NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 25, 2013): Open for Business

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 25, 2013): Open for Business:

Q: Think of a business that's found in most towns. Its name consists of two words, each starting with a consonant. Interchange the consonants and you'll get two new words — neither of which rhymes with the original words. What business is it?

Checking with my dictionary, I can confirm the words don't rhyme. That goes double for last week's answer.

Edit: My hints: The words "Checking with" start with the same letters as the answer. Doubling 38 from last week you get 76 which is the name of a gas station (which may also have a car wash) and is the year the movie Car Wash was released.

A: CAR WASH --> WAR and CASH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 18, 2013): Roman Numeral XXXVIII

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 18, 2013): Roman Numeral XXXVIII:

Q: The Roman numeral for 38 is XXXVIII. What is special or unusual about this Roman numeral that sets it apart from every other Roman numeral that can be written?

I'm sure I'll figure this out next month when I go to New Jersey.

Edit: If you sort the months alphabetically, September comes last. Similarly, if you sort the state capitals, Trenton comes last

A: XXXVIII sorts last alphabetically.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 11, 2013): Twisted Family Tree

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 11, 2013): Twisted Family Tree:

Q: It's a twist on an old puzzle: Nieces and nephews have I none, but that man's father is my father's son." What is the gender of the speaker? And who is the speaker referring to?

Honestly I don't see the reason, except for the slight wording change at the beginning, that this is any different than the classic puzzle. Am I missing something? Was it perhaps stated differently on the air?

Edit My hint was the word "reaSON". Again, I don't see why this puzzle is much different from the classic puzzle. Working backwards, my father's son is either the speaker himself or the speaker's brother. If that person was "that man's father" it would either be the speaker's son or speaker's nephew. In the classic puzzle this second case was eliminated because the speaker has no brothers. In the revised version, it is still eliminated because he has no nephews. But in either case, the answer is the same.

A: The speaker is male and he is talking about his son.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 4, 2013): Foreign Cars and Foreign Food

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 4, 2013): Foreign Cars and Foreign Food:

Q: Name a foreign make of automobile. Cross out several letters in its name. The remaining letters, reading in order from left to right, will spell a food that comes from the country where the car is made. What is the country, and what is the food?

I'm going to have to go dark this week since we're going on vacation. Please moderate yourselves and play nicely with each other.

Edit: "Going dark" was a hint to the Mitsubishi car model, the Eclipse.

A: Mitsubishi --> sushi (both from Japan)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 28, 2013): What Does NPR Stand For?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 28, 2013): What Does NPR Stand For?:

Q: In three words, name a product sold mainly to women that has the initials N-P-R. The answer is a common phrase.

My wife's first answer: Nipple Piercing Ring. Okay, just forget I said that.

Edit: In other words, remove that thought.

A: Nail Polish Remover