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This is an original puzzle. My first. Hope you enjoy it.

Inside my lunchbox
My charge goes every night,
Stored in my cupboard
Until brought back first light.

You see, boss gave me a task
That’s to be done every day.
I take Tea home on Wednesday,
But it’s Thirsty by Friday.

You’ll have to buy fresh
If you play this for keeps.
When they do this with your food,
You won’t hear any beeps.

I set things up myself.
It wasn’t a huge bother.
The rest just sit on a shelf
As they wait for their brother.

What is my task?


Hint 1:

The thing that I care for
Works best in a set.
If you’re into this puzzle,
What you hear’s what you get.

Hint 2:

The youngest is the one I hold
Since relief is on the menu.
Tomorrow, he won’t be at his best.
So, some rest he must attend to.

Hint 3:

So apparently I think extremely far out of the box. So, this may help some... or not.

Haven't you ever written it out like this? "S, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa"

Good luck.

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8
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Is the capitalisation of “Tea” and “Thirsty” intentional? $\endgroup$
    – Earlien
    Jan 10, 2020 at 9:45
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Earlien, it is intentional. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 10, 2020 at 13:52
  • $\begingroup$ Is the contraction of "hear's" intentional? $\endgroup$
    – Zachary McGee
    Jan 10, 2020 at 22:54
  • $\begingroup$ @Zachary, I modified the old saying from, "see is" to "hear is." I was trying to keep some sort of poetic rhythm where I could. So yes, intentional. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 10, 2020 at 23:06
  • $\begingroup$ Is it something to do with rot13(Uhzna nangbzl, yvxr gur urneg)? $\endgroup$
    – Earlien
    Jan 14, 2020 at 8:23

8 Answers 8

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11
+100
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You are responsible for the daily server backup.

Inside my lunchbox
My charge goes every night,
Stored in my cupboard
Until brought back first light.

read this pretty much literally.

You see, boss gave me a task
That’s to be done every day.
I take Tea home on Wednesday,
But it’s Thirsty by Friday.

Tuesday's backup goes home on Wednesday, Thursday (Thirsty) goes home Friday.

You’ll have to buy fresh
If you play this for keeps.
When they do this with your food,
You won’t hear any beeps.

I was thinking "keep the freshest backup" but from OP comments: If you keep all backups, you need to buy new media. Last two lines are plays on "backup" - Server backup (as in backlog) in a restaurant, truck backup (as in reverse) alarm.

I set things up myself.
It wasn’t a huge bother.
The rest just sit on a shelf
As they wait for their brother.

Each day you bring back the tape, and replace it on the rack with the old ones, and take a new one.

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4
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    $\begingroup$ Yes!!!! I knew someone would get it. Nice work. rot13(Gnxvat Freire Onpxhc Bssfvgr. 9 naq 10, ersre gb xrrcvat qngn ba qvfx sberire, ehaavat bhg bs ebbz. Univat gb ohl arj qvfxf. Yvar 11 naq 12, cynl ba jbeqf. (erfgnhenag)vs n freire onpxf hc jvgu lbhe sbbq, lbh jba'g urne orrcf yvxr n gehpx onpxvat hc.) Nice, nice, nice. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 19:12
  • $\begingroup$ rot13(pybfr rabhtu. unun. gunaxf.) I ran out of +1's for today. I will definitely hit you up tomorrow. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 19:20
  • $\begingroup$ It is pretty job specific. Did the final clue line everything up or is this the first time you saw it? $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 19:28
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    $\begingroup$ First time I saw it, but, Hint 3 clued me into the meaning of the second stanza. I'm also a cryptic crossword fan, so rot13(Grn sbe G naq gur ubzbcubar ) fit into that way of thinking. $\endgroup$
    – Chris Cudmore
    Jan 17, 2020 at 19:39
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I’m going to guess

“photosynthesis”.

Explanation:

Lunchbox and cupboard refer to leaves/parts of the plant; only happens to live (“fresh”) material but not food; it’s automatic (“it wasn’t a huge bother”) and their “brother” is the sun. Not sure how the second stanza fits in though.

Am I close?

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1
  • $\begingroup$ I'm sorry. That is not correct. I wish I could say you are close because you're effort was +1, but it's not close. There is wordplay involved, but not for those words. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 10, 2020 at 22:39
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My guess:

Spreading butter

Explanation:

Once opened and stored in a lunchbox, it could last for a day. For cold countries it can last for three days on the cupboard (Wednesday till Friday reference). It has to be bought fresh to keep for a longer time. It’s brother may refer to bread. It works best as a set since, eg., bread and butter; it is usually not consumed separately.

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1
  • $\begingroup$ I'm sorry. Good thinking but not the intended answer. I will post another hint on Monday when I return to work. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 11, 2020 at 15:44
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I think your task is

Taking care of a bird.

Inside my lunchbox
My charge goes every night,
Stored in my cupboard
Until brought back first light.

You bring the company pet home from work in a small cage, your "lunch box" and keep it in your birdcage at home, your "cupboard".

You see, boss gave me a task
That’s to be done every day.
I take Tea home on Wednesday,
But it’s Thirsty by Friday.

The birds name is Tea, and like all pets it needs fresh water every day.

You’ll have to buy fresh
If you play this for keeps.
When they do this with your food,
You won’t hear any beeps.

And fresh food too, if not it will "beep" or chirp to complain.

I set things up myself.
It wasn’t a huge bother.
The rest just sit on a shelf
As they wait for their brother.

At home you have some more birds of your own, and they like when their "brother" come to visit.

Hint 1

The thing that I care for
Works best in a set.
If you’re into this puzzle,
What you hear’s what you get.

Most birds prefer to be part of a group, or at least have a partner.
To just have one is not good way to keep a pet. Birds also like to sing
so you will hear them, alot!

Hint 2

The youngest is the one I hold
Since relief is on the menu.
Tomorrow, he won’t be at his best.
So, some rest he must attend to.

The bird is young, and it is stressfull for it to be alone at the office all the time.
With its friends in your aviary it will relax and rest so it can feel better tomorrow.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Sorry, not the intended answer. It was a wonderful attempt though. rot13(Lbh'ir rnearq n uvag/erirny: Zl yhapuobk naq phcobneq ner zl yhapuobk naq phcobneq. Fb, ab oveqf :)) $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 13, 2020 at 20:25
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This is a really long shot, but I'm going to take another guess:

The task your boss gave you is to take home (or steal) a radioactive substance of some kind! Uranium perhaps?

Inside my lunchbox
My charge goes every night,
Stored in my cupboard
Until brought back first light.

This paragraph makes more sense when coupled with the proceeding paragraph. It sounds like you are smuggling home the uranium in your lunchbox. You store it in your cupboard - or perhaps this is code for a nuclear reactor. (Perhaps by morning, it is glowing? Lol - not sure about this.)

You see, boss gave me a task
That’s to be done every day.
I take Tea home on Wednesday,
But it’s Thirsty by Friday.

There is a Foyle's War episode where a scientist steals radioactive uranium samples from a company by smuggling it in his tea flask (hence the capitalisation of "Tea" perhaps?). Only you choose to use a lunchbox. The reference to being thirsty may be because you are building a nuclear reactor (or selling it to someone who has one), hence the constant need for water to cool the core...

You’ll have to buy fresh
If you play this for keeps.
When they do this with your food,
You won’t hear any beeps.

Newly enriched ("fresh") uranium is more valuable than depleted uranium. Unlike a microwave (which beeps when finished), you won't hear any beeps if you used this to cook your food.

I set things up myself.
It wasn’t a huge bother.
The rest just sit on a shelf
As they wait for their brother.

I'm not sure about this last paragraph. Maybe "the rest" refers to other rods in the reactor core ("a shelf") and their "brother" is the rest of the system/computer terminal?

Hint 1:
The thing that I care for
Works best in a set.
If you’re into this puzzle,
What you hear’s what you get.

Obviously you'll need more than 1 rod or more than 1 uranium sample to be effective. The last line doesn't really fit though.

Hint 2:

Sorry, I have no idea how hint 2 applies.

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5
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry. Not the intended answer. However, you've made me wish this was it. :) I will give a hint tomorrow that reveals a major misconception among all the current answers. +1 $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 0:31
  • $\begingroup$ This puzzle has been taunting me for days. I'm adding a bounty :) $\endgroup$
    – Earlien
    Jan 17, 2020 at 0:40
  • $\begingroup$ I've thought about it. It may be time. I was going to wait a day or so but whatev :) $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 0:44
  • $\begingroup$ The real answer better be good. We're all hyped up now :) $\endgroup$
    – Earlien
    Jan 17, 2020 at 0:46
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ It's not necessarily good. It's just something I do. I could probably write a two page poem about plucking a nose hair (not it) without anyone getting it easily. Ooh. That can be next. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 1:04
1
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So I guess it is buying bread or toast.
Explanation for the answer:
As one can carry it in lunch box also charge ups people for whole day.
Usually stored in cupboard, everyone buys it fresh.
Can be accompanied by tea.

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4
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry. Not the answer I'm looking for. Also, what does, rot13("punetr hcf crbcyr sbe jubyr qnl") mean? Just curious. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 14, 2020 at 13:47
  • $\begingroup$ Didn't get that. $\endgroup$
    – Shreya Soni
    Jan 14, 2020 at 13:59
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry. rot13 is a way to encrypt a comment so other couldn't just see it. Like a no spoiler tag. There are websites that have decoders and encoders. rotate the letters by 13. You'll see it a lot on this site. I was just wondering what, "charge ups people for whole day" means. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 14, 2020 at 14:02
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Gives you energy, so similar to batteries it charges(provides energy) your body. Thank you for providing the answer. $\endgroup$
    – Shreya Soni
    Jan 14, 2020 at 14:49
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Is your job...

Making sandwiches at a deli (or cold sandwiches)?

The idea of sets, items sitting on a shelf, and the youngest in your hand for relief all point to the idea I shared. Also, the no beep sounds like there's no microwave involved.

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  • $\begingroup$ Sorry. Not the intended answer. Definitely no microwave. Also, the beeps do not come from a microwave. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 13:36
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Your task is

A calendar, planner, shopping list, or to-do list

Tucked in your satchel/purse/bag, reviewed each morning.
Reminders about what to do, buy, or bring home.
Previous journals/calendars/notes sit on bookcase.

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry. Not the intended answer(s). Good thought, though. I'll have to +1 you later. I ran out of daily votes. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Jan 17, 2020 at 18:26

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