Tarjomeh Free Radio Script Service

Script for January 29, 2002
Radio broadcast in RealAudio®

Once again, we celebrate National Puzzle Day with a puzzle from The National Puzzlers' League. The NPL, which bills itself as the oldest puzzler organization in the United States, puts out a monthly publication of puzzles called The Enigma. Appropriately enough, today's puzzle from The Enigma is also known as an enigma. Familiar to lovers of Greek myths, enigma names "a type of puzzle in which a word or phrase is clued indirectly, as in a riddle."

Ready for the challenge? You need to come up with the word that solves this poem:

My first half says I'm one alone
My second that I'm many
That's paradoxical, I own
Makes little sense, if any.
But even worse is yet in store,
For when my halves combine,
Behold! Not one, not two or more,
But everything is mine.

Waiting for a hint? The capitalized trademarked version of this eight-letter answer is a popular family board game. We'll repeat the puzzle:

My first half says I'm one alone
My second that I'm many
That's paradoxical, I own
Makes little sense, if any.
But even worse is yet in store,
For when my halves combine,
Behold! Not one, not two or more,
But everything is mine.

The answer is monopoly: mono says, "I'm one alone"; poly says, "I'm many." When those halves combine, "Behold! Everything is mine."

Provided by Tarjomeh.com from Merriam-Webster Website