Sunday, January 16, 2022

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 16, 2022): 5-Letter Nicknames

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 16, 2022): 5-Letter Nicknames
Q: What three common five-letter nicknames have the same last four letters and alphabetically consecutive initial letters? Or to put it another way, think of three common five-letter nicknames that have alphabetically consecutive initial letters and the same last four letters. Which common nicknames are these?
L'Eggo my Eggo!

Edit: Lego Movie 2 introduced members of Benny's Space Squad
A: JENNY, KENNY, LENNY

212 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. Replies
    1. Going "west" from my answer, I encountered a Youngman.
      I don't know what the "Tony Banta" reference might mean.

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    2. It's pretty obscure. When I came up with the answer of Jenny, Kenny, Lenny (with some help from TMI clues before Blaine blocked them), my first instinct was to use some reference to Jekyll (JKL) and Hyde as my hint. But then I remembered Nodd's hint ("strange case") and realized that had already been done, so I came up with a line from "Taxi" where the Tony Banta character, referring to the two different sides of another character, said "He's a real Mr. Heckle and Dr. Jeckle." Your clue, which leads to Henny Youngman, gave me a hook, sort of, on which to hang my Heckle and Jeckle reference. I didn't expect anyone else to get it.

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  4. For the answer I got, if you try to go alphabetically to a fourth name, it doesn’t work except phonetically.

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  5. Did you get the answer? Way to go, champ

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    2. Good clue. Baby boomers know all three. The last two anyway.

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  7. I hate to say it, but this was a dumb puzzle. Much preferring Wordle today...

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    1. Yeah, but my first Wordle word today was so good that I got cocky and took a wild guess instead of my usual second word, and it cost me. Got the answer in 4.

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    2. I got it in 3.
      Now I wonder, if I were to divulge my second guess, how much of a hint would that be (on a scale of 0 - 100, with 100 being a total giveaway)?

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    3. Yes, Wordle Fever here as well.

      I heard legolambda is coming up with a different version, though. It will be called Paragraphle. (Just kidding, lego ;-)).

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    4. I also did it in 3. I had a lucky 2nd guess that made the solution evident.

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    5. Now is a time for 5-letter WORDS to SHINE. From a recent category on Jeopardy to TODAY's on-air puzzle, 5-letter WORDS are everywhere from BIRTH to DEATH. This week, and this week only, WORDS WOMAN is my moniker.

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    6. Is the Wordle word of the day the same for everyone?

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    7. Still struggling with this but somehow I got the word I'll today in just two steps, had to brag to somebody!

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    8. Hey, me too! I'm giving you a vitual pat on the back.

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  8. Nothing wrong with a simple puzzle !!!

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  9. This puzzle also works for six-letter nicknames.

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    Replies
    1. At first I was like, "Wait! 'Wolfie' I get, but…'Volfie'? 'Xolfie'?"

      Then again, this never was about me, was it…see my post below.

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  10. I was going to try to come up with a hint, but I got frustrated, so I’m going to let it go. With all the snow (and ice!) we’re seeing here in the Great Southland, I’d better find a shovel. See you all Thursday.

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  11. Easy to solve, much harder to clue….

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    Replies
    1. I agree. Solved it while still in bed. Clue came later.

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  12. I'm pretty sure I saw all three on one of the Late Night talk shows!

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  13. Can't make Licky or Oicky work!!! :~(

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  14. I expect there’ll be multiple answers this week. My clue is Mitch.

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  16. I got the three six-letter nicknames Lancek hinted at before I got the five-letter ones.

    I guess in some cases, five vs. six letters can be six of one and half-dozen of the other.

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  17. My last four letters include two letter pairs, one forward, one reversed, that I see on an almost daily basis, especially at work.

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  18. Replies
    1. I'd surely be called out for sharing a different, rather obvious, music clue.

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    2. jsulbyrne, Yes, there is that way too obvious music clue. It's all in the tones.

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  19. A strange case, if my initial letters are correct.

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    1. Oooh, I like it too.
      A few times I've given poems as clues, but I'll leave that to Nodd this week.

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    2. I'll take a swing at thinking of a suitable verse.

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    3. Not sure about that, but compliment gratefully accepted nonetheless!

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  20. When Lego solved this one he celebrated with a. . . . Oops!

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  21. Adding other letters to the final four I can make four more nicknames that I have heard used.

    ...actually five since I am a Douglas Adams fan.

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    Replies
    1. This confirms that I have the same answer.

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    2. Jenny, Lenny, Kenny

      Benny, Denny Henny, Penny
      And since I am a Douglas Adams fan Fenny short for the character Fenchurch.

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  22. Fairly easy. Click HERE to verify you have a genuine answer.

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    Replies
    1. Are your answers on this site?

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    2. Try Randy, Sandy + Tandy. You will see that Tandy does not work as a nickname...

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    3. ron,
      I thought of that one too, and agree, but it might apply as a nickname for a leather queen.

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    4. I have THREE answers. Bonny, Connie & Donny do not work as BONNY is not a nickname... Check them out on my link above.

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    5. I had a friend who had that as a nickname, shortened from a three syllable given name.

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    6. I too wanted that to work, but knew (gnu?) Bonny is not a nickname.

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    7. Conny is, however a nickname for Conrad.

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    8. Bonny, Conny, and Donny, pass all but the common smell test.

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    9. Word Woman: I do not know what your comment means.
      Just in case it is relevant, I found a source that gives Bonny as a nickname for Bonita.

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    10. Yes. The trio of words are all nicknames. Anything can be a nickname (or a name, for that matter). But Bonny and Conny are not common so they do not meet the "common" characteristic that the puzzle states. . .

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    11. This is true. If they were legit answers I would not have posted what I did. Ron, would not have either.

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  23. Shift the initial letters one later in the alphabet and rearrange to get an appropriate trigram.

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  24. The clue I'm thinking of is somewhat risible.

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  26. One potential answer I see has five and six letter variations

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  27. My, um, computer found a second solution in a list of Biblical / Hebrew names. Beyond me to verify them.

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  28. A certain 7-digit prime number comes to mind.

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    1. Unfortunately, your clue, being incomplete, gives me no answer. Then again, given that forty-one years have passed, maybe it's for the better.

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    2. The number is also a double prime, but I'm guessing you both already knew that.

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    3. 867-5309 is Jenny's phone number in the song 867-5309/Jenny. 8675309 is prime.

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  29. No computer programming needed this week. If you haven’t solved yet, you should just keep looking for an answer…..Jan, your last clue is awesome!

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  30. I have an answer that works perfectly but can't fit it to any of your clues. But then, took me 6 to get Wordle today, what do I know?

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  31. My, uh, computer also found one fine 7-letter solution. And one more 6-letter answer with a name I do not recognize, but the Google says it is used in Europe. The two 6-letter solutions all have the same final 5 letters.

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  32. We found a solution, the last one of which is apparently a nickname for my first name. Since I had never heard it in 65 years, it is probably not common.

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  33. chickens and turkeys and eggs, oh my

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    Replies
    1. Kenny Rogers' roasters
      Jennie-O turkey, out of Wilmar MN
      and even Lennie Bruce laid a few eggs on stage

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  34. Take the letters, EGCIFH, apply the rules of an earlier puzzle, adding nothing to the result, then rearrange to get one of the names. A certain idiom may help.

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  35. It's not easy coming up with a clue. You just have to do the best with what God gave you.

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  36. We're due to get quite a storm here in Syracuse tonight, with a low of 7.

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  37. Did anyone else here happen to watch 60 Minutes tonight?

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    1. Barbro Karlén (born May 24, 1954) is a Swedish writer. She is also the reincarnated Anne Frank. Last I heard she is now living in California. I first watched her video and then read her book. Her story is fascinating to say the least. I would suggest you do some research and see for yourself. It is very rare to discover someone who is the reincarnated entity of a famous person of the past, but this is one of those and it all makes sense if you have an understanding of how this would happen in her case that she would remember. Most of her memories are as one would expect having an understanding of her previous live, but it departs when it comes to her death. This provides opportunity to dispute her story until some further thought is given to what she says about her death. To me it makes perfect sense, but I will not go into it here unless you ask after you look into it first on your own.

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    2. SDB: I read about B. Karlén last night. Fascinating story. I would like to know what you think about all this. Do you recall the story of Bridey Murphy?

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    3. I read she needs kidney transplant.

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    4. Some people think is a hoax as all information was known previously. Also, why a famous person and not some other non famous person?

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    5. Natasha,
      I thought you knew I have been doing past life regressions for people more than 25 years now. Forget about Brideky Murphy and read Soul Survivor, which is the best reincarnation story, and I thought I told you about it before. There are other good ones too. I did not know about the transplant; it must be a new problem for her. Did you watch her YouTube video?

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    6. There will always be those who dispute any theory or fact. Did you know there are people who believe Joe Biden did not win the election? I am not making this up! LOL

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    7. And some people will believe any fairy tale you tell them.

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    8. jan,
      This is true, and one of the big ones is the common belief that we only live one life. It is not difficult to understand why this is the case because most of us do not remember previous lifetimes. What makes it fit into the fairy tale category is that there is not even a shred of evidence to back up the one life theory, yet there is an amazing array of evidence explaining the reality of reincarnation, but if you are afraid to look at it with an open mind then you condemn yourself to being in company with those who believe in fairy tales for which there is no evidence.

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    9. I recall your telling me about soul survivor. Will look up. I forgot you work on past lives. I had those regressions with well known therapist. Interesting. I just read about jim tucker's work and ian stevenson. Are you familiar with them? I do wonder about barbro reincarnation story. I cannot accept it as not enough investigation. I am open to the idea but not sure how validated. You know I have interest in psychic events. Once experienced cannot close the door to other experiences.

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    10. Yes I know about all those well known investigators. I suggest you watch her telling her story. Also she met one of her surviving relatives and the man was completely convinced she was Anne Frank before. I find it very interesting that most in our part of the world demand proof of reincarnation, but I am the only one I know who demands evidence of the one life theory.

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    11. SDB: I watched the videos last night and interview with the relative. What do you mean about evidence of the one life theory? All I know are my own experiences. I feel thankful for those events as my eyes are opened to the unknown.















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    12. The one life theory is the belief that we only live once. There is no evidence to back up this emotional theory. It always amazes me how so many people cling to this unsupported belief. There is nothing to be gained by being close minded and it is anti science.

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    13. SDB: It occurs to me that I have material for a book. Never thought of that before. Not sure want to share about this gift. Unless witnessed not believable at some level.

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    14. Natasha, if you don't share then who will benefit?

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    15. SDB: Will think about that. Maybe an anonymous book.

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    16. I suggest that both of you read The Theory of Eternal Life, by Rodney Collin.

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    17. ron,
      I checked both the Seattle Library and King County Library systems and neither has this book nor anything by this author. I doubt it would contain anything I already am not very familiar with, but would like to take a look at it anyway, but will not purchase it.

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    19. Some discussion above reminds me that critics of evidence-based medicine often point to the lack of controlled studies assessing the effectiveness of parachutes in reducing the incidence of death or major trauma in falls from sufficient heights. An NIH paper on this topic is at:

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC300808/

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    20. I think we had this discussion once before, but I think it may have been another "study" that was referenced. I think we can all agree more research needs to be done concerning the efficacy of parachutes. I certainly do not have the difinitive answer although I have used them several thousands of times with positive results. I have also watched a friend neglect to activate his parachute after leaving an airplane at ten thousand feet and land and fail to stand up after. All the other cases I know of where a parachute was not used and the individual hit the ground had similar results. However, I believe further controlled testing must be done and I have even gone so far as to make a list of potential study participants.

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  38. Replies
    1. (Kenny (Rogers) Hornsby) and (Lenny (Bruce) Hornsby) had me hoping I could find a reasonably famous Craig Hornsby. When I didn't, I opted for cutting out the middleman.

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  39. Replies
    1. Jennie Wade was the only civilian casualty of the battle of Gettysburg, and there's an actress named Jenny Wade, I guess.
      And then there's Wade Hornsby.

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  41. I may have been helped by speaking with two people THIS WEEK who have two of the three nicknames. Musical clue: One

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  42. Just give me five minutes; I’m sure I’ll think of a clue.

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  43. Gary, Harry, Jerry, Kerry, Larry, Mary, nary a chance

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    1. I have three cousins from the same mom. Gary, Barry and Sherry. How could she? "Run Forrest run."

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  44. Solved Wordle today. Anyone else solve?

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    1. After my usual STAIR/CLONE start, I had it narrowed down to two words, and guessed wrong. 4 for me.

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    2. The Wordle web site is in the UK, yet I can get a new word daily at midnight EST (not that I'm up that late). Do Left Coast people get a new word at 9:00 p.m. PST, i.e., at the same time I do? Do people in the UK have to wait until 5:00 a.m.? Or does the server use your IP address to guess when your day is supposed to start?

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    3. jan, I don't know the answer to those questions but I'm starting to wonder if people get different words. Time difference could certainly figure into it. . .

      When today is up we could compare notes and see if our words are the same.

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    4. Are you aware of the site that gives the answer?

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    5. Based on my interactions with people in multiple time zones, the new Wordle goes up at midnight EST (not sure what will happen in March, when daylight saving time starts). Doesn't matter what time zone you are in. The creator lives in Brooklyn, so he likely set it to midnight for him.

      Everyone I have interacted with has the same word, including when Jimmy Fallon played on The Tonight Show. Two days ago, when the final word was PANIC, a friend of mine played MUSIC as the first word, and had the last two letters. We chatted on Sunday about what possible first words she could have used to get the last two letters on the first guess.

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    6. My niece in San Francisco tells me she gets the new word at midnight, local time, i.e., 3 hours after we do on the East coast.

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    7. And, apparently, British players were enraged when one answer was spelled "favor" and complained that this gave US players an unfair advantage.

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    8. Obviously a reference to RAWHIDE.

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    9. I live near Denver and get the new Wordle at midnight Mountain Time, which is my local time. As a test, I changed the time zone for my computer to Eastern Time. Then Wordle said I would get a new one at 10:00 PM local time. So, it seems to read the clock on your computer. I have't tried setting my time zone to New Zealand time, which would be even earlier.

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    10. So, if I keep winding my system clock westward, past the International Date Line a few times, I can get next week's Wordle? (Yes, we've been watching the awful PBS remake of Around The World In 80 Days.)

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    11. Cool. So, I will Wordle in 4 tomorrow.

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    12. SDB,

      I don't know if anyone else knows the name "Gil Favor" who was Roudy Yates' boss on "Rawhide". I'm afraid I just dated myself.

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    13. Since I posted my reply above, I reached out to friends in other time zones, and it appears that they also reset the Wordle based on local midnight. This includes one friend that traveled from MST to HAST zone. This says to me I need to be careful when discussing past guesses, to make sure I don't give something away to someone in a later time zone, like HAST.

      Also, I wonder if this recently changed. I found a bunch of articles online, written in December 2021, that talked about the Wordle resetting at midnight GMT.

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    14. Yes, Eric Fleming played Gil Favor, Rowdy Yates's trail boss on Rawhide. He died filming in Peru in 1966 in a tragic accident where the canoe he and a co-actor were riding in capsized and he was swept down river and drowned, while the other actor managed to swim to shore.

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  45. How many times the use of the concept of "common" (smelly or not) has discounted a Sunday Puzzle!
    Anyhow, I now have a second three name group that I hope will satisfy the arbiters of it.

    BTW and FWIW, Will's list of "four-letter words" to be anagrammed with a middle C, probably should not have contained "bona."

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    Replies
    1. Are you saying he wasn't acting in good faith?

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  46. ?: My computer thinks that the only largest-thousand US city name that consists of two words shuffled together is: Ban + lie = Blaine ... "Blaine" being a Scottish word meaning "Yellow"

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    1. You might need to upgrade your computer. Bots + on = Boston.

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  47. Replies
    1. Jennifer “Jenny from the Block” Lopez has a song called "Ain’t Your Mama"
      Kenny Loggins, as half of Loggins & Messina gave us "Your Mama Don’t Dance"
      Lenny Kravitz released an album called "Mama Said"

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  49. It was a particular suit/shoe combination that ultimately led me to the answer.

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    1. Electric boots and a mohair suit. I was reading in a magazine...

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  50. Nightmare words for Wordle: "hubby", "jumpy", "fluff", or "huffy"!! :D

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    1. Actually, I was thinking about bough, cough, dough,rough, and tough. By the time you narrow down the last 4 letters, you might not have enough guesses left to get the word. Hopefully, you would have eliminated or determined the t or r, but it's easy to get to the point where you need to guess between the c or the b.

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    2. Yes, yes, I realize that Wordle is sweeping the nation, but there is something on tomorrow's Puzzleria! that is even better!
      What?
      “Introducing the world’s first-ever ‘poezzle’!"
      It was composed by our friend Chuck. A "poezzle" is both a poem and a puzzle... Thus, a “poezzle,” a new portmanteau term we have coined that is a combination of “poem” and“puzzle.”
      So... Stop by. Drop on in. Explore what is a kind of hybrid creation of Will Shortz and Delmore Schwartz!
      We upload P! early Fridays at around Midnight PST.

      LegoWhoUrgesAllToGet"ConundrumbstruckByChuck!"

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  51. JENNY, KENNY & LENNY

    I heard legolambda is coming up with a different version, though. It will be called Paragraphle. (Just kidding, lego ;-)). The first letters of the parenthetical phrase are JKL, just like the first letters of JENNY, KENNY & LENNY

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    Replies
    1. I can't believe I didn't notice that!
      I went a similar way with my clue:

      "I'm pretty sure I saw all three on one of the Late Night talk shows!"

      Namely: Jimmy Kimmel Live!

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  52. JENNY, KENNY, LENNY

    I had commented that the last four letters include two word pairs, one forward, one backward, that I encounter regularly, especially at work. EN reverses to NE, which is Nebraska, and NY, of course is New York. We use USPS state abbreviations all the time at work.

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  53. JENNY KENNY LENNY

    My Hint:
    "Clayton Moore"
    Thank You Mask Man is an animated short film based upon a comedy routine by Lenny Bruce involving The Lone Ranger and Tonto. Clayton Moore is the actor who played The Lone Ranger.

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj-kP2EjcH1AhXmIjQIHYC9Bk4QwqsBegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1tjWYEMQ70w&usg=AOvVaw3vtnU9xApheAzqCL-oqTfa

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  54. My THREE answers:

    1. JENNY → JENNIFER
    KENNY → KENNETH
    <LENNY → LEONARD

    2. LANNY → ROLAND
    MANNY → EMANUEL
    NANNY → ANN

    3. RONNY → RONALD
    SONNY → JEFFERSON
    TONNY → ANTHONY

    Check them all out on:
    NICKNAME FINDER

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  55. JENNY, KENNY, LENNY

    When I commented on Sunday that I had “let it go,” it was a hint at LEGO and Benny’s Space Squad, which includes the LEGO figures Benny, Denny, Jenny, Kenny, and Lenny.

    My hint “RWP” (in a music clue thread started by Leo) comprises the initials of Richard Wayne Penniman, aka Little Richard, who in 1957 released the song “Jenny, Jenny.”

    The first answer I came up with but rejected as Will’s intended answer was Buffy, Cuffy, and Duffy. Cuffy is the nickname for a California grizzly bear, particularly the one found on the state flag, and Duffy is the nickname of any number of prominent people (for which see the Wikipedia entry, “Duffy [nickname]”). Admittedly, Cuffy is not a common nickname, so I rejected the answer, but there had been nothing in the wording of the clue that stipulated the nicknames had to be those of people.

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  56. Jenny, Kenny, Lenny

    Last Sunday my clue was “Mitch.” I was referring to Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and their 1966 #10 hit, ”Jenny Take a Ride.”

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  57. Jenny, Kenny, Lenny

    Spencer Tracy played Dr. Henry Jeykll (JKL!) in the 1941 production of Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde.

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  58. JENNY, KENNY, LENNY

    > White, yellow, pink.

    Benny's Space Squad, from the Lego Movie 2. (That's Benny in blue. Denny, in red, didn't make it into the set.)

    > Shift the initial letters one later in the alphabet and rearrange to get an appropriate trigram.

    Appropriate for MLK weekend, that is.

    BTW, vis-a-vis Nodd's "strange case" clue, today's New York Times Crossword includes JEKYLL (as well as our old friend, OCHO RIOS).

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  59. JENNY, KENNY, LENNY. My hint was: “A strange case, if my initial letters are correct,” a reference to “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” by Robert Louis Stevenson. The three consonants in the name “Jekyll” are the same letters in the same order as the initial letters of the names in the answer.

    In the follow-up discussion I said I would take a “swing” at thinking of a suitable poetry hint, a reference to Stevenson’s poem, “The Swing.”

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  60. I wrote, "For the answer I got, if you try to go alphabetically to a fourth name, it doesn’t work except phonetically.” That’s JENNY, KENNY, LENNY, and MINNIE.

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  61. I have an alarm in my phone set for 2:58 pm ET on Thursdays labeled Will Shortz Will Call so I can stop work and answer a call from NPR. Much like spending $1 on a lottery ticket for my kids on their birthdays, I enjoy the anticipation of the call, though I know my chances are slim. DREAM BIG, Blainesvillians.

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  62. My clue - “No computer programming needed this week. If you haven’t solved yet, you should just keep looking for an answer” - the “Just Keep Looking” phrase was a reference to the JKL string.

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  63. And no one posted 867-5309, or was it deleted?

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    Replies
    1. That's the prime/double prime number referenced above

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    2. 8675309 is a double prime number because it is the 582161st prime number and 582161 is prime.

      Delete
  64. Jenny, Kenny, Lenny. No surprise here.
    I wish I had thought of 867-5309.
    It's hard to believe that song is 40 years old.

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    Replies
    1. Someone posted "phone number song" as a clue and it was deleted, correctly so IMHO. Waaaaay too obvious a clue. (And an annoying ear worm, even though my college band played it a hundred times.)

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    2. I used to play that song in band too. Remember the chords? A, D, F# minor, B major.

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  65. JENNY, KENNY, LENNY

    I wrote Musical clue: One because the movie Lenny was too obvious a clue. But it was Directed by Bob Fosse, who also Directed Dustin Hoffman in/as Lenny.

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  66. I have known several men named Donald who went by Donny.
    I have known three women named Constance who went by Conny.
    I have known two women who so disliked their given names they went by the nickname Bonny, derived from their surnames.
    I have known one Jenny, but not one Kenny or Lenny.
    The first group is every bit as valid this week as the second and I would have submitted both them if there was a point in doing so.

    Will Shortz and players of his puzzles who let themselves be ruled by the modifier "common" let in a measure of subjectivity that has no place in the world of puzzling.

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    Replies
    1. Jenny McCarthy, Jenny Craig, Kenny Loggins, Kenny Rogers, Lenny Bruce, Lenny Kravitz. I don't know them personally, but I know of them. I do personally know people that go by each of the three nicknames.

      That being said, you have a point about "common" making this subjective. I happened to think of the answer quickly, but took some time to decide if the names I had thought of counted as "common nicknames."

      Delete
    2. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

      Delete
  67. Jenny, Kenny, Lenny. I think Randy, Sandy, and Tandy is a very viable alternative. Although, I have never known an Andrew that didn't go by Andy and Drew, apparently some go by Tandy.

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  68. And a few stretches:
    Biblical names:
    RELAH
    SELAH
    TELAH
    ---
    6-letter names
    BONNIE
    CONNIE
    DONNIE
    ...
    RONNIE
    SONNIE
    TONNIE -- European
    ---
    7-letter names
    CARLENE
    DARLENE
    EARLENE

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  69. I don't know where the spell check comes from for this blog, but it rejected Lenny and Kenny for Lennie and Kennie when I first posted above.

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  70. "Run Forrest run." uttered by Jenny.

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  71. I posted: "It's not easy coming up with a clue. You just have to do the best with what God gave you." That last part is what Forest Gump's mamma told him. And, of course, Jenny was his love interest. Gosh! I love that movie... actually any movie with Tom Hanks!

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  72. My clue - We're due to get quite a storm here in Syracuse tonight, with a low of 7.
    "Tonight" - by Lenny Bernstein
    low - as in JLo, aka Jenny from the block
    7 - 7th letter of the alphabet is G, as in Kenny G

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  73. I text the puzzle and hints to a friend. She's very smart, but sometimes adds conditions not in the puzzle. When I finally got her to "Jenny" by citing a mutual acquaintance by that name, getting her to "Kenny" and "Lenny", she said "I thought they were all supposed to be women's nicknames."

    I looked through our text thread, and nothing in it had that condition, it's just one she put on herself.

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  74. Yesterday I decided I would check out Wordle just to see what it is about. I did not solve that one because I neglected to fully read the directions and missed some information about a letter being repeated. Had I understood that it can I would have solved it in 3 tries. I tried again today and solved in 4. Just now I googled to see if I could try earlier ones and there is a website going all the way back to the first one. I tried that one and solved it in 3. I suppose success may hinge to some degree on your choice of the first word. I can now see why it is going viral, and no masks required!

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