Q: Name a famous actor — first and last names. The last name is a well-known brand. Drop the last letter of the first name and you'll get the kind of product it's a brand of. Who is it?Are you looking for a clue? Well you won't find it here.
Edit: "These are not the clues you are looking for..." :)
A: ALEC GUINNESS --> GUINNESS + ALE
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 love this puzzle blog. I get some very sophisticated subtle hints and the banter is witty. Thanks for being here.
DeleteI can't complain about this puzzle; I'll bet I have the right answer.
ReplyDeletePaul, you'd have to be intelligent to get it that quickly.
DeleteSometimes I feel like such a dumb ox. Prior to this week, I didn't know the difference between lager and ale. Apparently, it has something to do with top and bottom fermentation. Isn't that charming?! Guinness is best known for stout, but also makes some other varieties of ale, I guess. Stout seems to be a dark ale, but I'm not putting any money on that. I wouldn't know where to find a definitive answer, and I wouldn't want to get involved in a brouhaha, or, worse, a donnybrook, unless I can profit from it. Now, if it were a question involving quantifiable things, like largest audience ever, or something obscure like fastest game bird, there's a reference book for that, the Genius (sic) Book of World Records that's been a standby for me since that smart-aleck classmate introduced me to it in junior high. I'd just look it up and leave the loser to grouse about it. Or plover about it - whatever.
DeleteI refrained from dragging Sigmund Romberg into the discussion, but I appreciated ron's mention of Dolly Parton; I think it's safe to say she'll always love Porter.
I've jotted down a clue, but need to run it through a spell-checker before posting it.
ReplyDeleteI swallowed too many Tide Pods; I'm green with envy for anyone who solved this.
ReplyDeleteGot it.
ReplyDeleteThere may be a record number of correct answers this week.
ReplyDeleteFor those in need of a musical clue, or just some great vocals to listen to, may I suggest some Ella Fitzgerald classics?
ReplyDeleteSuperZee,
DeleteThe 1976 presidential election pitted the Donkey's Jimmy versus the Elephant's Gerald.
LegoWantToKnowWhereINTexasHeCanPurchaseAFordCarter
Ouch
DeleteTOuche!
DeleteLegoJustlyEpeedBySuperZee'sPointWellTaken
Well there is always that well-known actor SOUPY CAMPBELL.
ReplyDeleteSOUPY CAMPBELL.
DeleteAnd of course, there are PARTON DOLLS
Deleteand PITT BRAS
DeleteIt is not wishful thinking that I share a birthday with Judge Judy.
ReplyDeleteI don't appreciate these off "the cuff" references!
ReplyDeleteI have two answers that I _think_ involve brands that are _not_ well known. One is a brand from long ago, no longer current, and one is a brand that is current but not well known. Maybe it is just not well known to _me_! I never buy products in this category.
ReplyDeleteI also came up with two answers now, one with a defunct brand, and one with a brand I'd never heard of. I bet I came up with the same two answers as you.
DeleteMe too....
DeleteI've got an answer but seems ass backwards?
ReplyDeleteThis was obviously going to be pretty easy. The only slowdown was Will's not really knowing the subject.
ReplyDeleteLast week Lulu told us "pretty challenging" with 300 correct responses. Today was a "big hit" with 500.
The PM's book advertising claims: "Millions of faithful fans tune into Weekend Edition Sunday to hear Will Shortz delight his audience with puzzles of infinite variety and lively wordplay. ... "
I believe there were fewer than 300 correct responses last week.
DeleteIt was interesting to finally discover that WS, himself, does not always look at all the responses.
I also believe (and said) that there were many fewer than 300 correct responses last week (world capitals), but that is what Lulu reported.
DeleteMJ:
DeleteYou said above: "Last week Lulu told us "pretty challenging" with 300 correct responses. Today was a "big hit" with 500."
She did not say that. She said "ABOUT 300 correct responses." And today she said "OVER 500." Over means more than; while about seems (obviously) to mean fewer than. I expect you will argue this. Knock yourself out.
Knocking myself out, I think that if Lulu obviously meant "fewer than" when she said "about 300," she might have phrased it as she did the week before when she said "fewer than 300."
DeleteA little more important is that the product Will wants this week constitutes an extremely small percentage of the brand's current and historical output, made famous by another term.
Even more important is posting of a hint of the prohibited kind yesterday by skydiveboy.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI got an answer that works but I never heard of the brand. It may be well-known to certain people?
ReplyDeleteI found the right answer, but, like so many of these puzzles, I take issue with it. The product in question is similar to the product formed by taking the last letter off the first name, but it's not quite the same product. It does serve the same purpose, though.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Curtis. Flawed puzzle. Maybe it's just Will's dark sense of humor.
DeleteI think you are both wrong. The puzzle is correct as stated.
DeleteIf someone here doesn't like Stuart's puzzle, where would he send Portnoy his Complaint?
DeleteTechnically, yes, this company does produce the product as stated. The company is well-known for the similar - but not the same - product. Perhaps the puzzle is correct in certain markets where the puzzle-related product gets distributed. In my home state - and, I suspect, in most states - only the one product shows up in stores, but not the product referenced in the puzzle.
DeleteCurtis, I know what you are saying, but it is not correct. The product you are thinking of is as stated in the puzzle. I will post more about this come Thursday next. In the meantime I suggest you might Google it a bit.
DeleteIt pains me immensely to agree with SDB, but I must. If you look at the company's website they list the product as described in the puzzle.
DeleteIt pains me immensely, eco, to be so painful to you with my postings. I wish you had not caused me so much pain in my feeling your pain. Perhaps we should consider the musings of Thomas Paine, who said, “The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.”
DeleteReading your post is the price I've been payin'.
Deleteeco, I know, I know, but The Price Is Right.
DeleteWere it the older TPIR, "The mind, once enlightened, cannot become Barker."
DeleteThey were indeed Barker times, but we must Carey on.
DeleteSDB, I have actually scoured the company website, and they don't describe their flagship product with the term in question. Other websites - not associated with the company - do refer to that product as falling into the category of the puzzle.
DeleteI have two books on this product and they have indicated that there is no issue with this puzzle, much to my surprise. Maybe it does not say much for my sources.
DeleteCurtis, I understand what you mean. I dismissed it until my husband said, no that's it. If the brand does include the product maybe it's valid.
DeleteBlancmange
ReplyDeleteI am not a big fan of list puzzles, but since I solved this one before getting out of bed, and he is one of my favorite actors, I like this one.
ReplyDeleteI suspect I am the only one here who knows for sure which film the actor is most proud of. I doubt you can research this on the internet. I am almost as certain of this as I am that I am the only one here who watched a movie about a convent of pregnant nuns last night. (No, it was not a comedy.)
Sounds like a nun-conventional movie.
DeleteI assume it was The Innocents? Looks interesting, the lighting and the cinematography are very Vermeer-esque.
Yes, it was well crafted, on the cellular level, I believe. Otherwise it was rather convent-ional.
DeleteIt takes someone special to be a brand. BTW, there’s a second answer that also works but not nearly as well as the intended answer.
ReplyDeleteThis actor shares a certain distinction with a couple of well-known musicians. Did anyone miss my last post at the end of the previous blog? I hate to force these on you again, but here goes:
ReplyDeleteTV clue #1: Jimmy Fallon on SNL
TV clue #2: The Simpsons
This puzzle makes me feel like a panelist on WHAT'S MY LINE? ("Sunday Puzzle Answer, are you best-known for your work on the screen, as opposed to the stage or television?") Because I work in an office with millennials, I'm no longer sure who is considered famous. (No joke -- when Mary Tyler Moore died, half of my coworkers had no idea who she was.) I did come up with an answer, but I'm not sure that it's THE answer. Some of the posts here indicate that it is, while others lead me to think that it isn't.
ReplyDeletePhilly Cinephile, are your co-workers Crisco-pole-climbers? Or are you?
DeleteWW: I think that's just a splinter group.
Deletesdb, wooden ya know it?
DeleteYou bet your Ash you wood.
DeleteThere's an actress answer that's twice as good, as least as far as the product is concerned.
ReplyDeleteI named my son after this actor. Y'all don't know me, so that doesn't help. My son could not be described using the name of one of the company's signature products.
ReplyDeleteBut is he smart?
DeleteI assume he's of above-average intelligence.
DeleteHe is a smart man, and a bit of ladykiller.
DeleteI guess that's right from the horse's mouth, if you'll pardon the expression.
DeleteWrite on!
DeleteGasp, a blatant hint from our favorite hall monitor.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSure, Neal l*t Verb, as long as you mention Blaine's when they call you ;-).
DeleteOh sorry I deleted my post because I thought mentioning that something here gave it away may have been too much of hint.
DeleteThe cat's outta the bag, the horse has left the barn, the fish has jumped over the dam this week. . . (in many places). No worries, NltV.
DeleteBut did anything collide with the fan?
DeleteSadly, it was a lightning bug. She was delighted. . .
DeleteAnd the room was debugged.
DeleteNorth and eastern Scotland was depicted in the 11th Century.
Many an alcoholic has been delivered.
And all geldings have been desired.
You left out gibs.
DeleteThe sad fellow was cheered up and defunked {Speaking of defunct brands.}
DeleteAt Reveille the campers were debunked.
DeleteAfter the kitchen fire the homeowners were deranged.
The clumsy Winter Olympian was deluged.
And the poor student was degraded.
Was the secretary defiled?
DeleteWas the druggie debased?
DeleteWas the naughty priest defrocked?
Was the crazy housewife deranged?
DeleteWas the mean teacher's assistant detested?
DeleteWas the keeper of the castle gate demoated?
DeleteWas the hot air balloon operator deflated?
DeleteWas the shy butcher revealed?
DeleteIn the 1960's the highways were finally designed.
DeleteAnd my derangement was better than yours. Nyeah!
Hey! No switching from de-
Deleteto re- without warning.
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
De Niro.
De Niro who?
De Niro I get to you, the happier I am!
(Present jokestream excepted.)
Did the shy lawyer retort?
DeleteDid the deceased model repose?
DeleteDid the sunken battleship reMaine?
DeleteThe traveling group was detoured after their leader was disappointed.
DeleteWinning my court case fighting the speeding ticket was a defining moment.
The FAKE POSTURING PRESIDENT will be deposed.
How did the rebuked laminator reply?
DeleteWhy did Les Schwab retire?
DeleteWhy did the electrician revolt?
Delete"I was delayed"?
DeleteThe lizard's escape was fully detailed.
Why did the billboard painter resign?
DeleteDid the driver with a flat tire despair?
DeleteDid an impotent Trump delay?
DeleteDid the fired barber depart?
DeleteThanks to their hairdresser The Beatles departed. DANG, you beat me to it.
DeleteAfter the oil spill the coast was demurred.
It would take a lot of counseling to demean Trump.
The rude diner was appropriately deserved.
Don't try to debug the Beatles.
DeleteTo repeat, Venus de Milo was disarmed.
DeleteI am disinclined to go up that ramp.
The minor at the bar was discarded
The dead maestro was decomposing and denoted.
Maybe we can dismember the NRA?
Kris Kobach has devoted minorities.
Stormy Daniels said the President was debriefed.
The broken appliance suffered from discord.
DeleteThe theory was deposited.
Is it right to decry a baby?
The mummy was decrypted.
The bride was dismissed.
Rosa Parks derided Montgomery busses.
The fraudulent land sale distracted many investors.
The surgeon made the decision to finish up the operation.
DeleteI failed to mention above that news of the maestro's death was disconcerting
DeleteA landslide might disgorge a ravine.
Poor Regan, the child in "The Exorcist", was dispossessed.
Lady Spencer was dispelled.
The stingy nobleman was discounted.
No longer worshiped, the pagan god was distributed.
No longer mighty, Sampson was distressed.
The clothes presser's business is decreasing.
Say, anyone here been to Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah? Perhaps more than once ;-).
DeleteIs it on or off the beaten path?
DeleteDon't evaluate a park by it's entrance.
DeleteI wonder if the horse died after wandering off because it was unstable?
DeleteI guess I'll stay on the beaten path.
It may have died due to chapping.
DeleteMany horses, much thirst, sadly. But it is a magnificent place, off the beaten path (see photos).
DeleteWhy are we letting all that land go to waste? Couldn't we house all the homeless there?
DeleteAnd, sdb, as to chapping, "Animals and vegetation have adapted to extremely arid high chaparral environment. Even the plants are nocturnal.
DeleteA chap here and a chap there. . .
Even the Boeing airplane plants are nocturnal.
DeleteOr dump our industrial and nuclear waste there? The canyons have already been dug.
DeleteWW: I visited the Utah state park website, though ot as good a name as Smashed In Head Buffalo Jump. Maybe when it's a bit warmer....
Yeah, I agree with that. They already use the Grand Canyon to dump used vehicle tires.
DeleteI have been there in January under a full moon. Magical to have the place to ourselves (and the cold is not too bad in Jan-Feb due to the high chaparral environment; springtime gets too busy with spring breaks.)
DeleteAnd, eco, I agree about the name. . .
DeleteThis week may set a world record for correct answers.
ReplyDeleteI can find lots of people named Carl Lincoln, and a few named Carl Mercury, and even a Carl Ford, but none of them seem to have been actors.
ReplyDeleteSZ, you could be on track:
DeleteWilliam Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616. All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
SDB, Does that mean you find me entertaining? Would you still find me so if I’d included Karl Benz in my list of non-actor, not the answer, candidates?
DeleteKarl Benz is my hero! Even though his life's work was a startup business.
DeleteBonus Puzzle: Name an occupation, and the field of work that occupation is most associated with. Remove one letter from the occupation, and you will get the first and last name of a famous actor.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a Christopher Plumber anyway?
DeleteI have the answer. Am I allowed to post it?
DeleteGive others a chance, but you can hint or otherwise offer clues that show you know it.
DeleteOK. I'll post Thursday.
DeleteEh this puzzle wasn’t that great. I want more of a challenge next week, please.
ReplyDeleteSuccessful Brands rely on great statisticians!
ReplyDeleteAre you referring to a student?
DeleteWWE 1/22/2018
ReplyDeleteI've got the well-known brand and its product, but the product itself is not normally associated with the brand, though it does exist.
ReplyDeleteWill is FORCING me into a corner here.
The whisper is louder than the shout. . .
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn the immortal words of Julius Caesar: "I came; I saw; I concurred."
DeleteP.S. I may, or may not, be posting honestly above.
TMI, Ralph.
DeleteRelative musical hint: “Mighty Lak a Rose”.
ReplyDeleteIf you solved this quickly, good for you!
ReplyDeleteDon’t lose hope! With a little luck you’ll find what you’re looking for.
DeleteUsually, I am lucky to solve the puzzle and I am often unable to come up with a hint. In this case, I have nine hints for the one puzzle.
ReplyDeleteTonight, "The Paint Drying" channel will be having a marathon from 8-10 pm, CST.
ReplyDeleteI've got everything I need!
DeleteThat's a good one!!
DeleteI'm waiting with baited breath!
ReplyDeleteWith no response from anyone, including sdb, I have to assume that I was mistaken about his posting a too revealing clue.
ReplyDeleteHe must have included the name of one of the actor's movies without realizing it.
Is the little bubble popping noise from Wall Street today going to get louder after the Speech?
You just can't seem to help yourself.
DeleteBeats the dickens out of me how he does it.
DeleteMJ, I was up in your area yesterday, good to see all that birdsh*t on the eastern mountains.
"Beats the dickens out of me how he does it."
DeleteI hate it when there is a post I don't understand, especially in reply to one of mine.
Did I just hear Trump ask for his impeachment?
ReplyDeleteStormy Daniels extended an open hand too.
DeleteI've never been so moved. But I wasn't able to move fast enough to get to the vomit bag in time.
DeleteI turned the channel to watch & could only take 30 seconds or so. He seemed so insincere and evil.
DeleteHe must have been up all last night and today writing that speech. So many tweets he could have posted. Why didn't he tell us he had the best words?
DeleteHe didn't say anything about how both he and Stormy Daniels will bring discipline to the White House.
DeleteJoe Kennedy spoke well, but it was too bad he had that distracting glare around his mouth. Had it been Trump I would be making jokes.
DeleteI bet we'll get the skinny on that when he's out of office...
DeleteForbes Magazine may beat that to the punch.
DeleteBTW Forbes + 2 E's = sore beef.
DeleteHe just seems to be made of teflon.
DeleteEverything just bounces right off of him, it's almost scary.
DeleteThe article said: "...I am pretty certain adultery is not condoned..." But I say it is condomed.
DeleteHa!!
DeleteI thought in his case he went unprotected. I didn't read the whole article though.
On second thought, maybe I should have said "latex" instead of teflon.
DeletePoor Stormy Daniels. When she first got into it, she encountered The Great Barrier Brief.
DeleteI believe the French refer to it as The Great Derrière Brief.
DeleteSdb: i wondered what that glare was.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEco - Looking forward to seeing some of your pictures of the lunar eclipse. Here's one one that I took near the start of it.
ReplyDeleteEcho: whete did you take that picture. I did not see the moon. Should have gone to Chabot space center like my friends.
ReplyDeleteCorrection..where
DeleteNatasha,
DeleteYou might have been looking at 68Charger's photo, since you asked before I uploaded anything. I'm guessing his was in Kansas, maybe with less light pollution. Mine were at the Berkeley Marina, too many lights, and too short of a lens.
People said Lawrence Hall and Chabot were packed and hard to get into. But that's a good thing.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteEco: I was referring to your pictures. Looked good to me. But 68s was amazing. Thank you for the information about Chabot. Glad I did not go there. It is so close to me and I felt guilty not going. Btw, do you might giving me that person's name again regarding the deck construction? I have to get it fixed asap. I lost the info you gave me. So sorry. It is ok if you do not have time. Merci.
DeleteThanks, Natasha!
DeleteThanks, Natasha!
DeleteNatasha,
DeleteI have almost as many contractors as DJT has accusers. I'm pretty sure I suggested Yvonne Kettles, SHE Construction, https://www.yelp.com/biz/she-custom-building-and-renovations-oakland
Thank you so much, eco. I appreciate so much. That was the person.
DeleteExcellent 68C. You must have a pretty long lens, at least 600 mm?
ReplyDeleteI only have a 70-300 telephoto, I forgot to bring my tripod, so I'm not as sharp as I should be....
And being Berkeley, there were people out there at 5 am playing with bubbles. Too cold for tie dye T-shirts.
I like the bubble image, eco. Moon shots are everywhere, but bubbles? They really make the image pop. . .
ReplyDeleteEco: Darn, I was hoping conditions would have been more favorable! Here's another one that I took. I was lucky that I went to check early, because the schedule that one of our local TV stations posted, was off by about a half an hour.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that the eclipse for the Kansas City area was as big as it was. I bet it was over 90 percent coverage before it sank below the clouds.
68C >>> very cool.
DeleteThanks, WW! Those are always fun to see!!
Delete68C: too bad you had clouds. Our conditions were fine even with the bright lights of the little city, only my abilities were lacking.
DeleteEco: That's a pretty good picture, especially for not having a tripod!!
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised at how much coverage there was by this eclipse. The way everyone talked, I figured maybe 50-70%.
Anyway, good picture!!
Then you might, like DJT, like this bubble.
ReplyDeleteAnd the lunatics making them. I really should read the manual about taking night photos.
My posts keep vanishing!!!!
ReplyDeleteEco: Those are great pictures. I think the full eclipse one is very good, especially without a tripod! I've got a Canon SX50, that I still have not completely figured out. The lens says it goes up to 1200 in one place, but the face of it says 215mm. It also says it's a 50x zoom. So, I'm not sure what it is. I still am not satisfied with it's manual exposure mode. It just won't focus that one extra bit for astronomical shots, especially for times like this.
Anyway, I did like that picture and I hope this post stays posted!!
eco, I think you are doing great things without the manual.
ReplyDeleteI will never see a total solar eclipse, but I have seen many lunar ones.
ReplyDeleteLast night's was especially nice since it was easily visible from a comfortable chair in my warm living room.
Good pics all!
If your ability to predict is like mine, don't count out total solar eclipses yet. When I was young I was certain of two things: Pete Rose would be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the United States would always be the most powerful country.
DeleteTHIS IS MUST LISTENING
ReplyDeleteOn FRESH AIR this evening:
Journalist Details Israel's 'Secret History' Of Targeted Assassinations
by Dave Davies
It is 37:19 minutes, with the last 8 minutes being the most revealing re: Trump.
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. -(George Orwell)
DeleteActor: Alec Guinness; Product: Ale.
ReplyDeleteMy comment that the actor, in one of his most famous roles, and the product are cloaked in darkness referred Obi Wan Kenobe’s dark robes and Guinness Stout being a dark ale. Similarly, my reference to an Ella Fitzgerald classic referred to her recording of, Cry Me a River, and was a play on the movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness.
Alec Guinness – C = Guinness Ale
ReplyDeleteMy Hints:
“I suspect I am the only one here who knows for sure which film the actor is most proud of.” Tunes Of Glory is his favorite movie.
“But is he smart?” As a smart alec.
“I guess that's right from the horse's mouth, if you'll pardon the expression.” The Horse’s Mouth is one of his best films.
Beers fall under two categories: Ale & Lager.
Ales are top, warm fermented. Lagers are bottom, cold fermented. Stout is in the Ale category. Guinness Stout is not a lager, but is ale. The puzzle is completely correct as stated, although too easy to solve.
Click on this link for a comprehensive explanation: It may require you to click on the first line, not the lower line to open.
What is the difference between a lager and an ale? | Popular Science
https://www.popsci.com/ science/...01/beersci-what- difference-between-lager-and- ale
ALEC GUINNESS, ALE
ReplyDelete"Blancmange" refers to isinglass, the collagen procured from fish bladder used in some beer and in the French dessert, aka "white or sick pudding." In 2016, GUINNESS stopped using isinglass to brew beer to make it appealing to vegans.
"Paul, you'd have to be intelligent to get it that quickly." >>> You'd have to be a smart ALEC.
My more likely answer was ALEC BALDWIN, as I found that Baldwin is a company that manufactures ale, but I don't know how well-known the brand is; it was unknown to me. Of course the better answer is with that other Alec; I like his films and why that lightbulb didn't go off for me I do not know. The other brand I found was also unknown; there was a car manufacturer Grant early in the last century, which would be derived from CARY GRANT.
ReplyDeleteALEC GUINNESS (-C) =
ReplyDeleteGUINNESS + ALE
Guinness is most commonly associated with a STOUT, but the company does produce a “Guinness Generous Ale” and a “Guinness Rye Pale Ale.”
Eco's Bonus Puzzle:
Occupation: JUDGE.
Field of work: LAW.
Drop the G in Judge to yield the actor: JUDE LAW.
Again: Stout is an ale.
DeleteAgreed.
DeleteI so wanted to clue "This puzzle will fix what ails you." But, I dared not.
Alec Guinness, ale
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “It takes someone special to be a brand.” Alec Guinness portrayed Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. The second answer I mentioned is Alec Baldwin. Baldwin is a brand of India Pale Ale. See https://untappd.com/b/microbrasserie-coaticook-baldwin-india-pale-ale/495304.
Oh, I very nearly forgot:
ReplyDelete"The Grant Motor Co was a United States automobile manufacturing company which produced automobiles from 1913 to 1922."
ALEC GUINNESS -> GUINNESS, ALE
ReplyDeleteApproaching the 200 comment mark. Remember to hit “load more”.
Back in the late 1980's I was contacted by the Guinness Book of World Records. I decided I did not want to be associated with that ridiculous book.
ReplyDeleteMy clue was world record correct answers, as in Guinness World Record.
ReplyDelete