Thursday, March 14, 2013

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 10, 2013): As the Saying Goes

QuoteNPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 10, 2013): As the Saying Goes:
Q: Think of two familiar three-word sayings in which all three words are the same length. The middle word in both sayings is the same. In each saying, the first and last words rhyme with each other. What two sayings are these?
Maybe these sequences will provide a clue: 0, 0, 8, 102... and 1, 9, 41, 129...

Edit: The sequences above are found in the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS) as A001575 and A001846. The phrases were first recorded in the years 1575 and 1846, respectively.
A: "Haste makes waste" and "Might makes right".

208 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. At the end of our last week's blog I posted the following:

    "skydiveboySat Mar 09, 10:52:00 PM PST
    The new puzzle came up a bit ago.

    Next week's challenge: Think of two familiar three-word sayings in which all three words are the same length. The middle word in both sayings is the same. In each saying, the first and last words rhyme with each other. What two sayings are these?

    I already have an answer and am wondering if it the same as expected. Who thought it would be up so soon? Sorry I have not come up with a hint yet that is not too revealing, so you are just going to have to wait"

    Sorry, no clue yet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Blaine, are those sequences ratings on the cliche meter?

    Or to rephrase the puzzle, all six words in two phrases have the same number of letters..

    Hard to help on this one. Maybe tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  4. After all the tumult of the past week a bit of respite to regain strength sure fits now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Here's my repost from last week's blog:

    I posted on Sun Mar 10, at 01:51:00 AM PST:

    I've made my submission. I'm I happy with it?

    I happen to know of a certain king would be unhappy with one of the three-word sayings I submitted. He even proposed an improved three-word phrase to replace it, but unfortunately his improvement fails the criteria of the puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I submitted the above post, I thought of the perfect reply that someone might make to it, but it's now almost 4 hours later; -- and noone replied!

      Oh, the perfect reply I was expecting to see?

      "This king you mention, I wonder what he's doing tonight?"

      Delete
    2. Well, I'm still thinkin' of the link on your earlier post.

      Delete
    3. I bet there will be 2000 correct answers on this one.

      Delete
    4. Can I say that both phrases apply to N. Korea, Blaine? One describes the actual course of events there, and the other describes their delusional self-conception.

      Delete
  6. In my repost above I inserted "of" between "know" and "a", and failed to realize that I also should've inserted "who" between "king" and "would".

    Many times on this blog I've seen posts replaced with "This comment has been removed by the author." and many times I've wanted to remove my own post.

    So Blaine, could you give us novices a lesson? How do we remove our own posts around here?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ EWA
      I had the same problem due to using my smart phone for all of my posting.
      At the end of the blog is the option to switch to the web version.
      This version gives you the opportunity to delete any posting.

      Delete
    2. ZC, your post has ter be helpful to yer Tennessee relatives, eh?

      Ever notice how smart phones are some of the dumbest phones in the drawer?

      Delete
  7. I see the difficulty with submitting a clue that's not a giveaway. Is this too vague?--Does Miles chase isles? Do rakes chase cakes?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I can think of a familiar four-word saying that uses one of the answer words and has the same number of letters as an answer phrase.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul, that's an aphorism. These are athreeisms. ;-)

      Delete
    2. The a4mentioned a4ism: Waste not, want not.

      Delete
  9. Enya and Weird Al Fan, in the web version of this blog, there is a delete button right beneath your post. It doesn't always show up in the smart phone version. You must confirm your deletion so you can't delete "on acksidentz." Hope that helps in your erasure quest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for the redundancy.
      Zeke the repeater

      Delete
    2. No worries, Zeke, the chameleon. One more Post-it note won't hurt.

      Delete
    3. I use Internet Explorer, and now I'm using Mozilla Firefox. In all the time I've been reading and posting to this blog I've never seen any delete button!

      Delete
    4. How odd. (Oh, that reminds me of the equally lame Car Talk puzzle this week).

      To be completely accurate, the delete "button" is actually a highlighted, linked word. But, I am thinking you would have seen that, EWAF. Maybe your posts are just so prophetic they can't possibly be erased.

      Anyone have an interesting puzzle for us?

      Delete
  10. I think I've figured out the first one by now. Looks like you want to give this puzzle some time, for good results.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The key to solving this puzzle is to take your time. If that doesn!t work, then just force it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A tiny arachnid forced me to pen this posting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, that reminds me of my winning Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest entry of years ago.

      Delete
  13. One saying kinda' describes the tortoise's racing strategy while the other is an accurate description of US foreign policy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. "It was, presumably, Dr. Livingstone who emerged into the clearing from the dense rain forest beyond, although it was difficult to tell for
    certain just WHO it was beneath the layers of leeches clinging to his limbs, the spiders covering the surface of his sun helmet, the bounty of bugs on his body, and the multitude of mites crawling on everything from his Mont Blanc pen to his machete though, as he had recently employed the latter in hacking his way through the jungle while he had long ago abandoned his diary, the pen was somewhat mitier than the sword."

    Not the Grand Prize winner, alas, just in the Adventure category (though perhaps better suited for the Purple Prose or Execrable Puns prizes). That last bit is a misquote from EBL himself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Completely marvelous, Jan. Worth all the set up. Your post has to be the most uplifting one of the morning.

      Delete
    2. If I try really hard, I can be like Jan be: Manly like Stanley.

      Delete
  15. If I might digress back to last week’s puzzle, I was not one of the 170 who submitted the correct answer. I had no elegant mathematical formula. I just ground out the possibilities one at a time and submitted my answer on Sunday. Just for fun I started all over again Monday morning and discovered that I had missed some seating arrangements. Next time I’ll double check my work before I hit the send button.

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  16. STOP THE PRESSES! I just uncovered an equally viable solution!! Both phrases use three four-letter words. The first one is an expression that describes how you behave if your actions exemplify your words. The second saying describes the act you might have been forced to perform each night when you climbed in bed if you were married to Lysistrata.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AbqG, well I'm not there yet but I did learn about the lionness on the cheese grater. Hmmm.

      Delete
    2. Keeping in tune with the cheese grater on a lonely night imagery, WW, would it be too much to suggest "zest the nest?"

      Delete
    3. Yes. Do you keep your cheese grater in tune?

      Delete
    4. My wives insist that I keep the grater tuned, Word Woman. Thanks for your interest. Actually, I like to keep it a hair on the sharp side. It puts a little more "ow" in the lionesses' "meow."

      Delete
  17. Need a hint? Ask me. I dare you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OK, I'll play along. Gimme a hint.

      Delete
    2. I guess we must have 2 different answers, or I'm being thick-headed today. Or both.

      Delete
    3. Every one has two different answers.

      Delete
    4. "I have studied it often, but never could discover the plot." ~~Mark Twain~~(on the dictionary).

      Delete
    5. "I'm not your slave," said Tom, chipperly.

      Delete
  18. From reading the above posts I believe my solution is different from what others are hinting at.

    I have to agree with the above comment re: The Cartalk Puzzler for this week. But did anyone submit a different answer to their puzzle for the week before having to do with the fifty coins? I did, and was surprised that they seemed to think there was only one way to solve it. I think there are others as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wondered, sdb. If I heard correctly, they only counted one 'correct' entry to the coins puzzle. I don't submit answers, as a rule, to CarTalk,(or GeekDad, or NPR; I'm somewhat content with humiliating myself on these blogs) but I had the general idea of their answer: Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres.
      I'd be interested in your alternative solution.
      If AbqG's alternative solution to the current NPR puzzle is anything like what I think it is, I think it's clever, and maybe technically legitimate, but I don't think Will's gonna buy it.
      I remember way back once upon a time, Bobby Fischer had a chess puzzle every month ( I think it was monthly ) in Boy's Life magazine. I remember one puzzle in particular. I had an answer; it involved advancing a pawn to the 8th rank. When 'the' answer was published, it was something different, and there was no mention of 'my' solution. I checked, rechecked, triplechecked, and was convinced that my solution was valid. And although I cannot now recall the specifics of the puzzle, I remain convinced my solution was valid. I sent Bobby a letter about it. Not a peep.

      Delete
    2. Paul:
      This is the short version:

      21 21
      9 9
      3 3
      1 1

      I think you will understand the details, but if you need clarification, just ask.

      Delete
    3. @ Paul
      I suggest you to keep on checking, mate.

      Delete
    4. Thanks for the validation, Paul, but let's face it, no need to beat around the bush, there is no way Will is going to read the second part on NPR.
      On the other hand (pun intended), if he has a broad sense of humor and enjoys a ribald puzzle now and then, he'll be sharing it with close friends at the bar or around the dinner table, "Then there was this time I asked for some three-word phrases...blah, blah, blah."

      Delete
    5. AbqG, did you forget who you were?

      Delete
    6. No, not sure what prompted the question, Word Woman. Funny you should ask, however, because last week I started taking a Ginko Biloba capsule with half a viagra tablet every morning. It helps me remember what the f_ _ _ I'm doing most of the day. ;-)

      Delete
  19. Got one in a hurry, but even with it as a template, could not come up with a second correct one. Went into conference mode with the rest of the family and my daughter came up with the missing saying.

    Marissa Mayer has the right idea, and Sheldon Cooper doesen't.

    Piles of snow last week.

    ReplyDelete
  20. It often makes me wonder when Will says the puzzle is easy, but solving these puzzles always makes me hungry.
    Does anyone know where I can get some kasha sweetmeats ? Perhaps I might get Kashmir candies instead ?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Just realized there are three common sayings that fit all the criteria. Wonder why Will only asked for two...

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  22. A little off topic, but I've been reading about that feller that got sucked into a hole. I thought Florida had stand yer ground laws? Just sayin'...
    Maybe he shouldn't been in such a hurry to get to bed that night. You know what they say about rushin' things.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/the-week?pdate=20130302

    ReplyDelete
  23. I don't think anyone really needs clues to Will's puzzle... but I'm still mulling over the Car Talk puzzler. Any hints, anyone?

    "This paragraph is odd. What is its oddity? You may not find it at first, but this paragraph is not normal. What is wrong? It's just a small thing, but an oddity that stands out if you find it. What is it? You must know. Your days will not go on until you find out what is odd. You will pull your hair out. Your insomnia will push you until your poor brain finally short-circuits trying to find an oddity in this paragraph. Good luck."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reminds me of a book I have.

      Delete
    2. I found it right away. Totally unusual and uncommon.

      Delete
    3. Pretty sure that paragraph is actually lifted from a poem by e.e. cummings.

      Delete
    4. SDB got it. CF got it. Obviously Natasha did NOT know it. AbG first did post as if that guy got it, but last did post as if that guy did NOT know it. I know it! YOU STILL DON'T!?!?

      Ask this: What am I AVOIDING as I do this post?

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    6. You called him by his nom, for 1, Ms. Natasha.

      Delete
    7. Blaine, there must be something wrong with the blog. When I make a comment the comment above it is deleted. This has happened twice in the last few minutes with posts from EKW and Natasha.

      Could you please check to be sure the delete button wires have not gotten crossed somehow?

      Thanks, oh Puzzlemaster.

      Delete
    8. Word Women,

      After I posted my comment, I realized it was wrong.
      I came back to delete it, and saw your comment saying it was wrong. So I deleted my incorrect comment and posted another, indicating that I agree d with you, a restating the remainder of my deleted comment. So there is nothing wrong with the blog. I simply went in and deleted my own comment! Sorry for the confusion.

      Delete
    9. EKW, I guess you couldn't tell that my tongue was firmly in cheek. I knew what happened. It was just funny that it happened twice in a matter of minutes.

      Delete
    10. Bad, bad Word Woman. Evil, evil. Wicked Word Woman will spend eternity in very bad place. (Or should that be Eternity?)

      Delete
    11. Oh, SDB...it was so funny to post a comment about a comment and poof it disappeared! And then again!

      Now if it happens again with yours...;-)

      EKW, sorry you went to all that trouble 'splaining.

      *That's 'Turnity btw.

      Delete
    12. OK, if Word Woman will play with the beads and mumble some nonsense all will be forgiven. How cool is that, huh?

      Delete
  24. PK, You simply do not fit in this paragraph, no way, no how. Nor CF, nor SDB. I do, though. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course you do Wierd Woman. Who could refuse you? :)

      Delete
    2. Ooohh, I finally got it. Didn't think it would be that dumb. I got stuck on the push/pull obfuscation. Reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons in which Mr. Burns placed a rule on Lenny, who was forced to describe himself as "a good work guy..."

      Delete
  25. SDB, Who could rfus hr indd?! ;-)

    PK, did you play Sally luvs moon but not stars, lollipops but not sour drops? Fun in similar way.

    'Nough said.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I heard it as Aunt Tillie.

      Loves floors, hates windows.
      Loves Knott's Berry Farm, hates Disneyland.
      Loves volleyball, hates bowling.
      Loves beef, hates tuna.
      Loves weekdays, hates holidays.
      Hates every book of the Old Testament except Ecclesiastes, Habakkuk and Haggai.
      Hates every book of the New Testament except Matthew, Phillipians, Colossians and 1 & 2 Thessalonians.

      Delete
    2. I noticed in my post above that I misspelled Philippians. I don't feel too bad about that, though. It's still one of the only 5 books of the New Testement that Aunt Tillie loves, and as a matter of fact, Aunt Tillie loves misspellings anyway.

      Delete
    3. At least Aunt Tillie loves Blaine's Puzzle Blog. I hear she also likes Google, but not Bing.

      Delete
    4. I believe this is the only one of your blogs that Aunt Tillie does like!

      Delete
    5. Yeah, but dear Aunt Tillie can't be in Car Talk's puzzler paragraph nor Gadsby. Egads! I hope she has some good support to get her throo.

      Delete
    6. But I thought Aunt Tillie loved ALL of blainesville.com... ;)

      Delete
    7. AT really loves hillbillies...yeehaw!

      Delete
    8. Of course Aunt Tillie loves all of the URLs of blainesville.com, it's just that of all the titles of your three blogs, "Blaine's Puzzle Blog", "Blaine's Family Blog", and "Blaine's Movie Maker Blog", she only likes the title of this blog.

      Delete
    9. @EWAF, I hoped I made that apparent in my clues without having to state it so obviously ;)

      Aunt Tillie is an odd lady. She loves doing the crossword, but hates pencils or pens. She loves knitting but hates yarn.

      Delete
    10. I learned this game as The Green Glass Door. Through the green glass door, I see trees, but no flowers. Through the green glass door, I see the moon, but no stars.

      Delete
  26. Phrase 1: think indigestion. Phrase 2: think parent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AT likes potty talk, but hates toilets.
      She likes paddles, but hates timeout.

      Delete
  27. Sorry, but your final paragraph: not a fit to Car Talk Paragraph nor Gadsby.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I submitted an answer to this week's puzzle early Sunday, and have not looked for any others.

    Word Woman is right. My paragraph was not a fit to Car Talk
    nor Gadsby. But this paragraph is.

    Regarding the other Car Talk Puzzler,
    the one about 50 coins is a very good puzzle.
    I agree that multiple answers may be possible.
    The main point is clearly that knowing the odd
    coin is heavy means that any two stacks that
    have the same number of coins and the same
    weight do not include it. The solution SDB
    proposes looks fine to me.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Going back to last week seems the way to go. Looked in my crystal ball to see the creator of OEIS, N. J. A. Sloane, also known as "Not Just A Sequence" Sloane.

    The biggest puzzle this week, what the heck do Blaine's two number sequences in his clue represent? Maybe another exciting puzzle tool?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting choice of words. Blaine's second sequence is identified by OEIS as "A001846: Centered 4-dimensional orthoplex numbers (crystal ball sequence for 4-dimensional cubic lattice)", whatever that means. His first sequence is "A001575: Colored series-parallel networks." Can't imagine what these have to do with this week's word puzzle.

      Delete
    2. Ah, yes, crystal ball was a careful word choice, Jan. After trying to make the sequences work, I've determined it is an exercise in one of the phrases. Or maybe both.

      Think I'll go back to the guy in sequins...and stay away from the sequence for awhile. ;-)

      I learned a couple of things: (1) there is such a thing as scrying and (2) there is such a thing as a cliche finder. Oh, and (3): I didn't really need to know (1) or (2).

      Delete
    3. ;-) or maybe ;-(

      Tall Girls Can Flirt And Other Queer Things Can Do. (Nothing to do with flirting, everything to do with crystals).

      Delete
    4. A.T. Likes Creek but hates ole Zeke :-(

      Delete
    5. Ole Zeke, any help with this sequence stuff? Know anything about colored series-parallel networks?

      Delete
    6. Sorry, I had a girlfriend while in college, thus stunting my geke quotient.

      Delete
    7. Re: Tall Girls, etc.: Ohmigosh, that Mr Mohs got around, didn't he? Mineral hardness, microsurgery, and conductance, though Mr Siemens might resist the latter. Speaking of such things, my wife wonders what my very educated mother just served us nine of, now that poor Pluto's in the doghouse?

      Delete
    8. Happy to learn moh of Dr. Moh's expertise. All news to me.

      My very excellent mother just served us nein?

      Delete
  30. i got one of them, but can't think of the second.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How do you know you got the first and not the second?

      Delete
    2. because how many answers can there be? well... i have one that fits the criteria that may or may not have a match, how about that?

      Delete
    3. Hi Laura, there are three. The third one switches the first and last word. Does that work with your answer?

      Delete
    4. I can't think of a third one, either. Keep getting stuck on Arbeit macht frei.

      Delete
    5. Ouch, Jan.

      Laura, go back to Jan's award winning pun story. You can see how to get from here to there if you look closely.

      Delete
    6. still not coming to me... hmmm

      Delete
    7. Aha! While my daughter was casting about for the elusive saying, she came up with two, but we only recognized one.

      Which version of history prevails?

      Delete
    8. Wish it were the one spoken so eloquently at C U!

      Delete
    9. I got the haste makes waste one, but I have never heard the saying "might makes right"- it's not commonly used around here!

      Delete
  31. @ ww,
    Did you here about the time that old Zeke broke his leg raking leaves? He had a cast all the way from his ankle to his hip from the nasty fall. I suppose he had ought to wait for them to fall next time.
    Zeke the impatient patient.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Of course the whole story may not be correct.
    Zeke not to be left out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ZenCreke, is your comment a zen-like one with deep, deep meaning?

      Waiting for the trees to leaf out, rake in hand.

      Blaine, did you get that I
      was just funnin' about the delete buttons being out of order?

      And EWAF, now do you see the delete button?

      Delete
    2. Zeke in the art of arbory it was not. Leaving the rake behind and perfecting the love of rotting folliage can be a rite of strength.

      Delete
    3. We ottta just call it falliage.

      Delete
  33. NEW SOLUTION!!!
    OK, earlier on the blog (Sun Mar 10, 08:52:00 AM PDT) I mentioned that I had uncovered an equally viable solution and that both phrases used three four-letter words. "The first one is an expression that describes how you behave if your actions exemplify your words." Since the second half of my new solution was kind of X rated, we pretty much all agreed that Will would have no part of it, despite the fact that it is a very common expression (at least among guys). Well, I just discovered a replacement solution that is comprised of three four-letter words using the same middle word as the first component. The clue for this new component is "something the dealer at the poker table might say to you just before dealing if s/he wanted to give you your choice of poker styles (seven-card stud vs. five-card draw vs. Texas hold 'em, etc.)" I think Will is gonna at least have to give this one honorable mention

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Got both of your solutions. Don't think Will will think they are common enough. And since he holds all the cards, he most likely subscribes to one of the intended solutions.

      Delete
  34. You have totally rained on my parade, Tommy Boy. If Will DOES mention my alternative solution, I will make a point of bringing it to your attention on next week's blog. In the meantime, I will be practicing my "neh, neh, na, neh nehs" in hopes that they prove to be of use.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Will that include a thumbing of the nose...for full effect?

      Delete
    2. Waiting patiently will also work for you, ABQ.
      Zeke your geek.

      Delete
    3. I'm from Utah, TB. We never developed opposable thumbs here. I'm afraid you'll have to settle for a virtual nose thumb.

      Delete
    4. Meanwhile, I'll see if I can find an animated gif for ya.

      Delete
    5. What if impatience was also a virtue?!

      Delete
    6. That would screw up the other intended answer.

      Delete
    7. Right you are, Tommy Boy. But, it might help AbqG through this difficult pre-nah nah nah nah nah nah period.

      Delete
    8. I actually thought of him more as a nanny nanny boo boo kinda guy.

      Delete
    9. You may be right on that as well, Tommy Boy. I don't really know the fellow well enough. Aunt Tillie would be all over that, though.

      Delete
    10. yeah well my Aunt Tillie prefers the boob toob to the radio but she watches Dallas and Knott's Landing reruns but hates Dynasty and Peyton place. She asserts her authority when I visit and won't let me watch Star Trek, although she will allow me to peek at Battle Star Galactica and bellows (or is that scries) out "Make it So cuz I said So".

      Delete
    11. I thought everybody knew it, for its a jolly good fellow!

      Delete
  35. It is not a perfect rhyme, but for those of us with poor enunciation...

    ReplyDelete
  36. Perhaps Harry Andrews as Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson in the great film, "The Hill," said it best.

    ReplyDelete
  37. White smoke from the Vatican? Worn Catholitic converter?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good one. I saw the smoke, but where are the mirrors at this dog and pony show?

      Delete
    2. I once owned an '85 Plymouth Reliant that had the catalytic converter go bad 1500 miles from home (halfway through a very long solo road trip). Owning and driving a used K car is much closer to a mortal sin than a little papal humor.

      Delete
    3. Speaking of papal humor, I have always thought it was very funny that Cardinal Sin was the Archbishop of Manila. This is for real.

      Delete
    4. The crystal ball failed to foretell the new pope. "Don't scry for me, Argentina!"

      Delete
    5. My spies at the Vaticano inform me Francisco may shun the traditional red shoes, but, in order to accentuate his South American roots, is seriously considering replacing the pontif hat with something more along the lines of a Carmen Miranda "tutti-frutti hat." A rather nice touch for a change in my opinion.

      Delete
    6. Scry has come in handy at least three times on this blog. So it has proven its usefulness after all.

      And Ruth, big girls don't scry. Even if Will doesn't call yet again. :[

      Delete
  38. Before I put them up on ebay would anyone like to have five tickets for a White House tour? :-)
    The Zekeold

    ReplyDelete
  39. Curtis, glad you can appreciate the papal humor despite your not O K car history.

    Hope you've converted to Subarus or another good mountain car by now. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, that's exactly what I've done. I'm now on my second Subaru.

      Delete
    2. I traded my second Subaru in for a third...and only so I could get an automatic Forrester to teach my daughter to drive.

      Not sure if it's love that makes a Subaru a Subaru but I sure like these cars!

      Delete
    3. First we veer off into discussions of the Car Talk Puzzlers, then we're debating K cars versus Subarus. What's next, a lecture on how speeding ruins your gas mileage? Can we get back on topic here?

      Delete
    4. OK then. In that case, why do so many people pay the mileage penalty, added maintenance, and higher initial cost of full-time all-wheel drive vehicles (like Subarus), when they only need the capability a couple of days a year?

      Delete
    5. In Colorado, we need that more than a couple days a year. Anymore, the mileage penalty isn't that significant, especially if you get the four cylinder models (which I always do). I routinely get about 23 mpg in my Outback in the city. Plus, I like to spend my free time doing photography, a lot of which involves going into remote areas where the AWD comes in handy. I also like the cargo space of the wagon, which I use often (road trips, home improvement projects, etc).

      My wife just bought an Impreza, which get 27 mpg, and that's with the automatic.

      Delete
    6. They can have my Prius when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

      Delete
    7. jan, time to replace your heater core?

      Delete
    8. Just 2 beefs with the Prius: it doesn't have a real 12-volt battery (just a little one to keep the computer going in case you run down the main pack), so I can't use it to power my inverter to run stuff in my house during power outages, like we had during Hurricane Sandy. Had to use my wife's car for that. (Also, can't jump start friends.) And, because the engine shuts off when it not needed, the need for continued evaporative emissions control means that it doesn't have a gas tank so much as a flexible rubbery gas bladder, which gets less flexible when it's cold out, so the fuel capacity is noticeably less during the winter. Really, only quirks.

      Delete
    9. Yeah, Jan, every car has its quirks. My Subaru handles really well because the flat boxer engine has a low center of gravity. The downside: that means the spark plugs are buried deep down in the engine compartment where no shade tree mechanic would dare try to change them.

      Delete
    10. I must say a flexible gas bladder has an interesting ring to it, Jan.

      I've had my Subaru since '09 & have only had to change the oil. I've never gotten stranded on our winter snow/dirt mountain roads. I agree with Curtis, it's the CO state car.

      And if you have a Forrester, it's likely forest green.

      Delete
  40. So, where do you want us to pick it up? The Sgt. Major, Aunty T., Papal antics....
    Zeke the focussed. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Let's zing on over to another topic...Happy Pi Day~~May your digits never ever repeat!

    And, staying on topic, Jan, what did your niece hear from MIT at 6:28 a.m. today, 3/14?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Turned out to be a thin email, but we in NJ are rooting for Columbia or Yale, anyway.

      Delete
    2. Sorry about the thin e-mail for your niece. Hope she is not enveloped in frustration. Tough and exciting time for hs seniors!

      Delete
  42. Still waiting... for 6:28 pm, I think. At any rate, no word's reached me.

    ReplyDelete
  43. My "Popeye" hint arguable touches on each saying, i.e. "Right makes might," as well as "Haste makes Waste."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arguable touches?...back to the proceedings of yesterday?

      Delete
    2. As a "Word Woman," I thought you would be inspired!

      Delete
    3. Inspired with every inspiration ;-).

      Delete
  44. HASTE MAKES WASTE & MIGHT MAKES RIGHT

    MY HINT:

    "Perhaps Harry Andrews as Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson in the great film, "The Hill," said it best."

    He said, "Perhaps I was hasty."

    Runners Up include:

    Walk Your Talk
    Name Your Game
    Earn Your Turn
    Beat Your Protien

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is that last one a rewording of the so-called "X-rated" solution? I thought that was "Mind your hind".

      Oh! "Find your mind" is yet another possiblity!"

      Delete
    2. Yes, Enya, and don't purloin my sirloin.

      Delete
    3. SDB,

      Take your steak? - Don't worry, steak has one too many letters.

      and Zeke:

      I had inferred Patience as yet another hint at "Haste makes waste".

      Delete
    4. Enya:
      Now you're getting to the meat of the matter.

      Delete
    5. @ ewa, you'll just need to have patience with me. It was a dirrect referal to the possible 3x4 for abq's blank your blank.

      Delete
  45. Haste makes waste. Might makes right.

    Last Sunday I said, “If I might digress back to last week’s puzzle, I was not one of the 170 who submitted the correct answer. I had no elegant mathematical formula. I just ground out the possibilities one at a time and submitted my answer on Sunday. Just for fun I started all over again Monday morning and discovered that I had missed some seating arrangements. Next time I’ll double check my work before I hit the send button.” I.e., haste makes waste.

    BTW, I was wrong when I later said that there was a third saying that met all of the puzzle’s criteria. It didn’t meet one of them :(

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You were right, Chuck. There is a 3rd saying: Abraham Lincoln's "Right makes might."

      Delete
  46. > A tiny arachnid forced me to pen this posting.

    Mite makes write.

    > What's next, a lecture on how speeding ruins your gas mileage?

    Haste makes waste.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Tommy BoySun Mar 10, 10:33:00 AM PDT
    Need a hint? Ask me. I dare you.

    janSun Mar 10, 11:49:00 AM PDT
    Go for it.

    Tommy BoySun Mar 10, 11:52:00 AM PDT
    Ask me twice.

    janSun Mar 10, 11:58:00 AM PDT
    OK, I'll play along. Gimme a hint.

    Tommy BoySun Mar 10, 12:50:00 PM PDT
    Already did.

    THANK YOU, JAN.
    Ask me anagrams to MAKES which is used twice.

    ReplyDelete
  48. WILL DIDN'T CALL ME! I'M GOING TO THROW A TANTRUM!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe you're barking up the wrong tree. I suggest you buy a Powerball ticket and let me win the NPR puzzle next week...

      Delete
  49. I posted on Sun Mar 10, at 04:09:00 AM PDT:

    Here's my repost from last week's blog:

    I posted on Sun Mar 10, at 01:51:00 AM PST:

    I've made my submission. I'm I happy with it?

    I happen to know of a certain king who would be unhappy with one of the three-word sayings I submitted. He even proposed an improved three-word phrase to replace it, but unfortunately his improvement fails the criteria of the puzzle.

    I then replied on Sun Mar 10, at 08:01:00 AM PDT:

    When I submitted the above post, I thought of the perfect reply that someone might make to it, but it's now almost 4 hours later; -- and noone replied!

    Oh, the perfect reply I was expecting to see?

    "This king you mention, I wonder what he's doing tonight?"

    In the musical movie "Camelot", Richard Harris in the role of King Arthur talks about the saying "Might makes right", basically saying "No, that's not right! Not 'Might makes right, Might for right!"

    And I believe the first song performed is "I Wonder What The King is Doing Tonight?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Might FOR right'...wow...great change.
      I also ran into Richard Harris this week...something to do with 'Mutiny On The Bounty'...don't ask!

      Delete
  50. I had three sayings: Haste makes waste, might makes right, and right makes might.

    The third expression was part of Abraham Lincoln's 1860 Cooper-Union address. I gave a couple of clues toward Presidential (including "still stuck on the Link On" :).

    My first clue was to say wait until tomorrow (haste makes waste).

    I also posted a couple of times about post has ter (post haste) and post has alluding to the haste makes waste saying.

    The mite makes write clue made me smile, Jan. I saw how it pointed to your award winning story. But, I wondered why you didn't mention it in an earlier week where I mentioned "The pen is mightier than the sword." Had to wait all that time to hear it. I suppose haste makes waste in L-B postings too.

    Hope you all had a good pi day. Another bluebird skies perfect day here in Colorado (home of the other CU.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do barrelmakers make their hoops out of copper? Just askin'.

      Delete
    2. My grandfather was a super cooper copper hooper.

      Delete
    3. Borrowing barrels not tasting tasses.

      Delete
  51. Tumult/waste
    respite/ rest from haste
    regain strength/might
    sure fits/right
    raking leaves in tree/haste
    cast nasty/waste
    impatient/haste
    MAY not be CORRECT/MIGHT RIGHT
    strength/might
    Useless White House tour tickets/hasty plans a waste of my time (a tip of the hat to Chairman O for refusing the Donald's $. Not really)

    ReplyDelete
  52. In my brief sojourn upon this excellent planet, I've found that hurry makes worry, and vice-versa, although I can't recall ever hearing anyone say it before.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Paul, except for race car drivers, jet pilots, and astronauts you may have something there. May the forced mind meld be with you.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I like it, Paul! RoRo, maybe add many athletes to your list.

    76° here today. Splendid day. It is my brother's girlfriend's first visit to Colorado. She was blown away by the blue skies and spring flowers.

    Has anyone had to beware the Ides of March?

    ReplyDelete
  55. Yes, I lost my so called smart phone. :( At least I still have my contacts and most of my pictures. I have had other issues with this phone and decided to stick with the not so smart version for a while. I'm more affected by the ides of April in the years I procrastinate doing taxes. I bet springtime in Colorado is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Hey, RoRo, sorry about your Smart Phone. Glad you could keep your contacts & photos though. I have grown to like my Smart Phone...but early on I just wanted my Dumb Phone back.

    When my kids were young we called 3/15 the I'ds of March. " I'd like some Cap'n Crunch. I'd like some bubble gum."

    On the brink of 200 comments...anyone dare go there?

    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.