Spoon-feeding BeaTrix to kids; Beware of Greece bearing fruit; Alfresco festival refreshments; Adject incivility (mind your inverted p’s and q’s); I’m your vehicle, babies Free Dobie Gray’s soul: give him the Beach Boys!

P! SLICES: OVER (5 + 4) x 3 x 21 SERVED

(Thanks, PC)

Welcome to our October 28^th edition of Joseph Young’s Puzzleria!

Will Shortz did not bless us with a puzzle to rip-or-riff-off this past Sunday, so we are instead ripping/riffing off an enjoyably ingenious geographically themed puzzle skydiveboy contributed to Puzzleria! fourteen months ago.

We have titled our rip/riff-off Slice: “Beware of Greece bearing fruit.”

Also on our menu this week are:

One uncivil political Hors d’Oeuvre;

One Riddlesome Morsel;

One festive and refreshing Appetizer;”

One name-the-triplets Slice, and, finally

One kissing-the-sky (or “this guy”)  Dessert.

So, think Good, It’s Friday.

And, as always, please enjoy.

Hors d’Oeuvre Menu

Bad Losers Aplenty Hors d’Oeuvre:

Adject incivility (mind your inverted p’s and q’s)

The following six phrases were overheard in media press rooms and/or at campaign rallies during the past year:

“Bland as polyester”

“Stern’s pal: a ‘boy’ led”

“Debater ‘nays’ polls”

“Pander, yell boasts”

“A Sanders potbelly”

“Bad losers aplenty”

Rearrange the letters in any one of the phrases to form two impolite adjectives, both uttered within the past two months by presidential candidates – one by the Democratic nominee, and the other by the Republican nominee.

What are these adjectives?

Note: One of the adjectives functioned in its utterance as a plural noun.

Morsel Menu

Black And White And Silver Morsel:

Spoon-feeding BeaTrix to kids

A riddle:

What is the difference between what Lewis Carroll and Beatrix Potter portrayed on black-on-white pages and what Mary Tyler Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Ingrid Bergman and Helen Reddy portayed on the silver screen?

An answer:

Lewis and Beatrix portrayed 

_ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _,

while Mary, Whoopi, Ingrid and Helen portrayed

_ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _.

Fill in the blanks.

Appetizer Menu

Good Old Summertime Appetizer:

Alfresco festival refreshments

Name a popular genre of music celebration often held outdoors during the summertime. It is a two-syllable compound word that usually precedes the word “festival.”

Split the word into its two compound parts, each which begins with a consonant blend. Interchange the second letters in the two parts. Pronouncing the result aloud results in a beverage you might buy from a festival vendor, and something that may contain that beverage.

What are the beverage and its container? Name the type of celebration?

MENU

Three Of A Kind Slice:

“I’m your vehicle, babies”

Take a name used by a luxury sports car manufacturer for a number of its high-end models in the late-1950’s and mid-2000’s. Interchange the third and fourth letters in the name and remove the fifth letter. Divide the resulting string of letters into three parts to name what could be the names of newborn triplets.

 

What is the name used by the manufacturer? What are the names of the triplets?

Hint #1: The name used by the luxury sports car manufacturer is also the name of a regional chain of gas stations.

Hint #2: If you reinsert the “fifth letter” that you removed back to its original position, the second triplet’s name will become a vehicle for transporting the triplets.  

Ripping/riffing Off skydiveboy Slice:

Beware of Greece bearing fruit

In our August 28, 2015 edition of Puzzleria!, we ran an excellent puzzle by skydiveboy titled “Fruit Of The Looming Solution Dessert: Picking the Miranda Right Fruit.”

Puzzleria!’s rip/riff-off puzzle reads:

People and products from Sweden are called Swedish. If from Bolivia they are Bolivian.

Take the word commonly used to describe the people and products of another country. Change that word’s second letter to a different vowel and move its first letter to the third-last position to name a fruit that this country produces and exports.

What is the fruit? What are people and products of the country called?

Dessert Menu

Lady Mondegreen Dessert:

Free Dobie Gray’s soul: give him the Beach Boys!

Mondegreens are misheard lyrics from verse or song. For example, “‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy” from “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix, and “There’s a bathroom on the right” from “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

With mondegreens in mind, why do my ears (my ears, in particular) perk up when I hear this song? At what exact point in the song to my ears experience this up-perk?

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.

The seven-year literary itch; Offensive driving; Let’s do launch; Probers! Outcries! Promise us anything, but give us our pageantry; Chipmunks Shake-up! Alvin, Simon out; Anthony, Colin in;

P! SLICES: OVER 543 + 21 SERVED (Thanks, PC)

Welcome to our October 21^st edition of Joseph Young’s Puzzleria!

We serve up six puzzles this week, including one Ripping/riffing Off Shortz Slice relating to rocketry.

Also on our menu are:

One campaign promise Hors d-Oeuvre;

One NFL Morsel;

One change-of-career Appetizer;

One chipmunky Slice, and finally,

One timely blurby Dessert.

Think Good, It’s Friday. Enjoy our puzzles.

Hors d’Oeuvre Menu

Symbolic Promises Hors d’Oeuvre:

Promise us anything, but give us our pageantry

The symbols pictured in the image at the above-left represent two words, of four and nine letters. 

Rearrange these 13 letters to form the three words that complete a campaign promise made recently, in the form:

“I will _ _ _ _ _    _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _.”

What do the symbols represent? What is the campaign promise?

Morsel Menu

Vehicular Homophone Morsel:

Offensive driving 

A current NFL player who is a starter on his team’s offensive squad has a Super Bowl ring. 

His first name consists of the first names of a pair of offensively talented Hall of Fame baseball players, in chronological order.

The football player’s first name is also a homophone of a two-word automobile part that is essential to the safe operation of the vehicle. The football player’s last name is a homophone of a profession.

Who are this NFL football player and the baseball Hall of Famers? What is the auto part?

Appetizer Menu

Change Of Career Appetizer:

The seven-year literary itch

After seven years of plying his chosen profession, a young man completely abandons that career. He feels compelled to scratch an itch to become a non-fiction writer, which he believes to be his true destiny. 

Adopting a pen name he deems to be equal parts down-home folksy and tech-school savvy – Tony Ray Goolgol – the young writer sets off on his journalistic journey.

Tony’s first published book – titled “Eras, Eons and Hot Tar” – addresses the role molten hydrocarbons played in the Earth’s formation.

His second published book – titled “Looting Astrology” – traces the history of how charlatans usurped the once-legitimate science of astrology in order to prey upon the gullible for monetary gain.

Given those book titles, what is Tony’s former profession?

For extra credit: Given what Tony believes to be his “true professional destiny,” what is his true, non-fictional name?

Hint: Tony’s true name is in the form:

_ _ _  “ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _”  _ _ _ _ _ , where the nickname in quotation marks reflects Tony’s well-documented proclivity for partying and celebrating.

MENU

Anthony, Colin, Theodore On Reels Slice:

Chipmunks Shake-up! Alvin, Simon out; Anthony, Colin in

The first names of three cinematic actors are Anthony, Colin and Theodore. Change one letter in each of their last names and pronounce the three results aloud (just the altered last names, not the first names). People who hear what you say will think of a certain number.

What is the number? Who are the actors?

Hint: Neither of the following sentences is true:

All three actors are still living.

All three actors are deceased.

Ripping/riffing Off Shortz Slice:

Let’s do launch

Will’s Shortz’s October 16^th National Public Radio Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle reads:

Take the digits 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, in that order. Using those digits and the four arithmetic signs – plus, minus, times and divided by – you can get 1 with the sequence 5 – 4 + 3 – 2 – 1. You can get 2 with the sequence (5 – 4 + 3 – 2) x 1.

The question is, how many numbers from 1 to 40 can you get using the numbers 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 in that order along with the four arithmetic signs?

You can group digits with parentheses, as in the example. There are no tricks to this, thought. It’s a straightforward puzzle. How many numbers from 1 to 40 can you get – and, specifically, what number or numbers can you not get? Will will reveal his solution on October 30^th. 

Puzzleria!’s Ripping/riffing Off Shortz Slice reads:

In the waning seconds before a rocket blasts off, a countdown is spoken, often in the form:

“T minus 10, 9,8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, liftoff!” (Sometimes, “launch” is substituted for “liftoff.”)

Make an equation from the countdown, separating the eleven numerals by any of the four arithmetic signs – plus, minus, times and divided by. You can group digits with parentheses.

The equal sign must be inserted between the  “0” and the word  “liftoff.” The numerical value of  “liftoff” is the sum of the numerical values of its seven letters (A = 1, B = 2... Z = 26... see chart provided). 

At the left-hand side of the countdown equation, substitute for T the numerical value of T. Substitute a minus sign for the word “minus.”

Form two true equations – one using the word “liftoff,” and another using the word “launch.”

Dessert Menu:

Blurb-berry Ambrosia Dessert:

Probers! Outcries!

Judging from the quartet of exclamatory blurbs featured on the promotional movie poster pictured here, what is the title of this timely election-themed “movie”?

Note: The final blurb: “Scribe outs Groper,” includes a “phantom G” that puzzle solvers ought to  ignore as they work to discern the title of this movie.

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.

'How green was my valley? I forget' Actresses morph into new roles; Find a president that fits us to a T; Playing musical chairs with “Blue Suede Shoes” on; The artist formerly known as Minnesotan; Can you pry open these “canundrums?”

Welcome to our October 14^th edition of Joseph Young’s Puzzleria!

We serve up seventeen puzzles this week. Thirteen of them are Ripping/riffing Off Shortz Slices – with nine of those composed very cleverly by David, Puzzlerian! contributor par excellence.

 

Also on our menu are:

One “ubiquitous-phrase-in-the-news” Hors d’Oeuvre;

One Minnesotan Morsel;

One “Long And Windy Road Appetizer;” and, finally

One past-presidenTial Dessert ripped from today’s headlines.

Enjoy all Seventeen.

Hors d’Oeuvre Menu

Ubiquitous News Phrase Hors d’Oeuvre:

Playing musical chairs with “Blue Suede Shoes” on

Name a three-word phrase that would likely serve as a deterrent thwarting potential raiders of, say, Elvis Presley’s grave at Graceland mansion in Memphis (or of the grave of any other such musical entertainer). 

The phrase consists of three nouns of 6, 4 and 4 letters beginning, respectively, with R, T and L.

 

“Reshuffle” the R, T and L so that each settles in at the beginning of a different one of the three words (something like playing a round of musical chairs without removing a chair). Pronounce the result aloud to name a phrase that sounds a lot like a three-word phrase that was ubiquitous in the news this past week.

What are these two three-word phrases?

Hint: The 6-letter noun acts as a modifier.

Morsel Menu

Blanking On The Artist Morsel:

The artist formerly known as Minnesotan

Statement #1: “The artist” was once in a five-man ____ hailed as a supergroup. The first big solo hit for a fellow artist in this supergroup was titled “Only the ______.”

Statement #2: “The artist” composed songs titled “It Ain’t Me, ____,” and “___ a Pawn in their Game,” and an album with a title that begins and ends with the word “______.”
(Note: For the purposes of this puzzle, use an alternative, one-letter-shorter, spelling of this album-title word.)

The letters in the words that belong in the two blanks in Statement #1 can be rearranged to form two words very recently in the news.  

 

The letters in the words that belong in the three blanks in Statement #2 can be rearranged to form three words very recently in the news.

Two of the three words formed by rearranging the letters in the three blanks in Statement #2 are the same two generated by the rearrangement in Statement #1.

Two of the three words formed by rearranging the letters in the three blanks in Statement #2 are the first and last names of “the artist.”

What are the words in the five blanks? What are the three different words in the news? Who is “the artist.”

Appetizer Menu

Long And Windy Road Appetizer:

“How green was my valley? I forget”

 

Name the general term for the resident of a land whose name translates roughly to “valley of (certain green structures)” – but “green” not in the literal but in the figurative sense. But unless gusts and gales whistle down the valleys of the land with a kind of natural “wind-tunnel effect,” the efficacy and output of such structures might seem forgettable…

And so, let’s forget the penultimate letter of the resident’s name and replace it with a duplicate of the second letter. If you now do not forget to interchange the resident’s first two letters, you will end up with a word that is the essence of forgetfulness.

What is the name of this land? What is the essence of forgetfulness? 

MENU

David’s Ripping/riffing Off Shortz And Myers Slices:

Can you pry open these “canundrums?”

Will’s Shortz’s October 9^th National Public Radio Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle, submitted by Darrell Myers, reads:

Name a famous actress of the past – first and last names, 10 letters all together. Change one letter in the first name and one letter in the last. The result is a two-word phrase naming a food item often found in a kitchen cabinet or refrigerator. What is it?

David’s Ripping/riffing Off Shortz And Myers Slices read:

ONE: Name a two-word, 10-letter pre-production task regarding a beloved character in “Star Wars” movies. Change one letter in each word to form something found in a kitchen cupboard or refrigerator.

TWO: Name a two-word, 10-letter phrase for something the title character famously did in a Spielberg movie. Replace a double-letter in the first word with a different double-letter. Change the last letter in the second word to three different letters. The result is something found in a kitchen cabinet or pantry.

Hint: Carter vis-à-vis Mondale

THREE:Take a two-word, 7-letter phrase that you might call an x-rated lewd movie involving police. Spoonerize the words and remove the space to form something you might find in a kitchen cabinet or microwave oven.

FOUR: Take a two-word, 9-letter name for something sweet commonly eaten this time of year. The first word ends in a vowel sound. Say the two-word name aloud without pronouncing the vowel sound. The result sounds like something found in a kitchen cabinet or pantry.

Hint: The sweet eats were once called “Chicken Feed.”

FIVE: Name a two-word, 10-letter phrase for something you might see at a zoo, something PETA might protest. Replace a letter in the first word with a different double-letter, and replace a letter in the second word with a different letter. The result is something found in a kitchen cabinet or pantry.

SIX: Name a two-word 8-letter phrase for something seen at a railroad museum. Change one letter in each word to form something found in a kitchen cabinet or pantry that you might also take on a hike.

SEVEN: Name a two-word 11-letter phrase for what might be an illegal bet. Change one letter in each word and reverse the order of the words to form something found in a kitchen cabinet or pantry… but likely not in the fridge unless it’s a part of a custard pie crust.

EIGHT: Name a two-word 7-letter phrase for something that could be found on the floor in any room in the house. Replace two consecutive letters in the first word with a different letter, and change one letter in the second word to a different letter. The result is something found in the kitchen in the cupboard, in the dish drainer or on the breakfast nook table.

NINE: Take two 4-letter synonyms and put them in reverse alphabetical order. Change one letter in the first synonym. The result is something found in a kitchen cabinet or pantry.

Hint: The first synonym is manufactured using a natural resource of which the second synonym is a part.

Puzzleria!’s Ripping/riffing Off Shortz And Myers Slices:

Actresses morph into new roles

ONE: Name a famous actress of the past – first and last names, 10 letters all together. Change one letter in the first name and one letter in the last name, and replace the initial letter of the altered first name with the entire altered last name. The result names an annual celebration.

Who is the actress and what is the celebration?

TWO: Name a famous actress of the past – first and last names, 13 letters all together. Add one letter (along with a bit of punctuation) to the end of the first name. Add one letter to the end of the last name and insert a space someplace within. The result is a three-word phrase that describes the movie titled “Airport 1975.”

Who is the actress and what is the three-word descriptive phrase?

THREE: Name two famous actresses of the past. Their first and last names, all four names, begin with the same letter. Discard their last names. Insert an “n” into one of the first names, and replace the final letter of the other first name with another “n,” leaving a space between these two altered names.

The result is a two-word phrase for a place where elopers go to get married.

Who are these actresses? What is this two-word place phrase?

FOUR: Name a famous retired actress – first and last names, 8 letters all together. The first letter of her first name and last letter of her last name are the same consonant. Replace the consonant in the first name with a different consonant, and replace the consonant in the last name with the letter that follows that “different consonant” in the alphabet. 

The result is a two-word phrase (3-letter adjective and 5-letter plural noun) naming a cosmic event stargazers may observe in the night sky. (Note: the phrase may seem oxymoronic, but it actually is not.)

Who is the actress and what is the two-word descriptive phrase?

Dessert Menu:

Surnominal Dessert:

Find a president that fits us to a T

The name of a former president was in the news headlines this past week. Change one of the letters in the president’s surname to a “T”. 

Rearrange the letters of the result to form the surname of the person who referred to the president – the reference that led to the news headlines.

Who are the president and the person who referred to him?

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.