September 17, 2025 • 21 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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Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
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Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
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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, I think we should start
with a quick puzzle. It is back to school week
here on the Puzzler, so I thought maybe we could
do one related to classical education, namely one about the
(00:45):
Greek and Roman gods, which you at least used to
learn in school. So I am looking for products named
after Greek and Roman gods. For instance, the ancient Greek
goddess of Victory has her own life of sneakers. That
would be Nike. Nike sneakers name for the Greek goddess
of Victory. What other Greek and Roman gods have their
(01:09):
own lines of products or brands? Who have they done
a deal with? I'll give you a hint to one,
which is there is a Greek god affiliated with a
famous theater in Harlem known for its amateur nights. The
answer to that and others after the break, Hello Puzzlers,
(01:35):
Welcome back to the Puzzler Podcast. The embroidered p on
your puzzle Letterman Jacket, I'm your host, AJ Jacobs. Thank you, Greg,
and I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
If they're all back to school ones. It's good.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I'm trying, I'm trying. I am here. Of course. That
was Chief Puzzle Officer Greg Kuliska. Greg. Before the break,
we asked about Greek and Roman gods who appear in
product or brands names who have gotten endorsement deals from
the corporate world Nike sneakers. The hint was a god
affiliated with a famous theater in Harlem.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yes, that's a great one.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
And that oh, that is the Apollo, the Apollo.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Theater exactly, the Apollo live at the.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Apollo being god of music and various other things.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, did any others occur to you?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Well, you know, there's a ton of cars that have
god names, partly either because they're referencing the god or
because I don't actually know why. But these are also
planet names like Saturn, or Saturn's not of God, saturns.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Of Titan, but we'll accept it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Mercury, the god of the really fast god.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I thought of both of those.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I'm especially impressed because you have admitted here on this
show that car names are one of your weakest categories.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, yeah, here you.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Are, unless for Greek and Roman gods out.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I thought of Mars, like the Mars bar yep. That
was on my list was a delicious choice.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
And I thought of Hermes because there is an air maize.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Bag that's spelled love it.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I don't know that it's named for the god, but
it has the same spelling if you don't count the
accents and stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
That is so good. Yeah, I didn't even think of that.
I thought of two others, not many others. I thought
of Athena Healthcare and Hello Cupid.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It is.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well, there you go. Okay, I almost got it.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
There's Juno the movie that's not really do but it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Juno an early online provider.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Maybe I'm wrong, maybe, okay, yeah, buy that.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I believe that. I'm surprised there's not a Jupiter. We
couldn't come up with a Jupiter. Is there a Jupiter? Car?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Probably I mean there is, I mean there's a lot
of there's like Vulcan Tires, which is like a tire chain.
But but I'm thinking of really iconic brands. Uh, but
send us in go to the puzzler dot com. I
want to hear your other Greek.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And Roman gage not not a god, but.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Not god though, that is Andrea Schomberg. All right, So
that was in honor of back to school week here
on the Puzzler, where at least some people learned about
Greek and Roman gods. I know I did, but maybe
they're they're outdated. Uh, but we do have other school
related puzzles. I've got one today, and senior puzzler Andrea Schomberg,
(04:45):
whom you just heard, has one. So Andrea, what do
you got sure?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (04:51):
Yeah, So in celebration of back to school Week, I
decided because when I was in school, and I don't
know about you guys, I was always looking forward to
the next vacation. So yeah, so in this game, I
created a bunch of new potential holidays that I think
we could add to the school year. So in addition
(05:11):
to your spring break or winter break and stuff like that.
Uh so all these are common phrases that end in break,
but I'm cleaning them as if they are school holiday vacations.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Okay, we'll especially be happy because like more breaks.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Yes, of course. So here's an example. If I said,
this is a holiday vacation that occurs in April, which
is observed by the children of CPA's, then the answer
to that it would be break, tax tax break, tax break.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I was thinking tax week, tax break.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Blank break.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Everything is brank break, Everything ends in break. Yes, that
is your one major clue.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
All right, break is number one?
Speaker 5 (06:01):
All right?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Love it ready?
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Okay, great, here's your first one, your first real one. Uh.
This is time you can take off to improve your
cardiovascular health.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Hmmm.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Oh oh got it?
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I don't, I don't got it?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
You got it?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Gym break? Is that a real thing?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
It helps to not think about break in the sense
of taking a break.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
What fun would that be?
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Exactly?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Think of cardiac? What is cardiac referred to? Oh?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Heartbreak?
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You go, okay, you celebrate heartbreak.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Good one, I think is a necessary one.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Reclaiming, reclaiming heartbreak, reclaiming it like like Nicole Kinman, Okay,
this is a full week off for Father's Day and
the celebration of giving your dad the most stereotypical Father's
Day present.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Nicely done. Noah, that's a good one.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, so that would be tie break.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Tye break break break break.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You need the tie break in this.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Also called tiebreaker, but tie break is a legitimate.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Legit absolutely all right, we give it to you.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Thank you. Okay, this well, this is uh. This is
a propriate to something that was mentioned in the opener.
So that's another clue for you. Okay. This is a
holiday observed by fans of actor Elliott or guitarist Jimmy Actor.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Oh, I was of I was going break, I was
Buffett break.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
A lot of guitars, a lot of Jimmy guitars.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
But but Hendricks.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Jimmy Buffett was a songwriter more than a guitarist, not
like Jimmy Hendricks and Jimmy Uh the one. You're the
one that is the answer. Jimmy page page break.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Yes page and Elliott page from from Juno A.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Right, speaking of Juno, very nice.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Okay, there's the callback.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
This is a rebranding of the better known spring Break,
where instead of heading to the beach, you spend the
week dusting, sweeping, and tidying up.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Ah, Okay, I have a theory.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I have a theory spring cleaning.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yeah, I think that's my theory. Yeah, but take off
the last part of that word clean break.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Cleanak very good.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
You need to make a clean break.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Okay. Another one. This is a holiday dedicated to watching
the nineteen eighty eight Tom Hanks film for a week straight.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It's the Apollo thirteen break. We just watched.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
We just watched Apollow thirteen with the kids, and they
were so into it.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Oh, such a great movie. Great movie.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
But that's not the one. That's not the break we want.
I know the break we want.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I think I know. I mean I've been waiting for
point break, so I was like, is it point for it?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Is a point for it?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
But no, I'm guessing it's big break, big.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Break, big break, big big break.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
You gotta have a big break.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Do we have Do we have time for some more?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
A couple more?
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Uh? This is time off for students to attend the
Cleo Awards.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Okay. I happen to know that because I believe I
went to the Cleo Awards once I didn't win.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Did you go pretending to be somebody else? The ocs?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
This I believe is an ad break and ad break
another Greek not God, but Greek mus muse. But that
is the the muse, the.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Muse of paid advertisers.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
And yeah, the Cleo Awards are the awards the oscars
for advertisements. For those who don't follow.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
This is a vacation students can take off after they
win the lottery.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Oh oh oh, it's it's similar to big break.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
I don't know cast.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
When you when you when you get something that you
were fortunate to get.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Oh, gotcha? Okay, a lucky lucky break, lucky.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Break, lucky break.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
That is a good break. Excellent puzzle, excellent puzzle. And
before the commercial break? Uh, do you have an extra
credit for the folks at home.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I've got one we could do.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
This is uh when you take a week off for
uh for Ramadan.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Or lent for l.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Very good. Okay, well, thank you, Andrea. Excellent.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
That was so fun. Andrea. We have to do that
more often. I like when you give us puzzles.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
All right, welcome back. We have another puzzle that I
am calling one of two things. I haven't decided, so
weigh in if you want. It's either called old school
more are you smarter than a fifth grader in nineteen hundred.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Oh I like the second time.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Oh, no, I changed that. Are you smarter than a
fifth grader in eighteen hundred?
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Oh in eighteen hundred? Oh, well, then change it. I
don't like it. No, I like that one the best.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
That's good, all right, Because this puzzle is all about
old textbooks and how crazy they were. So I had
a delightful afternoon scouring some old textbooks, many of what
you can find online, and found them to be delightfully bizarre.
So I've taken a couple of questions from them. Let's
start with that.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Now, wait before you start, just to be clear, this
is not facts that were true back then but are
different now. Well, or it might be.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Okay, I'm just thinking that.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Okay, fine, Because I did a puzzle for Mohunk once,
for Mohunk Mountain House that was set in the year
of the founding, which was eighteen It was eighteen ninety six.
I forget the exact but so that was like a
crossword and the clues were like nonumber of stars on
the US flag.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Oh exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Then there weren't fifty, right, fewer states things like that.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I like that and there's also the one that I
was thinking of true false, where something used to be
true and now it's false. Like Coney Island is an island.
It was an island, it is no longer an island.
Now this one, well you'll see as I the first part.
They are two parts. First part is about the New England. Primmer,
(12:30):
not primary Primmer was the first reading Primmer for the
American colonies, and it was hugely successful. It was the
foundation of most schooling in the seventeen hundreds of America. Okay,
so I actually read it for my book on the Constitution.
I wanted to know what the kids were reading then,
(12:52):
and it is. It is a fascinating rate. The two
main lessons that you're supposed to take away as a
student are A, you are a sinful and terrible creature
and B You're gonna die.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Those are the two, you know, I think I ingested
that is at a young age.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Well there you go. Then you maybe not don't need it.
It is super religious, super puritanical. It was not fine.
It wasn't like parachute and juice and cookies.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
That no love of learning in that you're gonna you're
a sinner and you're gonna die.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Kids.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Now here's the alphabet.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Well, I'm glad you brought that up. Let's start with
the alphabet. Yes, so I learned the alphabet, like you know,
A is for apple, B is for banana. They learned
the alphabet.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
D is for damnation, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
A is for Adam, with the caption in Adam's Fall,
we sinned all. So basically you're a sinis because Adams
in or g G is not for gorilla, G as
a picture of an hour glass, a sand glass, and
it's as as runs the glass, our life doth pass. So,
(14:04):
in other words, you're gonna die.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
You're gonna die. Just in case it wasn't clear.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
All right, I'm gonna give you two more. I'm gonna
give you a fake and a real answer to his letters,
and you tell me what you think it is. All right,
let's do a D. The letter is d das for David.
King David succumbed to lust, causing God's disgust. Okay, that
(14:30):
or dis for deluge. The deluge drowned the earth round.
So either King David is punished for lust or the
whole world is punished for being.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
I'm going to go with a second one with the
deluge or deluge.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
You are correct, all right. I didn't get you on
that one, but maybe on this one. How about the
letter why? Why is either for youth? While youth do
you cheer? Death? May be deer? Well you you're gonna
die again?
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, a little hope. I was like, youth, that's so and.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Starts on or why is for you serve God well?
Or you shall go to Hell.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
I want to compliment you in both of these on
your grading fake nineteenth century religious couplets.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Because it's hard to tell which is the real one.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Well, it's nice of you to say, I'm worried. I'm
not gonna get you.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
But I think this is youth. I think youth.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
That that one just rings more true.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
You got it, so, yes, once more, another reminder you're
gonna You might be enjoying hoops and sticks right now,
but remember you're gonna die.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Pee is for play, play while you can, because soon
you'll be dead.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
I mean, it is so disturb One more textbook I
want to end with is Yes the First Science Tech
one of the first science textbooks in America eighteen thirty seven.
It's called First Lessons about Natural Philosophy for children eight
eight by a woman by Mary Swift. So I'm happy
(16:19):
about that, but it is it is a good example
of how facts change, as you were saying earlier. Sure,
so on page thirty three, the textbook has a quiz
that asks students how many continents are there? How many contents?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Well, look you've just opened the pedantic can of worms.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Uh huh, Well if you were in eighteen thirty seven,
what would you say?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
What would you say in eighteen thirty seven, you would
say three or less fewer fewer than three. The only
ones that count a Europe and North America.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
That's literally it, that is literally it is the Eastern
and Western continents. So the Eastern, the Western was North
and South America, and the Eastern was everything else.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Everything else.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Look, today we have different cultures, different countries teach different
numbers of continents, right is you're the one that I
think is most useful to talk about is Europe and Asia,
which are not geographically divided.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
They are one.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Big land masks right there teciclarly it's the continent of Eurasia.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
But politically we want.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
To draw a line somewhere. But you know, down the
middle of down the edge of Russia through the Caucasus
mountains somewhere in there that divides these two and they
really aren't geographically.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Well it is. There is a somewhat arbitrary how And
there's the debate over Australia and ocean is.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
An ocean Oceania Oceania.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Which I think is more accurate because it's not just Australia.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
All right, I.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Got one last one from this eighteen thirty seven textbook
What is the Bright Star in the Sky? It asks
what is the brightest star in the sky?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
What it's God?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
And you're going to die?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
I would like to say the Sun.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Well that's an interesting one. But they didn't consider the
Sun a star. No, but they did. I mean, what
you would say now is the dog Star series seriously considered.
But back then the brightest star in the sky was
the moon. Close Venus Venus venus, because planets were stars,
(18:35):
not all planets, not all stars were planets, but all
planets were stars. So planets and stars were the same.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Well, Venus Williams is a star, Let's be fair.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Great point, that's probably what they meant. That is probably
what they were thinking. Sure, well done, Greg, you are smarter,
well as smart as smart as eighteen thirty seven.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Who's going to die anyway?
Speaker 1 (19:01):
S are you don't yet?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
True?
Speaker 5 (19:03):
Fact?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I mean they're not lying about that.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
No, no, listen. I am a big fan of Memento Maury,
but I figure maybe started around like fourteen fifteen. You
don't need to start.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
It and like goll get it in right at the beginning.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
All right, So there you go. If you want more,
even more fun puzzle content, check out our Instagram feed
at Hello Puzzlers. It's got visual puzzles, other fun original puzzles,
and of course we will see you here tomorrow for
more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Hey Puzzlers, it's Greg pliska chief puzzle officer, here with
the extra credit answer from our previous episode. The words
are Harvard usiris us U r O u ASS. It's
actually a variant spelling of you, surious.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Outputs UTS and winding WI n DNG.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
This is a tricky one.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
It's very detailed.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
So if you look at the letter pattern of the
word Harvard, you'll notice ar appears as the second and
third and as the fifth and sixth letters, and that
is true in the words outputs and winding. They also
have a two letter state abbreviation as their second, third,
and fifth and sixth letters. Ucerius, on the other hand,
(20:29):
has the two letter abbreviation for the country US, and
it has that at either end instead of stuck in
the middle of the word. So Usurus is the odd
one out. It's also the odd one out because it's
a word you probably have never used in polite conversation
on like winding, outputs, and Harvard, which I.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Could imagine all being used in the same sentence. If
you have a sentence that uses.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
All those words, send it to us here at the Puzzler.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
We look forward to catching you next time for more
puzzling puzzles.
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, I think we should start
with a quick puzzle. It is back to school week
here on the Puzzler, so I thought maybe we could
do one related to classical education, namely one about the
(00:45):
Greek and Roman gods, which you at least used to
learn in school. So I am looking for products named
after Greek and Roman gods. For instance, the ancient Greek
goddess of Victory has her own life of sneakers. That
would be Nike. Nike sneakers name for the Greek goddess
of Victory. What other Greek and Roman gods have their
(01:09):
own lines of products or brands? Who have they done
a deal with? I'll give you a hint to one,
which is there is a Greek god affiliated with a
famous theater in Harlem known for its amateur nights. The
answer to that and others after the break, Hello Puzzlers,
(01:35):
Welcome back to the Puzzler Podcast. The embroidered p on
your puzzle Letterman Jacket, I'm your host, AJ Jacobs. Thank you, Greg,
and I'm.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
If they're all back to school ones. It's good.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I'm trying, I'm trying. I am here. Of course. That
was Chief Puzzle Officer Greg Kuliska. Greg. Before the break,
we asked about Greek and Roman gods who appear in
product or brands names who have gotten endorsement deals from
the corporate world Nike sneakers. The hint was a god
affiliated with a famous theater in Harlem.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yes, that's a great one.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
And that oh, that is the Apollo, the Apollo.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Theater exactly, the Apollo live at the.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Apollo being god of music and various other things.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, did any others occur to you?
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Well, you know, there's a ton of cars that have
god names, partly either because they're referencing the god or
because I don't actually know why. But these are also
planet names like Saturn, or Saturn's not of God, saturns.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Of Titan, but we'll accept it.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Mercury, the god of the really fast god.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I thought of both of those.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I'm especially impressed because you have admitted here on this
show that car names are one of your weakest categories.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, yeah, here you.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Are, unless for Greek and Roman gods out.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I thought of Mars, like the Mars bar yep. That
was on my list was a delicious choice.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
And I thought of Hermes because there is an air maize.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Bag that's spelled love it.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I don't know that it's named for the god, but
it has the same spelling if you don't count the
accents and stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
That is so good. Yeah, I didn't even think of that.
I thought of two others, not many others. I thought
of Athena Healthcare and Hello Cupid.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
It is.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Well, there you go. Okay, I almost got it.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
There's Juno the movie that's not really do but it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Juno an early online provider.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Maybe I'm wrong, maybe, okay, yeah, buy that.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I believe that. I'm surprised there's not a Jupiter. We
couldn't come up with a Jupiter. Is there a Jupiter? Car?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Probably I mean there is, I mean there's a lot
of there's like Vulcan Tires, which is like a tire chain.
But but I'm thinking of really iconic brands. Uh, but
send us in go to the puzzler dot com. I
want to hear your other Greek.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
And Roman gage not not a god, but.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Not god though, that is Andrea Schomberg. All right, So
that was in honor of back to school week here
on the Puzzler, where at least some people learned about
Greek and Roman gods. I know I did, but maybe
they're they're outdated. Uh, but we do have other school
related puzzles. I've got one today, and senior puzzler Andrea Schomberg,
(04:45):
whom you just heard, has one. So Andrea, what do
you got sure?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (04:51):
Yeah, So in celebration of back to school Week, I
decided because when I was in school, and I don't
know about you guys, I was always looking forward to
the next vacation. So yeah, so in this game, I
created a bunch of new potential holidays that I think
we could add to the school year. So in addition
(05:11):
to your spring break or winter break and stuff like that.
Uh so all these are common phrases that end in break,
but I'm cleaning them as if they are school holiday vacations.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
Okay, we'll especially be happy because like more breaks.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Yes, of course. So here's an example. If I said,
this is a holiday vacation that occurs in April, which
is observed by the children of CPA's, then the answer
to that it would be break, tax tax break, tax break.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
I was thinking tax week, tax break.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Blank break.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Everything is brank break, Everything ends in break. Yes, that
is your one major clue.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
All right, break is number one?
Speaker 5 (06:01):
All right?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Love it ready?
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Okay, great, here's your first one, your first real one. Uh.
This is time you can take off to improve your
cardiovascular health.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Hmmm.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Oh oh got it?
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I don't, I don't got it?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
You got it?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Gym break? Is that a real thing?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
It helps to not think about break in the sense
of taking a break.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
What fun would that be?
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Exactly?
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Think of cardiac? What is cardiac referred to? Oh?
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Heartbreak?
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You go, okay, you celebrate heartbreak.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Good one, I think is a necessary one.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Reclaiming, reclaiming heartbreak, reclaiming it like like Nicole Kinman, Okay,
this is a full week off for Father's Day and
the celebration of giving your dad the most stereotypical Father's
Day present.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Nicely done. Noah, that's a good one.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
Yeah, so that would be tie break.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Tye break break break break.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You need the tie break in this.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Also called tiebreaker, but tie break is a legitimate.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Legit absolutely all right, we give it to you.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
Thank you. Okay, this well, this is uh. This is
a propriate to something that was mentioned in the opener.
So that's another clue for you. Okay. This is a
holiday observed by fans of actor Elliott or guitarist Jimmy Actor.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Oh, I was of I was going break, I was
Buffett break.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
A lot of guitars, a lot of Jimmy guitars.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
But but Hendricks.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Jimmy Buffett was a songwriter more than a guitarist, not
like Jimmy Hendricks and Jimmy Uh the one. You're the
one that is the answer. Jimmy page page break.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Yes page and Elliott page from from Juno A.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Right, speaking of Juno, very nice.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Okay, there's the callback.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
This is a rebranding of the better known spring Break,
where instead of heading to the beach, you spend the
week dusting, sweeping, and tidying up.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Ah, Okay, I have a theory.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
I have a theory spring cleaning.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yeah, I think that's my theory. Yeah, but take off
the last part of that word clean break.
Speaker 4 (08:26):
Cleanak very good.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
You need to make a clean break.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Okay. Another one. This is a holiday dedicated to watching
the nineteen eighty eight Tom Hanks film for a week straight.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It's the Apollo thirteen break. We just watched.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
We just watched Apollow thirteen with the kids, and they
were so into it.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Oh, such a great movie. Great movie.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
But that's not the one. That's not the break we want.
I know the break we want.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I think I know. I mean I've been waiting for
point break, so I was like, is it point for it?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Is a point for it?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
But no, I'm guessing it's big break, big.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Break, big break, big big break.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
You gotta have a big break.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Do we have Do we have time for some more?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
A couple more?
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Uh? This is time off for students to attend the
Cleo Awards.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Okay. I happen to know that because I believe I
went to the Cleo Awards once I didn't win.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Did you go pretending to be somebody else? The ocs?
Speaker 1 (09:29):
This I believe is an ad break and ad break
another Greek not God, but Greek mus muse. But that
is the the muse, the.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Muse of paid advertisers.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
And yeah, the Cleo Awards are the awards the oscars
for advertisements. For those who don't follow.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
This is a vacation students can take off after they
win the lottery.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Oh oh oh, it's it's similar to big break.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
I don't know cast.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
When you when you when you get something that you
were fortunate to get.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Oh, gotcha? Okay, a lucky lucky break, lucky.
Speaker 4 (10:10):
Break, lucky break.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
That is a good break. Excellent puzzle, excellent puzzle. And
before the commercial break? Uh, do you have an extra
credit for the folks at home.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I've got one we could do.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
This is uh when you take a week off for
uh for Ramadan.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Or lent for l.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Very good. Okay, well, thank you, Andrea. Excellent.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
That was so fun. Andrea. We have to do that
more often. I like when you give us puzzles.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
All right, welcome back. We have another puzzle that I
am calling one of two things. I haven't decided, so
weigh in if you want. It's either called old school
more are you smarter than a fifth grader in nineteen hundred.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Oh I like the second time.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Oh, no, I changed that. Are you smarter than a
fifth grader in eighteen hundred?
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Oh in eighteen hundred? Oh, well, then change it. I
don't like it. No, I like that one the best.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
That's good, all right, Because this puzzle is all about
old textbooks and how crazy they were. So I had
a delightful afternoon scouring some old textbooks, many of what
you can find online, and found them to be delightfully bizarre.
So I've taken a couple of questions from them. Let's
start with that.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Now, wait before you start, just to be clear, this
is not facts that were true back then but are
different now. Well, or it might be.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Okay, I'm just thinking that.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Okay, fine, Because I did a puzzle for Mohunk once,
for Mohunk Mountain House that was set in the year
of the founding, which was eighteen It was eighteen ninety six.
I forget the exact but so that was like a
crossword and the clues were like nonumber of stars on
the US flag.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Oh exactly.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Then there weren't fifty, right, fewer states things like that.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I like that and there's also the one that I
was thinking of true false, where something used to be
true and now it's false. Like Coney Island is an island.
It was an island, it is no longer an island.
Now this one, well you'll see as I the first part.
They are two parts. First part is about the New England. Primmer,
(12:30):
not primary Primmer was the first reading Primmer for the
American colonies, and it was hugely successful. It was the
foundation of most schooling in the seventeen hundreds of America. Okay,
so I actually read it for my book on the Constitution.
I wanted to know what the kids were reading then,
(12:52):
and it is. It is a fascinating rate. The two
main lessons that you're supposed to take away as a
student are A, you are a sinful and terrible creature
and B You're gonna die.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Those are the two, you know, I think I ingested
that is at a young age.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Well there you go. Then you maybe not don't need it.
It is super religious, super puritanical. It was not fine.
It wasn't like parachute and juice and cookies.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
That no love of learning in that you're gonna you're
a sinner and you're gonna die.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Kids.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Now here's the alphabet.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Well, I'm glad you brought that up. Let's start with
the alphabet. Yes, so I learned the alphabet, like you know,
A is for apple, B is for banana. They learned
the alphabet.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
D is for damnation, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
A is for Adam, with the caption in Adam's Fall,
we sinned all. So basically you're a sinis because Adams
in or g G is not for gorilla, G as
a picture of an hour glass, a sand glass, and
it's as as runs the glass, our life doth pass. So,
(14:04):
in other words, you're gonna die.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
You're gonna die. Just in case it wasn't clear.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
All right, I'm gonna give you two more. I'm gonna
give you a fake and a real answer to his letters,
and you tell me what you think it is. All right,
let's do a D. The letter is d das for David.
King David succumbed to lust, causing God's disgust. Okay, that
(14:30):
or dis for deluge. The deluge drowned the earth round.
So either King David is punished for lust or the
whole world is punished for being.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
I'm going to go with a second one with the
deluge or deluge.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
You are correct, all right. I didn't get you on
that one, but maybe on this one. How about the
letter why? Why is either for youth? While youth do
you cheer? Death? May be deer? Well you you're gonna
die again?
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Yeah, a little hope. I was like, youth, that's so and.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Starts on or why is for you serve God well?
Or you shall go to Hell.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
I want to compliment you in both of these on
your grading fake nineteenth century religious couplets.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Because it's hard to tell which is the real one.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Well, it's nice of you to say, I'm worried. I'm
not gonna get you.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
But I think this is youth. I think youth.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
That that one just rings more true.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
You got it, so, yes, once more, another reminder you're
gonna You might be enjoying hoops and sticks right now,
but remember you're gonna die.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Pee is for play, play while you can, because soon
you'll be dead.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
I mean, it is so disturb One more textbook I
want to end with is Yes the First Science Tech
one of the first science textbooks in America eighteen thirty seven.
It's called First Lessons about Natural Philosophy for children eight
eight by a woman by Mary Swift. So I'm happy
(16:19):
about that, but it is it is a good example
of how facts change, as you were saying earlier. Sure,
so on page thirty three, the textbook has a quiz
that asks students how many continents are there? How many contents?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Well, look you've just opened the pedantic can of worms.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Uh huh, Well if you were in eighteen thirty seven,
what would you say?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
What would you say in eighteen thirty seven, you would
say three or less fewer fewer than three. The only
ones that count a Europe and North America.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
That's literally it, that is literally it is the Eastern
and Western continents. So the Eastern, the Western was North
and South America, and the Eastern was everything else.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Everything else.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Look, today we have different cultures, different countries teach different
numbers of continents, right is you're the one that I
think is most useful to talk about is Europe and Asia,
which are not geographically divided.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
They are one.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Big land masks right there teciclarly it's the continent of Eurasia.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
But politically we want.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
To draw a line somewhere. But you know, down the
middle of down the edge of Russia through the Caucasus
mountains somewhere in there that divides these two and they
really aren't geographically.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Well it is. There is a somewhat arbitrary how And
there's the debate over Australia and ocean is.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
An ocean Oceania Oceania.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Which I think is more accurate because it's not just Australia.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
All right, I.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Got one last one from this eighteen thirty seven textbook
What is the Bright Star in the Sky? It asks
what is the brightest star in the sky?
Speaker 4 (18:05):
What it's God?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
And you're going to die?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
I would like to say the Sun.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Well that's an interesting one. But they didn't consider the
Sun a star. No, but they did. I mean, what
you would say now is the dog Star series seriously considered.
But back then the brightest star in the sky was
the moon. Close Venus Venus venus, because planets were stars,
(18:35):
not all planets, not all stars were planets, but all
planets were stars. So planets and stars were the same.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Well, Venus Williams is a star, Let's be fair.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Great point, that's probably what they meant. That is probably
what they were thinking. Sure, well done, Greg, you are smarter,
well as smart as smart as eighteen thirty seven.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Who's going to die anyway?
Speaker 1 (19:01):
S are you don't yet?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
True?
Speaker 5 (19:03):
Fact?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
I mean they're not lying about that.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
No, no, listen. I am a big fan of Memento Maury,
but I figure maybe started around like fourteen fifteen. You
don't need to start.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
It and like goll get it in right at the beginning.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
All right, So there you go. If you want more,
even more fun puzzle content, check out our Instagram feed
at Hello Puzzlers. It's got visual puzzles, other fun original puzzles,
and of course we will see you here tomorrow for
more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
Hey Puzzlers, it's Greg pliska chief puzzle officer, here with
the extra credit answer from our previous episode. The words
are Harvard usiris us U r O u ASS. It's
actually a variant spelling of you, surious.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Outputs UTS and winding WI n DNG.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
This is a tricky one.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
It's very detailed.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
So if you look at the letter pattern of the
word Harvard, you'll notice ar appears as the second and
third and as the fifth and sixth letters, and that
is true in the words outputs and winding. They also
have a two letter state abbreviation as their second, third,
and fifth and sixth letters. Ucerius, on the other hand,
(20:29):
has the two letter abbreviation for the country US, and
it has that at either end instead of stuck in
the middle of the word. So Usurus is the odd
one out. It's also the odd one out because it's
a word you probably have never used in polite conversation
on like winding, outputs, and Harvard, which I.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Could imagine all being used in the same sentence. If
you have a sentence that uses.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
All those words, send it to us here at the Puzzler.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
We look forward to catching you next time for more
puzzling puzzles.
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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