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Sunday Puzzle: Names In This Year's News

Sunday Puzzle
NPR

On-air challenge:This week's puzzle is a look back on the people and things you probably never heard of until 2019, but who sprang to prominence during the past 12 months. Tell me who and what they are:

1. Greta Thunberg

2. Chasten Glezman — husband of Pete Buttigieg

3. Christina Koch and Jessica Meir

4. Naruhito

5. Lizzo

6. Whakaari

Last week's challenge:Name a noted TV journalist, five letters in the first name, six in the last. Change an "I" in this name to a "W" and re-arrange the result, and you'll get a two-word phrase for where you might see this journalist.

Challenge answer:Piers Morgan, News Program

Winner:Noah Goldstein of Chicago, Ill.

This week's challenge:This week's challenge comes from listener Mark Scott of Seattle. Everyone knows what a spoonerism is, right? That's where you switch the initial consonant sounds of one phrase to get another — like "light rain" for "right lane." Here's the puzzle: Name a well-known world leader, first and last names. Spoonerize this, and you'll get a phrase that means "to have confidence in one of the martial arts." Who's the leader, and what's the phrase?

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, Jan. 2at 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).