NPR Puzzle Synopsis: 2017-03-26

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Jerry Miller

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Mar 26, 2017, 9:04:01 AM3/26/17
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NPR Weekend Edition Puzzle 
Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Will Shortz
2017-03-26

The segment began with Lulu’s observation that she did know much about the history of crossword puzzles. Will explained that crossword puzzles were invented in 1913 by Arthur Wynne and appeared in the newspaper the New York World. In 1924, Simon and Schuster published the first crossword puzzle book, quickly becoming a best-seller. Soon thereafter, almost all newspapers published crossword puzzles.

Last week’s Listener Challenge: Think of a familiar phrase in the form "I ___ you," in which a four-letter word goes in the blank. Rearrange those letters and you'll get another familiar phrase in the form "I ___ you." Both phrases get more than half a million hits in a Google search. What phrases are these? The answers are “I read you” and “I dare you."

The winner, chosen from nearly 1000 correct entries, was Helen Haller of Pittsford, N. Y., a suburb of Rochester. Helen has been playing since the postcard days and listens to WXXI-AM/FM.

The on-air challenge was entitled on the Web as “Keep the Bookend Letters From These Words to Make New Ones” [http://www.npr.org/2017/03/26/521446835/sunday-puzzle-keep-the-bookend-letters-from-these-words-to-make-new-ones] Take two-word clues that might appear in a crossword. The first and last letters of each answer are the same as the first and last letters of the clue. For example, given “football mistake,” the answer would be “fumble.” (Both the clue and the answer start with F and end with E.)

Prompts (*Clues below.):
1. snow tool
2. autumn flower
3. warm material
4. math operation
5. Spanish mister
6. near relative
7. cable giant
8. baby's shoe
9. chipping tool
*10. Northeast state (two-word answer)

“Bonus” prompt (not given on the air):
 stairway toy

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Next week’s challenge comes from listener Mike Shteyman of Odenton, Md. — who also created the playoff puzzle at this year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Name two things found in a kitchen — one starting with G, the other starting with K. If you have the right ones, you can rearrange the letters to name two other things, one of them found in the kitchen starting with F, the other one probably found elsewhere in the house starting with K. What things are these?

Answers must be received by 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. One entry per person. Be sure to include a telephone number where you can be reached at that time if you are selected as the winner.

Entries may be submitted at http://help.npr.org/customer/portal/emails/new?i=7 and clicking the “Answer the Sunday Puzzle" link. Or you can go to the first link above and click on the link "Submit Your Answer” near the bottom of the page.

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*Clues:
10. further north than New York

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Editor's notes:
Puzzles, and contents of Weekend Edition/Sunday puzzle segment are ©Copyrighted 2017 by Will Shortz and NPR. Reprinted here with permission.

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Mail:
NB, please: We editors are always eager to receive e-mail comments (even when you are pointing out one of our slips), and we will generally add them to this section of the following week's synopsis. Please let us know in the first line of your message if you would like your comment included or withheld from the synopsis. Also, if you do want your comment included, let us know if it is okay to share your name and email address. If no constraints are mentioned, we will assume it is okay to publish it as it arrived--with comment, name, and e-mail address intact.

Mail this week:
As you might have noticed, there was a bit of confusion concerning last week’s puzzle synopsis. Richard (who was scheduled to be the scribe) provided an explanation:
"Here is what happened.  I did the synopsis, sent it (unaware that my inbox was "off") and left for Quaker meeting.  I apologize that a simple on/off switch left my work this morning unsent."

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Here is our "regular" monthly puzzle transcription schedule :   
1st Sunday Even-numbered months: Joe; odd-numbered months: Jerry
2nd Sunday Richard
3rd Sunday Joe
4th Sunday Jerry
5th Sunday Richard

Our e-mail addresses are:
Richard Renner <rrennerATigc.org>
Jerry Miller <jmmillerATmiamioh.edu>

Comments for next week’s synopsis should be sent to Joe, with a "carbon copy" (cc) to Richard and me, please.

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Our group of volunteer co-editors distributes these free weekly synopses of the NPR puzzle segment. You can read more about this free distribution at:
You can subscribe from this page, too.

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to:
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nprpuzzle?hl=en

To change the email address of your subscription, remove the old one (from the old email account), and add the new Google subscription (from the new email account).

NPR posts the weekly challenge (and the previous week's answer) on its World Wide Web page at the link at the top of this page. You can also listen to a recording of Weekend Edition Sunday program after 12:00 noon ET each Sunday by going to the same link. 

Podcasts are available at:

Podcasts of the Sunday puzzle are available at:

How do I subscribe to this podcast?
Copy the URL [above this paragraph] into your preferred podcasting tool software (e.g. Odeo, iTunes, iPodder). You will automatically receive this podcast each time it is published.
 
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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.:

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Prompts [answers]:
1. snow tool [shovel]
2. autumn flower [aster]
3. warm material [wool]
4. math operation [multiplication]
5. Spanish mister [señor]
6. near relative [niece]
7. cable giant [Comcast]
8. baby's shoe [bootie]
9. chipping tool [chisel]
*10. Northeast state (two-word answer) [New Hampshire]

“Bonus” prompt:
 stairway toy [Slinky]

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Jerry Miller 
Oxford, OH
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