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Take Synonyms For A Spin (Or Pirouette)

NPR

On-air challenge: For each word given, name a synonym in which the first two letters are the same as the second and third letters of the given word. For example, spin and pirouette.

Last week's challenge: The challenge came from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website MathPuzzle.com. Name a famous person whose first and last names together contain four doubled letters — all four of these being different letters of the alphabet. Who is it? For example, Buddy Holly's name has two doubled letters: D and L.

Answer: Tennessee Williams

Winner: Jim Ryan of Redondo Beach, Calif.

Next week's challenge: What word, containing two consecutive S's, becomes its own synonym if you drop those S's?

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 at 3 p.m. Eastern.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Corrected: January 29, 2014 at 12:00 AM EST
A previous Web version of this story incorrectly identified Jim Ryan of Redondo Beach, Calif., as Steve Ryan of Redondo, Calif.
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).