Theme: Switch Positions
20A: Contradictory testimony: HE SAID SHE SAID
40A: Competitor's realistic expectation: WIN SOME LOSE SOME
57A: Interrogation ploy: GOOD COP BAD COP
Before I forget, I would like you to see this hillarious Crossword Inker (about 7 minutes), what a spoof! I also want to share with you this fascinating Oprah interview (about 10 minutes) with Will Shortz (NY Times crossword editor) and Merl Reagle (the genius crossword constructor).
OK, back to the puzzle. I was really disappointed at the clue for LEVEL (68A: Relative rank) because RANKS is the answer for 27D: Puts in order. I don't believe this is Ms. Steinberg's original clue.
Other than that, it's just an ordinary Monday puzzle, nothing to RAVE (16A: Great review) about. This exact theme has been tried several TIMES (33D: Multiplication word) in NY Times before, with the omission of theme entry ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN.
Across:
1A: Group of zealots: CULT. The CULT of iPod and Mac.
14A: Paducah's river: OHIO. Not familiar with Paducah. Wikipedia says MLB player Steve Finley grew up here and PGA golfer Kenny Perry graduated from a school just outside Paducah.
15A: "Rosemary's Baby" author: LEVIN (Ira). Have you seen the Roman Polanski/Mia Farrow movie? It does not sound appealing to me at all.
17A: Classic Chevy model: NOVA. Unknown to me.
23A: Outward pose, slangily: 'TUDE (Attitude). Also new to me.
25A: ___ on the side of caution: ERRED. I don't like this fill-the-blank clue, which should have some past tense hint.
28A: Old towel, perhaps: RAG
35A: Snooknums: DEARIE. I've never heard of "snooknums". Just learned "sweetums" a short while ago. What's root for this"nums"?
37A: Spanish couple?: DOS. In Chinese, one is "一", two is " 二", three is " 三". So simple, isn't it? Even a caveman can write them.
45A: Springsteen's birthplace?: USA. Here is his "Born in the USA". This is probably the most sought-after Time magazine with Springsteen on the cover. This issue of Newsweek (Nov 1975) is also highly collectible, tough to find one in good condition and with no musty smell.
46A: Word on a poster: WANTED
63A: Oz man: BAUM (L. Frank). He has such a creative mind. Nice Set of Ashton Drake dolls, Dorothy looks so cute. I like these Munchkins barbies too. This is a Franklin Mint's "Wicked Witch of the West" porcelain doll. Almost impossible to find one with the original Certificate of Authenticity. I almost broke her broomstick.
Down:
4D: Speakers before drinks: TOASTERS
5D: Flowing: FLUID. Not fond of the clue. I dislike the letter "F' repetion.
7D: No. 2 in rentals: AVIS. Have not seen Alamo for a long time.
22D: Hero to some: SUB. I like this clue.
25D: "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN. It's not a familar Dickens book to me.
26D: Marie Antoinett, e.g.: REINE. French for queen. Spanish is REINA.
43D: Tattle-tails: SNITCHES
48D: Skeptical disciple: THOMAS. Doubting THOMAS.
66D: Stripling: LAD. This young LAD looks very pensive.
C.C.
20A: Contradictory testimony: HE SAID SHE SAID
40A: Competitor's realistic expectation: WIN SOME LOSE SOME
57A: Interrogation ploy: GOOD COP BAD COP
Before I forget, I would like you to see this hillarious Crossword Inker (about 7 minutes), what a spoof! I also want to share with you this fascinating Oprah interview (about 10 minutes) with Will Shortz (NY Times crossword editor) and Merl Reagle (the genius crossword constructor).
OK, back to the puzzle. I was really disappointed at the clue for LEVEL (68A: Relative rank) because RANKS is the answer for 27D: Puts in order. I don't believe this is Ms. Steinberg's original clue.
Other than that, it's just an ordinary Monday puzzle, nothing to RAVE (16A: Great review) about. This exact theme has been tried several TIMES (33D: Multiplication word) in NY Times before, with the omission of theme entry ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN.
Across:
1A: Group of zealots: CULT. The CULT of iPod and Mac.
14A: Paducah's river: OHIO. Not familiar with Paducah. Wikipedia says MLB player Steve Finley grew up here and PGA golfer Kenny Perry graduated from a school just outside Paducah.
15A: "Rosemary's Baby" author: LEVIN (Ira). Have you seen the Roman Polanski/Mia Farrow movie? It does not sound appealing to me at all.
17A: Classic Chevy model: NOVA. Unknown to me.
23A: Outward pose, slangily: 'TUDE (Attitude). Also new to me.
25A: ___ on the side of caution: ERRED. I don't like this fill-the-blank clue, which should have some past tense hint.
28A: Old towel, perhaps: RAG
35A: Snooknums: DEARIE. I've never heard of "snooknums". Just learned "sweetums" a short while ago. What's root for this"nums"?
37A: Spanish couple?: DOS. In Chinese, one is "一", two is " 二", three is " 三". So simple, isn't it? Even a caveman can write them.
45A: Springsteen's birthplace?: USA. Here is his "Born in the USA". This is probably the most sought-after Time magazine with Springsteen on the cover. This issue of Newsweek (Nov 1975) is also highly collectible, tough to find one in good condition and with no musty smell.
46A: Word on a poster: WANTED
63A: Oz man: BAUM (L. Frank). He has such a creative mind. Nice Set of Ashton Drake dolls, Dorothy looks so cute. I like these Munchkins barbies too. This is a Franklin Mint's "Wicked Witch of the West" porcelain doll. Almost impossible to find one with the original Certificate of Authenticity. I almost broke her broomstick.
Down:
4D: Speakers before drinks: TOASTERS
5D: Flowing: FLUID. Not fond of the clue. I dislike the letter "F' repetion.
7D: No. 2 in rentals: AVIS. Have not seen Alamo for a long time.
22D: Hero to some: SUB. I like this clue.
25D: "The Mystery of __ Drood": EDWIN. It's not a familar Dickens book to me.
26D: Marie Antoinett, e.g.: REINE. French for queen. Spanish is REINA.
43D: Tattle-tails: SNITCHES
48D: Skeptical disciple: THOMAS. Doubting THOMAS.
66D: Stripling: LAD. This young LAD looks very pensive.
C.C.
80 comments:
must be early (but it is afternoon here with torrential rains--and much needed)--it took several minutes to get the themed answers but then away we went...haven't seen la reine in x words for a while...in swedish it is drottning
Gooood morning, C.C. & fellow DFs - feels outstanding to be back among the living this morning. Don't know what I had, but it sure knocked me on my ass. Thanks for the emails; sorry I didn't answer all, but even being on the computer was making my head pound. Never slept so much in my life.
Anyway, to the puzzle: I liked this one; lots of clues that could have more than one answer, some answers I didn't know (reine, for example) and a clever theme. Actually, the theme answers reminded me of this blog lately...
I'm still catching up on the blog, but frankly, it's looking a bit bland - let's see if our collection of DFs can't get things back to normal. More later.
Good Morning Everyone - not too bad today - only googled 3 times - I did something different today - I had a copy from the paper and worked out the puzzle on line that way I knew when I made a typo or just plain messed up!!!
Have a Great Day
Nancy
Thomas,
"Drottning" just looks so wrong! Strange Swedish. Were you born there? Where did you grow up?
Dennis,
So good to see you back. This blog is soulless without you. I missed you very much!
I finished the puzzle this morning before my Chinese class. I had trouble with FLAWS (I wrote SPOTS), UNITE (I wrote MARRY) and ERIN (I wrote EIRE) but then things came together when I got CON, UHOH, TOASTERS, OHIO, NOVA and LIVE (thus getting CULT for free) because I was then able to get HE SAID SHE SAID and from there on there was smooth sailing right up until I hit the clue "Oz man" (which I assumed meant Australian). For a while there I had OMIT instead of OUST but then I realised that "Oz man" meant the author of Wizard of Oz. (I don't know his first name but I knew his last name was Baum.) I was able to do it without google this time. Yay!
Oh and for a while I had GREASE instead of CREATE (clue: make up). I got CREATE thanks to the across clues. (The words GHAP and RUS made no sense to me!)
Martin
C.C., Novas were a smaller version of Chevies in the 60s. Still some around.
No googling done.
45A should have had an abbrv. clue, but easy to figure anyways.
Good morning, C.C. and all.
Welcome back, Dennis. It's good to hear that you're feeling better.
C.C., I think SNOOK-UMS and SWEET-UMS are just baby talk (or sweet-talk) from the same era...probably from the 1920s to mid-century. I haven't Googled on this. It's just my best guess.
The puzzle moved along without the need to Google. It's interesting that the center has ESS and SSW, and that SIB is followed by SISSY.
"Rosemary's Baby" was quite the thriller when it came out. I think we must have read the book, and wanted to see how the director would handle it.
I'll be back later to check out your links. I've got to get my day started.
Have a good day, all!
Dennis, Welcome Home!! Hope you are feeling better.
Flyingears; Sorry, I can't agree about the abbreviation.
One of his biggest hits was "Born In The USA" and was a gimme (I think).
Easy today. I'm sure I'll pay for that later this week but I guess "cakewalk" is the term!
Good morning everyone. I got most of the puzzle today. Missed a few.
Dennis, I am glad you are feeling better. You must have had it bad.
Thomas, it is supposed to rain here all day too, in Michigan, around the Detroit area.
CC, If I were you, and this is only my opinion, I would not see Rosemary's baby. A lot of people were feaked out when they saw that movie. It is very demonic and frightening. I could not even listen to the voice when they were advertising it back in the day.
I agree with Kitty about "snookums".
I never heard "The Mystery of Edwin Drood".
Have a good day everyone.....
Good morning CC & DF's: Welcome back Dennis. It must've been quite a bug! Thanks for not sharing that critter. You know how those viruses travel! Sneaky little devils. My last virus will turn 21 in Dec. Handsome one too! Anyway, glad you're back.
Puzzle was a good one...agree about the past tense of err... perps got me thru what wasn't clear initially. I like this theme. I always enjoyed playing cops and robbers - still do - must be something about the hand cuffs...
Enjoy this gorgeous day.
Good morning to all.
Jason Priestley (C.C.'s pensive lad) was just on Paula Deen's show on the Food Network. He didn't look as pensive. A lot older.
I had a Chevy Nova for a short period of time.
Sissy Spacek - "Carrie" and "Coal Miner's Daughter."
Erred on the side of caution is a common phrase (at least to me) so I didn't have a problem with the blank nor the tense.
I always think of abet as something criminal. Aid is more in line with "help out" because that is what you do for friends. With that in mind, there are several answers geared in the "criminal" direction - snitches, abet, sneer, good cop bad cop, scalp (as in resale of tickets), wanted (poster word), con (cell mate), pen (short for penitentiary, seedy (as in places where villains hang out). Just an observation on my part.
It's good to see Dennis is back.
Here is one of the best "Oz" men (as in Frank Oz, the puppeteer).
Today is Champagne Day (break it out and uncork it!), Chocolate Chip Day, and Coast Guard Day.
Ah, drdad, pensive lad says Daniel Radcliffe right on the picture.
Morning, all!
Thanks for the link to "Garson Hampfield, Crossword Inker." It was hilarious! At first, I didn't realize it was a spoof, which made it even more delicious.
Easy puzzle today. I knew all the cultural references, which was nice for a change. The only word I didn't know was REINE. I'm not up on my French, and had no idea this clue was even asking for a French word as an answer. I got it easily enough from the perps, however, so no big deal.
Oh -- and does anybody know what, exactly, the difference is between Eire and Erin? They both seem to be used interchangeably in crosswords to refer to Ireland. Are they both forms of the same word, or do they have different sources, or what?
I hang my head in Shame!!! It is Daniel Radcliffe!!! What a buffoon I am! As Bug Bunny would say - "a real ultramaroon!!!" Dammit. Kick me, I'm down and I deserve it.
Priestley versus Radcliffe No comparison. Where did I go wrong!!!???????
Good day, CC et al (latin et alii, and others). I couldn't get cult and toasters to pop up as I had ohoh, not uhoh. The rest worked well for me.
Dennis, you mentioned interest in submarines some time back and it slipped my mind; I didn't mean to ignore your note. Happy to share what I can. (I'm also glad you're feeling better.)
Not many words with interesting roots or usages today.
If they make a prequel to the Potter series, they could have Jason portray James Potter.
Priestley vs Radcliffe
Barry, I believe "Erin" is Irish for Eire, he English version. I know(or think I do) that "Erin go bragh" is Irish for "Ireland forever." Can anyone else help Barry out here?
@Barry. Ireland has been known by many names, but Eire is its name in the Irish language and Erin is the English form. Actually, Erin is the Anglicised form of "Eireann" which means "from Eire".
Probably more than you want to know, but Eire was queen of the De Danann about 3000 years ago.
Good Morning c.c., DF’s and all (and a special hello to Dennis- I echo c.c.’s comment).
Not a bad puzzle for a Monday, 35a stumped me for awhile (as did 26d). I loved seeing NOVA, my first car, a 1965 model with a 289 straight 6 and a three speed column standard transmission. The Springsteen clue was good; I kept trying to figure out how “New Jersey” or “Freehold” could fit. I saw him in concert in 1980 at MSG in NYC in December, and he played all his Christmas songs; it was almost a 5 hour show!
“Edwin Drood” was also a Broadway musical that I saw with Loretta Swit (Hotlips from MASH) starring in. I’m wondering if the book was an unfinished work by Dickens, as the play (a murder mystery) was left for the audience to decide (much like Ayn Rands’ “Night of January 16th) who as the guilty party. I don’t recall it being very good, and I don’t think it had a long run.
It’s a beautiful day in SW Florida, nice and warm with a good breeze and low humidity. If it stays nice, I might try to squeeze 9 in.
Good Morning all,
Easy one today. Never heard of Tude, but I knew all the other words were correct so I figured Tude must be correct also. Thanks c.c. for the explanation of 'Tude slang for Attitude. I skipped the NW corner til the end, but finally got it. No googling today, yea! Have a great day!
@Der Katze: Thanks for the info on Eire/Erin. I'm surprised that Erin is the English form of the word, since the only time I have seen it used outside of a crossword puzzle is in the expression Ken mentioned ("Erin go bragh"). Unless, of course, "Erin go bragh" is itself the anglicized version of an Irish phrase?
Chef: If it stays nice, I might try to squeeze 9 in.
Me too! Oh, are you talking golf?
xchefwalt et al, thanks for the kind words; good to be back.
walt, back in the day (when exactly is 'the day'?), my car of choice was GTOs, and I'd routinely get my doors blown off by this one fool that stuffed a 396/425 in his Nova. The car weighed about as much as a waffle iron and just destroyed everything it went up against.
I had a bigger back seat, though, which led to victories of a different type...
Good Morning C.C. and everyone: Nice little puzzle today...good for a Monday! I did have trouble with 46A for some reason...ever have those days? Sometimes the simplest words/ideas/things can give you fits.
It was a "forehead slapper" for sure.
Dennis, welcome back!!! We all missed you, and began to worry..keep those germs on the East coast ok?:)
Barry, I never did know the difference between Erie and Erin either so thanks for asking!
Drdad, Now you have made me long for chocolate chip cookies! Trouble is when I bake them we have to eat them....guess who eats the most?!
"Not I, said the piggy!"
Chefwalt, I can squeeze 9 too...also good with ball selection. Holes are not a problem either. Warm, sunny weather is always a plus but the bunkers are no fun, what with all that sand.
Martin,
I had no idea that OZ stands for Aussie also.
Lois,
What was the virus/bug you are talking about?
Dr.Dad,
I like your crime scene observation.
Der Katze, Ken and Barry,
Thank you for the ERIN/EIRE.
@lois- you know, as soon as I wrote that I wondered if someone might hit that out of the park. I didn’t get the golf connection until you pointed it out ! Thanks for not disappointing and for letting everyone know the DF’s and Sirens are alive and well!
@dennis- Nice ride! It reminds me of a friend of mine who put a 302 in a Pinto. He had to remove most of the fire wall to fit it and put weights in back to keep it from kissing telephone poles, but man it was fast!
And as for other victories- that’s why they had hatchbacks with fold down seats!
Mark - buenos Aires
Failed in the top left. I had sect and nothing would fit.
My daughter teaches retarded children in Longford so I will ask the difference. Her husband is much into Gaelic games so should know.
Otra tema - last week there were two puzzles where I had one or two letters per word missing from seven or eight answers and I guessed right. Why? the choice was one of twenty six, but omitting the obvious wrong letters eg k, q, z etc perhaps one out of five. There must be something in the brain which says "that looks right" and often it is. I´m not a lexographicer or clever, so there must be a sub-conscious working away.
Dull, cloudy and relatively cold here. Best to have lunch and siesta.
have a good day everybody.
Barry & der katze: I'm glad someone who really knew what they were talking about. I'd long had the Erin/Eire words bassackwards as to the language of origin. Given der katze's comment, I'd suspect that "erin go bragh" is an English form. I've always thought that the attempts of novelists to render celtic dialogs, such as Scottish gaelic, Welsh or Irish didn't really convey the sounds that native speakers would recognize.
Good morning CC & DF's
I struggled at first finally guessed on edwin I had ed_in the w gave me the second theme and then it was pretty easy but still never got baum so I came here to get it all.
Lois, you crack me up. yours and others humor here always leaves me with a smile on my face.
Welcome back Dennis.
Ken and Berry thanks now I finally get erin.
Marine layer is about to burn off should be another nice day in the Bay Area
I already had CHAP, RAVE and ERIN, so I thought I'd swtich to the perps and fill in the NE corner. That was a mistake. "Make up" for me came up CREAMS. The rest of the east side was a mess for a while, but it finally worked itself out.
I like answers with "V's"; LEVIN x-ing with AVIS, PAVE x-ing with LEVEL. For some reason they come easily to me.
Ira Levin is quite a good author. I have another book of his, "This Perfect Day", which is about a futuristic society gone wrong (Don't they all; otherwise, why write a book?) I did read and then see "Rosemary's Baby". The acting in the movie made up for what was left out of the story. Ruth Gordon was a marvelous actress, who made the part of the Devil worshipping neighbor quite likable.
Ruth Gordon starred, along with Bud Cort, in "Harold and Maude". "H & M" was about the romance of two kookie (no airheads here) people. What made it interesting was that Maude was about 60 years older than Harold. This one is a real CULT favorite.
Personally, I don't get truly creeped out by devilish movies. When I saw The Exorcist, while some theater patrons were busy being "possessed", my friend and I laughed through most of it. The "willing suspension of disbelief" is fine, but a movie is still just a movie.
It didn't have a big engine but I also had a Pinto hatchback with a folddown seat.
good morning c.c. and all,
nothing to add about the crossword, it's all been said already. c.c., loved the crossword inker link.
maybe a tad too much birthday last night .. hate to let that golf reference go by but i'll have to make it a mulligan and try again tomorrow. only thing i'll be squeezing in today is a couple aspirin.
@clear ayes: love harold and maude. great soundtrack by cat stevens.
@dennis: welcome back. you got a surefire cure for a headache? (i bet i had more fun getting mine than you did.)
Good morning everyone!
C.C., thank you for the links. The puzzle inker was a riot, and the Shortz interview was fun.
Paducah KY is the home of the National Quilt Museum (Museum of the American Quilters Society).
The only new name/word for me today was ELSA Schiaparelli, but it came through on the perps.
Thanks for the Erin/Eire education.
Dennis, good to hear you're back in good health.
Cheers!
Loved the theme of this puzzle, though it took me longer than it should to "get" it - quite the "aha" moment when it happened.
xchefwalt - I must protest your characterization of Edwin Drood - it won a bunch of Tonys, including Best Musical, and ran for a couple of years on Broadway. It was also considered a hit when it was staged in London (I must stick up for it, because it is my best friend's all time favorite musical). As a side note, it's Broadway star was Betty Buckley, who also appeared in Carrie with Sissy Spacek.
CC: It's just that our last baby started out as (what I thought was)a virus. It turned out to be our
4th baby and our one and only bouncing baby boy. He was evicted after 9.5 months...and he's still late for everything. Great kid, though.
Danielle: I recall Betty Buckley from her role as Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott in "Eight's Enough." It played in the late 70's and early 80's. I liked the setting and some of the characters. I think the character "Mary" who wanted to be an MD was my favorite. One of the cast, "Susan" was recently on one of the game shows. Sadly, she had some trouble with African tigers. Sigh.
Please, get out your completed x/ws and play along.
cc, Well,35a, here in 14a, 45a, the 68a of today's puzzle was easy. If it 70a any easier, I'll be doing them in 44a. I asked my 50a, 52a, how she does on crosswords, and she said,
"I 40a, but today's puzzle had me in 43d." I did not have to 64a myself of outside help or 10d any new words. I 46a to time myself, but didn't. There weren't any tough 33d. I told my cousins, 25d and 48d, about c.c and our 1a, and though we have 5a, we 18a when someone gets on our bad side.
Yesterday I went to the 72a to get a rake to pull the ivy from my soffit. This is the honest truth. I hit a hornet's 47a and got stung about 15 times, one on my 54d. Today, they're starting to itch.
I could go on but I 63d you to forgive me this entry. I give you my 61d it won't happen again.
I dedicate my latest c/w song to "Anon" and "I Agree". "If your phone don't ring, you'll know it's me."
I must be off.
11:15 today. I'm glad so many of you found this one easy because I just never got on the right wavelength and struggled in a couple of spots. Last fill was the "M" in BAUM/THOMAS.
Just couldn't wrap my arms around that one, though it was obvious once I filled it in. Wonder if there's a technical term for that besides "mental block." Or perhaps I'm just getting old(er).
A quibble (along with some others of you): I've always heard the expression "To err on the side of caution" and never in the past tense. I'll have to go look that up later...
55a: Help out (ABET) I think is misleading. ABET is nearly always used in the sense of helping in criminal activity.
@danielle 2:03- You are correct, it did win Tonys, but I don’t consider an 18 month run for such a highly decorated show to be “successful”. When I saw the show, Betty Buckley was long gone, and Swit was the star. Call it me, but I thought the show was thin, slow and not very entertaining (no offence to your friend intended).
Bad thunderstorms this afternoon, I’ll have to keep my nine to myself today and try again tomorrow.
embien, I agree about 'abet' - I've never seen it used in any other way than to help a criminal activity.
I have used 'err' in the past tense before: "I'd rather have erred on the side of caution than risked getting an STD" for instance.
Buckeye,
I read your comment word by word, and it turned me ON. Very exciting! Do it again tomorrow! Now, I am curious, what is your tip to me on putting a backspin on a ball?
Crockett1947,
Regarding your Friday's question to Buckeye, IMBO stands for "I must be off".
Embien,
Agree with you and Dr. Dad on ABET. I dislike ERRED clue either. What does ""Maybe we're just two people looking for warm rolls." mean?
Xchefwalt,
What was your original "Squeeze 9-hole" plan, if it's not golf?
Dennis,
What a dysfunctional "ERRED" example!
Yippee! The ISP guy just left and with high-speed service I can now check on some of the neat links you folks leave without having to get a cup of coffee, wash the dishes, or anything else that takes ten minutes while I'm waiting. (Oh, Oh...I can see the Sirens jumping on that comment!)
I believe Betty Buckley was the original Grizabella in "Cats" on Broadway. Her version of "Memory" is gorgeous. She was also in "Tender Mercies" with Robert Duvall. She only sang one song in that movie, but it was terrific.
Is "Erin go Bragh" an Angelization of an Irish phrase? Yes. I found this at Wikipedia: Speakers of the Irish language (I'm not one of them) assume that the phrase is a corruption of the Irish "Éire go brách" The term "brách" is equivalent to "eternity" or "end of time", meaning the phrase may be translated literally as: "Ireland until eternity" or "Ireland until the end (of time)". And sometimes translated as "Ireland Forever". Now you can have more fun on Saint Paddy's Day. BTW, my favorite name for Ireland is "Kathleen ni Houlahan".
chefwalt, yeah, go on, explain that 9 thing to C.C. :)
Blogger HATES ME!
Crockett told you that Paducah is the home to the Museum of the American Quilter's Society. It also hosts the AQS convention at the end of April, which is one of the largest quilt conventions in the world. If you are traveling through the area that week, you have NO HOPE of finding a room for miles around. You'll need that hatchback with the fold-down seats.
btw...one of the quilts I own was in a display of foundation quilts at the MAQS last summer. It's a beautiful crazy quilted wall hanging I won at the Crazy Quilt Convention.
Dennis, Welcome back. Glad you're feeling better.
Argyle; Thanks for "Larch" 62d (pine) for the fir tree that changes color.
cc: I think the "9" the sirens are referring to is inches not holes. I can cover that if they'll let me go twice. You get backspin on a golf ball by hitting it slightly before the end of your down stroke and before the beginning of your follow through. If you see a slow motion film of a golfer hitting an iron, you will notice that the club engages the ball, then, as the ball starts climbing the club face the head of the club continues downward to take a divot IN FRONT of where the ball was laying. By doing this, the ball rides fully up the club face and the grooves in the club put backspin on the ball, thus allowing it to "stop", or in some cases, "back up" on the green. Generally, the more loft to the club face, the more spin created. That's why it's easier to spin a pitching wedge than a two iron. Hope that helps.
IMBO
melissa, yes, i have a sure-fire cure for a headache, or at least a cure that'll make you forget the headache. Does involve vigorous activity, though, and some mildly acrobatic maneuvers involving pullys.
melissa bee, You must be in bad shape to let the 9 thing go by without comment. In baseballese, that was a "high, hard one you should have hit out of the park." Oh-oh.
IMBO
Was I born stupid??????
buckeye, more like a hanging curve...
carol, the trapeze and mirrors are reserved for migraines. And no, the headache's optional.
Dennis, is that any relation to the dangling participle?
carol, yes, it's a kissing cousin.
Buckeye at 2:51 p.m., very creative and nicely done.
C.C., thanks for the IMBO explanation.
Kittyb, I'll bet your quilt is gorgeous!
How about "I called her 'Hinges' because she was something to Adore" for a song title?
Crockett1947, I like the song. How about "I call my baby Candy 'cause she makes my peanut brittle."?
IMBO
@c.c.: Embien,
[...]
What does ""Maybe we're just two people looking for warm rolls." mean?
Sorry, c.c., that was just a reference to a line at the end of the movie "As Good As It Gets" we were discussing Saturday. It has no meaning out of context (and certainly no relevance to the xword puzzle), but I thought it might stir some comment from the sirens. There's a bakery around the corner in the final scene, it's 4am, and Nicholson's character says that line to explain why they'd be out walking the streets at that hour.
Buckeye and Crockett (our little poets): How about "I'm your Mr.Goodbar, you're my Tootsie Roll"?
btw, what does IMBO mean? I missed the explanation.
Carol, My ending of all messages is
"I must be off." Hence, IMBO.
I've noticed a waist basket at the end of all my messages. I guess that's so c.c. can "trash" me if I get out of line.
buckeye's instructions for achieving backspin brought me back to life .. let me get this straight: just before the end of your downstroke, in slow motion, engage the ball, the ball starts climbing the face and rides fully up, causing a divot in front of the ball, and the grooves in the club cause backspin. holy hole-in-one ... i'm taking up golf.
@dennis: i'm ready for my treatment. oh, and i accept late birthday presents. i think tomorrow i'll have a migraine.
Buckeye, I no sooner asked you that question about "IMBO" then I remembered what it stood for. Thanks though. As to the little "trash" can...I asked about that too, it seems it is on each comment but is only visible to the person writing the comment..I don't understand it because if it shows up in the blog, then it's too late to "trash" it. Do I have this right???
Melissa, I get "dibs" on the migraine tomorrow!
"I took up golf, she gave me a wedgie"
Carol and buckeye, only the author of the comment sees the trash bucket. You can delete the comment whenever you want. That's where the "comment deleted by the author" entries come from.
HI GANG
Uhm, carol @ 5;13?
I think the IMBO is buckeye's declaration of his current mental state !
Nicely done, buckeye! I thoroughly enjoyed deciphering your entry. I agree with c.c. Just one thought tho, what if some one would have had differnt answers then you did? I can only imagine the fun!
A nod and a wave to everyone!
Whoo
Melissa bee, Welcome back to the land of the (barely) living. I knew the golf explanation would get a "rise" out of somebody. If you want to take up golf, I will gladly lend a helping hand or two. Or any other body part you may desire.
Crockett, thanks for the trash can info. Learn something every trip to the blog.
whooinhell2000, yes. IMBO is both a mental state and a "ta ta."
IMBO
CC & DFs - Easy enough x/w for a Monday. Straight through no Mr. G for me.
I must admit that over the last several months we have done various things to various sports (includling chess of all things) but I'm getting back into golf! I promise I'll never, ever request to play through again. The sirens have now made this a game that deserves slow play!
Found this quite by accident...
Enjoy ;~p 10 Good Reasons to Play Golf
Razzberry, I think I've got some old clubs around here somewhere. Which way to the course?!!
razzberry, after seeing #10, I'm polishing my driver.
C.C., One thing different about Firefox and IE is in the area of refreshing the comments page. Under Firefox I am put back at the top of the page. On IE, I stay where I was when I refreshed.
I still have different experiences with returning from a link. Sometimes I return back to the comment that had the link and sometimes I find myself back at the top of the page. I can't make any rhyme nor reason for this one. It doesn't seem to be browser specific. Perhaps it's author specific and depends upon how the author inserted the link. Today all of your links brought me back to where I was when I clicked, using Firefox.
Drdad's 6:45 comment took me back to the top of the page. The link has also not changed color. Same for his 8:01 links. Argyle's 9:26 links the same. Ditto Danielle's 2:03 ones. And Razzberry's golf reasons.
I'll post this and do the same exercise with IE to see how they compare.
In IE I do stay where I was when I return from a link, but in the comments section the link doesn't change color. In the blog section the color change occurs. Interesting......
RE: Razzberry's 10 good reasons to golf: I've always been curious why Husband had become so quickly addicted to golf. The guy in the cart kind of resembles Husband right around the time he just couldn't seem to do without the previously reported 3 rounds a week. Hmmmm, kinda makes me wonder....
Clear ayes, have the fires been beaten into submission?
Hi Crockett1947, Thanks for asking. Things are looking better. The total today was 34,091 acres burned and 95 percent contained. Friends who were on evacuation alert have been told they are safe. The fire didn't get inside Yosemite Park, but the west roads into the park aren't much to look at anymore. What's the x-word for conditions around here? Ah yes, "SERE".
Crockett1947,
Blogger Comments section is different than the blog entry part. It takes more time to link, and takes more time to return from the links. I hope they improvement their format soon.
Good Afternoon, I check this site daily when I finish or can't finish my puzzle. I have been doing the Tribune puzzle for about two years. I love the site.
Can anyone tell me how 33a is a log? I just dont get it.
Anonymous @ 6:08pm,
Your question has been answered on today's Comment section (August 6 Wed). 33A is LOX.
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