Promising Stars

Q:


Think of a seven letter word for what you see on "American Idol".  Add one letter to name what you see on the campaign trail.

Photo courtesy of

Oh-Barcelona.com

A:

I thought the image was pretty cool as well as a hint.  It is an abstract of David and Goliath.  What you see on "American Idol" are singers.  Add an "L" and you get slingers, as in mud.    

A Cute Puzzle for Word Geeks Like Us

Q:


Think of a synonym of the word prelude.  Think of a synonym of the word presuming.  Your answer should be a pair of homophones that are appropriately tied to the title of this puzzle.

Photo courtesy of

eschipul

A:

The image refers to Lincoln's Gettysburg address, "Four score...".  A prelude can be a foreword and a presuming person may be forward.  A cute puzzle "for word" geeks like us. 

Say What?

Q:


In the quiz show "Jeopardy!", three contestants compete for the right to return and play the following day (and oodles of cash, of course).  The winner moves on and the losers are replaced with two fresh faces.  The winner occupies the leftmost lectern and let's say the returning champ from the previous week is named "Bob".  Consider these two scenarios:

A:  Bob continues his winning ways and remains champ Monday through Friday, retaining his spot at the first lectern.

B:  Bob loses on Monday and is replaced with a new champ (Mary) who will occupy the first lectern when returning on Tuesday.  Mary loses, and as it turns out no one is able to win two days in a row.  This results in the first lectern being home to five different contestants Monday through Friday.

With this in mind, what is the minimum and maximum number of contestants needed to field a game of "Jeopardy!" for one week?

Photo courtesy of

 Shawn M. Smith

A:

After giving it some thought, the answer became obvious and indisputable.  At first I thought it was strange that regardless if Bob remains champ and faces two new challengers each day, or five different champs face two new challengers, the number is the same.  But that's the way life goes. It takes eleven players to field a game of "Jeopardy!" for one week.

Failed Expectation

Q:


"You give and give and give and it's never enough.  They don't care.  They just keep coming back for more."  Think of an eight letter word that might describe people like this.

Rearrange those eight letters to name someone who takes and takes and takes and keeps coming back for more.

Photo courtesy of

RLHyde

A:

The title refers to http error code 417, "Expectation Failed", and 417 may also refer to April 17th.  The image is a grate.  

Ingrates                IRS Agent

What's the Connection, Sir?

Q:  


Take the word "blew".  Add three letters before and three letters after to name something controlled by the wind.  The answer is a familiar single word.

Photo courtesy of

kretyen

A:

The image is a bit of a red herring in that bubble in not part of the intended answer.  Sir Elton John used the answer with the word connection as the name of his third record, "Tumbleweed Connection".

TUMBLEWEED

What Do We Have In Common?

Q:

"Before and After" is a "Wheel of Fortune" category where one phrase ends with a certain word, and the next phrase begins with the same word.  The common word is used only once.  For example, "bus stop" and "stop, drop and roll"  would read as "bus stop, drop and roll".

Take the phrase "Desmond is safe" and rearrange the letters to get three new words.  Then think of a word that can be added to make a "Before and After" phrase appropriate for this time of year.

Photo courtesy of

Leszek.Leszczynski

A:

"March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb".   Rearrange the letters in "Desmond is safe" to get ides of madness.

Ides of - March - Madness

Feels Like Only Yesterday

Q:


How about a good old fashioned rebus?

Photos courtesy of avlxyz, Eva Rinaldi, Leigh Harries, Alan Light

For a larger view of the image, you can click on the image itself or the attribution below the image.

A:

Probably one of the easiest puzzles I've put up.  The title refers to Tuesday, March 8th.  

Soup  +  Purr  +  2's  +  Dey (Susan)

Super Tuesday