Sunday Puzzle: An A.C. puzzle to beat the heat

Transcript

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

It's time to play the Puzzle.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RASCOE: Joining us is Will Shortz. He's puzzle editor of The New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION. Hey there, Will.

WILL SHORTZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha. Welcome back.

RASCOE: Thank you. So, Will, would you please remind us of last week's challenge?

SHORTZ: Yeah, it was a cute one from Adam Aaronson of Deerfield, Ill. I said, think of a classic movie title in which the initials of all the words up to the last one spell the number of letters in the last word. What film is it?

And the answer is "The Wizard of Oz" because the initials of the wizard of are T-W-O, which is the number of letters in Oz.

RASCOE: Oh, OK. Well, there were over 1,300 correct entries, so a lot of people got this. And this week's winner is John Nacy of Jefferson City, Miss., the mighty capital of Missouri. Congratulations, John.

JOHN NACY: Thank you.

RASCOE: So, John, how long have you been playing the puzzle?

NACY: I've been playing for 20 years.

RASCOE: Oh, wow. And have you ever won before?

NACY: I never have. I submit regularly, but I never have.

RASCOE: OK, well, today is your lucky day. What do you do when you're not playing the Puzzle?

NACY: I am a retired subsidies (ph) counselor, and I like to travel and go see all the capitals.

RASCOE: Oh, OK. That's cool. And you live in a capital, and you like to go to visit other capitals?

NACY: Yes. Yeah. The one here is about a mile from my house.

RASCOE: Well, I'm glad that you are on after all of those years of trying. It shows that persistence pays off. And so I got to ask you, John, are you ready to play the Puzzle?

NACY: I am.

RASCOE: All right. Take it away, Will.

SHORTZ: Yeah. Every answer today is a familiar two-word phrase or name with the initials A-C. For example, if I said summer cooler, you would say air conditioner. Here's No. 1, a type of electricity.

NACY: Alternate current.

SHORTZ: You got it. No. 2 - something that rings to wake you up in the morning.

NACY: Alarm clock.

SHORTZ: Uh-huh. LAX for Los Angeles International or LGA for LaGuardia.

NACY: Airport code.

SHORTZ: Uh-huh. Color prism for Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon," for example.

NACY: It's a prism. I know that.

SHORTZ: It's an example. Where did that artwork appear?

NACY: Oh, album cover.

SHORTZ: Album cover is right. Ship from which military jets take off.

NACY: Aircraft carrier.

SHORTZ: Uh-huh. Mystery writer who created Miss Marple.

NACY: Agatha Christie.

SHORTZ: Uh-huh. Gangster known as Scarface.

NACY: Al Capone.

SHORTZ: That's right. Longtime host of "Masterpiece Theater."

NACY: Alistair Cook.

SHORTZ: Excellent. French playwright who wrote "The Plague."

NACY: Albert Camus.

SHORTZ: That's right. Annual yachting competition.

NACY: America Cup.

SHORTZ: That's right. I think it might be the America's Cup. Closest star system to Earth.

NACY: Alpha Centauri.

SHORTZ: That's right. What Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren each wrote.

NACY: Advice columns.

SHORTZ: Uh-huh. A container that sprays a mist.

NACY: I need some help, please.

RASCOE: A container that sprays mist...

SHORTZ: And it's bad for the ozone layer.

RASCOE: Oh, so, like, hair spray - like, a aerosol...

SHORTZ: Yes.

RASCOE: ...Can.

NACY: Aerosol can.

SHORTZ: That's it. Excellent. And here's your last one. A signal that danger is over.

NACY: Help, please, again.

SHORTZ: Like if a tornado was coming through your area.

NACY: Oh....

RASCOE: And you would say, at the end of it, this is what you'll feel. All...

NACY: Oh, all clear.

RASCOE: (Laughter).

SHORTZ: All clear is right. Good job.

RASCOE: Great job. You did an amazing job. Really, you was going through at, like, 100%. And you got a whole bunch that I would have never gotten. (Laughter) So great job. How do you feel?

NACY: Relieved.

RASCOE: OK. (Laughter) Well, you're all clear on this. You did a great job. For playing our Puzzle today, you'll get a WEEKEND EDITION lapel pin as well as puzzle books and games. You can read all about it at npr.org/puzzle. And, John, what member station do you listen to?

NACY: KBIA out of Columbia, Miss.

RASCOE: That's John Nacy of Jefferson City, Miss. Thanks for playing the Puzzle.

NACY: Thank you very much.

RASCOE: OK, Will, what's next week's challenge?

SHORTZ: Yes, it comes from listener Judy Seaman of Sandy Springs, Ga. Think of a famous American woman with a two-syllable last name. The first syllable is spelled like a body part but is not pronounced like one. And the second syllable is pronounced like a body part but isn't spelled like one. Who is this famous woman?

So, again, a famous American woman, two-syllable last name - the first syllable is spelled like a body part but not pronounced like one, and the second syllable is pronounced like a body part but not spelled like one. What famous American woman is this?

RASCOE: When you have the answer, go to our website, npr.org/puzzle and click on the Submit Your Answer link. Remember, just one entry, please. Our deadline for entries this week is Thursday, August 8 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't forget to include a phone number where we can reach you. If you're the winner, we'll give you a call. And if you pick up the phone, you'll get to play on the air with the puzzle editor of The New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION, Will Shortz. Thank you, Will.

SHORTZ: Thanks, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.