Friday, November 6, 2015

"It's two-thirds Greek to me!"; The Tao of a pooh-poohing pooh-bah; "We are quite the item in the bedroom!"; Land o' flip-flops; Beating the doldrums; Porkpie hats, windbags, and doodoo hiccups?

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER e5 + pi4 SERVED

Welcome to Joseph Young’s Puzzleria! It is now November, the ninth month of the year. Right, Latin lovers? Oops, no, you say? You say we should instead say: It is now Undecimber, the eleventh month of the year! (That seems faintly, Madly-Hatterly reminiscent of “A Very Merry Unbirthday To You!”)

The letters in Undecimber, of course, can be rearranged to form “I’d encumber,” “mice burden,” or “dice number.” The letters in what future “Latin lovers’ month” can be rearranged to form “demure bodice,” “mediocre bud,” “microbe dude,” or “morbid deuce”?

This week we serve up an “easy-peasy-greasy Greek (not Latin) morsel, two appetizers (one pseudoliterary, the other pseudopsychiatric), a slice of life in the bedroom, and, for dessert, a flip-flopping pigskin puzzle. 

(You might want to tackle this week’s second appetizer not with your fingers or a fork but with a spoon. For the dessert, perhaps a spork might be the appropriate approach... if we can agree to define “sporkerism” as a flip-flop, or reversal, of compound word parts or syllables.)

Morsel Menu

More Or Less Easy Morsel:
“It’s two-thirds Greek to me!”

Consider the three images shown here. 


What do they have in common?







Appetizer Menu

Books In The News Appetizer:
The Tao of a pooh-poohing pooh-bah

Consider a non-fiction book in the news this past week. The initial letters of the three-word title spell out a commercial product that uses a putty knife as a logo.

The initial letters of the first three words in the book’s subtitle spell out the word TAO. The fourth word is “of.” The remaining four words in the subtitle are the subject of the book.


 The book’s subject uses a seven-letter hyphenated modifier to describe a person she/he knows who has a six-letter surname. Rearrange those thirteen letters to spell out a two-word synonym – in 6 and 7 letters – of the oxymoronic phrase “equine hounds.” (The 6-letter adjective has a 5-letter alternative spelling.)
 
The book’s subject also uses a eight-letter modifier to describe another person he/she knows who has an eight-letter surname. Rearrange those sixteen letters to spell out a possible two-word synonym – in 8 and 8 letters – of “incense.” (The 8-letter second word has a 7-letter alternative spelling.)

What are the book’s title and subtitle? Who are the two persons the book’s subject describes, and what are the modifiers used to describe them? What are the two two-word synonyms of “equine hounds” and “incense” that are formed from the rearranged letters?


Tangled Up In Blues Appetizer:
Beating the doldrums

Amateur golfer Mr. Pat Potus had reason to have his dauber down. He competed in a tourney and didn’t even make the weekend cut after missing several under-two-foot gimme Pro-Am putts.

But his melancholia only intensified the following Monday when he stopped into the local Starbucks for his usual morning Mocha Latte pick-me-up. Pat left a two-buck tip, descended to the subway at a brisk clip, took a hefty sip… but did not smack his lip-to-lip. His Mocha drink was just not as chocolatey as usual. Indeed, it smacked faintly of roasted wheat bran and molasses.

Now, as a result, Mr. Potus felt really lowdown in the dumps, so dumped his Latte into a waste can and made an appointment with his psychiatrist.

“Doc, I’ve been a glum-and-gloomy-Gus ever since I was served A Mocha Latte that seemed to be diluted with some kind of roasty, wheaty-branny, molassessy kind of additive. What is your diagnosis?”

“Simple,” the Doc said. “That’s Psychiatry 101. You are obviously suffering from…
__ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ !

What letters belong in the blanks?


Breaking News Appetizer:
Porkpie hats, windbags, and doodoo hiccups?

LegoNote: This appetizer is “three versions of the same puzzle in one.” All have the same four-syllable, breaking-news-subject answer. The first version of the three puzzles is the most difficult, I believe, and the third is the easiest. I recommend that you begin with the first version listed, only then to proceed to the second. Finally, proceed to the third, but only if you cannot cannot solve the first two versions.

In other, more confusing words, if thou art stumped, only then shalt thou count on Version Three, no more, no less. Three shalt be the number on which thou shalt count, and the version-number of the counting on shall be Three. Version Four shalt thou not count on (it doesn't exist!) nor thou shalt count on Version Two (which, alas, stumpeth you!), excepting then that thou proceed to three. Version Five is right out!



1.) Each of the four images shown in this appetizer depicts a one-syllable word. Determine what the four syllables are and put them in the correct order to name a breaking news subject. What is this subject?

2.) Name a kind of pie (two words that precede the word “pie”). Replace a consonant with the letter following it alphabetically. 
Name a kind of hat  (a two-syllable word that precedes the word hat). Replace a consonant with a different consonant.


Wrap the two altered pie words around the altered two-syllable hat word. Remove two spaces and add a space in a different place to form a two-word breaking news subject. What is this subject?

3.) Complete the following four pairs of word beginnings, A through D. Each pair ends with the same one-syllable word:
A. 
flun...
doohic...
B.
mile...
cobble...
C.
wind...
bag...
D.
rec...
fe...

Put the four word ends in order, A through D, and remove two spaces to name a breaking news subject. What is this subject?

MENU

Specialty Of The Household Slice:
“We are quite the item in the bedroom!”


Name the plural form of a household item commonly found in bedrooms. Divide this word into two words and you will describe what these items might do to persons using them.

What are these household items?

Dessert Menu

Pigskin Party Dessert:
Land o’ flip-flops

A compound plural word describes what is depicted in two of the three images pictured here.


“Flip-flop” (that is, reverse the order of) the two parts of the compound word and say the result aloud to form a two-word description of the third image. Take this third-image description and move the “s” (but not the apostrophe) from the end of one of the two words to the end of the other word to form two words that when spoken aloud sound like a description of stories about athletic exploits that people in one of the first two images might be sharing with one another.



Hint: Probably two of the images, and perhaps all three, were photographed in one particular state.


What is the compound plural word? What are the two two-word descriptions?

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 Tuesdays 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.

91 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, Word Woman. Your greeting reminds me of our erstwhile and catchy (albeit ungrammatical) Puzzleria! slogan: "TGIF, Think Good, It's Friday!"

      Our second choice would have been "IHOP, Invigorating Haven Of Puzzlertry!"

      LegoThat'sInvigorating,NotIncoherent!

      Delete
  2. I'm back from the no-wi-fi wasteland. Got the MOLEM, having a couple approximately 2 year old grandchildren helps. I'll look at the other puzzles a bit later.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have just uploaded a sixth puzzle to this week's menus. It is a third appetizer, a "Breaking News Appetizer: Porkpie hats, windbags, and doodoo hiccups?"

    LegoWhoKindaRushedItToPublication...HopeThereAreNoBugs!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, I just caught on to the first morsel [2/3 Greek], as well. Oddly, I had initially thought the answer would be slightly different from when it finally 'hit' me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I got the BNA with the first half of clue 2, having seen the breaking news item online.

    ReplyDelete
  6. And admitting to using the third (i.e. easiest) version of hints, have the recently added Breaking News Appetizer, but it was quite fun to go back to Version 2 and see how it worked out, knowing the four words. Version 1 would have been utterly impossible...I barely understood it even WITH the answers in hand! In fact, one of the photos STILL makes no sense to me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Also, the TUIBA, which reminds me of the old joke:
    Q. What's a tuba for?
    A. A piece of lumber you can use to make houses.

    So, Lego Baby, the quality of your "humor" and mine are equivalent on this one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Also also, I have the PPD, which I am close to having a good clue for, but it (my semi-clue) is flawed.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have a book title, written by a male, first name 3 letters. The title of this fits perfectly with the first hint, TAO hint, and fourth word "of". However the next four words on the book (subject) do not have any hyphenated words, and the fourth word, which is a surname, is only 4 letters. Could someone steer me in the right direction of the book category?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, I just realized that I have the right book, but I was confused about the "subject" and what the "subject says".

      Delete
  10. I finally googled around enough (while having worked out the putty knife initials hours ago) to locate the book in question (hurrah), and have just managed to figure out the 13 letters for the first person 'described'; am about to work on rearranging them.

    However, I only just realized that there is a second hyphenated description about the different person with the longer surname, so must go tackle that, too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hmm, I came up with a phrase for "equine hound" but my noun ended up PLURAL (i.e. the seventh letter is an 's'), where as clearly, 'hound' is singular. Lego?

    Also, although I believe I know who the eight-letter surname is that the book's subject knows and describes, the ONLY hyphenated modifier I can find for that guy (reading book exerpts) has 11 letters, not 8. Also, this person also appears to be described by the same seven-letter hyphenated adjective as the six-letter person already was. So I need some clarifications, if you have any, Lego, please?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ViolinTeddy,
      My synonym for hound is singular, begins with a consonant, ends with a vowel, and is more commonly used as an adjective meaning “dog-like.” But there are also references that list it as a noun meaning wolf or dog, including Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition.

      As for your observation that “the ONLY hyphenated modifier I can find for that guy (reading book exerpts) has 11 letters, not 8. Also, this person also appears to be described by the same seven-letter hyphenated adjective as the six-letter person already was…” You are totally correct, and I am again wrong.

      I was a victim of cutting-and-pasting the sentence regarding the previous person without sufficient self-editing. Thankfully, I have “ViolinTedditing.”

      I should have deleted “hyphenated” from the following sentence and instead written:
      “The book’s subject also uses an eight-letter modifier to describe another person he/she knows who has an eight-letter surname.”

      I have just now changed this on the blog, thanks to your help. But it is also frustrating for you and perhaps other Puzzlerians!, and I am sorry about that.

      I was not even aware that “this person also appears to be described by the same seven-letter hyphenated adjective as the six-letter person already was…” Thank you for pointing this out also.

      LegoMayoCulpaMayoCulpaMayoMaximaCulpa,MiracleWhipMeWithAWetNoodle

      Delete
    2. I'm lost here. I mean, there are some things I think I know, and other things I know I don't know, but there may be things I never would have thought I didn't know, if you know what I mean. Be glad I'm not handling firearms.

      Delete
    3. Word Woman,
      Yes indeed. And be glad and thankful also that I do not write for JAMA (see below)
      Paul,
      Yes indeed. And be glad and thankful also that Lego does not handle scalpels in Operating Rooms. (see below)

      Script from a scene from a movie titled “Unwise Blood,” based on a novel by Flimflammery O’Lambda.

      Surgeon Scientific Steph, preparing to operate:
      Prepare the IV blood drip, will you please, Assistant Lego?
      Assistant Lego:
      Will do, Dr. Steph.
      SSS:
      What type of blood does the chart say our patient has?
      Assistant Lego:
      AB+, Dr. Steph.
      SSS:
      Positive?
      AL:
      Positive!
      SSS:
      I think that might be a typo.
      AL:
      Type O? Positive?
      SSS:
      Positive. I was told during our pre-op conference that this patient was not a universal recipient.
      AL:
      Type O? Negative! I thought we determined at our pre-op conference review of the patient’s chart that he was a universal donor, not recipient.
      SSS:
      I am positive that must have a typo. Positive!
      AL:
      No, not Type O. Negative. Type O Positive. Otherwise the patient would not be a universal donor.
      SSS:
      Oh, so you now agree with me about there being a typo on the chart? But don’t you understand Assistant Lego, that our patient is not a blood donor in this instance. He is a blood recipient. I am positive that reading on the chart was a typo. Positive!
      AL:
      Yeah, that’s what I just said.
      SSS:
      Assistant Lego, I believe it would be most prudent, and best for all of us, including our patient, if you were to take a little break from this OR. Please go take a little nap in the staff break room. I will call in Dr. jan to assist me with this surgery.
      AL:
      Positive?
      SSS:
      Positive!

      LegoZZZZZZZZ+

      Delete
    4. There appears not to be a way to reply directly to Lego's MAYO CULPA directly above....so here goes....my seven letter hound synonym WOULD begin with a consonant and end with a vowel, too, if it weren't plural. So I'm stuck. There's already another 's' in the six-letter adjective, so perhaps there is just some other word meaning dog-like that CONTAINS an s, that I am simply not thinking of.

      Having flagellated yourself more than sufficiently, don't worry about ViolinTedditor having come to your rescue. She is pleased to have done so.

      Delete
    5. ViolinTeddy,
      As it turns out, I have NOT flagellated myself sufficiently at all!

      My (and your too, it turns out) seven-letter hounds synonym does begin with a consonant and end with a-vowel-plus-an-"s"...because it IS plural.

      My "euqine hound" clue should have read instead "equine houndS"!

      So you were stuck only because I was careless. Your thinking is clear. Mine was foggy! Sorry again.

      LegoHavingABadPuzzle-WordingWeek

      .

      Delete
    6. Lego, your Typo Routine is classic. I am Smitten with it. Truly.

      Delete
    7. Thanks, Word Woman. I Guess it’s okay. But I guess it doesn’t hold a ten-jillion candlewatt star to the fun we had (and always have) on your Partial Ellipsis Of The Sun (PEOTS) blog. For you Puzzlerians! who might wonder what all this “Guess” business is all about, Word Woman mentioned in late-January 2014 on her then-fledgling blog an encounter she had at a library with a boy named Guess. Frivolity ensued!

      All the content (including all the comments) on that January 28, 2014 edition of PEOTS are well worth reading, of course, but the “fun with Guess” begins with Word Woman’s (Scientific Steph’s) January 29, 2014 at 5:29 PM comment.

      PEOTS is a really fun blog to visit… and you learn stuff to boot!

      LegoFollowersOfThePuzzleria!Blog,OnTheOtherFoot,JustLearnStuffToFlip-Flop!

      Delete
    8. Thanks for the link to Partial Ellipsis of the Sun, Lego, and your inspired GuessWork. Those were the days. . .

      BTW, I saw Guess at the library last week. Guess is at that phase of life where growing 6 inches a year is not uncommon. Quite a young man--very kind, polite, and brilliant.

      Delete
    9. Also, I had another interesting name encounter with a young woman while tutoring Algebra 1 at a local high school last week.

      Imagine a 9th grader with her hand on her hip:

      9th grader: "Is this the MATH MOJO tutoring?"

      Me: Yes, I'm Ms. Stephanie. (shaking hands) What would you like me to call you?

      9th grader: "_Anonymous_" (said with great panache and a little look to see if I would call her that AND checking to see if I know what that word means).

      Me: "OK, Anonymous, please show me what you are working on."

      [She does and we work for 45 minutes on functions using the homemade shoebox function box I brought to make functions more tangible].

      9th grader: "Now I get it. OK, NOW you can call me J'Maria (pronounced Marr' i a).That's J, apostrophe M A R I A. Got it?!

      Me: " Yes, J'Maria, what a cool name! With Maria like the Maria on the surface of planetary bodies, beautiful flat spots we used to think were seas, hence their name."

      Pause.

      J'Maria: "How did you know that?!"

      Me: "I studied geology in college. I'm a geologist."

      J'Maria: "Then that's what I'm going to be."

      Pause

      J'Maria: "Bye. And thanks."

      Delete
  12. Got TUIBA and BNA clue #3, but still need a few more hints for the others. What have you got, Lego?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I also have the Latin lovers puzzle and SOTHS.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Am having difficulty finding the book, but I know the company with the putty knife logo.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Probably have no chance with MOLEM.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. patjberry,
      The book is not yet available for public consumption (I believe), but there is a lot of buzz about it.
      Unless your comment, "Probably have no chance with MOLEM" is a hint, do not give up on it. You do indeed have a chance with MOLEM!

      Kudos for solving the others, including the "Latin lovers'" mini-puzzle.

      I still am curious about the puzzle you created that you might want to share with other Puzzlerians! on our blog. Remember, you, or others, can e-mail me at legolambda@aol.com

      LegoThinkspatjberryIsMuchSharperThanAPuttyKnife!

      Delete
  16. Speaking of layabouts, lego, did you ever tell us the name you chose for your new family member, and how's she doing, anyway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed.....glad Paul asked this...what name did you finally settle upon for your kitty?

      Delete
    2. Thanks for asking, Paul. I finally decided on naming my kitten Smitten. I was. So now she is.

      She is, shall we say, quite… “energetic.” Smitten is experiencing a growth spurt but still hurtles about my house like a whirling dervish on speed, bumping into furniture, leaping atop tables, skidding across linoleum and randomly springing vertically into the air like one of these with her limbs outstretched flying-squirrel-like! She bats and scratches and nips and bites. She believes my hands and feet are mice.

      But then she peters out, laps some milk, cuddles up sweetly and purrs like a Lamborghini idling on a Lambda.

      LegoSaysHonkyCat&RocketManResidedOnSideOneOfHisHonkyChateauButRocketCat&HonkyManResideInLegeau’sWonkyChateau

      Delete
  17. Could you have bought these at a roadside produce stand in Kansas?

    ReplyDelete
  18. My Dad used to like this stuff. It's really not bad. I'm surprised it's still available. Unfortunately, there are no outlets very nearby. But, of course, the "big river' will bring it to you ... for a price.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul,
      As I am sure you are aware, there are "Seinfeld" and "The Simpsons" references.

      LegoTheBerryFarmTheScienceGuy&TheJitternCaffeinatedGhost!

      Delete
    2. I am completely lost, sorry to say. WHAT are you and Paul talking about? To which puzzle are all these comments referring?

      Delete
    3. ViolinTeddy,
      You may want to confirm this with Paul, but my comments allude to the "roasty, wheaty-branny, molassessy additive" in the "Tangled Up In Blues Appetizer: Beating the doldrums."

      LegoButPaulMayHaveWellBeenAlluding(OrEluding!)ToMarsOrMarsBarsOrBarsLikeCheersOrFortKnoxGoldForAllWeKnow

      Delete
    4. Hmm, I have been stumped over that one. I have two possible words for the third long word (I'm sure one of them is correct), but as for what I'm suremust be your humorous word-play regarding the hyphenated words ahead of that long word, I am up a creek. Does one need to know about alcoholic beverages to be able to get the answer? In which case, I'm at a loss.

      Delete
    5. ViolinTeddy,
      No, no alcoholic beverages are involved in my intended answer. The answer does involve a spoonerism, however, in a sense broader than the normal "transposition of initial consonants" ("lack of pies" becomes "pack of lies," for example).

      The Rev. Spooner once supposedly said in his church, "Mardon me padam, this pie is occupewed. Can I sew you to another sheet?"

      The spoonerism in my puzzle is like the middle spoonerism in that quotation: "this pie is occupewed." My spoonerism is confined to the 10 hyphenated blanks; the non-hyphenated 10-letter word beneath is not involved in my spoonerism.

      The phrase that I spoonerized is a serious, not-to-be-laughed-at condition that is very challenging to those who suffer from it.

      LegoBornWithAPlasticSpoonInMyMouth!

      Delete
    6. Thanks for the extensive spoonerism hints, Lego, but I fear that unless a bolt from the blue suddenly descends upon me, I am NOT going to come up with your hyphenated answer, even though I'm pretty convinced it must be some play on 'roasty, wheaty, branny, molassesy." Phooey.

      Delete
    7. VT,
      The second part of the hyphenated word contains "toasty, wheaty, granny, molassesy."

      LegoPhooeyFighter

      Delete
    8. VT, here's a clue for the serious condition that the spoonerism is from: Brooke Shields.

      Delete
    9. Thanks, clotheslover! I know what that is, so now I know that my last word is correct, I just have to figure out how to put Lego's latest clue (i.e., from Mr. PhooeyFighter) together with yours....I have to hand it to you, CL, you surely must be SMARt, to get all these puzzles all the time, amidst your 21 hours of college credits, AND working! Wow!

      Delete
    10. OKIE DOKIE, I think it finally just hit me!! Without CL's hint, though, never would have happened, as I had to actually go look up the six-letter (after the hyphen) word to make sure it IS a thing....whew. Thanks for the help, guys.

      Delete
    11. VT: Glad I could help. Hopefully I didn't overstep the bounds of hint/clue delivery. It's hard to think of clues that aren't too literal and give too much away, but aren't also so off the wall and enigmatic that no one stands a chance if real help is needed. I probably over stepped a bit with that clue. As for the kind "smart" complement, it's all subjective. Just ask my math professor!

      Delete
  19. Got them all this time. Another group of fun puzzles! Way to go Lego!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I may need another hint on the book. I can't find anything about the book anywhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. patjberry,
      The subject of the book has at least (or, likely, at most!) one thing in common with our friend skydiveboy.

      LegoSaysAnnieOakley&BillCodyWereAPairO'Shooters!

      Delete
  21. patjberry: you will need to read the news article about the book in order to solve the puzzle. I read it online on 11/5/15 in the politics section.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. patjberry: Ok, I thought of another clue, but I have to ask you first, do you watch "House of Cards" on Netflix?

      Delete
    2. Plus, pjb, it is helpful to have pinned down the three initials of the book's title (see the putty knife hint). I then found the book on Amazon best sellers.

      Delete
  22. Lego, didn't help; CL, couldn't find it and no, I don't watch it; VT, I got the putty knife part. That's all I seem to have with this one. I don't suppose anyone can give me a good enough hint to get the first word? That's probably all I'll really need to get the title. As for the "equine hound" and incense crap, I may need more than the title.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. patjberry,
      The first word in the book title:

      The largest city in a certain Midwestern state consist of two words.
      The first 42,857/100,000 of the title word consists of the first word in that city's name.

      The remaining 57,143/100,000 of the initial title word consists of a synonym for "small."

      Lego"IsThisSeven...IMean,Heaven?No,It's..."

      Delete
  23. CL, which politics section was it, Google or Bing or what?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Got it! Now how about those photos in MOLEM?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. patjberry,
      Try writing a simple (very simple) one-word caption for each MOLEM image. Better yet, don't go usin' any hifalutin polysyllabic words. Keep 'em short!

      LegEgoLeoLogGelOleGeoGloELO

      Delete
  25. Finally got most of the BITNA, after seeing the review for the book in question, missing only the synonyms.

    ReplyDelete
  26. My entire post just disappeared. GRRR.

    Yeah, David, I was never able to turn the 16 letters (from the second 8-letter person plus that person's 8-letter adjective) into the synonym for 'incense', either'. Didn't know if Lego meant the NOUN or the VERB (although I tried both)-- perhaps it might help to know, but with all these other hints that have been flying around, I was loathe to ask.

    Likewise, I have been unable to solve the Bedroom furniture puzzle or the Dessert, but was just going to wait till tomorrow to see the answers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VT,

      Regarding:
      “Rearrange those sixteen letters to spell out a possible two-word synonym – in 8 and 8 letters – of “incense.” (The 8-letter second word has a 7-letter alternative spelling.)”

      The first 8-letter word is an adjective; the second is a noun that is usually a verb. The spelling of the noun is a “British spelling.”

      LegoThe16TotalLettersFormASynonymOfIncense,NotPeppermintsOrTheColorOfTime!

      Delete
    2. My previous comment about Kansan produce pertains to the dessert puzzle, but you might have to travel to the dark side of the moon to understand it.

      I gave up on the bedroom furniture puzzle long ago.

      I got as far as the people the book's subject was talking about, but lost interest in searching for exactly what uncomplimentary things he or she said about them.

      Delete
  27. My hunch was right about MOLEM! Got it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sheesh, I thought the bedroom furniture puzzle was the easiest this week. Here's my hint: you probably have one in your bedroom right now. It's a piece of furniture that is essential in promoting healthy living and establishing daily productivity.

      Delete
  28. MOLEM:
    3 anagrams: PIS, SIP, PSI.

    Dessert Slice: PPD:
    TAILGATERS
    GATOR'S TAIL
    (Florida) GATOR TALES.

    The following is a special "down time" puzzle, especially for Lego, who doesn't consider "y" to function as a consonant. He will have to "suck it up" to solve this puzzle. Good luck. I will post the answer this coming Thursday evening.

    The word "catchphrase" has six consonants in a row and does not have a y. Find a word that starts with seven consonants in a row, counting y as a consonant, and ends in nine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ron, I'm curious about this, but need clarification. How many letters total are in the word? 16? All consonants (including Y)

      Delete
    2. If I tell you the total number of letters, it would give away the answer... All I will say is that there are vowels other than "y."

      Delete
    3. I figured it out, and I understand your wording better.

      Delete
    4. Nice going CL. I will post the answer tomorrow evening. I hope Lego has thought about it.

      Delete
    5. I'm sorry, I know the question was meant for Lego. I was just curious.

      Delete
    6. Carefully review & inspect the wording of my puzzle to assure yourself that no obfuscation has occurred. The answer is: STRYCHNINE.

      Delete
  29. Whether right or wrong, here's what I've come up with:

    Latin Lover's Month: I DUO DECEMBER

    More Or Less Easy Morsel:
    SIP/PIS/SIP
    TOT/PI/PSI
    Sounds like TOOTSIE PIE?

    Books In The News:
    DESTINY OF POWER
    THE AMERICAN ODYSSEY OF GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH
    By, Jon Meacham
    DICK CHENEY/IRON ASS/ HORSEY CANINES
    DONALD RUMSFELD/ARROGANT/FRAGRANT SMOULDER

    Tangled Up In Blues:
    "PART-POSTUM DEPRESSION"
    My clue led to Brooke Shields who suffered from postpartum depression, and wrote a book about her experiences.

    Breaking News Appetizer:
    KEYSTONE PIPELINE

    Specialty Of The Household Slice:
    MATTRESSES/MAT TRESSES
    My clue suggested the importance of having a good mattress in order to sleep well.

    Pigskin Party Dessert:
    TAILGATER'S/GATER' TAILS/TALES

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops, MOLEM answer should read:SIP/PIS/PSI. Auto correct strikes again.

      Delete
  30. For the record, I did NOT know that Jerry, George, and Mr. Burns liked Postum until lego pointed it out to me, but I knew Dad liked it. It was kind of hard to find about 12 years ago. I see from Wikipedia that it actually did disappear in 2007, but was revived in 2012. When you think about it, maybe there's a reason this map looks like it does.

    Aunt Em and Uncle Henry 'might' have had a roadside stand where they sold "Gale 'Taters", just like Pink Floyd 'might' have intended The Dark Side of the Moon to be played as an alternate soundtrack for The Wizard of Oz.

    "So much the worse" is a possible translation of the French expression "tant pis!"

    ReplyDelete
  31. My PPD "(... semi-clue) is flawed", means take half of flawed, which is FLA, site of the (party, not driver) tailgaters and (alli)gators (and the University of Florida Gators).

    ReplyDelete
  32. I had also come up with HORSEY CANINES for the synonym to 'equine hound", but Lego said it ended with a vowel, i.e. ending with an 's wasn't right. However, I never got any further.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I guess I missed the clue about it ending in a vowel. Oh well!

      Delete
  33. This week’s official answers for the record, part 1:

    The letters in what future “Latin lovers’ month” that can be rearranged to form “demure bodice,” “mediocre bud,” “microbe dude,” or “morbid deuce” all come from “numeral” and “base” on this site. Thus, the twelfth month is spelled “Duodecimber,” which anagrams to “demure bodice,” “mediocre bud,” “microbe dude,” or “morbid deuce.”

    Morsel Menu

    More Or Less Easy Morsel:
    “It’s two-thirds Greek to me!”
    Consider the three images shown here.
    What do they have in common?

    Answer: All three might be tersely captioned with word consisting of the letters I, P and S:
    Pis, Psi and Sip

    Appetizer Menu

    Books In The News Appetizer:
    The Tao of a pooh-poohing pooh-bah
    Consider a non-fiction book in the news this past week. The initial letters of the three-word title spell out a commercial product that uses a putty knife as a logo.
    The initial letters of the first three words in the book’s subtitle spell out the word TAO. The fourth word is “of.” The remaining four words in the subtitle are the subject of the book.
    The book’s subject uses a seven-letter hyphenated modifier to describe a person she/he knows who has a six-letter surname. Rearrange those thirteen letters to spell out a two-word synonym – in 6 and 7 letters – of the oxymoronic phrase “equine hounds.” (The 6-letter adjective has a 5-letter alternative spelling.)
    The book’s subject also uses a eight-letter modifier to describe another person he/she knows who has an eight-letter surname. Rearrange those sixteenletters to spell out a possible two-word synonym – in 8 and 8 letters – of “incense.” (The 8-letter second word has a 7-letter alternative spelling.)
    What are the book’s title and subtitle? Who are the two persons the book’s subject describes, and what are the modifiers used to describe them? What are the two two-word synonyms of “equine hounds” and “incense” that are formed from the rearranged letters?

    Answer:
    “Destiny And Power:” subtitled, “The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush”
    “Iron-ass (Dick) Cheney”;
    “Arrogant (Donald) Rumsfeld”
    IRON ASS CHENEY = HORSEY CANINES;
    ARROGANT RUMSFELD = FRAGRANT SMOULDER

    Tangled Up In BluesAppetizer:
    Beating the doldrums
    Amateur golfer Mr. Pat Potus had reason to have his dauber down. He competed in a tourney and didn’t even make the weekend cut after missing several under-two-foot gimme Pro-Am putts.
    But his melancholia only intensified the following Monday when he stopped into the local Starbucks for his usual morning Mocha Latte pick-me-up. Pat left a two-buck tip, descended to the subway at a brisk clip, took a hefty sip… but did not smack his lip-to-lip. His Mocha drink was just not as chocolatey as usual. Indeed, it smacked faintly of roasted wheat bran and molasses.
    Now, as a result, Mr. Potus felt really lowdown in the dumps, so dumped his Latte into a waste can and made an appointment with his psychiatrist.
    “Doc, I’ve been a glum-and-gloomy-Gus ever since I was served A Mocha Latte that seemed to be diluted with some kind of roasty, wheaty-branny, molassessy kind of additive. What is your diagnosis?”
    “Simple,” the Doc said. “That’s Psychiatry 101. You are obviously suffering from…
    __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ __ __
    __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ !

    What letters belong in the blanks?

    Answer: Part-Postum Depression

    Lego…

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OK, Lego, as I posted above, I had 'horsey canines" but when a couple of days ago, we were discussing this, and I was bothered by the fact that my solution was PLURAL (to mean 'equine hound', i.e. SINGULAR), YOU said that the word you had in mind ended in a vowel, that is NOT in an 's'. But there indeed sits "horsey canineS" as the answer, just as I'd figured. Please explain this apparent confusion.

      By the way, I can't resist telling you that this evening, I was privileged to attend a talk by famous presidential historian Michael Beschloss. He told many interesting tales of his presidential studies and even of having dined with them (after they were out of office.) He also brought up the very book we had in our puzzle this week, saying that Jon Meachem's daughter is HIS (Mr. Beschloss's) goddaughter. Interesting, huh?

      Delete
    2. coming in after all's said and done... but wanted to point out that “Duodecimber” does not exactly anagram to "demure bodice", as "demure bodice" has an extra "e". But you gave enough other hints that I got the answer anyway, so no harm done. :-) --Margaret G.

      Delete
  34. This week’s official answers for the record, part 2:

    Breaking News Appetizer:
    Porkpie hats, windbags, and doodoo hiccups?
    LegoNote: This appetizer is “three versions of the same puzzle in one.” All have the same four-syllable, breaking-news-subject answer. The first version of the three puzzles is the most difficult, I believe, and the third is the easiest. I recommend that you begin with the first version listed, only then to proceed to the second. Finally, proceed to the third, but only if you cannot cannot solve the first two versions.
    1.) Each of the four images shown in this appetizer depicts a one-syllable word. Determine what the four syllables are and put them in the correct order to name a breaking news subject. What is this subject?
    Answer: Images, from top to bottom: an offensive LINE; A shepherd playing a Shepherd’s PIPE; A cherry stem and STONE; A broken piano KEY;
    They can be arranged to form the Keystone Pipeline

    2.) Name a kind of pie (two words that precede the word “pie”). Replace a consonant with the letter following it alphabetically.
    Name a kind of hat (a two-syllable word that precedes the word “hat”). Replace a consonant with a different consonant.
    Wrap the two altered pie words around the altered two-syllable hat word. Remove two spaces and add a space in a different place to form a two-word breaking news subject. What is this subject?
    Answer: Key Lime pie; StovePipe hat
    Lime >> Line; Stove >> Stone = KeyStone PipeLine

    3.) Complete the following four pairs of word beginnings, A through D. Each pair ends with the same one-syllable word:
    A. flun… doohic...
    B. mile... cobble...
    C. wind... bag...
    D. rec… fe...
    Put the four word ends in order, A through D, and remove two spaces to name a breaking news subject. What is this subject?
    Answer:
    A. flunKEY, doohicKEY
    B. milestone, cobbleSTONE
    C. windpipe, bagPIPE
    D. recLINE feLINE
    >> KeyStone PipeLine
    MENU

    Specialty Of The Household Slice:
    “We are quite the item in the bedroom!”
    Name the plural form of a household item commonly found in bedrooms. Divide this word into two words and you will describe what these items might do to persons using them.
    What are these household items?

    Answer: Mattresses, Mat tresses

    Dessert Menu

    Pigskin Party Dessert:
    Land o’ flip-flops
    A compound plural word describes what is depicted in two of the three images pictured here.
    “Flip-flop” (that is, reverse the order of) the two parts of the compound word and say the result aloud to form a two-word description of the third image. Take this third-image description and move the “s” (but not the apostrophe) from the end of one of the two words to the end of the other word to form two words that when spoken aloud sound like a description of stories about athletic exploits that people in one of the first two images might be sharing with one another.
    Hint: Probably two of the images, and perhaps all three, were photographed in one particular state.
    What is the compound plural word? What are the two two-word descriptions?

    Answer: tailgaters at a tailgate party, or tailgaters on the highway; an (alli)gator’s tail; Gator tales
    Hint: One image is of a Florida Gator football tailgate party in Gainesville; another is of an (alli)gator’s tail, probably in the Florida Everglades swampland; the highway image might well be from a Florida freeway.

    Lego…

    ReplyDelete
  35. Duodecimber actually comes out to DEMUR, not demure, bodice. You put one too many E's, Lego. Still got it just the same. Got 'em all, in fact.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the edit, patjberry. Congrats on your solving

      40 years ago:this link and this link.

      LegoFallible

      Delete
  36. Gordon Lightfoot's best song, if you ask me.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Happy Veterans Day, everyone! We salute you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen, patjberry.

      Those who have served on our behalf deserve our gratitude. Many died. We owe them, as well as those who survived. Those who have served, living and deceased, are deserving of our sincere thanks.

      Lego...

      Delete