Theme: Money Talks - Common phrases ending with currency denominations.
23A: Lofty bills?: HIGH FIVES. HIGH FIVE is a celebratory slap.
38A: Superior bills?: TOP TENS. OK, here is a David Letterman's TOP TEN George Bush moments. What's the fun with #5 "I like to fish"?
50A: Adored bills?: LOVED ONES. Your spouse & kids & friends & pets are your LOVED ONES.
8D: Hated bills (that appropriately spoil this puzzle's symmetry)?: TERRIBLE TWOS. Toddlers start to get defiant at age two, hence the name.
For the grid to be symmetrical, TERRIBLE TWOS would have to be placed in column #8 rather than #9. (Updated later: My mistake. According to Orange, for a symmetrical grid pattern, the L in TERRIBLE TWO should have been black.)
I was very surprised to hear that two-dollar bills are very rare in the US when I first arrived in Minnesota. We use them a lot in China.
Lively theme clues, esp 8D. So creative to grid the odd-ball TERRIBLE TWOS Down and intersect all the other three cheerful Across theme entries.
Maybe I am paying more attention to the "tapestry weaving" after reading Bob Klahn's interview, but I did notice quite a few echo clues.
Was XI'AN (12D: Ancient Chinese capital) a gimme to you today? Did you think of me when you filled in it? I've mentioned so many times before, XI'AN was the capital city for Zhou, Qin, Han & Tang, four major dynasties in China, I was born and grew up there, hence my Chinese name Zhouqin. Chairman Mao & the Chinese Communist Party picked Beijing over XI'AN as China's capital in 1949.
Do read my interview with Don "Hard G" Gagliardo regarding his thought process on this puzzle.
Across:
1A: Type of large TV: PLASMA
7A: Erwin of '50s TV: STU. Not familiar with STU Erwin or any of his shows. He died in 1967. Nice consecutive "TV" clues.
10A: With 13-Down, opportunity for better luck?: NEXT. And TIME (13D: See 10-Across). Great cross-reference & intersection.
14A: Swinger in a box: HITTER. Penned in BATTER immediately.
15A: "__ making a list ...": Christmas music: HE'S. "Santa Clause is Coming to Town".
16A: Et __: ALII. Latin masculine plural. Et alia is neutral plural. Et aliae is feminine plural.
17A: Looking to be helped out: IN A JAM
18A: Cardinal point suffix: ERN
19A: Go-go go-between? TEAM. Why? I got the answer from Down fills. (Note: Go, TEAM, go)
20A: Strung along: LED ON
21A: Irene of "Fame": CARA. Also Italian (feminine) for "beloved". Cara Mia = My beloved.
26A: Shore shoe style: OPEN TOE
29A: "Incidentally ...": BY THE BY
33D: Excavated areas: PITS. Like the XI'AN Terracotta Warriors PITS.
34A: Author Godwin: GAIL. No idea. She looks like an author who writes something serious, like "Away From Her".
40A: Razor-billed bird: AUK. The Arctic black-and-white diving bird.
41A: Curly- tailed dog: AKITA. Originated from the AKITA Prefecture, Japan.
43A: Oklahoma native: OTO. Or OTOE.
44A: To __: A TEE
45A: "Jeepers!": HOLY COW! And YIKES (32D: "Jeepers!")
48A: Ancient septet: WONDERS. Seven WONDERS of the World.
52A: Julie Kotter's spouse, in a '70s sitcom: GABE. Again, got the answer from Down fills. It's from the TV sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter". He is the teacher with a ruler.
55A: Erotic deity: EROS. Erotic is rooted in EROS.
56A: Gushes: SPEWS. Crossed WELL (58D: Gusher source). Another great intersection. The clues are very Bob Klahn-ish.
61A: Toon Chihuahua: REN. Wrote down RIN, thinking of RIN Tin Tin. I am used to see REN clued as "Stimpy's pal".
62A: Author Allende: ISABEL. Sigh! Her name escaped me. Just heard her interview on Minnesota Public Radio a few weeks ago. Chilean-American author. Very imaginative. Hard to tell whether her stories are real or not.
63A: __ Accords, 1993 Isreal-PLO pact: OSLO. Rabin was assassinated because he signed the OSLO Accords.
64A: Word spoken with a head slap: D'OH. Carol calls it her V8 moment.
65A: Swiss cough drop: RICOLA. Stumper, though this clip sounds very familiar. RICOLA is abbreviation of the company's German name Richterich & Compagnie Laufen.
66A: Occupant of a tiny house: DOLL. Some of those 1950's Madam Alexander hard plastic dolls cost hundreds of dollars.
67A: Tokyo-born artist: ONO. Oh, I had the misconception that she was born in NY, then moved to Tokyo as a kid.
68A: One way to be aware: KEENLY. Good clue. KEENLY aware.
Down:
1D: "Dr. __": PHIL. Nicely placed above OPRAH (26D: Chicago-based daytime host), who launched Dr. PHIL's career. Both yawner, yawner though. Give me Ellen any day.
2D: Ticket window sight: LINE
4D: The Red Storm of the Big East Conference: ST JOHN'S. No idea. Wikipedia says Governor Mario Cuomo graduated from this university.
5D: Be dead serious: MEAN IT
6D: Equip, as a posse: ARM. Brought to mind Gary Cooper's "High NOON" (39D: High time?")
7D: Bundle: SHEAF
9D: SEALs' gp.: US NAVY. Our ex-governor Jesse Ventura was a Navy SEAL.
10D: Tony winner Richardson: NATASHA. Sad to see her name. She died of that skiing accident. Wife of Liam Neeson (Oskar in "Schindler's List").
11D: It's usually pd. monthly: ELEC
21D: Tight: CHEAP. Did not know "Tight" can mean stingy as well.
24D: Disco adjective: GO-GO. Unfortunately "Go-go" is also part of the clue for 19A.
25D: Approximate leaving hrs.: ETDS. ETD = Estimated Time of Departure.
27D: Liberal, to Archie Bunker: PINKO. Refers to the communists, right?
28D: Amazon business, say: E-TAIL
30D: Eddie who founded a clothing chain: BAUER. Again, obtained the answer with crosses. Have never heard of the chain.
35D: "Was __ blame?": I TO
38D: Folded fare: TACO. Alliteration.
42D: Acetaminophen brand: TYLENOL. Easy guess. I did not know the meaning of acetaminophen.
44D: Much of a Sunday paper: ADS SPACE. Or of all those gossip magazines.
46D: Exert to excess: OVERDO. Another alliteration.
47D: "It's our turn to perform!": WE'RE ON. Oh well, mine was WERION, since I had RIN instead of REN for the crossing 61A. So I had huge trouble parsing my answer.
49D: Monster nickname: NESSIE. The Lock Ness monster, legend of Scotland.
51D: "Tiny Bubbles" singer: DON HO. Another cross help.
53D: Kid's assertive retort: AM SO
54D: Ringer: BELL
57D: "Heaven's __ vault, studded with stars...": Shelley: EBON. Struggled with this answer. EBON is poetic "black". I wanted A BIG, Heaven's A BIG vault. Makes sense to me.
59D: Elicit guffaws from: SLAY. So many words/phrases for "crack up".
62D: Vex: IRK. IRE can be a verb too.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is beautiful photo of the Bee's family. From left to right: Melissa Bee's daughter (tank patrol member for the San Jose Sharks), the conjunction Barb B (Melissa's Mom), and our blog "It" girl Melissa.
C.C.
23A: Lofty bills?: HIGH FIVES. HIGH FIVE is a celebratory slap.
38A: Superior bills?: TOP TENS. OK, here is a David Letterman's TOP TEN George Bush moments. What's the fun with #5 "I like to fish"?
50A: Adored bills?: LOVED ONES. Your spouse & kids & friends & pets are your LOVED ONES.
8D: Hated bills (that appropriately spoil this puzzle's symmetry)?: TERRIBLE TWOS. Toddlers start to get defiant at age two, hence the name.
For the grid to be symmetrical, TERRIBLE TWOS would have to be placed in column #8 rather than #9. (Updated later: My mistake. According to Orange, for a symmetrical grid pattern, the L in TERRIBLE TWO should have been black.)
I was very surprised to hear that two-dollar bills are very rare in the US when I first arrived in Minnesota. We use them a lot in China.
Lively theme clues, esp 8D. So creative to grid the odd-ball TERRIBLE TWOS Down and intersect all the other three cheerful Across theme entries.
Maybe I am paying more attention to the "tapestry weaving" after reading Bob Klahn's interview, but I did notice quite a few echo clues.
Was XI'AN (12D: Ancient Chinese capital) a gimme to you today? Did you think of me when you filled in it? I've mentioned so many times before, XI'AN was the capital city for Zhou, Qin, Han & Tang, four major dynasties in China, I was born and grew up there, hence my Chinese name Zhouqin. Chairman Mao & the Chinese Communist Party picked Beijing over XI'AN as China's capital in 1949.
Do read my interview with Don "Hard G" Gagliardo regarding his thought process on this puzzle.
Across:
1A: Type of large TV: PLASMA
7A: Erwin of '50s TV: STU. Not familiar with STU Erwin or any of his shows. He died in 1967. Nice consecutive "TV" clues.
10A: With 13-Down, opportunity for better luck?: NEXT. And TIME (13D: See 10-Across). Great cross-reference & intersection.
14A: Swinger in a box: HITTER. Penned in BATTER immediately.
15A: "__ making a list ...": Christmas music: HE'S. "Santa Clause is Coming to Town".
16A: Et __: ALII. Latin masculine plural. Et alia is neutral plural. Et aliae is feminine plural.
17A: Looking to be helped out: IN A JAM
18A: Cardinal point suffix: ERN
19A: Go-go go-between? TEAM. Why? I got the answer from Down fills. (Note: Go, TEAM, go)
20A: Strung along: LED ON
21A: Irene of "Fame": CARA. Also Italian (feminine) for "beloved". Cara Mia = My beloved.
26A: Shore shoe style: OPEN TOE
29A: "Incidentally ...": BY THE BY
33D: Excavated areas: PITS. Like the XI'AN Terracotta Warriors PITS.
34A: Author Godwin: GAIL. No idea. She looks like an author who writes something serious, like "Away From Her".
40A: Razor-billed bird: AUK. The Arctic black-and-white diving bird.
41A: Curly- tailed dog: AKITA. Originated from the AKITA Prefecture, Japan.
43A: Oklahoma native: OTO. Or OTOE.
44A: To __: A TEE
45A: "Jeepers!": HOLY COW! And YIKES (32D: "Jeepers!")
48A: Ancient septet: WONDERS. Seven WONDERS of the World.
52A: Julie Kotter's spouse, in a '70s sitcom: GABE. Again, got the answer from Down fills. It's from the TV sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter". He is the teacher with a ruler.
55A: Erotic deity: EROS. Erotic is rooted in EROS.
56A: Gushes: SPEWS. Crossed WELL (58D: Gusher source). Another great intersection. The clues are very Bob Klahn-ish.
61A: Toon Chihuahua: REN. Wrote down RIN, thinking of RIN Tin Tin. I am used to see REN clued as "Stimpy's pal".
62A: Author Allende: ISABEL. Sigh! Her name escaped me. Just heard her interview on Minnesota Public Radio a few weeks ago. Chilean-American author. Very imaginative. Hard to tell whether her stories are real or not.
63A: __ Accords, 1993 Isreal-PLO pact: OSLO. Rabin was assassinated because he signed the OSLO Accords.
64A: Word spoken with a head slap: D'OH. Carol calls it her V8 moment.
65A: Swiss cough drop: RICOLA. Stumper, though this clip sounds very familiar. RICOLA is abbreviation of the company's German name Richterich & Compagnie Laufen.
66A: Occupant of a tiny house: DOLL. Some of those 1950's Madam Alexander hard plastic dolls cost hundreds of dollars.
67A: Tokyo-born artist: ONO. Oh, I had the misconception that she was born in NY, then moved to Tokyo as a kid.
68A: One way to be aware: KEENLY. Good clue. KEENLY aware.
Down:
1D: "Dr. __": PHIL. Nicely placed above OPRAH (26D: Chicago-based daytime host), who launched Dr. PHIL's career. Both yawner, yawner though. Give me Ellen any day.
2D: Ticket window sight: LINE
4D: The Red Storm of the Big East Conference: ST JOHN'S. No idea. Wikipedia says Governor Mario Cuomo graduated from this university.
5D: Be dead serious: MEAN IT
6D: Equip, as a posse: ARM. Brought to mind Gary Cooper's "High NOON" (39D: High time?")
7D: Bundle: SHEAF
9D: SEALs' gp.: US NAVY. Our ex-governor Jesse Ventura was a Navy SEAL.
10D: Tony winner Richardson: NATASHA. Sad to see her name. She died of that skiing accident. Wife of Liam Neeson (Oskar in "Schindler's List").
11D: It's usually pd. monthly: ELEC
21D: Tight: CHEAP. Did not know "Tight" can mean stingy as well.
24D: Disco adjective: GO-GO. Unfortunately "Go-go" is also part of the clue for 19A.
25D: Approximate leaving hrs.: ETDS. ETD = Estimated Time of Departure.
27D: Liberal, to Archie Bunker: PINKO. Refers to the communists, right?
28D: Amazon business, say: E-TAIL
30D: Eddie who founded a clothing chain: BAUER. Again, obtained the answer with crosses. Have never heard of the chain.
35D: "Was __ blame?": I TO
38D: Folded fare: TACO. Alliteration.
42D: Acetaminophen brand: TYLENOL. Easy guess. I did not know the meaning of acetaminophen.
44D: Much of a Sunday paper: ADS SPACE. Or of all those gossip magazines.
46D: Exert to excess: OVERDO. Another alliteration.
47D: "It's our turn to perform!": WE'RE ON. Oh well, mine was WERION, since I had RIN instead of REN for the crossing 61A. So I had huge trouble parsing my answer.
49D: Monster nickname: NESSIE. The Lock Ness monster, legend of Scotland.
51D: "Tiny Bubbles" singer: DON HO. Another cross help.
53D: Kid's assertive retort: AM SO
54D: Ringer: BELL
57D: "Heaven's __ vault, studded with stars...": Shelley: EBON. Struggled with this answer. EBON is poetic "black". I wanted A BIG, Heaven's A BIG vault. Makes sense to me.
59D: Elicit guffaws from: SLAY. So many words/phrases for "crack up".
62D: Vex: IRK. IRE can be a verb too.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is beautiful photo of the Bee's family. From left to right: Melissa Bee's daughter (tank patrol member for the San Jose Sharks), the conjunction Barb B (Melissa's Mom), and our blog "It" girl Melissa.
C.C.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - this seemed like an easier-than-normal Thursday puzzle to me; two unknowns, but other than that, a walk in the park.
ReplyDeleteYes, C.C., I thought of you immediately with Xi'An. 'Go team go' is a chant at games. I too noticed the 'tapestry weave' of Oprah and Dr. Phil.
Didn't know the "Heaven's ebon vault" line, same with 'Isabel' Allende. I loved seeing my favorite dog, the 'Akita'. 'Swinger in a box' was a great clue on several levels. And I really enjoyed the theme; very clever.
Today is both Global Forgiveness Day and Just Because Day. Works for me.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "The path of least resistance is the path of the loser." -- H.G. Wells
More Fun Facts:
- Jack Nicholson spent every day of an entire school year in detention.
- A caterpillar has more muscles than a human.
Morning, All. It was a Thursday puzzle. DOH (64A) is a response we have all had at times when working out a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteBirthdays: August 27 If I correctly interpreted something one of our fellow bloggers said, today is Lemonade’s birthday. Have a great day. He shares his birthday with:
1698 ~ Baal Shem Tov (d. 1760), Jewish mystical rabbi and founder of the Chasidic movement.
1809 ~ Hannibal Hamlin, (d. 1891), VP under Lincoln’s first term of office. Hew as from Maine.
1871 ~ Theodore Dreiser (d. 1945) American novelist, who wrote Sister Carrie and American Tragedy.
1877 ~ Charles Rolls (d. 1910) co-founder of Rolls-Royce
1882 ~ Samuel Goldwyn (d. 1974), Film producer
1890 ~ Man Ray (d. 1976) photographer
1908 ~ Lyndon Baines Johnson (d. 1973) 36th President
1910 ~ Mother Teresa (d. 1997)
1929 ~ Ira Levin (d. 2007), writer of Rosemary’s Baby
1952 ~ Pee-Wee Herman
QOD: In conversation, remember that you’re more interested in what you are saying than anyone else is. ~ Andy Rooney
I couldn't get TOP TENS: I wasn'tr thinking CHEAP for "Tight". I had CLOSE in mind at first. I also had IN NEED for IN A JAM, BY WAY OF for BY THE BY, SO SO for A TAD, TAME for GOOD and TWIN for BELL ("Ringer"). My first thought for 11D was RENT but that didn't fit.
ReplyDeleteC.C., I suspect you're cooking worms tonight to distribute to anybody who didn't get XI'AN today.
Martin
Good morning C. C. and all, nice interesting puzzle today. The SE corner was difficult and was the last to fall and I needed some G-spot help. I inserted IRE for 62D and ADPAGES for 44D and this took awhile to resolve along with the fact that I did not know 62A ISABEL. Other than those faults not a bad outing today.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture of the Bees, all are nice looking ladies.
Hope you all have a great Thursday
Morning, folks!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle, although it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out the theme. The first theme answer I actually filled in was LOVED ONES and I started at it thinking, "Who are these guys named Bill that people are supposed to love?" Once I figured that out, though, I was able to go back and fill in the other theme answers very quickly.
I think my only unknown today was ISABEL, but there were a couple of tricky corners. I got XIAN, but wasn't entirely sure how to spell NATASHA, for example. The worst spot, though, was the NW corner. I got PLASMA and LED ON right off the bat, but put in BATTER instead of HITTER which gave me PB_L for 1D. I knew that couldn't be right, but it took me awhile to figure out what else 14A could be. 4D was also a bit of a struggle, since I looked at ST_O_NS for what seemed like ages without being able to see the "J."
Ah well, it all worked out in the end. I wasn't crazy about ETDS, but everything else was good.
Melissa Bee, BarbB, damn, what a beautiful family.
ReplyDeleteBTW C.C. I almost had a plate of worms as I stared at the Chinese Capitol a bit before Xina and the DOH moment. Also, since Pitt, my Alma mater, plays in the Big East Conference St John's was a gimme.
ReplyDeleteSorry make that Capital
ReplyDeleteOne of the fills yesterday was CSIS. I just remembered I once wrote a parody of Hamlet called CSI: Denmark: in it Hamlet had his father exumed and autopsied and found that he was, indeed, poisoned as his father's ghost had told him. He later did facial reconstruction on a skull and determined that it was old his friend Yorick.
ReplyDeleteMartin
Good Morning all,
ReplyDeleteWill be working the puzzle on the bus to Chicago today, so nothing to say about it yet. Working it on a three hour bus ride can be a real hair-puller, as there is very limited and slow google access - at least with my "old" (pre 3G) iphone...
Kazie (and any others if you attend Free to Breathe 9/27) - I'll be the one running the Expo and the food stations, so if you're there, say Hi! I'll probably also have Zoe close at my heels. She doesn't know yet she's been recruited as a volunteer - maybe in charge of the balloons? :)
Nice picture of the Bees!
Enjoy the day,
Andrea
Dennis:
ReplyDeletethis puzzle was a walk in the park for me, too. The dog park, that is. Stepped in it several times. My forst pass through the A's yielded six fills, one of which, batter for hitter, was as CC found, wrong. But the D's gave me a start, and I finished in about 20 one phone call interrupted minutes with one Google, Isabel. I remembered her father, who Nixon and Kissinger had killed in 1973, but could not get her name out of my non-3G brain.
Thanks from Irish for all the compliments yesterday. Enjoy the West Coast beauties today. They are radiant, aren't they?
Hahtool:
ReplyDeleteYessir, thank you; I do share my birth with a pretty damn impressive but diverse group, going from Pee Wee Herman to Mother Theresa, with a president and VP thrown in. You missed one of my favorites, Tuesday Weld; now there is a Hollywood name, and Sarah Chalke, who was on SCRUBS and now, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER . Speaking of beautiful ladies, the Bees get all A's here.
in honor of the day
Classic Quotes by Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973) US President (36), Vice President (37)
A man can take a little bourbon without getting drunk, but if you hold his mouth open and pour in a quart, he's going to get sick on it.
------------------------
A man without a vote is man without protection.
------------------------
A President's hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right.
------------------------
A rioter with a Molotov cocktail in his hands is not fighting for civil rights any more than a Klansman... They are both... lawbreakers, destroyers of constitutional rights and liberties and ultimately destroyers of a free America.
------------------------
All that Hubert needs over there is a gal to answer the phone and a pencil with an eraser on it.
------------------------
Any jackass can kick down a barn but it takes a good carpenter to build one.
------------------------
Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There's nothing to do but to stand there and take it.
------------------------
Curtis Le May wants to bomb Hanoi and Haiphong. You know how he likes to go around bombing.
------------------------
Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else.
------------------------
Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.
Hey Gang -
ReplyDeleteLet's all take advantage of global forgiveness day. Just because.
Never heard of Gail Godwin, but the Godwin brothers Tom and Parke are famous in SF circles. Tom, who died in 1980, wrote the iconic short story THE COLD EQUATIONS, published in 1954. Parke's THE TOWER OF BEOWULF is much better than Neil Gaiman's movie adaptation - though lacking in Angelina Jolie.
ISABEL Allende's writing style is called magic realism.
During his final year as a Buckeye, my older step-son worked at the Eddie BAUER warehouse in Columbus. We all got great Christmas gifts.
It is sad to see a reminder of NATASHA Richardson's tragic death. I would have clued this fill as Bullwinkle's foe.
Was anybody else troubled by the EROS - erotic pairing? Since one word is the root of the other, it seems inelegant.
Pass the worms. Yum! Or maybe just one. I knew XIAN, kinda, sorta, almost, but couldn't get the second letter. Nothing looked right. D'OH!
I had some of the same problems as yesterday, but not so OVERDOne. Crossing and ancient Chinese capital with a Latin masculine plural mars an otherwise fine puzzle. Similarly, the SE corner and S Central regions with stacks or crosses of proper names.
OTOH, HOLY COW, WONDERSful, KEENLY handled theme. Don't recall ever seeing a puzzle grid with distorted symmetry before.
Cheers!
JzB the PINKO trombonist
JimmyB et al,
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading yesterday's posts. Please don't ever change your tone. I enjoy very much your daily "whining". I find them honest, original, respectful and constructive.
@C.C. Go Team Go, a chant at sport events.
ReplyDeleteI'll echo the others, nice pic of the Bees.
I always interpreted the term "pinko" as an insulting way to mean "not quite red", as in not an actual card-carrying communist but holding to the same ideas.
Acetominophen (tylenol), ibuprofen (Motrin), and celebrex are all NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and people tend to pop them like acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) because they are so ubiquitious. All of them really should be treated much more cautiously than they are now, especially celebrex. They all can contribute to heart or circulation problems, such as chest pain, weakness, shortness of breath, slurred speech, or problems with vision or balance, and tylenol, if overdosed, can wreak havok with your kidneys.
I forgot to mention earlier that I once looked up paracetomol on wikipedia and I found out that "the words acetaminophen and paracetamol both come from chemical names for the compound: para-acetylaminophenol". Acetominophen is the generic name commonly used in the U.S. whereas paracetomol is the name used elsewhere (especially on perscriptions).
ReplyDeleteMartin
Thanks for your comments, C.C. I never felt the comments here were disrespectful to the constructors and was dismayed that the comments were being dismissed as "uninformed bulls@*t". that is disrespectful. This is a very smart and intelligent group. We know what we like when it comes to these puzzles. Constructive criticism makes the puzzles better.
ReplyDeleteThe Puzzle
ReplyDeletePuzzle, puzzle, burning bright
In Across Light overnight,
What constructor's clever eye
Framed your distorted symmetry?
From what distant EBON skies
Came these WONDERS for my eyes?
HOLY COW - to so aspire,
BY THE BY, such creative fire!
Could REN ELATE us with such art?
Could OPRAH twist our ARM or heart?
And when the fills began to beat
Were there rhymes and metric feet?
Where the OMEN, where the chain?
So KEENLY works the puzzler's brain!
IN A JAM of corner's grasp
Foreign words dare cross and clasp.
GABE and EROS thrust their spears,
ISABEL SPEWS forth her tears.
Do we smile, this grid to see?
Do we have HIGH FIVES for thee?
Puzzle, puzzle, burning bright
In Across Light overnight,
What constructor's clever eye
Framed your distorted symmetry?
JzB the too-much-time-on-his-hands trombnist
Happy Birthday Lemonade. Looks like you were having some fun in that avatar pic. Hope it is a great day.
ReplyDeleteI am suffering from time change acclimation, and was up late last night reading posts from prior days and doing a few puzzles. I found today's puzzle much easier than yesterdays, and had lots of fun doing it (at midnight - usually a bewitching hour for me).
Hooray for me, I got XIAN right off the bat. They had an article about it in Delta's SKY magazine that I glanced at on the plane. They spoke highly of the city as a place to visit. Of course, they mostly talked of the high end restaurants to visit, spas, and the like. I am guessing not the places that the average residents frequent.
Enjoyable puzzle today. Once I got the first theme fill, the rest were much easier. Didn't struggle with too many answers. Eddie BAUER is one of my shopping staples and I always get complements on the clothing I purchase there. They were just sold as they are not doing too well. I hope they pull it out and the purchasing company doesn't change too much.
Loved seeing all the pictures, and nice looking B family.
Read the Bob Klahn interview. Amazingly, while in CA I purchased a Will Shortz favorites puzzle book (I was going through withdrawal). On the plane, I opened it up to the Feb 2 puzzle he referenced in this interview. It was a real stumper for me, but a great puzzle. I couldn't believe, when hours later, I was reading about how he constructed it.
I am with Jazzbumpa. Everyone go out and forgive somebody today.
Morning all,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed today’s puzzle. Got the theme early on, which helped a lot. CC, you might have to warm up those worms because I had a momentary lapse on Xian. Just a moment though. Didn’t understand why team fit for go-go go-between until I came here. Very clever. Overall, the puzzle did seem easier for a Thursday but always enjoy Thursday’s puzzles the most.
Since my husband and I never planned a big trip this year for our 40th anniversary, we are considering a Panama Canal cruise for next February. Has anyone done a Canal cruise and on what cruise line? Any recommendations? The Bees are absolutely beautiful women. Have a good day.
Good Morning All, I had a great time with this puzzle. I loved to see DR PHIL lording it over OPRAH, although I'm not a fan of either one.
ReplyDeleteI'm old enough to remember STU Erwin, GABE Kaplan, Archie Bunker's PINKO and DON HO. I had no problem with NATASHA, CARA, GAIL, BAUER or ISABEL either.
I know the "I don't like names" folks will not be very happy, but it worked out just fine for me. I know....selfish...but as was mentioned yesterday, different solvers like different puzzle styles.
I caught the theme with TERRIBLE TWOS and the rest of them filled in without much resistance, although perp help was required several times. Another fill that required the perps was ST JOHNS. I didn't know what or who the Red Storm is.
I enjoyed seeing C.C. hometown, XI'AN in the NE.
I didn't have any "DOH" moments, but "Ancient septet" WONDERS was an "Aha" for me.
Happy Birthday Lemonade714.
The B(ee) family takes a might fine photo, they are very pretty ladies.
Have a good day. I'll be checking in later to see what you all have been up to.
@Jazzbumpa-fantastic
ReplyDelete@Lemonade-Happy Birthday and many more.
I love poetry, but I'm not very good at composing it myself. When I see a clever parody like Jazzbumpa's The Puzzle I am amazed.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done, Jazz.
Good morning CC and all:
ReplyDeleteWhen I got "plasma" right off, i thought the rest would just jump from my papermate sharpwriter, too. Not so...it was work but fun work. Wanted "abit" for 3d, thought "openteo" should be "crocs" but couldn`t make it fit, "batter' for "hitter"...and can never spell "dalai". Favorite clue: "Resident of a tiny house" even though "Barbie" didn`t fit.
My gripes (when I have some) about the puzzles are usually about what I perceive to be"incorrect" cluing...then CC corrects me and I`m good to go. I like the challenge...and come here when I`m stumped,sooner if I`m busy...much later when I have the leisure. Thanks, CC for this site.
Lemonade714: Happy Birthday and enjoyed your quotes.
Jazzb: Clever, clever :) Wordsmith extraordinaire!
Lovely picture of the day. Three generations of beauty!
No time today to anything but check in briefly. Lots of unknowns, but I managed with no help to get it all in. It just took a while. I enjoyed the theme, all common expressions. My last fill was the NE corner, despite having ALII as the first fill of the whole puzzle.
ReplyDeleteYes, c.c., I thought of you as soon as I got XI'AN.
Have a great day, everyone!
Good Morning!
ReplyDeleteLots of things to like today.
A. The puzzle. I got the theme and was able to fill in the theme entries with help from the perps. But got stuck at the K for AKITA and PINKO (tried all letters ;) )
Had to google Eddie BAUER (brain blanked out even though I've passed by Eddie Bauer stores) and ISABEL. Loved the DOH clue.
B. Wonderful take on Wordsworth's Tiger poem, Jazzbumpa. IMPRESSIVE.
C. BEAUTIFUL pic of the Bee ladies.
Happy Birthday Lemonade.
CC, I did think of you when filling in XIAN. Also thought of the intern who sits in the cube adjacent to mine.
But to be honest couldnt fill XIAN at first try. I got it because of NEXT fill.
Doh!!
Good morning.
ReplyDeleteA bit tough but once I got going it was easy. Had to guess on a few. Stu and Isabel are two of them. Kept trying Messenger Boy instead of RNA.
I'm smoking a turkey today. First time for everything. Never tried to deep fry one though I have had it at a picnic. Tastes great. Wish me luck.
I smoked a dooby once, but never a turkey. How do you keep it lit?
ReplyDeleteI really liked this puzzle. I thought the theme was terrific and got it fairly quickly. In fact, I did really well for a Thursday (which, of course, explains why I liked the puzzle). A lot of the things that usually confound or annoy me - cultural references, repeat word clues (Jeepers), referenced clues - were not a problem. The cultural references where things I knew and the referenced clues were close enough to not distract me and, in fact, I liked the intersection of the referenced clues. I did think of C.C. when I saw Xi'an and is probably why I remembered it.
ReplyDeleteB Ladies - that picture is the Bees Knees
Happy Birthday L714
When I was in the Navy I represented sailors in hearings to determine if they were entitled to disability ratings. I noticed a lot of prescriptions for ASA - acetylsalicylic acid. One doctor told me it seemed to "work better" than aspirin - ah that old placebo effect.
Hi c.c. and all:
ReplyDeleteNot too many problems! Very fun puzzle and the theme answers went in quickly once I got the High Fives. I did not know Isabel, Ebon, or St Johns, but got them from the perps. Had Dalai as Dahli and Were up instead of Were On at first but saw the light eventually.
Jazzbumps: Great poem, very clever
Lemonade714: Happy Birthday!
Great pic of the "Bee's"
Jazz - Great poem
ReplyDeleteJeanne - I haven't been on a Panama Canal cruise but have cruised on several cruise lines (Holland American, Celebrity, Princess, Vantage, and a small line that went out of business) and found that Princess had the best service.
Hi ya'll,
ReplyDeleteGetting better. Filled in about 95% before coming here for help. Had several aha moments as well as some dohs. No worms for me on Xi'an. Thought of C.C. immediately. Had batter for hitter and didn't want to give it up which played heck with Dr.Phil. Theme came on pretty early and filled them in with no trouble. Enjoyed the puzzle.
Beautiful bunch of "Bees".
Barb those "Acorns" fell mighty close to the tree.
A happy birthday to "Lemonade". I'll toast you later this evening.
Volunteer work at the hospital this afternoon. To answer your question Dennis: I work at the front information desk. Our duties include directing visitors to their destinations, making wheelchairs available and delivering flowers to patients. Also help deliver charts to all departments. Our main job though, is greeting visitors and helping them with any questions or problems they may have. Very rewarding and enjoyable. So far, I have worked a bit over 1000 hours.
Vaya con Dios
A little more time than I expected, waiting for guests. I want to say the Bee's photo is wonderful. Just need one more for a fourth generation!
ReplyDeleteGreat poem too, Jazz!
They're here, so gotta run!
I just loved it.
ReplyDeleteThe theme words were fun to solve and helpful for getting the other clues.
Nice pairing of GUSHES and GUSHER’s source, DR. PHIL and OPRAH, and my favorite, GO GO and Go Go-go between, TEAM.
ISABEL Allende and RICOLA were gimmes for me, but I had to google ST. JOHNS. I got et alii from the perps and had no idea what it means.
And of course XIAN was a gimme! It never got lodged in my brain until CC told us about it, but it’s there now, to stay.
Happy Birthday Lemonade. If your Avatar is the way you celebrate birthdays, I predict you will stay young for years to come.
Andrea, it’s so nice to see you. You and Zoe look deliciously happy.
Lemonade,
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I wish you simple pleasures on this special day. It's a real pleasure knowing you.
I've had way too much fun this morning with Don's terrific puzzle. Thursday is sometimes called "Gimmick day". The TERRIBLE symmetry of 8 down is a good example of this.
ReplyDeleteGoofy stuff- DOH and ONO cross DON HO. Both those words are in DON HO.
21 down- CHEAP. Is a PEACH CHEAP?
HOLY COW, does Olive eat OYL CHOW?
1 across- PLASMA. Can you find LAS PALMAS in LA MAPS?
NATASHA HAS A TAN.
DALAI LAMA, ADLAI STEVENSON.
KQ- That Bob Klahn puzzle has achieved 'legendary' status. It's a remarkable puzzle. Amazing that it was shaped by pure luck and accident.
Jazzbumpa- You're pretty remarkable as well. If I had a job (Carpenters ain't doin' so hot) I'd give a days pay to knock back a few beers with ya.
Another fine puzzle today. I agree with Dennis, it did seem easier than usual for a Thursday, but I didn't mind. I prefer to take an old fashioned approach to solving xwords. I like the challenge of doing them in pen and paper offline over breakfast or lunch (rather than working them online), and all the xwords this week have fit into that working mode for me very well. So far I've found the puzzles this week pleasantly challenging, but not so much so that I needed to seek out additional google or other online help to finish them.
ReplyDeleteC.C. et. al., not to keep harping on this, but I still say "ire" is NOT a verb, and I am glad to see our puzzle editor has not clued it that way since that bum clue a little while back. If you look into it, I think you will find very few mainstream English dictionaries claim it is anything but a noun (maybe only one?).
Best,
anon-hp
Lemonade:
ReplyDeletehave a great birthday. Everyone's birthday should be a personal holiday
Al:
say a little more about Celebrex. I take it irregularly. A few years ago I had some problems after taking ibuprofen at high doses for several months treating a muscle tear. I thought Celebrex was more gastro friendly. Enlighten me, please.
To all:
let's repeat outloud, in unison:
Hahtool is a girl, a female human. Now click on SAVE.
Hi C.C. and gang:
ReplyDeleteThis was much easier than I thought it would be. I didn't get them all but it was not the difficulty level I was expecting. Cute theme (once I finally grasped it). I still do not understand 37A. RNA for messinger???
I could not think of Plasma TV even though we have one, never heard of Stu Erwin even though I was around in those days. Did not get Dr.___ as I never watch Oprah. Oh well, considering all that, I was still ok.
Happy Birthday Lemonade - drink up! Enjoy your day.
Dr.Dad : far out man!
Jazz: good one on the poem.
To the Bees: great picture, all of you are so pretty!
Al: since your profile states you as a database admin, did you quit medical school to do that? You offer decent medical advice on a regular basis so I was just wondering. :)
C.C. I did think of you when writing in Xi'An.
Good morning CC and all,
ReplyDeleteHoly cow, I loved this puzzle! It had just enough ???s, and I was excited to fill it in when I figured out the theme early on. Being the "perp queen" I had to wait for "next time"..so clever.Had parts of answers, like terrible, but had to work for twos..didn't understand why wonders fit that clue.Had (et)al, but not the ii for a bit.Knew Xian but not right away, and thought of you, CC.:)
I did "G" for Gail, St. Johns and Isabel. Laughed at the mention of "pinko". Didn't like clues for ebon or elec.
Happy Birthday Lemonade!
Jazz,wow..fun poem!
I think the Bees are our "it" family- such lovely ladies!
Jeanne, we went thru the canal last Nov on Holland America and loved the trip.Our fav stop was in Costa Rica where we'd love to revisit.Princess is owned by the same company and may target a younger group.
For our 40th, which was in June, we are going on a safari(So. Africa) in October.I am so excited!!!!
Reliving History:
ReplyDelete1859-The 1st successful oilwell was drilled near Titusville, PA
1961-Francis, the talking mule, was a mystery guest on "What's my Line."
1976- Transexual, Renee Richards, was barred from competing in the US Tennis Open.I wonder if that would happen today?
and, they are celebrating Mother Teresa Day in India
The birthdays today are more exciting. Lemonade, I hope you get cake(with or without zucchini)!
Hi C.C. and gang, it was a tricky puzzle for us today, we only got a couple of obvious ones like Don Ho before my wife left for work. I finished online in red. I got the terrible two's quickly and that helped to fill in the other similar ones.
ReplyDeleteC.C. About the top ten George W. "I like to fish"? This has been bugging me all morning since I know I also heard that line on NPR's Wait Wait Don't tell me.
I finally found the source of it at: link
"President’s Hobbies
Student. What are your hobbies?
The President. Hobbies? I like to fish."
Oh yes Xian, I did think of you C.C. when I got it.
ReplyDeleteI love puzzles like this morning's that remind me of "The Little Engine That Could" (my favorite book as a child). Started slow, struggled, got some traction, picked up speed, gained some confidence, then had the AHA! moment when I realized the theme, and loved the downhill finish by jumping all around filling in answers like crazy.
ReplyDeleteC.C. - Once I figured out NEXT TIME, XIAN was a slam dunk (and I did think of you). And thanks for the great interview.
Jazzbumpa - That was impressive. Nicely done.
Afternoon All,
ReplyDeleteDidn't get to the blog yesterday but did the puzzle and had similar experiences as most here. I actually got the theme which saved me going for red letter help.
Today, well that was different. First pass with pencil only yielded a dozen answers and my brain hit a wall. Went on line and got the theme first with red letter help. I gave up the rest due to work and came here. I did enjoy both puzzles regardless of my success or lack thereof.
CC, thanks for the interview and XI'AN!
Happy Birthday Lemonade! Nice wheeler. I can't see the decal, what kind?
Bees, Excellent picture which I had seen before but I never (but should have noticed) knew the family link. Very beautiful people!
JzB, You are truly talented. Excellent poem!!
Windhover, Nice pics yesterday. You have a lovely place to live and the company ain't hard on the eyes either.
Comment on satisfying your audience: In my work world if I've got 50% pissed off and 50% having no opinion, I'm doing my job well.
DrDad, Smoked Turkey is my favorite. I was renting from a buddy years ago and we raised a bunch of turkeys. One tom got to near 40 pounds and would'nt fit in the oven so we built a smoker to fit the bird. It was the best! I've never been able to match that one. Might have been the other stuff that was smoked back in the day!!
This song stirred some long forgotten memories of high school years when it came out.
Look at me ramble!!
Have a great day.
This is my favorite song from then, classic rock is my fav ;-)
ReplyDeletesummer of '69
It's the Summer of 2009, and I'm still caught somewhere between a boy and man. I think I've been 12 for 50 years.
ReplyDeleteMelissa -
Terrific X-generational picture. I realize now the "B" stands for Beautiful Ladies.
Thanks for all the kind words, folks. That Blake poem carries a sign that says, "Parody Me." I'll bet it's been done hundreds of times. There was one baseball themed (Detroit Tigers) back when I was young - in Mad Magazine, IIRC.
The initial couplet popped out at me, and we were discussing the symmetry . . .
OTOH, something like Hopkins' WOMDHOVER is untouchable.
Jerome -
I'm sincerely sorry I angered you yesterday. I'd love to knock back a few cold ones with you.
Speaking of satisfying your audience - I've got a meeting with the Township Supervisor this afternoon to see if I can get better satisfaction for my subdivision. I took shower, and shaved, and everything.
The LW is in court again today, waiting to be selected - or not - for jury duty. She called at noon. I asked, "What's happening?" and she said, "I can't tell you."
Gives a different perspective to "We also serve who only stand and wait."
Wow. Just tracked down the source, which I had totally forgotten.
On His Blindness
John Milton
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait."
That is poetry!
Cheers!
JzB the community-involved trombonist
Uhhhh -
ReplyDeleteHopkins' WINDHOVER.
JzB (still can't type)
@Windhover, you should take care with Celebrex, which is a COX-2 inhibitor like Vioxx, and perhaps consult an unrelated doctor for a second opinion or a different painkiller... The best site I can send you to for self-research is the one at drugs.com. There is also an interesting site I found that is starting to search the Medline database for reported results of studies that are not necessarily drugs, and probably won't get any attention because there's no money to be made from it.
ReplyDelete@Carol, my background is pretty diverse. I started as a Chem major, and graduated in Medical Technology with minors in Chem and Comp Sci., worked in a car dealership, then consulted for awhile before winding up where I am. I am most definitely not a doctor, so take anything I say with a grain of salt and consult your own physician and do your own research, making sure to get as many arguments as you can from both sides. Remember, it's your body being affected. Ask your doctor if he/she would give the same thing to his/her own children.
I became, shall we say, disenchanted, with the conventional medical establishment for chronic problems, for many reasons, starting way back in college, and finding out that so much medicine was just to treat symptoms, and not to really address the underlying problem. I contracted sarcoidosis a few years back and between the tests and steroids I couldn't believe there wasn't a better way. And I did find several, but they all took time and I got no help from conventional doctors.
For acute problems however, like accidents and life-saving surgery that's another matter, and conventional doctors understand that sort of thing much better (but not always all of them).
I personally believe that correct nutrition will do more for you than any doctor can for all the long term problems that people have. Our food supply has become so industrialized and packaged that there’s not much of value in it anymore, just calories. It is actually a lot of work now to conciously seek out the whole foods (mostly vegetables, preferably raw) that your body really needs and is crying out for by making us sick. But again, investigate yourself, go out and make your own informed decisions. There is a lot of conflicting info out there and may be hard to digest it all, but make sure not to take just one person's word for something. Keep an open mind, and especially follow the money trail and see who stands to benefit.
Hippocrates said let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food. Doctors all take the hippocratic oath, which states: First do NO harm. Read the side-effects on any drugs today and ask yourself if doctors are following their oath...
Sorry all, if you're still reading, I really didn't mean to go on so long... especially since this doesn't have much to do with crossword puzzles.
Jazzbumpa,
ReplyDeleteWow, talk about talent! You are so good at weaving poetic tapestry.
Andrea,
Nice to see you back.
Jerome,
"First STALLIONS, LIONS LAST!" is my all time favorite. Then "Hi, C.C."
Windhover,
I vaguely remember a Celebrex recall and the stock price plunge.
Warren,
Thanks for "I like to fish". I still don't find it funny though. Fishing is a good hobby, isn't it?
Hello All--I finished today's puzzle, but as I'm celebrity challenged I usually need some help with names. With help on Isabel, Gabe, St Johns and Stu the answers started to fall. I soon found the two theme answers--Loved Ones and High Fives so it was pretty much down hill from there.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy this puzzle's challenge and am adding to my knowledge every day. I liked DOH as I use that word A LOT!
Clues that were fun were Folded Fare, High Time, and Tight. All made me think a little out of the box.
Many Happy Returns of the Day, Lemonade.
C.C. Xian did remind me of you.
JazzB--Your pome was super. Would that I could be so clever.
I have to echo Elissa for the B's. They are the "Bees Knees".
Barb B & Al,
ReplyDeleteI got some organic coconut oil yesterday. It has no smell. The upper bit turns into liquid this morning. Should I put it in the fridge? I have no planning to cook with it. Just want to use it as skin care.
Dennis et al,
Thanks for thinking of me when you filled in XI'AN. It made me happy.
C.C, the 'like to fish' quote was only funny because they intentionally put it out of context to poke fun at George K.
ReplyDeleteI think the the pundits are finding it slightly harder to poke fun at Obama?
@ Jeanne, my wife and I took the Panama Canal cruise, on Holland America, over Christmas last year. We were completely satisfied and are thinking about another cruise this Christmas.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to know any specifics you can contact me at my email address.
@C.C. Is it warmish where you stored the CO? It will liquefy at just over 75 degrees. I have never refrigerated mine, in fact I warm it up to use it, and I do use it in cooking and eating. It doesn't require refrigeration, just like olive oil.
ReplyDeleteOdd that there's no smell at all though. Mine does have a slight scent to it. You'll probably notice it more the warmer you get it.
Good afternoon!
ReplyDeleteSorry to have been out of pocket. Family member in the hospital, out now. Side effects of a new medication....Still trying to get everything sorted out.
More about the puzzle later....
Two quick comments.
@Al: acetaminophen is particularly hard on the liver. A busy ER can count on seeing unintentional overdoses many times a year. Lots of physicians/pharmacists believe that the "recommended dosage" listed on label is too high & are lobbying to get it reduced. It's a "hidden" ingredient in many poplular cold relief remedies, so people sometimes mistakenly take too much. Reading labels carefully is a must; the window between a therapeutic dose and one with severe toxicity isn't that wide.
On to bills! Friends were visiting from Italy and for some reason, wanted to see and "buy" a two dollar bill. Local branch bank didn't have any. Bigger bank, same story. Mega bank took 45 minutes to turn one up! Just one! We had a security guard with a headphone giving updates every few minutes. After about 15" we were ready to give up, but the bank people wouldn't hear of it!
Talk about a scavenger hunt... It would have made a pretty good documentary on PBS.
Back to work now!
@PJB, you're correct, of course. Not sure how I mixed up liver and kidneys, maybe because both deal with waste.
ReplyDeleteJust giving an example of how you shouldn't listen to just one person's opinion about medical concerns. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...
JD, where do you plan on going on safari? We went in '03 and loved it. We saw an incredible amount of wildlife - 4 of the "Big 5" and did a brai (their term for barbeque). You will have such fun.
ReplyDeleteManiac and Warren, I am with you on the songs. Thanks for the links.
Al, I agree on the food issue. Sarcoidosis sounds awful. I too have several chronic health issues that I believe are all caused by our environment and foods we eat. Hard to change old habits though. However, acetaminophen I believe is in a different class than NSAID's as it does not have anti-inflammatory or blood clotting reduction properties, and is supposedly easier on the stomach. However, it is potentially dangerous to the kidney's. Unfortunately, with chronic pain, I have taken too many of each of these. I try to eliminate them, but some days that just doesn't seem like an option.
Ah, sorry. As PJB just noted, it should be the liver not kidneys.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteFrom yesterday, what a great set of pix of Windover, the Irish (gorgeous), and the back yard.
My eyes are green, but when teaching in NM, the janitor told me I had eyes just like a goat's.
Lemonade, happy birthday and many more.
Of course I thought of you when XI'AN came up, C.C..
And Jazz, the take-off on Tiger Tiger was brilliant.
Cheers
PS: I forgot to say how lovely the Bees are.
ReplyDeleteClever theme today.
Cheers
11:02 today. I took my time, so as to savor all of this wonderful puzzle. I know I'm always carping about too many names, but these were all well-known and there were no difficult crosses, so the puzzle gets a gold star from me.
ReplyDeleteI solve "downs first" and c.c. will be happy to hear that I filled in XI'AN immediately, with no crosses. See? An old dog can learn new tricks, thanks to our wonderful blogmistress.
My initial BIG TENS was quickly replaced with the correct TOP TENS. Otherwise, no missteps.
Speaking of TENS, those are some killer B's. The male population of Northern California needs to watch out! Beauty and brains (obviously, since two of them hang out here), I'm in a swoon. B mine? (Oops, I nearly forgot I'm happily married.)
@jerome: Your clever anagramming never ceases to amaze me. I, too, absolutely loved the TERRIBLE asymmetry.
A great game for anagram fans (suggested by someone on this blog) is Royalty. I don't do too well at it (not a good anagrammer), but it's a lot of fun to play.
good afternoon c.c. and all,
ReplyDeletefun puzzle, took two theme answers to get the bill idea, which helped alot. thanks to you c.c., i did fill in XIAN immediately. loved seeing HOLY COW and DALAI lama in the same grid. sent my son to school today with some RICOLAs.
caterpillars more muscles than humans, who knew? they need little caterpillar massage therapists.
kazie, good lord, no fourth generations just yet!! on the other hand, i cannot WAIT until she has a 19 year old daughter. bwahahaha.
happy happy bday, lemonade.
jd, a safari!!
andrea, great pic.
thanks again for all the nice comments, fun all the 'bee' phrases. have missed complimenting some of the other pics of late since i haven't been here regularly lately, but have really enjoyed seeing them all. great idea c.c.
Well, I'm on the bus to Chitown, almost to Elgin, posting on my iPhone. Actually finished the whole puzzle google free! Lots of lucky guessing and perp help, but got it done! Quite enjoyable, and helped ride fly by. Only mistake was Xian and aiin crossing. I most definitely thought about you CC - wished you were sitting next to me on the bus... :)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Lemonade.
My picture with Zoe was taken at one of the Concerts on the Square this summer. Every Wed in July the Madison Chamber Orchestra plays a free concert at the Capital bldg, and 1000's of people picnic on the lawn to listen. Or in our case with a 3 year old, to sit halfway around the other side so we can hear the music while she runs around. Such a Madison treasure!
Good evening Cc and all,
ReplyDeleteJust saw on AOL that Barbara Feldon agent 99 on get smart is 77.
Got through most of todays w/o google except for Isabel Allende.Also got theme which is a rarity for me.
Red Storm, before P C days were know as the REDMEN. They were coached by the quintessential New Yorker Lou Carnesecca.
We have 3 "HONEY" Bees
Happy Birthday Lemonade.
KQ, we'll fly into Johannesburg and head to the Drakensburg Mts and the Blyde River Canyon. A few days later we will travel to Kruger Nat. Park.After a series of jaunts, we will end up in Capetown. This has been a dream forever.Next week I get all of my shots :(
ReplyDeleteBTW CC, I laughed so hard at Letterman's Top Ten.
Re: Saint John's University - one of America's leading Catholic universities. (I see Irish Jim beat me but I'll add to it.)
ReplyDeleteFounded in 1870 by the Vincentian Community. St. Vincent’s teachings form the core of St. John’s philosophy. (St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), the Patron Saint of Christian charity.)
There are five campuses: three in NYC; Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island, one on Long Island; Oakdale, and one in Rome, Italy.
The athletic department started in 1907. Due to their red uniforms in the twenties, sports writers deemed them The Red Men. In the early '90s, new nickname, the Red Storm, was adopted.
Hey, maybe two or three of you would think this could be fun, or a little brain teaser.
ReplyDeleteWhat one thing needs to be done to make today's grid symmetric?
You can't play if you're a MENSA member, your name's Fred, or you were born in China.
Someone sent me this one and I thought Crocket and Windhover would appreciate it.
ReplyDelete100 MILE AN HOUR GOAT
Two Texans are out hunting, and as they are walking along they come
upon a huge hole in the ground.
They approach it and are amazed by the size of it.
The first hunter says "Wow, that's some hole; I can't even see the
bottom. I wonder how deep it is."
The second hunter says" I don't know, let's throw something down and
listen and see how long it takes to hit bottom."
The first hunter says "There's this old automobile transmission here,
give me a hand and we'll throw it in and see".
So they pick it up and carry it over, and count one, and two and three,
and throw it in the hole.
They are standing there listening and looking
over the edge and they hear a rustling in the brush behind them.
As they turn around they see a goat come crashing through the brush, run
up to the hole and with no hesitation, and jumped in head first.
While they are standing there looking at each other, looking in the hole
and trying to figure out what that was all about, an old farmer walks
up.
"Say there", says the farmer, "you fellers didn't happen to see my
goat around here anywhere, did you?"
The first hunter says " Funny you should ask, but we were just standing
here a minute ago and a goat came out of the bushes doin' about
a hunert miles an hour and jumped headfirst into this hole here!"
The old farmer said "Why that's impossible, I had him chained to an
old transmission!"
JD, How exciting. We didn't get to Cape Town, but I hear it is beautiful. We went to Joburg and took a tour of Soweto - very informational and well worth doing. Then to Pilanesburg National Park for the Safari. It was much less expensive than Kruger, but not as popular of a place. It turned out great. We spent most of our time in Howick in the Drakensburg Mountains. Very scenic. We attended a wedding. You will so enjoy it. I didn't have to get any shots though.
ReplyDeleteGet ready to drive on the left side of the road. And the flight is brutal, but worth it. I hope you are going business class.
Hi bloggers. Nice puzzle today,not too easy though. I had some trouble with some of things. Never heard of 'by the by' for incidently(18A). I was putting in 'by the way' until I ran out of spaces
ReplyDeleteIn the welcome back Kotter picture , that's John Travolta in the red shirt.
I have no idea about 59D, clue or answer.
Nice to see our host's hometown as part of the puzzle. I wonder why there is an apostrophe in Xi'An.
Al:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you re chronic illness and doctors. The only thing they know to do is drug it. That's what they're trained to do. It's Kaplan's law of the hammer. If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
Doreen
Chap.
ReplyDeleteSlay is used to describe a stand up comedian going over big with an audience. He would "slay the audience'
Jazz, Love the Milton Poem.
Warren: I was reading your entry out loud to my husband and we both just laughed ourselves silly. I had just told him that when I was with the Friends of the Library today, sorting books for the upcoming book sale I came upon a book of hillbilly jokes and read the following.
ReplyDeleteOne hillbilly says to the other "If you can guess how many chickens I have in this here sack, I'll give you both of them."
The other hillbilly replies, "Five?"
I thought for sure there would be lots of comments about "too many names" in today's puzzle. But everyone seemed to like it a lot. It must not be the inclusion of names, but the way they are placed in the puzzle that makes the difference.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of britishisms and I think that BY THE BY is much more fun than "By the way". I tried using "whilst" for a while too, but I kept forgetting and finally gave it up.
Chap, 59D "Elict guffaws from". When you make someone laugh out loud, the old saying is "You slay me." It doesn't make sense, I know. It is just a slang expression.
Ooops, just saw Irish Jim covered this, but I'll just add my two cents.
Late again today...terrifically fun puzzle although I didn't initially think so...like WH, a few acrosses, a lot of head scratching and mumbling.
ReplyDeleteReally like that NEXT and TIME intersected and I was hoping for a 3rd talk show host after PHIL and OPRAH. C.C., no worms for me on XIAN...bingo! Cheers to our lovely blogmistress.
Had absolutely no clue on STJOHNS or ISABEL( although I do remember the tragedy of her father). Still don't understand ERN(?) and loved ancient septet. Fun fresh and I actually got the the theme today and loved the assymemtry of the design.
Have to admit I was terribly stumped by the EBON clue and was in the area of Heaven's GATE with Shelly Winters , which made absolutely no sense...ARRGH...never thought of the poet Percy B. Shelley until I filled it in...probably my toughest fill.
Mostly checked in after reading all the comments to add my very happy birthdays to Lemonade...love the avatar.
C.C. awesome interview
Al, I am on your page...if anyone is really interested about their food, a non-technical and fun book to read is Michael Pollen's latest. I have shelves of food writing and his do stand out as very readable.
Dennis re FF, Jack N...why do I not find that at all surprising?
Jazz...Fabulous, clever and wonderful...I am in awe! :o)
All the beautiful Bees...what an incredibly gorgeous group of ladies and I can see that it definitely started with BarbB...you are a lovely family. We keep hoping that Melissa will find some free time to join us one day.
Lemonade...also loved the LBJ quotes...LOL! :o)
Cheers
Irish jim and Clear eyes, thank you for clarifying "slay" for me.
ReplyDeleteClear, what did you mean 'more fun' with 'by the by'?
My favourite song from the 80's I was an Oingo Boingo fan.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jItz-uNjoZA
Well a warm and fuzzy day all around; thank you all for the kind wishes and words. I went out to a networking event sponsored by Perfect Vodka, that doubled as a b-day party, and for some reason I ended up really sleepy. Luckily, the phone rang, and now I am awake enough to thank you all; the 4 wheeler was on the farm in Tennessee, and it was lots of fun, and unlike the horses, it never bit me, but that is another story. Okay, on to Friday take care all and again, finding this blog has been a real positive in a difficult year.
ReplyDelete"September the fourth 2001, I stood in the ruins of the twin towers. It's a day I will never forget."
ReplyDelete-George Bush
Marlton NJ October 18 2004
My favorite 80's song
Murray Head One Night in Bangkok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9mwELXPGbA