美国国家公共电台 NPR Sunday Puzzle: It's Time To Rhyme

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Tomorrow the moon will blot¹ out the sun. But there's one thing that is never eclipsed, and that's The Puzzle.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Joining me as always is Will Shortz. He's puzzle editor of The New York Times and WEEKEND EDITION's puzzlemaster. Will, good morning.

WILL SHORTZ, BYLINE²: Good morning, Lulu.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What are your eclipse plans, may I ask?

SHORTZ: Well, I will probably watch it on TV or something - a little too far from New York. What about you?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I will be up in Maine, not in the path of totality. But, you know, I will try and catch what I can. Neither of us are good ambassadors for the eclipse, I'm afraid (laughter).

SHORTZ: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right, remind us of last week's challenge.

SHORTZ: Yeah. It came from listener Patrick Berry of Jasper, Ala. I said name a long-running TV show in two words, add a C, and rearrange the result to name another long-running TV show also in two words. And the answer is "American Dad," which is on Fox, and add a C, scramble³, you get "Candid⁴ Camera," which is still on TV Land.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right, this week received over 130 correct responses. And our randomly⁵ selected winner is Shari Meyer of Somerville, Mass. Congratulations, Shari.

SHARI MEYER: Thank you. My husband and I really are huge puzzle enthusiasts⁶. The very first thing we ever did as a couple was a crossword⁷ puzzle. It was the New York Times puzzle actually.

SHORTZ: Oh, cool.

MEYER: So we're very, very, very excited to have won. We've truly have been entering just about every week for a decade.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Aw, that's nice. So the answer to the challenge this week were two TV shows - "Candid Camera" and "American Dad." Do you watch those? Are those some of your favorites?

MEYER: Not especially. I don't know if I've ever seen an episode of "Candid Camera." I've seen a few episodes of "American Dad." But my husband and I started by just looking at a list of long-running shows and "American Dad" stuck out. And from there, we went to a blog that we frequent called Blaine's Puzzle Blog. And the hint there helped us crack it.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I hear you're about to be a mom?

MEYER: I am. We're due with our first baby in a month, so.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Good luck (laughter).

MEYER: Thank you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And do you have any eclipse plans?

MEYER: I'm not sure just yet. I think we'll probably try to craft something, but we're not traveling to see it. So, you know, we won't get the total - the total view here.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Exactly. Eight months pregnant, I can imagine you're not going to hit the road.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right, are you ready to play The Puzzle?

MEYER: I guess so.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: All right, here we go.

SHORTZ: All right, Shari, I'm going to give you some clues. The answer to each one is a six-letter word that rhymes with the last word of the clue. For example, if I said cause of muscle pain, you would say strain.

MEYER: OK.

SHORTZ: OK, here's number one - time of year when birds start to sing.

MEYER: Spring.

SHORTZ: That is it. Number two - having glaring light.

MEYER: Bright.

SHORTZ: What follows Sunday?

MEYER: Monday.

SHORTZ: That's right. What's raised in a mound⁸?

MEYER: Ground.

SHORTZ: That's right. More than twice.

MEYER: Thrice.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hey, you're really good.

(LAUGHTER)

SHORTZ: On a roll. Place where you might find a vassal⁹.

MEYER: In a castle.

SHORTZ: That's right. Tool on a mechanic's bench.

MEYER: Wrench¹⁰.

SHORTZ: That's it. What you can use to fill in a stencil¹¹.

MEYER: A pencil.

SHORTZ: Bank feller.

MEYER: Sorry, bank what?

SHORTZ: Feller, F-E-L-L-E-R, bank feller.

MEYER: Oh, teller¹².

SHORTZ: Of course, it could be female, too. But I couldn't make that rhyme. How about traveling theater group?

MEYER: Troop.

SHORTZ: Important measure for freight.

MEYER: Is it just weight?

SHORTZ: Yes, that's all. Like the hair of a horse.

MEYER: Course.

SHORTZ: Oops. That's O-O-P-S. What's something else you might say instead of oops?

MEYER: Oh, whoops¹³.

SHORTZ: Woops is right. Cover as in a cloud.

MEYER: Shroud¹⁴.

SHORTZ: That's it. And here's your last one. Where many French films first ran.

MEYER: Cannes.

SHORTZ: That is it. Shari, wow, 100 percent.

MEYER: Thank you so much.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: One hundred percent. Congratulations, that was really great.

MEYER: Thank you very much.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: For playing our puzzle today, you'll get a WEEKEND EDITION lapel pin as well as puzzle books and games. You can read all about it at npr.org/puzzle. Shari, what member station do you listen to?

MEYER: WBUR.

SHORTZ: All right, Shari Meyer of Somerville, Mass., thank you for playing The Puzzle.

MEYER: Thank you so much for having me.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: OK, Will, what's next week's challenge?

SHORTZ: Yes. This week's challenge comes from listener Steve Baggish of Arlington, Mass. Think of two synonyms¹⁵ - one in five letters, the other in four. The five-letter word starts with S, as in Sam. And the four-letter word contains an S. Change one of the S's to an A. And you can rearrange the result to name a group of people in nine letters that ideally have those two adjectives describe them. What group is it?

So again, two synonyms - one in five letters, the other in four. Five-letter word starts with S. Four-letter word contains an S. Change one of the S's to an A, and you can rearrange the result to name a group of people that ideally have those two adjectives describe them. What group is it?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: When you have the answer, go to our website npr.org/puzzle and click on the Submit Your Answer link. Just one entry per person, please. Our deadline for entries is Thursday, August 24 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Include a phone number where we can reach you at about that time. And if you're the winner, we'll give you a call. And you'll get to play on the air with the puzzle editor of The New York Times and WEEKEND EDITION's puzzlemaster, Will Shortz. Thanks so much, Will.

SHORTZ: Thank you, Lulu.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 blot   

vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍

参考例句：

• That new factory is a blot on the landscape.那新建的工厂破坏了此地的景色。
• The crime he committed is a blot on his record.他犯的罪是他的履历中的一个污点。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

4 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

5 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

6 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

7 crossword   

n.纵横字谜，纵横填字游戏

参考例句：

• He shows a great interest in crossword puzzles.他对填字游戏表现出很大兴趣。
• Don't chuck yesterday's paper out.I still haven't done the crossword.别扔了昨天的报纸，我还没做字谜游戏呢。

8 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

9 vassal   

n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的

参考例句：

• Wales was a vassal kingdom at that time.那时威尔士是个附庸国。
• The vassal swore that he would be loyal to the king forever.这位封臣宣誓他将永远忠诚于国王。

10 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

11 stencil   

v.用模版印刷；n.模版；复写纸，蜡纸

参考例句：

• He then stencilled the ceiling with a moon and stars motif.他随后用模版在天花板上印上了月亮和繁星图案。
• Serveral of commonly used methods are photoprinting,photoengraving,mechnical engraving,and stencil.通常所采用的几种储存方法是：影印法、照相蚀刻、机械雕刻和模板。

12 teller   

n.银行出纳员；(选举)计票员

参考例句：

• The bank started her as a teller.银行起用她当出纳员。
• The teller tried to remain aloof and calm.出纳员力图保持冷漠和镇静。

13 whoops   

int.呼喊声

参考例句：

• Whoops! Careful, you almost spilt coffee everywhere. 哎哟！小心点，你差点把咖啡洒得到处都是。
• We were awakened by the whoops of the sick baby. 生病婴儿的喘息声把我们弄醒了。

14 shroud   

n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏

参考例句：

• His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
• How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下，我该怎么做呢？

15 synonyms   

同义词( synonym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If you want to grasp English, you must carefully discriminate synonyms. 如果你想掌握好英语，你必须仔细区分同义词。
• Study the idioms and synonyms l wrote down before your test. 学考试前我给你写的习惯用语和同义字。