The Puzzler team is taking a short summer break, and in the meantime we're bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We'll be back with brand new episodes soon!
Puzzling with us all this week: comedian and host of "Parenting is a Joke" Ophira Eisenberg!
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask Chat GPT” and audio rebuses.
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"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
Hello, Puzzlers. Welcome to the Puzzler Podcast, the Wayne Scotting on your Daily Puzzle living Room Wall. I am your host A J. Jacobs, and today's guest is the awesome Alfira Eisenberg, comedian, author, host of many things, including the Great iHeart podcast Parenting is a Joke. Welcome Ofira.
Hey, Aj, how are you?
I am good? Thank you? How are you?
I'm fine. I'm I wouldn't say I'm thriving or killing it, but I'm still here.
That's nice.
Yeah, you're right, Like if I actually told the truth, it would be like some parts of my life are good, some are a struggle, but we don't need to get into that. So oh, Fira is a wonderful person who so happens to be from Canada.
It's true.
As we mentioned on another episode, do you have a theory on the age old mystery of why so many funny people come from Canada?
Ah?
You know what, I will tell you this A long long time ago, I did a show at the ninety second Street why here in New York before I lived here, and it was this exact debate.
I was just doing stand up and I was pretty new, but.
They had debating this for fun Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Lorne Michaels, and Michael J.
Fox, and they came up with, I mean, the general thing.
Was so close, so much of the shared culture, but Canada has that little step of objectivity MM on it because it not being American, and that space.
Allows for the ability to have, you know, a critical point to make jokes about it interesting.
So it's like a little removed, a little removed.
Yes, so I'm gonna go with that. Also, at the time before there were munchkins, I think that's what Dunkin Donuts sells right the middle of their donut, right called a munchkin. I believe Tim Hortons, which is our big chain and donut store, sold the.
Middle I think.
Anyways, it's claimed that they were the first to do it, sold the middle of the donut.
It's called a tim bit.
And they all debated that if Canada can figure out how to sell the nothing the whole of something, those are people with.
A unique comedic sensibility.
Okay, I like that theory. I had not heard the Tim Horton theory. That is great and.
The culturally appropriated by Duncan don't I don't know if that's true.
Go back, never go back. All right, Well, this puzzle has nothing to do with Canada, so that is my segue. It is. I actually tried to make it about Canada, which I'll explain in a moment, but it's about state abbreviations of United States. So we'll help you, we'll walk you through. It's not so bad. So as you may know, each state has a two letter abbreviation, so Cleveland, Ohio is oh h and New York is n hy uh. And I did I did try to do Canada, because there's Alberta has ab but as you can see, you'll see in a minute why it was hard with ab uh. So this puzzle, I'm gonna give you a clue to a phrase, and that phrase is going to start with a state code, so you're gonna have to guess the state from the state code. So the like if the phrase was oh my God, the answer would be Ohio. So I'll give you another. For instance, think of a Mexican folk song with the lyrics yono soy merinero soy copy tan with a It was in a movie, Richie. They made a movie Richie, Richie Valens do you know that song I'm going all over we have Canada?
You lego?
Are you talking?
Oh yeah, right, love yet love bomba.
So then I would say Louisiana exactly.
Okay, got to step thing, got it?
Okay, now I'm with you, all right? Correct, what is going on? But now I'm with you all right?
Yeah, we thought you're smart.
I love this clever all right.
I actually the only one I could come up with for Canada was ab ovo, which means from the egg. But I didn't feel it was a common phrase. Nothing that didn't trip off my tip.
All right.
So this phrase, on the other hand, I think you know, is a method for cooking pasta that leaves it a little crunchy.
And Dante okay, so uh wait a second, No, you had.
It, but I think you might have pronounced it a little.
What did you say?
I said, So it's al Dante is a.
So then we're wasting.
So we're back to Alabama.
We're back to Alabama.
Okay, good, good, good. That's what messed me up too. I was like, how did I but no, no, possible.
Well we had Alabama in another episode with you. But you know, our producer Neelie is from Alabama because we're kind of obsessed with al You know what.
That's good?
So Alabama is correct? Or if you want to say Alabama Dente.
Oh that I'm told that it's it's al Dente, not al Dante as I said it. I'm sorry.
I was evoking a lot of a famous story and a guy named al Maybe we like pasta difference differently, you're not you're not familiar with the l Dante pasta that's very hot.
It is the hottest pasta.
Well, yes, well I will definitely try it. I think l Dane is teeth because it's like dent. It's like the teeth crunchiness against the teeth. Ah, yes, all right? Are you ready for your second?
Sure?
Am all right. This is a brand of lubricant invented in nineteen oh four with the tagline the wetter, the better.
You know.
When it comes to lubricants, I am going to say globally, there's only one that comes to mind, and that is the old ky Kentucky.
Kentucky exactly, Kentucky Jelly.
Kentucky Jelly. Does anyone call it Kentucky jelly? That would be hilarious.
You can't. I looked it up. And there are no one knows where the ky is from, but there is. You know, some Kentucky residents are trying to claim it for Kentucky, but I don't.
I think it's just part of the conversation. It's like, hey, do you want to use some lube?
K Why?
Good one? I like that. That is good? All right? Are you ready for another one?
Sure?
All right? This is the official motto of the United States since nineteen fifty six, when it replaced one that I actually prefer. E Pluribus Unum was the original, and then we got this one, which you can see on some money and it's on the House of Representatives and it is surprisingly religious.
For right, Okay, what does it say on the money?
God?
I should I spend money all the time.
Again, I did not grow up in America, so you guys probably learned this in grade three and you say it.
All the time.
Looney, what's on I don't know what's on the Is there any words on that?
I mean? So?
But in God, we trust that's it. Oh, that's an okay. I was looking for something fanc here. This is the way it always works. I is Indiana.
I believe Indiana. We trust you.
Nailed it.
There's a there's a movie, old movie that I love called They Live.
Do you know that movie?
Wait?
Is that the one? I'm here to choose some bubble gum and kick some ass and I'm all out of bubble gum. I think that's it, right, rowdy rowdy biper.
Yes.
So there's a lot about money and the truth of money and anyways, I remember seeing that at a very impressiable age, and it still makes sense to me.
I did not remember that part. I just remember the bubble gum. By the way, So that is it. You did fantastic. Yeah, too fast.
I went through that one too fast and too good.
You are too smart.
That's it except for El Dante.
Right, Well, that shows that you're you're mortal, like you know.
My old friend Al Dante.
He's a great guy. By the way, have you ever heard Gary Goleman, the comedian. He does a whole shtick on state abbreviations that's actually very funny. Oh yeah, you've heard it, Like he taught because Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri they all start with M I, so it creates chaos. It's very good.
Yeah, because once an one's an.
M o exactly. They really had to get creative. They had to, as he says, they had to bring in a contractor someone who contracts words.
I learned a lot of my state abbreviations, from sending behavioral health reimbursement things around to health insurance.
So it's educationals Uh, well, that was wonderful. Where can we find more Ofira Eisenberg content?
If you?
Yeah, if you my new my podcast has a new season and it just started, So if you want to check out our second season, you can go listen to first season, but there's brand new episodes. We are parenting as a joke, you know, you find us as they say on of Course, iHeart.
Or wherever you get your podcasts.
That is what they tell us to say in the in the intro, and I I love your show. It's it's very funny people comedians talking about parenting being a mon.
Yeah, what it's like to marry these two ridiculous.
Things, right because they're on the road a lot. All right, One before we wrap up, as always, an extra credit for you puzzlers at home. The extra credit is this is a phrase that you might say at the end of an ultimatum, what state does that lead to puzzlers? Please don't forget to subscribe to the Puzzler Podcast and we'll meet you here tomorrow for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzlingly.
Hey puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle Officer, here with the extra credit answer from our previous episode. We played Name that Year and Tune with Susie Banacaram, where every answer clues both a year and a song with that year's number in its title. Your clue was Gangnam Style by some curiosity, Rover landed on Mars and Obama re elected. All those things happened in twenty twelve, so the answer would be twelve days of Christmas. On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me the Puzzler Podcast. Come and listen for all twelve days. Take care,