| Author | Message | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 651 Registered: 5-2007 |
Sere tin alt | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 62 Registered: 6-2009 |
Maybe a code? alt = Alt key on key board? tin = Container? tin = Chemical? Title relevant? Tail: Tail on an animal? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 652 Registered: 5-2007 |
Maybe a code? not as such, no alt = Alt key on key board? no tin = Container? no tin = Chemical? no Title relevant? yes Tail: Tail on an animal? yes | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 64 Registered: 6-2009 |
Tail of a mammal? Fish? Reptile? Amphibian? Bird? Insect? Arachnid? Other? Is it to be read in a certain way? (Backwards? Mirror? Sideways? Upside-down?) Does each letter correspond to something? Is it an acronym? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 654 Registered: 5-2007 |
Tail of a mammal? Fish? Reptile? this one Amphibian? Bird? Insect? Arachnid? Other? Is it to be read in a certain way? yes (Backwards? Mirror? Sideways? Upside-down?) none of those - left to right will do, but... Does each letter correspond to something? not to anything except itself - there is no cipher here Is it an acronym? no | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 68 Registered: 6-2009 |
Is the tail belonging to a ... snake? Lizard? Crocodile? Turtle? Other? Are any of these things relevant? The alphabet? A keyboard? Numbers? Phonetics? I ran out of ideas. :[ | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 655 Registered: 5-2007 |
Is the tail belonging to a ... snake? Lizard? Crocodile? this one Turtle? Other? Are any of these things relevant? The alphabet? not really A keyboard? no Numbers? no Phonetics? no I ran out of ideas Fret not. This is a similar kind of puzzle to "We agree", in that the puzzle statement is set in the form of a crossword clue. In case you haven't looked at that one, the clue was "tupak", which was deciphered as "It would not work backwards", since "tupak" is "kaput" written backwards, and something that is kaput would not work. By the same token "sere tin alt" is to be read (more or less exactly as it stands, but not quite) as a clue that, when solved, will give you the actual puzzle statement. Confused? You will be... | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 70 Registered: 6-2009 |
Hmm, I'm already confused. So a better crocodile tail? Can any words be derived from "Sere tin alt"? Maybe Retina? Do I have to add in letters? (Secret in a let?) Take away letters? (See Tina?) Does the spacing matter? Yeah I'm just going to give up! | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 657 Registered: 5-2007 |
Hmm, I'm already confused. as may be, but you haven't done badly at all So a better crocodile tail? so to speak Can any words be derived from "Sere tin alt"? a great many Maybe Retina? close, very close... Do I have to add in letters? (Secret in a let?) no, I'd stick with your first thought, though your second has elements of the right idea Take away letters? (See Tina?) no Does the spacing matter? yes indeed Yeah I'm just going to give up! that would be like climbing the first 29,001 feet of Mount Everest | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 73 Registered: 6-2009 |
So how many words? 1+, 2+, 3+, 5+, 10+, 20+, 50+, 100+, 500+, 1000+, 5000+ 10,000+, 100,000+, 1,000,000+? (Oh did I get carried away?) Close in what way? Letters the almost the same? Same idea? Do I have to scramble letters? Now I give up. | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 658 Registered: 5-2007 |
So how many words? 1+, 2+, 3+, 5+, 10+, 20+, 50+, 100+, 500+, 1000+, 5000+ 10,000+, 100,000+, 1,000,000+? (Oh did I get carried away?) perhaps. The clue "sere tin alt" contains, as it stands, one word and one non-word that can be transformed into a word with a little imagination Close in what way? Letters the almost the same? well, the letters of the word you proposed were exactly the right letters and in exactly the right order. You just didn't propose enough of them. Same idea? very much so Do I have to scramble letters? you do not - again, the letters of this clue are not only the right letters, they are also in the right order Now I give up. nothing's impossible, I have found, for when your chin is on the ground, you... | ||
| Ferrets101 (Ferrets101)
New member Username: Ferrets101 Post Number: 125 Registered: 8-2009 |
retinas? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 659 Registered: 5-2007 |
retinas? no - as I say, the letters are in the right order | ||
| Kaygee (Kaygee)
New member Username: Kaygee Post Number: 341 Registered: 9-2008 |
Would an eye doctor be relevant here? Anything to do with retinal detachment? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 661 Registered: 5-2007 |
Would an eye doctor be relevant here? yes Anything to do with retinal detachment? no, but it is important - for Quovynyte's peace of mind, if for nothing else - that one of the keywords of this puzzle statement is "retinal". Now, what is the other? And hello Kaygee - good to see you again. | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 76 Registered: 6-2009 |
Well since my chin is on the ground 29,001 steps up on Mount Everest... So is the non-word set? tse? se___________t? Can the "imagination" used to transform the non-word into a word got something got to do with crocodile tails? Or retinas? Are any crocodile retinas relevant? So would this puzzle work with no spaces? ...And that's all the questions I have. | ||
| Mani (Mani)
New member Username: Mani Post Number: 290 Registered: 10-2006 |
retinal set? Eye disorders relevant? Or other "eye problems"? "Cross-eyed-ness"? | ||
| Ohlala8 (Ohlala8)
New member Username: Ohlala8 Post Number: 436 Registered: 6-2009 |
Retinal inset? Retinal inside set? Set with retinal? | ||
| Ferrets101 (Ferrets101)
New member Username: Ferrets101 Post Number: 128 Registered: 8-2009 |
retinal set? As in, a set of retinas? | ||
| Deathateaster (Deathateaster)
New member Username: Deathateaster Post Number: 244 Registered: 5-2007 |
Does a person have a retinal inset? The crocodile? If so, can we call him/it Alf? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 664 Registered: 5-2007 |
Well since my chin is on the ground 29,001 steps up on Mount Everest... So is the non-word set? tse? se___________t? this one Can the "imagination" used to transform the non-word into a word got something got to do with crocodile tails? yes Or retinas? no Are any crocodile retinas relevant? no So would this puzzle work with no spaces? yes retinal set? almost Eye disorders relevant? yes Or other "eye problems"? "Cross-eyed-ness"? no Retinal inset? close enough Retinal inside set? also close enough Set with retinal? not quite close enough... Does a person have a retinal inset? no The crocodile? no If so, can we call him/it Alf? you can call a crocodile whatever you like - it will eat you just the same. The puzzle statement has now been deciphered as: Inset retinal. | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 89 Registered: 6-2009 |
Is inset the non-word? Is a macula relevant? Is a person involved in this? is the crocodile C/A/M? Are you trying to say that a inset retinal is a better crocodile tail? Opticians relevant? Crocodile opticians? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 347 Registered: 3-2004 |
Ahhh, a rebus/riddle - "In(side) set, retinal"... :-) So, we do a "start-over" with the deciphered puzzle statement - are crocodile tails still relevant? The dangerousness of crocodiles relevant? Crocodile skin/leather as a commodity? | ||
| Wefigure (Wefigure)
New member Username: Wefigure Post Number: 24 Registered: 9-2009 |
Retinal tail insert? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 665 Registered: 5-2007 |
Is inset the non-word? yope. That is to say, inset is a word, but it is not the intended word. for reasons that will become clear - I hope. Is a macula relevant? not especially Is a person involved in this? yes is the crocodile C/A/M? the crocodile in question is certainly a crocodile, probably not an adult, and certainly a male Are you trying to say that a inset retinal is a better crocodile tail? no Opticians relevant? ophthalmologists more likely to be relevant Crocodile opticians? no So, we do a "start-over" with the deciphered puzzle statement - are crocodile tails still relevant? yes, but as with most puzzle titles, only peripherally The dangerousness of crocodiles relevant? no Crocodile skin/leather as a commodity? no Retinal tail insert? no - the puzzle statement has now become "Inset retinal" (because "sere tin alt" is "retinal" in "set"). You may think that it would be better if the statement were "Insert retinal", and I might agree with you, but... | ||
| Wefigure (Wefigure)
New member Username: Wefigure Post Number: 25 Registered: 9-2009 |
Retinal tail inset? Retina inset in tail? Retina set in tail? | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 361 Registered: 3-2004 |
Contact lens relevant? Eye operation? The photo-receptor cells (rods & cones) relevant? Mosaic pattern of crocodile leather relevant? Crocodile waggling of its tail? | ||
| Kaygee (Kaygee)
New member Username: Kaygee Post Number: 343 Registered: 9-2008 |
"And hello Kaygee - good to see you again." Thank you, woubit. And I hope all is well with you. Is function, form or disease of the retina relevant? Is the function or form a crocodile tail relevant? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 667 Registered: 5-2007 |
Retinal tail inset? Retina inset in tail? Retina set in tail? none of the above - just Inset retinal, or perhaps more helpfully: Inset "retinal" Contact lens relevant? no Eye operation? as it happened, no The photo-receptor cells (rods & cones) relevant? no Mosaic pattern of crocodile leather relevant? no Crocodile waggling of its tail? no Is function, form or disease this is closest of the retina relevant? Is the function or form a crocodile tail relevant? no | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 4087 Registered: 12-2000 |
Are crocodile tears relevant? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 668 Registered: 5-2007 |
Are crocodile tears relevant? yes | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 365 Registered: 3-2004 |
"Crocodile tears" as in "Pretending to feel sorry for someone"? or as in "Eyes are filled with tears without anyone being sad"? Does anyone have condition where the eyes are getting watery? because of some problem with the lacrimal duct? because of some irritation? other problem in the eye? Is one person relevant? more? H/A/M? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 669 Registered: 5-2007 |
"Crocodile tears" as in "Pretending to feel sorry for someone"? or as in "Eyes are filled with tears without anyone being sad"? either would do, but the second is perhaps closer Does anyone have condition where the eyes are getting watery? because of some problem with the lacrimal duct? because of some irritation? other problem in the eye? this one Is one person relevant? this one more? H/A/M? all three | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 368 Registered: 3-2004 |
Is the nature of the eye condition important to find out? or did this eye condition cause something to happen, and we should find that out? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 670 Registered: 5-2007 |
Is the nature of the eye condition important to find out? very much so or did this eye condition cause something to happen, and we should find that out? "and" rather than "or" | ||
| Sundowner (Sundowner)
New member Username: Sundowner Post Number: 551 Registered: 6-2003 |
"Retinal" as in retinaldehyd? (that is, vitamine A?) Is lack of vitamine A relevant? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 671 Registered: 5-2007 |
"Retinal" as in retinaldehyd? (that is, vitamine A?) no, just retinal as in "of the retina" Is lack of vitamine A relevant? no | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 372 Registered: 3-2004 |
Is the eye condition something the affected is usually born with? or is it gained from being exposed to something? exposed to sunlight? or is it an illness? (I'll call the relevant person Marty, if he will not "eat me just the same"...) Does Marty have this eye condition? and because of that something happens? something bad? bad to him? an accident? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 672 Registered: 5-2007 |
Is the eye condition something the affected is usually born with? no or is it gained from being exposed to something? no exposed to sunlight? no or is it an illness? no, not really (I'll call the relevant person Marty, if he will not "eat me just the same"...) Does Marty have this eye condition? yes and because of that something happens? yes something bad? not bad - just absurd, and therefore subject matter for a lateral puzzle bad to him? no an accident? you could put it that way, yes | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 95 Registered: 9-2009 |
Is the eye condition an injury? does it affect his vision? Is what happens a result of impaired vision? Or a result of his eyes being full of tears, so that he appears to be crying? Does the condition affect both his eyes? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 673 Registered: 5-2007 |
Is the eye condition an injury? yes, indeed does it affect his vision? it is believed not to have done Is what happens a result of impaired vision? no Or a result of his eyes being full of tears, so that he appears to be crying? no Does the condition affect both his eyes? no, and it would not actually matter if it did... | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 373 Registered: 3-2004 |
Are tears relevant? Does Marty actually *not* have tears in one eye? Has the injury affected the retina? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 674 Registered: 5-2007 |
Are tears relevant? yes Does Marty actually *not* have tears in one eye? at least one of Marty's eyes does not contain tears, yes Has the injury affected the retina? yes | ||
| Tommyp (Tommyp)
New member Username: Tommyp Post Number: 375 Registered: 3-2004 |
Is Marty bothered by his "dry eye"? Does he use a liquid to mitigate the problem? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 675 Registered: 5-2007 |
Is Marty bothered by his "dry eye"? false assumption Does he use a liquid to mitigate the problem? no | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 4088 Registered: 12-2000 |
George Brown? He is blind in one eye and has retinal problems with the other. | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 676 Registered: 5-2007 |
George Brown? He is blind in one eye and has retinal problems with the other. no, he doesn't. But Gordon Brown does, and he is indeed the Marty of this puzzle - well done. Now then... | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 4089 Registered: 12-2000 |
duh! | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 4090 Registered: 12-2000 |
They're not so much tears as tears? And as he's a bit snappy if you catch him before he's woken up properly you could say that the two rips to his retina are crocodile tears (not tears) | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 677 Registered: 5-2007 |
They're not so much tears as tears? indeed - they were not so much drops of salt water as lacerations of the retina And as he's a bit snappy if you catch him before he's woken up properly you could say that the two rips to his retina are crocodile tears (not tears) I suppose you could, but this is not what the puzzle is about - why was it necessary to insert "retinal"? | ||
| Alhucema (Alhucema)
New member Username: Alhucema Post Number: 1242 Registered: 11-2008 |
Did he suffer an eye injury because of a crocodile? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 678 Registered: 5-2007 |
Did he suffer an eye injury because of a crocodile? no - the relevance of the crocodile is only that it has led you to the word "tears", on which this puzzle depends. You may now forget about crocodiles. | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 115 Registered: 6-2009 |
Can we forget about Retinal? Did he suffer an eye injury from a human or animal? By an accident? Blades relevant? | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 805 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was the word "retinal" inserted into a document? A news story? A speech? A medical report? And I'm confused...from the clue, it's "inset" not "insert," right? Is that a reference to someone leaving an r out of something? Did they write "etinal" instead of "etinal"? Or "teas" instead of "tears"? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 679 Registered: 5-2007 |
Can we forget about Retinal? by no means Did he suffer an eye injury from a human or animal? neither By an accident? this, I imagine, but it does not matter Blades relevant? no Was the word "retinal" inserted into a document? A news story? this one - excellent question A speech? A medical report? And I'm confused...from the clue, it's "inset" not "insert," right? right Is that a reference to someone leaving an r out of something? it is indeed Did they write "etinal" instead of "etinal"? Or "teas" instead of "tears"? this one, having originally... | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 121 Registered: 6-2009 |
In a newspaper? Was it a heading? Did the newspapers say "teas" and "inset" instead of "tear" and "insert"? Any other mistakes? Is Marty the main subject of this news report? is Marty famous? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 680 Registered: 5-2007 |
In a newspaper? not exactly, no Was it a heading? it was a headline Did the newspapers say "teas" yes, for svv of "newspapers" and "inset" no instead of "tear" not quite and "insert"? no Any other mistakes? yes Is Marty the main subject of this news report? indeed is Marty famous? "Marty" is Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of Great Britain. You may or may not have heard of him. | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 4091 Registered: 12-2000 |
psst - some of us think of him as George Brown, Mrs Brown's boy, hence the confusion | ||
| Lynne (Lynne)
New member Username: Lynne Post Number: 4092 Registered: 12-2000 |
Did the report - I'm guessing it was in a red top paper - make it seem as though he got a couple of cuppas in his eye? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 681 Registered: 5-2007 |
Did the report - I'm guessing it was in a red top paper - it was actually on the website of no less respectable an organisation than the British Broadcasting Corporation make it seem as though he got a couple of cuppas in his eye? at one point, yes... | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 829 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was the word "retinal" inserted in a retraction? Into the text of the original story? Was it inserted in place of another word that originally appeared? If so, was it a similar word to "retinal"? If not, was it inserted in between two words that were in the original story? Between ____ and "teas" (which became "tears")? Did they originally print something about Brown's problem with teas in his eye? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 684 Registered: 5-2007 |
Was the word "retinal" inserted in a retraction? no, it was more in the nature of a clarification Into the text of the original story? no - it was inserted into the headline Was it inserted in place of another word that originally appeared? no If so, was it a similar word to "retinal"? If not, was it inserted in between two words that were in the original story? see above Between ____ and "teas" (which became "tears")? quite the contrary... Did they originally print something about Brown's problem with teas in his eye? not originally, but this is very much on the right track | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 831 Registered: 7-2009 |
Was it originally "tears" and then changed to "teas"? Did the "teas" mistake occur when the "retinal" mistake was fixed? | ||
| Woubit (Woubit)
Moderator Username: Woubit Post Number: 685 Registered: 5-2007 |
Was it originally "tears" and then changed to "teas"? indeed Did the "teas" mistake occur when the "retinal" mistake was fixed? it did, and that, I think, will do... ***** SPOILER ***** A couple of days ago it was discovered that, as if he did not already have enough to worry about, Gordon Brown is suffering from a torn retina in his right eye. As Lynne observes, this problem - serious enough in the ordinary case - is potentially disastrous for the Prime Minister since he lost all vision in his left eye many years ago. When the BBC reported the story on its website, it used the headline: Minor tears in Brown's eye and naturally received a great many comments asking, for example, whether these were crocodile tears or whether the Prime Minister truly repented the wrongs he had done the country. Hastily the BBC amended the headline by inserting the word "retinal" between "minor" and "tears", but in so doing the word "tears" lost its fourth letter and the headline now read: Minor retinal teas in Brown's eye At this point I thought I had enough material for a puzzle, so I set one. Thanks to all who took part, and for those still concerned about the title, it refers to the words of Lewis Carroll: How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale. How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in With gently smiling jaws. a parody of the truly dreadful Against Idleness and Mischief by Isacc Watts. The parody is now far more widely known than the original, and quite rightly so. | ||
| Quovynyte (Quovynyte)
New member Username: Quovynyte Post Number: 163 Registered: 6-2009 |
Very clever! (Is it still there now?) |
