November 16, 2008 · The letters S-B stand for seat belt. They also stand for some other familiar two word phrases.
()November 9, 2008 · Every answer is an anagram of a word starting with the letters, A-M. For example, if the clue is "A-M + sue," then the answer would be, "amuse."
()November 2, 2008 · For each category given, the answers are things within the category that start with the letters, M, I, N, S and K. For example, given "two-syllable girls' names," the answer could be "Mary, Ingrid, Norma, Sarah and Kathy."
()October 26, 2008 · Each answer is a familiar word, name or phrase that begins with the letter P and ends in X. For example, if the clue is "showy flower," the answer would be "phlox."
()October 19, 2008 · You are given a word. Drop two letters so that the remaining letters, in order, spell the name of a world capital. For example, given "backup," the answer would be "Baku," the capital of Azerbaijan.
()October 12, 2008 · Every answer is a two-word, rhyming phrase in which both words have three syllables. For example, given the clue "unexplained circumstance of the past," the answer would be "history mystery."
()October 5, 2008 · You are given a sentence that's missing two words. The word that goes in the first blank has a T in it. Change this to a D, and phonetically, you'll get the word that goes in the second blank.
()September 28, 2008 · Every answer is a word, name or familiar phrase starting with K and ending with Y, as in "Kentucky." For example, given the clue "stereotypical fraternity blowout," the answer would be "keg party."
()September 21, 2008 · You are given two clues. The first answer is a word that starts with the sound T. Change this to a D, and phonetically you'll get a new word that answers the second clue. For example, if the clue is "to work hard" and "author Conan _______," the answer would be "toil" and "Doyle."
()September 14, 2008 · Each answer is a familiar two-word phrase in which the first word ends in R-E and the second word starts with C. For example, if the clue is "text that comes from the Associated Press or Reuters," the answer would be "wire copy."
()September 7, 2008 · You are given clues that end in a six-letter word. Rearrange the letters in the last word to get the answer to the clue. For example, given "Jewels a pirate buries," the answer would be "rubies."
()August 31, 2008 · Each word has 2 syllables. The first vowel sound in the first word is a long "E." Change this to a short "E," and phonetically you'll get a new word that answers the second clue. If the clue is "slang term for an eye, and partner for salt," the answer is "peeper and pepper."
()August 24, 2008 · Each word you're given has the letters C-H within it. Rearrange the letters to come up with an anagram that begins with C-H. For example, "inch" becomes "chin."
()August 17, 2008 · Every answer starts with the letter A and completes a familiar three-word phrase that takes the form "blank of blank."
()August 10, 2008 · In the on-air puzzle, you are given several 10-letter words. For each word, rearrange the first five letters to spell a common word and the last five letters to spell another common word.
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Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Please include a phone number where we can reach you Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. Submit Your Answer »
Each week, New York Times crossword puzzle editor and NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz presents an on-air quiz to one contestant and gives a challenge for Weekend Edition listeners at home.
