Great story and a word puzzle... 2

[LFI]

This story recently reported in our local paper. It includes a great story and a puzzle that no one has figured out yet.

Can you?

Dave


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O Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!

 

[tgreer]

Very nice story, indeed.

My only thought is that this puzzle might not be Christmas-themed at all, but since it's the last puzzle , and comes on the heel of the confession, something about "to tease"? (2 teas).

Thomas D. Greer

http://www.tgreer.com

 

[jebenson]

Thanks for that one, LFI. It really lifted my spirits.

I think I really would have liked to have known Matthew Motz...he sounds like a real character.

Thomas: Maybe, maybe not (about the puzzle not being Christmas-themed, that is). The tea bags are glued over Perth, which keeps me coming back to "birth" and the connection that word has to Christmas.

Anyway, I'm now sucked in, and am perusing Christmas carol lyrics websites....


I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

 

[jebenson]

Oooooh! The tea bags are red and green - Christmas colors!

I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

 

[donbott]

Two teas on Pearth?

To peace on earth?

DonBott

 

[LFI]

Teas on Pearth = Peace on Earth! Good one, donbott!

Here are some lyrics (the answer COULD be longer) with "peace on earth" in them:
----------------------------------
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
----------------------------------
Peace on earth goodwill to men
----------------------------------
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me
----------------------------------
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
----------------------------------
Of course, it could be the phrase by itself.

Good eye, jebenson! I noticed the Perth/Birth possibility too, but only after checking the almanac for what was covered by the teas. Also, the tea bags are ON Perth, so "teas on" could be "season".

Also, and this is a bit of a stretch, if you accept that the Twinings tea is more to the right than the other one, then "twinings right tea" could be "shining brightly" (as in "O holy night, the stars are shining brightly").

I was moved by the story too! I think it would have been particularly touching if this last message turned out to be "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night", but that doesn't jibe with anything in the clue!

I'm glad you liked it!

Dave

P.S., I thought the bottom one was black. I can see it's green. I wonder if that's an 'N' at the end of the type of tea it is. I was wonderinf if that mattered. Here's the different types of TofH tea:

http://www.englishteastore.com/taofhate.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!

 

[LFI]

Let there be teas on Perth
and let them begin with "T"

Hmmm...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!

 

[nicksims]

Go Matthew!

Gotta love a good practical joke that lasts years.

While I can't even come close to this type of patience, my father had for decades (my uncle is now 84 and I can remember the argument at least 25 years ago) convinced his 2 older brothers that he was a different age (by 5 years) than what they believed to be the truth (only one of many jokes over his lifetime). The argument was common over family gatherings. Whenever the conversation hit a certain point, Dad would pull out the driver's license. One time he had the passport handy. Everyone eventually believed him. Nobody could find any document that could refute this.

Only after my father died did we all learn the truth. We were all sitting with the attorneys. Dad had directed that a story be read declaring the truth to be what the Uncles knew- and how he fooled everybody. But at a pretty emotionally draining time, Dad provided us with a good laugh. We were all sure he was laughing somewhere.

I guess I should start a new thread for the topic of decent, long term practical jokes.

Nick

 

[SantaMufasa]

LFI,

Have you submitted your excellent guess to the newspaper yet? You deserve the kudos for presenting this great story to us and soliciting all the ideas.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[LFI]

Actually, I was in play rehearsal all weekend (I even slept at the theatre one night) and haven't had a chance! I'll probably do it tonight (if I can stay awake after I put my kid to bed). I'll be sure to credit the folks here (if I'm recognized for contributing a possible solution, that is).

In retrospect, I should have put my last guess in white-on-white style so people might continue to have a go, but I did get a kick from brain-storming-feel this thread had.

Dave


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!

 

[SantaMufasa]

Dave, be sure to keep us posted on any outcomes of your submission.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[Dollie]

I was too curious and had to search the site to see if a solution had been published yet...

"Brother's last puzzle touts peace on earth"

I've gotten about 300 e-mails, mostly from friends and (husband) David's co-workers at Ohio National. Most are going with Teas on Perth, although I'm also getting a lot of Teas Down Under. It's a good pun and fits the occasion of my brother being buried, but it has nothing do with Christmas and he did specifically say it was a last Christmas puzzle."

Teas Down Under was the second vote-getter among readers as well - 14 of them, followed by My 2 Front Teas, referring to "All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth." That one got eight votes.

Other suggestions were just bizarre. Some examples: Merry Aussie-mas; Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport; Teas in a Manger; and I Saw Mommie Teasing Santa Claus.

 

[LFI]

Thanks for checking. I had not gotten around to e-mailing the author, so I just did that now, pushing the idea that the phrase "Peace on Earth" is part of a larger lyric and crediting the brainstorming effort that went on here.

I'll let you know if he writes back!

Dave


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!

 

[NorthNone]

Here's a later article from the same publication.
"Peace on Earth" was the winner:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060110/LIFE/601100321/-1/all

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." - Helen Keller