NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 28, 2023): Author turned Pro Athlete

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 28, 2023): Author turned Pro Athlete

Q: Think of a well-known author whose first name is nine letters long, and last name six letters. Change the first letter of the last name and anagram those six letters to spell a word. Now read everything together — the author's first name plus the anagram with a letter changed of the last name — and you'll get a certain professional athlete. Who is it?

The new 6-letter part can also be rearranged to get the last name of an actor whose first name starts with the same 5 letters as the author or athlete.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 21, 2023): A Place in Europe

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 21, 2023): A Place in Europe

Q: Name a place in Europe in nine letters. Swap the third and fourth letters, then the eighth and ninth letters. The result is two words describing what this place famously does.

A: STROMBOLI (an active volcanic island off Italy), STORM and BOIL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 14, 2023): Mother's Day Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 14, 2023): Mother's Day Puzzle

Q: Think of an animal in which the singular form of the female and the plural form of the male sound like synonyms. What animal is it?

Take the name of a different animal, drop the fourth letter and you get another synonym.

Edit: MONKEY - K = MONEY

A: DOE (dough) and BUCKS.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 7, 2023): Compound Body Parts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 7, 2023): Compound Body Parts

Q: Think of part of the human body whose name is a compound word (like fingertip or toenail). Add an N and rearrange the result to get another part of the body whose name is also a compound word. What body parts are these?

From the final body part remove any repeated letters (leaving only one instance of the letter). Add "IC" and rearrange to describe the state of some other body parts.

Edit: The resulting anagram is MANICURED.

A: EARDRUM + N --> UNDERARM

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 30, 2023): Azure and Beige

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 30, 2023): Azure and Beige

Q: The "zh" sound can be spelled in many different ways in English — like the "s" in MEASURE; like the "g" in BEIGE; like the "z" in AZURE; like the "j" in MAHARAJAH; and like the "x" in LUXURY as some people pronounce it. The "zh" sound can also be spelled as a "t" in one instance. We know of only one common word this is true of, not counting its derivatives. What word is it?

Change the penultimate letter to an S and rearrange to name things that some people might treasure.

Edit: Rearranging the letters you get ANTIQUES. My thumbnail image also had horizontal lines reminiscent of an equal sign.

A: EQUATION

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 23, 2023): Complaint Department

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 23, 2023): Complaint Department

Q: Think of a five-letter word for things a lot of people complain about. Add a letter and rearrange the result to get an example of these things. Then add one more letter and rearrange to get a remedy for these things. Five, six, and seven letters, respectively. What words are these?

Add one more letter and rearrange to name something used for thousands of years.

Edit: Add an H and rearrange to get HAIRPINS.

A: PAINS, SPRAIN, ASPIRIN

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 16, 2023): Topsy-Turvy

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 16, 2023): Topsy-Turvy

Q: Think of a common 8-letter word, in which the first three letters spell a word, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh letters also spell a word. These two little words mean the same thing. The fourth letter, when rotated 180°, becomes the eighth letter. What word is this?

Drop the second and eighth letters and rearrange to get a word. That word could describe an item that was taken to a place also described by the word by someone whose name sounds like the original word.

Edit: Alan Shepard hit a golf ball (sphere) on the moon (sphere).

A: shepherd --> she, her, p/d

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 9, 2023): How Does Your Garden Grow?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 9, 2023): How Does Your Garden Grow?

Q: Name some things you might grow in a garden. Move the middle letter to the beginning. Phonetically the result sounds like part of the human body and an article of clothing that covers it. What words are these?

Sorry no time to work on the puzzle; we're too busy getting ready for Easter.

Edit: We were probably "planting" eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt!

A: EGGPLANTS --> LEG, PANTS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 2, 2023): Musicians and Writers Wanted

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 2, 2023): Musicians and Writers Wanted

Q: Think of an eight-letter word for a certain musician. Switch the order of the second and fourth letters and you'll get a word for a certain writer. What words are these? The answers are words, not famous people.

Add three letters and rearrange to name a person who might work on a movie.

Edit: Add H, L, Y and rearrange to get HAIRSTYLIST.

A: SITARIST, SATIRIST

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 26, 2023): Household Products

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 26, 2023): Household Products

Q: Name two brands of household products, each in three syllables. All of the syllables in the two brands rhyme with each other. That is, the first syllable in the first brand rhymes with the first syllable in the second brand, the second syllables in the two brands rhyme, and the third syllables rhyme. What brand names are these?

If my answer is correct, both products also rhyme with a centenarian.

Edit: Jean Dolores Schmidt is better known as Sister Jean.

A: LISTERINE and MR. CLEAN