Theme: Changing Sides - The first and last word of familiar phrases are swapped.
23A: Miners' detritus?: LITTER OF THE PICK (Pick of the Litter, the best of the bunch.)
38A: High ground at Graceland?: HILL OF THE KING (King of the Hill, the most powerful person in the group.)
61A: Like an estate seller?: FREE OF THE LAND (Land of the Free, America.)
85A: "Nova" episode about out sun?: SHOW OF THE STAR (Star of the Show, the headliner.)
103A: Heirs?: PEOPLE OF THE WILL (Will of the People, upon which democracy is founded.)
15D: Manor owner's jewelry?: RINGS OF THE LORD (Lord of the Rings, Tolkien novel)
48D: Moments when an omen appears?: TIMES OF THE SIGN (Sign of the Times, something that signifies the nature of the current society.)
I have never heard of idiom "King the Hill" before. Dictionary says British call it "King of the Castle".
I do love the entry HILL OF THE KING a lot. Joe Jackson should learn from Priscilla Presley, though I doubt he could transform Neverland into another Graceland.
I did not jump around today. Solved the puzzle systematically from upper left to lower right. Struggled with the multiple-word entries again.
Across:
1A: Knotted sash: OBI. Nice to have a gimme start.
4A: Easy __: AS ABC. Thought of DOES IT first. Easy DOES IT.
9A: Magnitogorsk's river: URAL. I've never heard of Magnitogorsk, a Russian mining and industrial city located by the URAL River.
13A: "Green __": ACRES. The Eva Gabor TV series.
18A: Cool, in a way: FAN. Verb here.
19A: Attacked: CAME AT
21A: She played Roz on "Frasier": PERI (Gilpin)
22A: Toast indicator: CLINK. Nice crossing with CLANG (14D: Sound from a forge).
26A: Like Mr. Fix-it: HANDY
27A: One way to think: LOUD
28A: Prepare for a job transfer, perhaps: RETRAIN. And REHIRE (78D: Brings back to board). I like both of the clues, neither indicating a RE answer directly.
29A: Fictional oil family name: EWING. Of "Dallas".
33A: Mag. stand item: ISS (Issue)
34A: Tries to hit: SWINGS AT
41A: Plastic __Band: ONO. No idea. According to Wiki, it's a conceptual band (1969-1975) formed by John Lennon and Yoko ONO before the dissolution of Beatles. Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were once members.
42A: "Wonder Dog" of comics: REX. Nope. Have never heard of Rex the Wonder Dog.
43A: "Free" gym gear: Abbr.: WTS. Weights? Why is "Free" in quotation mark?
44A: Operate with a beam: LASE. LASE/LASER. TASE/TASER.
45A: __ concern: OF NO. Had problem obtaining this multiple world answer.
46A: Fragrant extract: ATTAR. And LEI (94A: Fragrant gift). The latter stumped me.
51A: Spread choice: PATE. Tried OLEO first.
52A: Subbed: SAT IN
53A: Cheats: CHISELERS. New word to me. Looks like a person who chisels.
55A: Passé demo item: TAPE. Passé indeed.
56A: Tries to sell: PUSHES. I can't stand CNBC's Jim Cramer.
57A: Hit the trail, in a way: CAMPAIGN
58A: Thames islets: AITS. Often clued as "River islets".
59A: "Purgatorio" writer: DANTE. "Divine Comedy" writer as well.
60A: 2002 baseball All-Star Game result: TIE. An embarrassing moment for Bud Selig.
64A: Word in southwestern place names: LOS. As in LOS Angeles.
67A: Go after: SET AT
69A: Lofgren of the E Street Band: NILS. Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
70A: Democracy, e.g.: IDEOLOGY
72A: Does an Act of Contrition: ATONES. Did not know "Act of Contrition" is a prayer. No wonder the phrase is capitalized.
74A: People Magazine's 1999 Sexist Man Alive: GERE (Richard). I guessed PITT (Brad).
75A: Idealist' bane: REAL WORLD
76A: Support: BE FOR
77A: "Symphony in Black" artist: ERTE. Gimme to you, right? I've linked "Symphony in Black" a few times before.
78D: Fishing gear: RODS
79A: Where lines met: NODES. Why? I wanted CORNER.
80A: Two-timers: RATS
81A: Tug's burden: SCOW. Flat-bottomed boat.
82A: Alter, perhaps: SEW
84A: Pompeii burier: ASH
89A: Outsourced item, perhaps: JOBS
92A: Timon and Uncle Max, in "The Lion King": MEERKATS. New word to me. They are also called suricates. Members of the mongoose family.
95A: Where It.'s at: EUR (Europe). It.=Italy.
96A: Guitar __: video game: HERO. Unknown to me.
97A: Like a fleabag: SEEDY
98A: Inn Crowd member: BOARDER. Wordplay on "In Crowd".
100A: "Foolish Games" singer: JEWEL. Here is the clip. Reminded me of Samuel A Donaldson's "Closing Acts" puzzle, PINK, JEWEL, SEAL & PRINCE.
101A: Not exactly vertical: ATILT
106A: It makes sense: LOGIC. Yes, indeed.
107A: Tombstone lawman: EARP
108A: Looked happy: SMILED
109A: Fed. income supplement program: SSI (Supplemental Security Income). Unknown to me.
110A: "Dune" director David: LYNCH. I've yet to experience the utter bliss David LYNCH often experiences in his Transcendental Meditation.
11A: Chop __: SUEY. SUEY is literally "pieces".
112A: '90 "SNL" regular Cheri: OTERI. Friendly vowel & consonant combination.
Down:
2D: Pearl of "St. Louis Woman": BAILEY. Got the answer from Across fills. Have never heard of this singer/actress.
3D: Sing, as Gregorian chant: INTONE
5D: Fraternal org. since 1889: SAR (Sons of the American Revolution). DAR is Daughters of American Revolution.
7D: Happened to: BEFELL
8D: Friend of Anthony: CATT. Carrie Chapman CATT & Susan B. Anthony. Both suffragists. Stumped me.
9D: Snooty: UPPISH. Wanted UPPITY.
11D: It's measured in degrees: ARC. True.
12D: "Me, too": LIKEWISE
13D: Sore: ACHING
16D: Nip in the bud: END
17D: Word with jack or box: SKY. Skyjack = Sky & (Hi)jack.
20D: Using coupons, say: THRIFTY
25D: Bridge positions: EASTS. Could also be WESTS.
30D: Choice from a list: WINE. I was thinking of the computer drop-down list.
32D: Fan mag graphics: PIX. Singular is PIC.
34D: Inline item: SKATE
35D: Poker whiz __ Duke: ANNIE. I recognized her face when I googled.
36D: Popeye et al.: TOONS
38D: Next life: HEREAFTER. Do you believe in next life?
39D: Dominates, in sports lingo: OWNS. PWNS in computer talk. Easy to accidentally hit the P instead of O key when typing.
40D: Slip by: ELAPSE
42D: Sing like Satchmo: RASP. Did not know RASP can be a verb. Satchmo is the nickname of Louis Armstrong.
45D: Hops drier: OAST
46D: S & L holding: ACCT. S & L= Savings & Loans.
47D: Cuisine using jasmine rice: THAI. Love THAI food, not jasmine rice though. Dislike the taste.
49D: Father, biblically: BEGET
50D: D-day invasion river: ORNE. See this map. The "Caen river".
51D: Maze option: PATHS
52D: Evening cocktail, to a Brit.: SUNDOWNER. Drink taken at sundown. New to me.
54D: Turkey tender: LIRAS. Turkish money. Got me. I was picturing the bird turkey.
55D: Mr. or Mrs.: TITLE
56D: Comics frame: PANEL
58D: Smoking, probably: AFIRE
59D: Tots' pops: DADAS. Chinese babies talk the same thing: DADA/BABA.
62D: Ali's pair of socks: ONE-TWO. The ONE-TWO punch, a left-hand jab immediately followed by a right cross. Nicely misleading "pair of socks".
63D: Spread canards: LIED
65D: Eye up and down: OGLE. Too bad EYE is also the answer for 37A: Check out.
66D: Pink Floyd's Barrett et al.: SYDS
68D: Space chimp: ENOS. Of 1961.
71D: Life rival, once: LOOK. I have this RFK issue. The tears.
72D: Norm of "This Old House": ABRAM. Immediately thought of our Al.
73D: Get on: TEASE
74D: Becomes: GROWS. Becomes/GROWS fond of.
75D: "Lady Jane Grey" playwright: ROWE. Can never remember the playwright's name.
77D: Adaptable subspecies: ECOTYPES. New word to me also.
81D: Atlantic catch: SHAD. Roe source.
82D: Diamond theft?: STEAL. Baseball diamond. Nailed it immediately.
85D: Police artist's work: SKETCH. Cool word, with only one vowel.
86D: Obsolescent data holder: FLOPPY
87D: Deem appropriate: SEE FIT
88D: One with a shell: TURTLE. Was picturing oyster.
89D: Like some delis: JEWISH. Wrote down KOSHER first.
90D: Ominous words: OR ELSE
91D: Mess (up): BOLLIX. Need to use this word often.
93D: Trace of the past: RELIC
96D: Chop down: HEW
98D: Put to sleep, so to speak: BORE
99D: Major -__: DOMO. New word to me. Chief steward/butler. DOMO/Dome, house.
100D: Sci-fi knight: JEDI. The "Star Wars" knight
101D: The whole shebang: ALL. Love the clue.
102D: Happy meal throw-in: TOY. Not any more, right? I used to collect those Madame Alexander McDonald's toys. Very cute.
104D: __ minérale: EAU. French for mineral water, like Évian.
105D: Self starter?: HER. Herself.
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A: Miners' detritus?: LITTER OF THE PICK (Pick of the Litter, the best of the bunch.)
38A: High ground at Graceland?: HILL OF THE KING (King of the Hill, the most powerful person in the group.)
61A: Like an estate seller?: FREE OF THE LAND (Land of the Free, America.)
85A: "Nova" episode about out sun?: SHOW OF THE STAR (Star of the Show, the headliner.)
103A: Heirs?: PEOPLE OF THE WILL (Will of the People, upon which democracy is founded.)
15D: Manor owner's jewelry?: RINGS OF THE LORD (Lord of the Rings, Tolkien novel)
48D: Moments when an omen appears?: TIMES OF THE SIGN (Sign of the Times, something that signifies the nature of the current society.)
I have never heard of idiom "King the Hill" before. Dictionary says British call it "King of the Castle".
I do love the entry HILL OF THE KING a lot. Joe Jackson should learn from Priscilla Presley, though I doubt he could transform Neverland into another Graceland.
I did not jump around today. Solved the puzzle systematically from upper left to lower right. Struggled with the multiple-word entries again.
Across:
1A: Knotted sash: OBI. Nice to have a gimme start.
4A: Easy __: AS ABC. Thought of DOES IT first. Easy DOES IT.
9A: Magnitogorsk's river: URAL. I've never heard of Magnitogorsk, a Russian mining and industrial city located by the URAL River.
13A: "Green __": ACRES. The Eva Gabor TV series.
18A: Cool, in a way: FAN. Verb here.
19A: Attacked: CAME AT
21A: She played Roz on "Frasier": PERI (Gilpin)
22A: Toast indicator: CLINK. Nice crossing with CLANG (14D: Sound from a forge).
26A: Like Mr. Fix-it: HANDY
27A: One way to think: LOUD
28A: Prepare for a job transfer, perhaps: RETRAIN. And REHIRE (78D: Brings back to board). I like both of the clues, neither indicating a RE answer directly.
29A: Fictional oil family name: EWING. Of "Dallas".
33A: Mag. stand item: ISS (Issue)
34A: Tries to hit: SWINGS AT
41A: Plastic __Band: ONO. No idea. According to Wiki, it's a conceptual band (1969-1975) formed by John Lennon and Yoko ONO before the dissolution of Beatles. Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were once members.
42A: "Wonder Dog" of comics: REX. Nope. Have never heard of Rex the Wonder Dog.
43A: "Free" gym gear: Abbr.: WTS. Weights? Why is "Free" in quotation mark?
44A: Operate with a beam: LASE. LASE/LASER. TASE/TASER.
45A: __ concern: OF NO. Had problem obtaining this multiple world answer.
46A: Fragrant extract: ATTAR. And LEI (94A: Fragrant gift). The latter stumped me.
51A: Spread choice: PATE. Tried OLEO first.
52A: Subbed: SAT IN
53A: Cheats: CHISELERS. New word to me. Looks like a person who chisels.
55A: Passé demo item: TAPE. Passé indeed.
56A: Tries to sell: PUSHES. I can't stand CNBC's Jim Cramer.
57A: Hit the trail, in a way: CAMPAIGN
58A: Thames islets: AITS. Often clued as "River islets".
59A: "Purgatorio" writer: DANTE. "Divine Comedy" writer as well.
60A: 2002 baseball All-Star Game result: TIE. An embarrassing moment for Bud Selig.
64A: Word in southwestern place names: LOS. As in LOS Angeles.
67A: Go after: SET AT
69A: Lofgren of the E Street Band: NILS. Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
70A: Democracy, e.g.: IDEOLOGY
72A: Does an Act of Contrition: ATONES. Did not know "Act of Contrition" is a prayer. No wonder the phrase is capitalized.
74A: People Magazine's 1999 Sexist Man Alive: GERE (Richard). I guessed PITT (Brad).
75A: Idealist' bane: REAL WORLD
76A: Support: BE FOR
77A: "Symphony in Black" artist: ERTE. Gimme to you, right? I've linked "Symphony in Black" a few times before.
78D: Fishing gear: RODS
79A: Where lines met: NODES. Why? I wanted CORNER.
80A: Two-timers: RATS
81A: Tug's burden: SCOW. Flat-bottomed boat.
82A: Alter, perhaps: SEW
84A: Pompeii burier: ASH
89A: Outsourced item, perhaps: JOBS
92A: Timon and Uncle Max, in "The Lion King": MEERKATS. New word to me. They are also called suricates. Members of the mongoose family.
95A: Where It.'s at: EUR (Europe). It.=Italy.
96A: Guitar __: video game: HERO. Unknown to me.
97A: Like a fleabag: SEEDY
98A: Inn Crowd member: BOARDER. Wordplay on "In Crowd".
100A: "Foolish Games" singer: JEWEL. Here is the clip. Reminded me of Samuel A Donaldson's "Closing Acts" puzzle, PINK, JEWEL, SEAL & PRINCE.
101A: Not exactly vertical: ATILT
106A: It makes sense: LOGIC. Yes, indeed.
107A: Tombstone lawman: EARP
108A: Looked happy: SMILED
109A: Fed. income supplement program: SSI (Supplemental Security Income). Unknown to me.
110A: "Dune" director David: LYNCH. I've yet to experience the utter bliss David LYNCH often experiences in his Transcendental Meditation.
11A: Chop __: SUEY. SUEY is literally "pieces".
112A: '90 "SNL" regular Cheri: OTERI. Friendly vowel & consonant combination.
Down:
2D: Pearl of "St. Louis Woman": BAILEY. Got the answer from Across fills. Have never heard of this singer/actress.
3D: Sing, as Gregorian chant: INTONE
5D: Fraternal org. since 1889: SAR (Sons of the American Revolution). DAR is Daughters of American Revolution.
7D: Happened to: BEFELL
8D: Friend of Anthony: CATT. Carrie Chapman CATT & Susan B. Anthony. Both suffragists. Stumped me.
9D: Snooty: UPPISH. Wanted UPPITY.
11D: It's measured in degrees: ARC. True.
12D: "Me, too": LIKEWISE
13D: Sore: ACHING
16D: Nip in the bud: END
17D: Word with jack or box: SKY. Skyjack = Sky & (Hi)jack.
20D: Using coupons, say: THRIFTY
25D: Bridge positions: EASTS. Could also be WESTS.
30D: Choice from a list: WINE. I was thinking of the computer drop-down list.
32D: Fan mag graphics: PIX. Singular is PIC.
34D: Inline item: SKATE
35D: Poker whiz __ Duke: ANNIE. I recognized her face when I googled.
36D: Popeye et al.: TOONS
38D: Next life: HEREAFTER. Do you believe in next life?
39D: Dominates, in sports lingo: OWNS. PWNS in computer talk. Easy to accidentally hit the P instead of O key when typing.
40D: Slip by: ELAPSE
42D: Sing like Satchmo: RASP. Did not know RASP can be a verb. Satchmo is the nickname of Louis Armstrong.
45D: Hops drier: OAST
46D: S & L holding: ACCT. S & L= Savings & Loans.
47D: Cuisine using jasmine rice: THAI. Love THAI food, not jasmine rice though. Dislike the taste.
49D: Father, biblically: BEGET
50D: D-day invasion river: ORNE. See this map. The "Caen river".
51D: Maze option: PATHS
52D: Evening cocktail, to a Brit.: SUNDOWNER. Drink taken at sundown. New to me.
54D: Turkey tender: LIRAS. Turkish money. Got me. I was picturing the bird turkey.
55D: Mr. or Mrs.: TITLE
56D: Comics frame: PANEL
58D: Smoking, probably: AFIRE
59D: Tots' pops: DADAS. Chinese babies talk the same thing: DADA/BABA.
62D: Ali's pair of socks: ONE-TWO. The ONE-TWO punch, a left-hand jab immediately followed by a right cross. Nicely misleading "pair of socks".
63D: Spread canards: LIED
65D: Eye up and down: OGLE. Too bad EYE is also the answer for 37A: Check out.
66D: Pink Floyd's Barrett et al.: SYDS
68D: Space chimp: ENOS. Of 1961.
71D: Life rival, once: LOOK. I have this RFK issue. The tears.
72D: Norm of "This Old House": ABRAM. Immediately thought of our Al.
73D: Get on: TEASE
74D: Becomes: GROWS. Becomes/GROWS fond of.
75D: "Lady Jane Grey" playwright: ROWE. Can never remember the playwright's name.
77D: Adaptable subspecies: ECOTYPES. New word to me also.
81D: Atlantic catch: SHAD. Roe source.
82D: Diamond theft?: STEAL. Baseball diamond. Nailed it immediately.
85D: Police artist's work: SKETCH. Cool word, with only one vowel.
86D: Obsolescent data holder: FLOPPY
87D: Deem appropriate: SEE FIT
88D: One with a shell: TURTLE. Was picturing oyster.
89D: Like some delis: JEWISH. Wrote down KOSHER first.
90D: Ominous words: OR ELSE
91D: Mess (up): BOLLIX. Need to use this word often.
93D: Trace of the past: RELIC
96D: Chop down: HEW
98D: Put to sleep, so to speak: BORE
99D: Major -__: DOMO. New word to me. Chief steward/butler. DOMO/Dome, house.
100D: Sci-fi knight: JEDI. The "Star Wars" knight
101D: The whole shebang: ALL. Love the clue.
102D: Happy meal throw-in: TOY. Not any more, right? I used to collect those Madame Alexander McDonald's toys. Very cute.
104D: __ minérale: EAU. French for mineral water, like Évian.
105D: Self starter?: HER. Herself.
Answer grid.
C.C.
50 comments:
Good Morning, C.C.,
(That's all I've got to say, at this point.)
Morning, All. What a fun Sunday puzzle! I couldn't get any good traction until I reached the southwest corner, then I was able to fill in all the bottom sections. What a clever theme. Ring of the Lords was my first theme clue. Once I figured that out, the rest fell into place and I would fill in all the surrounding words.
I used to watch Dallas back in my graduate school days, so quickly knew the EWINGS. My favorite clue were Where It's at (EUR) and Life Rival (LOOK), which in a sense went well with HERE AFTER.
I thought CLINK for Toast Indicator was a stretch.
Birthdays Today:
1868 ~ Edgar Lee Masters (d. 1950), writer of Spoon River Anthology. That was one of my favorite books when I was in junior high.
1912 ~ Gene Kelly (d. 1996) of "Singin' in the Rain" fame.
This is my 23rd wedding anniversary. Still happy after all these years!
QOD: You can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. ~ Albert Einstein
I'm back.
43A: "Free" gym gear: Abbr.: WTS. Weights? Why is "Free" in quotation mark?
They aren't "free" in the sense that they don't cost money. They are "free" because they aren't attached to any apparatus by cables or springs and such.
Free spirited exercise, King of the Hill. Three boys and a pile of snow and a game of "King of the Hill" breaks out. Actually, any pile will do but snow is cleaner than a dirtpile. The important thing is to get on top, by yourself, and proclaim, "I am King of the Hill!"
Morning, all!
Quick comment today since I've got to get my son to his swimming lesson. Loved the puzzle, great theme, a lot of fun to do. No major hangups until the very end, when I got the crossing of SSI and BOLLIX wrong. I thought it was BOLLOX and couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting the "TADA!"
Have a great one!
Good morning C.C. and all, a bit of a struggle today with several false starts. The first false start for me was 4A easy as pie, but WRONG. Start that section over! Shucks!
The theme came to me early which gave me lots of help through out the puzzle. With out the theme answers this puzzle would have been impossible. I did need some G help with 9A, 59A and 92A. However, I saw the answer to 92A at the same time I hit the G-spot.
I liked the puzzle today and found it quite interesting and challenging.
I assume that 66D “SYDS” is a manufacture of a Barrett, is this so? For 109A SSI I always want to put SSS for Social Security System, oh well!
I thought the answer for 22A "clink" was a stretch and I also was not too fond of the cross "clank" for 14D.
The last to fall was 110A Lynch which I did not know, but got from the crosses.
Hope you all have a great Sunday
C.C. I just saw your explanation for 95A, I will go eat worms.
Dick: Syd Barrett was a song writer and founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He died in 2006 at age 60.
53A: Cheats: CHISELERS. New word to me. Looks like a person who chisels.
I'm surprised I can't imediately find confirmation on Google but I understand it to mean shaving some of the metal off of early coins.
While looking for a picture, I found this:
"It is said that many merchants in the New World employed a clipper to chisel off another small bit from the coins that came into his shop. This resulted in constantly smaller coins until it became obvious that something was the matter. This is almost certainly the origin of our term "chiseler" for someone illegaly cheating us out of our just rewards. Look at a collection of "pieces of eight" and note the dramatic difference in shape and sometimes size." from this site.
Hahtool, thank you very much for that clip of Arnold Layne. I never heard it before or the strange story behind it.
Thanks hahtoo! I did not know that.
Good Morning All, Was it just me, or did the LAT decide that is had been easy enough for long enough? This was a struggle for me. The first theme answer I got was HILL OF THE KING and the next was RING OF THE LORD. I skipped around and filled in OF THE where I was pretty sure it would fit.
I must have gone through the Acrosses four or five times and did the same with the Downs. Eventually that is how I finally finished the puzzle, but it was a tough go. I had to chip away at one or two letters at a time, until I was able to join them together for a fill.
Fills I didn't know were SAR, CATT, ANNIE, ROWE, ECOTYPES and BOLLIX. I'd heard of bollocks. Wikipedia says that BOLLIX is an alternative spelling to make it less vulgar.
SUNDOWNER was a new one also. I tried to "G" it post-puzzle and couldn't find anything.
I had fits trying to figure out why BEFOR was "support", but finally split it up into BE FOR..."D'oh".
I did like how CLINK and CLANG crossed. It made me think of yesterday's "Haunted castle sounds".
Best clue for me was "Ali's pair of socks".
The worst clue of the day has to be 8D: Friend of Anthony: CATT. Maybe if there was some mention of the suffrage movement, it would have helped(not me, personally). Catt was born nearly 30 years after Anthony, and even though Wikipedia says Anthony 'befriended' Catt, I don't think they were more than acquaintances.
So was the clue a canard(a falsehood) Other canards: le canard and a plane that flies over home on a regular bases, a Beechcraft Starship.
It was all about the theme today, and I would never have finished even half the puzzle with the fun theme. I loved it, once I grokked it, and jumped from one theme word to another just for the fun of discovery.
The rest was not exactly easy.
I figured out LASE, but I’ve never heard anyone use that word. Was stumped by BOARDER, but got it from the perps. The proper names got me, too. But even with the mistakes, it was an enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks, Argyle, for CHISELERS. I knew the word, but not the origin. Very interesting.
1/8 ounce of rose ATTAR cost $89.00, unless it’s Bulgarian, then it’s $395.
No sharing of wavelengths today. Struggled for an hour before I grasped the theme, but I still had problems in non-theme areas. Wanted WARTHOGS instead of MEERKATS, confusing my Timon and Pumba (shame on me: I've only watched Lion King a million times!) Never knew there was an SAR; only ever heard of DAR. There were a few clever clues, but too many (like CATT) seemed like a reach to me. At least tomorrow's a Monday and I can feel semi-intelligent again.
Hej folks!
Fun puzzle today, with very clever theme and clues! Fortunately I got the theme almost immediately, because I don't think I could have completed the puzzle without it. Had a problem with NW as I confidently filled in CATO for 8D, thinking of Roman statesman Mark Anthony, which gave me REORAIN for the cross. Realized it had to be RETRAIN for 28A, but who in the world was CATT? Thanks for clueing me in, C.C.
Enjoy the day!
Bulgarian attar of roses costs over $3000 an ounce? Somebody ought to tell the drug cartels they are in the wrong line of work!
Robert Herrick, that 17th century English roué, wrote this poem about his mistress, Julia. It sounds like Julia could have made some money in the attar of roses business.
UPON ROSES
Under a lawn, than skies more clear,
Some ruffled roses nestling were,
And snugging there, they seem'd to lie
As in a flowery nunnery;
They blush'd, and look'd more fresh than flowers
Quickened of late by pearly showers;
And all, because they were possess'd
But of the heat of Julia's breast,
Which, as a warm and moisten'd spring,
Gave them their ever-flourishing.
- Robert Herrick
Barely morning still, but hi. Up way too late last night for no particular reason and got the puzzle half finished. Started at the top and stopped about midway down. I appreciated the across top fills as a way to get started and having the theme name is always a great help. LITTER OF THE PICK nailed it and like BarbB I started trying to fill them in with at least the OF THE part. The only one that hung me up for some reason was TIMES OF THE SIGN.
I felt it was a good puzzle because pretty much everything that would have hung me up normally had a few letters from crosses so I started playing WAG and finished it late this morning. At least no worms on AITS, ERTE and OAST. That lovely photo of the oasts that Argyle linked long ago still sits in the rolodex of my brain.
A couple of hangups were BOLLIX...wanted bollox or bollocks, and the SSI cross.
Kazie, doesn't SUNDOWNERS mean something else in Oz-speak? I remember a movie from a long while back called the Sundowners about sheep farmers in the Outback. May have misremembered, it was quite a bit ago.
Argyle, Thanks for the coin info, I think I vaguely remember reading something about that, maybe in the Rutherford book on London?
Cooler today but a bit more humid than usual. Enjoy and a good Sunday to you all.
Good afternoon, all.
Congratulations and happy anniversary, Hahtool!
Did not grok the theme, therefore got very few answers.(14 correct ones.) I had to ask my DH why Ali's socks were one two. It didn't make sense to me until he explained it.
DH had a superb lentil soup and home made bread ready when I got home from church.(Hello, Buckeye.) Now it's nap time.
Cheers.
Hi C.C. and gang,
Too busy yesterday to comment on the puzzle, we finished it in ~15 minutes with red help because we had to leave the house by 8 AM.
Today's puzzle was easier than last weeks? The theme helped a lot!
RE:King of the Hill
This is the animated series that I associate that term with...
Hi every one!, fun puzzle although toast indicator stymied me; I was thinkling of the eating kind. It's clues like that which make for an enjoyable challenge. All in all it was an up and down puzzle. Get it? hah, hah.
Wm.
There was a movie called The Sundowners circa 1960 with Robert Mitchum (droopy eyes) and Deborah Kerr.
Sorry, there was a typo for the rose attar (absolut). One Half oz cost $89, or $155 for an ounce. Half ounce Bulgarian cost $395 and half ounce Chinese cost $169. My supplier doesn’t sell Bulgarian or Chinese by the ounce; only !/8, ¼ or ½ oz.
CA, after seeing that you calculated it out to $3000 an ounce, it doesn’t feel so expensive as it did this morning.
It seems even less expensive when you consider that it takes about 60,000 roses to make an ounce of oil. Rose essential oil is made from steam distillation, and rose absolut s extracted with chemical solvents, a more efficient process, making it less expensive.
Of course, a dozen roses cost $60, and it takes 2 ½ dozen rose to produce a single drop of oil, so I'm thinking $155 is quite a bargain.
Good afternoon, all,
This is a late post due to Sunday obligations and dedication to watching the Solheim cup. What an enjoyable victory and a pleasant change from the normal tournament format where it's everyone for one's self and dog eat dog.
I finished the puzzle before leaving the house at 9:00 AM. Got the theme pretty quickly from Hill of the King, which made the remainder of the puzzle easier from the gimme "of the"s as someone mentioned earlier. I, too, liked Ali's pair of socks clue along with toast indicator.
Bad news from my sister, Sally. who went to M.B. Anderson in Houston last week for surgery to remove a malignant tumor from one of her lungs. The operation had to be aborted when the surgeon could not deflate her lung. She is now looking at seven weeks of radiation treatments.
Hope she can get all that done before Congress screws up everybody's healthcare plan. If that is a political comment, I apologize.
Have a good week and send some rain our way.
Good afternoon CC, et al., Got spanked on this one and enjoyed it. The theme came when it was all over so it was a struggle from top to bottom. Fav clue was toast indicator and least was 'lase'44A. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Hahtool: Happy Anniversary! 23 yrs and still happy?. That's quite an accomplishment these days, but I'd still like to hear it from the Mrs. LOL I wish you many more years of wedded bliss.
Argyle: interesting stuff on chiselers. Never knew that.
Off to dinner w/daughter #2 and S-i-l. Fun kids.
Enjoy this gorgeous evening & nite.
If anyone has extra time, the puzzle printed in the L.A. Times newspaper today is a very clever one constructed by Merl Reagle. It can be accessed at: www.sundaycrosswords.com then click on the link to THIS WEEK'S PUZZLE. It can also be printed to fill at a later time. Enjoy!
Good afternoon, everyone!
Well, I got it done. Bragging about that is a little like bragging that your prom date is missing only three teeth, but it's all I got.. (She did have her driver's licence, to her credit.) Several tricky/misleading clues led to some bad guesses which led to a flurry of lousy fill. Example #1:77A, "Symphony in Black" was also a piece by Duke Ellington, so I plopped in "Duke" there instead of ERTE. That eventually caused me to have "People mag's...sexiest man..." with GORE, as in Al Gore. Yes, I know, it seemed so very wrong, because I doubt even Tipper would have voted for him in THAT election. Lucky for me,"Ali's socks." provided some direction, and allowed me to keep breakfast down. True story.
Next ~~and I hope that I wasn't the only one to "bollix" the answer~~came 42D; for "Satchmo's" singing style, I had "scat." "Rasp" was nowhere in the mental databank. Final example: 38A, I was thinking "King of the ROAD," which meant that section of real estate ended
up filled with garbage. Lots of repairwork.
The star of 52D, "sundowner" is not just an early nightcap but also a word you might hear in a nursing home or hospital, for a patient whose mental or even physical status fades in the evening. This word seems to apply to me as well, today.
Never heard of UPPISH before., but "uppity," yes. Those words deserve proper antonyms!
Good theme. Glad to see Pearl Bailey and Satchmo and Dante in the same puzzle. Interesting to have REALWORLD and IDEOLOGY so close. Liked that. Ms Bailey seems all but forgotten today, but I remember her on TV.
Hahtool, happy 23rd!
Time to go wash some dishes...
Hahtool-
Forgot to say happy 23rd! You both must be doing something right!
Irish Jim.
A fella used to work for me named Jim and his nickname was Irish. coincidence huh?
Re movie 'Sundowners', wasn't that a western?
Thank you all for your kind words on our anniversary. The time has just absolutely flown by, we are very lucky, though to have each other. Lois, actually, I am the Mrs., but My Darling Husband, would absolutely agree that we have had a happy marriage (and not because I told him to say so!).
TFrank, I am so sorry to hear about your sister. MD Anderson is one of the best, so she is in good hands. I wish her all the best during this difficult time.
Barb B, Phew, I'm glad the rose attar is only exorbitantly priced instead of stratospherically priced. I know, only a very small amount is used in perfumes and lotions, but WOW!
Lois, I guess you were whoopin' it up in LV or OK when I opened mouth and inserted foot. Hahtool corrected me then about her femininity. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who made the mistake. Maybe Hahtool will furnish us with a photo soon.
Hahtool, Congratulations on your very happy anniversary.
tfrank, Sorry to hear about your sister.
There was a 1950 western movie called The Sundowners. It starred Robert Preston of "The Music Man" fame. It didn't do very well....The "Sundowners", that is. "The Music Man" did very well indeed.
The 1960 movie, The Sundowners, about an nomadic Australian outback family, starred Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. It was an excellent movie and was nominated for six Academy Awards.
Hello All--I finished the puzzle this morning after doing about half of it late last night. Couldn't sleep after my dinner guests left.
I enjoyed the theme and did what CA did after I filled in Rings of the Lord. Of The went in and then some of the fills around them and finally the next theme. The red letters helped with the unknowns, such as ecotypes and catt. I goofed on As easy as ABC--I put in pie and so that upper left corner was a long time in coming around.
C.C. you wanted corners for nodes, and you asked, "Why nodes?" A node is the intersection of two lines e.g. x and y on a graph. On a map where two streets meet at a corner is also called a node by a cartographer.
TFrank, I will be sending thoughts Sally's way in these coming weeks.
Hatool, Happy Anniversary and many more.
I've always associated the word "Sundowner" with the Nursing Home term for someone who loses the ability to remember who or where she is come the evening hours.
Sorry to cause all the confusion. Since Hahtool is a masculine noun, technically, I suppose, I should be called Hahtoolah.
We went to see Julie and Julia this afternoon. From prior discussions, I know many of you have seen it. I thought it was wonderful and truly captured Julia Child's personality.
Irish Jim and CA...the Robert Mitchum film was the one I was thinking about.
In my favor I always assumed Hahtool was feminine. Congratulations on 23 years. We celebrate our 35th this fall and were together 3 years before, so a total of 38...my husband is a very patient and tolerant man.
tfrank...hope for better news, but the radiation can substantially reduce tumors making the possibility of future surgery safer.
MJ thanks for the puzzle hint, will check it out.
BTW...Argyle...LOL at your opening comment.
Some interesting things about 52D: Evening cocktail, to a Brit.: SUNDOWNER
Notice the second definition,
1. Chiefly British. an alcoholic drink taken after completing the day's work, usually at sundown.
2. Australian. a tramp or hobo, esp. one who arrives at a homestead near sundown in order to avoid having to work in exchange for shelter.
There were two movies with that title:
The Sundowners (1950) A story of a range-war in the Texas Panhandle in which the 'bad' brother villain fights for what is right...and commits murder in its name, and the 'good' brother hero sanctions wholesale cattle rusting and, reluctantly in the end, comes to the realization that maybe he isn't doing the right thing. Robert Preston and Robert Sterling...(I have no idea which is which.)
and
The Sundowners (1960) In the Australian Outback, the Carmody family--Paddy(Robert Mitchum), Ida(Deborah Kerr) and their teenage son Sean(Michael Anderson Jr.)--are sheep drovers, always on the move. Ida and Sean want to settle down and buy a farm. Paddy wants to keep moving. A sheep-shearing contest, the birth of a child, drinking, gambling and a race horse will all have a part in the final decision.
Charles.
Worked for an Irish Co all my life so Irish Jim would not have been very unique..
T Frank I too enjoyed the Solheim cup. Tremendous emotional reactions. Great to see Michelle Wie finally come out and be natural.
Hahtool(ah),
In Lois' defense, she really hasn't been the the same since her recent trip to Kentucky. I think she may need to return for an adjustment.
Hahtool, Lovely photo...no confusing you now.
Enjoy Julie & Julia. Meryl Streep is fantastic....as usual.
GAH and I are planning to see Inglourious Basterds this week, probably on Tuesday. Our daughter and her 19 year old son saw it on Friday. They both loved it. It is a Quentin Tarantino film, so fair warning, it is NOT for youngsters.
Argyle, Thanks for the Australian Sundowners definition. I really liked the movie, but I don't think they ever explained it in the movie. It makes sense now.
Windhover, Are you sure it isn't you who would like a little additional adjustment?
This is an interesting site.
@charles Welcome. Jump right on in, we're a generally friendly group, somewhat opinionated, talented, artistic, and a lot of fun, IMHO.
ClearAyes:
how is it that you always manage to see right through me?
It must be some sort of gift.
Windhover,
Clear Ayes is certainly one unique person with all kind of powers. A wonderful lady.
Sorry for the late comments...I only got time now to complete it.
I guess the puzzle name "Changing" put me on the right track after I got RINGS OF THE LORD. I know its not the right way but I figured out that the answers were all something followed by OF THE and a four letter word. So I put in all the OF THE and started working.
Ofcourse, needed a lot of red letter help for some of the other clues.
Overall, a challenging and satisfying puzzle.
Hahtool,
Congratulations!
Hope it's not too late to talk to TFrank. I'm sorry to hear about your sister. Will be sending good thoughts for her treatment. Sounds like she's in good hands.
Goodnight, all.
WM,
You're right. THE SUNDOWNERS was the name of an Oz movie starring practically no aussies--Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum and Robert Preston; but John Meillon, Leonard Teale and good old Chips Rafferty were 3 dinkum aussies if ever there were any! I found it morbid. The male lead Mitchum) is a brawling sheep drover/shearer, who wants to continue a nomadic existence going from shearing shed to shearing shed, while the wife (Kerr) wants to settle down somewhere. The real aussies were cast in relatively minor roles. I hated it, DH loves it still.
I was gone all day today, so no puzzle, but came here to read comments.
Hahtool,
Nice to "see" you now!
Just a quickdrop in tonight to say Happy Anniversary to Hahtool. It gets even better1
TFrank, so sorry about your sister.We're glad she's in good hands.
Didn't do today's c/w although it looked like fun. Did yesterday's in the car, and could not complete the SE corner. Had pays off, not pay back,maps for mail and so on...I did not walk on water; enjoyed the Ellen/Obama clip.
Jeanne, I enjoyed Mortenson's book,Three Cups of Tea. He has a fairly new one out for young readers. At many schools in our area they have collected "Pennies for Peace" so they know about him. He has built over 90 schools so far.Amazing what one person can do.
Carol and Dick, a great great picture! Thnks for posting those, CC.
Welcome aboard Charles!
Windhover & Charles, You're making me blush, but thanks for the compliments.
Welcome Charles, I think you'll enjoy being the new guy on the blog. There are lots of nice friendly people here.
I can understand Kazie's dislike of The Sundowners. When we see a depiction of something we know well, we want it to be authentic. It's too bad Australians Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett weren't born in time to play Dad and Mum Carmody with real Oz accents. Who knows, maybe there will be a remake and Kazie will like it better.
# 5 and out
Final notes for the night. I'm avoiding paperwork. After this I alpabetize my spices and shine my shoes...
In case anyone needs a little nightmusic (nachtmusik?) or grapples with insomnia, you might enjoy seeing some clips of Pearl Bailey on UTube. There is one from 1964 with her on Carson's show, in which she and Johnny duet on "Our Love is Here to Stay." Clip is grainy, but the woman absolutely knew how to sing, and Carson held his own, vocally. No mean feat. Watch how she plays to the audience, and what she does with her hands. Another clip with her and Perry Como is worth a view, also.
Argyle, thanks for the chiseler info. [btw, that's also a slang term for plastic surgeons!]
ClearAyes, thanks for the poems and movie recommendation. The school poem by Ron Koertge (sp?) was outstanding. Do let us know how Inglourious Basterds is. Tarentino may be overcaffeinated but his mind works like no one else's. Not sure why he left Uma Thurman out of this one. You mentioned one out of five secrets for a happy marriage. Please divulge the others....Ok, even just some hints.
WM, may I please use one of your paintings as screensaver ( it's one of your chateaux) on my phone? The screen is about 2.5" by 2" which doesn't do the piece justice, but it's beautiful!. I hesitate to ask, but don't want to use it without your OK. I'm cheeky and devious, but not a thief.
The saying I may well be remembered by is "We had a good week, didn't we?"
We did though, we really did.
G'night all!
@pjb-chicago Ever since you've joined the blog I've enjoyed almost all of your posts. Thank you so much for what you share with us. You sound like someone I'd like to spend some time with. Thank you again.
PJB..of course, and it is a great compliment...I am not sure if the new website allows downloads...but give it a try.
Cheers
WM: Thanks! Screensaver now features Tada!....you.
I would be happily, and usually, be sleeping just now, at this hour, but the people who live upstairs from me have apparently adopted, produced, or fostered a baby and that baby is crying. The problem with living in loft space is that noise travels. I am the youngest of four kids, the father of none, but when I hear a baby crying, I instinctively wake up. Genetics rear their head nonetheless and I would be up there doing my darndest to help to feed him/her if asked or if I had even one quarter clue of what/how to feed an infant. Um, polenta? String cheese? Goat milk?
Quiet, here, all of a sudden, so my best guess is that the kiddo is sleeping.
I may not have 20/20 vision but you, WM, absolutely know to capture color & light. I don't say that gratuitously. No idea, here, how that last word is spelled...
Crockett, thank you for your kind words.I appreciate them.
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