Editor's note on April 2, 2018: If you've listened to the audio, you may have figured it out quickly: Part of this broadcast was an April Fools' joke. We hope you enjoyed it.
On-air challenge: Considering the occasion, it seemed appropriate today to bring a puzzle about endings. I'm going to read you some sentences. Each sentence has two blanks. The word that goes in the first blank contains the consecutive letters E-N-D. Drop those letters, and the remaining letters in order will spell a new word that goes in the second blank to complete the sentence.
Example: Right now, dark lipstick is ______, so this is something hip people might ______. --> TRENDY, TRY
1. It could only ______ bad things when hundreds of enemy ships sailed into ______.
2. In the children's rhyme, I intended to buy ______ for a salad when I was going to St. ______.
3. The rap singer wore several ______ around his neck, and his ______ were held up by a large, shiny belt.
4. The stylist had a hard time ____ the client's minimalist asthetic with his need to wear some ____.
5. I didn't have enough money to order beer at the pub, so the ______ said I could resort to ______.
Last week's challenge: Name a small but well-known U.S. city, followed by its two-letter state postal abbreviation. This string of letters, reading from left to right, spells two consecutive words that name distinctive characteristics of bunnies. What city is it?
Answer: Hope, AR (hop + ear)
Winner: David Marx of Wexford, Pa.
Next week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Eric Iverson of Eagan, Minn. Pick an even number between 1 and 10 that's 1 more than four and 2 more than 10.
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, April 5 at 3 p.m. ET.
Copyright 2025 NPR
