NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 29, 2023): My Alarm Didn't Go Off...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 29, 2023): My Alarm Didn't Go Off...

Q: The time 6:29 on a digital clock, ignoring the colon, also reads 6:29 upside down. How many times in a day can a digital clock, ignoring the colon, read the same right side up as upside down? We are not accepting military time.

I'd much rather spend my time on an African safari.

Edit: My initial clue was about a Rubik's cube which has 6 sides each with 9 "stickers" but that was clearly TMI, so I switched to Africa which has 54 countries.

A: 54 times (12:21, 1:01, 1:11, 1:21, 1:51, 2:02, 2:12, 2:22, 2:52, 5:05, 5:15, 5:25, 5:55, 6:09, 6:19, 6:29, 6:59, 8:08, 8:18, 8:28, 8:58, 9:06, 9:16, 9:26, 9:56, 10:01, 11:11 = 27 times, but then repeated for both AM and PM).

Update: Will went for the Daylight Saving Time answer of 58, when you can see 1:01, 1:11, 1:21 and 1:51 twice when the clocks go back 1 hour at 2 AM.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 22, 2023): The Cat's Away...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 22, 2023): The Cat's Away...

I'm unable to post the puzzle this week, 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 as long as they don't give away the answer.

Q: Name a country. The first syllable spells something that people do. The rest of the name is an anagram of where some people do that. What country is it?

A: SINGAPORE --> SING, OPERA

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 15, 2023): If Life Gives You Fruit...

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 15, 2023): If Life Gives You Fruit...

Q: Name a famous athlete, first and last names. Interchange the initials of those names. Then add an appliance. The result, reading left to right, will name a fruit. What is it?

Take the athlete's middle name. Keep the first letter and the last four letters. Insert a fruit and phonetically you have another fruit.

Edit: Constantine --> C + LEMON + TINE --> Clementine

A: DAN MARINO --> MAN DARINO + RANGE --> MANDARIN ORANGE

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 8, 2023): Mammal, Insect, Bird

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 8, 2023): Mammal, Insect, Bird

Q: Think of a mammal, an insect, and a bird, in that order — six, three, and four letters, respectively. Say them out loud and you'll name something often seen around this time of year. What is it?

You have a couple choices for the bird.

A: JACK-O'-LANTERN from JACKAL, ANT and TERN (or ERNE)

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 1, 2023): City Animal

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 1, 2023): City Animal

Q: Name a well-known U.S. city in four syllables. The first two syllables, with a letter inserted, will name an animal — that might be found in the place named by the last syllable. What city is it?

The third syllable is also the sixth.

Edit: MA (Massachusetts) was the sixth state to join the Union.

A: KALAMAZOO --> KOALA, ZOO

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24, 2023): U.S. City Demonyms

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 24, 2023): U.S. City Demonyms

Q: Name a major U.S. city in two words. Change the first letter of the first word and the next-to-last letter of the second word. Then rearrange all the letters to name the people who live in this city. What city is it?

The difference is 18.

Edit: The letters you remove are Sc (Scandium, element 21) and you replace them with Li (Lithium, element 3). The difference is 18.

A: SAN FRANCISCO --> CALIFORNIANS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17, 2023): Vacation Places

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 17, 2023): Vacation Places

Q: Name a place where many people go for vacation (3,10). Change one of the vowels sounds from a long A to a long E, and the result phonetically will be one reason to visit this place. What place is it?

You can drop the first word and the puzzle still works.

Edit: Seychelles --> See Shells.

A: THE SEYCHELLES --> THE SEASHELLS

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10, 2023): Creatures of the World

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 10, 2023): Creatures of the World

Q: Name a creature that has a world capital in its name. Replace the capital with another creature and you'll get another world capital. What is it?

I spent too long trying to end up on DODOMA (Tanzania). I just had to think a little more.

Edit: I did get sidetracked thinking "creature" was deliberately chosen to include things like unicorns, fairies, yetis, elves, leprechauns, werewolves, king kong, etc. Once I narrowed my focus, I was able to think of a little creature.

A: MOSQUITO --> MOSCOW

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3, 2023): Strumming on the Old Banjo

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Sep 3, 2023): Strumming on the Old Banjo

Q: Name certain musical instruments (plural). The first, third, fourth, and fifth letters spell something that holds the things named by the last five letters. What instruments are these?

I'm pretty sure I saw this on an episode of Star Trek.

Edit: In the original series, Dr. McCoy was known as "Bones". There was also an episode set at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. In the Next Generation, Cmdr. Riker was occasionally seen playing the trombone.

A: TROMBONES --> TOMB, BONES

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27, 2023): A Seriously Bad Effect

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 27, 2023): A Seriously Bad Effect

Q: Think of a noun in six letters. It sounds like a two-word phrase (2,6). And the thing named by the noun can have a seriously bad effect on what's named by the phrase. What is it?

I would not eat them here or there. I would not eat them anywhere.

Edit: I would not eat green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am. That anagrams into the answer.

A: MIASMA --> MY ASTHMA