Friday, June 15, 2018

Doc, Martin, Joe and a pair of Buddys; More TVVisted titles; Competing gets tougher when services suffer; Finding some kind of sign-off the beaten path


Schpuzzle Of The Week:
Competing gets tougher when services suffer

Think of a term in two words for a service whose business model is suffering, five and four letters. 

The last three letters of each word are the same as each other, and spell a word that is a type of suffering. 
Remove these common letters and rearrange the remaining three letters to name a competing service. 
What are the term and the competing service?
(Note: This week’s Schpuzzle Of The Week was created by Mathew Huffman, a valued friend of Puzzleria!)


Appetizer Menu

Car Branding Appetizer:
Finding some kind of sign-off the beaten path

Name a synonym of “road” followed by a 2-word car brand. 

Reversing the order of the three words and saying the result without pronouncing the initial consonant sounds will sound like a sign-off. 
What is this sign-off?

John Aston-Martin Balsam Brand Appetizer:
Doc, Martin, Joe and a pair of Buddys


Doc, Martin, Joe, and a pair of guys named Buddy... 

Find a two-word phrase that pertains to the list of names above. 
Interchange those words to name what sounds a lot like a two-word automobile brand name. 
What is that brand name?
Hint: The key to solving this puzzle is to find the first name of an actor who portrayed characters with the first names Doc, Martin, Joe, Buddy and Buddy.


MENU

Riffing Off Shortz Slice:

More TVVisted titles

Will Shortz’s June 3rd/June10 NPR Weekend Edition Sunday two-week creative challenge puzzle reads:

Television today can be so derivative  and so is this two-week creative challenge. The object is to pitch an idea to one of the networks, either broadcast or cable, in which your show’s title is just one letter different from an existing show’s title, past or present. Name your TV show and summarize it in 15 words or less.
Examples:
American I Do’s  Hilarious misadventures of a bumbling wedding planner
You Bet Your Wife  Trivia contest, with wagering, to determine who knows more, husband or spouse
Puzzleria!’s Riffing Off Shortz Slice reads:
The title of each of the following 14 potential TV shows differs by just one letter from an actual past or present show’s title. Name these new titles based on the summaries given for each. 
To aid you, we are providing the genres and time frames of the actual TV show from which each of their titles is taken, along with the number of words in the title: 
1.  A man bases all his life-decisions on a musty Magic 8 Ball he purchased at a rummage sale. 
(Soap opera, 1952-2009; 3 words in the title)
2.  This remake focuses on Boss Hogg and Rosco who are repeatedly hornswoggled by those doggone Duke boys Bo and Luke. 
(Action comedy, 1979-85; 4 words in the title)
3. The Enterprise crew is stranded after crash-landing on a heavenly sphere inhabited by prehistoric creatures.
(Science fiction, 1966-69; 2 words in the title)
4. How commuters pass the time while stuck in bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic. 
(Science fiction, 1959-64; 3 words in the title
Note: This proposed TV show title is not exactly kosher vis-a-vis Will Shortz’s rules for this two-week challenge; not only does it change one letter of the original title, but it also doubles a second letter in that title.
5. Candid interviews with people who confess an infatuation with Kentucky Senator Paul or late fan-dancer Sally. 
(Adventure drama comedy, 1977-84; 2 words in the title)
6. During an embargo, Idaho laundry owners hoard potatoes in order to continue guaranteeing crispness in their customers’ collars. 
(Soap opera, 1951-86; 3 words in the title)
7. A bald lollypop-popping cop solves crimes by using his photographic memory. (Crime drama, 1973-78; 1 word in the title)
8. Documentary illuminating the Big Apple’s attitude toward Tom Terrific. 
(Sitcom, 1957-63; 4 words in the title)
9. Operatic diva alters her surname to reflect her newfound infatuation with jazz. 
(Sitcom, 1962-71; 3 words in the title)
10. Millionaire opera queen loads up the limo and moves westward to a “Californy” zip code.
(Teen drama, 1990-2000; 3 words in the title)
11. Steve Martin reprises his role as sadistic dentist Orin Schrivello, but on the small screen. 
(Sitcom, 1959-63; 3 words in the title) 
12. Scientist transforms his family members into midge-human hybrids, similar to “The Fly” films. 
(Musical sitcom, 1970-74; 3 words in the title)
13. Documentary about big-time Hollywood actors who have stepped up into military service to their country. 
(Talent competition, 1983-2004; 2 words in the title)
14. Ferdinand the Bull bucks cowboys off his back then rescues them, ironically, from homicidal rodeo clowns. 
(Sitcom, 1989-93; 4 words in the title)

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.

32 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Word Woman. I agree. I hope our new look is "cleaner" and less "busy."

      LegoLessBusy

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  2. Happy Friday everyone! I have to say I too like the new look, and I was surprised to see it looking this way late last night. The font for the blog looks much better, IMHO. I've also solved everything but Part 2 of the Appetizer and Riff-Offs #4 and #11. I have an answer for #4, but the wording of the clue has me a little unsure. Also, the answer for #9 seems a little sloppy when you parse it out. Should there have been an extra step in solving that one, say, moving a letter earlier in the original title? Other than that, very clever puzzles, and we don't have to worry about any answers being slightly un-PC like last week. Still, I miss the Dessert puzzle. But I understand some things have to change over time, and the same goes for Puzzleria! As long as the puzzles have the same great quality, I'm fine with it. I also look forward to whatever hints you provide that will help with the unsolved puzzles. So far so good, Lego! Wouldn't change a thing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your feedback on our blog's new look, cranberry.
      In Ross #9 and #10, an "S" replaces an "H" in both cases.
      In Ross #4, an "a" replaces a "w".
      In Ross #11, a "t" replaces an "n".

      LegoWhoAgreesWithcranberry'sMotherAboutTheExcellenceOf"Mr.Roget'sNeighborhood"

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  3. If #11 is what I think it is, Lego, there's another T to be added on the end of the same word.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I agree with both of you, cranberry and ViolinTeddy, that your intended answer, which is a title with words of 6, 3 and 6 letters, is a more understandable title. My intended answer, however, (which is flawed in that it sounds more like pidgin English than standard English) is a title with words of 6, 2 and 6 letters.

      LegoHePuzzleMakerWhoSometimesLapseIntoNonStandardEnglish

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    2. After rechecking my original source to find a 1950s sitcom title with words of 6, 2, and 6(and failing that), as well as having no real knowledge of pidgin English to begin with, I have no idea what your intended answer may be if it's not what I had, because it's certainly not listed(unless, like a few other answers I've noticed, the spaces between words have been changed). Obviously, I'll need more to go on hint-wise for this one. BTW what about Part 2 of the Appetizer? I don't get the connection between those names. Where's the hint for that one?

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    3. cranberry,
      Sorry. I erred in my "June 18, 2018 at 2:59 PM" comment. I meant to write:
      "My intended answer, however, (which is flawed in that it sounds more like pidgin English than standard English) is a title with words of 7, 2 and 6 letters," not "6, 2 and 6 letters."
      The original title has words of 6,3,6 letters. Your answer (and VT's, I assume) is a title with 7,3,6 letters (which would necessitate both a letter change and letter addition, as you noted). My intended answer shifts the first letter of the second word to the end of the first word. It's, in effect, a shift of the space between words.

      A hint for the JAMBBA is on its way...

      LegoHeSayPidginEnglishSometimesDropVerbsAndArticles

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    4. I have added a hint for JAMBBA in bold typeface at the end of the puzzle text. It was an unfair puzzle, in retrospect.

      LegoJambbaTheHut

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    5. OOh, I get it, re moving one letter to the first word on Riff #11. It all makes sense now to me.

      Delete
    6. I found an actor who played characters with the necessary first names, only in his list is only ONE "BUddY", so I'm not sure I have the right person. Even if I do, I totally can't figure out WHAT auto brand the switch is supposed to sound like. Sigh.

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    7. VT,
      On the road to solving the answer to this "automobile brand name" puzzle, you will encounter a proper noun bearing an apostrophe followed by a homophone of goods bought in a bakery.

      Lego'sRise(HePrefersTheMarbledVarietyLikeTheLoafFromSchnitzer'sBakeryThatFrankCostanza"Ungifted"FromGeorge'sWouldBeInLawsTheRosses)

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    8. Got 'em both! Thanks Lego! I'm done! See y'all Wednesday!

      Delete
    9. Me, too, and I appreciate the last set of hints. Turns out, I had had the WRONG actor, and had completely MISSED that the first name was the word of interest. But this, too, now makes sense. : o )

      Delete
  4. Howdy, Lego, I'm home earlier than expected. Will explain elsewhere.

    Looking forward to reading the puzzles, but had to CHEER re the new colors/look. Finally, I can FIND the 'comments' link!!! Joy of joys!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like the our new look, VT. Thanks... and Cheers!

      LegoWhoIsHappyThatViolinTeddyIsBack"Home"

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  5. Much nicer Lego,

    Soon after I learned how to make boldface and italics in the comments section Word Woman chastised me for going nuts with it. There's always a lesson.

    One thing I would still appreciate - previously the font in comments land was wayyyyyy too small (it's not my eyes. Really!). This looks bigger than before, but I wouldn't mind a size larger - I think both Blaine and WW have that.

    I hate getting old(er). But I don't want the alternative.

    PS I've done several of the puzzles but not all. Yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. eco, moi, chastise you? I can't imagine that (though I do have a hazy memory of your italibold madness). . .

      Delete
    2. Geez, thanks you guys... that is, guy and gal. Now I am going to be walking on eggshells over on Blaine's (and here too) about using bold and italics! (and probably exclamation marks too)

      Let me work on upping the font size in our comments section, ecoarchitect. I believe it is possible. If I cannot figure it out myself I shall consult with my Obi-Woman Kenobi. She is fontastic.

      Thanks to you both for checking in.

      LegObiWan(tingHelp)Kenobi

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    3. Joe, I must figure a way to weave "fontastic" into my resume. You are most generous with your kudos. Thanks.

      Delete
    4. Is requesting larger type a form of fontasizing?

      Delete
    5. eco, touché.

      And in tripping the font fantastic, I found this on OdibeeSans, created in 24 hours (One Day Build).

      Delete
    6. Thanks for the great link, Word Woman. Now that's what I call creative... thinking neither inside nor outside of the spacial box, but rather alongside a timeline tracing the special process of Creation from the "Chaoside" to the "Harmoniouside."
      It is likely a microcosm of eco's craft.

      LegoBoxingOutsideTheRink

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    7. I'd call the Odibee Sans experience pure fontosee. Okay, pretty close to beating the dead horse here...

      I heard an interview this morning with David Graber, who most recently wrote "Bullsh*t Jobs: A Theory". His main premise is that a large number of people work at meaningless and often useless jobs - this is primarily in the white collar world, and especially true in "creative" professions, he cited Hollywood specifically.

      Today he also pointed out that even with useful tasks you spend an enormous time puttering around, and then you make this mad rush to complete the job in a very short period. That rang very true. Though I sometimes wonder whether one needs that puttering time to generate the mental energy for that burst.

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    8. It seems to me, eco, as if the "Puttering Principle" might intersect somewhat with the "Procrastination Predisposition." I have always justified my tendency to procrastinate as an period of incubation prior to the hatching of the chick of creativity.

      LegoWhoMoreOftenJustLaysAnEggThatEndsUpOnHisFace

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  6. SNAIL MAIL; AIL, MSN

    ROUTE LAND ROVER; OVER AND OUT

    ROY(SCHEIDER)'S ROLES; ROLLS ROYCE

    THE GUIDING EIGHT
    THE DUPES OF HAZZARD
    STAR T-REX
    THE TAILLIGHT ZONE
    FANTASY IS RAND
    STARCH FOR TOMORROW
    KODAK
    LEAVE IT TO SEAVER
    THE BEVERLY SILL(BILLIE)S? (HOLIDAY?)
    BEVERLY SILLS 90210
    DENTIST HE MENACE
    THE PARTMIDGE FAMILY
    STARS MARCH
    SAVED BY THE BULL

    ReplyDelete
  7. Schpuzzle: SNAIL MAIL - (AIL x 2) = MSN

    That was fun!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Schpuzzle
    "SNAIL MAIL"-"AIL"S=MSN(Microsoft Network)
    Appetizer Part 1
    ROUTE, LAND ROVER, OVER AND OUT(ROVER, LAND, ROUTE)
    Appetizer Part 2
    ROLLS ROYCE(Roy's roles, pertaining to actor Roy Scheider)
    Menu/Riff-Offs
    1. THE GUIDING EIGHT(The Guiding Light)
    2. THE DUPES OF HAZZARD(The Dukes of Hazzard)
    3. STAR T-REX(Star Trek)
    4. THE TAILLIGHT ZONE(The Twilight Zone)
    5. FANTASY IS RAND(Fantasy Island)
    6. STARCH FOR TOMORROW(Search For Tomorrow)
    7. KODAK(Kojak)
    8. LEAVE IT TO SEAVER(Leave It To Beaver)
    9. THE BEVERLY SILLBILLIES(SILLSBILLIE?)(The Beverly Hillbillies)
    10. BEVERLY SILLS 90210(Beverly Hills 90210)
    11. DENTIST HE MENACE(Dennis the Menace)
    12. THE PARTMIDGE FAMILY(The Partridge Family)
    13. STARS MARCH(Star Search)
    14. SAVED BY THE BULL(Saved By the Bell)
    "Live long and prosper, bang a gong and get it on."-pjb

    ReplyDelete
  9. SCHPUZZLE: SNAIL MAIL => (AIL) => MSN

    CAR APPETIZER: ROUTE LAND ROVER => OVER AND OUT

    ASTON-MARTIN APPETIZER: ROY SCHEIDER => ROY'S ROLES => ROLLS ROYCE

    RIFF OFFS:

    1. THE GUIDING EIGHT (LIGHT)

    2. THE DUPES (DUKES) OF HAZZARD ?

    3. STAR T-REX (TREK)

    4. THE TAILIGHT (TWILIGHT) ZONE

    5. FANTASY IS RAND? (ISLAND)

    6. STARCH (SEARCH) FOR TOMORROW

    7. KODAK [KOJAK]

    8. LEAVE IT TO SEAVER (BEAVER)

    9. THE BEVERLY SILLBILLIES

    10. BEVERLY SILLS (HILLS) 90210

    11. DENTIST HE MENACE [DENNIS THE]

    12. THE PARTMIDGE FAMILY (PARTRIDGE)

    13. STARS MARCH [STAR SEARCH]

    14. SAVED BY THE BULL (BELL)

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

    Schpuzzle Of The Week:
    Competing gets tougher when services suffer

    Think of a term in two words for a service whose business model is suffering, five and four letters. The last three letters of each word are the same as each other, and spell a word that is a type of suffering. Remove these common letters and rearrange the remaining three letters to name a competing service.
    What is the term and the competing service?
    Answer:
    SNAIL MAIL; MSN

    Appetizer Menu

    Car Branding Appetizer
    Finding some kind of sign-off the beaten path
    Name a synonym of “road” followed by a 2-word car brand. Reversing the order of the three words and saying the result without pronouncing the initial consonants will sound like a sign-off. What is this sign-off?
    Answer:
    Over and out (Route, Land Rover)

    John Aston-Martin Balsam Brand Appetizer
    Doc, Martin, Joe and a pair of Buddys
    Doc, Martin, Joe, and two guys named Buddy.
    Find a two-word phrase that pertains to that list of names. Interchange those words to name what sounds a lot like a two-word automobile brand name.
    What is that brand name?
    Answer:
    Rolls Royce; ("Roy's roles")
    Roy Scheider's roles included:
    Doc in "Marathon Man" (1976);
    Police Chief Martin Brody in "Jaws" (1975) and "Jaws 2" (1978);
    Choreographer Joe Gideon in "All That Jazz" (1979)
    NYPD Detective Buddy "Cloudy" Russo in "The French Connection" (1971);
    NYPD Detective Buddy Manucci in "The Seven Ups" (1973);

    Lego...

    ReplyDelete
  11. This week's official answers for the record, part 2:

    MENU

    Riffing Off Shortz Slice:
    More TVVisted titles
    Name the titles of the following potential TV shows, based on their summaries. To aid you, we are providing the genres and time frames of the actual TV shows from which each of their titles is taken, along with the number of words in the title:
    1. A man bases all his life-decisions on a musty Magic 8 Ball he purchased at a rummage sale. (Soap opera, 1952-2009; 3 words)
    2. This remake features Boss Hogg and Rosco, repeatedly hornswoggled by those doggone Duke boys Bo and Luke. (Action comedy, 1979-85; 4 words)
    3. The Enterprise crew is stranded after crash-landing on a star inhabited by prehistoric creatures. (Science fiction, 1966-69; 2 words)
    4. How commuters pass the time while stuck in bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic. (Science fiction, 1959-64; 3 words)
    Note: This proposed TV show title is not exactly kosher; it not only changes one letter in the original title, but it also doubles another letter.
    5. Candid interviews with people who confess an infatuation with Kentucky Senator Paul or late fan-dancer Sally. (Adventure drama comedy, 1977-84; 2 words)
    6. During an embargo, Idaho laundry owners hoard potatoes in order to continue guaranteeing stiffness in their customers’ collars. (Soap opera, 1951-86; 3 words)
    7. A bald lollypop-popping cop solves crimes by using his photographic memory. (Crime drama, 1973-78; 1 word)
    8. Documentary illuminating the Big Apple’s attitude toward Tom Terrific. (Sitcom, 1957-63; 4 words)
    9. Operatic diva alters her surname to reflect her newfound infatuation with jazz. (Sitcom, 1962-71; 3 words)
    10. Millionaire opera queen loads up the limo and moves westward to a “Californy” zip code. (Teen drama, 1990-2000; 3 words)
    11. Steve Martin reprises his role as sadistic dentist Orin Schrivello on the small screen. (Sitcom, 1959-63; 3 words)
    12. Scientist transforms his family members into midge-human hybrids, similar to “The Fly” films. (Musical sitcom, 1970-74; 3 words)
    13. Documentary about big-time Hollywood actors who have stepped up into military service to their country. (Talent competition, 1983-2004; 2 words)
    14. Ferdinand the Bull bucks cowboys off his back then rescues them, ironically, from homicidal rodeo clowns. (Sitcom, 1989-93; 4 words)
    Answers:
    1. "The Guiding Eight" ("The Guiding Light")
    2. "The Dupes of Hazzard" ("The Dukes of Hazzard")
    3. "Star T-Rex" ("Star Trek")
    4. "The Tailight Zone" ("The Twilight Zone")
    5. "Fantasy Is Rand" ("Fantasy Island")
    6. "Starch For Tomorrow" ("Search For Tomorrow")
    7. "Kodak" ("Kojak")
    8. "Leave It to Seaver" ("Leave It to Beaver")
    9. "The Beverly Sillbillies" ("The Beverly Hillbillies")
    10. "Beverly Sills 90210" ("Beverly Hills 90210")
    11. "Dentist? He Menace!" ("Dennis the Menace")
    12. "The Part-Midge Family" ("The Partridge Family")
    13. "Stars March" ("Star Search")
    14. "Saved by the Bull" ("Saved by the Bell")

    Lego...


    ReplyDelete