tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57303912024-03-18T19:20:53.837-07:00Blaine's Puzzle BlogWeekly discussion on the NPR puzzler, brain teasers, math problems and more.Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-23166648669859712722024-02-04T05:28:00.000-08:002024-02-11T05:23:13.061-08:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 4, 2024): Checking a Liszt...<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/02/04/1228625144/sunday-puzzle-inside-the-country">NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 4, 2024): Checking a Liszt...</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOZoX2C6wD82hSGLgnrviBsASpQnhDGjSwtYMdCvxOokKtsnn-6h1rnw_ySHTf3jVDXHcB3u-xsnj-wSkIzrnEpd3WCo8ieXzKb6mWk1m5rmzx6_wFo2zCcIYYaqyrVOtbi3myn0zdkAfIh8KgRziTTf9nV3dKCUTZv2qfJf2ymKYTbnMOlWg/s620/Soccer%20Mozart.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOZoX2C6wD82hSGLgnrviBsASpQnhDGjSwtYMdCvxOokKtsnn-6h1rnw_ySHTf3jVDXHcB3u-xsnj-wSkIzrnEpd3WCo8ieXzKb6mWk1m5rmzx6_wFo2zCcIYYaqyrVOtbi3myn0zdkAfIh8KgRziTTf9nV3dKCUTZv2qfJf2ymKYTbnMOlWg/s200/Soccer%20Mozart.jpg"/></a></div><blockquote><b>Q: </b>Name a famous classical composer in three syllables. Change the vowel sounds in the first and third syllables, and phonetically you'll name a sport. What is it?</blockquote>I thought I was close with Tchaikovsky<br/><br/><b>Edit: </b>Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture includes a cannon while Pachelbel wrote a canon<blockquote><b>A: </b>PACHELBEL --> PICKLEBALL</blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com244tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-18656165036117153672022-03-27T05:23:00.011-07:002022-04-03T05:32:01.387-07:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 27, 2022): State with All the Vowels<a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/27/1088994591/sunday-puzzle-vowelin-for-you">NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 27, 2022): State with All the Vowels</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTspD7qq5FNKeSv29B2JpVZ__YPpj8tiTfmRWIvY3RCIyJL6ymew62JM5q88nBK89dG5W_VF-vR-1oRzUWMvaDHSnBB1VMZ6Qv3dA5tTdL0BHzN5JuqMZ-HFdYnb7EihbopNLgWZvpmD3LL-P1QsiTzjnuAtWDbzZ5wiODokcDpXnspU8cAw/s1200/State%20Vowels.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTspD7qq5FNKeSv29B2JpVZ__YPpj8tiTfmRWIvY3RCIyJL6ymew62JM5q88nBK89dG5W_VF-vR-1oRzUWMvaDHSnBB1VMZ6Qv3dA5tTdL0BHzN5JuqMZ-HFdYnb7EihbopNLgWZvpmD3LL-P1QsiTzjnuAtWDbzZ5wiODokcDpXnspU8cAw/s200/State%20Vowels.jpg"/></a></div><blockquote><b>Q: </b>Name a state that contains all five vowels — A, E, I, O, and U — once each.</blockquote>I went from thinking this would be easy, to impossible and finally...<br/><br/><b>Edit: </b>...I was very happy! By the way, this puzzle was very reminiscent of <a href="https://puzzles.blainesville.com/2020/03/npr-sunday-puzzle-mar-29-2020-april.html">another "state" puzzle for April Fool's week in 2020</a>. Coincidence?<blockquote><b>A: </b>A state of EUPHORIA (Other accepted answers included Mozambique, the Republic of Chad, and different states of being — such as anxiousness, exhaustion, pandemonium, and perturbation.)</blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com281tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-78598603282410084322019-06-09T07:06:00.001-07:002019-06-13T14:33:36.007-07:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 9, 2019): Actor and Writer Puzzle<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/06/09/730824490/sunday-puzzle-lost-arts">NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 9, 2019): Actor and Writer Puzzle</a>: <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DwzfiHfUFt8pAgzra0D1G3PR8OkvAWcVhqGbQZeuNHPy3PNB5dKfw0RlUdfhyRdHUD_EUjCZUicovPq6xxn4MhNyA9rp_bgI-6rxS6ynC4Kk2YIiMQFr7hlcE4DNJcCKHa2W/s1600/shakespeare+vowels.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DwzfiHfUFt8pAgzra0D1G3PR8OkvAWcVhqGbQZeuNHPy3PNB5dKfw0RlUdfhyRdHUD_EUjCZUicovPq6xxn4MhNyA9rp_bgI-6rxS6ynC4Kk2YIiMQFr7hlcE4DNJcCKHa2W/s200/shakespeare+vowels.png" width="200" height="200" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="600" /></a></div><b>Q: </b>Think of a famous actor, first and last names, that together contain each of the five vowels (A, E, I, O, and U) exactly once. Add an M and rearrange the result to get a famous writer, also first and last names. Who are these famous people?</blockquote>I spent too long trying to make Julia Roberts or Hugo Weaving work. I do have an answer, but I'm still not convinced it's the intended answer.<br/><br/>I wasn't sure how "famous" they each were. They weren't names that came immediately to mind for me.<blockquote><b>A: </b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0137230/">LEN CARIOU</a> + M --> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0613084/">ALICE MUNRO</a></blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com226tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-67088829260497780562019-05-26T06:16:00.001-07:002019-06-09T07:07:48.751-07:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 26, 2019): Know Your Vowels<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/05/26/727027676/sunday-puzzle-left-to-right">NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 26, 2019): Know Your Vowels</a>: <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SB0_3JPsb-od26uQJe4HbAByAIzHkdQzThrPQZF7YW8PVnfpEtwYlknWEukYyGVgZnRlFPR_R81My5F8RmDoaM90WVzDNCCzte-JlJofqwlpAz9ijucPys2Bg1-izVe2BWix/s1600/englishfrench.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SB0_3JPsb-od26uQJe4HbAByAIzHkdQzThrPQZF7YW8PVnfpEtwYlknWEukYyGVgZnRlFPR_R81My5F8RmDoaM90WVzDNCCzte-JlJofqwlpAz9ijucPys2Bg1-izVe2BWix/s200/englishfrench.png" width="200" height="115" data-original-width="324" data-original-height="187" /></a></div><b>Q: </b>This week's challenge is not so hard. Take a common English word in 3 letters. Translate it into French — also 3 letters. (The French word is one everyone knows.) And between them these two words consist of 6 different vowels and no consonants. What words are these?</blockquote>Is it as simple as it seems? Maybe not.<br/><br/><b>Edit: </b>The title of the post is a hint. While some may say that YEA & OUI is a possible answer, the question does say the words consist of six different <b><i>vowels</i></b> and <b><i>no</i></b> consonants. In YEA the Y is acting as a consonant so my feeling is that answer should not be accepted (but it was).<blockquote><b>A: </b>AYE & OUI</blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com175tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-14310021620306075122018-10-07T06:41:00.000-07:002019-06-09T07:09:39.983-07:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 7, 2018): The I's Have It<a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/10/07/654514827/sunday-puzzle-get-short-i">NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 7, 2018): The I's Have It</a>: <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7ubq-wWNL8LyHIX602ecsF6EdTw6XPrsxiIIELycvDvjMc1kCvXGZ5MsJAt_OljyEJpGAU4kXEDTTc8hxcjQIJI1WaoMC2rfmS0ILdfOxyAeXpMm6CoeHd2oX_M5IjKNrOxV/s1600/letter+i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7ubq-wWNL8LyHIX602ecsF6EdTw6XPrsxiIIELycvDvjMc1kCvXGZ5MsJAt_OljyEJpGAU4kXEDTTc8hxcjQIJI1WaoMC2rfmS0ILdfOxyAeXpMm6CoeHd2oX_M5IjKNrOxV/s200/letter+i.jpg" width="200" height="113" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div><b>Q: </b>Think of a title for a particular person — two words, 15 letters in total — in which the only vowel is "I." What is it?</blockquote>The prior person had the title for about a year.<br/><br/><b>Edit: </b>In general, unless they become Miss America, they all keep the title for about a year.<blockquote><b>A: </b>MISS MISSISSIPPI</blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com160tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-70095420944936747552017-08-27T06:39:00.000-07:002019-06-09T07:09:20.529-07:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27, 2017): All Signs Point To Sequoias<a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/08/27/545580069/sunday-puzzle-categorically-speaking">NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27, 2017): All Signs Point To Sequoias</a>: <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1c2WwOENZOWG8WVJqlQiUn22SRIk7fY_Ymr1bAIuNNRwRIOSZciaL5ndlsHj_AHJo9BGgQewKI6Le0goIuawaCkCdvGpxgHCcGKPpYq-dNNLNsg2ZvOfaZ7b9tlyZIPzwpmRQ/s1600/To+Sequoias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1c2WwOENZOWG8WVJqlQiUn22SRIk7fY_Ymr1bAIuNNRwRIOSZciaL5ndlsHj_AHJo9BGgQewKI6Le0goIuawaCkCdvGpxgHCcGKPpYq-dNNLNsg2ZvOfaZ7b9tlyZIPzwpmRQ/s200/To+Sequoias.jpg" width="200" height="113" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div><b>Q: </b>This week's challenge is a common two-word expression. The expression consists of 8 letters and uses all five vowels — A, E, I, O and U. It has only three consonants, one of which is repeated. The first word in the expression has two letters and the second has six letters. What familiar expression is it?</blockquote>I saw a sign that said "Sequoias", but that's one word, not two.<blockquote><b>A: </b>AU REVOIR</blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com196tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-59164677943076082602017-07-23T06:27:00.000-07:002019-06-09T07:10:17.765-07:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 23, 2017): Pat Sajak and Vanna White<a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/07/23/538343376/sunday-puzzle-same-sound-different-meaning">NPR Sunday Puzzle (July 23, 2017): Pat Sajak and Vanna White</a>: <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6ex2JPz7gciR45gah0pQWHWij31WXp67nE_GxNmQzdghaFnTbTEFcZ9O7gA2Or8wFZtAnjgbhwFRukWfSF27IVYY6BS4TjdPU6VmlEAMk9fnKCYM3nrnldCxUX7Hua5iDUW5/s1600/Wheel+of+Fortune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6ex2JPz7gciR45gah0pQWHWij31WXp67nE_GxNmQzdghaFnTbTEFcZ9O7gA2Or8wFZtAnjgbhwFRukWfSF27IVYY6BS4TjdPU6VmlEAMk9fnKCYM3nrnldCxUX7Hua5iDUW5/s200/Wheel+of+Fortune.jpg" width="200" height="113" data-original-width="992" data-original-height="558" /></a></div><b>Q: </b>What common three-word expression — 14 letters in all — has only N and G as consonants, and otherwise is all vowels?</blockquote>I'm not sure Will Shortz has hit a homerun with this puzzle.<br/><br/><b>Edit: </b>Some announcers might say this as the ball is heading over the wall.<blockquote><b>A: </b>GOING, GOING, GONE!</blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com244tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5730391.post-59661422537603694772016-11-06T07:29:00.000-08:002022-05-26T15:35:01.561-07:00NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2016): No Vowel Left Behind<a href="http://www.npr.org/2016/11/06/500827789/alphabet-squeeze-better-know-your-abcs-to-slip-into-this-puzzle">NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2016): No Vowel Left Behind</a>: <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEmtKSEaHv2jvb1Nqr1vFzUNGJJ1VuyYT4DXvobPLd_OGLd9xLARpreljLPptCppxZjQqCbZwN0hiJnUIxbnSqcPmui3zrp95lBtg4mMDuvykK98HvO5aESqq6-W_nTBPAITe/s1600/LoveMaui.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEmtKSEaHv2jvb1Nqr1vFzUNGJJ1VuyYT4DXvobPLd_OGLd9xLARpreljLPptCppxZjQqCbZwN0hiJnUIxbnSqcPmui3zrp95lBtg4mMDuvykK98HvO5aESqq6-W_nTBPAITe/s200/LoveMaui.png" width="171" height="200" /></a></div><b>Q: </b>Think of a sign that's frequently seen around this time of year — two words of four letters each. Among these eight letters all five vowels — A, E, I, O, and U — appear once each, along with three consonants. What sign is it?</blockquote><br/><br/><b>Edit: </b>My hint was "LOVE MAUI" which uses the vowels in the same order as the answer.<blockquote><b>A: </b>VOTE AQUÍ</blockquote>Blainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06379274325110866036noreply@blogger.com286