Vertically Symmetrical Vexations; “A round of Guinness, Barkeep!” “Fishy side-by-side synonyms” “Out, damned stained sinful spot!” “Old King Alf’s rambling wager” Hifalutin makes and models;

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 5πe² SERVED

Schpuzzle of the Week:

“Fishy side-by-side synonyms”

Write side-by-side words for two things that lure or attract fish. Remove a spelled-out letter
(like “dee” or “em,” for example). 

The remaining letters spell a noun that has a
synonym that begins with that now-absent letter. 

What are these two lures, noun and synonym?

     Appetizer Menu

“Mirror, Mirror” Appetizer

Vertically Symmetrical Vexations

(Reflections from “Tim Axoy”)

(Note: “Timothy Axoy is a pseudonym Bobby Jacobs occasionally uses. 

He likes it because when TIMOTHY AXOY is written in UPPERCASE the letters are all vertically symmetrical, as you can see in the image at the right. The “A” and “X” in AXOY are also vertically symmetrical)

1. 🐦What name of a famous pop singer has the property that all of the letters in the first and last name are vertically symmetrical in uppercase?

2. 🎸What name of a famous string instrument player has the property that all of the letters in the first and last name are vertically symmetrical in uppercase?

3. ⚽What name of a famous soccer player has the property that all of the letters in the first and last name are vertically symmetrical in uppercase?

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Riffing-Off Timothy Axoy Hors d’Oeuvre:

Hifalutin makes and models

(Note: This (three-part) Hors d’Oeuvre is inspired by the Appetizer above created by Bobby Jacobs, who is also known as “TIMOTHY AXOY,” a pseudonym he uses that contains nothing but vertically symmetrical letters when printed in uppercase. (See the
“Mirror, Mirror” Appetizer, “Vertically Symmetrical Vexations,” just above.) This Hors d’Oeuvre serves as a tribute to young Mr. Jacobs, who has been contributing his creative puzzles to Puzzleria! since September of 2020.

1. Find the names of three motor vehicles manufactured in Japan that have this “uppercase vertically symmetrical” quality:

one: a make (like Ford, for example... as opposed to a model, like Focus or Thunderbird; or like Chevrolet, as opposed to a model, like Corvette or Camaro);

two: a model made by the make Mazda;

three: a model made by the make Nissan.

What are this make and two models?

Extra credit: Name a Japanese minivan model that possesses this “uppercase vertically symmetrical” quality. It was developed for the Japanese market, but is also sold in limited Asian markets.

2. Name a rhyming hyphenated adjective with this “vertically symmetrical” quality. It means “highfalutin” or “flighty.”

3. Solve the following clues with words that possess this  “vertically symmetrical” quality:

a. _____ grin (6 letters)

b.  Three sandwich ingredients, and where you put the sandwich (6, 4, 3, 5)

c. The ____ Radio Hour, heard on the NPR station where you hear Will Shortz on Sunday (4)

d. Desmond, or dancer’s attire (4)

e. an abbreviation of a “Cherished” rock group, anagrammed, then translated into English from the French (7)

Baptismal Slice:

“Out, damned stained sinful spot!”

Anagram a synonym of “stain” to get something that, according to Catholic Church tradition, reputedly helps to remove the stain of original sin. What is this synonym of “stain”? What may augment the removal of original sin’s stain?

Riffing Off Shortz And Fecho Slices:

“A round of Guinness, Barkeep!”

Will Shortz’s May 26th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle, created by Bob Fecho of New York City, reads:

Think of a well-known actor of the past whose last name is also a brand name.
Remove the last letter of the actor’s first name and you’ll have a product produced by that brand. What is it?

Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Fecho Slices read:

ENTREE #1

Take the name of a puzzle-maker and his hometown. Rearrange the letters to form a kind of prize, a kind of toast and a political slang adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English originally meaning alertness to racial prejudice and discrimination but has now come to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as racial injustice, sexism, and denial of LGBTQ rights.

Who are this puzzle-maker and hometown?

What are the prize, toast and political slang adjective?

(Note: Entrees # 2 and #3 were created by a valued friend of and contributor to Puzzleria!)

ENTREE #2

Think of a well-known actor of the past. Remove the next-to-last letter of the actor’s first name.

The remaining letters in the first name, in order, spell a popular line of items found in the grocery store and made in a variety of flavors under a variety of brand names by a variety of producers. The last name of the actor is the same as that of a company which once produced that line of items but which is best known for another product brand name found in the same section of the grocery store. 

Who is the actor? What is the line of grocery items?  

 ENTREE #3

 Think of a well-known actor of the past. Remove the last letter of the actor’s first name. The remaining letters in the first name, in
order, spell a major event. 

The remaining letters in the first and last names, in order, spell a two-word product created to support such an event.  

Who is the actor? What is the event? What is the product? 

(Note: Entrees # 4 through #9 were created by our friend Nodd, whose “Nodd ready for prime time” appears regularly on Puzzleria!)

ENTREE #4

Think of a well-known actress of the past whose first name is also a car brand. Remove the first two letters of her last name and you’ll
name a car once produced by a different car brand. Who is the actress and what is the name of the car?

ENTREE #5

Think of a well-known actor of the past whose last name is a brand of personal care products. 

Remove the last two letters of his first name and you’ll name an article of clothing you might be wearing around the time you use one of the products. Who is the actor, and what are the product and the article of clothing?

ENTREE #6

Think of a well-known actor of the past. Change the last letter of his surname to an “A” to get a brand name for a line of beauty products. Remove the first letter of the actor’s
first name and read the name backward to get a word for a person who probably would use beauty products. Who is the actor, and what are the brand name and the person likely to use the products?

ENTREE #7

Think of a well-known actor of the past. His last name is also the name of a company that produces health care products. The company
makes a test that detects a substance suggested by the actor’s first name. Who is the actor, and what are the company and the substance?   

ENTREE #8

 Think of a well-known actor of the past whose last name is also a car brand. Remove the last two letters of his first name and you’ll have an item that is likely to be found in a car. Who is
the actor, and what are
the car brand and the item?

ENTREE #9

Think of a well-known actress of the past whose last name is also a former brand of computer products.  

Use three letters of her first name to spell a different brand of computers.  

Who is the actress, and what are the two brands of computers?

(Note: Entree #10 was created by our friend Plantsmith, whose “Garden of Puzzley Delights” appears regularly on Puzzleria!) 

ENTREE #10

Take an actor whose surname is also a brand name. 

Drop the last four letters of the first name and switch the order of the names to get something made by the brand. 

Who is this actor?  

ENTREE #11

Think of a well-known actor of the past, first and last names. Delete a conjunction from the interior of the last name and the last letter of the first name. Transpose the fifth and sixth letters of the result to spell a brand-name product that, beginning in 1971, was no longer advertised on U.S. radio or television.

Who is this actor. What is the brand name?

Dessert Menu

Iambic Dessert:

“Old King Alf’s rambling wager”

What is somewhat interesting about this ramblingly iambic verse?

Hint: It involves something heard in each of the lines.

“Old King Alf’s Wager”

“The king’s away, away with awe!

For royalty shan’t be the law...

The law, you see, is simply you,

Red blood decrees to blood that’s blue.”

These Cockneys cried, “Our Monarch, ’e

Doth reign with such effrontery!

While we expend our energy

And meagre paychecks. Let ‘im flee!”

King Alf proclaimed, “I oft leave town

Lest I become a jaded crown.

My kingdom sits in grim decay.

‘It’s gone to ’ell’ the Cockneys say!”

Who wouldn’t empathize with them,

Enthralled within his diadem.

All subjects must obey his rules,

Act happy – a kingship of fools!

Alf takes his cue and calls his shot

But pockets bare are all they’ve got.

Thus Alf’s esteem came tumbling down.

One day at tea he staked his crown:

"I’ll bet you if I abdicate

I’ll still be envied, ’tis my fate.

And if I’m right I’ll double you

That nothing doth exist that’s true.

If this be so then why exist?

I must be crazy, wager-kissed!”

Every Friday at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! we publish a new menu of fresh word puzzles, number puzzles, logic puzzles, puzzles of all varieties and flavors. We cater to cravers of scrumptious puzzles!

Our master chef, Grecian gourmet puzzle-creator Lego Lambda, blends and bakes up mysterious (and sometimes questionable) toppings and spices (such as alphabet soup, Mobius bacon strips, diced snake eyes, cubed radishes, “hominym” grits, anagraham crackers, rhyme thyme and sage sprinklings.)

Please post your comments below. Feel free also to post clever and subtle hints that do not give the puzzle answers away. Please wait until after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on
Wednesdays to post your answers and explain your hints about the puzzles. We serve up at least one fresh puzzle every Friday.

We invite you to make it a habit to “Meet at Joe’s!” If you enjoy our weekly puzzle party, please tell your friends about Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! Thank you.

Trials, Convictions and Sentences... You be the Judge! Voodoo, vampire, clover, verse; Refreshed? Sated? Tipsy? Plenty20 Dirty30 Sporty40 Nifty50? Truckers and danglers; A mix of meat and sweetness;

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 5πe² SERVED

Schpuzzle of the Week:

Voodoo, vampire, clover, verse

Translate the following blank verse into a five-words-longer verse that rhymes:

Play with that voodoo doll,

Hold that black vampire bat,

Plant some greens, clover,

You are weary of all, you feel sore,

So paint your poser’s rosy-face grin.

(Note: You will need to change an “o” to an “a” and delete two commas in your translation.)

Appetizer Menu

Appellate Court Appetizer:

Trials, Convictions and Sentences...                    You be the Judge!

We present a special trial, divided into five parts. The sentence(s) in each part has a certain characteristic, your challenge is to identify what. Punctuation symbols are irrelevant and can be ignored.

Part I:  A Tumult Like No Other

Dangerous orange toilet prompts angst amongst soldiers; angry fiends filmed engulfing capitol.  Anxious populace glimpsed chaos amidst depths.

Neutral cabinet officers scarcely traipsed,
foibles obviously plagued country.

Unusual woman’s warmth wounded bronzed “husband”.  Citizens oblige justice!  

What else pierces this opus?

Part II:  Order in the Court!

A devious plan, set with outcast men, will not push atheists to run. Can we sit out that serious scam?  Scheming our way begins to hurt.

What weird or uncustomary feature is in these sentences?

Part III:  The People State Their Case

Elderly psychopath enjoyed gang’s actions making humdrum discussion unhinged,
evacuating many, cancelling ritual.

What constitutes the original idea in this sentence?

Part IV:  Defense:  “This is Nothing More Than a Show Trial!”

Hi, Tess may gab.  Ted’s BMW tows a cub. Poi, roe, got me ill; I lose it to GI. How am I to get math? AI tags are mod; TV ad is at par.

What can you see in these sentences?

Part V:  The Final Verdict: Key Parts of the Trial

A prisoner explains, “Life happens, failings leap out as epic points atop a sinewave imposing a poetic plan:  Scaling Spiral Pens!” 

What pokes your interest in this dystopian sentence?

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Literary Hors d’Oeuvre:

A mix of meat and sweetness

Rearrange the letters in an author’s name to get a cut of meat and a dessert one might order at a restaurant. 

Who is this author? 

What are the cut of meat and the dessert?

ROT10 Slice:

Truckers and danglers

Remove consecutive letters from the name of a Ford truck, leaving a long-time truck manufacturer. 

ROT10 the removed letters, in order, to spell what might dangle from the ignition switches of these trucks. What are this Ford truck name, truck manufacturer and ignition-switch danglers?

Riffing Off Shortz And Gordon Slices:

Plenty20 Dirty30 Sporty40 Nifty50?

Will Shortz’s May 19th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle, created by noted crossword constructor and editor Peter Gordon, reads:

Think of a famous film with a three-word title (six letters in the first word, three letters in the second, and four letters in the last), in which the first and last words are rhymes for consecutive numbers. What movie is it?

Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Gordon Slices read:

ENTREE #1

Think of a singing duo whose surnames can be anagrammed to spell something that is human to do and a canine ordinance, in two words, that is enforced in Pennsylvania,
Tennessee and Michigan. 

The first names of these singers are the first and last names of a puzzle constructor.

Who are the singers in this duo?

Who is the puzzle constructor?

What are the something that is human to do and the two-word canine ordinance? 

Note: Entree #2 was composed by our friend Ecoarchitect whose “Econfusions” is featured in this edition of Puzzleria!

ENTREE #2

Think of a famous song with a two-word title in which the words are rhymes for a number and
its adjectival form. 

What song is it?

Note: Entrees #3 through #8 were composed by our friend Nodd whose “Nodd ready for prime time” is a regular feature on Puzzleria!

ENTREE #3:

Think of a 1940’s film with a three-word title
(four letters in the first word, three letters in the second), in which the first word rhymes with a number and the second word sounds like the next number in order. 

What movie is it?

ENTREE #4:

Think of a 1970’s film with a six-word title in which the first word is a number and the second  word rhymes with the next number in order. 

What movie is it?

ENTREE #5:

Think of a 1940’s film with a five-word title (three letters in the first word, four letters in the second), in which the first and second  words are rhymes for consecutive numbers. 

What movie is it?

ENTREE #6:

Think of a 1940’s film with a five-word title in which the fourth word is a number.  The third word sounds like the immediately preceding number. 

What movie is it?

ENTREE #7:

Think of a 1990’s film with a three-word title in
which the first word is a number. 

The third word rhymes with the immediately preceding number. 

What movie is it?

ENTREE #8:

Think of a 1940’s film with a six-word title in which the first word sounds like a number and the second and third words rhyme with the next two numbers in order. What movie is it?

ENTREE 9:

Think of a newsmagazine on network television, in one word of two syllables – syllables that are rhymes for consecutive numbers. 

What TV newsmagazine is it?

ENTREE 10:

Name a beverage recommended by herbalists to alleviate dry coughs, bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, “bronchial cramps” and inflammatory diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and whooping cough.

The syllables of the beverage are rhymes for three consecutive numbers. 

What is this beverage?

ENTREE 11:

Name a cultish American religious movement that was much in the news in the late 1990s. 

The syllables of the movement are rhymes for two consecutive numbers, the first one in its plural form.

What is this movement? 

What are the numbers? 

ENTREE #12:

Take words that rhyme with four consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence. 

These words give an incorrect description of Utah during the past sixty years vis-à-vis its presidential election voting results. 

What is this incorrect description of Utah?

What is this sequence of Fibonacci numbers?

ENTREE #13:

What people who own automobiles with manual instead of automatic transmissions do, in two words, rhymes with two consecutive
numbers.

What do these people do and what are the numbers?

ENTREE #14:

A synonym of “counterfactual” rhymes with a pair of consecutive numbers. What are this synonym and pair of numbers? 

ENTREE #15:

Name two words: where a man gripping a brassie may be standing and what he might yell after swinging this brassie. 

The first word rhymes with a number and the second word is a homophone of the number that follows that number.

What are the two numbers?

Where might a brassie-gripping man be standing?

What might he yell?  

ENTREE #16

Write a two-word caption for each of the four images pictured here. 

Clockwise from the upper-left-hand image, the captions begin with B and S, Y and T, B and T, and S and T. Each caption rhymes with two consecutive counting numbers. What are the numbers? What is this quartet of captions?

Dessert Menu

Drinkable Dessert:

Refreshed? Sated? Tipsy?

Name a two-word beverage. 

The first word, when you replace its second letter with the seventh letter of the beverage, spells what some who consume the beverage may hope to become. 

What is this beverage? What may its drinkers hope to become?

Note: The only part of the second word that is a part of the answer is the seventh letter of the beverage (which is in the second word). The remainder of the second word does not appear in the answer.

Every Friday at Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! we publish a new menu of fresh word puzzles, number puzzles, logic puzzles, puzzles of all varieties and flavors. We cater to cravers of scrumptious puzzles!

Our master chef, Grecian gourmet puzzle-creator Lego Lambda, blends and bakes up mysterious (and sometimes questionable) toppings and spices (such as alphabet soup, Mobius bacon strips, diced snake eyes, cubed radishes, “hominym” grits, anagraham crackers, rhyme thyme and sage sprinklings.)

Please post your comments below. Feel free also to post clever and subtle hints that do not give the puzzle answers away. Please wait until after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesdays to post your answers and explain your hints about the puzzles. We serve up at least one fresh puzzle every Friday.

We invite you to make it a habit to “Meet at Joe’s!” If you enjoy our weekly puzzle party, please tell your friends about Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! Thank you.