Q: Name a well-known singer. Drop the first and last letters of the singer's first name and you'll get the letters of a well-known company. Drop the first and last letters of the singer's last name, and you'll identify the logo that the company is classically known for. Who is the singer and what's the company?Musical clue: Adele & Lil Wayne
Edit: There were two clues in my answer. First I had an ampersand (&), hinting at the additional symbol needed in the company name. Second if you combine Adele and Wayne you get "Adele Wayne". Patti LaBelle played Adele Wayne, the mother of Dwayne Wayne on A Different World.
A: Patti LaBelle --> AT&T + A Bell
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via Google or Bing) 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.
ReplyDeleteYou may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't give the answer away. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the Thursday deadline. Thank you.
It feels like the first time I'm solving this puzzle!
ReplyDeleteI have an answer, but I don't get anybody's clues, so I guess I'm on my own.
ReplyDeleteCommentary by Niel Sedaka.
ReplyDeleteLorenzo: That would be Neil Sedaka, correct?
ReplyDeleteDoes the logo have to be just one word? I've got an answer but it seems like an old logo.
ReplyDeleteTom W. I stand corrected.
ReplyDeleteAs I posted last evening just after the puzzle was put up:
ReplyDeleteNew puzzle is up now and it may be difficult for many of us to reach the correct answer.
Musical clue: Lionel Richie
SDB: On what web link did you find the puzzle posted last evening? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOn the radio, but not on the website, Will did say the logo is two words.
ReplyDeleteMusical Clues: The Beastie Boys and Rick James.
ReplyDeleteMovie clue: Either The President's Analyst, or The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
ReplyDeleteAt this time last week, I was stumped. But this week, the answer has a familiar ring to it.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the Quasimodo Levi jokes.
ReplyDeleteTom W.:
ReplyDeletePull up NPR Puzzle, one way or another, and they have now been posting it at 9:03 PM out this way, which is midnight back there.
If you haven't figured it out yet hang on because I have some more clues coming soon.
ReplyDeleteEnglish 101
ReplyDeleteNouns: burgers and peppers
Verbs: tampers and tinkers
Adjectives: adept and deft
SDB: Thanks but no luck on Google when doing the NPR search. Can you provide the exact web link that posts the puzzle before it airs on the radio Sunday mornings? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSome people like to hold on to old products from this company thinkin they will be worth something but usually they are better off being sold to the junkman.
ReplyDeleteTom W.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle is posted on the NPR site in the puzzle section. There is also a link from my puzzle blog (www.tomspuzzlebreak.blogspot.com)
This is the link that I use:
http://www.npr.org/series/4473090/sunday-puzzle
Tom W. -- also try going to www.npr.org and then put "Sunday Puzzle" in the site's search box.
ReplyDeleteTom W.:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.npr.org/series/4473090/sunday-puzzle
I wish they would go back to posting the new puzzle online Saturday afternoons like they were doing up until recently, but I guess they now have an anal retentive intern who has hang-ups about not posting until after Sunday begins in his time zone.
ReplyDeleteMusical clue: Paul McCartney's "Michelle".
ReplyDeleteIt is the "Sunday" Puzzle after all.
ReplyDeleteThe standard link for the Sunday puzzle is:
ReplyDeletewww.npr.org/puzzle which resolves to the longer address noted by others.
Alternatively, I've sometimes found it linked from the Weekend Edition Sunday page ahead of them updating the Sunday Puzzle page, so I'll often check here:
www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/
Tommy Boy:
ReplyDeleteRead it again. :)
Thanks all for the web link information!
ReplyDeleteNPN, PNP, FET and UJT. Have I forgotten any?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone else noticed that the logo is actually an anachronism? I think Will Shortz may be in a world of trouble on this one. Comments?
ReplyDeleteI also wondered where Will was at, though he did say "Classicially known for" so I won't assign the bogus puzzle label. Last week did not do it for me...
ReplyDeleteMusical clues abound this week - voulez vous ?
Again, slight differences between internet and on-air clues. Good puzzle question from which the answer can be deduced without too much knowledge about singers.
ReplyDeleteAfter our early snow storm I'm looking forward to lunch at the deli, hamburger and fried onions.
I'm confused... What exactly are the 'musical clues?'
ReplyDeleteD35TR0Y3R:
ReplyDeleteIf the puzzle answer were "hound-dog," then a musical clue might be, Elvis Presley.
D35TR0Y3R -> Following SDB's comment, Anita Ward would be an appropriate musical clue. Good luck with the puzzle. By the way, are you USN?
ReplyDeleteFor the engineers: log(Po/Pi).
ReplyDelete@Tom W. Wow, that clue takes me back. I used to actually bring such paraphernalia, along with feather boas, etc. to the disco so I could be corny and match the song instructions. I'll be going to New Orleans next month but you won't find me giving instructions to just anybody on the street.
ReplyDeleteRoRo,
ReplyDeleteI think you are referring to Anita Ward and not the engineering clue. Yes, disco in the 1970s was lots of fun, and the music is still great listening today. Thanks to YouTube, anyone can relive the moment. Odd, but this week's puzzle has a link to the late Steve Jobs as did the puzzle from a few weeks ago. Your name reminds me of Rho(ρ) which appears in many scientific and engineering equations.
Famous company, obscure singer.
ReplyDeleteThis is hard.
ReplyDeleteBack to last week's puzzle, I mentioned that our Halloween costumes were related to the puzzle. The second part of the answer last week was Pioneer. And our costume theme this Halloween was Early Explorers of the New World
ReplyDeleteD35TR0Y3R -> Have you thought about the musical clues? The answer will be posted here tomorrow afternoon, so you won't have to wait until the NPR Sunday broadcast if the answer doesn't come to you. I wish I could tell you more, but I have to follow Blaine's rules like everyone else. Sometimes the answers come quickly, other times not so quickly, so keep trying and join the fun!
ReplyDeleteOne last clue: W-LL-CW
ReplyDeleteThe worst part is knowing that everyone else knows it...
ReplyDeleteD35TR0Y3R -> I can assure you more people who read this blog and listen to NPR don't always solve the puzzle, so don't despair. When you solve a puzzle, you get a great feeling and most of the clues make sense (except some of mine, sorry!) Don't give up yet, and keep coming back every week to join the fun. Maybe Blaine can arrange a social event for us so we can all meet somewhere, sometime. He has created an extremely powerful Think tank here.
ReplyDelete@Tom W. RhoRho, I like the sound of that! @Benmar, how can you say obscure? this person has been making hits since the 60's, reinvented self in the 70s (nearly sold out Constitution Hall with the reunion of which) Wrote a book, and has hits in 80s and 90s. You live under (heavy influence of) rock?
ReplyDeleteRoRo:
ReplyDeleteRe: benmar;
And don't forget her film career.
benmar has been pioneering posting without checking his facts. Although he did get one right, thinking he was being sarcastic, last week.
Any last minute hints before I hit the sack? I came up with the answer in my dreams once before...
ReplyDeleteD35TR0Y3R -> Watch an Anita Ward music video on YouTube. Even if you don't get the answer, you will have pleasant dreams.
ReplyDeleteD35TR0Y3R:
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to set your alarm.
SDB: I think D35TR0Y3R went to bed. I was going to recommend some Mexican food to stimulate the brain cells. Did you watch the Anita Ward music video on YouTube? Those disco days were something else. Cheap gasoline, fast cars, and few worries. I know RoRo remembers!
ReplyDeleteTomW:
ReplyDeleteWell I do hope he set his alarm clock.
Cheap Mexican food, no doubt, and not at Taco Time.
I have no idea who Anita Ward is. I never liked disco either. I never could get them to play Schubert at disco clubs. Carmina Burana either.
Attention to detail could help solve this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteBlaine:
Did you and the family, in your costumes, go doorbell ringing for candy?
RoRo's screen name might actually be the start of a hint to an old ad jingle used by the mystery company: "R---- O--, R---- O-- A-- T---- S-------"
ReplyDelete@sdb yeah and TV roles too although usually played somebody's parent pushing prune danishes. D35troy3r, if you look at these hints and go to New Orleans I'm sure you would have a new perspective and a new attitude or you could even go to Oz even if you are not the first. Good one Jan!
ReplyDeleteAlso, person is on Broadway now, I think, in a hit show. Role is small but not obscure.
ReplyDelete@SDB, Yes we did go around the neighborhood collecting candy. Some things you can do remotely, but trick or treating requires face-to-face contact.
ReplyDeleteNot everyone recognized us in our costumes, but a few said our faces looked familiar.
My clues:
ReplyDelete"New puzzle is up now and it may be difficult for many of us to reach the correct answer.
Musical clue: Lionel Richie"
REACH as in reach out and touch. L.R. "HELLO."
"If you haven't figured it out yet hang on because I have some more clues coming soon."
HANG ON as in a phone conversation.
"I wish they would go back to posting the new puzzle online Saturday afternoons like they were doing up until recently, but I guess they now have an anal retentive intern who has hang-ups about not posting until after Sunday begins in his time zone."
All that for HANG-UPS.
"Don't forget to set your alarm." & "Well I do hope he set his alarm clock."
ALARM CLOCK BELLS.
"Cheap Mexican food, no doubt, and not at Taco Time."
Hint @ TACO BELL.
"Attention to detail could help solve this puzzle.
Blaine:
Did you and the family, in your costumes, go doorbell ringing for candy?"
ATTention. = AT&T hint.
Doorbell ringing = BELL hint.
The ominous,ubiquitous villain in "The President's Analyst" (a fine old spy spoof) was TPC, The Phone Company, based on AT&T. Quasimodo, of course, rang A BELL. McCartney: "Michelle, MA BELL" (more or less).
ReplyDeleteI wanted to hint at Lauren Weinstein's "The Day Bell System Died," an excellent take-off on Don McLean's "American Pie", but couldn't figure how to make it non-obvious.
So: PATTI LABELLE, and AT&T.
Having worked 23 years at Bell Labs, this wasn't that tough...
Here are explanations for my clues:
ReplyDeleteIt feels like the first time I'm solving this puzzle! -> In reference to Foreigner when Patti Labelle and Diana Ross performed together in 1985.
NPN, PNP, FET and UJT. Have I forgotten any? -> Different types of transistors in reference to AT&T Bell Laboratories where the transistor was invented.
Has anyone else noticed that the logo is actually an anachronism? I think Will Shortz may be in a world of trouble on this one. Comments? -> The "Bell" symbol was replaced with a world globe.
Anita Ward; "Ring My Bell". Here's the link for the music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPYese-Hl8M
For the engineers: log(Po/Pi). -> The formula for Bel.
One last clue: W-LL-CW -> You have to be a ham radio operator to figure this one out. W = ITU prefix designator for America(n), LL = Telephone Land line or Long Lines, and CW = Continuous Wave (telegraph).
And finally a Mexican food reference to Taco Bell.
Jan,
ReplyDeleteI was a MTS at Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ in 1972. Where you there too?
Tom W: I was an MTS at Murray Hill, 1977 - 2000.
ReplyDeleteJan,
ReplyDeleteThat's great. I'm going to contact Blaine to see if we can exchange e-mail addresses. I would rather do it that way instead of posting personal information here. I relocated to Florida and love it here!
English 101
ReplyDeleteNouns: burgers and peppers --> patties and bells
Verbs: tampers and tinkers --> t ampersand t inkers
Adjectives: adept and deft --> able - a bell
Oh...
ReplyDeleteI feel stupid.
ReplyDeleteNeil Sedaka. ---Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
ReplyDelete@D35.. Don't feel badly, many a time I have perused the clues and said "What the Heck". Anyway, my clues were from eeeearly song "I sold my heart to the junkman" and New Orleans for Voulez vou coushe avec moi or whatever (my colleague says grammatically incorrect). I did bring bells, finger cymbles,etc. to the discos. Loved LaBelle and dressed up for the period to go see them a couple of years ago in DC. Songs "I got a New Attitude" and her somewhere over the rainbow is pretty popular considering she is not Judy Garland (OZ), She is currently? playing FELA's mother on broadway and (Blaine's clue?) she pushed those prune danishes as Adele (Dwayne's mom) in It's a Different World"
ReplyDelete@Benmar, don't take it personal. There will be many a day, I am sure, that I will not get your "AHA" moments or may say Who Cares? to some "celebs" not in my genre.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone else participating in this AT&T event this year?
ReplyDeletehttp://cqwe.cboh.org/
They have a saying in France: "Saved by La Belle."
ReplyDeleteNew puzzle is now up and it is another of those figure out how many ones.
ReplyDeleteI believe I now have the correct answer, but I cannot figure out how to give a clue. Maybe after I have a beer.
ReplyDeleteMy hint is that the number of equilateral triangles is equal to my age in years...but that really only helps me.
ReplyDeleteI was primed and ready for a new puzzle this week, but when I started to size it up I was seeing double !
ReplyDeleteSecond hint: u6FEAz
ReplyDeleteI would caution that the past few week there have been subtle differences in wording between the posted and the spoken, on-air puzzles. Sometimes, there were examples given that eliminated themselves as possible puzzle answers; other times there were clarifications that were available only on-air. I'd advise listening to the puzzle on-air before submitting an answer: you're allowed only one entry, and there's no benefit to submitting early.
ReplyDeleteSDB's clue seems to make sense.
ReplyDeleteSo I'll go with √7.
@SDB: Good thing I live in Cyprus!
ReplyDeleteIf anyone wants triangular graph paper to help with this puzzle, see "http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/triangle"
ReplyDelete