Humor & Fun : NPR

This Puzzle Is The Pits

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Anne Lower

Newbery Medal Winner Jack Gantos Plays Not My Job

January 27, 2012 • Jack Gantos might just be the first Newbery Medal winner to have served time in federal prison for drug smuggling. We've invited the children's author to answer three questions about Harlequin romance novels.

Newbery Medal Winner Jack Gantos Plays Not My Job

Listen · 12:05 12:05

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Sitting Comfortably In Between

January 22, 2012 • You'll be given two things in the same category. You name the only other thing in the same category that fits between the given things alphabetically. For example, given "Mars" and "Saturn," the answer would be "Mercury."

Sitting Comfortably In Between

Listen · 9:59 9:59

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Leon Halip/Getty Images

Duke Fakir Of The Four Tops Plays Not My Job

January 20, 2012 • Duke Fakir was still a high school student in Detroit when he started performing songs with three friends in the 1950s. That was the beginning of the 40-year career of the Four Tops, one of Motown's biggest acts. We've invited Duke to answer questions about three different kinds of bottoms.

Duke Fakir Of The Four Tops Plays Not My Job

Listen · 11:09 11:09

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Second To Last

January 15, 2012 • Think of a word that can follow a given word to complete a familiar two-word phrase or name. The first two letters of the word must be the second and last letters, respectively, of the given word. For example, given "fallen," the answer would be "angel."

Second To Last

Listen · 7:10 7:10

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Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The New Yorker

Comedian David Cross Plays Not My Job

January 13, 2012 • David Cross is one of those guys who show up and make everything they're in a whole lot funnier — from Arrested Development to Kung Fu Panda to his IFC series The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. We'll ask Cross three questions about defeated Republican hopefuls you've probably never heard of.

Comedian David Cross Plays Not My Job

Listen · 11:45 11:45

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Winning Words With Friends: It's All About Strategy

Words With Friends has a lot to do with strategy. biberfan via Flickr hide caption

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biberfan via Flickr

Winning Words With Friends: It's All About Strategy

January 12, 2012 • Playing this Scrabble-style game takes more than stringing letter tiles together to form words. It has a lot to do with board position.

'S- - - White Girls Say' Parody: Offensive Or Funny?

Franchesca Ramsey is a graphic designer, comedian and video blogger whose YouTube video "S- - - White Girls Say ... to Black Girls" has gotten more than 5 million hits. Chescaleigh/YouTube hide caption

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Chescaleigh/YouTube

Pop Culture

'S- - - White Girls Say' Parody: Offensive Or Funny?

January 12, 2012 • In Franchesca Ramsey's viral video, "S- - - White Girls Say ... to Black Girls," the comedian dons a blond wig and pokes fun at silly — and sometimes offensive — conversations between women. But some people say the video isn't funny, just racist.

'S- - - White Girls Say' Parody: Offensive Or Funny?

Listen · 7:55 7:55

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Beef Erupts Over Crossword Guru's Hip-Hop Slang Clue

A New York Times crossword puzzle clue asking for a 5-letter word that means "Wack, in hip-hop" led to an email and an argument over the real meaning of "illin'." NPR hide caption

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NPR

The Two-Way

Beef Erupts Over Crossword Guru's Hip-Hop Slang Clue

January 11, 2012 • According to some, Shortz took a false step with this past Saturday's puzzle, when he included a clue steeped in hip-hop slang. The clue asked for a 5-letter word that means "Wack, in hip-hop."

Sunday Puzzle

Arrange The Notes

January 7, 2012 • Each answer is a five-letter word or phrase containing the letters N, O, T, E plus one other letter. Answer the clues to get the words.

Arrange The Notes

Listen · 7:03 7:03

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Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Director Paul Feig Plays Not My Job

January 5, 2012 • It's 2012 — the year the Maya predicted that the calendar and the whole world would end, with John Cusack and his estranged wife being the only survivors. Paul Feig, creator of Freaks and Geeks and director of Bridesmaids, answers three questions about end-of-the-world predictions.

Director Paul Feig Plays Not My Job

Listen · 11:18 11:18

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Sunday Puzzle

The Fame Game

January 1, 2012 • In our annual year-end news quiz, you are given new names in the news — people you probably never heard of before 2011, but who became famous during the past 12 months. Explain why they're famous.

The Fame Game

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A screenshot from L.A. Noire. Rockstar Games hide caption

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Rockstar Games

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The 10 Best Video Games Of 2011

December 29, 2011 • Commentator Harold Goldberg runs down his top ten video games of the year, from strange alien worlds to noir mysteries set in the Hollywood of the past.

Author Interviews

Bill Cosby Enlists Santa's Staff For A Silent Night

December 25, 2011 • Every year, the comedian's three young grandchildren visit him for Christmas. Problem is, "they're annoying," he says. So Cosby came up with a plan to calm the squabbling children and restore Christmas cheer to his household.

Bill Cosby Enlists Santa's Staff For A Silent Night

Listen · 6:45 6:45

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Sunday Puzzle

Unwrap The Phrase To Reveal A Gift

December 25, 2011 • Identify a gift for a child spelled by consecutive letters in familiar two-word phrases. For example, if given "tomato paste," the answer would be "top."

Unwrap The Phrase To Reveal A Gift

Listen · 7:17 7:17

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Sunday January 29, 2012

This Puzzle Is The Pits

Friday January 27, 2012

Newbery Medal Winner Jack Gantos Plays Not My Job

Sunday January 22, 2012

Sitting Comfortably In Between

Friday January 20, 2012

Duke Fakir Of The Four Tops Plays Not My Job

Sunday January 15, 2012

Second To Last

Friday January 13, 2012

Comedian David Cross Plays Not My Job

Thursday January 12, 2012

'S- - - White Girls Say' Parody: Offensive Or Funny?

Wednesday January 11, 2012

Saturday January 7, 2012

Arrange The Notes

Thursday January 5, 2012

Director Paul Feig Plays Not My Job

Sunday January 1, 2012

The Fame Game

Thursday December 29, 2011

Sunday December 25, 2011

Bill Cosby Enlists Santa's Staff For A Silent Night

Unwrap The Phrase To Reveal A Gift