Theme: Quite a Tussle - a pair of homophones rhyming with tussle/hustle.
19A: "A Beautiful Mind" star: RUSSELL CROWE. Also starring Jennifer Connelly, who won an Oscar for her role in "A Beautiful Mind", directed by Ron Howard.
29A: Certain mollusk's protection: MUSSEL SHELL. Hmm, steamed mussels with white wine, yum!
43A: Marathoner's bane: MUSCLE CRAMP. Drink Quinine Water.
50A: Steal a herd: RUSTLE CATTLE. The old west story.
Argyle here. Hope I got the theme right.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (total non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 14, slightly below average. Nice stacks of 6's on the left and right edges of the grid.
I find this puzzle is like Dan (and Rich) loaded up the old blunderbuss with various leftover clues and fired it at a grid. They seem rather simple, even for a Tuesday.
Across:
1A: Bergen's dummy Mortimer: SNERD. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, plus Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker. Candice Bergen is Edgar Bergen's daughter.
6A: Letter after pi: RHO.
9A: Preschool lessons: ABC'S.
13A: George who played Sulu on "Star Trek": TAKEI. Lt. Sulu was the helmsman on the USS Enterprise. George Takei is still working at age 72.
14A: Castle protection: MOAT.
15A: Finish second: LOSE. Wish SHOW (39A: Broadway event) were clued as "Third place". Would be a nice weaving.
16A: Halo wearer: ANGEL.
17A: Quarreling once more: AT IT AGAIN. That's right, "AT IT" AGAIN.
21A: Give off: EMIT.
22A: Elegant tapestry : ARRAS. Tapestry was called ARRAS from where it was made, Arras, in Artois, France. When rooms were hung with tapestry it was a common thing for persons to hide behind it, especially the arras curtain before the door. Hubert concealed the two villains who were to put out Arthur's eyes behind the arras. Polonius was slain by Hamlet while concealed behind the arras.
26A: __ Lanka: SRI. Known as Ceylon before 1972.
33A: Colorful aquarium fish: TETRA.
35A: Tough-guy trait: MACHISMO.
36A: "__ Only Have Love": Jacques Brel song: IF WE. Jacques Brel, d 1978, was a Belgian singer-songwriter. Brel composed and recorded his songs almost exclusively in French. Sung by Johnny Mathis.
37A: Pretentious one : PSEUD. Nobody liked this word the last time we had it.
40A: Bloom with sword-shaped leaves: GLADIOLA. Tough to find a picture of just the leaves.
42A: With a single voice: AS ONE.
46A: Onetime Leno announcer Hall: EDD. "Edd Hall and Jay Leno" did not produce any images, Do we have anybody that knows the story behind that?
47A: The "A" in "CAT scan": AXIAL. c(omputerized) a(xial) t(omography)
48A: Philbin's sidekick: RIPA.
57A: Gambling metaphor for a risky venture: CRAPSHOOT. A roll of the dice.
60A: Harold of "Ghostbusters": RAMIS. On the right.
61A: Gigantic: HUGE.
62A: Storybook monster: OGRE.
63A: Standing upright: ERECT.
64A: "Yeah, sure!": I BET.
65A: Steno's need: PAD.
66A: Sausage servings: LINKS. What is a sausage sentence? It's a meaningful string of words whose beginning and ending letters match. For example, notice how the blue letters match in the following sentence: Every yellow warbler rested during Gideon's skillfully yodeled ditty. (I wouldn't say that was all that 'meaningful'.)
Down:
1D: Night twinkler: STAR.
2D: Half of Mork's signoff: NANU. The other half was NANU
3D: Cardiologist's tests, for short: EKGS. Electrocardiogram.
4D: Pee Wee of the '40s-'50s Dodgers: REESE. Card.
5D: Catch-22: DILEMMA.
6D: Univ. military org.: ROTC. Univ. - University
7D: Barber's concern: HAIR.
8D: Conductor Klemperer: OTTO.
9D: Suspected Soviet spy of the McCarthy era: ALGER HISS. He wasn't tried for his alleged espionage because the statute of limitations had expired. After a mistrial due to a hung jury, Hiss was tried a second time for two counts of perjury and received two concurrent five-year sentences,
10D: __ constrictor: BOA.
11D: TV forensic drama: CSI. Crime Scene Investigation
12D: Obama, before he became pres.: SEN.
14D: Blended ice cream drinks: MALTS.
18D: Inundated: AWASH.
20D: Lucy of "Kill Bill": LIU. Can't pass up an opportunity to show Lucy Liu.
23D: Do a smith's job: RESHOE.
24D: __ Joy: candy bar: ALMOND. Yum...if you feel like a nut.
25D: Lost speed: SLOWED.
26D: Scarlet letter, e.g.: STIGMA. A mark of disgrace or infamy. Scarlet letter “A,” worn by one convicted of adultery.
27D: Stomach acid problem: REFLUX.
28D: Formal words of confession: IT WAS I.
30D: Bit of mudslinging: SMEAR.
31D: Water, in Cannes: EAU.
32D: Watch display, for short: LCD. Liquid Crystal Display. It replaced LED( Light-Emitting Diode).
34D: It's rolled out for celebs: RED CARPET. Great fill. Who's that on the RED CARPET?
37D: "The Raven" writer: POE.
38D: Utah's capital: Abbr.: SLC. Salt Lake City.
41D: Like bks. with pictures: ILLUS. Illustrated.
42D: Clothes: APPAREL.
44D: Rugged ridge: ARETE. Often clued as "Mountain ridge".
45D: Speaker's amplifying aid, briefly: MIC.
49D: Video game pioneer: ATARI.
51D: Boutique: SHOP.
52D: Old Roman attire: TOGA.
53D: British title: LORD.
54D: Feds under Ness: T-MEN.
55D: Moisten, as a stamp: LICK. Dennis, do you have Legends of Baseball stamps? Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb & Cy Young are all honored in the set, so is our crossword stalwart TRIS Speaker.
56D: Body shop nos.: ESTS. Usually some big numbers(nos.) for estimates(ests) on fixing even a minor ding.
57D: Cubs, on scoreboards: CHI. Worms for anybody that doesn't know CHI (Chicago).
58D: Massage: RUB.
59D: Get older: AGE.
Answer grid.
Argyle
19A: "A Beautiful Mind" star: RUSSELL CROWE. Also starring Jennifer Connelly, who won an Oscar for her role in "A Beautiful Mind", directed by Ron Howard.
29A: Certain mollusk's protection: MUSSEL SHELL. Hmm, steamed mussels with white wine, yum!
43A: Marathoner's bane: MUSCLE CRAMP. Drink Quinine Water.
50A: Steal a herd: RUSTLE CATTLE. The old west story.
Argyle here. Hope I got the theme right.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (total non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 14, slightly below average. Nice stacks of 6's on the left and right edges of the grid.
I find this puzzle is like Dan (and Rich) loaded up the old blunderbuss with various leftover clues and fired it at a grid. They seem rather simple, even for a Tuesday.
Across:
1A: Bergen's dummy Mortimer: SNERD. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, plus Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker. Candice Bergen is Edgar Bergen's daughter.
6A: Letter after pi: RHO.
9A: Preschool lessons: ABC'S.
13A: George who played Sulu on "Star Trek": TAKEI. Lt. Sulu was the helmsman on the USS Enterprise. George Takei is still working at age 72.
14A: Castle protection: MOAT.
15A: Finish second: LOSE. Wish SHOW (39A: Broadway event) were clued as "Third place". Would be a nice weaving.
16A: Halo wearer: ANGEL.
17A: Quarreling once more: AT IT AGAIN. That's right, "AT IT" AGAIN.
21A: Give off: EMIT.
22A: Elegant tapestry : ARRAS. Tapestry was called ARRAS from where it was made, Arras, in Artois, France. When rooms were hung with tapestry it was a common thing for persons to hide behind it, especially the arras curtain before the door. Hubert concealed the two villains who were to put out Arthur's eyes behind the arras. Polonius was slain by Hamlet while concealed behind the arras.
26A: __ Lanka: SRI. Known as Ceylon before 1972.
33A: Colorful aquarium fish: TETRA.
35A: Tough-guy trait: MACHISMO.
36A: "__ Only Have Love": Jacques Brel song: IF WE. Jacques Brel, d 1978, was a Belgian singer-songwriter. Brel composed and recorded his songs almost exclusively in French. Sung by Johnny Mathis.
37A: Pretentious one : PSEUD. Nobody liked this word the last time we had it.
40A: Bloom with sword-shaped leaves: GLADIOLA. Tough to find a picture of just the leaves.
42A: With a single voice: AS ONE.
46A: Onetime Leno announcer Hall: EDD. "Edd Hall and Jay Leno" did not produce any images, Do we have anybody that knows the story behind that?
47A: The "A" in "CAT scan": AXIAL. c(omputerized) a(xial) t(omography)
48A: Philbin's sidekick: RIPA.
57A: Gambling metaphor for a risky venture: CRAPSHOOT. A roll of the dice.
60A: Harold of "Ghostbusters": RAMIS. On the right.
61A: Gigantic: HUGE.
62A: Storybook monster: OGRE.
63A: Standing upright: ERECT.
64A: "Yeah, sure!": I BET.
65A: Steno's need: PAD.
66A: Sausage servings: LINKS. What is a sausage sentence? It's a meaningful string of words whose beginning and ending letters match. For example, notice how the blue letters match in the following sentence: Every yellow warbler rested during Gideon's skillfully yodeled ditty. (I wouldn't say that was all that 'meaningful'.)
Down:
1D: Night twinkler: STAR.
2D: Half of Mork's signoff: NANU. The other half was NANU
3D: Cardiologist's tests, for short: EKGS. Electrocardiogram.
4D: Pee Wee of the '40s-'50s Dodgers: REESE. Card.
5D: Catch-22: DILEMMA.
6D: Univ. military org.: ROTC. Univ. - University
7D: Barber's concern: HAIR.
8D: Conductor Klemperer: OTTO.
9D: Suspected Soviet spy of the McCarthy era: ALGER HISS. He wasn't tried for his alleged espionage because the statute of limitations had expired. After a mistrial due to a hung jury, Hiss was tried a second time for two counts of perjury and received two concurrent five-year sentences,
10D: __ constrictor: BOA.
11D: TV forensic drama: CSI. Crime Scene Investigation
12D: Obama, before he became pres.: SEN.
14D: Blended ice cream drinks: MALTS.
18D: Inundated: AWASH.
20D: Lucy of "Kill Bill": LIU. Can't pass up an opportunity to show Lucy Liu.
23D: Do a smith's job: RESHOE.
24D: __ Joy: candy bar: ALMOND. Yum...if you feel like a nut.
25D: Lost speed: SLOWED.
26D: Scarlet letter, e.g.: STIGMA. A mark of disgrace or infamy. Scarlet letter “A,” worn by one convicted of adultery.
27D: Stomach acid problem: REFLUX.
28D: Formal words of confession: IT WAS I.
30D: Bit of mudslinging: SMEAR.
31D: Water, in Cannes: EAU.
32D: Watch display, for short: LCD. Liquid Crystal Display. It replaced LED( Light-Emitting Diode).
34D: It's rolled out for celebs: RED CARPET. Great fill. Who's that on the RED CARPET?
37D: "The Raven" writer: POE.
38D: Utah's capital: Abbr.: SLC. Salt Lake City.
41D: Like bks. with pictures: ILLUS. Illustrated.
42D: Clothes: APPAREL.
44D: Rugged ridge: ARETE. Often clued as "Mountain ridge".
45D: Speaker's amplifying aid, briefly: MIC.
49D: Video game pioneer: ATARI.
51D: Boutique: SHOP.
52D: Old Roman attire: TOGA.
53D: British title: LORD.
54D: Feds under Ness: T-MEN.
55D: Moisten, as a stamp: LICK. Dennis, do you have Legends of Baseball stamps? Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb & Cy Young are all honored in the set, so is our crossword stalwart TRIS Speaker.
56D: Body shop nos.: ESTS. Usually some big numbers(nos.) for estimates(ests) on fixing even a minor ding.
57D: Cubs, on scoreboards: CHI. Worms for anybody that doesn't know CHI (Chicago).
58D: Massage: RUB.
59D: Get older: AGE.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - I was looking forward to this one as soon as I saw Dan's name, but it seemed like it was over all too quickly. Today's might even have been a bit easier than yesterday's. I did like the cluing, however, and I have to keep reminding myself how much better off we are now than the 'old days', when every other puzzle had the same words, such as 'iter', 'peri', etc.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, you're right - I still don't like 'pseud'. And regarding your Pee Wee Reese picture, this is considered the most beautiful baseball card ever made.
Today is Business Women's Day and Elephant Appreciation Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "What experience and history teach is this -- that people and governments have never learned anything from the study of history, or acted on principles deduced from it." -- G.W.F. Hegel
And a couple more definitions:
- Tact: the ability to describe others as they see themselves.
- Traditionalists: pessimists about the future and optimists about the past.
And no, I don't have those baseball stamps - pretty neat looking collection, though.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention - I cannot wait to see Lois' take on a certain perp meeting in the SE.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all, a bit of a struggle for me today. Once again, anytime there are actors/actresses as clues/answers I am stuck. However, I did manage to get all of the fills except for the cross of Russell Crowe and dilemma which sat there for a long time before the DUH moment.
ReplyDeleteI easily got muscle cramp and mussel shell and then tried to force the “M” where the “R” in Russell and Rustle was to go. I did not like 41 D “illus”, it seemed like a stretch to me. Oh well I guess I was due for a bit of a struggle, but I did not expect it on a Tuesday.
Hope you all have a great Tuesday.
Had to google to get the Rs in SNERD and REESE and ALGER HISS and ARRAS. Salt Lake City never acme to me: I kept thinking it had to be St. Somebody. I also googled to get AXIAL and that was enough to cause the left centre to fall.
ReplyDeleteMartin
Morning, All! A fun puzzle today. This was easier for me than yesterday's puzzle. I loved the variations of Muscle/Rustle/Mussel/Russell. How nice to have rhyming homonyms.
ReplyDeleteLearned a new word: ARRAS (22A). Thanks for the wonderful explanation, Argyle. Doubt I'll ever have occasion to use this word in a sentence, however.
Enjoy the last few hours of summer. It will be a hot one here. Autumn officially starts here around 4:00 p.m.
September 22 Birthdays:
1902 ~ John Houseman (d. 1988), distinguished actor who also played Professor Charles Kingsfield in the TV series The Paper Chase. He also did commercials for Smith Barney, stating that the company “made money the old fashion way … They earned it.
1880 ~ Christabel Pankhurst (d. 1958), British suffragette. Her mother, Emmeline Pankhurst, is referenced in “Sister Suffragette,” a song in the musical Mary Poppins.
1791 ~ Michael Faraday (d. 1867), English chemist and physicist, best known for his work with electricity and magnetism.
1515 ~ Anne of Cleves (d. 1557), 4th wife of Henry III. This marriage was annulled, so she got to keep her head.
QOD: When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Good Morning All,
ReplyDeleteGood grid. No, I don't like PSEUD either but whatcha gonna do? Only hang up was Utah capital. Could not, for the life of me think of ANY city in UTAH. Then, after staring at it awhile I had a DUH moment and it was there. Also didn't think much of the ILLUS abbreviation. Seems like more of a suffix or prefix when you see it alone. I guess it works though.
Tomorrow is another day and we'll see what it brings.
CY'all Later
Good Morning CC, Argyle and All,
ReplyDeleteThis was no walk in the park for me. Like Dick, to many names. I guessed at Russell Crowe and Ramis which aided in the top and bottom of the grid. Then the popping sound occurred and Mussel Shell came to me and the middle of the puzzle filled in. I had no idea of what the theme was until I got here.
At low tide I can gather half a bucket of mussels in about 15 minutes at my super secret spot (that everyone knows about). I let them soak in salt water overnight to purge. I clean the shells up with a wire brush then their ready to steam. White wine, dijon mustard, onion, garlic and tarragon always smells good once its simmering in a large fry pan. Throw the mussels in until they open and toss in some sliced black olives. Now they're good to go!
Lois, looking forward to today's post. Nobody does it better!!
Have a great day!
53 D British title Lord
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the Louisiana Congressman who tried to buy a Lordship? His name is Charles Boustany and he was the object of some British scammers who sold him the title of Lord for $18,500. He and his wife tried to sue the scammers for $50K.
LORD BOUSTANY
ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF
Good Morning All -
ReplyDeleteThis seemed easier to me than yesterday's puzzle, altho I needed Argyle's help for the Snerd/Takei/Reese crossings, and the Alger Hess/Arras crossing. Other than that it went pretty smoothly.
Love mussels - may have to have some for dinner tonight.
Somewhere in a tub in the basement I have Robin Yount's rookie year baseball card. He was one of my very first crushes.
Time to wake everyone up and get our day started - it's very cloudy with rain likely today, so everyone, including the dog, is sleeping in...
Enjoy the day.
Andrea
Once again, I think slightly harder than a usual Tuesday, but doable. I got almost everything with a little help from the perps. Learned some new words. Argyle, thanks for a nice write-up and the definition of ARRAS. Looked at that and thought I must be wrong, but yet knew I wasn't because all the perps were right (including ALMOND - one of my favorite candies of which I cannot eat because of allergies). I like the words MACHISMO, STIGMA and REFLUX. Good words to put in a puzzle, and a great theme to boot. Also didn't like ILLUS, but they cannot all be good fills can they? I suppose sometimes they can. While I don't like PSEUD, I think it is a good looking word.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics of Lucy Liu. Loved her attire as well.
Does one really think that a woman has to be a "convicted" adulterous to wear the scarlet letter? My guess is that in the era where they were required, lots of innocent women were wearing them as well.
Dennis, I liked your definition of tact. Very few people who can do that well.
Overall, I liked this puzzle as much as it is possible on a Tuesday. It had some pretty fresh, or at least not overused answers like ARRAS, MACHISMO, GLADIOLA, DILEMMA, ALGER HISS, STIGMA, REFLUX, etc. But for some reason, one clue, "Barber's concern" for HAIR, stuck out like a sore thumb to me as just too easy. Why not "Informal measurement", or "Seta", or even "The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical". I get it, it's a Tuesday, it's supposed to be easy, and there is going to be some not so sparkling fill with all the other happiness. I don't have a problem with hair as an answer (or maybe I do and that says more about me than it should), but when the answer is that simple, then the clue could perhaps be just a touch more obscure. And yes, I'm sure Rich has better things to do than make every clue/answer pair sing the praises of angels, especially on a Tuesday, but still...
ReplyDeleteAnyone wants a good chuckle, here is my 17 year old heading off to school today as a Goofy Robot. It is homecoming week, with the theme Back To The Future. Today they were to dress up in a "futuristic" costume. We put this concoction together at around 10pm last night. Tin foil and fabric paints. He bought the tights at Target in the women's lingerie section. I love that they will dress up totally goofy in front of all their friends. In this photo you can see the great artwork on the front of the shirt. The yellow on the right is a telephone pad. I am sure WM would be impressed by my skills.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteLiked the puzzle, except for showbiz names, which I don't know. Got most from the perps. Had trouble with dilemma because I don't know how to spell it. Perps to the rescue again.
My only complaint (other than I agree about psued – my spellcheck doesn't like it either) is the clue, "Formal words of confession." It isn't formal, it is grammatically correct. I hate "it's me".
Off to a doctor's appt.
Cheers
Good morning, C.C., Argyle and all,
ReplyDeleteGood job, Argyle.
This was a smooth sail for me this morning; my only stumble was the a crossing of nanu and takei. I am not a Trekie and have no knowledge of cast names. The theme was clever and easy to get, I thought.
Thanks to all of you for your kind remarks about the anniversary picture which C.C. ran yesterday. You really are a warm and friendly bunch of folks.
We have more rain forecast for today, which is still badly needed. Our deficit for the year is still about 19 inches.
Them Cowboys were a big disappointment Sunday; Romo in particular. I thought they beat the Giants everywhere but on the scoreboard. You can't give the ball away four times against anybody, especially the Giants.
Have a great day!
Good job again Argyle--thanks.
ReplyDeleteNo real problems today since I was able to guess all the unknown names with perp help.
I was listening to NPR in the car on Friday, and there was a discussion of the term snark, presumably a contraction of "snide remark". I had never heard it before, so of course I thought that would be the answer for SMEAR, until I got machismo, and then I felt cheated not being able to use my new acquisition.
It was so relatively easy, that I hadn't noticed that it was a Naddor until Argyle's mention of it. Also didn't notice the theme at all.
Today's WOW perhaps reflects the fact that kids don't learn history any more, for that matter they don't learn anything much, just get the grades and move on. Society is becoming more ignorant every day, as evidenced in our recent town hall meetings.
I love the definition of tact.
An excellent puzzle today. Thanks to Rich Norris
ReplyDeletePhilope
Good Morning!
ReplyDeleteDid pretty well (few guesses, NANU, SNERD) with perp help for RAMIS, ALGER HISS.
But could not complete as I got stuck at the intersection of PSEUD, SLC, EAU, missing the letters S and U.
I couldnot remember any city in Utah and my brain kept thinking PRICK for pretentious.
Finally gave up and looked up pretentious in the Thesaurus. :(
I understand not getting PSEUD or SLC. But how could I forget EAU, considering I love perfumes.
KQ, Marvellous job. Wow! The t-shirt is apt.
I did chuckle at the pic, seeing the cap/hat and the tights :)
Dennis, good definition for Tact. Unfortunately, I suck at it.
Have a great Tuesday, everyone!
Good morning Argyle, CC and all,
ReplyDeleteI always feel a little shorted on Mon./Tues because they are over so quickly.This was easier than yesterday, but there are always new words, or words that have been forgotten. I did look up axial; don't s'pose I'll be using it in conversation though.
Argyle, I was impressed with the sausage sentence..not easy; I tried one, and it didn't make sense.Great write up. Thanks for the info on arras.
Mainiac, I don't even like mussels, but that sounds delicious
KQ, what great pictures of your son.Great garb!He sounds very self confident.
Yes, we are all waiting to hear from Lois.It's always a crapshoot. Maybe she'll just talk about the gladiolas.LOL! Ladies, we've come a long way from the scarlet letter days!
Dennis, am enjoying the definitions. Tact, so true! Moon, can't wait to meet you. I suck at it too. :)
Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all -
ReplyDeleteDennis (she might even get in a few LICKS)
Really like this one...I was a bit surprised to see Dan Naddor's name on it because it is Tuesday and he usually has the more 'difficult' days. I managed to finish without any help except the perps.
I have the same trouble as a lot of you in that I am lost when it comes to most of the actor/actress clues but am getting better at remembering them. If really at sea, I do have my cheat sheets.
I do not understand 37A (PSEUD) - shouldn't the clue have stated 'abbr'?
I have never heard the word used in speech..."she is such a pseud" ???!
I didn't know A in CAT scan but got it with perp help. ARRAS was new too.
I have a slight dent in my head from my V-8 moment with 38D (SLC)
Moon - LOL at your answer for 37A!! I've known a few of those.
Good Morning All, No complaints here. We've seen PSEUD a couple of times, so I won't gripe about it again. Now I just have to start using it in real life (Yeah, right)
ReplyDeleteI liked seeing the interesting fill ALGER HISS. Crossworders under 50 probably don't know who he was.
Thanks Argyle for the reminder about ARRAS and Arthur and Hubert. I'd read Shakespeare's King John a long time ago, but had pretty much forgotten about the story.
The Scarlet Letter was an absolutely awful 1995 movie adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel. Demi Moore and Gary Oldman made one of the most unappealing screen couples I've ever seen.
Well, you just got to love a puzzle that has rub, huge, lick, chi and erect in it. Very DF puzzle in my opinion. Got some perp help with Rho, arras, Reese; and Otto filled itself in as I wouldn’t have known who conductor Klemperer was. An overall easy fill for me today with no outside help. It’s a gray day in Minnesota and you can tell fall is in the air. Moon, I also “suck” at being tactful. Well, in honor of business women’s day I think I will take a long lunch :)
ReplyDeleteHi gang -
ReplyDeleteArgyle - great job again!
I'm rather disappointed nobody has commented on ATITAGAIN. Maybe if it had been in the SE corner . . .
Good theme today. Nice puzzle over all, but PSUED is, well - PSUED. (There's your sentence, Carol.) AXIAL, REFLUX, APPAREL, DILEMMA and RESHOE are great fills. And ALGER HISS - Wow!
Love the Hegel quote. The LW and I were just discussing how nobody has ever been able to conquer Afghanistan. When I was a kid, I read the Sherlock Holmes stories, and in the very first one, Dr. Watson has recently returned from war in Afghanistan. Some things never change.
Did Hannibal initiate elephant appreciation day?
The ALGER HISS case, with its STIGMA of communism, was a big stepping stone in the career of Rep R. M. Nixon, and helped him move from the House to the Senate.
Cheers!
JzB the ATITAGAIN trombonist
Good morning all,
ReplyDeleteFall begins at 2:19 PM PDT this afternoon. We will be in the 90s by then. Other areas in the valley will be in the 100s.
"Quite A Tussel" is a lot better than Superman riding in a stupid balloon.
Jill's picture appeared in yesterday's Merc with all of the other county's Teacher of the Year
photos.
Have to run errands today before it gets too hot.
eddyB.
It's so nice to see Mr. Naddor hangin' with the masses on a Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous- "An excellent puzzle today. Thanks to Rich Norris". Well, yeah, but Dan had something to do with it, if only in a real small, hardly noticeable way.
AT IT AGAIN. What a great entry. But I can picture some wiseguy seeing only A TIT AGAIN.
MACHISMO, RED CARPET. Wonderful.
I'm sure the 61, 62, 63 across sequence is completely accidental.
Only a SHARP COOT wins in a CRAPSHOOT.
Pretentious fools are PSEUD DUPES.
There's an LA PAPER in APPAREL.
RUSSELL CROWE CURSES ORWELL.
ALGER HISS, SHE'S A GIRL.
GOT A TOGA?
Hey Dan, great puzzle!
OTTO Klemperer's son was Werner Klemperer. Werner was a talented pianist, violinist and singer, but he was best known for his role as the vain and foolish Nazi Colonel Klink in the 1960's TV comedy Hogan's Heroes. Even then it seemed pretty bizarre that a show about happy-go-lucky POW's and their inept Nazi captors could have been so popular.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that a lot of men prefer(The Sadder But Wiser Girl, ala The Music Man.
On a serious note, historically it has been women who have suffered the STIGMA of infidelity and adultery. Sadly, that is still true today in many middle-eastern countries. Closer to home, it looks like former senator John Edward will admit that he is the father of the lovely baby girl whom he had previously denied. What a low-life he has turned out to be.
Carol, you forgot to note that the LINK was HUGE.
ReplyDeleteJD, sadly, he is not very self-confident. That is why I am so surprised when he does something like this. I love when they can just have fun.
Jerome, I love all your anagrams. I am pretty sure that Dennis is the wiseguy you were referring to.
And clearly, tact is not my forte either.
Afternoon CC and gang:
ReplyDeleteArgyle: How `bout "Let`s rustle some muscle"...for an alternate theme? Thank you for the CAT info.
Only problem was with "pretentious one"..."ps..."
eluded me until I came here.
More like a Mon. diff. level...
Lois: I read between the lines quite well :)
EddyB: Congratulations to your Jill! Was nominated more than once but never won...(and I was a strict disciplinarian who expected his/her personal best from everyone.) Was credentialed for administrative duties but would never apply. I never molly-coddled students and wasn`t about to do it with "adults." Was never good at "soothing egos and putting out fires" which, we were told in grad class, were the two, main duties of an administrator.
KQ - LOL, I didn't forget, I was just using all the answers in that SE corner!
ReplyDeleteNow, in the SW corner we have some fun with RUB AND HUGE but it sort of spoils it to see CRAP just above them. Sigh.
Looks as if several of us have trouble with the showbiz names. Russell Crowe, nanu, and Ramis all came from fills. The rest was easy. Got Alger Hiss right away. I'm a history buff and the name came to mind immediately.
ReplyDeleteI stared blankly at "it was I" forever before I realized it was NOT "I twasi." Had to be out early for husband's doctor's appointment — I think it was too early. He broke his arm on August 13. He can drive but he can't write; I have to go to fill out a form every time.
The Dilbert cartoon was pithy this morning. The last panel had the pointy-haired boss saying: "When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." Well said!
5:56 today. Much easier than Monday's puzzle for me.
ReplyDeleteGeorge TAKEI played Hiro's father on Heroes, I believe last year (premiere of the new season was Monday night). Heroes is the only network drama I watch, unless you count Dexter on Showtime (is a pay network counted the same as NBC?). Dunno how that happened--one show based on a comic, the other on a novel about a serial killer.
For Jerome: I wonder if TAKEI did his scenes in one take (I TAKE)?
I did like the symmetrical RUSSEL/RUSTLE and MUSSEL/MUSCLE theme entries, with PSEUD right there in the middle. I know folks objected to PSEUD when it appeared in our puzzle previously, but there it is, in the dictionary: pseud.
Hello All--A walk in the park today, even with all the proper names. I somehow managed to pull them in and write them down PDQ.
ReplyDeleteThank you Argyle for the explanation of Arras. It was my new word for the day. However, I'm afraid Pseud won't be in my everyday vacabulary any time soon.
Congratulations to your Jill, Eddy B. I found her picture in the paper on Sunday. Teacher of the year is a real honor.
KQ, kudos to your 17 year old for taking part in his school's crazy dress up day. This is what memories are made of. I still remember doing something similar in High School and have pictures to remind me of those days.
Good day, all.
ReplyDeleteArgyle-Thanks for the wonderful write up and sausage sentence. Very creative, indeed!
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle today. Only three complete unknowns but they were all across so no problem there. And although names are my bane, I knew RUSSELL CROWE. I went immediately to 50A to see how it related, got RUSTLE CATTLE easily. Back to the top, and after getting MUS for 29A, the other two theme answers filled themselves in. Such a clever theme! I also liked how Mr. Naddor used so many words that aren't typically used in xwords such as DILEMMA, GLADIOLA, and MACHISMO and yet are not really obscure words.
KQ--Thanks for sharing the photos of your son. Looks like fun!
Dennis--Great definitions for "tact" and "traditionalists." I think I'll put off appreciating the elephants 'til a cooler day. The new elephant habitat at the San Diego Zoo opened in May. It's supposed to be much more humane for the elephants than their previous enclosure.
Cheers!
Phooey! It's the first day of autumn and it is AGAIN 98 degrees out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm generally a very tactful person (except when I let loose with my closest confidantes).
In honor of tactlessness, here is a very tactless, or maybe just tasteless poem. But it's pretty funny nonetheless.
Flames
Smokey the Bear heads
into the autumn woods
with a red can of gasoline
and a box of wooden matches.
His ranger's hat is cocked
at a disturbing angle.
His brown fur gleams
under the high sun
as his paws, the size
of catcher's mitts,
crackle into the distance.
He is sick of dispensing
warnings to the careless,
the half-wit camper,
the dumbbell hiker.
He is going to show them
how a professional does it.
-Billy Collins
I guess we could create a sausage sentence right here. Rule #1: the next word has to start with the same letter that ends the preceding word.
ReplyDeleteRule #2: You may not follow yourself.
I'll start: Darwin
needs
ReplyDeletesome
ReplyDeleteextra
ReplyDeleteapples
ReplyDeletesince
ReplyDeleteEINSTEIN
ReplyDeletenever
ReplyDeletereacts
ReplyDeleteswiftly
ReplyDeleteyonder
ReplyDeleterural
ReplyDelete. Yipes
ReplyDeletelaments
ReplyDeleteNo one has to play. If you want to leave a comment, that's okay.
ReplyDeleteTime to cut and paste now.
Darwin needs some extra apples since EINSTEIN never reacts swiftly
yonder rural
Landscape
ReplyDelete(damn slow Iphone)
Darwin needs some extra apples since EINSTEIN never reacts swiftly
ReplyDeleteyonder rural laments
oh-oh, never thought how to end it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps a new one then. Since Lois is with us:
ReplyDeleteSex
xenon
ReplyDeleteLuxor, see, it's supposed to be a sentence, not just a series of words.
ReplyDeleteHow 'bout:
Massage
Extends
ReplyDeleteHappy fall everyone,
ReplyDeleteThere's not a cloud in the sky and the temp is the low 90s and several hours to go before we max out.
Linda, You and Jill would get along very well. Her current students didn't like her; but, they
would come back years later to thank her.
Hope Smokey stays inside today. Like I am.
According to John Madden the fires were still burning around Los Angeles.
As soon as the neighbors leave, I'm going over the fence and into
their pool.
eddyB.
Congratulations to your wife, EddieB. We need good teachers for our young people.
ReplyDeletecontd...
ReplyDeletesatisfaction
Hi everyone, my wife and I finished 90 % of Dan's puzzle today before she left for work and I had no trouble finishing it after she left in 5 minutes or so...
ReplyDeleteGreat job Argyle! I've never heard of a sausage sentence before.
With the CA heat wave this week I'm glad that we invested in Eagle Shield insulation for our house.
It keeps our house comfortable on a hot day without having to use the HVAC very much. Right now it's 4:30 PM, 92 degrees outside and 77 inside with nothing but my PC running.
We also have a solar powered attic fan.
Normally.
ReplyDeletenimbly
ReplyDeleteMassage extends satisfaction normally yogic
ReplyDeletechai
ReplyDeleteif
ReplyDeleteflexing
ReplyDeleteglutes
ReplyDeletestiffens
ReplyDeleteso
ReplyDeleteSome
ReplyDeleteepicurious
ReplyDeleteSlovenly
ReplyDeleteyet
ReplyDeleteGeez, Lois (et al_ I am awaiting with 'bated' BREATH what happens after the flexing of the glutes and the 'stiffening' ???? Don't leave me holding the 'bag' here!
ReplyDeletetimely
ReplyDeleteyearning
ReplyDeletegeezer
ReplyDeleteRolling
ReplyDeletegroaning
ReplyDeletegesticulates
ReplyDeletesexily
ReplyDeleteYikes!
ReplyDeleteMassage extends satisfaction normally yogic chai if flexing glutes stiffens some epicurious slovenly yet timely, yearning geezer rolling, groaning gesticulates sexily, yikes! The End
ReplyDeleteI think Dan Naddor would be proud about the theme he unknowingly (or knowingly) put out here today. I will start another one....
ReplyDeleteDrdad...
enjoys
ReplyDeletesteep
ReplyDeleteTarrajo, your word had to start with a "d"...try again. Sorry curious...
ReplyDeleteSorry Jeannie, a long day. Okay, you said Drdad...
ReplyDeletemy new addition is:
dabbles
somehow
ReplyDeletewith
ReplyDeletehors d'oeuvres
ReplyDeletescience
ReplyDeleteexcept
ReplyDeletetadpoles
ReplyDeleteseem
ReplyDeletemuch
ReplyDeletehairier
ReplyDeleterendered
ReplyDeletedown
ReplyDeleteAnd there you have it:
ReplyDeleteDrdad dabbles somehow with hors d'oeuvre's science except tadpoles seem much hairier rendered down.
Kazie thanks for the science references; I am not science minded at all...number oriented yes. I dream about those all night long...
ReplyDeletecurious123 I don't remember seeing you here on this blog before. Welcome. I think you will find this group really entertaining and informative. It's not hard to go "blue" here so we can read something about your profile. Just follow C.C.'s instructions on her front page.
Tarrajo, good to see you here again.
Kazie, Jeannie, What happened to maximum five posts per person per day?
ReplyDeleteMarty,
ReplyDeleteI thought the game was an exception, since each post was only one word. Sorry if we overdid it, but it was such fun!
Argyle,
Thanks for the idea of starting it--we'll blame you!
Sure! Throw me in.
ReplyDeleteMy browser is too slow for the Sausage Game but it is such fun at parties or as an icebreaker/warm up for book club, comedy circle or budget meetings! Also have used it when teaching English and Italian but it's way too difficult in French because so many words end in X and so few begin with it. Always hard to know when the sentence is "fully cooked," but it Always works out!
ReplyDeleteCouple quick comments on the puzzle; something for everyone here, not too easy or too hard for tyros and pros thanks to cooperative perps. Fresh fill we don't see very often: machismo, crapshoot and Snerd. Edd Hall and Mr. Reese weren't as memorable to me as Lucy Liu! Arras flew out of the pen without me knowing it was happening. I now believe in "ghost-writing!"
Was raised to think that the singular of "gladioli" was "gladiolus" but usage has changed. "Arête" is also the French word for a fish bone, the bridge of your nose, or a ridge as for a mountain. Have no idea how those other uses cropped up. Clever people, the French, despite their being aghast that Americans chew gum in church! (that's a comment heard from about 99% of their exchange students...)
"Reflux" is another word that fails the "breakfast test" for puzzles but sure has entered our vocabulary thanks to all those TV ads. i'll bypass comment on "restless leg syndrome" which is funny unless you're afflicted with it! (I got it on a plane once, and the flight attendant was summoned by a seatmate to complain. we didn't have a word for it in those days...
See y'all tomorrow!
OMG! 108 comments. Better get reading, LOL! Aha, a sausage sentence extravaganza! Poor C.C.'s in-box!!
ReplyDeleteCrockett: my thoughts exactly! I wonder what the expression on her face will look like when she opens her in-box! We were "at it again," to use yet another meaning of that well-worn phrase! pjb
ReplyDelete