Theme: ATE (73A: Word that homophonically forms a familiar word when attached to the end of the answer to each starred clue)
18A: *"Unforgettable" singer: NAT KING COLE (Collate)
24A: *Cold War European: WEST GERMANY (Germinate)
31A: *1940s-'60s Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback: Y.A. TITTLE (Titillate)
40A: *Branch source: TREE TRUNK (Truncate)
42A: * Florida city near Fort Myers: CAPE CORAL (Correlate)
48A: *House speaker before Newt Gingrich: TOM FOLEY (Foliate)
58A: * Covered with black dots: FLYSPECKED (Spectate)
67A: * 1976 Olympic decathlon champ: BRUCE JENNER (Generate)
Holy hot wick! 8 theme answers. All gridded in Across. I've never seen such a grid before (Don Gagliardo's soft G is an exception). No wonder this is a special 15X16 grid. Dan Naddor's last Bean Salad puzzle is a 16X15. The extra column is to accommodate the 8-letter theme entry IT'S SO YOU (Dan could not come up with a symmetrical match). Our editor Rich Norris explained that anytime a grid is 16X15 or 15X16 is because of the theme.
I did not really need the unifying theme answer ATE today to get all the theme entries. Very clever idea. My impression of Dan Naddor so far is that he is very thorough and creative in his research.
Have never heard of Y.A. TITTLE or BRUCE JENNER. Flyspecked is a new word to me, so is Spectate, backformation from "spectator", according to dictionary. TOM FOLEY was an easy guess. Is he related to Mark Foley?
I am excited that Dan discovered a new way to clue EELS (14A: Rock band with a fishy name). The rock band was foreign to me. Wikipedia says the band was formed by by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E.
The clue for MLLE (53D: M.'s counterpart) is very wicked. I did not pay attention to the abbreviation dot so I was thinking of James Bond's M. The M. here refers to Monsieur. I've never heard of ROK (69D: Seoul soldier) being referred as a soldier. To me, it just stands for Republic of Korea (South Korea). After I looked up the dictionary, I think "Seoul G.I." is a better clue.
I enjoyed this heavy themage puzzle. Some of the clues are very clever:
66A: Formal intro?: SEMI. Semi-formal.
6D: Union station?: ALTAR. " Train stop?" would work on this answer too. I got married in a judge's room though. You?
Across:
1A: Supplies case: KIT. Was worried that "supplies" might be a verb.
4A: Grille cover: BRA. Had no idea that BRA is an automotive slang for "a removable cover for the front end of an automobile to protect it from road debris". I suppose you then open a BRA rather than unhook a BRA?
7A: African hot spot: SAHARA. I like the clue. Spicy hot!
17A: LPGA star Se Ri __: PAK. Golf HOFer. Lots of Korean golfers have come to the US since Se Ri PAK, but she is my favorite. Her surname name is actually PARK (like Grace PARK or Chan Ho PARK), literally "simple/plain". Someone in LPGA or Immigration made a mistake on her name, but she decided to stick with the error.
23A: Goodyear's home: AKRON. The "Rubber City". Learned this morning that AKRON is also the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous, founded in 1935.
27A: Nintendo rival: SEGA. The name came from Service Games of Japan.
29A: Spoils: LOOT. Thought "Spoils" might be a verb as well.
47A: Heineken brand: AMSTEL. New brand to me. It's named after their AMSTEL river. I like the line: One Dam Good Bier.
54A: Gaseous: Pref: AERI. Williams clued AREI as "Interferometer instrument" last time. And the constructor's original clue was "Atmospheric prefix".
55A: Vegan's purchase: TOFU. Do you like TOFU? My husband does not touch it.
63A: Bridge call: I PASS
71A: Fruit in a split: BANANA. BANANA split is a dessert that should not have been invented.
72A: Houston pro, to fans: 'STRO. Short for ASTRO I suppose. I did not know this.
74A: Crude cabin: SHANTY
75A: "Shoot": ASK. Oh, I thought of the irritating exclamation "Shoot".
76A: "L. A. Law" actress: DEY (Susan). Learned her name from doing crossword. Have never seen "L. A. Law" before. She looks pretty.
Down:
1D: "Batman" blow: KAPOW. The sound of his blow?
2D: Cockamamie: INANE. Who made up this slang "Cockamamie"? So strange. Cock-a-mamie.
3D: Initiates action: TAKES STEPS
4D: Deadpan Stein: BEN. Anyone? Anyone?
5D: Assayer's substance: REAGENT. Rea(ct) + Agent. New word to me.
7D: McCain, e.g.: Abbr.: SEN. Thought of REP(ublican) first.
8D: Pond organism: ALGA
9D: Snake oil salesman: HUCKSTER. Learned this word a few months ago.
11D: Enter again: RELOG
12D: Where the action is: ARENA. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the ARENA...."
19D: Like some highlighted text: Abbr.: ITAL
21D: Paris possessive: A TOI. Filled in A MOI first.
26D: Wine bouquet: NOSE. Is NOSE a special term for the aroma of wine?
31D: Song spelled with arm motions: Y.M.C.A. Is this really the original video? Why gay talk?
33D: USPS delivery: LTR. Ridiculous for USPS to propose skipping Tuesday mail deliveries.
36D: Dash: RUN LIKE MAD. I suppose so.
37D: Feminine suffix: ENNE. Or trix.
43D: Ancient Italian: ETRUSCAN. I forgot. It's clued as "Of Rome's predecessors" in our old puzzle before. Wikipedia says ETRUSCAN civilization extended between 1200 BC to 100 BC. The ancient country Etruria was located between Arno and Tiber rivers, roughly corresponding to modern Tuscany, according to Dictionary.
49D: Rand McNally staff: MAPPERS. Oh well, I definitely have been living under a rock. I did not know who Rand McNally is.
50D: Co-pay, for instance: FEE
51D: Tolkien henchmen: ORC. And the "Tolkien talking tree" is ENT. I learned both from doing Xword.
55D: 1970 Poitier title role: TIBBS. I like ''In the Heat of the Night''.
56D: Talk show giant: OPRAH. Not her fan. I like Ellen DeGeneres.
57D: Flora's partner: FAUNA
60D: Red suit wearer: SANTA. Ah, I put SANTA last time for the clue "Nick name?". The answer is CLAUS.
68D: Crow family bird: JAY. Noisy, noisy bird. Yes?
Answer Grid.
C.C.
PS: Here is an interesting write-up on Crosswords L.A. Tournament by Crossword constructor Andrea Carla Michaels.
18A: *"Unforgettable" singer: NAT KING COLE (Collate)
24A: *Cold War European: WEST GERMANY (Germinate)
31A: *1940s-'60s Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback: Y.A. TITTLE (Titillate)
40A: *Branch source: TREE TRUNK (Truncate)
42A: * Florida city near Fort Myers: CAPE CORAL (Correlate)
48A: *House speaker before Newt Gingrich: TOM FOLEY (Foliate)
58A: * Covered with black dots: FLYSPECKED (Spectate)
67A: * 1976 Olympic decathlon champ: BRUCE JENNER (Generate)
Holy hot wick! 8 theme answers. All gridded in Across. I've never seen such a grid before (Don Gagliardo's soft G is an exception). No wonder this is a special 15X16 grid. Dan Naddor's last Bean Salad puzzle is a 16X15. The extra column is to accommodate the 8-letter theme entry IT'S SO YOU (Dan could not come up with a symmetrical match). Our editor Rich Norris explained that anytime a grid is 16X15 or 15X16 is because of the theme.
I did not really need the unifying theme answer ATE today to get all the theme entries. Very clever idea. My impression of Dan Naddor so far is that he is very thorough and creative in his research.
Have never heard of Y.A. TITTLE or BRUCE JENNER. Flyspecked is a new word to me, so is Spectate, backformation from "spectator", according to dictionary. TOM FOLEY was an easy guess. Is he related to Mark Foley?
I am excited that Dan discovered a new way to clue EELS (14A: Rock band with a fishy name). The rock band was foreign to me. Wikipedia says the band was formed by by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E.
The clue for MLLE (53D: M.'s counterpart) is very wicked. I did not pay attention to the abbreviation dot so I was thinking of James Bond's M. The M. here refers to Monsieur. I've never heard of ROK (69D: Seoul soldier) being referred as a soldier. To me, it just stands for Republic of Korea (South Korea). After I looked up the dictionary, I think "Seoul G.I." is a better clue.
I enjoyed this heavy themage puzzle. Some of the clues are very clever:
66A: Formal intro?: SEMI. Semi-formal.
6D: Union station?: ALTAR. " Train stop?" would work on this answer too. I got married in a judge's room though. You?
Across:
1A: Supplies case: KIT. Was worried that "supplies" might be a verb.
4A: Grille cover: BRA. Had no idea that BRA is an automotive slang for "a removable cover for the front end of an automobile to protect it from road debris". I suppose you then open a BRA rather than unhook a BRA?
7A: African hot spot: SAHARA. I like the clue. Spicy hot!
17A: LPGA star Se Ri __: PAK. Golf HOFer. Lots of Korean golfers have come to the US since Se Ri PAK, but she is my favorite. Her surname name is actually PARK (like Grace PARK or Chan Ho PARK), literally "simple/plain". Someone in LPGA or Immigration made a mistake on her name, but she decided to stick with the error.
23A: Goodyear's home: AKRON. The "Rubber City". Learned this morning that AKRON is also the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous, founded in 1935.
27A: Nintendo rival: SEGA. The name came from Service Games of Japan.
29A: Spoils: LOOT. Thought "Spoils" might be a verb as well.
47A: Heineken brand: AMSTEL. New brand to me. It's named after their AMSTEL river. I like the line: One Dam Good Bier.
54A: Gaseous: Pref: AERI. Williams clued AREI as "Interferometer instrument" last time. And the constructor's original clue was "Atmospheric prefix".
55A: Vegan's purchase: TOFU. Do you like TOFU? My husband does not touch it.
63A: Bridge call: I PASS
71A: Fruit in a split: BANANA. BANANA split is a dessert that should not have been invented.
72A: Houston pro, to fans: 'STRO. Short for ASTRO I suppose. I did not know this.
74A: Crude cabin: SHANTY
75A: "Shoot": ASK. Oh, I thought of the irritating exclamation "Shoot".
76A: "L. A. Law" actress: DEY (Susan). Learned her name from doing crossword. Have never seen "L. A. Law" before. She looks pretty.
Down:
1D: "Batman" blow: KAPOW. The sound of his blow?
2D: Cockamamie: INANE. Who made up this slang "Cockamamie"? So strange. Cock-a-mamie.
3D: Initiates action: TAKES STEPS
4D: Deadpan Stein: BEN. Anyone? Anyone?
5D: Assayer's substance: REAGENT. Rea(ct) + Agent. New word to me.
7D: McCain, e.g.: Abbr.: SEN. Thought of REP(ublican) first.
8D: Pond organism: ALGA
9D: Snake oil salesman: HUCKSTER. Learned this word a few months ago.
11D: Enter again: RELOG
12D: Where the action is: ARENA. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the ARENA...."
19D: Like some highlighted text: Abbr.: ITAL
21D: Paris possessive: A TOI. Filled in A MOI first.
26D: Wine bouquet: NOSE. Is NOSE a special term for the aroma of wine?
31D: Song spelled with arm motions: Y.M.C.A. Is this really the original video? Why gay talk?
33D: USPS delivery: LTR. Ridiculous for USPS to propose skipping Tuesday mail deliveries.
36D: Dash: RUN LIKE MAD. I suppose so.
37D: Feminine suffix: ENNE. Or trix.
43D: Ancient Italian: ETRUSCAN. I forgot. It's clued as "Of Rome's predecessors" in our old puzzle before. Wikipedia says ETRUSCAN civilization extended between 1200 BC to 100 BC. The ancient country Etruria was located between Arno and Tiber rivers, roughly corresponding to modern Tuscany, according to Dictionary.
49D: Rand McNally staff: MAPPERS. Oh well, I definitely have been living under a rock. I did not know who Rand McNally is.
50D: Co-pay, for instance: FEE
51D: Tolkien henchmen: ORC. And the "Tolkien talking tree" is ENT. I learned both from doing Xword.
55D: 1970 Poitier title role: TIBBS. I like ''In the Heat of the Night''.
56D: Talk show giant: OPRAH. Not her fan. I like Ellen DeGeneres.
57D: Flora's partner: FAUNA
60D: Red suit wearer: SANTA. Ah, I put SANTA last time for the clue "Nick name?". The answer is CLAUS.
68D: Crow family bird: JAY. Noisy, noisy bird. Yes?
Answer Grid.
C.C.
PS: Here is an interesting write-up on Crosswords L.A. Tournament by Crossword constructor Andrea Carla Michaels.
Kazie, Crockett & Sheila,
ReplyDeleteI like your "KP Duty", "Food Prep" and "Kitchen Prep", very close to Doug Peterson's original "Now You're Cooking". Crockett, you will find lots of cute ETAM shops in Paris & Brussels.
Xchefwalt,
OK, the food processor does dice. You justified my theme title yesterday. I did not goof so badly.
PromiseMe,
Did you notice the Bam (adobe) in the date picture I linked yesterday? Jim Cramer gives me headache. As for your "Another form of you're 'verb + the + animal' offering, as I'm sure you know, involves corporal punishment and a simian" comment the other day, what is the phrase?
Tarrajo,
Yes indeed, I have a G.E. food processor. But I seldom use it. I never freeze ginger.
Clear Ayes,
ReplyDeleteI am not familiar with Japanese Temari at all. You have such varied interests.
WM,
Re: BRIE. See, the more you know, the more trouble you have.
Warren,
Really? But shouldn't Google know that we click the logo simply because we don't know the meaning?
Calef et al,
Thanks for KEYS and other answers yesterday.
Vegan's purchase: TOFU. Do you like TOFU? My husband does not touch it.
ReplyDeleteMy wife never knowingly eats tofu but sometimes I'll buy a lunchbox for her and she'll say "Oh, it's got some egg" and she'll eat it and say "Those eggs were good".
By the way, the cost of a plate of eggs, rice and tofu in a restaurant in a small town in Taiwan is about 60 cents.
Martin
Being on the East Coast sure makes it easier to post early.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have much trouble with this puzzle for a Thursday, although I had a lot of false starts and fixes as my original answers didn't fit with the perps. I 'knew' YA TITTLE, but my mind refused to give up that Y. I also 'knew' TOM FOLEY, but my mind resisted giving me the F. Other than those struggles I had no trouble with the theme answers but had to come here to see how the theme played out, having gotten ATE from the perps. Maybe my mind still thinks its 4AM.
ALTAR was definitely my favorite answer and my last fill.
Had a great time in the museums yesterday. Looking forward to more today.
Good Morning All,
ReplyDeleteDifficult but fun. Ran into trouble all over the place. I got about 50% of it before bailing out on line to see red. Once Nat King Cole fell things started to gel a bit. I was originally thinking Frank Sinatra with wouldn't fit. I had Milk instead of Skim in pencil which really screwed things up. The sports related answers helped me out for a bit.
Beautiful weather on the Downeast Coast today. I'm getting some work done so I can fit a bike ride in later.
Have a great day!
Good morning C.C. and all,..a very nice puzzle today, lots of difficulty for me, but doable with minor outside help.
ReplyDeleteThe north central was the most difficult for me. Finally after I had the DUH moment with bra, 1A, the rest fell into place. I got all of the theme answers, but the answer for 73A, ate, was a long time in coming, ouch.
YA Tittle was easy for me as I will always remember the picture of him down on his knees, in the end zone, with blood streaming from his face from a blow he had taken. Gory, but a very unforgettable picture.
55D was a gimme for me as "In the Heat of the Night" was one of my favorite movies.
CC I liked your humor on Jay, noisy bird. You are correct, I find him noisy, but funny.
C.C. To give corporal punishment is to "spank". Bad monkey! Phrase eans the same thing as the one I mentioned that day. It had, well, slipped my mind until PMT brought it up. (Are the DFs ever going to have fun with that one today...)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how the crosswordese words are now becoming what I rely on to fill with. The same words I never heard of when I started crosswords. Without ARAM, the mid-left block may have been tougher getting started.
I think Kazie and Anon-HP are right about the "S" for small in the cryptic conversation yesterday. Possibly the N is correct, too, but I guess that's less convincing.
Anon-HP's clues yesterday:
Six articles about birds (5)
six = VI
Articles = a an (the not used)
about -> surrounding
A VI AN avian
Georgia under a ruler (3)
Georgia = GA
under the letter A
A GA
ruler = AGA
Fashionable team is locked up (6)
Fashionable = IN
Team = SIDE
Is locked up -> INSIDE
Fable of a foot (6)
Double definition, sort of
LEG END legend
Today:
1) Quick to knock with identification (5)
2) Lost out a great deal (4)
Quite enjoyed this puzzle - completed it without help but it did take a while; had to do some serious thinking. Of course it helped to know Bruce Jenner, Nat King Cole and Y.A. Tittle. Found the theme fairly early and also realized it was a 15*16 so thanks CC for providing me prior guidance: I'm now seeing things just a short while ago I missed.
ReplyDeleteLike the clues for skim and banana - not difficult but interesting. I agree that Dan Naddor does construct a wonderful xword. Nice start to my Thursday.
CC - can't answer you about the altar - I avoid them like the plague as far as marriage is concerned; it's just not my thing. Andy maybe the word for bra is 'remove' which applies both to women and cars. I suspect that may be popular today. Remember those weird bra-things Madonna wore with the pointy ends? Very scary.
Also thanks for sharing the meaning of SEGA - I did not know that. I need to start to read Tolkien - I never get those answers without the perps. A serious lack in my education.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - a surprisingly smooth Thursday puzzle, given that my vision has not entirely returned yet. Gotta stop experimenting with tropical drinks.
ReplyDeleteBecame friends with a couple last night who own a 41' Apache, and we're going for a 'speed run' down to Miami with them this afternoon. Life is good.
As to the puzzle, I didn't know Se Ri Pak, nor have I heard of the 'Eels'. Cleverest clue for me was 'Union station'. And C.C., the ROKs were some of the fiercest fighters I ever saw. Absolutely fearless.
I hope you all are having even half as great a time as I am.....Florida's been absolutely perfect.
Good morning.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do well at this one. Had to g'spot all the names except Cole and Jenner, was thinking of a barbeque grill for 4A and bra came to me after g-ing BEN, but it still didn't make sense.
I also thought of James Bond's M.--it stands for monsieur, BTW. I also had East instead of West German for the longest time which frustrated my efforts to put inane in. Also started with lean-to instead of SHANTY until perps nixed that. My last fills were YMCA and ARAM, and aram came from google which was referenced from here, YMCA was then a guess. I can't remember any arm movements, maybe because they annoyed me so much I always switched channels if they were on.
In short, this was no fun.
Tarrajo,
Despite Lemonade's link last night to the literal meaning of MOREL, you might need to know it is used here as a synonym for "moral", and often sarcastically implies the opposite, immoral, perhaps due to the mushroom's shape.
Good morning c.c. etal!
ReplyDeleteNow that the Thursday puzzle is conquered with no G spotting, I can cheerfully get on with the rest of my day.
Bra was the first fill for me. I guess my old Body Shop experience is helpful after all.
I see your simian punishment question has been answered, so no need to belabor the point.
We too got married in a judges office. We had lived together for four years before the "big" day. We went to Las Vegas made it legal, and had a great vacation. 33 years later it's still working. Things that make you go hmmm!
Bye all, have a great day!
Morning all,
ReplyDeleteThis one went pretty well for a Thursday - only needed help on a couple (Flyspecked, YA Tittle and Akron) which was enough to help me piece together the rest with some lucky guesses (Aeri and ROK). Loot tripped me up - my paper is just about worn through from all the letter changes before figuring it out.
I don't eat tofu regularly, but did come across a recipe for Tofu Chocolate Mousse several years ago that was a hit with everyone who tried it. A tasty way to disguise tofu for those who are not interested in trying it.
Here's a link to the recipe (if I can get it to work...) from Cooking Light 2001:
Tofu Chocolate MousseOther than that, ALTAR was my favorite as well. Brought back great memories of my wedding which took place in a beautiful garden on the UW campus almost four years ago.
I'm off to find the photo album...
Andrea
Good morning,
ReplyDeleteGot thorough this puzzle with a little help. Wasn't sure if they wanted NAT KING or NATALIE COLE but got lucky with that one. Didn't know Y.A. Tittle at all, but my brothers both live in CAPE CORAL so that one was really easy for me.
I too thought of James Bond for M and put in LEANTO rather than SHANTY.
CC, why shouldn't banana splits have been invented?
Here is a link explaining why the YMCA song is associated with gays. Interesting. We do love to dance to this song. YMCA song.
Susan Dey was one of the original Partridge Family members. I really haven't seen her in much since LA Law. I was clueless on BRA, EELS, ETRUSCAN and REAGANT, but filled them in mostly from the perps.
A good challenge today. Must do some exercise now.
Ah yes, forgot, ALTAR was my favorite clue also. My husband and I did get married at the altar with a very nice ceremony. We still attend the same church and our kids were all schooled their. It will be almost 24 years now.
ReplyDeleteCC: I enjoyed the article about the puzzle convention...today`s puzzle, not so much...
ReplyDeleteA tofu story: when my uncle brought home his Okinawan bride,(I was probably 10 at that time) she brought a box of what I thought was cranberry sauce, same color and looked to be the same consistency. She asked if I wanted some and since I loved cranberry sauce, I took a slice.
After heaving and gagging a while, (I was very dramatic, even then)
I asked her what that yucky stuff was. Of course, it was a tofu-based delicacy to her. She has since learned to batter and fry everything along with the rest of us Southern (and usually overweight)cooks! She has "opened up" in her later years about things she went through as a result of the "Police Action." Once, they were evacuating children and her sister had to hang onto her as the train ran over trestles spanning deep gorges because there was no more room in the rr car for her to put her feet.
She is a highly intelligent lady but could only get menial jobs over here because of her limited English skills. Too bad she didn`t have puzzles and a blog to help her!
Good morning, everyone!
ReplyDeleteI was so pleased to get this one with no g-spot or red letter help. There were some very clever clues her. I think your "Train stop?" clue is fantastic, C.C. I have problems making the them work on FLYSPECKED. SPECKEDATE doesn't work for me -- SPECTATE, yes. Let's see, one marriage ceremony in the judge's chambers and two in churches. No link for BRA? How about this one? No,? Maybe this is more the style? I'll vote for option "b", thank you. Too bad for boomer -- tofu is good for you! Can't do the banana split thing -- the banana doesn't agree with me. I would say that you have the original YMCA video. There is no spelling out of the letters like is so common now. LOL on the JAY link!
Need to go. Probably back later when I have the chance to read other comments.
We were married almost 37 years ago in my cousin's garden. I was unchurched at the time, so she sought out a Lutheran minister for us since that was my husband's affiliation growing up here in WI. The weather cooperated and it was beautiful. But no altar.
ReplyDeleteOur son's wedding last August in a German castle was the best I've ever attended though. Local judge, no minister and no altar. East Germans didn't have operating churches to grow up with.
Good Morning All, I started with the Downs this morning because KAPOW was the first word that came to me. But then I filled in TAKE A STAND for 3D. That messed it up for me and I had to go back to the Acrosses.
ReplyDeleteI had to jump back and forth, as well as down, a couple of times to fill in my blanks. None of the fills were ungettable, but fills like REAGENT, HUCKSTER, ETRUSCAN and RUNS LIKE MAD were dependent on the perps to finish.
Does anybody know who came up with the word BRA for an automobile grille cover? I always thought the sports cars that use them were identified in a masculine way with the gentlemen who drive them. No offense, gents, but it is a well known theory.
Funny that ALTAR and the YMCA song are in the same puzzle. I think most wedding reception DJ's in the last 25 years have featured YMCA and Chicken Dance on their play lists. I think (hope!) The Macarena is now out of wedding fashion.
GAH and I were married at the Lourdes Wedding Chapel and Tax Preparation Center by a JP who spoke practically no English. He was so sweet and apologized for his lack of English skills. I jokingly asked his secretary (our witness) if it was still legal. She said "Yes", so on we went. That was 23 years ago. I still think back very fondly on our funny, seat-of-the-pants wedding.
Hi C.C. and all -
ReplyDeleteAlmost finished it but not quite...refused to G-spot so had to come here. I did enjoy it though, and for a Thursday, I didn't feel too bad about my results.
In reading clue for 4A in thought they meant something in French. The car reference just didn't click in. 53D (M's counterpart) also went over my head..I kept thinking James Bond. sigh.
Crockett (10:26a) LOL on #1 Bra.
Long ago - married by a Justice of the Peace in an old 'heritage' house that was re-done just for weddings...we still drive by it occasionally.
C.C., whenever I hear something about "In The Navy" I think of the
ReplyDeleteDown Periscope versionI used to eat a banana split once a year, but it's been several years since I adhered to that tradition. Perhaps I'll revive it this summer!
I looked at the clue for grille cover and thought, "Nah...it couldn't be. Could it?"
My first wedding was in a church. The second time around a judge came to our home to marry us.
I liked this puzzle, and finished it without googling, but with red letter guidance from the on-line site. As usual, I had very few of the cross answers, and started filling in with the downs. I finished the last half of the puzzle by entering a letter here and there until finally it was done. It felt very strange not to just enter the entire word at the start.
So, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty easy, today was a bit harder....what do they have in store for us tomorrow?!
Have a good day, all.
(feeling my forehead...) Wow...did I get off topic there. Of course, "YMCA" is performed by the same group that sings "In The Navy," and that's the path my mind followed on that last post (I think). Sorry for the left turn.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm here, C.C. I tried tofu on Dear Husband and it was a flop. I'm sure it had to do with my inexperience in cooking with it, but it would have to be something really clever to get it past him again.
I do the puzzle on line and it seems the computer screen was just bleeding as I saw so much red. Isn’t it ironic how different people’s minds process these puzzles? I guess I was in tune with Kazie today. I wish I had been more in tune with Lola! So much for my two day running streak of not using the g-spot. My problems were too numerous to mention so I won’t bore you with them. My favorite clue today was Batman blow-KAPOW!! Kind of fitting.
ReplyDeleteKazie, thank you for the clarification on being a “morel” guy. You might have just spared me asking an embarrassing question as I truly didn’t “get it.”
C.C. I had a car once with a bra and if I remember right you still had to “unhook” it. Also, why wouldn’t you put ginger root in the freezer? Oh, and I’ll take a banana split over tofu anyday.
I have never made it to the altar. Almost got left at one once though.
Thought this was a very good puzzle, until I came here and read CC's answers. It now has more black squares than the original puzzle. Still a very enjoyable xword.
ReplyDeleteWas married 37 years ago by the same JP who had married my oldest sister and her first. Judge had a very bad lisp, which my sis had told us about. When he started to speak we could hardly keep a straight face, remembering what sis had said about her JP.
ClearEyes: Men do refer to their cars as females. Would you rather the bra was referred to as a 'jock strap'?
Weather321, Of course you are right. I was thinking of sports cars as phallic symbols, but men do think of their cars as females as they position themselves in the driver's seat. In that sense, the BRA is just where it needs to be. It is all very sexual and Freudian.
ReplyDeleteThings that make you go Hmmmm. I wonder what it means that all I want in a car is something that is a comfortable fit and gets me where I'm going.
Changing gears (ha, ha)
ReplyDeleteI believe it was KittyB who asked for another poem about kissing. This one by Sara Teasdale is very romantic and is appropriate since we've had a lot of wedding stories today. Maybe someone will want to incorporate it into first or second time, or renewal vows. OR, if anybody is hoping to get lucky, this is a great lead-in. :o)
The KissBefore you kissed me only winds of heaven
Had kissed me, and the tenderness of rain -
Now you have come, how can I care for kisses
Like theirs again?
I sought the sea, she sent her winds to meet me,
They surged about me singing of the south -
I turned my head away to keep still holy
Your kiss upon my mouth.
And swift sweet rains of shining April weather
Found not my lips where living kisses are;
I bowed my head lest they put out my glory
As rain puts out a star.
I am my love's and he is mine forever,
Sealed with a seal and safe forevermore -
Think you that I could let a beggar enter
Where a king stood before?
- Sara Teasdale
My theory is little men drive big or macho cars as a defense mechanism.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes,
Did you need a lot of paperwork for your Lourdes wedding? I've heard it's very complicated for foreigners in France.
Kazie, LOL, Sorry, I should have explained a little further. I totally forgot about Lourdes in France. The Lourdes Wedding Chapel and Tax Preparation Center was in downtown Oxnard, California. The JP spoke Spanish.
ReplyDeleteAl,
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! I have never heard of "Spank the Monkey" before.
Kazie,
Re: MLLE. So MME is also the counterpart of M, right? I was confused this morning. I guess I don't understand the exact meaning of "counterpart". To me, "French counterpart of SRTA" counterpart sounds right for MLLE.
KQ,
I am a very visual person. Banana Split does not look pretty and it does not taste that good either.
Crockett,
I actually tried "Speculate' first. Your first BRA is very pretty and I've added to my original entry. The second one is "More doily-like"!
@ Crockett 10:26, I love my Mini, but I like your second bra picture better.
ReplyDelete@tarrajo (from yesterday): I was the executive chef of a 13,000 member beach/country club and of numerous other French bistro's and restaurants. I was also the executive sous chef of The Naples Grande Resort and Laplaya Beach Resort
ReplyDeleteLinda,
ReplyDeleteVery moving story. Thanks for sharing. Is your aunt still alive?
KittyB,
TOFU is not everybody's cup of tea. Chinese & Japanese actually eat more fermented soy products than TOFU. We don't eat TOFU burger or TOFU cheese either.
Tarrajo,
I hardly eat any frozen veggie. Always fresh. Ginger tastes differently when frozen.
Dennis,
The Korean war was over when you were there in the 1960s. How could you see the fearless ROK fighters?
CC I was marred for the second time in front of a JP. That was 12 years ago and it feels much better than the first church wedding.
ReplyDeleteXchefwalt, I guess I should have read your profile before I asked that question. You have a very impressive resume. But my God, 1000 for breakfast? You had to have had at least one sous chef to chop those taters. Why aren’t you cooking anymore? I still love my Wusthofs, what are your knives of choice?
ReplyDeleteClearayes what an odd name combination re: Lourdes Wedding Chapel and Tax Preparation Center. Either way you can get scre…
C.C. “spank the monkey” this site really makes me laugh. Please tell me you didn’t google it.
C. C. said @1:48 PM
ReplyDeleteDennis, the Korean war was over when you were there in the 1960s. How could you see the fearless ROK fighters?Argyle for Dennis: Because the ROK Marines were in Vietnam. There were branches of military from various countries involved in the fighting.
11:44 today. This was one scrumptious puzzle--I ATE it up. Just think how bored we'd all be with the old TMS "quote Thursday". This is much more delicious and fun.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite was "titillate" from Y. A. TITTLE. When I was a boy the only NFL games we got on Sunday were those of the San Francisco 49ers, so Y.A. was a favorite of mine.
c.c.: 6D: Union station?: ALTAR. " Train stop?" would work on this answer too. I got married in a judge's room though. You?My wife (of 39 years) and I got married in an old, historic church (Portland locals may recognize the Old Scotch Church). As you can tell from the link, it's quite a picturesque place.
Our wedding day was the hottest day of 1969, as it turned out, and the entire wedding party was drooping by the end of the ceremony. Can't you just picture a bunch of bridesmaids and groomsmen all gussied up and covered with sweat? Whew! (And I just watched Body Heat last night, lol.)
At least the reception was held in an air-conditioned space.
Dennis, I really want to hear about the ride in the Apache!
ReplyDeleteAbout tofu...........If you ever dine on my cooking you will never find any of that mealy, tasteless crap on the plate. If I'm going to the trouble of chopping veggies and stir frying, stewing, grilling, steaming or any other method of food preparation, there will be meat accompanying it or nothing at all. Sorry, I can't stand that stuff. Reminds me, I'm grilling tonight!!
We were married thirteen years ago at my families camp about an hour from here. You have to take a boat to get to it and while I was waiting for her friend (sort of a preacher) at the end of the pond a huge thunderstorm passed over. That was my chance but we waited it out. We got down the lake and did the deed. Both sets of parents were there. My best friend stood up for me and her sister for her. The preacher's girl friend held my oldest son who was six months old at the time. The sun had come out evaporating the moisture on the ground which caused a haze to float in the air. Quite pretty! It still works for us but boy, one of the toughest endeavors I've taken on!
Broke a spoke on my bike today. I had my first decent crash in a number of years and fortunately managed without even any road rash. Its not the speed that hurts, its the sudden stops. I'll bet I'll be eating Advill tomorrow and riding on Saturday!
Its all good!
Loved this puzzle. Amazing thematic density. Even after I caught on to the theme, I missed that Tittle and Foley fit. It took me hours to remember those names. I remember watching on TV when Y.A would throw the alley-oop pass to a high jumping receiver to beat the Lions every time they traveled to Kezar Stadium.
ReplyDeleteAsked the Lovely Wife who the speaker before Gingrich was. She said, "The guy with the Foley ears." We could both picture him. Both of our mothers were Foleys before they got married, so we made this family connection. But I couldn't get his name without a lot of the perps. (More forehead prints on the desk.) Eventually made it through, with no g-spotting (now that I've caught on to the vernacular) and none of my typical deep stoopid mistakes.
Love Tolkien, hate tofu.
Got married in the judge's chambers. The hall was full of miscreants and plaintiffs making last minute settlements. "Gimme a hunnerd bucks, and we'll fergitt the whole thing." As a prelude, it was a bit creepy, but we lived happily ever after.
@tarrajo: cooking is a young man's game, and I am no longer young. I put my family and body through 16 hour days and 6 day weeks for 20+ years and both body and family told me it was time to quit.
ReplyDeleteI own mostly Wustof's and Berghoff's (I dislike JA Henkiels), one Hoffritz (those from the Northeast will remember that brand) and my favorite is a Chicago Cutlery white bone handled 6" meat cleaver that I use as my all purpose (french) knife.
One last thing- CAPE CORAL is about 30 minutes from me and is the foreclosure captial of the country. During the real estate boom, lots of people bought there, paid inflated prices and tried to 'flip' the houses. Most got caught holding loans that were twice the real value of the home.
ReplyDeleteHi C.C. & gang, Today's puzzle was a little harder for me and my wife. I finished the obvious parts before she woke up and then she helped complete most of it except for Y.A. Tittle -- I recognized that name but couldn't remember if it was Tuttle or Tittle. I found it easily on Google.
ReplyDeleteC.C., Here's a link to some Google logos
How they do this was written up in the Mercury News awhile back. Every 'special' logo that they come up with for special days is clickable so you can figure out what it means if you're curious or in the know...
;-)
Oh and I forgot to mention that Cape Coral was easy for me because I own a double lot down there that I inherited from my Father.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to sell it but the FL (and most everywhere else too) real estate market is really dead right now.
c.c.,
ReplyDeleteI think that M. equivalent clue was badly cued. Your suggested example of Mlle and Srta being counterparts is right. Mlle or Mme could be opposites of M., but I don't think of them as counterparts. Incidentally, M. is the only one with a period after it, because the end of the word is left off--the other two have the end of the word in the abbreviations.
Clear Ayes,
Re Lourdes, I suspected it may be a different one because of the casual nature of the event as you described it (your "seat-of-the-pants wedding"). But I thought you'd get a laugh out of the comment anyway.
I guess I weigh in with the rest of you, that knives are simpler and easier to use and wash than food processors, except for pesto, and anything else you want reduced to mush.
Good Afternoon C.C. and Co.,
ReplyDeleteC.C.,
I must admit that I did not notice that the dates in the upper left corner of that picture are listed as being BAM dates. I seems very likely that they are named after that ancient Persian city. Don't you think?
I only glanced quickly at your date picture. From it, I gathered that there are defined categories of wet and dry dates. While I knew that some dates were drier than others, I did not know it was by design.
A few years back a friend of mine who has worked in oil producing nations for years (Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dabi, etc.) brought me a box of dates from somewhere in the U.A.E. While I thanked him profusely, truthfully I was a bit underwhelmed by the dates themselves because they were so dry and not nearly as pleasant as the wonderful Medjool dates from California, which I was accustomed to buying.
Apparently, "Spanking the monkey!" has already been covered. If you have any further questions regarding that, see Fred ;)
CC: Aunt still living...widowed (my mother`s brother)...one son (that`s why "nisei" was easy for me in xw`s).
ReplyDeleteIt`s his wife who is a high "mucky-muck" at NASA and he`s coin Guru for the southeast US. She`s a great comfort and help to my Mom because she still drives and my Mom never has. She can still make the best tempura and fried rice I`ve ever eaten. Recently sold her rental property and wants to return to Okinawa next summer...I may go with her.
CC, you could probably tell stories just as moving...why don`t you write a book?
The Oxnard-Ventura area of southern California has a very large Hispanic population. There are some areas where very little English is spoken. Our "wedding venue" was located on the edge of the La Colonia neighborhood. Although there has been some gang violence in the area (sadly, what city doesn't have that nowadays), Oxnard is a culturally rich city that has some of the greatest climate and beaches around. Why did we leave? It was time to have an adventure.
ReplyDeleteTarrajo, As I recall the Loudres Chapel, etc. also housed a travel agency. (Perhaps to make a quick getaway if the taxes or wedding didn't go so well??)
Xchefwalt and Warren, Our nearby city, Stockton CA was the "foreclosure capital of the U.S.". If Cape Coral has overtaken poor old Stockton, it must be in very sad shape indeed.
That's all for me today. Have a nice evening everyone.
@C.C. Haven't been to Brussels or Paris, but I saw a lot of outrageously expensive shops in Munich and Vienna, just none by that name.
ReplyDelete@dick That's the image of Y.A. TITTLE that comes to my mind.
Don`t know who asked about weddings but...mine was a traditional ceremony (and if we both live until 2011...I`m eschewing the Golden stuff and having the lavender, pink and white I had at our wedding...) but what happened the next day was NOT! We had a set of parents from a thousand miles away and an aunt and uncle from across the state...so...my new husband insisted that I return to the church that I had just been married in the night before and sing in our trio ,"So my folks can hear you." In the `60`s...that was quite embarrassing!
ReplyDeleteHe has since wisened up considerably (with a little help!)
"See" ya`ll tomorrow.
Hi, I was married in a little country church in St Louis, Oregon. Just a wide spot in the road. It was 6/6/1967 and I told him it was good for 50 years and we could renegotiate the contract. He made it to 3 weeks short of 37 years before his illness took him. God laughs when we plan our lives. The church is still there, the 2 nd oldest Cahtolic Church in Oregon a sweet liitle wooden building that has been restored. One of my daughters was also married there and I still belong to the parish. Good Memories.
ReplyDeleteCrockett,
ReplyDelete#2 is great!
CC,
Be careful using the term "Spank the monkey" It's slang meaning in British slang, If you are feeling quiggly why not give yourself a J Arthur?
British rhyming slang for Wanking.
ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF!
xchefwalt - Are you saying that CAPE CORAL is the foreclosure of capital of the world right now? I wouldn't doubt it. My brother just sold his big home for a song - about half what it cost to build. It wasn't foreclosed on but he just couldn't afford it as his business supports the manufacturing industries. He has lived there about 10 years, and has moved at least 5 times, each time because he made so much money on his existing home. We knew he would get bitten at some point.
ReplyDeleteMy other brother got married on Ft. Myers Beach (his third time). It was late February and sounded like a good idea, but it was 95 and windy (unusual for that time of year). Their limo going out had no air conditioning and if anyone has been there, the ride over the bridge is about an hour long because of traffic. I would not have wanted to be the bride in that sticky sandy weather. I hated going to the rehearsal - I just wanted to go home and take a shower.
Good evening CC and all,
ReplyDeleteWaited too long to write last night and needed sleep.I loved the puzzle and thought it was easier than Tues.Like Argyle, I only use a blender (or knife). I'm not fond of any equipment with multiple parts that can break.
I'm loving EVERYONE's posts. Each one is fun, but geez,it takes forever if you get a late start.
Geri, I'll root for Vancouver now...sigh.
Today's puzzle on 1st glance looked too difficult for the small amt of time I had. Kids are doing Star Testing so the schedule is screwy.
Favorite clues: union station and bridge call. Forty years ago we got married along with our best friends (different months, different churches) and so we are celebrating with them next week in Hawaii.
Jazzbumps, science fair sounded like fun.
CA, temari looks so interesting; can't wait to see a finished product. I am amazed that your little town has so much adult ed opportunities.
OK, I didn't know what tweakers were either.
CC, all of my grandma's doilies had lace.
Oh, I think Tofu is disgusting, but I could be fooled too, thinking it was eggs, rubbery ones.
7:00 here/9:00 there
ReplyDeleteEmbien- 1969- 40yrs too!!:-)
The priest who married us had dated my older sister in high school. Later he left the priesthood, and dated my sister again.Very odd, but he said we're really married.
CC, the Etruscan culture was older and far more advanced than the Romans. They were great artists, builders, sailors and traders who learned from the Greeks. They gained control of Rome and ruled with the aristocrats. They changed the alphabet from the early Greek form. They were ahead of their time. They drained low marshy areas so they could build neighborhoods in a rectangular grid, like ours and built sewers. They taught the Romans how to pave with cobblestones.
You probably have had enough.LOL
tobylee, of all the wedding stories today, yours touched my heart and soul. I can only hope I find such a happy union someday. I am sure he is there in your dreams...just a thought.
ReplyDeletexchefwalt...sorry to hear you aren't in the position to cook anymore as I bet you were and ARE an excellent chef. I admire you for first giving it up for your family. I am guessing your boys are involved in hockey/and or roller hockey. Yes? Being a single mom I find it hard to juggle my kid's interests. One...hockey. Unfortunately, hockey up here is very time consuming and costly. I have neither the time or the money. Thus I try to steer him to baseball or football. He has skates and I do try to find a local rink for him to skate around on. He is just eight yrs old and does really well. I just can't afford the sport. Sad really, as it is his passion.
Thanks JD.
ReplyDeleteWe won, but, not easily.
I was worried about those young kids from Chicago, they gave us a good run.
Sorry about your Sharks, I was thinking of you.
Vancouver is hockey crazy, the streets are full of fans right about now.
I found this c/w easier than the Provience today.
Best to all,
Geri
Good xword today. I would have been here sooner, but I didn't get a chance to work it today until this evening.
ReplyDeleteAl: thanks for decoding those cryptics I posted yesterday. I hadn't noticed the "articles" connection in avian earlier, so thanks for that insight too. I thought the roman numeral twist on that one quite inventive, didn't you?
I have a bit more to say on "N" as an abbreviation for "New": Think of NY, NZ, NT (New York, New Zealand, & New Testament). "N" as an abbreviation for "New" may not appear as an entry in a dictionary of standard abbreviations, but we certainly use it often enough in exactly that sense.
I think in this case the editors were simply giving us the word they wanted abbreviated, just as they had done in the clues whose solutions included abbreviations for Small, Silver, and Georgia.
On to my answers for today's cryptics:
1) Quick to knock with identification (5)
RAPID: Rap (to knock) + ID (identification) > Rapid (with combines the two to produce a word meaning Quick. I enjoyed this cryptic clue.
2) Lost out a great deal (4)
LOTS: I'm less sure of my answer to this one, but I believe the out here is suggesting a reordering of letters. Lots is an anagram for lost. It also can mean great in number. I'm not quite sure how the "deal" fits in to the clue. Maybe it refers to how auction items might be sold in lots?
Best,
anon-hp
http://www.nndb.com/people/266/000025191/susan-dey-sm.jpg
ReplyDeleteSusan Dey from her La Law days. I always liked this girl.....
http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/TV/2005/photos/la%20law/abby.jpg
Michelle Greene
THE MONKEYS DEAD THE SHOWS OVER SUE YA!