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!