Thursday, July 08, 2010

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 4, 2010): Good Child / Bad Child

NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 4, 2010): Good Child / Bad Child:
Q: Take an eight-letter term that's often used to mean 'a good child.' Remove the first two and last two letters, and reverse what remains to get a four-letter word meaning 'a bad child.'
This may be the worst clue I've given recently: Brumby

Edit: The two clues were "worst" (as in BRATwurst) and "Brumby" (the Australian version of the Subaru BRAT). Working backwards you should have gotten the original 8 letter term.
Q: ALTAR BOY --> BRAT

35 comments:

  1. Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any outright spoilers before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here. Thank you.

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  2. The bean farmer, during the rewarding meal, was able to scientifically name all of the varieties she grew as well as all those which scourged her own lame gain –– that is, those of her county fair competitors!

    Hallelujah, Sistah!

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  3. Let me see if I can maybe provide a meaningful clue here. Let's just say that, to paraphrase Supreme Court Justice nominee, Elana Kagan, (She was my student, BTW.)in her confirmation hearings: This "good child" would not be found in a Chinese restaurant on Christmas day.

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  4. I was going to suggest a clue, but I spoiled it.

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  5. Musical clue: "Rapture", by Blondie

    TV Show Clue: "My Name is Earl"

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  6. On the other hand, the "bad child" might be found on lots of midwestern barbecues today.

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  7. Does anyone know someone that can take my pants in a little in Milwaukee? The last kid that did it wouldn't listen to a word I said!

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  8. Even this curmudgeon has a hard time thinking of the answer as ever being used to describe "a good child." Ask Rudy G, for example.

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  9. Don’t know about you but I found it easier to concentrate on my prime candidate for the 4-letter word, turn it around and then extrapolate outward to find the 8-letter term.

    Chuck

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  10. I have the 4 letter word instantly, especially as a Midwesterner. Still working on the 8 letter.

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  11. Since this was the week we learned the exciting details of the takedown of a Russian spy network, I decided to rent Falcon and the Snowman. Great ending.

    -- Other Ben

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  12. Chinese on Christmas.....
    one of those might be there after services.....

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  13. Sipped some great microbrews on the Fourth of July. I don't care for those mass produced beers.

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  14. Note the wording: "term" vs "word."

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  15. Talking about the good child, Jimmy Buffett and a lineup of stars including Kenny Chesney, Zack Brown and others have a free concert planned on July 11 to help support residents and businesses struggling because of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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  16. George Carlin was one and probably both.

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  17. Changed my approach and got it!!

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  18. Natasha, could you please be more specific?

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  19. Mario, You need to define term and word carefully.

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  20. I also started with the first 4-letter word that came to mind, and finally got the 8-letter term.
    I will refrain from posting tidbits of results found by Googling the answer.
    I should refrain altogether, because I can't hold a candle to Blue's clues.

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  21. Last comic standing judge just gave me the answer when critiquing Tommy Johnigan. After doing their routines the comics have to stand around waiting near those bright lights hoping that they wowed the congregation of people who paid to see them doing their fun-ae-robe-ics.

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  22. I got it!
    It was definitely one of those moments of staring and sudden enlightenment.

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  23. Anyone know how to submit a puzzle suggestion?

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  24. Good to be back on the puzzle bandwagon.... I've been gone a couple weeks merging 2 locations into a main branch at work. Definitely one of the most trying times in my life, 100+ hour weeks for almost 3 weeks in a row. Definitely got through it with Red Bull and prayer. Didn't help that the little one is going through his terrible twos and getting calls from an angry wife.

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  25. One of my answers would have limited applicability in Lincoln, NE.

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  26. Another musical clue: The Carpenters' "An Old-Fashioned Christmas"

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  27. Man oh man, all these clues and I still have no idea what the 8 letter term is.

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  28. Sharon,
    Snuff out all those flickering distracting thoughts and focus on what is normally in front of you in black and white.

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  29. alTAR Boy & brat.

    Anyone else think the good "child" clue was misleading, implies it can be a boy or a girl to me. (maybe I'm just jealous 'cos Will never picks my puzzles !)

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  30. My reference to a "modifier key" was to the ALT key, as was my subsequent (deleted!) request for someone in CONTROL to DELETE an inadvertently repeated post.

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  31. At the end of FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN, the KGB operative notes the wildy different characters of Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton and asks how the two met.

    They were ALTARBOYS together, Hutton replies.

    -- Other Ben

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  32. amenable
    bane

    anagrams thereof = bean able - name

    rewarding = synonym of amenable

    scourge, lame, competitor = synonyms of bane

    gain = rhyming

    Hallelujah, Sistah! = flip / reversed is Amen, Brother!

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  33. My clues were:

    Musical clue: "Rapture", by Blondie - The lyrics refer to Subarus (as in Subaru BRAT).

    TV Show Clue: "My Name is Earl" - One character in that show drove a BRAT with an American Flag paint job, appropriate for an Independence Day puzzle.

    The Carpenters' "An Old-Fashioned Christmas" had a song called "Little Altar Boy."

    ReplyDelete

For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.

You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.