NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz

Hello, podcast listener.

This is Martha with a special mini cast edition of A Way with Words.

We’ll have a special guest joining us in a moment.

But first, I want to tell you something.

Here at A Way with Words, we do this show because we love language.

We love talking with you about it, and we love it when you share your insights with us.

As you may know, A Way with Words is not a production of one of the big radio networks.

It’s not even produced by a radio station.

This program is produced by a small, nonprofit, mostly volunteer organization.

So we need your help.

I’m asking you to go to waywordradio.org.

Click on the link at the very top of the page, and please, give what you can. $10, $25, $50, $100 or more, whatever feels right to you.

It all adds up, and it all makes a difference.

In fact, if every podcast listener gave just $1, we’d be able to produce six more brand new hour-long episodes every year.

If you give even more, well, we’ll be churning out even more.

But we do need your help.

As our way of saying thanks, I’ve brought along a special guest for you today.

He’s none other than NPR Puzzle Master Will Shorts.

When we told Will we were recording a pledge edition of our show, he volunteered to donate a quiz that he created specifically for you.

It’ll test your skill in solving anagrams.

Grant, take it away.

Today we’re especially pleased to welcome none other than the high priest of Puzzledom, the master of mystery, his royal riddleness wrapped up in an enigma, NPR Puzzle Master Will Shorts.

Will, how is it going?

Everything’s good, Grant and Martha.

Nice to be here.

I understand that you have a puzzle prepared for us.

I did.

I made this last night.

I’m going to give you two words.

I’d like you to anagram one of them to get a slang synonym of the other one.

For example, if I said drunk and mobbed, M-O-B-B-E-D, you would say bombed because bombed is an anagram of mobbed and it means drunk.

You came up with this last night?

I did just for you guys because I know you like slang.

Which word is the anagram and which is the slang synonym is for you to discover.

Here’s number one.

Cool, C-O-O-L, and crazy.

Cool and crazy, loco.

Loco, good job.

Number two is debuts, D-E-B-U-T-S, and bankrupt.

Busted.

Oh, that was fast.

Very nice, so bankrupt and busted, very good.

Cigar, egoist, E-G-O-I-S-T.

Ooh, stogie.

Stogie is it, good.

Oh, nice.

Your guys are fast.

Least, L-E-A-S-T, and bargain.

Like a steel?

Steel, yes exactly like steel.

Oh, sure, yes.

So something is a bargain in a store, it’s also a steel, very nice.

That’s it.

Fons, F-A-U-N-S, and confusion.

Oh, so snafu, S-N-A-F-U.

Excellent.

Shop, S-H-O-P, and deluxe.

Oh, posh, P-O-S-H.

Good.

Dashes, sunglasses.

Shades, that’s fast.

Money, and debar, D-E-B-A-R.

Bread, ooh.

Bread, yes.

You guys are like a tag team.

Alright, when did the hard ones start?

I’ve got a killer coming up.

Here’s your next one.

Trashed, T-R-A-S-H-E-D, and clothing.

Clothing and trashed is…

That’s not haberdashery, is it?

Is this the hard one?

No, there’s something worse coming up.

Oh, no.

Anagram, trashed.

Yeah, that’s the one I’m working on.

Slang term for clothing.

Threads, jinx your makeup.

Alright, try this one.

Shore, S-H-O-R-E, and swindler.

Ooh, nice words.

Swindler.

Okay, I think we’re into the hard ones now.

Shore and swindler.

Yeah.

Which do you think is the anagram?

Shore, yes.

Oh, it is Shore?

Yeah.

Horse, horse swindler?

No, horse trader, horse stealer?

It does start with H.

It is not heroes.

No.

No.

Sure, come on Grant, this should be easy, right?

I’m looking, I’m looking, H.

How many words are there for swindler?

Million.

It’s the second oldest profession.

And it starts with an H.

Yeah.

So, hoser?

No.

Hoser?

Hoser?

Hoser!

Oh, because you get hosed.

You know that word, don’t you?

You’ll hoe somebody?

A hoser?

Yeah.

Okay, alright, alright.

Try this one.

Genius, G-E-N-I-U-S, genius and nineties.

N-I-N-E-T-I-E-S.

Ooh, genius and nineties.

So nineties is probably the one to be anagrammed.

That’s correct.

Something sentient?

No.

It’s going to be a slang word.

And I’ll tell you it’s also a person’s name.

Einstein.

Yeah, genius is an Einstein, good.

How about this, rear, R-E-A-R and shut, S-H-U-T.

Well, I would say tush.

I’d say tush, good.

Excellent.

Caught, C-A-U-G-H-T and denial, D-E-N-I-A-L.

So denial probably is going to be anagrammed.

How about nailed?

Nailed, yes.

And here’s your last one.

I hate to end with a killer, but here you go.

I’ll give it.

It’s peaches, P-E-A-C-H-E-S and comprehend.

Oh my goodness.

Peaches and comprehend.

So peaches maybe is the one to be anagrammed?

I was going to say capiche.

Capiche, I am impressed.

Wow.

He did the slangy spelling of it too for double difficulty.

Oh, I was going to say that’s not spelled right.

C-A-P-E-E-S-H.

No, that’s a standard slang spelling of it, although it’s not true to the Italian.

Very good.

Lovely.

The stumpers are more funny even if we do end up looking like silly ones.

Will, thank you.

This was great.

You do this like on commercial breaks and stuff, right?

Amazing.

Something like that.

Yeah, in between crosswords.

Thank you for entertaining us today.

We do appreciate it.

And you can hear Will’s shorts on Sundays on Sunday edition on NPR.

So how’d you do?

And while we’re at it, I have two bonus anagrammed names for you.

The first one is oven wig.

That’s right, oven wig.

I’ll give you a moment.

You mix up those letters and it spells give now.

Clever, right?

Well, you can oven wig by going to waywordradio.org.

Click on the link at the top and contribute to help us keep bringing you this show.

One last anagram, hanky out.

Scramble those letters in hanky out and you get thank you.

So hanky out for listening.

And please, if you can go to waywordradio.org and oven wig.

Until next time, I’m Martha Barnette. (upbeat music)