Lickin' chickenQ: Think of a familiar phrase in the form "I ___ you," in which a four-letter word goes in the blank. Rearrange those letters and you'll get another familiar phrase in the form "I ___ you." Both phrases get more than half a million hits in a Google search. What phrases are these?
Edit: "I read you lickin' chicken" -- military radio slang for "loud and clear."
A: I DARE YOU (~542,000 results), I READ YOU (~577,000 results)
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.
Our dear Will has given us an easy one this week. Or at least I got it quickly, and confirmed the over half million hits for both my answers. I wonder if there are alternatives? ---Rob
ReplyDeleteOh deer!
DeleteI hear you and I hare you...
DeleteI herd that!
DeleteI mean you; I name you, Amen! Oh Hare!
DeleteI spot you. I stop you. I post you. I pots you. I tops you. I opts you?
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ReplyDeleteBoth of my words are more than one part of speech and both phrases get over a half million hits, too.
ReplyDeleteWhat site do you use to check for the frequency of usage---just trying but to learn something new. Not a hint!
ReplyDeleteSearch on the phrase in Google.
DeleteYou may need to request the desktop google site if you are on a mobile device.
DeletePut the phrase inside double quotes.
ReplyDelete10-4 Good buddy!
ReplyDeleteAside from the obvious answer, I have a fun one each for Tweety and Hanibal Lecter.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle should go garner several thousand responses.
Darn, Hannibal.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just need to get up off my dead backside and respond in a timely manner after 3pm on Thursday.
ReplyDeletezeke needs some help
There is another combination, each gets over 400,000 hits on Google. The three words are usually the start of a phrase, not a phrase by themselves.
ReplyDeleteAnother one has a over 27,000,000 hits for one word, but only 190,000 or so for the other. Similarly, they are only loosely complete phrases.
Since this puzzle is pretty easy, here's a riddle:
ReplyDeleteName two ways Trump supporters are like Archimedes?
Does it have anything to do with Archimede's screw?
DeleteClose. My answer:
Delete1) they're in for a long soaking, and
2) they may discover how the screw works.
Clark Gable
ReplyDeleteWe had this one last week: change the k to an o in the first name and rearrange, then add an s to the last name = Coral Gables.
DeleteTruthfully not much of a challenge this week.
ReplyDeleteOne or more dogs.
ReplyDeleteHave "I told you" lately, that "I dolt you?" No?
ReplyDeleteI felt you. I left you.
ReplyDeleteI bore you? I robe you!
Sounds like the world's second-shortest novel.
DeleteShoot, I should've added:
Delete"I feel you", "I flee you!"
I nawk you. = 152,000,000 results.
ReplyDeleteI wank you. = 80,900,000 results.
Actually:
Delete"I nawk you" = 0 results
"I wank you" = 8,970 results
"I nawk you" now has 1 result. SDB's 0.42 seconds of fame.
DeleteI ran it again and got the same results. Maybe this is because when I Google lately it automatically switches to Bing, and I cannot make it stop doing this.
DeleteI vole you = 1,090,000 results when I run it.
DeleteAs stated above, you need to put the phrase in quotes. "i vole you" = 605 results
Delete"I vote you" / "I veto you" got millions of hits. Anyone who says otherwise is fake news. Sad!
DeleteI just now listened to Will Shortz present the puzzle again and he said nothing about putting it in quotation marks.
DeleteOkay, I just now ran it: "I vole you" in quotes as you suggest and it comes up for me with 919,000 results.
DeleteAlright, try this link:
DeleteI vole you
jan, "I kafe you" got me 7,340,000 results.
DeleteGreat puzzle, huh?
11thplace: I just did, again as you suggest, and Google flashes, but then it switches to Bing (ugh!) and I got 919,000 results.
DeleteSounds like your browser or browser settings need to be fixed. Do you know any 5th graders?
DeleteAre you kidding? I spent the best years of my life in fifth grade.
DeleteI have done everything to change the settings, but it will not stop.
Depending on what you use for web browsing, you may have a set up that automatically defaults to (useless) Bing for searches. I notice Bing doesn't take "__" seriously.
DeleteSDB: I'm guessing you use (equally useless) Internet Explorer for your searches, which of course wants to line Bill Gates' pockets with more search results from Bing. You might be able to change the default search engine by clicking on the little triangle next to the magnifying glass in the search box at the top. Not sure, I haven't used IE for decades. Mozilla (and Duckduckgo) are the way to go.
SDB: You've been talking a lot of smack about DT. Maybe he noticed.
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DeleteI have been using Mozilla Firefox for a long time too and the little mermaid, I mean triangle and lots of other stuff, but no joy here.
DeleteI am glad to learn about triangle. For months I put up with yahoo being search engine on firefox and could not get rid of it.
DeleteI tried changing to DDG and now that is working, but it doesn't show the number of hits. When I switch back to Google it switches to Bing, so I went back to DDG and will settle for that for now.
DeleteVery disc concerting, I gather. I had that problem with Bing once and do not recall how I got rid of it. As bad as getting rid of DT, I guess.
DeleteBREAKING NEWS!
ReplyDeleteTrue to his word, Donald Trump has now turned over evidence of inappropriate government surveillance of his Trump Tower in New York. However, it turns out to be nothing more than a jar containing a few bed bugs.
No such thing as a few bed bugs.
DeleteThey are all nit wits, anyway.
DeleteLousy joke.
DeleteJust "pillow talk".
DeleteYes, Natasha, but a comforter just the same.
DeleteI didn't know my joke would become a four-poster.
jan, I agree with you that it is a lousy joke, but jarring just the same.
DeleteAm I missing something, there's all kinds of answers??!!
ReplyDeleteIncluding in your post too.
DeleteThis could be the answer.....
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteporcupine
ReplyDeleteWW, Are you needling us again?
DeleteNot the sort of puzzle I need to be dealing with while I'm here at the condo in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. It's hard enough trying to figure out the cable system here. They've obviously changed it since the last time I stayed here.
ReplyDeleteClark Gable says to Viola - I used you.
ReplyDeleteViola says to Clark - I sued you.
"I made you mead, dame," said the brewer?
ReplyDelete"I lame you with a male meal," said the French cook?
DeleteI reap you, then I pare you, but I don't rape you, I just eat you, my pear.
DeleteAnyone know what David & Goliath have in common with German wines?
ReplyDeleteDas vine slinger hitten on das riese kranium, ja?
ReplyDeleteNein, but you are closer than you may think.
DeleteAnswer: David had to Riesling.
Dankeschön! Jawohl, I had to do some research to get that close!! Good brain teaser!
DeleteThanks, I made it up at a wine tasting this afternoon where a Riesling was one of the wines we tried.
DeleteGoliath was such a brut, and afterwards he couldn't get merlot.
DeleteYes, he was a Barbera, and because he couldn't get a Cab he had to stay and there was no Persan to help Sauvignon. Some say he had rocks in his head. On the other hand he would never let his wife, Monastrell.
DeleteHey SDB, what you do is something that, for most of us, applies to this puzzle...
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realized that. Interesting observation, but I actually never apply that method.
DeleteNOT MUCH OF A CLUE UNTIL YOU KNOW THE ANSWER:
DeleteIn contrast, Trumpy recently claimed to exercise this liberty, but this was a painfully apparent "alternative fact": he ____s to ____ .
I'm one of those folks who wouldn't jump out of a perfectly good airplane, even on a dare. I'd rather read.
DeleteBen Franklin in Paris
ReplyDeleteIt was daring of Ben to set sail for Europe in 1776 as a traitor to the British Crown.
DeleteIn Paris he was a foreigner.
He's credited with inventing bifocals, which help with reading (so they say).
I double dare you to find fault with my hint!
The pair of phrases which may have resulted in a comment mentioning a sandwich will probably be rejected.
ReplyDeleteThe choice of outcomes for a stud bull: mate or meat.
ReplyDeleteNo stun and nuts option?
DeleteI think you're giving him a bum steer.
DeleteOn a cattle drive, steering is a group effort regardless of the brand.
DeleteI think you're loin, sir, and you don't know what's at steak. And don't even think you can outflank me with a shank you might chuck, there's no rib eye can't withstand.
DeleteThems is fightin' words! I'll meat you in the porterhouse and we'll settle this.
DeleteBetter braise yourself; I can't punch like Ali, but I'm a fajita.
DeleteDon't let your meatloaf. Sear ya then.
DeleteI think this whole puzzle is bull. Another four-letter word applies, but decency prevents me from including it here.
ReplyDeletePlease, let's not descend into decency!
DeleteMoove along little doggie!
DeleteDame Vera Lynn turned 100 today. Her photo was projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover all week.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dame-vera-lynn-gets-birthday-10064230
Great post! listening now.
Delete"This was her finest hour!"
DeleteHer daughter says fan letters still arrive from all over the world, sometimes simply addressed to "Vera Lynn, UK".
DeleteShould I be so bold as to send her a bd card at that address?
The end of March, the beginning of April signals the start of the painting season at the Cliffs of Dover . The crews have been picked and the training has begun.
Delete68Charger,
DeleteThank you for posting re: this important story that is not getting the attention in the media it deserves. I remember sailing past the White Cliffs of Dover, on the troop ship, Simon Buckner, in mid-February 1964, and there was still one of the black swastikas remaining from the war when German commandos would sometimes come ashore from U-boats and paint these huge symbols high up on the cliffs. It was somewhat faded after 20 years, but you could still see it. Disgusting!
SDB - I was reading about the Simon Buckner on the web and that ship had some interesting history over the years. From the pictures, it looked like a pretty good sized ship and it sailed both the Pacific & Atlantic oceans during war & peace times.
DeleteIt was originally the USS Admiral E. W. Eberle, then renamed after Lt. General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. who was the highest ranking U.S. officer killed in combat during WWII, which happened June 18, 1945 at Okinawa.
DeleteThe ship was 608 feet 11 inches in length with twin 18 foot diameter screws. My crossing was nine days from New York to Bremerhaven, Germany with the last night spent tied up at the dock at Southampton, England. It was the worst crossing in eleven years with three severe storms lasting from the second day out until reaching the English Channel. Just last week I put in a request for a copy of the captain's ship log for that voyage and hope to receive it soon.
sdb: USNS William O. Darby was a nearly identical ship to the Buckner, built a year later in Alameda, CA.
DeleteI shipped on the Darby in July, 1966 for a one month 12000 + mile voyage to Vietnam.
The Darby and the Buckner together transported elements of the 1st Cavalry Division a year earlier.
Sad to say, the Buckner was scrapped in 1999, the Darby in 2006.
MJ,
DeleteYes, I knew about the sister ship, and the Buckner soon went on the Viet Nam run, after my crossing, with troops to fight the American War there.
You were heading over on the Darby as I was flying back home the following month. A much better trip for sure, but I am glad now I went over on the Buckner because of the extreme storms we experiences and my getting washed overboard. A very interesting story, and that is why I am requesting the ship's logs for that crossing.
I'm kind of looking forward to the restoration progress of
DeletePT 305, down in New Orleans. I believe it had some "sea trials" on Lake Pontchartrain a week or so ago and it's three 1500 hp engines were supposed to sound pretty awesome.
I'm not sure what their plans for it are, but too bad they couldn't somehow sail it up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers someday, I'd like to see it!
Washed overboard!?
DeleteThat would be a story worth hearing.
Was leaving the vehicle prematurely perhaps a precursor to skydiving?
It is too long a story to post here. I have written it up in draft form for the memoir I have been working on having to do with my three years in the army. It had nothing at all to do with my getting into skydiving or anything else that I know of. I first had the very strong idea to make one jump someday when I was about 7 or 8. That is another interesting story.
DeleteHappy spring!
ReplyDeletePredictive text changes vernal to verbal. I rather like verbal equinox. . .
You probably expect me to Spring on that with another pun. But I'm not going to Fall for it!
Deletejan,
DeleteThank you for your Summary decision.
I'm still awaiting verbal equinox. . .Is that when every person uses the same word count per day?
DeleteNo, you silly person. A verbal equinox is similar to a mule. It's what you get when you mate a horse with a bullock, and it talks like Mr. Ed.
DeleteSee the "Speciality of the House" (Bronxy Zoo puzzle) for further insight into vernal equnoxi.
DeleteLegoEqinoxymoronic
Isn't verbal equinox when things go in one ear and out the other.
DeleteI want to mention something that you might notice in the future.
ReplyDeleteI use a 3-year-old Toshiba laptop running Windows 8.1. My browser is Mozilla Firefox. For some unknown reason, starting about a month or so ago, it has been unable to sync with any of the national time servers. I have scoured the Microsoft Knowledge Base and the WWW as a whole to find an answer that works. To no avail. The best I can do for now is to manually set the computer time against my watch. It’s close, but not right on the hickey.
Like a number of others here, I enjoy logging on Thursdays right at 3PM eastern and posting my answer to the week’s puzzle. But until and unless I find a solution to this problem, it’s going to be “around” 3PM but not necessarily “exactly” at 3PM. I hope you understand that I’m not trying to nefariously skip ahead or lag behind everyone else. It’s just the way things are for now.
Computers – ya gotta love ‘em.
According to a Google search (sorry WW!) Windows 8.1 has some problems with clock synching. It is not a Mozilla issue, it has to do with settings within Windows.
DeleteLook at https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-update/windows-81-time-not-in-sync/9ddebf64-46ca-4717-9ed8-bf0c153ae10d. I'm staying with my Windows 7 for as long as I can....
eco -
DeleteThanks for the suggestion but no luck. If anyone else has an idea, let 'er rip.
Hasn't "Il Deuche" Trumpito Tweettolini come out with any kind of statement regarding the London shooting earlier today yet?
ReplyDeleteNY Times reported guy with knife was middle aged, and there was a photo of the police pointing guns at a guy on the ground. Could only see a little skin, but it looked very white. Maybe Twitler has learned not to tweet the cause when he knows nothing.
DeleteThat would be a first.
If his handlers were smart, they'd take away his Twitter 'privileges' ASAP!
DeleteI think you're looking for smart in all the wrong places.
DeleteYou are so right about that!!
ReplyDelete"I dare you" & "I read you"
ReplyDeleteMy hint: "Clark Gable" His quote from Gone With the Wind: "Frankly, my DEAR, I don't give a damn."
DARE, READ
ReplyDelete> Not much of a challenge.
Dare
dare, read
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “Both of my words are more than one part of speech and both phrases get over a half million hits, too.” Not a big clue, but could help confirm if you’re on the right track.
I wrote, "Our dear Will has given us an easy one this week." Anagrams of DEAR are the answers. ---Rob
ReplyDelete"One or more dogs". 1. Dare = goad => a dog. 2. "Double-dog" dare.
ReplyDeleteget off my dead backside, dead rear, anagrams to read dare
ReplyDeleteI READ YOU(Roger). Google hits (3/19): 603,000.
ReplyDeleteI DARE YOU. Google hits (3/19): 533,000.
I felt you - +/- 453,000 hits
DeleteI left you - +/- 435,000 hits
I mean you - +/- 36,400,000 hits
I name you - +/- 189,000 hits
Too easy to clue, but I did change my pic to Carnac the Magnificent "reading" the envelope. Quotes mean it didn't mean it, right?
How did I miss that? Must have been too busy this week. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI didn't write down the numbers last Sunday but, I saw also that:
ReplyDeleteI sued you
I used you
had more than 500K hits on Google.
My clue - "truthfully..." - was referring to truth or dare.
ReplyDeleteHeadline right now, in The Failing New York Times:
ReplyDelete"Pass Health Bill or Obamacare Stays, Trump Tells the G.O.P."
What does this remind you of?
What a classic scene and so applicable, good analogy!
DeleteI still can't get over Pat Robert's, (R)Kansas senator, joke about the need for mammograms. He sure had to retract it PDQ!
DeleteDare;Read
ReplyDelete"10-4 good buddy" refers to "yes,I understand" or "I read you". I have just recently discovered how CB talk is like an entire slang and coded language. It's pretty cool.
A message to 45:
ReplyDelete-.. .- .-. .
- ---
.-. . .- -..
-.. .- .-. .
Delete- ---
.. -- .--. . .- -.-. ....
-.-- . ... !
DeleteDid you ever explain your porcupine comment?
DeleteAh, yes. Be porcupine and planet , back when I thought "I dare you" and "I name you" (Echthroi) was good enough.
DeleteNow that the Republicans couldn't kill our health care they can finally get on to more important things such as killing our health care.
ReplyDeleteand killing our health.
DeleteNext week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Mike Shteyman of Odenton, Md. — who also created the playoff puzzle at this year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Name two things found in a kitchen — one starting with G, the other starting with K. If you have the right ones, you can rearrange the letters to name two other things, one of them found in the kitchen starting with F, the other one probably found elsewhere in the house starting with K. What things are these?
ReplyDeleteOne of my words is a brand name.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJan - I think we have the same answer. Another of the items gives me the chills
DeleteOne of the things is related to last week's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThank you, jan and Lorenzo. This one had the potential to drive me nuts for days.
ReplyDeleteR2D2 would fit in with one of these items.
ReplyDeleteThis one is a piece of cake. I see an additional connection between the f word and one of last week's inserted words. (By the f word, I'm referring to this week's answer, not a better known f word)
ReplyDelete