FAMOUS NICKNAMES

Nicknames are often given to individuals based on their achievements, personality, physical characteristics, or other notable aspects. Can you match the athletes, music/arts people, and figures from history below with their nicknames?

 

Athletes

1. The Sultan of Swat 

2. The Say Hey Kid

3. The Iron Horse

4. The Mailman

5. The Great One

6. The Greatest 

 

Music - Arts 

 

1. The King of Rock and Roll

2. The King of Pop

3. The Godfather of Soul

4. The Queen of Soul

5. The Boss

6. The Duke 

7. La Divina 

8. Schnozzola 

9. The Blonde Bombshell 

10. Chairman of the Board /Ol' Blue Eyes 

 

Figures from history

 

1. Scarface 

2. Old Hickory 

3. The Lone Eagle

4. Il Duce 

5. The Gipper 

6. The Iron Lady 

7. The British Bulldog 

 

Answers:

 

Athletes:

1. Babe Ruth

2. Willie Mays

3. Lou Gehrig

4. Carl Malone

5. Wayne Gretzky

6. Muhammad Ali 

 

Music - Arts:

1. Elvis Presley or Chuck Berry

2. Michael Jackson 

3. James Brown

4. Aretha Franklin 

5. Bruce Springsteen 

6. John Wayne 

7. Maria Callas 

8. Jimmy Durante 

9. Marilyn Monroe 

10. Frank Sinatra 

 

Figures from history:

1. Al Capone  

2. Andrew Jackson 

3. Charles Lindbergh 

4. Benito Mussolini 

5. Ronald Reagan 

6. Margaret Thatcher 

7. Winston Churchill 

 

 

ROLLER DERBY NAMES

Source: The Book of Useless Infromation 

Publications International, Ltd.

In 2004, the Women's Flat Track Roller Derby Association was founded, bringing women's competitive roller derby back to the masses. With roots in the 1930s, derby bouts are rowdy, risky, fun, and imbued with a special brand of humor - as evidenced by the names of some of the players, referees, and support staff.

Tequila Mockingbird

Bone Crawford

Gefilte Fists 

Midwife Crisis

Genghis Connie

Graceless Kelly

Doris Day of the Dead (referee)

Cruisin' B. Anthony

Grudge Judy

Abby Rogue 

Tall Drinka Slaughter

Count Smacula

Raggedy Animal

NAME FAME GAME

GAMES Magazine

December, 1982

Stephen Sniderman (1-5)

 

[Note from JA: I try to avoid puzzles using the names of "famous" people, because their names often do not stand the test of time. I think there is at least one name in each group below that will prompt the recollection of the names that are less well known today.

Each trio of names below belongs to three famous people whose last names rhyme. 

For example: Doris

                      Tina

                       Mary,

would be        Doris Day

                       Tina Fey

                        Mary Kay

 

1. Menachem

    Carl

    Ronald

 

2. Arthur

    Johnny

    Ogden

 

3. Dolly

    Dean

    Clara

 

4. Elizabeth

    Norman

    Elgin

 

5. Isaac

    Jerome

    Jules

 

6. Vanna

    Orville

    Ted

Answers:

 

1. Menachem Begin

    Carl Sagan

    Ronald Reagan

 

2. Arthur Ashe

    Johnny Cash

    Odgen Nash

 

3. Dolly Parton

    Dean Martin

    Clara Barton

 

4. Elizabeth Taylor

    Norman Mailer

    Elgin Baylor

 

5. Isaac Stern

    Jerome Kern

    Jules Verne

 

6. Vanna White

    Orville Wright   

    Ted Knight

    

LOOK - WHAT'S IN A NAME?

 

GAMES Magazine

January, 1987

Doug and Janis Heller

 

Can you detect what common characteristic these names share?

 

1. CHARLIE RICH

2. MICHELE LEE

3. CHARLOTTE RAE

4. RAY BRADBURY

5. ALFRED ADLER

 

Answer: 

 

In each case, all of the letters from one of the two names (either first or last) can be found in the other name, though not in order. 

What do the following four-letter names have in common?

JACK

VERN

NORM

HERB

ANNE

MORT

 

Answer: 

 

Each name becomes a new word with the addition of AL at the end:

 

JACKAL

VERNAL

NORMAL

HERBAL

ANNEAL

MORTAL

 

Credit:

GAMES Magazine

October, 2001

Raymond Love

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME

Each clue leads to a familiar word or phrase containing a male or female name.

1. December 24

2. Kind of tournament

3. Eyewear for optimists

4. Cold-weather undies

5. Mr. Fix-it

6. Revolving table-top tray

7. Where "Freedom of speech" is found

8. Plant source for many skin care products

9. Temperamental person with an inflated ego

10. Leg cramp

11. Hair accessory

12. Shared equally 

13. Charge a credit card to the limit

14. What the dove returned to Noah's Ark

15. What the Wicked Witch of the East wanted

 

Answers:

 

1. Christmas EVE

2. Round ROBIN

3. ROSE-colored glasses

4. Long JOHNS

5. JACK-of-all-trades

6. Lazy SUSAN

7. BILL of Rights

8. Aloe VERA

9. Prima DONNA

10. CHARLEY horse

11. BOBBY pin

12. Even STEVEN

13. MAX out

14. OLIVE branch

15. RUBY slippers 

 

Credit:

Based on: 

GAMES Magazine

August, 2001

Jennifer Orehowsky

(WHO GOES THERE?)

NATIONAL DIVISION

Merl Reagle

 

The blanks below are to be filled in with the names of countries. But for the sentences to make sense, the country names have to be divided into smaller words - without re-arranging the letters.  Some of the answers to the clues below "go back awhile." But they're so clever, I've included them anyway. For example, Jack LaLanne's opening a ________ in our neighborhood." The answer would be SPAIN (spa in).

 

1. United is booked solid, so you had better give ________ try.

 

2. I'm all out of breath because ________ here as fast as I could.

 

3. Giving a kitten a ball of string is like giving a ________ jar of honey.

 

4. Prince ________ for England whenever he's away.

 

5. His was the best report, so I gave the ________.

 

6. O ________ of little faith.

 

7. Can a plane that's covered with ________ in this weather?

 

8. After his vacation, he returned to word with ________ landed three accounts in one day.

 

9.  You don't see bacteria often, but you can find a ________ time.

 

10. If sheep are white, how come my ________? 

 

Answers:

 

1. PANAMA (PAN AM A)

2. IRAN

3. CUBA

4. PHILIPPINES (PHILLIP PINES)

5. GUYANA (GUY AN A)

6. YEMEN

7. ICELAND

8. NEW ZEALAND

9. GERMANY

10. AFGHANISTAN (AFGHAN IS TAN)

MANHUNT

Henry E. Leabo

 

Some letters are missing from the word list below. Replace each set of asterisks with a man's first name to form a complete word. For example, AD * * * TAGE plus VAN would give ADVANTAGE. 

1. R ****SERIE

2. CLI***

3. TAR****IN

4. S ****ET

5. ****SMAN

6. UN****ING

7. ****WARM

8. ASPARA***

9. M***GE

10. ****ANT

11. ST******

12. *****TONE

13. SE***

14. FLOT***

15. K****KNACK

Answers:

 

1. rOTISerie

2. cliMAX

3. tarPAULin

4. sCARLet

5. MARKsman

6. unWILLing

7. LUKEwarm

8. asparaGUS 

9. mIRAge

10. ADAMant

11. stERNEST

12. MILEStone

13. seDAN

14. flotSAM

15. mNICKknack

NY Times Crossword

April 16, 2024

Adam Vincent

What do the following men have in common?

1. Stephen Fry

2. Samuel Colt

3. Ryan Gosling

4. Charles Lamb

 

HINT:

It has to do with their names, not their accomplishments.

Answer:

 

The first name of each man is a common man's name. The last name of each man is the name of a baby animal.

 

 

LA Times Crossword

April 2, 2024

David Tufts

Each phrase below contains a related name. What are they?

1. KICK A HABIT

2. URBAN BLIGHT

3. SUN EMOJI

4. ALL SHOOK UP

Answers:

 

1. kick A HABit - AHAB

2. urban BLIHGt - BLIGH

3. suN EMOji - NEMO

4. all sHOOK up - HOOK - - - Names of fictional Captains

TWO'S COMPANY

GAMES Magazine

May, 2000

From the GAMES Library

 

Can you complete the second part of the two-part named companies below?

 

1. ARM & _____

2. BARNES & _____

3. BAUSCH & _____

4. BLACK & _____

5. CURRIER & _____

6. DUN & _____

7. FUNK & _____

8. JOHNSON & _____

9. LEA & _____

10. PROCTER & _____

11. SIMON & _____

12. VAN CLEEF & _____

 

Answers: 

 

1. ARM & HAMMER

2. BARNES & NOBLE

3. BAUSCH & LOMB

4. BLACK & DECKER

5. CURRIER & IVES

6. DUN & BRADSTREET

7. FUNK & WAGNALLS

8. JOHNSON & JOHNSON

9. LEA & PERRINS

10. PROCTER & GAMBLE

11. SIMON & SCHUSTER

12. VAN CLEEF & ARPEL

IT  HAS A NAME

1. The vertical surface of the stair in a staircase is called a riser. The horizontal surface of the stair - the part you step on - is called the tread.

2. The back of an office desk that extends down to the floor is called a modesty panel.

3. The small curved end of a clothes hanger that forms the letter "C" is called a turnback.

4. The part of eyeglasses on the side of the head and extending over the ear is called a temple.

5. A charred, partly consumed candlewick is called a snuff.

6. The metal ring that supports the eyelet (the hole the shoelace goes through) is called a grommet.

7. The head (top portion) of a key is called the bow.*

*[JA - yet another meaning of this celebrated heteronym. I don't know how this one is pronounced, but I suspect it's "bough", as the bow (front) of a ship.]

PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE

 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

Special Issue

November, 1996

Stephen Sniderman

 

What 's in a name? Sometimes, another name. For example, hidden in the surname of trapeze great Karl Wallenda are the letters of patriot Ethan ALLEN. In each clue below, two first names are given. Think of the last names of both people. The last name of the person whose first  name is given first can fit inside the last name of the second person.

 

For example: ELIAS - DWIGHT

                      Elias HOWE  - Dwight EISENHOWER

 

1. MUHAMMAD - JOSEPH

2. AYN  - MARLON

3. PEARS - FATTY

4. CHARLIE - JAMES

5. CHRISTOPHER - D.H.

6. WILLIAM - LOU

7. ISAAC - BORIS

8. JOHANN SEBASTIAN - MIKHAIL

Answers:

 

1. STALIN 

2. BRANDO 

3. ARBUCKLE 

4. BUCHANAN 

5. LAWRENCE

6. COSTELLO

7. PASTERNAK

8. GORBACHEV 

A ROSE IS A ROSE

English: BUTTERFLY

French: PAPILLON

Spanish: MARIPOSA

German: SCHMETTERLING

 

THE PLAY OF WORDS V

Richard Lederer 

 

The commonly seen objects below have names, though we seldom use them. Can you name them?

 

1. The metal hoop that supports a lampshade

 

2. The metal post that runs through a door hinge 

3. The decorative metal plate around a keyhole, drawer pull, or doorknob

4. The ornamental piece that screws into the top of a lamp to secure the lampshade

5. The cardboard cylinder that surrounds a hot cup of coffee so you don't burn your fingers

6. The narrowest part of an hourglass

 

Answers:

 

1. Harp

2. Pintle

3. Escutcheon 

4. Ferrule

5. Zarf

6. Waist 

See also: WHACHAMACALITS - posted 5/11/14

What is unusual about the three men named below?

1. Usain Bolt

2. William Wordsworth

3. Chris Moneymaker

 

Answers:

 

Their names are aptonyms - names especially suited to what a person does well:

 

1. Usain Bolt - Olympic gold-medal sprinter

2. William Wordsworth - Celebrated English poet 

3. Chris Moneymaker - Professional poker player

 

 

MARRIED NAMES

Henry Hook

 

Match the bride and groom to one of the choices below (assuming that the wife takes her husband's name).

1. If Sarah Ferguson wed Ralph Nader

2. If Annie Potts wed Tje Rev. Billy Graham

3. If Tara Lipinsky wed Jimmy Carter

4. If Ally Sheedy wed Senator Evan Bayh

5. If Liz Taylor wed Eric Estrada

CHOICES:

a. Form of wordplay

b. Comedy by Aristophanes

c. Someone who sings to you

d. Brownish-red earthenware

e. Suspect's excuse

Answers:

 

1. c - Someone who sings to you - SARAH NADER (serenader)

 

2. a - Form of wordplay - ANNIE GRAHAM (anagram)

 

3. d - Brownish-red earthenware - TARA CARTER (terra cota)

 

4. e - Suspect's excuse - ALLY BAYH (alibi)

 

5. b - Comedy by Aristophanes -  LIZ ESTRADA (Lysistrata)

SIX-LETTER SIGNATURES

Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

How many first and last names of notable people can you think of that have only six letters? For example, given the clue, "The Georgia Peach," the answer would be TY COBB. 

1. Actor in old westerns

2. New Orleans jazz pioneer

3. Canadian-born singer-songwriter

4. UN Secretary General in 1962

5. Auto-racing great

6."Gift of the Magi" writer

7. Runner-up in 2000

8. Hall-of-Fame NY Giants slugger

9. Celebrated American cellist 

10. The Joy Luck Club author 

11. Actor who threw a "frontier bris" on the Johnny Carson Show

Answers:

 

1. TOM MIX

2. KID ORY

3. k. d. lang

4. U THANT

5. A.J. FOYT

6. O. HENRY 

7. AL GORE

8. MEL OTT

9. YO-YO MA

10. AMY TAN 

11. ED AMES

LADIES DAZE

Fred Piscop

If an apt name for a college applications reviewer is DINA ADMISSIONS, what would be an apt name for: 

1. A doomsayer

2. A Rossini opera fan

3. A Form 1040 completer

4. A geologist 

5. An entrepreneur

6. A defendant who was found not guilty

Answers:

 

1. Eva Destruction

2. Barbara Seville

3. Hedda Household

4. Cora D'Earth

5. Dora Opportunity

6. Frida Charges

Many words in American English are different in British English. For example, an American truck is a British lorry. Can you supply the British term for the American English words below?

1. Can

2. Line

3. Apartment

4. Cookie

5. Trash can

6. Movies

7. Mail

8. Flashlight

9. Bonnet

10. Trunk

11. Pharmacy

12. French fries

13. Potato chips

14. Eraser

15. Elevator

16. Attorney

17. Gasoline

18. Diaper

19. Baby carriage

20. Athletic playing field 

Answers:

 

1. Can - Tin

2.  Line - Queue

3. Apartment - Flat

4. Cookie - Biscuit

5. Trash can - Dust bin

6. Movies - Cinema

7. Mail - Post

8. Flashlight - Torch

9. Bonnet - Hood

10. Trunk - Boot

11. Pharmacy - Chemist

12. French fries - Chips

13. Potato chips - Crisps

14. Eraser - Rubber

15. Elevator - Lift

16. Attorney - Solicitor

17. Gasoline - Petrol 

18. Diaper - Nappy

19. Baby carriage - Pram

20. Athletic playing field - Pitch