Today's Cryptogram

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

HVIH'C HVZ HVNLD IPERH DNWGC. ZUZWK HNXZ HVZK TE CEXZHVNLD MWZHHK, ZUZL NJ HVZK'WZ LEH XRFV HE GEES IH, EW ZUZL NJ HVZK'WZ CEWH EJ CHRMNT, KER JIGG NL GEUZ ANHV HVZX, ILT HVZL KER LZUZW SLEA AVZWZ HVZ VZGG KER IWZ. DNWGC. BZCRC FVWNCH. HVZK FIL TWNUZ KER FWIQK. HVZK WZIGGK FIL. ― B.T. CIGNLDZW, HVZ FIHFVZW NL HVZ WKZ

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

You can find this fun quotation puzzle, to combat early dementia and senility in us baby boomers, in several daily publications. I challenge us with the best ones out there.

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, you’ll be solving them all within a few days. If you’re stumped, take a break and return to it.

PLEASE DO NOT post the answer in general comments, but DO post your time and how you made out.

You can certainly send your solution to my private reply, or if you need a hint for today’s Cryptogram ASK THE GROUP FOR HELP!

I suggest printing these out and work them on paper. If you need a little help you can copy and paste it to Hal’s Helper below.

You can then work on the puzzle without using pen and paper, but I recommend that you do NOT look at the letter counter.

HAL'S CRYPTOGRAM HELPER

One last request. Feel free to post a fun or clever clue, the more tangential to the quotation the better, but please don’t put the actual words of the quote in the clue.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

If you need a clue ask the group to send you a letter to your private reply.

4 minutes good
3 minutes excellent
2 minutes exceptional
90 seconds superior

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Previous puzzle Friday 2/4/2022

BMH’W UMNNZ CKMIW UTCW’Y LMMS CHB UTCW’Y HMW LMMS. CIWTPHWDLDWZ DY UTCW’Y LMMS. —QCL AMYPH

Solution to previous puzzle (select the yellow text with your cursor to read):

DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT’S COOL AND WHAT’S NOT COOL. AUTHENTICITY IS WHAT’S COOL. —ZAC POSEN

HAL'S CRYPTOGRAM HELPER

If you want on or off the daily cryptogram ping list reply to this post and state your intention: ON or OFF.

[Political Junkie Too]

As fast as I can type. This is probably the first time that I solved the puzzle entirely from left to right. The words just came to me as I went along.

-PJ

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I thought it would be easy. Hope it wasn’t too easy. It’s a change of pace from the usual bromides and adages.

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

I think the longer a quote is, the easier it is to solve.

The author’s use of the Lord’s name in vain is not my cup of tea.

[nikos1121]

That’s a break thru. I try to at least do it line by line, but word by word is great!!!

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

A crummy commercial?

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Holy cow, I solved this in 2 minutes and I never play this.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Me too, and I never play this. Without giving too much away, it from a famous book published in 1951. Maybe because I read it I got it so fast.

[Political Junkie Too]

I think the letters from the first word kept filling up the blanks in the words that followed.

-PJ

[Moltke]

Straight from the beginning < 1 min.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Claude Shannon, the inventor of information theory, wrote a paper on secret codes, and came to the same conclusion. Typically, a cryptogram can be broken if it contains at least 14 characters. The more characters a quote contains, the more likely you are to find familiar patterns, and the distinctly the letter frequency stands out. Sorry about the language, but I like to spice ‘em up a little. I thought this one would be easy, and fun for most people. I haven’t read that book since high school (and I went to Katlick school, so it wasn’t assigned) and I really didn’t appreciate it much.

[Magnum44]

[doorgunner69]

The contractions made it easy.