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?
This was a callback to the NPR puzzle from Feb 15, 2009, possibly the first involving a common historical person.
A: PENSACOLA --> PEPSI-COLA
So simple and childish. Not at all NPR audience worthy
ReplyDeleteOr is it the new norm....
DeleteGoes with the franks in a tray.
DeleteA 3-second solve for this one.
ReplyDeleteFor those who need a harder puzzle to sink their teeth into, try this.
ReplyDeleteI was in an East Coast state, and I phoned my brother who was in a West Coast state. He asked what time it was where I was, and it turned out it was the same time where he was! How is that possible?
I remember this puzzle
DeleteOh wow!
DeleteI'm not sure I ever saw that post!
I got the puzzle from someone else. Do you remember where you got it?
I don't remember either. It had been around awhile when I posted it.
DeleteBoth of you are in Florida has both an east and west coast.
DeleteThat puzzle also works if you consider the 32 Mexico states which are also just as much the United States of America as we. It does not work for Brazil since it has no west coast states yet, but it too is the United States of America.
DeleteSolved this before Will was done repeating. Not much of a challenge this week.
ReplyDeleteA tasty puzzle, easier for people of my age.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle is pretty trivial, but Blaine's comment should bring a smile to everyone here.
ReplyDeleteHW
ReplyDeleteRH
DeleteA couple of musical references:
DeleteHW, for Hank Williams, and my all-time favorite Super Bowl commercial
and
RH, for Rupert Holmes, and "The Pina Colada Song" [P & I replace N & A in the transition from city to beverage (and "colada" contains "cola" (and "ad"))]
Pretty easy...
ReplyDeleteRearrnge the letters of the beverage, and get a term associated with religion.
ReplyDelete*Rearrange"
DeleteSolved it before I finished reading the clue. This was probably the easiest puzzle in my 15 years of participating.
ReplyDelete12 for 5 at first.
ReplyDeletePS With a piece of lemon
DeleteThe four letters involved in the change anagram to something to try to avoid.
ReplyDeleteOuch!
DeleteReminds me of the first CD I ever bought, in 1997.
ReplyDeleteQuoth Savage Garden: "Anytime I need to see your face, I just close my eyes / And I am taken to a place where your crystal mind / And magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine / Sweet like a chic-a-cherry cola."
DeleteHere's a riff: same rules, except change the 4th and 6th letters.
ReplyDeleteNot my cup of tea, this one
DeleteFirst city I thought of. Nice throwback.
ReplyDeleteManhattan! Oh...wait. :-)
ReplyDeleteChampagne!
DeleteNope, same problem.
Long Beach!
DeleteOops, that's not it, either.
An anagram of the beverage suggests a work by Willa Cather.
ReplyDeleteThe answer reminds me of one of my wife's favorite TV shows.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to be too negativ(e), but....yawn.
ReplyDeleteThe beverage can be part of another beverage whose name also has nine letters.
ReplyDelete(Yes, I know! Yes, I know!)
This puzzle was a joke in an episode of M*A*S*H.
ReplyDeleteIf you delete everything after "joke" you're still correct
DeleteThis beverage was a favorite of a well-known sitcom character from the past, as well as another type of beverage you wouldn't normally associate with the first. The character also usually wore clothes that were easily distinguished from that of all others on the show, as a subtlely clever running gag.
DeletepjbMustAlsoAddThatThisCharacter'sShow,WhichIsNotM*A*S*H,WasInFactSetInATimeThatWouldChronologicallyComeShortlyThereafter
It was also featured prominently on the menu of a TV restaurant named after a capital city.
DeleteIf I recall correctly, it was in an episode where Colonel Potter had not heard from his wife, and was concerned. Then a letter arrived from her, and she had gone to see someone in Pensacola. Hawkeye then chimes in, "Ah, my favorite drink."
DeleteLaverne DeFazio(of "Laverne and Shirley")often liked to drink a combination of milk and Pepsi on the show. She also liked to wear shirts or dresses which usually had a cursive capital letter L on the front(signifying the initial letter of her first name of course, and letting everyone know it's her property and not that of best friend/roommate Shirley Feeney). The show, being a spin-off of "Happy Days", was also set in the 1950s(and later 1960s), pretty much following "M*A*S*H", which was set during the Korean Conflict(1950-1953).
DeletepjbWouldConsiderHimselfNeitherASchlemielNorASchlimazel,ButDoesNotUnderstandWhyHasenpfefferMustBe"Incorporated"(?)
It only took me a little while to get a handle on this one.
ReplyDeleteEven I, the "World's Worst Solver," solved this puzzle "while still in bed"... or perhaps I just dreamt that I solved it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the majority of the the 27 puzzles over on Puzzleria! this week also seem a bit on the easy side, according to early returns. However, geofan's Worldplay feature has provided us with a perplexing sextet of posers, and the "Schpuzzle of the Week" may pose a challenge to all you bright Blainesville denizens:
The first – and perhaps best-known – work by a poet employs a figure of speech that is an anagram of the poet’s name. What is this figure of speech? Who is the poet?
No answers please before Wednesday at Noon PDT. Hinting is okay.
LegoWhoNotesThatThisSomewhatRecent"BeveragePuzzle"ThatAppearedOnNPRProvedToBeBothUnpopularAndTougherThanThisOneToSolve
Easy puzzle. If you change the third and fifth letters in "Manhattan" to "n" and "a," you get a drink too!
ReplyDeleteYeah, but technically, Manhattan is a borough in New York City, and not itself a city. Good drink, though!
DeleteJAWS what about Manhattan Kansas?
DeleteIs that "well-known?" :-)
DeleteCHAMPAIGN and CHAMPAGNE are pretty close, as well.
DeleteJoan and I believe the true answer to be Eau Claire. Now it's time to finish the laundry.
DeleteEasy-enough...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI squirmed while listening to today's guest go blank on air. I hesitated to submit the answer, even though decades of submitting answers have never resulted in a Thursday call.
ReplyDeletePA Puzzler - I squirmed too. That poor lady! The type of puzzle WS chooses may or may not suit the guests' particular skill set and/or knowledge base. I love the way she nailed the rapper question!
DeleteI could not come up with the name of any rapper no matter what letter it starts with. The first name that came to my mind was Trump. Had I been the on air guest, I probably would have said Renata Tebaldi.
DeleteMusical hint: Debut album from a 90's singer includes a song title of said-city. (TMI, Blaine? If so, mea culpa!)
ReplyDeletePerhaps Blaine will grant you a special dispensation.
DeleteWell, I am not going to be thinking of this puzzle when I can't fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteThe city reminds me of a location in the US far away from the city.
ReplyDeletePensacola was in a puzzle with Al Capone, who was in a puzzle with Alcatraz. Pensacola sounds like Pennsylvania, too.
DeleteThis was very easy.
ReplyDeleteThis one is not worthy of Will Shortz, or us. Movie clue: Marlene Dietrich.
ReplyDeleteIs there an echo in here? :-)
DeleteTotally Shortz. This is right in line with the phone it in puzzles of the last few years. If you haven't figured it out yet he doesn't care anymore. This is a regular gig. Do your 30 min, collect the check.
DeleteOK, you don't like that, how about this: Take the 2-word name of a US city we've seen here recently, replace the first word with the name of another US city, and you'll name the company that produces this week's beverage in this week's city.
ReplyDeleteCute!
Deletejan, I like it!
DeleteThis would be the type of beverage I would drink. I'll just let y'all figure out which I do prefer: Alcoholic, fruit-flavored, or carbonated(caffeinated).
ReplyDeletepjbHasn'tReallyHadThisBeverageLately,OddlyEnough
For today's on air challenge, I am wondering why Will did not use: SCRAP for one of his questions.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Ayesha's intro to this week's segment noting prospective puzzlers drinking coffee, I thought perhaps she'd had a bit too much coffee herself before taping the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI believe it's the first puzzle week she mentioned coffee.
I can't stand listening to her. It is such a relief when there is a fill-in host.
DeleteI guess they are trying to lighten up the program.
DeleteHow do we start a campaign to get Joe Young as the new puzzle master on NPR? I think I'll start a Move on petition and see where that goes.
ReplyDeleteVery simple . Like a Jeopardy clue for $100.
ReplyDeleteJust over 400 correct answers last week. I thought Will might talk a bit about Bret Harte's writing.
ReplyDeleteWhy? He already did that in last Monday's crossword.
DeleteNot everyone does both...
DeleteWell, at least this puzzle was (slightly) harder than Franks in a tray.
ReplyDeleteDisgustingly, they've actually created a tie-in.
DeleteMy hope every week is that the on air player is someone who isn't completely lost without being able to quickly turn to the Internet for answers.
DeleteNext week Will is going to have Chat GPT play on the air.
DeleteSpeaking of van dolls in Seattle. Yesterday all the whores who ply their trade on the portion of US Hy 99 that runs from Canada to Mexico, and happens to go through Seattle near my house, were gone. Normally on a sunny day they would have been seen in great abundance (and bun dance is not far from a visual description) in one particular area and recognizable by their sartorial attire, which could be simply tied like a pair of sneakers. However, as it turns out, the two no tell motels they had a working agreement were forced to shut down yesterday. My question is: why wasn't this done years ago?
DeleteChatGPT was no help. I guess not programmed for puzzles.
ReplyDeleteA popsicle sounds really good in this 102° heat.
ReplyDeleteOver/under for 500 was just about on for next week. "More than 400." I'll say 800 this week.
ReplyDeleteI'll say 1200. Would be more if not for people away on vacation.
DeleteI'm with Lancek, I'm thinking over 1200.
DeleteI meant that it was just about right for last week.
ReplyDeleteI took the under with 500 last week, but I'll take the over with 800 this week. I'll even take the over with jan's 1200, vacations notwithstanding. Speaking of jan, I had to research his comment about the company that produces the beverage in the city, and I still can't believe it. Great trivia!
ReplyDeleteOh no, someone stole my bike!! R.I.P. Paul Reubens!!
ReplyDeleteL.A.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this puzzle was absurdly easy, even for me! Solved it before I stepped out back to let the dogs out Sunday morning. I expect there to be 2500 correct responses this week, at least, unless everyone is distracted by vacation.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I see a number of Redditors in years past noticed the similarity between the beverage name and the city, some with graphics, to boot.
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ReplyDeleteToo soon. :-)
DeleteOK, OK, Wiseguy. It was over 100 years ago.
DeleteSDB do you want the answer now or time to think about it?
DeleteIt is making me think of my Titanic joke I coined several years ago as I was watching the cemetery workers about to place the concrete liner cover on the concrete liner where the casket was waiting inside. I asked them if they knew what the difference is between the corpses buried in the cemetery and those buried on the Titanic. Of course they had no idea, so I told them those on the Titanic were in their liner before they died.
DeleteYou know even today, that the swimming pool on the Titanic still has water in it?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete68Charger, you only knew that because David Byrne said it publicly a long time ago: "There is water at the bottom of the ocean."
DeleteI think I have the answer to CAP's wordplay: T…t s…g f…g. Is that right, CAP?
DeleteOops! I just realized CAP posted his answer right below! I was getting at "that sinking feeling." =:-\
DeleteQ: What do you get when you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic?
DeleteA: Halfway.
pjbBelievesSteelyDan's"KingOfTheWorld"IsWayBetterThanThatSongCelineSangForTheFilm
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ReplyDeleteToo deep for me. I had to look up the term.
DeleteUltimately, When I get into word play with you I give up because I'm like pie, that is, humble. But word play is fun.
ReplyDeletePS, You win.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe seventh-largest fleet of attack submarines.
DeleteTake the first and last names of one of the unindicted and unnamed presumed co-conspirators from yesterday’s indictment of the former President, remove 8 consecutive letters, and get a category of which all of them, indicted and unindicted (and others), are members. And that’s putting it mildly.
ReplyDeleteI know!
DeleteDarn, I thought of a comment I was very pleased with, but it requires superscripts which don't work here. "d cubed r dt cubed!" doesn't look cool, but you can imagine what it would look like.
Hollywood hint: Mildred Pierce
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite movie franchises comes to mind, or maybe two thirds of it.
ReplyDeletePENSACOLA; PEPSICOLA
ReplyDelete"A 3-second solve for (4) this one." contains the first two numbers of the 349 Pepsi Number Fever incident in the Phillipines in 1992.
PENSACOLA (Florida) → PEPSI-COLA.
ReplyDeletePensacola & Pepsi-Cola
ReplyDeletePEPSI-COLA (<—PENSACOLA)
ReplyDeleteHint: “Rearrange the letters of the beverage, and get a term associated with religion.” PEPSI-COLA —> EPISCOPAL
Hint: “Perhaps Blaine will grant you special dispensation.” —> disPENSAtion
PENSACOLA -> PEPSI-COLA
ReplyDelete> Movie clue: Marlene Dietrich.
She got her big break in The Blue Angel (1930). The US Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team is based at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
> Take the 2-word name of a US city we've seen here recently, replace the first word with the name of another US city, and you'll name the company that produces this week's beverage in this week's city.
Buffalo Rock Company bottles PEPSI-COLA in PENSACOLA. (Buffalo are not Little.)
>> Well, at least this puzzle was (slightly) harder than Franks in a tray.
> Disgustingly, they've actually created a tie-in.
Now there's "Colachup", a Pepsi-infused condiment for your franks.
> The seventh-largest fleet of attack submarines.
Plus a cruiser, a frigate, and a destroyer.
Pensacola/Pepsi Cola
ReplyDeleteAs people of my age will remember, we were invited to, “Join the Pepsi Generation.”
I wrote, “The four letters involved in the change anagram to something to try to avoid.” That’s PAIN.
ReplyDeletePENSACOLA — PEPSI COLA
ReplyDeleteOthers have already remarked on how prohibitively easy this was. Anyway, my clues were:
First city I thought of. Nice throwback.
Pepsi has, on occasion, marketed “Pepsi Cola Throwback,” made with real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.
The beverage can be part of another beverage whose name also has nine letters.
(Yes, I know! Yes, I know!)
That would be Cuba Libre, which consists of cola and rum.
(And “yes, I know” die-hard fans will say the cola ingredient needs to be Coca-Cola.)
One of my favorite movie franchises comes to mind, or maybe two thirds of it.
That would be Back to the Future (BTTF) and BTTF 2, with Pepsi Cola appearing several times. (I don’t think BTTF 3 contained any reference to Pepsi Cola.)
I stand (self-) corrected—Pepsi-Cola should be hyphenated. (Could it be I didn’t get “the call” because of that?)
DeleteYes, it could be, but it isn't.
DeleteI know, just kidding. On another note, I thought the “throwback” comment might get blog-administered. Could it be it wasn’t because the puzzle was so easy anyway?
DeletePENSACOLA(FL),PEPSI COLA
DeleteMaybe in the parts of BTTF 3 before they went back to the Old West, and after they returned to the present day, they might have mentioned Pepsi, considering the beverage did not exist during the Old West period. Would've been interesting if somehow Marty or Doc Brown had brought some with them for the trip, although maybe not on the same funny level as Marty's trying to order Pepsi Free at a 1950s diner in the first film, and the guy working there tells him if he wants a Pepsi, he's gotta pay for it.
pjbWould'veAdvisedAgainstWearingTheCalvinKleinUnderwearDuringThatTrip,Too...ButThat'sAWholeOtherProductPlacementMatter
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ReplyDeleteHungry for Delicious puzzles? Then join us on this week's Puzzleria! Our friend Jeff has baked up a half-dozen “Zarkinesque” puzzles... including challah rolls! They appear in his "Jeff Zarkin Puzzle Riffs" Appetizer titled "SuperCaliJefferifficExpiaDelicious"... and "Mary Poppin's-Fresh" has nothing on Jeff when it comes to cooking up fun!
DeleteWe upload Puzzleria! between Thursday and Friday in the wee hours around Midnight PDT.
Also on our menus this week:
* a Schpuzzle of the Week titled "Fixin’ to fix a faulty fixture,"
* a Pleasurable Hors d’Oeuvre titled "Eat, drink & delight in the tasty,"
* a Digital Dessert titled "More compelling than primeness is this property," and
* TWENTY riffs of this week's NPR puzzle titled "Pepsacola? Cocoa-Cola Beach?"
That's 29 puzzles.
Join us for "the Jeff," stay for the rest!
LegoWhoNotesThatJeffZarKinAlsoProvidedUsWithAPhotoOfChallahRolls(ThatYouCanSeeLaterTonightAndThatHeHimselfBaked!)
PENSACOLA, PEPSI-COLA. My hints:
ReplyDelete(1) An anagram of the beverage suggests a work by Willa Cather. (EPISCOPAL; DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP)
(2) The beverage was featured prominently on the menu of a TV restaurant named after a capital city. (OLYMPIA CAFE on SNL – “No Coke. Pepsi.”)
Pensacola, Pepsi-Cola
ReplyDeleteMy only clue this week was my 'harder puzzle' (which, it turns out, Blaine had posted 15 years ago). I was a *little* worried that it was maybe TMI, since the answer involves picking a location in the western Florida Panhandle, and might direct too much attention therefore to... Pensacola.
ReplyDeletePensacola, Pepsi-Cola
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “It only took me a little while to get a handle on this one.” Pensacola is on Florida’s panhandle.
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on federal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith today in a Washington D. C. courthouse. Apparently he showed up in court carrying his most recent set of dental x rays. When asked why he was bringing them he said his lawyers advised him, that while it was unlikely, he might be required to submit to a cavity search.
ReplyDeletePENSACOLA; PEPSICOLA
ReplyDeleteI wrote that I didn't want to be too Negativ(e) as a shout out to Avant-Noise Band and Copyright Infringement Spectaculars Negativland, and their 1997 album "DISPEPSI," a meditation on Cola Company Copyrights.
I wrote
ReplyDelete"Solved this before Will was done repeating. Not much of a challenge this week."
In particular, it wasn't a Pepsi Challenge.
In my comment above, 'popsicle' has the word Pepsi, and almost cola. Pensacola and Pepsi-Cola.
ReplyDeleteMy clue: The answer reminds me of one of my wife's favorite TV shows.
ReplyDelete"Outlander" was partially filmed at Tryon Palace in New Bern, NC, the birthplace of Pepsi. We visited both a few years ago.
My clue: L.A. We native Floridians affectionately refer to the panhandle as "Lower Alabama."
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteI just got an email from Will Shortz. He accepted a puzzle of mine for this Sunday. Please be kind.
Swell! Congratulations. I will be eager to see it.
DeleteCongrats, Clark! Great news. I'm looking forward to Sunday.
DeleteCongratulations, Cap! They sure don't give you much notice. The segment likely taped a few hours ago.
DeleteThanks folks. I'll be able to go back to bed on Sunday right after taking care of my Corgi. NO EXTRA SLEEP LOST...YAY
DeleteClark, that's awesome!
DeleteGive us a head start. :)
Mazal Tov!
DeleteCrito, I don't think that's Kosher. Speaking of Kosher, thanks for the MazelTov, SuperZee.
DeleteCap, MazelTovulations on your puzzle. Looking forward to it!
DeleteCongrats.
DeleteThat's terrific news, CAP!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ben and WW
DeleteThis is the first time I can recall where a Blainer has revealed ahead of time that his puzzle is going to be presented on the following Sunday. Cap is a fine and decent person, but I have a problem with this revelation, but not really so much the revelation as how many here are jumping to congratulate him on what? A puzzle we have yet to see and evaluate, is what. Why the rush to judgement? Having a puzzle accepted by WS, in my opinion, is not necessarily a worthy distinction. It may or may not be; let's wait and see. I do not mean this as in any way a criticism of Cap; just a reality check.
ReplyDeleteI don't see where sharing my excitement and pleasure is a reality check. It was "a good feeling check." I'd appreciate it If you "Don't rain on my parade" as Barbra Streisand once sang. BTW, I was a "Blainer" the same way that I had reacted when I had a previous puzzle accepted some years ago
DeleteFolks, let's not take sides. Life really is too short for stuff like this. We can always talk about something less divisive...maybe politics?
Delete"Can't we all just get along." Rodney King
DeleteOh SDB, don't be so harsh. The puzzle may be fun. The puzzle may be easy. We can burn that bridge when we come to it.
ReplyDeleteI am congratulating CAP on an as-yet-unnamed puzzle, purely for the humanity of it. Blainsville seems stocked with the kind of folk (speaking for myself) who might be abandoned by family and friends because we are 10 minutes away from solving a cryptic crossword or some Friday puzzle or other challenge. Misfits if you will.
So why not show CAP some love? It's a great joy to be published.
Thanks , Ben
DeleteCAP, congrats! I bet it will be a good one!!
DeleteIt's still an accomplishment to have one accepted!!
Thanks Charger. I hope no one will be displeased with it.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteName a well-known U.S. city in nine letters. Change the *fourth and *sixth letters to get the name of a beverage. What is it?
ReplyDeleteOh wow, that's better than the original!
DeleteBlaine-style (i.e., trying not to give anything away) hint: either the city or the beverage has made a puzzle appearance here before.
Oh Uncle Fishbag beat me to it
DeleteDidn't Will mention this on air yesterday?
DeleteI still haven't heard the show!
Delete