The scam truck (Photo credit: jepoirrier)
Visual Description: Not falling for the short con.
RULBT = BLURT, CHERP = PERCH, VONCIE = NOVICE, THOLCB = BLOTCH — Giving us: LRPENEOC
Clue/Question: The St. Patrick’s Day scam artist was attempting a – – –
English: Chicago river dyed green on St. Patrick’s Day, looking east from Michigan Avenue bridge. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Answer: “LEPRE–CON“
Saint Patrick’s Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) in Dublin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(May the road rise to meet you . . . not sink, like a foot deep pothole! This has been one horrific winter for our thoroughfares, my friends! I brought in my trusty Buick Le Sabre for what I thought was going to be a replacement of a strut. But, as it turns out, the chassis had broken, and was pushed up into the frame of the car! It can’t be fixed! It’s a major safety issue that has doomed it to the scrap heap. The shame is the engine is running perfectly. So, now yer uncle has to go out and spend some of his dwindling dollars for some new-er wheels. My mechanic was so upset that he couldn’t even call me to break the news to me. I tell ya folks, if you have a choice between being rich or good looking . . . choose rich! That’s what I’m doing . . . in my next life!
So, no new clue words today. But, the jumbling was kinda cool. I put down CONIVE for the third word, but that left me with an extra C, and no N! I was thinking CONNIVE, but I wouldn’t think to spell it with two Ns. Very often my hands and tongue connive against my brain, and I just write and say the stupidest things! So, I actually backed into “novice”. Bear with me, folks. I’m new at this. I thought it was sort of funny that we had both “blurt” and “blotch” in the same puzzle. The answer letter layout was okay. Pretty cool cartoon also. Hey! If the little bearded dude also had bad skin . . . would the answer have been LEPER-CON??? That’s all I got today, kids. Be well, do good and have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!) — YUR
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Unclerave's Wordy Weblog 
Broken chassis???!!! Never heard of such a failure. Can’t a good wrap of duct tape, reinforced with a few zip ties, ameliorate the issue?
Art
It’s a 2000 that hasn’t been garage kept since 2005, Art. I hit the granddaddy of all potholes coming off the New Jersey Turnpike, heading to Newark Airport. Apparently, there was more rust damage in the under carriage than the upper car belied. With that much force, something had to give. My mechanic said, theoretically, he could try to weld a piece of new metal, to shore it up. But, that’s just putting good metal on bad metal. — YUR
I am glad you are OK and safe through this event.
It is good that it did not let go while out on the expressway-or any road.
JT
Thanks, JT. I had my mechanic put it up on the lift and show me exactly what it was. The rear springs have pushed through the rusted chassis, on both sides, but one side more than the other. Apparently, that makes for a very unsafe ride, especially at higher speeds. The one brother – my “mechanic” is really a pair of brothers – said I shouldn’t drive it . . . period. But, the other one said it should be okay to drive locally, at sensible speeds, and to be careful of the bigger potholes. My son works locally, and *could* get by with using it, but having a car that you can’t drive on a highway is pretty limiting. So, I need to buy a reliable used car, cheaply, asap.
— YUR 🙂
leper-con… too funny! or should I say, too punny. =)
Glad you liked it, jenn. — YUR 🙂