September 25, 2025 • 20 mins
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Hello, Puzzlers! It's back-to-school week! 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 AI” and audio rebuses.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello puzzlers. A quick announcement, The Puzzler is doing a
live show in New York City and we'd love for
you to come. It's October seventh at six thirty pm
and an awesome venue called Caveat. There will be stories, puzzles, prizes.
It's part of the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival. We love
(00:23):
a good rhyming title here at the Puzzler. Please check
the show notes for a link to tickets. Now on
with the show, Hello Puzzlers, Let's start with a quick
puzzle today. I've got three words for you, bay bo boo.
They are fun to say. They are very fun to say,
bay bo boo. But in addition to that, they have
(00:47):
something interesting in common. They all start with the letter B.
That's true, they all have vowel sounds after that be.
But they have something else in common, something that may
be a little semantic. Bay bo boo. Please notice that
these words can be spelled multiple ways, and it does
help if you know a little slang from not like
(01:07):
this year, but five years ago. The answers and more
puzzling goodness after the break, Hello puzzlers, Welcome back to
the Puzzler podcast. The Human hidden inside your puzzle mechanical turk.
Thank you, Andrea for theence. I love it. I'm your host,
(01:32):
Ady Jacobs, and I'm here of course, the chief puzzle Officer,
Greg Pliscott. Greg. Before the break, we asked, what do
these words babo boo have in common? Aside from starting
with the letter.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
B, I have multiple spellings of at least bay and
bo boo, I think, really just yes, that's true.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
And what do they have in camon in common?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, they're all three letters, unless you spell them differently.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
One of them is four letters.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Well, if you spell bo that way. Sure.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
In fact, isn't the plural pronounced bo but has an
X outed at the end?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
True?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
True babe bo boo.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
They're all well, if you spell them properly, they're all.
They just have vowels after the b yep yuah.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
But they all have something semantic, something meaningful in common.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Something meaningful in common. They are words for someone you
care about and love, my babe, my ba, my boo.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yes, you got it. They is the b a e.
Slang word for romantic partner, short for babe. It's thought
boo poo also slang word for romantic partner. Possibly short
for boofull, which is short for beautiful, and bo is
an old timey word for romantic partner, in this case
mail that one does not.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I just want to introduct and say that it was
always my understanding that Babe b a E stood for
before anything else, as in your your, oh, before any
anyone else.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
That is senior puzzler and mechanical turksan Andrea Schoenberg with
what might be a genuine acronym and might be a
back yes, which right I love here. Well, anyway, I
noticed this because I was working on a puzzle about
one syllable words that all start with the same letter
and then are followed by the five long vowel sounds
(03:30):
so ae io so like lay lee, lail, loop, and
I would clue all the words at once. So, for instance,
i'll give you an example. The reason it's not a
full puzzle is I only did like three or four. Uh,
So I'll give you the three or four and then
we'll move on to the main course, which is Greg's puzzle.
(03:51):
But here's your appetizer. I'm cluing five words that all
start with the same letter and go eight.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Oh oh oh nice.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I like this all right, So one seventh of a week,
the fourth letter of the alphabet, half of a pair
used in craps, a stag's partner, and a hair style.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
The great thing about this puzzle for the salver is
that you only have to get one of them exactly.
Now you can just run.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Through all the others.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So what do you got for this one?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
I got dayd die do do dad?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Di do do?
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I mean it is fun to say, even if well.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I used to do vocal warm ups with students back
when I did a lot of theater and music workshops,
and we would do, uh, start with may me my
mo move Oh, but then you'd call out different consonants
and they do all go through all the consonants.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Maybe to make this puzzle more challenging, you have to
sing the answer in a how's that? All right? Let's
get I've always wanted to hear Adam Newhouse's voice.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I was hoping you would clue these in like in
a sentence, one sentence that uses all.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Five of them.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Oh, that is a good one, like day this is
the day the d will die if she doesn't do
the returning of the library books that are due.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Nice, that's good, all right? Well, I'll do my simpler
clue and then you commit. That'll be your challenge. That'll
be your challenge, all right, ready, Adam Comedian Tina Monetary
penalty word after lower high enemy enemy of Dave Grol.
(05:32):
So that one is specific. This is Dave Groll has
someone he fights. What do you think, Adam, Well, obviously
Fae came up quickly, got it, and then it all
follows from there. Monetary penalty is a fee word after
higher low is a fig high high fo foe and
(05:56):
then who does Dave Grol fight the food boo?
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Oh man, the audience is yelling at me for that one.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
All right, I'll just do one.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Oh yeah, yeah, all right, I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Tina Fey paid a small fee to fix her high
five so she and her foe.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Could listen to the food fighters.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Oh that's great. You know what, I'm going to do
two more because I enjoy making Greg work. Thank you
for these puzzles.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
So the next one, all right, this is for you, Andrea.
It goes with kurds willy winky descriptor repeated question from
a toddler, sorrow and face off director.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Okay, there's there's a lot to remember, but we're going
to start.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
With way yeah exactly, goes with kurds and we willy winky, Uh.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Well, I just have to the syllables over it, exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
You don't need to any.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Remember the clues that they go with.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Repeated question from a toddler is why why?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Why?
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Why? Sorrow is whoa? And then face off director is
woo John Wu? Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I've written, I've got like a whole scenario here. I've said,
I hate these stupid nursery rhymes with words like way
and we. Why do they fill me with woe? I
would rather watch a movie by John Wu.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Beautiful? These are I feel these are T shirts. I
feel we're gonna make a lot of money on these and.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Certainly use a lot of ink to get all this
stuff on the shirt.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
All right, last one. I don't know if I'm most
proud of this one or most ashamed to say it,
but here it goes. It's all NU miracle. That's a
little twist here.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
I've got to know where this is going.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
By two places, seven fifty dollars for a New York
Times crossword puzzle number one three point one four.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Writer with two l's in his middle name and number two.
So that's seven hundred and fifty for a New York
Times crosser puzzle number one three point one four plus
writer with two l's in his middle name, number two.
What are you guys thinking? I think Andrea saw this
(08:28):
coming a mile away. Pay, Yes, pay is seven. That's,
by the way, seven hundred and fifty is what the
New York Times crossword. What will Schwartz pays? Pay? And
then number one is p exactly, that's gotta hi right,
three point one four and then two l's in the
(08:49):
middle name of Edgar Poe, Allan Poe. And then number two.
You gotta follow number one with number two.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Everybody does it. Everybody does it.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
I never read that in a wonderful book. Okay, so Greg,
thank you, Andrea and Greg.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
So, at a public toilet you have to pay to
pee or sit and contemplate the digits of Pie or
the works.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Of Poe while you pooh beautiful and violates.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I mean, it's not that's a kind of high cooishness.
It does.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
It's very thought provoking. And and I will say just
I did not tell anyone about this, uh, and I
put it in the script about two minutes before we recorded,
so those were genuine little high ish on the spot. Well,
now the air of brain is all warmed up, Greg,
(09:46):
I believe that you have a puzzle to give us.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I love.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
There's literally no segue from that to this. Today is
World Pharmacist Day.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Hooray for pharmacists.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
It marks the anniversary of the inception of the International
Pharmaceutical Federation, or FIP, in nineteen twelve. The day was
adopted by the FIP Council in two thousand and nine,
and this year's theme is think health, Think pharmacist.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
All right, thank you, thank you. I think they are.
I've read when I did my book on health, I
read that they are the least most underappreciated healthcare professional.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And extremely important for anybody who's got a prescription they
got to get filled. Like, you're interact with these people.
They're kind of a front line person you interact with
on a more regular basis than most of your doctors.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Right there you go.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Now, I think the theme is fine, Think health, Think pharmacist.
I'm not sure what else.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
You think of when you think of pharmacist other than health.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Exactly. Think of Jerry Seinfeld's riff about how why are
they always standing higher than you? What kind of insecurity
do they add?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Interesting? Interesting?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
But in any case, this made me think about RX,
which is the abbreviation for prescriptions that we use.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
And do you know why that's the abbreviation r X?
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I don't know, Andrea or Adam anyone? Now, Nope, nope,
All right, Well there are lightness.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
I found three competing theories, one of which I think
is more plausible and then probably correct. But one of
them is that the ancient astrological symbol for Jupiter. The
planet looks a little bit like an R and an X,
and Jupiter's powerful influence could be invoked to help a
person's health.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
So it's kind of an ancient room.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Right you know RX, You would say, and that meant
invoke Jupiter to improve your health.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I am saying, I am not buying that.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Buying that one. Well, here's that one.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
It's an ancient Egyptian symbol for the eye of Horace,
who's powerful influence. It would be invoked to help a
person's health. So when the Egyptians were prescribing things for
people to take to improve their health, they write a
little eye of Horus next to it to get the
extra boost from me or it's from the Latin word
(12:15):
for Latin word ret chepe.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
It looks like recipe, the word that you know looks like.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Meaning take and would be abbreviated with the line across
the leg of the R. So and if you look
at the actual symbol, it's really an R with a
line across the leg. We turned it into RX because
it's easier.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
To type that.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
But that's my favorite that.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Seems to be supported by most dictionaries.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
That's the where we got it, meaning take this stuff,
and that just became.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
And there are a lot of other terms.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
That get used in pharmaceutical work that come from Latin
that I can't think of right now, but they're there,
and anyway that seems to be more more likely. So
this puzzle is all about the letter are x, specifically
about words with an R in them that become new
words when you change the.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
R to an X.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh. Okay, okay, I'm going through now. As I'm talking,
I'm trying to prepare we all right, I'll.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Give you a sentence with two blanks in it, and
you have to guess the two words that go in
those blanks. First, one's got an R and the second
one has got the X.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
All right, I'm ready.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
All right, Oh go we want to We don't need
an example. We'll just call this.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Oh do you want an example?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You want an example? Okay, okay, fine, here's the example.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Because of the harmful effects of blank and nicotine, governments
typically place a high blank on cigarettes.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Oh okay, all right, So that will tar.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And tax exactly, because the harmful effects of tar and nicotine,
they place a high tax on cigarettes.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Okay, now we're doing it for real. These count for
the big man. I am suspicious of any fruit that
is has been treated to look extra shiny, which makes
me blank of blank.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Apples, I am drawing a blank. What anyone in the
in the puzzle family have any thoughts? Andrea, adam? I
am makes.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Me four little word. I am suspicious of any fruit
that has been treated to look extra shiny, which makes
me blank, roughly synonymous with suspicious.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I got it, yes, and go ahead.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
It makes me wary of waxy apples.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Yes, wow, nice? All right.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
So at the age of fifty nine, just last year,
Elizabeth Blank was voted the sexiest woman in the world,
which is a distinction never given to Brave New World
author aldous Blank.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, luckily I knew the second one, and I have
enjoyed the work of the first one, no matter what
her age. Hurley and Hucksy. That's right, Elizabeth Hurley the
actress and Alex Yep.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Exactly, very good, very good, one of whom has.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Been the sexiest woman in the world. The other is not.
All right.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
If you are not entertained by pugilistic sports, you will
find it very blank to watch Blank at Madison Square Garden.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Well, Adam is our sports expert, so I'm gonna throw
to him this one.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I got boring into boxing.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Yes, you'll find it very boring to watch boxing. Do
you like watching boxing?
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I do really not boring at all.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
I think it's the knockout is the most decisive moment
in sports. Ooh oh, this is a whole debate for
another episode. The most decisive moment in sports.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
The knockety buy that it's interesting, all right.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
The IT worker's boss was yelling at her, you're going
to be blank if you don't get that broken computer.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Blank.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
I think I know you're going to be fired if
you don't get that fixed.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Right, exactly, well done, fired and fixed.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
The war god Blank is sometimes pictured wielding blank as
if he were a lumberjack.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Oh well, we were just talking about classical gods. And
this one is aries and axes, not axes. Isn't axes
and axes. They are two different spelled the same.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Axes is the plural of axes, and axes is the
plural of axe.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
All right.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
If you study bodily fluids and the antibodies they contained,
they contained, you're probably a blank, not a blank like
doctor Ruth.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Well, doctor, I'm thinking there's sex in there. So sexologists zerologists?
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Oh wow, very nice.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yes, that was trick. Gay zerologis sexologist.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Depending on which bodily fluids you study, you're either a
erologist or a sexologist.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
My father was the fifth.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
In my family to achieve knighthood, so when I also
get knighted, I will be known as Blank number blank.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Ah, it looks like Andrea's got it.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
I just I like this one. I don't know, I know,
it made.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Me laugh, But sir six, Sir number six, that's me.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I am sur number six. Of course, none of that.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Is none of that is true, but if it were.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I would be Sir number six.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
All right, Fifty shades of Gray is definitely blank, but
a sequel set in a far away location would be
more blank.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Ah, Okay, I think I got it because I believe
the genre is erotica. Ye, but you go far away
it's exotica.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yes, yes, I was thinking of just erotic and exotic.
But you could also say erotica in exact.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Oh is exotica a word? I guess? Yeah, of course exotica?
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Yeah, things that are exotic? All right? Two more blank.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Biology is the study of life in ocean waters and
very different from serving in congress like representative blank waters.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Okay, I was worried. I was worried until you got
but actually interesting twist on the waters and the waters
the idea at a lot of interesting stuff going on
that would be marine and maxine.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Marine biology and maxine waters.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yes, exactly, excellent, excellent or excellent? I guess, I don't know,
per percelent. Do you have an extra credit for the
folks at home?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
I do. Here are a couple of things that are
so twentieth century. Using tokens to pay subway blank or
sending messages to someone using blank.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Okay, all right, so subway blank and send me blank
messages fantastic. Think about that and we will be back
tomorrow with the answer. In the meantime, if you do
have one minute, we would be delighted if you could
go to your favorite podcast platform and rate us. Give
(19:24):
us some stars if you feel you enjoy it. If
you don't, maybe don't rate us. You know it's not
as you don't have to, but it helps people find
our podcast and we love to increase the puzzler community.
And of course we'll be back here tomorrow for some
more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
Hey puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle officer, here
with the extra credit answer from our previous episode, Barry
Joseph turned the tables on AJ and me ms us
with a number of fun.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Puzzles from Stephen Sondheim. Barry didn't prepare an extra credit,
but I tossed this one out for you to play with.
What word am I cluing with this crossword style clue?
Hedonism for Sondheim? Hedonism for Sondheim. It's a seven letter answer,
and of course you figured it out. It's anagram. Hedonism
(20:24):
is one of the famous anagrams for the name Sondheim,
alluding perhaps to the great composer's voluptuous taste in puzzles,
in games and music and all things pleasurable. Well, I
hope you had a pleasure playing the games with us.
We enjoyed playing with you, and we'll catch you here
next time.
Hello puzzlers. A quick announcement, The Puzzler is doing a
live show in New York City and we'd love for
you to come. It's October seventh at six thirty pm
and an awesome venue called Caveat. There will be stories, puzzles, prizes.
It's part of the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival. We love
(00:23):
a good rhyming title here at the Puzzler. Please check
the show notes for a link to tickets. Now on
with the show, Hello Puzzlers, Let's start with a quick
puzzle today. I've got three words for you, bay bo boo.
They are fun to say. They are very fun to say,
bay bo boo. But in addition to that, they have
(00:47):
something interesting in common. They all start with the letter B.
That's true, they all have vowel sounds after that be.
But they have something else in common, something that may
be a little semantic. Bay bo boo. Please notice that
these words can be spelled multiple ways, and it does
help if you know a little slang from not like
(01:07):
this year, but five years ago. The answers and more
puzzling goodness after the break, Hello puzzlers, Welcome back to
the Puzzler podcast. The Human hidden inside your puzzle mechanical turk.
Thank you, Andrea for theence. I love it. I'm your host,
(01:32):
Ady Jacobs, and I'm here of course, the chief puzzle Officer,
Greg Pliscott. Greg. Before the break, we asked, what do
these words babo boo have in common? Aside from starting
with the letter.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
B, I have multiple spellings of at least bay and
bo boo, I think, really just yes, that's true.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
And what do they have in camon in common?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, they're all three letters, unless you spell them differently.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
One of them is four letters.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Well, if you spell bo that way. Sure.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
In fact, isn't the plural pronounced bo but has an
X outed at the end?
Speaker 1 (02:12):
True?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
True babe bo boo.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
They're all well, if you spell them properly, they're all.
They just have vowels after the b yep yuah.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
But they all have something semantic, something meaningful in common.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Something meaningful in common. They are words for someone you
care about and love, my babe, my ba, my boo.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yes, you got it. They is the b a e.
Slang word for romantic partner, short for babe. It's thought
boo poo also slang word for romantic partner. Possibly short
for boofull, which is short for beautiful, and bo is
an old timey word for romantic partner, in this case
mail that one does not.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I just want to introduct and say that it was
always my understanding that Babe b a E stood for
before anything else, as in your your, oh, before any
anyone else.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
That is senior puzzler and mechanical turksan Andrea Schoenberg with
what might be a genuine acronym and might be a
back yes, which right I love here. Well, anyway, I
noticed this because I was working on a puzzle about
one syllable words that all start with the same letter
and then are followed by the five long vowel sounds
(03:30):
so ae io so like lay lee, lail, loop, and
I would clue all the words at once. So, for instance,
i'll give you an example. The reason it's not a
full puzzle is I only did like three or four. Uh,
So I'll give you the three or four and then
we'll move on to the main course, which is Greg's puzzle.
(03:51):
But here's your appetizer. I'm cluing five words that all
start with the same letter and go eight.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Oh oh oh nice.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I like this all right, So one seventh of a week,
the fourth letter of the alphabet, half of a pair
used in craps, a stag's partner, and a hair style.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
The great thing about this puzzle for the salver is
that you only have to get one of them exactly.
Now you can just run.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Through all the others.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So what do you got for this one?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
I got dayd die do do dad?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Di do do?
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I mean it is fun to say, even if well.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
I used to do vocal warm ups with students back
when I did a lot of theater and music workshops,
and we would do, uh, start with may me my
mo move Oh, but then you'd call out different consonants
and they do all go through all the consonants.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Maybe to make this puzzle more challenging, you have to
sing the answer in a how's that? All right? Let's
get I've always wanted to hear Adam Newhouse's voice.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
I was hoping you would clue these in like in
a sentence, one sentence that uses all.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Five of them.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Oh, that is a good one, like day this is
the day the d will die if she doesn't do
the returning of the library books that are due.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Nice, that's good, all right? Well, I'll do my simpler
clue and then you commit. That'll be your challenge. That'll
be your challenge, all right, ready, Adam Comedian Tina Monetary
penalty word after lower high enemy enemy of Dave Grol.
(05:32):
So that one is specific. This is Dave Groll has
someone he fights. What do you think, Adam, Well, obviously
Fae came up quickly, got it, and then it all
follows from there. Monetary penalty is a fee word after
higher low is a fig high high fo foe and
(05:56):
then who does Dave Grol fight the food boo?
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Oh man, the audience is yelling at me for that one.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
All right, I'll just do one.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Oh yeah, yeah, all right, I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Tina Fey paid a small fee to fix her high
five so she and her foe.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Could listen to the food fighters.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Oh that's great. You know what, I'm going to do
two more because I enjoy making Greg work. Thank you
for these puzzles.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
All right.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
So the next one, all right, this is for you, Andrea.
It goes with kurds willy winky descriptor repeated question from
a toddler, sorrow and face off director.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Okay, there's there's a lot to remember, but we're going
to start.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
With way yeah exactly, goes with kurds and we willy winky, Uh.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Well, I just have to the syllables over it, exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
You don't need to any.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Remember the clues that they go with.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Repeated question from a toddler is why why?
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Why?
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Why? Sorrow is whoa? And then face off director is
woo John Wu? Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I've written, I've got like a whole scenario here. I've said,
I hate these stupid nursery rhymes with words like way
and we. Why do they fill me with woe? I
would rather watch a movie by John Wu.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Beautiful? These are I feel these are T shirts. I
feel we're gonna make a lot of money on these and.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Certainly use a lot of ink to get all this
stuff on the shirt.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
All right, last one. I don't know if I'm most
proud of this one or most ashamed to say it,
but here it goes. It's all NU miracle. That's a
little twist here.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
I've got to know where this is going.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
By two places, seven fifty dollars for a New York
Times crossword puzzle number one three point one four.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Writer with two l's in his middle name and number two.
So that's seven hundred and fifty for a New York
Times crosser puzzle number one three point one four plus
writer with two l's in his middle name, number two.
What are you guys thinking? I think Andrea saw this
(08:28):
coming a mile away. Pay, Yes, pay is seven. That's,
by the way, seven hundred and fifty is what the
New York Times crossword. What will Schwartz pays? Pay? And
then number one is p exactly, that's gotta hi right,
three point one four and then two l's in the
(08:49):
middle name of Edgar Poe, Allan Poe. And then number two.
You gotta follow number one with number two.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Everybody does it. Everybody does it.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
I never read that in a wonderful book. Okay, so Greg,
thank you, Andrea and Greg.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
So, at a public toilet you have to pay to
pee or sit and contemplate the digits of Pie or
the works.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Of Poe while you pooh beautiful and violates.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I mean, it's not that's a kind of high cooishness.
It does.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
It's very thought provoking. And and I will say just
I did not tell anyone about this, uh, and I
put it in the script about two minutes before we recorded,
so those were genuine little high ish on the spot. Well,
now the air of brain is all warmed up, Greg,
(09:46):
I believe that you have a puzzle to give us.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I love.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
There's literally no segue from that to this. Today is
World Pharmacist Day.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Hooray for pharmacists.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
It marks the anniversary of the inception of the International
Pharmaceutical Federation, or FIP, in nineteen twelve. The day was
adopted by the FIP Council in two thousand and nine,
and this year's theme is think health, Think pharmacist.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
All right, thank you, thank you. I think they are.
I've read when I did my book on health, I
read that they are the least most underappreciated healthcare professional.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And extremely important for anybody who's got a prescription they
got to get filled. Like, you're interact with these people.
They're kind of a front line person you interact with
on a more regular basis than most of your doctors.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Right there you go.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Now, I think the theme is fine, Think health, Think pharmacist.
I'm not sure what else.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
You think of when you think of pharmacist other than health.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Exactly. Think of Jerry Seinfeld's riff about how why are
they always standing higher than you? What kind of insecurity
do they add?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Interesting? Interesting?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
But in any case, this made me think about RX,
which is the abbreviation for prescriptions that we use.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
And do you know why that's the abbreviation r X?
Speaker 1 (11:17):
I don't know, Andrea or Adam anyone? Now, Nope, nope,
All right, Well there are lightness.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
I found three competing theories, one of which I think
is more plausible and then probably correct. But one of
them is that the ancient astrological symbol for Jupiter. The
planet looks a little bit like an R and an X,
and Jupiter's powerful influence could be invoked to help a
person's health.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
So it's kind of an ancient room.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Right you know RX, You would say, and that meant
invoke Jupiter to improve your health.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I am saying, I am not buying that.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Buying that one. Well, here's that one.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
It's an ancient Egyptian symbol for the eye of Horace,
who's powerful influence. It would be invoked to help a
person's health. So when the Egyptians were prescribing things for
people to take to improve their health, they write a
little eye of Horus next to it to get the
extra boost from me or it's from the Latin word
(12:15):
for Latin word ret chepe.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
It looks like recipe, the word that you know looks like.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Meaning take and would be abbreviated with the line across
the leg of the R. So and if you look
at the actual symbol, it's really an R with a
line across the leg. We turned it into RX because
it's easier.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
To type that.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
But that's my favorite that.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Seems to be supported by most dictionaries.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
That's the where we got it, meaning take this stuff,
and that just became.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
And there are a lot of other terms.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
That get used in pharmaceutical work that come from Latin
that I can't think of right now, but they're there,
and anyway that seems to be more more likely. So
this puzzle is all about the letter are x, specifically
about words with an R in them that become new
words when you change the.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
R to an X.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh. Okay, okay, I'm going through now. As I'm talking,
I'm trying to prepare we all right, I'll.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Give you a sentence with two blanks in it, and
you have to guess the two words that go in
those blanks. First, one's got an R and the second
one has got the X.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
All right, I'm ready.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
All right, Oh go we want to We don't need
an example. We'll just call this.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Oh do you want an example?
Speaker 3 (13:29):
You want an example? Okay, okay, fine, here's the example.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Because of the harmful effects of blank and nicotine, governments
typically place a high blank on cigarettes.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Oh okay, all right, So that will tar.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And tax exactly, because the harmful effects of tar and nicotine,
they place a high tax on cigarettes.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Okay, now we're doing it for real. These count for
the big man. I am suspicious of any fruit that
is has been treated to look extra shiny, which makes
me blank of blank.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Apples, I am drawing a blank. What anyone in the
in the puzzle family have any thoughts? Andrea, adam? I
am makes.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Me four little word. I am suspicious of any fruit
that has been treated to look extra shiny, which makes
me blank, roughly synonymous with suspicious.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I got it, yes, and go ahead.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
It makes me wary of waxy apples.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Yes, wow, nice? All right.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
So at the age of fifty nine, just last year,
Elizabeth Blank was voted the sexiest woman in the world,
which is a distinction never given to Brave New World
author aldous Blank.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Okay, luckily I knew the second one, and I have
enjoyed the work of the first one, no matter what
her age. Hurley and Hucksy. That's right, Elizabeth Hurley the
actress and Alex Yep.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Exactly, very good, very good, one of whom has.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Been the sexiest woman in the world. The other is not.
All right.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
If you are not entertained by pugilistic sports, you will
find it very blank to watch Blank at Madison Square Garden.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Well, Adam is our sports expert, so I'm gonna throw
to him this one.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I got boring into boxing.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Yes, you'll find it very boring to watch boxing. Do
you like watching boxing?
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I do really not boring at all.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
I think it's the knockout is the most decisive moment
in sports. Ooh oh, this is a whole debate for
another episode. The most decisive moment in sports.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
The knockety buy that it's interesting, all right.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
The IT worker's boss was yelling at her, you're going
to be blank if you don't get that broken computer.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Blank.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
I think I know you're going to be fired if
you don't get that fixed.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Right, exactly, well done, fired and fixed.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
The war god Blank is sometimes pictured wielding blank as
if he were a lumberjack.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Oh well, we were just talking about classical gods. And
this one is aries and axes, not axes. Isn't axes
and axes. They are two different spelled the same.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Axes is the plural of axes, and axes is the
plural of axe.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
All right.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
If you study bodily fluids and the antibodies they contained,
they contained, you're probably a blank, not a blank like
doctor Ruth.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Well, doctor, I'm thinking there's sex in there. So sexologists zerologists?
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Oh wow, very nice.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Yes, that was trick. Gay zerologis sexologist.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Depending on which bodily fluids you study, you're either a
erologist or a sexologist.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
My father was the fifth.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
In my family to achieve knighthood, so when I also
get knighted, I will be known as Blank number blank.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Ah, it looks like Andrea's got it.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
I just I like this one. I don't know, I know,
it made.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Me laugh, But sir six, Sir number six, that's me.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I am sur number six. Of course, none of that.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Is none of that is true, but if it were.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I would be Sir number six.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
All right, Fifty shades of Gray is definitely blank, but
a sequel set in a far away location would be
more blank.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Ah, Okay, I think I got it because I believe
the genre is erotica. Ye, but you go far away
it's exotica.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yes, yes, I was thinking of just erotic and exotic.
But you could also say erotica in exact.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Oh is exotica a word? I guess? Yeah, of course exotica?
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Yeah, things that are exotic? All right? Two more blank.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Biology is the study of life in ocean waters and
very different from serving in congress like representative blank waters.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Okay, I was worried. I was worried until you got
but actually interesting twist on the waters and the waters
the idea at a lot of interesting stuff going on
that would be marine and maxine.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Marine biology and maxine waters.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yes, exactly, excellent, excellent or excellent? I guess, I don't know,
per percelent. Do you have an extra credit for the
folks at home?
Speaker 2 (18:48):
I do. Here are a couple of things that are
so twentieth century. Using tokens to pay subway blank or
sending messages to someone using blank.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Okay, all right, so subway blank and send me blank
messages fantastic. Think about that and we will be back
tomorrow with the answer. In the meantime, if you do
have one minute, we would be delighted if you could
go to your favorite podcast platform and rate us. Give
(19:24):
us some stars if you feel you enjoy it. If
you don't, maybe don't rate us. You know it's not
as you don't have to, but it helps people find
our podcast and we love to increase the puzzler community.
And of course we'll be back here tomorrow for some
more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
Hey puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle officer, here
with the extra credit answer from our previous episode, Barry
Joseph turned the tables on AJ and me ms us
with a number of fun.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Puzzles from Stephen Sondheim. Barry didn't prepare an extra credit,
but I tossed this one out for you to play with.
What word am I cluing with this crossword style clue?
Hedonism for Sondheim? Hedonism for Sondheim. It's a seven letter answer,
and of course you figured it out. It's anagram. Hedonism
(20:24):
is one of the famous anagrams for the name Sondheim,
alluding perhaps to the great composer's voluptuous taste in puzzles,
in games and music and all things pleasurable. Well, I
hope you had a pleasure playing the games with us.
We enjoyed playing with you, and we'll catch you here
next time.
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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