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I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: The Dogs of War

Last week's theme was definitely the hardest we've ever put together. As hints, we linked to a famous clip from Forrest Gump, and then on Saturday we added "We'll tell you that other words we considered for headlines include 'saw,' 'mark' and 'jockey.' We also considered 'Johnny,' but decided that was not fair because the pattern is, for lack of a better description, X-Y, not Y-X."

And now, the solution, courtesy of reader S.K. in Drexel Hill, PA:

Even after your second hint, I still had to think a lot about the puzzle before I got it. Part of the problem is that I focused on the wrong things in the Forrest Gump clip (feather, chocolates, shoes, bus stop, Curious George) before I realized it was the bench you were thinking of.

So all of the headlines contain a word that can follow "bench" to make another word or phrase.

Trump Legal News: The Trial (Day 3)—Bench trial

RFK Jr.: Feud With Family Is Getting Warmer—Benchwarmer

In the House: Republican Conference Puts Johnson through the Grinder—Bench grinder

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Blood Work—Bench work

This Week in Schadenfreude: Trump Does Warrant This Space Sometimes—Bench warrant

This Week in Freudenfreude: Drew Carey Is a Team Player—Bench player

And of course you also considered bench saw, benchmark, and bench jockey. But Johnny Bench was excluded, because that reverses the pattern.

Bulls-eye! And from the headline for this item, bench dogs are a kind of clamp.

Here is the complete list of every reader who got it right:

M.B. in Albany, NY
R.S. in Milan, OH
L.D. in Bedford, MA
S.K. in Drexel Hill
B.M. in Chico, CA
E.P. in Long Beach, CA
B.B. in Avon, CT
M.H. in Ottawa, ON, Canada
K.R. in Austin, TX
D.M. in Oakland, CA
D.L. in Springfield, IL
D.D. in Carversville, PA
O.B. in Los Angeles, CA
A.R. in Miami, FL
J.C. in Peoria, IL

As noted, it was a toughie.

This week's theme should be easier. It's in the Trivial Pursuit category Arts & Entertainment, and it relies on some, but not all, of the words to the right of the colon. The campus protests story is not part of the contest; beyond the fact that we don't make a game of violence and strife, this particular theme would be very inappropriate for that particular item. That's actually something of a clue, though not a very helpful one; we'll explain the problem next week. As to a real clue, how about this: The answer is very colorful.

If you have a guess, send it to comments@electoral-vote.com with the subject "April 26 Headlines." (Z)

This item appeared on www.electoral-vote.com. Read it Monday through Friday for political and election news, Saturday for answers to reader's questions, and Sunday for letters from readers.

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