Theme: SANDWICH (70A: Lunch order that can follow the starts of 1-, 35- and 43-Across)
1A: Bar mixer: CLUB SODA
35A: Jerusalem prayer site: WESTERN WALL
43A: Unrestricted trading areas: OPEN MARKETS
What kind of bread do you use for WESTERN SANDWICH? I've never heard of it before.
I used to love baguette with crudité, jambon et gruyere, you know, those delicious sandwich you find at every boulangerie in Paris. Now my lunch are mainly onigiri (rice balls).
Interesting that SANDWICH is placed symmetrically with CLUB SODA. We don't often see unifying theme answer positioned in such a way.
I enjoyed the puzzle. Food-themed grid is always pleasant to solve.
Across:
2A: Long pace: STRIDE. And TROTS (51A: Easy gaits).
15A: Tangy dessert: LEMON PIE. Have never had this dessert. Sounds tart.
16A: Deceive: LEAD ON
18A: In the prior month: ULTIMO. Next month is PROXIMO. And the current month is INSTANT. All new to me.
19A: Precisely: TO A T. Or TO A TEE.
22A: Beat overwhelmingly: CRUSH. And CLUTCH (1D: Shifting mechanism). Both terrific fills, with only one vowel.
24A: Taxing mo.?: APR. Don't feel question mark is needed.
25A: Title role for 13-Down: FATSO. And DOM (13D: Actor DeLuise). DOM is short for Dominick. I've never seen the film. Not familiar with the actor either.
30A: Riled (up): HET. Dialectal variant of "heated".
31A: Has much too much, briefly: ODS. What's the clue in your paper?
37A: Negri of silents: POLA. I can never remember this girl's name. She's Pol-ish.
41A: Pelota catcher: CESTA. The jai alai basket. Learned from doing Xword.
42A: Buck tail?: AROO. Buckaroo. "Buck tail?" can clue EYE too. Buckeye.
46A: Le Car maker: RENAULT. Citroën has 7 letters too.
47A: "Michael Collins" actor: REA. Liam Neeson played Michael Collins. One of my favorite IRA themed films. Stephen REA's "The Crying Game" is still the best.
48A: Spaniards roll theirs: ARS. I did not know the spelled-out form of letter R is AR.
52A: UFO pilots, in theory: ETS. Why "in theory"?
54A: Discover with effort: DIG UP
56A: Wild West showman: CODY. I did not know Buffalo Bill's real name is CODY.
58A: Edge (out): NOSE
59A: Community west of Montebello, Calif.: EAST LA
63A: Unwavering: RESOLUTE
68A: Like much of Rossini's work: OPERATIC
69A: Groups of eight: OCTADS
Down:
2D: Lost love in "The Raven": LENORE. No idea. All I know about "The Raven" is "nevermore". LENORE is short for Elenore.
3D: Düsseldorf feature?: UMLAUT. The diacritical dots mark above letter ü.
6D: Brief photo sessions?: OPS. Photo OPS.
8D: Man of many morals: AESOP. The adjective of fable is fabulous.
9D: Disparaging remark: SLUR
10D: 1977 Bronson/Remick mind-control thriller: TELEFON. No idea. The poster does not look interesting. TELEFON is German for telephone.
11D: Stoolie: RAT
12D: First name in tyranny: IDI. Uganda's IDI Amin. Shame on me for thinking of MAO first. MAO is a surname. Chinese put family in front of given name. Yao Ming's surname is Yao.
14D: Rock producer Brian: ENO. He created the Windows 95 startup sound, using his Mac. How ironic!
24D: Said positively: ASSERTED
26D: Former Sanyo competitor: AIWA. Sony acquired AIWA in 2002.
28D: WWII French battle site: ST LO
29D: Nobel Peace Prize city: OSLO. All the other prizes are presented in Stockholm.
36D: "Mustn't do that": TSK. Ah, vowelless fill.
37D: Computer connection: PORT
38D: Letters near zero?: OPER. Phone button.
44D: Like Mr. America: MUSCLED. Too much.
48D: Rabbitlike rodent: AGOUTI. Wikipedia says AGOUTIS give birth to litters of two to four young after a gestation period of three months. Some species have two litters a year in May and October while others breed year round. The same with rabbits I suppose.
49D: Backwoodsy: RUSTIC
50D: Soapbox output: SPEECH
53D: Greenhorns: TYROS. I am not a crossword TYRO any more.
55D: Marriage acquisition: IN-LAW. I love being married.
61D: Met: SAT. As a meeting. "The council met in session last night." or "The council SAT in session last night." (From Argyle).
62D: Defunct flier: TWA. Howard Hughes owned TWA from 1939 to 1966.
64D: AQI user: EPA. AQI is Air Quality Index.
65D: One of a D.C. 100: SEN. Yeah, Al Franken was finally swore in several weeks ago. Now we have 100 senators.
66D: Former Monterey Bay fort: ORD. Fort ORD was closed in 1994.
Answer grid.
C.C.
1A: Bar mixer: CLUB SODA
35A: Jerusalem prayer site: WESTERN WALL
43A: Unrestricted trading areas: OPEN MARKETS
What kind of bread do you use for WESTERN SANDWICH? I've never heard of it before.
I used to love baguette with crudité, jambon et gruyere, you know, those delicious sandwich you find at every boulangerie in Paris. Now my lunch are mainly onigiri (rice balls).
Interesting that SANDWICH is placed symmetrically with CLUB SODA. We don't often see unifying theme answer positioned in such a way.
I enjoyed the puzzle. Food-themed grid is always pleasant to solve.
Across:
2A: Long pace: STRIDE. And TROTS (51A: Easy gaits).
15A: Tangy dessert: LEMON PIE. Have never had this dessert. Sounds tart.
16A: Deceive: LEAD ON
18A: In the prior month: ULTIMO. Next month is PROXIMO. And the current month is INSTANT. All new to me.
19A: Precisely: TO A T. Or TO A TEE.
22A: Beat overwhelmingly: CRUSH. And CLUTCH (1D: Shifting mechanism). Both terrific fills, with only one vowel.
24A: Taxing mo.?: APR. Don't feel question mark is needed.
25A: Title role for 13-Down: FATSO. And DOM (13D: Actor DeLuise). DOM is short for Dominick. I've never seen the film. Not familiar with the actor either.
30A: Riled (up): HET. Dialectal variant of "heated".
31A: Has much too much, briefly: ODS. What's the clue in your paper?
37A: Negri of silents: POLA. I can never remember this girl's name. She's Pol-ish.
41A: Pelota catcher: CESTA. The jai alai basket. Learned from doing Xword.
42A: Buck tail?: AROO. Buckaroo. "Buck tail?" can clue EYE too. Buckeye.
46A: Le Car maker: RENAULT. Citroën has 7 letters too.
47A: "Michael Collins" actor: REA. Liam Neeson played Michael Collins. One of my favorite IRA themed films. Stephen REA's "The Crying Game" is still the best.
48A: Spaniards roll theirs: ARS. I did not know the spelled-out form of letter R is AR.
52A: UFO pilots, in theory: ETS. Why "in theory"?
54A: Discover with effort: DIG UP
56A: Wild West showman: CODY. I did not know Buffalo Bill's real name is CODY.
58A: Edge (out): NOSE
59A: Community west of Montebello, Calif.: EAST LA
63A: Unwavering: RESOLUTE
68A: Like much of Rossini's work: OPERATIC
69A: Groups of eight: OCTADS
Down:
2D: Lost love in "The Raven": LENORE. No idea. All I know about "The Raven" is "nevermore". LENORE is short for Elenore.
3D: Düsseldorf feature?: UMLAUT. The diacritical dots mark above letter ü.
6D: Brief photo sessions?: OPS. Photo OPS.
8D: Man of many morals: AESOP. The adjective of fable is fabulous.
9D: Disparaging remark: SLUR
10D: 1977 Bronson/Remick mind-control thriller: TELEFON. No idea. The poster does not look interesting. TELEFON is German for telephone.
11D: Stoolie: RAT
12D: First name in tyranny: IDI. Uganda's IDI Amin. Shame on me for thinking of MAO first. MAO is a surname. Chinese put family in front of given name. Yao Ming's surname is Yao.
14D: Rock producer Brian: ENO. He created the Windows 95 startup sound, using his Mac. How ironic!
24D: Said positively: ASSERTED
26D: Former Sanyo competitor: AIWA. Sony acquired AIWA in 2002.
28D: WWII French battle site: ST LO
29D: Nobel Peace Prize city: OSLO. All the other prizes are presented in Stockholm.
36D: "Mustn't do that": TSK. Ah, vowelless fill.
37D: Computer connection: PORT
38D: Letters near zero?: OPER. Phone button.
44D: Like Mr. America: MUSCLED. Too much.
48D: Rabbitlike rodent: AGOUTI. Wikipedia says AGOUTIS give birth to litters of two to four young after a gestation period of three months. Some species have two litters a year in May and October while others breed year round. The same with rabbits I suppose.
49D: Backwoodsy: RUSTIC
50D: Soapbox output: SPEECH
53D: Greenhorns: TYROS. I am not a crossword TYRO any more.
55D: Marriage acquisition: IN-LAW. I love being married.
61D: Met: SAT. As a meeting. "The council met in session last night." or "The council SAT in session last night." (From Argyle).
62D: Defunct flier: TWA. Howard Hughes owned TWA from 1939 to 1966.
64D: AQI user: EPA. AQI is Air Quality Index.
65D: One of a D.C. 100: SEN. Yeah, Al Franken was finally swore in several weeks ago. Now we have 100 senators.
66D: Former Monterey Bay fort: ORD. Fort ORD was closed in 1994.
Answer grid.
C.C.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - a most enjoyable puzzle for a Wednesday, with lots of fresh cluing.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea of the theme until the end. Didn't know 'ultimo' meant 'in the prior month'. Other than that one, everything fell into place with the occasional perp help.
With all due respect to Windhover and Thomas, taking the bait from anon is making his day. Trust me, no one wants a piece of this dolt more than I, but I'm not gonna help him get off by responding. I've had to bite my tongue (and fingers) with each childish post, but there is nothing to gain by responding, other than your own personal satisfaction. Windhover nailed it - look at the posts as amusing; someone's vain attempt to belittle another to try and make themselves feel better. Consider the posts as the 'jokes of the day'.
Today is National Hammock Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: " Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Philosopher/Author Plato
Fun Facts for today:
- Toto the dog was paid $125 per week while filming The Wizard of Oz.
- (Shoulda used this one two days ago) The first meal eaten on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was four bacon squares, three sugar cookies, peaches, pineapple-grapefruit drink, and coffee.
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteAnd Toto did not even need to talk! I'll be quiet from now on. I am not a wise person, and I don't want to be a fool.
Thomas,
Best wishes to you and your father.
Pilote,
9 months is a long time. Nice to finally see you!
C.C., you've yet to say anything foolish.
ReplyDeleteThomas, I echo what C.C. said - good thoughts to your father.
Off to the gym.
Good morning C.C. and all, a nice easy pace today with a couple sticking points. Pola Negri, 37A, did not come easily although I have seen it in puzzles in the past. For 8D I kept trying to insert Dennis, but it would not fit and Lois did not have enough letters and it was masculine anyway. I could not remember “ultimo”, but it fell with the perps.
ReplyDeleteA very nice puzzle and now I must go eat.
Hope you all have a great Wednesday.
Hey All, I am new to this site, and I wanted to introduce myself. I am Jo from Ft. Laud. Fl. I think this site is just terrific, as I am totally addicted to these puzzles. I love learning the history to the answers, some are a little baffling. Anyway, hope you all have a great hump day.
ReplyDeleteMorning, All. Today's puzzle left me "hungry"; I wanted more theme clues. I had a spot of trouble with the south east corner, mainly because I didn't realize that Spaniards roll their ARS (I couldn't fit cigars in the spaces available). Also, at first I had Omelette instead of SANDWICH, because I had filled in WESTERN WALL and wasn't familiar with a western sandwich. I didn't know that TO AT meant precisely. I filled that one in with the perps, and then was trying to figure out what TOAT meant.
ReplyDeleteAnother new word for me was ULTIMO, although I don't think I'll be using it in everyday conversation.
My favorite clues were Dusseldorf feature and Letters near Zero.
Dennis, to expound on/paraphrase your Words of Wisdom: "Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half have nothing to say and keep on saying it." ~ Robert Frost
Good Morning C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteSaw Michael Collins, thought Apollo command module pilot. Oops!
WESTERN SANDWICH?
Western omelette you can put on bread or toast
Thomas, best wishes for your father. (from last nights comments.)
Morning all,
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle today, although I didn’t know ultimo for in the prior month, or cesta for pelota catcher. I know the name Pola Negri but always forget the P and want a N. Also never heard of a Western sandwich, omelet, yes. Perps helped with all those unknowns.
@Dennis, today’s WOW is so apropos. Trolls definitely have a need to “say something“. Responding to anons only feeds the need for validation. Again thanks to everyone on the computer info. Now I just have to make a decision on a security program. @Thomas, good thoughts coming your way.
Was up way to early today since I want to go for blood work (no food allowed) and start all those tests we talked about yesterday. Have a great day all.
Hahtool,
ReplyDeleteI think 19A: Precisely: TO AT should be TO A T.
C.C., Dennis, Argyle, and Jeanne, I know this has nothing to do with today's puzzle, but I want to thank you for your kind wishes inre: Father. I guess that today, I hope, that my Mom and I will find out the reason why he is in the hospital in the first place. Now I must try to sleep, so I can be there for him tomorrow (today!?!)....
ReplyDeleteArgyle,
ReplyDeleteRe: TO A T. Wow, I thought TO AT sounds fine, just like A TIT. Ho ho ho.
Good morning, all.
ReplyDeleteCESTA, ULTIMO, (Proximo, Instant), were all new to me.
I wanted 'Wailing' wall, but WESTERN came from the perps, as did AGOUTI. Today's puzzle took a little longer than those from Monday and Tuesday, but I was able to answer everything with perp help.
C.C., for 'taxing mon.?" I automatically put in MAR....which is the month when corporate taxes are due. I realized the error, but either March or April fit.
I suppose that 52A: 'UFO pilots, in theory,' it's theory because we haven't confirmed the visits are from extra-terrestrials. Do you believe we have aliens in Area 51? The movie, "Independence Day" assumed we do.
I liked the clue 'Letters near zero.'
Thomas, I hope that all goes well today for your father.
Welcome,Katy and Jo! This is a great group, and you'll learn a lot from C.C.
KQ, I'll send positive thoughts your hubby's way next week. I'm sure it will be a relief to get through the test.
I've got to be going. Exercise in an hour, and I'm not ready. Have a good day!
Apparently a Western Sandwich is a Western omelette that is served on toast, see the recipe below. (Query: Is an omelette un-PC because of the "ette" ending?)
ReplyDeleteWestern Sandwiches
6 eggs
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped cooked ham
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Beat eggs slightly; add chopped onion, green pepper, ham, milk, and pepper. Pour onto 2 large hot greased skillets. When set, cut into 8 sections and turn. Serve on toasted bread; pass the ketchup.
Serves 8.
JoJo, welcome. Your addiction will fit in well here.
ReplyDeleteYou live in my favorite city; what part are you in? No specifics necessary, just the area.
C.C., your DFness is showing...
Good Morning All,
ReplyDeleteWhen I went through the across clues things were pretty empty. Thankfully the downs filled a bunch of blanks. Ultimo, Telefon and Agouti were unknowns. I also had to erase Wailing Wall. Got the theme only due to 70A.
Thomas, positive thoughts and good luck today.
Great Wow!
If I celebrated National Hammock Day I would need to wear my rain gear......again.
Have a good one.
Thanks Kitty and Dennis for your welcome. I am from the city of Sunrise, west. Ft. Laud. A stones throw from the everglades. I was thinking I was pretty good at completing these puzzles, although I have had to consult my dictionary and atlas every so often, but after having discovered this site I feel less confident. For the most part, I can complete the puzzles in ten to twenty minutes but I do get stumped a few times a week on a couple of the clues. I really dig learning the meanings behind the answers I do not know. Anyway, thanks again you will definitely here from again soon.
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle, learned a few new tidbits such as AQI/EPA and ULTIMO.
ReplyDeleteAttempting my first link so as to introduce a great card game called Royalty. My kith -- a group of four who play on monthly basis -- is off to the NC mountains this weekend for four days of play and Bele Chere, Asheville's summer festival.
To all you word buffs out there, I highly recommend the game.
I really didn't think this was a well devised theme. I've never heard of a western sandwich (thought omelette), but a club sandwich describes what is in the sandwich and open is how the sandwich is constructed (and western would be one or the other, probably the former) so there is not the usual consistency necessary for a good theme.
ReplyDeleteI got TO A T (my duh! fill), HET, POLA, CESTA, AGOUTI and REA from the perps. And the unfortunate crossing of FATSO/ULTIMO/TELEFON/ENO/AIWA, all unknown, was resolved by some lucky guessing. That's a lot for one puzzle. On the other hand OCTADS was a gimmee today.
That first meal on the moon is an awful combination of things I like - really put me off my feed.
Great WoW. Goes with another favorite quote: "Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
JoJo: Welcome to the fray. This site should make you feel more confident, with all the great information and insight provided. Notice not many of us discuss our solving times.
Yea! The links worked. Thanks to all for your assistance...
ReplyDeleteThat last Anon post was Elissa. I have no idea why it didn't post under my name.
ReplyDeleteKaty: Good job learning to link so fast. Looks like an interesting game.
Good morning all - enjoying a drizzling morning in Alabama.
ReplyDeleteWe've finally had a nice break from the wretched heat. (would love to see that word in the puzzle some day!)
I'm still having trouble with all the 2 word answers lately. Fav for the day was Discover with effort - 'dig up'. I knew the word umlaut, but couldn't get the spelling without perp help. Least fav was Sets free - 'Unlooses'. I know it's a real word, but DANG! Feels clumsy.
Thomas - My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Tarrajo - How many bushels of zucchini do you have left?
Elissa, Eleanor Roosevelt also had one of my favorite quotes about the Marines:
ReplyDelete“The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!”
I feel compelled to note an oddity or strange juxtoposition of today's puzzle. The theme was Sandwich and one of the sandwiches was a WESTERN. WESTERN formed part of the answer to the Western Wall. A Western sandwich (or omelette) is made with ham. Someone praying at the Western Wall would never eat a Western sandwich or western omelette.
ReplyDeleteHi c.c. and all:
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle today. As others have stated I did'nt know ultimo either, but got it from the perps. I also had wailing wall in lightly, but changed it to western. I got Pola (never can remember her first name), umlaut and Agouti from the perps.
Dennis and Hahtool: perfect quotes!
JoJo: Welcome! My daughter lives in Sunrise and is in graduate classes at Nova U. We used to live in Coral Springs for about 10 years, but moved over to the other coast in 2004. I actually worked over in Sunrise for about 5 years.
Thomas: I hope all goes well today with your Father. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
ReplyDeleteElissa: Another great quote!
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteWlecome to JoJo and Katy!
Thomas, I'm adding my good wishes for your father. At 83 it's hard to know what to expect, but I hope it's nothing serious.
I thought today was a nice Wednesday puzzle. However, I didn't know a few, like ULTIMO, which literally would mean "last" in Latin. I had UP TIME, after racking my brain to come up with something that might make sense with the TIME I had confidently put in. That messed up TELEFON, which I should have thought about more. FATSO was a guess, since I knew DeLuise fit that description. Also didn't know the EPA/AQI thing, but had it with perp help. I messed up LENORE too, having given up on TO A T and put THAT, and HOT for HET.
I took a while on the ü (UMLAUT), trying to think what I know about DÜSSELDORF--not the little boys who used to do cartwheels for pennies on the Königsallee--too many letters, not the big international fair, or the clothing designers, not its status as state capital for Nord-Rhein-Westfalen. Finally the duh moment hit me!
Kelev,
Good catch on the ham!
I didn't like UNLOOSES either--seems like an oxymoron to me. Un-loosing would appear to mean tightening.
Just read the last of 'yesterdays' posts.
ReplyDeleteThomas - sending good thoughts for your dad. Stay strong.
Hahtool: I'm retired in CA now. This year I stopped paying bar dues in PA (still paying in CA). I told my husband that if I have to move back to PA and practice law, I'd dig into that emergency bag of pills.
Dennis: Thank God for the USMC indeed - semper fi.
Kelev: Good one.
Good morning all, and I mean GOOD.
ReplyDeleteDrum roll please, I found the stupid trash can!
CC, Lemon pie is yummy. The tartness of the lemon is offset by the sweetness of the topping.
"Telefon" is a race against time thriller. "... and miles to go before I sleep" is the wake up call to sleeper agents to commit their act of sabotage.
For the difference between wise men and fools check out Pickels in today's comics.
All, if you buy the latest J. A. Jance novel, go directly to Chapter 5. Beaumont is sitting in his car doing the NYT cw on line and complaining about how easy the Monday and Tuesday puzzles have become. I LMAO.
I celebrated last night with an extra piece of GC cake.
eddyB.
I stumbled a little bit through this puzzle and had to hit the g-spot for a couple: Lenore, and Telefon. I finished it though but with a lot of perp help. Het, pola, cesta, eno, aiwa, agouti. Favorite clues today were “has much too much briefly” – OD’s and “buck tail” – aroo. Didn’t we just have smackeroo lately? I didn’t get sucked up in octet again as we just had octad the other day. I have never heard of a western sandwich. The recipe Hahtool posted is known as a Denver sandwich here.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the saying, “get off your soapbox” before but does anyone know where that saying came from? Why the “soapbox”?
C.C. lemon pie is actually quite sweet when you add the meringue on top. Key lime pie is much tarter.
Thomas, thank you for the compliment of Minnesota women, and I hope everything goes well for your father.
Danabw, I only planted a 10’ row of zucchini, but it just keeps coming! I bet I have picked at least 40.
Dennis, great WOW today. Very fitting. I also like the Marines quote. Also very fitting for such a morel guy.
It appears as though todays 'words of wisdom' could apply to some of the 'no-name' bloggers here.
ReplyDeletec.c.,
you don't have to be quiet just don't be quite so dictatorial.
Telefon is a very interesting movie that I recommend to you. Telephone calls are a central plot element. Bronson plays a Soviet KGB agent, so "telefon" may also be the Russian word for telephone.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, C.C. and gang,
ReplyDeleteA good puzzle today, although I was stumped by the NE corner, with the crossings of TELEFON, ULTIMO, ENO, AIWA AND FATSO, which I guessed, and used red letter help for the others.
Welcome Jo; I think you will find this to be a great blog.
Long ago I worked for a big company that held an executive conference every Spring at the old Sea Ranch Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. We played golf every day at a course in Sunrise, who's name escapes me. I remember that it had canals on almost every hole. I lost a bunch of golf balls there.
Thomas, my prayers go out for your father and family.
Have a great day, everyone!
Soapbox - the term originated back in the days before mass communication and when soap was delivered in wooden crates or boxes. The soap boxes were used as a stage or platform for an orator to stand on to deliver his message. The term is also used to describe someone who rentlesdly promotes a particular viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteThe cars in the Soap Box Derby were also originally constructed from the old soapboxes.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I finaly figured it out on my own, I think the use of ARS (48 across) to be the plural of the letter R is pretty far out. I didn't look very hard but I did not find it in the dictionary.
Calef.
Good morning, everyone.
ReplyDelete@thomas Positive thoughts and energy to your and your father. I hope that everything works out for both of you! An elderly parent in crisis is difficult to handle emotionally. Get rest if you can, you may need to tap into hidden resources that you weren't aware that you possess.
@dennis Interesting that your WoW is in the "Pickles" comic strip today. Coincidence or did you pick that up?
Welcome to jojo and all the other newbies who have surfaced in the last few days!
@jeanne On the security issue -- I went with Trend because you get a license for three computers -- His, Hers, Laptop.
@mainiac A cubit, a cubit, just what the heck is a cubit!
@katy Great job on the links! Bananagrams is another good word game.
@dennis Only a true Marine could appreciate that quote. Thank you for your service, friend.
@eddyb Was Oscar the Grouch in it?
Have a great Wednesday>
Hi Gang,
ReplyDeleteGood to be back. We spent several days in Sacto visiting our parents. Unfortunately, the hot weather beat me home!!
Crockett-my dictionary shows a cubit as an ancient linear unit based on the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, usually 17 to 21 inches. My cubit is only 16 3/8" long.
Did well on the puzzle today.
Will try to skim the posts of the last few days. Need to do laundry and some chores. I could get lost in the backyard grass.
Have a good one.
Hi C.C. & gang, I think that we finished ~60% of the puzzle today before my wife left for work. Several unknown words like 'ultimo' and an old movie from 1977 made it the hardest puzzle for the week so far.
ReplyDeleteC.C. yes, I forgot to mention that last week we took a short vacation from Wednesday to Sunday. We went down to the Monterey bay aquarium to see the new sea horse's and also did a 'behind the scenes tour'.
The second day we went on a whale watch boat trip and saw dolphins and a humpback whale.
On Friday we went down to Lompoc to meet up with our photo group.
Luxor, you find C.C. to be "dictatorial"?? Go try finding this much latitude on any other crossword blog, pal.
ReplyDeleteCrockett, I don't read Pickles, and had to laugh when I checked it after EddieB's mention of it. Yes, total coincidence. They weren't worded exactly the same, but that's still pretty amazing.
I was so so on this puzzle. Was unfamiliar with LENORE, AGOUTI, CESTA and ULTIMO. I knew they were referring to the diacritical mark, but didn't remember what it was called. I think a better clue for ARS could have been "Pirates noises". Only knew WESTERN omelet, not sandwich. Thought it was Wailing Wall. Got it done anyway.
ReplyDeleteMy brother had an old AIWA tape recorder in the '70's. He tricked my parents once and hid it under the table while they had poker night and taped the whole event. It was a hoot.
Jeanne, I use McAfee. I think that most of the programs tend to be similar, but with my Comcast we get free McAfee. Most ISP's provide some free antivirus software if you have broadband or DSL. You should check it out with your provider. You also must get all the old software removed before putting anything new on or it will really mess things up. My experience is that Norton is really hard to remove.
Thanks KittyB for your thoughts. We could use them around here.
Interesting WoW. I liked Hahtool's reference to Frost's quote also.
Welcome JoJo and Katy. I have learned so much from this site and it's fun to analyze the xword from more than just the fill-ins. Enjoy. The volume of people involved and continued growth speaks to the quality of the posters.
CC and Dennis, if you remove someone else's post, does it show a post removed or does it just go away?
askthetimes@nytimes.com. is the way to talk to Will Shortz, if anyone is interested.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience it just goes away. It's a shame too as I have posted some good ones.
ReplyDeleteKQ, either.
ReplyDeleteAnon, a 'good' post has NEVER been deleted.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteDid I miss a day?? This was more like a Friday romp for me. Two tries (about 45 min ea) and FINALLY finished. Except for POLA. Had no clue and OPER did not occur to me. I now have a large palm print on my forehead!!!
ULTIMO?? Foreign word?? Never heard of it (or the others mentioned) And if it is indeed not of the english language, shouldn't the clue have hinted at that?? Just askin'.
Thomas...Best to you. Whatever happens you will inch forward in life to conquer all in your path>
Welcome to all the newcomers......good to "see" fresh faces!!!!!
CY'All Later.
Back again,
ReplyDeleteCrockett1947, I didn't see Oscar because the lid was down. He might have been inside having a piece of GC cake.
I thought that the funniest scene in Telefon was when the Bronon character set off the fireworks in the house. I laughed and laughed.
eddyB.
OK. From M/W .com.
ReplyDeleteul·ti·mo
Pronunciation: ˈəl-tə-ˌmō\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin "ultimo mense", in the last month
Date: 1616
: of or occurring in the month preceding the present
And I'm supposed to GET this??? I did, by the way, but not because I knew it. Those darn "perps" again!!!
Copied and pasted once, but some of the punctuation was missing, so I started over.
Good Morning All, I don't often do the puzzle, via Across Lite, the night before, but it is a nice online alternative. So I slept last night knowing that I had completed Wednesday's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Elissa about the theme. To me OPEN (FACE) is a style of sandwich, not the sandwich itself. As tarrjo mentioned, some of us only know a WESTERN sandwich as a DENVER. I don't like egg in sandwiches either way.
There were a lot of new tidbits today. ULTIMO, CESTA and AGOUTI were "that must be right" fills.
Although I filled it, I didn't understand OPER until I got here this morning. Like most of us, I started with WAILING WALL. At last, I remembered that RENAULT made Le Car. My favorite clue was "Düsseldorf feature?" Swedish uses UMLAUTS too.
Sorry, Hathool. I'm embarassed. Am I the only person who had thought you were a man until yesterday's comments? That is the great thing about our profiles and comments. We can reveal as much or as little information as we want. It certainly is interesting to know we have another woman lawyer in our midst.
Welcome JoJo.
Katy you are really good at following the linking instructions.
Absolutely, Dennis is right. Let us leave our pathetic little Anon wondering if anyone has bothered to read its vitriol...and if we have, it can sleep knowing that we are laughing behind its back and in its face.
BTW, @8:49, Eleanor Roosevelt was quite a lady! She had a tough row to hoe and she always took the high road.
Best wishes to Thomas and his father.
Somebody needs to run the ship around here and have the last word...so many people and so many opinions. We do need to be reined in once in a while and C.C. is a most benevolent dictator.
Good morning CC and all,
ReplyDeleteDennis, you must have read "Pickles " today (WOW). If not, what a coincidence.
Maybe the astonauts were too excited to eat before the moon walk, so their 1st real meal was today!
Thanks CC for clearing up "to a t". I could not figure what toat was, also oper. lol
I also did not see why there was a ? for taxing mo. unless there was a trick. My 2nd answer would have been Dec. That month is the most taxing for me.
muscle man-yick,yech..whatever.
Just read the rest of last nights posts.
ReplyDeleteElissa, thanks for the kind words of wisdom on my husband's bar exam. He has been out of school 25 years, and is in corporate law, so has a very narrow practice compared to the exam. He too says never again. We have tried to be most supportive, but I must say I break once in a while. Glad to know that you passed under similar circumstances. Unfortunately, CA is one of the few states requiring you to take their exam if you already passed in another state and practiced more than 5 years. Such a shame.
Thomas, I am a praying type, and will say lots of prayers for your father. I am most offended you didn't include me in the Minnesota Women group:-) I assume it is because you are under such stress right now.
Funny Minnesota women story. We were at a wedding this weekend. The groom from Tucson, the bride from Minnetonka, MN. When they asked if she would take him to be her husband, she say "Ya, sure, ya betcha". The pastor then translated for all the Tucson family that it meant "I do".
For the record, most of us really don't talk like that.
Good morning CC et al., Interesting puzzle today. I caught my 'stride' and finished quickly. I see that 'Unlooses' as an oxymoron has been addressed. English is so crazy. CC, I admire you so much for your command of this language in such a short time.
ReplyDeletePast that, I had to laugh when I saw 'trots', thinking of the colonoscopy exams mentioned yesterday. But 'trots' also added to the 'western' flavor of the puzzle and the life in the Old West as well. I started getting excited seeing 'clutch' close to cowboy 'boots', remembering how hard those things are to get off.
'Muscled' buck'aroo's get plumb 'het' up over 'how' their 'lead on' to think that some special boot leg jeans are on the 'open markets' and they're not - they're really bootlegged! - still hard to get off. Buffalo Bill 'Cody' didn't have to worry about such stuff. He just wore rawhide that fit him 'to a T'. Those stayed on. Cowboys also get their 'drawer's in a bunch over 'how' land rights are 'sandwich'ed 'in law'
with water rights and mineral rights.It's a 'rustic' way of life that's 'sno' 'operatic' production, but it's a great way to live. I miss it. Wonder how the sheep are doing since I've been gone.
Thomas, I wish your father well.
Welcome aboard to all the
'newbies'.
Carol: July 15 limericks were absolutely hilarious and sooo well done. You are so talented! Thank you for the tribute.
Dick 6:06: LMAO Interesting that I even came to mind, but I'm in good company w/Dennis. Thanks.
Dennis: great WoW and quotes. Like Tarrajo said, fits your 'morel' character 'to a T'.
Enjoy this gorgeous day.
Somehow did not enjoy the Xword today.. maybe its just me and my moods.
ReplyDeleteHave never heard of western or open sandwich. But could fill in sandwich by knowing about club sandwich. Took a long time to get Open Markets...I could only think of Free Markets. HET is a new word and even though I have seen TO A T so many times, it still doesnt click.
On the job front, nothing good came out of yesterday's meetings...seems like things are worse than I imagined. Might get a phone interview sometime this week.. looking forward to it. In the meantime, planning to study/cram and finish a certification exam.
Thomas: my thoughts and prayers are with you and your Dad.
Tarrajo; Wikipedia: "Hyde Park, London is known for its Sunday soapbox orators, who have assembled at Speakers' Corner since 1872 to discuss religion, politics, and other topics ..." That's how I've always pictured it – in London.
ReplyDeletetfrank: You might like the T–shirt I sent my son:"It takes a lot of balls to play golf the way I do".
Cheers, and have a nice Wednesday.
An easy puzzle today for some reason. Things I didn’t know revealed themselves with the perps. I agree that a sandwich can be open faced, but never heard of an open faced sandwich. Same thing with the western sandwich. I only knew that one as a Denver sandwich.
ReplyDeleteHere is the game piece update:
I have checked the "drop site" and the packaging materials have not yet materialized. I did receive a call from secret agent Art Lemke (that was the name he gave) stating he was in route from the airport and we would rendezvous around 0100 hours. I will let you know when the deed is done, so we can all breathe easier.
Question: do we treat Luxor like Anon and just ignore? Probably best, but it's hard.
ReplyDeleteI had trouble with three crossings, today - ULTIMO/TELEFON, AROO/AIWA, and FATSO/STLO
ReplyDeleteOther than that I did okay.
Negri Pola looks as if she’s had too much of something in that picture.
CC, Did you really like The Crying Game? I thought it was kind of weird.
Have you checked the AQI of your area? The higher the number, the better. Where I live, it’s 15. No wonder it’s called valley of sickness. One site you can go to check is Sperlings Best Places.
Link text
Enter the city and state, or zip, then click on in the overview menu, click on Health. You’ll probably be surprised.
Thomas, I wish you and your father well.
Welcome to Katie and JoJo. Katie, I love your avatar. Since I work in a library, I want to show it to my co-workers.
EddyB, congrats. I hope you don’t have to use it very oftenl
Crockett1947, I love to play Bananagrams!
All the discussion of Eleanor Roosevelt quotes reminded me of the following, which was attributed to her: "I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in bed, but fine up against a wall."
ReplyDeleteJeannie, you're meeting at 1 in the morning??
ReplyDeleteSallie, good question. I'm not sure why Luxor is even here if he's that unhappy with the site.
BarbB, interesting site; thanks. And I definitely agree about the crying game.
Kelev, now THAT'S funny.
I thought of this poem yesterday, with C.C.'s "philosopher/farmer" comment about Windhover. I know both he and Melissa bee are Wendell Berry fans, so I hope they enjoy this one.
ReplyDeleteThe Man Born to Farming
The Grower of Trees, the gardener, the man born to farming,
whose hands reach into the ground and sprout
to him the soil is a divine drug. He enters into death
yearly, and comes back rejoicing. He has seen the light lie down
in the dung heap, and rise again in the corn.
His thought passes along the row ends like a mole.
What miraculous seed has he swallowed
That the unending sentence of his love flows out of his mouth
Like a vine clinging in the sunlight, and like water
Descending in the dark?
- Wendell Berry
Hi all. Hoping for the best for Thomas, Moon, and KQ's hubby.
ReplyDeleteKQ: California also makes dentists re-license if they want to practice here (at least your husband doesn't have to hope his patients remember to show up for the test - my downfall the first time around). Loved the Minnesota bride story.
I got stuck in similar places as others: trying to make wailing wall and free market fit. Personally I get HOT when I get riled up, not HET. That didn't help either. And AGOUTI was totally new.
Lois, you are in a league of your own when it comes to "re-theme-ing". Always a riot.
Good day all!
ReplyDeleteWell, I learned a couple of new words today. I knew that pelota means ball in Spanish, but didn't know what the word for mitt or glove was. Even after getting cesta, I had to google it to learn that it's the basket used to catch the ball in jai alai. Didn't have a clue for "in the prior month." After getting ultimo it made some sense, as ultimo means last in Spanish, but I've never heard the word used to refer to "last month." Never heard of the movie "Telefon", but that is the word for telephone in German, and as someone pointed out, much of the film revolves around telephones.
Thomas-My thoughts and prayers are with your father and your family.
Moon--My thoughts, prayers, and hopes are with you, too as you pursue job leads.
Katy--The game Royalty looks like a lot of fun! Thank you!
OK,@ Pickles, that is probably the 1st time I've written before reading, but there were already 45!
ReplyDeleteKelev @8:50, funny but true
Welcome JoJo & Katy, my atlas, dictionary, and thesaurus are always close at hand. I'm MUCH slower to finish than most, but it's impossible to time as I'm usually doing other things. Love your avatar, Katy.
Thomas, hoping good thoughts for your dad.
Moon,keep up the good attitude.
I had a few trouble spots today, like the unknown t in het/umlaut; knew neither words.Tyros,pelota, and ultimo were also new.Had to G for Pola.
Like Kazie, I guessed Fatso, since he was, and he made fun of himself. I can still hear his sqeaky laugh, a funny guy who was quite a chef.
didn't like aroo; liked defunct flier
bread of choice: sourdough
tfrank, where did you find that shirt? My s-i-l could use one!
Hi C.C. and everyone.
ReplyDeleteDifferent puzzle clues were fun. I have never heard of a Western or Denver sandwich either, only a Denver or Western omlette.
Speaking of which, Hahtool (7:26) re: ette, very good!
Kitty b, I also put wailing wall in at first. Never heard of it referred as western wall.
JoJo and Katy, welcome, stick around for a fun time.
C.C. - I agree on Mr.America! Yuk, how does he walk? Steroid crazy obviously.
Where does 18A come from? ULTIMO? wtf
Lois, thanks. :)
Barb B, you are right, 'Ol Poli looks absolutely stoned!
Kelev (12:02) LOL - great line!
Where is Jimbo???
CA:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the WB poem. Wendell is one of my favorite writers, in poetry and as an essayist and novelist. He is also a good friend and a mentor of sorts.
Thomas:
I wish you well with your Dad's hospitalization. I lost mine at age 23 and my Mother 4 years ago. No matter at what age you lose your parents, you are as much an orphan as one separated from them at birth. I hope you have many good years with yours left.
KQ: Tape recorder incident
I know someone else who did something similar and learned some things he really didn't want or need to know about his parents "lifestyle".
CC, Dennis, Luxor, and all,
I occasionally look at another blog, where I have never posted; the blog administrator has a note by her name which says, "Yes, I'm a dictator. Get over it. "
if this is a dictatorship, it is, as Dennis said, a very benign and benevolent one. Get over it.
Buckeye:
no colonoscopy jokes?
Jeannie:
First the bra size, then a 1 AM meeting. Better get the million up front (no pun intended).
Sallie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for clarifying Speakers' Corner in London. I think it's also in the part of Hyde Park called Marble Arch.
Jeannie,
Does this mean he's coming at 1 am or 1300 hours?
Note to everyone and no one in particular:
USE OF APOSTROPHES!
For possessives:
We don't need one unless before an "s" added to show possession, or after an "s" at the end of a plural word made possessive.
or
Showing omissions:
To indicate something has been omitted as in "it's" = it is.
NOT
for words ending with vowels that are made plural such as tacos, kangaroos, buckaroos, switcheroos, silos, biros, tyros.
Sorry, but this bugs me no end!
Sorry, that would be 1300 hours. Houston, we have a problem...no packaging materials have arrived, but the "special agent" has. He doesn't look real pleased. Sorry, but this just cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteThe Crying Game is one of my favorite movies. Weird? Oh yeah, but a definite original. How many of you saw the "reveal" coming? Sad, frightening, shocking, even romantic and very funny all at once. Stephen Rea's portrayal of the guy who just couldn't figure out how he felt about "the girl" was very convincing. The final credits with Tammy Wynette's voice-over of "Stand By Your Man" had both GAH and I laughing out loud.
ReplyDeleteAs long as Luxor, or anyone else, posts with his name, I sure don't have a problem with any opinions, although I might disagree. Discussion and disagreement have been the potatoes to go with the meat of this blog, and as long as it is respectful, I say go for it. (See, I just disagreed with BarbB and Dennis about The Crying Game, but I sure didn't/wouldn't disrespect them!) I know that Luxor knows how to get a Google account and might be more satisfied "going blue", so that comments could be self-deleted, if desired. I know he (she?) has been curious about that "how to" in the past.
Jeannie, don't forget to wear your trench coat and dark glasses.
Ever the teacher, calm down Kazie. :o) Some of these errors could be typos that spell check doesn't catch.
Ok...it isn't that late here but 67 posts already! Wow! I am pretty much channeling CA today except that I don't think I had a doubt that hahtool was of the female persuasion.
ReplyDeleteDid the puzzle last night, but for the first time time left a few blank squares in the middle due to TELEFON(never seen it) FATSO(didn't remember it) did start with wailing wall and had missing letters for CESTA. Finished it up this morning. I do think they are really reaching to tie all that in with sandwich.
Will probably be busy most of the day...had a call last night from our youngest who was in an accident, sudden jam up on the freeway, screeching brakes and sliding cars...fortunately reasonable, with no injury and not a huge amount of damage to the car...but she is off to the San Diego ComiCon to show the new vinyl figures she designed and sculpted and we, along with her husband, get to follow through with the insurance co.
Also found out yesterday that husband has prostate cancer but it is the slow growing kind and must have recently formed and it is totally operable and he will be fine...so bad news/good news. We have to wait about 2 months for the surgery...so again people...get those tests...this was at about 10-15% of the cells and only in a very small area...so excellent prognosis. Apparently about 90% of men will get a form of this cancer in their lifetimes.
Thomas...best of luck on your father. I have been going through colon cancer treatments, surgery and issues with my 83 yr old mother since Oct 08...we are still dealing with post final surgery issues...but as many friends and family kept reminding me, the caregiver also has to take care of themselves...advice I sometimes forgot...I am hoping things will turn out well. So you take care of yourself also.
Couple of other quick things and appologies for the uber long post...
Dennis...loved the very appropriate WoW today...and bless the Marines, and the Army and the Air Force and the Navy and all those Americans who put their lives on the line for their country.
Loved the Elenor Roosevelt quotes...she was a truly amazing woman of great wit and grace.
CA...thank you the WB poem...I have been reading some of his essays lately...
Sallie/Kazie...I have been to Hyde Park and the Marble Arch and yes, there are at timies, quite few "interesting" people standing on the traditional wooden box expounding...great fun!
Jeannie...the cloak and dagger stuff is hysterical!!! LOL
Welcome all newbies because we love new thoughts and comments.
And...one last thing...I have a bumper sticker that, years ago, I stuck on my paintbox..."I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person"...A quote I stick to always. Just thought it appropriate re our ongoing idiot.
Good day to all and appologies to anyone I missed.
For C.C....the second stanza of The Raven:
ReplyDeleteAh, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.
C.C. and JD- "Taxing mo.?" Taxing has nothing to do with money, in this case. Think STRESSFUL or DIFFICULT.
ReplyDeletecalef- ARS is indeed the plural of AR. All consonants are spelled out.
A, BEE, CEE, DEE, E, EF, GEE, AITCH, I, JAY, KAY, EL, EM, EN, O, PEE, KUE, AR, ESS, TEE, U, VEE, DOUBLE U, EX, WYE, ZEE.
Oopsa-daisa... meant CUE not KUE.
ReplyDeleteJeannie, what a hoot! I love CA's idea of the trench coat and glasses...then you can 'flash' him your bra size and watch him 'light up' LOL.
ReplyDeleteKazie, down girl!! I am probably driving you crazy as I never understood the possession about apostrophes. I do get the omissions usage though. I will try to do better, but I am not promising anything :)
CA, thanks for the 'typo' explanation to Kazie, but I am afraid my errors are just my errors! :)
Howdy, knuckleheads. Zoomed thru todays puzzle in my normal 2 hrs. 27 mins. Didn't like "unlooses", "ultimo", "to a t", and "rabbitlike rodent". Thought "agouti" was Latin plural for "swolled feets".
ReplyDeleteMy wishes go out to you, Thomas and Moon.
Welcome, newbies. We were all there, once. Keep coming back.
Sad news from GBRV. The Hammer brothers, Trip and Jack, just got back from Montana, where they buried their youngest brother, Ballpeen. Seems "Peen", who's a real cowboy, went to Two Dot, Mt. to get a shave and a haircut before the 4th of July "box supper social" at the local church. Trip told me, "Ballpeen, the barber/doctor and everbody else was plum drunk and 'Peen" moved too quick while the barber was shaving Peen's upper lip. That quack cut "peen's" nose off, and then sewed it back on upside down. A week later, Ballpeen was out punchin' cattle and a big-ass, Montana rainstorm come up and "peen" got of his hoss to get his slicker, sneezed, blew his own hat off and drowned hisself to death". That poor family has NO luck.
Windhover. I went to get a colonoscopy about a month ago, but left before it took place. I asked the Doctor, "Where do I put my clothes?" He said "Over there, on top of mine". I was history.
I must be off
@Crockett1947, funny you should mention Bananagrams. My newly acquired daughter-in-law gave me the game for a mother-of-groom gift. Seemed kind of confusing and set it aside but have pulled it out and will check it out with my Royalty kith this weekend.
ReplyDeleteBTW, why the @ sign before names?
Lastly, realize I'm nearing my 5 max daily posts -- as noted in the blog rules -- and will try to better. Alas, summer break will be over in 3 weeks, at which point I'll be lucky to get one Sunday crossword worked before the next one comes out. Until then, I remain obsessedly yours...
Buckeye, thank you for coming out today. You make my day every time you post.
ReplyDeleteCarol, I too have trouble with the possessives. Sorry Kazie, I know I screw up on those too. I try, yes I do, but there are just some things that my mind doesn't want to acquire. You will just have to chill out on that one.
Hello All--I had to Google some of the names-- Aiwa, and Pola. I also had a problem with EPA/AQI connection. I had Wailing Wall but it fixed itself with the perps. Even after I had Unlooses, I looked it up and it is not in my version of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. This is usually a pretty good source for me.
ReplyDeleteC.C. You certainly ARE NOT a Crossword Tyro. I could use the word Expert instead. I'm sure that my fellow Bloggers would agree.
Welcome JoJO and Katy.
I ,too, read Pickels today and had that quote ready to post, but Dennis beat us all to it. Thought it very apropos.
The former Ford Ord Military base is now the site of the fairly new California State U. at Monterey Bay. They have had several graduating classes and are expanding the enrollment every year. A beautiful site for a school and a great use for a former base.
I'm still not Blue! Can't figure out what happened.
Let us not forget the muscled women. Does anybody think this is attractive?
ReplyDeleteDouble sorry, Hahtool. I couldn't even spell your name, much less figure out your gender.
WM, So sorry to hear about the accident, but glad it wasn't more serious. Also glad to hear that your husband will be fine. As Bette Davis said, "Getting old isn't for sissies."
Buckeye, We've really been missing you, ever since we took the site off that rifle. (I know...old joke) BTW, how did that prostate exam go for you?
Well, the eagle had landed along with the white horse. Unfortunately, before the white horse could complete the task, a mole in the warehouse had let the eagle go free. I am told that a new eagle will arrive tomorrow. The white horse will have to stay in the pasture for the night. He stampeded out of here.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, some idiot in the warehouse thought the box was just junk and it has long since hit the incinerator. Not making this stuff up folks….
Yeah, Buckeye, I've missed you, too, but I got one of them laser scopes on order.
ReplyDeleteWow- bunches of great posts for a Wednesday
ReplyDeleteKind of newbie myself and I don't get many chances to post due to working (retirement is at least 10 yrs away).
WM- I read your post with great empathy. My Mom and husband needed me as a care-giver too. My husband who has lung cancer ( Chemo is over and doing better) and Mom with the "new hip". I follow wise words I heard on the topic- your loved ones need us rested and calm so isn't selfish to take care of you.
P.S. Puzzle not too tough today- love lemon pie
I have a bunch of buddies that were former Marines that live up to that quote to a t. I struggled with that one today and really disliked Unlooses.
ReplyDeleteKid's are banging up the stairs. Time for our Wednesday ritual.
Have a good one.
CPR
Geeeeezzz, CA!!! I think I am going to loose (or unloose) my lunch! YUK. Are you certain those are women??? Look a lot like guys with bras. THEY would not have trouble with their boobs in a mammogram!
ReplyDeleteWM - I am so sorry to hear of your husband but so happy it is early detection and his prognosis is so good.
Also so glad that your daughter was not injured! You never know what a day will bring, huh?
Boomermama - hope your hubby will continue to improve. They can do a lot more than they used to with lung cancer, still, it is a frightening diagnosis. We are all here for you if you need to 'talk'. A lot of us, myself included, have been care-givers at some time and I'd like to think we can understand.
Wm,
ReplyDeleteSounds like your calendar will be full for a while. Glad to hear the good prognosis and mild outcome of the accident.
Buckeye,
I WAS drinking coffee when I read yours today. Fortunately though, I swallowed before guffawing!
Apologies to all on the plural/possessive thing. It just drove me nuts to see "taco's" continually listed on the school lunch menus when I was teaching. It seemed that in an educational institution someone ought to have got it right! So now I am still suffering from the residual reaction to that. I figured if I can explain French and German here, I could throw in a bit of English too. Thanks for your kind humor and understanding.
Jeannie,
I also guffawed over the end of your spy mystery. Unbelievable! Also glad to hear of the good result of your recent biopsy.
WM: So sorry to hear about your daughter's accident, but glad she wasn't hurt. Also, your husband sounds as if his prognosis is great. Hang in there as you will be the main support for these members of your family.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like I'm back in the Blue again. Had to change my password, twice. Finally Google sent an e-mail and all was well. Don't know what happened.
Tarrajo: A ten foot row of zucchini. Old gardeners know that one hill is usually enough and two if you want to get the neighbors all riled up with the zucchini you leave on their porch under cover of darkness.
LOL Buckeye: This is why we don't drink liquids while reading other's posts.
9:15 today. Perhaps a bit tougher than the usual Wednesday?
ReplyDeleteI, too, wanted WAILING WALL, but if you look at Wikipedia, WESTERN WALL is the main entry, so I was mistaken.
Thanks to @katy. Royalty looks like a fun game and I've ordered it from Amazon (via your link).
@crockett: I've heard good things about Bananagrams before. I may buy that game along with Royalty.
@JoJo: I well remember Sunrise, FL from many trips to the area to install computers at Systems Engineering Laboratories, which, as I recall, was located on Sunrise Blvd. They must be out of business by now--wonder what the building is used for these days?
Waiting for glaze to dry on a mural panel...so wanted to say thank you to everyone. That is one of the reasons this is good place to be, along with the snappy patter and witty conversation.
ReplyDeleteBoomermomma...hope things continue to improve...as tough as it is, a positive attitude and sense of humor goes a long way towards helping with the healing...pushing good thoughts your way...also it is good to have a place like this where you can talk...sometmes helps to keep one on an even keel.
Jeannie...your cloak and dagger story has the beginnings of a pretty funny movie.
Buckeye...so glad I finished my coffee first...always good to see ya
CA...loved the "sights" joke but those photos made me nauseous... It's like taking something like the Mona Lisa and painting a mustache on it...terrible destruction of a thing of beauty...
Kazie...I did appreciate the "rules" as I can never remember if its is it's and under what conditions...that cakewrecks blog would drive you up the wall. bad spelling on a cake no less.
That's #3
Good afternoon CC and all.
ReplyDeleteWas on the right wavelength today as Embien says.
POlA pops out like a gimme for some reason. Same prob with wailing wall as others.
Unknowns Ultimo/Ars/cesta/telefon.
31A was same in my paper. Assume it refers to overdosing.
Favourite clues 55d In laws and 58A nose. Did not like 36D tsk.
TaraJo how about renaming your town Zucciniota MN.
To all with ill parents, be thankful you have had them for so many years. Hang in there.
WM your posts are always interesting so do not worry about length. Good luck to your husband.
Jimmy S. Carolina
Wm.
ReplyDeleteApologies for not mentioning your daughter.Hope she is Ok.
Jimmy S Carolina
Buckeye:
ReplyDeleteI knew I could count on you for a good one. That story puts a whole new spin on the term "playing doctor". Under the heading "you can't make this s--- up" , there was a guy arrested in Lexington lately for practicing medicine without a license. His M.O. Was he paid homeless guys $50 to do a prostate exam, telling them it was a research project.
Kazie:
When I was in school mid last century, we were taught the difference between it's and its'. Now I'm told we don't use the latter any more. True?
The one that drives me up the wall is effect and affect. When I returned to school in the early nineties, at the ripe age of 46, one of my professors guaranteed a student that she would not graduate until she learned the difference. She got it.
Wm- and everyone thanks for the kind support.This has been going on for 7 months so I am getting really good at humor and keep myself surrounded with the new grandbaby- he is hysterical and getting chubby at 2months old.
ReplyDeleteWork and business travel are a godsend. I never thought the Courtyard in Pittsburgh could look so good!
Boomermamma- here is a pic of the new grandson and why I smile despite it all! Told my daughter he looks like Crazy Guggeheimer. I am sure many of you remember that character from the Jackie Gleason show!
ReplyDeleteIrish Jim, LOL Zucciniota MN. You have a lovely dry sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteWM and Carol, I agree about the muscle women. They have no body fat and their faces look hollow and sunken, as well as other body parts (no fat, no breasts). Do any of you guys like a uber-muscular woman (outside of black leather fantasies, I mean)?
Boomermomma, That is one happy/cute baby. I can see why he would keep you in giggles. Good positive thoughts about your husband's cancer. They really do have some amazing new treatments coming up all the time.
Phooey on spell-check. I know nothing about rifles and misspelled "sight" as "site".
That's 5 for me. Have a good evening.
this is a blog and i am just posting a blog. and YOU should stop being so judgemental. after all, you are just another blogger altho' a pretty active one. I will say that you're posts are interesting most of the time.
ReplyDeleteboomermomma,
ReplyDeleteA very happy looking cute baby!
Windhover,
it's = it is, (omission); its (no apostrophe) for the possessive pronoun, something that owns something else:
e.g. "The house looks good with its new roof."
That one is tricky, because we think it needs one since it's possessive, but if you think about it, none of the other possessive pronouns need an apostrophe either.
Effect (result) and affect (influence) are frequently used wrongly. Also the I/me thing. It drives me nuts when I see bad usage on TV and in newspapers. Journalists should know their trade!
Clear Ayes: No need to apologize about thinking I was a male, although I must say I have never been mistaken for a guy before. I look nothing like those "lovely" muscled ladies you linked us all to.
ReplyDeleteJerome@1:05. I have always been confused about the spelling of a letter. A letter is a letter ~ why try to assign a spelling to it, when each letter is again spelled.
Wailing Wall never even occurred to me, and I go there every time I am in Israel. I was surprised at how many times the term "wailing wall" came up in so many comments today. I don't think Wailing Wall is used much anymore. I generally hear only Western Wall or Kotel, which means simply "wall."
Jerome, thx for the a/bee/cees. So, do you think Apr. is more stressful than Dec.?
ReplyDeleteKaty, just read last night's. Pillars .. was just "so-so"?;what have you read that was better, that is, if you like historical fiction? Carol and I are always looking.
WM, so sorry to hear about hubby, but on the other hand, GLAD he found out early so it is operable. Wonder why there aren't any awareness campaigns for prostate cancer since it is so prevalent.I find it very hard to motivate my husband to get checked every year. Must be the touching thing.It's a good thing that men don't have the babies.
Boomermomma, it sounds like you need more than a Courtyard in Pittsburg!! A massage, or better yet, cuddling up with that smiley grandson!
Buckeye, your tall tales are a hoot. Keep 'em comin'. We miss you when you disappear!
Boomermomma--What a darling little guy!
ReplyDeleteOn the word usage forum:
My mother-in-law was a high school English teacher, had some pet peeves about word usage, and was not above correcting anyone younger than herself. One was done/finished. Quote Mom D: "Cookies and pies are done when they come out of the oven. You are finished when you complete a task." Another was can I/may I. Can I=ability, may I=asking permission. And of course, as Kazie noted, the I/me issue! :)
Just got back from the garden and I am not kidding...found a lurker zucchini that is about as long as my calf and just about as big around. Not sure how I missed that big boy out at the plot in Zucciniota, MN. Incidentally, I just picked another six. Stop the insanity!!
ReplyDeleteJeannie, I have been laughing at your "top secret" repackaging dilema. I can't believe the mole released the eagle....
Having a "special" friend over for spaghetti and meatballs. Dessert you guessed it...chocolate zucchini cake!
Ca,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment.
Last nights post about hoping someone with kids won the 1.000,000
tells me all I need to know about you. Would that everyone else was as thoughtful and unselfish.
TaraJo. Have you thought about patenting your green thumbs..
Jimmy S. Carolina
IrishJim...Loved Zucciniota...I think a lot of people live there.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you.
Tarrajo...no matter how many times you go through the zuccini there are always those giant ones...I really think they can grow that big over night!
Boomermamma...what an absolute cutie pie...and I do see the Crazy Guggenheim resemblence...but then, I always liked that character! You have so much fun ahead of you...Lucy(16 mos) just learned uh oh...so funny, and at least better than EWWWW!
Jerome...thanks for the A EL PEE AITCH A BEE E TEE. I was pretty sure it was AR(S)...but good to know.
#4
Hahtool- We spell out numbers (1= one, and so forth), so we may as well spell out letters. At some point along the line words become acceptable through use. A dj is a disc jockey and dj also morphed into deejay, the spelled dj. Emcee would be another example.
ReplyDeleteThere are constructors who refuse to use a spelled out letter. Sometimes we see the clue "Less than satisfactory mark" and the answer is DEE. However, some say, that's a bogus answer because no teacher ever writes out DEE for a grade. It's always simply D.
I'm positive, though, that we'll never see AITCH-BOMB in a puzzle.
Jeannie - still laughing about your mole and eagle...now I'm waiting for the next episode!
ReplyDeleteKaty - to echo JD's comment about your opinion of Pillars of the Earth, I am surprised that you thought it was only "so-so". I absolutely loved it - the story, the historical accuracy, the depth, the reality of the characters. What did you find that you liked better?
Irish Jim, any mention of thumbs on this blog will get everyone going :)
Well, my blue status lasted for about 2 1/2 hours. go figure. I'm off the grid again.
ReplyDeleteBoomermamma: Love that lovely baby! Our "little" ones are all grown up so enjoy them while they are still babies. They grow too fast.
Tarrajo: I really like the new name of your town, Zucchinota. Good name for your little portion of the world right now.
Carol, Jd. Katy.
ReplyDeleteCount me as another who loved Pillars of the Earth. In fact anything by Ken Follet.
Jimmy S. Carolina
I enjoyed both Pillars and the sequel World Without End.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for the compliments on new grandbaby! He is number 4 grandson but it has been 9 yrs since the last so we really having fun..
ReplyDeleteYou all lift my spirits just reading your post. have admit I sometimes don't have a clue what you are talking about but enjoy you all anyway. Such a smart group- so I'll sit back and enjoy
Irish Jim...Katy apparently did not really like 'Pillars'.
ReplyDeleteKelev: I did not mean to leave out the sequel to 'Pillars' - 'World without End' was equally great!! What an author!
Love all his novels. I was with the crowd that wanted a 3rd book in the above series, but he commented on that, saying he felt he had covered the whole spectrum of the era and could not better it by a 3rd novel. I understood, but felt sad. I tend to get personally involved with my books and almost feel as though I had lost a friend when I finish them. :)
Sadly I heard that Frank McCourt has died. I loved "Angela's Ashes" and "Tis". What a life Mr. McCourt lived and what a miracle that he survived his childhood!!
That's 5 and I wish you all a great evening.
Hi, all -
ReplyDeleteWent to T-town today, did a few odds and ends for the mums. Here so late, I feel like a lurker. So many comments, I can't keep track.
Had most of the common difficulties today, and agree with most of the common complaints.
Always thought "Ya, sure, ya betcha" was a yooperism.
Buckeye - You make me proud to be a native Ohioan!
Kazie -
Drive's me nut's too!
So, I'm sitting in my mother in law's house - the LW is trapped behind the couch cleaning window blinds, the MIL saunters off to the bathroom. The phone rings, and I answer.
jzb: {Lastname} residence.
caller: And who might you be?
jzb: I might be {Myfirstname}
c: Let me speak to the woman of the house.
jzb: Who's calling, please?
c: Let me speak to the woman of the house. ( getting aggresive)
jzb: Who's calling, please?
c: None of your damn business. Give me the woman of the house.
jzb: click!
The phone rings again. The LW answers, and it's her A-hole brother calling back.
I suspected it was him, but no caller gets past me who won't identify himself.
Grrrrrrr.
Oh, well. Cheers, anyway!
OMG guess I best elaborate on my so-so rating of Pillars...
ReplyDeleteI felt it was a long book that could have been much shorter. Thought good research went into the writing and loved the architectural aspects of the story but thought the writing was average and the characters could have been better developed. Main complaint was that much of the plot was too convenient and too modern sounding -- esp the language -- for the medieval setting. That said, finished the last 20 pages this afternoon at the pool and do think the latter half of the book better than the beginning. Glad I hung with it. And, if at all redeeming, I was definitely in the minority in my book club -- several had even read it for the second time.
Can't recall any other historical fiction I've read set in Medieval times but highly recommend this one set during the Holocaust: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a young adult novel well liked by adults, in which a German family fosters an orphaned girl and later harbors a Jewish man in their basement. Lyrically written from the foster father teaching young Liesel to read and her penchant for stealing books to the friendship that develops between she and Max. Anybody read it?
Carol,
ReplyDeleteKnew that katy did not like pillars. Started world without end but have not got very far into it yet. Have it to look forward to.
Re Angela's Ashes, Believe all that Frank McCourt wrote about was very true. Lived in Limerick for 4 years and it is a very gloomy town indeed. May he rest in peace.
Thats 5 for me too, a new high.....
Jimmy S. Carolina
Anon-
ReplyDeleteYour recent postings regarding Tarrajo are juvenile and offensive. She does come off as self-centered but you don't know her. Why the continuous insults?
Yes, it will be interesting to see how the whole "let's package a game piece case" turns out tomorrow. As of 3:30pm I wasn't sure I could procure another eagle. From what I understand from the White horse...he can't wait around until Friday. On the foodwork channel the show Dinner Impossible is all about a crossword puzzle championship. Something about he has to solve clues to put on a dinner.
ReplyDeleteSemi-kind Anon...I don't see Tarrajo as coming off self-centered at all. She seems to be centered more around her son, and in my opinion not centered around herself enough...but hey, I never had kids so what do I know.
Katy...I'm a mystery buff myself but I also like historically based novels(along with food books)...There is an excellent new series(3 books so far), the first one set in Medieval Cambridge and the protaganist(a woman) is an expert in the science of anatomy(read early forensics)...the first book is called Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. The Cadfael series is fun and Sharon Kay Penman has written some terrific historical novels about Wales and Elizabethan England. Another historical epic writer is Edward Sutherland. Umberto Eco's In the Name of the Rose is also beautifully crafted along with the Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears...multiple points of view in one book.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a huge fan of Ken Follet's and read everything he had written when I got a chance to sit and visit with him in SF while waiting at a Cable TV show. I was doing PR for a Comedy Club and had brought a comedian up for a segment...I believe there was also a chimp scheduled that morning...he(KF, not the chimp or comedian) is a lovely, charming and soft spoken gentleman. Many of his books were favorites of mine at the time.
It is very sad to lose Frank McCourt as I don't think he had told all his stories yet. IrishJim...you could probably add something to the mix.
Jeannie...I still think we need installments...and TJ is definitely kid-centered...a good thing...you got it 'xactly right.
That's 5 for me and we appear to have at least 2 anon's...the second a lovely and caring soul...you should come out of hiding and join us.
To all of you that have extended your well wishes, thoughts, words and prayers, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Father is home after a long day in the ER, yesterday, a long night last night, and a long day of tests today. We still don't know what triggered this episode, but we know some of what it isn't, and we have more tests scheduled for tomorrow. Again,
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!
actually WM, I think both anons are one and the same. Isn't it great that he/she is talking to him/herself? LMAO
ReplyDeleteKaty, I am surprised that your whole book club waded through such a long book. Not everyone enjoys hist. fiction. I loved it, and the follow-up, although I didn't think it was as good.Both certainly gave us more of an understanding of the Catholic Church and how political things have always been.
Anya Seton is another great period writer. I read Katherine this summer and loved it. Carol consumed ALL of hers.
Dear dueling anons, and everyone else, for that matter:
ReplyDeleteEvery single human being on the planet, at least those who have an iota of self-awareness, is self-centered. That is a condition that is prerequisite to being conscious. Why then is it a frequent and damning criticism to say that one is self-centered?
Because many/most of us (including the damning with faint praise anon above) have a need to see ourselves as predominately altruistic, we are able to deceive ourselves into believing that our degree of self-centeredness is at the least less than some unknown "other". And of course, there is no deception quite as effective as self deception.
I'm sure there are a great many dimensions of this young woman's life we know nothing about. But based only on information she has been open and trusting enough to reveal to us, people have made a wide range of judgements about her. Who could blame her for choosing to fade back into anonymity? How about just treating her what we know about her without doubt would suggest: An obviously highly intelligent young single mother who shares a love of crossword puzzles and occasionally makes a teasing DF comment or shares a bit about her life? That's what nearly all of us do on a regular basis. Just leave her alone.
Tarrajo
You're a pretty unique young lady, what with your budding young soccer star/protector of the fairer sex and your mirror image identical twin. I'm really sorry that this load of BS has been dumped in your lap, but I still believe that one day soon you and we will be laughing about this. And I wish you well with your special dinner guest. You most certainly deserve to be happy.
Good night all.
I haven't counted my posts, and if I am over, please forgive me C.C. and Dennis. Windhover, you are correct, my life hasn't been easy and I don't look for pity here on this site. When I took on the responsibility of being a single parent I knew it wouldn't be easy. I found this site while solving a crossword puzzle which I do every day. I have met very nice people here and I have to admit I also have a somewhat "wharped" sense of humor bordering on a DF level. I appreciate all the advice I get from the Mom's & Dad's that have gone through what I am currently going through raising a boy that is just that, a boy turning into a young man. I try my best and feel proud of my accomplishments. If that makes me self centered so be it.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I miss Brady Joe like hell...which is why this MN gal, anon is still awake. Not for other reasons such as my special friend. It takes a while to go through these posts to see if I am over. I might be. Please forgive me if I am, Windhover started it...
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle today. Some clever clues and some were a stretch.
ReplyDeleteY is not a vowel. It is a consonant that may sometimes sound like a vowel, but it is NOT a vowel.
Has anyone ever heard of a molten liquid? I've heard of molten used to describe the liquid state of a solid, such as molten iron.
@Luxor. When you were in school, didn't you learn the little ditty about vowels: A. E. I. O. U. and sometimes Y and W. W never stands alone as a supposed vowel, but Y can. Why?
ReplyDelete