Mr. Shortz has delivered a fun puzzle this week.Q: Think of an article of apparel in five letters. Change one letter in it to name another article of apparel. Change one letter in that to name a third article of apparel. Then change one letter in that to name a fourth article of apparel. The position of the letters you change are different each time. What articles are these?
Edit: My clue was delivered as in the *stork* delivering babies. If you anagram stork you get skort.
A: SKORT <--> SKIRT <--> SHIRT <--> SHIFT
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.
If he had said "articles" of clothing in 6 letters he could have had a fifth answer. Although the position of the letter changed is not different each time, I think it would have been a better puzzle.
ReplyDeleteEco - There is a sense in which your six-letter-word solution can be adapted to the 5-letter-word puzzle. Although the dictionary does not define one of the five-letter words as an article of apparel, it is sometimes used as such.
DeleteOne of my articles works in 5 letters, but is definitely in the second tier of definitions. Another - my 5th - would yield an endless stream of arguments if used in the singular.
DeleteYes, I was referring to the one that would yield the endless stream of arguments.
DeleteI think women will generally have an easier time with this puzzle than men.
ReplyDeleteTake the last name of a famous writter, ...
ReplyDeleteJohn Ritter?
DeleteRip off bonus puzzle (pretty easy): Name an animal in 5 letters, change one letter to name another animal, etc., there are a total of 4 animals.
ReplyDeleteBrew whose name is an article of apparel when read backward. Have one on me.
DeleteYou mean (405) Brewing, backwards is Levi's 504 jeans?
DeleteNo. Something a little less numberous.
DeleteI know what you're looking for, I'm just offering something from the alt right.
DeleteI don't think ALT is the right key here.
DeleteDon't we have enough offerings from the alt right?
Deletejan, you are too clever for your own good.
DeleteI agree, but I don't think jan means the arrow key.
DeleteGlad you sussed the second meaning. If it were 10 or 20 years ago we'd be talking about the Page Down key. SDB, please constrain yourself.
DeleteAaand, I think I just figured out Blaine's hint.
DeleteDid it just sort of spring out at you? My off the cuff reply, so to speak.
DeleteFor my answers I started with capital letters.
ReplyDeleteNice!
DeleteI thought of capital letters too. Did WS say to use Caps?
DeleteI see Susie, I see David.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... "Romper" has six letters.
DeleteIndeed. Rebranding. . .
DeleteExcellent! Another puzzle done before I finished my first cup of coffee. I guess I should get dressed. They don't call me 'clotheslover' for nothing.
ReplyDeleteAnd, if you add a letter and rearrange your name, you're a clothes solver...
DeleteThat's a clothes call, SuperZee!
DeleteOtherwise, you to come up Short(z).
DeleteZZZZZ
ReplyDelete"a spin-off"
ReplyDeleteSpinning the facts
DeleteChanging the subject [the key to my encrypted comment]
Tiptoeing around the subject [the content of my encrypted comment]
Shifting the dialogue
Skirting the issue
They're all in the same bailiwick.
The word "fun" in Blaine's comment seemed to stand out as the "hint word", so much so that I missed the obvious "short" reference. When several posters alluded to capital letters and/or the Alt and Cntrl keys it occurred to me that "fun" might point to enter(taining) or (fun)ction.
I enjoyed zeke's mention of RKO Pictures.
Huh! The stork reference went right over my head.
DeleteI got the first three items right away, but I never heard of the fourth.
ReplyDeleteme too. is your fourth item a brand?
DeleteNo.
Deletebecause i found a shoe brand that maybe is overreaching.
DeleteGuess I'm back to the drawing board
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh?
DeleteI am deleting that.
DeleteYou might have different answers than I do. I am pretty sure my answers fit the parameters of the puzzle, though. Maybe there are more than one correct answers.
DeleteDidn't think you needed to delete, it's more a part of women's gear.
DeleteThought later it might be giving away too much information.
Delete7491
ReplyDelete(I've also got a 5-letter clue, all consonants, that I think would be a give-away.)
DeleteJan, Your 7491 takes me back to "hotdogging" machines of the 70s and early 80s. Does your 5 letter clue point elsewhere?
DeleteYeah. Think automotive.
DeleteWhen I think "automotive," this paraprosdokian comes to mind: I find it ironic that the colors red, white, and blue stand for freedom, until they’re flashing behind you.
DeleteI always have loved those, but don't think I ever heard the term before. Here is one I made up at least 40 years ago in two versions:
DeleteA journey of a thousand miles begins with a single blister.
Or:
A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first blister.
Excellent! Here is one for the Trump:
Delete"No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar." -Abraham Lincoln
I don't think I have heard that quote before, but I love his quote: "You can fool all the people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time."
DeleteLincoln, according to what I have read, was indeed known for his extreme honesty. He was known as having been a rail splitter for instance. In reality he was not, but did help his father split rails for a fence they built on their property. Kinda like me helping my father re-roof the house when I was 9 or 10. I would not call myself a roofer. He never called himself a rail splitter either, but knew it was helpful for his political career and so did not correct the assertion unless he was asked directly, and then he would.
That being said, it does not mean he did not keep secrets; we all do. Since he was not dishonest, and therefor not a crook with things to hide, what could it have been that Lincoln tried to keep secret, but was unable to fool all the people all the time? I am not posing this as a rhetorical question, but for serious contemplation based on historical facts.
Trump's memory is completely defective which explains why he is such a bad liar. See Lincoln quote above.
DeleteJeepers. I'd rather go for hiking than do this puzzle. The newish word I did not know until today. ---Rob
ReplyDeleteIf it's the one I found, neither did I. I'm just lucky I found a fourth answer. On a slightly different subject, I just got the new GAMES Magazine in the mail yesterday, and guess who they interviewed: Will Shortz! Great article! Glad I could answer this week's puzzle! I'd hate to not be able to, and then have his picture in the magazine staring me in the face. Oh well, I could just take it out on the picture. A lot less trouble that way, come to think of it.
ReplyDeleteWS was also on the news program this morning.
DeleteYes, I saw his interview on the "CBS Sunday Morning" show, today. I knew he was big on ping-pong or 'table tennis' as we call it at the country club, but he is really into it.
DeleteSome of the scenes showing him playing, seemed kind of staged for the camera. It didn't look like they were going all out at the table. It was still interesting, though.
I better sign off, I've got a fox hunt to attend!
NOT!
Hmmm...regarding the positions of the changed letters, does WS mean that letters in three different positions are changed (e.g. you change letter #1, then #5, then #4), or that the letter in a certain position is not changed twice in a row (e.g. you change letter #3, then #1, and then #3 again)? My examples don't correspond to an actual answer and are for illustrative purposes only.
ReplyDeleteIf you read the puzzle very carefully you will have your answer.
DeleteThe former, tramp-->trump-->thump-->chump would fit the puzzle criteria. But ending up with a chimp will inevitably lead to failure.
Delete'Tis a puzzle just in time for fascist, er, fashion week.
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteI believe most of us here are hoping our new despotic head of state will soon be impeached, thereby shortening his term of office. My question is, should we then refer to his tenure as having been Trumpcated?
ReplyDeleteI was so flummoxed by this I almost dropped my spork!
ReplyDeleteWell try and control yourself and hang on to your runcible spoon.
Delete@Amos
ReplyDeleteSimilar to this fashion,
Asdfg
Bsdfg
Bhdfg
Bhjfg
While at the hardware store yesterday I saw some new fashion trends from Sweden that seem to be taking the country by storm.
ReplyDeleteWell, I decided I could easily solve this before I got out of bed and three words fell neatly into place. Try as I might, the fourth refused.
ReplyDeleteThe need for coffee got me up, but the clues here and various dictionary and internet approaches have not much improved things.
I suspect that I am up against Wee Willy's notion and/or knowledge of apparel versus mine.
I will be disappointed if one of the two possibilities I have come up with is the right one. But not surprised.
If Steve's clue, above, makes sense, then I think you have the right answer.
DeleteHappy George Washington's Birthday!
ReplyDeleteThis is the national holiday that is never celebrated on the actual day (February 22) now for more than fifty years, simply because we wanted to have three day holidays instead of actually honoring what it says it stands for. I guess you could now call it an alt-holiday.
There used to be two holidays a long time ago. Feb. 12 for Lincoln's bd, Feb. 22 for Washington.
ReplyDeleteNatasha,
DeleteThat is not true. There never has been a holiday for Lincoln. There is a misunderstanding that the change in the date of this holiday was to also include Lincoln, but this is not true; just more nonsense many school teachers spew without knowing the facts.
It might be informative to actually look at, and think about, the actual wording of the holiday: George Washington's Birthday.
It is not President George Washington's Birthday. There is nothing indicating that the holiday has anything to do with his being our first president. The reason for the holiday is to recognize what General George Washington did to separate from Great Britain. It has little or nothing to do with his presidency.
Lincoln's Birthday is a legal, public holiday in some U.S. states, observed on the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth on February 12, 1809. Arizona, California,[1] Connecticut,[2] Illinois,[3] Indiana,[4] Ohio, Missouri, and New York observe the holiday.
DeleteIn other states, Lincoln's birthday is not celebrated separately, as a stand-alone holiday. Instead Lincoln's Birthday is combined with a celebration of President From Wikipedia: George Washington's birthday (also in February) and celebrated either as Washington's Birthday or as Presidents' Day on the third Monday in February, simultaneously with the Federal holiday.
I went to school in Indiana and we had two days off for those birthdays.
DeleteLook it up.
From Wikipedia is in the wrong place. I found the info on wikipedia and it is what I recall growing up.
DeleteNatasha,
DeleteWe are not discussing what individual states may, or may not, do, a state may celebrate KKK Day if it wishes. We are discussing the National Holiday: George Washington's Birthday.
I would suggest you do a Google search and read up on all of this via the National Archives, as I have done.
The main point of all this is American ignorance, which is in abundance. Another example of common belief in nonsense is what is, or at least was, taught about the reason(s) for the Civil War. I attended good schools, but was taught the reason was tariffs, and that slavery was a side issue, but not the cause. This is totally false! Every state but one sent letters to the government informing it they were seceding over the matter of slavery. Nothing else was mentioned. The one state that did not state that did not state any reason at all, which indicates they were also seceding for the same slavery reason. This kind of misinformation is not only wrong, but harmful to our understanding what is actually true and the reasons for things as they are.
While we are on this subject, why are we not told the truth about Darwin, who created dinosaurs in order to irritate Kansans?
Darwin good!
DeleteI read somewhere though, that Lincoln rode a dinosaur to get to Ford's theater... he had to park it in back though because of the narrow streets. I believe he called it "Calvary One".
This is simply more nonsense! Lincoln was picked up by his chauffeur in a Cadillac Fleetwood.
DeleteHey, Calvary One had a tail light and a working horn!
DeleteMaybe so, but Trump has a horny working environment.
DeleteSDB: Why is Presidents Day plural if it is to celebrate only Washington's bd? I read the following:
Delete"Presidents Day
Washington’s Birthday 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017"
"Washington and Lincoln still remain the two most recognized leaders, but Presidents’ Day is now popularly seen as a day to recognize the lives and achievements of all of America’s chief executives. Some lawmakers have objected to this view, arguing that grouping George Washington and Abraham Lincoln together with less successful presidents minimizes their legacies. Congressional measures to restore Washington and Lincoln’s individual birthdays were proposed during the early 2000s, but all failed to gain much attention. For its part, the federal government has held fast to the original incarnation of the holiday as a celebration of the country’s first president. The third Monday in February is still listed on official calendars as Washington’s Birthday."
DeleteNatasha:
DeleteThere are eleven (11) National Holidays in this country. They do not include Presidents Day, President's Day or The Fourth Of July.
SDB:
DeleteI will need to research that. Thanks.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMy research findings differ from your explanation of the holiday.
DeleteIf you are looking anywhere other than the National Archives you are just not really looking.
DeleteNational Archives and Records Administration - Official Site
https://www.archives.gov
When you get there type in List Federal Holidays. Or National Holidays.
Ha ha!I bet he does, too!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope he attends Ford's Theater soon.
DeleteI doubt that shooting him in the head would have any noticeable effect. Not that I'm advocating that sort of act in any event. . . .
DeleteGood point! Are you inferring it might distort the bullet more than it would the contents of the head, which seems highly distorted already?
DeleteSeriously though. I keep thinking of all the serious attempts at assassinating Hitler by competent and intelligent and well connected people who should have been able to take him out, but all failed. I have always felt he must have been protected by unseen forces. I know this probably seems absurd, but I have good reason to think it may be true. I still do not understand why though.
SDB: I have thought about the unseen force also. Strange to see you mention it.
DeleteImpeach, assassinate, or get off the pot!
ReplyDeleteJust heard psychiatrists are petitioning for use of 25th amendment to take insane trump down.
DeleteJust heard psychiatrists are petitioning for use of 25th amendment to take insane trump down.
DeleteThat's been happening for awhile now. There are also influential shrinks who are opposed. I am clearly on the side of those who signed the petition, but that will not be enough to drive the nail. I did hear that privately the R's in Congress are talking about his mental stability.
DeleteSdb...influential shrinks apposed to what? Trump or petition? Not clear. Please clarify. Thanks.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOpposed to the petition.
DeleteSDB: ok. I get it.
DeleteI wonder when people will understand how serious this political situation is. Rhetoric is not enough. No one is taking legal action to topple this dictator.
DeleteNatasha - Seeing the line of succession to the White House, I think we are kind of helpless as far as alternatives go. The only thing that 'might' make a difference is calling our Senators and Congressional leaders and complain like heck. Other than that, we just have wait and get out the vote in two years.
DeleteI am keeping an eye on public forum meetings (Senatorial & Congressional) in my area because I am actually thinking of going and make my voice heard. Living in Kansas makes things tough, being such a conservative state as it is.
Pretty helpless feeling in the meantime.
68Charger: Thank you for your thoughts.We can take out each one in the line of succession. I think we need to take Trump out first and deal with the rest as we can.
DeleteComing soon...
DeleteI've always thought Dick Cheney was the original modern day extremist, and that is putting it mildly.
DeleteWhy does is it seem that people can be so easily led like sheep towards war or economic disaster?
68Charger: The people are marching and speaking up but that is not working. Action needs to be taken to take Trump down. Legal action is the only way, I believe.
DeleteNatasha: I think we ought to be a little more patient. Let's see if these raucus town hall meetings get more traction. Plus, I think this 'Russian meeting/business dealings' issue may start to sink him.
DeleteThe masses need to get more riled up, too. If the ACA gets closer to being repealed, people will start to get off their rears and demand change.
I think we give him a little more rope... if you know what I mean!
68Charger: Time will tell, I guess. Just feel despair about all this.
DeleteJust stay strong and keep fighting for what you believe in! Hopefully he will burn out quickly!
DeleteYes,hopefully, this nightmare will end soon.
Delete“The procrastination support group meeting has been postponed.”
DeleteThis nightmare is not going to end for many years to come no matter what course we take. We as a people have thrown away that possibility. And one more thing: Hope is not a solution, but the enemy. Action is what is necessary.
DeleteYes. It's the DON of a new era!
DeleteA very strong argument could be made that Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are even more dangerous than Trump. However it might be more effective to consider them a triad.
DeleteAll I can say is that I am looking forward to tomorrow night's "Saturday Night Live" show!
DeleteSNL will not run out of material, that is for sure.
DeleteUnfortunately, as much fun as SNL can be, it doesn't seem to ever have any positive effect on political issues.
DeleteBAD NEWS, NO SNL THIS WEEK
DeleteI figured it was on since it was a no-show last week. I guess the Academy Awards play in to this.
Natasha & SDB: Glad you two are on-board!
The WH just keeps adding fuel to the fire, don't they!!
SDB - I used to think that SNL had no effect but with Trump in charge, people are paying attention. People I talk to think of Melissa McCarthy now whenever Sean Spicer's name is mentioned. I think people do get inspired some, when they see Alec Baldwin making fun of Trump. Besides, it's all we have...
All one has to do re: SNL is look back at history and it is evident SNL had no real effect. People watch it because it is sometimes very funny, but this is no joking matter. People thought Hitler was a joke at first too, but look what that got them. SNL is certainly not "all we have." We have the streets. We have the ability to strike. We have the ability to make phone calls and write letters. We have newspapers we can read and stop thinking we are getting the news from TV. We can attend political lectures and read political books. We can demand automatic voter registration and then vote after doing intelligent research first. We can stop skipping elections other than the major ones if we are already voters. We can do much more.
DeleteThe problem of course, is that too many people didn't do all that. Unfortunately, people have to be motivated to get involved.
DeleteI'm wondering if the masses are finally getting the wake up call to get off their keisters and vote (and wisely, like you say). As an example, finally people are showing up at town hall meetings to express their outrage regarding the possible loss of the ACA. Another example, Missouri just became a right to work state and I wonder if that wilI come back to haunt the voters when their next union contracts come up? I am encouraged to see the different women's marches that have been and are being organized. I just hope people are realizing that inaction leads them to ruin, time will tell.
Trump didn't win with a majority of the voters, just a majority of the electoral college. While that was the one that mattered he still governs from a minority. That's why the next mid-term elections are so important and any way to get people motivated to vote is so important. If SNL can help do that in any way, so much the better.
SDB and 68Charger: I think you two should have your own radio program and people could call in for discussion. It is important to take all Trump and his dictatorial behavior very seriously as SDB stated. Yet,I think, as 68 said, at least people are paying attention due in some part to SNL. I have friends who also say that Trump et al are not a laughing matter and SNL is not appropriate for the deplorable level of behavior exhibited by Trump. I cannot see a way out of the Trump dictatorship. I think Obama should speak up and trash Trump. Yet he says nothing. Bill Clinton says nothing. Bernie is trying his best but not effective. The college where I teach nursing is not going to share student loan information so that is good. However, immigrant students are afraid to apply for the loans and funds. Lots of money available. Applications are way down.
DeleteThank you both for your thoughts.
Natasha: Thank you for your insight! SDB: Thanks for your opinions, too!
DeleteStill can't believe we're stuck with DT for four years, hopefully four, max! (Maybe he'll be run out of town sooner!!)
I would caution you to not expect any real help from our elected reps. I am referring to Democrats who are in National office. They are not the answer to our problems because most of them only care about getting reelected. There are only two or three true Democrats in office any more. Both of the Clintons and Obama are not true Democrats, but minions for the big money boys on Wall Street and the like. Don't expect anything from them. It is all up to us collectively now, as it really always has been. Our problems don't begin with Trump; they have been building for a long time now, and it will only get much, much worse. Still the masses have not caught on to the the fraud and lies. There are some hopeful signs, but hope is not the answer. We mush make it happen.
DeleteSDB: I agree with you assessment. The question is how to get the masses to understand all that you delineate. How do we organize?
DeleteI don't really know. I have been trying all my adult life with minimal results. It will never work unless people care enough to get involved. Most of my life I have been having this internal debate with myself over the question of whether people as a species are intelligent or stupid. I am no longer having this debate.
DeleteIt must boil down to the educational system.Students are not trained how to function politically. I tell all my students to be politically involved no matter what they are majoring in. I was taught about that in nursing school but it was only from one professor.
DeleteNowadays most of the younger set spend their free time nursing a cold beer.
DeleteHaHa
DeleteSeriously though, even if we are fortunate enough to witness his assassination, we forget there is the line of succession. He's got a lot of people there to follow him in the event that should happen, and they're just as bad(if not worse, like Steve Bannon). I'm just saying, anyone wants to kill him they'll have to take out the whole cabinet. Why are we discussing this here anyway? Won't we get in trouble if anyone reads this? I'm not suggesting anything, of course. I certainly don't want to get in trouble on this blog again!
ReplyDeleteI am impressed with your assessment. I have not forgotten his line of succession, but have been pointing out to others how hopeless this all seems. I don't have the answers, but do believe we must try and do something to stop this travesty, and that we may succeed, but I do know if we do nothing we are doomed.
DeleteTrump needs to be removed. It is just that simple.
DeleteWhile Trump is an absolute deplorable, it is Trumpism that needs to be eliminated. His rise was not in a vacuum, but he has uniquely focused attitudes and frustrations to his own advantage, as does any salesman (person if you wish, but men have a longer history of taking advantage).
DeleteKPFA had an excellent interview today with George Lakoff about the epistemology of Trump. The part on the family is very telling.
History shows that a movement based on hatred will usually lose in a democracy. I can think of 3 analogous situations:
1) McCarthyism in the early 1950's. Ultimately it became so buffoonish that it collapsed on its own, and while many individual lives were ruined the damage was relatively small. I think this is the best we could hope for.
2) Fascism/ Nazism/ Empire: The analogy most people make to Twitler, of course the forces didn't die until their nations were utterly ruined. Ultimately Japan and Germany, the two most belligerent nations, are now two of the most peaceful. I guess people can change. Let's hope it doesn't come to this, they didn't have nukes.
3) Racism: The over the top racism of George Wallace and Bull Connor mostly died by the 1970's, at least from public discourse. But it has lingered and morphed and continues with more subtly crafted messages.
I fear this is where Trumpism will go. The powerful .01% love the evisceration of government and the Commons, as well as the destruction of the worker class that Trumpism represents. And while many super-elites probably aren't personally thrilled with the xenophobic , homophobic and misogynist aspects, they recognize it's good for keeping the rabble roused.
Ultimately the left needs to foster its power (Dem's won the popular vote in 6 of the last 7 elections) into a well crafted message. That will defeat Trumpism.
Let's hope there's a fun trial too! I want to see that smirk behind bars.
It's even simpler than that.
DeleteHe will be.
We will bury you.
We are the grasses.
Trump is like the white stuff that commonly appeared on dog poop until dogs stopped eating calcium.
DeleteWhen did dogs stop eating calcium?
DeleteUniversally?
Inquiring minds couldn't care less.
ECO - Very well put! I'd sure like to see him in jail but that could give him a martyr complex.
DeleteI'd like to see him lose face by mass resignations on the part of his Cabinet or positions held by members of the Republican Party.
He hates being made fun of or losing face and that would do it.
68C - I mostly agree, but I'd rather see him lose face by mass opposition from a large majority of the people in this country, who finally realize that his ideas benefit the few at the expense of the many. AND then made fun of and put in prison.
DeleteHis cabinet and the GOP will stay with him so long as he serves their purposes, and ultimately they are more dangerous than the blustering billionaire. And if he goes they will carry on with another torchbearer set on burning democracy.
I find it fascinating how so many citizens willingly promote venal, despotic, narcissistic, traitorous villains to the highest positions of power over our lives when it should be so obvious they are not at all interested in us as human beings.
DeleteMeanwhile, back in puzzleville, here's a musical clue: Cake
ReplyDeleteI have a answer, but one of the words may be ancient (or so modern I don't recognize it). In Wikipedia, when you click on it, it jumps to a French word that is entirely different.
ReplyDeleteConferred with 2 women who both claim the word that struck me as archaic is . . . "pretty commonly used."
DeleteWere you an American girl growing up in the 70's, you would likely know this word.
DeleteOr a female athlete
DeleteThe puzzle at this link is okay (listy) but does not live up to its headline. https://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/the-most-infuriating-geography-quiz-youll-ever-take?utm_term=.dwYjjK3vXX#.vj2MMnE3aa
ReplyDeleteI got all 20 just by thinking and not using lists or maps, etc., but two of them took me a bit.
Deletesdb, try the UK one that is linked to it. 15 questions and killer.
DeleteI took a look, but it is clearly not a puzzle for those outside the UK. However I did try to answer two of the questions and got them both right. Bath is a 4 letter city and Liverpool and Blackpool both have double letters. The quiz would not accept Blackpool however!!!!!!
DeleteBlackpool is a borough, not a city.
DeleteBlackpool City Center Map and Hotels in Blackpool City ...
Deletewww.agoda.com › Home › World
Blackpool City Center Hotels and Map. All areas map in Blackpool United Kingdom, location of Shopping Center, Railway, Hospital and more.
sdb, sigh. Parma, Ohio, Lynn Massachusetts, Livonia, Michigan and Allegehny, Pennsylvania also purport to be "cities." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool
DeleteOn 1 April 1998, however, Blackpool was made a unitary authority and re-formed as an autonomous local government unit. It remains part of Lancashire for ceremonial purposes, however.
I am not saying you are technically wrong. I had not heard that before you posted. I am just saying they seem to be considering themselves to be a city. They refer to themselves in their advertising as a city. I am descended from relatives who were from Blackpool and considered it a city. Several sites mention it as a "town." What is the difference between a town and a city? I don't really know. I think for the purposes of the geography quiz that it would qualify as a city. If an "autonomous local government" with a fairly large population cannot be considered to be a city, I think that is ridiculous.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHurt him; hurt him!
ReplyDeleteHurt who?
Hurt the sane, rational one!
I'm the sane, rational one! I'm alright!
Then hurt him! HURT HIM!
That's some catch, that Catch-45.
DeleteThere, there.
DeleteI remember a similar picture back in the RKO Keith days
ReplyDeleteProbably a dumb question, but I must ask...
ReplyDeleteI am on vacation In Mexico and am trying to submit my answer to NPR. I keep getting an error message, talking about the date has expired....
Huh? It's only Wednesday.
Has anyone else had problens sending an answer in from out of country?
SZ,
ReplyDeleteGo to the settings on your device. Check the clock. Perhaps you're too close to a ship for the data plan. Airplane mode and other protections can mess things up.
I'll be down there Saturday, and perhaps I can look at it. :)
Thanx ZC. Never got it to work. Oh well. Will try for my pin again next week.
DeleteSHIFT -> SHIRT -> SKIRT -> SKORT
ReplyDelete> It's going to be hard to avoid giving away the answers.
I.e., skirt.
> I don't think ALT is the right key here.
No, but SHIFT is.
> 7491
It's a TTL shift register.
> I've also got a 5-letter clue, all consonants, that I think would be a give-away.
PRNDL
SKORT (portmanteau of skirt & shorts)
ReplyDeleteSKIRT
SHIRT
SHIFT (a woman's loose fitting dress or undergarment)
Yes, the “right key” is the
↑SHIFT key, the “capital letters” clue: a little too obvious!
“Brew whose name is an article of apparel when read backward”>>>STROHS>>>SHORTS. [My hint: close to “skort(s)” & “shirt(s)”]
Eco's four animals:
GOOSE
MOOSE
MOUSE
LOUSE
Cranberry (& Mendo Jim): You could have used the “surefire website” you requested last week where you would see both “skort” & “skirt.” From there you'd easily make the leap to “shirt” and finally “shift.”
Interesting that Stroh's was in the news this week.
DeleteThat is the saddest story! Can't we all get together and pool our resources to help that poor family? I bet they were all pro union Democrats too.
DeleteI wrote, "I'd rather go for hiking than do this puzzle." I hoped that the clumsy construction would call attention to FORHIK, the variable letters in the answer SKORT / SKIRT / SHIRT / SHIFT. ---Rob
ReplyDeleteSHIFT SHIRT SKIRT SKORT
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “I think women will generally have an easier time with this puzzle than men.” As in shift, skirt and skort.
SHIFT - SHIRT - SKIRT – SKORT
ReplyDeleteMy Hints: Arrow Key hints at Arrow men’s shirts. Off the cuff hints at a shirt cuff.
I have heard of escorts, but never heard of a skort.
SKIRT/SKORT/SHORT/SHIRT/SHIFT
ReplyDelete"Short skirt/Long jacket" is a song by the group Cake.
Most athletic "skirts" worn by females are secretly "skorts" providing modesty and extra coverage.
SHIFT SHIRT SKIRT SKORT
ReplyDelete"Cool!" referred to culottes, another similar name for the skort.
"I see Susie, I see David." did, indeed, refer to Romper Room. The skort has been rebranded as a "romper skort." Skore! ;-)
Skort? Snort!
ReplyDeleteWilly does have his wardrobe woes.
ZZZZZ
DeleteSnore
Snort, etc.
Shift shirt skirt skort
ReplyDeleteRKO Keith, RKO are the replacements.
Starting with capitals-need to use 'shift'
SKORT, SKIRT, SHIRT, SHIFT
ReplyDeleteMy mom says she's worn each one of them at one time or another.
WHIRT?
ReplyDeleteWHIRT?
ReplyDeleteRoRo, Oprah Winfrey will be the speaker at Smith College's graduation so you may see her at your reunion in May. . .
ReplyDeleteAnd be sure to let us know if she gives you a new car.
DeleteI will check under my seat. I had the op to hear her speak at Goucher College graduation in 1981 (I think). She showed off some acting skills as she quoted historical figures.
DeleteAre you Smith alum's working on getting your alma mater to formally apologize for their treatment of Newton Arvin, Ned Spofford and Joel Dorius?
Deleteeco, let me get through the March 11th SAT prep class with this group of stressed juniors, then I'll see what I can do about getting in touch with Kathleen McCartney, Smith's president, about apologies. She has been very responsive to every e-mail sent and phone call made to her so far. {Dr. McCartney, on occasion, reads Partial Ellipsis of the Sun.}
Deletewww.smith.edu/newsoffice/releases/01-085.html
DeleteNot sure it's an "apology", exactly.
I'd seen they set up the scholarship, etc., which are good things to do.
DeleteBut why is it so hard for them to say they're sorry? It's mostly symbolic; this happened over 50 years ago, I suspect none of the decision makers at the time are still around. Unfortunately neither are any of the men who were fired.
Hard to imagine any opposition from students, faculty or staff. Oh well.
Www.thechirt.com
ReplyDeleteAh, keep your chert on. . .
DeleteThat's really depressing. I can see Dilbert's pointy-haired boss handing those out in lieu of raises.
DeleteFred Flintstone would be proud.
DeleteThat's chirt, WW. Chert means something else in your world, no?
ReplyDeleteHadn't heard of shift. I found a shoe brand, Skora, but glad I didn't submit that.
ReplyDeleteWe offer ten puzzles on Puzzleria! this week, just freshly uploaded:
ReplyDeleteSix associated with the Oscars,
Three Riff/Rip-Offs associated with "the Will," and
One associated with lackeys of the Donald.
Click on "Joseph Young's Puzzleria!" on Blaine's PUZZLE LINK, at the top right of this wonderful puzzle playground of a blog.
TheLego
Comparison of cultures:
ReplyDelete“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith,” Mr. Trudeau wrote on Twitter. “Diversity is our strength.”
************************************************
Throughout the essay published last year, Anton argues that immigration inevitably hurts the U.S. Here’s one passage:
[One] source of Trump’s appeal is his willingness — eagerness — gleefulness! — to mock the ridiculous lies we’ve been incessantly force-fed for the past 15 years (at least) and tell the truth. “Diversity” is not “our strength”; it’s a source of weakness, tension and disunion. America is not a “nation of immigrants”; we are originally a nation of settlers, who later chose to admit immigrants, and later still not to, and who may justly open or close our doors solely at our own discretion, without deference to forced pieties. Immigration today is not “good for the economy”; it undercuts American wages, costs Americans jobs, and reduces Americans’ standard of living. Islam is not a “religion of peace”; it’s a militant faith that exalts conversion by the sword and inspires thousands to acts of terror — and millions more to support and sympathize with terror.
I'm beginning to get the feeling I'm in the wrong Petri dish.
I mean, it's cold over there, but it's getting warmer all the time (if you catch my drift); and there's plenty of open space ...
DeleteThursday night over beers a friend from Toronto confirmed the RCMP is watching for immigrants trying to cross the border. They are given blankets, warm liquids, put into a warm car and taken to a shelter or hospital, depending on need, and then allowed to begin the immigration process.
DeleteFunny thing, the first "settlers" in this continent were from Asia, second wave was mostly Spanish.
As to the value of new immigrants, I noticed all 3 finalists in the Jeopardy College Championship seem to be of Asian descent. And a variety of ethnicities are represented in the quarter- and semi-finals. You see the same thing with the Scripps Spelling Bee.
They're taking away Ammurrican prize money!!!
The Democratic National Committee has just shot itself in the foot again by electing an old political hack as chairman instead of the up and coming young meat-eating Pete Buttigieg. Same old, same old and where has that gotten us?
ReplyDeleteThey better know what they are doing! Losing sure gets old!!
DeleteBetter get used to it. Doing the same old things that quit working are never the solution. We need radical change, not more old hacks padding their upcoming retirement.
DeleteNext week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Mark Maravetz of Albuquerque, N.M. Take five consecutive letters of the alphabet. Write them in left-to-right order. Insert five letters at certain spots. These will all go between the first and last given letters. The result will be a famous actor — first and last names. Who is it?
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle has an odd twist to it, but it's still rather tasty.
ReplyDeleteYou must try, or hate yourself for not trying.
ReplyDeletehttp://bestforpuzzles.com/lists/test.pl?cat2=actors&length=10&pos1=&pos2=&pos3=&pos4=&pos5=&pos6=&pos7=&pos8=&pos9=&pos10=&pos11=&pos12=&pos13=&pos14=&pos15= might help
ReplyDelete