Thursday, April 26, 2012

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 22, 2012): Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, lbh'er n trrx!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 22, 2012): Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, lbh'er n trrx!:
Q: Think of a common man's name in four letters, one syllable. Move each letter exactly halfway around the alphabet. For example, A would become N, N would become A, and B would become O. The result will be a common woman's name in two syllables. What names are these?
Am I the only one that thinks there should be a couple more letters at the end of the man's name or can we agree that it's more of a nickname?

P.S. I'm heading out to nearby a narrow gorge and will have to ponder this further as I sit beside the river.

Edit: My initial hint was for Trev (or) which becomes Geri (be). Both 'or' and 'be' were hinted at. My second clue was for a "narrow gorge" (glen) and "beside the river" (banks).
A: GLEN & TYRA
Alternate answer: TREV & GERI

Thursday, April 19, 2012

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 15, 2012): Initially Famous Novel

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 15, 2012): Initially Famous Novel:
Q: Name a famous novel in two words. The first word has five letters, and the second word has 11. If you have the right novel, the initial letters of the novel's title, reversed, are the initials of its author. What's the novel, and who is the author?
With audio books or e-Readers, I wonder if physical novels are vanishing, to become a thing of the past?

Edit: The words "audio books ... e-Readers" start with AB...E with the missing letters being CD. Then of course there's the "vanishing" reference to tie in with magician David Copperfield.
A: David Copperfield --> Charles Dickens

Thursday, April 12, 2012

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 8, 2012): Three Consecutive Letters

Shirts with letters
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 8, 2012): Three Consecutive Letters:
Q: Name an article of clothing that contains three consecutive letters of the alphabet consecutively in the word. For example, "canopy" contains the consecutive letters N-O-P. This article of clothing is often worn in a country that's name also contains three consecutive letters of the alphabet together. What is the clothing article, and what is the country?
Does anyone know if the dye in Easter eggs will leave a permanent stain? My fingers are now blue, pink and yellow.

Edit: The hint was "stain" which anagrams to "istan". Add that to the article of clothing to get the country. Also, the picture above has the 3 letters FGH appearing more prominently than the others.
A: A(fgh)an* --> A(fgh)anistan
*alternatively others have suggested hijab.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 1, 2012): Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Baseball gameNPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 1, 2012): Take Me Out to the Ball Game:
Q: Name some things seen at a baseball game. This is a two-word phrase, four letters in each word. Change one letter in each word to a new letter to get a new two-word phrase that names a popular music group of the past. Name the group.
For some reason, I'm thinking of tulips.

Edit: "of tulips" anagrams to foul tips
A: FOUL TIPS -> FOUR TOPS
(alternatively, some have suggested "foul pops" as the baseball phrase.)