Brain Teasers
What's That You Said? II
Here are some well-known expressions rewritten into "Cliff-ese". For those of you who don't know what that means, he was a very wordy person on the TV show "Cheers" and never used a small word where a larger one would work. Try to figure out the phrases in simpler terms.
1. Projecting short, loud, canine-like noises erroneously toward the top of an incorrect arboreal plant.
2. To subject a slender illumination device to rapid carbonization on its antipodal points.
3. To slay a brace of avian creatures with just a single petrous conglomeration.
4. Like sending dense shelly concretions through the air to fall in front of stout-bodied, artiodactyl creatures.
1. Projecting short, loud, canine-like noises erroneously toward the top of an incorrect arboreal plant.
2. To subject a slender illumination device to rapid carbonization on its antipodal points.
3. To slay a brace of avian creatures with just a single petrous conglomeration.
4. Like sending dense shelly concretions through the air to fall in front of stout-bodied, artiodactyl creatures.
Answer
1. Barking up the wrong tree.2. Burn the candles at both ends.
3. Kill two birds with one stone.
4. Casting pearls before swine.
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Comments
This was a great one,loved it but I must say most of them stumped me until I saw the answers Keep them coming
Good one fishmed, keep them rollin'.
good one. you had me stumped on most of them. keep it up
Hey that was fun to do ! I did not get the last one only, probably because I have never heard of that phrase ! But it was fun, and I learnt a new phrase as well...
Loved it!!
i got maybe 2 of them. good one, keep it up!
I loved it I actually got all of them with no problem
I loved this one, didnt get any, but it was great
Leave it to cliff. . i liked it. Very ingenious
Loved this, didn't get the last one, never heard that phrase.
This one is great. My morning, sluggish brain only connected on 2 of them..but I love this kind. Good Work!
Great job!! Only got 1 and 3...my mind must not be awake yet...I should have gotten 2. Thanks for the fun!!
Didn't get a single one, but had fun trying. It reminded me that I wasn't very fond of Cliff-ese in the first place (although, I do like Cheers). No offense though....I thought you did a great job on the teaser!!!
This was Great
I didn't have the patience today to get a single one of them, though after looking at the answers I wish I had pondered a little longer.
I didn't have the patience today to get a single one of them, though after looking at the answers I wish I had pondered a little longer.
Awesome!
and gotten out the dictionary
Hmmmm...better luck next time.
(sings) Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name.....Ohhh sorry somethimes I get off track!!!! I loved it and Cheers is like one of my Favorite TV shows like ever!!! You rock, Way to go, awesome!!!! Snaps for you!!!!
Great word play. I only got the first one right. This is one of my favorites so far. WTG!
Lovely! I'd never heard of the last one.... Fun stuff - keep it coming!
Very nice. I love these kids of teasers. I got the first three with ease, but was not really familiar with the last one so it rather stumped me. Nice one!
Well, sorry guys, but I knew the answer(s) to this one because I saw this exact same thing in a Reader's Digest issue awhile back. Sure, it's clever, and an excellent Brain Teaser... however, if one has the knowledge of words that aren't commonly used in a normal conversation, this one was too easy. Even when I saw it the first time in Reader's Digest.
Good job.
I liked this one and got the first 3. Clever
DICTIONARY TIME!!! Oof, the last one WAS tough, even though I have heard the expression. Thanx - this is going into my Favorites!
Fun teaser! I didnt get one, but I enjoyed it.
Yes! This was fun and diff. I got them all, although the last one took the longest time. I would love to have seen more, you could have done 12 and it wouldn't have been boring, afaic (as far as I'm concerned). I also kinda wished you had made every possible word a clifferism, like "gaseous mixture of several elements, mainly hydrogen", for air (hey, it's just an idea, no wisecracks or scathing criticisms, please, I feel fragile, LOL). Good work! More! Harder!
Good puzzle, pretty interesting, but it is amaziing to me how many people are commenting that they "never heard of" casting pearls before swine. Where were these people educated? What have they been reading and watching all their lives? I really don't understand. It seems that the level of the players here is too high for them not to know that phrase!
There are, however, several minors that frequent these teasers and they might not be old enough to have had the "education" that we have.
I loved this one! I had some trouble with #2. Great job!!
Big words small mind. Loved it
Loved these, only got 1 & 3 though, not as clever as I thought I was ha,ha,#4 stumped me until I read the answer, keep these coming please
I did'nt get it. A tough teaser
I got numbers 1 and 3, but 2 and 4 I've never even heard before. This kind of teaser is a lot of fun in my opinion, please keep submitting this kind!
I was educated at a very good school and feel that my IQ is very high. I am sorry that I can't be on the same high plateau as halfmoonscott. I have never heard of the last saying and now feel as though my 55 years here have ben wasted. WE ALL ARE INTRODUCED TO DIFFERENT THINGS. Thanks
that was tuff,i think ive seen it b4 tho
As to the little "pearls before swine" thing, I think I learned that phrase in church, Sunday school, etc. and I think it comes from Jesus in the Bible.
bbbbbiiiigggggggg words, dont go with small brian YIKES!!!!!
I got the 1st three fairly quickly,
but got stumped on the 4th. I'm
familiar with the phrase though.
It is from the Bible (Matthew 7: 6,
New Testament). It's a parable
from Jesus that begins,"Do not
give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." The chapter begins with the famous scriptures/expression,
"Judge not, lest you be judged."
One of the main messages of the
parable is to not throw away things that are precious, like say for example...your virginity before
marriage.
but got stumped on the 4th. I'm
familiar with the phrase though.
It is from the Bible (Matthew 7: 6,
New Testament). It's a parable
from Jesus that begins,"Do not
give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." The chapter begins with the famous scriptures/expression,
"Judge not, lest you be judged."
One of the main messages of the
parable is to not throw away things that are precious, like say for example...your virginity before
marriage.
I would have probably gotton it if I was familiar with the phrases 2 and 4
Has no one heard the famous Dorothy Parker twist on "pearls before swine"? A young actress offers Ms. Parker first entrance through a doorway saying, "age before beauty". Ms. Parker breezes through the doorway first exclaiming, "pearls before swine".
Also, I don't think poor Cliff could have ever come up with such a fine concoction of fifty-cent words.
Also, I don't think poor Cliff could have ever come up with such a fine concoction of fifty-cent words.
Got them all and think they were impressive! Knowing the words and being able to combine them in such away is a gift. Keep going.
Karma48, you need to get a life. Imagine feeling that you have wasted your 55 years of life because you were not familiar with a 4-word phrase! Rather pathetic. Your comments are really rude and mean-spirited. I don't claim to be one a "higher plane" than you or anyone. Am I the only one who thinks Karma48 is an order of fries short of a happy meal?
no, halfmoonscott I think you were out of line to begin with and that it is VERY ironic that the verse you put everyone down about is in the chapter of the Bible that discusses judging others... lest you be judged.. I guess you got what you asked for!
I truley enjoyed it! Your work is currently being forwarded to 4 of my finest friends. I'm just glad you left-out di-hydrous oxygen!
lotta fun
i missed #4 too
but i liked it
i really liked it
i missed #4 too
but i liked it
i really liked it
Same here bookworm91! I didn't get any except the first and the third!
didnt get any
Really awesome! Didn't get the last one, though - too lazy to do a search.
I missed 1, 2, 3 and 4 -- but liked it very much.
I really enjoy these "Cliff-ese" teasers. Well-done teasers.
I actually never heard of the last one, although I understand it's meaning. This was a fun teaser.
Fun and doable with a little time and a lot of thinking.
Entertaining! For the record, Cliff-ese was more about interjecting completely random facts into a conversation than using big words.
I didn't get the last one, but I love Cliff-ese teasers. Thanks for a fun morning brain work out!
Great Teaser! I got two of the four
I only got 2 of them, really good teaser. Give us some more. Next time I won't be so lazy.
I love "Cliff Clavin-isms" but I didn't realize it was a recognized public sport.
The second one needs a bit of work perhaps. Very good otherwise.
The second one needs a bit of work perhaps. Very good otherwise.
Good stuff. I got them all.
"BU TAI HAO."
I AM NOT SURE THEY WOULD QUALIFY AS "CLIFF-ESE," HE WASN'T MUCH ON USING SIMILAR SENTENCES AS HE WAS FOR INTERJECTING WORDS WHERE THEY WERE NOT MEANT TO BE USED.
BUT ("NOT TOO BAD")
I AM NOT SURE THEY WOULD QUALIFY AS "CLIFF-ESE," HE WASN'T MUCH ON USING SIMILAR SENTENCES AS HE WAS FOR INTERJECTING WORDS WHERE THEY WERE NOT MEANT TO BE USED.
BUT ("NOT TOO BAD")
Fantastic teaser. Hard and fun at the same time. As for fishmed's comment: If those kids you mention aren't very educated then teasers like this one just might help them learn something, don't you think?
great!! didn't get #4 but then I never heard of that phrase. more, please
Very cool! I needed a hint from a friend for number two. Candle didn't even come to my mind in the beginning!
Hadnt heard of #4 and so didnt get it. All 4 were interesting!
Neato. Interesting teaser. I think I'm gonna go check out #I of this.
I only got 1 and 3, should've thought longer on 2. Would never have come up with 4, having never heard it -- glad to see I'm not alone!
I only got 1 and 3, should've thought longer on 2. Would never have come up with 4, having never heard it -- glad to see I'm not alone!
Great one! Do more!
I didn't have time to work on them, so I got half of them. Got 2, missed 2. Good teasers, though!
Good teaser,and I learned a new word.
Great teaser, and I learned a new word!!!
Fun! Missed #4 though...thanks for posting!
Those were great! I only missed #2 .. once I saw the answer, I kicked myself. Anyway, very enjoyable!
I only got 2 again. I guess I'm in a rut. Great teaser.
THIS IS REALLY COOL!!
I enjoyed it, but only figured out two. Have heard all the phrases, just not the clues. They were a bit over my head. Fun though!
nicely done!
Well, add me to the list of uneducated baffoons. Who is unfamiliar with the phrase "Casting pearls before swine".
The rest of the teaser was fairly easy and I got those without too much effort.
The rest of the teaser was fairly easy and I got those without too much effort.
Glad you liked it. The "Casting pearls before swine" is initially from the Bible and is more recently at comic strip name.
I missed #2 & #4. For #2 I thought "Shedding a little light on the subject." Four was tough. Fun though, Good!
My favorite one so far! Great job - it was a thinker, but so much fun to do.
Congrats fishmed on a nice fun teaser; took me a while to solve all 4!
Glad you liked it.
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