Nuts To You

Q:

Using these letters in order:

T, H, N, C, L

Add four of the five vowels in the proper places to come up with an advertising slogan popular in the seventies.

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Oh Nuts

21st Century Quibbling Man

Q:

The phrase "niggling goons" is replete with letters that repeat.  Drop two identical letters and rearrange the result to get two new verb phrases that are synonymous.  Millions of people worldwide repeat this action every day.

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Amy Guth

Look You Leap

Q:

Here we have a very eclectic group of song titles in prepositional code:

     2call          itititu          so ble          losove          twoone          it time it

Followed by a list of various musical artists who have performed these songs:

   K.D. Lang   Jack White   Barcelona   Little Milton   Gingersol   Rick Nelson

Can you decipher the song titles and then match them to the performers?  Of course you can.     

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twm1340

Answer has been posted

Color Me Starstruck

Q:

Preface  -  The alphabet is a pool of letters from which all words can be spelled.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cerulean and cobalt are both shades of blue.Using each color as your pool of letters, you can pull out the first and last names of a well-known couple.  Each color represents one of the pair. Who are they?  Using each as a pool of letters, from cerulean we can get Lauren and from cobalt we can get Bacall

Consider these:

Lilac green                                                 Robin's egg blue

 Photos courtesy of  LstCaress  &  pchgorman

Using each color as your pool of letters, you can pull out the first and last names of a well-known couple.  Each color represents one of the pair. Who are they?

Answer has been posted

Could You Repeat That?

Q:

The gardener approached the young detective and said,

“You want a opinion n , ujusts?   This burglary was Joan B.   That woman,  compare she’s crazy.   I’m the boyfriend.   But, I got this trynost one.  Night they'll move night time.  Be careful.  Them don't get caught."

What did he say?

Image courtesy of 

Chatwick Harpax

Answer has been posted

Color Me Star Struck

Q:

Preface  -  The alphabet is a pool of letters from which all words can be spelled.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cerulean and cobalt are both shades of blue.  Using each as a pool of letters, from cerulean we can get Lauren and from cobalt we can get Bacall

Consider these:

Lilac green                                                 Robin's egg blue

 Photos courtesy of  LstCaress  &  pchgorman

Using each color as your pool of letters, you can pull out the first and last names of a well-known couple.  Each color represents one of the pair. Who are they?

                                                                                                     

Wax On, Wax Off

Q:

Consider this phrase:

KEEP IT SHINY

Rearrange the letters to name some thing that first-class travelers may receive this week.

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Homies in Heaven

Answer has been posted

Hey, That's My Hay!

Q:

Complete these sentences with a pair of homonyms:


The schoolmarm decided to _______ the day's _______ and let the children out early.


Hillary would do whatever it took for a _______ at the _______.

Timmy got a tummy ache when he took four packs of Twinkies and _______ all _______.

The hostess took the reservation, _______  _______ dinner at seven.


The science teacher told his students, "With care, your results shouldn't _______  _______ much."

The _______ was _______ quite right and the horse went free.

A slow day at work, the banker made a _______  _______.

The lazy young master _______ the _______ do everything for him.

"To get that old skiff across the pond, you'd need  this _______  _______ a paddle", said Huck.

One swipe of the swatter and the _______ ceased to _______.

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enggul

Answer has been posted

One ... Two ... Three

Q:

Take the phrase I am.  If you repeat the I and the m, you can rearrange the result to get Miami.  Consider the following words and phrases.  Rearrange the letters in each, repeating letters as often as necessary, to name six major US cities.  When you are finished, name something all six have in common.

Tales   -   Hip Deal   -   Rioted   -   Antic   -   Tiny Sack   -   Orca Fins

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lamerie

Answer has been posted

One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State

Q:

Think of a well known musical couple from the sixties and seventies.  Place a different US postal abbreviation in front of each first name.  The result will be two new words.  The "boy" word will relate to the appearance of certain twins.  The "girl" word will relate to the appearance of certain antiques.  Who is the couple, what are the states and what are the new words?

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polapix

Answer has been posted

Toot Your Own Horn

Q:

Think of the last name of a world famous actress.  Add one letter and rearrange the result to name the last name of a world famous actor.

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Laurabot

Heroes

Q:

Consider the following:  psorofr, ssgaion.  Insert seven US postal abbreviations (one is used twice).  Add the proper spaces to get two well known three word phrases.

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 imagenusphoto

This Puzzle is Brought to You by the Letter T

Q:

What letter would appropriately precede the following set of numbers:    
  

one thousand,  fifty,  forty?

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sofia

The Final Countdown

Q:

Think of a two word phrase that describes this:

ten,  nine,  eight,  seven,  six,  five,  four,  three,  two,  one

Add the letter L somewhere in the two word phrase without rearranging the letters and you'll name something that will be happening soon.  What is it?

Photo courtesy of

trainman74

Answer has been posted

Let's Get To Work

Q:

Consider this list of five letter words:

METAL   CATCH    SLOPE    WRECK    BREAD    HOARD    LATIN    CONIC

Change one letter in each and rearrange the result to name a large, well-known company.  The new replacement letters, in order, will spell a familiar two word phrase relating to large, well-known companies.

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Hatters!

Answer has been posted

Menagerie

Q:

Think of a type of artisan.  Add one letter and rearrange the result to name a fish.

Think of a type of artist.  Change one letter and rearrange the result to name a mammal.

Think of a type of artistic inspiration.  Drop one letter and rearrange the result to name a bird.

Answer has been posted

You Decide

Q:

This is part puzzle and part creative challenge.  Here is a list of words.

messiah, vexed, eager, male, justify, savior, urbane

It's up to you to decide if these words are connected in any way.  But I assure you, they were chosen for a reason.  The reason is there for you to discover.

Now, add one more word (or two if you're waxing nostalgic) to this list that you feel is appropriate.  There is no unique solution.  However, there are wrong answers.

No need to code or conceal your answer.  Just leave it in the comments on the answer page.  A little post-modern expressionism, anyone?  Have fun!

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Martin Beek

When is a Bird Not a Bird?

Q:

Take the phrase Angry Birds.  Replace each word with a one syllable synonym.  Both synonyms will contain  a single, identical vowel.  Replace them with a different identical vowel.  Rearrange the result to get a phrase that describes some of the largest companies in America.

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roberthuffstutter

  

A Spinoff

Q:

I thought of several puzzles related to last week's NPR puzzle.  Click this link to see it.   Here's one.

Think of a well known composer.  Some of the letters is his name are used more than once.  Remove the duplicates and rearrange what's left to come up with an adjective that describes what some of the statements made by the popular fictional character (in the NPR puzzle) are NOT.

Photo courtesy of

enigmachck1

Answer has been posted

An Abbreviated Ounce of Prevention

Q:

Consider these:

 pair,  parliament member,  plod,  proficiency, 

pitch,  powerhouse,  passé

Replace each with a synonym using only the letters whose mirror image does not result in a backwards letter.  The font used here is Century Gothic and exactly all the letters you will need are in this paragraph.  When you have the correct solution, the first initial of each word will spell out a familiar movie quote.

Photo courtesy of

Anna Fischer

Answer has been posted

What's Up?

Q:

At a certain pseudoscience convention, a couple found this dinner invitation slipped under the door of their hotel room.

La Soiree - Ribs Special - Currant Sauce    

The letters in each phrase can be rearranged  to get two new words that are related.  What convention was the couple attending?

Photo courtesy of

xadrian

Answer has been posted

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Q:

Vowels and vowel combinations can have different sounds depending on the word.  Room and wood both have a double o but sound different.  Read and read sound different depending on the verb tense.  Who cares, right?  Consider this.  Take the word friend.  The ie has a short e sound.  Drop the r, and you have fiend with a long e sound.  Drop the i and you have fend, back to a short e sound.

Think of a word with a vowel combination.  Drop a letter to get a word with a different vowel sound.  Drop another letter to get a word with the first vowel sound.  Finally, drop one more letter to get a word with the second vowel sound.  The vowel sound pattern should be ABAB.  What words are these?

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mgstyer

Answer has been posted

May I Take That?

Q:  


Take the word nostril and the word pepper.  Change one letter and rearrange the result to name two descriptive terms that are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Photo courtesy of

olillevik

Answer has been posted

This One's for the Birds

Q:


Find an answer for each "crossword" clue.  Drop one letter from your answer to get the name of a common bird.  Take the first letter of each bird name and you will have seven consecutive letters in the alphabet, not necessarily in order.

1.  Put it on the short grass  

2.  A chase with no running

3.  Taking the edge off

4.  Addict's bane

5.  Bonk on the noggin

6.  Brave men seldom do it

7.  Hale's rue

Photo courtesy of

See-ming Lee

Answer has been posted

                                                                                                                                                                          

Don't Touch That Dial

Q:


"Do you see this thin wound beneath the victim's left shoulder blade?  Its symmetry and size leave little doubt as to the murder weapon.  I"ll inform the captain to hold the suspects since they all had access to the kitchen."

Now that I have your attention, pick two consecutive words from this excerpt.  Rearrange the letters to name the genre of the story.

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Olivander

Answer has been posted

Now That's Funny

Q:


Rearrange the letters in  Balkan anise, fitful rise, lanai worker and lifetimes.  Put the new phrases in the proper order to come up with a humorous two line proverb.

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Reclamation Revolution

Answer has been posted

Stuck in the Middle

Q:


Since tomorrow is a federal (and national) holiday, I'll mix picnics and politics.  Rearrange the letters in a sourer incumbent to make two new words.  One word can be placed in front of the word sandwich to make a common phrase.  The other word can be placed after the word sandwich to make another common phrase.  What words are these?

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Symic

Answer has been posted

The Eyes Have It

Q:


They are many activities that can be irritating to your eyes.  Staring at a monitor all day or exposing yourself to propanethiol S-oxide (onions and tears) are two common culprits.

Take the phrases computer user and diced onions. Remove three consecutive letters from anywhere in either phrase.  Rearrange the result to name something that many eyes will be focused on today.

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buyalex

Answer has been posted

The Cochairman Lost Sight of His Aim

Q:


While President Obama's oratory may be his greatest asset, his predecessor was not so gifted.  Take the phrase Mumbler Emeritus.  Change one letter and rearrange the result to name something Obama's job approval numbers may soon provide him.

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internets_diary

Answer has been posted

Blankety Blank Blank

Q:


In each statement, select a word to fill in the first blank.  Add a letter to the first word without changing the order to get the second blank.  Add one letter to the second word to get the third blank, again without changing the order.

For safety's sake, an Olympic diver must blank on the pool crew to take care of the blank.  And when the pool crew turned on the water, that part blank.


Olympic swimmers must blank on perfect timing in order to win the blank. Sadly, they knew there'd be no medals when they saw the blank.


When spectators blank lost in the downtown blank, they will likely need help finding the blank.


In the blank, the Olympian tried to blank everything so as not to seem blank to the crowd.

When the runner from Papua New Guinea won the blank, the commentator said, "He's wearing that blank like a proud papa."  Quite an appropriate blank I think.

Photo courtesy of

spcbrass

Answer has been posted

Oldies But Goodies

Q:

Same as last week:

Replace two words (in each sentence) with synonyms without changing the meaning of the sentence.  These two words, phonetically, will name a famous actor. Actor is no longer gender specific.

Upon finally discovering the location of the throne, the prince’s unease began to fade.

While driving through the countryside, the passionate young lovers opted for a frolic in the meadow.

Photo courtesy of

ComputerHotline & sukhchander

Answer has been posted

A Beautiful Dinner

Q:


Consider this sentence:

The newlywed began to scurry around the kitchen, hoping to create a meal that her husband would really brag about to her in-laws.

Replace two words with synonyms without changing the meaning of the sentence.  These two words, phonetically, will name a famous movie actor.

Photo courtesy of

kodok

Answer has been posted

Is There Anybody In Here?

Q:


As presidential candidates, think of a word that describes Barack Obama (be nice) and a word that describes Mitt Romney (be nice).  Take the first initial of each word.  Think of a synonym of the word reflections.  Take the synonym and the two initials and rearrange to name what will be seen this November.

Photo courtesy of

Martin Deutsch

Answer has been posted

This for That

Q:


Many words can be spelled by stringing together two US postal abbreviations -  co-ok, co-ho, me-al, or-ca,  etc.  There are also (though fewer) words spelled by stringing three together, as in va-nd-al.

Name an eight letter word that is spelled by stringing four US postal abbreviations together.

Photo courtesy of

Keith Williamson

Answer has been posted

What The Heck Was That Guy's Name?

Q:


ROT 13 is a simple code where a letter is moved 13 places forward in the alphabet.  For example, A goes to N, B goes to O, etc.  For letters in the second half of the alphabet, move the letters 13 places earlier.  T goes to G, etc.  This should help:

A        B       C      D       E       F      G      H       I        J       K      L      M

N       O       P       Q       R      S      T       U      V      W      X      Y      Z

   

Think of a large island whose last letter is a ROT 13 of its first letter.  Remove the first and last letters and the result when ROT 13ed will name the general category of an endangered species there.

Photo courtesy of

My Melting Brain

Answer has been posted

No Way!

Q:  


Think of a six letter word meaning "man".  Add an E and a W somewhere in the word  (without rearranging any letters) to name something the man might consume.

Swap an O and an R for the E and W.  Change the first letter to an S and rearrange the result to name something this particular man might wear.

Photo courtesy of

Waponi

Answer has been posted

The Shape of Things to Come

Q:


Take the phrase "Happy Goats in Cashmere".  Change one letter in "Happy Goats" and one letter in "in Cashmere".  Rearrange the letters in each smaller phrase to name a couple of really smart fellas.

Photo courtesy of 

Erik Daniel Drost

Answer has been posted

Promising Stars

Q:


Think of a seven letter word for what you see on "American Idol".  Add one letter to name what you see on the campaign trail.

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Oh-Barcelona.com

Answer has been posted

A Cute Puzzle for Word Geeks Like Us

Q:


Think of a synonym of the word prelude.  Think of a synonym of the word presuming.  Your answer should be a pair of homophones that are appropriately tied to the title of this puzzle.

Photo courtesy of

eschipul

Answer has been posted

Say What?

Q:


In the quiz show "Jeopardy!", three contestants compete for the right to return and play the following day (and oodles of cash, of course).  The winner moves on and the losers are replaced with two fresh faces.  The winner occupies the leftmost lectern and let's say the returning champ from the previous week is named "Bob".  Consider these two scenarios:

A:  Bob continues his winning ways and remains champ Monday through Friday, retaining his spot at the first lectern.

B:  Bob loses on Monday and is replaced with a new champ (Mary) who will occupy the first lectern when returning on Tuesday.  Mary loses, and as it turns out no one is able to win two days in a row.  This results in the first lectern being home to five different contestants Monday through Friday.

With this in mind, what is the minimum and maximum number of contestants needed to field a game of "Jeopardy!" for one week?

Photo courtesy of

Shawn M. Smith

Answer has been posted 

Failed Expectations

Q:


"You give and give and give and it's never enough.  They don't care.  They just keep coming back for more."  Think of an eight letter word that might describe people like this.

Rearrange those eight letters to name someone who takes and takes and takes and keeps coming back for more.

Photo courtesy of

 RLHyde

Answer has been posted

What's the Connection, Sir?

Q:  


Take the word "blew".  Add three letters before and three letters after to name something controlled by the wind.  The answer is a familiar single word.

Photo courtesy of

kretyen

Answer has been posted

What Do We Have In Common?

Q:

"Before and After" is a "Wheel of Fortune" category where one phrase ends with a certain word, and the next phrase begins with the same word.  The common word is used only once.  For example, "bus stop" and "stop, drop and roll"  would read as "bus stop, drop and roll".

Take the phrase "Desmond is safe" and rearrange the letters to get three new words.  Then think of a word that can be added to make a "Before and After" phrase appropriate for this time of year.

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Leszek.Leszczynski

Answer has been posted

Feels Like Only Yesterday

Q:

How about a good old fashioned rebus?

Photos courtesy of avlxyz, Eva Rinaldi, Leigh Harries, Alan Light

For a larger view of the image, you can click on the image itself or the attribution below the image.

Answer has been posted

Be Careful!

Q:


Take the word "bondage".  Add a vowel somewhere and separate the eight letters into two common words without changing the order.  Replace each word with a synonym and you will name something that Ronald Reagan experienced twice while governor and twice while president.

Photo courtesy of

Marion Doss

Answer has been posted

I've Got Good News

Q:


Take the postal abbreviations of four US states.  Put in the right order, they will give you a two word phrase naming something you might see on top of a building.

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tjperr

Answer has been posted

Now That's One Cold Fish

Q:


Take the phrase  "Candid Winkers".  Rearrange the letters to get the last names of two men who lived at about the same time in roughly the same place and shared the same first name.

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Lexus 2D

Answer has been posted

Knock, Knock

Q:


Think of something on the front of a house.  Rearrange the letters to name a type of house you might not want in your neighborhood.

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Paul and Jill

Answer has been posted

An Easy Puzzle IMHO

Q:  


Think of an internet acronym.  Remove one letter and phonetically, you're left with the name of a song recorded in 1969.

Photo courtesy of

 bsabarnowl and L.Bo

Answer has been posted

Synopposites

Q:


Pick two words in each statement.  Find synonyms for each.  The synonyms you choose should be exact opposites of each other.  For example:

The best man split just after giving his toast.          

The best man  left  right  after giving his toast.

Photo courtesy of

 Cryon

The third grade teacher wasn’t feeling so well after catching a bug from one of her students.

If you desire my opinion on this matter, you must allow me the opportunity to speak.

Watson said, “Mr. Holmes, I simply cannot support this ridiculous façade.

Taking a shot from the whiskey bottle does not become a young lass.

Answer has been posted