Theme: " The Doctor Is In"
17A: One from Dr. Seuss: YERTLE THE TURTLE
39A: Another from Dr. Seuss: HORTON HEARS A WHO
62A: One more from Dr. Seuss: GREEN EGGS AND HAM
I've never heard of 17A. What a strange title! Is YERTLE even a word? Did he make it up just to rhyme with "TURTLE"?
I really like Dr. Seuss' "You Are a Mean One". Barbara Budd, the host for "As It Happens" (CBC), always reads "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" during the Christmas time. I like it a lot.
A couple flaws with this puzzle:
5A:Throat prob.: STREP. The clue should not have been abbreviated. (Update: The clue is correct!)
43A: "Green Gables" girl: ANNE. Why this clue? Is it because it's a children' book? But you have GREEN EGGS as your answer on 62A.
I also dislike so many *ER ending words in the puzzle:
45A: Less of a mess: NEATER. Good clue though.
64A: Ripening factor: AGER. What is AGER?
35D: Sewing circle members: STITCHERS
53D: More expansive: WIDER
I don't know much about crossword constructing. I am just so curious why this constructor did not add "If I Ran a Circus" to the grid, it's also a 15-letter book title. Maybe it's structurally impossible.
Across:
22A: Verdi heroine: AIDA. I am not into opera at all. But I do find this love story to be grippingly romantic. Ancient Egypt is such an exotic and mysterious place.
36A: Low character: WORM. Does the WORM in Tequila really have aphrodisiac effect?
42A: Certain anchor position: ATRIP. Not familiar with this nautical term. I was also stumped by AWEIGH last time.
50A: Mountain goat's perch: CRAG. Mountain goat sitting atop a CRAG.
54A: Feeling of well-being: EUPHORIA. I am always FiFi-minded, so here is Calvin Klein's sensual EUPHORIA, filled with pleasure, temptation and fantasy.
58A: Alector or Megaera: ERINYS. Ugh, the three Furies. I simply forgot this Greek word. Once again, Bouguereau's "Orestes Pursued by the Furies". Feel the RAGE (69A: Temper out of control)? I love number 3, my lucky number, so pregnant with symbolism. See also Raphael's Three Graces.
Down:
2D: Western writer Wister: OWEN. Clued as "The Virginian" author before. I like the alliteration in the clue.
4D: Cavities in bones: ANTRA. Singular Antrum. New word to me.
5D: Resign or detrain: STEP DOWN. Why 2 words for the clue when 1 is sufficient?
10D: Steak for some: HORSE MEAT
19D: Regulars' orders: USUALS
25D: Hunter of the PGA: MAHAN. Can you feel the torque tension in his backswing? He has had only 1 PGA win in his career so far, and was Nicklaus' pick for Presidents Cup in 2007 (K.J. Choi won 3 & 2 against him on Sunday individual match). A gimme ONLY to those hardcore golf nuts.
27D: __ cotta: TERRA. This is a great picture of Xi'An TERRA Cotta Warriors.
37D: Bouncing off the wall: MANIC. "Bouncing off the wall" is a new phrase to me.
40D: Unit of gene activity: OPERON. No idea. Dictionary explains it as "a set of two or more adjacent cistrons whose transcription is under the coordinated control of a promoter, an operator, and a regulator gene". OPER is from "Operate", ON (extracted from ION) is "a suffix used in the names of subatomic particles like "neutron".
41D: Carrot-tops: RED HEADS. Not a familiar slang to me. All that jumped into my mind are these fresh carrots and carrot-tops, so juicy and firm, easy to eat out of hand.
51D: Lively baroque dance: GIGUE. Completely foreign to me. Wikipedia says it's originated from British Jigs, and it's GIGA in Italian.
61D: Hook's right-hand man: SMEE. From "Peter Pan".
63D: Title for Galahad: SIR. Really a hard to forget night knight at King Arthur's Round Table, son of Lancelot. Have to admire Jackie Kennedy's ingenuity in connecting JFK's "one brief shining moment" with Camelot. Such an idealistically and masterfully spun tale!
C.C.
17A: One from Dr. Seuss: YERTLE THE TURTLE
39A: Another from Dr. Seuss: HORTON HEARS A WHO
62A: One more from Dr. Seuss: GREEN EGGS AND HAM
I've never heard of 17A. What a strange title! Is YERTLE even a word? Did he make it up just to rhyme with "TURTLE"?
I really like Dr. Seuss' "You Are a Mean One". Barbara Budd, the host for "As It Happens" (CBC), always reads "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" during the Christmas time. I like it a lot.
A couple flaws with this puzzle:
5A:Throat prob.: STREP. The clue should not have been abbreviated. (Update: The clue is correct!)
43A: "Green Gables" girl: ANNE. Why this clue? Is it because it's a children' book? But you have GREEN EGGS as your answer on 62A.
I also dislike so many *ER ending words in the puzzle:
45A: Less of a mess: NEATER. Good clue though.
64A: Ripening factor: AGER. What is AGER?
35D: Sewing circle members: STITCHERS
53D: More expansive: WIDER
I don't know much about crossword constructing. I am just so curious why this constructor did not add "If I Ran a Circus" to the grid, it's also a 15-letter book title. Maybe it's structurally impossible.
Across:
22A: Verdi heroine: AIDA. I am not into opera at all. But I do find this love story to be grippingly romantic. Ancient Egypt is such an exotic and mysterious place.
36A: Low character: WORM. Does the WORM in Tequila really have aphrodisiac effect?
42A: Certain anchor position: ATRIP. Not familiar with this nautical term. I was also stumped by AWEIGH last time.
50A: Mountain goat's perch: CRAG. Mountain goat sitting atop a CRAG.
54A: Feeling of well-being: EUPHORIA. I am always FiFi-minded, so here is Calvin Klein's sensual EUPHORIA, filled with pleasure, temptation and fantasy.
58A: Alector or Megaera: ERINYS. Ugh, the three Furies. I simply forgot this Greek word. Once again, Bouguereau's "Orestes Pursued by the Furies". Feel the RAGE (69A: Temper out of control)? I love number 3, my lucky number, so pregnant with symbolism. See also Raphael's Three Graces.
Down:
2D: Western writer Wister: OWEN. Clued as "The Virginian" author before. I like the alliteration in the clue.
4D: Cavities in bones: ANTRA. Singular Antrum. New word to me.
5D: Resign or detrain: STEP DOWN. Why 2 words for the clue when 1 is sufficient?
10D: Steak for some: HORSE MEAT
19D: Regulars' orders: USUALS
25D: Hunter of the PGA: MAHAN. Can you feel the torque tension in his backswing? He has had only 1 PGA win in his career so far, and was Nicklaus' pick for Presidents Cup in 2007 (K.J. Choi won 3 & 2 against him on Sunday individual match). A gimme ONLY to those hardcore golf nuts.
27D: __ cotta: TERRA. This is a great picture of Xi'An TERRA Cotta Warriors.
37D: Bouncing off the wall: MANIC. "Bouncing off the wall" is a new phrase to me.
40D: Unit of gene activity: OPERON. No idea. Dictionary explains it as "a set of two or more adjacent cistrons whose transcription is under the coordinated control of a promoter, an operator, and a regulator gene". OPER is from "Operate", ON (extracted from ION) is "a suffix used in the names of subatomic particles like "neutron".
41D: Carrot-tops: RED HEADS. Not a familiar slang to me. All that jumped into my mind are these fresh carrots and carrot-tops, so juicy and firm, easy to eat out of hand.
51D: Lively baroque dance: GIGUE. Completely foreign to me. Wikipedia says it's originated from British Jigs, and it's GIGA in Italian.
61D: Hook's right-hand man: SMEE. From "Peter Pan".
63D: Title for Galahad: SIR. Really a hard to forget
C.C.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - couple hitches this morning -- never heard of 'operon', forgot 'erinys' was one of the Furies.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like both 'cola' and 'soda' in the same puzzle.
C.C., 10D is 'hoRsemeat'. And when an anchor is 'atrip', it's just clear of the bottom.
124 entries yesterday in the blog; most ever -- C.C., you've created a monster. I've enjoyed watching your baby grow.
Hope it's an outstanding day for everyone. I wonder if drdad survived yesterday.
Had to guess until I got the N in ERINYS correct. OPERON, GIGUE and ANTRA were some of the last to fall for me also. NYT has run a puzzle using If I Ran a Circus along with Yertle the Turtle and Horton Hears a Who. Here is that puzzle. Steak for some is HORSEMEAT. I think Dr. Seuss made up a lot of words for rhyming purposes cc.
ReplyDeleteYou never know where this blog might take you cc-thought of you yesterday when I read this out.
ReplyDeleteDennis,
ReplyDeleteThis word "ERINYS" certainly looks dysfunctional. Such a strange plural looking yet singular noun. HORSE MEAT steak for whom? Dogs? What is the happy meal in your yesterday's discussion? With what toys? Not the Woody/Buzz dolls I presume?
NYTanonimo,
Thanks for the links. Do you think it's possible to clue 4 theme answers I mentioned in a 15*15 grid? Better yet, with DR. SEUSS intersecting all of them.
nytanonimo, great link - a very interesting read.
ReplyDeleteC.C. - there are people who eat horse meat. And as to the happy meal/toy discussion, I'll defer to the triplet sirens, Lois, Carol and Melissa. I'm sure they'll agree that the 'Woody' toy is a must-have...
ANCHOR had me thinking of AWEIGH and NEWS anchors. ATRIP?? Never heard that term before.
ReplyDeleteOPERON??? drdad may know about this term than I. I had no earthly idea... I was thinking of the chromosomal units per se, but totally lost...
Never read any of Dr. Seuss books. I was probably too young.
Agree with dennis. Cola and soda? In the same puzzle? UGH...
It was an OK X/W puzzle. I had to use Google and dictionary to get it solved. Hard for a Tuesday...
I don't think DRSEUSS would fit with 4 titles, maybe just SEUSS with 4 titles but it would be a challenge cc. Glad you liked the article Dennis. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea that these blogs generate that amount of income.
ReplyDeleteGood morning CC and gang.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Erinys, operon, gigue and some of the other words. I never heard of those Dr. Seuss titles either except the Green Eggs one.
CC, Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite stories. It is a lovely story and very touching. If you can ever rent the one with Megan Fellows (or possible Fallows) you should do it. It is really good. I would not say it is children. It is a wonderful story, but it is in a series.
The worm sure would not be an aphrodisiac for me. Yuck.
I was not familiar with the term "atrip" either for 42A.
That was a great picture of the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Have a nice day everyone.........
CC, I meant to say it is not FOR children, about Anne of Green Gables....typo.......
ReplyDeletegood morning c.c. and all,
ReplyDeletei also like 'how the grinch stole christmas. this is my favorite version of that tune, by gary hoey.
thought the 5a abbreviated clue throat prob. was appropriate, since strep is short for streptococcus. ager is someone/something that ages, or ripens. love the terra cotta warriors picture .. it is most impressive.
another gorgeous day on the west coast.
Flyingears and Dennis,
ReplyDeleteI rather like SODA and COLA in the same puzzle. They are not against any crossword constructing rules.
NYTanonimo,
I think you've got to be tech-savvy and own your own website to generate that amount of stunning income. Need steady big corporate ads rather than random out of your control google AdSense. Blogger.com users all do it for fun.
Katherine,
Weekend away with the drummer?
Melissa,
Got your point on STREP. Now go back to sleep!
Good morning. Took me awhile to get operon as well. And the proper plural (since they are talking about Alecto and Megaera) is, I believe, Erinyes, not eryinys.
ReplyDeleteI like Ted Geisel. One of my favorites was the Lorax and the Truffula Trees.
I did survive. Had a couple after work and then went home, sat on the deck with the chiminea and tiki torches and finished the job. A nice quiet way to bring in 49 "years." It wasn't exactly "euphoria" gettting up this morning. The Erinyes were bouncing around in my head. Green eggs and ham certainly didn't sound appealing. I guess my "teen" "years" are behind me.
Yin and yang for C.C. today.
The Grinch of the book looks different from the cartoon because they redid him so he looked like Boris Karloff.
I think throat prob. (abbreviated) is correct because strep throat is an abbreviation for streptococcal sore throat (caused by the streptococcus bacteria)
True tequila is not supposed to have a Wormin it.
Yesterday it was Vlasic pickles, today it is "carrot" tops. What's with the infatuation with long, hard vegetables?
Today is Liberation Day in Poland. It is Pied Piper Day. time to get rid of the rats. It is also Spooner's Day. Reverend William Archibald Spooner was prone to making verbal slips where the letters were swapped - e.g., come and wook out of the lindow. So grab your binoculars and let's go "word botching!!"
Have a great day.
Morning, folks!
ReplyDeleteWell, the good news is that I managed to finish this puzzle -- correctly -- with no assists. The bad news is that I had to make total guesses for 3 letters in order to do so, and that always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The intersection of MAHAN, ATRIP and OPERON left me stumped until I guessed the A in MAHAN and OPERON and the P in ATRIP and OPERON. Basically, MAHAN looked like it could be a name, and ATRIP sounded like it meant something related to sailing, and as for OPERON, well, at least the end result was pronounceable.
I also had to guess at the intersection of ERINYS and NHRA. I had no clue about ERINYS whatsoever, but I figured that whatever the organization was in 59D, the first word might be National. Of course, now that I type that, I think I recall seeing this clue in the puzzle not too long ago. National Hot Rod Association?
Other words I didn't know but were able to get from the perps include:
OWEN (Wister)
ANTRA
On the bright side, I knew all the Dr. Suess books right away (it helps being the father of a 3-year-old), including "Yertle the Turtle" (and yes, "Yertle" is a made-up name that exists solely to rhyme with turtle). "Yertle" is actually a thinly veiled attack against Adolf Hitler, believe it or not.
I agree with evertyone that SODA and COLA don't belong in the same puzzle, and HORSEMEAT got a bit of a "huh?" from me as well. I prefer a nice sirloin barbecued over charcoal, personally.
Oh -- and does anyone actually say EGAD (54D) anymore? I think any clue for this word needs a "formerly" or "once" attached to it at this point.
melissa - I saw comments just now on yesterday's blog. It was your birthday? If so, I hope it was a good one.
ReplyDeletedrdad, what is your picture of? I like it whatever it is.....
ReplyDelete@drdad: well .. sorta. thanks. hope yours was great.
ReplyDeleteDr.Dad,
ReplyDeleteI don't get your point on those Furies. The clue is "Alecto or Megaera", and the answer is ERINYS, dictionary says the plural form is ERINYES.
Barry,
Lots of Dr. Seuss's books seem to have some kind of political views behind them. Very unique. What other authors have such a similar style?
Man, oh man!!! Did yesterday's comments go off the deep end. What with the watermelon "pieces," happy meals and their toys, etc. I just don't know what to think. Except that I'm glad I can be part of it.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to cokato! Are you sure you want to be here?
Barry,
ReplyDeleteLots of Dr. Seuss's books seem to have some kind of political views behind them. Very unique. What other authors have such a similar style?
I'm not sure. Ted Geisel was a unique sort of guy.
C.C. - I guess the Erinyes are still in my head. I thought the clue had "and" not "or". Thus, the singular erinys is correct. My head hurts.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - it's a picture of Uranus.
Good morning, C.C. and all!
ReplyDeleteI finished the puzzle but had to guess in three places. New to me: ANRA, ERINYS, OPERON and ATRIP. The darned Furies tripped me up for a bit.
I'll have to try ATRIP on hubby to see if he is familiar with the word, since he's the sailor in the family.
C.C., I love those terra cotta warriors!
I've introduced one of my nephews to the on-line crossword and your blog, C.C. He says it's much easier than having to ask his wife for the answers. *G* He may be lurking.
This weekend, 3872 people participated in a pillow fight at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, Illinois, home of the Kane County Cougars. I believe they were trying for the Guiness record.
Time to face the day. I hope you all have a great one!
@kittyb: you're trying to start something with that pillow fight talk, aren't you?
ReplyDeletehello...i know gigue but tried to put in gigot (following up the horsemeat theme)...fun to be reminded of good old theodore geisel...met him in la jolla years back...some of today's words seem to be crossword neologisms: atrip...hmmm i wanted to throw in athwart--at least coleridge used that one well!
ReplyDeleteMornin' All! Well' I've had better days but with a LITTLE help from here I finished.
ReplyDelete42a and 25d stumped me. I thought 25a should be MET but wasn't sure.
Still wouldn't have helped 'cause did not know MAHAN or ATRIP.
Had no idea on 58a, just filled it in from the "perps".
And 51d was an unknown but also filled nicely.
The Dr Suess clues were all easy fills because we have several grandchildren and we perused several of books as they were growing up!
Hello everyone. This one was a bit difficult. I did not know ERINYS, MAHAN, and GIGUE. All others worked from the crosses.
ReplyDeleteI had no problem with 5A STREP as that is an abbreviation for streptococcus
PILLOWWWWWWWWWW FIIIIIIIIIIGHT! (whump) Gotcha, Melissa bee! (feathers everywhere) Ptooieee...(plucking an errant feather from my mouth)
ReplyDeleteActually, I wasn't thinking about starting a pillow fight at all, but since I'm here....(letting fly at dennis)
Drdad nice link for the question Why is there a worm in bottles of tequila?
ReplyDeletekittyb - consider yourself to be hit with my PILLOW
ReplyDeleteGood morning CC & DF's: Good puzzle today, esp the Horton part. Loved the links CC, Melissa & NYT.
ReplyDeleteDennis: you are so funny! Oh 'hail' yes, the woody toy is a must! My kids fought over him. I had kids b/c of him.
What 'atrip'! Just cleared the bottom myself! Had a bit too much of the worm last night in drdad's honor and the euphoria made me see twins everywhere. It'll be neater tomorrow when I get to share a chaw w/the OK cowboys again. Still prefer a pipe though. Get to check out the wild rodeos with the manic redheads and loony blondes, and I'm not talkin' horsemeat either.
drdad: I grok your pain!
Katherine: drdad's picture? It's his blue ball.
PILLOW FIGHT!!! Yahoo!! Gotta king sized pillow at Dennis...WHOP BAM!
Enjoy this gorgeous day
I think this morning I will eat the worm, get euphoria, find some horsemeat and do a manic gigue. After that I will find someone to enjoy "Spooner Day".
ReplyDeleteMost of this one fell out once I googled Seuss. I've heard the French eat horsemeat as a regular part of their diet or at least some of them. There are certainly tales from the old West, some of them documented, of mules and horses being eaten in lieu of starvation.
ReplyDeleteAtrip is synonymous to aweigh as in "anchor's aweigh" which I heard in my Navy days. Most know Anchor's Aweigh as a traditional tune played in Navy celebrations. It was written in 1907 as fight song for the Army Navy football game.
Did anyone feel 24A should have been past tense as in Turned on a pivot. I jumped on spin until I got 19D as "usuals" and corrected my entry to spun. ?
Ken For 24A I have SLUE. This seems to fit with all of the perps.
ReplyDeleteKen: I have 24A as slue. Never heard that word before. Kept thinkin' of Santa in the flue!
ReplyDeleteThe long, hard horns on that mountain goat could tip some of the DF's over.
ReplyDeletedrdad, long hard horns, long hard vegetables, you are making me squirm.
ReplyDeleteDick and Lois: Duh?? This is the last time I do a puzzle while the coffee is still perking. Of course it is slue! I'd have seen that if I'd double checked horsemeat. Thanks to both of you..sshhh..don't tell anyone else. Ken
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the picture of the Furies hassling Orestes would be like Lois, Melissa, and Carol going after Dennis?
ReplyDeleteC.C. I can think of two words in English that are written the same, sound the same, and have two different meanings.
ReplyDeleteLight: 1)illuminate, as in lighthouse or turn on the lights
2)weight, as in light footed or light as a feather.
Poach: 1)"to cook an egg by dripping it, without the shell, into boiling water"
2)"to encroach on or trespass, esp. in order to steal game,etc."
The quotes are from Oxford Universal Dictionary
I just set up a blogger account. Not sure if anyone has seen my comments from this morning.
ReplyDeletedrdad: If the three of us were going after Dennis, I think our mouths would be more in the shape of an OOOOO, as in OMG..you ARE a morel character! Besides, I don't think he'd be running away with his hands over his ears...he may be running but it would be for other reasons.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how old the solver is-I am 71 yrs. od and find I can answer the ones he cannot,maybe due to my age and the jargon of past times
ReplyDelete"She" (the solver) is 37 and moved here from Xi'an, China in 2001. She does an amazing job with the puzzle given that she has had to learn our idiosyncracies, etc. All of our hats are off to her.
ReplyDeleteC.C. I love your site of the Xi'an Warriors. My husband and I were there in 1999, and seeing them was the high point of our month long stay in China.
ReplyDeleteEasier for me than yesterday. The Dr Seuss clues were fun, and helped to fill in the more difficult words. My favorite is Green Eggs and Ham.
ReplyDeleteDidn’t know Antra, Slue, Operon, Gigue, or Atrip but got them from the crosses.
Pop and fizzy drink – soda and cola – cool.
Egad! Horsemeat for steak would not make me euphoric. I don’t want it in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse, etc, etc. Although after listening to the book on tape “Omnivore’s Dilemma” I think it’s time to reassess the wisdom of eating beef. It’s scary to know what I’m eating. Or I could stop reading about it……
Oh – Melissa Bee’s b’day is on a Sunday in August, not yesterday. Sorry for causing the confusion. Actually, when I said “you too” I was referring to something else entirely. On the other hand, as she says, we like to start early, and keep things going for a while.
Have a great day, and don’t ask too many questions about what you eat – just enjoy it.
DUCK!! SLAM! FEATHERS....EEEEEEEEE!!
C.C. - Just curious, what part of MN do you live? Also, are there any more Minnesotans on this blog?
ReplyDeleteCokato: I'm a native Minnesotan, growing up in Minneapolis and St. Paul. I attended the U for a couple years long ago, but was too immature to make the most of it.
ReplyDeleteI've been through Cokato a couple of times traveling US 12.
I visit siblings now and then; they live north of Brainerd a bit. I live in Oregon, but my heart will always be in MN.
Best, Ken
Ken, I grew up in Michigan but landed here in 1983. I used to live in the Minnetonka area but escaped the higher taxes for "farm livin'. Hey, I am 10 miles from the biggest ball of twine!
ReplyDeleteI know of no one in the western hemisphere that activly uses horsemeat (yuk). Plus with PETA and other worlwide animal rights groups out there, I would think that the political pressure brought on would be ample to stop such a practice.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Mexico I was told that the worm was the "quality assurence" for the tequilla; if the worm died upon entering the liquid, then it was assumed that the alcohol content was high and ergo a quality product was posessed. The worm was left in as a "good housekeeping" seal of approval.
I would also like to apologize for my horrible spelling in this, past and future posts. I can fix a broken Hollandaise sauce and a weak power-play, but good spelling has always eludid me.
someone mentioned words with opposite meanings...there is enjoin...which has two meanings and they are diametrically opposed so back at univ one was enjoined to use them carefully lest the word itself be enjoined from one's vocabulary...
ReplyDeleteas far as the French and horsemeat--that's a lot of horsefeathers or should i say connerie!
WOW, dr.dad! AN HOUR LATER!!! Great staying power! Feather pillows are the only way to go.
ReplyDeleteAnd....cucumbers will follow watermelon, unless they are too closely related to pickles.
barb b..Duck feathers? (swatting back)
Chef, we'll consider those errors to be typos. No apologies are needed. Do you have a good gumbo recipe to recommend?
anonymous, isn't C.C. amazing?!
Good morning all and congratulations on this blog C.C.! I started peeking in last April when I was off for surgery. All of you feel like family (the smart and very funny side!) Thanks for the info and laughs each day.
ReplyDeleteRobin
Sallie,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to hear that you visited Xi'An. I lived there until 1994. Thank you for the "Light" and "Poach".
Dr.Dad @6:40am,
1)"Sat on the deck with the chiminea and tiki torches and finished the job", what job?
Dick,
Regarding Dr. Dad's comment @6:40am, "the infatuation", is it a good thing?
Barry,
EGAD: Ditto your point.
Cokato,
Brooklyn Park.
Xchefwalt,
You can always preview your comment before you publish it. Some spelling mistakes can be spotted and avoided.
Thomas,
ReplyDeleteDon't tempt fate again! One more "connerie" comment, you are gone. If you disagree with what Ken said @8:37am, explain, not insult!
Robin,
Welcome on board.
KittyB,
Thank you for spreading out the words on the blog.
Hello and Good Morning C.C. and everyone: I see we are all off to a rollicking start this morning!
ReplyDeleteI had lots of trouble with this puzzle! New words pretty much echo the ones already listed. What is "slue"? (24A) Clue: Turn on a pivot.
I've turned on a few people in my time but never met a "pivot". Oh,oh, am I a "slut"???
drdad, thanks for the worm link..now I know I will never try tequila!! Yuk! I also heard that over-indulging in tequila will not cause a "hang-over". Is that true??
Lois, Dennis would most likely be trying to cover another part of his anatomy if we got around him...what a nice fight we could have, and we wouldn't need pillows!
Robin, welcome! Are you brave enough to stay??
barb b, I agree, the horse meat would be just a little better than eating that worm.. Bleah!
There are lots better things to "eat".
Reread the clue for 5A again. Problem is abbreviated so abbreviating streptococcus is entirely appropriate and correct.
ReplyDelete@ sallie& thomas Words that can have two opposite meanings.
ReplyDeletemornin' c.c. & DFs.
ReplyDeleteSure glad Get Out Of The Doghouse day is over. Am I out?
I think I'm with everyone on the obscure words in this one. I knew ATRIP due to lots of time on boats large and small. But all the Dr. Seuss took a while.
Ah Tequila! On of my favorite subjects. As a tequila drinker I can attest that there is no worm in the good stuff. Only the rot-gut has the worm. There's a psychological link whether the worm is an aphrodesiac or not in that if you believe it is... it is! "Virgin" drinks can (and do) get people smashed out of their minds if they believe what they're drinking has alcohol in it. And, if all it takes is a worm to make you a vamp... eat the worm!
10D grossed me out! 20A I originally went for entice but worked it out with the crosses. 9D still has me scratching my head.
what are (is) PETAPS??? 'Loved EGAD on 54D! (Major Hoople?) It's one of my favorite words... Used it just a couple of days ago in this blog. Deja vu?
BTW It's a cloudy & cool day in my corner of "O" but it's supposed to be a "bodacious" afternoon. Another of my favorite words. I thank "Snuffy Smif" for that one.
@barry You are amazing! Checked out your site and I'm impressed. You're as warped as I am. Loved the world peas & the lawn mower!
@drdad welcome back to the real world... hung-over and another day older.
@cokato Good to see you're still with us and actually more entrenched. It takes GUTS! My father was from Bemidji... supposed to be the most beautiful spot in Minnesota ya. I think that's south and west from you?
Mornin' ladies...
I'm going to stay out of the pillow fighting and be good today.
Carl, Bemidgi is actually NW of the TWC area. Also regarding your "slip" yesterday...I have had to slip around some Cockato's more than once. Actually, the slang name for our little town is Cock-a-too.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone! Didn't know Mr. Jackson, Alecto or Megaera, or Hunter of the PGA. Other new words were ATRIP, ANTRA, OPERON, and Corolla. I'm sure YERTLE is a Seussism, made up to rhyme with TURTLE. Back in the 70s there was a horsemeat market in Portland -- long since closed, though. NYT, thanks for the word link. I don't know why, but whenever I click on one of your links I have to re-find my spot in the comments. Other links usually don't have that problem. Don't stop, though, they are always informative. Xchef, open up a word processing window, copy your comments over, check your spelling, then paste the answer back in the comments window before you preview and then publish. From the sounds of it I need to go read the comments from yesterday. Everyone have an outrageous day.
ReplyDeleteCarl, 9D is PETALS. A corolla is the entire flower head, which is made up of petals.
ReplyDeleteThe "duh" light just came on!
ReplyDelete9D is PETALS which crosses with SLUE for attachment to HORSEMEAT.
BTW I should have gotten SLUE since it's a word sometimes used in sailing.
All these words are fuzzy today. Where's my coffee.
@cokato
I'm being good today... verrry good. Had a Cockatoo once... naughty little bird. Was it written Cock-a-too or just verbalized that way. I'm wondering about two??? It's so hard being good!
Carl, yes, you are out of the doghouse, is the dog??
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law was from Bemidji..he moved from Mn many,many years ago saying he would never stay another winter there!
Kitty b
ReplyDeleteAww…Baff, boom rrrrriiiip back to you – it’s snowing feathers
Carol
Better things to eat? HEY! No fair using distracting ploy – Ooof! Bang! Pow! I got creamed. All your fault. Wham! Pmfff to you.
Carl thinks he can stay out of the fight? Let’s get him! Carl! Heads up! Zzzzing!
Carl: I thought it was"it's good to be hard" :)
ReplyDeleteCrockett, You just reminded me of a mexican restaurant on Milw Ave that had to go out of business (in the 70's) because it was found that they were using horsemeat in their recipes!! Gross, huh?
Thank you too for the 9D explanation, I thought a Corollo was a cigar!!!
Jeez, I'm away for a couple hours and I'm assaulted, albeit with 'pillows'...and we need to define 'pillows'; I have a whole different image.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you ladies do realize that even lingerie is considered overdressed in a pillow fight?
drdad, trust me, if that picture was as you described, my hands would certainly be elsewhere.
Glad you survived the night, too.
I think the evil triplets just became quadruplets - cokato, you, my dear, are a natural. Welcome to the dark side. Clothing optional.
Carol, don't believe that about overindulging in Tequila not giving you a headache - I woke up in a jail in Tijuana with kettle drums playing in my head.
Lois, I was not going to touch that one, or drdad's answer! hahahaha
ReplyDeleteDennis, I told you they are my long lost sisters...east coast, west coast now the midwest...there is nowhere left to hide your hide.
ReplyDeleteRe: HORSEMEAT
ReplyDeleteSome years ago (I'm thinking 1987) my wife and I were vacationing in the Loire Valley, France, with another couple. The other woman, an avid horsewoman, looked out the back window of the hotel and saw a neon sign of a horse's head in a shop window across the street. She said "Oh look! A tack shop!"
I noticed another sign in the shop window "Boucherie" and said to her "Suzanne, that's NOT a tack shop--they sell horse meat there."
From the expression on her face I might as well have told her the owners were a pack of cannibals.
I wish I could remember the name of the town (was it Chambord?)--the hotel was Le Boule D'Or.
Interesting to see the "horsemeat" clue. When I was a little girl in the late 1940's, I had a rather eccentric aunt who had several small dogs. She often fed them the equine equivalent of fillet mignon which she purchased from a high scale pet shop freezer. The packages had a USDA stamp with the notation "Approved for Human Consumption" on the label. The fillet was also only about 1/3 the price of a beef fillet.
ReplyDeleteOn one occasion, after broiling the steaks for her little darlings, and being tempted by the delicious smell, she sliced off a bite and gave it a try.
The next thing my parents knew, they were receiving a phone call to come to dinner and try "the most fabulous steak". My parents were the adventuresome type and not only accepted the invitation, they brought me along.
My aunt was right. The meat, although not as marbled as beef, was absolutely delicious. We often had horsemeat fillet over the next couple of years, until we moved and were no longer close to a store that sold the horsemeat fillets.
Now that I am older, I might have a little problem eating horsemeat, although I realize meat is meat whatever the source.
embien, that hotel's in Chinon.
ReplyDeleteC.C. I finished the job of getting slightly tipsy. Actually, it was bordering on somewhat drunk. But the point was that I did it at home on my deck as opposed to some bar where I would then have to drive home, which is not a good thing.
ReplyDeletedennis, drdad, carl...here is my motto:
ReplyDeleteLive your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says, "OH SH*T she's awake!"
@carol
ReplyDeleteThere was a dog in there??? I thought it was... oh never mind!
Your father-in-law... my father...
both from Bemidji??? Coincidence? Hmmm.
I thot' Corolla was a Toyota... and it's a flower too? And almost a cigar? "a" "o" what's the difference except a little tail. This language is so wierd without coffee. But if it makes the "sisters" happy I'll gently peel back the petals....
Ohhh!!! The dark side has got me again. And I so wanted to be good.
My turn. Lois-heads up!! Wham-O! Don't choke on the feathers.
ReplyDeletethomas - I, for one, have a translator that I use for words I don't know. Some of yours are downright insulting. Saying them in French makes it even more so. Wake up and realize that not all of us are stupid and can't figure out what the heck you are saying.
ReplyDeleteForgive me. None of us here are stupid. We can all figure it out.
ReplyDeletedrdad, well said.
ReplyDeleteCarol - I'm not good with tequila. Always gave me a headache (after I came to and realized where I was). I put it just below sake as something I really don't want to drink anymore.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDelete…….”I realize meat is meat whatever the source.”
No, no, and no. I can’t go there. Thwap!! Feathers are flying.
Dr. Dad,
Whack!
@cokato
ReplyDeleteLoved your 1:51. Could say a lot but I'll just add... ditto!
@melissa bee
Gary Hoey's Hocus Pocus is on my "wow" music list. Unfortunately, genius is rarely recognized during its moment... ie Jimi Hendrix.
@drdad
ReplyDeleteI don't want to lead you astray but 'ya gotta pay more than $2 a bottle for the tequila 'ya drink.
The "good" stuff still tastes like distilled cactus (that's why I don't do straight shots) but the morning afters are better. Stay away from the new Jose black.... bad lighter fluid in a dark bottle to hide what's lurking inside.
btw ditto on what dennis said.
Thank you, drdad. Now I've feathers in my pants...we can both be tickled now. Back atcha and to Dick as well...Wham Bam...thank you man...Bop Blat Ca-blewy!
ReplyDeletebarb b - that was a dangerous but "meaty" statement. LOL
ReplyDeleteRE :
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,…….”I realize meat is meat whatever the source.”
No, no, and no. I can’t go there. Thwap!! Feathers are flying.
Hi Barb B. I was just relating what I thought was an unusual story from my youth. Are you a vegetarian? Just curious, no agenda. I just checked your stats. Even though I am an occasional meat eater (honest, no horsemeat for more than 55 years!), we have a few things in common. I'm a woman Cancer too, just turned 66 on July 6th, love books and stitchery hobbies (mine's counted cross-stitch). Let's all be friends.
drdad and Dennis, thanks for setting Thomas straight!! My sentiments exactly...C.C. will take care of him!
ReplyDeletedrdad, methinks I'll stay away from the "wormachol" but I hope you "came too" in a nice place :)
Carl, I knew you couldn't resist all our little comments...welcome back!
Cokato, you do belong with the rest of us! Great comments!
@dennis:
ReplyDeleteAmazing! You are correct. Chinon! Have you been there?
If you look at this picture http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france16.htm La Boule D'Or hotel is in the foreground (somewhere, might even be the whitish building on the left). La Boule D'Or website
Very picturesque town and we had a fabulous meal in the hotel, as it turned out to be a local "winemaker's dinner" (no horsemeat was served). The four of us were the only ones at the dinner who didn't speak French, and none of the other people seemed to know any English. After a long evening of fabulous food and copious quantities of local wine, language was not a barrier, however!
question...I signed on today to set up my blogger id and now am trying to get in there and am told my password is wrong. I know it's not, is there a way to change your password? Also can't seem to be able to set up my profile.
ReplyDeleteBarb b: There is meat and then there is MEAT! Right guys?!!
ReplyDeleteI wondered if Thomas was trying to be droll and just "stepped off the edge of the pier". Another of Thomas' blogs, linked at his User Stats page, indicate that he is not an native English speaker. It's written in Swedish, along with some French comments.
ReplyDeleteIt is tough to get all the nuances right in English. What might seem amusing translated from Swedish to French to English, might not translate well at all.
Re: tequila as an aphrodisiac: I would think that once one GOT to the worm, you would think you were superman anyway. Like the old saying goes “I NEVER went to bed with an ugly woman- I woke up with quite a few, though”!
ReplyDelete@Crockett1947 1:15- great idea! The spellchecker is my friend, and this post was written with its help. Thank you.
@kittb 12:14- The best gumbo recipe I know is my own. The secret is the roux, which must be done the day before. Also, I cook my file seasoning in the roux to get color and eliminate grit. Here’s the basic recipe:
For the Roux: melt butter over low flame and equal parts flour (1# butter to 1# flour) slowly until all flour incorporated and smooth. Add gumbo file until roux has greenish/brown color. Preheat oven to 200; spread roux on cookie sheet and bake slowly until all liquid cooked out. Let cool overnight.
In a soup pot, sweat ground andoullie sausage with trinity vegetables (50% yellow onion, 25% diced celery, 25% red bell pepper) add low sodium blacken seasoning and chicken base paste until incorporated and lightly caramelized.
Add water, bring to a boil then simmer 1-1.5 hours. Check seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Bring back to the boil. In a separate pot, add boiling liquid to small amounts of roux, returning to the boiling liquid (this is called “tempering”). Repeat until all roux is in gumbo (2# roux should adequately thicken 1 gallon gumbo). Gumbo should be thick and bubbly, with nutty aroma and brown/green color.
Add frozen cut okra and protein (i.e. crawfish, crab, shrimp, diced chicken) before serving, making sure gumbo returns to the boil before serving. Serve with either white rice or dirty rice (rice that has been cooked with pureed chicken livers).
Sorry there aren’t more specific amounts; most of my cooking was done by sight and in large amounts, like 10-20 gallons at a time. Feel free to email or post ant questions, I’ll be glad to help.
I was having the same trouble as cokato. Try signing in with your email address and then use your password. Took me a while to figure it out, but like Drdad said "None of us here are stupid. We can all figure it out." Okay, it was in reference to a different topic, but it works here too.
ReplyDelete@cokato
ReplyDeleteClear Eyes is right. But if that doesn't work, go to the Google main page & click on MY ACCOUNT. Your account is your email address. Then go to CHANGE MY PASSWORD & click on it. You should be able to get in even if your old one doesn't work because they will email you a new one if needed. G'luck. I'll be looking for your page.
Anonymous,
ReplyDelete…….
Well, you can’t afford to let your guard down around here. All us df friends are looking for openings, right Dennis and Melissa B?
Thwack! Feathers fluttering around us. Welcome to the group.
No, I’m not a vegetarian – grew up in Texas with steak the best loved meal, when we could afford it. I won’t hold it against you for eating horse meat all those years ago, but geeeez. You know how cowboys feel about their horses.
I work in a library and get to be immersed in books almost every day. It’s heaven.
DrDad and Carol,
You have vivid imaginations. Yes!!
Carol, yes there is meat and then there is MEAT. I prefer weiners.
ReplyDelete@cokato
ReplyDeleteI would have 'thot you were a "polish" fan.
I'm glad to see you got in... so to speak!
Carl, I've actually "had" a few polish men...
ReplyDelete(snickering at dr. dad and lois.......and at barb and dr.dad.....feathers EVERYWHERE!)
ReplyDeleteMelissa bee may have brought up the idea of the pillow fight, but barb b is running with it.
Handing barb b a jar of honey, picking up a feather pillow and turning toward carl....
XChef.....WOW: A chef who shares his recipes! That gumbo sounds wonderful. I've never heard of finishing off the roux in the oven, but I'm eager to try it. Can you give me any guidance on the chicken base paste? Are we talking about a couple of tablespoons? Thank you, so very much, for the guidance. We'll be doing gumbo soon!
Time to fess up. Clear Ayes and the anonymous childhood horsemeat eater are one and the same. I also have to fess up that since that long ago time, I've also eaten snails, raw oysters, blood sausage, haggis and chocolate covered ants (when in Rome,or Scotland, or France :o)) Except for escargot, which I like, I'll never intentionally eat any of those things again.
ReplyDeleteKittyb – my own custom feather boa! Whoo Hoooo!!! Watch me strut my stuff.
ReplyDeleteCarl –pow! Want some honey to go with those feathers? Wheeeeeee
barb b, you are wise beyond your years.
ReplyDeleteembien, no, never been there, but knew of it.
cokato, love the motto; mine's "don't let up, don't ever let up".
Hey, has anyone noticed the sudden influx of new posters? In the past week, we've welcomed:
- cokato
- clear ayes
- xchefwalt
- robin
- jd
- carl
and I'm probably missing some. I'm curious - how did you all find this blog? I think, thanks to you guys, we're gonna be consistently over 100 entries each day, which is pretty amazing, given where we were several months ago. C.C., again, you've created an amazing site.
Clear Eyes, welcome to our "humble group" .. hope you are ready for us!
ReplyDeleteIs it pean or peen. I also thought it was agar.
ReplyDeleteGeez, now I'm miss-spelling Clear Ayes, so sorry!!
ReplyDeleterichie boy, 'agar' is derived from seaweed; 'ager' is the correct one here, as is peen.
ReplyDelete'Told you ladies I was stayin' outta the pillow fights today... and away from the dark side. But since you've foresaken the definition of "ladies"(at least the first two in my Funk & Wagnall)... Hmmm... I just learned something... the number seven definition of lady: The grinding organ in the stomach of a lobster.
ReplyDeleteThat explains a lot!!! But, whacha got planned for the honey???
@blue ayes
I agree with your list of "never to eat again". Blood Sausage tops the list! Had it in San Juan. (shudder) Ugghhh! If it wasn't for the garlic butter, Escargot would probably make the list too.
???? Wasn't I around last week???
I've had this much fun in less than a week??? Oh, that's right; I was in the bushes for almost a month before coming out.
Cc I do not understand your question of ("the infatuation", is it a good thing?) on your 12:31 post.
ReplyDelete@ c.c. btw... I loved your subtle crossout of night and reentry of Knight. The darkside definitely has you.
ReplyDeleteCokato in your slang description of your town is the middle syllable an "A" or "or"?
ReplyDelete@kittb- I share recipes all the time. I was never one to hoard my ideas; they are for all to share.
ReplyDeleteThe paste is what is used professionally, bouillon cubes are nothing but salt tablets with color added. Here in SW Florida we have a brand called “better than bouillon” that is low in salt and has great flavor. You should be able to find something similar in your local supermarket. And feel free to question away.
@Clear Ayes- I’ve had those and more (ever tried fried cow brain?); Blood Sausage (boudin noir or blood pudding) is OK, but its Cajun cousin boudin blanc (white pudding, a wonderful, light sausage made with chicken, pork and rice) is the BEST. I highly recommend it if you can find it.
Carl, C.C.'s been on the dark side for a while - as you've seen, she's just refused to admit it until recently.
ReplyDelete@melissa bee
ReplyDeleteIt's three o'clock where I am in "O" and it's still only 64 degrees & cloudy. Can you please send me some sunshine??? I'm suffering a vitamin D deficiency. 'Could be a hangover though... hard to tell. The symptoms are about the same. No, wait... I didn't indulge last night. It's hard to think sober. I'm wilting.....
Gah, OPERON stumped me, as did ATRIP. But I knew AGER as, well, something that ages.
ReplyDeleteboku, welcome to the party - how'd you find the site?
ReplyDeleteDick,
ReplyDeleteSince your signature phrase is "And that is a good thing", so I thought you would remark the same when Dr. Dad said "What's with the infatuation with long, hard vegetables?" at his 6:40am comment (today's "Carrot-top link and yesterday's pickle link).
Clear ayes,
Welcome. Are you the anonymous @12:42pm also?
Dennis,
Where is my Virgil? It's so dark and hot here. I want to go back.
c.c., as I recall, Virgil was a guide to the dark side. Isn't it a bit late for that? Besides, you seem to be doing just fine here.
ReplyDeleteMatter of fact, you've guided most of us TO the dark side...
Thanks, Dennis! I found this site a few weeks back while searching (I use Dogpile, so I can't say "Googling") on a clue.
ReplyDeleteDennis,
ReplyDeleteI was comparing myself to Dante, whom Virgil guided through the darkness.
Boku,
Welcome!
C.C., very well said - you ARE our leader.
ReplyDeleteCokato: re the weiners, yes! but there is SUMMER SAUSAGE :)
ReplyDeleteCarl: Know what you mean about the sun today, it just barely came out and it's 5:00! We can only hope for tomorrow..I'd hate to say we've had our summer. Put that pagan thingy to work and conjure up some heat!!
Boku: Welcome!!
We sure are getting a lot of new folks on here, hope they hang on, as the ride can get rough (oh goodie).
@carol & cokato
ReplyDeleteI was referring to "as in sausage" so be sure to shun the viennas.
You got sun???? I'm still in the dark and groping.
OK all you fellow Oregonians, let's not berate the coolness and lack of sunshine too much. The group may think it's not a great place to live. Welcome to all of the lurkers who have come into the hot. 'Tis a nice place to be, but the feathers are getting a bit deep around here!
ReplyDeleteso I admittedly had to look up the Erinys clue, but everywhere I found had it spelled with an extra E, erinyes, is it misspelled or a variation?
ReplyDeleteCarl: Sometimes it's not the meat, but the motion!
ReplyDeleteYes, we had sun, but now your cloud cover has moved over us - poohey! What'cha groping????
Crockett, no feathers on me, I'm tooo smoooooth! :)
ReplyDeleteWe will get a beautiful summer yet, I am sure of it, and it will probably last until the last of Oct. :)
OMG - I started the puzzle on line at 5:00am, added what I could, in the paper, at lunch, and finished on line when I got home (two letters, three words wrong). Between doing other things, like laundry, it has taken 'til now to catch up.
ReplyDeleteThink I'll stand clear and just watch.
wow ... as c.c. said the last time i went away .. alot happened while i was gone.
ReplyDeleteand don't look at me, i am NOT cleaning up all these feathers. anyway argyle and i had our own pillowfight.
so there.
Re: dennis @4:06:
ReplyDeleteI know that I found this site through Google, looking for x/w help, kept on popping up here.
@all o's- plenty of sun here in Florida! Everyone's welcome!
@c.c.- maybe we'll see you here in March, the weather is beautiful and I live <10 mi from the twins training facility....
xchefwalt, thanks; where in Florida?
ReplyDeleteWe need to clean up the feathers? Oh, bother.
ReplyDeleteWell...it's been a fun party but I think I over-amped. Must have been the tequila.
barb b, if you can still type, you didn't drink that much tequila - that stuff'll make you blind
ReplyDeleteDennis, they say that's not the only thing that'll make ya' blind...remember the "bus"????
ReplyDelete"Bus, bus, magic bus...any memories?
That explains the contacts...
ReplyDeleteWow, can't believe you guys are still here and coherent. I think there's the same connection to deafness.
ReplyDeleteC.C. RE:Clear ayes, Welcome. Are you the anonymous @12:42pm also?
ReplyDeleteNope, that wasn't me. I am only copping to the horsemeat episodes when I was 7 to 9 years old.
xchefwalt, I have to admit, that I've never tried calf brains, although that adventuresome mother I mentioned earlier wasn't shy about serving beef heart or tongue. It was all good. By the way, Better Than Bouillon was on the shelf at our local Costco. You're right, if you can find it, it is well worth the few extra cents it costs over bouillon cubes.
Dennis, I found this site last week when I was desperate to solve a puzzle I was stuck on and googled 'Star Tribune crossword'. Up popped this site. I've been monitoring and just today got the nerve to jump in.
Hi all...
ReplyDeleteJust checked back in for a night cap. Just thought I'd add that we had the COLDEST July 22nd ever recorded here in this area of "O". Keeps the state plant(moss) green. Gotta love it.
Debauchee managed to get the sun to pop out for a short time before nightfall but it sure didn't warm anything.
Hope I didn't lead you all too far astray with the tequila... but I'm still curious what was planned for the honey???
@Lois
Did you ever get all the feathers out of your pants?
Have a happy night... 'cause I'm outta here.
Katie @ 7:16pm,
ReplyDeleteYour ERINYES is a plural form of ERINYS. Odd, I know. That's why I told Dennis @ 5:48am that ""ERINYS" certainly looks dysfunctional. Such a strange plural looking yet singular noun."