I have a myriad of excuses as to why I forgot to post the puzzle and answer last week running the gamut from A to Z, but mainly my wife and I were very busy constructing costumes for the family to attend a convention this weekend. I intended to post as soon as I figured out the answer last Sunday but never came up with it, so forgot to get back to it. Apologies to all.Q: If you squish the small letters "r" and "n" too closely together, they look like an "m." Think of a common five-letter word with the consecutive letters "r" and "n" that becomes its own opposite if you change them to an "m."
Edit: My hint was "running the gamut from A to Z". On a boat the equivalent would be from stem to stern.
A: stern --> stem
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 are just very happy to have you back and well.
ReplyDeletePart of my answer to this week's puzzle almost cost me my life in 1964.
Glad to have you back, Blaine!
ReplyDeleteAhoy, Blaine! We are glad you are back and that there was no emergency! ---Rob
ReplyDeleteGood to know all is well in Blainesville. I was dreading the thought of searching for a new puzzle site.
ReplyDeleteSome liberal arts majors think of these as synonyms rather than opposites. ("Ah, synonym rolls! Like Grammar used to make!")
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Blaine!
An 'A' for that answer, jan!
DeleteI am sure everyone is thoroughly pleased you are back.
ReplyDeleteHope the convention goes well and you are having a blast, Blaine.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is the time to talk about a back-up plan? Leave an near-empty blog post up and postable for such situations? Have another Blainesvillean able to set up a post? Other ideas?
A blog post from Blaine, to be read only if, as my insurance agent used to say, something should happen to himself? Like the final orders Kirk left Spock and McCoy in "The Tholian Web"?
DeleteThat was almost 50 years ago. Ah, but I was so much older then.
DeleteAh, the importance of keming.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlternate explanations came from many on the blog. I'm just glad we didn't want to stalk you, Blaine. And it's a good thing this week's puzzle isn't so hard.
ReplyDeleteAnother seriously easy puzzle. How weird was it not having Blaine around for so long!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Blaine.
ReplyDeleteOne of the words is closely associated with the word, “watch.”
Less than 200 correct answers last week. Think the lower-than-normal number of correct answers had anything to do with Blaine's absence? ... Also the winner this week (who was as fast as a racecar with the palindromes) mentions that NPR had called him "yesterday" to tell him he'd won. So the call comes Thursday and the segment is recorded Friday? Happy Labor Day, all.
ReplyDeleteYes, the call comes a little after the deadline for entries, and the recording is done the following day.
Delete160 correct answers, I believe.
DeleteKen burns the bums.
ReplyDeleteThe on-air guy aced it this week, solving in seconds the toughest puzzle in months, being the first to submit the answer as well as getting picked on his first try and then picking off Will’s palindromes like Pac Man.
ReplyDeleteHard to figure Blaine’s forgetting to post after somewhere around 500 consecutive Sundays with the conch.
Yes, he did very well, but you've gotta hate someone who gets the call the first time he sends in an entry.
DeleteBlaine's absence just made our hearts grow... fonder. That's good because many of us (especially me, Lego Legozalambda) could stand being a bit more big-hearted.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, my medical professional warns me that an enlarged heart may not be so good either.
Now I am all confused... but still glad to have Blaine back.
LegoWhoIsConsideringCashingOutHisNoLoadMutualFundsAndInvestingInNoLoadMutualBlogs
Good to have you back, Blaine - I thought maybe you were lost at sea! --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteFinally a puzzle with no middle ground.
ReplyDeleteWhen Blaine disappeared,
ReplyDeleteIt was the worst that we feared.
But there’s no need for a memorial,
Because the reason was sartorial.
And since no harm to him befell,
We can move on from this doggerel.
On the web most everyone's anonymous,
ReplyDeleteBut one absence weighed like a hippopotamus
We searched high and low, and it just goes to show
The value placed in the blogger eponymous
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ReplyDeleteThink of a five-letter word containing two consecutive letters that can be used to silence people. Change these two letters to a J to form another word. Taken together, these two words are often used to describe an entertainer related to this week's puzzle that many would like to silence.
ReplyDeleteRelevant XKCD.
ReplyDeleteAs a nurse I have been aware of this blurring of letters.
ReplyDeleteThink of a seven letter word containing rn. Gloss over this defect by replacing the rn with an m, and give the word's first letter a Teutonic twist. Although you might feel a bit nippish afterwards, you won't be starved for puzzles.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Blaine!
ReplyDeleteYes, easy puzzle this week. Seems like only ONE perfect answer, but here's two clues to goofy (really reaching) alternate answers: (since I ran a dictionary program)
When my stomach _____ I can take a ____ to reverse it!
Simpsons character Mr. _____ is about the opposite of some others characters like Gil, Barney, Crazy Cat Lady and Moleman
The show As the World _____ is so distasteful that it is often sponsored by ____. Ask for it by name!
DeleteWatching a Ken _____ documentary sometimes ____ me out.
The sharks always make the surface _____ after I ____ the water.
The _____ed British gent's watch ____ed in the sun.
As a kid, there were so many _____ that I enjoyed my ____ cooking!
DeleteSometimes later after she put away her _____ we had ____ for supper!
Ok, this is ALL I can come up with:
DeleteAfter all the ____ busted, we said so many _____ !
and a couple of RARE ones...
After all the _____ dried up, I listed to some R&B songs by the ____ !
When my cat left some _____ on my carpet, I thought it was a ____ !
I don't know the name of your parents, but _____ is the name of __ __.
DeleteHost Snyder couldn't decide which guest to have on that night. You could say he was a bit of a ____ ___.
Australian actress Rose _____ had a cameo that was so brief it flew right __ __!
Composer James ______ once played baseball and hit a _____!
Hitchcock's _____ may have been seen by former first lady ____ Eisenhower, for all we know.
I ate too much ____ syrup and slipped into a sugar ___a.
Although robes cover a multitude of sins, it's still frowned upon to _______ give a ______ during Mass. The Clergy are in enough trouble as it is.
Is actress Laura ___ a ___?
DeleteWith her alias Jennifer ___ was a real ___.
In 1982 Lena ___ taped a performance for ___ video release.
The tough guy tried to ___ the new ___.
My old connection was slow, so I got a ___ ___.
The fruitarian decorator thought a ____ with ___ would have a nice appearance.
Rocky Raccoon?
DeleteI gotta know!
Hey Eco, those are some excellent Rnad Libs. Hopefully there are still more available for Lego's ROSS!
DeleteSame to you, PC. I'll leave the one with the indigenous tribe to Lego, or Mendo Jim.
DeleteGlad you started this! I was sticking to 5 letter words, but what the heck! Lots of good ones PlannedChaos & ecoarchitect ! Have a great Holiday weekend!
DeleteGood to mix things up, like the ___ asada that ___ back to haunt me!
DeleteTo survive the summer:
Delete• The heavy makeup worn by the actor playing Worf required that we ___ ____, which was happily accommodated by the ______.
• At the circus, the _____e wore a sleeveless ____ as outerwear.
If you're trying to sleep, I don't mean to ruin ____ _____, but ___ _____ consider these tips to stay cool.
Comedian Chris ______l walked the red carpet with professional famous person _____a Anderson.
DeleteOkay, I'm out now.
Since you insist:
DeleteNo doubt every ___ (like Natasha) will want to watch ___ this week.
Sometime after 50 you reach that ___ ___ where you realize how much ____ fast living has done.
King Oliver was just 28 when he put down his ___ to watch the ___.
Heavy snows in Upstate New York made us wonder if our friends from ___ were ___ to dinner.
Years ago the peacenik French golf fans called themselves ____' ____.
This week's puzzle has something in common with the first of fifteen geographic puzzles I authored three weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteratoig and PlannedChaos,
ReplyDeleteI had to solve your fill-in-the-blanks challenges (above) just to see if there remains any unmined ore (or oro, if I'm lucky) for me to use to fashion a "Ripping Off Shortz" puzzle this Friday!
Meanwhile, once more, the NPR "correct-entry yo-yo" predictably retraces its upward trajectory toward the four-digit range (and five digits if the yo-yoer grasps the yo-yo in his palm!). I suggest we be cu൬udgeonly with our clues to the NPR puzzle this week.
On the bright side, we now have time galore to enjoy the "Pink Panther" series: they are rib-tickling movies for the loveLorn.
Or to watch golf on the tube. I'm sure you all recall the time Arnold Palmer's caddie suggested he use a pitching wedge to reach the number-9 green at Doral. Arnie balked, thinking his nine-iron would be better for thrashing his Titleist from out of the rough's tall grass. After the champ surveyed his lie for more than a minute, the caddie finally blurted, "Arnie, whatcha gonna do?"
I find it fitting that the first name of composer of this week's NPR puzzle (Norm Baird of Toledo, Washington) becomes Norm Baird if you scrunch (not squish) the "r" and "m" together.
When you scrunch an "r" and "m" together, of course, they form a "three-hump consonant" that resembles what is called an "emen." See Puzzleria's "Riffing Off Crosby, Shortz And Nash (No Young) Slice: The three-hump consonant."
When you replace the "rm" in "Norm" with an "emen", it looks like this: No൬.
LegoThanksPlannedChaosForHelpingHimToBringTheThreeHump൬ToLife
Nom nom nom! We consume these puzzles with great delight!
DeleteSorry, ecoarchitect. I neglected to give you due credit (blame!), along with ratoig and PC, for the excellent Shortz Rip-Offs in your 4:06 and 6:20 PM comments.
DeleteLegoThinksThese"ThreeBears"HaveAchievedJusticeAndExactedRevengeOnLegolocksByScarfingDownAllAvailablePiggybackPuzzlePorridge!
(Just kidding. Indeed, I have already composed a few Ripping/Riffing-Off-Shortz puzzles which shall run this Friday on Puzzleria!... unless, of course eco, PC or ratoig "run with them" here on Blaine's blog first!)
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ReplyDeleteForgive me for sounding a bit harsh by saying this, but one of the answers spelled backwards is something you might find on a baseball diamond.
ReplyDeleteThe other answer, minus one letter, spelled backwards is something you might find at a venue with the same initials as a flavor enhancer with an umami taste.
DeleteLegoThinksUmamiTasteIsOkayButHeStillPrefersTheUmamiSoundMachine
Ltgek h azfeilvqp kred, P'q ycj lhvotbt fhyalfq th alp oannhp Nveilaqlg Cusgpp, gb I vhr dsr wahx evbsx jsdhhmxz pzcx lbri.
ReplyDeleteKEY
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Deleteraelc reve
DeleteOh, the key is "ethanol" backwards, except that you didn't reverse the "th".
DeleteExplains a lot, doesn't it?
DeleteAnd now I see your response is not Vigenère enciphered but the alcohol brand "everclear" written backwards. Letting go of the expectation that what you were doing was related to this week's puzzle is what explains a lot. I mean, sure, with hindsight bias we can make anything seem related. (For instance, I searched for meaning from the first word to the second, which seems backwards.) But any connection I've come up with seems a stretch. Your post might qualify for some of that sweet government corn subsidy, though. And it also helps explain one of my fill-in-the-blank puzzles.
DeleteThis is totally random, but has anyone ever noticed that PORK and CORN have a common CORE?
DeleteAnd CORK and PORN have a common PORE. Coincidence? Or nonsense?
DeletePCWhoseMotto(StolenFromLego)Is"WhenInDoubt,PostSomeNonsense"
PlannedChaos in doubt?
DeleteNow, there's a conundrum!
"After a worrisome week, I'm now looking forward to the annual Christmas Puzzle, so I can see what those costumes look like."
DeleteI decided 'after' and 'forward' required a bit more concealment.
Wow, I didn't pick up on that hint at all. So I imagine it would've been okay to publish in the clear, but then where's the fun in that? Always nice to do a little code cracking as a digestif. Speaking in code is like having a secret twin language. You be Stern and I'll be Stem. It's something to constemplate, but don't let it constern you.
DeleteGlad to see Blaine back on board.
ReplyDeleteBetter than going overboard.
DeleteSeptember motto: May your _____ing be ____ing and your ____ing be _____ing.
ReplyDeletelearning, leaming
Deleteleaming,learning
There's so much I dinna ken.
DeleteHi Folks, A similar NPR puzzle was offered about 13 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI was watching Shogun this weekend, and the answer showed up right on screen in many scenes.
ReplyDeleteDarn it! Dam it! Only words I found were synonyms, and they were barely that. Need to do more research. This seems to be more of a scientific puzzle than most.
ReplyDeleteCB: Jim Hand
DeleteAs my grandpa always put it, Blaine, "You are as welcome as the flowers in May."
ReplyDeleteOl' zeke creek
As quickly as things become antiquated the modem is ceasing to be modern.
ReplyDeleteA little quiescence here and there. . . ��
ReplyDeleteWW: Until I read your comment, I thought all the bloggers were in sleeping mode like my computer sometimes. Or ....still on the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
ReplyDeleteNatasha, yes, a bit ironic that last week we had nowhere to post and lots to say and this week we have plenty of room to post and little to say. . .(so far, anyway)
DeleteHere's a topic: kerning vs. gurning. Discuss.
Okay folks; here we go.
DeleteThis is not exactly re: kerning, but it is about spaces and their importance in what we write/post.
My house is on the corner lot of a block in the middle of a tiny residential neighborhood that abuts the South end of the largest cemetery in Seattle. The cemetery is also exactly one block North of my house. About 25 years ago I got the city to install a small traffic circle in the intersection in order to slow down those who use this as a shortcut to avoid traffic lights. The city planted the circle with a Birch tree in the center.
Now the Birch tree is dying. Someone posted on our neighborhood blog that we should do something about replacing it. A few others then added their follow up comments. Following is part of one post I will cut & paste to show how important it is to proof read before hitting the send button. I usually proof read, but when I don't I usually find I have made an error. See if you can spot the error in the post below that changes what the writer intended to say and in this case said something very humorous instead. Hint: It is not that he misspelled trees.
"I noticed the Birch Trees dying a few years ago. All in the same pattern from top down. Within the last year almost everyone in the cemetery has died as have most in the neighborhood. This summer the big one in our front yard has started to go. Not as much bad news as the Red Maple up and dying last summer as here are multiple younger trees under it to replace it. That said, I hate to see mature tress just up and die."
Reminds me of the old joke:
DeleteWhy are there fences around a graveyard?
Because people are dying to get in.
Cemeteries are a dying business, but I always enjoy seeing workers who really dig their work even though most of them consider the work to be beneath them. On the other hand, the graveside services can be such a let down.
DeleteMy thesis project was an Urban Crematorium on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The subtitle was "Burn 'em and Urn 'em."
DeleteIt must have been disappointing to have all that thesis work turn to ash.
DeleteI was pretty burned out when it was done.
DeleteI suppose the good news for folks who get cremated is it's the last time they'll get fired.
I was surprised when I discovered that Sarah Palin was a strong proponent of cremation. In fact she especially favored it for children. She used to say, "Burn, baby, burn." Like my dentist, she really knew the drill.
DeleteCremation is most popular in Washington State, I understand, but sometimes family members don't agree and it can lead to heated discussions.
I just learned another name for a crematorium is a retort. What a fun etymology there, eh, eco, and fellow Blainesvillians?
DeleteYes, retorts are both vessels for heating up things as well as the fun reference to a heated reply (seen here often).
DeleteThe plot thickens. Curiously a cemetery offers the only line of work that is a graveyard shift no matter the time of day.
DeleteNot to go out on a limb, but if that neighborhood blog poster is right then they may be in need of urgent medical care. (Although yew didn't ash for me to opine and it probably won't make me poplar to cherry on like this.) As for the traffic circle, it just needs a little spruce.
I must leaf you now, as I have sapped my strength. Puns don't grow on trees, you know, and these old chestnuts are the best I'm maple to do. Bet you're wishing I'd pecan someone else and cypress these groaners, so I shall branch out before I gum up the works.
Will you look at that mango on!
DeleteYears ago my youngest brother ran a cemetery and I always told people my brother worked graveyard, but never at night. I always had to explain what I meant.
If they won't spruce the traffic circle, at least plant a yew-logy. For a pet cemetery I recommend dogwood for its excellent bark and heeling properties—or perhaps an evergreen for its immaculate fir. But if a vacation is desired after all that grief, go against the grain and plant sandalwood instead. That alder keep you from getting board-feet.
DeleteIf I may be political for a moment, Clinton didn't know the "C" in her decrypted emails meant "confidential" (not quite as bad as "classified"), but now the FBI reports some emails have been misplaced for so long that the gap closed up and became an "O" for "ossified".
Just thought I wood humerus with some rib-ticklers, though many believe we ulna hold things sacrum when the nation is in such a morose state of mind. After all, both Clinton and Trump supporters would like to enlist the help of actor Scott Baculum to take a Quantum Leap into the past: Clinton supporters want to live in a time before Trump was a thing, and Trump supporters want to go further back to a time when there were fewer civil rights. But enough with this mud-slinging; I may be digging my own grave with those second-amendment people.
"Almost everyone in the cemetery has died." ?????
ReplyDeleteYes, and isn't that a good place for them?
DeleteEveryone refers to persons, not objects such as Birch trees. He should have said, "every one in the cemetery..."
His post also says most of those of us who reside in the neighborhood died too. It just shows how important a space can be when typing something. I suspect I am the only one who read his post and caught the error.
I was wondering why you live in that neighborhood. Must be depressing to lose all those people.
DeleteOh no, we don't lose them. We simply relocate them about a block or two away and then mark where they are so we don't forget where we put them. They tend to be rather down to earth people.
DeleteReminds me of the joke: How many dead people are in that cemetery?
ReplyDeleteAs they say in the Painted Forest, "Life's a birch, then you dye."
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteRETORT: a vessel or chamber in which substances are distilled or decomposed by heat.
DeleteMost people are not aware that the remains, or cremains, of a body that has been cremated are NOT ash, but bone fragments that have not been burned fully. They are then mashed along with any metal bits that did not burn. They could burn all the bone, but in order to have some remain they control the heat to allow for some being left that can be returned to the family.
DeleteI still occasionally run into people who insist that ash remains, but it doesn't. I have had plenty of opportunity to handle some of these cremains. In fact some people pay to have skydivers toss the cremains out of a jump plane. If the pilot does not turn the plane as it is being tossed the bone fragments will damage the paint on the plane.
Many in the Bay Area think it would be nice to go to a high promontory and scatter dear old aunt Floss into the ocean. They forget that the winds blow strong, and end up with a face and mouth full of, well, let's just say they have to floss Floss.
DeleteYou're right, the bereaved often don't factor in coastal breezes. Some partings leave a particularly bitter taste in the mouth.
DeleteReliquaries, playa dust, and Laura Diamond
DeleteNot good to gloss over the loss of Floss.
DeleteSTERN >>> STEM
ReplyDelete"An 'A' for that answer, jan!" referred to the topic of not just STEM, but STEAM, adding the Arts into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
"Jim Hand" referred to the guy who came up with "Boaty McBoatface" as a proposed name for the new, large British research vessel. Great name, from STEM to STERN.
STERN >> STEM
ReplyDeleteMy comment, after welcoming Blaine back, about dreading searching for a new puzzle site was based on potentially having to search, “From stem to stern.”
Like others, I used a nautical clue: "Ahoy, Blaine!" ---Rob
ReplyDeleteSTERN -> STEM
ReplyDelete> I almost keeled over when I got this one.
The keel runs from stem to stern.
> Some liberal arts majors think of these as synonyms rather than opposites.
They find science, technology, engineering and math to be hard or rigorous.
> Ah, but I was so much older then.
Preceding line, from My Back Pages: "Mutiny from stern to bow."
I forgot to post the answer on time.
ReplyDeleteFrom STERN to STEM
My hint:
“Finally a puzzle with no middle ground.” No middle ground because a ship is on the water.
This time it was more, from stern to stem.
Alternate explanations came from [stemmed] many on the blog. I'm just glad we didn't want to stalk [another stem] you, Blaine. And it's a good thing this week's puzzle isn't so hard [stern].
ReplyDeleteBonus Puzzles
Is actress Laura Dern a Dem?
With her alias Jennifer Garner was a real gamer.
In 1982 Lena Horne taped a performance for home video release.
The tough guy tried to corner the new comer.
My old connection was slow, so I got a modern modem.
The fruitarian decorator thought a cornice with comice would have a nice appearance.
the indigenous tribe = Pomo from porno, not used as we want to maintain family values....
... carne asada that came back to haunt me!
No doubt every RN (like Natasha) will want to watch M this week. Somebody had to use it, besides, Fritz Lang was amazing!
Sometime after 50 you reach that darn age where you realize how much damage fast living has done.
King Oliver was just 28 when he put down his cornet to watch the comet. Halley's in 1910. Fun fact: Mark Twain arrived and departed on the day Halley's comet appeared.
Heavy snows in Upstate New York made us wonder if our friends from Corning were coming to dinner.
Years ago the peacenik French golf fans called themselves Arnies' amies.
Garner/Gamer, Horne/home, and modern/modem are my favorite finds. A really good ROSS could have been made from any of those.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletestern, stem
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “One of the words is closely associated with the word, ‘watch.’” as in watch stem.
Three weeks ago, my first geographic puzzle was FRANCE, FACE, RN.
ReplyDeleteAnswers
Think of a five letter word containing two consecutive letters that can be used to silence people. Change these two letters to a J to form another word. Taken together, these two words are often used to describe an entertainer related to this week's puzzle that many would like to silence.
SHOCK JOCK, in reference to Howard STERN
Think of a seven letter word containing rn. Gloss over this defect by replacing the rn with an m, and give the word's first letter a Teutonic twist. Although you might feel a bit nippish afterwards, you won't be starved for puzzles.
VARNISH, FAMISH
The show As the World Turns is so distasteful that it is often sponsored by Tums. Ask for it by name!
Watching a Ken Burns documentary sometimes bums me out.
The sharks always make the surface churn after I chum the water.
The learned British gent's watch leamed in the sun.
I don't know the name of your parents, but Myrna is the name of my ma.
Host Snyder couldn't decide which guest to have on that night. You could say he was a bit of a torn Tom.
Australian actress Rose Byrne had a cameo that was so brief it flew right by me!
Composer James Horner once played baseball and hit a homer!
Hitchcock's Marnie may have been seen by former first lady Mamie Eisenhower, for all we know.
I ate too much corn syrup and slipped into a sugar coma.
Although robes cover a multitude of sins, it's still frowned upon to hornily give a homily during Mass. The Clergy are in enough trouble as it is.
To survive the summer:
• The heavy makeup worn by the actor playing Worf required that we fan Dorn, which was happily accommodated by the fandom.
• At the circus, the carnie wore a sleeveless cami as outerwear.
If you're trying to sleep, I don't mean to ruin your night, but you might consider these tips to stay cool.
Comedian Chris Parnell walked the red carpet with professional famous person Pamela Anderson.
Hornily/ homily was inspired, I never did figure that one out. Churn/ chum and Marnie/ Mamie were also excellent.
DeleteFan Dorn/ fandom was a bit of a stretch.
From STEM to STERN.
ReplyDeleteFrom STEM to STERN, from FRONT to BACK, = “thoroughly” = the gamut from A to Z.
My clue - Another seriously easy puzzle. How weird was it not having Blaine around for so long! - "seriously " and "how weird" were references to Howard Stern.
ReplyDelete"Seriously " as in Sirius xm.
ReplyDeleteSTERN, STEM
ReplyDeleteSTERN means "harsh" and STEM in reverse spells METS, a team who might be found on a baseball diamond.
Yes, as patjberry noted, "one of the answers spelled backwards is something you might find on a baseball diamond." (STEM = METS, of New York)...
ReplyDeleteTo which I replied, "The other answer, minus one letter, spelled backwards is something you might find at a venue with the same initials as a flavor enhancer with an umami taste." (STERN - R = STEN; STEN = NETS, formerly of New York, now of Brooklyn, who from time to time must have played at Madison Square Garden (MSG).
LegoWondersWhenIsTheNextTimeTheBrooklynNetsPlayTheUmamiHeat?
Tricky fill-in-the-blanks, guys, BTW.
ReplyDeleteAnd a tip-top crypto-cross, the likes of which I hope to one day be able to solve.
DeleteDidn't it used to be from cross to crypt?
DeletePJB put up a very good puzzle last week; not as easy as The Nation's or NYT, not as difficult as Times of London or The Guardian. About the same as Harper's, though sometimes Harper's can be weird.
DeleteEven we at the Society To Repudiate Anagram Puzzles had to salute his unwavering clue.
Now that we've solved this stem winder, why not take a break and mosey on over to Puzzleria! for a stern dose of fun.
ReplyDeleteJust click "Joseph Young's Puzzleria!" on Blaine's PUZZLE LINKS.
We feature this week an excellent puzzle composed by PlannedChaos involving "Scherzo modulation" (but not Amplitude Modulation so much as Freequency Modulation,... less static and all that, don'tchacha know!). PC's fine puzzle is one that ought to be a snap for skydiveboy to solve.
We also offer NINE "Ripping Off Shortz" puzzles that do NOT involve squishing rn's into m's. (I hear our entire health care system will go down the eustachian tubes if we continue to squish rn's!)
In addition to those ten gems, we offer four other diamonds in the rough titled:
"Track and field of dreams"
“Things you rob? Poach? Eat? Open? Read?”
"Cereal assessin’ 'n' censorin’" and
"Sitcom heart replacement"
LegoEncouagedAllFunLoversToDropBy...We'llPoachYouAPuzzle
2 E Z
DeleteDon't you mean B 5 26?
DeleteCorundum
DeleteMoh, Moh!
Delete--Indigo girl--
Yes, that is exactly what I meant.
DeleteRoosevelt, Jefferson, Cleveland
DeleteDr. J...
DeleteStan the Man, Brett, Bench and Pujos.
Bartkowski, but not quite Bryan "Bart" Starr.
LegoLamentsAlsoThatFarveHasFiveNotFourLetters
This doesn't even scratch the surface, but Boron, iron, rhenium. Mohsy on over to P!
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DeleteNow that I've read the answer:
ReplyDeleteCorundurn
And I now understand most of the comments in this thread, except WW's presidential list ... and sdb's last comment, of course, because I'll never believe he knows exactly what he means.
President (9), President (9), President (9)
DeleteNext week's challenge: Think of a well-known category with exactly seven things in it. Alphabetize the things from their ending letters, and the last letter alphabetically will be "e." In other words, no thing in this category ends in a letter after "e" in the alphabet. It's a category and set of seven things that everyone knows. What is it?
ReplyDeleteDrifting back to sleep now....
DeleteI predict WW will give this puzzle a bad review.
DeleteI think I hear the tolling of Big Ben - that'll wake you up, Jan! --Margaret G.
DeleteSheesh, I hope it's not what I'm thinking. {Bad enough, Paul?}
DeleteIt is not universally agreed that there are 'exactly' seven things in this category.
DeleteFirst a trip to the bathroom. Then I solved this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteBoxers or briefs?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI've got a well known list that contains exactly 7 things, but they all end with the letter "a".
ReplyDeleteI'll try to use a little bit of restraint.
ReplyDeleteI'll rate this puzzle PG.
ReplyDelete