Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A case for Sherlock

Trying to take my mind off the fact that my lunch consisted of a slim-a-cup-a-soup and marmite on a slice of bread, I perused the reading matter to hand. 'One spray tan away from perfection-a-soup.'
I peered a bit closer. 'One spray tan away from perfection-a-soup.'
I wasn't wearing my glasses; I called Husband. 'Are you wearing your reading glasses?'
'No, but I can read in these.'
'What does this say?'
He took it over to the light, studied it carefully, held it at a variety of angles and finally said, 'One spray tan away from perfection-a-soup.'
'One spray tan away from perfection-a-soup? What does that mean? Does that make any sense to you?'
He shook his head. I went and fetched my glasses and read it again. 'One spray tan away from perfection-a-soup.'
'It must be in code,' I said. 'Someone is being kept prisoner in a soup packaging factory and this is the only way they can get a message out.'

So, there, I've done the hard bit. Over to you now Sherlock. All you have to do is decipher the code and find out where the prisoner is being kept before time runs out and he is as orange as that man on the antique show.

13 comments:

Ole Phat Stu said...

A bit of recent US political history perhaps?

"One spray tan away from perfection" was a sarcastic remark about Obama made by/in Republican media.

"Perfection - a soup" was a Batchelors(?) soup advert a while back.

Don't know how they came to be together on the packet though? Maybe the ads-dept made a pick&put mistake when copying the text?

Perhaps they really wanted to say 'KLAATU BARADA NIKTO' to their customers ;-) ?

Rose said...

I read so many mysteries that I'm pretty good at figuring out clues, but I have no idea what this is supposed to mean, Liz. Nor do I understand Ole Phat Stu's explanation:) Maybe it means if you keep eating this soup, you'll be so skinny that all you'll need is a tan to be perfect?

We don't have this brand of soup in the US, but I could sure use some. After seeing the photos taken of me this past weekend at my Daughter's wedding shower, it's definitely time to go on a diet! So what is your secret to your successful weight loss? I'm worried it might involve cutting back on eating and exercising more:)

nick said...

Perhaps artificial tan is their special ingredient. Is the soup dark brown by any chance?

CherryPie said...

That sounds a rather dodgy substance to be eating!

Leslie: said...

I agree with Rose - it's a soup for people trying to slim down, so if you keep on eating it, all you'll need to look perfect is a spray tan! For myself, though, I'd rather be pale but full. ;)

Puss-in-Boots said...

Spray tan? Soup? What a strange juxtaposition of words. Who is the orange man on the Antique Show? I must watch out for him tonight...

Ruth said...

Very strange. I have no idea what it means, but it is possible that the advertising bods have got exactly what they wanted....after all, we are talking about it!

Vanessa Rogers said...

It looks like something you would see here in Korea, but not in an English speaking country. I just don't know!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Hi Liz I laugh so much at some of your posts, never a dull moment with you and your hubby ..:-) some of your conversations are a hoot :-)

One thing is though ... at least you have them .

Devonshire Dumpling said...

Well if its Oxtail soup you simply pour the dry ingredients over your head and rub it in to your skin. Instant tan innit?

Makes you very popular with all dogs as well.

Liz Hinds said...

I think that's the most likely explanation, stu. But too obscure for most of us. I suppose they're suggesting that the soup is a micrometer - or even less - away from perfect.

That about sums up weight loss, rose. Sadly.

No, it's green, nick.

I don't look too closely at the list of ingredients in 'diet' products, cherrypie!

You always look lovely anyway, leslie.

David Dickinson! His name just came to me, puss.

That's true, ruth.

I think it must be a reference to the Obama remark but the connection with soup is far too obscure, vanessa.

I'm glad you picked up on his comments, anne!

I've just worked out what your photo is, dd: an apple dumpling!! (Ignore me, I'm a bit slow.)

Devonshire Dumpling said...

I've just worked out what your photo is, dd: an apple dumpling!! (Ignore me, I'm a bit slow.) after all these years you have finally worked out my pic? Ok - I've just changed it under the 'aim to confuse' principle.

Steve Hayes said...

It reminds me of a slogan used in Peugeot asdvertising some years ago: "More than a sugar-coated pill."

We wondered what it meant, and then someone told us that the original French was something like "Plus c'une pile couvre en sucre" (excuse my French), and that it should have been translated as "Not only the battery is sweet."