Theme: How Many Ways Can You Say "Buy" Without Spending Money? - The first words/syllable of the four theme answers are homophones.
20A. Furthermore: BY THE SAME TOKEN
33A. 1961 Tony-winning musical inspired by Elvis being drafted: BYE BYE BIRDIE
43A. 7/4/1976 celebration: BICENTENNIAL
59A. Retail store financing come-on: BUY NOW, PAY LATER
Hello all, Boomer here. I wish I could buy now and pay later with tokens.
I never saw "Bye, Bye, Birdie", but I do remember the Bicentennial very well. The US issued special quarters that year and I got ten rolls at the bank and put them away as an investment. They are now worth 25 cents each, but you can't get as much for a quarter as you could in 1976. I remember spending the day at a Minnesota Twins double header, outdoors at Metropolitan Stadium. Outdoor MLB is returning to the land of 10,000 lakes next spring.
I am not the best puzzle solver. I got about 80% of this one before I needed help. But I didn't need help with bowling last night. 665 is a good score for an old guy, and today I looked at my driver's license and Damn! I'm a year older! I'm the same age as Hillary Clinton, not as famous but my cheeks aren't as chubby. Have fun with today's puzzle.
Across:
1. One-person boat: SKIFF. My first error. I wanted to put Kayak.
6. College athlete: JOCK . The Gophers could use a few more.
10. Mouse catcher: TRAP. Build a better one and the world will make a path to your door, but who wants the world at their door anyway?
14. China's Zhou __: EN LAI. C.C. knows him better than I; Alternate answer would be QIN. C.C.'s Mandarin name is Zhouqin, but it doesn't have enough letters.
15. Clickable symbol: ICON
16. Compete in a meet: RACE. We are all in this rat race together, some day we may meet.
17. Ghostly noises: MOANS. Halloween is coming. I prefer BOOS. For the Yankees of course.
18. "Let It __": Everly Brothers hit: BE ME. " I blessed the day I found you, I want to stay around you, now and forever ..."
19. Peruvian empire builder: INCA. The Empire Builder was a train. The Incas didn't build it. It came later.
23. Barbary ape's cont.: AFR
24. Necklace clasp resting place: NAPE. If you don't get it fastened correctly, it could rest on the floor.
25. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU. Home of the Fighting Tigers. Shaq's alma mater by the way.
29. Coastal inlet: RIA. Crossword river inlet.
31. Take to the clink: ARREST. Clink is slang for "jail". It's never fun. Think before you drink.
37. Rig on the road: SEMI. To me, semi always meant half or partial. Why they call the big trucks semis, I'll never know.
38. John, to Ringo?: LOO - I can't figure this out. Is LOO an English word for bathroom?
39. Trivial, as chatter: IDLE - If it's your brain, it's the devil's playground, trouble in River City.
48. Debonair: RAKISH. Never heard of this word. I thought it's what you do to your leavish on the lawnish in the fallish.
51. Dr.'s group, maybe: HMO. Maybe History Moves Over if the health care bill passes.
52. Adobe file format: PDF. Yeah I've heard of it, but I don't know what PDF stands for.
53. Cockney's main Web page?. 'OME (Home). Never heard of this. (From C.C.: Cockney is in the East End of London where the letter H is dropped in local dialect.)
54. Bears or Cubs: TEAM. And not very good ones recently.
57. Suffix with Israel: ITE. Israelite.
64. Rick's love in "Casablanca": ILSA. Funny how some old movies are Classics.
65. Mayberry moppet: OPIE. Ronnie Howard, now aged director Ron Howard. Famous as Opie and Richie Cunningham of "Happy Days." But do you remember him waiting for the Wells Fargo Wagon in "The Music Man"?
66. Con game: BUNCO. "Dragnet" Sergeant Friday frequently worked the Bunco Squad out of Los Angeles.
68. Nuremberg no: NEIN. Their "yes" is JA.
69. Elbow-joint bone: ULNA. When you get old, a little Cryogel on the ulna helps your bowling.
70. Embodiment of perfection: IDEAL. They make wonderful Toys. Also quality electrical products. Fish tapes, wire-nuts, and Yellow 77 elephant snot.
72. Ball-bearing gadgets?: TEES. Golf ball. Use only wooden tees. Plastic mars your driver.
73. Short-winded: TERSE
Down:
1. Divinity sch.: SEM. Short for Seminary. Best one I've seen is in Clyde, MO.
2. Drawer projection: KNOB. I might have said door handle.
3. "Now __ me down ...": I LAY
4. Classic orange soda: FANTA. I had CRUSH in there first.
5. Seafood cookout: FISH FRY. The best fish fries are Sunfish, Crappies, Walleye, and Northern Pike from Minnesota lakes. But they are lake food, not seafood.
6. Triangular sails: JIBS
7. Blue part of a map: OCEAN. Unless you spill a bottle of ink on your atlas.
8. Cause for a pause: COMMA. Well, I suppose, this, could be true, maybe. Rhyming sounds good.
9. Patella protector: KNEE PAD - Got me again. I put kneecap - then I realized your kneecap is a patella.
10. The Dixie Chicks, e.g.: TRIO - One of George W's favorite groups, or not.
11. Fester in one's mind: RANKLE. Sometimes crosswords rankle me.
12. Way to get in: ACCESS. Unless you're going to weight watchers. Then you have to weigh to get in.
13. Planters logo Mr. __: PEANUT. A marketing Icon. More famous than a Gecko.
21. Buffalo-to-Albany canal: ERIE. I don't think I've seen a puzzle yet that doesn't have ERIE in it somewhere.
22. Actress Garr: TERI. Another common puzzle staple.
26. Air rifle ammo: BBS. Most are plastic now. Like everything else.
27. Needle feature: EYE. Keep your eyes peeled for needles in the haystack.
32. Coachman's control: REIN. Okay, but aren't they usually called reins?
34. Netanyahu of Israel, familiarly: BIBI. Benjamin Netanyahu's nickname. Über-hawk.
35. Particle with a charge: ION. There are eons of crossword puzzles with ION.
36. Philip who wrote the Zuckerman novels: ROTH. Does he have an IRA?
40. Chip go-with: DIP. Don't let the dip slip off the chip and onto your lip. Chips are not that healthy. The only chips I have now are short golf shots.
44. Analogy words: IS TO
45. Give a tongue-lashing: CHEW OUT. See above clues. This is also how a mouse will sometimes gain ACCESS out of a TRAP.
46. Runner Zátopek: EMIL. Emil was a common name 100 years ago. I don't know of any now.
47. Cooperative response to "Do you mind?": NOT A BIT. Maybe it's cooperative, but if Sister Mary Margaret asks you to mind, better not say "no" or you'll be standing in the corner until lunch.
48. Spring chirpers: ROBINS. Robins are the first sign of Spring. The second sign is when there's less than four inches of snow on your lawn.
49. Lucky charm: AMULET. Whatever happened to four leaf clovers and rabbits' feet.
50. Enters, as data: KEYS IN
55. William Tell's target: APPLE. Was it a Honeycrisp? Granny Smith? Fuji?
56. Largest New England state: MAINE
58. Piano exercise: ETUDE. I've never heard of this. I remember EGBDF. Which were the keys you had to put your fingers on.
60. Indian breads: NANS. Served in the Cleveland clubhouse after a game?
61. Supporting votes: YEAS. Also World Series cheers for the Phillies.
62. Cabinet dept. with a lightning bolt on its seal: ENER. Maybe they could change it to a wind turbine.
63. Some HDTVs: RCAS. Okay, but what was the name of the dog listening to the megaphone speaker on the Victrola again?
67. Corrida shout: OLE. Are they cheering for the matador, the bull, or are they really saying Oh Lays, and shouting for more chips for their dip?
Answer grid.
Boomer
Note from C.C.: Happy Birthday, Boomer!
20A. Furthermore: BY THE SAME TOKEN
33A. 1961 Tony-winning musical inspired by Elvis being drafted: BYE BYE BIRDIE
43A. 7/4/1976 celebration: BICENTENNIAL
59A. Retail store financing come-on: BUY NOW, PAY LATER
Hello all, Boomer here. I wish I could buy now and pay later with tokens.
I never saw "Bye, Bye, Birdie", but I do remember the Bicentennial very well. The US issued special quarters that year and I got ten rolls at the bank and put them away as an investment. They are now worth 25 cents each, but you can't get as much for a quarter as you could in 1976. I remember spending the day at a Minnesota Twins double header, outdoors at Metropolitan Stadium. Outdoor MLB is returning to the land of 10,000 lakes next spring.
I am not the best puzzle solver. I got about 80% of this one before I needed help. But I didn't need help with bowling last night. 665 is a good score for an old guy, and today I looked at my driver's license and Damn! I'm a year older! I'm the same age as Hillary Clinton, not as famous but my cheeks aren't as chubby. Have fun with today's puzzle.
Across:
1. One-person boat: SKIFF. My first error. I wanted to put Kayak.
6. College athlete: JOCK . The Gophers could use a few more.
10. Mouse catcher: TRAP. Build a better one and the world will make a path to your door, but who wants the world at their door anyway?
14. China's Zhou __: EN LAI. C.C. knows him better than I; Alternate answer would be QIN. C.C.'s Mandarin name is Zhouqin, but it doesn't have enough letters.
15. Clickable symbol: ICON
16. Compete in a meet: RACE. We are all in this rat race together, some day we may meet.
17. Ghostly noises: MOANS. Halloween is coming. I prefer BOOS. For the Yankees of course.
18. "Let It __": Everly Brothers hit: BE ME. " I blessed the day I found you, I want to stay around you, now and forever ..."
19. Peruvian empire builder: INCA. The Empire Builder was a train. The Incas didn't build it. It came later.
23. Barbary ape's cont.: AFR
24. Necklace clasp resting place: NAPE. If you don't get it fastened correctly, it could rest on the floor.
25. Baton Rouge sch.: LSU. Home of the Fighting Tigers. Shaq's alma mater by the way.
29. Coastal inlet: RIA. Crossword river inlet.
31. Take to the clink: ARREST. Clink is slang for "jail". It's never fun. Think before you drink.
37. Rig on the road: SEMI. To me, semi always meant half or partial. Why they call the big trucks semis, I'll never know.
38. John, to Ringo?: LOO - I can't figure this out. Is LOO an English word for bathroom?
39. Trivial, as chatter: IDLE - If it's your brain, it's the devil's playground, trouble in River City.
48. Debonair: RAKISH. Never heard of this word. I thought it's what you do to your leavish on the lawnish in the fallish.
51. Dr.'s group, maybe: HMO. Maybe History Moves Over if the health care bill passes.
52. Adobe file format: PDF. Yeah I've heard of it, but I don't know what PDF stands for.
53. Cockney's main Web page?. 'OME (Home). Never heard of this. (From C.C.: Cockney is in the East End of London where the letter H is dropped in local dialect.)
54. Bears or Cubs: TEAM. And not very good ones recently.
57. Suffix with Israel: ITE. Israelite.
64. Rick's love in "Casablanca": ILSA. Funny how some old movies are Classics.
65. Mayberry moppet: OPIE. Ronnie Howard, now aged director Ron Howard. Famous as Opie and Richie Cunningham of "Happy Days." But do you remember him waiting for the Wells Fargo Wagon in "The Music Man"?
66. Con game: BUNCO. "Dragnet" Sergeant Friday frequently worked the Bunco Squad out of Los Angeles.
68. Nuremberg no: NEIN. Their "yes" is JA.
69. Elbow-joint bone: ULNA. When you get old, a little Cryogel on the ulna helps your bowling.
70. Embodiment of perfection: IDEAL. They make wonderful Toys. Also quality electrical products. Fish tapes, wire-nuts, and Yellow 77 elephant snot.
72. Ball-bearing gadgets?: TEES. Golf ball. Use only wooden tees. Plastic mars your driver.
73. Short-winded: TERSE
Down:
1. Divinity sch.: SEM. Short for Seminary. Best one I've seen is in Clyde, MO.
2. Drawer projection: KNOB. I might have said door handle.
3. "Now __ me down ...": I LAY
4. Classic orange soda: FANTA. I had CRUSH in there first.
5. Seafood cookout: FISH FRY. The best fish fries are Sunfish, Crappies, Walleye, and Northern Pike from Minnesota lakes. But they are lake food, not seafood.
6. Triangular sails: JIBS
7. Blue part of a map: OCEAN. Unless you spill a bottle of ink on your atlas.
8. Cause for a pause: COMMA. Well, I suppose, this, could be true, maybe. Rhyming sounds good.
9. Patella protector: KNEE PAD - Got me again. I put kneecap - then I realized your kneecap is a patella.
10. The Dixie Chicks, e.g.: TRIO - One of George W's favorite groups, or not.
11. Fester in one's mind: RANKLE. Sometimes crosswords rankle me.
12. Way to get in: ACCESS. Unless you're going to weight watchers. Then you have to weigh to get in.
13. Planters logo Mr. __: PEANUT. A marketing Icon. More famous than a Gecko.
21. Buffalo-to-Albany canal: ERIE. I don't think I've seen a puzzle yet that doesn't have ERIE in it somewhere.
22. Actress Garr: TERI. Another common puzzle staple.
26. Air rifle ammo: BBS. Most are plastic now. Like everything else.
27. Needle feature: EYE. Keep your eyes peeled for needles in the haystack.
32. Coachman's control: REIN. Okay, but aren't they usually called reins?
34. Netanyahu of Israel, familiarly: BIBI. Benjamin Netanyahu's nickname. Über-hawk.
35. Particle with a charge: ION. There are eons of crossword puzzles with ION.
36. Philip who wrote the Zuckerman novels: ROTH. Does he have an IRA?
40. Chip go-with: DIP. Don't let the dip slip off the chip and onto your lip. Chips are not that healthy. The only chips I have now are short golf shots.
44. Analogy words: IS TO
45. Give a tongue-lashing: CHEW OUT. See above clues. This is also how a mouse will sometimes gain ACCESS out of a TRAP.
46. Runner Zátopek: EMIL. Emil was a common name 100 years ago. I don't know of any now.
47. Cooperative response to "Do you mind?": NOT A BIT. Maybe it's cooperative, but if Sister Mary Margaret asks you to mind, better not say "no" or you'll be standing in the corner until lunch.
48. Spring chirpers: ROBINS. Robins are the first sign of Spring. The second sign is when there's less than four inches of snow on your lawn.
49. Lucky charm: AMULET. Whatever happened to four leaf clovers and rabbits' feet.
50. Enters, as data: KEYS IN
55. William Tell's target: APPLE. Was it a Honeycrisp? Granny Smith? Fuji?
56. Largest New England state: MAINE
58. Piano exercise: ETUDE. I've never heard of this. I remember EGBDF. Which were the keys you had to put your fingers on.
60. Indian breads: NANS. Served in the Cleveland clubhouse after a game?
61. Supporting votes: YEAS. Also World Series cheers for the Phillies.
62. Cabinet dept. with a lightning bolt on its seal: ENER. Maybe they could change it to a wind turbine.
63. Some HDTVs: RCAS. Okay, but what was the name of the dog listening to the megaphone speaker on the Victrola again?
67. Corrida shout: OLE. Are they cheering for the matador, the bull, or are they really saying Oh Lays, and shouting for more chips for their dip?
Answer grid.
Boomer
Note from C.C.: Happy Birthday, Boomer!
49 comments:
Good morning, Boomer, C.C. and gang - this is more like it. A great week so far - loved this puzzle as well. Very, very clever cluing, Fred. Particularly liked 'John, to Ringo', 'Cockney's main Web page', and 'Ball-bearing gadgets'. Needed perp help for 'Indian breads' and 'Emil' Zatopek. And the only questionable answer to me was 'stns' for 'stations', where so often we've seen 'stas' before. All-in-all, a real pleasure; looks like we're definitely ramping up.
Boomer, outstanding job! You should do this more often.
Today is Navy Day. Any day is a good day to honor the men and women keeping us safe.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Happiness is good health and a bad memory." -- Ingrid Bergman
And a couple good Presidential shots:
"Putting Bush and Quayle in charge of the economy is like making General Sherman the Fire Marshall of Atlanta." -- Bill Clinton
"Bill Clinton's foreign policy experience is pretty much confined to having had breakfast at the International House of Pancakes." -- Pat Buchanan
Boomer, yes, 'loo' is 'bathroom' in England. And the RCA dog is Little Nipper.
Very fast puzzle for me. The only word that stumped me was BUNCO and that's because I had ELEC rather than ENER for 62 down so when I got 73 across (TERSE) I ended up with E?ER. Oh and I also wanted AMA (American Medical Association) for HMO but that didn't slow me down too much.
Martin
Good morning C.C. and all, another somewhat difficult, but very doable. On a level of difficulty today’s puzzle seemed more like a Monday puzzle. The SE corner did slow me down ofr a bit, but with perp help II was able to get the fills. Also, I tried very hard to make AMA fit for HMO (51A).
The theme revealed itself after the second long fill which helped get the remaining fills. Overall, another good puzzle and hopefully they will ramp up toward the weekend.
Hope you all have a great Tuesday.
Good morning:
Another fun puzzle with some cute twists and turns; beginning with SKIFF was great. I also loved the misdirection of :John, to Ringo?: LOO, and Ball-bearing gadgets?: TEES.
Am I the only one who was slowed by the political implication of the clue: Blue part of a map: OCEAN (blue states, red states?).
When my son was on his dig in Italy, he was introduced to FANTA which has a different formula there, including 12% orange juice. Here it is all sweetness, and of course the the Fantanas .
A real treat to begin a week with Jerome and Fred.
Morning, Boomer, CC and Friends. Boomer, you and I must have been on the same wavelength today. I, too, wanted Kayak and Crush, so the NW corner gave me a bit of a pause (but not a COMMA, which was filled in before I had a chance to read the clue.)
I also initially put in KNEECAP, knowing that it was synonymous with Patella. I broke my patella several years ago in a car accident. It hurts me sometimes when the weather turns bad.
My D'Oh moment was John, to Ringo. My mind wasn't in the Toilet.
BUNCO was a recent response. It must have been place here today to see if we were paying attention earlier. Apparently, I wasn't.
LSU is not the only Baton Rouge School, but it is the only school that is more than 2 letters. I love seeing MAINE, clued also since that is where I got my undergraduate degree.
Anyone else notice the homophones of BBs and BIBI?
Loved today's puzzle. Take to the Clink (ARREST) was my favorite clue.
QOD: The best car safety device is a rearview mirror with a cop in it. ~ Dudley Moore
A little slip up in the solve by Boomer today. 64 across is "Ilsa" not "Elsa" to form the correct spell for 48 down "robins" not "robens". The puzzles are getting a little harder but still this was a 10 minute or less solve without help. Oh how I long for the old days!!
Boomer, Happy Birthday. Fun write-up.
Happy Birthday, Boomer! Great job with the blog today. I especially enjoyed your alternative definition of "rakish" (48A).
A fun puzzle with a clever theme. My favorite clue was "Cockney's main web page?" ('OME). I also liked seeing a bit of an aquatic theme in the NW with JIBS paralleling OCEAN, and next to SKIFF. I wonder if BBS near BIBI was intentional. My guess is it was.
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Boomer,
Great job! I agree, you ought to do this more often.
Slightly easier than yesterday for me. I loved the LOO and TEE clues. I stared at ENER (last fill, from perps) for a while before I saw "energy" there.
I actually find STNS more correct than STAS for stations.
PDF = Portable Document Format. I googled to get that, although I use them all the time.
Boomer: Happy Birthday! Hope it is a good one!
Kazie: Thanks for defining pdf. I never really gave any thought to why such documents were called "pdf files." Now I know!
Well, HBD Boomer, it is my friend Denise's birthday today as well, so I am celebrating the day. I know the answer grid was correct, so I assume ELSA was just a typo.
Love the pdf, see you all later
In discussing perps yesterday I wanted to weigh in. I thought perp meant the usual suspects like the word ERIE it shows up in puzzles alot and would be considered to be a usual suspect or to wit a perp.
todays puzzle,Dr's org I wanted AMA. Classic orange drink I thought of Nehi and Crush but I've never heard of Fanta.
enjoy Athens Georgia's own R.E.M.
Orange Crush
Ghostly noises: MOANS. Halloween is coming. I prefer BOOS. For the Phillies of course.
This is moan I had in mind after seeing moan.
oh yes
Re: Anonymous @ 7:50 AM
Thank you. All too often we associate Anonymous with something bad but you have reminded me not to judge too quickly.
Wow! A puzzle from Jerome, then this one from Fred and Boomer does the blog; it's going to be a good week.
Happy birthday, Boomer.
Very tough in the lower left corner. Nans, stns, and rakish were all new to me. Thoughtful clues made this Tuesday morning enjoyable. I off to get another cup of coffee.
Good Morning All, Boomer, congratulations on your birthday, your latest bowling score and your newly disclosed blogging talent. Lots of funny comments...also sounds like you might have had a youthful/truthful ARREST experience...Hmmm.
Congratulations to Fred also for a fun Tuesday puzzle. A lot of the fun for me came with the northside "D'oh" moments. Yup, I had KAYAK for SKIFF, ORANGE instead of FANTA and KNEECAP for KNEEPAD. My first thought for RAKISH was RAFISH, but it turns out RAFFISH is spelled with two F's.
I loved FISH FRY and RANKLE fills. I don't remember seeing them before.
The theme was really nice. Post-puzzle I tried to find the origin of BY THE SAME TOKEN, but other than saying that it was in use in the 15th century and that Shakespeare used it in "Troilus and Cressida", I couldn't find much.
We stopped BUY NOW, PAY LATER, many years ago. If we don't have the cash, we don't buy. The only exception is on vacation, but we pay off the credit cards when we get home.
For some "How did I know that?" reason, I got EMIL (Runner Zatopek) right away. Would EMIL (Star of "Into The Wild" Hirsh) have been any easier? It was a good movie, by the way.
37. Rig on the road: SEMI.Why they call the big trucks semis, I'll never know.
Not so fast. The SEMI refers to the trailers, actually. If the trailer only has wheels at one end, with the other end on the tractor, it is a semi. (Tactor-trailer).
If a trailer has wheels at both ends, it is a full trailer. Here is a good example. Tractor - semi-trailer - full trailer.
What a fun puzzle. I managed to complete it without any outside help but did get some perp help with Bibi and ener to name a couple. My favorite clue was John to Ringo – loo. I agree with you Boomer on your fish fry choices. My favorites are sunnies and crappies in a beer batter, served with seasoned potato wedges and cole slaw.
Happy Birthday Boomer…you are a witty guy it seems. I know you have bowled several 300 games but I would be curious to know what your high series is. Mine is 587 which is great for me as my average is only about 158.
I forgot earlier to congratulate Boomer on his birthday, so Happy Birthday, Boomer!
And also, I do know two Emils, and they're not German either--husband of a colleague, and another, husband of a friend, who however, uses his middle name to avoid Emil.
Thank you all for the Birthday wishes. All of you provide a great forum. When I wrote "LOO" was an English bathroom, I was trying to be funny. I had no idea it was in fact true. Nehi was Radar O'Reilly's favorite, but only four letters. Orange Crush would be Elway's Broncos, so I guess we'll accept FANTA.
Jeannie, 587 is a good score anytime. Scoring conditions over the years have improved greatly and my best series was last year - 289-241-300 830. Thanks for asking. Bowling is the only thing I ever get to brag about.
Morning all -
Thanks Fred for a very enjoyable Tuesday puzzle. Thanks Boomer for the great blogging - I especially liked your definition of rakish. It's your birthday and we get the gift!
Like others, I enjoyed Loo, 'ome and tees. The mention of nan has given me a hankering for Indian food - maybe we'll do that for dinner tonight. I've got a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala I've been itching to try.
Thanks all for the mole advice. Many of your suggestions are captured in this episode of Sshaun the Sheep, one of Zoe's favorite cartoons. I couldn't find the episode on YouTube, but did find it on this Chinese site. Shaun goes after the mole about three minutes in.
Enjoy the day.
Great job, Fred! A perfect Tuesday puzzle.
I really liked the NE and SW corners. Six sixers and not a one close to a klunker.
Even better, all four seven letter fills beautifully done. FISHFRY, KNEEPAD, CHEWOUT, and NOTABIT. Also enjoyed SKIFF, BUNCO, FANTA, and PEANUT.
After I worked the "across" clues then started the "down," I had several answers to erase and change, but got by without outside help. I also had AMA instead of HMO. If I had worked the "down" first, I would have known better because I knew Philip Roth. "Buy now, pay later" seemed backward to me because I read the clue as "Rental store..." instead of "retail." Rental stores usually have a "Pay rent now and buy it later" - a very expensive way to go.
The puzzle went fast, but had several interruptions because the plumbers are here installing the dishwasher and sink. I'll be so glad to have a complete kitchen again after months of having to wash dishes in the laundry room!
Woke up to 35º this morning. I have a love/hate relationship with cold weather now that I have the RA. I used to love winter and snow, but no more.
Does anyone remember the children's book, EMIL and the Detectives? It was first published in 1929. The discussion about EMIL reminded me of the book, which I read in about 3 or 4th grade. Don't remember the story, though.
Just back from the dentist where I was fitted for a crown. On the way back, I stopped and got a cup of coffee. Big mistake. Half of my mouth is still numb.
Good afternoon, everyone.
Happy birthday, Boomer. And nice job of posting.
Comma is a very good reply for cause for a pause because that's what a comma means. A period calls for a full stop. Those punctuation marks were originally meant for reading aloud.
I had trouble in the SE corner because I misspelled bunko and couldn't figure out a short-winded word. Had to rely on some perps for fish fry because all I could think of was clambake.
All in all, an enjoyable puzzle. Thanks, Fred.
Cheers
Etude is the French word for study. An etude is a musical form written with a certain amount of difficulty to teach a particular skill. Although etudes were principally written as teaching tools, the masters made some of them quite beautiful as well.
Nice puzzle today Fred, and happy birthday Boomer.
This is kind of interesting, ever since I signed into picassa the other day, blogger is remembering who I am without putting in my email and password again. I wonder why that sets a cookie but blogger itself doesn't...
Hi, gang -
Brilliant blogging, Boomer!
Good puzzle today.
Haven't read comments yet. Hope C.C. is OK.
Lots going on today. Have to go move some granddaughters from hither to yon.
Very busy the rest for the week. Might not be posting. We'll see.
Since a pay toilet has a charge, is it an ION LOO?
I'm not SEMI IDLE this week.
Was Zhou ENLAI China's IDEAL leader?
Gotta run. That's all folks.
Cheers!
JzB the on the go trombonist
Good morning, everyone!
Boomer, Happy Birthday to you. May your days be filled with friendship, love, and joy (and a few more 600 series!). Marvelous write-up. You look like a natural. Is this a birthday present from your sweetie?
Don't know why I can't remember ILSA. Had ELSA, and knew that was a different sort of lioness.
Nice puzzle today.
Have a great Tuesday, everyone!
Fun puzzle, Fred! Nice, creative clueing.
Happy birthday, Boomer! Nice job today. It felt like we were walking thru the puzzle with you and your sense of humor.
I think the "John, to Ringo" was one of the first clues I learned the answer to from this blog, and it's stuck with me!
Zhou ENLAI is another fill I'd never have gotten 6 months ago.
Had to check the perps to confirm whether it was FAYGO or FANTA. The corporate HQ for the company that distributes Faygo was located in the building I work in, until they moved a few months ago.
Misread the clue as "Indian bead", otherwise, I'd have gotten NANS sooner. I'd just run into a friend who's become obsessed with her beading projects, so that must've been on my mind.
My favorite fill was RANKLE, since it so well describes puzzle-solving! Especially when the answer's right on the tip of your tongue...
8:31 today. A very nice Tuesday puzzle from Fred Jackson. I guess I was channeling boomer because I did it all: CRUSH, KNEE CAP, AMA, etc.
BYE BYE BIRDIE is still one of my all-time favorite plays. I love the music in it: "we love you Co-onrad, oh yes we do-oo".
Happy birthday to Boomer and nice blogging! That 830 series is pretty amazing. I doubt many pros do any better.
I may have had something approaching 650 when I was a young whipper-snapper, but that was so long ago I've forgotten the details.
My favorite bowling memory was an all-day marathon with some friends. I didn't wear a glove, so ended up with horrible blisters on my right hand. I had to finish the last line bowling left-handed. We also drank every Olympia beer the bar had (a popular brand in the West at the time, so that was a lot of beers down the hatch). Burney Bowl in Burney, CA, I'm guessing mid-70's.
Happy Birthday to Boomer and what a funny write up...you did a terrific job.
And more Kudos to be laid at Fred's doorstep for a terrifically fun puzzle. Favorite clues, John to Ringo, Cockney's main web page..'enry 'iggins 'ere we come, Ball bearing gadgets.
Its great to have some puzzles that take a bit of thinking. I hope that a new wave of stupidity doesn't drown out the change back to fun. There are so many mundane puzzles available out there that it is wonderful to have a challenge. I prefer the concept of raising the bar to improve knowledge and excellence rather than lowering it to a lower common denominator which seems to be the SOP in this country nowadays...too tough? We'll just make it easier for you to look good, or pass that test...etc. end of momentary rant.
Windier than all get out here...lovely :o)
Under the weather, so this will be brief. Happy Birthday Boomer, Congrats on a very good and funny blog, and also on the high bowling score. My parents were in a Bowling league about 32 years ago, but back then it was mostly an excuse to drink and smoke while socializing and doing something atlhetic. They were bettter at golf than bowling, but bridge was their big hobby. I'm too "dangerous"--as in actually harming people by accident--with a bowling ball or a golf club, so my friends won't let me play those sports with them!
Defintely enjoyed the puzzle. Clever cluing and everything Jerome said, although I'm sure I made more mistakes than he did
.
Back to the sickbed!
Happy birthday Boomer! A challenge puzzle today, not extra hard but it made one think.
I 'finally' remembered that a public toilet in Britain and elsewhere in Europe is AKA 'john' or 'loo'. That was in one of the very first LAT puzzles we got.
Besides that I'll always remember the clue "What's Up?" -the answer was 'sky'.
Here's a story in today's news about Scary public loos in Poland.
Guday my friends. Long time, no post. Nothing to really add since the puzzles got easier. (Though John, to Ringo was cute, today.)
After a teeth cleaning, lunch and a trip to Kroger's (It's the Happy Place To Shop - you know), I returned to GBRV, checked my e-mail, did NOT check out this blog first, as I sometimes do and since I had fish for lunch and felt VERY INTELLAMENT I went to my local rag and worked the puzzles. I did the quiptoquote (3 mins.), the Jumble (2 mins.), the x/w (18 mins) and the Sudoku (20 mins). That's really good for me on the x/w because I read so slowly. I'm the only person I know whose lips move when he signs his name.
Nurse Ratchet came storming in, in a huff, and said to me in front of everybody, "Ya know, wiseguy, ya missed the Final Jeopardy question last night. You said EO instead of IO".
I replied, respectfully, "I should have spelled it, you old bat. I would have written IO, but I pronounced it EO using the continental sound for the letter I".
"Bulls**t!! Ya blew it! I is I and E is E."
I called her attention to today's x/w and said, "How do you pronounce 35 down?"
She said, "I-on".
I said, "How do you pronounce 22 down?"
She said, in response to the answer Teri, "Ter-EE?"
"See. I said. The "I" in Teri is pronounced like an "E". I rest my case you dogfaced bitch".
"O.K., all of you half-wits, pay attention," she yelled. "If I ever get tired of kicking this assh***'s 'nads up to his Adam's Apple, I'm going to call on my new assistant". She whistled, and folks, what walk through the door was something out of a comic book. He was 6'6" tall, weighed 255#, had no sleeves in his t-shirt because his biceps were too big, had no neck, flared nostrils and a projecting forehead.
Ratchet said, in a badly faked Spanish accent, "Say hello to my new little frien. This is Justin Case. Say hell-o Justin".
"Uuumph!"
Things ain't lookin' so good 'round here.
I must be off!
Happy Birthday Boomer. Like it's been said before, you should do this more often.
What a treat to have consecutive puzzles from our "homeboys" Jerome and Fred. I ditto all the remarks about clever cluing, LOO and OME.
Buckeye - Glad to have you back in rare form. Has your new friend Justin Case ever met Hugh Jass? They'd make quite a couple.
Back from my peregrinations, tired but otherwise OK. We scaped tho old caulk then re-caulked a couple of windows this afternoon.
Doesn't sound like much does it? I'm beat, though.
Buckeye - please come back more often. You slay me.
I'm helping weigh pumpkins (or something like that) at Nate's school tomorrow, bright or early (pick one) then some meetings, and rehearsal in the evening. Full agenda on Thus. also. Off to T-town, then Danny's band concert in the evening. No rest for wicked Bumpas.
I'll check in if I can.
Meanwhile, THIS. is my idea of a scary public loo.
Cheers!
JzB the probably would be constipated trombonist.
Happy birthday, Boomer!And congratulations on a good blogging job.
When I read Dr's group, maybe, I knew it couldn't be AMA because there is no maybe with the AMA.
But we had bicentennial misspelled (double n's in wrong place) so it took awhile to get things straightened out so HMO would work.
Husband has had a cough for a couple of days and I woke up today coughing. Neither of us has a fever so hopefully it will all clear up in a couple of days. I was supposed to stay with a friend tomorrow when she comes home from the hospital so I have to let her down. I think it is all worked out now.
Dot
How's this for a scary loo?
From tomorrow's Mercury News Road Show,
A reader once asked what kind of car Jesus would drive. At least we know that the apostles drove a Honda. Didn't the Bible say they were in one Accord?
DCannon, I can completely empathize with you and your kitchen problems. Years ago we remodelled an old farmhouse. Two days before we moved in, the plumber we had hired left a note saying, "Sir, this is a bigger job than I thought. I don't have time to do it. Sorry." So my husband had to run the plumbing for the sink and the laundry room next to the kitchen. Strawberries were ripe so my Mother and I froze 28 qts. We carried the water from the upstairs bathroom to wash them in pans on the kitchen table. I think it was two weeks that we had to carry the water down stairs. But we said that wasn't as bad as having to get it from a well as we
did when I was a child.
I hope you are soon enjoying your new, improved modern kitchen.
Dot
Hello all.
The comments I had written earlier
disappeared just like all the photos Jill took while she was back East.
I will just thank Fred,Rich and Boomer for the great job on this puzzle. I am looking forward to doing the LATs again after all of those days of filling in the grid
as fast as I could.
It is nap time or until I can down load tomorrow's puzzle.
eddyB
Hello All--Another enjoyable puzzle as everyone has concurred.
I had AMA at first and couldn't figure out why the maybe at the end of the clue. It worked out with the perps, but not until I looked up Emil and Roth. These were my only unknowns.
Since we had had Bunco just recently that was a given. But knee cap was redundant since it is the Patella--DOH.
Many happy returns, Boomer. A great job of blogging.
DC Cannon, I sympathize with the dishwashing set up you've had for the past several months. When we remodeled a few years back, my only facility was the upstairs bathtub. I prayed every night as I was on my knees to get to the dishpan and dishrack I had put there. We laugh about it now, but at the time, it really wasn't funny.
Buckeye, you bring laughter with every blog. Visit more often, please.
Thanks for all the kind words everybody. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the puzzle and felt it was fun. Fun is what I always shoot for in a puzzle.
Fred...you succeeded admirably...lots of fun today! :o)
DC...Commiserate...also did dishes in the bathtub for 3 mos while we stripped our tiny kitchen past bare walls. My lovely, talented husband did the majority of the work while working a graveyard shift...I did all the faux finish work on the walls and the tile on the counters, but the rest was him. We had the range and hood installed 3 days before Thanksgiving so didn't have much time for a trial run...but that lovely WOLF range has been cooking along for 10 years now on a daily basis and I love my eensy kitchen as it is highly functional...believe me...it is ALWAYS worth whatever you put up with once it is done, as I am sure anyone who has gone through it will tell you.
Very nice puzzle today. Lots of fun cluing, all mentioned already. Nice to have the difficulty ramped up a bit. It wasn't a cake walk for me for a Tuesday. I like that. Kudos to both Fred and Boomer. Fine jobs by both of you. And a Happy Birthday to Boomer too.
I was certainly wanting CRUSH as my husband is somewhat obsessed with this soda. I actually got my Sam's Club membership to purchase this by the case. It is expensive in bottles, and about 1/2 the price at Sam's vs. other stores. It is becoming so popular that they are now selling it more often in cans than in bottles, and the bottles are hard to find. Doesn't taste the same though.
My kids school has been hit hard this week with illness (my son being one of them). We have about 1,300 or so in 6 grades. Over 200 were absent today. Hopefully it starts to wane soon. I am praying that it doesn't hit me, as I have plans to fly this weekend.
The other day people were talking about their "guilty pleasures." Well, here is mine and I don't indulge that often. Most people in MN will understand what the heck "Tator Tot" hot dish is. For you others, hot dish is a common word for "casserole." I consider myself a pretty good cook and mostly use fresh ingredients but I had a hankering for this staple from my childhood.
Here goes:
TATOR TOT HOTDISH (CASSELROLE)
1 1/2 lb hamburger
1 medium onion diced
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 small bag of frozen (yep used the "f" word there)mixed veges such as corn, carrots, beans and peas.
1 bag of frozen tator tots...
Brown the hamburger with the diced onion, salt, pepper and garlic...drain.
Mix the soups and veggies with the hamburger mixture and spread into a 9x13 baking dish (only baking term in this recipe) top with a layer of frozen tator tots and bake for about 1 1/2 hours at 350. Let stand about 15 minutes, dig in and enjoy!
Even though I want to hang my head in shame at this point, I just can't as I just had on BIG serving and packed some for lunch tomorrow.
@pjb Get well soon, buddy!
@buckeye So good to see you again!
Have a great evening, all.
this was fast and i liked the more imaginative clueing...like clear ayes i thought raffish might work until i remembered spelling rules...enjoyed the briefer comments related to the puzzling
miguel
Miguel, is what you are saying is you only enjoyed the shorter posts that stuck with puzzle comments? If that is it, you must have liked Martin@5:44, Dick@5:58, Anon@7:50, MJ@8:54 , Kazie@8:15, Mark from VA@8:41, Jerome@10.46, Sallie@11.27, Fred@8:34PM and yourself @10:33PM and not much else. Those were all the short posts that stuck to the puzzle. That's only 10 posts out of 49, why did you bother at all? I don't write very often, but I like to read all the back and forth between the regular posters. They seem very friendly. It doesn't sound like you enjoy them, or the blog very much. Maybe I didn't understand your post correctly. If I am wrong I apologize for misunderstanding.
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