Here's the latest from Will Shortz (NY Times' x-word puzzle editor), who offers a puzzle every Sunday on NPR's Weekend Edition:



Take the letters of the word TEMPORARY. Arrange them
in a 3 by 3 square so that each of the acrosses, downs and
the two long diagonals spells a word. Each of the diagonals
must read backward as well as forward, making 10 words to be
spelled altogether. All the words are common and
uncapitalized. What is this special square?

http://www.npr.org/programs/wesun/puzzle/index.html

I mailed a solution, but I doubt it's timely enough.
Took 10 false starts before I could figure it out.

thanks,
k

FF,

Wow, well done! The deadline is Thursday noon EST, so you're fine. If your name is picked you have to play another game on the air, you know. (but you win prizes anyway, even if you don't guess all the answers)

I'm still working on it....

hint: work out a pattern to cover 8 (10) words with 4 vowels.
-ron o.

Is there only the one (and its variant) solution?

They accept any valid variations. Take a look at some of the past puzzles, if you get a chance. Just a couple of weeks ago Herr Shortz had one answer in mind, but several people sent in another which was also accepted (of course I can't remember what it/they was/were). This puzzle came from a 1929 puzzle magazine. I've never heard a furriner win, but hey, doc, you could be the first!

Answers in the answers thread on I&A? I'll put mine there.