Waging WAR on Ignorance, Intolerance & Injustice!
“Then sing, young hearts . . . with never a thought of sorrow; the old goes out, but the glad young year comes merrily in tomorrow.” — Emily Miller
(From her “New Year Song” poem. It is one of the few poems that I am fairly familiar with. It is a great New Year poem! Be well and do good, friends. A better and more peaceful new year for all of us.) — YUR
Image courtesy of Google
Visual Description: Awaiting the dropping of the ball.
AAGUV = GUAVA, CIJEU = JUICE, GTEUBD = BUDGET, CESNHT = STENCH — Giving us: UAAJCEBDTSTNH
Clue/Question: Whether or not gloves or mittens are better was the – – –
Answer: SUBJECT AT HAND
(A very nice, fairly challenging Jumble, to end the old year, 2018! A year of ups and downs, triumphs and failures, laughter and sorrow, and a lot of the same ol’ same ol’ for most of us. Sometimes we all wonder if it could possibly get any worse, with all this crazy divisiveness and anger, and it always seems to do so. But we concentrate the happier moments. We have to, to maintain our collective sanity.
All of today’s clue words were familiar old friends. I could tell that right away, even without checking the ralis95 clue word database, because I saw them all instantly. Surprisingly, all the jumbles came up as new. An unusually long, 13-letter jumble for the answer letter layout, today. It was also nicely cryptic. I scratched my head for a minute or two before coming realizing that the middle word pretty much had to be AT. That led me to AT HAND, and then I saw the SUBJECT. Looking now, I see that the middle word could have been BE, but I’m glad I didn’t at the time.
I was going to assume that this was New Year’s Eve in Times Square, but the building in the background of the cartoon made me wonder if it could possibly be Chicago. That’s where the boys work from. This year it’s going to be around 50 degrees Fahrenheit in NYC, and likely rainy. I think in Chicago it will be in the mid 30s, and maybe rainy there too. Hope that means good luck! Be well and do good, friends. A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to all of us!) — YUR
PS. A free plug for NBC! — YUR
Images courtesy of Google
“I would hope that understanding and reconciliation are not limited to the nineteenth hole alone.” — Gerald Ford
(A humorous – yet typical – quip from a Republican President. They DO seem to spend quite a lot of time on the golf course! At least I can relate to the ol’ “nineteenth hole”! Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
Images courtesy of Google
Visual Description: Canuck history.
TURFHO = FOURTH, PAXNED = EXPAND, CRONEE = ENCORE, AARRUO = AURORA, RTRWIE = WRITER, MULVEO = VOLUME — Giving us: FUTNDENEROAWREVLE
Clue/Question: When Canada replaced its flag in 1965 with its current flag, they – – –
Pre-Answer: Four Words (and a given) (6-letters) (4-letters) A (3-letters) (4-letters)
Answer: TURNED OVER A NEW LEAF
(TOUGH! All the clue words were a piece of friggin’ cake! But, the answer was a friggin’ bitch! At least for me. And, my daughter too. We both complained that there was only one D, because we both liked FOLDED, and I liked FURLED. Also, there was only one W, as we both liked NEW, and possibly WAVE, and/or DOWN. We both wanted an S, but don’t ask me why, right now. This answer did NOT present itself as obvious to me, at all.
There were no new clue words today. And, only “cronee” had been used before as a jumble. The other five are new. The answer letter layout was a nearly impossible jumble . . . for your dear OLD uncle. Nothing obvious about it, at all.
The cartoon is great, but there is really no bonus clue, today. The forward Mountie is clearly folding the old flag, which led me to FOLDED and/or FURLED. Nothing in the dialog really hinted at the answer either. It wasn’t until I nearly posted a “Help Wanted” post that I finally saw the word LEAF! Gotta hand it to the boys. They really almost had me. I’m sure the Canuck readers had an easier time with this. Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
PS. I love Canada! — YUR
Images courtesy of Google
“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.” — Socrates
(Kind of paraphrased, but I’ve always loved this quote! I always try to ignore the author, when solving these puzzles, as much as possible. But, when it’s a one word/name author, like today’s, I always think ancient Greek . . . and then Roman. Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
Image courtesy of Google
Visual Description: Corroding conduit.
LECRI = RELIC, VERNA = RAVEN, TTETAS = ATTEST, LODDEO = DOODLE — Giving us: RIRNTOO
Clue/Question: The badly decaying metal gate at the old mansion was made of – – –
Answer: “ROT“ IRON
(Not a difficult solve, but not the most satisfying pun – for me – either. It might be a regional thing, but where I’m from the word WROUGHT and ROT are pronounced differently. Sure, the difference is subtle, but it’s there. I’ve always heard WROUGHT as RAWT, and ROT more as RAHT. Both pronunciations are acceptable though. I promise not to inundate you with dictionary links this time, because you can Google those things yourself.
Oldie but goodie clue words today. Two of the jumbles appear to be new, with “lecri” and “ttetas” having definitely been used some time in the past. They all came to me immediately this morning. The answer letter layout was an admirable 7-letter jumble. It hid the final answer nicely.
Fine cartoon of the old gated estate. I guess the mansion must be set a ways back from the street. I hope the guys are up on their tetanus shots! It looks like the welder really has his work . . . cut out for him. Enjoy the weekend, folks. Be well and do good.) — YUR
Images courtesy of Google
“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive.” — Alice Waters
(A beautifully positive thought, from a woman who really, really cares about healthy, locally sourced food! She paved the way for today’s “slow food” movement. We welcome her today to the Cryptoquote Club! Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
Image courtesy of Google
Visual Description: Dual purpose farm.
XINEV = VIXEN, MILDY = DIMLY, VRREOF = FERVOR, GRYTEA = GYRATE — Giving us: IENDLFERGYE
Clue/Question: When they installed windmills on the farm, they created an – – –
Answer: ENERGY FIELD
(“Any way the wind blows” GONG!!! A renewable energy pun! Of course, I love it. The extracting, refining, and burning of fossil fuels has taken its toll on our once robust planet. You know . . . the only place that 99.999% of us can ever possibly call home. We desperately need to step up our production of renewable energy, and wean ourselves off of fossil fuels. If you’re still a climate change denier . . . just unsubscribe from this blog, right now. I don’t want/need people like you reading. I don’t write for people who refuse to see.
All of today’s clue words are familiar old friends. No newbies. But, all of today’s jumbles did come up as new. I didn’t find any of them tough, but I’m just a big smarty pants. The answer letter layout was a wonderfully cryptic, 11-letter jumble. It did a noble job of disguising the answer. Maybe, the biggest clue was the clue/question ending in AN – – –. Good job, Mr. Hoyt!
Another fine farm cartoon from our old pal, Jeff Knurek. Can’t make out what their crop is, but the windmills are unmistakable. Fun Friday Jumble. Be well and do good, friends. Go green!) — YUR
Images courtesy of Google
“I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.” — Vincent Van Gogh
(No doubt he said this as he debuted his – now iconic – The Starry Night! The troubled genius took his own life at the age of 37. At least his quasi-friend, Paul Gauguin, almost made it to age 55. And, he spent some great years, as well as his final years, in French Polynesia! Now, that’s an artist’s life that I would have enjoyed. Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
Image courtesy of Google
Visual Description: Jerk making it hard for the rest of us.
CUVOH = VOUCH, CANET = ENACT, PHISMA = MISHAP, WUDINN = UNWIND — Giving us: OHENTMSWI
Clue/Question: The TV anchorman didn’t know he was about to be fired. It would soon be – – –
Answer: NEWS TO HIM
(Actually, what he just said isn’t all that bad. But, this IS a family format puzzle, so the guys have to keep it clean. At least he’s keeping his hands to himself. I’m pretty sure this pun-swer has been used – not recently, of course – before, but it has been re-worked to fit our current state of affairs.
All of today’s clue words appear to be on the – politically correct – ralis95 clue word database. And, surprisingly, three of the jumbles have definitely been used before. Only “phisma” is coming up as new. I did not struggle with it, but I did think that “phisma” was a great jumble. The answer letter layout was a wonderfully cryptic jumble. The whole cartoon, and clue/question, set up the answer perfectly, but the answer letter layout didn’t give anything away.
Great newsroom cartoon. It puts me in mind of the “Murphy Brown” reboot. I wasn’t the biggest fan the first time around, but I did watch it, on occasion. But, the new one . . . Oy! Most of the jokes are so corny and cliched. I mean the show has its moments, I guess. But, I can’t see it rivaling its initial run, by any stretch of the imagination. The best thing in the show was introduced mid to late season, when Murphy adopts this special needs dog. He’s a French Bulldog/Boston Terrier mix who gets around on rear wheels, because of paralyzed hind legs. They end up naming him Ben, after Ben Hur, because his wheels are like his chariot! Little Benny will either save “Murphy Brown”, or maybe he’ll get his own spin-off series! A star is born! LOL! Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
Images courtesy of Google
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