Theme: Watered Down
17A: Tabloid talk show host: RICKI LAKE
66A: "Young Frankenstein" director: MEL BROOKS
11D: "Enter Talking" writer: JOAN RIVERS
30D: "Caribbean Queen" singer: BILLY OCEAN
Those people are ALL WET!
I am not familiar with RICKI LAKE. JOAN RIVERS is too much for me, so acerbic her tongue. Her daughter Melissa is equally intimidating. BILLY OCEAN revealed himself after I filled in all the crosses.
I suppose there is no famous people with surnames like LAKES or OCEANS, the plural form? I really liked the theme though.
To those whose paper has stopped carrying TMS Daily puzzle. You can go to Chicago Tribune's website. Click on the date, then pick Regular Skill Level or Master Skill Level. You can always print out the puzzles if you prefer to solve it in paper. Click on Print, then Blank Puzzle.
To those LA Times solvers, you can get all the answers in their website. And if you have questions regarding certain clues, please feel free to ask in the Comments section. Argyle will guest-blog one LA Times puzzle this Sunday.
I also published a "How to Create a Link at Comments section" earlier this morning. It's not difficult at all. You just need some practices.
Across:
9A: Hindu ruler: RAJAH. Or Raja.
15A: Regan's father: LEAR. Also Cordelia/Goneril's father. Don't google, tell me who is Hero's love?
23A: Chants: LITANIES. Reminds me of McCain's "Drill, Baby, Drill" chant. It's coined by Michael Steele, not Sarah Palin, who can see Russia from her house.
32A: Provencal verse: SESTINA. My guess is SESTINE, which is actually correct also. So is SEXTINA. It's a six-stanza verse. A poetic form used by Dante, Kipling, Ezra Pound, etc.
39A: Show-biz notable: CELEB. Hope to see CELEB with PAPARAZZI in a grid someday.
43A: Quantity of yarn: SKEIN. Last time it's clued as "V-formation flock" and stumped lots of solvers. A SKEIN of geese.
49A: Thwarts: STYMIES. I like "Thwarts", with three consonants together.
51A: Mushroom morsel: CAP. Hmmm, mushroom, MOREL. How long is that? CAP can also be clued as "Climax", yes?
55A: Achieve success: GET AHEAD
58A: Ridiculous pretense: CHARADE
64A: Trample: TREAD. Dislike the TR repetition. With today's "Wet" theme, "TREAD water" is better.
71A: Sound qualities: TONES. Musical term? I was thinking of SONES, the "Loudness unit".
73A: Cut: SAWN. Always thought the past particle of SAW is SAWED.
Down:
1D: Razor choice: ATRA. Gillette is part of P & G, so is Duracell & Oral-B.
7D: Like some buckets: OAKEN. I learned this morning that most of the old ship were made of oak wood due to its hardness, strength and resistance to insect and fungal attack. Had no idea that oak trees do not produce acorns until they are 50 years old.
8D: Concise summary: PRECIS. Without the intersecting P, I might have filled in APERCU. It has 6 letters also.
13D: First part of a bray: HEE. HEE-Haw.
18D: Egyptian goddess: ISIS. The Egyptian goddess of fertility. The wife/sister of Osiris. JD, there is letter "I" in modern interpretation of Egyptian glyphs after all. (Note: Here is a great link JD provided.)
26D: "Strange Interlude" playwright: O'NEILL. Easy guess. I've never heard of "Strange Interlude".
27D: Purple dinosaur: BARNEY. Not familiar with this character either. Why "Purple"? It looks pink to me. Vikings' uniforms are "Purple" color. Brett Favre in Vikings uniform? Liar!
28D: Bigot: RACIST. I watched Ed Norton's "American History X" the other day, kind of shocked by what I saw.
33D: Seize: TAKE. Thought of RAID first. Police do "Seize" stuff when they conduct a RAID, right?
40D: Military units: BRIGADES. I suppose their head is called brigadier.
50D: Flower part: STAMEN. Flowers' male organ. So tiny. It bears sufficient pollens I suppose. The white stuff on top is the anther. No wonder the word has MEN in its tail.
52D: Carson's predecessor: PAAR. Double A. The double R wife of Henry VIII is PARR (Catherine).
57D: Trivial stuff: DROSS. I don't understand this clue. "Worthless stuff", yes. "Trivial stuff" means "small matter", no?
62D: Place at an angle: SKEW. Here is a word where you can't simply add an ER without changing its original meaning. Skewer. I like shrimp pineapple shish-kebab, don't you?
65D: Greek letter: RHO. The 17th Greek letter. Consonant.
C.C.
17A: Tabloid talk show host: RICKI LAKE
66A: "Young Frankenstein" director: MEL BROOKS
11D: "Enter Talking" writer: JOAN RIVERS
30D: "Caribbean Queen" singer: BILLY OCEAN
Those people are ALL WET!
I am not familiar with RICKI LAKE. JOAN RIVERS is too much for me, so acerbic her tongue. Her daughter Melissa is equally intimidating. BILLY OCEAN revealed himself after I filled in all the crosses.
I suppose there is no famous people with surnames like LAKES or OCEANS, the plural form? I really liked the theme though.
To those whose paper has stopped carrying TMS Daily puzzle. You can go to Chicago Tribune's website. Click on the date, then pick Regular Skill Level or Master Skill Level. You can always print out the puzzles if you prefer to solve it in paper. Click on Print, then Blank Puzzle.
To those LA Times solvers, you can get all the answers in their website. And if you have questions regarding certain clues, please feel free to ask in the Comments section. Argyle will guest-blog one LA Times puzzle this Sunday.
I also published a "How to Create a Link at Comments section" earlier this morning. It's not difficult at all. You just need some practices.
Across:
9A: Hindu ruler: RAJAH. Or Raja.
15A: Regan's father: LEAR. Also Cordelia/Goneril's father. Don't google, tell me who is Hero's love?
23A: Chants: LITANIES. Reminds me of McCain's "Drill, Baby, Drill" chant. It's coined by Michael Steele, not Sarah Palin, who can see Russia from her house.
32A: Provencal verse: SESTINA. My guess is SESTINE, which is actually correct also. So is SEXTINA. It's a six-stanza verse. A poetic form used by Dante, Kipling, Ezra Pound, etc.
39A: Show-biz notable: CELEB. Hope to see CELEB with PAPARAZZI in a grid someday.
43A: Quantity of yarn: SKEIN. Last time it's clued as "V-formation flock" and stumped lots of solvers. A SKEIN of geese.
49A: Thwarts: STYMIES. I like "Thwarts", with three consonants together.
51A: Mushroom morsel: CAP. Hmmm, mushroom, MOREL. How long is that? CAP can also be clued as "Climax", yes?
55A: Achieve success: GET AHEAD
58A: Ridiculous pretense: CHARADE
64A: Trample: TREAD. Dislike the TR repetition. With today's "Wet" theme, "TREAD water" is better.
71A: Sound qualities: TONES. Musical term? I was thinking of SONES, the "Loudness unit".
73A: Cut: SAWN. Always thought the past particle of SAW is SAWED.
Down:
1D: Razor choice: ATRA. Gillette is part of P & G, so is Duracell & Oral-B.
7D: Like some buckets: OAKEN. I learned this morning that most of the old ship were made of oak wood due to its hardness, strength and resistance to insect and fungal attack. Had no idea that oak trees do not produce acorns until they are 50 years old.
8D: Concise summary: PRECIS. Without the intersecting P, I might have filled in APERCU. It has 6 letters also.
13D: First part of a bray: HEE. HEE-Haw.
18D: Egyptian goddess: ISIS. The Egyptian goddess of fertility. The wife/sister of Osiris. JD, there is letter "I" in modern interpretation of Egyptian glyphs after all. (Note: Here is a great link JD provided.)
26D: "Strange Interlude" playwright: O'NEILL. Easy guess. I've never heard of "Strange Interlude".
27D: Purple dinosaur: BARNEY. Not familiar with this character either. Why "Purple"? It looks pink to me. Vikings' uniforms are "Purple" color. Brett Favre in Vikings uniform? Liar!
28D: Bigot: RACIST. I watched Ed Norton's "American History X" the other day, kind of shocked by what I saw.
33D: Seize: TAKE. Thought of RAID first. Police do "Seize" stuff when they conduct a RAID, right?
40D: Military units: BRIGADES. I suppose their head is called brigadier.
50D: Flower part: STAMEN. Flowers' male organ. So tiny. It bears sufficient pollens I suppose. The white stuff on top is the anther. No wonder the word has MEN in its tail.
52D: Carson's predecessor: PAAR. Double A. The double R wife of Henry VIII is PARR (Catherine).
57D: Trivial stuff: DROSS. I don't understand this clue. "Worthless stuff", yes. "Trivial stuff" means "small matter", no?
62D: Place at an angle: SKEW. Here is a word where you can't simply add an ER without changing its original meaning. Skewer. I like shrimp pineapple shish-kebab, don't you?
65D: Greek letter: RHO. The 17th Greek letter. Consonant.
C.C.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - a clever theme today, but also a compilation of the same old tired 'crossword words'. Unknown for me was 'sestina'. Ted Mack was host of "Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour" from the late 40's through the 60's; kind of a predecessor of "American Idol". And 'need' is still not synonymous with 'be without' -- I'm without a yak, but I don't need one.
ReplyDeleteToday is Middle Name Pride Day - best of luck with that one.
Today's Words of Wisdom (topical): "I like living. i have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all, I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." -- Agatha Christie
And continuing the Mensa Invitational:
Decafalon - the grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
Glibido - all talk and no action.
Dopeler Effect - the tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
C.C., care to explain where you were going with your write-up/picture of 51A? No, you're not a DFette. Not at all.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I initially misread 36A as 'beaver product'; I had 'joy' in there for a while, but it didn't work.
Good morning CC and all,..another relatively easy puzzle today. Again any of the unknowns were obtainable by the perps. I did not like need for "Be without", but it was an obvious fill.
ReplyDeleteDennis great comment on beaver product. LOL
Off to the gym. Will be checking in later.
Dennis I also saw some DFness to the 50D summary. I believe CC has crossed the line.
ReplyDeleteDennis,
ReplyDeleteWell, I just want to know how long is that MOREL. I've never seen one in person. Have you? If so, what's the average length? Does "Climax" sound a good clue for CAP? A somewhat poignant quote form Agatha Christie. She lived her life in Iraq "wildly" and "despairingly". Her husband has a wandering eyes. Glibido is my favorite word so far.
Dick,
Now you tell me why there is MEN at the tip end of STAMEN.
Linda,
ReplyDeleteRe: Mensa. No credible source. Rumor has it. Just "really, really stupid" in Spanish.
Mark in Buenos Aires,
Solve TMS on-line puzzle then. I have to hear from you from time to time.
Valerie,
Boy or girl?
Toby & Bill,
I wish I were as strong as you are in coping with loss.
Lois,
ReplyDeleteBach? Baroque? Chopin at all?
Windhover the Agnastic,
Re: Current & Recent Adam. To quote what Linda said yesterday about Adam/Eve, "WOW"! What an audacious MOREL guy you are!
Richshif,
Re: ADD. Ha, you are trapped. It has nothing to do with DST. Think of verb "sum". Summers = person who sum. Makes sense now?
Chris in LA,
Re: USA. Yes, technically it's correct. Still, so many other colorful ways to clue it.
Morning All,
ReplyDeleteGot everything but 26D. I've never heard of a sestina and spelled skein wrong.
Beautiful moon set this morning on the way in. Full moon must be affecting my staff. Many issues to deal with this AM.
Dennis, thanks for the Mensa. I agree with CC that Gibido ranks up there but intaxication was a good one also.
Have a good one!!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteA nice, easy, straightforward puzzle for me today. My only unknowns were SESTINA and SEAVER, which slowed me down a bit in that section until I got the perps. The only mild WTF moment today was SAWN -- my dictionary confirms that it's a word, but I've only ever seen/heard/used SAWED before.
Aaaaand... that's it! Easy puzzles make for boring write-ups from me, I guess... ^_^
wow.another easy morning for me. I cherish these moments because they do not come very often. So far sestina was a new word and so was PRECIS.
ReplyDeleteI was my mothers third pride and first Joy. Hence my middle name. Joy
Okay Im a bit confused. What is the difference between PRECIS and PRECISE ..besides the E.
ReplyDeleteOne's a noun, the other's an adjective:
ReplyDeletepré·cis \pra-'se, 'pra-(,)se\ n, pl pré·cis \-'sez, -(,)sez\ [F, fr. précis precise] (1760) : a concise summary of essential points, statements, or facts
pre·cise \pri-'sis\ adj [ME, fr. MF precis, fr. L praecisus, pp. of praecidere to cut off, fr. prae- + caedere to cut] (15c)
1 : exactly or sharply defined or stated
2 : minutely exact
3 : strictly conforming to a pattern, standard, or convention
4 : distinguished from every other [at just that ~ moment]
This is early for me to be done with the puzzle. Usually by the time I am on the computer there are 50 or 60 comments and I don't have anything new to add...
ReplyDeleteThis was an easy puzzle especially once the theme became apparent. It only took me 10 minutes and I didn't have to google anything.
Dennis thanks for the daily WOW. I enjoy quotes, sometimes they really strike a chord for me.
Kristen I think the two words are from the same root meaning "condense". Under precis the dictionary mentions precise.
Have a great day. Neen
Hello all:
ReplyDeleteA precis is a summary, which is precise. Writing a precis used to be a taught in school; it is most similar to an abstract of an article.
Tom Seaver was one of the all time greats, who made the Mets memorable instead of being a joke.
I had heard of SEXTINA, but I guess that is in keeping with the whole DF trend for the day....
BARNEY was the one TV character my sons could not tolerate, maybe it was the color, because they love dinosaurs.
While we have no babies being born, my oldest was accepted in a PhD program with a full scholarship and a teaching stipend, so I am tired from celebrating. He learned about the acceotance as he was driving home, so the timing was great.
And in other news...
ReplyDeleteI just this moment heard that my local paper, the venerable Boston Globe, may be in danger of going out of business soon. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is my daily crossword puzzle fix, this makes me very, very sad...
First: Thank you all for the condolences. Things are getting back to normal.
ReplyDeleteX word: Didn't know SESTINA and (again) spelling RICKILAKE as RICKY made 18d YSIS, which I should have caught, but I let it go and........... Well, it was wrong. And, that's all I've got to say about that!!!!
CY'All Later
BTW, because of the way the BLOG is set up, it's almost impossible to post specific instructions on "How to post a link". When CC tried to post my email instructions it came up as....Yup, ......a LINK.
ReplyDeleteIf they seem unclear to any of the newbies (or, anyone else) email me and I'll send them to you.
Bill
Almost impossible, but not completely so:
ReplyDelete<a href="linkgoeshere">description of the link goes here</a>
Good morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteBill, like you I spelled Ricki Lake with a Y and was confused on this part. Too early in the am for me to figure these things out. I often have too much to do to spend the time figuring this stuff out. My only unknowns were precis and sestina. I am confident that I will never remember these in the future either. Too old to retain these type of new words unless they appear frequently in the crosswords. I am amazed by how many useless words I have learned over the years from completing crosswords. Then again, I am also amazed how I will do a crossword one day, learn a new word or person, and the next day or so something will come up related to that new word. I think that is so interesting, and more fun for me too.
Lemonade - my younger kids liked the Barney stuff. When my son was only a year old, he would walk around the house pushing the person in front of him and humming the Sally the Camel song. He was in tune also. Took us a while to figure out what he was doing until we recognized the tune. Congrats on your sons Phd scholarship. How exciting. It is so fun to see your children succeed isn't it?
Dennis - keep the mensa words going. They are amazing. I do not have the gift of being able to come up with stuff like that. Clearly don't have a mensa brain. Thankfully, I can still do crosswords, although my husband frequently makes fun of me for my obsession. His mother loves to complete them also though, so he cannot complain as when she visits she loves to do them with me.
CC - I assume you are a Twins fan given your Avatar. Are you as devastated as I by the Joe Mauer news? Lets hope that they figure this thing out. Amazing that despite the best doctors available to a professional sports team, they have no idea what is going on yet.
My daughter had a good day on the golf course yesterday. Hopefully today will bring more of the same for her.
Have a great Tuesday everyone. Sounds like we are in for some March snowfall and cold weather. Waco is looking good this weekend.
I had trouble with 57d and 73a. Never heard of dross and did not think sewn was a word. So much for a college education. More rain in Chicago today.....going to start building an ark....
ReplyDeleteooops, I meant sawn....
ReplyDeleteC.C:
ReplyDeleteThanks, I think. Of course, all I meant was that I am only the current caretaker of this "Garden" in and on which I reside. There have been and there will be others.
And what a morel to behold. Needless to say there is nothing approaching that length around these parts.
Windhover
Billy Ocean Caribbean Queen
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkXV5O5GfJ8
Lemondade,
ReplyDeleteRe: SEXTINA. Knotty naughty!
Karen Q,
Yeah, a bit worrying. But my heart belongs to A.J. Pierzynski. Hated when Twins traded him away to make space for Mauer.
Barry G,
How did you do that? I copied and pasted yours and mine became a link again.
No real problems this morning. Same complaints as previous post. I like the theme but don't like so many proper names.
ReplyDeleteI breezed through until I found one silly little blank cell: (PRECIS/SESTINA). I've said this before, if a puzzle wants to be easy, it shouldn't have obscure words that have been adopted as English Words so that the constructor doesn't deem it necessary to include (Fr.) or (Latin) in the hint.
ReplyDeleteOkay - I'm off my soap box.... ;-)
Ricki Lake had a talk show in the nineties she was also in hairspray. But I remember seeing her in 1994 in a movie with Katleen Turner and Sam Waterston "Serial Mom"
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Mom
She is a beautiful girl!
http://pringo.hotmomsclub.com/data/assets/sexymama/images/articles_migrated/2010.jpg
Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American actress and media personality, best known for her long-running talk show and starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricki_Lake
Barry G,
ReplyDeleteHow did you do that? I copied and pasted yours and mine became a link again.
Ancient Chinese secret?
No, sorry about that. I used some special HTML code that gets represented as the left and right angle brackets. I can't put the code here, since it will automatically be converted.
Actually, let me try by adding extra spaces between the characters:
Left angle bracket: & l t ;
Right angle bracket: & g t ;
Hey, that worked! Just remove the spaces and you're good to go.
Hi c.c. and co.
ReplyDeleteI use my middle name so I'm good to go today, right, Dennis? I am also enjoying the mensaisms.
Barry G.
Thanks for doing the etymology of précis. It's one of the rare French words English has adopted without giving it a gender change by using its feminine form with the added -e, like our adjective precise.
SAWN and SEWN are both anomalies in that they work like "strong" verbs in German--end in "-n" for the past participle, but the German equivalents are both "weak", or regular, and would normally lead to weak/regular verbs in English that use "-ed" both for the simple past and past participles.
Not knowing the difference for these irregular verbs in English is what causes a lot of those "I have went" or "I done" mistakes you hear. Irregular simple pasts end in either "-d" or "-t" (like did and went), and their past participles end in an "n" sound (gone, done).
I didn't know the names of most of the works/songs clued today, and some of the names of the people, notably Seaver, but everything eventually fell in with no g'spots or cheating by coming here first.
c.c.,
Morels grow like mad around here, so I've eaten a few. They can be any size from about 3" to 6" on average. They're rumored to grow around dead or dying elm trees, but we never found any on our place when we had an acreage with lots of woods. Other people do though, and make a lot of money if they sell them. it will be the season here again soon, but curiously, in Germany, they go shrooming in the fall.
O mighty ISIS is what Lynda Cater used to say in the earliest episodes when transforming into Wonder Woman.
ReplyDeleteIt took a few tries but I got it.
ReplyDelete<a href=link-goes-here>description
of the link</a>
The Lexington Herald Leader's parent company McClatchy Newspapers announced layoffs. I heard in the news last night that more layoffs in Lexington are expected.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kentucky.com/465/story/719984.html
Newspaper publisher McClatchy cutting 1,600 jobs
ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF
Although the puzzle was pretty straight forward, I was all over the grid working on it this morning. Couldn't seem to get traction, until I got the theme. I blame it on not yet being adjusted to daylight savings time. But I made it through it without any real problems. ATRA, SAWN, LITANIES and SESTINA were slow in coming or revealed by the perps.
ReplyDeleteMy middle name is Robin and I always liked it. When I joined the Navy they made me use my middle initial on EVERY document and it became an essential part of my signature. If you don't have a middle name, the military gives you one - NMI - "no middle initial".
Dennis/Dick: Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!
"Irregular simple pasts end in either "-d" or "-t" (like did and went)"...
ReplyDeleteI just realized there are a number of exceptions--it wouldn't be English without any, would it?
In verbs like "take->took->taken", "ring->rang->rung->, sink->sank->sunk, and others, the past participle goes by the "n" rule, but obviously not the simple past.
Morning all:
ReplyDeleteCan`t believe you don`t know the cloying classic "Ilove you, you love me"(ala Barney), CC.
CC; Did you know that "sish" supposedly means "lamb"? Hence...all kabobs aren`t "sish?" (Kabobs were supposedly from a country in the middle east who`s citizens "invented" lamb and vegies on skewers.) This also is all hearsay.
Re: "Mensa" meaning really, really stupid...probably colloquial as in "bad" for "good"...
I champion any weight loss, especially a large one...Rikki Lake has lost a tremendous amount of avoir-du-pois.
Windover: For the record...I called no one an "agnastic".
As long as CC doesn`t call us out...I assume we are free to write about subjects we genuinely believe in and read (or not read) any part of the blog. I always learn from any and all posts...many times it`s to be more humble.
Still "blog friends?"
I'd rather have an easy puzzle than one with french words. I don't speak French,I've no plan to go there, I don't care about the French.
ReplyDeleteUmm, looks like c.c's morel compass is locked on a heading showing the way to the"promised land"!!
Mr. cc, as AD/DC offers "Have a drink on me!!!".
JIm
Hi all, been too busy lately putting together our upcoming foodshow to do the puzzle. I finally get the chance to do it, and it was easy! Sestina and precis were the ones I didn't know but got them with the perps.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the morel again, and C.
C....climax? I couldn't shy away from seeing a correlation with rim, cap, ahead...oops the DFness in me slipped out.
It would be interesting to know how each of us does our exercise most days. I walk 1½ miles. I note some go 5 miles! Or go to the gym (and do what?).
ReplyDeleteIn school a few eons ago I was assigned to write a precis of some literature or other fairly often, so it was a gimme.
I had trouble with the names; I guessed from letters I had to get Mel Brooks, but that was the only one. I don't listen to these kinds of music or see these kinds of TV. So I come to this blog to get the answers.
Linda, I think the word you're looking for is 'shish'. Shish kebab means 'skewered meat' in the Middle East, I believe.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right, there's no restriction on subject matter; C.C.'s only request on this blog is that you stick to the 5 post per person per day limit, just for her own sanity.
Good morning C.C.and everyone, fun and easy puzzle today. I was stuck on 8D and 32A and had to find the answers from C.C.
ReplyDeleteWHOA, the morel is back along with the stamen...who says C.C. is not a DF'ette!
Dennis at 5:40 LOL, good one! I knew you were a beaver believer.
Where the heck is Lois?..she should be back from LV as of yesterday...hope she DID come back!
Jeannie, interesting juxtaposition with 'beaver' too, huh?
ReplyDeleteCarol, I keep waiting to read something in the paper about Lois in Vegas....or vice versa.
Dennis, yep almost like they were made for one another.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, everyone! Didn't know the names right off, but got them all from the perps. Did have to change the Y to an I in RICKI.
ReplyDelete@dennis I'll celebrate Middle Name Pride today since that is the name I use all the time. My brothers and I all went by our middle names.
@barryg You must be a magician! How'd you do that?
@irish jim Labour Day is an Australian public holiday originally called Eight Hours Day. It celebrates the achievements of organized labor on behalf of the worker to bring about the 8-hour day in the late 1850s. Previously, workers were required to work 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week. While a change was made to the hours worked each
ReplyDeleteIrish Jim, I'm sure Kazie can give you more, but the second Monday in March is when parts of Australia celebrate Labor (Labour) Day. The eight-hour day movement is part of Labor Day's origins; it advocated an eight-hour work day, eight hours of recreation, and eight hours of sleep.
ReplyDeleteHi c.c. and all,
ReplyDeleteEase puzzle today. I did not know "Sestina", but did know Precis, so the "S" filled in that word for me. I also liked the theme today. I have a couple of CDs by Billy Ocean, love his voice.
Would someone please tell me from yesterday's puzzle 20A: What summers do? I had ADD, which apparently is correct, but just don't get it! Dennis???
g8rmomx2, it was a trick question. Think of 'summers' as people who sum up numbers.
ReplyDeletec.c. and Dennis: Guess I should have read c.c.'s comments first, now I get it! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSobirquet: What you call your mother-in-law, the boss, the asinine neighbor, or the rude and careless driver which you can`t blame on
ReplyDeleteinhibitions-lowering drinks. (Whew! Had to really work for that one!)
Irish Jim,
ReplyDeleteDon't capitalize all your words. I don't like when people "shout".
Carol - If DFer means what I think it does, C.C. is far from being that. C.C. has a beautiful sense of humor, but we must cut her a little slack sometimes for using a language she didn't grow up with.
ReplyDeleteJust a gentle reminder.
A very easy puzzle again today. After filling in RICKI LAKE and JOAN RIVERS, I though the theme would be women in the vein of yesterday’s “man” puzzle, but MEL BROOKS disproved my initial theory.
ReplyDeleteI too have never heard of SESTINA. Why “provencal” verse? Perhaps Clear Ayes can explain and give an example.
58A could also have been clued "Audrey Hepburn film".
Sallie: I ride my bike 5 miles each way to the gym, where I do 20 minutes of either abs, arms or legs on the various apparatus (apparati?). I listen to the radio while I ride and find it a very zen time. In fact, it is time to ride!
ReplyDeleteWHAT ! ! !?? I am supposed to get 8 hours of play and 8 hours of sleep during the day !!!! ? Wow IF anyone can tell me how to do that Awesome. Is exercise considered work or play ? I have my son, who has been training for the Air Force Reserves, drop me off about 5 miles away from home as he is going to the club in the morning to train. Since I am left alone on the streets of vancouver I just head home.
ReplyDeleteLemonade714, great explanation between the two. You are smart. DO you ever have DENSA, MENSA, or as C. C says Dennis moments?
KQ:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the props; it is more fun to watch my sons than it was to live my own life. Their achievements mean more as well, but their childhood experiences were more tumultous than mine, so it makes it sweeter. Continuing success for the golfing miniKQ.
We prove once again a group of articulate adults can make almost any topic DF, and interesting.
Dennis, you know the quote.."what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", so we might never know for sure. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnon at 11:20, I think you misunderstood my meaning when referring to C.C. as a DF'ette. It is not uncomplimentary, rather we like to tease her about it as she insists she is not one. You must be new to our blog.
Crocket 1947 - Wow, you all went by middle names. My youngest goes by his middle (my preference and intended but my husband would have called him another nickname). How was that growing up for you? He sometimes gets teased, but really doesn't mind. The only pain in the keister is whenever you check him in for an appointment, etc. They have to use his first name for insurance and legal reasons. Even in school sometimes they don't get it. I still like it though.
ReplyDeleteCC - A Pierzynski fan? I am surprised you admit that as he is no longer very popular in Minnesota. He has quite the attitude, but I suppose that is part of what makes him so valuable. I will say, he generally has some of the best at bats that I have seen. He never gives up. I love Mauer as he sets such a great example representing our state, as does Morneau. They may be boring, but I don't mind that one bit.
sallie: I run 4 miles a day, 5 days a week, 6 miles on the weekend. 4-5 days a week I use light weights and a slant board. I've been doing this for the most part of 32 years. I'm not competitive, I enjoy the time to myself. I do not use a headset for music, I find it distracting and in some cases dangerous. The stories I could tell ya.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah,
I meant aC/dc before.
Jim
Sallie,
ReplyDeleteI swim laps, do yoga or pilates. If it is nice outside I bike. But can't do much more due to bad back.
re. SAWN.
ReplyDeleteNot a form of "to see".
The log has been sawn in half.
Calef.
re. SAWN.
ReplyDeleteNot a form of "to see".
The log has been sawn in half.
Calef.
Anonymous@11:20, I'll just say this: you underestimate C.C; she has 'dark side' lapses.
ReplyDeleteAnd C.C., just what the hell is a "Dennis moment"??
i have to work the crossword at breakfast these days - instead of my usual lunch habit - so i can see what is going on with you guys! you are all so clever - anonymous, i can't even do an easy crossword in 10 minutes.
ReplyDelete"reclean"! really! who ever recleaned anything? and parr/paar. i have had such trouble remembering which is which lately. i got it wrong in the crosshatch recently and it is now boggled in my brain forever, i fear.
i was irritated at seeing 'atra' yet again - but at least we didn't have another 'tse-tse' - if i see it one more time . . . .
i had never heard of precis!
dave: alarming that the boston globe might be going out of business! how can this be? my own paper, the idaho statesman, has also this week shriveled up in size - again. it will soon be the size of the weekly reader.
CC: Is there a way to "bold" or enlarge the font on our posts? Perhaps the "shouter" is like a friend of mine who can`t see the lower case letters and who always "shouts."
ReplyDeleteSallie; I try (try is the operative word) to walk 3-4 times a week. Our Civic center has an in-door track but it takes 17! revolutions to make a mile. I much prefer the out door shaded and paved track...but the weather isn`t allowing that, yet! I have a hand-held clicker to count the revolutions or I`d be inclined to cheat!
Good morning CC and all,
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Kathleen!!!
Today is also Labor Day in South Korea, a holiday for farmers, fishers and factory workers.
Another pretty easy puzzle today , but like everyone, got stuck on the final s in precis/sestina. I guessed the r in Lear, and tried to believe that dross and sawn were real words. Had to G for Billy Ocean. As usual, I don't grok the theme until I see it here.
CC, I'd like to see the glyphs used that represent Isis. They must have a glyph for that long i, but I imagine they don't for the short i sound.And, I would think that that long i glyph is also used for a sound that we don't have.The long e sound (or our y) is represented by 2 feathers side by side.
Linda, my grandson LOVES Barney and sings that song too. TV Guide lists it as one of the 50 worst shows of all time. I can see why.I love Elmo et al. Barney is a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus Rex. Sandy Duncan was in their 1st 3 episodes in 1987
Lois probably did lose her shirt and can't remember where or when.
C.C.,thanks for reexplaining summers to Richshif. I hope I'm not the only other one who didn't get it at first either.
More fun facts:
The only 2 animals that can see behind them without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot.
and,... most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep.
good morning c.c. and all,
ReplyDeletenot much of a challenge today, but still enjoyable. like others, didn't know sestina.
c.c: we were due for the morel, it's been a while. 55a made it especially fitting.
great to see so many new names and faces here. we haven't seen kittyb or katherine or flyingears like we USEDTO. you out there?
@clear ayes: so sorry about your friend, thanks for the reminder. i'm on a hug-fest.
@bill: your mother's smile upon you.
@buckeye: nice to see you pop in.
celebation: party at a monastary (who'd wanna come?)
@dennis: now how do you know you don't need a yak?
Carol -
ReplyDeleteThanks for clearing that up for me and I'm glad you meant the DF remark toward C.C. in a fun way.
I am in fact pretty much a newcomer to your blog, but have been looking long enough to have a tremendous respect for the sweetheart of a boss we have here.
Holy Cow...I am actually earlier than usual and there are already 65 posts!(probably more while I am writing)Awesome!
ReplyDeleteC.C. I am sure SP appreciates our continuing mention of her in this blog...do you think she can actually do a xword puzzle? Also...Hero's love in Much Ado About Nothing is Claudio. The very best version of this play was performed by Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson(before he dumped her for Helena Bonham Carter who ruined his career and then left him to ruin the career of Tim Burton)...the film is tremondous fun, filmed on location in Italy.
Not a bad puzzle and thanks to C.C. I will never have to eat worms for Regan's father...that definitely has a place in my brain now with the cobwebs.
There were definitely an awful lot of names, but most I was able to fill in through perps. Have also never heard of SESTINA.
Middle name: Ann...never use it.
Pearmission: When you are out of pears and have to go looking for more.
Bassessed: when you have decided which bass you like the most.
Voirtue: When you only have virtue at night.(that's for Dennis)
Okay...those are a stretch and now my brain hurts...need more coffee.
Thank you JD...
Kristen:
ReplyDeleteThank you also for kind words; these days I seldom make enough SENSA to be near MENSA, though word play and puns are a wonderful exercise.
Speaking of which, I walk at least a mile a day (during the work week) and three or more on week ends, as well as when either son is in town. I also do the gym a couple of days, and swim in the heated 25 meter pool here at the old folks condo.
My middle name is Maxwell, which made me happy when "Get Smart" was a hit and when Ringo wrote his silver hammer song. I always sign with the M., but sadly the letters are not actually formed anymore.
10 hours of work, two hours of driving, an hour of exercise, an hour eating; many hours on the computer, or talking with friends; two hours of reading and the remaining 5-6 for sleep.
mb: you are not getting away with
ReplyDelete"celebation: party at a monastary (who'd wanna come?)" as DF a double entendre as we have seen here in a long while. Speaking of coming, we miss you CA...
CC.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the "shouting". The print looks so small on my comments box and yet I can see it seems bigger when posted. Afraid my eyes are not what they used to be.
Jimmy, S Carolina
Finished the puzzle under 10 minutes today-just about right for the amount of time I had to spend on it!
ReplyDeleteWhen the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going by Billy Ocean used to be my theme song for bad days at work. Would play it for a little pick me up and pep talk. Loved the movie Jewel of the Nile too.
Purple and pink do lie pretty close on the color charts C.C. but Barney looks purplish to me.
Thanks for the How to create a link links and tips C.C. and Barry. (Still trying to duplicate-without success-what you did though Barry!)
I try to swim a mile 4-6x/week and hike several miles if the weather permits.
ReplyDeleteLinda:
ReplyDeleteOf course. Thanks for asking. And I was a little touchy. Usually I'm touchy-feely; missing the latter yesterday.
Windhover
A new monk arrived at the monastery. He was assigned to help the other monks in copying the old texts by hand. He noticed, however, that they were copying copies, not the original books. The new monk went to the head monk to ask him about this. He pointed out that if there were an error in the first copy, that error would be continued in all of the other copies.
ReplyDeleteThe head monk said, 'We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son.' The head monk went down into the cellar with one of the copies to check it against the original.
Hours later, nobody had seen him, so one of the monks went downstairs to look for him. He heard a sobbing coming from the back of the cellar and found the old monk leaning over one of the original books, crying.
He asked what was wrong.
The word was 'CELEBRATE', not 'CELIBATE'!, sobbed the head monk.
Argyle that is totally one of my most favorite jokes!! LOL
ReplyDeleteThis fits right in with my belief that how do we know how accurate things are that were handed down and copied and re-copied by generations? My daughter's old Western Civ book has a photo image of an old piece of writing, copied by a monk, that has a little guy on a sort of ladder pointing to the space where an error was made and holding the words that need to be inserted...and that error, at least, was caught.
There is an awesome book about the Irish monks who kept Latin and ecclesiastical documents and the written language alive during the early Dark Ages(post fall of the Roman Empire) of history then eventually spread out through Europe to "re-enlighten" the populace. The book is called, appropriately, "How the Irish Saved Civilization" by Thomas Cahill.
Also...which of the LA Times puzzles will you be doing? I would very much like to print it out and attempt it.
<a href=link-goes-here>description
ReplyDeleteof the link</a>
Voila!
Good afternoon all,
ReplyDeleteThe problems I had today have already been addressed. Precis? Sestina? One letter left me in a fog. Had to come here for the "S".
I disliked "sawn" and "dross"...but it's better than "crap"!
C.C. It's another boy (Jackson). My other grandson (Devon) is 8. I have him today as his school caught fire this morning just before classes started! No word yet on cause or damages. Oh, well...3 more days until spring break.
Valerie
Good Afternoon C.C and Co.,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I finished unaided and got none wrong, I did not finish as quickly as I would have liked. I just did not see a couple of easy ones like RECLEANED right away. I knew PRECIS and SESTINA, but not SEAVER.
DoesItinInk,
According to this, the SESTINA was invented by one of the Troubadours who originated in Occitania of which Provence is a part.
Hopefully, Lois is not late due to taking a bus home.
I skate 20 miles almost everyday and take an occasional kayak trip around the island. I also periodically bike, scuba dive and windsurf. I always listen to music with a steady beat when I skate.
Elissa, I had never thought about it before, but my middle initial (E for Edward, which I am fine with) is also now a part of my normal signature. I think it may not have been before I joined the Navy.
WM, Got an opinion about Ms. Carter?
I have always signed with just initials for both first and middle name. I can never understand a person wanting to give away all their info in a signature. I have a friend who always meticulously writes her name in full on checks, taking forever. To my way of thinking, it's better to keep 'em guessing as to the full name, and the less carefully you write, the harder it would be to duplicate.
ReplyDeleteMy exercise consists mostly of about an hour's walk and some stretching at home. I used to go to the gym, but it was boring and I gradually reduced my visits until it wasn't worth renewing the membership.
I also thought MB's comment on "fitting" to be a bit DF-ish.
Just wanted to see if my picture came up. Those are my grandaughters. Enough said about exercise. Between being a house-husband and living on my computer, I have no other time available. Being interested in genealogy, the south is noted for families using middle names. It is very hard tracking down a person known only by their middle name. Point of interest if one is looking at census records. That record you are looking at on your computer is at least the third hand copy of the original, so it is not uncommon to see so many mistakes. Enough rambling, for CC, weather will be in the 60s this week in southwestern Oregon, but Spring is still not here.
ReplyDelete...which of the LA Times puzzles will you be doing?
ReplyDeleteUnknown as of yet; a later in the week one. Hopefully a good one.
BTW, the Observer puzzle was pretty good this week but there are no plans to blog it.
Melissa Bee, we've missed you. What've you been up to? Oh, and I've always been a llama man, myself. Except that they spit.
ReplyDeleteValerie, great picture!
As far as exercise, I go to the gym at least 3 times a week, for an hour and a half to two hours (elliptical, free weights, swimming), do a couple hundred situps every day, and when the weather allows, I ride my bike as much as possible. We're doing another big ride this year -- close to 200 miles. Seems like the older you get, the more you have to do to keep the ravages of time at bay.
Argyle: Thanks
ReplyDeleteKazie: One job I had in the Navy included notarizing documents, which meant I was signing my name 2500 a month for 8 months. My signature started out clearly readable -first name, middle initial, last name - and ended up first initial, middle initial and a squiggly line. It took about a year for it to return to readability.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Bee, glad you are back, hope you stay, you've been missed!!
ReplyDeleteArgyle, thanks for the Observer puzzle. Looks like fun and more challenging than the LA Times in our paper today. The puzzle for Friday or Saturday will be harder, so they tell us.
I never use my middle name in a signature unless required.
JD, I am glad I was asleep when I ate that spider...shudder! Blah, just the thought makes me crazy (crazier) :)
Dennis and Linda: how about "HAMATUER": One showing off how little he knows.
ReplyDelete@karenq The only problems using the middle name comes from combating the various bureaucracies. My 4th grade teacher ALWAYS called me by my first name and I despised the Son-of-a-gun for doing so. Then he was my 5th grade teacher as well!! AARRRGGGGHH! Thank goodness I had a sane 6th grade teacher who took me under his wing and helped me foster leadership and responsibility skills.
ReplyDeleteGood Afternoon All, No puzzle for me today. Maybe by Thursday, I'll be back to puzzling, posting and poeming. Thanks for all the nice words. My girl friend is amazed that people she will never know are sending good vibes her way.
ReplyDeleteMy main job has been "official distractor". It seems to me when someone dies, the closest people need to be periodically distracted. We all know it is like an elephant in the room, but you just can't think about loss and grief 24-7. So, she and I and another close friend have played some cribbage, made some brownies, told a lot of silly stories and jokes and watched a couple of really dopey chick flicks.
She is quite a woman and has taken care of a lot of the details that go along with unexpected widowhood. No funeral (he never did like being the center of attention), but she and a few friends are planning a big "weren't we lucky to know him" party around the first of May.
Not enough time to read all the comments, but I did read C.C.'s original post.
C.C. I didn't have to Google Hero's true love, Leander. I remembered that Hero lit a lamp in a tower so Leander could swim across the Hellespont every night to meet with her. One night the wind blew out the light and he drowned. Hero was so heartbroken, she killed herself by jumping from the tower.....well, maybe it sounds better in Greek.
Be back soon.
Big Duh moment...When I wrote Voirture...I was thinking NOIR...so just forget that word.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, the puzzle you linked was fun. Now I need to get back to work.
Carol,
ReplyDeleteAn amatuer is not necessarily someone who knows less than a professional, just someone who does not get paid for it.
I think a better definition would be: an unpaid over-actor
Melissa Bee, Very funny definition for 'celebation'.
Musterbation: Total lack of willpower;
or
Musterbation: Failing inspection miserably
Argyle @ 12:56 That was a great story.LOL
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 11:20
C.C. is as morel as that mushroom.Being a DF on this blog is a compliment. She has pz-azz!
My middle name is Carol, but my sister's is Cotton.LOL!(family name)
I walk and do yoga, unfaithfully.
The Oregonian said that our currant crossword is ceasing (the Stars Tribune crossword Puzzle). Is this newspaper talk for no contract? Is this happening anywhere else? The one today was misserable. Oh, dear me, Silver Fox
ReplyDeletePromise me, I realize the difference between an amateur and a pro...but I hope you feel better for pointing it out.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon c.c. and everyone,i liked the puzzle today, though i did not know Billi Ocean or Sestina but what got me was 2D Pupil of all things !
ReplyDeleteI could not see the forrest for the trees, i kept thinking , where would a scholar be? Maybe it was a senior moment ?!
Argyle, thinks for the puzzle link, it seems a lot better than the Baloney Sandwich. lol
Sallie, for exercise, i like walking or a light jog four miles usually , it takes me 1 hr. & 15 min. i have a little gadget that registers how many steps and calories, so i burn around 400 to 500 calories
love to see that !
I do that al least 4 times a week weather permitting and then go to the gym as an alternate and work on my abs , back, and arms.
You what they say . . . if you don't use, you lose it.
Oh, i forget, thanks to c.c. for the explanation on " what summer does "
ReplyDeleteI also was one of those who did not get it !
Very clever clue.
Profundity: (note no spelling change just my 'definition'): Getting paid for having fun...teaching was that until the last year...
ReplyDeleteMy beautiful, first granddaughter and first grandchild will be 16 tomorrow...I`m making her favorite cream-cheese/oreo candy and we called to see if we could take her to dinner. She asked if the BF (boy friend) could come...I`m so thankful she would want him to meet us...this is she...
Hi C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the summer
explaination. Can I say "Duh"? It totally went over my head. BTW..you folks seem to for get that Lois does not need to lose at gambling to lose her shirt. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off
Carol, Easy ... I meant no harm. I appreciated your offering. I have no doubt that you are aware of the difference. I simply hoped to offer constructive criticism.
ReplyDeletemaria, Which device do you use? I have a Garmin Forerunner 305.
Witty definition of 'Profundity', Linda.
Here's some Troubadour music.
8:39 today. SESTINA was my unknown, but gotten via the crosses.
ReplyDelete@linda: C: Is there a way to "bold" or enlarge the font on our posts?
<b> this text will be in bold </b>
Some newspapers are evidently running the LA Times puzzles this week in a trial run. If you want to give it a go you can find the puzzle here.
ReplyDeleteMy time today: 8:20
Thanks, Embien
ReplyDelete@silverfox The Big O says, "Our current crossword is ceasing syndication.." It is a TMS decision, I believe. There will be nothing available from them, so they're going to let us test drive a number of replacements. This crossword will still be available online, at least for the time being.
ReplyDelete@linda You can do italic as well as bold, or a combination!
Linda...she's lovely. You must be so proud.
ReplyDelete5 for me. We're off to dinner. G'Nite all
Wolf mom and (G)papajim:
ReplyDeleteThanks! And there has been a time with each of my 4 grandchildren that I would be holding them and could actually feel a sensation of the "melting of our hearts" together...so corny but absolutely true!
Crockett: got the code for bold ...what is it for italics?
Aristobrat: self-explantory
It`s past my bedtime so I will call it a blog with these:
ReplyDeletecarbage: auto junkyard
tabylet: kitten scratch pad ( a pun, too, at no extra charge)
neow: when a cat wants lunch
borinthian: ho hum leather
isotape: atomic cassette
tissure: a tear in your kleenex
(or Vermont kleenex)
@linda Substitute an "i" for the "b" and you have italiacs!
ReplyDeleteItaliacs: Those with a weakness for Italians
ReplyDeleteRobin Williams
ReplyDeleteI was distressed to see that wild man Robin Williams has stopped his comedy tour to undergo heart surgery. I was surprised to learn he studied theater at Juilliard, which made his role in "Augusr Rush" more interesting to me. Anyway, I hope he recovers soon; he was to play here at the HArd Rock, and at the UCF campus, where my youngest in in school.
oops the DFness in me slipped out.
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know what DFNess means?
JUST CURIOUS
Linda,
ReplyDeleteIf you were counting steps if you walk for 30 minutes that is 3,500 steps.
I walk for 30 minutes twice a day 5 days a week and I was 283 now I'm 240.
CC, sorry I did not get this rabbit/parrot info. earlier; had a traumatic day, but here is what I found out:
ReplyDelete"A rabbit's field of vision is immense. He has large eyes that are located on the sides and upper part of the head, enabling each eye to see more than one half of a circle. Together, they can see in every direction. Therefore, a rabbit can see an approaching predator and be on the lookout for an escape route simultaneously.
Quick fun fact: The average housefly lives for about one month.