Thursday, December 29, 2022
Our Annual Puzzle and Video for 2022
Our Annual Family Video for 2022 is available now. The password can be found by solving our annual puzzle. Click this link or the image below to get a PDF of the full puzzle. Post a comment below about your favorite part of the video to show you've solved the puzzle, but don't give away the password directly.
Sunday, December 25, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 25, 2022): A Puzzle for Christmas
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 25, 2022): A Puzzle for Christmas
Edit: Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) from Hamilton has the lyrics "Lafayette is there waiting in Chesapeake Bay!"
Q: Name a prominent geographical location in the United States. Change the fifth letter to an S. The resulting string of letters from left to right will name a game, a mountain, and a popular website. What place is it?plɹoM
Edit: Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) from Hamilton has the lyrics "Lafayette is there waiting in Chesapeake Bay!"
A: CHESAPEAKE BAY --> CHESS, PEAK, EBAY
Sunday, December 18, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 18, 2022): What Does the Fox Say?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 18, 2022): What Does the Fox Say?
Edit: Rabbits are pretty silent.
Q: If you change the third letter of WOLF to an O, you get the sound made by a dog — WOOF. Name a six-letter animal and change the second letter to get the sound made by a completely different animal. What is it?If you take the sound the first animal makes and you change one letter... well, I'm not saying anything more.
Edit: Rabbits are pretty silent.
A: RABBIT, RIBBIT
Sunday, December 11, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 11, 2022): Keep Calm and Carry On
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 11, 2022): Keep Calm and Carry On
Edit: Most men don't carry purses and cash is used less often these days for purchases compared to debit/credit/phone transactions.
Q: Many people carry _____ (4-letter word) in a _____ (5-letter word) to make _____ (9-letter word). You can rearrange the letters of the first two words (the 4- and 5-letter ones) to get the last word (the 9-letter one). What words are these?Actually NOT true for many people.
Edit: Most men don't carry purses and cash is used less often these days for purchases compared to debit/credit/phone transactions.
A: CASH in a PURSE to make PURCHASES
Sunday, December 04, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 4, 2022): Getting Straight to the Point
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 4, 2022): Getting Straight to the Point
Q: Name a symbol or punctuation mark on a computer keyboard. Anagram it to get the brand name of a product you might buy at a grocery, in two words. What is it?
A: SEMICOLON --> MOLSON ICE
Sunday, November 27, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 27, 2022): Common Eight-Letter Noun
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 27, 2022): Common Eight-Letter Noun
Edit: Gasoline has the same syllable structure as the answer. You might see the item in the checkout line
Q: What common eight-letter noun can be shortened in two ways — using either its first three letters or its last four letters? The answer is a familiar item.Gasoline is NOT the answer, but an example. While "gas" is a shortened form of gasoline, "line" is not.
Edit: Gasoline has the same syllable structure as the answer. You might see the item in the checkout line
A: MAGAZINE --> MAG, ZINE
Sunday, November 20, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 20, 2022): Weird Science
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 20, 2022): Weird Science
Edit: I'll give you the moon and the stars.
Q: Name a branch of scientific study. Drop the last letter. Then rearrange the remaining letters to name two subjects of that study. What branch of science is it?A fun puzzle, I'll give you that, but not that difficult.
Edit: I'll give you the moon and the stars.
A: ASTRONOMY --> STAR, MOON
Sunday, November 13, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 13, 2022): A Pair of Companies
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 13, 2022): A Pair of Companies
Edit: The first company was founded in 1969 and the second in 2013. The callback to last week's puzzle was punctuation — a dash.
Q: Think of two well-known companies with two-syllable names starting with J and D, respectively and whose names rhyme. One of these companies was founded in the last 10 years. What companies are these?I calculate 44 years between the founding of the two companies. Anyone notice a connection to last week's puzzle?
Edit: The first company was founded in 1969 and the second in 2013. The callback to last week's puzzle was punctuation — a dash.
A: JORDACHE and DOORDASH
Sunday, November 06, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2022): Punctuation is Important People!
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2022): Punctuation is Important People!
Edit: CILANTRO
Q: Name a punctuation mark found on a computer keyboard. Somewhere inside this insert a word for what this punctuation mark may be part of or what it may represent. The result will be a 10-letter word associated with painting. What words are these?From the final word, remove letters that are duplicated leaving only one copy of each letter. Rearrange to get an herb.
Edit: CILANTRO
A: COLON + RATIO = COLORATION
Sunday, October 30, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 30, 2022): (Blank) of my (Blank)
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 30, 2022): (Blank) of my (Blank)
A: Easy as (apple) pie.
Q: Think of a common phrase in the form "___ of my ___." The word that goes in the first blank is the name of a well-known company. And the word that goes in the second blank sounds like part of the names of many of that company's products. What phrase is it?The puzzle is easy -- a clue, not so much.
A: Easy as (apple) pie.
A: APPLE of my EYE (I in iMac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, etc.)
Sunday, October 23, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 23, 2022): Movie with a Five-Word Title
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 23, 2022): Movie with a Five-Word Title
Edit: Spider-Man: No Way Home also tells a story of a multiverse.
Q: It's unusual for a multi-word movie title to consist entirely of words starting with vowels, none of which are the article "a." or pronoun "I." Can you name a popular movie with a five-word title — with word lengths 10, 10, 3, 2, 4 — all of which start with vowels?Popular movie? I hadn't heard of it. But I like movies like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" so maybe I'm not the right audience?
Edit: Spider-Man: No Way Home also tells a story of a multiverse.
A: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Sunday, October 16, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 16, 2022): Confrontation or Cooperation
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 16, 2022): Confrontation or Cooperation
Edit: In Britain, children each select a "conker" (horse chestnut) as their own, attach a string and then take turns swinging at their opponent's conker until one child's conker breaks and the surviving conker is declared the victor.
Q: Think of a pair of two-syllable words that are pronounced the same, except one is accented on the first syllable while the other is accented on the second. The word that's accented on the first syllable is associated with confrontation, while the word that's accented on the second syllable is associated with cooperation. What words are these?This is a real chestnut of a puzzle.
Edit: In Britain, children each select a "conker" (horse chestnut) as their own, attach a string and then take turns swinging at their opponent's conker until one child's conker breaks and the surviving conker is declared the victor.
A: CONQUER, CONCUR
Sunday, October 09, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 9, 2022): Building Materials
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 9, 2022): Building Materials
Edit: A piano has 88 keys. The Delorean in Back to the Future will time travel at 88 mph. Doc and Marty are the inspiration for Rick and Morty.
Q: Name two things that many houses are built with: "[blank] and [blank]." Drop the first letter of the first thing. Change the last two letters of the second thing to a "Y." And you'll name a popular TV show, "[blank] and [blank]." What show is it?Is a piano involved?
Edit: A piano has 88 keys. The Delorean in Back to the Future will time travel at 88 mph. Doc and Marty are the inspiration for Rick and Morty.
A: BRICK and MORTAR --> RICK and MORTY
Sunday, October 02, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 2, 2022): A Couple Brand Name Products
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 2, 2022): A Couple Brand Name Products
Q: Think of two well-known brand names, each in eight letters that have the same first six letters in the same order. Both brands are of products, one found in a supermarket and one for something used outdoors. And even though the first six letters of the names are the same, they're not pronounced the same. What products are these?Edit: The picture of the supermarket shows a vehicle with tires, presumably Michelin :)
A: MICHELOB, MICHELIN
Sunday, September 25, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 25, 2022): White Collar Crime
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 25, 2022): White Collar Crime
Edit: This makes at least the 4th puzzle about this person. If you hold down the SHIFT key and type a 1 (a "capital one"), you get an exclamation point.
Q: Take the name of a large financial corporation in 10 letters. Drop the fourth and fifth letters. Move the sixth and seventh letters to the front. You'll name a person associated with financial misdeeds. What is the company, and who is the person?This person was due for a puzzle — !
Edit: This makes at least the 4th puzzle about this person. If you hold down the SHIFT key and type a 1 (a "capital one"), you get an exclamation point.
A: CAPITAL ONE --> AL CAPONE
Sunday, September 18, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 18, 2022): Are You Using a Modern Modem?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 18, 2022): Are You Using a Modern Modem?
Edit: Nor did I expect this pair of words as the answer.
Q: If you squish the lowercase letters "r" and "n" together, they look like an "m." Think of a word that ends in the consecutive letters "r-n." Squish them together to get a homophone of a synonym of the first word. What words are these?Clearly "porn" and "pom" don't work, and I'd never expect to hear that as the answer on NPR either.
Edit: Nor did I expect this pair of words as the answer.
A: DARN --> DAM (DAMN)
Sunday, September 11, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 11, 2022): It's Not Over...
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 11, 2022): It's Not Over...
Edit: A large quantity is "A TON" which leaves (in order) "BRIE"
Q: Name something, in eight letters, that you might hear at an opera. Drop three of the letters, without changing the order of the remaining five. You'll name something you might see at an opera. What things are these?If you remove a large quantity, you get something soft you can eat.
Edit: A large quantity is "A TON" which leaves (in order) "BRIE"
A: BARITONE --> BATON
Sunday, September 04, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 4, 2022): Postcards from Two Countries
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 4, 2022): Postcards from Two Countries
Edit: Rearranged you get "mad spinnaker"
Q: Name two countries with a total of 12 letters that, when spelled one after the other, form six consecutive state postal abbreviations. What are the two countries?Anagram all the letters and you get something that means "loony sail".
Edit: Rearranged you get "mad spinnaker"
A: DENMARK, SPAIN (Delaware, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Indiana)
Sunday, August 28, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 28, 2022): Switcharoo!
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 28, 2022): Switcharoo!
I'm not familiar with the island of HAECO, are you?
Q: Name a well-known island. Move the first letter six spaces later in the alphabet. Read the result backward. You'll get where this island is located. What island is it?
I'm not familiar with the island of HAECO, are you?
A: Intended answer = MALTA --> ATLAS
Alternate answer = JAMAICA --> A CIA MAP
Sunday, August 21, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2022): A Pair of Girls Names
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2022): A Pair of Girls Names
Edit: Removing the first letter and rearranging you get LATRINE.
Q: Think of an eight-letter noun composed phonetically of two consecutive names traditionally given to girls. Remove the sixth letter and rearrange the result. You'll get an event where you might hear the thing named by the original noun. What words are these?If you remove the first letter and rearrange, you get a place you probably wouldn't want to hear the original noun.
Edit: Removing the first letter and rearranging you get LATRINE.
A: CLARINET (CLAIRE, ANNETTE) --> RECITAL
Sunday, August 14, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 14, 2022): Oklahoma, OK!
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 14, 2022): Oklahoma, OK!
Q: This is a continuation of a two-week creative challenge. The object is to write a sentence using only the letters of any particular U.S. state. You can pick the state and repeat letters as often as necessary. For example:
OREGON --> Roger, go gorge on green eggnog. NEBRASKA --> Sen. Ben Sasse's sneakers reek. [Note: Ben Sasse is a U.S. senator from Nebraska]
Entries will be judged on originality, sense, naturalness of syntax, humor, and overall elegance. No more than three sentences per entry, please. Deadline is Wednesday this week.
Winner:West Virginia: In tennis news, a new era starts as Serena is retiring. - Kate Simpson
Honorable mentions:Massachusetts: At the museum, esthetes hate the cute statues that amuse the masses. — H.S. Hughes Rhode Island: Denise hoarded sand and seashells inside her shoreside diner. — Rawson Scheinberg Rhode Island: Dolores had to dine on nine dollars she had hidden in her sandal, so she ordered a side salad and a dinner roll. — Kevin RootWashington: Shania Twain is in town tonight, singing Gaga's hit songs at Santana's San Antonio gig. — Kerry Fowler New Mexico: Native educational wisdom makes eradicating xenophobia its core obligation. — Tamar StieberMassachusetts: As she teaches math, she must use the state tests that she hates. — Rick Cleary Texas [only 5 letters to work with!]: Texas axes estate taxes. — Charvaka Duvvury
Sunday, August 07, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2022): Oh I, Oh!
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2022): Oh I, Oh!
Q: This is the start of a two-week creative challenge. The object is to write a sentence using only the letters of any particular U.S. state. You can pick the state and repeat letters as often as necessary. For example:
NEW YORK --> No one knew we were ornery. WASHINGTON --> Sighting a ghost tonight was astonishing.
Entries will be judged on originality, sense, naturalness of syntax, humor, and overall elegance. No more than three sentences per entry, please.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 31, 2022): American TV Personality
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 31, 2022): American TV Personality
Edit: There was cLEARly a reason, since he just celebrated turning 100. He's a famous person for writing and producing numerous television shows, but he's had only a smattering of acting roles. He has appeared on lots of shows as himself however.
Q: Name a famous person in American television — 6 letters in the first name, 4 letters in the last. Switch the last letter of the first name with the first letter of the last. Then reverse the order of the two modified names. You'll get a phrase meaning "almost typical." What is it?There's clearly a reason this puzzle was picked. That being said, I can't think of a single show I've seen them on.
Edit: There was cLEARly a reason, since he just celebrated turning 100. He's a famous person for writing and producing numerous television shows, but he's had only a smattering of acting roles. He has appeared on lots of shows as himself however.
A: NORMAN LEAR --> NEAR NORMAL
Sunday, July 24, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2022): 1989 and 1992
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 24, 2022): 1989 and 1992
Edit: They didn't get second place...
Q: This week's challenge will require a little research. The 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 1992 Olympic gold medal in giant slalom both suggest, phonetically, a certain square number. What is it?Research and read carefully. You can't say this about Where I'm Calling From or Luxembourg.
Edit: They didn't get second place...
A: Anne Tyler (A.T.) and Alberto Tomba (A.T.) won --> "A.T. won" --> 81
Sunday, July 17, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 17, 2022): Let's Eat!
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 17, 2022): Let's Eat!
Q: Name a food item in seven letters. Move the first letter to the fifth position and you'll get two words that are synonyms. What are they?
A: BRISKET --> RISK, BET
Sunday, July 10, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 10, 2022): Presidential Motorcade
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 10, 2022): Presidential Motorcade
Q: Write down the last names of two U.S. presidents. Move a letter from the second name into the first one. You'll name a vehicle that's used for special occasions. What is it?Coincidentally, the names are in the order they were president.
A: CARTER, BUSH --> CHARTER BUS
Sunday, July 03, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 3, 2022): Add -s, -es, -ies or -ves?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 3, 2022): Add -s, -es, -ies or -ves?
Edit: Sherlock Holmes? No I was thinking of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
Q: Name a well-known fictional character in two words. Remove two letters from the first word in the name. The result is the plural form of the second word. What character is this?My first thought was a fictional detective by a well-known author.
Edit: Sherlock Holmes? No I was thinking of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
A: MICKEY MOUSE --> MICE
Sunday, June 26, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 26, 2022): The Lord is a Shoving Leopard
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 26, 2022): The Lord is a Shoving Leopard
Edit: The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) by Simon and Garfunkel mentions cobblestones.
Q: How old was Reverend Spooner when he found happiness?I started counting cobblestones and got the answer.
Edit: The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) by Simon and Garfunkel mentions cobblestones.
A: FIFTY NINE --> NIFTY, FINE
Sunday, June 19, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 19, 2022): Who Are These People?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 19, 2022): Who Are These People?
Edit: Their last names also anagram to STAGE
Q: Think of two famous people — one from business and one from entertainment — whose last names are anagrams of each other. Now take their first names, drop the last letter of each of them, and put the result together, without rearranging, and you'll get the full first name of a famous fictional character. Who are these people?You can also rearrange the last names to get a place that you might have seen one of these people, maybe both.
Edit: Their last names also anagram to STAGE
A: (BIL)L GATES + (BO)B SAGET --> (BILBO) BAGGINS
Sunday, June 12, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 12, 2022): Twentieth Century American
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 12, 2022): Twentieth Century American
Edit: BERLIN --> BRUNEI --> ERBIUM --> RUBIES
I had to change the book cover I originally used because it featured pictures of Lusitania, JFK and the Berlin Wall. Oops!
Q: Take the last name of a famous 20th-century American. The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letters, in that order, name a European capital. Who is the person, and what capital is it?Change one letter in the capital and rearrange to get a country. Repeat the process to get an element. Repeat the process one last time to get some gemstones.
Edit: BERLIN --> BRUNEI --> ERBIUM --> RUBIES
I had to change the book cover I originally used because it featured pictures of Lusitania, JFK and the Berlin Wall. Oops!
A: LIN(d)BER(gh) --> BERLIN
Sunday, June 05, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 5, 2022): Do You Smell Something?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 5, 2022): Do You Smell Something?
Edit: The additional letters are SH ("keep quiet"). And in French, "d'accord" means I agree and it is pronounced similar to the capital of Dhaka.
Q: The name of what country contains a deodorant and an air freshener in consecutive letters?I'm just going to keep quiet and say I agree.
Edit: The additional letters are SH ("keep quiet"). And in French, "d'accord" means I agree and it is pronounced similar to the capital of Dhaka.
A: BAN + GLADE (+ SH) = BANGLADESH
Sunday, May 29, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 29, 2022): Be Right Back
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 29, 2022): Be Right Back
Edit: Apart from variations in the first vowel sound (EE, IH, UH?), I've always seen the M sound included as part of the second syllable, instead of the first. Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Q: Take an abbreviation found in text messages. Reverse the first two letters, and the result sounds like something else often found in text messages. What are these things?I might say something else used in text messages. And again, I question the pronunciation.
Edit: Apart from variations in the first vowel sound (EE, IH, UH?), I've always seen the M sound included as part of the second syllable, instead of the first. Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A: OMG --> MOG --> EMOJI
Sunday, May 22, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 22, 2022): A Pair of Islands Puzzle
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 22, 2022): A Pair of Islands Puzzle
The day before the puzzle was May 21. On that same date in 1976, I was living on Guam and went through Supertyphoon Pamela that went straight over the island. And in May 23, 1960 a tsunami hit the Hawaiian Islands. The other hint was "keep calm" which was what it was like in the eye of the storm (a really eerie experience if you've never gone through such a storm) and also a callback to another puzzle where I mentioned keep calm and love Maui.
Q: Take the name of an island. Move its first letter two spaces later in the alphabet (so A would become C, B would become D, etc.). Reverse the result and you'll have the name of another island. What islands are these?Regulars to this blog have an advantage. While I submitted this awhile ago and don't remember hearing back, I guess it got added to the queue of puzzles. Well, I can't change yesterday, but we can change tomorrow! I say we "keep calm and carry on".
The day before the puzzle was May 21. On that same date in 1976, I was living on Guam and went through Supertyphoon Pamela that went straight over the island. And in May 23, 1960 a tsunami hit the Hawaiian Islands. The other hint was "keep calm" which was what it was like in the eye of the storm (a really eerie experience if you've never gone through such a storm) and also a callback to another puzzle where I mentioned keep calm and love Maui.
A: GUAM --> MAUI
Sunday, May 15, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 15, 2022): Merci Beaucoup
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 15, 2022): Merci Beaucoup
Edit: Variations of the puzzle appeared in April 2014 and November 2015. I also mentioned the actor in another puzzle from February 2022.
Q: Name a famous living movie star. Insert an R in the middle of the first name, and drop the last two letters of the last name. You'll get a familiar French phrase. What is it?Déjà vu, for the third time
Edit: Variations of the puzzle appeared in April 2014 and November 2015. I also mentioned the actor in another puzzle from February 2022.
A: CATE BLANCHETT --> CARTE BLANCHE
Sunday, May 08, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 8, 2022): Name that Sitcom
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 8, 2022): Name that Sitcom
Edit: LIE -> LYE -> SOAP and also the memorable quote from the movie, "I have had it with these motherloving snakes on this motherloving plane!" (slightly altered from the original).
Q: The initial letters in the title of a popular movie from this century spell the name of a popular sitcom from the last century. What titles are these?I'm not going to lie but I thought there might be a link to Mother's Day... there is, but I'm not happy with it.
Edit: LIE -> LYE -> SOAP and also the memorable quote from the movie, "I have had it with these motherloving snakes on this motherloving plane!" (slightly altered from the original).
A: Snakes on a Plane (2006) --> SOAP (1977-1981)
Sunday, May 01, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 1, 2022): Take 4 Steps Forward
NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 1, 2022): Take 4 Steps Forward
Edit: In retrospect, perhaps mentioning a Roman statesman whose eponymous cipher usually involves a shift of three letters was a bit too revealing.
Q: This week's challenge is more challenging than last week's. Write down the name of a number. Move each letter four spots later in the alphabet — so A would become E, B would become F, etc. The result will be a number that's 44 more than your first one. What numbers are these?More challenging? That's debateable. This is basically a Caesar cipher, except shifting by 4 letters.
Edit: In retrospect, perhaps mentioning a Roman statesman whose eponymous cipher usually involves a shift of three letters was a bit too revealing.
A: THREE --> XLVII (47)
Sunday, April 24, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 24, 2022): The Cat's Meow?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 24, 2022): The Cat's Meow?
Edit: Don't get stuck in the mud, like a pig.
Q: Name a sound made by a certain animal. Change one letter in it to the next letter in the alphabet and you'll get a color associated with that animal. What's the sound, and what's the color?Don't get stuck on this puzzle -- I spent more time transcribing the puzzle than I did answering it.
Edit: Don't get stuck in the mud, like a pig.
A: OINK --> PINK
Sunday, April 17, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 17, 2022): Name That Vehicle
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 17, 2022): Name That Vehicle
Edit: In 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood, another character (Little John) was played by Alan Hale, Sr., the father of Alan Hale, Jr. who played the Skipper.
Q: Name a vehicle in two words — 4 letters in the first, 5 letters in the last. Move the second letter of the last word into the second position of the first word. The result phonetically will name a popular figure from legend. Who is it?Is it the Skipper from Gilligan's Island?
Edit: In 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood, another character (Little John) was played by Alan Hale, Sr., the father of Alan Hale, Jr. who played the Skipper.
A: FIRE TRUCK --> FRIAR TUCK
Sunday, April 10, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 10, 2022): Silent L Puzzle
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 10, 2022): Silent L Puzzle
Edit: Johnny Carson was older than Johnny Cash. Also, if you want to get to the prior puzzle on the desktop version of this blog, you click on "Older Post"
Q: Think of a 5-letter word with an "L" that is pronounced. Add a letter at the start to get a 6-letter word in which the "L" is silent. Then add a new letter in the fifth position to get a 7-letter word in which the "L" is pronounced again. What words are these?Are we back to the ARSON --> ASH puzzle?
Edit: Johnny Carson was older than Johnny Cash. Also, if you want to get to the prior puzzle on the desktop version of this blog, you click on "Older Post"
A: OLDER --> SOLDER --> SOLDIER
Sunday, April 03, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 3, 2022): Celebrities of the Past
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 3, 2022): Celebrities of the Past
Edit: I first thought of George Burns which coincidentally had BURNS and URNS. In the end we all turn to ASH but we can all hope we take as long as George Burns to get there.
Q: Name two well-known celebrities of the past who had the same six-letter first names and the same initial in their last names. What follows that initial in one of the last names is a criminal activity. And what follows that initial in the other name is the result of that criminal activity. What celebrities are these?The first celebrity I had in mind wasn't that far off, but as a result it took me quite a while to get there in the end.
Edit: I first thought of George Burns which coincidentally had BURNS and URNS. In the end we all turn to ASH but we can all hope we take as long as George Burns to get there.
A: JOHNNY CARSON, JOHNNY CASH --> ARSON, ASH
Sunday, March 27, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 27, 2022): State with All the Vowels
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 27, 2022): State with All the Vowels
Edit: ...I was very happy! By the way, this puzzle was very reminiscent of another "state" puzzle for April Fool's week in 2020. Coincidence?
Q: Name a state that contains all five vowels — A, E, I, O, and U — once each.I went from thinking this would be easy, to impossible and finally...
Edit: ...I was very happy! By the way, this puzzle was very reminiscent of another "state" puzzle for April Fool's week in 2020. Coincidence?
A: A state of EUPHORIA (Other accepted answers included Mozambique, the Republic of Chad, and different states of being — such as anxiousness, exhaustion, pandemonium, and perturbation.)
Sunday, March 20, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 20, 2022): Words and Numbers
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 20, 2022): Words and Numbers
Edit: The picture of the Scrabble tiles was supposed to hint at using some mapping of letters to numbers that you might encounter in a grid format, specifically the periodic table.
Using the single-letter elements, 538,716 equals 53 (Iodine=I), 8 (Oxygen=O), 7 (Nitrogen=N), 16 (Sulfur=S) which spells IONS; negatively or positively charged atoms.
Q: If a BOY is 5,839, and a COW is 6,874, how much is a FISH?And what is 538,716?
Edit: The picture of the Scrabble tiles was supposed to hint at using some mapping of letters to numbers that you might encounter in a grid format, specifically the periodic table.
Using the single-letter elements, 538,716 equals 53 (Iodine=I), 8 (Oxygen=O), 7 (Nitrogen=N), 16 (Sulfur=S) which spells IONS; negatively or positively charged atoms.
A: Using the single-letter elements in the periodic table, FISH = Fluorine(9), Iodine(53), Sulfur(16), Hydrogen(1) --> FISH = 953,161
Sunday, March 13, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 13, 2022): A Walk in the Park
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 13, 2022): A Walk in the Park
Edit: Hints: 'complete' and 'every' are synonyms for 'whole' and 'all'.
Q: Think of two four-letter words that complete the phrase "___ in the ___." Move the first letter of the second word to the start of the first word. You'll get two synonyms. What are they?I thought it would be easy to complete the phrase, but after looking through every list I can think of... oh wait, I have it.
Edit: Hints: 'complete' and 'every' are synonyms for 'whole' and 'all'.
A: HOLE in the WALL --> WHOLE, ALL
Sunday, March 06, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 6, 2022): An Awkward Quack
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 6, 2022): An Awkward Quack
Edit: Telling me to be careful on a ladder would be preaching to the choir. BTW, I learned this week that I do NOT have a fracture in my wrist, just a sprain so that was welcome news.
Q: Words starting with a "kw-" sound usually start with the letters QU-, as in question, or "KW-," as in Kwanzaa. What common, uncapitalized English word starting with a "kw-" sound contains none of the letters Q, U, K, or W?I fell down and broke my wrist last week so I'm a little slower typing this morning. You don't have to tell me to be more careful on ladders. As for the puzzle, I have 3 potential answers. Native speakers of a certain language would knock out two of the words leaving only one intended answer with the right sound.
Edit: Telling me to be careful on a ladder would be preaching to the choir. BTW, I learned this week that I do NOT have a fracture in my wrist, just a sprain so that was welcome news.
A: CHOIR with possible alternates of COIF and CROISSSANT. Some might argue that COOPERATE could work if you slur the sounds together.
Sunday, February 27, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 27, 2022): The Oscar for Best Animal Goes To...
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 27, 2022): The Oscar for Best Animal Goes To...
Edit: One hint was gender (male) and the other was planet (Mercury). The actor portrayed Freddie Mercury
Q: Name a famous actor — first and last names. Remove the last letter of each name. You'll be left with an animal and an adjective that describes that animal, respectively. Who is the actor?Figuring "actor" could apply to either gender, I tried to make Cate Blanchett and Elke Sommer work. Suddenly the planets aligned to give me the answer.
Edit: One hint was gender (male) and the other was planet (Mercury). The actor portrayed Freddie Mercury
A: RAMI MALEK --> RAM, MALE
Sunday, February 20, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 20, 2022): Head and Shoulders Above the Rest
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 20, 2022): Head and Shoulders Above the Rest
Edit: Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) played Mr. Whipple's stockboy, Jimmy, in a Charmin commercial
Q: Name a part of the human body. Insert the name of another part of the human body. You'll get a brand name found at the supermarket. What is it?Savage commercials for this product.
Edit: Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) played Mr. Whipple's stockboy, Jimmy, in a Charmin commercial
A: CH(ARM)IN
Sunday, February 13, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 13, 2022): What to Name the Babies?
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 13, 2022): What to Name the Babies?
Edit: I was hinting at "Sleepless in Seattle," "When Harry Met Sally" and "You've Got Mail" by Nora Ephron.
Q: Think of a common boy's name and a common girl's name that are pronounced the same even though they have only two letters in common. And if you reverse the boy's name, phonetically you'll get another common girl's name. What names are these?I'm not staying awake worrying if the pronunciation is exactly the same, nor am I going to question whether the reversed name meets the definition of phonetically sounding like a girl's name. I'm just going to see if NPR sends back an email response this week.
Edit: I was hinting at "Sleepless in Seattle," "When Harry Met Sally" and "You've Got Mail" by Nora Ephron.
A: Aaron, Erin --> Nora
Sunday, February 06, 2022
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 6, 2022): A Game of Telephone
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 6, 2022): A Game of Telephone
Time to try Bing Translator
Edit: My original hint was to James Avery who played a Klingon on a couple episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. After being deemed TMI, I posted about Bing Translator which has Klingon as one of its language options.
Q: What language in seven letters can be spelled using the letters on three consecutives keys on a telephone? It's a language you would probably recognize, but not one that many people can speak.This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Time to try Bing Translator
Edit: My original hint was to James Avery who played a Klingon on a couple episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise. After being deemed TMI, I posted about Bing Translator which has Klingon as one of its language options.
A: 4(GHI), 5(JKL), 6(MNO) --> KLINGON
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