Sunday Puzzle: Hidden Capitals

Transcript:

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

It’s time to play the Puzzle.

(SOUNDBITE OF STEVEN HENLEY JR.’S “PLAY THE PUZZLE”)

RASCOE: Joining us this week is Will Shortz. He’s puzzle editor of The New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION. How’s it going, Will?

WILL SHORTZ: Excellent, Ayesha. How are you?

RASCOE: I am good. Now, Will, would you please remind us of last week’s challenge?

SHORTZ: Yes, it came from Ed Pegg Jr. I said, the onetime country duo Montgomery Gentry and the classic song “Go On With The Wedding” have a very unusual wordplay property in common. What is it? Well, in each name, every letter appears exactly twice, which is pretty amazing for such long names.

RASCOE: Wow. OK. Now, a lot of y’all did not get this right (laughter). There were more than three – or maybe y’all were taking a break ’cause of the holiday weekend. But there were more than 300 correct entries, and this week’s winner is Clive Jerram of Rockville, Maryland. Congratulations, Clive.

CLIVE JERRAM: Thank you very much, Ayesha. This is a great honor for me.

RASCOE: OK. Yeah, so how did you figure this one out?

JERRAM: Well, I actually did this the old-fashioned way, writing down the words and seeing what I could do with them. At first, I thought the phrases may have been anagrams of each other. And then when I was going through the letters to check them off, I realized that there were two of them. And yeah, that seemed to work.

RASCOE: OK (laughter). Well, that is great ’cause I think this was a tough one. How long have you been playing the Puzzle?

JERRAM: Oh, for many, many years. Now, I’ve kind of lost track. I’ve only sent in answers using email, but yeah, I think I was listening back in the postcard days.

RASCOE: OK. Now, you don’t sound like you’re originally from Rockville, Maryland. Were you listening to the Puzzle across the pond?

JERRAM: No, I saw it only since I came over here. But yeah, I’ve been living in the country for over 20 years now. I originally came over in 2001 for a year. I came with a job, and things drifted a little.

RASCOE: OK (laughter), and you decided to stick around?

JERRAM: I did, yes. I met a wonderful American woman and so yeah. I decided it was worth staying here with her.

RASCOE: OK. And everything has worked out? Y’all together and…

JERRAM: Yeah, worked out better than I could have ever hoped. Yeah, but I’m – the only thing I do need to do is make sure I keep my accent because that’s the main thing she finds attractive about me.

RASCOE: OK. OK, I can see that. Yes, no, that’s a great accent. So yes, so you’re doing a great job with that. Clive, are you ready to play the Puzzle?

JERRAM: Absolutely.

RASCOE: All right, take it away, Will.

SHORTZ: All right, Clive and Ayesha, I’m going to read some sentences. In each one, find the name of a national capital hidden somewhere in it phonetically. For example, if I said on eBay, rutabagas are seldom seen. You would say Beirut, which is hidden phonetically inside eBay rutabagas.

JERRAM: I would. OK.

SHORTZ: OK. Here’s No. 1. Where is the handbag Daddy bought?

JERRAM: Baghdad.

SHORTZ: Baghdad, Iraq, is correct. Throw the anchor away. Throw the anchor away.

JERRAM: Ankara.

SHORTZ: You got it, capital of Turkey. To an all-round athletic phenom, pentathlon is the ultimate sport.

JERRAM: Phnom Penh?

SHORTZ: You got it. We have tickets to see the Fighting Illini – Row B, seats 1 and 2.

JERRAM: Nairobi.

SHORTZ: Nairobi is right. During the Civil War, sausage was scarce.

JERRAM: Warsaw.

SHORTZ: You got it. The gala was attended by many black-tie paying guests.

JERRAM: Taipei.

SHORTZ: You got it. Let the music of Metallica rock us all night.

JERRAM: Cairo.

SHORTZ: No. Let the music of Metallica rock us all night. Start with the last syllable of Metallica.

RASCOE: Oh.

JERRAM: Caracas.

RASCOE: Yeah.

SHORTZ: Caracas, Venezuela, is right. And here’s your last one. This is the sidewalk we’ll be washing tonight.

JERRAM: Washington.

SHORTZ: Washington…

RASCOE: (Laughter).

SHORTZ: …Our own capital. Nice job.

RASCOE: Oh, my goodness. That was tricky. And some of them you got, I hadn’t even heard of the city, so I didn’t know what to say (laughter). I would not have gotten that, but you did a wonderful job. How do you feel?

JERRAM: Oh, I have a mixture of elation and exhaustion going on now.

RASCOE: (Laughter).

JERRAM: I could take on the world right after I have a quick nap.

RASCOE: Quick nap – OK, well…

JERRAM: Yes.

RASCOE: …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, Clive, what member station do you listen to?

JERRAM: We’re members of WAMU in Washington, D.C.

RASCOE: That’s Clive Jerram of Rockville, Maryland. Thanks for playing the Puzzle.

JERRAM: Thank you very much for having me.

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

SHORTZ: Yes, it comes from Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco. Think of a famous current actor. His first name is also the name of a famous movie character. Drop the middle letter of his last name, and you’ll name another famous movie character. And each of these characters is the central figure in a dozen or more films. So again, a famous current actor. His first name is also the name of a famous movie character. And his last name, if you drop the middle letter, names another famous movie character. What actor is this?

RASCOE: When you have the answer, go to our website, npr.org/puzzle. To submit your answer, just fill out the form on the Puzzle page. Remember, just one entry, please. Our deadline for entries this week is Thursday, June 5, at 3 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: Thank you, Ayesha.

(SOUNDBITE OF STEVEN HENLEY JR.’S “PLAY THE PUZZLE”)