VDITO = DIVOT
NAYHD = HANDY
NARMAT = MANTRA
NEYRTS = SENTRY
CARTOON ANSWER:
WHEN THE NEW ABACUS CAME OUT, CUSTOMERS WERE READY TO – – –
DIV HD AA ET = HAVE “ADD” IT
Good Morning, Everyone! 🔢 COUNT ME IN! 🔢
🎶 1-2-3-4 come on Baby say you love me…5-6-7 times…8-9-10-11 I’m just gonna keep on COUNTING…Until you’re mine…🎶 “1-2-3” – Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine 1988
🔢 The Abacus came in HANDY, and the Romans felt relieved,
That now they had some proof for when a patron felt deceived…
I’m guessing their new MANTRA became…”Forget learning to read…
With this thing now we’ll be adept at adding with these beads”…
Like raising up a DIVOT, they rose up in all cheers,
Business won’t need a SENTRY now, it helped allay their fears.
Where once they had been challenged if their figures didn’t gel…
Now using this Abacus they can just say…”Go to…” Well…
Let’s just say that it was a boon, and “added” much true grit…
As Romans hailed it’s usage and were thrilled to HAVE “ADD” IT 🔢
This may very well may be a Jumble FIRST, because as of today, it seems that we can COUNT our new words for the week to TOTAL EIGHT! EIGHT! And that’s just during our work week…Who knows what the weekend may bring. Of course I could be wrong, but it sure looks this way, because today, we’re ADDING both MANTRA and SENTRY to our ever expanding NUMBERS. Mantra I could see, but I really thought Sentry had been featured before. But I searched…and not a ONE. We saw Sentries in our cartoons, but as far as the word itself goes? Today’s a FIRST…Our other TWO words? HANDY appeared back on 07/09/15, and DIVOT came UP on 01/24/19. And it was Mantra that had FOUR of the Early Birds crying Uncle this morning…So, that’s that…And now let’s go ROMAN around and get to our cartoon…
I think David has an affinity for an ABACUS. Sensing its’ familiarity, I wanted to search, but pressed for time, as I always seem to be, I only ventured as far back as 2013. Yet still, I COUNTED TEN previous puzzles with Abacus as it’s theme. Can that BEAD possible you may ask? Yes, TEN. That’s really SUMthing, don’t you think? And TWO, 05/04/13, and 11/03/14, both had “Counted On” as their solutions. So I think it’s safe to say that even though it may seem a little ODD, NUMBERS don’t lie…and there may be a MATHod to David’s madness…And maybe we can COUNT on him to let us in on this ADDiction he seems to have with Abaci. Anyway…
A little background…An ABACUS, also called a COUNTING frame, is a calculating tool for performing mathematical processes, and is often constructed as a wooden frame with beads sliding on wires. The user, called an abacist, slides the counters by hand on rods. It was in use centuries before the adoption of the written Hindu-Arabic numeral system and is still widely used by merchants and clerks in China, Japan, Africa and elsewhere.
Set in Ancient Rome, today we see THREE Friends, (Romans and Countrymen), marveling over TWO ABACI that are being shown to them by a winSUM salesman. Since written numbers didn’t exist many years ago, there was still a need to count, especially amongst merchants as we see here, discussing how it’ll help with their bookkeeping. It’s been said that the first abaci were just flat boards, with rocks placed on it that were moved around for calculation. But rocks, seashells and even fingers on an abacus could only be useful to a certain extent. That was when wooden beads became helpful. The oldest abacus known is the Salamis Tablet, named for the island on which it was found–Salamis Island in Greece, and can be dated back to 300 BC. The Roman Abacus came later, and was used in business, engineering and architecture…Just what the Romans needed…So we can understand the ADDtraction this new invention held for the THREE of them here. And they were RADII willing to…HAVE “ADD” IT! Good one, David! We can always COUNT on you!
Ok, eye candy. At first I was unsure of where Jeff brought us…it was all Greek to me. But then I DIVISIONed Rome, when I saw what appears to be the Coliseum in the background at left. I also noticed the length of the salesman’s garment…it was longer than the ones worn by the others. His appears to be a himation, a Greek garment, while our other men are wearing Roman togas. So I’m guessing we have a traveling salesman here…and we know where all roads lead to…But aside from that, I think I’ll pass on any candy. Let’s face it, Folks…For those who know? You know that when it comes to MATH I can never really be COUNTED on!…So, There you have it Folks, Done. Have a great day, Everyone…And let’s all COUNT our blessings today…🔢🙋🏻♀️
Jumble Answers 
Maybe I’m just tired, but I couldn’t get past DIVOT…It just seemed to fit to a TEE…🏌🙋🏻
🏌After gouging out one DIVOT after another, his friends started teasing him with a MANTRA about maybe keeping a SENTRY HANDY, to keep an eye on him…and he laughed and played along saying…”HAVE ‘ADD’ IT”! 🏌
🏌The tips he’d hoped be HANDY just weren’t working well,
His strokes still caused a DIVOT, his game going to hell…
He’d need someone stand SENTRY if he was to improve,
His shots all seemed to gouge the ground and always left a groove…
He thought he’d try a MANTRA, to maybe keep him calm,
And help him get a better grip…avoid the sweaty palms…
If this kept up he really thought that maybe he should quit…
But everyone said not to, and just to HAVE “ADD” IT🏌
Being an avid golfer divot was obvious,and being a math guy,pre dating the hand held calculators but not going as far back as the abacus,the puzzle solution ,have “add” it was an obvious solution.
Good Morning, Prof. LOL! Not as far back as the abacus? 😂 And I thought it was an easy breezy one too…Hope your day’s going well, Prof! 🔢🙋🏻♀️
It was a HANDY thing that the SENTRY understood the meaning of the distant MANTRA as he made a big DIVOT in the ground in his haste to tell his superior what it meant. GM, Angela.
Good Morning to you too, Chuck.i see we’ve gone formal? Charles? 😉 As usual, your sentence always gives me a CHUCKle ..👏🏻👏🏻 .your imagination tickles me! Hope you’re keeping warm. The cold sure hit, huh? 💨🙋🏻♀️
I’m not sure about the formality. It was definitely unintentional. Indeed, the heating blanket is feeling great lately. Thanks for your kind words..
YVW, Chuck, and I know, I was just teasing.you..I had to do a double take.😉 And yep. the heat’s cranked up! 💨🙋🏻♀️
As others have commented, DIVOT was easiest. HANDY and SENTRY followed, but MANTRA had to wait till the solve revealed the remaining letters. Had fun in primary school with an abacus solving addition and subtraction, though division and multiplication was a little complicated with the need for so many more beads. Good day all.
👍🏻🙋🏻♀️
Sentry was the one word that tripped me up this morning. Kept trying words that began with ST or SR finally figured TRY and it finally clicked. Cartoon answer was easy. It seems like Jeff & David have done a number of Jumble puzzles using abacus. Guess they like numbers. Happy Friday to all.
Hi Betty. I don’t know what’s up with the Abaci, but it is a lot! 😉 I had to check the poll just now…Mantra looks like a runaway, but Sentry’s the runner up. It is a masterful anagram. Happy Friday to you too, Betty!🔢🙋🏻♀️
Hi all – This time it was the two four-letter words that each took me several jumbles to get. Figured ‘IT’ had to be the last word, and as soon as I wrote the letters HV I saw HAVE and the answer. Nice bit of indirection that the fact that it was an abacus wasn’t really essential to the puzzle (i.e. it could have been a different counting device without wires and beads).
Angela, “winSUM” for “winsome” made me laugh!
Have a great day and weekend, everyone!
“When he started what would have been his winning hole with a huge DIVOT, it was HANDY to have a calming MANTRA to chant lest the SENTRY disqualify him for a profane outburst.”
Hey Steve…2 Four-letter words? What am I missing? And Thanks for the shout Out…TBT I gave myself a chuckle! 👏🏻👏🏻 for your sentence. It was hard to do anything off a Golf Course because of Divot, but we prevailed! 😉 Have a great day, Steve. 🔢🙋🏻♀️
I must have been thinking of that guy on the golf course! 😂 I meant the two six-letter words.
Ah, ok. You know how I can get so easily confused…I went back and started COUNTING! 😂😂 Have a good one, G! 🔢🙋🏻♀️
Tootie and I made you a video…
Hi David. I think I’ve told you before how your devilish grin is so contagious. I can’t watch any of your videos without breaking out into a smile. But the pleasure you’re taking today in stumping so many people with Mantra, has to be your best yet! 😂 As I said….devilish! Thanks for acknowledging my Abacus inquiry, and I too love numbers…It’s the Math that gets my goat! Have a great weekend, love to Claire, and Thanks again for appreciating what we do. You know we hold you in the highest esteem! 🔢🙋🏻♀️
That word was a MANTRAP. (And womantrap, too). Hmmm.. title of a Star Trek episode. 🙄🙋🏻♂️
Hi Everyone –
I didn’t have much trouble with the words but was fuzzy on the meaning of three – sentry, divot and mantra. I looked them up, so once again the Jumble got me to learn something.
Traveling salesman – very funny, Angela!
Hi Caroline, how’ve you been? Listening to the weather reports this morning, I thought of you. It seems wayyyy too soon to be hearing such low temps…not to mention the wind chills. And the threat of snow this weekend? Yikes! I’m soooo not ready!…Thanks for the Shout Out…I wanted so badly to get in the “all roads lead to Rome”, and it was the perfect foil! 😉 I use the expression a lot, and I gave myself a little chuckle! Stay warm, and I hope you’re having a wonderful day! 🔢 🙋🏻♀️
Hi Angela, I had to clear a little snow off the car today but no shoveling yet. It’s supposed to get to 20 tonight or a little lower. How about where you are? I liked your Rome comment, too.
Hi, Caroline. It’s not that bad right now, it’s at 34 and it’s been sunny all day, but it’s windy. But as we speak, they’re talking about 20’s here tonight too, and into the morning…with that dreaded wind chill possibly touching upon the teens. Gimme a break! Wayyyy too soon! But no sign of that “S” word yet…I’m sorry it’s hit you already. Ah, NY…ah, winter! 🤷🏻♀️…And again, Thanks for the Shout Out. You’re very sweet! I think I’ll whip up a Nutella hot chocolate…All this talk about cold is making me chilly! 😉 Do you make hot chocolate with Nutella? It’s right up there with Poutine! 😉 🙋🏻♀️
I haven’t made hot chocolate for a long time, but I’ll have to try Nutella.
Oh, I enjoy hot chocolate…especially with whipped cream, and Nutella makes it divine! LOL! What’s funny is that today is National Cappuccino Day. But I had one at breakfast, and another at lunch…so now I’m looking for something different! 😉…(And then I wonder why I can’t sleep)!!!🤷🏻♀️