Code Switch

December 21st , 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the first published crossword puzzle by Arthur Wynne. To celebrate this centennial, please enjoy listening to the wordplay wizard (and New York Times crossword editor) Will Shortz take on our puzzle guru John Chaneski in an intense word-puzzle showdown.  We have another treat for you, too. Head to NPR.org to try your hand at a special crossword puzzle written by John Chaneski just for this occasion. Go on, it’ll be good for you...

(Episode 305) Start a puzzle-filled holiday tradition with three Very Important Puzzlers: writer A.J. Jacobs, The Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead and comedian John Hodgman. This week, sing a comical rendition of "Deck the Halls," and learn about quirky holiday traditions from around the world.

What’s better than a Christmas carol? A Christmas carol with a built-in puzzle, of course. In our forthcoming Holiday Spectacular, we play a game in which house musician Jonathan Coulton sings clues to the tune of "Deck The Halls." Contestants must sing the answers with "fa-la-la’s." It all fits together into one gloriously weird song, which you can hear in this podcast-only extra, featuring contestants Rob Gilleece and Karen Sloan...

Play it again, Coulton. This week, revisit some of the most raucous and rolling musical games from the Ask Me Another archives. They’re led by our house musician, the geek-rock legend himself, Jonathan Coulton.

(Episode 304) This week, clean up Bruce Willis’ Die Hard catchphrase, trivialize some dog breeds, and since no rule of three is complete without the third item, guess celebrities with triple names. Plus, the lovely and talented singer Nellie McKay uses both her voice and brain to demonstrate her love of the icon Doris Day.

(Rebroadcast, Episode 220) Strap on your safety goggles: we're turning up the Bunsen burners for a special math and science-themed episode, recorded at the 2013 World Science Festival. Play games that contain a Periodic Table spelling bee, turn pop songs into algebraic equations, and imagine if Greek goddesses had their own franchise of Real Housewives...

(Episode 303) Inspired by this week’s Very Important Puzzler, the best-selling children’s horror author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps, Fear Street), the games in this show have been designed to scare the answers out of you. Find out what zombies eat when they run out of brains, test your Looney Tunes knowledge through a revised rendition of “Sympathy for the Devil” and find out what else Edgar Allan Poe’s Raven has been quoth’ing on about...

As listeners of Ask Me Another know, not only do we force our VIPs to play games, but we also ask them to provide a grand prize. Actor Justin Long offered to be the voice of our champion's alarm clock, and, as you'll hear in this podcast-only bonus, he delivered. Now wake up!

(Episode 302) As the saying goes, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," and this week's Very Important Puzzler, actor Justin Long, knows this phrase all too well. While he's known for starring in romantic comedies like He's Just Not That Into You and Going the Distance, Long's knack for celebrity impersonations comes in handy for a game in which he brings Woody Allen, Michael J. Fox and others to life...

Actor Justin Long has a knack for impressions, and lent his talents to a game he hosted in this week’s show, “A Little Impression Goes A Long Way.” In this podcast-only extra, hear some bonus material from Justin’s game: his impersonation of Christopher Walken. Hear the full episode with Justin Long starting November 14, 2013.