NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 24, 2025): A Tale of Two Athletes

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 24, 2025): A Tale of Two Athletes

Q: Take the first and last names of a famous athlete. Change the first letter of the last name to L, and rearrange the result to get the first and last names of another famous athlete. In each case the first name has 6 letters and the last name has 5. These are athletes everyone knows. Who are they?

Drop the last two letters of the first athlete's first name and add a P. I tried to rearrange the result, but I couldn't do it.

Edit: Follow the steps and you get IMPOSSIBLE.

A: SIMON BILES --> LIONEL MESSI

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 17, 2025): Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 17, 2025): Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Q: Take the classic illustrated children's book Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. Rearrange its 26 letters to name a famous film director (first and last names) and a noted role on stage (in two words).Who is the director and what is the role?

I removed the letters AVSI.

Edit: I removed (or took out) AVSI which refer to Act V, Scene I of Macbeth. The sentence ended with a period (or a damned spot).

A: Steven Spielberg, Lady Macbeth

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 22, 2025): Film Award

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 22, 2025): Film Award

Q: Take the first and last names of a major film director. Drop the last six letters of his name, and rearrange what remains. You'll get the name of a major film award -- for which this director has been nominated six times. Who is he and what is the award?

Technically, the director has one more name.

Edit: Wikipedia adds his maternal surname (Caballero). Also, I probably shouldn't have used the graphic that I did.

A: PEDRO ALMODÓVAR, PALME D'OR

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 18, 2025): You Read It Here First

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 18, 2025): You Read It Here First

Q: Name a popular magazine. Rearrange its letters. Then add an O at the end and you'll name a prominent subject in this magazine's new issue. What magazine is it? Hint: You don't need to read this magazine in order to guess the answer.

You can add a few more letters and the answer still works.

Edit: You can add X, I and V.

A: PEOPLE, POPE LEO

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.

Edit: I assume you'd fly in a plane to chain the countries together. Here's a great circle route from Niamey, Niger to Shenzhen, China.

A: NIGER (reign), IRAN (rain), NEPAL (plane), CHINA (chain).

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 20, 2025): Hoppy Easter!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 20, 2025): Hoppy Easter!

Q: Name an animal in five letters. Add two letters and rearrange the result to name a bird in seven letters. Then add two letters to that and rearrange the result to name another animal in nine letters. What creatures are these?

Change the 3rd and 5th letters of the last animal and rearrange to get another animal.

Edit: Change them to G and T and rearrange to get ALLIGATOR.

A: LLAMA, MALLARD, ARMADILLO

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 13, 2025): European Vacation

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 13, 2025): European Vacation

Q: Name a famous European tourist site in nine letters. Rearrange its last four letters to name something that its first five letters can be planted in.

I believe in behavior which is positive and helpful.

Edit: PRO-SOCIAL is an anagram of the answer.

A: ACROPOLIS, A CROP can be planted in SOIL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 9, 2025): Jon Stewart at the Movies

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 9, 2025): Jon Stewart at the Movies

Q: Take the name JON STEWART, as in the comedian and TV host. Rearrange the letters to spell the titles of three classic movies. One of the titles is its familiar shortened form.

ChatGPT isn't much help, or is it?

Edit: Spielberg directed two of the movies. He also directed A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001.

A: JAWS, ET and TRON

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 9, 2025): Happy Valentine's Day!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 9, 2025): Happy Valentine's Day!

Q: Name a well-known cartoon character in eight letters. Change the last letter to a U and rearrange the result to make a phrase you might see on a Valentine's Day card.

The cartoon starring this character had a different name for quite awhile.

Olive Oyl was one of the cast of characters in the strip "Thimble Theater". It would be almost a decade later before the character Popeye appeared.

A: OLIVE OYL --> I LOVE YOU

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 2, 2025): Hip, Hip Hooray!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 2, 2025): Hip, Hip Hooray!

Q: Name a part of the human body in seven letters. Add a B and rearrange the result it to get another part of the human body.

I woke up and it was yet another body part puzzle. Is this Groundhog Day?

Edit: The groundhog actually has a functioning tail containing bones. Also, hip (from the title) and toe are examples of three-letter parts of the body. Can you name eight more?

A: TOENAIL + B --> TAILBONE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 8, 2024): Plants of North and Central America

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 8, 2024): Plants of North and Central America

Q: Name a common tree of North America in two words (three letters, five letters). Rearrange its letters to name a well-known plant of Central America, also in two words (four letters, four letters). What tree and plant are these?

I was fortunate to figure this out quickly.

Edit: I hinted at "fortunate" for a fortune teller who might "read palms"

A: RED MAPLE, REED PALM

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 10, 2024): Panders for Seafood

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 10, 2024): Panders for Seafood

Q: Using only the letters of PANDERS, and repeating them as often as desired, spell a certain entrée at a seafood restaurant (3-6 3 7).

I got the first two words and the last two words. I didn't think there was a dish that put them together. Update: I had the incorrect first two words... no wonder it didn't make sense. As a hyphenated word it makes more sense.

Edit: I initially came up with Red-pepper red snapper.

A: PAN-SEARED RED SNAPPER

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 27, 2024): Where in the World?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 27, 2024): Where in the World?

Q: Name a place somewhere on the globe -- in two words. Rearrange the letters of the first word to name some animals. The second word in the place name is something those animals sometimes do. What is it?

I've heard of REED PARK, but I'm not letting any DEER have the keys to my car, red jacket or not.

Edit: I was originally focused on BAY as a sound that canines might make. I was almost ready to dismiss the idea when I saw a (now deleted) comment about Sherlock Holmes which immediately made me think of The Hound of the Baskervilles and thus the answer.

A: HUDSON BAY --> HOUNDS, BAY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 22, 2024): New Towels

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 22, 2024): New Towels

Q: Take the phrase NEW TOWELS. Rearrange these 9 letters to get the brand name of a product you might buy at the supermarket. What is it?

I saw an AD for this product just the other day.

Edit: The product would need an additional AD to spell out AND; it's just 'N. By the way, this same product was mentioned in a similar puzzle from November 2018. The color of the bottom towel in the picture was also a hint to the product's pink packaging.

A: SWEET 'N LOW

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 8, 2024): Watercraft on Water

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 8, 2024): Watercraft on Water

Q: Take the name of a watercraft that contains an odd number of letters. Remove the middle letter and rearrange the remaining ones to name a body of water. What words are these?

How close are you to the answer? Are you hot or cold?

Edit: Similar to a puzzle from Jan 21, 2018. You might see a gondola (basket) below a hot air ballon or gondola (lift) at a cold ski resort. But most often you'll see them in the Venice Lagoon.

A: GONDOLA --> LAGOON

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 30, 2024): Beach Fun

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 30, 2024): Beach Fun

Q: Name a state capital. Remove its first two letters, and you can rearrange the rest to name something in two words that you might find while beachcombing in that state. What is it?

Burt Reynolds has a connection to the capital.

Edit: Burt Renolds played football at F.S.U.

A: TALAHASSEE - TA --> A SEASHELL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 16, 2024): Mixed-up Body Parts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 16, 2024): Mixed-up Body Parts

Q: Think of two parts of the human body that start with the same letter of the alphabet. Drop one instance of that letter and rearrange the remaining letters to name another part of the body that is not near the other two. What are the body parts?

For Father's Day, [REDACTED]

Edit: Before I removed my hint, it was that I was having a Spanish meal with a cup of tea. PAELLA + T = PATELLA

A: NAPE, NECK --> KNEECAP (very similar to a puzzle from Apr 2021)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 28, 2024): Male Singers of the Past

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 28, 2024): Male Singers of the Past

Q: Think of a famous male singer of the past with two A's in his name. Drop both A's and the remaining letters can be rearranged to name a popular make of automobile. What is it?

Take a model of that automobile, drop all A's to name a sports figure.

Edit: LeBaron --> LeBron

A: RAY CHARLES --> CHRYSLER

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 14, 2024): America Online

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 14, 2024): America Online

Q: Think of a popular online service. Change the first letter to a Y and rearrange the result to get what this service provides. What is it?

Yes! Will is back! If you add 4 letters to the service and rearrange, you get a color.

Edit: If you add RIIL and rearrange, you get VERMILION

A: VENMO --> MONEY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 7, 2024): The Bible as a Tool

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 7, 2024): The Bible as a Tool

Q: Think of a nine-letter word naming a kind of tool that is mentioned in the Bible. Remove the second and sixth letters and the remaining letters can be rearranged to spell two new words that are included in a well known biblical passage and are related to the area in which the tool is used. What is the tool and what are the two new words?

If you change the fourth letter so it is two later in the alphabet (e.g. A becomes C) and rearrange, you get something rowdy.

Edit: You get HORSEPLAY

A: PLOWSHARE - LH = REAP, SOW