LAUREN FRAYER, HOST:
It's time to play the Puzzle.
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FRAYER: Joining us is Will Shortz. He's puzzle editor of The New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION. Hi there, Will.
WILL SHORTZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Lauren.
FRAYER: So, Will, would you please remind us of last week's challenge?
SHORTZ: Yes, it was a - kind of a stinker. It came from Patrick McIntyre of Seattle. I asked, what item containing a silent U is commonly found in kitchen drawers? And the answer is utensil because if you rearrange the letters of utensil, you get silent U.
FRAYER: There were only 64 correct responses, and this week's winner is Gig Moineau of Newton, Mass. Congratulations, Gig.
GIG MOINEAU: Thank you. Didn't know so few people got it.
FRAYER: Yeah. How long have you been playing the Puzzle?
MOINEAU: I think 30-some odd years, back to the late postcard days.
FRAYER: So this one was easy for you?
MOINEAU: No. Not at all.
(LAUGHTER)
MOINEAU: I had poultry baster as my first response, and I said, that's not tricky. That's not very good.
FRAYER: Did you walk to your kitchen and open the drawers and survey?
MOINEAU: Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER)
FRAYER: Well, are you ready to play the Puzzle?
MOINEAU: I hope so.
FRAYER: Great. OK, well, take it away, Will.
SHORTZ: All right, Gig. Fortunately, today's on-air puzzle is much less tricky than the challenge you solved. Here you go. The word arson is hidden inside Carson City, the capital of Nevada. What state capital contains each of the following words? Your first one is ramen, R-A-M-E-N. What state capital contains the consecutive letters R-A-M-E-N? It's on the West Coast.
MOINEAU: Oh, Sacramento.
SHORTZ: Sacramento. Excellent. No. 2 is Elena, E-L-E-N-A.
MOINEAU: Helena.
SHORTZ: Nice, Montana. Your next one is gust, G-U-S-T.
MOINEAU: Augusta, Maine.
SHORTZ: Nice. Cord, C-O-R-D.
MOINEAU: Cord.
SHORTZ: Your hint - it's in the Northeast.
MOINEAU: Oh. Oh, Concord. I should know that.
SHORTZ: Concord, N.H., is right. Sing, S-I-N-G.
MOINEAU: Lansing.
SHORTZ: Nice.
MOINEAU: Michigan.
SHORTZ: Ring, R-I-N-G. This one's in middle of the country in the Midwest.
MOINEAU: I'm not getting that one.
SHORTZ: All right. I'll tell you. Do you know the capital of Illinois?
MOINEAU: Oh, Springfield.
SHORTZ: Springfield. Good one. Rank, R-A-N-K.
MOINEAU: That one's Frankfort, Ky.
SHORTZ: Nice. Diana, D-I-A-N-A.
MOINEAU: Indianapolis.
SHORTZ: Nice. Gomer, G-O-M-E-R.
MOINEAU: Montgomery, Ala.
SHORTZ: Nice. Allah, A-L-L-A-H.
MOINEAU: Tallahassee, Fla.
SHORTZ: Good one. Arles, A-R-L-E-S, as in the French city. This one's in the mid-Atlantic.
MOINEAU: Charleston.
SHORTZ: Yeah. Charleston, W.V., is right. Your last one is Ovid, as in the Latin poet, O-V-I-D.
FRAYER: Another New England state?
SHORTZ: Yes. Good one.
MOINEAU: (Laughter) I should know these. It's not Hartford. Oh, Providence.
SHORTZ: Providence, Rhode Island. Nice one.
FRAYER: Great job, Gig. Wow. That was impressive. I couldn't think of the first one. How do you feel? You did well.
MOINEAU: I feel relieved and pleased that my brain came through for some of them.
FRAYER: Absolutely. Well, for playing our Puzzle today, you will get a WEEKEND EDITION lapel pin as well as puzzle books and games, and you can read all about it at npr.org/puzzle. And Gig, what member station do you listen to?
MOINEAU: WBUR and WGBH, and we're supporting members.
FRAYER: Wonderful. Well, thank you for supporting NPR. That's Gig Moineau of Newton, Mass. Thank you for playing the Puzzle.
MOINEAU: Thank you.
FRAYER: OK, Will, what is next week's challenge?
SHORTZ: Yes, it comes from listener Shrinidhi Rai of Pleasanton, Calif. Think of two parts of the human body that start with the same letter of the alphabet. Drop one instance of this letter, and then rearrange the remaining letters to name a third part of the human body which isn't near the first two. What body parts are these?
So again, two parts of the human body that start with the same letter of the alphabet - drop one of the instances of this letter, and rearrange what remains to name another part of the body which isn't near the first two. What body parts are these?
FRAYER: When you have the answer, go to our website, npr.org/puzzle. Click on submit your answer. And remember, just one entry, please. Our deadline for entries this week is Thursday, June 20 at 3 p.m. Eastern. Don't forget to include a phone number where we can reach you. And if you are the winner, we will give you a call. If you pick up the phone, you will get to play on-air with the puzzle editor of the New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION, Will Shortz. Thanks so much, Will.
SHORTZ: Thanks a lot, Lauren.
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