AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
And it's time to play the Puzzle.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
RASCOE: The puzzle editor of The New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION, Will Shortz, is out again this week, so we are joined by Greg Pliska. He's the chief puzzle officer of "The Puzzler" podcast with A.J. Jacobs and a former puzzle guru of NPR's Ask Me Another. Hey there, Greg.
GREG PLISKA, BYLINE: Good morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So, Greg, remind us of last week's challenge.
PLISKA: Of course. Last week's challenge came to us from listener Eric Berlin of Milford, Conn. Take the word sets, S-E-T-S. You can add a three-letter word to this twice to get a common phrase, spare parts. Now do this with the word genie. Add a three-letter word to it twice to get a common phrase. And the answer was golden oldie.
RASCOE: OK. All right (laughter). There were about 600 correct entries, so a lot of y'all got this. And this week's winner is Steve Cosgrove of Minneapolis, Minn. Congratulations, Steve.
STEVE COSGROVE: Thank you.
RASCOE: So how long have you been playing the Puzzle, Steve?
COSGROVE: I remember sending in a few postcards back in the day, so it's been a while.
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: What do you do when you're not playing the Puzzle?
COSGROVE: I'm a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
RASCOE: Oh, wow. So that's very important work. So I would guess that you're able to, like, spot patterns, and you would be good at something like puzzles.
COSGROVE: I love puzzles and a good bank exam - nothing like a good bank exam.
RASCOE: (Laughter) Good. OK, Steve, are you ready to play the Puzzle?
COSGROVE: Absolutely.
RASCOE: All right. Take it away, Greg.
PLISKA: Thanks, Ayesha. Steve, I don't have a bank exam for you today. But this weekend, I'm attending Mystery Weekend at Mohonk Mountain House, a beautiful resort up near New Paltz, N.Y. And in honor of the Mountain House, every answer today is a compound word or two-word phrase where the first word starts with M-O, and the second word starts with H-O. So if I gave you the clue what you might enjoy during a long weekend, you would give me the answer monday holiday.
COSGROVE: Got it.
RASCOE: Oh, OK. OK.
PLISKA: All right, here we go. First one - a prefab structure that you live in and which can be easily relocated.
COSGROVE: Mobile home.
PLISKA: Exactly. The bank that has the lien on your house.
COSGROVE: (Laughter) Mortgage holder.
PLISKA: Yeah. See, there was some bank content, after all.
RASCOE: You would know that one (laughter).
PLISKA: Historically Black college in Atlanta, Ga.
COSGROVE: Oh.
PLISKA: And this is actually a single word.
RASCOE: Yes. I know this one.
PLISKA: Oh, Morehead is coming to mind.
RASCOE: Close. It is - does start with More.
COSGROVE: More - Ayesha, help.
RASCOE: Morehouse. Yeah. Morehouse.
COSGROVE: Morehouse.
PLISKA: This one is an opening in the wall where a rodent might get in.
COSGROVE: Mouse hole.
PLISKA: Very good. And the last few, I think, are the tough ones, but let's play them - a poisonous plant named for its resemblance to a religious person's headwear.
COSGROVE: Oh, could you repeat that one?
PLISKA: Sure. A poisonous plant named for its resemblance to a religious person's headwear - a religious person who often lives in seclusion.
COSGROVE: Monk but - headwear.
PLISKA: Part of a sweatshirt or a jacket.
COSGROVE: Monk hood.
PLISKA: Monk hood or monkshood, yes. And your last one is actually three words. The H-O part is two words. It's a dish of meat and vegetables cooked in broth named for the Asian country from which it comes. So there's an Asian country that starts with M-O.
COSGROVE: Malaysia is coming to mind, but that's not it.
RASCOE: What is it? Is it, like, Mongolia?
PLISKA: Yeah, yep.
COSGROVE: Hot pot.
PLISKA: Mongolian hot pot. Exactly.
RASCOE: OK, we worked together on that, Steve...
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: ...'Cause I wasn't going to get the hot pot. Well, you did an awesome job, like, really getting these. How do you feel?
COSGROVE: Oh, ecstatic.
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 the puzzle at npr.org/puzzle. And, Steve, what member station do you listen to?
COSGROVE: KNOW in Saint Paul, Minn.
RASCOE: That's Steve Cosgrove of Minneapolis, Minn. Thank you so much for playing the Puzzle.
COSGROVE: Thank you.
RASCOE: OK, Greg, what's next week's challenge?
PLISKA: Our challenge for next week comes from Anjali Tripathi of Los Angeles, Calif. Take the last name of a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Remove the middle three letters and duplicate the last two letters to get the first name of a different Nobel Peace Prize winner. What are those two names? So again, you take a Nobel Peace Prize winner's last name, remove the middle three letters, duplicate the last two letters and get the first name of another Nobel Peace Prize winner. Your answer should be both names.
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, March 7 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 for WEEKEND EDITION.
Now, Greg, I know our listeners have been wondering about Will, our beloved puzzlemaster. And before we go, I wanted to share a special message from the puzzlemaster himself.
WILL SHORTZ, BYLINE: Hey, guys. This is Will Shortz. Sorry I've been out the last few weeks. I had a stroke on February 4 and have been in rehabilitation since then. But I am making progress. I'm looking forward to being back with new puzzles soon.
RASCOE: We here at WEEKEND EDITION - we love Will, and I know that everybody at home does, too. And we are rooting for him, and we are so hopeful and know that he will feel better soon.
PLISKA: Thanks, Ayesha. I know I speak for the whole puzzling community in wishing Will the best. He's been a great friend to me for many years. And as much as I love playing the Puzzle on air with you, Ayesha, I look forward to getting to play from home with you and Will again in my Sunday morning pajamas.
RASCOE: Yeah. I mean, we all can't wait for that. Greg, thank you for being our puzzler in the meantime. And thanks to everyone for always loving the Puzzle.
PLISKA: Thanks, Ayesha.
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