Familiar Phrases Starting With 'T'()
November 15, 2009 Every answer in today's puzzle is a familiar phrase in the form BLANK of BLANK, where the first word starts with the letter "T." Given the last word of the phrase, the player must give the first word.
Categories Fit For 'Radio'()
November 8, 2009 To mark Liane Hansen's 20th anniversary hosting Weekend Edition Sunday, this puzzle is a game of categories using the word "radio." Will Shortz names the categories, and the guest names something in the categories beginning with each of the letters in "radio."
Fill In The Blanks()
November 1, 2009 Each clue is a sentence with two blanks. Fill in the blanks with two words that complete the phrase. But here's the twist: The words that complete the sentence are homophones of the words in the answer phrase.
'Mix And Match' These Word Ensembles()
October 25, 2009 This puzzle is called "Mix and Match." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase in which the first word starts with M-I and the second word starts with M-A, as in "Mix and Match." For example, for the clue "a day before St. Patrick's Day," you would say "mid-March."
Get A Clue And A Four-Letter Word()
October 18, 2009 I'm going to give you some clues. The answer to each clue is a four-letter word which can be found in consecutive letters inside the clue. For example, if I said "a sail boat's part", you would say "spar", because a sail boat's part is a spar, and it's concealed in consecutive letters inside "sail boat's" parts.
P.S., Think U Have It Solved?()
October 11, 2009 This week's puzzle involves the letters P-S-U as in Portland State University, where Will spoke on Saturday. Each answer is a familiar two-word phrase in which the first word starts with "P" and the second word starts with "SU." So if the clue is "What a lawyer conducts to see if an invention has been made before," the answer would be "patent survey."
These C's Come In Threes()
October 4, 2009 Each clue consists of two words starting with the letter "C." The answer is a third word starting with "C" that can follow the first word and precede the second one to complete a compound word or familiar two-word phrase.
Initially, Michigan's Upper Peninsula()
September 27, 2009 This week's puzzle is in honor of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Because U.P. is short for Upper Peninsula, each answer has "U" and "P" in it. The first clue is: "U" and "P" are the initials of a common two-word phrase naming something holding a street lamp. What is it?
Give A Ring, Get A Grin()
September 20, 2009 For each clue, the answer is a four-letter word. The word is an anagram of one of the words in the clue. For example, if the clue is "main line through Egypt," the answer would be "Nile," because Nile is a rearrangement of the letters in "line."
Maybe Not So Easy As Pie()
September 13, 2009 This puzzle is called "Dividing the Pie." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase in which the first word starts "pi" and the second word ends with "e." So, the "pi-e" is divided. For example, if the clue is "power source for most automobiles," the answer would be "piston engine."
'A' Test Of Islands()
September 6, 2009 For each word given, add the letter "a" and rearrange all the letters to name a well-known island. For example, if the clue is "trees," add an "a" to get the answer: Easter.
About Sunday Puzzle
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.
Play The Puzzle
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
