Theme: PIANISSIMO (115A: Musical direction, and a hint to the quiet meetings taking place in the answers to starred clues) - PP represents PIANISSIMO.
23A: *Recycled stuff: SCRAP PAPER
25A: *Most dreaming occurs in the last one: SLEEP PHASE
46A: *West Coast Marine Crops training base: CAMP PENDLETON
68A: *It's loaded with rolls: CAP PISTOL
90A: *"Science" employed in many a self-help book: POP PSYCHOLOGY
113A: *Game you have to dress for: STRIP POKER
35D: *Liability suit targets: DEEP POCKETS
42D: *Thing to do first: TOP PRIORITY
Today's constructor Kathleen Fay O'Brien is the lady who gave us our first LA Sunday puzzle, the LA Clippers.
I was stumped when PPP (Pianississimo) was clued as "Very softly, in music" in our old TMS Daily once. Could not understand why PPP when there's only one p in the word pianississimo. Then Barry G explained that it's because piano (soft) is represented by P and pianissimo (very soft) is represented by PP. Dictionary says pianissimo is the superlative of piano. And fortississimo is the superlative of forte. Fortissimo is the comparative. Sounds so complicated.
Nice quiet puzzle. Very doable. I like the theme title too: Quiet Meetings. Several alliterative clues in today's grid:
40A: Kennel call: ARF
63A: Rods with roasts: SPITS
72A: Cell centers: NUCLEI
64D: Seine sun: SOLEIL
82D: Tete thought: IDEE
101D: Spanish snacks: TAPAS
107D: Salty septet: SEAS
I love the last one the most. Sometimes I get bored by certain alliterations. Clues can get very constrained and less inventive if you focus too much on them. But I appreciate the effort the constructors/editor put into them.
By the way, Scott Atkinson mentioned a mini-theme in Michael Wiesenberg themeless yesterday: WHITE WATER & PURPLE RAIN, which cross each other (32A & 5D) in the grid.
Across:
1A: Nitty-gritty: PITH
5A: Company whose name is often quacked in ads: AFLAC. Those Yogi Berra AFLAC commercials are fun.
10A: Skier's wear: PARKA. The Eskimo PARKA is called anorak. What the heck are these?
20A: Capital at 12,000 feet: LHASA. Capital of Tibet. And OSCAR (103A: 13 1/2-inch-high award). I like clues with interesting trivia.
21A: Medicinal creams: ALOES
27A: Birch of "American Beauty": THORA. Can't remember her name, even though I've seen the movie.
30A: "Washington Merry-Go-Round" columnist: PEARSON (Drew). Nope. Don't know this guy. Great cover picture.
31A: Insinuating: SNIDE. Always thought SNIDE means contemptuous.
35A: North Dakota State's home: FARGO. Easy guess. Here is their bison mascot.
36A: When people retire: BED TIME. I was thinking of a different retirement.
41A: Cons: ANTIS
45A: It can't be returned: ACE. Tennis. I like the clue.
53A: Silly type: GOOSE. Nice clue too.
55A: Sunscreen nos.: SPFS
56A: Easy stride: LOPE. Rachel Alexander sure raced like a girl yesterday. I was surprised by the outstanding performance of Mine that Bird, who now I think might have won had Calvin Borel rode it.
57A: Professor "iggins: 'ENRY. From "My Fair Lady". Letter H is dropped in Cockney accent. 'OMES (homes) was once clued as "Cockney abodes" in our puzzle before.
59A: Chef's repertoire: RECIPES. Here is the "Julie & Julia" trailer.
61A: Take care of a boxer: PET SIT
65A: College offering: DEGREE
66A: Destroy over time: ERODE
71A: Debt evidence: CHITS
74A: Reel: LURCH
77A: Starts liking: TAKES TO
79A: 1950s-'60s "Man on the Street" comic: NYE (Louis). No idea. He does not look like a comic.
80A: Copy of an orig.: REPR (Reprint)
81A: Composer Satie: ERIK. I wonder why he changed his name from Eric to ERIK.
84A: People: ONES. This answer often gives me trouble, so does ONE, which stumped me last time when it's clued as "Fused".
87A: Two-time Tony winner Rivera: CHITA. Clear Ayes has probably seen all of those musicals.
88A: Actress Conn: DIDI. Unknown to me. She looks so happy.
93A: X, at times: TEN
96A: Work the aisles, slangily: USH. The letter S enabled me to fill in APSE rather than NAVE for the intersecting 86D: Church area.
97A: It borders It.: AUS (Austria). I did not pay attention to the abbreviated & capitalized "It."
98A: Lit: PIE- EYED. Both means drunk. I struggled with this answer.
100A: Bizarre: OUTRE
102D: PC hookup: CRT
104A: It can be hard to refold: ROADMAP. I like this clue too.
107A: Captain Marvel's magic word: SHAZAM. New to me. What does SHAZAM mean? Is it just a made-up word?
119A: Very, in score: ASSAI. What's the difference between ASSAI & MOLTO?
120A: Formed just for this project: AD HOC. Literally "for this".
121A: __'acte: ENTR
122A: WWII journalist Ernie: PYLE. What does letter C (his left arm) stand for?
124A: Serious: HEAVY. Why? Can you give me an example?
125A: Blotter site: DESK
Down:
2D: Yen: ITCH. Some ITCH just can't be scratched.
3D: Green party?: TYRO. I knew it's a play on "Green Party", but I could not think of an answer immediately. Very clever clue.
4D: Pulitzer rival: HEARST
6D: D.C. mortgage insurer: FHA (Federal Housing Administration).
11D: Shakespeare title starter: ALL'S. “ALL'S Well That Ends Well”.
13D: Continually remind: KEEP AFTER. New phrase to me.
14D: According to: AS PER. Reminds me of PER SE. Tricky to parse.
15D: "Silkwood" co-screenwriter Nora: EPHRON. Have never seen "Silkwood". Loved her "Sleepless in Seattle". Nora blogs at Huffington Post.
24D: Chicken Little's emotion: PANIC. Did not come to me immediately.
26D: Certain polytheist: PAGAN. Isn't strange that ancient Romans/Greeks/Egyptians are all polytheists?
29D: Opposite of ja: NEIN. German yes (ja) and no (NEIN).
32D: Publicists' concerns: IMAGES
33D: Possessed: DEMONIC. Obtained the answer with Across help.
35D: Guitar ridge: FRET. I forgot. FRET as a "Guitar ridge" appeared in our puzzle before.
37D: Cave phenomenon: ECHO
40D: "Little Men" author: ALCOTT. Only knew her "Little Women".
43D: How distances to ballpark fences are measured: IN FEET
44D: Gets cheeky with: SASSES. Typical grid edge word, so is SEUSS (123A: "If I ran the Zoo" author). Lots of S's.
47D: Fancy entrance: PORTAL
48D: Coffee go-with: DANISH. Yummy!
49D: Pigged out (on): ODED. Was this a gimmie to you? Somehow ODs or ODed always give me trouble.
52D: Ribs: NEEDLES. Both mean "teases".
55D: Seen from the crow's nest: SIGHTED. "Crow's nest" is a new term to me.
58D: Part of little girls' make-up: SPICE. And sugar. And all things nice.
60D: Singer Winans: CECE. BeBe & CeCe. Learned from doing Xword.
62D: Tiger's bagful: TEES. Meet Steve Williams, the world's most recognizable caddie.
63D: How acrobats perform: SPRYLY
67D: Former African territory ___Urundi (now two countries): RUANDA. Became Rwanda and Burundi in 1962. New to me.
69D: Fine, for instance: PUNISH
70D: Airport security concerns LAPTOPS
76D: Like "Macbeth": TRAGIC
80D: Pi followers: RHOS. I really liked last time's "Letters from Plato" for ETAS.
87D: Impudence: CHUTZPAH. Great answer.
90D: Portly: PLUMP
91D: Term of affection, in Asti: CARA. "Honey" in Italian?
92D: A long time: YEARS
95D: Nutrient in kelp: IODINE. I don't like kelp, so grainy and hard to wash. Love nori seaweed though.
99D: Cleared the board: ERASED. The clue brought to me immediately Target's messy "Board of Directors" fight. I don't really feel sorry for William Ackman. Does he look handsome to you?
102D: '90s "SNL" regular Farley: CHRIS. Nope. Don't know this guy.
104D: Brief answer?: RSVP. Nice clue.
105D: Our Gang assent: OTAY. No idea. Wanted OKAY.
106D: Seed cover: ARIL. This has become a gimme. Argyle linked this nice mace and nutmeg picture last time.
108D: Subordinate: AIDE
110D: Brief reading?: ZINE. Short for Fanzine, hence the "brief" hint in the clue.
114D: Manhattan sch: KSU (Kansas State University). I don't know there is a Manhattan in Kansas. But NYU won't fit.
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A: *Recycled stuff: SCRAP PAPER
25A: *Most dreaming occurs in the last one: SLEEP PHASE
46A: *West Coast Marine Crops training base: CAMP PENDLETON
68A: *It's loaded with rolls: CAP PISTOL
90A: *"Science" employed in many a self-help book: POP PSYCHOLOGY
113A: *Game you have to dress for: STRIP POKER
35D: *Liability suit targets: DEEP POCKETS
42D: *Thing to do first: TOP PRIORITY
Today's constructor Kathleen Fay O'Brien is the lady who gave us our first LA Sunday puzzle, the LA Clippers.
I was stumped when PPP (Pianississimo) was clued as "Very softly, in music" in our old TMS Daily once. Could not understand why PPP when there's only one p in the word pianississimo. Then Barry G explained that it's because piano (soft) is represented by P and pianissimo (very soft) is represented by PP. Dictionary says pianissimo is the superlative of piano. And fortississimo is the superlative of forte. Fortissimo is the comparative. Sounds so complicated.
Nice quiet puzzle. Very doable. I like the theme title too: Quiet Meetings. Several alliterative clues in today's grid:
40A: Kennel call: ARF
63A: Rods with roasts: SPITS
72A: Cell centers: NUCLEI
64D: Seine sun: SOLEIL
82D: Tete thought: IDEE
101D: Spanish snacks: TAPAS
107D: Salty septet: SEAS
I love the last one the most. Sometimes I get bored by certain alliterations. Clues can get very constrained and less inventive if you focus too much on them. But I appreciate the effort the constructors/editor put into them.
By the way, Scott Atkinson mentioned a mini-theme in Michael Wiesenberg themeless yesterday: WHITE WATER & PURPLE RAIN, which cross each other (32A & 5D) in the grid.
Across:
1A: Nitty-gritty: PITH
5A: Company whose name is often quacked in ads: AFLAC. Those Yogi Berra AFLAC commercials are fun.
10A: Skier's wear: PARKA. The Eskimo PARKA is called anorak. What the heck are these?
20A: Capital at 12,000 feet: LHASA. Capital of Tibet. And OSCAR (103A: 13 1/2-inch-high award). I like clues with interesting trivia.
21A: Medicinal creams: ALOES
27A: Birch of "American Beauty": THORA. Can't remember her name, even though I've seen the movie.
30A: "Washington Merry-Go-Round" columnist: PEARSON (Drew). Nope. Don't know this guy. Great cover picture.
31A: Insinuating: SNIDE. Always thought SNIDE means contemptuous.
35A: North Dakota State's home: FARGO. Easy guess. Here is their bison mascot.
36A: When people retire: BED TIME. I was thinking of a different retirement.
41A: Cons: ANTIS
45A: It can't be returned: ACE. Tennis. I like the clue.
53A: Silly type: GOOSE. Nice clue too.
55A: Sunscreen nos.: SPFS
56A: Easy stride: LOPE. Rachel Alexander sure raced like a girl yesterday. I was surprised by the outstanding performance of Mine that Bird, who now I think might have won had Calvin Borel rode it.
57A: Professor "iggins: 'ENRY. From "My Fair Lady". Letter H is dropped in Cockney accent. 'OMES (homes) was once clued as "Cockney abodes" in our puzzle before.
59A: Chef's repertoire: RECIPES. Here is the "Julie & Julia" trailer.
61A: Take care of a boxer: PET SIT
65A: College offering: DEGREE
66A: Destroy over time: ERODE
71A: Debt evidence: CHITS
74A: Reel: LURCH
77A: Starts liking: TAKES TO
79A: 1950s-'60s "Man on the Street" comic: NYE (Louis). No idea. He does not look like a comic.
80A: Copy of an orig.: REPR (Reprint)
81A: Composer Satie: ERIK. I wonder why he changed his name from Eric to ERIK.
84A: People: ONES. This answer often gives me trouble, so does ONE, which stumped me last time when it's clued as "Fused".
87A: Two-time Tony winner Rivera: CHITA. Clear Ayes has probably seen all of those musicals.
88A: Actress Conn: DIDI. Unknown to me. She looks so happy.
93A: X, at times: TEN
96A: Work the aisles, slangily: USH. The letter S enabled me to fill in APSE rather than NAVE for the intersecting 86D: Church area.
97A: It borders It.: AUS (Austria). I did not pay attention to the abbreviated & capitalized "It."
98A: Lit: PIE- EYED. Both means drunk. I struggled with this answer.
100A: Bizarre: OUTRE
102D: PC hookup: CRT
104A: It can be hard to refold: ROADMAP. I like this clue too.
107A: Captain Marvel's magic word: SHAZAM. New to me. What does SHAZAM mean? Is it just a made-up word?
119A: Very, in score: ASSAI. What's the difference between ASSAI & MOLTO?
120A: Formed just for this project: AD HOC. Literally "for this".
121A: __'acte: ENTR
122A: WWII journalist Ernie: PYLE. What does letter C (his left arm) stand for?
124A: Serious: HEAVY. Why? Can you give me an example?
125A: Blotter site: DESK
Down:
2D: Yen: ITCH. Some ITCH just can't be scratched.
3D: Green party?: TYRO. I knew it's a play on "Green Party", but I could not think of an answer immediately. Very clever clue.
4D: Pulitzer rival: HEARST
6D: D.C. mortgage insurer: FHA (Federal Housing Administration).
11D: Shakespeare title starter: ALL'S. “ALL'S Well That Ends Well”.
13D: Continually remind: KEEP AFTER. New phrase to me.
14D: According to: AS PER. Reminds me of PER SE. Tricky to parse.
15D: "Silkwood" co-screenwriter Nora: EPHRON. Have never seen "Silkwood". Loved her "Sleepless in Seattle". Nora blogs at Huffington Post.
24D: Chicken Little's emotion: PANIC. Did not come to me immediately.
26D: Certain polytheist: PAGAN. Isn't strange that ancient Romans/Greeks/Egyptians are all polytheists?
29D: Opposite of ja: NEIN. German yes (ja) and no (NEIN).
32D: Publicists' concerns: IMAGES
33D: Possessed: DEMONIC. Obtained the answer with Across help.
35D: Guitar ridge: FRET. I forgot. FRET as a "Guitar ridge" appeared in our puzzle before.
37D: Cave phenomenon: ECHO
40D: "Little Men" author: ALCOTT. Only knew her "Little Women".
43D: How distances to ballpark fences are measured: IN FEET
44D: Gets cheeky with: SASSES. Typical grid edge word, so is SEUSS (123A: "If I ran the Zoo" author). Lots of S's.
47D: Fancy entrance: PORTAL
48D: Coffee go-with: DANISH. Yummy!
49D: Pigged out (on): ODED. Was this a gimmie to you? Somehow ODs or ODed always give me trouble.
52D: Ribs: NEEDLES. Both mean "teases".
55D: Seen from the crow's nest: SIGHTED. "Crow's nest" is a new term to me.
58D: Part of little girls' make-up: SPICE. And sugar. And all things nice.
60D: Singer Winans: CECE. BeBe & CeCe. Learned from doing Xword.
62D: Tiger's bagful: TEES. Meet Steve Williams, the world's most recognizable caddie.
63D: How acrobats perform: SPRYLY
67D: Former African territory ___Urundi (now two countries): RUANDA. Became Rwanda and Burundi in 1962. New to me.
69D: Fine, for instance: PUNISH
70D: Airport security concerns LAPTOPS
76D: Like "Macbeth": TRAGIC
80D: Pi followers: RHOS. I really liked last time's "Letters from Plato" for ETAS.
87D: Impudence: CHUTZPAH. Great answer.
90D: Portly: PLUMP
91D: Term of affection, in Asti: CARA. "Honey" in Italian?
92D: A long time: YEARS
95D: Nutrient in kelp: IODINE. I don't like kelp, so grainy and hard to wash. Love nori seaweed though.
99D: Cleared the board: ERASED. The clue brought to me immediately Target's messy "Board of Directors" fight. I don't really feel sorry for William Ackman. Does he look handsome to you?
102D: '90s "SNL" regular Farley: CHRIS. Nope. Don't know this guy.
104D: Brief answer?: RSVP. Nice clue.
105D: Our Gang assent: OTAY. No idea. Wanted OKAY.
106D: Seed cover: ARIL. This has become a gimme. Argyle linked this nice mace and nutmeg picture last time.
108D: Subordinate: AIDE
110D: Brief reading?: ZINE. Short for Fanzine, hence the "brief" hint in the clue.
114D: Manhattan sch: KSU (Kansas State University). I don't know there is a Manhattan in Kansas. But NYU won't fit.
Answer grid.
C.C.
53 comments:
Lola,
You should try Newsday's Saturday Stumper.
Kazie,
"The German -ie- sound rhymes with -eee, -ei- rhymes with eye". Can you give me some examples? I can only think of lied.
Jazzbumpa,
Maybe Fred, Jerome or the other constructors can tell you their views on BE + something phrases in our puzzles lately. There are indeed rules on crossword construction, but they seem to be evolving as well. I don't think brand names were allowed years ago. Also, for a weekday puzzle, most crossword editors cap the black squares at 38. But Rich Norris's limit is 43. Also, it does not bother him when the same word appears as clue and answer, as long as they are within 6-letter limit.
Anon @ 2:26pm,
ETC is indeed a "Handy abbr.?". Etc. etc. etc.
Warren,
I feel the puzzles have been eased up.
Maria,
Yes, definitely. SERGE Gainsbourg was a flawed person though. But like art, most of the beautiful things in life are imperfect.
Clear Ayes,
Thanks for Ethelred the Unready. Wikipedia says the "unready" here means "Ill-advised".
Jeanne,
I am so sorry for your loss.
Linda,
"There is Scripture for todays`s Preakness! It`s Jeremiah 31:22b KJV! Would I lie to you?" I don't understand the above sentences.
Dana, Joan and all newcomers,
Welcome!
Scott Atkinson & Jerome,
Thanks for stopping by. Always great to hear from constructors.
WM, JD, et al,
Cute baby pictures. Have you all thought of introducing crosswords to them at an earlier age?
c.c., Is the Newsday Saturday Stumper online?
Over all this was an enjoyable puzzle. When I printed it out the clue for 68A was missing. As I filled in the perps and recognized the theme I guessed cap pistol correctly. Yay! This is the second time we've encountered "ush". It might be a new x/w standby. You sure don't find it in common usage. There were a few too many names for my liking, but most were gettable with an educated guess or two.
I hope everyone else had fun with this one. Hast luego
C.C. The first example that comes to mind humorously (I think this says a lot about me) is scheiss/schiess. The double "s" is actually that funny looking "B" character, I think. (Kazie, am I right?)
One means shoot and the other means, well, merde, if you'll pardon my French. You have to be careful when pronouncing those two words, and the eee vs eye hint from Kazie is quite important.
Sheiß! Messed it up already, no "c" in either word, it's actually sheiß/shieß. I never was very good at spelling in German. The capitalizing always confused me, too.
Funny how in english, shoot is often used as a euphemism for the other word (Oh shoot!). I wonder if that's true in german, too...
C.C.
Captain Marvel is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a youth who works as a radio news reporter and was chosen to be a champion of good by the wizard Shazam. Whenever Billy speaks the wizard's name, he is instantly struck by a magic lightning bolt that transforms him into an adult superhero empowered with the abilities of six mythical figures (Solomon,Hercules, Atlas,Zeus,Achilles,Mercury=SHAZAM).
I'm not aware of any special rules using "BE+ whatever".
Lola,
Type in "Newsday crossword" in Google and it'll take you to an online version of the Newsday Xword.
Good morning:
C.C., we had a discussion of Steve Allen and the MAN ON THE STREET segment of his version of the Tonight Show which featured Bill Dana, Tom Poston and LOUIS NYE.
I liked the justaposition of CHITA RIVERA who starred in West Side Story and DIDI CONN, who was Frenchy in Grease.
SAHAZAM is just an old fahioned word of magic, and that character transformed by magic.
CARA is DEAR, same word in Spanish and Italian and CHERE in French.
Chris FARLEY is one of many comedians from Saturday Night Live who died young, such as John Belushi, Phil Hartman. He like John Candy was very oveerweight.
HEAVY meaning serious began with the hippies. (Man, that Snoopy cartoon about World War I, was so heavy).
I love the cluing for TYRO and ACE.
Ta Da! I finished the puzzle!
Good morning, all.
C.C., I think you're right about the difficulty level of the puzzle having been eased. While yesterday's puzzle took some effort, it was still solvable. Today's was easy in comparison, as it should be.
I don't equate 'insinuating' with SNIDE. 'Part of a little girl's makeup' held me up. I kept wondering what kind of makeup they let tots play with these days, and then the 'Doh!" moment arrived.
I thought of RECIPES for 'Chef's repertoire' but it seemed too easy.
And, 'It can't be returned" threw me until I got the perps.
C.C.
P = Pian o
PP = Pian (issim) o
PPP = Pian (iss) (issim) o
Soft
Softer
Softest
As for assai and molto, they are very similar in meaning. Assai means 'very," where molto means 'extremely." 'Allegro assai' means very fast, and 'Molto presto' means the same thing. Both are Italian words.
I did the puzzle this morning in two sittings. Using Lola's 'hunt and peck' method, I had the first half done before we went out to breakfast. I finished it quickly when we returned. It was a nice way to start the day.
I hope you all have a good Sunday!
Good Morning
OK puzzle today but not one of favorites. I cringe when I see music clues but I worked this one with a little help from g and of course cc. /Struggled awhile on the lower SW corner
Can not believe I missed 114d, KSU.
I graduated from KSU in the 70s and lived in Manhattan, KS!
All I could think of NYC.
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning All, I don't read music, so I was unfamiliar with PP representing PIANISSIMO. I still got all the theme fills and noticed the double P's, even if I didn't grok what the connection was.
I had some trouble with the western border. BED (TIME) and ACE were tough ones and made finishing off that area the last one to be completed.
I wish I had seen all of CHITA Rivera'a musicals, but I've never seen her in person, although I seen other productions of several of the listed shows. As far as I know, she is still working and dancing (great legs) at 76 years old.
Are CAP PISTOLS are still being made? When I was a kid, we occasionally burned ourselves with caps that misfired and sparked.
Thank you, boomermomma. I don't feel so bad about missing KSU now!
Jay & The Americans Perform "Cara Mia"I'm thinking that the reason so many didn't like the switch from TMS to LAT puzzles is because the TMS puzzles had more obscure answers but they were easy to look up. LAT's, on the other hand, the clues are obscure(clever) and that you can't look that up. IMHO.
Good morning CC and all,
Today's puzzle was very doable for me today. Had fun with it.I had no idea that SHAZAM was an acronym, Fred.Good to know. If you've read the kid's book,Best Christmas Pageant Ever ,a child yells out "Shazam!" when the angel appears.. very funny dialogue.
Kitty B, I always enjoy your expertise on music.
favorite clues:can't be returned and hard to refold.
Do not understand tyro/ green party
CC, have you never seen GREASE? Didi was the beauty school dropout, one of the pink ladies.
As both Kazie and Lemonade got yesterday, "frost feels" was an anagram of effortless (easy). "Work" was the indicator.
The second cryptic yesterday was FLOG (to beat)
golf (a game) backwards. It was a down word, so up was the part of the clue to indicate letter reversal.
Today:
Openings of each transcript used in case (4)
Treatment of forces in applying medicine to law (8)
JD, Thanks for reminding me of Beauty School Dropout. Not only do we get cute Didi Conn, but also the ever gorgeous Frankie Avalon.
Tyro is an beginner or amateur, thus a party (person) who is "green".
WM, Thanks to you for the pastel portrait idea. I've never done a portrait, but one of Rachael would be a good place to start.
105d "otay" is the response the character Buckwheat used when he meant "OK"
Morning all...I printed out the puzzle and even with the missing clue I did OTAY on it. Just worked my way steadily downward. Surprisingly, I knew all the music, foreign words and even the cities, except for KSU which I got from the perps. Nice solid puzzle. And I really liked that SHAZAM was in a puzzle...just a fun word all the way around.
C.C. Anorak in British english is used as a generic term for a hooded raincoat or "raincheater"...even though most of those pictured are hood-less they appear to be made from a water-resistent fabric.
Good thought on the early crossword training...I wasn't lucky enough to have anyone in the family that ever did them...so I can be the grandmother who sits at the table doing puzzles. ;o)
Louis Nye had what could be called a very dry sense of humor...watched that show all the time.
The Danish link made me hungry...Yum!
CA...have to had a chance yet to be "ushed" to a seat? Never heard that term the first time around and still haven't come across it.I am looking forward to your granddaughter pastel, I just adore that photo.
It should get to about 100 degrees here today...WHEW!...but they are promising a return of the fog, our natural air conditioner. Hope they're right!
Thanks Fred, for the Newsday info.
45A ?? 84A ??
Fred, great reminder on SHAZAM. Forgot that. Read comics a lot in the 40's,
Since we are citing Bible verses to send messages (I got it immediately, Linda), here's one for BarbB relevant to our exchange last week: Ecclesiastes 9:5-6. I think the context is correct, although "under the sun" could be taken to support your viewpoint.
Disclaimer:
Above citation is for the purpose of friendly discussion only and may not be used to start a flame war.
Some of you may be happy to hear that haying weather seems to have arrived ( finally) in Kentucky, so I may be scarce, or at least brief, this week.
Doreen, Dot, et al,
See my note to you late afternoon Saturday.
I was thrilled when I blazed through the Sunday crossword, but them I turned to this page and discovered that the one I did was The Chicago Tribune Sunday crossword. It was the easiest ever. Did anyone else in the Chicago area do this one? One of the clues was Cranston of old-time radio. "The Shadow" was one of my favorites when all we had was radio & had to visualize everything. I loved visualizing an invisible man. Happy Sunday to all.
Couldn't believe it - finished this one with no help. Either they're getting easier or my brain is adapting. Now I read each clue with suspicion and tend to overthink the simplest answers.
I started this puzzle with AFLAC because that one was a sure thing, and things just spread from there.
Loved seeing "pie-eyed." It was my mom's favorite expression for someone who had a few too many. She also liked "drunk as a skunk" and "three sheets to the wind." She was an avid crossword fan most of her life but unfortunately it didn't save her brain from dementia.
27:19 today. I'm channeling kittyb today as I also started the puzzle, went out to breakfast, and finished after returning. My last fill was the 'O' in the cross of TYRO and THORA (never heard of her), and I've never seen that movie (if it is a movie--might be a TV show, who knows?)
My favorite was STRIP POKER (game you have to dress for). I thought that was quite clever. Did you all notice that besides the PP entries, there was also an EE (PIE EYED)? I always enjoy the double letters in the fill.
@luxor: 45A is ACE, a tennis serve that can't be returned. 84A is ONES, "people" as individuals.
CA, thanks for fun video. Had never heard of tyro, and saw that it is Latin. It does not seem to be a root for any other words.
Is zine just a c/w word?
Vern,
Just saw your post after I posted mine. There were 3 crosswords in the Trib today. You did one of the puzzles in the magazine. the Star Tribune puzzle is in Section 9 - SMART.
J.D. asks "Is zine just a c/w word?"
As a comic book collector in my youth, most refer to all magazines as "ZINES" and especially the fanzine.
Such a quiet Sunday; if we are going to have lots of biblical references why don' you all actually put the quote in, or at least a link?
Has spring finally sprung so everyone is out playing?
No offense, but sometimes I am just amazed that you can solve some of these puzzles with little to no knowledge of American pop culture. I have a lot of this useless info in my ahead and sometimes I can't get through one of these. Got most of today's though.
Hi C.C. & ...
I printed out a hard copy of today's puzzle and also found it was missing 68A so I had to find that clue on the online version. My wife and I finished it with minimal g-spotting in less than 45 min I think.
C.C. I found this link about Anorak
for you.
"The best known explanation of the term, is the use of anoraks (a type of rain jacket)"
Well, I worked the puzzle from my own home this morning – alone again. Sigh. But it was a wonderful trip, and I can’t wait to do it again.
Hard to fold ROADMAP reminded me of my anxiety while driving unfamiliar routes in 6 lanes of fast moving traffic. I missed a turn on my trip home and went 60 miles past my destination before I could turn around. I stopped to get gas, bought a road map, and took it to a hamburger place. One of the employees and two of the other customers gave me all sorts of advice on how best to get to the right place, so it was kinda fun after all.
SHAZAM made me think of Gomer Pyle, who said it in 3 or 4 syllables, depending on the intensity of his awe.
I saw Silkwood – VERY scary movie.
Windhover – good point with the Ecclesiastes scripture. It totally supports your position. One that supports my position is Job 19:25-27. I think the most intriguing and challenging thing about the bible is that it is paradoxical, and full of mystery.
I hope you weren’t referring to me with the flame-war disclaimer. I wouldn’t do that. I know I don’t have the only valid viewpoint, and I like to hear what other people think. The only thing that makes me cranky is when people argue their case without honoring the person they’re trying to convince. Honor is big in my book.
Re anonymous posts, I consider Windhover our official troll patrol, and expect him to confront them and show them the error of their ways. Then the rest of us can just say, like Dennis did, ‘what he says.’
Doreen and Dot and others who identify themselves are not anonymous. How can you be anonymous when you sign your name?
Linda – your scripture about the Preakness borders on dfness – you go girl!!
Thanks Fred for SHAZAM, and CA for TYRO. Both things I didn't know.
I got through this online with much difficulty and red help in about 43 minutes. I felt culturally challenged a lot of the time. How c.c. does it, I'll never know--I've been here much longer, and simply can't take time to google all those old shows, music, etc. Especially on weekends when hubby is here--he thinks I spend all day every day doing XW's I think, because the weekend ones take me so long.
No sense in going through all my mis-steps--way too many.
Now to the German questions:
It's Scheiße (Germans use this with abandon--no euphemisms needed) and schieß (from the verb schießen to shoot).
Related funny story: One of my students who spent a semester at our sister school after only 2 years of German, told me how he was having trouble early in his stay there, trying to tell his host family about his father shooting a skunk. Of course he got the verb schießen confused with scheißen. They're both strong verbs, so in the past tense schießen changes to geschossen, scheißen becomes geschießen, and he said "Mein Vater hat ein Stinktier geschießen" (my father shat (on) a skunk). He said he was so embarrassed and confused that they were laughing so hard until they explained it.
A number of comments on the "sh" sound: first, -sh- in German is never a diphthong like in English. You need the -c- to get that sound. -sh- is used when two words are combined, one ending with -s-, the other beginning with -h-. It often happens with the word Heim, as in Wollesheim (pronounced Volles + Heim), or Hildesheim.
Other -ei- examples: Heide = heath; Rhein = Rhine; Seide = silk; Stein = stone; Scheißwetter = shitty weather.
More -ie- examples: mieten = to rent; verlieren = to lose; piepen = to chirp; riechen = to smell. (Etwas riecht in Dänemark!)
jazzbumpa- Yesterday's 10 down answer "BE AHEAD" sounds like a perfectly legit phrase to me. It is a tad awkward sounding but if it were a real clunker Rich would have had it changed. Would you be opposed to BE QUIET, BE NICE, BE AFRAID in a puzzle?
C.C.- You said "There are indeed rules on crossword construction, but they seem to be evolving as well". We need to realize that there are no official rules of construction. What an editor allows or doesn't allow is their own preferences within the general guidelines of constructing. A constructor that's worked with an editor a few times learns, pretty much, what will be acceptable or not.
Thank goodness puzzle 'rules' are evolving. There was a time when solving was almost a chore because puzzles were loaded with archaic, obscure words and themes were bland and basic. Because constructors push the boundries and bend the 'rules' all the time today we truly are in a golden age of crossword puzzles. Kathleen's puzzle today is a nice example of this.
Good afternoon, c.c. and all
Well, here i am, after plugging away online, for a little over an hour, only got 94% of the puzzle.
I feel the need to stare into space for a while...
The only thing i' ll remember, will be, Camp Pendleton
i had heard of it, but didn't know it was a marine thing.
Argyle, i agree with your reasoning as to why people liked the TMS .
KittyB, just a small correction on "assai & molto" while the meaning, as you say, is the same, i would say,
assai for very
molto for a lot,
but extremely does not enter into it.
Lemonade, cara, or in your case, caro,
in spanish it is "querida"
And for those of you who want to see Angels and Demons , i' ll repeat the review i read about it: "
Between the Illiminati (the bad) and the Preferiti (the good) you' ll come out feeling Stupefati !
Ciao, for now
BarbB:
Of course I didn't mean you. I know you better than that. I'm on the tractor mowing alfalfa, I'll check your reference tonight. On the larger question, I would actually prefer that you were right; I just don't think so. OTOH, if you are, we'll both eventually find it out; if I'm right, we'll never know. Aah, the mystery.
Windhover,
Perfect summation of Blaise Pascal's wager about God. Only easier to understand, :-)
You can check the blog while you're mowing alfalfa? Wow. I'm super impressed.
c.c. and all:
Thanks again to all for the congrats and those I missed; i.e., JD. The weekend was wonderful, great meals, wonderful ceremony, and lots of laughs. It is hard to believe that these years are finally over and my daughter is now a full-fledged MD. I am sooooooo proud of her accomplishments and her wonderful future. Thanks again to all of you!
May 17, 2009 5:18 PM
Barb: What she said
caro, -a adjective
1. expensive (costoso)la vida está muy cara -> everything is so expensive
2. cherished (Formal) (querido)
adverb
also: costar caro, -a -> to be expensive
pagar caro, -a algo (figurative) -> to pay dearly for something
un día te va a salir cara tu conducta (figurative) -> you'll pay dearly for this behavior one day
vender caro, -a algo -> to sell something at a high price; not to give something up easily (figurative)
vendieron cara su derrota -> their enemy paid a high price for their victory
Copyright © 2006 Chambers Harrap Publishers Limited
caro [cah’-ro]
adverb
1. Dearly, at a high price, at too great a price.Le costó muy caro -> it cost him dear
Éso sale bastante caro -> that comes rather expensive
Querido, Querida
BarbB:
Pascal's "wager" always seemed a little shallow and fallacious, as if God could not detect a self-interested "decision" to believe.
As for blogging while mowing, I just follow the advice of that other modern philosopher, the Lizard King Jim Morrison:
Keep your eyes on the row and your hand upon the wheel.
Of course, in the same song (Roadhouse Blues), he said
The future's uncertain and the End is always near. Better watch what I'm doing.
please describe the "quiet meetings taking place in the answers..." my lady friend and I just dont get the connection.
Linda, Windhover and BarbB, as Casca said in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 2......???
It would be nice, if we are going to provide references, we should fill in the blanks, or at least provide a link, whether it is biblical, philosophical or Shakespearean.
So for those of you who are feeling totally left out of the loop:
Linda, from yesterday, "Jeremiah 31:22: "A Woman shall Compass a Man""
Windhover @1:51 "Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 (New King James Version)
5 For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished: Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun."
BarbB @3:27 Job 19:25-27 (New King James Version)
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and He shall stand at last on the earth;
26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God,
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
And here's a link to Pascal's Wager.
Oh, wait a sec. Didn't I tell you what it was Casca said?
"those that understood him smiled at
one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me."
:o)
Maria, it's been a while since I left the classroom, and my memory is not always what I'd like it to be. To avoid providing incorrect information, I generally check my facts before I post. I went to the Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary for this definition of
molto.Congrats, g8rmomx2, your daughter is really on her way!
BarbB, I've had that kind of experience. When I was in my late teens I took my parents to O'Hare airport. My youngest sister was in the car with me, and I needed to get her to school. I zipped out of the airport, took the wrong ramp and was almost to Wisconsin before I realized I wasn't seeing any familiar landmarks. I was able to get turned around and headed for home, but I had to go into the office to let them know why sis was late for school that day. I'm glad you had a good time with Melissa bee, and a safe journey home. Thanks for the Gomer grins.
Joyce, my mother used the same phrases, and is now battling dementia. Her great grandkids all wanted to know where she got the colorful phrases.
Thanks, JD. *S*
Fred, thanks for the info on SHAZAM, and for the link to the Newsday site. I printed out the puzzle and my husband and I worked on it as he drove us to our granddaughter's birthday party. It sounds as though it might have been one of the puzzles published in the Chicago Tribune. 36D is 'Cranston, of old-time radio.' (Sound familiar, Vern?)
It's lived up to be the stunningly beautiful day that the morning promised. I hope you were all as fortunate with your weather.
Anonymous@6:37 PM, in all the clues the letter "P" appears twice, (two P's meet). PP stands for Pianissimo, a notation for playing music quietly. Go back and read KittyB's post at 10:07 for other musical terms.
I do wish my computer would print what I think, and not what I type.
I reworked my comment about the Virginia Tech link on one of my editing sprees, but it didn't take. If you click on the link, you'll need to click on 'M' and then scroll down to find the definition of 'Molto.'
Clear Ayes, thank you, SO much, for doing all the leg work for us on the previous posts, and for the link to Pascal's wager. I read the first two paragraphs at Wikipedia to my husband. We were both astonished at all Pascal set in motion.
FYI - Several more sports that just tennis have an "ace". Badminton, volley ball, hand ball, racket ball, (a crossword favorite) jai alai, etc.
Clear Eyes, Thanks for spelling everything out. It is your special gift and very helpful to us all. I had no intention of being cryptic - just way over cautious in talking about anything Christian, because I truly do not wish to offend anyone. I’m rarely offended by anything on this blog, but some subjects bore me and others go right over my head. I simply scan and skip those things. I guess anyone can use the same formula for things I post about scripture.
Next time, I’ll spell it out, so it won’t be ‘greek’.
KittyB – lol—glad to be in the same league with you.
BarbB...WH is definitely impressive in his posts...all of which he manages on an iPhone...continue to be impressed.
WH...steer straight and Hang 'em High
CA...Thanks, as always for the clarifications...
Going now to try and learn how to use Facebook...:o)
Still in the high 90's at 6:45 pm...praying for fog.
Pascal’s wager may be shallow or fallacious, and surely any God worth his salt could detect that. But it’s also shrewd, and God often rewarded people for shrewdness. Like Jacob when he bought Esau’s birthright and later tricked their father into giving him Esau’s blessing.
I think God loves us the way we are, warts and all. It’s all good.
Windhover, farming ain’t what it used to be.
Big family event today - my mom's 88th birthday, so -- no time for X-wording.
C.C - What I've been able to find on line, after a brief search, is rules about the mechanics of construction, rather than appropriate cluing and allowable answers.
I'm not a total stick in the mud, and agree that puzzles and their conventions should evolve over time. But evolution is development and improvement. Flaws that I object to are (IMHO) careless, lazy, or inexact, workmanship, or stretch in an inappropriate way. I see that as being degenerate, rather than evolutionary.
Jerome - You're asking a good question. Regarding BE QUIET, BE NICE, and BE AFRAID, my response would depend on how the clue was constructed. Each of those is commonly a command, or at least a suggestion, rather than a condition or state of being, so other possibilities are opened.
I'm too tired to be clever about coming up with either acceptable or unacceptable clues for your examples tonight. I'll give it more thought.
Back to yesterday's 10D. "Lead" is an action verb. "Be ahead" is a condition. That is a qualitative non-equivalence.
I'll just close with a (non-original) suggestion. Be a lert. America needs more lerts.
Jazzbumpa,
I have to point out that both "lead" and "be ahead" are a verb or verb phrase. Being ahead is the same as leading. We use the verb "to be" with many different adjectives to complete its meaning, like Jerome's examples. To be is not always stating a condition, it can imply action when the adjective following it indicates action. I don't really understand your beef with it.
KittyB: Thanks again. She should be here tonight for a visit before she goes to CA with her boyfriend and his family on the 30th and then off to Columbus on the 6th I think. Chicago was on their list, I believe #3, Pittsburg #1, and Columbus #2. They have what they call "Match Day" and you hope that you get one of your top choices. Some don't match and/or when they don't they do what is called a scramble to be placed. Don't hold me to any of this just what I recall from what my daughter has told me.
Thought you might find this interesting. The Detroit Free Press has taken the LAT crossword out for awhile because of so many people objecting to it. They are trying the Commuter puzzle. K
Anonymous K @ 6:59pm,
Does Daily Commuter have Sunday large-sized puzzles also?
located Take a piece of me
Post a Comment