Theme: WILD (68A: Untamed, and word that can precede the starts of 17- and 61-Across and 11-and 28-Down)
17A: Stealthy felon: (WILD) CAT BURGLAR
61A: Apartment building emergency exit: (WILD) FIRE ESCAPE
11D: Wedding party tyke: (WILD) FLOWER GIRL
28D: Boating safety feature: (WILD) LIFE JACKET
Argyle here.
I hope everybody escapes those wild fires out west. The French girl in Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" is probably the most famous CAT BURGLAR.
Quite a few long non-theme entries in this grid, four of them are nice double words.
Across:
1A: Wordsworth work: POEM. William Wordsworth,1770 – 1850, was a major English Romantic poet who England's Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death. Perhaps Clear Ayes can pick a selection of his poems for us.
5A: Pipe organ knobs: STOPS. Without getting too technical, the use of stops enables the organist to produce different sounds.
10A: Calif. cop org.: SFPD. San Francisco Police Department, where Dirty Harry worked.
14A: __ snuff: UP TO.
15A: Birdie beater: EAGLE. Golf terms: birdie, one under par; EAGLE, two under par.
16A: Ballerina's bend: PLIE. Oh. From this clip, it appears the bend they speak of, is the knees and not the waist.
19A: Very small amount: IOTA.
20A: Friend of Jerry and George: ELAINE. Characters from the Seinfeld TV show; they left out Cosmo.
21A: Tonsillitis MD: ENT. Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.
22A: McGregor of "Angels & Demons": EWAN. He looks intense.
23A: Anderson of "WKRP in Cincinnati": LONI. She portrayed the receptionist.
25A: Cannes cup: TASSE. French.
27A: Flamenco yell: OLE. Spanish
29A: Elementary school basics: ABC'S. English
31A: Left ventricle outlet: AORTA.
34A: "__ Old Man": kids song: THIS. Dylan!?!
35A: "Gloria in Excelsis __'': DEO. "Glory to God in the highest"
36A: The Greeks' Helios, e.g.: SUN GOD. The Romans called him Sol.
37A: Battle of Britain defense gp.: RAF. Royal Air Force.
38A: "Oh, be serious!": GET REAL.
40A: Call __ day: IT A.
41A: Sports spots: ARENAS.
43A: Like Paree, in song: GAY. It turns out, finding GAY Paree, in song, is difficult!
44A: Jam-pack: CRAM.
45A: Captain's superior: MAJOR. But not so if it's a naval Captain, then it would be Admiral.
46A: Grab bag category: Abbr.: MISC.
47A: Heart and soul: ALL.
48A: Pie fruit: APPLE.
50A: So: THUS.
52A: Table salt, to a chemist: NACL. Sodium Chloride, NaCl
54A: Lupino of film: IDA. "Lupino was born in Camberwell, London, allegedly under a table during a World War I zeppelin raid." Betcha' didn't know that.
56A: "Sleepless in Seattle" director Nora: EPHRON. She is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. Update: She wrote and directed Julie & Julia.
60A: __-Seltzer: ALKA.
63A: Blueprint detail, briefly: SPEC.
64A: White-tie accompanier: TAILS.
65A: Finished: OVER.
66A: Handy bag: TOTE.
67A: Sidewinder, e.g.: SNAKE. Called a sidewinder for their mode of transportation; they don't slither.
Down:
1D: Dark purple: PUCE. How is it different from plum?
2D: October gemstone: OPAL. And its symmetrical partner is OPEL (58D: European auto).
3D: James of jazz: ETTA.
4D: Art pieces that hang from the ceiling: MOBILES.
5D: Woos with song: SERENADES. Preferably, from below the balcony.
6D: Game with an "it": TAG.
7D: Stare at obviously: OGLE.
8D: Herbs and shrubs: PLANTS.
9D: Big name in mattresses: SERTA. Nation wide?
10D: Watches secretly: SPIES ON.
12D: Bread with tabbouleh: PITA. Tabbouleh is a salad dish (primary ingredients are finely chopped parsley, bulgur, mint, tomato, scallion (spring onion), and other herbs with lemon juice, olive oil and various seasonings, generally including black pepper and sometimes cinnamon and allspice) often served with PITA bread.
13D: Martin of the Rat Pack: DEAN. Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., DEAN Martin, Joey Bishop & Peter Lawford were known as The Rat Pack. They ruled Las Vegas and Hollywood during the 1950's-1960's.
18D: Family card game: UNO.
24D: "Not likely!": I BET.
26D: Nobelist Bellow: SAUL. SAUL Bellow, 1915 – 2005. In the words of the Swedish Nobel Committee, his writing exhibited "exuberant ideas, flashing irony, hilarious comedy and burning compassion...." For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only writer to have won the National Book Award three times, and the only writer to have been nominated for it six times. (I feel terrible, I haven't read any of his works.)
27D: Butler's love: O'HARA. Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'HARA, from Gone with the Wind.
30D: Short-legged Welsh pooch: CORGI.
32D: Do sum work: TOTAL.
33D: First mate?: ADAM. First man? First Dad? First grandpa? Etc.
34D: Streetcar cousin : TRAM.
36D: Photographer's request: SAY CHEESE.
38D: "The World According to __": John Irving novel: GARP. It was made into a movie starring Robin Williams.
39D: Cheyenne-to-Omaha direction: EAST. Nice change from the three letter directions we often get.
42D: "There's __ like home": NO PLACE. That would be Kansas, for Dorothy Gale.
44D: Consistent moneymaker: CASH COW. A dairy cow that produces milk over the course of its life and requires little maintenance is a cash cow. So a business, product or asset that, once acquired and paid off will produce consistent cash flow over its lifespan is known as a CASH COW.
46D: Middle of the road: MEDIAN. The center of a divided highway is known as the MEDIAN strip.
49D: Picks up: LIFTS.
51D: Favorable times: UPS.
52D: Democrat's donkey designer: NAST. Also the designer for the GOP elephant.
53D: Chop House dog food maker: ALPO.
55D: Diva's solo: ARIA.
57D: Sitarist Shankar: RAVI. Father of Norah Jones.
59D: Uncool sort: NERD.
62D: Moose, to a European: ELK.
Ever since I got high speed internet service, I think I try to do too much and then get burned out. Sometimes it is hard to know when to make a FULL STOP. ( ;-)>
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is great photo of our fellow LAT solver Warren and his lovely wife Ruth at a Lake Tahoe sail boat ride a few years ago. They solve puzzle together every day. Warren is an excellent researcher and he likes to use question mark in his comments.
Argyle
17A: Stealthy felon: (WILD) CAT BURGLAR
61A: Apartment building emergency exit: (WILD) FIRE ESCAPE
11D: Wedding party tyke: (WILD) FLOWER GIRL
28D: Boating safety feature: (WILD) LIFE JACKET
Argyle here.
I hope everybody escapes those wild fires out west. The French girl in Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" is probably the most famous CAT BURGLAR.
Quite a few long non-theme entries in this grid, four of them are nice double words.
Across:
1A: Wordsworth work: POEM. William Wordsworth,1770 – 1850, was a major English Romantic poet who England's Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death. Perhaps Clear Ayes can pick a selection of his poems for us.
5A: Pipe organ knobs: STOPS. Without getting too technical, the use of stops enables the organist to produce different sounds.
10A: Calif. cop org.: SFPD. San Francisco Police Department, where Dirty Harry worked.
14A: __ snuff: UP TO.
15A: Birdie beater: EAGLE. Golf terms: birdie, one under par; EAGLE, two under par.
16A: Ballerina's bend: PLIE. Oh. From this clip, it appears the bend they speak of, is the knees and not the waist.
19A: Very small amount: IOTA.
20A: Friend of Jerry and George: ELAINE. Characters from the Seinfeld TV show; they left out Cosmo.
21A: Tonsillitis MD: ENT. Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.
22A: McGregor of "Angels & Demons": EWAN. He looks intense.
23A: Anderson of "WKRP in Cincinnati": LONI. She portrayed the receptionist.
25A: Cannes cup: TASSE. French.
27A: Flamenco yell: OLE. Spanish
29A: Elementary school basics: ABC'S. English
31A: Left ventricle outlet: AORTA.
34A: "__ Old Man": kids song: THIS. Dylan!?!
35A: "Gloria in Excelsis __'': DEO. "Glory to God in the highest"
36A: The Greeks' Helios, e.g.: SUN GOD. The Romans called him Sol.
37A: Battle of Britain defense gp.: RAF. Royal Air Force.
38A: "Oh, be serious!": GET REAL.
40A: Call __ day: IT A.
41A: Sports spots: ARENAS.
43A: Like Paree, in song: GAY. It turns out, finding GAY Paree, in song, is difficult!
44A: Jam-pack: CRAM.
45A: Captain's superior: MAJOR. But not so if it's a naval Captain, then it would be Admiral.
46A: Grab bag category: Abbr.: MISC.
47A: Heart and soul: ALL.
48A: Pie fruit: APPLE.
50A: So: THUS.
52A: Table salt, to a chemist: NACL. Sodium Chloride, NaCl
54A: Lupino of film: IDA. "Lupino was born in Camberwell, London, allegedly under a table during a World War I zeppelin raid." Betcha' didn't know that.
56A: "Sleepless in Seattle" director Nora: EPHRON. She is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. Update: She wrote and directed Julie & Julia.
60A: __-Seltzer: ALKA.
63A: Blueprint detail, briefly: SPEC.
64A: White-tie accompanier: TAILS.
65A: Finished: OVER.
66A: Handy bag: TOTE.
67A: Sidewinder, e.g.: SNAKE. Called a sidewinder for their mode of transportation; they don't slither.
Down:
1D: Dark purple: PUCE. How is it different from plum?
2D: October gemstone: OPAL. And its symmetrical partner is OPEL (58D: European auto).
3D: James of jazz: ETTA.
4D: Art pieces that hang from the ceiling: MOBILES.
5D: Woos with song: SERENADES. Preferably, from below the balcony.
6D: Game with an "it": TAG.
7D: Stare at obviously: OGLE.
8D: Herbs and shrubs: PLANTS.
9D: Big name in mattresses: SERTA. Nation wide?
10D: Watches secretly: SPIES ON.
12D: Bread with tabbouleh: PITA. Tabbouleh is a salad dish (primary ingredients are finely chopped parsley, bulgur, mint, tomato, scallion (spring onion), and other herbs with lemon juice, olive oil and various seasonings, generally including black pepper and sometimes cinnamon and allspice) often served with PITA bread.
13D: Martin of the Rat Pack: DEAN. Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., DEAN Martin, Joey Bishop & Peter Lawford were known as The Rat Pack. They ruled Las Vegas and Hollywood during the 1950's-1960's.
18D: Family card game: UNO.
24D: "Not likely!": I BET.
26D: Nobelist Bellow: SAUL. SAUL Bellow, 1915 – 2005. In the words of the Swedish Nobel Committee, his writing exhibited "exuberant ideas, flashing irony, hilarious comedy and burning compassion...." For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only writer to have won the National Book Award three times, and the only writer to have been nominated for it six times. (I feel terrible, I haven't read any of his works.)
27D: Butler's love: O'HARA. Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'HARA, from Gone with the Wind.
30D: Short-legged Welsh pooch: CORGI.
32D: Do sum work: TOTAL.
33D: First mate?: ADAM. First man? First Dad? First grandpa? Etc.
34D: Streetcar cousin : TRAM.
36D: Photographer's request: SAY CHEESE.
38D: "The World According to __": John Irving novel: GARP. It was made into a movie starring Robin Williams.
39D: Cheyenne-to-Omaha direction: EAST. Nice change from the three letter directions we often get.
42D: "There's __ like home": NO PLACE. That would be Kansas, for Dorothy Gale.
44D: Consistent moneymaker: CASH COW. A dairy cow that produces milk over the course of its life and requires little maintenance is a cash cow. So a business, product or asset that, once acquired and paid off will produce consistent cash flow over its lifespan is known as a CASH COW.
46D: Middle of the road: MEDIAN. The center of a divided highway is known as the MEDIAN strip.
49D: Picks up: LIFTS.
51D: Favorable times: UPS.
52D: Democrat's donkey designer: NAST. Also the designer for the GOP elephant.
53D: Chop House dog food maker: ALPO.
55D: Diva's solo: ARIA.
57D: Sitarist Shankar: RAVI. Father of Norah Jones.
59D: Uncool sort: NERD.
62D: Moose, to a European: ELK.
Ever since I got high speed internet service, I think I try to do too much and then get burned out. Sometimes it is hard to know when to make a FULL STOP. ( ;-)>
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is great photo of our fellow LAT solver Warren and his lovely wife Ruth at a Lake Tahoe sail boat ride a few years ago. They solve puzzle together every day. Warren is an excellent researcher and he likes to use question mark in his comments.
Argyle
67 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - a fun, typical Tuesday puzzle with only a few snags: I put in LAPD for 'Calif. cop org.', 'hefts' for 'picks up' and I didn't know Ewan McGregor was in "Angels & Demons". Other than those, the puzzle went very quickly. Didn't have a clue as to the theme until the very end, and 'wild'.
Argyle, a fine job again today. Interesting piece of information about Ida Lupino.
Today is Emma M. Nutt Day (the first woman telephone operator).
Today's Words of Wisdom: "One of the greatest handicaps is to fear a mistake. You have stopped yourself. You have to move freely into the arena, not just to wait for the perfect situation, the perfect moment....if you have to make a mistake, it's better to make a mistake of action than one of inaction. If I had the opportunity again, I would take chances." -- Director Federico Fellini
A few Fun Facts:
- Jennifer Lopez was once turned down for a jeans commercial because her butt was too big.
- Keith Richards sang in the choir at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Dennis,
See, you always enjoy the "Aha" theme moment intended by the constructors. I tend to jump around. I got WILD earlier on, then I used it to get two of the theme entries. Why "Moose, to a European" for ELK?
Argyle,
Such an informative post today. Terrific! Do you like tabbouleh? I used to make it often.
Morning, All. I think this puzzle was easier than yesterday, but I really enjoyed it. The WILD FIRE response is particularly apropos. I hope everyone out in southern California is safe.
The World According to GARP was the only John Irving novel that I enjoyed. It was strange, but the other books that I have read are ever weirder.
Favorite clue today: Streetcar cousin: TRAM.
Nice picture, Warren and Ruth. Looks like a coldish day on the lake.
Today is the first anniversary of Hurricane Gustav. I know that it didn’t make as much of a splash in the news as Katrina had a few years earlier because there were no dramatic rescues, flooding and very few deaths, but it was almost as devastating. It was a stronger storm than Katrina and literally shut down the state for a week. All governmental offices throughout the entire state were closed. It was very scary. I now have a new roof, compliments of Gustav.
September 1 Birthdays:
1961 ~ Dee Dee Myers
1957 ~ Gloria Estefan, Miami Sound Machine
1939 ~ Lily Tomlin
1938 ~ Alan Dershowitz
1935 ~ Seiji Ozawa, Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and frequent xword answer
1933 ~ Ann Richards (d. 2006), Former governor of Texas
1922 ~ Melvin Laird, Former Secretary of Defense (1969-1973)
1875 ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs (d. 1950), writer and “father” of Tarzan
1854 ~ Englebert Humberdinck (d. 1921), German composer. The real Englebert Humberdinck ~ not the guy poplar in the '60s.
QOD: A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice. ~ Edgar Watson Howe.
Bill G,
Click on your "View My Profile" button, then "Edit Profile", you will see lots of details, including Photograph. Also, do read "How to Post a Comment" on the right side bar of my blog front page. It covers everything you need to know about posting.
Mary,
Welcome! Hope to hear from you regularly from now on.
C.C., moose are also known as European elk. I think the same animal that's called an elk in Europe is called a moose here.
Whoa..back-up.
Emma M. Nutt Day and Lily Tomlin birthday? That begs for a clip! I shall return.
I misspelled PUCE and got SAT BURGLAR. Besides the obvious uncertainties (LAPD or SFPD and WEST or EAST) I originally wrote in CASHIER for CASH COW: a CASHIER makes change all day. :)
Martin
One RingyDingy
Hi:
This was pretty easy, I did like BUTLER'S LOVE = O'HARA, nice misdirection, also enjoyed OPAL and OPEL. I never saw the theme; I had WILD from the down fills, and never even read the clue. I must remember to do the SE first.
Speaking of first, I still do not get how anybody comments first, as there is no place to write until after the discussion is up, and by then Dennis has his words. I am just curious as I was up early.
Saul Bellow is well worth reading; I suggest you try to read in the order they were written: The Adventures of Augie March (1953),
Henderson the Rain King (1959), Herzog (1964), Mr. Sammler's Planet (1970), and Humboldt's Gift (1975), won the 1976 Pulitzer Prize.
SERTA, SEALY and SIMMONS are the big three of American mattresses, all of which are nationally promoted.
Thanks for the Dylan, Argyle.
Another great picture, we have a new puzzle each day guessing who will be next.
A nice Tuesday puzzle today. I had most of the theme answers before I got WILD, so they were not too tricky of clues. The only complete unknown to me was CORGI, but easily obtained with the perps. I am not good at periodic table, so NACL only came after a few crosses.
Argyle, great job with lots of good explanations of the answers. Lots of information in here.
A friend of mine went to high school with Bob Dylan. Her parents and his knew each other. Said it was a very odd family indeed. Funny hearing him sing THIS Old Man.
Argyle, good catch on Emma M. Nutt Day and Lily Tomlin. Love that woman.
Dennis, I think Fellini's quote applies to what Jazzbumpa does with his neighbor Leroy. Thank goodness there are those than don't fear their actions, especially when their intention is to help others.
Warren, nice pic. You and your wife look lovely. My hubby and I were just talking about how Tahoe is a place we would love to visit. I love how you two do xwords together. My guy doesn't do them, nor does he have the time.
KQ, the Fellini quote is also similar to the JFK quote (paraphrasing Teddy Roosevelt) that I've tried to live by for the past 40+ years:
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, if he wins, knows the thrills of high achievement, and, if he fails, at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
I just love that.
Warren, great picture - you guys make a handsome couple.
Corgi's are Queen Elizabeth II's favorite dogs.
Good Morning All,
Had to erase LA to SFPD and filled in the NE corner for a steady cruise to completion on this one. Things just kept linking together. I liked the cluing. It wasn't a gimme but caused a bit of head scratching. My favorite was Heart and Soul. I gave a pep talk to the football team last night about giving their All on the field.
Argyle, you out did yourself on today's blog!! Outstanding!
Another happy good looking couple Warren! There are many on this blog.
Having spent a number of years single and cynical, I was reminded of this song by Joe Jackson which I haven't listened to for quite a while.
I can't leave this alone. I would like to know what a a small butt is?
I can't imagine Kieth singing in a choir. He sure can make a guitar sing. Another One of my favorite Stones songs!
Have a great day!
Good morning all,
Great puzzle today--I actually knew all the clue/answers except HELIOS and SFPD could have been LA, as Dennis said. And I wasn't sure about EAST, but perps took care of all doubts.
When we were in Germany last August, my son gave his brother's in-laws a book on AK, where he'd been living. They had quite a conversation about the elk/moose difference. They couldn't accept that a moose wasn't an elk, since that's what they'd always called it (Elch, actually). He had to show them photos of both and point out the differences. So the clue this morning was of interest to me, seeing that it's Europe-wide and not just a German generalization.
Quite a surprise seeing Dylan do such an oldie, in so many different takes too!
In Oz we had what are known here as streetcars and always just called them TRAMS. In Sydney they were replaced by buses around 1964=/-.
Liz and Phil (aka QEII and Prince Philip) have always had Corgis, which I think are considered "the royal dogs". My aunt and uncle used to breed them and had some very valuable show dogs when I was a kid. One male they even had imported from England to breed from. That involved a 6 month stay in quarantine at that time since Oz is totally free of rabies and wants to stay that way.
Warren and Ruth make a very devoted looking couple, don't they? I wish my DH would take an interest in my crossword passion!
Good evening from India,
No hiccups today. Good idea to post pictures of followers of the blog, must try it on mine
In June 1953 when Liz was crowned, Keith would have been just 9 years old (born 12/43), so he was probably a cute little boy at that time, as was Prince Charles (b. 1948). Hard to imagine too! I got a commemorative money box with the royal family photos on it when they visited Oz in 1954, and both he and Anne (b. 1950) were just little kids then.
KQ -
Thanks for the kind words.
I heard somebody interviewed on the radio once who had spoken to Mother Theresa. He asked her something along the lines of: with all the poverty and suffering in the world, how do you know what to do, or where to begin?
Her answer was to do the thing you see in front of you. It's been years since I heard that, but it stuck with me.
We're off to a funeral for the grandmother of one of our D-I-L's. She was 94, well loved by all, and kept her sense of humor to the very end. Talk about role models!
Jennifer Lopez probably has the world's most famous butt.
Back later. Evidently there was a puzzle again today.
Cheers!
JzB the keep-your-eyes-open trombonist
Good Morning!
At first glance, too many names and I'm really bad with them. But all was taken care of except MOBILES and LONI. Had OLA instead of OLE and A BIT instead of I BET.
Overall, an OK puzzle for tuesday.
Argyle, Informative blogging!
Warren, Beautiful picture.
Excited about giving a presentation to my team about the new technologies I learnt in 4 weeks in the new job.
But before that, the yearly doc visit--hate going to the doc when I'm not ill. I'm convinced that visiting the doc's office is going to make me sick.
Nice combination of SFPD and Tram/streetcar. I initially wanted CaBI instead of SFPD, but that comes from watching too much of Simon Baker and The Mentalist
Of course the problem with my fascination with this blog and now posting to it is that now even the easy crossword puzzles take lots of time!
I put in LAPD too, thinking of all of you in the wildfire area. Best wishes. I hope it gets under control soon.
My favorite was Mobile, having just referred to the city yesterday. The folks in Mobile don't pronounce it like the art work though.
Thanks for the Saul Bellow suggestions. I'll be stopping by the library soon.
I guess I have been found out as I don't follow the royal family much.
Maniac, I am not sure Keith should even open his mouth much less sing. I am surprised, given his usual state, that he can even form words most of the time.
Speedy solve today. Filled in answers as fast as I could read clues and write answers, flipping between As and Ds as usual. One small error (I had THEN instead of THUS for 'so') which got corrected pretty quickly.
I laughed when I saw it was Lily Tomlin's birthday and Ms. Nutt's day.
Re the WoW - once, when I was upset that I had messed up, someone told me that the only way to avoid making mistakes is to do nothing. That stuck with me. I guess you could sum up that whole quote with the Nike tagline - Just Do It.
Nice picture Warren.
From time to time I will read a clue out loud while doing the puzzle and my husband will suggest an answer. He never asks how many letters or what is filled in, but sometimes he gets the right answer anyway. When I did the puzzle on paper, I used to take it with me when we headed out for weekend jaunts and he would help then as well. But the puzzles he likes to solve are more engineering related.
KQ, I was actually a bit impressed with the old boy on that one. He seemed to remember all the lyrics and had a bit of intonation!
Its a beautiful day here. I am making time for a ride.
A nice enjoyable Tuesday puzzle and I got the “wild” theme early on which helped fill in a couple of the theme answers. I admit though that I did have to hit the g-spot for Georgia Ephron. I loved the movie Sleepless in Seattle. I got plenty of perp help with Plie, tasse, Ewan, deo, etta and Saul. Some of those clues just filled themselves in without me even reading the clue. My favorite clue today was “do sum work” – total.
Argyle I really enjoyed your write up today. You have a knack for this.
Warren your wife has beautiful red hair.
I hope all of you in California are safe from those fires burning out of control.
Morning, fellow bloggers:
Having never watched an entire episode of "Sienfeld", "elaine" eluded (how`s that for alliteration?) me until I came here. Only problems were with spelling: plie, aorta, ephron, ewan.
Lopez and I have the same problem! Who`d a guessed!
About 'saying cheese", I watched little folk have school pics made for 27 years. What the photog told the boys was more successful than cheese ever was. He would say, "Ok boys, say `women!` "
Mary: Welcome! My BF is also named "Mary." (actually Mary Lou but I refuse to call her that.)
Warren: Handsome couple!
Tarrajo; Good to hear from you.
Elissa: My husband will often say, "Ask me some of the clues" but he`s never offered to actually "do" a puzzle. He almost has to say that if we talk much in the AM. I`m up to three puzzles a day!
Favorite clue: Cannes cup. Always loved serving demi-tasse at that most social of southern gatherings,( given for debutants and brides-to-be); The "TEA." Hats are now optional but I still wear one then and if I`m in church on Ressurection Day.
(although, on a hot and humid day, they do tend to give one the vapors!)
good morning c.c., argyle and all,
breeze of a puzzle this morning, shorter time for me than yesterday even. blew through it so fast i wasn't even looking for a theme, and didn't notice it until WILD filled in.
GREAT write-up argyle. loved the dylan tune.
surprised i haven't heard the usual complaints about the names, ELAINE, EWAN, LONI, IDA, EPHRON, ETTA, DEAN, SAUL, O'HARA, GARP, and RAVI. i suppose they are all pretty well known.
clever middle of the road clue.
saw a few EAGLEs and even a hole in one over the weekend working a golf tournament. some big tippers, golfers.
great pic warren!
Hi Argyle, C.C. & gang, another easy Tuesday puzzle, I had to remind my wife that tomorrow's will be harder.
Here are two links to some lake Tahoe information
Thunderbird
lady of the lake
We found out about the Thunderbird boat and the lady of the lake on another boat trip on the reverse side of the lake (that day it was too windy to take the normal route).
C.C. said: "Click on your "View My Profile" button, then "Edit Profile", you will see lots of details, including Photograph. Also, do read 'How to Post a Comment' on the right side bar of my blog front page. It covers everything you need to know about posting."
I'm OK with posting a comment now but I don't see the 'Profile' button. Where do I find it?
I went right through the top half of the puzzle but began to slow down on the bottom half.
I loved WKRP but don't care much for Sitar music.
Bill G., when you click on your own name and go to your profile page, you should see 'Edit Profile'.
Very nice puzzle today. It was easy, but not at all boring. My favorite clue was DO SUM WORK.
Tarrajo, I’m so impressed you got the theme early on. A theme has to be really obvious for me to pick up on it early.
I thought of CHIP for Calif. Cop org, but that didn’t work. Was thinking of the old tv show, of course.
To finish the puzzle is rewarding, and to find a picture of a fellow blogger is a bonus. Warren and Ruth, what a great picture. You make a handsome couple.
I laughed at the clip about the Queen’s Corgis. My life is so casual that I can’t even imagine speaking like Prince Andrew referring to riding in his little car as a child. “One had to avoid them. One didn’t run them down. That was the sort of thing that wasn’t done.” I detected a twinkle in his eye, but the reporter didn’t laugh.
Hi Argyle, C.C. and everyone - I liked this puzzle...probably because I could actually do it:) I don't know why I knew pipe organ knobs - I have no musical knowledge at all, but from somewhere in the misty past, I learned they were called 'stops'. I guess I remember the name because it struck me as so odd. Maybe someone who can play the pipe organ could explain why the knobs are called stops...do they stop the 'pipe' and therefore the sound?
Several of the answers were only found because of the perps so I can't get to 'full of myself'(it is only Tuesday after all).
Warren: such a nice picture! Your wife is very pretty.
Hahtool, thanks for the clip on the Queen and her cute little Corgi's.
Argyle: Gotta love Lily - Hilarious.
Mainiac: I always thought Jennifer Lopez had a rather large behind - she is not overweight, so it's just the way her anatomy is shaped. Difficult to dress to hide that problem.
KQ (9:04)LOL - Is Keith really still alive? He's just plain scary!
Good morning Argyle, CC and all,
CHEEEEEZE!
I really enjoyed this puzzle, but had most everything filled in when I reached wild. Very seldom does the theme help.
Argyle,lots of good stuff: Bob Dylan( I would have expected Pete Seeger or Mitch Miller to sing that song),Lily Tomlin, and I had no idea that Ravi was Nora Jones dad.
I still rely on the perps to get me thru, even when I know the answers.I was ashamed that I had forgotten tasse after so much discussion in the past.
Nora Ephron also writes wonderful columns for the Huffington Post.
So nice to see you and your wife, Warren, at one of our favorite spots, Lake Tahoe.
Gotta run...TT
Lemonade714, you need to constantly hit REFRESH if you want to be the first.
Good Morning All, Argyle, I'm sure you make C.C. proud that she asked you to guest blog. You are doing a great job.
Today's puzzle was fun, with no difficult fills. I liked seeing ELAINE from Seinfeld and EWAN McGregor. He's a very good actor, but Angels and Demons seemed like a "paycheck" movie to me.
The theme fills were interesting, but I had to wait until the SE corner to catch the WILD connection. I think I'll take Lemonade's advice and check that corner to begin.
I also enjoyed seeing SAUL Bellow. I've read a couple of his books and I should read more..one of these days.
I liked The World According to GARP, as well as most of John Irving's other books. He is a quirky author with some odd (and just plain weird) themes running through his novels.
Interesting WOW from Federico Fellini. One of the interest points in the movie Julie and Julia was that Julia Child was never afraid to fail. If she made a mistake, she just charged right ahead. Anyone who ever watched her TV show has seen this time and time again.
The photo of Warren and Ruth was so happy and relaxed. They look like they really enjoy each other's company.
Lemonade, I missed your earlier comment; the above post made me go back and look.
If you, or anybody, wants to be the first poster, it's certainly not a problem; I can post 10-15 minutes later if that works for you. I just usually put the post in as soon as I can so I can get to the gym or get the day otherwise started.
Sorry, I really didn't realize this was an issue.
Morning all... Argyle another most excellent job today. Loved the Lily Tomlin link...one of my favorite people. My grandmother was one the first 6 telephone operators in the Redwood City area. My Grandfather worked his way from NY to Calif stringing telephone lines and when he got here, met my and married my grandmother. He also laid the original phone lines into Stanford University professor housing(big fancy homes) and the Stanford Stadium.
I also had to laugh at the ELAINE clue as I made a big stink about it a few weeks ago when it was clued as a famous NY eatery...I said I would have gotten it if the clue had used a Seinfeld reference...parallel worlds collide...and this time I DID get it...LOL Thank you Rich Norris ;o)
Easy and fun, no hangups, just started at the top and worked down. Had SPIESON in so it was SFPD. Love Ewan MacGregor and NACL is one a few molecular combinations I actually know.
Puce is more yellowish/mauvey in tone than plum which generally leans towards the cooler blue tones. Colors with names like this are generally more non-specific and can vary depending on who is producing them. Artist's paint colors are more specific because they rely more on specific earth or chemical colorants. All colors can be divided into warm and cool "families" so there are warm and cool greens and blues and reds...etc.
Liked Do sum work and birdie beater even though I don't follow golf at all and I didn't get the theme until I hit the bottom. *sigh*
Dennis I live by your WoW and the accompanying Churchill quote...I'm the type of person who learns to crochet a granny square and the first project is an afghan, someone says I want a 50 x 66 painting, I stretch it up and do it. I have found over the years that I have learned more by fixing mistakes and moving on than if I had sat on my hands and played it safe...so far, barreling full speed ahead, life has been good...
Well, it is cooler and I am finally home today so I have a painting that absolutely positvely needs finishing...hi WH.
Warren...lovely photo.
Note to Dennis...I always feel out of sync when you aren't first poster in the morning...its sort of a tradition at this point. Just sayin'
#2
Wow...how to choose a William Wordsworth poem to post here. He was a prolific writer of odes, ballads, sonnets, elegies, idylls and tributes. Here are a couple of his short poems (most of them were MUCH longer.) The second poem reminds me of Jazzbumpa's Mother Theresa quote earlier today.
MY HEART LEAPS UP WHEN I BEHOLD (1802)
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
TO A CHILD WRITTEN IN HER ALBUM (1834)
Small service is true service while it lasts:
Of humblest Friends, bright Creature! scorn not one:
The Daisy, by the shadow that it casts,
Protects the lingering dew-drop from the Sun.
Hi Gang -
Nice, enjoyable puzzle today.
Liked the stack of NaCL and ALKA, the salty tasting antacid. Seeing OPAL and OPEL surprised me - and they're symmetric! As are the "NO" and "ON" of SPIES ON and NOPLACE.
AORTA is the MAJOR artery.
Would CORGI GET REAL in the SUNGOD ARENAS if the SNAKE STOPS in a WILD POEM?
UP TO and OVER EAGLES TAILS.
Melissa -
These names aren't troublesome because, as you said, they're well known. Also - and this is important - there's only one cross.
After the funeral, one of the other grandmothers in my generation referred to the deceased as a role model for grandmothers. High praise, I thought.
Cheers!
JzB the symmetric trombonist
Carol, I had to look up Keith Richards to see if he was still alive. I vaguely remember something happening to him. He took a fall and had cranial surgery, but is still kicking and 65 years old. He is writing an autobiography (should be mighty interesting and colorful) and was in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Most interesting story is that he snorted his fathers ashes after he died - no cocaine involved in that incident (as there usually was cocaine or heroin involved). What a kook.
One has to be careful with word choice here; it is not that I wish to be first poster, like most I am content for Dennis to be first. However, on days like today where I am up at 5:00 EDT, and have completed the puzzle and want to make a comment before I forget, I wondered about the process for you Dennis. Do you sit around waiting for C.C.s comments and then hit post? Do you really have to keep hitting refresh until her (or Argyle's) comments are there? I assume as adminstrators you have more choices.
The renaming of the rounded bottom as the Jennifer Lopez, by fellow technical anlysts is proof positive that math nerds actually have a sense of humor (Take that BIG BANG THEORY .
Have more to say, but I keep being interrupted by silly work! Does Queen E II need to a frump? Do British subjects (and or Aussies) resent her being called a frump?
Good day, all.
An enjoyable Tuesday puzzle. No problems here, though I didn't get the theme until I was finishing up in the SE. Like others, I liked the symmetrical fills OPAL and OPEL. My first car was an Opel Kadett, a 1971 model, I believe. A fun little vehicle!
Argyle--Thanks for the great explanations and information. Also the Lily Tomlin clip.
Clear Ayes--I remember memorizing "My Heart Leaps Up When I behold" back in high school. And yes, I still get excited when I see a rainbow.
Warren, nice photo today of you and your lovely wife.
Jimbo, four generations yesterday. What a blessing.
Off to walk the granddog. Enjoy the day!
Good afternoon, everyone.
ClearAyes, I'll bet you nailed Corgi because I understand that corgis were made from Schipperkes.
Nice pix of Jimbo & family yesterday and of Warren and his wife today. Such a good addition to this excellent and addicting blog.
Good two-days job, Argyle.
My favorite clues were Corgi and Tasse. I missed tasse until the perps because I was thinking film festival. Duh.
Cheers
Thanks gang for all of the nice comments today, BTW Ruth dyes her hair (going gray with me I guess but she likes to hide it).
For Tarrajo, most of the fires are in Southern CA down LA way. They are hoping and praying for some rain from the latest pacific hurricane
here's a news quote:
LOS CABOS, Mexico – Tourists fled resorts at the tip of the Baja California Peninsula as Hurricane Jimena roared their way Tuesday, but many slum dwellers concerned about looting refused to leave their imperiled shanties.
Jimena, a Category 4 hurricane with winds of near 145 mph (230 kph), could rake the region of harsh desert fringed with picturesque beaches and fishing villages by Tuesday evening.
Good afternoon all,
Really enjoyed the "PC and Pixel" comic strip this morning. LOL.
After solving this morning's LAT
last night, I down loaded The Merl Reagle' Sunday puzzle. Talk about
jumping in with both feet. But, I'm almost finished.
The retired wife is back at school as a long term sub. Didn't think she could stay away. She was honored as Teacher of the Year for the BUSD.
The four Lee Child novels I ordered
came two days early. So, I plenty of reading to do.
That all folks.
eddyB.
KQ - thanks for the Keith Richards info but I was really teasing when I asked if he was still among the living...I know he is (it's just that he doesn't look it) :0. There was a comedy skit a few years ago where he was being impersonated and the comedian held up a cockroach and said (in a very realistic imitation of Keith's voice).."I once smoked your grandad". I do wish I could remember who did it and on what show, but it was one of those unexpected shows you sometimes come across.
lemonade, if i'm understanding your question correctly, the process for posting first is just to click on the '0 comments' link underneath c.c.'s post. that will take you to the (blank) comments section, and you just enter your comment as usual. anyone can do it, last sunday hahtool was first.
For CA cop org. I put SDPD San Diego PD.
Loni Anderson from her WKRP in Cincinnati days.
http://sidesalad.net/archives/WKRPJpg.jpg
BIll G., I'm glad that worked out for you; great picture. I always like seeing 'a man and his dog' pictures.
Lemonade, no problem, and you're right - a blog like this, it's easy to interpret words in several different ways. As to the first post, no, I'm not the type that can sit around waiting for something each day. And I'd feel like a fool, sitting there hitting refresh over and over. You're right, having administrative privileges does provide more choices. I'll try not to always be so quick on the trigger in the future.
Carol, I seem to remember that from somewhere. Just a great line.
5:20 today. Easier than Monday's puzzle for me.
I smiled when I saw ELAINE and remembered @WM's comment from a while back (she gave the details in her post).
I was also astounded to find that I am about a month older than Keith Richards. I think he's lived a harder life than I, but then he has a lot more money, so maybe it's worth it?
As for the "royal dogs" (CORGIs). Another famous corgi is Tee Tucker, one of the important characters in the Mrs. Murphy mystery series. My wife and I are "reading" these (on CD in the car), and enjoying them immensely.
@warren: wonderful picture of you and your lovely wife. I've never taken the boat cruise on Lake Tahoe as my wife is nervous on the water. I envy your doing the xwords together--my wife is not interested at all.
Hello All, Argyle, Thanks for the many good links on your analysis of the CW today. I whizzed through this Tuesday puzzle, but didn't get the theme until I filled in the very last word, Wild.
I had put in Done for Over, so the SE corner gave me a few false starts until the perps helped me out.
I enjoyed the clues First Mate?, Birdie beater, and White-tie accompanier. Also liked seeing Opal and Opel together in the puzzle today.
Warren, A lovely picture of you and your wife. Tahoe is one of our favorite places.
WM, my Aunt's first job in California was a Telephone Operator. Number, Please! I hadn't thought of that for years.
Embien, Thank you for the link to the Mrs. Murphy Mystery Series. The books look like fun.
As an Aussie, I don't feel one way or the other about the queen being frumpy, and I don't know about anyone else. But Aussies generally make disparaging remarks about everyone in positions of wealth or power, regardless of what they really think of them--it's our convict rebellious history at work.
I think the woman simply has the guts to do what she pleases in privacy--after all, who's to say she shouldn't? It used to be rumoured that she would disguise herself frumpily so she could go out in public and shop on her own. I doubt if her staff would feel safe allowing that these days though.
Warren, Uh-oh. Will Ruth be pleased that you let us all know she achieved that glorious red hair by less than natural means? Not that it matters, either way she is a looker.
Sallie, I had to laugh at your description of Corgis being made from Schipperkes. Sounds kind of gruesome. It is more likely that Corgis were bred from the Swedish Vallhund that accompanied those pesky Vikings on their raids to Britain a thousand years ago. Both the Vallund and the Schipperke are Spitz-type breeds, so there may have been a little doggy fooling around back there someplace.
I always thought the Queen looked fine. When she is at Balmoral, she dresses in the traditional country manner, including boots, head scarves and heavy jackets. When she is "on display", she dresses as a privileged, (now)elderly and very conservative woman might. Better that she has aged gracefully, if somewhat frumpily, than the way he has aged.
Since many of you have expressed concern about the LA fires, here is a link to some excellent photos of a very sad situation.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bigpicturefire,0,5985825.htmlstory
Embien, in response to your comment about Keith Richards and his money, here is a quote that seemed appropriate on my igoogle today:
If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.
- Mickey Mantle
Having been through 10 various surgeries and many bouts of illnesses and pain myself, I'd take health over money any day.
Jeez CA..Big thanks for the Keith Richards link...I'm going to have a hard time getting THAT image out of brain...thank heavens that I looked at the lovely photo of the queen second...I have to agree with you that she has aged very gracefully, and though she is not quite the character that her mother was, she is still an excellent horsewoman and quite fit. I should be so lucky.
Embien...you look DECADES younger than Keith Richards...possibly eons(aeons?).
The expression "pulling out all stops" is derived from the PIPE ORGAN KNOBS (5A / STOPS). When an organist wants to play loudly, he/she pulls out all the stops.
The Lady of the Lake reminded me of the Old Man of the Mountain. His face could be seen on one of the White Mountains near Franconia Notch in New Hampshire. His face, however, collapsed in 2003. The first known reference to his face was recorded nearly 200 years earlier. As kids, we used to drive by the Old Man of the Mountain pn our way to my Grandmother's house.
Hi Clear Ayes,
Re: Ruth's red hair? She has an appointment tomorrow to get it re-dyed again. She's too busy to get into this blog (I hope so anyway)...
;-)
Although names are usually our downfall, the ones today were well-known enough or filled in from the perps so we got through the puzzle easily and quickly with no help. My husband and I do the puzzle together after supper each day. He may get frustrated with the end of the week ones & quit but usually we keep plugging away with g-help because we figure anyone 95 yrs. old has to do whatever he can to keep the brain active.
Has anyone else been hit by the tomato blight? Our plants were loaded with tomatoes, then leaves & tomatoes started turning black. Yesterday, our daughter picked all the green tomatoes and pulled up the plants. She is going to make salsa verde. Now, the blight is hitting the potatoes. We don't have any of those but potato farming is big business not too far north of Madison. This is the fungus that caused the Irish potato famine. Hopefully, it won't spread to Idaho!
Dot
@ Bill G.: Thanks for the link to the fire photographs. A picture truly tells a 1000 words.
Whizzed thru at the master level -- no red letters and no g-spots -- for the first time ever!
Hahtool: My favorite John Irving book most definitely A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Dot,
Yes, both our tomatoes and those of our son and d-i-l in Madison are affected. We managed to get a few but not nearly all that were on the vines. We dug them all up and disposed of the vines and affected fruit. You can't dig them in or compost them because then the spores can get in your subsequent year's crop as well. They say they should be burned or buried, but we don't have anywhere to bury them safely.
Kazie,
If we buried the bad plants, then the spores would get in the ground in that area and I understand the spores can live for a long, long time. We bagged ours up & let the garbage man take them. When the garden is totally finished, we intend to treat the tomato area with a copper solution that should kill the spores in the soil. However, I'm sure our daughter (who is the gardener) will 'rotate' her crops next year.
We just had the square foot garden which was an interesting experience. We will do several things differently next year.
I wonder when Andrea will be back. We still need information from her about 9/27.
Dot
Bill, it's good to see your picture so soon. Your dog looks very much like a labradoodle. Gorgeous, whether s/he is or not a doodle.
Hello! Fun puzzle today, but as expected I didn't get the theme until it was spelled out. Had no idea sidewinder refers to a snake. My brief brush with British royalty was seeing the Royal Dog Walker with the Queen Mum's beloved corgis while doing a walking tour in London about 9 years ago. We had a wonderful guide who knew the schedule, and we respectfully stood fifteen feet away as the dogs conducted their "royal business" and, no, we didn't take any "souvenirs."
The word "puce" means "flea" in French. Knowing that may score you a spot on Jeopardy.
Ewan McGregor was in one of my favorite films, called "Pillow Book" by Peter Greenaway. No one else seems to like it. It involves calligraphy and nudity. Big fan of calligraphy, not such a fan of gratuitous nakedness, but it was a critical plot point.... Lots of cinematographic (sp?) tricks, but a beautiful movie.
One of the highlights of my life was seeing Lily Tomlin live on stage in "...Intelligent Life in the Universe." She was brilliant. My love for things comedic probably stems from seeing her on "Laugh In." Didn't realize she was born in 1939. She was also good in a serious role on the "West Wing." Loved watching the UTube clips with her as Ernestine. I had about 6 people crowded around my tiny phone watching her during recess today.
I mean lunch.
Be well, all.
PJB here is a short clip showing why the sidewinder got his name, from his mode of travel across hot sand. Bet there won't be a crowd to see this clip.
@Argyle. Wow, that clip was beautiful. Scientists have debated for over a century about which fears are inate in humans. Fire and falling are fears that seem to garner the most votes. Primal stuff. Snakes often make the list as number three. Jungian folks have a high time with the first book of the Bible/Torah and what the snake actually represents.
The shapes left behind as the snake moves are drop-dead stunning. Thank you.
In the pjb dictionary, Adam is defined as:
First guy to get into serious trouble for something his wife did..
Likewise, Eve is clued as First woman punished for trying to get an education.
Am no Noah Webster or Ambrose Bierce (sp?) but that's the best I got!
PJ
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