November 23, 2023 • 20 mins
Hello, Puzzlers! On this special Thanksgiving edition, join A.J. and Greg at Mohonk Mountain House where we recorded this episode during the Wonderful World of Words weekend.
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask Chat GPT” and audio rebuses.
Subscribe to The Puzzler podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, puzzlers, Welcome to the Puzzler Podcast, the aglet on
your Puzzle shoelace. I'm your host, AJ Jacobs, and I
am here with our chief puzzle Officer, Greg Plisco.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome Greg, Thank you, Aj, I'm thank you everybody. As
you can hear from the sounds in the background, we
are here live at Mohunk Mountain House for the Wonderful
World of Words Weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I should say live. I mean obviously when people hear
this it will not be live. But we are now
live in the room with other people. And this is
an historical site. It's where you and I first met.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
That is That's why it's his story. Well, I had
president right.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's been here for over one hundred and fifty something years.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Mostly it's known as the place where you and I'm
at right.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, the Wonderful World of Words. It's been going on
for forty two years with founded by Larry and Gloria Roseenthal,
hosted by Will Shortz for many years, and I've been
hosting it for the last several But you came up
as a guest just to hang out in the enjoy
puzzles three years ago.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
I was kind of researching my book about puzzles. But
that's how we met.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, that's how we met, and that you guys asked
me to write puzzles for the book, and the book
was a tremendous success and a great pleasure to work on,
and that spawned the podcast. And here we are.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I know, well I saw what Greg did here and
I'm like, that's not bad. This is pretty good. I
love it. Let's get them involved in it. Here we
are there.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Come full circle. Well, the weekend is filled with wordplay, games, puzzles,
speakers on various topics, from grammar and linguistics to crosswords
and palindromes. We even played Giant Scramble. As you came
in too late last night to join us this year,
but we have a Giant Scrabble game we play.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And so, yeah, people have the tiles? Are they heavy?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Are they There's sixty pound woody tiles. If you can
get it across the board, you win, So.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Sort of a physical and mental health.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well, since we're recording this for Thanksgiving,
I thought it would be appropriate that we do a
little Thanksgiving themed puzzle that is nice. I'm calling it
Thanksgiving Feats feats instead of Thanksgiving feasts. Nice because we're
going to perform feats of wordplay. Each of the clues
will clue a traditional Thanksgiving food. And I'm going to
(02:30):
give you the clues in cryptic crossword style, oh, which
simply means there'll be a wordplay portion and a definition portion, right.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
And cryptics are they're sort of the British version of crosswords.
And some cryptics fans are very snobby about American crosswords,
like we're too easy for them. So these are super tricky.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
That's super tricky. And you know, other cryptics fans will
say they're easier than American style crosswords because there are
two clues. In every every clue, there's the wordplay and
there's the straight definition.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Okay, I don't believe.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
I don't believe in either, but I do say that.
So in this case, the definition is always going to
be something like Thanksgiving food, Thanksgiving dish, Thanksgiving dessert, whatever
it is. So and look, you're just trying to guess
something in the pool of things we normally eat at
an American Thanksgiving feast. I'm going to also tell you
the way the wordplay works. So the first kind of
(03:28):
clue we're going to play with. Is called a hidden clue, okay,
And in these the answer is hidden in the clue itself.
So here's an example. If I said Jacob's is discovered
in ta Jikastan, the answer would be you're looking at
me like I'm looking, well, you are, Jacobs.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I'm guessing it's part of Tajikistan, and it's hidden.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
It's discovered in ta Jikastan.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So Tajikastan is spelled t A j I k I
s t a N, so there is an AJ in.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Their answer is, of course aj inside to Jikistan.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
It was good that I did a little vamping, a
little because it took me a while to get it,
but I got it by the time I said the answer.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Unfortunately, for you, the answer to every one of these
will not be a J. That is a shame, both
because that would be too easy and also because you
are not a thanksgiving food yet exactly. So it might
be helpful to write these down. It's always I always
say that with clues like this, sometimes seeing the words
helps you see. But in every case the answer is
(04:38):
hidden in part of the clue.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Got it, And by the way, I am not the
greatest cryptic solver. So some of you will probably solve
it before me. I am going to ask for help.
I think yes, So I am gonna.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
You are allowed to ask for help.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Shout it out immediately, because give me, give me like
ten seconds to try, and all turn to you.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
People can raise their hands. If you get the answer,
shoot your hand up.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
That'll make me feel good. All right, sea of hands,
Well I'm struggling. All right, here's your first one. Traditionally,
Amsterdam is home to a Thanksgiving favorite. Amsterdam is home,
traditionally Amsterdam to a Thanksgiving I look at this, all
(05:27):
the hands shooting up, just making.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Me if you have a sense of what's going on
at least not so much.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Traditionally, I know is probably the definition.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
No, no, the definition in these is always thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Oh right, right, right, right right.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
So traditionally Amsterdam is home to a Thanksgiving favorite.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Well, Amsterdam. So within Amsterdam, there.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Is within traditionally Amsterdam.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Oh, traditionally Amsterdam. Okay, I'm writing it down. Look at
people are getting all, Oh got it, I got it.
Took a while. Okay, all right, we'll shout it out
since you guys gone.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, Jams is correct, because hidden inside the two words
traditionally Amsterdam, right in the middle is y a MS.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
All right, well, you know, here's my excuse. I once
did an article on the very first Thanksgiving ever, and
I don't believe they had yams. So that's why it
didn't occur to me. They had venison, they had oysters.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
It won't surprise you to know that venison and oysters
will not be answers today. Okay, if i'd known, I
could write the venison clue really quickly. Mean, we'll ask
our listeners to write a cryptic clue for the word venison,
and we'll all right, here's here's your next one. Inside
classic ornaments, you find a Thanksgiving dish.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
All right, I thinking, oh no, I'm not. I'm not
looking at the audience because I can't.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Shooting up everywhere I do, and ideally with a good
cryptic clue that the surf sense of it means something.
It's a little weird that inside an ornament you would
find a Thanksgiving dish, but that was the best I
could do. Inside classic ornaments, you find a Thanksgiving dish.
All right?
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I think I do have it, but I want to
hear it from from the experts.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
What do you hear?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Corn?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Corn is correct?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Classic ornaments. So you have the sea from Classic and
the orn from Ornaments. Yes, okay, I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well the porn is the answer. All right, one more
of these hidden clues. Inherent in viagra vying for Thanksgiving drippings?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Oh boy, that is that is racy.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
It is racy. Sometimes we get a little racy at Thanksgiving.
Say it again, inherent in viagra vying for Thanksgiving drippings.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Oh my goodness, thinking of this.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I will tell you this is what good puzzle solvers do.
They spot the thing that's the weirdest clue. Right, Thanksgiving
drippings is a little odd, but not as weird as
inherent in viagra vying for Thanksgiving? What is he talking about?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Parent in viagra?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Uh, viagra vying for Thanksgiving drippings.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I think my strategy. I'm just gonna name a bunch
of Thanksgiving No.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
No, Then you'll answer the rest of the clue.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I say, I am stuck. I'm gonna I'm gonna ask
for help from those in front of me. Anyone shouted out,
Oh grave ravy.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So hidden in viagra vying is g r a v one?
Speaker 1 (08:39):
All right, Well, you guys come up here. It's very stressful.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
You. What's what's extra embarrassing is that you're writing them
down and they're all just sitting there listening. But it's okay,
all right. Another kind of wordplay that's common in cryptic
puzzles and on our show actually is the anagram, where
you take a bunch of letters and rearrangched to make
a new word. Anagram clues and cryptics always include an
(09:02):
indicator of the anagram happening, some synonym for mixed up
or confused or messed around that indicates the next thing
is going to be messed around, and it's going to
be anagrammed for the.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
And I know sometimes they do drunk, which is good.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Drunk is a good anagram indicator. I don't think I
actually used drunk in this case, but I could throw
it in there. You want me to use drunk, Sure
you want to be drunk.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
I am not passionate about ours. Here we go tossing
it out, all right, ready.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Yeah, here we go. All right, here's your first one
drunk host soaked meat for Thanksgiving, dish drunk host, soapd meat,
soaked s o a ped.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Well, that doesn't sound delicious.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Well, that's why the host was drunk. Clearly drunk, host
soapd meat Thanksgiving dish.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Well, I'm guessing the part that you have to mix
up the letters. I'm guessing is host and also soaked
because host and also meat.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Oh and also host soaked meat. You're gonna take all
those letters come up with a Thanksgiving dish.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Oh my god. All right, now I'm going through my
this these hands.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Some of the people actually eat soaked meat for so
they didn't think it was an anagram at all. Oh
it's soaked meat. It's so delicious.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I love it. And look at all these smart people.
All right, So it's mix up the words host, soapd
and meat and you get mashed something potato potatoes. Oh
my god. All right, thank you, Jody. Can you edit that?
(10:48):
Edit that so it's like he says the clue and
then I say mashed potatoes. Please do that?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
So how we do it here on the puzzler? All right,
here's another one for you again. This is another anagram. Clue.
Bean curry scare ruined Thanksgiving condiments.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Oh my god, bean curry scare ruined Thanksgiving condiment. Well,
I will say being curry would would ruin it. Right,
And if you had a scare about bean curry, right
you just if you're allergic to being right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
It would ruin Thanksgiving and being curry.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I don't want to. I don't want to Yu young.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Get mail about curry, all right, So being curry, Wait,
being bean curry scare ruined Thanksgiving condiment. So in this case,
ruined is the anagram indicator and it's coming after the stuff.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
You have to you have to mix up the letters
of bean curry scared. Yeah, I'm not even going to
try because these people are here. Why should I waste
my mental energy? All right? Tell me.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Oh my branberry sauce. All the letters and bean curry scared.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
So not at the first Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So just saying exactly all right, one one more of
these rabbid pop nip Mike to get Thanksgiving treat. It's
like a like an exhort exhortation. Yes, rabbit pop nip
Mike to get Thanksgiving treat. A command you never give
(12:22):
to your dog. But in this case, rabbit is your
anagram indicator.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Right, and then pop pop pop p u p up.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Oh, say in the microphone, rabbit pop nip nip Mike
to get Thanksgiving treat.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Oh, I hear, and of course that doesn't help me.
I don't need the of course.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
There are thousands of listeners also yelling.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Of course I know, I was, I had, I was
making a little list as like ambrosia. Is he going
to do ambrosia? Please do ambrosia so I can.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
But I don't be in the constitution book that's coming out. Yeah,
maybe first Thanksgiving?
Speaker 1 (13:00):
All right, uh all right, uh muppin' muppin' pump Oh,
I think I got I think I got it, but
but say it for me, because you got it first,
so you deserve it.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Pumpkin pumpkin pie exactly. Wait, nip nip, pump nip nip,
Mike turns into pumpkin pie. Excellent, delicious. I know I
got two more of these, will do, and if the
episode's too long, will cut them out. And only these
people in the room.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
You baited and switched me only that we were done.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
And I got to thank God. Here's the here's the
payt and switch part of it. I'm also not going
to tell you how these clues work, Okay, so I'm
not giving you that these are not they're not hidden
or anagram clues. They're different, another style of wordplay, and
you're just gonna have to figure out what's going on.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Okay, all right? Oh oh, even worse.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Okay, game is a common Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Game is a common Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
So I I'm guessing I'm saying that, like it's just
a statement of fact, but it's also a cryptic clue.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I mean that one actually is true because venison was
was a common thing, so that one is historically accurate.
So I approve.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Do you know the answer? No?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
But game, I'm guessing game is a definition, so it's
like probably the use of the word game, but in
more of the.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Okay, you're on the right track. There's a I tell
you the kind of clue this is. Does anybody here
know the answer? We've got a few people that know
the answer. It's a it's a double definition clue. So
there there's the think common Thanksgiving food definition, and then
there's game is also a definition for the same word.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Is ambrosia a game? Is there a game called ambrosia?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Not the one we're looking for? Neither is venison? Sorry?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
All right, this is interesting. Well, how many letters?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Maybe that would help it's a six letter word. That's
fair in a crossword, you get to know it's a
six letter word.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I've been you've been tying one hand behind my back.
That's whole time, all right, So what's a six letter
word that's a game? Like poker? Sorry, Monopoly also a
Thanksgiving food. It's also a thanks I knew that.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I knew that I would posit that it's faster to
brainstorm Thanksgiving foods that are also games good playing. Then
list all the games.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
There are several thousand games only all right, I'm going
to put us out of our misery.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
What is it?
Speaker 1 (15:21):
People?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Turkey is not a game? Yeah, but I'm using a
fair But but in that sense, if using turkey in
the sense of a game, animals the same, it's the
same turkey as it is in the Thanksgiving food. In
this case, it's a different it's a kind of game
you play that is also a word. That's a kind
(15:46):
of Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Interesting but little side notes so that it gives buys
me time. Your son, I just asked him for a
fascinating fact, and he said that three strikes in a
row in bowling is called turkey, and bowling is a
game therefore maving little credit.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
That's good. I like that. It's a nice attempt, nice
appealing to me. I'm I'm using my son, however, huh.
All right, so there we go. Very good, Squash is
the answer squash.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Who said that three? Oh thank you sree.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
So Squash is both a game and a Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Very well done.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
All right, I'm going to give you another one. Hold on,
I need to get this paraphernalia. Interesting, that's paraphernalia.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I love it. Well, that is that's sort of like
our audio read.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
That's exactly why I did it for you. It's an
earbus a game we've done on the puzzle where it's
an audio rebus. So it's not just that I'm singing
the word paraphernalia. It's that I have to check the
pitch every time, Oh, paraphernalia.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
So it is either the note could be the note.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Oh I like that note might be important? Yes, all right,
if you have a perfect pitch, you can get it.
But you don't need perfect pitch. If you think of
the Thanksgiving food, that might relate to paraphernalia sung on
that note scene A, I am no it was this note.
It was a g A g familia, So G.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
My wife is shaking her head that she has no idea,
so thank that makes me feel much the.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Ether end, my wife is shaking her head with glee.
You met their wives at a Crossard puzzle turn.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
All right, let's hear it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
What is it? Stuffing stuff in g very clever, very clever?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
There we go, love it all right? Well that was humiliating.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Thanks Giving Feats live at mohawnk Mountain House.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Anyway. So that's our Thanksgiving feast or feats, and I'm
glad we got to share it. And I'm glad we've
got listeners out there sharing it too.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Well. I'm thankful for you, Greg, I'm thankful for Jody, Adam,
Neely Andrea, and thankful for the listeners. I am very
grateful that they're enjoying the show and grateful that they're
telling their friends that one. I'm just sort of throwing
out there, and do you have an extra credit for.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
And since our puzzlers have a whole Thanksgiving day to
hang out and talk about this and work on it,
I'm again not going to tell how the wordplay works
fair enough, so people are gonna have to figure it out.
Here's the clue. Felon finally escapes from jailer to get
a Thanksgiving meal.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Got it? I didn't get it, but I just thought
he's gonna know whether I got it or not.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Yeah, exactly. So there, Felon finally escapes from jailer to
get a Thanksgiving meal.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Yeah, this has been a blast.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
I'm thankful we met right here three years.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Ago at the Wonderful World of Words weekend.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Yes, Also, you know what's a good topic at the
Thanksgiving table the Puzzler Podcast. Throw out some of these things,
maybe just the thought, and we will meet you here
tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Hello puzzlers. Greg Pliska here with the extra credit answer
from our previous show. We played crossword Family Feud with
Ofira Eisenberg and gave you the clue Star, or rather
the word star, and you had to come up with
what the common crossword clues for that word might be.
(20:06):
Those answers would be clues having to do with astronomy.
Number one, clues having to do with ratings like five
star ratings. Number two, number three is any clue around
the symbol of a star and number four is the
word star in terms of celebrity. I hope you had
(20:27):
fun playing with us, and we'll see you next time
on the Puzzler Podcast
Hello, puzzlers, Welcome to the Puzzler Podcast, the aglet on
your Puzzle shoelace. I'm your host, AJ Jacobs, and I
am here with our chief puzzle Officer, Greg Plisco.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome Greg, Thank you, Aj, I'm thank you everybody. As
you can hear from the sounds in the background, we
are here live at Mohunk Mountain House for the Wonderful
World of Words Weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I should say live. I mean obviously when people hear
this it will not be live. But we are now
live in the room with other people. And this is
an historical site. It's where you and I first met.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
That is That's why it's his story. Well, I had
president right.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's been here for over one hundred and fifty something years.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Mostly it's known as the place where you and I'm
at right.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, the Wonderful World of Words. It's been going on
for forty two years with founded by Larry and Gloria Roseenthal,
hosted by Will Shortz for many years, and I've been
hosting it for the last several But you came up
as a guest just to hang out in the enjoy
puzzles three years ago.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
I was kind of researching my book about puzzles. But
that's how we met.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, that's how we met, and that you guys asked
me to write puzzles for the book, and the book
was a tremendous success and a great pleasure to work on,
and that spawned the podcast. And here we are.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I know, well I saw what Greg did here and
I'm like, that's not bad. This is pretty good. I
love it. Let's get them involved in it. Here we
are there.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Come full circle. Well, the weekend is filled with wordplay, games, puzzles,
speakers on various topics, from grammar and linguistics to crosswords
and palindromes. We even played Giant Scramble. As you came
in too late last night to join us this year,
but we have a Giant Scrabble game we play.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And so, yeah, people have the tiles? Are they heavy?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Are they There's sixty pound woody tiles. If you can
get it across the board, you win, So.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Sort of a physical and mental health.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well, since we're recording this for Thanksgiving,
I thought it would be appropriate that we do a
little Thanksgiving themed puzzle that is nice. I'm calling it
Thanksgiving Feats feats instead of Thanksgiving feasts. Nice because we're
going to perform feats of wordplay. Each of the clues
will clue a traditional Thanksgiving food. And I'm going to
(02:30):
give you the clues in cryptic crossword style, oh, which
simply means there'll be a wordplay portion and a definition portion, right.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
And cryptics are they're sort of the British version of crosswords.
And some cryptics fans are very snobby about American crosswords,
like we're too easy for them. So these are super tricky.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
That's super tricky. And you know, other cryptics fans will
say they're easier than American style crosswords because there are
two clues. In every every clue, there's the wordplay and
there's the straight definition.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Okay, I don't believe.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
I don't believe in either, but I do say that.
So in this case, the definition is always going to
be something like Thanksgiving food, Thanksgiving dish, Thanksgiving dessert, whatever
it is. So and look, you're just trying to guess
something in the pool of things we normally eat at
an American Thanksgiving feast. I'm going to also tell you
the way the wordplay works. So the first kind of
(03:28):
clue we're going to play with. Is called a hidden clue, okay,
And in these the answer is hidden in the clue itself.
So here's an example. If I said Jacob's is discovered
in ta Jikastan, the answer would be you're looking at
me like I'm looking, well, you are, Jacobs.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
I'm guessing it's part of Tajikistan, and it's hidden.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
It's discovered in ta Jikastan.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So Tajikastan is spelled t A j I k I
s t a N, so there is an AJ in.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Their answer is, of course aj inside to Jikistan.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
It was good that I did a little vamping, a
little because it took me a while to get it,
but I got it by the time I said the answer.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Unfortunately, for you, the answer to every one of these
will not be a J. That is a shame, both
because that would be too easy and also because you
are not a thanksgiving food yet exactly. So it might
be helpful to write these down. It's always I always
say that with clues like this, sometimes seeing the words
helps you see. But in every case the answer is
(04:38):
hidden in part of the clue.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Got it, And by the way, I am not the
greatest cryptic solver. So some of you will probably solve
it before me. I am going to ask for help.
I think yes, So I am gonna.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
You are allowed to ask for help.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Shout it out immediately, because give me, give me like
ten seconds to try, and all turn to you.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
People can raise their hands. If you get the answer,
shoot your hand up.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
That'll make me feel good. All right, sea of hands,
Well I'm struggling. All right, here's your first one. Traditionally,
Amsterdam is home to a Thanksgiving favorite. Amsterdam is home,
traditionally Amsterdam to a Thanksgiving I look at this, all
(05:27):
the hands shooting up, just making.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Me if you have a sense of what's going on
at least not so much.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Traditionally, I know is probably the definition.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
No, no, the definition in these is always thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Oh right, right, right, right right.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
So traditionally Amsterdam is home to a Thanksgiving favorite.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Well, Amsterdam. So within Amsterdam, there.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Is within traditionally Amsterdam.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Oh, traditionally Amsterdam. Okay, I'm writing it down. Look at
people are getting all, Oh got it, I got it.
Took a while. Okay, all right, we'll shout it out
since you guys gone.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, Jams is correct, because hidden inside the two words
traditionally Amsterdam, right in the middle is y a MS.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
All right, well, you know, here's my excuse. I once
did an article on the very first Thanksgiving ever, and
I don't believe they had yams. So that's why it
didn't occur to me. They had venison, they had oysters.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
It won't surprise you to know that venison and oysters
will not be answers today. Okay, if i'd known, I
could write the venison clue really quickly. Mean, we'll ask
our listeners to write a cryptic clue for the word venison,
and we'll all right, here's here's your next one. Inside
classic ornaments, you find a Thanksgiving dish.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
All right, I thinking, oh no, I'm not. I'm not
looking at the audience because I can't.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Shooting up everywhere I do, and ideally with a good
cryptic clue that the surf sense of it means something.
It's a little weird that inside an ornament you would
find a Thanksgiving dish, but that was the best I
could do. Inside classic ornaments, you find a Thanksgiving dish.
All right?
Speaker 1 (07:10):
I think I do have it, but I want to
hear it from from the experts.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
What do you hear?
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Corn?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Corn is correct?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Classic ornaments. So you have the sea from Classic and
the orn from Ornaments. Yes, okay, I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well the porn is the answer. All right, one more
of these hidden clues. Inherent in viagra vying for Thanksgiving drippings?
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Oh boy, that is that is racy.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
It is racy. Sometimes we get a little racy at Thanksgiving.
Say it again, inherent in viagra vying for Thanksgiving drippings.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Oh my goodness, thinking of this.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I will tell you this is what good puzzle solvers do.
They spot the thing that's the weirdest clue. Right, Thanksgiving
drippings is a little odd, but not as weird as
inherent in viagra vying for Thanksgiving? What is he talking about?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Parent in viagra?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Uh, viagra vying for Thanksgiving drippings.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I think my strategy. I'm just gonna name a bunch
of Thanksgiving No.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
No, Then you'll answer the rest of the clue.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I say, I am stuck. I'm gonna I'm gonna ask
for help from those in front of me. Anyone shouted out,
Oh grave ravy.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So hidden in viagra vying is g r a v one?
Speaker 1 (08:39):
All right, Well, you guys come up here. It's very stressful.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
You. What's what's extra embarrassing is that you're writing them
down and they're all just sitting there listening. But it's okay,
all right. Another kind of wordplay that's common in cryptic
puzzles and on our show actually is the anagram, where
you take a bunch of letters and rearrangched to make
a new word. Anagram clues and cryptics always include an
(09:02):
indicator of the anagram happening, some synonym for mixed up
or confused or messed around that indicates the next thing
is going to be messed around, and it's going to
be anagrammed for the.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
And I know sometimes they do drunk, which is good.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Drunk is a good anagram indicator. I don't think I
actually used drunk in this case, but I could throw
it in there. You want me to use drunk, Sure
you want to be drunk.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
I am not passionate about ours. Here we go tossing
it out, all right, ready.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Yeah, here we go. All right, here's your first one
drunk host soaked meat for Thanksgiving, dish drunk host, soapd meat,
soaked s o a ped.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Well, that doesn't sound delicious.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Well, that's why the host was drunk. Clearly drunk, host
soapd meat Thanksgiving dish.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Well, I'm guessing the part that you have to mix
up the letters. I'm guessing is host and also soaked
because host and also meat.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Oh and also host soaked meat. You're gonna take all
those letters come up with a Thanksgiving dish.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Oh my god. All right, now I'm going through my
this these hands.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Some of the people actually eat soaked meat for so
they didn't think it was an anagram at all. Oh
it's soaked meat. It's so delicious.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
I love it. And look at all these smart people.
All right, So it's mix up the words host, soapd
and meat and you get mashed something potato potatoes. Oh
my god. All right, thank you, Jody. Can you edit that?
(10:48):
Edit that so it's like he says the clue and
then I say mashed potatoes. Please do that?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
So how we do it here on the puzzler? All right,
here's another one for you again. This is another anagram. Clue.
Bean curry scare ruined Thanksgiving condiments.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Oh my god, bean curry scare ruined Thanksgiving condiment. Well,
I will say being curry would would ruin it. Right,
And if you had a scare about bean curry, right
you just if you're allergic to being right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
It would ruin Thanksgiving and being curry.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I don't want to. I don't want to Yu young.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Get mail about curry, all right, So being curry, Wait,
being bean curry scare ruined Thanksgiving condiment. So in this case,
ruined is the anagram indicator and it's coming after the stuff.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
You have to you have to mix up the letters
of bean curry scared. Yeah, I'm not even going to
try because these people are here. Why should I waste
my mental energy? All right? Tell me.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Oh my branberry sauce. All the letters and bean curry scared.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
So not at the first Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So just saying exactly all right, one one more of
these rabbid pop nip Mike to get Thanksgiving treat. It's
like a like an exhort exhortation. Yes, rabbit pop nip
Mike to get Thanksgiving treat. A command you never give
(12:22):
to your dog. But in this case, rabbit is your
anagram indicator.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Right, and then pop pop pop p u p up.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Oh, say in the microphone, rabbit pop nip nip Mike
to get Thanksgiving treat.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Oh, I hear, and of course that doesn't help me.
I don't need the of course.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
There are thousands of listeners also yelling.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Of course I know, I was, I had, I was
making a little list as like ambrosia. Is he going
to do ambrosia? Please do ambrosia so I can.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
But I don't be in the constitution book that's coming out. Yeah,
maybe first Thanksgiving?
Speaker 1 (13:00):
All right, uh all right, uh muppin' muppin' pump Oh,
I think I got I think I got it, but
but say it for me, because you got it first,
so you deserve it.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Pumpkin pumpkin pie exactly. Wait, nip nip, pump nip nip,
Mike turns into pumpkin pie. Excellent, delicious. I know I
got two more of these, will do, and if the
episode's too long, will cut them out. And only these
people in the room.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
You baited and switched me only that we were done.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
And I got to thank God. Here's the here's the
payt and switch part of it. I'm also not going
to tell you how these clues work, Okay, so I'm
not giving you that these are not they're not hidden
or anagram clues. They're different, another style of wordplay, and
you're just gonna have to figure out what's going on.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Okay, all right? Oh oh, even worse.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Okay, game is a common Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Game is a common Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
So I I'm guessing I'm saying that, like it's just
a statement of fact, but it's also a cryptic clue.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I mean that one actually is true because venison was
was a common thing, so that one is historically accurate.
So I approve.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Do you know the answer? No?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
But game, I'm guessing game is a definition, so it's
like probably the use of the word game, but in
more of the.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Okay, you're on the right track. There's a I tell
you the kind of clue this is. Does anybody here
know the answer? We've got a few people that know
the answer. It's a it's a double definition clue. So
there there's the think common Thanksgiving food definition, and then
there's game is also a definition for the same word.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Is ambrosia a game? Is there a game called ambrosia?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Not the one we're looking for? Neither is venison? Sorry?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
All right, this is interesting. Well, how many letters?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Maybe that would help it's a six letter word. That's
fair in a crossword, you get to know it's a
six letter word.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
I've been you've been tying one hand behind my back.
That's whole time, all right, So what's a six letter
word that's a game? Like poker? Sorry, Monopoly also a
Thanksgiving food. It's also a thanks I knew that.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I knew that I would posit that it's faster to
brainstorm Thanksgiving foods that are also games good playing. Then
list all the games.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
There are several thousand games only all right, I'm going
to put us out of our misery.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
What is it?
Speaker 1 (15:21):
People?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Turkey is not a game? Yeah, but I'm using a
fair But but in that sense, if using turkey in
the sense of a game, animals the same, it's the
same turkey as it is in the Thanksgiving food. In
this case, it's a different it's a kind of game
you play that is also a word. That's a kind
(15:46):
of Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Interesting but little side notes so that it gives buys
me time. Your son, I just asked him for a
fascinating fact, and he said that three strikes in a
row in bowling is called turkey, and bowling is a
game therefore maving little credit.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
That's good. I like that. It's a nice attempt, nice
appealing to me. I'm I'm using my son, however, huh.
All right, so there we go. Very good, Squash is
the answer squash.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Who said that three? Oh thank you sree.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
So Squash is both a game and a Thanksgiving food.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Very well done.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
All right, I'm going to give you another one. Hold on,
I need to get this paraphernalia. Interesting, that's paraphernalia.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I love it. Well, that is that's sort of like
our audio read.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
That's exactly why I did it for you. It's an
earbus a game we've done on the puzzle where it's
an audio rebus. So it's not just that I'm singing
the word paraphernalia. It's that I have to check the
pitch every time, Oh, paraphernalia.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
So it is either the note could be the note.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Oh I like that note might be important? Yes, all right,
if you have a perfect pitch, you can get it.
But you don't need perfect pitch. If you think of
the Thanksgiving food, that might relate to paraphernalia sung on
that note scene A, I am no it was this note.
It was a g A g familia, So G.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
My wife is shaking her head that she has no idea,
so thank that makes me feel much the.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Ether end, my wife is shaking her head with glee.
You met their wives at a Crossard puzzle turn.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
All right, let's hear it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
What is it? Stuffing stuff in g very clever, very clever?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
There we go, love it all right? Well that was humiliating.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Thanks Giving Feats live at mohawnk Mountain House.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Anyway. So that's our Thanksgiving feast or feats, and I'm
glad we got to share it. And I'm glad we've
got listeners out there sharing it too.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Well. I'm thankful for you, Greg, I'm thankful for Jody, Adam,
Neely Andrea, and thankful for the listeners. I am very
grateful that they're enjoying the show and grateful that they're
telling their friends that one. I'm just sort of throwing
out there, and do you have an extra credit for.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
And since our puzzlers have a whole Thanksgiving day to
hang out and talk about this and work on it,
I'm again not going to tell how the wordplay works
fair enough, so people are gonna have to figure it out.
Here's the clue. Felon finally escapes from jailer to get
a Thanksgiving meal.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Got it? I didn't get it, but I just thought
he's gonna know whether I got it or not.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Yeah, exactly. So there, Felon finally escapes from jailer to
get a Thanksgiving meal.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Yeah, this has been a blast.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
I'm thankful we met right here three years.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Ago at the Wonderful World of Words weekend.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Yes, Also, you know what's a good topic at the
Thanksgiving table the Puzzler Podcast. Throw out some of these things,
maybe just the thought, and we will meet you here
tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Hello puzzlers. Greg Pliska here with the extra credit answer
from our previous show. We played crossword Family Feud with
Ofira Eisenberg and gave you the clue Star, or rather
the word star, and you had to come up with
what the common crossword clues for that word might be.
(20:06):
Those answers would be clues having to do with astronomy.
Number one, clues having to do with ratings like five
star ratings. Number two, number three is any clue around
the symbol of a star and number four is the
word star in terms of celebrity. I hope you had
(20:27):
fun playing with us, and we'll see you next time
on the Puzzler Podcast
Hosts And Creators
Greg Pliska
A.J. Jacobs
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