Thursday, November 04, 2010

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 31, 2010): Creature Double Feature

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 31, 2010): Creature Double Feature:
Q: Name a creature in six letters. Move the first three letters to the end and read the result backward to name another creature. Clue: If you break either six-letter word in half, each pair of three letters will themselves spell a word.
No, I'm not late in posting the puzzle. I'm just stunned anyone would think so. Incidentally one of the 3-letter words is more common in crosswords, but it is found in the dictionary. Speaking of a double-feature, I'm thinking of watching a comedy and then a sci-fi thriller. Horror on Halloween is so overrated.

Edit: My hints were "not late" and "just stunned" which allude to various lines in the Monty Python Dead Parrot Sketch. The double-feature references were to this comedic sketch and the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. The last comment was a hint to the fact that the creatures aren't directly related to Halloween (e.g. not goblins, zombies, spirits, etc.)
A: PARROT <--> ROTPAR <--> RAPTOR

30 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 answer I got has nothing to do with Halloween.

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  3. The answer I have meets the criteria, however the second creature's name is more of a general term or an informal one (shortened for speed ?) - anyone else get this ?

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  4. Blaine, ditto on the 3-letter word. I had to look it up to verify my answer.

    I knew we'd finally get a puzzle with a clear unambiguous answer. Chalk it up to my unbridled optimism. I'm glad we got game.

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  5. Dave J, at first I thought you meant the first creature's name, but then I realized the order doesn't matter.

    In fact, you can start with either creature and move the 3 letters over and over and it always works.

    I tried it for an hour until I realized I may be psychotic.

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  6. Finally – a puzzle that has my undivided attention – I guess because it sounds like something new, not just a repetition of what we’ve heard before.

    Chuck

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  7. Tommy Boy, nice clue for the least common of the three-letter words.

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  8. Not only do each of the four three letter segments make actual words, but they also make actual words when read backwards.

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  9. Lorenzo, whatever it is, it was unintentional. I was actually going for something whittier.

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  10. Tommy Boy, I thought I detected a geological reference loosely related to the word in question.

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  11. It sounds like I have the same answer as the other solvers. Like Dave J., one of my six-letter words is more of a creature category than an individual creature. And, like Blaine, I noticed one of the three-letter words is very uncommon in English - though it is a common German word.

    I originally thought that, because Will used the word "creature" as opposed to "animal", it had to be some sort of fictional or mythical creature. I tried to make Madusa, Goblin and Dragon work, but to no avail.

    On the whole, I thought it was one of the better recent puzzles.

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  12. I think dinosaurs are scary.

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  13. For the past few weeks, I'd say that on average the puzzles have stunk. I'll repeat the others' posts and assert that this was a much better puzzle.

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  14. Lorenzo, got it, but unintentional.

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  15. Chuck, I hate to disagree with you, but this is a repeat – or possibly a restatement – of a puzzle that Will gave in the early to mid 90's.

    I know this because it was the first puzzle for which my wife and I submitted an answer (actually, she got the answer originally, which she reminds me of over and over again). But then again, I’ve been around long enough to have actually seen one of the creatures!

    Ha! Let me see you claw your way out of this one! Sorry, just kidding. ;-)

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  16. "Treasure Island" (1950) and "Jurassic Park" (1993) are two of my favorite movies.

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  17. Aaah, finally sussed it. One of the creatures wasn't in my word list, that's why my computer couldn't find it :)

    I'm glad to find out the answer wasn't a combo of the undead and a famous football announcer... I guess that was the spirit of the season getting to me.

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  18. Doctechnical, great call! Could make for an interesting video game.

    Hey, all. Just posted an appropriate election day puzzle at www.tomspuzzlebreak.blogspot.com

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  19. I had to look through lists of three-letter words until my eyes were as big as an owl's to find this one, to the point that I was repeating word after word to myself.

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  20. We interrupt these comments for a shameless plug from the blog owner...
    Halloween Costumes - 2010

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  21. This thread is dead, gone to meet it's maker, shuffled off its mortal coil, singing with the choir invisible....

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  22. Owner: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay?

    (Takes parrot out of the cage and thumps its head on the counter. Throws it up in the air and watches it plummet to the floor.)

    Mr. Praline: Now that's what I call a dead parrot.

    Owner: No, no.....No, 'e's stunned!

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  23. Lovely plumage!

    In my search for the answer I came up with Damned and Madden as a possibility... hence my previous comment. Undead NFL! Revenge of the Turducken!

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  24. Owl - type of raptor. Repeating - synonomous with parroting.

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  25. My unbridled optimism was in reference to Pollyanna Whittier who played the "Glad Game".

    Pollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children's literature, with the title character's name becoming a popular term for someone with the same optimistic outlook.

    Sincerely,
    Polly Parrot

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  26. OK you guys, I am LOL over the Parroties. Yeah! for the trek and treaters, Blaine. Dave you were right. My computer was weird for about a week and seems ok now. Have 2 keep my day job 4 now.

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  27. Wow, Nothnagel is quite the woodsman!

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  28. Next week's puzzle is up already - easy for east enders

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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.