Urban turkeys

Last week my teenager and I went shopping in Woodbury, Minnesota. I dropped her off at the mall before I went to Trader Joe’s, and she took these pictures of a group of turkeys that were hanging out on the street corner there.

These turkeys have no fear of humans or vehicles. When I went to pick up my daughter, they were standing in the street, and although they glanced up when I honked at them, they didn’t move. I had to sit and wait until they finally decided they felt like crossing the street.

It’s a mystery

Now THIS is a visual pun.

Christmas carol quiz

I wrote this one a few years back, when a friend of mine who was giving a Christmas party asked me to come up with some party games. Here are the titles of fifteen familiar Christmas carols, which have been obfuscated with a plethora of highfalutin language. See if you can decipher them.

1. Palestinian municipality of unimpressive size

2. Seraphic beings originating from a celestial location

3. I espied a trio of sea-going vessels

4. Somewhere sort of far off, in a feedbox

5. Spruce up the gathering place with bunches of seasonal greenery

6. Depart, and proclaim the news from an elevated location

7. May the Supreme Deity maintain you in a state of jollity, fellas

8. It took place at 12:00 under a very starry sky

9. Unbounded happiness to the inhabitants of this planet

10. Complete absence of nocturnal noise

11. I speculate in astonishment, even as I perambulate aimlessly

12. On a particular occasion in a certain village associated with a prominent Hebrew monarch

13. The time from December 25 to January 6

14. Seasonal musical composition for hollow metal objects, typically having the shape of an inverted cup widening at the lip, that sound a clear musical note when struck, typically by means of a clapper inside

15. Seasonal musical composition for percussion instruments, typically cylindrical, barrel-shaped, or bowl-shaped, with a taut membrane over one or both ends, sounded by being struck with hands, sticks, or mallets

REBUS added by CtH:

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ANSWERS: 1. O Little Town of Bethlehem; 2. Angels from the Realms of Glory; 3. I Saw Three Ships; 4. Away in a Manger; 5. Deck the Hall with Boughs of Holly; 6. Go, Tell It on the Mountain; 7. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen; 8. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; 9. Joy to the World; 10. Silent Night; 11. I Wonder as I Wander; 12. Once in Royal David’s City; 13. The Twelve Days of Christmas; 14. Carol of the Bells; 15. Carol of the Drums

SCORING
12 – 15 correct: Pretty good, but don’t get a big head; it was an easy quiz
8 – 11 correct: You need to go Christmas caroling more often
4 – 7 correct: I suspect you just don’t like music
fewer than 4 correct: Is your name Ebenezer?

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ANSWER: CAST (of Christmas play) + ROCK (ing Santa) + RING (of evergreen) – CAR – R = STOCKING

SCORING: Don’t worry about it. I didn’t get it either.