2020-11-29 NPR puzzle synopsis

[Kristy Compton]

NPR Weekend Edition Puzzle Synopsis

Sarah McCammon and Will Shortz

2020-11-29

 

Last week's challenge came 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?

 

The answer was SEATTLE from SEA TURTLE.

 

Sarah reported “over 2,500” correct responses, and today’s on-air player was Martin Garnar of South Hadley, Massachusetts. When Sarah asked Martin how he got the answer, he related how he and his husband were bouncing around names of different marine animals; once “sea turtle” was floated, Martin instantly blurted out “SEATTLE!” He has been playing the on-air puzzle “since I started listening in college over thirty years ago so this is a long time coming.” He and his husband are sustaining members of WFCR in Amherst, Massachusetts.

 

For playing the puzzle today, Martin won a “Weekend Edition” lapel pin, as well as puzzle books and games.

 

Today’s on-air challenge: I'm going to give you three words starting with "F." You give me another word that could follow each of my three words, and in each case it has to form a compound word OR a familiar two-word phrase.

Example: Full, Flex, Father (four letters starting with T) --> TIME (full-time, flextime, Father Time)

Prompts: (* means a hint other than a repetition was given; see Editor’s Notes below for Will’s hints)

 

1. Fly, Fifth, Ferris (5 letters, starts with W)

 

2. Fresh, Flood, Fire (5 letters, starts with W)

 

3. Fun, Full, Fraternity (5 letters, starts with H)

 

4. Flash, Focal, Freezing (5 letters, starts with P)

 

5. Fuel, Firing, Finish (4 letters, starts with L)

 

6. Feed, Flight, Flea (3 letters, starts with B)

 

7. Foul, Foot, Fur (4 letters, starts with B)

 

8. Fig, Fir, Family (4 letters, starts with T)

 

9. Fat, Fair, Fighting (6 letters, starts with C)*

 

10. Fish, Funnel, Fruit (4 letters, starts with C)

 

11. First, Free, Farm (4 letters, starts with H)

 

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The challenge for next week, as posted on the web site: “This week's challenge comes from listener Wesley Davis of Black Mountain, N.C., and when you get the answer it will make you smile. Name an animal and spell it backward. Now name a variety of meat and insert it inside the animal's name that you've spelled backward. A common word will be revealed. What is it?”

The deadline to submit is Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. 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 the NPR web page; you can also get to this page by going here 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" pull-down, 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.

Kristy Compton serves as your humble puzzle transcriptionist this week. 

*Hints: 

9. Fat, Fair, Fighting (6 letters, starts with C) Sarah told Martin that the first clue (“fat”) is always said sarcastically.

 

Wishing everyone good health and great books this week…and a peaceful, contemplative first day of Advent to our members who celebrate the season.
 

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Mail:
Note, please: We editors are always eager to receive email comments (even when you are pointing out one or more 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 that 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 email address intact.

No correspondence this week.

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Here is our regular monthly puzzle transcription schedule:

1st Sunday:  Joe
2nd Sunday: Richard
3rd Sunday: Joe
4th Sunday: Richard
5th Sunday: Kristy

Our email addresses are:
Richard Renner <rrennerATigc.org>
Joe Wander <jdwandersrATgmail.com>
Justin Basset <justin.t.bassettATgmail.com>
Kristy Compton <bisonbooksATgmail.com>

Mail this week should be sent to Richard with a courtesy Cc to the other editors, replacing the AT in the email addresses above with the @ symbol.

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Our group of volunteer co-editors has distributed these free weekly synopses of the NPR puzzle segment. Read more about this free distribution here. 
You can subscribe from this page, too. 

 

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NPR posts the weekly challenge (and the previous week's answer) on its World Wide Web page.  You can also listen to a recording of Weekend Edition Sunday program after noon ET each Sunday by going to this page and clicking on the blurb about the newest puzzle.

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Links of possible interest to fellow puzzle enthusiasts:

Audio clips of past NPR puzzle segments 

 

Blaine's Puzzle Blog (snarky takes on the listener challenges)

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament  (April 23-25, 2021, tentatively)

 

World Puzzle Federation

Merl Reagle's classic article on constructing crossword puzzles

North American Scrabble Championship 

 

World Sudoku/Puzzle Grand Prix 2020 

Ed Pegg Jr.'s puzzles 

 

National Puzzlers' League

Kristy Compton suggests linguaphiles visit “A Way with Words” and A.Word.A.Day

To join Kathie Schneider's email list for accessible word and logic puzzles, send a blank email to blind-puzzle...@googlegroups.com

Matt Jones' Jonesin’ Crosswords

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Answers to today’s on-air challenge:

 

1. Fly, Fifth, Ferris (5 letters, starts with W) --> WHEEL (flywheel, fifth wheel, Ferris Wheel)

 

 

2. Fresh, Flood, Fire (5 letters, starts with W) --> WATER (fresh water, floodwater, firewater)

 

 

3. Fun, Full, Fraternity (5 letters, starts with H) --> HOUSE (funhouse, full house, fraternity house)

 

 

4. Flash, Focal, Freezing (5 letters, starts with P) --> POINT (flashpoint, focal point, freezing point)

 

 

5. Fuel, Firing, Finish (4 letters, starts with L) --> LINE (fuel line, firing line, finish line)

 

 

6. Feed, Flight, Flea (3 letters, starts with B) --> BAG (feedbag, flight bag, fleabag)

 

 

7. Foul, Foot, Fur (4 letters, starts with B) --> BALL (foul ball, football, furball)

 

 

8. Fig, Fir, Family (4 letters, starts with T) --> TREE (fig tree, fir tree, family tree)

 

 

9. Fat, Fair, Fighting (6 letters, starts with C) --> CHANCE (fat chance, fair chance, fighting chance)

 

 

10. Fish, Funnel, Fruit (4 letters, starts with C) --> CAKE (fish cake, funnel cake, fruitcake)

 

 

11. First, Free, Farm (4 letters, starts with H) --> HAND (firsthand, freehand, farmhand)

 

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