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Sunday Puzzle: Familiar Phrases

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Every answer today is a familiar three-word phrase or title in which the first and last words are the same. I'll give you the middle word (and a clue, if necessary). You tell me the phrase.

Ex. AFTER — Repeatedly --> TIME AFTER TIME

1. THINGS — Phrase suggesting priority

2. SWEET — What you say after returning from a long trip

3. AGAINST — Not give up despite impossible odds

4. SAY — Don't give up, there's always a possibility

5. BABY — Catchphrase said by Sarah Palin at the 2008 Republican National Convention

6. THOUSAND — The number of "Arabian Nights"

7. GLORIOUS — Song from "Oliver!" with the lyric "Just picture a great big steak / Fried, roasted, or stewed"

8. BLOODY — 1971 film with Glenda Jackson and Peter Finch

9. NOT — Faux apology

Last week's challenge: This puzzle also involves rhymes. It comes from listener James Matthews of Little Rock, Ark. Think of a common seven-letter word. Drop its second letter, and you'll get a six-letter word that does not rhyme with the first. Alternatively, you can drop the third letter from the seven-letter word to get a six-letter word that doesn't rhyme with either of the first two. Further, you can drop both the second and third letters from the seven-letter word to get a five-letter word that doesn't rhyme with any of the others. What words are these?

Challenge answer: Through --> though --> trough --> tough

Winner:KPBS listener Geoffrey Mayne of San Diego, California.

This week's challenge:This week's challenge comes from listener Dominick Talvacchio of Chicago. Think of a word that can go before "table" to make a familiar phrase. Move the last letter to the front, and you'll have a word that can go after "table" to make a familiar phrase. What phrases 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 by Thursday, Dec. 13,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).