Theme: At the Y (Letter Y's are added to familiar phrases)
23A: Conference call? MAN(Y)-TO- MAN(Y) CHAT
36A: Skittish about almost everything?: WORLD WAR(Y)
49A: Cheer from an ass?: SUPPORT BRA(Y)
81A: Successful cabbies?: BUS(Y) DRIVERS
95A: Thick stick-in-the-mud?: DENSE FOG(Y)
114A: Overt play for sympathy?: OPEN-PIT(Y) MINING
16D: Hamlet's cry after finding a gem?: AY, THERE'S THE RUB(Y)
43D: Editor's mixed bag?: GOOD COP(Y) BAD COP(Y)
The Y at the theme title "At the Y" refers to YMCA, correct?
I am not familiar with the communication term MANY-TO-MANY. "To sleep: perchance to dream: Ay, there's the rub" is from Hamlet's "to be or not to be" speech. SUPPORT BRAY is so funny.
Smooth puzzle from Nancy Salomon. If there were a Crossword Hall of Fame, she should be among the first to be inducted.
I filled in lots of blanks on my first pass. Still had to cheat though. Disliked the clue for WOE IS ME (21A: Melodramatic cry) because MELO is the answer for 48A: Dramatic beginning.
Across:
1A: Downfall: DEMISE
7A: Religion founded in the Punjab: SIKHISM. SIKH is Sanskrit for "disciple".
14A: Valuable strings: AMATIS. Wrote down STRADS first. It fit well with SEC, my initial answer for the intersecting 14D: Wall Street org. (ASE).
20A: undermined: ERODED
22A: Agree to unit: SAY "I DO"
26A: Off the shelf: SOLD
27A: Followers of zetas: ETAS. Greek has 24 letters.
30A: Severe spasm: THROE
31A: Stud site: EAR LOBE. Stud earrings.
33A: Joe's con man buddy in "Midnight Cowboy": RATSO. Played by Dustin Hoffman.
34A: Loads: REAMS. Did anyone try SCADS first?
35A: Corp alias: DBA (Doing Business As)
40A: Ice cream thickener: AGAR. Made of seaweed.
42A: Makes true: ALIGNS. "True" here means "on target".
44A: Censor's deletion: OATH
45A: Secrecy metaphors: CLOSETS. My first thought is THE ROSE. Rose does denote secrecy, you know, sub rosa.
53A: Math ration: SINE
55A: Gathering clouds and such: OMENS. Chinese view crow as an OMEN of death.
57A: State stat: AREA
58A: Team with a star logo: ASTROS. Houston ASTROS.
62A: Charlie Brown's creator: SCHULZ. Charles SCHULZ was born and grew up here in Minnesota.
64A: Much of Egypt: SAHARA. SAHARA is just Arab for "desert".
65A: "Odyssey" enchantress: CIRCE. Wanted SIREN again. CIRCE turned Odysseus' crew into swine.
66A: Wavy lines, in comics: ODOR
69A: Skelton's Kadiddlehopper: CLEM. I can never remember this name.
70A: Fast times?: LENTS. Without the question mark, the clue is valid too.
71A: Lazy: OTIOSE. New word to me.
73A: Bumps up: RAISES
75A: Wagner works: OPERAS
77A: Get going: PROPEL
78A: Weapon with a bell guard: EPEE. I don't know what a bell guard is.
79A: SeaWorld star: SHAMU. Orca sounds deadly, doesn't it?
80A: Hard to grasp: EELY
85A: Chum, e.g.: BAIT. I kept thinking of "buddy" chum.
89A: Collectors' targets: DEBTORS. Was in the hobby "collector" direction. I am very into bobbleheads now.
92A: Atlanta suburb: SMYRNA. No idea. Here is a map.
94A: Former Sony brand: AIWA. Oh, I was not aware that Sony has killed the AIWA brand. Sony only acquired AIWA in 2002.
98A: Relocation: Abbr.: TRF (Transfer). Not a familiar abbr. to me.
99A: Feature of Goliath, but not giants: HARD G. My favorite clue. Very nice wordplay.
102A: Western star with a whip: LA RUE (Lash). He got his name Lash because of his exceptional skill with bullwhip.
104A: Scorecard listings: ROSTERS
106A: Period of note: EPOCH
107A: Layered do: SHAG. Like Farrah Fawcett's hair.
108A: Cameo shape: OVAL
111A: Polo of "Meet the Fockers": TERI. Dustin Hoffman was in "Meet the Fockers" too.
112A: Guarded bars: INGOTS. Thought of the prison bars.
118A: Passed gradually: SEEPED
119A: Soft, in a way: LENIENT
120A: Cooling-off period?: ICE AGE
121A: Dionysian attendants: SATYRS. They are part man, part goat, constantly drinking and chasing the nymphs. See this SATYR balancing a wine cup on his erect MOREL.
122A: City on the Elbe: DRESDEN. Famous for its fine china.
123A: Cordage fibers: ISTLES. This word used to stump me.
Down:
1D: DNC part: Abbr.: DEM. DNA is Democratic National Committee.
2D: Subject to being wiped out: ERASABLE
3D: Way around Disneyland: MONORAIL. No idea. Have never been to Disneyland.
4D: Pastoral piece: IDYLL
5D: Put on the table: SET DOWN
6D: Shogun's capital: EDO. The name became Tokyo in 1868. Shogun is literally "general".
7D: Police crisis acronym: SWAT
8D: Isle of Mull neighbor: IONA. See this map. I've never heard of Isle of Mull.
10D: Sot's syllable: HIC. Hiccup.
11D: 1987 Beatty bomb: ISHTAR. Funny, Dustin Hoffman is in this movie too. ISHTAR is also the Babylonian/Assyrian goddess of love/fertility. Counterpart to the Phoenician Astarte.
12D: Wiseacre: SMARTY. Wonder how SMARTY Jones is doing.
15D: Chanted words: MANTRAS
18D: "Jump the Shark," e.g.: IDIOM. "Jump the Shark" is derived from the scene in "Happy Days" when the Fonz water skied over a shark. The phrase refers to a point where TV shows has run out of ideas and resorts to stunts to retain viewer interest. Of course, things all go downhill from there.
19D: Pump bottoms: SOLES
24D: Dutch artist Jan van der __ van Delft: MEER. I only know him as Jan Vermeer. "Van" means "from" or "of" in Dutch. He was born and buried in Delft. Probably most famous for "The Milkmaid" and "The Girl with the Pearl Earring", the latter inspired the Scarlett Johansson movie with the same title.
29D: Eucalyptus muncher: KOALA
31D: Cheese tray choice: EDAM. Dutch cheese.
33D: Gung-ho: RAH RAH
37D: Cuts: LOPS
38D: Skip along the water: DAP. This has become a gimme as well.
39D: Intl. commerce group since 1995: WTO (World Trade Organization). Replaced GATT (General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade).
41D: some El Prado works: GOYAS. Both his "The Naked Maja" and "The Clothed Maja" are in El Prado.
45D: Hot item: CRAZE
46D: King Zog's capital: TIRANA. Capital of Albania. I did not know who King Zog is.
47D: Bar belts: SNORTS. Stumped. Both "belt" and "snort" are slang for "a drink of liquor, esp when swallowed in one gulp" according to dictionary.
50D: Second commandment preposition: UNTO.
51D: Fighting ender: TRUCE. Korean War simply ended with a TRUCE, not a peace treaty.
52D: Nautical time units: BELLS. The half-hour units. Navy's traditional timekeeping system.
54D: Those, in Tijuana: ESAS. ESOS too.
56D: Attorney general under Reagan: MEESE (Ed).
59D: Capital north of Sacramento: SALEM
60D: Like British bishop: MITRED. British spelling of miter, the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishop.
61D: Ray's opponent: ORIOLE. Both belong to American League East Division.
62D: All lathered up: SOAPY
63D: Turned on the waterworks: CRIED
65D: Handle things: COPE. Thought of DEAL first.
67D: Become decent: DRESS. OK, #7 definition of "decent" according to Dictionary.com: "wearing enough clothing to appear in public".
69D: Former "Last Comic Standing" host Jay: MOHR. Stumped. But when I googled his name, I realized he was the nice guy Nick in Jennifer Aniston "Picture Perfect".
72D: Jostle: ELBOW
74D: Unruffled: SERENE. Like Mona Lisa's smile.
76D: Turn a corner, in Monopoly: PASS GO. No idea. Know nothing about Monopoly.
79D: Fitness magazine: SELF. Eva Longoria is very pretty, even without make-up.
82D: Range mostly in Russia: URALS
83D: OR hookups: IVS. Reminds me of a clever clue for STU (RV hookups).
84D: Go head to head: VIE
86D: Main street: ARTERIAL
87D: Encroach (upon): INFRINGE
90D: More like best buds: TIGHTER. The clue just does not feel natural to me.
93D: Occult figures: MYSTICS
95D: Cloth dealer, in Cambridge: DRAPER. British for dealer in cloth/clothing/dry goods. What do we call "Cloth dealer" in America ?
96D: Debs in politics: EUGENE. Unknown figure to me. Wikipedia says he was one of the founding members of the International Labor Union.
97D: Air France destination: ORLY. Main airport of Paris prior to Charles de Gaulle.
99D: 1960 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Carol: HEISS. Nope. She looks so cheerful.
100D: Sleep disturbance: APNEA
101D: Creator of an immortal 1852 lexicon: ROGET. Oh, the man with many words. I did not know ROGET's Thesaurus was published in 1852.
108D: Page with essays: OP-ED. OP(posite)- ED(itorial).
110D: Ltrs. in a letter: ATTN
113D: Tom Hayden's '60s org.: SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
116D: Early 11th century year: MII. 1002.
117D: Some appliances: GES. Hey, finally Goldman Sachs upgraded GE.
Answer grid.
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
C.C.
23A: Conference call? MAN(Y)-TO- MAN(Y) CHAT
36A: Skittish about almost everything?: WORLD WAR(Y)
49A: Cheer from an ass?: SUPPORT BRA(Y)
81A: Successful cabbies?: BUS(Y) DRIVERS
95A: Thick stick-in-the-mud?: DENSE FOG(Y)
114A: Overt play for sympathy?: OPEN-PIT(Y) MINING
16D: Hamlet's cry after finding a gem?: AY, THERE'S THE RUB(Y)
43D: Editor's mixed bag?: GOOD COP(Y) BAD COP(Y)
The Y at the theme title "At the Y" refers to YMCA, correct?
I am not familiar with the communication term MANY-TO-MANY. "To sleep: perchance to dream: Ay, there's the rub" is from Hamlet's "to be or not to be" speech. SUPPORT BRAY is so funny.
Smooth puzzle from Nancy Salomon. If there were a Crossword Hall of Fame, she should be among the first to be inducted.
I filled in lots of blanks on my first pass. Still had to cheat though. Disliked the clue for WOE IS ME (21A: Melodramatic cry) because MELO is the answer for 48A: Dramatic beginning.
Across:
1A: Downfall: DEMISE
7A: Religion founded in the Punjab: SIKHISM. SIKH is Sanskrit for "disciple".
14A: Valuable strings: AMATIS. Wrote down STRADS first. It fit well with SEC, my initial answer for the intersecting 14D: Wall Street org. (ASE).
20A: undermined: ERODED
22A: Agree to unit: SAY "I DO"
26A: Off the shelf: SOLD
27A: Followers of zetas: ETAS. Greek has 24 letters.
30A: Severe spasm: THROE
31A: Stud site: EAR LOBE. Stud earrings.
33A: Joe's con man buddy in "Midnight Cowboy": RATSO. Played by Dustin Hoffman.
34A: Loads: REAMS. Did anyone try SCADS first?
35A: Corp alias: DBA (Doing Business As)
40A: Ice cream thickener: AGAR. Made of seaweed.
42A: Makes true: ALIGNS. "True" here means "on target".
44A: Censor's deletion: OATH
45A: Secrecy metaphors: CLOSETS. My first thought is THE ROSE. Rose does denote secrecy, you know, sub rosa.
53A: Math ration: SINE
55A: Gathering clouds and such: OMENS. Chinese view crow as an OMEN of death.
57A: State stat: AREA
58A: Team with a star logo: ASTROS. Houston ASTROS.
62A: Charlie Brown's creator: SCHULZ. Charles SCHULZ was born and grew up here in Minnesota.
64A: Much of Egypt: SAHARA. SAHARA is just Arab for "desert".
65A: "Odyssey" enchantress: CIRCE. Wanted SIREN again. CIRCE turned Odysseus' crew into swine.
66A: Wavy lines, in comics: ODOR
69A: Skelton's Kadiddlehopper: CLEM. I can never remember this name.
70A: Fast times?: LENTS. Without the question mark, the clue is valid too.
71A: Lazy: OTIOSE. New word to me.
73A: Bumps up: RAISES
75A: Wagner works: OPERAS
77A: Get going: PROPEL
78A: Weapon with a bell guard: EPEE. I don't know what a bell guard is.
79A: SeaWorld star: SHAMU. Orca sounds deadly, doesn't it?
80A: Hard to grasp: EELY
85A: Chum, e.g.: BAIT. I kept thinking of "buddy" chum.
89A: Collectors' targets: DEBTORS. Was in the hobby "collector" direction. I am very into bobbleheads now.
92A: Atlanta suburb: SMYRNA. No idea. Here is a map.
94A: Former Sony brand: AIWA. Oh, I was not aware that Sony has killed the AIWA brand. Sony only acquired AIWA in 2002.
98A: Relocation: Abbr.: TRF (Transfer). Not a familiar abbr. to me.
99A: Feature of Goliath, but not giants: HARD G. My favorite clue. Very nice wordplay.
102A: Western star with a whip: LA RUE (Lash). He got his name Lash because of his exceptional skill with bullwhip.
104A: Scorecard listings: ROSTERS
106A: Period of note: EPOCH
107A: Layered do: SHAG. Like Farrah Fawcett's hair.
108A: Cameo shape: OVAL
111A: Polo of "Meet the Fockers": TERI. Dustin Hoffman was in "Meet the Fockers" too.
112A: Guarded bars: INGOTS. Thought of the prison bars.
118A: Passed gradually: SEEPED
119A: Soft, in a way: LENIENT
120A: Cooling-off period?: ICE AGE
121A: Dionysian attendants: SATYRS. They are part man, part goat, constantly drinking and chasing the nymphs. See this SATYR balancing a wine cup on his erect MOREL.
122A: City on the Elbe: DRESDEN. Famous for its fine china.
123A: Cordage fibers: ISTLES. This word used to stump me.
Down:
1D: DNC part: Abbr.: DEM. DNA is Democratic National Committee.
2D: Subject to being wiped out: ERASABLE
3D: Way around Disneyland: MONORAIL. No idea. Have never been to Disneyland.
4D: Pastoral piece: IDYLL
5D: Put on the table: SET DOWN
6D: Shogun's capital: EDO. The name became Tokyo in 1868. Shogun is literally "general".
7D: Police crisis acronym: SWAT
8D: Isle of Mull neighbor: IONA. See this map. I've never heard of Isle of Mull.
10D: Sot's syllable: HIC. Hiccup.
11D: 1987 Beatty bomb: ISHTAR. Funny, Dustin Hoffman is in this movie too. ISHTAR is also the Babylonian/Assyrian goddess of love/fertility. Counterpart to the Phoenician Astarte.
12D: Wiseacre: SMARTY. Wonder how SMARTY Jones is doing.
15D: Chanted words: MANTRAS
18D: "Jump the Shark," e.g.: IDIOM. "Jump the Shark" is derived from the scene in "Happy Days" when the Fonz water skied over a shark. The phrase refers to a point where TV shows has run out of ideas and resorts to stunts to retain viewer interest. Of course, things all go downhill from there.
19D: Pump bottoms: SOLES
24D: Dutch artist Jan van der __ van Delft: MEER. I only know him as Jan Vermeer. "Van" means "from" or "of" in Dutch. He was born and buried in Delft. Probably most famous for "The Milkmaid" and "The Girl with the Pearl Earring", the latter inspired the Scarlett Johansson movie with the same title.
29D: Eucalyptus muncher: KOALA
31D: Cheese tray choice: EDAM. Dutch cheese.
33D: Gung-ho: RAH RAH
37D: Cuts: LOPS
38D: Skip along the water: DAP. This has become a gimme as well.
39D: Intl. commerce group since 1995: WTO (World Trade Organization). Replaced GATT (General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade).
41D: some El Prado works: GOYAS. Both his "The Naked Maja" and "The Clothed Maja" are in El Prado.
45D: Hot item: CRAZE
46D: King Zog's capital: TIRANA. Capital of Albania. I did not know who King Zog is.
47D: Bar belts: SNORTS. Stumped. Both "belt" and "snort" are slang for "a drink of liquor, esp when swallowed in one gulp" according to dictionary.
50D: Second commandment preposition: UNTO.
51D: Fighting ender: TRUCE. Korean War simply ended with a TRUCE, not a peace treaty.
52D: Nautical time units: BELLS. The half-hour units. Navy's traditional timekeeping system.
54D: Those, in Tijuana: ESAS. ESOS too.
56D: Attorney general under Reagan: MEESE (Ed).
59D: Capital north of Sacramento: SALEM
60D: Like British bishop: MITRED. British spelling of miter, the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishop.
61D: Ray's opponent: ORIOLE. Both belong to American League East Division.
62D: All lathered up: SOAPY
63D: Turned on the waterworks: CRIED
65D: Handle things: COPE. Thought of DEAL first.
67D: Become decent: DRESS. OK, #7 definition of "decent" according to Dictionary.com: "wearing enough clothing to appear in public".
69D: Former "Last Comic Standing" host Jay: MOHR. Stumped. But when I googled his name, I realized he was the nice guy Nick in Jennifer Aniston "Picture Perfect".
72D: Jostle: ELBOW
74D: Unruffled: SERENE. Like Mona Lisa's smile.
76D: Turn a corner, in Monopoly: PASS GO. No idea. Know nothing about Monopoly.
79D: Fitness magazine: SELF. Eva Longoria is very pretty, even without make-up.
82D: Range mostly in Russia: URALS
83D: OR hookups: IVS. Reminds me of a clever clue for STU (RV hookups).
84D: Go head to head: VIE
86D: Main street: ARTERIAL
87D: Encroach (upon): INFRINGE
90D: More like best buds: TIGHTER. The clue just does not feel natural to me.
93D: Occult figures: MYSTICS
95D: Cloth dealer, in Cambridge: DRAPER. British for dealer in cloth/clothing/dry goods. What do we call "Cloth dealer" in America ?
96D: Debs in politics: EUGENE. Unknown figure to me. Wikipedia says he was one of the founding members of the International Labor Union.
97D: Air France destination: ORLY. Main airport of Paris prior to Charles de Gaulle.
99D: 1960 Olympic figure skating gold medalist Carol: HEISS. Nope. She looks so cheerful.
100D: Sleep disturbance: APNEA
101D: Creator of an immortal 1852 lexicon: ROGET. Oh, the man with many words. I did not know ROGET's Thesaurus was published in 1852.
108D: Page with essays: OP-ED. OP(posite)- ED(itorial).
110D: Ltrs. in a letter: ATTN
113D: Tom Hayden's '60s org.: SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
116D: Early 11th century year: MII. 1002.
117D: Some appliances: GES. Hey, finally Goldman Sachs upgraded GE.
Answer grid.
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
C.C.
49 comments:
Morning, all!
I figured out the theme pretty quickly on this one, which let me make slow and steady progress through most of the puzzle. The only place I got really bogged down was at WORLDWARY, since I didn't remember DAP or MEER and had no idea about WTO.
The other semi-tricky sport for me was the SE corner, where ARTERIAL didn't come to me very quickly (I was thinking "main street" was a noun and not an adjective) and I'd never heard of SMYRNA or ISTLES before. TFR is also a miserable excuse for an abbreviation in my opinion.
Other than that, though, it was pretty straightforward and I finished in just over 20 minutes. Not my best time, but not my worst either.
Oh, and C. C. -- the quote from Hamlet is actually "Ay, there's the rub" and not "ah." ^_^
CC, et al,
IMHO, this puzzle's theme had to have been (Kazie: Past Perfect tense?) constructed with the original cast of Crossword Corner in mind. It's just too bad that Lois is out of commission this weekend. Maybe she can catch up tomorrow.
The Irish and I are about to get in the car for a 6 hour road trip and a couple of well-deserved days of vacation. I'm certain that we (or at least I) will be considering this theme for the next 72 hours or so.
With that, I will hand off to my DF betters for further comments.
Dennis: hope all is well in NJ. I know tornadoes are rare there, but where were you living April 3, 1974? On that evening, there were over 300 distinct tornadoes from East Texas to New Jersey. They devasted several communities in Kentucky and the city of Xenia, Ohio. I did not sleep for 48 hours that week. I sent you aessage earlier. Answer when you have time. No rush.
Larry
Good Morning, All: A good challenge for a Sunday, but I still was able to complete the puzzle in fairly good time. I didn't much care for the theme, though. The first long clue I got was MANY TO MANY CHAT. I never heard the phrase Man-to-man chat, before. It seems to me that the word chat was an added word to the phrase. None of the other theme responses/phrases had extraneous words attached.
I made the same mistake as CC with STRADS in lieu of AMATIS.
CC: I think the bell guard on an EPEE is the curved metal or leather shell that is at the grip. It is designed to protect the hand in a fencing match.
Having been in Houston over the weekend, I nailed ASTROS.
Speaking of Houston, the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit is truly breath-taking. Each of the warriors is unique, having its own facial features, hair and clothing style. Maybe one day I can see them in their natural environment, but until then, this was something to remember. If anyone is in the Houston area, this is a "Must-See." There is one other US stop and that will be at the National Geographic Museum in DC beginning in November.
Enough of my ramblings. Have a great day, everyone.
Dennis: I hope you are okay and didn't suffer too much damage. Living in a state that has suffered from three major hurricanes in the last 4 years, I know only too well how traumatic it can be when a powerful storm comes through and wrecks havoc. I have a new roof complements of the last hurricane.
QOD: There is a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in. ~ Leonard Cohen
I think the OP in OP-ED stands for "opinion". Agree with your OP re "HARDG" -- a beautiful clue. All in all, a very pleasing puzzle that only required one assist from Mr G.
Barry G, so good to see you again several days in a row. We have missed you.
Dennis, hope you are coping okay. We have narrowly missed quite a few tornadoes, some by only a few blocks or so. Quite traumatic stuff. Good for you for helping out.
Hope Lois is doing well, and I expect Tarrajo is just having a great time with LGJ this weekend. We are kid free for the rest of the day here. Up at 4am to send the 17 yr old off to Mexico on a mission.
I really liked the theme today. I love when you get that first fill, and it really helps with all the others. I could put in a Y here and there, and then the other clues would start to fall in place. I agree that TFR is a pretty lame abbreviation, but lets face it, a Sunday puzzle has so many clues, one or two have to be a little weak sometimes.
I too thought of buddies for CHUM and collectibles being rare items, all the easy to fall for stuff today. Eventually I figured it out though. I liked the clues for ICEAGE and HARDG. LARUE and AIWA were both in puzzles this week weren't they?
The weather is supposed to be fabulous today. I think I am going to golf with my daughter this afternoon - first time this season.
I'm not doing well on the c/w, so here's today's Reliving History
1375- 1st roller skating rink opened in London
1875- 1st street mail boxes(Boston)
1876- Wild Bill Hickok was shot to death while playing poker
1909- 1st Lincoln pennies were minted
1990- Iraq invaded Kuwait
National Smile Week begins tomorrow. Time to polish up those pearly whites :) (:
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Along with the two that C.C. spotted, How many other clues connect to Dustin Hoffman?
He faked a WORLD WAR in Wag the dog.
He wore a SUPPORT BRA and DRESS in Tootsie.
As Bernie in Meet the Fokkers he had some funny lines about an OPEN (cess)PIT.
He will be playing an ex COP in Barney's Version. We don't know if he is a GOOD COP or a BAD COP yet.
He has done all kinds of roles anywhere from (Little big) MAN TO (rain)MAN. He was an excellent DRIVER alongside Tom Cruise. Also was pretty DENSE in RM, and an old FOGY narrator (and star) in LBM.
Good morning CC and all,
Fell flat on my ass this morning, but enjoyed the interview and always like to hear how others go about solving what I can't.Kudos to all you Sunday smart pants!
CC, your satyr picture reminded me of a funny story. Years ago while we were researching ancient Greece , my 6th graders were creating posters of their favorite god. Many drew their pictures on their own, but more often than not, they would go copy and draw pictures from my books. One little girl had drawn to perfection one of the gods in all his glory. She did not realize this, of course. I could not post it in my room as someone would have noticed the gigantic penis. So, I posted it in the faculty room for others to have a chuckle. WELL! An old fuddy-duddy math teacher reported me to the principal for sexual harrassment.
I also enjoyed seeing Ishtar once again.I imagine the Gates of Ishtar are beautiful. Here is a poem about her going through those gates to the underworld to see her beloved Tamuz (who could be her brother, son, lover or husband..so many stories)
Dennis, I hope you are being careful. It's not the same without your posting.
oops,smarty pants
Al, clever!
JD thanks, I thought so too ;-)
Argyle, that was pretty terse... Did you accidently hit publish instead of preview?
FYI, using google image search with safe mode off yields some pretty "interesting" images of Teri Polo, your seventh question mark...
WH,
I think you actually have a past perfect infinitive there!
JD,
Here is the original Ishtar Gate in the Berlin Pergamon Museum. There's also a replica in Babylon pictured on that site.
I had to rely on red letters a bit today to get through. No idea how long it took though--I had it paused long enough for DH to accidentally lose the site so when I returned, the top half was faster than the first time around.
I had several miss-starts, like wanting CRAMS for REAMS and SIREN for CIRCE. I had forgotten OTIOSE and didn't know TFR as an abbreviaton for transfer. I didn't realize what the theme was until about two thirds done, but then it helped immensely with what was left.
DRESDEN is where most of the marketing for Dresden china is done, but it's actually produced in the smaller neighboring town of Meissen, and Germans don't say "Dresden China", they call it "Meißner Porzellan". It's only about 20 minutes from Chemnitz, where our son's in-laws are.
VANDERMEER translates as "from the sea".
Morning all...Started it last night, got bogged down and finished it up this morning. I would have to say that for a Sunday puzzle I found it very satisfying that so many of the perps were easy enough to at least give me a chance to guess...i.e. SMY..A...at least I had heard of Smyrna. I had the S in SWAT so I guess SIKH and ISHTAR gave me the ISM part and so on. The theme came with the first 23A fill but I still had to think a bit on each one. Agree with TRF???? but not a really important issue. Lots of fun cluing and ultimately do-able.
Food fact for today. The Isle of Mull has the dairy that produces a unique pale yellow cheddar...called Isle of Mull. It is unique because the cows get very little chlorophyll in their diets which is, in large part, made up from residue, called draff, of the whisky making at the Tobermory Distillery, also on the island. As the cheese ages, the taste of the whisky becomes more predominant. I bought some of the Whisky when in Scotland so we could taste it with the cheese...very yummy in both cases.
Barry G...so very good to see you, have much missed your comments.
Dennis, hope you and your neighbors are doing well. In Calif we don't usually have such extreme weather(only on rare occasion), but those earthquakes, when we can feel them are always a surprise with no warning! Still I'd trade those for tornados and hurricanes any day.
Hahtool...thank you for the info on the Terra Cotta Warriors being in D.C. My friend and I are planning another visit to stay with a friend and had planned on late Sept or early Oct...have think about that...
Al...very funny and clever. I am a Dustin Hoffman fan and still remember Midnight Cowboy which essentially had an X rating at the time, primarily for the subject matter...a stunning piece of acting.
Lovely day...need to work in the yard...the herb garden got away from me.
Good Morning All, Let's see...I definitely knew 99D Carol HEISS. OK, I finally finished, but it was a real slog. I always seem to have more trouble with three and four letter words, and this puzzle had a lot of them.
I liked the clue "fast times" for LENT and the best was "Feature of Goliath, but not giants" for HARD G.
I may have mentioned it in the past. ISHTAR is one of my favorite movies. I can't explain why, except to say I loved the guys' goofy optimism.
The first time I went to Disneyland was in the autumn of 1959. The MONORAIL system had opened just a few months before. I was very impressed with this ultra modern transportation, but my favorite Tomorrowland attraction was Monsanto House of the Future. As I recall, it was a "freebie" and we didn't have to use one our ride tickets to see it. Golleee, it had a microwave oven in the kitchen!
Thanks for all the fun "?" links, Argyle.
Al, Very clever Dustin Hoffman connections.
JD, Great poem. The way things work in mythology, there isn't any reason why Tamuz couldn't be her brother, son, lover and husband.
It looks like New Jersey is due for more rain. Here's hoping Dennis is not having further problems.
Happy thoughts for both Lois and Tarrajo, to Lois for passing her lovely daughter on to a wonderful future and to Tarrajo for her joy in welcoming LGJ back home.
It's wonderful seeing Barry G back to the blog. Not even any French clues for him today! LOL. I certainly took a lot longer than your 20 minutes.
Wonderful day for Lois' daughter's wedding, and hopefully sunny in New Jersey as well for Dennis. Tarrajo must be busy funning with LGJ, so she won't appear here until later on.
CA,
I thought you'd nail the skater clue easily. We may have had her before, but I forgot anyway. I was glad there were so few sports clues today.
Hey gang -
I got nuthin' today -physically or mentally, which puts me in a mood to criticize the hell out of this puzzle.
Here are some awful clues.
7D Police crisis acronym. Wrong. SWAT is Special Weapons and Tactics Team. Crisis is an event.
50D 2nd Commandment Preposition. Can't locate the word "Unto." there.
61D Ray's opponent. Note the singular possessive, as if a single Ray is the opponent of a single Oriole. Pitcher vs batter notwthstanding, I aint buyin' it. Baseball is a team game.
110D Lrs in a letter. ATTN actually goes on the envelope, or in the heading, not the body of the letter. More imprecise than wrong, I suppose.
But the grand prize for grotesque wrongness goes to 88D Pine Distillate. "Distillate" is the stuff that evaporates off and is recondensed. TAR is what is left in the vat. This is as bad as calling night "day."
Off to spend time with granddaughters, which will give me . . .
Cheers!
Good afternoon, everyone.
Jazzbumpa: I agree with all your caveats. Didn't know why I thought some were wrong, and you have answered them. Thank you!
I also don't like Main street for arterial. Doesn't make sense to me.
Also, C.C., 1D is DNA, therefore it should be, I think Association, not convention.
I got only 14 correct answers for this one. Don't think much of the theme. So cutesy.
Cheers, one and all.
This is for Dennis...in Bath, Maine today the newest Warship was named the USS Jason Dunham...after Marine Cpl Jason Dunham, who the recieved the first Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War for the ultimate sacrifice of throwing himself on a live grenade, in Iraq, to save his buddies. Amazing.
I am sure his parents would he were still alive, but a singular honor, none the less.
Sallie...DNC=Democratic National Committee. DEMS
#3
PS.: My apologies, C.C. I surely misread 1D, and my comment is wrong.
Al, I did tarry at Teri's pictures, I admit.
Hi all,
Wow, couldn't resist the temptations in this one! Takes me back to my young days..where we would 'agree to unite' and find a 'pastoral piece', get 'all lathered up', 'pump bottoms', 'handle things' and holler 'get a hold of yourself', resulting in a 'severe spasm' and possibly a 'wall climber'.
ok, enough.
Dennis - hope all is well with you and your neighbors.
Lois, check your e-mail
I think I'll just be thankful that all we have in this area is the rare volcano eruption. No tornadoes to speak of, only one severe windstorm that some have designated a hurricane but that occurred in 1962.
Good morning C. C. and all, a testy puzzle for me today. My first trip through I was able to get many of the shorter fills. As I progressed thru the second time I was able to get the theme which really helped with some of the unknowns. I had to walk away several times so I could get a fresh start. Today was not a speedy solve for me, but I was able to complete the puzzle with a couple of trips to the G spot.
Clues I liked were 70A “Lent”, 99A “HardG” and 49A “Supportbra(w)y”. I knew 123A from previous crossword clues and 85A “Bait” was a gimme as I love fishing.
Like comments from others I thought TFR was weak, but gettable.
Carol. I liked your recap of the puzzle.
Dennis hope things are going well for you and your neighbors.
Hope you all have a great Sunday.
Good afternoon all,
The 11pm PT download works for me as I watch some TV shows at 10PM.
That is, if I don't watch the east coast feeds at 7PM. Tonight is the last episode of Burn Notice this season. My 4.5 hours per week will be down to 3.5 hours.
Thanks MamaRuth. I kept them in the plastic bag untill I saw the beads of moisture forming on the inside. That told me the ripening process was beginning.
Off to do other things until 10pm.
eddyB.
Carol, LOL. You are doing a fine job of channeling Lois while she is away. Very funny.
I got curious after reading Jazzbumpa's post and checked my 1974 Authorized King James Version of the Bible. (Yes folks, I really do have a copy.) Exodus, Chapter 20, Verse 4 says "Thou shalt not make UNTO thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:" I'm sure other versions, including Jazzbumpa's, state it a little differently, but I'm going with my hotel room Gideon version. If UNTO is good enough for The Gideons, it's good enough for me.
And "No", I didn't swipe it from a hotel bedside table. I bought it at a yard sale many years ago. Somebody else had already done the swiping.
@barryg So good to see you so many times this week. Something chnage in your life that makes it possible to get here more often? Now, if we could get Dr. Dad back...
1D is DMC, which is Democratic National Committee.
On 86D, "street" is not capitalized, so I see nothing wrong with ARTERIAL being the answer. "designating or of a main road or channel with many branches"
@clearayes LOL on the Gideon!
Pine Tar: Pine tar is a sticky material produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions (dry distillation or destructive distillation). Sounds like a pine distillate to me.
37:14 today. What a grind. I did eventually finish (I don't Google or use red letters), but it was a long, slow haul.
The theme did actually help me as I finally figured out GOOD COP(Y)... in the largely empty SW corner and that eventually got that area filled in.
The last fill was in the WORLD WAR(Y) area as I initially had WORRY WARY and couldn't fight my way out of it. Didn't know DAP or WTO, either.
Hated, hated, hated TFR. What a lame abbrev.
Crockett...finger slip? Typo? see my post at 3:15. (I did mean DEM)
CA... even on your worst day I can't imagine you swiping a Gideon Bible...LOL
Embien...re TFR...total agreement.
#4
This one took me over 2 hours: I was working on paper and away from a computer so couldn't get any Google help. Felt good when I finished it though. Not sure my time couldn't have been better spent. Anyway, looking forward to a Monday breather.
C.C. - Thanks for the "jump the shark" derivation. Always wondered about that.
Clear Ayes - I thought the reference was to the "Do unto others . . ." commandment.
JD - Your faculty room friend sounds like a DENSE FOGY.
Who are the Gideons, anyway? Do they have a church? Or do they just place Bibles in public places? BYW, there is no "unto" in the original Hebrew text.
Has anyone heard from Dennis today? I hope he has electricity. That is a common problem after major disaster.
CA -
OK - there's lots of ways of translating bible passages. The first 6 I found g-spotting revealed no "UNTO" unto me, nor any obvious place where one would fit.
Just now, I did a Yahoo search, and it popped up in the first hit. Go figure.
I'll give on that one.
Crocket -
Distillation involves boiling a mixture to evaporate off things that are lighter (the distillate,) leaving behind things that are heavier. The distillate of pine resins is TURPENTINE. The residue that remains in the vat is also oxidized by the heat of the process, resulting in PINE TAR.
Or, by analogy: whiskey is the distillate, the mash stays behind, like pine tar. You do not want to drink it.
The clue and the answer for 88D are totally different things.
Re 98A:
From Wikipedia, the font of all knowledge unto us:
TFR may refer to:
Transfer Fee Rights
* Terrain-following radar, radar for low flying fighters and bombers
* Total Fertility Rate
* Temporary Flight Restriction, a term for short-term airspace restrictions in the United States
* Tokamak de Fontenay aux Roses, a tokamak in France, which operated in 1970s
* TFR Records, a record label.
* Trattamento di fine rapporto, established in Italy in 1982 to create a sort of payment deferred in time, a kind of force savings guaranteed by the State.
* Time-frequency representation, a view of a signal (taken to be a function of time) represented over both time and frequency.
* Temporary Flight Restrictions
* Thrift Financial Report
* Traffic Film Remover
Totally Freaking Ridiculous
If 86D had been: like main street, then OK. As is, not good enough.
Did get a smile from MITRED.
Good theme, though not my favorite, and lots of good fills. But - too many flaws. Not a hall of fame puzzle from my POV.
Oh, well. Cheers, anyway!
Where has the day gone? Hello to all in Puzzle-land. We've had lots of interesting discussions this week here, got to meet some new folks; see celebrities in our midst; talk about words, weddings, health care, bras and speedos, and the list goes on. It's nice to be part of such a smart, fun, kind, talented group. I think "opinionated" fits, too---which is a good thing, in my book, because people without any opinions or who agree with everything we say tend to be, well, boring. i bet lots of folks here have friends with whom they disagree on lots of stuff, but that helps solder the relationship instead of souring it. OK, thats my two pesos and a rupee for the day.
Nancy Salomon's puzzle wasn't too hard or too easy: couple stumpers, couple clunkers--already been covered--and couple chuckles: 49A "Support Bray" and 114A "Open pity mining" were good & shiny.
I knew Albanian King Zog from collecting stamps as a kid. Trivia; two other famous people from Albanian roots: Mother Teresa & John Belushi. I remember a 1980s cartoon in a dissident Polish newspaper showing a sign at Tirana's airport:
Number of Flights Departing Today: 55
Number Arriving: 1.
JD. Recipe you requested is on my pseudo blog (it's the only thing there!). Click my blue name above, to see profile, click "my blog" and see if it works. Enjoy...and please remember all quoted ingredient amounts/times are approximate...be creative!
Good evening....See y'all this week.
JimmyB, Phooey, I got curious again (I hate when that happens). About that "Do unto others"...
The Christian Golden Rule originated with Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 12 "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (Thanks again to my handy Gideon's Bible.)
I was somewhat surprised to find out that similar sentiments are voiced in many religions and philosophies. This is an interesting article about Ethic of reciprocity. A BC Egyptian papyrus, Buddhism, Baha'i, Confuncianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, as well as Christianity, all have something to say on the subject.
So, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." is a basic tenet around the world, and is widely ignored by just about everybody.
Hahtool, "Gideons International is an evangelical Protestant organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 80 languages and more than 175 countries of the world to those who might not otherwise encounter it, most famously in hotel and motel rooms." (Hail, Wikipedia!)
PJB, Looking forward to the recipe.
That's all for me today. Have a good evening.
Just a quick check in everyone while LGJ is in the shower. Yep, baths are not cool anymore so he says (or my Dad said). Funny how some of you mention that your child will change appearances in just a couple of weeks. I swear he has grown an inch and he has more hair on his legs now. We had a splendid day in the canoe and even though it was kinda windy we managed to catch a couple of bass, one walleye and a couple of sunnies. I pawned off the open faced zucchini/bacon frittata as well. He got a chance to reunite with Sierra this afternoon and they are "thick as thieves" once again. Thanks to Sierra's dad for filleting the fish! It helps to be friends with your neighbors!
Dennis, I hope you came somewhat unscathed through your storms.
Lois, I am sure your wedding for your daughter was beautiful and memorable.
Windhover, I hope you enjoy every crossroad you come across.
PJB -
lemon-basil-vodka slushies
I you will share this recipe, I'll promose to root for the White Sox for -- oh, a day or two.
Cheers! (really)
JzB the basil-curious trombonist
PBJ...checked it, printed it, commented on it...lather, rinse, repeat(does anyone actually do that?) If it doesn't work the first time through, I change shampoos...;o)
Jazz...love TFR...thank you and Amen, brother.
#5 and g'nite
CA (8:47p) Outstanding comments on the 'golden rule'..."widely ignored by just about everybody"..so true! LOL. Reminds me of the old "Moral Majority", which is neither.
Tarrajo, so LGJ is back and safe and sound with you. He sounds like such a super kid!! They are so much fun at his age. Enjoy!
I read C.C.'s interview with today's constructor, and discovered she does not like cluing.
Yeah.
TJ- Granddaughter Amanda will be 12 in Sept. She's grown 4 1/2 inches this year. Sometimes it's frightening.
BTW, Nate's middle name is Joseph (after his dad.) When he was an infant my daughter worked at a nursing home, and the husband of one of the residents started calling him "Little Natey-Joe." That will still pop up once in a while. That's why LGJ always makes me smile.
WM - Thanx.
I'm wrapping myself around some very good Scotch.
#4
G'nite all, and Cheers!
Hello All--Didn't get to finish the puzzle today, so I am just checking in to make a couple of comments.
Tarrajo, I'm glad that LGJ is home safe and sound.
I have to share a Zucchini story with you. My daughter was stopped by a motorcycle policeman for a broken tail light. While he was writing up a fixit ticket her then three year old son said to the policeman," You know what? My mom MAKES me eat zucchini." The policeman didn't miss a beat. He looked into the backseat at my grandson and said,"Mind your Mother and eat your zucchini." We still bring this up at odd times when we need to remind him to "Mind his mother".
I'm jealous, Hahtool of your trip to see the Terra Cotta Warriors.
It sounds like it was just superb.
Jazz, yep I am happy as can be that he is back in our "humble abode", my heart just swelled...literally. When I picked him up he was grinning "ear to ear" missing tooth and all and I got the great big Mommy hug. There were some big changes as well as he asked what he could do around here to be the "man of the house". Sounds suspiciously of my Dad's influence, albeit a good one.
Dennis, I hope you have weathered your storm, and I am sure knowing what a Morel guy you are you pitched right in with any cleanup involved.
Tarrajo, good to hear that your LGJ made it home safe and sound. I could tell you missed him very much. To me, that is what makes you an incredible MOTHER. It also sounds like your Dad gave him a lesson or two.
Lois, I hope your daughter had the time of her life this weekend. Finding the right guy has got to be a phenomenal feeling; and to celebrate it even more special.
Windhover, if you come to a "Y" in the road stop and determine your options. If you are uncertain about which way to go take the time to check out the stars. Enjoy your road trip.
Windhover, I must now add you to the fray of classless people who don't even attempt a puzzle that adds drivvle to this fine blog.
C.C. and God-like Dennis is there no way to block the likes of Jeannie, Tarrajo and the likes that bring this blog down?
Anon, Windhover is way, way, way out of your league and mine and Tarrajo's too, as we sign our names.
Hi Jeannie,
I have a question for you.
Y?
Or should I say, Y not?
Anon at 10:51 pm
Here is your very own theme song There's Always an A-H%&E On The Internet.
Bill
@wm Yes, finger slip. I have the devil of a time with my style of typing. It would send any touch-typist up the wall.
Anon. @ 10:51pm. Drivvle? Drivvle? This only shows what an ignoramus you are. Oh, sorry, that's a three syllable word! Here's a definition .
Attacking Tio Wind, who is one of the most erudite and intelligent people on this blog, just shows how dumb ( a one syllable word you must surely understand ) you really are. Drivvle? Is that what you do in your plastic sheets in the middle of the night?
GO AWAY!
Cudos, Bill, for the link and for signing your name!
Sorry, Dennis, but nobody attacks people I look up to without a White Knight response, whether they need defending or not. Be them Tio Wind, MN Women, or even you! Hopefully, I can make the trolls feel small enough in all their inadequacies to just go away. Sigh.. It's too bad I will never be welcomed here again. Hope your neighborhood is recovering, and Lois, best wishes that it was a wonderful weekend, in every way.
MJ, thanks for asking about dad.
TJ in Osseo
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