Sunday, June 30, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 30, 2019): Why is the Word Abbreviation so Long?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 30, 2019): Why is the Word Abbreviation so Long?:
Q: There is a standard two-letter abbreviation for an English word that has an unusual property: The first letter of the abbreviation is the second letter of the word. And the second letter of the abbreviation does not appear in the word at all. What's the word, and what's its abbreviation?
It's not Massachusetts = MA

Edit: This was a hint to the REDSOX = RX, DOSE puzzle from not too long ago.
A: Prescription, Rx

Sunday, June 23, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 23, 2019): Get to Know Your Neighbors

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 23, 2019): Get to Know Your Neighbors:
Q: Take the names of two countries that share a border. Drop the second letter from the second country's name. The resulting string of letters, in order from left to right, will spell a regular, uncapitalized word. What is it?
Swap two letters and get another word. Or rearrange completely to get a third word.

Edit: Swapping a couple letters we get MALIGNER. Or rearrange to get GERMINAL.
A: MALI + NiGER --> MALINGER

Sunday, June 16, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 16, 2019): Get Out Your List of U.S. Cities

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 16, 2019): Get Out Your List of U.S. Cities:
Q: Name a major U.S. city with a population of more than 100,000. It has a two-word name. The two words rhyme, respectively, with the first and last names of a famous singer. What city is it, and who's the singer?
One half of a famous acting duo went to high school and college here.

Actor David Soul (the second half of Starsky & Hutch) grew up in Sioux Falls.
A: SIOUX FALLS --> LOU RAWLS

Sunday, June 09, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 9, 2019): Actor and Writer Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 9, 2019): Actor and Writer Puzzle:
Q: 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?
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.

I wasn't sure how "famous" they each were. They weren't names that came immediately to mind for me.
A: LEN CARIOU + M --> ALICE MUNRO

Sunday, June 02, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 2, 2019): Know Your Vehicles

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 2, 2019): Know Your Vehicles:
Q: Think of a verb in its present and past tense forms. Drop the first letter of each word. The result will name two vehicles. What are they?
I really wanted MOPED to work somehow, but I had to get rid of that idea. Back to the drawing board.

I was hinting at "strike" both in getting rid of an idea and in carrying sign "boards" while picketing.
A: STRIKE & STRUCK --> TRIKE & TRUCK

Sunday, May 26, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 26, 2019): Know Your Vowels

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 26, 2019): Know Your Vowels:
Q: 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?
Is it as simple as it seems? Maybe not.

Edit: 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 vowels and no consonants. In YEA the Y is acting as a consonant so my feeling is that answer should not be accepted (but it was).
A: AYE & OUI

Sunday, May 19, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 19, 2019): Rubbernecking in Benin?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 19, 2019): Rubbernecking in Benin?:
Q: Name a profession in 13 letters that is associated with a particular 5-letter country. The letters of that country appear in left-to-right order, although not consecutively, in that profession's name. What is it?

Hint: The profession is a single word.
I'm pretty sure it's not a Quartermaster in Qatar.
A: HIEROGLYPHIST --> EGYPT

Sunday, May 12, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 12, 2019): More Ways to Get From Here to There

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 12, 2019): More Ways to Get From Here to There:
Q: Think of a 6-letter conveyance on wheels. Drop the first letter. Add a new letter at the end. The result will be another 6-letter conveyance on wheels. What conveyances are these?
I doubt I'll be using either of these conveyances this Mother's Day.
A: BOXCAR --> OXCART

Sunday, May 05, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 5, 2019): Mixing Up Your Movie Title

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 5, 2019): Mixing Up Your Movie Title:
Q: Name a popular movie of 2018. Add an R. You can rearrange the result to get three different titles for people. What are they?
No clue grows here this week.

Edit: My original hint was removed leaving this space barren.
A: A STAR IS BORN --> TSAR, SIR, BARON

Sunday, April 28, 2019

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 28, 2019): Getting From Here to There

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 28, 2019): Getting From Here to There:
Q: Think of a familiar three-word phrase with "and" in the middle ("___ and ___"). Move the first letter of the third word to the start of the first word, and you'll form two means of transportation. What are they?
Unfortunately... I have a fold in fabric or paper

Edit: Unfortunately referred to 13 years that have elapsed since a nearly identical version of this puzzle was aired. The second hint referred to "my crease" which hints at Mike Reiss (Producer for "The Simpsons") who independently came up with the puzzle back then.
A: ARTS and CRAFTS --> CARTS and RAFTS