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Sunday Puzzle: The R&F Scramble

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Every answer today is a word or phrase in which the only consonants are F and R — repeated as often as necessary. All the other letters are vowels.

Example: Outbreak of public anger --> FUROR

1. Monk

2. Worker who puts shingles on a house

3. More just

4. Less likely to happen

5. Brother, in France

6. Cost of flying on a plane

7. Basketball official

8. A long way away (two words)

9. One who sells mink coats, e.g.

10. One who shoes horses

11. Illicit relationship with a married person

12. Without cost (two words)

13. Frills or ornamentation on clothes

14. Disreputable or undesirable people, informally

15. Send quickly and angrily, as a letter (two words)

16. Repeated sound of a small dog (two words)

Last week's challenge: This challenge came from listener Bruce Campbell of Kansas City, Mo. Name a title character from books and TV (5, 5). You can rearrange the letters to get two words describing what you can hear and do in church. What character is it?

Challenge answer: Perry Mason --> pray, sermon

Winner: Susan Higgins from Peyton, Colo.

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Alan Hochbaum of Duluth, Ga. Name a marine animal in two words. Remove two consecutive letters in the name and read the resulting string of letters in order from left to right. You'll name a major American city. What is it?

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 by Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 3 p.m. ET since Thursday is Thanksgiving.

Copyright 2021 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).