Thursday, December 30, 2010

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 26, 2010): It's Boxing Day, is that a clue?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 26, 2010): It's Boxing Day, is that a clue?:
Q: Name a famous American from the past who has seven letters in his or her last name. Take the last two letters, plus the first four letters, in that order, and you'll name that person's profession. Who is it?
Given that this person's Wikipedia page lists 10 professions, can you be sure you'll find this person's intended profession in a sample list of occupations? Remember, your search needs to be exhaustive if you want to be sure not to miss it.

Edit: My hint was "be exhaustive" (i.e. "thorough")
A: Henry David THOREAU --> AU + THOR = AUTHOR

22 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. And here's a reminder that you can still try to solve our annual Christmas puzzle to unlock the hidden video messages.

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  3. Thanks for the Christmas puzzle Blaine. Okay, made it through Christmas. Now time to work on taxes(which I hate and may refuse to pay!)

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  4. Plenty of good clues for this week's puzzle were posted several months ago.

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  5. The answer came to me when I went to a quiet place, was all alone and meditating.

    Chuck

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  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  7. Sorry benmar12001, a little too obvious. A simple Google search with your post reveals too much.

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  8. I got a high definition television for Christmas. Not.

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  9. Chuck, Were you meditating under the first L of the Hollywood sign?

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  10. This puzzle's answer hit me like a lightning bolt from the god of thunder.

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  11. Dem's too obvious a clues for de wall.

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  12. This puzzle was easier than I thought it would be. I can't figure out why I went into it feeling so perplexed, or why I left it so quickly.

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  13. Blaine, excellent choice of synomonyms.

    Thanks, Lorenzo.

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  14. Wow... can't say I figured it out with your help... but now that I have the answer most of the "clues" make sense. I especially like the tv clue.

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  15. I had to spend some time pondering the question before I came up with the answer.

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  16. Yeah, I pondered that not paying taxes for a time but the IRS is so comprehensive. Me and Willie Nelson have something in com(promise)mon. I thought it was interesting that this figure worked much of his life in a factory that supplied the tools of his trade.

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  17. Well, I'm sure we all came within a stone's Thoreau of getting picked this week. I can say, authoritatively, that this is the only pun I will post here today.

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  18. Blaine, I don't know if your clue was meant to be a double entendre, but I took exhaustive to mean go through the entire list. Lo and behold, writer/AUTHOR was the second to last entry in your linked list.

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  19. Yeah, I did like that it was at the end of that list. Most others I checked had AUTHOR near the top and here it was hidden a little with WRITER/AUTHOR.

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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.