Q: Name a popular singer — first and last names. Change one letter to a "P" and read the result backward. You'll get what many people do around this singer. Who is it?Am I the only one that thought the singer was using a stage name?
A: DUA LIPA --> APPLAUD
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.
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.
It’s not Tiny Tim! I first looked for a P word that you do around performers. The first one I thought of I tried and rejected, because no names seemed to fit. I consulted the internet for names and found the answer, and it does involve that first word I found, but I am 71 years old and I have no idea who this person is.
ReplyDeleteI had the identical experience. At 72, the singer's name was totally off my radar as well.
DeleteI solved it also looking for words containing a "p" for things you might do around singers...
DeleteGive the singer a listen. Popular for good reason.
DeleteGot it, but same as Rob and DBC. As a man of a certain age, I can only say, "Who?"
DeleteBy the way, Rob, that P word you first thought of was the same P word I first thought of, but it didn't help much.
DeleteI had to consult a list. I never would have guessed it otherwise.
DeleteOkay, some of us are very old, but we all listen to NPR. The singer's been in the news, won major awards. It's 2021: do you still use a dial-up line for your computer?
DeleteSigns of a generation gap. But a lack of awareness does not necessarily signify indifference. Live and learn.
DeleteThanks ,Ron , I thought it would be impossible to work backwards on this one.
DeleteListened to a few tracks...not impressed...crossword enthusiasts will know what I mean when I write that this person's name is perfect fill fodder, so I suspect knowing this person will come in handy at some point...
DeleteThis reminds me of that article from Mad Magazine back in its glory days titled “How To Be Smart.” It suggested that when you are asked whether you've listened to Eddie Fishie's latest pop record, you should respond with a sneer “Pop' records . . . who listens to (ech) pop' records?” 60+ years later and I find myself saying exactly that. [No clue here]
DeleteLife Goals: "perfect fill fodder."
DeleteSo, I guess I'm not the only one who found APPLAUD after first considering a synonym. Coincidentally, the on-air player's first name was Jack.
Deletejan: I had that same anagram of Dua Lipa, a dial-up, but I wasn't sure how to place it without making it TMI. You handled that very well! 👍
DeleteLately, the puzzle is up before the segment airs; are there new rules.
ReplyDelete(My husband likes the singer.)
The new rule -- bragging rights if you can guess the puzzle before Will delivers it.
DeleteIris, I don't want to be the one to break it to you...
DeleteCan't fully reply right now, it gives away too much.
DeleteSo, we learned of Dua Lipa early in the pandemic, when there were TV concerts of artists performing in their homes. We enjoyed what we heard and sought out more of her songs. My husband noticed that she is quite good-looking as well.
DeleteAnd, yeah, I was referencing the song "New Rules":
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2qgadSvNyU
A couple I know complains about this singer, but I think the singer is talented.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. More nuanced than one realizes on first listen.
DeleteMother Theresa
ReplyDeleteTeresa?
DeleteThis singer's association with a different saint is much more enjoyable.
DeleteYes. The singer shares something with Mother Teresa.
DeleteAre you referring to Mother Teresa's White Bottom?
DeleteStop Calcutting up.
DeleteI thought it was a Delhi.
DeleteAre you trying to curry favor with someone?
DeleteGhee I don't think so. I'd rather flavor curry.
DeleteThen go Mumbai some.
DeleteBe a Dahl and Heeng in there with me.
DeleteWhat if I get Sikh?
DeleteGosht darn, I don't know what to do when things get Murghi.
DeleteWith all these bad Indian puns, y'all may be pressing your Lucknow.
DeletepjbWorriesWeMayAllBeInTooDeepavaliHere
That is Uttar nonsense.
DeleteMajor Kong is gonna drop you all out the Bombay doors.
DeleteHey! I am the Pun Wallah here.
DeleteDon't get too khaki. Soondur or later, Urdu to get yours.
DeletepjbWorriedAKarmaMightRunOverHisDogma
You sound Puri Masoor of yourself.
DeleteI vishu you would stop the bad puns or I will Patel on you.
DeleteDon't be Madras it doesn't become you.
DeleteIf you don't stop this Chatterjee I don't know Vindaloo.
DeleteI got it! All by myself! I'm so proud I fully expect people to start doing this around me now as well.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, that was quite satisfying :D
I had no clue, until I thought of this recent up-and-comer, Shmargo Tuaticilos. 😏
ReplyDeleteAccording to one author, it's a subtle art. That is to not...
ReplyDeleteDinosaur
ReplyDeleteWhat’s the under/over on correct answers?
ReplyDeleteThat's in reference to a line in "New Rules": "If your under him, you ain't getting over him."
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2qgadSvNyU
For my generation, we can speculate that Lita Ford had an underappreciated heavy-metal brother named Dica.
ReplyDeleteA couple beers solved this one easily enough.
ReplyDeleteA couple beers, i.e., a dual IPA.
DeleteI'm guessing over 3000 correct responses this week. When I first heard of the singer, I was surprised to learn it's their real name.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing! Honestly, growing up with a name that cool, how could you NOT become a performing artist?
DeleteMy aforementioned husband took a while to get that "Dua Lipa" is her given name.
DeleteI figured it out, but was not familiar with the singer. I also found an alternate answer that is clearly NOT what Will and NPR want, since it involves slang terms, and the act described is clearly not something Will would want to talk about.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I guess that rules out the little-known singer SEITNA DWORHT as well.
DeleteStart with Lana Del Rey. Replace an L with a P. That is all I am going to say.
DeleteJust like all the other old Fa*ts on this blog, I never had heard of this singer. I've both gotten the answer and have become curious about this person.
ReplyDeleteClark, please don't say FART on this blog without encoding it in a Viginere cipher. Thanks.
DeleteOkay, enough of this bickering. I now call this meeting to odor.
DeleteAs they say, "A stench in time..."
DeletepjbAdmitsBeingAFrequentListenerTo"Wait,Wait,Don'tSmellMe!"
I thought our on-air participant's voice was remarkably similar to Will's.
ReplyDeleteWith a nod to Nodd, I was thinking about a smart strategy when the line to the bar is long.
ReplyDeleteA good strategy for two-fisted drinkers?
DeleteIMHO listening to music that's being created and performed RIGHT NOW benefits brain health. Also promotes fun and dancing for any age. Ask your doctor if Spotify is right for you! Lol
ReplyDeleteFunny!
DeleteAdd a “p” to the singer's first name and get what singers used to sing.
ReplyDeleteI think you just dated yourself, Boomer.
DeleteAdd an l and an o to the singer's first name to get a helpful person.
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Delete^^^ The letter l (ell) and the letter o.
DeleteAdd i and o, anagram, and you get a word associated with singers and singing.
DeleteThe puzzles usually come from listeners.
ReplyDeleteGood observation. I thought the same thing a couple of weeks ago when the answer was Chloé Zhao.
ReplyDeleteThe best doctor's curate is 100%.
ReplyDeleteJack set a speed record for giving up on #2 and asking for help.
ReplyDeleteA ship/card game: I went for hand, but deck works.
I'm just going to wait for the inevitable giveaway hint for this week's bit of cotton candy.
I wish Israel wasn't using US bombs. Or anyone's for that matter.
Did you know Evian is Naive spelled backwards? 3rd week in a row where I solved the puzzle within minutes of reading it. Love it when my brain works in my favor.
ReplyDeleteThank god for lists!
ReplyDeleteI'm confident I'll solve it eventually. Right now I am still trying to get through the lists of famous opera singers.
DeleteNot!
DeleteSDB, Of course not. I was surprised that someone my age got it from a list without having ever heard the singer's name
DeleteAs a thirty-something, I did appreciate this one! Nice to see some updated protocols from NPR when it comes to selecting the puzzles.
ReplyDeleteI like this music.
DeleteMe three.
Delete"New Rules," of course...a song that, in that parlance of our times, totally slaps.
DeleteI scrolled past this singer’s name in a list a couple times before seeing the word. I’m not familiar with this artist
ReplyDeleteI needed a list too, but know the singer's name mainly from crossword puzzles!
ReplyDeleteAs others have remarked—yes, the puzzles seem to be geared more and more to millennials. I hadn't heard of the singer before, but when I first saw the singer's name, it gave me the answer right away. Thank goodness I am not too old to use Google efficiently.
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DeleteFinally got that person's name to work. Kept looking at it on a list. Had to think of alternate names for things audience does.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to the song I used in my clue. Good song.
ReplyDelete"New Rules"
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2qgadSvNyU
Just noticed something very clever about this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteWell, I found today's answer in a list as well. But the point of the list was to narrow down the possibilities and to see the name spelled out so that I can wrestle with the letters on the off chance that the puzzle might be minutely challenging. Also, I keep a pad and pencil nearby. As far as names of singers and entertainers, I can rattle those off like a Gatling gun. I mean like a Glock! Or an Uzi! (I'm not that old that I know what a Gatling gun is!). Besides, I solve almost every puzzle by looking at lists, as do most of us, I'm sure. Most of these puzzles ask for world capitals, brand names, celebrities, et. cet., things we all know lots of, but still, a list helps to narrow things down and allows you to see the answer a little more vividly. It's not entirely an age thing. I don't even know what a Gatling gun is!
ReplyDeleteWhat an odd analogy to use today.
DeleteAdd a 'T' to the name and you can use the letters to write postal abbreviations of a number of states.
ReplyDeleteAlso, interestingly, the name is related to something that millions of people around the world do every day; probably not around this singer, though!
DeleteThis might be a repeat.
ReplyDeleteA repeat puzzle is a dual. The first 4 letters of "Dua Lipa" spell "dual".
DeletePersonally not someone who listens to this singer's music, but at least it's someone I have heard of before.
ReplyDeleteI like this singer's music but did not know name before.Wonder if singer will hear about this puzzle. The music is Good for exercising.
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DeleteDoggone it WW, you went and removed your comment just when I was going to give it a 7.6 on The Crotchety Scale.
DeleteKudos. anyway.
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ReplyDeleteFound the name on a list, never heard it before and imagine I'll forget it shortly.
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter's age with a Wiki page the length of some Congressmen.
Not doing what other people supposedly do 30 seconds or so into two vids.
Whoa, the crotchety level here has been raised a lot.
ReplyDeleteRight?! Touchy!
DeleteWW, What do you guess is the median age of our group? My guess is 65 to 75, and I'm the outlier at the top end.But I don't really know. There are times that we sound like old farts.
ReplyDeleteBlaine did a poll awhile back. I believe the poll came down when it started getting a bunch of bot votes. Maybe 55-65?
DeleteAnd one can be crotchety at any age. . .
We have barely scratched the surface on crotchety behavior.
DeleteI turned 51 this past April. I don't really think I sound like an old fart unless I actually do(and it happens a lot).
DeletepjbThinksBeingAnOldFartSoundsLikeARealGas!
I think it is about time old fart issues get a proper public airing.
DeleteI don't think it is fair to say old farts are not receiving proper attention. If you will recall it was only recently Rudy Giuliani's farts came under judicial scrutiny. Thankfully we live in a country where our grievances may get a public airing. While Barbara Walters may not have been there to interview the speaker, his emanations were well farticulated for the camera with audio in order to be breathtakingly broadcast to the masses. What Rudy was able to amass, we were able thereby to assess. Soon he may be declared to be in arrears.
DeleteSome farts take your breath away. Others ....
DeleteAre you watching 60 Minutes now to learn about UFO's? Maybe you should be.
ReplyDeleteI’ve watched that particular segment twice, once last night when it was first broadcast and once more this morning on the dvr. In Elizondo’s own words, the whole series of events is compelling and problematic, and the “witnesses” all seemed reliable. If Mellon is correct that the sightings are not us, then who or what? Someone—or something—else?
DeleteI watched it twice too. First online before it aired and then when it did air, but I had seen the military footage before and much, much more than 60 Minutes showed. For me the only surprise is that this is finally coming out, but there is much more the government is keeping secret and I believe there are far more shocking facts yet to be confirmed. I don't understand why people are afraid of our being observed by distant beings. We are doing the same thing, but in a far more primitive way.
DeleteI just watched 60 minutes on the UFO sightings. Interesting. Seems like there is more compelling information but not sure they will share.
DeleteNo hints here, just a question. Does the answer spell the word correctly or just phonetically sound like the word. If it’s the later, I think I’ve got it. If it’s the former then I need to keep searching…
ReplyDeleteRelax; have a scotch, you solved it.
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DeleteHuh?
DeleteThat surprised me too. Ah well. C'est la vie.
DeleteThanks SDB, I think I have it too, now.
DeleteAlex: I think you need to work more on solving this puzzle.
DeleteI'm laughing at myself now that re-read Alex's post again. I misread it the first time and maybe Alex should postpone that scotch.
DeleteSDB: I thought I had the incorrect answer after reading your first reply.
DeleteNatasha, it just to show you can't trust anyone anymore.
DeleteSDB: Yes, first time I learned about that.
DeleteI see a connection to last week’s answer. And I’ve actually seen this singer perform live.
ReplyDeleteAs with several of the other septuagenarians on this blog, this entertainer was unknown to me.
ReplyDeleteBut my age and the images of Woodstock (no, I wasn't there) explain why I began working on this puzzle by searching for a singer named Tom Ekoms.
So we are now finding out that Bill Gates has interests other than giving away his vast wealth. Bill, you horndog, you.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Microsoft Bill seemed a little too perfect to be true. Why am I not surprised that he likes to play slap-n-tickle with the interns?
DeleteAs a proud generation Xer AND an actor, I, too, had never heard of this singer. I'm sure that's more a reflection on me than anything. I can barely even post a comment on this blog!
ReplyDeleteI am a Gen-Xer, too. I first got on this blog about 10 years ago, but then I "fell off" because I felt a little frustrated with the NPR Sunday Puzzles. That changed during the past year. Perhaps I was just paying more attention again, to get my mind off the pandemic…?
ReplyDeleteI want to see that mad new dance "Eel Paws"!
ReplyDeleteI get tossed around a lot as far as generations go depending on which dates you go by, but I identify as Gen-X (the best generation if I may say so myself ;-) ) and DO know this singer. I have recently been labeled a "geriatric millennial," though, so maybe I have more in common with the 'old farts' above. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteWhen I hit 50, I was told it was the new 40. When I hit 7o, I was told it was the new 60. When I hit 80, I was told it was the new 70. In each case my response was the same,"I'll take back the old one, thank you very much."
ReplyDeleteA nod to Sela Ward.
ReplyDeleteThat same thought crossed my mind Sunday morning, FG, but I was afraid things were drifting too close to that dangerous island. Kudos on a great Wednesday post!
DeleteFinally got it after looking at a bunch of lists. Did not know this person (even as to their gender) at all, but worked back from the thing people likely do, and remembered the name.
ReplyDeleteDUA LIPA, APPLAUD
ReplyDelete"Dinosaur" Lipa's mother's maiden name is REXha as in T. rex.
Dua + o + l = Doula, a person who supports a woman in labor.
Dua Lipa >>> APPLAUD
ReplyDeleteDUA LIPA—>APPLAUD
ReplyDeleteAs one of those unfamiliar with her music, I gave it a listen, in particular, “New Rules,” and liked it (and some clues posted here made sense as a result). Her voice reminded me somewhat of Dido’s: similar vocal range, different timbre.
DUA LIPA -> APPLAUD
ReplyDelete> It's 2021: do you still use a dial-up line for your computer?
"A dial-up" is an anagram of her name.
DUA LIPA → APPLAUD
ReplyDelete“DUA” means LOVE (want, desire) in Albanian.
I looked for words containing a “p” for things one does around singers, clap, applaud, praise, approve, lip-sync, etc. et voilà...
Dua Lipa / applaud
ReplyDeleteI wrote, “It’s not Tiny Tim!” His most famous song was “Tiptoe through the Tulips,” and “tulips” recalls “two lips” which is sort of “dua lipa.”
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI wrote, "A nod to Sela Ward."
ReplyDeleteIf you move the space in DUA LIPA you can get DUAL IPA. Nodd hinted a couple beers. SELA WARD (an actor) backwards is DRAW ALES, which was an NPR puzzle some years (decades?) ago.
Dua Lipa's 2019 Grammys duet with St. Vincent, herself featured on NPR last week, was super-steamy.
ReplyDelete– Singer: Dua Lipa
ReplyDelete– Change i to p
– Read backward: applaud
Here's the closest I came to posting a clue:
I thought of this recent up-and-comer, Shmargo Tuaticilos.
If you change the m in that (bogus) name to a p, and read the result backward, you get something else people might do, as long as they applaud a singer: solicit autographs.
My reference, also whimsical, was to a lesser-known heavy-metal brother of Lita Ford named Dica. (Lita was lead guitarist for the Runaways.) Fans in those days might DROP ACID...or so I've heard.
DeleteDua Lipa
ReplyDeleteChange the I to a P and reverse to get "applaud".
I was hoping it was Yma Sumac--and there is a cellist and Professor of Music named Amy Camus. But, no.
ReplyDeleteDUA LIPA>>>>APPLAUD
ReplyDeleteWe are proud to feature this week on Puzzleria! an escape from the mundane – another "Skydiversion" of a puzzle created by our friend skydiveboy. It deals with how card-playing lingo from the past century may have presaged an unfortunate "omenosity" in our present century.
ReplyDeleteWe upload Puzzleria! early every Friday, Midnight PDT.
Also on this week's menus:
* A geographical Schpuzzle of the Week involving two capitals, two colors and one citizen,
* A puzzle that seeks a zinger/zongwriter zans zithers or zylophones,
* A Dessert about a "flower" and what it flows through, and
* A handful or two of NPR Puzzle Riff-offs that may (or may not) deserve your applause.
Drop on by... skydiveboy did.
LegoWhoInvitesAllBlainesvilliansToDiveRightInToThesePuzzles
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ReplyDeleteDua Lipa --> applaud
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “Add a “p” to the singer’s first name and get what singers used to sing.” Dua + p = Doo-wop phonetically.
Dua Lipa: applaud
ReplyDeleteI have heard of her and heard songs by her, but it's not an artist I (or my children) listen to.
Mother Teresa and Dua Lippa are both of Albanian descent.
ReplyDeleteDUA LIPA, APPLAUD
ReplyDeleteMy clue - “ I see a connection to last week’s answer” - her hit song New Rules can relate to “eligibility”
ReplyDeleteI thought it was Billie Eilish with all the "i's". When I couldn't get anything to work, I went back to sudoku.
DeleteEilish was a puzzle answer about a year ago.
DeleteThe Eilish puzzle was on February 20, 2020.
Delete'Twas a Groundhog Day to remember.
DeleteDUA LIPA
ReplyDeleteI wrote that a couple I know complains about this singer, but I think the singer is talented.
"A couple" because DUO implies DUA and "complains" because that would be giving lip, hence LIPA
My clue was "A subtle art according to one author." The reference was to Dua Lipa's hit IDGAF and Mark Manson's "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!."
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm old, but I remember when "Giving a Damn" about anything, was a good thing.
Now it's all "I don't give a fuck."
Do you give a damn or not give a fuck?
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
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DeleteRhett you are!
DeleteThe Butler did it.
DeleteThis week's challenge comes from listener Roger Barkan of Savage, Md. Think of an 8-letter word in which the third and sixth letters are "A." Remove the A's. The remaining six letters start a common series. What is it? And what comes next in that series?
ReplyDeleteI wonder which flagrant smartass will give it away this week? (No clue here.)
ReplyDeleteMore than 1100 correct responses this week.
ReplyDeleteThis one entertained me for about and hour. Now back to bed.
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction was being disappointed that neither TOABEAOR, nor DOAREAMI are words.
ReplyDelete