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!
A: GOLDEN OLDIE
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.
À propos of some members of Blainevillage.
ReplyDeleteWe would like to think so.
DeleteOuch
DeleteThat was my first thought too.
DeleteThat hurts!
Delete...including myself.
DeleteI resemble that remark.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteToo specific about the final phrase
DeleteWow! Really? OK!
DeleteYes, nothing in the puzzle specifies the number of words in the final phrase.
DeleteOh, my gosh, you are right. Again! My apologies.
DeleteSpeaking of which, I'm surprised Blaine went with that graphic.
DeleteNo, Jan, I think you're confused; Samantha was a which, not Jeannie.
DeleteTook me a moment, Paul. I was amused to see a statue of Elizabeth Montgomery in Salem, MA, the last time I was there.
DeleteRemove the first letter and the last two letters of the answer to get two ways of saying the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI am one with Dr. K...
ReplyDeleteTolkien approves, in more ways than one.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but the three-letter word is not "elf".
DeleteThis phrase might apply both to him and to the One Ring.
DeleteNot all the time, but every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteAnagram to get . . . Stan!
ReplyDeleteCute, jan!
DeleteAre we supposed to come up with 2 answers which work? I have one answer, but I haven't found a second answer.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where you see that it's asking for a second answer?
DeleteThe puzzle is given and then it says: "Again, start with GENIE, insert a three-letter word twice, get a common phrase." Does AGAIN mean: "Do it a second time?"
DeleteI think Will (or whoever fills that role) almost always restates the puzzle in this fashion.
DeleteWhile it is true that the puzzle is usually restated, the NPR Sunday Puzzle page this time includes the above noted, "Again,..." That repetition is not usually on the Sunday Puzzle page, so I can see how it can be interpreted as a request to find two answers. I have not solved this yet, but my hunch is they are looking for one answer.
DeleteThe repetition was redundant, only solve the puzzle once.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSo "again" does not mean "do it a second time" but it means "to repeat" How do we know this?
DeleteWill usually says "Again" and repeats the puzzle. Somehow the "Again" phrase was inadvertently included in the puzzle statement. Some kinks need to be worked out whilst Will is not here for the puzzle.
Deleteron,
DeleteFirst of all, you must remember that the interns sometimes get it rong on the web. Secondly, we just know.
I had hoped for something slicker.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there's a clever alternate answer out there somewhere...
DeleteGOLDEN = LONGED = HOPED
DeleteOLDIE = OILED = SLICKER
I am starting to wonder if Greg will take over as the NPR Puzzlemaster, and Will Shortz will end up retiring. As the weeks without Will continue, that just feeds us (or at least me) thinking that it is not a good situation. I respect Will's privacy, but I do remain concerned for him.
ReplyDeleteGot a million.
ReplyDeleteBesides submitting my solution, I sent in a separate message asking about Will. Today marks his third missed appearance without a word as to where or why. Maybe if we all inquired, they'd say something about it next week.
ReplyDeleteGood morning from windy Colorado!
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle is better than a puzzle about a year ago.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle on February 26, 2023 was about silver. Gold is better than silver. Also, a puzzle a year ago is a year old.
DeleteOkay, solved it. Thank you Dick, Cousin Brucie, Kasey.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Casey.
DeleteHow can you leave out Murray (the K)?
DeleteMaybe even John Landecker as well?
DeletepjbPickedUp[WLS]OutOfChicagoRatherEasilyOnTheRadioBackInTheDay(NotDifficultIn[AL]OnThe[AM]Dial)
when I first heard it I thought it would take a while to solve, but I got it while still in bed. Too easy to clue and then get removed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being my puzzle friends.
ReplyDeleteMillennial's may struggle with this one.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty startled to get this so quickly. Reminds me of when I was a kid. --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteBlaine, I had taken it for granted that I needed a two word phrase. OK, I'll keep trying.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't say, so I wouldn't want to explicitly narrow the search. My initial mistake was not realizing that each PAR in the example is inserted in different spots in SETS. So if you are similarly getting blocked, it's never wrong to question your assumptions.
DeleteThanks Blaine
DeleteToo much for me. I'm not as smart as the rest of you seem to be.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteWere "tal" a word, it would make for quite a story!
ReplyDelete"Al" apparently is a playable word in Scrabble, so I guess you could make a phrase for a pleasant brew. Not quite as intriguing as the phrase you allude to.
DeleteJust for fun, a "Shakespearean" musical clue: Caesar.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteCorrection: That reminds me of you!
DeleteMemories seem like yesterday,
ReplyDeleteGot it! This one took me a while.
ReplyDeleteI spent some time looking for an alternative, but I guess I'll just leave it as a hint instead.
ReplyDelete"Alternative" suggests "or" -- which hints gold.
DeleteThe last time we heard from Will Shortz was Feb. 4th which was recorded on the 2nd. If we hear from him next Sunday, March 3rd, it will be a full month, and at no time during this absence has there been any indication as to why. This is very odd. I can not think of any other time an NPR personality has been absent without comment. I am discounting the possibility of alien abduction, but if this goes on much longer...
ReplyDeleteSDB, I sent an email to NPR management to say there were a lot of concerned fans about his absence. I got a "boiler plate response" with no info at all. All that was said was that they would discuss my note and go from there. They also said that because of the large amount of mail they get, they might not answer answer my message.
DeleteI don't know why you would find it odd. Shortz doesn't owe anyone an explanation. Most people have taken extended leave in their lives at one point or another. If he's gone he's gone. Really, who cares?
DeleteThe earmarks are: 1. A health issue to deal with. (unlikely) 2. Opinion differences in the ranks accompanied by a jockeying for positions. (more likely) [With Rascoe back, it's likely she's calling the shots.]
DeleteAyesha Rascoe is good and clearly a decision by NPR to try to inject some youth into an aging program. But let's be clear she is no Scott Simon on the influence scale. She only took over the job in 2022. I doubt she holds a lot of sway with the management and executive producers, and is likely in the role for a commitment to get up f*$k all early every Sunday for years than anything else.
DeleteI'm curious Cloak'n'Dagger why you would say a health issue is unlikely. The guy will be 73 this Summer and for people of that generation that's when a lot of health issues start to impact you. 74% of people born in 1952 are still alive. Conversely, one quarter are dead.
DeleteWhy are you bringing Ayesha Rascoe into this conversation? She does not make NPR decisions.
DeleteIf WS's absence isn't due to a "reorganization" of some sort - health, sabbatical, vacation, whatever - it would be easy to state that he is taking some time away without stating a reason. Silence sounds as if there is uncertainty as to how his absence is to be addressed. With the number of listeners and fans concerned and interested, some explanation almost has to be forthcoming at some point. NPR doesn't know how to handle that yet because all the chips haven't fallen into place. As to the role of the host - she's the one making the introduction and, therefore, a part of the presentation. I have a feeling her influence isn't inconsequential. This may wash out in a way that surprises all of us. Hopefully the outcome is in the best interest of all concerned - especially WS.
Delete"NPR doesn't know how to handle that yet because all the chips haven't fallen into place" = sounds like cancer to me.
DeleteI hope he is ok.
ReplyDeleteMusic Clue: Well, maybe not this week.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day, I used to play online Diplomacy with someone named Eric Berlin. He was a top player. This was early 90s, I think, pre-WWW, and the game was played using a very nicely designed email server, which a guy named Ken Lowe wrote and maintained as a hobby (and public service).
ReplyDeleteI bet the composer of this week's puzzle is the same guy.
He was also very active on rec.puzzles.
Huh, I'd forgotten that the internet was a lot of fun even before the World Wide Web.
BBS for the win!
DeleteI first played Diplomacy back in the "play by mail" days, using a paper newsletter (Graustark) published out of New York City by John Boardman. (I'm old.)
DeleteFinally! I was getting ready to start slogging through lists of 3 letter words when the answer just hit me.
ReplyDeleteI've got an answer, probably not the right one, but it would probably please my descendants.
ReplyDeleteWith 75 prior comments by Tuesday, it seems this puzzle is confounding many. I'll guess the over/under at 200.
ReplyDeleteI'll take the Over.
DeleteYeah, I'd at least double that: 400.
DeleteI'm thinking over as well. Jan's 400 will probably be pretty close.
DeleteClues make sense now. Even Blaine's!
ReplyDelete"Get a nip tape" is my alternate answer, and I think I like it better than the real answer.
ReplyDeleteI like it too, KK, but it doesn't quite fit the requirements.
DeleteSounds adventurous KK. Think it will hold up?
DeleteMitch McConnell is stepping down. Go!
ReplyDeleteis that a clue?
DeleteIf it is, we may need to suspend all discussion of political succession for a while!
DeleteIf not, is it a Final Jeopardy clue?
So, tell us, WW, which senior Republican senator do you favor for the job? Chuck Grassley? Susan Collins? Crapo? Cornyn? Graham? Thune? (They'd never pick Murkowski.)
None of the choices are all that great. Do you have a preference?
DeleteI dislike them all. But I'd bet on Graham getting it.
Deletejan, yes. And TomR, no.
DeleteTo explain my comment above: Tonight's Final Jeopardy:
Delete1950s POLITICS
IN 1959 BOB BARTLETT & HIRAM FONG EACH WON A COIN FLIP TO GAIN THIS ALLITERATIVE TITLE
When you exclaim "go!" are you asking me to run for Senate Minority Leader?
DeleteBen, do you want to?
DeleteSo many questions, WW. Would I have to run for Senate first? Or is it like Speaker of the House, where anyone can do it? And would they accept me with a stated goal of destroying the Republican Party as we know it? I would not wish to deceive anyone. Asking for a friend. And my full name is Benjamin, but I don't use that.
DeleteNot a clue. But I had a dream the other night. Lindsey Graham was standing in front of a Trump mugshot. On my. clock radio, Whitney Houston was singing "I get so emotional, baby." And Lindsey was grooving to it. Shamelessly.
DeleteI don't mean to be haarping on some of you, but I ben noticing some pretty blaintant clues herein.
ReplyDeleteIf you spoonerize two of the words in the phrase, you might get a description of a famous actor.
ReplyDeleteI bet the actor isn't laughin' at that!
DeleteI'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
DeleteGood one, Paul. Don't settle for leftovers.
DeleteI didn't think that one up myself. I read it off of Ms. Hawn's body fifty some years ago.
DeleteFilling in for Jeannie, who's off this week, I'm Greg Pliska.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDid you submit this, Jan! Very clever!
DeleteThanks, Natasha. No, it's just for this group.
DeleteI submitted a caption this week. Never win.
DeleteWhat was your entry?
DeleteJan, tell you after results, ok? Did you submit the one you posted? It is so good. Hope you win.
DeleteDo you ever vote for the winners? Vote for yourself? I have.
DeleteSo Greg, what's the story with Will?
ReplyDeletePortnoy's complaint.
DeleteGENIE >>> GOLDEN OLDIE
ReplyDeleteMy reference to Windy Colorado included the west side of the metro Denver area in GOLDEN.
OLD + OLD + GENIE → GOLDEN OLDIE
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOur friend Greg VanMechelen (aka "Ecoarchitect") is our featured puzzle-maker on this week's edition of Puzzleria! His "Location Location Location! Appetizer" (consisting of seven fantastic geographically themed puzzles) is titled "Where the Heck are we?'
DeleteWe will upload Puzzleria! tonight around Midnight PST, but probably sooner than that.
Also on this week's menu:
* a Schpuzzle of the Week titled "Pearamount Pickedcherries?"
* a Holding Sway Hors d’Oeuvre titled "Continental Kingdom,"
* a "Channellocking" Tom and Ray Slice titled “Car Talk” with Cleek and Cloak.
* a Darwinian Dessert titled "Humanity taking a stand," and
* About 10 riff-offs of this week's NPR puzzle challenge titled "A Unicorn golden, A Genie in a silver time capsule."
This week's Puzzleria! is the "Location Location Location!" where you want to be be be!
Lego"Channellocking"CleekAndCloak
GOLDEN OLDIE
ReplyDeleteGENIE + OLD X 2 —> GOLDEN OLDIE()
ReplyDeleteLike last week’s puzzle, this one was in my wheelhouse, so I had an advantage, viz….
I have a good friend who’s a classic oldies DJ, and once a week I send him five segments that air, one each day from Tuesday through Saturday, on his radio show. Each is a researched oldies chronicle for that date, followed by an appropriate oldies selection. Nevertheless, I thought it would be wise to steer clear of any related hints as possibly TMI, except for…
“Just for fun, a ‘Shakespearean’ music clue: Caesar”
—> Little Caesar and the Romans’ “Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me of You)” (1961). MusingLink got it.
The phrase “oldies but goodies” came first, antedating “golden oldie” by about a year or two, and was popularized—some say coined—by California DJ Art Laboe (1925-2022). He created the first-ever compilation album, Oldies But Goodies in Hi-Fi (1959), followed by the multi-volume LP series Oldies But Goodies, all produced by his record company, Original Sound.
GOLDEN OLDIE
ReplyDelete> I'm surprised Blaine went with that graphic.
"I Dream of Jeannie" is itself a GOLDEN OLDIE.
> Anagram to get . . . Stan!
The doodling Lee.
>>> Mitch McConnell is stepping down. Go!
>> is that a clue?
> If it is, we may need to suspend all discussion of political succession for a while!
McConnell, all his possible successors, Trump, Biden, etc.: not-so-GOLDEN OLDIEs all!
>> If you spoonerize two of the words in the phrase, you might get a description of a famous actor.
> I bet the actor isn't laughin' at that!
Goldie Hawn got her big start on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.
GENIE + OLD + OLD = GOLDEN OLDIE
ReplyDeleteAs a 75-year-old (turning 76 in two weeks), I found Dr. K’s comment, “A propos of some members of Blainesvillage,” dead accurate, so I opted to not add further comment.
(For the record, I’d rather be thought of as a Golden Oldie than Rusty and Dusty.)
Happy Birthday (in two weeks), SuperZee! Last month, I turned the first of those two ages. As Mae West quipped, "Getting old isn't for the faint of heart."
DeleteAs I like to kid, “The bad news is I’m getting old; the good news is I’m still doing it.”
DeleteI wrote, “Rearrange the last three letters of each of the two words. You get a word that can express accord.” That’s INDEED. Blaine said, “Too specific about the final phrase,” and even so, I obtusely didn’t get what was TMI. He kindly cleared it up, that I had given away the number of words in the answer. When I was hunting phrases, I had just assumed from the “spare parts” example that we were dealing with a two-word phrase, but that was indeed not explicit. Apologies.
ReplyDeleteI submitted:
ReplyDeleteGENIE + 2x OLD -> GOLDEN OLDIE
I submitted clues in response to Word Woman, who is now managing my already failed campaign for US Senate.
WW has been sacked and will never again work in DC, I assure you.
I clued:
So many questions, WW. Would I have to run for Senate first? Or is it like Speaker of the House, where anyone can do it? And would they accept me with a stated goal of destroying the Republican Party as we know it?
I would not wish to deceive anyone. And my full name is Benjamin, but I don't use that.
PRIVATE BENJAMIN and DECEIVED are both GOLDIE HAWN movies.
GOLDEN OLDIE. My hint -- Remove the first letter and the last two letters of the answer to get two ways of saying the same thing. ("Olden" and "old.")
ReplyDeleteWhoever gets the call, let the masses know if the "old" PM will return this week.
ReplyDeleteGolden oldie. I thanked Dick Clark, Cousin Brucie and Casey Kasem. In their later years, the pop music they remembered became "golden oldies " Murray the K, mainly associated with the Beatles, was a legend, but the others lived longer and brought more golden oldies to several generations. Those oldie but goodies remind(s) me of you!
ReplyDeleteMy memories of Murray the K go back to my growing up in NYC in the 60's and listening to the Swingin Soiree and the Submarine Race Watchers. Sadly, Murray died of cancer shortly after his 60th birthday, in 1982.
Delete"Hey you! Leggo my Eggo!" – I only wish that this was my hint.
ReplyDeleteI had thought of two wrong answers:
ReplyDelete1) Add RAT twice to get GRATE ‘N’ IRATE, and
2) Add RAN twice to get RANGER ANNIE.
I would also note that "Hey Jude" is, in fact, a golden oldie. Blaine deserves bonus points for expressing his AU hint with two 3-letter words.
ReplyDelete"You rang?"
ReplyDeleteLeggo(sic)whoHasLaidLoadsOfEggosInHisLifetime!
golden oldie
ReplyDeleteInsert the word "old" twice into "genie" to get "golden oldie".
The submission deadline is 3 p.m. Eastern. How soon after that do they usually call?
ReplyDeleteThey usually call right at 3PM.
DeleteI got the call once and it was about 3:20pm Thursday.
DeleteThat's good to know, Ben. Because I usually walk away from the phone after about 3:05 pm. They must move awfully slow at NPR..
Deletegolden oldie
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “Got a million.” Many years ago I played rock ‘n’ roll professionally. I have more records and know the words to more songs than you could shake a stick at.
Okay, "Timothy" by the Buoys.
DeleteGENIE+OLD twice=GOLDEN OLDIE
DeleteI wouldn't have chosen "Timothy" as an example, though. One of the very last ones to choose from, IMHO.
pjbDoesn'tLikeItIfIt'sInPoorTaste(PunIntended)
One would have to have a very warped sense of humor in order to enjoy a song such as, "Timothy." I know of no one who has such an extremely warped sense of humor. I love the song, "Timothy."
DeleteI spent entirely too much time looking at three letter words that start with T, thinking the phrase might start with GET. It turns out that getting away from the puzzle for a while was what I needed, because when I sat down on Monday night to look at it again, OLD jumped to mind quickly, and I realized that led to GOLDEN OLDIE. Then, I couldn't think of a clue that wouldn't me TMI, so I let it go.
ReplyDeleteI keep wondering if PJB ever solved the 2023 annual puzzle. 😉
ReplyDeleteI thought Blaine's clue referred to a "Golden Oldie" yelling "Get off my lawn!"
ReplyDeletePuzzle Friends:
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard from Will Shortz. He suffered a stroke on February 4th and is in rehab. He is making progress, albeit slowly and appreciated the concern.
BTW-I had Will’s permission to share this information.
DeleteI too waited for a return email with explicit permission which is why I didn't say something until now.
DeleteI heard from him today as well.
ReplyDeleteDitto. I emailed him awhile back about our concerns on his absence. He does hope to be back on the air soon.
ReplyDelete"On January 28, 1996, at age 79, Douglas suffered a severe stroke, which impaired his ability to speak." However he went on to live until age 103.
ReplyDeleteThat should be, Kirk Douglas.
DeleteDid "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" have a ghost writer?
ReplyDeleteWill replied to me, too. Sounds like he genuinely appreciates our concern. Says he hopes to be back on the air soon.
ReplyDeleteSuperZee, Blaine, Dr. K and Chuck (and, of course, WS) -- appreciate the update. Get well, Will.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your return, Will. You were (and are) missed!
ReplyDeleteThis week's challenge comes from listener Anjali Tripathi of Los Angeles, California.
ReplyDeleteTake 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? Again, take a Nobel Peace Prize winners last name, remove the middle three letters and duplicate the last two letters, get the first name of another Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Too easy.
DeleteYes, but kind of clever.
DeleteBorn about 5400 miles apart.
ReplyDeleteI was embarrassed by my not being able to figure out last week's puzzle, but I got this week's fairly easily, thank goodness.
ReplyDelete