Ask Me Another

The 1960s were a different time. Married couples were separated at formal dinner parties (unless they were newlyweds), women lowered their eyes while they were being toasted, and it was uncouth for men to consume a mixed drink. In this bonus round from Season 1, host Ophira Eisenberg quizzes contestants on shockingly antiquated etiquette rules from the Mad Men era.

(Rebroadcast, Episode 217) If you're the type of person who gives your pet a name like "Chairman Meow," then you'll be right at home with this week's games. We'll combine highbrow folks (world leaders) with the lowest form of comedy (puns), spend a little time in Celebrity A-A, and hear Jonathan Coulton apply his mellow song stylings to the electric wizard, Jimi Hendrix. Plus, we have the inventor of fantasy baseball, Daniel Okrent, on the show to play a game about the sport's most hilarious oddities.

It's Christmastime, and you're living on an asteroid run by evil robot overlords. You're writing one of those end-of-the-year family recap letters to everyone you know. What would it say? House musician Jonathan Coulton knows, and shares this holiday song of mirth, mistletoe and glowing red eyes, live from the Ask Me Another stage.

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. Only one question remains: will you use pencil, or pen?

(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. Hear the full Holiday Spectacular episode starting December 17th, 2013.

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. Plus, our Very Important Puzzler, Cornell University math professor Steven Strogatz, is on a mission to prove that math isn't scary, but actually joyful.

(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. Plus: What scares the man whose job it is to scare kids of all ages?