# Sunday Morning Puzzle #80 --- A Holiday Cryptogram

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-80-a-holiday-cryptogram/220280>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 21, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-80-a-holiday-cryptogram/220280 "2003-12-21T05:48:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-80-a-holiday-cryptogram/220280/1 "2003-12-21T05:48:56Z")

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Below is a holiday cryptogram…with modifications. Each letter block consists of two consecutive encoded words of the text, plus an extra encoded letter separating the two words.

Example:

**Text:** You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout.

**Blocking and added letters:** YOU **S** BETTER WATCH **T** OUT YOU **N** BETTER NOT **I** CRY YOU **C** BETTER NOT **K** POUT

**Encoding:** ZPVTCFUUFS XBUDIUPVU ZPVOCFUUFS OPUJDSZ ZPVDCFUUFS OPULQPVU

+++

**Gift:** In the spirit of the season, a gift has been given. In each of the red letter blocks, a single letter has kindly been decoded for you. The green letter blocks, however, are all completely encoded. The 14 already decoded letters can be rearranged to spell the author of the text.

The extra letters separating the two words in each block will spell out, when decoded, the source of the text.

**Note:** All six commas as well as both periods have been removed from the text.

Can you discover the holiday text, the author, and the source?

* * *

GRINCH **HWQHACYSXHQXGW AHGMHKIYMAEL EGAAEHDJYYK AYNXNGSH AIHCKIYMA** YDHNW **GQHNAZIGCI MINEEYNYA** RSANPL **XHNDHXMFYSA** YDIISPYSX ZGAIXAIHPMHECHM ZGAIGHNFI YAIHXMZGAI **AIHAMENMYW** YXPZGAI PHNPNL **GASINSWA AIHGRFIYSMHM REHNMNWALLNNWQ WYXYWE** ZGMIYAY\*\* ENLEIA\*\*  
PHXXLUPNMAYMQPJ

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-80-a-holiday-cryptogram/220280/2 "2003-12-21T21:06:09Z")

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Hint: The text, which does not contain the word “Christmas”, is likely familiar to our more literary attuned members.

Ho ho ho!

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**Author:** ![Peregrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a6a055/32.png) [@Peregrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peregrine)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-80-a-holiday-cryptogram/220280/3 "2003-12-21T21:54:43Z")

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As a gift for the next solver, I’ll put the punctuation back in:  
GRINCH **HWQHACYSXHQXGW AHGMHKIYMAEL EGAAEHDJYYK, AYNXNGSH AIHCKIYMA** YDHNW **GQHN,AZIGCI MINEEYNYA** RSANPL **XHNDHXMFYSA** YDIISPYSX ZGAIXAIHPMHECHM, ZGAIGHNFI YAIHX,MZGAI **AIHAMENMYW,** YXPZGAI PH.NPNL **GASINSWA AIHGRFIYSMHM REHNMNWALL,NNWQ WYXYWE** ZGMIYAY\*\* ENLEIA\*\*  
And it appears to me that two letters are doing double duty; in AIHCKIYMA and GASINSWA I can’t see any already decoded letters, except the separating letters are in the already decoded state for use in both the author’s name and the source.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-morning-puzzle-80-a-holiday-cryptogram/220280/4 "2003-12-21T23:52:03Z")

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Once again, **Peregrine** , you have solved it! May your holiday season be filled with cheer and good spirits.

Peace on Earth and good will to all.