Theme: Pardonable Robberies
20A: Asleep for a while: GRABBING SOME Z'S
38A: Upstaging a star: STEALING THE SHOW
56A: Humbling: TAKING DOWN A PEG
Bernard Madoff and his staggering Ponzi scheme are certainly unpardonable and unforgivable. What this mad, mad, Madoff did was gravity-defying daylight robbery. Amazing, $50 billion, even HSBC was victimized.
Easy solving today. Simple theme, simple fills. I really like the RAMBO clue (25A: Sly character?), very cleverly misleading. But "USA foe" for USSR (32A)? No. Definitely needs "Former" or "Once".
Across:
5A: Biathlon equipment: SKIS. Every time I see this answer, I picture Bode Miller skiing while intoxicated. He is wild, living on edge all the time.
14A: Chanteuse Horne: LENA. Why "Chanteuse"? Edith Piaf is a chanteuse.
17A: Big golf tournament: OPEN. And IRWIN (40D: Golfer Hale): Hale IRWIN is a three - time US OPEN champion. He designed the Jewel Golf Course here in MN.
19A: WWII landing site: ANZIO. See it? It's to the south of Rome. So many Italian names end in letter A, O or I.
28A: Vacation option: RESORT
44A: NASA affirmatives: A-OKS. What is "NASA negatives then"? NO GOES?
47A: "Mack the Knife" singer: DARIN. Here is the clip. I've never understood what the song is about.
52A: "Bewitched" role: ENDORA. One again, I had to rely on the surrounds to get her name. I know, I should eat worms. But worms are frozen here. Too cold.
60A: Like candles: WAXEN. Madame Tussauds' figures are WAXEN too.
61A: Quattro maker: AUDI. Very clever name change. AUDI sure sounds catchier than Horch.
62A: Goneril's royal pop: LEAR. King LEAR's other two daughters are Cordelia and Regan.
65A: First name in whodunits: ERLE. And his contemporary NGAIO (51D: Marsh of mysteries), whose name I forgot completely. Last time our editor clued MARSH as "Ngaio of mysteries".
Down:
1D: Laceless shoes: CLOGS. No "Drain problem" today.
4D: Down under capital: CANBERRA. If Roger Elbert is correct, why the movie "Austrialia" then?
6D: Zen riddle: KOAN. This is another difficult word for me to remember.
9D: Annual Calgary event: STAMPEDE. New event to me. STAMPEDE always brings to mind those dangerous Hajj scenes.
11D: Heckle: RAZZ. Remember the "Bronx cheer" we discussed a while ago?
12D: Goddess of discord: ERIS. Discordia in Roman. She and her golden apple indirectly sparked the Trojan War.
22D: Woman with a book club: OPRAH
27D: 1977 George Burns film: OH, GOD. Easy guess. Have never heard of this movie. Looks interesting.
29D: Cuatro doubled: OCHO. Italian eight is OTTO.
33D: Town near Caen: ST. LO
36D: Sicilian rumbler: ETNA. When did it last rumble?
41D: Shod for the beach: SANDALED
48D: Spool back: REWIND
59D: Comic strip canine: ODIE. The "Garfield's dog. O?IE seems to be a very popular crossword pattern, with three vowels. I can think of OBIE (Theater Award), OPIE (Mayberry kid) and OKIE (Dust Bowl migrant). What else?
C.C.
20A: Asleep for a while: GRABBING SOME Z'S
38A: Upstaging a star: STEALING THE SHOW
56A: Humbling: TAKING DOWN A PEG
Bernard Madoff and his staggering Ponzi scheme are certainly unpardonable and unforgivable. What this mad, mad, Madoff did was gravity-defying daylight robbery. Amazing, $50 billion, even HSBC was victimized.
Easy solving today. Simple theme, simple fills. I really like the RAMBO clue (25A: Sly character?), very cleverly misleading. But "USA foe" for USSR (32A)? No. Definitely needs "Former" or "Once".
Across:
5A: Biathlon equipment: SKIS. Every time I see this answer, I picture Bode Miller skiing while intoxicated. He is wild, living on edge all the time.
14A: Chanteuse Horne: LENA. Why "Chanteuse"? Edith Piaf is a chanteuse.
17A: Big golf tournament: OPEN. And IRWIN (40D: Golfer Hale): Hale IRWIN is a three - time US OPEN champion. He designed the Jewel Golf Course here in MN.
19A: WWII landing site: ANZIO. See it? It's to the south of Rome. So many Italian names end in letter A, O or I.
28A: Vacation option: RESORT
44A: NASA affirmatives: A-OKS. What is "NASA negatives then"? NO GOES?
47A: "Mack the Knife" singer: DARIN. Here is the clip. I've never understood what the song is about.
52A: "Bewitched" role: ENDORA. One again, I had to rely on the surrounds to get her name. I know, I should eat worms. But worms are frozen here. Too cold.
60A: Like candles: WAXEN. Madame Tussauds' figures are WAXEN too.
61A: Quattro maker: AUDI. Very clever name change. AUDI sure sounds catchier than Horch.
62A: Goneril's royal pop: LEAR. King LEAR's other two daughters are Cordelia and Regan.
65A: First name in whodunits: ERLE. And his contemporary NGAIO (51D: Marsh of mysteries), whose name I forgot completely. Last time our editor clued MARSH as "Ngaio of mysteries".
Down:
1D: Laceless shoes: CLOGS. No "Drain problem" today.
4D: Down under capital: CANBERRA. If Roger Elbert is correct, why the movie "Austrialia" then?
6D: Zen riddle: KOAN. This is another difficult word for me to remember.
9D: Annual Calgary event: STAMPEDE. New event to me. STAMPEDE always brings to mind those dangerous Hajj scenes.
11D: Heckle: RAZZ. Remember the "Bronx cheer" we discussed a while ago?
12D: Goddess of discord: ERIS. Discordia in Roman. She and her golden apple indirectly sparked the Trojan War.
22D: Woman with a book club: OPRAH
27D: 1977 George Burns film: OH, GOD. Easy guess. Have never heard of this movie. Looks interesting.
29D: Cuatro doubled: OCHO. Italian eight is OTTO.
33D: Town near Caen: ST. LO
36D: Sicilian rumbler: ETNA. When did it last rumble?
41D: Shod for the beach: SANDALED
48D: Spool back: REWIND
59D: Comic strip canine: ODIE. The "Garfield's dog. O?IE seems to be a very popular crossword pattern, with three vowels. I can think of OBIE (Theater Award), OPIE (Mayberry kid) and OKIE (Dust Bowl migrant). What else?
C.C.
42 comments:
Good morning, c.c. and gang -- well, this turned into a speed run; the only pause was getting perp help for 'zen riddle'.
Today is National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day -- there was a time when this would've been all that was needed for a fun day on the blog...
Off to get an ultrasound - hope it's an outstanding day for everyone.
Dennis,
Now I fancy some chocolate & strawberry macaroons to go with my morning tea.
Doreen,
You are right. It's wife #2.
Kazie,
I wonder why the English translation is still courtesan when it's actually referring to a woman.
Argyle,
Thanks for the NY Times & 8th Ave connection.
KittyB,
Jacques BREL is probably the most famous singer from Belgium.
17 minues 29 seconds. Unknowns were ANZIO, REPRO, KOAN, ERIS, NGAIO amd OCHO (I wanted OCTO). I wanted TOUR for OPEN, PURSUE for FOLLOW, LIKE for AKIN, ANTE for IM IN and AM TOO for DID SO.
Still researching bras and thongs. I've noticed that a bra and thong together make a bikini. A bikini is a kind of swimsuit. Similarly, a suit consists of a jacket, a shirt, a tie and a pair of pants. I guess a suit is a kind of set: a set of anything consists of individual elements of which there may be more than one of each. I suppose a bra falls under the same category, at least in as much as the contents of a bra are sometimes refered to as a set. This definitely requires further investigation.
Martin
Good explanation for "Mack the Knife" here. It's origins go back further than you would think. It's quite appropriate for Madoff and the other Wall Street poobahs-here's an excerpt from the site:
The character of Macheath, later to become Mack the Knife, first appeared in The Beggar's Opera by John Gay (1685-1732). Gay was a popular English playwright and poet, a friend and collaborator of Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope.
The Beggar's Opera is a comic ballad opera, the first of its kind, and took London theatre by storm. Gay uses lower-class criminals to satirize government and upper-class society, an idea that has been used often ever since. A century and a half later, the title characters in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance note that they are more honest than "many a king on a first-class throne." And in our time, wasn't it Bob Dylan who wrote, "Steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you a king?"
Good morning.
One place that I found where Lena is referred to as a chanteuse.
Agnes Moorehead played Endora.
Chocolate Covered Anything? Great. My daughter just made me some Chocolate Oreo Truffles for today. Those will tast great later on.
C.C. - you are getting better at Greek mythology. Good to see you knew about Eris offering Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite the golden apple.
Etna erupted on May 13, 2008 and this one is still continuing, albeit at a very slow rate.
Today is the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party (1773). The Battle of the Bulge began in 1944 and Dragnet premiered in 1951.
It is also Eat What You Want Day so you can eat the Chocolate Covered Anythings. It is also Barbie and Barney Backlash Day. Today you have permission to hide (or even better - throw away) all those Barbie™ and Barney™ toys, tapes, DVDs, and CDs! Rid your life of the most annoying and over-hyped children’s products in history and get some sanity back in your life.
Have a great Tuesday.
Note-the old Macheath sounds much nicer than the later "Mack the Knife".
Good morning CC et al, Except for putting Rocky instead of Rambo at first nothing else was a problem. Fun puzzle.
Yeah, about Today is...I'm hoping the chocolate covering I'm 'darin' to 'dump' from 'ahead' to astern doesn't 'clog'up any 'open'ings or cause stampedes of the whole USAF from WYO to VA..."Oh God" may be famous last words when the eruption here makes Etna look like a gnat's sneeze.
Dennis: good luck w/the ultrasound. Hope you're ok.
Enjoy your day. I sure will!
Morning, all!
Nice and easy today. Got a bit hung up in the NE corner briefly due to not knowing ANZIO and having trouble bringing ERIS and RAZZ immediately to mind, but other than that it was smooth sailing all the way.
Other unknowns today were IRWIN [That's his last name? Really?] and NGAIO [I recall she was in the puzzle not too long ago, but it's not a name I've committed to memory].
And I agree that the USSR clue needed a "once" or "former" in it. I think that's what I like most about this blog -- having somebody to nitpick the puzzle with. None of my family, friends or co-workers do this puzzle on a daily basis, as far as I'm aware, and without this blog it's so frustrating having nobody to talk to about these things.... ^_^
Very interesting.....my puzzle print out shows 32A as Warsaw Pact nation, so USSR was easy. I'm old enough to have read my Ngaio Marsh novels...but had trouble with 'ocho'...maybe too old for 'bill and coo". My cousin was killed at Anzio...as I said...OLD!
Barry G. & CC I agree. "USA foe" is a bad clue. Not so nitpicky to me!
You'd think someone with the experience to construct &/or edit a puzzle would more closely adhere to basic cluing 'rules".
WOO HOO 13:08 today and I might ad that we have snow! Yea! I hope it lasts until Dec 26th so I can have white Christmas.
Good Morning to Jeannie & CC and all who read the blog.
45 A Go after
I wanted pursue.
21 D Lingerie purchase bra
I thought a bra was considered underwear and lingerie was a bustier? But more so confusing bra can also be a clue for bikini top.
but according to wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingerie
Lingerie is a term for fashionable and alluring women's undergarments. It derives from the French word linge, "washables" — as in faire le linge, "do the laundry" — and ultimately from lin for washable linen, the fabric from which European undergarments were made before the general introduction of cotton from Egypt and then from India.
how little did I know about that.
NYT Interesting piece on "Mack The Knife". Often wondered aboutthe origin.
A lot of back and forth today. The whole NE was the last to fall. And NGAIO crossed with AUDI. I actually wanted the "A" but for some reason the word AUDI was completely lost to me. Then I had a V-8 moment and finally the light came on and illuminated the auto maker.
What a dunce, sometimes.
I think we had the same discussion a while ago when USSR showed up. Yes, something in the clue to indicate that it doesn't exist any longer.
CY'all later.
This puzzle was fun to do, even tho I made two errors. Had heil rather than hail, and I thought the dog was OPIE, so I couldn't figure out what AUPI was, since I never figured out Quattro. I agree about USSR. I left it blank for a while because I thought USSR had to be wrong.
Have you mailed your Christmas presents yet? Fortunately my dear husband is going to it today, and apparently stand in a long line.
Enjoy Christmas doings, holiday doings, etc. everyone.
Nice and lite today for me today. I had trouble with chanteuse Horne because on my tiny laptop, it looked like chanteuse Home, which makes no sense. ☺
Online puzzle has better clueing for USSR – so, is there a different editor for the online puzzle?
Hard for me to discuss Bernard Madoff, and/or the Wall Street bankers in general (sll Macks in my book) without sputtering. Who’s going to bail out all the victims?
NYTAnonimo , I liked the Dylon quote. Here’s another –“ The only respectable form of socialism is socialism for the rich.” John Kenneth Galbraith
I mailed my Christmas presents yesterday. I had to wait in line at least three minutes, but it was ok because I knew 2 of the four people in line ahead of me. I love small towns.
c.c.,
The mistranslation is probably just ignorance of the French gender notation--compare the incorrect usage of fiancé and fiancée.
I had a slow time across the top of this puzzle, but eventually got it all unassisted.
I enjoyed the article on AUDI. It elaborates on the DKW cars too, of which I owned one in 1970 and toured Western Europe in it. It looked like the East German Trabant which also has a two stroke engine.
The explanation of Mack the Knife was thorough too. I'm familiar with the old film of the "Dreigroßchen Oper" based on the Brecht and Weil work.
Couldn't help wondering about the timeliness of WAXEN. And I wonder too about the film title "Australia". Only thing I can offer is that if that rule existed, they must have changed it now for the commercial value of naming the film thus.
OH GOD was a cute film, good for a few laughs, but nothing too deep.
Martin,
I wouldn't include the shirt and tie in a suit. Normally just the pants and jacket, or in a 3-piece, also the vest. A bra and panty set would cover the set and the seat. That kind of set can also be called a milk bar in Oz. As in: she's got a nice milk bar. If you try to buy a bikini in Nice (France), it's hard to find a decent bra top--they mostly only buy the bottoms and go topless.
Add that to your research!
NYTanonimo,
Great link on "Mack the Knife". I like the visual image it evokes. Macheath sounds old and Shakespearean to me.
Dr. Dad,
Thanks for the chanteuse link and the ETNA eruption information.
Barb B,
No, the editor is the same.
Barry,
Your nitpicking has never been baseless and unreasonable.
Sallie,
My husband mailed out our presents yesterday.
Kazie,
"A bra and panty set would cover the set and the seat. That kind of set can also be called a milk bar in Oz. As in: she's got a nice milk bar." What does "would cover the set and the seat" mean? Also, does "She's got a nice milk bar" mean her "bra and panty" look nice or she has a very sexy body?
28A: Vacation option: RESORT. 30D Corner piece, kept putting nook,in lieu of rook. Came up with resont, in lieu of resort, thought it was a new word.
The other day, I was looking for parts to a Screwdriver (the tool) and the answer was Vodka.
Brain goes on a different plain sometimes.
Louis
c.c.,
The milk bar is her breasts--a source of mother's milk, but a play on words because a "milk bar" was an old style cafe where young people would go for a milk shake and just hang out with friends, like a soda fountain here.
Martin said breasts could also be called a "set", since they come in pairs. I was trying to match the words "set" and "seat", the bra for one and the panties for the other. If you said she has a nice set (or milk bar) it would mean she had a sexy body.
Good morning CC and all. Not much to say about this puzzle as it was quite easy today. I have attached a little poem for the elders among us.
Forgetter Be Forgotten
My forgetter's getting better,
But my rememberer is broke
To you that may seem funny
But, to me, that is no joke
For when I'm 'here' I'm wondering
If I really should be 'there'
and, when I try to think it through,
I haven't got a prayer!
Oft times I walk into a room,
Say 'what am I here for?'
I wrack my brain, but all in vain!
A zero, is my score.
At times I put something away
Where it is safe, but, Gee!
The person it is safest from
Is, generally, me!
When shopping I may see someone,
Say 'Hi' and have a chat,
Then, when the person walks away
I ask myself, 'who the hell was that?'
Yes, my forgetter's getting better
While my rememberer is broke,
And it's driving me plumb crazy
And that isn't any joke.
Good morning, C.C.and everyone - I enjoyed this one...with small exception of 6D and 15A. I had to look those up.
I liked the clues for 25A and 30D, very clever.
Soooo what are all of you going to dip in chocolate? Should we melt a large tub of it and use our DF imaginations? We might be grabbing more than "Z's" :)
Remember to do some 'waxen' before you dip certain pieces.
Good morning, everyone. Did this on on-line last night before retiring and found it fairly straightforward. The clue for USSR on-line was "Warsaw pact nation," so it was legitimate. I also thought there should be "former" tacked on to the print clue.
@barryg Isn't it frustrating when you want to share some real good clue or answer and the person you're addressing has no clue?
Have a great day, all!
Good Morning All, It doesn't seem like this is a morning to say too much about the puzzle. Dennis mentioned right off that Zen riddle KOAN was a new one. Other than that there weren't any surprises.
It is a little annoying when I see States abbreviated in a way that has been pretty much obsolete since 1963, when we started using the two letter postal codes. Maybe it is just me, but I write WY or CO...or write out the complete name.
I'm sure Kazie is right about the use of the title Australia. Director Baz Luhrmann is an Australian and he probably knew exactly who to see and what to say (history?, patriotism?, tourism?, money?) when he asked for an exemption from the Australian Film Board, or whatever government agency oversees such things.
I also thought of "Kazie's carpet recently" as a clue for 60A WAXEN.
Carol, LOL, good warning about pre-waxing before dipping in chocolate. Set chocolate could cause a lot of pain if you tried to peel it off ANY unwaxed body part. I wouldn't want G.A.H. to go through what Steve Carell endured in The 40 Year Old Virgin when he was getting a chest wax. That really was a Holy Hotwick!!
couldn't get 15A without ging and it took mee forever to see I DIG for 7d. Boy do I feel stupid. One last final today and I am done with the semester!!! Should be an easy one ASL (American Sign Language). My husband got all of our mail away presents sent out weeks ago. He is one of those people who is really on the ball. Have a great chocolate covered day:)
clear ayes,
Good clue! LOL
We are sending gifts with our son and his wife for her family in Germany. Our other son always says he doesn't want anything, but appreciates a gift to "Heifer International", and my family in Oz hasn't ever received gifts from me, since we were never close to begin with--only cousins are left.
Carol, I "agree"-a big vat of chocolate! I'm "inn". It's all "AOK" and should make me "coo". I think I'll start with a chocolate covered banana covered in nuts.
Jeannie, goood idea, maybe the guys will be inspired to dip their wicks!!
Hi C.C and all,
Needed this one, after yesterdays.
Barry G.. always like your comments!
Dick...good one.
Have a great day, keep warm wherever you are.
Geri
Carol, if so, you know I'll be "grabbing some". That way they can't be "stealing the show". I might start a "stampede" though.
@jeannie & carol Don't forget the whipped cream on that banana!
Crockett....how could we forget? That's the best part!
How could National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day be anything but a DF dream? Chocolate is so sensual. How many of us think of it as a little sinful indulgence?...so naughty and yet so very good!
Sneaking Chocolate
The ecstasy comes
when I slip it
in my mouth
unnoticed, undiscovered,
unwatched.
Sinking, melting, like
a secret lover.
No one knows, not even
my waistline.
Dark, milk, bittersweet,
Belgian, Godiva
swallowed whole
while no one is looking …..
- Trish Quan
_____________________________
Good afternoon C.C. & all - Had a little business to take care of so I'm a little late getting to this one today. But, once I got to it, it was really predictable and flowed rather well. No problems until I go to the West Coast but even that was nothing to write home about. So, a blackout scored for a fairly easy Tuesday... almost wrote Monday but yesterday was a snow day time-out.
Haven't read everybody's comments but today is Beethoven's birthday. So, it it's been mentioned... OOPS! If not, Ludwig Von Beethoven. 1770-1827.
And, with that I'm outta here! Y'all have a good day!
ttfn
9:29 today. I took a lot of time filling in the "I" of ERIS/ANZIO and I don't know KOAN.
No time today--enjoy your chocolate, everyone.
Yeah, I think I'm going to have to go dip my Christmans stockings and silver bells in that vat of delicious chocolate. They are well hung and will ring my chimes! I do love this time of year!
Lois, you could always dip your "well-hungs" in said vat and add a cherry to each...Ho, Ho, Ho :) That would make someone's Christmas spirit rise!!!
C.C. et al
El and Elohim from Monday's puzzle are the singular and plural of extrodinarily ancient (pre Abraham) language, meaning God or god.
Calef
Carol: With all those goodies dipped in chocolate at my house, we'll get such a rise out of Santa he'll abandon his job, his 3 Fine Ho's, and apply to become the "Eat-er" bunny. It's all good.
Lois, well, that's not a 'croc'!! :) I know your chimney is 'open' and Santa will 'follow' you while 'Darin' to look into your stockings. After you finish with him, he won't even be interested in that bunny!
Hi C.C. and all,
Not to bad today. I did not know koan and also had heil for 18A. Did not think that Ngaio wa correct. I thought that disperse was more orderly that strew, but the thesaruis said that it was correct.
Since today is Eat Anything Chocolate Covered Day, here is Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls. Sorry but the devil made me do it.
Good evening C.C. and all chocolate lovers,
You were all a fun read today. Dick, did you write that very appropriate poem?? Clear ayes, another good one! NYT, the "Mack the Knife" article was enlightening. I had no idea what it was about. Like most teens, we liked the beat , the singer and some of the repeated phrases so we could sing-along.Richshiff, LOL!
Bethann, do NOT feel stupid.I had everything filled in EXCEPT that D in I dig, and you gave it to me. I have never heard of coda. I even went thru my abc's to fill it in.This puzzle went amazingly fast for me tonight.I had "I win",instead of "I'm in" for a bit, and had a hard time filling in the g for peg.All of my fills were with perp help only , for a change. I panicked when I left the paper home this am, and had to wait until I got home. You are thinking, why didn't you do it on line? Answer: no computer access.
Did no one put in a link of S. Somers????? I'm surprised.
I liked 59D, and it made me think of all the dogs that there are in cartoons. Do you have a favorite or are you stuck on chocolate balls? I like Marmaduke.Have you done this before?
Ok, I'll go make some Rum Balls.
Here you go Jeannie This song is for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocfR3CIPFJo
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