2020-11-22 NPR puzzle synopsis

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Richard Renner

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Nov 22, 2020, 9:18:36 AM11/22/20
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Synopsis of
NPR Weekend Edition puzzle
with Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Will Shortz
2020-11-22

The listener challenge last week was from listener Bruce Campbell of Kansas City, Missouri. Name a title character from books and TV (5, 5). You can rearrange the letters to get two words describing what you can hear and do in church. What character is it? The answer is PERRY MASON, making PRAY and SERMON.

Lulu reported over 1,300 correct entries.

The on-air player is Susan Higgins of Peyton, Colorado. She is a runner.

Today’s on-air puzzle is called, “The R&F Scramble.” Each uses only R and F for consonants, repeated as needed. For example, if the clue is, “outbreak of public anger,” then the answer would be FUROR.

CLUES:
1. Monk
2. Worker who puts shingles on a house
3. More just
4. Less likely to happen
5. Brother, in France
6. Cost of flying on a plane
7. Basketball official
8. A long way away (two words)
9. One who sells mink coats, e.g.
10. One who shoes horses
11. Illicit relationship with a married person
12. Without cost (two words)
13. Frills or ornamentation on clothes
14. Disreputable or undesirable people, informally
15. Send quickly and angrily, as a letter (two words)
16. Repeated sound of a small dog (two words)

Answers are near the end of this synopsis.

This week's challenge comes from listener Alan Hochbaum of Duluth, Georgia. Name a marine animal in two words. Remove two consecutive letters in the name and read the resulting string of letters in order from left to right. You'll name a major American city. What is it?

Answers must be received by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on WEDNESDAY this week.  NPR will no longer receive entries by email.  Be sure to include a telephone number where you can be reached if you are selected as the winner. 

Entries may be submitted at the NPR web page:
You can also get to this page by going to:
and clicking the "Submit Your Answer" link. You may also submit a suggestion for a new puzzle by selecting Puzzle Idea from the "I'd Like to" pulldown, and you may comment about NPR programming at the same site.

I imagine that Alan could be receiving phone calls from volunteers all over the county who care about getting a large turnout for the January 5 runoff elections that will decide control of the U.S. Senate.

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Editor's notes:
 
Puzzles, and contents of Weekend Edition/Sunday puzzle segment are copyrighted 2020, by Will Shortz and NPR. Reprinted here with permission.

Here's our regular monthly puzzle transcription schedule:
1st Sunday Joe
2nd Sunday Richard
3rd Sunday Joe
4th Sunday Richard
5th Sunday Kristy
Our e-mail addresses are:
Richard Renner <rrennerATigc.org>
Joe Wander <jdwandersrATgmail.com>
Kristy Compton <bisonbooksATgmail.com>

No mail this week.

Hints:
4. Less likely to happen: starts with an I; ryhmes with JIFFY (actually, in the comparative form, JIFFIER)
6. Cost of flying on a plane: add 3 letters in front of FARE
8. A long way away (two words): includes a preposition
11. Illicit relationship with a married person: Someone might have an ____
12. Without cost (two words): starts with a 3 letter word
13. Frills or ornamentation on clothes: 8 letter word; first 4 letters are the same as the last 4
14. Disreputable or undesirable people, informally: starts with R

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Links of interest:

Audios of past NPR puzzle segments

World Scrabble Championship

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament

Merl Reagle’s article on constructing crossword puzzles, available at

World Puzzle Federation (including Sudoku tournaments):

The US Team page is at:

Register for the USA team at:

Ed Pegg Jr.'s puzzles are available at:

National Puzzlers’ League

Kristy Fowler suggests linguaphiles visit

You can join Kathie Schneider's email list for accessible word and logic puzzles. To subscribe, send a blank email to

Will noted that Matt Jones writes the Jonesin’ Crosswords which appears in over 50 alternative newspapers.

Joseph Young’s Puzzleria is at:

Richard Renner
in Silver Spring, Maryland, for the foreseeable future
rrennerATigc.org
Twitter: @rennerr3

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Clues
Answers
1. Monk
FRIAR
2. Worker who puts shingles on a house
ROOFER
3. More just
FAIRER
4. Less likely to happen
IFFIER
5. Brother, in France
FRèRE (FRERE)
6. Cost of flying on a plane
AIRFARE
7. Basketball official
REFEREE
8. A long way away (two words)
FAR OFF
9. One who sells mink coats, e.g.
FURRIER
10. One who shoes horses
FERRIER
11. Illicit relationship with a married person
AFFAIR
12. Without cost (two words)
FOR FREE
13. Frills or ornamentation on clothes
FROU-FROU
14. Disreputable or undesirable people, informally
RIFFRAFF
15. Send quickly and angrily, as a letter (two words)
FIRE OFF
16. Repeated sound of a small dog (two words)
ROOF ROOF or ARF ARF

It appears to me that the modern trend in English is that FRU FRU is actually two three-letter words:

RIFFRAFF can also be hyphenated: RIFF-RAFF.

End of NPR Puzzle Synopsis.
  
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