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?
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

133 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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  3. Thanks Lego. I solved this one almost immediately...

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  4. Same here, Lego. Thanks for going easy on us for the holiday weekend.

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  5. Hmmm, is Lego Lambda himself a fictional character?

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  6. Congrats, Lego!

    Happy 3rd, all.

    Yelling at the radio again ~~ "Fairfield Airfield."

    ...And enjoying the piece about the documentary "Fire of Love," featuring volcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft.

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    1. I can sympathize with the struggle to come up with Fairfield. It's not the first city in CT that I would think of.

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    2. Of course, it's not that well known. But I grew up in CT and my brother went to Fairfield University hence the yelling. Will usually chooses a well-known easy answer for the last one so things go out on a high note; Fairfield at the end was a surprise.

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    3. She was awfully good, though. And the host wasn't that positive about her. What's the story with the hosts?

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    4. What is the host's full name?

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    5. The woman who played the puzzle this morning was impressivley quick!

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    6. Ayesha Rascoe has been hosting but she hasn't been there for the past two weeks, and I know some puzzlers have been annoyed by her treatment of that segment. But she could fix it, so hope she's still around.

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    7. I kept thinking it was FAIRPORT right up until Will said it had to be worded differently. I have heard of a rock group by the name of Fairport Convention, but I don't really know that much about it. I've also never even been to Connecticut, or I probably would've got it.
      pjbAdmitsTheMostHeReallyKnowsAboutConnecticutIsThatAn"I"SeparatesTheTwoAntonymsConnectAndCut

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  7. I laughed when I saw the answer – why hadn’t I ever noticed such a thing? Mighty clever, Lego; thanks.

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    1. Likewise....but leave it to Lego to INDEED notice!

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    2. Agreed that this was a clever puzzle! Congrats, Lego.

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    3. Once you've actually solved it, then it is a clever puzzle. Something I hadn't really noticed before either. Truly, if anything should ever happen to WS and/or Blaine, Lego should indeed step up and be the next logical "puzzlemaster". No hint here, BTW.
      pjbPuttingInHis"Vote"ForLegoToBeTheObviousSuccessorInThisWholeThing

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  8. A surprisingly low number of correct answers last week. (Do you think the Reverend Spooner reference might have been lost on many listeners?) This week's puzzle, which has a link to the Puzzlemaster, should get everyone back in the game.

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    1. I got the Spooner reference right away, but still didn't solve it. I was expecting something along the lines of "heaven/seven" or "boy/joy." I didn't understand how nifty-fine related to happiness.

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    2. I think it has more to do with the rather weak clue. I immediately started looking for spoonerisms, but after going through numbers 1-100 multiple times I still hadn't found anything that made me think of "[finding] happiness." I eventually submitted 59, convinced that I was wrong as I hadn't felt the "Eureka" that others here had mentioned. It turned out that 59 was right and the clue just wasn't strong.

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  10. Congrats, Joe. I know it's not easy to thread the needle.

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  11. Anagram another first name associated with this character, and get a two-word phrase signifying something many of us hope to be.

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    1. Start with the fictional character's name. Remove all repeated letters. Take the last letter in the string, and move it to the beginning. Split into two words, and reverse them. You get something you probably don't want.

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  13. You can look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls.

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  14. Faster than a speeding cantaloupe...it's MELON MAN!

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  15. The character shares the same initials as a very famous person.

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    1. Wow :( I thought my comment was pretty obscure.

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    2. Blaine's comment led me to the answer again this week. I guess I'm just dense about the rules. Good thing I have thick skin!

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    3. When I Googled "hot diggity dog" I got this link:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzQjT9tL8j8

      in addition to the expected Perry Como references and not unexpected pet grooming services.

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    4. Thanks for the link Paul. I had no idea. My reason for posting was that Mickey's first words spoken in a movie were "Hot dogs". I now realize I should've googled "hot diggity dog" before posting. When I said it's a good thing I have thick skin, I was referring to the thin skin on hot dogs.

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  17. Take the name of a common tool, add a letter and rearrange to get another name associated with this character.

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  18. I bet this character’s significant other enjoys a certain type of puzzle as well.

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  19. Just to be clear, the result is still two words? Or are we suppose to create one word from two?

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    1. The result of changing just the first word is the plural of the second.

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  20. Mensa Man - a super villain with the power to reduce people to tears with incessant references to his superior intellect. Men/man

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  21. Another easy one I solved without having to get outta bed. Not Lego's fault Will refuses to run the good puzzles we send him.

    Did they replace the new host; I hope? I did not hear any mention. I had a very hard time listening to the other host's irritating voice.

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    1. She said she was just filling in for the regular one.

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  22. With Blaine's clue, how many of you out there were thinking Sherlock Holmes? Well, I think our fictional character has more in common with Indiana Jones. Why, you ask? Well, Sherlock Holmes' creator was his author, Arthur Conan Doyle, while Indiana Jones creator (sorry, creators) would not exactly be called his authors. Likewise, our fictional character's creator (singular) would not exactly be called our character's author either.

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  23. I submitted the answer with my computer.

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  24. I just wrote to NPR management to find out the name of the new host.

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  25. I doubt I will hear from them. I think they should explain and give the full name of the new person on the air.

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    1. Looks like her name is Shannon Bond (https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1109607639). I imagine she's just filling in for Ayesha temporarily, but I don't know.

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    3. I like Ayesha. She's got Spunk! (and no, this is not Lou Grant)

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  26. I imagine Mitch McConnell would not appreciate this puzzle.

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  27. Only 140 correct responses? Anyway, I grew up in the same town as this fictional character's creator.

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  28. Wanted to post this to Puzzleria - but couldn't figure out how. I submitted it to NPR twice with no response, so have at it here.

    "Write a seven-letter word in all capital letters that might describe a person. Add one line and rearrange to get another seven-letter word that is the opposite of the first."

    First correct answer gets a tip o' the hat.

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  30. Sorry for the late post; I was hiking in Acadia National Park during the puzzle segment, after enjoying a breakfast of pancakes with wild Maine blueberry preserves (and on the road back afterwards). Congrats again, Lego, though the puzzle was perhaps a bit easy.

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  31. I got it! After thinking of standard fictional detectives and got hooked on names like Hammer, Holmes, Spade etc, I let it slide and realized this character actually did have an incarnation like theirs. Blaine if this is TMI, I apologize in advance.

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  32. Ishmael would need to lose two letters and be anagrammed before he became one of the males on the Pequod or one of the meals for Moby Dick.

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  33. Congratulations Lego -going for the trifecta.

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  34. There was actually another fictional character with the same last name who was a superhero.

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  35. Someone please help me out here. I'm getting older and can't always remember well. Today is the 4th of July, but what is it we are celebrating? Is it older citizens who are In Depends Today?

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  36. I'm celebrating the need to give my male Corgi Xanax for the last two nights when he gets terrified by the firecrackers.

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    1. Clark, I recall you're a retired psychiatrist. Why not try psychoanalysis? Anyway, a friend here got her dog a thunder vest and a hoodie for the holiday.

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  37. Submitted. I'm certain to get picked this week, because I'm overseas on a 13-day bike trip in the Andes mountains.
    Of course I'll get the call when I have zero reception. Fun puzzle!

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  38. How many of us, as we typed the answer into the NPR web site, had a certain melody in mind?

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  39. It was one o'clock in the morning when we thought, "out of the box!"

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  41. Movie clue: Full Metal Jacket.

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    1. Nice one, I came here to give this exact clue. Gotta get up pretty early to beat Jan to the punch!

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  42. Find a (G-rated) 4-letter word that describes that second word in the character's name (or the result of the stated operation on the first word). Rearrange to get a word that is almost the opposite, yet still describes the same thing(s).

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  43. Since yesterday I have been feeling so down in the dumps for the troubles Boris Johnson is experiencing that I purchased a men's hair grooming kit from Goodwill and mailed to 10 Downing Street. Hopefully someone there will be able to show him how to use it.

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    1. I think BoJo already uses a hair grooming kit he got when he was down in the dumps.

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    2. There are still those who believe Boris Johnson and his comb will never part.

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    3. If that man owns a comb, I’ll eat my hat. And if that man owns a hat, I’ll eat my comb.

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    4. There is talk of making a movie about his departure. They are going to title it, Tory Story.

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  45. Thank you, very sincerely, to all who gave me kudos and congrats – in any form, of any degree – for my Mickey Mouse puzzle. Lots of creative hints and riffs also. (I especially enjoyed Lancek's "MELON MAN" and zeke creek's "Mensa Man" riffs.). And, of course, thanks to Blaine for letting us play here!

    LegoWhoIsMoreOfA"MelonMan"ThanA"MensaMan!"

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  46. MICKEY MOUSE

    > ... I was hiking in Acadia National Park during the puzzle segment, after enjoying a breakfast of pancakes with wild Maine blueberry preserves.

    If I'd called it jelly, Blaine might have thought that too evocative of K-Y.

    > ... the puzzle was perhaps a bit easy.

    Mickey mouse, you might say.

    > How many of us, as we typed the answer into the NPR web site, had a certain melody in mind?

    > Movie clue: Full Metal Jacket.

    M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E.

    > Ditto.

    Once again: In Wednesday's NY Times crossword:

    19A: Creatures that can be both pets and pests.

    (It's a good thing Will never does this.)

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  47. MICKEY MOUSE (—> MICE)

    Hint #1 (which Blaine removed): “In anticipation of the Fourth, have a Happy Red, White, and Yellow Day!”—Mickey Mouse wore red shorts, white gloves, and yellow shoes.

    Hint #2: “Anagram another first name associated with this character, and get a two-word phrase signifying something many of us hope to be.”
    Before Mickey got his name, Walt Disney was considering “Mortimer,” which anagrams to “more trim.”

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  48. MICKEY MOUSE (remove K Y) → MICE, the plural of MOUSE.

    -ICE plurals: Mouse → Mice, Louse → Lice, Die → Dice...

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  49. Mickey Mouse/Mice Mouse

    Whether the tool is a hedge, beard, or hair trimmer, a TRIMMER + an O, rearranged yields MORTIMER, Walt Disney’s original name for the mouse. His wife hated the name Mortimer and Mickey was born.

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  50. Mickey – ky = Mice; Mickey Mouse

    Last Sunday I said, “The character shares the same initials as a very famous person.” I’m thinking of Marilyn Monroe.

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    1. Or Mickey Mantle, who shares a first name with the answer. I also thought of the early Motown hit called "Mickey's Monkey" by the Miracles (lots of Ms there!). Not only does that also contain "Mickey" but also another animal that begins with "Mo" and also adds the "ky" back in.

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  51. My post included, “Mighty clever, Lego; thanks.” That’s a nod to another animated rodent, Mighty Mouse.

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  52. MICKEY MOUSE => MICE MOUSE

    I originally posted a comment about the 59th street bridge (continuing from last week), and wondering how many steamboats have traveled under it, which was promptly removed. I then shifted to using the letters of the fictional character. When the directions are followed, you get SICKOUT, which is generally not something people want.

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  53. MICKEY MOUSE. My hint said I imagine Mitch McConnell would not appreciate this puzzle. That's because KY has to be eliminated to get the answer.

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    1. Does this mean that Mitch and Rand Paul would no longer be Senators?

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    2. I hope so. That would solve not only this week's puzzle but also the Senate's inability to get anything done.

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  54. Mickey Mouse/mice Mouse
    I learned that Wayne Allwine was the voice actor for Mickey Mouse for many years. His 4th, and final marriage was to Russi Taylor, whom, interestingly enough, was the voice actor for Minnie Mouse.

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  55. Our good friend and master puzzle-maker Ken Pratt, also known by his screen name "geofan," has created a "geofantastically delicious" sextet of appetizers for us to nibble on in this week's edition of Puzzleria!
    Ken's "Worldplay" puzzle-package has been a regular feature on Puzzleria for more than three years now. His feature this week involves, among other educational curiosities, shaggy-dog maps!"
    Puzzleria! is uploaded in the wee hours of Friday morning, just after Midnight PDT.
    Also on our menus this week are:
    * a Schpuzzle of the Week involving Metis, the wisest of the seven wives of Zeus,
    * a Puzzle Slice that begins in a baseball dugout and ends up in an orchestra pit,
    * a backward-snack-brand Dessert puzzle about a whiskered waggish feminine feline, and
    * nine riff-offs of this week's NPR puzzle titled "Just another Mickey Mouse Puzzle from Lego Lambda!" (including a really tricky yet excellent riff by Tom R).
    So... Come along, it can't be wrong, and join our jamboree!
    P-U-Z... Z-L-E... R-I-A! It's Free!
    LegeauThePluralFormOfWhichIs"Legeaux"...AlthoughOneLegeauIsMoreThanEnough!

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    1. Thanks for the shout out Lego. I think my puzzle is a bit too tough for this crew.

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  56. MICKEY MOUSE; MICE, MOUSE

    "vowely" >>> Mickey Mouse's co-creator with Walt Disney was Ub Iwerks, whose initials are vowely.

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  57. I considered leaving a clue of "of" for Of Mice and Men. Would that 2-letter article have been 2 letters too many? We'll never know now, of course.

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  58. My comment: "You can look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls."

    Explanation: These days (well, always was true) I don't get the answer to the puzzle every time, and if I do, not quickly.

    So when I got this one quite easily, I said to myself, "This is really an easy puzzle." Therefore, my first thought for a clue was, "This is an easy one, by definition," since Mickey Mouse is in the dictionary, meaning "very easy." But then I thought that might be giving too much away, so I just went with the line from Laugh-In. (Seems Funk & Wagnalls is no longer around!)

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  59. Mickey - KY => Mice

    Hint: Frankfort is capital of Kentucky which is KY = the dropped letters.

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  60. Mighty Mouse>>>>Mouse & Mice ( Can anyone do anything with Louse and Lice?)

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    1. Clark a pseudonym, how about:
      Take a plural word. Replace a consonant with another consonant that sometimes sounds the same, then replace consecutive vowels with one different vowel. The result is the singular form of the word.

      LegoLikeADeerInThe HeadLice

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    2. If I didn't know the answer before the puzzle, it would have taken a while. I cheated with lice >>>>louse

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    3. Cap,
      I misworded my puzzle, above. Sorry. It should read:
      Take a plural word. Replace a consonant with another consonant that sometimes sounds the same, then replace one vowel with two different consecutive vowels. The result is the singular form of the word.
      Or, in my original incorrect version, simply switch the words "plural" and "singular."
      There are two solutions, of course: "Lice/Louse" and "Mice/Mouse."

      LegoWhoNotesThatHadThereBeenAFictionalCharacterNamed"LichenLouse"ItWouldHaveBeenAPerfectlyAcceptableAlternativeAnswerToMyNPRPuzzle

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    4. I did mean Mickey not Mighty. I don't know where my head was.

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    5. Probably below deck on your yacht. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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    6. Thanks SDB. Next time we talk, I'll tell you about a dream I had that I think was a birthday gift!

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  61. At one a.m. we thought, "Outside the box!" referred to the characters in the nursery rhyme, Hickory Dickory Dock, who were, of course, mice. Obscure enough not to be deleted, yet proof I had figured it out.

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  62. Mickey Mouse, mouse, mice. No "eureka" moment. Ho hum.

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  63. I mentioned in my comment that the puzzle had a connection to the Puzzlemaster. The first of Mickey's many shorts was "Steamboat Willie."

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  64. Sorry I'm late to the party…yes, it was MICKEY MOUSE, of course. I found myself hard-pressed to post a clue without posting TMI. I was considering talking about summer vacation plans, and with air travel and road trips being somewhat difficult these days, "should I just get on a boat?" A reference to Steamboat Willie, the animated short that first introduced MM to the general public—but then again, probably TMI.

    Jan, your Full Metal Jacket reference was brilliant! R. Lee Emery, as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, asks "Private Joker" at graduation whether he thinks he is "some kind of f—ing MICKEY Spillane." And later, just before he gets shot by Vincent D'Onofrio's Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence character, he says, "What is this MICKEY MOUSE $#!t?"

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    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufSGd58gjAM

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    2. MICKEY MOUSE, MICE
      pjbIsALittleLateToReveal,ButHeDidSolveThisOne,SoThere!

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  65. This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Alan Hochbaum, of Duluth, Ga. 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?

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For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.

You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.