Sunday, December 23, 2018

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 23, 2018): Happy Holidays!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 23, 2018): Happy Holidays!:
Q: It's a straightforward puzzle. Think of a place you can find coins, in two words. Put the second word first, and you'll get a compound word describing most holiday cards. What words are these?
I hold my holiday cards close to my heart; you might call them "chest-treasure". Do we need Word Woman's help this week?

Edit: Word Woman's initials are WW, just like the answer.
A: WISHING WELL --> WELL-WISHING

106 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.

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  2. I might have saved this puzzle for the spring instead of during the early winter. By the way, happy belated solstice to all! Lovely that the light 💡 is already returning to us here in the northern hemisphere.

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    1. I am extremely envious of my friend Word Woman! Blaine mentioned her in his hint this week. Last week Blaine's hint read "Let's see where this goes."
      I am so egotistical that I thought the embedded Lego might have been a shout-out to ME, ME, ME.
      My answer to this week's NPR puzzle is the the one to which others have alluded this morning. But I did have to first make sure I knew exactly what qualifies as a "compound word."

      LegoWhoNotesThereAreMoreThanTwentyPuzzlesOnThisWeek'sJosephYoung'sPuzzleria!

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    2. I will say I think it’s the first time my name has been used in such close proximity to the term “chest-treasure.”

      Merry Christmas Eve Eve and/or Happy Sunday!

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    3. If only my relatives could manage such polite behavior at the table.

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  3. Good puzzle. The second part fits with Xmas cards, to be sure, but also aligns with my feelings toward this group and to Blaine who makes it possible. Merry Xmas, everyone.

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  4. So "straightforward" it's almost trivial.

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    Replies
    1. OK, I really meant "Trevial, but you knew that ... just like I knew SuperZee's award winning song.

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  5. Replies
    1. f/k/a Terence Trent D'Arby

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynIHsHYaig0

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  6. Ah so, easy... Here's to you all. Merry Christmas.

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  7. Trump is playing word games again. And this time it's with his proposed border wall. He is now calling for a Great Barrier. Well, we all know of Austraila's Great Barrier Reef. So I suppose if he manages to get his wish he will be known as The Great Barrier Thief.

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    1. Speaking of, “He who shall not be named,” three days after Secretary of Defense Mathis announced his resignation, effective at the end of February, the school yard bully announces his replacement effective January 1.

      Little Donny doesn’t like it when somebody beats him at a game.

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  8. This week's puzzle reminds me of an award winning song.

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  9. Hey WW,

    To be included in a Blaine clue must feel like a bigger honor getting the NPR call!

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  10. Easy one this week, and it's a good thing. Thanks to Legolambda, there's a lot to have to work on with this week's Puzzleria! without worrying about the Sunday Puzzle as well! Merry Christmas y'all!

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  11. He wagered a few coins on the BEAT UP yesterday.

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  12. Glad I looked up definition of compound words. I need to find that place mentioned in puzzle. Will explain Thursday.

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    1. Speaking of compound words, I've been doing some research into the 1811 and 1812 New Madrid earthquakes which occurred in the bootheel of Missouri. Bootheel seems wrong; I want it to be boot-heel or boot heel. Otherwise, my brain processes it as booth eel or boo theel. Aren't there rules about putting a t next to an h in a compound word?! There ought to be.

      I am digging in my boot-heels on this one.

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    2. Listen sweetheart, pithy questions can lead hotheads to put bulletholes in your penthouse. Or potholes in your outhouse.

      I doubt you can get a foothold on the subject, but will neither dither nor hurl epithets. What do they say in the foothills of Lithuania or Lesotho?

      Or could you ask the Meathead or the sweathogs?

      Or Beethoven, Goethe, or Methuselah?

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    3. And yet. . .

      Unagi (freshwater eel) is known for its bold, rich taste, while Anago (saltwater eel), is a more muted choice, known for its incredibly soft texture and natural sweetness.

      And if you eat them in a diner, just ask for booth eel.

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  13. Did anyone else notice that Lulu said they received exactly 600 responses this week and she said the exact same thing last week?

    I really doubt they received exactly 600 responses two weeks in a row.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, sdb, that was weird and unlikely, though not impossible, of course.

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    2. Of course, WW, you are right about it not being impossible. After all I did see 3 pigs fly past my window earlier today.

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    3. Were you in hog heaven, then?

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    4. Well it is winter, so I really can't say I'm bacon.

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    5. SDB: Yes,I wondered about her declaration of exactly 600 responses for two weeks in a row, also. Sometimes they will announce the number of correct responses. I wonder if there were 600 correct responses and also if there were 600 responses two weeks in a row. Why don't you write to Lulu, SDB? By the way,SDB, I saw the SF Ballet Nutcracker performance last night. Found parts of it boring for the first time in a long time.

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    6. Natasha,
      I think some intern gave her last week's number.

      Nutcracker is to ballet as near-beer is to beer. Or as Trump is to statesman.

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    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    9. SDB: Correction: The soloist parts are the really only dancing worth seeing in that performance. I guess you do not go to the Pacific Ballet Nutcracker performance.

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    10. Nope. If I'm having trouble sleeping I just sip some scotch. It is much cheaper than attending the Nutcracker.

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    11. This comment has been removed by the writer.

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    12. This comment has been posted by the writer.

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    13. This comment has been read by you.

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    14. I have not yet read the above comment.

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    15. Help! I'm all alone in the White House & no one has brought me any presents, not even Melania!!��

      DJ (Hoover) Trump

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    16. Yes, and I keep looking out over the South Lawn wishing I was at Mar-a-Lago.

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  14. If you like your roast beef sandwich with a side of soul-infused pop, eat at D'Arby's.

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  15. A little slice of senendipity:
    I have the Seattle Seahawks vs Kansas City Chiefs game on in the background. Seahawk place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski just missed a field goal attempt by "doinking" the ball off the right crossbar. NBC then went to commercial, playing holiday music. The song happened to be "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch."
    As they showed a close-up slo-mo reaction of Janikowski doing a slow burn after his missed kick, the lyrics you heard were "...You really are a heel...!"
    Ouch!

    LegoSaysLou"TheToe"GrozaProbablyLikedHisNicknameButSebastian"TheHeel"JanikowskiJustDoesn'tHaveTheSameRing

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    1. I am afraid the Chief's are going to be one and done again, in the playoffs. Too bad RB Kareem Hunt made a mess of his career in the off season. His behavior caught up with him at a critical time in the season.
      The Chief's have definite defensive problems but with Hunt gone, they can't overcome deficits like they used to.

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    2. Looks like they're running out of steam at the end of the season.

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    3. They may be. But, I think Hunt gave them another dimension that pass defenses had to respect. Without that strong running game, the Chief's are in big trouble. Darn it. The Raiders come to KC this weekend and may be true spoilers.

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  16. Bonus Puzzle - a STRAP-betraying anagram:

    Think of a 3 word phrase in the form __ of __ that describes a certain time of year. Add the letter m to the first word, rearrange, and swap that word with the last. The result will be a well known organization.

    Bonus on-air riffs:

    Think of a third word that can follow each of mine to complete compound words or familiar two-word phrases. And as help, the initial letters of my two words will be the first two letters of your answer.

    Example: Big Ouija --> BOARD (making "Big Board" and "Ouija board"). Not sure why the NPR site skips #5, 8, 11 and 13-17.

    19. Meat After
    20. Steam Hard
    21. Mail Anchor
    22. Country Lions
    23. White Acid
    24. Brooklyn Rope
    25. Funny About
    26. Land Over
    27. Rail Off
    28. Soy Apple
    29. Snow Thunder
    30. Tinsel Our
    31. Word Other

    Usual rules, keep your powder dry until Thursday, clues, hints, and additions welcome anytime between family feuds.

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    Replies
    1. Very nice Bonus Puzzle, eco, you traitor you!
      Hint: The mug of the organization's founder usually appears on the last word in the organization.

      LegoBloodshotAfterDoingMugshots

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    2. Excellent hint Lego. And you give me a bonus bonus riff:

      32. Trump Republican (I can think of at least 3 answers)

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  17. If I have this correct, this is a deep subject. A Blessed Christmas to all.

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  18. Change for last minute purchase of $19.84. Stocking fillers. Merry Christmas.

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  19. Hoping you all have a great next eight days.

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  20. I echo the sentiments of this puzzle to Blaine and all my fellow puzzlers here.

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  21. Lexophile
    Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.
    Lexophile describes those that have a love for words, such as "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish," or "To write with a broken pencil is pointless" An annual competition is held by the New York Times to see who can create the best original lexophile.

    This year's winning submission is posted at the very end.

    No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

    If you don't pay your exorcist, you can get repossessed.

    I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can't put it down.

    I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

    Did you hear about the crossed-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?

    When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

    When chemists die, they barium.

    I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, and then it dawned on me.

    I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now.

    England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool .

    Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

    This girl today said she recognized me from the Vegetarians Club, but I'd swear I've never met herbivore .

    I know a guy who's addicted to drinking brake fluid, but he says he can stop any time.

    A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months .

    When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.

    I got some batteries that were given out free of charge.

    A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail .

    A will is a dead giveaway.

    With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

    Police were summoned to a daycare centre where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

    Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He's all right now.

    A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired.

    The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine last week is now fully recovered.

    He had a photographic memory but it was never fully developed.

    When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.

    Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.

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    Replies
    1. The winning submission:

      Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.

      Delete
    2. I also liked the old one about "the blind carpenter who picked up his hammer and saw".

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    3. Here are a few I recently coined:

      When new residents arrive at the cemetery someone is always there to fill them in.

      The reason folks down in New Orleans put up those levees is because they can bayou some time.


      Ballet is a demanding profession and for many it is a major Balanchine act.

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    4. Are all of these from this year? Many are found on this website from 10 years ago.

      But here's 20 minutes of my thinking (some from tonight's Jeopardy!)

      The creepy stage manager made some very strange propositions.

      People who've never traveled may find shopping in Marrakesh truly bazaar.

      After ordering drinks it's best to pay the bar tender.

      The publicity writer for the window company said working on the screen play was a real pane.

      Does the Electric Light Orchestra have a conductor?

      The misbehaving shy child had no presence at Christmas.

      Leos are usually born in the most august month.

      Changing your opponent's opinion through talking is quite the converse.

      When I smell burning sandalwood sticks I get quite incensed.

      At six months the pregnant woman's expanded midriff was almost apparent.

      Mathematics made the indifferent student number.

      The Ark Encounter in Kentucky is a popular recreation.

      With bad weather the strident climbers at Mount Everest remained in tents.

      Too much decking with boughs definitely makes for the holly daze.

      Delete
    5. A three legged dog walks into the saloon and shouts "who shot my Pa?!

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    6. I frequently make these up while in conversations, but I usually forget what it was I said with 5 minutes. I usually have to write down what I said and then put in in a MS Word doc I keep. This is reminding me of one I came up with at a wine tasting in the past where I said "Champagne at night; real pain in the morning." And this afternoon a re-working of one I used frequently with skydiving students right after we landed and they would say something about how intense it was, and of course I would say, "You mean like camping?" So this afternoon I was sipping (OK, gulping then) wine with two of my neighbors and she was talking about mosquito netting she used in tents on her recent African photo safari, and I said something about it being a tents situation.

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    7. SDB: I know the frustrating feeling about forgetting, I always get enraged in venting new ideas.

      Do people who complain at a restaurant engage in whining and dining?

      While driving towards the sun my boss failed to shield my eyes. It was then I realized he wasn't a super visor.

      Eating fine food while sick has always been an epicure.

      Delete
  22. Who stole the nitric acid was a chem mystery.

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  23. To honor WW again this week, when Stan Laurel got hit with a rock he said "Gee, Ollie, gee!"

    The wild gyrations in this week's stock market remind me of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

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  24. Wishing Well >>> Well Wishing

    This puzzle reminded me of 1955's Academy Award winning Best Original song, Three Coins in the Fountain, from the 1954 movie of the same title. Frank Sinatra sang the song in the movie, but wasn’t formally credited. The Four Aces and Dinah Shore later had hit recordings of it.

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  25. Coins can be found in a WISHING WELL → Most holiday cards are WELL-WISHING cards.

    “Ah, so” = Ah, well...
    “Here's to you all” = Best Wishes = Well-wishing at the Wishing Well.

    Eco's Bonus Puzzle:
    IDES OF MARCH → MARCH OF DIMES.

    19. MEAT MARKET → AFTER MARKET
    20. STEAMSHIP → HARDSHIP
    21. MAIL MAN → ANCHOR MAN
    22. COUNTRY CLUB → LIONS CLUB
    23. WHITE WASH → ACID WASH
    24. BROOKLYN BRIDGE → ROPE BRIDGE
    25. FUNNY FACE → ABOUT FACE
    26. LANDLORD → OVERLORD
    27. RAILROAD → OFF ROAD
    28. SOY SAUCE → APPLE SAUCE
    29. SNOW STORM → THUNDER STORM
    30. TINSEL TOWN → OUR TOWN
    31. WORD WOMAN → OTHER WOMAN
    32. TRUMP TRUTH → REPUBLICAN TRUTH

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    1. All correct, except I had:
      32. Trump Traitor Republican Traitor (Treason and Trial also work, funny that! Or not.)

      And a shout out to Lego's hint, March of Dimes was founded by Franklin Roosevelt, whose face is, of course, on the dime.

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    2. or Trump Trailer Trash/Republican Trailer Trash

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  26. Wishing Well ---> Well Wishing

    Loosely related to last week. Ayn Rand also wrote The Fountainhead which might have a well as a source.

    Fortunately not too hard. Most people are happy when they find soft water in their well.

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  27. Wishing Well > Well-wishing

    My hint:

    "Trump is playing word games again. And this time it's with his proposed border wall. He is now calling for a Great Barrier. WELL, we all know of Austraila's Great Barrier Reef. So I suppose if he manages to get his WISH he will be known as The Great Barrier Thief."

    WELL & WISH are hinting at wishing well.

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  28. My clue “no bones to pick” was reference to wishbone.

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  29. WISHING WELL >>> WELL-WISHING

    “I might have saved this puzzle for the spring instead of during the early winter. By the way, happy belated solstice to all! Lovely that the light 💡 is already returning to us here in the northern hemisphere.” >>> refers to springs where a water WELL is often located.

    US 2 31 = the name of an Exxon Mobil oil and gas WELL in Pennsylvania:

    7792 107792 3300700567 OG PA 11/23/1991 12600 SWSE 31-143-102 EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION US 2-31 BEAVER CREEK

    Thanks for the WW shout-out in your clue, Blaine. Tis a lovely well-wishing indeed.

    Is anyone else unsure about what day it is? This week after Christmas is delightfully unscheduled, filled with neighbors popping over, a lovely powdered-sugar snow, and all good cheer.

    All the best well-wishing, Blainesvilleans, for 2019! I am grateful for this gathering spot.


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  30. Wishing well? Well, wishing.

    Netting mosquitoes: small game hunting.

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  31. Hmmmm. I had a different solution. Felt Heart (many coin purses....) and Heartfelt. Anyone else?

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    Replies
    1. Deborah,
      See "ENTREE #1" of the "Riffing Off Shortz Slices" in Joseph Young's Puzzleria!, which I uploaded about 10 hours ago. Great minds think alike!... although my "felt heart" is admittedly contrived, whereas yours actually exists!

      LegoWhose"FeltHeart"IsQuiteABitLargerThanAPurse

      Delete
    2. Lego, great minds indeed - very fun picture!

      Delete
  32. Replies
    1. jan:
      Thank you so very much for that important? research report. I tend to agree with its findings.

      You might find the following link of like interest regarding the outcome of forgetfulness in wearing one's parachute. Since this is only the one case it is not however statistically relevant. I remember the incident clearly and can provide further facts upon request.

      https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwikhZz51cXfAhUIHnwKHYfDCzQQFjADegQIBBAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Farticles.orlandosentinel.com%2F1988-04-05%2Fnews%2F0030130213_1_wear-a-parachute-sky-diver-mcguire&usg=AOvVaw3P8eg68ofMojWIOgGCV0hU

      Delete
    2. "Shoot!" is not quite what future participants will say on the failed extrapolation of that experiment.

      At the risk of extolling my own scientific achievements (none), I conducted that experiment many decades ago and reported on it in this forum.

      Delete
  33. What world capital becomes a name for a farm animal when you change its third letter?

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  34. Next week's puzzle (from memory; not posted yet):

    What world capital becomes the informal name for a farm animal if you change its third letter?

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  35. Over 1000 entries last week. This was the on-air player's first puzzle entry.

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  36. Don't know if it's more aggravating when they post the answer to the week's challenge, or when they don't post the puzzle at all. :~[

    7:50 and it's still not posted.

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    1. That intern's not taking any chances this week.

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  37. Get well wishes to Will, who sounded like he had a cold.

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  38. The puzzle could also be “if you changed its 2nd letter” No?

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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.