Curio Cabinet / Teaser Curio

Tara Westover is the author of our Book of the Month. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about her career.  

In her memoir, Educated, Tara Westover describes her childhood in a survivalist Mormon family in a rural Idaho mountain town. Despite never attending high school, Westover gets accepted to Brigham Young University, and eventually studies abroad at Cambridge University. Recalling these events forces Westover to reckon with her complicated past. But before we give any more away, go check out Educated for yourself! In the meantime, can you solve today's teaser?

Directions: This is a 12 letter English word.

(The original word) Nostalgia.
(Remove the first 4 letters) Something to feign.
(Remove the last 4 letters & add 4 more at the beginning) Pining, and then some.
(Remove the first letter) Tennis score of zero.
What's the original word?
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #276" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
 

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In an interview with Esquire magazine titled "What I've Learned," Roy Horn described how rivalry kept his onstage relationship with Siegfried Fischbacher fresh, "Siegfried and I are partners, but at the same time, we are competitors. Each one wants the spotlight. Each one fights for it. Guess who gets it? The cat. Cats always get the spotlight." Siegfried and Roy, masters of the impossible, astonished millions with their magic tricks, and feline friends. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about the original tiger kings, Siegfried and Roy. In the meantime, can you solve this ferocious word ladder?

 
Can you make a word ladder from TIGER to STAGE?

TIGER
 
 
 
  Things some sorters make.
 
 
 
 
 
  American retailer.
 
 
STAGE

Hint: there are two solutions to this puzzle, an 8-step answer, and a 13-step answer. We are looking for the 13-step solution.
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #275" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
 

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If you saw Hidden Figures (2016), you learned about the oft-overlooked impact of black women on the race to space. Katherine Johnson calculated the trajectories that allowed Apollo 11 to land on the moon and return to Earth. Her colleagues, mathematicians like Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, provided expertise in computing and engineering. To celebrate the legacy of these women, can you unscramble this quote by Johnson?

 

The phrases of the original quote have the number of words and letters shown below. The phrases were scrambled independently (i.e., the letters from the first phrase aren't scrambled into the second phrase). Can you figure out the original phrase?

"Algebraic pearls of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have nominate origami than men.” — Katherine Johnson
 

“(5) (3) (7) of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have (4) (11) than men.” — Katherine Johnson

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #274" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
 

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James Baldwin once described his education in the American public school system as wanting because, “history had been taught without cognizance of my presence.” What Baldwin is describing is the deliberate omission of black Americans—their achievements, their contributions, and their oppression—from curriculum. That's not to say black Americans weren't studying their own history. In 1915, Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland had founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, ASALH). In 1926, they created a "Negro History Week," choosing the second week of February to honor Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays (February 12 and 14, respectively). In 1976, on the 50th anniversary of the celebration, President Gerald Ford issued a national decree establishing Black History Month. Each year, a theme is selected to commemorate the occasion. This year, the theme is "Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity."
 
To celebrate Black History Month, we're highlighting inspiring Americans, like Howard Thurman. Named one of the 12 most important religious leaders in the United States by Life magazine in 1953, Thurman ministered to many communities. He even traveled and met with Mahatma Gandhi. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about Thurman. In the meantime, can you solve this themed word square?

 
Remember: a word square is similar to a square crossword puzzle, but the same words appear across and down.

Here's an example of a 3x3 word square:
  CAT AGO TOY  

Below are four clues, not in order. Can you make a 4x4 word square out of it?

Brief resumes.
An acronym for Howard or Spelman, e.g.
Central part of.
Employed in religious education.

 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #273" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
 
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Isabel Wilkerson is the author of our Book of the Month. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about her impressive writing career.  

In Caste: The Origins of our Discontent, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson identifies eight pillars of a caste system. Every caste system is based on this, a 14-letter English word. Can you figure out the original word based on these clues?

(The original word) Power structure.
(Remove the first 2 letters) Process of making a treaty official.
(Keep the first 5 letters and add a -y) Validate
(Remove the first letter) Snitch irate to be missing tips.

What's the original word?
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #272" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Inspired by his son's stuffed animal collection, author A.A. Milne invented Winnie the Pooh and the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood. In the 1928 story collection, The House at Pooh Corner, Milne introduced Tigger, a bouncy tiger-like character, the "only one" of his kind. The larger-than-life character captivated the hearts of Milne's readers, making him a staple in subsequent adaptations of the series. Because we could all use some extra spring in our step, today's eccentric word ladder is inspired by the bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy Tigger.
 

Directions: Can you make a word ladder from STRIPE to BOUNCE?
 

STRIPE
 
 
 
  Crushes grapes
 
 
 
 
 
  Short delays
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 Administrative division
 
 
BOUNCE

Hint: there are two solutions to this puzzle, a 16-step answer, and a 21-step answer. We are looking for the 21-step solution.
 

Remember: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging, adding, or removing letters). And, of course, each step is a common, valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this: CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.
 
Be sure to tune in tomorrow to learn about A.A. Milne, author of The Winnie the Pooh series.
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #271" and let us know, or check back next week to find out! In the meantime, tune in tomorrow to learn about A.A. Milne, author of The Winnie the Pooh series.
 

Dubbed the "trial of the century," the People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson garnered global interest. Hundreds of millions tuned in to witness infamous moments, like the defendant trying on the pair of bloodied leather gloves. Supposedly, the gloves didn't fit Simpson because he had stopped taking arthritis medication two weeks earlier, leading his hands to swell. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about Simpson's trial, and subsequent acquittal for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. In the meantime can you unscramble the phrases in defense attorney Johnnie Cochran's statement to the jury?
 
The phrases of the original quote have the number of words and letters shown below. The phrases were scrambled independently (i.e., the letters from the first phrase aren't scrambled into the second phrase). Can you figure out the original phrase?
 

"Let me show you something. This is a knit cap. Let me put this knit cap on. You have seen me for a year. If I put this knit cap on, who am I? I'm still Johnnie Cochran with a knit cap. And if you looked at O.J. Simpson over there—and he has headgear rare halt—O.J. Simpson in a knit cap from two blocks away is still O.J. Simpson. It's no disguise. It makes no sense. Foisted tint. If foisted tint, you must acquit." — Johnnie Cochran
 
"Let me show you something. This is a knit cap. Let me put this knit cap on. You have seen me for a year. If I put this knit cap on, who am I? I'm still Johnnie Cochran with a knit cap. And if you looked at O.J. Simpson over there—and he has (1) (6) (5) (4)—O.J. Simpson in a knit cap from two blocks away is still O.J. Simpson. It's no disguise. It makes no sense. (2) (6) (3). If (2) (6) (3), you must acquit." — Johnnie Cochran
 

Hint: South Park dubbed this legal strategy the "Chewbacca defense" in a 1998 episode ("Chef Aid"), satirizing Cochran's reasoning using Star Wars.
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #270" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!
 

In 4 days, a new President and Vice President will be sworn in. If you're wondering who selected January 20 as inauguration day, and why, tune in tomorrow! In the meantime can you solve this riddle?
 
Nearly every president has had one of these. To figure out what it is, you'll need to select the correct letter for each of the clues. Hint: there may be more than one answer for each clue.
 
The first letter is in FORD but not COOLIDGE.

The second letter is in NIXON but not JACKSON.

The third letter is in MONROE but not MADISON.

The fourth letter is in BUSH but not BUCHANAN.
The fifth letter is in TRUMAN but not VAN BUREN.

The sixth letter is in LINCOLN but not JACKSON.

The seventh letter is in REAGAN but not PIERCE.

The eighth letter is in ADAMS but not WASHINGTON.
The ninth letter is in HAYES but not HOOVER.

 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #269" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Ann Patchett is the author of our first Book of the month.
 

Nashville, Tennessee is home to many sights—the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, the Country Music Hall of Fame, a full-size replica of the Parthenon, and Parnassus books, the independent bookstore co-owned by Ann Patchett and Karen Hayes. The bookstore supports authors by hosting readings, and even featuring new releases in Musing their own publication. To celebrate small businesses, and our new Book of the Month, can you solve this word square?

  Remember: a word square is similar to a square crossword puzzle, but the same words appear across and down.

Here's an example of a 3x3 word square:
  CAT AGO TOY  

Below are four clues, not in order. Can you make a 4x4 word square out of it?

More than assume
Not restricted
Prefix for vintners
Reserve in advance
 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #268" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to eat healthier, you might want to avoid temptation and skip right to the teaser directions.
 

Do you like ice cream in winter? What about cake? Meringue? If you answered yes to all three questions, you should whip up a baked Alaska. The dessert is a sponge cake topped with ice cream, and encased with meringue that is flambéed (or browned). It is also known as the glace au four (ice cream from the oven) or Norwegian or surprise omelette due to its frosty and surprising contents. Its origin story is debated, but one legend has it that Antoine's, a restaurant in New Orleans, was made in honor of the United States acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867.

 
Tomorrow marks the anniversary of Alaska being granted statehood. To celebrate the 49th U.S. state, and the scrumptious dessert, can you make a word ladder from COLD to SNOW?

COLD
 
 
 
 Cindery.
 
 
SNOW

Hint: There are two solutions, a 5-step solution and a 7-step solution. We are looking for the 7-step solution.

 

Remember: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging, adding, or removing letters). And, of course, each step is a common, valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this: CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #267" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Viva Las Vegas! Did you know that Las Vegas was founded by a bunch of mobsters from New York? That's right! The Flamingo Hotel opened on this day in 1946. One of the leaders of Murder, Inc., the organized crime group behind the development of the Las Vegas strip, was Bugsy Siegel.
 
As you might imagine, this group wasn't particularly pleasant. Stay tuned tomorrow to learn about The Flamingo Hotel and midcentury mob life in Vegas.  

In the meantime, can you untangle this famous quote? The phrases of the original quote have the number of words and letters shown below. The phrases were scrambled independently (i.e., the letters from the first phrase aren't scrambled into the second phrase). Purportedly, one day Bugsy Siegel boasted about his day job to Del Webb, a real estate developer and co-owner of the Yankees. Supposedly he said this:

"Del, don't worry, a thickener hello yowl." — Bugsy Siegel

"Del, don't worry, (2) (4) (4) (4) (5)." — Bugsy Siegel

 
Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #266" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

If you binged watched the most recent season of The Crown, you're not alone. Sadly the show skips over some of the quirkier aspects of monarchy—like having a ship named after you. On September 20, 1967, Queen Elizabeth II christened the eponymous liner at Clydebank, Scotland: "May God bless her and all who sail in her." Unfortunately, the QE2 cruiseliner was far from #blessed. From leaking pipes to unfinished interiors and faulty routers, the ship was doomed. (Someone even threatened to bomb it.) The ship was eventually retired. Today, it floats off the coast of Dubai, where it has been renovated into a luxury hotel.

Tune in tomorrow to learn more about Queen Elizabeth II. While you wait, can you solve these nautical riddles?

Riddle 1: You see a boat filled with people. You look again, but this time you don't see a single person on the boat. Why?

Riddle 2: Every day at noon an ocean liner leaves Le Havre to sail for New York. At the same time, an ocean liner sails from New York to Le Havre. The crossing takes exactly seven days and seven nights in both directions. How many other ocean liners will an ocean liner leaving Le Havre today pass at sea before arriving in New York?

Think you know the answers? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #265" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

The first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, Sir Francis Drake was quite the, ahem, character. Nicknamed "El Draque" or the Dragon, Drake plundered his way across the seven seas from 1577 to 1580 with the permission of Queen Elizabeth I.
 

Tune in tomorrow to learn more about Sir Francis Drake. While you wait, can you solve this water-themed word square?
 

Remember: a word square is similar to a square crossword puzzle, but the same words appear across and down.

Here's an example of a 3x3 word square:
  CAT AGO TOY  

Below are four clues, not in order. Can you make a 4x4 word square out of it?

Pop band with a famous "water" hit.
Nilewader.
Set off by sea.
Not first mate, but ...

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #264" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

St. Paul's Church in London, England. Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia. Viceroy's House in Delhi, India. The Pavillion Soixante-Dix in St. Sauveur, Canada. What do these buildings all have in common? They were inspired by Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1580-1580). Palladio is so influential that he is the only architect whose name has been turned into a English noun—Palladianism. Not only did he craft exquisite and incredibly functional bespoke villas and country houses, but he transformed the landscape of what we now call Northern Italy.
 
To learn more about Palladio tune tomorrow. In the meantime, can you solve today's teaser? Hint: the answer is what Palladio was known for.

This is a 14-letter English word.

(The original word) Memory.
(Remove the prefix) Disclosure.
(Remove the suffix) Establish.
(Replace the last two letters with an -e) Decipher.

What's the original word?
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #263" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Aloha! Are you still working through those Thanksgiving leftovers as you score some Black Friday deals? Consider giving your brain some exercise by solving today's teaser (and then maybe go for a walk?).
 

If you tune in tomorrow, you'll learn about the big island of Hawai'i, home to incredible wildlife, like the Hawaiian Honu or the Green Sea Turtle. The Honu is a symbol of good luck in Hawaiian culture, and believed to be a guardian spirit (Amakua). The only indigenous reptile in Hawaii, the Honu can live to be 150 years old.

 
To celebrate the majestic reptile whose origins date back to the time of dinosaurs, can you make a word ladder from HONU to SAND?

HONU
 
 A turtle shell has many of these
 
 
SAND

Remember: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging, adding, or removing letters). And, of course, each step is a common, valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this: CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #262" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of Toy Story's release. Time certainly flies! As the days get shorter, and the pandemic rages on, perhaps we could all use a little Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and company in our lives. Or maybe we just need Forky, the beloved spork in Toy Story 4.
 
If you're like Forky, you might be having an existential crisis. Distract yourself by unscrambling today's teaser, and learning more about Toy Story's production and release tomorrow.
 

The phrases of the original quote have the number of words and letters shown below. The phrases were scrambled independently (i.e., the letters from the first phrase aren't scrambled into the second phrase). Can you figure out the original phrase?

"I was meant for a baa domiciles plushy.
And then the trash! Tile Trim! Freedom!" — Forky
 

"I was meant for (4), (5), (5) (4). And then the trash! (2) (6)! Freedom!" — Forky

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #261" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

If you've ever traveled to a country where you don't speak the language, undoubtedly you know the importance of pictograms in bridging the language barrier. In 1963, the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda) was established in London to "encourage the better use of graphic design as a means towards the advancement of humanity, regardless of race or creed." One of Icograda's primary missions was to design universal symbols or pictograms for events like the Olympic Games. This International System of Typographic Picture Education (Isotype) made it possible to identify different Olympic events and locations. One of Icograda's members, anthropologist Margaret Mead, was also responsible for recommending the United Nations incorporate glyphs—pictograms and ideograms—in their materials.

See if you can solve this glyph-inspired puzzle, and stay tuned tomorrow to learn more about Margaret Mead.

This is a rebus (ree-buhs) puzzle is a code where images, symbols, or letters represent certain words or phrases. It comes from the Latin phrase non verbis, sed rebus, meaning not by words, but by things. Can you figure out the phrase represented below?
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #260" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough," Mark Twain once said. After this week, month, year you might need a drink. Pour yourself a finger or two of whiskey, and solve today's boozy teaser. Stay tuned tomorrow to learn more about the Bourbon-making Baptist Minister, Elijah Craig.
  Remember: a word square is similar to a square crossword puzzle, but the same words appear across and down.

Here's an example of a 3x3 word square:
  CAT AGO TOY  

Below are four clues, not in order. Can you make a 4x4 word square out of it?
Drink too much and you might feel this.
A French term for a spirit distilled from sugarcane juice.
You might drink the clue above while on vacation here.
Illinois's state grain.

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #259" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Happy Halloween! Looking for a last-minute costume idea? Grab a red hat and trench coat, and a black turtleneck—you're the international caper Carmen Sandiego. While you're getting ready, can you solve today's teaser? In the episode, "A Higher Calling," Carmen Sandiego steals Stonehenge, several ancient artifacts, and today's clue—located in Puerto Rico—to contact extraterrestrials! Unravel this riddle and tune in tomorrow to learn more about the mystery object.

This is a 11 letter English word:

(The original word) A gateway to the cosmos.
(Change the suffix to -ion) A remark.
(Change the suffix to -e) To notice something.
(Remove the first two letters) To perform duties for someone or something.

What's the original word?
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #258" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!

Am I blue? Yes, I am blue. Or maybe I'm just looking at Pablo Picasso's paintings. From 1901 to 1904, the Spanish artist worked in a blue-green palette, crafting gloomy portraits like "Melancholy Woman" or "The Glass of Beer (Portrait of the Poet Sabartes." During this phase, Picasso suffered from severe depression following the death of his friend, Catalan painter Carles Casagemas. He expressed his grief through his art, although it took quite some time before any of these paintings sold. In 2015, a painting from his blue period titled "Nightclub Singer" set a new record, fetching $67.5 million at auction. Tune in tomorrow to learn more about Pablo Picasso's illustrious career. In the meantime, can you make a word ladder from BLUE to NUDE.

BLUE
 
 
 
 This animal goes "bah"
 
 
 
 
 A facial feature
 
NUDE

Hint: there are two solutions to this puzzle, an 7-step answer, and an 11-step answer. We are looking for the 11-step solution.
 

Remember: a word ladder is a series of words, starting from one word and ending with another, where each subsequent word is a one-letter change from the previous word (without rearranging, adding, or removing letters). And, of course, each step is a common, valid English word. For instance, you can change CAT to DOG like this: CAT => COT => DOT => DOG.
 

Think you know the answer? Email support@curious.com with the subject "Teaser #257" and let us know, or check back next week to find out!