Sunday Puzzle: Flipping R's To S's

On-air challenge: I'm going to give you clues for two words. The first word has an R somewhere within it. Change the R to two S's, and you'll get a new word that answers the second clue.

Example: Female horses / Roman Catholic services --> MARES, MASSES

1. Singer who starred in "Moonstruck" / Game on a 64-square board

2. Tiny opening in the skin / Group helping a sheriff

3. Kitchen surface that stools might be next to / Noblewoman

4. Cry on a golf course / Choreographer Bob

5. State as fact / Having fallen in social status (from the French)

6. German painter Albrecht / Coercion

7. The U.S. flag is called "Old ___" / Photo with a shiny surface

8. Cattle thief / Having no corrosion, as metal

9. North or south / Biology lab assignment

Last week's challenge: This challenge comes from listener Joe Becker of Palo Alto, Calif. Name a world capital in 12 letters. If you have the right one, you can rearrange its letters to name two animals — one in three letters and the other in nine. What capital is it, and what are the animals?

Challenge answer: Port-au-Prince (Haiti) --> rat, porcupine

Winner: Richard McCurdy of Sherman Oaks, Calif.

This week's challenge: A tough challenge this week. It comes from listener Tyler Lipscomb of Augusta, Ga. Think of an adjective in five letters in two syllables. The first syllable phonetically sounds like a synonym of the full, five-letter word. And strangely these two words have no letters in common. What words are these?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you by Thursday, Sept. 26th, at 3 p.m. ET. [Copyright 2019 NPR]