NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2011): Certain Amphibians Need Not Apply

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 21, 2011): Certain Amphibians Need Not Apply:

Q: Take the name of an aquatic animal, in two words, six letters in the first word and four letters in the second. Remove the first letter of each word, the remaining eight letters in order, will spell a word that might describe an animal that is not aquatic.

This seems to be a common problem for me. I should know this answer, but instead it is right on the tip of my...

Edit: My hints were "common" as in the "common seal" (also known as the harbor seal) and "tip of my..." referring to the way a trained seal can balance a ball on the tip of his nose.

A: HARBOR SEAL --> ARBOREAL

So, would a tree frog be both arboreal and aquatic?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 14, 2011): Dog Breed and Animals Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 14, 2011): Dog Breed and Animals Puzzle:

Q: Name a breed of dog that starts and ends with the same letter of the alphabet. Drop that letter at both ends, and if you have the right dog, the remaining letters phonetically will name some animals. What's the dog and what are the animals?

It's a bit of a stretch to say that the remaining letters are pronounced exactly like the name of some animals.

Edit: My clue was "stretch" referring to the shape of this dog. The puzzle also reminded me of this Sprint commercial

A: Dachshund --> "achshun" --> Oxen

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 7, 2011): Sunday Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle

You're on your own this week... the blog author is on vacation and the robot has taken over.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 31, 2011): Hey! A New Puzzle!

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 31, 2011): Hey! A New Puzzle!: "

Q: Name a famous person from America's past who has four letters in his or her first name and five letters in the last. Take a homophone of the last name, move it to the front. The result would be something a woman might write. What is it?"

Doh!

Update: "Doh!" sounds like "Doe" which is a female deer.

A: John Deere --> Dear John

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 24, 2011): Female Animal and Bird

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 24, 2011): Female Animal and Bird:

Q: Name the female of a certain animal, add the name of a bird, say these two words out loud one after the other, and phonetically you'll name a country. What country is it?

This reminds me of a puzzle from last year, and the weather forecast in Europe.

Edit: In the discussion on a similar puzzle, ewe + crane was given as a possible alternate answer. And my other hint was "U.K. rain(e)".

A: EWE + CRANE = UKRAINE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 17, 2011): Vacation Hospitalization

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 17, 2011): Vacation Hospitalization:

Q: Think of an adjective that might describe a child before a summer vacation. Change the second letter to the next letter of the alphabet, and you'll name someone you might see in a hospital. Who is it?

I'm sorry to dash your hopes, there are no clues in this post today.

Edit: In printing, there's an em dash (—) and an en dash (–), related in size to the printed letter 'm' and 'n', respectively. That was a hint to the letters that are changed. Also, the sentence included "I'm" and "in", the prefixes to the answers.

A: IMPATIENT and INPATIENT

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 10, 2011): Classic TV Show and a Well-Known Writer

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 10, 2011): Classic TV Show and a Well-Known Writer:

Q: Name a classic television show in two words with eight letters. Remove one letter from each word. The remaining six letters, in order, will spell the last name of a well-known writer. Who is it?

Musical hint: btmiihlsihhwbwr

Edit: Back in November we had a discussion about how there were actual lyrics written by Gene Roddenberry for the Star Trek theme. The clue above would be the first letter of each line.

A: STAR TREK
Remove T from the first word, K from the second word
Jean-Paul SARTRE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 3, 2011): Famous Film Director Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jul 3, 2011): Famous Film Director Puzzle:

Q: Think of a common four-letter adjective. Then take its opposite in French. (It's a French word that everyone knows.) Say the two words out loud, one after the other, and you'll name a famous film director. Who is it?

It's déjà vu, all over again.

Edit: I used the comment "déjà vu" recently on the post entitled Same Puzzle: True or False?. In addition, a very similar form of this puzzle appeared back in January 2007.

A: TRUE + FAUX --> François TRUFFAUT

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 26, 2011): A Ballerina and a Fictional Character

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 26, 2011): A Ballerina and a Fictional Character

Q: Take the word "ballerina," drop one letter and rearrange the remaining eight letters to name a well-known fictional character. Who is it?

My wife asked me, "A hat puzzle, then a helmet puzzle. What's next?"

Edit: My first hint was "my wife asked me" as in being asked to a Sadie Hawkins' Day dance. The last two puzzles involved hats and a helmet. This week you can say the puzzle involves a Capp.

A: Ballerina (remove 'a') --> Li'l Abner

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 19, 2011): Things You Might See in a Mine

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 19, 2011): Things You Might See in a Mine:

Q: Think of a former world leader whose first and last names both sound like things you might see in a mine. Who is the leader, and what are the things?

Now that this blog has been mentioned on the NPR website, we can expect great things. Here come all the new visitors looking for the answers to last week's hat puzzle. For the rest of us, this week's puzzle shouldn't be too hard.

Edit: The hints this week: "Expect Great Things" is the slogan of Kohl's Department Store. "...come all the..." anagrams into "coal helmet". And the references to "hard" and "hat" should also get you to helmet.

A: HELMUT KOHL --> HELMET, COAL