NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 24, 2010): That's a Capital Idea

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 24, 2010): That's a Capital Idea:

Q: Name the capital of a country. Rearrange the letters to spell a word that sounds the same as the name of another country. To approach the puzzle backward, name a country that has a homophone that is an anagram of a different country's capital. What country and what capital city are they?

The following list of country capitals could be handy. I'm still working on the intended answer since so far I found a perfect anagram, not one that is a homophone.

Update: I feel like such a heel for not having figured this out sooner.

Edit: My hint was "feel like such a heel". A shoe has a heel and a sole (sounds like Seoul). You could also say I felt like a louse. :)

A: SOUTH KOREA's capital is SEOUL which anagrams to LOUSE which sounds like the country of LAOS.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 17, 2010): Typing the Opening Credits

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 17, 2010): Typing the Opening Credits:

Q: Rearrange the 14 letters of 'OPENING CREDITS' to name two symbols you can type on a typewriter or computer. What symbols are these?

Am I the only one that is bothered when these symbols appear together?

Edit Type it as $0.25 or 25¢, but please don't print your amount as 0.25¢, unless I'm allowed to buy 4 for a penny!

Note: To type the cent sign on a PC keyboard, enable NumLock, hold down the Alt key and type 155 (or 0162) on the numeric keypad.

A: OPENING CREDITS --> PERIOD and CENT SIGN

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 10, 2010): Rhyme Time

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 10, 2010): Rhyme Time:

Q: What are the two longest rhyming words that have no letters in common? For example, 'pie' and 'guy' rhyme and do not share any letters. The answer words cannot start with an unaccented syllable, such as 'today.' The source for acceptable words is Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary.

Hooray! This time the puzzle isn't one that can easily be solved via computer. In fact, depending on your definition of "rhyming" there may be several answers coming Will's way. Let's discuss, but don't give away an answer before the deadline.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 3, 2010): Third Time's a Charm

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 3, 2010): Third Time's a Charm:

Q: Name a famous person whose first name has six letters and last name has eight. In this person's first name, the first two letters are the same as the last two letters. And, these two letters also start the last name. The first two letters of the last name are pronounced differently from how they're pronounced in the first name. Who is this person?

Just so we are on the same page, united in thought so to speak, the pair of letters keeps the same order each time it is used.

Edit: I tried to include some misdirection (page=Author, thought=Philosopher, speak=Orator/Actor/Politician). The only real clue was united (as in United Airlines), which has used Rhapsody in Blue for years in its commercials.

A: GEorGE GErshwin