"Double Trouble" - December 3, 2021

[Tom Shea]

There used to be a rating given at the top of the page, right under the title and date. Now it says "Rate the difficulty of the meta". I'm with you - what happened?

Yes. I've asked a few times with no response. You, along with others have asked as well. Yet.... silence.

Clearly, there is a secret cabal of globalist elite power-brokers who have manipulated the site in order to gaslight us into thinking there never was a star-rating system in the first place, having already implanted their evil tracking mechanisms into our computers which are even now as we speak sending our most private data to their resurrected leader, JFK Jr.! Note the evil glint in Isaac's eyes. HE'S ONE OF THEM!!!

[woozy]

Tangent:

So I'm curious about where most people learn of Burma Shave signs. What percentage was Mad Magazine and what percent was Warner Brothers cartoons? And given that no-one could possibly of learned of them from actual Burma Shave signs, what other sources are there.

[HunterX]

There used to be a rating given at the top of the page, right under the title and date. Now it says "Rate the difficulty of the meta". I'm with you - what happened?

Yes. I've asked a few times with no response. You, along with others have asked as well. Yet.... silence.

Clearly, there is a secret cabal of globalist elite power-brokers who have manipulated the site in order to gaslight us into thinking there never was a star-rating system in the first place, having already implanted their evil tracking mechanisms into our computers which are even now as we speak sending our most private data to their resurrected leader, JFK Jr.! Note the evil glint in Isaac's eyes. HE'S ONE OF THEM!!!

From what I know (which isn't much) from inside the "cabal," the feature was lost when this site was switched to a more capable hosting service (remember the connection troubles from a couple/few weeks ago?). Our leader (All hail!), @BrianMac, will have it fixed or nixed in due time. It's EOY & holiday season with other personal responsibilities extant, so your forbearance is appreciated.

Yes... that's EXACTLY what someone inside the cabal WOULD say to lull us into complacency! Time for the full-body tin foil wrap, and the painful self-extraction of all metal fillings! You'll never control me because I won't let you see my web-surfing history! MWAHAHA!


(Thanks for the update Joe!)

[Wendy Walker]

Tangent:

So I'm curious about where most people learn of Burma Shave signs. What percentage was Mad Magazine and what percent was Warner Brothers cartoons? And given that no-one could possibly of learned of them from actual Burma Shave signs, what other sources are there.

My Dad.

[MarkWoychick]

Tangent:

So I'm curious about where most people learn of Burma Shave signs. What percentage was Mad Magazine and what percent was Warner Brothers cartoons? And given that no-one could possibly of learned of them from actual Burma Shave signs, what other sources are there.

I can attribute most of what I know to Warner Brothers cartoons.

[HunterX]

Tangent:

So I'm curious about where most people learn of Burma Shave signs. What percentage was Mad Magazine and what percent was Warner Brothers cartoons? And given that no-one could possibly of learned of them from actual Burma Shave signs, what other sources are there.

My Dad.

Same here.

Wendy's dad.


No... wait. It was my dad.

[Bird Lives]

Ashore.
Not a phrase I've heard before, but Google helped.

I was wondering about people who haven't heard the phrase, because I am sure there are probably a fair number. I think this would be very hard to Google! Impressed that you figured it out!

I thought that familiarity with this phrase would track with age, with the "never heard of it" people being at the younger end of the axis. But Google nGrams shows that it has certainly not faded from use, at least not in books.
.

[boharr]

Tangent:

So I'm curious about where most people learn of Burma Shave signs. What percentage was Mad Magazine and what percent was Warner Brothers cartoons? And given that no-one could possibly of learned of them from actual Burma Shave signs, what other sources are there.

My Dad.

Same here.

Wendy's dad.


No... wait. It was my dad.

Dads know.

[JeanneC]

Well, I don’t know if I will solve this one, but (as always) I am learning new things and having fun. I will probably groan when I see the solution, though.

[jeffmiz]

Can someone post the puzzle? For some reason I can’t seem to see it on the WSJ website. Thanks

[woozy]

My Dad.

Same here.

Wendy's dad.


No... wait. It was my dad.

Dads know.

Gosh.... People get a lot out of these "dad" things, don't they? Maybe I should have had one.

[boharr]

Can someone post the puzzle? For some reason I can’t seem to see it on the WSJ website. Thanks

https://www.wsj.com/articles/double-tro ... 1638460707

[ship4u]

If you were 17 in 1987, I'm wondering where you saw those Burma Shave signs. . .

17 in 1987??? My son was 17 in 1987. LOL

I was 19 in '87. Am I in the wrong forum?

I was 37 in '87, young whippersnapper! Grew up with the Mouseketeers.

[ship4u]

I read Femullen's posts - kind of like a series of Burma Shave signs (for those who are old)

The Verse By The Side of the Road

For those who aren't old, but would like to enjoy some of this roadside verse that used to adorn Rte 66.

(For those who do remember, I suspect you will mentally add "Burma Shave" as the final sign not included in these 90 smiles.)

90 Brilliant Burma Shave Signs



Oh, and on the shore!

AHA! Now I see where femullen gets his inspiration!!!!

[Guffman]

Burma Shave signs have always been near and dear to me - and a frequent topic of discussion while I was working at Hallmark. Ten years ago we had a wedding reception for my daughter at a friend's farm home about 100 miles from Kansas City. One of the writers on my staff joined me in composing a half dozen sets of signs, setting them up along the country roads, guiding the way for our guests. The set here is hanging in my garage (my daughter was doing improv comedy at the time - her husband has always been a tech guy.)

[daoadalgisa]

This is my first xword contest puzzle. I've solved the grid but don't know how to get the meta. Can someone pm me and help?

Happy to report that with some gentle nudges I successfully completed the challenge!

[mntlblok]

Bill Bryson is still on this side of the grass. He also wrote a great book on Australia originally called "Down Under". It was renamed for some reason, likely involving lawyers, to "In A Sunburned Country" or variations on that.

Just listened to his _The Body_. Loved it.

A few other good books by Bryson:
At Home
The Mother Tongue
Made in America
Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Notes From a Small Island
Notes From a Big Country
A Walk in the Woods
The Road to Little Dribbling

Cool! This was our third of his we've listened to. Just checked, again, and the library has many more than I had thought. Have seen it stated that his accent is that "Mid-Atlantic" thing - the one that makes you want to slap it out of them - and not British, even though he's lived there for a long time.

[mntlblok]

Bill Bryson is still on this side of the grass. He also wrote a great book on Australia originally called "Down Under". It was renamed for some reason, likely involving lawyers, to "In A Sunburned Country" or variations on that.

Just listened to his _The Body_. Loved it.

Me too! Lots of interesting information that I have now forgotten.

As a bit of a "history of science" buff, was blown away by all the new insights. Also doesn't leave one feeling overly confident about the current state of medicine, nor how we've gotten there.

[boharr]

Just listened to his _The Body_. Loved it.

A few other good books by Bryson:
At Home
The Mother Tongue
Made in America
Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Notes From a Small Island
Notes From a Big Country
A Walk in the Woods
The Road to Little Dribbling

Cool! This was our third of his we've listened to. Just checked, again, and the library has many more than I had thought. Have seen it stated that his accent is that "Mid-Atlantic" thing - the one that makes you want to slap it out of them - and not British, even though he's lived there for a long time.

I've only read him not listened to him.

[Streroto]

Just cannot make this work. I see everything and I have a phrase but there is no aha so it has to be wrong.

Isaac please bring another Syrah

Stay well all