Change the last two letters in the first word to a vowel and rearrange everything. The result is a word that describes most of this post.Q: Take the name of a nocturnal creature, in two words. The first word is a spooky sound. Move the last letter of the first word to the start of the second word and you'll get another spooky, nocturnal sound. What is the creature and what are the sounds?
Edit: Change "ch" to "a" and rearrange to get "lowercase"
A: SCREECH OWL —> SCREECH, HOWL
Like last week’s puzzle, I solved this by working backwards from the second word.
ReplyDeleteA poet (whom I’ve met) comes to mind….
Btw, the nocturnal creature’s two-word name rearranges to a pair of antonyms or, maybe, near-antonyms.
And Happy Father’s Day to fathers everywhere!
Uncle John, you were great in the on-air challenge. I'm glad it wasn't me!
DeleteThx! That was mostly due to the magic of editing. Notice there was NO mention of what I do for a living? Because my answer was: "My career was in biology; but I ran afoul of the Bush administration and they blacklisted me-- so now I'm back doing carpentry."
DeleteHey Blaine! I did give a shout-out to this site...alas...it ALSO got the chopping block.
DeleteRearrange both words to get an expression of joy and one of displeasure. Or rearrange just the first word to get other nocturnal things.
ReplyDeleteI think we're on the same wavelength. See above.
DeleteThe possibility occurred to me too, after I posted. Shall I remove mine?
DeleteNo, not necessary. Great minds...,
DeleteI don't believe you would find this species in the 7 Acre Wood. A.G. had a BALL w/ the second part.
DeleteJoy and displeasure -- cheer, scowl; other nocturnal things -- creches.
DeleteRearrange the letters in the odd positions of the creature’s name. You get an animal many species of which are nocturnal.
ReplyDeleteE pluribus unum.
ReplyDeleteWell that was easy. As soon as Will had repeated the challenge I knew that.
ReplyDeleteI was walking a very old, SLOW dog in the woods, and darkness was falling and it started getting creepy. And it just CAME to me.
DeleteHigh-tech police.
ReplyDeleteI prefer Garcia y Vega.
ReplyDeleteI think Ayesha will easily solve this one!
ReplyDeleteStart with the name of the nocturnal creature. Take the last two letters of the first word, and the first two letters of the second word. You get something you might eat.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYes, good!
DeleteYou can also pose this challenge by moving the "first letter of the first word" and leaving everything else the same. In fact, that's what I did until I read the correct challenge on line.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to this variant would be HOOT OWL. a common nickname for the barred owl.
DeleteI was having trouble solving Blaine's clue because I was only rearranging the transformed first word. You have to include the letters of the second.
ReplyDeleteSame here. But a neat solution, isn't it? A reflexive hint...
DeleteYes. As is usually the case with Blaine, a wonderful follow-up.
DeleteApparently not spooky enough; they dubbed in the sound made by another creature in this animal's most famous film appearance (in one of the best movies of the last half-century).
ReplyDeleteI think I heard one of the sounds back in my fifties. I had an earache though.
ReplyDeleteOne of the sounds rhymes with a common fruit.
ReplyDeleteHard to come by up North.
DeleteThe first sound makes me think of a famous lyric in the middle of a hit song that was on a rather nocturnal album.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI thought Blaine might pull that one. I believe you were quoting a big horny guy.
Delete"Who cooks for you" is Great Horned Owl, I believe. Screech owls really do sound like disembodied spirits.
DeleteMusical clue: Katy Perry
ReplyDeleteLoud cats "Roar", and can be transformed into COAL DUST.
DeleteCoal dust can (theoretically, at least) be transformed into a DIAMOND.
Dustin Diamond was best known for portraying Samuel "Screech" Powers.
y(xy)
ReplyDeleteIn the book To Mock a Mockingbird by Raymond Smullyan, the formula for an owl is Oxy=y(xy).
DeleteWell, this one didn't bowl me over.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteTMI
DeleteWe talked about this word play last night on the porch. THIS EXACT THING. Will, are you listening in?
ReplyDeleteHappy Father's Day, dads! And all who act as dads for kids.
Actually, the Sunday Puzzle segment is usually recorded on Friday. So, WW, were YOU listening in? :-)
DeleteActually, JAWS, the conversation happened from about 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Friday. Is that before or after the taping? Or, WOO WOO, simultaneously?! Do tell.
DeleteTaping occured between 2 and 2:20 EST on Friday. That is what fit Ayesha's schedule.
DeleteWW, are you in Mountain time? Does this mean it was simultaneous? You must remember to use your powers for good!
DeleteJAWS, I am currently in Eastern time, thanks to modern conveniences like horse and buggy, you know. So my conversation was definitely first, well before the 2 p.m. taping. But, enough time for the Will/Ayesha spies to horn in on us. ;-)
DeleteI rest my case.
Blaine, breathlessly awaiting your lapel pin review over here. . .
ReplyDeletePlease breathe! Felicia and the kids have a secret outing planned for this afternoon. But I'll see if they'll let me open the lapel pins before we go.
Delete@Blaine, and?!
DeleteWord Woman and I were discussing a relative of this creature a couple of days ago. :) --Margaret G.
ReplyDeleteA byproduct of this creature becomes a major window brand if you replace the last two letters with a vowel.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it every time I look at my small 12 volt air pump I am reminded of the 1700's? Anyone know?
ReplyDeleteYou remember the 1700's?
DeleteDon't you?
DeleteNodd will know why.
DeleteIf you can remember the 1700's you weren't really there.
DeleteIs the pump baroque-n?
DeleteVoltaire
DeleteNice!
DeleteThanks.
DeleteBlaine, Blogger is acting up again. Look at the bottom of the comment thread and you might notice Newer Post is there, but there is no newer post.
ReplyDeleteThe reflecting pool is quickly becoming a drain on our economy. I have to admit to agreeing with DLT that its issues were caused by vandalism, and I know who the vandal is.
ReplyDeleteIt's so decent of Will to include third graders in the pool of puzzle submitters.
ReplyDelete@Spanky McFarland, let's not forget the kindergartners, first-and second-graders in that pool of submitters.
DeleteReminds me of fingers and schools.
ReplyDeleteReferriing tio the sound fof fingernails on blackboards.
DeleteGinsberg
ReplyDeleteReminds me of my favorite Dutch artist...
ReplyDeleteAnd my favorite German movie.
DeleteI think Dr. Awkward was thinking of M.C. Escher, which anagrams to "Screech + M." "M" is my favorite German movie.
DeleteThis is very clever—and in many ways more interesting than my actual clue! I was thinking of Hieronymus Bosch, who included owls in many of his works.
DeleteSCREECH OWL & HOWL
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSCREECH OWL —> SCREECH, HOWL
Delete“A poet (whom I’ve met) comes to mind….”
—> Allen Ginsberg, “Howl” (I met Ginsberg on a few occasions.)
“Btw, the nocturnal creature’s two-word name rearranges to a pair of antonyms or, maybe, near-antonyms.”
—> cheer, scowl (Nodd and I: perfect together)
I actually have a couple of Ginsberg’s books autographed by him: His Howl and Other Poems, which he autographed at a friend’s house in 1982, and his Collected Poems 1947-1980, which he autographed at a reading in 1992.
DeleteMy post - “The first sound makes me think of a famous lyric in the middle of a hit song that was on a rather nocturnal album.” - this referred to the lyric “Stop right there” in the middle of Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” song on their hit (nocturnal) album “Bat out of Hell”. That lyric might correspond to a screeching sound (as in screeching to a halt).
ReplyDeleteEllen Foley also played Billie Young on "Night Court" (another nocturnal connection).
DeleteGood one - I didn’t realize that!
DeleteI wrote, “Rearrange the letters in the odd positions of the creature’s name. You get an animal many species of which are nocturnal.” That’s SHREW.
ReplyDeleteThe odd letters in the word SCREECH OWL would be S, R. E, H, O, and L. The W in OWL is the even letter. No wonder I was never sure I had the right answer! I submitted SCREECH OWL as well as BAY OWL. A dog or wolf would BAY at the moon, and YOWL also sounds scary, maybe even more so than HOWL. Not really a good idea to check back here after you're unsure if you did get the right answer to the Sunday Puzzle or not.
DeletepjbWillSayTheOnlyThingThatWasCorrectThatWasAlludedToEarlierOnThisBlogWasThatTheLastTwoLettersOfTheFirstWordAndTheFirstTwoOfTheSecondWouldSpellSomethingYouEat,BecauseThe[CH]OfScreechPlusThe[OW]OfOwlDoesSpell"Chow"!
Sorry, WORDS "screech owl". Didn't catch that until I looked it over after I was through.
DeletepjbWondersIfTheLatinPhrase"MeaCulpa"IsActuallyALooseTranslationOfThePhrase"MyBad"?
Although my first answer (HOOT OWL) was the right answer to an alternate question, I think BAY OWL should be a perfectly acceptable alternate answer for this one.
DeleteMy clue was “E pluribus unum”, because screech owls comprise 22 different species.
ReplyDeletescreech owl (screech, howl)
ReplyDeleteThe US Park Police are looking at blurry video camera footage of a man reaching into the reflecting pool and pulling something out. They are still investigating.
ReplyDeleteI suspect further examination of the video will show the suspect was retrieving his MAGA hat that had fallen into the pool.
We are very proud to feature on this week's edition of Puzzleria! a quintet of excellently tantalizing posers composed by an extremely inventive puzzle-maker and very valued friend of Puzzleria! His “Enigmatic Gleanings” Appetizer is titled:
ReplyDelete~ The Former Lieutenant Was No 10;
~ Screens Come in All Sizes;
~Good Sports All Round;
~They Taste Terrible if Mixed; and
~ Satire Inside Out Makes Irates!
You will not find anywhere puzzles any more clever or more challenging than these created by all our brilliant contributors!
We will upload this week's P! ASAP.... very soon this very afternoon, or very soon thereafterward... or as soon as we can! (It's a kind of "work-in-progress" this week... but it will eventually all unfold...)
Also on this week's menus:
*a Schpuzzle of the Week titled "Recollecting Rejected Jettisoned Hijacked-Jet Words!"
*a Fife Takes A Wife Hors d’Oeuvre titled Thelma “Hononlulu” Lou!
*a Puzzle Slice about "a single lantern cloaked in snowfall & single lantern white with frost..."
* a whole mess of spooky screechy-howly riffs of this week's NPR Puzzle Challenge, including riffs created by Riffmeisters-Supreme, Nodd and Plantsmith; and
* a Custard-Sweet Custodial Dessert titled "Keys to Clinical Cleanliness."
Those who display their puzzling brilliance on our blog are all "Picassos of Puzzledom."
Lego...
I wrote "Apparently not spooky enough; they dubbed in the sound made by another creature in this animal's most famous film appearance (in one of the best movies of the last half-century)." In "My Cousin Vinny" Mr. Gambino was woken up by a screech owl. The screech owl was real, but they dubbed in the cry of a hoot owl because the screech owl, ironically enough, utters gentle whinnies and trills rather than screeches (except for a brief period during mating season). The barn owl, on the other, sounds like a denizen of Hell all the year round. https://www.reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/8vkljx/the_sound_of_a_screech_owl_does_not_resemble_a/
ReplyDeleteBarn owls are sometimes called hoot owls. Or so I am told.
DeleteI originally thought the answer was "hoot owl" because I misheard the instruction to tell me to move the first, not the last, letter of the first word. Pretty easy either way.
SCREECH OWL, SCREECH, HOWL
ReplyDeleteMargaret and I were just talking about owls on Friday. If I recall correctly the BARRED OWLS hoot and the BARN OWLS hiss.
Whay a HOOT!
SCREECH OWL, SCREECH, OWL
ReplyDeleteI had said, "Start with the name of the nocturnal creature. Take the last two letters of the first word, and the first two letters of the second word. You get something you might eat."
That gets CHOW, a nickname for food in general.
Stretch Owl/Screech, Howl
ReplyDeleteMy Mother-in-Law collects owls. We have 12+ foot long shelf on her room with somewhere around 300 of them. Plus assorted art work.
And before anyone asks, no, Mom never screeches. She is a quiet, and delightful person. I’ve never heard her raise her voice.
SCREECH OWL --> SCREECH, HOWL
ReplyDelete> High-tech police.
Megascops, the genus of the SCREECH OWL is pretty close to MegaCops.
My clue: "A byproduct of this creature becomes a major window brand if you replace the last two letters with a vowel." (Pellet-Pella) An owl's stomach can't break down rigid materials like fur, feathers, claws, and bones, so its gizzard compresses these into a tight oval mass. The owl then regurgitates this compressed mass, known as a pellet.
ReplyDeleteScreech owl, Screech, Howl
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “One of the sounds rhymes with a common fruit.”
Screech, peach.
I was tempted to make some comment about "fuzzy logic".
DeleteSCREECH OWL, SCREECH, OWL
ReplyDeleteMy clue I think I heard one of the sounds back in my fifties. I had an earache though. derived from Alan Ginsburg's poem, HOWL, which debuted I think in 1956. And the earache was due to the strange HIT SONG (strange for a comedy duo, at least) Earache My Eye performed by Cheech and Chong, which became a hit back in 1974. And CHEECH reminds me of SCREECH.
I found another (mis)interpretation of Blaine’s hint.. change the “ch” to “u” and rearrange to make “worse clue”
ReplyDeleteThis week's online challenge comes from Rawson Sheinberg of Plymouth, Mich. Think of a U.S. city with a two-word name. Add a letter to the first word, without rearranging letters, to name a country. Then, without adding a letter, rearrange the letters of the second word to name another country. What places are these?
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, the largest U.S. concentrations of people from these countries are on opposite coasts.
DeleteOne of the easiest Sunday puzzles.
ReplyDeleteAgreed
DeleteAgreed, pretty easy.
DeleteChange one letter in the second country and rearrange to get a bird.
ReplyDelete7777, more or less.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle reminds me of my old friend, Cliff Crag, who worked for the Department of Redundancy Department.
ReplyDeleteI almost got nits
ReplyDeleteYou are, historically speaking, too close for comfort.
Delete