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Sunday Puzzle: Holy Moly, It's Another Familiar Phrase

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Today's theme is HMO's. Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with H- and the second word starts MO-.

Ex. "Wow!" or "Gadzooks!" --> HOLY MOLY or HOLY MOSES

1. Payment to keep someone from talking

2. "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare on Elm Street"

3. Lunar phase midway between the first and last quarter

4. Device prescribed by a cardiologist

5. Everest is part of this range

6. State capital northeast of Boise, Idaho

7. Nisan, Shevat, or Adar

8. Group of atoms that has H2 in its symbol

9. Upper part of a barn where bales are stored

10. Styling product

11. Alter ego of Miley Stewart on a Disney Channel teen sitcom

Last week's challenge: This challenge was a common two-word expression. The expression consists of 8 letters and uses all five vowels — A, E, I, O and U. It has only three consonants, one of which is repeated. The first word in the expression has two letters and the second has six letters. What familiar expression is it?

Answer: Au Revoir

Winner: Colby Quintaro of Richlands, N.C., with his teacher Mrs. Cynthia Tucker

Next week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Patrick Berry of Jasper, Ala., who had the clever AMERICAN DAD + C = CANDID CAMERA anagram a few weeks ago. This challenge is another anagram. Rearrange the 15 letters of COOL HIT FARE IN L.A. to name a famous song that's appropriate to the given 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 Thursday, September 7, at 3 p.m. ET.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Corrected: September 4, 2017 at 12:00 AM EDT
A previous version of this post incorrectly identified the winner as Cynthia Turner. Her name is Cynthia Tucker.
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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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.