If you rearrange the letters in the longer word, you get something you might do at a marina.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?
A: MENTOR, TORMENTOR
For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.
As is often the case, I'm having a tough time coming up with a hint. Maybe in time...
ReplyDeleteLousy boots ...
ReplyDeleteMaybe due to rotten ROM.
DeleteI have an answer, and I'm certain it's right. The original word is a word that I hear frequently mispronounced.
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed the mispronunciation, but there's a certain derivative of that word that displays a kind of false folk etymology. I bet that's related to the mispronunciation you've noticed.
Deleteare we talking of Blaine and Will here?
ReplyDeleteGot it quickly. I m reminded of a car.
ReplyDelete* I am reminded...
DeleteIn fact, the final word is pronounced the way the original word is misprounced.
ReplyDeleteTake the even letters of the word for the hurter. Rearrange. You get something everyone pays attention to if the time is right.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletecelestial
DeleteEasy. I know people who are and do both...
ReplyDeleteDelete the repeated letters to get a kind of beings.
ReplyDeleteTwo I can think of have 4-letter first names.
ReplyDeleteThat's two examples of the longer word.
DeleteI don't feel that I need to explain my art to you, Warren
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSpeaking of mispronunciations, did anyone catch the fentanyl (pronounced fentan-awl) senate hearing? I remember when the word nuclear was mispronounced as "nook-yull-er", but this "fentan-awl" thing make my skin crywl.
ReplyDeleteFree Spirit
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a good, obscure hint this week. I might be back later if I can come up with something...
ReplyDeleteI might be back is a reference to “I’ll be back.” Tormentor sounds vaguely like terminator
Delete1971
ReplyDeleteStage a protest?
ReplyDeleteThe first part of the longer word spells the last name of a singer. The remaining letters, rearranged, spell the last name of an actor.
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
Delete... or a movie we're all familiar with.
DeleteThanks, sdb. Jan, I've heard of that movie.
DeleteFirst of all, my favorite singer of all time so props to Nodd.
DeleteSecond, the last letters also anagram to a hit song of the '90s (sung by a different singer though)
OK, maybe it's too early. The wording is confusing me. If the word was THERAPIST, it would look like ISTISTTHERAP?
ReplyDeleteI was working under the assumption it would be ISTTHERAPIST
DeleteInteresting choice of example. Are you a Ted Lasso fan?
Deletemy mind immediately went to arrested development
DeleteYou don't have to be an einstein ... but at least our AI masters appear unable to solve this
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNineteenth-century clues: Whitman & Tennyson.
ReplyDeleteActually I was thinking of Hraold Bloom.
DeleteOops. Harold Bloom.
DeleteI'm thinking of Victor Hugo.
DeleteNice! I think Dr. K and I are on the same page; I have a theory about Hugo but will look forward to Thursday's revelation :).
DeleteJust scansion-wise, "mentor, tormentor" kept reminding me of "O Captain! my Captain!" And Tennyson wrote a poem about Odysseus / Ulysses, whose friend was the original Mentor.
DeleteMovie to mull over: Fightclub
ReplyDeleteFight Club?
DeleteYou are not repeating the last 3 letters twice in a row. You are putting one copy at the front of the word. However, for the second puzzle in a row, there is a connection to Pokemon.
ReplyDeleteTorment is a Pokemon move that forbids another Pokemon from using the same move twice in a row.
Delete93219
ReplyDeleteI was on the right track with another word with a similar meaning, but I just couldn't make the longer word work. Now I have solved it, and my clue is 1834.
ReplyDeleteI think I went through the same thing.
DeleteScarlett and JAWS - I followed the same path.
DeleteThen I'm in good company!
DeleteREADING RECOMMENDATION
ReplyDeleteLast week I ran across a new book by Rachel Maddow, PREQUEL. It came out in November. I finished reading it last night and cannot say enough good things about this very well researched and written book. It is about little known or understood things happening in this country during the 1930's and 1940's that paralleled what was happening in The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich. While the author does not tie it in to what is now happening in our country, it becomes obvious as you progress through the chapters. I learned so much from this amazing book.
The same subject is covered in Maddow's podcast Ultra.
Deletejan, I took a kwiqk peek and will go back later to check it out further. What I saw right away is that it also has more photos than the book. Does she discuss the subject or read from her book?
DeleteKillers of the Flower Moon is an excellent read, but this is even better and more important to our survival as a democracy.
I'm not sure the book was finished when the podcast came out. Anyway, the audio is from her and several of her sources, as well as historical recordings.
DeleteThanks, I will have to check it out and listen when I can find the time. Problem is that when you retire you never seem to have time for things you need to do.
DeleteFans of Prequel/Ultra might also appreciate Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century, a 2017 pamphlet, summarized here last week by the author.
DeleteFollow-on puzzle: Think of a word for something a person might do. Copy the last three letters and repeat them at the front, and you'll get a new, longer word for something someone might do in response. What words are these?
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a Beatles song ...
DeleteTwist & (Out)Shout
DeleteYep.
DeleteThink of a word for two people who help you. Rearrange the letters and you'll get a word for someone who hurts you.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOk, let's try that one more time. A final Sunday hint, a musical one from the world of vocal group harmony, aka doo-wop: The Heartbeats.
ReplyDeleteThere, that's better.
Thanks, Dr. K. I think I have it now.
ReplyDeleteShazam!
DeleteYou're welcome, Vandal in Seattle, happy to oblige.
Deletewhile the medic doesn't work for this quiz, it is what John Bobbitt shouted in surprise one morning aeons ago
ReplyDeleteA friendly reminder…
ReplyDeleteIf you’re in the path of that very cold air coming down from Canada, be sure to take any cans or bottles of soda or water out of your car. A friend of mine in St. Louis had ten cans of cherry soda in the back of her car and completely forgot about them. It’s about 1° there. They all exploded. You can imagine what her car looks and smells like.
Looking forward to Wednesday's 30° weather in Kansas City! A regular heat wave, I hope!
DeleteI am still amazed that the KC Chief's stadium was almost filled throughout the Chief's/ Dolphin's game this past Saturday. The game started at -4° and ended up at -8°F. Way too cold for me!!
DeleteCan’t believe there’s an actual rock band album with a title that uses these two words (only). Interesting material. Anyway, the on air contestant’s profession as a finger printer reminded me of an old Sunday puzzle involving “poor toe prints” aka Port Au Prince.
ReplyDelete>album title using these words: And, do a Google image search on just the two words, to see more such stuff!
DeleteMade me think of some "bad players" in the Harry Potter Series.
ReplyDeleteNodd, just for you.
ReplyDeleteLA Times
A bowling alley, a boozy fight and allegations of a new deputy gang in Los Angeles
Keri Blakinger, Alene Tchekmedyian
Thu, January 11, 2024 at 11:21 AM PST·12 min read
https://news.yahoo.com/bowling-alley-boozy-fight-allegations-192101143.html
I usually solve in the morning, but I had a bit of an odyssey with this one.
ReplyDeleteOne can use the same letters that appear in the answer (but with different counts of how often the letters occur) to get a kind of mammal, which, by the way, has the same total number of letters as the longer word.
ReplyDeleteOverwhelmed by too much NFL on TV, I'm trying to get inspiration to find an answer by watching the Maple Leafs and Raptors.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's fair when people accuse Donald Trump of not having a moral compass. I suggest we just say that it always points South.
ReplyDeleteNo moral compass needed when you use GPS -- Greedy Pathological Scammery.
DeleteI've had both of these things. I've been both of these things, and I suppose I will be both of these things. More the first than the second, but who knows. Living a full life.
ReplyDeleteMy ASSISTANT helped me plan the perfect picnic, but the ANT ASSISTANT was working against us the whole time.
ReplyDeleteCouldn’t think of a hint so please accept this silly wrong answer instead.
Along the same lines as the Sunday Puzzle, there is also:
ReplyDelete-- Too bad their hotshot pitcher’s arm is shot.
-- Mesdames, the ship’s crew is looking for dames here in Paris.
-- A home team fan will outshout a visiting team’s fan’s shout every time.
I am now calling the Iowa Republican Caucuses for Dewey!
ReplyDeleteI slayed this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Prequel, too. I got mine this afternoon. I had to call the Amazon customer service number because the Amazon locker was frozen from our first snowfall in 2 years.
ReplyDeleteI think you will find it interesting at first, but taking its time in becoming compelling, but as it builds to a close it will all come together in a way that is similar to the volcanic eruption in Iceland today. Perhaps like an unwelcome alarm going off when you are deep in sleep.
DeleteWow! Great. I'm reading about George Sylvester Viereck now. That guy was something! An agent for the German government.
DeleteFrom that comment I can see you will not be able to put the book down until you finish reading it.
DeleteNodd,
ReplyDeleteDid you see my post/link addressed to you above?
Sorry, I just now saw it. I'll look at the piece and message you back.
DeleteLOL, I thought so.
DeleteThis incident and the gang connection are not surprising at all. As the article notes, LASD gangs have been a longstanding problem, especially under Villanueva. Reminds me of the line Billy Jack spoke in the film of the same name, in response to a statement from a group of illegal hunters of wild horses on Native American land who were accompanied by the local sheriff, after they told Billy, "We've got the law here, Billy." And he said, "When policemen break the law, then there isn't any law - just a fight for survival."
DeleteI agree with you that it is not at all surprising. That is why I posted the link. I wish more ordinary citizens would realize just how corrupt police departments are all over the country. This particular group, in my opinion, is only getting publicity because it involves a racial minority. Most of the outrageous police behavior I have witnessed throughout my entire life has been by white cops. I have so many stories, but most people do not understand. I still try to give each individual cop the benefit of the doubt, but that solves nothing as to the persistent problem. One of the points I want to point out is that it is not simply that there are "a few bad apples" in policing, no, it is systemic.
DeleteRearrange the letters of the shorter word, and get a two-word phrase for something many, possibly all, of the participants here would like for a current political frontrunner.
ReplyDeleteDoes rearranging involve repeating a letter? I feel like it does, but I also have experience with that recently! :-)
DeleteNo, all the letters are used just once each.
DeleteNot working for me.
DeleteHi all. I have yet to solve this one, so sometimes I wait to check here because it might confuse me more. But I am ready to look. Thank you for recommending Prequel; I definitely want to read it now. And that reminded me that I have never shared that in response to DFT's 2016 Presidential election, I founded this organization that I am quite proud of. Our 21st show is coming up on 1/22, to benefit Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen. Thanks for checking us out! www.chicagoactorscta.org.
ReplyDeleteBump last letter of first-shorter- word up one in alphabet to get something sweet and refreshing.
DeleteI will check it out.
Also last three letters of the first-shorter- word are in my first comment above. And in this one.
DeleteR.I.P. P.D.Q. Bach.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, jan, he'll be Bach.
DeleteThis one hits hard. My dad (RIP) took me to many PDQ Bach Christmas shows in NYC over five or ten years -- always a great time, a joyful combination of beautiful music, painful puns, and lots of inside audience jokes (the house manager, Schikele's entrances, etc.)
DeleteOh man. I went to his concert at Boston Symphony Hall many decades ago. Schickele entered by coming in up on a balcony, throwing down a rope ladder, and shinnying down the rope. The proper Symphonic Bostonians were Not Amused. But I sure was.
DeleteMENTOR, TORMENTOR
ReplyDelete"Stage a protest" >>> A TORMENTOR is a hanging at each side of a stage directly behind the proscenium that serves to block the wing area and sidelights from the audience.
mentor, tormentor
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “Two I can think of have 4-letter first names”: Vlad (the Impaler) and Ivan (the Terrible).
MENTOR & TORMENTOR
ReplyDeleteI forgot my hint:
Delete"I'm thinking of Victor Hugo." Les Misérables.
MENTOR, TORMENTOR
ReplyDeleteMy nonhint hint: “As is often the case, I am having a tough time coming up with a hint. Maybe in time…”
i.e., I was tormented.
Musical hint: The Heartbeats
In 1955, the Heart Beats Quintet (aka the Heartbeats) released “Tormented,” accompanied by Russell Jacquet and His Orchestra.
About my reply to Dr. Awkward: Harold Bloom, the renowned (and sometimes notorious) Yale literary critic, in 1973 published The Anxiety of Influence, a highly influential study that argued that great poets, e.g., Milton, were engaged in an agon with their most powerful predecessors, in Milton’s case, Shakespeare. In effect, Bloom argued such poets felt tormented by their mentors.
Hint: “Rearrange the letters of the shorter word, and get a two-word phrase for something many, possibly all, of the participants here would like for a current political frontrunner.”
MENTOR —> NO TERM
Ah, whereas I was thinking of ONE TERM!
DeleteRight there with you on Bloom!
DeleteA "friendly-yet-fiendish" five-puzzle package created by an irregular Puzzlerian! contributor is the featured course on this week's Puzzleria!
ReplyDeleteTitled "Math, Music, Meds and More," it features puzzles that combine:
1. Body Parts & Other Fractions;
2. Music Genres & Geometry;
3. Medicine & Geometry;
4. Controversy & Advocacy; and
5. Tools,Tints & Potables.
We upload P! around Midnight PST on the cusp of Thursday and Friday (but probably earlier).
Also on our menus this week:
* a Schpuzzle of the Week in which we properly rank the six rank-and-file chess pieces;
* a Popular-Anthology & World Atlas Hors d’Oeuvre titled "Two habitats for tabby cats,"
* a Side-By-Side Puzzle Slice titled "Peppy auto-parts professionals?"
* a Lip-Smack-Snack-Pack Dessert titled "Budget + Judge = Bugles?" and
* a dozen Riffing Off Shortz And Bergmann Slices titled "Telemachus’ Mentor... or Tormentor?" (including three penned by our friend Nodd and one penned by our friend Plantsmith).
That adds up to 22 puzzles, or a bit more than three-per-day.
Drop by for some "enigmatic irregularities!"
LegoLambdaMathMusicMeds&More
I wrote, “Take the even letters of the word for the hurter. Rearrange. You get something everyone pays attention to if the time is right.” That’s MOON.
ReplyDeletementor -> tormentor
ReplyDeleteI wrote:
Think of a word for two people who help you. Rearrange the letters and you'll get a word for someone who hurts you. mentors, monster
MENTOR, TORMENTOR
ReplyDelete> Musical clue: Chubby Checker.
"Torment" shares a root with "torture" and "torque", from the Greek for "twist".
> Free Spirit
That's the name of Julie Clark's T-34 MENTOR.
>> If the word was THERAPIST, it would look like ISTISTTHERAP?
> Interesting choice of example. Are you a Ted Lasso fan?
"I can't be your MENTORwithout occasionally being your TORMENTOR."
> 93219
That's the ZIP code for Earlimart, CA, the namesake of an indie rock band whose fifth studio album, in 2007, was MENTOR TORMENTOR, as Snipper noted.
> ... or a movie we're all familiar with.
Tron was one of the answers two weeks ago.
Mentor, tormentor. I said: The first part of the longer word spells the last name of a singer. The remaining letters, rearranged, spell the last name of an actor. (Mel Torme, Rip Torn)
ReplyDeleteI tried to make 'tutor' work. Somehow I thought 'torturer' would result, but it didn't. When I finally solved it I posted my clue "1834". That's the chapter and verse (Matthew 18:34) where the wicked servant was delivered to the tormentors (jailers) until he paid his debt.
ReplyDeleteAnd I never did figure out Blaine's clue.
DeleteI didn't either. (I usually don't.) I thought it might have something to do with "otter," but I couldn't get the rest to work.
DeleteSomething about securing an Evinrude for the day.
DeleteRent motor?
DeleteMust be. I also tried "moor," which looked promising, but alas... Blaine?
DeleteBlaine posted 'rent motor'. Congratulations to Word Woman!!!
Delete....and Lancek :-)
DeleteYes, I also went down the Tutor torturer track, and then the correct answer jumped out at me.
Deletementor, tormentor
ReplyDeleteMENTOR, TORMENTOR
ReplyDeleteI wanted to clue Plan 9 from Outer Space, but couldn't find a way to do it subtly, yet gracefully.
MENTOR/TORMENTOR
ReplyDeleteDrop the repeated letters to get a kind of beings --- MEN
MENTOR → TORMENTOR
ReplyDeleteUnavoidable late post...
Ron met with an obstacle, apparently.
DeleteMENTOR, TORMENTOR
ReplyDeleteI posted that I was reminded of a car. In an episode of Seinfeld, Jerry notes that he does not like the term "mentee" and prefers the term protege. That, of course, reminds me of the Mazda Protege.
My reference was to the rock band Earlimart which released an album in 2007 entitled Mentor Tormentor (and for which my reference to interesting “material” was a near anagram for the band’s name).
ReplyDeleteAnd Jan, I didn’t realize there was a town in California with that name, and I might have driven through it on a recent trip that included visits to SF, SB and LA.
ReplyDeleteRats, I didn't win anything on the 2023 NYT' Super Mega Crossword , but it was fun trying! Over 10K entries so I don't feel too bad!!
ReplyDeleteI posted: Think of a word for something a person might do. Copy the last three letters and repeat them at the front, and you'll get a new, longer word for something someone might do in response. What words are these?
ReplyDeleteSHOUT, OUTSHOUT
The "Bad Players" in the Harry Potter series were "DeMentors"
ReplyDeleteI wrote: "Overwhelmed by too much NFL on TV, I'm trying to get inspiration to find an answer by watching the Maple Leafs and Raptors." The Maple Leafs NHL team and Raptors NBA team are from Toronto, abbreviated on scoreboards as TOR. They're men's teams.
ReplyDeleteI wrote "One can use the same letters that appear in the answer (but with different counts of how often the letters occur) to get a kind of mammal, which, by the way, has the same total number of letters as the longer word."
ReplyDeleteUsing the same letters as in MENTOR / TORMENTOR (but with different counts), one can spell MONOTREME.
My hint was: "there's a certain derivative of that word that displays a kind of false folk etymology."
ReplyDeleteThe derivative I had in mind is 'mentee', which is a kind of false formation, since in 'mentor' the 'or' isn't the suffix of agency! It's not somebody who ments.
This week's challenge comes from Joseph Young, who conducts the blog "Puzzleria!" 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?
ReplyDeleteOnce more, congratulations, Lego!
DeleteCongrats, Lego!
ReplyDeletePeople are normally reliable in certain environments.
ReplyDeleteTeachers understand better organization leads education onward.
ReplyDeleteFor mentor and tormentor : I said
ReplyDeleteare we talking of Blaine and Will here?
Makes sense?
The first cut is sometimes the deepest
ReplyDelete