Sunday, October 15, 2023

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 15, 2023): If Life Gives You Fruit...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 15, 2023): If Life Gives You Fruit...
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.

Edit: Constantine --> C + LEMON + TINE --> Clementine
A: DAN MARINO --> MAN DARINO + RANGE --> MANDARIN ORANGE

218 comments:

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

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    1. TMI about the type of athlete.

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    2. Sorry. This would have been perfect a few days ago.

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  3. Almost 2300 correct responses this week.

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  4. I know nothing about sports, and had to consult lists. The person’s name rhymes with something that is one of the smallest of its kind.

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    1. Maybe I, too, know more about appliances than about sports. 😉

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  6. Change the last letter of the althlete's last name to make a word that is connected with their career.

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  7. Just to clarify, the puzzle says nothing about whether the athlete is pro or amateur, male or female, team or individual, international or domestic, etc. So everyone, be careful about clue anything that narrows the pool of athletes.

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    1. Pool? You mean a swimmer or billiard player? LOL

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    2. A post above suggests a time period. Is that TMI?

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    3. Yes, it does. Should I delete the whole thing or just let it slide? I can float it by others if you like.

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    4. I took a cue from SDB's comment and decided to scratch everything.

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    5. And there's another below that narrows to a sport.

      Overhinting is rampant this week.

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    6. Blaine, thank you for all of your work. Is it possible to delete comments that are not about "NPR puzzler, brain teasers, math problems, and more"? I appreciate the puzzle clues but the long, egocentric, insulting and lewd comments by just a few people distract me from the puzzle AND take away the fun of this blog. Let's stay with your stated purpose.

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  8. Wow! I just amazed myself. I know zilch about sports and returned back to bed intending on going through list much later on. However I right away came up with what I thought the appliance might be and worked it backwards to reveal the name of the athlete I have never heard of. So I had to get back up and Google to see if I was right. So now I don't hate this puzzle like I first did.

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    1. I, too, started with the fruit, and worked my way to the appliance and then the athlete. :)

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    2. That's what worked for me too. For that reason, this puzzle seemed easier than the usual Mike Reiss offering.

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    3. I had ruled out jichaelmordanrefrigerator and by the time I was finished chuckling about that my wife had zeroed in on the answer using a similar strategy. Props to her and you all...

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    4. Similar to that of sdb, Wolfgang and Nodd, that is...

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  9. I like this puzzle. It's a nice comeback from Mike after his previous challenge. For what it's worth, I also like the fruit.

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  10. Athlete's name rhymes with a discontinued model of car.

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    1. Take the athlete's name. Change the first letter to get...

      LegoWhoRecallsAPuzzleHeOncePenned

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    2. I think I remember that one, Lego!

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  12. Take the last four letters in Blaine's hint. Insert an anagram of the appliance. More fruit!

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    1. Yes, and all four fruits -- the puzzle answer, both of the ones in Blaine's hint, and Lancek's -- are very closely related.

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  13. Reminds me of an old song and a movie.

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  16. Took me a while, but I got there. Like others, I guessed the fruit and appliance first, and then worked backwards to the athlete.

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  17. Indeed, solving backwards was the trick. I solved it before leaving home for our brisk October walk.

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  18. my brain got stuck for a while on William "the Refrigerator" Perry. (that's not it.)

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  19. There is an interesting connection between the athlete and last week's mammal.

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  20. Fruit sort of appropriate to athlete.

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  21. Musical hint: Included in order in the name of the fruit is the surname of a famous singer.

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    1. Would this singer have a last name OTHER than Berry?

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    2. I don’t think Blaine would allow me to provide an answer, affirmatively or otherwise, without removing it.

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    4. Included before the surname is a word for the singer.

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  22. Yet another fruit comes to mind.

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  23. One could dress up as this person for Halloween. Strange to realize I recognize this person from TV, but not for being an athlete.

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  24. Stop, watch as Jeremy Irons waffles.

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    1. Speaking of Jeremy I'm sure he could find something off center to do with a curling iron, but I'm not sure I would trust him with one. As Claus von Bulow told a young bushy haired Dershowitz, and as Scar the Lion warned little Simba in the same voice, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA."If there is ever a lifetime Achievement Award for Portraying Creepy Bad Guys, l'm sure Mr. Irons would be the first awardee. From his Humbert Humbert portrayal in the remake of the 1962 movie, to my favorite, John Tuld in Margin Call (whose character name is one initial off from that of the last chairmen of Lehman Brothers ), Irons is the master of menace. So, SDB, that is my
      "Hail Jeremy," penance for mistaking Whoopi Goldberg's hyena with a jackal. I just hope I never witness a jack-o-lantern carved in the likeness of Jeremy Irons,or I'll run screaming down the street like Janet Leigh or the tortured soul in the Munch painting. Yet every Sunday when I attempt the NPR Puzzle, the familiar voice in my head haunts me with "You have no idea."

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    2. Black swan,
      I see we are both Jeremy Irons fans, but do not watch the same movies. I did enjoy the von Bulow film though. I don't think I even know of the others you mention. Have you seen him in the PBS 11 hour, Brideshead Revisited from years long gone by, and not to be confused with the much later 2 hour film? He at the same time was filming, The French Lieutenant's Woman.
      I frequently will enjoy a great actor in films they are not always well known for, but are their best work. Sean Connery in The Hill, Alec Guinness in Tunes of Glory, and many of his earlier films, but certainly not Star Wars, which I never saw. If you want to see some great acting, I highly recommend French Exit, but PLEASE read the short novel first. It is by Patrick Dewitt. When you read the novel first and then watch the movie you will understand why, but I do not want to spoil it for you. Just trust me on this one while I go put the check in the mail.

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  25. I've been trying with a professional ice skater and it just doesn't work.

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  26. Yesterday at Kroger I found a curling iron, but the deli did not have a ham radio.

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  27. I have it. Like others, I started with appliances and worked backwards... Shortest appliances first: fan, iron, oven, stove, etc. (none of these is the correct one...)

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  28. I believe that between 700 and 800 people will solve this.

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

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    2. I'll take the under (700). Tough puzzle.

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    3. 700-800 is a range of numbers.

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    1. whoops, sorry, I was trying really hard not to mention gender, sport, etc so I would give TMI. my bad!

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  30. A famous singer is buried in there somewhere.

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    1. See previous comments by Dr. K and one other.

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    2. There's also the first name of half of a famous duo.

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    3. ... and a political epithet.

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  31. When I try to make a comparison of this puzzle to many others we are presented with I find...
    Oh, never mind.

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    1. SDB: In answer to last question re cruise: My niece was in Athens and traveling to Israel and they went back to Greece. She is a flight attendant and her husband is pilot for Spirit. He is from Australia and his father was a pilot there. "Flies in the family I guess",

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    2. Now summer is over I would love to be in Australia or Greece for the next six months or so.

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    3. Are you going? My niece and husband travel a lot all over.

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    4. Natasha, No, I am not on Go Fund Me. (email me @ Y.....com

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    5. sdb: One could interpret "travel a lot all over" as a big range. (Thought of that later.)

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  32. Anyone else notice that the example in the on-air puzzle today also has a second answer?

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  33. I thought I had a location connected to both the athlete and the fruit. Well, not quite…close, but no cigar.

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  35. Speaking of fruit, has anyone tried miracle fruit? It's weird; makes sour things taste sweet. After chewing a berry, you can eat a pickle or a lemon, and it's sweet! Fun stuff.

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    1. In the words of the late Johnny Carson, I did not know that.

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  37. Glad my first appliance worked. Never heard of the athlete so took a long time to solve. Good puzzle.

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  38. It turns out today *was* an appropriate day for this puzzle, but I can't think of any way to clue further without TMI.

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  39. This person's surname is appropriate to an animal one might associate with their career.

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  40. Rearrange the letters of the fruit to get an anagram signifying a whole separate country.

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  41. Replies
    1. Sure, as long as your parachute works.

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    2. Per Nod my favorite- or second favorite joke- "Skydiving -it's good to the last drop."

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    3. You don't need a parachute to skydive. You need a parachute to skydive again.

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  42. Blaine: You have long allowed comments that identify puzzle answers as having appeared previously. The Sunday Puzzle has been a weekly feature since Weekend Edition Sunday debuted on January 18, 1987, over 35 years ago. So, saying that an answer has appeared before is essentially the same as saying that it has appeared within a specific 35-year period.

    You have also allowed observations that an answer has appeared "recently", or "long ago". These permitted comments narrow down the time range further.

    My comment above, which you deleted, "narrowed" the range to over a decade, which you have allowed in the past. So, what is are your current acceptable limits when referring to repeated puzzles, answers, or themes?

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    1. Let's discuss on Thursday.

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    2. I check periodically for past puzzles. It is public information.

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    3. Some people need to grow up.

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    4. Saying there was a puzzle involving this person 25 years ago eliminates any athlete that became famous since then. It also gives an idea of when they might have been at the height of their popularity. That's all without knowing the specific puzzle. Yes, I initially let this stay as I normally do until it was noted that it limits the choices to athletes known for awhile.

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  43. https://cenacolovinciano.org/en/story/copies-and-derivations-of-the-last-supper/

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    1. Thinking of the "jaded mandarin" phrase from Jesus Christ Superstar; still trying to locate that orange.

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  44. You can also rearrange the fruit's letters to get a three-word phrase(article included)meaning "someone who looks just like a certain one-name entertainer". Will explain Thursday.
    RIP Suzanne Somers.
    pjbHopesSheSaysHiToMr.RitterWhenSheGetsThere,Too

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  45. I finally got it yesterday. First thing I thought of was the appliance. Getting the athlete's name had me caught up with the wrong athlete. Finally, I got out of that rut and went to a helpful list. Aha moments are sweet!

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  46. The fruit contains the name of a certain comic book character, and the name of said character’s arch-nemesis contains another word that connects to this puzzle.

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  47. This puzzle has come to fruition.

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  48. Going for the appliance was labor-saving...The athlete...a stretch. (Gotta get in shape).

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  49. Strangely, one rind anagrams to yield multiple fruits.

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  50. Another puzzle just for the hell of it. Name someone from Greek mythology in two syllables. Replace the third letter with a different one and rearrange. The result is the name of someone in Roman mythology. Both of these are responsible for the same thing. What are the two names? For what are they responsible?

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  51. Yup. How about a country in two syllables. Reverse the two and the result, when spoken aloud sound like a description of a group. What country is this?

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    1. My answer was Yemen and Meney (Many). But yours is a good alternative that never crossed my mind.

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  52. clotheslover:
    You were absolutely right about why WS is rejecting my suggested puzzles. It is personal. He can't deal with criticism. A very unprofessional way to behave in my opinion. He apparently wants us to all be sycophants. I had been giving him the benefit of the doubt, but he cleared that up with yesterday's rejection comments. That being said, I still like this week's offering.

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    1. This seemed obvious to me after you kept reporting multiple rejections. Especially because it didn't seem like he was even open to your own "dummed" down versions of your submissions, or suggesting alternate wording himself in order to still use your puzzles.

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    2. I agree with you, but he apparently rejects other people's submissions en mass too. Here is what I sent almost 6 years ago via NPR I believe:

      One of the world’s most popular wines contains law enforcement at its core. Can you name this wine and explain why?

      Alternate presentation:

      At the core of one of the world’s most popular wines is something that may be of concern to the Mafia. Can you name this wine and why? (Submitted to NPR January 8, 2018)

      I never received a response. I thought I would try one more time after making it super easy. Here is what I emailed him yesterday:

      Think of a world famous dinner wine in twelve letters. Now see if you can discover why it may appear to be infiltrated by law enforcement.

      Answer: Valpolicella contains the word police.

      Twenty minuted later I received this response:

      Hi Mark,

      Wow, you give such a hard time on Blaine’s blog on my choice of NPR challenges.

      And then you send me this, which, I’m sorry to say, is not a good puzzle.

      1) It’s based on a name that many solvers won’t know. 2) It’s too easy to research. 3) It’s vaguely worded. 4) And the answer, when you get it, is not terribly interesting, because it’s so obvious. It’s not elegant wordplay.

      Normally I wouldn’t write all these things, because I’m happy to see everyone’s ideas.

      But I don’t understand how you can be so critical on Blaine’s blog and then send me this as an example of something that should be used.

      Anyway, I appreciate the thought.

      —Will




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    3. He's correct about you being very critical of him. You have been vocal in expressing your opinions about how he does his job and it has often come across as judgemental, rude, and as if you have some sort of superiority complex. Your dissatisfaction of NPR in general has been expressed over and over. I guess your public expression was bound to ruffle feathers over the years. He is the guy in charge, after all.

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    4. While Will's response is blunt, I can appreciate it. I've had nothing but failures for my submissions so far and I can see most of my failures fit into one or more of the above categories. Will try to do better in the future. It's sometimes tricky to get into that sweet space of "too obvious" vs. "too obscure" or "too vague" (making it a slog to solve) vs. "too precise" (making it a giveaway).

      I think it's also easy to confuse "clever observations" with "clever puzzles." There have been some accepted puzzles that clearly fit more into the first category than the latter, however, like the zh/equation from a few months ago. WS does seem to go out of the box more often for phonetic puzzles, which makes sense for a radio show. Sadly, my puzzles usually stay away from phonetics.

      In any case, I agree with Will that the name is obscure. I think we need to keep in mind the average NPR listener who is likely smarter and more worldly than the average American, but still does not know all there is about certain sophisticated subjects like wine or opera.

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    5. sbd, for what it's worth I think any of your three iterations would have been a perfectly good Sunday puzzle. Yes, one could eventually get the answer from a large enough online list, but that's true of many if not most of the puzzles WS uses. My own experience submitting puzzles is they are simply uniformly ignored -- no personalized response like you are getting -- so I just don't bother anymore.

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    6. Not to pile on, but SDB, that wine is not famous and the puzzle is not worthy. And you do rip on WS a lot, and seem to forget it's just an amusing diversion, not a self-affirmation exercise. Lighten up.

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    7. TomR,
      I really am surprised anyone would say valpolicella is not well known. I knew of it well before I was old enough to drink wine legally. I just googled: is valpolicella well known. This is the very first of many, many hits that came up:

      Valpolicella is the world-famous wine district in northeastern Italy. It is especially known for its wines of exceptional quality, which are more typically red in color. We Highly recommend you visit the Valpolicella wine region and explore region's unique wine style.

      I think you may be mistaking my post re: that puzzle as being about that particular submission, but it isn't. It is about the way the NPR puzzle segment is run. For it to work at all it must be a collaboration that includes the listeners. Both those who tune in, and also who submit answers and, of course, puzzle suggestions too. And don't forget, we are not in any way compensated. Without us there would be no puzzle segment. It also seems not to be noticed that I not only complain about the quality of many of the puzzles, but I also defend WS when I feel he is being unfairly criticized. If there is going to be a blog regarding these puzzles it is not at all unreasonable to expect there will be descent as well as favorable comments. And I am not alone in my complaints about the puzzle quality.

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  53. Change one letter in the athlete's last name and you have the last name of an SNL musician. Think!

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  54. After two puzzles of mine had been aired to weeks apart, I overdid how may puzzles per day I was sending in. I guess I wanted more than my 15 minutes of fame. But I did become a nuisance . Will sent me an email and asked that I stop "Spamming" him. I apologized. He asked me to stick to one admission daily. I didn't take it personally and I've been honoring his request since. He's the puzzle master, not us.

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    1. No he's not. He is a fraud and a narcissist.

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    2. SDB, that's your opinion, but the reality is that Will is the one who chooses the puzzles to be aired. The one who calls the shots.

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    3. PS So, I offer you another puzzle to chew on. Name a country in four syllables. The first two letters and the last two letters, in order spell another country. What two countries are these? I short, what I'm trying to say is that life is too full of important worrisome things than to aggravate over whether or not a puzzle gets aired.

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    4. SDB, There's a typo in the above puzzle. The correction is that it's the first three and last two letters, in order, that spell another country. Sorry!

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    5. Indonesia, India. And based on the previous criteria, I learned something interesting about Mali.

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    6. CAP, I know I sound like a bit like a broken record (what's that? I only know streaming!) on this, but you should try sending your NPR rejections to Lego. I think he'd love to feature your puzzles!

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    7. Name a country in two syllables. Reverse them and phonetically you will get an anagram. How can this be?

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    8. Belgium and jumble? (I know it's not a perfect fit phonetically, but it seemed worth a try ...)

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    9. Nodd,
      Correct.
      Now I will try and find Samoa for you. In the meantime see if you can figure out why Arnold Schwarzenegger might refer to an effete ice hockey player as "a goalie mon.

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    10. LOL. Why is the goalie the most important player on a hockey team?

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    11. LOL
      I assume he would answer:
      "Because the puck stops here."

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    12. Yup, though it could be "her."

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    13. Remove one letter from a capital city to get a geographical feature in Africa.

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  55. I have to add my two cents to this Will "Has-us-by-the-shorts" Shortz thing. Yes, he's a s(n)ob. But what you expect from a guy who grew up on a horse farm in Indiana? An Arabian horse farm. Exotic. He got to choose his own academic course work for his "enigmatology" diploma, I believe at Ball State. (I could make an obscene joke as to why he didn't get married until he was 70: Maybe he fell in love with one of his horses? They have curves like a woman. Enigmatology and horse farming can probably get you a lot of high octane Temple Grandin high functioning autism action but eventually...) Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is...Just don't bea hero worshipper. Everybody has faults. Even Temple Grandin.

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    1. Uhhhhhh.
      Hm.
      Sometimes it's wiser to just not add two cents.

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    2. Yes, Crito 100% this. Musinglink, gross.

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  56. The fact of the matter is, to call someone names because they don't think you are not seeing how "Great you think you are" is to demean yourself. Taking shots at him because of hurt feelings is downright childish and a waste of time.

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    1. My feelings are not now, nor have they ever been, hurt by a Will Shortz puzzle rejection. I have never desired nor sought his approval. You have an uncanny ability to misunderstand me. I posted because I am elated to finally discover the truth of why he rejects my puzzles. I always suspected it might be his failing, not mine. I know most of the puzzles I have created and submitted to him are worthwhile, and in many cases much better than those he usually gives us. I posted for others here to see, but apparently some are blind to my intention because they are used to only seeing things from their own preconceived point of view.
      Perhaps either you or someone else here can explain to me why it is perfectly okay to gush about how wonderful his bad puzzles are, but not just as okay to say what we really think when it just happens to be the opposite. Oh, don't even bother yourself, I understand, it is because you are typical American sheep who don't want to rock the barrel. Well I do. Going along in order to get along is not my style. I desire for things to change for the better, and I know this will never happen by kowtowing.

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  57. These tirades are getting tedious. Homonyms mite be appropriate here; ad hominems are not.

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  58. Five bucks says I get flack for my postings. Take a hint.

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    1. PS, Since I agree, My assumption is that you now owe me five bucks.

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  59. TomR - Thank you for being an adult, mature, and moderate voice.

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    1. Sorry, I l’ve raised my children and with my wife, taught them to play nice and share their toys. I have no interest in overseeing a mob of 435 who weren’t similarly trained by their parents.

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    2. I think it will only take one round of voting!

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  60. TomR,, DITTO DITTO DITTO and....DITTO

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  61. Is Rush Limbaugh lurking in here? I thought dittoheads were a thing in the past.

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  62. Fruity musical clue: Not a sauce, not a sauce

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    1. I don't think Mr. Marino pla, yed for the Naval Academy. A d I don't know if he was the captain of his high school or college team but he may well have been.I DO think Marino and marinara and marinero derive from the same Latin root meaning sailor or marine or Maritime. While Dans not a sauce, marinara is, and for that matter soy is. Working this puzzle gave me an earworm I ,still have:
      . The words and music to La Bamba that the Yanks heard when they invaded Veracruz in 1914. I'm not a sailor, not a sailor, I'm a captain
      Yo no soy marinero, soy "Capitan, soy Capitan. Dan is.not a sauce, but he was a
      Dolphin.

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  63. I tried solving this week's puzzle for several hours over 3 days. Finally I gave up ... and I was opening the fridge when the thought came from nowhere: "Could the name be [Xxxx Xxxx]?" I tried it ... and that was the solution! Anyone else have this happen to them? It's Puzzle Spirits, right?

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Rudolfo, I has such a moment with the "miasma-->my asthma" puzzle of August 27. Most gratifying!

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  64. Rudolfo, Sometimes after I give up in frustration, and let go, an answer will magically pop into my head! It seems when I give up, my brain continues on its own when its not being pressured anymore.

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  65. My name could be construed as a clue

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  66. And oh my darling, I understand Blaine's "clue" - if that's what we call it.

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  67. DAN MARINO + RANGE → MANDARIN ORANGE

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  68. DAN MARINO
    – Man Darino
    – Man Darino range
    MANDARIN ORANGE

    My clues:

    I thought I had a location connected to both the athlete and the fruit. Well, not quite…close, but no cigar.
    That location was Miami, of course (since Dan Marino used to play for the Miami Dolphins). There is a sizable Cuban community in Miami, and Cuba is famous for … cigars.
    So why only “close”? I checked the types of orange grown in and around Miami. Alas, mandarin orange doesn’t seem to be one of them. :(

    Rearrange the letters of the fruit to get an anagram signifying a whole separate country.
    “Mandarin orange” anagrams to “meaning Andorra” (= signifying a country).

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    1. Yeah, Florida doesn't have Mandarin oranges, apparently. But I still counted that as a connection, because, you know, they're oranges... and Dan Marino used to play in the Orange Bowl!

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  69. MANDARIN ORANGE (<— DAN MARINO —> MAN DARINO + RANGE)

    Greetings from the Left Coast—San Diego—where we are visiting our son and DIL and where I had to remember that the “reveal” takes place at 12 p.m., not 3.

    For those who might be interested in such things, our son wrote the recent Verizon Visible “yada yada” commercial, the one with Jason Alexander. Way to go, son. You are not only taller and smarter than yours truly but better looking, too. And you can dunk.

    As it should be.

    If you haven’t seen it, here's a link to the commercial. (FYI, the other man in the commercial is Jason Alexander’s son, Gabe Greenspan.)

    But about the puzzle:

    “Musical hint: Included in order in the name of the fruit is the surname of a famous singer.” —> (Bobby) DARIN.
    I considered adding “and the singer’s first name is the name of someone on this blog” but thought it might be TMI. Sorry, Bobby.

    Hint: “And more in a few days.”
    “AND MORE IN” is an anagram of “DAN MERINO.”
    (I liked this one.)

    Like most other NPR puzzles, this one was a pleasant diversion and challenge.

    As it should be.

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  70. MANDARIN ORANGE (Dan Marino, range)

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  71. A quartet of sky-high-quality puzzles, created by our friend Chuck, awaits you on this week's Puzzleria! They appear in his "Conundrumbstruck by Chuck" feature, and are titled "Acting school," "Hot spot," "Silent strolling" and "Billboard board game."
    You can access them tonight beginning around Midnight PDT, and maybe even sooner.
    Also on this week's menus:
    * a Schpuzzle of the Week titled "McMuffins, McGriddles & Synonym Rolls,"
    * an Hors d’Oeuvre titled "Choo choos and chew toys?"
    * an Organisation Internationale Puzzle Slice titled "Transatlantic translation toughie,"
    * a Double-Letter-Score Dessert titled "Side-by-side-by-homicide?" and
    * a baker's-dozen riff-offs of this week's NPR puzzle, titled “Dan ‘the Mandarin Orange’ Marino...”
    Including Chuck's “Four Bolts Of Befuddlement,” that adds up to 21 puzzles!

    LegoWhoInvitesAllToDropByAndTryToSolveChuck's"EnLightning"Puzzles

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  72. I wrote, “The person’s name rhymes with something that is one of the smallest of its kind.” San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world.

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  73. Dan Marino + Range >>>Mandarin Orange

    A Clementine is a type of Mandarin Orange.

    My Darling Clementine is the title of a nineteenth century Western song and of a 1946 movie.

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  74. Mandarin orange (Dan Marino -> Mandarino + range)

    I wrote:
    There's also the first name of half of a famous duo. That would be Nora, as in half of Nick & Nora Charles of The Thin Man series.

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  75. I simply wrote "Bananas". At first I meant the knock knock joke about oranges (orange you glad I didn't say bananas again?). But then I thought some of the comments on here were bananas, as in crazy.

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  76. Dan Marino, range->mandarin orange

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  77. Dan Marino + range = mandarin orange

    My hint:
    "When I try to make a comparison of this puzzle to many others we are presented with I find...
    Oh, never mind."
    ...it to be apples and oranges.

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  78. DAN MARINO + RANGE -> MANDARIN ORANGE

    > Not the first time this athlete has been a Sunday Puzzle answer.
    > ... but I'm taking it calmly.
    > The athlete was last an NPR Sunday Puzzle answer over 25 years ago. [deleted]

    On November 10, 1996, we had to change the first letter of a country -- (The Most Serene Republic of) San Marino -- to get a football player.
    (That was back before Blaine's Puzzle Blog even existed -- back in the Postcard Days, somewhere in the Jurassic period.)

    >> Take the last four letters in Blaine's hint. Insert an anagram of the appliance. More fruit!
    > Yes, and all four fruits -- the puzzle answer, both of the ones in Blaine's hint, and Lancek's -- are very closely related.

    Variations on a theme of citrus.

    > ... and a political epithet.

    RINO

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    Replies
    1. jan, thanks for the citrus cultivars diagram. I wondered where Meyer Lemons fit into the citrus scheme.

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  79. Re my comment "Teddy Boys movie?", the Teddy Boys were socially rebellious, often vicious, English youth groups in the 1950s and 1960s. They were partly the inspiration for a book and a 1971controversial film, A Clockwork Orange.

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  80. DAN MARINO, MANDARIN ORANGE, ORANGE, RANGE

    "Indeed, solving backwards was the trick. I solved it before leaving home for our brisk October walk." >>> We left home, home on the RANGE.

    "Yet another fruit comes to mind." DAN MARINO reminds me of MARASCHINO CHERRIES.

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  81. My Monday comment was actually a cryptic crossword clue for mandarin oranges: "Strangely, one rind anagrams to yield multiple fruits."

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  82. DAN MARINO; MANDARIN ORANGE
    My hint -- There is an interesting connection between the athlete and last week's mammal. ("Day of the Dolphin"; "Day of the Jackal".)

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  83. I was happy to hear that I am not the only person here that knows very little about the sports world. I had to Google to see if Dan Marino was actually a viable name, and low and behold it was the dude from Ace Ventura.

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  84. I chose range and orange. Then I searched for famous athletes whose last name ended in "O". A list of kinds of oranges helped also. I almost gave up as not up on sports.

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  85. I posted late today because I was talking with my neighbor about the shooting outside the house 5 north of mine at 1:03am this morning. Not to mention the two men who were shot 3 blocks from my house yesterday afternoon in a drive by shooting. I went out this morning before breakfast to look for the six bullet casings I knew would be nearby, but it turns out the cops came and found all 6 shortly after the shooting.

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  86. My hint is quite convoluted and Minnesota centric. Greyhound was a nod to Greyhound (bus) Lines which began in Hibbing, which is located on the Mesabi Iron Range. Hibbing is the home of Bob Dylan who received a song writing credit on the song "Wagon Wheel". The song was recorded by Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish. The Blowfish had a song that a video was made that had Dan Marino in it (and mentioned the Dolphins of Miami).

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  87. I haven't been on for a few days, so I don't know when my clue was removed. I had said something like: Start with a 2-digit number associated with the athlete. Reverse the digits. The result is a state highway that has had two prior designations.

    It was a reference to NJ-31, reversing Dan Marino's jersey number, in both college and NFL football, of 13. NJ-31 was originally NJ-30, but was changed when US 30 was designated, to avoid confusion. At that point it was changed to NJ-69. However, starting in the mid 1960's, many of the highway signs were getting stolen (gee I wonder why? :-). So, it was redesignated again, to NJ-31.

    I actually tried to google search based on the clue I left, and it was not easy. By describing the number as "associated with the athlete," it could have been many things, like a number of home runs, olympic medals, Stanley cups, jersey number, etc. A search for highways with multiple designations led to a lot of highways. With all of that, I thought it was a fun clue that did not violate the "simple google search rule.

    So, why was it pulled? Did I perhaps miss an obvious result in a search?

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  88. This comment has been removed by the author.

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