NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 4, 2022): Getting Straight to the Point

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 4, 2022): Getting Straight to the Point

Q: Name a symbol or punctuation mark on a computer keyboard. Anagram it to get the brand name of a product you might buy at a grocery, in two words. What is it?

A: SEMICOLON --> MOLSON ICE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 27, 2022): Common Eight-Letter Noun

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 27, 2022): Common Eight-Letter Noun

Q: What common eight-letter noun can be shortened in two ways — using either its first three letters or its last four letters? The answer is a familiar item.

Gasoline is NOT the answer, but an example. While "gas" is a shortened form of gasoline, "line" is not.

Edit: Gasoline has the same syllable structure as the answer. You might see the item in the checkout line

A: MAGAZINE --> MAG, ZINE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 20, 2022): Weird Science

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 20, 2022): Weird Science

Q: Name a branch of scientific study. Drop the last letter. Then rearrange the remaining letters to name two subjects of that study. What branch of science is it?

A fun puzzle, I'll give you that, but not that difficult.

Edit: I'll give you the moon and the stars.

A: ASTRONOMY --> STAR, MOON

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 13, 2022): A Pair of Companies

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 13, 2022): A Pair of Companies

Q: Think of two well-known companies with two-syllable names starting with J and D, respectively and whose names rhyme. One of these companies was founded in the last 10 years. What companies are these?

I calculate 44 years between the founding of the two companies. Anyone notice a connection to last week's puzzle?

Edit: The first company was founded in 1969 and the second in 2013. The callback to last week's puzzle was punctuation — a dash.

A: JORDACHE and DOORDASH

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2022): Punctuation is Important People!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2022): Punctuation is Important People!

Q: Name a punctuation mark found on a computer keyboard. Somewhere inside this insert a word for what this punctuation mark may be part of or what it may represent. The result will be a 10-letter word associated with painting. What words are these?

From the final word, remove letters that are duplicated leaving only one copy of each letter. Rearrange to get an herb.

Edit: CILANTRO

A: COLON + RATIO = COLORATION

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 30, 2022): (Blank) of my (Blank)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 30, 2022): (Blank) of my (Blank)

Q: Think of a common phrase in the form "___ of my ___." The word that goes in the first blank is the name of a well-known company. And the word that goes in the second blank sounds like part of the names of many of that company's products. What phrase is it?

The puzzle is easy -- a clue, not so much.

A: Easy as (apple) pie.

A: APPLE of my EYE (I in iMac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, etc.)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 23, 2022): Movie with a Five-Word Title

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 23, 2022): Movie with a Five-Word Title

Q: It's unusual for a multi-word movie title to consist entirely of words starting with vowels, none of which are the article "a." or pronoun "I." Can you name a popular movie with a five-word title — with word lengths 10, 10, 3, 2, 4 — all of which start with vowels?

Popular movie? I hadn't heard of it. But I like movies like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" so maybe I'm not the right audience?

Edit: Spider-Man: No Way Home also tells a story of a multiverse.

A: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 16, 2022): Confrontation or Cooperation

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 16, 2022): Confrontation or Cooperation

Q: Think of a pair of two-syllable words that are pronounced the same, except one is accented on the first syllable while the other is accented on the second. The word that's accented on the first syllable is associated with confrontation, while the word that's accented on the second syllable is associated with cooperation. What words are these?

This is a real chestnut of a puzzle.

Edit: In Britain, children each select a "conker" (horse chestnut) as their own, attach a string and then take turns swinging at their opponent's conker until one child's conker breaks and the surviving conker is declared the victor.

A: CONQUER, CONCUR

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 9, 2022): Building Materials

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 9, 2022): Building Materials

Q: Name two things that many houses are built with: "[blank] and [blank]." Drop the first letter of the first thing. Change the last two letters of the second thing to a "Y." And you'll name a popular TV show, "[blank] and [blank]." What show is it?

Is a piano involved?

Edit: A piano has 88 keys. The Delorean in Back to the Future will time travel at 88 mph. Doc and Marty are the inspiration for Rick and Morty.

A: BRICK and MORTAR --> RICK and MORTY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 2, 2022): A Couple Brand Name Products

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 2, 2022): A Couple Brand Name Products

Q: Think of two well-known brand names, each in eight letters that have the same first six letters in the same order. Both brands are of products, one found in a supermarket and one for something used outdoors. And even though the first six letters of the names are the same, they're not pronounced the same. What products are these?

Edit: The picture of the supermarket shows a vehicle with tires, presumably Michelin :)

A: MICHELOB, MICHELIN