Theme: None
Total block: 38
Total word: 68
What's so special today? Why two crosses in the grid? Pure coincidence?
Funny how visual images can be so misguiding. After a quick glance at the simple grid, I had thought we might have a new record for the lowest total blocks. So wrong. It turns out that this puzzle actually has the highest number of black squares, though the total word count is quite low.
Still some suffixes, but not too excessive. CERN struck me as very obscure, but it's obtainable from the crossing fills, so is YAOUNDE.
But I cheated too early. Should have worked hard for MALACHI instead of looking up in the Reference Supplement section of my dictionary for "Books of Bible" immediately. Definitely not a satisfying solving experience.
Across:
1A: Awllike tool: ICEPICK. The weapon Sharon Stone used in "Basic Instinct". Leon Trotsky was also murdered with an ICEPICK.
8A:Lug laboriously: SCHLEPP. I thought it's SCHLEP, one P.
15A: Old Testament closer: MALACHI. Wikipedia says MALACHI might not be "the name of the author, since MALACHI means 'my messenger' or 'my angel' in Hebrew".
16A: Rigby of song: ELEANOR. By The Beatles. Unknown to me, the tune sounds very familiar though.
18A: Alternative to pasta: RISOTTO. There is really a science behind a perfect RISOTTO. Very complicated to prepare.
20A: Poetic globe: ORB. Or "Eye, poetically".
21A: Troy, NY school: RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). My brain simply refuses to accept this school name. What is RPI famous for?
22A: Uris novel, with "The": HAJ. It was QB VII yesterday.
28A: Herbal quaff: SAGE TEA. I've never had SAGE TEA. Guess that's why I can't even finish a Saturday puzzle without cheating.
29A: Grp. of gridders: AFC (American Football Conference). I thought of NFL. Holy cow, the Vikings belongs to NFC. I didn't even know that. OK, now I know TDS, QBS, NFL, AFC and NFC. What else? Oh, YDS & wardrobe malfunction.
30A: Eur. particle accelerator location: CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire - European Council for Nuclear Research). It's the the world's largest particle physics lab according to Wikipedi. Doesn't feel like it's something worth knowing.
32A: Work unit: ERG. Ten-millionth of a joule.
35A: Old-style second person verb: WOULDST. Strung the answer together with the crossing help.
38A: Illumination unit: LUX. What? I thought LUX is a brand of soap.
40A: Primitive plant: ALGA. Nori, kelp and other seaweeds are all ALGAE.
42A: Take over for: RELIEVE. Ah, how I miss baseball! Goose Goosage made into HOF last year. He is a great reliever.
46A: Fractional ending: ETH. "Biblical verb ending" as well.
50A: German automobile pioneer: DAIMLER
55A: Can. province: QUE. Next I want "___ Sera, Sera".
56A: Capital of Cameroon: YAOUNDE. No idea. See this map. I wonder what YAOUNDE means in its local language.
62A: Parents: REARERS. I only knew REAR. If it's a valid word, then step-parents are REARERS too. My REARER is my grandma.
63A: Most labyrinthine: MAZIEST. Have never heard of MAZY before.
Down:
1D: Mrs. Marcos: IMELDA. Ah, shoes, of which she had too many. It's like my baseball card collection, very addictive.
2D: Indian pony: CAYUSE. I forgot. Saw this clue/answer before. CAYUSE is named after the Indian tribe.
5D: Discharges from wounds: ICHORS. I rememer ICHOR was clued as "Blood of gods" before,
6D: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. Another new word to me. Is it pronounced the same as Korea?
8D: Saw-toothed: SERRATED
13D: French stewlike dish: POT-AU-FEU. I won't link a picture, since so many of you just hate this dish.
14D: Item on a secret agenda: PROJECT X
25D: Inveigh: DECLAIM. So many *claim words: DECLAIM, disclaim, reclaim, proclaim, exclaim, acclaim and misclaim.
34D: Sword lily: GLADIOLA. Not my favorite flower. Too wild for me. I did not know it's also called "Sword lily" though.
36D: Poisonous shrub: OLEANDER. Which part is poisonous?
43D: Jewish Jehovah: ELOHIM. You would think this would be a gimme for me after reading your comments three weeks ago. But no. Dear God, please let me know your name next time.
44D: City in a Shakespeare title: VERONA. "The Two Gentlemen of VERONA".
45D: Poor quality imitation: ERSATZ. Dealt with too many ERSATZ luxury products when I worked with Pinkerton (Intellectual Investigation) in China.
57D: Egy-Syr., for a time: UAR (United Arab Republic). Between 1958 to 1961, during Nasser's presidency.
C.C.
Total block: 38
Total word: 68
What's so special today? Why two crosses in the grid? Pure coincidence?
Funny how visual images can be so misguiding. After a quick glance at the simple grid, I had thought we might have a new record for the lowest total blocks. So wrong. It turns out that this puzzle actually has the highest number of black squares, though the total word count is quite low.
Still some suffixes, but not too excessive. CERN struck me as very obscure, but it's obtainable from the crossing fills, so is YAOUNDE.
But I cheated too early. Should have worked hard for MALACHI instead of looking up in the Reference Supplement section of my dictionary for "Books of Bible" immediately. Definitely not a satisfying solving experience.
Across:
1A: Awllike tool: ICEPICK. The weapon Sharon Stone used in "Basic Instinct". Leon Trotsky was also murdered with an ICEPICK.
8A:Lug laboriously: SCHLEPP. I thought it's SCHLEP, one P.
15A: Old Testament closer: MALACHI. Wikipedia says MALACHI might not be "the name of the author, since MALACHI means 'my messenger' or 'my angel' in Hebrew".
16A: Rigby of song: ELEANOR. By The Beatles. Unknown to me, the tune sounds very familiar though.
18A: Alternative to pasta: RISOTTO. There is really a science behind a perfect RISOTTO. Very complicated to prepare.
20A: Poetic globe: ORB. Or "Eye, poetically".
21A: Troy, NY school: RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). My brain simply refuses to accept this school name. What is RPI famous for?
22A: Uris novel, with "The": HAJ. It was QB VII yesterday.
28A: Herbal quaff: SAGE TEA. I've never had SAGE TEA. Guess that's why I can't even finish a Saturday puzzle without cheating.
29A: Grp. of gridders: AFC (American Football Conference). I thought of NFL. Holy cow, the Vikings belongs to NFC. I didn't even know that. OK, now I know TDS, QBS, NFL, AFC and NFC. What else? Oh, YDS & wardrobe malfunction.
30A: Eur. particle accelerator location: CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire - European Council for Nuclear Research). It's the the world's largest particle physics lab according to Wikipedi. Doesn't feel like it's something worth knowing.
32A: Work unit: ERG. Ten-millionth of a joule.
35A: Old-style second person verb: WOULDST. Strung the answer together with the crossing help.
38A: Illumination unit: LUX. What? I thought LUX is a brand of soap.
40A: Primitive plant: ALGA. Nori, kelp and other seaweeds are all ALGAE.
42A: Take over for: RELIEVE. Ah, how I miss baseball! Goose Goosage made into HOF last year. He is a great reliever.
46A: Fractional ending: ETH. "Biblical verb ending" as well.
50A: German automobile pioneer: DAIMLER
55A: Can. province: QUE. Next I want "___ Sera, Sera".
56A: Capital of Cameroon: YAOUNDE. No idea. See this map. I wonder what YAOUNDE means in its local language.
62A: Parents: REARERS. I only knew REAR. If it's a valid word, then step-parents are REARERS too. My REARER is my grandma.
63A: Most labyrinthine: MAZIEST. Have never heard of MAZY before.
Down:
1D: Mrs. Marcos: IMELDA. Ah, shoes, of which she had too many. It's like my baseball card collection, very addictive.
2D: Indian pony: CAYUSE. I forgot. Saw this clue/answer before. CAYUSE is named after the Indian tribe.
5D: Discharges from wounds: ICHORS. I rememer ICHOR was clued as "Blood of gods" before,
6D: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. Another new word to me. Is it pronounced the same as Korea?
8D: Saw-toothed: SERRATED
13D: French stewlike dish: POT-AU-FEU. I won't link a picture, since so many of you just hate this dish.
14D: Item on a secret agenda: PROJECT X
25D: Inveigh: DECLAIM. So many *claim words: DECLAIM, disclaim, reclaim, proclaim, exclaim, acclaim and misclaim.
34D: Sword lily: GLADIOLA. Not my favorite flower. Too wild for me. I did not know it's also called "Sword lily" though.
36D: Poisonous shrub: OLEANDER. Which part is poisonous?
43D: Jewish Jehovah: ELOHIM. You would think this would be a gimme for me after reading your comments three weeks ago. But no. Dear God, please let me know your name next time.
44D: City in a Shakespeare title: VERONA. "The Two Gentlemen of VERONA".
45D: Poor quality imitation: ERSATZ. Dealt with too many ERSATZ luxury products when I worked with Pinkerton (Intellectual Investigation) in China.
57D: Egy-Syr., for a time: UAR (United Arab Republic). Between 1958 to 1961, during Nasser's presidency.
C.C.
CC-
ReplyDeleteThe Oleander is an evergreen shrub that is one of the most poisonous plants on Earth. The entire plant contains toxic compounds, not just one part. in China, it is known as "jia zhu tao".
23 minutes 31 seconds. I got held up by the intersections of DECLAIM, WOULDST, OLEANDER, WAR DANCE, DAIMLER and YAOUNDE. My last letter was the E in CAYUSE and AES.
ReplyDeleteMartin
By the way, do you know where and when the world wide web was invented? It was back in 1986 at CERN. Particle physicists needed a convenient way to share information so they invented web pages with clickable content. Before the world wide web, you had to send a command requesting the file by name. The internet itself was invented in the early seventies at some university in California: basically the idea was that transfering files from computer to computer using floppy disks was time consuming so they git the idea connecting their computers and forming the first local area network. Later they were able to send data between universities on different campuses using the telephone line.
ReplyDeleteMartin
Anonymous @5:57am,
ReplyDeleteAre you Youbin from Taiwan?
Martin,
World Wide Web was invented at CERN? I love this trivia. Thanks. Has Ian spoken more words?
Jimbo,
I was just trying to find an excuse to get you out. Bowled any 200 yet?
JD,
Good memory! Yes, Katherine is the grandma. She looks absolutely gorgeous in her wedding pictures, stunning!
PromiseMe,
ReplyDeleteRe: "Einojuhani Rautavaara". I agree with Martin on the gridding of this vowel-ladden word.
Wolfmom @11:02pm,
You are right. It's indeed a sour note in the symphony.
Linda,
Forgot to wish you good luck with your test next Tuesday.
Ink,
Nice to see you again. Hope you had a great holiday with your daughters.
Has Ian spoken more words?
ReplyDeleteNot that I've heard.
World Wide Web was invented at CERN? I love this trivia.
This is exactly the sort of comment that drives scientists in comic books mad and drives them to become supervillains. "Trivia?! My work is trivia?! Soon the entire world will know about my work! Muhahahahha!"
Martin
Anonymous @10:00pm,
ReplyDeleteWhat you wrote hurt me greatly. But remember Pluto is not a planet any more.
Crockett,
I am very comforted by your comment last night. Thanks.
Martin,
OK, it's not trivia, it's a gem of information. Or better, a diamond of information. Are those even correct English expressions?
Good morning CC et al, Same hold ups as Martin, except Cayuse. We've had that before, plus it's in the song, "Don't Fence Me In". 33D struck me funny. Glad not to be a rat. Odd socks are the bane of my existence. Guess it's always somethin'. What is yours, CC? And I just have to wonder about 58A. Who uses that term? Say that around here and you might get shot.
ReplyDeleteGotta go be a 'rearer'...duty calls.
Enjoy your day.
Good morning CC etal,
ReplyDeleteIt's been a few days since I popped up here - ex number 2 is visiting and so my time has been somewhat occupied - just catching up a little now.
CC: pay no never-mind to cowardly anons. We who care know you do a terrific job and have created a nice little community here. Consider the number of "hits" vs. the number of comments (regulars or anons) and realize there are more "lurkers" out there who,I'm sure, value you as well. @ Crockett - I ditto your support - well "spoken".
As for today's adventure - I too thought SCHLEPP had only one "p"; CHOREA stumped me; have heard of "earshot", but not EYESHOT; READAPT & SAGE TEA both seemed a stretch, as did PROJECT X.
But enough grumbling - all in all not too bad, just a little longer to solve this morning than the usual Saturday "long-words" puzzle.
Don't know if we have anyone from Utah on here, but that game was great (sorry Abagato).
Hope everyone has a terrific Saturday!
Lois,
ReplyDeleteBaseball cards are bane of my life but source of my joy as well.
Argyle,
Thanks for the ARIL/Testa link and explanation yesterday.
Dougl & Linda & Mark in BA,
So LLAMA is indeed a Spanish word, isn't it?
Chris,
Thanks for the support.
Good morning Cc and others. I struggled with this one. I don't seem to be able to get in the groove with c/w since I got beck from my trip. Guess I will try again tomorrow and hope for better results.
ReplyDeleteCC RPI is a very good school for the sciences and engineering. I almost went there for my undergraduate work.
Got to get ready for tomorrow as that day ushers in the decade of the 70's for me. Welcome back Lois I missed you. Hope you all have a fine day and I will see you tomorrow.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a bit of a mental workout today. There were some complete unknowns (YAOUNDE, RATSBANE, PORTAUFEU, HAJ, LUC), some barely knowns (CAYUSE, CHOREA, DAIMLER) and some knows that were obscured by the cluing (I had no idea that a GLADIOLA was also called a "sword lily").
And then, of course, there were the words that aren't really words at all, as far as I'm concerend (REARERS, MAZIEST). And I do think that SCHLEPP should have had a "var." tag, since it is usually spelled SCHLEP.
I finished unassisted, but it was touch and go for awhile. I had FERN instead of ALGA and NFL instead of AFC. And thank heavens for Star Trek and Jean-LUC Picard, or else I never would have guessed 19A.
The thorniest spot for me today was the NE corner, where POTAUFEU crossed HAJ. In retrospect, I think I've seen both answers in the puzzle before, but they just didn't make an impression. Especially POTAUFEU. French is not exactly my métier, if you know what I mean. It's not my forte either, for that matter. It wasn't until I finally figured out ENTHRALL and PROJECTX that I was able to hazard a guess (a correct one, as it turned out) and put that corner to bed.
Anyway, with the exception of MAZIER and REARERS (which I still refuse to accept as legitimate words), I actually found the puzzle quite enjoyable. Challenging, but ultimately doable.
Good morning all, and
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Dick!
I thought this was going to be a hammer when I started, but actually ended up rather respectably, once I accepted that several words were either made up or so rare that I refuse to think they are real words. I proceeded to creative guessing again.
I checked kitbag and eyespot in the OED, and they do exist, but BAH Humbug! Ugh!! as Barry G would say. Nuf said.
SCHLEPP, btw would be a German spelling--always need two or more consonants at the end of a short syllable, otherwise it's long.
Dick: I've missed you too. Happy, Happy BIG Birthday! Jan 4 is a remarkable day since it belongs to you. I will toast a 'drdad special' to you many times tomorrow...can't do one for each year (I'm not THAT good), but maybe one for each decade. I hope you saw all the comments yesterday about your new picture. Excellent!
ReplyDeleteCC: please pay no attention to grousers who are too cowardly to sign their names.
ReplyDeleteLlama is a "Spanish" word only by attrition...(it came from a native American Indian tongue) as in "schlep" is English only by attrition. When a word is embraced by another language. we tend to use our ways of pronunciation as in "Wagner" for what is pronounced "Vagner' in the native language...
BTW...Elohim has many,many names, each describing a facet of His character/abilities...so don`t file that name away to use every time...it may not work.
Why is CERN significant? News says that if, the atomic particles accelerate fast enough, there could be a "black hole" generated which could swallow everything...and they just test-fired it back in the fall. I tend to ignore gloom and doom news. I live by an old saying of my Dad`s: "We are going to live until we die, if a tree doesn`t fall on us."
Again...don`t let boorish people get to you.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers about the "test." Will keep you posted.
Trotsky was actually killed with a ice ax not an ice pick. The ice ax is similar to those used by mountain climbers. Trotsky was successfully attacked in his home by a Stalinist agent who drove the pick of an ice ax (whose shaft had been drastically shortened in order to allow the weapon to be concealed), into Trotsky's skull. It was stolen and found years later. Some stories about his death still say it was an ice pick and some just say an ax was used
ReplyDeleteFrom a news article in 2005
One of the most notorious murder weapons in modern history, the ice-pick that killed Leon Trotsky, appears to have been found, 65 years after it was apparently stolen from the Mexican police.
The daughter of a former secret service agent claims she has the steel mountaineering instrument, which is stained with the blood of the Russian revolutionary. ...
Good Morning All, By using Barry Silk's "fill in what you can and then go back" advice, I was able to finish the puzzle without any Googling.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of CERN, SAGE TEA or RATS BANE.
It doesn't sound like it would taste good, but according to this site Sage Tea is good for just about anything that ails you. It is even supposed to help with increased brain function. WOW, I'm headed to my herb garden to pick some right away!
The list of Practical Yiddish Words had SCHLEPP spelled as SHLEP, but the crossword spelling was an easy switch. SCHLEP is also common. Maybe the clue should have included "var."
I'm with Barry G. and others about MAZIEST. I couldn't find "labyrinthiest" either....definitely a made-up word.
REARERS was a stretch, but it is a real word. I was taught that you raise your hand, but you rear a child. Any grammarians out there want to explain more fully?
C.C. Einojuhani Rautavaara is a Finnish composer. Just a few days ago we discussed some of the differences between Finnish and Swedish. Finnish names, with so many vowels, are striking examples of the difference. Typical Swedish surnames might be Andersson, Berg, or Lindstrom.
I loved your comment,"remember Pluto is not a planet any more".
One thing that complainers don't understand is that their unwarranted criticisms only bring the people who enjoy the blog closer together. Do you remember the discussion a couple of months ago....It is a great example of "circling the wagons."
You all know I love poetry. Sometimes I post poems just because I like them and hope you do too. At other times, I see a poem that is searching for it's place. I've been holding on to this little poem for a couple of weeks. I think today is the perfect day.
ReplyDeleteWhat One Approves, Another Scorns
What one approves,
another scorns,
and thus
his nature each discloses.
You find the rosebush
full of thorns,
I find the
thornbush full of roses.
- Arthur Guiterman
Hello,
ReplyDelete6D: Nervous system disorder: CHOREA. Another new word to me. Is it pronounced the same as Korea?
Yes, according to Dictionary.com
Korea: kuh-ree-uh
chorea: kuh-ree-uh
but I think a bit longer "o" is used for chorea.
Woody Guthrie died from Huntington's chorea. Here is a heart-wrenching poem/song about Woody and his disease. It is written in the first person as Woody would have but it is by Tom Flannery.
Talkin' Woody Guthrie Huntington's Chorea Blues
Forewarned, keep the tissues handy. I have to locate a cheerful Woody Guthrie song now.
Some additional trivia on AFC & NFC. Originally there were two leagues, AFL and NFL but they got merged into the NFL, with 2 conferences (AFC & NFC) spun out.
ReplyDeleteI also knew the 2 bits about CERN. The inventor of the Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has a fascinating first-person account in "Weaving the Web." So many people made billions off the Web in the late 90's, Tim just has the bragging rights, but I bet he is happier than many of those who got rich.
And I also read the scare stories about "accidental micro black holes" spawned by the new CERN accellerator swallowing up Earth. Glad that didn't come to pass! (yet, at least).
"Eyeshed" is a pretty obscure word. Foresters use it to define the area that can be seen from a scenic lookout or highway through a forest, and then limit logging to areas that can't be seen.
Here's a cute ditty with a connection to today's puzzle, if you can imagine a duet with Woody and Gottlieb Daimler!
ReplyDeleteCar Song
I would call today's theme "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".
ReplyDeleteThe Good - The upright cross
The Bab - The inverted cross
THe Ugly - The general layout of today's puzzle.
Seattle John
First...Happy Birthday to Dick tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI am exactly in the same place as C.C. with how I felt doing the puzzle...there is an odd "subplot" of disease and poisons going on, OLEANDER, RATSBANE, CHOREA, ICHORS, MAL de MER...Distressing.
I knew WOLFSBANE, not RATSBANE.
Sage Tea would have to be an aquired taste. When I was in my teens we visited Mt. Rushmore and they had sage tea in the visitor's center. Of course, I had to try it. My dad, who knew my penchant for always trying new things, made me drink all of it! Not a pleasant experience. Not enough sugar in the world to make it palatable. Think before you drink. Remember...sage is the main ingredient in Poultry Seasoning...its great with meat, but not so tasty as a tea.
Martin on the Trivia quote...that is so funny!
Clear Eyes...as always, a very appropos poem...loved it!
Had pretty much the same problems as everyone else... MAZIEST? Huh?
We finally have sunshine so I am painting in my sunroom/studio today, so will probably just lurk periodically.
A lovely day to all...
@ Lois thanks for the kind words.
ReplyDelete@MH nice to see you back. I haven't seen you here for a very long time.
I think I will go practice for tomorrow as there might be some alcohol involved and I have not practiced in a long while. Any pointers Lois?
c.c.- as with all of the others who enjoy your xword world don't worry about the naysayers. Some people just don't have a positive thought in their bleak world and thye have the need to spread their poison. Also, believe it or not my mother swears by olive oil as a wonderful moisturizer. She washes her face at night and then rubs the oil onto her face lightly and sleeps wiht it on. I think she wipes the excess off before she goes to sleep. She says that it also helps with blemishes. She says that in biblical times olive oil was used to cure a lot of ailments. I'm not sure of the accuracy of this.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was pretty hard for me and I had to use my dictionary quite a bit. It had the spelluing of schlepp with both p's so that helped me considerably.
Have a great day :)
I also forgot to mention:
ReplyDeleteTo Seattle John- the inverted cross was used in one of the disiples deaths, I believe it was Paul, so I don't see this in such a bad light. He was crusified as Jesus was but upside down. To me it is a statement of his Godliness.
Clear Ayes I love the poem as it descibes how I feel about negative people.
I just wanted to send my heartfelt thanks for your crossword puzzle blog. I had stumbled across your page quite by accident as I was hunting madly for some answers!!!!!!!!! ( especially Saturday puzzles)
ReplyDeleteNow, before I start pulling my hair out of my head, I look to you! Thank you again and keep up the good work! You do us all a major mental health service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Caren
Hi CC!
ReplyDeleteMy wife Jackie and I utilize your great blog every morning out here in Oregon.
The same crossword runs daily in “The Oregonian.”
We appreciate your hard work and clever writing!
Clear Ayes: Noticed the Blogmaster tagged you as a "Cancer" also. My birthday is July 5th (Mother had too much watermelon and fireworks!) I write poetry (all kinds but my specialty is "personal poems"...give me pertinent info and I`ll do the poem for the person). I love finding commonalities with the XW bloggers!
ReplyDelete14:34 today. I'll bet over two minutes of that was figuring out the 'X' of PROJECT X. The clue and answer seemed pretty obscure to me. Other unknowns were EYE SHOT, and YAOUNDE (gotten via the crosses). YAOUNDE, in particular, is a wonderful word--needs only an 'I' to be vowellicious!
ReplyDeleteYou'll never again forget CERN after watching this fantastic alpinekat video (watch in high quality for a better experience):
Large Hadron Rap
And what's the problem with Pot au Feu? It's a delicious dish (basically just a stew with a fancy French name). Emeril's Pot au Feu recipe
I forgot that I had to make a batch of granola...so while it bakes...
ReplyDeleteDick...if you are drinking wine, then Peter Mayle(A Year in Provence author) suggests 1-2 TBSP of EV olive oil to coat your stomach. It seems to work, but I'm not sure I would do that with Spirits. Otherwise, eat and pace yourself. Have a great time!
Seattle John...funny!
Welcome to Denny, Jackie and Caren. Set yourself up with an ID and join our merry party.
FYI: Ratsbane: Arsenic trioxide, used in glass manufacture, as a pesticide (rats...duh!) and a weed killer. Nasty!
Bethann,
ReplyDeleteI think it was Peter who was crucified upside down--but I'm no authority. Paul was later on--he wasn't one of the twelve.
I just went back to see what happened after I retired last night. I agree with all of you--Crockett was right on, in all the points he made.
I realize I might go into a lot of detail sometimes about language, but as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: "A person who knows no foreign language knows nothing about his own."
Informing about similarities and comparisons between languages helps us understand where English, this mongrel tongue that we all use, comes from and why it is the way it is.
But do let me know, c.c., if I go too far.
cc> My mother grew gladiolas, which she called stalk, to use in arranging bouquets to take to family graves on Memorial day. The two or three gladiolas stuck up out of the middle of the arrangements with other flowers around was what she said made them look beautiful. We would stop by the flower stands near each cemetary and buy the flowers. Then she would stick in a few gladiolas from her garden. She said it was her mother's favorite flower.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes> Thanks for the poem. I, too, shall save it until it finds another place.
Doreen
I can’t believe I solved this without hitting the G-Spot. (Missing Dennis) It took a 30 minutes and a lot of WAGS, but the answers came, one letter at a time. Some made me smile, like EYESHOT, MALACHI, SCHLEPP and WARDANCE.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see CRONE, SAGETEA, RATSBANE, and INTONES. With MALACHI and ELOHIM in the same puzzle, perhaps the crosses – one right side up and the other upside down, represent religion and witchcraft, but if so, I’m sure it’s tongue-in-cheek.
Inverted crosses can signify Satanism, ridicule of the crucifixion, or it can be St. Peter’s Cross. Peter asked for an inverted cross for his crucifixion, because he felt himself unworthy of being crucified in the same way that Jesus was. And herbalists are not practicing witchcraft. But with a little humor, it makes a fun crossword.
ICHORS and YAOUND were new to me; impossible without the perps. (Dennis again)
Come back, Dennis, I’m having withdrawal symptoms.
Mark - Buenos Aires
ReplyDeletec.c. I have been ferrying around an Asian family. The parents in their 50´s spoke broken English, and their daughter was fluent and bilingual. I asked where they came from and they said America. It would have been impolite to interrogate them as to their previous homeland, so I let it rest.
Now I would be interested to know if it is possible to assume a country of origen from their name eg Evans - Wales, MacIver - Scotland, McIver - Ireland etc
The name in this case is Yong Xuan Qiu.
best wishes to all
One more thing...I just went back to yesterday and read what Crockett wrote...Way to go! That about covers it. Thank you.
ReplyDeletetest
ReplyDeleteI am one of the lurkers that really enjoys your blog. I depend on you when all else fails! I noticed that Bethann mentioned the upside down cross. St Peter died on that cross, by his own request, saying he wasn't worthy to die as Jesus did. St Paul lost his head since he was a Roman citizen they couldn't crucify him. Now there is some trivia you won't use everyday.
ReplyDeleteHi C.C. and everyone, I had a comment all typed out but I couldn't get it on here. It went to some page that said something I didn't understand (twice).
ReplyDeleteThere were several obscure words that I could not get even by Googling: EYESHOT, WOULDST, REARERS, MAZIEST, HOARIER (;0).
I too thought SCHLEP was with one "P" as I have it here. When I typed it with 2 "p's", the spell check underlined it along with 3 of the words I listed as obscure.
Happy B-Day Dick, I wish I could be at your party! I would advise against taking 2 tablespoons of olive oil before drinking, esp wine...you might get a serious case of "colon blow", if you get my meaning. On the other hand, you would be all cleaned out for the next decade :)
OLEANDERs are beautiful shrubs and grow very well in our semi-arid climate. We have several of them pruned to tree proportions. My favorite has pale peach tinted flowers.
ReplyDeleteWolfmom, Thanks for the heads-up about SAGE TEA. Maybe I don't want my brain function increased after all.
Linda, my Mom went easy on the watermelon and I didn't make my appearance until the evening of July 6, 1942. My youngest sister was born on July 24th. I guess I know what my parents..and yours... were up to in November(s) past. :o)
Argyle, Touching song about Woody Guthrie.
Kazie, I always enjoy your comments about the interesting ways languages steal from each other. American English is probably one of the biggest thieves of all.
Barb B, Nice new photo!
Thanks to all who corrected my error. I knew it was Peter but for some reason thought of Paul. An almost senior moment! I didn't know it was of his own request or maybe I did but just forgot, who knows?
ReplyDeleteWelcome to all the new bloggers! I am a recent blogger and have had tons of fun since joining. I have felt very welcome, so thanks to all!
Am I the only person who's never heard of "eilaces"? (60A)
ReplyDeleteGayDoc, I think you got the down wrong it should be eNlaces.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteI loved the "look" of the c/w BEFORE I worked it, maimed it.. whatever. It was challenging.Had to check if Cern was real.Luckily quaff was in my notebook as it had been clued another time as anise tea.Maziest was odd. And is it eyeshed or eyeshot? Neither sounds good. I was thinking moss or fern for alga, as I had only heard algae. YES, I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.Same new words as others, and I did enjoy it even though I left a few "holes."
Shlepp can be with 1 p or even shlep.In Fr. Yiddish, it is shleppen.It's also a synonym for oaf or a stupid person.And, believe it or not, it can be an adjective meaning portable-schleppable. "The Canon BJ-20 portable printer is certainly more schleppable than its main competitor-PC World" ( a very dated sentence from 1995 slang )dictionary. Finally schleppy, meaning awkward.
C.C., I think the science of risotto is that it takes its own time, longer than it says usually.We always make mushroom, shrimp and parmesan risotto.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DICK!!!!!
Argyle, loved the car song. Brought back memories.
Clear ayes, a very appropriate and lovely poem today.
Bethann,olive oil was used in ancient Egypt and probably other places as a cleanser. They scraped the excess off with a stick.
Carol, "colon blow"- you crack me up!
Thought for the day:
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
CC smart
ReplyDeleteCC quick
CC give us all a kick
CC wordsmith extraordinaire
Grasp of language very rare
CC love most flowers much
CC have artistic touch
CC love America`s game
To America glad she came
CC keep us
All in line
We think CC
Very fine!
Hi C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteI had no problem with CERN. YAOUNDE I would never have got, if not for the fills.
All in all, I am not entirely displeased. The puzzle was problematic for me. Although it took me almost 35 minutes, I appear to have missed only 2 letters. I did not know CAYUSE and I can never seem to remember Adlia Stevenson's middle initial. Consequently, I wound up with CAYUSA. Bah! My other screw-up was inexcusable. I did not know INVEIGH and went for RECLAIM without noticing that REARAPT makes no sense at all :P
It would have been nice to see VENICE used instead of VERONA since we saw that so recently.
C.C. said:
"POT-AU-FEU. I won't link a picture, since so many of you just hate this dish." This makes me curious. How do you all feel about Cassoulet? I have not prepared it in a while, but am hoping to do so before the end of winter.
Take Care
Linda: Great poem! Very clever. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteC.C. Risotto is very simple to make, like JD said, it just takes time, at least 30 minutes...Once you master the technique of slowly adding in the broth...the rest is easy. If you are very impatient and own a pressure cooker, you can accomplish the same feat in minutes.
Carol: I am just curious about your olive oil issues. We use lots of very good olive oils, mainly from Southern France and various regions of Italy and often consume way more than 2 TBSP at a meal, often drizzled over various pastas with grated fresh artisan cheeses and hfresh herbs. I make fresh vinaigrettes with it, we dip bread in it and at the gourmet food and wine shop where I worked we always tasted all the new shipments, which was way more than 2 TBSP. At the Fancy Food shows in SF and NYC, one of the great pleasures was tasting all the oils in numerous booths...again a total way more than just 2 TBSP. Granted these were the best of the best and not off the grocery shelf(unless you shop at Whole Foods), but I have never heard of anything resembling what you are are describing. This a new one on me. ???
Bethann: interesting info on additional uses for olive oil. Taken internally it is also good for your skin and helps to keep your hair smooth and shiny...really.
PromiseMeThis: Love Cassoulet! Yum...such a great wintertime comfort food that actually tastes better the 2nd day. Do you have a favorite recipe? Do you use duck confit?
Clear Eyes,
ReplyDeleteThat's a Wonderful poem.
When it comes to critics, I always remember this quote from Theodore Roosevelt. I memorized it in high school and have never forgotten it.
I don't really have a problem with MAZIEST. Although I have never heard that term used, it seems fine to me. I can see where one of three or more mazes might be considered the 'maziest'. I don't think, however, that I would feel the same way about somebody calling one of Barry Silk's puzzles the 'crosswordiest' :D
JD,
That's a terrific quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. It is absolutely true.
this Carrie Underwood song sucks! I think it needs another verse! Thanks Rob Little!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oz8-kmW5QU
Tom Jones
C.C.
ReplyDeleteI have no comment on the puzzle, only that I ended up way out in "left field".
Had to have lots of help from you.
As to the bowling, we finished the first half before the end of the year.
(Our team was # 1 again). We start the second half next Thursday. Who ever wins the second round has to play us for the championship. Of course, if we win the second half also we will automatically be champs.
And I hope to get one or two more 200 games in this next round.
Thanks for asking and "Vaya con Dios"
Hi CC
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kinds words.
It is often late when I get here. By that time most that I agree or disagree with has been said. However, I will put my two cents worth in from time to time.
I check back here at least twice a day..don't want to miss anything you know!!
I will get this c/w tomorrow, could have printed it out but rather wait till then.
I'm on the fence with poetry but, I loved Clear Ayes and Linda's today. They were great.
I'm very happy to have found you CC.
You and the gang are fun.
Geri
As I understand it, a physicist at CERN was explaining to a reporter about what they did (ie make large elementary particles and watch them decay) and made an offhand comment like "Maybe we'll one day make a particle so big it'll become a black hole and swallow up the world (Ha ha ha)" and newspapers ran with the "story".
ReplyDeleteCleareyes, Japanese also borrows a lot of words from other languages, believe it or not: their word for "television", for example, is "terebi". In Hong Kong they have also borrowed some English words: "bus" is "bosu" and "taxi" is "teshi" but here in Taiwan a bus is a "gongche (public car)" and a taxi is a "jichuanche (car for hire)". I've also heard that in France they say "Le weekend" whereas in Quebec they insist on saying "Le fin de semaine".
Martin
I don't really have a problem with MAZIEST. Although I have never heard that term used, it seems fine to me. I can see where one of three or more mazes might be considered the 'maziest'. I don't think, however, that I would feel the same way about somebody calling one of Barry Silk's puzzles the 'crosswordiest' :D
ReplyDeletePromiseme, how about "scrabbliest" as a fill? The clue could be "Most like a pangram".
Martin
PromiseMeThis and Wolfmom, I think cassoulet is delicious too. G.A.H. and I are going to a post-New Year's party this evening. Interestingly, the hostess is serving Feijao a Portuguesa which is a Portuguese bean stew. No duck or lamb in this stew, it is bacon and spicy chorizo. There goes the calorie count for the rest of next week! Oh well, thanks to Doreen, my new motto is "Life, she is good."
ReplyDeleteMartin, Funny, oui, les Québécois are sticklers for proper French.
PromiseMeThis, I've decided to face my numerophobia LOL, and take another crack at Suduko. You're right it isn't math...AND I can add up to 9, so how hard can it be. I'll let you know how I do.
Cocktail hour calls, so we are on our way.
28:04 for me today I did not like the puzzle layout today...........
ReplyDeleteNext week should be better.
Wolfmom,
ReplyDeleteI have not used confit for cassoulet before, but I really should give it a try. The recipe I use calls for either confit or half a large duck. I have always just used the half duck since it is so much more convenient. The recipe I use comes from a cookbook that I have had for about 10 years. It is called 'The Classic Mediterranean Cookbook'. It is written by Sarah Woodward and published by Dorling Kindersley, who also publish the best travel guides (in my opinion). I recommend this cookbook. It also features a couple of very nice tagine recipes, as well as a good one for Osso Bucco.
Martin,
"how about "scrabbliest" as a fill? The clue could be "Most like a pangram".
That works for me. Although, prior to yesterday, I suspect I would have been left in the dark.
Wolfmom, please don't miss-understand - I am not saying that olive oil causes the trots - I was saying if a person took 2 tablespoons right before drinking a LOT of wine it might cause that effect. Wine alone can cause that. It depends on the person. If one consumes enough food WITH the wine (or cocktails)then fine, but to do that when the tummy is empty - look out, especially when the person does not drink alcohol very often.
ReplyDeletePromiseMeThis...Thank you for the info and the cookbook information. I have several different cookbooks that have good cassoulet recipes, but I like the idea of the 1/2 a duck instead of confit. I can easily get my hands on both. Also thanks for the great quote...definitely worth remembering.
ReplyDeleteClear Eyes...that Portuguese stew sounds seriously yummy...can we have a review tomorrow?
Martin: thank you for the clarification on the supercollider. I think I must have read that article and thought "Oh great! Now they've done it!" We live not to far from SLAC(Stanford Linear Accelerator) and so far in all the years they've been "splitting atoms", no problems. That Black Hole thing had me a little worried. I may have mis-remembered, but I think Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons dealt with anti matter that had been created in Switzerland and was planted under the Vatican...I could be wrong on that plotline. So, anyway, I won't worry about anymore.
Hi also to Geri, Doreen and Tobylee...so glad you joined us. The more, the merrier.
wolfmom and Clearayes, do you know the post rules? It is five per person per day so by my count you guys will finally have to shut up after just one more post.
ReplyDeleteWolfmom are you a man or a woman? Just curious.
WOW...I didn't know there was a limit to posting?? So...let me see, this would be my 5th and final post for the evening.
ReplyDeleteGosh, if I'm counting correctly, this would be my 6th post for the day...so...let me see, I must be over my limit. C.C. does this mean I only get to post 4 times on Sunday?
ReplyDeleteOOPS...post #7...I forgot to answer your question...neither male nor female...so...uhm...anthropomorphic? Hermaphreditic...you're so clever ANON@7:16pm...you take your pick.
ReplyDeleteSorry C.C. I guess I only get to post 3 times tomorrow, I'm apparently over my posting quota for the day. Actually, I don't mind, because we don't get the xword on Sunday, so I think that means I still have 3 more posts.
Gosh darn...forgot one more thing...Carol: thanks for the clarification...now that makes sense! Ta for now.( I think that puts me upto 8 posts...oops!;-O
ReplyDeleteSorry, Anon, did I miss your house this year? You can forget next year.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting too old for this stuff.
I didn't get a chance to do the crossword puzzle today and by reading the posts I am glad I didn't. Wow, I have been posting here since July and about every day since. I guess that is how I know the rules. Wow, wolfmom what put you over the edge? You can't let the anons get to you or it will cause you to over post your welcome. You don't want to be slapped on the hand like I have been. It hurts.
ReplyDeleteJeannie...I was just having fun.LOL Like I said yesterday, button pushing.Crockett pretty much covered it all yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThanks Argyll...you are a very nifty person
I'm gone until Monday...no Sunday puzzle for us. I can only lurk. As Martin so aptly put it earlier "Mahahahaha" (evil laugh).
Wolfmom, to put in Lois's terms it's all good. At least cheer for the Vikes tomorrow against the Eagles. I have a special wager that I would like to be paid out to me. I'm hankering anything NJ style or Phillie style.
ReplyDeleteNice to read about the July birthdays. Mine is July 12, which is Orangeman's day, or to put it another way, it's the Irish protestants' day. I always wear orange on March 17 just to be ornery. (That was my mother's birthday. We always thought that was a strange juxtaposition.)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday tomorrow, Dick.
The proper term for the "sword lily" is gladiolus, not GLADIOLA. The plural of gladiolus is gladioli or gladioluses.
ReplyDeleteI concur with Barry that MAZIEST is not a real word. Yuck!
The proper term for the "sword lily" is gladiolus, not GLADIOLA. The plural of gladiolus is gladioli or gladioluses.
ReplyDeleteDoesitinink, the Merium-Webster dictionary defines "gladiola" as a misspelling of gladioli dating back to 1926. Other dictionaries say "See gladiolus" and then list "gladiola" as an alternate spelling under gladiolus.
I misspoke earlier: I said bus was "bosu" in Hong Kong. It's actually "ba'se" in Hong Kong and "bosu" in Japan. I'm hanging my head in shame right now.
wolfmon, C.C. actually did set a five post per day per person limit. This is my sixth post but, hey, it's also the next day already. C.C. also said, however, that posts answering crossword related questions don't count towards the limit so I could argue that my three CERN related posts were all good and I'm actually entitled to two more, provided I don't go over the 100 total posts per day limit. Confused?
Anyway, don't worry about it. Truth is, I've been in a bit of a mood this weekend owing to family problems, specifically with IMELDA's relatives. The matter was resolved and I feel much better now. I'm sorry, C.C., if I took the whole C.C. thing too personally. I have to admit though I am a bit of a hockey fan too so you've been, shall we say, skating on thin ice lately. Let's just say that if the next crossword has a clue "Klingon worms" and the answer is GACH and you say "How is anybody supposed to know anything so obscure?" well then beware of anyone from the Minnesota branch of Trekkers International. That's all. :)
Martin
I meant the whole CERN thing. Duh.
ReplyDeleteMartin
Basic instinct was sexy
ReplyDelete