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Puzzle fans, sharpen your wits: today’s set asks you to name familiar brands that also serve as proper nouns for other things. Each clue points to a well-known trademark that doubles as the proper name of a place, person, object, or classic title. Read on for the clues, last week’s solution and winner, and this week’s listener challenge — plus how to submit your answer.
Today’s on-air puzzle: brand names that are also proper names
Every correct entry is a recognizable brand whose name is also the proper name of something else. Think of a brand and then think where that same word appears in geography, history, literature, or culture.
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- Example: A popular iced-tea brand that is also the name of a U.S. state — ARIZONA.
- Which chocolate-bar brand doubles as the name of a planet?
- Which vacuum cleaner brand is also the surname of a U.S. president?
- Which paper-towel brand shares its name with a famous historical ship?
- Which cigarette brand is also the name of a state capital?
- Which lock brand is also the name of a university?
- Which potato-chip brand names a region or part of Massachusetts?
- Which ice-cream bar brand is also the name of an area in Alaska and northern Canada?
- Which peanut-butter brand matches the title of a classic children’s book?
- Which bottled-water brand is also the name of an island in the South Seas?
- Which Ford car model shares its name with a sign of the zodiac?
- Which powdered drink mix uses the same name as a Chinese dynasty?
Last week’s twist: swap letters for a tasty phrase
Our previous challenge arrived from Mark Scott of Seattle. The task: pick a famous actress (first and last names) and swap the initial letters of each name. Say the new pair out loud and you should hear advice about turning milk into something fermented and tangy.
Answer revealed
The actress in question rearranges to form the phrase “Brew Dairy More,” which comes from Drew Barrymore.
Listener winner
Congratulations to Phil Feller of Durham, N.C., whose entry was selected.
This week’s listener challenge: politics, hidden words, and deserts
Dave Shukan of San Marino, Calif., sent a puzzle that mixes wordplay and geography. Find a famous American politician whose name fits the pattern (6,6). Hidden in that name, left to right but with other letters between them, you will spot a four-letter place known for its extreme dryness. Delete those four letters. The eight letters left, read in order, spell the name of a different famous, very dry place. Who is the politician?
How to enter
- Submit your answer by Thursday, November 20 at 3 p.m. ET.
- Listeners chosen get a chance to play the puzzle on-air.
- Use the submission form below to send your entry.
