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Sunday Puzzle: Hidden Figures in Two-Word Phrases

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: This week's puzzle celebrates Black History Month. Each answer is the last name of a notable Black American, past or present, hidden inside a two-word phrase. For example, if I gave you the phrase SWELLING TONGUE you would give me the name ELLINGTON, as in Duke Ellington, the famous musician and composer.

The two-word phrases won't necessarily be real dictionary phrases, but each will hide the surname of a famous person.

1.) BATHTUB MANUAL

2.) PUMPKIN GRANOLA

3.) GERBIL ESCALATOR

4.) MANITOBA MAILBOX

5.) ALABAMA HOMESTEAD

6.) ARCHANGEL OUTSIDE

7.) KANDAHAR RISING

Last week's challenge: Came to us from listener Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco, also known as the singer Kid Beyond. Think of a famous character in American literature. Change each letter in that character's name to its position in the alphabet — A=1, B=2, etc. — to get a famous year in American history. Who is this person and what is the year?

Challenge answer: Ahab, 1812

Winner: Tom Gould of Cambridge, Massachusetts

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes to us from listener Eric Berlin of Milford, Connecticut. Take the word SETS. You can add a three-letter word to this twice to get a common phrase: SPARE PARTS. Can you now do this with the word GENIE, add a three-letter word to it twice to get a common phrase. Again, start with GENIE, insert a three-letter word twice, get a common phrase.

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, February 29th 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.

Copyright 2024 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).
Greg Pliska