Theme: None
Total blocks: 30
Total words: 70
This grid looks pretty to me. So open at four different corners, with those stacks of 7-letter words. I wonder what is the first word the constructor filled in for his grid. My guess is HEM AND HAW (21D: Procrastinate). But are they really interchangable?
I don't like the clue for LIT (10D: Lang. course). I think abbreviation should only be used when no other options are available. So many ways to clue LIT. "Set afire" is boring but works nicely in this grid. I just learned the other day that LIT is also a slang for "Intoxicated". Maybe you can tell me how you would clue LIT. I really enjoyed the non-tea LIPTON discussion the other day.
Had to google. Without a theme as my sherpa, I was daunted and lost. Did not know any of the two poets' name which intersects each other. Wanted Jennifer (Lopez) for 39D: One of Mark Antony's wives (OCTAVIA), confusing Marc Anthony with Mark Anthony. Anyway, Mark Anthony has five wives: Fadia, Antonia, Fulvia, OCTAVIA and Cleopatra. Looks like he liked women with a-ending names.
Across:
1A: Silent signal: GESTURE. Most of the people talk when they GESTURE.
8A: Mayflower passenger: PILGRIM. Vaguely remember there was a baby born EN ROUTE (2D: Along the way) to Plymouth.
15A: Brightest star in Scorpius: ANTARES. Literally rival of ARES (Mars for the Romans) due to the "similarity of its reddish hue to the appearance of the planet Mars". Interesting root. I have never heard of this red supergiant star before.
17A: Vaccaro and Lee: BRENDAS. BRENDA Vaccaro is an actress. BRENDA LEE is a singer. Neither was a familiar name to me.
20A: Ogden resident: UTAHAN. I used to imagine Poet Ogden Nash was born in Ogden, Utah. He was actually born in Rye, New York.
22A: Ancient ointment: NARD. Ah, I did remember this story. Just forgot who was the girl who washed Jesus' feet with NARD. Another Mary.
26A: Latvian chess master: TAL. The 1960-61 world chess champ. Wikipedia says Mikhail TAL is also called "The Magician from Riga".
32A: Group of seven: SEPTET. Sometimes the answer is HEPTAD.
36A: City near San Diego: OCEANSIDE. Here is the map. Easy guess. I did not know there is a city named OCEANSIDE, not to mention its exact location.
38A: Social Security pioneer: TOWNSEND (Francis). Another guess. Here is a picture of him giving a speech about his plan during 1939 New York World's Fair. I wonder what inspired him to think of this grand idea. What a mess we are facing today.
55A: "Animal Farm" author: ORWELL. See the book cover. We get the phrase "Big Brother" and "Orwellian" from his book "Nineteen Eighty-Four".
63A: Period of peace: DETENTE. I was thinking of Pax Romana. To me, DETENTE implies a "relaxing of tension" during JFK's cold war era.
64A: Poet Siegfried: SASSOON. This is Clear Ayes's summary of him: "SASSOON was an early 20th century poet, who was a decorated officer in WWI. He was nicknamed "Mad Jack" by his men for his near-suicidal exploits. He eventually became a vocal anti-war activist. He is memorialized in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner. The inscription reads, "My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity." I completely forgot his name. Had to google. SASSOON is "joy" in Hebrew.
65A: Loud speaker: STENTOR. He was a herald of the Greek forces during the Trojan War. And his voice was "as powerful as fifty voices of other men", according to Homer. I have never hear of this guy before. My answer was STENTER, as I wrongly guessed ERNESTE instead of ERNESTO for 43D: Che Guevara's first name.
Down:
1D: Jabbers: GABBLES. A gaggle of Geese GABBLE.
5D: Pakistani tongue: URDU. Dictionary says URDU is "essentially identical to Hindi in its spoken form but in its literary form heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic and written in an Arabic alphabet". It's one of the official languages in India too.
6D: "Giant" ranch: REATA. Learned from doing crossword. Have never seen "Giant".
8D: Umbrella cousins: PARASOLS. Here is Monet's Lady with a Parasol (facing right) once again.
12D: Drumming sound: RAT-A-TAT. Like the drum-banging at Oakland A's ballpark? So annoying!
24D: Climber's spikes: PITONS. This guy is pounding on a PITON. Rock climbing looks very dangerous.
37D: Ancient Greek poet: ANACREON. I forgot. It appeared in our puzzle last Nov. Here is what I wrote last time: "Wikipedia says he is a "lyrical poet" and notable for his "drinking songs and hymns". And his songs often celebrated "women, wine, and entertaining, and today can be considered eroticism". Very interesting information: Francis Scott Key modified Stafford Smith's melody of "To ANACREON in Heaven" for "The Star-Spangled Banner".
38D: Parts of rocker arms: TAPPETS. Here is a diagram. Does not look like "Parts of rocker arms". Whatever. Too technical for me to understand.
54D: "Boola Boola" singers: ELIS. Oh, I did not know "Boola Boola" is Yale's fight song. What's Harvard's then?
56D: Past due: LATE. I really liked "Past Due?" clue for TRE. Very clever. Uno, due, TRE.
61D: X: TEN. The wild receiver for Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald is from Minnesota. I guess we will all root for the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
C.C.
Total blocks: 30
Total words: 70
This grid looks pretty to me. So open at four different corners, with those stacks of 7-letter words. I wonder what is the first word the constructor filled in for his grid. My guess is HEM AND HAW (21D: Procrastinate). But are they really interchangable?
I don't like the clue for LIT (10D: Lang. course). I think abbreviation should only be used when no other options are available. So many ways to clue LIT. "Set afire" is boring but works nicely in this grid. I just learned the other day that LIT is also a slang for "Intoxicated". Maybe you can tell me how you would clue LIT. I really enjoyed the non-tea LIPTON discussion the other day.
Had to google. Without a theme as my sherpa, I was daunted and lost. Did not know any of the two poets' name which intersects each other. Wanted Jennifer (Lopez) for 39D: One of Mark Antony's wives (OCTAVIA), confusing Marc Anthony with Mark Anthony. Anyway, Mark Anthony has five wives: Fadia, Antonia, Fulvia, OCTAVIA and Cleopatra. Looks like he liked women with a-ending names.
Across:
1A: Silent signal: GESTURE. Most of the people talk when they GESTURE.
8A: Mayflower passenger: PILGRIM. Vaguely remember there was a baby born EN ROUTE (2D: Along the way) to Plymouth.
15A: Brightest star in Scorpius: ANTARES. Literally rival of ARES (Mars for the Romans) due to the "similarity of its reddish hue to the appearance of the planet Mars". Interesting root. I have never heard of this red supergiant star before.
17A: Vaccaro and Lee: BRENDAS. BRENDA Vaccaro is an actress. BRENDA LEE is a singer. Neither was a familiar name to me.
20A: Ogden resident: UTAHAN. I used to imagine Poet Ogden Nash was born in Ogden, Utah. He was actually born in Rye, New York.
22A: Ancient ointment: NARD. Ah, I did remember this story. Just forgot who was the girl who washed Jesus' feet with NARD. Another Mary.
26A: Latvian chess master: TAL. The 1960-61 world chess champ. Wikipedia says Mikhail TAL is also called "The Magician from Riga".
32A: Group of seven: SEPTET. Sometimes the answer is HEPTAD.
36A: City near San Diego: OCEANSIDE. Here is the map. Easy guess. I did not know there is a city named OCEANSIDE, not to mention its exact location.
38A: Social Security pioneer: TOWNSEND (Francis). Another guess. Here is a picture of him giving a speech about his plan during 1939 New York World's Fair. I wonder what inspired him to think of this grand idea. What a mess we are facing today.
55A: "Animal Farm" author: ORWELL. See the book cover. We get the phrase "Big Brother" and "Orwellian" from his book "Nineteen Eighty-Four".
63A: Period of peace: DETENTE. I was thinking of Pax Romana. To me, DETENTE implies a "relaxing of tension" during JFK's cold war era.
64A: Poet Siegfried: SASSOON. This is Clear Ayes's summary of him: "SASSOON was an early 20th century poet, who was a decorated officer in WWI. He was nicknamed "Mad Jack" by his men for his near-suicidal exploits. He eventually became a vocal anti-war activist. He is memorialized in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner. The inscription reads, "My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity." I completely forgot his name. Had to google. SASSOON is "joy" in Hebrew.
65A: Loud speaker: STENTOR. He was a herald of the Greek forces during the Trojan War. And his voice was "as powerful as fifty voices of other men", according to Homer. I have never hear of this guy before. My answer was STENTER, as I wrongly guessed ERNESTE instead of ERNESTO for 43D: Che Guevara's first name.
Down:
1D: Jabbers: GABBLES. A gaggle of Geese GABBLE.
5D: Pakistani tongue: URDU. Dictionary says URDU is "essentially identical to Hindi in its spoken form but in its literary form heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic and written in an Arabic alphabet". It's one of the official languages in India too.
6D: "Giant" ranch: REATA. Learned from doing crossword. Have never seen "Giant".
8D: Umbrella cousins: PARASOLS. Here is Monet's Lady with a Parasol (facing right) once again.
12D: Drumming sound: RAT-A-TAT. Like the drum-banging at Oakland A's ballpark? So annoying!
24D: Climber's spikes: PITONS. This guy is pounding on a PITON. Rock climbing looks very dangerous.
37D: Ancient Greek poet: ANACREON. I forgot. It appeared in our puzzle last Nov. Here is what I wrote last time: "Wikipedia says he is a "lyrical poet" and notable for his "drinking songs and hymns". And his songs often celebrated "women, wine, and entertaining, and today can be considered eroticism". Very interesting information: Francis Scott Key modified Stafford Smith's melody of "To ANACREON in Heaven" for "The Star-Spangled Banner".
38D: Parts of rocker arms: TAPPETS. Here is a diagram. Does not look like "Parts of rocker arms". Whatever. Too technical for me to understand.
54D: "Boola Boola" singers: ELIS. Oh, I did not know "Boola Boola" is Yale's fight song. What's Harvard's then?
56D: Past due: LATE. I really liked "Past Due?" clue for TRE. Very clever. Uno, due, TRE.
61D: X: TEN. The wild receiver for Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald is from Minnesota. I guess we will all root for the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
C.C.
@ CC from yesterday your question, what is love? Is this as opposed to what is being in love?
ReplyDeleteI will get to the puzzle later as the paper has not been delivered yet.
I googled for SASOON and used One Across for TOWNSEND. Guessed at TAPPETS and ANACREON. What is your strategy on googling-do you set the puzzle aside first when you can't get the word or just google right away?
ReplyDeleteWhat is Love? Some good answers or thoughts on that subject here. Some would say that love is God alive/acting in/through each of us.
ReplyDeleteDick,
ReplyDeleteHow does "Love" differ from "Be in love"?
NYTanonimo,
I use Google as a last resort.
Buckeye,
So, how many true LOVE have you had in your life?
The JVN,
Thanks for "Transparent" and coating. Nice to hear from you again.
Col G,
ReplyDeleteGreat to "see" you.
Crash,
Did you make up "a cloud of sardine" or is it a well-known expression?
Lemonade714,
Thanks for SKIN/coating.
Wolfmom,
You've been a great poster!
Linda,
ReplyDeleteHmmm, you name ends in letter "a" too. Thanks for those Marx Brothers' O information.
PromiseMe & Gator Mom,
You will see a new Barry Silk guest-blogging post next Tuesday or Wednesday.
It's Ernesto, not Ernasto.
ReplyDeleteMornin'! Just printed Barry S. Fairfax X word. Get to it later, I hope. First order for the day is S*** again. About 4" of lake effect and more to come later.
ReplyDeleteThis wasn't too baad for Sat. I stumbled with 1a 'cause I wanted 1d to be BABBLES. and 4d to be SUN. Obviously, that didn't work. Never heard of the movie "GIANT", or 64a poet.
But, unlike some others this week, it was doable.
CY'All Later.
Good morning, C.C.! Great to be here on a Saturday morning. The puzzle was easy. No googling. Just glad the perps were there. I kind of miss this place during the week. I have checked in at night after work but the comments have all been made and I can't add anything.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, today is Backwards Day, Inspire Your Heart With Art Day, National Seed Swap Day, and National Gorilla Suit Day.
Have a great Saturday.
Good morning to all.
ReplyDeleteHemmed and Hawed all over this puzzle. Was 4D tan or sun? Was 6D reata or riata? Aha, 8A was pilgrim or, er, could it be puritan? Positive about 8D so went down the middle of the puzzle, then to the SE corner, back to NE corner, NW corner then had REAL trouble.
Tried really hard to figure out another for "rocking chair arms"....needless to say...never did find out before checking CC's answers.
Really enjoy Barry Silk's puzzle, and finished it, but thought one of our "Whiz" solvers would jump at the chance to supply the answers.
Good morning Cc and all, nice puzzle and another walk in the park until I hit the SW corner. I did not know "Animal Farm" author, "Ancent Greek Poet" and "Poet Siegfried." This made for some tough sledding in that corner. I finally Googled to get "Animal Farm" answer, although, the answer should have been obvious without help. I also needed help with 58 and 64 across. Too bad that corner ruined a good fill for me.
ReplyDeleteFor "LIT": Lamar Institute of Technology, Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) - Limerick, Ireland, abbreviation for Little Rock National Airport, Local Income Tax and London Institute of Technology, London
@ CC I can be in "Love" with my wife (and I am), but I can only "Love" the great way she dresses. I don't think you can "Be in Love" with anything inanimate, you can only love them/it.
ReplyDeleteMorning, all!
ReplyDeleteBrutal, brutal puzzle for me today. Probably the longest it has taken me to solve one of these Trib puzzles (but solve it I did). Part of the problem was my own stupidity for putting PURITAN instead of PILGRIM for 8A. I definitely should have known better, what with being from Massachusetts and all, but that messed me up for a long time. I also had ALLOCATED instead of ALLOTTED for 34A until nearly the bitter end, which also caused me grief.
The SW corner was espeically nasty. I had to make a lot of guesses, but I eventually sussed out TOWNSEND (any relation to Pete?), SASSOON, ELIS, TAPPETS and OCTAVIA. That's a lot of obscure names crammed into such a little space.
Other unknowns today were NAHA and OCEANSIDE, but those were easy to get via the perps. Thank heavens I remembered ANACREON, or the whole puzzle would have been a loss.
All right, gotta go get ready for my little guy's 4th birthday party today. Have a great one, y'all! ^_^
Good morning, C.C. and gang - as with others, smooth sailing this morning until the SW corner, then only the perps saved me. I knew tappets from helping friends rebuild engines back in the day, and for some reason remembered that Townsend was the author of the 'Townsend Plan', which became Social Security.
ReplyDeleteOceanside and Naha came easily - Oceanside is the town outside the biggest Marine base in the world, Camp Pendleton, and I was in Naha briefly on the way to Vietnam.
C.C., a stentor is a person with a loud voice. Stentorian means very loud.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut." -- Albert Einstein
Drdad, great to see you.
Good Morning All
ReplyDeleteI don't like the clue for LIT (10D: Lang. course) either. I mean, what language is lit.. Literature is not a language. Could it be Lithuanian?
38D: Parts of rocker arms: TAPPETS.
It would be more correct to say TAPPETS were part of the valve train.
Sorry CC I cannot root for the Arizona Cardinals even though Larry Fitzgerald is a University of Pittsburgh alumni.
ReplyDeletePittsburgh has lots of connections to the Cardinals: Ken Whisenhunt, Russ Grimm and of course Fitzgerald. Grimm and Whisenhunt were coaches for the Steelers before Tomlin was hired.
Go Steelers!!!!
For Barry G.
ReplyDeleteOne Yalie is an Eli, two or more are Elis. Doesn't look right to me either but I suppose Eli's isn't 'correct'.
And using Vidal SASSOON would make it too easy so we get Siegfried instead.
Words and music Love of My Life by Queen.
Crockett,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the bamboo explanation last night.
Buckeye,
Thanks just for being you! Always a good LOL.
c.c.,
39D is just an example of the many feminine names which would end in "-a" because of the feminine declension.
All in all, a very doable puzzle for me today, though it took a while. For the longest time I was looking for another name for SATAN, and only saw that it was EVIL ONE when I changed the "i" at the end to "e" in ANACREON. I also had RUATA for 6D, and didn't correct it until I came here--I'd forgotten the ranch name and thought the star ended in "-us".
I guessed TOWNSEND from perps. The real inventor of social security was Otto von Bismarck, who introduced it as a kind of welfare system in Germany in the 1860-70's. I tried to google to get exact dates, but all the sites come with a warning: "This site may harm your computer". I wonder if it's for real?
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteSome of you must be really young not to know "Giant" starring Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. Or to have read "Animal Farm" in school. Remember, the moral of the story is "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely".
Have to say I still have hard feeling toward the Steelers since Super Bowl XL. GO ARIZONA!
I agree with Kazie that the hardest for me was EVIL ONE, which does not seem a great word for the devil, and another two word answer that looks stupid until you realize it is two words. I also found myself with BABBLES for a long time, since it is much more common than GABBLES. NAHA was in a recent puzzle, but for a Saturday it was fine. Being in love is a two way street, filled with excitement. Loving includes Grandma, video games and smores. Oh, and crossword puzzles....
ReplyDeleteGood Morning -
ReplyDeleteI kept trying to get Miles Standish to somehow fit in 8A as that was the only passenger I knew of. Looking for a specific name really threw me.
I was going to guess Octavia but thought there was no way Marc Anthony had a wife by that name as I kept thinking of the actor and J-Lo.
Funny how the brain locks into a certain direction.
I refuse to Google. I surrender if I can't figure out and then come to this site. Enjoy the site very much.
For "lit", I would have used "Illuminated".
I lived in St Louis for the 27 years the Cardinals were there. A horrible franchise who demanded a new stadium and left town when they didnt get one. I continue to boo them....but I do like their quarterback.
Hi c.c. and all,
ReplyDeleteWell, I had Rambles at first (as in he/she rambles on and on)instead of Gabbles and Tappers instead of Tappets, but finally saw the error of my ways and fixed them. Anacreon and Stentor I only got from the perps. Townsend sounded vaguely familiar so I put that in. Urdu and Nard I remembered from previous puzzles.
c.c.: I think you can love your children, love things, love your relatives, but "in love" I think of as a romantic love when you are "in love" with your husband, wife or partner.
CC: The Mary who was a sibling to (complaining) Martha and (resurrected) Lazarus, (not to be confused with the beggar Lazarus) was the nard-o.
ReplyDeleteMy name means "beautiful" or "pretty" en Espanol. I wear it with pride, if not "veritas."
Since you said recipes were OK, here is one for the snow-bound folk who may be tired of coffee, tea or hot chocolate:
Instant potato soup: (all dry ingredients)
Mix thoroughly: 1 1/2 cup instant potato flakes, 1 cup powdered coffee creamer, 1/2 (1 Oz) pkg.
chicken gravy mix, 2 tbsps. grated parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp. chopped, dried parsley, 1 tbsp. seasoned salt, 1/2 tsp.reg. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper.
Store in a tight container (great opening for Argyl).
To prepare: Add 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. mix to 1 cup boiling water. Stir...enjoy.
In our neighborhood, we give each other "home made" Christmas gifts.
Last year I octupled (new word?) this, put it in pretty containers with bows and they loved it.
Good morning CC et al., Fun puzzle but got hung up in the center. Naming cities throws me usually. And 'gabbles'? Who gabbles? Maybe the 'pilgrims'. We have nard again, and crossing G man struck me funny along with men, steam up and reenter. Sounds like a PTA meeting to me.
ReplyDeleteFired up = lit; also means inebriated, CC.
As for doing the guest blog, CC. I appreciate the invitation and all the encouragement but just don't have the time during this part of the school year (crunch time ending Apr 30). I'd love to do it after that or in the summer though.
The child born on the Mayflower was named "Oceanus" (some say male, some female).
ReplyDeleteRiddle:
If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteLong time reader, first time blogger! Glad to see others had a struggle with the SW corner. That happens to me frequently...wondered if it was just me or if there are often some sections that are more difficult than others.
It's cold today in Idaho, but I think it's going to turn out to be another gorgeous day! Perfect one to start out with a crossword puzzle & cup of coffee.
Linda: June bugs?
ReplyDeleteBarryG: Meant to say on my earlier post Happy Birthday to the little guy! Hope its a great day!!
g8trmomx2: Close...but no cigar..,it`s "Pilgrims".
ReplyDeleteGood Morning C.C. and All,
ReplyDelete18:56 today. Like some others, the SW corner slowed me down. I chose OCTAVIA, but misread my sloppily written V as a U and opted for LUCIFER for 59A: Satan. Once I spotted my mistake and correctly guessed TOWNSEND and ANACREON, the rest fell into place. I would not have got SASSOON or TAPPETS but for the fills. Same for STENTOR and GABBLES.
When I was kid, my grandparents returned from a Pittsburgh convention with a gift for me. Some friends of their gave them a complete set of glossy 8x10 photos of the whole Steelers team (Terry Bradshaw and company) to give to me. I suppose those photos are still somewhere in my mother's house.
"If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?"
Pilgrims? I was sure it was hippies.
What is this thing called love?
Re Bismarck's Social Security laws, I had to look in an old history text (R.H. Tenbrock: A History of Germany):
ReplyDelete"As imperial chancellor he considered it in the interest of the state to do something for the physical well-being of the worker. An imperial directive of Nov. 17, 1881 announced a string of laws...insurance against sickness (1883), accidents (1884), old age and disability (1889)--gave Germany the lead in this field..."
Townsend's plan was proposed in the 1930's.
Good morning C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteHad fun with today's puzzle. It looked very hard at 1st, and it got harder towards the end; didn't know detente or stentor, nor Townsend. I had more patience and only g'd a few. My big problem was that I was sure the town was Escondido, which is just a little bit more inland than Oceanside/Carlsbad where I lived for a time. Realized when teen wouldn't fit, something was wrong.
I thought reata was spelled riata; maybe it can be either.
Nard is also the Persian name for Backgammon.
I have only heard nard used when referred to as spikenard,cousin to Valerian.An unguent was found in King Tut's tomb,which smelled like coconut oil., and when analyzed found that it came from the spikenard plant which grows at high altitudes in the Himalayas.It was very expensive , fit for a king.It was also used for the sacred incense placed in the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem.The Greeks also had access to this plant.
Both Brendas have interesting voices.I was never a fan of B. Lee's, but B.Vaccaro was great in Midnight Cowboy. She also did a lot of TV work, and then her deep raspy voice was used in animated cartoons, like "The Smurfs". I remember she had a long time romance with Michael Douglas, wayyy back.
ReplyDeleteDr Dad, I love that it is "Seed Swap Day." Pretty nerdy, huh! My best sunflowers have come from exchanging seeds.
Lois, you would have been a great pick to go, but I think everyone here understands that teachers really don't have much free time until summer. It's still strange to me to be able to go out to lunch.I'm sure your evenings are filled with preparing or corresting papers.
CC: to weigh in on love-in love.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that English has only the one word for love. So..we "love" our new, red bandolinos, our grandchildren and corned beef. But I say real love is when you put what the one you love needs above your own needs. I had a wonderful example of that not too long after I was married. I had a particularly virulent stomach virus. The new husband held my head and cleaned up (gagging all the while) after me. That`s when I knew he was a keeper because I knew he must really love me. That`s "Agape" love. There have been numerous other examples but time, space and number of posts constrain me... :)
Good Morning All, I'll just paraphrase what G8rmomx2 said, "Tappers instead of TAPPETS. ANACREON and STENTOR I got from the perps. URDU and NARD I remembered from previous puzzles."
ReplyDeleteC.C. WOW, I'm so impressed that you kept track of my SASSOON comment. You must have an amazing "fact file"
Mission San Luis Rey, which is located in OCEANSIDE, is one of the 21 missions started in 1769 by Father Junipero Serra and finished in 1823. San Luis Rey is the largest mission in the chain. The missions were built along El Camino Real, a 600 mile road from San Diego to San Francisco. Any of the missions are well worth a visit.
James Dean in Giant drives up to REATA,covered in black crude, boasting: "I'm a rich 'un." Then he makes a pass at Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), telling her in front of her husband (Rock Hudson) that she looks "pert nar good enough to eat." He was a wonderful actor AND he had great hair!
Hi C.C. and all, I really had fun with this puzzle and sailed through it until I hit the SW corner and like lots of you, I just stalled there. Did not know TOWNSEND, OCTAVIA, SASSOON and did not "get" TIEINTO until I looked at C.C.'s answers.
ReplyDeleteLinda at 10:06 I was going to answer "allergies".
JD at 11:12 I also thought 6D was spelled Riata. If I remember the movie (I've seen it many times), when Rock Hudson steps down from the train, he sets a piece of luggage on the ground. The word "RIATA" is written on it. I will look it up.
Lois, I know how busy you are. (those bars can keep a girl going, and maybe wanting to "reenter" them too!)
J.D.: thank you for the kind words. You and Carol are so right about my nights....I'm always checking something out. So busy doing that I don't know if I'm coming or going.
ReplyDelete...the second 'virus' we named "Bryan"...bah-dump-bump!
ReplyDeleteAs many of you have pointed out, "love" and "in love" covers a lot of territory. There certainly are lots of poems about both. This is one of many.
ReplyDeleteSonnet XVII: Love
I don't love you as if you were the salt-rose, topaz
or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:
I love you as certain dark things are loved,
secretly, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that doesn't bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,
I love you simply, without problems or pride:
I love you in this way because I don't know any other way of loving
but this, in which there is no I or you,
so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.
- Pablo Neruda
I'm with Barry G and Southern Belle today. Immediately put in PURITAN, which held me up for a long time, got 59D and 61D and it went downhill from there. Finally got most of it, but went to One Across for ANACREON. Anyway, I managed most of it, then came here to double check and fill in a few blank spaces.
ReplyDeleteI truly miss the elegance of a Barry Silk puzzle and hope the Star Tribune is able to squeeze out a bit of moolah to purchase a few.
C.C., Thank you...now that I know the rules it generally easier to behave.
First time poster and very amateur CW addict. Found this site thru Google and find it very helpful in getting the really stumping clues unstumped. Not a Trib reader but the same puzzle appears daily in my Philly Inquirer. Keep up the good work and thanks for the help. Drives me crazy when I can't fill in all the blocks and have to wait til the next day even if this is kind of like cheating.
ReplyDeleteOceanside - I live in San Clemente, CA which is separated from Oceanside, CA by Camp Pendleton Marine Base. I guess it depends on your point of view. Oceanside CA is 33 miles from San Diego. I have lived near Oceanside, NY and NJ and I image that there are many others along both coasts. However, if I wanted to clue Oceanside CA, I would say "City near Camp Pendleton"
ReplyDeleteI must say that for a person so newly arrived in the US you are amazing, and I am very impressed. I imagine that Google and Wikipedia, among others, help a lot, as they help me, a native of 78 years.
C.C. and all...I think this is terrific that all these new people are posting...A big welcome to everyone, so glad you decided to join us.
ReplyDeleteHoward, I don't look at this blog as cheating so much as a way to learn even more about our language (one of the benefits of xwording in the first place).
ReplyDeleteI got "tappets" from the nicknames of the hosts on NPRs Car Talk call-in show: "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers." Tappets are often what make a clicking sound in older engines.
Hi C.C. and gang,
ReplyDeleteFairly easy today. Only real problem was Sassoon. I did not have the s on Elis because I was thinking of a musical group.
Tappets are aslo known as lifters. Modern lifters are hydraulic and pump oil through the push rod to lubercate the rocker arms. Beach Boys 409
Clear Ayes: Love the poem
ReplyDeleteLinda: Okay, so figuring April Showers brings May Flowers, so May Flowers must bring something in June. Tricked me for sure! I can't believe that I missed an easy one like that, lol! I think we agree on "in love". I have had many experiences with my husband as you have.
7:58 today. Easy puzzle for a Saturday, though I had to guess at the 'A' where ANACREON and NAHA crossed. Other than that I pretty much just filled in the answers. I guess constructor Tom Pruce isn't one of my favorites.
ReplyDelete@c.c.: Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. All my free time lately has been spent working on the St. Valentine's Day Massacre map rally.
NYTAnonimo: What is your strategy on googling-do you set the puzzle aside first when you can't get the word or just google right away?
I never Google except after I've filled in my best guesses. I'd rather guess and be wrong than just look up the answer. I'll lay the puzzle aside and come back to it later.
I still have a couple of NY Times puzzles from December that are not yet completed, but I will do them eventually. If I am truly, completely stumped, I'll go to the blogs.
@carol: I too thought the ranch name in Giant was RIATA (after the Spanish term for lariat). I'll have to look that up later. If RIATA is correct, then this is a major error in the puzzle.
According to this, it is REATA
ReplyDeleteI found a site that says that both RIATA and REATA are used as names for that ranch. Surely, only one can be correct.
ReplyDeleteWikipedia says this: "Bick Benedict (Rock Hudson), the head of the rich Benedict ranching family of Texas, goes to Maryland to buy a stud horse, War Winds. There he meets and courts the socialite Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), who becomes his wife. They return to Texas to start their life together on the family ranch, Reata."
"RIATA (after the Spanish term for lariat)."
I often see that 'lasso' is incorrectly equated to 'lariat' ... not that you are doing so, Embien. I am sure it obvious to many, but 'lariat' is clearly a corruption. 'Lariat' would not correspond to 'lasso', it would correspond to 'the lasso', since the beginning 'la' is an article as in 'La Riata'. 'Riata' is the correct equivalent of 'lasso'.
Well, I tried, but the link went screwy.
ReplyDeleteRest assured, the ranch is spelled REATA.
@bill: Rest assured, the ranch is spelled REATA.
ReplyDeleteAnd lives on...
Reata Ranch
Thanks to all who posted to set me straight.
PromiseMeThis. Thanks for Wynton Marsalis earlier today. He is always worth a listen.
ReplyDeleteJD, Thanks for the reminders about Brenda Vaccaro. I'd forgotten about her being in Midnight Cowboy.
About Google, I try to leave the G-spot for post puzzling. I hope I'm not the only one who might guess correctly, but still doesn't have a clue what the answer really means. I admit I do Google to get an answer, rather than leave a blank space in the puzzle.
Reata...Riata.....either way, the best thing about that Texas ranch was when James Dean dropped in for a visit. There was a lot more on-screen sizzle between him and Elizabeth Taylor than she had with screen husband, Rock Hudson. It's really a shame that Dean only made three movies.
Have a swell Superbowl Sunday everyone!
Glad to hear was not the only one to miss spell Reata. Then had Polaris for 15 across which really messed up that corner.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Dougl for explaining Tappets. Worked in an auto repair shop some 45 years ago and people would complain about "noisy tappets". Amazing the knowledge you get from this blog.
Jimmy S. Carolina
Embien, Bill, Clear Ayes, go to Google - enter: Movie; Giant name of ranch. The name that comes up is RIATA. That was what was engraved on Benedict's luggage.
ReplyDeleteI know there can be 2 spellings of this, but the one used in the movie was RIATA.
One other small thing, about the sizzle between James Dean and Liz...he was a great actor because since he was gay, he probably was more drawn to Rock than Liz!
ReplyDeleteCarol.. LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteClear ayes, I was so surprised when you said that Mission San Luis Rey was in Oceanside. When I lived there that is where we attended Sunday Mass. At that time it was in San Luis Rey, which must have been inc. since then.As I recall It was quite a bit east,on the other side of highway 5.I have a set of slides that my grandfather took of all the CA missions in the 40's.Have no idea of what to do with them.
JD,
ReplyDeleteIf you project those slides onto a screen in a dark room, you can take digital photos of them and save them on a CD, or make a PowerPoint to explain the historical changes over the years, adding more recent photos to compare. Then you can hire yourself out as an inspired presenter to local historical groups, schools, etc. Just in case you need something to fill your time! ;)
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteLate today, was busy helping cook dinner!! Another smooth sailing only had to google for Siegfried's first name.
CC: Glad you could 'see' me
Google "ranch in Giant"
ReplyDeleteYou get Reata.