# Please help me solve this Rebus. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 6, 2011, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672 "2011-03-06T08:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/21 "2011-03-06T20:12:20Z")
> [@Fofer](#): > > a rebus is a pictogram, a puzzle made up of pictures. I think you’ve been whooshed. (The post I believe was commenting on your mistaken capitalization of “Rebus”.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/22 "2011-03-06T21:06:45Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Wrong track. Note what the OP said: Pic #3 is a _synonym_ for flies. Like gnats or pests Possibly bees? So you’d maybe have “season” following eye-minus-b (or eyeball-minus-b, or even ball-minus-b) following birthmark-minus-b or blotch-minus-b or blot-minus-b, or even just stain-minus-nothing, or whatever? “Just visiting for Christmas?” “No, stayin’ all season!” (Or, if ball-minus-b is too abstract, eyeball-minus-b could yield – something “aisle” season, or something “isle” season, or something “I’ll” season, or whatever?) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/23 "2011-03-06T21:12:43Z")
Does anyone not think the answer is going to be pretty lame? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/24 "2011-03-06T23:41:03Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > He’s a [Scottish detective](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detective_Inspector_John_Rebus) - come on, keep up :). > > Huh, you got me. I really hope you aren’t (figuratively speaking) correct - it was bad enough that we never got an answer to that one, I hope we do this time! By the way, it was 14 k of g in a f p d. The answer to 14 k in a g d p is of course obvious :). > > In response to the OP, it seems to me that the minus sign before the flies means that the flies have to be subtracted in some way to get the answer, But the only synonyms for flies that I can think of are “bugs” or “insects”. I have no idea about the rest of it, except the final picture could mean “spill”. Re: 14k of g in a f p d is obviously “14 karats of gold in a [Florentine pietra dura](http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/460001/pietra-dura).” Why does everyone have such a hard time with that? As for the rebus, I’ve heard the spot referred to as a Devil’s mark, or Mark of the Beast. He, himself, was often called “the Marked One”. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/25 "2011-03-07T00:14:18Z")
I’ve also heard spots like that referred to as “skidmarks”, which is obviously unkind. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/26 "2011-03-07T01:19:13Z")
Fofer’s other threads on this to give us some aid: [rebus help](http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1138503) [rebus help again2](http://ask.metafilter.com/180113/Rebus-Help-Needed-For-the-sake-of-my-mental-health) Some smart folks there, too, but no answer that I see yet. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/27 "2011-03-07T07:43:08Z")
Could the pepper shaker represent “season”? A bookshop might have an: “Author Name season”. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/28 "2011-03-07T15:56:50Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Re: 14k of g in a f p d is obviously “14 karats of gold in a [Florentine pietra dura](http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/460001/pietra-dura).” Why does everyone have such a hard time with that? Sorry, I don’t buy it - the article for pietra dura says they were made of stones, it doesn’t mention gold. Your answer is probably as good as any, but it is not the satisfying “aha” moment that you get on solving such a puzzle. > [@jjimm](#): > > Could the pepper shaker represent “season”? > > A bookshop might have an: “Author Name season”. I think this is a great idea - if true, the first word could be simply “Mark” (although that doesn’t fit with the “clues” we have been given). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/29 "2011-03-07T16:28:45Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I think this is a great idea - if true, the first word could be simply “Mark” (although that doesn’t fit with the “clues” we have been given). Is it “Mark Twain Season”? or is it wabbit season? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/30 "2011-03-07T16:38:26Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Sorry, I don’t buy it - the article for pietra dura says they were made of stones, it doesn’t mention gold. Your answer is probably as good as any, but it is not the satisfying “aha” moment that you get on solving such a puzzle. I think you have been whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/31 "2011-03-07T16:44:16Z")
The pepper thing could be “mill” like a pepper mill. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/32 "2011-03-07T17:02:31Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The pepper thing could be “mill” like a pepper mill. Dunno. Looks like a “shaker” to me ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/33 "2011-03-07T17:02:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The pepper thing could be “mill” like a pepper mill. I see "spill’.It is shown laying down and pepper coming out. Pepper is the part I cant reconcile. Why not salt? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/34 "2011-03-07T17:50:10Z")
I’m trying to put myself in the mindset of the crappy rebus designer: He starts off with a word or phrase that he heard once for Gorbachev’s birthmark. It’s close enough to the first 2 words of a common three-word phrase that he thinks “aha, I could make a puzzle out of this”. In order to get the birthmark phrase to work, he has to add the sound/letter “I”, and then subtract something else. He represents the subtraction with a picture that looks like two flies. Instead of thinking “What does two flies mean?” it might be more useful to think “What is a letter/sound combination that could be removed from a word to leave another word? And can that combination be represented with two flies?” And then the pepper shaker is just tacked on the end to make the final word in the phrase. I agree that the fact that it’s tipped over seems significant. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/35 "2011-03-07T18:02:39Z")
I think that picture of “Gorbechev” looks more like a head wound or an assassination attempt than his birthmark. The - might also be a standin for the word “Without” Maybe… “Assault with no Pepper”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/36 "2011-03-07T18:06:19Z")
It’s a bullshit “art” project that may mean something to the artist, but nothing to anyone else. Joe ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/37 "2011-03-07T23:16:57Z")
I’m really bad at this, but could Gorbachev be a stand-in for “piebald”? I think that usually refers to white patches, not wine-red splotches, but maybe allow for some poetic license? And of course I don’t know if that fits with the rest at all. Just thought I’d throw an idea out there if we’re brainstorming. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/38 "2011-03-07T23:40:37Z")
Are we sure it’s referring to Gorbachev’s birthmark? What if it’s referring to him? Not necessarily his name but some general name for a Soviet head of state, or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/39 "2011-03-07T23:46:53Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > It’s a bullshit “art” project that may mean something to the artist, but nothing to anyone else. > > Joe But…we were told he has spoken to the puzzle creator and received clues. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/40 "2011-03-08T00:44:19Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Are we sure it’s referring to Gorbachev’s birthmark? What if it’s referring to him? Not necessarily his name but some general name for a Soviet head of state, or something like that? Or Commie. That’s generally taken as derogatory. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672.md?page=3)