The unused letters anagram to the start of a fun video game.Q: Think of a famous singer -- first and last names. Use all of the first name, plus the first three letters and the last letter of the last name. The result, reading left to right, will spell a phrase meaning "punctual." What singer is this?
Edit: The video game is KERBAL Space Program
A: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE --> JUST IN TIME
Blaine, do you think your hint is TMI?
ReplyDeleteI agree. I got the answer by googling that.
DeleteOk, I changed it.
DeleteAlmost 900 correct entries last week
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Bobby!
ReplyDeleteThis is 'our' Bobby?
DeleteI believe it is.
DeleteThank you. I finally had a puzzle on NPR.
DeleteCongrats, Bobby!
DeleteOh, *that* Bobby. Well, congratulations!
DeleteYes, congratulations, Bobby!
DeleteIt seems a little bit of a stretch to say the phrase means "punctual." Clever puzzle, though.
ReplyDeleteA famous song has the phrase as its title.
ReplyDeleteToo easy. Since the weather’s turned mild, I think I’ll head to the park.
ReplyDeleteWishing all a safe, healthy, and happy 2025.
Rearrange the letters in the even positions of the phrase. You can get two different arrangements, opposites of each other.
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone here has a great 2025. You should know that 2025 is the sum of the cubes of the first nine positive integers, and like all such sums of sequential cubes starting with 1, it is a square number, 45 x 45 = 2025.
Congrats, Bobby!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteKudos to Bobby: a gentleman and a scholar and a superb puzzle-maker!
DeleteLegoWhoThanksBobbyForTheCreativityHeSharesWithUsOnPuzzleria!
Sharing great news. Welcome back to the new York times full-time.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/29/crosswords/editors-note-guess-whos-back-back-again.html
Great news, indeed!
ReplyDeleteSalhyr
ReplyDeleteThe singer was in a band with an appropriate name.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of that band, but I'm more familiar with the one you get by dropping one repeated letter and rearranging.
DeleteNSYNC - N ≈> CSNY
DeleteJustin Timberlake was in NSYNC, which sounds like "in sync". When you are just in time, you are in sync with when you need to do something.
DeleteI see a clue near the top of this page.
ReplyDeleteBring it on down to Blainesville!
Deleteis
ReplyDeleteCute puzzle, Bobby! And, speaking of punctual, there's a Korean-Canadian musician named Earl Lee.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of a Monty Python song.
ReplyDeleteFor those you who liked the Will Shortz year end news puzzles: Think of another singer with the same first name. Take the first three letters and the last letter of last name to get an item that may have contributed to a news event related to the puzzle answer.
ReplyDeleteAt least it sounds like...
DeleteAuf Deutsch?
DeleteAhhh! I stand corrected. That occurred to me, but I mistakenly thought the 2 middle letters were transposed.
DeleteIt didn't take a mug of coffee to lean into this answer.
ReplyDeleteGot it. I'm going to say the over/under for correct answers is 2004.
ReplyDeleteI know! Ed Sheerhan. Ed's Heer... I know, too many letters.
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ReplyDeleteI came in when the clue was video games, but I don't know any of those unless you count Wordle and Connections and their ilk. Got it pretty fast, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm having a hard time with a clue. But I'll say: Blossom Dearie. (This seems to be something you can find if you already have the answer, but not vice versa.)
ReplyDeleteCheers, Bobby, having your puzzle submission aired!
ReplyDeleteLast four letters of the last name spell a relevant word if change one letter.
ReplyDeleteAlso an actor. Though no Alec Guinness.
ReplyDeletePerfect for the holiday season!
ReplyDeleteAll right, I just got it! This punctual alpha (could be either!) has also been in the flicks.
ReplyDeleteWhen the on air guest was asked at the end how he felt, I thought he replied with a clever word play answer, but I just went back and listened to his reply and I was wrong. He said he was afraid it "would be punishing. " When I heard it while still in bed, I thought he said "maybe punishing," which would have been a MA-P reply.
ReplyDeleteThink of another synonym for PUNCTUAL and remove 2 adjacent letters and then switch the positions of 2 letters near the end and you will have the last name of a singer I think you all know.
ReplyDeleteInteresting catch, there Skydiveboy. He (the contestant) said "Wedding Cake" in reference to the cake in MacArthur Park. There is no "Wedding Cake" in MacArthur Park. It's just referred to by its "Sweet Green Icing." Whoever heard of a green wedding cake? Melting!? Frankly, I'm glad lost the damned recipe!
ReplyDeleteJimmy Webb's mysterious composition was given new life in the recent Beetlejuice sequel, where the cake was definitely a wedding cake. The sweet green icing melted down without the rain. One of the best scenes in the movie involved Tim Burton's re-resurrection of the Banana Boat song!
DeleteFor B*********e, anything!! Even a green wedding cake! (Just don't say his name three times!!)
DeleteI don't mean any disrespect, and I'll go out on a limb, but me thinks most folks believe Sasquatch is not real.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2024/12/29/us/washington-forest-death-sasquatch/index.html
At first I thought this isn't the kind of puzzle for an old fart like me. But, with the aid of an appropriate list, the name popped right out. That'll teach me to not be so quick to dump on myself.
ReplyDeletePAUL BUNYAN
ReplyDeleteR. I. P., Jimmy Carter.
ReplyDeleteYes, rest easy Mr. President and Mr. Humanitarian. We'll miss your humanity.
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DeleteWe travel through Plains, Georgia every year on our way to Tennessee (autumn) and Michigan (summer). We prefer the back roads over the interstate whenever possible. It's a pilgrimage we will always treasure.
DeleteRIP, President Carter. A mediocre President, but a great human being.
ReplyDeleteAnd in the end, which really matters more?
ReplyDeleteIn the end, the peace you rest in is equal to the peace you build.
DeleteI have always found it more than a bit tiresome when I hear people denigrate Jimmy Carter's presidency. I felt, and still do even more now, he was one of our better heads of state. He was certainly far better than the 2 terms of Nixon, and the 2 terms of Reagan, and the 2 terms of Clinton, and the 2 terms of Bush and the 2 terms of Obama. I believe those 2 termers were all failures. Not only that, but I believe Biden's single term will also eventually be seen as outstanding. Most of our presidents in my opinion have been dismal failures. And now look at what we are in store for.
DeleteDoes it all hinge on our definition of greatness? Only a question.
DeleteI think that is both a fair and intriguing question. I tend to see it in good vs. evil or positive vs. negative outcomes and results.
DeleteA legacy of Habitat for Humanity, the Carter Center, the Camp David Accords—and a well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize.
ReplyDeleteWe should all leave something like that behind.
Diz, Well spoken.
DeleteCame to me easily. There are not many first names (male or female) that become phrase words...
ReplyDeleteNumerical clue: 5905
ReplyDeleteMy initial train of thought led me to the answer this week.
ReplyDeleteOften said about breaking news.
ReplyDeleteGot it. Took a while. RIP President Carter...and thank you.
ReplyDeleteI dunno. Carter had a good post-presidency. But, like all the post-WWII presidents, he failed to do anything significant about the biggest problem facing us: not inflation, or the borders, or drugs, or health care, or climate change, but the threat of imminent nuclear Armageddon, which could happen at any moment. They're all lucky failures.
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of the Carter Presidency; but I am a fan of the man and his humanitarian accomplishments. He's probably the most decent person who ever held, or will ever hold, the office. One thing that doesn't get a lot of mention is that when Operation Eagle Claw failed spectacularly and tragically, Carter publicly accepted responsibility. We don't see that from "leaders" much these days. The failure wasn't his fault, but he was in command. He understood command and responsibility. We could use more of that little publicized aspect.
DeleteA pair of excellent, wise and well-thought-out comments, jan and Cloak'n'Dagger.
DeleteLegoAppreciative
Finally solved Bobby's puzzle this afternoon. The odd thing is, in all the singer lists I consulted(many of which were rather comprehensive), the answer was not listed even once. I ended up getting the phrase before the name, which definitely made it easier to solve. Popped into my head after I'd nearly given up altogether. Good one, Bobby!
ReplyDeletepjbJustLearnedOfEx-Pres.Carter'sPassingWhileListeningTo"TimeWarpWithBillSt.James"ThisEvening
Although it’s Christmas time and my heart is open, no one got a diamond ring or a fancy car.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Carter has passed on. The Pope has expressed his heartfelt condolences. Our current president has declared this Thursday a national day of mourning. I am shaking my head in dismay.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Carter led an exemplary life lasting a full century, or one hundred years. He has now graduated and moved on to new challenges and growth and accomplishments, but we are supposed to feel bad about his moving on? I just don't get it. This rampant ignorance of why we are here, and where we are going after our short stay is not helping us evolve.
John 14:12
DeleteClue: Facebook
ReplyDeleteJUSTIN TIMBERLAKE --> JUST IN TIME
DeleteI clued "Facebook" because it's the ultimate "one way" clue.
Search "Facebook" at Google and you can't solve the puzzle. Search "Facebook NPR Sunday Puzzle" at Google and you can't solve the puzzle.
But if you saw the movie THE SOCIAL NETWORK then you know that Justin Timberlake did a (pretty impressive, if I might say) turn at acting, playing Sean Parker, who offered Mark Zuckerberg the idea of naming his new social network FACEBOOK.
When I place an anagram of a significant word in last week's puzzle after the last word in this week's solution phrase, I get something that seems strangely relevant.
ReplyDeleteNice.
DeleteTIME CAPSULE
DeleteI wonder if this singer ever owned a Toyota
ReplyDeleteWell kiss my grits. Seeing all the notices on the passing of Linda Lavin, I discovered that the original Mel’s Diner is but a short walk from my house and still open for business!
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle seems almost irrelevant after the carnage in New Orleans early this morning.
ReplyDeleteIn a country of 334 million, the presence of some nut jobs is inevitable, but we do seem to have exceeded our quota.
DeleteIs this what is meant by the Filbert Principle?
DeleteAre you pecan on me?
DeleteI have come to accept the fact that it is almost impossible for us to enact realistic gun control in our country, but can't we at least insist on Tesla control?
ReplyDeleteAnd after April...
ReplyDeleteJUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, JUST IN TIME
ReplyDeleteIt took only 2 JUSTINS for me to get there.
Justin Timberlake.
ReplyDeleteMy hint was: “Often said about breaking news,” referring to “This just in.”
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE -> JUST IN TIME
ReplyDelete> Salhyr
Crimea river -> "Cry Me a River", an early solo hit of his.
> Also an actor. Though no Alec Guinness.
I also used "Salhyr" as a clue here on Sunday, May 26, when the puzzle answer was "ALEC GUINNESS --> GUINNESS, ALE". (Continuing the chain from "Cry Me a River" to "The Bridge on the River Kwai".)
Puzzleria! is ringing in 2025 with a Bobby Jacobs-inspired extravaganza! Yes, our good friend Bobby has created for us a very clever puzzle titled “A puzzlist walks and runs into a bar...” It appears in his "Puzzle Fun by Bobby Jacobs" feature.
ReplyDeleteBut, because Will Shortz is featuring Bobby's "Punctual/Famous Singer" conundrum as this week's Puzzle Challenge on NPR's Weekend Sunday Edition, we have compiled a couple handfuls of riffs of that puzzle in Bobby's honor.
We shall upload this entire "Delightfully Discombobulating BobbyFest" a little later this afternoon!
Also on this week's menus:
* a Schpuzzle of the Week titled “Significance of six synonyms,”
* a “Foxy fishy” Hors d’Oeuvre titled “Who pinned the y on the donkey?”
* a Centenarian Slice titled Peanuts, Plains and Pisces,
* a Multisyllabic Dessert titled “Dirty urchins and rabble-rousers,” and
* ten-or-so riffs of the NPR Challenge, titled “Bobby’s 'Just in Time' for Auld Lang Syne!” (including six riffs by Nodd and one by Plantsmith).
We invite you all to come and climb "Jacobs' Multi-rung Ladder" with us to "Choir-of-Angels-Sung Puzzling Nirvanah!"
Hallelujah Indeed!
LegoWarblingSomewhereBetweenATenorAndBaritone
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE → “JUST IN TIME”
ReplyDeleteJUSTIN TIMBERLAKE >>> JUST IN TIME
ReplyDeleteJUSTIN TIMBERLAKE (—> JUST IN TIME)
ReplyDeleteIn my hint, the song I alluded to (a “famous” song from the Great American Songbook) is entitled, like the puzzle’s phrase, “Just in Time.”
Congrats again, Bobby.
Just in Tim(berlak)e
ReplyDeleteMy walk in the park brought me to a lake, surrounded by timber.
Justin Timberlake, just in time
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to be on NPR.
Interestingly, 5 years ago the day of this puzzle, there was also a puzzle about a Justin. The puzzle on December 29, 2019 was Justin Trudeau, trust in judo.
DeleteI wrote, “Rearrange the letters in the even positions of the phrase. You can get two different arrangements, opposites of each other.” That is UNITE and UNTIE.
ReplyDeleteMy clue was "Blossom Dearie". She has an... endearing cover of "Just in Time".
ReplyDeleteAnd my comment "perfect for the holiday" was a reference to "Bells Are Ringing," which Judy Holliday starred in on Broadway and on film and which featured that song.
DeleteYears ago Mad Magazine had a piece on people whose names told you everything about them: "Skip Towne," the deadbeat, "Noah Count," the bum, and "Justin Time," the procrastinator. But I thought this might be too close to Three Mile Island, so I passed on the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteCrito – Many years ago I heard her singing this live in a small club in New York.
ReplyDeleteWow!
DeleteI'm very fond of her.
Crito - My wife reminded me that the venue was the former Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel.
DeleteHoly cow.
DeleteI feel like that's something that should have happened in 1950. Was Dorothy Parker at your table?
I'm old but not that old!
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ReplyDeleteJustin Timberlake. One of my clues was a reference to his film role in Alpha Dog, which is a good movie. Justin Timberlake Is almost, ALMOST, James Dean material.
ReplyDeleteTo skydiveboy: I certainly hope you “evolve” into a kinder, gentler person. No one is perfect, and Carter would have been the first to admit it. But we should all STRIVE to be better people. Surely that can’t be a bad goal. But I wish you the best in 2025.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you referring to?
DeleteJustin Timberlake --> just in time
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I posted, “Think of a production strategy used in manufacturing.” A Just-In-Time inventory strategy was all the rage several decades ago and is still very popular today. But evidently Blaine thought my clue was too close to the line so it got zapped. Sorry about that. Most games need a referee and we’re lucky to have the one we have here.
Same puzzle except with movie star names:
ReplyDeleteCHARLIE CHAPLIN => CHARLIE CHAN
Have a Puzzling New Year!
My clue: "I'm reminded of a Monty Python song." I was referring to The Lumberjack Song. (MP is an acquired taste.)
ReplyDeleteHm. 45 squared is 2025.
ReplyDeleteFind numbers X and Y such that:
45 and X and Y are sides of a right triangle
and Y = X + 1
and X + Y = 2025
20 and 25. This is an old one. Happens once each century.
DeleteUmmmm.
DeleteBen, I'm not totally convinced that you've met all the conditions.
Or... any of them.
All that interesting, Crito?
Delete1012 squared = 1,024,144
1013 squared = 1,026,169
The difference between the squares is 2025.
Which is the current year and is also 45 squared.
Night.
All what interesting?
DeleteI guess the last two Rudolfo conditions kinda give it away, now that I see your answer, Ben!
Yup: the joke, if any, is that if you skip the first condition, then the last two make it easy.
DeleteRudolfo's question is hard. I'm going to think about it, but I will come up with an answer by July 24th.
ReplyDeleteOkay, fine, it wasn't hard... but who can see why I gave myself until July 24th?
DeleteJUSTIN TIMBERLAKE --> JUST IN TIME
ReplyDeleteI clued "Facebook" because it's the ultimate "one way" clue.
Search "Facebook" at Google and you can't solve the puzzle. Search "Facebook NPR Sunday Puzzle" at Google and you can't solve the puzzle.
But if you saw the movie THE SOCIAL NETWORK then you know that Justin Timberlake did a (pretty impressive, if I might say) turn at acting, playing Sean Parker, who offered Mark Zuckerberg the idea of naming his new social network FACEBOOK.
Justin Timberlake >> just in time
ReplyDeleteMy numerical clue 5905 refers to RFC-5905 which describes Network Time Protocol v4 used to keep devices IN SYNC
My clue about my ‘initial train of thought’ was a reference to the Train song - Hey Soul Sister - which was the lyric “just in time…I’m so glad you have a one track mind like me…”
ReplyDeleteJUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, JUST IN TIME
ReplyDeletepjbDidn'tGetTheTrainReference,ButThenHeNeverReallyLikedThat"HeySoulSister"SongAnyway(ButThen,That'sHim)
“Christmas time and my heart is open…” are lyrics from a parody song Timberlake performed on SNL.
ReplyDeleteThis week's challenge comes from our friend Joseph Young, and it's a numerical challenge for a change. Take the digits 2, 3, 4, and 5. Arrange them in some way using standard arithmetic operations to make 2,025. Can you do it?
ReplyDeleteThe answer is "Yes." (My eighth grade History teacher stopped framing exam questions that way when a student answered "Can you describe the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?" by answering "Yes.")
DeleteThe harder question is how do you give a clue that is not TMI? Maybe Will should have asked us to put the answer in the form of a limerick.
Congrats, again, Lego! But, too easy.
ReplyDeleteGood one
ReplyDelete1/12/25
ReplyDeleteA little tougher, but quickly solved