For some reason this reminds me of the Tom Hanks --> Thanks puzzle from nearly 10 years ago.Q: Think of a word that means "unfinished." Add one letter at the start and one letter at the end, and you'll get a new word that means the opposite of the first. What words are these?
Edit: Dennis the Menace's dog was named RUFF. The cartoonist for Dennis the Menace was HANK Ketcham. Add a letter before and after and you get THANKS.
A: ROUGH --> WROUGHT
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.
I don't know if I have it; I have a good word synonymous with "unfinished," and the expansion to the word for the opposite, well, I don't associate it with anything like "finished," but at least one part of its definitions in the OED includes "finished," so maybe I will not hunt anymore. ---Rob
ReplyDeleteI have two answers that work perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI worked out an answer that involve a pronunciation shift between the words.
ReplyDeleteSame here. . .
DeleteHappy Father's Day, Blainesville dads!
Me too!!
DeleteI have a word pair that works but, ironically, if this is the intended answer I don’t think this is a very good puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThere must be more than one answer ...
ReplyDeleteFor a bit of humor, watch how an eighth grader impersonates the presidential candidates in his graduation speech: CLICK HERE.
ReplyDeleteIf humor is what you're after, the answer to my puzzle Lego is running this week over at Puzzleria! (link above) is meant to be humorous. I think you might like it.
DeleteThanks....lots of laughs!!
DeleteI have an answer to it, but doubt it is the intended answer.
DeleteI guess we'll both be waiting for Wednesday then. Also, when you have my intended answer, you will not have doubts.
DeleteI hope everyone caught SDB's seminal puzzle over on Puzzleria...
DeleteI have two workable answers that are very close to one another.
ReplyDeleteSince they are not likely to be Willy's intnended, there may be many more.
I believe I have two answers, but I don't think they are very clean. I'm having trouble thinking outside the box for a good synonym of unfinished.
ReplyDeleteMusical clue: Ike and Tina Turner
ReplyDeleteI was able to verify your clue, pjb, which usually I can't on the Sunday puzzle. Hurrah.
DeleteHistorical clue: Teddy Roosevelt. History remembers him as a man with iron will.
DeleteI'm glad numbers have nothing to do with this puzzle. Then again...
ReplyDeleteI did not realize that was a meaning of the first word. Not of practical importance now, since I glided gently to both words.
ReplyDeleteMy clue is Tom Hanks in Philadelphia.
I am curious to learn of the other, possible answer.
If my answer is correct, my musical clue would be Black Sabbath. Not sure, though.
ReplyDeleteI got the same answer as you, Leo. I am not sure if it's correct, though.
ReplyDeleteQuite a game on the court (or quart?) last night. Congrats to Cleveland.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI guess being doomed being down 3 to 1 is now debatable.
DeleteDidn't mean to delete first comment Snipper. Storybook ending for the prodigal son. Love it.
DeleteIt is satisfying when the dictionary agrees with an idea, as in a definition for Word B: Not Word A.
ReplyDeleteNow I am working on what most of the hints mean.
I can't figure out how to use the Tina & Ike clue, but I have another puzzle. Name a part of the body. Add one letter to the front and one letter to the back, to name another part of the body. What are these? I hope you don't find my answer as difficult as I found the original puzzle. --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle!
DeleteLove it ;-).
DeleteWell, sure, you're an earth science type. Not a hater.
DeleteUh oh, Mendo Jim might get upset, jan.
DeleteYes, Margaret G., you have produced an excellent example of a "Ripping Off Shortz" puzzle!
Delete'Tis NPR-worthy, yes. But, better yet, it is Puzzleria!-worthy!
LegoDamn!janExhaustedAllPossibleHintsToMargaret'sPuzzle
One more, Lego, if you go to the Scots. . .
DeleteRather, two. . .
DeleteLet n be the number of letters in the first body part. Make a copy of the nth letter in the second body part. Arrange all n+3 letters to form the name of a popular entertainer. Add the genre most often associated with the entertainer to the second body part to get the name of a tune many non-pianists know how to play on the piano.
DeleteWorking backward from chopsticks...hmm
DeleteThank you, tommy boy, for taking note of my humble offering. I was beginning to feel like Rodney Dangerfield.
DeletePut my heart and soul into it. Finally gave up.
Deletetommy boy, meet Tommy Boy. Tommy, tommy.
DeleteWW: OK, I'm upset. But only because I have no idea WTF you are talking about.
ReplyDeleteAnother era, another time, Mendo Jim. . .
DeleteAfter a long streak of hot, dry weather here in Colorado we finally have some puddles on the ground!
ReplyDeleteAh!
ReplyDeleteI guess when you are being shot at, it is nice that they are so far over your head, you don't even have to duck.
Mendo Jim, isn't it amazing that the 26 letters of the alphabet can create such mystery and intrigue?!
DeleteAnd anagram and dyslexia only have one letter in common.
ReplyDeleteAnd anagram and positively fulfilled puzzle people have nothing in common.
DeleteI really hope the Tom Hanks clues aren't what I'm thinking they are.
Why? I defy you to find any fault in this.
DeleteSorry, that pales in comparison with this from the greatest movie ever made!!!
DeleteOr so think I.
And sorry the youtube video is rudely cut off early, it's worth watching the whole movie.
DeleteFaultless is faultless.
DeleteThe xylophone scene with pastel mitts is quite unforgettable, eco. Completely new to me. Thanks for sharing the clip.
DeleteWW: funny you mention that, I once put the DVD (yes, I have one) on super slow motion just so I could see how they did that. The entire movie has remarkable music, lyrics (by Dr. Seuss!) and choreography.
DeletePaul, I have no problem with Tom Hanks, and the scene is adorably cute (gag!). My mental link between Tom Hanks and this week's puzzle is not very pleasant, so I hope it's wrong.
DeleteFaultless is faultless.
DeleteI was sitting here, working on the puzzle and reviewing prior comments when I noticed the time...in 37 minutes it will be midnight. Curses.
ReplyDeleteMy grandkids asked me for a clue. I tersely spoke an anagram of the first word. They were unhappy with me.
ReplyDeleteGoogle has been refusing to let me log in. They want my phone number which they're not getting from me.
You are welcome to give them mine: 206-555-5555. I use it when I have to.
DeleteOr use the number for "Rachael" at Credit Card Services
DeleteYou too huh? Rachael and I are practically engaged now by any prevailing standards. She has been calling me several times a week for years now. I would love to take her out; and I don't mean to a nice restaurant.
DeleteThanks, but I'll pass. Google wanted to call back or text with an alternate password. Not exactly an anonymous situation.
DeleteThey just settled for the name of my home city.
SDB-I'll donate to the legal defense fund of anyone, who takes her out with, "Extreme prejudice."
DeleteDischarging a firearm into a public nuisance requires a defense? How times have changed. But that's Customer "Service" in the 21st Century. Better tell the boys at the Citizens Free Militia Lodge Hall.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePeople here may enjoy these 3 Blue Ox Technologies apps: 7 Little Words, Monkey Wrench, and Red Herring. Each is a word puzzle.
ReplyDelete7 Little Words is a bit like a daily crossword
Monkey Wrench is a bit like find the hidden word, but it is more interesting.
Red Herring involves grouping 12 words (from a total of 16) in 3 categories of 4 related words, leaving the remaining 4 words as the "red herrings". (There is a short, explanatory video you have to watch before you can play.)
Each of these apps has free puzzles released each day at midnight your time, and for each you can adjust the difficulty level up or down to suit your time. Blue Ox tries to sell hints, but, if you get stumped, there are myriad websites set up with the answers. They must make most of their money from selling puzzle packs.
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Blue Ox Technologies (other than as a user of its apps.)
There may be more Blue Ox apps on IOS that I am not aware of.
Thanks, Saukriver. Very addictive.
DeleteI knew there is no crying in baseball, but I didn't know there isn't no dribbling in ping-pong.
ReplyDeleteLegoDoubtsThatWillShortzEverStoopsToSuchUnderhandedTableTennisTactics
It takes a real man to put his balls on the table.
Deleteand the reverse is what takes the man away.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOK, its 100º F outside and I'm already tired of it! Waaahhh! Bring on late September / early October!
ReplyDeleteA poecilonym is a poecilonym is a poecilonym.
ReplyDeleteWell, almost.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI think it's time we give the ferrous references a day off.
DeleteBooyah!
DeleteA poecilonym's lot is not a happy one.
DeleteA Pirates of Penzance reference?
DeleteVery good, Paul!
DeleteJan - Didn't they made a movie about that? I think they called it, "Ferrous Bueller's Day Off."
DeleteThat's what I was referring to.
DeletePaul, O, I Cu now!
ReplyDeleteXerox
DeleteI recall enjoying Convoy very much. Thanks for the trip down ML.
DeleteROUGH >>> WROUGHT
DeleteThe plethora of iron and fence clues, starting with jan's "ironically," led me to WROUGHT iron.
"After a long streak of hot, dry weather here in Colorado we finally have some puddles on the ground!" pointed toward the puddling process of making WROUGHT iron.
"Mendo Jim, isn't it amazing that the 26 letters of the alphabet can create such mystery and intrigue?!" alluded to the atomic number of iron, 26.
"A poecilonym is a poecilonym is a poecilonym" was meant to be ironic though I thought perhaps that was hitting the iron clues too much so I removed my follow-up comment. Enjoyed the "ferrous" Bueller follow-up.
Margaret G's puzzle answers were EAR and HEART. We sure anagrammed both words to pieces, eh, Mendo Jim?
Glad you enjoyed. It is little known that in later life, Ferris became a big wheel in the carnival business..
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSuperZee,
DeleteThat story has been going around for as long as I can remember.
I knew jan was hinting at Ferris Bueller initially; I wondered if he was also saying it was one too many irons in the Blainesville fire. . .
DeleteON > DONE
ReplyDeleteon, done
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “I have a word pair that works but, ironically, if this is the intended answer I don’t think this is a very good puzzle.” I haven’t changed my mind since then. I don’t think “unfinished” is anything but a deliberately misleading suggested synonym for “on.” So if my answer is actually the intended answer (and as of this writing I don’t know whether it is or not), I think this is one of the worst listener-produced puzzles Will has ever selected.
ongoing (in progress)
Deleteron, I also thought of saying you had an advantage with this puzzle (I, ron, ically) but decided there were plenty of iron clues out there already.
DeleteIf someone SWIPEs your Work In Progress, all your progress is lost to someone who didn't have to work for it.
Deleteron claims to have two perfect answers. ron is seldom wrong.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping for something with RAW and DRAWN, but I'm not sure how that would work. Maybe someone could clarify that for me.
I don't get Blaine's Tom Hanks reference. saukriver narrows it down to Philadelphia, so I'm thinking maybe it has to do with OUT. The jury is 'out' while it's deliberations remain unfinished. But is 'couth' a real word?
I only found one answer that I think really works. I hinted at it twice. jan can decode it for you.
Raw and drawn steel maybe?
DeleteI was thinking of butter. I like eco's architectural perspective better. There's also (just thought of this) 'raw data' which can be turned into a graph. You may be right about steel; I know about as much about that as I do about wrought iron.
DeletePerhaps I should be a little less obscure about my hints.
The Numbers reference completely escaped me.
ROUGH--->WROUGHT
ReplyDeleteMy comment, ”...in 37 minutes it will be midnight. Curses,” is a play on PJB's, “numbers,” comment. The question, “What hath G-d wrought?,” is from the biblical tale of Balaam's attempts to curse the children of Israel.
It appears in Numbers 23:23, (or 37 minutes to midnight).
ROUGH, WROUGHT
ReplyDelete> Ironically, this one's kind of difficult.
Refers to wrought iron; synonym for rough.
> I don't think my comment telegraphs the answer.
"What hath God wrought?": The first message transmitted over a long-distance telegraph line.
I'm amused (and, as a former employee, embarrassed) by AT&T's latest ad campaign, "The Power of &". It's like they're saying, in 2016, "We're not just telephones. We're also telegraphs."
Sorry Jan, I should have credited your clue as well. I must have been too wired..
DeleteI got ROUGH / WROUGHT. The OED says of the latter: "5. Of a material: subjected to some process or operation; prepared by labour, esp. so as to be ready for use, sale, or trade; treated, _finished_. Of goods: manufactured, processed." I felt this was weak enough that I actually sent this OED citation in with my answer to NPR. Although some of the clues here seem to point to the same solution, I will be interested to see some _better_ answers. ---Rob
ReplyDeleteI think ROUGH --> WROUGHT is the intended answer. RAW --> DRAWN might be an accepted alternate, I know I'm finished when the building is drawn.
ReplyDeleteMy "concern" with Tom Hanks/ Philadelphia: his was an early portrayal of a gay man, and when you Google (oops, Duckduckgo) "rough raw" some nasty websites appear. I hope the hinters had something else in mind.
eco, what's your new thumbnail image? Is it a building you designed? I like the curved roof lines.
DeleteYour eyes are sharp; it's a house I designed about 5 years ago near the coast; it's finally getting built.
DeleteA few weeks ago I was at a Design Review hearing for another project and one of the Commissioners starting gushing about how gorgeous the house with the "butterfly roof" was.
Of course I was too modest to let her know it was my design....
I've wondered about your thumbnail, is it a geyser? volcano? cloud? Frank Gehry building?
It's a Yellowstone geyser. We've been talking about Yellowstone super-eruptions 8-12 million years ago.
DeleteYour house design looks ready to fly away. . .and yet is grounded as well. Is someone all set to live there soon? Chrys A. Lis perhaps? ;-)
Yellowstone is a hot topic. I remember a Nova show on the mega volcano about 10 years ago (the show, not the volcano). I hope I'm not around for the next one (volcano, not the show).
DeleteYour blog's image tracking eruptions across Idaho is almost a mirror image of Hawaii, I suppose Hawaii has the advantage of not having a big mass of earth on top holding it back.
Perhaps we need a "Free The Magma!" campaign?
I am all for "Free the Magma!"
DeleteCurious--was the butterfly house a nod to "Iron Butterfly" perhaps?
How did you ferret that out?
DeleteEA & WW - Your, "Free The Magma," campaign reminds me of a co-worker who had a coin jar, labeled, "Help Stamp Out Anisotropy," on his desk.
DeleteHaha, SuperZee.
DeleteThen there's the "Reunite Gondwanaland!" tee shirts. . .
I've seen that one as a bumper sticker
DeleteWith the brexit vote this week we're a long way off from Gondwanaland.
DeleteMore physio-logical than geo-logical, I've always liked the "186 200 miles per second not just a good idea. it's the law" t-shirts/ bumper stickers.
"On" also sort of goes with "gone."
ReplyDeleteMy dictionary settled things for me when it listed "not rough" as one definition for
wrought."
I came up with MOOT/SMOOTH.
ReplyDeleteMOOT: "subject to debate, dispute, or uncertainty, and typically not admitting of a final decision."
It's at least defensible, if not ideal. But I now think ROUGH/WROUGHT is surely what they were looking for.
I was thinking UNRIPE and SUNRIPED or SUNRIPEN.
ReplyDeleteOne possibility I was considering was HANG and CHANGE.
ReplyDelete1. ROUGH (unfinished)>>>WROUGHT (completed,“not rough or crude”)
ReplyDelete2. RAW (unfinished)>>>DRAWN (depicted, portrayed, portrayal completed)
Pronunciations of “ough”:
though (o in go)
through (oo in too)
cough (like off in offer)
rough (like uff in suffer)
plough (like ow in flower)
ought (like aw in saw)
borough (British, like É™ [schwa] in above)
hiccough (like up in cup)
Though John had more than enough dough, he thought he didn’t need medical attention when he fell off the bough into the slough next to the lough (loch) and started to cough up blood.
Body part puzzle: EAR>>>HEART or BEARD.
ROUGH, WROUGHT
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of Ike and Tina's "Proud Mary", Tina talks of them doing things "nice and rough". The Book of Numbers, which uses the quote "What hath God wrought?", was also in a hint of mine.
I thought of on/done and raw/drawn but ultimately went with moot/smooth. My clue about the NBA court/quart was reference to moot court.
ReplyDeleteI had open and top end.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s Puzzleria! has been uploaded, featuring a great world geography puzzle created by ron, a Blainesvillian poster who regularly contributes creative puzzles to Puzzleria!
ReplyDeleteron’s puzzle is titled “Homeland obscurity.”
We also offer eight other puzzles this week, titled:
“Just trim a bit off the sides. Please”;
Lobbing rock across the pond sterling;
Prefixing a chipped truth;
Shampoostrophe!
John and Yo’OK Oh-no?
All roads lead to Bedlam;
Mel, Jon, Don, and Moses’ spy guy;
Rhymes, Synonym… Hyphen!
Please visit us. Click on the “Joseph Young’s Puzzleria!” link on Blaine’s “Puzzle Links” at the upper right part of this web page.
Thank you.
LegoServesUpFreshPuzzlesWeeklyAtPuzzleria!
Next week's challenge from listener Peter Collins of Ann Arbor, Mich.: Think of two well-known American cities, each five letters long. The first two letters of the first city are the state postal abbreviation of the second city. And the first two letters of the second city are the state postal abbreviation of the first city. What two cities are these?
ReplyDeleteThere are postal abbreviations for cities?
DeleteThe wording could have been more precise. I'm interpreting it as, "...the first two letters of the city are the postal code of the other city's state."
DeleteShould be an easy one for a geologist, WW.
DeleteYeah, I got it! I like SuperZee's wording better though.
DeleteOnce you've solved that one - here's a rip-off. Name a five letter city whose first two letters are its own state's postal abbreviation.
ReplyDeleteSimilar pronunciation, in a Three Stooges kind of way.
DeleteWalla Walla, Washington.
DeletePaoli, PA
DeleteI have relatives here. They may not appreciate the Three Stooges reference. . .but it sure fits!
DeleteNo pie throwing, please.
DeleteNote the Wednesday deadline.
ReplyDeleteAlmost on the same street
ReplyDeleteMusical clue would be a giveaway
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to live in either place.
ReplyDeleteFrankly I would encourage you to heed skydive boys advice, but would not want to lead you on to an erroneous conclusion
ReplyDeleteTake the remaining letters and rearrange to get a phrase describing what kind of guy Brian Pagliano was.
ReplyDeleteThinking of changing my name to PAul.
DeleteI had another answer, curious on your thoughts as I am catching heat for it here at work.
ReplyDeleteRAW--DRAWN