NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 9, 2022): A=1, B=2, C=3...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 9, 2022): A=1, B=2, C=3...

Q: Let A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, etc. Think of a five-letter word whose letters' values add up to 51. Now take this word's last two letters. Add their values. (For example A and C would total 4.) Change these two letters to the single letter of the alphabet that represents their total. (In this case, D.) The result will be a new word that is the opposite of the original. What words are these?

I threw together a chart to help us.

Edit: "Threw" is a homophone for "through". Also the diagram is made up of thick and thin lines around the boxes.

A: THICK and THIN

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 2, 2022): Chopped-up Vegetable

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jan 2, 2022): Chopped-up Vegetable

Q: Take the name of a certain vegetable. Move the 7th, 5th, and 6th letters — in that order — to the front of the word. Phonetically you'll name another vegetable. What vegetables are these?

Now take the 2nd, 3rd and 1st letters of the new vegetable and add them at the end and phonetically you name yet another vegetable.

Edit: Take 'BROCCOLI' and add the letters 'ROB' at the end and phonetically you have BROCCOLI RABE

A: KOHLRABI --> "BRA-KOHL-I" --> BROCCOLI

Our Family Puzzle and Video for 2021!

Our Family Video for 2021 is available now. The password can be found by solving the puzzle below:

Feel free to add comments about the video to show you solved the puzzle, but don't give away the password to others.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 26, 2021): Singer and Body Parts

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 26, 2021): Singer and Body Parts

Q: Name a famous singer — first and last names. Each name has two syllables. Change the first vowel sound in the first name and the last vowel sound in the last name. In each case, phonetically, you'll name part of the human body. Who's the singer?

I harken back to the days of watching wholesome family shows like The Waltons.

Edit: I was hinting at a similar puzzle from Feb 2, 2020.

A: BILLIE EILISH --> BELLY, EYELASH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 19, 2021): Not Formerly Known as Prince

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 19, 2021): Not Formerly Known as Prince

Q: Take the name of a well-known artist. The first name can be divided to form two common words that are synonyms. The last name can be anagrammed to form an antonym of those two words. Who is the artist, and what are the words?

Add 3 letters in front of the first name to get a destination. Insert 1 letter in the last name to get a different destination.

Edit: San Diego and Riviera

A: DIEGO RIVERA --> DIE, GO, ARRIVE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 12, 2021): This Time of Year

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 12, 2021): This Time of Year

Q: Think of a major U.S. city in two words. Insert an L in the exact middle of the second word. Now read the first word forward and the second word backward, and you'll name two things associated with this time of year. What are they?

Stromboli Airbus

Edit: "Stromboli Airbus" anagrams to "Mobula birostris" which is a species of manta ray and that rhymes with the city.

SANTA FE --> SANTA, ELF

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 5, 2021): One Versus Many

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 5, 2021): One Versus Many

Q: Think of a word to describe a single animal. Change the third letter to get a word that describes the plural of that animal. Both are nouns, and neither word contains an "s."

My first hint is on the house.

Edit: The band Head of the Herd had a debut album entitled On the House.

A: HEAD (of cattle) --> HERD (of cattle)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 28, 2021): What's Your Sign?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 28, 2021): What's Your Sign?

Q: Take the 9 letters of EARTH SIGN. Repeating them as often as necessary, you can spell the four-word title of a classic movie in 15 letters. You can also use them to spell the four-word title of a classic song in 19 letters. What two titles are these?

The actor we associate with the movie is an earth sign, but the singer we associate with the song is a fire sign. I also thought I had the wrong movie.

Edit: Gene Kelly is a Virgo and Frank Sinatra is a Sagittarius. Like others, I wasn't initially aware that the movie title had an apostrophe in it which messed up my letter count.

A: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 21, 2021): Grab Your Passport

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 21, 2021): Grab Your Passport

Q: Name a country of 6 or more letters. Change 2 letters to name a resident of another country's capital.

Hint: 1011101111₂

Edit: ...equals 751. Foreign relations between Pakistan and France were first established in July 1951 when both countries agreed to open embassy services in each country.

A: PAKISTAN --> PARISIAN

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