Will Shortz Has Gone to the Birds

Here's this week's NPR Puzzle:

The first 12 letters of the alphabet are A to L. Think of a familiar, six-word proverb that contains 11 of these 12 letters. The letters may be used more than once, and you may use additional letters from the second half of the alphabet. What proverb is this?

Ross gets credit for solving this one. The intended answer is BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER, with J as the missing letter.

So, what did you think? Good puzzle? Or just some alphabetical bookkeeping? I'm not sure, myself.

And thanks, everyone, for your good wishes. I'm slowly feeling better, but I have a few weeks to go before this situation is well-and-truly behind me.

Here are some fine feathered friends, flocking together:

Time for

Here are this week's picks:

Fewer than 50  51 - 100 101 - 150 151 - 200 201 - 250 251 - 300 301 - 350 351 - 400 401 - 450 451 - 500 -- Word Woman   501 - 550 551 - 600 -- Ross 601 - 650 -- Magdalen 651 - 700 -- musettesmom 701 - 750 751 - 800  801 - 850 851 - 900 -- Mendo Jim 901 - 950 951 - 1,000

1,001 - 1,050 -- David 1,051 - 1,100 1,101 - 1,150 1,151 - 1,200 -- Paul 1,201 - 1,250 1,251 - 1,300 1,301 - 1,350 1,351 - 1,400 -- Curtis 1,401 - 1,450 1,451 - 1,500 1,501 - 1,550 1,551 - 1,600 1,601 - 1,650 1,651 - 1,700 1,701 - 1,750 1,751 - 1,800 1,801 - 1,850 1,851 - 1,900 1,901 - 1,950 1,951 - 2,000 -- Marie

2,001 - 2,050 2,051 - 2,100 2,101 - 2,150 2,151 - 2,200 2,201 - 2,250 2,251 - 2,300 2,301 - 2,350 2,351 - 2,400 2,401 - 2,450 2,451 - 2,500 2,501 - 2,750 2,751 - 3,000 3,001 - 3,250 3,251 - 3,500 3,501 - 4,000 4,001 - 4,500 4,501 - 5,000  > 5,000  > 5,000 + new record

Our tie-break rule:   In the event that a single round number is announced with a qualifier such as "about" or "around" (e.g., "We received around 1,200 entries."), AND two separate people picked the ranges of numbers just before and just after that round number, the prize will be awarded to whichever entrant had not already won a prize, or in the event that both entrants had won a prize already or neither had, then to the earlier of the two entries on the famous judicial principle of "First Come First Serve," (or in technical legal jargon, "You Snooze, You Lose").  As of July 2012, this rule is officially no longer obsolete (and also I still just like having fine print).