November 10, 2023 • 9 mins
Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: our very own Chief Puzzle Officer, Greg Pliska.
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask Chat GPT” and audio rebuses.
Subscribe to The Puzzler podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello puzzlers, and welcome to the Puzzler Podcast, your daily
puzzle rations. I'm your host, AJ Jacobs, and I am
here with our chief puzzle officer, Greg Plisco.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome Greg, Thank you Aj. It's nice to be let
out once again.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
We have released you momentarily so that you could give
us your latest concoction from the puzzle Lab. What do
you got for me today?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, I've got a puzzle that I call Capital Gains
and it's all about US state capitals.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Okay, there's a high risk of humiliation because I'm not
that good at capital state or country capitals for that matter,
but I'll do my best.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You don't have to know which state they go with.
You just have to know the names of some of
the state capitals.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
All right, Well that might help.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I'll give you a sentence with a blank in it,
and then you tell me the capital city that fits
into that blank so the sentence makes sense.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
For example, if you have to change your tire on
the side of the road, it's useful to remember that
the blank the trunk.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Well, this is not good when the example is stumping me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
That's just imagine you're on the side of the road
in Mississippi.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Me, I do remember, hold on, that's one of the presidents,
Jackson or Jeffries Jackson. All right, Jackson Mississippi.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Jackson Jackson, Mississippi in the Jackson in the trunk.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Oh okay, okay, so Jackson, So you left out Jackson Jackson.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yes, it's useful to remember that the blank the trunk,
the Jackson the trunk.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Very as right.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And it's phonetic. The spelling doesn't matter all the merit.
It matters is the sound of the world.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Well that makes it harder. That doesn't help me.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Okay, Well for you, No, it still has to be phonetic.
All the examples here are phenetic, no question. Okay, all right,
you got this, You got this. You need help. I've
got hints. I'm ready with hints.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
All right, I may call you in like.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Once Easter is over. Blank shaped chocolates and baby chick
marshmallow treats.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Are half off blank shaped chocolates, I mean egg shaped.
But is there an egg? Is an egg?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Another thing? That another Easter shaped thing, another animal that's
not a baby chick?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
All right?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So yeah, rabbit bunny, yep, bunny bunny, funny shaped bunny shaped.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Or yep, once Easter is over blank shaped chocolates. It's
the capital of New York. Albany all bunny shaped chocolates.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
The Albany tricky, very tricky. I didn't get that. It
was like bunny. I don't recognize that. As I forgot.
You can add another word, all right, Yes, now I
am O four two great.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Each of these is going to be more than one syllable.
I think almost all the state capitals are more than
one syllable, except maybe Pier, South Dakota, which is pronounced Peer,
not Pierre. That's true Peer, yeah, yeah, Ni Pier. Yeah. Okay,
here's another one. Although when young she was quite blank,
(03:42):
Hathaway overcame her reserved nature to become a famous actress.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Okay, I do have this one.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I do have Okay, though when she was although when
young she was.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Quite shy and shy.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Halthaway overcame her reserve of nature to become a famous actress. Yes, Cheyenne,
why are very clever?
Speaker 1 (04:04):
All right? I like it. I like it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
It's useful to point out there's a hint in there. Obviously, Hathaway.
You want to think of a person with a name
that goes with Hathaway, like Anne Hathaway, and then reserved
nature is a hint to the fact that we're talking
about how she was quite shy exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
All right, well, I feel all right, I'm one for three.
That is okay, good except in baseball, I guess.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Well the first you're one for two. Actually the first
one was just an example. Okay, all right, here you go.
The phrase going to blank handbasket might be derived from
the ill fate that meets people sentenced to death at
the guillotine, as well as to the receptacle used to
catch their heads.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Got it, Sorry I interrupted, But that's all right. Now
that's the one. If you had started with that, I
would have had some optimism. I would have had some confidence.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I know. I realized that.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
One I can do now. That is Helena, Helena.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Helena Montana. Yes, the phrase going to helen a hand basket,
and the derivation isn't clear, but it might be derived from,
you know, the fate that meets you when you're guillotined
and your head ends up in the hand basket. I
don't know, No one knows quite where it comes from.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Makes sense?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
All right, here's here's another one. For you. If New
York fans don't mind paying the extra processing. Blank basketball
tickets are easy to purchase online.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Oh well, that's interesting, all.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Right, don't mind paying the extra processing. Blank basketball tickets
are easy to purchase online.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I mean, I have guesses, but none of them make
any sense whatsoever. There's Nicks fee, nets fee.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Wait, wait, go back to your first one, Nicks if
you don't mind paying the extra processing.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So you're saying Nix is in there. Nicks is a
good thing.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You said both parts.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Actually Nick's fee.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Yeah, I don't knob it around.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Phoenix, ayesha, all right, very.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Good, Nick feed the capital of Zona, Era exactly, Phoenix, Arizona.
If you don't mind paying the extra processing fee. Nicks
basketball tickets are easy to pridge us online.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Got it? Got all right? Well I don't know about
well done, but I had a good time. I had
a good time. All well, that was excellent as always,
So we are glad we keeped you locked up down
there so that you can come up with these. And
do you have a extra credit puzzle for our puzzlers.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And whom I do? I do? Here's your extra credit.
While most people use their fingers, if you can touch
your face with a blank boo becomes an even sillier
child's game.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Perfect Well, thank you Greg for enlightening and frustrating and
delighting us and puzzlers. Please remember to subscribe and we
will see you here tomorrow for some more puzzling puzzles
that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Hello puzzlers, this is Greg Pliska up from the Puzzle
Lab with the extra credit answer from our previous show.
On that show, Aj was playing an ASMR game with
Lisa Lobe. To be specific, he was whispering clues to
words or phrases that have the letters ASM and R
in them in that order, so this was the extra credit.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Here you might find roller coasters, flumes, long lines, fried dough, Dippin'
Dot's ice cream, and the answer is amusement park.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yes, amusement park. Thanks for playing. Hope you enjoyed the
little ASMR and we'll see you next time on the Puzzler.
Thanks for playing along with the team here at the Puzzler.
I'm Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle officer. Our executive producers
(08:13):
are Neelie Lohman and Adam Neuhause of New House Ideas
and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts. The show is produced
by Jody Abergan and Brittany Brown of Roulette Productions. Our
associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg. The Puzzler with Aj Jacobs
is a co production with New House Ideas and is
(08:35):
distributed by ash Pit, Redcoats No. It's distributed by iHeart
Podcasts Rearrange the Letters People. If you want to know
more about puzzling puzzles, please check out the book The
Puzzler by AJ Jacobs, a history of puzzles that The
New York Times called fun and funny. It features an
(08:56):
original puzzle hunt by yours truly, and is available wherever
you get your books and puzzlers. For all your puzzling needs,
go visit the puzzler dot com. See you there,
Hello puzzlers, and welcome to the Puzzler Podcast, your daily
puzzle rations. I'm your host, AJ Jacobs, and I am
here with our chief puzzle officer, Greg Plisco.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome Greg, Thank you Aj. It's nice to be let
out once again.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
We have released you momentarily so that you could give
us your latest concoction from the puzzle Lab. What do
you got for me today?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, I've got a puzzle that I call Capital Gains
and it's all about US state capitals.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Okay, there's a high risk of humiliation because I'm not
that good at capital state or country capitals for that matter,
but I'll do my best.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You don't have to know which state they go with.
You just have to know the names of some of
the state capitals.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
All right, Well that might help.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I'll give you a sentence with a blank in it,
and then you tell me the capital city that fits
into that blank so the sentence makes sense.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
For example, if you have to change your tire on
the side of the road, it's useful to remember that
the blank the trunk.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Well, this is not good when the example is stumping me.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
That's just imagine you're on the side of the road
in Mississippi.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Me, I do remember, hold on, that's one of the presidents,
Jackson or Jeffries Jackson. All right, Jackson Mississippi.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Jackson Jackson, Mississippi in the Jackson in the trunk.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Oh okay, okay, so Jackson, So you left out Jackson Jackson.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yes, it's useful to remember that the blank the trunk,
the Jackson the trunk.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Very as right.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And it's phonetic. The spelling doesn't matter all the merit.
It matters is the sound of the world.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Well that makes it harder. That doesn't help me.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Okay, Well for you, No, it still has to be phonetic.
All the examples here are phenetic, no question. Okay, all right,
you got this, You got this. You need help. I've
got hints. I'm ready with hints.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
All right, I may call you in like.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Once Easter is over. Blank shaped chocolates and baby chick
marshmallow treats.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Are half off blank shaped chocolates, I mean egg shaped.
But is there an egg? Is an egg?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Another thing? That another Easter shaped thing, another animal that's
not a baby chick?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
All right?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
So yeah, rabbit bunny, yep, bunny bunny, funny shaped bunny shaped.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Or yep, once Easter is over blank shaped chocolates. It's
the capital of New York. Albany all bunny shaped chocolates.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
The Albany tricky, very tricky. I didn't get that. It
was like bunny. I don't recognize that. As I forgot.
You can add another word, all right, Yes, now I
am O four two great.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Each of these is going to be more than one syllable.
I think almost all the state capitals are more than
one syllable, except maybe Pier, South Dakota, which is pronounced Peer,
not Pierre. That's true Peer, yeah, yeah, Ni Pier. Yeah. Okay,
here's another one. Although when young she was quite blank,
(03:42):
Hathaway overcame her reserved nature to become a famous actress.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Okay, I do have this one.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I do have Okay, though when she was although when
young she was.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Quite shy and shy.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Halthaway overcame her reserve of nature to become a famous actress. Yes, Cheyenne,
why are very clever?
Speaker 1 (04:04):
All right? I like it. I like it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
It's useful to point out there's a hint in there. Obviously, Hathaway.
You want to think of a person with a name
that goes with Hathaway, like Anne Hathaway, and then reserved
nature is a hint to the fact that we're talking
about how she was quite shy exactly.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
All right, well, I feel all right, I'm one for three.
That is okay, good except in baseball, I guess.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Well the first you're one for two. Actually the first
one was just an example. Okay, all right, here you go.
The phrase going to blank handbasket might be derived from
the ill fate that meets people sentenced to death at
the guillotine, as well as to the receptacle used to
catch their heads.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Got it, Sorry I interrupted, But that's all right. Now
that's the one. If you had started with that, I
would have had some optimism. I would have had some confidence.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I know. I realized that.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
One I can do now. That is Helena, Helena.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Helena Montana. Yes, the phrase going to helen a hand basket,
and the derivation isn't clear, but it might be derived from,
you know, the fate that meets you when you're guillotined
and your head ends up in the hand basket. I
don't know, No one knows quite where it comes from.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Makes sense?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
All right, here's here's another one. For you. If New
York fans don't mind paying the extra processing. Blank basketball
tickets are easy to purchase online.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Oh well, that's interesting, all.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Right, don't mind paying the extra processing. Blank basketball tickets
are easy to purchase online.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I mean, I have guesses, but none of them make
any sense whatsoever. There's Nicks fee, nets fee.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Wait, wait, go back to your first one, Nicks if
you don't mind paying the extra processing.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So you're saying Nix is in there. Nicks is a
good thing.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You said both parts.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Actually Nick's fee.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Yeah, I don't knob it around.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Phoenix, ayesha, all right, very.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Good, Nick feed the capital of Zona, Era exactly, Phoenix, Arizona.
If you don't mind paying the extra processing fee. Nicks
basketball tickets are easy to pridge us online.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Got it? Got all right? Well I don't know about
well done, but I had a good time. I had
a good time. All well, that was excellent as always,
So we are glad we keeped you locked up down
there so that you can come up with these. And
do you have a extra credit puzzle for our puzzlers.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
And whom I do? I do? Here's your extra credit.
While most people use their fingers, if you can touch
your face with a blank boo becomes an even sillier
child's game.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Perfect Well, thank you Greg for enlightening and frustrating and
delighting us and puzzlers. Please remember to subscribe and we
will see you here tomorrow for some more puzzling puzzles
that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Hello puzzlers, this is Greg Pliska up from the Puzzle
Lab with the extra credit answer from our previous show.
On that show, Aj was playing an ASMR game with
Lisa Lobe. To be specific, he was whispering clues to
words or phrases that have the letters ASM and R
in them in that order, so this was the extra credit.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Here you might find roller coasters, flumes, long lines, fried dough, Dippin'
Dot's ice cream, and the answer is amusement park.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yes, amusement park. Thanks for playing. Hope you enjoyed the
little ASMR and we'll see you next time on the Puzzler.
Thanks for playing along with the team here at the Puzzler.
I'm Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle officer. Our executive producers
(08:13):
are Neelie Lohman and Adam Neuhause of New House Ideas
and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts. The show is produced
by Jody Abergan and Brittany Brown of Roulette Productions. Our
associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg. The Puzzler with Aj Jacobs
is a co production with New House Ideas and is
(08:35):
distributed by ash Pit, Redcoats No. It's distributed by iHeart
Podcasts Rearrange the Letters People. If you want to know
more about puzzling puzzles, please check out the book The
Puzzler by AJ Jacobs, a history of puzzles that The
New York Times called fun and funny. It features an
(08:56):
original puzzle hunt by yours truly, and is available wherever
you get your books and puzzlers. For all your puzzling needs,
go visit the puzzler dot com. See you there,
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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