This puzzle shouldn't require much more than a list or an atlas.Q: My friend Penelope, who is from La Jolla, went on a world vacation. She stopped in Santa Rosa, Toronto and Casablanca. What European capital did she also visit?
A: AMsterdAM follows the same pattern as PEneloPE, LA jolLA, SAnta roSA, TOronTO and CAsablanCA.
I guess I'll just be content knowing I finally have the answer, even if I had to ask family members for help.Q: The actress Michael Learned, who played the mother on The Waltons, has an unusual property in her name. The last three letters of her first name are the same as the first three letters of her last name reversed. The name of what current celebrity has the same property? Here's a hint: The first and last names each have 6 letters.
A: BILLIE EILISH
I believe the operative word is "write".Q: Write down the letter C. Beneath that write ENT. And beneath that write a G. What profession do these letters represent? Here's a hint: It's a two-word phrase — 10 letters in the first word, 5 letters in the second.
A: Under C, Over a G, ENT --> UNDERCOVER AGENT
P.S. If anyone is interested, an almost identical version of the puzzle was played on-air about 10 years ago.
I'm pretty sure my grandpa doesn't have this.Q: Name something everyone has, starting with H. Add an E, and rearrange the letters. You'll name two things that every person must do to stay alive.
A: HEARTBEAT + E --> EAT, BREATHE
I might have heard my wife utter this in the last couple weeks.Q: Think of a familiar three-word phrase that has the following property: The first word is a number. Let X be that number. Then the last X letters of the second word form, in order, a common abbreviation for the third word.
A: TWO LEFT FEET --> FT., FEET
I got stuck on "beer gut" but I should have used the resources at hand sooner.Q: Think of an informal term for part of the human body that consists of two alcoholic beverages, one after the other. What is it?
A: NOG + GIN = NOGGIN
I guess there's no need to craft an enigmatic clue when the puzzle is this easy.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?
A: JUSTIN TRUDEAU --> TRUST IN JUDO
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.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?
A: PIERS MORGAN --> NEWS PROGRAM
If this puzzle has left you flummoxed, you're closer than you think.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?
A: STUCK ONE'S NECK OUT
