Thursday, July 10, 2025

“A Dwindling” and “Holding their Fates to the Fire”; “Mingle? Schmingle! Where’s the Pringles?!” Did a “Sea Change Change Yew?” One Cool Cat and One Hot Dog! “Take two anagrams, be(d)head, and call me in the morning” Midday menu: frothy fruity eggy veggie medley

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 5πe2 SERVED

Schpuzzle of the Week:

Midday menu: frothy fruity eggy veggie medley

Sal and Peg take a pre-midday break from their jobs to enjoy brunch at a diner.

Sal orders a frothy fruit drink and a “veggie medley.” 

Peg orders an entree with eggs and a blended tea-and-lemonade beverage. 

What historical figure does Sal’s order suggest?

What more recent historical figure does Peg’s order suggest?

This week we proudly present the following two-pronged Appetizer:

Subterfuge & Greek Creature Appetizer:

“A Dwindling” and “Holding their Fates to the Fire”

“A Dwindling”

1. 🎥📖The 4-word (4, 5, 4, 5) title of a not very well known movie, with not very well known cast members, contains 5 different consonants and 1 vowel. 

In the title, three consonants appear 3 times each; two consonants appear once each; and the vowel appears 7 times. 

The phrase formed by the movie title is preceded by a subterfuge – a kind of “misdirection” – in a very well known, very famous, and best selling, novel which has been adapted to stage and screen. 

The novel and adaptations have had various titles. 

The phrase formed by the “not very well known” movie title and the “misdirection” are parts of a mysterious countdown. The countdown ends with the title of the novel.

Identify and describe this “subterfuge/misdirection.”

Extra Credit: Name the title of the not very famous movie, and the best known title of the famous novel. 

“Holding their Fates to the Fire 
2. 𐦐𐦉 Name a 21st Century Tony winning play which is a reworking of a Greek myth. 

Drop the last letter of the title. Divide the remaining letters unevenly into two groups. Rearrange the letters to form a word out of each group – two new words in all. Placing those two words in the correct order results in a two-word characteristic of a creature in Greek myth. What is the play? 

What is the characteristic and the creature it describes? 

MENU

Predatory Hors d’Oeuvre:

“Take two anagrams, be(d)head, and call me in the morning”

Anagram the letters of a predator to name its possible prey. 

“Be(d)head” (actually, just “behead”) the prey to get a second predator. Anagram the letters of that predator to get a sound made by a second, larger prey that ends with the same two letters as the sound. 

What are these five words?

What are this predator, prey, second predator, sound and second prey?

59-26 Skidoo Slice:

One Cool Cat and One Hot Dog!

(Note: The following puzzle is a collaboration of sorts between LegoLambda and Nodd. Nodd came up with the ingenious “cool cat” portion of the puzzle.)

Take letters associated with 26 followed by letters associated with 59 to get a name
associated with both a 
cool cat and a hot dog

What is this name and its association with a hot dog and cool cat? 

How are its letters associated with 26 and 59?

Riffing Off Shortz Entrees:

Did a “Sea Change Change Yew?”

Will Shortz’s July 6th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle reads:

This is a phonetic challenge in four parts. First, say a letter of the alphabet out loud – like B, C, or L. Then name something you might carry around in your pocket. Say it twice. Finally, name a variety of tree. Say these four things in order, and phonetically they’ll name a nice place in the United States to vacation. What is it?

Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz Entrees read:

ENTREE #1

This is a phonetic challenge in five parts. 

First, say the first syllable of a two-syllable fish whose second syllable is “fish.” (The first syllable is also where in the fish the hook might
embed itself.); 

Second, say the collective term for Aspires, Contours, Couriers, Crestlines, Edges, Elites, Fairmonts, Freestars, Freestyles, Mainlines, Parklanes and Tempos;

Third, say a two-syllable word that sounds like a synonym of “criminal,” like Snidely Whiplash or Boris Badenov, for two examples. 

Fourth, say a letter of the alphabet out loud; and

Fifth, say what sounds like the palindromic name of a prophetess mentioned in the Gospel of Luke.

Say these five things in order, and phonetically they’ll name the hometown and home state of a puzzlemaster!

Who is this puzzlemaster, his hometown and home state?

What are the answers to the five clues?

(Note: Entrees #2 through #7 were composed and contributed by our good friend Nodd whose “Nodd ready for prime time” is featured regularly on Puzzleria!) 

ENTREE #2

Name a letter of the alphabet. 

Then name an interval of time. 

Finally, name a U.S. state. Phonetically, you’ll name a popular two-word vacation destination in the Western U.S. What is it?

ENTREE #3

Name a letter of the alphabet. Then name a kind of throwing weapon. 

Phonetically, you’ll name a Western U.S. national forest offering tourist attractions that include an aerial tramway. 

Which national forest is it? 

ENTREE #4

Name a letter of the alphabet. 

Then name a synonym of “bewilder.” 

Phonetically, you’ll
name a Western U.S. city offering numerous tourist attractions, including one pictured periodically in Puzzleria! What city is it? 

ENTREE #5

Name a letter of the alphabet. 

Then name something you would need in your pocket to go on a vacation, followed by something you would take along if you planned
to go fishing. 

Finally, name another letter of the alphabet. Phonetically, you’ll name a Western U.S. national forest offering numerous recreational opportunities for hikers and mountain bikers. 

Which national forest is it?

ENTREE #6

Name a letter of the alphabet. 

Then name the first two syllables of a furniture brand name. Finally, name the last name of a famous U.S. lawyer. 

Phonetically, you’ll name a waterfront tourist attraction in a major city in the Western U.S. 

What is it?

ENTREE #7

Name a letter of an alphabet. 

Then name something you might want for vacationing at a lake. 

Finally, name an accessory you might want for
taking photographs. 

Phonetically, you’ll name a Southern U.S. city that is considered a nice place to vacation. 

What city is it?

(Note: Entrees #8 and 9 were composed and contributed by our good friend Tortitude whose “Tortie’s Slow But Sure Puzzles” is featured regularly on Puzzleria!) 

ENTREE #8

Name a famous musician of the past. Say the last name followed by the first name quickly. You’ll phonetically have a two-word phrase. 

Now think of the musician’s most famous song.
The title character does the two-word phrase in the title place. 

Who is the musician? What is the phrase? What is the song? 

ENTREE #9

Think of a current American politician. 

The first four letters of the first name sound like
a word associated with beaches. 

The first four letters of the last name spell another word associated with beaches.

Who is this politician, “littorally?”

ENTREE #10

Small oscines seeking solitude,

While singing hymns of gratitude...

Write a caption for this image in two five-letter
words.

Then rearrange those ten letters to name a nice place in the United States to vacation.

What are this caption and U.S. vacation spot?

Dessert Menu

Hungry Hovering Hummingbird Dessert:

“Mingle? Schmingle! Where’s the Pringles?!”

The nattily-attired ______ ____ at the party didn’t even attempt to mingle. Instead, this greedy ____ ______ hovered around the snack table... like
a hungry hummingbird hovers above sweet nasturtium nectar and nummy gnats. 

Those first and fourth missing words are identical except for their second letters. 

The second and third words are identical except for their third letters. What are these four missing words?  

Every Thursday 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 Thursday.

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.

48 comments:

  1. To place a comment under this QUESTIONS? subheading (immediately below), or under any of the three subheadings below it (HINTS! PUZZLE RIFFS! and MY PROGRESS SO FAR...), simply left-click on the orange "Reply" to open a dialogue box where you can make a comment. Thank you.
    Lego...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. Um, I don't understand the second paragraph of Torties' Entree #8. "The title character does the two-word phrase in the title place?" HUH? What title character in what title place?

      Delete
    2. Oh, never mind. It meant the title character/place in the SONG, right? I'd delete the comment above, but as I noted last week, the DELETE icon has VANISHED, at least on my screen. Can anyone else still see them?

      Delete
    3. VT, yes, it's the title character/place in the song.

      I can still see the "Delete" text. Maybe try a different browser? I know in the past you've said you use a Mac, and so do I. I find that Blogger seems to like Chrome best. Normally, I use Safari for everything else.

      Delete
    4. I DO use Chrome still. It is going to be extremely inconvenient to never be able to delete something when I want to! Hmmmm...so annoying. Messing around in a different browser is WAY too much work. All my bookmarks are in this one. And having things 'look different' as would be the case with Safari would drive me up a wall!

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Trying to do the honorable thing, here.

      Delete
    2. When they go low-we go high. Something like that.

      Delete
    3. Entree hints:
      8. The song isn't "The Boy from New York City" or "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)", but the title follows a similar format and was released around the same time as those two hits. The title place, which is not in the U.S., is an anagram of a state name plus a different state name’s postal code abbreviation.
      9. The first word shouldn't happen to you if you take sufficient precautions, such as applying sunscreen and wearing flip-flops. The politician went viral for wearing mittens.

      Delete
    4. Just got #8! Clever, Tortie! Am 100% percent sure about #9, but I'm only really worried about 1%.(Hint? Could be!)
      pjbWasAlmostWorriedOnceHeSawTheFirstNameAssociatedWithTheSong,ButFeltMuchBetterAfterScanningTheSong'sLyrics(SomeInSpanish,Though)

      Delete
    5. SUNDAY HINTS FOR ENTREES 2-7:
      2. See Bogart film titles, 1941 and 1948.
      3. Seven cities.
      4. Here Come The Brides
      5. EAP poem, 1849.
      6. The letter is M; the city is SF.
      7. Drama rigs.

      Delete
    6. Nodd, thanks for the hints. Not totally sure I understand the hint for #7, but I think I have that one right anyway.

      #3 is really obscure to me. #4 is a bit confusing. It doesn't look like the synonym for "bewilder" matches phonetically, unless you use the Cornish variation.

      Delete
    7. Tortie, the hint for 7 is an anagram. In 3, the seven cities are something a Spanish explorer searched for. As for 4, when I listened to the pronunciation of the city name online I couldn't detect any difference between the last part of that and the pronunciation of the synonym for bewilder. But you're right that the letters don't match.

      Delete
    8. Nodd, thanks. I did solve #3, but I had never heard of the place before. Now I see what you mean about #4. Even though I see a different consonant sound when I look up the pronounciation, it appears that it could also sound like a different consonant sound.

      TortieWhoSaysThatThe#4CityCanAlsoBeALetterSoundFollowedByAnAnagramOfAStarbucksOrder

      Delete
    9. Well, I got all of Nodd's hints. What's been keeping Lego all this time? We've still got a lot of other puzzles unanswered here!
      pjbHasACoupleOfMusicalCluesForEntree#5:
      Electric Light Orchestra and Jim Croce

      Delete
    10. 11th-Hour Hints for Appetizer #2:
      [Hint #1: The play is a musical.]
      [Hint #2: One spelling of the character's name can be rearranged to make a Latin botanical term.)]
      [Hint #3: One of the two character describing words appears more than once in the puzzle narration.]

      LegoLaggingInHisHintProvisionDuties

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Here's one on Nodd's Entree #4, which I have yet to solve: Name a letter, then a synonym of 'bewilder' to get a city in the eastern half of the US. [I got all excited thinking I'd solved #4, only to discover the city was NOT in the Western US.]

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. After my dismal experience last week (particiularly with that Schpuzzle), I think I can say that I just solved this week's Schpuzzle. Hurrah

      Delete
    2. It was a tussle, even having known the correct novel pretty quickly for the first Appetizer, but at last, I luckily stumbled upon the phrase that made the rest of the puzzle directions finally make sense.

      Lego, are these Appetizers YOURS this week? I don't see anyone else mentioned!

      Delete
    3. VT, I noticed the same thing 🤔. I suspect that the puzzles are from the "mysterious friend of Puzzleria", aka Cloak 'n' Dagger. Some clues: 1) Lego introduced the Apps with "proudly present." Lego is very humble, and wouldn't introduce his own puzzles with that phrase. 2) They don't really seem to be in the Lego style, but I think they do match C'n'D.

      TortieWhoThenAgainWasPerhapsMisledWithTheTypeOfMisleadingDeviceInApp#1

      Delete
    4. Your observations on the above are most interesting, Tortie! I realize that you are so correct re Lego's humbleness (I had to actually make sure that IS a word), that he would not proudly present his own stuff. I don't recall CnD's style well enough to be able to pin the Appetizers down to him, but I take your word for it. I wonder if this time, CnD didn't want to have to give hints or something?

      Delete
    5. ViolinTeddy asks a fair question, and it deserves an answer.
      No, I did not compose these Appetizer puzzles. They were submitted to me. I do think they are excellent puzzles.
      Lego...

      Delete
    6. I have everything but Entrees #3 and #4 and VT's riff.

      Delete
  6. IF YOU HAVE COMMENTS THAT DO NOT PERTAIN TO ANY OF THE FOUR CATEGORIES ABOVE, YOU MAY WRITE THEM BELOW THIS POST. THANK YOU.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good Friday evening y'all!
    Mom and I are fine. We had Mia Kate and Maddy over here earlier this afternoon cleaning house for us. Second time they've been over here to do this, and both times they volunteered. They've called up to suggest doing it, and they say they'll keep coming back every week to do it for the next few weeks. Luckily, Mom has been feeling a little better overall since she stopped taking her blood pressure medication, but she says her blood pressure has remained quite low nevertheless. We didn't eat out tonight, but Mia Kate said we might do it tomorrow night. Maddy said she might not make it, though, because she just doesn't like going out. I've also done this week's(and for the next two weeks)Private Eye Crossword earlier while the game shows were still on, and the latest Guardian Prize Crossword just now(set by Paul). Paul had an interesting sort of "mini-theme" in his puzzle. I'll list the seven theme clues here, and we'll see if any of you can figure out the connection:
    ACROSS
    12. Not glued on properly---like a toupee?(6)
    17. In truth---like Ol' Blue Eyes, say?
    22. Delivery---like a Tech giant?
    DOWN
    3. Thick and lush---like a shrink?
    8. Confused---like a Chinese dynasty?
    21. Irritating---like a parasite?
    22. Lanky---like the mob?
    (Read on to find out the answers, as well as an explanation of each.)
    As for this week's P! offerings, we've got some real toughies here! The best I could do was Entree #1(spoiler alert: I had to look up the puzzlemaker's Wikipedia page to find out the hometown, and then I could figure out what was clued in the puzzle; I already knew his home state, BTW). I do have an, not the, answer for Entree #3. I almost had no luck whatsoever trying to look up lists of national forests, or vacation destinations, or whatever. #3 was the only one I could "answer", and even then I don't think it was the intended answer. But it came pretty darn close. The only thing is, for my answer to work, one must take liberty with the pronunciation of the "throwing weapon". I myself have never pronounced this weapon in this way(that I know of), but it's the only way the name of the national forest could be correct. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience claim that I have, in fact, "solved" this one just yet. I do have an answer for #9, though. I'm much more certain about that one. But #8 is the toughest puzzle of Tortie's that I've tried to solve in recent weeks. I've basically consulted lists of "the best musicians of all time"(Ranker and Rolling Stone, primarily), and nothing has sounded like a two-word phrase when I've reversed the names of any of them. At best, one could make the case for Sam Cooke(cook Sam)or Chuck Berry(bury Chuck)possibly, but it still sounds far-fetched. I'd like to be able to narrow this down somehow before Wednesday(when Mom and I have a dental appointment, BTW).
    Beyond that, I'm just going to wait for hints from everyone involved until then, same as always. And if it is Cloak'n'Dagger who's responsible for this week's Appetizers, I certainly hope he doesn't pull an SDB and refuse to help. Complete waste of time if he does.
    Good luck in solving to all, and please stay safe, and now here are the answers to Paul's clues:
    12. WIGGLY(wig-ly)
    17. FRANKLY(Frank-ly, Sinatra of course)
    22. GOOGLY(also a British term used in the game of cricket; Google-ly)
    3. JUNGLY(Jung-ly, psychologist Carl of course)
    8. TANGLY(Tang-ly)
    21. TICKLY(tick-ly)
    22. GANGLY(gang-ly)
    For cryptic clues, this is a very unique thing to do. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it in a puzzle before. Basically, Paul took seven words that end in -ly, and clued them all as if they were adverbs(all but one are actually adjectives---FRANKLY is the odd man out here, obviously)! Quite different, and it definitely works in terms of cryptic wordplay. Paul is easily one of the best setters working today!
    pjbHopesNotToBeInformedThatThis"CommentIsTooLong"ThisTime(!)


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. pjb, I like your answers of Sam Cooke and Chuck Berry, but you're right: those aren't the answer. I won't say too much for now, as I'll be giving hints on Sunday evening or so, but the musician was not a rock/teen pop/R&B musician. I'd say that the genre(s) were possibly more interesting to the adults at the time rather than the teenagers.

      I'm not surprised that #9 is a lot easier than #8.

      TortieWhoAlsoWillMentionForNowToRememberToSayTheNamesQuicklyOtherwiseThePuzzleWillAlsoWorkIfYouDeleteTheFirstLetterOfTheFirstName

      Delete
    2. pjb wrote:
      "Paul is easily one of the best setters working today!"
      Lego writes"
      "pjb is easily one of the best setters working with cryptic crosswordplay today!"

      LegoWhoNotesThatWhilePaulIsLikelyAn"EnglishSetter"OurPatrickJBerryIsAnAllAmericanRedWhite&BlueBlooded"HeartOfDixie"Setter!

      Delete
    3. High praise indeed. Thank you so much for the kind words, Lego.
      pjbJustRecentlyPutTogetherANewPuzzleWhichMayShowUpHereSoonerOrLater(It'sNo"-ly"
      Puzzle,ButItHasItsOwnMinithemeAsWell!)

      Delete
  8. The juxtaposition of Julius Caesar and Benedict Arnold in the Schpuzzle led me to think about Brutus, who is an honorable man.
    On the other hand, Orange Salad just sounds so good that, although I've found a few recipes online, I think I'll try making up my own.
    I'd probably refer to a magician who uses eggs in their act as an "egg palmer" rather than an "eggs palmer", but I guess it's a matter of taste. See:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGqG5ik_TQ8&t=30s

    And I'd like to take this opportunity to commend skydiveboy for his discovery, last week, of a bit of non-blasphemous humor in Holy Week

    ReplyDelete
  9. Schpuzzle: JULIUS CAESAR (Orange Julius, Caesar salad); BENEDICT ARNOLD (Eggs Benedict, Arnold Palmer)
    App:
    1. RED HERRING (Countdown: Ten Little Indians) (movie/novel: THEN THERE WERE THREE, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE)
    2. HADESTOWN; TWO HEADS, ORTHRUS (ORTHUS)
    Hors d’Oeuvre: WOLF, FOWL, OWL, LOW, COW
    Slice: FELIX, FELIX FRANKFURTER, FELIX THE CAT; FE (element 26 - iron), LIX (59 in Roman numerals)
    Entrees:
    1. WILL SHORTZ, CRAWFORDVILLE, INDIANA; CRAW, FORD, VILLAIN, D, ANNA
    2. SIERRA NEVADA (C, ERA, NEVADA)
    3. (Post hint: ) CIBOLA (C, BOLA) (didn’t know the forest, didn’t know the weapon)
    4. (Post hint: ) SEATTLE (C, ADDLE)
    5. ELDORADO (L, DOUGH, ROD, O)
    6. EMBARCADERO (M, BARCALOUNGER, DARROW)
    7. NEW ORLEANS (NU, OAR, LENS)
    8. STAN GETZ; GETS TAN; THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA
    9. BERNIE SANDERS (BURN, SAND)
    10. WRENS ALONE, NEW ORLEANS
    Dessert: DAPPER, CHAP, CHIP, DIPPER

    VT riff: ???? (Closest I could get was Detroit or Peoria)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tortie, I put the riff answer in with my Entree #4 below, but it was meant to be: W + ABASH = WABASH, IN

      Delete
    2. Nice riff, though I've not seen "abash" used as a synonym for "bewilder." I guessed Easton (E + stun) because I assumed the answer was phonetic, like Entree #4, and it looks like Tortie did too, with Detroit and Peoria.

      Delete
  10. SCHPUZZLE–JULIUS CAESAR; BENEDICT ARNOLD
    APPETIZERS
    1. RED HERRING; “THEN THERE WERE THREE”; AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
    2. “HADESTOWN”; TWO HEADS; ORTHRUS (Two-Headed Dog)
    HORS D’OEUVRE–WOLF, FOWL, OWL, LOW, COW
    SLICE–FELIX FRANKFURTER, FELIX THE CAT; FE = IRON (ELEMENT 26), LIX = 59
    ENTREES
    1. WILL SHORTZ, CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA (CRAW, FORDS, VILLAIN, D, ANNA)
    2. SIERRA NEVADA (C, ERA, NEVADA)
    3. CIBOLA (C, BOLA)
    4. SEATTLE (C, ADDLE)
    5. ELDORADO (L, DOUGH, ROD, O)
    6. EMBARCADERO (M, BARCA, DARROW)
    7. NEW ORLEANS (NU, OAR, LENS)
    8. STAN GETZ; GETS TAN; “THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA”
    9. BERNIE SANDERS
    10. WRENS ALONE; NEW ORLEANS
    DESSERT ??
    VT RIFF ON ENTREE 4–EASTON

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nodd, I am sitting here singing (in my head) the Felix the Cat theme song, whose lyrics somehow I have always remembered:

      "Felix the Cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat,
      Whenever he gets in a fix, he reaches into his bag of tricks.
      Felix the Cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat,
      You'll laugh so hard, your sides will ache
      Your heart will go pitter-pat,
      Watching FELIX, the wonderful cat!"

      And I did NOT look those up on Google!

      Delete
    2. Very impressive, VT. Those lyrics are etched in my memory too, after all those hours of watching Felix, Professor, Rock Bottom, Poindexter, Master Cylinder, Vavoom, et al.

      Delete
    3. Yes, I was trying for something that was phonetic. I also found Cedar Bluffs but that was even less likely.

      i remember a little bit of the Felix song, but not the whole thing.

      Delete
    4. I figure you probably won't even SEE this post, Nodd, but I wanted to say that the 'earworm' of that Felix theme song STILL has not left my poor brain!

      Delete
  11. SCHPUZZLE: Sal: JULIUS CAESAR; Peg: BENEDICT ARNOLD

    APPETIZERS:

    1. From 'Ten Little Soldiers Boys': ... Four little soldiers boys, going out to sea, A RED HERRING swallowed one…." [Movie]: ”THEN THERE WERE THREE”…. [Novel]: "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE”; Christie’s Novel/adaptations were also called: TEN LITTLE INDIANS/SOLDIERS”

    2. HADESTOWN => HADESTOW => TWO HEADS [i.e. ORTHRUS]

    HORS D’O: WOLF => FOWL => OWL => LOW => COW

    SLICE: FRANK (Sinatra) and a FRANKFURTER; ????

    ENTREES:

    1. CRAW FORDS VILLAIN “D” ANNA => CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA. [WILL SHORTZ; Altho now he lives in Pleasantville, NY, as does MY BROTHER!]

    2. “C” & ERA & NEVADA => SIERRA NEVADA

    3. “C” & BOLA => CIBOLA [near Sandia, New Mexico]

    4. “C” & ADDLE => SEATTLE; My Riff: “W” & ABASH => WABASH, IN

    5. “L” & “DOUGH” & “ROD” & “O” => ELDORADO [Got this only due to the EAP hint]

    6. “M” & I-KEE? & ?

    7. The hints anagrams to MARDI GRAS, so the answer must be NEW ORLEANS. Thus, I’m guessing we need the Greek letter “NU”, “OAR", and “LENS."

    9. Sen. BERNIE SANDERS

    ReplyDelete
  12. Schpuzzle
    JULIUS CAESAR(Orange Julius, Caesar Salad)and BENEDICT ARNOLD(Eggs Benedict, Arnold Palmer)
    Appetizer Menu
    1. "THEN THERE WERE THREE", "TEN LITTLE INDIANS", "THEN THERE WERE NONE"
    2. "HADESTOWN", TWO HEADS, ORTHRUS(a two-headed dog)
    Menu
    Predatory Hors d'Oeuvre
    WOLF, FOWL, OWL, LOW, COW
    59-26 Skidoo Slice
    FELIX FRANKFURTER, FELIX THE CAT, FRANKFURTER, FE(symbol of iron, No. 26 on the periodic table), LIX(Roman numeral representing the number 59)
    Entrees
    1. CRAW(crawfish)+FORDS(automobiles)+VILLAIN+D+ANNA=
    CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA(hometown and state of the PuzzleMaster himself, Will Shortz)
    2. C+ERA+NEVADA=SIERRA NEVADA
    3. C+BOLA=CIBOLA, the "Seven Cities of Gold", as sought by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado et al. in the 16th
    Century(I initially thought this one was Sierra, but if "arrow" were the throwing weapon, it would have to be pronounced differently...and I don't even pronounce it that way myself!)
    4. C+ADDLE=SEATTLE(WA)
    5. L+DOUGH+ROD+O=ELDORADO(also ELO's fourth studio album, released in 1974, as well as mentioned in the lyrics to Jim Croce's 1973 hit, "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown": "He got a custom Continental/He got an Eldorado, too...")
    6. M+BARCA(Barcalounger)+(Clarence)DARROW=EMBARCADERO
    7. NU(It said "an", not "the" alphabet. This letter is in the Greek alphabet.)+OAR+LENS=NEW ORLEANS(LA)
    8. STAN GETZ, GETS TAN, "THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA"(1964); Hint: IPANEMA can be rearranged to spell MAINE, PA(Pennsylvania).
    9. BERNIE SANDERS, BURN, SAND
    10. WRENS ALONE, NEW ORLEANS(again)
    Hungry Hovering Hummingbird Dessert
    DAPPER CHAP, CHIP DIPPER
    Had a dental appointment schedule for 2:00pm this afternoon, but when I got up to get ready, Mom informed me that they had called and said their nitrous oxide machine was broken. Knowing I like to use the gas at the dentist's office, they rescheduled for us. We now have an appointment in September. Fair enough.-pjb



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    1. I was thinking of giving "Crazy Little Mama" or "Knocking At My Front Door" as a hint. "At My Front Door" was an early rock and roll/doo-wop hit by the El Dorados.

      TortieWhoSaysNotToConfuseThatSongWith"IHearYouKnocking"BySmileyLewisOr"Who'sThatKnocking"ByTheGenies

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

    Schpuzzle of the Week:
    Midday menu: frothy fruity eggy veggie medley
    Sal and Peg take a pre-midday break from their jobs to enjoy brunch at a diner.
    Sal orders a frothy fruit drink and a “veggie medley.”
    Peg orders an entree with eggs and a blended tea-and-lemonade beverage.
    What historical figure does Sal’s order suggest?
    What more recent historical figure does Peg’s order suggest?
    ANSWER:
    Sal's order: Orange Julius & Caesar Salad (Julius Caesar)
    Peg's order: Eggs Benedict & and an Arnold Palmer; (Benedict Arnold)

    Lego...

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

    This week on Puzzleria! we proudly present the following two-pronged Appetizer, titled:
    Subterfuge & Greek Creature Appetizer:
    “A Dwindling” & “Holding their Fates to the Fire”

    “A Dwindling”
    1. The 4-word (4, 5, 4, 5) title of a not very well known movie, with not very well known cast members, contains 5 different consonants and 1 vowel. In the title, three consonants appear 3 times each; two consonants appear once each; and the vowel appears 7 times. The phrase formed by the movie title is preceded by a subterfuge – a kind of “misdirection” – in a very well known, very famous, and best selling, novel which has been adapted to stage and screen. The novel and adaptations have had various titles.
    The phrase formed by the “not very well known” movie title and the “misdirection” are parts of a mysterious countdown. The countdown ends with the title of the novel.
    Identify and describe this “subterfuge/misdirection.”
    Extra Credit: Name the title of the not very famous movie, and the best known title of the famous novel.
    SOLUTION:
    The “subterfuge/misdirection” referred to is: “Four Little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A RED HERRING swallowed one and THEN THERE WERE THREE.” (Note the capitalized emphasis)
    EXTRA CREDIT:
    “Ten Little Soldiers” was included in Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel, “And Then There Were None.” It serves as an epigraph, appearing at the beginning of the book, and is connected with all ten deaths that occur on the island.
    “Then There Were Three” (movie) & “And Then There Were None” (novel).

    “Holding their Fates to the Fire”
    2. Name a 21st-Century Tony winning play which is a reworking of a Greek myth. Drop the last letter of the title. Divide the remaining letters unevenly into two groups. Rearrange the letters to form a word out of each group – two new words in all.
    Placing those two words in the correct order results in a two-word characteristic of a creature in Greek myth. What is the play?
    What is the characteristic and the creature it describes?
    SOLUTION: "
    Hadestown" & Two Heads [Hadestown - n & divided = hades/tow, then rearranged to "heads two", reverse order = Two Heads (a characteristic of the dog Orthrus/Orthus.
    Lego...

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  15. This week's official answers for the record, part 3:

    MENU
    Predatory Hors d’Oeuvre
    “Take two anagrams, be(d)head, call me in the morning”
    Anagram the letters of a predator to name its possible prey. “Behead” the prey to get a second predator. Anagram the letters of that predator to get a sound made by a second, larger prey that ends with the same two letters as the sound. What are these five words?
    What are this predator, prey, second predator, sound and second prey?
    ANSWER:
    WOLF, FOWL, OWL, LOW, COW (Wolves have been known to prey upon fowl; Cows and other cattle can be preyed upon by various animals, including coyotes, wolves, bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and even domestic dogs.


    59-26 Skidoo Slice:
    One Cool Cat and One Hot Dog!
    (Note: The following puzzle is a collaboration of sorts between LegoLambda and Nodd. (Nodd came up with the ingenious “cool cat” portion of the puzzle.)
    Take letters associated with 26 followed by letters associated with 59 to get a name associated with both a cool cat and a hot dog. What is this name and its association with a hot dog and cool cat? How are its letters associated with 26 and 59?
    Answer:
    Felix;
    Felix Frankfurter (a frankfurter is also a "hot dog"), U.S. Supreme Court Justice,1939-1962 (born in1882, died in1962); (and the "cool" cartoon character Felix the Cat);
    The chemical element Iron has symbol Fe and atomic number 26; LIX is 59 in Roman numerals.

    Riffing Off Shortz Entrees:
    Did a “Sea Change Change Yew?”
    Will Shortz’s July 6th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle reads:
    This is a phonetic challenge in four parts. First, say a letter of the alphabet out loud – like B, C, or L. Then name something you might carry around in your pocket. Say it twice. Finally, name a variety of tree. Say these four things in order, and phonetically they’ll name a nice place in the United States to vacation. What is it?
    Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz Entrees read:
    ENTREE #1
    This is a phonetic challenge in five parts.
    First, say the first syllable of a two-syllable fish whose second syllable is “fish.” (The first syllable is also where in the fish the hook might embed itself.);
    Second, say the collective term for Aspires, Contours, Couriers, Crestlines, Edges, Elites, Fairmonts, Freestars, Freestyles, Mainlines, Parklanes and Tempos;
    Third, say a two-syllable word that sounds like a synonym of “criminal,” like Snidely Whiplash or Boris Badenov, for two examples.
    Fourth, say a letter of the alphabet out loud; and
    Fifth, say what sounds like the palindromic name of a prophetess mentioned in the Gospel of Luke.
    Say these five things in order, and phonetically they’ll name the hometown and home state of a puzzlemaster!
    Who is this puzzlemaster, his hometown and home state?
    What are the answers to the five clues?
    Answer:
    Will Shortz, whose hometown is Crawfordsville, Indiana:
    “Craw; Fords; Villain; D; Anna

    Lego...

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  16. This week's official answers for the record, part 4:
    (Note: Entrees #2 through #9 were composed and contributed by our good friend Nodd whose “Nodd ready for prime time” is featured regularly on Puzzleria!)
    ENTREE #2
    Name a letter of the alphabet. Then name an interval of time. Finally, name a U.S. state. Phonetically, you'll name a popular two-word vacation destination in the Western U.S. What is it?
    Answer:
    SIERRA NEVADA (C, ERA, NEVADA)
    ENTREE #3
    Name a letter of the alphabet. Then name a kind of throwing weapon. Phonetically, you'll name a Western U.S. national forest offering tourist attractions that include an aerial tramway. Which national forest is it?
    Answer:
    CIBOLA (C, BOLA)
    ENTREE #4
    Name a letter of the alphabet. Then name a synonym of “bewilder.” Phonetically, you’ll name a Western U.S. city offering numerous tourist attractions, including one pictured periodically in Puzzleria! What city is it?
    Answer:
    SEATTLE (C, ADDLE)
    ENTREE #5
    Name a letter of the alphabet. Then name something you would need in your pocket to go on a vacation, followed by something you would take along if you planned to go fishing. Finally, name another letter of the alphabet. Phonetically, you'll name a Western U.S. national forest offering numerous recreational opportunities for hikers and mountain bikers. Which national forest is it?
    Answer:
    ELDORADO (L, DOUGH, ROD, O)
    ENTREE #6
    Name a letter of the alphabet. Then name the first two syllables of a furniture brand name. Finally, name the last name of a famous U.S. lawyer. Phonetically, you’ll name a waterfront tourist attraction in a major city in the Western U.S. What is it?
    Answer:
    EMBARCADERO (M, BARCA, DARROW)
    ENTREE #7
    Name a letter of an alphabet. Then name something you might want for vacationing at a lake. Finally, name an accessory you might want for taking photographs. Phonetically, you'll name a Southern U.S. city that is considered a nice place to vacation. What city is it?
    Answer:
    NEW ORLEANS (NU, OAR, LENS)
    (Note: Entrees #8 and 9 were composed and contributed by our good friend Tortitude whose “Tortie’s Slow But Sure Puzzles” is featured regularly on Puzzleria!)
    Entree #8
    Name a famous musician of the past. Say the last name followed by the first name quickly. You’ll phonetically have a two-word phrase.
    Now think of the musician’s most famous song. The title character does the two-word phrase in the title place.
    Who is the musician? What is the phrase? What is the song?
    Answer:
    STAN GETZ; GETS TAN; THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA
    Entree #9
    Think of a current American politician.
    The first four letters of the first name sound like a word associated with beaches.
    The first four letters of the last name spell another word associated with beaches.
    Who is this politician, “littorally?”
    Answer:
    BERNIE SANDERS; BURN, SAND
    Lego...

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  17. This week's official answers for the record, part 5:
    Entree #10
    Small oscines seeking solitude,
    While singing hymns of gratitude...

    Write a caption for this image in two five-letter words.
    Then rearrange those ten letters to name a nice place in the United States to vacation.
    What are this caption and U.S. vacation spot?
    Answer:
    Caption: "Wrens Alone";
    New Orleans

    Dessert Menu
    Hungry Hovering Hummingbird Dessert:
    “Mingle? Schmingle! Where’s the Pringles?!”
    The nattily-attired ______ ____ at the party didn’t even attempt to mingle. Instead, this greedy ____ ______ hovered around the snack table... like a hungry hummingbird hovers above sweet nasturtium nectar and nummy gnats.
    Those first and fourth missing words are identical except for their second letters. The second and third words are identical except for their third letters. What are these four missing words?
    Answer:
    DAPPER CHAP; CHIP DIPPER;

    Lego!

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