NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 15): Chained Sentences

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 15): Chained Sentences:

Q: The challenge is a special challenge called, 'Chained Sentences.' The object is to write a sentence or other bit of writing in which the last two letters of each word are the first two letters of the next.
For example: Give veteran Angela Lansbury rye yeast. Or, the heroic iconoclast stops psychological allusions.

Well, I can't give you *the* answer since there are lots of possible answers. I will just give you my submission and you can judge it against what is announced on the air on Sunday. I think it has pretty good syntax and a reasonable length.

A: Despite technological alternatives espoused, Edith, the head administrator, ordered education online, neglectful ultimate telecommunication onus usurious.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 1): Is it Better to Plan, or not to Plan?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 1): Is it Better to Plan, or not to Plan?:

Q: Think of a nine-letter word for something that is unplanned. Change the middle letter from I to U, and you'll get a new word for something that is always planned. What is it?

I came by the answer almost accidentally. I wasn't really thinking about this puzzle, but was just pondering things that might be planned or unplanned. While I was thinking of unplanned things, the answer hit me.

Edit: In response to the title, I wouldn't want to be involved in either of these events (unplanned or planned). By the way, there were a couple *big* clues in what I wrote earlier. The keywords were "accidentally" and "hit me". So it's time to reveal my answer:

A: COLLISION --> COLLUSION

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24): I'm feeling i-l-l today

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24): I'm feeling i-l-l today:

Q: Name a famous person whose first and last names, together, total eleven letters. This person's first and last names each contain the consecutive letters 'I-L-L' in that order. Who is it? It's a person everybody knows.

I'm not sure if this is the intended answer, but this is what I came up with. Is he known to everyone or is there another answer?

A: Bill O'Reilly (host of The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17): Get to the Point!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17): Get to the Point!

Q: Think of a seven-letter word that names a certain implement with a sharp point. Reverse the order of the second, third, fourth, and fifth letter, leaving the other three letters in place. The result will name a popular TV series. This series has other types of sharp implements in use.

If you've heard of this series, the answer is obvious... although I wasn't as familiar with the original implement with a sharp point.

Edit: Okay, so how many TV shows have you heard of with sharp implements. If you've heard of this one, you had the answer within seconds.

A: NUTPICK -> NIP/TUCK

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10): O as in FISH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10): O as in FISH:

Q: In most words containing the letter 'O' between two consonants, the O is either pronounced as a long O or a short O. Can you name a common word in which O appears between two consonants and the O is pronounced like a short 'i'?

You can easily get this if you think a little. I'll explain the title after the deadline has passed.

Edit: Okay, time to reveal the meaning of the title. English pronunciation has all sorts of anomalies. Someone said it is so confusing. We have GH sounding like F in ENOUGH, O sounding like I in WOMEN, and TI sounding like SH in ACTION. Wouldn't that make GHOTI a valid way to spell fish? Anyway, that was the clue to the answer.

A: WOMEN ('wi-m&n)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3): "And in the News today..."

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3): "And in the News today...":

Q: Take the phrase 'a correspondent.' Change one letter in it to a new letter, and rearrange to get the name of a famous correspondent who is still at work. Who is it?

This actually took some thought. I missed the part about changing one of the letters. Coincidentally, I had half of the answer, but the remaining letters didn't spell a name, only a form of transportation. I'll tell you more about the answer after the deadline, but think of TV, both network and cable...

Edit: The deadline has passed so it's time to reveal my answer. As I said, I originally missed the note about changing a letter. We were working on names like PETER and PETERSON when I noticed ANDERSON, which I thought to be a last name. The remaining letters only spelled COPTER. I didn't think there was a COPTER ANDERSON so I discarded the idea. It wasn't until I reread the puzzle that I figured out the real answer. I was so close!

A: A CORRESPONDENT --> change T to O --> ANDERSON COOPER (Anderson Cooper - correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of World News Now who has now moved on to CNN)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27): Company - TE times 3

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27): Company - TE times 3:

Q: Name a well-known company in U.S. history, still in existence today. There are three words in its name. Each word contains the letter pair T and E. What company is it?

My wife and I were on the way up to Crater Lake with the kids last week and this puzzle kept us occupied. (This also explains why I didn't post before the deadline) I kept focusing on AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph). I also had "United States..." but couldn't complete it. Once again my wife trumped me and came up with the answer first.

A: UNITED STATES STEEL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 20): "And the Oscar goes to..."

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 20): "And the Oscar goes to..."

Q: Name a well-known person in show business, who might be seen at an awards ceremony. Take the first letter of this person's first name, plus this person's last name, in order, from left to right. The letters will spell something this celebrity might say at an awards ceremony. Who is the celebrity and what might this person say?

Well, I've given away a large clue with the title of this post. The answer would not apply to a music awards show; instead think of people involved with movies. I had the answer within a minute, so I don't think it is that hard. The answer for what they might say is a single word, not a phrase.

Edit: Did you figure it out?

A: TOM HANKS --> THANKS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 13): You Put My Car in What!?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 13): You Put My Car in What!?

Q: Name a make of car containing the letter 'N.' Rearrange the letters to get a new word starting with 'N' that names something you might put a car in. What is it?

My wife and I figured out the answer together. Like last week, we worked backwards. I figured out the 'N' word, she figured out the car make. And I'll reiterate that it is a car make not a model. Think also about the clue for the 'N' word. It's obviously not something like a garage or a carport. So what do you put a car in?

Unfortunately, we are taking five days vacation starting Thursday, so I won't be able to post the answer until after the answer is revealed on the air... hopefully we've given enough hints here so you can figure it out (while we are spending our time idling on the beaches in Cancun!)

Edit: We are back safely with only minor delays from the increased security. We had to transfer all our liquid/gel items into a single bag which then got checked as luggage. Anyway, the answer has already been announced on the air, but here it is:

A: RENAULT --> NEUTRAL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 6): Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 6): Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise

Q: Take the last name of a well-known 20th century world leader -- seven letters. Write these letters in a circle, reading clockwise. Then, starting with the fourth letter of the name and reading counter-clockwise, you'll name an important period in human history. What is it?

This answer came to me almost immediately but I worked on it going backwards. The name should be familiar to anyone who has paid attention to history in the last 3 decades or so.

Edit: Well, you would have heard this name in the news in the late 1980s. And to the person that asked, yes the country would be a big clue, wouldn't it?

A:
NORIEGA (Manuel Noriega, the de facto military leader of Panama from 1983-1989)
IRON AGE (As in Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age)