Painting #11: The Practical Man
BORDER PHRASE: “Fire boil kettle at high tea. Wave quench fire at high tide.”
BARBED LETTER WORD: GULL
RED LETTER WORD: HERRING (and in red, no less)
WORD FROM THE MASTER RIDDLE: THE
HIDDEN HARE: Peeking out over the tall grass at the top of the page.
CLUES & COMMENTS: Janet Fishwick suggests: “I think that you already have your answer in the red-letter HERRING that this painting is not important. I think that this is confirmed by the fact that the word from the master riddle contained in the painting (THE) is not vital to the overall meaning of the riddle (the riddle can still be understood without this word).” However, even more specific information was added by someone else who wrote it later: That’s no ordinary bird…it’s a Herring Gull. So it’s not important to the master riddle, but as usual, there’s more going on that you might immediately notice.
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Also, the word ‘the’ has the same spelling as the French for ‘tea’, which refers back to the picture.
I used to think this picture was important. The man is holding the cup but not using the handle, which casts a shadow of the letter ‘C’.
The matching teapot is beside a tea caddy with a picture of the queen.
The same teapot is found in Polly Pocket’s apron – the first pocket in the row of six.
Queen C, first of six.
According to Kit Williams, “I was painting the man drinking tea on Silver Jubilee Day, and so I put the Queen’s head on the tea caddy.” Bit of trivia there!