research and read carefully. You can't say this about Where I'm Calling From or Luxembourg.

Edit: They didn't get second place...

A: Anne Tyler (A.T.) and Alberto Tomba (A.T.) won --> "A.T. won" --> 81

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 17, 2022): Let's Eat!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 17, 2022): Let's Eat!

Q: Name a food item in seven letters. Move the first letter to the fifth position and you'll get two words that are synonyms. What are they?

A: BRISKET --> RISK, BET