Q: A muffler is part of an automobile. It's also the name of something you can wear. Think of two other parts of automobiles that are also things you can wear. These two words have the same number of letters and the same first two letters in the same order.I wanted to wear a belt, but couldn't find anything to go with it. As for the answers, I wear one part much less frequently than the other.
Q: Think of a common sign seen along a highway. Rearrange the letters to name something inside a car.Change the last letter of the sign to an "I", rearrange to name part of the body. Change the last letter of thing inside the car to an "F", rearrange to name something found on the water.
A: REST AREA --> REAR SEAT
Q: Here's a harder challenge. Name a musical instrument plus part of that instrument. Drop the last letter of the instrument then rearrange all the remaining letters to name another musical instrument. What is it?The deadline is Wed. Nov 22 at 3PM ET because of Thanksgiving.
A: CELLO (-O) + BOW --> COWBELL
Q: This is a two-week creative challenge. Name a geographical place. Then describe it acrostically using the letters in its name. For example, ALBANY could be described acrostically as "Administering Legislative Business At New York." The place can be anywhere in the world — the U.S. or abroad. Entries will be judged on originality, sense, naturalness of wording, elegance, and overall effect. You may submit up to three entries.The deadline is this Wednesday, November 15th at 3PM ET.
A: STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
Shakespeare transformed rhetorical art, to fashion outstanding rhythmic drama — using poetry, oratory, nuance, and vividly original narrative.
Stephen Portnoy, Hillsboro, OR
ALASKA
America Laughed At Seward’s Keen Acquisition
Christy St. John, Doylestown, PA
AMSTERDAM
A marvelous space to enjoy real Dutch art museums
Don Brown, East Greenbush, NY
ANNAPOLIS
America’s notable Naval Academy protects our lives in service
Benita Rice, Salem, OH
ANTARCTICA
Almost Nobody There, And Really Cold, Thick Ice Covers All
Jim Meyer, Edmonds, WA
ASPEN
A skier's paradise equalled nowhere
Michelle Nelson, South Windsor, BC, Canada
ATLANTA
Attorneys Take Legal Action Negating Trump’s Activities
Rene Esler, Atlanta, GA
ATLANTIS
Area Termed Lost. Alas, Never Tells Its Secrets
Roxane Rix, Alexandria, PA
BARCELONA
Behind a resurgent Catalan environment leading our national aspirations
Henry Willis, Los Angeles, CA
BERMUDA
Beachfront Escape Reputedly Masking Unexplained Disappearing Airplanes
Christy St. John, Doylestown, PA
CALGARY
Canada’s Alberta location — greatest annual rodeo. Yee-haw!
BethAnn Hullinger, La Quinta, CA
CANADA
Considerate And Nice And Dependable Ally
Steve Lindsay, Victoria, BC
CAPRI
Captivating And Picturesque Roman Island
Liz Tentarelli, Newbury, NH
CARTHAGE
Considerably aggrieved, Rome triumphed here after great enmity
Max Lykins, Charlottesville, VA
CHICAGO
Cub’s Home Is Certainly A Good One
Dave Johnson, San Antonio, TX
CHICAGO
Capone Had It Cornered Against Gang Opposition
Ted Levin, Seattle, WA
CLEVELAND
Cleaner Lake Erie vistas enhance life and new downtown
Michael Tripka, Loretto, PA
CONSTANTINOPLE
Conquering Ottomans Never Stopped Their Attack. Now Titled Istanbul, Nestled On Peninsula Linking Eurasia
Alex Storrs, Marlborough, BC, Canada
DEATH VALLEY
Desert Environment Abides Torturous Heat Visiting America's Lowest Land Elevation Yearly
John Sanderson, Minneapolis, MN
DENALI (haiku)
Dazzling escarpment / Nivean alpine landscape / Illuminated.
Julia Lewis, Fort Collins. CO
DUBAI
Desert Urbanization For Bigwig Arab Industrialists
David Russell, Rockville, MD
DURHAM
Duke University Remains High And Mighty
Philip Spiro, Durham, NC
ELLIS ISLAND
Emma Lazarus's Lyrically Inscribed Statue Invited Strangers Loving A New Democracy
Ryan Haynes, Austin, TX
FLORIDA
For Lots Of Retirees, It's Downright Appealing
Neal Kern, Salem, OR
HAWAII
Honolulu and Waikiki — awesome, I imagine
Tim Pearce, Pittsburgh, PA
HIMALAYAS
Hiking In Mountains At Ludicrous Altitudes Yields Astonishing Sights
Erin Zamora, San Diego, CA
INDIANA
Its name derivation is acknowledging Native ancestors
Karel Tracy, Portland, OR
INDONESIA
Island Nation, Domain Of Numerous Endangered Species In Asia
Donn Dimichele, Redlands, CA
LAHAINA
Land and history are incinerated now; aloha
Daniel Bertram, Princeton Junction, NJ
LAOS
Lacks an ocean, sadly
Mark Halpin, Newport, KY
LAS VEGAS
Lavish Absolutely Shimmering Venue Entertaining Gamblers And Sightseers
James Gocella, Mercersburg, PA
LAS VEGAS
Losers And Suckers Very Eagerly Gamble Away Savings
Barbara Gossett, Garden Grove, CA
LOS ALAMOS
Lonely outpost sees atomic laboratory achieve Mr. Oppenheimer's success
Jeffrey Bateman, White Rock, NM
LOS ANGELES
Lots of Subarus, Accords, Nissans, GMCs, Elantras leave everyone stuck
Toby Gottfried, Santa Ana, CA
MAINE
My abode in New England
Doris Luther, Hollis Center, ME
MEMPHIS
Made Elvis's Mansion Popular Historic Interest Site
Susan Martin, Nashville, TN
MESOPOTAMIA
Many Early Sapiens Occupied Parts Of The Asian Mainland, Including Assyria
Neal Kern, Salem, OR
MEXICO
Marimbas emulate xylophones in colorful Oaxaca
Harvey Stern, New Orleans, LA
MOSCOW
Mother Of Slavs, Curse Of Westerners
Ted Levin, Seattle, WA
NAPLES
Nearby At Pompeii Lava Eradicated Society
David Silber, Pleasanton, CA
NEW JERSEY
Nonresidents Expect We're Just Express Routes Smelling Extremely Yucky
Jim Woodman, Trenton, NJ
PANAMA
Positioned At Narrows Along Middle America
Rick Peterson, Hightstown, NJ
PEORIA
Perpetual example of routine in America
Maia Eisen, Poulsbo, WA
PHILADELPHIA
Patriots Heralding Independence Lettered A Declaration Establishing Life Pursuing Happiness In America
Connie Mohr, Tetonia, ID
PHOENIX
Painfully hot, often, except nearing into Xmas
Geoffrey Mayne, Dan Diego, CA
PISA
Precarious Icon Stands Aslant
David Corriveau, Lebanon, NH
ROME
Remains of mighty empire
Amy Adler, Toledo, OH
ROME
Really Old Monuments Everywhere
Liz Tentarelli, Newbury, NH
RUSSIA
Remains under substantial Soviet influence, alas
Donn Dimichele, Redlands, CA
SAHARA
Sand And Heat And Relentless Aridity
Anthony Baio, San Diego, CA
SAINT HELENA
South Atlantic Island: Napoleon's Tyranny Halted, Exile Left Emperor No Authority
Greg VanMechelen, Berkeley, CA
SAN FRANCISCO
Sunsets Are Nice. Foggy Rental Apartments Not Cheap. Indebted Startups Continuously Overpromise
Vera Mucaj, Philadelphia, PA
SANIBEL ISLAND
Snowbirds Annually Nest In Beach Enhanced Location. Iridescent Shells Lie Abundantly 'Neath Dunes
Scott Hodnefield, Maryland Heights, MO
SEATTLE
Starbucks Everywhere — Adding Tremendously To Local Energy
Patrick McIntyre, Seattle, WA
STEAMBOAT (Colo.)
Scenic Thriving Environment Among Mountains Boasting Outstanding Alpine Thrills!
Matt Reilein, Chicago, IL
STONEHENGE
Salisbury's Talismanic Observatory Notes Earth's Horology, Evidencing Neolithic Geometer's Engineering
Iris Snowfire, Harmony, ME
TAIWAN, CHINA
Technology And Independence Western Allies Normalize, Communist Homeland Is Not Amused
Brian Tell, Ypsilanti, MI
TALLAHASSEE
This Avowedly Liberal Locale Also Has A Staid Southern Establishment Element
Paul Arons, Tallahassee, FL
THE BAHAMAS
Travel Here, Explore Beaches, And Have A Margarita! (Apply Sunscreen.)
Jared Goudsmit, Chicago, IL
TUCSON
The Undisputed Cactus Showroom Of Nature
Robert Rees, Los Angeles, CA
VESUVIUS
Volcano Erupted Suddenly; Uncovered Valley Is UNESCO Site
Greg VanMechelen, Berkeley, CA
WACO (double)
Where a Cult Operated, What a Catastrophic Outcome!
Roger Christman, State College, PA
WASHINGTON D.C.
What a shambles here! It's not governance. That's our nation's democracy collapsing.
Ward Hartenstein, Rochester, NY
WASHINGTON D.C.
Where A Small Handful In National Government Try Our Nation's Dwindling Confidence
David Kvam, Delmar, NY
WASHINGTON D.C.
Where Americans Serve Honorably In National Government — Together One Nation, Despite Conflicts
Mike Strong, Mechanicsburg, PA
Q: This is a two-week creative challenge. Name a geographical place. Then describe it acrostically using the letters in its name. For example, ALBANY could be described acrostically as "Administering Legislative Business At New York." The place can be anywhere in the world — the U.S. or abroad. Entries will be judged on originality, sense, naturalness of wording, elegance, and overall effect. You may submit up to three entries.Just remember the deadline is in two weeks, but on Wed. Nov. 15th.
Q: The time 6:29 on a digital clock, ignoring the colon, also reads 6:29 upside down. How many times in a day can a digital clock, ignoring the colon, read the same right side up as upside down? We are not accepting military time.I'd much rather spend my time on an African safari.
A: 54 times (12:21, 1:01, 1:11, 1:21, 1:51, 2:02, 2:12, 2:22, 2:52, 5:05, 5:15, 5:25, 5:55, 6:09, 6:19, 6:29, 6:59, 8:08, 8:18, 8:28, 8:58, 9:06, 9:16, 9:26, 9:56, 10:01, 11:11 = 27 times, but then repeated for both AM and PM).Update: Will went for the Daylight Saving Time answer of 58, when you can see 1:01, 1:11, 1:21 and 1:51 twice when the clocks go back 1 hour at 2 AM.
Q: Name a country. The first syllable spells something that people do. The rest of the name is an anagram of where some people do that. What country is it?
A: SINGAPORE --> SING, OPERA
Q: Name a famous athlete, first and last names. Interchange the initials of those names. Then add an appliance. The result, reading left to right, will name a fruit. What is it?Take the athlete's middle name. Keep the first letter and the last four letters. Insert a fruit and phonetically you have another fruit.
A: DAN MARINO --> MAN DARINO + RANGE --> MANDARIN ORANGE
Q: Think of a mammal, an insect, and a bird, in that order — six, three, and four letters, respectively. Say them out loud and you'll name something often seen around this time of year. What is it?You have a couple choices for the bird.
A: JACK-O'-LANTERN from JACKAL, ANT and TERN (or ERNE)
Q: Name a well-known U.S. city in four syllables. The first two syllables, with a letter inserted, will name an animal — that might be found in the place named by the last syllable. What city is it?The third syllable is also the sixth.
A: KALAMAZOO --> KOALA, ZOO
Q: Name a major U.S. city in two words. Change the first letter of the first word and the next-to-last letter of the second word. Then rearrange all the letters to name the people who live in this city. What city is it?The difference is 18.
A: SAN FRANCISCO --> CALIFORNIANS
Q: Name a place where many people go for vacation (3,10). Change one of the vowels sounds from a long A to a long E, and the result phonetically will be one reason to visit this place. What place is it?You can drop the first word and the puzzle still works.
A: THE SEYCHELLES --> THE SEASHELLS
Q: Name a creature that has a world capital in its name. Replace the capital with another creature and you'll get another world capital. What is it?I spent too long trying to end up on DODOMA (Tanzania). I just had to think a little more.
A: MOSQUITO --> MOSCOW
Q: Name certain musical instruments (plural). The first, third, fourth, and fifth letters spell something that holds the things named by the last five letters. What instruments are these?I'm pretty sure I saw this on an episode of Star Trek.
A: TROMBONES --> TOMB, BONES
I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere.Q: Think of a noun in six letters. It sounds like a two-word phrase (2,6). And the thing named by the noun can have a seriously bad effect on what's named by the phrase. What is it?
A: MIASMA --> MY ASTHMA
Q: Name part of the human body above the neck in 9 letters. Rearrange them to name another part of the human body found below the neck. Only some people have the first body part. Everyone has the second one. What parts of the human body are these?The wording bugs me a little which caused me to have a mental block. I do have the answer finally so I can stop pacing back and forth trying to figure this out.
A: BUCK TEETH --> BUTT CHEEK
It's not the first time someone's made this observation.Q: Name a famous contemporary singer (6,4). The second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and ninth letters, in order, spell a repeated part of a song that everyone knows. What is it?
A: CELINE DION, "Old MacDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-O!"
Don't forget to submit your answer by Thursday, Aug 10 at 3pm ET. Hopefully you'll get the call.Q: Name something found on a map of England. Two words. The last two letters of the first word are the same as the first two letters of the last. If you go to England, you can't see this place. You can see it only on a map. What is it?
A: PRIME MERIDIAN
Remove the fourth letter of the city, rearrange and... not again!Q: Name a well-known U.S. city in nine letters. Change the third and fifth letters to get the name of a beverage. What is it?
A: PENSACOLA --> PEPSI-COLA
This is kind of a spinoff of the on-air puzzle.Q: Name a classic TV show in two words, in which the respective words rhyme with the first and last names of a famous writer - four letters in the first name, five letter in the last name. Who is it?
A: Get Smart, Bret Harte
The answer is a little contrived, but at least I don't need to use my "Phone a Friend" lifeline.Q: Name a famous singer (first and last names, 12 letters in all). Add a Y at the end, and the result, with respacing but not rearranging any letters, will spell a possible contribution to a picnic and how it might be served. What singer is it?
A: Frank Sinatra --> Franks in a tray
Take the full name of the director. Remove the third from the last and the last letter of each name. You can rearrange the letters to get an apt anagram. Or rearrange them again to get a different apt anagram.Q: Take the first name of a famous movie director. Write it in upper- and lowercase letters. Rotate the third letter of this name 180° and you'll get the name of the main character in one of this director's most popular movies. Who is it?
A: Ridley (Scott) --> (Ellen) Ripley
Take the last letter of the sports facility. Change it to the letter that appears 3 earlier in the alphabet. Rearrange to get a word or phrase used in a recent puzzle.Q: Name a sports facility in two words. (This is a general term, not a specific place.) Three consecutive letters in the first word also appear consecutively in the second word. If you reverse these three letters, you'll name something seen in this sports facility. What is it?
A: RACE TRACK --> CAR
The name of the TV show can be rearranged to two related words -- ones you might hear today.Q: Name a well-known TV character (5,6). Change the first letter of the first name to a Y and read it (the modified first name) backward. You'll get a synonym of the character's last name. Who is it?
A: DELLA STREET --> ALLEY, STREET
Q: Take the name of a fish. Add the name of a mammal. Rearrange all the letters to get the name of a reptile. What is it?The first letter of the fish and the first letter of the mammal end up together in the name of the reptile.
A: SALMON + TIGER --> GILA MONSTER
I've looked nearly all around my globe for bodies of waters that could be the last name of a singer.Q: Name a famous singer (6,6) whose last name is a body of water. And if you remove a letter from the first name you'll get a landform. What singer is this?
A: GEORGE STRAIT --> GORGE, STRAIT
You can also rearrange the 10 letters of the famous singer to get a color and an action.Q: Name a famous singer (6,4). Remove the last letter of the first name and the first letter of the last name. The result, reading left to right, is a word for some singing. What is it?
A: CAROLE KING --> CAROLING
The new 6-letter part can also be rearranged to get the last name of an actor whose first name starts with the same 5 letters as the author or athlete.Q: Think of a well-known author whose first name is nine letters long, and last name six letters. Change the first letter of the last name and anagram those six letters to spell a word. Now read everything together — the author's first name plus the anagram with a letter changed of the last name — and you'll get a certain professional athlete. Who is it?
A: CHARLOTTE BRONTE, CHARLOTTE HORNET
Q: Name a place in Europe in nine letters. Swap the third and fourth letters, then the eighth and ninth letters. The result is two words describing what this place famously does.
A: STROMBOLI (an active volcanic island off Italy), STORM and BOIL
Take the name of a different animal, drop the fourth letter and you get another synonym.Q: Think of an animal in which the singular form of the female and the plural form of the male sound like synonyms. What animal is it?
A: DOE (dough) and BUCKS.
From the final body part remove any repeated letters (leaving only one instance of the letter). Add "IC" and rearrange to describe the state of some other body parts.Q: Think of part of the human body whose name is a compound word (like fingertip or toenail). Add an N and rearrange the result to get another part of the body whose name is also a compound word. What body parts are these?
A: EARDRUM + N --> UNDERARM
Change the penultimate letter to an S and rearrange to name things that some people might treasure.Q: The "zh" sound can be spelled in many different ways in English — like the "s" in MEASURE; like the "g" in BEIGE; like the "z" in AZURE; like the "j" in MAHARAJAH; and like the "x" in LUXURY as some people pronounce it. The "zh" sound can also be spelled as a "t" in one instance. We know of only one common word this is true of, not counting its derivatives. What word is it?
A: EQUATION
Add one more letter and rearrange to name something used for thousands of years.Q: Think of a five-letter word for things a lot of people complain about. Add a letter and rearrange the result to get an example of these things. Then add one more letter and rearrange to get a remedy for these things. Five, six, and seven letters, respectively. What words are these?
A: PAINS, SPRAIN, ASPIRIN
Drop the second and eighth letters and rearrange to get a word. That word could describe an item that was taken to a place also described by the word by someone whose name sounds like the original word.Q: Think of a common 8-letter word, in which the first three letters spell a word, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh letters also spell a word. These two little words mean the same thing. The fourth letter, when rotated 180°, becomes the eighth letter. What word is this?
A: shepherd --> she, her, p/d
Sorry no time to work on the puzzle; we're too busy getting ready for Easter.Q: Name some things you might grow in a garden. Move the middle letter to the beginning. Phonetically the result sounds like part of the human body and an article of clothing that covers it. What words are these?
A: EGGPLANTS --> LEG, PANTS
Add three letters and rearrange to name a person who might work on a movie.Q: Think of an eight-letter word for a certain musician. Switch the order of the second and fourth letters and you'll get a word for a certain writer. What words are these? The answers are words, not famous people.
A: SITARIST, SATIRIST
If my answer is correct, both products also rhyme with a centenarian.Q: Name two brands of household products, each in three syllables. All of the syllables in the two brands rhyme with each other. That is, the first syllable in the first brand rhymes with the first syllable in the second brand, the second syllables in the two brands rhyme, and the third syllables rhyme. What brand names are these?
A: LISTERINE and MR. CLEAN
My first thought came up with something I hope is NOT in my refrigerator. I'll have to keep thinking.Q: Name two well-known commercial products in five letters whose names are anagrams of each other. One product is something you'd probably see in your bathroom. The second is more likely to be in your refrigerator. What products are these?
A: NIVEA (cream), EVIAN (water)
If I add up the years that each of my four countries became members of the U.N. and divide by 5, I get a prime number.Q: This week's challenge is a spinoff of the on-air puzzle. Name two countries that have "consonyms" that are nationalities of other countries. In each case, the consonants in the name of the country are the same consonants in the same order as those in the nationality of another country. No extra consonants can appear in either name. The letter Y isn't used.
A: LEBANON → ALBANIAN (from Albania)
UKRAINE → KOREAN (from N. or S. Korea)
CAMEROON → COMORAN/COMORIAN (from Comoros)
MAURITANIA → MAURITIAN (from Mauritius)
RÉUNION → IRANIAN (from Iran)
Any others?
I found a weird connection to last week.Q: Name something scary in two words. Five of the letters are vowels, which are all the same. And the consonants are all Roman numerals. What scary thing is this?
A: VOODOO DOLL
It makes about as much sense as 22 + 11 = 26 + 39.Q: Take this equation: 14 + 116 + 68 = 47. Clearly this doesn't work mathematically. But it does work in a nonmathematical way. Please explain.
A: Looking at the periodic table and replacing the numbers with the chemical symbols, we get Si + Lv + Er = Ag
What everyone wants to be? Not me.Q: Name a tree. In the very middle of the word insert a homophone of another tree. The result will be a new word describing what everyone wants to be. What is it?
A: POPLAR + YEW(U) --> POPULAR
I believe they've been touring since the '50s.Q: Name a popular rock band — one that everyone knows. Add a "B" sound at the end, and phonetically you'll name a place where you might hear this band play. What band is it?
A: U2 --> YouTube
Q: Name a food item you might order at a fast food restaurant. The first, second and last letters in order name another food item. Remove those letters and the remaining letters spelled backwards name yet another food item. What foods are these?Hint: 65003
A: NUGGET --> NUT, EGG
Or if you remove the 2nd and 4th letters, you can rearrange to get a symbol.Q: Name a fruit in one word. Drop the last two letters. The remaining letters can be rearranged to name two other fruits. What are they?
A: POMEGRANATE-TE --> PEAR, MANGO
If you anagram the two countries, you get a spicy warbler.Q: Take a word that's in the name of several tourist attractions in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. Rearrange the letters in that word to spell the names of two other nations' capitals. What are they?
A: MEMORIAL --> LIMA (Peru) and ROME (Italy)
Q: Name a food dish in 10 letters. The last syllable consists of a consonant and a vowel. Change that syllable to a single consonant sound and you'll name another popular food item, in two words. What foods are these?This puzzle is making me really hungry.
A: FETTUCCINE (feh-tuh-CHEE-nee), FETA CHEESE (feh-tuh CHEEZ)
Q: Name a famous living person — first and last names. If you drop the last letter of the first name, you get an element on the periodic table. And if you drop the last letter of the last name, you get the chemical symbol of another element. What celebrity is this?I found an answer for a non-living celebrity which led directly to the correct answer. Note: If you take the movie or series that the person is best known for, each word starts with a chemical symbol (one letter for the first word, two letters for the rest).
A: Tina Fey --> Tin, Fe (Iron)
Q: Name a U.S. state capital for which the name of another well-known U.S. city is an antonym. The second city has a population of more than 100,000The second city was the setting of a sitcom from the '70s.
A: LITTLE ROCK and BOULDER
