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Sunday Puzzle: Searching M.A.P.s

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Today's theme is "maps." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with MA- and the second word starts with P-.
 

Ex. Something drunk in a fairy tale to bring a sleeping person back to life  -->  MAGIC POTION

1. Starchy side dish that may be whipped

2. Game-ending opportunity in tennis

3. Manufacturing done in large quantities, as on an assembly line

4. Someone who teaches calculus or advanced algebra at college

5. It may be made by a kneeling man who's holding a ring

6. French author of "Remembrance of Things Past"

7. Program of American aid to Europe after W.W. II

8.  Title role for Julie Andrews as a singing nanny

9. "The Lost City of the Incas"

10. What's "melting in the dark / All the sweet, green icing flowing down," in a 1967 hit

11. Where the needle of a compass points

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge comes from Dan Ezekiel, of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Think of a two-word brand name for a food item that is marketed as upscale. Remove the last two letters of the first word and the first letter of the second word. Read the result from left to right and you'll get a one-word brand name associated with the budget-conscious. What is it?

Challenge answer: Grey Poupon (minus EY, P) = Groupon

Winner: Mike Rios of Oswego, Ill.

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Bobby Jacobs, of Richmond, Va. Think of a famous singer -- first and last names. Use all of the first name, plus the first three letters and the last letter of the last name. The result, reading left to right, will spell a phrase meaning "punctual." What singer is this?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, January 2nd, 2025 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: include a phone number where we can reach you.

Copyright 2025 NPR

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