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Sunday Puzzle: Add the A-T!

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: I'm going to give you clues for two words or phrases. Add the letters A-T consecutively somewhere inside the first word to get the second one.

Ex. Experience again / Aunt or uncle --> RELIVE, RELATIVE


1. Play, as a guitar / Layer of rock

2. Hunter constellation / Grand speech

3. Pierce slightly, as with a needle / Saint celebrated on March 17

4. Spanish mister / Certain legislator

5. Piece of furniture to sit in / Certain allergen (2 wds.)

6. Comedian Ellen / Sinks in quality

7. Organs that smell / What "Standing room only" means (2 wds.)

8. [add AT twice consecutively inside the first word to get the second one:] Shaped like a dunce cap, geometrically / In an immobile or unresponsive stupor

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge comes from Peter Collins, of Ann Arbor, Mich. You'll remember he had the challenge two weeks ago in which MEMORIAL could be rearranged to spell LIMA and ROME. This time name a food item you might order at a fast-food restaurant. The first, second, and last letters together name another food item. Remove those. The remaining letters spelled backward name yet another food item. What foods are these?

Challenge answer: Nugget --> nut, egg

Winner: Carol Baldauf of Columbus, OH.

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Steve Baggish, of Arlington, Mass. Name a popular rock band — one that everyone knows. Add a "B" sound at the end, and phonetically you'll name a place where you might hear this band play. What band is it?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to this week's challenge, submit it here by Thursday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you.

Produced by Lennon Sherburne contributed to this story

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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).