Gibberish and More Gibberish (solution)

by Dan Westerberg with help from C. Scott Ananian and language assistance from Borbonicus and Bodley

These are 36-character cryptograms, including the digits 0 through 9 as well as the alphabet. Decrypting the texts yields:

4. AS I CAME TO THE CHEQAN RIVER, THE JACKAL WAS CLEAVING EARS OF WHEAT.
3. 6 SALMON IN A SALMON-BOX.
2. FRANK ZAPPA IN A SPONGE-COAT.
3. THE 6 DONG BANK BOOK SAVINGS BOOK IS THE YELLOW BANK SAVINGS BOOK. THE
   8 DONG BANK BOOK SAVINGS BOOK IS THE GREEN BANK SAVINGS BOOK.
5. 77 BAMBOOS FALL.
1. IN A JAR THERE'S A RARE SPIDER. NEITHER DOES THE RARE SPIDER SCRATCH
   THE JAR NOR DOES THE JAR SCRATCH THE RARE SPIDER.
2. 188 LIRE PLUS 555 CENTS.
5. IN ULM, AROUND ULM, AND ALL AROUND ULM.
3. KING CARL BOUGHT QUEEN CAROLINE CORAL-COLORED CORALS.
1. A BIG FACE HAS A PIMPLE. 2 PIMPLES GROW ON A FACE. A BIG FACE HAS 3
   PIMPLES. 4 PIMPLES GROW ON A FACE.
6. RAW WHEAT, RAW RICE, RAW EGG.
6. 9 SUGAR-SPRINKLED CHICKEN LEGS IN A PRETTY, STRIPED ZINC CUP.
1. THE EXPERT TALKER LOOSENED UP FOR THE TRACHEA, THE TRACHEA LOOSENED UP
   FOR THE POLECAT, AND THE POLECAT LOOKED AROUND IN AMAZEMENT.
9. MAY A BILLHOOK SERVE THEE TO SCOOP OUT A SERBIAN DEER'S BRAIN.
1. I'M LOOKING FOR THE RUDE CROSS-EYED BASQUE.
5. NARROW-GAUGE RAILROAD.
3. O YOU TYRANT, TITUS TATIUS, YOU BROUGHT SUCH GREAT THINGS UPON YOURSELF!
5. A SNAKE BIT A SNAKE.
1. 4 IS 4, 10 IS 10, 14 IS 14, 40 IS 40.
3. THERE IS GRASS IN THE YARD, THERE IS FIREWOOD ON THE GRASS. DON'T CHOP THE
   FIREWOOD ON THE GRASS OF THE YARD.

Each item is the translation of a foreign language tongue twister. Repeating the number at the beginning of the line and listing the language in which each phrase is a tongue twister gives:

4. kurDish
3. swEdish
2. iCelandic
3. koRean
5. malaY
1. Portuguese
2. iTalian
5. germAn
3. poLish
1. Vietnamese
6. japanEse
6. hungaRian
1. Zulu
9. esperantO
1. Spanish
5. latvIan
3. laTin
5. hebrEw
1. Mandarin
3. ruSsian

Indexing gives the phrase, “DECRYPTALVERZOSITEMS”. Google will lead you to the Announcer’s Test which mentions 6 pairs of Don Alverzo’s Tweezers. Decrypting TWEEZERS with the cryptogram key used in the first part gives the answer: CELLULAR.