I'm not happy that this took so long to figure out. By the way, the deadline is Wednesday this week.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?
The hint was "not happy", or feeling "blue".
A: BLUES SINGER --> BOOZE SLINGER
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 Wednesday 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 Wednesday deadline. Thank you.
I am thinking of a real boon to the veterinarian at the old hog farm. ---Rob
ReplyDeleteCheers to Will on this throwaway puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThe answer often comes to you as your thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteThe closest I've ever been to a nightclub is watching reruns of Casablanca. But that was enough.
ReplyDeleteIn all my travels, I have never had the slightest urge to enter one.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that the letter that is moved disappears from the first word.
ReplyDeleteIt is not plain if it replaces the second letter of the second word or just pushes it to third.
It disappears from the first word and goes in between the first and second letters of the second word.
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DeleteI think I got the answer while on my bike ride, but am not sure. If it is the answer then it has something in common with a recent NPR puzzle.
ReplyDeleteSDB,
DeleteIt's a close cousin of a spoonerism, if that's what you are suggesting.
And yes, it is also related to an earlier recent puzzle.
DeleteWhen you have the answer(s), believe me, there will be no doubt as to their correctness.
DeleteSiz, any clues or hints? Or is there something hidden in your comment?
Deleteclotheslover:
DeleteThe purpose of this blog is NOT to help anyone solve the puzzle. We frequently try to post enigmatic hints to show to someone who has already solved it that we have too, or can prove it come reveal time. Please do not expect us to help you solve the puzzle.
Simmer, skydiveboy. You can relax about my expectations, as there are none. I wasn't asking you anyways.
DeleteSiz, kindly ignore my comment above. I'm an ignoramus and I've been help-shamed already.
Deleteclotheslover, I'm sure SDB didn't mean to be dismissive. This blog is all about having fun with each other. Please don't take offense. I include no hint in my comment you replied to, but my earlier post does include a double-use hint if you know your musical groups and TV shows. Keep participating!
Deleteskydiveboy just likes to play Scrooge sometimes.
DeleteLorenzo:
DeleteI now have what I believe to be (or not to be?) the intended answer. My first answer seems to work too, but we can argue that one come Wednesday. As to Spoonerisms, I would say that I think they are in fact legitimate Spoonerisms. WS does not seem to fully understand what a Spoonerism is. He always describes it as the switching of initial consonants. Frequently this is what constitutes a Spoonerism, but it is not the only Spoonerism form. A Spoonerism is pretty much any exchange via switching of sounds between words, and they don't even have to be adjoining words, nor do the sounds and letters have to be at the beginning. There are examples of Spoonerisms where the swap takes place in the very middle of both words in fact. Also it can be an exchange of vowels rather than consonants. There really are no firm rules other than some swapping that creates a humorous result.
I always find it annoying when I come up with what I consider an answer to one of these puzzles that may be the answer, but think it somewhat unlikely. I then feel like I may be wasting my time pursuing a better answer, but not wanting to stop searching if there is a better one out there someplace. Anyway I think this is a step up from recent offerings. Thanks for your comments. When I eventually become governor of the Great State of Washington I most likely will not have time to spend this way. I hope so anyway.
SDB:
DeleteThanks for the info on spoonerisms. I guess I like them in all their forms. Do you remember the one from several years ago involving a tourist attraction in Italy and excessive drinking? One of my favorites, and somewhat related to this week's puzzle.
Lorenzo:
DeleteNo, I don't know the joke. That one musta gota pasta me. Please tell the joke.
The NPR puzzle from several years ago: Name a famous tourist location in Europe. Spoonerize to get a phrase meaning "to get drunk," (Answer: The tourist location was the Blue Grotto.")
DeleteLorenzo:
DeleteI misunderstood your post and thought "Do you remember the one..." meant a joke, not an NPR puzzle. I tried to recall any Italian joke that fit the stated parameters, but failed at that. So I Googled for lists of Italian tourist attractions and went through one long list and eventually came upon the Blue Grotto and immediately saw BLOTTO, but did not think it really worked well enough with GREW to be a successful joke on the world stage, but when I emailed you back I started a second sentence where I was asking you if it was Blue Grotto, but I quit that effort half way through the sentence thinking it was too lame for a joke. Had I understood it was not a joke, but an NPR puzzle, I probably would have finished the sentence. I doubt I ever heard that NPR puzzle as it was most likely when I was too busy teaching skydiving on weekends to even listen to NPR. Thanks for the info.
The clue for the second phrase was "got drunk" if you want the tenses to match.
DeleteNPR Puzzle from February 2006
I've got a solution to an almost inverse problem: Start with a made-up, two-word term for someone who might be working at a nightclub, move the second letter of the first word so it's the second letter of the second word, and phonetically you'll get a common hyphenated term for someone you might find at a nightclub.
ReplyDeleteA "tween singer" might be working at a nightclub and a "teen swinger" might be someone you might find at a nightclub.
DeleteA "great cashier" might be working at a nightclub and a "gatecrasher" is someone who might be found at a nightclub.
DeleteYeah, that's what I was thinking of.
DeleteI actually thought this was pretty neat. After several weeks of NOT getting an NPR puzzle answer, the second word in the sought-for 'job' occurred to me immediately...it was then a matter of coming up with the first word, for which I was already pretty sure I knew what the second letter had to be...Lego should like this one!
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, as usual, ViolinTeddy. I do indeed like this one. I plan to discuss it a bit more (briefly!) on next Friday's (October 9) edition of Puzzleria!
DeleteI am working on your piggyback puzzle, jan. Am I correct in assuming the "someone you might find at a nightclub" is a patron?
LegoNotQuittingHisDayClubJob
: o ))
DeleteTwas both as a kid. Took all I could stomach until I had to urp. I'm all better now. :)
ReplyDeletekid and urp... Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp.
DeleteHaving solved this one so quickly, one might say the thrill is gone.
ReplyDeleteMight the first person in this puzzle be narcoleptic?
ReplyDeleteSea well.
ReplyDeleteSome of your clues make no sense to me, WW. Have you been dropping acid again?
DeleteOnly on rocks, Paul.
DeleteAsk Curtis about this one.
This week's puzzle has the following interesting property:
ReplyDeleteTake a verb describing what the first nightclub worker does. Follow it with a verb describing what the second worker does. Phonetically you almost get the name of a place that is associated with part of the two-word term for the second worker.
I feel a bit crippled on this one,like taking a shot in the dark at afar away place.
DeleteOr maybe I just need a long bar.
Delete:)
DeleteI'll just say that one, and I won't say which one, clue in this thread lead me right to the answer...
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle has me feeling a little low, may need someone to lift my spirits.
ReplyDeleteHadn't heard of the term for the second person before.
DeleteNot commonly used, but it's been around awhile.
DeleteHalloween is only 26 days away.
ReplyDeleteThis one I get (I think).
DeleteGosh, that's a relief!
DeleteThis puzzle reminds me of what happened phonetically whenever Piniella took Yankee field. . .
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jutchnbev. That did it for me.
DeleteThere's always a FLOOD PANNER, one who pans the floodlights, and a FOOD PLANNER.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about nightclubs, so I don't know how much food planning is needed. I suppose, if there's any cooking to be done, the COOK might be PRETTY; and there might be a PETTY CROOK or two working the crowd.
DeleteBeing easily confused in my dotage, this took longer than usual to solve.
ReplyDeleteIn the process, and taking Will's "made up" at face value, I stumbled across an alternate answer in which the second personage is in charge of deciding for which patrons to call taxis.
What's with the idea of a "made-up" word? They're all made up. Some more recently or some catch on more, but there is no such thing as a natural language.
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DeleteGiven that the second is made up, I would expect there to be some creativity in this week's answers.
ReplyDeleteAs an alternative puzzle:
Think of a two-word term for something that might be found in 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 the same thing. What is this?
No complaining when you hear the answer.
DeleteWhite wine or white russian. The latter might also be an answer for this week's puzzle.
DeleteA purveyor of Grey's vodka can be referred to as a GREY'S TIPPER. It is backward from the directions, but it does work.
ReplyDeleteGey' Stripper.
DeleteAll these hints remind me of a kid's TV show.
ReplyDeleteDidn't this show air over the holidays?
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle reminded me of a busgirl seen at a local nightclub. Unfortunately, busgirl – or even busboy – is only one word and doesn’t fit the puzzle’s other criteria. I’ll keep searching…
ReplyDeleteJoseph Crowley
ReplyDeleteLooks like that might be a thing of the past.
DeleteHow so?
DeleteIf we're talking about the same thing, it looks like the last one was 4 years ago.
DeleteNo :) we're not talking about the same thing. I'll try to explain tomorrow.
Delete[Read in your best Australian accent:]
ReplyDeleteThat's not a nightclub.
THAT'S a knight club.
Trying to solve this puzzle has been similar to being slightly drunk, while playing MadGab. A very silly endeavor.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody else have an answer that seems more applicable to a State Fair, instead of a nightclub?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see the answer you have, CL. The answer I have, which I think is correct, applies more to a juke joint than a night club.
DeleteI'm slapping my head over this one. It took way too long for me to get it, but when I did, it was so obviously right. The second term's first word can give you the first term's first word. --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteI think that summoning the second nightclub person by the term intended might well lead to an intrroduction to a third: Big Bouncer.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a few years since I tried to send in an answer to NPR so I didn't know the process has in effect been made inaccessable dial-up internet connections.
At the risk of my first deletion at Blainesworld, I will offer my alternative answer in advance of the deadline so that anyone who likes it enough can submit it in my stead.
First person: Great waiter. See above for description of the second.
I think I'm going to mix myself a Moscow Mule, squeeze my Thigh Master, and watch Clifford the Big Red Dog.
ReplyDeleteBLUES SINGER > BOOZE SLINGER
ReplyDeleteAlternates:
TWILIGHT SINGER > TILIGHT SWINGER
OWL SINGER > OL; SWINGER
SWINGLE SINGER > SINGLE SWINGER (I know; not phonetic problem)
BLUES SINGER >>> BOOZE (BUES) SLINGER
ReplyDelete"Sea well" refers to Buie Seawell, a Colorado politician.
The Halloween reference is to ghosts as BOOS SLINGERS.
Buie's father, Donald, founder of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, died last week at 102. Is that what brought him to mind?
DeleteBLUES SINGER, BOOZE SLINGER
ReplyDelete> All these hints remind me of a kid's TV show.
They're all blues clues.
> Looks like that might be a thing of the past.
>If we're talking about the same thing, it looks like the last one was 4 years ago.
Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), who plays guitar and piano, was co-chair of the 8th (and, apparently, last) Annual Congressional Blues Festival, in 2011.
NPR got Sgt. James Crowley's name wrong.
DeleteWhat are the odds?
DeleteOver the next 20 years there will be about 15 blue moons.
DeleteYou do the math.
...aired over the holidays...Doc, the dentist gunslinger, and Billie, the jazz/blues singer.
ReplyDeleteScrooge-->Tiny Tim-->God bless us, every one!-->God Bless The Child-->Billie Holiday
ReplyDeletedropping acid-->Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds-->Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
I wrote, "I am thinking of a real boon to the veterinarian at the old hog farm."
ReplyDeleteIn consideration of the venue mentioned in the puzzle, there were two alcohol-related clues, and I was pretty sure no one was going to object this time that they were giveaways. One was "a real boon," which refers to Ngiam Tong Boon, the Singaporean bartender who sometime early in the last century invented the Singapore _Sling_. The other was that a hog veterinarian would be interested in anything that could "cure a sow," the pronunciation of Curaçao, a _blue_ liqueur.
Hey, I had to look this stuff up; I detest alcohol! ---Rob
Another NPR Sunday Puzzle / New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle connection: 19 Across- What King was king of- "BLUES".
ReplyDeleteBlues Singer/ Bues Slinger
ReplyDeleteMy hints: This puzzle has me feeling a little low (blue)
May need someone to lift my spirits (as in booze, bartender).
BLUES SINGER
ReplyDeletebues slinger
BOOZE SLINGER
Maverick alternatives:
SHOW BOSS
Sowb hoss
"SOBER HOSS"
(use your best Southern drawl)
Not really nightclub material. Louisiana State Fair maybe?
CROWD USHER
Cowd Rusher
"COWED RUSHER"
A Moscow Mule is a cocktail with BOOZE (vodka) and "Ginger Beer." A great country/BLUES/rock singer Bonnie Rait, is a Ginger.
The words "SHOW" and "CROWD" made me think of the theme song for "Three's Company" (aka "Three's a CROWD", too), starring Suzanne Sommers (Spokeswoman for Thighmaster), and John Ritter (voice of Clifford, on kid's cartoon Clifford the Big Red Dog).
BLUES SINGER>>>BOOZE SLINGER.
ReplyDeleteMy "hint" tween SINGER...teen sw(l)inger.
Do nightclubs in Colorado and Washington have hash slingers?
ReplyDeleteThe answer is YES if you consider Denny's to be a nightclub.
DeleteMy clue - "cheers to will on this throwaway puzzle" - cheers is opposite of "boo's". And "throwaway" referred to slinging.
ReplyDeleteSecond post "...as your thinking" - azure, a shade of blue.
I wrote: "This puzzle reminded me of a busgirl seen at a local nightclub. Unfortunately, busgirl – or even busboy – is only one word and doesn’t fit the puzzle’s other criteria. I’ll keep searching…"
ReplyDelete"busgirl seen" anagrams into Blues Singer
BLUES SINGER, BOOZE SLINGER
ReplyDelete"The Thrill Is Gone" was a big hit for the late B. B. King. NARCOLEPTIC can be anagrammed to spell ERIC CLAPTON. Both have sung the blues, and yes, I think they have both played guitar, too.
Your first clue sealed it for me.
DeleteNobody mentioned a GREAT WAITER and a GATE RATER, the nightclub's statistician.
ReplyDeleteWRAITER is phonetically RATER.
DeleteRe: "Interesting property" (posted Sunday).
ReplyDeleteVerb for blues singer = sing
Verb for booze slinger = pour
Part of term "booze slinger" = sling
Together (phoenetically): Singapore sling
The Blender User is making margaritas for the guy with a Bender Ulcer (ulser).
ReplyDeleteRandom thought during dinner tonight:
ReplyDeleteIf General Tso and Colonel Sanders met on the field of battle, who would chicken out first?
jan:
DeleteGeneral Tso would chicken out first. Colonel Sanders would give him a finger lickin'.
Check out a few of these optical illusions starting with AZULEJOS.
ReplyDeleteron:
DeleteThat is tray cool!
Six puzzles on Puzzleria! this week:
ReplyDelete4 involving current news events and entertainment,
1 involving Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Dennis Mitchell and Oprah Winfrey, and
1 involving TV culinary personality Giada DeLaurentiis.
LegoEnjoySomethingToChewOnWhileWaitingForWill’sSundayPuzzle
Next week's challenge: This is a creative challenge. The object is to write a 10-word sentence in which each word ends with the same letter of the alphabet.
ReplyDeleteFor example: Dartmouth frosh clash with Pittsburgh church parish, clinch fifth triumph.
Every word in my 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 my opinion will play the puzzle on the air in two weeks.
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
DeleteHey! I was just writing that. . .
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBlaine,
DeleteWith creative challenges such as this week's, would it be OK for us to post here what we've submitted? (Of course, AFTER we've submitted our respective answers, of course!)
I've created a 21 word entry and am continuing to work on it. In the meanwhile, ponder this...
ReplyDeleteGlad I'd listened and paid heed; found edited screed exceeded need, reviewed and submitted.