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Expanding Words from the Center

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home.

Challenge from Aug. 14: From listener Dale Sugar of Brooklyn, N.Y.: Name two familiar products you might find in a drug store or supermarket. These are well known national brands that compete with each other. Each name has five letters. Put them together, one after the other, and you'll get a well known geographical name, also five-five. What is it?

Answer: Ivory-Coast.

Winner: Mary Alice Kohs from New York City.

Challenge from Aug. 21: Take a two-word phrase meaning "a difficult puzzle." Drop the first letter, read the remaining letters backward, and you'll get a word for part of Alaska. What is it?

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Will Shortz
Will Shortz has been the puzzle master for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987.