© 2026
NPR News, Colorado Stories
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Barking Up The Right Tree

On-Air Challenge: Every answer is a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase in which each part is a single syllable. The vowel sound in the first half is a long I, and the vowel sound in the second half is a long O. For example, given the clue "something found on a fir tree," the answer would be "pine cone."

Last Week's Challenge: From listener Ben Bass of Chicago:Name a classic television show in two words with eight letters. Remove one letter from each word. The remaining six letters, in order, will spell the last name of a well-known writer. Who is it?

Answer: Star Trek and Sartre

Winner: Monte Ferguson of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Next Week's Challenge:Think of an adjective that might describe a child before a summer vacation. Change the second letter to the next letter of the alphabet, and you'll name someone you might see in a hospital. Who is it?

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 at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Will Shortz has been the puzzle master for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987.