Q: Take the phrase ZANY BOX KEPT HIM. Write it in capital letters. Something is special about the 14 letters in this sentence that sets them apart from all the other 12 letters of the alphabet. What is it?Not this week.
Edit: If it had been last week, Pi Day (3/14) might have made the puzzle too obvious. Also, week rhymes with Greek.
A: The 14 uppercase latin letters in that phrase look like uppercase Greek letters Α(alpha), Β(beta), Ε(epsilon), Ζ(zeta), Η(eta), Ι(iota), Κ(kappa), Μ(mu), Ν(nu), Ο(omicron), Ρ(rho), Τ(tau), Υ(upsilon), Χ(chi).
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.
GOOD PUZZLE!
ReplyDeleteOn-air Challenge well played, Alex Hart.
ReplyDeleteMICA! It's MICA! (I don't often yell during the on-air puzzle segment but today I did.)
ReplyDeleteAwakened you from your COMA, I guess...
DeleteThat was a fun puzzle but he got most of the answers faster than me......A fellow WHYY listener
DeleteIs it pronounced meekah?
DeleteSpeaking of WHYY, I was pleased that I didn't have to reset my car radio when I moved from NJ to Cambridge.
DeleteAnd he was super fast on everything else.
DeleteI tried all sorts of possible solutions until I was able to say I got the one that I want.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure?
DeleteYes. (There's a better in-context reply, but it might be TMI. But thank you.)
DeleteThe puzzle unexpectedly newsworthy.
ReplyDeleteA refreshingly different kind of puzzle.
ReplyDeleteA tough one for hints.
Oh, well. Life is but a dream.
We've had a participant here whose handle is 2/3 of your unspoken hint.
DeleteYes, and then there's you, also.
DeleteI had detention for only using uppercase letters today.
ReplyDeleteStupid capital punishment.
A capital offense.
DeleteWELL SINCE IT'S ALL CAPS, WE KNOW THAT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ASCENDERS AND DESCENDERS.
Delete(All caps off now)
They're used in this sentence.
ReplyDeleteGosh, that one was easy.
It would be funny if that turned out to be the intended answer...
DeleteNobody who's got the answer will be surprised to learn that this was an easy one for me!
ReplyDeleteHe he he!!
DeleteMusic Clue: REM
ReplyDeleteor Joni Mitchell
DeleteI thought of Joni Mitchell as well. I didn't think of R.E.M., despite being a big fan. I still regret not going to Ireland in 2007 to see their Olympia Theatre shows (which they claimed weren't shows).
DeleteREM is a good clue.
DeleteVFW CURLS GQ DJ
ReplyDeleteIt's the letters not in that sentence, obviously.
The Puzzlemaster needs to work on his pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteFor once, I think I also understand Blaine's clue. Reminiscing, Blaine?
ReplyDeleteI thought Blaine's clue was referring to a future event.
ReplyDelete!
DeleteA holiday.
DeleteL uiu tx, tyv Z hbse'h fakv wg.
ReplyDeleteI won't breathe a word of that to anyone!
DeleteSo far, I just know what the answer isn't.
ReplyDeleteFraming this observation as a "puzzle" may be new, but the observation itself is so not.
ReplyDeleteAlternate puzzle, same instructions: 3 CAT HEMP BOX.
ReplyDeleteYellow blue.
DeleteZANY BOX HEMP KIT
DeleteNo clue in what I'm about to say. I'm going back to sleep, its Sunday morning.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlex Hart did, indeed, do very well this morning. On 11/17/13, he did just as well but with much more difficult clues and answers.
ReplyDeleteI sent the the words (and more) Will used today to him several years ago.
Whenever he and Ed Pegg pose a capital letter puzzle, I fasten my seat belt.
Another hard puzzle for me. Love these! It gives me something to mull over all weekend.
ReplyDeleteHere we go again.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteTMI?
DeleteSorry!
DeleteRemember to get dressed before you go outside.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI didn’t want to rush to judgment, but I also feel like this could be TMI.
Deleteagreed....i deleted my comment too
DeleteI always look forward to scientific papers that come out on April 1st. I'm reminded of a serious one with an amusing twist that appeared 73 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI thought of a neat way to express my submission to make it clear that I know. In the order that the letters appear in that sentence, "ZANY BOX KEPT HIM", Y is the first letter in my submission which requires a set of parentheses. Perhaps the replies to this can be the 2nd and 3rd, etc., letters which also require parentheses?
ReplyDeleteTiming would have been better last Sunday.
ReplyDeleteOnly two of the letters appear in the answer.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy it when I realize the answer is in the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle makes me feel right at home.
ReplyDeleteThe answer reminds me of my favorite musician.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, I enjoyed this puzzle today!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think of a tiny spot in Acadia.
ReplyDeleteLaminariales
ReplyDeleteYou found it! And I learned something.
DeleteMexico is playing well tonight! I love soccer, every now and then I watch brazil games in 1982 world cup. No team can ever play like them, rest in peace Paolo Rossi, he single handedly destroyed them!!
ReplyDeleteI hasten to think I might not be able to clue this?
ReplyDeleteHey, if you page up a couple of times you might notice a clue that I left. It might be perhaps the most ideal clue I've ever left on this blog. I'm highly satisfied that no one who has not figured out the puzzle can make heads or tails of my clue, while those who have figured it out have a very reasonable chance of also figuring out my somewhat clever way of submitting the answer as well as why a few of the letters would require parentheses and in what order they would appear. So if you wish to submit a clue yourself, then with me having revealed the first letter, in the order in which the letters appear in the given sentence, to require parentheses, why don't you post a reply in which you name the second, and let others who subsequently figure out the puzzle submit the third and subsequent letters which also require parentheses?
DeleteThe Donald might arise to raise an issue with the way this puzzle is posed. And Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition won't get you what I think is the intended answer.
ReplyDeleteJust checking in everybody. Glad to see the energy surrounding the puzzle. Unfortunately, I got hit with a bad migraine yesterday and may have to take this puzzle week off. Best to all. Keep puzzling!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDr. K, hope you are feeling better. Take the week off? That explains the puzzled look on your face ;-).
DeleteWord Woman, thank you so much for the kind words. I very much appreciate them.
DeleteIt took more than a day, but I finally defeated my migraine, more or less anyway. (These two-day affairs are not fun.) I do firmly believe, however, that half a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and my migraine was kind enough to lead me to the puzzle's solution (apologies to ED).
And as the owner of the successful industrial event planner company once said to his staff for their collective good fortune, “THANK MY EXPO BIZ.”
A phrase one might use when unable to solve would lead one to the solution.
ReplyDeleteThat's the way it seems to me.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete...But I think I know your phrase now.
Delete(Previous rant deleted) ... I have the solution, & if I guess your phrase right, it's very relevant!
DeleteKudos to Blaine for another clever clue. With this week’s mystery solved, it’s back to figuring out where this pandemic actually came from and when it will be over.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear that a lot of people were able to solve this one quickly, but I have not been this clueless since the time the clock hands supposedly formed Roman numerals. From deep down the rabbit hole of massive overthinking, I'm signaling my surrender to preserve my sanity. You got me, Ed.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up now; you're so close!
DeleteAs Kate Bush / Peter Gabriel once sang: "don't give up; you still have friends"
DeleteThink big and go long.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete"He ain't heavy ----he's enormous."
Deletethis one is stumping me so far as well....but that's not a high bar i admit...
ReplyDeleteHelp!
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps "Kelp!"
DeleteI heard ya the first time, WW, but it didn't help. Or kelp.
DeleteLancek, let it marinade a bit.
Delete^^^ *marinate
DeleteYou in Boulder WW? On the news.
Delete"I can't kelp from lovin you"
DeleteNo. Terrible news. I think at least a couple of other folks here on the blog are in Boulder, though. Hope everyone is ok.
DeleteAcc.to the latest, several fatalities and person of interest in custody. Horrible. WW, I didn’t know that some of the other bloggers are also from Boulder. All we can do is hope.
DeleteMeanwhile here in Atlanta..Sigh..
DeletePlantsmith, this morning I heard Dana Bash on CNN interview a survivor from last night's incident in Colorado. Given the circumstances he had experienced, he was astoundingly thoughtful and measured, and it was much more than just a riveting account. And so, add now to the annals Atlanta and Boulder....How do you speak of the unspeakable, of violence and madness?
DeleteGood question..Maybe on u tube Dana Bash?
DeleteI haven't been able to locate Bash's interview on the CNN site or elesewhere on the web, yet. It should turn up, eventually. It might be repeated on CNN, maybe on the hour. The interviewee's name is Ryan Borowski. Other CNN folks have interviewed him, but the Bash interview was the most in-depth.
DeleteStill struggling. Appreciate any and all tips
ReplyDeleteI must admit that this is tough.
ReplyDeleteWhy the caps? Oh well...
wait a minute i think i just go it.....
ReplyDeleteHow did U get it? I’m desperate
ReplyDeleteWe are not here to help each other solve with hints. Please read Blaine's standard reminder above.
DeleteWell that's great Scott.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteTMI in my eyes.
DeleteTMI!!!
DeleteWish I could help ya!
DeleteI am wondering whether the ZANY BOX KEPT HIM or CHIM.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's HIM, all right! The letter C most definitely does NOT BELONG!!
DeleteMaybe the BOX used to keep CHIM
DeleteTheir are those weeks when a puzzle is easy. There are those that are tough, but that I still get after spending too much time on it and in the process come close to my ruining my week. Then there are those puzzles that I tell myself that it only a puzzle and get on with my week. Guess which type this one is.
ReplyDeleteHey, Pseudoclark, I agree. This has me by the barnacles.
DeleteYes, but you're "Unknown." If you knew the puzzle answer, then you would be one of what Donald Rumsfeld calls the "Known Unknowns." Instead, you are that most dangerous of traits, the "Unknown Unknowns." And with barnacles to boot.
DeleteAnd speaking of Barnacles to Boot.
Delete(Barnacles is another clue)
And thereby avoiding a Barnacle Bill.
DeleteYou can get the same answer if you write out "X-VP LOUD YAWN" in lowercase letters
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle is related to a previous NPR Sunday puzzle earlier this year...
ReplyDeleteI warned you to buckle up. And this is only Monday.
ReplyDeleteI give up- have spent so much time on this. I think I must be really dumb
ReplyDeleteI had to think back to my college years to figure this out.
DeleteThere's an obvious tautological answer, but I have too much respect for Ed Pegg, Jr. and the Puzzlemaster to believe that it's correct. Unfortunately, it's the only gimmick I have found that's obvious enough to enable such quick solutions.
ReplyDelete*SIGH* Twice now I've posted a clue regarding what I thought was a clever way of expressing the answer.
ReplyDeleteI have hoped that as more people figure out the answer, that they might also figure out my clever means of expressing it, and in the order that they appear in the given sentence, "ZANY BOX KEPT HIM", folks would realize why, in my clever way of expressing the letters,...
why Z would NOT require any parentheses,...
why A would NOT require any parentheses,...
why N would NOT require any parentheses,...
but why Y WOULD require a set of parentheses,...
And by now I was SOOOOO HOPING that someone besides myself would have posted that...
...the X in BOX is the SECOND letter in the given sentence which would ALSO REQUIRE a set of parentheses.
Hey, folks! There are NOT very many more such letters LEFT!
All right, then: (y) (X). So far, so good. Right?
DeleteThere IS a valid reason why we were asked to write the sentence "ZANY BOX KEPT HIM" all in capital letters. Also, you're not using the parentheses in the same way that I would use them.
DeleteAsk yourself why Z, A, N, B and O all DO NOT NEED any parentheses? What is different about the Y in ZANY and the X in BOX which would explain why those two letters DO NEED to employ parentheses?
And when you finally figure it out, can you then predict the THIRD of those letters which WILL ALSO require parentheses?
I'm looking at XYPH, which could've sworn was a character name from Lord of the Rings. (Or from Dune, if you throw in a random apostrophe or two)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeletePLEASE DELETE YOUR LATEST REPLY!!!
DeleteI can't. It says I don't to view this page. Blaine! Sorry.
DeleteO.k. There. Sorry. Really,I mean it. I was only guessing.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete(YXT)? Where do the barnacles come in?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePlantsmith, PLEASE DELETE this last post of yours. Blaine can't monitor this blog 24/7!
DeleteSo many idiots; so few comets.
DeleteWell that's great Scott.
DeleteBlaine?
ReplyDeleteSorry, didn't catch it right away.
DeleteLike I said to Plantsmith above, NOBODY can be expected to be able to monitor their blog 24/7.
DeleteBeuhler? Beuhler?
DeleteIf you can't make head or tail of this puzzle... there's a clue there too.
ReplyDeleteAh, what a delightful week. And I DON'T have the answer!
ReplyDeleteBeats me. But something different is special about *these* 14 letters that sets them apart from all the other 12 letters of the alphabet: BCFHIKNOPSUVWY . What is it?
ReplyDeleteBordering on Three Mile Island.
DeleteIf something is bordering on Three Mile Island, you call it "Goldsboro."
DeleteThis one may be a Goldsboro..
DeleteI have seen the clues before deleted and still no clue.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't too excited by Katie Couric's hosting Jeopardy the last two weeks.
ReplyDeleteAfter last night I say bring her back.
Mendo: why? I missed it. Was not impressed with anyone so far.
DeleteI think they should try having ten or twenty of us hosting Jeopardy, all at once. With Blaine announcing in the Johnny Gilbert role.
DeleteBen: Maybe WS would be good host.
DeleteI thought Mike Richards, the Executive Producer of Jeopardy, did a pretty good job of hosting the show.
DeleteI am boycotting it for the next two weeks. Putting that snake oil salesman in as guest host is an insult to the late Alex Trebek, to the show, its viewers, its past contestants, science, my sainted grandmother and all that is sacred. (Did I leave anything out?)
DeleteYes, you left me out. I have never watched the show, but I still have feelings and despise Dr. Oz just on principle. Please consider adding me to your list, and may I please bring along my sainted grandmother too?
DeleteI'm surprised they decided to go with "celebrity" hosts. In this day and time, rightfully or wrongfully, it's a good chance a significant segment of the audience will be turned off - and turn off. Ken did a good job, so did Richards. Oz hosted okay, but they had to know he is a lightning rod. Same with some of the others supposedly coming up.
DeleteI agree entirely, GB. But now phrase that in the form of a question.
DeleteA radio voice does not always have a TV face. However, NPR's Ari Shapiro might do just fine.
DeleteMy personal pick is Terry Crews. He did a great job on the daytime Millionaire. Kept the show moving - a Jeopardy requirement. Seemed to be up upbeat and genuinely enjoy people. Had a good presence. Don't know about his acting, but his hosting that I saw was first rate.
DeleteWhat is the matter with you people? Donald Trump is now unemployed and would most likely love to emcee that show. Covfefe, you dotards?
DeleteNot only was there a mass shooting in Boulder, but these shooters are becoming bolder. Evening before last I, along with others in my neighborhood, heard 2 rapid fire gunshots down the street from a fairly high caliber handgun. A little over a week ago there were 3 gunshots that sounded like they were coming from just outside my house, but actually were a block or so farther on in a different directed from the most recent shots. Two years ago I was in a store 3 blocks away during an armed robbery. And those are just the ones I readily recall.
ReplyDeleteJust on news that yesterday's shooter had mental issues. His sister saw his guns and took no action previous to shooting. So sad.
ReplyDelete"Dr." Oz
ReplyDeleteMENDO: Was Dr. Oz on yesterday?
ReplyDeleteI also watch Jeopardy and I can affirm that yes, for the next two weeks, the guest host is indeed Dr. Oz.
DeleteEnya: tks. I heard people were objecting to Oz.
DeleteYes Dr. Oz played host.
DeleteI have only seen his "shows" a few times and never been able to watch for long.
He made several mistakes last night (which, of course, were actually made weeks or months ago).
I have missed very few Jeopardies over the years, but might take a vacation from them if Oz doesn't get a grip.
I'm surprised that Jeopardy would want to be associated with that fraudster.
DeleteJan: i agree. I will not watch it
DeleteLike I said: So many idiots; so few Comets.
DeleteDr. HydroZychloroquine is not only a slippery snake oil salesman but a harmful human promoting things like conversion "therapy." Boycotting here.
Delete‘Jeopardy!’ Guest Host Dr. Oz Under Fire For Claims He Could Have Cured Alex Trebek With These 3 Tips
DeleteI think someone associated with the show like Mike Richards, Ken Jennings, or my favorite contestant, Austin Rogers, would be best. IMHO, Mike Richards is likely to be the J! host choice long-term.
DeleteClever puzzle. Got it I think. I could say something but I won't. Later.
ReplyDeleteTHIS PUZZLE SUCKS AND SO DOES ED PEGG, JR. There's my input, in ALL CAPS.
ReplyDeletepjbWasNeverAFanOfPegg'sWorkBefore,AndIsNotNowEither
It's a puzzle guaranteed to frustrate many, but it's legit. Although I now have the answer, I can't say that I solved it. There was a meltdown on Three Mile Island yesterday when I happened to be drifting by. At least the distinguishing feature of the fourteen letters was NOT that they happened to be the only ones that appeared in the sentence ZANY BOX KEPT HIM. I was also relieved to know that capitalization was not a red herring. And, speaking of seafood, I now understand kelp.
DeleteUnderstanding kelp is one of my life's missions. ;-)
DeleteI like Ed Pegg Jr.'s puzzles. They are challenging for me, and usually take hours, not minutes for me to solve. Thanks for keeping my brain ticking Mr. Pegg!
DeleteI am sure this is some kind of clue.?
DeleteTrying to decide on breakfast: Lucky Charms with Pepsi, in memory of George Segal, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch with shrimp tails?
ReplyDeleteBTW have you tried to make Saganaki? It looks a little dangerous but also delicious. Probably not for breakfast Dr. K i did see one of Alan's interviews. Yes "No one is safe."
DeleteHey Jan, thanks for the news about George Segal. Too bad, one of my faves.
ReplyDeleteThere is a toe-in however!
In the movie The Hot Rock (1972) a zany heist caper, with an ensemble cast: Redford,Segal, Rob Liebman and Paul Sand, among others, George Segal was Kelp,a locksmith, and his business was Kelp's Keys.
Sorry, toe-in.
DeleteThat's tie-in. Spell check!
DeleteI didn't know about Segal's Kelp role. Thanks for that tie-in!
DeleteWordSmythe-
DeleteSeveral national chains have specials on wheel alignment this week.
When this one finally hit me, I realized I had toyed with the solution earlier but had discarded it due to faulty memory of one aspect. No clue here, just a statement of fact. Any hint I think of is TMI. I wonder what the number will be this week.
ReplyDeleteIn my own defense, I think I have a clue up top that isn't TMI, not even a Goldsboro. Neither Blaine nor his Minions have complained. But Thursday will be the judge.
ReplyDeleteBlaine has minions... :-)
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ReplyDeleteThinking of moving to Colorado. Do they have super market home delivery available there?
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteIt was a rhetorical question, FloridaGuy.
DeleteI love classical music and am especially fond of string quartets. How do I protect myself from violin extremism?
ReplyDeleteStick with Adagios and, whatever you do, avoid Fortissimos at all costs.
DeleteSdb: Glad to know that you like music. I am musician
ReplyDeleteLately I have been playing Leoš Janáček piano Sonatas over and over. Marvelous!
DeleteJust listened to it.thanks.
DeleteYou need a good guy with a bow.
ReplyDeleteCupid?
Delete