2018-03-18 NPR Sunday Puzzle

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Richard Renner

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Mar 18, 2018, 9:14:24 AM3/18/18
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Synopsis of
NPR Weekend Edition puzzle
with Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Will Shortz
2018-03-18

Last week's challenge (given 2018-03-11): Name a common article of apparel in 3 letters and another in 4 letters. Rearrange all 7 letters to name a well-known three-word song title. What is it? The answers are TIE  and BELT making LET IT BE (by The Beatles).

Lulu reported over 1,500 correct entries, indicating a “big hit.”

The winner is Dawn Ladd of New Port Richey, Florida. She said she found the puzzle to be easy and she is surprised to be selected.  Her mother was a puzzle enthusiast who got upset when Dawn used her Dell puzzle magazines. Then they agreed on which puzzles Dawn could do and eventually she got her own subscription. She also subscribed to Games Magazine. She says Will Shortz and Trip Payne did the best cryptic crosswords, which she finds hard to write (she tried).

Today’s on-air puzzle is called “Decipher These Phrases.” Every answer is a made-up two-word phrase in which the first word starts DE and the second word sounds like the first one without the DE. For example, if the clue is, “chooses teams,” the answer could be DECIDES SIDES.

CLUES:
Hates exams
Lowers trenches filled with water as means of defending castles
Says exactly what monetary penalties will be
Figures out which cards are the twos
Puts off the arrival of Hawaiian garlands
Puts off the arrival of sables and minks
Argues about whether worms or flies are better for catching fish
Shows that two beds stacked one on the other are worthless
Reduces the number of folds in paper
Brings supplies for pate de foie gras
Makes fun of the roller coaster and merry-go-round
Represents old-fashioned writers through words
Says no to designers Calvin and Anne

Answers are near the end of this synopsis.

The listener challenge for next week comes from listener Haig Donabedian of Toledo, Ohio. Apparently it's a spinoff of Will’s challenge of last week. Think of a popular two-word song title in 7 letters. If you have the right one, you can rearrange the letters to name an animal and the sound it makes. What is it? Here's a hint: The title is in a foreign language.

Answers must be received by 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on THURSDAY.  One answer per person. 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 made at the web page:
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 2018, by Will Shortz and NPR. Reprinted here with permission.

Here's 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>
Joe Wander <jdwandersrATgmail.com>
Jerry Miller <jmmillerATmiamioh.edu>

However, Joe and I traded dates this month.  Jerry will collect email for next week.

No mail this week.

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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.

Richard Renner
rrennerATigc.org
Silver Spring, Maryland

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CLUES
ANSWERS
Hates exams
detests tests
Lowers trenches filled with water as means of defending castles
demotes moats
Says exactly what monetary penalties will be
defines fines
Figures out which cards are the twos
deduces deuces
Puts off the arrival of Hawaiian garlands
delays leis
Puts off the arrival of sables and minks
defers furs
Argues about whether worms or flies are better for catching fish
debates baits
Shows that two beds stacked one on the other are worthless
debunks bunks
Reduces the number of folds in paper
decreases creases, or depletes pleats
Brings supplies for pate de foie gras
delivers livers
Makes fun of the roller coaster and merry-go-round
derides rides
Represents old-fashioned writers through words
denotes notes
Says no to designers Calvin and Anne
declines Kleins

Will initially did not accept depletes pleats, but relented after Dawn lamented missing one.

Listeners did not get to hear the clues for demotes moats, defines fines or denotes notes.

End of NPR Puzzle Synopsis.
  
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