NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 31, 2013): Resistance is Futile (Ohm)...:
Q: Name something in four letters that you use every day. Add the letters O, H and M, and rearrange all seven letters. You will name something else you probably use every day. This seven-letter thing is usually found near the four-letter thing. What are they?
If you search for the answer words, the first results are from people that don't use each of these every day. By the way, the answer is
not LANE and MANHOLE.
A: SOAP and SHAMPOO
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 31, 2013): Resistance is Futile (Ohm)...:
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 don’t think Will would allow DONA and MANHOOD as the answer either. He’d want to clean it up some.
ReplyDeleteChuck
"Dona" is Spanish for donut. That's definitely kind of messy.
DeleteI haven't used the second item for years - the first one does it all for me !
ReplyDeleteI can see why!
DeleteAn email?
ReplyDeleteThe product of an elegant ratite.
ReplyDeleteNot an ivory-billed woodpecker?
DeleteOr a common dove?
DeleteOr a trumpeter swan?
DeleteDon't forget flink pamingo. Okay, pink flamingo. geesh!
DeleteThese days mathematicians can send their symbols electronically. You know, e-mu.
DeleteThe pen is mightier than the sword.
DeleteI had no clue.
DeleteI don't think I will ever understand the fascination with the item Bulwer-Lytton's quote allows us to speak of so delicately. It is a dark and stormy night whenst the pen is mightier than the sword.
DeleteThe one who coined, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," could not have been more wrong. Wounds either kill or heal, but words live forever.
DeleteBTW, Howdy thar, ww. Just missed the flash mob in Chicago by two hours. We were on the Metra with a pack of drunken teens headed that way.
DeleteYou may be right. Just think about how Dan Quayle feels about POTATOE.
DeleteProbably the same way he feels about SPUDNIK.
DeleteTerribly easy, indeed!
ReplyDeleteAlmost so easy that it is impossible for a sap like me to come up with a hint that doesn't just give away the answer.
Well, maybe I can, by the thinnest of margins . . . ?
Call me sophomoric, but the four-letter thing and the seven-letter thing are usually found near the real 3-letter stuff.
ReplyDeleteAt HOM, you mean?
DeleteAnyway, I gladly use the four-letter thing every day, but it would be an inconvenience if I had to use the seven-letter thing every day as well.
Solved it before Will and Rachel stopped their cheery banter.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter to those who celebrate today. Headed out to the warren to check on the bunnies.
As Michael Moore asked, pets or meat?
DeleteHare-brained questions will get you nowhere. Lapin up the wrong pool. . .Pets!
DeleteI had a hutch you'd say that.
DeleteDo you play volleyball, Jan? You are very good at setting yourself up; champing at the bit to write that next pun! ;-)
DeleteDoes anyone else miss the interaction between Will & Liane? For me, the hosts following her have just not had as good chemistry with Will & the on air players.
DeleteAgreed. But it's still early days. Maybe after a decade or so...
DeleteI got the sense that Liane really liked puzzles from day one & may have liked this blog. Rachel & Audie don't seem that into it. Kind of like some of my friends whose eyes glaze over when I talk about chline.
DeleteSolved it before I even finished reading it online early this morning.
ReplyDeleteChamp Curtis!
Delete11 minutes for this one. No it's not scat and stomach, but I suppose one could make the case. My mother used to use the four-letter item as a home remedy for several other four-letter items. In my case, the cure did not endure. I should also like to add that if you cannot locate the first item, the second item will work as a substitute.
ReplyDeleteAh, the first scatological reference of the week. There is an etymological equivalent to scat embedded in the second word of this week's solution.
DeleteUh, I'm going to claim that honor, Curt.
DeleteSure, Jan. I kinda glossed over the entries, and missed yours.
Delete- Curtis
The only blog where the first scatological reference is prized. Except perhaps "Coprolite Weekly."
DeleteHey, scat's where it's at! Most of your DNA isn't human, it belongs to the bacteria in your gut. They get first dibs on any food you eat, any drugs you take, You're just along for the ride. Check this out, e.g.: "http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/health/studies-focus-on-gut-bacteria-in-weight-loss.html".
DeleteInteresting article, Jan. I especially enjoyed the name of the resistant bacteria, C. difficile. French can make even bacterial nomenclature beautiful. ;-)
DeleteDifÃcil in Spanish is Difficult. And it is difficult to lose pounds.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHey AbqG! I haven't seen the comments Blaine deleted, but I am a little surprised yours survived! (Maybe his mom never saw the need for "remedy.")
DeleteOh, and I beg to differ on one thing: I think the first item is more likely to serve as a substitute for the second, rather than the other way around.
Are you trying to get my dander up, Wolfie? Seems so to me.
DeleteWill is making assumptions that everyone uses at least one of these.
ReplyDeleteReminding us why blogs are better than face-to-face...
DeleteNot that I'm implying there's anything that's going to deter gentlemen like us from getting together, of course.
DeleteThe key is be more gentle, felliws.
DeleteFellows :-)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle may have been easy, but it's head and shoulders above the stupid "water" puzzle of 2 weeks ago. Speaking of which, I think this week's puzzle would have been more appropriate for St. Paddy's Day than Easter, anyway.
ReplyDeleteGood point!
DeleteSolved it before my synaptic impulses had a chance to fully register the question.
ReplyDeleteSome mathematicians might answer, “tree / theorem.”
21 seems like a good math hint for us guys.
DeleteBranching is the latest journalism model. A friend left Google to work for Fast Company. He opens a "tree" for a news story like the recent storm on the East coast. People write in on topics and open new branches as needed to cover new topics. They also have some cool data displays.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteVery, very clever, Jan. I shall mention it to my brother, Pete.
DeleteVery picky, Blaine. Searching Google, Bing, or Wikipedia for that 2-word phrase doesn't lead anywhere near the answer.
DeleteI have to agree with Jan on this one, Blaine.
DeleteBlaine, I have to apologize: I was griping to my wife about being censored, and she, not a math person, recognized the reference from some comment I must've made years ago. So, I'll withdraw my appeal.
DeleteEarlier I posted the following on our previous blog:
ReplyDeleteskydiveboy Sun Mar 31, 05:36:00 AM PDT
Hint: Steven Wright & Cole Porter.
Will Shortz has no shame!
Must we pooh pooh poor Will?
DeleteYes, zeke, I think this puzzle depends on it.
DeleteAt time I fell like it, but always pull up shortz.
DeleteI'm still unable to submit my answer. I hope they fix this soon. Don't you? Don't you wish everyone did?
ReplyDeleteSeems too easy - maybe there's some sort of April Fools joke here. Anyway, I hope Will dials me up on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteAnd now that it is going to start warming up in the Northeast, it is a good time for me to buy a new air conditioner.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a song from South Pacific.
ReplyDeleteYes, I too like to begin my day with a Bloody Mary.
DeleteGreat answer, skydiveboy.
DeleteAm I the only one who is unable to submit my answer? I see no one else posting about this.
ReplyDeleteI had no trouble earlier this morning.
DeleteI just tried again and no luck. I've been trying for hours to send my answer.
DeleteMaybe you have a submitting issue? ;-)
DeleteDon't get your dander up, SDB If at first you don't succeed, fry fry a hen
DeleteRoRo, that hen is soooo overcooked now you wouldn't recognize it. I still am unable to submit my answer to NPR.
DeleteSky Dive Boy, if you don't really want it but you keep trying to submit, why why again?
DeleteI may prefer to sit at the back of the bus, but I still want the right to sit at the front.
DeleteMama said no bussing allowed.
DeleteYo mama...!
DeleteOff bus! :-)
DeleteNo problem submitting. Try a different server like Chrome.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is I don't know why I send in the answers because I have no desire to play the on-air nonsense. I only began sending them in long ago because I wanted the dictionary they gave as one of the prizes, but now don't. I think I will go have another Bloody Mary and ponder this some more.
DeleteI just want the lapin pel.
DeleteI always wanted to do the year end names in the news with Liane and Will.
DeleteI had my answer before my long run. I just finished my lunch, off to shower.
SDB -
ReplyDeleteI had no problem posting the answer. Got my confirmation right away.
Chuck
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOne of my clues pointed to one of those...obfuscatorally of course ;-).
DeleteThat would be too easy to dial up on utube.
DeleteMy god the punmanship...womanship...is just rabid on this one.
DeleteThis would seem to be the elephant in the room.
DeleteUncle John, thanks for the shout out to the Mother Ship.
DeleteUh-oh, returning full of Easter dinner and this is what I find.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a good spot for my clue: one of SDB's clues from last week.
'Uh-oh' and OOPS are pretty closely related in my lexicon, and to a lot of people 'Easter dinner' means HAM. So:
DeleteOOPS 'returning, full of' HAM = S(HAM)POO
Last week, SDB used Eddie Fisher's 'Oh, My Papa' as a clue. Eddie was Carrie's papa, and Carrie's movie debut was in 'Shampoo'(shamput? DEBut?).
Of course, Carrie is more often identified with another of her characters, whose image was employed to merchandise various products...including shampoo and soap ('Wishful Drinking', p. 86).
I also seem to recall an observation that was once made about the name of that character by the junior senator from Minnesota, although decorom forbids my repeating it here. In the senator's defense, he wasn't a junior, then.
decorum
DeleteHow about reaching out a little farther?
ReplyDeleteBEAN, HAMBONE
Chuck
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteCertainly not something I use every day, but today is a different story.
DeleteHeart healthy :-)
DeleteBoth of these things were movie titles.
ReplyDeleteWhile I immediately recognized the second item as a movie title, I did not recognize the first as such. So I searched the first item name in the IMDb under titles.
DeleteThe #1 entry is actually a four-word title for which the first item name is an acrostic; the first letters of each word in the title spell the first item name.
The #2 entry is not a movie title, but the title of a TV series. Only 3 of the entries are movie titles in which the first item name comprises the entire title. Entry #7 and Entry #18 are foreign movie titles and Entry #46 (if I counted right) is a 15-minute short.
Good one Charles. I don't believe in using the second item every day. Here in Yellow Springs, a lot of people seem to use neither, preferring a Nixonian approach.
ReplyDeleteUncle John (Bryan),
DeleteNeither shows at the Little Art, but Fleetwood Mac is a musical clue.
Zeke from Creek.
Actually I saw the second one at the Little Art. Isn't he the son of one of the actresses on Dowton Abbey?
DeleteI believe Shirley MacClaine is the mother of Warren Beatty, who starred in "Shampoo", and she was just on Downton Abbey.
DeleteOh, and here in YS, patchouli seems to be a substitute for using soap and shampoo. The cover-up, i.e.: Nixon.
DeleteHey, Uncle John, Shirley is only 2 years older than Warren and is his SISTER, not his mother.
DeleteI discovered some "Nixionian Soap/Shampoo" after reading your clue. Thought that was what you used.
I hope Shirley is not following this blog, Uncle John, for your sake. And I don't mean the Japanese wine. Not that they don't either.
DeleteAnd not forgetting things in the Indian weaver and fashion designer’s workplace :)
ReplyDeleteSARI, MOHAIRS
Chuck
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSolving this puzzle requires no scents.
ReplyDeleteGee, this puzzle is terrific. South Pacific, anyone?
ReplyDeleteThat technique never worked for me. The creeps just kept hanging around.
DeleteRuth, I surmise that they were not suave or debonair?
DeleteWW, you surmise correctly. No matter which brand of rejection I brandished, after a few hours or days of cooling off they would invariably dial me up.
DeleteIf you do it properly, they are hair today, gone tomorrow.
DeleteLeo, you mean like bathtub ring?
DeleteI wear my bathtub ring on my right hand.
DeleteAnother kind of film clue?
DeleteI got up early to attend Easter Sunrise Service. Had just enough time to dress and nothing else. When I got home, I took a shower, then watched a DVD of episodes of a former popular TV show and a DVD of a movie (I think the item in question is a "movie" and not a "film") that was released before the TV show referenced first aired. AS a result of all of this activity, I missed hearing Will's puzzle entirely, but thanks to the NPR website and this blog, had enough information to arrive at the solution as well as think of other clues that would lead to the same answer, some of which are contained in this post.
ReplyDeleteLMP
Paint Your Wagon could be a musical clue too.
ReplyDeleteThat party reminds me of a congressional session.
DeleteLMP, in a mountain town in CO, locals also attended an Easter Sunrise Service. But it started at 2 p.m.~~a more convenient time. ;-)
DeleteI guess it must take people in Colorado longer to find their eggs than most places.
DeleteAnd their baskets.
DeleteMy kids (29/27) were home for Easter. I am purging stuff, including old records. It was embarrassing to find an old Cowsills record next to The Greatest Hits of The 5th Dimension
ReplyDeleteNo amount of detergent will do, but ice will get the bubblegum out of your collection.
DeleteZeke still loves the flower girl Creek
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteSure has all my passengers on overdrive, Jan.
DeleteJan, where did your niece decide to go to college? I help with college prep for a few students & they've been on pins and needles waiting. One chose Stanford and the other Tulane.
DeleteStill undecided. Revisiting Wash U in St Louis, UCLA, Cal, UCSD (the latter still on the list because of her interest in neuroscience) during April.
DeleteUCSD sounds like a great choice for her. Of course, it may all come down to the town with a great deli near campus (my son) or intriguing alum interview (my daughter).
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYeah, but I'm not sure you pick a school based on which department you think interests you now. A pizza place had me rooting for Yale.
DeleteSorry I'm late. I was at the bar, downing my liquid lunch.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been preemptively removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated April Fool's Day, PC.
DeleteThis comment is emptive. At least for now anyway.
DeleteHow much did you pay, SkyDiveBoy?
DeleteCaveat scriptor.
DeletePreemptive ko, throw in your own tau.
ReplyDeletePlanned Chaos, if you were only a little grayer we might have believed you. Thanks for the preemptive chuckle.
ReplyDeleteAnyone read the book, How To Deter Gents From Inaccurate Aiming?
ReplyDeleteNo But hum a few bars and I might recognize it
DeleteHmmm. How do I respond to that now?
DeleteOh, the multitude of clever (?) restroom graffiti that's been written on the topic!
DeleteYou might like this one, SDB:
DeleteOn the men's room wall in a small airport FBO:
If you have low manifold pressure or a short pitot tube, please taxi in close. We're not all seaplane rated.
jan, how about this one?
DeleteREI began here in Seattle and for many years was located in a large, old building with three floors of merchandise. On the top floor were located two small restrooms. One for men and one for women. The men's had only a single stall in a rustic enclosure and the toilet sported an old wooden seat. On the wall behind the toilet someone neatly penned:
SUPPORT WOOD TOILET SEATS
JOIN THE BIRCH JOHN SOCIETY.
Really
DeleteEntertaining
Information.
Make sure you join the REAL Birch John Society. You want to avoid splinter groups.
DeleteGood point, Jan. You are rather sharp today; certainly a head of the bums.
DeleteWondered how folks liked the separation of puzzle and answer into two blog entries?
ReplyDeleteBlaine, I appreciated the idea but thought it made the flow kind of choppy. I liked your idea of keeping 195-200 reserved for early birds on next week's puzzle. That's my two scents.
I prefer keeping it at just the one.
DeletePrefer, preempt, premed, Grand Prix, grandma. It's all the same to me. And, oh, did I forget Jacqueline du Pré?
Last Sunday I said, “I don’t think Will would allow DONA and MANHOOD as the answer either. He’d want to clean it up some.” Like by using soap, perhaps...
ReplyDeleteChuck
SOAP & SHAMPOO
ReplyDeleteMy Hints:
"Hint: Steven Wright & Cole Porter."
Steven Wright said, "Why do people use shampoo instead of real poo." Cole Porter has a song (At Long Last Love) that goes, "Is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock?"
"Paint Your Wagon could be a musical clue too."
Song: "The best things in life are dirty."
"Anyone read the book, How To Deter Gents From Inaccurate Aiming?"
Deter Gents = detergents = SOAP.
Yep love Steven Wright. I suppose my dander up and hum a few bars are obvious although the rest of the sentences were not
DeleteWhen I first saw your post "Paint Your Wagon could be a musical clue too.", I remembered watching it on TV years ago and only remembering "They Call The Wind Mariah". So I went to the IMDb, searched for "Paint Your Wagon" under Title, then selected Soundtrack:
DeleteSoundtracks for
Paint Your Wagon (1969) More at IMDbPro »
This soundtrack is available from Amazon.com
Please note that songs listed here (and in the movie credits) cannot always be found on CD soundtracks. Please check CD track details for confirmation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• "I'm On My Way"
(Main Title)
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by The Chorus
• "I Still See Elisa"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by Clint Eastwood
• "The First Thing You Know"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by André Previn
Sung by Lee Marvin
• "Hand Me Down That Can Of Beans"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band & The Chorus
• "They Call The Wind Maria"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by Harve Presnell & The Chorus
• "Whoop-Ti-Ay!"
(Shivaree)
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by The Chorus
• "A Million Miles Away Behind The Door"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by André Previn
Sung by Anita Gordon dubbing Jean Seberg
• "I Talk To The Trees"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by Clint Eastwood
• "There's A Coach Comin' In"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by Harve Presnell & The Chorus
• "The Gospel Of No Name City"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by André Previn
Sung by Alan Dexter
• "Best Things"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by André Previn
Sung by Lee Marvin, Ray Walston and Clint Eastwood
• "Wand'rin' Star"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Sung by Lee Marvin & The Chorus
• "Gold Fever"
Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by André Previn
Sung by Clint Eastwood & The Chorus
• "Finale"
(I'm On My Way)
Sung by Lee Marvin, Ray Walston & The Chorus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the song "They Call The Wind Maria", why don't they add an "h" on the end of Maria?
Folks who haven't yet heard it are likely to pronounce it Maria as in "I Just Met A Girl Named Maria".
Anyway, I take it your reference to Song: "The best things in life are dirty." is listed above as "Best Things"?
In my post above, the word "Soundtrack:" was supposed to be a link to a particular page on the IMDb:
Delete> In the song "They Call The Wind Maria", why don't they add an "h" on the end of Maria? Folks who haven't yet heard it are likely to pronounce it Maria as in "I Just Met A Girl Named Maria".
DeleteYes, how do you solve a problem like "Maria"?
With "Mariah", everyone knows it's Windy.
Yes. Best Things.
DeleteI always thought they were saying, "How do you solve a problem like Scalia?"
SOAP>>>SHAMPOO
ReplyDeleteReferral to a rabbit warren pointed to Warren Beatty in the movie Shampoo.
Suave in a comment to Ruth referred to the shampoo.
"Tell my brother, Pete" refers to the recursive lather, rinse, repeat alluded to by Jan.
Sure Has All My Passengers On Overdrive = SHAMPOO.
Jan, did you win the award for most blog aministrator removals? I was concerned you might get the zap for Wash U and your niece.
It surprised me that Pooh Poohed made it through.
It never occurred to me that "Wash U" could be a clue. Nice.
DeleteI liked Warren better in Bunny & Clyde. (Which, I learned this week, is the source of Walt Frazier's nickname.)
Delete> Call me sophomoric, but the four-letter thing and the seven-letter thing are usually found near the real 3-letter stuff.
ReplyDeleteas opposed to the the sham poo.
> Not an IVORY-billed woodpecker?
> Or a common DOVE?
> Not that I'm implying there's anything that's going to DETER GENTlemen like us from getting together, of course.
> This puzzle may have been easy, but it's HEAD AND SHOULDERS above the stupid "water" puzzle of 2 weeks ago.
> I think this week's puzzle would have been more appropriate for St. Paddy's Day than Easter, anyway.
St. Patrick's day isn't a British Summer holiday, is it?
My censored comment, in response to a math-y posting by PlannedChaos, was something like, "So, you probably read the label on the second item and think, 'Hmm... infinite recursion.'"
Another censored comment mentioned that one of the items was a 70s TV show, while the other was a 70's movie.
Yet another censored comment (I had a bad week, I guess) went something like "Taking a break from writing a brief patient progress note for another movie clue: Snakes On A Plane."
Refers to SOAP notes, named for their Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan format.
I liked that Snakes On A Plane clue.
DeleteMe, too. I wonder if it would have survived as Snakes on a Plane.
DeleteBack when "Snakes On A Plane" was playing and heavily advertised, my younger brother asked me if I would be available to drive a new Sprinter van down to Los Angeles to be fitted with a side door lift gate.
DeleteI got to the Grapevine to find it had just been re-opened due to extensive fires on the South side. There were still many burning, but I got through just fine and arrived at my destination, which was a large building in an industrial park.
The receptionist was well aware of the fires and asked how my drive down was. I replied that it was just fine until the snakes got loose on the van. I thought it was funny and that being L.A. she would get the joke right away, but all I got was a blank stare.
─S─O─A─P─+O─+H─+M─
ReplyDelete═╪═╪═╪═╪══╪══╪══╪═
─S─┼─┼─┼──┼──┼──┼─ S
───┼─┼─┼──┼──H──┼─ H
───┼─A─┼──┼─────┼─ A
───┼───┼──┼─────M─ M
───┼───P──┼─────── P
───O──────┼─────── O
──────────O─────── O
E+V+E+R+Y++++++++
DeleteW+A+Y++++++++++++
A++++++++++++++++
F+U+N+G+R+A+P+H+
+++++++++++++++++
Here's your same fungraph only this time with box characters around and between each letter:
Delete─E─V─E─R─Y────────
─W─A─Y────────────
─A────────────────
─F─U─N─G─R─A─P─H──
┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼┼
Using box characters helps things stay better aligned, despite not being able to use the Courier font. Granted, it's not perfect, but you have to admit they make my anagram map in my post above much easier to follow.
"a sap like me" - reference to saponification, the process of making soap.
ReplyDelete"by the thinnest of margins" - reference to that which would be shampooed, the thickness of a human hair - it even has its own Wikipedia page.
Oh, and my two references to champ and champing referred to the word origin of "shampoo."
DeleteShampoo is such a fun word to say!
And a fun thing to do to another person. There's that great scene in "Out of Africa", where Robert Redford gives Meryl Streep a shampoo, out in the bush.
DeleteShamswooning, er, real swooning. Giving someone a bath is also fun...
Delete@Uncle John:
DeleteWas that a double-entendre?
My clue: re: Blaine's assumptions, probably self evident!
ReplyDeleteSomewhat apropos, yesterday's Final Jeopardy was among the most obscure ever:
ReplyDeleteCategory: Authors
This author who passed away in 2012 quipped, "For those who haven't read the books, I am best known for my hair preparations"
Answer (which no one guessed): Gore Vidal
A few years back I sent Gore Vidal a letter describing my supermarket checkout experience where one item was a Vidalia onion, but the readout screen only got as far as vidal, which prompted me to ask the young checker if that meant it was a controversial onion. He obviously did not get the joke and I tried to help him understand, but he then replied that he thought I was referring to Gorbachev.
DeleteDid you buy 2 onions? Were you practicing your Spanish? Maybe he thought "DosVidalia" sounded like Gorby saying goodbye?
DeleteAre you kidding? This far north in Seattle the majority of supermarket workers are unable to even locate Mexico on a map of the world.
DeleteThree things (to save blog entries):
DeleteJan, NPR Sci Fri today had great neuroscience piece on using amyloid proteins for MS & other diseases. (For your niece)
Wash U just sounds way too sudsy a place for neuroscience research. ;-)
New Brown Univ. research found remnants of the Farallon Oceanic Plate 100 mi beneath CA (The Isabella Anomaly). Building on our plate tectonic studies, kindergarteners & I compared earthquakes on the island nation of Haiti (lime jello) vs.Canadian craton (brownies). They can find (and eat) both places on a globe, sdb :-)
I have no doubt your kindergarteners are quite able to locate Mexico on a world map or globe, but I have some reservations as to the same ability in regard to Ira Flatow of NPR Science Friday. How they can allow this idiot to host that program is beyond my comprehension. But let's not get me started on him.
DeleteGot the call today to play on the air. Told them I had already played a couple years ago so they thanked me and called someone else. Great blog Blaine!!
ReplyDeleteWas it suggested that it was up to you, or that the rule was you weren't permitted to play twice?
DeleteIt was implied that they wanted "fresh meat". I was fine with it. Already had the thrill and felt someone new should have the opportunity.
DeleteBrent, could we leave you our numbers for the next time they call? ;-)
ReplyDelete"...and here's the number where you can reach me, Friday, 937-...., oh by the way my friends call me..." There's a good script btothers and sisters.
DeleteClues:
ReplyDelete"Dials me up" = dial soap
"New air conditioner" = hair conditioner (after shampoo)
My clues:
ReplyDeleteThat would definitely be kind of messy.
So you would need to wash your hands—preferably with SOAP.
I was at the bar, downing my liquid lunch.
Soap comes in bar and liquid form.
Pen / swan / soap
ReplyDeleteGENTLE FELlowS / soap
21 math hint / 2 in 1 shampoo soap for guys.
Pooh pooh / still can't believe that one got through.
Dial up utube / dial soap
elephant / tusk / ivory soap
fleetwood mac / tusk / ivory soap
Paint your wagon / mud slinging congressional session / bath.
P.Y.W. / Where's the wiskey? / wisk soap
detergent not to be used for bubblegum.
throw in your own tau since you ko'd yourself / towel, shower soap.
Speaking of preemptive, Blaine, how about setting up a "Puzzle to Come" placeholder complete with your initial rules comment sometime on Saturday?
DeleteThen you could fill in your clever, obfuscatory graphic and clues later. And the early, puzzle-crazed folks could post right away in the new blog, cutting down on the double posting in both places.
What do you think?
First of all, we don't even know if Blaine is still on the planet. He might have been evacuated by an advance team of Rapture UFO Rescuers (RUFOR). I suspect this may be the case as he has not commented recently.
DeleteSecondly, you are treading on thin ice. It has been my experience that creative people are usually the first to be fired.
SkyDiveBoy, you may be right about Blaine. But, RUFOR it?
ReplyDeleteGood thing I like swimming in cold water. And, thank you. I think.
Not necessarily, but I am for protecting OUR Social Security from being stolen by Obnoxiously Boring And Mindlessly Ambivalent, (OBAMA) political hacks.
DeleteHerr Barry vill shortzly be in touch concerning your insolence, comrade. :-)
DeleteAre you referring to Barry McCaffrey?
Delete