Theme: Baa-ed Homophones
17A: Wonderful sheep-fleecing job?: SHEAR PERFECTION (Sheer Perfection)
38A: Gets Dolly the sheep to defect?: MAKES A EWE TURN (Make a U-turn)
60A: Use a young sheep as a beast of burden?: TAKE IT ON THE LAMB (Take it on the Lam)
Hmmm, not baaad at all. Lovely puzzle. Wish MEEK (38D Overly compliant) clued as "Sheepish".
Weird to see A rather than AN in front of EWE. I am still struggling with article a/an in front of a "U" sound.
I loved the cross-referenced clues in today's grid (15A/22A & 10D/23D). I am in the mood for all those tie-in answers/clues and cross-references lately. My favorite clue today is EURO (59A: German bread). Would be easier to obtain if there were a ? mark in the clue. But it's not really necessary.
Across:
4A: "If I had a Hammer" singer Lopez: TRINI. Here is a clip. Learned this guy's name from doing Xword. I like Peter, Paul and Mary's version.
9A: To one side: ASKEW
14A: Computer program suffix: EXE. What does EXE mean exactly?
15A: His 2,297 RBI is a major league record: AARON. Hank AARON had 755 home runs, second only to Barry Bonds, whose 762 record needs to be stripped.
16A: Second longest African river: CONGO. The Nile is the longest.
20A: Heels: CADS. Bad MEN (1A: Old boys).
21A: Annoy: MOLEST. Was surprised to know last time that "Annoy" is the #1 meaning of MOLEST.
22A: 15-Across was one in 21 of his 23 seasons: ALL-STAR. Incredible, isn't it? Just learned that both Stand Musial and Willie Mays had a record 24 ALL-STAR appearances.
26A: Way cool: RAD. Do you say this word in your daily conversation?
27A: Org. with some lightweights: WBA (World Boxing Association)
30A: Sheltered side: LEE
37A: Rodger's partner before Hammerstein: HART (Lorenz). Wikipedia says Richard Rodgers is one of only two persons to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize. The only guy is composer Marvin Hamlisch ("A Chorus Line").
42A: Old VHS alternative: BETA
43A: Pack animals: LLAMAS
48A: Sitter's challenge: IMP
51A: Letters before a pseudonym: AKA
52A: Syncopated musical work: RAG. What does "syncopated" mean?
54A: Cause to reel: STAGGER
65A: Noodle products?: IDEAS
66A: Carpentry pin: DOWEL. No idea. Are they metals?
67A: Glasgow negative: NAE
68A: Man with a mission: PADRE. Is that how San Diego PADRES got their name?
69A: Ivory's partner, in song: EBONY. "EBONY and Ivory".
70A: Start of an afterthought: AND
Down:
1D: Agave liquor: MESCAL. I forgot. Last time I was also stumped when PEYOTE was clued as "Mescal".
2D: Say "Whew!", say: EXHALE
3D: Hypo: NEEDLE. I did not know "hypo" is short for hypodermic. I was actually thinking of hype. "Hypo" is a Greek suffix for "under", opposite of "hyper" (over).
5D: Type of sheet or session: RAP. What is a RAP session?
6D: Wilde country: Abbr.: IRE (Ireland). The movie "Wilde" was kind of shocking. Well, it sure is wild. I like the clue.
8D: About to endure: IN FOR. I had IN??R, somehow I wanted INCUR, which does not correspond with the clue grammartically.
9D: Give the nod (to): ACCEDE
10D: They're potted: SOTS. "Potted" is slang for drunk. And TOPE (23D: What 10-Down do). I was thinking of flowers of course.
11D: Most sweaters and jerseys: KNITWEAR
12D: Source of chutzpah: EGO. I wonder why we seldom see CHUTZPAH as an answer. Too many consonants?
18D: Balaam's carrier: ASS. Not aware of Balaam and the donkey story. What is it about? I thought Balaam is a capital city of some country and the clue was asking for an airline name.
19D: Jack of old Westerns: ELAM
25D: Kidney-related: RENAL
28D: Brought into the world: BORN. Wrote down BORE first.
29D: Works on the wall?: ART. Alliteration again.
34D: Ergo: THUS
39D: Went after: ATTACKED. And CHASE (56A: Pursue). Wish the clue were "Go after".
41D: Seville snack: TAPA. Another alliteration.
42D: Top of a two-piece: BRA. Hmmm, really hot!
46D: It's right on the map: EAST
48D: Critter in a Tennessee Williams title: IGUANA. No idea. Have never heard of "Night of the IGUANA". All I could think of is "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".
49D: "Gypsy" star, 1959: MERMAN (Ethel). I wonder why she changed her name into MERMAN. For mermaid connection?
50D: Delved into: PROBED
53D: Crystal-lined rock: GEODE. No idea. What is GEODE used for?
58D: Start to appeal?: SNOB. SNOB appeal. It appeared in our puzzle before.
61D: Nabokov novel: ADA. Alliteration in the clue again. ADA, PNIN & LOTITA. That's all you need to know about Nabokov.
63D: Egg source: HEN. Why did ROE come to me first? It's the damned "Caviar source".
64D: English cathedral town: ELY. It escaped me. Saw this clue before. ELY is 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge, according to Wikipedia.
Answer grid.
C.C.
17A: Wonderful sheep-fleecing job?: SHEAR PERFECTION (Sheer Perfection)
38A: Gets Dolly the sheep to defect?: MAKES A EWE TURN (Make a U-turn)
60A: Use a young sheep as a beast of burden?: TAKE IT ON THE LAMB (Take it on the Lam)
Hmmm, not baaad at all. Lovely puzzle. Wish MEEK (38D Overly compliant) clued as "Sheepish".
Weird to see A rather than AN in front of EWE. I am still struggling with article a/an in front of a "U" sound.
I loved the cross-referenced clues in today's grid (15A/22A & 10D/23D). I am in the mood for all those tie-in answers/clues and cross-references lately. My favorite clue today is EURO (59A: German bread). Would be easier to obtain if there were a ? mark in the clue. But it's not really necessary.
Across:
4A: "If I had a Hammer" singer Lopez: TRINI. Here is a clip. Learned this guy's name from doing Xword. I like Peter, Paul and Mary's version.
9A: To one side: ASKEW
14A: Computer program suffix: EXE. What does EXE mean exactly?
15A: His 2,297 RBI is a major league record: AARON. Hank AARON had 755 home runs, second only to Barry Bonds, whose 762 record needs to be stripped.
16A: Second longest African river: CONGO. The Nile is the longest.
20A: Heels: CADS. Bad MEN (1A: Old boys).
21A: Annoy: MOLEST. Was surprised to know last time that "Annoy" is the #1 meaning of MOLEST.
22A: 15-Across was one in 21 of his 23 seasons: ALL-STAR. Incredible, isn't it? Just learned that both Stand Musial and Willie Mays had a record 24 ALL-STAR appearances.
26A: Way cool: RAD. Do you say this word in your daily conversation?
27A: Org. with some lightweights: WBA (World Boxing Association)
30A: Sheltered side: LEE
37A: Rodger's partner before Hammerstein: HART (Lorenz). Wikipedia says Richard Rodgers is one of only two persons to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize. The only guy is composer Marvin Hamlisch ("A Chorus Line").
42A: Old VHS alternative: BETA
43A: Pack animals: LLAMAS
48A: Sitter's challenge: IMP
51A: Letters before a pseudonym: AKA
52A: Syncopated musical work: RAG. What does "syncopated" mean?
54A: Cause to reel: STAGGER
65A: Noodle products?: IDEAS
66A: Carpentry pin: DOWEL. No idea. Are they metals?
67A: Glasgow negative: NAE
68A: Man with a mission: PADRE. Is that how San Diego PADRES got their name?
69A: Ivory's partner, in song: EBONY. "EBONY and Ivory".
70A: Start of an afterthought: AND
Down:
1D: Agave liquor: MESCAL. I forgot. Last time I was also stumped when PEYOTE was clued as "Mescal".
2D: Say "Whew!", say: EXHALE
3D: Hypo: NEEDLE. I did not know "hypo" is short for hypodermic. I was actually thinking of hype. "Hypo" is a Greek suffix for "under", opposite of "hyper" (over).
5D: Type of sheet or session: RAP. What is a RAP session?
6D: Wilde country: Abbr.: IRE (Ireland). The movie "Wilde" was kind of shocking. Well, it sure is wild. I like the clue.
8D: About to endure: IN FOR. I had IN??R, somehow I wanted INCUR, which does not correspond with the clue grammartically.
9D: Give the nod (to): ACCEDE
10D: They're potted: SOTS. "Potted" is slang for drunk. And TOPE (23D: What 10-Down do). I was thinking of flowers of course.
11D: Most sweaters and jerseys: KNITWEAR
12D: Source of chutzpah: EGO. I wonder why we seldom see CHUTZPAH as an answer. Too many consonants?
18D: Balaam's carrier: ASS. Not aware of Balaam and the donkey story. What is it about? I thought Balaam is a capital city of some country and the clue was asking for an airline name.
19D: Jack of old Westerns: ELAM
25D: Kidney-related: RENAL
28D: Brought into the world: BORN. Wrote down BORE first.
29D: Works on the wall?: ART. Alliteration again.
34D: Ergo: THUS
39D: Went after: ATTACKED. And CHASE (56A: Pursue). Wish the clue were "Go after".
41D: Seville snack: TAPA. Another alliteration.
42D: Top of a two-piece: BRA. Hmmm, really hot!
46D: It's right on the map: EAST
48D: Critter in a Tennessee Williams title: IGUANA. No idea. Have never heard of "Night of the IGUANA". All I could think of is "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof".
49D: "Gypsy" star, 1959: MERMAN (Ethel). I wonder why she changed her name into MERMAN. For mermaid connection?
50D: Delved into: PROBED
53D: Crystal-lined rock: GEODE. No idea. What is GEODE used for?
58D: Start to appeal?: SNOB. SNOB appeal. It appeared in our puzzle before.
61D: Nabokov novel: ADA. Alliteration in the clue again. ADA, PNIN & LOTITA. That's all you need to know about Nabokov.
63D: Egg source: HEN. Why did ROE come to me first? It's the damned "Caviar source".
64D: English cathedral town: ELY. It escaped me. Saw this clue before. ELY is 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge, according to Wikipedia.
Answer grid.
C.C.
96 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - I really enjoy the Thursday puzzles; challenging, but doable without g-spotting.
My big mistake today was putting 'seals' for 'elegant swimmers', which gave me 'slit' for 'quick cut', _ata for 'Seville snack', and a letter run of 'aeee' for 38A. Took a few minutes to correct that one. 'Aaron' was a gimme, as he's my favorite all-time player; a total class act who let his actions do the talking. Favorite clue was 'They're potted'. And I thought 'molest' was a bit strong for 'annoy'.
Today is National Memo Day and National Waiters and Waitresses Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born." -- Albert Einstein
And even more Fun Facts:
- Scientists have performed a surgical operation on a single living cell, using a needle that is just a few millionths of a meter wide.
- At 101, Larry Lewis ran the 100-yard dash in 17.8 seconds, setting a new world record for runners one hundred years old or older.
C.C., 'exe' means 'executable'. 'Rad' really isn't used anymore in conversation. Dowels can be made of wood, metal, or other materials. A 'rap session' is usually just a conversation. And you really faked me out with that 'really hot' picture with 42D, 'bra'. Wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Dennis,
Thanks for all the answers. Ha ha, what were you expecting for the BRA clue? I only said "really hot". Are they not? SWANS came to me immediately. I've never seen seals in person. Have no idea that they are "elegant swimmers" as well. We had MOLEST discussion last time. TIP is a timely fill then, if today is "National Waters and Waitresses Day". Are you naturally curious? What are you curious about now?
Argyle,
No. Yesterday was the first time I heard "Got My Mind Set On You". And I liked the song.
Clear Ayes,
Thanks for ARAL sea.
C.C., I was expecting to be, uh, titillated. And I'm curious about everything. I know how much I don't know, and I wanna know it.
Bill & Lois,
Sounds so sweet, the hugs and everything!
Jerome,
Re: ZASU PITTS. Marvelous UP. I've never constructed a puzzle, so I am not aware of the difficulty in finding words that end with U and another starting with P. I just don't like this kind of hidden/spanning words theme. Normally it does not help me with the solving at all. And I don't seem to enjoy the "Aha" moments.
Dr. G,
As Liz responded to you at her 5:19pm post, Moo Shu Pork is quite tasty. It's always Shu, not Shoo. Mandarin Chinese for the dish is Mu Xu Pork.
Dennis,
But what are you MOST curious about, at this moment? I am excited about the BRA link reactions today.
Elissa,
When are you leaving for Europe? Will you be able to solve Xword on the road?
Al,
What other puzzles do you solve every day?
C.C., I can't really say what I'm most curious about, but it's related to this blog; some things are better left unsaid...
Good Morning,
I got about half way through this one and then had to go on line. I still don't get Sots and Tope.
You got me CC!
In high school I could barely break 14 seconds in the 100. That's an amazing FF.
Gotta run!
Mainiac, a 'sot' is a habitual drunkard, and to 'tope' is to drink alcohol to excess.
A complete challenge, yet slogging away it was done. The theme made TAKE IT ON THE LAMB easy. I was looking for CLONE in the Dolly clue, but the perps made it easy.
C.C. the amazing all-star record of Musial and Mays was SKEWED by the time from 1959 until 1962 when there were two all-star games played each summer. Also, MAYS played when he was a NEW YORK MET, which was not based on his on field performance.
I agree with you Dennis, I really want to know everything.
C.C, love the not baaaaaaad comment, and hot is hot.
Good morning C.C. and all,...a great puzzle today. When I first started looking at the clues I thought this would be my hammer. As I worked through the puzzle more and more of the clues revealed themselves and was finally able to complete with no outside help.
I liked the "Old Boys" clue and for some reason it took a long while for the answer to arrive in my mind. The other great clue was "Potted." I wanted to put seed in and could not get that out of my mind for a long time, but seed did not work with the so of askew and Congo.
The other hang up I had was that for 38A I had Takes ... instead of Makes...which resolved itself when meek arrived.
CC as Dennis said dowels can be of many materials. The clue said carpentry so I would think the dowel here would be wood. IMHO.
Your bra link was disappointing. I, like others, was looking for something different. I would have thought your link would have been more filling than hot food.
Dennis more great weather on the way to your end of the state.
Go Pens!!
Hope you all have a great
Thursday.
C.C. The only other puzzle I do every day now is apparently the daily commuter puzzle which our paper started running instead of the LAT daily. It's fairly easy, but I find Monday and Tuesday to be marginally better than the corresponding LAT ones. From Wednesday on, though, I prefer the LAT which I have to do online now. When I'm bored and find time, I'll occasionally go do USA today, Universal, and Newsday. If I want to feel stupid, I'll attempt the Guardian cryptic puzzle. On Sunday, I do all three online LAT puzzles.
You fooled me with the "hot" pic, too.
Anyone else watch American Idol last night? I think it was kind of funny, also kind of sad.
Nice puzzle today - challenging but not impossible. I had sot_ and couldn't figure it out, because I didn't think molest sounded right for annoy. Never heard of tope, but got it from the fills.
LOVED the hot link, CC. I laughed loud enough that my daughter actually looked over from Mikey Mouse Clubhouse to see what was going on. (She didn't get the joke, but did like the picture.) Very clever!
The servers at our restaurant will be happy to hear that today is their day.
Now I'm off to write a few memos. Enjoy the day all.
Andrea
Good Morning, all!
C.C., it never ceases to amaze me the breadth of your knowledge of English! I didn't know that 'annoy' was a definition for MOLEST.
I liked the clues for EURO (German bread) and for IDEAS (Noodle products?)
The only word I wasn't familiar with was TOPE. I thought today's puzzle was easier than yesterday's, but as I worked it, I thought that it was a puzzle an older person would find easy to solve. Perhaps some of our younger solvers will disagree with me. I'll be interested to hear their opinions.
C.C., are you worried that we don't take the time to check out your links?? *S*
I solved the puzzle in an unusual order today. I usually start in the upper left and do the across, and then come back to work the downs. Today, I worked a section at a time, completing both across and down before moving on. It gave me enough letters to get the long themes. Tomorrow I'm going to do it Embien's way, the down clues first.
It looks to be another gorgeous day in the Chicago area. Happy Thursday!
So Al, (Good Morning, Everybody), what was that part towards the end of Idol I happened to catch while channel surfing? There was one woman with hardly anything on and the the woman standing next to her rips open her dress revealing almost as much? A lot hotter than what C.C. fooled me with this morning.
Oh, and about the puzzle, hardly a foreign word in it. Huzzah!
BTW, I watched American Idol - thought it was a great show. I have been an Adam fan since the beginning, but really thought Kris came into his own over the past several weeks. Either way, I was happy with the outcome. I think Adam will go to have quite a career - he has amazing talent.
It was fun to see KISS, Queen, Lionel Ritchie, Cindy Lauper, etc. but I'm not sure if all the younger viewers would agree. Although Zoe did think it was funny to see the KISS makeup. She kept saying "that's so silly!" and giggling in delight.
Hi c.c. and all,
Well, what a mess I had words that you can't even read because I kept changing them and I did it in pen!
For 9D I had agreed, then agrees, then accept, and then finally accede. Whew! For 22A I had pitcher, then catcher then MLBstar, then finally Allstar. For 41D I had Taco, then Tapa. For 27A I had WBC (World Boxing Council), then WBA. For 48A I had TOT, then IMP. I did however figure out the major clues pretty quickly which helped out a lot. Maybe I should do Thursdays in pencil or at least not be so quick to fill in ya think?
Have a great day everyone!
I did this puzzle at midnight last night when I couldn't fall asleep. After about 15 minutes I switched from Master to Regular and, with a little help from the reds, I got through it.
I think IMP is sort of weak for 'sitter's challenge'. 'Works on the wall?' was my favorite clue. TOPE is a new word for me. Unlike C.C., I really don't like cross-referenced clues, especially when each one references the other (i.e. With 12D, XXX/With 37A, XXX).
I'm sure that the San Diego Padres took that name because of the missions connection. IMO, the missions are reminders of a very shameful episode period for the Catholic church. The indigenous people were enslaved to build them and were decimated by the work, their harsh treatment and disease.
My husband and I leave on Sunday evening for our vacation. I'm taking my little computer, but we will be on a cruise, so I don't expect to have access to the 'net or the LA Times puzzle for the three weeks that I'm gone.
Dennis: Great WoW. Words to live by, for sure.
I usually try to avoid political rants on this site, but since the Gitmo comments started yesterday, I can't resist. I think Gitmo is a significant departure from what is, or should be, core American principles of human rights and justice. I'm appalled by the fear-mongering in Congress about 'releasing' detainees into the U.S. on the closing of Gitmo. The arguments are simply invalid. First, the detainees won't be released; they will continue to be incarcerated awaiting trials (which their is precious little chance will result in convictions). Second, these people were picked up in Afghanistan in the middle of fighting, with little chance they were in any position to take action against the continental US (even if they wanted to, which I won't try to dispute). And finally, what makes those detainees any different from or worse than the 4 guys arrested in NY yesterday, who actually planted 'bombs' and will be sitting in local jails?
(And don't get me started in adding an amendment to allow carrying loaded weapons in national parks to a credit card bill.)
Good morning everyone,
I had a little trouble with the puzzle this morning, but plugged away to the end. There were a few complete unknowns to me (TOPE, TAPA) that finally came with the perps. Had to use the online red letters to help out a little.
As soon as I filled in TAR I knew AARON. Growing up in Milwaukee, we were huge fans. It was so sad when the Braves went to Atlanta.
My favorite clues were EURO - it is usually clued as Italian bread vs. German so I kept thinking of RYES instead. Doesn't take much to fool me. I also liked IDEAS and PADRE.
Has anyone read Lolita? I spend lots of time as a taxi mom in the car so I often check out books on tape to listen to. I checked out Lolita as I had never read it. It was narrated by Jeremy Irons. He was incredible, such a devious voice to tell that tale.
CC - I don't think geodes are used for anything but to look at if you like them. I too was surprised to see that MOLEST is the #1 meaning of annoy. It seems far to strong of a word to be a synonym, hence it took me a long time to figure that one out. I doubt I will remember in the future either.
Happy belated birthday to Maniac. I forgot to add that yesterday. Hope you had lots of fun!
Nice to have calmer and more temperate weather today. Two days in he 90's in Minnesota in May is a little much for me. I haven't even changed the sweaters out of my closets yet.
Good morning CC et al., Whoo Hooo! An 'extremely' fun puzzle- out of the 'norm' - running from one extreme to the other...just my kind of fun! On one hand we have 'sots' who 'tope' and
'stagger' to those who 'molest' themselves when they inhale/
'exhale' and use 'mescal', and 'needle'(s)to the
'padre's who 'praise' 'cads' with damaged 'ego's. These 'all star'
padres help these guys have a change of 'hart' making them better 'men'.Unfortunately, their balls are still geodes.
Dennis: Great WoW. Fully agree.
Now I'm curious as to what you are curious about. Way to bait the hook!
Memo to self: find out what Larry Lewis eats.
Enjoy your day.
Well, doh! Elissa, sorry I missed the irony yesterday. I'm the most literal of my family. It's a wonder I can get any of the clever c/w clues.
Al, thanks for the link to "Ballyhoo, Buckaroo and Spuds."
We have a son who studied geology, and one Christmas our gift was a collection of geodes. They can be amazingly beautiful.
Elissa,
I feel your anger, which is totally justified.
I was surprised at how easily this puzzle came out. No g'spot, no looking up at all. Fourth day this week--a record since the easing off eased up. I thought it was going to be harder when I saw the sports clues, but getting AA at the start of 15A helped, because we've had him so oftern, and what else starts that way? I got the theme early too, which is rare for me, but fleecing suggested shearing to me, and the letters just found their own way in there. Down in the lower sections it all came easily.
I liked the noodle products clue best, SWANS came to me before anything else that could have worked there. For ASS and SOTS I had the same reaction as c.c., and originally had ASA for 18D.
I agree with Dennis about MOLEST--would make me more than annoyed.
c.c.,
I also laughed aloud at your "hot" link. Smaller geodes sometimes are made into bookends, but generally they're just fun to look at.
In addition to today's day, in Germany it is Männertag today--men's day. My son got an email greeting from his wife's grandparents, and was told to "have a very nice mans-day. We wish you a good party and much fun with your wife and friends.Don?t much works doday, rathera lidl bit drink and good food abaut a lidl bit dreams and plays." They've only just started learning English this year, so not too bad. In East German schools they had to learn Russian instead.
Balaam is from the Old Testament Book of Numbers 22:22
Good morning, everyone. Settled back into Portland and getting over the jet lag nicely.
This one was not too baaad. I held on to 18D as some sort of airline to the bitter end. Revised my E to A to get ASS and SHEAR. Had problems with IMP and IGUANA. My printed copy of the puzzle was difficult to read on 48D, so I had a hard time making IGUANA fit ("Critter in a" was the problem area). Someone has given us a rule for using a/an in front of a noun that starts with a vowel. If the noun begins with a "Y" sound? Feel good about getting a Thursday with no major problems after being off for a week.
@kq I recently read Lolita to see what the fuss was about and found it a hard read. Just couldn't read between the lines, I guess.
Have a great Thursday, all.
@Argyle;
The part of AI that I don't care for is where they seemingly encourage everyone looking for their 15 minutes of fame to continue doing so year after year. It's kind of a freak show at times, and I always skip watching the early season until they get to the serious part. That aspect of it didn't belong in the finale, in my opinion, however, it was there. The bikini girl was someone that just wanted to draw attention to herself and the producers must have thought it would help ratings. Apparently the girl had an "enhancement" done in between her audition and the finale and was given an opportunity to display it. The other woman was Kara, one of the judges, who flashed her own bikini to show up the bikini girl, which was the result of a bet from the other judges, the proceeds of which went to a charity. It made for entertainment, I suppose, but it kind of cheapened the show, which after all, is supposed to be a vocal contest, not a zoo. All in all, though, with Kiss and Queen performing, it was a sort of a zoo anyway, and was fairly enjoyable.
Why aren't there any good variety shows anymore like there used to be? I really miss Ed Sullivan at times.
Hello c.c. and everyone.
Another successful Thursday solve! That's a great way to start the day.
Rad was popular about 12 to 15 years ago. I remember my kids telling me that everything was "Rad". A geode is a decorative crystal found inside a very plain looking rock. We have a set of bookends made from a geode.
I also solve the puzzle carried by The Oregonian. They only identify it as Today's puzzle. I'm not sure of the origin.
Kitty B: I always solve across and down at the same time. It helps to cross check my answers, avoiding a lot of erasures.
Elissa: Imp is used quite often as sitter's challenge. When you see sitter and a three letter answer always try tot or imp. It could also be kid, but I don't think I've ever seen this usage.
It's another beautiful day here in the N/W. I've got to get ready to go out and play.
Hasta luego.
Thanks Dennis, Tope was what threw me. The wife now can accuse me of being a regular Sot always Toping!!
Maybe it’s because my hip still hurts, but I had some trouble with the puzzle today. New term for me today was tope. Although I got most of the letters of “molest” for the clue annoy, I don’t get the connection. To me molestation is much more than an annoyance. My favorite clue today was “noodle products” – ideas. I was looking for some sort of pasta answer. Rad was a very 80’s term.
C.C. good fake on the bra link.
@Dennis, who would have thought that 100 year olds actually compete to run 100yds. I’d also like to see how scientists hold that little needle.
Elissa, enjoy your trip to Europe. What parts are you visiting?
I thought of Windhover with the sheep references. Oh, and not in a baaaad way.
Hi, C.C. and all:
I have been off the internet for almost two weeks, due to problems with my former ISP, Time Warner. I have switched to Grande Communications, and all is now well.
Question: I now have a new address and password. How do I change them with Google. I am writing this post using the old ones and wiil soon see if it works.
Good puzzle today. I have been working a few during my hiatus by having my church secretary download and fax them to me.
It is good to be back.
P.S. When I previewed this post using the old user name and password, it worked, so I guess I don't have to make any changes.
That's an awful large geode. I have a few I use for paper weights. They're just a novelty like semi-precious gems.
Dowels (wooden pegs) are used to keep items made of wood together. . Used mostly in furniture instead of nails to avoid splitting the wood.
Lola: I got IMP immediately. In calling it a weak clue I meant that calling a sitter's challenge an imp is a lot more mild than the names I called the children who challenged me when I was a sitter.
Tarrajo: We start in Barcelona, then stop in Monaco, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Mykonos, Istanbul, Ephesus, Athens, and Venice. Then we stop in Germany on the way home. We are going with a friend who is getting married on board. It is her fifth.
As usual, the Thursday puzzle was hard for me. Guess my brain doesn't work in the morning. Dowels around this house are wood. Hubby builds furniture for fun.
Carol-enjoyed your rant about the old f--t drivers. That's what we call them in Medford. Yesterday one of them ended up going about 90mph down a residential street. Took out a retaining wall and plowed into a garage. It pushed out the car inside before crashing into another house. The 89 year old woman said she kept pressing the brakes, but they wouldn't work. Hey lady the brakes are on the LEFT!!
Enjoy the day all. I'm off to paint some exterior door frames before it gets too hot.
Elissa:
Yes. You couldn't be more correct, on all counts.
Tarrajo:
Remember, dear, you can't believe a word those damn sheep say. Baaa indeed!
C.C.,
You must be a genius. I've never heard of some of the words in these puzzles, but you seem to know them.
And I don't get illustration for "top of a two piece". What do peppers have to do with a bra? Bra's are not hot. It's pants.
Dennis,
Note the clue for 'tips' on the day for waiters & waitresses that you mentioned. Do you think the constructor knew?
Windover,
You forgot 'humbug'.
GM all: Puzzle takes longer on Th-Sun so haven`t finished it...(can`t read CC`s comments yet, either...)
Bunch coming for the weekend so a little cleaning is taking my puzzle time :(
Carol: On the older driver:(of which, if I`m not, I soon will be...) When you surrender that license, you surrender not just driving privileges but you lose independence and self-determination and you are at the whim/mercy of others. It`s not a pleasant life-position.
I`ve had to "remove" a license and it was one of the hardest things I`ve ever done, except to bury them. I do understand your frustration...but we will all face it if we live long enough. Understanding the "other side" might make those delays a bit more palatable. Hope so.
From all accounts from family who are on-staff with Kris Allen, he`s modest, married, genuinely nice and kind and doesn`t make good "news" because of those qualities...I`m sure we`ll see Adam everywhere, with his genuine talent and flamboyance. I just hope all this doesn`t make Kris too different a person.
Good morning, c.c. and all - of course i fell in the trap this morning, an clicked on the Hot stuff and started to laugh .
But now, i am curious about that movie, Wilde, must be something, to shock Venice.
Must say i thought this morning would be hard to do, so i did it online in under an hour, filled in what i knew , bought 3 letters, and the rest of it was pure guessing on my part,
When i got Mescal then i got Men...Doh !
i' m not finished reading all the posts, otherwise i' ll be here 'til noon ( slow reader )
Elissa, you sound very sensible, your vacation sounds exciting, do come back with some highlights of it.
I did a cruise in '99 from Istambul thru Bosforus , Amalfi, Mt. Etna and on to Cannes, it was the best !
I would love to go on one to Aqaba, so i keep looking at the DOW s every day , Good Luck ! right ?
imbo
First thing before reading the Blog, i had to look up the meaning of "Homophone" , hah, i thought it meant something else.
P.S. The above sentence should be at the top of the post, don't know how it fell to the bottom ! LOL
Dick, keep that good weather coming! Had my first decent bike run this morning, and it felt outstanding. Are you guys getting any rain this weekend?
KittyB, you're right about 'noodle products' - I completely forgot about that one and it's a brilliant clue.
g8rmomx2, nah, don't give in; stick with pen.
Elissa, which cruise line? All our cruises have been on Royal Caribbean, and I'm curious about how they rate, relative to other cruise lines.
Lois, I could tell you what I'm curious about, but then of course I'd have to kill you.
Al, I share your lament about the lack of good TV shows. Just why is it that we can't have porn on regular TV??
tarrajo, you're way too young for degenerative arthritis. Just what the hell have you been doing? And aren't there a lot of options before you have to look at hip replacement?
T.Frank, good to have you back.
treefrog, Medford OR, or Medford NJ?
luxor, I'd like to think the constructor knew what the day was and tied the clue to it, but I don't know if they know on what day their puzzle will appear.
Hi all, I actually loved this puzzle!! What a strange thing for me to say about a Thursday puzzle but I really enjoyed it. My favorite clues were:
Man with a mission (68A)
Noodle products (65A)
They're potted (10D)
Ewe, what a cute theme (I usually do not care for themes)!
All in all a great start to my day.
I could not open the link for 42D - a notice comes up that says address could not be found. It may be that my hubby put that in there to prevent opening of some of these links..a few of them contain 'nasty's'(nasties?).
What was the picture?
Southern Bell,
i could not understand why you were cold in Fla. so looked up Apalachicola, wow, that is up north !
No wonder, it is much warmer here in Mia.
Move down girl !
Something’s wrong, because I had not problems with this, and got it in a short amount of time (for me.) No red letters, either. Enjoyed it too. I wasn’t sure of a few, but the perps made it them clear. I like the themes a lot. I struggled for a toe hold in the SE corner and finally figured out Ethyl Merman.
Maybe KittyB is right – being older made it easier.
I’d love to tell the story of Balaam, but it’s a little long. Of course that won’t stop me.
I once heard a Spanish saying “El burro sabe mas que tu.” It had to have come from the story of Balaam and his ass.
Linda (10:59) I DO understand the other side, I am nearly that old myself, but these drivers are a danger to everyone on the road - including themselves!!
I also see many younger drivers that don't do well and let's not forget the ones on their cell phones (heaven help us all)!! I know it would be very difficult to have to 'turn in your car keys' but believe me, I will do it without complaint if I get to the point that my reflexes and depth perception are not good anymore. I think a large part of the problem, at least in Oregon, is the passing of these older drivers on the exams. They recently renewed the license of an elderly lady I know of for 10 years. She was 87 at the time!!! This makes no sense at all.
Here goes ----
When the children of Israel left Egypt, they settled in Moab, which annoyed the king. Believing them to be too powerful for him to deal with he sent word to a sorcerer named Balaam to put a curse on them.
God spoke to Balaam and warned him that the Israelites were blessed, so he shouldn’t put a curse on them. Balaam dutifully sent the messengers back to the king, refusing his offer.
So the king sent the messengers back with a bigger offer. Balaam refused them again, saying there wasn’t enough silver or gold to make him put a curse on the Israelites.
This time, God told Balaam to go with the messengers, but do only what God told him to do.
The next morning Balaam saddled his donkey and headed out with the messengers to see the king. But he did, or thought, something that ticked God off big time.
God put an angel with a drawn sword in his path. The donkey saw the angel, and went off the road into the field. Balaam was oblivious to the angel, so he beat the donkey back on to the road.
When they came to a narrow path, the angel appeared again, and the donkey cringed against the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot. So naturally, Balaam beat the donkey back on the path.
Again the donkey forged ahead, and again the Angel with drawn sword appeared in the path, and again, Balaam was oblivious to everything but his ego. This time the donkey laid down under Balaam, who of course took his staff and beat her.
And here’s the heart of the story. The donkey spoke to Balaam and asked Balaam what in the world was the matter with him. Had she been in the habit of disobedience? Balaam had to admit she hadn’t.
Now the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes so he could see the angel. The angel told Balaam that the donkey had saved his life, because if she had not turned away, the angel would have killed Balaam and spared the donkey.
Now that God had made his point, Balaam went to the king and blessed the Israelites, instead of cursing them --- 3 times!!
Needless to say, the king didn’t pay.
Good Morning All, I tried the Master level this morning and had a little problem in the NE corner when I entered ASSENT for 9D. But the Acrosses helped me to realize my error.
As soon as I got to the theme, I also thought of Windhover. He just got finished with the shearing a couple of weeks ago.
It's a nice coincidence to see Lorenz HART's name today. Our chorus is performing a concert this evening and one of the songs we are singing is Rogers and Hart's With A Song In My Heart. I know I'm old-fashioned about music, but I don't think you get lyrics like this anymore. It's lovely to hear and so much fun to sing.
I try to go all the way with the Acrosses or all the way with the Downs, but I usually get too curious and wind up like Lola going back and forth and filling up sections with both A's and D's.
Isn't curiosity is a character trait that is high on the list for all crossword solvers? We love the mystery and want to figure out what is hiding behind all those little white squares.
Elissa, nothing wrong with a straightforward rant every once in a while. I agree with you on both points. BTW, have a fantastic trip. Do you think your friend has it "right" this time? (Just curious....ha,ha)
I smiled when I opened the 42D link and saw all the hot peppers. Here's the Scoville Heat Chart for comparison. Talk about "WHEW!" I can't eat anything hotter than a jalapeno. Does anyone here like habarero peppers?
@Dennis, I was just practicing up for the long weekend and forgot to limber up first. I don’t think a hip replacement will be necessary.
@Winhover, how many sheep do you have that speak?
C.C. said, "I am struggling with article a/an in front of "U" sound." The key word here is "sound". The sound that begins the word ewe is "Y" not "U".
Morning...Fun again, though I didn't initially think it would be...Everything filled in w/o much trouble. Have seen Night of the Iguana so no problem with that clue. Really liked the theme and like others, thought of WH.
Elissa...with you in all aspects of the rant, but don't me started.
Like Dennis, I am always curious about pretty much everything...just probably not the same things as Dennis( or maybe?) ;o).
Oscar Wilde was an amazing person but ended up in jail for a supposed homosexual relationship with the son of the Marquis of Queensbury...who was apparently the agressor. Wilde was accused of leading the young man on and forcing him into the relationship and was convicted. You didn't mess with the aristocracy. Wilde was a brilliant, but controversial person. I read a great biography on him years ago, but I think these facts are basically correct...his play " The Importance of Being Ernest" is wonderful and just as funny now as when it originally written.
Belated birthday to Maniac.
CA...have fun at your final concert this evening.
Won't be back today as I will be taking care of my mom...things are not going well at present.
Hi all,
I was like the tortoise today; slow, but sure. Even got Tapa which I later looked up. According to Wikipedia is either served cold (olives & cheese) or warm (battered, fried baby squid) Wonder what the latter taste like?
DR. G...really yummy!
C.C. & Liz,
Thanks for the update. The recipe sounds delish. Wikipedia calls it Moo Shoo, hence my question.
WHEW (exhaling forcefully)! This wasn't as bad as I thought it should be. (It is Thursday, isn't it?)
I bounced around filling in what I was sure of and bounced some more making others fit and, within a half hour, there was no bouncing left (and no blanks, either!).
My problem is with SNOB = START TO APPEAL! CC says we've seen it before. I was, apparently, absent and earned a failing grade.
SO, what the h*** is SNOB APPEAL?
Anyway, I really liked today's offering, and when the NOODLE light came on I laughed!!
CY'All Later
T.Frank, you should update to a new email and password with your change. Eventually, google will cancel you if your old email is invalid. You can go into your blog, click on "my account" and change your email address and password any time you want.
Crockett - How do you get over the jet lag? I am still coming out of travel woes from my trip to San Diego and Iowa City last week. I think some is just too much in too short of a time, but I am just dragging this week. I agree Lolita is tough to get through, but listening to Jeremy Irons really made it entertaining. You might try that approach. I believe it was a very controversial book when it was written, and I can see why.
Barb B - you crack me up when you say somethings wrong.
Linda - While I am empathetic to the elderly and their loss of independence I must agree with Carol. I needed to take away the car from my father with dementia, and we should be taking them away from my husbands parents also. My daughter, who spends more time with my father-in-law than either of us frequently tells me that they need to quit. It is not worth the risk to themselves or others. My best friend has dealt with chronic pain from the breaking of her neck due to an 80 year old driver who should not have been behind the wheel. It is sad but real.
As we all know, cell phones and cars are not good companions. I have been guilty at times. Teens can be the worst. Minnesota bans their use together for anyone under age 18, but I for one know that no matter how often I preach this to my 16 year old, its is pretty easy to disobey when mom's eyes are not watching. We just pray a lot over here.
WM - best to you with your mom. I hope all goes well. Keep us informed.
WM,
I too wanted to wish you well for your mom.
KQ,
I've found I suffer more from jetlag as I get older. The best is to take time and rest up until you get back to normal. Try getting more sleep at night for a while and take naps when you can.
Bill,
I think SNOB APPEAL is what appeals to the "beautiful people". Things that other people buy only to impress those snobs.
For all of the AI watchers, who sang lead for QUEEN now that Paul Rogers is reving BAD COMPANY?
I liked OLD BOYS as the most original simple clue, it had me trying to think of some obscure Old Boys Network connection.
Tarrajo, hip replacement has become pretty routine; a friend had both of his done this past year with no problems, but I hope you do not need the surgery.
Lo-li-ta is back in spirit; it was a very difficult book to read and James Mason was amazing in the movie.
Kazie,
That's probably why I don't know the term. I'm as far from a snob as can be and don't intend to impress anyone with anything!!!
I guess I've been poor for too long. LOL
I read your blog all the time and Ilove it. Im a care giver for my 2 year old granddaughter, so some days Im too busy.(it takes me all day sometimes just work the puzzle) I really enjoy reading your comments. I never comment so I sometimes feel like I am evesdropping on private conversations. Im not very good at doing much on the computer, but I try
LUXOR- A constructor who sends a puzzle to the LAT will go through this process, usually- About 3 to 4 weeks after the puzzle is submitted Rich Norris, the editor, will send an e-mail telling you if the puzzle has been accepted or rejected. If accepted he will let you know why he liked it. If he rejects it you'll be told the reason for that as well.
If accepted, Rich, at some point, edits the puzzle and it sits in the pipeline waiting to be published. Let's say it's May and he decides to run it in July. At the end of June he will e-mail you once again and let you know on what date in July the puzzle will appear. Only then does the constructor know when the puzzle will appear. So, no, a constructor can't write a clue that coincides with publication time... unless she or he can look into the future.
Finished the puzzle early, and liked it a lot. Will make an invidious comparison in a fillow up post. Must get back to grass cutting.
CC
In case nobody answered your question, if the "U" (or eqivalent) starts with a "Y" sound, use the article "a." If it starts with an "oo" sound, use the article "an."
General rule - irrespective of spelling, an initial consonant sound takes an "a." A starting vowl sound takes an "an."
Usage was illustrated several times in this post.
Cheers!
Re: Curiosity. The Book of Questions by Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, was written in 1973 as he was dying. It is a small book of 74 poems made up of questions in the form of couplets.
Here are some of them.
XIV
And what did the rubies say
standing before the juice of pomegranates?
Why doesn't Thursday talk itself
into coming after Friday?
Who shouted with glee
when the color blue was born?
Why does the earth grieve
when the violets appear?
LXVI.
Do the o's of the locomotive
cast smoke, fire and steam?
In which language does rain fall
over tormented cities?
At dawn, which smooth syllables
does the ocean air repeat?
Is there a star more wide open
then the word poppy?
Are there two fangs sharper
than the syllables of jackal?
LXXII.
If all rivers are sweet
where does the sea get its salt?
How do the seasons know
they must change their shirt?
Why so slowly in winter
and later with such a rapid shudder?
And how do the roots know
they must climb toward the light?
And then greet the air
with so many flowers and colors?
Is it always the same spring
who revives her role?
KQ:
Thanks for your help. I now have a new Google account, and it seems to work.
C.C.:
Syncopation is a displacement of the normal accent of a piece of music. One of the songs in "The Sound of Music" is syncopated. I'm having a senior moment and can't remember the name of the piece, but it spells the name of a state (I think). Maybe someone else on the blog can help you find it. In order to understand syncopation, it needs to be heard.
As for the "a/an" confusion, maybe this will help. A vowel is a letter that when pronounced, no part of the inside of the mouth touches another part. A consonant is when parts touch, i.e., tongue, teeth, etc., interrupting the flow of air. When the "y" sound is pronounced, the both sides of the back of your tongue touch the insides of the back molars, hence it is treated as a consonant when applying "a/an" rule. Vowel sounds need to be interrupted by consonant sounds. One emits air, the other interrupts the flow of air.
Examples:
an umbrella
an uncle
an ulcer
BUT
a useful (something)
a Euro
a uvula
As for the "a" history lesson and "an" historical event, the second aspirate "h" is not all that "aspirate", (i.e., heard) because the accent is not on the first syllable. This is true of all multisyllabic words that begin with "h" when the accent is on the second or third syllable.
I believe your question about the meaning of "exe" was answered; however, it is helpful to know to NEVER delete an exe file. At least that is what I was told after I deleted one.
Elizabeth Taylor played in "Night of the Iguana" as well as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
Hope this has been helpful.
Doreen
Tarrajo:
All of them, but they rarely have anything interesting to say. Like me, they don't get out much.
Doreen, an .exe file is an 'executable', in other words, a program of some type. It's ok to delete an .exe file as long as you realize you're deleting that program.
QM, I'll bet we have some similar 'curiosities'. And I hope things get better with your mom; we all know how gut-wrenching that can be.
tarrajo, I have a good friend who had his hip 'scraped' for exactly the same reason, and was good as new in 3 weeks.
jodi, welcome. We're all eavesdropping in one manner or another, so don't let that bother you. Hope to see more posts from you when you can.
Jerome, great information - as always. Thanks.
Windhover, do they ever try to put one over on you?
C.C.,
You can add my name to the list of horny old f***s that got sucked in on your supposed bra link. You owe us one, Babe!
Kazie - i couldn't understand that snob appeal either, thanks.
Lemonade,
on Lolita, never read the book, but the movie was great . Human emotions can be so powerful, like The Blue Angel, the one with Kurt Jurgens, an unforgettable performance.
WM
I too , feel for you, as i went thru quite a lot with my mom, the important thing is, you are there for her.
9:26 today. Easy-peasy Thursday, with one exception. MAKES A EWE TURN had me going in circles. I knew the sheep thing meant the 'W' in SWANS was going to turn into EWE, but RENAL gave me A EWE and, like c.c. I just didn't think that could be correct. Much head scratching later, I finally gave in and filled in what looked like "incorrect" English. Serves me right for overthinking a pun.
Hot stuff is good, in whatever form, so your link was fine by me, c.c.
You can be sure that Yuri, our favorite server at the place where I get my steak au poivre will be getting his usual 20% TIP tonight. Wife gets a gardenburger, usually, and we share a bottle of organic merlot (TOPEing, I guess).
The GEODE (known in these parts as the thunderegg) is the official Oregon state rock (I wonder how many states have a state rock, anyway?). Oregon State Rock@tarrajo: @Winhover, how many sheep do you have that speak?
Actually, I suspect that most all of Windhover's sheep speak. Whether we understand what they're saying...well, that's another matter.
Doreen got syncopation right.
I just played "The Sound of Music" a few says ago, and can't come up with a good example. "Marion the Librarian" (yesterday's link) has quite a bit.
Here
is the classic example.
Ragtime is so called because of the *ragged* feeling of the syncopation.
Just now, the LW, preparing dinner, opined, "That is not music to chop to."
Cheers!
Elissa @ 8:50
Hear, hear!
Got my first taste of the commuter puzzle today. Pretty ho-hum. No theme, bland cluing. None of the usual S-T cleverness. Very pedestrian, IMHO.
In spite of all my grousing about minutia, I do like and appreciate the S-T puzzles. To my taste, the current style is far superior to what we had before the change.
Cheers!
Jazzbumpa, is vamp the same as the ramp to a song. I heard ramp used to indicate the lead-in to when the singer actually starts to sing. Some DJ's pride themselves on stepping all over the ramp but it drives me crazy.
Al, thanks for clearing up that AI moment.
@Dennis, your friend had their hip scraped as a result of doing, umm calisthenics?
@Windhover for a guy that doesn’t get out much you sure have a lot of interesting things to say. Your vocabulary is very impressive.
@elissa Venice is the only one I've visited, and it is a favorite. Where are you going to be in Germany?
@kq Just what kazie said. I had a good two hour naps yesterday afternoon, and may have the chance to get one more in sometime this afternoon.
@wm Best wishes and happy thoughts sending your way. Hope your Mom can get through this tough time.
@jodi Welcome!!
@clearayes Interesting observations by the poet.
tarrajo, well, vigorous athletic activities anyway.
Per our conversation on flexibility, are you in this league?
Dennis - parts of that video are just plain wrong. I can't even imagine.
Got the puzzle after a few 'doh' moments. Was so focused on the theme clues that a couple of easy ones slipped by - my baaaaaad.
Too much to do to play with the puzzle and comments today - saw Cold Play in concert last nite and then came home to watch the DVR'd AI final moments - easy to distill 2+ hrs down to minutes with the DVR. Both guys were great and should have fabulous careers - talk about 2 totally different types.
And tomorrow's Friday - first big weekend of summer! Hope the weather will be great wherever you are.
@Dennis...how did you know? That last maneuver is how I hurt my hip.
I'll be right over.
WM - My best to your Mom too (and to you). Quite a few of us on this blog have had loved ones go through rough times and know it's not easy. Please know you can come here for support.
Jodi, welcome, don't be a lurker! We like new 'voices'.
Dennis and Tarajo - LOL!!! That video perked up a lot of guys!
Hello All,
I really liked this puzzle and was pleased that I got the puns. I missed the 'rag' answer and I should have know it. I also loved the 'noodle' clue.
Crockett1947, Glad to hear that you are back. I forgot where you were going. How was it?
I got back on Saturday from the cruise and I have been so tired. I can't even claim jet lag.
Elissa, your trip sounds so exciting. What interesting places to visit. It is such a new perspective traveling on a cruise ship. I was on Holland America and I thought it was fine, but I have nothing to compare it to. I heard great things about Royal Caribean from some of the other passengers.
WM, I have been where you are and while it is so difficult, but you will always be glad you were there. I treasure the time I had with my Mom and my Mother-in-law. I will keep you in prayer.
Linda and Carol,
I understand both sides of the driver issue. The hardest thing I ever had to do was to take the keys from my husband when he was only 55 years old after 2 car accidents. In the next 2 years he had 3 eye surgeries. However, I could not have lived with myself if he had hurt someone. I thanked God that both accidents were single car and he wasn't hurt badly. I have to say I have had the same thoughts about the 10 year driver's licenses in Oregon for older people. Some of our failings come on so gradually that we might not relinquish it until we are dangerous.
Take care and have a good day.
Jodi, Welcome. You are not eavesdropping any more than any of us. We are on the web - we are fair game. Join the conversation anytime and often.
Kazie and Crockett - If I only had time to sleep and nap I would get over this I am sure. Today was the first day where I just vegged. Having two teenage kids doesn't allow that much.
I have seen those Ross sisters somewhere before. Their control of their bodies is as amazing as their flexibility.
SanbridgeKaren - I am jealous. Was Coldplay good? I don't go to concerts much any longer. Hurts my ears and too much standing for my back.
Just got done watching Jeopardy. The Final Jeopardy answer was OED (that was actually my guess I might add). Memories of many xword clues. They said it took 5 years to get to the word ANT when they originally wrote it.
To all you praying people, I just had a call from my recently graduated and unemployed daughter. She had three interviews with a company months ago, and did not get a position. They hired 2 out of 7. They called today saying there might be another position opening, would she be interested if it comes to fruition as she is #1 on the list. We could use all he help we can get on this front. She asked me to put my rosary in hand for the duration, so I am there 24/7.
Dennis: We're going on Princess (first time). We've been on Holland America (very good) and Celebrity (just okay). I'll let you know how Princess compares.
CA: I hope she gets it right this time. But it made the vacation choice easy, since I didn't have to convince my husband it was the right destinations and dates.
WM: Hope your mom is doing better.
Crockett: We are going to Dousberg to check up on one of my husband's company's offices.
Argyle -
"Ramp" certainly sounds descriptive as a song lead in, but I have never heard it used that way.
FWIW, From Wikipedia:
The term vamp comes from the Middle English word "vampe" (sock), from Old French "avanpie", equivalent to Modern French avant-pied, literally "before-foot".
The term vamp has another meaning in music, which is "to improvise simple accompaniment or variation of a tune." Outside of music, the noun vamp means "something patched up or refurbished" or "something rehashed, as a book based on old material." Similarly, outside of music, the verb "vamp" means "to put together, fabricate or improvise": "With no hard news available about the summit meeting, the reporters vamped up questions based only on rumor." These other meanings are related to the musical meaning, in that a musical vamp is a "fabricated" or "improvised" "rehash" of standard, stock musical phrases.
Re vamp--i would guess revamp is related--as in reconstructing/forming.
Elissa,
I didn't recognize Dousberg as a German town, and wondered if you meant Duisburg. But when I g'ed Dousberg a lot of Dutch references came up. Could it be that's a Dutch spelling of the German town, since it's not far from the Dutch border?
Katie: I'm sure you are right - Duisburg it is - we are flying into Dusseldorf. German is a complete mystery to me and I've had nothing to do with this part of the trip, so I wrote it down phonetically.
WM:
Best to you and your Mom.
My mother was very ill last year and the support I got from this blog was awesome.
Take care,
Geri
@tobylee We were in Columbus OH for my nephew's wedding. We had a marvelous day and a great wedding. They're at Seaside now and will resettle as man and wife in Beaverton next week.
@kq The only teenager around here is the cat and he just eats, sleeps, and takes care of business, so plenty opportunity for naps, lol!
The flexibility of the Ross sisters was something to behold. They did things that they shouldn't have been avlt to do, IMHO.
@elissa We were on Princess in Alaska last year and enjoyed it very much. Haven't heard of Duisberg before. It's sort of in the area where my Mother's German side came from.
CC: Finally finished the puzzle and came here for two corrections...good to "see" you making jokes again, ie: "baaaaad" and "really hot."
Wanted "tequila" for agave liquor but couldn`t make it fit. "Tope" was a new definition for me. My definition of "meek" is "strength under control." I`ve never thought meekness equated to timidness or weakness.
Linda has worn too many hats today and is quite tired. "Catch you on the flip side" (another "beatnik" expression).
Good evening CC and all,
Odd that we had retype today as we just had all the Selectric stories yesterday(?). It took me forever to put in mescal/men, but then I got going. Unfamiliar with opines, exe,tope, Ely,and Balaam but most came with perps. Couldn't complete dowel, as I kept thinking tacks. Don't associate dowels with rugs. Ha! Ha! No wonder! It says carpentry!! OK, you can all laugh!
I'm getting better understanding these more clever clues,but "start to appeal", even with all of your explanations, does not work for me, nor did hypo(yes, I get that one.)
Fav. clue was man with a mission.Got the theme, but took awhile to fill in phrases. Sefton pulled the wool over my eyes.
Elissa, your ports-of-call sound exciting. I'm so jealous. Being with friends will make it twice as much fun.Princess is owned by Holland America and is one step up. They also own Carnival which is one step down from H.A..It will be Mahvellus, darlink! Your earlier views are mine exactly. Grrrrr
Geodes are an awesome reminder of how slowly our earth formed, and the magic in everything in our universe. Without being cut in 1/2 they are just ugly rocks. I used to buy them at the hobby shop for $1 ea. just to see what they looked like inside. Then I gave them to my students.
Argyle, unfortunately today's world would not even give Ed Sullivan's show a chance. Our world is addicted to competition; seeing a juggler, mime or dog act without a prize might not work. Sigh
WM, my thoughts are with you tonight. I know you had a rough day.
Welcome Jodi!! 2 yr olds will keep you busy.On days that I have Truman I get very little done, so here I am posting at 6:45. We're all glad you took the time to write.
Dr. G, I believe that tapas are just another name for hor d'oeuvres
Squid (calamari) is excellent. Many festivals and/or wine/art shows in our area always have a booth.
KQ,before carpooling to work, I was addicted to books on tape.Listened to the complete Harry Potter series to and from work. Our library has a good selection. It would be a good way to revisit the classics.
Anybody ever been to Sun City, Az where the golf carts have replaced cars for many of the retired community? I think that is a great idea.
Do you think Archie should marry Betty or Veronica? It's news folks!
Elissa,
I have never been to Duisburg, but it's in that industrial area of the Ruhr Valley, where so many towns are close together. So you should have opportunities to visit other places too. Düsseldorf, for example, whose main thoroughfare, the Königsallee, is an avenue with a canal in the center of it. Not too much farther south is Köln (Cologne), which is a must see, with its cathedral right by the central train station. Try zooming in on it on Google maps, and follow the Rhine until you see the cathedral, ("Dom" in German), then switch to satellite view. You will see the whole cathedral laid out East-West in all its glory from a bird's eye view. There are good museums there too--check it all out so you know what you want to do there.
good evening c.c. and all,
fun puzzle today, alot of fun clues and a clever theme. especially liked the EWE TURN. loved your idea about CHASES, c.c., and sheepish for MEEK was just brilliant.
i also liked how BRA's opposite partner was ART. girls weekend is coming up and we have a BRA ART ritual. it does not involve chili peppers, but it is hot.
getting here so late, havn't quite caught up on the comments ..
@Dennis...well according to mapquest you have about 1236 miles to cover. I would suggest your fast car, or the fast boat as I am sure there is some sort of waterway to take. Via a g-force fast plane would probably get you here fastest. I have tried icing it and think that heat is the best option. I will leave the light on.
Icing it, hmm pretty kinky; you go girl.
Archie should marry Veronica; Betty needs someone more dynamic to bring out her wild side.
Actually Al, I think Bikini Girl had two enhancements. Why don't they realize how fake they look?
My favorite Tapas place went out of business, times are tough in So. Fla.
Well my youngest should be home soon, so I bid you all a restful night, except perhaps those who have better things to do.
Balaam and his ass refers to a story in the Bible (Numbers 22:22 ~ 25). It is a fable in which the donkey speaks. God is angry with Balaam, who is a prophet, and has the donkey as the actual visionary. Talking animals were not uncommon in ancient Near East stories.
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