Jumble Spoiler – 04/27/17

Visual Description:  Benedictines . . . monk-eying a round.

TALOG  =  GLOAT,  MEPLI  =  IMPEL,  DUNEDS  =  SUDDEN,  RUBSAD  =  ABSURD   —   Giving us:  OTELNAB

Clue/Question:  When they figured out how to write down music, it was – – – 

Answer:  NOTABLE

(A very literate stinky pun.  I like it!  There were no new clue words today.  However three of the jumbles came up as new.  We have definitely seen “talog” before.  The answer letter layout probably would have been a little more challenging had “gloat” and “impel” been switched.  As it was, the OTE made it just that much easier for me to see the answer.  Another fun period cartoon.  I thought the poplar trees in the background were a nice touch.  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Cryptoquote Spoiler – 04/27/17

“The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run.”   —   Herman Melville

(Our very first Melville quote!  At least since I’ve been posting these spoilers.  And, it certainly was no gimme.  I suspected the essential T and E – and lesser O – right away, but I couldn’t commit to them, and go forward, until I looked at the author cipher.  I generally don’t like to do this, but nothing was jumping off the page for me.  I even had to write out the heretofore unused consonants BCFGJKQXZ before I could solve FIXED and GROOVED.  Truth be told, I whiffed on GROOVED and went with BROOKED, because it just seemed more 19th Century to me.  IF this partial quote had been put into the context of the full quote – even just the two preceding words – I probably would have come up with GROOVED on my own.  The remainder of the quote would have helped greatly in getting the F and G, although it would have made for a very lengthy quote.  The Cryptoquote people probably gave us this partial quote – and omitted the first two word sentence – on purpose, to make it more challenging.  It worked!  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

“Swerve me? The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Over unsounded gorges, through the rifled hearts of mountains, under torrents’ beds, unerringly I rush! Naught’s an obstacle, naught’s an angle to the iron way!”