Theme: O Brother - Two pairs of aptly described, first name swapped names.
18A: "Little" comedian's big brother? HULK HERMAN. "Little" comedian here refers PEE-WEE HERMAN, the only fictional character among the four base theme entries. Big = HULK.
26A: "Big" wrestler's little brother?: PEEWEE HOGAN. "Big" wrestler refers to pro wrestler HULK HOGAN. Little = PEEWEE.
44A: "Thin" character actor's big brother?: FATS PICKENS. "Thin" character actor refers to actor SLIM PICKENS. Big = FATS? FAT?
56A: "Heavy" R & B singer's little brother?: SLIM DOMINO. "Heavy" R & B singer refers to singer FATS DOMINO. Little = SLIM.
I've never heard of SLIM PICKENS. Wikipedia says his most famous role was a pilot in "Dr. Strangelove". I actually misinterpreted his surname as SPICKENS, as Big = FAT to me.
Why are "Little", "Big", "Thin" & "Heavy" in quotation marks? Shouldn't the question mark at the end of each clue be sufficient enough to indicate wordplay?
This puzzle reminded me of Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito's "Twins", silly fun.
Across:
1A: PDQ relative: ASAP. Or STAT, to a doctor.
5A: Violin virtuoso Zimbalist: EFREM. Zimbalist Sr. He and soprano Alma Gluck had a son: actor Zimbalist Jr. I can never remember his name. Hebrew for "fruitful".
14A: "To Sir With Love" singer: LULU. Wow, I want to drink from the same Fountain of Youth as she does. Beautiful.
15A: Decorative sofa fabric: TOILE. French for "cloth". Often sheer and scenically patterned.
16A: Dagger handle: HILT. Sometimes it's HAFT.
20A: Blink later than, in a contest: OUTSTARE.
22A: Scooter favored by '60 British mods: VESPA. Must be the influence of "Roman Holiday".
23A: "That __ hay!": AIN'T. No idea. Dictionary says it means "That's a great deal". Can you make a sentence for me?
33A: Homeric epic: ILIAD. Odyssey too.
37A: Streaker with a tail: COMET. Cute.
42A: Tabloid creature: ALIEN
48A: Conscription category: ONE A
49A: Words of sympathy: I CARE. And MEH (9D: Slangy word of indifference).
52A: Trivial: PIDDLING
60A: Put in the hold: LADE. "Hold" here refers to the space in a ship below the lower deck, in which cargo is stowed.
61A: Piebald horse: PINTO. "Piebald" is a new word to me. It means patched, esp in black and white.
62A: River through Saint Petersburg: NEVA. Pronounced like NEE-vuh. I got the river from Down fills. It's the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge (after the Volga and the Danube). It flows to the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.
64A: Libidinous deity: SATYR. The horse-tailed MOREL guy with perpetual erection.
65A: State, to Sarkozy: ETAT. Nice alliteration. Sarkozy is the current French president, with enormous vanity.
Down:
2D: "Star Trek" navigator: SULU. Ah, I confused him with Han SOLO of the "Star Wars".
4D: Saves: PUTS AWAY
5D: Odorless gas: ETHANE
6D: Stick shift gear: FOURTH. No idea. Have never driven a stick shift car.
8D: Yellowstone grazer: ELK
12D: Brouhaha: FLAP. The answer is often TO-DO.
13D: Europe's highest active volcano: ETNA. Good trivia. ETNA is Greek for "I burn".
19D: It's what's happening: EVENT
21D: Made, as a knot: TIED
24D: Decoratively curved molding: OGEE. Hi, buddy, nice to see you back.
26D: Pie serving: PIECE. Thought of SLICE.
28D: Sea duck with prized plumage: EIDER
29D: "American Me" actor/director Edward James __: OLMOS. Unknown to me. He is a Mexican-American. OLMOS sounds German. Have never heard of "American Me" either.
30D: Courage, in Slang: MOXIE
31D: Senator Specter: ARLEN. Now a Democrat (PA). Just flip-flopped a few months ago.
39D: Like some batteries: ALKALINE. Baseball HOFer AL KALINE is probably a bit tough for non-baseball fans.
41D: Rubbed out, gangster style: OFFED. Both slang for "murdered".
45D: Like a spitz's ears: POINTY. Wanted POINTED. Spitz is German for "pointed".
46D: Not alfresco: INDOOR
47D: Packing heat: ARMED. Heat is a slang for gun.
49D: Key: ISLE. Like Florida Keys. I thought the clue was asking for an adjective.
50D: Modeling medium: CLAY. For potters. Another alliteration.
52D: Pub order: PINT
53D: Hip-hopper born Tracy Marrow: ICE-T. Gimme, right? We've seen identical clue before.
57D: Special __: military force: OPS. Special Operations.
Two announcements:
1) Argyle will blog Monday and Tuesday puzzles from now on.
2) Please email me at crosswordc@gmail.com if you have family photos to share. Thanks.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a great photo of our fellow LAT solver Chickie and her husband. It was taken in Germany at a Scientific Library in Berlin two summers' ago. Chickie is a retired primary teacher who taught Primary Grades for over 30 years. She loves sewing & knitting & reading.
C.C.
18A: "Little" comedian's big brother? HULK HERMAN. "Little" comedian here refers PEE-WEE HERMAN, the only fictional character among the four base theme entries. Big = HULK.
26A: "Big" wrestler's little brother?: PEEWEE HOGAN. "Big" wrestler refers to pro wrestler HULK HOGAN. Little = PEEWEE.
44A: "Thin" character actor's big brother?: FATS PICKENS. "Thin" character actor refers to actor SLIM PICKENS. Big = FATS? FAT?
56A: "Heavy" R & B singer's little brother?: SLIM DOMINO. "Heavy" R & B singer refers to singer FATS DOMINO. Little = SLIM.
I've never heard of SLIM PICKENS. Wikipedia says his most famous role was a pilot in "Dr. Strangelove". I actually misinterpreted his surname as SPICKENS, as Big = FAT to me.
Why are "Little", "Big", "Thin" & "Heavy" in quotation marks? Shouldn't the question mark at the end of each clue be sufficient enough to indicate wordplay?
This puzzle reminded me of Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito's "Twins", silly fun.
Across:
1A: PDQ relative: ASAP. Or STAT, to a doctor.
5A: Violin virtuoso Zimbalist: EFREM. Zimbalist Sr. He and soprano Alma Gluck had a son: actor Zimbalist Jr. I can never remember his name. Hebrew for "fruitful".
14A: "To Sir With Love" singer: LULU. Wow, I want to drink from the same Fountain of Youth as she does. Beautiful.
15A: Decorative sofa fabric: TOILE. French for "cloth". Often sheer and scenically patterned.
16A: Dagger handle: HILT. Sometimes it's HAFT.
20A: Blink later than, in a contest: OUTSTARE.
22A: Scooter favored by '60 British mods: VESPA. Must be the influence of "Roman Holiday".
23A: "That __ hay!": AIN'T. No idea. Dictionary says it means "That's a great deal". Can you make a sentence for me?
33A: Homeric epic: ILIAD. Odyssey too.
37A: Streaker with a tail: COMET. Cute.
42A: Tabloid creature: ALIEN
48A: Conscription category: ONE A
49A: Words of sympathy: I CARE. And MEH (9D: Slangy word of indifference).
52A: Trivial: PIDDLING
60A: Put in the hold: LADE. "Hold" here refers to the space in a ship below the lower deck, in which cargo is stowed.
61A: Piebald horse: PINTO. "Piebald" is a new word to me. It means patched, esp in black and white.
62A: River through Saint Petersburg: NEVA. Pronounced like NEE-vuh. I got the river from Down fills. It's the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge (after the Volga and the Danube). It flows to the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.
64A: Libidinous deity: SATYR. The horse-tailed MOREL guy with perpetual erection.
65A: State, to Sarkozy: ETAT. Nice alliteration. Sarkozy is the current French president, with enormous vanity.
Down:
2D: "Star Trek" navigator: SULU. Ah, I confused him with Han SOLO of the "Star Wars".
4D: Saves: PUTS AWAY
5D: Odorless gas: ETHANE
6D: Stick shift gear: FOURTH. No idea. Have never driven a stick shift car.
8D: Yellowstone grazer: ELK
12D: Brouhaha: FLAP. The answer is often TO-DO.
13D: Europe's highest active volcano: ETNA. Good trivia. ETNA is Greek for "I burn".
19D: It's what's happening: EVENT
21D: Made, as a knot: TIED
24D: Decoratively curved molding: OGEE. Hi, buddy, nice to see you back.
26D: Pie serving: PIECE. Thought of SLICE.
28D: Sea duck with prized plumage: EIDER
29D: "American Me" actor/director Edward James __: OLMOS. Unknown to me. He is a Mexican-American. OLMOS sounds German. Have never heard of "American Me" either.
30D: Courage, in Slang: MOXIE
31D: Senator Specter: ARLEN. Now a Democrat (PA). Just flip-flopped a few months ago.
39D: Like some batteries: ALKALINE. Baseball HOFer AL KALINE is probably a bit tough for non-baseball fans.
41D: Rubbed out, gangster style: OFFED. Both slang for "murdered".
45D: Like a spitz's ears: POINTY. Wanted POINTED. Spitz is German for "pointed".
46D: Not alfresco: INDOOR
47D: Packing heat: ARMED. Heat is a slang for gun.
49D: Key: ISLE. Like Florida Keys. I thought the clue was asking for an adjective.
50D: Modeling medium: CLAY. For potters. Another alliteration.
52D: Pub order: PINT
53D: Hip-hopper born Tracy Marrow: ICE-T. Gimme, right? We've seen identical clue before.
57D: Special __: military force: OPS. Special Operations.
Two announcements:
1) Argyle will blog Monday and Tuesday puzzles from now on.
2) Please email me at crosswordc@gmail.com if you have family photos to share. Thanks.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a great photo of our fellow LAT solver Chickie and her husband. It was taken in Germany at a Scientific Library in Berlin two summers' ago. Chickie is a retired primary teacher who taught Primary Grades for over 30 years. She loves sewing & knitting & reading.
C.C.
83 comments:
Morning, All. What a great Wednesday puzzle. I loved the theme. I first caught on after I got PEEWEE HOGAN, which helped me get HULK HERMAN. Then I knew what to look for with FATS PICKENS and SLIM DOMINO. (Slim Pickins: 1919 - 1983, he was also in Blazing Saddles)
I didn’t realize that Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. (1890 – 1985) was a famous violinist, but EFRAM (5A) was the only Zimbalist name I knew. His son, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (b. 1918) is an actor. I used to watch him in some of the later episodes of The F.B.I., which ran from 1964-1974.
Favorite Clue: Streaker with a tail (37A): COMET
I knew MEH (9D) only because some people here use the word!
Nice to see you and your husband, Chickie.
September 2 Birthdays:
1952 ~ Jimmy Connors
1948 ~ Sharon Crista McAuliffe (d. 1986), teacher/astronaut who perished in the Space Shuttle Challenger.
1948 ~ Terry Bradshaw
1937 ~ Peter Ueberroth, 6th Commissioner of Baseball (1984 – 1989).
1936 ~ Joan Kennedy, Ted’s first wife
1917 ~ Cleveland Amory (d. 1998), American author who devoted his life to animal rights.
QOD: The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. ~ Samuel Johnson
Good morning, C.C. and gang - for a Wednesday, surprisingly, this was a very easy puzzle for me.
A clever theme; the first two theme answers made the theme apparent and helped the last two fall quickly. I loved the crossing of 'sulu' and 'lulu'. Everything else was very straightforward.
C.C., I always see 'Al Kaline' when I read 'alkaline'; he was a great ball player. And James Olmos was Sonny & Crockett's boss in the 'Miami Vice' TV series, one of my favorites back in the '80s. Great music, great clothing.
Chickie, great picture - we've got a ton of happy-looking couples on this blog.
Today is VJ Day, the anniversary of the surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri, formally ending WWII.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." -- from As You Like It
More Fun Facts:
- Telly Savalas was Jennifer Aniston's godfather.
- Albert Einstein slept 10 hours a night. (Now I know why I'm so dumb)
Off to the gym.
Good Morning C.C. and all, this was a surprisingly easy puzzle for a Wednesday. C.C. I also had a bit of a problem with Solo and Sulu, but Lulu quickly resolved that area. I liked 37A comet as a nice clue/answer. I got 19A HulkHerman and 26A PeeWeeHogan immediately and this was a great help in seeing the other theme answers.
Like Hahtool, the only Zimbalist I knew was Efrem .
A great picture of Chickie and her husband.
Hope you all have a great Wednesday
@ Jerome, loved the puzzle.
Sept 2nd bitrhdays
1960 - Eric Dickerson, Texas, NFL halfback (LA Rams, Colts/2,105 yds in 1984)
1960 - Rex Hudler, Tempe AZ, outfielder (NY Yankees, California Angels)
1964 - Keanu Reeves, Beirut, actor (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed)
1966 - Salma Hayek, actress (Desparado)
1969 - Mark Brettschneider, Cincinnati Oh, actor (Jason-One Life to Live)
1969 - Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, American singer
1969 - Chris Kuzneski, American bestselling author
1969 - Stephen Peall, Zimbabwean cricketer
1971 - Rich Aurilia, Brooklyn NY, infielder (SF Giants)
1971 - Shauna Sand, San Diego Calif, actress (Renegade)
1972 - Katarina Studenikova, Bratislava Slovak Rep, tennis star
1980 - Ashley Witmer, Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA (1997)
1987 - Spencer Smith, American musician (Panic at the Disco)
In order to save a tree I have worked the puzzle online. today I did it in 13:57
Dennis,
Olmos was Det. James "Sonny" Crockett's (sometimes Sonny Burnett) & Det. Ricardo Tubbs' ( sometimes as Teddy Prentiss) boss
Good Morning Puzzlers,
I thought this was a clever one with a bit easier difficulty that a our normal Wednesdays. Two unknowns for me were Efrem and Toile which slowed me down in that section. Ethane, Elk and Fourth helped the fill.
There seems to be a bunch of old VW Beatles for sale on the roads up here. I'm thinking of getting one if the price is right for when the boys get their licenses. Working a clutch properly is becoming a lost art.
Nice picture Chickie!
Another beaut of a day here.
Hope our left coasters are all safe.
Have a good one!
Well, I thought this was a very fun puzzle, the theme was witty and the clues were not stale; I also like SULU and LULU, and yes she looks great. Like C.C., I had a mental picture of Pee Wee Herman and Hulk Hogan as brothers.
The Zimbalist family have been entertaining for many years, from the violin, to 77 Sunset Strip and the FBI , to one of my favorites, Remington Steele which starred Pierce Brosnan, who had to turn down playing James Bond in the movies, Doris Roberts, who garnered much acclaim in Everybody Loves Raymond and the third generation Zimbalist, STEPHANIE .
Another lovely Corner family; in case you all do not know, C.C. has the entire run of pics available on her profile. If everybody cooperated, we still have weeks to go, and then we can start sending holiday pics...
It would be nice to have a run of pictures of all the constructors who have graced the blog with their comments, maybe starting with Jerome....
BTW, I finally started on the SE corner, and the puzzle flew by like a Monday, hmmm. Okay I am off to work, enough already.
This was a fun puzzle. I caught on to the theme with the PEE WEE HOGAN fill, but for some reason SLIM PICKENS just wasn't catching in my brain. I managed to complete it eventually though. Favorite clue - Streaker with a tail.
OUTSTARE gave me a chuckle - anyone watch Monk last week?
FOURTH made me once again very grateful that our son passed out driving a stick shift. We talked about that incident just the other day. Upon later reflection, we realized he was probably shifting as he passed out as he was entering the highway and would have had to be accelerating at the time. Gives me the creeps even thinking of it.
Ah, Terry Bradshaw's birthday. Anyone see him in Failure to Launch? What a hoot!
Chickie, such a sweet picture. Love those photos.
Oh yes, and To Sir With Love is one of my favorites. Such a sweet movie, as good as the song Lulu sings.
Good morning!
Three hits in a row, so far this week. Solid clues and fresh fill. I messed up spelling PICKeNS, which caused mild bouts of second guessing, a bad perp, and finally led to the correct orthography.
@Jerome: I am really, really bad at lying. Many of my friends locally are artists and when they create something I think misses the mark, I stutter, sweat, stammer, and trip over my words. "Fascinating" is about all I can come up with. Kind of like when couples I love produce a homely baby...."Oh, gosh, little Chanelle is going to break hearts" She did, in fact.
No need to feign compliments needed, today. You made a thing of beauty. For the first time in many months, I got the theme before the ink dried on the last clue. "Moxie" and "piddling" were apt and inspired. Hip yound people in Chicago scoot through town in "Vespas"...The river Neva is the inspiration for many Russian poems. Anna Akhmatova comes to mind. Haven't seen that "flow-er" yet.
It's sort of cool to know a celebrity!
In college, the guy down the hall in the dorm was actually legally named "J-Rome." I didn't believe him but the driver 's license proved me wrong.
Argyle, thanks for the snake video. Nice, clear blogging today and yesterday.
Enjoy the day.
PJB
Thank you for your hard work and commitment to this blog, CC. Go Twins!
Oops. @Argyle, I meant your blogging Monday and Tuesday.
C.C. I have no idea how you do it, but you are royalty among blog hosts. Thank you for your keen insight into puzzles and solving them. We would not be here, if it weren't for you.
I know it's Wednesday because it's a really long train ride.
pjb
Great puzzle today. Thanks Jerome! Got the theme early and the rest almost did itself, despite my not knowing all the names.
TOILE is often used in French to refer to an artist's canvas.
Didn't know the AIN'T HAY expression, but wonder if it's short for "ain't half bad"--Hay is a contraction of half, as in ha'penny in the old British and Oz coins.
Like others, only knew E.Z. Jr.
Chickie--wonderful photo.
Hi Gang -
Off to spend the day with granddaughters in a few minutes.
Jerome -
Nice job, amigo. I would have called it Off-Size Siblings. I didn't know NEVA or VESPA. Filled in MOPED, which was quite a set back.
I liked the subtle Hungarian sub-theme with EFREM Zimbalist and Sarkozy. The latter is the son of a Hungarian aristocrat. The less said about that, the better. Here is a fine moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uxb0JHqzlA
Only thing missing is the lampshade.
Cheer!
JzB the ethnically conflicted trombonist
Good morning, all.
I didn't cath on to the theme as quickly as the others, and ended up needing CC's help to fill them in... other than that, I did get much of the puzzle on my own. Liked the comet clue.
I've never really learned to drive stick, but did buy a 77 VW Beetle convertible several years ago, convinced I could learn easily enough. It's a champagne edition - white top, white exterior, white interior - and I bought it from the original owner who still had the original window sticker.
Fortunately I met my now husband shorty thereafter, so he is now the driver! I never have been able to master it... As I always tell people, if you needed to get to the hospital, and the only available car had a stick shift, I would be able to get you there. As long as the hospital wasn't at the top of a hill with a stop sign right out in front of the entrance... :)
Enjoy the day!
Andrea
Good Morning Everybody,
Re: To Sir, With Love
I found this
clip that has a different second verse from the studio version. I never heard it before. The clip starts and ends with scenes about a class trip from the movie.
As to today's puzzle, I didn't grog "meh" but this nice girl explained it for me. HotForWords
Kazie and Dot -
I've just caught up on the posts from previous days while I was out of town. Would love to meet up with you at Free to Breathe! Sun Sept 27, Warner Park, registration begins at 7am,5k run/walk at 8:30. We've created a team for our restaurant; if you'd like to pre-register on that team, check here. Anyone else in the area is free to join as well!
Kazie - very cool that you are mentoring a Belgian student. I was an exchange student in Germany back in 1980, and remember my host family very fondly. If your student gets homesick for Frites or belgian tripels (assuming he's old enough...), bring him to the Brasserie V!
Terrajo - if you're still looking for tomato ideas, I have a recipe for a delicious tomato sauce which I love to keep in the freezer. I've been making it for ages, so don't have the exact recipe anymore, but it's pretty easy - I think it originally came from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.
Saute onion, carrot, celery, garlic and fennel seed. (recipe calls for sauting in butter and oil from jarred sun-dried tomatoes, but I generally just use olive oil.) Add tomatoes, white wine, salt and pepper (and sun-dried tomatoes if you want). I don't always add the wine. Simmer for an hour. Pulse in food processor (I use my stick blender) until blended but not smooth; tiny chunks should remain. Zoe eats this sauce plain by the spoonful!
Off to work.
A.
Good Morning!
Very interesting puzzle..seems to be the first of its kind that I solved. I did struggle though but I enjoyed it.
The only gripe is FATS PICKENS.
I had to use google for that as I didnt know OLMOS and sat with OLMO and FAT -PICKENS for a long time.
A fresh way to clue LULU.
Loved the OUTSTARE and COMET clues.
Today's learning: SPITZ and ALFRESCO (somehow thought of salsa..have no idea why).
Have a great day!
MEH was areal stretch for the answer to 9D - slangy word for indifference.
Dear Jerome Gunderson,
In regard to:
61A: Piebald horse: PINTO. "Piebald" is a new word to me. It means patched, esp in black and white.
do you then see the relationship to The Pied Piper of Hamlin?
Thanks so much for your solutions and comments to the daily puzzle. I use you to check the ones I get "stumped" on.
Dennis
Madison,WI
Hi C.C. & gang, My wife picked up the theme very quickly today (I would have had more trouble with it)
RE: MEH? I had to look that one up. Dictionary.com says:
Main Entry: meh
Part of Speech: interj
Definition: After Marge weaves "Hi Bart" on a loom to try to pique his interest in weaving, he says, "Meh."
Example: 1995, from "The Simpsons" TV show
Etymology: slang
Fun puzzle. In addition to lulu/sulu, I enjoyed intersections of ohno/onto, elder/eider/eddy/err, and nova/neva/gnat.
My favorite Olmos role is the admiral in Battlestar Galactica.
Thanks to whoever recommended (a while ago) visiting the Sleeping Bear Dunes area. We just returned from a road trip including that coastline area of Michigan and found it beautiful. Bad news is some leaves were turning and we all know what that means.
Good Morning All, This was an enjoyable Wednesday puzzle, Jerome. It all fell into place very nicely. The switcheroo of first names to make the theme fills was clever, but didn't present a solving problem. I hope the folks who don't care for names didn't have too much trouble with them.
I liked the crossings of SULU and LULU in the NW also, and its counterpart NOVA and NEVA in the SE.
I also noticed 27D ELDER and 28D EIDER, right next to each other and so similar except for one tiny letter.
I couldn't believe that I had mentioned "Spitz-type" dogs yesterday and today, their POINTY ears popped up as a fill.
C.C. How would you like to have this an original copy of this MOXIE ad poster?
Chickie, Nice photo. Isn't it wonderful that, after a long career, you can travel to some of those places you always wanted to see?
Good morning CC, my friend and fellow bloggers:
Loved the way "Sulu' and "lulu" cross. Wanted "putsback" (wrong) love the word "waft"( it always brings to mind the depicted smell of a cartoon pie on the window ledge), trouble spelling "iliad,toile, satyr", can never remember if the last "e" is in piddle when you add an ending. "Olea" is getting quite common and "meh" is getting to be!.
Chickie: Lovely couple!
Dennis: You can`t "hide" it anymore...you are a white-hat kinda guy! Smart AND kind...(sorry if I ruined your "image." :)
I was happy to see Jerome’s name on the puzzle, and made up my mind not to rush through it. It makes a difference when you have some acquaintance with the constructor, doesn’t it?
Like others, I got the theme after the first two; very clever. For some reason, I like the little nest of P words in the lower center; PICKENS, POINTY, PIDDLING, PINTY, and PINTO. Reminds me of Jerome’s anagrams. I was defeated in the SE corner. My brain refused to cough up ETAT and I didn’t know NEVA. But knowing Jerome, I should have had an additional clue with the crossing of NOVA. I liked that clue.
And of course I knew MEH right off, because Barry uses it occasionally.
Beautiful picture of Chickie.
I noticed the Spitz clue too, CA, coming right after your comments yesterday.
I’m still grinning over the image of a little boy in a toy car, chasing a herd of Corgies through a castle.
Jerome, great puzzle today! I caught onto the theme right away and when that happens I can usually finish the puzzle unaided. Not so today as I guess I am the only one who didn’t know who Efram Zimalist was. Hence, my only G-spot. I would have had to hit the g-spot too for Olmos but instead took a WAG. I got some perp help with vespa, Lulu and lode. I thought “streaker with a tail” – comet was clever. Barry I thought of you right away when I typed in “meh”. I have never heard of the term “flap” for a brouhaha.
It was fun to see “rubbed out” and “packing heat” in the clues today, too.
Andrea, thanks for the tomato sauce recipe…One thing though, about how many tomatoes do you use?
Good morning everyone.
Dennis, thanks for reminding us of VJ Day. It was very important to us who were living through WWII.
And I checked your info to see you are not the Dennis in Madison, WI. It didn't sound like you.
Jerome, what fun to have a puzzle by you. I don't follow sports so the theme answers were WAGs. But loved the ones I did get and streaker with a tail.
Nice picture, Chickie. I got tired of principals and other idiot administrators and moved on to Comm. College teaching. So good for you for sticking it out.
Speaking of which, how is it going, Lois?
Cheers
Hi everybody,
The firemen seem to be winning the battle with the fire with a bit of help from improved weather.
I enjoyed the theme. I didn't know "meh" but somehow it was hidden away in my brain and popped out when needed.
Hay is cheap chaff. So "That ain't hay" translates to that's not cheap, it's worth something. At least that's my take.
Moxie is a soft drink enjoyed by my friends back in Maine. Pretty medicinal-tasting stuff. When we went back to Maine to visit with some new Internet friends, I had a Whoopie Pie for the first time and washed it down with Moxie. A new taste experience.
I found Merle Reagle Sunday crossword puzzles online but there was no way to save it. Since I didn't finish it, I'll have to start over today. Oh well...
I'm enjoying the blog and the photos. Have a good Wednesday.
Good morning, everyone.
Nice picture of Chickie and her hubbie. Looks like they were having a good time.
Another feel good puzzle -- no muss, no fuss. Had to think a bit to get AXLE for grease target. Like the COMET clue.
@jerome Nice puzzle, anagrammatic friend.
@mainiac That's a good strategy. When stick shifts are the only thing available to drive, one WILL learn how to drive them!
@argyle Congratulations on your promotion! I'm sure C.C. welcomes the chance to sleep in a couple of days of the week.
@andrea In that case, run the sign!!
Happy Wednesday everyone!
Nice one, Jerome! You had me teetering on the edge of figuring out the theme until the very end.
I didn't really grasp the name switch concept until the SE corner, but that helped fix some errors in the NW (had HEMAN instead of HOGAN: duh!)
MEH was the first thing I thought of even though I've never watched The Simpsons. Argyle, I liked your friend's explanation of MEH. She does seem very nice.
Not familiar with "That ain't hay". Favorite clue was "piebald horse": hadn't heard that word in years.
Greetings.
I have owned only stick shift cars. I think one has much more control, but as I get older, I find driving my DH's automatic easier. My Honda Civic has only 44000 miles and drives like a dream. Easy to park and gets into small spaces. It's a '96. Red.
Dennis said... Today is VJ Day, the anniversary of the surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri, formally ending WWII.
I think most who were there consider August 14 to be V-J Day, the date of the surrender, though today, the date of the surrender ceremony, is apparently sometimes referred to as VJ Day. But the famous spontaneous celebration in Times Square, with the famous photo of the sailor kissing the nurse, took place on the 14th.
In any event, I continue to enjoy the puzzle and this blog and I hope I'm not being disloyal by saying I just discovered the San Francisco Chronicle's crossword online. Same format so an easy transition for those of us who can't get enough.
Jeez, I got all out of sync this morning with posting later, and completely missed the fact that this was a Jerome puzzle. Certainly explains why it was enjoyable. Jerome, as always, nice job.
Lemonade, that's a great idea -- we should have a gallery of pictures here. I think the only one missing is Luxor - I'll check for one at the post office.
andrea, that champagne edition VW is quite a collectors' item - nice to have a car actually going up in value, I'll bet.
Argyle, nice girl indeed. I'd like to teach her some words...
ClearAyes, I have a metal reproduction of that sign on a wall in my store, along with several others. Great old signs.
Linda, you must be smoking something funny, but thanks.
tarrajo, I think you need to be of a certain age to be familiar with Efrem Zimbalist's work.
Sallie, that must've been a wonderful, wonderful day.
Bill G., I don't think I ever had a Moxie and a whoopie pie, but it'd be hard to top an RC cola and a moon pie (a southern tradition).
Al Cyone, an excellent point; it seems like both dates are used interchangeably.
Great cool morning! Terrific puzzle. I honestly thought on first glance I was in for some trouble but that was an erroneous first impression. PDQ intially made me think of PDQ Bach which I realized was never going to work because SULU was my first fill which gave me LULU and I was off and writing. The only Zimbalists I knew were EFREM(Jr) and his daughter Stephani(both already mentioned) so felt confident filling it in anyway. Had the HERMAN part and read the theme clues...tada...fun. Lots of great answers and crossings and I can definitely see Jerome's love of wordplay in this puzzle. BarbB already covered some of my favorites. There wasn't really anything I didn't know, but I put in POINTY for 45D, took it out and put it back in but that was the only real falter. Just a whole lot of fun all the way around...great job Jerome!!!!
Favorite clue also Streaker with a tail.
Drove a stick shift from the time I learned to drive and finally gave it up when I bought my most recent car( much better on my back and left hip). I got really good at driving around the hills of SF when I took comedians to morning TV and Radio station shows...still hated the stop signs signs that are apparently randomly placed at the top of the hills for the enjoyment of those living in nearby residences...Bill Cosby used to do a great bit about driving a stick shift around SF. Also owned a baby blue VW that got me back and forth to college...loved that little car!
Chickie...what a great photo and I can tell everyone from personal experience that she is just as charming, funny and lovely in real life as she appears to be in the photo.
CA...we seem to channel future puzzle clues on this blog which is interesting as we know the puzzles are in the queue for quite a while...veddy interesting.
Hope you all have a terrific day. :o)
My father was an Efrem Zimbalist Sr. fan and had several old 79 RPM recording. This 1926 movie short is a lovely demonstration of his talent. Efrem Zimbalist Sr.
Not everyone is a fan of violin music. Last night PJB mentioned Ambrose Bierce, who was the author of "The Devil's Dictionary". The Dictionary offers dozens of satirical definitions of english words and terms. Many entries would be considered VERY un-PC today. My copy is from 1944, but the book was originally published in 1911.
Here is Bierce's Devil's Dictionary entry for Fiddle.
"FIDDLE, n. An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail on the entrails of a cat.
To Rome said Nero: "If to smoke you turn
I shall not cease to fiddle while you burn."
To Nero Rome replied: "Pray do your worst,
'Tis my excuse that you were fiddling first."
- Orm Pludge(a Bierce pseudonym)"
Happy Hump Day!
Jerome, fun puzzle. You had me going on the name switch. It took a while but eventually I figured it our - very clever! I usually don't get the 'name' clues/answers, but this time I knew them. :)
I have never heard the work 'NEH' but that is probably because I don't watch sit-coms and am not up on teen-age slang, if that is what it is.
I know I am probably in the minority but I cannot stand the song "To Sir with Love"! To me, it sounds discordant. I don't know what other songs Lulu is famous for, but that one stinks (IMHO).
I learned to drive a stick shift as a teen-ager and that car had a lot of gear 'teeth' in the bottom of the transmission box when I was done with it. LOL. Give me an automatic transmission any day.
We have finally put a 'for sale' sign on our 1986 Honda Accord. We bought it new and it has been a wonderful car. We have a van and Joe's little red sports car so I convinced him in the nicest possible way that we really don't need the Honda any longer.
Must run, errands are calling.
Good morning CC and all,
What a fun puzzle that was... thanks Jerome! Got 1/2 the theme right off so I knew the 1st word in each, but not until I finished the 3rd one did I realize the cleverness.
My hardest fill was the L for isle/lade. Go figure!Was not thinking island obviously!The perps certainly helped with any unknowns ,like sulu,ice T,toile,and moxie. No one else thought of balls???? Yes you did; you just didn't say it.
Was thinking alfredo for alfresco, and didn't know what libidinous meant until satyr fell into place.
Argyle, loved the clip "To Sir..", a favorite oldie.Bob thanks you for the nice girl; his word-a-day site is not as exciting.Someone with a French accent giving us English words is somewhat ironic.
Love that picture Chickie!
Andrea, I also tried to learn on a stick, but we lived in the mts. at that time and it was too scary for me.Have never tried since. Bob taught both daughters to use a stick and to parallel park(after I taught them to drive) in his old BMW, which is now 25 yrs old and still going strong.Also, thanks for the tomato sauce recipe. I hope my tomatoes do better next year.
Chickie, loved your picture - you two look so happy together, that's how it should be!
JD - you made me laugh in referring to your old BMW...I thought we were the only ones who kept cars til the 'wheels fall off'. (actually the Honda runs great but the air conditioning doesn't work).
My tomatoes were great this year (still are) due to planting crimson clover seeds after I dug up last years tomato plants. The clover enriches the soil...you just let the seeds grow through the winter and plow the whole plant under in the late spring (before they flower). I also dug in some peat moss.
Clear Ayes,
We have the exact Ted Williams MOXIE tin sign on our computer room wall. Also have a Babe Ruth with Red Rock Cola.
Al Cyone,
What's the puzzle on San Francisco Chronicle? The Daily Commuter? Who is the editor?
JD,
I bet Luxor thought of BALLS. As for libidinous, think of libido.
Hello All--I sailed along the whole top half of the puzzle until I got to the middle section. I had put in Wend for Waft which caused me to misspell HogEn. I had to Google Olmos, so that made the Liberal Faction with "The" ,Lend. Oh well, C.C. straightened me out good and proper.
My duh moment came when I saw comet for Streaker with a tail. I was trying to fit in some kind of animal!!
All the theme names have been around long enough for me to actually know these characters. That isn't usually the case.
Thank you everyone for the kind words about our photo today. We were on foot that day and it was so hot that we sought out every fountain and bit of shade that we could.
WM, you are too kind. I'm embarrassed.
Linda,
I don't understand your earlier comments to Dennis: "Dennis, You can`t "hide" it anymore...you are a white-hat kinda guy! Smart AND kind...(sorry if I ruined your "image." :)"
Dennis,
It!
I too enjoyed this puzzle. I managed to finish it during my half an hour lunch while eating my tuna sandwich. I thought the theme was very clever, and only got a little red letter help with Olmos and Lulu.
Andrea, thanks for the tomato sauce recipe sounds yummy. Anything that starts with the trilogy of carrots, celery and garlic has got to be good! I have tomatoes coming in now and I can only eat so many BLTs!
Dennis, you can’t fool me. You’ve had whoopie pie.
Good day, all.
A very clever theme today, and fortunately, like many, I caught on early which helped. Also like others, I liked the SULU/LULU and NOVA/NEVA in opposite corners. The only OLMOS film I could think of was "Stand and Deliver", for which he received an Academy Award nomination in 1988. Lost out to Dustin Hoffman for "Rain Man". Both were excellent films, IMHO.
@BillG--If you start a puzzle on-line and want to finish it later, click on "print" and choose "with my entries" option.
Chickie, you and your hubby are a fine looking couple!
Thank you, C.C., for yet another fine write up and links. As for your "that ain't hay" question, I think BillG gave a good explanation. Example: "The player signed a $2 million dollar contract, and that ain't hay."
Enjoy the day!
Hey Gang- I'm happy as a clam that most of you enjoyed the puzzle! It's a lot fun to create one, but it's a solitary experience. The real fun is when solvers get the chance to share the puzzle with me. It's you guys that are the foundation of the crossword biz.
The for what it's worth department-
I had the damndest time coming up with the right names and combos, and having the letter lengths be right. There was Rich Little and Little Richard and Big Daddy Lipscomb and Fat Albert and Tiny Tim and on and on and on and et al and ad nauseum!
So, this went on and off for some time. One afternoon I'm having a smoke and a beer out back. There's an oldies station on my radio. Out of the blue comes Fats Domino, and right into my brain and it spun around and twirled and jumped through hoops and all of a sudden Pee Wee, Hulk and Slim showed up.
Anon @ 6:17 am- You can't fool me. Thank you, Mr. President!
I bought myself a new truck (new to me, 2004 with 56,000 miles) a few months ago as the doors were falling off the old one and it needed a fuel pump. I learned that now a "standard transmission" means an automatic as that is what comes standard in all vehicles. You can order "manual transmissions" depending if they make that type of tranny for the vehicle you have selected. Probably showing that I don't buy vehicles often. Its only the second vehicle I've bought from a dealership.
I limit myself to one Moxie per week. I am partial to anything made in Maine and do really like the taste. Unfortunately the soda adds to my already burgeoning girth and I fancy other carbonated drinks more than Moxie.
Al Cyone: "I just discovered the San Francisco Chronicle's crossword online. Same format so an easy transition for those of us who can't get enough."
I just checked. That's the same Universal crossword edited by Timothy Parker available on my homepage, MSNBC.com.
There's also one on USA Today.
Sallie, I was very fortunate to teach in a district which had excellent administrators. My last principal led us to a California Distinquished School award and then to a National Blue Ribbon School. I really feel for those of you who have to put up with administrators who do nothing but put downs. As we in education have always been told, "Praise" will get you more results than all the put downs in the world. Good leadership is essential!
A stick shifts was the norm in our family. I was over the moon when we bought our first automatic. A 1965 Mustang. I did love that car!
Afternoon!
IMHO there are two things that you cannot teach your spouse to do. One, is how to drive a stickshift. The other is how to speak a foreign language. To even try is to court disaster and will involve lawyers and alimony. Have witnessed this many many times. My Italian classes were filled with people who married into families whose last names all end in a vowel, almost all of whom had tried to pick up the language from their beloved. Pasta was thrown, garlic hurled and insults fired off. Cool heads prevailed only when the lessons were outsourced. I saved as many marriages in the classroom as I did in the
clinical confines of the therapy office.
I learned to drive a manual transmission in Colorado from my friend Emilie, a natural born driving teacher who had me scaling mountain roads without stalling, in about two hours. None of her ex-husbands ever got the darn car into second gear. [That's not a metaphor!]
Can't come up with any plausible explanation why those two subjects seem to be deal breakers, but it's very good advice. Your mileage may vary.
Time to act busy, here. Will check in later.
Jerome, when did you send this puzzle to Rich? It's surprisingly easy.
I would have to agree with PJB on the stick shift lessons. My first car had a 3 on the column shift and dad tried to give me lessons on an Aug day so hot we were sticking to the seats. After about 45 min, he threw up his hands, drove us home and handed me the keys. Not to be daunted and excited by the freedom the car would allow, I bravely took off for the store...a normally 10 min drive which lasted far longer due to all the stalling out that occured going both directions. I have two wonderful girlfriends who had been driving sticks for a year longer and one even drove big huge multigear trucks for her dad's scafolding business...so they took it upon themselves to teach me...we drove every day, stop signs downtown, up into the hills and within a few days the shifting was barely even noticeable. Thank goodness gas ranged between 25-35 cents a gallon back then. I am still in touch with both of them...but it was a fine lesson. :o)
Ha, "79 RPM" Maybe our turntable was just a tick faster than the standard 78 RPM's.
I didn't have a choice about learning to drive a stick shift. That was all there was. The teaching came from my very patient mother. My father tried, but it was like sitting next to a giant jack-in-the box, ready to spring at every turn. Even though GAH and I haven't had a stick shift car for about 20 years, it is like driving a bicycle and I know I would feel comfortable in a very short time.
It is kind of a shame that so many people don't know how to operate a stick shift anymore. It kind of goes with not having to learn how to parallel park to get a driver's license. Neither of my grandsons have learned either skill.
Carl- I sent this puzzle... let's see, I'm going to say at least 5,6 months ago.
I'm curious. Why the question?
Carl- I sent this puzzle... let's see, I'm going to say at least 5,6 months ago.
I'm curious. Why the question?
I agree with Clear Ayes who said: It is kind of a shame that so many people don't know how to operate a stick shift anymore. It kind of goes with not having to learn how to parallel park to get a driver's license. Neither of my grandsons have learned either skill.
Being a teacher by trade, maybe I have an extra serving of patience when needed. I taught my wife and three children how to drive a stick with no divorce or running-away-from-home. Also, many years ago I had tutored this one girl in math. Later, her parents called me up to tell me they had gotten her a used car for a present but it was a stick. They figured if I was a good teacher, I could teach her anything I could do well. So I agreed. There were several short dead-end streets in Hermosa Beach on a slight incline. She could practice starting up on an incline with no worries about another car pulling up behind her. Worked great. She graduated after three sessions.
@ PJB: You couldn't be more right about not teaching a spouse how to drive a stick shift, or not. I would add that maybe a parent should be added to that list.
When in high school, I took driver's ed. The class car, which was an automatic, also had power steering. My dad's car didn't. My father is not the most patient of people, and it was a nightmare for me, a volatile teenager, to go out practicing with my Dad. I didn't finally get my permanent driver's license until I was a junior in college.
Many years later, after my husband and I bought a stick shift car, I learned how to drive a manual transmission. I had a friend teach me. She had a small child. He was strapped into his car seat in the back and we would practice in an empty parking lot. All went well until I would get frustrated and start swearing. My friend would calmly say, "That's enough for today."
When I got a new car a few years later, I specifically requested a manual transmission. There were none on the lot. The salesman tried to sell me an automatic at a reduced price, but by then, I really liked driving the standard and held my ground until they found me one.
So many stick shift stories. I learned as a teenager by my parents, and have taught two of my kids now (number 3 coming up very soon). I hadn't driven one for at least 20 years when we purchased a stick for my daughter to use (yes, very hard to find) but the skill came right back when I got behind the wheel to test drive the car. Bought another stick for my son when he started to drive and sold the first one (he needed more safety features than she did). I still like to drive them, but like WM, it can be hard on my back and hip if I am doing city driving and using the clutch often. My son absolutely loves it despite not wanting a manual transmission at all when we first suggested it.
Jerome, I never did say excellent job on the puzzle. I printed it out today early, and didn't look at the constructor. I often don't focus on that, but shame on me.
Carol, I have a question regarding your solution for good tomatoes each year. I am just beginning to harvest my first batch. We live in Minnesota. You suggested planting crimson clover seeds after the tomato plants come out? Do they sprout before winter? I see that you are in Oregon and wonder whether this would even work in our zone, or am I reading this wrong. Should I plant it while the tomato plants are in? I like the idea of prepping for next year.
KQ - You can check with your local garden center about when to plant the crimson clover seeds..they will also know if you do plant the seeds in the fall, if you have to put mulch over them and how much to protect them in your much colder climate. Our climate is much warmer than yours - even last winter when we had much more snow than usual, we did not get much below 23 degrees (above zero ;) and I know your winters can be fierce compared to ours.
CA: I was amazed to read your comment about people not having to parallel park to get their licenses. Is that just in California? Geez, maybe it's true here too, I haven't taken the driving exam in dog's years so I don't know what we do anymore...I DO know that a lot of people don't do well at it.
10:24 today. What a fun puzzle from Jerome! I was literally LOLing as I filled in the theme entries (which came easily once I stumbled on the theme). A tasty one!
I grew up on a farm and so I was driving tractors and stick shift pickups around the place from about 10 years old on (all the kids learned to drive at an early age as we were the ones who had to drive out to the lower 40 to set irrigation pipe twice a day). I clearly remember not being tall enough to see over the steering wheel, so I looked under the top of it. (This was all on the farm, so there were no issues about no license, etc.)
I still remember driving a loaded hay truck (stick shift with compound gears) when we were moving to a new farm. I was 15, had a learner's permit, but no license. There was no one to be my "guardian" on that 15-mile drive, so I followed my dad (who was driving another hay truck)--pretty illegal. I hope the statute of limitations has run out. "Book him, Danno!"
CC; In old westerns, the good guy wore a white hat and the bad guys wore black hats...just like in many movies, the blond was the "good' girl and the brunette was the...how shall I put this...the "not good" girl.
Things aren`t that simplistic anymore.
This blog is full of white-hat guys and wonderful women of all hair colors and nationalities.
I`ll try not to be so cryptic next time I give a compliment!
BTW: We bought a new stick shift VW in 1965. It was great fun to wind it out...but then I was a danger when I climbed into the 58 Impala with turbo-glide and tried to muscle it around like the VW!
Hubby just corrected me...it was a power glide transmission!
In Minnesota you have to parallel park to pass your drivers exam. They have you do it between two cones, and if you hit one at all you fail the exam. They also have you back into a space between two cones. I think it is a great skill and should be tested.
Carol, thanks for the info on the crimson clover seeds. When searching online, it says they must be planted b4 August to sprout in our zone, so I am guessing that it is not a possibility up here in the frigid northern climate.
Just back from a day in Madison, and have to chime in on the stick shift story.
I grew up on public transport, my parents didn't own a car and there was no such thing as driver's ed. in Oz. So I took lessons at a driving school, when I was 20, that being the first time I felt I would be in need of a car after graduating from college the following year. It was three on the column, and after some rudimentary practice in a huge park, the teacher took me into the heaviest traffic that existed in Sydney at that time, in the heart of King's Cross. On a hill with bumper to bumper traffic, I asked what I should be doing, and noticed he had to look up from his newspaper to answer--"just move when they do!"
Needless to say I gained confidence quickly. My older son learned to drive a shift very well on test drive cars, after his semester in Germany, graduating from driver's ed and wanting his own car to be a stick--I wasn't going to ruin my gears letting him start on mine! I'd take the car out of the lot and then get him to take over on a nearby country road.
The second son was a different story--no patience--him, not me! He eventually learned from a friend who drove a stick shift truck. Now they both own stick shift vehicles and won't drive anything else.
I gave mine up only when I broke my left ankle and couldn't use a clutch four years ago.
Andrea,
I'm not sure I want to become quite so involved in the event Sept. 27, but I would like to meet you and Dot if she's willing--maybe the "new" Dennis in Madison would want to be in a group photo too. I will probably spend most of my day with family after meeting you. Or maybe it would be better to arrange a different time to meet at your restaurant on Monroe Street? Less crowded and more time to get to know each other a little.
After a few false starts (so to speak) I became a stick-shift driver. I have a 5-speed in my Caliber.
The LW's father taught her to drive, back in the day, and insisted she learn on a stick.
If I had a white hat, I'd probably use it as a mute.
Cheers!
JzB the noisy trombonist
Jerome:
a very nice puzzle overall. It wasn't all that hard for me, but since I'm not one
of the blog's speedsolvers, it took a shade less than 15 minutes. What I like best about your puzzles, and the LAT puzzle in general, is the relative absence of "crossword" words. And this puzzle would have been harder for me a year ago, when my experience was limited to the WRW puzzles.
My two cents on the crimson clover as a cover crop question: better late than never, whereever you live. The function of the clover is threefold:
1. It creates a ground cover, which protects the soil from erosion.
2. It adds biomass to the soil when it decomposes after tilling in next spring.
3. Clover is a legume, and has the ability to remove nitrogen from the air (which is nearly 80% N) and "fix" it in the soil. This is good because tomatoes are N feeders.
Also, the fact that Crimson Clover is not winter hardy, killed by sub-20 degree temperatures, is actually good thing. The dead biomass will remain in place even after winter killing, and decompose into the soil next spring. End of today's horticulture lesson.
PJB, from yesterday, anyone who channels Ambrose Bierce is OK in my book.
Question:
I've been out of the loop since Saturday. I returned today, and I find that now bloggers are harassing and insulting Luxor, a complete role reversal. Is this a new policy? If so, in order to live up to my "hateful" title, I'm in.
Cleaned all the baseboards today. That sure wasn't fun, esp. in this humidity..which we are not used to.That "storm" near Baja is sending clouds up our way; hope that is good for the fires.
Chickie, I had to trade in my 65 Mustang convertible(white interior) for a station wagon.Yech! My white shepherd looked so regal riding around in the back seat.Such a great car;I ran the air conditioner with the top down..LOL!Unfortunately, no room for new baby girl.
Carol, that old car is Bob's treasure. My Lexus is 9 years old and hopefully good for another 9.
If parallel parking is not taught any more or required,it should be interesting( in the years to come) to observe people trying to park.In our little town the spaces are almost long enough to drive into them.
Eddy, what unified school district does your wife work for? You must be quite proud. That is quite an honor!!
Loved hearing all your stories of learning/teaching the art of driving!
In the stop start traffic of urban areas, a manual transmission is so much work, but on the open road or hilly regions it's a joy to have. I remember renting an automatic out of town after having driven only stick shifts for a long time and the first few blocks were surprisingly rocky. Instinct
kicked in but the first couple miles were harrowing. Never drove in England or Ireland but have heard many horror stories. Two of my closest friends have a rock solid marriage but almost divorced while driving together through Ireland. To this day, they are almost never in the same car at the same time!
I know many adults here who never learned to drive. As a suburban teenager, not driving wasn't even an option. Only one friend in our group had his own car. I was so naive that I didn't realize it reeked of pot until much later!
Windhover, you little horticulturist (there's a word for you!) look out...
really though, thank you for the further info on the crimson clover. It sure worked wonders for our tiny plot. We don't have the space to move the area where we plant the tomatoes so that area got so depleted after a few years of having them in the same space, I had to look for some way to enrich the area and wanted to due it naturally.
Hi, CC, et al., Is this Weds? Couldn't tell by the puzzle. It was fun, fast, and 'just hard enough'. I still didn't get the theme until I came here. I'll try doing the SE corner first next time. Didn't know Fats Pickens nor Hulk Herman but the perps took care of that.
Jerome: great job! And I love your comment to anon 6:15. LMAO! Really clever!
Love all the comments on stick shifts. It is quite an experience! Richard, the professional bachelor next door, just bought a Toyota Spyder 2 seater with his money that he won in LV, thank you very much...you know, where I lost my shirt? And I sat right next to him most of the time too! Probably why he won! Anyway, his new car's shifting is done clutchless and he shifts by pressing buttons on the steering wheel or thereabouts. The easiest and smoothest transitions I have ever seen. Plus that thing takes corners like c-r-a-z-y! Such a fun car and no muss, no fuss! Such a change from what we had years ago w/jerking around and whiplash.
This one surprisingly has lots of leg room...for his golf clubs... OR me. It's all good!
Windhover: great lesson in horticulture. You're the man! Loved your pic too, by the way. Don't know if I said so. Handsome man. And the Irish is very pretty too. Great lookin' couple.
Speaking of which, Chickie: great pic of you and hubby too. Just want to jump right in and join you two happy people.
Enjoy the rest of your night.
Windhover, crimson and clover .
Growing up on forty acres my Dad insisted I learn to drive a tractor before I took my driving test. I knew how to drive a stick before a manual transistion and my first car was a big old '72 blue Surburban that was "three on a tree". He thought bigger was better in MI until I put it in a ditch.
I enjoyed the puzzle. Caught on to the theme fairly early. Had to look up a couple of names and couldn't get satyr without help.
Years ago, I tried to teach a friend to drive our stick shift car. The problem was that we were in rush hour traffic in downtown Beloit. The main street goes over a bridge & I thought we'd never get across the bridge. It was like riding a bucking bronco. We both were laughing so hysterically that she couldn't concentrate on what she was supposed to do & she couldn't pull over so I could take over. I don't know if she ever learned to drive a stick.
Dennis, it's great to see another Madisonian.
Andrea, I did not know you had a restaurant. Maybe Kazie's idea of our visiting it would be better than trying to get together on the 27th because you are probably going to be pulled a dozen different directions all day long with your duties.
Kazie, see what you can figure out.
Dot
Hey all, just got awakened up by the not so little guy Brady with leg cramps. Any remdedies out there besides an aspirin and Mom rubbing down his legs? He is growing so fast. We eat pretty much home grown stuff including venison. Could that be the problem? Venison, red meat? I am at a loss as I really can't give him any comfort.
Dot, Andrea and "Madison Dennis",
Feel free to email me if you have any suggestions.
Dot,
In Oz, we call that kids of gear hopping "Kangarooing".
Carol and Windhover,
Thanks for the crimson clover info. I might be able to use it!
Dennis,
Today's WoW is true in so many contexts--the more you know, the more you realize what you don't know and what you still need to master. True in learning languages and everything else as well.
In Oz, we call that kids (read: KIND) of gear hopping "Kangarooing".
tarrajo, it's unlikely related to diet. massage, heat and stretching should provide some relief. an OTC anti-inflammatory would be preferable to aspirin, because of aspirin's association with reyes sydrome in children.
Melissabee can you be a little bit clearer on the OTC drug? When I said aspirin it was actually Ibuprofren. I do apply a heating pad but he claims it gets too hot, and doesn't feel good. I am also worried about leaving that on him as the only one I have is electric.
It is now 11pm and this is the hard part of staying awake for your kid's sake or trying for sleep for your sake. You know you aren't going to find sleep anyway.
I do hear a little man snore coming out of his bedroom though so sleep may happen yet.
tarrajo, let's do this off the blog, email me?
Tarrajo, it could be dehydration or growing pains..drink water, massage, bananas...warm bath..just throwing out ideas. Hope he gets back to sleep.You might want to get some Pedialyte (sp)to have on hand if he tends to get dehydrated on hot days.
#5 for the day. Gonna be long, grab a snack.
Thanks for the driving stories!
Tarrajo: Growing pains (or is pangs?) are tough. Remember them well. Melissa knows her stuff.
WH: thanks for the shout out. When working in a genre like Ambrose Bierce's, I tread very lightly. No one can come even close, but I consider his Dictionary a masterclass on humor. ClearAyes, true to form, provided us with dazzling examples. Part of dabbling in humor means knowing the history, and a big chunk of mentoring "funny people" means helping them know the history. Guess what the comedy crew got for New Year's presents? The Devil's Dictionary. WH, you sure know your clover! Impressive.
KQ, may I steal your line? You were referring to the differences between your son and daughter and said that your son "needed more safety features than she did." That's really good stuff. Very funny. Not sure yet what it could turn into, but it's got huge potential.
I got six pieces of hatemail todaty. First Time Ever. I touched a nerve, it would seem.
Three referred to a small bit I posted elsewhere re: the "Cult of Oprah" here in Chicago. I was called "racist" although I never even thought of referring to the fact that she is African-American. That has nothing at all to do with anything. That she comes across sometimes as "holier than thou" was my sole objection.
I also was accused of being "anti-gun" after a short riff on Tasers and what might happen if everyday people had access to them. Picture a backyard barbeque, beer, and people arguing about the best way to grill a chicken. That happens, I have seen it several times. If people, fueled by alcohol, came to blows--which also occurs--things could turn very ugly very fast. No mention of bullets. Well, part of being a grown up involves facing harsh critics. "Take it in stride" is my new mantra.......
Last, I learned some new things today while researching "self-storage units" for something I'm ghost writing. One out of ten American households rent such space to store the detritus of their lives. That's 2.3 billion square feet. There are probably nations in Europe smaller than that!
Back Thursday unless circumstances intervene.
Be well. Laugh..
pjb
Jerome, thanks. Today's puzzle is also surprising easy. Rich Norris is dumping down the puzzles for the Chicago Tribune folks.
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