Sunday, June 11, 2023

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 11, 2023): Sing It Again

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 11, 2023): Sing It Again
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?
I've looked nearly all around my globe for bodies of waters that could be the last name of a singer.

A: On his expedition to circumnavigate the globe, Magellan sailed a strait in southern Chile, later named in his honor as the Strait of Magellan.
A: GEORGE STRAIT --> GORGE, STRAIT

164 comments:

  1. Rearrange the singer’s surname, and get a word that signifies a category of which the singer is a member.

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  2. I have it. The singer is known in a certain branch of music.

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  3. A homophone of the last name is often paired with another body of water.

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  4. The singer's middle name is a movie title.

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    1. That reminds me of an actor (who is not in that movie).

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  5. Replies
    1. Just watched a video of one of the singer's big hits and, well, what a cutie!

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  6. I had never heard of the singer, and the first list I looked at didn't have this singer included. After finding the singer on a second list, I still struggled with the "landform" part. I wasn't thinking outside the box, I guess—or perhaps too much so?—before I realized the landform was meant to consist of just the first name, minus one letter (rather than the last name included in the word for that landform). Got it.

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    1. Sorry, Blaine. I share your concern about TMI when commenting but I guess I miscalculated this time.

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    2. Drop one letter of the surname and rearrange to get something associated with a different performer of the same first name.

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  8. Got it. I figured it out by working with the body of water and the landform.

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    1. I have seen a symbol for decades, that is related to one specific example of the body of water.

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    2. Same here. Worked backwards from the body or water and landform to get the singers name.

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    3. I had first thought of bodies of water in 6 letters. That got me to STRAIT, then I quickly got George-Gorge.

      The symbol I have seen for decades is the Rock of Gibraltar, in the Strait of Gibraltar, and which is the symbol of Prudential Insurance. You can see the logo on their building from the NJ Turnpike, on the roof of the hockey arena in downtown Newark, and in a lot of advertising.

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  9. You can take the freeway of love to get there.

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  10. I'm pretty sure that the singer never signed with Atlantic Records

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  11. The first letters of the name form an apt abbreviation for this puzzle.

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  12. Texas, Arkansas, Cheyenne. Just to name a few.

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

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    1. Ach, my apologies! New clue: I was led to the right answer by one of this singer's close musical associates.

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    2. I really wanted the answer to be the equally aqueous Garth Brooks somehow, but Googling him led me to George Strait (whom I'd never heard of!). I assume my earlier clue got the heave-ho for using the word "narrow"...

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  14. My partner and I went directly from different high schools to the same Ivy League university so we are quite familiar with the landform requested by the puzzle.

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    1. My sister didn’t go to that ivy, but went to a different school in the same college town. A truly beautiful slice of the world

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    2. Interesting connection to an answer in a recent NYT Xword.

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    3. I thought "Cayuga" was TMI because when combined with "Ivy League" it points directly to Cornell, whose best known landform was captured on the popular bumper sticker, "Ithaca Is Gorges".

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    4. I thought so too -- in fact I thought Chuck's clue that started this little thread was TMI. This is the one I meant when I said there was another than I thought was TMI.
      Then I added that 'the commenter hit it out of the park with that clue', because that would mean he hit a Homer, which I guess is where most of us first heard about Ithaca!

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

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  16. Ooh, I think there is another tmi besides musinglink's, but I won't say which. But the commenter did hit it out of the park with that clue!

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  17. Remove two letters from the singer's place of birth to get a word some might use to describe him.

    LegoWorkingOnRiffOffsForThisWeekend'sPuzzleria!

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  18. Replies
    1. I was afraid this might be TMI, but it turned out just to be too soon.

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    2. I see what was done to you there.

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  19. https://www.dunkindonuts.com/en

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    1. I like to keep my donuts and coffee separated, but some prefer a "soggier treat".

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  20. I think I will listen to this person's music now. Great music.

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  22. It took me a minute to get oriented with this puzzle. Once I figured out the answer, I thought of two big rock stars.

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  23. Third week in a row that the supposed puzzle is a derangement of somebody's name

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  24. Do I know the answer or do I know the answer? The singer's first name is in the name of somebody who has been mentioned a lot recently on this blog.

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    1. "Do I or do I?" is a redundant question. George is like the redundant question "Ge or ge?" King Charles's name is Charles Philip Arthur George. This is the third clue in a row with Charles III.

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  25. I don't think seating has any bearing on this puzzle.

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  26. My hat's off to this puzzle's creator.

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  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. A riff:
      Take the two-word screen name of a popular poster who has a long history of making wonderfully witty and clever comments on Blaine's blog.
      The second word in this screen name is a body of water.
      Take the first word in this screen name. "Pronounce it in reverse." (For example, Ben becomes "Neb," Natasha becomes "Ashatan," Nodd becomes "Don," Chuck becomes "Kutch," jan becomes "naj," Blaine becomes "Nailb," LegoLambda becomes "Ud Mal Ogle" and The "Zee part" of SuperZee becomes "Ease") the result sounds like landforms surrounded by a body of water, like the coral cay archipelago situated off the southern coast of Florida.
      What is the two-word screen name of this popular poster?


      UdmalOgle

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    2. It took 44 guesses, but I got it.

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  28. I too never heard of this singer, but solved it very quickly anyway several hours ago. The artist might perform there soon.

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  29. Blaine,

    I just got it...not from your clue, but now it makes sense.

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  30. Really easy since there are so few 6 letter bodies of water. And then I was familiar with the person in question. Not impressed I solved this one.

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  31. On Puzzleria! a few days ago, Nodd posted a hint for a puzzle I composed that was better that my original puzzle! I believe skydiveboy has done the same thing with his hint, above... and I judge Rawson Scheinberg's NPR puzzle to be a very good one.

    LegoWhoNotesThatHintingIsAnArt

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  32. Nice indeed ... I didn't know its name but I have taken a boat across it!

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  33. I didn't realize until just now what that body of water was called, but I, too, have crossed it, once by helicopter and once by seaplane. Very, very nice.

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  34. The NPR website hasn't shown this one yet. I think that on-air TOR puzzle was last week. I know the answer(had to find the body of water first, then the rest fell into place), but can't submit it. Where else should we go, for the time being?
    pjbSaysHisLateFatherWouldDefinitelyKnowTheSinger'sWorkBetterThanHeWould(NotAFan)

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  35. cranberry: You can send the answer to this address that Blaine posted above: NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 11, 2023): Sing It Again . It is above the puzzle. I had to send my answer in that way and I got a response immediately. Not sure why puzzle not posted on NPR.

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  36. Cranberry: I found the updated Sunday puzzle site in a different place just now. By the way,you can submit your answer through last week's puzzle site. It will count as today's puzzle.

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  37. Crossed it many times, even sailed it more than once! Always interesting, often beautiful, and occasionally scary. Nice clue.

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  38. First, if we follow on Rob's clue, up above, two of the Singer's names don't match.
    Second, how come it is almost 8pm Eastern Time already, and I'm the first to comment upon the prowess of Blaine's singing "crashing wave with a bowtie" graphic? Knocked it out of the park, once again.

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  39. I've seen Buttey Lagoon in concert a dozen times. Never disappoints.

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  40. Are Ethel Waters hazardous to the environment?

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    Replies
    1. And let's not leave out Eleanor of Octane.

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    2. This is no time to be playing the fuel. We need someone who is willing to lead the way.

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    3. I'd rather drive an e-car but they charge too much for them.

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    4. The batteries aren't much yet, but they have potential.

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    5. Yes but they are not full of gas. I just thought I would give them a plug.

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    6. I on balance agree, but they're out of my price range.

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    7. What sparked your interest in them?

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    8. Just the general buzz when they came out.

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    9. An assault and battery to the senses, in my opinion.

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    10. Current poles show increasing popularity, though.

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    11. I don't know, I've never been tested.

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  41. Body of water = snowman - wait, that's too many letters. Iceman, that's the ticket. Califf Iceman.

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  42. Add an apostrophe and move the space, and the answer might be porphyria.

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  43. Anagram the singer's name to arrive at possible agreements for handling drunken sailors.

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    1. Anagram the singer's name to arrive at another, much shorter way of saying "was able to have one's groceries checked out right away, even with so many other people shopping there at that time as well". Will reveal on Thursday.
      pjbSays,"AlwaysRemember:NeverTryToGetYourGroceryShoppingDoneWhenYouAreReallyHungry!"

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    2. GEORGE STRAIT, GORGE and STRAIT
      Answer to my grocery-themed anagram:
      GOT A REGISTER
      pjbNowThinks,"StirEgo?Great!"

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  44. Well I just finished watching online as Trump spoke for over half an hour to his idiotic fans in New Jersey. I never thought I would be witness to anyone outdoing the late Cormac McCarthy in gibberish. How wrong I was.

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  45. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. They seem to have rare courage, and are willing to take wrists.

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  46. Harvard morgue attendants are so helpful. They're always willing to lend a hand, to help students get a head. They always try to give their favorites a leg up.

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    1. Thanks, Jan, it's good to know that if you donate your body to Harvard, they will have your back.

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. As an employee (and a new alum, BTW), I'll toe the line and refrain from further comment.

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    4. Congrats, jsulbyrne! If you want to talk about it, I'm sure they'd be happy to lend an ear.

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    5. The whole crew was at a Bruins game at the TD Garden because they heard there'd be a face off.

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    6. Carrying off some body parts like that is a crime, but they certainly had a right to bear arms.

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    7. My understanding is they held a hearing where their defense was going to be an ear-replaceable transaction. I also heard some buyers only browsed.

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    8. I'm sure some of the attendants had eyes for each other.

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    9. The morgue manager shouldered most of the responsibility. He really worked his ass off.

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    10. The morgue manager will suffer the consequences, but in the end he will be remembered for his body of work.

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    11. A dead body can be quite a bit for someone like that to take off one's hands, but it is good to know they cadaver back any time. Tough job, though. Some folks just wouldn't have the stomach for it. Really takes some cojones, but one mustn't get a big head.
      pjbSayingSomethingHeJustHadToGetOffHisChest

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    12. https://news.yahoo.com/entertainment/harvard-morgue-manager-associates-charged-221250882.html

      Look at his photo and tell me you wouldn't trust him.

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    13. Right out of Central Casting! I like the use of the initials of Harvard Medical School in the article. Wonder if instead of lab coats, the morgue staff wears H.M.S. pinafores. I can't wait for the Broadway musical -- something like a cross between Sweeney Todd and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

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    14. Turns out that pretty face belongs not to the Harvard Med School morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, shown here, but rather to one-time aspiring model (!) Jeremy Lee Pauley, of East Pennsboro Township in Pennsylvania, who police say tried to buy some of the stolen human remains from an Arkansas woman for possible resale on Facebook.

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    15. I'm Called Little Cut Her Butt! Act I Lyrics

      Sir, you are Bad - Act I Lyrics

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    16. Well if there's a buck to be made.

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    17. The P.R. damage control will be very expensive for Harvard. It'll cost them an arm and a leg.

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    18. We could always chip in some bones.

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  47. GEORGE STRAIT; GORGE, STRAIT

    "Cold" >>> George Strait grew up in Frío (cold in Spanish) County, Texas.

    "AR" >>> In the realm of timely, Austin Rogers of Jeopardy! fame, just tweeted "Whenever anyone tells it to me strait I say that's prebosperus."

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  48. Bob Dylan once wrote that "love is just a four-letter word." Well, "Bobby" is a five-letter word... and our friend Bobby Jacobs has created a pair of "pentalicious" puzzles for this week's Puzzleria! titled “A bunch of 5-letter words.” They are featured in his always-entertaining-yet-challenging package of puzzles titled "Puzzle Fun by Bobby Jacobs."
    You can enjoy them beginning tonight at around Midnight Pacific Daylight Time on "Joseph Young's Puzzleria!"
    Also on our menus this week are:
    * a Schpuzzle of the Week titled "The 20th 'Eventieth' Century" that may test your historical chops,
    * a tasty Hors d’Oeuvre poser titled “Spectacular oasis, Mojave mirage,”
    * a "Three-Fourths-Full-Or-One-fourth-Empty Puzzle Slice" titled "The case of the six missing letters,"
    * a "Delicious Dish Dessert" titled "Cathy’s Collegiate Culinarity," and
    * eleven riff-offs of this week's NPR puzzle, titled “Gorgeous George, Strait outta Poteet!”
    Come join us tonight, and stay all week, for some real "Bodaciously Bobbylicious Puzzle Fun!"

    Lego(JustAFourLetterWord)

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  49. GEORGE STRAIT
    Body of water: a STRAIT.
    A landform: a GORGE.

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  50. GEORGE STRAIT >>> STRAIT & GORGE

    My Hints:
    "I too never heard of this singer, but solved it very quickly anyway several hours ago. The artist might perform there soon."
    The Gorge Amphitheatre, originally known as Champs de Brionne Music Theatre, is an outdoor concert venue in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is situated near Columbia River in Central Washington, nine miles west of George.

    "Replace the last letter of the singer's first name with 2 new letters and the full name now will name a well known body of water. "
    Georgia Strait a.k.a. The Strait of Georgia

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    1. I believe MJ's "BC" was also intended to point to Georgia Strait.

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  51. George Strait

    Last Sunday I said, “My partner and I went directly from different high schools to the same Ivy League university so we are quite familiar with the landform requested by the puzzle.” Directly from high school means straight from high school. And the university we attended was Cornell which is famous for having two gorges adjacent to the campus.

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  52. GEORGE STRAIT (GORGE)

    > Sounds like an odd choice this month.

    STRAIT sounds like "straight", an odd choice for Pride Month.

    > A homophone of the last name is often paired with another body of water.

    "Straight" and "narrow(s)".

    >> Replace the last letter of the singer's first name with 2 new letters and the full name now will name a well known body of water.

    > Very, very nice.

    V-V as in Vancouver and Victoria, two BC cities separated by the Georgia STRAIT.

    > SOS

    Dire STRAITs wrote "Sultans of Swing".

    >> Add an apostrophe and move the space, and the answer might be porphyria.

    > Myth!

    The evidence contradicts the claim of amateur historians than George III suffered from acute intermittent porphyria. (But all you rumor-mongers, you'll be back, I'm sure.)

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    1. That is why I wrote "... answer might be porphyria." [italics inserted here for emphasis]

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  53. GEORGE STRAIT (—> GORGE, STRAIT)

    My Sunday morning hint:

    “Rearrange the singer’s surname, and get a word that signifies a category of which the singer is a member.”

    STRAIT —> ARTIST

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  54. George Strait. My first hint (removed by administrator) was “I Am Curious (Yellow),” referring to Curious George and the Man With the Yellow Hat.

    My next hint, addressed to Blaine, said that I “share your” concern about TMI, referring to Curious George’s creator, H.A. Rey.

    My remaining hint said, “Drop one letter of the surname and rearrange to get something associated with a different performer of the same first name,” referring to George Harrison and his sitar.

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    1. I just assumed "yellow" referred to "Amarillo By Morning".

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    2. I had never heard of George Strait and didn't know of that song when I posted the hint, so it didn't occur to me that mentioning "yellow" might be TMI. Maybe that's why the hint was removed. I was a little surprised that a twice-removed "Curious George" reference would be TMI.

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  55. GEORGE STRAIT, GORGE, STRAIT

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  56. Blaine's clue was clever. Globe vs wall map, I think. Hope my interpretation correct.

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  57. George Strait>Gorge and Strait

    Sorry to be posting so late, but the weather here has been delightful and we opted to spend the afternoon at one of our neighborhood pools.

    I'd planned on commenting on how the singer's last name anagrams to ARTIST, but Dr. K beat me to that observation. I wound up commenting that the initial letters of the singer's name are an apt abbreviation for the area of this puzzle – Geography.

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  58. Sorry to be late to the party; crazy-busy day! It's George Strait, of course, with the landform being Gorge. It's a good thing I didn't get "the call"; I wouldn't have had the time.

    Anyway, my clue was:
    I wasn't thinking outside the box, I guess—or perhaps too much so?
    Alluding to George Strait's album "Strait Out of the Box."

    I'm thinking that's what Crito meant by commenting, "I think there is another tmi besides musinglink's, but … the commenter did hit it out of the park with that clue!"

    In that case…thanks, Crito, for the accolades!

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  59. Did Trump graduate MAGA cum loudly?

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    1. I guess you should ask Stormy Daniels or Karen McDougal.

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    2. Truth be told, at first I thought of that quip with QUICKLY being the last word.

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  60. George Strait sang songs about Texas, Arkansas, and Cheyenne.

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  61. "My hat's off to this puzzle's creator." I've never seen George Strait perform without his hat.

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  62. "It took me a minute to get oriented with this puzzle. Once I figured out the answer, I thought of two big rock stars."

    It took me a while to get my BE(a)RING(s). Rock HUDSON and the Rock of GIBRALTAR are both big, famous rocks. Only wish I could have come up with non-tortured, non-obvious clues for other major straits!

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  63. Replies
    1. Indeed. I recommend his 2017 memoir, "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear Planner".

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    2. From the New York Times:

      Mr. Ellsberg was charged with espionage, conspiracy and other crimes and tried in federal court in Los Angeles. But on the eve of jury deliberations, the judge threw out the case, citing government misconduct, including illegal wiretapping, a break-in at the office of Mr. Ellsberg’s former psychiatrist and an offer by President Nixon to appoint the judge himself as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

      “The demystification and de-sanctification of the president has begun,” Mr. Ellsberg said after being released. “It’s like the defrocking of the Wizard of Oz.”

      -----

      That was half a century ago.

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    3. Too bad Gerald Ford spoiled that progress.

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  64. Marilyn Monroe starred in the 1953 movie, Niagara. The Niagara River, which includes the falls, is not a river at all, but a strait, a narrow passage of water connecting two large lakes, Erie and Ontario. Below the falls, the river goes through the Niagara gorge.

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  65. Here's a question for you. If a transgender woman became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion, would it be opposed by the Religious Right?

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    1. If you gave any thought to what it would take for a transgender woman to become pregnant, you wouldn't ask this question.

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  66. Is "The Chair" in the George Strait song the *same* chair that didn't hear Neil Diamond?

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  67. Over 1200 correct answer this week.

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  68. This weeks News summary is still not posted on NPR along with the Puzzle. :(

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  69. This week's puzzle (from memory): Take the name of a fish, add the name of a mammal, rearrange to get the name of a reptile.

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    1. Aha.
      Be careful not to assume something that you might have expected Will to add... because he didn't.

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  70. Cute puzzle. Glad I woke up to hear it.

    Happy Father's Day, dads!

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  71. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  72. This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Joe Becker, of Palo Alto, Calif. 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?

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