YLURC = CURLY

CRUKT = TRUCK

MIRADE = ADMIRE

GOLANL = GALLON

CARTOON ANSWER:

THE STORY ABOUT THE DIAMOND AND ITS SETTING DIDN’T – – –

URTRIEGN = RING TRUE

Good Wednesday morning, everyone! We’re halfway through the week and we’ve already seen some really challenging puzzles. Jumping right into today’s game, the first two clue words were solved at first glance. It was the next two words that saved this puzzle for me by making me pause and work for the answers. ADMIRE took 2 self-jumbles before it came into view, leaving GALLON to require 4! I think we’ve all experienced that “how could a simple word be so difficult” moment after the solve so I was determined to finish off the cartoon without the aid of the clue letters that caused me so much trouble.

Looking at Jumble artist Jeff Knurek’s panel, we see a salesperson talking with a customer about a rather large diamond ring. Reading the dialogue, the salesman boldly states that this particular “piece” was owned by Beyoncé. The customer doesn’t seem convinced as shown by the look of skepticism on his face as well as his three question reply.

There’s no real fine detail in this piece except the shadowy figures walking by in the background leading me to believe that this particular store is in a mall. The ring itself did have action lines around it leading you to believe that it was exceptionally sparkly and very high quality. Missing was the little string and price tag that usually dangles off the band and it would have been interesting to see what value Jeff would have placed on “Beyoncé’s diamond”!

As mentioned earlier, I was determined to solve this one without any clue letter assistance. The dialogue and sentence never mentioned ring so it came to mind immediately. All of the doubt surrounding its authenticity brought TRUE to mind making the surprise answer a super quick solve. This puzzle was definitely a gem!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I’ll see you tomorrow. 💍