NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 29, 2019): World Leader Turns to Martial Arts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 29, 2019): World Leader Turns to Martial Arts:

Q: Everyone knows what a spoonerism is, right? That's where you switch the initial consonant sounds of one phrase to get another — like "light rain" for "right lane." Here's the puzzle: Name a well-known world leader, first and last names. Spoonerize this, and you'll get a phrase that means "to have confidence in one of the martial arts." Who's the leader, and what's the phrase?

I guess there's no need to craft an enigmatic clue when the puzzle is this easy.

The clue was "craft" as in Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Canada has the highest per capita consumption of Mac & Cheese.

A: JUSTIN TRUDEAU --> TRUST IN JUDO

Annual Video and Puzzle for 2019

Our annual video and puzzle is available now. Simply solve the puzzle to get the password. Click on this link to the annual video and type the password to see what we have been up to in 2019.

Feel free to add a comment below to let us know that you successfully figured it out (without giving away the answer to others). We are always looking for new ideas for next year's Christmas puzzle, so submit those too.

For those that might still be struggling, there is an answer key, but please only click on that as a last resort.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 22, 2019): Noted TV Journalist

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 22, 2019): Noted TV Journalist:

Q: Name a noted TV journalist — five letters in the first name, six letters in the last. Change an I in this name to a W and rearrange the result. You'll get a two-word phrase for where you might see this journalist. Who is it?

Edit: I got stuck for too long on KATIE COURIC and DIANE SAWYER. With everything that was happening for Christmas, I never found time to come back and find the real answer.

A: PIERS MORGAN --> NEWS PROGRAM

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 15, 2019): Took a Risk

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 15, 2019): Took a Risk:

Q: Write down eight different letters of the alphabet. Add an apostrophe. Then write the same eight letters in a different order. With proper spacing, you now have a four-word phrase meaning "took a risk." What is it?

If this puzzle has left you flummoxed, you're closer than you think.

Edit: In other words, if you are STUCK...

A: STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 8, 2019): Another Trip to the Supermarket

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 8, 2019): Another Trip to the Supermarket:

Q: Name a food in two words — a total of 11 letters. Some of these letters appear more than once. The food has seven different letters in its name. You can rearrange these seven letters to identify the form in which this food is typically served. What food is it?

A: CREAM CHEESE (SCHMEAR)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 1, 2019): A Quick Trip to the Grocery Store

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 1, 2019): A Quick Trip to the Grocery Store:

Q: Name something you find in a grocery. Two words. Three letters in the first, six letters in the second. Switch the third and seventh letters, and read the result backward. The result will name that same grocery item again. What is it?

You might see this in the checkout line, but only in Uganda.

Edit: Red Pepper is a tabloid newspaper in Uganda.

A: RED PEPPER

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 24, 2019): Who Got a View of the Blue Gnu at the Zoo?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 24, 2019): Who Got a View of the Blue Gnu at the Zoo?:

Q: The words WON and SUN rhyme, even though their vowels are different. Can you name four common, uncapitalized 4-letter words, each of which has exactly one vowel, and all of which rhyme, even though all four vowels are different?

After a false start (faux go?), I continued steadfast in the notion I could figure this out.
Edit: You could say I was undeterred which rhymes with...

A: BIRD, CURD, HERD (or NERD) and WORD. There are other answers possible depending on your definition of "common" such as KIRK, JERK (or PERK), LURK (or MURK) and WORK

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 17, 2019): Next Largest U.S. City

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 17, 2019): Next Largest U.S. City:

Q: The city of Mobile, Alabama, has the interesting property that the name of the city has exactly the same consonants as its state (M, B, and L), albeit in a different order. What is the next-largest U.S. city for which this is true?

When studying the state capitals, I'd often get confused by this. Also, don't think that you can just say New York, New York — that's a little larger than Mobile, Alabama.

Update: I used to confuse Charleston, WV (capital) with Charleston, SC (not a capital).

A: CHaRLeSToN --> SouTH CaRoLiNa

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 10, 2019): Five Letter Antonyms

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 10, 2019): Five Letter Antonyms:

Q: Think of two five-letter words that are opposites. One of them begins with E, the other ends with E. Drop both E's. The remaining eight letters can be rearranged to spell a new word that is relevant. What are these three words?

The hardest part is coming up with a clue that is relevant.

A: ENTER, LEAVE, RELEVANT

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 3, 2019): Tiptoe Through the Seedy Ivy

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 3, 2019): Tiptoe Through the Seedy Ivy:

Q: The letters C + D together sound like the word "seedy." And the letters I + V together sound like "ivy." Take the 18 letters in the phrase END BACKSTAGE TV QUIZ. Rearrange them into pairs, using each letter exactly once, to make nine common, uncapitalized words phonetically. Can you do it?

I like most of my words but one is a bit of a stinker.

The one word that wasn't my favorite was 'ew' (also spelled with additional letters like eww) to express disgust, often at something gross and smelly. Merriam-Webster does have it as two syllables (ˈē-ü)

A: beady (BD), cagey (KG), cutie (QT), easy (EZ), eighty (AT), envy (NV), essay (SA), ew (EU) and icy (IC)

Update: Will's intended answer was u-ey (UE)