Will Shortz
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).
Will sold his first puzzle professionally when he was 14 — to Venture, a denominational youth magazine. At 16 he became a regular contributor to Dell puzzle publications. He is the only person in the world to hold a college degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles, which he earned from Indiana University in 1974.
Born in 1952 and raised on an Arabian horse farm in Indiana, Will now lives near New York City in a Tudor-style house filled with books and Arts and Crafts furniture. When he's not at work, he enjoys bicycling, movies, reading, travel, and collecting antique puzzle books and magazines.
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You'd Better Sit Tight For This OneEvery answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts SI and the second word starts with T. For example, given "unadorned set of facts," you would say, "simple truth."
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For each given category, name something in the category beginning with each of the letters H-O-M-E-R. For example, if the category were "Chemical Elements," you might say Helium, Oxygen, Magnesium, Einsteinium, and Radon.
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Every answer is a made-up two-word phrase in which the letter I is inserted somewhere inside the first word to get the second word.
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You're given three words starting with the letters C, S and I. For each set, give a fourth word that can follow each of the original words to complete a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase.
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Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with H-A and the second word starts with T.
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This One Is For You, MaYou are given two words starting with M-A. The answer is a third word that can follow the first one and precede the second one, in each case to complete a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase.
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Every answer consists of two people, either real or fictional, whose last names are anagrams of each other.
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For each given category, name something in the category where the first letter is also the first letter of the category. For example, given "Military Ranks," you would say "Major."
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Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name with the initials "J.R."
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Every answer is a two-word phrase in which the first word starts with O. Drop the O, and you'll get a new word that ends the phrase.