Theme: It's Scintilla-ting
20A: Musical featuring "Maniac": FLASHDANCE
62A: Navigation beacon: LIGHTHOUSE
10D: Igniter: SPARKPLUG
33D: Luminous larvae: GLOWWORMS
I wonder why GLOWWORMS glow. Aren't they afraid of being eaten by bats or those night owls?
I rather like the theme answers today, very consistent. Those gleaming words brought to mind William Manchester's "One Brief Shining Moment" about JFK and his Camelot years. Truly beautiful things, like cherry blossoms, only last a very short time.
I don't think the clue for WHIT (34A: Smallest amount) is accurate. "Small amount", yes.
I don't understand why "Failing on purpose" for TANKING (24A). The stock market has been TANKING since last September, is it "Failing on purpose"? Who manipulated this scandal then? "The Talented Mr. Madoff"?
Also, why "Alternative beau" for RIVAL (55D)? RIVAL to whom?
Across:
1A: Thief's haul: SWAG. New slang to me. I could only think of LOOT.
5A: Stowaway, e.g.: HIDER. And NEWER (18A: More recent). And SCOWLER (52A: Sour looker). Special deal for ER today, buy one, get two free.
15A: Dig deeply?: ADORE. Good clue.
16A: Carson's predecessor: PAAR. I often confuse Jack PAAR with Catherine PARR, Henry VIII's wife.
40A: Eye: pref.: OCULO. I am more familiar with ocular. Easily gettable though. Oculus is Latin for "eye".
42A: "__ You Experienced?": ARE. Have never heard of this Jimi Hendrix song.
43A: Pianist Blake: EUBIE. Obtained his name with down fill help. Wikipedia says he smoked all his life and he died five days after his 100th birthday.
44A: Domingo, eg.: TENOR. The Three Tenors. Domingo is in the left.
45A: Cartoonist Drucker: MORT. Googled his name, cartoonist for the "Mad Magazine". Egads, I did not know that "Mad Magazine" is still in circulation.
64A: Drunkard: WINO. Thought of LUSH immediately, after our "A lush lushed lush in a lush lush" discussion last week.
65A: Asseverate: AVER. Did not know the meaning of "Asseverate". I parsed the word as "Make less severe", but EASE did not fit.
67A: Ready and willing partner: ABLE. I am ready, willing and ABLE to let Vikings go. Los Angeles Vikings does have a nice ring on it.
68A: Writer O'Flaherty: LIAM. Irish writer. Unknown to me. Is LIAM an unique Irish name? LIAM Neeson (Oskar in "Schindler's List") is from Ireland. He is going to play ABE (37D: Presidential nickname) in a Steven Spielberg biopic.
69A: Moon lander: EAGLE. Was not aware of this Apollo 11’s module name. Spider (Apollo 9) sounds quite apt.
71A: Bracket shapes: ELLS. Holy moley. I was really uneducated on this term.
Down:
2D: Writer Cather: WILLA. Her "O Pineers" appeared in our puzzle before. Unfortunately I don't remember her name.
3D: Mr. T's outfit: A-TEAM. I was thinking of the enormous amount of bling blings he is wearing, not the TV series. "The" is missing from the clue.
4D: Painter's base: GESSO. Eat a worm if you missed this one.
8D: Standing: ERECT. Made me think of the "Like member of congress clue" again. I bet John Boehner/Eric Cantor would go nuts if this clue appeared in a newspaper.
11D: Hawaiian island: KAUAI. What's so special about this island? I've never been to Hawaii. Must be very difficult to live with only 12 letters. I can understand 5 vowels, but only 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p and w)?
25D: French Riviera resort: NICE."To Catch a Thief" is set in French Riviera. Nice movie. There is a picnic scene when Grace Kelly offered Cary Grant some chicken, and she asked "Do you want a leg or a breast?" Don't google, give me your guess on Grant's response.
27D: Put-up job: SHAM. Like FEMA's fake "News Conference".
28D: Russian city on the Vyatka: KIROV. See this map. Vyatka is a river. It has appeared in our puzzle several times. But I would not have got it without the Across fills. Chris mentioned the KIROV Ballet last time.
31D: Service winner: ACE. Tennis.
46D: Dreaded flies: TSETSES. I am surprised that our editor did not bring back "Nagana carriers" this time. He seems to be in an incurable repeating mood right now.
52D: Low tract: SWALE. This has become a gimme. Swamp anyone?
58D: Minsk money: RUBLE. Only knew RUBLE is Putin's bread. Was unaware that it's used in Belarus as well.
59D: Country singer K.T.: OSLIN. See, whatever Jimbo wants, Jimbo gets.
63D: Caron role: GIGI. Colette's most famous novel. Once again, her great quote: "I love my past, I love my present. I am not ashamed of what I have had, and I am not sad because I no longer have it".
64D: 1965 Beatles movie: HELP. This promo looks great. Here is the list of movies the Beatles made.
C.C.
20A: Musical featuring "Maniac": FLASHDANCE
62A: Navigation beacon: LIGHTHOUSE
10D: Igniter: SPARKPLUG
33D: Luminous larvae: GLOWWORMS
I wonder why GLOWWORMS glow. Aren't they afraid of being eaten by bats or those night owls?
I rather like the theme answers today, very consistent. Those gleaming words brought to mind William Manchester's "One Brief Shining Moment" about JFK and his Camelot years. Truly beautiful things, like cherry blossoms, only last a very short time.
I don't think the clue for WHIT (34A: Smallest amount) is accurate. "Small amount", yes.
I don't understand why "Failing on purpose" for TANKING (24A). The stock market has been TANKING since last September, is it "Failing on purpose"? Who manipulated this scandal then? "The Talented Mr. Madoff"?
Also, why "Alternative beau" for RIVAL (55D)? RIVAL to whom?
Across:
1A: Thief's haul: SWAG. New slang to me. I could only think of LOOT.
5A: Stowaway, e.g.: HIDER. And NEWER (18A: More recent). And SCOWLER (52A: Sour looker). Special deal for ER today, buy one, get two free.
15A: Dig deeply?: ADORE. Good clue.
16A: Carson's predecessor: PAAR. I often confuse Jack PAAR with Catherine PARR, Henry VIII's wife.
40A: Eye: pref.: OCULO. I am more familiar with ocular. Easily gettable though. Oculus is Latin for "eye".
42A: "__ You Experienced?": ARE. Have never heard of this Jimi Hendrix song.
43A: Pianist Blake: EUBIE. Obtained his name with down fill help. Wikipedia says he smoked all his life and he died five days after his 100th birthday.
44A: Domingo, eg.: TENOR. The Three Tenors. Domingo is in the left.
45A: Cartoonist Drucker: MORT. Googled his name, cartoonist for the "Mad Magazine". Egads, I did not know that "Mad Magazine" is still in circulation.
64A: Drunkard: WINO. Thought of LUSH immediately, after our "A lush lushed lush in a lush lush" discussion last week.
65A: Asseverate: AVER. Did not know the meaning of "Asseverate". I parsed the word as "Make less severe", but EASE did not fit.
67A: Ready and willing partner: ABLE. I am ready, willing and ABLE to let Vikings go. Los Angeles Vikings does have a nice ring on it.
68A: Writer O'Flaherty: LIAM. Irish writer. Unknown to me. Is LIAM an unique Irish name? LIAM Neeson (Oskar in "Schindler's List") is from Ireland. He is going to play ABE (37D: Presidential nickname) in a Steven Spielberg biopic.
69A: Moon lander: EAGLE. Was not aware of this Apollo 11’s module name. Spider (Apollo 9) sounds quite apt.
71A: Bracket shapes: ELLS. Holy moley. I was really uneducated on this term.
Down:
2D: Writer Cather: WILLA. Her "O Pineers" appeared in our puzzle before. Unfortunately I don't remember her name.
3D: Mr. T's outfit: A-TEAM. I was thinking of the enormous amount of bling blings he is wearing, not the TV series. "The" is missing from the clue.
4D: Painter's base: GESSO. Eat a worm if you missed this one.
8D: Standing: ERECT. Made me think of the "Like member of congress clue" again. I bet John Boehner/Eric Cantor would go nuts if this clue appeared in a newspaper.
11D: Hawaiian island: KAUAI. What's so special about this island? I've never been to Hawaii. Must be very difficult to live with only 12 letters. I can understand 5 vowels, but only 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p and w)?
25D: French Riviera resort: NICE."To Catch a Thief" is set in French Riviera. Nice movie. There is a picnic scene when Grace Kelly offered Cary Grant some chicken, and she asked "Do you want a leg or a breast?" Don't google, give me your guess on Grant's response.
27D: Put-up job: SHAM. Like FEMA's fake "News Conference".
28D: Russian city on the Vyatka: KIROV. See this map. Vyatka is a river. It has appeared in our puzzle several times. But I would not have got it without the Across fills. Chris mentioned the KIROV Ballet last time.
31D: Service winner: ACE. Tennis.
46D: Dreaded flies: TSETSES. I am surprised that our editor did not bring back "Nagana carriers" this time. He seems to be in an incurable repeating mood right now.
52D: Low tract: SWALE. This has become a gimme. Swamp anyone?
58D: Minsk money: RUBLE. Only knew RUBLE is Putin's bread. Was unaware that it's used in Belarus as well.
59D: Country singer K.T.: OSLIN. See, whatever Jimbo wants, Jimbo gets.
63D: Caron role: GIGI. Colette's most famous novel. Once again, her great quote: "I love my past, I love my present. I am not ashamed of what I have had, and I am not sad because I no longer have it".
64D: 1965 Beatles movie: HELP. This promo looks great. Here is the list of movies the Beatles made.
C.C.
Good morning CC and all,...CC in youir write up for 43A you have Pianist Black and it should be Blake. However, Blake is black.
ReplyDeleteDick,
ReplyDeleteThanks. Makes you wonder how long EUBIE Black would have lived had not been a smoker.
Martin,
I suspect something more DF in Buckeye's long Guderamerdingstrassaholzers. The ASS and A HOL? can't be there for nothing.
Barry,
Valid point on DAMES clue last Saturday. As for your name, PromiseMe linked a joke a few day ago. The guy's name is Tonto Goldberg.
Cc Kauai is where Jurassic Park was filmed. My wife and I visited there and it is one of the most beautiful of the islands. We took a helicopter tour over the area where the film was made and then flew into a volcano. a great adventure.
ReplyDeleteI had to google WILLA, GESSO and, yes, SWALE. (I didn't understand "Asseverate" and I'd never heard of SWAG: I also wanted LOOT.) Here are some brackets: ()<>[]{}. Which one looks like an ELL?
ReplyDeleteI also wanted CHIT for WHIT which gave me HANDSAC which sounds gross. In fact, a lot of the fills were looking pretty DF as I tried to fill them in: ???KING, ?HIT and FL?SHDANCE.
Martin
Jimbo & Lemonade,
ReplyDeleteFYI, LA Times, like our TMS Daily puzzle or Argyle's Sunday crossword, is also part of the TMS family. Strangely, LA Times carries a different puzzle on Sundays, edited by Sylvia Bursztyn. The weekday syndication is edited by Rich Norris though.
Anonymous @11:04am,
The Sunday puzzle we solve is not available on line.
Crockett et al,
Thanks for the answers yesterday.
3D: Mr. T's outfit: A-TEAM. I was thinking of the enormous amount of bling blings he is wearing, not the TV series. "The" is missing from the clue.
ReplyDeleteoutfit is an synonym for group.
It should've been clued this way
Mr. T's outfit?
Michael Sembello Maniac from Flashdance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x1K5UH2nek
Flashdance is a musical/romance film released in April 1983. The film was the first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashdance_(film)
Dick,
ReplyDeleteWhy did you like Buckeye's Guderamerdingstrassaholzers?
Calef,
Further to Lemonade's ELA comment yesterday. If experienced craps players like Embien and Hayrake have never heard of DICER being used as "Crapshooter", then DICER does belong to the kitchen. So many as-colorful-as-vegetable ways to clue DICER. If the editor keeps repeating his mistakes and continues to frustrate solvers with his boring and obscure "Old time high note" ELA instead of re-working the clue/grid, then his crosswords have lost all their value. I want to be challenged, educated and entertained. But the recent TMS puzzles have disappointed me greatly. I don't expect a home run every day, but the runs and hits have become so rare lately. Errors after errors. We deserve better!
Good evening from India,
ReplyDeleteSailed through the puzzle only time taken was the time to enter the letters online, didnt know OSLIN and EUBIE but got them from the intersections.
This was a breeze.... no googles... I think it must be a requirement for WRW that the constructor repeat a clue from the last few days... ie... GESSO for the third time in a week !!!!
ReplyDeleteC.C. Joe Mauer showed up for Spring Training down here. Let's hope he recovers from his surgery and is back in the line-up soon.
C.C., Kazie, etal,
ReplyDeleteat last, answer to the Post of Feb 10, 54D
As you may or may not know the Famous painting is by E. Delacroix post WW1 circa,1845
the poster came in handy during a Protest march led by Grillo (well-known italian comedian ) against the Berlusconi-government in 2007
the superimposed words " V-Day " renamed by the italians as Va-fanculo-Day (up-yours)
As Beppo Grillo yelled out, What day is it ? The crowd would respond, It' s Va fan-ulo Day !
The Italian writing under V-Day, " we italians have confused the meaning of, Freedom to choose with Freedom to serve "
p.s. Berlusconi now owns the RAI ( Italian Radio&Television Network ) among many other entities and Grillo has been subsequently banned from the Network
Sadly, Italy is in a state of malcontent, new movie just out, Gomorrah, with instructive details, ( Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia) after the book (same title) written by Saviano who now lives under Police Protection
I think you do a great job on the crosswords. I used to spend a long time looking up each clue on the internet. Now I don't have to.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, CC et al., Good puzzle for a Monday...quick and easy. Thought we might be into something DF when 'erect', crossed 'adore'(cute clue), and 'sparkplug' showed up. Then 'dip' 'oral' 'sin' came with 'pet', but alas, I was 'wrong'. It was a 'sham'. There was little to 'nun'. But it was enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Cary Grant response, I'd guess that he said leg only to be polite, but like most men, he really meant breast or thinking that if he claimed a leg, the breast would come with it.
Enjoy your day.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle today, which I unfortunately didn't quite do correctly. What got me in the end was the crossing of SKEW and KAUAI. I didn't know the name of the Hawaiian island, and therefore ended up with SLEW and LAUAI instead. Oops.
And, on further review, I just realized that I also messed up with HIDER/HANDSAW. I confidently put BANDSAW and couldn't quite figure out why a stowaway would be a BIDER. It sort of made sense to me, since a BIDER is somebody who waits, and a stowaway waits out of site hoping not to be discovered until the destination is reached, right?
Other unknowns today were MORT Drucker, and K.T. OSLIN. Also, while I know AVER means, I've never heard of Asseverate before, so that took awhile to get.
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteOther than the third GESSO, I enjoyed this puzzle for a Monday.
TANKED I believe comes from boxing where the fighter deliberately lost, it was called "taking a dive" or going in the "tank" which led to tanking meaning deliberately failing.
"Asseverate" is one of those unfortuneate words that are used in the law, but not in real speech. Law school is primarily learning a foreign language, then learning what to do with it.
Lois, lots of us males really mean leg, not breast.
Never heard of OSLIN, but it did fill.
The mother of my grammar school principal smoked and drank gin every day until at 103, she finally did not wake up. Genetics are complicated, and smoking is an odd killer. Too many non-smokers die of lung cancer, and when I quit smoking, I developed High Blood Pressure, so who knows what makes it all work.
Hi ya'll,
ReplyDeleteMade it through this one with a lot of good guesses, perps and a couple of maps.
Of course "Oslin" was a gimme. (Did'nt know I had so much clout---ha).
Had to look up "Kauai" and "kirov". Thought "Willa" would be correct since I was sure of the crosses.
Let's see now, what do I wish for next?
G'morning all, and happy President's Day!
ReplyDeleteI can never figure out why the USA has so many "public" holidays celebrated by none but the government workers, whose day off inconveniences everyone but gives us no respite. Oh well...
This puzzle went pretty much hitchlessly for me, with a few hesitations but no g'spotting and no errors. I also did not know the meaning of asseverate, but SWALE seemed somewhat familiar, so I put the "a" in and hoped. It worked. I started with LOOT too, but the perps said otherwise so I changed it early on.
I think Liam is an Irish name isn't it?
Maria,
Thanks for the info, but you surely meant after WWII in 1945, didn't you?
Waitomo Glowworm Grotto in the North Island of New Zealand is a great place to see these amazing critters. Their tails glow to attract a mate, and when you go into the cave, you are in a small boat. The guide switches off the lights, and they magically appear on the ceiling of the cave. Truly magical!
Showing my age, but like John (CG) in "To Catch a Thief", I'll have one with everything. Easy puzzle today. Like others, I'm getting bored with too-soon-repeated words. Lazy editing seems to be a sign of the times in print media, as the corporate bean counters cut content and readership spirals (or plummets) downward. It's still the only game in (this) town, though. I haven't watched tv since 1973, so I'm sort of a captive audience for print, unless I choose to be wilfully out of touch, which looks more attractive every day. I would miss the xword though, and you can't print from the iPhone. See you mañana. LTS
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot, WHIT really is the least, or smallest amount, as in "I do not give a WHIT" meaning not having the least interest; which brings us back to our TINKER from the other day, because we also say , "Not worth a Tinker's Damn" as an expression of something truly worthless. That phrase apparently comes from the frequency of the use of profanity by the travelling tinker as he plied his trade. I guess he kept hitting his thumb...
ReplyDeleteLemonade: LOL I know there are 'leg men'. Their thinkin' is: Legs aren't the best thing, they're just next to the best thing.
ReplyDeleteLiam is (primarily) a nick name for people named William (Wil-liam), but people these days done't know or care about the difference between original names and nick names - hence Sally rather than Sara(h), Meg and Molly rather than Margaret; Betsy, Betty, Bette for Elizabeth. Oh well, you can call it evolution or degradation of language.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, C.C. and all
ReplyDeleteKazie, upon further research, the painting was done after the French Revolution , in 1830
Lemonade, funny you remark on asseverate!
Maria,
ReplyDeleteI knew the painting would have been from that era, it was the poster which used the painting as backdrop I thought you meant.
mark - Buenos Aires
ReplyDeleteLeg or breast?
One of the few disadvantages of living here is that the ladies tend to be short legged. Its a characteristic of southern European immigrants. There are plenty of perfect breasts, but one without the other doesnt make the grade.
I took a fit lady (in both senses) just turned 50 to the airport the other day. She was going to climb Aconcuagua, the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas where already there have been seven deaths this season. She is no novice as she climbed Kilimanjaro last year. When she returns she is going to a clinic for breast enhancement. The operation is in the morning and in late afternoon she gets to go back to her digs. As a precaution she has hired a nurse to look after her for a few days. Buenos Aires is one of those cities where tourists come for first class cosmetic and dental surgery. She is doing the operation for herself, not with the idea of attracting men (she doesnt need to), just to make her feel good. When she is at home in London, her children and grandchildren have a piece of her so she just wants to go her own way without family input.
To me, the ideal perfect body is Jamie Lee Curtis - those legs! and breasts too!
So for me, legs first, anything else is a bonus.
Although Delacroix wasn't born until 1798 and lived until 1863, the French Revolution was in 1789, much inspired by the American one of 1776. So his painting was a bit past the post-revolution era too.
ReplyDeleteKazie, sorry have no clue as to when the poster was made
ReplyDeleteWouldn't c.c. know ?
c.c. the ball is your court now, you dug it up.
Woops, kazie you caught me again and you are right of course
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteELL or "L" brackets
C.C. Good morning. I enjoyed your bloggers today. You have a very interesting and diversified group here.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to "Jurassic Park", as Dick pointed out - on the northern most side of Kauai, on an an isolated stretch of beach, the immortal "South Pacific" was filmed - not on Bali as is widely thought. My wife and I toured Bali one day and spent the entire day in the mountains, which are beautiful. Our driver wouldn't go near the beaches because of the evil gods down there. Maybe that's why 'Bali Hai' was taked to Kauai?
@ Lois - Your definition of "leg men" is right on target.
Have a nice Monday y'all.
Hayrake
Hi C.C. and all, I didn't have too much trouble today until I got to the middle. For some reason I could not get 26A, 28D or 34A..did not know 45D either.
ReplyDeleteLois, LOL you see more DF clues than anyone! Love it! I did notice 8D (erect) and wondered about 42A (but NOT in your case)
Dick, thanks for the enlightenment on Buckeye's "g" word. I looked at that for the longest time and couldn't figure it out.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN ACCESS THIS PUZZLE ONLINE.I AM RETURNING TO EUROPE FOR 6 MONTHS AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE LOCAL PAPER(birmingham news) there
ReplyDeletethanks ferd 77
ferd,
ReplyDeleteHere it is: Chicago tribune
Lemonade714
ReplyDelete"A tinker's damn" from The Phrase Finder.
Meaning
Something that is insignificant or worthless.
Origin
There's some debate over whether this phrase should be tinker's dam - a small dam to hold solder, made by tinkers when mending pans, or tinker's damn - a tinker's curse, considered of little significance because tinkers were reputed to swear habitually.
Calef
CC another possible theme could have been "Light Hodge Podge".
ReplyDeleteAbout a "tinker`s dam": the "patch" (to dam up liquid) he put on the pots/pans was minuscule to small...hence; not big/worth much. So..., if you don`t give a "tinker`s dam", you care very little if at all. A more recent expression meaning the same thing would be, "I don`t give a rat`s ---"
Good Morning All, I don't have much to say about today's puzzle. It all came together pretty easily.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw MORT Drucker, I immediately thought of PromiseMeThis' latest avatar, a hippie version of Mad magazine's famous cover boy Alfred E. Neuman. His motto, and I have to assume it is PromiseMe's motto too, is,"What, Me Worry?" I particularly like Neuman's slogan during several runs for President, "You could do worse... and always have!"
I'm surprised that nobody else put in a link to Jennifer Beal's Flash Dancing, or to the Mills Brothers Glow Worm.
My interpretation of Buckeye's cousin's name Auto Guderamerdingstrassaholzer was a little more scatological. Merde is French for "crap", or less politely "shit". The name translated (more or less) to Auto(matically) Better Shitting Ass Holes. Buckeye pointed out that this was post WWI and the post-WWI, pre-WWII Germans took a lot of pride in doing things better than everyone else.
Of course, there is ALWAYS the possibility that Brother Buckeye has set us up to have this totally insane, ridiculous blog exchange!
Good Monday morning, everyone!
ReplyDeleteFor 71A I was thinking of the shape of a shelf bracket, which is definitely an L.. I see Argyle thinks this was also.
@kazie hitchlessly -- love it!
@ferd 77 C.C. has a link to the online puzzle at the top of the daily entry. Chicago Tribune's Website.
Good Afternoon C.C. and Co.,
ReplyDeleteGrant's response
"I'd like a little of both"?
Everytime I hear mention of Kirov, I cannot help but recall the wonderful film I once saw about the Kirov School of Ballet in St. Petersburg. It was narrated by Grace Kelly and called, The Children of Theatre Street. It is really a wonderful documentary.
maria, Thank you for the explanation of the Delacroix poster's recent use. As I said previously, I suspect the original use of the poster was for post-WWII propaganda.
Linda, What was the answer to your clue from Saturday? I am guessing Barry G. got it right. Did you like (understand) my answer? Commando no-no. It hearkened back to C.C.'s post of that Vanity Fair cover. Tom Ford is reportedly famous for going commando.
Let's hear it for Mort Drucker ;)
This poem reminded me a little bit of today's illuminated theme.
ReplyDeleteWitchery
Out of the purple drifts,
From the shadow sea of night,
On tides of musk a moth uplifts
Its weary wings of white.
Is it a dream or ghost
Of a dream that comes to me,
Here in the twilight on the coast,
Blue cinctured by the sea?
Fashioned of foam and froth --
And the dream is ended soon,
And lo, whence came the moon-white moth
Comes now the moth-white moon!
- Frank Dempster Sherman
PromiseMeThis, The Children of Theatre Street was a terrific documentary. I've never seen the Kirov in person, but I did get to see the Bolshoi performing Romeo and Juliet in Los Angeles in (I think) 1977. That was definitely a "bucket list" evening.
Doesitinkink. What a coincidence that I went to a Fado concert on Friday evening and you went to a Fado concert on Saturday...small world!
Good morning C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteWe are having REAL rain in CA ..woo hoo!! Reminds me of an album I had in college with a song "Didn't it Rain Children" (Could have done a rain dance to that lively beat)
Whit was my last fill, and yet, I agree with the clue.The w in hand saw SHOULD have been simple, but I am vertically challenged. Guessed M for Mort.Did remember gang, gesso and swale ( do they think we are all old here?)and anything with that shape is an ell for goodness sakes!I googled Eubie.
Do you remember when Flashdance came out all the girls started ripping the "collars?" off of their sweatshirts to look sexy, showing a lot of shoulder.
Dick @5:58.LOL I think you are right on
Kauai, my favorite place ever!It is the farthest north, the 1st island of "the islands" and the greenest. The shell of its volcano, which has become a lush swamp, is the wettest place on earth.The Na Pali coast line is a spectacular sight, and a challenging hike.There is only one main highway which does not go all the way around the island. It is quiet and not as commercial as Maui.Living in CA makes it very accessable for us; we'll be there in March.
C.C. and all...
ReplyDeleteNot a bad puzzle today, I did get SWAG and MORT Drucker(used to read Mad all the time) and most of the other names, which always surprises me, as I am not terribly good at Pop Culture stuff, just old enough to remember Jack PAAR and HELP. Also happy to get all the theme answers w/o perps...a good start to the day for me.
I got hung up on the H for WHIT and SHAM, for some reason, but that was the only blank square.
C.C.The difference between Catherine PAAR and Jack PAAR is he was taller.
Cheers to all today...it is still pouring down much needed rain and I am going to paint. Oh...and I didn't need to eat worms!
Liam is Irish/Gaelic for William.
ReplyDeleteI, too, supposed the "ell" (L) bracket was for a shelf support.
Hi C.C.
ReplyDeleteWe've been to Kauai a few times. It's known as the garden isle and is very beautiful.
Once we took a guided tour and found that an amazing number of movies have
used Kauai since 1933
See: http://www.hawaiimovietour.com/wizzd.html
JD,
ReplyDeleteActually, Kauai is the northernmost of the main group Hawaiian islands. The whole island chain stretches some 1,500 miles to the northwest of the big island. I occasionally get emails from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
How's that for an xw answer?
Clue: National Marine Monument
Answer: Papahanaumokuakea
OUCH!!!
It would need to go into a 20-grid, which seem fitting. It is so tough it really would have to go into a Sunday puzzle.
Hi C.C,
ReplyDeleteRe the Hawaiian language and 7 consonants.
Maybe that is why the language and music are so pretty.
A must place to visit if you ever get the chance.
I'm off to Florida next week for a month.
Best to all,
Geri
PromiseMe...re:subjects we have discussed showing up as xword clues...
ReplyDeleteIf PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA shows up as a clue, will will hunt you down!
Correction: WE will hunt you down!
ReplyDeleteGuday, all. A pretty good puzzle for a Monday. Struggled with "whit" and "sham" for a while. Got "oslin" thru the perps. Got this puppy done w/o help in under two hours.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed my V.D. poem of Saturday. I will regale you with little know presidential trivia for Presidents Day.
James Madison was our shortest president. He was 3'9" tall but wore "lifts" in his shoes to look taller. This caused a balance problem for him and that's why you never see him in a movie climbing or going down stairs. His wife, Dolly, was a social butterfly and a great "hostess" of parties. She was a great cook and they still sell her cup-cakes to this day.
Grover Cleveland is the only President to win an election (1884), lose the re-election to Benjamin Harrison (1888), and re-win the position in 1892. During the four year hiatus between terms, he founded a city in Northern Ohio, which, as you can guess, he named Ashtabula.
James Buchanan was our only bachelor president. Some questioned his sexual preference, but he was never proven "gay". Some were curious, though, when, at his inauguration, the band did not play "Hail To The Chief" but rather played "I Feel Pretty".
Abe Lincoln was not born Abe Lincoln. He changed his name when he became a lawyer and decided to run for public office. He thought America would not vote-again- for a man whose real name was George Washington. Abe's half-brother was a famous inventor and agriculturalist. His name was George Washington Carver, who developed over 93,386 uses for peanuts and was the Grandfather of our 38th president and a peanut farmer Jimmy Carver.
Now you know the REST of the story.
I must be off!
wolfmom said...@12:40 PM
ReplyDeleteC.C.The difference between Catherine PAAR and Jack PAAR is he was taller.
Thanks a lot, wolfmom. Now I don't know if it was Katherine Paar or Catherine Parr or Catherine Paar or Katherine Parr or...
"A tinker's damn" from The Phrase Finder."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update Anon., I come from a long line of profane men, (my gandfather swore in 9 languages) so it makes sense I learned that choice rather than the dam.
Jack Paar was actually quite entertaining, and quit (briefly) because they censored a joke he told that used the expression "W.C." (water closet) which was mistaken for Westminster Cathedral. Another childhood memory dredged up in the puzzle world.
Which segues into Luis Aparicio, who was the shortstop for the White Sox when Jacob "Nellie" Fox played second base. They were awesome together, and inspirational to all of us short men, especially in 1959 when they won the pennant (first since the Black Sox scandal) and Fox was MVP.
I am SO sorry. I made a glaring error in my presidential report. Jimmy Carver was our 39th president not our 38th. I had forgotten about James Garfield, whose tenure was shortened by an assassin's bullet.
ReplyDeleteIMBO
Buckeye said:
ReplyDelete"I must be off!"
Several of us have noticed that ;)
Argyle@4:39...My bad...according my Allison Weir book on Henry VIII, the accepted spelling is KATHERINE Paar, but I could check a couple of books printed in Britain, if you would like...that could really mess us up.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that Google has them all!
ReplyDeletePromiseme, that is why I put the islands in quotes, as I realize that the archipelago stretches out with 122 other islands that are not considered Hawaii
ReplyDeleteCrockett, My husband sang with the chorus until his health failed, but I hear they are still doing well. I have a question? Where do you find the Sunday puzzle that is featured in this blog....in Oregon? I have always had a hard time with the NY puzzle. I just don't think like they do. Tobylee
ReplyDelete@cc...in the picture of the Three Tenors, Placido Domingo is on the left, not in the middle. The man in the middle is Jose Carreras, and of course, the person on the right is the now-decesased Luciano Pavarotti.
ReplyDeleteJimbo, did you know that Ms Oslin spelled her name "k.t. oslin" (all lower case letters) during her most famous phase. She`s had open heart surgery(in 1995) and is an astonishing 67 years old!
ReplyDelete@tobylee Can't find the TMS Sunday paper in OR. I just chime in where I can, do the Premier in the big O, and wait 'til Monday.
ReplyDeleteJD,
ReplyDeleteI think I see what you meant; that Kauai is the first of the truly islandy(?) islands.
However, I don't know why you say that-
"the ... 122 other islands ... are not considered Hawaii". Why not?
On a different note: It must be fun to live there in the San Jose area with a hockey team as good as the Sharks. The Panthers beat them early in the season, though :)
PromiseMe: We used to go watch the Sharks when they first started playing at the Cow Palace...trust me, it took them a long time to figure out that the team with highest score wins...they have come a very long way.
ReplyDeleteBTW...I really like the AEN "photo"...not that I didn't like your bird.
Argle... I think that with historical names we just tend to formalize them for convenience. Supposedly there is no consistency in how Shakespeare spelled his name and the few times it was actually written down it was different every time...makes you think that possibly he was trying it out to which one he liked the best. Sort of Nom de Plume....
oops! Promiseme, I erred.I wrongly assumed that only the 8 main islands were considered part of the state.The series of tiny islets and atolls are oficially named the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The only ones not part of the state are the Midway Islands . They have been managed by the US Dept of the Interior as a national wildlife refuge since the naval base closed.
ReplyDeleteHi Promise me this,
ReplyDeleteI live in Calgary and my daughters and I enjoy The Flames. They have defeated San Jose also.
Buckeye Jimmy Carter was our 39th President.
ReplyDelete