Cryptograms

Cryptograms

Posers and Puzzles

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Read a book!

Joined
23 Sep 06
Moves
18677
22 Jan 18

Originally posted by @venda
Also double letters are a clue e.g if there's two consecutive numbers the letter is not going to be a J or an X
Except for hajj or Exxon.

Australian cat

Australia

Joined
20 Jan 09
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387003
23 Jan 18

Originally posted by @venda
I see.It's a bit like the code words you see in the newspapers where each number represents a letter.For example you can look at the most frequent numbers ,where they are in the crossword and assume a frequently occuring number represents an "e" and go on from there.Also double letters are a clue e.g if there's two consecutive numbers the letter is not going to be a J or an X
It's exactly like that - the ones which appear in newspapers are true cryptograms, but the publishers may call them by different names. My favourite 3-letter combination is the one containing the two most common letters T and E. I work with ETAOIN SHRDLU in my head when I'm doing these. If a sentence begins with the pattern x? x? it will likely be IT IS or sometimes IF IT.

Australian cat

Australia

Joined
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387003
23 Jan 18

P Q W X W * T X W * P R M * P X T K W N L W Y * L G * V L A W * . * M G W * L Y * G M P * P M * K W P * O M J X * Q W T X P * ' * Y * N W Y L X W * ; * P Q W * M P Q W X * L Y * P M * K W P * L P .
~ George Bernard Shaw.

This one is not too difficult: the two letters appearing most often are P and W, and the first word has both letters in it. Good luck!

itiswhatitis

oLd ScHoOl

Joined
31 May 13
Moves
5577
23 Jan 18
3 edits

Originally posted by @kewpie
P Q W X W * T X W * P R M * P X T K W N L W Y * L G * V L A W * . * M G W * L Y * G M P * P M * K W P * O M J X * Q W T X P * ' * Y * N W Y L X W * ; * P Q W * M P Q W X * L Y * P M * K W P * L P .
~ George Bernard Shaw.

This one is not too difficult: the two letters appearing most often are P and W, and the first word has both letters in it. Good luck!
Near the start of the second line I'm seeing this:
* Q W T X P * ' * Y *

Is [* ' *] a misprint? Was it supposed to be [* , *]?

itiswhatitis

oLd ScHoOl

Joined
31 May 13
Moves
5577
23 Jan 18
1 edit

Originally posted by @lemon-lime
Near the start of the second line I'm seeing this:
* Q W T X P * ' * Y *

Is [* ' *] a misprint? Was it supposed to be [* , *]?
Oops... I just now noticed how the other punctuation marks are surrounded by **'s, so I believe it must be a comma.

itiswhatitis

oLd ScHoOl

Joined
31 May 13
Moves
5577
23 Jan 18

Originally posted by @kewpie
P Q W X W * T X W * P R M * P X T K W N L W Y * L G * V L A W * . * M G W * L Y * G M P * P M * K W P * O M J X * Q W T X P * ' * Y * N W Y L X W * ; * P Q W * M P Q W X * L Y * P M * K W P * L P .
~ George Bernard Shaw.

This one is not too difficult: the two letters appearing most often are P and W, and the first word has both letters in it. Good luck!
There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire; the other is to get it.

itiswhatitis

oLd ScHoOl

Joined
31 May 13
Moves
5577
23 Jan 18

Originally posted by @kewpie
N C K Y L R Q * R X S K L K Y K * S X Y * L S * O Q L S F * S Q C Y U G P * O Q Y A Q Q S * U L F W Y * G S E * A U X S F , * O C Y * L S * B L S E L S F * X C Y * Y W Q * U L F W Y * G S E * C M W X P E L S F * L Y , * A W Q U Q D Q U * B X C S E * G F G L S K Y * Y W Q * A U X S F .

~ Theodore Roosevelt
Justice consists not in being neutral between right and wrong, but in finding out the right and upholding it, wherever found against the wrong.

Joined
29 Dec 08
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6788
23 Jan 18

Originally posted by @lemon-lime
Justice consists not in being neutral between right and wrong, but in finding out the right and upholding it, wherever found against the wrong.
Strings that decrypt to “people” and “that” are fairly common although the latter can decrypt to “else” and other words.

Australian cat

Australia

Joined
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387003
24 Jan 18

I go for "that" and then look for "the" in other words. If it works, I have found 4 letters of which 3 appear frequently.

Australian cat

Australia

Joined
20 Jan 09
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387003
24 Jan 18
2 edits

itiswhatitis

oLd ScHoOl

Joined
31 May 13
Moves
5577
24 Jan 18

This is supposed to be an easy one, but after two days and four or five tries I couldn't crack the code.

DX • NHOG • IYSCNM • UG • CEHRCG; • HA • IYSCNM • UG • BE • BNDI, • B • UBAANG • B • WSERCGIA, • B • DGMHWEG.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

itiswhatitis

oLd ScHoOl

Joined
31 May 13
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5577
24 Jan 18

OSDG • YPQTHGW • GUGLEOPSTH • GNYGIO • WFDGOPSTH • ASOPST • ZW • APSYP • SW • QXAQEW • WZLILSWGE • ME • YPQTHG.

~ NGTBWI • GWFMC

itiswhatitis

oLd ScHoOl

Joined
31 May 13
Moves
5577
24 Jan 18

Originally posted by @lemon-lime
OSDG • YPQTHGW • GUGLEOPSTH • GNYGIO • WFDGOPSTH • ASOPST • ZW • APSYP • SW • QXAQEW • WZLILSWGE • ME • YPQTHG.

~ NGTBWI • GWFMC
Opps, I goofed up the crypto of the author's name. So here is the same cryptogram with his name.


OSDG • YPQTHGW • GUGLEOPSTH • GNYGIO • WFDGOPSTH • ASOPST • ZW • APSYP • SW • QXAQEW • WZLILSWGE • ME • YPQTHG.
~ Thomas Hardy

Australian cat

Australia

Joined
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387003
24 Jan 18

I've just spent an hour struggling through this one, only to be defeated by my computer and get the whole working document destroyed. Still, I can remember most of it, I hope.

DX • NHOG • IYSCNM • UG • CEHRCG; • HA • IYSCNM • UG • BE • BNDI, • B • UBAANG • B • WSERCGIA, • B • DGMHWEG.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

MY • LIFE • SHOULD • BE • UNIQUE; • IT • SHOULD • BE • AN • ALMS, • A • BATTLE • A • CONQUEST, • A • MEDICNE.

I think there's a typo in the last word, which hasn't affected things much.
I'll have a go at the other one in a couple of hours.

Australian cat

Australia

Joined
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387003
26 Jan 18
1 edit

Originally posted by @lemon-lime
OSDG • YPQTHGW • GUGLEOPSTH • GNYGIO • WFDGOPSTH • ASOPST • ZW • APSYP • SW • QXAQEW • WZLILSWGE • ME • YPQTHG.

~ NGTBWI • GWFMC
TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING EXCEPT SDMETHING WITHIN US WHICH IS ALWAYS SURPRISED BY CHANGE. ~Thomas Hardy