I am trying to solve a riddle for the Marlboro contest. (I am sure you
get a lot of these). I am stuck on the question involving cattle
brands. I have to decipher four symbols. The first is the letter "Y"
with small horizontal "wings" sticking out from the top. The second is
an upside-down "V". The third is the letter "H" sitting on a curved
bar, and the last one lookes like an old skeleton key. I have been
looking up theses symbols for weeks now. I think the first is a flying
Y, the second is
called a rafter or open A, the third is a rocking H, and the last
could be a door key or circle bar lazy F??? The question requires you
to "take the first letters of each together to spell an object", then
send in a photo of "a couple of em". This is where I am stuck. I
cannot seem to spell anything with the names that I came up with.
Maybe it is not just the first letter of each, but the first few
letters of each symbol. Anything you can do to help would be greatly
appreciated.

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Sep 2004 10:08 PDT

Flying Y
Open A
Rocking H
Key

Take the first letters of these, and you have FORK. Or, if the last
one is "Door Key," you have FORD.

Frankly, I lean toward FORD, since I have found "door key"
specifically mentioned as a type of brand:

"Many western counties did not begin brand registration until the
1870s or 1880s. By then letters, numerals, and even names were popular
brands in Texas. Though such brands were easily read, others have to
be seen... Representations of such common subjects as an anvil, truck
handle, hash knife, door key, bridle bit, spur, pitchfork, old woman,
doll baby, broadax, boot, shoe, hat, rocking chair, frying pan, and so
on were commonplace."
 
Handbook of Texas: CATTLE BRANDS
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/CC/auc1.html

If this information is fully satisfactory, I'll be glad to post it as
your answer. If not, we can keep trying. Please let me know what you
think.

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Clarification of Question by kdl5720-ga on 20 Sep 2004 10:35 PDT

I also came up with "fork" and "ford". However, I do not think that
these answers are correct. The last line of the question says, "send
us a picture of a couple of em'". In my opinion, this implies that the
object would be something that normally comes in pairs or in groups.
Also, the entire contest is centered around a western theme. There is
nothing particularly western about Ford automobiles or forks. I'm
certain that somebody else has asked this question. Everywhere I go on
the internet I see other people looking for the same things I am
looking for. I have also asked a couple of other questions @ Google
answers, and every time I got a response, the researchers would say
something to the effect that they have answered the same question over
and over. Maybe one of your co-workers has come across this one.

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 20 Sep 2004 10:46 PDT

I don't think "pairs" are relevant to the "couple" mentioned. But I do
believe Pink's answer FORK is the right answer. If it's any
consolation, forks DO come in pairs - that's what makes them plural -
but, as I said, I don't think this is particularly relevant.

tutuzdad-ga

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 20 Sep 2004 10:48 PDT

To clarify, it isn't necessary to say "two forks". A fork IS two (or
more), and that is precisely what makes it a fork.

Although Ford automobiles don't have much to do with the Old West, the
term 'ford' in reference to a place to cross a river certainly does.
Without fords, cattle drives would have been next to impossible.

"ford...
A shallow place in a body of water, such as a river, where one can
cross by walking or riding on an animal or in a vehicle."

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ford

A "key" brand is shown here:

http://www.blairranch.com/brands.jpg

according to that web site the word would be "B-O-R-K"
(Bradded Y?) I think its a flying Y personally.

I'm backing off from "ford" as a possibility. I reread the question,
and the kind of ford associated with the Old West isn't "an object,"
as described in the puzzle.

"Fork" is a term related to saddles, so it does have a western
connection. I've heard spurs called "forks," and spurs come in pairs,
so "a couple of 'em" would make sense.

I can't see how "Bork" would fit. The only famous Bork I know was a
Supreme Court nominee, and he's very far from being a cowboy.

I don't know if this just adds to the confusion or not but I've read
that there is a "double fork" in the Brazos River (certainly a
location with western history associated with it). Maybe this is a
pair of forks.

tutuzdad-ga

There's a tool called a double hay fork:

http://www.history.rochester.edu/appleton/a/hhayfork.html