Sunday, December 27, 2015

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 27, 2015): The Duck Says "Quack"

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 27, 2015): The Duck Says "Quack":
Q: Name a famous actress who has four letters in her first name and four letters in her last name. Add one letter, and rearrange the result to name an animal and the sound this animal makes. Who is the actress, what is the animal and what is the sound that the animal makes?
Personally I'd say the sound is more like the last name with a letter removed.

Edit: GRR!
A: TERI GARR + O --> TIGER + ROAR

Sunday, December 20, 2015

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 20, 2015): Four Six-Letter Words Ending with the Same Five Letters

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 20, 2015): Four Six-Letter Words Ending with the Same Five Letters:
Q: Think of four common six-letter words that all end in the same five letters, in the same order. And the first letters of these four words are consecutive consonants in the alphabet (like B, C, D, F). No other common six-letter words end with these five letters. What are the words?
And the five letters (without the starting consonant) sound like another word that would have fit in the sequence.

Edit: Without the starting consonant, the remaining letters sound like OCEAN which would have fit into the sequence at O.
A: LOTION, MOTION, NOTION and POTION (alternate BROWNS, CROWNS, DROWNS and FROWNS but Will was less enamored by the use of plurals.)

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Christmas Puzzle for 2015

Our annual Christmas puzzle is available now.
As in prior years, the reward for solving is a video Christmas card, but you'll need to figure out the password by solving the puzzle first.

Note: If you need some help, the full answer is posted here, but try solving it without help first... it's more fun that way.

Feel free to add a comment below to let us know that you successfully figured it out (without giving away the answer to others). We are always looking for new ideas for next year's Christmas puzzle, so submit those too.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 13, 2015): Character of TV, Movies and Comics

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 13, 2015): Character of TV, Movies and Comics:
Q: Name a well-known character of TV, movies and comics. Two words. Replace the 8th, 9th, and 10th letters with an S. Then rearrange the result to name a well-known actor who played this character on film. First and last names. Who is it?
I incorrectly assumed that each of the letters were replaced by an S (for a total of three Ss). Apparently that is not correct.

A: GREEN HORNET --> GREENHO(S)T --> SETH ROGEN

Sunday, December 06, 2015

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 6, 2015): State Capitals Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 6, 2015): State Capitals Puzzle:
Q: Name a state capital. Drop one of its letters. The remaining letters can be rearranged to name of another major city in the United States. What is it? There are two different answers, and you should find both of them.
A: SALEM (MESA) and ST PAUL (TULSA)

Sunday, November 29, 2015

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 29, 2015): Thanksgiving Leftovers

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 29, 2015): Thanksgiving Leftovers:
Q: Take the name of a well-known actress — four letters in the first name, nine letters in the last. Insert a letter between the second and third letters of the first name. Remove the last two letters of the last name. The result is a two-word phrase that means "freedom."
Since we've had this puzzle before, I've got nothing further to add.

Edit: Nothing = Blank
A: Cate Blanchett --> Carte Blanche

Sunday, November 22, 2015

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 22, 2015): Happy Thanksgiving

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 22, 2015): Happy Thanksgiving:
Q: The following three Thanksgiving dishes have something very unusual in common:

  • Spit-roast turkey
  • Cornbread stuffing
  • Boiled squash
  • What is it they have in common, and can you name one other thing that might be served at Thanksgiving dinner that has the same property?
    Well, it isn't Baked Alaska.

    Edit: My hint was a callback to the recent (MOUNT) DENALI puzzle. The food I submitted was the simple CAULIFLOWER.
    A: Each food item uses all five vowels (A, E, I, O and U) exactly once. Other possible foods with this property: Whipped young yams, cranberry coulis, pumpkin gelato, robust Zinfandel. Any food whose name contained all five vowels exactly once was accepted.

    Sunday, November 15, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 15, 2015): Under the Canopy

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 15, 2015): Under the Canopy:
    Q: Think of a word that contains three consecutive letters of the alphabet together — like CANOPY, which contains NOP. Change these three letters to one new letter to make a synonym of the first word. What words are these?

    This puzzle reminds me of a joke I heard back in grade-school.

    Edit: Here's the joke.
    Teacher: "Who can use defeat, detail and defense in a single sentence?"
    Johnny: "De-feet and de-tail of de-cat went over de-fence."
    A: DEFEAT --> BEAT

    Sunday, November 08, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 8, 2015): Actor Becomes On-Air Contestant

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 8, 2015): Actor Becomes On-Air Contestant:
    Q: Name a famous actor — using both first and last name. Drop the first two letters of the first name and the last two letters of the last name. Then put a Y between what's left of the two names. The result, reading from left to right, will identify who might solve this challenge and play puzzle on the air with me next week.
    Or take the letters that remain in the actor's last name, add a letter before and after to name where you might see the actor today.

    Edit: The answer to my hint was the TV show, BONES
    A: RYAN O'NEAL --> ANYONE

    Sunday, November 01, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 1, 2015): And Three Nines are Twenty

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 1, 2015): And Three Nines are Twenty:
    Q: This is one of the "lost" puzzles of Sam Loyd, the great American puzzlemaker from the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's from an old magazine with a Sam Loyd puzzle column. The object is to arrange three 9s to make 20. There is no trick involved. Simply arrange three 9s, using any standard arithmetic signs and symbols, to total 20. How can it be done?
    The whole point is there are no tricks involved. So you don't need to flip numbers upside down or involve higher order math like square roots or factorials... at least my solution doesn't need those.

    Edit: My hint was point as in decimal point.
    A: (9 + 9)/.9 = 20

    Sunday, October 25, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 25, 2015): The Holidays Come Earlier Each Year

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 25, 2015): The Holidays Come Earlier Each Year:
    Q: The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters — seven consonants (H, K, L, M, N, P and W) plus the five vowels (A, E, I, O and U). Use all 12 of these, and repeat four of them, to get 16 letters in all that can be arranged to name a well-known holiday item. What is it? As a hint — it's a two-word answer.
    Too easy.

    Edit: As easy as pie
    A: HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN

    Sunday, October 11, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 11, 2015): Creative Puzzle Challenge: Provide one sample sentence, outshine the pile

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 11, 2015): Creative Puzzle Challenge: Provide one sample sentence, outshine the pile:
    Q: Write a 10-word sentence in which each word ends with the same letter of the alphabet.

    For example: Dartmouth frosh clash with Pittsburgh church parish, clinch fifth triumph. Every word in that sentence ends with H. You can choose any letter you like. Entries will be judged on sensibility, naturalness of syntax and overall elegance. The person who submits the best sentence in Will's opinion will play the puzzle on the air in two weeks.
    For some of you, it's time to include the other half of your brain...

    Edit: Be sure to check the list of runner up sentences including several submissions from members of Blainesville.
    A: The winning sentence chosen by Will, "Can neurosurgeon Ben Carson pin down Republican nomination in 'Sixteen?" — Kate S. of Maryland

    Sunday, October 04, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 4, 2015): Help Wanted, Inquire Within

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 4, 2015): Help Wanted, Inquire Within:
    Q: Think of a two-word term for someone who might be working at a nightclub. The second letter of the first word is a consonant. Move that letter so it's the second letter of the second word, and phonetically you'll get a made-up, two-word term for someone else who might work at a nightclub. What persons are these?
    I'm not happy that this took so long to figure out. By the way, the deadline is Wednesday this week.

    The hint was "not happy", or feeling "blue".
    A: BLUES SINGER --> BOOZE SLINGER

    Sunday, September 27, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 27, 2015): Greek and Italian Heritage

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 27, 2015): Greek and Italian Heritage:
    Q: Name a famous Greek person from history. Rearrange the letters of the name to get the title of a famous Italian person from history. Who are these two people?"
    I don't think the name or title will include an N.

    Edit: Remove an N from INCLUDE and you get the letters used in the name and title.
    A: EUCLID and IL DUCE

    Sunday, September 20, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 20, 2015): Foretold Fourfold Puzzle

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 20, 2015): Foretold Fourfold Puzzle:
    Q: Take the words FORETOLD and FOURFOLD. They start with homophones, FORE and FOUR, and they end with rhymes, TOLD and FOLD. The challenge is to find two common nine-letter compound words that have the same property. Specifically, the two homophones are each five letters long, and the rhymes have four letters each. What words are these?
    Edit: In one of my comments, before I knew the answer, I said it wasn't BIRTHDATE-BIRTHMATE or WAISTCOAT-WASTEBOAT. I had to delete that for obvious reasons.
    A: WAISTEBAND and WASTELAND

    Sunday, September 13, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 13, 2015): The Quick Brown Fox...

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 13, 2015): The Quick Brown Fox...:
    Q: It's a well-known curiosity that the longest common unhyphenated word that can be typed on the top row of a typewriter or computer keyboard is TYPEWRITER.

    Find a common hyphenated word in 12 letters that can be typed using only the keys on the top row of a typewriter or computer keyboard.
    And a synonym of the word can be typed with one hand.

    Edit: You can type SEESAW with the left hand.
    A: TEETER-TOTTER

    Sunday, September 06, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 6, 2015): Where Am I?

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 6, 2015): Where Am I?:
    Q: Name a well-known U.S. geographical place — two words; five letters in the first word, six letters in the last — that contains all five vowels (A, E, I, O and U) exactly once. It's a place that's been in the news. What is it?
    I see a problem with the puzzle; isn't the name of this place a single word?
    A: (MOUNT) DENALI

    Sunday, August 30, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 30, 2015): A Bag of Holding

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 30, 2015): A Bag of Holding:
    Q: Name a famous movie in eight letters that has had multiple sequels. The title is one word. Rearrange its letters to get a two-word phrase for a satchel. What is it?
    I can't help you with a clue this week... it's too obvious.

    Edit: My hint was "can't" as a hint to Clark Kent.
    A: SUPERMAN --> MAN PURSE

    Sunday, August 23, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23, 2015): Name that Military Figure

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23, 2015): Name that Military Figure:
    Q: Name a famous military figure of the past 50 years. The first three letters of his first name and the first three letters of his last name are both well-known military abbreviations. Who is it?
    February 1, 1976: One of the abbreviations applied to him.

    Edit: That was the date he attained the rank of Colonel. The other hint was the colon.
    A: COLIN POWELL --> Col. and P.O.W.

    Sunday, August 16, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16, 2015): Easily Say Lei

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16, 2015): Easily Say Lei:
    Q: Take the word EASILY. You can rearrange its letters to spell SAY and LEI. These two words rhyme even though they have no letters in common.

    What is the longest familiar word you can find that can be anagrammed into two shorter words that rhyme but have no letters in common? The two shorter words must have only one syllable.
    I guess we'll all be spending time with a rhyming dictionary and an anagrammer.
    A: CHICKPEAS = CHIC, SPEAK
    PHYSICKED = PSYCH, DIKE
    HEAPINGLY = NEIGH, HAY
    LIGHT-YEARS = SLEIGH, TRAY

    Sunday, August 09, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 9, 2015): Time to Grease Your Muffler Bearings

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 9, 2015): Time to Grease Your Muffler Bearings:
    Q: Name part of a car. Drop the fifth letter. Now reverse the order of the last three letters. The result, reading from left to right, will name a major American city. What city is it?
    Safety tip: put wheel chocks in place before working on your car.

    Edit: "Safety" hinted at the part of a car being used for safety. The other hint was "chocks" which, if you break it into parts, sounds like c-hocks = "Seahawks".
    A: SEAT BELT --> SEATTLE

    Sunday, August 02, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 2, 2015): Watching a Butterfly Flutter By

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 2, 2015): Watching a Butterfly Flutter By:
    Q: This challenge involves a spoonerism. (To recap, that's where you exchange the initial consonant sounds of two words to get two new words. For example, a spoonerism of "light rain" is "right lane.")

    Name two animals. Exchange their initial consonant sounds, and the result in two words will be the name of a third animal. What is it?
    A: BUNNY + HARE --> HONEY BEAR

    Tuesday, July 28, 2015

    RTP = Rhyme Time Prime

    Since I can't seem to fix Blogger's 200 comment issue, here's a new post for your three-word rhymes.

    Sunday, July 26, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 26, 2015): Back on the Road

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 26, 2015): Back on the Road:
    Q: Name something in three syllables that an auto mechanic might have. Move the second and third syllables to the front. The result, with some respacing, will name a group of auto mechanics. What is it?
    Sorry about the delay in posting; I'm still recovering from the puzzle a couple weeks back.

    The answer from a couple weeks ago was bartender who might serve you a screwdriver.
    A: SCREWDRIVER --> DRIVER'S CREW

    Sunday, July 19, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19, 2015): What Comes Next in the Sequence?

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19, 2015): What Comes Next in the Sequence?:
    Q: Write down the following six numbers: 19, 28, 38, 81, 83, 85. What are the next three numbers in the series?
    Giving that series medium scores.

    Edit: Each word in my clue starts and ends with the same letter.
    A: 89, 97, 102 (Eighty-ninE, Ninety-seveN, One hundred twO)

    Sunday, July 12, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 12, 2015): What'ya Gonna "B" When You Grow Up?

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 12, 2015): What'ya Gonna "B" When You Grow Up?:
    Q: Name an occupation starting with the letter B. Remove the second, third and fourth letters. The remaining letters in order will name something you might experience in the presence of someone who has this occupation.

    What is it?
    And remove two more letters to name something that the experience might involve.

    Remove two more letters (ND) and you end up with BEER.
    A: BARTENDER --> BENDER

    Sunday, July 05, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 5, 2015): Ira Saw Three Emigrants Restock Large Wands

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 5, 2015): Ira Saw Three Emigrants Restock Large Wands:
    Q: The seven words in the following sentence have something very unusual in common — something that almost no other words in the English language share. What is it?

    Ira saw three emigrants restock large wands.
    I guess we can ignore "salt layer board thing"?

    Edit: Those anagram to last, early, broad and night.
    A: The words are anagrams of words in the Star-Spangled Banner: AIR, WAS, THERE, STREAMING, ROCKETS, GLARE, DAWN'S

    Sunday, June 28, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28, 2015): In the Company of a Famous Singer

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28, 2015): In the Company of a Famous Singer:
    Q: Name a major American company. Drop its first and last letters, and the remaining letters in order will name a famous singer — both first and last names. What company is it?
    And rearrange the singer's full name to name something you might see in the military.

    AL GREEN --> GENERAL
    A: WALGREENS --> AL GREEN

    Sunday, June 21, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 21, 2015): I am a Monarch

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 21, 2015): I am a Monarch:
    Q: Take the phrase "I am a monarch." Re-arrange the 11 letters to name a world leader who was not a monarch but who ruled with similar authority. Who is it?
    I read the clue incorrectly the first time. Hopefully you'll do better.

    Hint: Better dead than read (or something like that)
    A: CHAIRMAN MAO

    Sunday, June 14, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 14, 2015): Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 14, 2015): Head and Shoulders Above the Rest:
    Q: Think of an adjective that describes many shampoos. Add the brand name of a shampoo in its basic form. The result, reading the letters in order from left to right, will name a famous musician. Who is it?
    For some reason I keep coming back to The Jonas Brothers.

    Edit: The initials of TJB have also been used as an abbreviation for Tijuana Brass.
    A: HERBAL + PERT = HERB ALPERT

    Sunday, June 07, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 7, 2015): Let Me Entertain You

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 7, 2015): Let Me Entertain You:
    Q: Name a famous person in Washington, D.C. — 7 letters in the first name, 5 letters in the last. Drop the last sound in the last name. The result — phonetically — will be the first and last name of a famous living entertainer. Who is it?
    A: Loretta Lynch (attorney general), Loretta Lynn (singer)

    Sunday, May 31, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 31, 2015): What comes first?

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 31, 2015): What comes first?:
    Q: A simple challenge: Think of a 5-letter word that can precede "chicken" to complete a common two-word phrase. Change the middle letter to get a new word that can follow "chicken" to complete a common two-word phrase. What phrases are these?
    Not to complain but we were up late helping our son move back from college, so I apologize for the late post.

    Edit: My clues were complain (roast) and back home (roost).
    A: ROAST chicken --> chicken ROOST

    Sunday, May 24, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 24, 2015): What's your Occupation?

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 24, 2015): What's your Occupation?:
    Q: Take the phrase "merchant raider." A merchant raider was a vessel in World War I and World War II that targeted enemy merchant ships. Rearrange the letters of "merchant raider" to get two well-known professions. What are they?
    Sorry, didn't see that one coming so I wasn't prepared. You'll have to sift through the lists to find a pair of occupations on your own.

    Edit: My clues hinted at the Radar Tech and Miner professions, but they may not be the intended answers.
    A: RADAR TECH and MINER or RANCHER and MAITRE'D

    Sunday, May 17, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 17, 2015): Traveling Around The Globe

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 17, 2015): Traveling Around The Globe:
    Q: Name a country with at least three consonants. These are the same consonants, in the same order, as in the name of a language spoken by millions of people worldwide. The country and the place where the language is principally spoken are in different parts of the globe. What country and what language are these?
    On the lists I checked, both the country and the language rank somewhere in the middle.

    Edit: The hint was "rank" which contains the consonants in one of the answers.
    A: UKRAINE --> KOREAN (alternate answers on the NPR website)

    Sunday, May 10, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 10, 2015): 5 Letters, 1-2-3 Syllables

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 10, 2015): 5 Letters, 1-2-3 Syllables:
    Q: The letters of the one-syllable word "groan" can be rearranged to spell "organ," which has two syllables. Here's the challenge: Think of a common one-syllable, five-letter word whose letters can be rearranged to spell a common two-syllable word — and then rearranged again to spell a common three-syllable word. I have two different answers in mind, and it's possible there are others, but you only have to think of one.
    Are plurals allowed?

    Before I edited it down, my full hint was going to be "Who can help me? Are plurals allowed? Thoughts?" But that seemed a little too obvious.
    A: AIDES, ASIDE, IDEAS or AIMED, AMIDE, MEDIA

    Sunday, May 03, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 3, 2015): Everything, Including The Kitchen Sink

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 3, 2015): Everything, Including The Kitchen Sink:
    Q: Think of a common two-word phrase for something you might see in a kitchen. Reverse the words — that is, put the second word in front of the first — and you'll name a food, in one word, that you might prepare in a kitchen. What is it?
    Growing up my mother insisted we eat everything on our plate. If you didn't finish your lima beans at one meal, she starved you, and you had nothing but those lima beans until you ate them.

    Edit: The phrase "she starved you" anagrams to Shrove Tuesday.
    A: CAKE PAN --> PANCAKE

    Sunday, April 26, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 26, 2015): Seven Letter Actors

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 26, 2015): Seven Letter Actors:
    A: Name a famous actor whose first and last names both are seven letters long. Change the first three letters of the actor's last name to three new letters and you'll name another famous actor. They share the same first name. Add the three letters of the first actor's last name plus the first three letters of the second actor's last name, and you'll spell the last name of a third famous actor. Who are these three Hollywood stars?
    It's not Gregory Peck, Harrison Ford or John Wayne.

    Edit: Those actors hold positions 1, 2 and 36 on the American Film Institute's 100 Heroes and Villains list, specifically as heroes. Next to them in the villains column you'll find the characters Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates and Frank Booth played by the 3 actors in the puzzle.
    A: ANTHONY HOPKINS, ANTHONY PERKINS --> (Dennis) HOPPER

    Sunday, April 19, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 19, 2015): Political Mix-up

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 19, 2015): Political Mix-up:
    Q: Take the first names of two politicians in the news. Switch the first letters of their names and read the result backward to name something that each of these politicians is not.
    Normally I have something to say in response, but this time I'll just leave it to you. Tag, you're it.

    Edit: My hints were in reference to the game of Marco Polo.
    A: MARCO (Rubio) + TED (Cruz) --> TARCO MED <--> DEMOCRAT

    Sunday, April 12, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 12, 2015): Lights, Camera, Action

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 12, 2015): Lights, Camera, Action:
    Q: Think of a job, in 8 letters, that names someone who might work with actors. Change one letter in this to the following letter of the alphabet to name another person who works with actors. What jobs are these?
    A: PROMOTER --> PROMPTER

    Sunday, April 05, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 5, 2015): Bunny Slippers?

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 5, 2015): Bunny Slippers?:
    Q: Name something that might be worn on the foot. Change one letter in it without changing the order of the other letters. The result will name something one might wear on the upper part of the body. What is it? Here's a hint: The thing on the upper part of the body is a two-word phrase.
    I can't shake the thought that I should know this. Some days I just can't win.

    Edit: Hints: Shake your booty and a non-win could be a tie.
    A: BOOTIE --> BOW TIE

    Sunday, March 29, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 29, 2015): May I Have Your Number?

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 29, 2015): May I Have Your Number?:
    Q: This week's challenge is a little tricky. Given a standard calculator with room for 10 digits, what is the largest whole number you can register on it?
    I must have misdialed while trying to phone a friend; I got Ed Asner instead.

    Edit: I was trying to contact the mathematician Edward Kasner who, along with 9-year-old nephew Milton came up with the name "googol" for the large number 10¹⁰⁰.
    A: If you type 706006 (or 709009) and turn the calculator upside down, it spells gOOgOL (or GOOGOL). That's a 1 followed by 100 zeroes and is bigger than any regular number you could enter using 10 digits.

    Sunday, March 22, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 22, 2015): Roll the Die

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 22, 2015): Roll the Die:
    Q: Take the word die. Think of two synonyms for this word that are themselves exact opposites of each other. What two words are these? A hint: they have the same number of letters.
    How does the puzzle rate this week? Like? Dislike?
    A: PASS, FAIL

    Sunday, March 15, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 15, 2015): Parables of Jesus, Revised Edition

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 15, 2015): Parables of Jesus, Revised Edition:
    Q: Parables of Jesus is an old collection of stories. Remove three of the 15 letters in this phrase and rearrange the 12 letters that remain to get another old collection of stories. What is it?
    Are you just going to sit there waiting for me to drop a hint?

    There were two hints. The first was a hint to the fable of The Fox and the Crow. The other hint was "Are you j..." --> R,U,J the letters that are removed.
    A: AESOP'S FABLES

    Sunday, March 08, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 8, 2015): Blank and Blank

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 8, 2015): Blank and Blank:
    Q: Take a familiar phrase in the form "[blank] and [blank]." Put the second word in front of the first, and you'll name a common part of a large company. What is it?
    No hint this week; you'll just have to earn it yourself.

    Edit: For helping out, you'll earn room and board.
    A: ROOM and BOARD --> BOARDROOM

    Sunday, March 01, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 1, 2015): Phonetic Phun

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 1, 2015): Phonetic Phun:
    Q: Name a city whose name ends in a long-A sound in which that sound is not spelled with an "A." Change the sound to a long-O and phonetically you'll name a famous person whose name does not contain the letter "O." What city and famous person are these?
    I won't say what I really think of this puzzle.

    Two hints: "Say" is phonetically the last syllable in the city. And it also is a clue to being a mime.
    A: MARSEILLE (France) --> (Marcel) MARCEAU

    Sunday, February 22, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 22, 2015): The Oscar Goes To ...

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 22, 2015): The Oscar Goes To ...:
    Q: Actor Tom Arnold goes by two first names — Tom and Arnold, both male, of course. And actress Grace Kelly went by two first names — Grace and Kelly, both female. Name a famous living actress who goes by three first names, all of them traditionally considered male. The names are 5, 3 and 6 letters long, respectively.
    Do you think her middle name was for her mother?
    A: JAMIE LEE CURTIS

    Sunday, February 15, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 15, 2015): Sounds of the City

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 15, 2015): Sounds of the City:
    Q: Name a major U.S. city in two syllables. Reverse the syllables phonetically to get the cost of attending a certain NBA game. What is it?
    Unless they get rid of that cost.

    Edit: Maybe they'll nix the fee...
    A: PHOENIX --> KNICKS' FEE

    Sunday, February 08, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 8, 2015): Knock! knock!

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 8, 2015): Knock! knock!:
    Q: Name someone who's the subject of many jokes; two words. Remove the space between the words. Insert the letters O and N in that order — not necessarily consecutively — inside this string of letters. The result, reading from left to right, will be two words of opposite meaning that this someone might say. Who is it, and what are the words?
    Who's there?

    Edit: My hints this week were to arriving at the pearly gates hoping to enter. As for the discrepancy in the wording regarding the missing period in ST. PETER, that didn't bother me. Knowing that the puzzle's creator (Peter Collins) as well as Will Shortz are cruciverbalists, they would both be familiar with fitting a name like ST. PETER into a crossword answer as just STPETER
    A: ST PETER --> STOP ENTER

    Sunday, February 01, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 1, 2015): Oh, the Places You'll Go

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 1, 2015): Oh, the Places You'll Go:
    Q: Think of a well-known place name in the U.S. that's four letters long. Switch the second and third letters to get a well-known place name in Europe. What is it?
    This year I've bet on both teams in the Super Bowl, to increase my odds of winning!

    Betting twice was a hint to "doublin'" my bet or "Dublin". And "odd" was a hint to "eerie".
    A: ERIE (Pennsylvania, or Lake, or Canal) --> EIRE (Ireland)

    Sunday, January 25, 2015

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 25, 2015): Welcome, now Go Away!

    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 25, 2015): Welcome, now Go Away!:
    Q: Name someone who welcomes you in. Insert the letter U somewhere inside this, and you'll name something that warns you to stay away. Who is this person, and what is this thing?
    I initially thought of a Siren and a siren, but there's no U added. I'll let you take it from here.

    Thinking of the ocean and warnings should hopefully have led you to bell buoy, but if not, "let you take it from here" was a hint to a bell boy.
    A: BELL BOY --> BELL BUOY