NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 4, 2019): Synonyms and Antonyms

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 4, 2019): Synonyms and Antonyms:

Q: Think of a two-letter and a five-letter word that are synonyms. The two-letter word and the last syllable of the five-letter word sound like new words that are antonyms. What words are these?

If today is Day 1, I'll definitely give you the answer before Day 6.

Edit: The South Korean boy band Day6 has a song named Hi Hello on their 2017 Moonrise album. Also in the picture, the big bee is higher and the small bee is lower.

A: HI, HELLO --> HIGH, LOW

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 28, 2019): Abracadabra!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 28, 2019): Abracadabra!:

Q: The word BEVY is "alphabetically balanced." That is, the first letter, B, is second from the start of the alphabet, and the last letter, Y, is second from the end of the alphabet. Similarly, E and V are each fifth from the ends of the alphabet. Can you think of a six-letter word related to magic that is similarly balanced?

Giving a clue is not easy this week, so I'll just say Wikipedia has multiple entries for this word. Also the answer isn't HOVELS.

A: WIZARD

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 21, 2019): Easy Money

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 21, 2019): Easy Money:

Q: Think of a common two-word phrase, in nine letters, naming something that makes it easy to get money. Rearrange its letters to spell another common two-word phrase naming something that makes it hard to get money. What phrases are these?

May you have the first but not the second.

A: DEBIT CARD <--> BAD CREDIT

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 14, 2019): Veni, Vidi, Virgo!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 14, 2019): Veni, Vidi, Virgo!:

Q: Take an 11-letter word with two D's in it. If you drop both D's, you'll get a world capital followed by a sign of the zodiac. What's the 11-letter word?

I'm back!

The big difference between Dromedaries and Bactrian camels is in the number of humps on their backs. I'm sorry for feeling that all the hints to hump (day) and lumps (of sugar) and (camel) cigarettes were too revealing.

A: DROMEDARIES --> ROME, ARIES

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 7, 2019): On Vacation

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 7, 2019): On Vacation

I'm unable to post the puzzle this week, but I didn't want to leave you without a place to post comments on the puzzle. Somebody help me out by posting a copy here. Then feel free to add your hints.

Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any outright spoilers before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here. Thank you.

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

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

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

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

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