Theme: Location, Location, Location
17A: College, maybe: HIGHER EDUCATION
39A: Empty-nester's weight problem: MIDDLE AGE SPREAD
62A: Alaska not included: LOWER FORTY- EIGHT
I've never heard of "MIDDLE SPREAD". Why does "Empty-nester" have such weight problem? Do they tend to overindulge on their SECOND HONEYMOON (clued as "Empty-nesters' vacation last time) or what? (Addendum: My mistake on 39A: "AGE" escaped me earlier.)
This puzzle structure reminded me of Barry Silk's "Re Location" puzzle we had on May 27. His theme answers are:
UPPER CRUST
LOWER TEXAS
INNER HARBOR
OUTER LIMITS
But I think I like this one more. I am very fond of run-through 15-letter theme answers. They look beautiful to me.
I got the theme very earlier on, but still struggled a bit. Was stumped by a few new words. Had to google.
Across:
1A: Fuji flow: LAVA. Ah, the real "Hot flower". I like this kind misleading flow-er=river (a thing that flows) wordplay.
5A: Sportscaster Rashad: AHMAD. I forgot. He appeared in our puzzle not long ago. See this Pop Secret commerical.
10A: Guidance fin: VANE. "fin"? I always associate "fin" with fish.
15A: Upper deck, briefly: FO'C'LE (Forecastle). I've never heard of this word before.
16A: Stravinsky or Sikorsky: IGOR. Know the composer Stravinsky. Have totally forgot about the aviation pioneer Sikorsky.
21A: Eye-opening experiences?: DILATIONS. I like this clue.
22A: Candidate Landon: ALF. He was defeated by FDR in the 1936 presidential election.
24A: Utah ski resort: ALTA. Where are his legs?
31A: Becomes entrenched: SETS IN
36A: Longtime Cleveland Orchestra director: SZELL (George). Total stranger to me. Here is some more Mozart for Barb B. How to pronounce SZELL?
45A: Actor Wesley: SNIPES. He is Willie Mayes Hayes in "Major League", one of my favorite baseball movies. I like "Field of Dream" the most.
43A: Illumination: LIGHT. Thoreau said "Let nothing come between YOU and the LIGHT". I don't quite get it. Who is the LIGHT & Why?
47A: E. O'Brien film: D.O.A. Was stumped again! Here is the poster. I hated the clue.
52A: Imposing personalities: PRESENCES. Are you OK with this clue?
65A: Family of Indy winner: UNSER. Would not have got this one and LOESS (68A: Fertile loam) without the down clues.
Down:
1D: Bert the Cowardly Lion: LAHR. Here is a good clip... "If I Only Had the Nerve..."
3D: Lyra's brightest star: VEGA
4D: Guru's community: ASHRAM. Would not have got this one without the across clues.
8D: "Be-Bop- ___": ALULA. This is the song. New to me. I've never heard of Gene Vincent.
10D: Debaser: VITIATOR. Another new word to me. VITIATE is the verb.
11D: Exchange fee: AGIO. Ha, I did remember this strange money exchange term.
19D: Try: ATTEMPT
23D: Shake up: FAZE. Still remember Tom Pruce's "Discombobulate" puzzle?
25D: Synagogue platforms: BEMAS
27D: Arboreal lemur: INDRI. It's clued as "Madagascar primate" last time. He does not seem to have a tail, does he?
30D: Chilly: ALGID. Another new word to me.
33DL Writer Calvino: ITALO. Or the Aviator Balbo.
34D: Simpleton: NODDY. New word to me also. I wrote down NINNY first.
36D: Dark horse: SLEEPER
40D: Overthrowers: DEPOSERS. I've been brainwashed by this crossword editor to think of "Usurp" and "Usurper"first.
46D: Wicked: SINFUL. I don't think it's SINFUL to openly discuss morel issue, do you?
53D: Pudding fruit: PLUM. Hmmm, sweet and juicy!
54D: Diva Ponselle: ROSA. I got her with no trouble this time.
C.C.
17A: College, maybe: HIGHER EDUCATION
39A: Empty-nester's weight problem: MIDDLE AGE SPREAD
62A: Alaska not included: LOWER FORTY- EIGHT
I've never heard of "MIDDLE SPREAD". Why does "Empty-nester" have such weight problem? Do they tend to overindulge on their SECOND HONEYMOON (clued as "Empty-nesters' vacation last time) or what? (Addendum: My mistake on 39A: "AGE" escaped me earlier.)
This puzzle structure reminded me of Barry Silk's "Re Location" puzzle we had on May 27. His theme answers are:
UPPER CRUST
LOWER TEXAS
INNER HARBOR
OUTER LIMITS
But I think I like this one more. I am very fond of run-through 15-letter theme answers. They look beautiful to me.
I got the theme very earlier on, but still struggled a bit. Was stumped by a few new words. Had to google.
Across:
1A: Fuji flow: LAVA. Ah, the real "Hot flower". I like this kind misleading flow-er=river (a thing that flows) wordplay.
5A: Sportscaster Rashad: AHMAD. I forgot. He appeared in our puzzle not long ago. See this Pop Secret commerical.
10A: Guidance fin: VANE. "fin"? I always associate "fin" with fish.
15A: Upper deck, briefly: FO'C'LE (Forecastle). I've never heard of this word before.
16A: Stravinsky or Sikorsky: IGOR. Know the composer Stravinsky. Have totally forgot about the aviation pioneer Sikorsky.
21A: Eye-opening experiences?: DILATIONS. I like this clue.
22A: Candidate Landon: ALF. He was defeated by FDR in the 1936 presidential election.
24A: Utah ski resort: ALTA. Where are his legs?
31A: Becomes entrenched: SETS IN
36A: Longtime Cleveland Orchestra director: SZELL (George). Total stranger to me. Here is some more Mozart for Barb B. How to pronounce SZELL?
45A: Actor Wesley: SNIPES. He is Willie Mayes Hayes in "Major League", one of my favorite baseball movies. I like "Field of Dream" the most.
43A: Illumination: LIGHT. Thoreau said "Let nothing come between YOU and the LIGHT". I don't quite get it. Who is the LIGHT & Why?
47A: E. O'Brien film: D.O.A. Was stumped again! Here is the poster. I hated the clue.
52A: Imposing personalities: PRESENCES. Are you OK with this clue?
65A: Family of Indy winner: UNSER. Would not have got this one and LOESS (68A: Fertile loam) without the down clues.
Down:
1D: Bert the Cowardly Lion: LAHR. Here is a good clip... "If I Only Had the Nerve..."
3D: Lyra's brightest star: VEGA
4D: Guru's community: ASHRAM. Would not have got this one without the across clues.
8D: "Be-Bop- ___": ALULA. This is the song. New to me. I've never heard of Gene Vincent.
10D: Debaser: VITIATOR. Another new word to me. VITIATE is the verb.
11D: Exchange fee: AGIO. Ha, I did remember this strange money exchange term.
19D: Try: ATTEMPT
23D: Shake up: FAZE. Still remember Tom Pruce's "Discombobulate" puzzle?
25D: Synagogue platforms: BEMAS
27D: Arboreal lemur: INDRI. It's clued as "Madagascar primate" last time. He does not seem to have a tail, does he?
30D: Chilly: ALGID. Another new word to me.
33DL Writer Calvino: ITALO. Or the Aviator Balbo.
34D: Simpleton: NODDY. New word to me also. I wrote down NINNY first.
36D: Dark horse: SLEEPER
40D: Overthrowers: DEPOSERS. I've been brainwashed by this crossword editor to think of "Usurp" and "Usurper"first.
46D: Wicked: SINFUL. I don't think it's SINFUL to openly discuss morel issue, do you?
53D: Pudding fruit: PLUM. Hmmm, sweet and juicy!
54D: Diva Ponselle: ROSA. I got her with no trouble this time.
C.C.
Good morning, c.c. and gang - not a particularly exciting puzzle, and managed to get through it with perp help. I don't understand why 17a has 'maybe'; is it not higher education, period? Also, technically, shouldn't 62a say "Alaska, Hawaii not included"?
ReplyDeleteDidn't know 'bemas', 'Szell', 'noddy' or 'algid'.
c.c., I liked how you put the 'morel' issue next to the 'sweet and juicy' plum; a great juxtaposition. By the way, how many hits now?
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteBEMAS has appeared in TMS puzzle at least 3 times since late Jan. You are so picky in remembering things. Good point on 17A & 62A. Is FO'C'LE (15A) a gimme to you? It looks so wrong to me. Also, I have trouble understanding 31A & 39A. The total hits is about 650,000.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteHit a few G spots this morning (some after the fact to make sure they were correct). Never heard of ashram, algid, alta, vitiator, Szell, noddy. Remembered indri and agio from previous xwords.
I have heard of the continental U.S. as including Alaska and the lower forty eight meaning the continental U.S. not including Alaska so I was okay with the clue/answer.
I remember Rashad from the Vikings.
I did not like fo'c'le for 15A. More used to fo'c'sle.
And God said, "Let there be light!" And when he wanted to go to bed he said, "Turn out that darn light!"
Today is Swap Ideas Day. We do alot of that on this blog. It's also TV Dinner Day because Swanson sold it's first TV Dinner on this day in 1954. I wonder who bought it.
California becomes the 31st state, 1850
Canada declares war on Germany, 1939
Ellis Island opens as a museum, 1990
Sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe, 1846
U. S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps incorporated, 1962
Good morning CC and gang. I'm baaaaaaaack!
ReplyDeleteI didn't do so good on today's puzzle, but then I never have a lot of time to work on them.
I never heard of focle, vitiator, algid, noddy, or dark horse as a "sleeper". Not sure I understand the meaning of that one, and I think 10A was a stretch.
I have to get ready for work.
Have a good day everyone.....
c.c., fo'c'le was only a gimme(even though it's normally spelled fo'c's'le) because I'd been on ships a fair amount back in the service.
ReplyDeleteAs to my memory, uh,....what'd you say again?
Good morning cc and friends. Had a couple of tough spots but was able to get all except for the Cleveland director. I think 31A should have been setsin and not setson. Noddy, algid, and eld were new to me.I did not like the answer or clue for 15A.
ReplyDeletecc when the children of parents are old enough to leave home the parents are usually in middle age and this is the time when a lot of people are not active and the weight begins to pile on, particularly around the waist. Thus the familiar term middle age spread.
dick, 31a is 'sets in'; c.c. had it wrong in her writeup.
ReplyDeleteOK, the LIGHT just came on! I sat here and looked at 28a and thought "What the devil is an ATA? One-time link???"
ReplyDeleteAll of a sudden it jumped out, ONE AT A TIME. What a NODDY!!!
Absolutely do not like 62a. Answer should be “LOWERFORTYNINE”,
Unless I missed one!! A lot of made up or not well known words (well, maybe not really, but some are like a foreign language, to me)
FOCLE ? Wait, I'll get me glasses and try to focle in!!! (a double contraction for a word that probably isn't used much)
SZELL (I don’t even know the new guy. Why would I remember the old?)
ELD (What’s this)
VITIATOR (I hope no one ever debases me. It sounds painful.)
BEMAS (Down east pronunciation of the BMW)
INDRI (Though, after I saw it, it looks familiar)
Are you ALGIO ?? ( No, just a little cold. Thanks for asking)
NODDY (Isn’t that more like wanting a nap?)
ITALO Calvino No idea
ECONO savings is like what? A Walmart sale? You put in five, and get one free??
Didn’t know ROSA
I’m done now. Time to get some work done!
CYA later!!
Dennis thanks for the setsin. After I went back and looked at my solution I saw that setsin worked with itaro. I did Google to check that the spelling of itaro was correct.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day everyone. Going to be in the low 70s here today so it looks like another good golf day.
Good Morning C.C. and early birds.
ReplyDeleteI finished the puzzle this morning without Googling, but there are lot of words that came from the fills. This is a day when a crossword notebook would be a good idea.
I agree with dr.dad and dennis about preferring fo'c's'le.
It took me a while to come up with the spellings for AHMAD and ASHRAM, but that helped the North of the puzzle to fall into place.
ELD, NODDY, BEMAS, AGIO, ALGID AND ITALO were the words I didn't know. I recall that ITALO has been in a recent puzzle, and AGIO in one from early summer, I think.
C.C., being an empty-nester does not require you to gain weight, but some people in that age range do gain weight. Personally, I don't care for the clue. I also don't care for the "maybe" in 17A.
Nice to see you katherine.
Have a good day, everyone!
Thanks Kitty B....
ReplyDeleteMorning C.C. Ashram is where you go when you give up worldly things and assume "sanyasa".
ReplyDeleteThese days, for a hefty fee you could go there and get daily ayurvedic massages. I went to one last year. This clue gave me a chuckle.
good morning c.c. and all,
ReplyDeletesort of ho-hum today .. i agree c.c. i like the 15 letter theme answers but i think i prefer more theme answers, even if it means they have fewer letters. three is not enough. did not remember bemas or algid, and never heard of szell, or eld for olden times. the morel made up for all of it though.
@katherine: good to see you back.
Morning, folks!
ReplyDeleteRunning late today and not gonna post much because I'm fighting a nasty cold this morning.
Suffice to say that I wasn't all that enamored with this one, despite the fact that I did manage to solve it all. As I'm sure others have pointed out, FO'C'LE is a lousy abbreviation for forecastle, The LOWER FORTY-EIGHT excludes Hawaii as well as Alaska, the clue for 5D should have indicated an abbreviation, etc.
That's it for me. I'm going back to bed....
17a "maybe" is ok if you remember that some secondary private schools go by the title "college".
ReplyDelete62a--AK not included--Hawaiians refer to the mainland, not the lower 48, since it's not lower than HI on the map. I thought the clue was ok.
Some of the other parts of this puzzle were hard for me though, notably 36a, 48a, 33d.
Crockett, did you see my answer last night to the question on the accents? I didn't get to it sooner because I was out of town all day. I wondered if the help you got earlier which omitted the numeral lock part was the problem when you tried the alt129.
How does 38A "Words to remember" get to be METTO? Okay! I am being a NODDY.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, C.C. et al. Algid and Noddy had me stumped. I finally through in the towel and peeked here. I still don't get 28A, ATA? Oh well. A good day to all.
ReplyDeleteGood grief! I threw in the towel. hmmm A couple of us feel like noddies.
ReplyDeleteGood morning C.C. and all. Nice to be here in S. Fla. now that hurricane threat is over. Also spent some time in the keys helping friends tie down boats and batten down the hatches. We loaded up on my DH's idea of "hurricane food" Little Debbies and Devil Dogs.
ReplyDeleteGot stuck today on vitiator and agio, crossword dictionary came in handy. Otherwise very happy with everything except noddy, it looks made up.
I wonder if my directions for putting diacritical marks on Macs were read. I can't figure out how to go back to yesterday's posts.
ReplyDeleteC.C.: "middle aged spread" refers to getting thick in the torso as one ages. Or maybe the hips.
I agree that 5D needed to indicate an abbreviation. I was stuck trying to remember a 3 word continent.
Also agree with FOCLE comments. As it's pronounced "fōk-səl", I don't see how that variant spelling would get a proper pronunciation.
"A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men."
ReplyDelete=Plato
Got the unknowns with the perps...
BEMA is really a seat although a platform may be what they call it... New for me.
dennis is correct with normally spelled fo'c's'le and we, in the ship called it the fo'c's'le hole.
sallie,
Diacritical marks are used as follows (I'm a mac user for years):
á accents are placed prior to hitting the letter (option e);
ñ tildes using option n and letter;
ü option u and letter.
I too am confused by 38A "words to remember" METTO. Is it Met To? What am I missing?
ReplyDeleteGood morning c.c., Df’s and all! Very stormy morning here in SW Florida as a band from Ike passed through at about 3:30 AM and shook the house, and it poured until 10.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle had me in fits- the upper and lower parts were fine, with frequent unknowns filled in by perps, but the entire middle was a bear. I did get the theme and did not like 39a at all.
@c.c.- I think your answer to your Thoreau question is LIGHT=TRUTH. He was a naturalist, a philosopher and an early proponent of Darwinism. His entire life was the pursuit of truth.
@melissa (from last night) – FLOWER POWER FLOUR?? Sounds yummy. What kind of FLOWER(ers) might we use to make our FLOUR-ful cake??
Toby and Cscott - 10D is vitiator so 38A becomes motto which are words to remember.
ReplyDeleteKen - 28A is "at a" as in "one at a time."
Sallie, et.al. - the clue for 5D does contain an abbreviation - "2nd" is used as an abbreviation for "second."
I only know Noddy as a British cartoon/toy character, but don't know if he was "noddy" in the sense implied here. When our first son was little, we were given a Noddy egg cup for holding soft boiled eggs, so he called them noddy eggs. The figure looks like a cute little elf.
ReplyDeleteI found this website for it:
Noddy
Good morning C.C. and all.I seemed to have the same problems as every one else except, I kept reading 53a as imposing penalties. Guess I need to start the caffeine earlier. I remember my grandmother making plum pudding every Christmas and I know she never used any plums in it.Go figure. Have a great day
ReplyDeleteGood morning C.C. and fellow solvers;(D.F.'s included):
ReplyDeleteI see Opie from Mayberry is back again!
It seems he is in every other puzzle.
Lots of unknowns for me too. Vitator, noddy,algid,Szell,Alta the list goes on. Had to use my notebook several times.
Bill @ 6:59 Thank you!! (for 28a) That was my V-8 moment of the morning..I just could NOT figure that out. Cute comments from you too!!
Katherine: welcome back! Such a cutie in a nice new picture from you.
C.C. thanks for the "morel" link once again, something to get us going today!
It would have been nice to see 2 "juicy plums" together next to that "fungi":)
Thanks, drdad. Motto makes more sense.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning All, Maybe ignorance really is bliss. I had no problem with FOCLE. I got it with the easy perps. I'm not a sailor, so the double contraction didn't FAZE me.
ReplyDeleteVITIATOR was a new one for me, as was NODDY. I wasn't sure of NODDY's next door neighbor ITALO either, although it did look familiar. I Googled all three at puzzle completion to make sure I hadn't STEERed wrong.
I did get totally lost with the cross of ALGID and SZELL. I stopped mid-puzzle and Googled both. This is another Szell video. It is interesting because you get to hear him rehearsing his orchestra.
Here's a nice site to bookmark Foreign Accents, Symbols AND More!.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau
Clear ayes, great link for the symbols and alt codes--this says it all, and then some!
ReplyDeleteDrDad. I did tumble to One AT A time after reading the blog, but thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol........
ReplyDelete@clear ayes: thanks for the thoreau quote, his books should be required reading for everyone.
ReplyDelete@xchefwalt: i, like you, hate to bake .. i vote to skip the cake and just tiptoe through the tulips.
Bill, I loved your comment this morning. I'm glad the electronic Grinch let this one through.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see so many commenters returning today, and so many first-time visitors. No wonder C.C. has had roughly 650,000 hits on this site.
c.c., I loved the link to Szell conducting "The Overture to the Marriage of Figaro." For the heck of it, I clicked on another You Tube entry for the same piece but a different conductor, and the differences in the performances was astonishing.
Clear Ayes, thanks for the link to Szell rehearsing the orchestra. It's always a pleasure for me to watch a conductor draw the sound he wants from an orchestra.
It might be interesting to note that a musician getting to know a conductor's style must learn where to look for the beat. In some conductors, it's found at the tip of the baton, in others, their fingers, and in others their wrist bones. Sometimes it can even be found in hips or arms or side to side motion. I particularly like George Szell's clean, conservative conducting. There are some conductors who are so florid that the orchestra simply makes music in spite of them.
Clear Ayes, thanks for the link for Accents and Symbols! I've bookmarked it for future reference.
(laughing at jojo's husband's idea of "hurricane food") Jojo....mine used to feel the same way about stocking his boat.
Barry, I hope you feel better soon.
Flyingears, I know it's heresy to question Plato, but it seems to me that you might find someone who is accomplished among a thousand men, and someone wise only among a hundred thousand. I must be missing either his intent, or the context of the comment.
ooops...."differences in the performance WERE astonishing." Sorry....I'm sure that grated.
ReplyDeleteDennis, in your response to family expectations as a child having an affect on the development of our puzzle "ear," It was the same for me. Both my parents were college graduates. It was assumed that we would all speak well at home. I'm sure my parents were distressed when I went through the fad of the month. "You know?" seemed to hang on longer than most of them, until my aunt, who was assistant registrar at a Midwestern university pointed it how irritating and non-functional it was. For her, that phrase disappeared almost overnight.
katherine, great picture, and welcome back.
ReplyDeleteclear ayes, that's the best link yet for accents & symbols; I've printed it out so I don't forget again.
kittyb, the nice thing about Little Debbies & Devil Dogs is that they'll outlast the the sun; you can put them away as emergency food and eat them 10 years later.
Hey, how come no one's swapping ideas?
Good morning C.C. & all
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who had problems with this one. I stumbled on the same clues as everyone I guess but managed to get through it. In retrospect, I think the clues were good and while I personally wouldn't abbreviate 15A as focle, it was listed as a var so even it works. 5A brought a smile to me since Ahmad Rashad was Oregon's Bobby Moore... a fabulous wide receiver and running back... went as the fourth pick in the '72 NFL draft.
The east coast and southeast caused me the most problems although I had no clue who Szell is but got it from the perps. Algid is new to me... seems to be a state of cold prior to hypothermia. 53A seems to be a natural fit for me. Noddy and Italo... ??? The only saving grace for me in this area was the crosses although ELD? I opted for oboe for 66A but the perps corrected my thinking to realize 'piece' was there for a reason. Oh well! Overall, another humbeling educational experience. Thank you coffee for clearing the fog!
Y'all have a good day...I'm outta here!
C.C.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Mozart this morning. Perfect for starting a new day; lively and happy sounding. That followed by Be-Bop-A-Lula and I am fully awake. A lot of people recorded Be-Bop-A-Lula, but my favorite version is by Jerry Lee Lewis. I saw him live at Green Street and Archer – once was enough, because I was truly scared when the audience started to riot and we had to make a quick get away. As I write this, I’m listening to Mozart’s Piano Trio in G Major, K 49 by The Florestan Trio. Much calmer.
KittyB – I think I’ll go check out the different performances on YouTube. Thanks for the tip.
This puzzle was too much of a challenge for lil me. Didn’t know Ames, bemas, indri, lowess, algid and a few others. The Indri is so cute! No tail and no pantaloons, but adorable. She looks very intelligent. Never heard of noddy used for simpleton, sounds like a word for sleepy to me – nodding off. I like Kazie’s noddy cup better. And eld? Who knew?
That plum looks veeeery dewy.
Presences is correct, but I would never have thought of it on my own, But I figure I’m learning, so it’s all good. If C.C. can persevere, so can I. She is inspiring.
Welcome back Katherine – love the picture.
Jo Jo, I’m glad that you’re all ok. What is a Devil Dog?
Sallie, I did read your directions, but it was late last night. Rénee. It works! Thank you.
Flyingears – thanks to you too – see? Manaña. I can do it!!
There were a lot of clues I couldn't get but then came the crosses and I was able to fill them in.
ReplyDeleteAhmad Rashad played for the Vikings and later was a commentator. He married Phylicia Rashad who played Clair Huckstable on the Cosby show. Beautiful couple. OJ Simpson was his best man believe it or not.
C.C. thank you for the morel picture again today. It was our turn today!
Walt, I was working on assigning allowances for our upcoming foodshow. What is the herb chervil and what would you use it for? Also didn't know marigolds were edible flowers.
@melissa- I can’t touch that one….
ReplyDelete@cokato- chervil is a wonderful herb used mainly in French cooking. It’s used like parsley (as a garnish green), or to make an herb mix called ‘fine herbs’. It’s used in just about everything and is better than parsley because of its fine anise (licorice) flavor.
Most FLOWERS are edible.
Kittyb, The problem with Spell Check is that is doesn't fix correctly spelled words, even if they don't fit grammatically. At any rate, don't be concerned about slight errors...."was"..."were". Those fit into the "typo" category. We all make them.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I just watched Jamie Lee Curtis on "The View". She was promoting her new book, "Big Words For Little People". She talked about the importance of parents teaching their children to speak correctly.
My father wasn't a college graduate and my mother didn't get her degree until she was in her 60's. But they both drilled grammar and vocabulary into all three daughters. "Double negatives" were a big no-no in our house, and "ain't" was practically a curse word.
Katherine, who's your adorable little "arm candy"?
Flyingears, your latest photo reminds me of the giant pumpkin growing craze that has become such a big hobby around here. Both my husband's brother and my sister's husband are hooked on growing huge (1000 lb) pumpkins. Is it popular in other parts of the country?
Carol, I forgot to mention how cute you look perched on that trike.
Barry, don't forget the chicken soup. I understand it really does help with a cold, and it tastes so good too.
Ugh. 13:02 today FOCLE (a horrible abbreviation, IMHO), SZELL, ALGID, BEMAS were all new to me. I've seen ITALO (Calvino) before, but couldn't dredge it up from the dark recesses of my brain.
ReplyDeleteGot to run--I'm already way late, so no further comments. Oh, did I mention I hate FO'C'LE as an abbreviation?
In sailing ship novels, eg Pat O'Brian, CS Forester (Horatio Hornblower) and others, when abbreviated, I've seen forecastle as foc's'l, pronounced folks'l, but i'd never seen focle before. It is used in today's tall ships as 'twas then, for the crews berthing. It's termed the same in freighters.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes - Thanks! We could be twins on our trikes, huh?
ReplyDeleteGiant pumpkins are quite popular around here too..they have contests in several rural communities close to Portland. It's fun to go look at them, I don't know how they move some of them and get them on the scale for their "weigh-in".
We could feel a "nip" of Fall in the air this morning although it is warming up nicely now and should be beautiful today and about 90 by Fri.
Jojo, I don't know what a Devil Dog is either, wonder if it's a regional thing and we in the great NW wilderness are missing out. Not that my hips need and more "help".
clear ayes - the 2007 World's Largest Pumpkin was grown in my current home state of Rhode Island:
ReplyDeleteLarge Pumpkin
I saw this monster when it was first judged in Rhode Island.
carol, a 'devil dog' is a devil's food creme sandwich that looks a bit like a hot dog. Same family as Twinkies. You'd like the shape...
ReplyDeleteinspired by the trike photos and sick of my daring one that was too fuzzy, here's another to add to the fray.
ReplyDeleteCarol: They use a forklift or muscle to lift the really large pumpkins. My neighbor grows 100 pounders and sez he's pulled a muscle or two putting them in his pickup to weigh them. I've offered to help, but I think he gets a kick out of growing something he can barely lift.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the photo Drdad. That's one big Halloween display.
ReplyDeleteBoth Husband's brother's big one and Sister's husband's big one haven't reached those gigantic proportions....yet. They are both planning on showing them at local exhibitions. They will have lots of competition. Giant gourd displays are becoming very popular. OK, Sirens....go with it LOL.
Seriously, the pumpkin seeds can cost $50 or more. My sister's son plays HS football and his team is already enlisted to help move the monster when the time comes. I still don't have any idea how they dispose of them after they harvest the seeds.
Good afternoon, everyone. Didn't care for FOCLE, didn't really know DOA, VITIATOR??, INDRI, ALGID, NODDY, and wanted WHAT for WHEN on 60D. I disagree with the clue for 62A -- should be Alaska and Hawaii not included!
ReplyDelete@kazie Yes, I got your little "cheat sheet" and have it posted. Thank you!
Have a great day everyone!
ken, don't we all...
ReplyDeleteclear ayes, when I was a kid I slept through my grammar classes. Because my parents corrected us if we made errors, I figured I already knew how to put a sentence together. Why did I need to learn the rules?? It's come back to haunt me. I generally get tense right, and try not to let participles dangle (down girls), but I find it really difficult to follow the technical explanations of our more learned companions.
ReplyDeleteIt was really embarrassing to read John Chancellor's book on grammar (I can't recall the title), and not be able to spot the error!
So..I'm joining Winnie the Pooh...."I'm just a bear of little brain." *G*
I've been gone all day and just got back to enjoy my daily blog review!
ReplyDeleteI see that the pumpkins did the trick. Tomorrow a new pic.
clear ayes,
But that big of a pumpkin could not be used for this "maneuver..." He, he...
barbb,
Even Plato can be foolish, can't he?
kittyb,
You're welcome! it's not hard, just know which keys would do the job.
@dennis: i've never had a devil dog. care to swap for something?
ReplyDeletebarbb,
ReplyDeleteSorry, kittyb. I meant to acknowledge her "Thanks"...
You're welcome, barbb. I can't even remember where I got the info from. maybe from Apple site... or Microsoft...
melissab, that's a great idea, given that today's "swap" day. Whatcha got in mind? It'd have to be something fitting.
ReplyDelete15A: Upper deck, briefly: FO'C'LE (Forecastle). I've never heard of this word before.
ReplyDeleteWatch Steven Segal in Under Siege and you will hear this term. It is a location on a ship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgLYxTNnJes
Gary Busey made the comment your destination is the FO'C'LE don't resist and you will not be harmed.
drdad, thanks for the pumpkin picture!!
ReplyDeletedennis, I'm always interested in that shape! Brats, woodwinds,gourds,fungi's,putters: could be a "dilation" for me esp when one of them "raises" up.
Clear Ayes, geez, your husband displays his "big one" at local exhibitions? Wow, you are one understanding wife and he must be a REALLY morel guy!! Lucky you!!
@dennis: since you're providing the devil dog, it's only right that you choose what you'd like to swap it for. i've never had one .. what would be fitting?
ReplyDeletemelissa bee - you know what -- since it's 'swap' day, I'd be willing to swap for a beautiful FLOWER. How's that?
ReplyDelete@dennis: well that does seem fitting. i do have a fresh tulip, and if i remember right, you like pink. shall we shake on it?
ReplyDeleteDennis @ 6:35am,
ReplyDeleteAren't you picky? You picked TULIPS on your organ over roses on your piano yesterday, and now you want Melissa's pink FLOWER. You've forgotten all about white gardenias, haven't you? I've never heard of Devil's Dog. I make great Devils Eggs (with hot Wasabi) though. How would you like your eggs to be served in the morning?
Katherine,
Hmmm, I think I've seen this photo before. What happened to Gary?
Melissa @ 8:08am,
You are such a sweet, irresistible TULIP flower cake! But "three is not enough"? My goodness, all the three theme answers so long, yet you are still unsatisfied?
Barry,
Ask your wife to make some ginger root tea, it helps!
Clear Ayes,
I liked the Thoreau quote. Please bring more such quotes/excerpts of poems. I enjoy learning and understanding them through your eyes, so clear!
Xchefwalt,
ReplyDeleteNot interested in the real "hot flower" (1A: LAVA) at all? Holy hot wick! I was surprised! Had no idea that you are only interested in the edible FLOWERS. What a faithful MOREL guy you are! But why did you say you could not touch Melissa's Tulip Flower cake?
KittyB,
Interesting conductor motion observation.
Barb B,
Who else do you enjoy besides Mozart? Yes indeed, the PLUM is very dewy. So sparkling, isn't it? All flowers and fruits seem to look very fresh and pretty with drops of morning dew.
melissa bee, deal. Shake away.
ReplyDeletecarol, and don't forget the oft-pictured morels.
c.c., all FLOWERS are beautiful in their own way.
How would I like my eggs served in the morning? Nakedly.
Clear Ayes,
ReplyDeleteYesterday you said "Apparently, there is an upside to cluttering my brain with movie trivia." Why "to cluttering" instead of "to clutter"?
Argyle,
"Good Afternoon, EDT". What is EDT?
Flyingears:
You wrote yesterday: "Now, we play golf. lois and C.C. should know by now that THAT'S my very favorite "entertainment"... LOVL (LO very L). What does LOVL mean?
Dennis,
How? What's your recipe?
c.c., my recipe: Scramble eggs. Remove clothes. Serve.
ReplyDeleteDennis, I could never forget those (the morels),I did mention "fungi's"(fun guys)( (it was Melissa that used that so well a day or so ago, and I just had to borrow the phrase) Are you going to enter any contests or display areas (other than your front yard)? "Gourd" up your loins and go for it!!
ReplyDeleteI managed to complete the puzzle except fo rthe Z and first L in SZELL. I did not know ALGIO or NODDY! Most other things I knew immediately or managed to get easily with a cross or two.
ReplyDeleteITALO Calvino wrote one of my favorite books, "If on a Winter's Night a Traveler", which I highly recommend. Many of his other books are too obscure or esoteric for my tastes.
Carol, Gosh, no such luck. My brothers-in-law are the guys with "the big ones", not my husband. He saves his energy for other pursuits. The B-I-L's will be exhibiting the fruits of their labor in late October. I understand that is when they are in their prime and soon after that will begin to wilt and shrivel.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how just about anything can get to be "one of those" symbols?...."Neener, neener. My pumpkin is bigger than your pumpkin!"
C.C. Just plain "cluttering" sounded right to me when I was writing it. I probably should have made it "to be cluttering". I think that would be a proper present participle, to indicate that I am always busy cluttering my brain with trivia. Grammarians, is that right?
c.c. said@5:35pm "Argyle,
ReplyDelete"Good Afternoon, EDT". What is EDT?"
That was because the blog was still before noon, Central Daylight Time, and I was after noon, Eastern Daylight Time.
I had the "D'oh" moment today, also. If it had been "R-W link", I would have got it, so how could I have missed, "One-time link".
Argyle, ok, I take the bait, what is R-W link?????
ReplyDeleteCarol: R-W link are the letters that connect them, STU.
ReplyDeletedoesitinink, isn't it STUV and then W?
ReplyDeleteayup
ReplyDeletegeez, Argyle, explain this to me like I am a 4 year old....what has STUV have to do with "One at a time" link?? :)
ReplyDeletecarol, if I may be so bold as to answer for argyle -- both questions were looking for links. The first one was "R - W link" (STUV) and the second one "one - time link" (one AT A time). Does that help?
ReplyDeleteDennis, yes, thanks. I do believe I might have "over-thunk" it. I did understand the "one-at-a-time" but just did not get the "STUV" being in the same "format"...maybe it's left brain fighting with right brain...and ol'"no brain" wins :) As the "kids" say: "whatever"!! It's late in your neck of the woods so thanks for taking the time.
ReplyDeleteC.C.
ReplyDeleteHummmm what other music do I like? I like most classical music if it isn’t the stormy kind of classical - you know, the kind that lulls you into a mellow mood, then CRASH! activates your startle reflex and floods your system with adrenaline. Tics me off
After Mozart, there's Bach, Beethoven and Bizet for starters. A couple of favorites are - Bizet Symphony in C, Schubert's Trout Quintet.
I do especially like piano music, and classical Guitar – I like the Romeros a lot.
Also got hooked on cowboy music as a child. My parents sang it a lot –for children they sang things like Roly Poly (Daddy’s little Darlin,) Slow Poke, Crawdad Hole, Froggy went a’Courtin. Just in general, they sang Jack of Diamonds (Rye Whiskey), Red River Valley, Home on the Range, It’s My Lazy Day, Bury Me Not (on the Lone Prairie), Tumbling Tumbleweeds, and all Yodeling music. Oh, I could go on and on. They loved music and would drive 250 miles to dance to Bob Wills live. In the 1940's that took a while.
Forgot one of the sweetest cowboy songs for kids - Put you little foot right there. Mama sang it as she put my shoes on.
ReplyDeleteThanks DrDad on yesterday's MOTTO. Certainly vitiat O r is one to remember.
ReplyDelete