Q: Name a famous English author. Change the first letter of the last name to an S. Then move the first, second, and final letters of that last name in front of the first name. The resulting string of letters reading from left to right will name a major American city. What city is it?[redacted]
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.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?
A: SIMON BILES --> LIONEL MESSI
I removed the letters AVSI.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?
A: Steven Spielberg, Lady Macbeth
Q: Think of a famous movie star (6 letters, 6 letters). The first name, when said out loud, sounds like a brand of a certain object. The last name is someone who uses this object. What movie star is this?Has this puzzle got you over a barrel?
A: MINNIE DRIVER --> MINI, DRIVER
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.
A: PEDRO ALMODÓVAR, PALME D'OR
Q: Think of a famous current actor. His first name is also the name of a famous movie character. Drop the middle letter of his last name and you'll name another famous movie character. Each character is a central figure in a dozen or more films. What actor is this?Let me add that I've already heard part of this wordplay. The puzzle might have been more relevant in a couple weeks, give or take.
A: JASON BATEMAN --> JASON and BATMAN.
Q: Name a famous singer past or present. Remove the first and last letter from the first name and the result will be a potential partner of the last name. What singer is this?Little did I know that my first guess was close.
A: GLADYS KNIGHT --> LADY, KNIGHT
After we've gotten the answer, we'll be the judges of whether this was a good puzzle or not.Q: Think of a famous singer and actress, first and last names, two syllables each. The second syllable of the last name followed by the first syllable of the first name spell something that can be dangerous to run into. What is it?
A: BARBRA STREISAND --> SANDBAR
Their last names being similar is not a coincidence.Q: Think of two classic music artists with multiple top 40 hits. Their first names are near-synonyms. And their last names are both game pieces. Who are they?
A: FATS DOMINO, CHUBBY CHECKER
Been there, done that.Q: Name a famous sports figure of the past (5,4). Change the third and fourth letters of the first name to a single D, and you'll have the nickname of another famous American of the past. Who are these two people?
A: LARRY BIRD, LADY BIRD (Johnson)
I accidentally focused on the letters in the second syllables; I was way off.Q: Think of a popular singer whose first and last names each have two syllables. Drop the second syllable from each name and you'll be left with the piece of a toy. What singer is this?
A: DOLLY PARTON, DOLL PART
The unused letters anagram to the start of a fun video game.Q: Think of a famous singer -- first and last names. Use all of the first name, plus the first three letters and the last letter of the last name. The result, reading left to right, will spell a phrase meaning "punctual." What singer is this?
A: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE --> JUST IN TIME
The last names make me think of a former School of Journalism.Q: Name a state capital. Inside it in consecutive letters is the first name of a popular TV character of the past. Remove that name, and the remaining letters in order will spell the first name of a popular TV game show host of the past. What is the capital and what are the names?
A: MONTGOMERY --> GOMER (Pyle), MONTY (Hall)
I had to nix my previous hints.Q: Think of a classic American author, whose first and last name's are each one syllable. The last name, when said aloud, sounds like part of the body. Insert the letters "A-S" into the first name and you have the location of this body part. Who is the author?
A: BRET HARTE --> BREAST, HEART
Rearrange the letters in the person's full name and you get a quiet animal.Q: Name a place where experiments are done (two words). Drop the last letter of each word. The remaining letters, reading from left to right, will name someone famously associated with experiments. Who is it?
A: TEST LAB --> TESLA
I don't have a clue to help you identify the person... or do I?Q: The word NONUNION has four N's and no other consonant. What famous American of the past -- first and last names, 8 letters in all -- has four instances of the same consonant and no other consonant?
A: Eli Lilly (founder of the pharmaceutical company).
Q: Think of a famous movie star -- .first and last names, nine letters in all. The third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth letters, in order, name a profession. The star's last name is something that this profession uses. Who is the movie star and what is the profession?In one role, this actor played a [redacted].
A: EMMA STONE --> MASON, STONE
Q: Take the name of a famous actor of the past. Say it out loud, and phonetically you'll describe what a famous general's horse did. Who is the actor and who is the general?I need an "L" to make my answer work.
A: CARY GRANT --> CARRY (ULYSSES S.) GRANT
Q: Think of a famous actor and a famous actress who co-starred in a classic movie of the past. The actress's first name, when reversed, and the actor’s last name, spelled forward, are similar romantic gifts. Who are these film stars?Somehow I don't think it's Fay Wray and King Kong.
A: Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal ("When Harry Met Sally") --> GEM, CRYSTAL
