AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
It's time to play the Puzzle.
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RASCOE: Joining us is Will Shortz. He's puzzle editor of the New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION. Hey, there, Will.
WILL SHORTZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ayesha. Nice to talk to you.
RASCOE: So, Will, would you please remind us of last week's challenge?
SHORTZ: Yes. It came from listener Chad Graham of Philadelphia. I said, Think of a famous male singer of the past with two As in his name. Drop both of those As, and the remaining letters can be rearranged to name a popular make of automobile. What is it? Well, the singer is Ray Charles. Drop the As, and the remaining letters can be rearranged to spell Chrysler.
RASCOE: Oh, OK. There were over 800 correct entries, so a lot of y'all got this right. And this week's winner is Joshua Green of Columbia, Md. Congratulations, Joshua.
JOSHUA GREEN: Thank you, Ayesha.
RASCOE: How long have you been playing the Puzzle?
GREEN: Not terribly long - since maybe mid to late 2019 when my wife randomly heard it on the radio and mentioned that I'd probably like this program.
RASCOE: Well, I'm glad you're a relatively new listener. I'm glad you stuck with it. What do you do when you're not playing the Puzzle?
GREEN: Well, I'm chasing around my 9-year-old daughter, Josie (ph), my 6-year-old son, Matan (ph). When I'm not doing that, I mean, sometimes I'm finding other puzzles to work on. I like some of the New York Times ones online.
RASCOE: Well, it sounds like you have a lot of experience with puzzles, so it sounds like this is right up your alley. I got to ask you, Joshua, are you ready to play the Puzzle?
GREEN: As ready as I'll ever be.
RASCOE: OK. Take it away, Will.
SHORTZ: Alright, Joshua and Ayesha. You know, they say April showers bring May flowers, so today, I have a floral puzzle. Every answer is the name of a flower, which I'd like you to identify from its anagram. For example, if I said, stare, S-T-A-R-E, you would say aster. We'll start easy. No. 1 is sore, S-O-R-E.
GREEN: So Rose.
SHORTZ: Rose is right. No. 2 is Siri, S-I-R-I.
GREEN: Iris.
SHORTZ: Uh-huh. Louts, L-O-U-T-S.
GREEN: Lotus.
SHORTZ: That's it. Lit up, L-I-T U-P.
GREEN: Tulip.
SHORTZ: Uh-huh. I'd say, I-D S-A-Y.
GREEN: I - Daisy.
SHORTZ: That's it. Love it, L-O-V-E I-T.
GREEN: L-O-V-E what?
SHORTZ: L-O-V-E I-T, as in love it.
GREEN: Oh, so violet.
SHORTZ: That's it. Occurs, O-C-C-U-R-S.
GREEN: Occurs, occurs - this one's not coming to me.
SHORTZ: It's a spring flower. I think it's one of the first flowers you see in the spring, at least in the Northeast.
RASCOE: What does it start with (laughter)?
SHORTZ: Starts with a C.
GREEN: Starts with one of the Cs, huh? Which C?
RASCOE: (Laughter) C, C...
GREEN: Corcus (ph)?
SHORTZ: Oh, you're so close. It does end in C-U-S.
GREEN: So crocus or corcus. What else is there?
SHORTZ: Crocus, yes. You don't know the crocus?
GREEN: It's not ringing any bells.
RASCOE: Crocus - I don't know it (laughter).
SHORTZ: Try this one. One name, O-N-E N-A-M-E.
GREEN: One name, one...
SHORTZ: Starts with A.
RASCOE: Anenome (ph)? (Laughter).
SHORTZ: Anemone is it. Good job. How about a big one? A B-I-G O-N-E.
GREEN: Big one.
SHORTZ: It's a big one.
GREEN: G...
SHORTZ: OK, here's your hint. It starts with a B.
GREEN: B...
SHORTZ: OK, what if I told you the second letter is E?
RASCOE: Begonia?
GREEN: Begonia, yeah. Begonia, yeah.
RASCOE: (Laughter).
SHORTZ: Begonia, that's it. How about a pie nut, A P-I-E N-U-T?
GREEN: Is that petunia?
SHORTZ: Petunia. Good one. And your last one is drainage, D-R-A-I-N-A-G-E.
GREEN: It's, like, gardenia.
SHORTZ: Gardenia. Good job.
RASCOE: Well, Joshua, you did a great job. How do you feel?
GREEN: I feel relieved to have made it through.
RASCOE: You know, these flower names - it's a little tough if you're not a gardener.
(LAUGHTER)
GREEN: Well, maybe they'll grow on me.
RASCOE: (Laughter) That's a good one. For playing our puzzle today, you'll get a WEEKEND EDITION lapel pen as well as puzzle books and games. You can read all about it at npr.org/puzzle. And Joshua, what member station do you listen to?
GREEN: WAMU on 88.5.
RASCOE: That's great. That's my station, too. That's Joshua Green of Columbia, Md. Thank you so much for playing the puzzle.
GREEN: Thank you for having me.
RASCOE: OK, Will, what's next week's challenge?
SHORTZ: Yes, it comes from listener Jim Bricker of Wayland, Mass. Think of three common six-letter words that have vowels in the second and fifth positions. The last five letters of the words are the same. Only the first letters differ, and none of the words rhyme with either of the others. What words are they? So again, three common six-letter words. They have vowels in the second and fifth positions. The last five letters of the words are the same, so only the first letters differ. And none of the words rhyme. What words are these?
RASCOE: When you have the answer, go to our website, npr.org/puzzle, and click on the Submit Your Answer link. Remember, just one entry, please. Our deadline for entries this week is Thursday, May 9 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't forget to include a phone number where we can reach you. If you're the winner, we'll give you a call. And if you pick up the phone, you'll get to play on the air with the puzzle editor of the New York Times and puzzlemaster of WEEKEND EDITION, Will Shortz. Thank you, Will.
SHORTZ: Thanks a lot, Ayesha.
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