Synopsis of
NPR Weekend Edition puzzle
with Sarah McCammon and Will Shortz
2020-12-27
The listener challenge last week was from listener from listener
Dan Pitt, of Palo Alto, California: Take one letter from Buenos
Aires. Then rearrange the remaining letters to spell two things
people wish for this time of year. What are they? The answers are
BOUNUS and RAISE.
Sarah reported over 2,000 correct entries.
The on-air player is Steven Marsey from Virginia Beach,
Virginia.Steven found it helpful to write Buenos Aires backwards.
RAISES popped out. Steven says he has been playing the NPR
puzzle since the early 1990’s, but he missed the postcard days.
He apparently refers to the time when Weekend Edition did not
accept any email submissions. That time is before I started
preparing synopses in 1994. The time when NPR stopped
announcing that they accept postcard entries was 2001-10-28.
2001-10-21 was the last date on which Liane announced that
postcards would be accepted.
Today’s on-air puzzle is called, “Word Sandwiches.” Every
answer is an eight-letter word that consists of a three-letter word
inserted inside a five-letter word. Will gives us a clue to the three-letter word as well as the five-letter word itself. For example, if the
clues are, “Wrigley's product and AREN'T,” then the answer can
be ARGUMENT.
CLUES:
1. Tennis court divider + MAGIC
2. Oil installation + IRATE
3. What a hot dog goes in + TRIAL
4. Everything + BROOM
5. Have dinner + ENTRY
6. Opposite of young + DRUMS
7. To employ + CAROL
8. Health resort + DITCH
9. Fruit preserves + BENIN
10. Outdoor children's game + SHORE
11. Cry of disgust + LATER
12. Be successful at bat + GRAPE
13. Affirmative response + EIGHT
Answers are near the end of this synopsis.
This week's challenge comes from listener David Curren of
Arlington, Mass. Think of a familiar two-word phrase (5, 2).
Replace the last letter with the next letter of the alphabet. The
result will be a palindrome (the seven letters will read backward
and forward the same). What phrase is it?
Answers must be received by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on
THURSDAY. 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.
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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>
Sarah McCammon’s bio is at:
No mail this week. Either that or I couldn’t find them in the mass
of emails about the Georgia runoffs.
Hints:
5. Have dinner + ENTRY: insert after the R
9. Fruit preserves + BENIN: A boy’s name, and slang for a 100
dollar bill
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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. Tennis court divider + MAGIC
|
magnetic
|
2. Oil installation + IRATE
|
irrigate
|
3. What a hot dog goes in + TRIAL
|
tribunal
|
4. Everything + BROOM
|
ballroom
|
5. Have dinner + ENTRY
|
entreaty
|
6. Opposite of young + DRUMS
|
doldrums
|
7. To employ + CAROL
|
carousel
|
8. Health resort + DITCH
|
dispatch
|
9. Fruit preserves + BENIN
|
Benjamin
|
10. Outdoor children's game + SHORE
|
shortage
|
11. Cry of disgust + LATER
|
laughter
|
12. Be successful at bat + GRAPE
|
graphite
|
13. Affirmative response + EIGHT
|
eyesight
|
This clue did not air:
10. Outdoor children's game + SHORE
End of NPR Puzzle Synopsis.