Sunday, July 19, 2020

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19, 2020): Not A Wear

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19, 2020): Not A Wear
Q: 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?
A Rubik's Cube

A Rubik's Cube is 3 x 3 x 3 which is 27. The 27th president was TAFT who shares the same 3 consonants (in order) as the answer.
A: OUTFIT --> OUT OF IT

148 comments:

  1. Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.

    You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't give the answer away. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the Thursday deadline. Thank you.

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Well that took about 10 seconds.

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  4. The six letter word isn’t always a noun.

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  5. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  6. 767 correct responses last week.

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  7. Replies
    1. Towel = Nudist outfit
      Nudist outfit = out of it

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  8. I think my GF will have an easier time with this than me.

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    Replies
    1. I think so. My DW solved it before Will's second reading.

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    2. DW = Dishwasher? Dear Wife? Deep Water? DW is a new one to me. Hoping for the middle term. :-)

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    3. Hah! Dishwasher is the first thing I thought of too.

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    4. And I thought Dear Wife (Hamilton lyrics on my mind)

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  9. As always, there are a number of fortuitous comments here...

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  10. Take the first four letters of the thing you might wear, rearrange, and you get a beloved and reviled food.

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  11. The week-long challenge is pretty easy, but I am impressed by how many names Will came up with for that on-air puzzle. After about fifteen minutes of straining to come up with another, I managed to get YAM (cellist).

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    Replies
    1. Actors and Actresses--adrenals, cable, cairns, cartels, clarets, clove, coldly, crestal, dearly, elide, jangle, joists, presells, register, roomer, saints, satins, sear, sera, stains, stenos, stones, tired, tried.

      Some without rearranging--thanks, crock, troth, sparker.

      Delete
    2. I could almost hear members of this community saying "Hold my coat" as soon as I posted my comment. FloridaGuy has a good list (although I might need to look some up later). Here's another actor: ARRIVED.

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    3. I came up with THANKS.

      Most of the famous people were not contemporary. In fact all but one were dead.

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  12. Reminds me of an egg-timer. --Margaret G.

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  13. Clever puzzle, by James Matthews of Little Rock, with nice homophonic wordplay.
    Hint: A Texas city.

    LambLad

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  14. Rubik and his cube. What an invention

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    Replies
    1. It was his birthday last Monday on the 13th.

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  15. Rubik and his cube. What an invention

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  16. i csn think of a person who exemplifies this phrase

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  17. I was in 6th grade in 1970 and ended the decade in college.

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    Replies
    1. Several years ago a doctor asked me if I had done any (street) drugs. I looked at him and said, "I am a product of the Seventies". He got it. In HS, kids would come back from lunch reeking of pot. I attended Indiana University, at the time, the #1 party school. It was almost a challenge to see how out of it one could be.

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  18. I started PA school 20 years ago.

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    Replies
    1. The two of you are making me feel old.
      My college graduation was in 1969.

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    2. You are old. Me, too. My college graduation was in 1974.

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    3. So, PA school was for a second career. What was your first?

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    4. You're asking me to explain my clue before Thursday?

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  19. Pretty quick solve. I checked my answer in a dictionary. I can find the “something you might wear” at a store in the city near me.

    I agree with Lacek that the on air questions were clever but haven’t tried to think of others.

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    Replies
    1. I've found a few:

      ADRENALS (actor)
      REFERRED (athlete)

      Some need no rearrangement:

      SCURRY (athlete)
      THANKS (actor)

      But, as I noted at the end of last week's blog, I thought the names Will used on air were pretty stale. How many people under age 50 are going to think of Ava Gardner or Marilyn Monroe if you say "actress"? (And why are we still saying "actress", for that matter?) How many remember Patsy Cline, or even Ross Perot?

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    2. Good ones Jan! The “scrambled” athlete is among my faves and someone my son “worked for” while playing.

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    3. Nice clue! Took me a second.

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    4. Agree with Jan on age of famous people.

      Referred is a nice clue!

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  20. Sometimes this is my preference.

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  21. I found this one pretty easy. But, it's so easy, just not aware of a hint I can provide.

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  22. There is a phrase for what you might do to this puzzle. The first letter of the first word of the phrase and the words after the first word of the phrase can be anagrammed into the answer.

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  23. Sadly, I am not aware of the answer.

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  24. I must have glossed right over it the first time. What a long list of articles of clothing!

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    Replies
    1. You might have solved it sooner if you had looked for the answer in a list of the articles of impeachment.

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  25. That? I haven't worn one of those in about a year.

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  26. I've got it, but can't think of a clue, can you?

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  27. Replies
    1. Thanks Ben, now I have it! Hopefully without giving too much away, I have a chain beginning e; Euler's number (2.71828...); Leonhard Paul Euler; etc. Is that what you have? It does occur to me that there might be more than one way to go.

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    2. Nope, my chain goes from e to Wile E. Coyote, but if I tell you more, then Blaine will delete me....

      Delete
  28. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  29. With a little effort, anyone can sew a silk purse purse out of this sow's ear!

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  30. My sister in law is highly attentive when it comes to matching shoes and handbag.

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    Replies
    1. She is never out of it when she puts together her outfits.

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  31. Another disappointing "challenge" that didn't.

    Except for the fun Lulu's Lake poser, the average solution time over the last ten has been in the well-under five minute range.
    I think skydiveboy needs to give us Will's email addy so we can make sure he gets our alternative answer submissions too.

    If the PM he does not attribute a puzzle (i.e., give credit for it), does it means he made it up on his own?

    And, since I can't remember a time when he has attributed the on-air part, does that mean he makes all those up himself?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MJ:
      I'm beginning to fear you're suffering from Shortz Derangement Syndrome.

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  32. Not to be confused with Shorts Rearrangement Syndrome. Although there may be a connection.

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  33. Is there such a garment as a rolled overcoat?

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  34. One thing you don't see in the South is socks with sandal - a Northwest regular look.

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    Replies
    1. Shame on you for disclosing our shame! :-)

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    2. I recently bought sandals ( here in PA) intending to wear socks with them until my adult daughter said " you are NOT going to wear socks with them , right?

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    3. At the opera? Sandals and socks?

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  35. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  36. Frances McDormand won Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the movie Fargo. My question is: Was she Best actress in a leading role, or best actress in a bleeding role?

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  37. It certainly isn't a merkin, that would be silly.

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  38. I think I have the answer but don't get the "e" comment?

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  39. We've come a long way since I was growing up. Back then it was Officer Friendly. Now it is Officer Niehold.

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  40. OUTFIT, OUT OF IT

    "Took awhile to PEN this answer." refers to Urban OUTFITters which opened in 1970 across the street from the University of PENnsylvania.

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    Replies
    1. My alma mater and the year of my graduation.

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    2. My father's snd lots of relatives too.

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    3. Dr. K, do you remember the opening of the store in 1970? Did you go?

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    4. No, I neither remember nor attended, and if the opening took place after May 1970, in the summer or fall, I was no longer on campus.

      Delete
  41. OUTFIT —> OUT OF IT

    Musical clue: Led Zeppelin —> ”Dazed and Confused” (from self-titled debut album) —> out of it

    I think someone posted the word “daze” early on as part of a comment but I don't see it now, so the comment must have been removed.

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    Replies
    1. I guessed that was the song you meant

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    2. Yes, the 'daze' was removed by an administrator. It surprised me that your clue remained. BTW, the movie, "Dazed and Confused" is spot on.

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  42. outfit, out of it

    Last Sunday I said, “I think my GF will have an easier time with this than me.” She’s considerably more concerned with wearing the right clothes – let’s say an outfit – to various social gatherings than I am.

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  43. Outfit >>>>> Out of It.

    Outfit is one of those maddening English words that can either be a noun or a verb.

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  44. My guess for Ben's chain starting with e was e; Euler's number (2.71828...); Leonhard Paul Euler; Paul Euler, III (L. P. E.'s father, a pastor); pastor; reverend; reverie; out of it. I was so sure that this is what he had in mind. But, as Ben promptly posted, I didn't even get the second term right!

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  45. Something you might wear: an OUTFIT.

    Phrase for “not aware” → OUT OF IT!

    My clue: “fortuitous” contains the letters of “out of it” + rus.

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  46. I submitted OUTFIT, OUT OF IT.

    My Clue:

    e
    As in Wily E. Coyote
    Who kept after the Road Runner, relentlessly
    Using the supplies of Acme
    Acme is the "best," the A Team.
    A-Team TV Show was directed by Hollywood vet Carl Franklin
    Carl Franklin also directed the thriller Out of Time, Starring Denzel Washington.
    Out of Time, Outfit, Out of It.

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  47. OUTFIT, OUT OF IT

    > Lance's bean curd [Deleted]

    Anagram ITO TOFU

    > I started PA school 20 years ago.

    I left Bell Labs and got OUT OF I.T.

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  48. My hint on Sunday was "A Texas city."
    Laredo is a Texas city. "Streets of Laredo" is a beautiful song. It is a song that includes one of my all-time favorite lyrics: "I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy..."
    But, forget cowboys! Think skydiveboy instead!
    Tomorrow's Puzzleria! (see Blaine's PUZZLE LINKS), which will be posted in the Friday's wee hours, will offer a "hot" puzzle by skydiveboy, the latest gem in his recurrent "skydiversions" feature...
    Plus a whole mess of other puzzles.
    Join in the fun.

    LegoLambdaAndHisCowboyOutfit

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, jan and FloridaGuy.
      Or, the Smothers Brothers version more accessibly...

      LegoWhoLamentsThatAmazonWantsToRuleTheWorld

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    2. There are probably 30 covers of that great song (AKA Cowboy's Lament) on YouTube.
      The line before the "outfit" one varies between "...Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay." and "...Wrapped in white linen and cold as the clay." I've always much preferred the latter.

      Delete
    3. Looks like I need to make an addition to my list of misheard and misremembered lyrics. I recalled the lyric as, “... white linen as cold as the grave.”

      Made sense to me....

      Delete
  49. My clues -

    I checked my answer in a dictionary. I can find the “something you might wear” at a store in the city near me.

    This was referring to the Urban Dictionary and the store “Urban Outfitters”.

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  50. Re: "I can think of someone who exemplifies this phrase." DT

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  51. This is such a great group of fun and brilliant people. Have you thought of organizing a Zoom meeting so everyone can talk and meet each other?
    With much thanks,
    Eileen-NPR Sunday puzzle fan

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    Replies
    1. Hello, Word Woman,
      I might do this! It would be fun to meet everyone!
      Wishing you a wonderful week and maybe see you and the group on Zoom soon!

      Delete
  52. Outfit: out of it
    My clue "sometimes this is my preference" referred to staying "out of it" when tensions/fighting is occurring. (I can't say I always prefer to wear an outfit during this quarantine period, when I can be in pjs...)

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  53. OUTFIT, OUT OF IT
    "How does one get out of this chicken outfit?"

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  54. What do you call a one legged female pirate?

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    Replies
    1. Of course. Sorry, it's late.

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    2. Yes, but it's not ARmageddon.

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    3. The pirate's sister insisted all armament was for her sons to be happy.

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    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    5. The literate pirate said articles made him laugh.

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    6. And I suppose the one-legged female pirate pianist played an arpeggio?

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    7. When the pirate's ship caught fire his wife said it was arson.

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    8. And after they suffocated in an inert gas atmosphere, they were argon.

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    9. As soon as the pirates were arrested they set sail.

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    10. They engaged in silly wordplay when young, but now they're armature.

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    11. It was during a tropical storm that the pirates were arraigned.

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    12. Better:
      They engaged in silly wordplay when young, but now they armature.

      Delete
    13. The pirates said they were a happy lot, all except for the surgeon who was arborist.

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    14. When one pirate son murdered his brother they said it was arcane.

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    15. The way to Davy Jones' locker is through ardor.

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    17. Everyone agreed the funniest pirate on board was ArcadIan.

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    18. Disagreements were flaring aboard the pirate ship to the point where the captain had to send the engineer down with a torch in order to make certain tempers arcweld.

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    19. The pirate said armistice for sale

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    20. When the pirate captain entered the crew's quarters he sensed things Aramis.

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  55. And the pirate kids in the back of the boat shouting, "aargh we there yet?"

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  56. This week's challenge: From listener Dominick Talvacchio of Chicago. Think of a common two-word phrase for something you experience in a desert. Rearrange the letters to get a single word for something you should do in the desert as a result.

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  57. John Jacob Astor had a large one.

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  58. Another five second non-challenge.
    Coming up with an acceptable clue will be far more difficult.

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  59. Trink coca cola für die kleine und die grosse durst.

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    Replies
    1. Isn't "Die, gross Durst!" what people shouted at Robert after they learned he was a serial killer?

      Delete
  60. This is another one of those puzzles that some people will solve in two seconds, - and STILL be angry at themselves for NOT having solved it in less than one second!

    ReplyDelete

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.