The prior person had the title for about a year.Q: Think of a title for a particular person — two words, 15 letters in total — in which the only vowel is "I." What is it?
A: MISS MISSISSIPPI
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.
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.
Urinate under
ReplyDeleteUrinate instead of attending an A.A. meeting.
DeleteDo you have an Irish birthright?
ReplyDeleteGod, just kill me now.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteFaithful followers of a particular puzzle blog – three words, 21 letters total, in which all six vowels are represented, even Y! – ought to have a leg up in solving this puzzle.
DeleteLegoUploaderOfBothUpcomingAndDowngoingDataDuringWhichHeHasInundatedFollowersWithPuzzlesInUndated(ForThePurposesOfThisCommentAnywayLestItBe"BlogAdministruck")WeeklyDoses
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteWatching the news, I came up with these:
ReplyDeleteNihilistic Prick
Illicit Dipstick
Victimising Twit
These are awesome!
DeleteI thought my answer was wrong, but other comments seem to confirm.
ReplyDeleteI guess it's not:
- British Kniggits (I know they say English)
- insipid nihilist
- rightwing virgin
- piggish Gingrich
- illicit quisling
Can we change this sad situation?
Hmm ... I read Joe's comment and forgot it a minute later. I don't think it helped me at all. But then I read Blaine's comment and got an answer almost immediately. I don't know what might be going on in my subconscious and/or hippocampus; and since I don't keep a diary/calendar, lego's hint won't even help me confirm it. But I'm virtually 100% certain it's correct.
ReplyDeleteJan's hint corroborates.
DeleteJeneé Fleenor was guest artist (or visiting fiddlist) at The Rockbox Theater back in 2011.
ReplyDeleteI think this was my quickest solve ever.
ReplyDeleteI can see this puzzle wasn't a hit.
ReplyDeleteNot on your British (s)hitlist...
DeleteDoes anybody here ever check the box marked "permission to share my information with local station"? Do you think that doing so would increase one's chances of being "randomly" selected?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter.
DeleteIt vastly increases the chance of your local station soliciting donations from you. It has nothing to do with the puzzle
DeleteSo you're saying there's no collusion? Hmmm...
DeleteI do not check the box and I was chosen last year. If you check the box you will get lots of email from your local station.
DeleteThank you for answering my questions. I think we can now declare this thorough investigation to be closed.
DeleteI would hope that you are already a member of your local station. And please explain - what's the deal? Do they choose the winner that's on their screen at 2:59PM EDT on Thursdays?
DeleteDoxma33, to make the grade, your answer needs to be submitted closest to a predetermined “random” time. We think the time changes weekly . . .and it’s likely not truly random.
DeleteNote that "random" does not mean all possibilities are equally likely and it does not guarantee "fairness." Think about rolling a pair of (legal) dice. The outcome is truly random...and if you think it is fair, you can have snake eyes and I'll take 7.
DeleteAll I can say is: Bring back the postcards! Seems fairer and more random.
DeleteI've checked that box and never received an email from my local station, which strikes me as odd.
DeleteI actually emailed them and asked them the same thing. Every contestant seems to be a "supporting member." They said it does not affect the selection process.
DeleteI've checked that box every entry too and I get no emails from my local station. (I do get snail mail...but I do donate so...)
DeleteThat's one reason I have wondered about it sometimes. Though I understand correlation doesn't imply causality.
DeleteNo unused clues from this weeks On Air Challenge.
ReplyDeleteNow I think I got it, but when I was up hours ago first confronted with this one, I clearly didn't(see my last post). All I want now is peace in the world.
ReplyDeleteProbably, yes.
DeleteCranberry, your clue about world peace helped me figure this one out!
DeleteI can see a peaceful world from outer space.
DeleteI bet she can't even spell bimbo.
DeleteChina is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.
DeleteCharles de Gaulle
Gaully!
DeleteNo! I'm not going for the obvious Boutros Boutros reference here. I've evolved!
DeleteObviously.
DeleteGlad you noticed.
DeleteWould it have galled you if I hadn't?
DeleteOh, that Gaul .... never mind!
DeleteAye, I thought I had the answer earlier but I raised an eyebrow upon reading the question a little closer.
ReplyDeleteI think I now have the right answer. It seems to agree with Blaine's clue.
Bye, bye Rockies :(
ReplyDeleteLots of helpful hints so far.
I really don't think there is a consistent way on-air players are chosen.
Lady justice is barfing.
You are thinking of "speak no evil."
DeleteThat attribute is not one of Lady Justice's.
Justice is supposed to be blind, but not mute. Which makes Buck Bard's comment more compelling in these troubling times.
DeleteLast week I posted this link to a cartoon from our northern neighbors. They still get it.
Yes, it is a compelling comment. Although, in this case, the smiley face doesn’t work well.
DeleteNow an irony winky-face emoji is another story:
https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/690952
Or, gasp, no emoji at all. . .
I've been using emails since 1994 or so, but have never used an emoji. But I do understand the need, too often this impersonal format leads to misinterpretation of intent and meaning.
DeleteAnd you're crazy if you think otherwise!
Never?
DeleteAnd no cell phone, either?
eco, how do you do it? /Fe-patella
/Fe-patella? Is that a clue or just a knee jerk reaction?
Delete;-)
DeleteThey start young these days >>>
https://www.landsend.com/shop/-/N-jmi
I imagine the catalogue writers had fun with that. Having trouble getting your irony thoughts across to others? Just put on your Iron Knee Pants!
^^^I wrote ironic thoughts, I swear.
DeleteSomeone who held this title had a coworker and a spouse who shared the same first name.
ReplyDeleteClever
DeleteAha! A clue that eliminates the Pope!
DeletePintifix Miximis is the official Vatican bartender.
DeleteMary Ann Mobley, Miss MS 1958, was a regular on the final season of Diff'rent Strokes with Gary Coleman and was married to Gary Collins.
Deletejsulbyrne, I thought you were cleverly referring to Gary Collins as both co-worker (hosting the pageant together) and spouse to Mobley.
DeleteGot this one quickly enough that I shed tears of joy.
ReplyDelete‘‘Tis all the same to me, know what I mean, Vern?
ReplyDeleteCute puzzle. But time to turn my attention back to the Yankees (not the Rx Red Sox) to see if Aaron Judge continues to be the second coming of Mr October.
ReplyDeleteI got this one while on my way out west to climb some mountains.
ReplyDeleteGood musical clue, if that's what your intent was.
DeleteLucky, I wonder if you had the chance to quaff elixirs on your trip.
DeleteDave, the best music is played loud through a Leslie cabinet.
DeleteHod, I did un-cork in a mountain meadow but got chased out by a heard of cows with bells.
I have a solution but I can’t figure out if people’s hints are referring to the same answer. So here is my hint: the second word’s category includes things written with only A and only E, but not only O or only U.
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting way of putting it.
DeleteNeil Simon
ReplyDelete"Not a bit."
ReplyDeleteFinally got this, thanks to some of the other posts. Kicking myself for not getting this sooner because the title and title holder are discussed by a fictional character in a funny and memorable scene from said character's venue.
ReplyDeleteTHIS WEEK'S CARTOONS! You will enjoy these as you cringe...
ReplyDeleteIRISH HIGHLIGHTS.
I always appreciate these!
DeleteDitto.
DeleteLiz thinks zilch.
ReplyDeleteChristine Blasey Ford was GASLIGHTED by the Republican Senators. This is the standard procedure of the accused whenever his unacceptable behavior is claimed to be the truth.
ReplyDeleteTO GASLIGHT:
tr.v. gas·light·ed or gas·lit , gas·light·ing, gas·lights
To psychologically manipulate (someone) so that they question their memories, perception, or sanity.
[gas + light. Verb, after the play Gas Light (1938) by British playwright Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962) and its film adaptations, in particular Gaslight (1944), in which a woman experiences strange events, such as the unexplained dimming of the gaslights in her house, and doubts her own sanity when she is told she is imagining or misremembering her experiences.]
Yes, this.
Delete#beers4brett >>> truly disgusting
Deletehttps://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-kavanaugh-celebrations-734061/
This article has interesting insights.
DeleteDid you say there is RISING HINDSIGHT ?
DeleteIt took me awhile, but now I am sipping a mint julep.
ReplyDeleteI had my first mint julep this past May 5th while visiting friends in Louisville, KY. Brunch with ladies in hats and men in seersucker suits. Maybe if I had one now, I would solve this puzzle. I am either thinking too hard or too soft.
DeleteIt doesn't count if you got blitzed.
DeleteLiz, this one is definitely not worth making yourself miserable over.
DeleteThe end of your misery will leave you disappointed.
DeleteJust ask Elliott Smith.
DeleteI think I'd prefer a Gin Fizz.
DeleteI believe a Gin Fizz is akin to a Tom Collins, but I don't know if Tom and Gary were related.
DeleteI know an hour and a half seems like a long time to watch a YouTube lecture and discussion, but I hope you will all find the time to watch this talk that Chris Hedges gave in August in Canada. It will pass very quickly the more you get into it, and you will come away with a much better understanding of where we are headed and what we can do to make positive change actually happen. It is titled Chris Hedges Best Speech.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oef3wLs3HI
Mini Lame Bonus Puzzle Task: In a weak attempt to head back to last week's puzzle, can you name the city in which 3 of the 4 major league sports franchises whose names only have the vowel "i" in their names?
ReplyDeleteAnd can you do it without looking it up? I bet some can.
I think I know! I bet one of our regular contributors has a pretty good idea what city this is.
DeleteThis reminds me of something I found frustrating about last week's challenge, and this one - shouldn't the "team's name" also include the city? I would consider "Red Sox" (or "Senators," or "Lakers") to be incomplete - or possibly the "team nickname" or something. Spent a little while working on team names which included cities before I realized it was probably another imprecisely worded WS offering.
DeleteAm I wrong?
"... before I realized it was probably another imprecisely worded WS offering."
DeleteGasp, followed by smiley.
Finally got this weeks puzzle. Now to enjoy the fall and watch the leaves fall from the branches.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Nikki Haley resigns as U.N. ambassador and Ivanka Trump "may" take over as her replacement.
ReplyDeleteI guess tRump wants to get more laughs at the General Assembly.
DeleteSpinster floating downstream.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go out on a limb and say that I solved this one.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a hurricane's heading toward MOBILE BAY...
ReplyDelete"What is MOBILE BAY?" was a Jeopardy question the other day.
DeleteHurricane in the Gulf Coast; snow in the mountains, foothills, and some plains cities of Colorado today. . .
Indeed. Last night. "David Farragut sent 1,500 soldiers in a nighttime assault on Fort Gaines to begin the Civil War battle of this bay." The champion got it right, but lost the game.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAs jan points out the answer was "Mobile" with the "Bay" part's having been supplied
Delete“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
Delete― Kurt, er, jan, Vonnegut, Player Piano
This comment has been removed by the author.
Deletejan, now you’re getting tectonic plate edgy.
DeleteSo it goes....
Deletejan, I was enjoying your boldness . . .
DeleteMore, svp!
DeleteI am ashamed to say it took me this long to get the answer. I liked this puzzle because it did not require looking up lists, instead just pondering whilst meandering around the kitchen whipping up some hummus. The secret to making good hummus, by the way, is to process the garlic and lemon juice first, and allow that to sit for about five minutes. The lemon juice causes the garlic to mellow out. I guess it's not a secret anymore.
ReplyDeleteIt took me this long, too! I didn’t do anything but muff it by trying lists of positions and so on. Quiet concentration brought it this afternoon.
DeleteIf you "update" one word in the title in a certain way and abbreviate the other, the results share an interesting property. Alternatively, don't bother updating the one word and abbreviate the other in a different way for a similar result.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, crazy story, apropos of nothing: I was hanging out in a shady dive bar in Traverse City once when I overheard a former Nazi officer and Middle Eastern terrorist conspiring together. (Strange bedfellows indeed!) They were planning to travel to New York City and detonate an incendiary bomb, but thankfully a detective caught onto them and foiled the plot.
DeleteMaybe this is a joke I don't get, but the thing that struck me is that any living former Nazi officer must be about 100 years old.
DeleteKind of long in the tooth for dive bars and bomb plans.
Long in the tooth, yes, but I'd recommend thinking shorter. I'm afraid I can't explain anything else about the story until Thursday!
DeleteI almost missed the answer...it finally came to me.
ReplyDeleteMISS MISSISSIPPI
ReplyDelete“Urinate under” >>> To pee low >>> Tupelo, MISSISSIPPI. {It certainly has been a “To pee low” time, of late}
“Will is scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel with this one.“ >>> I can usually find something interesting to learn or research about the Sunday puzzle. Not this week (without a stretch).
Mitch McConnell: "We stood up for the presumption of innocence, we refused to be intimidated by the mob of people coming after Republican members at their homes and hallways.” >>>Mary Ann Mobley, MISS MISSISSIPPI
“Ugh.” Beauty pageants.
“... to make the grade, your answer needs to be submitted closest to a predetermined “random” time.”>>> refers to the grade school joke “What has four “eyes” and a mouth but cannot see or speak? >>> MISSISSIPPI River
“Not a bit.” >>> Do you miss Mississippi? >>> “Not a bit.”
“Liz, this one is definitely not worth making yourself miserable over.” >>> MISSerable
I will agree with this being the bottom of the barrel, however, I did learn something from using Google to look up 'piss' 'pee' 'miss' 'miss-piss' and other clues. I'll leave it at that. As a child I spent many a miserable summer vacation at my Aunt's house in Tupelo & Aberdeen, MS. Maybe I have mentally blocked everything Mississippi. Thanks for the help.
DeleteAhem, Liz, I didn’t consider that combination when posting my clue. . .Your innate sense of Mississippi likely did stop that stream of consciousness. Sorry (again).
DeleteMiss Mississippi
ReplyDeleteMISS MISSISSIPPI → Asya Branch (2018).
ReplyDeleteMISS MISSISSIPPI
ReplyDelete> In the name of the title holder, the only vowel is "a".
In Asya Branch's name, I say the Y is a consonant.
> I can see this puzzle wasn't a hit.
No, it was a Miss.
>> It took me awhile, but now I am sipping a mint julep.
> It doesn't count if you got blitzed.
In touch football, you can't cross the line of scrimmage until after the blitz count: "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi..."
I wrote, “I didn’t do anything but muff it by trying lists of positions and so on.” The hint is in “muff it” pointing to Miss Muffett.
ReplyDeleteMiss Mississippi
ReplyDeleteI thought my answer was wrong - the institution of "Miss" pageants has come under question.
Can we change this sad situation? - To signify change scientists and mathematicians use Δ - Delta; Blues for sadness.
/Fe-patella? Is that a clue - the Mississippi Valley has abundant iron resources, which a geologist like WW would certainly know. Not sure about irony resources.
Mini Lame Bonus Puzzle Task: In a weak attempt to head back to last week's puzzle, can you name the city in which 3 of the 4 major league sports franchises only have the vowel "i" in their names? - I was using the Bonus Puzzle as a clue: Minneapolis-St Paul has the Vikings, Twins, and Wild (and Timberwolves). Its airport code is MSP - the consonants in Miss Mississippi; the Mississippi River flows through those cities, and the headwaters of the Mississippi River are in Lake Itasca (task), Minnesota.
Buck Bard, yes, I do listen to Minds Over Matter (for others it's an entertaining hour). I'd already had an intent to tie in MSP, their quiz about unique sports teams inspired me tie my Bonus Puzzle to last week's NPR puzzle.
The end of your misery will leave you disappointed. - Just north of St Louis, Misery (locals called it that) is the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Last time I was there I was disappointed in the local parks at this historic juncture.
I enjoyed this interchange and was sorry to see parts of it go:
ReplyDeletejan: Jeopardy, weather: it's all hit or miss, I guess.
Word Woman: “I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
― Kurt, er, jan, Vonnegut, Player Piano
jan: God bless you, Ms. Rosewater, er, Word Woman.
Word Woman: jan, now you’re getting tectonic plate edgy.
I wasn’t trying to say the clues ought to be deleted. If there’s a Vonnegut reference, I’m in. Ah, well, written tone can be hard to “hear.” 👂
And I thought "So it goes..." an appropriate comment on my deletions. This puzzle didn't need hints, anyway.
Deletejan, so true.
DeleteSo your deletions were a Banksy-esque (or Burning Man-esque) virtual shredding. I like it!
Going, going, gone. . .
Deletehttps://www.cnn.com/style/amp/banksys-girl-with-balloon-renamed-love-is-in-bin/index.html
“Love is in the Bin” (?)
Name change from "Girl with Balloon" to "Love is in the Bin."
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMy favorite Banksy work may be the Walled Off Hotel. (More about it here.)
DeleteI also liked Exit Through the Gift Shop.
He's a clever, talented guy with a lot to say.
My neighbor is a big Banksy fan.
Delete“Love is in the Bin” is an odd title choice, laden with a shred of irony, I suppose.
When I realized what the answer was, I was reminded of an old Wendy's commercial!
ReplyDeleteMy 'obscure' musical clue was from the 70's classic rock song "Mississippi Queen", performed on their first album 'Climbing'. Their lead guitar player was Leslie West and their drummer, Corky Laing has one of the more famous 'MORE COWBELL' openings to this song. Of course once someone is 'Miss Mississippi' they are then the 'Mississippi Queen'
ReplyDeleteI have been to Mississippi more times than I can count. Ashamed, whipping, long, meandering - those weren't my clues. Hummus - I had some of the worst hummus while in Mississippi. I was afraid that clue was a giveaway and would get me in "deleted by blog administrator land."
ReplyDeleteOnce was more than enough for me, and that was back in December 1963. I suspect North Korea would be more tolerable to visit.
DeleteMy time there was spent doing business with a few people (not all of them) who were "perfect" examples of how stereotypes come to be. Later learned that some of those gentleman farmers family names show up in the Emmett Till court proceedings. Believe that one of 'em on the board could have been involved that night many years ago. That's probably why that hummus memory is so distasteful.
DeleteUrinate instead of attending an A.A. meeting.
ReplyDeleteMISS (to not attend) “MISS A SIP” (an A.A. meeting – alcoholics attend A.A. meetings because they “miss a sip” of their favorite brew) PEE (urinate). MISS MISSISSIPPI.
MISS MISSISSIPPI
ReplyDeleteA cliche of most beauty pageants is during the question-and-answer segment, when the contestants almost always say they want "world peace". I used this phrase in a past comment myself.
My clues:
ReplyDelete“Cute” puzzle was reference to the cute pageant contestants
Reference to Yankees Mr October was Reggie Jackson - as in Jackson Mississippi
One of Jimmie Rodgers's old songs was "Miss the Mississippi and You". I doubt if he ever made it to the beauty pageants, though. It was a fine song. just like all of his. D.E.
ReplyDeleteI offered: "If you 'update' one word in the title in a certain way and abbreviate the other, the results share an interesting property. Alternatively, don't bother updating the one word and abbreviate the other in a different way for a similar result."
ReplyDeleteYou can update/abbreviate the title as either "Ms. MS" or "Miss Miss."
Then I shared a rather ridiculous story: "I was hanging out in a shady dive bar in Traverse City once when I overheard a former Nazi officer and Middle Eastern terrorist conspiring together. (Strange bedfellows indeed!) They were planning to travel to New York City and detonate an incendiary bomb, but thankfully a detective caught onto them and foiled the plot."
In other words, I was in Michigan (MI) with a former member of the Schutzstaffel (SS) and a member of the Islamic State (IS). They wanted to blow up Staten Island (SI) using phosphorus (P), but a gumshoe (PI) saved the day!
Clever, Jyqm.
DeleteIn my early Sunday comment, I wrote:
"Faithful followers of a particular puzzle blog – three words, 21 letters total, in which all six vowels are represented, even Y! – ought to have a leg up in solving this puzzle..."
which was, of course, a shameless plug for my puzzle blog "Joseph Young's Puzzleria!" I ran a longer form of the "Miss Mississippi" puzzle a tad less than four years ago. I liked the 15-letter term not just because it contained five I's but also because it contained just four different letters: M, I, S and P!
LegoGoogleLogoGooEggOleoEgoGleeGooGoLog
Just came back from seeing the movie "First Man". I thought it was a great movie. It showed the space program in a good light but also showed the human cost of gettiing to the moon.
ReplyDeleteIt may not have shown Neil Armstrong planting the flag, but it had plenty of USA flags throughout.
The only knock I have on this film is the use of the "shaky camera" technique. The camera is seldom stationary and seems to float around all the time. This is used throughout, especially on every "earth" scene.
Next week's challenge: Take the 7-letter last name of a famous woman. Drop the letter E. Add an I and an F. You can rearrange the result to get a word that famously describes this woman. Who's the woman, and what's the word?
ReplyDeleteThe First Law of Barbara Walters: Don't Talk About Barbara Walters.
DeleteCompared to last week's puzzle, I find this one much more complimentary to women. --Margaret G.
DeleteWill should have saved this for February.
DeleteAs was unwittingly mentioned earlier, there is a connection to last week's puzzle.
DeleteThings are so bad the Society To Reform Anagram Puzzles welcomes this.
ReplyDelete425 entries last week.
ReplyDeleteNo spreadsheet required.
ReplyDelete