Cryptoquote Solved – 01/05/23

“Ask not what you can do for your country.  Ask what’s for lunch.”   —   Orson Welles

(A playful twist of John F. Kennedy’s challenging quote from his inaugural address, from January 1961.  This was a tough cryptogram to get started.  Only two “E”s in the entire quote, and they didn’t even end any of the words.  They were just in the author’s last name.  But once I got started it went pretty quickly.  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Image courtesy of Google

Jumble Solved – 01/05/23

Visual Description:  Keeping her head on straight.

RRIPO  =  PRIOR,  HVOSE  =  SHOVE,  GIESNN  =  ENSIGN,  SANEOS  =  SEASON   —   Giving us:  PORSHEESINSSO

Clue/Question:  Linda Blair was able to watch “The Exorcist” on DVD because it was in – – – 

Answer:  HER POSSESSION

(I remember when that movie came out.  At the time it was one of the creepiest, scariest movies ever, with all the levitating, and head-spinning, and pea-green vomiting!  I thought it was pretty cool for all of those “special effects”, but because I don’t subscribe to magical thinking I thought it was also VERY far-fetched.  Now, two years later, with “Jaws” . . . THAT was a really scary movie!  Real monsters always trump fictional ones, in my book.  The biggest similarities of the two movies is that they both had great soundtracks, that really set the mood.

All four of today’s clue words are possessed by the ralis95 clue word database!  Two of the jumbles appear to be new, but it seems we’ve seen both “hvose” and “giesnn” in previous Jumbles.  The only jumble to give me pause was in getting “ensign”.  Unless you are/were in the Navy, the word does not come up all that often.  The answer letter layout was a thrilling thirteen letter jumble!  If you were not familiar with the movie, and its theme of “demonic possession”, then you might have had some trouble in getting the final answer.  And, due to the clue/question, I figured that the first word of the final answer had to be HER.  Seeing the remaining letters drove home the pun.

Great cartoon of Linda Blair with her daughter – or possibly granddaughter – about to watch what’s now probably considered a horror classic.  I don’t remember any dogs in the movie though.  That was more “The Omen”.  And these pooches would have to be fourth, or fifth, or more, generation of any dogs from that time.  But I hear she’s big into animal rescue!  Especially dogs.  Another great thing about “The Exorcist” was both its great cast, and its controversial scenes and dialog, for the early 1970s.  I bet the religious types would still find it horrifying to this day.  I’d definitely watch it again, but I know my wife wouldn’t want to.  Be well and do good, friends.)   —   YUR

Images courtesy of Google