Theme: Medieval Times - Part of a common phrase is punnily substituted by a word of Medieval relevance.
17A. Medieval commuter between Dover and Calais?: CHANNEL SERF. Channel Surf. Medieval commuter = Serf.
22A. Medieval castle owner's view?: BARON LANDSCAPE. Barren Landscape. Medieval castle owner = Baron.
34A. Manages medieval real estate holdings?: MINDS ONE'S MANORS. Minds One's Manners. Medieval real estate = Manors.
46A. Medieval lord's efforts?: FEUDAL ATTEMPTS. Futile Attempts. Medieval lord's = Feudal.
53. Weapons for medieval warriors?: KNIGHT CLUBS. Night Clubs. Medieval warrior = Knight.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 10. Low due to the heavy themage (65 theme squares).
How is your solving experience today? I felt awfully inadequate. Peeked at my cheat sheet very early on. Puns are often difficult for me to grasp.
Lots of tricky clues today. I fell into every possible trap.
Across:
1. Like litigants: SUING. Adjective. "Litigants" would be SUERS.
6. Campaign unpleasantry: SMEAR
11. Onetime lottery org.: SSS. Military draft.
14. Block house: IGLOO. Ice block.
15. Jack of "The Great Dictator": OAKIE. Gosh, I can never remember his name.
16. Make a scene?: ACT. Nailed it.
19. Revolutionary leader: MAO (Ze-Dong). Culture Revolution (1966-1976) that prosecuted Chinese intellectuals. I penned in CHE (Guevara) first.
20. 1994 co-Nobelist with Rabin and Arafat: PERES (Shimon). Gimme.
21. Honeybunch: DOLL
27. Hogwash: BALONEY
28. Geezer: COOT. So is codger.
29. Hope contributed to it for 50 yrs.: USO. Bob Hope was famous for his work with USO. Great golfer too.
30. Settled, as plans: FIRMED UP
39. 1950s Edward R. Murrow news show: SEE IT NOW. I only remember the show ends with NOW. It's been some time since I watched "Good Night, and Good Luck"
40. "Thugz Mansion" rapper: NAS. Just learned that his given name is Nasir.
41. Mover or shaker: DOER. Nice clue.
42. Threaten to attack: ASSAULT. "Threaten"? I thought assault means "attack" itself.
50. Easter bloom: LILY
51. Barbershop device: STROP
52. 007, for one: Abbr.: AGT. The "Abbr." hint should prevent you from considering SPY.
59. Flop preceder: KER. Put down EAR.
60. Heart line: AORTA
61. Country known for its distance runners: KENYA. I wonder where their speed and endurance come from.
62. Big period: ERA
63. Bikini blast: N-TEST
Down:
1. [error left as is]: SIC. The bracket indicates the mistake is quoted verbatim.
2. You might close your eyes when you say it: UGH. Oh, I never close my eyes when I say "Ugh".
3. Dockworkers' org.: ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)
4. Amateur: NON-PRO
5. Been happening: GONE ON
6. One way to be responsible: SOLELY. Solely responsible. Excellent clue.
7. Tuscan marble city: MASSA (MAHS-sah). Nope. Here is a DF marble fountain in Massa.
9. Inflation cause?: AIR. Nailed it also.
10. Whistle blower: REF. Simple & tricky clue.
11. Island group near Fiji: SAMOA. OK, Samoa is in the northeast of Fiji. Stumped me.
12. Sell at an inflated price: SCALP. It's legal in Minnesota.
13. It's a wrap: STOLE. Last time SAREE was clued this way.
18. Seaside flier: ERNE
21. 747 competitor: DC-TEN. No idea. What does DC stand for, Dennis?
22. Count in jazz: BASIE. Count Basie.
23. Single-handedly: ALONE
24. CBS military drama: NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service). Are you a fan?
26. "Brave New World" drug: SOMA. Unknown to me.
27. Saddens, with "out": BUMS
30. "A __ Good Men": FEW. "You can't handle the truth!".
31. Coffee mate?: DONUT. Mine was CREAM, despite the question mark warning.
32. Continent-dividing range: URALS.
33. Hissed "Over here!": PSST
35. Bad Boy Records founder, as he's now known: DIDDY. A rare gimme for me. P. Diddy, J-Lo's ex-flame.
36. Greek portico: STOA
37. First-year law student: ONE-L. L stands for "law". Also the book title of Scott Turow's biography. Very intense.
42. Besides: AT THAT. Thought of Melissa Bee. Her blog name is "Bee Sides".
43. Rockefeller Center muralist: SERT (José María). Spanish muralist. I forgot again.
44. Preschoolers' protection: SMOCKS. Oh, I don't associate smocks with preschoolers.
45. Task-oriented program: APPLET. Often abbreviated as APP.
46. Cereal bit: FLAKE
47. Peak near the Jungfrau: EIGER. Swiss Alpine peak. Jungfrau is German for "young woman'/"virgin". Jung = young.
48. Prefix with conservative: ULTRA
49. Some USAF NCOs: T. SGTS (Technical Sergeants). New to me also.
53. The Sunflower St.: KAN. Did not know sunflower is Kansas' state flower.
54. "As if!": NOT
55. Pique condition?: IRE. "Piqued" would have lost the wordplay on "peak condition".
56. Nice one?: UNE. French for "one". Nice refers to French city Nice.
58. Gullible one: SAP
Answer grid.
C.C.
17A. Medieval commuter between Dover and Calais?: CHANNEL SERF. Channel Surf. Medieval commuter = Serf.
22A. Medieval castle owner's view?: BARON LANDSCAPE. Barren Landscape. Medieval castle owner = Baron.
34A. Manages medieval real estate holdings?: MINDS ONE'S MANORS. Minds One's Manners. Medieval real estate = Manors.
46A. Medieval lord's efforts?: FEUDAL ATTEMPTS. Futile Attempts. Medieval lord's = Feudal.
53. Weapons for medieval warriors?: KNIGHT CLUBS. Night Clubs. Medieval warrior = Knight.
Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 10. Low due to the heavy themage (65 theme squares).
How is your solving experience today? I felt awfully inadequate. Peeked at my cheat sheet very early on. Puns are often difficult for me to grasp.
Lots of tricky clues today. I fell into every possible trap.
Across:
1. Like litigants: SUING. Adjective. "Litigants" would be SUERS.
6. Campaign unpleasantry: SMEAR
11. Onetime lottery org.: SSS. Military draft.
14. Block house: IGLOO. Ice block.
15. Jack of "The Great Dictator": OAKIE. Gosh, I can never remember his name.
16. Make a scene?: ACT. Nailed it.
19. Revolutionary leader: MAO (Ze-Dong). Culture Revolution (1966-1976) that prosecuted Chinese intellectuals. I penned in CHE (Guevara) first.
20. 1994 co-Nobelist with Rabin and Arafat: PERES (Shimon). Gimme.
21. Honeybunch: DOLL
27. Hogwash: BALONEY
28. Geezer: COOT. So is codger.
29. Hope contributed to it for 50 yrs.: USO. Bob Hope was famous for his work with USO. Great golfer too.
30. Settled, as plans: FIRMED UP
39. 1950s Edward R. Murrow news show: SEE IT NOW. I only remember the show ends with NOW. It's been some time since I watched "Good Night, and Good Luck"
40. "Thugz Mansion" rapper: NAS. Just learned that his given name is Nasir.
41. Mover or shaker: DOER. Nice clue.
42. Threaten to attack: ASSAULT. "Threaten"? I thought assault means "attack" itself.
50. Easter bloom: LILY
51. Barbershop device: STROP
52. 007, for one: Abbr.: AGT. The "Abbr." hint should prevent you from considering SPY.
59. Flop preceder: KER. Put down EAR.
60. Heart line: AORTA
61. Country known for its distance runners: KENYA. I wonder where their speed and endurance come from.
62. Big period: ERA
63. Bikini blast: N-TEST
Down:
1. [error left as is]: SIC. The bracket indicates the mistake is quoted verbatim.
2. You might close your eyes when you say it: UGH. Oh, I never close my eyes when I say "Ugh".
3. Dockworkers' org.: ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)
4. Amateur: NON-PRO
5. Been happening: GONE ON
6. One way to be responsible: SOLELY. Solely responsible. Excellent clue.
7. Tuscan marble city: MASSA (MAHS-sah). Nope. Here is a DF marble fountain in Massa.
9. Inflation cause?: AIR. Nailed it also.
10. Whistle blower: REF. Simple & tricky clue.
11. Island group near Fiji: SAMOA. OK, Samoa is in the northeast of Fiji. Stumped me.
12. Sell at an inflated price: SCALP. It's legal in Minnesota.
13. It's a wrap: STOLE. Last time SAREE was clued this way.
18. Seaside flier: ERNE
21. 747 competitor: DC-TEN. No idea. What does DC stand for, Dennis?
22. Count in jazz: BASIE. Count Basie.
23. Single-handedly: ALONE
24. CBS military drama: NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service). Are you a fan?
26. "Brave New World" drug: SOMA. Unknown to me.
27. Saddens, with "out": BUMS
30. "A __ Good Men": FEW. "You can't handle the truth!".
31. Coffee mate?: DONUT. Mine was CREAM, despite the question mark warning.
32. Continent-dividing range: URALS.
33. Hissed "Over here!": PSST
35. Bad Boy Records founder, as he's now known: DIDDY. A rare gimme for me. P. Diddy, J-Lo's ex-flame.
36. Greek portico: STOA
37. First-year law student: ONE-L. L stands for "law". Also the book title of Scott Turow's biography. Very intense.
42. Besides: AT THAT. Thought of Melissa Bee. Her blog name is "Bee Sides".
43. Rockefeller Center muralist: SERT (José María). Spanish muralist. I forgot again.
44. Preschoolers' protection: SMOCKS. Oh, I don't associate smocks with preschoolers.
45. Task-oriented program: APPLET. Often abbreviated as APP.
46. Cereal bit: FLAKE
47. Peak near the Jungfrau: EIGER. Swiss Alpine peak. Jungfrau is German for "young woman'/"virgin". Jung = young.
48. Prefix with conservative: ULTRA
49. Some USAF NCOs: T. SGTS (Technical Sergeants). New to me also.
53. The Sunflower St.: KAN. Did not know sunflower is Kansas' state flower.
54. "As if!": NOT
55. Pique condition?: IRE. "Piqued" would have lost the wordplay on "peak condition".
56. Nice one?: UNE. French for "one". Nice refers to French city Nice.
58. Gullible one: SAP
Answer grid.
C.C.
64 comments:
NCIS is my fav show I also like NCIS Los Angeles.
NCIS
C.C., I think you have a typo for 34A it is "Mind(s) one(s) manor(s).
Dick,
Thanks. I've corrected my mistakes.
BISCUITS & GRAVY,
Further to my posts at yesterday's Comments section, I ask questions in my daily blog because I truly don't know the answers or I am curious about other solvers' opinions. But it's impossible for me to acknowledge everyone's reply with a "Thank you". I appreciate and I'm grateful for each response.
Good morning C.C. and all, a rather sticky puzzle today. Several unknowns like Rockefeller Center muralist, Jack of the “Great Dictator” and 1994 co-Nobelist with Rabin and Arafat. I need outside help with these answers. For 30A I initially had finalize and then realized the tense of the clue and corrected to firmed up. C.C. I agree with your comment on assault as I also thought assault means "attack” not to threaten.
Other than the above it was a nice puzzle, but very difficult for a Thursday, IMHO.
Hope you all have a great Thursday. For me it is off to the hunting camp for a few days of deer hunting.
In Thailand this puzzle is in The Nation and very haard for us who are not American as many idioms and show-biz links of people totally unknown to us. Also American spelling as opposed to British English is confusing and in my opinion wrong
@B&G, a good question from the blog host starts and keeps a conversation going.
Good morning, CC et al., Cute puzzle theme but stumped me with names. CC, I was on your wavelength. You were writing my thoughts. I agree with you:42A assault is not 'threaten to attack', it is an attack. I don't get 42D 'Besides' = at that? . And 53D 'Sunflower state'...all I could think of was New Jersey, the Garden State..which didn't fit of course, but I have learned since our discussion months ago why NJ is called the Garden State. It's because they're 'guardin' their houses, 'guardin' their cars, 'guardin' their children. I heard the Miranda Rights are recited right after the pledge at school in the morning. I think VA considered the Miranda Rights as a possible state Motto. It didn't pass. Guess that's enough
'smear'ing...a bunch of 'baloney' you know.
Time to go shopping...'ugh'. We're going to have 'samoa' of yesterday tonight. Fun times.
Dick, Be careful and good luck.
Enjoy your day.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - wow, tough one for me today; as C.C. said, lots of traps, and I fell into most of them. Loved the puzzle 'cause it really made you think.
I initially had 'novice' for 4D, 'rat' for 10D, 'Che' for 19A, etc. etc., which wreaked havoc in the north. Finally got some traction in the middle, but I needed a lot of perp help to finish this one. Great, great theme.
C.C., Dick, Lois, 'assault' is the threat of attack; 'battery' is the physical attack, as in 'assault and battery'.
Biscuits & gravy, had C.C. not deleted your post last night, you would've ruined Friday's solving experience for virtually everyone on this blog, since we read the previous day's late posts before Friday's. Not very smart, not very considerate.
Today is, in addition to Black Friday, You're Welcome Day and....Buy Nothing Day. Just a bit confusing, no?
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Always strive to make the next hour better than this one." -- Og Mandino
Good Morning, CC and Friends. I'm glad that I have the day off so I could spend a lot of time of this puzzle. I loved it but it didn't come easy.
My first theme clue was MINDS ONE'S MANORS. After that, I had a better idea of what to look for. I still was looking for MACE to be keyed in somewhere, though.
My sticking point was the top portion. Instead of SUING, I had Suers, which I was sure was correct because SIC and UGH worked.
I didn't make the BOB HOPE connection until you explained it, CC. I got USO through the perps, so thought that the Hope referred to was the Hope the USO gave to the servicemen and women.
The Rockefeller Center Muralist was also an unknown to me. I knew Diego Rivera was originally hired and his work was very controversial. I wasn't familar with SERT, however.
CC, legally, Assault is the threat and Battery is the actual physical contact.
Happy Shopping, everyone!
QOD: One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts. ~ Samuel Johnson.
Dot, I am glad to see that you were able to keep your humor following all your initial Thanksgiving disasters. It will make for memories at future holiday meals! At least it all worked out for you and your family in the end.
strange case of dr jekyll - red state democrat and mr hyde -biscuit & gravy. interesting. interesting.
Dennis, you are correct, but so are we as copied from Wikipedia and shown below:
Assault is a crime of violence against another person. In some jurisdictions, including Australia and New Zealand, assault refers to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, while in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, assault may refer only to the threat of violence caused by an immediate show of force.[1][2]
Assault is often defined to include not only violence, but any physical contact with another person without their consent. In common law jurisdictions, including England and Wales and the United States, battery is the crime that represents the unlawful physical contact, though this distinction does not exist in all jurisdictions. Exceptions exist to cover unsolicited physical contact which amount to normal social behavior known as de minimis harm.
In most jurisdictions, the intention to cause grievous bodily harm (or its equivalent) may amount to the mental requirement to prefer a charge of murder in circumstances where the harm inflicted upon the victim proves fatal.[3]
At common law criminal assault was an attempted battery. The elements of battery are (1) a volitional act[4] (2) done for the purpose of causing an harmful or offensive contact with another person or under circumstances that make such contact substantially certain to occur and (3) which causes such contact.[5] Thus throwing a rock at someone for the purpose of hitting him is a battery if the rock in fact strikes the person and is an assault if the rock misses. The fact that the person may have been unaware that the rock had been thrown at him is irrelevant under this definition of assault. Some jurisdictions have incorporated the definition of civil assault into the definition of the crime making it a criminal assault to intentionally place another person in "fear" of a harmful or offensive contact. "Fear" means merely apprehension - awareness rather than any emotional state.
Morning, all!
Fairly straightforward for me today, but I got a bit hung up in the NW corner for awhile. Having ILO for ILA and NOTPRO for NONPRO kept CHANNEL SERF well hidden, and I eventually just abandoned that area and came back to it at the end. Even when I came back later and managed to figure out everything, though, I still had to guess at the crossing of OAKIE and MASSA. Fortunately, there weren't too many possibilities....
The only other part of the puzzle that caused me any grief was when I initially put RAZOR instead of STROP for 51A. It fit well with SMOCKS, so I didn't realize my error at first. Plus, SERT is one of those names I just can never remember. Once I realized that 45D had to be APPLET, however, I saw the error of my ways and was able to quickly finish that section.
Have a great one, all! I'm off to take my son over to his first ever play date. And then, tonight, I'm going to my 25th high school reunion. I can't believe it has been 25 years...
Good Morning, all.
As Dennis said, lots of traps today--like the old game of Chutes and Ladders: just when I thought I was on solid ground, I was slip sliding away! Stll, snazzy theme made it seem less FUTILE and lots of fun.
SMEAR and COOT made me smile. i wrinkle my nose but don't close my eyes when saying UGH. Eye closure comes with the harsher "eww" or "yech"! SOMA and SERT perked up from the mental depths, but kerFLOP just wouldn't budge. I misread clue abbrev. ST for "saint" instead of "state," & hope I wasn't alone there.
One too many rappers, today: knew DIDDY but got trounced by NAS. Loved the wordplay tie in with AIR and "inflation," too. Finally, having an attorney as a father paid off with ASSAULT.
Nice job, Dan Naddor!
anon@8:00, any facts to back that up?
good morning c.c. and all,
such a clever theme today, really required some thinking. stumbled into a few traps and unknowns, which made the tada very satisfying. never knew the complete meaning of ASSAULT. loved the USO clue.
happily observing buy nothing day, i don't even like shopping on a normal day, much less black friday. UGH.
i think i have enough leftovers to survive the rest of winter .. now if i could only get snowed in.
Good morning, C.C. and all,
I very much enjoyed this puzzle, even though I found it quite challenging. Proper nouns are my nemesis, and they were abundant today. But by hop-scotching around the grid, I was able to complete it with only one square to guess, the cross of MASSA and OAKIE. I went for the "A" which turned out to be correct. A creative, well conceived theme IMHO.
Enjoy the day!
@dennis, look at their posting time.
witty puzzle, dan naddor.
anon@8:00
Dennis: thank you for the explanation of 'assault'. It makes sense in 'law' terms, but in lay terms, which is my viewpoint (punny), it didn't. Learn something new all the time here.
I took the "Today is" to heart and bought nothing.
Dot; thank you for sharing your story. LMAO even tho' it's really not funny. Love your attitude. Sure made my burning the rolls and setting off the smoke alarms pale in comparison. Besides in my case, the kids have grown to recognize the smoke alarm as our usual oven timer and/or dinner bell. It's all good.
I haven't been able to find the meaning of DC as in DC-TEN.
I originally had MASH for military drame and tried HIVE for honeybunch.
I do like NCIS much better than CSI. The interaction among the characters is what makes the show fun for me, not just the forensics.
~ Bill
Good morning, C.C. and all,
Thanks, Dan, for a clever, challenging puzzle!. Great theme, which I grokked right away with channelserf. Like others, I got sert, soma and nas through the perps.
Thanks, Dick, and others for the interesting discussion of assault. My understanding was like C.C.'s.
Re Anon's query yesterday for the turnip recipe, here goes. Peel freshly picked turnips deeply; the skin is deeper than it looks and can be quite bitter. Allow one turnip for two people. Cut into about six pieces, cover with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Drain immediately, return to pot and cover with chicken broth; add lots of butter, bring to a simmer and cook until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Remove to serving bowl, then boil down remaining broth rapidly to a half cup or so and add to turnips. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley to taste.
I have found that most guests have rarely or ever eaten turnips, and usually come back for more. The dish goes well with all the other Thanksgiving sides.
Great football day yesterday. Cowboys and Longhorns won; the Giants lost.
Enjoy your leftovers today.
BillG, it stands for Douglas Commercial. Douglas produced many great commercial airliners, starting with the DC-1. They became McDonnell Douglas sometime in the '60s.
Thanks for the enlightening clarifications on "assault." I have always thought it was the actual deed, not the threat. But, hey, hang around here and you learn something now and then!
Yesterday's puzzle was hard and today's was more so. It didn't help that I had to work it online because my printer wouldn't print the whole thing. Low on ink.
Had to rely on perps and Mr.G for several clues. Rivera was the only on I could think of for 43D. I don't think I have ever heard of Sert. Had "suers" for 1A at first, too. It took me a long time to associate N-test with the atoll and not the garment.
This is one of the harder ones I've been wanting. It was almost too much but had a good sense of accomplishment when finished, even with helps.
TG went fine. Everything was good. Sent quite a bit of food home with the son and still have enough left for dinner today. I'm not a big fan of leftovers, anyway, and I'm pretty picky about eating on leftovers for more than a day or two. If they are not finished by the second day, out they go! Hubby likes dressing and cranberry sauce sandwiches. To each his own.
Melissa Bee, you and I are on the same page about shopping. If I don't find what I want by the second store, I go home. Shopping with crowds is like walking through a swarm of gnats!
Good morning CC and gang,
What a fun theme with today's puzzle. I tried all the acrosses first, getting almost nowhere. I usually do the downs in reverse, so KNIGHTCLUBS was the first theme to fall. The others came quickly after that. I finally googled to get OAKIE and PERES which gave me enough perps to finish up the north-central block.
Yesterday was too too for me. Food and conversation, albeit mostly phone calls. I couldn't get to sleep for ages.
I think I'll pick the "buy nothing day", no energy to fight the crowds.
NCIS is my favorite show too. I like NCIS LA and The Good Wife too, so my recorder is busy on Tuesdays.
I did something wrong again and posted as "anonymous." My excuse is that some of my fingers are stiff from the arthritis so I snag keys unintentionally. Sorry.
DC is the code for Douglas Corp. They use to built a lot of aircraft and eventually merged with McDonald Aircraft to form none other than McDonald Douglas!
Good afternoon everyone.
I didn't get any of the theme answers, so it was a pretty poor picture. I don't spend much time; I just come here and see what they should be. I did WAG "See it now" from the few letters I did have.
Agree, it's a clever puzzle.
My query: I thought bikini was before N and it was an A test. Someone who is knowledgeable please let me know.
Cheers
Sallie, an atom bomb is a nuclear device.
Hello CC, et al,
Guess what? NC relatives have broadband. I downloaded the puzzle, printed it, solved it and then did the same with yesterday's puzzle. I could get used to this modern living.
May do it again tomorrow.
Note: All the Kentucky solvers on this blog aren't inconsiderate aheoles, just two out of three. You can guess which.
Good afternoon again.
Thanks, Dennis. Atomic was all that we called it back then.
I went back to last nights comments to see what the kerfluffle was after I signed off. Still don't know what B&G said to set it off, but the last one was way over the line. Dennis, you said it well.
MommaRuth 1950: it was so sad to read your November saga. But good for you for making the best of an awful situation. Kudos for your courage and attitude. A friend of mine (who is a lawyer) when her husband walked and took up with someone about the age of their daughter said, when I commiserated, "I took him to the cleaners". Way to go.
Cheers
Sorry Dot, Meant MamaRuth about the cooking fiasco. My bad.
Hi C.C. & gang, it was a tough and clever Friday puzzle from Mr. Naddor. I hope that he's OK since we haven't heard any updates on his health lately. We ended up doing the puzzle in tandem, me on the online version to see if our guesses were right and my wife fills it in on the hard copy.
Re: DC-10, does anyone else remember this AA Flight 191 accident?
"American Airlines Flight 191, from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles International Airport, crashed during take-off on May 25, 1979 at approximately 15:04 CDT. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 had 258 passengers and 13 crew on board. There were no survivors, and two persons on the ground were also killed.[1] It remains the deadliest single airliner accident on U.S. soil.[2]"
Good Morning All, I totally enjoyed today's theme. It was really ingenious. And "Yes", I fell for most of the traps that Dan Naddor so cleverly set. I made several FEUDAL ATTEMPTS to get through the grid, but I felt like I had been ASSAULTed by one of the KNIGHT CLUBS before I was done. Our usually friendly perps withheld their help until the very end. The crossing of ASSAULT with AT THAT, SERT, SMOCKS was the point at which I went to "G" to look up "Rockefeller Center muralist".
MASSA, NAS, ONE L and SERT were my total unknowns. My favorite clue was 31D "Coffee mate?" for DONUT.
About 28A COOT. Whenever I think of "Geezer", I think of On Golden Pond and Ethel's (Katherine Hepburn) line, in response to Norman (Henry Fonda), "It's me, you old poop!", so POOP was my first entry there.
Yesterday's get-together was lovely. We even got some leftovers to bring home.
To those who have a long weekend, Enjoy!
A challenging but clever puzzle. Difficult to get traction almost everywhere at first but gradually it pretty much fell. 8 strikethroughs and had to Google OAKIE because I ditn't know MASSA, either.
Thought UNE and SOLELY had clever clues. NONPRO seemed weak. Great theme!
For 26 Down, "SOMA", here is the blurb from the Wikipedia entry on "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley:
"Everyone is encouraged to consume the ubiquitous drug, soma, which is probably a historical allusion to a mythical drink of the same name consumed by ancient Indo-Aryans (ancestors of the present day peoples of India). Soma is a hallucinogen that takes users on enjoyable, hangover-free "vacations", and was developed expressly for this purpose. It is also stated that it provides a replication of religious experiences, obviating the need for religion."
I view puzzles as entertainment, and this one certainly holds a lot of fun. It's always great to see Mr. Naddor being his sassy, whacky self.
A few gems- FLAKE, BALONEY, KENYA, BUMS, DIDDY, SMOCKS.
Nice looking grid design. Notice there are no singular, isolated black squares. That's often a feature of Dan's grids. Gives them a bit of elegance.
KNIGHTCLUBS- Nine of eleven letters are consonants. Rather unusual.
In the days of yore a bar was called a MEDIEVAL MALE DIVE. There, one could always find a
MEDIEVAL VILE DAME.
Good afternoon CC and all,
We woke to a gentle rain..glorious, and now it is sunny.
Didn't get much traction on the first go around, so G'd a few things to get er going.Ran out of steam @ knight clubs.Had atoll for Bikini blast..doh!Read Sunflower state as sunflower street. ???
Dennis, I like the buy nothing day. Couldn't pay me enough to get out there today!!
Mary, I also like the Good Wife.Have never watched NCIS.
Anyone following Pickles this past week? It is sooo Bob!!
21:10 today. What a wonderful (albeit tough) puzzle. I just loved the punny theme, which I got early on (BARON LANDSCAPE), not that getting the theme helped much in the solving (puns tend to be that way for me). So, it took a good long while to complete the puzzle, but it was oh so satisfying when the "tada" popped up.
My toughest cross was the 'S' at MASSA and PERES, as I didn't know either of these.
My Thanksgiving dinner experience (at a downtown Portland fancy schmancy restaurant) turned out to be less than satisfying. My wife and I agreed that the dinner was "OK, but not great" which was surprising since the chef at this place has won all kinds of awards, including the James Beard, I think. The "OK" food didn't keep the total tab from ringing into the higher range, of course (I tend to splurge a bit on the wine).
Plus, no leftovers for today, which is sad. I'm sure I'll have a much better dinner tonight (our favorite Chinese restaurant).
Dennis, how come you didn't answer C.C.'s question? I would like to know also.
Merlissa Bee, I would like your thoughts on the use of 'lavendeur' in your profession.
Thank you.
C.C., the word assault as a verb means to attack, as a noun means threat.
For those of us who are planning on continuing our feast with today's leftovers, here's one more Thanksgiving poem. (I'm looking forward to just one more piece of pecan pie!)
Ate Too Much Turkey
I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I'm stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin',
I'm probably going to die.
I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I'm so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.
I'm full of tomatoes
and mashed potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there's still some dessert,
so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more.
- Jack Prelutsky
C.C.
From time to time, you refer to your "cheat sheet". What is that? I would guess it is the answers. Is it given to you by the syndicate or by the constructor?
Just wondering.
Mr. Ed, what question?
C.C.
From time to time, you refer to your "cheat sheet". What is that? I would guess it is the answers. Is it given to you by the syndicate or by the constructor?
Just wondering.
Hi gang -
Great and very tough puzzle. We get the Freep on Friday, so I took it with me when I got the oil changed in the van this morning. Well - they were done before I was. Big gaping hole in the top center and bottom right. Had to set it aside for about 7 hours to take mom home and do some other stuff in T-Town.
Home again, I was able to fill in what I missed first go round. My brain had to cook twice as long as the turkey.
This is probably my favorite type of theme, and brilliantly executed.
There were a few things I didn't like, but won't dwell on the UGH. Instead, I'm thankful for the opportunity to discover this BASIE clip. Composer Freddie Green on Guitar. Thad Jones brilliantly takes the first trumpet solo. I've played lots of Thad's music - he was a fabulous composer and arranger. Wonderful drumming my Sonny Payne.
Other thoughts:
Coffee if vital - can't have a DONUT ALONE.
When over-staying visitors leave, you can say, "BYE. UGH!" with eyes open or closed.
Not very many IGLOOs in KENYA.
Here is a LILY DOLL.
FIRMED UP. SEE IT NOW
Gotta run. Time for the Friday turkey breast sandwich.
Cheers!
JzB the slow cooking trombonist
John @ 2:16pm,
Thanks for the SOMA information.
MR. ED,
Dennis answered @ 11:05am.
Frank,
I always print out the blank grid and the answer sheet when I download the puzzle.
Jerome,
Thanks for the pointing out the absence of singular and isolated black squares in Dan's grids. I've never paid attention to it before.
Dennis, she asked you what DC means in DC ten.
Never heard of Ker flop, but Ker Plop!!! To many Stump the chump questions (?)! The most in a long time. I think it is a cop out for the author!!!!
gmony
Good evening, everyone:
A pleasant lady on the train was working on the LAT puzzle after I'd finished the superfine Naddor grid earlier. She googled something on her iPhone with an "audio" response and then laughed out loud. Couldn't stop myself from asking her why: Turns out she and I were both proven somewhat wrong by the dictionary. We both had questioned, at separate times whether FEUDAL and "futile" were exact homophones. Merrium-Webster and another resource list two "correct" pronunciations, one ending in unstressed "dal" as in "medal" and one with a "long i" as in "tile."
So, points scored for Dan (& Rich); no harm no foul for PJB and Lady-on-the-Train. She loved the puzzle too, so C. C. may have a new blog reader soon! Dan N. has a newish Fan, too.
Long grain brown rice simmering on the stove in garlicky nutty broth, just waiting for leftover turkey. Yum, I hope.
tfrank: Thanks for the recipe.
CA: Loved the poem. Copied and sent it to many. Thank you for all the poems you give.
Did you know that Mark Harmon (NCIS) was a quarterback for UCLA way back when? (I also like Criminal Minds.)
I'm thankful for this blog and everyone on it.
When my four daughters come over to help cook they bring take home containers. We make mountains of food.
Now I'm off to eat a turkey and avocado sandwich. Next it will be a turkey and stuffing sandwich, and after that a turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich. I just love Thanksgiving.
Doreen
Just catching up folks...Dan, this one kicked my "prat". I didn't attempt the puzzle yesterday as once I was on the road and ate I was pretty much ready for nappy time when I got home. I am glad that all of you enjoyed your repasts.
My favorite Thanksgiving treat is my Mom's "mashed potato" rolls. I have misplaced the recipe, and found one on line that missed the mark. She must have a secret ingredient or it might be the "love" she puts into them.
I too felt bad for you, Democrat...surely you have a friend that could have invited you over. An no, I don't think you and B&G are one in the same as Anon 8am stated. I am still up in the air about who Windhover alluded to the KY's posting (I think he is counting himself - which is way off.)
I am one of those few people (minus the retail workers) that actually had to work today. Very quiet.
Sad thing folks, I am reduced to a frozen pizza for dinner as I have no leftovers....
Can't remember who just now, but I am glad you enjoyed the corn pudding recipe. Screaming heads took the show at my gathering.
This site is wonderful and I have been blogging from almost it's inception. You learn something new every day and I feel like most of you are my friends. Thank you C.C. for starting it and continuing to make it work. I would miss it.
@Jeannie :) Hope I'm a friend. C.C. too!
Robin, haven't seen your posts of late. I can only hope you are saving lives. I just help to clog some arteries. How was your Thanksgiving MY friend?
Lois, I haven't gotten an update on your daughter. I hope she is "back in the saddle" again.
WM...DAISIES.
PJB, how did that wild rice conncoction turn out?
Windhover, survive your visit with Irish's peeps?
Dennis, busy at your stores today?
I'm surprised no one commented on Dick's comments at 6:04 A.M. saying it was a hard Thursday puzzle & wishing us a great Thursday. Of course, if I'd been writing at six A.M. I may not have know what day it was, either!
when I gave my menu yesterday, I left out one of the best dishes - a sweet potato - applesauce souffle. It's my favorite way to serve sweet potatoes.
Dot
@Clear Eyes, would you mind sharing your sweet potato dinner roll recipe?
One comment:
Today's KERFLOP and its kissing step-cousin Kerplop made me think of a FUN childhood game called KerPlunk. (all those words seem to mimic the sound of something falling, it seems).
Game involved a plastic tube into which you would insert plastic straws thru holes on the soides of the tubes, and you'd add marbles. Players would take turns pulling out straws, and aimed to have the fewest marbles fall down and roll out the tube. it's been reintroduced this year or so, after its initial roll out in 1967. Used to play that with Grandma and my sibs. Cheap and challenging for all of us.
Wikipedia has a page dedicated to it. This is my first link here EVER.
KerPlunk game
Let's see if that works; if not I'll try ONE more time.
@ anon at 8 am,
I have nothing in common with biscuits he sounds like an ignorant jerk who probably never finished high school. It not right to lump me in with that idiot.
Thank you Jeannie for backing me up I'm glad someone has the courage to stick up for me.
Link seems to have worked. Risky business trying new stuff!
@Jeannie: Soup turned out close to terrific. The wild rice was right consistency and the doctored chix broth from a housewarming gift needed a little more flavor, so I added garlic broth made last week, threw in a few chopped peanuts/sunflower seeds, leftover turkey, slight dash of oil--because turkey was very lean. Could've used a little onion, though. P.s. I hope you're feeling better.
G'night, all.
#5 and out.
BTW, Almost didn't mention that another holiday favorite is the "Screamin' Heads" brussels sprout recipe Jeannie furnished a while back. I'm planning on making that one for Christmas at our daughter's house.
RSD, I don't think most people here would take a vague innuendo like Anon's@8:00 seriously.
For Anon@11:00 PM This recipe came from Bon Appetit about 20 years ago.
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
@Clear Eyes, thanks you. The rolls sound really mouthwatering. Hi Jeannie.
Hungry in Chicago
Hungry in CHI town, get your profile set. Although your "hi's" are appreciated I would like to acknowledge someone who would at least publish a name.
DEM in RED state, I had a feeling you weren't the bad guy. Chili recipe coming to you tomorrow. I promise!
All you other people that tried or are going to try the recipes I post, it makes me feel good. Sometimes I think I am missing my calling.
Ha! Loved your pic for 'DF marble fountain in Massa' - did you have to look long for that one, or did it just pop up and you had a must-have moment !
Lara,
It just popped up! Good to hear from you.
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