Sunday, July 21, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 21, 2024): For General Audiences

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 21, 2024): For General Audiences
Q: Take the name of a famous actor of the past. Say it out loud, and phonetically you'll describe what a famous general's horse did. Who is the actor and who is the general?
I need an "L" to make my answer work.

Edit: "L" is 50 in Roman numerals; Grant is pictured on the $50 bill.
A: CARY GRANT --> CARRY GRANT

Sunday, July 14, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 14, 2024): Classic Movie Couple

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 14, 2024): Classic Movie Couple
Q: Think of a famous actor and a famous actress who co-starred in a classic movie of the past. The actress's first name, when reversed, and the actor’s last name, spelled forward, are similar romantic gifts. Who are these film stars?
Somehow I don't think it's Fay Wray and King Kong.

Edit: It was a different "classic" film set in New York.
A: Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal ("When Harry Met Sally") --> GEM, CRYSTAL

Sunday, July 07, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 7, 2024): Camping Trip

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 7, 2024): Camping Trip
Q: Think of something in two words (7,5) that you might take camping. The phrase has seven consonants, which are all different and appear in alphabetical order through the phrase. What camping item is this?
You can rearrange the letters to name something archeologists might study.

Edit: CAVEMAN TOOLS
A: CoLeMaN SToVe

Sunday, June 30, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 30, 2024): Beach Fun

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 30, 2024): Beach Fun
Q: Name a state capital. Remove its first two letters, and you can rearrange the rest to name something in two words that you might find while beachcombing in that state. What is it?
Burt Reynolds has a connection to the capital.

Edit: Burt Renolds played football at F.S.U.
A: TALAHASSEE - TA --> A SEASHELL

Sunday, June 23, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 23, 2024): Colorful Film Actor

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 23, 2024): Colorful Film Actor
Q: Name a famous film actor of the past (4,6). Swap the second and third letters of the first name to name a color. Change the third letter of the last name to get another color. What actor is it?
The actor died 6 days after their birthday.

Edit: Born May 7, 1901, Died May 13, 1961
A: GARY COOPER --> GRAY, COPPER

Sunday, June 16, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 16, 2024): Mixed-up Body Parts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 16, 2024): Mixed-up Body Parts
Q: Think of two parts of the human body that start with the same letter of the alphabet. Drop one instance of that letter and rearrange the remaining letters to name another part of the body that is not near the other two. What are the body parts?
For Father's Day, [REDACTED]

Edit: Before I removed my hint, it was that I was having a Spanish meal with a cup of tea. PAELLA + T = PATELLA
A: NAPE, NECK --> KNEECAP (very similar to a puzzle from Apr 2021)

Sunday, June 09, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 9, 2024): Don't Judge My Baguette or Biscuit Storage

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 9, 2024): Don't Judge My Baguette or Biscuit Storage
Q: This is a little tricky. What item containing a silent "u" is commonly found in kitchen drawers?
If you change the "u" to a different letter of the alphabet, you get a name for a similar item.

Edit: I was hinting at GUIDE --> GLIDE
A: A GUIDE is part of the construction of a kitchen drawer. But SILENT U anagrams to UTENSIL. I'll update this with the intended answer when it's revealed on Sunday.

Update: There were 64 people that submitted the intended answer of UTENSIL

Sunday, June 02, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 2, 2024): Name That Writer

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 2, 2024): Name That Writer
Q: Think of a famous writer with a three-word name. The first two letters of the last name followed by the first two letters of the middle name followed by the first two letters of the first name, in order, spell an adjective that describes this author today. Who is it?
Take the last two letters of each name, rearrange those six letters to get something you might do while solving this puzzle.

Edit: AR-CE-HS --> SEARCH
A: EDgar RIce BUrroughs --> BURIED

Sunday, May 26, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 26, 2024): Lights, Camera, Action!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 26, 2024): Lights, Camera, Action!
Q: Think of a well-known actor of the past whose last name is also a brand name. Remove the last letter of the actor's first name and you'll have a product produced by that brand. What is it?
We could have had this puzzle about 3 weeks ago.

Edit: ...on Star Wars Day (May the 4th)
A: ALEC GUINNESS --> GUINNESS, ALE

Sunday, May 19, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 19, 2024): Easy as 1, 2, 3...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 19, 2024): Easy as 1, 2, 3...
Q: Think of a famous film with a three-word title (six letters in the first word, three letters in the second, and four letters in the last), in which the first and last words are rhymes for consecutive numbers. What movie is it?
The movie title also contains the letters of the next two consecutive numbers.

Edit: You can find the letters for NINE or TEN
A: HEAVEN CAN WAIT

Sunday, May 12, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 12, 2024): Mother Earth

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 12, 2024): Mother Earth
Q: Think of a well-known seven-letter geographical name in a single word that has just two consonants and yet is pronounced in five syllables.
I'm seeing a genus of aphids in the anagram.

Edit: First the word "seeing" sounds like the letters CN which are the two consonants. And the word anagrams to ANOECIA, a genus of aphids. Interestingly the reverse, (AICEONA) is also a genus of aphids.
A: OCEANIA

Sunday, May 05, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 5, 2024): Rhyme Doesn't Pay

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 5, 2024): Rhyme Doesn't Pay
Q: Think of three common six-letter words that have vowels in the second and fifth positions. The last five letters of the words are the same. Only the first letters differ. And none of the words rhyme with either of the others. What words are they?
I can think of multiple answers, but a similar puzzle was given more than a decade ago.

Edit: The answer to the NPR puzzle from November 2009 would work (BATHER/FATHER/GATHER) and so would FINGER/GINGER/SINGER. There are probably others.
A: BALLET, MALLET/PALLET, WALLET

Sunday, April 28, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 28, 2024): Male Singers of the Past

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 28, 2024): Male Singers of the Past
Q: Think of a famous male singer of the past with two A's in his name. Drop both A's and the remaining letters can be rearranged to name a popular make of automobile. What is it?
Take a model of that automobile, drop all A's to name a sports figure.

Edit: LeBaron --> LeBron
A: RAY CHARLES --> CHRYSLER

Sunday, April 21, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 21, 2024): Upcoming Events

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 21, 2024): Upcoming Events
Q: Think of a a major American corporation of the past (two words, 15 letters altogether). Change the last three letters in the second word and the resulting phrase will name something that will occur later this year. What is it?
Mazda Motor is a Japanese corporation, so that's not it.

Edit: Mazda was a registered trademark of General Electric for a line of incandescent light bulbs.
A: GENERAL ELECTRIC --> GENERAL ELECTION

Sunday, April 14, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 14, 2024): America Online

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 14, 2024): America Online
Q: Think of a popular online service. Change the first letter to a Y and rearrange the result to get what this service provides. What is it?
Yes! Will is back! If you add 4 letters to the service and rearrange, you get a color.

Edit: If you add RIIL and rearrange, you get VERMILION
A: VENMO --> MONEY

Sunday, April 07, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 7, 2024): The Bible as a Tool

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 7, 2024): The Bible as a Tool
Q: Think of a nine-letter word naming a kind of tool that is mentioned in the Bible. Remove the second and sixth letters and the remaining letters can be rearranged to spell two new words that are included in a well known biblical passage and are related to the area in which the tool is used. What is the tool and what are the two new words?
If you change the fourth letter so it is two later in the alphabet (e.g. A becomes C) and rearrange, you get something rowdy.

Edit: You get HORSEPLAY
A: PLOWSHARE - LH = REAP, SOW

Sunday, March 31, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 31, 2024): Women's History Month

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 31, 2024): Women's History Month
Q: The English language developed in a patriarchal society, so many words in our language were traditionally assumed to be male, and turned into female versions by adding a prefix or suffix. Waiter and waitress, comedian and comedienne — those are just two examples of the many stereotypically "male" words that become new "female words" by adding a suffix.

There is a common English word that works the opposite way. What is the common English word that is generally used to refer exclusively to women, but which becomes male when a two-letter suffix is added?
The answer hit me squarely on the forehead.

Edit: A forehead is where you might see a widow's peak.
A: WIDOW + ER = WIDOWER

Sunday, March 24, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 24, 2024): Periodic Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 24, 2024): Periodic Puzzle
Q: Each chemical element can be represented by a one or two-letter symbol. Hydrogen is H, helium is He, and so on. There are two commonly known elements whose names each can be spelled using three other element symbols. Name either one.
Could they be Zirconium and Tungsten, but a small quantity?

Edit: Zirconium (40) and Tungsten (74) make 4074. Convert that to hexadecimal (FEA) and add a small quantity (gram = g) and you have Fe,Ag
A: Iron = Ir (Iridium) + O (Oxygen) + N (Nitrogen), Silver = Si (Silicon) + Lv (Livermorium) + Er (Erbium)

Sunday, March 17, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 17, 2024): A Couple of Trees

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 17, 2024): A Couple of Trees
Q: Take two three-letter tree names and combine them phonetically to get a clue for a type of fabric, then change one letter in that word to get something related to trees. What are the two trees?
Anagram the letters of the clue to get an appropriate surname.

Edit: Well, I had ASH + YEW --> A SHOE --> LEATHER --> HEATHER, so I was hinting at O'SHEA for St. Patrick's Day. So can I say I was half right?
A: YEW + FIR --> EWE FUR --> WOOL --> WOOD

Sunday, March 10, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 10, 2024): Yet Another Body Part Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 10, 2024): Yet Another Body Part Puzzle
Q: Take a body part. Add one letter at the beginning and another at the end to get a different body part. Then again add a letter at the beginning and another at the end to get something designed to affect that body part.
I can tell you it isn't a knee.

I used the same hint last time this puzzle was used. Knee was a hint to NEA which is the National Endowment For The Arts. My image could be considered "art" and she has a heart painted on her side.
A: EAR --> HEART --> THE ARTS

Sunday, March 03, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 3, 2024): Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 3, 2024): Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All
Q: Take the last name of a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Remove the middle three letters and duplicate the last two letters to get the first name of a different Nobel Peace Prize winner. What are those two names?
I gave a major clue to this week's puzzle previously.

Edit: Last week's post had an image of "I Dream of Jeannie" and Major Nelson
A: Nelson MANDELA --> MALALA Yousafzai

Sunday, February 25, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 25, 2024): Here to Grant Three Wishes

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 25, 2024): Here to Grant Three Wishes
Q: Take the word SETS. You can add a three-letter word to this twice to get a common phrase: SPARE PARTS. Can you now do this with the word GENIE, add a three-letter word to it twice to get a common phrase?
Hey you!

Edit: Sounds like "Au" = Gold
A: GOLDEN OLDIE

Sunday, February 18, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 18, 2024): Famous Year in History

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 18, 2024): Famous Year in History
Q: Think of a famous character in American literature. Change each letter in that character's name to its position in the alphabet — A=1, B=2, etc. — to get a famous year in American history. Who is this person and what is the year?
The author was born shortly after the famous year.

Edit: Herman Melville was born in 1819.
A: (Captain) AHAB --> (War of) 1812

Sunday, February 11, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 11, 2024): Types of Movies

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 11, 2024): Types of Movies
Q: Start with the name of a blockbuster movie star. Remove the first letter of the first name and last two letters of the last name to get the types of movies he almost never stars in. Who is this?
I'm glad Will included "almost never".

Edit: Early in his career, he directed and starred in a couple of independent films.
A: VIN DIESEL --> INDIES

Sunday, February 04, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 4, 2024): Checking a Liszt...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 4, 2024): Checking a Liszt...
Q: Name a famous classical composer in three syllables. Change the vowel sounds in the first and third syllables, and phonetically you'll name a sport. What is it?
I thought I was close with Tchaikovsky

Edit: Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture includes a cannon while Pachelbel wrote a canon
A: PACHELBEL --> PICKLEBALL

Sunday, January 28, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 28, 2024): Take a Pill

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 28, 2024): Take a Pill
Q: Think of brand name in seven letters that you might find in a pharmacy. Drop the last letter and rearrange the letters that remain. You'll get another brand name, in six letters, that you might also find in a pharmacy. What is it?
A: CLAIROL --> RICOLA, there were several alternate answers provided in the comments.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 21, 2024): There Is No Time Like The Present

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 21, 2024): There Is No Time Like The Present
Q: Think of a familiar saying in seven words. The initial letters of the first three words in order spell a type of container. And the initials of the last four words in order spell something edible that might be found in this container. What's the saying?
No comment.

Edit: The title starts TIN... I thought giving it as a joke answer would lead people astray, but in retrospect it was too close so I deleted the hint. Unfortunately the title is in the URL which I couldn't change without deleting the whole post and comments.
A: There Is Nothing New Under The Sun --> TIN of NUTS

Sunday, January 14, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 14, 2024): Helping Hurting

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 14, 2024): Helping Hurting
Q: Think of a word for a person who helps you. Copy the last three letters and repeat them at the front, and you'll get a new, longer word that names a person who hurts you. What words are these?
If you rearrange the letters in the longer word, you get something you might do at a marina.

Edit: RENT MOTOR
A: MENTOR, TORMENTOR

Sunday, January 07, 2024

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 7, 2024): Hammer Time

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 7, 2024): Hammer Time
Q: Name certain weapons. Remove the middle four letters. The remaining letters, spelled backward, describe what these weapons do.
What if I don't reverse the letters?

Edit: Before reversing we have BATS which are also weapons
A: BAYONETS --> STAB

Monday, January 01, 2024

Annual Puzzle and Video for 2023.

Happy New Year! In Our Annual Family Video we star in our own comic book adventure as we travel back to the beginning of 2023. The password can be found by solving our annual puzzle. Click this link or the image below to get a printable PDF of the full puzzle.
Post a comment below about your favorite part of the video to show you've solved the puzzle, but don't give away the password directly.