It seems a suitable time for some misdirection.Q: Think of a two-word direction or command. Take the first letter of the first word plus the entire second word, in order, and you'll get a common name for one receiving that direction or command. What is it?
Edit: "Suitable time" = "Opportunity" as in one of the Mars Rovers.
A: ROLL OVER, ROVER
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.
Blaine, was your "Follow That Car!" title supposed to be a reference to dogs chasing cars? I considered calling TMI on the Blog Administrator!
DeleteGosh, I hadn't even thought of that. It just came from my original attempt to make the command to a cab driver work. I figured it was safe since DRIVER and CABBIE weren't the answer.
DeleteMany years ago, when I was a new pilot and had to fly to Washington and was too intimidated to fly into DCA, I landed instead at College Park, MD. At that time, the Metro didn't extend out that far, so I caught a cab to the nearest Metro station. On the way back, the cab driver didn't know exactly where the airport was, but once in the area I spotted a Cessna in the traffic pattern and told the driver, "Follow that plane!"
DeleteLiterary reference, Shel Silverstein.
ReplyDeleteTake the command. Remove all letters that occur in it more than once. You get a famous day.
ReplyDeleteVery nice clue.
DeleteSame clue from me as last week - Will deserves an award for this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate Blaine’s clue as well!
Also works with M.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteThat was my original guess, but it felt a bit contrived, then I figured out what I think is the intended answer.
DeleteAlso a name of one who punished those who didn't follow instructions and commands.
ReplyDeleteThat would be telling. Be seeing you.
DeleteI would be seriously shocked to learn that Crito and I are the only two fans of the Prisoner in Blainesville.
DeleteRover was the name of the large white sphere that took those who strayed from the proper path and retrieved them for punishment. Nice clue.
Take the LAST letter of the first word plus the entire second word and you have another recipient of the 2-word action.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to do something with that. You succeeded. A tip of the hat to you, my good sir!
DeleteWhere do we go from here?
DeleteAlso with next to the last letter!
ReplyDeleteSimon says what?
ReplyDeleteTsk Ylkztk
ReplyDeleteClue: F_ _ E _ _ _ _
ReplyDeleteAnyone else recognize this as a rerun puzzle?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDead giveaway...
DeleteThere's a pretty good alternate answer from the pioneer logging days.
ReplyDeleteSomething you must do within 60 days.
ReplyDeletean IRA rollover
DeleteI won’t be submitting an answer to NPR this week, or a clue here, because my GF got it before I did. However, IMHO I think it’s a pretty good puzzle…..
ReplyDeleteI have an alternate answer for your situation.
DeleteI think one was already alluded to above, if you know what I mean.
Delete2900 last week. Could be more this week.
ReplyDeleteI wonder which puzzle got over 4000.
I originally found an alternate solution with a different first word, and the same second word. While I think that alternate answer technically works, it didn't pass muster. It also didn't seem quite elegant or pithy enough to be the correct answer
ReplyDeleteOn air, Lulu mentioned unanswered calls. The one time I got the call, several years ago, I happened to be napping with my phone charging in another room. Yep - I missed the call. It would be a treat to get the call again and not miss it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThat happened to me once, when I got a call from an unfamiliar 202 area code number on a Thursday afternoon while I was seeing a patient and unable to answer. Keep persevering!
DeleteSame here. I was out having an afternoon snack with my wife and son about a year ago and assumed the 202 number was my alma mater looking for money, so I let it go. After a beat, I realized it was Thursday at 3:30, Googled the number to discover it was an NPR line, called back, and left a desperate voice mail message. Never got another call.
DeleteI have a very sad story about getting the call. After submitting answers each week for years. I get the call on the day my husband was buried after dying suddenly. I explained the situation and told them I was too bereft to participate. They said they understood but I was so doubly upset since i waited so long to be called. My husband always said he would do the on air part anyway because i get brain dead when I’m nervous. It was a really awkward conversation. But, 2-3weeks later they sent me a Sunday Puzzle pin and their condolences, which was very kind.
DeleteSo, i may be the only one with a pin that didn’t participate??
Deletejutchnbev,
DeleteThank you for sharing that poignant, but at the same time, uplifting story. You may not see it that way yet, but I see it as a gift in an odd sort of way that the call came at that significant moment in your life. Maybe it was not accidental, but intentional in a way we may not be aware of while living here. Maybe it was even somehow influenced by your late husband from the other side. And you did get your pin and did not have to embarrass yourself in the process. Maybe this will not seem unrealistic to you now, but at the very least it is a nice thought, and I suspect it may be true due to experiences I have had along the way. That being said, I am glad you now have your pin.
Thank you.
Deletejutchnbev, condolences on your husband's passing. Glad NPR sent a pin. Am I remembering that your husband used to come to Blainesville also?
DeleteNo, i was always the one who wrote to this blog. I still read it every week and use it to get clues, but this is my first venture writing in a while. Feels good to be back in the saddle, so to speak.
Delete2900 correct answers last week. Almost a record.
ReplyDeleteThis appears to be a recent record. But 4k was a high water mark
DeleteWill also mentioned that he accepted HILARITY last week.
DeleteYes, I emailed it to him:
Delete-----Original Message-----
From: skydiveboy
To: Will Shortz
Sent: Mon, Jul 6, 2020 1:38 pm
Subject: Alternate NPR Puzzle Answer
Hi Will,
Thought you might enjoy my alternate answer in case the NPR minion does not forward it to you.
HILARITY
Hi Mark,
Yeah, I always crave Hilarity, too. :-)
--Will
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone (else) notice just a trace of "meow" between Lulu and the contestant today? Could that telephone comment have meant more than its ostensible meaning? Something like "why don't you really interesting people answer your phones so we don't end up with..." Oh, well.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite fond of this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI presume you are quite fond of the answer. And the feeling is mutual.
DeleteCan't say I'm fond o' the entire family.
DeleteI didn't plan it this way.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm overly woke, but both parts of this week's answer strike me today as a little demeaning.
ReplyDeleteI suppose one might order a MAID to MINISTER AID. Is that demeaning?
DeleteSubmissive?
ReplyDeleteCB x 2 + JH x 1
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteIndeed!
DeleteUnknown, really???
DeleteYeah, I was Three Mile Islanding a bit here as well...
DeleteMusical Clue: Roland MIDI Synthesizers
ReplyDeleteAn upside-down fender strat comes to mind.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that Curious George could answer this puzzle. --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteBlaine's been busy today. 5/50 comments removed so far. Let's see if this one will stay...
ReplyDeleteI was tempted to make a joke about how many times Blaine had to delete Unknown's comments, but I'm pretty sure my own comment would've got the axe.
DeleteI landed this one fairly quickly.
ReplyDeleteMost of the good musical clues have been taken, but here's one: 1626.
ReplyDeleteWhere does one submit an answer? They haven't updated the thing on NPR!
ReplyDeleteThe submission page is always the same.
Deletehttps://www.npr.org/2020/07/12/890052466/puzzle-remove-it-replace-it
And yet I solved it from a previous comment! Now where do I go from here?
ReplyDeleteThe online post hasn't been updated, so I haven't been able to listen yet (no hints or clues in this comment).
ReplyDeleteI really want "foff" to be the person receiving the direction.
ReplyDeleteYou mean it isn't? I should have waited before sending in my answer. I guess I won't be getting the call this week. Darn!
DeleteI was going for a command like, "Drop and Gimme twenty, RUNT!
DeleteThis puzzle is out of this world!
ReplyDeleteThe Mars Rover went to Mars.
DeleteAnd the on-air puzzle is still unavailable for your listening pleasure.
ReplyDeleteGo to Sunday Edition and you can listen to it. I just now did.
DeleteClick HERE and you are there, Chere.
DeletePurge resident. Doesn't quite work, but I like the message.
ReplyDelete😄
DeleteUnlike someone, I believe in the Rule Of Law.
ReplyDeleteI think there are more accurate words than "common" for the clue.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned yesterday that I was curious about the PM's claim of over 4000 correct entries.
Thanks to Richard Renner, I found that on 2/28/10 Liane Hansen reported "over 5000" entrants figured out that "Berlin" and "Tokyo" could be made from the letters in "Brooklynite."
Unless someone finds differently, an anagram holds the record! :(
I agree. “Stereotypical” seems to work better
DeleteNow that we all agree that the answer involves "Rover," has anyone actually known one?
DeleteIt does not come up in any list of common or popular dog names I looked at (e.g. Top 100).
As usual, I wish Will had spent a little time to come with "stereotypical" (as Curtis suggests), "historical," "vintage," "classic (al)," "time-honored," "venerable," or some such to make a more accurate clue.
I have to admit that in my answer: "Look out, lout!," "lout" is no longer too common either.
Hey, if I direct someone to love gloves and she does,is she a "Glover?"
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI submitted an answer to NPR just now, something I very seldom do.
ReplyDeleteIt is something you might say to a careless person about to negatively affect your well being.
Thousands of listeners have already sent in the other answer, so I hope this doesn't break any rules.
I hope skydiveboy figures out my answer, approves of it and sends it on to Wee Willy through his personal contact method, thereby giving it alternative status.
It seems a little presumptuous for Lulu to complain that thousands of people are not dedicating a hunk of their Thursday afternoons to waiting by their phones for the Master's minions to call.
Maybe a problem with the chosen one's ignoring Friday's call.
skydiveboy is about to head out to go camping in Oregon, and will not be near a computer.
DeleteMJ:
DeleteLook out, lout?
I submitted what I believe to be a fair alternative to the intended answer. I'll post it tomorrow and listen to hear if it is mentioned. There could be a number of good, read that clever, answers to this one.
DeletePaul: Great answer, eh?
DeleteWhere in Oregon? I live in Florence on the Coast.
ReplyDeleteCamping on the Columbia River a little East of The Dalles. Leaving now.
DeleteHave a good time
DeleteROLL OVER, ROVER
ReplyDelete"I didn't plan it this way." refers to the planet Mars and the Mars ROVER.
ROLL OVER—>ROVER
ReplyDeleteMy musical clue: “1626” is the Chess catalog number for Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven”
The command, Roll Over, is often given to dogs named, Rover.
ReplyDeleteThe musical clues I was afraid to post were, Classic Beatles, and Chuck Berry, both references to the song, Roll Over Beethoven.
The clue I did post, Shel Silverstein, was a reference to his having written the song The Unicorn, recorded by, The Irish Rovers.
ROLL OVER, ROVER!
ReplyDeleteSHINE ON, my SON!
POP UP, PUP!
My clue: Add the LAST letter of the first word (L) to the second word to yield another recipient of the action: ROLL OVER, LOVER!
My alternate answer from pioneer logging days was DOWN RIVER, which would be directed to a log DRIVER.
ReplyDeleteI got that answer also.
DeleteI wrote, “Take the command. Remove all letters that occur in it more than once. You get a famous day.” That’s VE Day, 8 May 1945.
ReplyDeleteRoll over, Rover.
ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, it was probably loutish of me to blurt out Mendo Jim's alternative answer. I like it better than my "minister aid" idea. Sorry, MJ.
ReplyDelete"Where do we go from here" was a musical reference to "rock on, ron".
I doubt that Dick and Jane ever trained their dog to smoke pot, but if they subjected the poor creature to their secondhand fumes it would be just as bad. (And how did they dream up that name for their cat, I wonder?)
The keyword GERSHWIN transforms "Tsk Ylkztk" into NOT GEORGE, which means it must be IRA, suggesting a ROLLOVER.
I tried a musical clue (.... ... and do it again) referring to the song "Roll Me Over in the Clover" (roll me over, lay me down & do it again), popular w soldiers in WWII and w junior-high age kids in the 50's & 60's. I see why it was removed ...
ReplyDeleteROLL OVER, ROVER
ReplyDelete> Just out of curiosity, has anyone had an opportunity to see the 2018 Sojourner Truth movie based on her "Ain't I a Woman" speech? [Deleted]
Curiosity, Opportunity, and Sojourner are recent Mars rovers.
> Keep persevering!
The Perseverance Mars rover launches later this month.
> Blaine's been busy today. 5/50 comments removed so far. Let's see if this one will stay...
Stay, fetch, roll over, whatever...
> Unlike someone, I believe in the Rule Of Law.
I'm a real R.O.L. LOVER
I didn't see you Sojourner Truth clue since it was deleted. I think it's really clever! Borderline TMI, I guess.
DeleteMy clues:
ReplyDeleteSame clue from me as last week - Will deserves an award for this puzzle. - This referred to an Oscar award for his “role” with this challenge.
I really appreciate Blaine’s clue as well! - the “I really appreciate “ was for IRA (rollover)
My alternate answer referenced with Chuck above was Hold On = Hon , something I might say to my spouse.
The alternate I submitted was: STOP ENTRY, SENTRY
ReplyDeleteNice alternative answer, GB.
ReplyDeleteWe feature four fantastic puzzles by Ken Pratt (geofan) on tomorrow's Puzzleria! (see Blaine's PUZZLE LINKS). They appear in his always-entertaining-and-challenging "Worldplay" package of posers.
Also on our menu are Riff-offs of "Roll Over Rover" as well as many other delicious morsels.
Stop on by for a bite or two.
LegoPurveyorOfPuzzlesPiledHighWithCheesySmiles
I wanted to say that Unknown is finding himself in the doghouse this week for too many TMIs but that comment would've been TMI in itself.
ReplyDeleteI submitted MOVE OVER - MOVER
ReplyDeleteI posted "e" as in e, Euler's number (e = 2.71828...), Euler (pronounced oiler), oil, John D. Rockefeller, Nelson Rockefeller, Happy Rockefeller, happy, joy, Ode to Joy, 4th movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Beethoven, Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry), roll over.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I can just picture Blaine right now thinking, “I had no idea what he meant at the time, but seeing his explanation just now, I realize that I should have deleted it! Way too much of a giveaway! ;-)
DeleteYep! I may have to delete it retroactively just to teach FG a lesson about not posting such giveaway answers. :)
DeleteVery nice "mini-thread, FloridaGuy, Enya_and_Weird_Al_fan and Blaine.
DeleteLegoSuggestsThatItIsCreativitySuchAsThisThatMakesBlaine'sBlogSuchATrueTreasure
And here I thought it was just a rolled-over way to seduce Blainesville into another debate about schwas.
Delete!!! This hint could've been a full feature movie (directed by QT or Guy Ritchie).
DeleteThis is so weird, because I was able to solve the puzzle, but through a totally different chain, a shorter one:
DeleteFlorida Guy posted "e" as in e, Euler's number
(e = 2.71828...)
Euler (pronounced oiler),
Oilman,
John D. Rockefeller,
Nelson Rockefeller,
Happy Rockefeller,
Megan Marshack,
Nelson died Happy
"So Happy they couldn't close the coffin,"
They had to "roll him over,"
Roll Over,
Roll Over, Rover.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nelson-rockefeller-death-spin-truth-article-1.808749
THIS IS FROM zekecreek VIA ME:
ReplyDeleteMy condolences to jutchnbev:
Sorry to hear of your husbands passing. I’d like to relay the kindness of Weekend Edition staff Towards my family. My 34 year old permachild was the one who gave me a double thumbs up at the end of our Friday taping. The gang sent her a lapel pin of her own. She shows it off to all of her friends. Talking about High quality of life! She’s an inspiration!
zekecreek
I am now back home from camping in Eastern Oregon which kept me from posting my answer yesterday to the puzzle. So now I can amaze you all with my unique answer that I am certain no one else here came up with:
ReplyDeleteROLL OVER >>> ROVER
Ain't Oregon beautiful? You should try the Coast.
ReplyDeleteI have driven the coast all the way from Mexico to Kanada. Yes Oregon is beautiful, but not as beautiful as Washington and we have more variety than any other state.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah! (I'm originally from Brooklyn so ignore the sarcasm). Glad you had a good time.
ReplyDeleteYeah, New York City is in Brooklyn, right?
DeleteDown River - Driver
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteThis week's challenge: From listener James Matthews, of Little Rock, Ark. Think of a six-letter word for something you might wear. Insert an "O" in the exact middle, and you'll get a phrase meaning "Not aware." What is it?
ReplyDeleteDum dee dum
DeleteThat was easy. As I recall, Teddy Roosevelt got his at Abercrombie and Fitch.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI just looked at this week's on-air puzzle, and was amazed at how stale that list of "famous people" was. With one exception, those names would have been dated 20 years ago. I wonder if anyone under 50 would recognize half of them?
ReplyDelete