Sunday, November 28, 2021

Time to play the Sunday Puzzle from NPR!

Today's answers are a word, name, or phrase that contain only two consonants B and R, repeated as often as necessary. All the other letters are vowels.

Ex. Prickly bush --> BRIAR

 

*Picture  Source: https://stock.adobe.com/images/golden-letter-b-and-r-br-vintage-decorative-letter-logo-icon/286809539


1. Material in an automobile tire

2. Thief

3. Hairstylist

4. Congregation leader at a synogogue

5. Illegal payment

6. Doll from Mattel

7. Elephant of children's literature

8. Singer Justin

9. First lady married to the first George Bush

10. Small donkey

11. Fence or other obstacle

12. Island in French Polynesia with a repetitive name (2 wds.)

13. Cub in a Hanna-Barbera cartoon (3 wds.)

 

Answer Keys

    1.   rubber            

    2.   robber

    3.   barber

    4.   rabbi

    5.   bribe  

    6.   Barbie

    7.   Babar

    8.   Bieber

    9.   Barbara

    10.   burro

    11.   bar

    12.   Bora Bora

    13.   Boo-boo Bear

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Let us go over Thanksgiving-related Words!

 Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays for Americans to celebrate with their beloved family or friends in a year. Here are some words and phrases related to Thanksgiving or those you could associate with Thanksgiving day. Hope you all have a warm and peaceful time.

 

   1.  Cold turkey

Meaning: to stop using an addictive substance abruptly and completely to undergo sudden and complete withdrawal from a habitual activity or behavior pattern (*you can use it as a noun or an adverb)

Example: Frank gave up his drug addiction cold turkey.

  

   2.  Gobble up

Meaning: to eat something in its entirety very quickly or to use, buy, or occupy all of something.

Example: 1. Everyone invited to the Thanksgiving dinner gobbled up the 18 pounds of turkey immediately.

               2. American shoppers gobbled up electronics in the stores the day after Thanksgiving.

  

   3.  Turkey Trot

Meaning: a fun long-distance run or race in a turkey costume held on or around Thanksgiving Day in the US.

Example: Are you going to participate in the Turkey Trot this year?

 



   4.  Friendsgiving

Meaning: Friendsgiving is a mashup of the word “friend” and “thanksgiving” that refers to a large meal among friends eaten during the Thanksgiving season.

Example: Joe said he’d work out for 3 hours before going to the Friendsgiving party where he’d have a large feast.

 

   5.  Black Friday

Meaning: Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday of November, and the next day is known as Black Friday. Shops around the world reduce the prices of goods to attract customers. It also signifies the beginning of Christmas shopping.

Example: People tend to get in the long line to buy electronics such as a huge HD TV on black Friday when they could get them at affordable prices, but the next day, they get in another long line to return them.

 

   6.  Tofurkey

Meaning: the combination of the words “tofu” and “turkey,” i.e., a vegetarian version of turkey usually made from tofu (soybean protein) or seitan (wheat protein) with a stuffing made from grains or bread.

Example: All my friends are vegetarians, so instead of turkey, they eat tofurkey on Thanksgiving.

 

   7.  Cornucopia

Meaning: a large amount or supply of something; a horn of plenty, a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with fruits, vegetables, flowers, or nuts;

Example: As soon as Harry graduated from college, he had cornucopia of job opportunities.

 

(*source from https://preply.com/en/blog/english-words-and-phrases-for-thanksgiving/ & https://milady.cengage.com/blog/thanksgiving-even-in-a-pandemic)

Sunday, November 21, 2021

The latest Sunday Puzzle from NPR!

For each of these given words or phrases, change exactly two letters to name a country. Hint: You never have to change the first letter of my word.


Ex. SOLARIA --> SOMALIA




1. ALGEBRA
2. NORMAL
3. TUSKED
4. MEDICS
5. CANARY
6. RUSTIC
7. GRIEVE
8. HANGARS
9. TUNES IN
10. SEVERAL
11. PAPAYA
12. CAME UPON

 

 

<Answer Keys>

1.   Algeria

2.   Norway

3.   Turkey

4.   Mexico

5.   Canada

6.   Russia

7.   Greece

8.   Hungary

9.   Tunisia

10.                 Senegal

11.                 Panama

12.                 Cameroon


(*Picture Source: http://alphabetpassport.com/letters.php)

Sunday, November 14, 2021

NPR Sunday Puzzle aired today!

 I'm going to give you some categories. For each one, take the last two letters, reverse them, and use those as the starting letters of something in the category.


Example: Direction --> North



1.   U.S. coin


2. Sport with a net


3. City in Texas

4. Sculptor

5. Sign of the zodiac

6. Egyptian queen

7. Sea

8. Historic ship

9 English poet

10. Brand of soap

11. Brand of sneaker

12. Ice-cream flavor (2 wds.)

 

 

Answer Keys

1.   Nickel

2.   Tennis

3.   San Antonia

4.   Rodin

5.   Cancer/ Capricorn

6.   Nefertiti

7.   Aegean sea

8.   Pirate ship

9.   Tennyson

10.  Palmolive

11.  Reebok

12.  Rocky Road

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Here's the NPR Weekend Puzzle from this last Sunday!

Each question has two words. Drop one letter in each of them to leave two words that are in the same category of things.

Example: DRILL STAGE --> dill & sage (both herbs)

(*picture source: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Related-Words-Categories-3255955)


1.   THEN THIRSTY

2.   BOOST SHORE

3. LINDEN SATING

4. BUNGLE SHORN

5. JUDGE PESTER

6. CANINES NIECE

7. COUNTY PEARL

8. BRASS TREMBLE

9. LOITER GALLEON

10. LAUNCH SCUPPER

<Answer Keys>

1.   ten & thirty (numbers)

2.   boot & shoe (footwear)

3.   linen & satin (cloth)

4.   bugle & horn (wind instruments)

5.   Jude & Peter (Saints)

6.   Cannes & Nice (famous resort areas in Southern Coast of France)

7.   Count & Earl (the nobility ranking)

8.   bass & treble  (the functions that change the lower and higher frequency of audio)

9.   liter & gallon (units for liquid measurement)

10. lunch & supper (meals)

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Quotes to Live by in Times of Trouble

Times flies even when we’re NOT having fun. For every living things on the earth, the past two years have felt like blank pages full of a lot of muted pain, frustration, and dark despair. Even though there seems to be no clear finish line to this uneasy situation, let us keep hoping and praying for another sunrise when we all could breathe out a sigh of relief and say “Whew…it was a tough ride. Now it is history, ain’t it?” Here I am presenting some invaluable quotes of famous people, through which we are able to gain confidence get back on our own feet in times of trouble.

 

(*image source: https://steemit.com/life/@rydographer/life-full-of-pains) 

 

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”…. Winston Churchill

 

 

 

“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”…. Dolly Parton

 

 

 

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” …. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

 

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” …. Michael Altshuler

 

 

 

Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. Let this be a sign that you’ve got a big heart and aren’t afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength.”…Brigette Nicole

 

 

 

Throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack.….Seneca

 

 

 

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” …. Elenor Roosevelt

 

 

 

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.”…. Louisa May Alcott

 

 

 

“Accept the pain, but don't accept that you deserved it.”
― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer

 

 

 

Life is a mosaic of pleasure and pain - grief is an interval between two moments of joy.”….Sathya Sai Baba

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Time to play the latest Sunday Puzzle by Will Shortz from NPR! Pay 'A-T tention' to the following words!

I'm going to give you clues for two words. Insert the letters A-T consecutively inside the answer to the first clue to get the answer to the second.


Example: One who says "Semper fi" / Soak in herbs and spices --> MARIN(AT)E

1. Go through again, as an experience / Uncle or cousin

2. Hunter constellation / Grand speech

3. Name of a sea off the coast of Alaska / Chewing out

4. Buddhist place of worship / Shaped pattern used for making reproductions

5. Voltaire satire / One running for office

6. Pierce slightly, as with a needle / Saint celebrated on March 17

7. Longtime leader of Cuba / Male singer with a high voice

8. Like flypaper / Like radio reception during a storm

9. Act of changing from one form to another, as Fahrenheit to Celsius / Chat between two or more people



(*picture source: https://www.123rf.com/photo_63397116_stock-vector-a-t-vintage-initials-symbol-letters-a-t-ampersand-surrounded-floral-ornament-wedding-or-business-par.html)


Answer Keys

1. rel(at)tive: relive/relative 

2. or(at)ion: orion/oration

3. Ber(at)ing: Bering/ berating

4. templ(at)e: temple/ template

5. Candid(at)e: Candide/ Candidate

6. p(at)rick: prick/ Patrick

7. Castr(at)o: Castro/ Castrato

8. st(at)icky: sticky/ staticky

9. convers(at)ion: conversion/ conversation




FIND THE KITCHEN ITEMS FROM THE GIVEN ANAGRAMS!! (FROM YESTERDAY'S NPR SUNDAY ON-AIR CHALLENGE)

Every answer today is something you might see in a kitchen. Identify them from their anagrams.   Ex. BLOW -- Bowl   1. VOTES 2. PE...