FINKE = KNIFE

TBUDO = DOUBT

GONLOA = LAGOON

SSUIME = MISUSE

CARTOON ANSWER:

THE SKUNK KNEW EXACTLY WHEN TO SPRAY, THANKS TO – – –

KNIDOTGONISS = GOOD “IN-STINKS”

Happy Wednesday morning, everyone! The first two clue words were no problem at all and were actually super easy. Looking at the anagram FINKE, I felt that we’ve seen it recently so I did a quick search. Sure enough, I found that it was used on 01/05/18 and it was in the exact same letter layout. LAGOON took just a second to decipher because I saw GALLON at first and tried to make a few other words starting with “G” before I moved on. My pick for the most difficult word of the day is MISUSE, but honestly it wasn’t much of a challenge.

Moving on to the cartoon, I attempted a blind solve without the aid of the clue letters or dialogue but wasn’t able to crack it. The 2-6 format of the word in quotes had me stumped and whatever the the answer was going to be surely would be a stinker of a pun.

Looking more closely at the panel, we discover that a skunk is spraying a fox with his defensive weapon. The other skunk watches with glee as the fox gets bombarded with the stink and he gives a “thumbs-up” indicating that the target was successfully sprayed. Curious as to how accurately a skunk can shoot their foul smell, I took to google for some research. It turns out that they can hit a target with a high-degree of accuracy up to 10 feet away. They also have two scent glands and can alternate between the both of them for a total of six shots. That fox didn’t stand a chance!

There was one detail in the cartoon that I’m almost certain you couldn’t see in your newspaper copy of the puzzle. Jeff added a small white rabbit tucked behind a bush just to the left of the skunk’s nose that isn’t spraying. I’ve added a close-up photo below for your viewing pleasure. The look of horror on its face is priceless.

David gave us a letter layout for the surprise answer that was challenging and very cryptic. It started with a K and ended with ISS so KISS came to mind but nothing materialized after that. Starting over, I saw KNI which brought STINK into mind leaving the remaining letters to flow neatly into place for the finish. I often say that the surprise answer was a stinky pun, and this time it literally was! Have a wonderful Wednesday and I’ll see you tomorrow!