MUYTM – TUMMY
VAEWE – WEAVE
EONPEV – PROVEN
SIPRHM – SHRIMP
CARTOON ANSWER:
HE WAS A COOK IN THE MILITARY, AND HE WAS PROUD TO – – –
TMY EAVE REN SHRI = SERVE IN THE ARMY
“And they who for their country die, shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier’s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.” – Joseph Rodman Drake 🇺🇸 💔
🇺🇸 GOD BLESS AMERICA, LAND THAT I LOVE 🇺🇸
Good Morning, Everyone..…May you have a Blessed MEMORIAL DAY
CEKHTS – SKETCH
AAAPPY – PAPAYA
GARFEO – FORAGE
AARTEK – KARATE
REWLTO – TROWEL
TOSHOE – SOOTHE
CARTOON ANSWER: WITH SO MANY RACE CAR DRIVERS, 300, 000 SPECTATORS, TV COVERAGE, ETC., THE INDY 500 IS- – –
KC PAA FRE KTE TOL OOT = A LOT TO KEEP TRACK OF
Good Morning! 🏁 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES 🏁
🎶 Love it when it’s four wide, love it when it’s FAST…Love it when the leader’s caught, the pack is moving past…Love it when they’re making lots and lots of noise…Can’t wait to hear DW. say ” boogity, boogity, boogity, lets go RACING boys.”….🎶
Once again, Ladies and Gentleman….Welcome to the Jumble coverage of the Indy 500! We have words today anagrammed with just enough of a twist to cause a little head SPINning, but there’s no DEAD ENDS! Great words! The cartoon? A plethora of detail! But first, the solution. With our man saying there’s SO MANY things to be considered, our question asks what the RACE was…”It was...A LOT TO KEEP TRACK OF! Brilliant, David! A real “WINNER“! Ok, keep the MOTOR RUNNING…I’ll be back with the eye candy…🏎🙋🏻
Heres a little something to KEEP you FUELed up in the meanTIME…
As I sat making a SKETCH of the seating arrangements for the KARATE classes reunion dinner, he tried to SOOTHE my nerves, knowing it was his fault that I had to FORAGE around using a TROWEL to find the splattered pieces of PAPAYA all over the ground….Talk about the MELON FELLIN…
Ok. Eye candy. Let’s START…We see the iconic, tall, flag topped SCORING PYLON, with its tiny little numbers, 1-33, marking the number of CARS RUNNING in the RACE. How Jeff does it, I can’t imagine. We see the traditional BLIMP, which Jeff has labeled, “GO DANICA“, in honor of DANICA PATRICK’S final race today. There’s a few CARS off to the right side, in various stages of RACE prep. Off to the left, we see a capped figure with a flag…Moving FORWARD, over to the right hand side, we see CAR #13 featured, DANICA’S CAR. Nice tribute. CENTER STAGE, we see an interview taking place. From the ID hanging around her neck, we see that the reporter is named CATHY K. (A twist on Jeff’s wife, perhaps)? We see from her microphone logo, (IMS) that she works for the INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, and she’s speaking with TONY GEORGE, the President of the IMS. Now here’s where it gets really good. He’s holding a CLIPBOARD, listing the items on his “2 1/2 miles long” list. The INDY 500, is 2 1/2 miles long! You gotta love it! And on his list, we see….1- PACE CAR…which is the CAR used to lead the starting grid around the TRACK for some warm ups. 2- CELEBRITIES, which the INDY is known for hosting, 3- 🎶BACK HOME IN INDIANA🎶 which is the traditional homesick HOOSIER favorite performed each year, and which this year again, will be performed by JIM CORNELISON, 4- ANTHEM, Of course, our National Anthem, which today will be sung by KELLY CLARKSON, 5- RACERS, Enough said, 6- ENGINE START, The COMMAND to START ENGINES, 7- GREEN FLAG, The traditional flag waved to START the race, actor CHRIS HEMSWORTH getting the honor this year and lastly..? After all these critical, time sensitive issues that MR. GEORGE must see to? Number 8 reads...PLAY JUMBLE! Play Jumble!! Jeff, you never cease to amaze! So, There you have it, Folks, Done! Oh, and as a final note? Today, 8th Pole Position, Car 3, Team Penske? HELIO ❤️CASTRONEVES! And once again, I ask…Can’t you just see that face framed in the WINNER’S WREATH? Wishing us all a great day, INDYed…! See you at the FINISH LINE!! Got Milk? 🏁🏆🏎🙋🏻
🏁 Today Jeff’s SKETCH is showing us a pic to SOOTHE the soul,
Of every Race Car fan out there, the young as well the old.
Where some prefer KARATE, and others go for ball,
The Indy offers an excitement, quite unlike them all.
No FORAGE for the horses here, it’s not the kind of race,
For this is the iconic one where danger keeps up pace.
Where some may spend a day like this with TROWEL in their hand…
For Indy Folks, the race today’s the best in all the land.
So sit down with a drink or two, maybe Milk with PAPAYA,
For milk is what the winner drinks, you’ll see no Stolichnaya….
The Indy will take place today, a racing game of love…
And those who know, will surely see ...A LOT TO KEEP TRACK OF…🏁
Better late then never…Unless you’re racing today! 🏁🙋🏻
SAYEA – ESSAY
NRUKT – TRUNK
KOIREO – ROOKIE
KPACET – PACKET
CARTOON ANSWER: TO WRITE DOWN THEIR GOLF SCORES, THE
CARTOONIST USED – – –
SS TN ROE PKE = PEN STROKES
Good Morning, Everyone! 🖊🏌It’s a DRAW 🏌🖊
🎶 Keep your head down and don’t get confused …Which way the wind blows, which club to use…Your concentration slips away, you’re not any good but that’s okay…After you swing, still on that tee, it sure is better than hitting three…And as you stand there, feeling like a stiff ..You better love the one you WHIFF…love the one you WHIFF, love the one you WHIFF, love the one you WHIFF…GOLF is silly, but it’s sad…if you ever make contact, you should be glad …Cause there it sits, looking back at you..take another cut, cause you’re hittin’ two…I know your heart aches, too much to bear… it’s the agony that we all share…so get it together or right away, cause if you can’t, we’ll be here all day…After you swing, still on that tee, it sure is better than hitting three…And as you stand there, feeling like a stiff, love the one you WHIFF, love the one you WHIFF..love the one you WHIFF…🎶
🏌🖊 So, Beetle’s dressed in civvies, and he’s with a certain mister,
And Hi and he hang out we see, ’cause Lois’s Beetles’ sister.
I grew up reading Beetle, the perennial private…
A ROOKIE in the ways of life and always running late.
He bumbled and he messed up, seems he went through life that way,
And like we see him on the course, he ever did ESSAY.
I have a TRUNK with old comics, a PACKET here and there…
And Beetle is amongst them, with his cap low on his hair.
I don’t have Hi and Lois, though their fans reach far and wide,
And these comics of Mort Walker, were his joy and were his pride…
So we see him in this golf cart, with the characters he held dear,
As Jumble pays respect to him, who died earlier this year.
I salute you Mr Walker, and if you don’t know him, Folks….
Read up on him, and all the joy he brought with his PEN STROKES.🖊🏌
Our words today are all old favorites, and easy, breezy for a Saturday morning.
But our cartoon today is extra special. Jeff’s given us a cartoon, with a CARTOONIST, ADDISON MORTON (MORT) WALKER, who sadly passed away on January 27th. The creator of the iconic BEETLE BAILEY, he drew the daily comic strip for 68 years, longer than any other U.S. artist in the history of the medium. He also gave us HI and LOIS, BONER’S ARK, and many others. We see him at a golf course, sitting in a cart marking score. The others in the FOREsome, are BEETLE BAILEY, his brother-in-law, HI FLAGSTON, and Brigadier General AMOS T. HALFTRACK. MORT’S entering each man’s STROKES for the hole, with the precise STROKES of a pretty large PEN. HI looks happy to have 3. BEETLE, not so happy with a 6. But it’s MORT that has me wondering…Something about the look on his face, and his rather vague dialogue. Do we believe his 3, or do you think he’s just PUTTING us on? IDK! Anyway, our question asks…What did the CARTOONIST use to write down the scores…PEN STROKES! Good one, David! You PULLed it off!
Ok, eye candy. What should we HOOK onto today? We have a few choices…this may be ROUGH. We can see that MORT’S wearing a GOLFING glove on his left hand. FITTING, but I’ll pass. General HALFTRACK, in the background, is dressed in satirical GOLFING attire. CLOTHES, but that’s not it. We see his GOLF BALL, still in flight, the trajectory of the ball shown leaving the exaggerated swirls of his SWING. His effort is highlighted, by us seeing his tongue HOOKed at the side of his mouth. Great detail, Jeff, an ACE. But what really DREW my attention today, far and AWAY? If you look real closely, clutched DEEP in BEETLE’S left hand? A GOLF BALL. ‘GIMME a High Five, Jeff! I love it…and that’s no LIE! So, There you have it Folks, Done! Have a great day, Everyone. And I’ll share a GOLFING secret with you…Know what a little BIRDIE told me? There definitely is a WOOD that can lower your score…And its called a PENcil! 🖊🏌🙋🏻
GACOR – CARGO
FHERS – FRESH
CAPTIN – CATNIP
MYIFAN – INFAMY
CARTOON ANSWER: GEORGE VI’S NEW SHOES WERE CAUSING HIM SO MUCH PAIN. THEY WERE – – –
CGO FRH TNI IFA = FIT FOR “ACHING”
Good Morning, Everyone! 👑👞 WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES 👞👑
🎶Everybody get on your FEET…You make me nervous when you’re in your seat…
Take off your SHOES and pat your FEET, we’re doin’ a dance that can’t be beat…
We’re BAREFOOTIN’, we’re BAREFOOTIN’, we’re BAREFOOTIN‘, we’re BAREFOOTIN‘…We don’t have no SHOES on….🎶
👑👞 It’s 1937, Coronation’s in the air…
And Edward has had second thoughts, his heart just wasn’t there…
So his brother George is called upon, to sit atop the throne,
And supposedly the shoes he’ll fill are definitely causing groans!
Wallis Simpson, an American was CATNIP to old Ed,
So he abdicated Kingship, she was that much in his head…
With the story one of INFAMY, and FRESH in everyone’s mind,
George was next in line to be the King, no other would they find.
The Father of Elizabeth, who would be future Queen,
Is seen here trying on the shoes…symbolic so it seems.
And then Edward packed his CARGO and took off with his wife…
And together they were jet setters and made a brand new life.
And George reigned over England, filling shoes not for his makin’
Which is why we see him pictured here with ones just FIT FOR “ACHING”! 👞👑
Oh Captain, My Captain! Walt Whitman, yes. The Jumble? No! It’s CATNIP, and we’ve seen it right here, last July. As for our other words, while not the most difficult, and not new, the anagrams are done just well enough to maybe REIGN a little on your PARADE… Because today, even our 5-letter words may take a SECOND look, and as a RULE, it’s usually not the case…Good work, David! Ok, on to our cartoon…Today, we find ourselves in ENGLAND, the year 1937. We see KING GEORGE VI, with his daughter, Elizabeth, and a valet. The KING is trying on a pair of shoes. GEORGE’S older brother, Edward VIII had recently abdicated the Throne, which forced GEORGE to take his place. Bitter rivals since childhood, GEORGE had no desire to be King, and wasn’t prepared to be thrust into such a position. Forced to “Fill his brothers’ shoes“ so to speak, is what I believe prompted our Jumble today. I could be making a ROYAL mistake, but by GEORGE, it’s sure what it seems to me. And our dialogue, showing GEORGE asking if the shoes weren’t made for the Princess, just shows a little more of Jeff’s whimsy. Elizabeth did grow up to inherit the throne. Plus, it also pays to mention, that Edward always teased Elizabeth, who even as a child, possessed an air of dignity and nobility, by calling her “Queen Elizabeth”! SOLE, bottom line? The shoes don’t “FIT“. And as we all know, poorly fitted shoes? ACHING feet! So, our question asks…What were these shoes, that caused GEORGE such pain? FIT FOR “ACHING“! HEIR! HEIR! This, Folks, is a PUN! In fact, it may just be the CROWN JEWEL! Kudos, David, Kudos!
Ok, eye candy. Besides the looks on everyone’s faces, increasing DECREES of astonishment, there’s not much else to see. (Although, looking at Elizabeth, dressed in PURPLE, the color of ROYALTY, did CROWN off my morning. They finally got it right)! But the GEM of the day, is the portrait of King George V , the father of GEORGE and Edward, hanging on the wall. Yes, that’s today’s CROWNING GLORY! So, There you have it Folks, Done! Have a great day, Everyone! And a thought for today…Be like a Pineapple: Stand tall, wear a CROWN, and be sweet on the inside…Pip, Pip, Cheerio! 👞👑🙋🏻
GHIMT = MIGHT
RTIDH = THIRD
DEEDLP = PEDDLE
FISHIN = FINISH
CARTOON ANSWER:
THE TOURISTS THOUGHT THEY’D BE ABLE TO VISIT BIG BEN, BUT THEY COULDN’T – – –
MITTIEDEFNH = FIND THE TIME
Happy Thursday, Jumble players! I think I might have achieved a new solve-time record with today’s game. All of the clue words jumped right out at me with only a slight hiccup on FISHIN. Very rarely does David have part of an anagram spell out an actual word, so to see FISH was a reel treat! With the F in the front and IN in the rear, FINISH came quickly into view allowing me to sail on over to the cartoon.
The setting for today’s panel appears to be a tourist attraction located somewhere in England. We see a man and woman at the gate of a landmark and they have that “not from around here” look about them. The man, who is sporting a fanny pack and camera, can be seen referencing a map while his partner snaps a picture with her cellphone camera. The subject of her photo is a rifle-toting guard who is in full uniform dress and wearing a tall bearskin hat. Reading the dialogue and sentence we learn that the location for this piece is the entrance to Big Ben and if these tourists don’t hurry, they just might miss their train!
Big Ben is actually the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock located at the north end of Westminster Palace. The official name of the tower in which it’s located is the Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben is the largest of five bells and weighs a whopping 13 tons! If you’re planning a visit anytime soon, you’ll surely be disappointed to learn that Big Ben has gone silent. The tower is going through a four-year renovation with an expected completion date in the 2020’s.
The letter layout for the surprise answer managed to keep the solution well hidden making for an impressive Jumble. Although the cartoon was well drawn and entertaining, the solve flowed naturally from the sentence that we were given making it no trouble whatsoever. Have a terrific Thursday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
LIBUD = BUILD
LATOG = GLOAT
CRUPES = SPRUCE
SJYLUT = JUSTLY
CARTOON ANSWER:
WHEN NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON EXPLAINS STAR FORMATION, HE DOES A – – –
BLOASREJTL = STELLAR JOB
Happy Wednesday, Jumble fans! All of today’s clue words were old favorites and didn’t give me any problems whatsoever. CRUPES did require a quick second glance before coming into view so it’s my pick for the most difficult anagram of the day. If you’re a regular player of the Jumble you probably noticed that CRUPES looked familiar — and you’d be correct! It was last used on 3/6/18 where it was jumbled the exact same way.
The setting for today’s cartoon appears to be a lecture hall where a presentation is being given. The speaker was immediately recognizable as Neil deGrasse Tyson who is an astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. Mr. Tyson is one of pop culture’s most prominent scientists and speaks about cosmic curiosities in a way that “ordinary people” can understand. By reading the dialogue and sentence we discover that his presentation is focusing on red dwarf stars and the audience looks mesmerized by the facts that they are hearing.
The letter layout for the final solution was very impressive and I wouldn’t be surprised if it managed to stump some of you for a while. Knowing that Mr. Tyson presents scientific information in a manner which is easy to understand had me thinking that WORK or JOB would be somewhere in the solution. Sure enough, JOB jumped out at me leaving STELLAR to be found after a few quick self-jumbles of the remaining letters. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
SMOTP = STOMP
IRREV = RIVER
UDONEF = FONDUE
PUNTEA = PEANUT
CARTOON ANSWER:
WHEN THEY FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET SYRUP FROM MAPLES, IT WAS – – –
SOMERNDEEUT = “TREE-MENDOUS”
Good morning, Jumble friends! Today’s puzzle was more challenging than we typically see on a Tuesday and offered some unique clue words that we haven’t encountered in quite some time. STOMP and RIVER were instantly solved upon first glance leaving just the 6-letter words to contend with. FONDUE became visible after noticing that the F was the last letter in the anagram as well as the ON being neatly coupled together in the middle. PEANUT was by far the most challenging to decipher and is my pick for the most difficult anagram of the day. I thought it was PETUNA at first but the absence of an “I” made me continue my search. A few self-jumbles eventually did the trick and I made my way to the cartoon.
The setting for today’s panel is a forest where two people can be seen collecting sap. Although they appear to be Native Americans, they could also be aboriginal people of Canada because Canada produces 90% of the world’s supply of the sweet stuff. After reading the dialogue and sentence, I didn’t pick up any additional information that wasn’t already depicted in the visual clues leaving me little to work with.
A quick search on how maple syrup was first discovered made for some very interesting morning reading. Although there isn’t any documented information on its discovery, there is a legend that seems to be widely regarded as truth. One late-winter morning, an Iroquois Chief was headed out on a hunt but not before pulling his tomahawk from a tree where he’d thrown it the night before. As the day warmed, the sap began to flow from the tree into a container that was at its trunk. That evening his wife thought it was plain water and cooked their evening dinner in the liquid. The boiling turned the sap into maple syrup which flavored the meal like never before!
My favorite detail of this cartoon was very difficult to see unless you took some time to thoroughly examine the drawing. If you look at the left edge of the panel, you’ll notice some trees. The head and front legs of a deer can be seen just poking out from those trees which was quite a surprise when I first saw it.
The final solve was a brilliant answer which took quite some time to decipher. The letter layout was masterfully jumbled and gave nothing away. After a few minutes of trying, I read the dialogue and sentence again and noticed that the information all had to do with trees. TREE was in the anagram and that’s when the answer began to flow. Have a tree-mendous Tuesday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
VACHO = HAVOC
BBRUL = BLURB
KENODY = DONKEY
LEAPAC = PALACE
CARTOON ANSWER:
THE TRAIL THE TWINS WALKED ON HAD ENDED, SO THEY DECIDED TO – – –
AOBUBDKLCE = DOUBLE BACK
Happy Monday, Jumble players! Before we jump into today’s game, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and revisit the most difficult anagrams that we encountered last week. IVENDI, NAGEAD, and RAYPAL were the top three clue word searches and Wednesday’s COURT-SIDE SEATS surprise answer left quite a few of you scratching your head. Were you able to decipher them a little easier the second time around? My favorite cartoon from last week was Friday’s “TIDAL” PAGE panel where we saw an older couple enjoying a beautiful day at the beach. The surprise answer was a clever solution that suited Jeff’s artwork perfectly.
Today’s clue words weren’t much of a challenge which is typical for a Monday morning puzzle. HAVOC and PALACE were the only words to slow me down as they both required a couple of extra glances before coming into view. Out of the two of them, PALACE would by my pick for the most difficult anagram of the day. The two A’s had me thinking that it was ALPACA at first before I changed course and started the solution with a consonant instead of a vowel.
When starting to solve the cartoon, I always take a moment to look at just the drawing itself and try to pick up on the visual clues that the imagery provides. Today we see two hikers that have a look on confusion on their faces as they reference their map. The men appear to be twins and they’re wearing identical clothing as well. Although they look lost, the path is well-trodden and easy to see so I was getting the feeling that they had taken a wrong turn. Nothing else jumped out at me so I decided it was time to read the dialogue and sentence. By doing so, we learn that our hikers have come to a dead end which is shown by a rock formation that is blocking their way.
The final solution was effortless and I was able to pull off a blind solve. The letter layout was wonderfully cryptic but wasn’t necessary for me to finish this one off. I thought the clever answer meshed perfectly with the artwork giving us a superb Jumble to start the week. Have a marvelous Monday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
RAQSUE – SQUARE
HEYTIG – EIGHTY
TRIPEM – PERMIT
PEBSUR – SUPERB
WDORAC – COWARD
LEKENR – KERNEL
CARTOON ANSWER: HAVING CAR INSURANCE IS MANDATORY,
WHICH MAKES IT A – – –
QRE EIT PI SUE CW KR = “PRE-WRECK-QUISITE”
Good Morning, Everyone! 🚙 “WRECK” AND ROLL 🚙
🎶 Got two CARS and a chainlink fence, got INSURANCE for ACCIDENTS. Nevermind what I don’t know, I dream of places I won’t ever go. But I lead a good life…Yeah, I lead a good life. ‘N every Sunday we’re out at the lake, teachin’ the KIDS how to jump the wake…We drag em on two skis, they kick one loose, they don’t know it, they hadn’t got a clue…That they lead a good life…Yeah, they lead a good life…🎶
🚙 The time must come when baby birds must fly off from the nest,
And with it comes inevitably…”My kids got a road test”…
The PERMIT went real smoothly, maybe a KERNEL here or there,
You try to act so nonchalant, you don’t want to seem SQUARE.
You teach them rules and reason…like “EIGHTY never hit”..
But inside you’re a COWARD ’cause you’re worried over it.
You see them drive SUPERBly, hovering you now must quit…
But worrying and parenting? It’s just “PRE-WRECK-QUISITE”! 🚙
So…Do we think this was an ACCIDENT? Or did David really try to pull out all the STOPs on this one? These are some SMASHing anagrams today! I did a quick search, just to be sure, and yes, they’re all old favorites. Well, old anyway! We weren’t JUMP STARTING over them last time either! I mean we made some DENTS in them, but they did SLOW us down. I found this: Permit, Superb and Coward, seem to go back to 2016, Square: July ’17, Kernel: Nov ’17, and Eighty, believe it or not, just this past February. Maybe after today, they’ll become favorites…
Ok, our cartoon. Notice INSURANCE being mentioned twice? Once in the dialogue and again in the question? That doesn’t happen very often. So I’m immediately thinking that I should concentrate on a requirement. The Mothers’ comment about needing it…”PRE“. Prerequisite? Hmm…And then it was like that V-8 commercial, and I SMASHED my hand against my forehead! INSURANCE? In case there’s an ACCIDENT? “PRE–WRECK-QUISITE”!! Ha! I was ALL (in a) STATE of euphoria! This one’s no DRIVE BY, Folks, this one’s a CRASH COURSE in cleverness! Great job, David! I’m BRAKEing up with laughter
Ok, eye candy…The young girl has a Unicorn on her T-Shirt. Not significant, but I thought I’d POINT it out. The Mom’s pretty nondescript, but her hair is TIED UP nicely in a bun. Dad’s just standing there..IDLING, mostly. So, what’s the KEY to the eye candy today? Hard to say..through NO FAULT of my own…This one’s all on Jeff. He’s given me nothing in PARKticular to ZOOM in on…Hmm. A little WRECKless on his part, I’d say…Really, I’m SHOCKed..ABSORBERing it all in, and coming up EMPTY! I guess I’ll just GO with the CAR. It’s purple…A Purple CAR! IMO? Uh, Mr. Colorist? You AUTO know better than to do that…A Purple CAR? C’mon, gimme a BRAKE! I really wish I could have DODGEd this one! So, There you have it, Folks, Done! Have a great day, Everyone! And remember..Texting and DRIVING? Oh, CELL no! 🚙🙋🏻
ZNOOE = OZONE
UYPPP = PUPPY
SGIDET = DIGEST
SCUURK = RUCKUS
CARTOON ANSWER:
THE CHEF WHO WAS A PART-TIME RACE CAR DRIVER DROVE A CAR THAT WAS – – –
OEPPDSUU = SOUPED UP
Good morning everyone, and happy Saturday! Both of the 5-letter clue words were a piece of cake and solved instantly upon first glance. DIGEST took a few extra seconds to figure out and wound up being my pick for the most difficult anagram of the day. We haven’t seen it in the lineup since February of last year so it was nice to have it make an appearance once again. And finally there was RUCKUS which didn’t cause a fuss like its definition implies. Finishing all of the clue words in a flash was a pleasant treat so I raced over to the cartoon to see what Jeff would amaze us with today.
The setting for today’s panel is a racetrack where we see a man and a woman having a conversation. The giant spoon in the background quickly caught my attention so I read the sentence and dialogue to figure out what the heck was going on. It turns out that the woman is a chef/race car driver and she has just finished up a race. The sponsor of her whip is Happy Spoon so perhaps it’s also the name of the chef hat wearing mascot that we see lurking in the background. I must admit that Happy Spoon looked pretty creepy when I first noticed it standing there but it quickly grew on me the longer that I stared at it.
Does anyone have a clue what the “17” on her vehicle stands for? Nothing came to mind for me but I’m sure Jeff chose it for a reason. Knowing nothing about race cars or the sport, I did some research on NASCAR numbering and was surprised to learn the methodology behind the numbers and how they’re issued. Drivers can’t just randomly take ownership of a certain number as all numbers in the sport belong to NASCAR. Drivers and racing teams can request a certain number but they ultimately decide to whom it is issued. Wanna trade or sell your unique number to another team? Don’t even think about it because NASCAR will boot you from the sport and seize your number immediately!
The surprise answer came instantly after writing out all of the clue letters. The layout was a sublime Jumble but the answer was just too obvious after slurping up all of the visual clues. SOUPED UP was a soup-er finish but the overall ease of completion left me hungry for more. Have a sensational Saturday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
AZGUE = GAUZE
CLEET = ELECT
DASIRU = RADIUS
RAYPAL = PARLAY
CARTOON ANSWER:
THE BOOK ABOUT THE MOON’S EFFECT ON THE WORLD’S OCEANS HAD A – – –
GAETADIPL = “TIDAL” PAGE
Happy Friday, Jumble fans! The first three clue words that we encountered this morning were old favorites and posed almost no challenge. RADIUS did require a quick second glance before it came into view leaving just one word to solve. With no obvious words coming to mind, I noticed that it had a “Y” and decided to try my Y-trick. By placing the Y at the end of the layout, I eliminated a letter from the anagram but still nothing jumped out at me. At this point I figured that the Y may not be at the end of the word so I decided to just scramble the letters in the margin of my newspaper. It took 6 attempts before coming into view making PARLAY my pick for the most difficult anagram of the day.
The setting for today’s cartoon is a beach where we see two older people enjoying some time outside. Reading the dialogue and sentence we learn that the female (who looks a lot like Meryl Streep) is ready to take a stroll along the beach and she inquires if her partner would like to join. He looks pretty comfortable in that chair and replies that he’s just started a new book so he’ll have to pass.
Reading the words on the open page of the book we learn that the title is “The Rise and Fall of the World’s Oceans.” Underneath the title we see a little more text which is partially obscured from view by the gentleman’s head. It says “Push and P Publishin” leaving us to fill in the blanks.
Doesn’t that trail of soft sand look inviting? It has has no doubt been warmed by the sun which is best enjoyed barefoot. And look at that gorgeous view! The waves are gently lapping the shoreline while the seagulls fly gracefully overhead. Entranced by such a serene setting you may not have noticed the sailboat in the distance that appears to be in peril. Have no fear as this is Jumble artist Jeff Knurek’s signature addition to cartoons that have a water setting and it’s also my favorite detail for today.
The letter layout for the final solution was very cryptic and gave absolutely nothing away. The P seemed like the odd letter so I decided to work with it first. Noticing that the layout began with GAE brought PAGE into view leaving TIDAL to be found soon after. Have a fantastic Friday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
SEQUT – QUEST
HYRIA – HAIRY
NAGEAD – AGENDA
PRYUSY – SYRUPY
CARTOON ANSWER: THE MINT WHERE THE WASHINGTON 25-CENT COINS WERE PRODUCED WAS THE – – –
QET HAR EDA SRU = HEADQUARTERS
Good Morning, Everyone! 2️⃣5️⃣ 🎶QUARTER TO …BE 🎶 2️⃣5️⃣
🎶 The stars are gonna twinkle and shine…This evenin’…’bout a QUARTER to nine…My lovin’ arms are gonna tenderly twine…This evenin’ around you, around a QUARTER to nine…🎶
2️⃣5️⃣ In the QUEST to mint a Quarter, back in 1932
John Flanagan came forward wth the portrait that he drew…
Since they wanted nothing SYRUPY, it must portray a look,
Of Washington’s strong leadership, and must be by the book.
So now armed with an AGENDA, he began what came to be,
The 25-cent piece that is a part of History.
A profile neat and stalwart, not too HAIRY nor too cold,
And it lasted until ’64 with silver, never gold.
Then the nickel and the copper, were minted to take its place,
But the portrait never faltered and we still had George’s face.
So with Flanagan’s design and Andrew Mellon as supporter…
We’ve just reviewed the story of the Washington HEADQUARTERS! 2️⃣5️⃣
Today’s words are all old favorites. But two words may cause a little tic. Agenda and Syrupy, last seen on 3/13 and 5/11 respectively last year, both stirred up a ripple or two then. Will HISTORY repeat itself? We shall see…Our cartoon. Set in 1932, we find ourselves seated in what I believe to be the Office of The Treasury. Or within the confines of the US MINT. Or both. FLIP a COIN…Heads, I have Vertigo. Tails, I have Vertigo…So, how about I’ll leave it to any of you to do the research today? I tried. But since I can’t CHANGE the way I’m feeling, I’m just CASHING in my chips…I do have a little info for you, but it’s really just a DROP IN THE BUCKET. I know the man at the easel is JOHN FLANAGAN, who designed the WASHINGTON QUARTER, and the man seated behind the desk, I believe is Andrew Mellon, who was Secretary of the Treasury at the time. The bespectacled gentleman seated at the other side of the desk? Anyone? I need you to CHIP in here…Anyway, we see the drawing of GEORGE WASHINGTON’S HEAD, which will be depicted on the QUARTER. Our question asks what the MInt was…It was the HEADQUARTERS! Cha-Ching!!! Now that ADDS UP to a great pun, doesn’t it? A gift! Great job, David! We can always COUNT on you! Ok, eye candy. On the desk, we have a statue of the American Bald Eagle, the great Seal of the US; complete with its olive branch of Peace, and it’s arrows symbolizing the powers of War. I’m INVESTed in it, but it’s not the candy today. There’s neckwear…the bow and bolos are nice, but I don’t want to get TIED up with that. The portrait of WASHINGTON has the year 1932 inscribed on the COIN. That makes a lot of CENTS. But the one I’ll put my MONEY on today? Through the window in the office, one can see into the MINT itself. And we see two workers, at COIN MINTING machines. On the wheeled trolley used transport the coins, Jeff has printed…”US MINT“. What a great tiny detail. I’m calling it a “MINUTE ABSOLUTE“…And I think I’ve just COINED a new Jumble Jeff Phrase! So, There you have it Folks, Done! Have a great day, Everyone! And remember, CHANGE is inevitable. You can always COUNT on that…2️⃣5️⃣ 🙋🏻
DAGUR = GUARD
SEEAC = CEASE
DOTUIS = STUDIO
PRISTC = SCRIPT
CARTOON ANSWER:
WHEN THE BASKETBALL PLAYER APPEARED AS A WITNESS, THE JURY HAD – – –
UADCESESTOSRIT = COURT-SIDE SEATS
Happy Wednesday, everyone! All of the clue words this morning were old favorites but that doesn’t mean they were a breeze. GUARD and CEASE were instantly visible leaving me to struggle a bit with STUDIO and SCRIPT. Out of those two, STUDIO took the longest to decipher and is my pick for the most difficult anagram of the day.
The setting for today’s cartoon is a court room where a well dressed gentleman appears to be addressing a jury. Reading the dialogue and sentence we discover that the man in the hot seat is a basketball player and he’s giving his account of a hot-dog cannon mishap that he witnessed. Some of the jurors appear to be entranced by the fact that such a famous athlete is in their presence and they have other thoughts on their minds and seem unable to focus on the case at hand. One juror is adamant that he’ll get his autograph while another is just plain giddy to be in the same room as him.
There were several details in the panel that I particularly enjoyed with my favorite being the court room floor. Doesn’t it remind you of the flooring that you’d see at a professional basketball venue? The long vertical slats were a genius addition by Jumble artist Jeff Knurek and they really made the panel pop. The scales on the desk of the judge were very easy to spot, but did you notice that he’s holding a gavel in his right hand? And last but certainly not least is the chair that the witness is sitting in. It seemed odd that he wasn’t sitting on a witness stand and it’s probably for a good reason. Basketball players are very large and tall people so perhaps Jeff had him sit in a simple chair so he’d be more comfortable.
The solution to the surprise answer was strikingly similar to yesterday’s layout. A 5-letter and 4-letter word separated by a hyphen followed by a 5-letter word. I wasn’t able to blind solve this one but the hypen helped immensely. COURT was the first word to be found with ROOM being the obvious follow up. SEATS came quickly for the finish leaving us with a very satisfying solution. Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
YOVEN = ENVOY
SSULH = SLUSH
IVENDI = DIVINE
DNEWTA = WANTED
CARTOON ANSWER:
THE CUSTOMER WAS A PESSIMIST AND ORDERED HIS EGGS – – –
ENOYSUSDINWND = SUNNY-SIDE DOWN
Happy Tuesday, Jumble players! All of the clue words were instantly visible this morning leaving me plenty of time to enjoy the diner scene that we see in the cartoon. ENVOY would have been my pick for the most difficult anagram of the day if the EN wasn’t coupled together in the layout. Because of that, I’ll go ahead and choose DIVINE as the stumper for the day.
Today’s panel was a feast for the eyes with so much detail crammed into such a tiny space. Speaking of tiny spaces, the setting was obviously a diner where a customer is seen placing an order. By reading the dialogue and sentence we discover that our friend in the booth is feeling blue and at first I thought he just didn’t get enough sleep. Looking a little closer, I noticed a clue that made the whole puzzle click. Did you find it as well?
Take a gander at Mr. Glum Chums attire and you’ll probably notice that it’s not just any shirt that he’s wearing. It’s actually a hockey jersey and the maple leaf design on his sleeve and chest are actually the logo of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I’m not a hockey fan, but it was in all the local newspapers when the Boston Bruins elimiminated them from the Stanley Cup playoffs. It seems our fatigued fellow has a bit of a hockey hangover and he’s decided to satisfy his hunger with some eggs made to order the way he was feeling — sunny-side down! It was a brilliant surprise answer that came instantly as a blind solve.
There were plenty of other details in this piece that also deserved a mention. The name of this establishment is the Victoria Diner and it’s on both the front door and the menu. I really enjoyed the sugar packets neatly aligned in their container on the table. Placed next to it is a maple syrup container and a milk or cream pourer. In the background we see a piping hot stack of pancakes ready to be served along with a shadowy looking cook. Seated at a table just under the order window is a couple of people who seem to be enjoying their breakfast orders.
Today’s puzzle surely sated my Jumble craving for the day and I hope you enjoyed it as well. Have a terrific Tuesday and I’ll see you tomorrow!
ESIGN = SINGE
GYBUR = RUGBY
GLEEPD = PLEDGE
RONELG = LONGER
CARTOON ANSWER:
WHEN THEY FOUND A BAG OF PEANUTS AT THE GRAND CANYON, THE SQUIRRELS – – –
GRDEOG = GORGED
Happy Monday, Jumble friends! A new week of puzzles is upon us, but let’s first take a quick look at the most difficult anagrams from last week. UGATOE, SLUBEH, and KARYEB were the most searched for clue word solutions while Tuesday’s surprise answer of AECERDRWY took the top prize. Were you able to see the answers immediately the second time around? There’s no doubt that we’ll see those anagrams in the future so I hope you all scored well on the pop quiz!
Today’s puzzle had some challenging clue words and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them made it to the final spot next week. SINGE took me the longest to decipher and hasn’t been used in a puzzle since November of last year. Rarely do I get stumped on one of the 5-letter words so it was an interesting way to start the week. RUGBY was the runner-up but the “Y” trick proved successful once again. PLEDGE and LONGER came instantly into view allowing me to give my full attention to the cartoon.
With the final solution being only 6-letters in length, I thought for sure that I’d be able to pull off a blind solve but it just didn’t happen. Looking at today’s panel we see two squirrels that have just finished or are close to finishing off a bag of peanuts. The dialogue between the bushy tailed rodents tells us that they’ve stuffed themselves with peanutty goodness and are too full to move.
Having been to the Grand Canyon many years ago, I do remember that squirrels were everywhere. Doing a bit of research I discovered that the Grand Canyon has two distinct types of squirrels which are the “Albert” squirrel and the “Kaibab” squirrel. The Albert squirrels live at the South Rim and the Kaibab make their home in the North. The Grand Canyon formed a natural geographic barrier causing the species to separate into 2 different groups.
The cartoon had two interesting details that I’d like to share. If you look closely at the bag of peanuts, you just might notice a drawing on the label on the bag. It’s very small but it’s an elephant standing on a circus stool while balancing a ball on its trunk. The second detail that caught my eye involved the group of people taking in the scenery on the canyon ledge. The shadowy figure on the far right appears to be getting a little too close to the edge so the person next to him is reaching out to grab him!
The final solve came quickly after reading the cartoon sentence making for an entertaining finish. The letter layout was only 6-letters in length so if you weren’t able to come up with the answer from the visual clues, a quick shuffle of the letters would do the trick. Have a marvelous Monday and I’ll see you tomorrow!
