2021-01-24 NPR puzzle synopsis

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Richard Renner

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Jan 24, 2021, 9:10:51 AM1/24/21
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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>

Justin is subbing for Kristy next week, so mail this week should go to justin.t.bassettATgmail.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 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:
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NPR posts the weekly challenge (and the previous week's answer) on its World Wide Web page:
Option 2: You can also listen to a recording of Weekend Edition Sunday program after 12:00 noon ET each Sunday by going to the first link at the top of this e-mail.

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.

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.


  
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