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?
Sunday, December 29, 2024
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 29, 2024): Punctual Singer
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 29, 2024): Punctual Singer
84 comments:
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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.
DeleteI see a clue near the top of this page.
ReplyDeleteis
ReplyDeleteCute puzzle, Bobby! And, speaking of punctual, there's a Korean-Canadian musician named Earl Lee.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of a Monty Python song.
ReplyDeletedo do, do do do do do do
DeleteFor 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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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
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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.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
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?
ReplyDeleteA 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
ReplyDeleteWhen 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.
DeleteThink of a famous movie star -- 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 the two names of a very different movie star.
ReplyDeleteI 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?
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...
ReplyDelete