Synopsis of
NPR Weekend Edition puzzle
with Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Will Shortz
2021-01-24
The listener challenge last week was from listener Gerry
Reynolds of Chicago: Name a national landmark (6,3). Add the
name of a chemical element. Rearrange all the letters to name
two states. What are they? The answers are Hoover Dam and tin,
making Vermont and Idaho.
Lulu reported over 2,400 correct entries.
The on-air player is Hannah Kummer of Arlington, Virginia. She
said started trying to find pairs of states that had a total of 10 or
11 letters. She started with pairs of states that had 4 and 7, or 5
and 6 letters. Since the landmark had 9 letters, I don’t know what
2-letter element she was thinking could be possible. Perhaps she
thought the 1 and 2 letter chemical symbols were being used.
Obviously, she eventually got to 12 letters and the only element
with just 3 letters. She has played the NPR puzzle for over 10
years, starting with dad after they listened to Car Talk. She was
“super surprised” to be selected because last week’s winner was
over 90 years old and she thought she would have to enter for a
much longer time before being selected.
Today’s on-air puzzle is called, “Sound It Out.” Each answer
begins, phonetically, with the name of two letters of the alphabet.
For example, if the clue is “wanting what other people have,” then
the answer could be ENVIOUS, which begins phonetically with
the names of N and V.
Clues:
1. Place for camels to drink
2. Capital of Austria
3. Try to equal or excel
4. Boredom
5. 9 x 9
6. Activity of secret agents
7. One involved in trickery
[Each of the last answers starts with three spoken letters of the
alphabet]
8. Following orders
9. Online travel agency that competes with Travelocity
10. [Fill in the blank:] "___, my dear Watson"
Answers are near the end of this synopsis.
This week's challenge is a spinoff of Will’s on-air puzzle, and it's a
little tricky. Think of a hyphenated word you might use to describe
a young child that sounds like three letters spoken one after the
other.
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 2021, 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, or as in next week, Justin
Our e-mail addresses are:
Richard Renner <rrennerATigc.org>
Joe Wander <jdwandersrATgmail.com>
Kristy Compton <bisonbooksATgmail.com>
No mail this week.
Hints:
2. Capital of Austria: a city known for waltzes
3. Try to equal or excel: on air, Will stated this clue as “try to be
like, as a role model”
4. Boredom: the feeling you have, if you are experiencing
boredom, you are experiencing ..., starts with a T
7. One involved in trickery: part of the initials of the city Lulu is in
right now, our nation’s capital
8. Following orders: not obey, but needs to start with OB
10. [Fill in the blank:] "___, my dear Watson": Sherlock Holmes,
another name for grade school
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Our group of volunteer co-editors distributes these free weekly
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Option 2: You can also listen to a recording of Weekend Edition
Sunday program after 12:00 noon ET each Sunday by going to
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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. Place for camels to drink
|
oasis (OA)
|
2. Capital of Austria
|
Vienna (VN)
|
3. Try to equal or excel
|
emulate (MU)
|
4. Boredom
|
tedium (TD)
|
5. 9 x 9
|
eighty-one (AT)
|
6. Activity of secret agents
|
espionage (SP)
|
7. One involved in trickery
|
deceiver (DC)
|
8. Following orders (3 phonetic letters from now on)
|
obedient (OBD)
|
9. Online travel agency that competes with
Travelocity
|
Expedia (XPD)
|
10. [Fill in the blank:] "___, my dear Watson"
|
elementary (LMN)
|
For “Boredom,” my answer was ennui (NU).
End of NPR Puzzle Synopsis.