Theme: None
Total blocks: 30
Total words: 72
A complete fiasco today.
So many unknowns and unusual clues. Several wicked misdirections too. I was very frustrated when OIL did not fit for "37A: Whistler's output" (AIR). Didn't you also see "Whistler's Mother" when you read the clue?
I also had trouble understanding the grammar structure of the clues:
15A: Not act well: EMOTE. OK, both are verbs.
42A: Not shut out of: IN ON. What's the function of "shut" here then? Past particle? I'd have got the answer immediately if the clue were "Privy to".
This constructor Bard Wilber is known for constructing hard grids. According to Jim's database, all of his 13 NYT puzzles appeared on Fridays/Saturdays. And all of the 12 puzzles he created for LAT appeared on Saturdays.
I like how he stacked those triple-stacked 9-letter fills in each quadrant.
Across:
1A: Clublike weapons: MACES. Used in the Middle Ages.
6A: Vague: IMPRECISE
16A: Ripped poser: MALE MODEL. Ashton Kutcher was a MALE MODEL before. I had trouble understanding the clue. Google asked me "Did you mean "Ripped poster" when I searched.
17A: Key of Chopins's "Raindrop Prelude": D-FLAT. I had ?FLAT sitting there for a long time.
18A: Work on galleys: PROOFREAD. I was thinking of the boat galley.
19A: E-mail qualifier: IMO. So simple in retrospect.
20A: Jane's "Klute" role: BREE. No idea. This back-exposed dress looks familiar though. I must have googled "Klute" before.
22A: Martini & Ross product: ASTI. Penned in WINE.
23A: Placed just so: ARRAYED. I supposed so.
25A: Waldenbooks rival: B. DALTON. Wrote down BORDERS, which actually owns Waldenbooks. B. DALTON belongs to Barnes & Noble.
28A: Journalist Walters, casually: BABS. Not a fan of Barbara Walters. I like Terry Gross.
29A: Roughen before repainting: DEGLOSS. A new word to me.
31A: They're often baked: IDAHOS. Potatoes. BREADS popped into my mind first.
33A: Absorbed: LOST. As in thought.
34A: Salem summer hrs.: PDT. Salem, Oregon. I was thinking of the witch trials Salem.
38A: More gracious: POLITER
41A: Help-wanted request: SOS
43A: Sponsor of the Socceroos: QANTAS. The Australian airline. I was stumped. I had no idea that the national soccer team of Australia is called Scocceroo. I suppose it's a combination of soccer & kangaroo?
45A: Art developed by ancient samurai: JUJITSU. Literally "Art of softness". Ju means "soft", like "judo" (do is just dao/TAO, Chinese "way").
47A: Squabbling: AT IT. Mine was SPAR.
48A: 1962 Lancaster title role: BIRDMAN. From the "BIRDMAN of Alcatraz". Stymie for me.
51A: Fake it, in a way: LIP SYNC
53A: Mil. school: ACAD. Academy. Like West Point.
54A: Addams family nickname: TISH. No idea. Cousin ITT is the only one I know. And I learned his name from doing Xword.
55A: 1959 hit with the lyric "Fight the fare increase!" MTA. More familiar with the "1959 Kingston Trio hit" clue.
56A: Dated but popular: RETRO CHIC. Sigh! Could not come up with the CHIC part.
60A: "When __ detected, a thousand are suspected": Thomas Paine: ONE IS. From Paine's letter to George Washington. What does the quote mean?
62A: Separate: DISENGAGE. Verb.
63A: Cotillion honoree: BELLE. Often see DEB clued as "Cotillion honoree/gal".
64A: They may be studded: SNOW TIRES. I was thinking of the stud earrings. But EARLOBES is one letter short.
65A: Bass-baritone Simon: ESTES. Oh well, the only ESTES I know is Senator Kefauver (Adlai Stevenson's running mate). Here is a clip of this guy singing some song from "Porgy and Bess".
Down:
1D: Slant in columns: MEDIA BIAS. I feel stupid not getting this one, considering my interest for the OP ED pages in our newspaper.
2D: Auto feature: AM/FM RADIO
3D: Test pattern display: COLOR BARS
4D: Cockpit approx.: ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival).
5D: Save for later use: SET BY. I had SIT ON.
6D: Obstruct: IMPEDE
7D: Colt carrier: MARE
8D: Oslo Accords gp.: PLO. A rare gimme. Rabin was assassinated because he signed the Oslo Accords. Clinton actually rehearsed several times for this infamous photo.
9D: Hupmobile contemporary: REO. Easy guess. I've never heard of Hupmobile before.
10D: Band with the 1991 #1 hit "Unbelievable": EMF. No idea. Wiki says EMF officially stands for "Epsom Mad Funkers", but there are plenty of unofficial alternatives. Unbelievable!
11D: Lipstick shades: CORALS. Diane Lane is wearing a CORAL lipstick.
12D: Explanatory phrase: ID EST. That is (i.e.)
13D: Defunct defense gp.: SEATO (1954-1977). Another 5-letter defense gp. is NORAD.
14D: "Murphy Brown" house painter: ELDIN. No idea. The guy on the most left?
21D: "She-devil with a sword" of comics: RED SONJA. New name to me also.
24D: Guitar wood: ASH. Wanted KOA.
25D: Reputation stain: BLOT
26D: Mexican beer with XX on its label: DOS EQUIS. Foreign to me. According to Wiki, this brand was named "Siglo XX" ("20th century") to commemorate the arrival of the new century, and the bottles were marked with the Roman numerals XX, or Dos Equis (two Xs in Spanish).
27D: Stars in the Forum?: ASTRA. Latin for stars.
30D: Inkling: GLINT
32D: Kind of den: OPIUM. I did not know those OPIUM joints are called dens.
34D: Burger cooked like a grilled cheese: PATTY MELT. I've never seen my husband prepares his burger this way before.
35D: Foundation protector: DRAIN TILE. Absolutely no idea. The black stuff? I was thinking of the makeup foundation.
36D: Guinea pigs: TEST CASES. I can't believe it took so much effort to obtain this answer.
39D: Filet mignon cut: LOIN. Beef or pork?
44D: "Stillmatic" rapper: NAS. Well, it could only be EVE or NAS, the only two 3-letter rappers I know.
45D: Red Sox outfielder since 2007: J.D. DREW. J. D. Drew started his Major League career with the Cardinals.
46D: Driving errors: SLICES. Or HOOKS. Golf term. I don't know how to fade/draw.
48D: Foot specialists?: BARDS. Ugh. Metrical foot.
49D: Trap in the chalet: ICE IN. Verb phrase?
50D: "Midnight Cowboy" role: RATSO. Played by Dustin Hoffman.
52D: Commitment __: modern type with cold feet: PHOBE. Makes sense. I could only thought of FEAR.
54D: Buster Brown's dog: TIGE. I forgot his name.
57D: Windsor home: Abbr.: ONT. I did not know Windsor is a city in south Ontario. Kept thinking of the British royal family Windsor.
58D: Special effects technique, briefly: CGI (Computer-Generated Image). I drew a blank again.
59D: Laugh syllable: HAR. Is this a comic laugh?
61D: Video game letters: NES. No idea. Nintendo Entertainment System I suppose?
Answer grid.
Total blocks: 30
Total words: 72
A complete fiasco today.
So many unknowns and unusual clues. Several wicked misdirections too. I was very frustrated when OIL did not fit for "37A: Whistler's output" (AIR). Didn't you also see "Whistler's Mother" when you read the clue?
I also had trouble understanding the grammar structure of the clues:
15A: Not act well: EMOTE. OK, both are verbs.
42A: Not shut out of: IN ON. What's the function of "shut" here then? Past particle? I'd have got the answer immediately if the clue were "Privy to".
This constructor Bard Wilber is known for constructing hard grids. According to Jim's database, all of his 13 NYT puzzles appeared on Fridays/Saturdays. And all of the 12 puzzles he created for LAT appeared on Saturdays.
I like how he stacked those triple-stacked 9-letter fills in each quadrant.
Across:
1A: Clublike weapons: MACES. Used in the Middle Ages.
6A: Vague: IMPRECISE
16A: Ripped poser: MALE MODEL. Ashton Kutcher was a MALE MODEL before. I had trouble understanding the clue. Google asked me "Did you mean "Ripped poster" when I searched.
17A: Key of Chopins's "Raindrop Prelude": D-FLAT. I had ?FLAT sitting there for a long time.
18A: Work on galleys: PROOFREAD. I was thinking of the boat galley.
19A: E-mail qualifier: IMO. So simple in retrospect.
20A: Jane's "Klute" role: BREE. No idea. This back-exposed dress looks familiar though. I must have googled "Klute" before.
22A: Martini & Ross product: ASTI. Penned in WINE.
23A: Placed just so: ARRAYED. I supposed so.
25A: Waldenbooks rival: B. DALTON. Wrote down BORDERS, which actually owns Waldenbooks. B. DALTON belongs to Barnes & Noble.
28A: Journalist Walters, casually: BABS. Not a fan of Barbara Walters. I like Terry Gross.
29A: Roughen before repainting: DEGLOSS. A new word to me.
31A: They're often baked: IDAHOS. Potatoes. BREADS popped into my mind first.
33A: Absorbed: LOST. As in thought.
34A: Salem summer hrs.: PDT. Salem, Oregon. I was thinking of the witch trials Salem.
38A: More gracious: POLITER
41A: Help-wanted request: SOS
43A: Sponsor of the Socceroos: QANTAS. The Australian airline. I was stumped. I had no idea that the national soccer team of Australia is called Scocceroo. I suppose it's a combination of soccer & kangaroo?
45A: Art developed by ancient samurai: JUJITSU. Literally "Art of softness". Ju means "soft", like "judo" (do is just dao/TAO, Chinese "way").
47A: Squabbling: AT IT. Mine was SPAR.
48A: 1962 Lancaster title role: BIRDMAN. From the "BIRDMAN of Alcatraz". Stymie for me.
51A: Fake it, in a way: LIP SYNC
53A: Mil. school: ACAD. Academy. Like West Point.
54A: Addams family nickname: TISH. No idea. Cousin ITT is the only one I know. And I learned his name from doing Xword.
55A: 1959 hit with the lyric "Fight the fare increase!" MTA. More familiar with the "1959 Kingston Trio hit" clue.
56A: Dated but popular: RETRO CHIC. Sigh! Could not come up with the CHIC part.
60A: "When __ detected, a thousand are suspected": Thomas Paine: ONE IS. From Paine's letter to George Washington. What does the quote mean?
62A: Separate: DISENGAGE. Verb.
63A: Cotillion honoree: BELLE. Often see DEB clued as "Cotillion honoree/gal".
64A: They may be studded: SNOW TIRES. I was thinking of the stud earrings. But EARLOBES is one letter short.
65A: Bass-baritone Simon: ESTES. Oh well, the only ESTES I know is Senator Kefauver (Adlai Stevenson's running mate). Here is a clip of this guy singing some song from "Porgy and Bess".
Down:
1D: Slant in columns: MEDIA BIAS. I feel stupid not getting this one, considering my interest for the OP ED pages in our newspaper.
2D: Auto feature: AM/FM RADIO
3D: Test pattern display: COLOR BARS
4D: Cockpit approx.: ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival).
5D: Save for later use: SET BY. I had SIT ON.
6D: Obstruct: IMPEDE
7D: Colt carrier: MARE
8D: Oslo Accords gp.: PLO. A rare gimme. Rabin was assassinated because he signed the Oslo Accords. Clinton actually rehearsed several times for this infamous photo.
9D: Hupmobile contemporary: REO. Easy guess. I've never heard of Hupmobile before.
10D: Band with the 1991 #1 hit "Unbelievable": EMF. No idea. Wiki says EMF officially stands for "Epsom Mad Funkers", but there are plenty of unofficial alternatives. Unbelievable!
11D: Lipstick shades: CORALS. Diane Lane is wearing a CORAL lipstick.
12D: Explanatory phrase: ID EST. That is (i.e.)
13D: Defunct defense gp.: SEATO (1954-1977). Another 5-letter defense gp. is NORAD.
14D: "Murphy Brown" house painter: ELDIN. No idea. The guy on the most left?
21D: "She-devil with a sword" of comics: RED SONJA. New name to me also.
24D: Guitar wood: ASH. Wanted KOA.
25D: Reputation stain: BLOT
26D: Mexican beer with XX on its label: DOS EQUIS. Foreign to me. According to Wiki, this brand was named "Siglo XX" ("20th century") to commemorate the arrival of the new century, and the bottles were marked with the Roman numerals XX, or Dos Equis (two Xs in Spanish).
27D: Stars in the Forum?: ASTRA. Latin for stars.
30D: Inkling: GLINT
32D: Kind of den: OPIUM. I did not know those OPIUM joints are called dens.
34D: Burger cooked like a grilled cheese: PATTY MELT. I've never seen my husband prepares his burger this way before.
35D: Foundation protector: DRAIN TILE. Absolutely no idea. The black stuff? I was thinking of the makeup foundation.
36D: Guinea pigs: TEST CASES. I can't believe it took so much effort to obtain this answer.
39D: Filet mignon cut: LOIN. Beef or pork?
44D: "Stillmatic" rapper: NAS. Well, it could only be EVE or NAS, the only two 3-letter rappers I know.
45D: Red Sox outfielder since 2007: J.D. DREW. J. D. Drew started his Major League career with the Cardinals.
46D: Driving errors: SLICES. Or HOOKS. Golf term. I don't know how to fade/draw.
48D: Foot specialists?: BARDS. Ugh. Metrical foot.
49D: Trap in the chalet: ICE IN. Verb phrase?
50D: "Midnight Cowboy" role: RATSO. Played by Dustin Hoffman.
52D: Commitment __: modern type with cold feet: PHOBE. Makes sense. I could only thought of FEAR.
54D: Buster Brown's dog: TIGE. I forgot his name.
57D: Windsor home: Abbr.: ONT. I did not know Windsor is a city in south Ontario. Kept thinking of the British royal family Windsor.
58D: Special effects technique, briefly: CGI (Computer-Generated Image). I drew a blank again.
59D: Laugh syllable: HAR. Is this a comic laugh?
61D: Video game letters: NES. No idea. Nintendo Entertainment System I suppose?
Answer grid.
C.C.
72 comments:
Morning, all!
This one was definitely a challenge, but ultimately doable. Well, almost. I had a bit of a brain fart at the end and couldn't get the crossing of BREE and MARE. BREE meant nothing to me, since I never saw the movie, but I should have realized that a colt was a baby horse carried by a MARE. It just wouldn't come to me, though, and I finally had to look up "Klute" at IMDB.com.
As for the rest of the puzzle, I had many, many false starts, but they eventually worked out. I had BORDERS for BDALTON, ROSE for ASTI, POETS for BARDS and ART for AIR, for example. Fortunately, I used to watch "Murphy Brown" all the time so ELDIN was a gimme for me, and that helped clear up a lot of confusion in the NE corner.
MTA was a gimme since it's one of my favorite Kingston Trio songs (I ride the subway here in Boston all the time). And I remember reading RED SONJA comics years ago during my misspent youth. Oh -- and even with my ignorance of baseball I was easily able to get JDDREW.
I think the only other unknown (aside from BREE) today was ESTES, but I got it easily from the perps. AMFMRADIO took me forever to get, since I had the AMF part and just couldn't imagine any word starting with those letters.
My least favorite answer today was DEGLOSS. Say what, now?
And yes, NES stands for Nintendo Entertainment System...
This puzzle is impossible. I was advised by Rich Norris he was going to ease up on puzzles on Wed, Thur. Fri and Sat by mid June. This I hope was a last blast
Mel
Bah Humbug!
This was not a good way to start the day. I quit with more than half the clues unsolved. The only place I got any traction was in the NW corner.
Even tho I got mare, the clue was faulty; mares carry foals, not colts. Too many clues lately from comic books. I have not read one in 70 years and don't intend to start. I don't follow Australian sports, either, nor am I a Red Sox fan.
I am off to find a good spot to pout!
Good morning C.C. and all,...a really nasty one today. I spent far more time on this puzzle than I should have and did not feel very satisfied when it was completed. I was not able to complete the c/w without some help. I had 26D "dosequis" and then just automatically put a "U" after the q for 43A Qantas. This caused many problems in that area.
I remembered the Buster Brown shoe ad where the boy says his dog's name "Tige" and that he lives in the shoe too.
It is going to be a nice day in the Berg and my friends are bringing a bushel of crabs and some oysters from Maryland this PM. I can't wait for them to arrive.
Hope you all have a great Saturday.
WAY TO GO PENS!!!!!! YEA!
C.C. I had a lot of the same problems you had. For Whistler's Output I kept thinking art not air. Struggled with 42A "Not shut out of", 16A "Ripped Poser", 18A "Worked on galleys" (I was also thinking boat here), and I think "Degloss" is a real stretch.
Oh well, the weekend is here, the weather is nice so I will get outside and enjoy the day.
Hi c.c.
Tenacity paid off for me with this puzzle. The first time through I had more empty places than fills. As I let my mind get lost in the clues, a few more letters jumped out at me. My only real wall was in the S/W corner. I confidently filled in Anap. for military school which gave me ine in and JD Prew.
I can't say I really had a favorite clue today, but Idahos was somewhat amusing. Degloss was a gimme. We've owned rentals for our whole married life, and I've deglossed many a wall.
Time to go get some physical exercise to balance the mental workout. TTFN
Morning all,
Not going to say good. This puzzle was not a good way to start the day. I really bombed out on this one. I only got less than half of the answers before I hit the G-spot. That wasn't really much help except for the rapper Nas, Bree for the Klute role & Birdman. Most of the ones I did know were in the NW corner except for D Flat (had flat but didn't know which letter went in front) & Media Bias. I had Me?iabi??. Anyway, I ended up going to the online puzzle & using red letter help......a LOT of red letter help. Patty Melt was one of the 1st ones I got.....love them. Got 60 & 63A but not familiar with a drain tile. Oh well.....we'll see what tomorrow brings.
Everyone have a great day!!
Good morning, c.c. and all -the good thing is i finished the puzzle, the bad thing, i missed my spinning class, :(
c.c. Like you said:" Several wicked misdirections "
No wonder i couldn't get slices i was thinking in terms of a car.
When would one use ID EST legalese maybe ?
Politer is that correcter than polite ? LOL
18A Proofread , i only know 2 galleys one on a boat and one on a plane, Hallo ?
Oh, and 45D Foot specialist? Give me a break !
Had no idea, but i guess that was a gimme for ClearAyes.
Oh well, i had fun and i learned a few.
Beautiful day, most go out , do my power walk .
Later . . .
Ow, Ow, Owwwwww!
I am so very pleased to tell you that I was able to fill in everything.... but the SW corner, which whupped me.
JDDREW, ONT, ICE IN, and BARDS all escaped me. I was closing in on the chalet clue, but couldn't fit 'avalanche' into five spaces!
I enjoy the challenge, but I doubt I would have gotten as much completed without red letter help on-line. Still and all, I plan to stick with it. If you don't make the effort, you won't grow.
"When one is detected.." C.C. think of our current times, with the focus on terrorism. Since 9/11 we have come to look for terrorists everywhere. I'm sure the same applied to traitors during Thomas Paine's time.
For 'ripped poser" I was searching for something along the lines of 'muscle man.'
Re: misdirection, on 'Whistler's output,' I tried ART first...and red letters told me 'RT' was wrong, so I was able to get 'AIR.' There were several clues like that.
I have never heard of EMS or DEGLOSS, and I would use 'more polite' in place of POLITER, if only it would fit.
It's rainy and cool in the Chicago area. The morning is going to be devoted to cleaning, and then the afternoon is mine! I think there might be some quilting cottons calling my name.
I hope you all have a good day, and a great weekend!
Still don't get the connection of Bards for foot specialists or Proof read for work on galleys.
Barry,
Ha ha, can you imagine what I would say if you failed to get J.D. DREW? By the way, I sent you an email asking for certain blog question, did you get it?
Mel,
Where did you get the information? The clues for Thursday/Friday have been eased up and will return to normal by mid-June.
Karen,
Bards = Poets. Think of metrical foot. As for galley, see this definition #3.
Frank,
How is the weather? Another beautiful blue bird day?
Dick,
Congratulations on your win!
Lola,
OK, DELGASS is a real word then.
Maria,
Maybe Lemonade can answer your ID EST question. Seldom see i.e. spelled out.
KittyB,
Thanks for ONE IS.
Tarrajo,
Please limit your posts to 5 per day. It's my blog rule.
Melissa,
Your Bible knowledge often amazes me. You are definitely the blog thing.
Jimmy in S Carolina,
No, I did not watch the Michelle Wie/Rich Lerner clip. I followed her a few holes during U.S. Open last year. She never smiled.
Warren,
Thanks for the GOAT and Gnut connection. I thought it might be somehow related to the Jewish golem.
Dick - I was not able to complete the c/w without some help. boo-hoo
Wouldn't that be nice and easy, it would save me a whole lot of work !
TFrank - cheer up ! There are always 3 or 4 posts before i finish mine. Bah-Humbug to that !
Oh, and Barry, nice to see you !
imbo
Good morning, everyone!
Did this one this morning instead of last night. Didn't help me much. Got a foothold in the SE, and got most of the S before having to hit the G spot. DFLAT, EMF, JDCREW, BREE, REDSONJA, etc.Needed red letter help on the NES/ESTES crossing.
Last Leo update (it's getting to be old news now) He continues to improve and is almost back to being his old self. His thyroid meds have been increased, his food has been changed, and his steroid regimen continues for another week. Thank you all for your best wishes.
@barryg Good to see you.
Have a great Saturday!!
Congrats to all you Pen. fans. A great game and a great upset for hockey.
Not good at Sat. puzzles. Yet!!
I must be off!
good morning c.c. and all,
accidentally started over twice, due to errant mouse clicks which took me away from the page. as has been observed here often, going away and coming back tends to make things appear that didn't before. having said that, this was very tough.
i think the only answers i got without perps were BLOT, DOS EQUIS, IN ON, and REO.
i've seen plenty of female ripped posers, so the MALE part remained blank for a while. never heard of a DRAIN TILE.
off to work ..
Good morning:
Finally some time to do a puzzle, and I am met with a bear. I too had mostly empty spaces the first time through, but I am pleased to say I actually finished by not giving up. Some of the clues were great misdirections, like PROOFREAD, or SNOW TIRES, which I would think all of you Minnesotans would have jumped all over. I only got this answer because I was recently explaining the concept to my son, born and raised in Florida, who is moving to Buffalo. IDAHOS was also a nice change, I thought, and Stars in the Forum?: ASTRA, was very difficult, as I kept thinking of the LAKERS, or the KINGS. I also would never have thought of foot specialist without the perps.
ROBERT E. HOWARD was s tremendously prolific pulp fiction author, who was the creator of CONAN the Barbarian, as well RED SONJA who will be showcased in a new movie starring Rose McGowan who is producer director, Rich Rodriguez’ girl friend. The original Red Sonja and Conan movies starred Briggite Nielsen (who at six feet is more believable) and our favorite governor, Arnold.
ROBERT PASTORELLI played ELDIN; his life story is the extreme of Hollywood fame and fortune.
Filet Mignon is only from BEEF.
TISH is the abbreviation for MORTICIA, the wife of GOMEZ ADDAMS, very entertaining show.
ID EST is not spelled out anymore, even in legal papers, with i.e, being sufficient. Like exempla gratia , e.g. is a phrase where the abbreviation is all we use.
Definitely a head scratcher for a while, over an hour, I think. Getting up on my feet and coming back to it got me most of the way, but like Barry G. I still had to hit IMDB for the last two letters, and then I felt really dumb for not getting the crossing of bard and birdman after the FF from yesterday. I still couldn't find why sweat glands would prevent birds from flying (perhaps cold and dehydration?)
Didn't know JD Drew or any other contemporary players for that matter. I haven't followed baseball since the days of Harmon Killebrew, Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, and Jim Perry being announced by Ray Scott, Herb Carneal and Halsey Hall on WCCO radio. Funny how I remember those names though, I wonder what that means...
why is Dennis not subject to the same post limit rule?
May I answer that? It's so obvious that with the Hat, the Ring, and the infallibility, He is not subject to the rules of mortals.
And just where the hell is He today, anyway? I could really use a little pontiffical blessing the next day or two.
I have the lightening rods installed, just in case Pascal was right.
All in fun, D. Keep those bolts in your pocket.
Got my prat kicked today. Looked up more than I knew. Drew a bit of a blank on MTA-needed hubby for that. It's HIS music not mine. We both brain farted on DOS EQUIS. We knew DOSE.
I also wasn't sure of which end of the country SALEM was correct. Should have gotten IDAHO, we lived there for 3 years.
Another big thunderstorm came through So OR last night. Lost power, again. Right in the middle of our Wii golf match. Another house struck by lightning. Rain just pored. Or as my husband says,'Just like a cow pissing on a flat rock.' (Is that legal to say here? If not ,sorry)
More storms today. Oh joy.
Have a good one.
OOPS! I meant poured. Sorry,fingers aren't working this morning.
Ugh! The puzzle (bless it, Dennis)...is safely ensconced in the re-cycle bag. I could not understand 3/4's of the clues and thought I would wait for a better day. I know, I chickened out but my mental health is important too.
I remember the Buster Brown shoe ad: "I'm Buster Brown, I live in a shoe. This is my dog Tige, he lives here too". Also remember the store they were sold in; Red Goose Shoes..they had a machine in there that you stepped up on, pushed your feet (in your new shoes) into slots and pushed a button. There was a viewer you looked in and there your feet where, all lit up in X-RAY green!!! I know I got so many 'rays' in my childhood from these machines, I should glow in the dark! They were popular, so parents could see where their child's toes were inside the shoe. Some kids (like my hubby) went into the stores and stood on/in these contraptions just for fun! Obviously they have been outlawed for years.
I love this word: es·cutch·eon (-skchn)
n.
1. Heraldry A shield or shield-shaped emblem bearing a coat of arms.
2. An ornamental or protective plate, as for a keyhole.
3. Nautical The plate on the stern of a ship inscribed with the ship's name.
Idiom:
a blot on (one's) escutcheon
Dishonor to one's reputation.
Carol
I remember those contraptions. There was a shoe store in the town I grew up in that had one. I used to think it was so neat.....haven't thought about that in years.
C.C., you should realize by now your trouble with Jeannie and now Tarrajo starts with Dennis. He is feeding on their constant fawning and flattery.
Anna
I gave up early on this one. I just don't have time to spend hours at google or scratching my head. I had MUSCLE MAN for MALE MODEL, BARB for BABS, and I've never heard of B. DALTON. It ceases to be fun when it's a scavenger hunt.
I also didn't know socceroos were an Aussie team--probably didn't exist until after I left Oz. Most of the other clues were too clever for me to even have a clue.
Good Morning All, It's a good thing I printed this off Cruciverb.com last night. Otherwise I would still be plugging along.
It was definitely "hunt and peck", even with a pencil on paper. Thank goodness MACES came right away, so that gave me a little bit of a foothold.
I wanted MUSCLE MAN for "Ripper poser" and SAND OFF for "Roughen before repainting".
Luckily I got BIRDMAN and RATSO, so the SW filled in pretty quickly. I'm embarrassed to admit it Maria, but BARDS was a D'oh moment.
DOS EQUIS and QANTAS helped with the east side and PATTY MELT started off the SE.
It was a tough one. I'll be doing the night-before printout on Saturday's puzzles from now on.
Carol, I remember Buster Brown, TIGE and the foot x-ray machines at Red Goose shoe store too. It's a wonder our toes haven't fallen off.
That was a more innocent time when our teacher would pour little blobs of mercury into our little pink hands and let us poke at them and roll them around in our palms.
Since we're walking down memory lane, how long has it been since anyone has seen a "test pattern display" on TV, since it is now programmed 24/7. I wanted to put in Indian Head, but it wouldn't fit.
Jacktwin,
Welcome to our little community. I'm curious to see what Tarrajo figures out after the last posts last night. Do you and your twin have the hair swirl differences described in the site I found? Thanks for your input!
What a great puzzle! Four sets of stacked 9's and all of them common words or phrases. Beautiful. A tad tough...yup, but a construction marvel.
What amazes me the most about this puzzle is the sort of circle of fill words that Brad created that is quite a feat and involves a ton of skill. Just look at all these words that connect- REDSONJA to JUJITSU to DOSEQUIS to LIPSYNC, QANTAS and finally, BDALTON. Wow!
Such a fun piece of work.
Ouch, ouch, ouch...but I got it finished last night on paper.
TIGE was my first fill then MACES and DOS EQUIS. Then pretty much what CA said. Didn't know NES had no idea on IDEST until I came here. Lemonade filled in the Conan/RED SONJA which I actually remembered, having seen a Conan movie eons ago.
C.C. I think Mel(?) was talking about the idea that the SanJose Mercury was going to re-try the puzzles again in mid June...if they go like they have been I don't think we will ever get these back on a permanent basis.
Will be gone the rest of the day...dropping off paintings to be juried then heading up north of SF to share a birthday and Art and Wine Festival with an old school chum.
Note to anon...Dennis gets extra posts because he helps C.C. out when she can't spend extra time on the blog...simple. Sorry WH, I know your answer was more clever.
Jacktwin...welcome and please stay with us...all contributions are welcome...
Good day to all...
Yow. Tough puzzle today.
I hate G-spotting, but will allow it on weekends. Got BIRDMAN, D-flat, and JDDREW that way. Still, some things on the west coast would not fall into place. I was expecting the French word for door (whatever that might be) and got ICE IN?!? Had COLORBxxx, and couldn't bring that one home either.
As a MALE MODEL of x--word solvers, I am feeling IMPRECISE, DISENGAGEd, and disARRAYed.
I shall not comment on last nigtht's LOST game, lest I EMOTE.
I am going to have to defend DEGLOSS. You can't paint (successfully) over a glossy surface unless you either sand or wipe it down with a solvent to roughen the surface. Perfectly legitimate term.
Tarrajo -
I think my mother is not an identical twin. At least I hope not: her sister is not one of my favorites. It was a large family, and the twins are the only ones left. They were born in 1921. My mom had other sisters who she resembled more closely.
I thought about you at our kids' soccer game today. One of the little girls on our team took a hard-kicked ball square in the face at point-blank range. Not common, but it does happen. She was OK, but pretty unhappy for a while.
Here is some drain tile.
So late in the day, and no one has touched 47A?
Cheers!
I'm glad somebody else found it tough. You either know it or you don;t, And on my birthday, too.
you either know it or you dont (or you look it up) ...and on my birthday, too
you either know it or you dont (or you look it up) and on my birthday, too
Jazzbumpa:
The French word for door is la porte.
shellyl and Anon 122.51:
Happy Birthday!
I like it when you all say what you are going to do the rest of the day. It inspires me to plan and ,therefore, anticipate something rather than hang out around the house.
So, I'm off to the local Senior Center to use the machines in the Fitness Room. After that, I have a ticket to see a play. Thanks for the inspiration, guys.
Doreen
I bet you thought I was going to post a little something by Shakespeare, Shelley or Byron.
"Antoine Ó Raifteiri, (in English, Anthony Raftery), was an Irish language poet who is often called the last of the wandering bards. He was born in Killeadan near Kiltimagh County, Mayo. Blinded by smallpox in childhood and illiterate, he was helped by his father's employer, for whom he was a household entertainer, until they fell out, allegedly because he killed
a favorite horse. Raftery then joined the thousands of homeless people,
who roamed Ireland to live off a population not much better off than
himself."
This poem isn't written by Raftery, but about him, in the 19th century by another Irish poet, Seán O Ceallaigh.
I Am Raftery The Poet
I am Raftery the poet,
full of hope and love
Having eyes without sight,
lonely I rove.
Going on my journeying
by my heart's light
Weary and tired
of unending night.
Take a look at me now
with my back to a wall
Singing and playing
for nothing at all
Hi CC and all.
A complete wipeout today. Same as last Sat. Gave up when I looked up socceroos and saw they were Aussie soccer team. Even looked at a clip and saw no names on their shirts.
I follow soccer.
Also had no clue on Hupmobile among others.
S W corner was the only completed part.
CC re fade or draw. Close or open your stance. That is move left foot forward or behind square stance. Forward to draw behind to fade.
To those who completed todays c/w I am in awe.
Jimmy, S Carolina
Clear Ayes.
Better than Shelly or Byron by far !!!!!
That is a competely unbiased opinion.
Jimmy, s Carolina
If I were new to xwords, today's puzzle would convince me to find a different/easier hobby. My prat is black and blue from all the beating it took! I applaud with major awe anyone who finished or got close - I just gave up.
Dick - congrats on the PENS - never thought they'd take the Cup and in Detroit no less. Clearly they wanted it bad!!!
Carol - enjoyed the shoes and x-ray story - haven't thought of that in years and years. We're dating ourselves, though, but I do remember that clearly. Amazing we survived after some of the stuff done to us as kids.
Happy B-day to all celebrating today. May you enjoy long life, good health and lots of friends (plus great xword puzzles).
Thanks Jimmy. I'm always glad to give a nod to the Irish poets.
Happy Birthday to shellyl and welcome to jacktwin.
Doreen, our day may be a little boring, but I hope profitable. Right now GAH is driving a potential buyer for our truck around the hills. We needed the truck when we first moved here seven years ago for hauling, landscaping, etc. Now, we just don't need it, so keep your fingers crossed and hope this fellow makes us an offer we can't refuse.
Hi, C.C. & gang,
I am about over my pout and want to congratulate all those who finished it, with or without help. I had too much outside work to do today to spend all morning on the puzzle.
C.C., I would not call it a blue bird day in South Texas. Hot, humid and windy, with a temp of 95 expected. I am planning to stay inside and watch some golf and read a new Brady Coyne mystery.
I am comforted in knowing tomorrow's puzzle will be easier (if longer).
May God bless all of you today.
Hi C.C. and gang, a real tough puzzle today. After 15 minutes we got ~10% done and then I went online in red to finish.
Re:socceroos clue? I saw the roos at the end and we had a Q a the beginning so I knew it was the Australian airline Qantas but I couldn't remember how to spell it and wanted to put a U in it.
Doreen -
HAR! I guessed PORTE and actually had it filled in before some perps made me erase it. Later, I had ICEI_ and thought, wow, I didn't realize French is that weird. Should have used my SNOW TIRES, which, come to think of it, is a rather fine cross.
Kitty -
I had MUSCLEMAN entered, too.
Warren-
I was clueless on QUANTAS being Q-less.
POLITER is a gaff. Tsk, tsk!
Cheers!
Good afternoon, C.C. and gang - been out playing since early morning, so I'm just now getting to post. A most difficult puzzle for me, with problems all over the place, but also extremely enjoyable. Looks like all my problems have been covered, so I won't bore with the repetition.
You know, I'm not quite sure what I did to get trashed here yet again today, but Anna, rest assured, there's no 'fawning' or 'flattery' directed towards me. Frankly, if there's been a more vilified person on this blog and in emails (outside of the anons and our friend Bubba), I'm not aware of him or her. We all kid around on here, and if you're not a frequent observer, it's easy to misunderstand the tone of the words typed here. Rest assured, if I ever think I'm causing C.C.'s blog more harm than good, or if she ever feels that way, I'll simply disappear. Oh, and I do appreciate you using your name.
For those who may be interested, saw two excellent movies in the past couple days: Hangover and The Taking of Pelham 123. The former was hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny, and the latter, tense and relentless. John Travolta and Denzel Washington are just superb in their respective roles as train hijacker and train dispatcher.
Today is Sewing Machine Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Everyone has a gift for something, even if it is the gift of being a good friend." -- Singer Marian Anderson
Couple more Fun Facts:
- Every day, approximately 259,200 people die.
- The most searched term on Yahoo.com every year is 'porn'.
Mostly Lois, I think.
c.c. - Had no idea i.e. was an abbr. for Id Est , now i get it !
Lemonade - thanks for expanding on i.e and e.g.
ClearAyes - Wow, that TV test pattern, i remember seeing it, when i first came here in 1959/60, my favorite show then was The life of Riley every day , my english wasn't as good then, so soaps didn't do it for me, or any other more serious shows .
Hmm, enough memories for now. Need to get on with some house-cleaning.
Hasta Mañana
Anna,
If there were poison in Dennis' tea, I'd still drink it.
Al,
Wow, Harmon Killebrew, Zoilo Versalles & Tony Oliva are all my favorite Twins. I collect their baseball cards and bobbleheads.
Lemonade,
Thanks for the great post @10:35am. Vintage Lemonade.
Jerome,
Thank you so much for sharing with us your observations on the puzzle. Your takes are very valued.
Shellyl,
Happy Birthday!
Re Qantas: It's an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Air Service, which was all it was to start with, before becoming national. Hence no "u" needed.
I was definitely pouting after my meager efforts this morning. Still not happy about it, but as others have mentioned, weekends are too good to waste.
Happy birthday sallyl; I have a friend who is visiting who has a birthday today as well.
po•lite (p-lt)
adj. po•lit•er, po•lit•est
1. Marked by or showing consideration for others, tact, and observance of accepted social usage.
2. Refined; elegant: polite society.
I believe this is one of those two syllable bisemantics, that can be "politer" or "more polite." I know we all dislike the use of 'er' words, but this is a real word; gaffe, is spelled with an 'e' on the end.
Someday one of the complainers will explain to me why there is such vitriol in response to the banter on this blog. It is so counter intuitive to bring together people who like words and wordplay and being surprised that there much badinage. If you do not think men and women will tease each other, you must live in a very sheltered world.
Finally, as one who has done puzzles most of my life, I can assure you while these are not easy, if you do not give up, you will get more answers. They really do pop out after a break. So instead of being frustrated, be patient. The feeling you will have when the light bulb goes on, is worth the effort. I wanted to stop or google today early on, but by chipping away, one letter here and there, it all filled in, and I felt great.
CC:
About the poison and the tea: I sure hope that's just an old Chinese aphorism denoting loyalty, because we couldn't stand to lose you both.
Dennis:
It's always the nail that sticks up that gets
Whacked, and to a man (or a Bubba or an anon, and now an Anna) with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Looks like the truck is sold and only $200 under top Blue Book. If everything comes together, our buyer will be back on Friday with cash in hand. BTW, I can't recommend craigslist.org highly enough. You just have to be careful not to give out personal information other than a phone number. Only one week on the site and we had three callers and a firm offer.
I'm glad we all backed off and didn't try to speak for Dennis. Nicely said.
And thanks for today's WOW.
Jazzbumpa, Thanks for the "Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives" site, good information.
Lemonade714, I had forgotten that Brigitte and Arnold were a "twofer". This Red Sonja Trailer for the 1985 movie is about as campy as you can get.
Jerome, I really appreciate your insights on puzzle construction.
43:21 today. Oh. My. Very tough for me and a lot of the fill came extremely slowly (as evidenced by my lengthy time to solve). I don't think the NY Times is any tougher than this one.
The only good news of the day is that I got my Miley Cyrus ticket (I thought it might be sold out since I was an hour after the online ticket agency opened). I'll probably be the oldest person without a grandchild in tow at the concert, but I do like her music.
@jazzbumpa: A dictionary is your friend. politer
I did not know QANTAS was an acronym, thanks Kazie.
I also thought of the Indian Head test pattern which was often all that was on our television, of course if I learned to sleep at night I would not have known that.
C.C., thank you, I have been so busy; it is nice to relax and play puzzle today.
That is four for me, so be careful what you all say from now on.
That RED SONJA outfit looks perfect for sword fighting. Guys go to battle wearing a ton of armor; the women do battle in the skimpiest of regalia. At least in the comics (proving once again that males are the target audience for those).
Dennis and Lemonade -
I share your desire to have this blog be the peacefulest, pleasantest, place on the innertubes, frequented only by the mostest thoughtfulest of people.
Definitions of gaffer:
* old-timer: an elderly man.
* an electrician responsible for lighting on a movie or tv set.
* somebody who mis-spells gaffe as gaff.
I got 2 out of 3.
Cheers!
CC
Rich Norris sent me an email stating he would ease up W-T-F-S in mid June
Mel
Good afternoon to all and congratulations to all Pen fans,
Happy birthday Sallyl!
Unfortunately, I gave up on this c/w as I could see the writing on the wall, a not so fun Googlefest. There was not enough recognizable "stuff" for me to get help from perps.MTA didn't help.LOL!
Jerome, bless you! It was so good to hear the positive, and I'm sure this was a thing of beauty for the mensas.
Carol, I remember those larger than life X-ray machines, called fluoroscopes.Supposedly a shoe model received serious radiation burns, and her leg had to be amputated. By 1970, most states banned them because they leaked.Luckily(but to my shagrin) I only got to view my green toes once a year when buying those lovely blue/white Catholic school oxfords.If they fell apart during the year, we glued the sole back on over and over and over again.
Puzzles should be fun. If this is what we can expect in the future,
then count me out!
anon@5:01, the problem for the contructors and Rich Norris is that there's people who enjoy the difficult puzzles and people who like them to be easy, such as the Commuter puzzles. What are they to do? How do you accommodate both groups? It seems to me that Rich's strategy of starting the week easy, then increasing in difficulty as the week progresses, is the best compromise solution available.
If you have ideas, this would be a good place to suggest them; we know that Rich will look in occasionally.
Sorry C.C. for the excessive posts yesterday. I just got caught up in the numerous "word plays" and then the "twin stuff." It won't happen again. Dennis...you are okay in my book.
LUXOR,
Today's puzzle is a perfect example of the fact that you can make any word mean whatever you want it to mean.( did I say that right?)
Okay, Anna...come out, come out where ever you are. I am a hard working single mother that has a brain and a sense of humor. Sorry you don't possess one. Yes, I over posted last night and I have apologized for it. Any word play that goes one between ANY of the participants on this blog is simply for fun. We are men and women and it's just all in good fun. Have you read Lois's posts....those should be published. Why in the hell would you call out Jeannie as she doesn't regularly post here anymore and when she does, it's most witty or if not witty, class.
As Littleguyjo would say (believe it or not C.C.) go eat a bunch of WORMS.
C.C. (3:03) what a nice comment about Dennis!! No higher compliment that that one!
Happy birthday Shellyl and many, many more! Don't be a stranger - we love new thoughts.
Just because I bombed out on today's puzzle, I do not want them to get any easier. I like being challenged, just not today. Like others have wisely said, if I keep chipping away the answers will turn up.
Good Afternoon,
I grew up in Sacramento and don't remember those machines for your feet. Guess the shoe store we went to didn't have them. I got my doses of xray when I broke both wrists and they xrayed them everyweek for 6 weeks.
JAZZBUMPA-it's all your fault:} I threw away my completed xword. Then you mentioned 47A and I dug through the trash to see what it was. I should have known!!!
Thanks for pointing out sewing machine day Dennis. Will have to go decide which of my several to use today:}
cc-I also remember Life of Riley. But just vaguely.
We removed all the trim on the inside of the windows. New ones are on order. What a flippin mess!! As hubby was removing the outside trim he found and oops. The 2x6 header for the patio cover also covers the upper flange of the kitchen window. He's been out there for an hour trying to cut that part out. I'm definitely staying inside.
About time to shut down. I think i hear the thunder in the distance.
Catch you all later.
Regarding Windsor, Ontario, I lived in the Detroit metropolitan area for many years. It is just across the Detroit river from Canada.
I got a bit of a kick telling inquiring tourists to travel South for 30 miles to get to the Canadian border. It usually seemed to elict a perplexed expression.
See C.C.'s map if you're as curious as the tourists.
*elicit
Dennis at 5:01- I agree wholeheartedly with you about "our" puzzle. It is a good compromise, and those of us who struggle will get better (i hope).The commuter puzzle is like doing PEOPLE mag.LOL!There are days, like today, when many of us kind of peeter out, but most of the time we stick with it, o n e letter at a time.
Those of you who continue to complain anonymously, you should realize by now that we don't have power over the puzzle. CC has created this wonderful little group who have become friends, and like friends we tease and sometimes forget that we are all very different, but love crosswording. Join in or find another puzzle, and then start your own blog...or just pout.
Dennis -
I, for one, am more than willing to pile on the fawning flattery. There are key individuals who define the personality of a group, and you are one of those, here.
And I don't even have a man-crush.
Ignore jabs from outsiders. Like they used to say on MS3TK - the right people will get it.
treefrog. Um - about that trash thang: lo siento. But you needn't go to all that bother. CC always has a link to the answer grid at the bottom of her post.
In the LW's family, the classic image of utmost misery is to go to the back yard and eat worms.
It's like sushi, but you eliminate the middleman.
Cheers!
Aw...Jazz, you just blew my fantasy of a guy on...seriously, ANNA how can anyone take a jab at Tarrajo. I don't even know the gal but can tell she's a decent Mom and a hard working one at that. How can no one but me come to her defense?
Dennis can take care of himself. After writing this, thinking back, Tarrajo can too.
Anna....go away. YOU ARE MEAN. JEANNIE. Oh, by the way Anna, you have no chance dickin' with me....
It's hard to resist feeding the trolls, isn't it? Nice to see you again Jeannie.
Man...I go away all day and miss all the fun! :oP
Heya Jeannie...always good to see you. Drop in more often.
Lemonade thank you so much for i.e. I stared at that fill for the longest time and could not figure it out...
I'll put in my 2 cents worth on the puzzles...I really like the fact that they increase in difficulty as the week progresses. I start the week out knowing they will be fun and not too challenging and then gird( or grid...) my loins for the end of the week. This isn't a contest and it is often frustrating, but fun to get inside the head of the constructor and editor...I do a lot head scratching and mumbling to myself but I am now to the point where I can usally finish the Fri/Sat ones without help...Personally I think that I, along most people here, have come a long way and learned quite a bit in the process.
For people who don't like to challenge themselves and just want an easy ride there a tons of easy puzzles out there. It is far more difficult to find sophisticated and clever ones like the LATimes and NYTimes...the gold standards. I do not believe that Rich Norris should dumb down his puzzles and that we are learning to come up to scratch. It is a fun journey and we are all the more clever for the trip.
This is an amazing group of talented, smart, interesting and very funny people. C.C. has created a wonderful family here...Trolls are like the elephant in the room and as difficult as it is...find humor or pity in the posts but just move on... They don't deserve the time or the effort.
And Dennis...what Jazz said...
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