tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post5465938889425978666..comments2024-03-28T18:08:45.225-07:00Comments on Blaine's Puzzle Blog: NPR Sunday Puzzle (March 20, 2016): A Mix of Vowels and ConsonantsBlainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-4551969940431772432016-03-27T05:43:47.351-07:002016-03-27T05:43:47.351-07:00With a focus group like ours will get this really ...With a focus group like ours will get this really quickzeke creekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12559686966843380823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-61129566844532148532016-03-27T05:28:33.844-07:002016-03-27T05:28:33.844-07:00There something not quite right about open-ended p...There something not quite right about open-ended puzzles like this...janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-66524872493654110402016-03-27T05:12:42.339-07:002016-03-27T05:12:42.339-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05927176621372532733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-57592030952617965932016-03-27T05:12:32.703-07:002016-03-27T05:12:32.703-07:00Next week's challenge: The University Press of...Next week's challenge: The University Press of New England has just published a book by Boston College professor Paul Lewis, called The Citizen Poets of Boston: A Collection of Forgotten Poems, 1789-1820. It has a chapter devoted to puzzles in poetic form. Most of the puzzles are explained — but one puzzle never had a printed answer.<br /><br />I'd like to see if the collective brainpower of NPR listeners can be brought to bear to clear up this mystery. It's a two-line verse from the Nov. 12, 1803, issue of the Boston Weekly Magazine:<br /><br />I am both man and woman too,<br />And go to school as good boys do.<br /><br />If you can solve this riddle, let us know. I'll select what I think is the best answer that's submitted. If no one sends what I judge to be the intended answer, then I'll pick what I consider the most ingenious one, whether it's "correct" or not.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-28339019310138874622016-03-25T16:18:40.950-07:002016-03-25T16:18:40.950-07:00Your puzzle on Puzzleria! this week is indeed a “G...Your puzzle on Puzzleria! this week is indeed a “Grade-A Great-Ape” journey, skydiveboy. <br />Of course, if one performs a “single-sided” spoonerism on “Great Apes,” the result is what <a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/female-chimp-with-infant-eating-grapes-on-tree-stock-video-footage/82778594" rel="nofollow">this gorilla</a> did.<br /><br />LegoBelieves<a href="http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2013/03/our-appetite-for-alcohol-goes-back-to-apes" rel="nofollow">ThisApe</a>MayBeARhesusling<br />legolambdahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18081014756741740081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-86713203471487696762016-03-25T12:23:58.903-07:002016-03-25T12:23:58.903-07:00I have to agree with Lego. Get on the Appian Way a...I have to agree with Lego. Get on the Appian Way and head on over to Puzzleria! and have fun. Even if you should not like my puzzle, you will certainly have to agree that it is a Great Ape puzzle along with being a somewhat moving experience.skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-87559677065755384052016-03-25T11:01:31.235-07:002016-03-25T11:01:31.235-07:00What’s that Blainesvillians?
You say you want to ...What’s that Blainesvillians? <br />You say you want to solve a puzzle about gorillas that have a hankering to go on a pilgrimage? <br />Natch, we’ve got that at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epov4_3h2-w" rel="nofollow">Puzzleria!</a> It is a challenging puzzle titled “Pilgrim’s Evolutionary Progress,” created by Jane Goodall’s favourite blog-poster and puzzle-purveyor, <b>skydiveboy</b>.<br /><br />What’s more, we present eight other puzzles this week, including: <br />4 that “rip off” Will’s Shortz’s current Sunday puzzle,<br />1 that involves “icicle boils and shoulder ooze,<br />1 that speculates on this morning’s tabloid headlines,<br />1 about a bookwormy hubby who is jealous about his wife’s golf prowess, and<br />1 with a physics/literature flavor that includes a photo of Gertrude Einstein.<br /><br />LegoPluggingHisBlogBothShamefullyAndShamelesslyAndBothOxymoronicallyAndMoronically<br />legolambdahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18081014756741740081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-67421205600414847802016-03-25T06:57:58.672-07:002016-03-25T06:57:58.672-07:00Strengths to Strenuous.
I said anybody who knows ...Strengths to Strenuous.<br /><br />I said anybody who knows words and trivia should get it quick. I got this immediately by knowing "strengths" is the longest word in the English language with only one vowel in it.<br /><br />And I also mentioned it's one of my Forte's - fortes and strengths are synonymous.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02077991662132557146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-15263037493313901832016-03-25T06:16:04.316-07:002016-03-25T06:16:04.316-07:00Norwegian bachelor farmers: they grow wheat which ...Norwegian bachelor farmers: they grow wheat which goes into powdermilk biscuits which give you the "strength to do" etc. <br />Been listening to Garrison Keillor since the 1970s and "A Prairie Home Companion" has been part of Saturday night for a long time. He and it will be sorely missed.Jayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03574037169018589935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-8443311196573816872016-03-24T23:01:28.873-07:002016-03-24T23:01:28.873-07:00My clues
Too easy for us (as in strenuous). We&#...My clues <br /><br />Too easy for us (as in strenuous). We'll have to wait till next week (phonetic opposite of strong) for a harder (synonym of stronger) puzzle. Snipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756899374006781682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-32882711502726040542016-03-24T18:14:52.314-07:002016-03-24T18:14:52.314-07:00Not in Australia when that naughty dingo stole tha...Not in Australia when that naughty dingo stole that baby. And that was not my experience with the idiot at the UofW.skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-33254067542321137702016-03-24T18:10:14.595-07:002016-03-24T18:10:14.595-07:001 billion or so Hindus would agree. I suspect the...1 billion or so Hindus would agree. I suspect the mystery of death is one of many phenomena that lead people towards religion. In ancient times other issues - why is there a drought? why did that baboon steal my baby? where did these obnoxious locusts come from? - were equally at the forefront.<br /><br />Happily people have been able to engage in reasoned discussion, and to get along peaceably in spite of their different opinions.<br /><br />ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-88310476166025076422016-03-24T17:59:34.583-07:002016-03-24T17:59:34.583-07:00A good example of this is the belief by so many se...A good example of this is the belief by so many seemingly intelligent people that we only live once, even though there is absolutely no evidence to back up this theory. The fact that there is a great deal of evidence pointing to reincarnation does not phase them at all. <br /><br />That is not the topic I was raising at the observatory, by the way.skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-30590742739251949632016-03-24T17:29:28.923-07:002016-03-24T17:29:28.923-07:00I will slightly disagree with Flaubert: I think o...I will slightly disagree with Flaubert: I think our trouble doesn't come from our gigantic ignorance, which we will have forever, but from an insistence that "our" explanation of the unknown is the only acceptable one, and all others are wrong. ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-83385639498608501522016-03-24T16:51:37.239-07:002016-03-24T16:51:37.239-07:00This was a case of him seeing the world as he was ...This was a case of him seeing the world as he was erroneously taught. It was similar to a little problem Galileo had with some disgusting church leaders. skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-52562234452068755832016-03-24T16:46:12.480-07:002016-03-24T16:46:12.480-07:00Everyone needs to remember that you do not see the...Everyone needs to remember that you do not see the world as it is, you see the world as you are...ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302749761931016101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-23244505351515189052016-03-24T16:04:29.460-07:002016-03-24T16:04:29.460-07:00Your comment reminds me of several months ago when...Your comment reminds me of several months ago when I attended the monthly open house at the University of Washington Observatory, located on the nearby campus. When I raised a question after the presentation that the staff person did not agree with, he was so intimidated by a concept he did not agree with that he said he was calling campus police. skydiveboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174073226290431753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-86339508652795073522016-03-24T15:37:45.518-07:002016-03-24T15:37:45.518-07:00“All our trouble comes from our gigantic ignorance...“All our trouble comes from our gigantic ignorance. … When shall we get over empty speculation and accepted ideas? What should be studied is believed without discussion. Instead of examining, people pontificate.” -Gustave Flaubert in a letter to George Sand.<br />ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302749761931016101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-50432359852181483262016-03-24T15:35:22.787-07:002016-03-24T15:35:22.787-07:00I wrote "kind of hard", strenuous is a &...I wrote "kind of hard", strenuous is a "kind" of hard. Having no "joy" refers to the Nazi "Strength Through Joy" (<i>Kraft durch Freude</i>) program of the 1930's. I fear we may have to relearn such things as our so-called democracy slips away.ecoarchitecthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02824602705492756728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-71684117488750636822016-03-24T14:50:31.653-07:002016-03-24T14:50:31.653-07:00STRENGTHS; replace GTH with UOU to obtain STRENUOU...<b><b><b>STRENGTHS</b></b></b>; replace <b><b>GTH</b></b> with <b><b>UOU</b></b> to obtain <b><b><b><b>STRENUOUS</b></b></b></b>. <br />If rearranging is allowed after adding the three vowels, then replacing <b><b><b>THS</b></b></b> with <b><b><b><b>AIU</b></b></b></b> yields <b><b><b><b><b>SIGNATURE</b></b></b></b></b>.ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07302749761931016101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-31464003272760231702016-03-24T14:08:48.153-07:002016-03-24T14:08:48.153-07:00STRENGTHS, STRENUOUS
In my last post I used the wo...STRENGTHS, STRENUOUS<br />In my last post I used the word "tough". Tough is a synonym for strenuous.patjberryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593445116920910239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-28535125871148449452016-03-24T12:46:36.678-07:002016-03-24T12:46:36.678-07:00The warrior is Hägar the Horrible; his dog is Sner...The warrior is Hägar the Horrible; his dog is Snert. "Snert is" <i>coming back</i> is <b>s'trenS</b>. Ignoring the apostrophe, making all the letters upper case, and providing a pouch for the 'collected morsels', we get STREN( )S. To <i>feast</i> is to HOG OUT. The final word formed depends upon Snert's gut instincts.<br /><br /><br />OK, obviously I'm neither a Marianne Moore nor a setter for the Guardian, but I <b>do</b> have a job.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11114786604125384958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-39874099797126909182016-03-24T12:14:14.158-07:002016-03-24T12:14:14.158-07:00Bob K, looks like you used some brute force on ins...Bob K, looks like you used some brute force on inserting that 'H' there. . .;-)Word Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15491300694641304112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-70604101726016906442016-03-24T12:12:40.620-07:002016-03-24T12:12:40.620-07:00STRENGTHS ==> STRENUOUSSTREN<b><i>GTH</i></b>S ==> STREN<b><i>UOU</i>S</b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-45600510928718163522016-03-24T12:10:34.517-07:002016-03-24T12:10:34.517-07:00A confession of weakness: When last week I wrote,...A confession of weakness: When last week I wrote,"I don't know if this will be easy to solve by brute force, searching lists, etc.," my use of the words "brute force" are exactly those I use to myself when I try to solve a weekly challenge by going through my paperback Crossword Anagram Dictionary, or an online list of every poet the world has ever known. It only struck me much, much later that "brute force" was also a near synonym of "STRENGHTS". It wasn't my intention to come so close to a giveaway!Bob Kerfufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02615811802419025933noreply@blogger.com