Theme: QUIP
20A: Start of a quip: GIVE CRABGRASS AN
37A: Part 2 of quip: INCH AND
51A: End of a quip: IT WILL TAKE A YARD
Hand-pulling is probably the most effective way to control CRABGRASS in a small garden.
So, this is the 22rd puzzle from Mr. Alan P. Olschwang since I started blogging. Stunning consistency in QUIP/QUOTE theme and difficulty rating, every Thursday, amazing! I am really bored to tears. Too many repeat offenders, too many humdrum clues.
I did get stumped immediately by 1A: Style inhibitor? (CRAMP). Took me a few seconds to realize the "Style" here refers to the "Swimming style". (Update later: I was wrong. I did not know the phrase "CRAMP one's style"). And I would not have got 11D: BALSA (11D: Model material) without the across clues, I was thinking of Claudia Schiffer and those supermodel models.
I did not know 17A: ANITA (Actress Ekberg), I pieced her name together from down clues. It would be great if it's clued as Santa ___ Race Track. Together with 28A: Like horse's hooves: SHOD, and 5D: Finished second: PLACED, it would form a lovely horse racing sub-theme. Looks like Big Brown is going to end this Triple Crown drought on Saturday. Are you rooting for him also? Anyone picks Casino Drive? I will stick to Denis of Cork though. I like his style.
ACROSS:
1A: Style inhibitor?: CRAMP. I like this wonderful Michael Phelps slow motion clip.
14A: Entangle: RAVEL. Knew "unravel", had no idea that RAVEL is a word itself.
16A: Movie piglet: BABE. Hey, Wilbur is the new piglet on the block.
17A: Actress Ekberg: ANITA. Did not know her. She was in "La Dolce Vita".
30A: Ear-piecing: LOUD. And 36A: Musician's pride: EAR. The clue for 30A could be easily reworded as blaring or something to avoid this annoying double EAR appearance.
31A: Superman's makeup: STEEL
40A: Old name of Tokyo: EDO. This reminds me of Nobel author Yasunari Kawabata's "The Old Capital" (Koto, Kyoto). I like his "The Dancing Girl of Izu". It stars Momoe Yamaguchi, my favorite Japanese actress.
41A: Exhibit extravagant desire: DROOL. Wow, what a sophisticated clue!
43A: Flatfoot's circuit: BEAT. So many slangs for cops.
44A: Exchange: SWITCH
46A: Native-born Israeli: SABRA. And 3D: Tel _ -Jaffa: AVIV. And 35D: Second Hebrew letter: BETH. I did not know BETH. Got it from across clues.
58A: Part of BYOB: YOUR. Tell me what YOUR favorite books are.
59A: Trial's locale: VENUE
61A: Philbin co-host: RIPA (Kelly)
DOWN:
1D: Rugged cliff: CRAG
2D: Rajah's wife: RANI. Another Indian reference: 46D: Indian instrument: SITAR. Here is Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" with the exotic SITAR instrument.
4D:Like utilities: METERED
11D: Model material: BALSA. What model? I still don't get it.
12D: WWII maritime marauder: U BOAT. Did not know before that U BOAT comes from German U-Boot, short for Unterseeboot (undersea boat).
22D: In contact: AHOLD. Another annoying AWord. Why don't you break it up into A HOLD and romanticize the puzzle a bit? "You've Really Got __ ___on Me, baby, I love you..."
25D: Kind of club: GLEE. And 43D: Kind of shower: BRIDAL. "Kind of" tiresome, isn't it?
28D: Navy commando: SEAL. "I Ain't Got Time to Bleed". Our ex-governor Jesse Ventura was a Navy SEAL.
33D: Leg ends: FEET. Love Happy ___. Sorry Dick, Mkat and all your Pens fans.
34D: With, in Paris: AVEC. I dare you to clue "Voulez vous coucher ___ moi ce soir...", enjoy this Lady Marmalade!
42D: Annual halfway point: MIDYEAR
44D: __ Anne de Beaupre: STE. It's in Québec. I had no idea. I was used to the Sault ___ Marie clue.
45D: Drove erratically: WEAVED
48D: African address: BWANA. Swahili for "our father", hence Master.
49D: Brownish gray: TAUPE. So many different shades of TAUPE.
52D: Vega's constellation: LYRA. I like this succinct line from Wikipedia: "Beginning at the north, Lyra is surrounded by the Dragon Draco, the Greek hero Hercules, the Little Fox Vulpecula and Cygnus the swan." See here.
C.C.
20A: Start of a quip: GIVE CRABGRASS AN
37A: Part 2 of quip: INCH AND
51A: End of a quip: IT WILL TAKE A YARD
Hand-pulling is probably the most effective way to control CRABGRASS in a small garden.
So, this is the 22rd puzzle from Mr. Alan P. Olschwang since I started blogging. Stunning consistency in QUIP/QUOTE theme and difficulty rating, every Thursday, amazing! I am really bored to tears. Too many repeat offenders, too many humdrum clues.
I did get stumped immediately by 1A: Style inhibitor? (CRAMP). Took me a few seconds to realize the "Style" here refers to the "Swimming style". (Update later: I was wrong. I did not know the phrase "CRAMP one's style"). And I would not have got 11D: BALSA (11D: Model material) without the across clues, I was thinking of Claudia Schiffer and those supermodel models.
I did not know 17A: ANITA (Actress Ekberg), I pieced her name together from down clues. It would be great if it's clued as Santa ___ Race Track. Together with 28A: Like horse's hooves: SHOD, and 5D: Finished second: PLACED, it would form a lovely horse racing sub-theme. Looks like Big Brown is going to end this Triple Crown drought on Saturday. Are you rooting for him also? Anyone picks Casino Drive? I will stick to Denis of Cork though. I like his style.
ACROSS:
1A: Style inhibitor?: CRAMP. I like this wonderful Michael Phelps slow motion clip.
14A: Entangle: RAVEL. Knew "unravel", had no idea that RAVEL is a word itself.
16A: Movie piglet: BABE. Hey, Wilbur is the new piglet on the block.
17A: Actress Ekberg: ANITA. Did not know her. She was in "La Dolce Vita".
30A: Ear-piecing: LOUD. And 36A: Musician's pride: EAR. The clue for 30A could be easily reworded as blaring or something to avoid this annoying double EAR appearance.
31A: Superman's makeup: STEEL
40A: Old name of Tokyo: EDO. This reminds me of Nobel author Yasunari Kawabata's "The Old Capital" (Koto, Kyoto). I like his "The Dancing Girl of Izu". It stars Momoe Yamaguchi, my favorite Japanese actress.
41A: Exhibit extravagant desire: DROOL. Wow, what a sophisticated clue!
43A: Flatfoot's circuit: BEAT. So many slangs for cops.
44A: Exchange: SWITCH
46A: Native-born Israeli: SABRA. And 3D: Tel _ -Jaffa: AVIV. And 35D: Second Hebrew letter: BETH. I did not know BETH. Got it from across clues.
58A: Part of BYOB: YOUR. Tell me what YOUR favorite books are.
59A: Trial's locale: VENUE
61A: Philbin co-host: RIPA (Kelly)
DOWN:
1D: Rugged cliff: CRAG
2D: Rajah's wife: RANI. Another Indian reference: 46D: Indian instrument: SITAR. Here is Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" with the exotic SITAR instrument.
4D:Like utilities: METERED
11D: Model material: BALSA. What model? I still don't get it.
12D: WWII maritime marauder: U BOAT. Did not know before that U BOAT comes from German U-Boot, short for Unterseeboot (undersea boat).
22D: In contact: AHOLD. Another annoying AWord. Why don't you break it up into A HOLD and romanticize the puzzle a bit? "You've Really Got __ ___on Me, baby, I love you..."
25D: Kind of club: GLEE. And 43D: Kind of shower: BRIDAL. "Kind of" tiresome, isn't it?
28D: Navy commando: SEAL. "I Ain't Got Time to Bleed". Our ex-governor Jesse Ventura was a Navy SEAL.
33D: Leg ends: FEET. Love Happy ___. Sorry Dick, Mkat and all your Pens fans.
34D: With, in Paris: AVEC. I dare you to clue "Voulez vous coucher ___ moi ce soir...", enjoy this Lady Marmalade!
42D: Annual halfway point: MIDYEAR
44D: __ Anne de Beaupre: STE. It's in Québec. I had no idea. I was used to the Sault ___ Marie clue.
45D: Drove erratically: WEAVED
48D: African address: BWANA. Swahili for "our father", hence Master.
49D: Brownish gray: TAUPE. So many different shades of TAUPE.
52D: Vega's constellation: LYRA. I like this succinct line from Wikipedia: "Beginning at the north, Lyra is surrounded by the Dragon Draco, the Greek hero Hercules, the Little Fox Vulpecula and Cygnus the swan." See here.
C.C.
54 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - I liked this puzzle, even the stupid quip. Thought 'cramp' for 'style inhibitor' was clever. C.C., the expression is to 'cramp one's style', which means to interfere with what they normally do. And wooden plane model kits are made out of balsa, typically.
Still rainy and gray here - hope everyone has a great day.
Dennis,
So my understanding of 1A is completely wrong?
C.C., yes, I'm sure he was going for the expression.
Dennis,
Wow, my imagination ran wild then! What's your answer to my 58A question?
C.C., Like a parent going with a TEEN on a date with his girl. That would really CRAMP his style!
Not too bad, but I'm really starting to dislike these QUIPS that have no other references (And, most of them are inane)!
In this case, if I didn't have CRABGRASS I'd have no green in my YARD!!
Got hung on 61a, Knew it was RIPA but I thought 49a should be MOVED and 49d should be MAUVE. Of course that made Kelly a PIVA instead a RIPA. Got it straight when I came here.
CYA Later
C.C., I'll have to give that some thought, but you do know that BYOB is 'bring your own bottle', right?
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite books c.c. Liked your Michael Phelps video-he makes it look so easy.
C.C.
BYOB usually refers to parties at which no drinks are offered. So, you BYOB.....Bring Your Own Bottle/ Beverage/ Booze..
Just looked at MAUVE. It's not even close to taupe!! Oh, well, color blindness runs in the family!!
Good morning all........I liked this puzzle too. I liked the clue for 1A. But 41A was NOT very sophisticated! I didn't get that one till I checked your blog. There is a big difference between your model and the 11D clue, balsa, that was funny CC. I thought 35D was Beta, not beth.
It is supposed to be hot here and my air is not working. UGH I hope they get here to fix it soon.
Have a good day everyone.
Dennis & Bill,
Yes, I know BYOB. I thought it's a gimme for everyone. I typed in that entry simply because I want to know what everyone's favorite books are.
NYTanonimo,
I've never read that book. Have you been to Africa before?
Sorry, I guess I read something into your 58a comment that wasn't there....
Good morning CC & DF's: Easy one today. I agree that 1A was cute.
BYOB and toped hit pretty close to home but no hangover today.
Thought I was really getting into something exciting w/41A but nope, not until the 'venue' and 'dens' crossed, (the whole SE corner really)and then that Moulin Rouge link...Oh yeah! It's got 'ahold' on me! I'm a-ready and I'm a-dancin'now...with my Happy Feet!! Soul sister, flow sister! Go sister! ...avec moi! LOVE IT! Thank you, CC!
I wish you sunshine, Dennis and all who are having gray days. It's gorgeous here. Good day for a-dancin'!! ...may be at the end of a rope if I don't 'atone' soon.
Nah, where's the challenge?
CC, one of my favorite books is "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khalid Hossini, or Houssini. Have you read that one? I couldn't put it down.
Nice puzzle with an easy quip for a change..
CC. Beat the Ranch on Big Brown on Saturday...He drew the first post position so he will just take off and gallop around maybe Casino Drive will try to answer but I don't think he will hold on for 1 1/2 miles...
Enjoying another day in sunny Naples :-)
Morning all,
Another easy one; payback will be a b----. I'm thinking that reading this blog is helping my solving abilities or have the puzzles just been easier lately?
My favorite books right now are "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. Both books are fiction but give a tremendous insight on life in Afghanistan. The character development is exceptional.
Morning, all!
A couple of false starts today (wanted TAWNY instead of TAUPE, but I got over it), but the rest was a breeze. For once, I not only liked the quip but also was able to figure out the last part ahead of time without needing any "perps" to assist me.
As for books, lately I've been going for big "space opera" sagas by the likes of Peter Hamilton and Julian May. I just like them! ^_^
Jean, I loved the Kite Runner too. Both great books.
Quite a bit tougher this morning - had to Mr. G a lot but remember I am still learning. It is hard to work these out when I am at work. it took about an hour with all the phones ringing and a medical call in the middle BUT I finished it.
I never thought of Balsa for model material as I was thinking of clay - oh well.
Come on Bill lets tell it like it is - color-blindness has nothing to do with it - most men work with Red -Green - Blue - Yellow - Pink - Black & White they do not get into Mauve, Taupe, Chartrusse (sp) etc. it had nothing to do with color blindness - hehehe!
Favorite books - John Grisham all of them. Of course I loved all the Harry Potter books too.
Well gotta go - another medical call - CYA
Nancy
Bill & Lois,
What are your favorite books??
Katherine & Jeanne,
Looks like you two enjoy the same book. I've only flipped through "The Kite Runner", have not read "A Thousand Splendid Sun".
Superfrey,
What's the meaning of "Beat the Ranch"? I think Casino Drive will help Denis of Cork to challenge Big Brown!
Barry,
I've never heard of the authors you mentioned. What's your major in college?
Good morning DFs. Not bad today but could not get the intersection of 48D and 60A. I should have known anna as that is a repeat offender either from this paper or the NYT. Other than that it was an interesting puzzle and I did get the quip easily.
It is a sad morning after watching the Pens loose to the Flyers.
Cc I wanted to tell you that my favorite books are gin and vodka.
Dennis we do not want to (cramp) Lois's style while she is in the (crabgrass) drool(ing).
I think Barry meant BET the ranch.
Books?? I do like John Grisham but I mtend to stick to Mystery Paperback shorts.
I really like the Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock.
cc I think superfrye meant to say "Bet the Ranch". Must have been a twinge in his knee that caused that.
Balsa wood is very light and was widely used in making model airplanes. Typically, balsa wood frames
glued together with "airplane glue" which came in small tubes. The frames were then covered with tissue paper, then painted with "dope", a kind of lacquer. The glue was eventually banned because of misuse by glue sniffers who got a high from the vapors.
Cc I like books on the Civil War and action mysteries like Nelson DeMille and Clive Cussler. Don't read as much now that I am retired and my traveling days are pretty much over.
Katherine,
I also read a lot of mysteries as I see you do too. Also love books by Vince Flynn who writes about special ops.
Oh, It was Superfrey. That's my short attention span kicking in>
Sorry, Barry...
anon. at 7:48 - a minor point of correction: Tubes of airplane/model glue have never been removed from the market. I sell a couple dozen every week. What they've done is change the formula, or added something to it, so it's taken that aspect away.
Hi all.
Slam dunk easy today.
58A answer - anything by Janet Evanovich or John Dunning. Question:When is a rana a rani and vice versa?
Barry,
I've never heard of the authors you mentioned. What's your major in college?
My undergraduate major was Philosophy and then I went to law school. But don't tell anyone, OK?
Oh, and I forgot to ask -- did anybody else think that 45D was a bit odd? I always thought that the past tense of weave was wove, not weaved...
Another quick one for me - sub-Dennis time but still fast. I worked the NE to SW diagonal first then the two smaller adjacent diagonals and finally the NW and SE corners. At that point I had some holes but enough to solve the quip. With the quip solved I was able to fill in the few remaining holes with the SE corner being the last to give in to my siege.
It's sunny and nice in N.Cal. I'm headed for Miami and then Washington DC next week on business.
Dick: I like your books best of all. I don't think you guys could cramp my style in the crabgrass. You'd enhance it.
CC:I'll read anything esp something recommended...David Sedaris is what I'm carrying around right now...then Kingsolver's Animal Dreams is next. Just have to sit still long enough to read it...red traffic lights aren't long enough.
Books: historical/nautical fiction for me. The Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin series is a great example.
Hi everyone, Is Olschwang mellowing or am I getting smarter? Only googled once to find the meaning of "schlepped".
Had answers ready for most of your questions CC, but they have already been taken care of by the rest of the crew.
Thought I would be the oldest person here at 83, but looks like 104 has that distinction..(if he really is 104) In that case, I would like to know his secrets to "longevity".
Surely do enjoy all the comments and side shows. My favorite place every morning.
jimbo congrats on reaching 83! Hope you are hale and hardy.
Books - Anything by Elmer Kelton but my favorite is "The Time it Never Rained"
Today's puzzle was a walk. Did it quickly without help. As for books, Kingsolver and Hoseini are brilliant, "Water for Elephants" was nicely crafted. Gunter Grass' "The Tin Drum" is an all time favorite for me. I am now reading "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See and feeling very happy not to be a woman in China in the late 19th century. My feet are aching just reading it. A lifetime of torture just for the sake of style.
C.C., to answer your question re: 58A, I've currently got 3 books going: "House to House", the story of the urban fighting in Fallujah, "American Patriot: The Life and Wars of Colonel Bud Day", the most decorated living American veteran and a Vietnam POW, and "Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!" by Scott Adams (Dilbert). I also read ANYTHING by Dave Barry.
test
good morning c.c. and all,
most of my comments have already been made but i can't resist chiming in about favorite books. 'wild life,' by molly gloss, 'in the absence of the sacred,' by jerry mander, 'blink' by malcom gladwell, 'the way of the superior man,' by david deida. if i went on i'd be here all day ...
Good Morning C.C. and everyone, I liked this puzzle too...even if the quip was rather bland..it was true.
My favorite author is Pearl Buck, I have all her books and have read them many times. Other authors/books are: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, any by Stuart Woods, I agree with annon(at 10:23), Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was wonderful and I too am glad I did not live in China at that time (or earlier as in many of the Buck books)! I also like John Grisham.
I thought Lois would "drool" over the "man of steel", get "ahold" of him (the situation heats up)and she's "ready" (even "greedy")..things might even get "loud"!! ohh, ohh. :)
Dick: Thanks for the well wishes. yes I'm in good health and gunning for 120.
(give or take a few)
Another great book is Mistaken Identity - the one where two young ladies involved in an automobile accident were mistaken for each other. One Died...won't say any more This is a tearjerker TRUE story - a must read for everyone!
C.C. I goofed I meant to write "Bet the Ranch" meaning all that you have on Big Brown... Your analysis could be spot on though with regard to Denis of Cork and Casino Drive. I just think Big Brown is much better than the others. My only worry would be the slit that occurred in his front foot... but we will know how that impacts him well before the stretch run. If it is a sloppy track that could be a factor... but with the Number 1 post he should still be okay. Happy betting everyone.
Dick... you were right it must have been a twinge in my knee :):)
Hi again, just thought of some more authors/bboks that are really great!:
Maeve Binchy (anything she writes), John Steinbeck, esp Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell. Also enjoy reading "diaries" of pioneer women on the Oregon Trail.
Have a good one everybody! :)
Hi everyone. Wow, I know it's been a while. Between work and sick pup and family stuff. The crossword suffered. Plus, doesn't help it's been delivered late. Argh.
Not a bad one today, though. Fun quote. Thx CC - sad to watch the Pens lose. Ah well.
See you all tomorrow and hope all had a great day!
Carol: I like how you think! I know all about Superman and Lois! Who do you think made him steel? Behind every hard man is a good woman, and Superman had Lois (me)! There you have it! Another fact to add to my credientials to Dennis for that deserted island job. Wonder if the position's been filled yet, so to speak. Maybe he'll tell us.
Lois, good ol' Superman:) It is true "a hard man is good to find!"
I've not been to Africa cc. Other authors I've enjoyed this past year include Jerome Groupman (Second Opinion and How Doctors Think), Atul Gawande (Complications and Better), Masha Gessen (Blood Matters), Anna Quindlen (Rise and Shine), PDJames (The Lighthouse), Richard Preston (The Wild Trees), Mary Doria Russell (Dreamers of the Day), and Tom Brokaw (Boom, Voices of the 60s). Other alltime favorites are The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and DNA, The Secret of Life by James Watson. Also second those selections of The Kite Runner
and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and Janet Evanovich books. (In case you can't tell I love to read.) How about you cc?
Nancy wasnt Mistaken Identity made into a movie? I know I have never read the book but I seem to know about it.
Anonymous at 7:48: I disagree with your assessment of the glue in the balsa wood plane kits. The ones I built used a glue not unlike Elmer's Glue to hold them together. The "Glue Sniff" glue is used for plastic models of all types, not just planes. Dennis is correct in that the plastic model glue has not been removed from hobby shops. I still build models and buy it frequently. It may have had some thing(s) removed but is still based on aromatic compounds that can still get Glue Sniffers high if they are stupid enough to do so.
Books - anything Sci Fi or Fantasy. Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (Hobbit, Lord of the Rings), Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time series), The Dune Trilogy. Also enjoy reading technical books - Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Organic Chemistry.
Monsoon has hit in India. Planning on leaving today (Friday) at 11:00 p.m. and getting to the U.S. Saturday morning.
Balsa is a light weight wood used in model making, especially model airplanes.
Ray
This is my favorite Comment Section ever!! Thanks.
C.C. and the wild bunch, Just catching up on a few days. So enjoyed all the comments. Haven't seen Friday's paper yet so am not peeking, but had to add my two cents' worth regarding books. So many books, so little time....I love to read. Hundreds of favorites, but Pat Conroy's The Prince of Tides bears mentioning. Also Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. From back in the day, James Thurber was amazing. Old Alistair MacLean books. Current thrillers by Harlen Coben, Nevada Barr. For laughs, anything by Janet Evanovich; she's hysterically funny in her Stephanie Plum series. James Patterson, Bill Cosby, Dave Barry, Homer Hickam. You didn't ask about poetry, but I learned to read at age four with Robert Frost's poems. Still my favorite. I, too, could go on forever, but I picked up some new names from all of you to try. Many thanks. Have a great day.
drdad: Have a safe trip. Welcome home.
cc: Sorry about your ankle. Hope it is improving. Thanks so much for this wonderfully entertaining and informative forum. I learn something new each time.
Happy weekend, all.
Kit
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