September 11, 2025 • 19 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 AI” 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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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello, buzzlers, I say, we start with a quick puzzle,
and that is what do these words have in common?
And don't make me repeat myself here? They are a
deal enough, a rose, boys and love. Okay, I know
(00:22):
I said I wouldn't repeat myself, but I will repeat
myself just one more time. What do these words have
in common? A deal enough, a rose, boys and love?
The answer and more puzzling goodness after the break, Hello puzzlers,
(00:48):
welcome back to the puzzler. The balsamac glaze on your puzzle,
capraise salad? How did I pronounce that? Greg?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I know you capraise sounds right to me?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
All right?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
My Italian relatives would accept that.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Thank God. All right. So before the break we asked
listeners what do these words have in common? And I
said that I did not want to repeat them, but
I will say it one more time. The words are
A deal enough, a rose, boys and love. Do you
have any thoughts?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, you know, my first thought was they all start
with their all end phrases that start with let's make like,
let's make a deal, and let's make love, Let's make boys,
Let's make boys. Afterwards, make love and make boys. But
that's not what you meant, and I realized when you said,
don't make me repeat myself. That's a clue. All of
(01:41):
these can be repeated in a phrase with is in
the middle. A deal is a deal, enough is enough?
A rose is a rose or actually rose is a rose?
Is a rose is the Gertrude Stein quote? Right right? Boys?
Boys will be boys? I guess is what youok it for?
That is and love is like.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
There you go and you got it, You got it,
and there were there are lots more I could have
gone on. It is what it is. I am what
I am. Rules are rules, fair is fair. A promise
is a promise.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You get some you're conjugating. The verb is somewhere in
the middle. Way will be.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Right, sometimes it far. That's it. So I break this
up because that is the only repetition you will hear
in this episode, because we have a brand new genre
of puzzle to try out.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Oh love it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Yeah, it's sort of a cousin of our ear bus,
which you you know, Greg, But if you're new to
the show, that's where we give a clue such as
tied and the answer would be rising tide or banana
nah is banana split? So it's sort of a cousin
because all the clues are audio clues. But in this one,
(02:59):
I'm gonna clue the answers with a sound that I'll
make myself.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, that's what you do with earbusses too.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
True, that's true, but these are more not necessarily even
vocal sounds. I'll give you an example. I'll give you
an example. I'm looking for the last name of a
famous guitarist, and the first syllable of that last name
is this. Did you hear that? I will repeat it.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Even smacking a mosquito, Now I know what that is.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
You can also see me with my hands coming together,
so that a little but what so what might that
answer be?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
That would be clap ton clap Clapton.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Eric Clapton. So the first syllable is always going to
be clued with a sound, because we're podcasts, that's what
we're all.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, are you going to give us a hint to
the second syllable or we have to just be.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I'm going to give you a category. So like with
that one, I gave you the that's a guitarist. So
for the next one, which is real keeping score, now
I'm ready. Yeah, this is a beverage. All right, beverage.
First syllable hint is.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Which I just I'm laughing because first because the first
beverage I thought of was doctor Pepper, I don't know why,
and I was like, you're not going to and then
you coughed, and I was like, well, that's the sound
you make at the doctor. Oh that's not what you
mean it all that's coffee, coffee.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Coffee exactly. But I like your going down all sorts
of rabbit holes that have nothing to do with That's
that's the Greg Klisk of brain, right there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Rabbit holes that have nothing to do with it.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
All right, I got another beverage for you. Got another beverage. Yeah,
can you hear that?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
It's a beverage. It's one my son always wants to
have it and he never gets to.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It's snapple, Snapple, that is correct.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
That started with a snap and ends with an ul
an ull or pull snap poll.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Right, he doesn't make a sound. You could do this
and then.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Well there's gonna be sounds like that coming up. Don't
want to excited.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
How about a Hitchcock movie. The first syllable is a.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
The most incongruous possible clue for that movie. Right, I'm
kind of kind of world weary or even kind of
sounded like a relaxed I'm on vacation sigh. It is
sign correct, and it's the movie Psycho, which is the
(05:48):
polar opposite of anything related to relaxation in the world.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
That's true, you don't. I guess there's there a sigh
of relief when you figure out who it is.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
No, there's no, there's no relief in that movie.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Yeah, it's just it's Psycho. All right, I got a
couple more I got This is an internet phenomenon or
this is a I guess I should say it's a
it's tech lingo, tech lingo. Okay, okay, ready for a syllable?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Is this.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I've tried again. I didn't do so well there?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Okay, So I'm guessing that's clucking.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Well, you got the first two letters in the last.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Two letters, right, that's not a cluck.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
It's not a cluck.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Is it a clack? Is it click?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
It's a click, click.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Click, that's clicking, clicking your tongue.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Clickbait, clickfait exactly, not clockfait or cluckbait. Clickbait.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Cluckbait is what you when he's the Internet for chickens?
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yeah, exactly. How about this is a political figure from
from a few years ago. For a syllable.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
There, I think you want us to interpret that as kissing.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
That you don't approve of my kissing?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
No, No, I wasn't. I was. I'm just giving you know,
I can see so I'm not sure if the audience
hears what they hear when you do that is it?
Is it someone kissing or is it like opening a
balloon in some weird way. I don't know. It's a
funny sound, it's good, It's very funny.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
You've got it kissing Kissinger Kissinger exactly, Henry Kissinger. All right,
I got two more, three more? Maybe how about a
place to store food? And the first syllable.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Is I knwhere you were going with that one?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
You saw it, you saw it coming a mile away.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Well, where else do you store your food?
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Well?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, suburbird cub, cabinet, refrigerator.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
There you just answered your question in the ground.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
But the answer is you kimchi exactly? Or the potato
the root seller you were rooting, that was its root sellar. No,
it's pant. You're panting, and it's in the pantry.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Exactly, exactly, all right, And now I'm gonna do oh
that earlier sound you made, I'm gonna this is a movie,
another movie. It is an Adam Sandler movie, if that helps,
and it is. Oh sorry, that might have sounded bad
if you're listening out loud. Hopefully, hopefully listeners have your
(08:28):
phones in. So grunt grunt, it's a cousin of grunt.
It's mash up grunt and moan.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yes, grown up, grown, grown up?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Grown? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:45):
No, had it grown up? Or grown ups too? Could
be grown ups too?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Well, you did it, you did great, you did excellent job.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
I like this new puzzle type.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Good. Yeah, let's do it again. I would like to
play your puzzle.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Well, I'm glad you would. Happy September. This is a
September based puzzle, and I have to say, you promised
at the beginning of the episode there would be no
repetition in this episode, and you lie, You lied, you lied,
because what do you notice about the word september.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Well, it's got three e's, three yes and only ease.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Oh interesting, no other vowels. But it's not the only
month like that. December also has only ease, but September
is the longest month name with only ease in it.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Congratulations September.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Right for wordplay, we're gonna QUI just a quiz about
things that have single vowels and in various categories.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Oh, okay, so they only have the one vowel, but
it can't repeat.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It can in fact, it has to repeat. I'm not
going to include any that have only one single vowel
in it. That's just less interesting. You know. Ju July
is kind of not interesting. It's just got one U
or May is you know, one A not interesting and
we're letting why be it? We're not worrying about why
why can be included or not? Okay, so we'll start
(10:22):
with countries. Oh can you think of a country with
only E in its name?
Speaker 1 (10:29):
All right, I'm going through in my brain. France has
an A and Spain has no ease whatsoever?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Do I get anything for you get nothing for that? Greece, Greece,
Greece is very good. It's the second longest country with
only E in its name.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
And yeah, but it's got it's like of them.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah, lousy with these. The longest one is an island
nation off the coast of Africa.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Oh wait, I had I have an African country that
I got excited about, but then it ruined it at
the end. Senegal like yeah, good, and then if you
don't say the last syllable, it's absolutely correct.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
All right, Well there there's there is an African country
with only A whose name is the same length as
this country with only E. And they're also pretty close
to each other.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Okay, that is interesting. Wait, isn't Morocco only o's.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Morocco is only oh's. Yep, that's a good. It's one
of the longest. It's one of the longest with only oh.
Absolutely the Comoros, the Comoros islands.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
What about Togo, that's a good one for only o's.
Which one Togo?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Togo? Yeah, short, it's short, but it's good, all right.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
That I don't know I'm bilanking on.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
So the other the one with only e's, starts with S.
Spell it s E yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Why oh wait, okay, I think like a safe she
is safe.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
The safe shells yes, oh, yes, all right, and not
far from it. It is a country with only A.
It's got one, two, three, four a's in it starts
with M.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Okay, home to one of.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
The cutest animals in the world, the lemur.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Oh interesting, wait mad that Gascar madaar Yes, oh that
is that is some cute animals.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
All right, good job with the countries.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
All right, okay, job, I'll take it.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
We should have started closer to home, but we'll jump
there now. US states, US states with only one vowel.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Okay, I'm thinking, all right, I'm going through with only
one vowel. It could be any vowel though.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yeah, yeah, we can do any vowel for the US states.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Oh, Alabama, Alabama is good.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, it's not the longest one with only A, but
it does have four a's, which is very good.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
What about Mississippi?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Mississippi is the longest one with only eyes in it?
Or Mississippi, as Gary Golman.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Said, Right, okay, so Alabama is not the longest A
longer A is not longer, is it?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
No?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
I should know. I mean there's only what is the
other closer.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
To Alabama than it is to Alaska?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Ar Kansas.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's the one, Arkansas a little bit longer than Alabama.
Eight long And what's the longest one with only e?
There are two states same length they have only ease
in them. Well, what New Jersey, New Jersey's one?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, this is fun, by the way, I'm really enjoying it.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Good.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Good, that's the idea.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
I love my vowels. All right, New Jersey and Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
There you go, perfectly done, Tennessee. All right, this was
there's a different, totally different category Best Picture Oscar winners.
Oh boy, and I you know, I scoured the list,
and there is one that has only one vowel, multiple
(14:03):
iterations of only a single vowel. Best Picture from the
nineteen forties.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Well, that's so that's the only one that only one. Yeah, Well,
what about Gigi?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Gigi is good? It is short. Sorry, it's too short.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Too short. I say that's a good thing because it's
got fifty of.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
The fair point fair point, it does have fifty of
the same vowels. It's a good answer. Gigi.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Oh Man, Gigi the forties.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
This is a ten letter word.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Oh, it's a one word answer.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
One word answer. Ten film. You've seen this film? You know,
this film, one of the greatest films of all time,
takes place during the war. It's its title of the
film is the name of a city.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Oh Man, I'm embarrassed, Andrea.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
It's the name of a city in one of the.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Country, Casa Blanca.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
There you go, or Casa Blanca, but now you pronounce it,
but there you go. Lots of a's in that one. Nice.
Another category I wanted to do was jobs professions that
have only E. I just went with only e in
this case. Okay, but then I you know, the hard
part about this is there's not a master list of
all professions. It's easier mistates. You can look at fifty
(15:20):
of them and look through them. So I came up
with one profession that has a lot of ease in it.
It has five e's in it, actually, and it's only
a nine letter word.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
So it's I have I have a theory. I have
a theory.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
What do you have? What do you got?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Is it bee keeper?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Bee keeper? Same profession?
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Good one? All right?
Speaker 2 (15:40):
And I stalled right there. I was like, beekeepers, so good.
I got nothing else? Some longer ones with only a
single vowel, and maybe our listeners will send us. Yes,
go to single vowel professions.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
The puzzler dot com and you can click on it
and just send it right to us. And we love
to get fewer listener feedback.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
But I got a couple other categories we can do. Uh,
and these are only ease. My research was just on
only ease. How about fruits and vegetables?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Oh, only e fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Okay, you are an eater of fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
I am, I am. Let's see. Okay, I'm thinking lemon, lemon, lemon.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah, that's a plural of lemon one lemon two lemon.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Well what about you said, why doesn't count? So LEECHI
snake in there?
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Well leechie would be just I s l I t
c h I.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
I thought it was l y c h e e
am I okay?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Or that leachi. I think both spellings since it's transliterated
from a different alphabet. I think both spellings are perfectly good.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Oh at fennel does that count as six letters?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
But that that's good. That's also on my list. The
one I'm thinking of is is read although shorter there
How do I put this? So there's a category of
a kind of vegetable that is where the second word
(17:09):
is always the same thing. It's the generic term is
the second word, and you can these become in different
varieties of different colors. In fact, well, there's sweet peppers.
That's eleven letters.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Oh yeller pepper, so yeller pepper.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Green pepper is eleven and twelve letters. It's a fruit
and pepper. It's the name of a fruit, followed by pepper.
It's a specific thing.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I don't know. I don't know. You stump me.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
It's a cherry pepper.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Oh yeah, I don't really know. That one not familiar.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh well, so that just died, just died instead of
oh my god, it's a minute. Oh no, never heard
of that. That's terrible, terrible answer.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
That's great, I love it.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Vowels, Well, I have an extra credit. Can you come
up with an article of clothing for each of the vowels?
Oh a eio and you and it must have at
least two instances of that vowel and obviously no other
vowels except for why why it would be allowed?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Okay, So an article of clothing for aeio and you,
multiple of each if possible. So think on that and
thank you Greg. And of course, after you've solved the
extra credit, you have a hanker. And for more puzzles,
go to our Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers. Where we
(18:41):
post original puzzles, visual puzzles, puzzle News. Check it out
and we'll meet here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that
will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Hey puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska here once again the extra
credit answer from our previous episode.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Chris Stuffy joined us for Prong Answers Only, a game
about game shows where one letter has been changed from
a famous game show to make a new one. Your
extra credit clue was this? This nineteen fifties game show
featured notable panelists like Arlene Francis and Steve Allen, all
(19:23):
trying to identify a mystery guest from the dust found
in their trouser pockets. Well, the real life game show
was What's My Line, but our slightly modified version is
What's My Lint? So go check out your own lint
see if you can make a puzzle out of it,
and if not, come back here and listen to more
(19:44):
puzzles on the Puzzler Podcast.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Thank you,
Hello, buzzlers, I say, we start with a quick puzzle,
and that is what do these words have in common?
And don't make me repeat myself here? They are a
deal enough, a rose, boys and love. Okay, I know
(00:22):
I said I wouldn't repeat myself, but I will repeat
myself just one more time. What do these words have
in common? A deal enough, a rose, boys and love?
The answer and more puzzling goodness after the break, Hello puzzlers,
(00:48):
welcome back to the puzzler. The balsamac glaze on your puzzle,
capraise salad? How did I pronounce that? Greg?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
I know you capraise sounds right to me?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
All right?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
My Italian relatives would accept that.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Thank God. All right. So before the break we asked
listeners what do these words have in common? And I
said that I did not want to repeat them, but
I will say it one more time. The words are
A deal enough, a rose, boys and love. Do you
have any thoughts?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, you know, my first thought was they all start
with their all end phrases that start with let's make like,
let's make a deal, and let's make love, Let's make boys,
Let's make boys. Afterwards, make love and make boys. But
that's not what you meant, and I realized when you said,
don't make me repeat myself. That's a clue. All of
(01:41):
these can be repeated in a phrase with is in
the middle. A deal is a deal, enough is enough?
A rose is a rose or actually rose is a rose?
Is a rose is the Gertrude Stein quote? Right right? Boys?
Boys will be boys? I guess is what youok it for?
That is and love is like.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
There you go and you got it, You got it,
and there were there are lots more I could have
gone on. It is what it is. I am what
I am. Rules are rules, fair is fair. A promise
is a promise.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You get some you're conjugating. The verb is somewhere in
the middle. Way will be.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Right, sometimes it far. That's it. So I break this
up because that is the only repetition you will hear
in this episode, because we have a brand new genre
of puzzle to try out.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Oh love it.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Yeah, it's sort of a cousin of our ear bus,
which you you know, Greg, But if you're new to
the show, that's where we give a clue such as
tied and the answer would be rising tide or banana
nah is banana split? So it's sort of a cousin
because all the clues are audio clues. But in this one,
(02:59):
I'm gonna clue the answers with a sound that I'll
make myself.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, that's what you do with earbusses too.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
True, that's true, but these are more not necessarily even
vocal sounds. I'll give you an example. I'll give you
an example. I'm looking for the last name of a
famous guitarist, and the first syllable of that last name
is this. Did you hear that? I will repeat it.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Even smacking a mosquito, Now I know what that is.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
You can also see me with my hands coming together,
so that a little but what so what might that
answer be?
Speaker 2 (03:37):
That would be clap ton clap Clapton.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Eric Clapton. So the first syllable is always going to
be clued with a sound, because we're podcasts, that's what
we're all.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, are you going to give us a hint to
the second syllable or we have to just be.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I'm going to give you a category. So like with
that one, I gave you the that's a guitarist. So
for the next one, which is real keeping score, now
I'm ready. Yeah, this is a beverage. All right, beverage.
First syllable hint is.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Which I just I'm laughing because first because the first
beverage I thought of was doctor Pepper, I don't know why,
and I was like, you're not going to and then
you coughed, and I was like, well, that's the sound
you make at the doctor. Oh that's not what you
mean it all that's coffee, coffee.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Coffee exactly. But I like your going down all sorts
of rabbit holes that have nothing to do with That's
that's the Greg Klisk of brain, right there.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Rabbit holes that have nothing to do with it.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
All right, I got another beverage for you. Got another beverage. Yeah,
can you hear that?
Speaker 2 (04:50):
It's a beverage. It's one my son always wants to
have it and he never gets to.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It's snapple, Snapple, that is correct.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
That started with a snap and ends with an ul
an ull or pull snap poll.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Right, he doesn't make a sound. You could do this
and then.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Well there's gonna be sounds like that coming up. Don't
want to excited.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
How about a Hitchcock movie. The first syllable is a.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
The most incongruous possible clue for that movie. Right, I'm
kind of kind of world weary or even kind of
sounded like a relaxed I'm on vacation sigh. It is
sign correct, and it's the movie Psycho, which is the
(05:48):
polar opposite of anything related to relaxation in the world.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
That's true, you don't. I guess there's there a sigh
of relief when you figure out who it is.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
No, there's no, there's no relief in that movie.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Yeah, it's just it's Psycho. All right, I got a
couple more I got This is an internet phenomenon or
this is a I guess I should say it's a
it's tech lingo, tech lingo. Okay, okay, ready for a syllable?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Is this.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
I've tried again. I didn't do so well there?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Okay, So I'm guessing that's clucking.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Well, you got the first two letters in the last.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Two letters, right, that's not a cluck.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
It's not a cluck.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Is it a clack? Is it click?
Speaker 1 (06:33):
It's a click, click.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Click, that's clicking, clicking your tongue.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Clickbait, clickfait exactly, not clockfait or cluckbait. Clickbait.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Cluckbait is what you when he's the Internet for chickens?
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Yeah, exactly. How about this is a political figure from
from a few years ago. For a syllable.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
There, I think you want us to interpret that as kissing.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
That you don't approve of my kissing?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
No, No, I wasn't. I was. I'm just giving you know,
I can see so I'm not sure if the audience
hears what they hear when you do that is it?
Is it someone kissing or is it like opening a
balloon in some weird way. I don't know. It's a
funny sound, it's good, It's very funny.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
You've got it kissing Kissinger Kissinger exactly, Henry Kissinger. All right,
I got two more, three more? Maybe how about a
place to store food? And the first syllable.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Is I knwhere you were going with that one?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
You saw it, you saw it coming a mile away.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Well, where else do you store your food?
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Well?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, suburbird cub, cabinet, refrigerator.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
There you just answered your question in the ground.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
But the answer is you kimchi exactly? Or the potato
the root seller you were rooting, that was its root sellar. No,
it's pant. You're panting, and it's in the pantry.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Exactly, exactly, all right, And now I'm gonna do oh
that earlier sound you made, I'm gonna this is a movie,
another movie. It is an Adam Sandler movie, if that helps,
and it is. Oh sorry, that might have sounded bad
if you're listening out loud. Hopefully, hopefully listeners have your
(08:28):
phones in. So grunt grunt, it's a cousin of grunt.
It's mash up grunt and moan.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yes, grown up, grown, grown up?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Grown? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:45):
No, had it grown up? Or grown ups too? Could
be grown ups too?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Well, you did it, you did great, you did excellent job.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
I like this new puzzle type.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Good. Yeah, let's do it again. I would like to
play your puzzle.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Well, I'm glad you would. Happy September. This is a
September based puzzle, and I have to say, you promised
at the beginning of the episode there would be no
repetition in this episode, and you lie, You lied, you lied,
because what do you notice about the word september.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Well, it's got three e's, three yes and only ease.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Oh interesting, no other vowels. But it's not the only
month like that. December also has only ease, but September
is the longest month name with only ease in it.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Congratulations September.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Right for wordplay, we're gonna QUI just a quiz about
things that have single vowels and in various categories.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Oh, okay, so they only have the one vowel, but
it can't repeat.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It can in fact, it has to repeat. I'm not
going to include any that have only one single vowel
in it. That's just less interesting. You know. Ju July
is kind of not interesting. It's just got one U
or May is you know, one A not interesting and
we're letting why be it? We're not worrying about why
why can be included or not? Okay, so we'll start
(10:22):
with countries. Oh can you think of a country with
only E in its name?
Speaker 1 (10:29):
All right, I'm going through in my brain. France has
an A and Spain has no ease whatsoever?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Do I get anything for you get nothing for that? Greece, Greece,
Greece is very good. It's the second longest country with
only E in its name.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
And yeah, but it's got it's like of them.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Yeah, lousy with these. The longest one is an island
nation off the coast of Africa.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Oh wait, I had I have an African country that
I got excited about, but then it ruined it at
the end. Senegal like yeah, good, and then if you
don't say the last syllable, it's absolutely correct.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
All right, Well there there's there is an African country
with only A whose name is the same length as
this country with only E. And they're also pretty close
to each other.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Okay, that is interesting. Wait, isn't Morocco only o's.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Morocco is only oh's. Yep, that's a good. It's one
of the longest. It's one of the longest with only oh.
Absolutely the Comoros, the Comoros islands.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
What about Togo, that's a good one for only o's.
Which one Togo?
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Togo? Yeah, short, it's short, but it's good, all right.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
That I don't know I'm bilanking on.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
So the other the one with only e's, starts with S.
Spell it s E yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Why oh wait, okay, I think like a safe she
is safe.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
The safe shells yes, oh, yes, all right, and not
far from it. It is a country with only A.
It's got one, two, three, four a's in it starts
with M.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
Okay, home to one of.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
The cutest animals in the world, the lemur.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Oh interesting, wait mad that Gascar madaar Yes, oh that
is that is some cute animals.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
All right, good job with the countries.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
All right, okay, job, I'll take it.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
We should have started closer to home, but we'll jump
there now. US states, US states with only one vowel.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Okay, I'm thinking, all right, I'm going through with only
one vowel. It could be any vowel though.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yeah, yeah, we can do any vowel for the US states.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Oh, Alabama, Alabama is good.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, it's not the longest one with only A, but
it does have four a's, which is very good.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
What about Mississippi?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Mississippi is the longest one with only eyes in it?
Or Mississippi, as Gary Golman.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Said, Right, okay, so Alabama is not the longest A
longer A is not longer, is it?
Speaker 2 (13:10):
No?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
I should know. I mean there's only what is the
other closer.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
To Alabama than it is to Alaska?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Ar Kansas.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
That's the one, Arkansas a little bit longer than Alabama.
Eight long And what's the longest one with only e?
There are two states same length they have only ease
in them. Well, what New Jersey, New Jersey's one?
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Yeah, this is fun, by the way, I'm really enjoying it.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Good.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Good, that's the idea.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
I love my vowels. All right, New Jersey and Tennessee.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
There you go, perfectly done, Tennessee. All right, this was
there's a different, totally different category Best Picture Oscar winners.
Oh boy, and I you know, I scoured the list,
and there is one that has only one vowel, multiple
(14:03):
iterations of only a single vowel. Best Picture from the
nineteen forties.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Well, that's so that's the only one that only one. Yeah, Well,
what about Gigi?
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Gigi is good? It is short. Sorry, it's too short.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Too short. I say that's a good thing because it's
got fifty of.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
The fair point fair point, it does have fifty of
the same vowels. It's a good answer. Gigi.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Oh Man, Gigi the forties.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
This is a ten letter word.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Oh, it's a one word answer.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
One word answer. Ten film. You've seen this film? You know,
this film, one of the greatest films of all time,
takes place during the war. It's its title of the
film is the name of a city.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Oh Man, I'm embarrassed, Andrea.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
It's the name of a city in one of the.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Country, Casa Blanca.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
There you go, or Casa Blanca, but now you pronounce it,
but there you go. Lots of a's in that one. Nice.
Another category I wanted to do was jobs professions that
have only E. I just went with only e in
this case. Okay, but then I you know, the hard
part about this is there's not a master list of
all professions. It's easier mistates. You can look at fifty
(15:20):
of them and look through them. So I came up
with one profession that has a lot of ease in it.
It has five e's in it, actually, and it's only
a nine letter word.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
So it's I have I have a theory. I have
a theory.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
What do you have? What do you got?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Is it bee keeper?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Bee keeper? Same profession?
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Good one? All right?
Speaker 2 (15:40):
And I stalled right there. I was like, beekeepers, so good.
I got nothing else? Some longer ones with only a
single vowel, and maybe our listeners will send us. Yes,
go to single vowel professions.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
The puzzler dot com and you can click on it
and just send it right to us. And we love
to get fewer listener feedback.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
But I got a couple other categories we can do. Uh,
and these are only ease. My research was just on
only ease. How about fruits and vegetables?
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Oh, only e fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
Okay, you are an eater of fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
I am, I am. Let's see. Okay, I'm thinking lemon, lemon, lemon.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Yeah, that's a plural of lemon one lemon two lemon.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Well what about you said, why doesn't count? So LEECHI
snake in there?
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Well leechie would be just I s l I t
c h I.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
I thought it was l y c h e e
am I okay?
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Or that leachi. I think both spellings since it's transliterated
from a different alphabet. I think both spellings are perfectly good.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Oh at fennel does that count as six letters?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
But that that's good. That's also on my list. The
one I'm thinking of is is read although shorter there
How do I put this? So there's a category of
a kind of vegetable that is where the second word
(17:09):
is always the same thing. It's the generic term is
the second word, and you can these become in different
varieties of different colors. In fact, well, there's sweet peppers.
That's eleven letters.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Oh yeller pepper, so yeller pepper.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Green pepper is eleven and twelve letters. It's a fruit
and pepper. It's the name of a fruit, followed by pepper.
It's a specific thing.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I don't know. I don't know. You stump me.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
It's a cherry pepper.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Oh yeah, I don't really know. That one not familiar.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Oh well, so that just died, just died instead of
oh my god, it's a minute. Oh no, never heard
of that. That's terrible, terrible answer.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
That's great, I love it.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Vowels, Well, I have an extra credit. Can you come
up with an article of clothing for each of the vowels?
Oh a eio and you and it must have at
least two instances of that vowel and obviously no other
vowels except for why why it would be allowed?
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Okay, So an article of clothing for aeio and you,
multiple of each if possible. So think on that and
thank you Greg. And of course, after you've solved the
extra credit, you have a hanker. And for more puzzles,
go to our Instagram feed at Hello Puzzlers. Where we
(18:41):
post original puzzles, visual puzzles, puzzle News. Check it out
and we'll meet here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that
will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Hey puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska here once again the extra
credit answer from our previous episode.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Chris Stuffy joined us for Prong Answers Only, a game
about game shows where one letter has been changed from
a famous game show to make a new one. Your
extra credit clue was this? This nineteen fifties game show
featured notable panelists like Arlene Francis and Steve Allen, all
(19:23):
trying to identify a mystery guest from the dust found
in their trouser pockets. Well, the real life game show
was What's My Line, but our slightly modified version is
What's My Lint? So go check out your own lint
see if you can make a puzzle out of it,
and if not, come back here and listen to more
(19:44):
puzzles on the Puzzler Podcast.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Thank you,
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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