TONEF = OFTEN
HAKIK = KHAKI
ELOPPE = PEOPLE
NCCIES = SCENIC
CARTOON ANSWER:
FOR THE POOL SHARK, IT WAS LIKE STEALING MONEY, THANKS TO HIS ABILITY TO:
OTEKKIPPSCC = PICK POCKETS
Happy Thursday, everyone! All of today’s clue words were old friends, but the anagrams are coming up as new. I was surprised to see OFTEN used so, well, often. Ten days ago it was in gameplay and jumbled as FNTEO. The only word to bring my solve to a standstill was SCENIC. I immediately recognized the letters as having been used in the past but the answer escaped me. Thinking that it was SCIENCE allowed me to try other SC words which ultimately brought it into view.
The setting for today’s cartoon is a billiards hall where we see four Jumble characters gathered around a pool table. The focus of the panel, as well as the only action that we see, is centered on the gentleman lining up his shot. There are only a few balls left on the table which indicates that the game is just about over.
Our sentence was on the wordier side which gave us quite a bit of insight into this not so friendly game of pool. We learn that the man taking the shot is a “pool shark” and he’s calling out his final moves to finish off his unsuspecting opponent. As the shark lines up his cue stick with pinpoint precision, we can see his opponent standing in the background with his mouth agape and eyes wide open in utter disbelief. Although we don’t know the value of the wager between the players, the body language of our characters lets us know that the stakes must be pretty high.
The fine details were sublime in today’s piece, proving that Jeff never disappoints! The pool shark has spiked hair with slick backed sides, but it was his eyebrows that gave me the feeling that he’s an unscrupulous individual. He’s also wearing a ring on his left hand — and what I noticed next left me in a state of shock. I counted FIVE FINGERS on his hand! His pinky finger is tucked underneath his palm and I literally stared at his hand for several minutes as I moved my iPad to different angles ensuring that I counted correctly. This really made my morning!
The letter layout for the final solution was 11-letters in length. Upon writing out the letters, I noticed KIP which brought PICK to mind. POCKETS came naturally for the finish leaving us with a hilarious surprise answer. Have a terrific Thursday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Jumble Answers 
🎶 Wake up Maggie I think I got something to say to you..I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school…Or steal my Daddy’s CUE and make a living out of PLAYING POOL…Or find myself a rock and roll band that needs a helpin’ hand…Oh Maggie I wish I’d never seen your face. You made a first-class fool out of me, but I’m as blind as a fool can be…You stole my heart but I love you anyway…🎶 “Maggie May” – Rod Stewart 1971
🎱 You OFTEN see a guy like this, who tries to pull a hustle,
But PEOPLE who are savvy know it’s just an act of muscle…
Like KHAKI is to cotton, the Pool Shark tries real hard,
To reel one in and clean him out…and easily discard.
To watch is not so SCENIC, it’s usually sad to see,
How someone uses his talent to fleece and then to flee…
But scam artists have been around since days of Davy Crockett,
No matter how you rack them up? There’s always those PICK POCKETS! 🎱
Ok, Fellow Jumble Fans…CUE the Music…BREAKing news! PICKed up on another little quirk this morning. How OFTEN do we see a word repeated within 10 days? Not that OFTEN, right?…But there it was, on September 17th…FNTEO! Had me SCRATCHing my head there for a minute! I guess we’ll just have to CHALK it up to jumping the SHARK! The rest of our words? As I told my friend BILL..”IARDS got all Sweet Repeats today, and there’s nothing to RACK our brains over…”
So, today Jeff’s PLACEd us in a POOL ROOM. I FELT the tension right away. We see four POOL players, three not SWEATING THE ACTION, but one definitely the sitting DUCK. It appears that the resident POOL SHARK, who I’ll call SKREW, is HUSTLING our guy in the BACKwards cap, who I’ll dub WAND, and the other two PLAYERS, who I’ll call Rock and ROLL, are getting their SHOTS in too…Poor WAND…He’s totally CUEless! Look, we might as well put our cards on the TABLE here, with the money that’s being STOLEN! The SHARK smells BLOOD in the water, his SHOTS are all reaching the POCKETS he’s PICKing…He’s definitely got the “Ability to..PICK POCKETS”! BA-BOOM..I mean CAROM! Brilliant pun, David! You’ve definitely SUNK another good one!
Ok, eye candy…SKREW has a strange resemblance to a hypothetically thin Danny “Kid Delicious”, the pro POOL PLAYER from Jersey…but that’s a WEIGHTy issue. And except for the RED number 3 BALL, the colors are off…from my VISION CENTER anyway. Our two BACKground players, Rock and ROLL, one POINTing, the other giving the thumbs up, are just enjoying it all with such VIGOR..ISH, a shame! And WAND..ER, What more can I say? The mouth agape, the look of total bewilderment? He’s totally TRAPPED! So that leaves us with SKREW…Blond spiky hair, matching Soul Patch…Maniacal look as he CALLS HIS SHOTS….We see the 8 BALL about to DROP…We see the #8 nicely DRAWn…Great detail, Jeff! But I can’t help but notice the RING that he’s wearing. A POOL PLAYER in the know? We know that that RING’S gonna be TAPPED…Concentration? Tension relief? Posing? PostuRING? Whatever his intention…It’s gonna get TAPPED…Now THAT’S a really GREAT detail, Jeff! And we see SKREW, AIMING. Only thing is..I can’t help but wonder…How does one make a solid BRIDGE for that CUE STICK with a finger missing? Hmm…Well, what have we here?? I think I see the extra finger! I guess he’s just got it HANDS DOWN today, doesn’t he?! So, There you have it, Folks. Done! Have a great day, Everyone. And remember…Don’t let anyone CALL the SHOTS for you in life…Take a STANCE, and a page from Teddy Roosevelt’s PLAY BOOK…Speak softly…and carry a BIG STICK! 🎱🙋🏻
Angela:
I always thought Rod was saying “make a living out of playing fool”, but I just looked up the lyrics online, and they also say “playing pool”.😒
LOL!! Good Morning, Mike! Too funny! Just what did you think he was gonna do with that CUE STICK anyway? You just have me grinning ear to ear! 😉 Ever see those spots on Facebook where they ask for people to own to their “misheard” lyrics? I die with some of them! The creativity alone! 😂 Anyway….The one I “owed” you for the Paul article? Here you go…paid in full! We’re even! 😂 Have a good one, Mike! 👂🏻🎶🙋🏻
Good Morning, Mike! First, and first? Totally fun puzzle! Nice job! Have a great day! 🎱🙋🏻
You too! 👋🏻
😉🙋🏻
PEOPLE OFTEN wear comfortable KHAKI clothing to enjoy SCENIC autumnal views.
Humm, after I wrote that sentence it reminded me of:
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. Remember that??
Mike: Amazing focus on the fingers/hand A few weeks ago I was taught that the cartoonist always draw three fingers. Today? We have the full complement. Thanks.
Angela—another song I have never heard of but the cartoon brought memories of several films and pool sharks.
Poem and Post are Positively Pool-ishious—and that’s a groaner I know but I’ve run out of praiseworthy Ps to Praise you with.
Have a great day everyone–beautiful fall day here and I intend to take full advantage of it.
Good Morning, Earl! LOL..Now that you mention it? It’s true! The rhythm and the meter are very similar…And the sentence is sooo spot on for today’s weather! Crisp, clear, just barely touching 60 down here.. As you say, beautiful indeed! Earl…You know 🎶Maggie May🎶…you Must! I’m sure if you make some time later to mount a little effort, without much maneuvering, and mosey on over to YouTube, you’ll manage to make the discovery! (That wasn’t so easy)! 😉 M going to have to practice my M’s! 😉 Thanks so Much for the Alliteration, the Shout Outs and the PoeM NoM…it was a fun puzzle! So, get out there and breathe this fresh air! It’s positively invigorating! Have a good one, Earl! 🎱 🙋🏻
The simplicity of your sentence was remarkable, Earl. Well done! Enjoy your day. 🙂
Back home again but in Illinois rather than in Indiana,so I have a hard copy of the puzzle,first time in bold face.The 4 words were no problem ,with khaki being a repeat.The final puzzle solution gave me reason to pause ,even though I was a frequent pool player in college and grad school,even going so far as to cut class in favor of a pool game.Pockets finally came to mind quickly followed by the final pick pockets solution,
👏🏻👏🏻 🎶And it seems that I can see …The gleaming candlelight, still burning bright ..Through the sycamores for me…🎶 🙋🏻
Hi all – I saw SCENIC because I always try the IC trick when I see IC, see? And with an S and two C’s, it jumped right out. Since it wasn’t ELOPE it was PEOPLE. Then POCKETS seemed obvious and then the answer.
The left hand looked so odd that I thought he was using a bridge stick for a moment, but no. Don’t know if they are even legal in serious games. I was very rarely at the tables in any pool parlors; I was the guy over at the pinball machines.
I’m off to do errands, so see you later everybody!
Angela, I’m shaking my head at “vigorish”, but I’m shaking it harder at this concidence. I already have lyrics saved in my ‘Notes’ file labelled “Friday 9/28” that I was going to use tomorrow, and guess what song? 😂 Not because of anything to do with pool, but because of the appropriateness of one of the lines you omitted –
🎵”It’s late September and I really should be back at school”🎵 😂
For another tie-in, there’s the fact we and Mike M were discussing that “Dirty Maggie May” was the song that John Lennon’s Quarrymen were playing in the movie clip where he met Paul (the fragment of which showed up on the “Let It Be” album.}
Hey, G…As a POOL PLAYER…That left hand really doesn’t look like a bridge stick, I think what makes it look odd are the obviously elongated fingers going for the spread. And I think Jeff did that purposely so that all of us obsessive compulsives would notice that illusive extra finger! It was a STROKE of artistic genius! As for the stick itself…That’s only one name for it…It’s called a b—h stick, a Granny stick, or the rake. And it is used sometimes. As long as it’s agreed on before time, obviously available to any player, and depending on how “serious” you want to get. I used it when I was learning. (I don’t now, because I’m pretty STABLE..😉 .and I wear the 4 inch heels)! And funny…I’ve never played a pinball game in my life! Truly different STROKES for different Folks, huh? 😉 Glad you enjoyed the Vigorish…I did have a feeling that it might PAY OFF! 😂 But now I’m SMH…You keep a “Notes” file? For this? G? …We need to talk!…(See above: OCD)! 😳 And the Serendipity with the Beatles is just another one of those moments that really make us go,”Hmm”!.. Speaking of Mike M?…CUE that “Twilight Zone” music he mentioned the other day! 😉 Have a good one, G.
Could’t find the comments yesterday! Was it just me?
Good afternoon. Don’t have a clue as to why I don’t get you guys. For three or four days I was getting jumble in my trash bin then yesterday I got you nice and early but couldn’t get anybodys comments. The spot for replies was not there. Today I had to use the back door (calendar) to bring everybody up. Wish I knew why. The only hard word for me today was Scenic. It took me twice as long to get compared to the other three words. The cartoon answer proved to be of little challenge. Very clever, I might add. Until tomorrow stay well.
Hi Brooklyn…It looks like Clay above you had the same issue y’day. Sometime’s there’s a quirk or two that happens with Word Press. I’ve oft times not gotten the email, and many times, it ends up in my Junk folder. And I know Earl’s had an issue or two also. I wish I knew what to tell you..Let’s hope it straightens itself out.. And it is a very clever pun today…Cute puzzle all around…Have a good one, Bud! 🎱🙋🏻