H E L L O
my name is
Dr. Shapiro's Puzzle of the Day

Today's Puzzle

Thursday, November 5
Anne, Anselm, Barbara, Bernardine, Bruno, Charles, Clare (and “Little Clare”), Clement, _____, Didacus, Dismas, Ferdinand, Francis, Gabriel, Hyacinth, Joachim, two Johns, Joseph, Leander, Louis, Marinus, Mark, Mary, Matthew, Monica, Paul, Paula, Raphael, Raymond, Rose.

This is an English-language list of what, specifically? And what word which is not a person’s name belongs in the blank?

Hint If you're thinking "Catholic saints", you're part of the way there. But perhaps you are wondering why the puzzle mentions a certain piece of information that might otherwise go without saying. Explore that feeling...

   


     Note: Clicking "Submit" will send your response to Dr. Shapiro.

Yesterday's Puzzle + Solution

I was out gardening on Saturday when I noticed that an unexpected (but welcome) visitor had made itself at home on my house. Four days later, it's still hanging around. Can you guess what it is? Oooh, how about we play 20 Questions? I'll be you. Tip: Read across the rows.

Is it bigger than a breadbox? No.
Is it alive? Yes.
Is it brightly colored? Yes.
Does it make a sound? No.
Has it moved at all since yesterday? [checks]  No.
Is it some unusually colorful kind of barnacle? No, and it's a little early to make such a specific guess, wouldn't you say?
Is it a plant? No.
So it's an animal? Yes.
Is it bigger than half the size of a breadbox? No.
Is it bigger than one-quarter the size of a breadbox? You could waste a lot of questions this way. Try a different strategy.
Is it smaller than a breadbox? [stares] ... Yes.
Oh, duh. Can you please not count that as one of my questions? I’m afraid a question is a question. This was a question too.
Is it bulbous? Yes. Also tapered.
Does it live in the ocean? It’s on my house, remember?
Is it crunchy on the outside? I guess you could say that.
Is it creamy on the inside? I guess you could say that too. Look, don't eat it.
Would you say the creaminess is because of enzymatic action? Yes.
Did your garden attract it somehow? Yes.
Does it have legs? Not at the moment.
How does it look? Metallic. Finely etched. As if mysteriously lit from within.

Solution (with pictures!)
This was on Saturday. This was on Sunday. This monarch hatched in 2018.
It's a chrysalis! I have milkweed in my garden, which attracts monarch butterflies. I often see the caterpillars, but this is only the second time I've hosted a pupa. The last time was in January 2018, and I worried it was too cold, but after four weeks the butterfly pictured on the right emerged; it stayed in my garden drying its wings for three days before it flew off.

Congratulations to yesterday's solvers Anna J., Yana, Peter M., Charlie, Maddy, Shelly, Jason, Kate, and the Greggs. Thanks to everybody who made a guess!

About This Site

Though he now teaches mathematics, Dr. (né Mr.) Shapiro's first job in a K–12 school was as a lunch monitor in Davis, CA. It was there that he originated the Puzzle of the Day, even rewarding correct answers with tickets in denominations like "15 points" (though without a clear idea of how he'd ultimately redeem these). Dr. Shapiro's favorite puzzle from this pre-professional era was "Tell me the location of the beehive on this campus."

Ten years later, Dr. Shapiro revived Puzzle of the Day at Proof School, writing each day's puzzle on a name tag. After 600 puzzles or so, he was just starting to feel normal about students reading his chest all the time when campus closed and the puzzle, like the rest of our lives, moved online. New puzzles are posted daily on school days.

Want to catch up on old PotDs? There's an archive currently containing puzzles from March to June 2020.