Thursday, December 24, 2020

“A Holiday Rebus Repast Rune” “O come let us outdoor him...” America’s National Playtime; Christmas Crèche Character-Building; “I’m wishing for a green Christmas...”

PUZZLERIA! SLICES: OVER 3(7!) SERVED



Schpuzzle of the Week:

America’s National Playtime


Name a famous baseball player. 

The first two/thirds of his name spells a toy brand from the past that was popular with boys, especially at Christmastime.
 

The last one-third spells part of the name of a “coming-of-age Christmas gift” that dads buy for boys. 

Who is this ballplayer?

What are these “two gifts of the magical Christmas-morning reveal?”


Appetizer Menu


Campaigns Have Passed, Pass The Champagne Appetizer:

“A Holiday Rebus Repast Rune”


Last November 13, in the wake of the presidental election, Ecoarchitect presented us with an unprecedented ballot-boxful of rebuses about presidents.

Today he drops an even more tasty present down our chimney – a Santa’s-bagful of holiday dinner menu rebuses. (They appear in the large image immediately below this introductory text.) 

And so, we wish you a Merry “Chrebus, “Chag Urim Sameach!” (our menorah was delighted last Friday), a “Solving Solstice” and a “Happytizing” New Year!  Take a seat and be our guests of Christmas Repast and Christmas Presents, compliments of Ecoarchitect.




MENU

Managing Your Manger Slice:
Christmas Crèche Character-Building

Christmas crèches are usually set within and around a shelter populated by a cast of characters human, animal and divine. In some crèches the shelter is a grotto but it is more often a common wooden structure like a modest stable or barn.


Combine the four letters of a synonym of “modest stable or barn” with the letters of a group of divine crèche characters you might see at the scene. 
Add a “thousand bucks” to the mix and rearrange the result to spell two groups of human crèche scene characters.
What is the synonym of “modest stable or barn?”
What is the group of  divine crèche scene characters?
What are the two human groups of crèche scene characters


Riffing Off Shortz And Pitt Slices:
“I’m wishing for a green Christmas...”

Will Shortz’s December 20th NPR Weekend Edition Sunday puzzle, created by Dan Pitt of Palo Alto, California, reads:
Take the name BUENOS AIRES. Remove one letter. The remaining letters can be rearranged to name two things that many people wish for around this time of year. What are they?
Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Pitt Slices read:
ENTREE #1
Take the name of an ancient Greek philosopher and the surnames of a surrealist artist and a surly World War II U. S. general. 

Rearrange the 15 total letters to spell the name of a puzzle-maker and his hometown. 

Who is this puzzle-maker?
Who are the philosopher, artist and general?

ENTREE #2
Take the name BUENOS AIRES. Rearrange its combined letters to form the the first pair of missing words in the second sentence below. Rearrange them again to form the second pair of missing words in that sentence.
The  “Graying of America” means that the U.S. population is steadily becoming more dominated by people more elderly. 
Along with that demographic, alas, comes an increase in reports of ______ _____, even in nursing homes, which is a _______ ____ for American society.
What are these four words?

ENTREE #3
Take the name BUENOS AIRES. Remove one letter. The remaining letters can be rearranged to form two words:
1) a war fought in Africa during the turn of a century, and

2) the informal name (like “Yank” for an American) for one of 16,000 combatants in that war (from a nation that was a part of an empire upon which “the sun never set”), six combatants of which were decorated with a Victoria Cross.
What is the war, and what is the informal name for one of 16,000 combatants who participated in it?

ENTREE #4

Take the name of the city of  SASKATOON (in Canada, home of the “world’s largest snowball fight” and the “coldest bicycle ride on the planet”). 

Rearrange its letters to form a hyphenated adjective and a noun that are synonymous with a mediocre five-line poem form. 

What is this description?

ENTREE #5

Take the name of the city of  THUNDER BAY in Canada (which is responsible for inventing insect repellant). 
Its letters can be rearranged to name, in two words, what you might hear that might make your heart skip a beat while you are sitting alone in a dusky dark mansion reading Poe.

What might make your heart skip a beat?

ENTREE #6
You are familiar with Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar. But there was an unsung fourth member of the Magi – Shlomo. 
The gift Shlomo brought to the Bethlehem manger was not gold, frankincense or myrrh. 

The gift instead was a synonym of a three-word phrase that describes Ella Mae Bailey,
Caroline Sydenstricker and Hester Prynne.
Take the combined letters of 1) Shlomo’s gift, 2) a common Christmas tree genus and 3) the sticky stuff that gets on your hands when you lug such a tree into your home. 

Rearrange these letters to spell a European country and its capital.

What are this country and capital?
What are the synonym, the tree genus, and the sticky stuff ? 

ENTREE #7

North Carolina farmboy turned Hall of Fame major league baseball player Enos Slaughter of the St. Louis Cardinals played in the 1946 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Near the end of the decisive Game 7 of the Series, Slaughter, after hitting a single, scored the eventual winning run on a line drive hit to the center fielder by teammate Harry Walker. 

Slaughter, who had been trying to steal second on the pitch and therefore had a head-start, proceeded to make an amazingly improbable “mad dash” of 90 yards all the way around the horn, sliding in to home plate safe!

Thus Slaughter, known primarily as a good
contact hitter, apparently could also ___ _____ pretty well. And, because he grew up on a farm, he was also likely able to ____ cows pretty well.   
Rearrange the combined letters of the three words in the blanks to spell a capital city and its country.

What are the city and country?
What could Enos do pretty well? 
What could he do to cows?

ENTREE #8
Stanford University in 1973 hosted a colloquium consisting of  lectures, debates, and discussions designed to raise awareness about the feasibility of advancing renewable energy usage in the face of an unfolding energy crisis.

The colloquium was billed as a hyphenated word that had been coined just eight years earlier. Among the topics discussed was how to reduce dependence on various non-renewable energy sources, including two that contain three letters each.

Rearrange the combined letters of the hyphenated word and the three-letter non-renewable energy sources to spell a capital city and its country.

What are this capital and country?
What are the hyphenated word and the two non-renewable sources of energy? 


No Room In The Inn Dessert:
“O come let us outdoor him...”

Name an author and outdoorsman who was associated with two particular kinds of Christmas trees.
 
His first name sounds like a synonym of Christmas and his last name, if you change the first letter, spells things you see under Christmas trees. 
Name this person.

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.



105 comments:

  1. Take the surname of a famous baseball player and a brand of toy he might have had as a child; rearrange to get two words you might humorously(?) use to describe the dried residue in the bottom of a cup that had held instant decaf.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hint please!

      LegoSaysAllHeWantsForChristmasIsAHintFromPaul.

      Delete
    2. The description of the decaf residue involves a brand name ... and a bit of imagination [hence the humorously(?)].

      Delete
    3. Micky MANTLE and HUBLEY Toys yields BULLY MEYHANE or ETHYL ALBUMEN (can you add raw eggs to your decaf?), but that's the best I can do thus far.
      Am I even close?

      LegoWhoNowIsGettingTheBitterTasteOfWhatItIsLikeToBeOnTheOtherSideOfOur"PuzzleSolvingFence"!

      Delete
    4. I'd never heard of Hubley Toys before; they were a bit before my time, I think, and the (still living) baseball player is younger than me. But it's kinda the same category of toys.
      And the decaf dregs description is nothing technical or scientific; remember, it's questionably funny.

      Delete
    5. If, in an unlikely scenario, I actually solve Paul's challenge, I shall GLOAT, BIG TIME. (Craig BIGGIO + MATTEL toys company)

      LegoWhoBelievesPeopleWhoDrinkDecafCoffeeMightBeTwoFaced

      Delete
    6. I think i am left on base with that one.

      Delete
  2. Merry Christmas, you guys (except those who might not celebrate it!). I've been up all night again, but I DO hate to miss any hours of Xmas Eve...it's just too neat a day (childhood memories.).

    I spent way too much unsuccessful time on the Schpuzzle, the Slice, and on Entrees 7 and 8, all of which I've failed to conquer. Very frustrating.

    As to the rebi (since that's your preferred plural, Lego...I like it too), I think I got all but about 10 of them, although I'm unsure about 3 other answers and for some I don't even know WHY the words are the answer that they seem to be.'

    I solved the Dessert first. Anyone who doesn't remember this guy will have a harder time, I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Merry Christmas Eve to one and all in Puzzlerialand!
    It's cold here in Jasper. I just finished a cup of hot cocoa, but we have no marshmallows. Nevertheless, it was still good. Possible snow flurries headed our way tomorrow. Regardless of what the authorities say, we will have our family gathering tomorrow. Somehow we managed to get through Thanksgiving without anyone getting sick, now it's Christmastime. Pray for us. Better yet, pray for me, because I have to go to bed tonight and get up tomorrow morning way earlier than usual!
    Now for this week's early installment of Puzzleria!
    Some parts of the rebi were easy, some were hard, and like VT, I too had difficulty parsing out some answers though I knew they must be those answers(such as #31, #32, #34, and #36, and #27 I'm convinced has some kind of anagram indicator, but I can't think of it). Also, what's the deal with the two question marks on #24 and #43? I figured out what it stands for, but then there's another one! What's that about? Anyway, here's what I have so far:
    The Schpuzzle
    The Rebi(except #2, #8, #9, #23, #27, #30, #31, #32, #34, #36, #40, and #42)
    Entrees #1, #2(Lego obviously read my post on Blaine's Blog which listed a number of anagrams for BUENOS AIRES which I came up with on my own, as both of his answers were originally mine!), and #4
    The Dessert(this outdoorsman was constantly made fun of on the old Match Game, and twice on The Carol Burnett Show)
    Remember Lego, some good hints for the others would make a great Christmas gift for any needy solvers out there. Give generously.
    In closing, on behalf of the whole Berry/Appling family, we want to wish y'all a very Merry Christmas tomorrow, and may you all get whatever you wish for, regardless of how crappy this past year has been. Let's hope 2021 will be far better. Good luck and good solving to all, stay safe, and please remember to wear those masks!
    pjb'TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas,AndAlreadyI'mExhausted!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your "see no Airbus" anagram was banned in Seattle, though it may become more popular in the near future. My prediction. Blessings to all this Xmas.

      Delete
    2. Actually it is probably popular there.

      Delete
  4. This link will take you to a pdf of the Holiday menu, you can download and view off line, or print if you have too much ink.

    It's hard to teach an old Lego new tricks, and he was too frantic getting this up to do it on the site this week. But next time....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you greatly, ecoarchitect, for providing this excellent link, and for helping me to post this week's 2020 Holiday Dinner Menu on P! You walked me through the process very patiently.

      LegoAnOldYellerDogWhoConcludesThatTrixAreForKidsBunnyRabbitsAndPuppiesButNotForOldLegoDogs(WhoArePartialToGrapeNuts)

      Delete
    2. I don't know some oldsters have fragile teeth and Grape nuts might now be an option. I.E. Yours truly sticking with my Cream of Wheat.

      Delete
    3. Plantsmith, Is that you in this commercial?

      LegoWhoThinksThat"It'sCreamOfWheatWeatherWerepeatSoGuardYourFamilyWithHotCreamOfWheat!"

      Delete
  5. Yes - i think it is. What year was this done?

    ReplyDelete
  6. A merry Christmas to all! Plus a pleasant Friday off for any non-celebrants.

    Am pleased to note that I have solved everything, including all the rebi, all pre-hints. Entrée #8 took some research. Stumbled backwards into the solution for the Slice.

    Found rebus #23 to be the hardest of all. Interestingly, on Tuesday I had looked in vain for just such an item to bake for myself -- a good festive dish for one person. Could not find any. Had other Covid-observers had a similar idea? Hint: the second word is not "Chinese."

    In the 1990s, I used to buy two #23's to bake for my father and me on Thanksgiving, after my mother died.
    -geofan

    ReplyDelete
  7. Have 5 answers (but 3 last names) to Paul's bonus puzzle, all using one toy brand and members of Baseball Hall of Fame.

    The 3 last names yield 3 separate instances of humor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tip my Cap to you, sir!

      LegoWhoWishesHisParentsWouldHaveNamedHim"Enos"Or"Cap"

      Delete
    2. Lego,
      Thanks for the tip of the cap. If it is a hint, that answer is IMHO not as fitting as two of mine. But it does make a 3rd name and 6th answer.

      Delete
    3. Miscounted: 4th name and 6th answer

      Delete
    4. It is not a hint, geofan. I am in the dark regarding Paul's puzzle. I am just impressed that you have found not just one but multiple answers!

      LegoWhoBowsTogeofan'sSuperiorSolvingSkills

      Delete
    5. Lego (and Paul): All but one of my answers are > 1 word. 4 of the 6 (including your hint) have died. All are in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. All relate to one toy brand (which fits Paul's hint).
      -geofan

      Delete
    6. Got a 7th answer, not in Hall of Fame. 1-word answer.
      Possibly Paul's intended answer (though IMHO less humorous than some of mine.)

      Delete
    7. Looking forward to all of geofan's alternatives to my (admittedly lame) answer.
      Orange is the new black.

      Delete
    8. Paul, your hint indicates that my 7th answer is your intended one. The player is not in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, but he might be, if there were not an issue with testosterone.

      Hint: The deposit is not a diamond in the rough, but it could be, if you pressed really really really hard.

      My best alternate answer also fulfills your hint "orange is the new black," but in an ornithological way.

      Delete
  8. VT- is outdoor writer still with us?
    Hint for the Slice is say good evening in Italian. Working on last two entree and Schpuzzle among others.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you referring to ME, Plantsmith, as "outdoor writer?" I don;t know what that means. But I'm still here, in any event! : O )

      Delete
    2. No not you per se but the Dessert person writer, are they still around? In the flesh?

      Delete
    3. Plantsmith,
      The Dessert author, alas, is no longer among us.
      His initials are E. G.

      LegoWhoNotesInThisPostThatWhileSomePitchersPitchBaseballsThisPitcherPitchedCereals

      Delete
    4. And the baseball player?





      And it's back to you Blaine.





      Delete
    5. Oh, duh, I now get what you meant, Plantsmith! INdeed, as you discovered, the Dessert outdoorsman/writer is not around, and hasn't been for quite a while.

      Now I need to go try to figure out which baseball player you mean. All the puzzles are a blur by now, and it seems to me more than one included baseball. I am at a severe disadvantage, therefore, having no interest or much knowledge about that subject.

      Delete
    6. My clue about saying good evening in Italian was for the Slice. I don't know much about baseball either and only know a few players like Arod- Alex Rodriguez who played for the Mainers. I have first seven entrees if you need any clues. Still working on 8.

      Delete
    7. Analyze the Schpuzzle. The 2/3 requirement means that the total number of letters must be 3, 6, 9, 12,..., 3n, where n is a positive integer.

      From that series, 3 is impossible, since there is no player with an unabbreviated full (first + last) name with a total of 3 letters [unless, e.g., "A Wu" were a player].

      Thus we have 6, 9, 12 as possible total number of letters.

      Now remember that puzzle creators generally "think simple." Shorter is simpler. So probability is 6 > 9 > 12.

      A similar analysis applies to Plantsmith's bonus puzzle, even though in this case there is no "2/3 limitation" as in the Schpuzzle.

      Delete
    8. but as to a hypothetical 3-letter name like "A Wu", see here

      Delete
    9. THanks, PLantsmith (is there a good abbreviation for your name? PS doesn't seem like a good idea, somehow)....I already have the first seven entrees, but all research I've done for 8 has led nowhere. I simply can't find the name of the meeting, or whatever it was.

      Re the slice, I've tried all sorts of combos, and have thus far failed to see how the Italian good evening is of any help. But will try some more.

      I fear I am the only one this week who has thus far NOT solved the Schpuzzle. Sigh

      Delete
    10. OOH, I just realized what the Italian was for...but I already had that word, and still can't turn my 3 choices into the required humans

      Delete
    11. Finally worked out the Slice. Had been using the wrong word for barn/stable (too fancy), and too long a term for the 1000 bucks.

      Delete
    12. There is also a one letter term? for a thousand bucks and the early FBI also used this letter and i don't know why.
      But i guess you already got it.

      Delete
    13. For the Schpuzzle --player last name could also be a salad.
      In fact, it is my favorite salad.

      Delete
    14. OOh, I am currently following up on your hint, Plantsmith (we MUST come up with an abbreviation)

      Delete
    15. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    16. Your "A Wu" photo-find is hilarious, geofan. Thanks for finding it and posting it here.

      LegoAddsThat"What's"OnSecondAnd"IDon'tKnow's"OnThird!

      Delete
  9. Also Slice hint- this person has a villainous side. Key word.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. As I rarely consume alcohol, many of the earlier rebi were unfamiliar.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well i consume alcohol pretty frequently and still having trouble.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe that is what is causing your trouble :-)

      Delete
    2. Good one, geofan.

      LegoWhoWhenHePlayedBasketballShotMoreRimShotsThanSwishes

      Delete
    3. I'm with YOU, geo, on this subject!!

      Delete
    4. Well maybe i should make some New Year's resolutions?

      Delete
  13. Hint for seven entree.If you drop the penultimate letter in the city you get an animal. An expensive one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ... and in Denmark, a dead one.

      Delete
    2. That's funny, geo...and was a big help!

      Delete
    3. ViolinTeddy - Glad to be of help.

      PS: I agree that PS for Plantsmith is not the best abbreviation. But is VT OK for you?

      Delete
    4. Oh yes, geo, VT is just fine with me. I answer to it now, ha ha ha!

      Delete
  14. The ballplayer in the Schpuzzle had a nickname consisting of a state and a fruit.
    In Entree #8, the hyphenated word that had been coined in 1965, if you remove its hyphen, can then be divided into a hot beverage and a body part.

    Leno...Oops!...LegoLambda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks to your little "typo" there, Lego, I got #8!
      pbandj...Oops!...pbs...Darn!...pjb(stupid autocorrect!)

      Delete
  15. Interestingly i just wtched a little vignette on Phil Niekro- master of the knuckle ball and unbeknownst to me from Atlanta--duh Braves??

    ReplyDelete
  16. GEO-- My bonus Puzzle?? Inadvertent?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Plantsmith - My apologies. In the above post I was referring to Paul's baseball puzzle.

      Inadvertent error.

      Delete
  17. I take it capital for number eight entree is not in Europe?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Happy Birthday to my Mom! Linda is 78 years young today!
    pjbWouldn'tBeHereIfNotForHer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Plantsmith,
      The Entree #8 capital is in the Southern and Western Hemispheres.
      cranberry,
      Hope your mom Linda is having a great day.
      Linda Berry, Patrick's mom and Queen of Mothers:
      You'd have a Happy Birthday if we had our druthers!


      LegoDruthering

      Delete
    2. Yes, one can be in two hemispheres at once...

      Delete
    3. Cranberry did you see my last hint on Blaine's blog? I just got it this AM."This character was the first to use the term "Trek" on the series."

      Delete
    4. So this country is kind of Schizoid?

      Delete
  19. Felice cumpleanos to your mom. Cranberry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, PS.
      pjbWhoThoughtTheirNameWasPlanTsmithForSomeStrangeReason!

      Delete
  20. How about a few more hints, Lego? It's crunch time!
    pjbKnowsTomorrowIsTheLastHumpDayOf2020

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hints:

    Schpuzzle:
    HO Gauge train purvryor & two letters in Ralphie's coveted gift.

    Appetizer:
    Hints available upon request... Specify which number: 1, 2, 3,....43.

    Managing Your Manger Slice:
    SNL skit: "Get off the ____!"
    ...and high-ranking angels, wise guys, and guys with crooks!

    Riffing Off Shortz And Pitt Slices:
    ENTREE #1
    Salvador and George (who was portrayed by a George)
    Take the name of an ancient Greek philosopher and the surnames of a surrealist artist and a surly World War II U. S. general.
    Rearrange the 15 total letters to name the name of a puzzle-maker and his hometown.
    Who is this puzzle-maker?
    Who are the philosopher, artist and general?
    Answer:
    Dan Pitt, Palo Alto (California)
    (Plato, Dali, Patton)
    ENTREE #2
    The first word in each word pair begins with an s.
    ENTREE #3
    It's an African war and a down-under dogface.
    ENTREE #4
    The five-line poem form is related to the haiku.
    ENTREE #5
    What make yours heart skip a beat seems close, too close for comfort. The sound made is onomatopoeic, and rhymes with "flood."
    ENTREE #6
    Ella Mae Bailey, Caroline Sydenstricker and Hester Prynne all had reared a daughter with a name that would be a boy's name if you delete the initial P.
    ENTREE #7
    "Rochelle, Rochelle... A young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to..."
    ENTREE #8
    The country is shaped like a string been.

    No Room In The Inn Dessert:
    The two particular kinds of Christmas trees are hickory and pine. The things you see under Christmas trees are often silky and colorful, and are related to cords and strings. The first name also is the name of a log.

    LegoLoggy

    ReplyDelete
  22. # 2 appetiser would be tasty. Hint.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Bonus Wednesday Puzzle:
    Remove and rearrange five consecutive interior letters of a familiar screen name to form money-making places you'll find in four U.S. cities: Philly, Frisco, the "Home of the Cadets," and the "Mile-High City." The letters that remain spell the surname of an author that might "ring a bell"... although you may not be able to hear the bell!
    What is this screen name?

    LegoWhoSuggests"Pith"AsAShortFormOfPlantsmith'sScreenName(SimplyRemoveTheInteriorLetters"LANTSM")

    ReplyDelete
  24. TY COBB > TYCO, BB

    MIXED DRINKS / COCKTAILS / SIDECAR / BRANDY / TRIPLE SEC / GIN AND TONIC / EGG NOG / OLD FASHIONED / 9 / 10 / SOUP / ANTIPASTO / MISO / 14 / 15 / CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL / LNGUINE / PASTA PENNE / MAIN COURSE / LOBSTER NEWBURG / some kind of RIBS / 22 / 23 / P?K? TENDERLOIN / GRILLED T-BONE STEAK / VEGETABLES (?) / 27 / 28 / CAULIFLOWER / 30 / SPINACH (?) / DESSERTS (?) / GINGERBREAD / some kind of PUDDING / BANANA SPLIT / COCONUT CREAM PIE (?) / JEWISH / CHINESE / POTATO PANCAKES / OFFERINGS / NON-TOXIC / LEFTOVERS / MORGUE?

    SHED, SERAPHIM > SHEPHERDS, MAGI

    PLATO, DALI, PATTON > DAN PITT, PALO ALTO
    SENIOR ABUSE / SERIOUS BANE
    BOER, AUSSIES
    SO-SO TANKA
    NEARBY THUD
    NACRE, FIR, SAP > PARIS, FRANCE
    RUN BASES, MILK > MINSK, BELARUS
    TECH-IN(?), OIL, GAS > SANTIAGO, CHILE

    EUELL GIBBONS > YULE RIBBONS

    When I got SO-SO TANKA, I reflexively interchanged vowels to get SOSA & TONKA, which played right into the Schpuzzle theme. I thought going back to SASKATOON would be too easy (and cold this time of year), so I looked for another anagram. SANKA leapt right out at me and I saw that what was left made SOOT. Originally, I thought about the powder in one of those little orange packets being poorly dissolved in a cup of tepid water and leaving a residue that someone might wryly refer to as SANKA SOOT. It has since occurred to me that SANKA is not always of the instant variety; sometimes it is brewed and sits in a glass pot on a hot plate, and sometimes someone puts a nearly empty pot on the burner and forgets about it until what's left is literally SANKA SOOT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great job, Paul, on your very inspired and clever bonus riff. Thanks for posting it.
      (I didn't even come close to solving it!)
      But it is just such a beautiful "re-riff" of my SO-SO TANKA riff: SOSA TONKA SANKA SOOT!
      I'm curious to see what geofan (and perhaps others) came up with.
      Thanks also for walking us through your creative process for how you came up with this terriffic riff.

      LegoToPaul:"SankaVeryMuch"

      Delete
  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I have just now uploaded Ecoarchitect's 43 answers to his 2020 Holiday Dinner Menu rebuseseseseseseseseseseseseseseses.
    The large answer file (which is an image similar to his original large file) is situated immediately above this week's Comments Section.

    LegoWhoTriedHardToMake"Canapes"WorkFor#10And"Spinich"WorkFor#31ButToNoAvail!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SpiNACH does work for #31, as the preposition nach means "after" in German. So the NACH is "after SPI."

      Delete
  27. All pre-hints except as noted. © geofan 2020

    Schpuzzle: TY COBB => TYCO, BB(gun)

    Appetizer- Rebuses:
    1. MIXED DRINKS
    2. COCKTAILS
    3. Sidecar [not a familiar term]
    4. Brandy
    5. Triple sec [not a familiar beverage]
    6. Gin and tonic
    7. Egg nog [clever!]
    8. Old fashioned
    9. Between the sheets
    10. Peanuts
    11. SOUP
    12. ANTIPASTO
    13. Miso
    14. Minestrone
    15. New England clam chowder
    16. Clams on the half-shell [clever!]
    17. Linguine
    18. Penne pasta
    19. MAIN COURSE
    20. Lobster Newburg
    21. Braised ribs
    22. Baby back ribs
    23. Rock Cornish game hen
    24. Pork tenderloin
    25. Grilled T-bone steak
    26. Vegetables
    27. Rice
    28. Mashed potatoes
    29. Cauliflower
    30. Creamed (or Roasted) pearl onions [clever!]
    31. Spinach
    32. DESSERTS
    33. Gingerbread
    34. Plum Pudding [plump – nice!]
    35. Banana Split
    36. Coconut cream pie
    37. Jewish
    38. Chinese
    39. Potato Pancakes [atop – clever!]
    40. offerings
    41. non-toxic
    42. leftovers
    43. morgue

    Slice: SHED, SERAPHIM + G => SHEPHERDS, MAGI

    Entrées
    #1: PLATO, DALI, PATTON => DAN PITT, PALO ALTO (California)
    #2: SENIOR ABUSE, SERIOUS BANE
    #3: BUENOS AIRES – N => BOER, AUSSIE
    #4: SASKATOON => SO-SO TANKA(Japanese poem – not a familiar term)
    #5: THUNDER BAY => NEARBY THUD
    #6: Bailey, Sydenstricker, Prynne => MOTHER OF PEARL => NACRE + FIR, SAP => PARIS, FRANCE
    #7: RUN BASES, MILK => MINSK, BELARUS
    #8: OIL, GAS, TEACH-IN => SANTIAGO, CHILE

    Dessert: YULE, RIBBONS => EUELL GIBBONS

    Paul's bonus: multiple answers.
    All use the toy TONKA. Substitute TO => SA to yield the brand SANKA.
    Substitute SA => TO in the player's name and rearrange to yield these words:
    (1) – (3) (Ted, Billy, or Joe)WILLIAMS => LOW LIMIT
    (4) (Mike)MUSSINA => UNMOIST [he was a Baltimore Oriole, hence “orange and black”]
    (5) (Don)DRYSDALE => DO LET DRY
    (6) (Sammy)SOSA => SOOT [probable intended answer]
    (7) (Cap)ANSON => NOT ON [post-Lego-Sat-hint (inadvertent?), as in: “the coffeemaker is OFF”]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of the alternates to Paul's bonus, I like Mussina => UNMOIST best. A bit reminiscent of the undead in zombie lore.

      Delete
    2. Nice example of DRY humour. . .

      Delete
    3. Word Woman!
      Wonderful to have you drop by!
      Were it not for you Puzzleria! would not exist.
      We always enjoy your comments.
      Welcome here, you are, at any time.
      Wet humor, bad; Dry humor, good! (albeit a bit oxymoronic)

      WegoWambda

      Delete
    4. Thanks, Lego. Happy New Year to All Y'all.

      Delete
  28. Schpuzzle:
    Ty Cobb Tyco-trains, BB -guns- not the shaving kit i desired.



    Managing Your Manger Slice:
    SNL Shed,Seraphim, G = Shepherds and Magi. My hint:Say good evening in Italian Buona Sera

    Riffing Off Shortz And Pitt Slices:
    ENTREE #1
    Dali, Patton and Plato = Dan Pitt -Palo Alto


    ENTREE #2
    Senior abuse, Serious bane
    ENTREE #3 Boer War, Aussies
    ENTREE #4 so-so Tanka
    Entree5 Thud Nearby

    ENTREE #6
    Mpther of pearl, nacre+sap+ Fir = Paris France
    ENTREE #7
    Run bases, milk - Belarus and Minsk. Minsk -s= Mink.
    ENTREE #8
    oil, gas and gni--iear? Lagos, Nigeria

    Euell Gibbons (second cousin of Yul Brunner)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Congratulations Geofan, and excellent job Paul. I hope some were easy enough to make the hard ones take way too much of your time.

    As to #31, the intended answer was (turn)ips. My understanding of the rebus "rules" is that a missing word can be an instruction (on, in, over, left, etc) for the letters shown. Not only is "nach" a translation, it's asking to insert the word itself, not as an instruction. Or the instruction is self-fulfilling or redundant. Or fuzzy.

    Or maybe I'm jealous that I didn't think of that alternate. "cha" would have been a good clue for (spin)ach!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who makes the rebus "rules"? Are they codified anywhere?

      Delete
  30. And #36 will always bring back fond memories of Dawn Wells, aka Mary Ann Summers. RIP, you were always preferred over #33.

    ReplyDelete
  31. 1.Mixed drinks
    2.?
    3.Side car
    4.Brandy
    5.Triple sec
    6.?
    7.Egg nog
    8.Old fashioned
    9.??
    10.peanuts
    11.soup
    12.Antipasto
    13??
    14??
    15. New England clam chowder
    16.Clams in half shell
    17.Linguine
    18. Penne pasta
    19 Main course
    20??
    21 Braised ribs
    22?
    23?
    24. Pork tenderloin
    25Grilled t-bone steak
    26 veggetables
    27.Wild rice
    28?
    29.Cauliflower
    30. 31??
    32 Desserts
    33. Gingerbread
    34----Pudding
    35Banana bread
    36. Coconut cream pie
    37 Jewish
    38Chinese
    39 Potato pancakes
    40 offerings
    41-42??
    43 Morgue

    ReplyDelete
  32. Schpuzzle
    TY COBB, TYCO, BB(gun)
    Appetizer Menu
    ecoarchitect's Rebi
    1. MIXED DRINKS
    2. COCKTAILS
    3. SIDECAR
    4. BRANDY
    5. TRIPLE SEC
    6. GIN AND TONIC
    7. EGGNOG
    8. OLD FASHIONED
    9. BETWEEN THE SHEETS(never heard of it)
    10. PEANUTS
    11. SOUP
    12. ANTIPASTO
    13. MISO
    14. MINESTRONE
    15. NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
    16. CLAMS ON THE HALF-SHELL
    17. LINGUINE
    18. PENNE PASTA
    19. MAIN COURSE
    20. LOBSTER NEWBURG
    21. BRAISED RIBS
    22. BABY BACK RIBS
    23. ROCK CORNISH GAME HEN
    24. PORK TENDERLOIN
    25. GRILLED T-BONE STEAK
    26. VEGETABLES
    27. WILD RICE
    28. MASHED POTATOES
    29. CAULIFLOWER
    30. CREAMED PEARL ONIONS
    31. TURNIPS(couldn't parse out SPINACH)
    32. DESSERTS
    33. GINGERBREAD
    34. PLUM PUDDING
    35. BANANA SPLIT
    36. COCONUT CREAM PIE
    37. JEWISH
    38. CHINESE
    39. POTATO PANCAKES
    40. OFFERINGS
    41. NON-TOXIC
    42. LEFTOVERS
    43. MORGUE
    (PHEW!)
    Menu
    Managing Your Manger Slice
    SHEPHERDS, MAGI(SHED+SERAPHIM+G)
    Entrees
    1. DAN PITT, PALO ALTO(CA); PLATO, DALI, PATTON
    2. SENIOR ABUSE, SERIOUS BANE
    3. BOER, AUSSIE
    4. SO-SO TANKA
    5. NEARBY THUD
    6. PARIS, FRANCE(NACRE, FIR, SAP)
    7. MINSK, BELARUS(RUN BASES, MILK)
    8. SANTIAGO, CHILE(TEACH-IN, GAS, OIL)
    Dessert
    EUELL GIBBONS, YULE, RIBBONS
    The rebi made me so hungry I think I'm going to go out and eat a pine tree! Parts of them are edible, you know.-pjb

    ReplyDelete
  33. Remember, we will be uploading Puzzleria! tonight at midnight PST. That's about six-and-a-half hours from now.
    Again, you'll have a one-day head-start for solving, which is good because we are running one of cranberry's Cryptic Crossword puzzles!


    LegoWhoSaysWeWillReturnToOurRegularScheduleOnFridayJanuaryEighth2021

    ReplyDelete
  34. SCHPUZZLE: TY COBB => TYCO & BB (gun). [I’d been trying MATTEL, etc, thinking “MATT” for a first name]

    APPETIZER: (1) MIXED DRINKS; (2) COCKTAILS (3) SIDECAR; (4) BRANDY; (5) ?? (6) GIN AND TONIC; (7) EGG NOG; (8) OLD FASHIONED; (9) ?? AND ?? (10) PEANUTS?
    (11) SOUP; (12) ANTIPASTO; (13) MISO; (14) MINESTRONE; (15) ?? (16) CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL; (17) LINGUINI; (18) PENNE PASTA;
    (19) MAIN COURSE; (20) ??; (21). B?????D RIBS; (22) BABY BACK RIBS; (23) ?? (24) PORK TENDERLOIN; (25) GRILLED T-BONE STEAK;
    (26) VEGETABLES; (27) RICE?; (28) MASHED POTATOES; (29) CAULIFLOWER; (30) (31). SPINACH;
    (32) DESSERTS; (33) GINGERBREAD; (34) ???? PUDDING; (35) BANANA SPLIT; (36) COCONUT CREAM PIE (tho I have no idea WHY)

    (37) JEWISH; (38) CHINESE; (39) POTATO PANCAKES
    (40) ??? (41). NON-TOXIC; (42) LEFTOVERS; (43) MORGUE

    So I don’t have: 5, 9, 15, 20, 21, 23, 30, 34, 40. And Unsure re 10, 27, 31

    MANGER SLICE: SHED & SERAPHIM & “G" => MAGI & SHEPHERDS

    ENTREES:

    1. PLATO & DALI & PATTON => DAN PITT, PALO ALTO

    2. SENIOR ABUSE & SERIOUS BANE

    3. BUENOS ARIES => BOER & AUSSIE [I don’t know what to do with the “N”]

    4. SASKATOON => SO-SO TANKA

    5. THUNDER BAY => NEARBY THUD

    6. MOTHERS OF PEARL => NACRE; FIR & SAP => PARIS, FRANCE

    7. RUN BASES & MILK => MINSK, BELARUS [Actually, had the correct three word fill-ins, prior to the MINK hint]

    8. OIL & GAS & TEACH-IN => SANTIAGO, CHILE. [Finally!]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, re Entree #3, I just now re-read and saw that it said to REMOVE a letter....hence, why "N" had no place in the Aussie answer.

      Delete
  35. This week's official answers for the record, part 1:

    Schpuzzle of the Week:
    America’s National Playtime
    Name a famous baseball player. The first two/thirds of his name spells a toy brand from the past that was popular with boys, especially at Christmastime. The last one-third spells part of the name of a coming-of-age Christmas gift that dads buy for boys.
    Who is this ballplayer?
    What are these “two gifts of the magical Christmas-morning reveal?”
    Answer:
    Ty Cobb; Tyco; (Daisy Red Ryder) BB (rifle)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyco_Toys
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soUG7NSgkTg

    Appetizer Menu

    (Note: See the uploaded image situated above this week's Comments Section for a more visual version of Ecoarchitect's Rebus answers.
    Campaigns Have Passed, Pass The Champagne Appetizer
    “A Holiday Rebus Repast Rune”
    1. (Mixed) Drinks
    2. Cock (tail)s
    3. (Side)car
    4. Br(and)y
    5. (Triple) Sec
    6. G(in) and T(on)ic
    7. Eg(g Nog)
    8. Old (Fashioned)
    9. (Between) "The Sheets"
    10. pea(nuts)
    11. So(up)
    12. Anti(past)o
    13. M(is)o
    14. M(in)estr(on)e
    *15. (New) England Clam Chowder
    16. Clams (on) the (half) Shell
    17. L(in)guine
    18. Penne Pasta
    19. Main Course
    20. Lobster Newburg
    21. Penne (Past)a
    22. Ba(by Back) Ribs
    23. (Rock) Cornish Game Hen
    24. P(or)k T(end)erloin
    25. Grilled (T-bone) Steak
    26. Ve(get)ables
    27. (Wild) Rice
    28. (Mashed) Potatoes?
    29. Caulif(lower)
    30. (Creamed) Pearl (On)i(on)s
    31. (Turn)ips
    32. (De)sserts
    33. G(in)gerbread
    34. (Plum P)udding
    35. Banana (Split)
    36. Coco(nut Cream) pie
    37. Jew(is)h
    38. Ch(in)ese
    39. Pot(ato P)ancakes
    40. (off)erings
    41. N(on-to)xic
    42. (Left)overs
    43. M(or)gue

    Lego...

    ReplyDelete
  36. This week's official answers for the record, part 2:

    MENU

    Managing Your Manger Slice:
    Christmas Crèche Character Building
    Christmas crèches are usually set within and around a shelter populated by a cast of characters human, animal and divine. In some crèches the shelter is a grotto but is more often a common wooden structure like a modest stable or barn.
    Combine the four letters of a synonym of “modest stable or barn” with the letters of a group of divine crèche characters you might see at the scene.
    Add a “thousand bucks” to the mix and rearrange the result to spell two groups of human crèche scene characters.
    What is the synonym of “modest stable or barn?”
    What is the group of divine crèche scene characters?
    What are the two human groups of crèche scene characters
    Answer:
    Shed, Seraphim (angels); Magi (wise men), Shepherds


    Riffing Off Shortz And Pitt Slices:
    “I’m wishing for a green Christmas...”
    Puzzleria!s Riffing Off Shortz And Pitt Slices read:
    ENTREE #1
    Take the name of an ancient Greek philosopher and the surnames of a surrealist artist and a surly World War II U. S. general.
    Rearrange the 15 total letters to name the name of a puzzle-maker and his hometown.
    Who is this puzzle-maker?
    Who are the philosopher, artist and general?
    Answer:
    Dan Pitt, Palo Alto (California)
    (Plato, Dali, ((George) Patton)
    ENTREE #2
    Take the name BUENOS AIRES. Rearrange it combined letters to form the the first pair of missing words in the second sentence below, and also the second pair of missing words in that sentence.
    The “Graying of America” means that the U. S. population is steadily becoming more dominated by people more elderly. Along with that demographic, alas, comes an increase in reports of ______ _____, even in nursing homes, which is a _______ ____ for American society.
    What are these four words?
    Answer:
    senior abuse; serious bane
    ENTREE #3
    Take the name BUENOS AIRES. Remove one letter. The remaining letters can be rearranged to form two words:
    1) a war fought in Africa during the turn of a century, and
    2) the informal name (like “Yank” for an American) for one of 16,000 combatants in that war (from a nation that was a part of an empire upon which “the sun never set”) six combatants of which were decorated with a Victoria Cross.
    What is the war, and what is the informal name for one of 16,000 combatants who participated in it?
    Answer:
    Boer (War); Aussie
    ENTREE #4
    https://canadianvisa.org/blog/cities-and-places/saskatoon/10-fan-facts-about-saskatoon
    Take the name SASKATOON (in Canada, home of the “world’s largest snowball fight” and the “coldest bicycle ride on the planet”). Rearrange its letters to form a hyphenated adjective and noun that describe a mediocre five-line poem form.
    What is this description?
    Answer:
    Saskatoon; so-so tanka
    ENTREE #5
    https://www.northernontario.travel/thunder-bay/5-cool-facts-about-thunder-bay
    Take the name THUNDER BAY (in Canada, which is responsible for inventing insect repellant). Remove one letter. The remaining letters can be rearranged to name, in two words, what you might hear that might make your heart skip a beat while you are sitting alone in a dusky dark mansion reading Poe?
    Answer:
    Nearby thud

    Lego...

    ReplyDelete
  37. This week's official answers for the record, part 3:
    Riffing Off Shortz And Pitt Slices (continued):
    ENTREE #6
    You are familiar with Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar. But there was an unsung fourth member of the Magi – Shlomo. The gift Shlomo brought to the Bethlehem manger was not gold, frankincense or myrrh. What it was, was a synonym of a three-word phrase that describes Ella Mae Bailey, Caroline Sydenstricker and Hester Prynne.
    Take the combined letters of 1) Shlomo’s gift, 2) a common Christmas tree genus and 3) the sticky stuff that gets on your hands when you lug such a tree into your home.
    Rearrange these letters to spell a European country and its capital.
    What are this country and capital?
    What are the synonym, the tree genus, and the sticky stuff ?
    Answer:
    France, Paris; Nacre, Fir, sap
    ENTREE #7
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afbXsok3ma8
    North Carolina farmboy turned Hall of Fame major league baseball player Enos Slaughter of the St. Louis Cardinals played in the 1946 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Near the end of the decisive Game 7 of the Series, Slaughter, after hitting a single, scored the eventual winning run on a line drive hit to the center fielder by teammate Harry Walker. Slaughter, who had been trying to steal second on the pitch and therefore had a head-start, proceeded to make an amazingly improbable “mad dash” of 90 yards all the way around the horn, sliding in to home plate safe!
    Thus Slaughter, known primarily as a good contact hitter, apparently could also ___ _____ pretty well. And, because he grew up on a farm, he was also likely able to ____ cows pretty well.
    Rearrange the combined letters of the three words in the blanks to spell a capital city and its country.
    What are the city and country?
    What could Enos do pretty well?
    What could he do to cows?
    Answer:
    Minsk, Belarus; run bases, milk (cows)
    Hint: The words that belong in those three blanks, respectively, begin with an R, B and M.
    ENTREE #8
    Stanford University in 1973 hosted a colloquium consisting of lectures, debates, and discussions designed to raise awareness of the feasibility of advancing renewable energy usage in the face of an unfolding energy crisis. The colloquium was billed as a hyphenated word that had been coined just eight years earlier. Among the topics discussed was how to reduce dependence on various non-renewable energy sources, including two that contain three letters each.
    Rearrange the combined letters of the hyphenated word and the three-letter non-renewable energy sources to spell a capital city and its country.
    What are this capital and country?
    What are the hyphenated word and the two non-renewable sources of energy?
    Answer:
    Santiago, Chile; Teach-in; Oil, Gas

    No Room In The Inn Dessert:
    “O come let us outdoor him...”
    Name an author and outdoorsman who was associated with two particular kinds of Christmas trees. His first name sounds like a synonym of Christmas and his last name, if you change the first letter, spells things you see under Christmas trees. Who is this person?
    Answer:
    Euell Gibbons (who advocated eating pine-tree parts and hickory nuts...see 22 seconds into the video);
    "Euell" sounds like "Yule." Ribbons are seen under a Christmas tree.

    Lego!

    ReplyDelete