Theme: It's a STEAL
20A: Steal books?: PALM READERS
27A: Steal produce?: BAG GROCERIES
50A: Steal coins?: PINCH PENNIES
58A: Steal gym equipment?: LIFT WEIGHTS
Are you a kleptomanaia? Were you Born to Steal? Well, if you want to steal, why not ENDEAR (8D: Make beloved) yourself to ENYA (33A: One-named New Ager) and steal her heart? She is still available.
Does the "READERS" in 20A refer to "READERS' Digest" or what? I have difficulty understanding the clue.
I like this puzzle a lot, esp the theme concept. But I went through a hard time at the AQI corner. I often hear this Air Quality Index on the radio/TV, but the abbreviated AQI simply refused to unveil itself to me this morning. I had no idea who the Turn-of-the-century muckraker (JACOB RIIS) was, what an unique surname! And the impossible Gulf of AQABA! Where are "U"? This word needs a "U" for God's sake, water, water, AQUA, how can you be a gulf without water?
EINS, zwei, drei, let's go!
ACROSS:
1A: B-o-r-ing!: YAWN. "Never YAWN in front of a lady"!
9A: Lowest point: NADIR. A NADIR moment for Hillary's last night. She still refused to concede. ABUILIA problem?
33A: One-named New Ager: ENYA. "Who can say where the roads go, where the day flows, only time..."
43A: Delhi appetizer: SAMOSA. No idea. Wikipedia says it's a popular SNACK(S ) (34A: Noshes) in India. Could be both savory and sweet, see here, looks like it's fried.
46A: Pyramid, e.g.: TOMB. The Terra Cotta Museum in my hometown (Xi'An) is also a big TOMB.
53A: Pack: JAM INTO
56A: Greek cross: TAU. Greek letter T, after Sigma. I've never heard of TAU Lepton, have you?
57A: EPA pollution measure: AQI (Air Quality Index). Such a tough crossing with AQABA.
64A: Is the ability ours?: CAN WE. This clue feels very strained to me. How about Michael Bolton's "How CAN WE Be Lovers"? Right now I am listening to this song while typing in today's blog, "show me what you feel"!
66A: Casino game: FARO
67A: Barnyard butter: GOAT. John Underwood's GOATS (What kids grow up to be) clue is Paul's Clever Clue of May.
68A: Verbal digs: BARBS
72A: Half a zwei: EINS. Or Drei minus zwei. And another essential German phrase you should know is "Ich Liebe Dich".
DOWN:
4D: Eggnog topper: NUTMEG. Not cinnamon? I only had once and I disliked the taste.
8D: Make beloved: ENDEAR. I like how ENDEAR intersects ARON (15A: The King's middle name).
9D: Male anchors: NEWSMEN. Can you call Chris Matthews an anchor? Or is he simply a host?
12D: Mind business: IDEAS. Does this clue sound OK to you?
22D: Turn-of-the-centuray muckraker: RIIS. And 53D: First name of 22A: JACOB. Completely unknown to me. Here is more information. Wikipedia says there is also JACOB RIIS Park in Queens.
27D: Men of the future?: BOYS. I love BOYZ II Men. Not very fond of their "On Bended KNEE (36D: Patella location) though. I listen to their "End of the Road" when I feel AIMLESS (25A: Undirected). For those who want to get LEI'd (49A: Wahine wear), click here, then " close your eyes, make a wish... all through the night."
29D: Light weight: GRAM
30D: Charisse of "Singin' in the Rain": CYD. No, not familiar to me at all. I pieced this answer together by across clues.
35D: Colombia city: CALI. And 51D: Columbian export: COFFEE
39D: Kachina doll makers: HOPI. Or Zuni. Saw a Kachina doll at the Flea Market last Sunday. I don't think it's authentic though.
44D: Without transgressions: SINLESS
45D: Prefix with trust or matter: ANTI
48D: __B'rith: B'NAI. Got it from across clues. B'NAI means "Sons of" in Hebrew.
52D: Denver pro: NUGGET
54D: Red Sea Gulf: AQABA. Here is the map. See Gulf of AQABA? It's in the far south of Jordan.
59D: Rikki-Tikki-__: TAVI. I have no idea what this is. I strung it from the across clues. This Rikki-Tikki kind of reminds me of Günther and the Sunshine Girls' Tutti Frutti song.
61D: Putting target: HOLE. I just hate USGA for the US Open setup. How can any one HOLE a shot if you keep the green that fast?
65D: Arachnid structure: WEB. Let's meet Wilbur the Pig, from "Charlotte's WEB".
C.C.
20A: Steal books?: PALM READERS
27A: Steal produce?: BAG GROCERIES
50A: Steal coins?: PINCH PENNIES
58A: Steal gym equipment?: LIFT WEIGHTS
Are you a kleptomanaia? Were you Born to Steal? Well, if you want to steal, why not ENDEAR (8D: Make beloved) yourself to ENYA (33A: One-named New Ager) and steal her heart? She is still available.
Does the "READERS" in 20A refer to "READERS' Digest" or what? I have difficulty understanding the clue.
I like this puzzle a lot, esp the theme concept. But I went through a hard time at the AQI corner. I often hear this Air Quality Index on the radio/TV, but the abbreviated AQI simply refused to unveil itself to me this morning. I had no idea who the Turn-of-the-century muckraker (JACOB RIIS) was, what an unique surname! And the impossible Gulf of AQABA! Where are "U"? This word needs a "U" for God's sake, water, water, AQUA, how can you be a gulf without water?
EINS, zwei, drei, let's go!
ACROSS:
1A: B-o-r-ing!: YAWN. "Never YAWN in front of a lady"!
9A: Lowest point: NADIR. A NADIR moment for Hillary's last night. She still refused to concede. ABUILIA problem?
33A: One-named New Ager: ENYA. "Who can say where the roads go, where the day flows, only time..."
43A: Delhi appetizer: SAMOSA. No idea. Wikipedia says it's a popular SNACK(S ) (34A: Noshes) in India. Could be both savory and sweet, see here, looks like it's fried.
46A: Pyramid, e.g.: TOMB. The Terra Cotta Museum in my hometown (Xi'An) is also a big TOMB.
53A: Pack: JAM INTO
56A: Greek cross: TAU. Greek letter T, after Sigma. I've never heard of TAU Lepton, have you?
57A: EPA pollution measure: AQI (Air Quality Index). Such a tough crossing with AQABA.
64A: Is the ability ours?: CAN WE. This clue feels very strained to me. How about Michael Bolton's "How CAN WE Be Lovers"? Right now I am listening to this song while typing in today's blog, "show me what you feel"!
66A: Casino game: FARO
67A: Barnyard butter: GOAT. John Underwood's GOATS (What kids grow up to be) clue is Paul's Clever Clue of May.
68A: Verbal digs: BARBS
72A: Half a zwei: EINS. Or Drei minus zwei. And another essential German phrase you should know is "Ich Liebe Dich".
DOWN:
4D: Eggnog topper: NUTMEG. Not cinnamon? I only had once and I disliked the taste.
8D: Make beloved: ENDEAR. I like how ENDEAR intersects ARON (15A: The King's middle name).
9D: Male anchors: NEWSMEN. Can you call Chris Matthews an anchor? Or is he simply a host?
12D: Mind business: IDEAS. Does this clue sound OK to you?
22D: Turn-of-the-centuray muckraker: RIIS. And 53D: First name of 22A: JACOB. Completely unknown to me. Here is more information. Wikipedia says there is also JACOB RIIS Park in Queens.
27D: Men of the future?: BOYS. I love BOYZ II Men. Not very fond of their "On Bended KNEE (36D: Patella location) though. I listen to their "End of the Road" when I feel AIMLESS (25A: Undirected). For those who want to get LEI'd (49A: Wahine wear), click here, then " close your eyes, make a wish... all through the night."
29D: Light weight: GRAM
30D: Charisse of "Singin' in the Rain": CYD. No, not familiar to me at all. I pieced this answer together by across clues.
35D: Colombia city: CALI. And 51D: Columbian export: COFFEE
39D: Kachina doll makers: HOPI. Or Zuni. Saw a Kachina doll at the Flea Market last Sunday. I don't think it's authentic though.
44D: Without transgressions: SINLESS
45D: Prefix with trust or matter: ANTI
48D: __B'rith: B'NAI. Got it from across clues. B'NAI means "Sons of" in Hebrew.
52D: Denver pro: NUGGET
54D: Red Sea Gulf: AQABA. Here is the map. See Gulf of AQABA? It's in the far south of Jordan.
59D: Rikki-Tikki-__: TAVI. I have no idea what this is. I strung it from the across clues. This Rikki-Tikki kind of reminds me of Günther and the Sunshine Girls' Tutti Frutti song.
61D: Putting target: HOLE. I just hate USGA for the US Open setup. How can any one HOLE a shot if you keep the green that fast?
65D: Arachnid structure: WEB. Let's meet Wilbur the Pig, from "Charlotte's WEB".
C.C.
50 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - got hung up at the same place you did, C.C. - had no idea on the Red Sea Gulf, and couldn't think of the EPA measurement; first google in quite a while.
C.C., Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a Rudyard Kipling book. And nutmeg is the classic topping for eggnog.
Off to the gym - hope it's a great day for everyone; rainy and dreary here.
Hi All you DF's. Really liked this one! 1 G ( Call to Mr. Google) today. And, wouldn't you know, it was for the same reason. Could not get AQI. I wanted PPM for Parts Per Million. But that certainly wasn't going to work so I G'd RED SEA GULF and was good to go.
Good morning CC and everyone else. I hit a few snags today, but did pretty good overall. A palm reader (20A) is a fortune teller, they read your palms. I also had no idea who Jabob Riis was and never heard of him. The picture of the Terra Cotta Museum was great. That is so amazing. I loved the song by Enya and the other ones too. What a blast from the past with Mihcael Bolton. I would say that Chris Matthews is more of a host.
It's rainy here today too.
Have a good day everyone.
Good morning all - sorry for your weather as it's a beautiful day in Louisiana - 90+ & sultry. I too struggled with AQI. Re: 15A - I've always thought it was Elvis Aaron (2 "a's") Presley. This is the second time in the last couple of months it's been clued with only one "a" - does anyone know for sure? Also, what's up with 67A (Barnyard butter)? I got "goat" because of the downs, but still don't get the clue.
Hello All.... sunny in Florida again... :-) Nice puzzle.... got caught on the AQI clue and had to google Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.... other was it was as smooth as Silk. Katherine... I think you meant to spell Jacob instead of Jabob
I meant otherwise... grrr
Goats live in a barnyard and occasionally BUTT something or someone. Hence BUTTER. BTW, It can be painful!!
I've had an easy time with the puzzles this week, but I was stumped on ari and the muckraker. The lower left corner gave me a hard time because I entered Put Into instead of Jam Into.
I interpreted palm readers as palming (stealing) readers (books).
Elaine
Thanks Bill - makes silly sense now.
Good morning cc and DFs. I struggled with the same area as the rest of you. I could not get AQI and I did not know Aqaba 54D. Otherwise it was a good puzzle. Cc I liked the link to the Terra Cotta Museum, it was interesting and I have seen similar tombs in
Germany but it was only the heads and not the entire body. Also, Ich liebe Sie.
Chris in la, it is Elvis "Aron" Presley.
mkat the Pens still have a chance tonight since they are on home ice but if it goes to seven games the last one is in Detroit and that will be tough. Go Pens!
Katherine - thanks. Wikki spells it Aaron.
I thought of two kinds of palm readers this and this. I knew Rikki Tikki Tavi and wasn't sure what it was-still not sure how I knew that-buried too far down! I saw that terra cotta display when it was touring here-it is awesome c.c. The man in the BVDs reminded me of the naked cowboy in NYC.
Dennis,
Regarding your comment yesterday "that's between me and my pen", what kind of pen are you using then?
Bill,
Don't you think adding an "?" to "Barnyard butter" will make the clue spicer?
Dick,
What's the difference between "Ichi Liebe Dich" & "Ich liebe Sie".
Katherine,
You can say "我爱你" to your drummer. It's pronounced like "wo ai ni" (Wo is I, Ai is Love, ni is you).
C.C., most any pen; current one is a "pilot G-2", whatever that means.
chris in la, you probably know this already, but Wikki is not known for their 100% accuracy. However, there's always been confusion over Elvis' middle name; evidently it was 'Aron' on his birth certificate, but I think his grave stone is spelled 'Aaron'.
It's a long story, but he actually had lunch at our house in the late 50s; my father, who was an exec. with RCA, was good friends with Colonel Parker, who was Elvis' manager.
C.C., I thought the omission of "?" was a misprint. Yes , I agree that would get all kinds of creative thoughts moving! Such as "Stepped in WHAT???"
cc Sie is formal and feminine.
Morning all,
Had the same problem as everyone else but overall enjoyed the puzzle. You have my permission to LOL, but what does DF stand for? IMO this is a very intelligent group with varied knowledge and interests. Thanks for all the info.
jeanne, 'dfs' stands for disfunctionals, which seemed to sum up our group. We even thought it was a great name for a rock group: 'CC & the Dysfunctionals' - whatcha think?
Morning, all!
Running a bit late today, I'm afraid. Vacation will do that... ^_^
Today's puzzle was an almost total breeze for me. Like many, I ran into trouble in the SW corner, but I finally realized that AQI could stand for Air Quality index and I've seen enough Arab place names to know that you don't always need a U after a Q.
The only other momentary trip-up was with 20A. I actually got the answer pretty quickly from the "perps," but couldn't figure out what PALM READERS had to do with the "Steal books?" clue. Readers are books? I thought readers were the people who read books, not the books themselves. Ah well....
Dennis,
Thanks for explanation. I play the piano a little!! It's a rainy day in my little corner of PA. Indoor activities only.
No problems today and finished pretty quickly. A book, especially a beginning reading textbook is sometimes called a "reader". Palm is slang for steal. I thought it was a clever clue, in fact I thought the theme was pretty clever. I didn't get any of them until lift weights then I got all of them at once.
Barry when I was a kid we always referred to our reading books as readers. Maybe it was jut a local usage but it allowed me to get palmreader quickly.
Barry, back in the day, our elementary books were typically called "readers"; others were called "primers", pronounced 'primmers'. Sometimes old age helps with these puzzles.
Not a bad puzzle today - I liked this one. Did have to use Google for a couple of things except for AQI as I got it when I googled Aqabar. I would have been done much sooner if it weren't for these stupid phones at work ringing - you know people needing medical attention and accidentally dialing 911 and that kind of nonsense!!! HeHeHe.
Have to give work my full attention now - Have a Great Day
Nancy
Barry,
RE: 2OA PALM READERS. I had the same confusion. I had never heard of a book being called a "reader" before.
Dennis et al,
Is 43A: SEMOSA (Delhi appetizer) a gimme to you guys?
drdad if youi are still in India maybe you can find the mongoose
named Rikki Tikki Tavi. I understand he/she still lives there.
cc semosa was a word I have never seen or heard of.
C.C., it's 'sAmosa', and I only knew it because I'd seen it in another crossword within the month.
Dick,
Dr. Dad is probably indulging in those SAMOSA appetizers right now. He said he would be back to the States on Saturday.
Samosas are common and delicious appetizers in Indian restaurants. They are somewhat similar to dumplings: spiced meat and/or vegetable wrapped in dough and baked. It was a gimme for me since I *LOVE* Indian food.
cc I don't know what a samosa tastes like but a little sample of Mallika Sherawat wouldn't be bad. Sure like your links cc. Where is Lois today? I miss her comments.
Chris & Katherine. The official elvis web page says either spelling is correct. Elvis was named after his father, Vernon Elvis Presley, and Mr. Presley's good friend in Tupelo, Aaron Kennedy. The Presleys chose "Aron" apparently to make it similar to the middle name of Elvis' stillborn identical twin, Jesse "Garon" Presley. BTW, state birth records and Elvis' tombstone have it spelled "Aaron".
Elvis web page
Ive never heard of a KACHINA doll and I don't think I ever heard, or heard of, anyone say WOOHOO. The only word I knew that ended in PI was HOPI, an Indian tribe of, I think, Arizona On that alone I managed to solve the stickers which were 38A, 43A & 44D
TAA DAA!!
good morning c.c. and all ..
i thought the theme was rather clever and once i caught on i got them all pretty quick. got stuck at the q also, didn't know bnai or faro (what kind of game is that?) and still don't understand sop for 'bribe.'
@c.c., i did not liebe that mind business clue, but the michael bolton tune .... purrrrr! agree barnyard butter should have a ?, BUTT i liked it. also liked seeing coffee and yawn in the same grid.
@dick, we did get LEI'd in the HOLE today, so perhaps lois TIED on some LACE and got preoccuppied PALMing, PINCHing and BAGging
@mh, samosas .. yum! have you ever tried the afghan restaurant kabul in sunnyvale?
Morning C.C. and all you D.F.'s: Liked this puzzle! Thought clue for 15A was good, as was 12D.
Theme was clever too. I had a problem with 9D though, I kept thinking of "boat" anchors and wondering why anyone would think they were sexed!!
Just my "mind" at work again.
36 and 37D both show up a lot, don't they?
Dennis, you are correct, "old age" does help. At least with regard to the puzzles and maybe a few "tricks" we learned long ago.
Wonder where Lois is? Maybe she is "palming and pinching, lifting and jamming" at the gym (or with Jim) oh, oh... :)
melissa bee, faro is a card game. Goes back to the 1800s; somewhat like Baccarat.
Good morning, everyone. A slow start, and I had BOYS for 27D to begin with and misspelled Ms. Charisse's name at first, but got everything corrected. Can't say I've heard of JACOB RIIS, but the perps helped me get him. C.C., I think the READERS just refers to books in general. I can't get your SAMOSA link to work. I like the 12D clue. The business of the mind is to generate ideas, at times. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi was a mongoose character in Rudyard Kipling stories. Chris, a goat butts any and every thing with his horny (oops, lost Lois) head, so he is a barnyard butter.
mark, buenos aires
samosa is a popular curried pastie (or empanada) in uk
riis is a well known surname (John Arno Riis - liverpool player
worst clue was brith - bara brith is a Welsh cake
an ok puzzle, fortunately not to many US minor-sports stars (minor in terms of world sports (american football, baseball and the like) not minor in terms of US celebrity status
salud to all!
chau
I,ve been reading ya'll's stuff for about a year. Sometimes I feel stupid and other times I can't believe the the lack of extended learning or, hopefully, inexperience. I'm 104 years old, so I remember things ya'll never heard of. To Dennis, I'm impressed you can do a Xwd in two or three minutes. How sad. Find a tougher puzzle. Enjoy your intellect and challenge it. Move up. To Lois, I say enjoy your fantasys. If you want the real thing give me a call. I've got over 90 years of experience.I love the puzzles and enjoy your rhetoric. Keep up the good work.
glensebald - good of you to check in, and thanks for the advise. I try to do at least 3 crosswords a day, including the NYT one.
And if you're truly 104, my compliments - if I lived that long, I'd just be a pool of drool.
Please post more often.
Finished the online version in 9 minutes without any trouble anywhere in the puzzle. Ones I didn't know the perps got. Thank goodness for Air Quality Index or I'd have never gotten the gulf.
Samosa was no problem as I have eaten several while here in Mumbai. They are like a spicey potato cake but shaped differently. I haven't had the ones stuffed with meat yet.
C.C. - I got your German. I love you, too.
Knew Jacob Riis from way back when. If I recall correctly, he was big in his day on urban reform.
He was also from Denmark. Being Danish myself, I love Danes, too.
The old joke used to be about Elvis and his twin that died at birth - Elvis the Pelvis and Enos the Penis. Seriously, the correct spelling is Elvis Aron (one A) Presley despite what many references state.
Dick you are mostly correct. To further elaborate (and I have taken German and speak it albeit not well) Sie is the formal for you. It is also feminine (like she). You only use "dich" when you are talking to someone you know well. If you don't know them well or are in a formal situation you use "Sie" for you. Since you would not love someone you do not know well (when used as a term of endearment) you will never hear a German say "Ich liebe Sie." It is always "Ich liebe dich" because you are saying this to your loved ones that you know very well.
To glensebald - welcome aboard and congratulations on your longevity. We are a pretty warped group here. And we all try to match Dennis' time. I have come close but cant' quite get there. He must write awfully fast.
I know I'm babbling but I haven't been here in awhile. Still miss all of you and can't wait to return home.
I know reader as a book from a famous collection/set of colonial - late 1800's set called McGuffey readers used by almost all of the schools at the time. See reference...
http://www.howtotutor.com/guffy.htm
Melissa,
Besides "soak", SOP can also mean bribe.
Crockett1947,
I've fixed the link. Thanks.
Glensbald,
I have problem believing in what you wrote.
Drdad,
I am so happy to hear from you live! It has to be midnight in Mumbai.
I've been doing this awhile now and reading all your comments. I do use google once in awhile but today only threw me because 68A was barbs and 65D was web. The e and b same spot?? Confused me abit.
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a cute little english stiory about alittle boy and a ferret and a snake. Takes place I belive in Africa in a backyard garden. Cute childrens tale.
Good afternoon CC et al. Don't have time to actually do the xword, but wanted to check the comments. I am soooo impressed that Dennis 'had Elvis for lunch'. That's the envy of most women I know. Did you get pictures? That's a wow!
Glensebald: welcome! 104? What's your number? And who said anything about fantasy?
nytanimo: I think I know that naked cowboy! A view from a different angle would help me be certain.
Melissa & Carol: I am going to do all those things tonight. It should be a good time! I'll toast to you girls first! Then I'll toast to all you guys.
Enjoy this gorgeous day/night.
drdad I did not mean that cc was incorrect with ich liebe dich for that is a correct statement. But, if I were addressing her I do not know her well enough to use dich and would use Sie. It does not necessarily need to be a term of close endearment but can be an expression gratitude. However, you are technically correct in you comments. Have a safe trip back to the USA.
Carol, regarding your weather comment yesterday: It ALWAYS rains during Rose Festival. At least the weather was good for the Kid's Parade today.
Crockett-1947, I know, I was born here :)...we usually get our real summer starting July 5. Are you a Portland native? As you said, today was good for the Jr. parade, it goes by fairly close to our house (about 4 block away)..we are in the Grant/Alameda area.
Lois, what are we to do with you, you little social butterfly!! I'll just hope you don't get with the "104 year old" 'cause he'd never make it to 105!!! LOL
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