NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 1): Is it Better to Plan, or not to Plan?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 1): Is it Better to Plan, or not to Plan?:

Q: Think of a nine-letter word for something that is unplanned. Change the middle letter from I to U, and you'll get a new word for something that is always planned. What is it?

I came by the answer almost accidentally. I wasn't really thinking about this puzzle, but was just pondering things that might be planned or unplanned. While I was thinking of unplanned things, the answer hit me.

Edit: In response to the title, I wouldn't want to be involved in either of these events (unplanned or planned). By the way, there were a couple *big* clues in what I wrote earlier. The keywords were "accidentally" and "hit me". So it's time to reveal my answer:

A: COLLISION --> COLLUSION

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24): I'm feeling i-l-l today

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24): I'm feeling i-l-l today:

Q: Name a famous person whose first and last names, together, total eleven letters. This person's first and last names each contain the consecutive letters 'I-L-L' in that order. Who is it? It's a person everybody knows.

I'm not sure if this is the intended answer, but this is what I came up with. Is he known to everyone or is there another answer?

A: Bill O'Reilly (host of The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17): Get to the Point!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17): Get to the Point!

Q: Think of a seven-letter word that names a certain implement with a sharp point. Reverse the order of the second, third, fourth, and fifth letter, leaving the other three letters in place. The result will name a popular TV series. This series has other types of sharp implements in use.

If you've heard of this series, the answer is obvious... although I wasn't as familiar with the original implement with a sharp point.

Edit: Okay, so how many TV shows have you heard of with sharp implements. If you've heard of this one, you had the answer within seconds.

A: NUTPICK -> NIP/TUCK

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10): O as in FISH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10): O as in FISH:

Q: In most words containing the letter 'O' between two consonants, the O is either pronounced as a long O or a short O. Can you name a common word in which O appears between two consonants and the O is pronounced like a short 'i'?

You can easily get this if you think a little. I'll explain the title after the deadline has passed.

Edit: Okay, time to reveal the meaning of the title. English pronunciation has all sorts of anomalies. Someone said it is so confusing. We have GH sounding like F in ENOUGH, O sounding like I in WOMEN, and TI sounding like SH in ACTION. Wouldn't that make GHOTI a valid way to spell fish? Anyway, that was the clue to the answer.

A: WOMEN ('wi-m&n)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3): "And in the News today..."

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3): "And in the News today...":

Q: Take the phrase 'a correspondent.' Change one letter in it to a new letter, and rearrange to get the name of a famous correspondent who is still at work. Who is it?

This actually took some thought. I missed the part about changing one of the letters. Coincidentally, I had half of the answer, but the remaining letters didn't spell a name, only a form of transportation. I'll tell you more about the answer after the deadline, but think of TV, both network and cable...

Edit: The deadline has passed so it's time to reveal my answer. As I said, I originally missed the note about changing a letter. We were working on names like PETER and PETERSON when I noticed ANDERSON, which I thought to be a last name. The remaining letters only spelled COPTER. I didn't think there was a COPTER ANDERSON so I discarded the idea. It wasn't until I reread the puzzle that I figured out the real answer. I was so close!

A: A CORRESPONDENT --> change T to O --> ANDERSON COOPER (Anderson Cooper - correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of World News Now who has now moved on to CNN)