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It May Be Topsy-Turvy, But This Puzzle Still Invites Categorization

NPR

On-air challenge: I'm going to name a category. You name something in the category whose first two letters are the last two letters of the category's name.

For example: Vegetable --> Leek or lettuce.

Last week's challenge, from listener Sandy Weisz of Chicago: Weisz runs something called The Mystery League, which conducts puzzle hunts. This challenge wasn't too hard. Name a unit of measurement. Remove two consecutive letters. The letters that remain can be rearranged to name what this measurement measures. What is it?

Answer: minute --> time

Winner: Marc Wright of Tacoma, Wash.

Next week's challenge: This one is an extension of my on-air puzzle. Think of a category in three letters in which the last two letters are the first two letters of something in that category. And the thing in the category has seven letters. Both names are common, uncapitalized words. What are they?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you Thursday, Jan. 21, at 3 p.m. ET.

Copyright 2021 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).