Will Shortz

On-air challenge: This week's puzzle is called "Bus Fare." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase, in which the first word starts with BU- and the second word starts with S.

For example: A onetime General Motors car named for a bird --> Buick Skylark.

Last week's challenge: This is ...

On-air challenge:

Given a four-letter word, insert two letters to complete a common six-letter word.

Ex. PACE --> PALACE

Last week's challenge:

This challenge came from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website mathpuzzle.com. It's a word puzzle, though, not a math puzzle. The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 ...

On-air challenge: This week's theme is SPAs. Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word starts with S- and the second word starts with PA-.

For example: Something to jot notes on —> SCRAP PAPER or SCRATCH PAD (either answer works).

Last week's challenge: ...

On-air challenge: For each of the following words and phrases, the consonants in it are the same consonants, in the same order, as those of a world capital. You name the capital.

For example: AIMING --> MANAGUA.

Next week's challenge is the same as it was last week. Since ...

On-air challenge: I'm going to tell a little story. Call me out on every error of fact, logic or word usage you hear. No specialized knowledge is needed. Ready? Here goes:

As you hear this, on Sunday, Oct. 10, I am on a 10-day trip through Greece, Macedonia and ...

On-air challenge: For each six-letter word given, add two letters at the start to complete a common eight-letter word. The answer never involves adding a regular prefix like RE- or UN-.

For example: berate --> liberate.

Last week's challenge, from Mike Reiss: Name a famous Greek person from history. Rearrange ...

On-air challenge: Every answer this week is a familiar two-word phrase or name, in which the first word starts with the letters C and A in that order, and the second word starts with P.

For example, a sheet that a typist once used to make a copy of something ...

On-air challenge: Every answer this week is the last name of a late-night TV host, past or present. Identify the hosts from their anagrams.

Example: EMERY + S ---> (Seth) MEYERS.

Last week's challenge: It's a well-known curiosity that the longest, common unhyphenated word that can be typed on the ...

On-air challenge: Every answer this week is the first and last name of one of the major Republican candidates for president. Identify the candidates from the anagrams given.

For example: PORTLAND MUD --> Donald Trump.

Last week's challenge from listener Ben Bass of Chicago: Name a well-known U.S. geographical place ...

On-air challenge: This is a game of categories, based on the word "virgo," which is the astrological sign for this time of year. For each category, name something in the category beginning with each of the letters V-I-R-G-O.

For example, if the category were "chemical elements," you might say vanadium, ...

On-air challenge: This week's puzzle was inspired by crossword constructor Merl Reagle, who died earlier this month.

One of Merl's most classic crosswords was titled "Anagrammys," in which he took the titles of popular songs and recast them with an anagram of one word. For example, his clue was ...

On-air challenge: You'll be given a five-letter word and a six-letter word. Rearrange the letters of the five-letter word to get a synonym of the six-letter one. For example, given "carve" and "desire," you would say "crave."

Last week's challenge: Take the word EASILY. You can rearrange its letters to ...

On-air challenge: Every answer this week is the name of a state. For all the words given, ignore the vowels in them. The consonants in them are the same consonants, in the same order, as in the states.

For example, the word "regain" would be "Oregon."

Last week's challenge from ...

Updated at 9:30 p.m. ET

An Indonesian twin-turboprop plane carrying 54 passengers and crew reportedly crashed in the country's mountainous and densely wooded Papua province, according to the Transportation Ministry.

There was no distress call from the Trigana Air Service ATR42-300. A search plane spotted the wreckage on Monday ...

On-air challenge: For each word given, think of another word starting with the same two letters that can follow it to complete a familiar compound word.

Last week's challenge from listener Joe Krozel of Creve Coeur, Mo: This challenge involves a spoonerism. To recap, that's where you exchange the initial ...

On-air challenge: Every answer this week is a six-letter word that contains two consecutive F's. Use each anagram of the other four letters to find the full six-letter word.

For example, given the word ride, the answer is differ.

Last week's challenge from listener Daniel Grossman: Name something in three ...

On-air challenge: Every answer today is a made-up three-word phrase in which all three words rhyme ... and every word has two syllables.

For example, using the the initials V, H and F, an extremely hirsute sprite: very hairy fairy.

Last week's challenge from puzzle-maker Rodolfo Kurchan: Write down these ...

On-air challenge: Today's puzzle has a bit of wordplay. Change one letter in each word provided to make two new words. The letter you change must be in the same position in each word of the pair. And the letter you change each of them to will be the same ...

On-air challenge: Today's puzzle involves wordplay on some well-known Canadian place names. Example:

The name of which Canadian province is an anagram of "oration"?

Last week's challenge: The seven words in the following sentence have something very unusual in common — something that almost no other words in the English ...

On-air challenge: In each pair of clues, the answer to the first clue is a word that contains the consecutive letters A-R. Drop the A-R, and the remaining letters in order will form a word that answers the second clue.

Example: Sweet brown topping on ice cream / Animal with ...