Sunday, February 11, 2018

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 11, 2018): Put Your Back Into It

Sunday Puzzle (Feb 11, 2018): Put Your Back Into It:
Q: Name part of the human body in six letters. Add an R and rearrange the result to name a part of the body in seven letters. What are they?
I went through three ENTIRE lists until I figured out the answer.

Edit: The first *3* letters of ENTIRE are ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat)
A: Tonsil and Nostril

179 comments:

  1. 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.

    You 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blaine, an extra "s" has crept into your Nostril(s) answer above.

      Delete
    2. Oh, Word Woman, just hold your nose!

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. LOL! If you say so, and I have made the TMI mistake before. I am removing my remark, but I really fail to see any giveaway in it. More Thursday.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rob. I deleted it. Sometimes describing the method in acute detail narrows it down too much.

      BTW, I think this answer is more fun than the other, likely expected, answer. Great Unexpectations!

      Delete
  5. LOL! Now your remark is deleted, too! What to do, what to do?

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  6. THROAT +R only yields THARTOR, a village in central Albania and RETINA +R just yields a lot of TERRAIN, but I do have the answer...

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  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. Taking the R out of SCROTUM leaves CUSTOM, so that can't be it...I do have the actual answer, BTW. Ever notice THYROID can be rearranged to spell DIRTY HO?(Excuse my being slightly risque on a Sunday morning, but these just came to me. It's hard thinking of a good, but not too good clue for the right answers. Especially since I just woke up.)

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  9. Replies
    1. Was working backwards from 7-letter body parts containing the letter “R”. Had already discarded bladder and sternum, when the picture of a nose at the top of this blog reminded me of nostril. Working back to tonsil was easy after that. Because of the picture, the eye has it (the answer).

      Delete
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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    2. Aw, c'mon. They are both tmi clues.

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    3. Oy vey, this group.

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  11. Couldn't solve it working forward, but much easier working backwards.

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  12. WW - Regarding my earlier post: No disagreement. Just my attempt to suggest a tacky clue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lorenzo, still scratching my head at your tacky clue?

      Delete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. Don't think I want to meet those people. People without the seven letter body part would be very disconcerting, and noticeable.

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    2. I think that clue is misleading.

      Delete
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  15. That BALDED part is in need of a BLADDER.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And if we allow insect body parts, we have CHAETA, bristles found on certain worms, and TRACHEA, found on most humans...

      Delete
  16. Using one of the proliferating services for such, this took a couple of minutes to solve, more than it was worth.

    In my view, last week's subjective "challenge" left the Putzlemaster open to several criticisms.
    The most serious of these is his failure to admit, let alone discuss, the validity of other answers based on regional differences.
    He even has a claimed 1000 submissions with such data, i.e. which pronunciations of which words came from where.
    This has happened before.
    I'd say he made an unintentional admission today: he may be the best boggler in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Agree with Mendo Jim. In addition, context provides the pronunciation of the vowel sound in "what." When you can't hear what someone says, the "ah" in "What?" is different from the unstressed "uh" (what Will calls a short u, but I call a schwa) in " I don't know what you're saying."

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  18. I bet there were fewer correct answers from the Northeastern US to the what was puzzle.

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  19. Replies
    1. A vague hint. When I came up with tonsil, nostril, I immediately thought of the similar sounding Cosa Nostra. Now I can't keep the two separate in my head.

      Plus, if you don't pay on time, your tonsils might get removed through your nostrils.

      Delete
  20. So easy, a child could . . .

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  21. Across the nation members of the Society To Repudiate Anagram Puzzles will hold a candlelight vigil to protest this puzzle.

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  22. Agreed.

    At the very least, not mentioning 'A' as an alternative word was a big oversight. It's common and it sounds like a schwa quite often. "Puzzy Wuzzy Was Uh Bear. . ."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought we had put to rest that a schwa is not the same as a short u.

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    2. Ron: The difference between schwa and short u relates to whether the u is stressed or not. Lots of references online about this.

      Delete
    3. An unstressed "a" is a schwa (É™) sound. This is not the same sound as "uh" stressed or unstressed. It is a short u (Å­) sound as in "cut" "rough" "flood" "son," etc.

      Delete
    4. I think most people would say what and cut rhyme; the distinction falls on deaf ears.

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    5. Yes. They are both short Å­'s. Those who want to make even Will's example words of short Å­ FUN & LUCK into schwas do not understand Will's use of the short Å­ sound.

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    6. Just when I was starting to feel some schwa de vivre!

      Delete
  23. Quoting a friend from a different forum:

    stomuc ----------> scrotum
    I'll spell how I wanna spell!

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  24. The answer reminds me of a Naked Scientist show I heard recently, and also what happened to a son of mine when he was little. --Margaret G.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tonsil and nostril - my clues had to do with nostril - a recent NS show talked about nose bleeds sometimes being caused by young children picking their noses/nostrils. And one of my sons had a nosebleed once that caused blood to come out of his eyes as well - freaked my DH out! --Margaret G.

      Delete
  25. Blaine sure knows how to find pictures to post with his clues. I hope I'm not mistaking one of those pics for different body parts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny things happen when you spell balustrade with two L's.

      Delete
    2. eco, throwing shade at this post, I see.

      Delete
    3. More like a shaft of light.

      It is the Westminster Bridge. Famous nearby erections include Big Ben, Broad Sanctuary, Great Peter Street, and Waterloo Station, handy for the many piers on rainy days.

      I wonder what middle school will be like?

      Delete
  26. In a dictionary far, far away a new movie franchise begins: Schwa Wərs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chuck, love it! Starring Lexicon Luthor? (I know, I know).

      Delete
  27. I have the intended answer, but there’s a second perfectly good answer if you accept plurals.

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    Replies
    1. I have found that also. It is not just adding an "s" to the end of the word.

      Am pretty sure that it is not an intended answer to the puzzle

      Delete
    2. Ok, well, we keep going here, I guess. {Sorry, Rob, I thought this was Will's original intended answer.}

      "Name part (not a part) of the human body in six letters." If Will doesn't mention this alternative, I will truly, truly be annoyed.

      Delete
    3. Ummmmm... does this mean that my original hint as posted is not TMI? And I can put it up again?

      Delete
    4. I don't think I see the "part" "a part" distinction, but Willy better watch out if WW gets truly, truly annoyed.

      Delete
    5. Rob, it still seems to walk one right to the alternate answer. For me, that was the fun of it. But, that cat is slowly coming out of the bag, I suppose.

      I also originally thought your second sentence referred to that alternate answer also. That also seemed too clear a path.

      Anyway, it's up to you and Blaine. I would not want you to be truly, truly annoyed.

      Delete
    6. Darn right about that, Mendo Jim!

      Delete
    7. I think I may have sent in the answer with the plural this morning. I couldn't find anything else that worked. I also was going to say Lego had a similar puzzle with my answers on Puzzleria! a while ago, and you'd have to find it yourself. I don't normally check the P! archives for past editions.

      Delete
    8. Word Woman: I am never truly, truly annoyed at the shenanigans here - this is a place of fun. I will repost, with modifications.

      Delete
    9. I agree, Rob. Fun only here. Looking forward to your post.

      Delete
    10. I don't think the Putzmaster is going to give it to you WW. Femora are parts not part of the body.
      Unless you Google it, then you get some hokey skin cream.
      I'll keep my annoyed-o-meter turned to high-res and pointed at Colorado.

      Delete
    11. We'll see on Sunday, MJ. But, thanks for the high resolution pointing toward the Centennial State.

      Delete
  28. I'm glad I solved this before I got up and saw all the giveaway clues. No need for another hint.

    Shame on Will Shortz and NPR not to have even mentioned the three other words that equally qualify. They are A, WANT & WANTS, and all of them are in Merriam-Webster, which is the reference dictionary Will Shortz has stated more than once that he uses. Perhaps WS didn't even see all the responses, and some minion simply looked for the two words WS said were the correct answer, and when he came across the other totally correct words he didn't check to see if they also qualified. I guess we will never know the answer.

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    Replies
    1. Those are possible explanations, but to paraphrase an old t-shirt, you may just be mistaking him for someone who gives a s***.

      Delete
    2. Name a word that rhymes with want.

      Delete
    3. I think I'll punt on that one.

      I pronounce aunt, ant.

      Delete
    4. And, I assume, Immanuel Kant, Kunt.

      Delete
  29. Found the answer by working backward from the seven letter term with an "r" in it.

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  30. To reiterate: I say nothing of the possible alternate answer this time, but you can take the six letter word of the answer I think Will is looking for, remove the first letter, rearrange, and get another body part.

    And if anyone tells me this time that this is TMI, I am going to delete my post again! I am warning you! Just see if I don't!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We would not want to Rob you of that double thrill, sir.

      Btw, I think we need a code word for TMI. Tammi? Tommi? {Not Tommy Boy, though.}

      Delete
  31. Now I have the answer! Something in the air told me I'd get it!

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  32. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  33. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    2. Why do I have this sudden need to scream?

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    3. Paul, If you had read the post above, that Blaine removed, you and God would both know.

      Delete
    4. I missed cranberry's Sunday comment. I did read his Tuesday post, but can't recall it verbatim. Something to do with ice cream, I think. My Sunday comment mentioned Starman. I suspect that dummy has nostrils but no tonsils, but I don't know for sure. And I don't think anyone nose (sic) for sure if it'll end up orbiting Mars or just be lost in space. [Here's a puzzle: Think of a naturally occuring space object in 8 letters. Change one letter and rearrange to get a man-made space object.]
      Blaine says he used three lists; I'll admit I used one, but I suppose there are some here who solved it with no list.
      Whatever happened to Sonny Liston?
      Congratulations to Mendo Jim for slipping "annoyed" past Blaine.
      Jsulbyrne's hint cracked me up.

      Delete
  34. With answers in hand, perhaps someone should assign us a new puzzle to work on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IF your post is a clue I've missed it, but since nobody replied to my #3 puzzle last week:

      Bonus Puzzle #3: Think of a well-known phrase, 3 words, 11 letters total. All three words have a short u or schwa sound, but no vowel is used more than once.

      Hint: someone on this blog deserves credit, but I won't say who.

      Delete
    2. Yes it has a clue. And unfortunately I'm done with schwa puzzles!

      Delete
    3. Excellent, sdb, the schwa motto!

      Delete
    4. It stands for, Why Trump Fails.

      Delete
    5. eco, was that ^^^ your intended answer to your bonus puzzle?

      Delete
    6. Yes, WTF was the intended answer.

      (Non-Mendo) Jim posted "WTF? Short "u"?" and deserves credit, especially if he intended to hint that all 3 words have a short "u" sound. Or something close, I don't want to start another schwabble.

      Delete
  35. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  36. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  37. Is it in honor of Pyeongchang that there are so many entrants in the "removed by a blog administrator" Olympics this week?

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    1. I don't know about that, but the comment which took me from totally at sea (to borrow a metaphor from the folks at the Wall Street Journal meta-puzzle blog) immediately to the correct answer is still posted in the 75 or so above!

      Delete
  38. Replies
    1. And now a man with a tape recorder up his nose
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0gzQS4w1sc

      Delete
  39. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  40. The same specialist would treat both body parts.

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  41. I awoke this morning to the NPR news and Trump expressing someone's feelings about the school shooting yesterday. You can always tell when he is reading something he had nothing to do with writing. It always sounds as if he never even pre-read it, let alone believes what he is saying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school."

      But it is okay to feel unsafe in a
      church,
      workplace,
      park,
      store,
      concert, or
      ball game.

      Delete
    2. I think you forgot to mention at a Trump rally.

      Delete
    3. I feel unsafe every moment he is not in prison.

      Delete
    4. But, have you turned to our Attorney General for comfort?

      Delete
    5. This morning one of the news networks were showing the many senators & congressmen saying how sad they were that the FL. shooting happened. No word from them, though, as to how they might prevent this in the future. As the politicians were speaking, a graphic was being displayed, showing the millions of $$ they received from the NRA.
      Realistically, nothing will ever change.

      Delete
  42. TONSIL & NOSTRIL

    My Hints: Why should I bother to hint at a puzzle that already so many had spoiled with their Harriet give-away posts?

    ReplyDelete
  43. TONSIL (+ R) → NOSTRIL

    Non-human body part: CHAETA (+ R) → TRACHEA

    If you remove the T from TONSIL, you can gird up your LOINS and find another body part...

    ReplyDelete
  44. FEMORA, FOREARM

    AND

    TONSIL, NOSTRIL

    Femora (the plural of femur, part of the human body) and Forearm (a part of the human body).

    "Stream" refers to ephemeral, which sounds similar to FEMORA(L).

    Tonsil and Nostril, ho hum. The plethora of ice cream and kid in the hospital clues gave that one away.

    "Illinois" refers to Palatine, Illinois. The full medical term for tonsils is PALATINE TONSILS.

    "Very enteresting." refers, of course, to an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, such propriety! It was the ice cream and hospital that you cite as give-aways; for me it was the commenter hoping that his answer would be "picked."

      Shortly after I made my remark, that comment was removed, but I thought it would be indelicate to remove mine.

      Delete
    2. WW: I thought your Illinois reference was shorthand for "ill adenoids"

      Delete
    3. The big give-away was the picture of a nose with large nostrils at the top of the page.

      Delete
    4. I forgot: "truly, truly annoyed" was meant to evoke adenoid.

      And, here is femora defined.

      Delete
  45. tonsil, nostril

    Last Sunday I said, “I have the intended answer, but there’s a second perfectly good answer if you accept plurals.” I’m thinking of femora and forearm.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Tonsil + R = Nostril

    "Across the nasion [sic] ... STRAP will hold a candlelight vigil ...": The nasion is the bone at the bridge of your nose where the two nasal bones join. Candlelight (also STRAP folks were lighting torches at the end of last week): inflammation is common with tonsils. Last week I also wrote "I scream (ice cream) real loud". I hope that was a little subtle.

    "... so many entrants in the "removed by a blog administrator" Olympics this week?": I was going to write "Blaine can make an entire career removing giveaways" but Blaine beat me to that ENT physician reference, and I don't know if Blaine has any IRE in removing bad posts with surgical precision, or even if he RANTS while doing so.

    ReplyDelete
  47. TONSIL, NOSTRIL



    > I'm reminded of a Tolkien creature.



    ENTs (ears, nose & throat docs) deal with both parts.

    ReplyDelete
  48. I thought of nostril immediately but could not think of tonsil and gave up on it. Later I used jumble solver and voila!

    ReplyDelete
  49. We offer seven fresh puzzles on tomorrow's Puzzleria!, including a gem created by cranberry (Patrick J. Berry).
    Here is a sneak peek of a riff-off of the puzzle Will Shortz broadcast this past Sunday:
    Name part of the human body in six letters. Add an R and rearrange the result to name a part of the body in seven letters. The first four letters in each of these body parts can be rearranged to form a vulgar term (the same one in both cases) that is associated with one of the body parts.
    What is the vulgar term and what are the two body parts?


    LegoNotesThatSaintJeromeWroteTheVulgateButUnsaintlyLegomeWroteTheVulgar

    ReplyDelete
  50. Tonsil/Nostril

    As one of those who got "Deleted by the Blog Administrator," this week, I apologize if my quips came too close. The deleted post was, "I waited a while, but now my answer has been sent in. Who knows, this week I may get lucky and have it picked."

    I'd thought the homonym pairs (sent/scent and knows/nose) would pass muster - and my comment about being picked was just my inner 10 year old getting loose.

    Oh well. On to next week...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SuperZee, you were in pretty deep with that clue. . .

      Delete
    2. I'm reminded of a 1959 song by the Coasters.

      Delete
    3. If you inhaled little bits of colorful, shiny plastic, would it then be pick of the glitter?

      Delete
    4. Sure, but if it also tickled it would be a glitch.

      Delete
    5. And falling in lust would be glamorous, until you drank too much and fell on your glass.

      What's your point?

      Delete
  51. TONSIL, NOSTRIL
    For a while, it seemed like the only clue of mine I could get away with was "Something in the air told me I'd get it." Your nostrils do help you detect when something is in the air(though I personally tend to notice more when mine are stopped up than when I can actually smell something). I used the word "blow" in a later post, and that was deemed a much-too-obvious reference to the nose, much like SuperZee's prior comment using "picked". I then mentioned ice cream because the blog administrator had removed my comment. He then removed that one because apparently it's way too obvious when a child has his/her tonsils "removed", they take the child out for ice cream. I was originally going to comment on his use of the word "removed", or the similar phrase "taken out", but I knew that might give it away right there. Luckily I came up with the Three Stooges reference, and they kept that. In case anyone doesn't understand it, once Moe told another Stooge(probably Curly) after he really made him mad, if he ever did it again, "I'll gouge your eyes out! I'll tear your tonsils out!" Charming fellow. Moe probably made more actual use of the others' nostrils, though. Ouch!

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    Replies
    1. In my 5 years here, I've had one clue removed by Blaine. It never occurred to me to think, after it was removed, "Gee, I should post it again!"

      Delete
  52. My clues "....Blaine sure knows....". And "someone should assign us ...."( for a sinus).
    I enjoyed the picking references.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Although obscure, I stopped looking after I came up with, what I think is, a correct answer. VENULE is a small vein, NERVULE is a small nerve.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And an AMPULE is, like, a milliamp. And a CARPOOL is a goldfish.

      Delete
    2. jan - You would know. What is Carpool Tunnel Syndrome?

      Delete
    3. I wasn't looking for a medical textbook. Anyway, not only was Judy Gruen, but so were her kids.

      Delete
    4. I wonder if that Romanian Olympic Gymnast, Nadine Commanche, suffered from Carpool Tunnel Syndrome?

      Delete
    5. I have a neighbor who is a former gymnast, as is his wife who is also from there, and knows Nadia Comaneci. I understand she can be rather difficult.

      Delete
    6. Wow, it's a small world sometimes, that article said she lives in Norman, OK., which isn't that far from here. Who would've thought that would happen in the 70's & 80's?

      Delete
    7. SDB: if difficulty weren't part of her routine she'd have never won all those medals.

      Delete
    8. eco: Keep in mind the two people I heard this from were also competitive gymnasts, and I was using a more polite term than what they used.

      Delete
    9. Do gold medal winners have more brains than bronze?

      Delete
    10. I believe eco was being clever referring to the degree of difficulty of the routines Nadia performed. . .

      Delete
    11. I hope you are right. But I don't see what could be so difficult about hanging around bars as a routine, even if they are in a parallel universe, so to speak.

      Delete
    12. That's a 10, sdb.

      Hanging out with fun and funny high school juniors preparing for the SAT on a beautiful SATurday afternoon--now that's a 10! {3 weeks until D-Day.}

      Delete
    13. Back when I was in the army my drill sergeant was averse to 10. He would frequently yell out, "Ten shun!"

      Delete
    14. Architects always like to hear drill sergeants review house designs, they yell "Ten-hut!"

      I must stress that was a real strain, draw your own conclusions.

      Delete
    15. That one was so corny it yurts!

      Delete
    16. Are you stalking me? That's what I 'ear from the colonel.

      Delete
    17. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    18. Let's not bungalow this, you're making me tents.

      Delete
    19. eco, how were you able get the colonel's ear? And, assuming you got both, were they olfactory made?

      Delete
  54. Next week's challenge: An easy-sounding challenge this week that turns out to be not so easy: Two major U.S. cities, each with two-word names, each have an unusual property: The last two letters of the first word in the name are the same as the last two letters of the second word in the name — like University City, in Missouri, in which both "university" and "city" end in "-ty." But both cities in my answer are much larger. According to the 2010 U.S. census, each city has more than a quarter-million people. What cities are they?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're about 1200 miles apart. I'll bet there are more than 1200 correct answers.

      Delete
    2. That's interesting... my answers are not that distance apart. Guess I'll have to look elsewhere. --Margaret G.

      Delete
    3. Will changed the weekly challenge on air from the one published in the website.

      Delete
    4. For this quiz, I only find one answer that has more than 250,000 population. The next city that satisfies the criteria has between 250K and 200K.

      Delete
  55. 900 correct answers last week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, Lego, for having your puzzle as the weekly challenge!

      Did Will mention FEMORA and FOREARM? Or any alternate answers? Maybe there was a reason I slept through the first puzzle airing.

      Delete
    2. Yes, Will did mention FEMORA and FOREARM, but disallowed them because FEMORA is plural, and the puzzle asked for a body part.

      Delete
    3. Word Woman,
      Will did mention FEMORA and FOREARM, saying that it was a "close call" (or some such language) but not kosher because FEMORA is plural.

      LegoUsingStrongForearmAndFemoralTactics

      Delete
    4. Thanks, jan and Lego. At least they got a mention so that's a non-annoying way to start the day.

      I still think asking for "part of the human body" works for femora and "a part of the human body" works for forearm. The different phrasing in the puzzle seems to provide that leeway. One can say "Legs are part of the human body" but "The forearm is a part of the human body."

      Oh well. On to Lego's new puzzle.

      Delete
  56. Wait! The puzzle read on air is not the one on the website! Anyone got a transcription?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think somebody figured out that there is only one city over 250,000 that works.

      Delete
    2. It's a Joseph Young puzzle; maybe we should ask him.

      Delete
  57. I got my two that qualify with population quickly after others that don't have the population.

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  58. Huh!? I already submitted an answer to the puzzle that was on the website. I guess that means I'm not eligible to submit an answer to the real puzzle this week. Which, my wife tells me, was submitted by our own Legolambda!

    ReplyDelete
  59. I wonder if the puzzle was withdrawn because one of the cities might emphasize a current American problem?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do we still need to tiptoe around the answer, since it seems this is no longer this week's puzzle? Maybe they'll reuse it?

      Delete
    2. Thanks for corroborating my answer, Rob. I'm wondering if the puzzle is meant for *next* week, not this one? --Margaret G.

      Delete
  60. Here it is, gang:
    This week's challenge comes from listener Joseph Young, who conducts the weekly blog Puzzleria. Take the start of the name of a country and the end of that country's capital. Put the parts together, one after the other, and you'll get the last name of a character in a very popular movie. It's a character everyone knows. Who is it?

    LegoToTheRescue!

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    Replies
    1. Playing off another recent puzzle, Lego?

      Delete

For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.

You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.