No need to be a great detective to figure this one out; all the clues are there.Q: A famous actress and a famous director share the same last name, although they are unrelated. The first name of one of these is a classic musical. The first name of the other is an anagram of a classic musical. Who are they?
Edit: My hint was Sherlock Holmes --> Dr. John Watson --> Emma Watson --> Emma Stone.
Another connection is Sherlock Holmes --> Oliver Wendell Holmes --> Oliver Stone.
A: OLIVER and EMMA STONE --> "OLIVER" and "MAME"
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) 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.
You may call me a hairsplitter, but neither of the first names is the same as a musical. Close, extremely close, but no cigar! And for someone as precise as Mr. Shortz, this is unforgivable!
DeleteBlaine, I surmised you were referring to leaving no STONE unturned.
DeleteHonestly, I have solved it.
ReplyDeleteActress: EMMA STONE.
DeleteHer first name anagrams to the musical: MAME(1966).
Director: OLIVER STONE.
His first name is the musical: OLIVER(1963).
My hint was the word “honestly” which contains the letter sequence “onest” which anagrams to STONE. Also “solved it” contains the letters OLIVE(s) (Jan's reference to “martinis”), just an R short of OLIVER.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSo, where's Blaine anyway?
DeleteDOLLY anagrams to LLOYD and IRENE anagrams to ERNIE.
ReplyDeleteWow - will is really on a roll. I got a little help from my family on this one.
ReplyDeleteDagnabbit! Could have solved this one much quicker if I had paid closer attention to the wording -- not for the first time, either. Maybe I should resolve to tackle these only when sober!
ReplyDeleteHow do you like your martinis?
DeleteClean?
DeleteI prefer shaken, not stirred. But I bet you're into something sour!
DeleteIf you're having trouble with this one, imagine a long, clear, sunny, warm summer day at the end of June, when the flowers are abloom and the grass a lush green.
ReplyDeleteI'm as high as a flag on the Fourth of July!
DeleteI was paraphrasing the opening of the short story "The Lottery." If you don't know why that is relevant, read the story. It's a good one.
DeleteLike Dylan said, everybody must get stones...
DeleteHey, don't kidney, man.
DeleteI solved this one by the process of elimination (but no enemas were involved). ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat did you think of the NPR piece on younger, hipper crossword puzzles?
Disappointed as usual, not for what was said, but for how much was not said. After several weeks of promotion and postponement, expected a much longer and more complete story, mention of many more constructors, etc.
DeleteSo back to this week's challenge. Let's see, if Oklahoma! anagrams to Alma Hook (related to Henry?) and The King and I anagrams to Knighted Ian . . .
I was a bit insulted. I'm well north of 50, but I'm as sick of "etui" and "epee" as anyone. And, I have no objection to scatalogical or sexual references in my puzzle. That said, I like Will's puzzles, too.
DeleteI'd agree on both fronts, Bob and Jan. The piece didn't hold together well, IMHO, as NPR stories go.
DeleteA friend in Aspen is creating crossword puzzles in the shapes of snakes. He's a boa constructor, for sure ;-).
WW, I knew rights away what you were referring to before I finished reading. I am looking into that Web site although I love my old school advantage
DeleteAs if in parody of himself, Will's got both "etui" and "epee" in today's crossword.
DeleteRoRo, please check out my latest blog entry. Hope you read about the Smith College banana plant/glass ceiling shattering story today in the bizarre case of life imitating metaphor.
DeleteI hope no one gets hurt trying to solve this one.
ReplyDeleteI am more than a bit slow to catch on to all of the complexities, but it has occurred to me that this week's challenge could be said to have a very strong connection to another challenge which appeared . . . shall we say in the last six months . . . ? Perhaps it really is all part of an intricate conspiracy!
ReplyDeleteBob, yeah, the azaleas six months ago in Georgia...(NPR junkie here).
DeleteThough the Sandhill Cranes really are amazing...
Would that be a Billy Collins reference? (I might be an NPR junkie, too.)
DeleteMusical clue: "I got rhythm"
DeleteOh, yes! I imagine many of us are.
ReplyDeleteDylan
ReplyDeleteThanks, zeke creek.
DeleteToo easy for hints. BTW, does anyone back on the other coast happen to know if today's NYC Marathon ended with the finish line being in a stadium?
ReplyDeleteWow this one was very, very hard. But once I got it I wanted some more.
ReplyDeleteSir, you are showing a great deal of disrespect! You forgot to say "PLEASE"! There is no question that you are a very wicked and twisted character!
Delete“‘Tis solved,” he exclaimed.
ReplyDeleteChuck
That's a excellent point!
DeleteChubby Checker.
ReplyDeleteThis week's puzzle is somewhat disappointing as it is another one that is easily within the grasp of children.
ReplyDeleteonly children who are kind, smart, and important
DeleteI good puzzle for those of us in CO and WA.
ReplyDeleteA little bit taxing, though.
DeleteWord 42 Woman
42 a nod to the 42nd clue, a la " Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy " and 420 and getting stoned. Keep calm, could there be a connection?
DeleteSo, Blaine What's the Black Crook thing and why did fly fishing rate over "sings out tunes"? And I just saw 12 Years and Brad Pitt and I agree cotton will never be easy to harvest. Ok, I'm through blasting my bugle
ReplyDeleteOne of them might retire as an on the fringe history teacher.
ReplyDeleteWe'll soon be hearing the only memorable tune from one of the musicals, one that was parodied by the Capitol Steps during the first Bush administration.
ReplyDeleteIf I have the tune right, CapSteps parodied it more recently.
DeleteIf... such a little word!!!
Right you are. Missed that one. Right under my nose, too!
DeleteCan musicals have one-hit wonders?
DeleteA paper by Sharon would not cut it.
ReplyDeleteI think we ought to leave Ariel out of this. . .
DeleteOh, he's been out of it for years.
DeleteJan, I think WW is referring to Ariel Moore in Footloose.
DeleteShe could be referring to both, of course.
DeleteDid you have to bring her up? She's been mad at me for a long time. All I did was glance at her, and then she became extremely cross.
DeleteJan, my distracting technique worked (I think!).
DeletePaul and skydiveboy, at least you knew I wasn't referring to the Disney princess.
Lj247, subtlety not your strong suit? We're going to have to work on that!
Lj247, my comment was meant for your entire sprinkling of comments on the blog...as I did enjoy your crosswords reference just above.
DeleteI wonder how Brits are weighing in on this one.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't take much to make them happy. They're probably singing in the streets!
DeleteSome of the above clues are so obscure, it would entail more moves to get from the clue to the answer than it would just solving the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is exactly as it should be.
DeleteWe have to make our own fun sometimes.
DeleteI got this one so quick I was taken aback, (and to the left).
ReplyDeleteOLIVER STONE >>> OLIVER!
DeleteEMMA STONE >>> MAME
Of course, the banana plant busting through the Lyman Conservatory at Smith College referred to throwing stones and the recent puzzle Bob K. also referred to re: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." Nor should they forget to cut back fast-growing banana plants!
"Oh, yes!" subtly referred to the exclamation point In the title of the musical "Oliver!"
Both "a little bit taxing" and "NPR junkie" referred to being stoned.
Jan's hint about this being easy for me (at the end of last week's blog) led me geologically right to STONE.
OLIVER STONE = OLIVER! & EMMA STONE = MAME
ReplyDeleteMy Hints:
“Too easy for hints. BTW, does anyone back on the other coast happen to know if today's NYC Marathon ended with the finish line being in a stadium?”
I was thinking of Dodger Stadium, hinting at Artful Dodger.
“This week's puzzle is somewhat disappointing as it is another one that is easily within the grasp of children.”
Hinting at children in OLIVER! And the other kids grasping at coin purses.
“I wonder how Brits are weighing in on this one.”
The Brits measure body weight in stones, which equal 14 pounds.
Actress – Emma Stone (Mame); Director – Oliver Stone (Oliver!)
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “’’Tis solved,’ he exclaimed,” obliquely referring to the exclamation point that is usually written as the last character in the title of the musical, Oliver!
Chuck
P.S. From The-Joke’s-On-Me Department. I was out driving around running some errands on Sunday when the “Stone” solution came to me. Then I spent about a half-hour trying unsuccessfully to anagram Sharon into the name of a musical :)
I'm guessing a few people had the same thought. I had Oliver first, then Oliver Stone, then Sharon Stone... but anagrams like "No Rash", "Nor Ash", "Rash On" didn't pan out. That's when I remembered Emma Stone.
DeleteSTONE, OLIVER and EMMA (-> MAME)
ReplyDelete> Should be an easy one for Word Woman.
I once went backpacking in the Adirondacks with a group that included a geologist. Bad idea. Within a few hours, her pack was loaded with interesting, heavy stones, and everyone else was carrying her gear.
> A New Testament phrase comes to mind, too.
There have been many actors named Stone. I wonder who cast the first one?
> How do you like your martinis?
Olive or twist?
> We'll soon be hearing the only memorable tune from one of the musicals,
over, and over, and over, and ...
> one that was parodied by the Capitol Steps during the first Bush administration.
Soon after he invaded Panama, they released We Need a Little Isthmus.
>> If I have the tune right, CapSteps parodied it more recently.
> Right you are. Missed that one. Right under my nose, too!
We Need a Little Christie. We in NJ could use a little less Christie. Come to think of it, so could he.
Jan, re: backpacking in the Adirondacks with a geologist: shocking to hear that the stones she picked up were heavy! ;-)
DeleteFrom the MSN homepage:
DeleteChristie cover causes outcry
Time magazine's cover features a silhouette of NJ Gov. Chris Christie with the headline 'The Elephant in the Room.'
No comment.
Oh, I'm sure they were only pointing out that he is a Republican. (wink, wink; nod, nod) He must be a moderate, because he certainly is not conservative at the trough.
DeleteNow back to something more interesting.
DeleteJan, since you are from NJ, do you think, as I do, that NJ Gov. Chris Christie is an image that is a reflection of his creators?
The first line of my original comment was true - At first hearing, I got it into my head that the actress had a first name that was the name of a musical _ Annie? Matilda? - and the director was a man with an anagrammed musical name (nothing came to mind.) It was only after I heard the clue the second time that I got it straight, and the solution came easily.
ReplyDeleteAs for only doing these when sober, sadly that was only a reverse clue to being stoned. Being sober (as I am almost all the time) doesn't really seem to help me solve.
@Word Woman - When you reacted to my deliberately vague reference to the glass houses puzzle being in the last six months, I wondered if you had heard Billy Collins reading his poem about going various places and being told repeatedly, "You should have been here six months ago"?
Precisely, Bob. My "Oh, yes! I imagine many of us are." referred to your question. I thoroughly enjoyed Billy Collins' readings on Prairie Home Companion two days in a row.
DeleteWord Woman (younger than Cheerios)
I finally got it, but was never able to convince my wife that Emma Stone was a "famous actress." A famous actress, she notes, is Helen Hayes, or Ethel Barrymore, or maybe Meryl Streep. Most of Emma's kudos have spurted out from such notable organizations as Teen Choice and MTV.
ReplyDeleteEmma Stone was rock-solid in "The Help."
DeleteMy reference to CO and WA avove refered to legal marijuana (being STONEd) and Word Woman's taxing response referred to CO passing a 25% tax on recreational marijuana.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my "clues are so obscure" comment included the phrase "entail more moves" which anagrams to "STONE OLIVER MAME".
Thanks for clarifying the tax issue, David. Glad that some of that tax revenue will go to Colorado's schools. It will be interesting to see what happens in January when the tax goes into effect.
DeleteMy hint being one of the 2 retiring as an on the fringe history teacher: Oliver Stone.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me! My reference to an "intricate conspiracy" was a nod to Oliver Stone's supposed reputation as a "conspiracy nut."
DeleteMy hints referred to Emma's role in "the Help" thus the phrase spoken to the little neglected girl "you's kind, you's smart, and you's important"
ReplyDeleteThe black crook thing was not a hint.
the cotton easy to pick and the bugle referred to MAME
Dylan
ReplyDeleteRainy Day Women #...
Everybody must get stoned.
"Like a rolling stone."
DeleteMy clues: "will is on a roll" referred to rolling stone. "Got help from the family" referred to the movie "The Family Stone".
ReplyDeletesunshine in everyone's sky
ReplyDeleteNext week's challenge: There is a politician today, sometimes known by his or her full three-word name, whose initials are also the initials of a popular chain of restaurants. Who is the politician and what's the restaurant?
ReplyDeleteEasy. There's a connection to the previous puzzle. And an earlier one.
DeleteTurns out that years ago, this politician was the commencement speaker at a local college graduation, and I was part of the security team.
DeleteTurns out this puzzle is indeed easy. More time to get out and enjoy this awesome autumn day with temps in the 60's.
DeleteWell, I might have phrased it as "a person alive today." Still easy!
Deletejan, I don't know to which earlier puzzle you refer, but I've thought of a connection to an answer which I had submitted to a puzzle from a few weeks back, which was not the official answer, but which I had insisted should've been an acceptable alternate answer.
DeleteI thought of the correct politician almost immediately. However, I then tried entering that politician's initials, followed by "Restaurants" into a search engine. The restaurant chain did not come up.
ReplyDeleteAlternate puzzle: Name TWO current politicians who are politically opposite each other, but who are both known by just their first & last names and they SHARE the same two initials. (They both have middle names, but few know what they are, unless they look them up.) Then name a popular restaurant chain in four words, whose first and last words share the same common initials of the politicians and with the in-between words both being minor. (In the lists of restaurant chains, the first and last words will have their initial letters capitalized, but the in-between words will be entirely lowercase.) Who are these two politicians and what is the restaurant chain?
Jack in the Box, Joe Biden, John Boehner
DeletePAST PRESENT & FUTURE!
ReplyDeleteSurprised no one has provided a musical clue yet. :).
ReplyDeleteSnipper, I would, but this puzzle is just putting me to sleep.
DeleteSpeaking of restaurant chains and Colorado, home of today's on-air winner and our own Word Woman, my new favorite fast food place is based there. Anyone else a fan of Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill? They just opened their first location in NJ, and I think they're pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan, Jan. Chipotle model meets Mediterranean food. Being greeted with an offer of a free, hot falafel: deliciously welcoming!
DeleteAaron, from UNC, are you the Aaron who visits here on occasion?
Jan - I'm a Coloradoan, and just tried Garbanzo Med Grill for the first time because there's one right next door to my new job. A coworker, who was also a coworker at my last job, and I went there for lunch and to catch up since we don't see each every day like we did on our last jobs.
DeleteEven cagier if I put the reply in the right place!
DeleteAnd how was the "catchup?" This post should in no way be construed as red-baiting.
DeleteNow, my favorite Greek restaurant chain is Scylla and Charybdis.
DeleteJan, another one! I've not been to either, mostly for sentimental reasons...
DeleteCurtis, cagey.
ReplyDeleteSince this puzzle is so LAME I am not about to post a hint—it does not deserve one. However, I will post a puzzle I made up and submitted via proper protocol, June 4, 2012, and received the computer reply from NPR. I don't think this is one of my better efforts, but certainly better than what we have this week.
ReplyDeleteWill,
Here is another puzzle suggestion I just came up with. Hope you like it.
Think of a popular food item these days. Remove one letter and you will come up with the last name of a prominent government official. What is the food item and who is the official?
If you count CIDER as a "popular food item," then removing one letter yields Harry Reid, or Condoleezza RICE. Also if olives and liver are popular, the OLIVE & LIVER yields Edward LEVI, Attorney General under Ford.
DeleteI know you are not looking for any of these. I am only suggesting that the possibility of such solutions may be why Will didn't take up your puzzle suggestion.
No hints here, though I know the answer, but it was fascinating to read about the restaurant chain.
ReplyDeleteI bet most people know this restaurant chain.
ReplyDeleteI once made a reservation to eat at one their restaurants but didn't honor it.
ReplyDeleteI love the greenhouse theme.
ReplyDeletePhrasing is everything.
ReplyDelete