This for That

Q:


Many words can be spelled by stringing together two US postal abbreviations -  co-ok, me-al, or-ca,  etc.  There are also (though fewer) words spelled by stringing three together, as in va-nd-al.

Name an eight letter word that is spelled by stringing four US postal abbreviations together.

Photo courtesy of

Keith Williamson

A:

Although there are several possibilities, I was looking for one in particular. 

The title is the English translation of the Latin phrase Quid Pro Quo.  The question hints at food, seafood in particular.  The chandeliers represent the political leanings of the states involved, blue, red, blue and blue.

CA   -   LA   -   MA   -   RI

What The Heck Was That Guy's Name?

Q:


ROT 13 is a simple code where a letter is moved 13 places forward in the alphabet.  For example, A goes to N, B goes to O, etc.  For letters in the second half of the alphabet, move the letters 13 places earlier.  T goes to G, etc.  This should help:

A        B        C        D        E        F        G        H       I        J        K        L        M

N        O       P         Q        R       S         T        U      V       W      X        Y        Z

Think of a large island whose last letter is a ROT 13 of its first letter.  Remove the first and last letters and the result when ROT 13ed will name the general category of an endangered species there.

Photo courtesy of

My Melting Brain

A:

The image is a screensaver from the movie The Matrix and that guy's name was Neo.  B and O are rot 13's of each other.  The sun bear is an endangered species on this island that is home to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Photo courtesy of

Andrew.Napier

Borneo               Bear

No Way!

Q:  


Think of a six letter word meaning "man".  Add an E and a W somewhere in the word  (without rearranging any letters) to name something the man might consume.

Swap an O and an R for the E and W.  Change the first letter to an S and rearrange the result to name something this particular man might wear.

Photo courtesy of

Waponi

A:

The title is the first part of a familiar phrase - "No way, Jose".  The image is some arrows.

Hombre          Homebrew          Sombrero

The Shape of Things to Come

Q:


Take the phrase "Happy Goats in Cashmere".  Change one letter in "Happy Goats" and one letter in "in Cashmere".  Rearrange the letters in each smaller phrase to name a couple of really smart fellas.

Photo courtesy of 

Erik Daniel Drost

A:

The title refers not to our future dietary habits, but to circles and triangles.  The men in question were great thinkers in the field of ancient mathematics.  The image, well...

Pythagoras           Archimedes

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.