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Sunday Puzzle: The Odd Word Out

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: I'm going to give four words. Three of them have something in common. I'll tell you what that something in common is. You tell me which word is the odd one out.

1. Compound words that become new words when their sides are switched: Bankroll, Bookwork, Downturn, Overhang

2. Words that name countries if you change a letter: Child, Fiance, Mother, Spawn

3. Words containing "A-I" that become new words if the A and I are reversed: Dairy, Plaint, Strain, Trail

4. Words that rhyme with names of domestic fowl: Bacon, Juice, Perky, Thicken

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge came from listener Dominick Talvacchio of Chicago. Name a food in two words — a total of 11 letters. Some of these letters appear more than once. The food has seven different letters in its name. You can rearrange these seven letters to identify the form in which this food is typically served. What food is it?

Challenge answer: Cream cheese (schmear)

Winner: Lizabeth Ault of Amherst, N.Y.

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Andrew Chaikin of San Francisco. Write down eight different letters of the alphabet. Add an apostrophe. Then write the same eight letters in a different order. With proper spacing, you now have a four-word phrase meaning "took a risk." 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 Thursday, Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. ET.

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).