I incorrectly assumed that each of the letters were replaced by an S (for a total of three Ss). Apparently that is not correct.Q: Name a well-known character of TV, movies and comics. Two words. Replace the 8th, 9th, and 10th letters with an S. Then rearrange the result to name a well-known actor who played this character on film. First and last names. Who is it?
A: GREEN HORNET --> GREENHO(S)T --> SETH ROGEN
Q: Name a state capital. Drop one of its letters. The remaining letters can be rearranged to name of another major city in the United States. What is it? There are two different answers, and you should find both of them.
A: SALEM (MESA) and ST PAUL (TULSA)
Since we've had this puzzle before, I've got nothing further to add.Q: Take the name of a well-known actress — four letters in the first name, nine letters in the last. Insert a letter between the second and third letters of the first name. Remove the last two letters of the last name. The result is a two-word phrase that means "freedom."
A: Cate Blanchett --> Carte Blanche
Well, it isn't Baked Alaska.Q: The following three Thanksgiving dishes have something very unusual in common:
Spit-roast turkey Cornbread stuffing Boiled squash What is it they have in common, and can you name one other thing that might be served at Thanksgiving dinner that has the same property?
A: Each food item uses all five vowels (A, E, I, O and U) exactly once. Other possible foods with this property: Whipped young yams, cranberry coulis, pumpkin gelato, robust Zinfandel. Any food whose name contained all five vowels exactly once was accepted.
Q:Think of a word that contains three consecutive letters of the alphabet together — like CANOPY, which contains NOP. Change these three letters to one new letter to make a synonym of the first word. What words are these?
A: DEFEAT --> BEAT
Or take the letters that remain in the actor's last name, add a letter before and after to name where you might see the actor today.Edit: The answer to my hint was the TV show, BONESQ: Name a famous actor — using both first and last name. Drop the first two letters of the first name and the last two letters of the last name. Then put a Y between what's left of the two names. The result, reading from left to right, will identify who might solve this challenge and play puzzle on the air with me next week.
A: RYAN O'NEAL --> ANYONE
Q: This is one of the "lost" puzzles of Sam Loyd, the great American puzzlemaker from the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's from an old magazine with a Sam Loyd puzzle column. The object is to arrange three 9s to make 20. There is no trick involved. Simply arrange three 9s, using any standard arithmetic signs and symbols, to total 20. How can it be done?The whole point is there are no tricks involved. So you don't need to flip numbers upside down or involve higher order math like square roots or factorials... at least my solution doesn't need those.
A: (9 + 9)/.9 = 20
Too easy.Q: The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters — seven consonants (H, K, L, M, N, P and W) plus the five vowels (A, E, I, O and U). Use all 12 of these, and repeat four of them, to get 16 letters in all that can be arranged to name a well-known holiday item. What is it? As a hint — it's a two-word answer.
A: HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN
For some of you, it's time to include the other half of your brain...Q: Write a 10-word sentence in which each word ends with the same letter of the alphabet.
For example: Dartmouth frosh clash with Pittsburgh church parish, clinch fifth triumph. Every word in that sentence ends with H. You can choose any letter you like. Entries will be judged on sensibility, naturalness of syntax and overall elegance. The person who submits the best sentence in Will's opinion will play the puzzle on the air in two weeks.
A: The winning sentence chosen by Will, "Can neurosurgeon Ben Carson pin down Republican nomination in 'Sixteen?" — Kate S. of Maryland
