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Sunday Puzzle: Two words, one anagram

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge

I'm going to give you some made up two-word phrases in which each word has five letters. Rearrange the letters in one of these words to complete a familiar two-word phrase. Which word to anagram is for you to discover.

Ex. APPLE DICER --> Apple cider

1. BAKER PEDAL
2. BLANK SERVE
3. LEGAL FIBER
4. MAID'S TOUCH
5. REGAL PRINT
6. HUMAN BINGE
7. PEACH TRICK
8. DREAM GUARD
9. DUTCH TATER
10. PEARL DRIVE
11. ASCOT GUARD
12. CLEAN TALES
14. SHORE SENSE

Last week's challenge

Last week's challenge comes from Joseph Young, of St. Cloud, Minn. Name a famous actor of the past (7,7). Remove three consecutive letters from his last name, and the remaining letters in order will be the well-known lead character from a long-running series of films. What actor and character are these?

Answer: Charlie Chaplin --> Charlie Chan

Winner

Thomas Hirschman of Durham, North Carolina.

This week's challenge

This week's challenge comes from Jim Francis, of Kirkland, Wash. Think of a famous female singer (8,4). The first syllable of her first name, the second syllable of her first name backward, and last name forward again are all verbs associated with human desire. Who is this singer?

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, May 28 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 2026 NPR

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).
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