Posted on 09/29/2019 12:12:06 AM PDT by nikos1121
Today’s Cryptogram
Courtesy of The Arkansas Gazette
ZJV UGO BQZJVOCQGW QCV SUUO, KYZ ZJV SCVQZ KGYV OUHV ZJQZ JQXSW UPVC VPVCMZJDXS DW KVZZVC. —ZJUHQW BQCGMGV
You can find this little fun word game, to combat early dementia and senility in us baby boomers, in several daily publications.
The way it works is a letter stands for another letter. For example: AXYDLBAAXR is LONGFELLOW (does not apply to today's cryptogram).
Beware, the game is very addictive. If this is your first time, don't be intimidated.
PLEASE DO NOT post the answer in general comments, but DO post your time and any tips you might give the group on how you solve these puzzles as puzzle solvers love to hear how you made out.
You can certainly send your solution to my private reply, or if you need a hint for today’s Cryptogram.
If you need a little help you can copy the cryptogram and paste it to Hal’s Helper below:
You can then work on the puzzle without using pen and paper.
THE IN THING NOW IS TO SCROLL DOWN TO MAGNUM44’S “HELPFUL HINT” BEFORE YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE.
Welcome to: Stars&StripesNE
Solution to our last puzzle:
FAILING IS AN EVENT, NOT A PERSON. YESTERDAY ENDED LAST NIGHT. ---ZIG ZIGLAR
The conjunction gets it started.
One of the most common formats for Cryptograms of one sentence is to have an assertive phrase separated by a comma then something that may not agree with the assertion. To do that you need the "yes, but" format. That means the three letter word that most often follows the comma in a Cryptogram is "but". I.e. assertion, "but I think" or fact, "but one can do. . ." or negative assertion, "but you may try to. . ." When you realize that "comma but" is a clue to that format, you can sometimes read the Cryptogram without having to completely solve it. I can sometimes do that. I can think of very few Cryptogram puzzles where the three letter word after the comma was something other than "but", but there will always be exceptions. (You see what I did there?)
Double letters are your friends. Double letters at the end of a long word are usually "ss", "ll", "ee" and rarely "tt", if it’s a name. A pattern of "xzppzw" is likely to be a frequently used word in quotations such as "better". . . but it could be "letter" or "common". Four letter words with doubles are rare and become obvious after you’ve figured out the vowels you need. . . But the doubles there are usually "ss", "ll" or "ee" with a few words with double vowels in the middle.
Learn word patterns and find the gestalt. It’s often far faster in solving cryptogram puzzles than doing it letter by letter.
Good clues, but the word following the comma is often “and”. The letter “B” is far less commonly used than “A”, so it should be easy to tell by the number of occurrences. More than one or two B’s is unusual. “A” is the third most common letter in the English language. Today’s example has 8 A’s and 3 B’s. Certain words, like “people” have distinctive patterns. Lots of words end in “ing”.
Nice. Most common letter and many short words made this one straightforward.
These are great tips.....! Thank you!
I was reading about the author. Very strange but interesting guy....
Sounds like he was generally speaking an athiest.
He also said civilizations as in great empires, eventually ALL die off UNLESS a strong charismatic bold warrior comes along, Like Frederick the Great.
I think we have him in our president.
I’ve been quite depressed, these past few days thinking that our president is goin g to be betrayed by the Paul Ryans and Romneys still in Congress....
Then I realized that God has sent him a clear enemy in the forms of those like Brennan, the media and others who are lining up to take him down...
Americans love a fighter, and Trump is one.
His base will be fired up like never before. His poll numbers will go up.
.
2 mins
ABCA unzipped it for me.
I had that very thought before I finished the preceding sentence...
Or the first word, which confirms the conjunction.
< 2 min.
Yup. I saw it first in conjunction with the conjunction...sorry...and it just clicked.
It might take that (an impeachment trial) to save the country. I think Trump is the only man in our time capable both of getting elected and willing to take that bullet, if necessary. Many years ago...well, 15 or more..., there were the beginnings of prepping talk on FR. People were stockpiling arms and ammo. Some FReeper(I wish I could credit them) posted that “God does not choose the prepared. He prepares the chosen.”
That would give Trump a stage unlike any other on which to fight the battle.
I would add ABCBD, as in “never.” It turns ip a lot in these. Once, I was bored and worked on a list of other examples that fit the pattern. There are quite a few....lever, fever, revel, colon, color, livid, banal, etc..., but you can see where they wouldn’t pop up in quotes very often.
On the subject of President Trump and the possibility of impeachment, it has the potential to allow him to use the media against itself. The contrast between what people see(and I think many will pay attention directly, rather than through the media prism) and what they see reported, will be enraging.
pretty much a ‘snap’ this AM....get the ‘obvious’ first word and it opens the floodgates....
The most important factoid about the first part is they have been standing for hundreds of years, yet today we tend to call a stadium or bridge ‘old’ after 20 or so years
Boy, that sent me straight to Wikipedia. I particularly liked the quote about the smoke and the fire!
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