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'Hailing Cabs'

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home.

Challenge from Oct. 30:

This week's challenge is from listener Ron Gallop.

Take the names pelican and antelope, the first is a bird the second a mammal.

The last two letters of pelican are the first two letters of antelope, and the last two letters of antelope are the first two of pelican, completing a loop.

Can you name another bird and mammal that this is true of?

These should be the general name of the bird and mammal not a specific breed or gender.

Hint: Each is a single word no more than eight letters.

Answer: Cardinal and alpaca

Winner: Lynda Unowsky, from Hot Springs Village, Ark.

Challenge from Nov. 6:

This week's challenge comes from listener Tom Sylke, from Whitefish Bay, Wis.

Take a familiar brand name, seen along roads and highways in the United States. It has five letters, two syllables. The first syllable, phonetically, is a word that is the opposite of the word spelled by the second syllable. What brand name is it?

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NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).