Don't forget to turn in your answer by Thursday at 3pm ET.Q: Take the name of a famous film director. Drop the first letter of this person's first name and you'll name a fish. Read the last name backward and you'll name another fish. What film director is it?
Edit: The hint was turn which combines to make turnpike.
A: SPIKE LEE --> PIKE, EEL
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.
Remove a letter from the name of first fish and you get something traditionally served (in a particular time and place) with the second fish.
ReplyDeleteA lot of unused clues in this weeks on air puzzle:
ReplyDeleteOn-air challenge: Every answer today is the name of a major-league baseball team. You tell me what they are from their anagrams.
Example: SCARY – C —> (Tampa Bay) Rays
3. DRESS – S
5. AGAINST – A
6. ADVERBS – D
7. COSTARS – C
8. RESTING – N
9. SEALING – I
10. STOCKIER – T
12. WIRETAPS – W
13. EARRINGS – I
Please don't post the answers till later in the week so everyone has a chance to solve.
Will asked, but didn't use, adverbs, resting, and stockier.
DeleteI like Baseball and found this more than a bit challenging.
Delete...and the answers are.
Delete3. DRESS – S > Reds
5. AGAINST – A > Giants
6. ADVERBS – D > Braves
7. COSTARS – C > Astros
8. RESTING – N > Tigers
9. SEALING – I > Angels
10. STOCKIER – T > Rockies
12. WIRETAPS – W > Pirates
13. EARRINGS – I > Rangers
No celebration for this easy puzzle. They should train the interns on puzzle difficulty.
ReplyDeleteWe've seen today's puzzle here before.
ReplyDeleteBonus puzzle: The director in the answer shares a first name with another director who made a movie involving some scary critters. The director in the answer also shares a last name with another director who made a movie involving a furry critter. What are these movies?
ReplyDeleteAnswer to this weeks puzzle is Spike Lee. The director who shared a first name with Spike Lee is Spike Jonze who made the movie with scarry critters, Where the Wild Things Are. The director who shares a last name is Ang Lee who made a movie about a furry critter, Life of Pi.
DeleteLet's see, five minutes to solve, ten minutes to come up with a clue.
ReplyDeleteBTW, only 300 correct answers this week. Surprisingly(?), none of the solid alternatives noted here were mentioned (!).
Easy puzzles allow me to go back to sleep. Forgive the pun, but...I hooked it.
ReplyDeletePlenty of time to watch Saturday Night Live reruns, missed last night. What's that about?
ReplyDeleteI've eaten both kinds of fish, but Seattle is where it was best served.
ReplyDeleteOne of the fish is also a weapon.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was going to be difficult after I read the question, but I got it in about a minute. I might come up with a hint later, but back to bed for now.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Dan Ezekiel for his fine puzzle this week, and to Will Shortz for choosing it. I typed my answer for the director, and then both fish, into Blaine's search engine and nothing came up. Congratulations to Dan.
ReplyDeleteI learned recently that WS does much editing of the clues in his NYT crossword puzzles that appear 365 days a year; sometimes as many as 90% of the clues the constructor submits are rewritten! That takes time. He makes personal appearances; he publishes books of puzzles galore; he does the NPR Sunday gig; he plays table tennis when he has time. Will Shortz's sheer output of puzzledom is proof, to me anyway, that he does not coast. I respect that.
I also respect the diversity of opinion of all posters on this blog (and I respect Blaine, for giving us this platform). I know some of us have criticized Will and his NPR Sunday puzzle for being repetitious, too easy, not allowing for alternative answers, too anagram-heavy, etc. I know WS only through my puzzle-submission email correspondence, but I get the distinct impression that he is a really decent person. That's my opinion, but it is somewhat informed.
I thank all Blainesvillians, who over the past 4 years have been very respectful of my feelings regarding my Puzzleria! blog. Any criticisms have always been constructive. It is obviously not every Blainevillian's cup of tea. I do it for the fun of it, and for the small following of folks who post on it or lurk.
If Will Shortz stopped feeding us a weekly NPR puzzle, my life would be a bit less sunny. I believe others here might agree with that sentiment.
LegoSomewhatSeriousForAChange
Lego
DeleteI was amused by the timing of your preemptive strike on behalf of the Puzzlemaster.
You obviously recognized how many serious mistakes he made with this challenge and went about pooh-poohing them before the criticisms even started.
I think he must appreciate your efforts, but I am afraid they are not what he really needs.
So, Lego, how WAS the live WS show???? Assume that is where you learned the above info?
ReplyDeleteFor once, I knew the answer to this within about ten seconds. That usually happens to SDB et al, but not me, so I am tickled. [That's not a clue, which I am terrible making up, just a statement of fact.]
ViolinTeddy,
DeleteThe "Evening with Will Shortz" was very entertaining.
Will began with a brief history of crossword puzzles, did a Q&A with the audience, and ended with an NPR on-air-puzzle-style audience participation competition in which the house was split into two teams. It was excellent.
There is at least one of these "evenings with Will Shortz" on youtube. That might give you a flavor of the info, fun and games.
LegoWhoSawWillShortzLiveAtTheFitzgeraldTheaterInSt.PaulApril18
Whale I Hake to be Koi, I've Haddock with this Carp. I Wanda if the Pedro Almodovar Sole Smelt Barfish.
ReplyDeleteI understand the police are still searching for the shooter at the waffle house. They are looking for a man who may be without clothes and appear to be battered.
ReplyDeleteApparently it was done syruptitiously.
DeleteMrs. Butterworth may be a witness, unless she waffles.
DeleteIHOP they catch him soon.
DeleteShe was closest to the girdle, I mean griddle!
DeleteCut the flap, Jack, and be glad you weren't there, it would have scared the crepe out of you.
DeleteLet's hope he doesn't kill or injera nother person.
I guess they haven't caught him yet because there were no tips.
DeleteIf they can’t catch him, they need to get out of the biz, quick.
DeleteKE, do you mean “knead” to get out of the business? ;-)
DeleteAll they have to go on are the bare facts.
DeleteSome kind of citation or cash award ought to go to that guy who wrestled the gun away from the gunman. He said he doesn't want anything but that still took courage. I know it was probably a "do or die" thing but it is still amazing.
He ought to get something...and it better not be a lousy t-shirt!
DeleteI hope they catch the shooter and he gets the exposure he deserves.
DeleteNRA is upset about James Shaw Jr, they say this proves black people want to take away white people's guns.
DeleteMeanwhile, your t-shirt comment reminded me of this. Page 2 is why I'm not in the t-shirt business.
It's risky; you could lose your shirt.
DeleteDo you think he shot up the joint because he was offended by the NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE sign?
DeleteHe misunderstood the sign that said "Fresh buns served daily".
DeleteGood thing he didn't have a service revolver.
Will Shortz may be a decent guy, but, start to finish, this was one of his worst efforts ever.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he asked Ruth if she would be comfortable with anagrammed baseball teams.
For those who have already solved this week's NPR puzzle:
ReplyDeleteI realize some of you have also already solved Puzzleria!'s Two Week Creative Challenge. It read:
What very unusual property do the following questions share?
1. What helps undo eskimos' overcoats?
2. Why outlaw antigun statutes?
3. Who prepares ingestibles, sushi, miso?
4. When do fittest hearts expire?
5. Who overtaxed America's hierarchy?
I am now posting the answers here so that those who may want to compose their own questions that possess the same curious and unusual property may do so:
Answer:
Each question "answers itself."
The questions are answered by embedded words formed from the ending letters and beginning letters of successive pairs of words. For example:
1. WhaT HElpS UN/DO ESkimoS' Overcoats? = The sun does so.
Other answers:
2. WhY OUtlaW ANTiGUN Statutes? You want guns.
3. wHO PrepareS INGestiBLES, SusHI, Miso? Hop Sing, bless him!
4. WhEN D/O FittesT HEartS EXpire? End of the sex.
5. WHO OVERtaxeD AMeriCAS' HIERarchy? Hoover, dam cashier.
Having fun composing questions that answer themselves!
Thanks.
Lego...
Agreed. It's like Lego's Uber Jeopardy where both the questions AND the answers are given. Do you think Alex Trebek and company would go for it?
DeleteI posted my poor example last week over there.
DeleteAlas, someone went heretical. (Lass new there)
CaN One with my limited abilities fathom a puzzle such as this?
DeleteMaY ESTER DaY EScape?
Delete(YES, TERD*, YES!)
*Alternative spelling of TURD
Soooo hard to do, Lego.
Is disMAY BEneficial?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks to all for giving these a shot. Please keep trying if you are so inclined.
DeleteI composed these five curious questions via sheer elbow grease... a tough slog! (As I read #4 again, it could be improved to read: "When do frailest hearts expire?") There are some I didn't post that are longer in word-length but also much farther-fetched. I found that trying to make these things up in bed at night was a better soporific than sheep counting.
leGOLambDAMNemosynEMUSe!
The police expect the nude man to be armed and legged.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWould you believe once again they used what I thought was my own original idea?! I also think I might have sent it in, too! Or at least mentioned it to Lego on Puzzleria! WTF?
ReplyDeleteBB—Please keep in mind that some of us on this blog live in Seattle and may not understand your post as they may not have been as fortunate as I have been to travel to other locations.
Deletesdb, your comment made me smile. . .under our bluebird skies.
DeleteBB—Thank you for a very thoughtful and measured response. Have you thought about going into politics?
DeleteThose morons in Seattle never look up at the sky, they'd get rain in their eyes. Besides, they have to keep both eyes fixed on their coffee cups because their hands shake so much from caffeine induced jitters.
DeleteIs that thoughtful and measured?
For you it is.
DeleteBonus Puzzle: Take the full name of a famous film director. Drop the first letter of this person's first name and you'll name a medical condition.
ReplyDeleteAbout as easy as this week's "challenge", but I don't think it's a repeat.
Hmmmm!! Did not know that was a thing. Similar condition is much more well known.
Deleteeco,
DeleteYou have a lot of **** to post such a bonus puzzle!
LegoCelticFan
I have an answer that seems correct, by all indications.
DeleteI didn't know this condition existed until I found it in Duckduckgo.
DeleteIt seems the hardness matters. It gave me goose bumps on duckduckgo, eco.
DeleteNicholas Ray and Ken Loach.
ReplyDeleteI categorize this weeks entry as an interesting quirky fact, not a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteStrout Yghuor is one of central Asia's finest filmmakers. Glad to see him get some recognition.
ReplyDeletejsulbyrne, I wonder why "Slimehead" never really caught on.
DeleteDo you suppose 45's Secret Service code name is Orange Roughy and/or Slimehead?
I understand it to be: Teeny-Weeny.
Delete45's Secret Service code name is Mogul, presumably after the large white lumps on a ski slope.
DeleteOr it may be Two Scoops.
DeleteI might have gone with Nabob.
Delete....and here I thought it was the famous Israeli director Abream Koons.
DeleteOr his brilliant protege, Ashad Anut.
DeleteYou may be inclined to think of directors of feature films, but don't forget documentarians. Chalibut Aducarrab's series on east African piracy was gripping.
DeleteOn a scale of 1 - 10, this was a 0. Why, because we were watching a movie by our favorite director, who happens to share the same last name with the director in the puzzle, last night. Today's puzzle took less than half a minute to solve. Now, I'm off to eat a slice...
ReplyDeleteOf course, my favorite director of all time has got to be Egar Nifynips. Or possibly Scod Nilram. Remember him? Then again, there was also Chake Tobrut...
ReplyDeleteI always thought there was something a bit fishy about Marlin Perkins, and it turns out this was Mutual in Omaha.
DeleteWild kingdom, ain't it?
DeleteYep, You can't hide your lionize.
DeleteVery sick today. Fun reading posts.
ReplyDeleteNatasha, You do not, repeat, do not, have our permission to be sick. Now, get back to play.
DeleteSdb:Better today, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI was ready to send my congratulations card to the royal family but when it came to addressing the envelope, I didn't know their full names. All indications point to the need of having to get a bigger card just so their names will fit. Oh well, I'll just catch them the next time!
ReplyDeleteSuck up!
DeleteI just wanted to advise them against picking "Donald John" as first names!!
DeleteRIP Mini-Me(Verne Troyer)
ReplyDeleteI think most of us would agree that last week's challenge would have been better as:
ReplyDelete"Several weeks ago we had a fun puzzle that involved making the names of two animals out of rearranging the letters in Ne("drop the w") Mexico. The answer was "mice and oxen" both, of course, plural.
This week rearrange the letters of major country to find the names of two other animals, this time one singular and one plural.
Then the answer instead of the clue would have been Switzerland as well as several others.
He accepted only essentially same answer as last time and offered no explanation for, or even acknowledgement of, the repeat, nor for rejecting good alternatives.
All of the possibilities that I can think of for this behavior are kind of scary.
Can anyone
The only scary behavior is from the orange one in the White House. I don't think Will has a scary bone in his body. Besides which, IT'S ONLY A PUZZLE!!!
ReplyDeleteAs It Happens:
ReplyDeleteUranus smells like farts, scientists confirm
Study identifies hydrogen sulphide on the icy planet's atmosphere, suggesting it was formed far from the sun
CBC Radio · 7 hours ago
This could be an ideal time to make lemonade out of lemons. I foresee a huge market opportunity for Glade Air Freshener.
DeleteGood idea. Maybe you should get behind it.
DeleteYeah, now you're cookin' with gas.
ReplyDeleteRemember what they say about a stench in time. Out of chaos comes odor.
DeleteExcuse me for using two puns in one post. I almost felt like I should have cut one.
DeleteCareful; you may meet your match.
DeleteSilent but deadly, no doubt.
DeleteJust read that Ford will be dropping most of their sedans in the next few years. The only cars they will be selling will be the Mustangs and a Focus hatchback.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of vehicles being sold will be trucks, suv's and utility vehicles.
I just wonder what the car landscape will look like in 5-10 years.
Sounds to me like just a lot of con-Fusion.
DeleteAs always, Ford's taking a short-term view. Oil's been cheap for a while, and they make more profit on SUVs. They'll spend a few years retooling, while oil prices continue to rise, so they can get caught with their pants down again when people start clamoring for fuel-efficient sedans.
DeleteSDB: Yeah, no kidding! :)
DeleteI don't like it, though. I think we are near the end of an era.
Jan: I was thinking the same thing. Wait till there is another energy crisis.
jan:
DeleteI agree completely and almost posted something similar.
68C:
And I think we are at the beginning of an error.
Well, Ford always has the out of rebadging Mazdas, which I believe they still own about 13% of. The downside is that any Mazdas rebadged as Fords will most likely be NOT built in the US.
DeleteI have the Ford Focus hatchback. I probably will never be able to afford another new car but this one would not be on my list again.
DeleteOphthalmologists seem to like them.
DeleteAnd don't forget: Ford Has A Bitter (sic) Idea! Too bad they can't seem to always remember when it didn't work for them previously. Those Edsel's sure were hot though, huh? Oh, and speaking of hot, how about the Ford Pinto?
DeleteI'm still pissed they discontinued the Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis. Mine is 16 years old with 124,000+ miles and still runs like it did the day it was driven off the lot. At idle you can't even tell the engine is running, even when in gear, and it never uses even a drop of oil.
I guess they can always bring back the car lines if needed. I just wonder if some car plants are going to be eliminated in the not too distant future, never to return. I just like a big car ride with some power. I have to occasionally take trips down to Tulsa, OK., on two lane highways, and nothing beats being able to easily pass the big rigs! I've got a '07 Buick with a 3.8 L engine & it still has good power, (130,000 miles). In hindsight, I should have bought the V-8! Buck Bard, I would like to take that trip just once, with a big V-8!
DeleteAnyway, these days there's nothing to replace it. The cars have been downsized & big SUV's with a truck like ride are the only step up.
I have been looking forward to a small truck though, for shorter trips and utility use, like the old S-10 or even a Ranger but GM & Ford bring them back as a midsize that may not even fit in my garage. Plus, the trucks come loaded with options that bring the starting prices to $40k or more.
The big cars I used to like just aren't made anymore. I'll just try to keep the Buick running. SDB, glad your ol' Mercury is still performing well!
Car plants eliminated? What will we sow instead? ;-)
DeleteCome on, WW, haven't you heard of Magic Tree Little Trees Car Home Air Freshener Freshner Smell Fragrance Scent - Forest Fresh Deodorizer Spray and Odor Eliminators?
DeleteBreathe. (Hard to do with that).
DeleteAll I know is that I planted some star seeds and up came my Subaru Forester.
Well it stinks in here now, so please take it Outback.
DeleteEveryone know you can't see the Forester the trees. . .
DeleteIs that for Ester?
DeleteSpeaking of disagreeable shrubs and how they may relate, how's Aunt Assid these days?
DeleteI think you ought to Jetta-son the conversation, you're starting to Beetle sense out of it. Speaking of which, I drive a Jetta; a few weeks ago was the first time I'd put gas in the car for over a year!
DeleteI can understand that. You seem to put your gas here instead.
DeleteI merely give back what I receive.
DeleteSpeaking of automobiles. Does anyone here happen to know if Nashville, Tennessee is sometimes referred to as Ramblerburg?
DeleteI'm trying to understand Navy ranks and how they correspond to equivalent ranks of Army generals.
ReplyDeleteIs Commodore an entry way to the head or higher grade? If it's the former, where does a Rear Admiral sit? And if any hanky-panky takes place would a Vice Admiral handle it? Is Commander of the Poop Deck a formal grade?
I think you may have meant, Gewgaws.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis is a real palindrome of a puzzle for me.
ReplyDeleteSpike Lee > Pike & Eel
ReplyDeleteSPIKE LEE -> PIKE, EEL
ReplyDeleteI did the right thing and avoided posting needless clues.
Spike Lee --> pike, eel
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “One of the fish is also a weapon.” A pike is a long-handled, thrusting spear not intended to be thrown but pushed into an adversary at close quarters.
(S)pike Lee (eel), missed last "n"ight of Saturday Night Live - SNL - N = Spike Lee's initials.
ReplyDeleteBonus Answer: (O)liver stone, reference to duckduckgo was pâté-ntly misleading.
In case it wasn't obvious, "by all indications" pointed to bile.
Deleteeco, yes, I started down the goose-bumpy trail before tripping over (O)liver Stone.
DeletePaul: it wasn't obvious, but now I'm nauseous.
DeleteCongratulations to Bill Cosby for earning another much deserved award.
ReplyDeleteCrocodiles all over Florida are said to be wiping tears from their eyes.
DeleteI wrote, "Remove a letter from the name of first fish and you get something traditionally served (in a particular region) with the second fish." Eel and Pie shops were more common in London of Victorian times, but you can still find a few.
ReplyDeleteDirector: Spike Lee. Fish: Pike, Eel
ReplyDeleteI was afraid Blaine would spike my comment about having nailed this puzzle.
SPIKE LEE >>> PIKE, EEL
ReplyDelete"Five minutes later. . ." refers to Spike Lee's brother, Cinque, which, of course, is five in French.
eco's puzzle answer is OLIVER STONE >>> LIVER STONE (hence, the hardness comment).
SPIKE LEE, PIKE, EEL
ReplyDeleteIt still seems fishy that someone else was credited with this puzzle idea besides me.
I see the Royal couple have been strolling around town with the new baby!
ReplyDeleteSee the first item under the Dessert Menu:
ReplyDelete"Directorial Dessert: Frank Carpa? Mel Brooktrout?"
LegoJustAnotherCitizenOfThePublicDomain
Next week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Ray Hamel of Madison, Wis. Ray writes the weekly News Quiz for Slate magazine. Name a famous player in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Take a letter out of the last name and move it into the first name. The result will name something you might see at a concert. What is it?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHe started training early.
ReplyDeleteOver 2500 entries last week. The on-air player asked Will about PIKA and ANTS from PAKISTAN for the previous week's puzzle. Will accepted it and said he had been unaware of that answer (which means he doesn't read this blog every week).
ReplyDeleteThe Society To Respect Ants & Pikas now knows which picnic to ruin this year.
DeleteThe baseball player's first name is also synonymous with something you might see at a concert.
I usually associate the concert item with a different venue.
ReplyDeleteAnd how great was it to see he would have accepted Pika/ants - Pakistan! And now we need he is not always told everything that is turned in!
Delete