Puzzle Description:

Lay and Lei. It took some work to make this one solvable. I hope the story makes up for the gruesome pixel work on the little flowers (blue hyacinth and white orchids).

#1: Teresa K (fasstar) on Dec 12, 2009 [SPOILER]

Okay, here's the story (Rated PG-13): Larry and Leah went to Honolulu on their honeymoon. They stayed up late last night, having attended a luau where Leah learned to hula for Larry. They were so tired that Larry fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, wehn they returned to the Leilani Hotel. (Too many Hawaiian Hurricanes can really louse up your love life.) It's now 11 am, and Leah is awake. But Larry is still asleep, dreaming about his lovely Leah. Larry is about to wake up to a little surprise: Leah has decided to lay next to Larry wearing nothing but a lei. Lucky Larry.

This was very tricky! I admit the man laying was difficult to see at first. In fact, I couldn't tell it was a lei either. After reading the description, though, I could tell for sure.

People lie, things lay.

But, very pretty lei :)

You are correct, Fran. I get that one mixed up enough that I should have looked it up. However, lay is the past tense of lie. So I will restate that sentence to correct my bad grammar: Leah lay down on the bed. :-)

"Leah has decided to _lie_ next to Larry wearing nothing but a lei." or "Leah has _lain_ next to Larry wearing nothing but a lei."

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/lay-versus-lie.aspx

"Leah lay on the bed next to Larry" is correct.

Note the last example here:
http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000233.htm

The reason lay and lie are confusing is their past tenses.

The past tense of lay is laid.

The past tense of lie is lay.

Incorrect: I lay it down here yesterday.

Correct: I laid it down here yesterday.
(It is being done to something else.)

Incorrect: Last night I laid awake in bed.

Correct: Last night I lay awake in bed.

I disagree, but I really don't want to argue with you. :)

Oh that's okay, you're not disagreeing with me. See, it's not my opinion, it's the grammar rule. In fact, if you go back to the source link you posted, it says the same thing. Duke University writer's studio says the same thing too, as do all the other grammar sources:
http://uwp.duke.edu/wstudio/resources/documents/holiday_07.pdf
"The past tense of lie is lay, so...
Last week, Steve lay down on the floor."

But I guess you can disagree with a grammar rule if you want. :-)

But then you get into the homophone/homonym business too, and say the past tense of lie is also lied (fib/fibbed). LOL

I like the lei.

The lei was looong.

Tough puzzle. I see the lei but I can't see the lay, even with the story. I'll look again another time.

He is laying down, face up, head only, resting on a striped pillow.

People saying over and over again how Leah lay/lied/whatever in the bed made me snicker. :) I saw the guy asleep, but I couldn't figure out what the lei was. Good job.

i guessed them both. the lei is actually very well done - they are never "perfect" because they're bulky. good job.

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