Sunday, May 04, 2025

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 4, 2025): Rhymes with Spain

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 4, 2025): Rhymes with Spain
Q: There are four countries whose names have one-syllable anagrams that rhyme with "Spain." What are they?
Check your globes; I think you could fly in a straight line over all 4 countries.
Posted by Blaine at 5:32 AM
Labels: , ,

60 comments:

  1. Dr. KSun May 04, 05:36:00 AM PDT

    I’ve got a 5th, but it’s arguable.

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  2. SuperZeeSun May 04, 05:40:00 AM PDT

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. SuperZeeSun May 04, 05:43:00 AM PDT

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. SuperZeeSun May 04, 05:45:00 AM PDT

      Trying again, some interesting etymology here.

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  3. janSun May 04, 05:43:00 AM PDT

    Over 600 correct entries last week

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  4. PaulSun May 04, 05:46:00 AM PDT

    I suppose it could depend somewhat on what "straight" means on a curved surface, but I think one would have to be a very foolish or stupid person to disagree with Blaine.

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  5. RobSun May 04, 05:47:00 AM PDT

    Rearrange the second letters of the four countries. You get a determination important in many legal cases.

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  6. NoddSun May 04, 05:56:00 AM PDT

    Interestingly, only one letter is common to all four.

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    1. chuckmplsSun May 04, 07:35:00 AM PDT

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. MusinglinkSun May 04, 05:57:00 AM PDT

    I don't understand the procedure. Are just supposed to words that rhyme with Spain hidden in the names of these countries? For instance, if the we was a country called Abstainia, would we pull out the word stain? I don't get these rules at all.

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    1. CritoSun May 04, 05:59:00 AM PDT

      No, you have to anagram the whole name of the country, and get a word that rhymes with 'Spain'.
      E.g., if (only) there were a country called 'Elbina', you could anagram it to make 'Blaine'.

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    2. MusinglinkSun May 04, 06:02:00 AM PDT

      Okay, so we just narrow down the search to countries with five letters? Okay, thanks. See you in Nalibe.

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    3. BlaineSun May 04, 06:21:00 AM PDT

      Rhyming words don't have to have the same number of letters.

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    4. M5Sun May 04, 06:22:00 AM PDT

      Not necessarily, Musinglink.

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    5. MusinglinkSun May 04, 07:48:00 AM PDT

      Gotcha. I figured it out. I was stuck on Bahrain, brain and Estonia, stain. The straight line thing helped, also.

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    6. blackdavidwSun May 04, 07:54:00 AM PDT

      Three of the countries have the same number of letters.

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  8. CritoSun May 04, 05:57:00 AM PDT

    Pretty close, anyway, Blaine. I tried using a nice internet tool and got close -- I'd have to pick exactly the right cities to be sure it can be done.

    Paul, 'straight line' surely means a great circle. (If they were on the same line of latitude, I could see that interpretation too.)

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    1. BlaineSun May 04, 05:59:00 AM PDT

      Yes, great circle and I found two airports that work.

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    2. CritoSun May 04, 06:01:00 AM PDT

      Oh, nice!
      Doh. I was thinking I had to put in four airports! Wow that was dumb.
      Okay now I'm going to look for two airports :)

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    3. CritoSun May 04, 06:09:00 AM PDT

      Ah, got a great circle! I had to put in one of the intermediate airports to be confident. (The tool I used doesn't show country borders.)

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  9. JimSun May 04, 05:58:00 AM PDT

    Can you clarify? Are the countries each only one syllable? Or is one syllable within the name of a multi syllable name anagrammed that rhymes?

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    1. CritoSun May 04, 06:00:00 AM PDT

      Anagram the whole name of the country, and get a word that rhymes with 'Spain'.
      E.g., if (only) there were a country called 'Elbina', you could anagram it to make 'Blaine'.

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    2. BlaineSun May 04, 06:00:00 AM PDT

      Crito has a great explanation above. 😜

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    3. chuckmplsSun May 04, 07:18:00 AM PDT

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. chuckmplsSun May 04, 07:53:00 AM PDT

      That's how I started: What country does Blaine anagram to? Of course, as usual, this got me nowhere.

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  10. MusinglinkSun May 04, 06:14:00 AM PDT

    So can there be letters left over?

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  11. PaulSun May 04, 06:24:00 AM PDT

    At least 10 people ought to be able to solve this week.

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  12. DizSun May 04, 06:29:00 AM PDT

    Got it! Now to think of a clue.

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  13. Word WomanSun May 04, 06:54:00 AM PDT

    Seen on a flashing road sign today:

    Slow down you must.
    Arrive safely you will.

    May the fourth be with you.

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    1. SuperZeeSun May 04, 07:23:00 AM PDT

      Today’s NYTimes puzzle page also had fun with today’s date.

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    2. Dr. KSun May 04, 10:17:00 AM PDT

      Metaphors be with you.

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  14. chuckmplsSun May 04, 06:55:00 AM PDT

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. MusinglinkSun May 04, 07:09:00 AM PDT

    All right, got it! I was at first bogged down with Bahrain, brain, Estonia, stain. But indeed there are four countries that work with all the letters. Not a bad puzzle.

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  16. JAWSSun May 04, 07:46:00 AM PDT

    Took only a few minutes of looking at a world map. It's taking me longer to figure out a clue...

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    1. JAWSSun May 04, 07:52:00 AM PDT

      I'm going to give a supplemental puzzle as my clue. Take the first letters of the four countries. Rotate one letter 90 degrees. If you started with the countries in the correct order, you will have the answer to this supplemental puzzle.

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    2. NoddSun May 04, 09:46:00 AM PDT

      30?

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    3. JAWSSun May 04, 11:56:00 AM PDT

      Great response, Nodd!

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  17. chuckmplsSun May 04, 07:48:00 AM PDT

    Interestingly, the names of the four countries share a feature that the Spain-rhyming anagrams do not have.

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  18. MusinglinkSun May 04, 07:51:00 AM PDT

    AL-BLAINE-IA. Not a clue, just an (imaginary?) land.

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  19. ChuckSun May 04, 09:06:00 AM PDT

    There are famous song lyrics that lend themselves to this puzzle.

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  20. janSun May 04, 09:41:00 AM PDT

    You can anagram the first three letters of all four countries to get the full names of two of them, with one letter left over.

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  21. RudolfoSun May 04, 10:01:00 AM PDT

    Not relevant: some other country name anagrams:
    algeria ~ regalia
    angola ~ analog
    bermuda ~ rumbaed
    burma ~ rumba
    burma ~ umbra
    israel ~ serial
    italy ~ laity
    laos ~ also
    mali ~ mail
    micronesia ~ acrimonies
    oman ~ moan
    persia ~ aspire
    persia ~ paries
    persia ~ praise
    peru ~ pure
    serbia ~ rabies
    tonga ~ tango
    yemen ~ enemy

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  22. skydiveboySun May 04, 10:02:00 AM PDT

    It does not work if you spell Spain correctly, but may with other countries sans anagraming. Easy puzzle and I solved it in bed a couple of hours before it even aired.

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  23. skydiveboySun May 04, 10:03:00 AM PDT

    [CB Radio Chatter near Rome]
    Yeah, breaker one-nine
    This here's the Holy Roller
    You got a copy on me Holy Roller, c'mon?
    Uh, yeah, Ten-Four Holy Roller, fer sure, fer sure
    By golly it's clean clear to The Fisherman's Friend, c'mon
    Yeah, its a big Ten-Four there, Holy Roller
    Yeah, we definitely got the Pearly Gates, Good Buddy
    Mercy sakes alive, looks like we've got us a CONCLAVE

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    1. MusinglinkSun May 04, 10:46:00 AM PDT

      Breaker one niner. Sediagester here. I think Holy Roller's new handle should be C.W. Skydiveboy. Over, good buddy.

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  24. CurtisSun May 04, 10:35:00 AM PDT

    A show tune comes to mind

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  25. BenSun May 04, 10:45:00 AM PDT

    I enjoyed this puzzle.

    Never been to any of the four countries, but I've experienced all four of the things that rhyme with Spain.
    (Never been to Spain, either!)

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    1. Scarlett Sun May 04, 12:05:00 PM PDT

      ....but I've been to Oklahoma 🎶

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    2. janSun May 04, 12:10:00 PM PDT

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. CritoSun May 04, 12:11:00 PM PDT

      TMI, I think!

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    4. ricksterSun May 04, 12:35:00 PM PDT

      By George, she's got it!

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    5. skydiveboySun May 04, 12:43:00 PM PDT

      And I suppose Rex Harrison would call it a Four Poster.

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    6. WolfgangSun May 04, 01:56:00 PM PDT

      Never been to any of the four countries, either…but yes, I have been to Spain—three times! 😁

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  26. BobbySun May 04, 10:58:00 AM PDT

    A word that describes the countries contains one of the words.

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  27. CourtneySun May 04, 01:48:00 PM PDT

    If I have the right answer, two of the countries' anagrams have something in common.

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  28. WolfgangSun May 04, 01:56:00 PM PDT

    Is there a country by the name of El Bani? 🤔

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