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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.

Will Shortz has been the puzzle master for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987.