Shuffling Pairs of Fives

By Will Shortz

Published December 4, 2005 at 12:00 AM EST

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

Challenge from Nov. 26: (From listener Steve Baggish, from Littleton, Mass.) Name a six-letter animal. Change the second letter to the next letter of the alphabet. Read the result backward, and you'll name a major U.S. city. What city is it?

Answer: OCELOT/TOLEDO

Winner: Stacy Merritt of Gainesville, Fla.

Challenge from Dec. 4:

Name an animal in five letters. Switch the first and last letters, and you'll name a well-known company. Hint: The company is over 100 years old and has hundreds of stores around the United States and Canada. What company is it?

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).

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