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Sunday Puzzle: Fill in the Blank

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Every answer today is a familiar phrase in the form "___ & ___," in which I've changed one letter in each of the words. You tell me the phrases.

Ex. SHOT & WELL --> SHOW & TELL

1. LOFT & SOUND

2. CRUSH & BARN

3. NICKED & LIME

4. COLLARS & DENTS

5. KITS & SELL

6. NOON & CRANKY

7. SURE & DIMPLE

8. PUNT & HECK

9. HIKE & SEED

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge comes from listener Darwin Lange, of Mandan, N.D. Name a sports facility in two words. (This is a general term, not a specific place.) Three consecutive letters in the first word also appear consecutively in the same order in the second word. If you reverse these three letters, you'll name something seen in this sports facility. What is it?

Challenge answer: Race track --> car

Winner: Jean Kendrick of Salem, Oregon.

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Peter Gwinn, who writes for "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" Take the first name of a famous movie director. Write it in upper- and lowercase letters. Rotate the third letter of this name 180° and you'll get the name of the main character in one of this director's most popular movies. Who is it?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, July 13th 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.

Produced by Lennon Sherburne contributed to this story

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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).