NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 29, 2014): If You Don't Want It, Can I Have It?:
Q: Name a boy's name and a girl's name, each in four letters. The names start with the same letter of the alphabet. The boy's name contains the letter R. Drop that R from the boy's name and insert it into the girl's name. Phonetically, the result will be a familiar two-word phrase for something no one wants to have. What is it?
I'm sorry I don't have much of a clue, but you are a resilient bunch and I'm sure you'll manage to figure it out.
Edit: Resilient is an anagram of Listerine.
A: BRAD + BETH --> BAD BREATH
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.
Before I could take a deep breath, I had this puzzle solved. Too easy. How about this one at least a bit more challenging: 2 female names, four letters each. Take away one letter from the first name, combine the two, and you will catch a disease.....warning, answer below.
DeleteRubella
This puzzle stinks! I got the answer in less than a minute.
ReplyDeleteNo disrespect intended, but I think I know why!
DeleteThis one was solved before I ever got out of bed. I am reminded of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Good job this morning, Joe.
ReplyDeleteChuck
Funny thing, I recently saw 2001, first time in a long while. Remember the scene where Heywood Floyd "phones home" from the space station, and asks his daughter (played by Kubrick's real daughter) what she wants for her birthday? And she replies "A bush baby".
DeleteIn 2001 we all got her wish.
Like last week's puzzle, there might be 2 answers, though one is clearly the intended. Since this was so easy (nailed it as they were still talking), how about another alternate:
ReplyDeleteName a boy's name and a girl's name, each in four letters. The names DO NOT start with the same letter of the alphabet. The girl's name contains the letter R. Drop that R from the girl's name and insert it into the boy's name. Phonetically, the result will be a familiar two-word phrase (ok, not really familar) for something many people want to have. What is it?
TASH BYRN becomes phonetically TRASH BIN.
DeleteNot your intended answer?
The names in my answer are pretty common. As a bonus hint there is a musical connection between my answer and Will's.
DeleteSo it must be SUE (a boy named Sue) & BERT. This yields a SURE BET, something everyone would want to have.
DeleteI did say each name had 4 letters. Using boy's names only you could go from Tim & Burt to a trim butt.
DeleteCouldn't help going with a boy named SUE. How about EDDY and KRIS? Which yields phonetically a READY KISS, something "many people would want to have."
DeleteTORY - R = TOY; SHEA + R = SHEAR >>> SHEAR TOY -- (seismologists and sheep farmers everywhere want to have one)
DeleteR syv'c carve cat bron'x vult rx Duct.
DeleteI don't think the girl's name is Cate.
DeleteThere is a company using this week's gimmick as the basis of their ad campaign.
ReplyDeleteI did not need a list of names for this one!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis week's puzzle rules apply, but give me Bob Cratchet's poor excuse for being late to work. SDB should be able to relate.
ReplyDeletezeke creekSun Jun 29, 01:03:00 PM PDT
ReplyDeleteThis week's puzzle rules apply. People in Cleveland, OH endure this.
ReplyDelete
It should be fairly easy to scope out the answer.
ReplyDeleteLavada los dientes con gleem.
DeleteThe answer reminds me of a childhood joke.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the boy's name is the same as a nephew, and is a fairly obvious one for this puzzle, so I decided to check the other names in my in-laws family. The girl's name is the same as a sister-in-law.
Good job, Lego. Based on the on-air conversation, if Will is Yoda, you must be LegoLuke.
Finally, since I had an answer before I started my morning run, I had plenty of time to think of piggybacks. Several are too close to the (probable) intended answer, but here is one. Think of a famous couple, both of who have first names with a R in them. Reverse the order in which they are generally known, remove the R from each first name, and the first names' remaining letters will spell in phonetically a two word phrase which is something of interest to a particular addict. For example, if the couple were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the remaining letters would be "gingefed'.
Lego, you were terrific! Wouldn't it be cool if a link to Puzzleria! appeared on the NPR site?
ReplyDeleteI carpooled with a guy who told me how fast he played golf every weekend. It got faster in every successive Monday's telling. He never talked about the fun and excitement of playing the holes, just how fast he got done.
I figured eventually he'd play 18 holes in 0 minutes.
... and Zeno was his name-o ...
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDavid and ecoarchitect,
DeleteI gave your posted puzzles a go, but got nowhere. I’m still suffering from a puzzle-drunk hangover after last Friday’s uncorking and pouring out of Puzzleria!, then washing all that down with a 40-proof shot of Shortz!
Word Woman and Paul,
Your posts remind me of the golfer who ventured into the woods to retrieve his errantly hooked drive. But while searching for his Titlist 2, nature called. So, taking advantage of the privacy the foliage afforded, he removed his relaxed-fit cotton golf slacks, draped them over a nearby limb and answered the call (just as I did last Thursday!). In the meantime, however, some woodland creature (probably a gopher) furtively purloined his pants. Eventually, the now-even-more-casually-dressed golfer had to re-emerge from the woods with his Titleist found but, alas, with his pair o’ “Docks” lost.
Vocabulary note:
Carpooled is a compound intransitive verb, past tense, meaning “rode in a motor vehicle together to enhance camaraderie, gas savings, masochism, etc.”
Carpeeled is a compond intransitive verb, past tense, meaning “went fishing for carp and eels.”
To Blainesville,
Thanks to you all for your kind words and empathetic props posted on this and last week’s threads: jan, zeke creek, SuperZee, Conman, Chuck, David, Word Woman and all others who may have been there with me in spirit while I was experiencing the Shortzian wringer.
The on-air puzzle was pretty easy. Still, I struggled some. NPR editing was kind to me, I believe. Their editing also banished any mention I made of Puzzleria! to the cutting-room floor.
But I understand. You are there to play a puzzle, not to plug a blog. For NPR to allow every Moe, Lego or Joe who wins the weekly NPR lottery to plug his blog over the national airwaves would probably set a bad precedent.
Word Woman is correct. Not nailing Will’s quiz? Not getting your blog mentioned? All this, and all else, pales against the privilege of playing the puzzle on-air with Dr. Shortz. And it is a blast to boot!
Sure, I would love it if NPR would link to my puzzle blog. In the meantime, I’ll work on making Puzzleria! a better blog, one that puzzle lovers will want to visit (one like Blainesville, for example). A wise man (I think it might have been Uncle John or zeke creek) once said that cream rises to the top. My blog is still in the skim-to-one-percent-milk range.
LegoLambDairyFat…
lego:
DeleteI did enjoy listening to your Dinner With Will, and you done well with Will.
Now, re: your above post:
Didn't we recently get past a "bad precedent" when Obama took the oath? Or perhaps not, such as things are going in the whirled.
Thanks, sdb.
DeleteGreatly-Twisted-Minds-Think-Alike-Department: I nearly made some kind parenthetical reference to Millard Fillmore or some other supposed “bad precedent.” But I resisted the temptation because I was aware there is a limit to the number of characters a comment here can include. (Believe me, I know! That is why I could never do Twitter.)
Bad Legol Precedent
My attention span is not short enough for Twitter.
DeleteFar be it for either of us to want to overturn a precedent.
Just had an op to listen, Lego Ya done good! Mammajamma,mothershutyo,hatharry to you with a mazel tov thrown in!!
DeleteI thought I would be spending a lot of time trapped in a pit trying to come up with the right answer. Then it hit me, and a sign of relief escaped from my lips.
ReplyDeleteThis week's puzzle answer involves my wife's name. But, for the sake of this blog, she will remain nameless for now.
ReplyDeleteDoes the resulting phrase consist of 8 letters or 5? Will's clue didn't say to combine the 2 4-letter names.
ReplyDeleteRuth:
Delete8 letters.
BTW. It is good to have you here on this blog. Were you to leave I fear we would become ruthless.
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DeleteThanks for the vote of confidence, SDB. I endeavor to keep my friends as (t)ruthful as possible.
DeleteI thought I had hit the nail on the head, but this exchange makes me wonder. (After all, the two names can only contribute 8 letters, but my count the desired *phonetic* result uses 9 letters.)
DeleteI think Bob K. did hit the nail on the head. Surely sdb just miscounted his correct phonetic answer to get “eight.” And Ruth has always been truthful.
DeleteLegoHoldThe Mayo
And, yes, sdb, now I Will stop calling you Shirley.
DeleteNotice that Will did not specify how many letters are in the two word phrase--it could be 8 letters or some other number. As for any other questions, I have the right to remain silent.
Deletelego:
DeleteShirley is not a count. She is a miscountess. I have it on good account that she gave a good account of herself too. You can always count on me for good information.
sdb:
DeleteHave you been writing business letters again... or prepping for a colonoscopy?
Sincerely yours,
WW
Hey, Lego, just had an op to listen. Ya done good! MammajammaMothershutyoHatHarry Off to you. With a Mazel tov thrown in!
DeleteHad I being paying better attention I would have answered; Neither.
DeleteNo worries, skydiveboy, though I do like jan's idea of adding minty fresh scent to the docs' scope as they navigate the canal. Alimentary, my dear Watson.
DeleteWhat I came up with reminds me of a "Seinfeld" episode involving a certain facial expression and unique sound. And by the way, Will, I can think of one or two situations in which having this might prove helpful.
ReplyDeleteReligious recruiters at your door?
DeleteI don't know, one can always play toesies til further notice
computer, judge, relative (3,3,3).
ReplyDeleteOrdinate amount of info, jan. Thanks, nonethemore. ;-)
DeleteOne of the names will be familiar to jewish folk out there.
ReplyDeleteFo'sho', Snipper.
Deleteand the other one way too familiar period
DeleteI wanna rock and roll all night . . . .
ReplyDeleteI also sense a connection to last week's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea who Bob Monkhouse is, but I just now ran across this and I could never forgive myself if I did not share:
ReplyDelete“The only reason my wife has an orgasm is so she'll have something else to moan about” - Bob Monkhouse
"Silence is not only golden, it is seldom misquoted."
Delete--Bob Monkhouse-
Thank you, WW. That brought on a spontaneous grin.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Ruth. Like this ;-)?
DeleteThat's an odd emoticon, WW. What's that question mark after the smiley right paren sposed to be? Soul patch? Cold sore? Tongue in cheek?
DeleteSometimes a question mark is just a question mark.
DeleteThough I am glad to now know what a soul patch is, jan. Just a little mouche below la bouche. Which begs the question "What is the defining line between a soul patch and a goatee?"
DeleteIf that isn't an example of the Fallacy of the Beard, I don't know what is!
DeleteWW, my grin wasn't as polite as your emoticon, but rather teeth-baring.
DeleteFor those who didn't solve last week's puzzle, it may give you a leg up on this week's puzzle!
ReplyDelete'Morning :?
ReplyDeleteAlways, Zeke.
DeleteBRAD & BETH > BAD BREATH
ReplyDeleteMy hint:
"This puzzle stinks! I got the answer in less than a minute."
Bad breath stinks too.
I don't know why my post shows 11:59 AM PDT. I always send it when my little satellite clock shows noon. I don't use my computer clock, as it is a bit off. Just to let you all know.
DeleteMust be relativistic time dilation because the satellite is moving so fast....
DeleteSKB: And you being the king of zero tolerance!
DeleteBrad/Beth (bad breath) my hints alluded to morning bad breath as well as toothpaste [Gleem (R)]
ReplyDelete> There is a company using this week's gimmick as the basis of their ad campaign.
ReplyDeleteMeet Brad Beth
> computer, judge, relative (3,3,3).
HAL,ITO,SIS.
Brad/Beth --> Bad Breath. The childhood joke was something like:
ReplyDeleteQ. “Why can’t Batman get a date?
A. “He had bat breath.
which you could get using the names Bart and Beth.
Another related piggyback puzzle:
Take a boy's first name in 5 letters, one of which is an R, and a girl's first name in 4 letters. Move the R from the boy's name to the girl's name and phonetically get a medical procedure.
My prior piggyback was “Think of a famous couple, both of who have first names with a R in them. Reverse the order in which they are generally known, remove the R from each first name, and the first names' remaining letters will spell in phonetically a two word phrase which is something of interest to a particular addict. For example, if the couple were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the remaining letters would be "gingefed'.” The answer is:
Bert and Ernie, which becomes Enie Bet which becomes Any Bet.
Brad Beth --> bad breth (breath)
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “I am reminded of 2001: A Space Odyssey,” specifically of the supercomputer, HAL, as in halitosis.
Chuck
'Morning :?
ReplyDeleteReference to the young couple turning their heads inside and saying morning with their mouths covered.
This week's puzzle rules apply, but give me Bob Cratchet's poor excuse for being late to work. SDB should be able to relate.
ReplyDeleteMark Mary - Mak Marry - make merry
This directly relates to a debate in my house, that is, are the words "Mary", "Marry" and "Merry" homonyns? I say no, my spouse says yes.
DeleteMy wife and I (New York born) constantly argue with our California nieces about this. We say no, they say yes. We're right, of course.
DeleteThis directly relates to the fact that a man when he is married has two options. One, he can be right. Two, he can be happy. Therefore when Mary is right it makes for a Merry marriage. :)
DeleteDavid,
DeleteFirst it should be homonyms, not homonyns.
Second, you are right, they are homophones.
Third, it would be wrong to inform your wife that she is wrong unless you want to be in the doghouse.
Who you calling homophonic?
DeleteAs Emmanuel saez, "Piketty, Piketty, Piketty"!
1. Certainly not Leonard Bernstein.
Delete2. Sounds like a fencing operation.
This week's puzzle rules apply. People in Cleveland, OH endure this.
ReplyDeleteRiki Reva - Iki revar - icky river
No one wants the Cuyahoga river running by their house. It lends to the saying, "Come on baby light my fire."
"I thought I had hit the nail on the head" - "BRAD" is a sub-species of "nail."
ReplyDeleteMary - marry - merry: no two sound alike to me!
Okay, then, Bob K., jan and your band of Mary/merry/marry men (and women), what about two, too and two? Do they sound homophonious to your sensitive ears!?
DeleteIt sounds to me (for whatever that is worth coming from a “Fargo-talkin’” Midwesterner) that you earily elite easterners must have a much more refined tympanic palate that I…
…I a boorish gourmand wearing a John Deere cap backwards and wolfin’ down words-of-one-syllable like they were Big Macs and malts, then belchin’ out a “You betcha!” in reply…
… and you, you dinner-jacketed and evening-gowned gourmets, dining and sipping on sequentially nuanced syllables as if they were filet mignon and the finest wine and tea, your pinky fingers flailing heavenward.
(Remember, fresh puzzles burst Fourth tomorrow on Joseph Young’s Puzzle -ria!.
FargoLambda
Et tu, Lambrute ;-?
DeleteBrad + Beth - "R" = Bad Bre(a)th
ReplyDeleteSeinfeld reference - Elaine's halitosis-afflicted co-worker who carried a box of Tic-Tacs everywhere that noisily announced his approach.
Ron correctly figured my second puzzle, Eddy + Kris = Ready kiss, though I would also have accepted Andy + Kris = Randy kiss.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle relates to Will's via the "musical" group KISS, and their popular song "Beth", about all I could tolerate from them. I suppose it also ties in with their very RANDY lead Gene Simmons; his interview with Terry Gross some years ago was, well, gross, and worth a listen.
BRAD - R = BAD, BETH + R = BREaTH
ReplyDeleteFo'sho' was a riff on B'nai B'rith
Colonoscopy contains Scope, as in mouthwash
In them thar hills--yahoo! Have a safe 4th y'all!
Colonoscopy contains Scope? Not in our practice. But, because we introduce CO2 to improve visualization, there's always a lot of gas passed in the recovery room afterwards. A little minty freshness in the air might be a welcome change!
DeleteWay too familiar referred to Brad Pitt. Playing toesies was, of course, part of hali-tosis. My shout out to Lego involved phrases that began with "bad" Bad Maamajaama, bad mother (shut your mouth) [from Shaft] and Bad Hat Harry
ReplyDeleteJewish reference was to temples with Beth in their name (eg Beth shalom, Beth Israel etc). Reference to those who didn't solve last week means they didn't use their Colgate!
ReplyDeleteSnipper, harder to riff off your (B'nai) B'rith clue when it was actually a Beth clue ;-). Fo'sho'.
DeleteI liked your interpretation. I hadn't thought of that one
DeleteJust now arrived home.
ReplyDeleteBRAD BETH
BAD “BRETH” phonetically, BAD BREATH, “something no one wants to have.”
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ReplyDeleteHappy 4th and for all the punmasters out there (especially SDB & WW) watch Robin Williams as the American flag.
ReplyDeleteThanks ron,
DeleteI watched it and was left wondering it this was a clothesing act.
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ReplyDeleteJust today someone stole two packages of Parmesan cheese from our local Trader Joe’s store. A couple of store employees chased after and caught them nearby and found the cheese had already been shredded and placed in tub containers. The two employees were subsequently fired. It turned out they were greatly mistaken.
ReplyDeleteNext week's challenge: Name a famous actress of the past whose last name has 5 letters. Move the middle letter to the end to name another famous actress of the past. Who are these actresses?
ReplyDeleteThis one gets my vote as the easiest puzzle of the year. I'm going out for some fresh air.
ReplyDeleteYes, easier than sprinkling grass seed!
ReplyDeleteOr a conversation between a bank deposit and a waterfowl chick. Or a customer at a butcher shop.
DeleteOne is a "mean" lady!
ReplyDeleteHere goes another week without a real puzzle.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ladies is two-faced.
ReplyDeleteThree-faced, actually.
Delete