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Sunday Puzzle: Familiar three-word phrases

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Every answer today is a familiar three-word phrase in the form "___ and ___," in which the first and last words start with the letter S.

Ex. Free from danger and injury  -->  Safe and sound

  1. What "wins the race" in a fable
  2. What may break your bones, in a playground saying
  3. Kind of pork at a Chinese restaurant
  4. Like some perfume ads in a magazine
  5. Nickname for the American flag
  6. 1970s sitcom starring Redd Foxx
  7. Novel by Jane Austen
  8. Spotlessly clean
  9. Police action that may require a warrant
  10. Whiskey drink
  11. One of America's third biggest book publishers
  12. Pleasantly brief, like a good speech

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge comes from our friend Joseph Young, and it's a numerical challenge for a change. Take the digits 2, 3, 4, and 5. Arrange them in some way using standard arithmetic operations to make 2,025. Can you do it?

Challenge answer: 3^4 X 5^2

Winner: Chris House of Annandale, Virginia

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Greg VanMechelen, of Berkeley, Calif. Think of a well-known international location in nine letters. Take the first five letters and shift each of them 13 places later in the alphabet. The result will be a synonym for the remaining four letters in the place's name. What place is it?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, January 16th, 2025 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 2025 NPR

Will Shortz

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