Theme: Feeling Blue
20A: Without warning: OUT OF THE BLUE
60A: Jamaican peak: BLUE MOUNTAIN
10D: Something to scream: BLUE MURDER
30D: Miles Davis classic: KIND OF BLUE
I was only familiar with the phrase OUT OF THE BLUE. But the other three entries were very easy to suss out once I figured out the theme. Do you know where the BLUE MOUNTAIN got its name?
A perfect puzzle for Michael Phelps. He must be feeling very blue this morning. What a disappointment. Why did he need marijuana to get high? Kind of tarnished his ONCE IN A BLUE MOON eight gold medal Olympic record.
So jarring to see RED (15A: Scarlet, e.g.) and RED-HOT (6D: Fiery) intersects one another. Also, is the clue for NSA (59A: Govt. advisory grp.) correct? I wanted NSC (National Security Council). NSA is so damned secretive that I don't know to whom they give advice to.
Across:
8A: Greyhound pacer: RABBIT. I got the answer, but have no idea how RABBIT is connected with "Greyhound pacer".
14A: Gymnast Korbut: OLGA. This is incredible. She got four gold Olympics medals.
16A: Actress Dahl: ARLENE. Can never remember this actress, mother of Lorenzo Lamas. Wikipedia says she had a relationship with JFK as well.
24A: Spinoff of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show": RHODA. Learned from doing Xword. It's often clued as "Valerie Harper sitcom". Which kind of TV program do you watch now?
25A: Samms and Lazarus: EMMAS. Have never heard of EMMA Samms before. That's a very daring dress. Nice pair of ... earrings. She is a British TV actress.
29A: City on Baranof Island: SITKA. Nailed it this time. Still can't believe it's the largest city in the US by area.
34A: Driving nails obliquely: TOEING. Learned this carpentry term last time.
38A: Inter-campus sports grp.: NCAA. Can you believe NCAA was founded in 1906 and has an annual budget of $5.64 billion? By contract, NASA annual budget is $17.3 billion.
51A: Munch Museum city: OSLO. Have never heard of Munch Museum before. It's named after the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, best known for his angst-filled "Scream".
63A: Low tracts: SWALES. The ditch on the right I presume? This word always gives me trouble.
70A: Swan genus: OLOR. No idea. Latin for swan. Too exotic a name for me to remember.
72A: French some: DES. And FRANC (21D: Old French bread?), which is also the currency for Switzerland.
Down:
2D: Chilean-born pianist Arrau: CLAUDIO. Got his name from across fills. Here is a clip. I wonder why the clue is "Chilean-born" rather than "Chilean". He must have changed his nationality later on then.
4D: Tropical root: TARO. I miss those Cantonese fried TARO cakes.
7D: Made sense: ADDED UP
26D: Med. procedure: MRI. How does MRI differ from X-ray?
27D: Gone by: AGO. "A long long time AGO... the day the music died...". It's been 50 years.
43D: NASA partner: ESA. Very tiresome clue. ESA is "That" in Spanish, right?
48D: Acquire by trickery: FINAGLE. Made me think of Merrill Lynch's John Thain and his outrageous way of using government bailout money to pay his employees bonus. I am glad he is gone.
49D: Greek letter: UPSILON. EPSILON and OMICRON also have 7 letters.
50D: Some thrown horseshoes: LEANERS. Struggled with this one. Last time I was also stumped when LEANER is clued as "Almost a ringer". It's "a thrown horseshoe that leans against the stake."
63D: Sellout theaters: SRO. No abbreviation hint in the clue. I would prefer "Sellout letters".
64D: Sebaceous cyst: WEN. This clue is getting stale too. Not sure if everyone knows, but the current Chinese Premier is named WEN Jiabao.
C.C.
20A: Without warning: OUT OF THE BLUE
60A: Jamaican peak: BLUE MOUNTAIN
10D: Something to scream: BLUE MURDER
30D: Miles Davis classic: KIND OF BLUE
I was only familiar with the phrase OUT OF THE BLUE. But the other three entries were very easy to suss out once I figured out the theme. Do you know where the BLUE MOUNTAIN got its name?
A perfect puzzle for Michael Phelps. He must be feeling very blue this morning. What a disappointment. Why did he need marijuana to get high? Kind of tarnished his ONCE IN A BLUE MOON eight gold medal Olympic record.
So jarring to see RED (15A: Scarlet, e.g.) and RED-HOT (6D: Fiery) intersects one another. Also, is the clue for NSA (59A: Govt. advisory grp.) correct? I wanted NSC (National Security Council). NSA is so damned secretive that I don't know to whom they give advice to.
Across:
8A: Greyhound pacer: RABBIT. I got the answer, but have no idea how RABBIT is connected with "Greyhound pacer".
14A: Gymnast Korbut: OLGA. This is incredible. She got four gold Olympics medals.
16A: Actress Dahl: ARLENE. Can never remember this actress, mother of Lorenzo Lamas. Wikipedia says she had a relationship with JFK as well.
24A: Spinoff of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show": RHODA. Learned from doing Xword. It's often clued as "Valerie Harper sitcom". Which kind of TV program do you watch now?
25A: Samms and Lazarus: EMMAS. Have never heard of EMMA Samms before. That's a very daring dress. Nice pair of ... earrings. She is a British TV actress.
29A: City on Baranof Island: SITKA. Nailed it this time. Still can't believe it's the largest city in the US by area.
34A: Driving nails obliquely: TOEING. Learned this carpentry term last time.
38A: Inter-campus sports grp.: NCAA. Can you believe NCAA was founded in 1906 and has an annual budget of $5.64 billion? By contract, NASA annual budget is $17.3 billion.
51A: Munch Museum city: OSLO. Have never heard of Munch Museum before. It's named after the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, best known for his angst-filled "Scream".
63A: Low tracts: SWALES. The ditch on the right I presume? This word always gives me trouble.
70A: Swan genus: OLOR. No idea. Latin for swan. Too exotic a name for me to remember.
72A: French some: DES. And FRANC (21D: Old French bread?), which is also the currency for Switzerland.
Down:
2D: Chilean-born pianist Arrau: CLAUDIO. Got his name from across fills. Here is a clip. I wonder why the clue is "Chilean-born" rather than "Chilean". He must have changed his nationality later on then.
4D: Tropical root: TARO. I miss those Cantonese fried TARO cakes.
7D: Made sense: ADDED UP
26D: Med. procedure: MRI. How does MRI differ from X-ray?
27D: Gone by: AGO. "A long long time AGO... the day the music died...". It's been 50 years.
43D: NASA partner: ESA. Very tiresome clue. ESA is "That" in Spanish, right?
48D: Acquire by trickery: FINAGLE. Made me think of Merrill Lynch's John Thain and his outrageous way of using government bailout money to pay his employees bonus. I am glad he is gone.
49D: Greek letter: UPSILON. EPSILON and OMICRON also have 7 letters.
50D: Some thrown horseshoes: LEANERS. Struggled with this one. Last time I was also stumped when LEANER is clued as "Almost a ringer". It's "a thrown horseshoe that leans against the stake."
63D: Sellout theaters: SRO. No abbreviation hint in the clue. I would prefer "Sellout letters".
64D: Sebaceous cyst: WEN. This clue is getting stale too. Not sure if everyone knows, but the current Chinese Premier is named WEN Jiabao.
C.C.
81 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - needed perp help to complete this one, as I had a few unknowns. Had no idea who Claudio Arrau was, never heard anyone scream blue murder and also never heard of Blue Mountain. Outside of those, pretty straightforward puzzle. Oh, and a deed is not necessarily a heroic exploit.
Why the hell isn't our editor giving us one of the unused Silk puzzles he has??
As I'm sure everyone knows, today is National Groundhog Day - I'm pulling for no shadow.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more things you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about -- the more you have left when anything happens." -- Ethel Barrymore
Also, C.C., at greyhound races, a mechanical rabbit is used as a chase animal for the dogs.
Dennis,
I don't know what Williams is smoking. As for the quote, do you like wider? I prefer deeper.
Barry G,
Happy Birthday to your son. Does he have a Chinese name also?
Dick,
I've never connected the dot between Nickelodeon and odeon before. Thanks.
Lemonade,
That ERS clue sounds awfully obscure.
Dr. Dad,
Thanks for "RIG UP", LIGN & ALUNDUM. Do leave a note when you swing by. You are sorely missed.
Jimbo,
I was surprised the Bible did not mention Laban's wife.
Linda,
What does "bah-dump-bump" mean?
Clear Ayes,
Thanks for Rose Salt. Have never seen salt in any other color before.
C.C., wider vs. deeper?? Are you having a DFette moment? We don't do that here anymore.
Off to the gym - I need to work off about 12 sliders from yesterday's game meal.
Annshaw,
Thanks for sharing your Lefty Warrenspahn story. Very funny.
Col G,
Re: SIVA/SHIVA. I had no idea that it could also be spelled as SHIV, which is often clued as "Gangster's weapon"
PromiseMe,
Thanks for Hammersmith Apollo/Odeon. Why would your mayor call you?
Dennis,
I was thinking of ... knowledge.
Good Morning CC and gang(actually evening for me being 12 hrs ahead)
Didnt need much help except for SWALES had never heard of it moreover SRO is a new abbreviation to me, what is its expansion? UPSILON was so close to EPSILON that it foxed me for a while till I nailed it. Not heard of LEANERS got it from the across clues
Okay, googled SRO to get Standing Room Only. Term not used here in India as we have standing Room Everywhere all the time especially on our buses and trains, thank god not on aircraft!!!
Good morning CC et al., Good puzzle for a Mon...sets the mood for the day. Same unknowns as Dennis. Who screams 'blue murder'? Bloody murder, yeah, but blue? CC, thank you for the city area link. Had no idea OKC was that big nor Chesapeake Va or even Suffolk. Rich lives over there. No wonder we don't see him often. He's always driving.
Dennis, I'm surprised you're brave enough to even leave the house to go anywhere after 12 sliders. Hello! They're called that for a reason. This puzzle is dedicated to you then! Just look at this: eats,agitate, "Ida urge", onsets, out of the blue, scat, toot, set, SITka, woeful, and finally abate and red hot bases b/c you 'rhoda blue mount(ain)' all day. Maybe you'll be on 'broth' today. If not, you are one man with some kind of intestinal fortitude - a constitution made of iron (would say 'steel', but we won't go there today). Enjoy your 'Mon'.
Morning, all!
Today's puzzle was mostly as walk in the park, but I stumbled a few times and ended up with an incorrect guess.
I did not know SITKA or KIND OF BLUE, so I had to guess the intersecting "K". I suppose it could have been SITMA and MIND OF BLUE, but that just didn't seem right.
I've never heard of BLUE MOUNTAIN, but it was also easy to guess (we have the Blue Hills here in Massachusetts).
DES was another complete unknown which I was able to get via the perps.
What killed me in the end, however, was the crossing of OLOR and LEANERS. OLOR was a complete whack job of a word (it means "odor" in Spanish, which didn't help any) and, although I understood what the clue for 50D was looking for, at least in concept, all I could think of was LEANEES. Yeah, I know that doesn't look right, but I really wanted LEANIES and it didn't fit due to OGLE. And so I put in LEANEES and came here prepared to gripe about what a miserable way that was to spell the word. Except, of course, it was LEANERS.
I suppose people would have complained had OLOR been clued with reference to the Spanish word (the same way I complain about French words like DES), but I still think that would've been better than cluing it with reference to swans.
Ah well...
Barry G,
Happy Birthday to your son. Does he have a Chinese name also?
We gave him a Chinese middle name -- Jinlong ("Golden Dragon"). If he ever decides to open a Chinese restaurant, he'll have the perfect name to use... ^_^
I believe the expression screaming blue murder was a euphimism for screaming bloody murder, much the way GOSH and GOLLY were created to keep people from blaspheming.
Many of the NY Times regular words are very obscure terms, which gives those who do the puzzles daily an advantage, just as we see our GANNET GOOSE.
This was an easy puzzle.... but like most I never heard of "BLUE MURDER"... Bloody yes... Blue no..
@BARRY... Sitka is in Alaska...It is on the stops for the cruise lines. Nothing there really except a tiny Russian Orthodox Church. It used to be Russian town at one time...Hey maybe Sarah Palin can see it from her house ;-)
An X-ray uses radiation to take the picture; an MRI uses magnetic waves. Only reason I know the difference is that I've had about a zillion of them over the past four years for my back troubles.
Also (just a side note) an x-ray will NOT show herniated discs, but an MRI will. Learned that the hard way! Was in pain for years and kept getting xrays done which showed nothing until they finally wised up and sent me for MRI's and "voila!" they found FOUR herniated discs in my spine! Ouch!
@BARRY... Sitka is in Alaska...
Yeah, so I gathered from the other comments. It didn't help that I'd also never heard of Baranof Island.
Geography was never my forte. Nor French, for that matter...
Good morning CC and all. A little late this morning as there was some celebrating that needed to be done late last night. Way to go Steelers!!
The puzzle today was easy and I am thankful for that as my head is not to clear this AM. 70A was a complete unknown for me but was obtained by the fills. I also had epsilon which hid the solution for 47A for awhile. Other than the above I have no other comments.
CC I also wondered what you were referring to with your "deeper" comment. My reaction was the same as Dennis.
SuperMonday Greetings--I, too, appreciated an easier puzzle this morning. While I'm not familiar with Jamaican mountain ranges, I thought of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee and got that one fairly easily. (This particular coffee is a bit pricey but I splurge for special occasions. )
The groundhog would have seen his shadow in my locale this morning...bummer.
I missed WEN and SWALES today. Otherwise smooth sailing with perp help here and there.
Dennis, I think the groundhog got a shadow here. Beautiful sunny day outside.
I have heard of blue murder, but don't know where.
West of Sydney is a mountain range called the Blue Mountains because of the eucalyptus haze that makes them look blue. I wonder if there's something like that in Jamaica too?
Barry G,
Travel is the cure for lack of geography knowledge, and a lot of other things too. I highly recommend it!
Promisemethis,
I forgot. No, the OED I have is the fourth edition of the concise one--quite small really, but it's had a lot of use.
Kazie, you're right - damn rodent saw his shadow.
Good morning C.C. and all,
It was great finishing a puzzle with only one stop at "G" to find Claudio.Swales and wen are new to me, so I had to fill in the one lonely square with that w when I got here. Finagle and leaners were the 2 that stumped me for awhile, and I had added on instead of added up for a bit.For once I got the theme. It helps!
C.C., taro chips are as delicious as sweet potato chips, and are made byt he same company. I sometimes find them at Trader Joe's.
I'm happy that Phil saw his shadow. California really needs rain, and lots of it. Send all of your snow, sleet ,hail, etc our way.Tulips, lilies and daffodils are already blooming, and all will turn to brown in no time.
14:35 for me today!
CC, Here is some info about the NSA and the mission they are tasked with doing.
http://www.nsa.gov/about/mission/index.shtml
Emma Samms
This is how I remember her!
http://www.leninimports.com/emma_samms_gallery_6.jpg
She was a soap opera star on General Hospital, she was also on Dynasty and the spinoff called The Colbys. She is British!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Samms
In India too we have a range of hills known as the Nilgiris literal translation of which is Blue Mountains, within which is located one of the popular hill resorts of South India namely Ooty short for Ootacamund and now called Udhagamandalam by die hards of Tamil language http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nilgiri_Hills_Tamil_Nadu.jpg
So this begs the question..
In reference to Idaho Sen. Larry Craig.
Is his seat now up for grabs? (bah-dump-bump-CHING!)
In a night club when a comedian tells a corny joke the drummer will drum bah dump bump and hit the cymbal ching!
I had blue streak for 10D for a long time, which held me up for the whole mid east section. And also epsilon; I wasn't sure upsilon was legal until I got up from my easy chair and checked my list of Greek letters. Then things cleared up. Also, I kept assuming something would be WHITE.
Welcome to all our newcomers.
Plus it looks like the groundhog won't see his shadow here in Naples.
Hi CC,
I think the author cheated a bit on Blue Mountain -- there's a range of Blue Mountains in Jamaica (from which the coffee comes, also used in making Tia Maria coffee liqueur) but I've never heard of a single peak (but adding an "s" wouldn't have fit). I assume they're named for the color they appear when misty, like the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Southeast US.
Col_Gopinath,
I have a question for you. Maybe you're familiar with Sri Lankan culture, but if not, at least you might have more knowledge than I do. I'm trying to write about my English grandmother's youth with missionary parents there. They had local people employed in the household as cooks, etc. and I need some suitable names for these people in my creative fictional writing. I don't want to guess and insult anyone with the names I choose. Do you know of any suitable surnames that could be used that would be of that servant class around the 1890's? She always referred to them politely as Mr. ..., but since I got the stories second hand, I have no memory of the names. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Kazie,
My knowledge of Sri Lankan culture is ZERO, however you are in luck as my mother-in-law was born and brought up in Sri Lanka and still has relatives and friends there. Shall get some names from her and send them across. Give me a couple of days to jog her memory
Col_Gopinath,
Thanks a bunch! I've been delaying progress on this endeavour for about a year now, and this will help tremendously!
Good Morning All, Not much of a problem today. NW CLAUDIO and SE OLOR were unknowns, but "perpable". All the ladies' names were filled in quickly.
BLUE MURDER was a new one to me. I have heard "What the BLUE BLAZES is that?", when a person is totally startled or amazed. It probably started our as, "What the H*** is that?", but as lemonade714 mentioned those euphemisms were a substitution for swearing.
BLUE MOUNTAIN was pretty easy because, like True Blue Sheila, I had Blue Mountain Coffee. It is rather expensive, about $10 a pound, but still cheaper than a daily Starbucks fix.
BLUE MOUNTAIN Peak, part of the Blue Mountain range, is the highest mountain in Jamaica at 7,402 feet.
It is wonderful to have Col_Gopinath here to fill us in on little known Indian facts, figures and lore. Keep it up Col.
I'd watch a lot more football if all games were as exciting as yesterday's Superbowl. I lost a whole dollar to G.A.H., but up until that last couple of minutes, he was was sweating a little.....
...and The Boss was terrific at halftime!
An easy puzzle today. My only hiccup was the cross of SWALES and WEN, but I went through the alphabet, I was able to recall SWALES. My only unknows was OLOR (7aA-Swan genus).
BLUE MOUNTAIN could have also been clued as Australian Range for Kazie.
@cc: Interesting that JFK had a relationship with Arlene Dahl. I thought this was more his speed!
Living on the West coast is a time disadvantage and by the time I finish the puzzle, everyone has pretty much answered everything.
I actually got the BLUE MURDER right off, which set the tone nicely for everything else. The W in SWALES, crossed with WEN gave me issues, but otherwise, pretty easy today.
I'm with JD on the winter thing. I know everyone else has had enough, but if some of that mess would slip West(reverse Jet Stream or something), we seriously need some rain...we keep having 70 degree weather and clear skies and it is getting a bit unnerving, knowing what is in store for the summer.
CC: "bah DUMP bump" is an onomatopoetic word for the sound of a "rim shot"...a drum beat done after a joke punch-line is delivered. It dates from stand-up comics and Vaudeville.
"Blue Mountain" could also have been clued as "Early E-card site".
But then the clue would probably have in a NYT puzzle!
Col Gopinath; What does a Native East Indian think about the works of Rudyard Kipling?
OOPS ,meant to add...Dennis...I really liked your quote for the day, I have tried to live my life like that and the older I get, the more I know that I don't know...
CC:
A terrible thought has occurred to me. You aren`t trying to "groom" your replacement, are you? (asking for someone to blog a Silk puzzle)
Good Afternoon C.C. and Gang,
C.C., Despite living in the midst of metropolitan SoFL, technically I live in a small town. It has a population of about 13,000. So it is not really surprising that I have made the acquaintance of every mayor we have had for the past 13 years that I have lived here. In fact, a few years AGO ( I don't recall exactly WEN), I even shared a house in the South of France with the guy who is currently the mayor (I do not recall whether I spent Euros or FRANCs, while there). The former mayor, whose call I was waiting for, is now running for City Council. Apparently, he has some concerns about the direction the city is going. I asked him to give me a call so that I could hear what he had to say.
12:19 for me on todays XW. I had never heard of CLAUDIO Arrau, but I guessed it correctly. I was pleased with how easily FINAGLE came to me. I might not have recalled TOEING and did not know OLOR.
I had heard of Blue Murder. I still have a CD from the 80's of a British rock band by that name.
I am surprised several people did not know Blue Mountain. Blue Mountain Coffee is one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world. I hear they grow excellent ganja there, too. Perhaps Michael Phelps knows where to get some.
Here is 'Bubba L'Iguana' one of the locals.
why is tetra an aquarium rsident!!?
Ferd77
Ferd77, a tetra is a freshwater fish, frequently found in aquariums.
Dennis, I loved Ethel B.'s words of wisdom.Here's a follow up:
Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know."
Daniel Boorstin
"In reference to Idaho Sen. Larry Craig. Is his seat now up for grabs?" Scary thought, VERY SCARY 8[
Funny joke, though :)
Another scary thought:"CC: A terrible thought has occurred to me. You aren't trying to "groom" your replacement, are you? (asking for someone to blog a Silk puzzle)"
Kevin, sorry to hear about your back pain. Do you still have it?
I have always liked Rudyard Kipling.
I liked your quote also, Dennis. I feel much the same as wolfmom about it.
Hello C.C.,
"35D: Pitcher Warren: SPAHN. Ah,"Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain", Hall of Famer. The winningest southpaw in Major-League history."
Cleveland's saying was "If a Feller has a Lemon He-gan Wynn."
Where do you find the Sunday puzzle? My newspaper had a tribune media services puzzle by Dan Naddor. I have tried the tribune media web site and they don't have a puzzle on Sunday. Help please. Thanks.
Anon @11:48, the Sunday one isn't available online.
Wolfmom, glad you liked the quote. I'm the same way as you, I've got so many things I'm passionate about, and too little time to do them all. And as with you and others, each day I reinforce the fact that I know so little.
It's the same with everything--the more you know, the less of a "know-it-all" you are as you mature. it takes knowledge to realize what there still is to learn.
BTW, Switzerland still uses its franc. It was always more valuable than the French franc and today is worth US$0.86. They are so fiercely independent and neutral, I doubt they'll ever switch to Euros (€1.00=US$1.27).
Kazie: Which do think is better, to know all there is to know about one thing, or, to know a little about everything? If it`s an oncologist, I prefer the former...but if it`s a blog buddy, the latter! You seem knowledgeable about so many things. I enjoy your posts and often learn from them.
Wolfmom, I was happy to see your "Cream Puffs" painting. As James Dean said, "looks pert nar good enough to eat." I really like paintings with bright splashes of red.
Knowing that we don't know much has been a problem for a long time. Sir John Davies published this poem in 1599. Apparently, it worried him a lot.
Of Human Knowledge
I know my body's of so frail a kind,
As force without, fevers within can kill;
I know the heavenly nature of my mind,
But 'tis corrupted both in wit and will.
I know my Soul hath power to know all things,
Yet is she blind and ignorant in all;
I know I am one of Nature's little kings,
Yet to the least and vilest things am thrall.
I know my life's a pain and but a span,
I know my Sense is mock'd with every thing:
And to conclude, I know myself a MAN,
Which is a proud, and yet a wretched thing.
- Sir John Davies
Clear Ayes,
The Davies poem is so true, isn't it? One of those universal truths.
Linda,
Thanks so much for your comment. I have learned a lot from having a varied background, I think. Exposure to different cultures and natural curiosity combined. Like I implied to Barry G. this morning, travel is the greatest educator I know.
I get a daily email with worldwide currency exchange rates from Currency updates if anyone else is interested in subscribing--it's free. That's where the info on the Euro and Swiss franc came from.
thank you dennis.I got a degree in zoology too....should have known it.Is there a Quatra too??
Ferd 77
ClearAyes...great poem! Thanks. I will try to change things every so often. I got to "see" my new website yesterday and am hoping to have it uplaoded this week sometime.
It's great to be able to learn so much from everyone who participates on this blog...a real clearing house for information. Nowadays its just trying to remember it all!
Cheers to all you brilliant people!
OOPS...UPLOADED...Remember to re-read before posting!
Today was easy although wen and swales were new for me.
Sitka was also the first (Russian) capital of Alaska. It looks like an interesting city. I plan to visit there later in the year.
Although I've heard the term blue murder used before, I am not sure of the exact meaning. Evidently it can describe an unwarranted fuss or loud cry. It can also mean to run flat out or at top speed. The word blue is somtimes used as an adjetive to strenthen other words. I am more familiar with the term bloody murder. Maybe, like blue moon, blue murder is a supposed to be a rare occurance.
Seattle Sam
8:26 today. Two Tom Pruce puzzles in a row (Saturday and Monday--I don't get the Sunday TMS puzzle here.) I didn't know OLOR.
I've done a bunch of carpentry and it's always called TOENAILING in my experience, never TOEING. That didn't hold me up, however, as I knew what the constructor was going for. Maybe there's a ballet term that would be more accurate? (I know it's called "en pointe" and not "toeing" in ballet, but I'm pretty clueless when it comes to dance. En Pointe)
A wonderful Super Bowl game yesterday, made even more wonderful by the fact that the Cardinals covered the +7 spread so I won my bet!
Greyhound dogs are raced in this country, and to motivate them to ridiculous speeds, they put a dummy (fake)rabbitt on top of a rail and run it just faster than the dogs....crazy I know..
Thomas
Punxatawny Phil did see his shadow today so it is 6 more weeks of winter. Do you think he would always see his shadow regardless?
To: CC,
I think it's time you refresh your pic. The baseball player is tiresome.
i AGREE
He is expressionless too!
Not as tiresome as no picture.
Dennis,
Well said!
Hi C.C. and gang,
Not much time tonight to comment...pool league. Some of the same comments for me also. I keep putting SKAT instead of SCAT. Do not consider an MRI a med. procedure. Surgery to me is a procedure, MRI is like an X-ray; a tool to determine if a procedure is needed or not.
The dictionary that I use is a Franklin SCD-1870. It is loaded with Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionay. It has a theasurus and tables and does pronunciation. I will accept cards in the back maybe for expanding its capablities.
In the NE corner of Oregon we have the Blue Mountains.
@Dennis 4:42...Bah-dump-bump...'nuff said
Dennis@4:42 and wolfmom@5:28:
...and no name...
BTW, Doesn`t a-n-o-n-y-m-o-u-s
spell "gauche?"
Bah DUMP bump.
Good evening C.C. Boy, is it strange writing that. Remember when I was here early in the morning.
Dennis - I'm sorry to say that Punxatawny Phil (or however you spell it) saw his shadow. Word has it that he has, since 1887, seen his shadow 97 times, not seen it 15 times, and some of those are unrecorded and only speculation. Don't know how true it is but - how can he not see his shadow in this day and age? With all the spotlights and cameras, he has no choice but to see it.
I think we are getting into some new constructors - or is it just me?
I have never heard of "screaming blue murder." Heard of "screaming bloody murder." Where does this saying come from?
That picture of Michael Phelps clearly shows him smoking out of a bong or waterpipe. What a way to tarnish your reputation.
Rhoda brings back memories of Nancy Walker, who became an icon for the Bounty paper towel slogan "The quicker picker upper." In fact (or so I believe), the diner she did the commercial in was relocated and is called "Rosie's" (taken from one of the segments on the Food Network).
Edvard Munch's scream was one of the paintings stolen out of that museum that was in the news awhile back.
C.C. - X-rays use just that, X-Ray radiation that can pass through many objects (but not bone) to visualize things inside the body. X-Rays are harmful. On the other hand, chemistry and physicists used NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) to help determine structures of molecules. The process involves the use of magnets and radio waves (both of which are harmless) to excite the nuclei of atoms. A signal can be obtained based on the excitement of the nuclei. Later, some chemists, physicists, and medical people determined how to make it work to image inside the human body. A computer maps out the excitement of the nuclei into images. Unfortunately, because people would associate the term "nuclear" with some kind of dangerous radiation, they changed the medical technique to MRI, which stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It is exactly the same process that we, as chemists, used for years as NMR before it found a medical use. In fact, when I was in graduate school, I attended a seminar by one of the pioneers of the development of it for medicine. Quite an interesting talk. MRI can show tissues and abnormalities more readily than X-rays because the X-Rays pass through many tissues without showing anything. MRI does not. As an aside, since I am speaking about chemistry, I belonged to the chemistry national society known as Phi Lambda Upsilon (one of the answers today).
I've taken up a lot of space but since I haven't been here in awhile, I hope C.C. will forgive me. Thanks for missing me. I miss you.
Dr. Dad
C.C. I don't see any answer from Jimbo re. Laban's wife so I will answer the question. Giving the name of a wife or mother was more the exception to the rule rather than the normal practice in the Old Testament. In Genesis 24:24Rebekah said, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. Nowhere is Bethuel's wife named nor Laban's wife. But in Gen. 11:29 it names the wives of Abraham and Nahor and tells that Milcah was Nahor's niece.
Also, in regard to the Groundhog forecaster. Sun Prairie, WI is the official Groundhog Capital of the World & their Groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter. People gather in the dark and at the official time for the sunrise, Jimmy is dragged out of his cage. If the sun is bright enough to cast a shadow, we're stuck with winter!
Dot
@drdad Nice erudite post. Always good to hear from you.
@dot I think the folks in PA would argue the "official" designation. I can't say I've ever heard of Sun Prairie WI, let alone in conjunction with with Groundhog's Day.
Jimmy the Groundhog??? Nah...really? That's a first, but then, I live on the left coast so what do I know...Really Dot, that's new news ;-)
Re "blue Murder" This term was quite familiar to me so may have origins in Ireland or the U.K.
Someone creating a fuss would be said to "create blue murder"
Some other Irish origin wordsphrases are "by hook or by crook" "boycott" from an infamous Capt Boycott and "donnybrook" which is suburb of Dublin.
To Luxor and Anonymous if you cant say something nice, keep quiet.
Jimmy S. Carolina
#jimmy s carolina
" Do not feed or tease the trolls.
No matter how many articles like this get written, there will always be people who surf around the Internet and inject pointless vindictiveness into any available text area. Don't let the terrorists win. Do NOT acknowledge these people with refutations, disagreements or even a mention of their screen name."
for Crockett@8:47...a bah-dump-bump as I now know from personal experience...total agreement
Crockett 1947 & Wolfmom.
Point taken and understood.
Jimmy S. Carolina
Dot,
I'll back you up--Jimmy the Groundhog is famous in Wisconsin, even if not in other places.
Thomas @4:20, Dot @7:30 and Jimmy S Carolina @9:15,
If you like, someone (I forgot how or I would) can tell ya`ll how to have your names appear at the beginning of your posts instead of the "a" word...just ask...we`re an accommodating bunch!
To Wolfmom and Crockett 1947
You may never have heard of Sun Prairie but the citizens of Punxsutawney have. It's been an ongoing rivalry for years. Phil is better known because, although no one can remember how to spell or pronounce his hometown, it does leave an impression!
My claim to Sun Prairie being the groundhog capital
is based on the fact that the US Congressional Record has said so since 1955 - and that has to make it true! Right?
If you haven't heard of Sun Prairie or Jimmy the Groundhog maybe you have heard of SP's other famous citizen. It is the birthplace of Georgia O'Keefe.
And if you ever want to come to a Groundhog Festival, you will find Sun Prairie just north of Madison, the capital city.
By the way, I'm not from Sun Prairie. My village, Cottage Grove, had a pot bellied pig as a forecaster. Unfortunately, this Wisconsin winter was too much for him and he died last month. So instead of a celebration, Cottage Grove had a memorial service for him this weekend. In Wisconsin, we use anything for an excuse for a meal. Dot
Dot@10:38...See...this is why this is such an amazing blogspot. I have actually been to Madison, WI in the mid-sixties. We stayed with some friends of my parents when we took a road trip across the US to see the NY World's Fair(Yes, I am that old).
This is a whole new wrinkle on the Groundhog thing. Also, as much as I love Georgia O'Keefe, I had no idea where she was born. Because of people like you I am constantly learning new things...love this place.
You should set up an ID with a photo and join us regularly...great info!!
"My village, Cottage Grove, had a pot bellied pig as a forecaster. Unfortunately, this Wisconsin winter was too much for him and he died last month. So instead of a celebration, Cottage Grove had a memorial service for him this weekend. In Wisconsin, we use anything for an excuse for a meal."
Don't tell me the pig was the meal?
My in-laws just left to go back home to Madison. They are Jewish, so I am sure they would be a little extra appalled ;)
i can't get 39 d., 46 d. or 53d.
Mark,
39D: ABATE
46D: STEMMED
53D: STOOGE
thanks
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