I guess we can ignore "salt layer board thing"?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.
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
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.
We can also ignore "Tsars persist lilts."
DeleteAnd, Blaine, in your edit above it is truly ROCKETS' (not ROCKETS) in Francis Scott Key's lyrics.
DeleteNot that we are ever picky over here.
Well, heck. I think I have gotten so far as to understand where Will got the words, and that must be key. But is there no more to it? Is there a reason that he used these seven particular words, and none of the others? ---Rob
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be the first time he has stated that these are virtually the only words that have a certain property. He does persist in using that wording in similar puzzles.
DeleteRob, your question confirms that I have the right key indeed. I was confused because my name is Dan and I also saw those emigrants. My friend, José, never saw them, which is kind of ironic, because some people say he started this whole thing.
DeleteMy ice cream has already started to melt.
ReplyDeleteHo! This could take some time to figure out. I'll ponder it while I thaw some chicken; I could use a dose of homemade soup...
ReplyDeleteOne could argue that there is no apostrophe in the sentence.
ReplyDeleteHint: atonal amen.
ReplyDeleteHint? We're supposed to leave hints?
DeleteSome have dared to; I suppose that gives everyone license.
DeleteI need help, or maybe some clarification. Were the emigrants priests? And if they were, couldn't they just get Dan to restock the wands? He's good at that stuff.
ReplyDeleteI need help, or maybe some clarification. Were the emigrants priests? And if they were, couldn't they just get Dan to restock the wands? He's good at that stuff.
ReplyDeleteI’m the first to admit that I don’t have a frickin’ clue about this puzzle. However, if it turns out to have anything to do with upside down alarm clocks, I’m going to go into a rubber room a scream for a while :)
ReplyDeleteChuck
.emit siht skcolc nwod edispu on ,kcuhC
Delete˙ǝɯıʇ sıɥʇ sʞɔolɔ uʍop ǝpısdn ou 'ʞɔnɥƆ
DeleteThe six given words are less than half of the words with the the unusual property.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that Henry VIII never had the opportunity to drink Heineken from a 150 oz. beer boot.
This is a good puzzle for the grandkids.
I was a little leary of posting hints here, but I guess a couple more won't hurt.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I was flying home from England when the puzzle aired. All I heard was something about a dog vase...
ReplyDeleteRats!! I am going to relay this a friend to solve.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up. You should persist with this thing a little longer.
DeleteThanks, Charles. I've had my dose of fun for the day.
DeleteDoes it have to do with sprites or tsars? Some sort of reef, maybe? Roe? I know these don't sound like sensible questions, you'll just have to trust me on this.
ReplyDeleteThere's a key part to this puzzle, a layer you might not have noticed before.
ReplyDeleteI finally figured it out. It should be relegated, along with so many unpatriotic corporations, to residing off shore. Perhaps it is a Will Shortz shout out to last week's monumental Supreme Court ruling, since it seems a bit gay, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Gatsby
ReplyDeleteGlobetrotting Zeke:
ReplyDelete7-4-15 has Mamaw and Papaw hanging over the railing at the Braves game admiring the statue of Hammering Hank swinging for the fence.
Does Will dislike leftovers?
ReplyDeleteOh wow. I got it, while thinking about the past weekend. There's a musical clue to all this. (I'm just amazed the answer came to me so quickly - usually they do not)
ReplyDelete--Margaret G.
You have to be careful using the Internet to find that sort of music sometimes.
DeleteI wouldn't know - this is a piece of music I've memorized. :-) --Margaret G.
DeleteI was thinking of an incident somewhere else in the world a few years ago.
DeleteWill Shortz’s “large wands” puzzle this week was timely and clever. The answers to the three Puzzleria! blog puzzles under the “Menu” section this week, when considered as a trio, were also timely. (All three are “foodie” puzzles.) After you have solved the NPR conundrum please check them out. Thank you. (No hints here, except for “timely.”)
ReplyDeleteLegoHappyBelatedIndy4
Is anyone else reminded of the Bertrand Tavernier puzzle?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of it, but I see where you're coming from.
ReplyDeleteJan - How clever! Charles - with regard to a couple more hints won't hurt, I was thinking (from the same source) of Roth (and, doesn't Roth IRA fit particularly well?), although consulting a handwritten original proves both to be wrong. Sprites mastering odes.
ReplyDeleteConman - After consulting your original reference, I regret saying a couple more hints won't hurt. I wish I had a magic wand's power to retract my comment.
DeleteI have solved but, being who I am, found this puzzle to be a tough one
ReplyDeleteIf you are well-versed in the English language, there are many other words that work.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite well versed in the English Language and did find other associated words, my reference to this being a tough one for me was more related to the subject matter than difficulty But I guess that I shouldn't dwell in the past. However it is a cute and timely puzzle and I have been fortunate enough to meet Will in person and obtain his autograph, He has a truly incredible mind and and is a great credit and ambassador to the USA. Personally, and at a distance, I truly enjoy his puzzles and my occasional foray into the minds of all of you who contribute to this blog. I will be shortly be relocating to the Island of Malta where I hope, in retirement, to be able to continue my weekly pursuit of Will's challenges. Best wishes to you all.
Delete.
If I could afford to purchase an acre on the Island of Malta, Englishman, I'd join you.
DeleteLooking forward to more of your insights here at Blainesville.
Englishman,
DeleteWhat Paul said... and don't be a stranger. (Warning: Stereotype Ahead!) We can use all the civility we can get on this blog (and any other puzzle blog you might mention).
LegoDrinkUp,It'sTeaTimeSomewhere
Agreed, Englishman. Enjoy! Kindly invite us all over for a Malta meal ;-).
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks for the kind comments, there's no way my wife (of 43 years) and I could afford acreage on the Island of Malta. We plan to rent a furnished apartment, really nice ones can be had for the U.S Dollar equivalent of 500/month. We are United Kingdom Citizens and thus have the right to residency on Malta. I will continue to solve the puzzles via the NPR website and will update you via this blog once we are settled in the Malta Republic which is also one of the worlds smallest countries. Again thanks and happy solving. Note I may change my handle to Maltaman
DeleteEnglishman, will you continue to blog each week on "Englishman solves American Puzzles?" I always enjoyed looking there, though never contributed.
DeleteDifferent Englishman, I believe. Ross and Magdalen live in PA.
DeleteOn the surface it sounds like it would be fun living there, but on second thought I think I might get a bit bored with a Malta Meal every day.
DeleteAnd I'd like to express my thanks for the use of your country during my circa-July 4th holiday. Enjoyed London, Cambridge, and rambling through the Cotswolds. But you really should chill your ale.
DeleteEnglishman,
DeleteI would cordially like to invite you and any of your mates… (chaps, chums, blokes, muckers, cromies, old beans?) do drop by for a spot of tea and “slice of puzzle” over at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! blog site.
We pattern our original puzzles after the kind that Will Shortz proffers Sunday mornings on NPR. (Our puzzles tend to be a tad more wordy than Will’s, however, and not as well edited.)
Puzzleria offers at least two fresh new puzzles every early Friday, USA time. Followers of Puzzleria! (Puzzlerians!) are free to give hints and clues to the answers, just as they do here at Blainesville for the NPR puzzle. On Tuesday at Noon Pacific Time Puzzlerians! are encouraged to reveal their answers… Hey, that’s right about NOW! Pip-pip and Ta-ta and all that. Gotta go have a Butcher’s.
LegoBibbityBobbityTickety-Boo
Englishman the Maltese could be considered a hint all by himself.
DeleteI'm truly flattered to have been confused with the "Englishman solves blogger", but alas I am not he.
DeleteHowever I have been a lifelong addict of puzzles and trivia and, although he hasn't used a single one, I have submitted many puzzle suggestions to NPR which, by the rules, are now Will's property. One which I was going to submit, but didn't, is now presented below for your collective consideration.
Puzzle:
"Name (three words) a French born star of the silent movie era whose entire staring career was spent in the USA and whose earthly remains were subsequently re-interred, with ceremony, in France. Clue: each of the name words has some letters in common".
Life has been good to me, I've been fortunate enough to have lived and worked (including the USA) in seven different countries on three different continents.
Careful: we won't take kindly to yet another Sarah Bernhardt puzzle!
Deleteemminem? no, he ain't dead yet, just faking it really well.
DeleteIs anyone going to make a concerted effort to solve my "Name the French Born Movie Star puzzle"?.
DeleteTried, but not making any headway
DeleteThink of a word which describes a certain kind of tooth, that will then define the Star.
DeleteAh, no wonder he didn't show up on a list of French silent film star. Shares some names with a Belgian cartoon star, and a chemical star of Western films as well, non?
DeleteM."M."M the French. M.
DeleteJan,
DeleteOui
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DeletePorky moves ever so little?
ReplyDeleteb-budges?
Deletebedbugs?
DeleteAt one point during the bombardment, a bomb crashed through the fort's powder magazine. Fortunately for the defenders, either the rain extinguished the fuse or the bomb was merely a dud.
DeleteLet's Go Mets.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle plays to RoRo's forte.
ReplyDeleteJan, you inspired me to solve this thing. When someone thinks enough of me to send me odes (or a shout-out) I take it seriously.
DeleteProudly yours, RoeRoe
Jan, you inspired me to solve this thing. When someone thinks enough of me to send me odes (or a shout-out) I take it seriously.
DeleteProudly yours, RoeRoe
RoeRoe, o'er here I was smiling out loud.
DeleteSome words many might think DO NOT share the same property, but they DO!!:
ReplyDeletehorse, peed, hewer, shot, adder, license
OK, EAWAF
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday tell me how getting a license to shoot a horse cuz he peed on an adder and knocked over the hewer has to do with anything. LOL
One last little clue for you until Thursday, RoRo:
DeleteYou think there's just one? No, there are FOUR!!! (Those who've figured out this week's NPR Sunday Puzzle know what I mean by that.)
OK, EAWAF
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday tell me how getting a license to shoot a horse cuz he peed on an adder and knocked over the hewer has to do with anything. LOL
I'm reminded of a sci-fi story about a neutron star, as well as an offal pun about an ape-man.
ReplyDeleteHeavens to Betsy, RoRo, when you get fired up, you get fired up!
ReplyDeleteHats off to Will for this fine puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThe words are all anagrams of words in Francis Scott Key’s, STAR SPANGLED BANNER.
ReplyDeleteMy Hints:
“It should be relegated, along with so many unpatriotic corporations, to residing off shore. Perhaps it is a Will Shortz shout out to last week's monumental Supreme Court ruling, since it seems a bit gay, if you know what I mean.”
Key wrote his song while on a British warship, off shore, while on a diplomatic mission during the War of 1812. He, along with a few others, were not allowed to return to shore because they would certainly divulge the British plan to bombard Baltimore that night. The gay reference is both to the legitimate use of that word and the now more popular usage. In the first case, nothing could be gayer than our Independence Day celebrations every Fourth of July, with flags and fireworks. A show of questionable patriotism, frequently sponsored by corporations who refuse to pay their taxes by “residing” off shore. As to the second case, Francis Scott Key, himself was homosexual (gay).
“The Great Gatsby.”
This famous novel was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. His full name is, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. He was named after Francis Scott Key who happened to be his distant cousin. Coincidently, and perhaps ironically, he most likely was gay himself. His wife, Zelda, adamantly maintained he was having a passionate sexual affair with Ernest Hemingway, who undoubtedly was sexually attracted to men as evidenced by his contorted life of phony hyper masculinity and frequent anti-gay diatribes that defied rationality.
Note: While it might seem absurd to most westerners, many people throughout the world who have an understanding of reincarnation also believe we choose our names prior to our birth and frequently change familial positions with family members in future incarnations. There is some evidence (see link below) to back this up. If this is true, and I am not saying it is, it could be that F. Scott Fitzgerald was Francis Scott Key in a previous lifetime and wanted the same name he had previously.
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=gus+taylor+reincarnation&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004
They are all anagrams of words in The Star-Spangled Banner
ReplyDelete> Sorry, I was flying home from England when the puzzle aired. All I heard was something about a dog vase...
Dog vase the Queen!
> You have to be careful using the Internet to find that sort of music sometimes.
Just ask Maria Dmitrienko.
> EnglishmAN THE Maltese could be considered a hint all by himself.
> This puzzle plays to RoRo's forte.
Forte McHenry, in Baltimo'er.
> I'm reminded of a sci-fi story about a neutron star...
Neutron Tide, by Arthur C. Clarke. A spaceship flies too close to a neutron star, and is torn apart by gravitational forces. The only identifiable bit of debris is from an engineer's toolkit: a "star-mangled spanner".
> ... as well as an offal pun about an ape-man.
Tarzan tripes forever.
Professor Spooner lives!
Delete"Dog vase" was inspired, Jan.
DeleteYou posted that Maria Dmitrienko link less than an hour ago, yet I'm already seeing "This content doesn't seem to be working. Please try again later."
DeleteThere's another link further down in the article that does work.
DeleteThe rest of this post below explains the unusual property of the 7 words in the puzzle and extra words from Blaine, Ron, Paul, myself and others. When I said in my reply to RoRo there's not one but four, I meant four stanzas, or verses, in the Star-Spangled Banner. Extra notes: Another anagram of stripes is priests, and of dread is dared.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those times I recommend to everyone that you select the rest of this post, copy it, open up your favorite text editor, create a new document, and paste.
lyrics to the first two stanzas of The Star-Spangled Banner, with interlinear anagrams of some words:
1st stanza:
Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light,
Ho ... ... ... ... .. ... wands. layer .....,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Thaw .. ....... .. halide .. ... ........'. salt ........,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
..... board persist ... ...... tsars ....... ... ........ .....,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
roe. ... ........ .. ......., .... .. ......... emigrants?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
... ... restock' ... large, ... ..... ........ .. Ira,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
Vega ..... ....... ... thing .... ... .... saw lilts three;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
. ... .... .... rats-........ ...... ... ....,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
.'.. ... .... .. ... .... ... ... .... .. ... .....?
2nd stanza:
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
.. ... horse ..... .... ....... ... ..... .. ... peed,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
hewer ... ...'. ....... shot .. adder license .......,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
.... .. .... ..... ... beezer, .'.. ... ........ peste,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
.. .. ........ bowls, .... ........, .... .........?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
won .. cachets ... ..... .. ... .......'. rifts mabe,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
.. .... ..... ......... own ...... .. ... master:
'Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
'... ... ....-........ ......, .! .... yam .. ....
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
.'.. ... .... .. ... .... ... ... .... .. ... ......
For those of you who have actually made that text file, here then, for completeness, are the 3rd and 4th stanzas: (Darn the system and its 4096 character limit!)
Delete3rd stanza:
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
... ..... .. .... .... ... .. .......... worse
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
.... ... ..... .. raw ... ... tablets. .........,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
. .... ... . ......., ...... ..... .. .. Rome?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
ither ..... ash shawed ... ..... .... .........' ..........
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
.. ...... cloud vase ... ........ ... veals
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
form ... ...... .. ......, .. ... ..... .. ... .....:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
... ... ....-........ ...... .. ....... .... ....,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
.'.. ... .... .. ... .... ... ... .... .. ... ......
4th stanza:
O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
. shut .. .. veer, hewn ....... halls .....
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.
....... ..... voled ..... ... ... ...'. ...........
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land
belts whit ....'.. ... ....., ... ... haven. seducer ....
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
aspire ... ..... .... .... dame ... ......... .. . anoint!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
.... ....... .. muts, .... ... sauce .. .. juts,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
... hits .. ... .....: ".. dog .. ... strut."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
... ... ....-........ ...... .. ....... ..... ....
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
.'.. ... .... .. ... .... ... ... .... .. ... ......
The seven words are anagrams of words in "The Star-Spangled Banner."
ReplyDelete"Apropos" referred to this puzzle being presented over the Independence Day holiday.
The spelling of "emigrants" did it for me. What tipped it off for you?
wands did it for me, and restock helped my son.
DeleteMy "well versed" comment referred to the additional verses of the anthem. My submission referred to anagrams of words in the 1st verse.
ReplyDeleteAt my spouse's high school, they always sang the 1st and 4th verses, embarrassing their guests who always started to sit down after the 1st.
Each word anagrams to words in the first verse of our National Anthem:
ReplyDeleteIra (air) saw (was) three (there) emigrants (streaming) restock (rocket's) large (glare) wands (dawn's).
Oh, say! can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
Blaine's “salt (last) layer (early) board (broad) thing (night), are also all anagrams of words in the first verse of the National Anthem (see above). My “Hint: atonal amen” anagrams to National Anthem!
Other words that anagram to words from the first verse of our National Anthem: tsars (stars), persist/priests (stripes), lilts/tills (still).
OK, so an acre on Malta is out of the question. Maybe an acre in, or near, Malta. Within walking distance of the PriceChopper would be nice.
ReplyDeleteNice!
Delete"Sprites and stars", of course, comes out to "stripes and stars". Layer is an anagram of early, and "key part" means Key as in Francis Scott Key, composer of the "Star-Spangled Banner".
ReplyDeletemy hints:
ReplyDeletethe Braves play in "the home of the brave(s)."
leaning over the railing as FSK was reported to be doing upon the ship while composing the Star Spangled Banner.
admiring the statute of Hammering Hank swinging for the fence - the fence is defense and Hank is Henry as in the Defense of Fort McHenry.
To me, FSK stands for frequency-shift keying, as used by early telephone modems, which is what I sound like when trying to hit the high notes in the national anthem.
DeleteSimilar tone deficit: if we were bandleaders there would invariably be some bleaders (sic).Out of the ears of course .
DeleteNext week's challenge: The challenge comes from listener Adam Cohen. 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?
ReplyDeleteRvjuzkej go jdice.
ReplyDeletePaul's hint from last week is apt.
ReplyDeleteYou could be with beekeeper and experience her beeper going off.
ReplyDeleteHey, that was my quip!
DeleteI was going to comment that, once again, I found it easier to solve the puzzle than to come up with an appropriately subtle clue. Then I saw this exchange and realized it precisely hit the sweet spot I was aiming for.
Delete:-)
DeleteQuick! Can you name a famous one?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletejan,
DeleteI'm surprised that Blaine let your post remain. Suppose someone has actually submitted your suggested answer. Wouldn't Will and his team have to at least consider that answer as a reasonable alternate solution?
When you take this to the mat, I think we're in a real gray area here.
This puzzle has a different twist.
ReplyDeleteI'm throwing in the towel! It only took me 15 seconds to figure this one out..
ReplyDeleteAre termites involved?
ReplyDeleteNo Monet.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete