Halloween CIDUs

… and some non-CIDUs



The joke is clear, if hackneyed by now, but what would the kids tip? A 20% trick?

This execution of the same joke is a bit clearer, since it’s the kid asking for money.


Not so much a CIDU as “way too much work”. Post individual clue solutions in the comments. FYI, complete solution is here.


This one tripped me up, because I assumed a Pumpkin Spice Latte only had the spices used in pumpkin pie. This used to be true: introduced in 2003, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte contained only the spices, and no pumpkin. That made sense. Who thinks steak sauce has steak in it? or shrimp sauce has shrimp in it? Or awlspice has an awl in it? But, in response to complaints, in 2015 they reformulated to add some pumpkin puree. That was really unnecessary, because a bit of pumpkin puree adds little taste. But this does mean Blazek’s joke actually works.


Not a CIDU, but definitely an Ewww.


Not a CIDU, either, but cute.


And one last nod to Peanuts:




And, finally, an OY


There’s this synchronicity, sent in by Nebulous:


Floating Gravestones

Lopes has an idea here, a link to either Native American burial grounds or elephant graveyards. But somehow I’m bothered by the elements. Stone tombstones floating? Who puts up the tombstones? Why would a ship pass through this unsafe area? Are whales Christian?

Elephant graveyards are said to be a myth, although when I visited Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania the guide showed us one. It was suspiciously close to a road, so I suspect this may have been where they would haul dead elephants, or maybe the result of poaching for ivory. Guides are, of course, always looking for a good story to tell the tourists.

Dead whales usually sink to the bottom, where they can become whale falls, an ecosystem supported by the dead whales. Since they are whale falls, does this mean whales tend to die in autumn?


But while we’re on the topic of graveyards, this non-CIDU was farther down in my comics feed: