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
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.
I've made my submission. Perhaps I was just very lucky tonight. When I read the puzzle, I thought of an author, reversed his initials, and waddya-know! A novel he had written fit the bill perfectly! What can I say? The magic was with me tonight!
ReplyDeleteThis could not have been easier and this is what I posted earlier this evening at the end of last week's blog:
ReplyDelete"skydiveboy Apr 14, 2012 09:22 PM
New puzzle just came up and I have submitted the answer to NPR. Will is such a scamp!
I'm happy to report I won't have to publicly consume anything so awful as mediocre coffee."
Of course "Dick and Jane" immediately came to mind as I read the puzzle, and while those words do add up to eleven letters I eventually figured out that it was probably not the answer. What a disappointment! Especially as I could not think of the titles of any other novels. I love the classics. But then I did finally recall another title and lo and behold it fit the bill. Strange though, because I had not realized they had finally made that film into a book too. I suppose one day they will make "Gone With The Wind" into a book as well. All in all a truly awesome puzzle that took me well over three minutes to finally solve. I sure hope the puzzles don't become any more challenging than this in the future.
ReplyDeleteCeqxv icfg....lpwgugvvlpj.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of rot is that?
Deletebackwords cryptogram?
DeleteRoman numerals?
Has anyone seen his blog? I think he may be the Time Cube guy. Best ignore him.
Delete@ PlannedChaos:
DeleteThanks for the heads up. Very strange indeed.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteA+C=C
Deleteb+D=e
o+C=q
u+D=x
t+C=v
f+D=i
a+C=c
c+D=f
e+C=g......etc.
It's not nearly as interesting to me as it was a few days ago, but if it's interesting to you, check out "ciphers" under LABELS at right.
An 'about face' is a 180 degree ROTation. Last week I read that Dickens had an IQ of 180 (didn't 'discover' it, didn't 'learn' it, just 'read' it...PROVE that I didn't!).
CD and DC are both Roman numerals, of course, and one is twice, and one is thrice...the author's age....I mean, if he were still alive, of course.
CD's, coins, and pages might indeed be flipped (more 180 (or multiple thereof) rotations).
I'd best not convert to radians.
Wow! very cryptic!
DeleteThe answer quickly popped into my head as if by sorcery!
ReplyDeleteI had a little trouble with this because I misinterpreted the challenge: I thought that by "the initial letters of the novel's title", he meant the first few letters of the first word of the title, rather than the first letter of each of the two words of the title. Having resolved that, the answer came pretty quickly, and I discovered that this reversal of initials is well-known and likely not coincidental.
ReplyDeleteMasterpiece Theater
ReplyDeleteI need help. Where do pennies come from?
ReplyDeleteIt is not the best of times for the penny.
DeleteI had the same misunderstanding Jan had regarding the letters in question when Will first read the puzzle. After he repeated it, I figured out the intended meaning and the answer just popped into my head within about 5 seconds as if by magic.
ReplyDeleteChuck
Top prize for solving this one should be in the range of $.01 - $.02.
ReplyDeleteWhat the... these puzzles seem to have gotten easier - I no longer have [5] [12]
ReplyDeleteMusical Clue: The Lovin' Spoonful
ReplyDeleteChuck
More Musical Clues: The Cars and Heart
ReplyDeleteI thought it would be a pipe dream to solve this puzzle. Actually, the name "Blaine" could be a clue. Right, Blaine?
ReplyDeleteyea there are those who say I have two much tena-city
Deletebut what was your clue on that other author - Shakespeare and the coke thing?
RoRo,
DeleteSorry, I never got back to you on that. I had "Foul Pops" for that one. So, Shakespeare was related to MacBeth - "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" and Coke was related to "pop," which is the name for soda in New England.
Sorry if I was too oblique.
That's cool. I was performing in Pittsburgh, PA this weekend and they say pop there also. Thanks
DeleteHere in Seattle we also say pop as I believe they do all over the West Coast. Soda is a fluid one uses to spoil the taste of Scotch.
DeleteClearly not one of Will's greatest. Way below expectations.
ReplyDeleteNo Goliath here...
ReplyDeleteAs I recall this author wrote another novel of some note that also lends itself to an amusing spoonerism.
ReplyDeleteAnd . . . BAM! I'm back. I seem to only periodically appear as if by a flick of a wand, I know. I got the answer right away, although I must say I've been preoccupied--no hint in the following mention of names--with the Red Sox this weekend: they're about to sweep the Rays out of Fenway Park! Looks like the Sox' initial losing spell was broken in the home opener.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYeyy, the Sox won--alas, no "sweep" just yet: I thought the series was three games, but it really is four--feels as if the fourth game was just miraculously added to the schedule...!
ReplyDeleteNow that I've solved this puzzle, it's time to get a popsicle. There's a place near me called Zora Dora's that has them with awesome flavors like Thai Chili and Strawberry Passionfruit. Yum.
ReplyDeleteBoston and Tampa Bay, Wolfgang, what a tale! The Sox started off really badly and now are cruising -- they got their 'times' reversed, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI got the correct author first by actually thinking of the wrong novel.
ReplyDeleteThe first novel, by the same author, that I thought of was two words with 5 and 12 letters, respectively. Obviously, the letters didn't match up and the number was slightly off, but once I got that author into my head, the real answer appeared out of thin air!
That's a really great story!
DeleteTrue story, bro.
DeleteMe too...in fact, the 5/12 title was the first one that popped into my head.
DeleteI guess that novel was more famous.
DeleteI expect others might have followed the same thought pattern.
DeleteI have to say that a 24 word title is pretty catchy.....
ReplyDeleteDaniel Radcliffe
Musical Clue:
You've got to pick a pocket or two, boys, you've got to pick a pocket or two!!
Careful with Emmanuel's "musical clue"--it's twisting things a little!
ReplyDeleteAs you sally forth, steer clear of giant invisible elephants.
ReplyDeleteRed is gray and yellow white, but we decide which is right...and which is an illusion ( - Moody Blues). Either I'm dating myself or I've convinced you I'm a music historian in a young body.
ReplyDeleteThere really needs to be a change made to the way we reply to an individual comment here. I cannot tell for sure which "reply" to click on so my response goes to the proper place. Most annoying!
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's far less than "seamless"; but. when I don't have the ultimate solution right at my fingertips, I'm disinclined to kvetch.
DeletePaul, you are so right! We should all endeavor to accept our lot in life and not complain because complainers are upsetting to the One Percent.
DeleteGood point, sdb; food for thought.
DeleteI'm not sure if it's what you meant or not, but I would like to be able to reply to a reply, and reply to a reply to a reply, etc.
But, is a one-percenter actually going to sit down at a keyboard and do the requisite programming? Is said one-percenter going to adequately compensate the poor geek who has to grind out the code (because WE complained), or is said geek simply going to have to do more work for the same pay (because we complained, and because the bottom line must be preserved at whatever cost)?
Just askin'.
Any minute now, Blaine's going to wander by and say "What the....Dan Patch...does this have to do with the NPR puzzle?"
And we'll both be cleaning erasers for the next two weeks.
1%er's do not have keyboards.
DeleteI'm not in charge of the commenting system... it's provided by Blogger. At least they have implemented the first level of replies which they didn't have until recently.
DeleteRight. I knew it has nothing to do with you, Blaine. I only posted my comment in order to release my stress at having to re-post because my post was misplaced, and this was not the first time this had happened to me. I am so happy I did this because I was then able to call and cancel my $250 emergency session with my therapist. [Sigh of relief.]
DeleteSkydiveboy,
DeleteDon't cancel! You need the session anyway.
:)
Leo,
DeleteNot as much as he needs the $$$. :)
Puzzle's up.
ReplyDeleteIf you click on these words here (commonly referred to as a "link") you will be directed to a new web page entitled "Midweek Puzzle Break" where you will find an amusing puzzle challenge that will hopefully act as a welcome diversion to your work week even taking into account that "midweek" with respect to a typical work week would be Wednesday instead of Thursday which happens to be today.
DAVID COPPERFIELD & CHARLES DICKENS
ReplyDeleteHints:
"New puzzle just came up and I have submitted the answer to NPR. Will is such a scamp!"
Scamp = dickens
"As I recall this author wrote another novel of some note that also lends itself to an amusing spoonerism."
That would be, A Tale of Two Cities, which Is undoubtedly the definitive Slice Of Life novel of all time. I will leave it to you to figure out the spoonerism of the title so as to not have problems with scent sores.
@SDB, as long as you are going to mention risqué spoonerisms, I'll just add that I think Brad and Angelina made a poor choice in naming their daughter Shiloh.
DeleteVery funny indeed! I had to look up who that is, but got it right away. When I first read your post I thought it had something to do with two missing letters in her name and then rearranging them to get two different words, but after looking to see who Shiloh is I like your spoonerism. I watch a lot of films, but shy away from Hollywood movies.
DeleteOn Sunday I said, “the answer just popped into my head within about 5 seconds as if by magic.” Magic was referencing the modern day illusionist, David Copperfield, which also happens to be the name of Charles Dickens’ novel. I also gave a musical clue, The Lovin’ Spoonful, whose first Top 10 hit in the 60s was, Do You Believe in Magic.
ReplyDeleteChuck
I posted on Apr 14, 2012 at 10:23 PM:
ReplyDeleteI've made my submission. Perhaps I was just very lucky tonight. When I read the puzzle, I thought of an author, reversed his initials, and waddya-know! A novel he had written fit the bill perfectly! What can I say? The magic was with me tonight!
Obviously a reference to a magician whose name happens to be the same as the title character.
"Careful with Emmanuel's 'musical clue'--it's twisting things a little!"
ReplyDeleteEmmanuel's clue was referencing the musical Oliver, of course; hence my reference to Twist.
The offical title of David Copperfield, The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (Which He Never Meant to Publish on Any Account), is 24 words long.
ReplyDeleteBefore achieving word stardom, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe starred in an adaption of David Copperfield.
Wolfgang correctly guess my musical clue. It is from Oliver! based on Oliver Twist, aslo by Charles Dickens.
OMG, it's not Mike!
ReplyDeleteWell I have come up with an answer that perfectly fits the description given, but I still do not feel completely comfortable that it is the answer Will is expecting, however I will restrain myself from another rant on the puzzles.
ReplyDelete