Friday, April 13, 2018

I've a question about 5 questions; Studebakersfield, Califarmia? Bayou Mystique; Ah,esitation leads to Am,er,icablending; e Moe Gee!

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER (1110 + 98) SERVED

Welcome to our April 13th edition of Joseph Young’s Puzzleria!
Note: This week’s “Ive a Question About 5 Questions” Appetizer is a modified “two-week creative challenge” similar to the sort Will Shortz periodically presents on The Puzzle during NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday program. It is, in my opinion, the best puzzle I have ever composed... so I want to give you fortnight to savor it. I have been working on it for more than a year.

Here is how it will work: I will not reveal the answer to this Appetizer until Wednesday, April 25th. In the meantime, however, I challenge you to discern what “very unusual and curious property” is possessed by the five questions I have presented. 
But, better yet, after you have figured that property out, I encourage you to create your own questions that share the same property and post them in our comments section. You can post these unusually curious questions at any time – beginning immediately and running through April 25 when you and I will reveal the curious and unusual property in your answer-comments and in my official answers for the record.
Answers to all other puzzles on this week’s Puzzleria! will be revealed this coming Wednesday, April 18:
ONE  Imogen of Cymbeline Appetizer;
ONE  Agricartural Slice;
ONE  Balmy Bayou Breeze Dessert; and
SEVEN Um, Er, Uh, Ahem, Riffing Off Shortz Slices.

That’s it. T.G.I.F. ...Think Good, It’s Friday. 
Because, T.P.I.F. ... Tackling Puzzleria! Is Fun! 
So, have a blast with our two-week creative challenge...
and with all our puzzles.      


Appetizer Menu

Two-Week Creative Challenge Appetizer:
 I’ve a question about 5 questions


The questions in red below share a very curious and rare property. If you can discover that curious property you will be able to answers the questions correctly. What very rare and curious property do the five questions share that most questions (like the one you are now reading) do not?

What helps undo eskimos’ overcoats?
Why outlaw antigun statutes? 
Who prepares ingestibles, sushi, miso? 
When do fittest hearts expire? 
Who overtaxed America’s hierarchy?
Hint: 
Sentences with this curious and unusual property are not confined to just questions. Here is a declarative statement that shares, in a somewhat similar manner, the same unusual property:
Lovers overshadow haters.
Note: Remember, after you have discovered what makes these five questions and one statement very unusual, compose your own sentences that have the same property, then post them in our comments section. Thank you.

Keyboarding Appetizer:
e Moe Gee!

Here is a crude homemade emoji that you can reproduce on a standard keyboard: 
:-) [[|]]

Translate the emoji above into a  word that has been lately much in the news.


MENU

Old MacDonald Had A Ford Slice:
Studebakersfield, Califarmia?

A California farmer drives around his plantation surveying the fruits of his labors, which can be expressed in a two-word plural term. Remove the first letter of each word and replace an “s” with an “r”. The result is the brand name of the vehicle the farmer drives. 
What is the two-word term for the fruits of his labors? What is the name of his vehicle?


Riffing Off Shortz Slices:
Ah,esitation leads to Am,er,icablending

Will Shortz’s April 8th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle reads:
Name part of the human body. Insert a speech hesitation, and you’ll name a country. What is it?


Puzzleria!’s Riffing Off Shortz Slices read:
ONE:
Name part of the human body. Change the first letter and insert a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it? 
TWO: 
Name a kind of bean. Insert a homophone of a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it?

THREE:
Name the profession, in a short and informal form, of Robert Levinson, Melvin Purvis or Mark Felt. Insert a speech filler sound and remove a punctuation mark, and you’ll name an any citizen of a certain country. What is it? 
FOUR:
Name brand name vehicles with either two or four wheels that come into contact with the road during operation. Insert a homophone of a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
FIVE:
Give a collective plural name for Sarah, Kezia, Malik, Auma, Abo, Yusuf, Sasha and Sayid. Remove the first letter and insert a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it? 
SIX:
Name an 8-letter brand-name beverage. Insert the rearranged letters of a 5-letter musical instrument in the first half of the name, and you’ll name a country. 
In the second half of the name, insert the rearranged letters of a 4-letter word that, along with wax paper, combine to  make a makeshift “musical instrument” (but before rearranging, change the first letter of the 4-letter word to an “i”). Again, you’ll name a country.
What are these two countries? what is the beverage? 
SEVEN:
A. Name a kind of pet, in four letters. Insert one letter, and you’ll name a country. What is it? 
B. Name part of the human body. Insert an abbreviation for a medical professional, in 2 letters, so that they flank the second letter of the body part, and you’ll name a country. What is it? 
C. Name a country. Insert the rearranged letters of a 4-letter body part, and you’ll name another country. What is it? 
D. Name a 3-letter androgynous name. Insert the rearranged letters of a 3-letter boy’s name, and you’ll name a country. What is it? 
E. Name a 3-letter oath that is also a vow. 
Insert a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a U.S. state. What is it?
F. Name a synonym of  balderdash, baloney, beans, blarney, blather, bosh, bull, bunk, bunkum, claptrap, drivel, folderol, folly, foolishness, fudge, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hooey, humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey, moonshine, nonsense, piffle, poppycock, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, stupidity, tommyrot, trash, trumpery and twaddle. 


Rearrange the letters and place a speech filler sound at the end, and you’ll name a country. 

What is it?


Dessert Menu

Up A Lazy River Dessert:
Bayou Mystique



The poetic quartet below (written in anapestic tetrameter) contains six  hidden  words: the 3-word title of a reasonably well known popular song, and the three words that precede that title in the song’s lyrics. 
Can you find these six words?
A parade of trees – loblolly, baobab, yew 
Whisper past as we drift in our bayou canoe.
Brush the Red River sunset like rouge on a cheek
Breezes kiss bayou’s balmy caressing mystique.   

Every Friday at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! we publish a new menu of fresh word puzzles, number puzzles, logic puzzles, puzzles of all varieties and flavors. We cater to cravers of scrumptious puzzles!

Our master chef, Grecian gourmet puzzle-creator Lego Lambda, blends and bakes up mysterious (and sometimes questionable) toppings and spices (such as alphabet soup, Mobius bacon strips, diced snake eyes, cubed radishes, “hominym” grits, anagraham crackers, rhyme thyme and sage sprinklings.)

Please post your comments below. Feel free also to post clever and subtle hints that do not give the puzzle answers away. Please wait until after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesdays to post your answers and explain your hints about the puzzles. We serve up at least one fresh puzzle every Friday.

We invite you to make it a habit to “Meet at Joe’s!” If you enjoy our weekly puzzle party, please tell your friends about Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! Thank you.

21 comments:

  1. Good morning everyone! Once again it looks like I am the first to post a comment here this week! Happy Friday the 13th to all, and I hope no one here is superstitious! Frankly, I think it's bad luck to be superstitious(LOL). I will say I've already had some good luck with these puzzles. The only ones I can't figure out yet are the emoji and Riff-Offs #2 and #7 Part B. I definitely have the creative challenge puzzle, but I'm afraid it may take a while for me to come up with my own example(s). Seems a bit tricky, especially this late here in AL. Maybe later. BTW Sunday is my 48th birthday, and my family's thinking about taking me out for lunch! Hope I get some best wishes from my fellow Puzzlerians too, as well as Blaine and the gang! Anyway, gotta go to bed now. See y'all later today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My best of birthday wishes, Patrick. May your 49th year here on this Third Rock overflow with a bounty of "puzzle solvation," and with a cornucopia of fresh puzzles sown in and harvested from your fertile gray-matter soil.
      As for my two-week creative challenge, you lately have been truly masterful at conjuring answers to Will Shortz's 2-week challenges, so I am confident you will come up with at least a modicum of cleverness in response to my challenge.

      LegoThePuzzleria!GateKeeperWhoChallenges:"HeWhoWouldCrossThisBridgeOfKillerPuzzlesAliveMustFirstAnswerJeth(ro)TheseQuestionsFiveLestHeTakeALethalDive!"

      Delete
  2. I figured out the creative challenge puzzle, but I don't know if I want to spend the time it probably will take to come up with examples.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, I have NOT figured out the creative challenge puzzle, and if anyone else drops by to brag about how they have, I may just have to throw a tantrum.
    Just kidding.
    Happy birthday, Patrick; here's my present to you:
    Two of the answers you had not found as of your last comment are very closely related.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice to see you here, SDB....you haven't been around this blog for a long time, seems to me.

    I'm glad to see that Paul hasn't gotten the creative challenge yet either. I'm TERRIBLE at these 'what unusual property do these things have in common?' type puzzles.

    I haven't yet read the Dessert, but like pjb, I've gotten everything except Appetizer #2 [emoji] and one of the #7 Riffs, although my unknown puzzle is "C", not 'B'.

    Most have been pretty fun, because they succumbed to a bit of hunting around and/or intuition, instead of being impossible, even after hours of researching!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for your birthday wishes, Lego, but if you re-read my first post, you'll see I will turn 48, not 49, on Sunday. BTW they took me out to eat tonight, but they said nothing definite about lunch Sunday. Frankly, if this meal was it tonight, I'd probably much rather have just a burger and fries and a drink than a whole big meal for lunch. In two years I'll be 50, and that's the big milestone birthday, so however they want to do it then(even surprise me, if possible!), I'd probably rather do that. But we'll see what happens on Sunday. Tomorrow we're going to have some bad thunderstorms in the area, though. Please pray for us.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anyone turning 48 is promptly beginning their 49th year of life, so Lego was correct in his wishes. Note that when a baby turns 1, he/she is starting his/her second year of life, and so forth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right, and not only that, but Sunday is NOT your 48th birthday. You only have one birthday. (Per lifetime, of course.) Happy Anniversary!

      Delete
  7. Whatever indeed, I shall celebrate it anyway. I feel the same way about the whole "Happy Holidays" thing instead of saying "Merry Christmas", because obviously not everyone celebrates Christmas. So I just say whatever you celebrate, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or Xmas, have a good one. Everyone should be happy during the holiday season. And of course, always be thankful for what you've got. Count your blessings, things could be worse.

    ReplyDelete
  8. In fact, now that I think about it, I hope everyone has a happy couple of days before taxes are due on the 17th.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A Few Hints:

    TWCCA:
    I could have substituted "mooncakes" for "miso"(... but there is an extra charge)
    KA:
    Not Mice Pace
    OMHAFS:
    The plantation is not a vineyard.
    ROSS:
    ONE: "They call me Mr. _____!"
    TWO: Not Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, rather Darryl Dawkins
    THREE: The prototypical member of this profession was a guy named Hoover. The punctuation mark is a hyphen.
    FOUR: John Wayne
    ...
    UALRD:
    The title includes a vehicle, but not as specifically as the vehicles in this, this, or this song.

    LeGTO

    ReplyDelete
  10. Got the emoji puzzle and Riff-Off #2, but I have to ask: Is there any particular reason why you skipped from #4 to the Dessert? I still haven't got #7 Part B, remember?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hint:
      ROSS:
      7B:
      The body part can be a a word that is a part of a description of a particular type of sandwich. The medical professional's abbreviation consists of two consonants in the second half of the alphabet.
      LegoEncouragesAllToEnjoyEverySandwich

      Delete
  11. :-)[[|]] = FACEBOOK
    On a related note: FRANCE



    ORANGE GROVES > RANGE ROVER

    G-MAN > GERMAN
    HONDAS > HONDURAS
    OBAMAS > BAHAMAS

    COCA + SITAR > COSTA RICA
    COLA + COMB > COL(IOMB)A > COLOMBIA >> COCA-COLA

    CHIA > CHINA

    I DO > IDAHO

    ReplyDelete
  12. APPETIZER #1: Even though we're not to answer yet, I HAVE no answer, and doubt I will by next Wednesday, either.

    APPETIZER #2: FACEBOOK!!!

    SLICE: ORANGE GROVES => RANGE ROVER

    RIFFS:

    1. TIBIA => LIB(ER)IA

    2. CACAO & UR => CURACAO

    3. G-MAN => GERMAN

    4. HONDAS => HOND(UR)AS

    5. OBAMAS => BA(HA)MAS

    6. COCA & SITAR => COSTA RICA; COLA & COMB => COLA & IOMB => COLOMBIA

    7. A. CHIA => CHINA
    7. B. FACE => FRANCE
    7. C. INDIA & NOSE => INDONESIA
    7. D. JAN & ROD/ORD => JORDAN
    7. E. I DO & AH => IDAHO
    7. F. BILGE & UM => BELGIUM

    DESSERT: "DRIVE MY CAR" preceded by BABY YOU CAN [I hate to say this, but once again, I'd never heard of this, even though it's Beatles.]

    ReplyDelete
  13. Appetizer Part 2
    FACEBOOK
    Menu
    ORANGE GROVES, RANGE ROVER
    Riff-Offs
    1. TIBIA, LIBERIA
    2. CACAO, CURACAO
    3. G-MAN, GERMAN
    4. HONDAS, HONDURAS
    5. OBAMAS, (The)BAHAMAS
    6. COCA-COLA; SITAR, COSTA RICA, COMB, COLOMBIA
    7.
    A. CHIA, CHINA
    B. FACE, RN(Registered Nurse), FRANCE
    C. INDIA, NOSE, INDONESIA
    D. JAN, ROD, JORDAN
    E. "I DO", IDAHO
    F. BILGE, BELGIUM
    Dessert
    (Baby you can)DRIVE MY CAR
    BTW very difficult creative challenge, Lego. If between now and next week I come up with an example that sounds halfway decent, I'll post it here. But it's much harder than it looks, so I may not come up with anything to match what you put already. Your examples are too perfect to top!-pjb

    ReplyDelete
  14. This week's answers for the record, part 1:

    Appetizer Menu:

    Two-Week Creative Challenge Appetizer:
    A question about questions
    For the answer, see "next week's answers for the record.
    In the meantime, please post in our comments section your examples of questions with this very unusual and curious property.

    Keyboarding Appetizer:
    e Moe Gee!
    Here is a crude homemade emoji that you can reproduce on a standard keyboard:
    :-) [[|]]
    Translate it into a word that has been lately much in the news.
    Answer:
    Facebook :-) = Face; [[|]] = book;

    MENU

    Old MacDonald Had A Ford Slice
    Studebakersfield, Califarmia?
    A California farmer drives around his plantation surveying the fruits of his labors, a two-word plural term. Remove the first letter of each word and replace an "s" with an "r". The result is the name of the vehicle the farmer drives.
    What is the two-word term for the fruits of his labors? What is his vehicle?
    Answer:
    Orange groves; Range Rover

    Riffing Off Shortz Slices:
    Ah, esitation leads to Am, er, icablending
    ONE:
    Name part of the human body. Change the first letter and insert a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Liberia (Tibia -T + L + er = Liberia)
    TWO:
    Name a kind of bean. Insert a homophone of a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Curacao; (Cacao + ur (a homophone of "er") = Curacao)
    THREE:
    Name the profession of Robert Levinson, Melvin Purvis or Mark Felt, for short. Insert a speech filler sound and remove a punctuation mark, and you’ll name an any citizen of a certain country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Germany; (G-man + er - (the hyphen) = German
    (Robert Levinson; Melvin Purvis; Mark Felt)
    FOUR:
    Name brand name vehicles with either two or four wheels that come into contact with the road during operation. Insert a homophone of a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Honduras; (Hondas + ur = Honduras)
    FIVE:
    Give a collective plural name for Sarah, Kezia, Malik, Auma, Abo, Yusuf, Sasha and Sayid. Remove the first letter and insert a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Bahamas (Obamas - O + ah = Bahamas)
    SIX:
    Name an 8-letter brand-name beverage. Insert the rearranged letters of a 5-letter musical instrument in the first half of the name, and you’ll name a country.
    In the second half of the name, insert the rearranged letters of a 4-letter word that, along with wax paper, combine to make a makeshift “musical instrument” (but before rearranging, change the first letter of the 4-letter word to an “i”). Again, you’ll name a country.
    What are these two countries? what is the beverage?
    Answer:
    Costa Rica; Columbia; Coca-Cola
    (Coca + sitaR = Co + sta + Ri + ca = Costa Rica
    Cola + comb - c + i = Col + ombi + a = Colombia)

    Lego...

    ReplyDelete
  15. This week's answers for the record, part 2:
    Riffing Off Shortz Slices (continued):

    SEVEN:
    A. Name a kind of pet, in four letters. Insert one letter, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    China;
    (Chia (pet) + n = China)
    B. Name part of the human body. Insert an abbreviation for a medical professional, in 2 letters, so that they flank the second letter of the body part, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    France;
    (Face + RN = F + r + a +n +ce = France)
    C. Name a country. Insert the rearranged letters of a 4-letter body part, and you’ll name another country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Indonesia
    India + nose = Ind + ones + ia = Indonesia
    D. Name a 3-letter androgynous name. Insert the rearranged letters of a 3-letter boy’s name, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Jordan;
    Jan + Rod = J + ord + an = Jordan
    E. Name a 3-letter oath that is also a vow. Insert a speech filler sound, and you’ll name a U.S. state. What is it?
    Answer:
    Idaho;
    I do + ah = Id + ah + o = Idaho
    F. Name a synonym of balderdash, baloney, beans, blarney, blather, bosh, bull, bunk, bunkum, claptrap, drivel, folderol, folly, foolishness, fudge, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hooey, humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey, moonshine, nonsense, piffle, poppycock, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, stupidity, tommyrot, trash, trumpery and twaddle. Rearrange the letters and place a speech filler sound at the ende, and you’ll name a country. What is it?
    Answer:
    Belgium; (Bilge >> Belgi >> Belgi + um = Belgium... see image at top of puzzle, above)

    Dessert Menu

    Up A Lazy River Dessert:
    Bayou Mystique
    The poetic quartet below (written in anapestic tetrameter) contains lyrics of a reasonably well known popular song. The lyrics include the title of the song. Can you find them?
    A parade of trees – loblolly, baobab, yew
    Whisper past as we drift in our bayou canoe.
    Brush the Red River sunset like rouge on a cheek
    Kissed by breeze – bayou’s balmy caressing mystique.
    Answer:
    "Baby, you can drive my car," lyrics from "Drive My Car" by The Beatles
    1. baoBAB Yew
    2. bayYOU CANoe
    3. reD RIVEr
    4. balMY CARessing

    Lego...

    ReplyDelete