Saturday, September 17, 2011

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 4, 2011): Two-Week Challenge - Famous Person Palindrome

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 4, 2011): Two-Week Challenge - Famous Person Palindrome:
Q: This is a special two-week creative challenge involving palindromes. A palindrome reads backwards and forward the same. Write a palindrome that contains the name of a famous person. For example: "No, Mel Gibson is a casino's big lemon." Or "Ed, I saw Harpo Marx ram Oprah W. aside." You can use the famous person's full name or just the last name, whatever you like. The object is to write the most interesting palindrome that contains a famous person's name, past or present. Any length is fine, short or long. Palindromes will be judged on their interest, elegance and naturalness of syntax.
Given this challenge is open-ended, there are no hints in my post this time. So anyone going to tackle a Sarah Palin palindrome?
A: "Did I cite operas I'd revere? Verdi's are poetic. I did!"
Runners-up:
"Peewee let reborn Robert E. Lee weep."
"Yawn, Madonna may baby a man, no damn way!"

34 comments:

  1. Able was I, ere I saw Elba.
    Madam, I'm Adam.
    A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama.

    :)

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  2. Harass sensuousness Sarah? Star comedy by Democrats!

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  3. @Phredp, remember it needs the last name in there at a minimum. I suppose we could expand that to "Macaroni lap, harass Sarah Palin, or a cam!" but it doesn't do well on the "naturalness of syntax" requirement.

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  4. My level of palindrome: I looked in the mirror and . . .

    I saw Lon Nol was I.

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  5. I think I might have Aibohphobia.

    All I have some up with so far is:

    Reviled Tony Blair, trial by not deliver.

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  6. Adam, sketching out his family structure including wife and kids, for the world's first census taker? --

    "Me 'n' Eve 'n' 'em"

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  7. Not my cup of tea.

    In what civilized nation might it be possible to see an ordinary primary rainbow at noon (sun to the south - rain to the north - no tricks?) That this actually happens is a question, but it seems possible unless I've overlooked something.

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  8. Remember when Michael Richards went on a rant:

    Kramer star - rats remark

    (I doubt Will would read that one...)

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  9. I don't like the new spin on the theme. It feels a bit like change for change's sake, especially the end.

    btw, the way they are setting the show up, could mean that they'll have more puzzlemasters at some point in the future.

    erutufehtnitniop... erm okay. I suck at palindromes.

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  10. Hugh,

    Your rainbow sighting will depend on the season as well as the latitude. For the primary rainbow the sun must be within 42 degrees of the horizon.

    In the summer you will have to be above 71.5 degrees north latitude.

    In the winter you can be anywhere between 24.5 degrees and 66.5 degrees north, a range that spans latitudes from Key West all the way up to the Arctic Circle.

    In both cases the presence of a "civilized nation" is possible, but may be subject to argument!

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  11. William, You may have pointed out my oversight (with the 24.5) in posing the question. I had this month in mind, but didn't say so.

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  12. William, more necessary tweaks for the country I have in mind.

    "Civilized" as defined under "civilization": a situation of urban comfort. (Go for the max.)

    Putting the sun closer than 40° to the horizon should allow for a visible but not spectacular arc.

    Climate is really the problem, but temperature and other info seem OK.

    Thanks for biting!

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  13. Hugh,
    Granted that snow is more likely than rain in the more northern latitudes, especially in winter, please don't be impatient. Global warming will resolve that difficulty, helped along by a number of imperfect civilized nations.

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  14. I think I'll sit this one out. There is no definitive answer - it's totally subjective. You gotta love NPR, Audie and Will. But I think I have better things to do with my time...

    Chuck

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  15. Since we've got two weeks, I'll try to fill the void and add a puzzle Sunday too. The first installment is ready.

    Here We Go

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  16. "Lisa Bonet ate no basil"
    "O Geronimo, no minor ego"
    "No 'x' in Nixon"

    From Bob by "Weird Al" Yankovic

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  17. Actually, I wrote the following palindrome shortly after 9/11. I followed it up with a couple others shortly after that. This one starts with a palindromic title, then the main part begins. There are 3 voices in it. While no name is mentioned, the 2nd voice's identity should be obvious.

    WTC: ACT, W!

    1. Evil! In a bilateral game, era died.
    [Ire] ... [Dire drumroll]

    2. I, kin, I shall aid a Moslem act. [I hide] Frets no man? I urge, beg: Ruin a monster! Fed, I hit camel, so mad I. Allah, sin! I kill or murder.

    3. I deride, I dare 'em. [A glare] Taliban, I live!


    ... and ...

    Dog, evil ass! I misuse Jihad. O, nod a "hi," Jesus, I miss a live god.

    and finally,

    Raw, animal! Sit, sir? Or retaliate. We tail a terrorist, Islam, in a war.

    Good wishes to you all.

    Rich

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  18. Blaine said...
    "Lisa Bonet ate no basil"
    "O Geronimo, no minor ego"
    "No 'x' in Nixon"

    From Bob by "Weird Al" Yankovic

    Blaine, you left out...

    "Oh, no! Don Ho!"

    Of course, my favorite of his palindromic lyrics:

    "Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog"

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  19. Soros. Live on, odd nabob, and do no evil, Soros.

    A gas race caps Bush subspace car saga.

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  20. GWB, et al. might be good fodder!

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  21. Musical inspiration (sans the music, you'll have to buy the CD for that) from Riders in the Sky:

    http://cowboyfrank.net/real/albums/Riders_In_The_Sky/Great_Big_Western_Howdy/Palindrome.htm

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  22. I posted a Sunday puzzle. Click on the link.

    The Link

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  23. "Dial set to hot Tesla ID."

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  24. Wow, I suck at this. Tried to do a Jlo but no go. Got something about Woody Allen laying doown (Scottish?) but too obscene. Then I tried putting Bogie and Bacall in a cab. Anyone got a good Bogie and Bacall one?

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  25. No sided loser Obama bores old Edison

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  26. I'm back now. Being a forward thinking kind of guy, I did not want to look backwards, and so I took a break.

    But the new puzzle is just out. I solved it as I was reading it. Maybe that will tell you something about how hard it is. Some may find it groundbreaking, but not me.

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  27. Hey Dr. Ensign, is Sarah harassing? Is nerdy, eh?

    Slo Sara P., Ya got no gun? NRA warn: snug onto gay parasols.

    One racist narc rants. I care? No.

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