NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23): I like knocking down pins

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23): I like knocking down pins:

Q: Think of two words that each mean 'bowler.' Put them together, one after the other, and you'll name a sport in two words that is not related to bowling.

On a different note, remember how bowling used to be frequently televised? I don't think I've seen it that much these days...

Edit: There isn't much need for me to explain my hints, but the title refers to knocking things down. That applies to bowling or the answer to the puzzle. Similarly, both bowling and this sport used to be frequently on TV, all the time it seemed in the early 70s; now not so much.

A: ROLLER DERBY

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16): Beware of Invisible Cows

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16): Beware of Invisible Cows:

Q: Think of a common street sign with three words: four letters in the first word, four letters in the second word and three letters in the last. Drop the last letter of the first word in the sign and you'll get a new word that is a synonym of the last word in the sign. What is the sign?

Mr. Shortz states that it is a "common street sign" so I'm sure it's not Beware of Invisible Cows. However, I'm suspicious; I've looked up and down a list of Road Signs and don't see the answer. No doubt I'm thinking too hard so let me ponder this a bit more.

Feel free to add clues in the comments, but no outright answers or spoilers, please.

Edit: Remember Will didn't say traffic signs. That was a clue. In addition, hopefully my clue indirectly made you think of animals.

A: CURB YOUR DOG (Cur = Dog)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 9): Would you like cream and sugar with that?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 9): Would you like cream and sugar with that?:

Q: A waitress walks up to a breakfast table with five logicians and asks, 'Does everyone here want coffee?'
The first logician says, 'I don't know.'
The second logician says, 'I don't know.'
The third logician says, 'I don't know.'
The fourth logician says, 'I don't know.'
And the fifth logician says, 'No.'
To whom did the waitress bring coffee — and why?

No doubt the waitress has to be a logician too. This reminds me of a related joke:

René Descartes walks into a diner and orders a cup of coffee. The waitress asks if he wants cream and sugar to which he replies, "I think not". He promptly disappears.

Edit: The answer isn't too difficult if you just think of each person's reply choices...

A: The waitress asks, "Does EVERYONE here want coffee?"

If the first logician didn't want coffee, he knows that not EVERYONE wants coffee so he could have replied "No." But he doesn't yet know what the others are thinking so he answers "I don't know." This tells us he wants coffee.

Similarly, the second logician has determined that the first logician wants coffee. Now we are in the same situation as the first logician. If the 2nd logician didn't want coffee, he could say, "No." But because he replies "I don't know." it means he also wants coffee.

The same logic applies to the 3rd and 4th logicians.

The fifth logican has determined that all the rest want coffee. If he also wanted coffee, he would reply "Yes" because he can accurately determine that everyone wants coffee. However, he doesnt want coffee and therefore answers "No", because he is the lone logician that doesn't want coffee and therefore NOT everyone wants coffee.

Summary:
The waitress (being the consumate logician herself) brings coffee to logicians 1 through 4. Logician 5 is not served coffee.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 2): Show Me the Money!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 2): Show Me the Money!:

Q: Take a slang term for money. Change one of its letters to the next letter of the alphabet. Rearrange the result, and you'll get another slang term for money. What are the words?

To be honest, I haven't figured this one out yet. I thought I was close with BEAN and BANK, but it fails the "next letter" rule.

Edit: I must admit I'd never come across the term Do-re-mi as slang for money. There were less than 300 entries so I don't think I was alone.

A: DO-RE-MI --> DINERO

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 26): A Tale of Two Cities

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 26): A Tale of Two Cities:

Q: Name a well-known U.S. city in six letters. Drop the first and fourth letters so the remaining four letters, in order, will name another well-known U.S. city. What cities are these?
Hint: The two cities are in adjoining states.

Would it help if I gave the hint Fraxinus?

Edit: Fraxinus is the latin name for the Ash tree. In Spanish (as Geri figured out) it is Fresno.

A: FRESNO (California) --> RENO (Nevada)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19): On Vacation -- Returning Soon

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 19): On Vacation -- Returning Soon

Our vacation to Madagascar finishes up in a couple more days, but I'm still not around to supply any hints. Perhaps once I return I can add to the comments. Until then you are on your own; play nice.

Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any outright spoilers before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here. Thank you.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 12): On Vacation -- Autopilot Engaged

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 12): On Vacation -- Autopilot Engaged

We're still on vacation in (just add Z), but I didn't want to leave you without a place to post comments on the puzzle. Somebody help me out by posting a copy here. Then feel free to add your *hints*.

Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any outright spoilers before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here. Thank you.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 5): I Won't Divulge the Answer

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 5): I Won't Divulge the Answer:

Think of two terms that mean 'to divulge information.' Write them one after the other with no spaces between words. The result is a nine-letter word for a card that you might hold in a card game. What card is it?

I must admit I've been a little pre-occupied getting ready for our trip so I didn't add a post earlier. We'll be gone by the time Thursday rolls around, so I won't be entering this week. But feel free to discuss it here. Incidentally, do you know where we are going? I wonder if it was inspired by a recent puzzle...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28): Apparel Synonyms

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28): Apparel Synonyms:

Q: Take 'tire' and 'exhaust.' They're both things a car has. But as verbs, in a non-car sense, they're synonyms. The challenge is to name 2 articles of apparel, things to wear, each with 4 letters, and as verbs, in a non-apparel sense, the 2 words are synonyms. What words are they?

No hints are necessary, just pay attention to the example Will gave.

Edit: For the on-air puzzle, Will gave the example "Hit or Miss" with *Hit* being a synonym for both verbs. And incidentally, after a pair of socks go in the dryer, one always seems to go *miss*ing.

A: BELT and SOCK

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 21): Find a TV Celebrity with No Curves?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 21): Find a TV Celebrity with No Curves?:

Q: Take the name Kevin Kline. The first and last names both have five letters. Written in capital letters — KEVIN KLINE — each name consists of exactly 13 straight lines and no curves.

Name a well-known TV personality with five-letter first and last names. Each name contains exactly 14 straight lines and no curves. Who is this?

Though I could have probably figured this out the "normal" way, I approached this programmatically. I took a couple of lists of celebrity names (first and last) and put them in a spreadsheet. I modified a function I had created earlier to count vowels and instead made it count the number of strokes (I = 1, LTVX = 2, AFHKNYZ = 3, EMW = 4, everything else = 1000). I then filtered the list down to 5 letter names each with 14 strokes (39 first names and 44 last names). As it turned out, only one name fit the puzzle... I should have seen that sooner.

Edit: Clues: vowels, turned, solve the puzzle...

A: VANNA WHITE