NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 28): Last NPR Puzzle of 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 28): Last NPR Puzzle of 2008:

Q: Take the phrase 'counting down the days.' Remove four letters from this phrase and rearrange the remaining letters to spell an appropriate number. What is it?

No need for hints... just take the letters and mix 'em up. You'll easily figure out which letters aren't part of the number.

Edit: My hidden clue was "mix 'em" which when swapped comes out as 'em mix, or simply the roman numeral MMIX.

A: Obviously the intended answer was TWO THOUSAND NINE in honor of the upcoming year. (9002 works too, but doesn't match with the "appropriate number" clue.)

Can you solve our Colorful Christmas Crossword (2008)?

This year's Christmas puzzle is a fun, themed crossword. And there is a secret holiday surprise if you are able to solve it. Take a look at our Christmas Puzzle for 2008.

Note: The answer key is posted now, but try to solve it without looking at it.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 21): What?! Same Puzzle as Last Week?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 21): What?! Same Puzzle as Last Week?

Q: Name two things Santa Claus carries. Put them together, reading one after the other, and you'll name a musical instrument. What musical instrument is it?

Currently the NPR website has last week's puzzle repeated as this week's puzzle. The real puzzle can be heard if you click "listen now". Guess what? It's another musical instrument puzzle. It might be a little easier to play Christmas carols on this week's instrument, but I haven't heard any. I can't think of any other good hints that don't give things away immediately, so I'll just remind everyone to be as good as possible if people expect a visit from St. Nick.

Edit: The hidden clue was in the last phrase:
"...Be As Good (as) Possible If People Expect..."

A: BAG + PIPE = BAGPIPE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 14): Need a List of Musical Instruments?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 14): Need a List of Musical Instruments?:

Q: Name a musical instrument, change the third letter to a different letter and double the last letter. The result will name a famous singer, in two words. Who is the singer and what is the instrument?

First, here's a list of musical instruments courtesy of Wikipedia. I had to see it a couple of times before I found the answer. Hint, if you are young you may not know this singer... go ask your Mom or Dad.

Edit: My first hint was that the list contained the instrument, but as a singular noun. The second hint was to "The Mamas and the Papas".

A: MARACAS --> MAMA CASS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 7): Rhyme Time

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 7): Rhyme Time

Q: The words "chic" and "squeak" rhyme with each other, even though they have no letters in common. Think of three words containing a total of 12 or more letters that rhyme and have no letters in common. The words must be common, uncapitalized words, and each will have just one syllable.

I have an answer that is 3 words, 4 letters each, but I'm not sure it is the intended answer. I expecially like one of the words (3rd alphabetically), but I'm questioning the second word. Everyone's heard of it but I don't know if it follows all the rules. For anyone that is searching, I think a rhyming dictionary might be the key to solving this. Also, it's important to note that chic has repeated letters, so that doesn't seem to be disallowed, as long as the words don't share common letters.

Edit: Initially I was thinking of KNEE, QUAY, PRIX, but my dictionary doesn't like prix except in grand prix and prix fixe.

SKI, QUAY (pronounced like 'key'), THREE

There are other possible choices like:
pooh, screw, gnu (or flu)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 30): All Points Bulletin...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 30): All Points Bulletin...:

Q: Think of the name of a lawbreaker that starts with S. Remove the S and one other letter, and the remaining letters, in order, will name another lawbreaker.

Not to sound confident, but I'm positive I have the right answer. Note: when I first heard the puzzle, I was thinking they might want the *names* of specific criminals (e.g. Jesse James). If you made that mistake you will find yourself struggling with this puzzle. :-)

Edit: Not to sound smug, but I know the intended answer. An alternate answer that was submitted by some was "stalker --> taker"

A: SMUGGLER --> MUGGER

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 23): Famous Singer Anagram

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 23): Famous Singer Anagram:

Q: Name a famous singer from the past who has five letters in his or her first name and six letters in the last. Rearrange the letters of the last name, plus the last letter of the first name (seven letters in all) to name a place where this singer famously performed. Who is the singer and what is the place?

In the comments from last week, Natasha says this is easy. I've obviously been overthinking it then.

Edit: I was less familiar with this singer so it took longer to get the answer. There were some good clues in the comments, including "alas, I am, Carl" which was an anagram of the singer's full name and uses of the word "callous".

A: Maria Callas --> La Scala

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 16): Authors Beginning with C

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 16): Authors Beginning with C:

Q: Name a famous author whose last name starts with the letter C. Cross out four letters in it. The remaining letters, in order, will name another famous author also starting with C. Who are these two writers?

I'm not sure if I have the intended answer but I have a pair of authors that will work... it helps if you have a list of authors starting with C

Edit: It's after the deadline, so I'm going to reveal what I think is the intended answer.

A: Miguel de CERVANTES (famous for "Don Quixote")
(cross out e,v,t,s)
Stephen CRANE (famous for "Red Badge of Courage")

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 9): A Pair of Animals, Running Wild in the Capital!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 9): A Pair of Animals, Running Wild in the Capital!:

Q: Take the names of two animals. Drop the third letter from each name. Read the remaining letters, in order, from left to right and you'll name a world capital. What is it?

There are several ways to approach solving this puzzle. You could look at lists of animals, or perhaps it might be easier to look at a list of world capitals. I don't think you'll find it too difficult. Oh, my clue this week is that "tiger" is not one of the animals. Does that help?

Edit: My clues were "Oh my" and "tigers". At least my clues were less obvious than some posted in the comments section. I had to delete one that had the outright answer. Please wait until after the Thu. 3pm ET deadline to post spoilers.

A: BEaR + LIoN --> BERLIN (Germany)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 2): Setting the Clock Back

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 2): Setting the Clock Back:

Q: The names of presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have something unusual in common. In fact, these are the only presidents in U.S. history whose names share this characteristic. What is it?

I was in the middle of setting my clocks back this morning so didn't hear the puzzle. Is anything missing from what I wrote?

Edit: It's now after the deadline so I can reveal my hints. The key words were "middle" and "missing". Also, the reference to setting the clock back was a hint to think back to prior presidents.

A: Ronald Wilson Reagan and William Jefferson Clinton -- their middle names are the last names of former U.S. presidents