NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 14, 2021): An Actress and a Musician

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 14, 2021): An Actress and a Musician

Q: Name a famous TV actress of the past. Double her first name phonetically. You get the first name of a famous musician. If you put the last names of the musician and the actress together, in that order, you'll name a great legendary figure. Who is it?

If the actress had used the actual spelling of her husband's last name, the puzzle wouldn't have worked the same.

Edit: Her first husband was Robert Alan Aurthur whose last name she took but using the spelling of Arthur.

A: BEA ARTHUR, B.B. KING --> KING ARTHUR

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 7, 2021): What's in Your Kitchen?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 7, 2021): What's in Your Kitchen?

Q: Name a variety of song and a genre of music. Switch the initial consonant sounds of these two words, and, phonetically, you'll name an object found in the kitchen. What is it?

I'm sure there are many obvious clues we could give, but let's not give it away.

Edit: Let's --> Let us --> Lettuce --> Salad

A: BALLAD, SOUL --> SALAD BOWL

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 31, 2021): Halloween Travel Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 31, 2021): Halloween Travel Puzzle

Q: Think of a popular tourist attraction in two words. The second, fourth, and sixth letters of the second word, in order, spell the first name of a famous author. The last four letters of the first word spell the author's last name. Who is the author, and what is the tourist attraction?

Meh, Solved. Now back to planning for spooky visitors tonight.

Edit: "Meh" was a hint to "Atlas Shrugged". And you'll find Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

A: GRAND CANYON --> AYN RAND

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 24, 2021): A Pair of Menus

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 24, 2021): A Pair of Menus

Q: Think of a two-word phrase you might see on a laptop computer menu. Remove five letters. What remains, in order, is a three-word phrase you might see on a restaurant menu. What phrases are these?

I'm going to have to chew on this one for awhile.

Edit: "À la mode" translates literally to "in the fashion". Chew sounds like (Jimmy) Choo who is known for his fashionable shoes. And "choo choo" is the sound a train makes which leads to Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

A: A(irp)LA(ne) MODE --> À LA MODE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 17, 2021): Famous Actress (8,6)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 17, 2021): Famous Actress (8,6)

Q: Name a famous actress (8,6). Change the next-to-last letter of her first name to an S. Then reverse the order of the last three letters, and you'll name a famous ruler. The actress's last name is an anagram of where you would find this ruler. Who is the actress and the ruler?

Her father's name relates to the ruler and the correct pronunciation of her surname is close to the place.

Edit: News stories have said the pronunciation of her last name is closer to "throne".

CHARLIZE THERON --> CHARLES I, THRONE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 10, 2021): Start Your Day Off Right

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 10, 2021): Start Your Day Off Right

Q: Name something you might eat for breakfast, in two words. Add a "G" at the end of the first word. Switch the middle two letters of the second word. Then reverse the order of the two words. You'll name an old-fashioned activity. What is it?

No help needed on this one.

You may need little help on the puzzle but you'll need lots of help on the activity.

A: RAISIN BRAN --> BARN RAISING

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 3, 2021): Country and Its Largest City

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 3, 2021): Country and Its Largest City

Q: Write down the name of a country and its largest city, one after the other. Hidden in this string, in consecutive letters, is another country's capital (in six letters)? What is it?

The first country's capital and the second country's largest city share the same two starting letters.

Edit: Islamabad and Istanbul.

A: PakistAN KARAchi --> ANKARA (Turkey)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 26, 2021): Prepare for Departure

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 26, 2021): Prepare for Departure

Q: Take the common abbreviation for a major American city. Insert it inside an airport code for that city. And you'll name a flower. What flower is it?

Perhaps it is a one-letter abbreviation?

Edit: CHI could also be the single Greek letter Χ (Chi).

A: Chicago (CHI) + O'Hare (ORD) = ORCHID

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 19, 2021): Grown in a Garden

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 19, 2021): Grown in a Garden

Q: Name something grown in a garden. Change the second letter, and double the third letter, to get an adjective that describes this thing. What is it?

I guess it can be considered a word that describes the item.

Edit: My uncertainty was a hint toward the adjective.

A: RADISH --> REDDISH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 12, 2021): Same Name Singers

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 12, 2021): Same Name Singers

Q: Think of two famous singers with the same five-letter first name. Take the last name of one of these singers. Switch the second and third letters. Then advance the resulting first and third letters each to the next letter in the alphabet. The result will be the last name of the other singer. What singers are these?

I created an Excel spreadsheet with functions to perform the transformations. Fortunately my wife suggested I do letter transformations both ways because one of the names wasn't in my original list.

Edit: My hint contained both the phrase "I do" (as in White Wedding) and the consecutive letters "I do l". My original list only had Billy Joel so it was good that I worked it backwards to get Billy Idol.

A: BILLY IDOL, BILLY JOEL