Quiz Guy John Chaneski has lifted some tricky puns from New York Times crossword puzzles for this word game. What’s “a green org,” in three letters? How about a three-letter answer for “peas keeper”? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Crossword Pun Clues”
You are listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette.
And I’m Grant Barrett, and on the line is John Chaneski, our quiz guy. Hello, John.
Yes. Hi, Grant. Hi, Martha. Here’s the quiz.
I’m doing great. You know, from time to time, I like to share with you some of the great, usually punny or witty crossword clues that I’ve come across in copy editing and solving crosswords.
Now, the ones I like best are indirect or play on words. And in those cases, the clue will usually be followed by a question mark, like this one.
The example is green org with a period after org. And so the question mark in crossword parlance means that there’s a pun in play, right?
It’s a play in words, right?
A play on words.
That’s right.
So green org, it’s three letters.
Green org.
Green org.
EPA?
Good guess.
I’ll give you a hint.
It begins with a P.
Green org.
Okay.
It’s not PTA.
I don’t know. What is it?
It’s PGA.
Oh!
Very good. I love the indirect puns.
I’m just warning you now they’re all going to go this way.
Now, luckily, I’ve taken all of these from New York Times Crosser Puzzles, so we only have the constructors to blame.
That’s a dog leg, didn’t it? It went a couple different directions.
Those are the best puns, though, right?
That was by Ishan Mitra.
Let’s start with the first. It goes like this.
Strands in a cell, three letters.
DNA?
DNA is right.
That’s Kevin Chosetz.
Very good.
How about this?
Peasekeeper, three letters.
Pease?
Peasekeeper.
Pod.
Pod is right by Mike Buckley.
That one’s a little different, read than heard.
I could have been even more cheeky with you and said, Peasekeeper?
How about stable father figure? Four letters.
Stable father figure.
Is it a male horse that’s four letters?
That’s what I was thinking, yeah.
Beginning with an S?
Stag?
No.
Sire?
Sire is correct.
Very good.
That was from Liz Gorski.
Okay.
Yeah, never mind.
How about red letters, four letters?
Red letters, four letters.
USSR?
USSR?
USSR is correct.
Let’s thank Neville Fogarty for that one.
And let’s thank Martha for the answer.
Nice work.
Okay, let’s see if we can get this one.
This one’s very tricky.
This is from Brendan Emmett Quigley.
Oh, yeah.
London Jazz Duo, four letters.
London Jazz Duo.
London Jazz Duo.
Jazz has two of what in London?
Oh, Zs.
Think again.
Zeds.
Zeds is right.
Love it.
That’s great.
London Jazz Duo Zeds.
Perfect.
Wonderful.
Good work.
That’s a winner.
This is from Alan Arbusveld.
We’re going to stay in Europe for a while.
This clue is stop over in Paris, five letters.
So something French.
Five letters beginning with an A and ending with a T.
Arrette.
Arrette is correct.
Oui.
Very good.
This one has been Karen Young Bonin.
Biblical fellow who was distressed.
Six letters.
Joseph?
No.
Oh, oh, oh, Samson.
Distressed.
Samson is right.
Hello.
Distressed, yes.
I was thinking he lost his robe.
Distressed.
Karen even has a hyphen between the dis and the tress.
So if you’re reading it, it’s a little easier.
Yeah, Samson got his hand to get off.
But why should I be easy on you guys?
Right, right.
Here’s another one from Alan Arbersfeld.
Met expectations, six letters.
Okay, met, I’m thinking the Metropolitan Museum.
That’s what I was thinking too, or the opera.
Six letters?
Pluralize it.
Operas?
Operas is correct.
Nice work.
Now here’s our last one.
This one’s very tricky and a little cheeky.
It’s 11 letters long.
But I had to do it.
It’s by Brendan Emmett Quigley.
Support for triple A.
It begins with a T and it ends with an A.
And it’s two words.
Support for triple A.
Now, think of things that give support.
Bra.
Bra?
Tiny bra?
No.
Eight letters in the first.
T-90 bra.
Training bra.
Training bra is right.
Thank you, Brendan, for training bra.
Thank you, Brendan.
That kind of triple A.
Got it.
So those are some of my favorite crossword, excellent X-word clues.
Tough ones in there.
Some of them pretty tough, some of them pretty easy.
Thank you.
Push-ups for your brain.
Thank you very much, John.
Thank you, Martha.
Thank you, Grant.
Thanks, John.
Take care.
If you’ve got questions about words and language, this is the place.
We’re A Way with Words.
