Q: The letters C + D together sound like the word "seedy." And the letters I + V together sound like "ivy." Take the 18 letters in the phrase END BACKSTAGE TV QUIZ. Rearrange them into pairs, using each letter exactly once, to make nine common, uncapitalized words phonetically. Can you do it?I like most of my words but one is a bit of a stinker.
The one word that wasn't my favorite was 'ew' (also spelled with additional letters like eww) to express disgust, often at something gross and smelly. Merriam-Webster does have it as two syllables (ˈē-ü)
A: beady (BD), cagey (KG), cutie (QT), easy (EZ), eighty (AT), envy (NV), essay (SA), ew (EU) and icy (IC)
Update: Will's intended answer was u-ey (UE)
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 don't think you said too much.
ReplyDeleteThere's an alternate combination, but I don't like the look of it.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my words use Will's examples: IV = ivy & CD = seedy
ReplyDeleteCan you do it without those?
DeleteDI = die
DeleteVI = vie
CV= curriculum vitae or CV
CD = compact disc of CD
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DeleteUsing abbreviations like CD or CV is simply BS.
DeleteI have a list that does not use abbreviations, nor does it use Will's examples.
DeleteDo you really think DI and VI have 1 syllable? They should be pronounced dee-aye and vee-aye.
DeleteI suspect your "common" U-word does the same; every dictionary I can find considers it 1 syllable. The "stinker" has, at least, the option to be pronounced as 2 syllables, according to Merriam-Webster.
Either S A DVS NTT.
The remaining two letters make questionable words either way, and one depends on what part of the country you're from. But they don't work any other way, it seems.
ReplyDeleteMy problem was the correct spelling of "stinker"
ReplyDeleteYears of Shortz puzzles leave me...cold to your complaint.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle left me MT.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Can you do it?"
ReplyDeleteMy answer is YES.
I seem to have arrived at the same stinker, and there is no turning back.
ReplyDeleteI had a strange turn of events while doing this and I'm not sure if I'm right
ReplyDeleteMaybe switch that combo around and you’ll see the “stinker” everyone’s referring to?
DeleteI had a stinker, but I looked around and found what I think Eco has.
ReplyDeleteUnknown, I think I right away came up with what I'm sure is Blaine's answer, which includes "the stinker", but since I've found 2 possible ways to swap the stinker with one of the other words to thereby allow two other possible solutions each avoiding the stinker. Is that the case with you as well?
DeleteYes, I believe that is the case. I didn't like the stinker solution so I kept swapping until I came up with one that wasn't so suspicious. Sorry I didn't mean to go incognito! --Margaret G.
DeleteNPR's submit puzzle link seems to be broken.
ReplyDeleteIs NE one else having this problem?
(Sun 11:45AM CST)
I was able to submit.
DeleteNever submit without a fight!
Deletesdb: Too bad you are missing La Bayadere today at Zellerbach...Mariinsky Ballet.
DeleteYes, but at least you're keeping me on my toes.
DeleteI found the problem. Apparently the latest Firefox update (v 70.0.1 64bit) triggered some new security doodad that kept the page from rendering properly. Fixed now.
Deletebtw, I, too have a "stinky," but probably legal and certainly not uncommon couplet among my answers. And another that could be a tougher sell in Canada, eh?
Is my strange turn of events the real stinker we're talking about?
ReplyDeleteI don't see this as being at all difficult. I got the answer very quickly and without using Will's 2 words. I also do not get the stinker hint.
ReplyDeleteThis is so simple that not a bit less than 4/5 of the people that look at this puzzle as I look at it will get the answer.
ReplyDeleteThis is so easy (EZ) that not any (NE) less than 80% (AT) of the people that view (VU) this puzzle as I see (IC) it will get the answer.
DeleteI have eight common words and one Scrabble word. How about you?
ReplyDeleteI have 9 common words.
ReplyDeleteI also have nine common words, all common. But one is pronounced "Southern".
DeleteWell that must be a Comfort.
DeleteThe longer one has been editing the New York Times crossword puzzle (more than a quarter-century!) the broader one's definition of "common" probably becomes.
ReplyDeleteLegoPlayingA"FanfareForTheCommonWord"OnHisGramogramophone
All 9 of my words are very common.
Deletesdb: One of mine is not common. I never heard of it before. Glad you are so clever and smart.
DeleteSDB: The ballet was great although my ballet friends thought the French ballet had better choreography. I could have done without the first two acts..slow and tedious.
DeleteShouldn't that B TDS?
DeleteECO: If I may ask: What is TDS? I deplore abbreviations anymore.
DeleteNatasha: I have read (from a trusted source) it describes the first two acts of La Bayadère.
DeleteECO: TDS means trusted......Source? What does D mean? What are you saying? Not clear. Apparently this company did not use the original choreographer's work from many many years ago. Did you read the reviews in SF Chron.?
Delete"I could have done without the first two acts..slow and TDS."
DeleteECO: Got it. TKS. https://www.dailycal.org/2019/11/02/mariinsky-ballet-orchestras-immaculate-interpretation-of-la-bayadere-comes-to-zellerbach-hall/
DeleteWhat appear to be the leftover pair possibilities show up in x-words from time to time. So they must be Shortz-worthy words.
ReplyDeleteI'm not proud of my U word. We have a word in Bostonian that would work better in its place.
ReplyDeleteNot sure my u word is acceptable. Will see Thursday.
ReplyDeleteEco: Are you going to the Ballet today?
ReplyDeleteAfraid not, I'm dancing with deadlines right now, no time to plié.
DeleteEco: Too bad you missed it. Spectacular performance. So glad I could go.Orchestra was amazing too.
DeleteI have eight that I like, and one that frankly turns my stomach, but it appears I’m in good company.
ReplyDeleteI found this easy to solve by taking care of the rarer letters first. I also have eight good words, and one more often seen in crosswords.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am not really satisfied with the U answer. When I was hunting, I paired it with its letter I eventually used in my answer but overlooked it because the combination meant something else. But I do find the U word in at least some dictionary lists, and so I am done.
ReplyDeleteI finished yet lukewarm on one word. The Q is the problem.
ReplyDeleteThe Q is no problem for me. I am in the problematic U group.
DeleteUR? Me 2
DeleteSo the word I submitted but have never in my life typed out was UEY. It's in slang dictionaries, but -- it isn't a word. Sorry, Will.
DeleteBut I didn't know we were "cluing" aggressively in Blainesville. So I said "the Q was a problem" because it is the Q that requires a U.
QT
UE
EZ
KG
AT
CD
NV
IC
And I forget the others. That's from memory.
"END BACKSTAGE TV QUIZ" has ONLY ONE C, but your proposed solution USES C TWICE!
DeleteI am surprised WS didn't use the term grammagram, an accepted one for the topic.
ReplyDeleteI also think he will have to deal with his bane: Alternate correct answers.
The on-air player did a great job.
I, too, am not thrilled with my U word but seeing everyone's comments makes me think that we've arrived at the same one.
ReplyDeleteThe other 8 were not as clunky.
But, I've got Godspell on the brain right about now...
I also have 9 COMMON words and I do not see the problem with the U-word; it is quite common and no "stinker."
ReplyDeleteNotes:
ReplyDeleteAll these "stinker" clues mean nothing to me. They suggest PU, but there's no P.
I can only think of one A-word that satisfies my strict pronunciation standards, so, if I ever find the other A-word, I'm afraid it's going to be ... unsatisfying.
Poor Paul. I feel your pain, and I could write on and on about it if it were not my bed time now.
DeleteI, too, was looking for words related to odor, until I realized that everyone just meant that they didn't think one of letter pairs sounded like a legitimate word.
DeleteI don't know if you check out Bobby's clue above. I was never that great in math. On another note, I have always thought the eyes of the Penguin character on Gotham to be especially sinister. Truly frightening.
DeleteWell, now I'm just incensed (by my own stupidity).
DeleteAssuming there was a "P", would "PU" = pew be considered a valid answer?
DeleteThat would be your "stinker" PU = pee-ew.
DeleteSure, but I'm asking if people think that a one syllable word could be part of the solution...
DeleteMy favorite answer says "yes" to that question, although I know all the alternate solutions. I say this because some people will pronounce some words as having more or fewer syllables than is commonly accepted, and, more to the point, Will Shortz frequently gets his pronunciations wrong. I realize my answer will probably not be his intended answer, but I have very little respect for his puzzle making abilities. I suspect he is very good at making crossword puzzles, but I never do them, so I cannot say for sure.
DeletePU cannot be the "stinker" as the original phrase has no P. I cite my comment above.
Deletejan and others too,
ReplyDeleteI just now finished reading The Doomsday Machine, by Daniel Ellsberg, which you put me on to recently. Noam Chomsky has been warning us for some time now about this threat, but Ellsberg here in 350 pages of text explains it in so thorough and compelling a manner that anyone should be able to comprehend, but sadly, while our library has several copies available, most are not checked out. Why has he not been interviewed on NPR about this book? This will not be one of my favorite books, but perhaps it will be the most important one. Thank you, jan.
Thanks, SDB. I will admit that I found the explanation for Ellsberg's dearth of documentation (lost in a landfill!) comically weak, and, of course, Permissive Action Link technology has improved since his time in the Pentagon. Reductions in the number of weapons, numbers of warheads per weapon (reducing the urge to launch on warning), and relaxed alert status since the end of the Cold War have made us somewhat safer, though continued proliferation has move us the other way. I have no way of knowing whether the problem of pre-delegation of authority remains as bad. Certainly, we have been very, very lucky.
Deletejan,
DeleteYou say, "Certainly, we have been very, very lucky." I strongly disagree with that statement. I would say we certainly have not been lucky at all, but protected from self destruction from those who observe us from a higher plane. I realize you will think this to be ridiculous thinking, but I know from personal experience that I am right. If my insignificant life has undeniably been saved twice by intervention from "above" then it is certainly not unreasonable to assume the same would be done to protect all of our civilization. I tend to think of us as living in one of those old ant farms that were the fad when I was growing up. I always suspected the ants were completely unaware they were being observed and in some cases helped by us.
Go ahead an laugh now if you like, but I would strongly suggest keeping an open mind to possibilities you do not understand because you have yet to have such an experience.
You don't call having observers on a higher plane protecting you from self-destruction lucky?
DeleteI am sorry to admit there were very unlucky ants in my youth who were completely unaware they were being observed until it was too late.
No, I most certainly do not consider it to be lucky, although I can understand others may come to that conclusion.
DeleteThere is this thing called denial. And true prophets have been largely ignored through history. You probably won't see him on GMA either. But the Doomsday clock is now what 2 minutes to midnight.
ReplyDeleteCan you post a book report? I know it is an important book and my chances of reading it are.Well. But did you see that Mcmillan is restricting e-books for new releases to libraries , to one copy, per the first three months?
ReplyDeletePS,
DeleteI am not going to look for a book report. It would not be all that helpful anyway in my opinion. I would suggest at least reading the two chapters on the Cuban missile crisis.
I was able to download the E book through KCLS last night. Really a landfill to hide the manuscript- in the intro. I can think of better places- like under the bed.
ReplyDeleteI have a 100 page rule for new books and as a consequence don't always finish the race.
It builds as it goes. Page 199 is where I think it really begins to explode with revelations.
DeleteObservers on a higher plane? You mean the Overlords?
ReplyDeleteGary Powers always said, "My plane is higher than yours." I mean there are other dimensions. Many believe this to be true. I along with many others do not believe it is true; we know it is true because we can not deny our experiences. Most, myself included, kept it secret so as not to be ridiculed and lose jobs, but I eventually broke free of all that and that is how I met others who also had had similar experiences, but never divulged. I wish more people would come out with their experiences so we can all benefit. I think it is slowly beginning to happen.
DeleteDidn't Gary Powers' plane get shot down? Or was that the other one, that ran out of fuel and crashed, killing him?
DeleteDon't pick on our local religious zealot. Even the Romans would lionize the early Christians; though SDB seems more Hindu.
DeleteI am not at all religious and I am not a zealot. I am just telling what I have learned from experiences. On the other hand it seems to me that when people cling to common beliefs that have absolutely no evidence to back them up they are more zealot like. Some examples of this are insisting we only live once; watching the sun go down; believing cold causes colds and denial of climate change.
DeleteDo you remember Bishop Hunthausen? Sometime in the 80's I went on a protest he led to Bangor to protest the Poseidon? first strike capability subs. Well as you can that did a lot of good. Like 82 or something. Bishop Raymond Hunthausen.
DeleteChernobyl should have taught us something.
I remember him well. I think he came out to lead an anti war march I was at the head of at the beginning when it started in front of their main church downtown. I am now remembering too that right after it ended and I got back home and turned on the TV to see the late coverage I was surprised to see myself in the clip they ran. I always wondered how he managed to slip through the RCC cracks. No chance of his ever being canonized. Hunthausen made it slightly difficult for me to criticize the church. All the others helped as I recall. One of them was Alexander Joseph Brunett, who I seem to remember as previously being a blond.
DeleteThat is cool you led a peace march. I think Pope Ratzenberger stiffled Hunthausen at some point and told him to,"cool it."
DeleteI know you don't enjoy football,but last week at the Seahawk-Falcons game here, the Seattle fans outnumbered the locals 2-1. It is a beautiful Stadium -Mercedez Benz- they relocated here for the cheap labor and- guess what -no-unions.
Special Bonus Riffing Puzzle #1: (makes your week, don't it?)
ReplyDeleteTake the 14 letters in the phrase BIRD NOT PRUDENT. Rearrange them into pairs, using each letter exactly once, to make seven male first names phonetically.
Special Bonus Riffing Puzzle #2:
Same as #1, with the phrase NPR, VOX NECK LORN.
Note that not all names are common, but the uncommon names have well-known persons or fictional characters with that name. Some liberties are taken with pronunciations, but all are legitimate 2 syllable names.
A version for the girls is coming soon. I hope.
Special Bonus Riffing Puzzle #3: (where the girls are)
DeleteTake the 19 letters in the phrase LENIN SELLS MARX CELLS. Rearrange them into five triplets and one quadruplet, using each letter exactly once, to make six female first names phonetically.
Five names are common; one (3 letter) is unusual but there is a well-known writer with that name. Minor liberties are taken with pronunciation.
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Deleteeco, your Bonus Riffing Puzzles, as usual, are simply wonderful. I just finished writing eight Riffing Off Shortz puzzles for this Friday's Puzzleria!, and none are anywhere near as elegant as your three.
DeleteAnd I love LENIN SELLS MARX CELLS.
My best guess for one on your three riffs:
Johnson Blake Payne Fleming Fleisher Sanders Wheatstraw
(Let me know if my guess is TMI and I shall delete it.)
LegoNVS
Lego:
DeleteYou are a master solver, and to create 8 riffs is quite a feat. Given how hard these are (I think) and how late I was in posting I think you can keep your names up, though they do give much away. This leads to
Special Bonus Riffing Puzzle #4: (girls just want to have pun)
Same Rules: 14 letters in GEM CELL DELVING, rearrange them into pairs, using each letter exactly once, to make seven female first names phonetically.
This time all names are pretty common, no liberties with pronunciation, IMHO.
#4 57% of the female names are adjacent pairs.
DeleteEven more in some places.
DeleteAnd one of the boys in puzzle was a t.v. star in the 60's, by the same name.?
DeleteIf you mean puzzle #1 then quite possibly, and there's a further connection to that in puzzle #2. Puzzle #2 also a relation in that.
DeleteSpecial Bonus Riffing Puzzle #4: (the boys are back, the boys are back)
DeleteSame rules; this time all triplets, the 12 letters in RUNG MERE GLEN can be made to 4 male names.
Slight liberties with one vowel, and one name is usually pronounced with 2 syllables by those north of the Mason-Dixon line.
And at last, Special Bonus Riffing Puzzle #5: (she's just the girl you want)
Same rules, back to pairs of letters, the phrase DNC DECKS LEFT can be turned into 6 female names.
2 are uncommon except to those who spent too much time listening to bad 70's and good early 80's music.
Just sent my answers in. Not sure, though.
ReplyDeleteThe goofiest thing I have seen in a long time:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=TE5RdFFgW0w
QT (cutie)
ReplyDeleteEZ(easy)
IC (icy)
NV (envy)
KG (cagey)
AT (eighty)
BD (beady)
SA (essay)
UE (U-ey, slang for a U-turn)
AT (eighty), BD (beady), EZ (easy), IC (icy), KG (cagey), NV (envy), QT (cutie), SA (essay), UE (uey)
ReplyDeleteI may have CDO. That's like OCD, except the letters are in alphabetical order, like they're supposed to be....
DeleteEZ easy
ReplyDeleteBD beady
KG cagey
SA essay
QT cutie
IC icy
NE any
VU view
AT eight
Alternately: NV envy & EU ew (which I do not consider a legitimate word and it is not pronounced with a long E)
AT eighty (Damn spellcheck!)
DeleteKG = cagey
ReplyDeleteQT = cutie
EZ = easy
IC = icy
BD = beady (-eyed)
SA = essay
AT = eighty
NE = any
VU = view (vyo͞o)
A second acceptable solution is obtained by changing the last two entries above (NE & VU) to:
NV = envy
UE = U-ie or U-ey (a U-turn)
Only two “U words” are possible with the given letters.
I got your first answer. I call shenanigans on the second because the words have to be uncapitalized.
DeleteJust click on U-ey to see it uncapitalized.
Delete"View" has just one syllable.
ReplyDeleteYes view has just one syllable, but I listened to several online dictionary audible pronunciations, and most emphasize the V, although I do not pronounce it that way.
DeleteAlso Uey or Uie is not accepted in Merriam-Webster, which is the dictionary Will Shorts accepts for these puzzles. He has stated this several times in the past.
Therefore the only acceptable answer would be ENVY and EW, the latter is in Merriam-Webster.
DeleteGo listen to the Merriam-Webster audible version of view. It is with the V accented, but listed as one syllable.
DeleteGlad you agree it is 1 syllable.
DeleteI never said anything about it not being one syllable, and WS said nothing about syllables either. He said "sounds like."
DeleteHow do you phonetically pronounce 2 letters as 1 syllable? VU = vee-yoo.
DeleteNo controversy: AT BD EZ IC KG QT SA (eighty, beady, easy, icy, cagey, cutey, essay). Controversy: EU NV (ew, envy) or UE NV vs NE VU (envy, view).
ReplyDelete"I don't think you said too much" was in response to Blaine's "stinker" comment; I tried to be subtle about the U-word.
"There's an alternate combination, but I don't like the look of it." It's a bad view.
Merriam-Webster gives "ē-ü\" as a pronunciation for EW, I think that is an acceptable answer. I never submit, so I don't care.
I submitted two possible solutions of nine words, of which the first word of each is questionable.
ReplyDeleteFirst solution starts with: 1, EWE and 2. ENVY.
Second solution starts with: 1. VIEW and 2. ANY
The remaining seven words are the same for each solution:
3. EIGHTY
4. ICY
5. BEADY
6. CAGEY
7. ESSAY
8. CUTIE
9. EASY
I wrote, “I, too, am not really satisfied with the U answer. When I was hunting, I paired it with its letter I eventually used in my answer but overlooked it because the combination meant something else.” This is EU European Union, about which I have never thought “Eeyew!” That one is found in some dictionaries, somewhere....
ReplyDeleteI don't think two syllables was required, so view makes the grade.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure about SDB's eight, though, with eighty right there.
There was likewise no prohibition on ivy and seedy.
Poor old decay just gets left off.
Hard to phonetically pronounce 2 letters as 1 syllable. I think the view (vee-yoo) is outta sight.
DeleteI thought so too, but looked at several dictionary audible presentations that do pronounce it that way.
DeleteCitation please. Every dictionary I saw had "vyoo" or "vju" or "ˈvyü" (Merriam-Webster). All as 1 syllable.
DeleteYou and Ron are hearing things again.
I gave you the citation. Go LISTEN to it. I said AUDIBLE presentation. All the dictionaries list it as one syllable, and I am not disputing this, but most are accentuating the V sound.
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DeleteWhat they write is more significant than what you hear. They write it as 1 syllable, not 2. They write EW as both 1 syllable and 2 syllables. QED.
DeleteMJ:
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that I missed my typing error. I meant EIGHTY.
Same as ron (except did not use the UE variant).
ReplyDeletePossible alternate not listed by others: switch AT (eighty) and NE (any) for:
AE (hey!)
TN (tin, with Southern accent).
Didn't hear the usual complaints about how easy this puzzle was this week, nor about it being a re-run, nor an anti-anagram rant. OK, it was unusually hard to come up with hints, but still. Sounds like a rave review.
ReplyDeleteI guess I am remiss in not expressing my usual gripe about the puzzle being way too EZ. And we didn't even get to use MC emcee.
ReplyDeleteI submitted Youie which is opposite of selfie and is in urban dictionary.
ReplyDeleteI suppose eau won't work either?
DeleteI’m not really thrilled with any of the U words but at least youie and u-ey are creative.
ReplyDeleteBonus Answers!!! (now you can sleep again)
ReplyDelete#1 Males in BIRD NOT PRUDENT: IN ND OD PT RE RT UB - Ian (one pronunciation), Andy, Odie, Petey, Ari, Artie, Eubie. Lego nailed it.
#2 Males in NPR, VOX NECK LORN: EN KC LX ON OP RN RV - Ian (other pronunciation), Casey, Alex, Owen, Opie, Aaron, Harvey.
I hinted that Ron Howard played Opie, who was Andy Taylor's son on the Andy Griffith Show.
#3 Females in LENNIN SELLS MARX CELLS: LECA LSN LXS MLE NIS REL - Alicia, Allison, Alexis, Emily, Anais, Ariel
#4 Females in GEM CELL DELVING: ED GG IV LC LE LN ME - Edie, Gigi, Ivy, Elsie, Ellie, Ellen, Emmy (or Emmie or Emme)
Word Woman discovered the adjacencies, I could only add that should you be trapped in a round room with the words painted on the wall, GG would also be adjacent.
#5 Females in DNC DECKS LEFT: CC DD FE KT LS NE - Cece, Deedee, Effie, Katie, Alice, Annie.
Cece Peniston is the singer behind the greatest movie dance performance of all time. One correction, I assumed this was a bad 70's disco song, it's a bad 90's club song.
Effie is the first name used in the B'52's song 52 girls.
Dee dee Myers was Clinton's Press Secretary.
Eco thanks. I had most of the males. Except BN=Ben, TI- for Ty like Ty Cobb,I had Opie, UE for Huey Lewis and the News, DN-Den short for Denny. ND as Andy?? Is that a southern pronounciation with and A sound.WTH. Thankyou. RT for Artie Shaw-famous big band leader. Hey ,it takes a village. AS Meatloaf would say "Two out of three aint bad."
DeleteIn keeping with STRAP's announced work, I assiduously avoided 1 syllable names. BN is good French.
DeleteWish I thought of UE, vowels were desperately needed. DN = bad Dean, you could stretch DNE for Denny. ND/Andy is recognized in the Wikipedia list of gramograms.
Here are my answers. It will be fun to see (actually to hear) VI which of the sets of possible answers WS picks.
ReplyDeleteSA (essay), EZ (easy), IC (icy), NV (envy),
QT (cutie), BD (beady), KG (cagey), AT (eighty), and UE (uey – slang for a U-Turn)
AT, BD, EZ, IC, KG, NE, QT, SA, VU
ReplyDeleteAT=eighty
BD=beady
EZ=easy
IC=icy
KG=cagey
NE=any
QT=cutie
SA=essay
VU=view
Duckduckgoing "uey and "Merriman Webster" leads to the definition for u-turn. I imagine "uey" will be in Merriam-Webster Dictionary by the time we have a new President-elect in a year.
ReplyDeleteI strongly dislke "uey" as a word, but if that's what it takes to get a new President-elect, count me in NE time!
ReplyDeleteEddy, uey and me both!
DeleteSomehow, I read AT to myself probably a dozen times without hearing 80. When I clicked on lego's link it hit me right in the face. I also note that EZ and KG are not on that list, but EU is, which seems strange to me.
ReplyDeleteFunny, it also took me a bit to get AT = 80.
DeleteVery odd that the list doesn't include EZ, since that is pretty common parlance.
There were a lot of names missing, I enjoyed realizing ON worked. Some other names that I couldn't make good anagrams (UGH!) included:
LS (as Ellis)
YN (a bit obscure)
LNR - I wanted to use it, but couldn't get an anagram
LRE (is that a boy's name or a Queen's?),
MRE (are you board yet?)
UGN (stretching those syllables)
GNE (sounds better in Italian)
LSCO (another Italian)
LXEF (all hail our Russian Masters)
NG (ain't it time to say goodbye...)
I think I've figured it out. When I read AT as letters I tend to stress the T, but in "eighty", it's the first syllable that is accented.
DeleteQT
ReplyDeleteEZ
NV
IC
BD
SA
KG
EU (ew) also ewe, yew and you
AT
I'm at someone else's house using someone else's computer so I'm the Unknown above.
ReplyDeleteChuck
VU = 1 syllable for me
ReplyDeleteI suspect you know just what you mean by that post. Just as sure as I am that no one else does.
DeleteThen I must be no one; I know exactly what he means and I agree with him.
DeleteThe powerful STRAP™ Coalition is joining forces with Letters Equal Many Multiple, Independent, Naturally Given Syllables to take on this cause.
6S 4FR! 2 NE 1 NT R C28N: U R N ODS NME, XP8 R LMN8. C U N L!
WS did not say which dictionary was the only acceptable one to use. He needs to state that each Sunday for these puzzles for the new listeners. My answer is in the urban dictionary and is acceptable as far as I am concerned.
ReplyDeleteWS has said several times in the past that the answer to a particular puzzle must be consistent with the Merriam-Webster Collegiate 10 edition. It can't get too much more specific than that.
DeleteWhat about new listeners?
DeleteIn the puzzles which rely on confirmation in a dictionary, I agree that a brief mention of the dictionary used is in order when presenting the puzzle.
DeleteEvery time.
WW: So glad someone agrees with me...lol.
DeleteBarnes and Noble sells M-W 10 for 23 bucks. Buy me one?
DeleteGetting Shortz to make any changes in his format is very unlikely, but reference to an online dictionary resource would be more helpful
Merriam-Webster is online and adds 400-800 or more new words every April and September.
DeleteMJ: That is a great suggestion. Otherwise new listeners will be at a disadvantage. I forgot which dictionary WS insisted on. I like my answer.
DeleteMy Whitey Bulger Dictionary (fifth ed.) has an entry for UEY. The sample sentence is as follows:
ReplyDeleteIf you miss the packie on Dot St, bang a uey at Broadway by the 7-11 that used to be a Store 24 where Barbara, my friend from St. Monica's -- she's wicked nice by the way -- won a hundred bucks on a scratch ticket and used it to buy a Tom Brady jersey for her husband Timmy for Christmas and the funny thing is he already had a Tom Brady jersey, but it was a home jersey and Barbara got him an away jersey, so Timmy was wicked psyched and was all like "Yah, now I can wear my blue when they're home and my white when they're on the road."
Wait, that can't be right -- there's no mention of Dunks.
DeleteThe person providing the directions moved to the south shore a few years back and is now a Marylou's convert.
DeleteWell. It's all up to which "U word" Will considers a "common uncapitalized word."
ReplyDeleteMy guess it's going to be "view" despite the fact it's a one syllable word.
DeleteI'm betting on EU, which translates to "eew" (which I call a Scrabble word). When pronounced by someone who has just stepped on a cockroach, it would have two syllables.
DeleteI'm also in the EU club, as is Blaine. It's the only one in Merriam-Webster's that has a 2 syllable pronunciation. And the V in VU is not pronounced "vuh".
DeleteI suspect WS will note the other possibilities, not sure whether he will accept them.
I’m in UE camp because I see it often in will’s crosswords. We’ll see which ‘turns’ out to be the intended answer.
DeleteWill likes AT, BD, EZ, IC, KG, NV, QD, SA, UE.
DeleteQD? That's gotta be a typo.
Deletejan, do you have the inside scoop?
DeleteNo. The new puzzle page is up.
DeleteAh, that's the "QD" origin. I C.
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ReplyDeleteSaw another wild turkey blithely crossing Mass Ave in Cambridge today, three weeks before Thanksgiving. Must be more vegetarians here than I thought.
ReplyDeleteI've seen several turkeys on major streets in Berkeley, and saw a deer running 1 block from the city center (Shattuck and University). But everyone knows we're cannibalistic vegetables here.
Delete9 years ago we had a mountain lion wandering just north of city center, about a block from Chez Panisse. Perhaps just testing the Waters.
Lots of turkeys here in Denver.
DeleteI thought Tim Tebow left?
DeleteThis week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from Steve Baggish of Arlington, Mass. Think of two five-letter words that are opposites. One of them begins with E, the other ends with E. Drop both E's. The remaining eight letters can be rearranged to spell a new word that is relevant. What are these three words?
ReplyDeleteEasy one. I'm out of here.
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ReplyDeleteVU and NE?
ReplyDeleteWill mentioned that on air, and said he didn't accept VU because no dictionaries identify it as a two-syllable word.
DeleteHa ha, Will. Very funny.
ReplyDelete1104 correct responses last week.
ReplyDeleteToo busy to spend time creating a clever clue. Maybe when things calm down.
ReplyDeleteKind of a stinky one -last week. I don't think I have ever seen uturn- slang term written out. My friend Jason also flew a Huey in Nam. The agony of defeat.
ReplyDeleteCripes, an ez puzzle AND an anagram!
ReplyDeleteSTRAP is taking a vacation.