Here you go --> NPR NPR (AEIOUY)*Q: There are several words that consist of the consonants N, P and R and an assortment of vowels — for example, APRON, PIONEER and EUROPEAN. But there is only one common phrase that contains exactly two N's, two P's and two R's with no other consonants. You can add vowels as needed. What phrase is this?
Edit: NPR could be considered one.
A: PROPER NOUN
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
ReplyDeleteYou may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't give the answer away. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the Thursday deadline. Thank you.
I'm speechless
ReplyDeleteI think I have the answer.
ReplyDeleteSomeone please find me a second P in "runner up."
ReplyDeleteperhaps a little dog
DeleteOK, now I can discard my first answer.
ReplyDeleteMy first answer was IRON ON PAPER. You know, like for transferring a DECAL to a T-shirt? DECAL backward is LACED, which is the explanation for my "fit to be tied" comment.
DeleteMe too, but why is Will so sure that there will only be one common phrase that satisfies the conditions?
ReplyDeleteI had the same curiosity about the Highlander nature of the clue. There can be only one?
DeleteAlthough my question was sincere (and echoed by others throughout the week), I was also eager to construct a sentence containing Will and will, the former being a proper noun, the latter being not so proper.
DeleteOne summer when I was much younger I worked as a shearer on a Christmas tree farm. Could we say that I was a "pine pruner"?
ReplyDeleteI was the first one in my neighborhood to start keeping bees. I'm something of "an apiary pioneer," if I do say so myself.
DeleteDo you know about the hives on the roof of the NPR offices in DC?
DeleteI believe Word Woman is also a beekeeper.
DeleteI wish I were serious about keeping bees, but sadly I was just bending over backwards to set up my own joke ;)
DeleteI do have to thank you for making me google NPR's bees--Not only because the first hit was a thrilling story from 2017 about a daring escape by one of the queens and her swarm, but more importantly because I now know that they nicknamed their hives "Swarming Edition" and "All Stings Considered."
Indeed, I have two beehives. Mine are not as punningly named, though -- Hive 1 and Hive 2. It would be fun to meet other beekeepers.
DeleteThe "me too" was supposed to follow skydiveboy's post.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTrump will open one prior to eviction...
DeleteWe're rounding the corner.
DeleteThis one will take a couple of days.
ReplyDeleteSo I have an answer but not sure it's right. It's not common.
ReplyDeleteYeah, hm. And wouldn't it be ruled out for a lot of Shortz puzzles?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletejan
ReplyDeleteReminds me of my daughter's favorite joke, when she was eight years old:
ReplyDeleteYou are RUSSIAN going into the Bathroom
You are AMERICAN when you come out
What are you INSIDE the bathroom?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI thought it works better if you're FINNISH when you come out.
DeleteIt's better with FINNISH Jan, that's just not how my daughter told it to me.
DeleteI actually had the phrase before the end of the question. I suppose that, by definition, there will be no "If you anagram the answer, you get..." clues.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one that hoped for "poop" being one of the two words? Nonrare poop? Poop runner? Advancing in age has not removed the poop jokes, but rather given a broader vocabulary to choose from in order to generate such jokes.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMy inner child was also delighted by "pee," "porno," and "pin-up"
DeleteRIP Alex Trebek.
ReplyDelete(If one of several of us died, the answer could be "RIP punner".)
DeleteAlex was taping Jeopardy up until 10 days ago. I always enjoyed the intelligence of the show and the host.
DeleteWho is yet another Lord Puzzlemaster?
DeleteFrom the sublimated to the predicament:
DeleteRIP Norm Crosby
Blaine just reminded us that Y can be used as a vowel. I hope that helps me figure out this one.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone prepare for this not-so-common answer?
ReplyDeleteLet no one prepare one before I pen one a priori...
DeleteThe answer to this puzzle is a special case.
ReplyDeleteUsing Scrabble tiles (to avoid other consonants sneaking in) I got an answer, though "phrase" may not be the best term.
ReplyDeleteI know I am getting old when I am not interested in proving that there is not "only one." I do hope someone else does.
Probably not as big a turnout this week.
We have only two and half months more of Trump. It would be nice if he decides he has already caused enough grief
and goes out as if he were a man of honor.
MOCA
ReplyDelete?
DeleteWord Woman: I still do not know meaning of your comment "MOCA."
DeleteI know you're not new here. Obfuscation in a clue after solving the puzzle is the point of my text. You shall know on Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
DeleteBetter be good.
DeleteSo good it’s baaaaad...
DeleteWord woman, I’ll wait with baited breath because I’m so discombobulated by the puzzle.
DeleteMaybe you are using the wrong bait.
DeleteYou can rearrange the answer to this week's puzzle to get a two word phrase for somebody who is not very good at word play.
ReplyDeleteBingo! We have the same answer.
DeleteTMI
DeleteCome on people.
DeleteNo, it's really TMI. Your post immediately gave me the answer.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOh come on, dude. Please delete your answer.
DeleteFC, read the room. . .
DeleteSorry...I will delete.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI'm sorry I transgressed. That was not my intention.
DeleteThanks for deleting!
DeleteBlaine, Harriet is back.
ReplyDeleteBlaine...
ReplyDeleteJust got it. I spent way too long trying to convince myself that "pour rain upon" was a common phrase. Aside from finding usage of those words in the Bible, I wasn't seeing any evidence of it being an oft-used phrase. When I finally let go of that idea I found what I believe is the intended answer, WAY more common than my initial flimsy attempt at a phrase!
ReplyDeleteHow long do I need to wait until the PRESIDENT is in a PRISON PEN?
ReplyDeleteThe less we hear from this lame duck citizen-to-be, the better!
DeleteI agree with that in theory. However, This fascist, tyrant, racist, bigot, sociopath thrives on exposure and he is not going away. In fact he is attempting to incite a violent revolution. Unfortunately the venal Republican power base is allowing this to happen, and it is destroying our country. And BTW, Biden, if he does eventually take office, will not go along with prosecuting Trump. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.
Delete"until the 12th of never."
DeleteBiden will be the next president but whether he will govern against a Mitch McConnell senate is another matter.
DeleteReally puts the "lame" in "lame duck", doesn't he?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf I have the intended answer(and I believe I do), it would be fair to say Courtney, Ben, and jan are perfect examples of the answer.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTMI?
ReplyDeleteTut-tut
ReplyDeleteChiding jan for improperly tooting his own horn.
DeleteTake time to smell the peonies.
ReplyDeleteHaving found the (probable) intended solution, I'm disappointed it isn't calling Will and Lulu,"An NPR Pair."
ReplyDeleteI am submitting as an alternative answer: OUR NPR PIN.
DeleteNot YOUR NPR PIN?
DeleteNo, I rejected that because the Y is not a vowel in this case. Not to mention that I sold my NPR pin for $100.
DeleteSDB, if we agree that Blainesville is for Elite Puzzle snoots (don't we?) and if we each won OUR NPR PIN through pinnacle puzzling, then how could OUR NPR PIN be a COMMON phrase?
DeleteBen, Don't think I didn't also consider that point. However, I was not intending to imply the OUR only refers to Blaine's winners. I believe there are at least 1,600 of these cheap pins out there.
DeleteTo paraphrase Gwendolen from "The Importance of Being Earnest," NPR pins are as common here as people are elsewhere. (says the commenter with no pin or claim to one)
DeleteThe lapel pins are four dollars from NPR store.
DeleteI just took a look, and those are not the same pin,
DeleteI've often been "penury prone." But the answer reminds me of an oft-quoted line in Romeo and Juliet.
ReplyDeleteDoes stepping in a dried plum result in a prone prune?
DeleteYou are getting dangerously close to prone porn, and we certainly do not want to go there.
DeleteNor prune porn, which can make one prone to poop.
DeleteIt looks like folks are struggling to keep the clues kosher this week
ReplyDeleteA note of disagreement, Cranberry -- a perfect example could include Jen and Courtney but would NOT include me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with ben.
DeleteSome more must reading:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/us-elections-2020-trump-not-aberration-he-ugliness-us
Very informative. The short term problem is that Trump managed to make any progressive change in U.S. foreign policy look bad by his methods and his motives: falling for love notes from Kim, cozying up to killers such as Duterte, Bolsonaro, and MBS, and demanding change from NATO allies in a way calculated to insult them (particularly if they were women). He made the pre-Trump status quo look normal, and worth returning to, if only to reduce the amount of motion sickness his policy swings induced.
DeleteScary what is going on.
DeleteWhat is going on is what I have been warning about. We are self destructing.
DeleteSDB: At least there is a new President. Better than the alternative.
DeleteNot yet there isn't.
DeleteThe world's most difficult literary puzzle:
ReplyDeletehttps://lithub.com/a-comedian-has-just-solved-the-worlds-most-difficult-literary-puzzle/
Have you tried it?
DeleteBrain surgeons and fighter pilots both wanted this when they got home.
ReplyDeleteWhen Otis Redding ("OR" = "brain surgeons") wrote "Respect," later made famous by Aretha Franklin ("AF" = "fighter pilots"), he said he wanted his "propers" when he got home.
DeleteThe name Nupur only uses N, P, R as consonants.
ReplyDelete"Nupur" is a proper noun.
DeleteA few of the recent puzzles led me to my answer. On a side note, I’m looking forward to Biden’s inauguration.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who has had to deal with bad scans, you'll understand why I would propose "paper rnoon," that song from the 30s and that quirky movie starring Ryan O'Neal and his daughter Tatum. Yes, your eyes do deceive you. No clue here.
ReplyDeleteDidn't solve this one until Monday morning. If I get the call, I wonder if I can talk about winning one game on "Jeopardy!" and about Alex Trebek.
ReplyDelete"Jeopardy!" is a PROPER NOUN, as is "Alex Trebek".
DeleteCajuns call our godfathers "Parrain", so maybe it's "Nope, Parrain."
ReplyDeleteMy Parrain's first name was George; he had a French surname.
Or, in French, one might offer one's godfather bread: "Pain, Parrain?"
Delete"George" is a PROPER NOUN, as is my late Parrain's French surname.
DeleteIf you go out for street food in India, is that a PANI PURI RUN?
ReplyDeleteAfter a PRIOR PANINI?
DeleteLast time I did that, I got a sweet deal on flatbread. It was about a RUPEE PER NAAN.
DeleteTo ensure the luggage holders are properly installed on your bike, hire a PANNIER PRO.
ReplyDeleteI learned a new term: copypasta. Have you seen it before?
ReplyDeleteThey tend to be over done.
DeleteSince we seem to be looking for an answer to refute Will's claim of singularity, I wonder if the one word answer we all found may also be unique.
ReplyDeleteFrom Wikipedia, FWIW:
"In grammatical analysis, particularly in theories of syntax, a phrase is any group of words, or sometimes a single word, which plays a particular role within the grammatical structure of a sentence."
I have two answers, neither are one-word answers which don't exist...
DeleteNot these:
ReplyDeletenew power weaponry
piano wire paranoia
nun owe - pay prayer
warn puny opera away
I think I have an answer that uses neither W nor Y, the google gives it 320,000 hits as a quoted phrase
I think you'll want to keep looking; when you have the answer, you'll likely know it's right before you google it.
DeleteDon't lose sleep over it though, or soon enough you'll need AN APNEA REPAIR.
I was thinking a ONE-EYE-OPEN PRAYER
DeleteI think you may not understand that Y (and occasionally W) may be considered to be used as vowels, but NOT always. The Y in prayer is a consonant, as is the W in power. Not to mention all the others listed above.
DeleteNoah, many thanks for your comment! As I was going to bed last night, my subconscious submitted a phrase that is either the intended solution or ought to be. Why bother thinking when your dang brain is going to solve the puzzle on its own?!
DeleteOnce i went on a pre nup run.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletegoogle "an in pro per" for lots of hits.
Who is flying a flag tomorrow?
Not sure that post will last, but for laughs, check out loser.com.
DeleteJan: tks ...funny
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI awoke this morning intending to display the flag outside, but I have looked all over and cannot locate where I put my upside down flag. I'm not ready to fly a white hanky yet, but it's getting close.
DeleteTransition Update:
ReplyDeletehttps://news.yahoo.com/white-house-attorney-dispatched-to-agency-blocking-biden-transition-173301811.html
Here is another:
ReplyDeletehttps://news.yahoo.com/trump-really-stage-coup-experts-011835905.html
And this from the Biden camp:
Delete“As we said on July 19th, the American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”
If your grill is out of gas, you may need to make a PROPANE RUN
ReplyDeleteAnd keep in mind the new gourmet cat food flavor: PURINA PRAWN.
ReplyDeleteSorry - but praWn doesn't fit the challenge.
DeleteActually W as part of AW is a vowel...
DeletePerhaps, phonetically, but on that basis, silent K’s, as in KNAP, would be permitted, I doubt either matches the puzzle creator’s intent.
DeleteI think the rare occurrence of W as a vowel is limited to words like CWM, a Scrabble favorite.
DeleteI have an elegant guess (with a couple of variations); a really inelegant guess; and a sort of middling (more common perhaps) guess. Upon advice, I submitted that last one. I'm not crazy (oops, AP sez I can't say that any more) about any of them, and there may be a one and only phrase which is the intended one; but with all the word possibilities, I find it hard to believe WS won't consider some alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI really wanted the intended answer to be NEON RAPPER
ReplyDeletehttps://versetracker.com/rapper/neon
DeleteI don't find the current challenge on the NPR Sunday Puzzle page.
ReplyDeleteHave you folks just been submitting answers to last week's?
Same here. Try using Blaine’s link above which worked for me.
DeleteThe Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series this year with a proper nine.
ReplyDeleteThe Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series this year with a proper nine.
ReplyDeleteI was able to solve it with some computer programming, which also gave me the opportunity to look for other phrases with more NPR's. Consider this phrase familiar to anyone who has built a bowling alley near a river: PREPARE RIPERIAN NINEPIN
ReplyDeleteYes i think i heard the Dalai Lama mention that on his NPR talk today on climate change.
ReplyDeleteBREAKING NEWS!
ReplyDeletePRAVDA has just declared the election for Vladimir Putin.
I just came across a disturbing story from CNN. The Trump White House, that is, the Trump State Department, will not allow Joe Biden to receive messages from foreign leaders. Highly against the standard operating procedure.
ReplyDeleteNot to worry. It's just Fascism at work.
DeleteJust a temporary "PaiN uP iN a ReaR"?
DeleteI don't know if I was the only one to give up this week
ReplyDeleteNo , Cap , you have company.
DeleteA PROPER NOUN
ReplyDeleteAlternative answers: OUR NPR PIN.
PRONE PRONE
PROPER NUN
A NON RAPPER
A NUN RAPPER
NO ONE PROPER
1. PROPER NOUN
ReplyDelete2. EARN ON PAPER → How much do you earn on paper each month? (earn hypothetically/theoretically each month)
A zero-sum budget requires you to spend every dollar you earn on paper and "give each dollar a job."
There is no single word that contains 2Ns, 2Ps, & 2Rs and no other consonants. “NON-RAPPER” → not a word.
How about IN PAPER URN?
DeleteRon: you will find nonproper as a synonym for improper in many dictionaries.
DeleteIt is not common, of course, but we were charged with looking for the "only" possibility.
I cannot find "nonproper" in any of several dictionaries nor in any thesaurus of improper.
DeleteYeah, I can find 'unproper' in dictionaries, but not 'nonproper'.
DeleteWe were supposed to find the only *common phrase*, so 'not common' phrases don't count. Will claimed there is only one common phrase meeting the criteria.
Whether this is true depends on how common a phrase has to be to count as common; it seems right that 'proper noun' is much more common than any of the alternatives. (I do like 'earn on paper', though!)
Ron: How about you just Google it?
DeleteWhile you're at it, try non-proper as in "non-proper noun." Also a viable answer.
Proper Noun.
ReplyDeleteI never did get around to posting a clue this week. I was having far too much fun with alternate solutions. So here’s one more -Will Shortz is AN NPR PRO.
In good conscience, I cannot post the answer as if I had solved it. Earlier this week, I was working on the phrase “in propria persona,” hardly, I realize, a “common phrase” or even one that exactly satisfied the puzzle’s conditions (not 2 n’s, 2 p’s, and 2 r’s but 2 + 3 + 3). It was, however, one that was probably going to lead to the correct answer: “propria” —> “proper.” At that moment, however, I saw the correct answer posted on the blog, which, at the urging of several Blainevillians, including myself, was soon deleted by the author but unfortunately too late for my eyes.
ReplyDeleteSo, puzzle-meisters,’til we meet again next week…
PROPER NOUN
ReplyDelete"MOCA" refers to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment which led to 45's "Person, woman, man, camera, TV, " a string of common nouns, versus PROPER NOUNS.
I thought of clueing "President, Harris, Biden, Canon, Samsung," but, of course, that was too much.
I have administered MOCA to many students for diagnostic purposes. My third graders excelled at it.
DeleteI've been to Mass MoCA.
DeletePROPER NOUN
ReplyDelete> jan
For example.
My clues -
ReplyDeleteA few of the recent puzzles led me to my answer. - referred time Green Bay, Green Day and Budapest as proper nouns
On a side note, I’m looking forward to Biden’s inauguration.- it will take place in our nation’s capital
I found a couple of instances of PRIOR OPINION in the scientific literature:
ReplyDeletehttps://statistics.stanford.edu/research/quantifying-prior-opinion
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0120981
And I imagine it might turn up now and then in the legal realm, as well.
And I really think Italo Svevo's "paper rnoon" deserves some sort of special honor.
If you have never visited us on Puzzleria! (which is, incidentally, a proper noun), tomorrow would be a good day to do so.
ReplyDeleteWe feature ecoarchitect's Econfusions package this week, in which eco serves up an amazing 26 (!) rebus puzzles, each with a presidential or vice-presidential theme. It puts a fitting exclamation point on our long, strange campaign and election!
Also on our menus:
* A puzzle about six basketball players named Elvin, Earvin, Earl, Fred and Phil... and perhaps Abe..
* A Dessert about Jesus (who walked on water) and an amphibian (that may or may not be a Jesus lizard) that walks under water,
* A "Call my Bluff" geographical Schpuzzle of the Week, and
* Six riff-offs of this week's NPR puzzle.
That's 35 puzzles, a pretty full menu. Some tough to chew, others melt in your mouth. All taste great!
Some fun for everyone.
Stop on in.
LegoWhoWalksOnFrozenWater
Hope they will be on time this week.
DeleteSame price this week?
DeleteOf course, a PROPER NUN would read NO PURE PORN.
ReplyDeleteI referred to keeping clues kosher, which is another way of describing “proper” things
ReplyDeleteWith measures to avoid "the call," I sent in "AN IN PRO PER",
ReplyDeletewhich is a common legal term for a person eschewing representation and acting as their own attorney.
I have to admit that sending in valid alternatives to Will's "only one answer" puzzles in one of my great pleasures.
I think I (and others) have been successful a dozen times or more, without an acknowledgement that I can remember.
proper noun
ReplyDeleteWhat do you make of Blaine’s clue
ReplyDeleteWhat do you make of Blaine’s clue
ReplyDeleteThe pope has now congratulated Joe Biden on his presidential win.
ReplyDeleteProper Noun; I included one in my earlier post!
ReplyDeleteprior opinion
ReplyDeleteProper Noun. My clue was - It's not common.
ReplyDeletePROPER NOUN
ReplyDeleteCourtney, Ben, and jan(actually Jan)are examples of proper nouns. They're always capitalized.
I submitted Proper Noun, which is why I wrote to Cranberry -- a perfect example could include Jen and Courtney but would NOT include me.
ReplyDeleteA friend has advised me that we should no longer refer to the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as the Mango Menace, nor as the Velveeta Voldemort.
ReplyDeleteUntil January 20th, he shall be referred to as, Lame Duck a l’Orange.
I like it, but it doesn't sound very appetizing.
DeleteIt pairs well with, “Trump Whine,” made with sour grapes.
DeleteI was not sure proper noun was correct until I saw the tmi post.
DeleteThere are subtle differences sometimes. Take for example:
ReplyDeleteDonald Trump.con & Joe Biden.calm
306: New MoCA list: Landslide. Blowout. Historic. Biden. Harris
ReplyDeleteThis week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Bruce Campbell of Kansas City, Mo. Name a title character from books and TV (5, 5). You can rearrange the letters to get two words describing what you can hear and do in church. What character is it?
ReplyDeleteWe're 4 posts away from the 200-post display limit. After that, remember to scroll down to the bottom and click on "Load more".
ReplyDeleteIt's probably not EDWIN DROOD -> ODORED WIND. (He who fart in church sits in his own pew.)
ReplyDeleteGot it. Cool puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThe two words are separate. The first word is something you can hear. The second is something you can do.
ReplyDelete