I'm finding a clue in a previous puzzle. Oh well.Q: Think of a word meaning "a particular body of water." Change one letter in it to get a new word meaning "a particular body of land." What words are these?
Edit: I was hinting at "Atlas Shrugged" since Atlantic and Atlantis are derived from Atlas. I got too hung up on the word "particular".
A: Will Shortz accepted INLET --> ISLET or BAY --> CAY
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.
I allowed all manner of bodies to enter my mind in solving this one.
ReplyDeleteCame up with two answers. I assume that the intended answer is not the (inadvertently?) blatantly obvious one.
ReplyDeleteI have SIX answers. They all seem "blatantly obvious."
DeleteOne answer is more obvious than the rest... 😏
DeleteYou could look up and down and all over a map and still not find the answer.
ReplyDeleteLet's not overthink this one, okay?
ReplyDeleteGolly, I bet I haven’t got the official answer, but I am sending in one that works. If you write the water and land together, you can see a group of four letters that name an animal that lives in that body of water.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOh, gosh, I didn't think this one was even close to a real answer. Sorry!
DeleteFollowing up to SDB from last week: Do people with Tourette's always wear tank tops?
ReplyDeleteNo comment on this page led me to the answer.
ReplyDeletePays d' Alençon
ReplyDeleteYes, Buck Bard. I do...
ReplyDeleteHere is my "dilemma" with this puzzle: It is not a dilemma... it is more like a sextilemma, perhaps even a septilemma! I don't know what answer to submit. I assume that ron's results and mine overlap to some degree. The answer that Blaine hints at (and that, I assume, Amos Hart alludes to as "blatantly obvious") may well be Will Shortz/David Edelheit's intended answer, but I hope it isn't because it requires, IMO, too broad an interpretation of "particular body of ____." I will likely submit the answer that I believe Berf hinted at; it is the least "stretchy" of the deformed handful I have come up with. (There is a answer with fewer letters that also is not much of a stretch.) There really seem to be multiple alternative answers this week.
(Sorry, cranberry, I may indeed be "overthinking this one.")
LegoWhoIsAFanOfAlternativeRock(AndAlsoOfAlternativeAnswers!)
In my answer one of the 2 words was only slightly familiar.
ReplyDeleteA lot seems to depend on what Will and David mean by "particular." Does that mean it must be unique? Is "river" particular enough, or would it have to be "Mississippi"? Is "Dead" a particular sea? Then there's an issue of what constitutes a "body of land." If this puzzle were reversed, could I submit "Indiana" and "Indian" as an expanse of land and a river, respectively?
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, Lancek. My guess is that the intended answers are not proper nouns, but I could be wrong.
DeleteHowever, Will's wording, "..a word meaning 'a particular body of water...' " and "a new word meaning 'a particular body of land' " seem to suggest lowercase common nouns. If Will were looking for uppercase proper nouns he would probably use wording like "name a particular body of water" and "name a particular body of land."
LegoWhoDespiteTheUppercase"L"In"Lego"IsMuchMoreCommonThanProper!
At least one of the clues above is letting on a little too much to an answer. I was also aghast when I saw Blaine’s clue because I thought of the same prior puzzle.
ReplyDeleteLittle pig, little pig. . .
ReplyDeleteI have 3 answers that are kosher. Must i choose 1 or is it allowed to enter all 3
ReplyDeleteI am entering all six of mine...
DeleteThe Firth of Forth is not one of them.
DeleteWith all these multiple answers, all I can say is, “Oy vey!”
ReplyDeleteSurely, we could figure out a puzzle involving gefilte fish, corned beef or pastrami.
DeleteI assume that comment was (pickled) tongue-in-cheek. Or was I herring you wrong?
DeleteYou have a rye (With seeds?) sense of humor
DeleteI too have a rye sense of humor, but prefer it with my Manhattan, made with rye whiskey, of course.
DeleteFinally full circle! Manhattan and good Jewish delicatessen...yum!
DeleteEveryone seems to rave about a good Jewish delicatessen, but I never seem to find anything I want to eat at one, but I may not ever have been to a good one.
DeleteAnyway, see if you can get the answer to the joke/riddle I made up Friday. I was thinking I should make up a Howard Schultz political joke, but came up with this instead:
What were Howard Schultz and cattle ranchers both dependent upon for their financial success?
i don't know...Both depend on bullshit? or both are involved in herding beings into small places?
DeleteIn re: good Jewish Deli...if you never got heartburn from it, it ain't good!@
I can't disagree with you on the bullshit, but here is the answer, and warning! it works better verbally than in written form.
DeleteThey both succeeded due to caffeine (calving).
SDB, do you perhaps mean 'orally'? I may be wrong but I think things that are written down are still 'verbal.' Anyway, if so I would be very curious to hear you speak! I guess you must have some unique NW accent I can't quite imagine in order to make that joke work when spoken aloud.
DeleteHodiauWhoHasBeenKnownToDropTheOccasional'G'ButWho'dBeHardPressedToPairThatWithEitherAn/ɪ/to/i:/VowelShiftOrALawrenceWelkStyle/f/For/v/
I agree with you that orally would have been better, and I almost did use that word. I know the pronunciations are not perfect, but that is frequently the case with humor. I used the joke with several people at a wine tasting right after I made up the joke and they all were laughing out loud, which tells me the joke works at least orally. In any case I refuse to resign.
DeleteI very much appreciate your further illuminating these remarks. The wine drinking--er, 'tasting,' situation makes it all much easier to imagine and identify with. Context is important, as is frequently [if not always] the case with humor [and everything else]... Glancing again at my dictionary just now, I realize I had skipped over the third definition of 'verbal,' which explicitly names it as a synonym of 'oral.' So it appears, as usual, that no one is innocent. I will be happy to accept your non-resignation; please have it on my desk by 5, or leave it with Anita on your way out.
DeleteIncidentally, do you happen to know what's the most popular variety of bagel sold at Sea-Tac?
DeleteIs it the famous Tomazzo – a jumbo steamed baked bagel dipped in a zesty pizza sauce and covered with mozzarella cheese?
DeleteI had to look that up because I do not like bagels and do not eat them. I have maybe never had a properly made one.
I hope Anita has a sense of humor. Also it can't be tomorrow because it snowed here last night and I am stuck in the neighborhood until the ice melts.
If all you have are steamed bagels it's no wonder you don't like them. Steaming is an affront to bagelry, and should be banned by International Law. The 11th Commandment is "Thou shalt not steam bagels." Unfortunately the cream cheese schmear got on the tablets, and it wasn't recorded correctly.
DeleteThat they are then adding injury to insult by dipping in pizza sauce and slathering mozzarella cheese is further proof that what limited culture there is in the Pacific NW died with Kurt Cobain.
I'd rather listen to the Trump SOTU than eat that abomination.
I never said what kind of bagels I have eaten in the past. I don't even know. I agree with you that pizza sauce on a bagel, or a bread stick, etc. is disgusting. I just cut and pasted that description. I suppose I have to agree with you about not having culture as I have no idea what Kurt Cobain's stuff sounds like, although I did happen to drive past his house days after he died.
DeleteIf you do happen to listen or even watch the SOTU, I hope you will be the token Democrat who does. I certainly do not intend to partake.
If you're done digressing I'd be happy to tell you the answer to my query.
DeleteI wondered if perhaps it is a joke, but I digress.
DeleteYou can tell your answer, but don't expect that to stop the digressing.
DeleteThe most popular variety of bagels sold at Sea-Tac airport is....
DeletePLAIN ! (plane)
I should have got that, but of course I thought they might be oral.
DeleteWell, you know what they say...if at first you don't succeed, you probably shouldn't try skydiving. Thanks for playing, and welcome aboard.
DeleteWhen my son was a toddler, he would never use a one-syllable word when he knew an multi-syllabic equivalent. I've been asked for an airplane bagel.
DeleteMost little kids tend to be plane speaking.
DeleteThe humor here is rapidly digressing.
DeleteSDB: as a further digression, I left the Democratic party >20 years ago. The SOTU is a good option if you're on a purge diet. I've been looking at the movie schedule for an appropriate alternative; one theater has $8 discounts for Tuesdays....
I still vote Democratic, but the Party left me many years ago.
DeleteI vote for the best candidate, which means I rarely vote for the presidential winner. It's an electoral college luxury, in this state it's very unlikely to change the result.
DeleteIf I were in WI-MI-OH-PA, and a few other states, I would reconsider, hold my nose, and vote for the Dem.
Don't worry, Lego. Do whatever you have to do.
ReplyDeleteMusical clue: Paul McCartney
I'd probably have gotten it more quickly if not for my preference for loafers and other pull-on shoes.
ReplyDeleteThe little hole through which a shoelace travels is an eyelet.
DeleteThe Wizard of Oz...
ReplyDeleteI just saw Julian Edelman and and Tom Brady locked in a VICTORY HUG on CBS TV! Then, a minute later Robert Kraft and Brady engaged in a VICTORY HUG!
ReplyDeleteLegoWhoIsMiserableAboutWhatMightHaveBeen!
Les membres de l'équipe adverse sont-ils parmi les misérables?
DeleteJust erased it! What a frustrating game to watch. The Ram's offense sure stunk up the place.
DeleteMy god! What are you saying, 68Charger? Are you trying to inform us that a sheep shat on your shag run? And you erased it? How? With Mr. Clean? Perhaps Formula 409? If this is true, then one must surly ask, why would someone living in Kansas not know enough to not invite such a beast into one's abode? Have ye not stables? (And I do not mean Staples, the office supply store.) Or perhaps you were simply attempting to pull the wool over our eyes, in which case I say, shame, shame on you and your children who were not descendants of monkeys.
DeleteA simple click of the remote today leaves room for another day of happy recording tomorrow!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn actress was born 40+ years ago today whose name is connected to the answer.
ReplyDeleteBoth can be found within a mile of each other in the Adirondaks. The second letter changes.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, that might earn you a BA.
DeleteIt gets one from me.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNatasha, I never understand why you remove your posts, I vaguely recall this one had something about a cousin in a Super Bowl ad, or something like that?
DeleteOr perhaps these are coded messages to your friend at Trump Transition?!?!?!
Eco: i just thought not important after posted. If you look at commercial from yesterday, my male cousin is on the Joe Namath one. Has red hair and beard. Did not think you noticed post. Sorry.
DeleteEco: Wonder where my friend Trumptransition is these days. I miss practicing Russian.
DeleteНаташа: мы сожалеем, что не общались. Вы знаете имя хорошего адвоката? Или плохо?
DeleteАмериканцы разрешают владельцам спортивных команд присутствовать на большой вечеринке, когда они выигрывают чемпионат, но они хотят привлечь к ответственности владельцев президента за участие в вечеринке, празднующей его победу.
Trumptranslation: Рад слышать от вас. Я был занят ходить на балеты. Видел Дон Кихота в балете С.Ф. Мой любимый русский танцор покинул компанию. Я не знаю ни одного адвоката. Я пошел в юридическую школу, но не закончил. DT в беде? Я думаю, что проволоку можно обрезать кусачками. Не слишком умен для него, но хорош для иммигрантов! Хорошего дня. Надеюсь, ты не пойдешь в тюрьму. Наташа
DeleteFor those curious about the above conversation, here's how Google translate rendered it:
DeleteNatasha: we are sorry that did not communicate. Do you know the name of a good lawyer? Or bad?
Americans allow sports team owners to attend a big party when they win a championship, but they want to hold the president’s owners accountable for participating in a party celebrating his victory.
Trumptranslation: Glad to hear from you. I was busy going to ballets. Seen Don Quixote in SF My favorite Russian dancer left the company. I do not know a single lawyer. I went to law school, but did not finish. DT in trouble? I think that the wire can be cut with pliers. Not too smart for him, but good for immigrants! Have a nice day. Hope you're not going to jail. Natasha
You do know he lives in Trump Tower and has a girlfriend named Maura Lawgo?
DeleteSDB: Correction of the translation: Seen was originally written Saw. "Lost in translation" for real I guess.
DeleteNow I cannot write coded messages any more if you guys are translating for the world to see.
Natasha:
DeleteYou may not know it, but the FBI has been in contact with me regarding my posts to you. I am ordered not to discuss this with anyone, so please!!!, do not tell anyone I even mentioned this to you. Be careful.
SDB: "Trumps" the word!
DeleteI have 4 answers so far. Should I submit them in one submission or in 4 different submissions?
ReplyDeleteI have 5 answers
ReplyDeleteThe rules say something about only one submission, so you had better save them up. Heck, you have three more days and should hit 10.
DeleteYou do need to send them all, so Will has more to ignore.
I have four with about 5 minutes invested.
I had 4 as well. I sent them all but made clear what my first choice was based upon a fact about the listener who sent in the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHere are THIS WEEK'S CARTOONS. Enjoy!
ReplyDeletei want a lapel pin im only 15. I just wanna make my teacher jelly.
ReplyDeletelol. i cant even find one answer
ReplyDeleteJust turned on CNN for a moment and saw the happiest headline I've seen in a long while: "TRUMP LEAVING WHITE HOUSE SOON". Unfortunately, they were only talking about him heading up Pennsylvania Ave for the SOTU.
ReplyDeleteNixon left the White House in the Marine One helicopter. I long for the day when Paddy Wagon One pulls up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
DeleteWouldn't a tiny clown car be more appropriate?
DeleteNixon indeed left the White House on Marine One, and then boarded Air Force One for the flight to California. But mid-flight, its call sign was changed to SAM (special air mission) 27000, as Gerald Ford had taken the oath of office and the president was no longer on the plane.
DeleteAnd Paddy Wagon One will change its call number as Nancy Pelosi takes the oath of office.
DeleteAt least we can hope.
What are you planning to do with Mike Pence?
DeleteSpiro him away.
DeleteNattering nabob of nativism.
Deletejan,
ReplyDeletePerhaps you haven't heard. Trump has a date with Nancy Pelosi this evening.
I have a confession to make. Last night I let myself watch part of the State of the Union debacle.
ReplyDeleteHere's something for those of you with nothing to do. Click through 100 ICONIC PHOTOS that capture 100 years of world history
ReplyDeleteVery odd collection - they cite the power of images including children being hit with water hoses, but don't include that image. Too much emphasis on the Olympics, and nary a mention of the Great Depression except one line in the text of Roosevelt's inauguration. Where's Florence Thompson? No mention of nuclear testing, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl? Is Sophia Loren looking at Jayne Mansfield's boobs more important than Sputnik?
DeleteBack to doing nothing.
I consulted my Montessori Geography album for my study of land and water forms. I found the reflection picture that a student drew twenty years ago. Behold it brought my answer to me.
ReplyDeleteMathematical FALSE-clue that COULD lead SOME people to what would be a WRONG answer:
ReplyDelete2 + 4 = 6
There DOES EXIST a mathematical CLUE that could lead some people to the CORRECT answer, but I'm afraid if I gave THAT, Blaine would surely delete my post.
So where could my FALSE-clue,
Delete2 + 4 = 6
have led?
IN + LAND = INLAND, and IS + LAND = ISLAND.
but INLAND ==> ISLAND would've been a WRONG ANSWER, since INLAND refers to an interior region of a country. So INLAND and ISLAND both refer to a particular body of land.
So what would have been a GOOD clue?
2 + 3 = 5
which could've led to:
IN + LET = INLET, and IS + LET = ISLET, giving:
INLET ==> ISLET.
The following just was posted in my neighborhood blog:
ReplyDeleteFyi
Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) Tweeted:
Force Investigation Team detectives are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred earlier this morning at 105 and Midvale. No officers are injured. A murder suspect armed with a knife is deceased. More details when available. https://twitter.com/SeattlePD/status/1093520371469344769?s=17
This is just two clocks from my house. I didn't hear any shots though.
I haven't read this yet, but will after I hit send button:
DeleteWoman found stabbed to death in north Seattle; police shoot, kill suspect
https://q13fox.com/.../woman-found-stabbed-to-death-in-north-seattle-police-shoot-ki...
4 hours ago - SEATTLE -- Seattle Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting after a woman was found stabbed to death in a north Seattle neighborhood. ... When officers arrived at the apartment, they found a woman who had been stabbed to death. ... It's also unclear whether the suspect who was ...
SDB: I am worried about your safety these days. First the pawn shop and now your neighborhood violence. Better move to SF Bay Area.
DeleteSend money; will move.
DeleteINLET, ISLET
ReplyDelete1. BAY → CAY
ReplyDeleteOCEAN BAY → OCEAN CAY
David Edelheit's Oyster Bay, N.Y. & Oyster Cay, Bahamas.
2. INLET → ISLET
3. SOUND → MOUND
4. RILL → HILL
5. REACH → BEACH
6. SEA → LEA (SEA+LEA contains the sea creature: SEAL)
I did say I had SIX solutions!
4a. KILL → HILL Kill as in the Schuykill (river) that flows through Philly. Kill means stream in Dutch.
DeletePETA did not have their brightest moment when they wanted to change the name of NY's Fishkill to Fishsave.
Inlet --> Islet
ReplyDeleteYou could look up and down and all over a map and still not find the answer. Up and down are typically north and south, n-s, the two letters that are swapped.
All over on a map was a weak reference to a map inset, one letter different than inlet.
I wrote, “If you write the water and land together, you can see a group of four letters that name an animal that lives in that body of water.” That’s SEA, LEA, and SEAL.
ReplyDeleteMy other post was, “I have another answer, but the land body involved may be submerged and maybe not.” I didn’t think that BAY and BAR were close to being a “real” answer (maybe because I am far more used to thinking of the submerged bars from my Navy days), but I may be wrong, and Blaine removed this post. I apologize again.
Bay --> Bar was one of my answers. While a bar may be submerged most of what land lubbers think of as sand bars are clearly visible above the waterline.
DeleteBAY CAY!
ReplyDeleteCave and cove
ReplyDeleteThat’s what I submitted.
DeleteINLET > ISLET
ReplyDeleteMy Hint:
"I have a confession to make. Last night I let myself watch part of the State of the Union debacle."
I let = ISLET
I also had alternate answers, such as:
ReplyDeleteBAY > BAR
CAVE > COVE
FOUNTAIN > MOUNTAIN
SOUND > MOUND
Sdb: all seem fine. Bay seemed too obvious as name where winner from.
Deletesdb: correction: name Oyster Bay where puzzle contributor from.
DeleteMy first solution was BAY/CAY and my comment about locking up the creator of this multi-answered puzzle was a reference to throwing away the “key”. My later, “Oy vey,” was intended as a rhyming hint.
DeleteSubsequently I came across SEA/LEA.
I personally like FOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN
ReplyDeleteISLET, INLET
ReplyDelete“Pays d' Alençon” is a city in Normandy, France, famous for lace-making >>> Eyelet (ISLET) Lace. I have some lace I purchased there when I was a teenager.
INLET, ISLET
ReplyDeleteMy first comment began with "LET's".
Paul McCartney sang "LET 'Em IN".
Sunday was also the 43rd birthday of ISLa Fisher.
I had SEA/LEA early on, but wasn't really satisfied with it, especially after looking up the definition of "particular". A couple of comments on the previous page led me to ATLANTA. Although ATLANTIS is fictional, and ATLANTIC really needs "The" in front of it or "Ocean" after it to be meaningful, I nevertheless thought I had found "the" answer.
ReplyDeleteERIE/EIRE is an amusing answer to a different puzzle.
If a body of ice is a body of water, then ANTARCTICA works (if changing a letter for a twin of itself is allowed); and if a body of water vapor is a body of water, then maybe HAZE/MAZE (like a cornfield maze) works. HAZE is certainly particular.
At this point, I'm favoring ISLET/INLET.
My link to a definition for HAZE seems to have mist its mark. Better just Google it.
DeleteI actually had ERIE/ERIN (not EIRE), which sort of works for this puzzle if one is thinking of specific bodies of water and land. I was even thinking of submitting it, but because ERIE really needed LAKE in front of it, I decided that it couldn't be right (and I was right about that).
DeleteMy hint was to "Atlas Shrugged" (recent puzzle, oh well). Atlas is the source of both Atlantic and Atlantis.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it probably isn't the intended answer but I still like it.
Well Blaine, at least we now know you Plato win.
DeleteI was trying to rationalize "oh well" to the wishing well puzzle with the inlet/ islet answer, and the best I could do was that a well is let in to the ground.
DeleteThe Society Terminating Rand Ayn Philosophy is now forming.
The answer to my timely Puzzleria! Riff-Off puzzle I ran a week ago on Blaine's blog...
ReplyDelete"Take the first and last names of a famous writer. Move the last letter of one name to the end of the other name and change it to a different letter to spell, in two words, what Super Bowl fans are likely to see on television after the Super Bowl ends..."
...is VICTOR HUGO --> VICTORY HUG
LegoWhoHasAHunchBradyAndBelichickWillNotBeBackNextSuperBowlForFurtherVictoryHugs
Should anyone here ask me for my opinion of this puzzle, I would reply, "Shore enough."
ReplyDeleteI think "fall" as in waterfall and "fell" a high, barren mountain feature work here.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the PM himself knows why he is so reluctant to accept viable alternative answers. It has been an unfortunate feature of the Sunday Puzzle for 30 years.
And I think you still haven't given your answer to "Juliet's rein" to us lesser beings.
Deleteeco: You must not have gotten the memo on "Juliett's ruin" (its penultimate iteration).
Delete"MJ:
So you are now, after two weeks of subjecting us to your poorly presented, substandard puzzle, informing us that you realize it is inferior and you are not adult enough to reveal the obviously inadequate and unsatisfactory answer. The lack of courage is shameful."
Thus with a kiss (and last hint) I die.
Juliett's ruin has two almost solutions. 1) All letters except J are 1 point tiles in scrabble; 2) If you number the letters starting with a = 1, all the consonants are even and all the vowels odd, except s.
DeleteBryan: Thanks for the continued effort. This post is just for you and others that didn't give up.
ReplyDeleteThe main hint I gave was the change I had to make from "Juliet" to "Juliett."
I never realized that the the word for "J" in the misnamed NATO Phonetic Alphabet has two t's, and a Google search for Juliett provides that information at the top.
I hoped folks might apply that spelling alphabet to the other letters in the puzzle to find their common trait.
They are the only 6 of 26 to have three syllables.
My God, I didn't know it would be so tough.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks, Mendo Jim. I had fun trying to solve your intriguing puzzle but it totally stumped me, I must admit. Your switch from T to TT in Juliett should have given it to me, but did not.
DeleteI think it is a very fine and fair puzzle, however. My reaction to your revealed answer was not "What the heck!?" but "Oh, of course!"
LegoWhoAnticipatesSeeingMoreMendoJimPuzzles
This week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Mathew Huffman of Oregon. Name a well-known rock band in three words. Change the first and third letters to the first and third letters of the alphabet — that is, A and C. You can rearrange the result to name another famous rock band in three words. What is it?
ReplyDeleteThe bands' formations are one year apart.
Delete1300 responses last week. Will accepted INLET -> ISLET and BAY -> CAY.
ReplyDeleteWell, I was confused about the "particular body of water, particular body of land". I assumed that 'particular' meant specific, so I answered Elbe (river), and Elba (land).
ReplyDeleteWhy was the word particular a part of the clue, if not that.
You’re so particular, Charley.
Delete{And I agree with you.}
That word was particularly troublesome for me too. :)
DeleteI have trouble with words like “famous” and “well-known” – well-known to whom?
DeleteI will second that. Or third it anyway.
DeleteCharley's answer is my favorite of all the ones I've seen here. I submitted 'rill'/'hill' because it seemed subpar enough to maybe be the intended answer.
Delete1300 Correct Responses? Not clear from listening to the program.
ReplyDelete