Theme: Aye Aye, Sir - Eight-letter, Two-word Assonant Phrases (Long "I" vowel rhyme).
20A: Like Tater Tots: BITE-SIZE.
24A: Metaphorical site of some presidential chats: FIRESIDE.
48A: Lengthy guarantee period: LIFETIME.
53A: "Ditto": LIKEWISE.
4D: Delicate path to walk: FINE LINE.
40D: Energetic type: LIVE WIRE.
Argyle here. I don't know what to say. It's a pangram puzzle, but it has the feel of a puzzle put together by a computer program. Just not much life to it.
Would be cool if long "I" sounds were completely eliminated from non-theme fill.
Across:
1A: Valley girl's "Pshaw!": AS IF.
5A: Ere: AFORE.
10A: Facial bones: JAWS.
15A: City attacked by Godzilla: TOKYO. Movie monster
18A: Bee parts that are really cool?: KNEES. Coined in 1920s as part of the flapper language, 'the bee's knees' meant excellent, as did 'the cat's pyjamas'.
19A: Online prefix with -pedia: WIKI. I would be lost without it(but I don't always trust it.)
22A: Jeered: GIBED.
23A: Novelist Deighton: LEN.
27A: "Haste makes waste" and others: MAXIMS.
30A: Sassy: FRESH.
31A: Tree of life site: EDEN.
32A: Baked __: BEANS.
33A: Automne preceder: ETE. French. Summer (ete) precedes autumn (automne).
36A: Place for a Pinot: WINE BAR.
39A: Handyman's carryall: TOOL BOX.
41A: __-Caps: candy: SNO. Usual found in movie theaters. Sno-Caps
44A: "Dies __": hymn: IRAE.
45A: Bravery: VALOR.
46A: Chunks of fairway: DIVOTS. Something I'm familiar with. "Please replace your divots."
51A: Many a Roddick serve: ACE.
58A: Turin-based automaker: FIAT. One-time largest auto maker in the world.
59A: Dispatch boat: AVISO. Finally has become a gimme for me.
63A: Ceiling: LIMIT.
64A: Pro __: RATA.
65A: River of Hades: STYX.
67A: Prefix with distant: EQUI.
Down:
1D: Graceful horse: ARAB.
2D: "The Open Window" storywriter: SAKI. I loved that story.
3D: Part of LBJ, e.g.: Abbr.: INIT.. Initial.
5D: "Diet Revolution" doctor: ATKINS.
6D: "Aaay!" sayer of '70s-'80s TV: FONZ.
7D: Painter Georgia: O'KEEFFE.
8D: Deli request: RYE.
9D: Dawn deity: EOS. Aurora for the Romans.
10D: Like the calendar established by Hillel II: JEWISH. The Jewish calendar is lunisolar. That is, its months are synchronized with the phases of the moon, but its average year length approximates the mean length of a solar year.
11D: Cover story?: ALIBI.
12D: Roused: WAKED.
13D: Said with a sneer: SNIDE.
21D: Future father's sch.?: SEM..
22D: Plaster painting surface: GESSO.
25D: Teed off: IRATE.
26D: Attorney general under Clinton: RENO. Janet Reno.
27D: Kittens' cries: MEWS.
28D: Server's edge, in tennis: AD IN.
29D: Alien: Pref.: XENO.
32D: Dustpan's partner: BROOM.
33D: Spanish river: EBRO. Northern Spain. Map
34D: Perfectly: TO A T.
35D: It can be awkward when they run into each other: EXES.
37D: Rhythms: BEATS.
38D: "__ want for Christmas ...": ALL I.
43D: Fights before the main event, for short: PRELIMS.
45D: Highest point: VERTEX.
46D: Actress Fanning: DAKOTA. She was seven when she won a role in the movie Tomcats(2001).
47D: Rocks at the bar: ICE.
48D: Hay storage areas: LOFTS.
49D: Chucklehead: IDIOT.
50D: Like freshly poured beer: FOAMY.
54D: "__ just me, or ...": IS IT.
55D: Baghdad's land: IRAQ.
56D: In __: as found: SITU.
57D: Morales of "La Bamba": ESAI.
59D: Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.
60D: Through: VIA.
Answer grid.
Argyle
20A: Like Tater Tots: BITE-SIZE.
24A: Metaphorical site of some presidential chats: FIRESIDE.
48A: Lengthy guarantee period: LIFETIME.
53A: "Ditto": LIKEWISE.
4D: Delicate path to walk: FINE LINE.
40D: Energetic type: LIVE WIRE.
Argyle here. I don't know what to say. It's a pangram puzzle, but it has the feel of a puzzle put together by a computer program. Just not much life to it.
Would be cool if long "I" sounds were completely eliminated from non-theme fill.
Across:
1A: Valley girl's "Pshaw!": AS IF.
5A: Ere: AFORE.
10A: Facial bones: JAWS.
15A: City attacked by Godzilla: TOKYO. Movie monster
18A: Bee parts that are really cool?: KNEES. Coined in 1920s as part of the flapper language, 'the bee's knees' meant excellent, as did 'the cat's pyjamas'.
19A: Online prefix with -pedia: WIKI. I would be lost without it(but I don't always trust it.)
22A: Jeered: GIBED.
23A: Novelist Deighton: LEN.
27A: "Haste makes waste" and others: MAXIMS.
30A: Sassy: FRESH.
31A: Tree of life site: EDEN.
32A: Baked __: BEANS.
33A: Automne preceder: ETE. French. Summer (ete) precedes autumn (automne).
36A: Place for a Pinot: WINE BAR.
39A: Handyman's carryall: TOOL BOX.
41A: __-Caps: candy: SNO. Usual found in movie theaters. Sno-Caps
44A: "Dies __": hymn: IRAE.
45A: Bravery: VALOR.
46A: Chunks of fairway: DIVOTS. Something I'm familiar with. "Please replace your divots."
51A: Many a Roddick serve: ACE.
58A: Turin-based automaker: FIAT. One-time largest auto maker in the world.
59A: Dispatch boat: AVISO. Finally has become a gimme for me.
63A: Ceiling: LIMIT.
64A: Pro __: RATA.
65A: River of Hades: STYX.
67A: Prefix with distant: EQUI.
Down:
1D: Graceful horse: ARAB.
2D: "The Open Window" storywriter: SAKI. I loved that story.
3D: Part of LBJ, e.g.: Abbr.: INIT.. Initial.
5D: "Diet Revolution" doctor: ATKINS.
6D: "Aaay!" sayer of '70s-'80s TV: FONZ.
7D: Painter Georgia: O'KEEFFE.
8D: Deli request: RYE.
9D: Dawn deity: EOS. Aurora for the Romans.
10D: Like the calendar established by Hillel II: JEWISH. The Jewish calendar is lunisolar. That is, its months are synchronized with the phases of the moon, but its average year length approximates the mean length of a solar year.
11D: Cover story?: ALIBI.
12D: Roused: WAKED.
13D: Said with a sneer: SNIDE.
21D: Future father's sch.?: SEM..
22D: Plaster painting surface: GESSO.
25D: Teed off: IRATE.
26D: Attorney general under Clinton: RENO. Janet Reno.
27D: Kittens' cries: MEWS.
28D: Server's edge, in tennis: AD IN.
29D: Alien: Pref.: XENO.
32D: Dustpan's partner: BROOM.
33D: Spanish river: EBRO. Northern Spain. Map
34D: Perfectly: TO A T.
35D: It can be awkward when they run into each other: EXES.
37D: Rhythms: BEATS.
38D: "__ want for Christmas ...": ALL I.
43D: Fights before the main event, for short: PRELIMS.
45D: Highest point: VERTEX.
46D: Actress Fanning: DAKOTA. She was seven when she won a role in the movie Tomcats(2001).
47D: Rocks at the bar: ICE.
48D: Hay storage areas: LOFTS.
49D: Chucklehead: IDIOT.
50D: Like freshly poured beer: FOAMY.
54D: "__ just me, or ...": IS IT.
55D: Baghdad's land: IRAQ.
56D: In __: as found: SITU.
57D: Morales of "La Bamba": ESAI.
59D: Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.
60D: Through: VIA.
Answer grid.
Argyle
65 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - a fun puzzle for me today, although a bit short on challenge. Once the theme became apparent, my first thought for a theme title was, 'I only have I's for you', but I like Argyle's better.
Most everything fell into place quickly; the only pause was on the spelling of Georgia 'O'keeffe'. And I think I liked this puzzle because of the inclusion of 'tater tots'.
Favorite clue is 'Future father's sch?' -- one of the cleverest I've seen, period. I think today's constructor, a 17-year-old from Philly, has a bright future.
Today is National Bill of Rights Day and National Lemon Cupcake Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval." -- George Santayana
Couple more Fun facts:
- Some snails can sleep for 3-4 years at a stretch.
- Cats have over 100 vocal sounds, while dogs have only about 10.
9 & a w/u.
I am with Argyle on this puzzle; it was well constructed, clever, but somehow not very satisfying. I did like the SEMinary clue. Oh well, time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll. But listen closely, not for very much longer. I've got to keep control.
Good morning, c.c. and all- seeing that Turin was in the puzzle today i'll chime in and wish everyone Happy Holidays.
I am in Cuorgnè prov.of Turin, surrounded by mountains and will be spending my Holidays here with my brother and his family and my darling nephew.
Its 0 centigrades freezing out there but i enjoy my power walks all the same, all though the terrain is not flat as in Miami, just a bit more challenging!
I enjoy reading all the comments, WH, spot on with the exchange of gifts and the rest of commercialism.
Kazie , as usual, thanks for the SUB info.
Good thing i went for my walk already this morning because now i' m staring at a light snowfall it's hypnotizing and so pretty.
Ciao for now
Good Morning, CC, Argyle and Friends. I liked the challenge of this puzzle, but wasn't too keen on the theme. I got all the theme clues, but couldn't seem to tie them together with the long "i" sound.
I thought there were some good clues, though. Favorites were BEES KNEES, Pupil's Locale (IRIS), Tree of Life (EDEN), Cover Story (ALIBI) and the SEMinary.
I, too, was a bit stumped by the spelling of Georgia O'KEEFFE's name. Familiar with her work, but apparently not the spelling of her name.
Another hot, rainy and foggy day in the bayous.
QOD: Misery loves company, but company does not reciprocate. ~ Addison Mizner
A word about the Jewish calendar, which as Argyle pointed out, is lunisolar. The Jewish calendar is based on the rotation of the Earth (daily event); the revolution of the moon around the earth (Lunar month / about every 29.5 days); and the revolution of the Earth around the sun (a solar year / about 365.25 days). These events are not directly related to each other. A solar year, therefore, is about 12.4 lunar months.
In the Jewish Calendar, months begin at the time of the new moon. Thus, each Jewish month has either 29 or 30 days. The problem with a strictly lunar calendar is that a 12-month lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than a solar year. Also, the months would cycle around the year, falling at different seasons of the year.
To compensate for this drift, the Jewish calendar uses a 12-month lunar calendar with an extra month added every few years. This allows all seasonal months, with their corresponding holidays, to always fall during the correct season. Chanukah, for example, begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. This month always falls during the secular calendar month of December, but not always on the same secular calendar day.
Hillel II established the Jewish lunisolar calendar, which is still used to calculate Jewish holidays. Under this fixed calendar, which is based on mathematical and astronomical calculations, a 13th month is added 7 times in 19 years. The additional month is Adar II. (This is sometimes a cross-word clue answer).
THANK YOU, Hahtool!
I read the Wikipedia entry and it only hurt my head. Your explanation made it feel better.
Hahtool,
I agree--a good explanation.
Maria,
Enjoy your time in Torino, it's a beautiful part of Italy. I just realized, thinking about your SUB comment, that the more common word in German for suburb is Vorort, not Vorstadt. But that's just my aging brain again, I guess.
I found today's XW a lot easier than yesterday. I also paused on the two FFs in O'KEEFFE, and wanted BATTERED for BITE SIZE, until I got the theme. I also keep forgetting the first letter of GESSO, but otherwise a straight run through.
A 17 year old constructor, eh? Makes me feel even older!
Beautiful sun here today and 5 degrees after another two inches of snow yesterday.
Aye Aye, Sir, that's it???
Anon, you got something better? Let's hear it.
I agree with Dennis about the challenge; am impressed by the talent of our youthful constructor.
Pretty much a breeze, but needed wife's help with GESSO.
EDEN - used to live in Eden, NY. Had a wonderful sandy loam 'garden'. Garden soil a remnant of a post-glacial Lake Erie beach line.
Several fills not seen in awhile: RANI, AVISO, EBRO.
ETE - what I said in yesterday's post.
Adieu, everyone
Spitzboov, are you in Paris? ;~)
Spitzboov,
Did you get good carrots in that sandy soil? We had a little garden in a cottage we rented for a year in Sydney, and the carrots just were huge and straight, better than any we ever had here in WI.
I'm curious about your name--sounds a lot like the German Spitzbube, meaning an impish boy--does that fit your description?
@ Argyle. Not quite, Between the Town of Paris and the Mohawk Valley in Oneida County.
G'morning!
At first blush, this had the feel of a "commuter" puzzle, with lots of crosswordese, but there was a workable and tight theme [-I-E-I-E] and ok fill (e.g., BEES KNEES.) Still, this was easier than Monday's grid.
I have read lots of stuff on Georgia O'KEEFFE but never bothered to notice the double F spelling. Some easy confusable words (for me) to kept me from speeding through the grid: I mess up JIBED and gibed, VERTEX and vortex--plus RANI makes me pause. AKIN/ATKINS are easier.
Hmmm: is "chucklehead" different from "knucklehead?"
@ Kazie. Right on. My handle is Low German for rascal, rogue, or bandit. Akin to Spitzbube. Probably am closer to a pussy cat.
Re carrots: It was almost 30 yrs ago, but I remember the garden as lush, and most vegetables did well.
Good morning Argyle, CC and all,
Enjoyable puzzle; had trouble getting started, but the bottom 1/2 came easily.I thought those horses were called Arabians, and thought Arab would be inc.
Before doing these puzzles, I thought I was a good speller.LOL!O'Keeffe is a good example, and I had vortex, not vertex.BTW, Joan Allen did a great job last fall portraying Georgia O. in a Lifetime movie on TV
Just 17??? Wow! Clever girl...lots of fun clues.I'm not familiar with aviso, maxims, or dies irae, and WHAT IS XENO?
Hahtool, that was very interesting about the Jewish calendar.
Argyle, I loved your theme title. Of course, I never saw it until I read your explanation. :)
Thanks Kazie, i will.
Last week we went in to Torino to see a concert featuring Tango Porteno, it was just wonderful plus an authentic argentinian couple did some of the tangoes and her legs were all over the place.
Arrivederci to all
Future Father's sch. is a Seminary---Sem.
This one was easier for me than yesterday’s puzzle for some reason. I guess it’s because I figured out the theme right away. For the life of me I can’t remember Aviso but got it with the perps along with Saki, eos, gesso, and situ. I would have liked to see a clue about the band Styx. I wasn’t familiar with the term chucklehead either. I also wanted a golf term for teed off. Since I usually attempt the “across” fills first I would have typed in “swung” had it not been a “down” clue. My first car was a Fiat and it was the biggest piece of crap I ever owned. Favorite clues were future Father’s sch and rocks at the bar.
Very cold here today with the high only supposed to be in the single digits. Good thing I brought my lunch! Ice fishermen are happy with the cold as it is, to quote, “making good ice”. I saw several ice houses already out on a lake I pass every day on my way to work. I haven’t quite figured out the fun in ice fishing.
Hi Argyle, C.C. & gang, Yeah! we finished today's puzzle without help before my wife left for work. Hardest thing was trying to spell O'keeffe
Last night I FINALLY finished the LAT Sunday puzzle with the 'fore' theme. I took that puzzle to our potter sale on Sunday and it entertained some bored potters on a slow afternoon.
Arab horse? I know them as Arabian horses
Good Morning All, I'll save some space and just say, "Everything that Hahtool@6:22 said about the puzzle".
Also, thanks for the Jewish calendar information.
It's difficult to believe that a 17 year old constructed this puzzle without a computer program doing most of the work. ATKINS, FONZ, "Godzilla"'s TOKYO, O'KEEFFE and FIRE SIDE chats were all well before his time. He can't have much first hand knowledge of a WINE BAR either.
C.C. How about an interview with Joel Fagliano? I'm sure we'd all like to know how he developed such an early interest in crossword puzzles.
oops, sorry Joel..
Hello Argyle, C.C. and all -
A few words I didn't know at all but managed to get them figured out. I have never heard of SNO-CAPS - thanks for the picture Argyle, they look good.
Since I don't play or follow tennis, I was stuck on ADIN and I also don't know what XENO is so that area was pesky for a time.
Odd about the spelling of O'KEEFFE, I have seen the name so many times, love her work but guess I never paid attention to that extra 'f'.
An interview with the young constructor would be interesting!
Hi gang -
Woke up this morning with a nasty headache. Took 2 extra strength Tylenol at 7 and went back to bed. Finally had breakfast around 10:30. Still felt awful as I did the puzzle, but enjoyed it a lot anyway. Totally missed the theme.
It's time to ban ETE from puzzles forever.
Cheers!
JzB the dolor de la cabeza trombonist
Way to go, PJB, you caught the IEIE symmetrical pattern in each theme entry.
There's a lot of terrific fill in this puzzle. It's no small feat to put ATKINS, OKEEFFE, FONZ, TOKYO, and KNEES in a group. Ditto for LOFTS, FOAMY, STYX, and IDIOT. A big hurrah for JEWISH, GIBED, WIKI, and WAKED, as well. WINEBAR, TOOLBOX... wonderful.
"Rocky, how'd ya win dat fight in TOKYO?" "YO, TKO!"
In honor of Lemon Cupcake Day
Lemon Crème Cupcakes
3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk in 2 teaspoons zest. In another bowl with a fork blend butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon juice until smooth. With a wooden spoon beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until smooth. Stir butter mixture into flour mixture until batter is combined well.
In a small bowl with a fork stir together cream cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon zest, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon juice until lemon cream is smooth.
Spoon 3 level tablespoons batter and about 1 tablespoon lemon cream into each paper liner. Spoon remaining batter over lemon cream, smoothing tops. Bake cupcakes in a 350 degree oven 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
A little easier for me than yesterday, but I never saw the theme until coming here.
I too learned how to spell O'Keeffe today.
Jeannie - Your comment reminded me of what FIAT supposedly stands for: "Fix it again, Tony!"
I'll take your silence as acceptance. Like your calligraphy, you can be totally intranslatable. Still waiting.
I'm feeling better this morning and just got back to reading last night's Christmas stories. There were quite a few years when Christmases were very scrimpy for me. I was a divorced mom with a low paying job as a bank teller and no support from the daddy. It was very helpful at Christmas to be able to sew, so I made most of my daughter's clothes. She still has a set of large Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls I made when she was six year old.
At the time, I hated having to shop for everything with an eye on the pricetags, right down to the exact nickel. Now, that that time is past, I think it was good learning experience. Although I am still a very careful shopper, I no longer have to wander the grocery or department aisles looking for less expensive items, or having to do without. Those times have made me appreciate my present life so much more.
Jeannie, the cupcake recipe sounds great. I love desserts with cream cheese mixed in.
CA, we had very little when I was growing up, but I really didn't know it. My favorite C'mas was when my 3 sisters and I got 1 big present in a huge box. We kept opening smaller boxes, until we got down to a note that said that we were going camping. And we did, and it was glorious and I'm sure very cold for my parents.Kids don't seem to mind. We had no tent, just a huge tarp that covered our sleeping bags. And we made some ugly soup.Best memory ever.So, I too, am not a shopper.Family and good friends are presents enough.
@Anon
8:53am, 9:37am & 11:40am
Soooo, you're "still waiting"???
Anon = No ones here, so listen up ...
Get an identity and maybe someone here will respond to your abject opinions.
anon@11:40, if you're gonna take shots at someone, either get an identity or get lost.
And WTF is 'intranslatable'?? You making them up as you go?
Good afternoon Argyle, CC, et al., Good job, Argyle. I like your choice of theme titles. I didn't get it until I came here.
This was some kind of different, but impressive for a 17 yr old. I LOVED 38D..(all I want for Cmas). Santa, baby, you watchin? My fav clue was 18A..cool bees parts; least fav was 1D Arab horse? seriously? Past that there 'sno'complaint. Dakota Fanning is amazing. Glad to see her ref'd. 'Toolbox' sparked my interest & 'live wire' did 'likewise'.
Gotta run. the bell just rung and it's time to 'rock' on as in 47D.
Enjoy your day.
Rhyme and Assonance
"Lake" and "fake" demonstrate RHYME; "lake" and "fate" assonance.
Jim
Hello all.
First comments disappeared so this is a reboot.
It was a fill in the blanks type of puzzzle for me. Haven't noticed that Mondays' are getting more difficult. Finished this one well before 9:15 PM. The only quibble I had was with 12D. Would use "was woken" instead of "waked".
Another dull gray day . More rain tonight. There was this strange light in the sky yesterday. People were saying something about "sun".
Off to buy last present for son.
eddyB
38d the answer was "ALL I"
Maybe that was the subtle clue to this puzzles theme.
I knew a man, his brain was so small,
He couldn't think of nothing at all.
He's not the same as you and me.
He doesn't dig poetry. He's so unhip that
When you say Dylan, he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas,
Whoever he is. - A Simple Desultory Philippic
From VERN:
I ran across what must be the shortest Nativity story of all. (from a church play)
Scene: Outside the inn at Bethlehem
Joseph: Knocking on door
Inkeeper: Yes?
Joseph: Do you have room at the in?
Inkeeper (obviously overplaying his small role): Sure, come on in!
Joseph: Speechless
Good afternoon all and thank you anon @ 1057pm for the + note on rosetta stone.
I liked this puzzle very much and so much knowledge that I would never have guessed a 17 year old would know. He must have an old 'soul'.
Fav clue,Future father's sch. I do love Georgia O'keeffe's work. Her gallery in Santa Fe is nice, nothing fancy, just her beauiful work and a video of her life.
I dropped a flippin' package of sno caps in the kitchen this morning! We went to the movies yesterday to see The Blind Side and they were left on the counter opened, I picked up the wrong end and now I will spend the next six months trying to find all the little buggers....I hate sno caps.
Maria, how fun to be in Turin. Your dog is adorable, a Jack Russell?
Yummy sounding recipe Jeannie, I love lemon.
I don't understand anon's train of thought at all. I always wonder why people don't ID themselves, unless they are saying something hateful...I think some use anon so that they can get by C..C. rule of 5 posts per day!
Hope your holidays are progressing nicely :)
Dennis,
What's up with the 'days and a wake-up'? That's a saying we used in the army when we were counting down time the left to discharge date. Are you still in the USMC?
Turin is also famous for
the 'Shroud' of Turin.
I never heard of 'servers edge' in tennis, of course I don't play tennis, or watch it either.
Dennis,
I think you are the smartest one here, besides me of course, so let me ask you, did you know the answer to 29A alien: pref.? I didn't.
Is the answer for 35D spelled correctly? should it be 'ex's? Exe is used for execute in computerese.
C.C.,
I'm sure Chinese is difficult to speak but is it just as hard to read? Is it like heiroglyphics where a symbol stands for a phrase rather than a single word?
And lastly, who in the world ever heard the word chucklehead?
Hello All--An easier puzzle today than yesterday, but still not a total walk in the park for me. I managed to finish everything, but the Future father's sch? was a puzzler for me even after I had filled in SEM. I couldn't get my head around a religious conotation. Duh!
Jeannie, those cupcakes sound absoluetly yummy.
Buon Natale Maria. Have a wonderful holiday with your family.
CA, I'm glad that you are feeling better today. There is a nastly bug going around which isn't the flu, but just a really bad cold. I hope that you don't have that.
Hatool, thank you for the lesson on the Jewish Calendar. I learn something everyday here on our blog.
@Tinbeni @2:04pm, Ooooh, nice thinking.
For Mr. Ed:
'Exes' refers to divorced couples not .exes
;-)
Here's a link to xeno alien
"xeno = foreign/alien, morph = entity/change - coined from "Aliens" by James Cameron isn't defined yet, but these are close: "
Mr. Ed, 'x and a wakeup' is indeed a military term, but it has the same meaning in civilian life: how many days until an event. In this case, it's the time left until we get away to warm, sunny climes.
Yes, I'm familiar with 'xeno' and chances are I learned it from doing crosswords. And as Warren correctly pointed out, 'exes' is just fine.
As to your assumption, no, I'm far from the smartest here, and could in fact be the dumbest were it not for anon.
Mr. ED,
Whoooooaaaaaaah, boy, whoa.
Warren and Dennis, thanks for the information guys, and Dennis, where are you headed? The older I get, the more I think of going somewhere pleasant in the winter, like maybe Arizona or CA.
windhover, why the brakes?
Thanks, Windhover! I needed that laugh to end my day. Sure hope it didn't sound like a whinny!
I guess I'm the only person who felt that today's puzzle was harder than yesterday's. I had to google the 2 authors and the Spanish river, the perps weren't helping with them a bit!
I misspelled OKEEFFE too, but by putting in an I for the 2nd E, rather than the FF's being a problem. But it sure made it hard to figure out B__E_IZI for quite a while!
The cross between TO-A-T and "Dies IRAE" was a big D'UH, eat worms moment!
And the SW just gave me a miserable time, even though most were very common words.
I did like "Bees KNEES" and "Rocks at the bar" - ICE, though!
Mr. Ed,
Just horsin' around, friend.
But while most of us would probably agree that Dennis is at least the second smartest one here, after our blog hostess, it did seem a little like you were dissing the rest of us earlier.
But that, and this, are both in fun, right?
The women of this blog, led by C.C. are certainly the intelligent body of this blog. We keep you guys around for comic relief and the occasional informational tid- bits. Just lay back, relax and say......yes honey, you are right!!!!
LOL and tho I quit smoking, am sparking one up right now!
Good Evening Argyle and All,
Argyle, Thanks for the theme because it never even entered my brain this AM when I did the grid. Perps definitely helped but I did complete it with graphite. Okeeffe got me but persevering with the fills gave it to me. Work but fun on a crazy day. I think I linked with the constructor because I still think I'm on Sugar Mountain. Finishing was the Bees Knees and my favorite.
Hahtool, Excellent explanation! Thanks so much!
Anon, my tongue is bleeding.
JD, I did the same with my group but had to change the timing to a summer trip. We had a blast! Kids were 3 and 6, plenty of bug bites and skinned up knees in the north Maine woods!
Good Night All!
Mea Culpa: I forgot to:
* Say "thanks" to Argyle for another round of fine blogging & links
* Second/third ClearAyes' idea about an interview with Mr. Fagliano (plus the notion that the guy is itching to drink legally, what with the references to wine, beer and ice!)
* Ask Hahtool if birthdays are ever pegged to the Jewish lunar-solar calendar--I think it would be nifty NOT to have to "celebrate" mine on the specific date it falls on under the solar counter. Thanks for sharing the information so clearly.
* Roast the darn garlic ahead of time for the potato soup I threw together for dinnner. Oops. Supper was late! Not bad though.
Brrrr: 11 degrees here. Thus the need for hot food.
Robin said, The women of this blog, led by C.C. are certainly the intelligent body of this blog. We keep you guys around for comic relief and the occasional informational tid- bits. Just lay back, relax and say......yes honey, you are right!!!!
Sh*t, she's onto us.
Robin, That's right out of my wife's script! It's a two way street babe! LOL!
I guess this is the time to confess that I didn't get the theme either. I saw the pattern but C.C. was the one that knew about assonance rhyme.
winkety wink wink wink........xoxo .
Robin,
In addition to comic relief, etc., don't forget getting stuff down off top shelves and the occasional heavy lifting job.
It seems there's no limit to what we guys will do for access to what you all sit on. "You're right again, honey," is a small price to pay, but these monster egos we were born with need a little strokin' every now and then. Can't we all just get along?
Dennis, until today I never commented here, but I have noticed you are almost always the first to add their 2 cents (and your insight is very good, plus the thought or whatever of the day).
But today the puzzle was identified as:
Ay Ay Sir (I, I, sir)
And the discussion re: who are the most intelligent to comment here ... well I should point out that theme puzzles usually do have a clue to the theme.
38 Down was clued as:
"_____ want for Christmas ..."
And the answer was ... "ALL I"
or is that all I's?
I asked if anyone else noticed at 2:04pm
Then the Ladies -v- Men discussion began.
But the one thing I noticed was NOT one of the ladies picked up on the earlier subtle cluing by a guy who constructed a great puzzle at the ripe old age of 17 (you did right off the bat) and hid his theme on the Q-T ...
So I guess you're correct.
We men are stupid.
Wow, I'm even dumber than I thought - I have no idea what you just said.
Me neither.
In re: the budding gender war.
May I just state the obvious? I like girls. All kinds. Old ones young ones. Big ones. Little (thin) ones. Short ones. Tall ones. Smart ones. (A few) dumb ones, although I
haven't met many of those.
Also, on this blog, girls (and guys) just want to have fun. We don't pick at each other over grammatical correctness or punctuation, 'cause we all know we can get it right when we need to.
And with that pithy (think lisp) bit of commentary
I am out of here for today, because it has been a long cold tiring day here in the Outer Bluegrass Region of Kentucky, because this is my fifth, and because I have nothing left to say. And when you have nothing left to say.....
I are confused. Can any nice, smartish lady 'splain to me what is going on?
Jests aside, no one here seems to be competing for "smartness" or "stoopidity". Thank goodness. Too much of that in the outside world!
p.s. Robin-- 7:12 p.m. That may make it onto Dennis' quotes list one of these days :-}
PJB-Chicago: Assuming you were born in 1962, your birthday in the Jewish calendar would have fallen on 12 Elul 5722. This year, the 12th of Elul fell on September 1. We are now in the year 5770 in the Jewish calendar.
Hahtool--thanks for the explanation of the Jewish calendar. Knew it was different but didn't know why.
I put in O'Keefe with one F because that was how I thought it was spelled but then didn't know what to do with the empty space.
Got all the "theme" answers but didn't stop to put the theme into words.
I'll admit to a pet peeve about people mixing up plurals and possessives and contractions. I'm developing a new peeve while reading the Phila. Inquirer. When they split up words on 2 lines, they hyphenate without any regard to syllables and just break the word up according to space. An example: if the last word on the line is REGARD, they might put just the last D on the next line. It sure messes up reading easily.
I'm glad I can type again. I hurt my wrist last week and couldn't do much without pain but it is a little better each day.
MamaRuth, that's not unique to the Philly papers. It's actually space-fitting software that most newspapers use. It disregards the basic rules of hyphenating.
After reading all of this...all I can say is "thank you fellas" for doing most of the heavy labor. (besides child birth) "Thank you fellas" for appreciating our finer attributes. "Thank you fellas" for letting us ladies post our recipes, and trying them. Most of all "thank you fellas" for just knowing when to throw in the towel. I however, would prefer you threw it off. Just sayin'...
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