Theme: EY Drops
18A: One shivering atop Mount Arafat?: COLD TURK(ey)
19A: Tool in a Belfast bakery?: IRISH WHISK(ey)
33A: Desperate farmer's transaction?: FIELD HOCK(ey)
49A: Abbey resident in a rock 'n-roll musical?: GREASE MONK(ey)
53A: Serious Frisbee thrower?: DISC JOCK(ey)
Mount Arafat, where Noah's Ark landed, is in Turkey. I love the image IRISH WHISK evokes. Not familiar with the "pawn" meaning of HOCK. "Grease" is on my Netflix queue now. DISC JOCK tipped me off the theme. It was actually my first complete theme fill.
This grid has only 32 blocks & 70 words. Such a themeless clean look. So open in all the four corners. Dan Naddor mentioned that he always shoots for at least 20 entries of 6 letters or more in his puzzles. And in this grid, he has 21 alone in Across entries. And another 18 6-letter entries in the Down fills. So, total 39. Yesterday's puzzle, on the other hand, has lots lots of 4-letter entries (37 blocks & 78 words).
Several clever clues:
23A: Follower of Christ?: IAN. Christian. Nice change from IAN Fleming or IAN McKellen.
32A: The Boss's address?: E STREET. Bruce Springsteen's The E STREET Band. His nickname is "The Boss".
55D: Mo. named for the Roman god of doorways: JAN. Janus, the god who has 2 heads facing opposite direction. Very refreshing fill.
I had my normal Friday struggle. But I filled in lots of blanks and exceeded my expectation. So I am happy.
Across:
1A: ABCs: BASICS. Can't believe the first entry is so simple.
7A: Banter: REPARTEE
15A: Depth charge, slangily: ASHCAN. I did not know the meaning of "Depth charge". Is it somehow related to the ASHCAN school?
16A: Magnetite et al.: IRON ORES
17A: __ dream: optimist's philosophy: DARE TO. I was thinking of Cassandra's Dream.
21A: Vous, in Weimar.: SIE. No idea. I don't speak German. It's the formal "you". The informal one is Du (tu in French), How come there is no SIE or Du in "Ich liebe dich"?
22A: Pester for payment: DUN. Learned this word from my brother. He also calls potato "murphy".
26A: Polished: ELEGANT. I was thinking of a past tense verb.
31A: Houston team affiliated with the NHL's Minnesota Wild: AEROS. Have vaguely heard of this hockey team. Was unaware of the Wild connection though.
36A: Distant: FARAWAY
38A: Catcher with a pot: EELER. Ha ha, gimme. Dan Naddor clued EELS as "Fish caught in a pot" in his "Put a Lid on It" Sunday puzzle. But LAT website wrongly uploaded Merl Reagle's "TV shows I'd Like" that weekend.
42A: Actress Francis and others: ARLENES. Often clued as "Francis and Dahl".
43A: Military exercise: WAR GAME
45A: Sees: DATES. Oh, romantically. I thought of ESPY first.
48A: "Here __ Again" (Whitesnake #1 hit): I GO. All I remember about this video is Tawny Kitae. She was married to Chuck Finley for a few years.
57A: Dinner alternative: A LA CARTE. First time I saw a full A LA CARTE in a grid.
58A: Blush: REDDEN
59A: Allure: SEXINESS. Love the clue and the answer.
60A: Covers with crumbs: BREADS. These croquette are mouthwatering.
Down:
1D: "I wouldn't": BAD IDEA. Did not get it immedately.
2D: By and large: AS A RULE
3D: Red fez wearer: SHRINER. Why "red"? The guy on the right is wearing a black fez.
5D: Like the pope: Abbr.: CATH
6D: Strand at the chalet: SNOW IN
7D: Toxin found in castor beans: RICIN. I remember the castor oil plants my grandma had. Can't remember what she used the seeds for.
8D: Cupid's counterpart: EROS. Cupid's Greek counterpart, to be exact.
9D: President between Tyler and Taylor: POLK. His middle name is KNOX, which often appears in our crossword.
11D: Falderal: ROT. I did not know the meaning of "falderal".
12D: Bankruptcy court appointee: TRUSTEE. Love the clue, esp given the current economic situation. Aren't you curious about whom Bernie Madoff was trying to protect by being silent? Who is behind him?
14D: Glacial ridges: ESKERS. New word to me. Dictionary defines it as "a serpentine ridge of gravelly and sandy drift, believed to have been formed by streams under or in glacial ice." I think I will connect ESKER with ASKER.
20D: Monopoly token: HAT. No idea. I actually played Monopoly once. Don't remember the token HAT though.
24D: "Moon River" lyricist: MERCER (Johnny). Got his name from Across fills. Do you like "Breakfast at Tiffany's"?
25D: Pub container: ALE KEG
27D: Get off: GO FREE. Oh, not the DF slangy "Get off".
29D: Show to a seat, slangily: USH. If you say so.
30D: Pou __: vantage point: STO. Absolutely no idea. Dictionary says it's Greek for "where I may stand". And it's from the reputed saying of Archimedes, "Give me where I may stand and I will move the whole world with my steelyard." A place to stand upon; a locus standi; hence, a foundation or basis for operations.
32D: Big name in ice cream: EDY. Not EDY'S??
34D: Ram's ma'am: EWE. Lovely clue.
35D: Much of "Deck the Halls": LAS. The fa-la-la refrain. I drew a blank.
36D: Like some egos: FRAGILE. Thought of BLOATED, which has 7 letters also.
37D: Glazunov wrote a 1934 concerto for one: ALTO SAX. No idea. Have never heard of "Saxophone Concerto", Alexander Glazunov's last major work. He died soon after the premiere.
39D: The Dodgers retired his #2 in 1997: LASORDA. Tommy LASORDA is super-friendly in signing autographs. Somehow I thought #2 is Duke Snider, whose #4 jersey was retired by the Dodgers in 1980. I was way off.
41D: Figures: RECKONS
43D: "We Are Marshall" setting: Abbr.: W. VA. I confused "We Are Marshall" with Tommy "U.S. Marshals".
44D: Condense on a surface: ADSORB. Only knew ABSORB
46D: Rink fakes: DEKES. Learned this term from doing Xword.
49D: Bush battler: GORE (Al). Have you seen Kevin Spacey's "Recount"? Very fascinating to me, as I was not here when Bush battled GORE.
50D: IRS auditor's requests: RCTS. I am used to RCPT.
52D: Ancient Persian: MEDE. The area they lived in called Media/Medea.
54D: LXVII thrice: CCI. Roman 201.
Answer grid.
C.C.
18A: One shivering atop Mount Arafat?: COLD TURK(ey)
19A: Tool in a Belfast bakery?: IRISH WHISK(ey)
33A: Desperate farmer's transaction?: FIELD HOCK(ey)
49A: Abbey resident in a rock 'n-roll musical?: GREASE MONK(ey)
53A: Serious Frisbee thrower?: DISC JOCK(ey)
Mount Arafat, where Noah's Ark landed, is in Turkey. I love the image IRISH WHISK evokes. Not familiar with the "pawn" meaning of HOCK. "Grease" is on my Netflix queue now. DISC JOCK tipped me off the theme. It was actually my first complete theme fill.
This grid has only 32 blocks & 70 words. Such a themeless clean look. So open in all the four corners. Dan Naddor mentioned that he always shoots for at least 20 entries of 6 letters or more in his puzzles. And in this grid, he has 21 alone in Across entries. And another 18 6-letter entries in the Down fills. So, total 39. Yesterday's puzzle, on the other hand, has lots lots of 4-letter entries (37 blocks & 78 words).
Several clever clues:
23A: Follower of Christ?: IAN. Christian. Nice change from IAN Fleming or IAN McKellen.
32A: The Boss's address?: E STREET. Bruce Springsteen's The E STREET Band. His nickname is "The Boss".
55D: Mo. named for the Roman god of doorways: JAN. Janus, the god who has 2 heads facing opposite direction. Very refreshing fill.
I had my normal Friday struggle. But I filled in lots of blanks and exceeded my expectation. So I am happy.
Across:
1A: ABCs: BASICS. Can't believe the first entry is so simple.
7A: Banter: REPARTEE
15A: Depth charge, slangily: ASHCAN. I did not know the meaning of "Depth charge". Is it somehow related to the ASHCAN school?
16A: Magnetite et al.: IRON ORES
17A: __ dream: optimist's philosophy: DARE TO. I was thinking of Cassandra's Dream.
21A: Vous, in Weimar.: SIE. No idea. I don't speak German. It's the formal "you". The informal one is Du (tu in French), How come there is no SIE or Du in "Ich liebe dich"?
22A: Pester for payment: DUN. Learned this word from my brother. He also calls potato "murphy".
26A: Polished: ELEGANT. I was thinking of a past tense verb.
31A: Houston team affiliated with the NHL's Minnesota Wild: AEROS. Have vaguely heard of this hockey team. Was unaware of the Wild connection though.
36A: Distant: FARAWAY
38A: Catcher with a pot: EELER. Ha ha, gimme. Dan Naddor clued EELS as "Fish caught in a pot" in his "Put a Lid on It" Sunday puzzle. But LAT website wrongly uploaded Merl Reagle's "TV shows I'd Like" that weekend.
42A: Actress Francis and others: ARLENES. Often clued as "Francis and Dahl".
43A: Military exercise: WAR GAME
45A: Sees: DATES. Oh, romantically. I thought of ESPY first.
48A: "Here __ Again" (Whitesnake #1 hit): I GO. All I remember about this video is Tawny Kitae. She was married to Chuck Finley for a few years.
57A: Dinner alternative: A LA CARTE. First time I saw a full A LA CARTE in a grid.
58A: Blush: REDDEN
59A: Allure: SEXINESS. Love the clue and the answer.
60A: Covers with crumbs: BREADS. These croquette are mouthwatering.
Down:
1D: "I wouldn't": BAD IDEA. Did not get it immedately.
2D: By and large: AS A RULE
3D: Red fez wearer: SHRINER. Why "red"? The guy on the right is wearing a black fez.
5D: Like the pope: Abbr.: CATH
6D: Strand at the chalet: SNOW IN
7D: Toxin found in castor beans: RICIN. I remember the castor oil plants my grandma had. Can't remember what she used the seeds for.
8D: Cupid's counterpart: EROS. Cupid's Greek counterpart, to be exact.
9D: President between Tyler and Taylor: POLK. His middle name is KNOX, which often appears in our crossword.
11D: Falderal: ROT. I did not know the meaning of "falderal".
12D: Bankruptcy court appointee: TRUSTEE. Love the clue, esp given the current economic situation. Aren't you curious about whom Bernie Madoff was trying to protect by being silent? Who is behind him?
14D: Glacial ridges: ESKERS. New word to me. Dictionary defines it as "a serpentine ridge of gravelly and sandy drift, believed to have been formed by streams under or in glacial ice." I think I will connect ESKER with ASKER.
20D: Monopoly token: HAT. No idea. I actually played Monopoly once. Don't remember the token HAT though.
24D: "Moon River" lyricist: MERCER (Johnny). Got his name from Across fills. Do you like "Breakfast at Tiffany's"?
25D: Pub container: ALE KEG
27D: Get off: GO FREE. Oh, not the DF slangy "Get off".
29D: Show to a seat, slangily: USH. If you say so.
30D: Pou __: vantage point: STO. Absolutely no idea. Dictionary says it's Greek for "where I may stand". And it's from the reputed saying of Archimedes, "Give me where I may stand and I will move the whole world with my steelyard." A place to stand upon; a locus standi; hence, a foundation or basis for operations.
32D: Big name in ice cream: EDY. Not EDY'S??
34D: Ram's ma'am: EWE. Lovely clue.
35D: Much of "Deck the Halls": LAS. The fa-la-la refrain. I drew a blank.
36D: Like some egos: FRAGILE. Thought of BLOATED, which has 7 letters also.
37D: Glazunov wrote a 1934 concerto for one: ALTO SAX. No idea. Have never heard of "Saxophone Concerto", Alexander Glazunov's last major work. He died soon after the premiere.
39D: The Dodgers retired his #2 in 1997: LASORDA. Tommy LASORDA is super-friendly in signing autographs. Somehow I thought #2 is Duke Snider, whose #4 jersey was retired by the Dodgers in 1980. I was way off.
41D: Figures: RECKONS
43D: "We Are Marshall" setting: Abbr.: W. VA. I confused "We Are Marshall" with Tommy "U.S. Marshals".
44D: Condense on a surface: ADSORB. Only knew ABSORB
46D: Rink fakes: DEKES. Learned this term from doing Xword.
49D: Bush battler: GORE (Al). Have you seen Kevin Spacey's "Recount"? Very fascinating to me, as I was not here when Bush battled GORE.
50D: IRS auditor's requests: RCTS. I am used to RCPT.
52D: Ancient Persian: MEDE. The area they lived in called Media/Medea.
54D: LXVII thrice: CCI. Roman 201.
Answer grid.
C.C.
73 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - well, certainly easy to tell it's a Friday. And I suspect that's the only time you'll see the word 'easy' on here today.
I made it through, but it was a struggle. The theme (a good one) became apparent very quickly, which certainly helped. Couple points: I never, ever heard 'ush' as even slang for 'usher'; we seem to see 'gimme a sec' pretty frequently, and I had no idea 'adsorb' was a word, but realized that there was no such thing as a 'DVB'. I loved 'The Boss's address' as a clue.
Today is International Tuba Day, Military Spouses Day, No Socks Day, V-E Day, and World Red Cross Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table." -- Rodney Dangerfield
And some very unusual Fun Facts:
- In 2003, the first naked flight carried 87 passengers from Miami, Florida to Cancun Mexico.
- A serbian tie maker is planning to launch a new range of penis cravats 'for the man who has everything.'
Dennis,
I faintly remember Dr. Dad once tried to explain ADSORB to us when it appeared in our old puzzle.
Good morning C.C. and all,...a real struggle today, but I managed to get most of it without help. Some of the answers were so simple I overlooked the obvious, IE basics 1A, bad idea 1D and ala carte 57A.
I missed the theme altogether until I saw CC's solution and then the DUH moment.
BTW Dennis I was on that 2003 flight out of Miami and I might say it was a great flight on which to hang out.
Off to the Friday league as the weather looks OK.
Hope you all have a great Friday.
Good Morning,
This was the typical Friday struggle for me. Went on line rather quickly. My biggest hangup was in the NE corner when I first had Starts for Basics and Wins for Ices. Yesterday's was enjoyable which I can't say the same for today's.
Dad and I are off to camp today to put the dock in and launch his boat. Great excuse to skip out of work early.
As to the flying FF........
I've often wondered what weightless sex would be like. Never mind, I need something to eat.
Have a good weekend!
Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms!
Good morning:
Depth charges are used to combat submarines. You roll them off your ship and they explode deeper in the water.
USH is total garbage.
Some very nice clues both for the theme and I too thought E STREET was very clever, and IAN was just tricky enough.
In Latin AD and AB are common opposite prefixes.
I learned about FEZ and SHRINER's watching them march during the ROSE BOWL parade.
Another day in paradise....
BTW Dennis I was on that 2003 flight out of Miami and I might say it was a great flight on which to hang out.Dick, that's great! What was that like? Were these people that, uh, should be nude, or should be clothed? Male/female ratio?
Lois, can you imagine Dick hanging out on that flight?
@xchefwalt - Hang in there Bud. The Good Lord won't lead you to it, if He won't lead you through it. New opportunities abound.
You are in my prayers.
Crockett,
My doubt was meant to fun. Unfortunately I did not carry it out well. I apologize.
Kazie,
Great post @10:51pm last night. Very thoughtfully put and very inspiring.
Lemonade,
Again, why "red" in the SHRINER clue?
CC, in the picture of the Shriner's hats the one on the right is not black, but a dark red or maroon.
Morning all,
I tried to keep an open mind today as I started the Friday puzzle. Since Thursday’s puzzles are my favorite and Friday’s are rated the same, I should be able to conquer today’s puzzle also. Didn’t happen. Dan Naddor is not my new best friend!! Just can’t seem to get the flow of his puzzles. There are very few words in the puzzle that I didn’t know, just can’t seem to work with his cluing. I shall overcome you, Dan, just will take me awhile longer.
Got a lot more painting done yesterday and still could raise my glass at our Wine and Dine night out. Don’t know if others do this but we have a group of people that take turns hosting the wine and cheese at their house; then we all go out to eat together. We do this once a month and it works out great. Last night we had 19 people and sometimes we only have 6 people but always fun. Good way to see neighbors and friends that you might not see during a long, cold winter. Now I’m off to “dare to dream” of overcoming Dan Naddor.
Have a good day all.
Kazie, just to second what C.C. said, that was a great post last night. I've always thought that the good times are as good as they are because of the bad times we endure. I also believe a positive attitude can make all the difference in the world, no matter what the situation. That's why there's no doubt Walt will overcome this temporary setback.
Thank you, C.C., for expanding my knowledge. I knew depth charges were known as ash cans, due to their shape(the ones older than the one you pictured), but I was unfamiliar with the Ashcan school of paintings.
I had a brain fart in the NE. I saw the Irish whisk(ey) answer and so I put in Cold Duck as the shivering one and then wouldn't let go of it even though the perps were screaming at me to drop it. Oh, but I do like Cold Duck so....
SW; I had reasons for reckons and then hit the wrong app to check my letters, so that messed me up, too, but it still was an enjoyable puzzle.
CC, Theme: KEY words
Well, it took two of us but we had no "G" spots and finished in less than an hour. USH? Of course it's a word! After all what do USHERS do? They USH! That's been a question asked and answered at many a wedding.
ADSORB. I vaguely remember it explained earlier but that didn't help.
All the other answers actually make sense when they are revealed but they were hard to realize up front.Had no idea what "WE ARE MARSHALL" was/is but WVA fit so we used it!!
CASTOR beane!??? Who knew? No wonder castor oil was so d*** crappy!
Well, it is Friday and the puzzle is done, so, what else is there?
Oh! Camper loading! Almost done.
2 and a wakeup!!!
CY'All later
Hello again, CC,
I have been a little tardy in answering your movie question a few days ago. I watch almost no television. Although I have one, it has not been turned on for weeks. The last thing I watched was the NCAA finals. I we about 20 hours of TV a year, and this has been the case since 1973. This practice extends to movies as well. I have in the last several years seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy and few other films. There is a theater in Lexington that has a summer "classic movie" attraction that I attend a couple of times a year. The one film I never tire of watching is "Thunder Road" with Robert Mitchum and Keeley Smith. Guess I'm just a damn hillbilly, but Hollywood fantasy is not nearly as interesting as everyday life. Speaking of reality, it really is often true that "you can't make this s--t up".
While I'm here (not currently having access to the puzzle makes me feel very much the outsider if not an intruder), may I make a comment about several recent comments?
Can we just stop blaming god for everything? I too wish Walt well, and everything I have read from him tells me he is a guy who will land on his feet. But every damn misfortune that occurs in life is not part of gods plan for your life. The Greeks, whose religion we now deride as "mythology", very often saw the behavior of their gods as capricious and on occasion malicious. If your house is level by a tornado but your next door neighbor's is untouched, is that an intentional act of god (to use the insurance company term), perhaps because he thought a period of homelessness would build your character?
It's my personal belief that the Universe is totally indifferent to our existence, but I for the most part respect the beliefs of others. But it grates on my nerves to hear that someone has lost their job or endured some other misfortune as part of gods plan for their life. If that is in any way true, then we are all pawns on a cosmic chessboard.
No Offense meant to anyones' feelings, and good luck to you Walt.
CC:
If this comment violates any of your rules, I will take no offense if it is deleted, with or without comment. It doesn't have much to do with the puzzle.
BTW, even though I am currently doing only NYT and DC puzzles, I read your puzzle notes every day.
Thank you c.c. and Dennis for noting my late post last night. I wonder if Windhover is on the same track?
The speaker I referred to quoted his grandfather as saying "What the hell?" to everything he, the speaker, had happen when growing up, such as getting in trouble at school, doing well in a game, losing a girlfriend, etc. This came after the grandfather had lost three children to various mishaps, a sister, their farm, and being diagnosed with cancer. The point was that you just take the journey that life hands you, no matter if it is good or bad, you deal with it, make the best of it. The lesson is that we all must do this, find a way of coping.
I too wish Walt the best, and he has shown his willingness to deal with his situation, and I'm sure he will.
My puzzle exploits today were miserable. I gave up on paper with 19 correct guesses, and several incorrect partial words. Finally got through online with maximal red help. My fastest way to cheat is to settle on the last letter of a word and go through the keyboard until it hits the black. Sometimes that helps, sometimes not. But it's faster than the other letters because it stays there and you don't have to keep clicking back to that letter. But what would have taken hours at Mr. G. only took 24 minutes that way. But no satisfaction, I feel totally inadequate.
My only claimable success today was actually getting the theme early.
C.C.,
Bearing in mind that when the Shriners were founded, they were an offshoot of a Masonic group, which is an ancient order steeped in secrecy, I can only speculate as to why red, but I can refer you RED FEZ which is what the organization says.
Good morning CC et al., Level of difficulty for me on this one? on a 1-10 scale? 150 ought to do it.
Dennis: let me get this straight between us...it's kind of 'hard' to understand..but let me picture this...we have Dick hanging out on a naked flight of 87 people.
He couldn't have been the only male on the flight but being of the very fine and upstanding morel character that we've 'come' to know about him,I bet he didn't even need a 'stiff' drink to make him stand out from the others What a flight!
Dick: I admire your brass cajones!
Lois, actually, I capitalized the 'D' by accident in my question to you...
CC: Friday was as expected...your theme is clever. I vote for it!
windover:
This is my simple faith;
Things happen in this world because of choices, both ours and others, present and from ancestors. BUT, no matter what...going through it with the comfort of Faith makes it so much easier. I`ve gone through (and am now going through) things I know a good God did not send..but, with Him...I can cope and even see good come from those things. I`ve seen too much provision/comfort over the years to ever doubt that.
See ya`ll Monday.
Lois, I am honored to be such a "stand out" among friends.
Dick: looks like I nailed YOU this time! Turn about's fair play. I have this wonderful feeling of satisfaction now. Ain't it great! Was just wonderin' how bumpy was that ride? Was it simply 'up and down'? long time? And then when it was over, did eveybody get off before they got dressed? That's just nuts! What a ride!
And I thought I was the only ex-nudie in this group! Dick, what a surprise! LOL ;)
The Shriners also provide hospital care to children whose families couldn't otherwise afford it. Much of their funding comes from their circus performances. More than that I don't know, and I'm not sure what their connection to the Masons is. But that group has been much maligned throughout history too. Consider the number of historic figures who have done much good in the world, who were/are members. See the following lists also here
Yep, it’s Friday all right. I only finished it because it was starting to frustrate me. I followed Kazie’s direction and “did it” on line and literally saw “red.” There were some clever clues. My favorite today was “strand at the chalet”- snow in. Been there, done that. Oh, and I learned a new word today…falderal.
My brother and sisters and I used to play monopoly all the time. I was always “the shoe.”
1 day and a wake up…look out big fishies…I changed the line on my reels and sharpened up my lindy rigs last night.
Dennis, you are a fountain of information. So today I am supposed to blow a big horn w/o socks on?
tarrajo, I suspect in time you'll learn not to give me a line like that, which almost made my head explode. For now, I'll just say 'by all means'...
Hi, c.c. and all - first off , don't be fooled by Dennis and Dick, as their D---- and Butts froze off on that Naked flight.
Like Lois, level of difficulty on today's puzzle (impossible). Neighbor came over, and he was no help either, so i came here because i need to get to the gym before the day is over !
Kazie, your moral support comes at the right time and you certainly cheered me up the other nite with your stiletto story.
Linda, you too, thanks.
Luxor, i guess you got more than you wanted to know, but what the hey, it's done.
Can't wait for your profile some day. c'mon do it !
Getting back to the puzzle, Banter is a word I won't soon forget, and 22A. Dun
Can one say, will you stop dunning me ?
IMBO
And Dennis someday you will learn not to give me a line like "almost made your head explode."
Touché.
Calm down, Dennis,
And call back right now and cancel that flight reservation you just made. Also, if that condition lasts more than four hours, call your physician (or Ripley's). Finally, is your 'vette red?
Good morning, everyone. I confidently put MAS for IAN, then had to regroup because of the perps. I got this one with no g spot or red letter help. The question marks on 23A and 32A had me wondering if we had a strange theme pattern today.
I like the theme. Can't think of another one that would work. I also didn't accept BASICS at first because I thought it was too simple. I would imagine someone in the first 22 comments has explained "depth Charge" by now. I think the "dich" is the "du," just in a different form. Why is a potato "murphy?" I think the Shriner on the right has a darker red, or maroon, fez. I doubt that it is really black. I think EDY's is too regional to be a big name, but I might be off-base there. ADSORB? OK, I guess.
@dennis I'll chime in on your new pic -- looks like you were enjoying yourself. Wow, I'm going to the Red Cross to donate platelets on International Red Cross Day -- very nice. Very funny comment @ 6:47!
C.C. Thanks for the apology. I believe that a fez in some shade of red is what the Shriners wear, so the color is needed to point us to the correct group.
@jeanne Love your attitude on the Friday puzzle.
@kazie Yes, that was a great post. When one gets lemons, let's make lemonade!
@argyle It's tough to give up on an answer that you just KNOW is correct, right?
@bill That just might be a better theme. Good thinking. Have a good time at the festival.
@windhover Nice to hear from you. Your comments have been missed.
@tarrajo So what the heck is a lindy rig?
Hi C.C.and group! Difficult puzzle (I was going to say Hard, but Lois has that one covered!)
Never heard of Castor beans...never heard of eskers either.
Shouldn't 50D have had 'abbr' beside the clue?
Would someone be kind enough to explain the answer to 32A? Something to do with Springsteen?
Mr Fun Facts has outdone himself: Cravats??? Talk about a new way to choke the ch----n!! LOL
Lois,Dick and Dennis - great fun for a change...as the saying goes; 'It feels good out, I think I'll leave it out."
@crockett lindy rig
Hi C.C. & ...
It was a typical tricky puzzle today. Clever cluing too. I thought the theme was 'things missing "ey" before coming here.
I never heard of Johnny Mercer singing Moon River.
Here's a another view of the opening scenes of Breakfast at Tiffany's
Carol: reminds me of a joke: a man in a nursing home was walking around crying that his 'member' died. The next day he was walking around all unzipped and exposed. When asked why, he said, my 'member' died yesterday and today is the viewing.
Tarrajo: great job. Not often Dennis gets 'touche'd'
sex, naked, penis, exposed, you are damaging c.c.'s hard-earned reputation.
good morning c.c. and all,
not as much of a struggle as i expected, but not exactly a walk in the park. did not know DUN, or ASHCAN, and overthought BASICS and CATH. theme appeared quickly, which helped. clever BUSH BATTLER/GORE. did not remember a prior discussion about ADSORB, but DVD made it gettable. eel/eeler seems to be a favorite. loved 'thats a moray' yesterday.
thought of (x)chefwalt with both irishWHISK and fieldHOCK, and thought of a few others here, with SEXINESS and REPARTEE.
@carol: as c.c. wrote, bruce springsteen is aka 'the boss,' and his band's name is 'the e street band.' 50D implied an abbreviation with IRS. funny saying.
@c.c. great painting yesterday, thanks for the link.
re: the susan lucci comments yesterday, as a massage therapist i have learned to appreciate bodies in all shapes and conditions. i doubt ms. lucci's intention was to garner anyone's approval, but merely to enjoy a walk on the beach with her husband.
@windhover: my sentiments exactly. nothing would make me an atheist more quickly than believing that suffering is calculated. everyone suffers, some evolve and some don't.
in defense of jazzbumpa, i don't think kvetching about a crossword necessarily implies a pessimist. he wrote other things, too.
Tarrajo:
Hmm, blondes and this blog do tend to get a rise out of Dennis, though I think it is all just pure logic, you blow his horn, and I am sure his head would explode; this is the natural course of events....BTW, it was with black socks on and sandals, as I recall, or perhaps your were referring to your own feet? hmmmm, C.C., I think we need a new handbook.
melissa bee, thanks much for the 32A info, I just missed that in C.C.'s remarks. Also thanks for the explanation on 50D, I should have realized that IRS was the 'abbr'. I will be careful crossing streets today :)
heaven help us we have a bogey at 11:09
Good Morning All, Slow, but pretty steady today...except for Down neighbors EDY, USH and STO. Here in California Edy's is Dreyer's brand. Without Bill's help (and sense of humor) I wouldn't have known that ushers "USH". The next time I go to the theater, I'll have to request that I be "USHed" to my seat. I'll let you know the reaction.
Other problems were ASHCAN, AEROS, ADSORB, MEDE and, I hate to admit GORE. Poor Al, I'm afraid he has taken a very back seat in my mind.
Everything finally came together with the perps, but it was a mostly uphill battle.
Windhover, I'm with you 50% of the way (you know I'm a movie fan!). :o)
BTW, Am I the only one who will admit to googling "penis cravats"? Uncomfortably, when I tried to find out if they could actually be purchased (curiosity only, folks), I was directed to some sites that I definitely wouldn't be at ease in entering. So, it will remain one of those mysteries of life.
Good afternoon, all.
Windhover, just discovered your blog because I wanted to reply via email to your opinions about blaming God for everything. How does one become part of the "team'?
I did badly on today's work, but that is no surprise. Got just a few correct answers. That's why I love to come to this blog. C.C. you are amazing, as people keep telling you.
Quality stuff. Solid theme. Love the fact there's five of 'em with a themeless word count.
To answer the question, Sie is the formal for you, the counterpart to du. Why is it "Ich liebe dich?" German declines articles and pronouns according to grammatical usage. dich is the accusative form (the direct object of a verb) for du. This won't be a novelty for anyone who took any Latin in school.
Hi all...put in SHRINERS, EERIEST, BASICS, MATER, ARLENES and FARAWY right off, then it was downhill from there...grumbled and groaned all over the place. Came here and picked up 2 clues and was able to pretty much finish it. I always feel good that, at least, the stuff I had already filled in was accurate...just too many blank squares staring at me for too long...I WILL master this. I really do think that since the cluing is much more clever that I tend to way over think the answer...even when I started filling things in, the theme just wasn't there for me. As always...C.C. you are awesome...and since it is Friday...I Stolie you...make it a double.
I'm with WH and Melissa B.
Still trying to get past Dennis in black socks, sandals, baggy shorts with a white belt...LOL. BTW, your wife is just lovely.
Jeanne...such a cutey-pie grandson. We are exceedingly fortunate that our granddaughter(and her parents) now live about 10 min away. Lucy and her mom stopped by yesterday and it can just totally bring such joy to open the door and see that little face light up at the sight of grandma...I just smiled for the whole rest of the evening. That one little smile can get you through anything!
OK, What the h*** is going on? However those last 3 posts got there is beyond me. I refreshed the page just now and they appeared, as if by magic!!
Oh, well, since this 5 I'll see ya tomorrow.
(I just looked, and I wasn't even signed in!)
I got caught up with other things yesterday and didn't get back to post this poem. In addition to the MAEVE Binchey fill connection, I thought this poem reflected positively on the many faithful husbands out there. In addition to his poetry, Mervyn Peake was a talented artist portrait of Maeve, illustrator The Ancient Mariner and well-known author. Peake wrote this beautiful love poem for his wife, Maeve Gilmore.
To MaeveYou walk unaware
Of the slender gazelle
That moves as you move
And is one with the limbs
That you have.
You live unaware
Of the faint, the unearthly
Echo of hooves
That within your white streams
Of clear clay that I love
Are in flight as you turn,
As you stand, as you move,
As you sleep, for the slender
Gazelle never rests
In your ivory grove.
- Mervyn Peake
Pretty tough puzzle today. With lots of proper names, it stumped me for awhile. Saw the theme early, but it wasn't any help in solving the rest. This was one of those puzzles where I had to get one letter at a time, get up and walk around and come back to it to suddenly get another word. I think there's a reason they call it "thinking on your feet".
Cryptics today:
A pier was heard to come into view. (6)
Mr. Nicholson on cannabis? It's a big lottery win! (7)
14:27 today. Probably the easiest Friday we've had--right in my wheelhouse (evidently not so much in Dennis').
I didn't much care for USH or RCTS, but I love words like ESKERS and ADSORB (so much more fun than the more commonly-seen ESTERS and ABSORB).
I got the theme almost immediately with COLD TURK(ey) when I started running through the across clues (I solve doing the downs first). Most of it was already there since I filled in the downs EROS, POLK, AND, EERIEST and ESKERS (with no crosses) on my first pass through the downs.
I have no time to blog further, I have to go sit with my dying cat (he's 22 years old).
A pier was heard to come into view. (6) AppearMr. Nicholson on cannabis? It's a big lottery win! (7) Jackpot
Bill,
How about "Escape Key", as EY's are dropped.
Windhover,
I like when you alight here. You've written some very thought-provoking posts. Don't be a stranger who just hovers around. Who/What is Ripley's?
Lemonade & Kazie,
I totally misunderstood SHRINERS. I thought they refer to Muslims who go to their shrines (mosques).
Crockett,
My brother has a Chinese-English dictionary, in which the potato is not called potato but murphy.
C.C. re: Murphy/potatoes...the Dictionary of Slang and Euphemisms says that Murphy is slang for Irish Potatoes and that the plural form, murphies is c. 1900's slang for human breasts...go DF=ers, go.
Embien...so sorry. No matter how long we have our furry friends, they always leave way too soon. Lost our 19 year old cat and 16 year old dog at Christmas. We are down to one 17 year old kittie. We also feed about 3 "visiting" kitties every day and 3 racoons at night.
Jazzbumpa,
Because of my background, my solving experience is quite different from others'. It's fascinating and important for me to read your complaints and understand your points of view.
Brendan,
Hey, what a surprise!
Anonymous @ 12:17,
Oh, I was totally unaware of that. Thanks for shedding the light.
Clear Ayes,
Great poem. What is "ivory grove" though?
Embien,
It saddens me to hear what is happening to your cat.
@Lemonade, that was fast. I'm going to have to start making them tougher...
C.C.
Your brother's dictionary reminds me of this Monty Python Phrasebook Sketch. My hovercraft is full of eels!
Rainbow Bridge For those who have lost a cherished friend
Embien,
Sorry to hear about your cat. Our last one was 18 when he came to his end, and it's hard to lose them after so long.
Melissa Bee,
It was the contrast between Jazzbumpa's griping over the clues and Xchefwalt's virtual silence about his predicament that I was reacting to. I don't believe I called him a pessimist, and you're right, he did say some other positive things too.
I don't like the xw's with too many sports figures, music or literary clues either, but I don't say they shouldn't be in there.
c.c.,
Sorry I missed your question on the German Sie, but anon@ 12:17 gave a good explanation.
WM & Al,
So strange that an official Chinese-English dictionary lists a slangy murphy for potato. I used to have a friend who chose Chinky as her English name. We were totally unaware of the slur meaning.
Hi, C.C. and gang. I am baaaaack! As some of you predicted, my PC crashed last Thursday, and I have been a blind man stumbling around in the desert until today, when I had a new Dell Inspiron 350 installed. Thank the Lord that I did not lose any data.
I and my wife Jean, who is recovering from a bout of depression, have been downloading the LAT puzzle using my church's computer. I am finding that solving the puzzles, or trying to, is excellent therapy for her. Prior to her illness, she was able to zip through the NYTs with no problem, but lost that skill completely for a while.
I have very much missed the blog and look forward to catching up. We have not tried today's edition yet but hope to later.
My best to all.
Windhover, it's someone else on the blog with a 'vette, not I.
embien, my sympathy's with you as you suffer through this - certainly a terribly gut-wrenching thing to have to endure. You're very fortunate, however, to have had 22 years together; that's pretty damn rare.
Be careful what you ask for! Yesterday I said that too many proper names were a problem. Today there were hardly any proper names and the puzzle was a bigger problem. Even though I found this one to be a real head scratcher, it was still a lot of fun to play with.
I went through and filled in a little over half without too much trouble, then uphill battle commenced.
As Dennis and Lemonade mentioned,"Ush" was a total crossword fabrication. I had acts. for rcts. for awhile even though neither of them is right for accounts or receipts. Bill, I'm with you on "We Are Marshall". I never heard of the movie, so even though I had WVA, I didn't know what it meant. I also kept wanting to put Noah up on Mt. Ararat , but I couldn't figure out how.
The Roman numeral math is becoming easier to do. I didn't have to look up any of the numbers to do the problem correctly. Yeah!! Is "Pou sto." a common phrase? Never mind, I won't remember it next time anyway.
Here comes the sun. See ya'll tomorrow. Adios
@tarrajo Wow! A veritable encyclopedia! Good luck, Hope you catch your limit!!
@C.C. Thanks for the potato/murphy explanation. I was looking online for some Murphy ancestors in a federal census and couldn't find them in the index, so I went line-by-line in the township and county where I was fairly certain they were living. Bingo! There they were, but MURPHY was spelled by the enumerator as MURFFEE!
CC:
Thanks for the compliment, you make it hard to be modest.
There used to be a newspaper feature called "Ripley's Believe it or Not", which chronicled ' hard to believe 'and 'stranger than fiction' things and events. I think these items may later have been compiled in one or more books.
AL:
I apologize; I used to do these all the time with my mother, and it brought back memories, but you should keep a varied level of clues, and we will see who else gets the spirit and answers. I will stick to the xws for now.
C.C., my father and uncle were both masons, and the whole organized charity through men's groups is a very big part of small time life where I grew up. Also, the Shriners ride every parade in the country I think, usually in little cars and motorcycles and other fun things. They also do many nice things with the money they raise. My head is too big to look good with a fez.
All I know is " can you imagine Dick hanging out on that flight is a bit ironic and I am amazed Lois did not jump all over that, AS IT WERE. Sometimes imagination needs to be bound and gagged.
Anyone counting, is that 4 or 5?
Embien, I am so very sorry for the pain you are going through. 22 years of good life with you was fantastic, not too many get that many years. We lost Laurel in Oct at age 20 1/2.
Windhover at 8:08a...well said.
T. Frank, hope your wife is feeling better, I do think puzzles of any kind help. She is lucky to have you with her.
C.C. "What is "ivory grove" though?" I think it is very poetic imagery that refers to Maeve's body. Her arms and legs would be the "trees" of her grove. The gazelle is her inner essence, moving inside the grove.
We Are Marshall was a touching movie about the 1970 plane crash that killed nearly all of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team. It starred Matthew McConaughey and surprised many viewers by proving Mr. McConaughey can act with a bad haircut AND without removing his shirt.
Dennis, don't forget your lifeguard hat to complete that devil-may-care attitude of
insouciance that will be the perfect offset for the black sock and sandal look.
Clear Ayes, the perfect compliment to my ensemble. Then all I have to do is find some hot chicks to take to the disco.
Walt (and any other fellow "outplaced" bloggers)-
Didn't login yesterday, so am just now seeing your post. I can confirm that the odds are in your favor that you will end up in a better place.
I have the good fortune of a generous severance package, so am just now immersing myself in my job search (part of the reason I wasn't on yesterday), and I can tell you the single most important tool to find a job today is NETWORKING! My last job search was 9 years ago, and even then it was through a recruiter, so I didn't really have to work at it. Thanks to both the economy and technology, finding a job today is nothing like I've ever experienced before. I highly recommend LinkedIn.com if you're not already on. I have yet to come across anyone not interested in helping make a connection or pass along information.
I also am fortunate to have great outplacement support, and am happy to share what I have learned if you don't have such support available to you. It has actually been very fun to reconnect with people I haven't been in touch with in years, and I have uncovered all kinds of interesting things here locally with a little digging. And, in the meantime, I'm getting to spend some priceless time with my husband and daughter and our restaurant. Not to mention, spend time doing the xw and hanging out with everyone here!
So, best of luck, enjoy the search, and expect some ups and downs. Most importantly, don't be shy about reaching out to everyone you know, including your friends here!
Andrea
One more comment on fashionisto Dennis. Perhaps, we have laughed too soon. It is possible that Dennis is on the cutting edge of a new fashion trend and will soon be laughing at our runway naivety. Take a look at sandal and soxer. Isn't that David Beckham about 3/4 of the way down the list?
You'll have to excuse me now. I'm going online to find some killer Birkenstocks and match them up with some calf high argyles. Father's Day is coming up and I haven't purchased GAH's gift yet.
CA...LMAO WOOT! Almost spit my wine all over the computer.
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but after 18 holes I came home and COMPLETED today's x/w. Got yesterday's, also. I'm speechless!!!
I must be off!!!
CA - LMAO too....spewed a mouthful of adult beverage but fortunately not on my computer screen....
Disco Dennis: Hey babe, you are stylin'!
Whoa, what a hunka hunka...well you know.
Buckeye!!! Dixie Enormis let you out???
Good for you, nothing like playing with 18 holes - ooops, I mean playing 18 holes.
Clear Ayes: I'm crying all over my keyboard. Sands and Sox is the funniest thing I've ever seen. What's with the flip-flops and sox?
Embien: my condolences about your cat companion. We've had to put down two wonderful dogs, the last 3 yrs. ago, and I still tear up thinking about them.
Happy Mother's Day and good luck fishing to those lucky enough to hit Minnesota lakes this opener weekend. There's nothing like walleye.
What they need for those flipflops is "toe socks", with the toes separated. I was amazed there were so many photos! I have to give up part way through. Too funny.
@Dennis...alas...I am heading out to the lake tomorrow in search of the "big" one. Growing up in the late seventies and early eighties I could have had an E-V (okay I know it's V-E) day with you on the dance floor with all your pasted on chest hair and a silk shirt cut down to there....not to mention the cravat thingy...I have the blow the big horn thing down pat, but am at a loss w/o the socks thing; as is cold here in MN tonight. WAKEUP!!! Lookout you biggie fishies....Tarrajo is out to catch you! Lookout for the illusive Lindy's....
17A: Song also known as "Cowboy's Lament": STREET OF LAREDO
should has a s at the end of street :)
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