Theme: Preponderance of P's - Two-word (both with two syllables) Phrases with P alliteration. The second word follows a P & vowel & P(P)ER pattern. (Thanks, PGB!)
20A: Piece of Peter Piper's peck: PICKLED PEPPER.
37A: School project medium in large rolls: POSTER PAPER.
44A: Killjoy: PARTY POOPER.
59A: Cinema counter fixture: POPCORN POPPER.
Penny Pincher too. Can you think of any other 2-word phrase with similar P alliteration pattern? We had two-word assonant alliteration phrases on 12-15-09.
Argyle here. Fifteen P's in the theme plus another three more scattered around the grid. The record for P's in a puzzle is 20.
Very straightforward Monday clues. RYE (24A: Whiskey grain) is a good example. Last time John Lampkin clued it as "Droll-sounding grain?". Playing on "wry". Waiting for John to give us another Great Pumpkin this year.
Very straightforward Monday clues. RYE (24A: Whiskey grain) is a good example. Last time John Lampkin clued it as "Droll-sounding grain?". Playing on "wry". Waiting for John to give us another Great Pumpkin this year.
Across:
1A: Feds concerned with bogus bills: T-MEN.
5A: Drug bust finds: KILOS.
10A: Highest point: ACME.
15A: Sky color: AZURE. and 16A: Wheat, corn or rice cereal: CHEX. gives this a scrabbley feel.
17A: Several: A FEW.
18A: __ plume: pen name: NOM DE.
19A: Whacks with an ax: HEWS. Nice RHYME (32A: What sips and nips do). Great clue.
23A: Backyard hangout: PATIO. Not this time of year, for most of us.
25A: Fled the scene: RAN.
28A: Andrea __: ill-fated ship: DORIA. On 25 July 1956, off the coast of Massachusetts, the Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound MS Stockholm and sank. 1660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, while 46 people died as a consequence of the collision.
1A: Feds concerned with bogus bills: T-MEN.
5A: Drug bust finds: KILOS.
10A: Highest point: ACME.
15A: Sky color: AZURE. and 16A: Wheat, corn or rice cereal: CHEX. gives this a scrabbley feel.
17A: Several: A FEW.
18A: __ plume: pen name: NOM DE.
19A: Whacks with an ax: HEWS. Nice RHYME (32A: What sips and nips do). Great clue.
23A: Backyard hangout: PATIO. Not this time of year, for most of us.
25A: Fled the scene: RAN.
28A: Andrea __: ill-fated ship: DORIA. On 25 July 1956, off the coast of Massachusetts, the Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound MS Stockholm and sank. 1660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, while 46 people died as a consequence of the collision.
34A: +, on a batt.: POS.. (Positive)
40A: Italian wine city: ASTI.
42A: Minister's residence: MANSE.
43A: Heed: MIND.
47A: Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY.
48A: Colorful quartz: AGATE. Some random slices.
49A: Comedian Wanda: SYKES. She has the latest weekly late-night talk show.
55A: Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO. No garlic?
64A: __ job: trickery: SNOW.
66A: Transfusion fluid: BLOOD.
67A: The sound of music: TONE. Did you get the tie-in with 1D: "The Sound of Music" family name: TRAPP. ? John Lampkin is fond of clue tie-ins & cross-references.
68A: Handbasket rider's destination?: HELL. 'Going to hell in a handbasket' is to be on a course for disaster. The exact source for this alliterative phrase is unknown but there is a good write-up here.
69A: Brainy group: MENSA.
70A: This, in Tijuana: ESTO.
72A: Collar stiffeners: STAYS. They use to be replaceable but nowadays are built in.
73A: Dick Tracy's love: TESS. The loving couple. (They got married but had a rough spell according to the site I lifted the picture from.)
Down
2D: Sicilian secret society: MAFIA. Their code of silence is called Omertà.
3D: Standing tall: ERECT.
4D: Recent block arrival: NEW KID. I liked this one.
5D: "Citizen __": KANE. The story behind the movie and how it came to be made is fascinating. And Rosebud is....
6D: Former reptilian logo brand: IZOD.
7D: Sugar cube: LUMP. It's what you feed your IZOD.
8D: "__ in the court!": ORDER. I'll have ham on rye (not the 24A kind though). Add a little 33D: Cheese go-with: HAM And some 11D: Fruity dessert: CHERRY PIE.
9D: Oozy: SEEPY.
12D: Bit of cat chitchat: MEW.
13D: George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas": EXS.
21D: Feature of a tied shoelace: LOOP.
22D: Cop's collar: PERP. (perpetrator)
40A: Italian wine city: ASTI.
42A: Minister's residence: MANSE.
43A: Heed: MIND.
47A: Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY.
48A: Colorful quartz: AGATE. Some random slices.
49A: Comedian Wanda: SYKES. She has the latest weekly late-night talk show.
55A: Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO. No garlic?
64A: __ job: trickery: SNOW.
66A: Transfusion fluid: BLOOD.
67A: The sound of music: TONE. Did you get the tie-in with 1D: "The Sound of Music" family name: TRAPP. ? John Lampkin is fond of clue tie-ins & cross-references.
68A: Handbasket rider's destination?: HELL. 'Going to hell in a handbasket' is to be on a course for disaster. The exact source for this alliterative phrase is unknown but there is a good write-up here.
69A: Brainy group: MENSA.
70A: This, in Tijuana: ESTO.
72A: Collar stiffeners: STAYS. They use to be replaceable but nowadays are built in.
73A: Dick Tracy's love: TESS. The loving couple. (They got married but had a rough spell according to the site I lifted the picture from.)
Down
2D: Sicilian secret society: MAFIA. Their code of silence is called Omertà.
3D: Standing tall: ERECT.
4D: Recent block arrival: NEW KID. I liked this one.
5D: "Citizen __": KANE. The story behind the movie and how it came to be made is fascinating. And Rosebud is....
6D: Former reptilian logo brand: IZOD.
7D: Sugar cube: LUMP. It's what you feed your IZOD.
8D: "__ in the court!": ORDER. I'll have ham on rye (not the 24A kind though). Add a little 33D: Cheese go-with: HAM And some 11D: Fruity dessert: CHERRY PIE.
9D: Oozy: SEEPY.
12D: Bit of cat chitchat: MEW.
13D: George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas": EXS.
21D: Feature of a tied shoelace: LOOP.
22D: Cop's collar: PERP. (perpetrator)
26D: Change, as a law: AMEND.
27D: Totally unhip: NERDY.
29D: Frolic: ROMP.
30D: World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. Both given name and surname has AO combination.
31D: Periodic table figs.: AT. NO.S. (atomic number)
35D: Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.
36D: Informal opinion sampling: STRAW POLL.
38D: Lay eyes on: ESPY.
41D: Addams family cousin: ITT.
45D: Canine cry: YELP.
46D: Result of an auto loan default, briefly: REPO. (repossession)
50D: Trio plus four: SEPTET. Group of seven.
53D: Missiles in silos, for short: ICBMS. (intercontinental ballistic missile)
54D: "Vacancy": "TO LET". More common in my area is "FOR RENT".
56D: Reckon, in the boonies: S'POSE.
57D: Revival structures: TENTS.
60D: Avian symbols of wisdom: OWLS.
61D: Author Jaffe: RONA. She died in 2005 in London from cancer, aged 74.
62D: Overly inquisitive: NOSY.
63D: Palmtop computers: Abbr.: PDAS. (Personal Digital Assistant.)
64D: "Steady as __ goes": SHE.
65D: Born, in marriage announcements: NÉE.
Answer grid.
Happy belated Birthday to our fellow solver Frenchie!
Argyle
27D: Totally unhip: NERDY.
29D: Frolic: ROMP.
30D: World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. Both given name and surname has AO combination.
31D: Periodic table figs.: AT. NO.S. (atomic number)
35D: Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.
36D: Informal opinion sampling: STRAW POLL.
38D: Lay eyes on: ESPY.
41D: Addams family cousin: ITT.
45D: Canine cry: YELP.
46D: Result of an auto loan default, briefly: REPO. (repossession)
50D: Trio plus four: SEPTET. Group of seven.
53D: Missiles in silos, for short: ICBMS. (intercontinental ballistic missile)
54D: "Vacancy": "TO LET". More common in my area is "FOR RENT".
56D: Reckon, in the boonies: S'POSE.
57D: Revival structures: TENTS.
60D: Avian symbols of wisdom: OWLS.
61D: Author Jaffe: RONA. She died in 2005 in London from cancer, aged 74.
62D: Overly inquisitive: NOSY.
63D: Palmtop computers: Abbr.: PDAS. (Personal Digital Assistant.)
64D: "Steady as __ goes": SHE.
65D: Born, in marriage announcements: NÉE.
Answer grid.
Happy belated Birthday to our fellow solver Frenchie!
Argyle
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - ended up being a speed run this morning; just over 3 minutes. Nice theme, very simple but clever clues/answers. And is there anyone who didn't think of Lois early in this puzzle?
ReplyDeleteArgyle, your usually superb job; very informative write-up.
Today is Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day. No, it really is. Although the puddles in this neck of the woods are a bit hard right now.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it's a little thing, do something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it." -- Albert Schweitzer
Some words on dieting:
"I went on a diet. Had to go on two diets at the same time because one diet wasn't giving me enough food." -- Barry Marder
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." -- Jane Caminos
Those random slices of agates have been dyed. I collect them and have never seen them that dark in color.
ReplyDeleteR
Easy, even when not quite awake at 6:45 AM. No errors or help. 11 minutes.
ReplyDeleteR, you don't think it's just the camera making them darker? Why would anybody dye them? Wouldn't they be worth less?
ReplyDeleteIs there any where on-line to see your collection; or barring that, what site would you recommend to see good examples of agate? I'm not familiar with it.
Good morning all, a very easy run today. I did manage to make a spelling error when I spelled Doria as Dorea and did not see the error until I read Argyle’s comments. Not much else to comment on except that it was another very good wrote up by Argyle.
ReplyDeleteHope you all have a great Monday.
Morning, CC, Argyle and Friends. Not much to say about this puzzle, except that I enjoyed it. It was pretty easy, and after filling in the Pickled Pepper, I knew the rest of the theme would include lots of Ps.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Frenchie. Come back again soon.
PJB~Chicago: It's always nice to hear from you even though I might not always respond.
Earl K Long, a former governor of Louisiana, used the expression "GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET" often. It is very, very cold here again, so the expression when Hell Freezes Over would be more apt today.
QOD: I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes. ~Author Unknown
Argyle, thanks for the Dick Tracy links, fun memories. We all need to recall Chester Gould's two way wrist radio was his vision of cell phones.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday Frenchie; all of the new posters please send in your birthdays and your pictures and join our hallowed halls.
Still chilly in paradise, but we will be back to normal by Friday; c'mon down.
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteNice start to the workweek with a clean, uncluttered puzzle and a steady hand at the blog-driver's wheel.
Tried to think of more theme answers, and had "picture perfect" until I realized the second words all had at least two "P"s and that the second syllable starts with a P, too. No ideas, now!
Best clue for me was "cat chit chat." Wasn't sure why IZOD's little croc was termed "former" but I don't follow fashion. "Revival structures" didn't scream TENT at me until I was staring at T??T.
I think Wanda SYKES is a very funny comedian and a great chat show guest, but her new talk show is still not clicking for me. As one of my former supervisees complained. "I don't know what's harder: talking or listening." Indeed!
Enjoy the day!
Good Morning Argyle and All,
ReplyDeleteI had a speed run today as well. Just under 15 minutes in pencil. My only problem was writing in Acon instead of Snow in the SW. Favorite clues were Handbasket rider's destination and Reckon, in the Boonies.
Things are starting to ice up a bit here. Not quite hard enough for me to head out onto the lakes. The news has been reporting one or two vehicles going through each weekend. Even though we don't drive on the lakes, I still waiting for a bit more thickness to handle me, the boys, dogs and the 4-wheeler.
Have a great Monday!
The reports of blue ice are true. Here is a report of an ICBM hitting some poor woman's house. (pronounce the letters out loud until you get it :-)
ReplyDeleteQuick Monday puzzle today with lots of fun clues. I would never have gotten AT NO S - had no idea. And I think I would have added another e for EXS and made it EXES.
ReplyDeleteDon't buy Cuisinart's latest Popcorn Popper. I have gone through two already. The second one lasted only 3 batches of popcorn. I am calling to get my money back on that one. Cuisinart used to be such great quality, but not so much any longer.
Speaking of shipwrecks, we just went to our Science Museum's exhibition on the Titanic. Fascinating. They had an IMAX film as well as stories and artifacts. Unbelievable how well many of the items survived. I love stuff like that. The stories are so interesting.
Hope it warms up everywhere this week. We are supposed to get to a balmy 30 or so I guess.
Good morning all. Agree with the earlier commenters - pretty easy. The NE got a little messy - peak for ACME,and pain for ACHE, but it got sorted out. Thought 32A and 57D were clever clues. Felt SEEPY was a clumsy word - can't see myself using it.
ReplyDeleteGood warm-up puzzle to start the week.
Nice write-up, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteI spent way too long reading your links today--a sign they were good!
Al,
That ICBM would indeed have been nastier if it had truly been a "blue ice" B.M. Don't they have restrictions on where they can be dropped?
A good easy run through for the puzzle today. My only erasure was having XES for EXS at first, with APEX for ACME, until I got MEW and CHERRY.
Thought of Dennis with MENSA.
And for some reason I always think of earth tones when I hear AGATE. Those pictured, dyed or not, would make beautiful geode bookends. So many precious stones are "dyed" to enhance color these days--think of London Blue in Topaz for example, so often neutron irradiated or heat treated.
Wanda Sykes is really funny, but some of what I've seen I thought overplayed the DFness a bit too much.
Good morning all! I've been following all of your comments for weeks and enjoy your back-and-forth banter. I'm finally going to dive in. Easy puzzle this morning. Had a little trouble in the NE corner since I put in APEX rather than ACME but was then left with PH for the start of a fruity dessert. Also had ATOMS rather than AT.NOS. so that slowed me a bit in the middle until I filled in others.
ReplyDeletevtquiltmom, Welcome.
ReplyDelete...I have this quilt that needs repair...
If you are into quilting, you have come to the right place. We have seen some great quilts used as avatars.
11D: Fruity dessert: CHERRY PIE. Made me think of the eighties hair band Warrant.
ReplyDeleteWarrant Cherry Pie
Cherry Pie
Enjoy some Fun Facts with David Letterman
Fun Facts
Good Morning All, Yes, an easy Monday puzzle, with a very nice theme and some neat fill. I particularly liked STRAW POLL.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would ever have gotten AT.NO.S. if the perps hadn't already taken care of it. A little bit too much abbreviation for me.
I had one glitch at 67A for a while. I entered TUNE. That kind of held me up with SPUSE. I don't speak "Boonie", so I had to look at that for a while until S'POSE drifted in from left field.
Wanda SYKES is a funny lady. I really enjoyed her in the HBO series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm".
Dennis, I certainly wouldn't be a PARTY POOPER and try to beat Lois to, what I'm sure will be, very interesting comments about today's fill. She is the best!
Loved today's WOW.
Hi vtquiltmom, and Happy Day Late Birthday to Frenchie.
Good morning. Just a comment about 1A. The Treasury is not concerned with bogus bills. That belongs to the Secret Service.
ReplyDeleteGood catch, Joyce Secret Service.
ReplyDeleteLot's of weather talk this time of year. Californians learn to live with the possibility of earthquakes, but much scarier to me is our "can't see three feet in front of you" fog. GAH and I are supposed to live "above the fog and below the snow", but for the past week we've had heavy fog for most of the day. It makes for some very dangerous driving. OTOH, when we don't have to go anywhere, it is very soothing and insulating.
The poet Hans Ostrom is a native of Northern California, so he should know about fog.
Couplets in the Fog
Fog's a species of weather-
gray, like a pigeon's feather.
Auden once wrote, 'Thank you, fog.'
Sandburg thought of cat, not dog.
Fog's in Eliot's Unreal City-
yellow fog, what a pity.
Call it mist, call it fog:
Still you tripped over that log.
If you can, take off work.
No sense traveling in that murk.
Anything you try to say
will come out mumbled, foggy gray.
The fog is subtler than the snow.
And so it's the more dangerous foe.
Hans Ostrom
In response to Joyce, you're correct that the secret service polices counterfeiting, but the secret service was originally an agency of the treasury department and was later swallowed by the department of homeland security. There's a movie from the 40s called "T-Men" about the feds busting a gang of counterfeiters.
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle today - In my haste, I mistakenly put "PEAK" for 10A and thus "PAIN" for 10D which was a momentary setback. But finsihed the puzzle fairly quickly once I noticed my mistake.
A few I thought of....
ReplyDeleteprimitive people
pretty poppet
purple people (eater)
puppet play (back to front)
pied piper
Good morning Argyle, CC and all,
ReplyDeleteMonday puzzles make me feel so smart,LOL! Although, as usual, I needed the perps for atnos, osage,icbms,pdas,manse, and had forgotten about Tess. Good write up Argyle!
Dennis, I followed your WOW this morning. Took 2 lost wandering Golden Retrievers to their owner ; I miss my dogs; a little deja vu with them staring at me thru my sliding glass door.
Hahtool, loved your QOD
Welcome vtquiltmom! Where did kittyb go? She had those beautiful avatars of her quilts.
papyrus palimpsest
ReplyDeleteWell this one was a quickie for me. The only perp help I needed was for At. No. S and ICMBS. Otherwise everything just flowed off my pen onto the paper. I always thought exs was exes. And my pesto most definitely has garlic and parmesan cheese in it. Favorite clues today were recent block arrival – new kid and hand basket riders destination – hell. We are finally going to warm up here this week. Today is the first day out of the last 12 days that it hasn’t been below zero. No daisies today :)
ReplyDeleteCa, we've also had fog these past few weeks; it comes and goes, but it's not as thick as your valley fog. Great poem.
ReplyDeleteHere's Jack Prelusky's New Kid on the Block.
Good Morning Argyle, CC & Crew:
ReplyDeleteEasy going this AM. No bumps.
Argyle thoght of the following PP:
Latin Writing Noodle = Penne Pasta
Yeah, it's lame but what do you expect for Monday!
Jeannie, must be us Minnesotan's that think we need an extra E on EXS.
ReplyDeleteHow did you Californian's survive the latest earthquake? Apparently they had one off the coast of San Diego while we were there a few weeks ago, but we must have been too inexperienced to even notice. Bummer. Would have been a fun tale. Our San Diego friends all felt it.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteArgyle - Well played, sir!
Looks like it's all been said already. Well, almost all. I needed a lot of help from the horizontal clues to get 22D. Other than that, pretty easy.
And I do like the SNOW - HELL cross. The NOM DE IZOD was Lacoste until 1993. POOPER - REEK? Let's not go there. A LUMP can weigh a KILO. SEPTET - TONE is good, if you have a NERDY MIND. But PESTO on a OREO? I'll have TO LET that one go.
Cheers!
JzB
Whoa, Terry, you have to fit them into 15 spaces...PRIMITIVE PEOPLE was awesome and right on the money.
ReplyDelete??A: Crusty entrées made with the other white meat: PORK POTPIES.
@ Argyle
ReplyDeleteyeah, I kmow the last one was over 15, but I figured it would fit in a sunday puzzle.
how about...
Nice correspondance: Parisian penpal
Hello All--It must be Monday as I whizzed through th puzzle about as fast as I could write.
ReplyDeleteMy only erasure was in the NE corner where I very confidently put in Apex for Acme. That made Ph for the start of a fruity dessert--couldn't think of any ph fruit, then the doh moment hit and I was off and running.
I enjoyed the theme fills with all the words containing so many p's. All in all a fun puzzle today.
Dennis, we are supposed to have rain today so we'll have those puddles to splash in.
CA, fog is definitely not on my favorite thing list. A 17 year old cousin got lost in the fog in the central valley before the cell phone era. It was night, way out in the country--no street lights, and she missed her turnoff. When she finally found a lit (closed) gas station, she pulled in and waited for help. The highway patrol came by and escorted her home. Needless to say her parents were frantic.
sorry, should be "correspondence"
ReplyDeleteand I'm typing in semi-darkness, hence "kmow", oops.
Nice correspondance: Parisian penpal
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
Welcome vtquiltmom. I'm glad that you decided to jump in and join us.
ReplyDeleteKQ, The larger earthquake was so far north that we here in the bay area did not feel it. However, WM lives just 4 miles or so from the smaller ones we all felt. No damage and we learn to "roll" with the punches so to speak.
last one, I promise...
ReplyDeleteprecious pooches; PAMPERED PUPPIES
maybe one more..
Charlies' chum: PEANUT'S PIGPEN
Terry,
ReplyDeleteYou must have just been thinking in French--that's the French spelling of correspondence! It's one of those Eng.-Fr. differences I get confused about at times.
Speaking of French, I just got a Facebook message from a friend I lost contact with a few years after my 1970-71 stay in France. She recently joined FB, and finally got a message I'd sent to her old business website she must have abandoned before finding it. My message to her was at least two years old, so this is exciting!
Earlier I was wondering why everyone was putting the period between O and S in AT. NO.S, but now I see NO. is abbreviated too--I'm so used to that abbreviation, it didn't seem like one any more.
Zebulon's mount - - PIKES PEAK
ReplyDeleteWestminster winner - - PRIZE POOCH
Somber celebration - - PITY PARTY (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pity+party)
@Kazie
ReplyDeleteI wish I could say it was so, but I had no idea.
I always wanted to go to France and learn French, instead I ended up learning Mandarin here in Taiwan. Funny, how life turns out.
It's almost 3am here, time for bed,
goodnight.
entropy, Izod can no longer use the crocodile, which went with the Lacoste name when they sold it. Used to be the same company, as you probably know.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, CC, Argyle and all. I enjoyed this puzzle and was able to get the theme straight away. HaHa, I did NOT get snow @ first on 64a. If you get my drift! My favorite-was handbasket riders destination.
ReplyDeleteDennis, I did think of Lois early on and also with your WoW.
Very cool avatars Hahtool, KQ and Lemonade. Kazie isn't FB addictive?! I have found so many old friends there.
It is a beautiful 72 degrees here today. Going to take the dog for a walk. I wish I could send you some of our warmth! Have a great day.
Argyle and Terry,
ReplyDeleteSince Nice and Paris are on opposite ends of the country, shouldn't you clue it French penpal?
Robin:
Gettin' the
old leash out, then?
Re: Atomic numbers. First, number is abbreviated No because it comes from Latin, Numero. Then...
ReplyDeletePlural forms -
To form the plural of an abbreviation, a number, or a capital letter used as a noun, simply add a lowercase s to the end.
A group of MPs
The roaring '20s
Mind your Ps and Qs
When an abbreviation contains more than one full point, put the s after the final one.
Ph.D.s
M.Phil.s
the d.t.s
...and that is why I used At. No.s (but I didn't know I was right until I just looked it up now).
Windhover: I had the same thought about Paris and Nice, but realized that French doesn't have the same pun that Nice has.
ReplyDeleteIs your paper getting tha LAT puzzle again? I always look forward to reading your comments.
fairly simple,do-able puzzle today.
ReplyDeletei've been doing this puzzle for at least 15 years when it was the tribune . i found this site while searching google for puzzle answers. the comments and different links on the answer page kept me visiting the site regularly.
i just figured out how to post a comment here. it's a clever idea and it seems as tho' there are a lot of people posting, with pictures and all.
fun site indeed.
Hi Argyle, C.C. and all -
ReplyDeleteFast and easy...the puzzle that is ;)
Lots of cute clues, I liked 32A.
Poor 'Peter Piper'...I hope his 'pickled pepper' predominates and pushes him past his present 'pre-dick-a-ment'
Happy birthday Frenchie....let us know how you celebrated.
Welcome Vtquiltmom and Pierre, hope you stay with us!!
Entropy, I'm very jealous. I've long aspired to be a ne'er-do-well. I'll keep at it, but any tips would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Vtquiltmom & Pierre - good of you to join us; as you already know, it's a great group, and we look forward to hearing more from you.
Yes, welcome to Vtquiltmom and Pierre, this is a fun site, and your presence will no doubt help keep it that way.
ReplyDeleteArgyle,
thanks for the abbreviation rule. That is one of the things we tend to go on autopilot for, and it's good to know there is a rule!
Robin,
Yes, I really only check it when I get notice of a message via email, but it's amazing how many people have sought me out, and how easy it is to connect with others by looking through their friends and finding mutual acquaintances.
WH and Hahtool,
I echoed your reactions to the Paris/Nice connection. But then figured French would have made it too obvious.
Another possibility would be Métro correspondence, since they use the word "correspondances" in the Métro for the connecting lines within a station. Then the English spelling of correspondEnce would be key to the difference.
Chickie, good to know that all are safe. While I don't wish for earthquakes, I would like to experience what they are like some day (within reason of course).
ReplyDeleteKazie and Robin, FB is addictive, which is why I don't do it. This blog sucks enough of my time (in a good way of course) but I just cannot fathom having enough to keep up with FB too. My kids are on it as much as possible.
However, my DH has one (which of course, he makes me update as it is too time consuming for him to do). He won't write on any walls or anything for fear that the wrong thing will be displayed on the internet (he is an attorney). However, when he got his place in San Diego, two old friends happened to be living less than 2 miles from him, which he found out on FB. It is so cool. We all go out to dinner when we are there. Unfortunately, I don't have as many good friends from the past as he. He had more social high school and college experiences due to my moving as a sophomore.
Good puzzle today. Not a slog like the end-of-week ones were. I didn't time it, but it was quicker than most. Things just fell into place. Once I had the first two theme answers, I knew what to expect, which made it easy.
ReplyDeleteI thought of "at.no.s" right off, but waited until I had some perps before using it. I had "tune" for the sound of music. I forgot to change it after I penciled in "s'p(u)ose" so I came here with that error. I never heard of Wanda Sykes, but perps took care of her.
Happy birthday, Frenchie.
I remember the Andrea-Doria/Stockolm crash well. I was 15 years old at the time and had a dream the night before about a ship going down - only "premonition" I ever had.
It is 48º here now after a low of 17º this morning. We are having a heat wave! As usual we need rain.
Have a nice day, everybody.
A penpal requires a sender and a sendee, so...Elle vit à Nice et écrit à son ami à Paris. (Is that correct, Kazie?) She lives in Nice and writes to her friend in Paris, or vice-versa. Voilà! "Nice correspondance" Hey, I'm sure it happens every day.
ReplyDeleteThinking about TESS Trueheart and the Tracy gang made me think of a Sparkle Plenty doll I had in the late 1940's. Sparkle was the daughter of Tracy friends, Gravel Gertie and her husband B.O. Plenty. It never occurred to me how funny some of the names in that strip were until I grew up.
FB has been a wonderful way for our large and widespread family to keep in touch with short notes and photos. I do keep it to once or twice a week and don't stay for very long though.
Perhaps "Nice correspondent" would be a better clue for Parisian Penpal? LOL, now we just wait for a puzzle where this actually shows up. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteENTROPY, I did not think ne’er do wells ever retired, just kept on.
ReplyDeleteROBIN thanks for noticing my new grandpuppie, REMUS (named by son the Roman Archaeology major, and his wife, the Harry Potter fan) who is as sweet as he is cute. I too have gotten back in touch with old friends and family (one is a cousin who lives in Phoenix) through FB, but since you are the same age as my handkerchiefs, it is hard to imagine where you found ‘old’ friends.
Bienvenue à notre petit groupe, Pierre et tous les autres. Où est aujourd'hui Frenchie?
We made it to the 60’s today, but my office building still has no heat, so after a comparatively cold week end, work was awful. I know none of you are too sad about our 30s and 40s, but we really are unprepared
Lemonade, I could loan you my "daisies" as we are going to hit unseasonably warm temps throughout the rest of the week. They are calling for 30 by Wednesday. I might actually break out a dress or skirt to wear that day in celebration.
ReplyDeleteRobin, off today? How nice to be able to take a stroll with the pooch in 72 degree weather.
Mainiac, I am really surprised you still can't get out on the ice. There are colonies of ice houses and cars parked all over the lakes up here. A warehouse guy came in today with a pretty bad looking gash on his right hand and wrist. Seems he was trying to grab a good sized Northern pike out of the hole and his hand and arm slid right up the gills (which obviously are very sharp). He said the snow looked like it was from a crime scene. 22 stitches later and a few more beers and he was back ATIT.
DCannon, I bet this colder weather doesn't help your healing process. I feel for you. (Really, I do.)
Clear Ayes: Elle habite a Nice. . ..
ReplyDeleteDoreen
CA,
ReplyDeleteDoreen is right. Grammatically you did fine, but vivre is to be alive as opposed to habiter, to dwell, inhabit a place. Elle vit pour son travail, mais elle habite à Nice.
Lemonade seems pretty proficient too! Mine's actually getting a bit rusty these days. My German gets more of a workout, emailing the d-i-l's family. Maybe the new connection with my old French friend will help.
Good evening folks,
ReplyDeleteC.C. had a wonderful interview with today's constructor on May 10, 2009. (Most of you know this, but for newbies, like myself...) It was before I joined the blog, but I remembered his name from seeing her list of interviews. Definitely worth reading. C.C.'s questions were so insightful, and his answers well thought out and clearly stated.
Favorite clue today was 32A "What sips and nips do"
I think anon @ 20:35 is all about illegal rx's should be deleted or blocked
ReplyDeleteGot it.
ReplyDeleteGood evening? Argyle, CC, et al., Holy Pickled Hotwick! This Puzzle was 'Pos'itively Peerless, the Pinnacle of my day, not too Pensive and not too Pedantic! Just Perfect! Pleasantly'perp'able!
ReplyDeleteLoved the NE corner! It got my 'blood' boilin', the 'asti' got my fire 'lit' and am now lookin' for 'a few' 'rare' and 'erect' 'T men' for a 'romp' anywhere but on the 'patio'. 'I sa O' can you see where they 'ran' off to? Those 'poopy parter's with their'peckled pippers'!I'll just give them a 'lump' or two with my 'kane' and 'trapp' their sweet 'asti's in yon 'tents'. My own 'mafia' will b'acme' up. I don't 'spose' those T men will 'mind' really. My kind of PDAs relieves 'tents'ion and there 'snow' 'men-sa'ying differently around here...even if I had to steal their wh'eels' to make them to 'stay'. It's all good!
Dennis: LMAO! You nailed me yet again! Re: WoW? I do my best!
Robin: LMAO! I love the way you think!
ashutch2@gmail. clue me in. Anon seems ok to me. Are we violating club rules? What are the rules? maybe I dont belong either.(pronounced eether.}
ReplyDeleteGood night all. Sleep tight.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, I liked your explanation of plurals, especially since you used no apostrophes.
Hutch,
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the anon post, so I can't comment on it, but the rules are very minimal. They are posted on the right side of the main page. There is no club. I think you're fine. Welcome.
"Eether" as in Ethernet?
From Today's Constructor John Lampkin:
ReplyDelete"The double syllable aspect was an important part of the theme concept. It was essentially an aural and rhythmic pinging thing rather than a visual thing where you just see a lot of Ps in the THEME ENTRY. The double PP in POPPER and PEPPER was just a visual artifact. That is, the Ps in PAPER and POPPER sound exactly the same."
Joyce @9:42am & Henry,
ReplyDeleteBelow is the response from the editor Rich Norris:
"Thanks to your reader for staying on top of our clue accuracy. If you go to the official United States Treasury site and search on "counterfeit," you get loads of Web pages, including this one. The letters "acd" in this URL stand for "Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence." That the Secret Service is the primary counterfeit-money investigative arm for the government doesn't contradict the clue, which only says that Treasury men are "concerned with bogus bills." The UST Web site confirms that concern many times over."
Awww, thanks Entropy. I appreciate it. I really like your avatar. Glad you're stickin' around.
ReplyDeleteMerci, Doreen and Kazie, It has been a very long time since that 3rd year French class. I had a feeling that another word was the one I really wanted, but I just couldn't come up with it.
ReplyDeleteLois, I knew that when you showed up we would have a great read. Thanks.
Have a nice evening all.