Theme: Hum Along - HUM is inserted at the beginning of a familiar phrase, resulting in a new phrase that start with a familiar HUM* beginning word.
17A: Military Vehicle arrangement?: (HUM)VEE FORMATION. Geese fly in VEE FORMATION. And "Military Vehicle" = HUMVEE. Widely used in Iraq/Afghanistan.
24A: Flower holder that carries a tune?: (HUM)MING VASE. I don't really know why foreigners prize MING VASES. Those produced in Qing Dynasty are prettier. And "carries a tune" = HUMMING.
43A: Ordinary dinner bread? (HUM)DRUM ROLL. DRUM ROLLS are used to build anticipation. Ordinary = HUMDRUM. Ennui. Oprah. Dr. Phil.
56A: Chemical that keeps the baloney out?: (HUM)BUG REPELLENT. Have to use Mosquito REPELLENT while playing golf earlier in the morning. "Baloney"= HUMBUG. Nonsense!
I think Barry made this puzzle when he was hungry. He put in ONION (32A: __ rings), HAMS (23D: Canned meats), SALSA (36A: Mexican eatery staple) & SAUSAGES (36D: Kielbasas, e.g.). I have never heard of kielbasa. My husband calls it Polish sausage.
Maybe Barry does not like Waldorf salad, otherwise he would have clued APPLE (41A: Jobs creation) differently. I do like his clue though. Jobs here refer to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. I just talked about his liver transplant last Sunday.
Fine puzzle. Fun too. Three X's, one J, one Z, four V's. Barry's hallmark. He said HUMMING VASE was his seed entry. It came to him while he was solving another puzzle. Then he found three others. He made this puzzle in June 2009.
Across:
1A: Langley et al.: Abbr.: AFBS (Air Force Bases). Air Force's Air Combat Command is headquartered in Langley Air Force Base (Hampton, Virginia). Somehow I thought of CIA, which is headquartered in Langley, Virginia.
5A: Sports disks that can reach speeds of more than 100 miles per hour after being struck: PUCKS. Oh, I did not know this trivia.
10A: Steinbeck hero Tom: JOAD. From "The Grapes of Wrath".
15A: R&B family name: ISLEY. Very dim memory of the name. What's their most famous song?
16A: Magazine name that's also a pronoun: ELLE. French for "she/her".
20A: How pros do things: EXPERTLY. Like Tiger Woods. He never even wastes a practice shot. Highly efficient.
21A: "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" singer: PITNEY (Gene). Here is the clip. I've never heard of the singer nor the song.
29A: FDR predecessor: HCH (Herbert Clark Hoover). Did not know Hoover's middle name.
34A: Revelatory, as a moment: AHA
35A: 45 years after William I invaded England: MCXI. Roman for 1111. William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066. 1066 + 45=1111.
38A: One of the Four Corners states: Abbr.: ARIZ
39A: Biblical judge: ELI. Nice new clue. No more Yale references. BASTA.
40A: Draped attire: SARI. Also SAREE.
46A: Low pitch: BASS. D'oh, musical tone. I was thinking of baseball.
47A: MPG rating group: EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
48A: City with a University of Washington campus: TACOMA. Seattle & TACOMA, that's all I know about Washington State.
51A: Street entrances: MANHOLES. Not the entrances I pictured.
58A: Get from __: advance slightly: A TO B
59A: English county bordering Suffolk: ESSEX. The German industrial city is ESSEN.
60A: Alamo first name: DAVY(Crockett)
61A: He sings "Maria" in "West Side Story": TONY
63A: Terrier type: SKYE. Must be first bred in the Isle of SKYE.
Down:
2D: Continuous change: FLUX. This whole world is in constant FLUX. Nothing stays still.
3D: Speed __: BUMP. Don't think I've seen BUMP in a puzzle before.
4D: Golf's Ballesteros: SEVE. Genius around green. I am glad he beat the brain cancer and will play at the 2010 British Open.
5D: Bakery container: PIE TIN
6D: Old Glory: US FLAG. Only one vowel.
7D: Sate: CLOY. Paris Hilton's sweetness is overly cloying.
8D: Plop lead-in: KER
9D: Academic conferences: SYMPOSIA. Plural of symposium. Can you believe it's a gimme for me?
10D: Breakwater: JETTY. Both the clue and the answer are new to me. JETTY sounds so adjective.
13D: Opposite of grant: DENY. Verb. I wrote down DEBT first, thinking of the noun endowment.
18D: Watergate Senator Sam: ERVIN. Wikipedia says Senator ERVIN also brought down McCarthy.
27D: French pronoun: MOI. And TOI & LUI, another two objective pronouns that end with letter I.
28D: Logically sound: VALID
29D: Silent film star?: HARPO. I was stumped. HARPO Marx. Why question mark?
37D: Pentagon topic: ARMS. I bet ARMS interest those guys more than peace.
38D: Auto loan letters: APR. Annual Percentage Rate I presume.
40D: SeaWorld favorite: SHAMU
41D: Title hero in a 1951 opera commissioned for television: AMAHL. Menotti's "AMAHL and the Night Visitors". I drew a blank.
44D: Grim figure?: REAPER. Grim REAPER, personification of death.
45D: One deck: UP NEXT
46D: Ewing whose ex-wife dreamt an entire season of "Dallas": BOBBY. No idea. Interesting Barry used "dreamt" instead of "dreamed". Linda mentioned a while ago that "dreamt" is the only English word that ends in "mt".
49D: Monte Carlo, e.g.: AUTO. I was thinking of Grace Kelley's Monte Carlo.
50D: "Let's go!": C'MON
51D: Monument Valley sight: MESA. I feel hot just seeing this picture.
52D: Cutlass automaker: OLDS. Would prefer a AUTO-less clue.
53D: Security problem: LEAK. Bob Novak's legacy will be forever marred by his CIA LEAK scandal.
54D: It's a sin: ENVY. A deadly sin.
57D: 18, 19, 20 in a series: RST. Can't fool me. The alphabet series.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a wonderful family photo of our fellow LAT solver Jazzbumpa (the forever changing trombonist), his lovely wife Gloria and their grandchildren.
He said:
17A: Military Vehicle arrangement?: (HUM)VEE FORMATION. Geese fly in VEE FORMATION. And "Military Vehicle" = HUMVEE. Widely used in Iraq/Afghanistan.
24A: Flower holder that carries a tune?: (HUM)MING VASE. I don't really know why foreigners prize MING VASES. Those produced in Qing Dynasty are prettier. And "carries a tune" = HUMMING.
43A: Ordinary dinner bread? (HUM)DRUM ROLL. DRUM ROLLS are used to build anticipation. Ordinary = HUMDRUM. Ennui. Oprah. Dr. Phil.
56A: Chemical that keeps the baloney out?: (HUM)BUG REPELLENT. Have to use Mosquito REPELLENT while playing golf earlier in the morning. "Baloney"= HUMBUG. Nonsense!
I think Barry made this puzzle when he was hungry. He put in ONION (32A: __ rings), HAMS (23D: Canned meats), SALSA (36A: Mexican eatery staple) & SAUSAGES (36D: Kielbasas, e.g.). I have never heard of kielbasa. My husband calls it Polish sausage.
Maybe Barry does not like Waldorf salad, otherwise he would have clued APPLE (41A: Jobs creation) differently. I do like his clue though. Jobs here refer to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. I just talked about his liver transplant last Sunday.
Fine puzzle. Fun too. Three X's, one J, one Z, four V's. Barry's hallmark. He said HUMMING VASE was his seed entry. It came to him while he was solving another puzzle. Then he found three others. He made this puzzle in June 2009.
Across:
1A: Langley et al.: Abbr.: AFBS (Air Force Bases). Air Force's Air Combat Command is headquartered in Langley Air Force Base (Hampton, Virginia). Somehow I thought of CIA, which is headquartered in Langley, Virginia.
5A: Sports disks that can reach speeds of more than 100 miles per hour after being struck: PUCKS. Oh, I did not know this trivia.
10A: Steinbeck hero Tom: JOAD. From "The Grapes of Wrath".
15A: R&B family name: ISLEY. Very dim memory of the name. What's their most famous song?
16A: Magazine name that's also a pronoun: ELLE. French for "she/her".
20A: How pros do things: EXPERTLY. Like Tiger Woods. He never even wastes a practice shot. Highly efficient.
21A: "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" singer: PITNEY (Gene). Here is the clip. I've never heard of the singer nor the song.
29A: FDR predecessor: HCH (Herbert Clark Hoover). Did not know Hoover's middle name.
34A: Revelatory, as a moment: AHA
35A: 45 years after William I invaded England: MCXI. Roman for 1111. William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066. 1066 + 45=1111.
38A: One of the Four Corners states: Abbr.: ARIZ
39A: Biblical judge: ELI. Nice new clue. No more Yale references. BASTA.
40A: Draped attire: SARI. Also SAREE.
46A: Low pitch: BASS. D'oh, musical tone. I was thinking of baseball.
47A: MPG rating group: EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
48A: City with a University of Washington campus: TACOMA. Seattle & TACOMA, that's all I know about Washington State.
51A: Street entrances: MANHOLES. Not the entrances I pictured.
58A: Get from __: advance slightly: A TO B
59A: English county bordering Suffolk: ESSEX. The German industrial city is ESSEN.
60A: Alamo first name: DAVY(Crockett)
61A: He sings "Maria" in "West Side Story": TONY
63A: Terrier type: SKYE. Must be first bred in the Isle of SKYE.
Down:
2D: Continuous change: FLUX. This whole world is in constant FLUX. Nothing stays still.
3D: Speed __: BUMP. Don't think I've seen BUMP in a puzzle before.
4D: Golf's Ballesteros: SEVE. Genius around green. I am glad he beat the brain cancer and will play at the 2010 British Open.
5D: Bakery container: PIE TIN
6D: Old Glory: US FLAG. Only one vowel.
7D: Sate: CLOY. Paris Hilton's sweetness is overly cloying.
8D: Plop lead-in: KER
9D: Academic conferences: SYMPOSIA. Plural of symposium. Can you believe it's a gimme for me?
10D: Breakwater: JETTY. Both the clue and the answer are new to me. JETTY sounds so adjective.
13D: Opposite of grant: DENY. Verb. I wrote down DEBT first, thinking of the noun endowment.
18D: Watergate Senator Sam: ERVIN. Wikipedia says Senator ERVIN also brought down McCarthy.
27D: French pronoun: MOI. And TOI & LUI, another two objective pronouns that end with letter I.
28D: Logically sound: VALID
29D: Silent film star?: HARPO. I was stumped. HARPO Marx. Why question mark?
37D: Pentagon topic: ARMS. I bet ARMS interest those guys more than peace.
38D: Auto loan letters: APR. Annual Percentage Rate I presume.
40D: SeaWorld favorite: SHAMU
41D: Title hero in a 1951 opera commissioned for television: AMAHL. Menotti's "AMAHL and the Night Visitors". I drew a blank.
44D: Grim figure?: REAPER. Grim REAPER, personification of death.
45D: One deck: UP NEXT
46D: Ewing whose ex-wife dreamt an entire season of "Dallas": BOBBY. No idea. Interesting Barry used "dreamt" instead of "dreamed". Linda mentioned a while ago that "dreamt" is the only English word that ends in "mt".
49D: Monte Carlo, e.g.: AUTO. I was thinking of Grace Kelley's Monte Carlo.
50D: "Let's go!": C'MON
51D: Monument Valley sight: MESA. I feel hot just seeing this picture.
52D: Cutlass automaker: OLDS. Would prefer a AUTO-less clue.
53D: Security problem: LEAK. Bob Novak's legacy will be forever marred by his CIA LEAK scandal.
54D: It's a sin: ENVY. A deadly sin.
57D: 18, 19, 20 in a series: RST. Can't fool me. The alphabet series.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a wonderful family photo of our fellow LAT solver Jazzbumpa (the forever changing trombonist), his lovely wife Gloria and their grandchildren.
He said:
In front:
Gloria (aka the Lovely Wife), Josh (who has had enough), and Ron, (aka JzB, your humble trombonist.)
In back:
Nate (of Blues fame), Ryan, Abby (the artist), Lauren, Alexa, Amanda, Emily, Samantha, Rebekka, Danny.
I had to do some red-eye correction. Emily, frex. could look either Goth or demonic. I chose Goth."
C.C.
C.C.
61 comments:
Morning, All. This was an easily doable Friday puzzle. I quickly got the top half completed, but stumbled a bit at on the bottom half. Although I got all the long clues/answers straight away, I had trouble making the connection to the theme. My initial fills were HUMVEE FORMATION (Vee Formation) and HUMMING VASE (Ming Vase), so wanted to see HUM and V in the other long responses.
Immediately thought of Toga instead of SARI for draped attire (40A), but SHAMU (40D) didn’t like that.
Favorite clues: Street Entrances (51A): MANHOLES and Grim Figure (44D): REAPER.
On this date in 1998, Google, Inc., was formally incorporated by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They were students at Stanford at the time. Crossword solving has never been the same!
September 4 Birthdays:
1981 ~ Beyonce Knowles, singer and actress
1951 ~ Judith Ivey, actress
1929 ~ Thomas Eagleton (d. 2007), Senator from Missouri, most well known for briefly being a VP candidate for George McGovern in 1972.
1906 ~ Max Delbruck (d. 1981), German biophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1969 for discoveries concerning the replication mechanism of viruses. His studies help to lay the foundation for the field of study in molecular biology.
1905 ~ Mary Renault (d. 1983), English novelist. I used to love her books; they were historical fiction that took place in ancient Greece.
1803 ~ Sarah Childress Polk (d. 1891) Wife of President James Polk and 12th First Lady
QOD: I’m living so far beyond my income that we ma almost be said to be living apart. ~ ee cummings.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - what a treat: the start of a 4-day weekend and a Barry Silk puzzle -- life is good! Loved the puzzle, loved the theme.
Surprisingly for a Friday puzzle, I got through this one with no help, outside of a few perpassists. I loved all the fresh clues, including the Isley Brothers, Gene Pitney, Harpo Marx and several others. Especially liked 'C'mon'. Unknowns included '45 years after William I invaded England', and 'Bobby Ewing' (the only Dallas I ever watched had someone named 'Debbie' in it). And I don't know that I've ever seen 'symposia' in a crossword before.
C.C., Harpo Marx wasn't a star in silent films, but rather a silent star in all his films. He never spoke.
Jazz, great picture - you've got a full football team there.
Today is Newspaper Carrier Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Couple more good quotes:
- "Beware of puppy love; it can lead to a dog's life." -- Gladiola Montana
- "If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple car payments." --Earl Wilson
Good morning, so many fun clues, Street entrances: MANHOLES, Low pitch: BASS and the added mathematic challenge of MCXI. It also was nice to remember Liberty Valence and PITNEY (Gene).
US FLAG. Only one vowel – not to be picky but I believe there are two. I also was unfamiliar with this definition: Sate: CLOY.
Thomas Eagleton not only was briefly the VP candidate with McGovern, but became part of the debate about mental health in the US. He did author a great line, when it was disclosed that Eagleton had been treated for mental health issues, had undergone “shock” therapy, took Thorazine, and had a diagnosis that said he had a 3% mental disability. Eagleton said, “I am the only senator who can show he is 97% sane.” It never ceases to amaze me that politicians fail to investigate their choices.
Mary Renault was one of the great historical novelists, and I suggest you read The King Must Die , Fire from Heaven and Persian Boy .
Good Morning All!
Can't believe this is the start of the Labor Day weekend. What happened to this summer?
I just loved this puzzle! Very clever! Can't believe I did so well on a Fri puzzle. Did not know Amahl or Isley (referring to the Isley Brothers?) Don't understand cloy for sate? Doesn't sate mean full, satisfy etc. Initially had visor for eye shade.
Hope everyone has a safe weekend!
Carol2, I think both cloy and sate mean basically 'to provide with an overabundance'.
Main Entry: 2sate
Pronunciation: \ˈsāt\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): sat·ed; sat·ing
Etymology: probably by shortening & alteration from satiate
Date: 1579
1 : to cloy with overabundance : glut
2 : to appease (as a thirst) by indulging to the full
Like I said, I never heard of it used that way, but there are too many words in English.
39 Across--Eli was a priest in the Bible, not a judge. See I Samuel 1.
Lynda, Wiki says that Eli was "the High Priest and 10th Judge of Israel", judging from 1107BC to 1067BC.
CC: I know virtually nothing about Washington State, either. I was in Seattle once for a conference and had some great seafood there.
This weekend, Seattle will be inundated with South Louisianians, as the LSU Tigers are playing against the Washington Huskies in the season's football opener. Go Tigers!
William the Conqueror was William I of England. He was the Duke of Normandy who invaded England in 1066, proclaiming himself King after killing King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Depiction of the battle was embroidered in the Bayeaux Tapestry, which is in a museum in Normandy. "Tapestry" is a misnomer, as it is really a work of embroidery.
Jazzbumpa: Wonderful picture of all the grandchildren with their grandparents! You are lucky to have such a large beautiful family.
Barry, fun puzzle. Silky. You are the best.
I wondered about the status of Eli, too. I checked the Jewish Encyclopedia and found the following:
"Eli held a twofold office: he was high priest at the central sanctuary of Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept (ib. i. 3, 12; iii. 2), and he was a judge in Israel, as is expressly stated in ib. iv. 18. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, whose wickedness brought grief and disgrace upon him and his family (ib. ii. 12-17, 27-36).
"Eli lived in a sad period of Israel's history. Shortly before, the armies of the Philistines, probably strengthened by reenforcements (Guthe, "Geschichte des Volkes Israel," 1899, p. 65), had begun to overrun the central districts from the south western border of Palestine (Josephus, "Ant." v. 8, § 1). Samson had arisen, "to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judges xiii. 5); but after his death the attacks were renewed, and Israel was obliged to take up arms (I Sam. iv. 1). In order to assure themselves of God's help the Israelites brought the Ark from Shiloh to the seat of the war, where it was carried by Eli's two sons. But God had not decreed victory to His people. They were first to be punished by disaster. Therefore the Israelitish army was defeated; Eli's two sons were killed, and the Ark was lost. When the messenger who brought the news of the battle told of the capture of the Ark Eli, who was ninety-eight years old, fell from his seat and died (ib. iv. 10-18)."
Good Morning, I thought I would wait until a little later in the morning to post this.
15A: R&B family name: ISLEY. Very dim memory of the name. What's their most famous song?
In 1962, the Isley Brothers did Twist and Shout which, I just discovered, was a cover of Twist and Shout by the Top Notes in 1961. The Beatles did a cover of Twist and Shout in 1963.
Top Notes
Isley Brothers
Beatles
Good Morning, all.
A great puzzle today.
I didn't see Barry Silk's name on the puzzle until I had run through about half the clues unsuccessfully. My very first thought upon realizing it was a Barry puzzle was how happy Dennis would be this morning! My second thought was no wonder I was getting traction on the bottom half first. This helped me get the theme, which then helped me go back up top and finish up.
Sarah Childress Polk is on my family tree - can't remember exactly how, but my Mom traced it back years ago and found her.
I was always more of a Knots Landing fan than a Dallas fan, which was a spinoff based around Gary Ewing, the blacksheep of the Ewing clan. But I did easily know about Bobby Ewing and the whole dream thing. That was quite a thing back in its day - probably not as big as who shot JR, but quite a water cooler topic nonetheless.
Nice picture, Jazz. Zoe was very interested to see all of your grandchildren!
Enjoy the day.
Andrea
I wonder if 48D, "Imagine THAT!" was a comment on 46D, the dream season on Dallas.
Good Morning All, Barry Silk? Love it, love it. CLOY, SYMPOSIA, SAUSAGE, MANHOLES were so enjoyable.
I remember the Watergate Hearings and "Senator Sam" ERVIN, making so many of the conspirators squirm.
The theme came to me with HUM MING VASE and I went back and finished off HUM VEE FORMATION with a few perps. I skipped forward a bit and filled in the other two HUMS, which gave a head start on the rest of the theme fills.
Not their biggest, but their first hit in 1959, Shout from the ISLEY Brothers. The song became really big after it appeared in the movie Animal House in 1978.
My two favorite clues were the crossing ones for HARPO and APPLE.
Jazzbumpa, When I first saw the photo, I though the caption read "Gloria (the lovely wife) (who has had enough)". I thought, "Well, sure. 11 grandchildren is enough for anybody." Then I had my first sip of coffee and realized that it was Josh, who had had enough. That makes even more sense for a little guy to have to put up with 10 older brothers/sisters/cousins. You have a "How the heck did this happen" look on your face. My take is that you are just very lucky. You have a gorgeous gang of kids there!
Good morning, everyone.
Nice to see a Barry Silk puzzle.
C.C., there's also Yakima, Spokane, and my favorite -- Walla Walla. Walla Walla sweet onions are great onions!
re: 60A The Crockett of Alamo fame was probably never called "Davy" in his adult lifetime. Most records and evidence points to "David" as the name he used. There is a Direct Descendants of David Crockett group that holds reunions in Tennessee and Texas on an alternating every other year basis. I am not a direct descendant, but am a first cousin 4 generations removed (whatever the heck that means!). David's grandfather is my 4th great-grandfather.
I think the question mark on 29D shifts the emphasis from the phrase "silent film" to the word "silent" since Harpo was in the talkies but didn't talk.
How about "Defunct Cutlass producer" for the 52D clue?
@jazzbumpa Nice looking crop of kids, but why are you pinching Josh?
@hahtool The image of Shamu in either a toga or sari brought a smile to my face.
Lovely pink in today's sunrise!
@dennis 4 days? Don't follow that one. I wanted SEMINAR for SYMPOSIA, so I didn't nail it like C.C. "Perpassists" -- Love it! Also love the WoW.
@carol2 Like the VISOR idea.
Have a great Friday and long weekend.
I really enjoyed this Barry Silk puzzle. Very clever theme (TRANSLATION= I wish I'd thought of it). Nice fresh fill and good clues. I really liked "Jobs Creation" APPLE,and "Silent film star?" HARPO. A really fun puzzle.
I had to struggle with the top third of this but got there eventually. Had levee at first for JETTY--don't think of jetty as a breakwater, but as a wooden structure on stilts or pilons above the water. Also CLOY doesn't compute with me for SATE. Cloying seems sticky and clinging to me.
Jazzbumpz has a great looking bunch of g'kids. Wish I could get just one!
No time to read here this morning, so will wish you all a great day.
Lovely puzzle this am. Thanks Barry for a nice challenge and great puzzle.
I got the top pretty easily, and was struggling on the bottom half. I figured out the beginning with HUM right away, but couldn't get the familiar phrases on the end. HUMMING VASE just wasn't clicking. When I did finally figure it out, I realized they were looking for BUG REPELLENT and that helped me finish the puzzle. I love when the theme helps you get the other clues. Usually its the other way around for me.
Lots of fun clues today. I should have know DAVY as we just visited the ALAMO recently, but that wasn't clicking. Kielbasa was a staple growing up as my father is part polish. Good stuff that is.
Loved Grim figure? and wrote in UP NEXT right away - surprised myself that it was right. For the silent film star I wanted Marcel Marceau - which I couldn't think of at the time but knew it wouldn't fit either. So I got the gist but didn't have the right character. Do you remember how he was the only one to talk in Mel Brooks Silent Movie and he only said "No".
Jazzbumpa, wow what a clan. You guys must be exhausted when that group leaves, but such fun for you. I am looking forward to grandparent days, just not quite yet.
Dennis, is the puppylove quote for my son? I am thinking he should read it.
Everyone, thanks for the advice and discussion about my son. Believe me, we have always had frequent talks with our kids about sex, respect, and on and on ad nauseum (maybe that is why they don't pay any attention any longer, sick of hearing us discuss the topic). I am on him like a hawk, reading emails, texts and facebook threads constantly, and sometimes even following him around as he knows he needs to get sneaky to get by me. I fully understand where there is a will there is a way. I think they are both good kids experimenting, as kids will do. However, apparently, her parents have very few rules and restrictions. They are 15 and it is too young to be that physically involved.
Thankfully I have other parents that agree with me and are helpful, as well as the benefit that the two of them don't attend the same school. I am excited that with classes beginning, they will both be very busy. Aren't teenage years wonderful?
Sorry to rant. I am a little mired in this. The girlfriend is gone for the weekend (YEA!!!) but with hubby gone all the time, this is my life. It is good that I can come here sometimes for a break too.
Hi CC and all, I have been lurking for a long time on your blog and finally decided to check in. I really enjoyed today's puzzle, a little bit of a challenge but not so difficult that it felt as if I never did a crossword before. I have enjoyed reading the blog and feel as if I know some of you well from reading your comments. Jazzbumpa, what a great picture. I have four grandsons and have been trying to get a picture of all of them together since the latest one was born in May but have not succeeded yet. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, I am off to Ireland tomorrow night with my husband and 4 friends.
I wasn't a fan of Gene PITNEY, but then I just found this version of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" by Kevin Costner. Yikes! Rock on, Gene!!
I wondered about the WOW from Gladiola Montana (who??). It seems that she has written several "cowgirl advice" books, such as Never Ask A Man The Size Of His Spread. Now I'm sure that Gladiola Montana is a pseudonym for Lois Horton.
Chickie, LOL, Loved your "breakaway dress' comment from last night.
WH, Can't argue with success. Although we haven't been plagued with elephants or tigers, GAH does have problems with late night leg cramps, so a bar of soap it will be.
GAH's problem must be all that walking around our soon-to-be defunct golf course...another victim of the economy. After $16 million, our local real estate developer/owner is closing the course down...for a while, it may reopen next spring. We'll see. GAH is in mourning. Looks like he will be back to twice a week driving to Modesto for his golf fix. I'll miss the restaurant AND the closing definitely won't be good for our property values!
Good Morning!
Some new clues and answers. I struggled but enjoyed it.
Had LEND as opposite of grant :) and HUMMER instead of HUMVEE for some time.
Need to train my brain to read
A TO B. Kept looking at ATOB and tried to figure out what it means?
Loved the MANHOLES clue and answer.
Learning for the day: CLOY as synonym for SATE and breakwater.
Beautiful kids, Jazzbumpa.
Have a great long weekend!
KQ, yes, I thought the 'puppylove' quote was apropos. And you're certainly not 'ranting' - this is a great place to share and discuss problems; it's a very smart and experienced group, full of good advice, as I'm sure you already know.
Crockett, I'm off today, hence the 4-day weekend.
Pattycake57, thanks for joining us. Have a wonderful trip, and hopefully you'll be a regular contributor when you get back.
ClearAyes, your Gladiola Montana/Lois Horton line made me laugh out loud.
Summer Breeze- The Isley Brothers (1974) Seals & Croft did it in 1973. But I prefer the Isley Brothers version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T88fbHOmvRk
Another fav
For the love of you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd2sOqbIcaM
Between The Sheets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glhdcJ7K3XM
The Isleys
Origin Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Genre(s) R&B, doo-wop, rock and roll, soul, gospel, funk, motown, quiet storm
Years active 1957–present
They are one of the few groups to have long-running success on the Billboard charts placing a charted single in every decade since 1959 and as of 2006 were still charting successful albums.
Hi C.C. & gang, it was an excellent Friday puzzle. We got the bottom 1/2 done before my wife left for work. She got the 'hum bug repellent' & 'man holes' and I got the 'hum drum roll'.
I couldn't come up with cloy for sate until I did a Thesaurus look up on it.
I knew it was Hoover but didn't know his middle initial either.
I gave up after getting HUMMING VASE. It's so hard to finish a puzzle when you can't figure out the theme: it's too bad because if Speed BUMP had come to me then I would have realised that the theme entries all began with HUM and that would have helped a lot. Unfortunately I had AFDS (Air FielDS) instead of AFBS so it never came together for me.
Sports disks that can reach speeds of more than 100 miles per hour after being struck: PUCKS. Oh, I did not know this trivia.
It's trivia when you're sitting at home watching a game. If you're in the net as the goalie, not so much. That's why they wear masks.
Mind you, my first instinct was to write SKEET as in SKEET shooting.
One of the Four Corners states: Abbr.: ARIZ.
Ohhh. I was thinking FLORida, CALIfornia or WASHington.
Academic conferences: SYMPOSIA.
SEMINARS is the same number of letters. I also wanted LEVEE for JETTY.
Martin
@treefrog and pattycake57 You're on the map now.
Good morning all. Welcome to Pattycake57. Nice to have another lurker decide to jump in. We'll look forward to more posts from you.
I went back to the print version today and struggled with the top third. Suddenly everything clicked and I finished with no Google help. HUMMINGVASE was the first theme entry, then with ROLL and HUM the others came too.
I loved Jobs creation, thought baseball before music and got MANHOLES from the perps.
Jazz, what a great picture! Lots of grandkids to spoil!
Have a good holiday and safe travel. My hubby and #1 son are on the road to Boston for sophomore year.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a western featuring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.
Senator Ranse Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) returns to the city of Shinbone in the Wild West, to go to the funeral of his friend, Tom Doniphon. To a journalist, who's wondering what the senator is doing in Shinbone, he tells how his career started as "the man who shot Liberty Valance". As a lawyer he came to Shinbone to bring law and order to the west by means of law books. When the stagecoach is held up by outlaws, he is savagely beaten by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). He survives the attack and is nursed by his future wife, Hallie. Hallie ( Vera Miles) being wooed by a local rancher, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne).
You should rent the movie from blockbuster online. It's a western romance story with a a little gun fight mixed in.
ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF.
Hi All,
I did very well, especially for a Friday puzzle. Blanked on PITNEY and didn't know Hoover's middle initial.
Recently reread The Grapes of Wrath. Aha moments were pietin and hazel. Was thinking visor.
Enjoyed the puzzle today.
KQ-my kids have been grown for years. But, I remember how relieved we were when all got out of high school without any drug,pregnancy or jail issues:} After high school the oldest boy went to Arizona (UTI), daughter to France for 3 months, and youngest joined the Navy. All came home safely.
Nice photo Jazzbumpa. Will have to check and see if I have one of us with our grandkids.
Thanks for putting me on the map Crockett. Now, how do I access it?
Have a great day all.
Hi C.C.and all -
Carol2 said it for me...where did summer go? The older I get, the faster the season's seem to go.
I sort of groaned when I saw today's puzzle was by Barry Silk..don't get me wrong, I love his puzzles but I seldom can complete them. Today was different. Either I am much smarter or the subject matter and thoughts of Mr. Silk were in sync with mine.
35A - I really wanted to put iiii in there, that is what it added up to and I didn't see any hint that it should be in Roman numerals. I don't do those numerals (or any other numerals very well, if at all) :)
I loved 44D (GRIM FIGURE/REAPER).
I didn't get the theme at first, but got it later. I had no idea about 41A.
Dennis (6:02) LOL at your comment about Dallas and Debbie!! She was a busy gal.
Jazz: Great picture - wow, what a busy time you must have with all those grands. They are all so cute and look so happy with the exception of little Josh.
CA - now we know what Lois does in her spare time! LOL
Crockett: I actually saw the sun rise too...it really was a beautiful shade of rose/pink.
I had a landmark moment this morning. I actually guessed the "Hum Along" theme before checking in with C.C.'s analysis. First time that ever happened.
Favorite clues were "street entrances" and "Jobs creation". My 15 year old worships at the altar of Steve Jobs. But he is very handy when I can't figure something out on my Mac.
I heard they've resurveyed the Four Corners area and the actual spot is not where that funky tourist trap is located. So all the silly pictures we took at the landmark with each arm and leg in four different states are now rendered obsolete.
Pam Ewing may have dreamt a whole season of Dallas, but my all time favorite "dream" was the entire series of Newhart.
A little more trivia about hockey pucks. Have never been too much of a fan. Growing up in Wisconsin we didn't follow the sport. In high school, when I moved to MN, they were obsessive (and still are). I dated a guy who took a slap shot to the face - before they used to wear face masks. He was blind in that eye. He told me he did a back flip from that shot. Sounds painful. I hear eventually he lost the eye completely. So the statistic didn't surprise me at all.
Hey Gang -
Magnificent puzzle today. Just one Roman numeral and a dreaded alphabet string from perfection. One can be the Navajo humility mark, and if that's what it takes to get HUMMING VASE and HUMBUG REPELLENT, then I'll live with the other as well.
So many clever misdirecting clues today, really adding to the fun.
Since my pic is up, I've looked for personal connections. Step-son Tom is stationed at Langley AFB, though currenty on deployment in Afghanistan. 3D is just one letter away from BUMPA. I post from, my Sony laptop, the LW uses the APPLE we bought last year. My dad had HAZEL eyes. Though I wanted this for eye shade. My sister and I got our brown eyes from Mom. My eyes know all too well the ACHE of a STYE.
Thanks for all the nice comments. The LW (who, fortunately, has NOT had enough) and I are truly
blessed. Abby, Loren, and Josh live in VA, not far from Langley, so getting all 11 together is pretty special. The pic was taken just a couple of weeks ago.
We've been taking kids-on-the-couch pics since the early days when it was only Danny, Amanda, and Ryan. Great fun watching them outgrow the furniture.
We're off to T-Town tonight for a family gathering at the Mud Hens game.
Cheers!
JzB the very lucky trombonist
Hi everybody. It's still too hot here for my taste. The fire is no longer dominating all the news coverage so that's a good thing.
Everybody has beaten me to all of my thoughts about the puzzle so I won't repeat them. I always fret over Friday puzzles and this one started off badly for me. I had trouble getting started in the upper-left corner. But then things started to flow after that and I finished OK. Very enjoyable.
Jazzbumpa, that's a nice-looking brood.
Speaking about getting hit by a hockey puck, a Dodger pitcher got hit in the head by a line drive right up the middle. The ball bounced off his head so hard, it went into foul territory and into the stands on one bounce. He's been out of commission for a couple of weeks but will start again in a few days. Geez!
Have a good weekend everybody!
Friday's puzzle was a HUMdinger! Loved it!
I am familiar with the "Liberty Valance" song, but not the vocalist. Thanks for posting the link to the song. It was fun to hear that "oldie".
Good day, all.
Another enjoyable puzzle, clever theme. Thank you Barry Silk!
I have to say that, although I've been doing xwords casually off and on for many years, I'm having much more fun with them after coming here and learning how constructors visualize and create puzzles. I also find myself thinking farther and farther outside the box, and being more aware of the subtleties of the clues. Reading about where others have gone in their thinking, whether correctly or incorrectly, is also extremely helpful. Many, Many thanks, C.C., for this blog, and to all who chime in! An added bonus, I am frequently so amused by the posts and banter that I literally LOL. I have yet to find the down side of laughter!
Dennis--Great WoW for the day. Each day does indeed begin with a clean slate. Brings to mind a Danny Kaye quote: "Life is a big canvas, throw all the paint on it you can."
Jazz--What a darling group of grandchildren!
Have a fabulous Friday!
12:12 today. The wonderful week of puzzles continues. Isn't this about the best week we've seen in the LA Times? Barry C. Silk is, of course, one of my favorite constructors, and this effort didn't disappoint. This was definitely not a ho-HUM effort!
Interestingly, my favorite today was MCXI (1111). I thought that was quite inventive, and not at all like the usual HUMDRUM Roman numeral clue/fill. (I'm usually anti-Roman in this regard.)
FLUX: This whole world is in constant FLUX. Nothing stays still.
Well put, c.c. Do yourself a favor and go see Brad Paisley's new video on this exact subject. Welcome To The Future. He played this song at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama (you can catch the whole concert on TV on GAC.)
I was all set to chide Boomer for saying that kielbasa was Polish sausage. One of my friends is Czech and he always told me it was a Czech staple, so naturally I assumed that was its origin. My bad! It is, indeed, of Polish origin, so Boomer is right and I've been wrong all these years. Kielbasa. No matter where they are from, they are delicious.
C.C.- Silent film star? The question mark is letting you know it's a punny kind of clue. The clue doesn't refer to a star of silent films, but rather, a film star who was literally silent. Harpo, of course, never spoke.
US FLAG has five consonants?
Well another terrific puzzle and I am embarrassed that I didn't even notice the constructor until I came here...JOAD was the first fill and I skipped around a lot for no particlular reason and missed some of the easier clues first time through. Had a lot of fun with this one and my first theme fill and AHA moment was HUMBUG REPELLENT. I agree with Carol on 45D because I did the math and put in 1111 because there was absolutely no indication that it had to be in Roman numerals and I was thinking it was such a clever way to get a bunch of i's in a row.
Had no clue who SEVE was but nothing else was a real hangup except 60A as I was trying to think of another word that went before Alamo...We actually had someone named David Crockett renting our log house in Oregon...
Sat on PIETIN until I actually reread the clue for 5A. TACOMA was a gimme because I have spent a lot of time in WA and my favorite cousin and her new husband are coming down from Spokane for the weekend so I probably won't be posting anything until Tuesday...lots to do as we are going to production of Shakespeare's As You Like It by a terrific group of players called the Shady Shakespeare Co. For those in the Bay area, the plays are on Fri, Sat and Sundays for two more weeks and are free up at Sanborn Park up past Mountain Winery...the other play they are doing is Richard III.
Everyone have an absolutely super weekend!
CA...loved the Lois comment...very funny.
Jazz what an absoulutely wonderful group and terrific photo of you all. I am sure they keep you young at heart.
Great weekend to you all.
Good afternoon one and all.
Jazz, wonderful picture of you and your wife and eleven! grandchildren. WOW.
Love Job creation. Didn't use Olds, even tho my DH said that Oldsmobile was the maker of the Cutlass, because there was no indication of an abbreviation. And didn't catch on to 18,19,20. And didn't add 1066 and 45 correctly in my head, so missed that one. Sigh.
Very clever puzzle, but too clever for my brain.
Cheers
G00D AFTERNOON...NEW TO SERIOUS DAILY PUZZLE..MY COUSIN JEAN AND I ATTEMPT TO COMPLETE EACH DAY. AND THEN PHONE EACH OTHER TO FILL IN THE EMPTY SQUARES. BETWEEN THE TWO OF US WE ARE EXPERTS!! WE ARE 87 AND 80 YEARS YOUNG AND THE DAY IS GREAT WHEN WE SUCCEED IN BEATING THE PUZZLE EDITOR.
HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY! PAT
I just read the San Jose Mercury movie reviews and apparently Sandra Bullock stars as a sex-starved crossword constructor in "All About Steve". It sounds painfully bad, but I'd be curious to hear any reviews if anyone out there sees it.
Sex-starved crossword constructor? Might be an interesting puzzle theme.
@kazie: I think you are thinking of a pier (a wooden structure built above the water):
pier
A jetty is usually built of rip-rap (large rocks) and extends out into the ocean from both sides of a harbor entrance.
jetty.
Harpo was "silent" because he never spoke in the movies, he only honked his horn.
Hello All--I actually finished a Friday puzzle all on my own. I loved the clues which had me thinking outside the box: Street Entrances, Jobs Creation, and 18,19,20. I actually got the Hum part of the theme answers and did what CA did, put in all the Hum parts and the rest just seemed to fall into place. A great puzzle.
I did foul up the SE corner by putting in Next up instead of Up next, but that soon righted intself.
Names usually trip me up, but I got them today with the perp fills. Carol, we're definitely getting smarter!!
Dennis, great WOW today. I always thought of a new school year in the same way. A new year, a new beginning, a new class, and new crayons!
Jazz: What a great picture. All the cousins seem to be close in age. My group is so spread out that we can never get everyone together at the same time anymore. Enjoy them now, because they will be off on their own sooo soon.
A few days ago, I came across "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" on cable and I recorded it. I am looking forward to it but not the incessant theme song. I know I will find it being played in my head when I wake up at night.
I have enjoyed the LA Times puzzles this week. I often try those on the Chicago Sun-Times. Very blah by comparison. Besides, those other sites don't have an intelligent, friendly blog like this one. :>)
JimmyB was asking about the new Sandra Bullock movie, "All About Steve." I've always enjoyed her but the reviews sound dreadful. I sure enjoyed "Wordplay" though.
Just heard on the news that the U of Washington has 2,000 students who have come down with the H1N1 Virus! The school year has just begun and already this. Sounds like this is going to be quite a year. Everyone get you flu shots!!!
JimmyB- This review of the Sandra Bullock film "All About Steve" was written by Amy Biancolli, Hearst movie writer. It was in today's San Francisco Chronicle. Excerpts-
"Nothing against windbags or wackily dressed crossword puzzle constructors, but I'm not sure a logorrheic cruciverbalist in go-go boots is someone I want to spend an hour and a half with in a darkened theater. In fact,... I wanted to steal the woman's shiny red footwear... and drop kick her straight back to the trash heap of bad movie ideas."
"... Mary lists the elements of any successful crossword, and they aren't that different from the key to a decent movie... Is it solvable? Is it entertaining? Does it sparkle? The answers are; No, no, and no."
From what I've read, this opinion is shared by most other reviewers. Looks to me like reading the reviews will be a lot more fun than the movie. I do disagree with the writer calling constructors "windbags". Most of the constructors I know are fairly quiet souls. We're just full of a lot of completely useless information.
Jerome, I disagree, you knowledge is not “useless.” This is what entertains challenges, enlightens and inspires us. It also is what brings together a diverse group with totally varied backgrounds, beliefs, locations, education and age and creates a cyber-family which shares the joys and horrors of life, making it all more bearable and more fun. Without you and Barry and Doug and Fred and Dan and Gail and Merle and Rex and Alan and Pancho and Mike and Rich and Will and all the others I am forgetting, my enjoyment of life would be diminished.
Okay, so I am stuck inside, there is a torrential rain and I am alone at the moment, but I mean it. Which reminds me, have I mentioned MY Theory of Relativity (not Albert’s)? (Interestingly you cannot copyright a title; e.g. (yes, crosswordese to keep you reading) if you wanted to publish a book now and call it “Gone With the Wind,” nothing except no one wanting to read, it could stop you. But I digress, from my own digression….anyway, today another of us from the “mature” side of life commented how the seasons rush by now, when they were so gentle when we were young. This is of course due to MY Theory of Relativity; id est when you are 4 years old and you advance to 5, that year is 20% of your conscious being, but when you go from 49 to 50 it is but 2%, ergo (oh I am hot today) it seems faster, because it is less of your total experience. Don’t think I am worried you will steal this earth shattering concept, because my common law copyright protects me.
So we have begun a holiday week end, I hope you all rest well, to those who appreciate it, I also wish a Shabbat Shalom, and keep sending C.C. your pictures, they are great, and welcome all the newbies, we usually have lots of fun along with the wisdom of the ages. No, I did not drink my lunch….
Hey ALE DEMON, I mean LEMONADE, I knew there was a sweet guy behind that name! Seriously, thanks.
@andrea1263 On the map!
The best way to access the map is to use C.C.'s link at the top of the page. Or, go here and bookmark it.
Good evening!
Not much to say about Barry Silk's offering that hasn't already been said by others, and more eloquently than I can muster.
Long week, humdrum, and I'm feeling cranky and tired and boring...Will briefly, attend a barbeque, raise an anniversary toast to friends (14 years and no restraining order or broken bones!) and each spouse still goes all bright eyed when the other walks into the room...sweet to see that! Bringing the cukes with sesame seeds/oil, etc. (recipe on my micro-homepage, which I hesitate to mention.) Brought some to work today too but, oops, forgot to bring plates but we found plastic cups and improvised. Even people "who don't like cucumbers" seemed to dig in.
Fridays too often bring stale sheet cake, which of course I eat so as not to offend the people who made it at the grocery store much earlier in the week!
Enjoy your long weekend....
test
Good evening CC and all,
This was a great puzzle; it's hard not to be a Barry fan with his clever themes and fresh clues.I had a slow start but I jumped around, had patience not to look anything up, and most of it came together...didn't fill that L for isley/cloy, or the C in HCH/chill.
Jerome, you puzzle makers are so clever that you make sense out of that useless information which gives us smiles and a-ha moments.
Gene Pitney sang "A Town Without Pity" and I really loved it back when, BUT I got a big chuckle listening to it tonight. He sounds like he has a pain somewhere.
Actually I wrote today to tell Jazzbumpa that is my favorite picture of all. What a delightful bunch! You can see that all of you are just happy being together.
Welcome Pat!I am in awe of you and Jean. Keep writing to us.
CA...funny!
mmmm, wonder who made up the word "manholes" LOL
JD asked: mmmm, wonder who made up the word "manholes"
Dunno. But here's a question for all of you. Why are manholes always round? Why not square or ???
@Argyle:
Toast!
Clink clink.
Back from the anniversary. Fun. A woman I'd never met before brought spare ribs to the low-key barbeque-a-thon, and from what I could tell there was sugary or maple something, bit o' vinegar and allspice and orange something, and tomatoes, and I got no clue what else. Whoa. Very good. She and Dr. Hubby left before I could ask for the recipe but, trust me, I am going all TV-detective/CSI on the case! Lol.
So glad to have gone and so happy to be home!
Saturday awaits....
pjb
Why are manholes always round?
Because round can't fall through the opening.
Thank you, PJB. clink, clink
Wouldn't have gotten the HUMVEE answer without figuring out the theme (wanted convoy). Didn't see MING VASE until I read cc's blog, though I got HUMMING. Since when is CLOY a synonym for SATE? I thought the Roman Numeral answer had to be based on 1066 but I didn't do the math. Never knew so much about the Roman Numerals until I started doing these puzzles. The last number had to be I or V to follow X. The M,C and X filled in; I have trouble remembering which one is 1,000--M or D.
No one I know can explain why, but the bar of ivory soap under the sheets does help with nighttime leg cramps. Eating bananas regularly also helps but check with your doctor because there is some medical controversy about eating a banana every day. Other suggestions from my 88 year old mother: 1. take off the heavy blankets or 2. put pillows under the covers to lift the blankets off your legs. If cramps wake you, lie on your back and point your feet toward the foot of the bed, then straight up to relieve the pain.
Hope everyone has a safe weekend. I'm hoping for enough sun and warmth to get in a few last days at the swim club before it closes for the season. It has been a cool and rainy summer without a lot of pool days. I need warmer water and temperatures than I used to when I was younger.
Bill G: if you wander the streets of Chicago proper there are square manholes here. If i were a less law-abiding citizen, I would love to have one on one of these brick walls here where i live; they are for one of the old names of either the gas or oil company. Maybe they don't lead to extensive ducts, (not sure) so may not be true "manholes", but they're beautiful.
Somewhere in the mid eighties, the brother of a colleague was opening a "singles' bar" in the "Rush and Division" district, asked for names, and I unwisely suggested "The Bait and Tackle." Needless to say, that idea did not come to fruition!
Yes, the Sun Times crossword is stale. Try the puzzles in the satiric weekly The Onion or the Chicago Reader,perhaps....
Glad you have joined us.
Ok crew, I'm up-to-date on the map. May have a chance to do some on Saturday morning, but will be gone until late Monday. Continue to send in your requests with your screen name, and I'll get to them ASAP.
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