NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 12, 2024): Mother Earth Q: Think of a well-known seven-letter geographical name in a single word that has just two consonants and yet is pronounced in five syllables. I'm seeing a genus of aphids in the anagram ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 5, 2024): Rhyme Doesn't Pay Q: Think of three common six-letter words that have vowels in the second and fifth positions. The last five letters of the words are the same. Only the first letters differ. And none of the words rhyme with either of the others. What words are they? I can think of multiple answers, but a similar puzzle was given more than a decade ago ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 28, 2024): Male Singers of the Past Q: Think of a famous male singer of the past with two A's in his name. Drop both A's and the remaining letters can be rearranged to name a popular make of automobile. What is it? Take a model of that automobile, drop all A's to name a sports figure ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 21, 2024): Upcoming Events Q: Think of a a major American corporation of the past (two words, 15 letters altogether). Change the last three letters in the second word and the resulting phrase will name something that will occur later this year. What is it? Mazda Motor is a Japanese corporation, so that's not it ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 14, 2024): America Online Q: Think of a popular online service. Change the first letter to a Y and rearrange the result to get what this service provides. What is it? Yes! Will is back ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 7, 2024): The Bible as a Tool Q: Think of a nine-letter word naming a kind of tool that is mentioned in the Bible. Remove the second and sixth letters and the remaining letters can be rearranged to spell two new words that are included in a well known biblical passage and are related to the area in which the tool is used. What is the tool and what are the two new words? If you change the fourth letter so it is two later in the alphabet (e.g. A becomes C) and rearrange, you get something rowdy ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 31, 2024): Women's History Month Q: The English language developed in a patriarchal society, so many words in our language were traditionally assumed to be male, and turned into female versions by adding a prefix or suffix. Waiter and waitress, comedian and comedienne — those are just two examples of the many stereotypically "male" words that become new "female words" by adding a suffix. There is a common English word that works the opposite way. What is the common English word that is generally used to refer exclusively to women, but which becomes male when a two-lett ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 24, 2024): Periodic Puzzle Q: Each chemical element can be represented by a one or two-letter symbol. Hydrogen is H, helium is He, and so on. There are two commonly known elements whose names each can be spelled using three other element symbols. Name either one. Could they be Zirconium and Tungsten, but a small quantity ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 10, 2024): Yet Another Body Part Puzzle Q: Take a body part, add a letter at the beginning and end to get another body part, then add another letter at the beginning and end to get something designed to affect that body part. I can tell you it isn't a knee ..read more

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 3, 2024): Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All Q: Take the last name of a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Remove the middle three letters and duplicate the last two letters to get the first name of a different Nobel Peace Prize winner. What are those two names? I gave a major clue to this week's puzzle previously ..read more