E Plu Rebus Unum; “Walkin’ under water? Now we’re talkin’ miracle!” NuN, PuP, R.U.R. surround u with joy; “If I call my bluff a mountain, please call my bluff!” Is Abe the “sixth man” on this team?

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 3(7!) SERVED

Schpuzzle of the Week:

“If I call my bluff a mountain, please call my bluff!”

Name two words, one that follows “Sierra” and another that follows “Mountain.” 

Rearrange their combined letters to name a region in the United States that has no sierras or mountains to speak of... except for perhaps a few hills and bluffs. 

What is this region in the United States?

Appetizer Menu

Econfusions Appetizer:

E Plu Rebus Unum: a puzzle with presidents... but without precedent on Puzzleria!

With the potential conclusion of this most unusual election, Puzzleria! is pleased to offer 26 Presidential Rebus Puzzles... a veritable Mount-Rushmore-crush of ’em!  

A Rebus is a phrase derived from a combination of pictures and words. It might use a visual trick, often with a preposition in the design of the clue that is part of the answer.

There may also be a verb or noun in the actual answer, but missing in the clue, that gives direction for some action to be taken with the clue.  

Anagrams may be part of a Rebus, but only if there is a verb or noun in the solution that would indicate their use. For example:

Adorb Table = Shuffleboard table (You can shuffle the letters of “board” to get “adorb”.)

Other Examples of Rebuses:

T_rn = No U Turn

Uprt = pr(into)ut

L

o

a

d = download

The rebus puzzles featured on this week’s Econfusions (which appear in the large image immediately below this text) should be relatively easy; all answers are US Presidents or Vice Presidents, and all but one should be familiar to all. 

The clues may point to both the first and last name, or just the last name.  And some answers take small liberties with syntax, all in a good cause. 

Future Rebus puzzles on Econfusions may be more difficult, as the answers won’t necessarily come from a limited data set.  

In the meantime, we hope this puzzle provides some sense of order.

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Springfield Slice:

Is Abe the “sixth man” on this team?

Elvin, Earvin, Earl, Fred and Phil (and Abe?). 

Besides being associated with Springfield, what else do the men with these names have in common? 

Hint: The answer involves six numbers whose sum is 96.

Riffing Off Shortz And Berlin Slices:

NuN, PuP, R.U.R. surround u with joy

Will Shortz’s November 8th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle, created by Eric Berlin of Milford, Connecticut, reads:

There are several words that consist of the consonants N, P and R and an assortment of vowels — for example, APRON, PIONEER and EUROPEAN. But there is only one
common phrase that contains exactly two N’s, two P’s and two R’s with no other consonants. You can add vowels as needed. What phrase is this?

Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Berlin Slices read:

ENTREE #1

A composer of popular puzzles and a composer of popular songs share the same last name. 

Rearrange the letters of the puzzle composer’s first name to name something traditionally thrown at a particular ceremony.

Rearrange the letters of the song composer’s first name to name what each of the two main participants in this ceremony is assumed to be, at least traditionally.

Who are these composers?

What is thrown at the ceremony, and what is each main participant assumed to be?

ENTREE #2

Dear Peter Falk and Vince VanGogh:

You taste and smell and feel just swell.

You’re lacking in some senses though:

Your orb of glass, your aural “hell.”

You could though half-way see or hear...

Just ____ __ ___ ___ __ ___!

The six words that complete the sestet above contain exactly two N’s, two P’s and two R’s with no other consonants. 

You can add vowels as needed. What six words are these?

Hint: The six words begin with O, U, O, E, O, E.

ENTREE #3

A three-word description of a particular lute-shaped fruit – one that is hard to the touch or is still on the tree – contains exactly two N’s,
two P’s and two R’s with no other consonants. 

You can add vowels as needed. 

What description is this?

ENTREE #4

Lovers of Puccini can catch a performance “under the stars” of his “La Bohème” at the al fresco theater in Torre del Lago in Italy. 

The venue is set like a gem on the shore of Lake Massaciuccoli, close to the Tuscan coast, on the grounds of Puccini’s villa. 

(There, the composer indulged his passions for duck hunting and lavish parties.)

Describe such a performance of “La Bohème” using a phrase of three words (one of them hyphenated) beginning with A, O-A, O.
 

This phrase contains exactly two N’s, two P’s and two R’s with no other consonants. You can add vowels as needed. 

What phrase is this?

ENTREE #5

Write a three-word caption for the image pictured here.

The caption contains exactly two N’s, two P’s and two R’s with no other consonants. 

You can add vowels as needed. 

What caption is this?

Hint: The three words of the caption begin with an I, O and P.

ENTREE #6

During the Depression era in the Midwest, a flim-flam con man (picture Burt Lancaster) shuffles in to a drought-ridden rural town in Kansas boasting that, in exchange for cash money, he can “make the angels in heaven cry tears of joy,” thereby saving their crops.

The townsfolk agree and begin passing the hat to raise the seed money needed in order to salvage the fruits of the seeds they planted in spring.

The flim-flammer sets up his cloud-seeding apparatus in the town square (picture a Rube Goldberg cartoon). Before setting the contraption in motion, however, he asks the  town treasurer for his money, in advance!

The townsfolk begin murmuring among themselves. The treasurer, clenching the wad of bills tight in his hand, proclaims, “First we must see these heavenly tears, then we’ll ensure you’ll be not in arrears!”

The con man barks back with a (not-quite-as-poetic) five-word exclamation of his own:

“___ __ __ __ ____!”

That phrase contains exactly two N’s, two P’s and two R’s with no other consonants. You can add vowels as needed. What phrase is this?

Hint: The five words in the phrase begin with P, U, O, N and R.

Dessert Menu

“...Nobody Doesn’t Like Gali Lee” Dessert:

“Walkin’ under water? Now we’re talkin’ miracle!”

Jesus is known for walking on water. 

One variety of certain ten-letter amphibian is known for walking under water.

Remove four letters from the beginning of this amphibian’s name and insert an “e” somewhere in what’s left to spell a synonym of “walk.” 

What are this amphibian and synonym?

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.