Theme: FINE Tunes
20A: Fireball hit: BOTTLE OF WINE
29A: Guns N' Roses hit: SWEET CHILD O'MINE
58A: Johnny Cash hit: I WALK THE LINE
Finally we have a "Tic-tac-toe winner" (13D: XXX)! We've been losing or near-missing on this game for a long time.
Out of those 3 theme entries, I was only familiar with 58A. I liked the movie "WALK THE LINE", and I always associated "BOTTLE OF WINE" with Tom Paxton.
I liked this puzzle, a precious pangram (Thanks for pointing it out Barry). It always made me happy to see my Chinese name initials (ZQ) gridded in one puzzle. There were, of course, a few unknown names/words to me, but most obtainable from the crossing fills. I think I am getting better at making educated guesses.
Two minor flaws:
44A: "The Bronx __": ZOO. Why the quotation mark?
47D: Gray shade: PEWTER. Says who? Where can I find this "Gray shade" definition of PEWTER?
Across:
1A: Basie music: JAZZ. A quick guess. I don't know Count Basie & his Orchestra.
9A: Heat-resistant glass: PYREX. Very interesting brand name. PYR (o)= fire. REX =king. Here are some Fire-King mixing bowls.
14A: Winglike parts: ALAE. Singular is ALA.
16A: China brand: LENOX. So simple, yet so presidential. I wonder when they are going to clue Wedgwood or Noritake, both are great brands.
18A: Maddux or Norman: GREG. Hmm, the Shark attacks again today. This is GREG Maddux's Donruss 1987 rookie card. NM to MT condition. Only $8.00. The only good card in 1987 is probably Barry Bonds' rookie card.
19A: Cromwell's earldom: ESSEX. Thomas Cromwell, first Earl of ESSEX.
25A: Popular place: HOT SPOT
47A: Bombards: PELTS
53A: Annapolis or West Point: ACADEMY. Jon Stewart probably wants ACADEMY to be clued this way.
55A: QVC rival: HSN (Home Shopping Network)
57A: Wash rm.: LAV. I don't like "rm". "W.C." should be perfectly fine.
61A: Pursuit: QUEST. I was confused for a long time over the wrong spelling of the word "Happiness" in Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness". Thank you Melissa.
65A: Part of VMI: INST. Now we are on a VMI binge. Poor MIT. The clue still needs "abbr.", doesn't it?
66A: Fanny of vaudeville: BRICE. I've never heard of her name before. Oh, so Barbara Streisand's "Funny Girl" was about BRICE's life. What was she holding?
70A: Astronaut Slayton: DEKE. Unknown to me. I've seen "Apollo 13", but I don't remember seeing him. Wikipedia says he was was one of the original "Mercury Seven" NASA astronauts. Oh, by the way, are you a hockey fan?
Down:
1D: Poked: JABBED
2D: Former S. F. mayor: ALIOTO (Joseph). How I wanted his name to spell the same as Justice Samuel ALITO's!
3D: Stomach acid inhibitor brand: ZANTAC. I don't think I would have got this word without the neighboring fills.
8D: Automotive bling: MAG WHEEL. New bling term to me. Good to know.
12D: Want-ad abbr.: EOE (Equal Opportunity Employer)
21D: "Liebestraume" composer: LISZT. Another educated guess.
22D: Antioxidant ion: IODIDE. No idea. Dictionary says it's "a compound of iodine with a more electropositive element or group".
30D: German port: KIEL. Foreign to me. Wikipedia says KIEL is "famous for its sailing events, including KIEL Week, the biggest sailing event in the world. See this map. It's on the Baltic.
32D: Author of "Adam Bede": ELIOT (George). Another guess. I've never heard of this novel.
35D: Scaly inflammation: ECZEMA. And 49A: In need of scratch: ITCHY
37D: Bus. school entrance exam: GMAT. Has anyone here taken this exam before?
38D: Pet protection grp.: SPCA. Aren't you bored by "grp."? Why not "agcy" for a change?
39D: Female military grp.: WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps). I got it from the perps. But I was annoyed by another "grp." clue. What's wrong with "org"? "
41D: Pilgrimage destination: HOLY LAND. It's the same as the Promised Land, isn't it?
48D: Bit of clowning: SHTICK
50D: Outpatient facility: CLINIC
51D: Horsedrawn carriage: HANSOM. This carriage just appeared in our puzzle 2 weeks ago.
54D: Dance music: DISCO. I remember we had this DISCO fever in Xi'An around 1987.
52D: Ms. Mimieux: YVETTTE . Another guess. She appeared in "Where the Boys Are".
56D: Agitate: SHAKE. SHAKE Your Bon-Bon (Ricky Martin). What does "Bon-Bon" mean here? I like the "You are my temple of desire" line.
59D: Swiss painter: KLEE (Paul). This is his "Fish Magic". Such an complex imagery. So hard to understand KLEE's hidden theme/humor. He had too abstract a mind, too poetic and philosophical.
60D: Old Italian coin: LIRA. I just learned that LIRA is a monetary unit in Turkey too.
61D: NFL passers: QBS. Who do you think is the best QB in NFL history? Joe Montana?
62D: Mary of "Where Eagles Dare": URE. No idea. I've never heard of "Where Eagles Dare". How do you pronounce her name URE? You're?
63D: One in Emden: EIN. "Ich bin EIN Berliner". What a donut!
C.C.
20A: Fireball hit: BOTTLE OF WINE
29A: Guns N' Roses hit: SWEET CHILD O'MINE
58A: Johnny Cash hit: I WALK THE LINE
Finally we have a "Tic-tac-toe winner" (13D: XXX)! We've been losing or near-missing on this game for a long time.
Out of those 3 theme entries, I was only familiar with 58A. I liked the movie "WALK THE LINE", and I always associated "BOTTLE OF WINE" with Tom Paxton.
I liked this puzzle, a precious pangram (Thanks for pointing it out Barry). It always made me happy to see my Chinese name initials (ZQ) gridded in one puzzle. There were, of course, a few unknown names/words to me, but most obtainable from the crossing fills. I think I am getting better at making educated guesses.
Two minor flaws:
44A: "The Bronx __": ZOO. Why the quotation mark?
47D: Gray shade: PEWTER. Says who? Where can I find this "Gray shade" definition of PEWTER?
Across:
1A: Basie music: JAZZ. A quick guess. I don't know Count Basie & his Orchestra.
9A: Heat-resistant glass: PYREX. Very interesting brand name. PYR (o)= fire. REX =king. Here are some Fire-King mixing bowls.
14A: Winglike parts: ALAE. Singular is ALA.
16A: China brand: LENOX. So simple, yet so presidential. I wonder when they are going to clue Wedgwood or Noritake, both are great brands.
18A: Maddux or Norman: GREG. Hmm, the Shark attacks again today. This is GREG Maddux's Donruss 1987 rookie card. NM to MT condition. Only $8.00. The only good card in 1987 is probably Barry Bonds' rookie card.
19A: Cromwell's earldom: ESSEX. Thomas Cromwell, first Earl of ESSEX.
25A: Popular place: HOT SPOT
47A: Bombards: PELTS
53A: Annapolis or West Point: ACADEMY. Jon Stewart probably wants ACADEMY to be clued this way.
55A: QVC rival: HSN (Home Shopping Network)
57A: Wash rm.: LAV. I don't like "rm". "W.C." should be perfectly fine.
61A: Pursuit: QUEST. I was confused for a long time over the wrong spelling of the word "Happiness" in Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness". Thank you Melissa.
65A: Part of VMI: INST. Now we are on a VMI binge. Poor MIT. The clue still needs "abbr.", doesn't it?
66A: Fanny of vaudeville: BRICE. I've never heard of her name before. Oh, so Barbara Streisand's "Funny Girl" was about BRICE's life. What was she holding?
70A: Astronaut Slayton: DEKE. Unknown to me. I've seen "Apollo 13", but I don't remember seeing him. Wikipedia says he was was one of the original "Mercury Seven" NASA astronauts. Oh, by the way, are you a hockey fan?
Down:
1D: Poked: JABBED
2D: Former S. F. mayor: ALIOTO (Joseph). How I wanted his name to spell the same as Justice Samuel ALITO's!
3D: Stomach acid inhibitor brand: ZANTAC. I don't think I would have got this word without the neighboring fills.
8D: Automotive bling: MAG WHEEL. New bling term to me. Good to know.
12D: Want-ad abbr.: EOE (Equal Opportunity Employer)
21D: "Liebestraume" composer: LISZT. Another educated guess.
22D: Antioxidant ion: IODIDE. No idea. Dictionary says it's "a compound of iodine with a more electropositive element or group".
30D: German port: KIEL. Foreign to me. Wikipedia says KIEL is "famous for its sailing events, including KIEL Week, the biggest sailing event in the world. See this map. It's on the Baltic.
32D: Author of "Adam Bede": ELIOT (George). Another guess. I've never heard of this novel.
35D: Scaly inflammation: ECZEMA. And 49A: In need of scratch: ITCHY
37D: Bus. school entrance exam: GMAT. Has anyone here taken this exam before?
38D: Pet protection grp.: SPCA. Aren't you bored by "grp."? Why not "agcy" for a change?
39D: Female military grp.: WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps). I got it from the perps. But I was annoyed by another "grp." clue. What's wrong with "org"? "
41D: Pilgrimage destination: HOLY LAND. It's the same as the Promised Land, isn't it?
48D: Bit of clowning: SHTICK
50D: Outpatient facility: CLINIC
51D: Horsedrawn carriage: HANSOM. This carriage just appeared in our puzzle 2 weeks ago.
54D: Dance music: DISCO. I remember we had this DISCO fever in Xi'An around 1987.
52D: Ms. Mimieux: YVETTTE . Another guess. She appeared in "Where the Boys Are".
56D: Agitate: SHAKE. SHAKE Your Bon-Bon (Ricky Martin). What does "Bon-Bon" mean here? I like the "You are my temple of desire" line.
59D: Swiss painter: KLEE (Paul). This is his "Fish Magic". Such an complex imagery. So hard to understand KLEE's hidden theme/humor. He had too abstract a mind, too poetic and philosophical.
60D: Old Italian coin: LIRA. I just learned that LIRA is a monetary unit in Turkey too.
61D: NFL passers: QBS. Who do you think is the best QB in NFL history? Joe Montana?
62D: Mary of "Where Eagles Dare": URE. No idea. I've never heard of "Where Eagles Dare". How do you pronounce her name URE? You're?
63D: One in Emden: EIN. "Ich bin EIN Berliner". What a donut!
C.C.
89 comments:
I had some trouble with the top left and bottom right corners but otherwise this was okay. I had never heard of ALIOTO, ZANTAC or VMI and I had forgotten about HANSOM even though it appeared in a puzzle a week ago. I was able to figure out that A??E was a Latin plural so I was able to get A?AE but not ALAE. I thought that the I in VMI might stand for INDusTries but it actually stood for INSTitution. I was able to get BOTTLE from ?????? OF WINE though.
I didn't have a baby picture on my computer. This is the oldest picture of me I could find. I was only a teenager but I was already taller than my mom.
Martin
Good morning, c.c. and fellow DFs - interesting puzzle today; you start off with a couple Zs, you know it's going to be different. The three theme answers came fairly easily, which helped with the rest.
C.C., "The Bronx Zoo" is also a book about the 1978 Yankees. And I had no problem with 'pewter' as a shade of gray; it certainly is one. Also, back in the day, if your car didn't have mag wheels, well, it wasn't quite complete.
Yes, I'm a big hockey fan - I'm in awe of the size, speed and skill of those guys. Plus, my best friend was the goalie for the Flyers for many years, and actually got me started watching it.
Martin, get used to 'alae' - it's a really common crossword answer.
Hope it's a great day for everyone.
Good morning Cc and DFs. Not too bad today except that I never heard ot "The Atomic Fireballs" and had no clue as to their hit.
I managed to get all the fills from the perps except for the pesky Atomic Fireball hit.
It appears to be another nice day in the Burg s it is off to the golf course again today. Hope you all have a great day. By the way you quacked me up yesterday with all the duck puns. And Lois you did not answer Dennis' question as to whether he got you "down".
Martin,
Both ALIOTO and VMI have appeared several times in TMS puzzles before. Does your paper carry only one crossword? Does it have NYT puzzle as well? Your look is so mysteriously deep in the picture.
Dennis,
I doubt many people have heard of this "The Bronx Zoo" book. Too obscure to me at least. I remember you explained DEKE (70A) as a hockey fake-out move to me before.
I just took another look at my answers and I realized that I got KLEE, ALIA, DEKE, KIEL, LISZT and IZE all wrong! I had written DUKE instead of DEKE and ATE instead of IZE. My first guess for QUEST was CHASE.
Martin
Good morning CC and gang.......
I missed the SW corner. I should have known it, especially "Brice". Funny girl was a great movie, have you seen it CC?
I have heard of pewter used to describe a shade of gray.
Holy Land and Promised Land are not the same. God promised the land to Abraham....but the Holy land usually refers to where Jesus lived and preached. It would be a smaller area in the "promised land".
Nice picture Martin.
Have a good day everyone....
C.C.,
There are other newspapers in Taiwan. The Taiwan Times carries a similar puzzle which I assume is the NYT puzzle. I don't see that newspaper in 7-11s though: the only place I've seen it lately is the school where I take Chinese classes. Most 7-11s only carry the Taiwan Times. I did once pick a China Post up by mistake and it had a "Crossword by Thomas Joseph" that I finished in a matter of minutes.
Martin
Sorry, I meant the Taiwan News carries a similar puzzle.
Martin
OK, Now that I'm awake I can see better. Did well except KLEE. I could not remember interALIA. When I finally gave up and called Mr. G I did a "D'uh, you could have had a V-8" thing.
And, for somee reason I couldn't leave the continent this AM!
24a wanted a neighbor for SYR. Now, that would be SYRACUSE, right? I went through all the areas around SYR and there was no way that there was a nearby place that would end in "_sr".
OK, then let's find out who the composer is!!! AHA! ISR. So, what the hell does ISR mean? There is not one place near SYRACUSE that could be ISR.
Finally, with one more sip of coffee it became clear that I must broaden my search..... but where?
Why, you fool, maybe it's ISREAL and that would be ISR..
Another "V-8" moment!!
So, now that I have less hair than I woke up with I'll take my pen and retire it till tomorrow.
CYA
Morning, folks!
Nice puzzle today. A bit challenging, cleverly clued in spots, and a pangram to boot!
I had a little trouble up front since I didn't realize "Fireballs" was the name of a musical group and didn't realize the clue was asking for the name of a song. Since I also didn't know who ALIOTO was, I initially had BATTLEOF____ for 20A instead of BOTTLEOF____. I was also completely unfamiliar with the song title in 38A (although at least I knew who the group was). I managed to put it all together eventually, though.
In addition to ALIOTO, other unknowns were Mary URE and KIEL. And some false starts included APEX for ACME and POWDER for PEWTER. And speaking of PEWTER, I also had no problem with the clue. PEWTER is a grayish metal, and therefore is legitimately a shade of gray.
Good morning!!
As a pigment chemist, I am familiar with pewter paint shades. I also found Chevy Camaro Ad for a light pewter metallic shade for automotive coatings. Here is the Wiktionary definition of the color pewter.
Pyrex brand glassware was introduced by Corning in 1915. Kitchen glassware is made of tempered glass while laboratory glassware is made of borosilicate glass.
In "Apollo 13," Deke Slayton (portrayed by actor Chris Ellis of "My Cousin Vinny" and "Days of Thunder" fame) was the guy who said something like "We're going to get those power-up procedures to you as soon as we can, Jim." Right after that was said, Jack Swigert/Kevin Bacon said, "They don't know how to do it." Deke Slayton was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and is portrayed by Scott Paulin.
Mag Wheels were once made of a magnesium alloy. The term stuck and today they can be made of chrome or aluminum.
Iodide acts as an antioxidant because it is a "reducing" species (capable of donating electrons) to a highly oxygenated compound (e.g., hydrogen peroxide) to make the oxidant less reactive. This is known as a redox reaction (reduction/oxidation).
Mary Ure prounounced, I think, like the Russian name Yuri.
Kennedy referring to himself as a donut with the "Berliner" statement is an urban legend. In fact, Kennedy's statement is both grammatically correct and perfectly idiomatic, and cannot be misunderstood in context. The urban legend is not widely known within Germany, where Kennedy's speech is considered a landmark in the country's postwar history. The indefinite article ein can be and often is omitted when speaking of an individual's profession or residence but is necessary when speaking in a figurative sense as Kennedy did. Since the president was not literally from Berlin but only declaring his solidarity with its citizens, "Ich bin Berliner" would not have been correct.
Enough of this ranting and raving. Today is National Aviation Day and Potato Day. It is Bill Clinton's, Orville Wright's, and Snuffleupagus's Birthday. The last one is a Sesame Street character.
Have a great Tuesday.
Sorry. Scott Paulin/Deke Slayton in the movie "The Right Stuff."
Barry,
D'oh! I tried so hard to find letter "V" earlier. Thank you!
c.c. I don't have enough blanks in the puzzle to fit "Sweet Child of Mine" at 38A. And I'm not real familiar with Guns & Roses. I don't comment often but I always check in to read all the comments. Now that it's August I'm always a bit distracted--ever since "The Thing" (Hurricane Katrina). My home is only just now getting back to normal. Thanks again for this site.
Sandra
Sandra,
My bad. It's SWEET CHILD O'MINE. I know you read the comments often. I can feel it. :-)
C. C.,
Yeah, I was wondering why you didn't mention that in your writeup... ^_^
Good morning c.c., DF’s and all! So far, so good here in Florida. We are getting the worst of the storm now as the eye wall is passing over my house. I just got back from walking the neighborhood and all looks good, no trees down, all roof shingles and tiles attached. The wind is kicking at about 30-35 MPH and it’s raining hard, but all in all it’s not a big deal.
A nice puzzle today, not too hard, easy theme and some fun clues. “Sweet Child O’Mine” is a great G&R song that Axl Rose wrote for an Everly Brothers daughter. The song is tender and sweet, with a great Alvin Lee like guitar solo by Slash. When the girl broke up with Axl, he trashed her house and spray painted “Sweet Child O’Die” on her walls.
I liked the wayward hockey reference again. I wonder if they’ll ever clue DEKE that way.
Looks like another rough band is coming in. Everyone be safe (G8ormom, are you good?)
Here's the song for those who don't know it.
Sweet Child O'Mine
Good morning, C.C. and all.
I managed to wade through this without help, but the middle was slow in coming. IODINE and SWEETCHILDOMINE were the holdouts.
I was in trouble with the theme because I've never heard of the Atomic Fireballs. Cash's IWALKTHELINE was the only answer that came easily.
Without the fills I might have had trouble with KIEL, interALIA and URE.
I SO wanted the answer to be Bronx 'Bomber,' but it obviously wouldn't fit. Don't you have times when you have an answer that you know won't work, that keeps you from thinking about other possibilities? ZOO finally came with the fills.
Martin and Dennis, thanks for the info on DEKE. I missed the previous hockey conversation, and know nothing about the sport.
C.C., go to You Tube and listen to "One O'Clock Jump," by Basie. Another of his standards is "April in Paris." He's a major player in the history of jazz.
I hope all our Florida friends weathered the blow.
Time to get my day started. Have a good one, all!
Had a BATTLE for a while, until the brain kicked in and realized it must be BOTTLE. Also had GSAT, aren't school exams _SAT? Wish my paper would print the theme, I think it would make for an easier puzzle. Here in the FL panhandle, we are seriously watching the weather reports!
I finished this with a couple of mistakes but nothing to be ashamed of. I thought it a difficult puzzle esp since I didn't know the song names except 58A. I had to do my trick of working on something else for a while and returning to the puzzle. Somehow that resets my mind and I'm able to come up with answers that previously could not be obtained.
good morning c.c. and all,
always like musical themes .. this one was fun with everything from basie to guns n roses. sweet child o mine is my ringtone when my son calls, so got that easily. remember mag wheels .. don't hear the term much anymore.
'the bronx zoo' was also a tv show about an inner city high school. ed ansner played the principal.
holy land and promised land are more or less the same thing, but the significance is different to christians and jews. generally 'the promised land' or 'canaan' is associated with the old testament to describe the area of the 12 tribes of israel, promised by god to abraham. the 'holy land' is often used by christians to describe where jesus lived and taught. but it's all the same area .. encompassing dead sea to the south, and the sea of galilee to the north.
(some prefer term 'bible lands,' since it is not the land itself that is holy, but the events that occured there.)
dick said: By the way you quacked me up yesterday with all the duck puns.
if the comments section had a theme, yesterday's would have been
'duck, duck, goose,' dick.
Xchefwalt,
Sorry about your hole-in-one misses last weekend. Did you pick the wrong club? Misread the greens? Don't aim straightly at the pin next time. Land the ball 6" above the hole and let the gravity take over. Your cooking method yesterday sounds exciting. I wonder how long it takes you to cook a meal for two.
Melissa,
You constantly amaze me with the depth and width of your knowledge. Yesterday's comments are so DOWN to earth and enjoyable.
Southern belle,
No paper prints the puzzle theme. I make them up. Do you like those comic strips?
Hats off to anyone who can work “Jazz” into a crossword puzzle!
I completed this puzzle, but it was a bit more challenging than yesterday’s. The only theme answer I knew was Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line”. I got the others from the crossing words. I have heard of Guns and Roses but am unfamiliar with their music. But who are the Fireballs?
Fanny BRICE…she was the subject of Barbara Streisand’s movies Funny Girl and Funny Lady. Napoleon was exiled to ELBA. I don’t know what ‘QVC’ is, so I could only get ‘SHN’ from the crosses.
I hope all the Floridians are weathering Fay. The film on this morning’s news was fairly dramatic.
I received this quiz from a friend yesterday. You wordies should have no problem with the answer. What do these words have in common: Banana, Dresser, Grammar, Potato, Revive, Uneven, Assess?
I’ll post the answer later today.
What do these words have in common: Banana, Dresser, Grammar, Potato, Revive, Uneven, Assess?
They are all almost palindromes. If you take the first letter of each word and stick it on the end of the word, the original word is spelled backwards.
Either that, or they are the names of all seven dwarfs in the Icelandic translation of "Snow White."
CC, Since you asked yesterday:
Off The Wall
And the rest of the DF's, if you're curious.
This myspace thing is all new to me so maybe there will be more added later!!
@c.c. 9:43- as you well know with golf, sometimes you need a little luck and cooperation from the course. The grounds you play on have as much to do with a hole in one as anything, no matter how good your club is.
Meals can be varied; they can be spontaneous, hot and quick on the grill, slow braised in warm liquid or full blown 5 course meals (appetizer, soup, intermezzo, entrée and dessert, with wine for each course) that can take all night and run into breakfast. If baking is involved, then my hands are usually covered in FLOUR, as I hand kneed all my bread and pastry dough.
Things are calming down here. The power is still on, the rain is slowing down and the wind is less gusty. Hopefully this will be our only storm this year.
They are all a single letter followed by a palindrome, so that if you move the 1st letter to the end, you get the word spelled backwards.
The "Z's" and "X's" in the top half of the puzzle had me wondering if we were headed for a pangram, but we had to wait until LAV and finally QUEST to settle the matter.
Although I wasn't familiar with the Fireball hit, I did know the other two songs. Short abbreviations often give me the most trouble, so a little erasing and light penciling in around EOE, GMAT, and WAAC helped me get through.
C.C. Has anyone mentioned that Fanny Brice seems to be holding palm fronds. She is also wearing rather baggy tights, so I would guess she was doing a comedy striper routine. Here goes my weird memory....During the the 1940's Brice had a comedy radio show called "The Baby Snooks Show". Snooks was supposed to be a little girl who was always getting into trouble, but somehow managed to get all the problems solved by the end of the half hour.
Speaking of "Fanny", that is what Ricky Martin must be referring to when he sings "Shake Your Bon-Bon" (just another way to say "Shake your booty"). A bonbon is a piece of candy (usually chocolate). It is derived from the French word "Bon" which means "good".
Glad to hear xchefwalt's good news report on Florida weather.
Buckeye, don't wait so late to check in.
Hi Ya'll,
Thought I was going to finish without help til I ran into KLEE,DEKE,KIEL, ALIOTO and (64a) ALIA.
And how does ETA relate to JFK info?
Perps helped me fill in the song titles, except for "I walk the line", I knew that one.
Finally got some rain in West Central Texas--A little over two inches in two days. Surely good for my yard.
I do volunteer work in a local hospital, so gotta quit and get ready to go.
VAYA CON DIOS
Good Morning C.C./D.F.'s/and all,
I was going along fine until the middle part and just could not get 38A..I've heard of the group, but don't know their music. Axl Rose sounds unbalanced to me! Was he arrested for trashing that girl's house? Geeez!
I didn't know the Fireballs either, but I have heard that song "Bottle of Wine".
42D had me at a loss for quite awhile, I kept thinking of viewing something...or looking through a window. As Bill said, it was V-8 time! I'll keep my "opining" to myself until I can get my brain cells to behave. Maybe I need re-hab too. Naaaa!
Glad you in Florida are ok. Is the worst over?
Clear Ayes,
Don't knock your memory. Baby Snooks was all I ever knew about her until "Funny Girl" hit the big screen. She apparently gained initial fame in Ziefield Follies before our time.
It's probably too late and no one will read this, but Cheryl Crow also does a great version of "Sweet Child O Mine"..........
Jimbo,
ETA is short for Estimated Time of Arrival, which is something that would be posted at an airport like JFK.
I got the first clue immediately - JAZZ, so I had a very false sense of security. Not easy, but fun. Great theme with rhyming final words - even without knowing the first song name, I got it fairly quickly from the crosses. Some fun words too - PEWTER, QUEST, PYREX, love the word PALL.
I agree that VMI should have indicated abbreviation in some way, but I got it anyway.
I always think of Julian Sands (yum) as Franz Liszt from the movie Impromtu - terrific film with a great cast.
Plenty (9 down) is also the title of a little seen Meryl Streep movie that's worth watching.
or they are the names of all seven dwarfs in the Icelandic translation of "Snow White."
LOL!
Well now that you mention it, I should have had a V8.
Why could'nt I think of JFK airport instead of JFK the President. That's a statement, not a question.
Thanks Barry
I think Bon bon and booty pretty much equal badonkadonk - right?
for any count basie and/or ray charles fans, check out 'ray sings, basie swings.' charles's vocals were restored from a live performance with count basie in 1973.
'oh what a beautiful morning,' and 'every saturday night' are remarkable.
Hi to all,
Got lucky from Fay. Hit more south than we thought, south of Naples so only getting lots of rain and 20-30 mph winds.
Xchefwalt: Glad you're okay. I think we faired about the same.
Southernbelle: You should be fine, the storm is going Northeast. Everyone in Florida will be getting lousy weather though, rain and winds.
Barry and Drdad: Thanks for the quiz answer, didn't want to tax my brain anymore today.
Kittyb: Was brought up with jazz in my house. Twice a week we had jazz bands in our home, both an adult and a youth jazz band. Another good song for Count Basie is Rhapsody.
Got the puzzle today without Mr. "G", yea!
Great day to all!
The WAAC terminology has not been in used for years. They were part of the Army Corps ALTHOUGH they are still alive and well as regular members... The Marine women corps were called the WMs , again that term not used any longer. Dennis could probably correct me if I'm wrong.
Loved today's puzzle. Some of the unknowns were the same as C.C.'s. Other "unknowns" were stored somewhere in the depths of my cerebrum...
WAAC gave me a small pause, but for a silly reason. There is a lyric in Cheap Tricks “Surrender”- “Father says your mother’s right/ She’s really up on things/ Before we married mommy served/ In the WACS (sic) in the Philippians’”. Their misspelling hung me up. Rick Neilson and Robin Zander, shame on you.
mark - Buenos Aires
Hi c.c. its wedgwood without the e. I was brought up a few miles from one of the factories and my relations were potters and painters. Obviosly some fine pieces leaked out as "seconds".
It all changed when Waterford Crystal took over.
many people here have their grandmother´s china coming from the "Potteries" (Stoke on Trent) and I cant resist looking at the reverse side of a plate at a dinner party to see where it came from. Unfortunately when I ask my mother about a manufacturer she invariably says "oh yes, it closed down in the 1960´s" - There goes are skills and heritage.
incidentally there is another anonymous mark posting here, to avoid confusion I will always be mark - Buenos Aires
have a good day everybody.
Well I had a bottle of wine, could still walk the line, and had a child o' mine. Enjoyed this puzzle alot today and managed to finish it unaided.
flyingears, thought of you right away as this is National Aviation day. Enjoy yours! Do you still fly? And if so, what?
Florida friends, good to hear everyone is just a little wet but not blown away.
xchefwalt, in honor of potato day, what is your favorite way to prepare a spud?
@cokato 1:44 I like two ways, both use shredded potatoes.
1). Shred baking potatoes into a hot, buttered, non-stick pan. Cook on “high” for 5 minutes. Season with salt, white pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Top with thin sliced white American cheese, cover, turn heat to med-low, and cook for 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are soft in the center.
2). Shred potatoes into a mixing bowl. Mix with shredded cheddar, heavy cream, 1 whole egg per 2.5# potatoes, salt and white pepper. Place in non-stick 2” high baking dish, cover with foil, bake at 375 degree oven for 35-45 minutes, until potatoes are soft in middle and no residue returns after poking. Place under broiler uncovered for 5 minutes to curst.
Enjoy!!
13:04 today I had a lot of trouble with the KLEE/DEKE crossing before deciding on the "E" and seeing that the guess was right. KIEL was also unknown to me.
@c.c.: "65A: Part of VMI: INST. Now we are on a VMI binge. Poor MIT. The clue still needs "abbr.", doesn't it?"
Since the VMI in the clue is itself an abbreviation, I think it's OK to have the answer be INST without any "abbr." designation in the clue.
@xchefwalt: WACS is correct, so Robin Zander is still OK. If anything, it's the puzzle's WAAC that is the outdated usage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Army_Corps
While I'm here, ulrich, a frequent poster on Rex Parker's NY Times crossword blog and a native German, has an excellent piece on the "Ich bin ein Berliner" usage which is well worth reading: "http://krautblog-ulrich.blogspot.com/2008/05/next-topic_2560.html
xchef - I assume the shredded cheddar is to taste but how much heavy cream. I also assume that the shredded potatoes in both recipes are raw as opposed to using already baked potatoes to make, e.g., hashbrowns or home fries. Finally, I have had "crust" potatoes but never "curst" potatoes. Are they possessed by some demon, poltergeist, etc. (cursed)??? I have cursed/curst at potato dishes occasionally when they don't come out quite right. I've even said the "f" word and thrown them out if they are really bad. LOL
xchefwalt, both sound rich, and wonderful. I imagine they would be a good side dish to just about any kind of meat.
Here is mine...
I grow a lot of herbs (not that kind of herb). I use small red potatoes and quarter them. Then I toss them in olive oil, thyme, fresh garlic, dried basil, fresh parsley and finely chopped rosemary and fresh black ground pepper and a little salt. I arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. They area a great accompaniment to a nice juicy steak.
embien - thanks for showing a blog site made by a German that agrees with my statement on Berliner made at 6:53 a.m. I had forgotten about the Pfannkuchen part.
Drdad, is Pfannkuchen what you say when your spuds are soft in the middle and residue returns after poking?
I was in the Army Air Corps in WWII and I remember WAAC as standing for Womans Army Air Corps. Am I totaly off base on this?
Calef.
Drdad, I just checked your blog and noticed that you featured the fine town of Cokato on August 15th. Thanks for the history lesson. I didn't know a lot about my fine town.
According to Wikipedia:
WAAC - (i) Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (Britain) (World War I UK)
WAAF - (i) Women's Auxiliary Air Force (World War II UK)
WAC - (i) Women's Auxiliary Corps (World War II Canada), Women's Army Corps (World War II U.S.)
Good afternoon CC & DF's:
'O-man'!This puzzle hit a 'hot spot' for sure! We got 'lei'd' again and had a 'bottle of wine' to boot! What a 'riot'! Made me 'itchy' to be back at the Boston 'docks' where the 'liszt' of 'errors' were 'plenty' and the 'quest'ion was whether to 'sen-or' not to sin. The 'yeses' always won. Nothin' too 'seedy' that a quick 'cab' couldn't 'grab' us from. But b/c of h'essex' and hersex, we were taken to the rehab clinic where the rns give us zantac and zest baths. That's a zoo! I walk the line straight to the lav where it is either hsn or hrn but either way the ure'n is tested at the inst for 'reef'er residue. Iodide if mine was ever found tainted. Not my shtick. Don't want the EPA down my neck. Gotta 'klee'n bill of health, and I'm outa here, just readin' my 'ize' like a road map. ETA 2 mins to another hot spot where we will shake 'em down for another bottle of wine and ask another quest'ion - to disco or not to disco.
Dick: got 'down' all over me (not a bad thing), and while he may have got me down, I was always looking up.
doesitinink - I think wiki's incomplete on this one. The WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps) was formed in 1942 (WWII) as part of the US Army.
melissa bee, "duck duck goose dick"?? Is that some kind of obscene nursery rhyme?
Clear Ayes,
Thank you for the palm fronds & "Shake Your Bon-Bon".
Barry & Danielle,
"Either that, or they are the names of all seven dwarfs in the Icelandic translation of "Snow White." What's the joke here?
Xchefwalt,
Re: Hole-in-One & Meals. Of "course", of "course". I completely forgot that you are a master of your club at the golf course and you sure know your cooking tools for the meal course. Are you good at other COURSE management also?
Mark,
Thank you for the Wedgwood correction.
Embien,
Point taken on INST.
Calef,
RE: WAAC. Wikipedia says the British had a similar WACC (Women's Auxiliary Air Force).
melissabee: How hilarious! Did you goose Dick? What a great idea! I'll goose Dennis, he's closer.
Don't wanna leave Drdad out of the fun...I'll goose him! Gotcha good!
bill, by 3:00 CDT your site had 42 hits! not bad for a couple of hours.
Jimbo, what kind of work do you do when you volunteer at the hospital?
I had the same problem with the JFK clue the first time I saw it. I couldn't drag my mind away from the man to the airport.
Melissa bee, Thanks for the recommendation on 'Ray sings, Basie swings." It sounds like one I need to add to my collection!
Carol, what's happened to your pretty picture?
Katherine, people come back to read this blog even after MIDNIGHT! We have a lot of insomniacs and Left Coasters.
g8rmom, how I envy you! We always had music when I was growing up, but the only live music came from one of us practicing, or when my mother played the piano. My parents exposed me to Classical, Romantic, and Jazz. As a kid I heard classic rock on my sister's radios. We NEVER heard country/western. I'm not sure where I first heard bluegrass. Unfortunately, G&R and the Fireballs didn't make it onto my horizon.
flyingears, my aunt was a Lt. Commander in the WAVES during WWII. My sis was a Lt. COmmander in the Navy.
mark B.A., Wedgwood was bought out by Waterford Crystal?? I missed what led to that conversation.
xchef, I bought leeks at the farmers market on Saturday. I think Potato Leek soup is on the menu this week. Thank God for air conditioning!
embien @2:38 I agree about the abbreviation of VMI. I don't see that 'abbr." is necessary.
I was astonished to see three answers end in 'X'! I assumed that a tic-tac-toe winner would be OOO. Clever!
OK now I have heard everything! A 3D goose!!!
How did it feel guys??
Xchefwalt,
FLOUR: What were you trying to say?
kittyb: my picture is "in the shop". (I'm getting hubby to do a different one). Also you mentioned Bill's "site" having 42 hits by 3:00 CDT, what did you mean?
Cokato and xchefwalt: those potato dishes sound delicious! Thanks.
Lois, I see you are back to your usual riotous self. We love you like that!!(especially the guys, goosed or not)
KittyB,
I mentioned Wedgwood and Noritake in my comments about LENOX (16A) today. But I made a spelling mistake. Mark spotted it and then expounded further by saying he was brought up a few miles from a Wedgwood factory.
All this "goosing" reminds me of a book: "Antlers in the Treetops" or "Who Goosed the Moose"
kittyb,
Thanks, I hadn't checked.
The audio was lifted from a video that my wife did.(As was the picture).
Sadly. there are no audio inputs on her video camera so the quality is not really good with the onboard mic.
A John Prine tune BTW. Not really a bluegrass musician, was he??!!
Duck, Duck, I Goose Bill - the guy with the upright bass! Now there's a great combination...a goosed bill and an upright bass!
Lois,
When that happens and the URB goes flying and takes someone DOWN, I'll have to have a BOTTLE OF WINE to recover from the feeling that I was taken advantage of (not to mention, taken by surprise!!)
BTW, The aforementioned song title was also done by the Kingston Trio.
That's where I knew it from.
Bill: It's ok...when the URB goes flying, just yell DUCK!!! and enjoy the moment.
I remember the Kingston Trio singing that song too.
Kittyb:
Yes, it was unique my upbringing. We had this huge downstairs room we called the "music room" and that is where the jazz bands met. My mom played both piano and organ, my dad alto and tenor sax, my brother clairinet, alto & tenor sax, my other brother trumpet and I played the flute. Of course there were many, many others that played as well. They didn't have a lot of arrangements for flute for me to play, but my flute instructor made a flute arrangement to "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and I played that with a small group from the band at the School for the Blind. My dad was a Pan Am pilot and when he was on his route to Germany he bought me a dress that was jade green with black polka dots. What a hoot that all this chat has brought back this reminiscing for me! Thanks to all!!!
Barry & Danielle,
"Either that, or they are the names of all seven dwarfs in the Icelandic translation of "Snow White." What's the joke here?
I'm gonna have to stop making jokes if you're gonna keep making me explain them, C. C. ^_^
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" featured seven dwarfs named Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy, Bashful and Doc. When doesitinink asked what the seven seemingly unrelated words Banana, Dresser, Grammar, Potato, Revive, Uneven and Assess all had in common, I joked that they were the names given to the seven dwarfs in the Icelandic version of the story. Translated back into English, of course.
Why? Because I have a warped mind and that's just the way it works sometimes. It's my very own form of disfunctionality, I guess...
Barry,
Don't stop making jokes. I enjoy them, though clearly I need time to understand your warped mind and hidden humor. What did you mean by saying "cleverly clued in spots" at your 6:52am comment?
Xchefwalt @7:31am,
"Looks like another rough band is coming in." What is "band"? What is "intermezzo" in a full-blown 5- course meal?
Doesitinink @ 9:47am
"I hope all the Floridians are weathering Fay". Does "weathering" mean "enduring" here?
Katherine,
No, I've never seen "Funny Girl".
Hi,
Maybe this will jog some brain cells. Jimmy Gilmour and the Fireballs', Sugar Shack, was #1 back in 1963.
C. C.:
I just meant that some of the answers had clever clues. Couldn't tell you which ones right now, since I left my paper at the office...
Argyle:
I remember Sugar Shack and Bottle of Wine too, but didn't remember the name of the group, not sure why!
Bill @5:19pm,
What is URB?
CC, Shorthand for UpRight Bass
Hello c.c. and gang. Mostly the same problems y'all faced. Didn't remember
"fireballs", and 38(a). Guessed WAAC as Women's Army Air Corp. Bad guess with good results. Knew Brice - in fact, I think I dated her when she was with Flo. (Ziegfeld.) Had to go to my Atlas to find Kiel, Germany, but finally got it all. Got Alioto because a friend of mine lived in S.F. when he was mayor.
The Basie/ Charles album is fantastic. I remember when Jerry Lewis danced to Basie's "April In Paris" in one of his movies. I'm not a big Lewis fan but loved Basie. Ellington and Glenn Miller were my favorite "big bands" but Basie and Kenton were great,too. Goodman and the Dorsey Bros. had solid sounds.
Also, thought it "cool" that Basie and Ellington were the 'Count" and the "Duke."
Played golf today. I cannot understand why my friends (Chuck Roast, Chester Drawers and Phil A. Dendron) insist on playing at 9:00 AM - or - in the middle of the night. Jeeze!!! If God had meant for people to go to bed early, He would have never invented the electric guitar.
Well, it's time to head off to Beijing and a cool glass of Boone's Farm. (June 2008.) Another friend of mine (in fact, it was Phil A.'s sister Rhoda Dendron) came to a party last month with a bottle of French wine that was dated 2003. I felt so sorry for her that she couldn't afford fresh wine. I offered her some of my fresh box wine, but she refused. Who can explain pride?
Glad you escaped major damage, Floridaites. I guess U of F
still stands. Drat!!!
I posted late last night so I'll repeat my closing thought. "Good friends are like stars. You may not always see them, but they are always there."
Adios, my friends.
I must be off.
Bill, probably your friends here and family account for the first visits, but the word will spread, I'm sure, and you'll find someone to record your work> I enjoyed visiting. Do you all sing?
Carol, at 10:04 this morning, Bill posted a link to the new website for his group, "Off The Wall." When I said he had 42 "hits" I meant that the sight had been visited 42 times. Will your new picture be your baby picture?? *G*
Thanks, C.C. - I'll go check to see what you said about Wedgwood. I didn't know it had just one "e" in the spelling.
g8rmom....what an amazing childhood you had! I wish my family had been able to do the same, but it just didn't happen. Dear Husband and his kids could have provided a lower brass section and percussion for some group!
Good evening, all!
CC, And so are all of these:
bass fiddle, bass viol, bull fiddle, double bass, contrabass, string bass, doghouse, an upright, a slap bass, string bass, bass violin, floor bass
Buckeye, one of my favorite CDs is Stan Kenton's "Standards in Silhouette," an old friend from college days that's held up well.
Bill,
Thank you so much.
Argyle,
What's behind your yesterday's "I met Arlo at the church from Alice's Restaurant but haven't found the restaurant."? I like your NY VIOLENTS name.
@dennis:
melissa bee, "duck duck goose dick"?? Is that some kind of obscene nursery rhyme?
heavens no, i would never suggest such a thing....
it's some sort of obscene game.
@drdad 2:39- yewouch! I was getting so good at proofing my posts! At least that goof was funny, as I have often cursed food that didn’t come out right (it was never MY fault).
@cokato 2:41- excellent! I do the same thing (sometimes I dice Idaho’s instead of reds) and I usually use butter (but will try olive oil next time). Do you use regular or extra virgin? As you can see, I don’t cook very healthy, or I didn’t when I was a chef. I do try to do better, but some habits die hard. It’s a good thing I skate with the kids and go to the gym or I’d look like Chef Paul.
@c.c. 3:46- although I do occasionally manage in public (a COURSE, a BEACH, a PARK), I prefer my management skills be utilized behind the scenes, under cover so to speak.
“Flour”?? I don’t understand the question.
A “band” is a line of strong showers in a tropical storm or hurricane. While the wind and rain are usually strong to begin with, some parts are stronger than others.
“Intermezzo” is the “break” in between COURSES, usually consisting of a sorbet or liqueur to cleanse the pallet, settle the stomach, and get you ready for more. Food.
@kittb 4:15- leeks and shallots are a chefs best friend and secret weapon. I use them both as often as possible. Let me know if you need help with the soup.
A joke for buckeye: Q: How many states in the US?
A: 49
Q: How’s that??
A: Because Florida OWNES Ohio!!
Thank you and goodnight! Please take care of your servers and drive carefully.
@xchefwalt: “Flour”?? I don’t understand the question.
i'm going to jump in here because i had the same question .. your 10:15:
If baking is involved, then my hands are usually covered in FLOUR, as I hand kneed all my bread and pastry dough.
Just got back from a day of a matinee movie (senior discount!)and shopping to refill our pantry. Saw "Pineapple Express", which was pretty funny if you like Seth Rogen (we do) and aren't offended by a "stoner" movie (we aren't). Not high art, but it's fun to laugh away a couple of hours on a Tuesday afternoon.
Hey Buckeye, don't forget to assign yourself a good parking spot in the firmament. Don't know why your friend Rhoda Dendron is so snobby about wine. That old stuff can sure taste funny and is so expensive. Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill is readily available,you don't have to mess with that ridiculous cork and if you are cautious, you just might not wake up with a headache. Seriously, (I know you're going to say you were serious.) our usual "vin de jour" around here is Blackbox Shiraz. We're enthusiastic wine-in-a-box-ers.
Xchefwalt, any dish that calls for cheddar cheese, heavy cream AND potatoes is right at the front of my recipe book. All that's missing is some butter and maybe some shallots!
I did pay attention to Cokato's recipe too. We have a whole hillside of rosemary and love oven roasted potatoes with rosemary.
C.C. and MelissaB, RE: Flour You must not have baking experience. There is lots of flour sprinkled on a counter when bread and pastry dough are being kneaded. It keeps the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter. It also works in any additionally needed flour.
@clear ayes: well i HATE baking but i've done it enough to understand about flouring your hands .. but FLOUR was in all caps. often a word in all caps is a reference to it's appearance in the puzzle, which i don't think it was today.
@xchefalt: so why FLOUR?
OK MelissaBee, I'm on the train.....Xchef, why FLOUR???
Another question for xchefwalt: wha kind of potatoes do you use in those yummy-sounding recipes?
I may be prejudiced but the best reds come from the northern part of the Red River Valley in Nodak. Freshly dug from the field, scrubbed, boiled till just soft, lightly mashed with butter, salt & pepper, simply yummy.
c.c.@7:46pm My comment won't mean much if you haven't heard the song. Suffice to say, the church where Alice and Ray lived was not where the restaurant was; the restaurant was in Stockbridge(not in Housatonic, like I thought); the church is in Housatonic and that is where I met Arlo a couple of years ago.
Bill@7:26pm And what about a gutbucket?
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