Visual Description: Adapting the landscapers’ business model.
LURTY = TRULY, SIYPT = TIPSY, DIFGIR = FRIGID, DULOLY = LOUDLY — Giving us: TRTPFIIODY
Clue/Question: The owner of the maid service was making a – – –
English: Central American Integration System Español: Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Answer: TIDY PROFIT
(I wonder if she’s hiring a lot of Mexican and – other Central American – laborers, like the landscapers do? This is one of the main reasons why I still cut my own lawn, folks. I’m not fond of the idea of padding the pockets of some crumb bum who underpays desperate people. Some will say: Well, that’s just Capitalism, Unc! But, I see it as one short step above slavery. Besides, if cutting my own lawn was good enough for my dad, then it’s good enough for me. I get some natural vitamin D, from the sunshine, I get a good workout, and I get a little self-satisfaction out of it. I know I’m in the minority on this . . . but what else is new!
Can you believe that “loudly” has never been used before as a clue word? Our good buddy, ralis95, will have to update his world famous clue word database for this one. The jumble “difgir” appears to be new, but we’ve seen both “lurty” and “siypt” before. The answer letter layout was a dandy of a jumble. I can see some of you guys struggling a bit to get today’s answer. The cartoon shows a very industrious group of ladies! Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
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You are prescient, UR. I struggled a LOT on the final answer. I was just staring at the answer letter layout for the longest time, without a clue as to what either word was. Finally, it dawned on me that the second word was PROFIT. TIDY was then simple to figure out, of course. TIPSY gave me a fair bit of trouble as well.
I’d have never guessed LOUDLY was making its debut; it seems like a natural! All in all, an easy one today, especially if you know your English clichés, and a perfect bookend to PRETTY PENNY of a few weeks back.
LOUDLY was the last word I got. The clue letters from the first three words got me to PROFIT almost right away. The first thought was Neat, but no letters left to fit. So Tidy was the next in line. 😀
“…one short step above slavery.”
__________________________
At the risk of quibbling, Uncle Rave, I would say it’s ‘two’ steps above slavery or one step above ‘penury’, or whatever one would call the practice by which some exploitive types take advantage of the labor of people in need, but only paying them just enough to keep them in need, yet not enough to earn their own independence:
…like the people who operate the “payday loan” businesses.
… or farmers who have a ‘company store’ that just happens to be the only convenient place their migrant laborers can buy groceries; however, when the supplies they need cost more than their wages, the store gives them a loan for which the laborers can’t leave until the loans are paid off, which might require working extra for reduced pay.
Maybe the correct word is “exploitation”.
Unjust, to say the least. Thanks for commenting!
— YUR