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.
A: CARY GRANT --> CARRY (ULYSSES S.) GRANT
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.
ReplyDeleteThe general got in trouble over it.
I live in Dayton, Ohio. I just now learned of a relevant clue.
ReplyDeleteYes. Contrast that with a certain president who didn't want to get his hair wet!
DeleteTake a shortened version of the actor’s first name at birth and the actor’s surname at birth, rearrange, and get a 2-word phrase that may remind you of an ancient Greek hero.
ReplyDeleteor
Take the actor’s full first name and surname at birth, rearrange, and get a 3-word phrase that names a place you might not want to take your children to.
It really does have the hallmarks of a Mark Scott puzzle!
ReplyDelete(That's not a clue, just a comment.)
Congrats, skydiveboy!
ReplyDeleteYes, congrats!
DeleteYepper.
DeleteSdb, good show! Ironic that this one got picked over some of the others you've shared with us over the years.
DeleteDitto, "Mark Scott of Seattle" (whom we know as "skydiveboy").
DeleteLegoWhoOfCourseHasNotSolvedskydiveboy's"GeneralKnowledge"PuzzleYet
Clever puzzle, SDB. Congrats!
DeleteYes, congratulations SDB, on finally getting one of yours used by "WISH" after a long while. Guess yours came true this week!
DeletepjbSolvedItEasily,SoHeWon'tAskForAnyHints([SDB]Doesn'tDoThatSortOfThing,AsMyFellowPuzzleriansKnow!)
The first name is phonetically the title of a famous movie.
ReplyDeleteThe initials of the general's full name may remind you of last week's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteNice, but easy. I'm thinking the over/under should be set at about 2,000 this week.
ReplyDeleteI have it, rather simple...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFeels like the answer to a riddle you'd get in Bazooka comics
ReplyDeleteIs that another way of saying it's a "dad joke"?
DeleteAnd I just now got it. It's funny. because one of the first horses I thought of ... well, you can figure it out.
DeleteThere’s a spice that’s close.
ReplyDeleteThird actor I thought of. I should have started with the general.
ReplyDeleteAs Shaq might say, "Go to 'the general' and save some time."
DeleteI'm reminded of a Venus Flytrap.
ReplyDeleteLast week's puzzle helped me get this one, on two different fronts.
ReplyDeleteWW, see my comment above.
DeleteDr. K, I saw that. Now I'm thinking my initial answer was more complicated than the simpler one called for here. And it fits better with the Bazooka bubble gum reference.
DeleteWe had lovely rain and a cool down last evening. Finally, time for a sweater!
ReplyDeleteOne of them was born in the US, the other wasn't.
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there.
DeleteDespite considered "one of the greatest actors of their time" this actor never won an acting Academy Award.
ReplyDeleteHmm, the answer I got won an Academy Award in the 1960's.
DeleteI do have what's probably the intended answer now, and it's far simpler than my original thought. And it fits the clues here.
DeleteWhoa! This week we might not have to read skydiveboy's complaints, jabs and barbs about the puzzle, the "interns," NPR, and the Puzzlemaster.
ReplyDeleteI'm more than a little shocked at this easy one being credited to Mark, considering the whinging he does (rightfully so) at lame puzzles. I thought there would be more nuance.
DeleteLike so many actors, this one couldn't hold a marriage together to save his/her life...
ReplyDeleteIt isn't John Cleese.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a lot of recent puzzles about famous actors of the past and other famous people of the past.
ReplyDeleteA lot of puzzles recently have mentioned somebody as "of the past" or "buried" (Ray Charles, Alec Guinness, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant). The movie When Harry Met Sally was also referred to as "of the past". Cary Grant, Grant car was an alternate answer to the Alec Guinness, Guinness ale puzzle. Cary Grant was also mentioned in the Gary Cooper puzzle.
DeletePeccadillo peccadillo dapper.
ReplyDeleteLegoWhoHasSolvedMisterScott'sPuzzle
Think of something else a horse might do, and combine it with the name of someone this general famously opposed. You'll get a singer.
ReplyDeleteBuck + Lee = Buckley!
DeleteThere is a famous actress of today in which this puzzle fits too!
ReplyDeleteAlexandraStar, I like it!
DeleteNice comment, AlexandraStar! There's another modern actress whose last name phonetically tells what a famous general's horse might have done on a bad day.
DeleteBREAKING NEWS!
ReplyDeleteJoe Biden has just announced he is dropping out of the presidential race and will now devote his time to attempting to solve my puzzle.
We can't wait that long, SDB.
DeleteEven Joe got this one quickly. 😃
DeleteCan one say chaos, vacuum of power, and lame duck at the same time? I hope somebody is minding the store and keeping an eye on the bad guys. Then again, we haven't seen a real old timey, rip roaring, political convention in a long time. This could be a good civics lesson in the making. Interesting times, these, Sports Fans.
ReplyDeleteI agree. A great opportunity for High School teachers everywhere (if it weren't Summer break....)
DeleteSchools here in Colorado start August 19 or sooner so perfect timing for talking about the DNC.
DeleteHmm. I can think of a current actor that fits with this puzzle, but haven't come up with someone from the past yet...
ReplyDeleteWait! Scratch that, I was on the right track with my initial actor but now I've got the one from the past.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure this is one of those puzzles Will uses to demonstrate that many people listen to the segment. I thought, given some previous posts here that Will was unhappy with SDB. Guess he's on the unity train now. This one "excited" him and he "loved" it. Go figure. And SDB - it's all in good humor.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnd what was the name of the horse?! (at least 2 possible answers) Don't answer till Thursday.
ReplyDeleteI've been through the desert
DeleteOn a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert, you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
All that plus retiring Joe Biden ... nice day of work!
DeleteCARY GRANT, CARRY GRANT(Ulysses S.)
DeleteAre you sure he wasn't on a pony he named Wildfire?
pjbShouldBe[MMM]For"MichaelMartinMurphey"!
Mae West
ReplyDelete"Pardon me while I slip into nuttin' more comfortable."
DeleteOn Sunday, a friend happened to post on his FB page a video of Mae West on the Dick Cavett Show. She talks about hiring Cary Grant for a couple of movies.
Delete33 As
ReplyDeleteThis morning because it was posted here someone might have an alternate answer, something I had not considered before, I thought about it and almost immediately came up with another answer that actually does work. I then emailed Will Shortz and advised him of this, to which he right away responded, thanking me for the heads up. So, if you think you may have another answer that qualifies I suggest you submit it and it may get mentioned by Will.
ReplyDeleteAnswer is simple. Blaine's clue is a head-scratcher.
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know on Thursday
DeleteI think I have it. There's a two-step connection to the horse that explains the two-step connection to the rider.
DeleteThe awful pun?
ReplyDeleteWhat, if anything, do we know really precisely?
ReplyDeleteMy poor old friend Socrates used to ask that same question!
DeleteWhat did Playdough say?
DeleteFor one thing, we now know that a combination of jet lag, a cold, a bad day, and Fauci Flu has consequences.
Delete"...we know really precisely": WKRP
Deletehttps://www.civilwarmonitor.com/grants-war-horse-cincinnati/
In thinking of war-horses, Traveller first came to mind.
I suppose if we change "actor of the past" to "present-day actress", Kerry Washington might work.
I got two generals
ReplyDeleteok ok no need to brag
DeleteI'm not bragging, only concerned that I may be wrong
DeleteC a p, you are generally not wrong.
DeleteThanks WW
DeleteHas anyone read Hillbilly Elegy? No clue here. However, if I have the right actor and the right general, a maiden name would have been useful to the general. Generally speaking.
ReplyDeleteYou're both right about the Oscars. There are different kinds of Oscars.
ReplyDeleteOn November 13, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence; that request came from his wife.
DeleteDeep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that someday he would return to her.
DeleteWith nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his childhood friend, Oscar Madison.
Sometime earlier, Madison's wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return.
Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?
pjbBelievesIfTheyDon'tDriveEachOtherCrazy,ThenYouDon'tHaveAGoodSitcom(OrMovie,Either)
What do you call a low ranking British army officer who resides in a lavatory?
ReplyDeleteLoo Tenant, I guess?
DeleteA loo tenant is correct. Good job; a royal flush for sure.
DeleteAnyone else would just be called a squatter.
DeleteExcept, in Britain, they're called "leftenants".
DeleteBut jan, left tenants are no longer residing there, they have left, right?
DeleteIs a loo tenant any relation to a rear admiral?
DeletepjbAlwaysLooksOutForNumberOne...OrTwo,ForThatMatter
Or he could work with a commode door.
DeleteIf I'm right, I'm annoyed, because the wording implies that the horse's action should be in the past tense. In my answer, it isn't. I would have preferred the wording "something the horse used to do."
ReplyDeleteI think the wording is OK. For example, what the general did was "serve in the military."
DeleteBut 'was serve' is past tense as is 'served'; whereas 'serve' is present tense.
DeleteI'm with Lancek on this.
DeleteIn Lancek's example, 'was serve' is not a verb or verb phrase. The word 'serve' has no tense in that example. It is a non-finite phrase, in 'plain form', although in English it is very hard to tell the difference between plain form and third person singular. But replace 'serve' in Lancek's example with 'be happy' and you'll see that it has no tense.
Cincinnati, General Ulysses S. Grant's horse used to “CARRY GRANT” → CARY GRANT.
ReplyDeleteCARY GRANT, U.S. GRANT
ReplyDelete> I've got the intended answer and two others
Also: CARRIE FISHER (Joseph W. Fisher and Benjamin F. Fisher were also Civil War generals).
CARY GRANT, ULYSSES S. GRANT
ReplyDeleteHint: “Take a shortened version of the actor’s first name at birth and the actor’s surname at birth, rearrange, and get a 2-word phrase that may remind you of an ancient Greek hero.”
Archie Leach —> archaic heel —> Achilles (also hinting obliquely at another ancient Greek hero, Ulysses)
Hint: “Take the actor’s full first name and surname at birth, rearrange, and get a 3-word phrase that names a place you might not want to take your children to.”
Archibald Leach —> a blah childcare (this one was just for fun)
Hint: “The initials of the general’s full name may remind you of last week’s puzzle.”
Hiram Ulysses Grant —> HUG (Grant’s birth name’s initials and a romantic gift of sorts)
And congratulations, once again, to sdb!
CARY GRANT, ULYSSES S. GRANT.
ReplyDeleteI didn't bother with a clue, because it's summer and I'm lazy.
What will you be treated to this week on Puzzleria!?...
ReplyDelete"Zarkinization!"
That's right... our good friend SuperZee presents you with a brio-filled trio of dazzling posers!
His latest always-popular-and-challenging installment of "Jeff Zarkin Puzzle Riffs" is triply-titled:
~ “D.I.Y. camping equipment,”
~ “What clothing's composed of,” and
~ “Off the field, out to pasture?”
But... no need to wait for 'em... we'll upload Puzzleria! sometime soon this afternoon.
Also on our menu this week:
* a "Schpuzzle of the Week" titled "Love’s Labor’s Lost in translation?"
* a Seven-Letter "Liquid Hors d’Oeuvre" titled "Brands of brandy, perhapsibly?"
* a "Clueless Slice" titled "Mathematical OperatiOnOsphere,"
* an "Endearing Dessert" titled "Sentimentally sappy lovey-dovey," and
* A dozen riffs of this week's "skydiveboydriven" NPR Puzzle, titled "Archie Leach on (not in) Sin-Sinn-City?"
Join us please for some Jefferiffic fun!
LegoWhoRiddles"WhatIsTheCaptainOfAWholeBoatloadOfPuzzlingFunCalled?"IsIt"Lego?"..."No!AZarkin!"
My Sun Jul 21, 09:48:00 AM PDT Hint:
Delete"Peccadillo peccadillo dapper,"
is a paraphrase of:
"Sin Sin Natty," or "Cincinnati," the name of one of General Ulysses S. Grant's mounts.
LegoPeccadilloArmAndALegadillo
Cincinnati was named after Cincinnatus, a Roman. That was my two-step connection to the horse that explained Blaine's two-step connection to the rider.
DeleteCARY GRANT (Carry General Ulysses S. Grant, from the American Civil War)
ReplyDeleteor
CARRIE FISHER (Carry General George A. Fisher Jr., from the Vietnam War, and you can argue about how famous he is.)
I'm reminded of a Venus Flytrap. - General Grant's horse was named Cincinnati, which reminded me of WKRP in Cincinnati, which had a character named Venus Flytrap.
I'm less inclined to question whether General Fisher is famous than I am to question whether or not he had a horse while doing his generaling in Vietnam...
DeleteI wrote, “I live in Dayton, Ohio. I just now learned of a relevant clue.” I learned that General Grant’s horse was named Cincinatti, a city fifty miles away.
ReplyDeleteCary Grant, Ulysses S. Grant. The maiden name was Cannon, as In actress Dyan Cannon, Cary Grant's last wife. Not a bad puzzle.
ReplyDeleteCARY GRANT — ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT
ReplyDelete(The horse would "carry Grant.")
This would not have worked with Cary Grant's given name, Archibald Alexander Leach.
I said "I should have started with the general." Ulysses Simpson Grant would have come to mind first, even before Eisenhower, Patton, or Pershing. Oh well, the third actor I thought of (after Gregory Peck and James Stewart)—that's still not bad, huh?
I wrote "It isn't John Cleese.". His character in A Fish Called Wanda was named Archie Leech.... similar to, but not exactly, the birth name of Cary Grant (Archibald Alec Leach).
ReplyDeleteCary Grant, carry Grant
ReplyDeleteUlysses Grant's horse used to carry Grant.
On Sunday I posted that because jan posted he had an alternative answer I got thinking what it might be and right away came up with an answer that works. I then emailed Will Shortz to advise him, and he replied right away thanking me for the heads up. Now I am surprised no one so far has even come close to my alt answer. I will post it later, but here is a hint: Carry is not the first word, and the general wore 5 stars.
ReplyDeleteI have two answers this week; the second is more phonetically sound (pun intended) >>>
ReplyDeleteRUDY VALLEE (RODE THE VALLEY) and GENERAL JAMES THOMAS BRUDENELL
"Last week's puzzle helped me get this one, on two different fronts."
1. RUDY VALLEE's given name was Hubert PRIOR Vallée.
2. RUDY is just one letter off from the GEM RUBY.
"We had lovely rain and a cool down last evening. Finally, time for a sweater!" >>> BRUDENELL was the 7th Earl of CARDIGAN.
CARY GRANT (Carry Grant), ULYSSES S GRANT Duh
His HORSE FUNCTIONED To " Carry" GENERAL GRANT
ReplyDelete(Actor="Cary Grant")
I don't mean to steal AlexandraStar's reveal, but I think the modern actress she alluded to is Kerry Washington. The modern actress whose last name phonetically tells what a famous general's horse might do on a bad day is the Irish actress Jessie Buckley.
ReplyDeleteCary Grant (carry General Ulysses S. Grant)
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “There’s a spice that’s close.” I was thinking of MSG which is pretty close to USG.
I thought you meant Curry- not far from Cary.LOL
DeleteI initially thought of Kerry Washington, but knew it couldn't be correct because she is a contemporary actor. When I thought to consider other presidential generals I thought of Grant and Cary Grant immediately became clear.
ReplyDeleteMY ALTERNATE ANSWER:
ReplyDeleteBUCK HENRY >>> Henry "Hap" Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. He is the only 5 star general in more than 1 branch of the services. He first was the 5 star general of the army who ran the Army Air Force. After WWII ended the U.S. Air Force was created and he transferred over with the same rank.
If no one sent this in as an answer then I suspect Will Shortz will not mention it. It will be interesting to see come Sunday.
Fun fact: On one of the many SNL episodes that Buck Henry hosted back in the 70s, he was accidentally struck on the forehead by John Belushi's sword in a Samurai sketch. For the rest of the show, not only did Henry wear a big bandage on his forehead, but several cast members also sported a bandage in solidarity with their host. I hadn't really thought about this again until I found out many members attending the RNC last week were seen sporting bandages on their ears, just like Trump now has due to the assassination attempt. What I'd like to know is: Which makes more sense, or more likely, which makes less sense?
ReplyDeletepjbAppearsToBeWaryOfHumanBandage
Nodd,
ReplyDeleteYou have yet to explain your hint?????
A rabbit was crossing the road and got hit by a
ReplyDeletecar and was killed. An old Indian came by, saw
the rabbit laying there. He pulled out a vile of liquid
and poured it on the rabbit. A minute later the rabbit
jumps up, starts hopping down the road. He stops,
waves back at the Indian, hops some more and waves,
starts hopping again stops and waves. A lady watching
this in amazement asked the Indian what was in the vial....
To which the Indian replied: It was hare restorer with
a permanent wave
(I did not coin this one, but ran across it on my computer while transferring documents to my new computer and couldn't resist posting it here.)
Funny! I love bunny jokes. They make me so hoppy.
DeleteA priest, a minister and a rabbit walk into a bar. They sit down and order their drinks, the bartender asks "What are your blood types?" The priest says "A," the minister says, "AB+" and the rabbit says
"I think I might be a typo".
Clever.
DeleteThis week's challenge comes from listener Adam Aaronson, of Deerfield, Ill. Think of a classic movie title in which the initials of all the words up to the last one, in order, spell the number of letters in that last word. The number of words in the title is for you to discover. What film is it?
ReplyDeleteToo easy!
DeleteYes, easy, assuming the phrase "up to the last word" means "not including the last word."
DeleteYep…first movie I tried.
DeleteThis one's for Dr. Awkward.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePatton owned Lipizzaners, who were known to kneel. Patricia Neal is a famous actor.
ReplyDeleteYour facts are correct, but I do not see how "Patricia Neal" describes what Patton's horse did.
DeleteYour facts are correct, but I do not see how "Patricia Neal" describes what Patton's horse did.
ReplyDelete