Theme: AMOR (40A: ___ vincit omnia) (AMOR = LOVE (Tennis 0) = O)
17A: Mediocre distress signal: SO SO SOS
38A: Santa's startled greeting?: OHO HO HO HO
63A: "Rosanna" band's kid: TOTO TOT
10D: Yoko's prohibition: ONO NO NO
42D: Hugs and kisses: OXOXOXO
What an "O"dyssey for me this morning! Felt so stifled and out of breath by those exceeding amount of 3-letter words (24). The extra oxygen (O) did not help much at all.
ARO Rio? Who has heard of it? GYPSUM? No, I did not even understand the clue (34A: Selenite, e.g.). I've seen LASORDA's mug so many times, still could not nail him. Definitely needed "Tommy" in the clue to bring back his name. I do like the baseball references in the puzzle:
49A: Robin of baseball: YOUNT. Another HOFer. Here is his Topps Rookie Card. PSA 8? Looks like a 6 to me.
28A: MLB banned substance: HGH (human growth hormone)
7D: Reds or Rays: TEAM
25D: Noted Dodgers skipper: LASORDA. Remember this scene?
I am also very happy with the answer for 27A: Cork Populace: IRISH. It's so fitting with the O's, since so many Irish people have O in their name: O'Brien, O'Connor, O'Malley, etc. IRA ( 13A: Writer Levin) could be reworded as "Belfast grp" to bring more Irish flavor to the puzzle in my "O"pinion.
By the way, I am a type O, how about you?
ACROSS:
1A: Lively energy: VIM. My instinctive response was PEP.
7A: Hyson or Pekoe: TEA. I've never heard of Hyson TEA. I don't think I want to drink any TEA after so many cups of O (eau) this morning.
10A: Seller's $ equivocation: OBO (Or Best Offer)
19A: Take flight: ABSCOND
22A: Skin pigment: MELANIN. MELAN/MELANO is a prefix meaning "black". "IN" is a noun forming suffix in chemical term. MELANO is clued as "Very dark" on an earlier puzzle.
23A: Anderson of "WKRP": LONI. Learned her name from doing Xword. Not familiar with the TV show.
29A: Venezuelan river: ARO. I've never heard of RIO ARO. ORINOCO was clued "River of Venezuela" on a Feb TMS puzzle.
33A: NRC, once: AEC (Atomic Energy Commission)
34A: Selenite: GYPSUM. So abstract mineralogical terms. GYPSUM is explained as "a widespread colorless, white, or yellowish mineral used in the manufacture of plaster of Paris, various plaster products, and fertilizers." Selenite is "a variety of GYPSUM, found in transparent crystals and foliated masses."
40A: ___ vincit omnia: AMOR. Great intersection with OXOXOXO. Here is Caravaggio's "AMOR Vincit Omnia".
43A: Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary: YARROW. Love their songs. Speaking of Peter, O'Toole (Irish) has got three O's in his name.
48A: California fort: ORD. It escaped my brain. SEA SIDE was clued as "City near Fort Ord" on an April puzzle.
57A: Lack of strictness: LAXNESS. I dislike this monster's loch "NESS" appearing in both the clue and the answer. Ugly.
60A: Induct formally into office: INSTALL
62A: Artificial caves: GROTTOS. Here is a sculpture set in a GROTTO.
64A: Provence city: AIX. Cézanne's "The Card Players" looks stunning in person. He was born in AIX-en-Provence.
DOWN:
1D: City southeast of Fresco: VISALIA. Unfamiliar to me. What is it famous for?
2D: Mesabi Range output: IRON ORE
3D: Of a certain fraternal order: MASONIC
4D: Bind with cord: LASH. Why "Bind with cord"? I thought LASH was just a whip.
6D: Port of Iraq: BASRA. Oil, oil, oil!
8D: Dresden's river: ELBE. An educated guess. I am not familiar with this city Dresden.
11D: Skipjacks: BONITOS. I love miso soup, which has BONITOS as its base. I had no idea that BONITOS are all called "Skipjacks".
30D: German river: RUHR
31D: Melvielle's "Typee" sequel: OMOO
35D: Cellist Ma: YO-YO. This is a wonderful YO-YO Ma interview clip. Both IKE and JFK looked so enchanted and delighted.
36D: Rx place: PHAR (Pharmacy)
40D: Combination: AMALGAM
41D: Blackwater fever: MALARIA
44D: Mexican peninsula: YUCATÁN. Has anyone visited this Chichen Itza Mayan ruins?
45D: Completely surround: ENCLOSE. "Cocoon" would be a more O-y clue.
46D: Awkwardly written: STILTED. New word to me.
61D: Editorial directive: STET
"O Canada..." Happy birthday!
C.C.
17A: Mediocre distress signal: SO SO SOS
38A: Santa's startled greeting?: OHO HO HO HO
63A: "Rosanna" band's kid: TOTO TOT
10D: Yoko's prohibition: ONO NO NO
42D: Hugs and kisses: OXOXOXO
What an "O"dyssey for me this morning! Felt so stifled and out of breath by those exceeding amount of 3-letter words (24). The extra oxygen (O) did not help much at all.
ARO Rio? Who has heard of it? GYPSUM? No, I did not even understand the clue (34A: Selenite, e.g.). I've seen LASORDA's mug so many times, still could not nail him. Definitely needed "Tommy" in the clue to bring back his name. I do like the baseball references in the puzzle:
49A: Robin of baseball: YOUNT. Another HOFer. Here is his Topps Rookie Card. PSA 8? Looks like a 6 to me.
28A: MLB banned substance: HGH (human growth hormone)
7D: Reds or Rays: TEAM
25D: Noted Dodgers skipper: LASORDA. Remember this scene?
I am also very happy with the answer for 27A: Cork Populace: IRISH. It's so fitting with the O's, since so many Irish people have O in their name: O'Brien, O'Connor, O'Malley, etc. IRA ( 13A: Writer Levin) could be reworded as "Belfast grp" to bring more Irish flavor to the puzzle in my "O"pinion.
By the way, I am a type O, how about you?
ACROSS:
1A: Lively energy: VIM. My instinctive response was PEP.
7A: Hyson or Pekoe: TEA. I've never heard of Hyson TEA. I don't think I want to drink any TEA after so many cups of O (eau) this morning.
10A: Seller's $ equivocation: OBO (Or Best Offer)
19A: Take flight: ABSCOND
22A: Skin pigment: MELANIN. MELAN/MELANO is a prefix meaning "black". "IN" is a noun forming suffix in chemical term. MELANO is clued as "Very dark" on an earlier puzzle.
23A: Anderson of "WKRP": LONI. Learned her name from doing Xword. Not familiar with the TV show.
29A: Venezuelan river: ARO. I've never heard of RIO ARO. ORINOCO was clued "River of Venezuela" on a Feb TMS puzzle.
33A: NRC, once: AEC (Atomic Energy Commission)
34A: Selenite: GYPSUM. So abstract mineralogical terms. GYPSUM is explained as "a widespread colorless, white, or yellowish mineral used in the manufacture of plaster of Paris, various plaster products, and fertilizers." Selenite is "a variety of GYPSUM, found in transparent crystals and foliated masses."
40A: ___ vincit omnia: AMOR. Great intersection with OXOXOXO. Here is Caravaggio's "AMOR Vincit Omnia".
43A: Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary: YARROW. Love their songs. Speaking of Peter, O'Toole (Irish) has got three O's in his name.
48A: California fort: ORD. It escaped my brain. SEA SIDE was clued as "City near Fort Ord" on an April puzzle.
57A: Lack of strictness: LAXNESS. I dislike this monster's loch "NESS" appearing in both the clue and the answer. Ugly.
60A: Induct formally into office: INSTALL
62A: Artificial caves: GROTTOS. Here is a sculpture set in a GROTTO.
64A: Provence city: AIX. Cézanne's "The Card Players" looks stunning in person. He was born in AIX-en-Provence.
DOWN:
1D: City southeast of Fresco: VISALIA. Unfamiliar to me. What is it famous for?
2D: Mesabi Range output: IRON ORE
3D: Of a certain fraternal order: MASONIC
4D: Bind with cord: LASH. Why "Bind with cord"? I thought LASH was just a whip.
6D: Port of Iraq: BASRA. Oil, oil, oil!
8D: Dresden's river: ELBE. An educated guess. I am not familiar with this city Dresden.
11D: Skipjacks: BONITOS. I love miso soup, which has BONITOS as its base. I had no idea that BONITOS are all called "Skipjacks".
30D: German river: RUHR
31D: Melvielle's "Typee" sequel: OMOO
35D: Cellist Ma: YO-YO. This is a wonderful YO-YO Ma interview clip. Both IKE and JFK looked so enchanted and delighted.
36D: Rx place: PHAR (Pharmacy)
40D: Combination: AMALGAM
41D: Blackwater fever: MALARIA
44D: Mexican peninsula: YUCATÁN. Has anyone visited this Chichen Itza Mayan ruins?
45D: Completely surround: ENCLOSE. "Cocoon" would be a more O-y clue.
46D: Awkwardly written: STILTED. New word to me.
61D: Editorial directive: STET
"O Canada..." Happy birthday!
C.C.
50 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - enjoyed the puzzle this morning; thought it was decently difficult with the more obscure ones gettable from the perps. The theme clues/answers were kind of a lazy way to do it, but it didn't bother me all that much.
C.C., pirates used to lash prisoners to the yardarm; ask Lois for more info on lashing...
Hope it's a great Tuesday for everyone; spectacular weather here today.
Dennis,
Which answers were obscure to you?
Dennis welcome back. It is nice to see your comments first on most mornings. Guess all went well yesterday and that is a good thing.
I also liked this puzzle and except for one or two words all were gettable from the crosses. It seemed to take awhile for me to get the theme but it did appear in time to help with the solutions.
I am conceerned that we may lose Lois again after she sees Caravaggio's "AMOR Vincit Omnia".
Maybe she is still riding the ranger out west somewhere and will miss this AMOR.
One of these days I am going to catch Dennis - just a tad under 5 minutes, no googling. This was "another" cakewalk. Only issue was 1D - kept wanting Vidalia but that didn't work for the distress signal.
NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) replaced the AEC (Atomic Energy Commission).
I wonder if "ET's" can pilot "SST's"?
Peter, Paul, and Mary (sigh).
Eli Wallach - Tuco of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" - he was the Ugly. Also was the Mexican villian in "The Magnificent Seven." How did the seven "return" to "ride again" when most of them died in the first movie?
Dennis - it wasn't just a lazy way to do the theme, it was "laxness" and "oddness." Go "ask" "Abe" about the ease of this puzzle. It was sort of "stilted." Maybe it's the luck of the "Irish." It may get Lois to "emote." I wonder if she "absconded" with "OXOXOXO" when she left OK.
Enough of that stuff. Today is Build a Scarecrow Day, Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day, Financial Freedom Day, and International Joke Day. This week is National Unassisted Homebirth Week and Freedom From Fear Of Speaking Week.
Have a good one.
C.C., not being a big fan of Peter, Paul and Mary, I had no idea what Peter's last name was. Never heard of the city of Visalia. And I guess it's correct, but it took me a while to get 'phar' (pharmacy) from 'Rx place'.
Good morning C.C. and DFs.
I finished the puzzle without Googling, but the SW corner held me up until Malaria fell in place.
I was glad to see a different approach to oboe, today. They might try "woodwind trio instrument" or "double reed."
A skipjack is also a sloop-rigged boat used on the Chesapeake for oystering.
c.c., do you keep a spreadsheet of previous answers and clues??
dennis, welcome back. I'm glad your experience was bearable.
Have a good day, all!
Morning, folks!
Well, just like C.C., I initially put PEP for 1A and then just stared at the perps for awhile in horror. I finally moved on and solved 13A, 17A, 21A, 23A and 24A, which made me realize that 1A had to be VIM instead. After that, the rest of the puzzle fell pretty quickly [I had no idea about VISALIA or BONITOS, but was able to get them via the perps. Actually, had I known VISALIA, I wouldn't have put PEP for 1A in the first place.]
I'm very familiar with LASH as a verb -- usually when talking about tying something onto the roof of the car with bungee cords. Maybe it's a regional thing?
Oh -- and my blood type is like my mantra: B+ ("Be Positive"). Of course, it's a mantra I frequently have trouble following.... ^_^
C.C., to answer your question, Visalia is considered "The Gateway to the Sequoias". Melissa Bee might know more about it - I think she's in San Jose.
Is there another word with four consecutive different vowels?
AB+ (universal recipient)
O+.
Good Morning! A whole cup today and I still didn't get 1, 2,and 3d until I came here. Yeah, I, too, started with PEP. Then changed it to ZIP. VIM didn't enter my thinking at all til I saw it here. The rest wasn't too bad and the answers came together from the other answers. At 49a I wanted ROBERTS but there wasn't enough room. Finally remembered YOUNT and finished.
CYA all later.
I think I'm O+. I hope I don't need a transfusion because I'm not 100% sure.
Dick - you are right. If Lois opens up the Caravaggio link, she's history.
Here are some Real Card Players.
Good morning all,
Started slow, but got going well after figuring out all the "o's" - actually enjoyed this one & thought it was clever. Only google was gypsum.
A good Boy Scout also learns how to do "lashes" to construct towers, bridges, etc. by lashing poles together.
Have a great day!
Not a tennis player and did not see the AMOR (Love) connection until you pointed it out cc. Found the puzzle just SOSO. Enjoyed the YO-YO MA clip. Was not familiar with BONITO or OBO so that was my sticking point, otherwise fairly smooth. I've not been to the Yucatan or the Mayan ruins. Have you cc? And I'm B+. Liked your mantra comments Barry. I have trouble with that too!
I can't believe you don't know about Dresden; that was Germany's Hiroshima. I was toward the end of WWII and there was much debate over if it should have been bombed at all - it was however and the incendiaries created a firestorm so bad that around 100,000 died - more than the atom attacks in Japan. That was also the place where Vonegut's book 'Slaughterhouse Five' was to have taken place
Palindromes was the theme today. Easy puzzle and fun to work with.
I love these puzzles. We do them at work and if we get stuck we ask another co-worker and we usually figure them out. I am new to this page and I enjoy reading all your blogs. Keep up the good work and have a great day.
Sincerely,
Jim
I kind of liked this one and thought the theme elements were entertaining albeit easy to get. I was disappointed that Yoyo Ma didn't get included as something like a 35D: Toy for cellist. Lots of O's and lots of 3-letter words certainly makes for an easy puzzle. Just what I needed to get the day off to a nice start.
What a fun puzzle. Yes, the O's have it! C.C., loved your intro comments and analysis. Not a type O, but A+. Loved the Yoyo Ma clip. Thank you. I agree with your 45D clue suggestion -- that would have been more fun. Hello, Jim -- welcome to the madness. Flyinggears, thanks for pointing out the palindromicness of the puzzle (how's that for word inventiveness?).
A+ (the most common blood type)
I thought this puzzle was boring, but I didn't have to google anything, so I'm glad about that. I was born in California and then lived in Arizona for many years, and travelled back and forth a lot, and I never heard of Visalia -which is one of the reasons I got hung up in that corner (I tried ZIP, which of course didn't work).
Visalia is close to Hanford, Lemoore and it's in the San Joaquín Valley. I was stationed in Lemoore Naval Air Station in the early '70s and we visited Visalia a lot. Two of my daughters work in Visalia.
Don't know about now, but back in the 60's Visalia had several plants that packed olives. (and they gave free samples)
good morning c.c. and all,
i liked it today .. had to google for gypsum and malaria.
having training in SAR and wilderness survival i learned alot about lashing.. it's useful when backpacking. visalia is one of the places in california i have NOT lived .. but i did live in nearby fresno and selma. too hot for me.
yarrow is also a very useful herb when backpacking. it will stop bleeding quickly, you can chew on the root for a toothache (i've tried this, it really does work), and the yellow blossoms make a natural dye for silk (done that too). yarrow tea is not very tasty.
O+ (universal donor).
c.c., LOVED the yoyo ma clip.
From Richard
Finished unaided today. I have ridden to Visalia many times as it used to host a great vintage motorcycle event. As for C.C's mention of Peter O'Tool, I suspect Lois would consider his name a redundancy.
I, too, used pep for awhile so that threw off the upper left corner. Got it together later.
CC: we did see the ruins at Chichen Itza. Quite amazing. The funny thing was that a couple on the bus climbed to the top and I asked her if she used the steps with the rope. She looked at her husband rather angrily, "There was a rope?". They had a heated discussion for awhile on the bus.
Dick & Jimmyt,
Hope both of you have read Kittyb's response to your yesterday's comments regarding FIN & Amish clothing.
Bill,
Do you write songs as well?
Barry,
I like your mantra.
Dr.Dad,
The clue for "LAXNESS" is lazy, but I like the theme a lot. It's a rare "palindrome" theme, as Flyingears pointed out. Additionally we have OBO, ABA & YOYO. I just dislike the extreme amount of 3-letter words cooped in one grid. I felt like I could not breathe.
Good Morning C.C. and everyone: Kind of a fun one today but I did not know 1D and could not get it from the "hors" (didn't know 33A either).The rest finally fell into place. Wasn't too fond of 38A
Dennis: glad to see you first once again, hope your test results were just fine! I know you are glad it's over.
drdad, Unassisted Home Birth Day!??? They have to be kidding!! In the words of "Blanche" from The Golden Girls: "I think women should have babies the way nature intended; strapped to a table, numb from the neck down!" :) :)
C.C., thanks for the Yoyo Ma link, I really enjoyed that. Don't know what Lois will do when she sees the Caravaggio link, we will probably lose her. I don't know my blood type.
Welcome Jim (annon at 8:53) we are a wild bunch but it is all in good fun.
What makes Visalia "great" is that it's the door to the Sequoias in the Sierras. It's also big agro country in the Tulare county. It's not a big city but the agro biz is the big thing.
Turbo,
Thank you for the Dresden education. I really have never heard of it, nor have I read the "Slaughterhouse - Five".
KittyB,
No, I don't keep a spreadsheet. I get the information on the clues/answers by googling this blog. Are you playing any musical instrument?
NYTanonimo,
Have more sushi/miso soup, you will know BONITOS well. No, I've never been to the Mayan ruins.
Jim @8:47am,
Welcome!
Mh,
Very creative clue YOYO!
Flyingears,
Thank you for calling attention to the "palindrome" theme. I did not notice that this morning.
Danielle,
I thought type O is the most common.
Carol,
What? You don't know your blood type?
Melissa,
I have never heard of yarrow as a herb, though I do know arrowroot.
Crockett1947,
I am happy you like my "O"pinion and "O"bservation today.
Drdad I think your picture link is a photo of Lois at her last party in OK. Since she could not have the three Ds she went to the next seven and they were all dogs.
Dennis @6:51am,
RE: Words with four consecutive vowels. Here is my research result: queue, aqueous, Hawaiian, obsequious, onomatopoeia, pharmacopoeia, plateaued, and sequoia.
Cc in response to your 5:57am post yesterday I had to come home yesterday because of the severe storms in our area and there were tree limbs all over my property and my tool shed. I cleaned up all of the debris this am and will be going back to my camp this pm and hope to remain there until after the 4th. I do not have access at the camp but if my wife brings her business lap top I may be able to sneak a peek at the site. Probably will not contribute because the connection is a phone modem and it is very slow.
Anyway all of you have a safe and happy fourth of July holiday!
Cc I did go back and read Kittyb's response on the Amish. Thanks for the notice of her response.
C.C. @ 11:34
No,unfortunately my songwriting is very limited. The only time I compose is when I am singing and forget words (which I do more often as I age). Then I make up words on the fly that usually fit!! Nobody knows I forgot anything and we move on!!!
c.c., in response to your 11:52 question, at one time I played clarinet, and focused on the bass and contra-alto clarinets, but I haven't played in years. I miss it. I was a band director for 11 years, and I miss a lot of that, too. My father made a dulcimer for me, not the hammered type, but the original 4-string. I'll have to get serious about practicing that.
You must have a prodigious memory to be able to cite clues from several months back. Or....do you save them all?
Adding to Melissa bee (10:24): Yarrow is one of the easiest herbs to grow. Traditionally the hybridized flat flower heads were yellow, but now they come in a variety of pastels. It's a good perennial for either the floral garden or the herb garden. It's good to know that it will stop bleeding.
I have no idea what my blood type is. I knew it, and have forgotten. I'll find out.
And, I'm off to hear the YoYo Ma clip. Good day, all.
c.c., yarrow grows abundantly around here .. not sure about east coast. it looks very similar to poison hemlock but you can identify poison hemlock by it's purple splotches on the root .. which are sometimes called 'the blood of socrates' because it is believed that he died of hemlock poisoning.
B+ I would give that to the puzzle too.... light and lively....once you get one of the goofy clues the others were easy.
Kim... I am up in Washington DC doing the puzzle out of the Washington Post.... Did your daughter have her baby yet?
Dick,
Travel safely and enjoy your time at the camp.
Bill,
It takes talent to compose/improvise the forgotten lyrics!!
KittyB,
I sensed that you played/have been playing some instruments as you seem to possess a solid knowlege on them. No, I don't have a good memory. Things blur by me very easily. I simply google the "clues/answers + cc". The only herb I grow is chives.
Melissa,
Wikipedia says yarrow builds up our immune system as well, just like MOREL I suppose.
Good morning CC & DF's: Liked this puzzle a lot...even got gypsum. Thought of Argyle w/ 38A and then of my own 3 fine HO's. And we are still enjoying the 'lash' with
'amor' which may have us 'emote'
to the point of requiring a 'MAO' inhibitor. Dennis is right. Just 'ask' me. And you're right, Dick. Caravaggio's AVO had a nice...violin. However, I prefer the larger, more seasoned, broader based instrument...Cello with its deeper penetrating tone. A bass fiddle is best but only when plucked or strummed with fingers. Their all a great 'team' but I'm going to go find Ma, cello-totin' Yoyo now.
Enjoy this gorgeous day!
AnonRichard: hilarious! Peter O'Toole is just my kind of man!
I liked this theme, until I got to 42D.
Well, I still like the theme, I just think 42D is a let-down.
I don't think the theme was exactly palindrome. It seemed to start as "two-word phrases built with only two letters (one of which is 'O'), where one word is the same as the other but with one extra letter."
Then 42D showed up.
By the way, I'm 0+. Seven (7) gallons and counting.
drdad, Don't worry if you don't know your blood type. They'll test it before they give you a transfusion.
Chances are, you wouldn't be in any position to give an answer anyway.
Visalia used to be a sleepy little town that was on the way to Three Rivers and Sequoia Nat Park. It has grown to 122,000. Known for? It didn't have olives; the town of Linsey had them. Groves of Oranges, and lemons were nearby. Visalia had walnut groves and a great jr. college , College of the Sequoias. Kevin Costner went to Mt Whitney H.S. What is your town known for? Mine? "Los Gatos" doesn't have many mt. lions or bobcats any more.By the way, those O's drove me crazy!
Dick: I'm the one w/a pipe and a drink on the right. I hope we're playing Texas Hold'em...just what we're holding, I ain't tellin', but the cutie on the left looks pretty satisfied. Gotta love that game!
A+
Lois, do you really know how to play Texas hold-em?? I (and hubby) really love it, he is the "expert" and has played for about 17 years. It is seemingly simple game, but as they say.."It takes a few minutes to learn and a lifetime to perfect".
Hope you are enjoying whatever game or guy you are playing :) I agree with your assessment (!) of the Caravaggio link.
KittyB,
Tried your asparagus recipe last night - was wonderful, thanks for sharing. Medium-to-small spears, 350 degrees for about 7 minutes.
Carol: Yes, I play Texas Hold'em. My friends call me 'castle queen'...b/c my chips create a castle and put theirs in the moat with them in it. Am considering playing regularly, but it would interfere w/other games during the week. I still prefer pool...for the moment. 17 yrs? I'd be sure to bring an extra shirt if I played you guys.
An extra shirt??? Nooooooo.
Ok, have it your way, Dennis. No problem!
A Neg
Now I'll start downloading the Yoyo Ma clip and, as I have dial-up, I'll watch it in the morning.
Johnboy,
Good point on palindrome.
Jd,
Thanks for the information.
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