# 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:** 3
**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 8, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/41 "2011-03-08T02:17:43Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > But…we were told he has spoken to the puzzle creator and received clues. > > 😕 Yeah, and…? Joe ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/42 "2011-03-08T13:04:12Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > I’m trying to put myself in the mindset of the crappy rebus designer: Me too. And I’m trying to telepathically get him to hit himself in the head until he admits it’s a stupid sign he made up and it has no real meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/43 "2011-03-08T15:37:21Z")
> [@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? It could be Gorby. That plus I minus bee would make Igor. Don’t have a clue about the other part, however. ---
**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 8, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/44 "2011-03-08T16:08:23Z")
“Port wine stain” plus “view” minus “no see ums” plus “seasoning” = “poorly constructed rebus”, which is an easily understood three-word phrase. ---
**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/45 "2011-03-08T18:55:37Z")
Like the OP, I’ve lost sleep over this, so if it doesn’t make sense, blame sleep deprivation. If it does make sense, you’re welcome. My reasoning : s m u d g e plus the letter i (represented by the image of an eye) minus m i d g e s plus s p i l l equals U S P I L L which resembles U. S. bill - vaguely interpreted as a common three word phrase. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/46 "2011-03-08T18:57:15Z")
red eye flight? ---
**Author:** ![Montgomery0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/0ea827/32.png) [@Montgomery0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montgomery0)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/47 "2011-03-08T20:18:51Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > The only word I know of for that kind of mark is ‘port wine stain’, which is neither cruel nor immature unless you have a _really_ low opinion of wine drinkers or vintners. > > Do _you_ know of any such word? Wikipedia says [Naevus Flammeus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naevus_flammeus) Edit: oops, which is neither cruel or immature =D ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/48 "2011-03-09T00:58:11Z")
The pepper shaker could stand for “over season” or “over spice” or something similar. That would explain why it’s tipped over, and you can imagine that if you needed something like “over season”, that would be an elegant way to represent it. If you don’t mind the plural “s” from the “flies” being subtracted from “over season”, even though that would be out of order, you’d end up with something that sounds like “over reason”. That seems like a reasonable end to a phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/49 "2011-03-09T06:16:03Z")
Maybe the eye symbolises the concept “inspects” And when you subtract “insects”, it leaves you with a “p”. ---
**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/50 "2011-03-09T13:59:56Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 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. **Fofer** has been spending more time at the ask.metafilter site (second link in the quote above) than here, and has provided more information he’d been able to pry from the originator of the rebus. What seem important from the clues the originator gave **Fofer** are that “eye” is the official interpretation for the image of the eye and that the _sound_ of the word thats supposed to be another name for flies is what’s supposed to be subtracted from the combination of the Gorby mark and “eye”. ---
**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 9, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/51 "2011-03-09T14:04:33Z")
Thanks, william. Fofer, is there any hope you will receive an answer from the creator of the puzzle? I mean, I don’t mind thinking about it, but I hope we eventually get an “official” answer. ---
**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 9, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/52 "2011-03-09T14:55:10Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think you have been whooshed. Not really - I’m familiar with the previous thread where various suggestions of this kind were made, I was interested to see if this one was better than any of the others, and then wanted to post an explanation of why it isn’t in my opinion. > [@Gyrate](#): > > Is it “Mark Twain Season”?[/size] I think this could be it. The minus sign in front of the flies could be a synonym for flies read backwards, which could be “Nat” (phonetically), which becomes “Tan” when read backwards, plus the “I” (eye) makes “Tain” - we just need to work out where the “w” comes from! **Fofer** , can you ask the puzzle author if “Mark Twain Season” is the solution? ---
**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 9, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/53 "2011-03-09T14:58:04Z")
Does Mark Twain Season even mean anything? ---
**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 9, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/54 "2011-03-09T18:44:27Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Does Mark Twain Season even mean anything? See post #27 by **jjimm** - the sign is posted in a bookshop, it could be referring to a “Mark Twain Season” where Mark Twain’s books are being promoted. It seems unlikely, though, partly because the answer doesn’t quite fit the clues, and partly because Mark Twain’s books are very well-known and I wouldn’t have thought it would be worth the shop’s while to promote them specially. But I think it’s worth asking - it’s the best attempt I’ve seen so far. ---
**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 11, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/55 "2011-03-11T02:09:27Z")
Fofer, I repeat my question. Is there any hope you will get the actual answer in the future? ---
**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 11, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/56 "2011-03-11T02:10:55Z")
I just tried to contact Fofer, but he has his PM’s turned off. Great. ---
**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 11, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/57 "2011-03-11T14:40:32Z")
I wonder if **Fofer** is a sock of **mittu** :). [Mods - not a serious accusation, just referencing the infamous “14 k of g in a f p d” thread] ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/58 "2011-03-11T14:52:19Z")
I’ve decided to look at this as if we were never given any of the ‘clues’ first provided. Which may indeed be a good thing to do given the OP’s disappearance. In the light of that, what was the intention of the first drawing? The answer is clearly Mikhael Gorbachev, not his splotch. Unambiguous. Assuming the “Mikhael” would be discarded\*, we get syllables “Gor-bee” “Gor-buh-choff”. Gor buh choff eye Minus something that’s clearly meant to be “flies”. So, ignoring the L: Gor bu cho [season] Er… fuck. Can anyone help me get “Gore Vidal Season”? Or is this a monstrous wind-up - is the OP the person who drew something meaningless, photographed, it, then propagated it around the interwebs as a piece of performance art? \*Mikhail Baryshnikov Season? ---
**Author:** ![Dusty\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba8739/32.png) [@Dusty\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dusty_Rose)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/59 "2011-03-11T22:41:34Z")
That’s funny, because I was checking this thread to see if **Fofer** had posted anything; you know, their idea of what this could mean. He/she asked for help solving this and then disappeared! 😕 I’m leaning toward the performance art angle, too. ---
**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 16, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672/60 "2011-03-16T02:45:36Z")
Uh, hello? **Fofer** , any update? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-solve-this-rebus/573672.md?page=4)