Theme: Access Control
18A: "Fatal Attraction" star: GLENN CLOSE
57A: "Fallin" singer: ALICIA KEYS
3D: Magical command: OPEN SESAME
29D: Noted porridge taster: GOLDILOCKS
A few things first:
1) I know that some of you only read my main blog entry every day. I suggest you start visiting Comments section. You will find more fascinating information and intelligent discussions there.
2) For those who have been lurking on the Comments section, I hope you will join the fray today. I would love to hear your "whining" about the puzzle or puzzle inspired topics.
3) I've decided to cut down my blogging activity this year. There will be no change on the main blog entry. But I won't make as many appearances on the Comments section from now on, unless I have questions or feel some explanation is needed.
As every comment is forwarded to my email account, I will still read and study every one of your post. Can't tell you in words how appreciative I am of the time and effort you guys have given me to better understand American culture. I am very touched by your kindness and generosity. Thank you.
Now back to the puzzle. I know GLENN CLOSE starred in "Fatal Attraction", though I've never seen the movie. ALICIA KEYS is such a talented singer. I love "Fallin". I've never heard of "The Story of GOLDILOCKS and the Three Bears". But I don't like the embedded *LOCKS in this answer. KEYS, OPEN and CLOSE are all stand-alone independent theme answers. Lack of theme consistency in my opinion.
Also, the clue for PONDWEED (20A: Submerged perennials) should be in singular form. Easy solving today.
Across:
14A: Pith helmet: TOPI. Unknown to me. Pictures of antelopes showed up when I googled TOPI. I've never heard of "Pith helmet" either.
15A: Japanese-American: NISEI. Second generation, to be exact. The root word SEI means birth, Ni means second. ISSEI is first generation (IS means first). SANSEI is third generation (SAN means third), don't confuse it with SENSEI (Judo/Karate teacher). Also, KIBEI is a person of Japanese descent, born in the U.S. but educated in Japan (KI is to return, BEI is America).
25A: Granitelike rock: GNEISS. Only learned this morning that it's pronounced the same as nice. I might confuse you with my spoken English. There is no distinction between my "bad" and "bed", "sax" and "sex".
40A: Take away game: NIM. I got it from down clues. What is it? Why "Take away"? Is it related to Nimbod in anyway?
41A: Indian bread?: RUPEE. "Nepal/Pakistan/Sri Lanka bread?" as well.
47A: Alabama port: MOBILE. Had no idea that it's Alabama's only seaport. Hank Aaron was born here. Come to the Comments section and say Hi if you are from MOBILE.
54A: Gorbachev policy: GLASNOST. Literally "publicity/openess". I know the meaning of this word when I read it in the newspaper. But I could not spell it out without help.
64A: Many-headed monster: HYDRA. Nine-headed, to be accurate. He was slain by Hercules. Reminds me of Janus, the two-faced god, from whom we got January.
Down:
9D: Crystal radio component: ZINCITE. New to me. I only know ZINC.
13D: Very French?: TRES. Also "A Spanish crowd?" (three).
25D: Accra location: GHANA. Often see ACCRA clued as "Ghana Capital". Ex-UN Chief Kofi Anna came from GHANA. I have an autographed photo of him.
27D: Narcotic nut: BETEL. The same as areca nut, right?
30D: Bay window: ORIEL. Here is a photo. Doesn't look like bay-shape to me.
45D: Ancient calculator: ABACUS. I really, really hate this clue "Ancient". It implies to me that ABACUS was used ages ago. I used it when I was at primary school. And my uncle still prefers ABACUS over calculator. Sorry, Calef, I just can't be persuaded by your "been in existance for a long time" argument.
47D: Bad atmosphere: MIASMA. Just learned this word a few days ago.
54D: Anglo-Saxon tax: GELD. New definition to me. I always associate GELD with "castrate".
C.C.
18A: "Fatal Attraction" star: GLENN CLOSE
57A: "Fallin" singer: ALICIA KEYS
3D: Magical command: OPEN SESAME
29D: Noted porridge taster: GOLDILOCKS
A few things first:
1) I know that some of you only read my main blog entry every day. I suggest you start visiting Comments section. You will find more fascinating information and intelligent discussions there.
2) For those who have been lurking on the Comments section, I hope you will join the fray today. I would love to hear your "whining" about the puzzle or puzzle inspired topics.
3) I've decided to cut down my blogging activity this year. There will be no change on the main blog entry. But I won't make as many appearances on the Comments section from now on, unless I have questions or feel some explanation is needed.
As every comment is forwarded to my email account, I will still read and study every one of your post. Can't tell you in words how appreciative I am of the time and effort you guys have given me to better understand American culture. I am very touched by your kindness and generosity. Thank you.
Now back to the puzzle. I know GLENN CLOSE starred in "Fatal Attraction", though I've never seen the movie. ALICIA KEYS is such a talented singer. I love "Fallin". I've never heard of "The Story of GOLDILOCKS and the Three Bears". But I don't like the embedded *LOCKS in this answer. KEYS, OPEN and CLOSE are all stand-alone independent theme answers. Lack of theme consistency in my opinion.
Also, the clue for PONDWEED (20A: Submerged perennials) should be in singular form. Easy solving today.
Across:
14A: Pith helmet: TOPI. Unknown to me. Pictures of antelopes showed up when I googled TOPI. I've never heard of "Pith helmet" either.
15A: Japanese-American: NISEI. Second generation, to be exact. The root word SEI means birth, Ni means second. ISSEI is first generation (IS means first). SANSEI is third generation (SAN means third), don't confuse it with SENSEI (Judo/Karate teacher). Also, KIBEI is a person of Japanese descent, born in the U.S. but educated in Japan (KI is to return, BEI is America).
25A: Granitelike rock: GNEISS. Only learned this morning that it's pronounced the same as nice. I might confuse you with my spoken English. There is no distinction between my "bad" and "bed", "sax" and "sex".
40A: Take away game: NIM. I got it from down clues. What is it? Why "Take away"? Is it related to Nimbod in anyway?
41A: Indian bread?: RUPEE. "Nepal/Pakistan/Sri Lanka bread?" as well.
47A: Alabama port: MOBILE. Had no idea that it's Alabama's only seaport. Hank Aaron was born here. Come to the Comments section and say Hi if you are from MOBILE.
54A: Gorbachev policy: GLASNOST. Literally "publicity/openess". I know the meaning of this word when I read it in the newspaper. But I could not spell it out without help.
64A: Many-headed monster: HYDRA. Nine-headed, to be accurate. He was slain by Hercules. Reminds me of Janus, the two-faced god, from whom we got January.
Down:
9D: Crystal radio component: ZINCITE. New to me. I only know ZINC.
13D: Very French?: TRES. Also "A Spanish crowd?" (three).
25D: Accra location: GHANA. Often see ACCRA clued as "Ghana Capital". Ex-UN Chief Kofi Anna came from GHANA. I have an autographed photo of him.
27D: Narcotic nut: BETEL. The same as areca nut, right?
30D: Bay window: ORIEL. Here is a photo. Doesn't look like bay-shape to me.
45D: Ancient calculator: ABACUS. I really, really hate this clue "Ancient". It implies to me that ABACUS was used ages ago. I used it when I was at primary school. And my uncle still prefers ABACUS over calculator. Sorry, Calef, I just can't be persuaded by your "been in existance for a long time" argument.
47D: Bad atmosphere: MIASMA. Just learned this word a few days ago.
54D: Anglo-Saxon tax: GELD. New definition to me. I always associate GELD with "castrate".
C.C.
Good morning, c.c. and fellow travelers - well, it's certainly been interesting reading while I've been gone. Ok, most of it. I won't bore everybody with the details of the week in Boca, but suffice to say it was absolutely perfect weather; low 80s during the day, low 70s at night. Didn't eat one meal inside.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the anons of late, they're irrelevant on here. Hey, if someone wants to go on what's perceived as a mind-numbing dissertation of quantum physics or linguistics or any other subject, that's certainly their prerogative, just as it's C.C.'s to rein them in if she feels it's too much. This IS C.C.'s blog and we participate at her pleasure.
Barb B, thanks for the kind words; very nice of you. And welcome to all the former lurkers that have joined us in the past week; hopefully, you're in for a most enjoyable ride. Please contribute often; we could certainly use some new discussion topics.
As to the crossword, this one went quickly, but only because of the perps. I built a several crystal radios as a kid, but never heard of zincite. Also didn't know 'nim' or 'gneiss'. Nice to see Alicia Keys - her voice does it for me.
Oh, and GO EAGLES!! (Sorry, Minnesotans).
Today is National Bird Day, so do take care of yours, where appropriate. I always take great care of mine...
Today's words of wisdom: Good days are to be gathered like sunshine in grapes, to be trodden and bottled into wine and kept for age to sip at ease beside the fire. If the traveler has vintaged well, he need trouble to wander no longer; the ruby moments glow in his glass at will. -- Freya Stark
Have an outstanding Monday; sorry for the overly-long post.
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see you back. I missed you. Very inspiring "words of wisdom". Congratulations to your Eagles.
Dougl,
Thanks for clearing up EYESHOT and VIEWSHOT. I am still surprised by how logging is decided by those foresters though.
Embien,
Did you make up "vowellicious"? It sounds so cool. You don't like rap, do you?
Argyle,
Can't believe you traveled to Japan to get me the Old New Town. Thank you, Santa. Please give me the theme answers for your Sunday puzzle. I really don't have time for another 21*21. Great to know that an interactive version of TMS Sunday is under construction.
About thirty minutes for me today... but that's okay because I wasn't doing it online and I didn't have anyway to know what words were wrong: I wanted TIRED for ALL IN, ANNOYS for ANGERS and HEAD for GELD. I was lucky to guess SALEM and that gave me GELD and MIASMA: I hadn't heard of SALEM, Oregon, only SALEM, Massechusetts. What finally did me in, however, was the crossing of GNEISS, NIM, GHANA and NADIR: I was left with 4 empty squares. When I have time I'll see about playing NIM online: it seems as though I've missed a big part of geek culture that I didn't even know about.
ReplyDeleteI almost forgot: I've never heard of ZINCITE either. It sounds like something made up: you know, like kryptonite. Hmm. Maybe a superhero from planet Zinc will become weak when exposed to the zincite from a crystal radio.
Martin
C.C., pronouncing 'sax' and 'sex' exactly the same could get you in a whole lot of trouble...
ReplyDeleteI've seen NIM in other crosswords-must be the NYT if you haven't seen it before cc. Thanks for the explanation on different forms of SEI, was not aware of that. Hope everyone has a good Monday.
ReplyDeleteThere is no distinction between my "bad" and "bed", "sax" and "sex".
ReplyDeleteTo me, the words for "water" (shui) and "study" (xue) sound the same even though 1) sh is reflexive compared to x, 2) the tones are different and 3) the i sounds like a long a whereas the e sounds more like a short e. So don't feel bad.
That being said, you should open your mouth more when pronouncing "bad" as opposed to "bed". The a in "bad" is also a longer sound than the e in "bed".
Martin
Forgot to mention-I had to come here to "get" the theme. Did not think it was very well done either. And it wasn't just the shortness of the theme answer within the larger answer-yesterday's NYT puzzle themes were 1 letter within much larger answers but very "gettable".
ReplyDeleteGood morning CC etal. Dennis it is nice to see you back. It seems that you enjoyed your vacation as much as I enjoyed mine.
ReplyDeleteEasy puzzle today but I did struggle a bit in the west center. Other than that slowdown it was easy sailing.
CC I can understand your backing off a bit from the blog as it must take a tremendous amount of time to maintain. However, that will not make me miss your comments any less. For a year now I have been in awe of your comprehension and understanding of the English language and its idiosyncrasies. Don't go too far away.
One last comment: It was one hell of a birthday party yesterday.
Good Morning,CC
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Dennis
Greetings, sundry persons
"Locks only keep out honest people"
I haven't played nim but I do like a good game of Jenga!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteNot a bad puzzle for me. Pretty easy overall, although there were spots that made me think a bit. I did not know TOPI, ZINCITE, PONDWEED or GELD, although they were perfectly gettable via the perps.
I knew MOBILE, but didn't know it was a port city. Similarly, I had no idea that SALEM was on the Willamette.
Anybody else find it odd that NIL was clued as "Soccer zero"? I'm not a big soccer fan (all right, I'm not a soccer fan at all), but doesn't NIL mean zero in general? Does it have some special relevance to soccer, like "love" does in Tennis?
As for NIM, it's a game where you start with a bunch of objects (such as matchsticks) and players take turns removing 1 or 2 items from the pile. The last person to remove an item loses, if I remember correctly. Years ago, I played a computer version of the game called "Android Nim" where the objects being removed were little robots instead of matchsticks. And when I say "years ago," I mean that I was playing this on an old TRS-80 with 16K of memory and a cassette player for a "hard drive." ^_^
I was able to speed through this one until I got to 47D MIASMA... that was a new word to me and made the middle bottom difficult... Nice puzzle though... Dennis... congrats on your Eagles... I must say as a GIANT fan I was rooting against them since the Eagles always seem to have the G Men's number.... I am afraid the GIANTS may just shoot themselves in the foot or something.... Oh... that's right they already did that.... Should be a good game....
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday to all!
ReplyDeleteAt least those of us retired ones are happy for a new week! I'm still not sure about going out today though--the roads here are like ice rinks and the driveway is even worse since Saturday night's freezing rain.
The puzzle was easy for me today, despite some guesses, but no g-spotting. I guessed ZINCITE, NISEI, TOPI, PONDWEED, NIM, TAMALE, and like Barry G, didn't relaize the relevance of the SALEM and MOBILE details, but guessed when a few letters filled in.
I did remember GNEISS from high school geology classes. I think it's one of the later stages of metamorphic rock development, where the different elements line up in distinct patterns.
Also wondering, after c.c.'s explanation of IS, NIS and SAN,if that means the NISSAN car brand represents a second and third try at success?
A late start today. Been on vacation the last couple of weeks and have a ton of e-mail to go through. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and here is hoping everyone has a great 2009.
ReplyDeletePuzzle was easy this morning. A sub-10 minute one.
I knew zincite as zinc oxide but didn't know it was used as a semiconductor in crystal radios (before the invention of vacuum tubes). Also knew gneiss.
I trust that Dennis (or someone) has been keeping everyone informed as to "Today is ---".
I have two "birds" that are with me all the time. Occasionally there is a need for them to "fly."
Nim is a two-player mathematical game of strategy in which players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object, and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap.
Martin mentions "kryptonite" in the comments. A bit of useless knowledge: In the movie "Superman Returns" the chemical name of kryptonite is given as "sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide." Oddly enough, in April, 2007 a mineral was discovered in a mine in Serbia and has the same chemical composition and, thus, the same chemical name, as "kryptonite." Though it is not green but white and is also harmless, kryptonite is no longer a fictitious mineral.
Have a great Monday!!!
Also wondering, after c.c.'s explanation of IS, NIS and SAN,if that means the NISSAN car brand represents a second and third try at success?
ReplyDeleteThe "Ni" in "Nissan" means "Japan" and the "ssan" in "Nissan" means "product". I got this by going to the Nissan wikipedia page and using babelfish.yahoo.com to translate the Japanese into English.
Martin
Thanks Martin,
ReplyDeleteI knew you'd come up with something. I feel I should get an A for imaginative thinking though, don't you?
Was born in Mobile 57 1/2 years ago. It is also the REAL bithplace of Mardi Gras
ReplyDeleteDr.Dad, great to see you back; you've been sorely missed.
ReplyDeletePretty clear sailing except for the GNEISS/NIM sector. HASN’T wasn’t readily apparent, and I didn’t know ACCRA location, so it took some wags to finish, but it would have been boring otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSALEM was a gimme, since I live nearby. The Willamette runs through Portland and Eugene, too. It’s often mis-pronounced, as is Oregon.
I have trouble hearing/saying R’s. Author and Arthur sound the same to me, whether I say them or hear them.
DENNIS! I’m so glad to see you back. You’ve brightened by day. Glad you had a good vacation..
Kazie, look at you! G-spotting? You go, girl.
CC, I understand your decision; I don't know how you've kept up the pace, but it would be impossible to answer everyone everyday, as you seem to have been doing. I always feel honored when you respond to something I post, but it's a treat, not an obligation. I think we are all your fans.
Like the rest of you I thought it was a fairly easy puzzle today. I got hung up on the same ones as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Dennis, I am so jelous of your trip as I have been cold for weeks. More snow today. I also loved your "words of wisdom" very powerful if you really think about it!
Stay warm and have a warmderful day! :)
Seems like a slow day today so I'll respond to Kazie's last comment by saying that the numbers I, NI and SAN in Japanese are actually borrowed from Chinese: the Japanese have their own names for the numbers one, two and three (which I don't remember) but they use the Chinese names and Japanese names in different situations; for example, in Chinese four (si) and ten (shi) sound very similar so in situations such as talking over the phone they'll use the traditional Japanese pronounciations. The Japanese versions of the Chinese pronounciations differ from the original Chinese, however.
ReplyDelete1, 2, 3
YI, ER, SAN - Mandarin Chinese
I, NI, SAN - Japanese
and for completeness:
IL, YI, SAM - Korean
C.C., I was a bit confused when I went to Korea and I would ask for a price and people would say "YI CHUAN" to mean 2000 and it would sound like "1000" to me and then I came to Taiwan and I'd ask about a price and be told "YI QIAN" to mean 1000 and I would instinctively hand over $NT2000.
Martin
Martin - Ichi, Ni, San, Shi and Go are Japanese for the numbers one to five respectively. They're among the few Japanese words I remember besides please, thank you, and how much is your sister?
ReplyDelete..roko, seechi, hachi, koo, jue probably misspelled but 6 through 10 in Japanese...via an Okinawan aunt.
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteC.C., my real name is Dorothea which means "gift of God".
I've lived all my life in the NW and was born in Oregon (pronounced or-e-gun) it is amazing that the farther east you go the more gone it gets, as in or-a-gone.
18 minutes for me until I got to the west side, same as everyone else.
Hello Drdad, Welcome back! With youi and Dennis both gone thee were no "Today is..."
ReplyDelete16:17 for me today.
ReplyDelete22A Catchers glove MITT
Instead I would've written the clue as fmr. MA Gov. and Presidential candidate Romney.
a few stumbles: pondweed, gnesis, betel & miasma. I've never heard of these words.
Easy one today no real complaints. Congrats to the Louisville Cards for defeating UK yesterday 74-71. It will be a quiet day! U of L has back to back wins. I'm hoping for a 3 peat next year!
Morning C.C. and company,
ReplyDeleteI would have had it done in about 13 minutes this morning, but for the west side. Like many others the GNEISS/NIM area hung me up and tacked on another six minutes and a half minutes. NIM made me curious, though, so I have downloaded a NIM app for my iPhone.
Welcome back Dennis. I am glad you enjoyed your visit to my neck of the woods. Thanks for the tip about National Bird Day. I have two Yellow-Naped Amazon parrots, Dexter and Ami. Ami is short for amiga which is Spanish for female friend. Novia which is 'girlfriend' would have been more correct, but Ami sounds better than Novi. We originally got her in hopes she would settle Dexter down a bit. That was before we found out that Dexter is a girl. They do not get along with each other, at all. They are both very well cared for.
Ciao
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteBetter not let Jeannie hear you bragging about Philly.
Ken Watanabe
Hi all.
ReplyDeleteWas anyone beside me bothered with the answer for 32A? Are contractions typically allowed as answers?
Good Morning All, No problems with today's puzzle. The theme answers fell into place easily.
ReplyDeleteDr. Dad, I didn't like 32A HASN'T either
I had never heard of NIM before. Thanks for the several explanations.
PONDWEED was another new one. After post-puzzle Googling, I saw that it is most common to the eastern States. Semi-arid California is pretty pond deficient.
The Battle of MOBILE Bay was a Civil War naval battle fought on August 5, 1864. The Union Admiral,David Farragut had to choose between retreating or risking submerged torpedoes. Throwing caution aside, he then issued his famous order, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" (That mindset has gotten me in trouble more than once!)
PromiseMeThis, I understand parrots are among the most intelligent and long-lived pets. How old are Dexter and Ami?
C.C.
ReplyDeleteDictionary:
ancient1
(ān'shənt) 
adj.
1 Of great age; very old.
2 Of or relating to times long past, especially those of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire (A.D. 476). See synonyms at old.
3 Old-fashioned; antiquated.
4 Having the qualities associated with age, wisdom, or long use; venerable.
n.
1 A very old person.
2 A person who lived in times long past.
3 ancients
a The peoples of the classical nations of antiquity.
b The ancient Greek and Roman authors.
From Answers.com I wonder if you are equating this word to one in your native language.
CALEF
CC said at 6:01 AM Argyle, please give me the theme answers for your Sunday puzzle. I really don't have time for another 21*21.
ReplyDeleteI hope all my links work.
Glens Falls Post-Star
Tribune Media Services
State by State 1/4/09
22A) Nicolas Cage film - Raising Arizona Pic
119A) New Mexico artist - Georgia O'Keeffe pic (Strange. If you want to look at the picture, you'll have to add an apostrophe to OKEEFFE when they say they don't have the picture. The blog wouldn't accept the tag with the apostrophe and the site won't accept the link without it.) and painting
27A) "Love Rollercoaster" group - Ohio Players song
110A) Jack Lord series - Hawaii Five-0 theme
54A) "The Hustler" role - Minnesota Fats pic
85A) The Rivieras hit - California Sun song
31D) "Good Times" mom - Florida Evans TV sitcom Ester Rolle(lower right, purple sweater) played Florida who had been the maid on Maude. Maude was Edith (All in the Family) Bunker’s cousin.
43D) Harrison Ford role - Indiana Jones poster
Good, the links work.
ReplyDeleteCan any of you pool hustlers explain the apparent different English they are using the "Hustler" image?
Calef, Don't give up. I'm with you on "ancient" definition.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, Nice links.
John Updike is better know for his novels than his poetry, but I love this one. In honor of Dennis and Dr. Dad...
Back From Vacation
"Back from vacation", the barber announces,
or the postman, or the girl at the drugstore, now tan.
They are amazed to find the workaday world
still in place, their absence having slipped no cogs,
their customers having hardly missed them, and
there being so sparse an audience to tell of the wonders,
the pyramids they have seen, the silken warm seas,
the nighttimes of marimbas, the purchases achieved
in foreign languages, the beggars, the flies,
the hotel luxury, the grandeur of marble cities.
But at Customs the humdrum pressed its claims.
Gray days clicked shut around them; the yoke still fit,
warm as if never shucked. The world is still so small,
the evidence says, though their hearts cry, "Not so!"
- John Updike
Have been a lurker for about a month, after finding this site on dictionary.com. Enjoy the comments very much and learn something new each day, that's why I keep coming back. I NEVER Google, just wait until I come here to fill in the few blank spots, which are fewer and fewer each day. Beautiful weather here in sw orygun.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes, on the money. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteClear Eyes,
ReplyDeleteDexter is about 25 and Ami is around 20. Parrots do live a long time. Amazons live longer than Macaws. They typically live to be 80+, but some have been known to live beyond 100 years. They are smart, too. The best talkers and possibly the smartest of all parrots are the African Greys; the most famous of which was undoubtedly Alex.
The following is from the website of Alex Foundation:
-----------------------------
WALTHAM, MA (SEPTEMBER 10, 2007)—Alex, the world renowned African Grey parrot made famous by the ground-breaking cognition and communication research conducted by Irene Pepperberg, Ph.D., died at the age of 31 on September 6, 2007. Dr. Pepperberg’s pioneering research resulted in Alex learning elements of English speech to identify 50 different objects, 7 colors, 5 shapes, quantities up to and including 6 and a zero-like concept. He used phrases such as “I want X” and “Wanna go Y”, where X and Y were appropriate object and location labels. He acquired concepts of categories, bigger and smaller, same-different, and absence. Alex combined his labels to identify, request, refuse, and categorize more than 100 different items demonstrating a level and scope of cognitive abilities never expected in an avian species. Pepperberg says that Alex showed the emotional equivalent of a 2 year-old child and intellectual equivalent of a 5 year-old. Her research with Alex shattered the generally held notion that parrots are only capable of mindless vocal mimicry.
----------------------
I have updated my profile with a picture of Ami.
Ciao
CC: thanks for the link to NYT puzzle solve...(your is MUCH easier to follow!)
ReplyDeleteGood morning C.C.and all, great puzzle until I got the the central West side: same problem as the rest of you. I didn't care for PONDWEED but I figured it out finally-process of elimination.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know who Alicia Keys was either. (I do now, thanks to C.C.)
Dennis and DrDad, welcome back!!! You were missed every day.
Dr.G - yes 32A bothered me too. I did think of HASNT, but I didn't think that they would but a contraction in. Shows what we know :)
Clear ayes, great "Back from vacation" it said it all!
Promise me this, Do your birds speak?
I had a little parakeet years ago and taught him to say about 8 different things...pretty good for such a little guy.
Carol,
ReplyDeleteNeither of them have an extensive vocabulary. They both are big on 'hi' and 'hello. Ami sometimes says I love you and Dexter is very fond of his (her) own name. they both get very excited at times singing along with music sans words. Dexter can be the life of the party when we have company. If people start laughing he will chime in with "Ooooh, ho ho ho" just as if he understood the joke and thought it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. Of course, that always makes everyone laugh even more. They both can be very affectionate and amusing ... when it suits them.
I would say eight words is pretty good for your parakeet. Talking parakeets are pretty rare, I think.
Good morning, everyone.
ReplyDeleteC.C., I think it's wise to cut back your responding to comments. How you've been able to keep this up and not miss a day is mind boggling. I can't begin to imagine what your in box must be like on a busy day. Thank you for creating this forum.
Not too many unknowns today, and the perps helped fill those in. Did not know TOPI (although I actually own one), PONDWEED, NIM, ALICIA KEYS, ZINCITE, and GELD. It looks like TOPI is a variant of TOPEE. My brother is currently at his sister-in-law's place in Mobile -- does that count?
@dennis Good to see you back. Getting a bit DF at 10:04 there, my friend.
@dick Glad you had a great birthday bash!
Have a great first Monday of 2009!
In honor of National Bird Day:
ReplyDeleteby Shel Silverstein
Birds are flyin' south for winter.
Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes it's kind of nice
To be the only bird in town."
PromiseMeThis,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to Alex. It was all new to me,and a great story.
Also interesting to note, sandwiched in the middle of the video, that zebra finches participate in speed-dating. What a kick.
JD- cute poem.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon CC et al, Great puzzle...gneiss made me want to throw up as it reminded me of Geology 102 Lab and all the dang rocks...gneiss was one of those that I could not remember.. diamonds are the only rocks that I can recognize in any size, color, or shape. Must be a girl thing. I asked my rock hard, athletic husband for a diamond one time and he took me to a baseball game. Different strokes!
ReplyDelete32A is tricky...not at all a 'gneiss' thing to do.
Dennis & Drdad, welcome back. You were both missed very much.
Dick: I'm sorry i didn't get back to you on the practice tips. Since tolerance is time related, the only advice I could have given you was my tried and true battle cry, "Puke & Rally"! It apparently was not necessary any way. I'm so glad your bday party was wonderful.
Enjoy your day.
Promise me this,
ReplyDeleteWe had a parrot for awhile that looked like your Ami. His name was Fred and he liked saying "Hello Fred" repeatedly. He also laughed, did wolf whistles, and shrieked when he wanted attention. He had flown into our back yard, so I put him in my Ficus tree in the living room, but he liked the kitchen or family room better. We put up signs all over, but no one claimed him. Three months went by, and before we bought him a fancy "play pen" we put an ad in the paper. The next day his owner called. After that we baby sat Fred when his owners went out of town.Parrots take a lot of work, and they can't be quieted like a child, or can they? Fred was not fond of men, and he let us know that.
PromiseMeThis,
ReplyDeleteI was recently at a pet store that sells different types of parrots and birds. MY husband, son and I were talking about the fact that Parrot's especially need to be taken care of in a will as they most likely will out live the owner. I was wondreing if you have arrangements made for your two darlings? I know this is a personal question and you don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable, I was just curious after our family discussion.
Argyle: It looks like to me that Jackie is using bottom and Paul is using top which makes the cue ball spin backwards and forwards respectively. Since they are 'lagging' for break, I would think that Jackie is correct, but it depends on the touch too...so who knows. Maybe Rich will chime in.
ReplyDeleteDennis: 10:04..funny! I'm off to find my ruby moments and to exercise my bird.
CC: we all stand in awe of you every day. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do.
Bethann,
ReplyDeleteNot as yet. There is a wonderful place in Miami that used to be called Parrot Jungle and is now called Jungle Island. They might be willing to take them. Dexter is so ornery sometimes that I am not sure they would want him, though. It would be a rude awakening for him, too. He/she is the Boss around here (that's Boss with a capital 'B', for sure), but down there she'd be just another bird. I really should make some kind of solid arrangement since you just never know. Thanks for asking.
PromiseMeThis, Our little parakeet (Budgie,yes we actually named him that), said "Hello, Bye Bye, Where's Daddy",Pretty Boy, and Merry Christmas (although he always added an extra 'mas' so it came out Merry Christmas-mas)& one or two others I can't remember now. I believe any of the parrot family can speak, but often people don't try with parakeets because they just think they are too little/or can't learn.
ReplyDeleteAs the old song goes: "Bird,bird,bird is the word,etc". I always say, a bird in the hand is fun!!!
Argyle- is that Jackie Gleeson? (not sure of spelling). I thought at first glacne it was John Goodman, so I went back for another look! They look so much alike but now I can see it must be Jackie because Paul Newman looks sooo young!
ReplyDeleteTribune Readers: There were two puzzles last Sunday (Dec. 28th) and the magazine was not published this past week. There was a small notice in a side box on Page 2 on the 28th that I also originally missed.
ReplyDeleteP.S. "Obs." is used in dictionaries to indicate a word that is not often used now.
I enjoyed the Animal Planet bird video. I've seen parrots at animal park shows, but it was news that they are capable of understanding concepts like color, shape and matter.
ReplyDeleteCarol, Every time G.A.H. and I go to PetSmart to buy dog food and wild bird seed, we stop to visit with the budgies, parakeets and finches. They are such charming little characters.
Lois, LOL, your battle cry sounds very much like the "Damn the torpedoes...etc".
Bethann, Hmmm...John Goodman, really?
JD, Nice poem. I love Shel Silverstein.
Thea, Weather321 and all our Oregonians, Years ago I had a friend who would get a little wild-eyed if Oregon was pronounced Or-aw-gawn, rather than Or-eh-gun. Is it really that big a deal?
Dennis & Lois,
ReplyDeleteYou two didn't say which kinds of birds YOU have.
@ Lois "Puke & Rally"!! What ever works LOL!
ReplyDelete@ Carol sometimes a bird in hand is OK LOL!
ReplyDeleteBarb B,
ReplyDelete"sandwiched in the middle of the video, that zebra finches participate in speed-dating"
Which video are you referring to?
Clear Eyes,
Are you referring to the same one?
PromiseMeThis, Lois will be happy to explain.
ReplyDeleteClear ayes, not such a big deal to me, maybe a little one though. I am sure no one likes to hear their state name mangled. I am sure the people from Louisiana and Illinois can relate as their states are mis-pronounced frequently. I know no one means anything by it, and it is just regional as are a lot of the things we say daily. Southerners say "hey" and out here in Or-e-gun, we say "hi". We all know what we mean, and it's fun to listen to other versions of daily words.
ReplyDeleteDick, a bird in the hand is worth two in the 'bush'!
ReplyDelete@clearayes I think it relly upsets the natives. I'm a 40 year transplant, and it doesn't bug me at all. It just helps us identify out-of-staters, LOL!
ReplyDelete@carol That would be one crowded "bush!"
And a bird in the bush? Priceless.
ReplyDeleteBudgerigars, (an aboriginal word), are native to the Australian "bush"--as the outback is often called. Between them and the gallahs, it gets pretty noisy when they're all in one place.
ReplyDeleteI had a budgie when I was a kid. I called it Bobby, then we found out it was a female, so we decided that Bobby was short for Roberta. The males have a dark blue band across the beak, but sometimes the young ones aren't so dark, and ours had the blue, but very pale and it never got dark.
She didn't learn to say much more than "Hello Bobby" in her 13 years of life. I was told females don't usually talk as well as males. Funny it's thought to be the opposite with humans, isn't it?
"Funny it's thought to be the opposite with humans, isn't it?"
ReplyDeleteThought to be the opposite?
Clearly you have not met my housekeeper :)
PromiseMe,
ReplyDeleteYou have a male housekeeper who talks or a female who won't talk?
PromiseMeThis, It's the same video that Barb B was referring to. At your Alex link of 12:20, after going into the site, click on "Griffin" in the "Alex, Griffin and Arthur" heading. At the bottom of the page is "Animal Planet's "Extraordinary Animals" Featuring our very own Griffin
ReplyDeleteHERE". Click on "HERE". There is a 20 minute video about Dr. Pepperberg, Griffin and intelligence of parrots, in general.
Dick, A year older and wiser. LOL, Practice makes perfect!
Kazie, What fun to have seen budgies in the wild. I had the same question for PromiseMeThis.
Gee, thanks, Dennis!
ReplyDeletePromiseme: I don't know about Dennis' bird, but mine thinks he is a 'cockatoo' but without as much plumage. Dennis why don't you tell us about YOUR bird?
I just got this link from JD. In honor of National Bird Day, here's Snowball, so funny. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSee you all tomorrow.
Clear Ayes, if you compare their facial structure they are very simular (at least to me). I also think John played Jackie on SNL (not 100% sure) Anybody else see the resemblance or am I just nuts?
ReplyDeleteFlorida also has regional pronunciations. Where I grew up,(in the Sunshine state) it was "FLAH rida." Some parts of the state say "FLOOR rida" Where I now live,(out of state) they say "Floor duh" or "FLAR duh." It really is a three-syllable word much like the Spanish word from which it came "flor REE tdah" meaning "Land of flowers".
ReplyDeleteCC - Don't disparage over pronunciation - I've lived in Texas all my life and the things we do to our language is really wild.
ReplyDeleteTan, Ten, & Tin all pronounced the same as are Pan, Pen, & Pin
We warsh our clothes we don't wash them!
We have a town Mexia that is pronounced Ma hay a; unless you are a local then it is Ma hay er.
Lois - with your Okie roots I bet you know what I'm talking about.
Oh the DFness is definitely showing today... cockatoo, budgies, two in the bush, talking bushes LOL
CC - Hope you will jump in enough to keep us MOREL! We all Vodka you and what you do for our group.
Kazie,
ReplyDeleteMy housekeeper is female and the moment she runs out of things to say you can just see the wheels spinning looking for something else to say. She is a sweetheart and the dogs and birds all love her, but boy is she a motor-mouth. I guess she is just kind of high-strung like them.
Clear Eyes,
Thanks for the info about the video. I swear I searched the entire site and could find no video. Perhaps being more diligent might be a good New Year's Resolution for me. The Snowball video is a lot of fun, too. I can't say much for his taste in music, though.
Bethann,
I can see how you might confuse Goodman for Gleason. Perhaps it is just because they are both large.
Razzberry,
It appears I have missed something. What is this DFness? I saw the earlier mention of DF, but I was clueless. I am afraid I am also in the dark regarding the Vodka reference :(
PromiseMeThis, DF stands for Dysfunctional; just something I coined that I thought captured some of the members/exchanges that have strayed from the norm over the past many months.
ReplyDeleteI also just realized that you and I have both badly exceeded the 5-post limit. C.C., sorry 'bout that.
See y'all tomorrow.
"I also just realized that you and I have both badly exceeded the 5-post limit."
ReplyDeleteI know. Nice parlance today, though. My apologies, as well, C.C.
Nite all!
Guday, all. Easy puzzle today. Just under 2 hours. (Remember, my lips move when I sign my name). Didn't know "nim" but got it thru the perps.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all you Oregonads. The Ducks and Beavers -and the PAC 10- RULE this year. I bet Carl is still sipping brandy or chugging Wild Turkey.
Some people DO take offense to mispronounced cities or states. I never understood why the "S" in Illinois and Des Moines is silent but it is pronounced in Des Plaines, Illinois. If you wish to get shot, just go up to a Mainenite (See Fred) and pronounce BangOr - BangEr. The next "bang" you hear will take your knee off.
Man, just mention birds and the DF's come flocking out. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?" I don't think so; but a "Push in the bush IS worth two in the hand!!!"
I believe my Buckeyes are playing a team that should be in the Championship game. Texas beat Oklahoma by 10 on a neutral field and I'm afraid Texas is out to prove that point tonight. I'm in for a long evening and night.
Oh, well. As my "Poet" daddy used to say "Early to rise, and early to bed, makes a man healthy, wealthy and dead".
I must be off.
By the way. Utah 31, Alabama 17? Is this the beginning of armageddon? According to the Aztecs and Nostradamus, this wasn't supposed to happen until 2012.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how important Nostradamus was until I remembered they named a University after him in South Bend, Indiana. (Yes the "S" is pronounced in South Bend. I would sound stupid to say Outh Bend.)
IMBO
Clear ayes and JD - thanks for the clip of Snowball!! LMAO - That is one bird with rhythm!
ReplyDeleteBuckeye- first of all, welcome back! We really missed you to. Hope all is well with you. As to my 'bush' remark, I meant ONE AT A TIME IN THE BUSH :)boys, not all at once.
Then there is always GIVING or FLIPPING said bird.
@buckeye So good to see you back on the blog! It's almost game time -- Go BUCKS!
ReplyDeleteRazz: I do know what you mean, but what I'm used to is a little more serious. Far?...what you roast marshmellows over; Rang -found on yore fanger; Rat - not wrong.
ReplyDeleteBuckeye: good to see you back. You've been missed.
Hook 'em, Horns!
Buckeye,
ReplyDeleteWe certainly missed you. I don't always comment on your posts, but I always get a giggle over them. I bet you were just waiting to end your lurking until Dr.Dad and Dennis were both back. Anyway, it's fun to see you all here again.
It bothers natives a lot to hear people mis-pronounce Oregon. You can buy a bumper sticker that says OR-Y-GUN. LOL
ReplyDeletePromiseMeThis,
Sorry,I thought you had watched the video. There's a section on the brains of birds, and the scientist shows zebra finches to demonstrate their language, which has a definite pattern. Cute
Have you heard our governor pronounce his own state, California?????
ReplyDeleteThis was a great puzzle and I got most of it but got stumped on 40 across NIM. Never heard of that. Other than that it was pretty simple.
ReplyDeleteDANG!
ReplyDeleteOh my stars and garters.
ReplyDeleteIMBO
I thoroughly enjoy reading the comments posted with respect to my puzzle. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteStan,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to hear from you. Thanks for the great puzzle.
@stan the man Nice of you to check out the blog.
ReplyDelete