tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post4350300804974022691..comments2024-03-18T16:27:44.295-07:00Comments on Blaine's Puzzle Blog: NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 2): Setting the Clock BackBlainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-27791837979753233102008-11-10T09:22:00.000-08:002008-11-10T09:22:00.000-08:00Former U.S. presidents, obviously.Former <I>U.S.</I> presidents, obviously.Blainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-55658619993658543002008-11-09T16:02:00.000-08:002008-11-09T16:02:00.000-08:00Well, those two won't be unique long. The new guy...Well, those two won't be unique long. The new guy has a middle name that was the last name of a former president!dumpsterdiveladhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05296636733423295606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-9242774064603207932008-11-06T20:36:00.000-08:002008-11-06T20:36:00.000-08:00carl, Your clues are GREAT and theyprovide a lear...carl, Your clues are GREAT and they<BR/>provide a learning situation. Sometimes I think I'm a slow learner<BR/>but I'm getting there. DON"T STOP.gerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08699362527317413011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-2016630462319668792008-11-06T19:30:00.000-08:002008-11-06T19:30:00.000-08:00My first post on Sunday morning had a couple clues...My first post on Sunday morning had a couple clues but maybe they were just too darn obscure...<BR/><BR/>I said something about both of them having been described as "centrists." And I said I'd failed to grasp the "core" of the challenge...<BR/><BR/>Maybe if I'd italicized those words; but I worry about giving too blatant a clue on Sunday morning...carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-51210497649884542132008-11-06T15:32:00.000-08:002008-11-06T15:32:00.000-08:00Sunday morning carl italicized theword "fullness."...Sunday morning carl italicized the<BR/>word "fullness." Blaine told us that<BR/>there was something missing in the way Will presented the puzzle. We<BR/>need to heed our HINTMASTERS. <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>bgerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08699362527317413011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-64595801180922392412008-11-06T15:29:00.000-08:002008-11-06T15:29:00.000-08:00There are several other presidents (e.g. jAMes MAd...There are several other presidents (e.g. jAMes MAdison, groVEr clEVeland) that would also have the property noted by Ben. The puzzle states that Clinton and Reagan have a unique quality not shared by other presidents.Blainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-15979143107039707002008-11-06T15:15:00.000-08:002008-11-06T15:15:00.000-08:00Ben, What a clever answer! But notat all close t...Ben, What a clever answer! But not<BR/>at all close to the one I found with<BR/>carl's last hint. One of us is wrong.gerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08699362527317413011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-80241318597236860172008-11-06T14:14:00.000-08:002008-11-06T14:14:00.000-08:00The answer I got was that both Ronald and Bill con...The answer I got was that both Ronald and Bill contain a vowel/consonant pair (NA for Ronald and IL for Bill) which appear in reverse order in the last name (AN in Reagan and LI in Clinton).<BR/><BR/>Those two pairs -- NA and IL -- are the inspiration for my clue on Monday that I NAILed the answer.<BR/><BR/>BenBenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00600537639204656778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-13887812422469703992008-11-06T01:02:00.000-08:002008-11-06T01:02:00.000-08:00carl, THANK YOU! That last hint did it. Answer su...carl, THANK YOU! That last hint did <BR/>it. Answer submitted.gerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08699362527317413011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-31009383968404635742008-11-05T20:50:00.000-08:002008-11-05T20:50:00.000-08:00Geri, did you see my hint from a few days ago? I t...Geri, did you see my hint from a few days ago? I think if you take that last short paragraph and play around with it and do word-association stuff with it you might have the figurative light bulb suddenly appear over your head...<BR/><BR/>But don't go to extremes... That's no way to govern.<BR/><BR/>If all else fails, do this: take a piece of paper and write their names down. NOT the way Will presented their names...carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-88475345297961936832008-11-05T20:29:00.000-08:002008-11-05T20:29:00.000-08:00carl, YES. I did some research on"maroon&quo...carl, YES. I did some research on<BR/>"maroon" and "nimrod" typed it up and<BR/>was unable to send it. <BR/><BR/>Page 517 of Random House Dictionary of<BR/>American Slang lists "maroon" in a<BR/>1941 film "Buck Privates" and 1945<BR/>Merrie Melody "Hare Conditioner"<BR/>Warner Brothers animation. It also<BR/>lists later occurrences of the word.<BR/><BR/>Page 667 has "Nimrod" as being in<BR/>Genesis 10:8-10 as "a mighty hunter"<BR/>and king of Babel. (I checked the<BR/>1611 translation King James Version.)<BR/>The next early entry is "Great Magoo"<BR/>--Hecht & Fowler, 1932.<BR/><BR/>I was hoping for some more hints on<BR/>this week's presidential problem.gerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08699362527317413011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-47087610691449396702008-11-05T19:53:00.000-08:002008-11-05T19:53:00.000-08:00I haven't been able to post for a couple days... a...I haven't been able to post for a couple days... anyone else have the same problem?carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-30656246633279919922008-11-03T11:33:00.000-08:002008-11-03T11:33:00.000-08:00Then this, from Ask Yahoo! Ol' Bugs strikes again...Then this, from Ask Yahoo! Ol' Bugs strikes again!<BR/><BR/>The American Heritage Dictionary offers two distinct definitions of a nimrod -- either a hunter, or a person regarded as silly or foolish. The dictionary goes on to explain that the second meaning probably originated with the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. The wily Bugs used the term in its original sense to refer to dithering hunter Elmer Fudd, whom he called a "poor little Nimrod." Over time, however, the "hunter" meaning got dropped, and the "dithering" connotation stuck.Don Hodunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10629317119387671011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-17368121859380874012008-11-03T11:31:00.000-08:002008-11-03T11:31:00.000-08:00CarlWorked with a lady about 9 years ago who used ...Carl<BR/><BR/>Worked with a lady about 9 years ago who used "maroon", and she mentioned to me the Bugs Bunny origination.<BR/><BR/>Nimrod - that goes back 20+ years to a mentor of mine. Best angle?? A type British ASW (Anti-submarine warfare) aircraft was known as the Nimrod. Love it!Don Hodunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10629317119387671011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-72026535046357385602008-11-03T09:56:00.000-08:002008-11-03T09:56:00.000-08:00Hugh, still looking for that one, but discovered t...Hugh, still looking for that one, but discovered that Ethelbert, "officially," is the name represented by the initial "E" in Wile E. Coyote. He even had relatives, such as uncle Kraft E. Coyote, with that middle name as well. This from a 1973 Looney Tunes comic bookcarlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-6151652916716995882008-11-03T09:14:00.000-08:002008-11-03T09:14:00.000-08:00Okay, I'm officially (and briefly) hijacking this ...Okay, I'm officially (and briefly) hijacking this blog. It is, for the moment, the Etymology of Obscure Pejoratives blog.<BR/><BR/>Googled connections between "maroon" and the 3 stooges. Didn't find any. Doesn't mean they're not there; might not have looked hard enough. But did discover that Bugs Bunny apparently used it more than once, as part of a recurring shtick of mispronouncing insults.<BR/><BR/>Also, found something on Daily Kos about someone believing that "nimrod" was first popularized by a character on Cheers. Not true. I remember that one from elementary school. There was a comic strip in the papers back then called "Dondi," and it cracked me up that there was a series of Dondi strips that featured a bad guy who hung out in a submarine by that name...carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-11265105220414262002008-11-03T08:31:00.000-08:002008-11-03T08:31:00.000-08:00phredp, I didn't say I was the first to coin the t...phredp, I didn't say I was the <I>first</I> to coin the term. Don't know where it originated. But I used it probably three years ago posting on Craigslist's Rants and Raves; I was satirizing a post that contained an amazing abundance of errors in grammar and spelling... I'm not consciously aware of having heard of it before than.<BR/><BR/>I like the idea that someone could be living on an island, cut off from the rest of the world, and manage to "invent" something that's been around for ages, say... peanut butter?<BR/><BR/>Funny you mention the 3 stooges. I do remodels so I frequent places like Home Depot and Lowes. Every single time I pick up anything like a long board or a piece of rain gutter and put it up on my shoulder, I think of them.carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-32009196131240314282008-11-03T08:28:00.000-08:002008-11-03T08:28:00.000-08:00It took a bit of time, but I nailed the answer.It took a bit of time, but I nailed the answer.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00600537639204656778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-74709310167476323132008-11-03T08:24:00.000-08:002008-11-03T08:24:00.000-08:00Carl, I thought Moe Howard (3 stooges) first coine...Carl, I thought Moe Howard (3 stooges) first coined the term "maroon"? Or was it some female singer like Gracie Slick or Heart?phredphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01693838112369650021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-30346845007205314902008-11-03T06:20:00.000-08:002008-11-03T06:20:00.000-08:00Geri, it's somewhat difficult to give you a clue t...Geri, it's somewhat difficult to give you a clue that helps without just giving the answer away. But I can tell you that there's something deceptive about the wording of the challenge. It might help if you Googled lists of the presidents' names, looking for the most <I>complete</I> list you can find. Another avenue (which can even yield the solution, but only if you dig and look at a few different sites--but it might jog your brain in the right direction before that...) is to Google presidential name trivia...<BR/><BR/>Right now as you struggle to find the answer, your brain may be like a hurricane of activity, but you need to gravitate toward the calm area that comes with any hurricane... You know where that is, right?carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-25412153308059932342008-11-03T04:30:00.000-08:002008-11-03T04:30:00.000-08:00Every time I think I'm on the righttrack some othe...Every time I think I'm on the right<BR/>track some other president fits the<BR/>same "characteristic." HELP!gerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08699362527317413011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-86785285702550187062008-11-02T15:44:00.000-08:002008-11-02T15:44:00.000-08:00Don, I invented calling people maroons! About thre...Don, I <I>invented</I> calling people maroons! About three years ago! I'm sure I wasn't the first and I'm sure I won't be the last. I guess it's like that saying, Great, or relatively great, or somewhat not so poor, minds think kinda sorta alike or rather similar or something...<BR/><BR/>Oh, and all you U.S. citizens make sure you get out and VOTE! Not gonna tell you who to vote for but please use your brains to make a decision. Don't let others tell you how to vote and don't be dissuaded by something as trivial as the idea that the candidate has a funny name...carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06326278670265938424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-39160297129012101782008-11-02T14:54:00.000-08:002008-11-02T14:54:00.000-08:00I'm getting ticked off at Shortz. His puzzles fro...I'm getting ticked off at Shortz. His puzzles from the likes of Sam Loyd were great. Puzzles submitted by some, if not most, listeners have not been so great for a few years. I had a few other remarks which I wrote previously, but GOOGLE refused my log-in and erased them - probably a good thing. Blaine's site does thing right with a good group.hughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16914509834442545746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-29710539518390894002008-11-02T14:08:00.000-08:002008-11-02T14:08:00.000-08:00Don, yep, that was a big mistake by somebody. I wo...Don, yep, that was a big mistake by somebody. I won't enter because I read the answer over there before I could solve it. Grrr..Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258490572969237544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-30112819817730320702008-11-02T12:27:00.000-08:002008-11-02T12:27:00.000-08:00They opened up comments on the NPR site again, the...They opened up comments on the NPR site again, the maroons!Don Hodunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10629317119387671011noreply@blogger.com