Friday, April 11, 2014

NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 6, 2014): "Gimme a Cow and Drag it Through the Garden"

NPR Sunday Puzzle (April 6, 2014): "Gimme a Cow and Drag it Through the Garden":
Q: Split pea soup is something that might be found on a menu at a diner. The phrase contains each of the 5 vowels — A, E, I, O and U — exactly once. Name something else that might be served in a diner — also 3 words, consisting of 3, 6 and 8 letters, respectively — that contains each of the 6 vowels (A, E, I, O, U and Y) exactly once.
Sorry, I'm busy connecting the HDTV, Blu-ray player, AV receiver and speakers together so I have no time for a clue today.

Edit: I'm done connecting my Home Theater System and can now provide the answer.
A: Hot Turkey Sandwich

193 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 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.

    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. I actually have an answer (Whee!). I'm not real, real happy with it but it works.

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mine works! Also found in a school cafeteria.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I know some educators think why is this so easy. I have two answers which work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HOT TURKEY SANDWICH

      “EDUCATORS THINK WHY” anagrams to “HOT TURKEY SANDWICH.”

      Alternate (second) answer:

      ALL YOGURT DRESSING for a fruit salad, for example.


      And for all you Vegans and Fruitniks out there, here is something to challenge you: The Obscure Fruit Quiz. You have to take the quiz in order to find out the answers. Good luck!

      Delete
    2. That awkward syntax thing again in EDUCATORS THINK WHY, ron. A little mystery all week. Thanks, we needed that.

      Delete
  5. This could help. It's fun anyway:

    http://www.jitterbuzz.com/diners.html

    I had to look up "Gimme a cow and drag it through the garden, Blaine." Your lack of hint/hint is a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  6. No answer yet. Just want a seat in the diner so I can hear what everybody is saying.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I see some geographical connections in this puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I awakened at 5:30 and got up and read the new puzzle question and went back to bed. I got the first word immediately and then the rest came quickly. It was easier than being at a diner (I hate diners and diner food) and eating a bowl of their .

    I haven't heard the audible version yet, so still do not know what WS said about last week's puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Will did not mention any other possible answers but did say that the puzzle had a bit of an April Fools aspect. He stated that there were over 200 correct answers (although I doubt that all were submitted for the right reason).

      Delete
    2. I just noticed that part of my above post vanished. It should read:

      I awakened at 5:30 and got up and read the new puzzle question and went back to bed. I got the first word immediately and then the rest came quickly. It was easier than being at a diner (I hate diners and diner food) and eating a bowl of their shitty cream soup.

      (It is the last 3 words that are missing.) I put them in < > brackets and perhaps that automatically removed them.

      Delete
  9. OK, got it. Did somebody say no one could say this wasn't fare?

    Anyway, I don't think anyone will be complaining that the puzzle has sunk to new depths.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm reminded of a cartoon I saw recently.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Actually the answer is one of my favorite uses for leftovers.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I don’t know if my little answer is right or not, but I’ll take it. Just sent it in.

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  13. my answer might be hard to stomach at first.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I could really go for this when I'm in dire straits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HOT TURKEY SANDWICH
      Dire Straits did the Sultans of Swing.
      Sultans are from Turkey.

      Delete
  15. zeke,
    Do the diners down round your parts have "Wet Skunky Roadkill" on their menus?

    LegoWainwright III

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LW III and sdb,
      Gotta eat really fast because it's in the middle of thw road.

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

      Delete
  16. What does Akronym, Ohio stand for?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. April kinda rocks on, neighbor.
      Your man (in Ohio),
      Zeke

      Delete
    2. Good one, zeke, but careful you don't wear out your brain cells.

      Here is one I came up with at a wine tasting this afternoon:

      How do Redwood Trees celebrate New Year’s Eve?







      They ring in the new year.

      Delete
    3. And this begs the question: If a tree grows a new ring and there is no one in the forest, do the other trees hear it?

      Delete
    4. Don't quit your day job, sdb. Oh wait, you already did. ;-) Plenty of time for forest listening then! ...I was lucky enough to visit Methuselah, the oldest known bristlecone pine (at the time) in CA on a dendrochronology field trip from the U of AZ. I could definitely spend a day there listening ;-).

      Delete
    5. Sure you wood, but who wood be hearing?

      Delete
    6. I think you've really gone out on a limb now, WW.

      Delete
    7. Perhaps it's time for us both to take our boughs now.

      Delete
    8. Perhaps so. Just a distracting technique anyway, heretofore (or six as the case may be).

      Delete
    9. You may be heretofore, but I am here to play.

      Delete
    10. My work has been fun.

      Hey, we haven't heard from Abqboy lately. Do you suppose they moved his execution date up?

      Delete
    11. Or did I mean to say, elocution date?

      Delete
    12. AbqGuerrilla, are you eating anything with six vowels?!

      Delete
    13. I am sure he is getting hote quizine.

      Delete
  17. ok I am taking a straw vote. How many of you would be really angry if you had to eat this every day all year long? or even all week?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe not really angry but not really happy, RoRo.

      Is the country drop-down box on the submittal form new this week? Lots of choices now. Remember the guy from England? Mate, you can join in the fun now!

      Delete
    2. I am extremely grateful to have found this found quite easily. It almost sounds good, though it's the wrong season.

      Delete
    3. I think I could eat a donut every day.

      Delete
    4. So, Paul, why donut you do that?

      Delete
    5. If I worked at a donut shop, I probably would.

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

      Delete
    7. You mean you donut? At yeast you would have a job.

      Delete
    8. Paul, here you go (it is still April):

      http://spoonful.com/printables/plant-some-laughs-doughnut-seeds

      Delete
    9. Wurd Wumun:
      I checked out that site. Now my eyes are glazed. But the sun is out and we hope it will not sprinkle later.

      Delete
  18. Replies
    1. HOT TURKEY SANDWICH
      turkey makes Zeke sleepy.

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could see this one being once removed, hugh.

      Delete
  20. If anybody wants spoilers, I might start a mailing list. That way, you have to opt-in rather than get blindsided by it...or see hints that make it too easy (like that one right there about gravy).
    Would such a thing interest any of you fine people?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello sean. I think ye may be jesting...anyway, if you hang around here long enough (and we hope you do), you may realize we are much coarser than fine.

      Mr. Moonlight could have used your profile pic to solve that Farmers' Almanac puzzle ;-).

      Delete
    2. Speaking of coarse, sdb, how come you don't jump down other people's throats when they post seven minutes early? (no names, of course)

      Delete
    3. Actually I have. But you are right about that, and I wondered about it. Then I forgot about it. Now I am wondering again, but still cannot figure it out. Will this now become one of life's great mysteries?

      Delete
    4. A greater mystery might be to see if you and I can get to the 200 comments limit ;-). But not tonight. Bon soir.

      Delete
    5. I'm totally going ahead with this idea, the only condition will be that if somebody enters with the answer I provide and their name gets picked, they must legally swear to yell BABABOOEY at some point during the on-air piece. Preferably, more than once.

      Delete
    6. Yeah, but we can't see your tongue in cheek in your blogger picture, sean.

      Delete
    7. Oh no tongue in cheek here. I decided years ago that when they finally pick my name, I'm gonna drop a few booey bombs. And if they keep missing me despite the helluva streak I'm on lately, they will be Bababooey'd by proxy. I just want to hear it once on weekend edition and I can die a happy man.

      Delete
    8. Also, to the guy or girl who may or may not have claimed to be from Akronym, Ohio: if you ever want to meet up and collaborate on the puzzle, Sunday mornings at Twig's in barberton, I'm usually there. You will know me, I'll be the guy doing the damn puzzle.

      Delete
    9. Sorry, but Seattle is a long way from Akron, but should you ever be out this way, let me know and if the clouds are high enough I'll help you locate the Space Needle.

      Delete
  21. Haven't been by in a while but I thought I'd add my two scents anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harriet,
      Please delete your post. Thank you

      Delete
    2. Since I can't get to Harriet's post directly, I'll have to depend on Legolambda's generosity in sharing the space. Harriet, we're here for fun. In this case, most of us knew the answer within an hour or so of hearing the puzzle. But there are always those who don't, and revealing the answer messes up the delight they anticipate when finally solving.

      A well written clue is always acceptable -- these people are wonderfully talented at creating them -- and only adds to the delight of visiting Blaine's site.

      So as soon as you can,, please delete your answer. Thanks.

      Delete
    3. Well written, MrScience. Thank you! And, Harriet, an FYI, Blaine will often remove dead giveaways or clues that give away too much, but he does not seem to be around today.

      And, as a general rule, the more obscure the hint the better.

      There's always next week.

      Delete
    4. This is Harriet's version of Dine and Dash.

      Delete
    5. I have no idea what happened to our fearless leader, but I do know this. Travelocity, in their advertising, uses a gnome similar to the gnome used in the movie, Amélie. M.I.T. has Professor Chomsky. These are all examples of known gnomes. There are also unknown gnomes, this I know. I do not think any of this helps with our problem.

      Delete
    6. Speaking of unknown gnomes, how 'bout some enhanced interrogation techniques for those who need extra scooling in blog etiquette?

      Delete
    7. Good idea, jan. I don't want to engage in anal retention, but most scools have a detention room. I nominate you to be in charge or not to be. As for me, I am about to bicycle down to the waterfront and engage in pier review.

      Delete
    8. Speaking of scooling, I don't think SPRING BAY FLOUNDER works.

      Delete
    9. And thanks for the cinematic recommendation, sdb; beats the heck out of a leaky heater core.

      Delete
    10. Paul, you always seem to get at the corps of the matter.

      Delete
    11. Came by to check on Harrietgate.

      Glad to see you back in our scool, jan.

      And, in other news, check out Mars tonight, in opposition to the Earth. You may read more over on my blog, PEOTS.

      Delete
    12. Word Woman, Thanks for reminding me I need to do something about the mars on my furniture, left by someone who didn't use the coaster. No question about it; there was water on my mars.

      Delete
    13. Okay, gang. Time to put one and one together to get the twrooth.

      Fact # 1: Harriet posted a comment Monday morning that she has not yet removed, despite our pleas for her to do so.
      Fact # 2: Blog Administrator Blaine, normally Johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to, removing TMI comments, seems to have vanished into thin cyberspace.

      Conclusion # 1: Harriet has no clue as how to delete a post (or post a proper clue).
      Conclusion # 2: Harriet is being deliberately obstinate.
      Conclusion # 3: Blaine’s computer is down…

      Or, #4, the most likely conclusion:
      It’s the Sordid Adventures of Blainozzie and Harriet! Yes, I fear our own Blaine is having an affair with… Harriet Scooler! Harriet has had a lifelong crush on bandleader and family TV star Ozzie Nelson. Once, while Googling her idol, the two Z’s in Ozzie somehow accidentally directed Harriet to a puZZle blog called Blaine’s.

      Blaine kinda reminded her of Ozzie (handsome, wise, fun), so she began stalking him, then dating him. She calls him Blainozzie; he calls her Harriet. She sometimes even posts, as she did Monday morning, just before the couple embarked on a spring breakaway at Hernando’s Hideaway on some remote isle in the Caribbean.

      This can be the only logical explanation for why her post persists. I am puzzled to come up with a better one.

      LegoEnquirer

      Delete
    14. I'm sure she's a kindly lady that appreciates puzzles like all of us...I tried sending her a Facebook message to re-direct her back to this site with instructions to delete the message.

      Hope Blaine's OK!

      Delete
    15. Lego:
      Obviously you do not subscribe to alien abductions. This surprises me.

      Delete
    16. Sorry, haven't been checking the comments frequently enough. I totally missed the blatant giveaway. How could someone do that?!?

      Delete
    17. Welcome back Kotter… uh, no, Ozzie… uh, no, Blaine! Hope you took my little Blainozzy and Harriet spoof in the jocular spirit I intended.

      sdb,
      But I do so subscribe to Alien Abductions… as well as to Field & Stream, Popular Mechanics and The Saturday Evening Blog Post! I’m a pushover for those cherub-cheeked urchins who ring your doorbell and stand on your doorstep thrusting a pen and order form your way, guilting you into buying shiploads of the “World’s Finest Chocolate” or the world’s dullest magazines.

      mike_h,
      I applaud your sentiment. Believing the best of people and not and judging prematurely and jumping to conclusions (like my Conclusion # 4 above) are admirable human qualities. We could use more of that in this world… and on this blog! (For example, when sdb jumped to the surprising but spurious conclusion that I do not subscribe to Alien Abductions.)

      ETaLambda

      Delete
    18. Hmmmm, maybe she is Harriet the Spy. Fitzhugh's novel about the 11-year-old is 50 this year.

      BTW, my 11-year-old neighbor is a big fan of Greek and Roman cultures and knew about Diophantus and his riddle.

      Delete
    19. lego:
      And rightly chastised I am. I now promise to subscribe to a year's subscription to Yield & Scream, and Ladies Home Funeral, along with Saturday Evening Grossed. Now, where's the boy at the door so I can "vote" for him? Now you can go back to reading your latest issue of Flat Earth Journal.

      Delete
  23. I thought my answer was kind of GREENPAINT-ish, but darn if I didn't go out to eat Sunday night and find my answer on the menu, as the EXACT phrase. Will post photographic proof after Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Going back a few weeks to the Mazda push together puzzle: those spiders probably used Mazola in those webs too. . .

    http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/automotive/2014/04/07/mazda-6-recalled-spider-issue/7415263/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WW,

      It will be tough for Mazda to put a positive spin on this story.

      My best solution:
      Relocate the spin-happy spiders to the fuel intake or air intake hoses, where their spider webs would function as nifty filters.

      Mazda USA bigwigs can send my check to:

      Lego F. Lambda
      Dept. of Arachnology and Automotive Engineering
      Moosylvania, MN
      56649 (Frostbite Falls zip code)

      sdb,
      I liked both of your "tree ring" jokes. I suggest you and Wood Woman, er... Word Woman decare a tree-ty. Maybe you could tweet it on twitter, which is another sound not heard in the forest unless someone is there. When there is someone there, you can't hear the forest for the tweets.

      SpiderLego...

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Legowood, I see you're branching out a bit, but I don't do Twitter, or Facebook, etc. Also, when I go to the woods, and I've been hiking & climbing since I was seven, I don't want to hear all this stuff I'm trying to get away from. Of course if a tree begins to fall, I hope to hear it soon enough to get out of the way. I hope I'm not barking up the wrong tree.

      Delete
    3. SpiderLego, your intake hose solution is inspired, pure spun gold. Let me know when you get your check, wired I'm sure.

      Sdb, I am wondering if our fearless leader has stumbled into a bristlecone grove for spring break. He cannot hear or see our tweets, posts, pleas or peas and honey.

      I still want to end this triplet with an 8-letter word that fits: EGG, POACHY ????????. Ideas?

      Delete
    4. W/MUFFINS ....well, I tried.

      Delete
    5. You could have EGG POACHY SPRIGHTS, as long as you are not averse to cooking up elves or fairies.

      Delete
    6. I am not averse (not even a whole poem) to that idea, Bob K., but we need U!

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

      Delete
    8. Paul,
      I think EGG POACHY W/MUFFINS works very well; you did more than try, you succeeded.

      Bob,
      Why should we be averse to cooking up Elvis? At Graceland, he routinely cooked up disgusting fried peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwedges for blasts in his swinging Jungle Room.

      All (but especially Mazda USA),
      I neglected to include “Wossamotta U.” in my address where you, Mazda USA, my favorite multinational corporation, should send me the check. Please be generous. Baby needs new brake shoes.

      Professor Lego (faculty advisor for Eta Lambda Kappa fraternutty)

      Delete
    9. Sorry, all my Us were on loan to someone who goes by the name of "M&A". Clearly what I meant to say was, "EGG POACHY UPRIGHTS."

      (There definitely have been people who ate light bulbs, and somebody ate a car, so I'm sure a well-tuned piano could be delicious.)

      Delete
  25. At the hipster diner, can you get a SOY BURGER, GARLICKY?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the smell of RYE CRUSTS TOASTING.

      Delete
    2. Paul, you seem to have a rye sense of humor.

      Delete
    3. Puayle: I love the smell of RYE CRUSTS TOASTING. That’s what Kilgore would have said.

      Lloygo: No, Senator Puayle, Kilgore would have said, “I love the smell of RYE CRUSTS TOASTING IN THE MORNING.”

      Puayle: Just how do you know that, Senator?

      Lloygo: I was there, Senator. Kilgore was there. I served with Kilgore. I knew Kilgore. Kilgore was a friend of mine. (sustained cheers and applause)

      Puayle: That was really uncalled for, Senator.

      Seriously, Paul, your clever but facetious answer, and about a dozen others, might qualify as lapel-pin worthy this week. I too love the smell of rye crusts toasting, both as an answer and as a breakfast. But I love even more the knell of rye shot glasses toasting.

      Sen. Lloygo…

      Delete
  26. I have a general question concerning terms.
    The first term is EUTHANIZE. I believe it refers to putting to death people or animals.
    The second term is CHICKEN THIGHS. Why do we have a special term for putting chickens to death?

    NOTE: There is a poster above who I think qualifies for the use of this term.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's ground her, that is to say place her on the no fly list. But on the other hand, there will probably be 3000 correct entries.

      Delete
  27. Should someone school the schooler or was that just mean?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I make the assumption that it is mean. I do not see how anyone capable of reading this blog could be that stupid, even an American.

      Delete
    2. I think it a shame more of us don't recognize when someone is simply snubbing his nose at us. The bitch doesn't even come back to see the responses, or perhaps it does and refuses to acknowledge. I have zero respect for obnoxious assholes, and they are rampant among us.

      Delete
    3. I shall ponder this situation as I attempt to navigate my mtbike* to my place of employment, in an hour or so. You can be sure of it.

      *Actually, I'm not sure what it is; I bought it at the Salvation Army Store for $15. It's got straight-ish handlebars, a quasi-knobby tire in the back, and ten speeds, I think.

      Delete
    4. Paul, where do you work at such an early hour? Or perhaps it's a long commute on that quasi(knobby)-mode-a transportation?

      Delete
    5. WW,
      Is that just your hunch?
      LegoModo

      Delete
    6. 'Tis, Lego. We seem to have a bit of a Notre (loosely) Dame issue this week.

      Delete
  28. Actually, I came up with a pretty reasonable alternate answer that meets the vowel and word length requirements, uses no awkward syntax or unusual forms of words and would certainly be available in many – not all – diners. Of course, the intended answer wouldn’t be available in all diners either. Anyway, I’ll post it on Thursday along with the intended answer.

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  29. I've come up with one possibility that is probably served at most diners, along with a second possibility that would be found at very few diners.

    At the same time, I 've come up with two three word entrees that come close--three words, six vowels, except one vowel is repeated, and one is not used (I'll leave it to the reader to determine the answers). One has a 6-3-8 letter combination, the other a 6-4-8 combination.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alternative answer, not found at many diners:

      SOY BURGER SANDWICH

      the two near misses:

      TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH

      SLOPPY JOE SANDWICH

      Delete
  30. Chuck, are you saying you find awkward syntax in EGG, POACHY, W/MUFFINS or EGG, POACHY, UPRIGHT?

    Congrats on your alternate answer.

    ReplyDelete
  31. BREAKING NEWS:

    The producers of Snakes On A Plane have just announced they are now embarked on their latest collaboration, Spiders In A Mazda.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They could check with Ashton Martin or Porsche.

      Delete
  32. My wife and I, in a collaborative effort, got it before the next story started on Weekend Edition. She hypothesized the first word, then the last word, and I racked my brain for foods I'd enjoyed at the local greasy spoon while growing up that fit those words, and there it was.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Their first film was a short documentary - Chicks in a Roadster
    Soon to be on reality tv

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi Friends, I sent in an answer this week but did not get the automatic confirmation from NPR. I would submit it again but don't want to be accused of stuffing the ballot box. What to do?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Depends on what your answer is, Al ;-). . .

      I'd say go for it again.

      Delete
    2. Al,
      Haven't you figured out yet that the only listeners who win are those who hand deliver their entries?

      Delete
    3. Sdb,

      Don’t you mean “those who hand deliver their entrees?
      Question: If an entree falls in a diner but there is no one there to eat it (five-second rule, you know) does it make a taste? What about a souffle, what if it falls?

      ChefLego

      Delete
    4. But how about if an entrée falls ON a diner; does anyone get punched? But cerealy, to answer your question, there simply is NO taste in a diner. This is why a soufflé in a diner always comes to your table fallen, just like the fallen women who also try to come to your table in a diner.

      Delete
  35. Tried it again. No confirmation yet. Usually comes right away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just tried it (I rarely submit answers, usually not expecting to be available at 1pm MDT anyway): confirmation came right away (within seconds).
      Spam filter in your email perhaps?

      Delete
  36. Concerning Harriet, where's Ozzie when you need him? Probably at the garden party dragging a cow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meet the Nelson's. There precocious son, Ricky, has a garden party through which his father drags wifey, Harriet.
      Oops, my bad. That was not the puzzle.

      Delete
    2. zeke,
      Their precocious son, not there precocious son. Also, I don't ever recall watching that show and seeing Ozzie in drag. Well maybe once.

      Delete
    3. So sorry. It is the late night voice recognition thing. Glad to have you keeping me on my toes, sbd.

      Delete
  37. A bogey!

    P.S. Wonder if it's a conspiracy with Blaine to obtain more hits for his website???

    ReplyDelete
  38. I hope everyone will be super careful tomorrow and not post the puzzle answer even a minute prior to 3 PM Eastern Time Zone. We certainly don't want to give away this classic, now do we?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I appreciate everyone else that plays by the rules. Sorry for the Harriet drive-by.

      Delete
    2. Shane! I mean Blaine, you came back!

      Delete
  39. Now that Blaine is back and we've tidied that up and there's no sense in giving more clues...

    My daughter, studying in Costa Rica, wrote that she is learning an odd mix of new vocabulary from "Cosmopolitan" and from watching "Bob, el Constructor," in Spanish. She and her host brother particularly liked the episode on the porcupine crossing the road.

    So, why did the porcupine cross the road?

    SPIKE LEE, for obvious reasons.

    Others?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WW:
      You ask, why did the porcupine cross the road?
      What's the point?

      Delete
    2. Why did the porcupine cross the road walking backwards?


      Because he wanted to be pointed in the right direction.

      Delete
    3. He was playing Follow the Leader" with a chicken?

      Delete
    4. To get to the sharps container.

      Delete
    5. He crossed the road because he was kicked out of the neighborhood for being such a prick.

      Delete
  40. U Conn & Yukon might be crafted into a timely puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  41. This brings me back to the days of coming home from school, knowing my parents would be gone for work and my master craftsmanship( for a 9 year old) would kick in for dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Blaine, now that you're back...

    As one who submitted his answer early Sunday morning to the NPR website, and later found the very answer I submitted posted here by Harriet the spy,....

    ...Well, I'd like to ask you about your non clue/clue: "Sorry, I'm busy connecting the HDTV, Blu-ray player, AV receiver and speakers together so I have no time for a clue today."

    In one of the early posts on this thread, Word Woman said "Your lack of hint/hint is a good one."

    I just wanted to know what the heck connecting the HDTV, Blu-ray player, etc. has to do with the answer which I had submitted and which Harriet had posted? Or had you and WW come up with a different answer?

    I hope to see your answer around noon Pacific time.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Replies
    1. An alternate answer would be HOT SCOOLER SANDWICH.

      Delete
  44. Official answer: Hot Turkey Sandwich

    I’ve lived in St. Louis for many years but I was born and raised on the mid-Atlantic coast. My alternate solution was a staple in many diners and roadhouses up and down the shores of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. “I’ll have the shrimp carryout please.”

    Alternate answer: The Shrimp Carryout

    Chuck

    ReplyDelete
  45. HOT TURKEY SANDWICH

    HereTofore or Six referred to the initial letters of HTS.

    Of course, HTS also stands for Harriet The Spy.

    The discussion of the drop-down box and lots of choices alluded to Turkey being one of them.

    ReplyDelete
  46. My marker for this week (as always, I hope it didn't give too much away):

    " I don't think anyone will be complaining that the puzzle has sunk to new depths." - Not new depths > opposite is HEIGHTS > abbreviated in town names as HTS > initials of Hot Turkey Sandwich.

    ReplyDelete
  47. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Lego’s Crossroads Diner
    (where the chickens sometimes just don’t make it…
    and we pass the savings on to you!)

    MENU

    Specialty of the House:
    Wet Skunky Roadkill - $3.95 (includes nose plug)

    Fish/Seafood:
    Bay Shrimp Turnover - $4.95
    Cod Scampi Frumenty - $3.95
    Rye Citrus Scallops - $3.95
    Yum Oyster Sandwich - $2.55
    Rum Smoked Stingray - $4.95
    Hot Snails Frumenty - $3.95
    Emu Shrimp Rhapsody - $4.95
    Cod Crusty Sardines - $1.95
    Bay Citrus Lobsters - $3.95
    Cut Crispy Escargot - $3.95

    Farm/Red Meat:
    Ham Smoked Crustily - $3.95
    Rye Possum Sandwich - $1.95
    Cut Kidney Pandowdy - $3.95
    Yum Rabbit Stewpots - $2.95

    Fowl:
    Hot Greasy Duckling - $1.95
    Hen Curry Fibonaci (sic) - $1.62 (rounded-up) (oven-fried golden sections of chickens that crossed the yellow brick road… who knows why?)
    Rum Cherry Flamingo - $2.95
    Yam Smoked Duckling - $4.95
    Fat Yogurt Chickens - $3.95
    Hen Savory Duckling - $3.95 (Fond of Turducken? Try this savory double-barreled fowl shot!)
    Hot Turkey Sandwich (temporarily unavailable; cat let it out of grocery bag, ate it)

    Garden/Vegetarian/Vegan:
    Dry Carrot Surprise - $3.95
    Soy Danish Crullers - $3.95
    Hot Creamy Dumpling - $2.95
    Jam Fruity Eggrolls - $3.95
    Hot Crusty Chickpea - $3.95
    Soy Butter Sandwich - $2.95
    Hot Grains Frumenty - $2.95
    Dry Muffin Corncake - $2.95
    Rum Basted Kolinsky - $3.95
    Soy Garden Dumpling - $3.95
    Cut Spiced Scammony - $2.95

    Beverages/Bar:
    Rum Cherry Cocktail - $4.95
    Rum Flavor Whiskeys - $5.95
    Dry Eggcup Cocktail - $3.95
    Mud: Creamy, Frothing - $0.95

    Thanks for your patronage!
    Wry Rustic LegoLamb - $0.02

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can move your posting to the other side of the road, but I'm still in awe.

      Delete
    2. jan and WW, et. al.,

      I forgot the…

      Desserts:
      Hot Creamy Pudding - $2.95
      Nut Cherry Apricots - $2.95
      Hot Family Crullers - $2.95
      Rum Spiked Rhapsody - $3.95
      Hot Crusty Pastries - $2.95

      LegoSweetTooth

      Delete
    3. Bravo! I hope you sent these to Will and I hope he revealed a few on the air.

      Delete
  49. The heck with the sandwich puzzle - I would like to hear others interpretations of Blaine's hint before he posts - he has me stumped more often than Will does...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw HDTV. . . connected to Speakers for HTS, Hot Turkey Sandwich. But, that was after I had the answer.

      Blaine's hints help me figure it out < 10 % of the time.

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

      Delete

    3. Dave T. and Enya_And_Weird_Al_Fan,
      After I divined the same answer Harriet later let us know she came up with, I revisited Blaine’s non-hint hint:

      “I’m busy connecting my HDTV (HDT looks a bit like HOT), Blu-ray player (blU-RaY somewhat echoes tURkeY), AV receiver and speakers (Okay, I admit I don’t know how you get “sandwich” out of that) together.” (To make a sandwich, one often “connects” together slices of bread, meat, cheese and lettuce.

      Blaine’s clues are invariably very crafty, subtle and clever. On the other hand, maybe we are reading to much into what may well just be Blaine’s sincere excuse, like readers of poems who posit meanings that the poet never intended, consciously at least.

      Maybe Blainozzie really was installing an entertainment system at Hernando’s Hideaway on a Caribbean isle… with, of course, Harriet’s help!

      LegoConclusionJumper

      Delete
  50. I bet a lot of us (including Harriet) started with the extremes (the first, shortest word and the last, longest one) and then figured out the middle from the vowels remaining:
    The answer is easy if you take it logically.

    The 'donut' business was an acknowledgment of RoRo's nice 'straw' hint, but you might have to walk around the block to see through it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul,
      I actually did the opposite. I began with thinking it probably was turkey, then I got hot, followed by sandwich. I thought of turkey mostly due to the Y.

      I do not like turkey, and the idea of a turkey sandwich is disgusting to me. Yuk! If any of you ever see me in a diner, you have my full permission to shoot me and put me out of my misery. Thanks in advance.

      Delete
    2. After I shoot you, can I have the rest of your hot turkey sandwich?

      Delete
    3. You are welcome to the weak coffee too.

      Delete
  51. An interesting challenge to the smart (high IQ) people!

    > Keep that brain working; see if you can figure out what these seven words
    > all have in common?
    > 1. Banana
    > 2. Dresser
    > 3. Grammar
    > 4. Potato
    > 5. Revive
    > 6. Uneven
    > 7. Assess
    >
    > Look at each word carefully.
    >
    > No, it is not that they all have at least 2 double letters....
    >
    > Answer is below!
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Answer:
    > In all of these words, if you take the first letter, place it at the
    > end of the word, and then spell the word backwards,
    > it will be the same word.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it would be drow eht, benmar12000. ;-)

      Delete
    2. But benmar12001, didn't ron give us that EXACT same quiz on Sun Feb 23, 08:44:00 PM PST in the blog for the week of that same day?

      Delete
    3. I hadn't noticed, but well ok.

      Delete
  52. Post-Thursday NJ biking report:

    The Great Swamp is finally thawed out, the daffodils are poking up and starting to open, the spring peepers are in full, though not at all deep, throat. But what struck me today was the unusually large number of roadkill snakes. (OK, not as struck as the snakes, but, still...) What accounts for all the squished serpents, the 2-D Ophiddia, or as Euclid might have put it, the snakes on a plane? In other words, why did the snake cross the road? (Because he tasted like chicken?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jan:
      Interesting you should mention Snakes On A Plane. It is coincidental(floss) to something I was reminiscing about before getting up this morning. Back when that movie was all the rage, and even though you may not have been at all interested, you could not avoid hearing about it frequently. My much younger brother was working for a private company that sold vehicles of all sorts to the physically impaired and one day at this time he asked me if I would drive a new Sprinter Van down to LA in order to have the side door fitted with a lift, and then fly back home. I agreed and was fortunate to be able to drive up and down the Grapevine into LA without being detoured due to the serious fire raging on the South side. Apparently it had just been reopened even though the fires were amazing to see. When I arrived at the large facility where the vehicle was to be dropped off for retrofitting, I was asked by the receptionist how my trip down had been, especially in regard to the Grapevine fires. I replied that it had been smooth sailing all the way and I had encountered no problems at all on the trip until I began coming down the Grapevine into LA and the snakes got loose. I thought it was hilarious and that being near Hollywood they would get it right away, but it was a wasted ad lib. No one made the connection.

      Delete
  53. Blaine:
    Are you aware that at the very top the date says: Friday, April 18, 2014 ???

    ReplyDelete
  54. Where have you been all week? :)

    ReplyDelete
  55. Next week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Louis Sargent of Portland, Ore. Name a well-known American company. Insert a W somewhere inside the name, and you'll get two consecutive titles of popular TV shows of the past. What are they?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did you notice that the puzzle was sent in by Louis Sargent, whose name contains each of the five vowels exactly once?

      Delete
    2. I got up for a moment, read the new puzzle and went back to bed thinking this would be hard, but then I got the answer, and I swear I never even heard of one of these shows and never watched the other one. Now I can go back to bed again.

      Delete
    3. Can't get back to sleep, so here is a hint for you all.

      It could be said these two TV shows don't always see eye to eye.

      Delete
    4. In the solution that came to my mind, an article is lacking in one of the TV show titles. Moreover, if you initially complete the name of the company, then you need to insert not only the W and a couple blanks, but the same article in two different places, and then you get three consecutive titles of popular TV shows of the past!

      Delete
    5. Nicely articulated, E&WAf.

      Delete
  56. Just going back to last week's answer for a moment: Had to listen to Will twice, and I would swear he said that some people had submitted an alternative answer of "Hot Fluffy Pancakes." Did I simply mis-hear, or is no "I" and two "A"s somehow acceptable?

    ReplyDelete
  57. I know! I wondered that also, Bob K. Hot fluffy pincakes? U got it.

    Lego's extensive menu at least fit the puzzle parameters.

    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.