Theme: Endearments
23A: Make palatable: SUGARCOAT
47A: Weight we hate?: LOVE HANDLES
72A: King novel: PET SEMATARY
97A: Ratel: HONEY BADGER
125A: Tiny dwelling: DOLL HOUSE
14D: Sultan of the Swat: BABE RUTH
16D: 1959 Peck/Kerr movie: BELOVED INFIDEL
52D: Golden parachute: SWEETHEART DEAL
90D: Last letter?: DEAR JOHN
I've never heard of "PET SEMATARY" or "HONEY BADGER". Had no idea that the latter is the most fearless animal on earth. The clue "Ratel" looked like a kind of palm tree to me. I must have mixed it up with "Rattan" or something else.
I loved this puzzle. Very sweet theme and engaging theme answers. I was surprised that there was no DARLING in the grid. Don't you ever call your loved one DARLING at home?
I think I've seen enough RYA (70D: Scandinavian rug) and ERECT (98D: Put up) this week. So annoying! The clue for IRAN (27A: Iraq neighbor) was very jarring too. Why not simply "Turkey neighbor"? I was also stumped by SPEEDUPS (65A: Increases in pace). I thought the clue was asking for a verb phrases, so I kept wanting SPEEDS UP.
Across:
9A: Tree with huge trunk: BAOBAB. It's indeed huge. I've heard of "monkey bread tree". But I did not know that it's called BAOBAB in English.
19A: NASA's ISS partner: ESA (European Space Agency)
20A: City in Provence: ARLES. Van Gogh painted here! This is his "View of ARLES with Irises". Do you like it?
21A: Floating fleet: ARMADA
25A: 2nd best: GRADE B
26A: Pitcher's rubber: SLAB. Ha, new baseball slang to me.
28A: Baudelaire's "Paris __": SPLEEN. The title SPLEEN here refers to "bad temper", not the organ. I've never heard of Charles Baudelaire before. Wikipedia says he also wrote "The Flowers of Evil", and it's "important in the symbolist and modernist. The subject matter of these poems deals with themes relating to decadence and eroticism."
30A: Zeno's birthplace: ELEA. Last time's "Whence Zeno" clue brought hundreds of new visitors to this blog.
33A: Cassia plant: SENNA. Very pretty, in full bloom. Wikipedia says the leaves and flowers of SENNA are used in Thai cooking. I did not know that some of SENNA stems can grow as high as six feet.
35A: Fine porcelain: SPODE. I forgot. Identical clue on another TMS puzzle. SPODE china is named after British potter Josiah SPODE. Good example of EPONYM (29D: Word derived from someone's name).
44A: 1964 A.L. Rookie of the year: OLIVA (Tony). This clue makes me happy. I love Tony OLIVA.
50A: Starter's starter?: ESS. Clever clue.
54A: Segal and Leinsdorf: ERICHS. I got it from down clues. I know neither of them.
69A: Wrongly convicted French soldier of the 1890ss: DREYFUS (Alfred). I googled his name, then I realized that he was the guy in Zola's "J'accuse" letter.
71A: Way of old Rome: ITER
77A: John Tyler's First Lady: LETITIA. I googled again. I did not know her name. I had no idea that John Tyler had a second "First Lady" too (Julia Gardiner Tyler).
79A: Alfonso's queen: ENA. She looks a bit rebellious. Her grandson Juan Carlos is the current king of Spain.
80A: Coastal resident: SEASIDER. Hmmm, this reminds me of the limericks "There once was a man from Nantucket...."
83A: Lge. landmass: CONT. And ISL (121D: Sm. landmass). Oh by the way, I was really in awe of the ISLS clue last Saturday. But later I found out that it was not original. Someone else tried "Christmas or Easter, briefly" for ISL several years ago.
87A: City on the Adige: TRENT. I forgot, yet again. It was just here last Sunday, identical clue. Here is the map. I bet this clue would be different if Senator TRENT Lott were still in the office.
91A: Maltreat: ILL-USE. I've never heard of "ILL-USE" before. Good to learn.
100A: Callaway's "Big" driver: BERTHA. Nice Big BERTHA driver. Callaway also has Big BERTHA iron sets. But why quotation mark for Big?
102A: Broadcast talent org.: AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). Not familiar with this acronym. Were they involved in the writer's strike earlier this year?
103A: Denver concert site: RED ROCKS. New to me. Oh my goodness, gorgeous photo. WP says U2 performed here in June 1983, and their performance was later included in Rolling Stone's list of the "50 Moments that Changed Rock and Roll".
107A: Pollen-bearing organs: ANTHERS. I like the drops of dew on this flower petal. ANTHER is from ANTHOS, Greek for flower.
112A: Old Ford model: LTD. Learned this LTD model from doing Xword. LTD is always "Inc." to me.
113A: Open some: AJAR. I suppose "Open" here is an adjective. But "Open some" does not make any sense to me. What does "some" mean here?
115A: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. New to me. It's defined as "any of various disorders of the nervous system marked by involuntary, jerky movements, especially of the arms, legs, and face, and by incoordination." From Greek chorós, dance, the same root as "chorus". No wonder dictionary says this disorder is also called "Saint Vitus' dance".
120S: Helmut's three: DREI. Eins, zwei, DREI.
128: M. de Balzac: HONORE. Had no idea that Balzac's given name is HONORE. One of my favorite Chinese authors, Fu Lei, was very influenced by Balzac.
131A: Caterwaul: YELL. I did not know the meaning of "caterwaul".
132A: Caught red-handed: NAILED. Lois probably wanted the clue to be "Used a hammer".
133A: Virgule: SLASH. I forgot the meaning of "Virgule".
134A: TV's "Science Guy" Bill: NYE. He has become a stalwart in our puzzle.
Down:
1D: Put up a fight: RESIST. I would add some romantism and clue RESIST as "Withstand the lure of".
2D: Loan shark: USURER
3D: 1998 Olympics city: NAGANO. Can never remember the English name for this city. Only knew its Chinese name 長野市.
9D: Author of "National Velvet": BAGNOLD (Enid). Good to see her surname being the answer.
11D: Tumor: suff.: OMA. Ha, I actually remember this OMA.
13D: Ms. Rogers St. Johns: ADELA. Her autobiography is named " The Honeycomb". Could be a good theme entry too.
17D: Almost a ringer: LEANER. Horseshoes terms. It's "a thrown horseshoe that leans against the stake." New to me.
18D: Carve relief: EMBOSS
31D: Pretentious performer: ARTISTE. I don't understand the clue. Why "Pretentious"? ARTISTE is just a French word for artist, isn't it?
36D: No-win situation: DILEMMA. Do you like "Catch-22"?
41D: CXII halved: LVI. Roman 56.
51D: Group of seven: SEPTETS. Trio & quartet.
60D: Like horror movie: EERIE. That's how I felt about "The X-Files".
64D: Iceland currency: EYRIR. Did not know this Iceland coin.
74D: International accord: ENTENTE. And PEACE (67D: Dove's desire).
75D: Stone-worker's block: ASHLAR. Had no idea that such kind of block is called ASHLAR.
78D: Windpipe: TRACHEA. The respiratory tube. New to me also.
84D: Workplace safety grp.: OSHA
93D: J. Hancocked?: SGD (Signed).
99D: Popeil company: RONCO. "But wait, there's more!"
100D: In a blunt manner: BALDLY. Did not know that bald also means "blunt".
104D: Supporting pillar: COLUMN
105D: Klown on "The Simpsons": KRUSTY. Another google. Here he is.
106D: Derrick for loading cargo: STEEVE. It's not in my dictionary. I still could not believe this is a real word.
114D: "Aurora" fresco painter Guido: RENI. See this captivating "Aurora", so soft and harmonious in touches. I like the mythological themes in his and Raphael's paintings. Very beautiful & poetic!
116D: Muslim unit of weight: ROTL. I simply forgot. Stared at _ OTL for eons.
C.C.
23A: Make palatable: SUGARCOAT
47A: Weight we hate?: LOVE HANDLES
72A: King novel: PET SEMATARY
97A: Ratel: HONEY BADGER
125A: Tiny dwelling: DOLL HOUSE
14D: Sultan of the Swat: BABE RUTH
16D: 1959 Peck/Kerr movie: BELOVED INFIDEL
52D: Golden parachute: SWEETHEART DEAL
90D: Last letter?: DEAR JOHN
I've never heard of "PET SEMATARY" or "HONEY BADGER". Had no idea that the latter is the most fearless animal on earth. The clue "Ratel" looked like a kind of palm tree to me. I must have mixed it up with "Rattan" or something else.
I loved this puzzle. Very sweet theme and engaging theme answers. I was surprised that there was no DARLING in the grid. Don't you ever call your loved one DARLING at home?
I think I've seen enough RYA (70D: Scandinavian rug) and ERECT (98D: Put up) this week. So annoying! The clue for IRAN (27A: Iraq neighbor) was very jarring too. Why not simply "Turkey neighbor"? I was also stumped by SPEEDUPS (65A: Increases in pace). I thought the clue was asking for a verb phrases, so I kept wanting SPEEDS UP.
Across:
9A: Tree with huge trunk: BAOBAB. It's indeed huge. I've heard of "monkey bread tree". But I did not know that it's called BAOBAB in English.
19A: NASA's ISS partner: ESA (European Space Agency)
20A: City in Provence: ARLES. Van Gogh painted here! This is his "View of ARLES with Irises". Do you like it?
21A: Floating fleet: ARMADA
25A: 2nd best: GRADE B
26A: Pitcher's rubber: SLAB. Ha, new baseball slang to me.
28A: Baudelaire's "Paris __": SPLEEN. The title SPLEEN here refers to "bad temper", not the organ. I've never heard of Charles Baudelaire before. Wikipedia says he also wrote "The Flowers of Evil", and it's "important in the symbolist and modernist. The subject matter of these poems deals with themes relating to decadence and eroticism."
30A: Zeno's birthplace: ELEA. Last time's "Whence Zeno" clue brought hundreds of new visitors to this blog.
33A: Cassia plant: SENNA. Very pretty, in full bloom. Wikipedia says the leaves and flowers of SENNA are used in Thai cooking. I did not know that some of SENNA stems can grow as high as six feet.
35A: Fine porcelain: SPODE. I forgot. Identical clue on another TMS puzzle. SPODE china is named after British potter Josiah SPODE. Good example of EPONYM (29D: Word derived from someone's name).
44A: 1964 A.L. Rookie of the year: OLIVA (Tony). This clue makes me happy. I love Tony OLIVA.
50A: Starter's starter?: ESS. Clever clue.
54A: Segal and Leinsdorf: ERICHS. I got it from down clues. I know neither of them.
69A: Wrongly convicted French soldier of the 1890ss: DREYFUS (Alfred). I googled his name, then I realized that he was the guy in Zola's "J'accuse" letter.
71A: Way of old Rome: ITER
77A: John Tyler's First Lady: LETITIA. I googled again. I did not know her name. I had no idea that John Tyler had a second "First Lady" too (Julia Gardiner Tyler).
79A: Alfonso's queen: ENA. She looks a bit rebellious. Her grandson Juan Carlos is the current king of Spain.
80A: Coastal resident: SEASIDER. Hmmm, this reminds me of the limericks "There once was a man from Nantucket...."
83A: Lge. landmass: CONT. And ISL (121D: Sm. landmass). Oh by the way, I was really in awe of the ISLS clue last Saturday. But later I found out that it was not original. Someone else tried "Christmas or Easter, briefly" for ISL several years ago.
87A: City on the Adige: TRENT. I forgot, yet again. It was just here last Sunday, identical clue. Here is the map. I bet this clue would be different if Senator TRENT Lott were still in the office.
91A: Maltreat: ILL-USE. I've never heard of "ILL-USE" before. Good to learn.
100A: Callaway's "Big" driver: BERTHA. Nice Big BERTHA driver. Callaway also has Big BERTHA iron sets. But why quotation mark for Big?
102A: Broadcast talent org.: AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). Not familiar with this acronym. Were they involved in the writer's strike earlier this year?
103A: Denver concert site: RED ROCKS. New to me. Oh my goodness, gorgeous photo. WP says U2 performed here in June 1983, and their performance was later included in Rolling Stone's list of the "50 Moments that Changed Rock and Roll".
107A: Pollen-bearing organs: ANTHERS. I like the drops of dew on this flower petal. ANTHER is from ANTHOS, Greek for flower.
112A: Old Ford model: LTD. Learned this LTD model from doing Xword. LTD is always "Inc." to me.
113A: Open some: AJAR. I suppose "Open" here is an adjective. But "Open some" does not make any sense to me. What does "some" mean here?
115A: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. New to me. It's defined as "any of various disorders of the nervous system marked by involuntary, jerky movements, especially of the arms, legs, and face, and by incoordination." From Greek chorós, dance, the same root as "chorus". No wonder dictionary says this disorder is also called "Saint Vitus' dance".
120S: Helmut's three: DREI. Eins, zwei, DREI.
128: M. de Balzac: HONORE. Had no idea that Balzac's given name is HONORE. One of my favorite Chinese authors, Fu Lei, was very influenced by Balzac.
131A: Caterwaul: YELL. I did not know the meaning of "caterwaul".
132A: Caught red-handed: NAILED. Lois probably wanted the clue to be "Used a hammer".
133A: Virgule: SLASH. I forgot the meaning of "Virgule".
134A: TV's "Science Guy" Bill: NYE. He has become a stalwart in our puzzle.
Down:
1D: Put up a fight: RESIST. I would add some romantism and clue RESIST as "Withstand the lure of".
2D: Loan shark: USURER
3D: 1998 Olympics city: NAGANO. Can never remember the English name for this city. Only knew its Chinese name 長野市.
9D: Author of "National Velvet": BAGNOLD (Enid). Good to see her surname being the answer.
11D: Tumor: suff.: OMA. Ha, I actually remember this OMA.
13D: Ms. Rogers St. Johns: ADELA. Her autobiography is named " The Honeycomb". Could be a good theme entry too.
17D: Almost a ringer: LEANER. Horseshoes terms. It's "a thrown horseshoe that leans against the stake." New to me.
18D: Carve relief: EMBOSS
31D: Pretentious performer: ARTISTE. I don't understand the clue. Why "Pretentious"? ARTISTE is just a French word for artist, isn't it?
36D: No-win situation: DILEMMA. Do you like "Catch-22"?
41D: CXII halved: LVI. Roman 56.
51D: Group of seven: SEPTETS. Trio & quartet.
60D: Like horror movie: EERIE. That's how I felt about "The X-Files".
64D: Iceland currency: EYRIR. Did not know this Iceland coin.
74D: International accord: ENTENTE. And PEACE (67D: Dove's desire).
75D: Stone-worker's block: ASHLAR. Had no idea that such kind of block is called ASHLAR.
78D: Windpipe: TRACHEA. The respiratory tube. New to me also.
84D: Workplace safety grp.: OSHA
93D: J. Hancocked?: SGD (Signed).
99D: Popeil company: RONCO. "But wait, there's more!"
100D: In a blunt manner: BALDLY. Did not know that bald also means "blunt".
104D: Supporting pillar: COLUMN
105D: Klown on "The Simpsons": KRUSTY. Another google. Here he is.
106D: Derrick for loading cargo: STEEVE. It's not in my dictionary. I still could not believe this is a real word.
114D: "Aurora" fresco painter Guido: RENI. See this captivating "Aurora", so soft and harmonious in touches. I like the mythological themes in his and Raphael's paintings. Very beautiful & poetic!
116D: Muslim unit of weight: ROTL. I simply forgot. Stared at _ OTL for eons.
C.C.
55 comments:
I don't get Sunday puzzle, but here's the quote.
"Now the freaks are on television, the freaks are in the movies. And it's no longer the sideshow, it's the whole show. The colorful circus and the clowns and the elephants, for all intents and purposes, are gone, and we're dealing only with the freaks.”
=Jonathan Winters quote
Yesterday I had a lot of fun. My Navy behavior just couldn't stand being too "prudish" any longer. But I'll try not to be ugly, except for the note to lois...
Sorry the Anonymous doesn't enjoy the fun of this site. Let him have his fun elsewhere. We love you, C.C. and we believe that you are doing a great job by just keeping all these dysfunctionals away from other sites and have fun in this site.
C.C.,
if you think I'm crude, let me know and I'll knock it off.
lois,
I believe that golf is a lot of fun, but try "balling", I mean bowling and knock off the phallic pins at the end of the lane...
My new photo shows the "coquí" frogs in tropical areas. They are smaller than a quarter coin. Can you imagine??? They are beautiful and "sing" a very peculiar noise, which I call music.
We getting here in Puerto Rico the tail of IKE: rain and horrible sounding thunder... We have just been sop lucky to be hit by those horrendous natural destroyers.
cc you must have been up all night to post so early. I checked in about 7 am and your post was already there. I did not read the solution because my paper had not arrived and I did not want to ruin the CW. Now that I have completed the puzzle I am off to see my daughter and granddaughter so I will check in later.
BTW cc let anon's comments yesterday go the way of all the other material that is flushed. We regulars love visiting this site which you have provided.
abrogato in alabama says that we should unite and request a prohibition against abbreviated answers like 83 across, 93 down; and the use of words with --- ( ill-use). I enjoy learning about the unknown clues; but those type clues drive me up the wall. By the way Robert Rurak wrote a book called " The Honey Badger" it is is worth reading. However his best book was " Poor No More"
Good morning CC & DF's: No time for the puzzle today...my dance card is full, but wanted to read the blog. CC: LOL you're so right. 'Use a hammer' is a much better clue for 'nailed'.
Flyingears: If there is a ball involved, I'm all about it. If there are pins involved, I'm all over it. Love to bowl and my favorite part of that activity is nailing turkeys!
I'll check in later. Got a lunch date.
Enjoy your day.
Guten morgen, alles. No Sunday here in the wilds of the NW, but I need my blog fix.
C.C., No SWEETIE? Bummer!
I agree with your take on 65A -- looks like a verb to me.
Is there water stored in that BAOBAB?
I like the Van Gogh, but the sky is a bit off. It should be brighter to account for the white on the church tower.
ENA looks like a lady you wouldn't want to cross.
Of course we all know that bucket rhymes with Nantucket.
You are such a student of crosswords! Your comment on ISL certainly proves that out.
On 112A, "some" means "a wee bit."
Our Leo will caterwaul in the middle of the night and wake us up a couple of times a week. Weird cat.
Enid is a she, not a he.
ARTISTE is French for artist, but it is pretentious to use the French when good old English would do -- usually said with one's nose firmly pointed up.
So stevedores operate the steeves?
Couldn't find STEEVES in the dictionaries I consulted.
Have a great day, everyone.
Tschuss!
C.C.- Your lovely flower photos are getting sexier by the day. They started out dewy and moist. Now we are showing off their anthers, which, by the way, look very tired. The Passion Flower has erect anthers.Next, we will be looking at their pistils!
I don't get the Sunday puzzle, but enjoy reading and increasing my vocab.
Have agreat day
Testing
Good morning c.c. and all.
I finished the puzzle, with help. These are the words I needed to Google: ELEA, ENTENTE, ESA, ENA (an "E" thing going there...), ASHLAR, ROTL, CHOREA, and HONEYBADGER. I also needed help with the spelling of RIYADH. I didn't know EYRIR, or OLIVA, but they came through fills
C.C. I need to go to ARLES to see those iris! While I'm there, I want to walk through the lavender fields, too. I wonder if you can inhale too much lavender? Think how thick the air must be when all the plants bloom.
I might have clued AJAR as "somewhat open," or even "open, abit."
I have never heard SPEEDUPS. I've heard "speeds up." The answer to the clue sounds very odd to me.
"Big Bertha" was a type of howitzer used by the Germans in WWI. "Bertha" was the name of one of the Krupp wives. Apparently, they thought it would be an honor (or possibly a bad joke) to name the gun for her. I wouldn't have gotten this answer if I didn't have some of the fills in place, to give me a starting point for a guess, so those quotation marks helped.
c.c., there's hardly a day that goes by that I get the theme without your help. You make the puzzles really interesting, for us all. Keep up the good work, toots!
Those of you on the east coast, and Puerto Rico....I hope you came through Hannah well yesterday, and can avoid the worst of Ike. Stay safe!
To the rest of the DFs, have a great day!
Good Morning All,
I love the Sunday blog. Happily, C.C. doesn't seem to mind if those of us who don't get the puzzle post anyway. I enjoy checking the links, learning something new everyday, and sharing some of my silliness too.
Coloradans are fortunate people. Not only do they have Red Rocks, but a little to the south is Garden Of The Gods and Pike's Peak. It is a beautiful State. About 30 years ago, I was in Cripple Creek on the 4th of July and it snowed. What fun!
BAOBABS are cited in Antoine de Saint Exupéry's book “The Little Prince”. Ostensibly a children’s book, it is really a commentary about the simple truths in life that people forget as they grow older. “One cannot see well except with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes.” Here’s My copy of babobabs in The Little Prince. It is a charming book and I highly recommend it.
Van Gogh's Irises again. I can't get enough!
When someone who speaks English calls themselves an ARTISTE, rather than an artist, it is considered an affectation.
Kittyb, I laughed at your use of the word "Toots". I'm afraid that only the more experienced (older?) bloggers will know that word. It does go with the "Endearments" theme of today's puzzle. (For C.C., "Toots" is a 1930's and 1940's word for "cutie" or "sweetie". I think it originated with the Tootsie Roll candy.
C.C. My final comment on last night's anon is that if he/she had their way, the blog would consist of your comments (or maybe he didn't like those either) and 1 comment from Barry. I think Barry is is wonderful contributor, but 1 comment doesn't make a blog. AND I don't think Barry will consider it a compliment to be singled out by such a negative person.
c.c., I only know "virgule" in the French meaning of "comma".
Crockett1947, You should be greeting us all with "Guten Morgen alle!" The extra "s" makes the adjective neuter singular, and you want the plural, don't you? I appreciate the effort to use German, and I hope you don't mind my trying to help it be correct.
clear ayes, I don't get this puzzle either, but it looks as if it would be fun to do. Can't resisit checking in on Sundays anyhow. Despite anonymous, it's a fun, educational blog.
Good day c.c., Df’s and all. I am like Clear Ayes, no puzzle for me today, but I can’t stay away, as I love c.c. and everyone else’s comments.
I see that the troll that is 6:24 has gone back under the bridge (where it belongs). Good riddance, coward.
It’s football time- let’s see if Brett Favre can lead my Jets to glory!
Have fun everyone.
Flyingears,
I've always enjoyed your comments since you joined us on June 20, and I've been very pleasantly amused by your latest DF developments. There is no way I am going to ask you to stop the swing when your posture looks so ERECT and statueque! So, go ahead, aim at HOLE and show me how HARD you can hit!
Dick & Kazie & Lois,
I think we've given anonymous too much attention. No more comment and space should be wasted on him/her.
Abrogato,
Ditto your point on CONT & SGD, very arbitrary. I've asked you this question before, but you've never got back to me. Do you get Sunday puzzle only?
Crockett,
V8 moment for my ENID mistake! Do you call Jeante "sweetie" at home? How is she doing? Thanks for "some". The BAOBAB tree does look like a water tank, doesn't it?
Tri tips cooking on the BBQ, so I have some time to check back in.
Xchefwalt, Groovy photo, man! Which one of the dudes are you? It's hard to tell what with all the shades and hair. What was the name of your band?
Why is it that Brett Favre's name is pronounced Far-ve, rather than Fav-re?
JD, I didn't know that there are so many species of Passion flower. It was also news that "The fresh or dried leaves are used to make an infusion, a tea that is used to treat insomnia, hysteria, and epilepsy, and is also valued for its painkilling properties>" Wow, what a valuable plant.
Abrogato, two of Robert Ruark's books that nobody has ever heard of are "Grenadine Etching" and "Grenadine's Spawn". I inherited them from an aunt and have enjoyed them more than once. They are (sort of) parodies of "Gone With The Wind". I'd recommend them, but they are out of print and probably not available.
Buckeye, good luck with your appointment. Don't stay away for long!
JD,
Is that how "Passion Flower" gets its name? What's the differences among stamens, pistils and ANTHERS? In your expert opinion, what really makes a flower beautiful?
KittyB,
SPEEDUPS is legit word though. Thanks for the "Big Bertha". I still cannot believe you are not the David Cook loving Kitty, who used to comment very late every night. She disappeared the same time you appeared.
Clear Ayes,
Very intriguing Peak picture. Can not really tell when the picture is taken. Thank you for the "Toots". I did not know that. Are there any other similar old fashioned endearments that I should know of? What darling word can I say to Dennis so that he can appear?
Xchefwalt,
"Knightshift"? Who created this ambitious name? How LONG did it exist?
O, thank you, thank you, C.C. and DFs!!! I'll try my HARDEST to continue the amusement (as LONG as lois enjoys 'em)... He, he... I'll try to stand ERECT and ready to SHOOT at the HOLE with the correct AIM!!!
Virgule, ratel & steeve were new to me. My dictionary defines steeve as both a verb (to stow cargo) and a noun (the derrick that loads the cargo). Actually knew Babe Ruth & Tony Oliva, not bad for a sports-idiot.
Uffda, it's hailing.
@clear ayes- I’m second from right (with handcuff belt). The picture was taken summer of 1980.
@c.c.- Knightshift was the name of the band (how did you know that?) We first formed (the original three in glasses) in 1975 as Lord Nakor (ROK AND ROL backwards), Jimmy (no glasses) joined in 1977 and we stayed together until 1982. The name came as we were in a pub (Mr. Fadley’s in Patchogue, LI, serving the finest German beer on tap by the liter and half liter) bouncing around names, and as we all had day jobs, we decided we were working the “night shift” as musicians. We added the ‘k’ to make it cool.
Well I am as bad (or good) as the rest of you that do not get this Sunday puzzle but cannot stay away from the comments section:)
I always enjoy reading C.C.'s comments about the puzzle and I always learn several things.(thanks again, C.C.for all your hard work!)
Crockett, how old is Leo?? Sometimes as cats age, their hearing gets worse and they begin to yowl at unexpected times. My cat is 20 years, 5 months and began doing that about a year ago.
On the other hand, maybe he just wants to yank your chain!
Clear Ayes, that Passion flower is just beautiful. I had never seen one before..I wish I had several in my yard. Are they hard to grow? How about temperature tolerance?
If I show up for your BBQ, what kind of wine would you like me to bring? :)
The tri-tips sound sooo good.
Hello, everyone. This is my first post here, although I have been reading it for some time.
Fairly easy puzzle today, but with one major mistake: An EPONYM (29D) is a person for whom something is named, not the thing that is named after the person.
I lived in Evergreen, CO, for 8 years. And Red Rocks is a beautiful setting for concerts. A very good friend and famous tenor, Richard Leech, came to sing. So I could warn him to get to the area early because the altitude made breathing difficult for many, especially singers. It's higher than Denver, and Evergreen is 7200 feet.
I moved to Naples,FL, so I would never again have to chip ice out of the driveway – even in July. But we do have to dodge hurricanes. Looks like Ike will bypass us, thank heavens.
Here you go, c.c., my darling.
Edited by Linda and Charles Preston
Theme: Travel Section
23A: Vegetable: SWISS CHARD
25A: Floor covering: PERSIAN RUG
67A: Colossal canine: GREAT DANE
113A: European religious symbol: GREEK CROSS
117A: North American capital: MEXICO CITY
3D: Fine fabric: IRISH LINEN
16D: Northern tree: NORWAY PINE
48D: Slavic people: CROATIANS
71D: Oriental tree: CHINESE ELM
77D: Make Roman: ITALIANIZE
I didn't care for the switching from a country, i.e. Norway, to a people, i.e. Swiss.
Did you find the earings I found for you last night (8:33 PM) or did Lois lift them?
Dear Husband returned from the boat earlier than usual today, to chop down a branch of a tree that was damaged in a recent storm, and I had the pleasure of his company at lunch.
I was telling him about my dysfunctional family, and today's puzzle. I told him the first person to post this morning was "flyingears," and that I had trouble understanding his nickname until he said he was an ENT in the Navy, and and he flew. Dear Husband was quiet for a moment, and then said......"Dumbo?"
My apologies, flyingears, no disrespect meant. DH is very literal.
I went on to tell him about "OMA," a word for bad things. I explained that it was an ending for cancers, such as melanoma and lymphoma. His response to that was...."Oklahoma?"
Any comments, Lois? Do you suppose the size of ears relates to "other" body parts? (Like flyingears, trying not to be crude.)
This was a fun puzzle and not too difficult. I completed it with only 2 red squares: the A and R in ASHLAR. I could have gotten my errors down to 1 if I had known how to spell the title of Stephen King's book. Never having read any of his books, I though the name of this one was Pet Cemetery!
Someday I hope to be able to remember Zeno's birthplace ELEA. It has appeared in so many puzzles that I should be able to!
I struggled with a few clues, persistin in trying to think of a musician known as the "Sultan of Swat" even though I am very familiar with Babe Ruth. And finally I realized that "make sound" did not refer to noise!
Here is a video of someone with CHOLEA.
Like Kazie I only knew VIRGULE as the French word for comma. It is certainly not a commonly used word in English.
Ulan UDE. Ulan Bator. Does "Ulan" means something in Mongolian?
cc: Increases in the phrase "increases in speed" can be either a noun or a verb, depending on how it is used in a sentence. Examples: As a noun-Increases in speed helped traffic flow better. As a verb-When coming out of a turn, he increases his speed. The cleverness of this clue is that it was unclear whether it was a noun or verb, and the most common assumption would be that it is a verb.
I am glad that you explained the title of Baudelaire's "Paris SPLEEN". I got this answer from the crosses but could not imagine a Baudelaire writing a book about in internal organ!
"Catch-22" was a favorite book of mine when it came out. I do not think Joseph Heller wrote anything else of note, but one great book is better than dozens of mediocre ones! And the book is infinitely better than the movie.
The clue "almost a ringer" mislead me at first. I thought it referred to someone that was almost a duplicate (ringer) of someone else. In this sense the term often used is dead-ringer.
"Open some" means slightly open. Q: When is a door not a door? A: When it is AJAR!
Erich Segal is probably best known for his book "Love Story" which I wept through as a young adult. The tagline from this book is "love means never having to say you're sorry." What hogwash!
c.c.
lois would enjoy that PASSION flower a lot!!! She should visit Passion Flower Images by EROTIC CENTER, I mean Erowid Center... http://www.erowid.org/plants/passionflower/passionflower_images.shtml
The new photo is the passiflora alata flower from the link...
Bea,
What dictionary did you consult for STEEVE?
Flyingears,
Why for Lois alone? Why focused on one HOLE? What about Carol and other sirens?
Xchefwalt,
Because I overheard such a band name when I was 4 years old. Surprised?
Clear Ayes, thanks for the explanation of "toots" for C.C. My dad, who lived from 1914 to 1985 used that term when he spoke to the women of his family. He also called Mother "squirrel." It fits. She's just a bit nutty.
Dan, welcome to the group. I've been using "eponymous" incorrectly all these years, it seems. How embarrassing! Another phrase I used to use wrong was 'hoi polloi."
sallie, I'm glad that Ike may by-pass you. Our forecasters say that it's aimed at Texas, but won't be there for about four or five days.
I missed something. Has buckeye gone off to Nantucket? I better go read the last of yesterday's mail.
c.c, it's very odd that one 'kitty' disappeared as another arrived to your blog. I can promise that I wasn't the nighttime poster. Dear husband rises at 4:30 in the morning. I get up at 5:00. I've learned the hard way that you need to be in bed by 9:00 p.m. to keep those hours. Perhaps she will make another appearance. I'd love to read what she had to say.
Looks like Farve is doing well.
I must be going.
Argyle, Santa Dearest,
Stephen King novel is "PET SEMATARY". I adored the PERSE Earrings. I just had no idea that they were intended for me. How did you know that I love dangling earrings? Oh, by the way, I was/am confused about your line of thinking. How did you segue from "intrinsically" to such a DEEP blue color?
As for your puzzle, besides 67A (Dane is at back), 16D (Norway is a country, as you rightly pointed out), both 48D and 77D should definitely be discarded, Their one word theme answers do not fit other theme patterns. How do you think about DUTCH OVEN & FRENCH TOAST? Who is the constructor's name? Are you happy with the theme title? I don't like it.
Dan, thank you for the distinction regarding EPONYM.
So, Huntington's Disease, aka Huntington's CHOREA is an eponymous term since it was named after the doctor who first described it. Dr. Huntington is the EPONYM.
Huntington's is debilitating genetically linked illness that usually doesn't appear until a person reaches his 40's or 40's. There is a genetic test, but many people choose not to have it, preferring not to know if they will become ill as they age. Folksinger Woody Guthrie died from the disease at age 55.
Carol, I just linked the photo of the Passion flower. I know very little about plants and flowers. JD is the flower expert today. I'm kind of partial to Cabernet Sauvignon with tri-tip, so come on over and we'll tip a few glasses.
BTW JD, very cute photo.
Xchefwalt, love the band, love the name, love the belt. Ain't youth grand?
C.C. I came across this site list of endearments. Some of the words have "Caution" to the right of the word because they are a little (or a lot) explicit. I'd be careful before using them.
Doesitinink, right again. Love means having to say you're sorry practically every day!
I also enjoyed "Catch-22" in book form. The movie was just so-so.
Kittyb, Dear Husband's comments...Very funny!
Dan,
Thank you for leaving a comment. I don't think you are entirely correct on EPONYM. See here, definition #2.
Doesitinink,
Yes, ULAN means "red" in Mongolian language. Your "Catch 22" remark reminds me Harper Lee. I liked "Love Story", but I had no idea that it was written by this ERICH.
KittyB,
Kitty used to comment on David Cook, baseball/horse racing steroid, etc. Your husband sounds like a great guy.
Clear Ayes,
So I can not shout "Main Squeeze" to Dennis to coax him out of his dock? According to the list, it's for female only.
C.C. and Clear Ayes, thanks for your comments on Dear Husband. He IS a great guy, one of those keepers. He doesn't have a lot to say, but it's usually worth listening when he decides to talk.
On the other hand...we've learned to never say, "What?" when we don't understand what he's said. It opens the door to horrible puns. When he's at his worst, I cheerfully wave goodbye to him as he goes off to sail. *G*
Kibby b, I can sympathize with your hours! For many years I had to be up at 5:00 each morning..so early bedtimes were a must. Of course, when I was much younger we did go out sometimes during the week and party until midnight, but in those days, I could actually get up and function the next day.
Sounds like your "dear Hubby" has a great sense of humor :). So does Joe, which is why we are still married after almost 38 years (Nov 1). He always makes me laugh!!
Jd, Clear Ayes said to ask you about the Passion flower. Guess I could look it up too, right???
Also, your picture is really CUTE!
Flyingears (aka: budding D.F.)Love those little frogs!! We have small ones here too, but they are not colorful...they do make a pleasing noise at evening time in late summer/early fall. We call them Peepers but I imagine in other parts of the Country they have different names.
Just a note on something kind of silly but cute: As Joe and I were leaving for our bike ride, we saw a little squirrel sitting on our front porch demolishing a green walnut as fast as his little jaws could go..he was "peeling" the green husk away from the center under-ripe nut, and filling the porch area around him with the "leavings"..Joe said "how rude!" but we were laughing!
C.C., my little chickadee, you always show us dangling earrings that you've liked.
There was no segue involved. I hadn't realized it was per se and not perse so when I looked up perse on Dictionary.com it said, "adjective: of a very deep shade of blue or purple. [Origin: 1325–75; ME pers < ML persus, perh. var. of perseus kind of blue, itself alter. of L Persicus Persian]
Dictionary.com also has steeve.
C.C., babycakes, our Sunday puzzle never has a consructor's name, so I assume it is the Prestons. I like your answers, then the theme could have been, like, "People of the World".
Blogger Clear Ayes said...
C.C. LOL, I don't doubt "Main Squeeze" would get Dennis' (I still think it should be s') attention.
"Puddlepooper" and "Schnooky lumps" just sound weird, and I've never heard "charlatan" used as an endearment.
"Pumpkin", "Doodle-bug", "Ducky", "Lambie-Pie", "Pookie" and "Puddin'" are all sweet endearments.
RE: Harper Lee, "To Kill A Mockingbird" is a masterpiece of American writing. I wonder why she didn't write more? Did you see the movie "Capote"? Lee was a very good friend of Truman Capote. She accompanied him on his visits to Kansas when he was researching "In Cold Blood" (another amazing book!).
@kazie Thank you very much for the correction. Going to Germany/Austria/Slovenia/Italy in less than 4 wee4ks and am trying to learn ein bischen deutsch! Danke schoen.
@C.C. Yes, "Sweetie" is the endearment I use mostly for Jeanette. We always sign off our telephone calls and e-mails with "CYK" which stands for "Consider Yourself Kissed." And I've been sending her flowers (or delivering them myself)on the first working Monday of every month for 5 or 6 years. The hubbies of the other women in the office all hate me for doing that, LOL! Guess I'm just a Romantic at heart. She is somewhat sore, but seems to be healing well. Her first follow-up is Wednesday, so we'll get an official verdict then.
@bea Hail, hail, the gang's all here! Seriously, hope it's not large enough to do damage.
@carol Compared to your cat, he's a youngster -- about 14.
@clear ayes I watched "Capote" this summer. He was a fairly whacked out dude, IMHO.
C.C.,
He, he... Good observation, especially if I like golf!!! I'll be more focused... And, I know golfers look at opportunities for 18 HOLES...
Argyle,
Dennis who??? You are my "Main Squeeze"! I found STEEVE, but not PERSE at Dictionary.com. It's so observant of you to notice my fondness for dangling earrings. I like your theme title.
Clear Ayes,
Is "Darling" not a popular endearment here in the US? Yes, I did see "Capote" and was surprised by the close relationship between those two.
Crockett,
Wow! Flowers! Do you cook for her also? Jeanette is one lucky woman! Nice baby picture. You look so happy and content.
JD,
"Dennis... better be careful about standing erect in your front yard when Ike blows in/on/whereever. They are calling it a buzzsaw."
What does "buzzsaw" mean here?
Dennis,
Where have you been? Still doing the research on the depth of golf hole? What is the result then?
@C.C. Yes, you bet I'm the cook. I also do the grocery shopping, take care of the cars, but have zip to do with the yard work if I can help it. I have been known to mow on occasion, but only once or twice a year! She enjoys the mushy cards that come with the flowers about as much as she enjoys the posies!
Argyle: Those earrings are some kind of pretty for sure, but tempting as those are, my fingers prefer to 'lift' other dangly things. I have the perfect outfit for them, however. I may have to reconsider my preferences. Nah, I'd probably lose one. I'll stick w/the other dangly things.
Flyingears: I put that site on my favorites list...thank you. That newest flower, passiflora alata, sets me on fire! It is erotic! Passion flower is a great name for it. Thank God it's only a picture! Crockett has the right idea for flowers every month to Jeanette. That would guarantee special benefits to my 'main squeeze'. That's a hole in one, for sure!
kittyb: Dear husband is hysterical! Love his humor! As far as size of ears relating to the size of other body parts goes, (unless it's a myth) I've heard that ears grow all our lives. I could only wish that ear/part size relationship were true. Flyingears would know for sure.
C.C. I think "Darling" is reserved for a romantic relationship. Hungarian actress ZsaZsa Gabor used to call everybody, "Daaaahling", but I don't think that counts.
"Darlin'", on the other hand, can be used for friends, neighbors, children AND sweethearts.
I tried to find Bonnie Raitt's version of this song. As far as I'm concerned she's the best at anything she sings. But, You Tube couldn't come up with her version. Next best is Johnny Reid's Darlin'.
Crockett, it sounds like you and Jeanette have it worked out very well. Having a romantic husband who can cook is an excellent fringe benefit. My husband doesn't cook, but he does clean bathrooms, vacuums and mops floors. Can't have everything I guess.
I loved your baby photo....just relaxing and taking it easy. Don't you love the diapers our mothers had to put us in? My nickname when I was a baby was "Droopy" because of the usual position of my diaper.
crockett1947, you're welcome. I know you'll have a great trip. If you have access to any foreign movies, there are some good German ones worth trying that might help with the language too.
Have you seen "Run Lola Run","Marx and Coca Cola", "Goodbye Lenin", or "Beyond Silence"? Watching while listening to the dialogue with the subtitles to help is good for the listening comprehension skills.
Gute Reise! (sounds better than Gute Fahrt! to an English speaker)
c.c., "dennis who?"??? I'm history already?? Oh well, on to bigger and better things for you.
Hanna blew a lot and was quite wet, but she ran out of steam pretty quickly unlike, I'm sure, our siren community.
And c.c., my research is ongoing; no end in sight.
Crockett, what a guy!! You rate up there with Joe...he does all the vacuuming, lawn mowing, cars,gutters,etc. He used to do all the grocery shopping too. Since I could retire early, I had to learn how to grocery shop and have been stuck with it ever since. :) I love to play housewife now and would not go back to work if "they paid me" :)
Batten down the hatches for Ike! Is it really going to be a "cat" 4 as it gets into the gulf?
Lois, our noses grow all our live too, so I have "heard"(ears too)! It does not present a good picture does it???
I know that certain of our body parts seem to descend with age, good thing we all wear clothes isn't it? Maybe those laws are on the books for a reason!
'Course if you've ever been to a "Sam's Club" or "Costco" on a summer's day, sometimes clothes don't cover all.
Dennis, I am sure we "girls" can huff and puff and blow you down with the best of 'em. Hanna ain't got nothin' on us! Now Ike might just be a whole new "ball" game!
CC: I found steeve in Webster's II New College Dictionary, 1995.
Crockett1947 (if you were born in 1947, you are the same age as my husband, a retired teacher): the hail didn't amount to much, it just surprised me. We get hail in this neck of the woods, my first thought is always with the crops. A hailstorm can be devastating to young crops, or standing wheat, etc. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl!
@bea Same age, same status
@carol Sounds like Joe is a good guy as well. What a beautiful day for a bike ride. I see we topped out at 87 today.
Clear Ayes: that list of endearments has 'kitten' listed with a caution. Any idea why? Some words I never heard before, like winky-dink? 'Stud muffin' is missing but 'muffin' F is there. Interesting list.
Dennis: I'm glad Hanna didn't blow ya too hard or get ya too wet. She'd never make a good DF.
Carol: I think that's why it is Father Time...fewer and less obvious things to sag. He is not my friend.
I finally went back to read the night owl's comments on Saturday's blog.
Buckeye, I hope that your coroner gives you a clean bill of health. Don't let him practice any of that mental hygiene stuff on you...we want you just the way you are.
Break a leg, hon!
C.C.- I'm no flower expert, but years ago I had my class dissect and label them. We were amazed when we took apart each flower (all different kinds) that they all had the same reproductive organs. I only mentioned Passion flowers because my fence is covered with them. They are exotic looking. Seems that back in the 1500's the missionaries thought the features of this flower symbolized the crucifixion, and they called it Passiflora incarnata.I grow it because it attracts butterflies, and grows quickly.
The pistil is the seed bearing part of the flower and has an ovary,stigma and style, the stalk-like part.The stamens have the little pollen sacs,which are the anthers on the tips of them. I'd rather be drawing and labeling while I explain.
All flowers are beautiful for different reasons, maybe the color, the size,or symmetry; absolute perfection.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
O.K. Lois, I found something in Persian blue that's very nice, although I'm blushing while I'm typing this. Maybe it should be wrapped in this.
Sorry I'm so late, but every Sunday my family comes for dinner. Clear ayes, we had tri tips too, as it's too hot to cook inside.
Thanks for posting the Passion flower picture, as you know I can't do the links yet.Seeing the babobabs in The Little Prince brought back great memories. My sister, who passed away a few years ago, was an actress and read that book to us when we were kids.
Carol: a hard frost will kill the greenery on the Passion flower vine, but with the spring sunshine, it comes back to life.I am in awe of your cat's age.My "Parsley"(I did not name him) is 15, and talks to us a lot more than he ever did in his younger years.Of course having a racoon come in thru his cat door has left him a bit neurotic.
C.C.: It's nothing to kid about now because this may be a huge storm.That wind could become so strong it will be damaging ANY erect objects in its path.Button up the hatch Dennis.
and you too Sallie. Isn't Naples a likely target? My Bob grew up there; that was when all your white pristine beaches were lined with beautiful shells.He collected alligators, not shells.He says he could make them sleep by rubbing their tummies.
I feel silly writing tonight as no one is going to read this, but if you do, have a great Monday.
@argyle Oh, come on now -- it's just cloth that's been sewn together in a totally alluring form!
@jd There's still a left coaster or two up and about -- but not for long, LOL!
C. C. said...
87A: City on the Adige: TRENT. I forgot, yet again. It was just here last Sunday, identical clue. Here is the map. I bet this clue would be different if Senator TRENT Lott were still in the office.
C. C.,
I get the Star Tribune C/W in my Monday thru Saturday paper, then on Sunday we get The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post Magazine C/W's (both edited by Will Shortz, today). I used to never do either of these. Since finding your blog recently, I have been inspired to start doing the NY Times Puzzle on Sundays.
Today:
54D clue=Sen. Lott/answer=Trent.
Today's Rhymes with Orange comic is SOOO apropos to your blog. "repartee of the crossword" That would make a great subtitle to the name of your blog. I can just picture some of the DF's here and their spouses sitting at that breakfast table. LOL
My mother has always done C/W's and I can remember her asking me for answers and my asking her "how many letters" and "what letters do you already have". She does Sudoku's now also, as do I. But when she visits and is doing a C/W, she still asks me for help on some answers.
I just found this comic very f_n_y.
Whoops, site already changed to Mon., 9/8 comic. Change date to September 7th, then click on "view comic".
Argyle: You are sooo funny! LMAO
I LOVE both of those garments... blue is my color! Don't have the sari in my wardrobe...yet. Will look into it, and when I do, somebody else can look into it.
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