NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 23, 2017): Billboard Hot 100 Creative Challenge

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 23, 2017): Billboard Hot 100 Creative Challenge:

Q: It's a two-week creative challenge. The object is to mashup the titles of past No. 1 hits on the Billboard 100 pop chart to tell a story. For example: "I Shot The Sheriff" "The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia." "The Morning After" "I'll Be There" "Leaving On A Jet Plane."

Wikipedia has a list of the Billboard No. 1 singles from the Hot 100 era, 1958 to present, which you can use. Your story can include up to seven song titles. Entries will be judged on cleverness, naturalness of reading, memorableness of the songs and overall elegance. You can send up to three entries and the best one, based on Will's opinion, will play the puzzle on the air in two weeks.

Get those creative juices flowing...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 16, 2017): A Runny Variety of Cheese Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 16, 2017): A Runny Variety of Cheese Puzzle:

Q: A spoonerism is when you change the initial consonant sounds of two words in a phrase to get a new phrase. For example, "Tames Jailer" is a spoonerism of the singer James Taylor. "Spark Mitts" is a spoonerism of the swimmer Mark Spitz. The name of what famous entertainer — first and last names — has a two-word spoonerism meaning "A runny variety of cheese"?

I got caught up on "entertainer". That's not the first word I'd used to describe this person. Anyway, back to getting dressed for Easter.

Edit: My pants are a little loose, so I made sure to wear a black belt.

A: BRUCE LEE --> LOOSE BRIE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 9, 2017): Deep Dive Under the Sea

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 9, 2017): Deep Dive Under the Sea:

Q: Name a well-known U.S. city in two words. Replace each of these words with a word that rhymes with it, and you'll name a large sea creature in two words. What is it?

It's a brainstorm...

Edit: ... is an anagram of Manta birostris which is the Giant oceanic manta ray.

A: SANTA FE --> MANTA RAY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 2, 2017): Proper Name Anagrams

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 2, 2017): Proper Name Anagrams:

Q: Think of four 4-letter proper names that are all anagrams of each other. Two of them are first names — one male and one female. The other two are well-known geographical names. What names are these?

If I combine the first names I get a third person.

Edit: Liam Neeson and Mila Kunis starred together in the movie Third Person

A: LIAM, MILA, LIMA, MALI

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 26, 2017): Kitchen Remodel

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 26, 2017): Kitchen Remodel:

Q: Name two things found in a kitchen — one starting with G, the other starting with K. If you have the right ones, you can rearrange the letters to name two other things, one of them found in the kitchen starting with F, the other one probably found elsewhere in the house starting with K. What things are these?

Anyone have an answer not involving a brand name?

A: GRIDDLE + KNIFE --> FRIDGE + KINDLE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 19, 2017): I (blank) you!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 19, 2017): I (blank) you!:

Q: Think of a familiar phrase in the form "I ___ you," in which a four-letter word goes in the blank. Rearrange those letters and you'll get another familiar phrase in the form "I ___ you." Both phrases get more than half a million hits in a Google search. What phrases are these?

Lickin' chicken

Edit: "I read you lickin' chicken" -- military radio slang for "loud and clear."

A: I DARE YOU (~542,000 results), I READ YOU (~577,000 results)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 12, 2017): Two Word City Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 12, 2017): Two Word City Puzzle:

Q: Name a well-known city in the U.S. Two words. The second word rhymes with a word meaning "certain stories" — and the first word rhymes with something found in those stories. What city is it?"

I've been waiting for Will to drop a real GEM of a puzzle.

Edit: George Edgar Merrick was the planner and builder of the city of Coral Gables, Florida in the 1920s.

A: CORAL GABLES --> MORAL, FABLES

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 5, 2017): Playing Games

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 5, 2017): Playing Games:

Q: An easy-ish one this week. Write the name of a game in small letters. Reverse the second and third letters. Turn the fourth letter upside-down. The result will name something else to play. What is it?

You can't convince me to give you an iota of help this week.

Edit: Not one scrap which anagrams to...

A: craps <--> cards

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 26, 2017): I'd Like to Buy a Vowel, Pat

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 26, 2017): I'd Like to Buy a Vowel, Pat:

Q: Take five consecutive letters of the alphabet. Write them in left-to-right order. Insert five letters at certain spots. These will all go between the first and last given letters. The result will be a famous actor — first and last names. Who is it?

Typing test: "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country."

Edit: Men serving country was a hint to jury duty and "Twelve Angry Men". The other hint was "aid" which is a homophone of "ade" as in lemonade.

A: JKLMN --> Jack Lemmon

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 19, 2017): A Change of Outfits

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 19, 2017): A Change of Outfits:

Q: Think of an article of apparel in five letters. Change one letter in it to name another article of apparel. Change one letter in that to name a third article of apparel. Then change one letter in that to name a fourth article of apparel. The position of the letters you change are different each time. What articles are these?

Mr. Shortz has delivered a fun puzzle this week.

Edit: My clue was delivered as in the *stork* delivering babies. If you anagram stork you get skort.

A: SKORT <--> SKIRT <--> SHIRT <--> SHIFT