“The Wordplay’s The Thing!” “Having a ‘kinder gelider’ summer” “Help! Aid copter on the helipad!” A TeeVee character truncation; Breaking ground and records (as well as appellative conventions); “Slash the ’stache! Muttonchop the ’burns!”

 PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 5πe² SERVED

Schpuzzle of the Week:

Breaking ground and records (as well as appellative conventions)

Name a groundbreaking athlete. Replace the middle letter of this athlete’s surame with a rhyming letter to spell a young creature. 

The first name* this athlete was known by,
when spelled backward, is the (BLANK) version of that creature. (The word in the BLANK is the athlete’s surname.) 

Who is this athlete?

* Note: This athlete used his or her middle name as a first name. 

Appetizer Menu

Just another Clawedyus Ophilia Grrrtrude in the Shakespeare Machine! Appetizer:

The Wordplay’s The Thing! 

There’s something fishy in Denmark, though the King has no conscience. 

Below is a story about a play to take place in a small Hamlet. Grrrtrude is the director, Clawedyus is the villain, and the play will log Ophilia (pronounced Oh fill ya!) as the star.

There are 3 blanks in each of the first 6 sentences and 4 in each of the remaining 9 sentences. The blanks in each sentence contain the same word, though the meanings in each case are very different – isn’t language fun? Your task is to find each word, 15 total. All words are common and uncapitalized, though the use is archaic or obscure in a couple of cases.

We trust everyone has logophilia! 

Even though Ophilia was wearing a _____, Grrrtrude _____ her eyes and offered a place in the _____.  Ophilia was standing near a noisy air _____ and the offer didn’t _____ at first, especially since she knew had a limited vocal _____.  This was an _____, but Grrrtrude felt she could _____ a script that would have a prosperous _____.  While Ophilia might miss a _____, Grrrtrude did _____ that she had the potential to be a star of _____.  Ophilia had a _____ leg, and though singing was not her _____, she was _____ for the role.  _____ with all the concerns, Grrrtrude thought the show had an _____ chance of breaking _____.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, last _____ Grrrtrude decided to _____ for the show, which starts at a small _____, which will _____ into the full story.  The story would then progress to a larger _____; to some this might _____ odd, but she was sure it was _____ and all would give it a _____ review.  The venture had an enormous _____, and to _____ the potential barriers required the creative use of _____ in the music and the depiction of _____ found in the costumes.  In addition, the _____ had to _____ with the _____ of critics who might _____ lines in their programs.  

Grrrtrude knew she could 
_____ any concerns and _____ maintain quality, even with the _____ _____ scene, which some saw as corny.  To _____ interest Clawedyus uses a _____ of that corn to _____ the drink of Ophilia, and then kill her with a _____.  Grrrtrude considered having Clawedy us poison Ophilia’s _____ before she drank it, but that didn’t fit with his _____, it seemed like a _____ answer, and didn’t _____ any confidence for the _____ theater company.  

In the end Grrrtrude _____ with her vision, using _____ to maintain the fire, and candy _____ in the hope that it will succeed in the _____.  She tried to _____ a firm course, but this didn’t _____ confidence with the players, and after a big _____ they had to _____ the entire production.

As a bonus, the start of the first 6 answers may match your reaction, and that reaction may be be expressed in the start of the following 9 answers. “A piece of hisstory! [sic]”

MENU

Hairy Hoary Hors d’Oeuvre:

Slash the ’stache! Muttonchop the ’burns!

Name a verb associated positively with facial hair. Nouns such as “beard” and “mustache” are often the object of this verb. 

Reverse the order of four consecutive letters of this verb to form a noun that will help a man disassociate himself from his facial hair. 

What are this verb and noun?

“Ol’ Smoothie” Slice:

“Having a ‘kinder gelider’ summer”

Name a kind of summertime beverage. 

Place the first letter between the sixth and seventh letters. 

Delete the fourth and fifth letters of the result.
What two synonyms of “kind” remain? 

What is this beverage?

Riffing Off Shortz And Gwinn Entrees:

“Help! Aid copter on the helipad!”

Will Shortz’s August 10th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle, comes from Peter Gwinn, who writes for “Wait Wait ... Don’t Tell Me!” on NPR. It reads:

Name something many hospitals have, in
seven letters. 

Rearrange the letters to name two things you can get inside a hospital (4 and 3 letters each).

Puzzleria!s Riffing off Shortz and Gwinn puzzles read:

Entree #1

Name what may be the recommended mandatory minimum number of nurses assigned on each floor of a hospital, in words of  3, 3 and 4 letters: ___ ___ ____. 

Rearrange those 10 letters to spell the name of a puzzle-maker.

What are these three words and name of the puzzle-maker? 

Note: Entrees #2 through #7 were composed by our friend and riffmeister Nodd.

Entree #2

Name things some hospitals have, in 7 letters. Change the second letter to a copy of the sixth letter and rearrange to name something all hospitals have. You might wish to make use of the first thing if you were going to be treated by someone using the second thing. 

What are these two things?

Entree #3

Name something all hospitals have, in 8 letters. 

Remove the first letter and rearrange the remaining letters to name something some hospitals have. 

What are these two things?

Entree #4

Name persons found in hospitals since at least the 19th Century, in 9 letters. 

Add a letter to the front of the word to name
persons found in hospitals more recently. 

Who are these persons?

Entree #5

Name something found in hospitals, in 11 letters. 

Change one vowel to the vowel that precedes it in the alphabet and rearrange to name two things you might get inside a hospital (4 and 7 letters). 

What are these three things?

Entree #6

Name someone typically found in a hospital, in seven letters.  

Rearrange the letters to name:

(1) something that, in severe cases, may lead to hospitalization, and

(2) something you’d be likely to see in the part of a hospital frequented by the person referred to in the preceding sentence (3 and 4 letters). 

Who is the person and what are the things?

Entree #7

Name three things:

(1) something you might have at a hospital, in 10 letters. 

Change the third letter to a different consonant and rearrange the letters to name: 

(2) something doctors do at hospitals, and 

(3) a major hospital in the Western U.S. 

What are these three things?

Entree #8

Name something many hospitals have, in seven letters. 

If a surgeon at one of these hospitals ____ an ___ in his non-scalpel-gripping hand during your surgery, you probably should have either checked in to a different hospital and/or scheduled an appointment to see a medical malpractice attorney.

What do many hospitals have?

What words belong in the blanks?

Entree# 9

Name a many-storied court, often with a skylight, that some hospitals have, in six letters. 

Its odd letters, in order, followed by its even
letters, in order, spell a south-of-Christchurch port city built on rolling hills formed millennia ago from lava flowing from a “Horrible” volcano.

What are this many-storied court in some hospitals?

What is the port city?

Dessert Menu

Remarkably Unlikely Dessert:

A TeeVee character truncation

Remove the initial letters of the first and last names of a past TV character to form two words preceded by the pronoun “I” in an remark this character would be unlikely to make. 

Who is this character?

Hint: Although this character is now only seen in reruns, the actor/actress who portrayed him/her can still be seen on the tube.

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, thyme 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.