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Sunday Puzzle: Can You Keep Up?

Sunday Puzzle.
NPR
Sunday Puzzle.

On-air challenge: Each sentence has two blanks. Put a word starting with "up" in the first blank. Move the "up" to the end, and you'll get a familiar phrase that goes in the second blank to complete the sentence.

Example: Jane was visibly _____ to have been _____ on such a terrible blind date. --> UPSET, SET UP

1. The coach was surprisingly _____ after his team had been _____ so badly.

2. Get ready: The musician's new tune played on the _____ piano is coming _____.

3. An outlaw gang rode into the Wild West town, with the _____ being they completely _____ the place.

4. The child's unusual _____ by the parents is a matter the child's therapist keeps _____.

5. The cost of my house's _____ was so high, I was always frantically working to _____ with bills.

6. The teller tried to _____ her principle of treating everyone kindly during the bank _____.

7. The unexpected snowstorm _____ the family's vacation plans, and they _____ staying at home.

8. Even a slight _____ in an ailing economy is nothing to _____ your nose at.

9. A fine, _____ young person is always _____ for his or her ideals.

Last week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Tom Arnold of Eugene, Ore. Take the name of a conveyance in 7 letters. Drop the middle letter, and the remaining letters can be rearranged to name the place where such a conveyance is often used. What is it?

Answer: GONDOLA --> LAGOON

Winner: Michael LeBlanc of Ontario, Canada.

Next week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Stuart Portnoy of Arlington, Va. Name a famous actor — first and last names. The last name is a well-known brand. Drop the last letter of the first name and you'll get the kind of product it's a brand of. 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, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. ET.

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