Theme: Watered Down
17A: 1970 Bobby Bloom hit: MONTEGO BAY
52A: Thoreau's cabin site: WALDEN POND
11D: View from Cornell: CAYUGA LAKE
27D: Shields film: BLUE LAGOON
Out of the 4 theme answers, WALDEN POND was the only gimme for me, but the other 3 were easily obtainable.
I like this puzzle, great theme. No frustratingly ungettable words. Simple & smooth. ILLER (35A: More poorly) did raise my eyebrow a bit, but technically it's a legit word.
In the past several days, I've been pondering on how these constructors come up with certain themes. In today's case, why did this constructor pick up lakes rather than rivers (brook, creek, stream, etc)?
I still can't figure it out. But I know that all of those guys have done an exhaustive amount of work to come up with a solvable and entertaining puzzle. I wonder how long it takes them to complete a grid, hours? or Days?
Just to want to say a "Thank you" to them here. I know I can be a poor critic to their work sometimes, but I am an equal opportunity critic and I truly appreciate their effort.
Across:
10A: Gent from Aberdeen: SCOT. See this map for Aberdeen.
16A: Cover a lot of ground?: PAVE. Great clue.
21A: Show off: FLAUNT. So easy to get confused with FLOUT.
25A: Gelcap alternative: TABLET
28A: Wander about: DIVAGATE. Unknown to me. I got it from the down fills. This is a very interesting word. I wonder if any constructor has ever thought of constructing a GATE rebus puzzle, you know, with Watergate, Monicagate/Zippergate, Plamegate, Rathergate, etc.
37A: "The Three Faces of ___": EVE. I am not familiar with this film. Easily gettable though. How would you clue EVE if you were the constructor? I like "First offender?".
39A: Tightwad: PIKER. Another new word to me. I penned in MISER first. Google researched showed that PIKERS were the "1849 Gold Rush equivalents of 1930s Okies. A piker was literally someone from Pike County, Missouri. Large numbers of Pike County residents rushed to California to seek their fortunes".
40A: Olios: MELANGES
45A: Smooth, in music: LEGATO. This reminds of the TENUTO (Sustained note) we had a while ago. KittyB explained TENUTO as "similar to "LEGATO," in that the music is very smooth, and the notes connect to each other, no spaces between them. The opposite of tenuto would be "staccato," where the note is very short and articulated hard."
47A: Touched tenderly: CARESSED
56A: "The Four Seasons" star: ALDA. The answer revealed itself after I filled in the down clues. I've never seen the movie. Alan ALDA's name is so crossword friendly.
58A: Robust: HEFTY. What kind of HEFTY fish is that?
Down:
1D: Cell body: SOMA. New to me. Dictionary says it's also an "intoxicating drink of the Hindu gods". And in "Brave New World", SOMA is "the name of a state-dispensed narcotic producing euphoria and hallucination".
4D: One of eight: OCTUPLET. Another new word to me. It's built up upon TRIPLET or QUADRUPLET I suppose. Here is a picture of the famous Dionne QUINTUPLETS.
6D: Athol Fugard play, "A Lesson from ___": ALOES. Not familiar with this book. It's about apartheid in the early 1960s. Interesting book title. I know ALOES are healing. I've never thought of them as ugly though.
9D: Seasonal rhinitis: HAY FEVER
10D: Rose with a bound: SPRANG. I like the clue and the answer.
35D: Toenail, sometimes: INGROWTH. Only knew INGROW.
36D: Life on earth: LIFE SPAN
39D: Sacramental disk: PATEN. Disk?
42D: Something beyond doubt: SURETY
46D: Dresden's waterway: ELBE. Have not seen its tributary EGER for a long time. This is the ELBE watershed.
C.C.
17A: 1970 Bobby Bloom hit: MONTEGO BAY
52A: Thoreau's cabin site: WALDEN POND
11D: View from Cornell: CAYUGA LAKE
27D: Shields film: BLUE LAGOON
Out of the 4 theme answers, WALDEN POND was the only gimme for me, but the other 3 were easily obtainable.
I like this puzzle, great theme. No frustratingly ungettable words. Simple & smooth. ILLER (35A: More poorly) did raise my eyebrow a bit, but technically it's a legit word.
In the past several days, I've been pondering on how these constructors come up with certain themes. In today's case, why did this constructor pick up lakes rather than rivers (brook, creek, stream, etc)?
I still can't figure it out. But I know that all of those guys have done an exhaustive amount of work to come up with a solvable and entertaining puzzle. I wonder how long it takes them to complete a grid, hours? or Days?
Just to want to say a "Thank you" to them here. I know I can be a poor critic to their work sometimes, but I am an equal opportunity critic and I truly appreciate their effort.
Across:
10A: Gent from Aberdeen: SCOT. See this map for Aberdeen.
16A: Cover a lot of ground?: PAVE. Great clue.
21A: Show off: FLAUNT. So easy to get confused with FLOUT.
25A: Gelcap alternative: TABLET
28A: Wander about: DIVAGATE. Unknown to me. I got it from the down fills. This is a very interesting word. I wonder if any constructor has ever thought of constructing a GATE rebus puzzle, you know, with Watergate, Monicagate/Zippergate, Plamegate, Rathergate, etc.
37A: "The Three Faces of ___": EVE. I am not familiar with this film. Easily gettable though. How would you clue EVE if you were the constructor? I like "First offender?".
39A: Tightwad: PIKER. Another new word to me. I penned in MISER first. Google researched showed that PIKERS were the "1849 Gold Rush equivalents of 1930s Okies. A piker was literally someone from Pike County, Missouri. Large numbers of Pike County residents rushed to California to seek their fortunes".
40A: Olios: MELANGES
45A: Smooth, in music: LEGATO. This reminds of the TENUTO (Sustained note) we had a while ago. KittyB explained TENUTO as "similar to "LEGATO," in that the music is very smooth, and the notes connect to each other, no spaces between them. The opposite of tenuto would be "staccato," where the note is very short and articulated hard."
47A: Touched tenderly: CARESSED
56A: "The Four Seasons" star: ALDA. The answer revealed itself after I filled in the down clues. I've never seen the movie. Alan ALDA's name is so crossword friendly.
58A: Robust: HEFTY. What kind of HEFTY fish is that?
Down:
1D: Cell body: SOMA. New to me. Dictionary says it's also an "intoxicating drink of the Hindu gods". And in "Brave New World", SOMA is "the name of a state-dispensed narcotic producing euphoria and hallucination".
4D: One of eight: OCTUPLET. Another new word to me. It's built up upon TRIPLET or QUADRUPLET I suppose. Here is a picture of the famous Dionne QUINTUPLETS.
6D: Athol Fugard play, "A Lesson from ___": ALOES. Not familiar with this book. It's about apartheid in the early 1960s. Interesting book title. I know ALOES are healing. I've never thought of them as ugly though.
9D: Seasonal rhinitis: HAY FEVER
10D: Rose with a bound: SPRANG. I like the clue and the answer.
35D: Toenail, sometimes: INGROWTH. Only knew INGROW.
36D: Life on earth: LIFE SPAN
39D: Sacramental disk: PATEN. Disk?
42D: Something beyond doubt: SURETY
46D: Dresden's waterway: ELBE. Have not seen its tributary EGER for a long time. This is the ELBE watershed.
C.C.
109 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - I agree, C.C., this was a good one, all gettable without looking elsewhere.
I never heard of 'divagate', and never heard anyone say "I have an ingrowth", although I imagine it's true of our anon friend.
C.C., 39D, paten, is the communion wafer used in churches.
Make it a great hump day.
Dennis,
Did SOMA (1D) come readily to you?
C.C., once I had the 'so', yes, but it must've been from seeing it before in crosswords.
Good morning CC etal,
I enjoyed this grid - seemed to solve it left to right, down then up. For some reason it seemed pleasing to the eye.
@ Dennis - the old Catholic altar boy in me requires a correction - the Paten was the gold (or silver) plate that the Eucharist - the priest's host - was placed on during the offertory - it usually matched the chalice in some way.
Hope all have a great day!
Hello. I didn't do the puzzle yesterday: it was raining so I didn't go out to get the paper. It just started raining again. It's been raining A LOT lately.
Speaking of 51 across I didn't like the clue, namely "oodles". I teach English here in Taiwan so I take issue with them equating "oodles" (plural and countable) with "a lot" (massive and uncountable). Naturally, I put in "lots" at first.
Like C.C., I put in "miser" for "tightwad" and ended up with "Cayuga Lase" and thought "Huh?" I looked at the two adjacent corners with "Montego Bay" (also performed in the 90s by The Beach Boys) and "Walden Pond" (which I got solely from the down words) and realised that this had to be "Cayuga Lake". It was only then that I knew that "Shields film" had nothing to do with condoms or photography but rather the Brooke Shields movie! Ultimately I was able to solve the puzzle once again without help from google. Yay! (I only got "divagate" from the down words and "piker" was a lucky guess.)
The following message is just for CC. I typed it myself.
你好. 我的名字是馬丁. 我是加拿大人，但是我在臺灣住. 我的妻子是菲律賓人. 她不能讲中文. 您在美國、加拿大、英國或者澳洲住？ 最初您從中國，臺灣或者新加坡？
I don't mean to pry. I'm just curious.
Martin
Oh and if I could be picky for a moment, I thought the clue for 44 across, namely "downright adorable" was strange. "Cute" and "adorable" are synonymous so I was confused by "downright". Similarly, the clue for 38 down, namely "tangled bow", could have just as easily have been "tangle": "bow" made me think of arrows.
Good morning....
I never heard of divigate, piker, soma, octuplet or paten. I had to Googles a few of the clues, but over all it was a good puzzle. I never heard of an "ingrowth" for a toenail, that was a bit of a stretch.
Have a good day everyone.
Good Morning, c.c., all you regulars and any transients,
I had a senior moment you might find amusing. After completing the puzzle on line and failing to recieving the usual "Congratulations", I double checked my answers. They looked alright so I switched to the regular skill level on the game, where they tell you whether a letter is wrong. I started yelling at the computer when it said my cross of soma and opec was wrong, It's always opec for oil cartel! That's when I realized that I had a zero instead of an O. Oops.
Otherwise, my new words were octuplet and divagate.
Martin, loved your take on "Shields film".
Martin,
Please, no 您, I feel comfortable with 你. Your Chinese is very good. Somehow I got the wrong idea that you were an Australian. I am from mainland China (Xi'An), and have been living in Minnesota for the past 7 years. I disagree with you on A LOT. It's countable. How do you explain "A LOT of solvers are unhappy about this clue."? Ditto your point on KNOT and CUTE.
Mental block on the communion plate - I was an altar boy in our Methodist church, but was removed for certain indiscretions...
I checked Random House Unabridged Dictionary on line and it gives "portion" as a synonym for "lot" as in "to receive one's lot of an inheritance", "Her lot (in life) had not been a happy one", "a building lot" or "The furniture was to be auctioned off in 20 lots". "A lot", however, means "a great many or a great deal" in which case it can be either countable or uncountable. Point taken.
Martin
Good morning to all!
Divagate!!! Only thing that fit and then I googled to make sure that was the answer. Kept wanting miser for tightwad but then you get Cayuga Lase - no sense there. Got easier after I saw the theme but wanted to get an agave plant and make some tequila there for awhile.
C.C. - I liked your various "gates", especially Monicagate. I bet she can eat corn on the cob the long way.
I wonder if Pikers passed by Pike's Peak on the way to California.
Looks like some kind of bass, a smallmouth maybe?
Soma is the end of a neuron that contains the cell nucleus. It has all those dendrites protruding from the main part of the cell.
The Chukwu octuplets were the first set born in the U.S. (1998 in Houston). One died. The other seven (now septuplets) are still alive (TTBOMK). Any woman who can have that many kids at once has my admiration, that's for sure.
Today is Odie's Birthday! I like him better than Garfield. Even have a stuffed Odie at home.
Odie
Also, Alfred Lord Tennyson was born on this day in 1809 and Lucille Ball in 1911. I Love Lucy.
Take off your shoes and socks because it is "Wiggle Your Toes Day."
It is Root Beer Float Day.
Sadly, it is also the 63rd anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. And perhaps fittingly, it is also Peace Day.
My site today will be for Carol - Sheridan, Wyoming.
Have a great Wednesday.
*ouch*
This puzzle spanked me. Hard. I'm glad that there were no frustratingly ungettable words for you, C.C. I wish I could say the same for me, but I can't.
I was actually feeling pretty proud of myself for getting SOMA for 1D and MATEN for 39D, and I managed to get DIVAGATE for 28D despite the fact that I've never heard the word before.
Of course, 39D was actually PATEN, which I never got because (a) I was already sure that MATEN was correct and (b) I was also sure that MISER was correct for 39A. I'll take full blame for confusing MATEN and PATEN (both religious terms, even though completely unrelated), but having PIKER for "Tightwad" is just mean. I've heard the word piker all my life, but never have I heard it used in that sense. Even when I figured that 11D was most likely CAYUGA LAKE (a body of water I've never heard of, btw), I absolutely refused to put the "K" in place, since MIKER didn't make any sense whatsoever.
I was also thoroughly defeated by the MONTEGO BAY / ALOES crossing. In retrospect, I vaguely recall hearing about a place called Montego Bay, but I'm not familiar with the song (or the singer, for that matter). I didn't even get the theme, so it didn't even occur to me that the answer was the name of some bay and I was stuck trying to figure out the missing letter in a single word MONTEG_BAY. Plus, "A Letter from Aloes" is a complete unknown to me, so the missing "O" just would not come.
*sigh*
[As an addendum, I just looked up "piker" in the dictionary and discovered that I've apparently been misunderstanding and misusing it my entire life. Double *sigh*]
SOMA is a Greek term used in the medical and biological fields. Not uncommon to me but not commonly used. Somatic pain, somites, etc. The myotome IS the muscle cell that will eventually become a skeletal muscle (biceps, etc.)
Good morning, C.C. and all!
The puzzle wasn't too bad this morning. I have never heard of DIVAGATE or SOMA, or the author 'Fugard' or his play, but everything fell into place with the crosses.
I have heard of having an ingrown toenail, but never an ingrowth. Martin, I used "lots" first, too.
It sounds as though we are all hitting the same blocks. There are fewer obscure words today.
We have the start of a beautiful, clear day here in Chicago. I hope you all have good weather, and a great day.
Better than yesterday.
DIVIGATE - It fit, but not a word I've ever heard.
INGROWTH? I've had ingrowN toenails and ingrowN hairs, but never heard them called by that name!
AND the whole SW corner gave me fits. Just couldn't get it together enough to remember HAUTBOY, even though we've had the same clue several times. I, too, had lots for 51a,(and KNEW it was right!). But, alas, it wasn't and that left everything else wrong till I called Mr. G! He put me on the right path and, VOILA, I was done.
dennis, I think a paten is not the wafer but the small plate held under the wafer so if by chance it falls it won't hit the floor
Pardon the second post.
I could have done this the first time but hadn't done the research!
DIVIGATE - loose translation = to wander aimlessly and the dictionary says it is the opposite of NAVIGATE, which we know to be a planned action.
Now I know what happened to ME, I've been DIVIGATING all this time, instead of NAVIGATING! No wonder I get confused so easily!!
AND INGROWTH seems to be a very common term in the medical field. (and plant structure)
Found it used quite a lot concerning LASIK surgery. Oh, the things we learn on the way to learning other things. NOW, if I could only remember!!
Where did I put my coffee?? And, my butts? I think my keys are in the hallway, or, are they???
Morning all,
Of course I didn't know the science term, soma, and was about to email drdad. Did get it from the others. I did know Cayuga Lake because my son graduated from Ithaca College. I had to look up divagate to make sure it was a word and the spell check doesn't know it either. Is there a space after the di?
Did anyone ever watch "Jon & Kate plus 8" on TLC. They have sextuplets and a set of twins. Don't know how they do it.
Kittyb, your quilt is beautiful. We have many quilt makers in Berks and Lancaster county. Unfortunately, it has been reported that many of the quilts made in the area are actually made by women from Vietnam and not the Amish women you would expect.
Have a good day all.
Ki
No googles today. Dennis, I'm with you(and others after reading the posts) on divagate. I've heard and used piker fairly often. I've also noted it used in speech as one who doesn't buy a round of drinks when it is his turn. To me, the word connotes something more than a tightwad. It would also apply to one who stiffs you with the lunch check.
However, stingy and miserly are the synonyms in my Merriam-Webster.
cokato - never got back to the site yesterday after leaving work. Did have quite a few beers afterwards but not so many that there was irreparable damage this morning. Sat out on the deck with the tiki torches and chiminea again.
Good morning all, I enjoyed this puzzle today. Had miser for 39 A briefly and then remembered that matans is a prayer.I thought that iller was ackward. Divagate gave me a pause. Pitch symbol 47D put me right in baseball world. This time of year I watch lots of baseball and its on my mind.
Dennis,
I am curious, what kind of "indiscretions"?
Melissa,
What did you refer to at your yesterday's 1:38pm comment to Dennis: "Perfect. You supply the turf, I'll supply the surf." Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Xchefwalt,
Your comment @12:00pm to Melissa yesterday: "venison with the ale, ostrich or emu with the porter." Are you kidding with "ostrich or emu"? Do people really eat them?
Clear Ayes,
What is "Bawdy Bill"? Is it a book?
Barry,
PATEN appeared as "Eucharist plate" in an April NYT puzzle before. You probably do not like Bob Marley, otherwise you would have got MONTEGO BAY. What's your answer to my yesterday's 12:18pm question?
Dr. Dad,
Those PIKERS might have passed by Piker's Peak. Didn't they find gold there also?
Barry,
PATEN appeared as "Eucharist plate" in an April NYT puzzle before. You probably do not like Bob Marley, otherwise you would have got MONTEGO BAY. What's your answer to my yesterday's 12:18pm question?
Let's see...
I actually know what a PATEN is and have entered it in crossword puzzles before. For whatever reason, though, my brain wires got a bit crossed today. Kinda like mixing up OLIO and OLEO, I suppose.
Not a big Bob Marley fan. Or a little Bob Marley fan, for that matter. I know who he is and know what type of music he wrote, but I'm not familiar with the names of any of his songs. It's not that I actively dislike his stuff, mind you. I'm just not familiar with it.
As for your question from yesterday (which I missed, sorry), I honestly don't know if I've ever solved a puzzle in under 3 minutes. I do this puzzle with paper and pencil while trying to eat breakfast with one hand and have never bothered timing myself. I somehow doubt it, though, since the faster I try to write the more mistakes I make.
C.C. - I don't know if they found gold there or not. Regarding your question to xchefwalt, and he will probably answer as well - yes people really eat them. I haven't had emu but I have had ostrich. It tastes pretty darn good, surprisingly.
CC et al
Found today especially easy. If only I could spell legato instead of lagato. Argh!
Argyle,
What is the web site you use to do the crossword puzzle on line?
Good morning CC & DF's: As luck would have it, my coffee cup this morning is from The Old Manse, Concord MA, where Hawthorne lived and wrote (and Ralph W. Emerson too)and right down the street from Walden Pond & the Alcott's house. Slept in the Lizzy Borden # 1haunted house. Great trip!
Loved this puzzle. I deal w/pscyho somatic disorders and neurological structures, so soma was a gimme. 37A fit right in to my psycho world too. Divagate was odd and agree w/Barry on the def. & use of Piker. Caught the religious tone w/39D paten and 38A knees (the strongest part of a Catholic's anatomy).
Dennis: You, indiscreet? Hard to believe!
Martin: loved the 'shields film'/condom comment
drdad: cool pic of NE Cornhusker -guess that's why his hands(gloves) are yellow. Saw the 'game of the century' in '71 w/OU. Yea, Sooners!
Lois-I went to that game with my math teacher from school. Had an incredibly hard time getting out of Norman after the Huskers beat the Sooners. I think that 1971 was the only year that 3 football teams from the same conference held the final rankings - 1) Nebraska, 2) Oklahoma, 3) Colorado (all from the now defunct Big 8.
lois,c.c., let's just say my indiscretions weren't as bad as my cub scout ones.
Definately a small mouth bass. On a large mouth bass the corner of the mouth ends behind the eye. On a samll mouth bass it ends in front of the eye.
Dr. G,
Argyle is doing Chicago Tribune On Line.
Lois,
Did you sleep at the haunted house last night? What are the symptoms/causes of pscyhosomatic disorders? Do your students exhibit them often?
Dennis,
OK, my interest in further piqued. Tell me about your cub scout indiscretions then.
Hi all,
I too put in "miser" and had Cayugalase, so finally figured out lake from the theme and got pikers! I also had lots, but that would have made the down word abased, so when I changed it to abated I got "a lot" and the other words filled in nicely. Never heard of divagate, but all the down words filled in so looked it up in the dictionary and it was right.
Have a great day to all!
drdad: we were in the same town at the same time! Wow! Too bad we didn't know each other then. You're right, it was a great year for the Big 8. Traffic was awful in Norman anytime - I always had a hard time there...no complaints tho'.
Dennis: so, how were the brownies?
I wish I were (subjunctive, buckeye :o) better at getting up early in the morning. In California, by the time I pour a cup of coffee, turn on the computer and ponder the puzzle, most of the best complaints and comments are a done deal. No matter, according Chinese astrology I am a Water Horse, so I love to talk, anytime and usually all the time. BTW, I am not a believer in astrology, but the Chinese version does seem to fit me better than the western version.
c.c. RE: yesterday's reference. We had been discussing William Shakespeare's plays and the multiple sexual references. I referred to him as "Bawdy Bill", since Bill is a familiar nickname for William.
"The Three Faces of EVE" was first a book and then a movie starring Joanne Woodward. She won an Academy Award for her portrayal of a woman with multiple personality disorder. If I were lucky Ms. Woodward, I'd be totally happy as the real life Mrs. Paul Newman; oh, those blue, blue eyes!
A couple of Athol Fugard's plays have also been made into movies. Fugard plays are often about apartheid and its aftermath. "Master Harold And The Boys", and more recently "Tsotsi". Just like most of you, I had never heard of "A Lesson From ALOES".
DIVAGATE was unknown. When G.A.H. and I travel by car, he drives and I'm the navigator (map reader). I seldom "steer him wrong", but from now on when I do, I will tell him I am divagating.
I had never heard of "MONTEGO BAY" being a Bobby Bloom hit. When I heard it, it was Beach Boys all the way.
Dennis,
Fess up! You have everyone curious now!
Well, as lois remembers, I was kicked out for eating brownies...
Lois, underprepared.
g8rmomx2, aren't you glad you asked?
CC:
Did you sleep at the haunted house last night?
No, last summer. Saw orbs and heard weird things, photographed eerie things too. Slept like a rock though in the John Morse room. Lizzie didn't do it but was in on it as was the maid and her uncle John.
What are the symptoms/causes of pscyhosomatic disorders?
No physical cause - symptoms can be anything -range from aches and pains to paralysis.
Do your students exhibit them often? esp around test time.
Morning C.C., D.F's, and all, Weird little puzzle! I liked the theme, once I figured it out.
Speaking of 1D Soma, wasn't that word used in Aldos Huxley's "Brave New World"? I think if was "medication" to keep everyone "in line". It's been many years since I read that book, but it sounds so familiar. One of you must know.
New words: Paten, Divagate, Octuplet
35A Iller....I have never heard it used. "Boy, I was iller than I have ever been!" Somehow that does not sound right at all, except maybe for certain geographical areas.
Zippergate: Now there's a "entry-way" that sounds like fun!!
Must leave for a bike ride, back later! Happy Hump Day.
Drdad, I've always been partial to the Sooners, but Nebraska has the best "Fight Song" ever!
clear ayes, you're right - it's one of the best in all of sports.
Lois,
Do you have an answer for that one?
Dennis,
Nice way to pass the buck!
Dennis: I do remember. How could I forget? It was quite a long time ago tho'. I learned all about 'cookies'. Up until then, I had just sold them.
g8rmomx2, in the interest of clarification, brownies are the female counterparts of cub scouts.
@c.c.: i was merely suggesting an accompaniment to dennis's beef. traditionally the woman brings the seafood.
CC,
Thanks for the info.
mark - Buenos Aires
One mistake - owled instead of ogled, hence awave - completely stupid!
I remember as a boy of nine working as a delivery boy for a butcher who sent me to another butcher for a pound of elbow grease being naive, I couldnt understand the laughter.
I wrote before that I thought hautboy was an item of furniture. I now understand where it came from - My mother referred to the wardrobe as a tallboy - haut/tall its amazing where the mind dregs these ideas from.
have a grand day everybody
Montego Bay was never recorded by The Beach Boys. You may be confused with their release of Kokomo. Montego Bay was out in the early and was covered several times by others, but never by the Beach Boys.
I've never tried this so If this doesn't work, it's my husbands fault.
Montego Bay
I knew Montego Bay from a wonderful folk song by a Canadian, Stan Rogers. It is a rollicking sea story of sailing from England to Montego Bay "pumping like madmen all the way."
There was a gold rush in related to Pike's Peak, later called the Colorado gold rush in 1858-1860. By googling "pike's peak gold", I found a delightful story of that time. It was the first link using Internet Explorer. One of the women on the trip, a fierce women's rights advocate, nearly destroyed the atmosphere by insisting on wearing her bloomers. How times change.
When I was 16, we drove up Pike's peak and my dad let me drive the last mile. It was a beautiful adventure.
I had never heard of piker, but kind of like it and will add it to my vocabulary. Also had trouble with melanges, but thanks to Kittyb I remembered legato. I thought iller was a lame answer and sounds like bad grammar to me. I have had an ingrown hair but never heard it as ingrowth.
Had a wonderful night on the deck with Drdad, boy can he put them back!
Dennis, I grew up in the Methodist church and it was pretty liberal. Just what did you do you naughty boy?
Well, enjoy this peaceful day by having a rootbeer float and wiggling your toes!
xchefwalt, have you ever heard of spicy basil? I planted it by mistake and it has taken off like gangbusters and I am not sure what to do with it. Pesto?
Dennis' beef needs accompaniment? Who would've thought?
C.c. et al. I dug around google for info on Matins. Historically, the day was divided into various hours of prayer. As some of these times will appear in a puzzle sometime, I thought I'd post them for your consideration.
Vigils: Night prayer
Matins: Sunrise prayer (note the spelling)
Lauds: Also at sunrise
Prime: first hour (6:00 am)
Terce: third hour (9:00 am)
Sext: 6th hour (12:00 noon)
None: 9th hour (3:00 pm )
Vespers: Sunset
Compline: (just before bed)
Hope you find some of these in your puzzles.
Ken: I love Colorado. When I was little, we drove up Pike's Peak too. I learned a major life lesson....that there can be snow on top and still be hot at the base. And dang if it ain't so even to this day! I still enjoy driving up Pike's peak.
sext: 12:00, do you think that is where the term "nooner" came from?
Good morning everyone! DIVAGATE was new, also did not know the Fugard play, didn't care for "More poorly" as a clue and ILLER as an answer, and like the clue for 38A.
Cheers!
snow on top and hot at the base could refer to more than just mountains
I liked this puzzle A LOT! For one thing, the grid is very pretty; also it allows for longer words (not just scads of 3 letter ones), which is a nice change.
I didn't use Mr G but I had to look up hautboy in the dictionary - never heard of that, but what a great word, almost as fun to say as OBOE.
And DIVAGATE is not in my Oxford American (though it's the small, paperback version). Fun word. (clear ayes - we always say we're taking the "scenic route"!)
I always thought a PIKER was a cheater or just a scoundrel, but now I know better.
I live not far from CAYUGA LAKE (one of the Finger Lakes), but we moved here recently, so that's my excuse for not getting it until I had quite a few of the letters from the crosses. Oh well.
Have a great day!
P.S. Loving the conversations on the site these days - very high minded (no offense to the DFs), and I'm learning a lot - such interesting people lurking here, with such diverse interests. Nice to hang with you all. Thanks especially to c.c. for bringing us together.
Melissa,
Surf & Turf: That has to be an American tradition. I don't like mixing meat with seafood. I like stir-frying beef with fresh pineapple & apricots, with a little bit hot red pepper. It tastes so good, the beef is very firm, sweet and juicy.
melissa bee - some people on the plains (especially hick Nebraskans) call it (stupidly) "beef and reef." Glad I moved to New England to learn the right terminology.
c.c., you have no idea what you've just done to the sirens...
One more note, prompted by Bill saying that DIVAGATE is the opposite of NAVIGATE - the online dictionary says that DIVAGATE is from the same root as "digress" (Latin "di" = apart) and is pronounced with the same long "i" sound (I had assumed it was a short "i"), so that helps me (and hopefully others).
cyninwaco: You are so right about Montego Bay. I believe there is a line in Beach Boys "Kokomo" that refers to Montego. so off I went, DIVAGATING on the wrong tangent. I guess I never really have heard "Montego Bay" (until now).
Wasn't "MELANGE" aka Spice, the drug that was so central to Frank Herbert's "Dune" books? It's interesting that it turned up, although plurally, in the same puzzle as "Brave New World's" "SOMA"
We are expecting a second-cousin visitor from Sweden this afternoon, so I may be deprived of your company for a few days. I have close, and far, relatives in Sweden, and G.A.H. and I have been there several times. Some of them have also visited with us before. Lucky for us, they all speak excellent English. So often we Americans do not have a second language. c.c., Thomas, Martin, etal, you are so fortunate to have multiple language skills.
It will be the first visit for this cousin. We'll be taking her to some Gold Rush towns and wine tasting (of course). Yosemite isn't an option this time. It is still smoky there, and strangely, very crowded.
I hope to check the goings-on here if I can. Have fun.
drdad: well put! That's why it was a major life lesson for me. I'm aiming at Mt. Everest soon. But I think I'll just stay at the base this time and enjoy the party.
Cokato: You live in a small MN town where daylight sex is probably a no no? chuckle (I lived in MN for many years).
Lois: On that same trip in '56, my dad told me, about 9 pm, that he was tired (Mom never learned)and I'd have to drive from Alamosa to Durango that night. It was pouring rain and the road, Wolf Creek Pass, was packed with trucks. Even tho' I'd driven since I was 12, listening to my parents, the dog and even the parakeet snoring, it was a spooky trip. I've told that story to those who know that road. All agreed that if my dad knew the road, he'd never have let me drive. In 2006, I drove it in daylight. It is a beautiful 3 hour drive in DAYLIGHT! Also rode the narrow guage from Durango to Silverton. Great trip!
Hi CC and all,
I had several missteps along the way on my first pass through today's puzzle. Apparently, some were the same many of you had.
I put CAN in for 8D (as in half of can can), IDLER for 32A (thought malinger was the same as loiter), MISER for 39A (like others I've never heard PIKER used in that sense), ATON for 51A, LIFETIME for 36D.
Of course, ATON gave me ABANED for 41D and I knew that wasn't right. Eventually got the others straightened out as well.
I agree with ILLER being a stretch. Don't much like INGROWTH either.
And DIVAGATE? Well, let's just say I have a new word in my vocabulary!
Ciao!
Dennis, one more quick note. RE: c.c., you have no idea what you've just done to the sirens...
Watch out! You may have to explain to c.c. which comment you are referring to and what it means. I think I'll get busy getting ready for our guest now. Like I said, have fun.
Ken, I can't speak for all the Minnesotans, but I have partaken in several nooners.
C.C. your recipe sounds delish! I can't pass by sweet, firm and juicy beef!
Cokato, remember, a morner is just a little sooner than a nooner!!
Speaking of beef - Remember this?
Clara Peller
CC:
"I like stir-frying beef with fresh pineapple & apricots, with a little bit hot red pepper. It tastes so good, the beef is very firm, sweet and juicy."
Me too,CC! That's how I like my meat...a little spicy and a lot hot- always firm, sweet, and juicy! Stir-frying is my favorite way of meat preparation...roll and stir, toss and turn it 'til it just melts in my mouth.
There Dennis, we didn't disappoint. You didn't expect us to did you??
cokato, the women on here never disappoint. Simply amazing group; I'm just glad I get to play.
I was always fond of afternoon delight
When it's right it's right why wait until the middle of the cold dark night...sky rocket's in flight!
Thanks, Jeanne. I can state that this quilt was made in Illinois by a German-Scots-Irish-English-French mutt. I loved visiting Lancaster County, years ago. Quilts everywhere! (Do I dare mention the town of Intercourse???)
Several years ago someone sent cut patchwork to Asian sweatshops to recreate quilts to be sold for $79.95 in the US. Unfortunately, for them, they duplicated a quilt that is on display at the Smithsonian, and the museum took action. They had to reclaim all the quilts and hand them over (they were given to the needy for free), and they had to pay huge fines. It pays to ask where the quilt was made for a number of reasons. The same situation has occurred when a designer's patterns have been used without permission.
Argyle, is it possible to toggle back and forth between master and regular skill levels on the on-line puzzle? Or, did you start the puzzle over again?
C.C., do you know what time the puzzle becomes available on-line? Could clear ayes work on it at 10:00 at night?? Roughly what time do you post your answers?
Mark, I make that same "tall" vs "haut" error when I read because my eyes don't supply the French accent. If you were to hear it pronounced, the clue would have been clear, I bet.
Cokato, I'm glad to have helped. *S*
clear ayes--take your svensk kusin to columbia for some gold panning...great fun! piker was definitely a new word for me...the rest went fairly quickly...weird how english has taken french hautbois and turned it into hautboy...and haut (high) does make you think of the piece of furniture called highboy...
when i'm in calif the online puzzle is usually accessible by 11 pm but it is not reliable...
And to continue cokato's thread - is there a better way to greet the day?
Ken: all I can say is that your father had a lot of faith in you. The hairpin turns, no guard rail, steep cliffs were terrifying. I remember crossing the Great Divide or the Continental Divide up there somewhere and was never so scared in all my life...but Beautiful!!! We spent a lot of our summers up there in the cool air to escape the OK heat.
Carol: "a morner is just a little sooner than a nooner!!"
I'm sure you meant 'earlier' rather than 'sooner' b/c a 'sooner' (little or not) can come any time of day or night. Those sooners are just born ready!
Dennis, I like to "rise and shine"
Well, I always rise with a good shine.
kittyb, an interesting question, and the answer is...yes. I just checked it out and was able to toggle to regular and highlight my incorrect letters, correct them and then toggle back to expert, enter more incorrect letters and it didn't tell me.
drdad: RE: Clara Peller
She was soooo adorable! I have often wondered myself how there can be great buns but so little beef! The Big Mac seemed to have fixed that little problem by adding two all beef patties and that special sauce. Quantity made up for the loss in quality and was filling and satisfying in the end. That sauce is tasty...IMHO.
Lois, don't get me started, you know how I feel about the whopper. Remember, it takes two hands to handle a whopper.
cokato-not to mention that you can have them your way!!
Bill this one is for you...
& probably a large majority of the DF's (self included)...Remember
Lois, I am at a loss (really). What do YOU mean by "sooner"? I used it the way I did (meaning earlier in the day)because it rhymes with "nooner":)I await (breathlessly) your explanation.
Cokato, re the Whopper, sometimes all it takes to "handle" it are two great buns!
Razzberry, thanks so much for the great clip and a hearty laugh!! I can so relate!
Razz, cute clip. I've been meaning to fix that bathroom sink fpr two days now......
Carol, a Sooner is from OK, one of Lois' compatriots.
11:03 today I had trouble with SPRANG (wanted SPRUNG) and DIVAGATE (never heard or seen before).
I also hate ILLER, though I've seen it before in xwords. It's a totally LAME word, IMHO.
Hope the sirens enjoy any HEFTY TOTEMs that may come their way today.
crockett, more appropriately, one of lois' victims, rather than compatriots.
Crockett, thanks for the sooner explanation, and once I heard it, I realized what Lois meant.
Lois,sorry kiddo, I really forgot that "Sooner" thing, why are you "victims",er compatriots called that?
Do they get to the dance too soon?
Razz...at least I think it was Razz (Short Term Memory loss): that is sooo cute...and sooo true! I have to check my ID frequently just to remember who I am. And I have to call myself to find my cell phone and then by the time I run around and find it, I forgot that it was me calling and answer the damn thing. I play tricks on myself all the time just to have fun at my own expense w/the STM loss, like put money and notes to myself in purses, pants pockets, coat pockets. I left a note once that said, "Remember to " and about drove myself crazy trying to remember what it was I didn't finish writing. I love growing older. Still working on growing up though.
Carol: It's the OU Sooners...and are famous for coming sooner -even before morners and way before nooners...gotta 'get up' real early
'cause we're ready for the 'rush' -(the land rush of 1889?, when some jumped the line.) And they just kept coming! We're just born ready! You'd make a good Sooner, breathless like that. We do go all out!
Cokato & drdad: you do have good points...2 hands and having it your way. And the whoppers are grilled...healthier w/that flame broiled taste. BUT, the Big Mac also requires two hands and has that special sauce, which is delicious and 'comes' with it. It's a no lose situation either way - all enjoyable w/or w/o the special sauce, but it just seems more complete and satisfying with it. Geeze, I'm hungry! Hey, Mac, come over here!
Embien, I rather liked the "cutie" holding that hefty fish, he could bring his totem to my tent anytime.
Carol: no kidding! Wonder if he'd answer to 'Mac'!
Embien: Re sirens and totems... well put!!! Very funny.
Dennis: I like to think of my 'victims' as playmates...it's all fun and games and the playgrounds are so varied but all come w/swings and slides.
Lois, they usually answer to most anything at a certain point!
embien: You may remember from your childhood "he sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle and away they all flew like the down of a thistle." ??
Razz, Absoulutly GREAT. LMAO.
Too bad, at our age the dreaded CRS disease sets in!!!!
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 don't get it.
anon, it's 'lox'.
well, there's 100 - time to turn into a pumpkin. You all have a great night; seeya tomorrow.
Bill, what is CRS?
Anonymous @ 6:14pm,
You wrongly put your comment on the August 4 puzzle. I moved it up here. Next time, please click the Comments at the end of each day's entry.
Straightman.... In my case (as a musician it's "Can't Remember Songs" !!!!!
Put nicely it's generally "Can't remember S***"
But then, anyone that close to Canadadada.....Must have already known that!!!!!
Argyle & Bill,
I want comments after #100 to be exclusively for today's crossword!
I'm baaaack. After 27 holes of golf I see the double entendres are flying today.
Got the puzzle thru a fried brain. I don't like "Iller" and got "Divagate" thru the perps. New to me. Started with "Miser but changed quickly to
"Piker" with the "Cayuga Lake" clue. Picker is often used as "Miserly' or just for a "stiff" who won't pay his share. Ingrowth??? K!
Straightman, CRS is Can't Remember s*#t. I suffer from CRAFT - Can't Remember A f*****g Thing.
drdad, Why did you mention
Sheridan, Wyo? I had my first heart attack there in 1981. Fortunately, to me at least, I was in hospital (as they say in England)when it happened.
As you can see from the previous sentence, I, too, speak multiple languages. English, English English, Irish English, Hillbillyese, Southern English (ya'all), Texan (I'm fixen to go.), and some Minnesooooootan.
There's more, but I'm over the 100 spot. Have you ever seen a cork screw?
I must be off.
I live in Omaha NE but I happen to be in Philly looking at Penn and Bryn Mawr so I was doing the crossword. Just thought I'd shed a bit of light on 1D. Soma is the Greek word for body; hence psycho-somatic etc. Having said that I have never heard it used to refer to cells though... so that was awkward.
Nrich,
Thank you for the SOMA information.
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