Friday, October 14, 2016

'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 14th 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 dOeuvre;
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 9th 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.
FOURTake 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.”
FIVEName 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.
SIXName 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.
SEVENName 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.
EIGHTName 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.
NINETake 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

ONEName 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?
TWOName 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?
THREEName 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?
FOURName 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.

83 comments:

  1. I'm proud of me. I knew exactly what was inside, but I went to the trouble of figuring out the combination instead of resorting to more brutal methods.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The dessert was an early solve for me. Swell puzzle.

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  3. Replies
    1. Tracked it down. Wonder if my friend, the communist, did?

      Delete
  4. P. & P.

    Now all I have left to solve are the rip/riff - offs.

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  5. Hints for the rip/riff - offs I've solved on the first go-around (in no particular order):
    Interpol may be keeping a folder on you.
    Never put metal in a microwave.
    I'll fly away?
    That's an easy one!
    Stiff upper lip?
    Crib sheet????

    ReplyDelete
  6. I found a well-known, 8-letter, 94-year-old, unretired singer. When I alter her name in the prescribed manner, I get a 3-letter noun and a 5-letter plural noun that pertain to cosmic phenomena, but I have to switch their order [to (5,3)], and change the plural noun to a singular possessive to make good sense out of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your singer has something in common with Cher, Paul. She was Vanna (and Susan) before Vanna (and Susan). Chuck (then) and Pat (now) shoulda/should tapped/tap her talents.

      LegoWhShldByVwls

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    2. I did not know Kay Starr was better than 50% Native American. I guess that makes the likelihood of her being related to Ringo rather remote.

      Delete
  7. Good afternoon, WW and everyone!

    Lego, I believe you might want to check the correct spelling of the word that "begins and ends" the album for the MORSEL; there is an extra letter you don't want!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Once again, VT has caught something that slipped past me.

      I also note, in ripoff FIVE: "replace a letter in the second letter with a different letter"--should be "in the second word".

      Delete
    2. Thank you, Violin"Tedditor," and thank you too, "Puzzle Polisher Paul." I have made corrections in the texts. My apologies to all solvers.

      LegoTheFallibleAndGrateful

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  8. Well, I haven't been nearly as successful as Paul has been....while having figured out the Morsel (of course), and the Dessert, as well as #2, #3 and #4 of Lego's Rip Off puzzles, and #3, #4 and possibly #6 of David's, I'm stuck on everything else [i.e. the Hors D'O, the Appetizer (frustratingly, because I THOUGHT initially that I had solved it), David's #1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 (and part of #5, I think), as well as Lego's #1 Rip off.]

    However, I simply must share that once upon a long time ago, I actually MET one of the actresses in Lego's #3, and she even kissed me on the cheek!!!! [There's a hint for YOU, WW, since I told you that story, and who it was.]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Thanks, ViolinTeddy. Got it!

      Delete
    2. Kissed you on the cheek, ViolinTeddy? Did this actress ask for your permission first?
      Was it... Donna Trump‽

      LegoWhoIsNotAFanOfPersonalSpaceInvaders

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    3. No, she didn't ask for my permission [very funny, DONNA Trump], but since it WAs a 'her' and not a 'he', I wasn't offended...I was complimented. (I had just played the violin, if I recall correctly.)

      Delete
    4. Wow, that sounds like a great story, VT. Would you be willing to share more on Wednesday when we give our answers?

      LegoWhoLikesStoriesThatEndWithAHeartfeltKiss

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    5. A kiss on the cheek can be quite continental. . .Or something like that?

      Delete
  9. I have "the artist" puzzle, and I have ripoffs #3, #4, and #6(so far). Will need hints for all others.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just got Lego's #1 Rip off. There's a connection to VT's Morsel catch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice hint, Paul. According to her Wikipedia page, the actress in my #1 Rip-off, had a really interesting first name at birth and, sadly, a too-early "exit, stage-left-this-vale-of-tears."

      LegoWhoIsUsuallyNotAFanOfBombshellsBut...

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    2. Thanks to your several hints, Paul and Lego, I finally put my finger on the correct actress for Rip Off #1, whom I had somehow missed when making a 'list' of possibilities yesterday. A very clever puzzle, methinks!

      And I'd rather just email you my little story, Lego, if you don't mind, rather than putting it on here.

      Delete
  11. Just got Lego's #3 ripoff. I see I've already inadvertently given a hint for it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think I just finished off Lego's ripoffs. I'm having trouble verifying my final answer, but I feel it must be right. Looking at these puzzles from an overall perspective, I am reminded of a Longfellow quote.

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  13. Working from David's hint, I came up with an amusing partial answer for his ripoff TWO. Only trouble is, I don't know enough about Spielberg movies to see how it could work. I mean, on SNL, he always used some delivery person con.

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    Replies
    1. What hint from David, Paul? I can't find one either in the comments OR in the stated puzzle itself. I'm completely stuck on his #2 (Spielberg). There are too many title characters, who did too many things.

      Delete
    2. Hint: Carter vis-à-vis Mondale
      [Right between "pantry" and "THREE"]

      Delete
    3. Oh yeah, I remember seeing that last night....duh...I surely missed it when I went hunting for it a while ago, though! Thanks, Paul.

      Delete
    4. So, working from Lego's hint, I now have another answer; but I don't see what it has to do with Carter or Mondale (except, perhaps, in Norcross).

      Delete
    5. So, working from Lego's hint, I now have another answer; but I don't see what it has to do with Carter or Mondale (except, perhaps, in Norcross).

      Delete
  14. I have solved the first puzzle! It came to me late last night, and it's way too obvious who used the phrase for me to say anything more.

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    Replies
    1. It just now (at LONG last) came to me, as well, pjb......now I simply have to shuffle those first letters to get the grave-robbing warning we were supposed to start with.

      Delete
    2. Hurrah, done...actually, while I was out walking in the rain last night, the middle 'warning' word (with the T) had occurred to me, but then I had dropped the whole idea.

      Delete
  15. I now have the first actress puzzle!

    ReplyDelete
  16. As I was preparing the official answers for this week's Wednesday reveal, I noticed that I had discovered two alternative answers for David's DROSAMS "canumdrum" #7, which reads:
    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."
    In one of my two alternative answers, however, "The result is something found" not in a kitchen cabinet or pantry, but in the fridge.
    All three of my answers (David's intended plus my two alternatives) rely on the same "two-word, 10-letter phrase for something you might see at a zoo, something PETA might protest."

    LegoWhoKnowsHisWayAroundTheKitchenWayTooWell

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't solved that one. Thanks for prompting me to take a second look. I now have an answer.
      How many of your kitchen items involve the same first word?

      Delete
    2. Paul,
      Three.

      LegoNotesThatIsWheWeDidNotCallThemConundrums

      Delete
  17. I'll still need hints for the rest, I think. To recap, I already have the first two puzzles, but not the third or last, and of the ripoff puzzles I have the third, fourth and sixth relating to pantry or refrigerator items, and the first relating to an actress from the past. Your move, Lego.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hints:

    UNPHO:
    Regarding the "three-word phrase that was ubiquitous in the news this past week":
    Maybe in the Nashville puck team's clubhouse...

    BOTAM:
    Nashville skyline

    LAWRA:
    Mike Tyson

    DROSAMS:
    1. Armand Hammer
    2. Drew Barrymore
    3. Orville...
    4. Tricolor, triangular
    5. Kitaro's hubby, from 1937 t0 1943
    6. The "two-word 8-letter phrase for something seen at a railroad museum" consists of a noun very much associated with a tailroad museum (Duh!), and a short form of a word for things you see on this blog evry week.
    7. Bob Shaw's character in a period-piece buddy movie, and synonym of "bet."
    8. The things found in any room of the house might be thrown in the washer after being vacuumed. The thing found in the kitchen in the cupboard, in the dish drainer or on the breakfast nook table is probably topologically equivalent to a breakfast doughnut.
    9. Joyce Kilmer

    PROSAMS:
    1. The annual celebration seems to celebrate creativity... and cavities
    2. On the small screen, the three-word phrase would describe the 1974 made-for-TV movie titled "Killer Bees."
    3. The same letter that all four actresses' names, begin with is G.
    4. The actress costarred with Stewart and Sinatra.

    SD:
    The former president and the person who referred to him both have strong ties to the same midwestern state.

    LegoWhoIsTopologicallyEquivalentToAGrapeJellyDoughnut

    ReplyDelete
  19. Of the ripoff puzzles I now have the first, second, third, fourth, and sixth pantry or fridge items, and the first and third actresses.

    ReplyDelete
  20. And now I think I have actress number four.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DROSAMS:
      5. "Four minutes, thirty-three seconds"
      7. Rhyme time: a less-imperiled Chewbacca
      8. The things found on the floor in any room in the house are normally not found on carpeted floors... kind of redundant. It is not advisable to EAT GUM.
      9. A part of what JK wrote about. The part of the book upon which what JK wrote about appeared.
      PROSAMS:
      2. Lee J. "Cobb" rides off onto the "Sunset" trail, strummin' his guitar, "vocalizin'"... Could be his last go-round.

      Lego'sLastHintin'Go-Round

      Delete
  21. Hey everybody! Happy Friday!

    The nature of this week's NPR puzzle got me thinking of a six-letter acronym used in introductory mathematics. Reverse the middle four letters to caption the ROSS #1 image in the context of the DROSMS #1 image.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clever, PlannedChaos. I will have to tell my aunt that one.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, WW! And congrats to Lego on his 2^7th post since starting this blog in May of 2014!

      Delete
    3. OK, I assume it's the same person in all 3 ROSS #1 images. I have no idea who she is. Is it going to rip a 42 square light-year aperture in the fabric of space-time if somebody tells me?

      Delete
    4. I had no idea I was that important.

      Delete
    5. Thanks, PlannedChaos, for your congrats on our tutu-the-seventh posting of Puzzleria!

      LegoThanksYouPuzzlerians!ForMakingItWork

      Delete
    6. Does that mean you're not going to tell me?

      Delete
    7. Paul, that's Natalie Portman, who played the MOTHER of twins Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia (in which movie of the second set of three, I can not recall.) She won an Oscar for The Black Swan.

      Delete
    8. PC, did you go COUNT all the Comments since May 2014? Or is there an up-to-date total of those somewhere I don't know about? (I.e. not the "page views.")

      Delete
    9. #128th post...not comments, VT.

      Paul, I came here to tell you about Natalie but I see you have been put out of your misery already. Very glad.

      Delete
    10. Correct, WW, 128 posts. And VT, you refer to the "Slices Served" header, which is a lower estimate, but is around 560 individual puzzles. Paul: I trust that by now, enough has been said that you have something to work with to solve my bonus puzzle.

      Delete
    11. VT,
      I believe PC was referring to my weekly postings of the entire blog, each Friday. This next Friday will mark the 129th "posting" (I sometimes use the word "uploading") of P!.

      As for the number of comments that have been posted since May of 2014, I have no clue. But, what else is new?

      LegoThinksTheTwoSaddestWordsEverSpokenAre"NoComment"

      Delete
    12. Thanks for the clarification, PC and Lego. Somehow it never occurred to me that PC had meant how MANY actual editions of Puzzleria there have been! I was confused enough to think he was referring to how many COMMENTS Lego himself had posted amongst all the uncounted comments, which would have required tedious counting indeed!

      Delete
    13. Meditating must I have been.

      Delete
    14. You always know how to up it mix, Paul.

      Delete
  22. Finally I have "some kind of answer" for all of them, but I wouldn't put any money on some of them (doo-dah, doo-dah).

    ReplyDelete
  23. I still need a few good hints. The last few gave me nothing to go on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DROSAMS:
      5. Coppolaed securities and commodities seller
      7. More rhyme time: Sirhan-tackler/Green Day Disk
      8. EAT GUM is an anangram. Length-times-width/something cut during dancing
      9. NFL washout Ryan/NFL star, and judge Alan
      PROSAMS:
      2. TV dinner brand

      LegoGreenDayBacker

      Delete
    2. No banquet.
      Parsley / Rosemary. Time's runnin' out here.
      I say, old chap, did you happen to notice what is lying before the fireplace? My grandfather acquired that during his last assignment in India, and it is quite a rare piece, don't you know, as it is ...
      You're on your own with this.
      brain fart

      Delete
  24. Got everything but #5. Got half of #5. Also, I still don't have the forgetfulness puzzle or the ex-President puzzle. Need some really good hints for those.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who said he was ever an ex-President?

      Delete
    2. LAWRA:
      Brian Auger
      SD:
      The former president is one of those "dead presidents" who is on a bill... which is the name of a person related to the person who referred to the president.

      LegoEleventhAndThreeQuarterHourHinting

      Delete
  25. Morsel Menu:
    #1 BAND LONELY (Roy Orbison)
    DYLAN NOBLE prize for literature.
    #2 BABE ONLY BLOND(e) on Blonde
    BOB DYLAN NOBLE prize for literature.

    Dessert Menu:
    H. CLINTON referred to A. LINCOLN (change an L in “Lincoln” to a T to yield CLINTON) in the Sunday, Oct. 9, DEBATE.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your debate story link, ron. We aspire to keep P! as "fair and balanced" as humanly possible.
      And, nice solving.

      LegoWhoTendsToPlayAFoxInHisBlog'sHenhouse

      Delete
    2. Make that the NOBEL prize for literature.

      Delete
  26. Dessert: Lincoln, Clinton [I solved this SWELL puzzle EARLY. EARLY->LATE, SWELL->GREAT (organ manuals) => 'the late, great Abe Lincoln']

    L4: Kim Novak, dim novae [that's better than 'rim novas', I think]

    L3: Greta Garbo, Greer Garson, Gretna Green [Never heard of the place, but apparently Jane Austen had; however, that was not the intent of my P. & P. hint]

    L2: Gloria Swanson/swan song [I'll Fly Away would be an appropriate swan song for anyone; actually, I was thinking of Gloria Copeland]

    L1: Jean Harlow, Halloween [Jean starred in Platinum Blonde and was sometimes referred to as 'the blond bombshell']

    D9: page, leaf, sage leaf [I'd heard of bay leaf, and I knew sage came between parsley and rosemary, but it took me a while to see this one]

    D8: area rug, tea mug [grin and bear it]

    D7: Manilla wager, Vanilla Wafer [oops, wait a minute, that's not how you spell Manila; my bad]

    D6: train pix, trail mix [a crib is a bed with rails; picks would be used to dig a rail bed]

    D5: caged bears, canned beans [or pears, or beers, and the beers could also be bottled, in which case they would be capped]

    D4: candy corn, canned corn [an easy pop fly is a 'can of corn'; easy as taking candy from a baby]

    D3: cop porn, popcorn [you leave popcorn in the container it comes in when you put it in the microwave; don't try that with canned corn]

    D2: From Jimmy Carter and Fritz Mondale I can get Jiffy Fritter; I even found a recipe, but Jaws didn't 'jimmy' doors or windows or, more to the point, anything of the form 'frit_' in order to gain entry. "Candygram" usually did the trick.
    On the other hand, E.T. walked kinda funny. Did he 'waddle in', giving us 'waffle iron'? I note that there are TWO Waffle Houses on Jimmy Carter Blvd. in Norcross, GA.

    D1: waking Yoda, baking soda [Sleeping not was I; meditating only. Om mani padme hum ...]

    Long and Windy: Bolivia(n), oblivion ['My friend the communist' is the first line of Sheryl Crow's 'Soak Up the Sun'. To soak up the sun is to bask. It all leads to so I didn't figure out the combination after all]

    Ubiquitous News Phrase: rocker tomb lock, locker room talk [The P. & P. Chair Company made the original 'Kennedy Rocker' (Page & Presnell, not Pride & Prejudice). I liked the way the picture of the instruments on the chairs echoed the Wilburys' End of the Line video.]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me try that again.

      The long and windy road leads here, and the band, lonely, babe, only, blonde combination didn't quite do the trick.

      Delete
    2. That's still not what I wanted. Close enough, though.

      Delete
    3. Oh, OK: bookie wager, wafer cookie! Still, if you're involved in that sort of thing, there might be a Manila folder on you somewhere.
      By the way, the Longfellow quote I thought of was “Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.”

      Delete
    4. I wonder what brand of coffee God prefers.
      Great comments, as usual, Paul.
      "Can of corn" is my favorite baseball expression. I believe I first heard it in the 1960s during an NBC (?) Game of the Week Saturday afernoon broadcast. It was either Dizzy Dean or PeeWee Reese who said it. My Dad loved the fact that Ol' Diz said stuff like "He slud into third!"

      LegoHasNoBindersOfWomenButScadsOfPhilpinoPholdersOfCannedCorn

      Delete
    5. Can of corn, candy corn, mmmm, harmonic convergence?

      The Clinton/Lincoln puzzle is clever, clever, clever. I award you the Can of Candy Corn Award, Lego.

      Delete
    6. Thanks, Word Woman.

      LegoWhoCan'tCanHisCorniness

      Delete
  27. ROCKER, TOMB, LOCK; LOCKER ROOM TALK
    BAND LONELY, DYLAN NOBEL
    BABE ONLY BLOND, BOB DYLAN NOBEL
    1. BAKING SODA(MAKING YODA)
    2. CANNED HOMINY(CALLED HOME)
    3. POPCORN(COP PORN)
    4. CANNED CORN(CANDY CORN)
    6. TRAIL MIX(TRAIN PIX)
    7. WAFER COOKIE(BOOKIE WAGER)
    8. TEA MUG(AREA RUG)
    9. SAGE LEAF(PAGE, LEAF)
    1. JEAN HARLOW(HALLOWEEN)
    2. GLORIA SWANSON(GLORIA'S SWAN SONG)
    3. GRETA(Garbo), GREER(Garson), GRETNA GREEN
    4. KIM NOVAK(DIM NOVAE)
    See y'all Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  28. HORS D'OEUVRE: "ROCKER TOMB LOCK" -> "LOCKER ROOM TALK"

    MORSEL: BOB DYLAN 1. BAND; LONELY -> "DYLAN, NOBEL" 2. BABE; ONLY; BLOND(E) -> "BOB DYLAN, NOBEL"

    APPETIZER: AMNESIAC ??????

    MENU:

    [DAVID's]:
    1. CREATE YODA? -> ?????? SODA?
    2. E.T.: CALLED HOME -> CANNED HOM???
    3. COP PORN -> POP CORN [PRE-hint]
    4. CANDY CORN -> CANNED CORN [PRE-hint]
    5. LOCKED/BARRED CAGE -> ??????? CAKE
    6. Alternate Answer: TRAIN CAR -> GRAIN BAR
    7. BOOKIE WAGER -> WAGER BOOKIE -> WAFER COOKIE [Post-hint, even though WAGER doesn't rhyme with Rosey or Grier]
    8. AREA RUG -> TEA MUG [Post-hints]
    9. PAGE LEAF -> SAGE LEAF

    [LEGO's]:
    1. JEAN HARLOW -> JEEN HALLOW -> HALLOWEEN
    2. GLORIA SWANSON -> GLORIA'S SWAN SONG
    3. GRETA GARBO and GREER GARSON; GRETNA GREEN [Scotland]
    4. KIM NOVAK -> DIM NOVAE

    DESSERT: LINCOLN and (Hillary) CLINTON

    PC's MATH ACRONYM: Order of Operations: PEMDAS -> PADMES

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  29. This week's official answers, for the record, Part 1:

    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.

    Answer:
    Rocker tomb lock;
    Locker room talk

    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.”

    Answer:
    Statement #1: band; lonely; Statement #2: Babe, Only, (Blonde - e =) Blond;
    Bob, Dylan, Nobel;
    BAND + LONELY = DYLAN + NOBEL
    BABE + ONLY + BLOND = BOB + DYLAN + NOBEL
    Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan

    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?

    Answer:
    Bolivia (whose residents are called Bolivians);
    Oblivion
    Bolivian - a + o = Bolivion >> Oblivion

    Lego...

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  30. This week's official answers, for the record, Part 2:

    MENU

    David’s Ripping/riffing Off Shortz And Myers Slices:
    Can you pry open these “canundrums?”
    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.
    Answer:
    Making Yoda >> Baking soda
    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
    Answer:
    Called Home >> Canned Hominy
    Hint: Carter was "Grits" (Hominy) to Mondale's "Fritz"
    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.
    Answer:
    Cop Porn >> Pop Corn >> Popcorn
    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.”
    Answer:
    Candy Corn >> Cand-ee Corn >> Cand Corn >> Canned Corn
    Hint: Early Candy Corn = "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.
    Answer:
    Caged Bears >> Canned Beans
    Alternative pantry item answers:
    Canned Pears;
    Canned Beers (Lego's favorite answer!)
    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.
    Answer:
    Train Pix >> Trail Mix
    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.
    Answer:
    Bookie Wager >> Cookie Wafer >> Wafer Cookie
    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.
    Answer:
    Area Rug >> Tea Mug
    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.
    Answer:
    Page Leaf >> Sage Leaf

    Lego...

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  31. This week's official answers, for the record, Part 3:

    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?
    Answer:
    Jean Harlow >> Jeen Hallow >> Hallow + een = Halloween
    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?
    Answer:
    Gloria Swanson >> Gloria's Swan Song
    ("Airport 1975" was Gloria Swanson's final movie appearance, or swan song.)
    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?
    Answer:
    Greta Garbo, Greer Garson;
    Greta Greer >> Gretna Green
    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?
    Answer:
    Kim Novak >> Dim Novae

    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?

    Answer: Abraham Lincoln; Hillary Clinton
    LINCOLN >> TINCOLN >> CLINTON

    Lego...

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