Sunday, September 06, 2020

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 6, 2020): Ancient Deities

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 6, 2020): Ancient Deities
Q: Name a deity in ancient mythology. The first half of the name, phonetically, names a common object. The second half of the name, by spelling, names another object that is often put inside the first one. What is it?
I don't, but others might. Anyone else get sidetracked trying to make Loki turn into lock and key?

Edit: My main hint was that I don't put my phone in a purse, but others might. The comment about Loki/Lock/Key was to point out that the pronunciation of "purse" doesn't match the original syllables of the name, similar how the syllables of Loki don't sound like "lock" unless you isolate the letters.
A: PERSEPHONE --> PURSE, PHONE

192 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. Remove any repeated letters from the name. Rearrange. You get items seen on so many deities they even have their own Wikipedia page.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This clue led me directly to it.

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    2. I am floored. Not only did I not say what the items were, I didn't say how many letters get removed or which ones. Amazing. My apologies.

      Delete
  3. This is my challenge this week -- I won't comment further before Thursday; good luck to all.

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    Replies
    1. I, for one, don't think this is a good challenge. Have you ever looked up deities before? It's not fun, believe me. I just did, and found nothing that would work. My niece is an expert on mythology, but I don't think her expertise would work here. JeremyC, I'm afraid I must say I'm not a fan of your work. So far, anyway.

      Delete
    2. Nice job Jeremy.very cool.unfortunately I flunked this section in World religious 101.

      Delete
    3. Nice job, Jeremy!
      Cranberry, just use your brain instead of looking things up! It's much more fun. (There is something ironic here, but I can't think of a way to say what it is without giving tmi.)

      Delete
    4. Good job JeremyC.
      I like that the puzzle is not easy to lookup. And the wordplay works great.

      Delete
  4. It's not Suppository either.

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  5. I usually have to think for at least a bit about these but I got this one right off the bat. Feeling very accomplished over here.

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    Replies
    1. Opposite for me. Have to work on this one.

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    2. Got the answer. I was overthinking it. Glad I stayed away from here. Seeing many comments now that are borderline TMI.

      Delete
  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  7. Working from home because of COVID, I take this action less frequently. Thank you for the entertaining puzzle, Jeremy C!

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  8. OMG. What did Will spring upon us? Can't "us" be in the Ocean?

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  9. I don’t have or use the first object but definitely have/use the second object.

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  10. Kudos to Jeremy Crane for a clever puzzle! Now if I could only solve today's Jumble...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The trick to the Jumble is to not even look at it.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. No answer yet. I keep getting sidetracked by "Uranus"!

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  12. OK, not exactly a deity, and you can put hippos in crates, but not the other way around.

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    Replies
    1. If a hippo is hungry enough, it will eat anything...

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  13. The first half works if separated and said on its own, but not as pronounced in the name. Good puzzle, but without this bit of intel, I found it difficult to process.

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    1. That’s how it was explained on air.

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    2. I noticed that, too. I got this one rather quickly, but I don't think it's the most elegant of puzzles.

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  14. TV clue: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

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  15. Musical clue: Tommy James and the Shondells

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

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  16. I was going to question the use of "half" in the clue, but then I checked my spelling.

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    1. I misspelled her as PERSIPHONE, which would have resulted in an iPhone tucked into the purse. That's still quite nice, but not two literal halves. Then I looked her up to check the spelling.

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  17. I checked to see if I'd been mispronouncing Loki all my life. Looking at the wording again, I realized ki doesn't work for key anyway.

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  18. Today's puzzle was sloppy: Wisconsin comes between West Virginia and Wyoming unless you are using postal abbreviations. Which may be what Will was thinking but that doesn't make it legit.

    And Clare Boothe Luce was not the publisher of Readers Digest. Or of Time, Life, Fortune or Sports Illustrated for that matter. You've got the rest of the week to prepare for six minutes on the air; you might at least prepare before you start talking.

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  19. This puzzle seems to have a connection to what we are here for. Not a bad one this week, but I hope to not be here to post my answer because I am going camping.

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  20. There is a hint in the puzzle, like a puzzle about a year ago.

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    Replies
    1. Happy belated birthday Bobby.

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    2. Thanks! This puzzle has the word "phonetically", which has "phone" in it. The phony, faux puzzle was also shortly after my birthday, on September 22, 2019. It also had the word "phonetically" in the puzzle.

      Delete
  21. Replies
    1. Kate Spade, to be exact. "Jackson Pebbled Leather Top Zip Crossbody" to be exactly exact.

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  22. I see some hints with three mile island.

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    Replies
    1. Natasha, I agree. One in particular led me quickly to the answer.

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  23. I have both objects, and do indeed put object #2 inside object #1.

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

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    1. Lorenzo: Clever. I planned to comment for two days and now find it booted. Oh well.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, MJ. As you probably figured out, the hint referred to the deity, not the object, and I thought I disguised it well. It is possible that Blaine and others misinterpreted the post. In that case, it’s still my bad for not anticipating that interpretation.

      Delete
    3. I guess I didn't figure it out, since that would have bee TMI.
      I was thinking that the object would be a purse not made in Italy, hence perhaps "phone(y)."
      Oh well, again.

      Even though this puzzle still was on the easy side, I liked it better than many recent ones.

      Delete
    4. MJ – Now, your interpretation of my post really was clever! My intent was less ambitious: “made in Italy” contains a homophone (and anagram) of Maiden, as Persephone was sometimes referred to.

      Delete
    5. Lorenzo, I thought you were referring to this with your Italy clue:

      "The myth of Hades and his wife Persephone whose love story believed to begin in the island of Sicily described the genesis of the four seasons such as Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter."

      Delete
    6. WW, yet another clever interpretation that I wish I had thought of!

      Delete
  25. Finally,I got it! It makes one feel happy to be alive.

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

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    1. Aur cu Ewyqv xf oljsclu-uwbt, so P fsrshs.

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    2. "End of March in seventy-nine, as I recall." [keyword: whoops]
      The Three Mile Island accident occurred on March 28, 1979, and putting a phone into a purse would have been extremely unusual back then.

      Delete
  27. Good one, Jeremy! I have and use both objects, but hardly ever put object #2 inside object #1. Still, I know a lot of people who do. --Margaret G.

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  28. Loving the memes of Poseidon and Lake Travis.

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    Replies
    1. My husband's surname identifies him as a descendant of Poseidon, which makes those even more entertaining.

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  29. First thing was deciding to avoid lists.
    Luckily the next thing was the solution.
    Then 112 F today, hotter tomorrow.

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  30. Mendo, that's funny because after reading Lorenzo's post, I directly went to a list and found an answer quickly.

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    Replies
    1. Cap - I thought I had disguised my hint rather well, but after your comment and Blaine’s deletion, I guess I didn’t succeed. Sorry!

      Delete
  31. This not a hint, but just an anecdote:

    Yesterday my good neighbors, Kelly and Samantha, several houses up the street finally began their long dreaded project of removing their very solid concrete front porch with eight inch walls reinforced with rebar in order to repair some major wood rot that was hidden from view behind. I knew this was going to be a major undertaking, but the construction of this monstrosity turned out to be even more formidable than taking out a Nazi bunker.

    Keeping my social distancing I wondered down to take a look as both they and his parents, who had driven down from Ferndale, up by the Canadian border, were attempting to dismantle it with a rented jack hammer. I watched for some time and eventually commented that it was reminding me of a famous Philip Roth novel from 1969. When the mother asked why that might be, I replied, “Porch Noise Complaint.”

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    Replies
    1. SBD, A great pun, but I don't think "Porch Noise" is a Jewish name!

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    2. What does that have to do with it? I have never read anything by Philip Roth and do not know what it may have to do with any religion. I just knew of the title and it popped into my head the way most jokes I come up with do.

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    3. Portnoy was a naive Jewish kid who met a young Christian girl who began to fulfill his sexual fantasies.I think he called her Monkey. That's about all I remember since I read it years ago. As I recall, it was very funny.

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    4. PS Richard Benjamin played Portnoy in the movie version.

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    5. Fine, but my quip had nothing at all to do with what the book is about; just the title. It is not a Jewish joke.

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    6. I have a book title for you- "In defense of the American Dream" Norm Chomsky. I also have not read it.

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    7. I didn't experience it as a Jewish joke...honest!
      It wasn't my intent to offend

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    8. 1. I'm Jewish.

      2. I wasn't offended. I doubt anyone would be, though I can't speak for everyone.

      3. I didn't take it as a Jewish joke at all.

      4. I thought it was funny.

      5. The answer to the puzzle is: ... [to be continued]

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

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  32. Interesting puzzle. Betting there will be about a thousand entries this week.

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    1. I bet fewer than half that many.

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    2. I want in on this. I'm betting 250 - 300.

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    3. I agree, this Deity wasn't the first to pop up in my mind at all.

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    4. I'm liking my odds here. If skydiveboy, Clark a pseudonym, or Word Woman wins, so do I. Now all I have to do is figure out the optimal time to submit my answer to NPR....

      Delete
    5. Okay SDB, you think 250-300, I say 1000, Jan's in for 500. But even if you're correct, what do you win anyway?

      Delete
    6. Technically, jan is in for 0-499.

      Delete
  33. I have to question the word, “common.” I’m willing to bet that half the people following this blog neither own, nor use the first item.

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  34. I found ads for Object #1 inside Object #2.

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  35. Dr. Fauci today spoke about the important of keeping your immmune system up. I keep forgetting to take my Men's Silver daily dose. Orange O.J. can help and also Pom wonder.

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  36. Yo word woman i thought i got-almost- your clue last week-"in and out." like in and out of the pocket on a pool tale. Alas.....

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  37. Sunday's NPR player/lapel pin wearer, Tom Zmozynski of Aurora, Ohio, did well in solving my relatively easy puzzle from last Sunday, but amazingly well in playing the on-air puzzle with Will Shortz. It was one of Will's toughest on-air challenges, in my memory.
    What's more, I immensely enjoyed this week's excellent puzzle created by Jeremy Crane of Madison Wisconsin (the state where I was raised?reared?raised?reared?...). It was one of those puzzles where you, even before solving it, just knew you would be satisfied with the solution. I predict fewer than 200 correct entries. Okay, I'll be more specific: 174.
    There is one hint somewhere in this post.

    LegoWhoWouldLikeToSeeAParticularOneOfOurFellowBlainesvilliansPublishABookSoHeCouldRead"TheGoodBookAccordingToWordWoman"

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  38. Carman almost worked - In Celtic mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland

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    1. It's a nice "alt answer," but I think it is considered politically inappropriate these days to objectify a MAN or to put that COMMON OBJECT man into your car.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. I suppose lawyers who enjoy putting confidentiality contracts into jazz and calypso inspired music could aruge Skanda as a valid answer

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

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  41. (There is coincidentally a post from a recent date at a certain site that tangentially relates to the answer to this puzzle.)

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    1. I originally said the name of the site "Not Always Right", but even that was Three Mile Island for BPB.

      The entry had to do with pomegranate chocolates, and can be found here:
      https://notalwaysright.com/death-by-chocolate-part-9/207721/

      Delete
  42. Off topic, is there any truth to the report that the Democrats want to restore Sunday delivery by the Postal Service?

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    1. My hyperobscure hint was a reference to Libera, the Italian predecessor to Proserpina, which is what the Romans called Persephone in Latin. And Libera is sometimes translated as "Deliver" in Italian, as, for example, in the phrase "Libera me" in the prayer for the dead in Verdi's Requiem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vm_uIKVHQo&itct=CA8QpDAYAyITCMmX7se_-9gCFYnkfgodxOEJLDIHcmVsYXRlZEjLm8-68tnvhM4B&app=desktop. And the reference to Sunday was a sort of reference to poor Persephone's liberation from hell when winter turns to
      Spring. All of this trivia comes from Wikipedia.

      Delete
  43. A comment way up top, that hasn't been removed, led me directly to the answer.

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  44. Bob Woodward help bring down Nixon...
    He is about to bring down Trump.

    LegoAddsHoweverThatTheWhiteHouse"DamageControlMachine"HasAlreadyBeginToCrankUp

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    Replies
    1. The astounding thing to me....

      50 years ago, Woodward and Bernstein used every investigative journalism trick in the book, sneaking in the back door to expose the President's lies.

      With this guy's guilelessness, Woodward literally walked in the front door, turned on the tape recorder, told POTUS it was on, and rode that giant ego all the way to the bank.

      No clues in this post. Just astonishment. (My clues are all up above.)

      Delete
    2. As all we have seen of Woodward’s book to date is excerpts, I wonder what else is there? Did Woodward ask about tRump’s Russian connections? If so, what was said?

      Delete
    3. If I know anything about marketing (and some might say I do...) Woodward has another dozen Trump Tape excerpts ready to go for after his book sells its first million copies.

      Do you really think POTUS' filter was accidentally off for just one session?

      Delete
  45. Lego,
    Did you see the story on AOL today? Some anti immigrant
    member of the Norwegian Parliament has nominated the "Orange One" for the Nobel Peace Prize. No, I could not have made this one up!

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    Replies
    1. I read trump is part Norwegian. That might explain the nomination.

      Delete
  46. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  47. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the p____. You can do anything.” – Donald Trump, 2005
      “You know, the touch... you don't have to touch things.” – Donald Trump, 2020

      LegoWhoConcludes"GeePerhapsOurPresidentIsAPrettyMoralGuyAfterAll,OneWhoHasFoundThatOldTimeReligion...MightGarnerHimSufficientVotesSoAsNotToBeAMereOneTermer!"

      Delete
  48. Now that we have Bob Woodward’s tapes, which show that tRump deliberately lied when he downplayed the seriousness of the Coronavirus, can we say that, “The truth has been DISCOVID,”?

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    Replies
    1. Nice, SuperZee.

      LegoWhoAsks"HowIsThisForADiscoVid(AndWhoBelievesTheDuck'sNameIs"Donald")

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    2. Disco Duck makes me smile; you might say, “It quacks me up.”

      Delete
  49. Based on all the removed comments this week, I’ll keep my lips sealed

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  50. RIP Emma Peel. (Avengers endgame?)

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  51. PERSEPHONE —> PURSE + PHONE

    My clue: “Initially, I struggled in the darkness, but then I saw the light and the bell rang.”

    Persephone was the spouse of Hades in Greek myth—hence, “the darkness”—and was permitted to be above ground three seasons of the year—hence, “the light.” The telephone was of course invented by Alexander Graham Bell—hence, “the bell rang”—though Bell’s phone was hardly the type that would have easily fit into a purse.

    I thought the clue might be TMI: duly noted, everyone, and sorry about that, Blaine. Next time I’ll try to be more oblique.

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  52. PERSEPHONE >>> PURSE, PHONE

    "PG" refers to pomegranate (Punica granatum), the seed with which Hades tempted Persephone to stay in the underworld.

    "Mr. SAndman" >>> MRSA >>> Merse >>> Perse/Purse

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  53. PERSEPHONE, Goddess of the underworld, springtime, flowers and vegetation . You often put a PHONE in your PURSE, if you carry one.

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  54. I wrote, “Remove any repeated letters from the name. Rearrange. You get items seen on so many deities they even have their own Wikipedia page.” That’s HORNS, and look at all the horned deities!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, your clue led me straight to the answer Sunday.

      Delete
  55. Replies
    1. My hint:
      "This puzzle seems to have a connection to what we are here for. Not a bad one this week, but I hope to not be here to post my answer because I am going camping." Don't we wait for the call come this time each week?

      Delete
  56. Persephone====purse, phone
    Reference to Pom Wonderful- pomegranate. Associated with her abduction sequence and the 617 Mizhvots accociated with the OT and the number of seeds in a typical pomegranate. Lots of seeds.

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  57. PERSEPHONE, PURSE, PHONE.

    My clue was writing 'Betting there will be about a thousand entries this week.'

    I wasn't betting at all, actually. But when someone bets, there is usually a PURSE to be won.

    Suddenly, I seemed to be setting up a the local Casino at Blainseville, taking over/under on the correct entries.

    So I threw it to the fence and wrote:

    Okay SDB, you think 250-300, I say 1000, Jan's in for 500. But even if you're correct, what do you win anyway?

    You win the PURSE of course.


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  58. Could someone explain Blaine’s clue.

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    Replies
    1. What about Loki and lock and key?

      I don’t but others might?

      Delete
    2. I think "I don’t but others might" means Blaine doesn't use a purse himself. Like Loki, I hear he's understated....

      Delete
    3. I thought about him not using a purse. Did not know Loki was supposed to be understated. He devious, I know.

      Delete
    4. I thought about him not using a purse. Did not know Loki was supposed to be understated. He devious, I know.

      Delete
    5. I thought about him not using a purse. Did not know Loki was supposed to be understated. He devious, I know.

      Delete
    6. Loki as in "low key" -- definitely understated. . .

      Delete
  59. PERSEPHONE: PURSE, PHONE

    > TV clue: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

    She was kidnapped and held underground, too.

    > Talk about ancient -- this puzzle would not have existed 40 years ago. [Deleted]

    The first commercially available handheld mobile phone came out in 1983.

    > I found ads for Object #1 inside Object #2.

    And you can still put your phone inside.

    ReplyDelete
  60. By the way, I didn't want to use it as a clue, because it is WAY too direct, but I strongly recommend the Musical HADESTOWN, written by Anais Mitchell<.

    It's great. And Persephone is in the cast.

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  61. The "one hint" in my Monday September 07, 11:35:00 AM comment was hidden in my sign-off:
    "LegoWhoWouldLikeToSeeAParticularOneOfOurFellowBlainesvilliansPublishABookSoHeCouldRead"TheGoodBookAccordingToWordWoman"
    AccordingTo = "per"
    WordWoman (our friend Word Woman's first name is "Stephanie."
    "Per+Stephanie" kinda rhymes with "Persephone."

    This week on Puzzleria! we feature a very clever and appetizing puzzle created by Jeff Zarkin (also known as our friend "SuperZee"). It appears in his recurring "Jeff Zarkin Puzzle Riffs" feature.
    Also on our menu are:
    * Nine riff-offs of Jeremy Crane's clever NPR puzzle,
    * An “Adam and Eve on a raft!” Dessert.
    * A “Weight, weight, don’t tell me!” Schpuzzle of the Week, and
    * A Puzzle Slice “That’s rad, Dude!”

    LegoWhoWouldLikeToReadAnyGoodBookPerStephanie

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  62. Persephone...Purse, Phone
    My questioning of the word common in the puzzle statement and my estimate that half the people on this blog neither own nor use the first item was based on purses being almost exclusively used by females.

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  63. This puzzle reminded me of how I used to tease my sons. Whenever, we would pass Yosemite Street, I'd go out of my way to pronounce it Yose..mite. It became an ongoing game.

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    Replies
    1. No WW, when my kids were young, I fortunately had never heard of him. And Jan, if we're ever to get along, please don't ever compare me to him again!
      What do the 2 of you think of the Woodward tape interviewing him? I laughed when Trump said, "I'll be honest with you" Woodward responded with a dash of sarcasm,"That would be nice".

      Delete
    2. Sorry, CAP, I didn't mean to imply any other similarity. I question Woodward's ethics in withholding documentation of Trump's admissions until his book was published.

      Delete
    3. I think it is perhaps the first of his tapes that is not a ducked tape.

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    4. Thanks Jan, I agree. SDB, what about masking tape?

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    5. Well now, Clark, that IS a sticky question.

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    6. I wish he was a drinker because his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, came from the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, off the west coast of Scotland. Perhaps then we could hear his Scotch Tapes.

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    7. I agree that Woodward ought to have come forward sooner...

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    8. Today, as I was driving back home from camping at the ocean, I heard on NPR about the Woodward book. Then I also heard about the controversy of not releasing this information back then. NPR then had a guest explain why Woodward did not do that, and it made perfect sense to me. As for me, every time I learn of some new outrageous thing DT has done, and I think how it will finally destroy him, I soon discover that it seems to make no difference at all. Too bad critical thinking is not taught in our schools.

      Delete
    9. I have now looked into the new Bob Woodward book and the controversy and have come up with my own take on it. I think Trump would have much preferred that BW had divulged those tapes back when he first got them because it would have been much easier for him to deal with it than now that so many have died and Trump's lies have become much more undeniable. Not that he will not deny, deny, deny as he always does, but I now firmly believe Woodward played his hand well. If BW had released the tapes earlier they would be almost completely forgotten by now, just like most of the horrible things this traitor to our country does.

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    10. I think it might be worthwhile for those of us who are against Trump to recognize just how clever, or perhaps just plain old devious, of him it is to almost instantly turn us against Bob Woodward and make him the villain rather than focusing on Trump himself by directing blame on WD for how he determined to handle the villainous behavior of our president. It really might behoove each of us to apply some critical thinking to anything that comes from the mouth of this monster. Trump is, and has always been, the consummate con artist. He knows how to manipulate and control. It is our responsibility to pay attention and try and understand how he is even succeeding on doing this to those are adamantly against him.

      Delete
    11. I think America's Finest News Source says it best:

      Defensive Bob Woodward Claims He Withheld Interview Since Journalism Hasn’t Worked On Trump So Far

      WASHINGTON—In response to criticism for withholding “bombshell” audio of the president, veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward defended his actions Friday by noting journalism has had no effect on Donald Trump so far. “In my defense, I only kept this damning interview with the president from the American people because it’s not going to make any difference whatsoever,” said the reporter famous for breaking the Watergate scandal, adding that he has filed hundreds of hard-evidence-backed stories on the myriad unspeakable things Donald Trump has said and done in the past four years and none of the articles resulted in a single consequence. “Trust me, I would have released this tape of Trump openly brushing off the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans back in February if we lived in a world where ironclad evidence of the president’s dishonesty would lead to repercussions—but we don’t. All I’m saying is there were plenty of other stories that made you say, ‘Oh my God, the president behaved unprofessionally,’ back in March, and not one of them moved the needle. I actually thought I was helping by not piling on.” Woodward added that the only way he could see Trump being affected in the slightest by the damning audio would be if someone threw the recording device at him.

      Delete
    12. jan:
      You did not provide the source, but it sounds to me like an Andy Borowitz spoof/parody via the New Yorker. Am I correct?

      Delete
    13. On second thought, I think it must be from The Onion.

      Delete
  64. I just know that Amy Gutmann lies awake at night trying to think of a way to rescind his diploma.

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  65. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  66. Natasha, you do not know if more lives would have been saved had BW revealed these tapes earlier. I doubt that would be true. It is not BW's job to do the president's job. It was Trump's job to reveal this information. I will agree with you that there are and were many others in the administration that should have come forward, but look at what has happened to so many whistle blowers in both the Obama and Trump administration. BW is doing his job, and doing it well, it would be good to back him up instead of buying into Trump's manipulation.

    Natasha, please do not delete your post.

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    1. Well then I would say, don't buy into Trump's ploy. It is not BW's job to be the president's intermediary. It is the president's job to do what is right. BW is doing what he thinks is right, and he was not elected. When you put attention on BW not doing it the way you might have, you are being used and manipulated by Trump, the master con. Why not put your attention on decrying what Trump did and did not do that has harmed so many citizens of the country he is sworn to protect? Do you really think you are helping by blaming BW for how he deals with the outrageous behavior of Trump? BW is in the business of exposing evil through his books and writing. Had he done it differently I believe it would have been wasted and no lives would have been saved because people want to believe what is most suited to their agenda. Focus on the villain; not the warrior who does not win the war for you. It is up to all of us to do that. If you waste you time decrying what someone like BW does that you don't agree with, instead of focusing on the perpetrator then you are being used and manipulated and increasing the chance that this fascist will be re-elected.

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    2. SDB,Not a sticky problem at all. Well stated.

      Delete
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    1. Natasha, That is not the issue, nor is it realistic to the situation. Bob Woodward is not our enemy, nor a villain. Donald Trump is who we should be focusing on. What do you think you are gaining from criticizing a reporter who has just published a book that is showing the public more about what we should have all seen all along? You are playing into Trump's devious plan. Wake up!

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  69. Sdb: Deleted comments as not need to be posted longer than needed. Thanks for opinion.

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  70. "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." M.L.King

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  71. I returned yesterday, moments before our puzzle deadline, from camping at the ocean. I visited several outstanding ocean beaches while there and met some interesting people. One of them who I only spoke with momentarily was both revealing and disturbing in regards to our upcoming elections.

    I kept seeing this man who appeared to be a few years my junior who was wearing a military colored T-shirt with a black US flag on the short sleeve. I assumed he was a Republican red neck, but that did not keep me from saying "Hi" to him on the second day as I saw him come up some stairs from a beach where I was sitting reading a book at the cliff edge. So I said something about having seen him several times over the last days and I asked him where he was from. He said Tacoma, which is just 30 miles south of Seattle. That would have ended our discourse except that he then sat down at a picnic table about 20 feet behind me. I had then folded my chair and was about to go to my car a few feet away and seeing him there I thought to ask him, since he lives in Tacoma, if he happened to know if the Sears store in downtown Tacoma, which is the largest Sears store on the West Coast, was still opened or had closed like those in Seattle. He replied that he didn't know because he doesn't go downtown. I replied that that was common with many people in Seattle too.

    This is where it became interesting because he then said, "I don't know what you people are going to do when all the people leave Seattle." I asked him what in the world he was talking about, and then I remembered that the White House had been spewing lies about everyone leaving Seattle, because of the protests, if they could afford to. I told him if he came to Seattle he wouldn't even be aware of anything happening and that no one was leaving Seattle, but people were still coming and housing prices are still very high. I told him he must have got that nonsense from FOX News and that it was totally made up lies by the administration. He did not attempt to deny it, but walked away saying something about, "I suppose you guys think Biden will fix things." I replied that Biden would not be able to do that because of how badly Trump had f**ked the country up.

    What I came away with from this brief conversation was how effective the Trump/White House lies are if someone so close to Seattle actually believes people are leaving Seattle, and Portland too, due to demonstrations that are not doing anything outside of the 2 or 3 blocks where they are occurring. I am left with the feeling that maybe there is nothing that will prevent him from being reelected.

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  72. When i think of Tacoma-" the aroma of Tacoma" i have to remember Tonya Harding. So i would not put too much credence there although i did work there for three years.

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  73. Our realtor in Seattle at Windemere says there are," no houses available." Seller's market.

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  74. I hear you SDB. As two native New Yorkers, my wife and I agreed in summer 2016 that "we all know Donald Trump," nobody in NYC takes him seriously, he can't actually run anything, he won't win.

    We took a trip in July 2016 that involved driving across most of Pennsylvania and Ohio, off of major roads, at which point we decided Trump might very well win.

    Still, we knew that he has spent his entire professional career running a small, family-held private business. He has never had to answer to anyone. Neither of us thought he could actually do his job, and we still don't.

    After the 2018 elections, though, it is clear there is one thing Trump is very good at -- making Television shows for America. You could have been convinced, watching the approaching "caravan" every day on FOX News, that there actually was a caravan. And that it was coming. Any day now.

    Then the election. And -- poof -- the Caravan vanished. I think the same thing about the "civil unrest" in Portland. And the coming depopulation of Seattle. And all the "Democrat cities." I don't think any of this is actually happening in a meaningful way.

    But boy are they ever great at making television. Time to pull the plug.

    (No clues in the above message)

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  75. skydiveboy, Natasha, jan, Word Woman, Plantsmith, Dr. K and Clark a pseudonym,

    The thread of comments (beginning with Clark's "Thu Sep 10, 03:22:00 PM PDT" comment) is a great example of why Blaine's blog is so much more than a mere "puzzle blog." (skydiveboy's comments are especially insightful and honest.)
    Indeed, all the women in Blainesville are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.

    LegoWhoSuggestsWeOughtNeverTakeBlaineAndHisWeeklyGiftToUsForGranted

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  76. Yesterday driving home in front of me was a huge 4x4 with a huge Trump/Pence flag flying from the pickup bed. I have seen these more than once. Deep in Trump country here. But Georgia was democratic till 2002- Ray Barnes who went up in flames over of all things a flag controversy. I have never worn my Hilary shirt in public here. They all have guns.

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  77. The 2 Tee shirts that I enjoy wearing are the one with a photo of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, that says "The notorious RBG" and the other with a picture of Mister Rogers. Of course those are when I'm not wearing my Superman shirt. However the first 2 are true superheros.

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  78. It's interesting & fun to see the puzzle-solving process from the "other end." A few comments: 1) I sent in a few differently-worded versions of the same thing -- one was something like "in the first half of the name change one vowel to another one" which would have avoided confusion over the pronunciation thing. However Will did strip out some TMI from my clues which made them tighter and maybe a tad harder. 2) Seems like it's not that difficult to look stuff up anymore -- we sit at our computers, maybe in our pajamas, and Wikipedia or whatever brings us nice lists like "Gods & goddesses of Ancient Greece." As opposed to pre-web days when, after exhausting the reference books at home, we had to trek to the library and back, maybe in a blizzard ... uphill both ways! 3) I'll join the how-many-correct-answers pool -- I'd say 1000 or more, maybe up to 1800. As Will said on-air, "It's not too hard..." -- anyway this is a SWAG (Scientific wild ass guess).

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    1. Great comment, JeremyC. (But I believe your SWAG is on the high side.)

      LegoWhoLooksAheadToHearingMoreOfJeremy'sPuzzlesOnNPR

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  79. It is not worth checking all the other guesses, but I'll agree with whoever says 150 or less.
    I have always thought that as the only enigmatologist licensed to practice east or west of the Mississippi, Wee Willy would be interested in 30 years of submissions and what they might mean to the field.
    I guess I can't be really sure he isn't; all he has to do is tell us.

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  80. This week's challenge comes from listener Judy Horn, of Reading, Mass. Name a famous person with the initials M. C. The first initial and last name anagram to the person's field of renown. What is it?

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    1. Saw Michael Cohen on Seth Meyers this week. He's a meh con.

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    2. The person rebelled against his/her original name.

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    3. Since I was the recipient last week of the dreaded "This comment has been removed by a blog administrator," I may have to go the extra mile before I post a clue.

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  81. Once again, I am faced with puzzle easier to solve than to create a hint for. Unless I find inspiration, I may just go without.

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  82. Over 1700 correct responses last week!

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    1. Surprise!

      And two apologies from last week. . .

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    2. I find part of this week’s puzzle answer ominous. Do you agree? (Say “yes”.)

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  83. Mariah Carey, famous in the field of "My Acre".

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  84. I have the answer, but am a bit surprised at how the puzzle is worded. I also have a hint, but am having trouble figuring out how to word it.

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