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A Pair O' Definitions For A Pile Of 'Para' Puns

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On-air challenge: Every answer today is a word that starts with Para-. First, I'll define it in a regular way and then in a punny way. You tell me the words.

For example: Typical examples / 20 cents --> PARADIGMS ("pair o' dimes").

Last week's challenge from listener Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco: Take the word BACI (Italian for "kisses"). You can rearrange the letters to "I C A B" — which sounds like a sentence, "I see a bee." Now think of a unit of measurement. Rearrange its letters and read them out loud to form a sentence complimenting someone on their appearance. What's the word, and what's the sentence?

Answer: QUART, which become U R A Q T.
Alternate answer:CUBIT, which became I C B U T.

Winner: Fred Barber of Oswego, N.Y.

Next week's challenge from listener Mark Isaak of Sunnyvale, Calif.:Think of a word that means "unfinished." Add one letter at the start and one letter at the end, and you'll get a new word that means the opposite of the first. What words are these?

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, June 23, at 3 p.m. ET.

Copyright 2020 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).