Theme: The Ends Justify the Meanings - The end word in each theme answer is split into a compound word, and the first part of which forms a familiar "__ and __" phrase with the start of each theme entry.
23A. Angler's go-to lure?: BREAD AND BUTTER FLY. Bread and Butter. Butterfly. Anglers use artificial flies as lure.
37A. Intermittent photo session?: ON AND OFF SHOOT. On and off. Offshoot.
67A. "Father Knows Best," to some: MOM AND POP CORN. Mom and Pop. Popcorn. I've never watched "Father Knows Best". Is it really corny?
97A. Zigzags?:: IN-AND-OUT LINES. In-and-Out. Outlines.
114A.Wavering conservative faction?: BACK AND FORTH RIGHT. Back and Forth. Forthright. Conservative faction = Right.
16D. Thrill from using a mouse?: DRAG AND DROP KICK. Drag and Drop. Dropkick. Fun clue/answer.
43D. Fancy dance marathon?: HUFF AND PUFF BALL. Huff and Puff. Puffball. Very evocative answer.
Fun theme.
It reminds me slightly of Doug Peterson and Barry Silk's collaboration Sunday puzzle "And another thing...". Different approach of course.
None of the expensive letters J/Q/X/Z is used in this grid. Out of 36 3-letter & 32 4-letter entries, quite a few are abbreviations. Fortunately most of them have become gimmes to me. I've been solving & blogging puzzles for more than two and a half years.
Across:
1. Long cold spell: ICE AGE. Nice clue.
7. "The Whiffenpoof Song" words: BAAS. Wikipedia says "The Whiffenpoof Song" ends in "Baa, baa, humbug!". Unknown to me.
11. Big bang: BLAST. Triple alliteration.
16. Mil. decoration: DSM (Distinguished Service Medal)
19. Grand Canyon nester: CONDOR. Had trouble obtaining the answer.
20. Quartet named for its singers: ABBA. Initials of their first names.
21. Alice's husband in '50s TV: RALPH
22. Reine's spouse: ROI. Reine = Queen (in French)
26. Hole puncher: AWL
27. Dustin's "Kramer vs. Kramer" co-star: MERYL(Streep)
28. "Jingle Bells" contraction: O'ER
29. Some nest eggs, briefly: IRAS
30. Mirrored: IMAGED
32. Sign that makes an angel happy: SRO (Stand Room Only). Angel here refers to a person who finances a Broadway show or a film.
33. Religious symbol: ICON
35. "Hold on __!": A SEC
36. Say over: ITERATE. And REPEAT (121.Echo)
40. __ White: SNOW
41. '90s Olds: ACHIEVA. Replaced by Alero in 1999. New trivia to me.
44. Work at assiduously: PLY
45. Took potshots: SNIPED
47. Lugs: HAULS
48. "A Doll's House" heroine: NORA. I forgot.
50. Passé platters: LPS. Cool clue!
52. Candy named for its creators: M AND M'S. Odd to see M & M's spelled out.
55. Overrun en masse, as ants: INFEST
57. Pedal pusher: CYCLER
59. Minsk's home: BELARUS. Nailed it.
60. Where wildebeest roam: Abbr.: AFR. Wildebeest = Gnu.
61. Possess, to Burns: HAE. "Have".
63. Two bells, at sea: ONE AM. Guessed. Don't really know the bells and the corresponded time.
65. Admission of defeat: I LOST
66. Palindromic Altar: ARA. Literally "Altar" in Latin.
71. Ale servings: Abbr.: PTS (Pints)
72. Yorba __, Calif. : LINDA. Just learned that the Nixon Library is located here.
74. Cockamamie: INANE
75. Here, to Pierre: ICI
76. Letters before a 76-Down: AKA. Nice crossing with ALIAS (76D. See 76-Across).
77. Blues Brothers toppers: FEDORAS. And SNL (118.Where the Blues Brothers began, briefly).
79. Like some outfield walls: PADDED
82. Quartz compound: SILICA
85. Quakers in the woods: ASPENS. Aspen quakes. The "in the woods" did not dissuade me from thinking of the religious Quakers.
86. These, to Thérèse: CES
87. Formerly, formerly: ERST
89. Suitable spot for a statue: NICHE. Triple alliteration in the clue.
90. Has the last of: USES UP
92. TV Guide abbr. : TBA
93. Director's do-overs: RETAKES
95. Sword handle: HAFT
101.1980s-'90s N.Y. senator D'Amato: ALFONSE. I peeked at the answer sheet.
103."Denial __ just a river in Egypt": Twain: AIN'T
104.State with conviction: AVER
105.Sleep lab acronym: REM
108.Bump off: RUB OUT
109.Anthem starter: O SAY
110.Expected: DUE
111.Typical start?: PROTO. Start of the word Prototypical.
113.GP's gp. : AMA
119.Taken as a whole: IN ALL
120.__ worlde: quaintly fashionable: OLDE
122."Rebel Without a Cause" actor Mineo: SAL
123.World carrier: ATLAS. The clue needs a question mark, does it?
124.Lanolin source: WOOL. Did not know the meaning of lanolin: a fatty substance obtained from wool and used in soaps, cosmetics, and ointments.
125.Fuel in a can: STERNO
Down:
1. Some WMDs: ICBMS. Stumper. ICBM = InterContinental Ballistic Missile.
2. Semicircular utensil: CORER. I seldom use our corer.
3. Hot time in Chile: ENERO. January.
4. Beatles' "__ in the Life": A DAY
5. Sanctity: GODLINESS
6. '70s NOW cause: ERA. I know NOW = National Organization for Women. But I don't get the clue.
7. Villains often come to one: BAD END. Wish it's true in real life.
8. Mass. or Miss.: ABBR. Can't get STATE out of my mind.
9. "Aladdin" monkey: ABU. No idea.
10. Make happy: SATISFY
11. Dam damage: BREACH
12. "__ and the Real Girl": 2007 film: LARS. Here is the poster. Doesn't look interesting to me.
13. Franklin's 1936 foe: ALF (Landon)
14. Mid-race statistic: SPLIT TIME. Car race?
15. Part of a Simon & Garfunkel quartet: THYME. "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme". Love the song.
17. Johannesburg area: SOWETO. Nope. What's it famous for?
18. Shower problem: MILDEW
24. Reagan speechwriter: NOONAN (Peggy)
25. Spanish crowd?: TRES. Spanish for "three". Three's a crowd.
31. Military depot: ARSENAL
34. Cleveland hoopster, for short: CAV. Cavaliers.
35. Company with a spokesduck: AFLAC
36. Charge carrier: ION. I blanked on the clue.
37. Crude carrier: OILER. Nice consecutive "carrier' clues.
38. Venue for Minnie Pearl: OPRY
39. CIA predecessor: OSS (Office of Strategic Services)
41. Sashimi fish: AHI. Yummy!
42. Birds named for an island group: CANARIES
46. Monty Python member: PALIN. Someone is pouting for the clue.
49. Neptune's domain: OCEAN
50. O'Brien's successor: LENO
51. Type of school: PREP
53. Pencil or toothbrush, e.g.: MUSTACHE. Devious clue!
54. Retd. boomers: SSTS. Nailed it.
56. Howe'er: THO
58. Ran easily: LOPED
59. College QB, often: BMOC (Big Man on Campus)
62. "Time's Arrow" author: AMIS (Martin). Has anyone read the book?
64. Bases' antitheses: ACIDS
66. Bravo preceder: ALFA. Alfa and Alpha both right.
67. Seine tributary: MARNE. Can never remember this river.
68. Kitty pickup spot: NAPE
69. Spiral molecules: DNAS
70. Grafton's "__ for Ricochet": R IS
73. Argumentative cry: DOES TOO
78. Second: ASSISTANT. Constructors love this kind of ambiguous part of speech.
80. Coming-out: DEBUT
81. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT
83. Make sense of: INTERPRET
84. DDE adversary: AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson)
86. Audit rep: CPA. And HRS (117. 86-Down billing units).
88. Hot-pot support: TRIVET. Three-legged stand.
91. Somme one: UNE. In French.
92. Wally Cleaver portrayer: TONY DOW. Learned from doing Xword.
94. Reno-to-Elko dir.: ENE
95. Bust chops: HARASS. "Bust chops" is new slang to me.
96. Wellesley grad: ALUMNA. Women's college.
98. Some sonorant sounds: NASALS. Another triple alliteration.
99. "Gorillas in the Mist" subject Fossey: DIAN. Can never commit her name to my brain.
100. Victory emblem: LAUREL
102.Ancient Nile Valley kingdom: NUBIA. Current Egypt-Sudan region. JD said Aida is from Nubia.
105.Ham's "Gotcha": ROGER
106.Frome of fiction: ETHAN
107.Words often etched in stone: MOTTO
109.Sooner St.: OKLA. Lois is there now.
110.Birdbrain: DODO. Our Dodo got her avatar name from the starting two letters of her given & family name.
112.Ready to pluck: RIPE
115.Baseball "Iron Man" Ripken: CAL. So humble!
116.Waitress at Mel's: FLO
Answer grid.
Happy 75th Birthday to Jeannie's Dad!
C.C.
23A. Angler's go-to lure?: BREAD AND BUTTER FLY. Bread and Butter. Butterfly. Anglers use artificial flies as lure.
37A. Intermittent photo session?: ON AND OFF SHOOT. On and off. Offshoot.
67A. "Father Knows Best," to some: MOM AND POP CORN. Mom and Pop. Popcorn. I've never watched "Father Knows Best". Is it really corny?
97A. Zigzags?:: IN-AND-OUT LINES. In-and-Out. Outlines.
114A.Wavering conservative faction?: BACK AND FORTH RIGHT. Back and Forth. Forthright. Conservative faction = Right.
16D. Thrill from using a mouse?: DRAG AND DROP KICK. Drag and Drop. Dropkick. Fun clue/answer.
43D. Fancy dance marathon?: HUFF AND PUFF BALL. Huff and Puff. Puffball. Very evocative answer.
Fun theme.
It reminds me slightly of Doug Peterson and Barry Silk's collaboration Sunday puzzle "And another thing...". Different approach of course.
None of the expensive letters J/Q/X/Z is used in this grid. Out of 36 3-letter & 32 4-letter entries, quite a few are abbreviations. Fortunately most of them have become gimmes to me. I've been solving & blogging puzzles for more than two and a half years.
Across:
1. Long cold spell: ICE AGE. Nice clue.
7. "The Whiffenpoof Song" words: BAAS. Wikipedia says "The Whiffenpoof Song" ends in "Baa, baa, humbug!". Unknown to me.
11. Big bang: BLAST. Triple alliteration.
16. Mil. decoration: DSM (Distinguished Service Medal)
19. Grand Canyon nester: CONDOR. Had trouble obtaining the answer.
20. Quartet named for its singers: ABBA. Initials of their first names.
21. Alice's husband in '50s TV: RALPH
22. Reine's spouse: ROI. Reine = Queen (in French)
26. Hole puncher: AWL
27. Dustin's "Kramer vs. Kramer" co-star: MERYL(Streep)
28. "Jingle Bells" contraction: O'ER
29. Some nest eggs, briefly: IRAS
30. Mirrored: IMAGED
32. Sign that makes an angel happy: SRO (Stand Room Only). Angel here refers to a person who finances a Broadway show or a film.
33. Religious symbol: ICON
35. "Hold on __!": A SEC
36. Say over: ITERATE. And REPEAT (121.Echo)
40. __ White: SNOW
41. '90s Olds: ACHIEVA. Replaced by Alero in 1999. New trivia to me.
44. Work at assiduously: PLY
45. Took potshots: SNIPED
47. Lugs: HAULS
48. "A Doll's House" heroine: NORA. I forgot.
50. Passé platters: LPS. Cool clue!
52. Candy named for its creators: M AND M'S. Odd to see M & M's spelled out.
55. Overrun en masse, as ants: INFEST
57. Pedal pusher: CYCLER
59. Minsk's home: BELARUS. Nailed it.
60. Where wildebeest roam: Abbr.: AFR. Wildebeest = Gnu.
61. Possess, to Burns: HAE. "Have".
63. Two bells, at sea: ONE AM. Guessed. Don't really know the bells and the corresponded time.
65. Admission of defeat: I LOST
66. Palindromic Altar: ARA. Literally "Altar" in Latin.
71. Ale servings: Abbr.: PTS (Pints)
72. Yorba __, Calif. : LINDA. Just learned that the Nixon Library is located here.
74. Cockamamie: INANE
75. Here, to Pierre: ICI
76. Letters before a 76-Down: AKA. Nice crossing with ALIAS (76D. See 76-Across).
77. Blues Brothers toppers: FEDORAS. And SNL (118.Where the Blues Brothers began, briefly).
79. Like some outfield walls: PADDED
82. Quartz compound: SILICA
85. Quakers in the woods: ASPENS. Aspen quakes. The "in the woods" did not dissuade me from thinking of the religious Quakers.
86. These, to Thérèse: CES
87. Formerly, formerly: ERST
89. Suitable spot for a statue: NICHE. Triple alliteration in the clue.
90. Has the last of: USES UP
92. TV Guide abbr. : TBA
93. Director's do-overs: RETAKES
95. Sword handle: HAFT
101.1980s-'90s N.Y. senator D'Amato: ALFONSE. I peeked at the answer sheet.
103."Denial __ just a river in Egypt": Twain: AIN'T
104.State with conviction: AVER
105.Sleep lab acronym: REM
108.Bump off: RUB OUT
109.Anthem starter: O SAY
110.Expected: DUE
111.Typical start?: PROTO. Start of the word Prototypical.
113.GP's gp. : AMA
119.Taken as a whole: IN ALL
120.__ worlde: quaintly fashionable: OLDE
122."Rebel Without a Cause" actor Mineo: SAL
123.World carrier: ATLAS. The clue needs a question mark, does it?
124.Lanolin source: WOOL. Did not know the meaning of lanolin: a fatty substance obtained from wool and used in soaps, cosmetics, and ointments.
125.Fuel in a can: STERNO
Down:
1. Some WMDs: ICBMS. Stumper. ICBM = InterContinental Ballistic Missile.
2. Semicircular utensil: CORER. I seldom use our corer.
3. Hot time in Chile: ENERO. January.
4. Beatles' "__ in the Life": A DAY
5. Sanctity: GODLINESS
6. '70s NOW cause: ERA. I know NOW = National Organization for Women. But I don't get the clue.
7. Villains often come to one: BAD END. Wish it's true in real life.
8. Mass. or Miss.: ABBR. Can't get STATE out of my mind.
9. "Aladdin" monkey: ABU. No idea.
10. Make happy: SATISFY
11. Dam damage: BREACH
12. "__ and the Real Girl": 2007 film: LARS. Here is the poster. Doesn't look interesting to me.
13. Franklin's 1936 foe: ALF (Landon)
14. Mid-race statistic: SPLIT TIME. Car race?
15. Part of a Simon & Garfunkel quartet: THYME. "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme". Love the song.
17. Johannesburg area: SOWETO. Nope. What's it famous for?
18. Shower problem: MILDEW
24. Reagan speechwriter: NOONAN (Peggy)
25. Spanish crowd?: TRES. Spanish for "three". Three's a crowd.
31. Military depot: ARSENAL
34. Cleveland hoopster, for short: CAV. Cavaliers.
35. Company with a spokesduck: AFLAC
36. Charge carrier: ION. I blanked on the clue.
37. Crude carrier: OILER. Nice consecutive "carrier' clues.
38. Venue for Minnie Pearl: OPRY
39. CIA predecessor: OSS (Office of Strategic Services)
41. Sashimi fish: AHI. Yummy!
42. Birds named for an island group: CANARIES
46. Monty Python member: PALIN. Someone is pouting for the clue.
49. Neptune's domain: OCEAN
50. O'Brien's successor: LENO
51. Type of school: PREP
53. Pencil or toothbrush, e.g.: MUSTACHE. Devious clue!
54. Retd. boomers: SSTS. Nailed it.
56. Howe'er: THO
58. Ran easily: LOPED
59. College QB, often: BMOC (Big Man on Campus)
62. "Time's Arrow" author: AMIS (Martin). Has anyone read the book?
64. Bases' antitheses: ACIDS
66. Bravo preceder: ALFA. Alfa and Alpha both right.
67. Seine tributary: MARNE. Can never remember this river.
68. Kitty pickup spot: NAPE
69. Spiral molecules: DNAS
70. Grafton's "__ for Ricochet": R IS
73. Argumentative cry: DOES TOO
78. Second: ASSISTANT. Constructors love this kind of ambiguous part of speech.
80. Coming-out: DEBUT
81. Part of Q.E.D.: ERAT
83. Make sense of: INTERPRET
84. DDE adversary: AES (Adlai Ewing Stevenson)
86. Audit rep: CPA. And HRS (117. 86-Down billing units).
88. Hot-pot support: TRIVET. Three-legged stand.
91. Somme one: UNE. In French.
92. Wally Cleaver portrayer: TONY DOW. Learned from doing Xword.
94. Reno-to-Elko dir.: ENE
95. Bust chops: HARASS. "Bust chops" is new slang to me.
96. Wellesley grad: ALUMNA. Women's college.
98. Some sonorant sounds: NASALS. Another triple alliteration.
99. "Gorillas in the Mist" subject Fossey: DIAN. Can never commit her name to my brain.
100. Victory emblem: LAUREL
102.Ancient Nile Valley kingdom: NUBIA. Current Egypt-Sudan region. JD said Aida is from Nubia.
105.Ham's "Gotcha": ROGER
106.Frome of fiction: ETHAN
107.Words often etched in stone: MOTTO
109.Sooner St.: OKLA. Lois is there now.
110.Birdbrain: DODO. Our Dodo got her avatar name from the starting two letters of her given & family name.
112.Ready to pluck: RIPE
115.Baseball "Iron Man" Ripken: CAL. So humble!
116.Waitress at Mel's: FLO
Answer grid.
Happy 75th Birthday to Jeannie's Dad!
C.C.
52 comments:
ERA = Equal Rights Amendment
Good Morning, C.C.
You have so many questions today, I think I better have a hearty breakfast before I tackle any of them. I shall return!
Morning, all!
Fun theme and a smooth solving experience today. A few potholes in the road, such as the clue for MUSTACHE (which I always want to spell MOUSTACHE, for some reason), but nothing really bad.
'70s NOW cause: ERA. I know NOW = National Organization for Women. But I don't get the clue.
ERA = Equal Rights Amendment, which is one of the main causes that NOW promoted in the 70s.
Good morning everyone.
A good day for knowing French and Spanish:
ROI, ICI, CES, UNE, ENERO, TRES
Enjoyed: DODO, LPS, SSTS, and especially ASPENS!
I was wondering if any of you would care to share (if indeed you can remember) your very first memory/exposure to crosswords? Do you remember the very first time? Were you instantly hooked or was it a gradual thing? To what extent do crossword permeate your life today?
Me? I got a booklet called "100 easy crosswords" in a Christmas stocking when I was about 10 years old. They were just easy enough for a 10 year old to enjoy and got me hooked. Played around with the Dell's magazines during the next few years. Started with the newspaper versions as a young adult. Still only do one puzzle (the LAT) a day.
Good morning C.C. and all.
A very nice Sunday puzzle though it took me an hour to finish. I thought of 6D as an acronym but all I can come up with is Earned Run Average. Thanks Anonymous @5:52 and Barry G for the information. I misread 88D as hot-spot support so my mind was in a different direction. Anyway TRIVET, just like REVET from yesterday is new to me. I took 89A in its general sense. I was thinking of a more specific NICHE to put a statue.
103A AIN'T probably going to SATISFY our good teachers in the
blog. I hope you all have good day.
August
A minor corection to 7A. "The Whiffenpoof Song" words: BAAS. Wikipedia says "The Whiffenpoof Song" ends in "Baa, baa, humbug!".
The Yale Whiffenpoofs, the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, end their song, "Baa, baa, baa." The Harvard Krokodiloes performed a spoof that ended, "Baa, baa, humbug!".
Good Morning All, Three little letters.....phooey! Sure, I got a lot of them, but I suffered with many. I STM (Sang To Myself) the chorus of Jingle Bells three times before I finally went on to the verse and got "O'ER the fields we go". ABU, DSM, ION, HAE, AKA and AES all held me up.
All the theme entries were just fine with me. Every one of them was clever, funny and spot-on.
C.C. Does 123A World carrier need a ? for ATLAS? Maybe, but not because it refers to a book of maps. ATLAS was a Greek Titan who had to carry the heavens on his shoulders, ATLAS myth. Somehow the story changed, so that ATLAS is carrying the world The original myth makes more sense (if any myth makes sense) because at least ATLAS can stand on Earth while he supports the sky. Where is he supposed to stand if he is supporting the world? Then, there is this image. Whether ATLAS is supporting the sky or the world, eventually he's going to drop it.
Argyle, thanks for clearing up the "baa baa humbug" parody, The real Whiffenpoof Song by the Yale Whiffenpoofs.
Regarding bells at sea. 24 bells is midnight, one bell is 12:30 am. Two bells is 1 am and one more bell for each half hour. I never served in the Navy but I think that's correct.
C.C., I do not know how you do it. Sundays are always slogs, if for no other reason than there are so many answers, and so much going on. I was surprised a word like, Cockamamie: INANE, which is not in use very much received no comment. The theme was inventive, and I loved much of the fill with Blues Brothers toppers: FEDORAS really my favorite. Mid-race statistic: SPLIT TIME, can be in any race, horse, car or human as it just designates the time at a point in the race.
SOWETO SOuth WEst TOwnships was the largest black part of Johannesburg during the white apartheid government rule of South Africa. It also was the site of early protests and for au courant, was where the concert which kicked off the World Cup soccer tournament was held.
yes, many happy returns for Jeannie's dad, and all of our celebrants
Hi CC and Group:
Well done blog, CC -- thank you.
Enjoyed today's theme, though HUFF AND PUFF-BALL was the last one I filled. I can picture the three little pigs huffing & puffing while running a marathon, and then blowing houses down!
Loved Passe Platters = LPS. Nice contrast to yesterday's LP Filler = MNO.
Nice change with mirrored = IMAGED and not echoed, aped, or imitated.
Senior moment as I forgot TONY DOW and couldn't get EDDIE HASKELL out of my head!
Father Knows Best WAS a bit corny, but right in line for the times. Taught some timeless values - could use a bit more of that in today's media.
Sen. Alfonse D'Amato from Long Island was known as Senator Pothole -- he always came through for his "constituents." Some viewed that favorably - some claimed payoffs were involved. His brother, Armand, was convicted of mail fraud, which was later reversed on appeal.
110D Birdbrain - I always want to use DOLT, but DODO seems more popular with constructors -- a tip of the hat to our DODO blog member, I'm sure.
Bill G -- Mathematically, I'm having a hard time with your bells explanation. If 12:30AM is 1 bell, 1AM two bells, etc. then 12 Noon would be 24 bells. You said 12 Midnight is 24 bells. Is it possible that the bells denote the time but neither AM nor PM?
Welcome all new posters -- glad to have you aboard.
Have a great Sunday everyone.
Telling Time by Bells .
kofaxmaravich, my memory and explanation were off a bit but I was about half right.
The use of bells to mark the time on a ship stemmed from the period when seamen could not afford a personal time piece or maybe didn't know how to tell time. The bells marked the hours of the watch in half-hour increments. The seamen would know if it were morning, afternoon or night. Each watch is four hours long. 0030 (12:30 am) was one bell, 0100 - two bells, up to 0400 (4am) which was eight bells. Then the watch and the bells started over again with 0430 - one bell up to 0800 (8am) being eight bells again. The end of each watch was eight bells, hence the saying, "Eight bells and all is well."
Good morning, C.C. and puzzle folk.
Have to make this quick before I go to church.
Lovely and long xwd today; I can only say now that all was enjoyable. Many nostalgic recollections
Story about Linda (girl's name).
More later.
I hope you are enjoying your Sunday!
Can't wait for Monday and Argyle's blog. Sunday is always a slog.
Good morning C.C. and all,
This took a loooong time, although I was also watching Engl. vs.Germany. Hey! That octopus was right again.
I thought the theme was clever, (especially mom and popcorn!), but I could not complete DRAG AND DROP KICK, and BALL (as in huff and puff).That accounted for most of my 15 unfinished fills(oxymoron?)
Hand up for singing Jingle Bells. I had forgotten The Whiffenpoof Songso G'd it ...also achieva, Tony Dow and Alfonse, so I could keep moving.
Quaking aspens brought to mind a trip we took to Jackson Hole several years ago.One morning we woke up and several moose were outside our window among those beautiful trees, munching away.Was not into photography back then.
Paolo, that was a good question and made me think. I had my 6th graders doing puzzles and creating their own from vocabulary words before I ever did any myself. I would do parts of them on airplanes, but it wasn't until I retired 2 yrs ago that I actually was hooked.
Hope you all have a fabulous Sunday.Each day gets a little warmer here; yesterday it was 90 ish.
CA, didn't Atlas shrug? (smile) enjoyed myth, AND very strange tattoo.You're right..he's going to drop it.
Answer.com:
A split time is basically the time it takes to run a fraction of a race. If there is a 1500 meter race, there could be split times at 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1200 meters. So the time it took to run the first 400 meters of the 1500 meter race would be called a split time.
On a ship, in the wee, wee hours of the night, is there a tinkle bell?
Something different about a BUTTER FLY - Our old crossword friend Vladimir Nabokov, who wrote Lolita (Happy Birthday to Jeannie's father) was a well known entomologist (the study of insects). He was responsible for identifying and naming the Karner Blue. His poem sounds as if his work with butterflies was more important to him than any of his literary works.
On Discovering a Butterfly
I found it and I named it, being versed
in taxonomic Latin; thus became
godfather to an insect and its first
describer -- and I want no other fame.
Wide open on its pin (though fast asleep),
and safe from creeping relatives and rust,
in the secluded stronghold where we keep
type specimens it will transcend its dust.
Dark pictures, thrones, the stones that pilgrims kiss,
poems that take a thousand years to die
but ape the immortality of this
red label on a little butterfly.
- Vladimir Nabokov
Paolo, my mother crossworded for years and tried to interest me. I didn't have the time and patience until after I retired eight years ago. This blog as well as the puzzles themselves have addicted me.
JD, yes, "ATLAS Shrugged" ;o) Maybe every time we feel an earthquake he is adjusting his burden.
Have a great Sunday afternoon everyone.
Paolo. My mother, 83 and going strong, has done xwords for as long as I can remember, but I was never interested. Around the first of this year our paper, in response to subscribers, ran a week or two of three different puzzle suppliers to choose a winner. I decided to take part & the rest is history. I do look forward to the morning challenge to get my brain going.
Paolo
My multiethnic man, sunday mornings, after breakfast, were crawling in the big bed with my parents and brothers while the NY Times puzzles were completed, the main puzzle and the side one like the acrostic and puns and anagrams. Since my parents knew different things, there was laways much backing and forthing, and plenty for big eared (figuratively) boys to learn. Mother and I also eventually took to doing the London Times together after my father died. My oldest brother had done the NY Times daily in pen for years, thuogh we really do not talk puzzles at all.
I have gone back and forth on doing puzzles and introduced them to both my sons, but so far not a passion for them.
Paolo:
Old news since I have mentioned it before, my fourth grade teacher used to give us crosswords every week for the spelling list. Since then I have been hooked and solve many more now that I am retired (semi).
Ironically, I taught fourth grade for 35 years and did the same for my students. I don't know if any of them continued.
I especially liked Quakers in the woods, ASPENS, and World carrier, ATLAS, as well as Charge carrier, ION with a fresh clue.
All the theme answers/clues were funny and clever.
JD and CA, LOL at your little jokes. If there is a huge earthquake, is it a coughing spell?
About Linda. At one time all three of my brothers were married to a Linda. It got to be a circus trying to distinguish them as two had J as middle initial, Linda Jean and Linda Jane. We finally settled on Art's Linda, Fred's Linda, and John's Linda. Two of them still have same the last name.
I have memories of Belarus. One year we traveled by bus on a tour that took us from Frankfurt, Ger. through Poland, the Czech Rep., Belarus,Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. Belarus was my least favorite place, very gloomy and depressed.
Happy birthday to your Dad, Jeannie.
I see there weren't many questions afterall, so I'll work on 9D. "Aladdin" monkey: ABU
First, it seems ABU is only in the Walt Disney's 1992 animated adventure film and isn't in the original story, one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights).
But this is interesting; ABU is based on the similarly-named Abu the thief, played by Sabu in the 1940 version of The Thief of Bagdad. We have had SABU before. 33D on May 25, 2009. Don't you just love our blog search feature? 6D on December 14, 2009.
Another factoid: Both puzzles were constructed by Rich Norris.
'Atlas Shrugged' A novel by Ayn Rand. 45A got a chuckle.
since there are 12 hrs and 12 half hours in a 12 hour period, there are three sets of eight bells. 12:30 is one bell, 1:00 is two, 1:30 is 3, 2 is 4 bells, 2:30 = 5, 3 = 6, 3:30 = 7 and 4:00 = 8 bells. This continues so 4:30 = 1 bell etc.You will know if it is AM or PM according to the sun unless you are in a submarine and then it really doesn't matter.
Thanks for the welcomes.
JD-No, I don't use an atlas. I really suck at geography. Sometimes I will use google and then choose maps if there is a geography question that I cannot get from filling in the words that cross it.
Hello C.C. and fellow crossword buffs,
I did okay today, just had to peek on one little letter (did not know Soweto and could not remember DSM). I did do some Googling, but not as much as some other days.
Today was not a wasted day, as I learned something new: I had never heard of The Whiffenpoof Song. Thanks for the link, Clear Ayes; I really enjoyed it.
I liked the theme answers, especially mom and popcorn and huff and puff ball. Passe platters-LPS was a good one.
And, yes, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I have a copy, but have not gotten around to reading it. Atlas might have to shrug if he had to carry that tome around; it is quite substantial! The tattoo was interesting...not something I'd consider myself.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, gang.
dodo (from yesterday). I`ve had to type my user name and password for several days now...only occasionally it will erase my password, then tell me "the required field must not be left blank." Other times it lets me right on...blue and all...so weird! I know I`m entering my password correctly each time...
Hi everybody. Excellent blog today, C.C. Thank you. I like it when you make comments and ask questions.
I suppose according to today's standards, Father Knows Best could be considered corny. So could Leave It To Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, and many other shows about families back then. Golly gee, we sure were, um, different then! Really swell!
I liked the theme entries a lot. Basically I like a good pun.
Agreed with CA about so many three-letter fills: phooey.
I've sung the Whiffenpoof Song, and have heard the Whiffenpoofs rehearsing. Golly gee those guys can sing!
Thanks for the explanation that shows the connection between "angel" and "SRO." I didn't get it until I read it right here.
Seeing M&Ms spelled out boggled my mind for a while too, especially since I hade MAND in there and kept think MANDY (or MANDI) who?
A coupla my favorites were ASPENS and FEDORAS. I have heard of lanolin and used it often to clean and treat leather, but didn't know it came from wool.
We seldom, if ever, use our corer either. Golly gee, we have far too many kitchen gadgets we never use. We should definitely upgrade that Amana ice-box, too!
I think my first exposure to crossword puzzles was from my mom, who loved to do them. She would buy books full of them. I don't remember how old I was other than that I was in grade school, but one day I asked her what they were all about. She let me try to work a few, but continually bumping into so many three-letter obscure words and abbreviations quickly discouraged me. I didn't really get into them until, TA-DA!, discovering this blog! Really.
No comments about PALIN yet? LOL
Greetings and warm welcoming gestures to vettedoe and August and other newcomers.
Okay, I'll end this stream-of-consciousness comment now, with best wishes to you all.
Arbaon: I have gotten that "the required field must not be left blank" message too, and finally realized I had to not only put in my username and password, but also a comment in the comment window, which apparently cannot be left blank.
I don't usually have enough time to do a complete Sunday puzzle, but I gave it a try today.
I did pretty well until I came to the center-ish section with ACHIEVA and MANDMS and BELARUS. I thought the same thing as Jayce with a candy called MANDIE or something similar. I've never heard of ALPHONSE D'Amato either.
I'll keep practicing until I can get it done in less than one hour. I'm not anywhere near to that yet.
Thanks to Jayce for reminding us about filling in a comment before the user name and password can be accepted. I had that problem for a while. Maybe that tip will help Dodo and Arbaon.
Baa Humbug! Our Sunday paper runs the NYT puzzle for some reason so I can't chime in today. But there is always tomorrow! BTW. BillG is that a very snazzy MG-TF...maybe a "54? Nice ride.
Did anyone else want BRA for 6D?
2 good ones in a row. I had to G a few yesterday. Finished it at 10:30 yesterday PM after returning from the Giants game, where we lost. We did debut an impressive new pitcher. Loved the play on words used. This one is as good, and no g-spotting at all. I don't remember seeing Ed Sessa's name before, but I hope to see it again.
Hand up for DOLT, also HILT for HAFT and TOTES for HAULS. I should have known my Twain, but I put in ISN'T for 103A
I don't believe the Condor is currently nesting in the Grand Canyon. But the bird is really susceptible to lead. Lead shot and bullets are banned in Southern and central California, and there is talk of banning lead in all of their former range, which includes all of Arizona and New Mexico. Obviously, they were there once.
I tried puzzles in my youth, dropped them, started again in the early days of my teaching, dropped them, started again about 5 years ago, casually, then got a NY Times omnibus for Xmas 2 years back and haven't looked back.
By the way, I'll be dropping out again for a while. I'm firing up the cycle and heading for Texas. Should be gone for a little over 2 weeks, then Regatta week arrives. I don't carry a laptop during these vacations, so you probably won't hear much from me. Be safe.
I am anonymous! I'll get this mastered yet!!!
Hello All--I don't usually do the Sunday puzzle, but tried it today on-line. We don't have it in print in our paper on Sunday.
I enjoyed the puns and found the puzzle today to be easier than usual. Either that or I was on the right wavelength. That isn't to say that I didn't have a number of red letters for help. All in all it was an enjoyable experience.
As Lucina and JD have mentioned I started making up crosswords for my third graders back in the '50s to give them another way to practice their spelling words. I didn't have time to do the puzzle in the paper then, and it wasn't until I retired that I had a morning in which to work a puzzle.
I also was given two crossword puzzle books as retirement gifts and the rest is history.
Great picnic at the lake today....but very hot out there! Thank goodness for icy watermelon. Now we're home with the AC on and a big glass of chilled water. Phew. I know we got along without AC for many years, but once you have it, you can't do without it. Spoiled? Gladly!
GarlicGal, Do you have a Google Account yet. If not, go to the line "No Google Account?" and click on the blue underlined "Sign up here". We all hope you go blue soon. We are waiting with baited breath (I know, silly joke) to find out why you are GarlicGal.
Hello Puzzlers -
Thanks, C.C., for having cleared up all this puzzle's mysteries in your write-up.
This was another slog for me. Whereas yesterday I was on the wavelength, today...well, let's just say I wasn't. After an hour and 40 minutes (without help), I thought I had the grid filled, but no Ta Da. So I turned on the red letters to see what was wrong. Hmmm. Had to fix about 8 red letters. Oh well, not quite a "pure fill".
Paolo - I got tired of doing the Jumble and Cryptoquip in my local paper, and one day last Fall, began doing the Crossword instead. It's the LA Times version, of course. Waiting a day for the solution got old, so before long I found C.C.'s top-quality blog. Life has not been the same since! I'm hooked.
Garlic Gal - ooh, ooh, let me guess! You live in Gilroy!
How'd I do?
Lemonade714, thanks for the link on telling time by bells. I understand it now.
MG-TF 1500, 1955.
CA, Is it baited breath or bated breath? I say it sometimes but almost never write it.
Bated.
Bill G. you are correct. It is bated breath. The b-a-i-t-e-d just popped into my fingers.. This is #5 for me today, so I gotta go. Have a good evening everyone.
Hi gang -
Clever theme today. Pretty good puzzle. I don't pay much attention to word length, but this one did have a short overload. And, of course, one French word is one too many.
Unfortunately, UKRAINE and BELARUS have the same number of letters.
Here is why BAITED BREATH is correct,
Cheers!
JzB the occasionally INANE trombonist
Reminds of time we were out ice fishing and not having any luck. This young lad was pulling up fish left and right, so we asked him how he did it. He mumbled something none of us could understand so we asked him again. He spits out a big wad of worms and says, "You gotta keep your bait warm."
Gunghy, enjoy your trip and the regatta - and YOU be safe out on that highway on a bike!
Anonymous GarlicGal, there's a link to the online version of the LAT puzzle at the top right of C.C.s main blog comment page.
Paolo, I can't pinpoint an exact age, but I've been doing puzzles of some sort most of my life. My guess is my mother put a Dell book in an Easter basket or Christmas stocking at some point.
I've bought Dell puzzle books over the years too, and had a subscription to Games magazine for a year or two.
I've only been doing the LAT puzzle regularly, and seriously) for a little over a year.
I always enjoyed math puzzles. I never took up crosswords with any passion until I retired. Stumbling across this blog gave me a big boost too as did finding out I could do them online with red-letter help if needed.
Here's a bedtime story...forget Atlas, especially if he shrugged.
The Iroquois account of demiurge is that in the beginning there was no earth to live on, only a watery abyss, but up above, in the Great Blue, there was a community called the Sky World including a woman who dreamed dreams.
One night she dreamed about the tree that was the source of light. The dream frightened her, so she went and asked the men in the Sky World to pull up the tree. They dug around the trees roots to make space for more light, and the tree fell through the hole and disappeared. After that there was only darkness. Distraught, they pushed the woman through the hole as well. The woman would have been lost in the abyss had not a fish hawk come to her aid using his feathers to pillow her.
The fish hawk could not keep her up all on his own, so he asked for help to create some firm ground for the woman to rest upon. A helldiver went down to the bottom of the sea and brought back mud in his beak. He found a turtle, smeared the mud onto its back, and dove down again for more. Ducks also brought beaksful of the ocean floor and to spread over the turtle's shell. The beavers helped build terrain, making the shell bigger. The birds and the animals built the continents until they had made the whole round earth, while the woman was safely sitting on the turtle's back. The turtle continues to hold the earth on its back.
Hi, can anybody explain the answer to 105 Down's "Ham's "gotcha" "..Roger,
I have googled everything I can think of and it only brings up this blog.
Any explanation would be much appreciated.
Regarding Ham's Gotcha:
My take is that if refers to a HAM radio operator who would use ROGER to acknowledge that a broadcast message had been received and understood. (GOTCHA)
Roger that.
(or in Ten Code)
10-4
(or in Roman numerals)
X-IV
Argyle and Paolo
thanks a million, I never thought of that, it was really bugging me,
Fredo.
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