Sunday, February 28, 2021

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 28, 2021): A Tale of Two Companies

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 28, 2021): A Tale of Two Companies
Q: Think of the names of two companies. One of them has a two-part name (5,5). The other has a three-part name (5,7,5). The last five-letter part of the two names is the same. And the first five-letter part of the first company's name is something the second company wants. What is it?
A: OSCAR MAYER / METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER

211 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. My gosh! Lego’s made another killer puzzle! This was really clever.

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  3. Very nice..a round of applause and the roar of the crowd.

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  4. Two separate musical clues: Nina Simone and Led Zeppelin

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    Replies
    1. I’m a big Zep fan but it still took me e few minutes to get your hint.

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    2. Nina Simone sang “I Put A Spell On You,” and the Oscar Mayer song involves spelling out the product.

      Led Zeppelin has a song called “Hot Dog,” a food which Oscar Mayer makes.

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  5. Replies
    1. Except it doesn't have that pesky last word when I re-read the question.

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  6. Replies
    1. WW was it T5.last week Gott ist toast??

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    2. Gott ist tot. >>> God is dead. -FN-

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    3. Nietzsche is dead.
      Signed God.

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    4. "I do like this one quote from Mr. N "There will be rocks ahead in your road, but you will determine if they are stumbling blocks or stepping stones."
      But i do think God gets the last word here Freddy.

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    5. Or if the rocks are granite or sandstone or micaceous schist ;-).

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    6. Or, as Nietzche wrote somewhere, "Lava is a state in which a man sees things most decidedly as they are not." (As always, his rhetoric is a little overheated.)

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    7. To summarize these comments: Gneiss Shist!

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    8. You can’t fault rock jokes. You just have to take them for granite.

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    9. When life hands you granite-- make marble???

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    10. Granite >>> Schist >>> Gneiss

      Limestone >>> Marble

      I never met a morphosis I didn't like. . .

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    11. Here i north Ga. i think i am seeing a lot of micaseous schist?? It is pretty sparkly whatever it is. Lots of pretty pink marble too.

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  7. I would have bet this would have taken me longer.

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  8. Whose stomach is growling for the second company, not the first?

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  9. If Lego had submitted this lovely puzzle anonymously, many of us might still have recognized the author by his work.

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    Replies
    1. Tagb vxfueiyzl lio a jtr kjxh aimdtas.

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    2. I haven't deciphered your post, Paul, but I obviously knew you'd decipher mine!

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    3. The key to Paul's cipher is almost a famous movie quote. I say "almost" because for folks to transcribe it as it was uttered, the key sentence would be one letter off!

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    4. It's what's called a Vigenere Cipher. To decode it, I recommend Sharky's Vigenere Cipher.

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    5. Sharky, that old shark, requires a key. Rather than randomly entering movie quotes that are off by one letter, I'm gonna wait until Thursday.

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    6. You can try guessing what the first encoded word might be, and one nice thing about the Vigenere cipher is that if you guess it right, then the decoding is at least the beginning of the key. Now guess how the key actually progresses and you get more of the deciphered answer, and so on, and so on.

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    7. Grand Hotel won an OSCAR for Metro Goldwyn MAYER. It contained Greta Garbo's most famous line.

      "Lego certainly has a way with puzzles." (As OSCAR MAYER has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.)

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    8. And here I thought the ear-worm that people were posting about was "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener..."

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    9. Enya, in my case you thought right: See my Tue. 9:45 a.m. post and my “reveal” post today.

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    10. My comment referred to a quote from Bernoulli, reacting to an anonymous solution submitted to one of his famous mathematical challenges. Although it was anonymous, Bernoulli knew that it had to be the work of Isaac Newton. "We recognize the lion by his claw."

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    11. Enya. That was one of the earworm I had in mind. See my post of noon today.

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  10. Musical clue:
    Hm, well, the name of the song would definitely be TMI, but it is an extremely well known song that took only an hour to write!

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  11. Replies
    1. P. S.: There's a connection to this week's on-air puzzle.

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  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. Hey, so many companies are part of a larger company. There have been so many conglomerate companies that have purchased and incorporated smaller ones that I don't know where to draw the line for this puzzle.

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    Replies
    1. I think in general, a company that is owned by another company is perfectly fine as a puzzle answer.

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  14. Musical clues: Billie Holiday (misspelling doesn't count).

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    Replies
    1. Hah, I thought of that too! It's a good one for NPR listeners, if you're thinking of the same angle I am.

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    2. Yeah, one of my clues is the same as one of yours.

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  15. Looks like I need a new approach, having gone through Wiki's list of the 500 largest US companies and finding only two five-fives and no five-seven-fives.

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    Replies
    1. Wells Fargo, Ocean Spray, Dairy Queen, Great Clips, Whole Foods...

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    2. I have the answer and it is not one of the above.

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    3. Interesting fact: Look up the first company in Wikipedia, and in the side illustration to the right, you see that it's a "Subsidiary of" another five-five company! And that company is not one of the above either!

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  16. Apparently, there's been some collaboration.

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  17. The first word of the second company is also the model name of a company car I once had.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. ... produced by a company that sounds like the letters that spell the opposite of the translation of the name of another car produced by the same parent company.

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    3. And a car related to my name as well.

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    4. Ben, I've enjoyed owning and driving numerous cars of more than one company that have an association with your name. Fond memories.

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    5. You're a lucky chap, SDB.

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    6. Yes, and I would agree with you, except that I no longer believe in luck. Seriously.

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    7. It wasn’t any better than a Pinto...

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    8. Duncan Renaldo loved his pinto.

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  18. I am getting a "cheap date night" vibe from this puzzle. With a little creativity, this combo could almost be award-winning.

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  19. Will Shortz has used several of Lego's puzzles now. Lego should be pleased, but this one is his worst.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe the best of the worst?

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    2. As much as I enjoy solving the puzzle each week, I derive more pleasure from deciphering the clues in people's posts.

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    3. Props to you Lego. Number 12?

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  20. I'm curious how this works, does Blaine always solve the puzzle to monitor the TMI or what?

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    1. Usually I solve the puzzle easily and monitor the comments... this week I haven't solved it, nor have any of the comments helped me. So I'm not seeing any that are TMI for me personally. Let me know if you do see one...

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    2. There are a few that are dangerously close to the edge.

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    3. When I did not see a Blaine hint I was curious! Thanks for the added info Blaine on how the site comes together. I did solve, and have partaken of both companies.

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  21. Frankly, I was lucky to get this one - kudos to the author for a fun but challenging puzzle! Here's my clue: The second company definitely does *not* want the second part of the first company’s two-word signature product. -LT

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    Replies
    1. "Frankly" referred to hot dogs, and MGM definitely does not want to produce films that are box office "dogs." -LT

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  22. I offer the following clarification: although the last words of the two company names are indeed spelled the same, their pronunciations are slightly different.

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  23. Lego, truly a delightfully clever puzzle. And particularly satisfying to solve without perusing famous lists of 30 or 500 companies but rather by pondering the question: What might a company want that is not wanted by all companies (such as “sales”.)

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  25. I agree - A very clever Puzzle. Top shelf. But, I have to wonder if the follow-up will be as good. You know, when Lego has to think of a way to give clues to the identity of the Puzzle Maker in the next Puzzleria.

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  26. I'm in good company when I see that Blaine hasn't solved it yet

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    Replies
    1. I have to admit I was surprised to read that.

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  27. There is another clue embedded in the answer itself.

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  28. Finally Got It! Good one lego, not easy but good!

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  29. This comment has been removed by an evil blog spirit.

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  30. 1500 last week. Predicting less than 300 this week.

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    Replies
    1. Make that 94. I just solved it. This maybe the hardest puzzle I've heard on the show. Nice one Lego.

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  31. Now that I've solved the puzzle, how do I get rid of the ear worm?

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    Replies
    1. It's been on repeat in my head all day too.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Oh, lawd, the ear worm. Here is the cure; “In the Mood”. You have a different earworm now, but an instrumental.

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    4. Iris Corona, an excellent choice, to which I would add Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade.”

      But, SuperZee, that persistent, original ear worm, to get rid of it…oh, I’d love to.

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    5. My suggestion: the last song that Ol' Blue Eyes sang in public.

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    6. I've got two company 1 earworms, which name cities 350 miles apart.

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    7. "one for my baby- one for the road"

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    8. The last song Sinatra ever sang in public was "The Best Is Yet To Come": that is also the epitaph on his tombstone. But I always hear it as "The Wurst Is Yet To Come" after some wag sang that at a party when the host announced that he would be bringing out some sausages to add to the buffet. There you have it: another greasy, meaty ear worm.

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  32. Wow - great puzzle Lego . I can think of something else in five letters that the second company wants.

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  33. Okay, so we've all, well almost all, solved today's puzzle, but I still have no idea why, when I was perusing the free section of Craigslist, someone was giving away an orange manure spreader, but the only photo was a close up of Donald Trump, and you had to pick it up at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

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  34. Will should have saved this one for a couple of months.

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  35. The answer came to me in the 1:00 a.m. hour. Great puzzle, hard to clue outside of Three Mile Island.

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  36. There is a product by the first company that can also mean a person that will not get the first part of the first company.

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    Replies
    1. Oscar Mayer makes ham. A ham actor will not get an Oscar.

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  37. About the only thing that skydiveboy and I have ever apparently agreed on is our appreciation for 60 Minutes.
    I think last night's show way one of the worst ever.
    Anybody agree?

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  38. This comment has been posted by the author.

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  39. Sir Blaine, just curious if you have solved this one yet. Or, are you taking a week off?

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  40. I had a whale of a time figuring this one out.

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    Replies
    1. The Goldwyn in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was Sam Goldwyn, whose real name was Szmuel Gelbfisz but who sometimes went by the name of Samuel Goldfish. But when he went into partnership with Edgar and Archibald Selwyn they called their new company "Goldwyn Pictures." Gelbfisz/Goldfish liked the name so much he petitioned to have his name changed to Goldwyn. He was no longer connected with Goldwyn Pictures when it became part of MGM.

      There are, of course, a million Goldwynisms, some of which he actually said. My favorite is his speech to a roomful of writers: "Gentlemen, you've given me nothing but old clichés. We need some new clichés!" Which contains tremendous wisdom even if it sounds like a contradiction in terms.

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  41. Okay, I finally figured it out. I remember the commercials for this product (the 5,5) from the 1970's.
    When I was at scout camp and we were all in nearby tents, a really funny guy, Mark Goodwin, who became a successful musician, mostly in Texas and Louisiana, and who is now sadly deceased, used to sing this well-known jingle in a John Wayne voice. I still laugh thinking about it! Great guy, Mark!

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    Replies
    1. Good puzzle too. Thanks Joseph Young.

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    2. I just got the answer, thanks in part to you, Wordsmythe. I'd call you WS, except it's also what we call the Puzzle Master, too.
      pjbAndIfYouCalledMeCB,ItMightLookLikeYouWereTalkingToCharlieBrownOrCarolBurnett!

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    3. Well, Cranberry, or Cranny, if you don't mind. You can call anything, just don't call late for lunch!👦

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    4. When Elton calls me once a year to dinner, he doesn't have to ask twice (and I know y'all are probably getting tired of the common thread in my clues).

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    6. I can't believe you actually posted that.

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    7. Daylight time came a little early....

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    8. Yes, but it was not delightful.

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    9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  42. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  43. If you stick around here long enough, you get what you need.

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    Replies
    1. If you don't get it early, you stalk Blaine's Puzzle Blog, waiting for that weak gazelle clue, trailing the pack, and you pounce, before that revelatory hint gets Blainesmacked by the Alpha Lion, to mix metaphors.

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    2. Yep, exactly. The clues are usually opaque, but they somehow find a way into my sub-conscious. This is not the first time the answer came to me whilst awaiting sleep in the middle of the night, or early morning. Thanks to you all.

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  44. I've given up. Too much going on in my life this week

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  45. "stuck on a bandaid -cause a bandaid's stuck on me" ??

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    Replies
    1. I remember that one, also. When I was first studying music and learning intervals ( perfect 4ths, major 3rds, etc.) We were taught to relate intervals to songs. For instance, My Bonnie was a major 6th, The Entertainer was a minor 6th, Here Comes the Bride was a perfect 4th, etc. The Band-Aid theme song (I am stuck on band-aids...) I noticed was a second inversion major triad. That is D up to G up to B. If you play an instrument, try it! See if those same intervals don't remind you of another theme song.

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    2. I also heard "Happy birthday " song is based on fourths? I know little about intervals.

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    3. Same here, Wordsmythe-- I'll never forget that the original Star Trek theme starts with a minor 7th!

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  46. the only way to fight an earworm is with another earworm.

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  47. Earworms cultivate the garden of the mind. Especially the sound mind.

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    Replies
    1. And if lots of worms or other animals move the sediment around we have mass bioturbation. . .

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    2. Perhaps the two worst earworms one could ever have:
      1. "99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall"
      2. "The Name Game"
      pjbBojbBananaFannaFojbMeMiMojbPjb(Let'sDoChuck!)

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  48. The Name game....haha
    Let's do Cranberry

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  49. Replies
    1. The band Berlin had a hit with "The Metro"

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEZP22b82ks

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  50. Origin of earworm is interesting.

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  51. OSCAR MAYER, METRO-GOLDWIN-MAYER

    "Church" >>> Kirk >>> Kirk Kerkorian who purchased the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1969.

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  52. Oscar Mayer & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer & THE OSCAR

    My Hints:

    “Will Shortz has used several of Lego's puzzles now. Lego should be pleased, but this one is his worst.” Wieners are WURST. Actually Wien means what we call Vienna. Wiener actually means Viennese. Nothing at all to do with wurst. Typical American ignorance.

    “There is another clue embedded in the answer itself.” A Gold Win may be an Oscar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Take it easy, SDB. Would you like another danish? Or maybe a hamburger? I like a genoise with some cognac poured over it. I'm told that Brits like their swedes puréed.

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  53. OSCAR MAYER + METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER

    My clue: “Nice puzzle, lego. A winner!” —> Oscar “winner” (also: winner ≈ wiener)

    The On-air Challenge “connection” to the puzzle was one of its clues: “Hot dog holder.”

    In response to SuperZee’s wish to rid himself of the ear worm, I wrote in part, “Oh, I’d love to,” which of course are the opening words to one version of the Oscar Mayer jingle.

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  54. OSCAR MAYER & METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER.

    An OSCAR is something this “second company wants.”

    Oscar Mayer is owned by Kraft Heinz (another 5,5) based in Chicago, Illinois.

    OSCAR MEYER & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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  55. Oscar Mayer>>>Metro Goldwyn Mayer

    As soon as I came on the answer, “My Bologna has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A R…,” started playing in my head. It was soon replaced by, “I wish I was an Oscar Mayer wiener…”

    This caused a headache, so I took some Alka-Seltzer. Now I all I hear is, "Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz…"

    Earworms are the wurst!

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  56. OSCAR MAYER, METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER

    > Musical clues: Billie Holiday (misspelling doesn't count).

    As channelled by David Sedaris.

    Oops, he did it again.

    > Apparently, there's been some collaboration.

    I found this, e.g.

    >> The first word of the second company is also the model name of a company car I once had.
    > ... produced by a company that sounds like the letters that spell the opposite of the translation of the name of another car produced by the same parent company.

    GEO -> GO -> NO VA -> NOVA -> GM

    > Maybe the best of the worst?

    The Best of the Wurst seems to be (have been?) an annual Twin Cities, MN, event. Is Oscar Mayer there, Lego?

    > I have an astrological connection to one of the companies' mascots, and used to live near its final resting place. (Deleted at skydiveboy's suggestion.)

    I'm a Leo. The first MGM Leo the Lion (who never roared on film), is buried in Gillette, NJ.

    > I've got two company 1 earworms, which name cities 350 miles apart.

    A "Wiener" is someone from Vienna, Austria, that distance from Bologna, Italy.

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  57. I wrote, “My gosh! Lego’s made another killer puzzle!” Two clues: MGM is within the first letters of the first four words; and killer whales are orcas, which anagrams to Oscar.

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  58. Thank you, Blainesvillians, for your kind comments about my NPR puzzle this week. I cannot adequately express how much it means to me to get kudos and approval from this clever, bright, puzzle-savvy (and pun-prone!) community.
    I might laminate Lancek's Sun Feb 28, 07:10:00 AM PST comment so I can pull it out of pocket to look at whenever I'm feeling a bit blue. Other "laminatable" (not to be confused with "lamentable") comments were posted by Lorenzo and countless other generous posters here. I am truly grateful to all of you.
    I must also give gratitude and credit to Will Shortz. We often gripe about NPR puzzles being too easy. But he improved this puzzle I submitted with edits that made it more challenging!
    The puzzlemaster also deserves our kudos.
    And now for something completely different...
    Puzzleria! this week features four wonderful conundrums concerning "composers, contractions, cars, and crunchiness" created by our friend Mathew Huffman, A.K.A. TAFKAPC which is an acronym for "The Artist Formerly Known As Planned Chaos"(Mathew's onetime screen name).
    We upload Puzzleria! each week in the wee hours of Friday morning, Midnight PST.
    Our menus also offer:
    * a Yellowstone Park Schpuzzle of the Week,
    * a puzzle slice about a Yelp review of Joe's Burger Joint,
    * a Captain Cookie dessert, and to look
    * eight self-riff-offs of my NPR puzzle.
    We welcome you all to stop by.

    LegoGratefully

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    Replies
    1. Although my comment was another hidden lion reference, the comparison to Bernoulli's homage to Isaac Newton ("tanquam ex ungue leonem") was certainly well-deserved!

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    2. Lego, when you laminate-a-bull, he gets rather mad.

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    3. Toro, and touché, Woman of Words.

      LegoWhoIsNotThatAllThatClearAboutTheDifferenceBetweenAHandsawAndHawkAndWhoThusMayOrMayNotBeMad(ShakespeareScholarsPleaseWeighIn!)

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  59. Oscar Mayer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: Oscar

    Earlier this week, I said “I had a whale of a time figuring this one out.” You can rearrange the letters in oscar to name killer whales, orcas.

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  60. I posted on Sun Feb 28, 12:12:00 PM PST:
    I offer the following clarification: although the last words of the two company names are indeed spelled the same, their pronunciations are slightly different.

    I also posted on Sun Feb 28, 06:36:00 PM PST
    Interesting fact: Look up the first company in Wikipedia, and in the side illustration to the right, you see that it's a "Subsidiary of" another five-five company! And that company is not one of the above either!

    Oscar Mayer (pronounced "MY-er") is a subsidiary of Kraft Heinz.

    And the 5-7-5 company is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (pronounced "MAY-er")

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  61. Oscar Mayer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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  62. This was a very clever puzzle that I didn't get. Damn it! Defeated again!

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    Replies
    1. Don't ask me about my score today on Puzzeleria.

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  63. You ain't heard nuttin' 'til you've heard Mark Goodwin sing, "My Bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R..." in a perfect John Wayne imitation!

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  64. Hodinkee. is some kind of a watch website frequented my watch fanatic John Mayer.
    Oscar Mayer--Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

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  65. On Sunday night, I wrote “I can think of something else in five letters that the second company wants” - I was referring to a Globe (as in a Golden Globe) since they were airing the ceremony at that time.

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  66. Speaking of naked men (Oscar). Yesterday as I was driving back from the library I saw a very large police presence in the parking lot of the Krispy Kreme joint. I did not see immediately what was going on, but soon saw there was a completely naked man standing on top of a flimsy structure next to a telephone pole. He was at least 10 feet above the ground and there were 15 uniformed cops along with plain clothed responders trying to talk him down. I turned the corner and parked in the parking lot and took several photos and waited over an hour to see how it would end. It was a clear blue sky, sunny day close to sixty degrees. It was the warmest day in a long time. He was high in more ways than one and maybe he had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms because I heard him singing at one point and mentioning mushrooms, but that is just a thought on what he was high on. Anyway he finally did jump down and was hauled away to the funny farm. It kind of explains why it takes so long for police to respond to 911 calls when it takes that many to stand around a show such as this that was in no way a danger to the public.

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    Replies
    1. Your day was more interesting than my millionth work from home day...

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  67. OSCAR MEYER
    METRO GOLDWYN MAYER

    Dinner and a movie! Hot dogs and a movie? Thinking of a fun backyard movie night with a projector. And food, of course.

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  68. I was considering a clue about whistling a little tune. Not sure if that allusion to a wienie whistle would have been too much

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  69. Can't think how I missed this one. Oscar Mayer was the biggest industry in my hometown (Madison WI) forever, I knew the family growing up, and Little Oscar drove the Wienermobile to my school one day ...

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  70. Happy March Fo(u)rth, the most assertive day of the year! I celebrated that and my son's birthday by doing the happy educator covid-19 vaccine dance. My arm is a little sore but it is a relief.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congratulations on getting vaccinated. Happy birthday to your son.

      Ten days to Pi Day!.

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    2. Thanks, Super Zee.

      March is filled with lots of things to celebrate!

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  71. OSCAR MAYER, METRO GOLDWYN MAYER, THE OSCAR(Academy Award for motion picture excellence)
    And that's no bologna!
    pjbMyRealNameHasASurname,It'sB-E-R-R-Y!

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  72. You may not like it, but you still should read it:

    https://intpolicydigest.org/humans-are-fundamentally-stupid-creatures/

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    Replies
    1. "Man is a Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute."

      --Mark Twain, "The Lowest Animal," 1897

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  73. OSCAR MEYER
    METRO GOLDWYN MAYER

    Curtis, Buck Bard, and Jan were cryptically discussing the GEO METRO (a sad little car) and I wanted to note that there was also an AUSTIN METRO, a cuter car.

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    Replies
    1. Cute? I think it looks like a Yugo.

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    2. I preffered the Austin Healey while coveteing the Aston Martin.

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  74. For jan:

    https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/AFD8YW01Ati4YEIu5AWxCPEVI5o

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, I can't access that file.

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    2. Strange; it works for me. If you have a disposable email address I can forward it to you. It is an email I received this morning that begins with a tweet from John Cleese.

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  75. jan,
    Is a living donor liver transplant procedure called a delivery, and if successful is the donor delivered?

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  76. So my phone rang on Thursday around noon from an unrecognized number... and I got really excited. Turns out I can lower my credit card rate.

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  77. skydiveboy: Is the March 7th puzzle yours?

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  78. This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Mark Scott, of Seattle. Think of a country with a one-word name. You can rearrange its letters to identify a member of one of our country's armed forces. Who is that, and what's the country?

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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.