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'Pumpkin Bumpkin' and Other Fun with 'P' and 'B'

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home.

Challenge from March 5: From Henry Hook, of Brooklyn, New York: What eight-letter noun -- containing the letter "B" -- is pluralized by inserting an "S" immediately before the "B"?

Answer: Passerby. You pluralize it by adding "S" to make "passersby."

Winner: Margo Porras, from San Diego, Calif.

Challenge from March 12: Name an object in four letters, starting with the letter "P." Change the "P" to a "B" and you'll get a verb that names something you do with that object.

Copyright 2022 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).
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