Author Topic: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy  (Read 1816 times)

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Offline vames

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Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« on: October 15, 2009, 05:30:51 AM »
My wife and I were driving last weekend and listening to Car Talk. The puzzler section of the show has been making us crazy for days now. I can't wait till saturday! Any ideas?


RAY: This was from my 'out-on-a-limb' series. And this was sent in by Bill LeTelpo.

Most motor vehicles sold in this country have both a manufacturer's name and model name, like Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Corolla, where Chevrolet is the manufacturer and Malibu is the model, or Toyota is the manufacturer, and Carolla is the model.

Some manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, to name a few, don't think enough of their cars to actually give them model names and use a bunch of numbers and letters instead. But I digress.

Let's take one of those motor vehicles that has an actual model name and is currently being sold in the United States and it could be a car, a truck, an SUV, it doesn't matter, it's a model that is currently sold in the United States.

Take that model name. Remove the last letter, and the remaining letters, in order, spell a new word. Now remove the new last letter, and you have yet another new word. Do it again and you have now another new word. Do it once more and you have another new word. So you'll have done it four times, and have four different words, all of which you can find in the dictionary.

Here's the last piece of it. Now put all the pieces back, go back to the original word, and remove the first letter. And you have yet another new word.

What's the model name?

Offline BurtonWarpup

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2009, 06:29:58 AM »
I think i figured it out while I was listening to it by just looking at every car around me and trying it with their names. The only thing is that I'm not sure if the model name with the last four letters taken off is actually a word. Everything else works though. Should I say what I think it is?
Mike
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Offline Steve F

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2009, 06:41:46 AM »
I think i figured it out while I was listening to it by just looking at every car around me and trying it with their names. The only thing is that I'm not sure if the model name with the last four letters taken off is actually a word. Everything else works though. Should I say what I think it is?
Let's see what everyone else has to offer before you give it away.  Wait a couple of days for the replies to float it.  ;)

Offline The_Crippler

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2009, 06:49:09 AM »
Great...now this is going to bug the crap out of me...

Offline vames

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2009, 07:37:23 AM »
Burton -- It's only taking the last three letters off and still making a word, so it seems like you've got it.

Now tell us your answer please before I go crazy!!!!!

Offline MacM2010

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2009, 07:53:14 AM »
Warning: crackpot theory below.  Avert your eyes, if you don't want my guess.

















Ford Ranger:

Range - as in, "home on the"
Rang - as in, a bell
Ran - as in, away
Ra - Sun god of Ancient Egypt (a stretch)

Ranger, minus the first "r" = Anger

Maybe?
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Offline The_Crippler

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2009, 07:57:56 AM »
I'd buy that for a dollar.

Offline BurtonWarpup

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #7 on: October 15, 2009, 07:59:58 AM »
That's my guess too MacM2010...
Mike
1.5x 1974 CB750K4
2003 Triumph Speedmaster
http://flickr.com/photos/mikepark/

"Now, with a hundred miles on the clock, the rider has nearly forgotten what it means to sit anywhere but on this machine." -Melissa Holbrook Pierson

Offline MacM2010

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2009, 08:04:29 AM »
Cool.  We'll see what Click and Clack have to say on Sat., but that seems pretty logical. 
One day, I will put up a signature.

Offline vames

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #9 on: October 15, 2009, 09:13:10 AM »
Most Excellent. That's gotta be it -- click and clack only talked about taking the last three leters off, so Ranger -> Range -> Rang -> Ran along with Anger.

Thanks! Now I'm going to go taunt my wife!

Offline sangyo soichiro

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #10 on: October 15, 2009, 01:15:31 PM »
Warning: crackpot theory below.  Avert your eyes, if you don't want my guess.


Ford Ranger:

Range - as in, "home on the"
Rang - as in, a bell
Ran - as in, away
Ra - Sun god of Ancient Egypt (a stretch)

Ranger, minus the first "r" = Anger

Maybe?


Oh what the hell...

I agree Ranger seems like the word, but let's try this:

Ford Escort:

escor - gotta be some strange extinct fish or something...
esco - Ecosse's real name
esc - short for escape
es - Spanish for "is"

scort - "I scorted my wife before I married her."
 

 ;) :D ;D

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Offline Gordon

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #11 on: October 15, 2009, 10:12:10 PM »
I'm still pissed at myself for not figuring out the last puzzler on my own.

It was the damn license plate!  Of course! >:( >:( ;D

Offline DammitDan

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #12 on: October 15, 2009, 10:52:07 PM »
I can't believe you hippy liberals listen to NPR  ;D
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Offline Gordon

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #13 on: October 15, 2009, 10:55:07 PM »
I can't believe you hippy liberals listen to NPR  ;D

Where else am I supposed to get my left-wing propaganda fix from? ??? ;D

Offline vames

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Re: Latest CarTalk Puzzler Driving Me Crazy
« Reply #14 on: October 17, 2009, 11:14:26 AM »
Don't really want to get into politics here, but if Rush Limbaugh or Fox News started up a show about fixing cars, I'd probably listen.