Q: Name a food in two words — a total of 11 letters. Some of these letters appear more than once. The food has seven different letters in its name. You can rearrange these seven letters to identify the form in which this food is typically served. What food is it?
A: CREAM CHEESE (SCHMEAR)
For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
ReplyDeleteYou may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't give the answer away. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the Thursday deadline. Thank you.
My answer seems unlikely, but it works. The “form in which it is served” is often paired with another food, a food whose letters rearranged signify a part of a house’s architecture.
ReplyDeletePretty sure your answer is correct.
DeleteIt can also be found in churches and other religious structures.
Pairs with another food, which phonetically matches other parts of houses.
DeleteI'm pretty sure I have the same answer as you.
DeleteI agree it seems unlikely. But it's all I've got right now. --Margaret G.
DeleteI wonder what calf ropers feed their horses.
ReplyDeleteYes, ROASTED RODEO TREATS was lame, but it was early.
DeleteIs a CAESAR SALAD served in CRADLES?
ReplyDeleteAn appropriate puzzle for a Sunday morning.
ReplyDeleteI came up with an answer, but I'm stumbling on "typically."
ReplyDeleteI assume a CUSTARD TART is served as CUSTARD.
ReplyDeleteI have the answer. Remember, as above, a certain letter could be repeated 3 times.
DeleteA certain letter could even be repeated 4 times!
DeleteTypical is the question. When I submitted, the NPR robot questioned the spelling. This is not a hint, just saying I learned a new word. I guess the robot did also.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same answer. ha ha ha
DeleteStrong association with a certain city.
ReplyDeleteBut Rice-a-Roni doesn't work, jan.
DeleteWrong city, bro. As I'm sure you know.
DeleteI have an answer, which works, and in my estimation doesn't have an association with a specific city. A region, perhaps.
Deletejan, I did get your little joke.
DeleteI loved it as well.
DeleteI liked this one. It’s definitely easier to start with the two-word food than to divine the “form in which the food is served.”
ReplyDeleteThe way that the food is served can be rearranged into a word relating to springs.
ReplyDelete"Schmear" is an anagram of "marches". March is a month in the spring.
DeleteHere at the Waffle House you can have hashbrowns, smothered, covered, and or "all the Way., with all five traditional toppings, which I am afraid to try but know I must. " I am not sure which one is the typical form.
ReplyDeleteThe most definitive "form" I have so far is CAN-SHAPED, as in cranberry sauce.
ReplyDeleteToday's Google doodle celebrates Mexico's Loteria, and even has an on-line version to play - it's kind of like Bingo.
ReplyDeleteWhile I won the only game I played, gambling is something you'll never win.
I hate when this happens. I have an answer that meets all the stated criteria, but which doesn’t match up with any of the comments here. I either have a unique solution, or I have made a titanic error.
ReplyDeleteI may have the same answer as SuperZee.
DeleteMy answer meets all the criteria of the puzzle (the "typical form" is a two-word phrase, 3+4 letters). However, it does not yield a word that is an architectural or liturgical element (with a switch of 1 letter it does, though). It does have a typically-paired dish (which has been mentioned in the comments) and it is associated with a certain city. The spelling of the second word of the dish is an alternate one.
That's definitely different than what Rob, Jan, probably GB, possibly Courtney and Margaret (they offer no hints) and I have.
DeleteLooking forward to Thursday's closing. Or opening.
My "typical form" is one 7-letter word.
DeleteLike geofan’s, my typical form is two words, 3+4. However, neither my 11 letter food, nor my typical form, use an alternate spelling.
DeleteAre we looking at another puzzle with three (or more) solutions?
Could be. I'm surprised you don't have the same answer as me, though.
DeleteThe alternate spelling is generally used in British English (a shorter one in US English). But both forms should be familiar to users of this blog.
DeleteI think I know the type food Jan started his day with, but I couldn’t make any of the variants work.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI found an answer with a 7-letter, one-word "form" and a typically paired food that anagrams to a house or church part. This answer is probably the same as that of jan et al.
DeleteSo there are at least 2 answers. Both food-pairs are often consumed in the morning: my first answer (the one with the 3+4 letter "form") possibly more so than the 7-letter "form". Each food is often identified with a (different) city.
I may have a third answer?! I have a food in eleven letters, two words. I've never eaten it for breakfast. I don't associate it with a city, though perhaps a region. And I can take its seven letters and rearrange them into the form in which it is served, a single seven-letter word. Which is indeed an architectural term as well (though I'm about as much of an architect as George Costanza).
DeleteLooking forward to hearing your 3rd answer Thurs.
DeleteI submitted LOBSTER ROLL.
Delete11 letters and the letters in ROLL are all repeats.
And LOBSTER anagrams to BOLSTER, which is the form of the LOBSTER ROLL when served. (And an architectural term!)
This is NOT a breakfast food.
And though I think of Maine or the Cape, I don't associate lobster rolls with any city. My favorites come from Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar in Eastham, Mass.
Wondering what cities and breakfast foods other Blainsville residents came up with.
Ben
I am sure that ROASTED DEER "typically" comes ROASTED!
ReplyDeleteA POACHED CHOP "typically" comes POACHED, as well as a PICKLED PIKE "typically" comes PICKLED.
DeleteWhen I first read the puzzle, I thought it would be easy...silly me, it ain't! No clue in this posting.
ReplyDeleteIs it significant that Blaine provided no hint this week?
ReplyDeleteI think he sat this one out.
DeleteI almost sat this one out after not solving it quickly. I got the cream cheese answer right away, but couldn't find schmear in the anagram program I use. Finally I thought I'd try a different anagram program and it gave me the schmear. This is a regional puzzle, and not very applicable to the West Coast.
DeleteUm, in Seattle, Blazing Bagels, Einstein Bros., Schmaltzy's, and Westman's all have "schmear" on their menus.
DeleteNot only have I never been to any of these establishments, I never heard of them before, and do not know where they are located.
DeleteWhy don't they wipe it off?
DeleteHey! I was going to say that.
DeleteThat "C" gives texture and an extra 1/2 syllable to SCHMEAR. I learned that in Schmear School (in Seattle :)).
DeleteI think some of you are in the menorahty.
DeleteEinsteins in Atlanta. Never seen in Seattle to my knowledge. I would never have gotten this -but for living one summer in NYC. Bagels in Seattle kind of soggy.
DeleteRight! And let's not start a schmear campaign.
Deletegood job for Dumb Jerk Trump, who was definitely a C student.
DeleteI finally got it. Actually I had the food early Sunday morning, but couldn't make the form work until I tried something different now.
ReplyDeleteI tried so hard to make Baked Alaska work, but got frozen out.
I'd bet many people had the food early Sunday morning....
DeleteI am most likely to have this food later this month.
DeleteIn Seattle must be oysters. Or perhaps Goeduck steak.
DeleteDungeness Crab.
DeleteAlmost have the answer. I know the form and part of the names. Clever puzzle.
ReplyDeleteNo answer yet for me, but I certainly must wonder: Do you CRUMBLE a CREME BRULEE?
ReplyDeleteNo, but the crust is sort of crumbly.
DeleteFound and rejected this "answer."
Also why I was "stumbling...."
DeleteSuccessfully serving MYSTERY MEAT takes a form of MASTERY.
ReplyDeleteI'm just starting design for a vegan restaurant, my clients would think it proper form to TRAMPLE on a MEAT PLATTER.
It’s a clever puzzle and one where it’s not easy to craft a clue for. I like the city association clue above which, while true, may not be the city that consumes the most of this food. I was also amused by the first/alternative definition of the “form” when I googled it.
ReplyDeleteI had the hardest time finding this food or its "typical" counterpart while I was living abroad in Chile. I'm not ashamed to state that I went straight out and bought it when I returned to my hometown. No clue, just an interesting anecdote.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I found lots of examples of chile in this food.
DeleteHaven't been here for awhile.
ReplyDeleteGood to see Skydive boy, word woman, and of course Blaine holding down the fort. Keep spreading the knowledge
Welcome back, RoRo! We have missed you.
DeleteYour presence here has me now doubly gobsmacked--you and the answer to this week's puzzle have both appeared.
I like this puzzle!
Welcome back, RoRo. Don't worry, we won't tell anyone you escaped and made it back.
DeleteGood to have you back, RoRo!
DeleteMusical clue: Sousa.
ReplyDeleteMusical clue "Billy Joel"
ReplyDeleteI get the Sousa reference above but haven’t figured out the connection to Billy Joel. I look forward to hearing later in the week.
DeleteMusical Clue - Barry Manilow
DeleteBillys "New York state of mind."
DeleteBagel capital of the world?? I guess not.
Cream cheese- schmear.
Still have not had the Lox -cheese typical as they were 10 bucks at Zabars.
Frankly, I found this puzzle a bit challenging.
ReplyDeleteGLASS ONION(s) could take the form of a SING ALONG.
ReplyDeletePaul, is it true you were the walrus?
I had braised bear once, but it was kind of chewy.
DeleteThat invokes an image of a certain Wookie.
DeleteNow I know my answer is correct.
ReplyDeleteI now have the intended answer, and understand some, but not all, of the comments. It will be fun to see just how many different solutions this group has come up with, and how many are accepted by The Puzzlemaster.
ReplyDeleteSame here, it will be interesting to see what the alternate answers will be!
DeleteIs THAT how you spell tokhes? I never knew.
ReplyDeleteטאָכעס, actually.
ReplyDeleteTook us awhile to get here. . .
ReplyDeleteMan, you guys are smart!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, as has been stated, there may be a few different solutions to the puzzle this week. Mine is טרײף.
ReplyDeleteDiagram
ReplyDeleteThe 'form' reminded me of something Trump does daily.
ReplyDeleteI think we have the same answer.
DeleteSee THIS WEEK'S CARTOONS.
DeleteGone With The Wind.
ReplyDeleteSure are a lot of seven letter ways to serve food.
ReplyDeleteSDB: I am enjoying a book you recommended.
Good. Is it by James Lord?
DeleteYou didn't indicate how far along you are, so I will tell you that the book changes significantly about half way through.
DeleteMine is כשר
ReplyDeleteדעם נאָכמיטאָג אין דריי מיר קענען פאַרגלייכן הערות.
ReplyDeleteI know pancakes are, and hotcakes are, but are TEASED CAKES or even TASTED CAKES also generally served STACKED?
ReplyDeleteThe Waffle Houses I have seen didn't seem to have gables, and I don't really know if it's true that they have no locks on the doors. I wonder if I could get my RAISIN TOAST served before the rest of the meal, like, AS INTRO?
DeleteThough a gable roof was a dominant feature of the old International House of Pancakes - IHOP to you youngsters.
DeleteCREAM CHEESE, SCHMEAR
ReplyDelete"Your presence here has me now doubly gobsmacked--you and the answer to this week's puzzle have both appeared." >>> as in a gob of cream cheese smacked on a bagel.
"Diagram" refers to schematic, the word that autocorrect tried to change schmear to.
11:59:00 AM PST again? Must be because Denver is so close to NIST at Boulder...
DeleteEither that, jan, or I was so excited to post the answer this week.
DeleteIt is my favorite puzzle of 2019, definitely the most satisfying aha for me. It was challenging because the words were right in front of my face and it took a day or two for schmear to surface.
Kudos to the puzzle creator!
If the answer hadn't occurred to me moments before I discovered this thread, I might have felt the need to kvetch.
ReplyDeleteI thought about alluding to nine yards, shebang, kit & caboodle, etc., but decided it wasn't worth the trouble.
CREAM CHEESE >>> SCHMEAR
ReplyDeleteMy Hint:
“Gone With The Wind.” If I remember correctly, Clark Bagel was the male lead actor in that movie, but, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
CREAM CHEESE -> SCHMEAR
ReplyDelete> Pairs with another food, which phonetically matches other parts of houses.
Lox.
> An appropriate puzzle for a Sunday morning.
The line at Bagelsaurus is usually over a block long at puzzle time.
> Strong association with a certain city.
Be a shame if anything happened to their naming rights.
> Wrong city, bro.
Anything more brotherly would've earned me an administrative deletion.
> I had the hardest time finding this food ... while I was living abroad in Chile.
>> On the other hand, I found lots of examples of chile in this food.
For instance...
> Musical clue: Sousa.
"Marches" anagrams to SCHMEAR.
CREAM CHEESE → “Typically” comes as a SCHMEAR to be spread on a bagel (gable)...
ReplyDeleteCREAM CHEESE, “E” repeated 4 times.
Why is it called PHILADELPHIA CREAM CHEESE since historically it has nothing to do with Philadelphia, PA?
Answer: Because it was originally named after PHILADELPHIA, NEW YORK.
The last paragraph of your above link says that the link to Philadelphia, NY is a legend and that the correct link is to Philadelphia, PA.
DeleteYes. Philadelphia, PA eventually took it over, but it originated in NEW YORK.
DeleteYour source states: "Because of its origin, it eventually became legend that Philadelphia brand cream cheese was named for Philadelphia, New York. In actuality, Philadelphia Cream Cheese was named for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, because at the time the city was associated with high-quality dairy products."
DeleteAs I read the prior text in that source, yes the origin was in NY state but not necessarily the town of Philadelpnia, NY (pop ca. 2,000).
"... hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
DeleteI lived in upstate NY for 7 years, never heard of Philadelphia NY. Poor town doesn't even get a correct Street view image in Google.
Deletecream cheese (-ceee) = schmear
ReplyDeleteFrom last week's thread: I've got nothing for a clue as in 0, as in a bagel.
It can also be found in churches and other religious structures. Bagels are hol(e)y structures, and are a mainstay at the synagogue.
gambling is something you'll never win. You'll never beat the spread!
Looking forward to Thursday's closing. Or opening. Sometimes one eats a bagel as a closed sandwich, sometimes open-faced.
It's been over 50 years since The Beatles released "The White Album" and until this week I didn't know that a "Glass Onion" is a coffin with a see-through lid. Did you?
I submitted LOBSTER ROLL.
ReplyDelete11 letters and the letters in ROLL are all repeats.
And LOBSTER anagrams to BOLSTER, which is the form of the LOBSTER ROLL when served. (And an architectural term!)
This is NOT a breakfast food.
And though I think of Maine or the Cape, I don't associate lobster rolls with any city. My favorites come from Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar in Eastham, Mass.
Wondering what cities and breakfast foods other Blainsville residents came up with.
Ben
I've never heard bolster used in architecture, perhaps I will lose my license. Bearing or bearing plate is the term I've heard.
DeleteIf you go to the Sea of Love taking a roll with a lobster might do in a pinch.
As I noted, eco, I'm no architect. But once I realized I had found an answer that didn't match the stated clues from the crowd, I did find this:
Deletehttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolster
bolster (noun)
bol·ster | \ ˈbōl-stər \
Definition of bolster (Entry 1 of 2)
1: a long pillow or cushion
2: a structural part designed to eliminate friction or provide support or bearing (see BEARING sense 5)
That's what I saw too. Never heard the second definition before.
DeleteCould probably make a puzzle out of bolster → booster (as in seat), but that's pretty obscure pillow talk.
Will’s probable intended answer Cream Cheese>>Schmear
ReplyDeleteMy alternate (which I submitted) Leaf Lettuce>>Cut Leaf
I always love it when we, as a community, come up with additional creative solutions to these puzzles. Looking forward to seeing just how many we have this week.
stacked and DOH hotcakes just did not stack up so I gave up.
ReplyDeleteMy two answers:
ReplyDelete(1) CREAM CHEESE => SCHMEAR [architectural terms GABLE and (as noted by jan) paired with CREAM CHEESE, LOX].
(2) HAM OMELETTE (also called a Denver omelet) => HOT MEAL. Generally paired with HASH BROWNS.
Change the first H to S and rearrange to (BROWN) SASH in some buildings and ecclesiastical element in churches.
GREEN VEGGIES - SERVING
ReplyDeleteformerly LibertarianMathProf
I have no misgivings about the size and scope of my vocabulary, so I will happily admit that I have never read or heard the term schmear for the cream cheese I have spread on bagels for decades (though never for breakfast).
ReplyDeleteI do not know how the folks here that got it did it.
I did just look it up and found the timely alternate definition of "a corrupt or underhanded inducement; a bribe."
Just because I failed to solve it does not make this a crappy challenge, it does that on its own.
MJ: I knew the term and considered cream cheese but schmear not considered. The clues were there however.
DeleteSchmear might be a regional term, I definitely heard it more on the East Coast.
DeleteYou could exact your revenge with a puzzle that uses Boontling.
It helped to have grown up in New York, where a bagel with a schmear was a standard diner/cafeteria order.
DeleteAlthough, having left New York 50+ years ago, it still took me a long time to get to the solution.
Cream cheese, schmear
ReplyDeleteBreaded Ribs, Braised
ReplyDeleteSo far we (as a community) have:
ReplyDeleteThree "7-letter "forms":
CREAM CHEESE/SCHMEAR
LOBSTER ROLL/BOLSTER
GREEN VEGGIES/SERVING
Two 3+4 letter "forms":
LEAF LETTUCE/CUT LEAF
HAM OMELETTE/HOT MEAL
I like 'em all.
Very cool. YOu can only get one of these at Waffle house. Actually maybe two.
DeleteAnd BREADED RIBS, BRAISED - making six solutions.
DeleteMy recollection is that Will Shortz monitors this blog, and has, on rare occasions commented. If he’s here this week, I wonder what he thinks of our alternate answers. Will?
I missed SCHMEAR the first time through but got it in time to enter. My alternate answer is DANISH SCONE and it's served ON A DISH.
ReplyDeleteI gotta tell you folks, I'm originally from Brooklyn and never spelled shmear with a C. But as I'm typing this, my computer put its squiggly red line under my spelling. Ah well, another puzzle missed.
ReplyDeleteC a p, hope you're not thinking of starting a schmear campaign.
DeleteThere, I said it.
No, a shmear campaign
DeletePS. WW any way you spell it, with a bagel and lox it's a sure winner. Anyway you spell it, gay gazuntah hait (not sure how to spell the transliteration from Yiddish). If you need a translation, let me know.
DeleteDon't worry Clark, not all of us think you're a meschugannah, and some might even think you're a mensh.
DeleteGay ga zinta hate.
You do you, boo.
DeleteEcco,
DeleteShouldn't mensch be spelled with a C...supposedly just like schmear? Thanks for the compliment.
I agree. And I C what U did there...
DeleteAnd, C a p, thanks for the good wishes.
Clark not Bagel,
DeleteYou'll see I'm consistent if you look up the spelling of meshugannah.
Mind games, or is it Mind games?
Now that you menschion it.
DeleteMy clue -
ReplyDeleteIt’s a clever puzzle and one where it’s not easy to craft a clue for. I like the city association clue above which, while true, may not be the city that consumes the most of this food. I was also amused by the first/alternative definition of the “form” when I googled it.
“Craft” referred to Kraft (philly cc). City association was reference to Philly and NYC which I presume consumes more cream cheese than Philadelphia.
My “love” for the “bro” comment was in recognition of brotherly love. (Philly)
“Man, you guys are smart!”
ReplyDeleteEinstein Bros. Bagels calls its cream cheese “schmear” on its menu.
You can even join the SCHMEAR SOCIETY all over the U.S.:
Deletehttps://www.einsteinbros.com/shmear-society-rewards/
You must bring your own "C," though.
Deletecan anyone give me the answer i dont submit to the puzzle but its extra credit. Any help would work
ReplyDeleteAnswers appear regularly after the puzzle deadline. Look for posts at 12:00 PM PST Thursday (11:59 Denver time).
DeleteCream cheese → schmear is the consensus answer.
Don't you mean Denver Omelette?
DeleteAll right, all right, you three. Rub it in, schmear it on...
DeleteOy, these comments are getting cheesy.
DeleteHello All. Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from the 202 area code on Thursday afternoon. Pretty sure I screamed into the ear of the producer that made the call. I would not have solved this without the help of all of you. I sorta choked at the end, but I had fun no matter how I will sound to the masses.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, there were 150 correct submissions.
Thanks again.
Congrats, Liz! Looking forward to hearing you tomorrow.
DeleteThat's great, Liz!
Delete150 correct submissions is on the low side. Did Will mention alternate answers?
Congratulations!
DeleteWear your pin with pride.
Good for you, Liz. Congratulations. Glad it was a fun experience.
DeleteBlaine's wonderful blog -- where we dissect, discuss and diss (and occasionally digress from) Will Shortz's weekly puzzles -- is all about fun, cracking wise, spouting opinions, posting puzzle riffs, and learning new and interesting stuff.
LegoLapelisLizuli
Awesome, Liz. You did us proud.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNo, but there was very little 'small talk'.
ReplyDeleteThis week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco. Write down eight different letters of the alphabet. Add an apostrophe. Then write the same eight letters in a different order. With proper spacing, you now have a four-word phrase meaning "took a risk." What is it?
ReplyDeleteThe first answer that came to mind worked. Will be hard to clue. NPR has changed the form for submitting an answer.
DeleteMcConnell won't.
ReplyDelete148 responses this week.
ReplyDeleteNice job, Liz!
ReplyDeleteCongratualtions Liz.
ReplyDeleteI solved it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Liz! --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteIf Will meant 16 letters in a 4 word phrase, from his wording of the puzzle, I just don't see it. If you're right isn't he being just a tad ambiguous?
ReplyDelete