Cryptoquote Spoiler – 10/31/19

“If there’s anything I hate more than not being taken seriously, it’s being taken too seriously.”   —   Billy Wilder

(Trick . . . or treat???  I’m giving you a photo of Billy’s wife, Audrey Young, instead of the famous screenwriter, director, and producer.  They were married for 53 years, until Billy’s death, in 2002.  I know how he feels.  Half the time I feel like no one is even listening, and the other half people don’t seem to get my jokes!  What are ya gonna do?  Be well and do good, friends.  Happy Halloween!)   —   YUR

Image courtesy of Google

Halloween Jumble Spoiler – 10/31/19

Visual Description:  Paler than usual?

RYFRU  =  FURRY,  SERDS  =  DRESS,  SOLPAT  =  POSTAL,  NBEIOV  =  BOVINE   —   Giving us:  URRDESPOSLBOE

Clue/Question:  Dracula was feeling overwhelmed and was worried about his – – –

Answer:  BLOOD PRESSURE

(I’m just wondering . . . does Dracula have to fill his own prescription?  Not a super funny – or stinky – pun, but I always love the holiday themed Jumbles.

All of today’s clue words currently reside on the world famous ralis95 clue word database.  Three of the jumbles are coming up as new though.  Only “serds” has definitely been used before.  The answer letter layout was a very impressive thirteen letter jumble.  I don’t think it gave anything away.  Maybe Dr. Frankenstein’s prescription was the biggest clue.  Did the monster kill the doctor, and take over his practice???

Cute cartoon of Dracula and the monster, now Doctor Frank.  Do you think he prefers the steen or stine pronunciation?  Love the doc’s bad haircut, multiple scars, neck bolts, and clunky boots!  I thought Drac’s shoes, and his cape hanging on the wall, were nice touches too.   Be well and do good, friends.  Happy Halloween!)   —   YUR

Images courtesy of Google

 

Cryptoquote Spoiler – 10/30/19

“To me, ‘sexy’ is a woman with confidence.  I admire women who have very little fear.”   —   Allegra Versace

(She could’ve just been your average rich, spoiled brat after inheriting 50% of her uncle’s business, on her 18th birthday, but she chose to get her college degrees first.  Definitely, a smart young woman.  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Image courtesy of Google

Jumble Spoiler – 10/30/19

Visual Description:  Something you probably won’t see in the very near future.

MOACE  =  CAMEO,  LCIAL  =  LILAC,  PDXELU  =  DUPLEX,  TYLLEA  =  LATELY   —   Giving us:  EOLADLLTL

Clue/Question:  The turnpike workers had seen over 1000 cars – – –

Answer:  ALL–TOLLED

(A fun pun!  But, it’s missing the quotation marks.  The phrase is ALL TOLD,  as in “all said and done”.  Some people think it’s ALL TOLLED, as in “all counted”, but that’s a misconception.  Technically, you could say ALL TOLLED, when counting cars or anything else, but then there’s really no pun there . . . without the quotation marks.

No new clue words today.  Three of the jumbles appear to be new, with “moace” having definitely been used before.  The answer letter layout was a fine nine letter jumble.  It disguised the final answer very nicely.

Great toll booth cartoon.  With the ever-increasing popularity of EZ-Pass, and their newer, overhead scanners, the job of toll taker is quickly disappearing.  Not a glamorous job, but it’s symptomatic of how automation is replacing humans in the work place.  What I worry about is Social Security, because it relies on workers paying into the system.  Of course the government has robbed from Social Security for a long time, but that’s another story.  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Images courtesy of Google

Cryptoquote Spoiler – 10/29/19

“Focus on the journey, not the destination.  Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”   —   Greg Anderson

(There are a slew of Greg Andersons out there, but I believe this is from the author of “The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness”.  This was a fairly challenging cryptogram.  Once I settled on the TION of DESTINATION I was off to the races!  We welcome Greg to the Cryptoquote Club today!  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Image courtesy of Google

Jumble Spoiler – 10/29/19

Visual Description:  Capital letters and kid stuff.

AOGEM  =  OMEGA,  BRTOO  =  ROBOT,  UDRRED  =  RUDDER,  DUCLED  =  CUDDLE   —   Giving us:  OGAOBOTUDDDDL

Clue/Question:  Debuting centuries ago, the fourth letter of the alphabet was now an – – –

Answer:  “OLD–D“ BUT A “GOOD–D“

(A CAPITAL idea!  A fine stinky pun.  At first – and second – glance I had no idea where this was heading.  I thought I was going to have to put this out there for you guys to solve.  But, I realized that because of the clue/question ending in AN, that the first word of the answer had to start with a vowel.  There were no H’s.  And, with the third word needing to be A, that meant that the first word likely started with an O.  I was going with probabilities.

None of today’s clue words came up as new.  Although all of the jumbles appear to be new.  I had the most difficulty with “omega”.  It was the last jumble I solved.  The answer letter layout was a very ambitious thirteen letter jumble.  Maybe all the D’s together helped me along some, but I don’t think they posed any kind of giveaway.

Fun cartoon of animated letters.  Is the female letter supposed to be a D too?  Puts me in mind some of this ‘raindrop’ vs ‘waterfall’ texting debate.  When I heard/read that raindroppers consider waterfallers to be “stern or serious” I just SMH.  To me, expressing an idea in a single paragraph is more efficient, and more polite, than sending four, five, six little texts in a row.  I’d rather my phone ping once, than four or five additional/needless times.  It’s also annoying, when you start replying to the first text, and then one or more texts keep arriving.  When you send a bunch of these ‘raindrop’ texts how is the recipient supposed to know when you’ve completed your thought?  There is nothing stern, or serious, and certainly not rude, about sending a complete paragraph.  If anything it’s much more polite, and concise, than having to wait for a slew of brief and disjointed little blurbs.  Of course, this paragraph I just wrote is too long to be a single text, but this is an entirely different format from texting.  The funny thing is, before this issue kind of came up in the media, my daughter used to send what I consider normal texts.  Now, they’re more and more ‘raindrop’.  I guess at age 28 she’s afraid of being considered old!  What a world!  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Images courtesy of Google

Cryptoquote Spoiler – 10/28/19

“When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable.  There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.”   —   Victor Hugo

(Well, Victor did make it to the ripe old age of 83.  Not bad.  Both my mom, and my uncle – her younger brother – both made it to 83.  Both just one month shy of 84.  And, both just two years apart!  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Image courtesy of Google

Jumble Spoiler – 10/28/19

Visual Description:  Sort of a Kitty Carlisle type.

DUEFG  =  FUDGE,  KTLEN  =  KNELT,  RHOYTW  =  WORTHY,  KORMES  =  SMOKER   —   Giving us:  EKLWYO

Clue/Question:  To hide the soreness in her right hand, the pianist played it – – –

Answer:  LOW–KEY

(Kind of a low-key Monday Jumble.  This looks like a piano bar.  Not only that but a piano wine bar.  Ladies only?  Some guys are intimidated by places like this.  They think that you’ll have to join in singing show tunes, or something.  That wouldn’t bother me, at all.  I can carry a tune . . . if someone lends me a bucket.

No new clue words today.  We’ve seen ’em all before.  Two of the jumbles came up as new, but we’ve definitely seen both “ktlen” and “kormes” before.  The answer letter layout was a good six letter jumble.  Not obvious.

Great cartoon of a piano bar.  I guess they serve more than wine, as I see a martini too.  I didn’t realize that Jumble made pianos!  I thought that the tip jar was a nice touch.  Very nice.  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Images courtesy of Google

Sunday Cryptoquote Spoiler – 10/27/19

“As soon as people are old enough to know better, they don’t know anything at all.”   —   Oscar Wilde

(Nah!  We just feel like we don’t know anything.  New stuff makes us feel like we don’t know anything.  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Image courtesy of Google

Sunday Jumble Spoiler – 10/27/19

Visual Description:  The Sleepy Hollow tavern.

TTMOOA  =  TOMATO,  TRAGEY  =  GYRATE,  DANCID  =  CANDID,  TDEESL  =  ELDEST,  HYIGLH  =  HIGHLY,  GEEDUL  =  DELUGE   —   Giving us:  TOOGTAIDESTHIHLE

Clue/Question:  Everyone knew Sleepy Hollow’s infamous horseman, but he didn’t – – –

Pre-Answer:  Six Words  (3-letters)    (2-letters)    (2-letters)    2-letters)    (3-letters)    (4-letters)

Answer:  LET IT GO TO HIS HEAD

(Happy Halloween, everybody!  Sure, it’s a little early, but it Falls on a Thursday this year, so let’s have fun with it while we can.  This isn’t so much a stinky pun, as it is a pumpkin spiced pun.  I don’t mind the pumpkin spiced stuff, although folks do tend to go a little overboard.  I generally avoid it, and hold out for pumpkin pie!  I loves me some good pumpkin pie.

All of today’s clue words are familiar old friends.  However, all of the jumbles are coming up as new today.  I only had trouble getting “gyrate”.  The others I all saw right away.  Fortunately, I didn’t have to back into “gyrate”.  The answer letter layout was an impressive sixteen letter jumble.  It gave nothing away, but it didn’t take much to figure out the final answer.  This is such a familiar theme.  Almost a tradition.

Great period piece cartoon.  I can’t quite make out that blob in the corner, but it could be Washington Irving himself, I suppose.    Lots of fun.  Be well and do good, friends.  Keep a sharp eye out for those trick or treaters while driving!  And, don’t be a stick in the mud.  Keep your lights on, answer the door, and have candy for the kids.)   —   YUR

Images courtesy of Google