NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24, 2023): U.S. City Demonyms

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24, 2023): U.S. City Demonyms

Q: Name a major U.S. city in two words. Change the first letter of the first word and the next-to-last letter of the second word. Then rearrange all the letters to name the people who live in this city. What city is it?

The difference is 18.

Edit: The letters you remove are Sc (Scandium, element 21) and you replace them with Li (Lithium, element 3). The difference is 18.

A: SAN FRANCISCO --> CALIFORNIANS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17, 2023): Vacation Places

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17, 2023): Vacation Places

Q: Name a place where many people go for vacation (3,10). Change one of the vowels sounds from a long A to a long E, and the result phonetically will be one reason to visit this place. What place is it?

You can drop the first word and the puzzle still works.

Edit: Seychelles --> See Shells.

A: THE SEYCHELLES --> THE SEASHELLS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10, 2023): Creatures of the World

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10, 2023): Creatures of the World

Q: Name a creature that has a world capital in its name. Replace the capital with another creature and you'll get another world capital. What is it?

I spent too long trying to end up on DODOMA (Tanzania). I just had to think a little more.

Edit: I did get sidetracked thinking "creature" was deliberately chosen to include things like unicorns, fairies, yetis, elves, leprechauns, werewolves, king kong, etc. Once I narrowed my focus, I was able to think of a little creature.

A: MOSQUITO --> MOSCOW

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3, 2023): Strumming on the Old Banjo

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3, 2023): Strumming on the Old Banjo

Q: Name certain musical instruments (plural). The first, third, fourth, and fifth letters spell something that holds the things named by the last five letters. What instruments are these?

I'm pretty sure I saw this on an episode of Star Trek.

Edit: In the original series, Dr. McCoy was known as "Bones". There was also an episode set at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. In the Next Generation, Cmdr. Riker was occasionally seen playing the trombone.

A: TROMBONES --> TOMB, BONES

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27, 2023): A Seriously Bad Effect

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27, 2023): A Seriously Bad Effect

Q: Think of a noun in six letters. It sounds like a two-word phrase (2,6). And the thing named by the noun can have a seriously bad effect on what's named by the phrase. What is it?

I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere.

Edit: I would not eat green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am. That anagrams into the answer.

A: MIASMA --> MY ASTHMA

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 20, 2023): A Jumble of Body Parts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 20, 2023): A Jumble of Body Parts

Q: Name part of the human body above the neck in 9 letters. Rearrange them to name another part of the human body found below the neck. Only some people have the first body part. Everyone has the second one. What parts of the human body are these?

The wording bugs me a little which caused me to have a mental block. I do have the answer finally so I can stop pacing back and forth trying to figure this out.

Edit: I was thinking of Bugs Bunny with large front teeth. And after pacing, I'd sit down on the other part.

A: BUCK TEETH --> BUTT CHEEK

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 13, 2023): Contemporary Singer on Repeat

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 13, 2023): Contemporary Singer on Repeat

Q: Name a famous contemporary singer (6,4). The second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and ninth letters, in order, spell a repeated part of a song that everyone knows. What is it?

It's not the first time someone's made this observation.

Edit: Celine Dion Had A Farm

A: CELINE DION, "Old MacDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-O!"

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 6, 2023): Found In England

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 6, 2023): Found In England

Q: Name something found on a map of England. Two words. The last two letters of the first word are the same as the first two letters of the last. If you go to England, you can't see this place. You can see it only on a map. What is it?

Don't forget to submit your answer by Thursday, Aug 10 at 3pm ET. Hopefully you'll get the call.

Edit: My comment included a few hints. "3pm ET" was a hint to the initials PM in Prime Meridian and Eastern Time being a time zone relative to Greenwich Mean Time. In addition, "get the call" could have been phrased as "be on the LINE (with)".

A: PRIME MERIDIAN

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 30, 2023): I'll Drink to That

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 30, 2023): I'll Drink to That

Q: Name a well-known U.S. city in nine letters. Change the third and fifth letters to get the name of a beverage. What is it?

Remove the fourth letter of the city, rearrange and... not again!

This was a callback to the NPR puzzle from Feb 15, 2009, possibly the first involving a common historical person.

A: PENSACOLA --> PEPSI-COLA

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 23, 2023): Classic TV Show

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 23, 2023): Classic TV Show

Q: Name a classic TV show in two words, in which the respective words rhyme with the first and last names of a famous writer - four letters in the first name, five letter in the last name. Who is it?

This is kind of a spinoff of the on-air puzzle.

The initial letters of "Kind Of A Spinoff" when rearranged spell KAOS.

A: Get Smart, Bret Harte