Sunday, December 02, 2018

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 2, 2018): Let's Investigate This Fully

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 2, 2018): Let's Investigate This Fully:
Q: Think of a common 7-letter word. Drop its second letter, and you'll get a 6-letter word that does not rhyme with the first. Alternatively, you can drop the third letter from the 7-letter word to get a 6-letter word that doesn't rhyme with either of the first two. Further, you can drop both the second and third letters from the 7-letter word to get a 5-letter word that doesn't rhyme with any of the others. What words are these?
My job is done.

Edit: The title hints at THOROUGH. The picture and my text hint at THROUGH.
A: THROUGH --> TROUGH -> THOUGH --> TOUGH

157 comments:

  1. The deadline is Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018 at 3 PM ET.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Giving up on the rest of the standard disclaimer? If your job is really done, see Human Resources on the way out.

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    2. No need for it. Over 100 comments and maybe a dozen on the puzzle. This is now a partisan polical rant board. Gratz Blaine.

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    3. BB:
      If you want to post a comment on the puzzle there is nothing stopping you from doing so. You have not done so yet. All you do is complain about those of us who you don't agree with. Why don't you follow your own advice and take your complaints to some mythical blog where no one will care?

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  2. Holy smokes. I seriously considered submitting this as a puzzle idea a month ago, but considered it too easy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This challenge is, indeed, fairly easy with a little thought.

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    2. I did submit this as a puzzle a couple of years ago. It was probably too obvious back then, it seems like the puzzles are easier now.

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    3. pblues,
      I am wondering if perhaps you have a different answer than what most of us have, as evidenced by several of the hints, because I can see no reason why this puzzle would be any more or less difficult no matter when it was presented. I hope you will explain come Thursday deadline.

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    4. No I just meant that the puzzles seem easier lately. Maybe it's just my imagination.

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    5. Thanks for the clarification. Yes, I fully agree with you, the puzzles are mostly childish now. I have sent in several I made up, mostly having to do with geography, instead of brand names or other silliness. All are rejected. The last one I submitted to him directly he rejected due to it likely being solved via a list. Well yes, it is a geography puzzle! I immediately wrote back pointing out that virtually all of his puzzles depend on lists and that he said my puzzle was really good. He replied that I made a strong case and he would consider it. That was months ago now and he has not used it. I intend to post it here one day. Trust your observations.

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    6. I actually chose my words carefully, to avoid too much clueing. And you'll get to hear my dulcet tones come Sunday
      😉

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    7. The deadline was yesterday, so why wait until Sunday when we will have moved on to a new puzzle?

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    8. Congratulations, Brisco! I hope you had fun with the on-air questions this week! --Margaret G.

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  3. Not a fabulous puzzle, in my opinion, but that's no excuse for the NPR intern's destroying it.

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    Replies
    1. I solved it in less than a minute before I saw the answer posted on the NPR site, so I didn't think it was tough enough.
      Tuff Enuff was recorded by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and somehow I always get them confused with George Thorogood & The Destroyers.

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  4. In the (2) six letter words no letter is pronounced the same.

    Bonus Puzzles:
    1. Think of a common 9 letter word. Drop the first letter and the result will be an 8 letter word that does not rhyme with the first. Change the first letter of the 8 letter word and the result will be a new word that does not rhyme with the first 8 letter word.

    2. Think of a common 4 letter word. Change the first letter to get a new word that doesn't rhyme. Change the first letter again to get another new word that doesn't rhyme with either word. Hint: there are multiple answers, but in one version the three words are almost long enough to be part of a well-known song.

    3. Think of a common 3 letter word. Change the first letter and the result will be a new word that does not rhyme. Change the first letter again and the result will be a new word that does not rhyme with either word. Change the first letter again and the result will be another word that does not rhyme with any of the other three - 4 words, 3 letters, same last 2 letters, no rhymes. One word might be slightly less known.

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  5. Replies
    1. That was my first idea for a clue.

      Instead I will go with Lucy and Ricky.

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    2. Hoots! I morphed three words before I got the gist.

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  6. 9:00AM and the offending answer is gone. :~)

    WS should probably send the question and answer in separate emails if this keeps up.

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  7. Thought ought not plot pot shots...

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  8. Drop some letters from the original word and you get its commercial version.

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  9. I wonder about the apostrophe in last week's puzzle as affecting acceptable answers.

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    Replies
    1. Nestle has an “apostrophe” over the last e.

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    2. I noticed that but not sure it is called apostrophe. Thanks.

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    3. The answer posted by NPR does not have the accent in Nestlé. That is misleading I believe and they should have known better than to leave out the apostrophe which by the way has different names depending of it's use.

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    4. É or é is "un accent aigu" or an acute accent, not an apostrophe.

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    5. I was born a critic and that's how I'll go to my grave.

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    6. Correct Ron. However, also referred to as apostrophe if you look it up.

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    7. Paul, that’s a cute statement, Mr. Diacritical.

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    8. Is Mr. Diacritical's first name Mark?

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    9. Without being too critical, I thought of the acute accent as a diacrtical mark, and noted that it could be slid over to form the apostrophe in 'n. Sweet 'n Low. I doubt that this nuance was intended, nor that it prevented people from answering.

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    10. A cute and astute observation, AOM.

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  10. According to what I just heard on the news, Pope Francis is now waxing eloquent.

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    1. Is the Popemobile named eloquent? Otherwise I don't understand, unless you're talking about his going full homophobe....

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    2. I do not understand either, SDB.

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    3. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=13&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwii-uPV8IHfAhX4HDQIHYGIBNIQFjAMegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vaticannews.va%2Fen%2Fpope%2Fnews%2F2018-12%2Fpope-francis-angelus-1-december-2018-light-candle-peace-syria.html&usg=AOvVaw0UGPuDsatNKY2XKRxeERzm

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    4. It was on the Sunday Edition News at 9am PST. I posted right after, when I forced myself to get up and post.

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    5. Ah, thanks for that. I got stuck on his message of hate and rejection for large portions of the population.

      The pope has no real power (probably a good thing) so sometimes all they can do is light candles and pray. And political leaders with power only use their "faith" as it suits them to get votes, never to acquiesce to the occasional nobler demands of religion.

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    6. I am not aware of his message of hate. Do you have a link?

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    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    8. This, or this, or this. The last shows not only intolerance but a large degree of ignorance.

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    9. Speaking of holier than thou fools who are incapable of controlling themselves. I would like clarification as to the difference between "lapsed Catholic priests" and "laps Catholic priests."

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    10. eco, Thanks for the links. I guess I am not paying enough attention to His Horniness.

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    11. ...and I know you will korrect me if I'm rong, but doesn't he tend to pontificate from time to time?

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    12. SDB, one of your puns above reminds me of one in last Sunday's NY Times crossword, which I found a bit cuter than average. I wonder if you saw/solved...

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    13. No, I did not see it. I guess that makes me a Nazi. I do not do crossword puzzles. It always seemed to me that you had to be proficient with some arcane language I do not speak in order to get all the words. And is words the correct word?

      So, what is the pun? Also, NPR did a piece last week with the author of a new book on puns and humor. Wit's End, What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It
      by Geary, James
      Book - 2019

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    14. It's kind of hard to explain, or to find humor in it outside of the context of the puzzle, but I'll try...

      The theme answers were all clued to be puns on familiar phrases when a silent 'e' is added to one of the words. Examples include 'EITHER ORE' and 'A STAR IS BORNE'.

      The answer you reminded me of, 93 Across, was clued thusly: "Dropping the baton in a race, e.g.?", to get the cute-ish answer "RUNNING LAPSE." 16 Down was much better but like I said, this doesn't seem like a good place to further explain, especially since you're apparently not a crossword freak, and, like many of the humorous posts in this forum, appreciation depends largely on context and/or some degree of immersion within the idiom.

      There is, I suppose, some kind of arcane proficiency required to get into the 'grid life,' but it doesn't seem to me you'd be incapable of picking it up, quickly and with relish, should you ever choose to rethink your aversion.

      I will punch up the pun piece you pointed out, and listen after completing my afternoon chores.

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    15. I doubt that is going to happen now I am old enough to have an aversion to rethinking.

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  11. When I first read the puzzle, I thought ""S**T, this will be hard.But on further thought, it wasn't. What a novel idea, a non-aggravating puzzle...I'll drink to that!!

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    Replies
    1. I thought the same, but it was the 3rd 7 letter word I thought of.

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  12. There were no unused clues from today's On Air Challenge.

    Although the clues were numbered 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,14. Really??? What happened to 9 thru 13??

    Is WS holding out on us???

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    Replies
    1. I noticed the first one: LAZE EQUALS. LAZE is a homophone of the brand Blaine featured in his initial post last week, and EQUAL is a competitor of SWEET'N LOW.

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    2. Very nice connection, Paul.

      LegoWhoBelievesThatInOurFriendPaul'sGrayHouseThereAreManyRooms,AllWiredTogether

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    3. Also, the answer to On-Air Challenge #6:"TROUT RETUNE" recalls this Far Side cartoon, which was discussed on Blaine's blog about five-point-seven years ago.

      LegoLarsonLover

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    4. "InOurFriendPaul'sGrayHouseThereAreManyRooms"
      Jerusalem the leaden, perhaps.

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  13. There's no way around it - this puzzle they're feeding us today is difficult. However,

    the real issue I'm having today is: what the hell is Lulu's problem with Brooklyn? I don't ever recall her openly making fun of a contestant's hometown like that. Is she practicing for an upcoming appearance on "Wait, Wait," or what?

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  14. Take away both first two letters, and you'll get a word that rhymes with the five-letter word. Also, insert an O inside the seven-letter word to get a two-syllable word.

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  15. Can I ask a question? Why is the answer posted as it was this morning, and as several of you have stated in the past. I usually listen to the puzzle and then later will check here for clues or check on the NPR site. This morning the answer was still there at 9:19 am EST. Is it some glitch? Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Liz, it’s a glitch. It has been happening more frequently of late.

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    2. The glitch is the intern I believe.

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    3. Are we just assuming it's the fault of an intern or is there something that NPR has communicated about an intern being involved?

      Could it be that fat kid on a bed in his mothers basement that Trump keeps blaming for the election hacks?

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    4. Possibly, but I think Trump's mother's basement is beneath him.

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    5. And I contend that there's nothing beneath him.

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    6. Yet I would assert that he is beneath contempt.

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    7. Perhaps an intern should not be blamed. Not sure why answers are posted early. Sorry intern, whoever you are. Curious how the error can occur in the first place. A true mystery. I will go online really early from now on.

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    8. Natasha,
      Are you really suggesting the fault does not lie directly with an intern? When it so obviously does? And you offer no alternative explanation! Please!

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    9. SDB: As I learned in law school, need to know all the facts. Innocent until proven guilty etc...

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    10. Наташа: Бедствие, появившееся на вашем загадочном сайте, является лишь небольшим примером разрушения, которое мы можем создать, если коррумпированные либералы попытаются удалить нашего лидера из офиса.

      Мы предлагаем вам предупредить своих коллег.

      Delete
    11. Trumptransition: Не уверен, что вы имеете в виду. Где вы были?

      Delete
    12. Наташа: Мы предупреждаем вас, что ошибки на вашем любимом веб-сайте NPR - это только начало того, что происходит, если вы попытаетесь удалить нашего избранного президента.

      Мы уничтожим все, что вам и вашим товарищам нужно.

      Delete
    13. Trumpt:Так что стажер не тот, кто отправил ответ на загадку?

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    14. Стажеры не получают денег от NPR. Подумайте, кто их платит, и многие другие в вашем правительстве!

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    15. Trumptransition: Итак, воскресный ответный ответ - знак того, что Россия везде? Я боюсь, что ваша страна скоро победит.

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    16. Мы выиграли два года назад. И мы будем продолжать побеждать.

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    17. Да, я верю, что однажды ты сможешь что-то сказать.

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    18. Trumptransition2016,
      It's hard to take you seriously when your once mighty empire was wrecked by a grade B movie actor and Karol Wojtyła, a little guy in a tall white hat. You don't even live in a real communist society. It's just a run of the mill Kleptocracy, typical of any little tin horn dictator.

      Your country is being robbed blind by Putin and his fellow oligarchs.

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    19. Mort, Are you really buying into the myth that Ronald Reagan had anything to do with the demise of the Soviet Union?

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    20. Karol Wojtyła was many times more responsible for the destruction of Soviet Union that RR. Ronny was just very good at taunting the Ruskies.


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    21. I think we don't credit the true source of the downfall of the Soviet bloc: the people who lived under it. About a year before Poland deposed its "Communist" leadership I was talking with a young Pole in Helsinki. I remember best his saying "If our government says the sun will rise in the east tomorrow we will look to the west for the dawn."

      While anecdotal, I suspect this was a commonly held belief, and it spoke more to the failures of the Soviet-style regimes than of any particular endearment with this country or any other. They had a horrible system and they wanted rid of it.

      No doubt John Paul II's words inspired many to take action; Reagan and HW Bush were fortunate enough to have the inevitable downfall on their watch, but the credit remains with the people in their long pursuit - don't forget Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968.

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    22. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    23. First of all I was never a supporter of Reagan or HW Bush. Still their anti-communist agenda did have a part in staying the hand of the Kremlin against their own people. All who spoke out against Soviet oppression can claim a part in the fall of that totalitarian regime.

      The end of Martin Niemoller's poem says,"Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me." There were many westerners who stood up and spoke for the Soviet block citizens who put their lives on the line.

      In the end though I find JFK's "Ich bin ein Berliner" a much more powerful statement against totalitarianism than Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

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  16. With the plethora of posts today I wonder if I missed mention of another word with that fits the scheme by changing the first letter of the 5 letter word..

    Maybe they made up for Will's not repeating the clue by posting the answer.
    I think wobbly might be a good description of the various aspects of the puzzle recently.

    ReplyDelete
  17. On a whole other tangent. What kind of strange mind came up with two person luge???

    Did someone, somewhere once say, "You lie down on the sled and I will lie exactly on top of you and we will go down the hill like that. That should be fun."

    The Olympic sport is open to both sexes with no distinction for Two Man Luge or Two Woman Luge, or for that matter Mixed Two Person Luge.

    Was surfing through the channels this evening and ran across the FIL World Cup. Have seen it before but not for a long time.

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  18. As we struggle through these harsh political times, I hope we can all unite to honor the recent passing of a true American hero, who served our country in the military, as head of law enforcement, as a business entrepeneur and as an elected politician. And his greatest achievement may have been as the patriarch of one of America's most beloved families.

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  19. Don't you think we're being a bit too rough on the interns?

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  20. For a more balanced report on the legacy of George H.W. Bush which you will NOT find on Corporate Media, take the time to watch Part one and Part two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ron,
      Good job! Both of those are excellent.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Very good articles, the more I read about him the less I like him.

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  21. On January 8, 1992, while attending a banquet hosted by the Prime Minister of Japan, Kiichi Miyazawa, President George H. W. Bush fainted after vomiting in Miyazawa's lap. For me and several colleagues, this got the, uh, creative juices flowing. I just unearthed a message I posted the next week. (I'm breaking it up because of a 4K character limit on this site.)

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    Replies
    1. A bunch of us here decided that the best way to celebrate the President's
      recent Asian trip would be with traditional Japanese haiku poetry. After
      24 hours, we collected 50 contributions, and have been forced to give it
      up only because we are tired of thinking about everything in terms of
      3-line verses, and counting syllables on our fingers.

      In the midst of the haiku frenzy, I read on the AP newswire that Empress Michiko, Emperor Akihito, et al., just held their annual traditional poetry reading, including 19,000 entries, of which only 36 were from the
      United States. Clearly, this coincidence is a sign of something important. Moments later, a second story came down the wire, telling of the latest Japanese TV star, a 6-year old macaque monkey whose act includes "closing his eyes and keeling over in a convincing swoon" when
      his trainer calls, "Bush-san, Bush-san." Talk about auspicious augeries!

      Our Prez, the Oil Man,
      Retches, Gurgles, Disgorges
      Upwards like Black Gold.

      George Bush, vomiting,
      Recapitulates the sick
      Body politic.

      George Bush's idea
      Of our National Output?
      Sushi with Soy Sauce?

      We would love to trade,
      But hold all the MSG.
      Excuse the mess, please.

      Bush goes to Japan.
      Looses tennis, lunch and face.
      Winter of vomit.

      Trip not working out.
      Natives resist my begging.
      I could just throw up.

      I beg, I pander,
      I let them win at tennis.
      But later I gag.

      Bush-san slumps and falls.
      Was it broccoli sushi?
      The vomit thing, live.

      Does puking mid-course
      Entitle flu-ridden George
      To a prezzie bag?

      Read my lips, he said.
      But don't peruse too closely.
      You'll get a shower.

      Delete
    2. A thousand points of
      Something spew from Bush's lips,
      Splashing in the soup.

      This time Mister Bush
      Vomits up gobbits of food
      Instead of falsehoods.

      George Bush blows chow. Main
      Nipponese Shogun peeved. But
      George is sans sushi.

      Puke on camera.
      A great idea, George, for
      Your next photo op.

      Access makes our hearts
      Grow fonder. But Bush gag brings
      More cars like Honda.

      Scatological
      Insights into Prez George Bush
      Bring up our best words.

      George plugs our service
      Economy. Drums up new
      Dry-cleaning business.

      Underachievement.
      Bush and economy sick.
      Barf Simpson for Prez.

      Hey, Prime Minister:
      Uhhhgggg -- TORA! TORA! TORA!
      Pearl Vomit Thing.

      All this talk of Bush
      Begins to make me nauseous.
      I think I'll throw up.

      Fifty years ago,
      Shot down by the Japanese,
      Bush still brings it up.

      Self-Defining Time!
      Bush Announces Raison d'Etre:
      Vomo Ergo Sum.

      Bush tosses cookies.
      Stateside, we blush and snicker,
      And buy a Honda.

      Haiku Poetry
      Interprets daily headlines:
      Goes from bad to verse.

      As I was saying,
      Miyazawa, open up,
      Or I'll have to...vwaaaap!

      Puking on allies:
      Is this George's idea of
      A New World Ordure?

      A New World Order.
      Trade deficit increases.
      Bush pukes and withers.

      George, please to explain
      The expression, "Getting your
      Second nickel's worth."

      A frog jumps into
      The ancient pond -- the sound like
      George Bush hitting deck.

      If trade deficit
      Sickens Bush, just wait until
      November the Third.

      In the Land of the
      Rising Sun, the news is that
      George's gorge is, too.

      Bush blows chow at big
      Banquet bash. Barfs before bombe.
      Film at eleven.

      How can I express
      My amusement in just se-
      venteen syllables?

      Economy dips.
      Car makers falter. Bush slides
      under the table.

      A sick president,
      Mirror of his country's ills,
      Turns fete into farce.

      Somehow it's fitting --
      Bush forced to leave the table
      Before his dessert.

      "To get attention,"
      Says the tottering old man.
      His faint was no feint!

      Grownups: "Eat your meal!
      You may become president!"
      See where it gets them!!!

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    3. Bush plummets, strength gone,
      A rotting pear in winter,
      Oozing fetid juice.

      Oh, George, really! Where
      Did you learn your etiquette --
      From me or Millie?

      Wimp factor he fought
      With war. Stopping foul stench may
      Be trickier to quell.

      Georgie produces
      Alas only his juices.
      Prep U.S. nooses.

      Bush now understands
      Why Teenage Ninja Turtles
      Just stick to pizza.

      Unemployment lines
      Worse news for Republicans
      Than day-old sushi.

      Bleeee--aaahhh---uggggg--gaaahk--fleehk!
      American Century
      Ends on those high notes.

      A new world order.
      Ancient japanese hors d'oeuvre.
      Bush stomach weakens.

      Miyazawa-san
      Lends Bush, in his hour of need,
      A seppukku knife.

      On an old dais,
      George alone is falling off
      The State Dinner now.

      Let us discuss trade:
      America is nauseous.
      Vomo Vomare.

      Our George stands with Dan.
      Two Bush Birds worth one in hand.
      Arkansas save us!

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    4. Bush, we read your lips.
      Save your chopsticks for your quips,
      Don't fall on your hips.

      Delete
    5. Our chief head of state,
      In response to his big fête
      Did regurgitate.

      Delete
    6. Fearing deficits
      President Bush did produce
      Return on vestments

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

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  23. My dog Snoopy found this weeks challenge a little bit ruff.

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  24. Now NPR is running what amounts to a political ad for another Bush son, with a rather disingenuous interview.

    It also galls me how they keep on and on and on about how he loved his family, yet they don't even hint at his extramarital affair(s) which the press mostly ignored, but not entirely.

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    Replies
    1. To be fair, the interview was with Neil, who hasn't run for office (yet).

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    2. I know it was with Neil, and he said during the interview that he wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. It was a political puff piece and shame on NPR for running it. Whatever happened to their phony fair and balanced line?

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    3. Did NPR bother to recall Neil's prowess as a successful businessman with Silverado? For which even Neil later apologized?

      At this point the only NPR national program I listen to regularly is the Sunday Puzzle. Our small local station KALW has some good local programming, but the big station KQED is pretty close to a total waste.

      We are fortunate to have the original Pacifica Station here, KPFA, no corporate funding. They regularly host SDB's hero Chris Hedges (he was last here in September), as well as Democracy Now! and other more insightful (and inciteful) programs. If I lived elsewhere I would be a consistent streamer.

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  25. There has been no mention about the illegal invasion of Panama and the number of civilians killed. Anyone remember the Oscar winning documentary: The Panama Deception?

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    1. I thought I alluded to it. Anyway I have been trying to recall which book I read some years ago that mentioned an interesting fact regarding that invasion. It stated that it was a widespread belief among those in the know in South America that Bush invaded Panama to prevent Noriega from distributing copies of a VHS tape showing Dubya participating in a Caribbean gay sex orgy. I wish more information had been provided, but that was it.

      Some time later I mentioned this to my younger brother and his wife. They told me they had sat beside a woman on a cross country flight who was furious with the Bushes because her son had been a presidential aid to Bush 41 and was flying on Air Force One once when Barbara and Dubya were also on board. Barbara happened to walk into the section where her son was sitting and found Dubya was (sexually) hitting on him. Her son was fired the next day. It fits with the first story.

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  26. This might be common knowledge already but this puzzle is not original. In fact, it was published in the November issue of a journal that I imagine is popular among the posters here.

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    Replies
    1. through >>> though >>> trough >>> tough

      “Ghoti or cut bait” = “ghoti” = fish phonetically. It is a classic example of the complexities of English (and why English Language Learners curse it daily) dating from at least 1855. >>>

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoti

      Delete
  27. Bakers may believe that the 6 letter words rhyme along with MWCD.

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  28. Replies
    1. My clue Lucy and Ricky reffered to this classic sketch.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAL9VD6Lz9Y

      Delete
  29. THROUGH > TROUGH > THOUGH > TOUGH

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  30. THROUGHTROUGHTHOUGHTOUGH.

    There are 10 ! different ways to pronounce "ough"

    1. ROUGH (TOUGH)
    2. PLOUGH
    3. THROUGH (thro͞o)
    4. SLOUGH (slaʊ) or (slo͞o)
    5. THOUGH
    6. HICCOUGH
    7. COUGH (TROUGH)
    8. THOUGHT
    9. THOROUGH
    10. LOUGH (old Irish for “loch”)

    ReplyDelete
  31. through --> trough --> though --> tough

    Bonus Answers:
    1. 9 letter word, drop first letter = no rhyme; then change that first letter = no rhyme: (s)laughter --> laughter -->daughter

    2. 4 letter words, change first letters twice, no words rhyme: My intended was four hour tour (just a bit longer than Gilligan's trip).
    Many alternates: cove dove move, dose hose lose, both doth moth, bone done gone, bomb comb tomb or base lase vase

    3. 4 words, 3 letters, same last 2 letters, no rhymes: gas has was bas (as in bas-relief) No doubt some will argue about the last, to which I say bah!

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  32. THROUGH, THOUGH, TROUGH, TOUGH

    > Giving up on the rest of the standard disclaimer? If your job is really done, see Human Resources on the way out.

    "HR" are the letters that get dropped.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think Blaine meant that his job was “THROUGH” – a hint.

      Delete
    2. And his title, "Let's Investigate This Fully", suggested the word "THOROUGH" to me. I wondered for a while why it wasn't included to make the chain longer, but I guess it rhymes with "THOUGH", and, besides, it's two syllables, which may also be disqualifying.

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    3. Blaine's picture showed someone looking through a magnifying glass.

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    4. Or perhaps, now that I'm more focused, THOROUGH "transcends" this puzzle's constraints.

      Delete
  33. I suggested changing tough to bough for a pronunciation like plough but more common.

    Jimmy Carter is tough; sat through HW's (same age) funeral nearly three hours.

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  34. THROUGH, THOUGH, TROUGH, TOUGH.
    My, “Are we being too rough in the interns?” question was among others a pointer to GH=F.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Replies
    1. That little smirk when she delivered the line! Absolutely great!!!

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    2. I don't see what's wrong with "Scheißesturm", except that it may be a little reminiscent of "Schutzstaffel". (Are linguistic purists who object to it "shitstormtroopers"?) I agree that we got the best of the bargain with "schadenfreude".

      Delete
  36. THROUGH, TROUGH, THOUGH, TOUGH
    Also ROUGH and THOROUGH, as I hinted at earlier.

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  37. My clues -“this puzzle is (thru)way too easy (opposite of tough).”

    ReplyDelete
  38. While watching the Louisville vs Indiana hoops game on Fox Sports just now, I saw this promo.

    LegoAsks"HoosierFavoriteEnigmatologist?"

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    Replies
    1. Nice. I wonder if that's real archival footage?

      Delete
    2. Thanks, jan. I suspect, however, that the dashing young lad who is portraying Will, the Hoosier Enigmatology major, is a present-day Hoosier Theater major. The song playing in the background is "Radar Love" by the Dutch group Golden Earring. It was ubiquitous on the radio around the time young Will was graduating from Indiana.

      Lenigmo

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    3. I'm well familiar with the song, being of the same era (within a month) as Will.

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    4. It looks to me like actor, crossword puzzle fan, and noted IU supporter Jesse Eisenberg is playing young WS.

      Delete
  39. This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Dominick Talvacchio of Chicago. Think of a word that can go before "table" to make a familiar phrase. Move the last letter to the front, and you'll have a word that can go after "table" to make a familiar phrase. What phrases are these?

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  40. Replies
    1. I wonder if we will ever go back to the quaint time when polite people (and web sites) didn't curse in public.

      I'm not betting on it, nor the notion that Jan might be polite.

      Delete
    2. Hey, Word Woman brought it up! I wonder what a shitstorm on Mars would sound like?

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    3. Curses and curse words come and go. The word "bloody" in Britain (and even in many of the colonies) was once considered very uncouth. It is now much less stigmatized. There are of course dozens of others one could name that were once anathema and now barely raise an eyebrow.

      The underlying concepts regarding excrement and sex do seem to hold their general disdain in polite society.

      Would be an interesting study of how new curse words have been and are being created by various cultures.

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  41. Dominick Talvacchio's Facebook page says he lives in Queens, NY, and is from Philadelphia, not Chicago. He also authored the SATCHMO/STOMACH puzzle from August, and has had crosswords in the New York Times.

    ReplyDelete
  42. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  43. Over 1000 entries this week. Will acknowledged the error in posting the answer on the NPR website.

    [Did John Stennis ever table a motion?]

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  44. Dulcet tones, Brisco, dulcet tones.

    (Though I know you’ll likely not see this until later since you said you are not an early bird.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, excellent work on air this morning!

      Delete

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