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
Sunday, January 07, 2024
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 7, 2024): Hammer Time
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 7, 2024): Hammer Time
Edit: Before reversing we have BATS which are also weapons
Edit: Before reversing we have BATS which are also weapons
160 comments:
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Spell ‘what these weapons do’ backwards, and get another possible category of weapons.
ReplyDeleteI realized after I posted the hint that Blaine, whose hints are usually beyond my skill set, had posted essentially the same.
DeleteGreat minds... 🧠
DeleteI was just reading a story about how this second category of weapons was used. --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteMore than 700 correct entries last week.
ReplyDeleteTake the weapons. Remove three letters that spell a weapon. Rearrange what’s left. You get two opposites.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rob. I know I submitted the correct answer.
DeleteRhonj?
ReplyDeleteTake another word for a thing the weapons do, change a letter, and those two words will indicate (though not quite name) a body of water located at a place the weapons bring to mind.
ReplyDeleteWhew, okay that's kind of convoluted, I admit.
I was thinking of "Kill" and the "Kill Van Kull", which separates Staten Island from Bayonne. Jan also hinted at Bayonne, I think, and maybe others.
DeleteI got it, and it helped me to work backwards. Of course, since reading backwards is part of the puzzle, wouldn't that be true for all of us?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteBummer, I thought that one would stay in. Clearly, I need to be much more obscure.
DeleteI really liked it very much but it gives something away in terms of letters.
DeleteChange one letter in the weapon. You get a place you can see a celebrity.
DeleteThanks for the explanation, Blaine.
DeleteSolving this quickly was just a matter of luck.
ReplyDeleteAnagram the weapons to name a UK beach or a military training facility.
ReplyDeleteWill Shortz has probably never used one of these.
ReplyDeletePerhaps figuratively, by posting unclear or poorly worded Sunday challenges.
DeleteYes, I have it. Not that easy...
ReplyDeleteGot it. Sure, thinking about weapons on an early Sunday morning is what I want to do.
ReplyDeleteWW - I share your sentiment. Fortunately, a simplifying assumption was correct and led me quickly to the answer. Now, on to something more joyful.
DeleteThere's always our annual puzzle and video if anyone is looking for a palate cleanser. 👍🙂
DeleteLorenzo, I see what you did there.
DeleteMan, I made that much harder than it needed to be. Duh! The first weapon I thought of met this category and then I went everywhere else before coming back around.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOops. A bit too direct, I guess.
DeleteBlaine, I like your nod to last week's puzzle in this week's illustration.
ReplyDeleteI should have added weapons from Dr. No and Tron too. :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI still love Kevin Durant.
ReplyDeleteResidents of a certain city in a certain state could have an advantage here (if they call them that).
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, and I have never heard them called that.
DeleteSnipper, if I’ve read you right, the city is in my county (and state) of origin, and it invariably makes me think of a renowned “bum” from there. BTW, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone “call them that.”
DeleteI guess that answers my question...
DeleteDr K - you read me right (and that is my state of origin too) though I haven’t heard that term used either. I was not aware of that history - thanks!
DeleteYou're welcome, Snipper. More on Thursday.
DeleteOurs is not to shake and spit
ReplyDeleteOurs is not to rage and quit
Ours is but to solve and submit
They’re unorthodox weapons, to be sure, but wet KNITWEAR smells RANK ;)
ReplyDeleteWhatcha got?
ReplyDeleteFind a country whose name in English has the same length as the "certain weapons". The name's middle four letters are a common word, as are the remaining letters spelled backward.
ReplyDeleteThe letters of the country can also be rearranged to form two related words of the same length.
DeleteTwo related words of the same length—vain and lose.
DeleteA pottery object you can buy online—a lion vase.
Nice!
Oh, and the country is Slovenia. I mentioned that in my post below, since my clue was based on Rudolfo's post. (Again: Nice!)
DeleteBlaine, this puzzle isn't about superheroes or sports for that matter.
ReplyDeleteIn the last Steve Baggish puzzle, I did a hint about Pokemon. This puzzle is also related to Pokemon.
ReplyDeleteIn Pokemon, there is something called STAB (Same-type attack bonus). Also, Steve Baggish has the letters of "stab" in his name.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRemove the penultimate letter from the weapon, rearrange the result to get a field of study of another use of the same word.
ReplyDeleteCute!
DeleteThanks Splainit!
DeleteMusical clue: Tom Paxton
ReplyDeleteBlaine, you may have to wait until the Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens to get the answer to your question.
ReplyDeleteWhen insects finally rule the world, you must do this.
ReplyDeleteWhy? Are they broken?
ReplyDeletenice :)
DeleteCute! But on the whole, I'd rather kick off the new year with thoughts of repairing than with thoughts of destroying.
ReplyDelete(playing on "fix bayonets," which I suspect Paul was too!)
DeleteSeriously, guys, I'm still worried about Lego. Is he in mourning about someone's passing, and that's why we haven't heard from him in the past few days?
ReplyDeletepjbAsksOnlyOutOfCuriosityAndCertainlyRealizesHeValuesHisPrivacyAtThisMomentIfSo
He has yet to respond to my email either. Not sure just what is going on.
DeleteMine either, sdb....and last I checked, he not even posted on P! about an editing need..or anything else. Perhaps his computer died, and he was lucky to even get P! posted (perhaps at a library or something?) So we are all sharing the worry.
DeleteOk, now I'm officially concerned. I hope he's all right.
DeleteMy apologies to all. Computer problems! Thanks for your concern.
DeleteLego...
Lego, no apologies necessary. A great sigh of relief was heard across the land....
DeleteI took a wild guess at the answer.
ReplyDeleteBob and Ray.
ReplyDeleteNautical hint: Norfolk
ReplyDeleteBoeing is defending itself regarding the 737 blowout by saying, "When one door closes and another one opens."
ReplyDeleteI flew (in an exit row, as it happens) on a United 737 Max 9 with the same door plug configuration as Alaska 1282 a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, those are the only two airlines with those plugs. They're used in place of emergency exit doors in planes that are configured with fewer seats, which I imagine saves weight and cost. I'm not aware of any other aircraft that offer a configuration option like that. It seems an odd trade-off for an airline to make, to buy a plane with a high passenger seat capacity and then save a few buck by configuring it in a way that will never allow you to take advantage of that capacity.
DeleteI remember a few times when I was jumpmaster on the Cessna 170 we usually used for students on static-line. I would sit on the right side facing backwards on a tiny makeshift stool that was not fastened in any way. To my left was the main door which was reconfigured to open upwards so we could exit easily at altitude. On the few times I am recalling now, as we were heading down the grass runway on takeoff the door would unexpectedly fly open with a loud noise and air rushing in. My students would be sitting on a wood bench behind the pilot seat and facing the right side. I would simply lift my left leg and place my left foot against the rear door jam. I did not do this to prevent the students or myself from falling out, but just to make them feel safe and not to panic. After we were up a bit the pilot and I would then close the door. I always enjoyed these occurrences.
DeleteSure, but you were wearing a parachute!
DeleteTo be clear, the Alaska Airlines incident did not involve a door. That plane was configured with a non-opening plug in place of a door that could have been installed, had the Airline wanted it.
What good would my parachute be? We were on the ground and on takeoff run.
DeleteI googled "Cessna 170" and "skydiving", and found this rather dramatic set of pix. All involved survived.
DeleteYour parachute might have been comforting "after you were up a bit", when you leaned out to close the door that was hinged at the top.
DeleteNo way! We would close the door 2 or 3 hundred feet off the ground I believe. Never even thought about it. You cannot jump and expect to have an open chute unless you are up a ways. For me these unexpected openings were not something to be concerned about.
DeleteThose photos are priceless!
Was there a strap attached to the door and anchored inside the plane, so the pilot could lean over and close it himself after the last skydiver had left? Or could he just slip the plane and have the door close itself?
DeleteIt's a combination of the two. When I would open the door, which normally the pilot does, but I always did, the door will swing most of the way up and then the pilot will slip the plane enough for it to grab the hook point under the wing. To close it the pilot will pull a wire cable and the hook will release and I will reach out and pull it down and close it for the next go around to dispense with the next student S/L student. If we have all exited and the pilot is alone then he will release the hook by pulling the cable and then slip enough for him to lean over and pull the door closed.
DeleteLucky iPhones don't need parachutes.
DeleteI'm trying to get a handle on that joke.
ReplyDeleteCareful you don't become unhinged.
DeleteThe moral of this is to not fly on opening night.
DeleteUnless you want a hard knock life.
DeleteIs it just me, or are there a ton of puzzles that come from Steve Baggish, Neville Fogart and Peter Collins? I've given up on believing I'll ever hit the lottery and get to play the puzzle on air with Will in this lifetime. But I have sent in 5 puzzle ideas (2 that I'll say weren't great.....but way better than many that have aired; 2 that are pretty good - at least I hope they're pretty good; and 1 unconventional puzzle that has no correct answer - but would be fun to see what people come up with). How does Joe Schmoe become a Steve Baggish.....?
ReplyDeleteSorry...Fogarty
DeleteViS, don't lose hope. It took me 30 years and over 1,000 submitted answers before I got "the call." At that rate, the next time could make me the first puzzle-segment centenarian. Keep the faith.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThat would be entertaining, Dr K, listening to Ayesha (and Will) playing the Puzzle with a 100 year old.
DeleteIs it true that most bartenders are actively engaged in counter-surveillance?
ReplyDeleteWith the war in Ukraine ongoing, it is important for bartenders to be alert for white Russians and Moscow mules.
DeleteI hope it is okay for me to enjoy a Black Russian occasionally, although it has been quite awhile since my last one.
DeleteIt's okay, but ya might have tequila if she turns out to be a spy.
DeleteWhen it came out I enjoyed reading Tequila Mockingbird.
DeleteWith Booze Radley?
DeleteI finally read Charles Dickens' "Olive or Twist?"
DeleteReminds me of the time I ran into Sean Connery in a bar. He was already well on his way when I asked him if he'd ever been to Russia, and he replied, "Natasha remember."
DeleteThash funny! Did he say that with a Smersh?
DeleteWhat he did, Scarlett, was to ramble on about those stirring days of yesteryear, but to my eye he appeared to be a bit shaken.
DeleteDid he tell you that one of his life's ambitions was to be a dog trainer? Sadly he was never able to teach a dog to sit.
DeleteYes, and I told him that really was a bitch.
DeleteHe also tried to train cats. But they got upset when he told them you only live twice. That's when he gave up training animals. He said never, never again.
DeleteBut he did train Pussy Galore.
DeleteYes, that's when he pretended to be a veterinarian and she said: doctor! No!
DeleteHe purrsisted.
DeleteBut let's face it, it never would have worked out. She was too Pushy.
DeleteNow this brings up a serious question. Why is it called a litter-box, when no cat would ever give birth there?
DeleteThat's an excellent question! Maybe we knead to think outside the box.
DeleteWhat this country kneads the most is bread dough.
DeleteYou're not wrong. If everyone had a cat and made their own bread, we'd all get along.
DeleteCan you even imagine Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Ron Desantis or others of that ilk holding a cat on their lap? I can't.
DeleteI can't even imagine a cat wanting to get in their laps!
DeleteIt would be cat-amount to insanity.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe weapons can be used to attack Wordle of the same day!
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a spice.
ReplyDeleteThere's a clue up there that is kind of hot, almost TMI. It confirmed my answer.
ReplyDeleteI don’t even think I’ll take a swing at giving a clue this week
ReplyDeleteI remember shortly after Clarence Thomas landed on the Supreme Court there was a photo of him sitting in the driver's seat of his S Class Mercedes Benz. The door was open and he was sitting to the outside with his legs out and he was also smoking a large cigar. It reeked of privilege. So that was his carriage back then, whereas now he drives the miscarriage of justice.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the First Lady of West Virginia and her unsuccessful pregnancy?
DeleteBack to the puzzle: I'm reminded of one of the Presidential debates back in 2012 between then President Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney.
ReplyDeleteBAYONETS, remove YONE → BATS, reverse letters → STAB
ReplyDeleteBAYONETS, STAB
ReplyDeleteBAYONETS STAB
ReplyDelete(The National Bayonet Association would probably argue that bayonets don't stab people, people stab people.)
> Like me, not from NJ.
The name comes from that other Bayonne.
> Musical clue: Tom Paxton
His BAYONET Rap was the intro to Talking Vietnam Pot Luck Blues.
BAYONETS —> STAB
ReplyDeleteHint: “Spell ‘what these weapons do’ backwards, and get another possible category of weapons.” STAB —> BATS.
But it’s only a “possible category” because, except for the Duchy of Grand Fenwick (which used bows and arrows), who else would collectively use bats as weapons of war?
Hint: “Bob and Ray.”
Comedy duo Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding performed dozens of routines in their career, one of which was entitled “Bob and Ray’s Overstocked Warehouse: Bayonets and Scabbards from the Spanish-American War.”
The city Snipper was alluding to was Bayonne (NJ), “the Peninsula City”—did Jan allude to it as well?—and while people there do not refer to themselves as “Bayonets,” it might have been be a catchier nickname for the city’s high school than its actual nickname, the “Bees.” And the “bum” I referenced was, of course, boxer Chuck Wepner (Weaponer?), aka “the bum from Bayonne” and “The Bayonne Bleeder,” who was a graduate of Bayonne High and who in 1975 not only gave then-world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali a surprisingly tough title fight, even putting Ali on the canvas, but also provided Sylvester Stallone with his inspiration for Rocky.
My question "Rhonj?" alluded to the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Might some of them been "Bayonnettes"? I commented in the later thread about Bayonne that I guess that answered my question.
DeleteWhat better way to ring in the New Year than to celebrate 2024 by solving another incredible Cryptic Crossword created by our friend Patrick J. Berry aka "cranberry"? It is his 33rd crossword to appear on Puzzleria!... and it has a musical theme: nine of Patrick's 28 clues pertain to singers, songs and a movie with a memorable musical soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteWe upload Puzzleria! every Thursday-into-Friday around Midnight PST, or sooner if possible.
Also on our menus this week are:
* a Schpuzzle of the Week titled "What’s on the Telly? Kojak?"
* a Diva Hors d’Oeuvre titled “‘Singer’ Sewing Machine Company?”
* a Celebrity Endorsement Slice titled “Lutherans & Masons maybe?”
* a Zany Dezzert titled “The Pirates of Penzaniness?” and
* twelve Riffing Off Shortz And Baggish Slices titled “Steve stabs us with Baggishesque bayonets,” (including three terrific riffs penned by a prolific puzzle-maker and friend of Puzzleria!)
Because each of Patrick J. Berry's 28 cryptic crossword clues is in itself a kind-of "mini-puzzle," that adds up to a total of 45 puzzles on this week's Puzzleria!!
LegoWhoIsOkay...ButHisInternetAccessNotAlwaysSoMuch
BAYONETS – YONE (reversed)>>>> STAB
ReplyDeleteA lucky guess - aka taking a stab at the answer.
BAYONETS STAB
ReplyDeleteI wrote, “Take the weapons. Remove three letters that spell a weapon. Rearrange what’s left. You get two opposites.” From BAYONETS, remove BAT, rearrange, and you have YES and NO.
ReplyDeleteBAYONETS; STAB. My hint was: “Anagram the weapons to name a UK beach or a military training facility.” STONE BAY is a beach in Kent, England or a satellite facility of USMC Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
ReplyDeletebayonets, stab
ReplyDeleteBayonets and stab
ReplyDeleteBayonets — ba[yone]ts — stab
ReplyDeleteMy (very oblique) clue:
There’s a clue up there that is kind of hot, almost TMI. It confirmed my answer.
“Kind of hot” was a reference to this post by Rudolfo:
Find a country whose name in English has the same length as the "certain weapons". The name's middle four letters are a common word, as are the remaining letters spelled backward.
That would have been Slovenia, with the common word being oven (which is hot).
bayonets – yone = bats --> stab
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “When insects finally rule the world, you must do this.” BAYONETS anagrams to OBEY ANTS.
On Wed Jan 10, 10:39:00 PM PST I posted:
ReplyDeleteBack to the puzzle: I'm reminded of one of the Presidential debates back in 2012 between then President Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney.
On one of those Presidential debates, Mitt Romney remarked about how our military has far fewer ships than it used to, to which Barrack Obama replied "We also have fewer horses, and bayonets."
If my comment gave anything away it's too late to fix it now.
ReplyDeleteLooks like we were on the same page!
DeleteBAYONETS, STAB
ReplyDeleteI clued Kevin Garnett because he was traded from the Warriors (of the San Francisco BAY Area) to the Brooklyn NETS. And he's a favorite NBA Player of mine.
Kevin Durant was your clue. One of his nicknames is Easy Money Sniper so I thought the answer must involve guns... Kevin Garnett, your answer above, played for the Ners briefly but never the Warriors.
DeleteRemoving the e from bayonet and rearranging the result leads to "botany", the study of plants. The bayonet is a dagger plant, also known as an aloe yucca.
ReplyDeleteBayonets, stab. Easy. I wonder how W S's table tennis games went today. Did someone allude to Chuck Wepner, the Bum from Bayonne?
ReplyDeleteI submitted the correct answer, although I was in transit when I first heard the puzzle and didn't process the "reverse the remaining letters" part. My initial thought was SCIMITAR > SCAR.
ReplyDeleteFind a country whose name in English has the same length as the "certain weapons". The name's middle four letters are a common word, as are the remaining letters spelled backward.
ReplyDeleteSLOVENIA => OVEN AILS (=> ALES VINO or LION VASE)
My deleted clue, to the best of my memory, was: Remove one t, and you get a place for fishing. Which, of course, changes bayonets to bays, because you have to remove the entire phrase, "one t".
ReplyDeleteI then posted, "Change one letter in the weapon. You get a place you can see a celebrity." You can change BAYONET to BAYONNE (NJ), where, during at least part of the year, you can see Celebrity Cruise ships docked.
BAYONETS and STAB
ReplyDeleteAttention all Puzzleria! denizens: My next cryptic crossword drops late tonight/tomorrow morning!
pjbWillBeThere,WeatherPermitting
Yes, Dr K and others, I was referring to Bayonne NJ. And now I will refer to its residents as Bayonnettes / Bayonets!
ReplyDeleteI think that answers my inquiry. Now that the puzzle stress is over, if anyone wants a great movie to watch, I recommend Saltburn, on Amazon Prime. It has some echoings of Brideshead Revisited and The Talented Mr. Ripley. It is really well done.
ReplyDeleteMy hint for bayonets was: you can use the weapon to attack Wordle of the days… the answer for the Wordle that day was STONY
ReplyDeleteThis week's challenge comes from listener Warren Bergmann, of Neenah, Wis. 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?
ReplyDeleteMusical clue: Chubby Checker.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete...who DO both...
DeleteEasy, I know people who do both...
DeleteNearly 1000 correct entries last week.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGot it fairly quickly. I'll wait for the new post to comment further.
ReplyDeleteDelete the repeated letters to get a kind of beings.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how to clue it. Waiting for Blaine...
ReplyDeleteCute puzzle this week. I went down a few suffix rabbit holes at first but finally got it.
ReplyDeleteCan’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