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Sunday Puzzle: A Multisyllabic Flip-Flop

Sunday Puzzle.
NPR
Sunday Puzzle.

On-air challenge: I'm going to give you clues for two words. The first word starts with the letter "A" and is accented on the second syllable. Reverse the order of the syllables and phonetically you'll get the second word.

Ex. Similar / Classic German camera --> ALIKE, LEICA
1. Standoffish / Exfoliating shower sponge
2. Horrify / Comedian Poundstone
3. Ease, as fears / Princess in "Star Wars"
4. State as fact / Brand of mattress
5. Make receptive or aware / Fish in a Bumblebee can
6. Each / Leaning Tower city
7. Not inclined to do something / Fill in the blank: Vice ___
8. Public fight / Goddess of love, in Norse myth
9. Toward shelter, at sea / Wife of Jacob, in the Bible

Last week's challenge:Think of a familiar two-word phrase starting with T and ending with S, in which the interior letters name part of the human body. Remove the first and last letters of that word, and what remains will name another part of the human body. What's the phrase, and what are the body parts?

Puzzle answer:The arts --> heart --> ear

Puzzle winner:Samantha Robison of Junction City, Ore.

Next week's challenge:This week's challenge comes from Kruno Matic, a correspondent of mine in Croatia. Take the name KIM KARDASHIAN. Rearrange the letters to get the last name of a famous actress along with a famous one-named singer. Who are these people?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you. The deadline is Thursday, June 29 at 3 p.m. ET.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).