Theme: All In - TV poker. The dealer gives two face down cards to each player. They may look at their cards and a round of betting ensues.
17A. High jump technique created by 1968 Olympic gold medalist Dick: FOSBURY FLOP. Dick Fosbury would go over the bar with his back towards it. The standard method at the time was the scissors kick, Clip.(0:22) The FLOP in the poker game is when the dealer turns over three cards at one time in front of himself. All remaining players may use them in figuring their hand and decide on whether to bet or fold(drop out).
27A. K-shaped reversal on the road: THREE POINT TURN. From the left side of the road it may look like a K. Diagram. The TURN, the dealer places one more card face up and another round of betting occurs.
45A. Longest Canadian waterway: MACKENZIE RIVER. It runs north to the Beaufort Sea. Map. The River, sink or swim time, the last card the dealer exposes. One last round of betting before the remaining players show their hand.
60A. World Series of Poker Main Event no-limit game whose 2010 winner will be revealed tonight—the last words of 17-, 27- and 45-Across refer to the cards dealt between rounds of betting: TEXAS HOLD 'EM. I never heard of this game before it appeared on TV. Informal poker games usually do not have a non-playing dealer.
Argyle here.
An interesting puzzle theme. Is our constructor a gambler, I wonder. I'll bet most of us had an easy time with the puzzle with only one or two tricky crosses.
Across:
1. One who's all skin and bones : SCRAG. Not a common word but one we've had recently.
6. Talmudic scholar : RABBI, The Talmud is the primary source of Jewish religious law.
11. Attire in which to retire, briefly : PJs
14. __ donna : PRIMA. Italian: literally, first lady. The principal female singer of an opera company.
15. Startle : ALARM
16. Jay-Z's music genre : RAP
19. December 24th, e.g. : EVE. Ho, ho, ho!
20. String ensemble instrument : CELLO
21. French greeting : 'ALLO. Presumably, an approximation of the French saying the English word, hello.
22. Lumberjack's tool : SAW
23. Street shaders : ELMS
25. Some nest eggs, for short : IRAs
33. Filmdom's Farrow : MIA. Her images.
34. Leftover scraps : ORTS
35. Chilling : EERIE
36. "My Dinner With Andre" director Louis : MALLE. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Passed away in 1995.
39. "__ a done deal" : IT'S
40. Victoria's lasted longer than that of any other British monarch : REIGN
41. Dahl's "Fantastic" title character : MR. FOX. Had this just yesterday; anybody suffer short-term memory loss?
42. Speak highly of : TOUT. In Sunday's puzzle.
44. Saldana of "Avatar" : ZOE. As she appeared in "Avatar". Image.
49. Puerto __ : RICO
50. Matching : SAME
51. Caribbean music : SKA
53. Eye layer : UVEA
56. Sales pitch : SPIEL
59. Candy in a dispenser : PEZ
63. Milne's "Now We __ Six" : ARE
64. Año beginning : ENERO
65. Popeye's creator : SEGAR. The cartoon, not Popeye Doyle.
66. Get __ of: discard : RID
67. Ppd. enclosures : SASEs. Prepaid self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE)
68. Utopias : EDENS
Down:
1. Sunscreen letters : SPF. Sun Protection Factor.
2. Swamp beast : CROC
3. It may be meteoric : RISE
4. Slow walker : AMBLER
5. Charles de __ : GAULLE. French President from 1959 to 1969.
6. Blu-__ Disc : RAY. For recording movies and such, until something new comes along
7. With 18-Down, sporty Italian wheels : ALFA. 18D. See 7-Down : ROMEO
8. Really good time : BALL
9. "W." star Josh : BROLIN, 2008 movie where he portrayed the American President from 2001 to 2009
10. Tariff payer : IMPORTER
11. Prepare, as a bottle launcher : PRESSURIZE
12. Jakarta's island : JAVA. Map. Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia.
13. Expel with force : SPEW
24. Perfume squirt : SPRITZ
26. Suit to __ : A TEE
27. Pageant crown : TIARA
28. Somewhat unhinged : HALF-CRAZED
29. 10th-century emperor : OTTO I
30. Comic books, e.g. : ISSUEs
31. Hardship : RIGOR
32. Maui goose : NENE
33. "That tastes great!" : "M,M,M,M!"
37. Norse trickster : LOKI. Norse mythology.
38. Does, as a task : EXECUTES
43. Speak ill of : TRASH
46. Nine-day devotion : NOVENA
47. Levy, as a tariff : IMPOSE
48. Like many Muslim women : VEILED
51. Trade easy punches : SPAR
52. Skin lotion brand : KERI
54. Spouses no more : EXes
55. River in the Bernese Alps : AARE
57. On __: nervous : EDGE
58. Far from fatty : LEAN
61. Urgent call at sea : S-O-S
62. __ Fields: cookie brand : MRS.
Answer grid.
Argyle
17A. High jump technique created by 1968 Olympic gold medalist Dick: FOSBURY FLOP. Dick Fosbury would go over the bar with his back towards it. The standard method at the time was the scissors kick, Clip.(0:22) The FLOP in the poker game is when the dealer turns over three cards at one time in front of himself. All remaining players may use them in figuring their hand and decide on whether to bet or fold(drop out).
27A. K-shaped reversal on the road: THREE POINT TURN. From the left side of the road it may look like a K. Diagram. The TURN, the dealer places one more card face up and another round of betting occurs.
45A. Longest Canadian waterway: MACKENZIE RIVER. It runs north to the Beaufort Sea. Map. The River, sink or swim time, the last card the dealer exposes. One last round of betting before the remaining players show their hand.
60A. World Series of Poker Main Event no-limit game whose 2010 winner will be revealed tonight—the last words of 17-, 27- and 45-Across refer to the cards dealt between rounds of betting: TEXAS HOLD 'EM. I never heard of this game before it appeared on TV. Informal poker games usually do not have a non-playing dealer.
Argyle here.
An interesting puzzle theme. Is our constructor a gambler, I wonder. I'll bet most of us had an easy time with the puzzle with only one or two tricky crosses.
Across:
1. One who's all skin and bones : SCRAG. Not a common word but one we've had recently.
6. Talmudic scholar : RABBI, The Talmud is the primary source of Jewish religious law.
11. Attire in which to retire, briefly : PJs
14. __ donna : PRIMA. Italian: literally, first lady. The principal female singer of an opera company.
15. Startle : ALARM
16. Jay-Z's music genre : RAP
19. December 24th, e.g. : EVE. Ho, ho, ho!
20. String ensemble instrument : CELLO
21. French greeting : 'ALLO. Presumably, an approximation of the French saying the English word, hello.
22. Lumberjack's tool : SAW
23. Street shaders : ELMS
25. Some nest eggs, for short : IRAs
33. Filmdom's Farrow : MIA. Her images.
34. Leftover scraps : ORTS
35. Chilling : EERIE
36. "My Dinner With Andre" director Louis : MALLE. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Passed away in 1995.
39. "__ a done deal" : IT'S
40. Victoria's lasted longer than that of any other British monarch : REIGN
41. Dahl's "Fantastic" title character : MR. FOX. Had this just yesterday; anybody suffer short-term memory loss?
42. Speak highly of : TOUT. In Sunday's puzzle.
44. Saldana of "Avatar" : ZOE. As she appeared in "Avatar". Image.
49. Puerto __ : RICO
50. Matching : SAME
51. Caribbean music : SKA
53. Eye layer : UVEA
56. Sales pitch : SPIEL
59. Candy in a dispenser : PEZ
63. Milne's "Now We __ Six" : ARE
64. Año beginning : ENERO
65. Popeye's creator : SEGAR. The cartoon, not Popeye Doyle.
66. Get __ of: discard : RID
67. Ppd. enclosures : SASEs. Prepaid self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE)
68. Utopias : EDENS
Down:
1. Sunscreen letters : SPF. Sun Protection Factor.
2. Swamp beast : CROC
3. It may be meteoric : RISE
4. Slow walker : AMBLER
5. Charles de __ : GAULLE. French President from 1959 to 1969.
6. Blu-__ Disc : RAY. For recording movies and such, until something new comes along
7. With 18-Down, sporty Italian wheels : ALFA. 18D. See 7-Down : ROMEO
8. Really good time : BALL
9. "W." star Josh : BROLIN, 2008 movie where he portrayed the American President from 2001 to 2009
10. Tariff payer : IMPORTER
11. Prepare, as a bottle launcher : PRESSURIZE
12. Jakarta's island : JAVA. Map. Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia.
13. Expel with force : SPEW
24. Perfume squirt : SPRITZ
26. Suit to __ : A TEE
27. Pageant crown : TIARA
28. Somewhat unhinged : HALF-CRAZED
29. 10th-century emperor : OTTO I
30. Comic books, e.g. : ISSUEs
31. Hardship : RIGOR
32. Maui goose : NENE
33. "That tastes great!" : "M,M,M,M!"
37. Norse trickster : LOKI. Norse mythology.
38. Does, as a task : EXECUTES
43. Speak ill of : TRASH
46. Nine-day devotion : NOVENA
47. Levy, as a tariff : IMPOSE
48. Like many Muslim women : VEILED
51. Trade easy punches : SPAR
52. Skin lotion brand : KERI
54. Spouses no more : EXes
55. River in the Bernese Alps : AARE
57. On __: nervous : EDGE
58. Far from fatty : LEAN
61. Urgent call at sea : S-O-S
62. __ Fields: cookie brand : MRS.
Answer grid.
Argyle
60 comments:
Happy Tuesday Argyle and all:
I really enjoyed this effort; very scrabbly and only a “Q” away from a pangram; the theme was well thought out, not likely to help solve, but still very creative. I started out 1 across, with not knowing SCRAG which is not how I like to start a Tuesday puzzle, but it all filled well after that.
I remember Dick Fosbury and his truly revolutionary change to the approach to high jumping. I actually high jumped early in my athletic career, but it predated the “Flop.” My brother Barry used to drive an Alfa Romeo, my son Devin plays lots of SKA, my son Aaron’s middle name is Mackenzie (which he thinks is too frou) and with all my eye problems, I know all about the UVEA.
I also enjoyed much of LOUIS MALLE’s work, such as ATLANTIC CITY with Susan Sarandon, and an aging intriguing Burt Lancaster and PRETTY BABY with pre-pubescent Brooke Shield nude, and again Ms. Sarandon, but I admired most his taste in women when he married Candice Bergen. Thanks for the ride Julian and Argyle; see you all later.
Whoa! Forgot to link the theme song. The Gambler.
Hello all!
An easy one today. Thanks CC, Argyle.
Had a two-hour nap tonight. The cold wind is howling a scary symphony; the trees are rattling.
More later!
Lemonade,
Have you seen Louis Malle's "Damage"? Dark & disturbing. But so good.
Husker Gary,
Regarding your question on Sunday, even with an extra 100 strokes added, I still doubt Kim Jong-il's golf score. What's your average, by the way?
Additionally, my friend Christina is married to a guy who escaped from North Korea to China. I still shudder at what he said about constant hunger & blind personal worship of Kim.
Morning, all!
Not a particularly hard puzzle, but I'm not into poker and have never heard of FOSBURY FLOP or the MACKENZIE RIVER, so that slowed me down a bit. Plus, I refused to believe that 33D was really going to be as lame as MMMM, so I resisted putting the M's in there until the bitter end.
Oh -- and can somebody tell me what a "bottle launcher" is? It took all the perps to get PRESSURIZE, since I didn't know what the clue was talking about....
PS. In my previous messages I neglected to mention that my house is on three levels, thus making exit next to doggy door essential. (I'm sure you are all deeply interested! Hah!)
Does anyone actually use the word SCRAG?
Yes, remembered MRFOX! A gift.
Anonymous @11:28pm yesterday,
Times change. Look at what a brilliant job Argyle and our other blogging team are doing. Unparalleled thoroughness. I have nothing new to add. I am just in awe and enjoy every link and informative/witty comment they make.
While on this subject, it may take some of you less than 10 minutes to finish reading their write-ups. Behind the scene, it's a solid 3-hour hard work. I am so proud of and grateful for their effort and dedication.
I have seen Damages and I found all of his work a bit disturbing, as his vision of the world was not always pretty, even when the people were. Speaking of pretty, I liked the new Star Trek which also featured ZOE .
For you BG a do it yourself BOTTLE LAUNCHER .
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I thought this was a real toughie for a Tuesday, although I eventually muddled through it without any outside help. Great write-up, especially with the detailed explanation of the Poker terms. I know of TEXAS HOLD "EM, but was not familiar with the card references ~ FLOP, TURN or RIVER.
Some of my problems stemmed from wanting Bella Donna instead of PRIMA Donna, and Viola instead of CELLO.
At least MR. FOX fell into place easily, thanks to yesterday's puzzle!
A still own this version of AA Milne's Now We ARE Six. Wonderful children's poems.
I would rather stick needles in my eyes than have another Dinner with Andre, although as others have noted, some of Malle's films were wonderful.
I wouldn't describe Talmud as the primary source of Jewish law. The word "Talmud" literally means "study", and is a collection of Rabbinic writings about law. The discussion in Talmud contains arguments both for and against a particular issue. Also, there is more than one Talmud ~ there is the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud, the latter being the more commonly referenced.
QOD: Everybody has a plan until they get hit. ~ Mike Tyson.
Good Morning C.C.,argyle and all,
Nice write-up, Argyle. C.C., good to hear from you. I'm sure it takes extraordinary effort to execute the write-ups. I have been in awe,since coming here.
The puzzle was not easy for a Tuesday, for me. I had 1 block empty{'sKa'-'Keri'} and 1 block wrong{'malHe'-'Hoki'}.
The theme was very creative; however,I was not familiar with any of them except'Texas Holdem'.
Perps were again my best friends.
I also didn't know "That tastes great" was made up of 4 Ms. I guess the more, the better.
I have enjoyed the gambling lesson; thanks, Julian.
Have a nice day everyone.
Morning Argyle, CC and All,
This was a fun puzzle this morning. Even though I don't gamble the theme was apparent when 60A fell. I guessed at 45A which gave me Loki which is a new one as well as Novena and Aare. I slapped my head when I finally figured out what Ppd. meant and wrote in SASES. Duh!
Thanks for the write-up Argyle.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Argyle, Excellent write-up's.
Yesterday and Today.
I'll probably copy your succinct explanation of how to play TEXAS HOLD'EM.
Now as to my short term memory ... needed the perps to get MR FOX. Wasn't paying attention since I was laughing-out-loud watching "Way to Early" with Willie Geist while solving.
Being addicted to CNBC, for "Really good time" I put in boom before the perps showed me I should enjoy and have a BALL.
Learning moments ... there is a substance called "sunscreen" and it has SPF rating letters.
Also, apparently, there is an "Attire in which to retire" (I assume this meant "to bed") called PJ'S.
Checked the Armoire ... Nope, none there.
Update:
Not many SCRAGs at the 40th High School Reunion.
Screwed up my retirement (AGAIN !!!) and started doing consulting in Moscow.
Damn, "You try to get out, and they keep pullin' you back ..."
Tears.
Sunset toasts start earlier ... I love Standard Time.
Cheers !!!
Good morning all. Great write-up, Argyle. Thanks for the explanations about TEXAS HOLDEM.
A little quirky for a Tuesday. Got the theme words before the unifier, but it wouldn't have helped. MACKENZIE RIVER was a gimme and THREE POINT TURN was rather easy. FOSBURY was aided by the perps as was SEGAR. MMMM and AARE were WAGS. I was stumped by the K in the SKA/KERI crossing. No other help was needed.
Neville - Thanks for dropping by yesterday. Always good to match wits with new talent.
Enjoy the day.
Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Thanks for adding the link to "The Gambler", Argyle ! I think my day wouldn't have been complete without it.
This was a speed run for me, in 8 minutes. For some weird reason, I was familiar with all of the (for others) obscure clues. And whatever was a "?" easily filled in by scanning the perps. After FLOP and TURN revealed, it was a smooth ride to get the RIVER and TEXAS HOLD'EM clues. Great fun! My late DH and I used to host a poker game every Wednesday night for more than 10 years. Like this blog, most of the same people would show up, with an occasional newcomer joining or leaving. But we played many a Texas Hold'em game.
And believe it or not, I still enjoy watching the World Series of Poker - ya' gotta love some of the characters in the game - Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Barry Greenstein (Who, BTW donates ALL of his winnings to charity!), and Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, among others.
It seemed like all the clues today were rather straight-forward, with not "punn-y" ones. Can't say that I had a favorite - clue OR answer. So, although I really liked the theme and filled it in quickly, I think this puzzle was less satisfying for me than some of the ones that I tear my hair over, but eventually complete. Sorta like a "Quickie??" HaHa
Off to the dentist for a cleaning. Haven't had a cavity in 20 years, so I hope my good luck continues. Have a great day, everyone!
Howdy folks,
This was a real slog for me today. Too many unknowns which resulted in too many wags that turned into two incorrect letters and four incorrect words. Instead of Malle, I had Malme. I knew Loki for 37d, but never checked it. For 11d I decided it was a three word (sort of) answer.... Press U Rise. Again I knew Zoe, but just screwed up.
Scrag is an ugly word to me, almost a vulgarity. Don't know why because it certainly does not describe me. My bones are well hidden.
Other unknowns today were 27A, 51A, & 1D. Perps and wags saved my skin there.
I seldom acknowledge the daily write ups, but I certainly appreciate them. I find them interesting, often humorous, and always well thought out.
Have a good Tuesday,
Hondo
I forgot to ask - Is anyone familiar with the wine country around the Finger Lakes? My DH is there for two weeks, and I will join him at the Hope Lake Lodge in Cortland, NY. this weekend.
There are tons of wineries, but I wanted to know if anyone has any "Favorites" either on Cayuga or Seneca Lake that we should visit? Thanks, guys!
Good blogging Argyle.
So nice to hear from you , C.C.
Nice easy run today despite several unknowns, such as MACKENZIE, SEGAR, FOSBURY. I got FLOP and then ---BURY, and it was obviously going to be a name, so just waited for the perps.
I know nothing of any card games so Argyle's explanations were gratefully received. Not too many problems over all.
ALLO is used in France only to answer phones, but never as a normal greeting. I'm sure it must have been adopted from their pronunciation of the English hello.
In contrast, Germans use "Hallo" as a casual greeting to friends rather than the formal "guten Tag/Morgen/Abend".
Good morning!
This was easier than Monday's. I knew most of them and filled in with perps. THREEPOINTTURN was my favorite fill/clue. It brought back memories of my H.S. friend who had such a hard time with that maneuver in Driver's Ed class.
My mother used the word SCRAG. Most of the time, it was not a compliment.
HeartRx, I wish my dental appointment this afternoon was just for a cleaning. I need to have some fillings replaced and a broken tooth repaired. He needs to also see if a crown needs replacing. Oh, joy, joy!
Other than the dentist, I'm looking forward to a good day.
Good morning Argyle and solvers all.
I didn't have to go out on a Lim(b) with any wild guesses to solve this one. "Fosbury Flop" was a gimme. A quick scan down through the clues found the unifier, which was also a gimme and the other theme entries were quite easy.
There were only a couple of unknowns, but the perps filled them. I did have MALHE/HOKI but didn't like the looks of it and dredged up LOKI from the depths of my memory. I recalled a few MALLE works then and was pretty sure I had that corrected.
I think we saw SCRAG not too long ago. It's not a word I ever use or see used as a noun, except in CW's, but the adjective "scraggly" does get used.
No Aha! moments or Fave clues but a good Tuesday level puzzle.
Have a great day all.
Good morning all. This was an odd one - it seemed difficult as I was doing it but then suddenly I filled in MMMM and the entire puzzle fell into place and was done.
Got the theme unifier early and and was able to fill in FLOP, TURN, and RIVER but still needed help to get the beginnings of the three long answers. THREE POINT TURN in particular was difficult because I kept thinking of the K-rail (that concrete barrier in the middle of a divided highway) that is intended to keep an out of control car from crossing into oncoming traffic - sort of a reversal.
Nice job with the blog!
I thought this was a little harder than a normal Tuesday, but was able to complete it all unaided as well. Know very little about poker and gambling, so the write up from Argyle was well received. A fun puzzle all in all though. I got the Texas Hold Em right off the bat.
Back from a long weekend scrapbooking with the gals and simply exhausted. Who knew that could be so wearing. We were at a cabin up north, and my mother's husband was so worried as it was deer hunting opener. We all put on the blaze orange for our walk, and one of the gals added sticks to a blaze orange headband to emulate a deer. Sooooo funny. We had a blast.
Back to the grind today. So busy lately that I only chime in occasionally, but love to read all the comments when I have time.
spitzboov - I stop by occasionally when I have a moment - usually just to lurk when I've had a hard time with figuring out a theme. Definitely had to stop by today because of the MR FOX repeat - I had nothing to do with the second appearance - I swear! ;)
Had a heck of a time remembering FOSBURY even though I knew FLOP immediately - probably because I wasn't around for it when it happened!
have a happy Tuesday!
Argyle, C.C., et alia, I got 'er done but MALLE, LOKI and MRFOX (what short term memory?) slowed me in the West and write-up was very nice.
I too think SCRAG is not a biological reference but is rather a derogatory one. I have never heard of a K TURN (looks more like an X to me), probably because my dad taught me how to drive in a rural area in a 49 Plymouth with a stick shift. MMMM? Mmmmm…. I also put in Saint Lawrence for the waterway until I came up a letter short. FOSBURYFLOP was a gimme and it came at about the same time pole vaulters starting launching themselves on fiber glass poles. Revolutionary AND half crazed!
C.C., I appreciate your response about the little tinhorn dictator Kim Jung Il. What I really wanted was an opinion of how that heartless pervert is perceived by others in that part of the world due to your background. By the way my average for 18 is around 85 – 90.
The 82 degree day of yesterday is going to be replaced by a 74 degree day today and then reality comes calling as there are some highs in the 40’s and lows in the teens on the horizon. I will be out trying to match Kim on the links today (sans porn and Scotch) but am taking along every manner of clothing to see if I can outguess the weather. Luckily yesterday I had on my “Pope” pants and was able to take the bottom of the legs off, just as I had in Rome after seeing St. Peters.
Just to answer the question, I'm not much of a gambler; the idea for the puzzle came after a conversation with a friend (who is a poker enthusiast) in which we were wondering about where the terms flop/turn/river came from, upon which *crossword theme* started flashing in my head.
Also, it was Rich who suggested the tie-in with the WSOP final when he accepted the puzzle slightly over a month ago -- turns out it had coincidentally arrived (barely) in time to go through the editing process and come out today.
p.s. I do like the Poker Shows and other reality TV even if they are not 100% real, such as Ice Road Truckers, American Pickers, Pawn Stars, etc. That beats seeing 110 lb, drop dead beautiful young women as police officers who single handedly disarm some 250 lb gorilla while wearing stilleto heels and flawless makeup. They don't seem to work on any police force I've seen.
One of the Poker leaders I saw last week was a young man named Matt Affleck who probably never got to sit anywhere near the cool kids' table in high school!
Julian, you should buy a Lottery ticket; you seem to be on a lucky roll.
Wow, loved the theme! We have played Texas hold'em for years...my Joe is extremely good at it. We (mostly him) watch WSOP games.
HeartRx: as a family we played Hold'em on a weekly basis too. Lot's of fun and no one gets hosed too badly :) My favorite pro player is Doyle Brunson and who cannot laugh at the crazed Phil Helmuth (The Brat). After all these years, he still cannot control his temper!
I must have missed the puzzle that had the word SCRAG in it. I had absolutely no idea what that meant.
Due to my years in the international shipping field, 10D and 47D were 'gimmies'.
27A(K-shaped reversal on the road)- that was also a new one to me. I don't think I have ever seen one...and I have been driving for a lot of years!
C.C. so good to hear from you, I am glad you are doing well. I think we all just miss hearing from you the way we used to.
On that note, it seems like there are no where near the amount of comments there used to be...I wonder why.
Well Santa another nod to your efforts with Dec 24th showing up today. Great puzzle, great theme! I love playing Texas Hold ‘em, so I knew all about the turn, the flop and the river. Problem was I didn’t know it was the Mackenzie river, so I did have to resort to the g-spot for that one. I also had trouble with the crossing of Loki and Ska. I have never heard of “ska” music, but made a WAG and was right. Thanks for checking in Julian.
Good to hear from you C.C. Like Carol said you are missed when you aren’t here, kind of like when Dennis isn’t at the top of the page.
Everyone enjoy your day. It’s another “beaut” here in Minnesota.
Good Morning All, or "Kia Ora" as they say in New Zealand.
I haven't done today's puzzle and probably won't get back into it for a few more days. I have a lot of emails to go through and about 500 photos to title and arrange. I'll be sure to post some when I figure out what the heck I was doing. I know there are a lot of photos of sheep....
NZ things I learned #1: New Zealand has about 4.2 million people and over 30 million sheep (not nearly as many as Australia, but it doesn't have as much room).
It is a spectacularly beautiful country and we had a marvelous time. But it is always nice to come back and sleep in your own bed.
Talk to you all in a few days.
Daffy Dill,
Yep, just a cleaning - another clean slate and all is well. Hope your appt. goes well, too!
Carol,
Yes, I "forgot" to mention "The Brat". Ugh, he just drives me crazy with his shenanigans.
Amazing to see how many poker players we have here. Wouldn't it be fun to have our "own" tournament online?
Clear Ayes,
Welcome back! You were missed, and I'm sure all of us are looking forward to your photos.
Clear Ayes: Good to "see" you again. Clad you had a good trip. I hope you will share some of your photos with us.
Clear Ayes: so good to have you back among us!!! We will look forward to your 'travel-log'. Hope you can post some pictures soon.
HeartRx: our own Hold'em game on line would be a lot of fun. I wonder if we could work that out?
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al,
This was an enjoyable Tues xwd, although I didn't see the card connection. Thanks Argyle.Had to let scrag, segar, allo, and Aare get filled with dependable perps. Took way too long coming up with the L oki, and K eri. I knew they were in my head somewhere.
Mia, went to school with her and her brothers.
Nene, we have seen an increase of these lovely geese since 1st going to Kauai 25 yrs ago.They rarely fly, and they choose their mates for life.
Just watched The Young Victoria. The 1st years of her reign were very turbulent, but oh, what a lovely romance she had with Prince Albert.
CC, you have done a remarkable job sharing your blogging with a great group.I enjoy all of the different personalities, but I have to say, we do miss hearing from you.It is understandable that you cannot eat, drink, sleep this blog.
Welcome back CA!!
Barry, so nice to hear good news about your dad.If you didn't before, you will now appreciate every week, month and year.
a lovely day in our area..grass is still growing
Nice to have comments from two constructors in one day, and also from our own C.C. again!
Clear Ayes,
Great to see you back again. I think the first time I was in NZ (1966), they told us it was 2 million people and 20 million sheep, so the people are catching up! Enjoy resting up from your trip and organizing the pix. I hope you took better notes than I did on mine this year!
Good afternoon everyone.
I second the ideas that it is good to hear from C.C. and Clear Ayes.
Great write up, Argyle. It was an easy puzzle even though I have never played poker or watched it. But fun to learn about this version of it.
Gunghy, it's so great that your son is scheduled to come home on the 16th. Keep us posted. November 11 is coming up; it used to be called Armistice Day. But thanks to all who serve.
Cheers
Hi all.
Thought xwd was fast and easy - like Monday's. Still enjoyed it.
TFT. Aren't companies admitting that goods are over priced to begin with when they hold 70% off sales.
Waiting for 11/25. It is also our
45th.
Ali fixed my new camera phone so I
am able to hear incoming calls. They also brought back a mini loaf
of Stollen (200g). Probably a good
thing that I can't read the list on ingredients.
Yea! More poems will be posted.
Take care.
CA: happened to watch an episode of "Gold Fever" on the outdoor channel and it was located in New Zealand...he (and lady friend) showed many of the ways gold was mined (and showed some gorgeous scenery) AND how you could just pick up hunks of jade on beaches...he visited a shop where they cut and polish jade jewelry and artifacts...any pictures of any of this?
ALLO Argyle, c.C. and everyone! Thank you, Santa, for explaining Poker moves. I have played other card games, but not poker although I have heard of TEXASHOLDEM.
I had a rare job to sub this morning so I'm late for the party.
It's great to have you back, CA and C.C. thank you for your remarks. I forget how much time you bloggers devote to developing what we read and enjoy in a short time.
This was a speed run for me and although knowing nothing about poker, the fills were easy enough, especially the downs.
Agreed, SCRAG is not usually heard but SKA and LOKI are familiar from xwds. I have prayed many NOVENAS in my time and was pleased to see MRFOX again!
One of my brothers had an ALFAROMEO once but as with all his cars, he keeps them for a short time, then finds another one he loves.
Thanks Julian for stopping in.
I'll have to catch up with everyone later as I have class tonight too.
I hope your Tuesday is wonderful! It's gorgeous here.
CA- Welcome back! so excited to 'see' you and the treats{pics} you brought us! Really missed your poems!Hope you can get your sleep regulated.
Lucina's gonna share her family's recipe for tamales and pics of their making them.
I had hoped Jeannie was going to share her recipe for cheeseburger casserole, but maybe she never saw my request. Maybe?
After today's 'poker' puzzle, I'm fully expecting a 'Dancing with the Stars' puzzle.
No, not really.
(Misplaced on Monday Comments section):
FYI, I believe the standard method of high jump prior to the flop was the western roll. The scissors kick was an earlier method.
Welcome back CA. Looking forward to the pics.
Anon @ 2:39,
NZ greenstone, as they (used to) call it, is even more pure than Asian jade, not as streaky. I have a pair of earrings made of it. But the Maoris even had totem poles with a lot of it inlaid. Maybe C.A. got some jewelry there too.
Hello everybody. Good, fun puzzle today. I enjoyed it. Thanks for the writeup, Argyle.
Interesting that in the recent James Bond movie Casino Royale they played Texas Hold 'em rather than Baccarat, which was in the book. The rationale supposedly was that most of the expected viewer demographic would not understand baccarat and phrases such as "banco" and "suivi" but could relate to and understand a game that employs terms such as "raise," "call," and "fold."
It is by pure serendipity that I knew the terms Flop, Turn, and River because by total coincidence I had just been reviewing the rules of Texas Hold 'em in preparation for playing it with our family in Arizona when we go visit them 2 weeks from now.
Welcome back, Clear Ayes, and best wishes to you all.
Yes, the scissors kick went out when they replaced the sawdust in the pit with big foam mats and you didn't have to land on your feet.
A clip showing the scissors and the flop. (1:20)
If you can stand one more clip...Fosbury beating two doing the western roll at the Olympics.
Hi gang -
Clever, Quirky theme today. I'm not much of a gambler and know nothing about hold 'em. I don't think you could pay me enough to get me to watch people play cards on TV.
Painters started a two day job of our living and dining rooms today, so I have been watching paint dry.
Pretty good puzzle. Other than MMMM, no clunkers. Not a lot of sparkle, though.
Had an L of a time with the ALLO, BALL, -FLOP cluster. Tried AHLO, to no avail, and really didn't want to see a high jumper FLOP. Other than that, no problems.
Time for a martini and some dinner.
Cheers!
JzB
Hallo.
Just had to laugh last night. Coco being on @10PM was so ironic.
Made a blueberry pancake sandwich this morning with extra cream and
blue berries on top. A la IHOP.
Take care.
Fairly easy puzzle (12 minutes). A few obscure solutions here and there but plenty of easy ones to fill in the missing parts.
When are we going to get a normal Monday or Tuesday puzzle? They are like MACs, not user friendly at first (lately). On your question of wether the author is a gambler; my oriental friends say a lot of Asians including themselves are fascinated with gambling. My friend who is a head doctor told me they have the "Gene", what ever that means. Anyhay had a slow time for a Tuesday but finished pretty with time to spare. Favorite answer was mmmmm!
JazzB, a martini (or two) sounds absolutely wonderful about now! Cheers!
Dilbert, blueberry pie sandwich??
Jayce, No. A sandwich with whipped
cream and blueberries between two
pancakes and extra cream and blueberries on top. A rooty, tooty
breakfast. Pie???
Looks like it might rain tonight
after all.
Safeway has a 3 for 1 special on raspberries this week. Will try one of them next.
Dilbert, oops, sorry, you did say blueberry pancake sandwich, not blueberry pie. Both are good :)
OMG!!!!
Six months later, I finally watched our DVD of the Spring Concert with Pictures at an Exhibition.
We were magnificent!
The Great Gate had me in tears.
Well, OK -- that was after a martooni and a half a bottle of 2 Buck Chuck.
But, still.
I have to find a way to post this for you.
Cheers!
JzB the only half in the bag trombonist
Windhover @ yesterday.
Yes, definitely the A-train.
Ellington with Ella Fitzgerald on the vocal.
WoW!! and beyond.
Here is the link, if it helps.
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5995532066584316410&postID=9134953298194565930
Cheers!
JzB
If you're gong to the Apollo Theater, here is the quickest way to Harlem.
Cheers!
JzB
November 8, 2010 1:54 PM
Clearayes, so good to see you back among us. So many are missed when they are gone.
Creature, the recipe for that cheeseburger casserole is basically following my recipe for mac and cheese and adding in some some burger whether it be beef, chicken, or turkey. IMHO lean beef works out best. I know there is a way to google that recipe on this site, but I'll be darned if I can find it. Maybe Carol, Warren or Kazie can help you out on that.
Warren, where the heck are you anyway? I hope everything is going okay for you and the missus. I, for one miss you.
All you lurkers, and past posters that now became lurkers or friends of the group here, please remember to follow Lemonade's heed to post the day before Thanksgiving...it would be good to catch up with y'all. That was for you Windhover. That is, the y'all part.
HI, ALL,
C.C. How nice to hear from you! ARgyle, another good one! Welcome back, Clearayes. We missed you and your poetry!
Barry, I'm glad to hear the good news about your dad. I hope he contiues to improve. Scarey when these things happen but isn't it wonderful what can be done these days?
Nice puzzle today; I enjoyed it. No lookups but a couple mistakes: could not remember the F in SPF, No excuse! And I knew Aare from many other crosswords but put s for r and didn't pick it up! Oh well! Don't play poker and never heard of Texal Hold/em, but I got it right!
I got tired of sorting photos and balancing my checking account from our vacation expenses and decided to spend a little time instead on tomorrow's puzzle and catching up on today's posts.
Thanks for all the nice "welcome backs". They are all appreciated.
Anon@2:39, there are quite a few jade deposits on New Zealand's south island. We were told that jade is still often found in stream beds and goodness knows there are a LOT of streams! We visited a jade shop in Hokitika on the east coast and I bought a little (new avatar) hei matau (fish hook) pendant. It is supposed to bring peace, prosperity and good health....all good stuff. It also provides a safe journey over water. Since we were flying home in a few days, I figured it couldn't hurt.
Oops, Hokitika is on the west coast of the NZ south island. I'd better hit the hay and do some more catching up on sleep.
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