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Sunday Puzzle: Common denominator

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge

I'm going to name three things. You tell me something they all have in common.

Ex. Telephone, Saturn, tree stump   -->   RINGS

1. Guitar, tennis racket, marionette

2. Sewing kit, bowling alley, ATM

3. Tennis tournament, arsonist, dating app

5. Painting , bowling, glasses

6. Canal, safe, head of hair

7. Car trunk, deck of cards, the film "Titanic"

Last week's challenge

Last week's challenge came from Mike Reiss, who's a showrunner, writer, and producer for "The Simpsons." Name a famous English author. Change the first letter of the last name to an S. Then move the first, second, and final letters of that last name in front of the first name. The resulting string of letters reading from left to right will name a major American city. What city is it?

Challenge answer: Francis Bacon  -->  San Francisco

This week's challenge

This week's challenge came from Joseph Young of St. Cloud, Minn. Think of a popular commercial name that ends with the names of two male animals one after the other. If you have the right commercial name, its first six letters can be rearranged to spell the name of an N.F.L. team. What is it?

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, September 11th 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.

Copyright 2025 NPR

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).
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