Thursday, February 09, 2012

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 5, 2012): A Stern Elk and a Rattlesnake?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 5, 2012): A Stern Elk and a Rattlesnake?:
Q: Name an animal. Add the letters "A" and "T," and rearrange the result to name another animal. These are both animals that might be found in a zoo, and the last letter of the first animal is the first letter of the last one.
I was surprised to find the second animal has a longer lifespan than the first and will often weigh more.

Edit: Gorillas have a lifespan of 35 to 40 years while American alligators will live to 50+ in the wild. An adult male gorilla weighs around 400 lbs. while an adult American alligator will weigh around 800 lbs.
A: GORILLA + AT --> ALLIGATOR

46 comments:

  1. 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.

    You 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.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thought the Florida Primary was last week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too obvious, I think. I had no idea but thought Alligator as soon as I saw Florida.

      Delete
  3. Possibly related to the man in the corner.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have to go on a little trip later on today so I sent my answer in early. Good luck to all and see you later.

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  5. In case you may have missed my post at the end of last week's blog, here it is again:

    skydiveboyFeb 4, 2012 09:20 PM
    The gnu puzzle is up and it took just under ten minutes this time to solve, so I think lots of listeners will get the answer this time without needing our aid.

    ReplyDelete
  6. cobra : acrobat -
    i know, not the intended answer - but it works!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blaine,

      Speaking of weight, Ali-Frazier III was one of the best heavyweight fights ever.

      Delete
    2. Actually it may be right. My gas station has ARCO bats.

      Delete
    3. How about:

      B > BAT ?

      Or do you prefer traditional spelling?

      Delete
    4. Got it right away, but then again, animals have always been my strong suit.

      Delete
  7. Since so many got last week's answer, I am wondering if it was Digitally Mastered.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Who would win in a fight I wonder?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, the first animal is an irregular fighter. But at the end of the War of 1812, the second reportedly had a role in artillery. So, who knows?

      Delete
  9. Just flew back from Florida but I've got Georgia on my mind.

    ReplyDelete
  10. And here again is MY post near the end of last week's blog:

    Some alert readers my age might soon have not just one, but TWO different Hanna Barbera theme songs running through their heads.

    ReplyDelete
  11. When I got the puzzle, the first things I noticed were the body and the brain.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I can't imagine anyone needs help solving this puzzle, but just in case here is a musical clue: Clint Eastwood.

    ReplyDelete
  13. If I'm not mistaken, each of these two animals was featured in a commercial during the super bowl (two different commercials).

    ReplyDelete
  14. New puzzle's up and it has nothing to do with this week's intended answer.

    Linky, linky, loo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ding! I have the answer.

      Delete
    2. Replace the last three letters of the house type with three other letters, and you'll get a variety of wine.

      Delete
    3. Then, replace the last letter of Curtis' word with an "L" and you'll get the English spelling of the past tense of what workers do in the front of your house, especially in the summer.

      Delete
    4. I found your little diversion to be horrible and yet delightful. "Don't bother; I'll get it!" Did you get it?

      Delete
    5. Like a band of brothers in the Shanghai red light district.

      Delete
    6. And remove the letter in Leo's word that an American would find unnecessary and replace it with an 'A'. Rearrange to get a word that might describe a little puppy in front of the house.

      Delete
    7. Blaine,

      That's cute! Now, add a "t" to your word and get the past tense of a verb meaning to discuss.

      Delete
    8. Blaine, change the "e" to an "r" and rearrange to get the breed of that puppy.

      Delete
  15. Neither animal could be found "At The Zoo" by Simon & Garfunkel.

    ReplyDelete
  16. GORILLA = ALLIGATOR

    My intended hints:

    "In case you may have missed my post at the end of last week's blog, here it is again:

    The gnu (sic) puzzle is up and it took just under ten minutes this time to solve, so I think lots of listeners will get the answer this time without needing our aid."

    The hints here are "missed" & "aid" as in Gorilla Aide, that used to be a popular sugar drink. (Unsure of spelling.) "Missed" hints as Gorillas in the Mist.

    "Clint Eastwood" is a hint at Play Misty for Me. A movie by Clint Eastwood that referred to the song, Misty. As far as we know there were no gorillas in the movie or the song, but they may have been there and we just were unable to see them due to the mist obscuring their presence. Jane Goodall and Dian Fosse have been curiously silent on this subject.

    ReplyDelete
  17. A guerilla is an irregular fighter. Interesting, maybe, how those are almost anagrams.

    According to historian Jimmy Driftwood:

    Well, we fired our cannon til the barrel melted down,
    So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
    We filled his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind,
    And when they tetched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Though I was flying home from Florida on Sunday, Gators was not my intended clue. Georgia is a seven letter word beginning with G and ending with A, as is gorilla. GA is the postal abbreviation, and the beginning letters of each animal.

    ReplyDelete
  19. My clue was to Ali/Frazier III, where Ali threatened to be the killer of the Gorilla [Frazier] at the Thriller in Manila, as Ali punched a rubber King Kong replica. As it were, Ali won when Frazier couldn't answer the bell in the 15th round.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Distant relatives? Corner man => Angelo Dundee => Crocodile Dundee => alligator

    ReplyDelete
  21. My clue was a reference to Gorilla Monsoon of WWF fame, whose most famous partners while he was ring side commentator were Jesse "The Body" Ventura and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Hence, body and brain.

    ReplyDelete
  22. On Sunday I said: “Have to go on a little trip later on today so I sent my answer in early. Good luck to all and see you later.”

    Hopefully, “all” made you think of alligator as did the lyric “see you later” from the Bill Haley and the Comets 50s hit, See You Later, Alligator.”

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  23. The new puzzle is up and I thought it was going to be an easy one, so I kept sitting in front of my computer freezing my butt off, rather than getting up and turning up the heat, because I kept telling myself I would get it right away. Now I can go heat the house.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I forgot the hint. There is a connection to a puzzle answer from not too long ago here.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ah, yes.

    Earlier this week, I had posted:

    And here again is MY post near the end of last week's blog:

    Some alert readers my age might soon have not just one, but TWO different Hanna Barbera theme songs running through their heads.

    The Hanna Barbera theme songs were, of course,
    the "Magilla Gorilla" and "Wally Gator" themes.

    We've got a gorilla for sale
    Magilla Gorilla for sale.
    Won't you buy him,
    Take him home and try him,
    Gorilla for sale.

    Don't you want a little gorilla you can call your own,
    A gorilla who'll be with ya when you're all alone?

    <spoken:> How much is that gorilla in the window?

    Take our advice,
    At any price,
    A gorilla like Magilla is mighty nice.
    Gorilla, Magilla Gorilla for sale.

    and

    Wally Gator is a swinging alligator in the swamp.
    He's the greatest perculator when he really starts to romp.
    There has never been a greater operator in the swamp.
    See ya later, Wally Gator.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Only had to check the list once.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Lorenzo:
    So, now this week it is my turn to compliment you.

    ReplyDelete
  28. SDB, Thanks, I knew you would be awake at this late hour.

    ReplyDelete
  29. While others are giving clues to help readers think back a little bit to think of the good character's name, (who *DOES* have an optional last name), I've been wondering about how few people will recognize the bad character. ("Who's he?", "Never heard of him!")

    The bad character is the villain in,... let's say it's a tale told by an idiot... (Nah, that's not quite right; but hopefully I've at least steered you into the right neighborhood.)

    ReplyDelete

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.