Question Sam Loyd's Cyclopedia of Puzzles Answer
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FEW PEOPLE HAVE any idea of the amount of brain energy devoted to the production or selection of names of trademarks. It is a common occurrence to see offers of from $100 to $1,000 for an attractive name for some proprietary article winch a manufacturer proposes to put on the market, Shakespeare did not realize that a "taking" name is more than half the battle when he wrote: "What's in a name?"

In my time I have designed quite a number of the well-known brands and trademarks, but as I am out of the business at present. I offer some Suggestive tips to such of my puzzle friends as may wish to think up some bright ideas suitable for the grocery trade. The sketch shows an interior view of Brown's grocery store well stocked with the usual Assortment of goods peculiar to the grocery line, the names of which you are to guess from the twenty-seven rebus pictures supposed to represent the grocery labels Of Puzzleland.

Once upon a time I designed the following puzzle for a prominent tea house, who made it so famous throughout the world as a trademark that it was soon imitated by rival firms in the same business. Law suits followed during which I was called into court to prove that none of the litigants knew the correct answer to the puzzle! Can you solve it?

Charades or rebuses, as shown in the accompanying illustrations pertain to a popular and interesting class of elementary puzzles, which offer scope for ingenuity and cleverness. Any one can make them, and as we all love to guess the witty interpretations of these picture problems, they will always form an important introduction and easy stepping stone to the higher class of problems, which belong to the field of mental gymnastics.

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All of the pictorial rebusses contained in that odd collection of labels from the corner grocery were mastered by our clever puzzlists, although some of them proved to be pretty hard nuts to crack, the following are the words given in their regular order:

Cab-ages, Beets, Berries, Tar, Borax, Time and Sage, Tom eight o's, Black king, Pears, Rays Inn's, Turn ups, Coal and wood, Teas and Condensed Milk, Dates, Butter, Candies, Candles, Canned Peas, Pickles, Mat chess, Cat sup, Flour, Molasses, Indian and Rhyme eels, Farina, and Carpet tacks.

The Rebus Puzzle

In the sketch of the two parrots which are supposed to represent the motto of a tea store a clever reading of the situation will discover that "ON ST is the best poll I see." or, as the merchant would say, "Honest tea is the best policy."


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