Theme: Alter E (go) - Letters EE in the second word of a familiar phrase is changed to EA. Long E sound remains.
20A. Theft with a clean getaway?: STAINLESS STEAL. Play on Stainless Steel. "Clean" = STAINLESS.
25. Filling the shelves with no leftover merchandise or space?: STOCKING FEAT. Stocking Feet. Not a familiar expression to me.
47A. Loud signal when the fries are done?: POTATO PEALER. Potato Peeler. Groan on pealer.
55A. Yoko?: JAPANESE BEATLE. Japanese Beetle. Has Yoko Ono ever been referred to as a Beatle?
English is complicated. EE, EA, EI (Conceit), IE (Chief), EY (Key) all have the long E sound. So can letters E (Me) and I (Unique).
An easier than normal Friday for me. Maybe I mind-melded with the two constructors from the very start. Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.
Tricky & entertaining clues like AESOP (14A. Fabulous storyteller) aplenty. "Fabulous" here doubles as the adjective of fable and "incredible". Superb clue. AE here has a long E sound as well.
Across:
1. Big theme park star: SHAMU. SeaWorld star.
6. Fancy dance: BALL
10. Cookie fruit: FIGS. Fig Newton.
15. Reed instrument: OBOE
16. Katz of "Hocus Pocus": OMRI. "Sheaf of grain" in Hebrew. I can never remember his name. He's in "Dallas" also.
17. Mill input: GRIST. Gristmill.
18. Two-time 1980s skating gold medalist: WITT (Katarina). Got her name from crossings. German figure skater.
19. German wheels: OPEL
23. Bruise treatment: ICE
24. Corpulence: OBESITY
30. Manx, for one: CAT. The tail-less cat.
31. Insult: SLUR
32. Attractive locale: MECCA. Struggled with the answer. Tricky crossing clues.
36. Short range: A TO B
38. Play for time: STALL. Like filibuster.
41. [It's gone!]: POOF. Put in PFFT first.
42. No-frills: BASIC
44. Word repeated in a famous FDR quote: FEAR. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
46. St. whose northernmost division is Boundary County: IDA (Idaho). Drew a blank.
51. Without means of support?: BRALESS. Nailed it.
54. Mil. rank: SGT
60. Take too much of, briefly: OD ON. OD = Overdose.
61. Fictional plantation: TARA. In "Gone With the Wind".
62. They have their pride: LIONS. Pride = a group of lion.
65. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI. I mentioned this trivia in my writeup before.
66. 1940s-'50s NFLer __ "Crazylegs" Hirsch: ELROY. Nicknamed for his unusual running style. Total stranger to me.
67. Turndowns: NOES. Always thought the plural for NO is just NOS.
68. Carrier since 1948: EL AL. Israel achieved its independence in 1948 too. I liked trivia clues.
69. Heads to sea: SAILS
Down:
2. Bierce defines it "His": HERS. In his "The Devil's Dictionary", Ambrose Bierce defines "Hers" as "His". What does it mean? I don't get it.
3. "__ stands now ...": AS IT
4. Inlaid work: MOSAIC
5. Market advances: UPTICKS. Stock market, right?
6. Get a spare, perhaps: BOWL. My husband just bowled a 793 series.
7. Irish Rose's guy: ABIE
8. Plenty: LOTS OF
9. Doesn't bother with: LETS BE
10. Suspense movie sound: FOOTSTEP. Vivid clue. I can almost hear the sound.
11. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I. M. PEI. I was unaware that PEI designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in Guangzhou, where I lived before moving to the US.
12. Epithet for many leaders, with "the": GREAT. Like Alexander/Catherine the Great.
13. Frivolous: SILLY
21. Diamond et al.: NEILS. Neil Diamond. I was thinking of the gemstone diamond of course.
22. Mine stratum: SEAM. New definition of seam to me.
25. Line crosser of a sort: SCAB
27. Plains natives: OTOS
28. Enthusiast: NUT
29. Plant connection: GRAFT. Didn't come to me readily.
33. Prepare to strike, snake-style: COIL. Very descriptive clue. Nice S alliteration.
34. It can't be understood until it's broken: CODE. Got me again.
35. Whence the wise men?: AFAR. This refers to the three wise men traveled afar to see infant Jesus, correct?
37. Some crop dusters: BIPLANES
40. End: LAPSE. End here is a verb (expire), isn't it?
43. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. They grew up here in Minnesota.
45. Grandly entertains: REGALES
48. Fly over Africa?: TSETSE. Great clue. I am glad the old TMS "Half a fly?" days are over.
49. Go after with vigor: ASSAIL
50. Hun king: ATTILA. Attila the Hun.
51. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame the same year as Billie Jean: BJORN (Borg). In 1987. Easy guess.
52. Music player: RADIO
53. Strike __: model: A POSE. Nice pose.
57. Leave in a hurry, slangily: BAIL
58. Actress Petty: LORI. No idea. Looks like Buddy Holly's glasses.
59. Hydroxyl compound: ENOL. Four-letter compound is always ENOL.
63. Method: Abbr.: SYS (System)
Answer grid.
C.C.
20A. Theft with a clean getaway?: STAINLESS STEAL. Play on Stainless Steel. "Clean" = STAINLESS.
25. Filling the shelves with no leftover merchandise or space?: STOCKING FEAT. Stocking Feet. Not a familiar expression to me.
47A. Loud signal when the fries are done?: POTATO PEALER. Potato Peeler. Groan on pealer.
55A. Yoko?: JAPANESE BEATLE. Japanese Beetle. Has Yoko Ono ever been referred to as a Beatle?
English is complicated. EE, EA, EI (Conceit), IE (Chief), EY (Key) all have the long E sound. So can letters E (Me) and I (Unique).
An easier than normal Friday for me. Maybe I mind-melded with the two constructors from the very start. Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.
Tricky & entertaining clues like AESOP (14A. Fabulous storyteller) aplenty. "Fabulous" here doubles as the adjective of fable and "incredible". Superb clue. AE here has a long E sound as well.
Across:
1. Big theme park star: SHAMU. SeaWorld star.
6. Fancy dance: BALL
10. Cookie fruit: FIGS. Fig Newton.
15. Reed instrument: OBOE
16. Katz of "Hocus Pocus": OMRI. "Sheaf of grain" in Hebrew. I can never remember his name. He's in "Dallas" also.
17. Mill input: GRIST. Gristmill.
18. Two-time 1980s skating gold medalist: WITT (Katarina). Got her name from crossings. German figure skater.
19. German wheels: OPEL
23. Bruise treatment: ICE
24. Corpulence: OBESITY
30. Manx, for one: CAT. The tail-less cat.
31. Insult: SLUR
32. Attractive locale: MECCA. Struggled with the answer. Tricky crossing clues.
36. Short range: A TO B
38. Play for time: STALL. Like filibuster.
41. [It's gone!]: POOF. Put in PFFT first.
42. No-frills: BASIC
44. Word repeated in a famous FDR quote: FEAR. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
46. St. whose northernmost division is Boundary County: IDA (Idaho). Drew a blank.
51. Without means of support?: BRALESS. Nailed it.
54. Mil. rank: SGT
60. Take too much of, briefly: OD ON. OD = Overdose.
61. Fictional plantation: TARA. In "Gone With the Wind".
62. They have their pride: LIONS. Pride = a group of lion.
65. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI. I mentioned this trivia in my writeup before.
66. 1940s-'50s NFLer __ "Crazylegs" Hirsch: ELROY. Nicknamed for his unusual running style. Total stranger to me.
67. Turndowns: NOES. Always thought the plural for NO is just NOS.
68. Carrier since 1948: EL AL. Israel achieved its independence in 1948 too. I liked trivia clues.
69. Heads to sea: SAILS
Down:
2. Bierce defines it "His": HERS. In his "The Devil's Dictionary", Ambrose Bierce defines "Hers" as "His". What does it mean? I don't get it.
3. "__ stands now ...": AS IT
4. Inlaid work: MOSAIC
5. Market advances: UPTICKS. Stock market, right?
6. Get a spare, perhaps: BOWL. My husband just bowled a 793 series.
7. Irish Rose's guy: ABIE
8. Plenty: LOTS OF
9. Doesn't bother with: LETS BE
10. Suspense movie sound: FOOTSTEP. Vivid clue. I can almost hear the sound.
11. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I. M. PEI. I was unaware that PEI designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in Guangzhou, where I lived before moving to the US.
12. Epithet for many leaders, with "the": GREAT. Like Alexander/Catherine the Great.
13. Frivolous: SILLY
21. Diamond et al.: NEILS. Neil Diamond. I was thinking of the gemstone diamond of course.
22. Mine stratum: SEAM. New definition of seam to me.
25. Line crosser of a sort: SCAB
27. Plains natives: OTOS
28. Enthusiast: NUT
29. Plant connection: GRAFT. Didn't come to me readily.
33. Prepare to strike, snake-style: COIL. Very descriptive clue. Nice S alliteration.
34. It can't be understood until it's broken: CODE. Got me again.
35. Whence the wise men?: AFAR. This refers to the three wise men traveled afar to see infant Jesus, correct?
37. Some crop dusters: BIPLANES
40. End: LAPSE. End here is a verb (expire), isn't it?
43. Either of two filmmaking brothers: COEN. They grew up here in Minnesota.
45. Grandly entertains: REGALES
48. Fly over Africa?: TSETSE. Great clue. I am glad the old TMS "Half a fly?" days are over.
49. Go after with vigor: ASSAIL
50. Hun king: ATTILA. Attila the Hun.
51. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame the same year as Billie Jean: BJORN (Borg). In 1987. Easy guess.
52. Music player: RADIO
53. Strike __: model: A POSE. Nice pose.
57. Leave in a hurry, slangily: BAIL
58. Actress Petty: LORI. No idea. Looks like Buddy Holly's glasses.
59. Hydroxyl compound: ENOL. Four-letter compound is always ENOL.
63. Method: Abbr.: SYS (System)
Answer grid.
C.C.
75 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - what a fun puzzle this morning; this one had great cluing and an extremely clever theme. And of course, how can any puzzle be bad that has 'braless' as one of the answers?
Interesting to see 'A to B' back so soon. Favorite clues included 'They have their pride' and 'fly over Africa'.Didn't know Lori Petty. C.C., your explanation of 'Whence the wise men?' makes sense - but I'm still not sure I understand the clue/answer. And thank you for the Marisa Miller photo; she's been my number one 'wouldya?' for quite a while.
Today, in addition to Lincoln's Birthday, is Plum Pudding today. I'll pass.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." -- Walter Bagehot
And some terrible puns:
- "A critic is one who goes along for deride." -- L.L. Levinson
- "Seven days without laughter make one weak." -- Joel Goodman
- "I went to a cross-dressing store: 'Susan Be Anthony.'" -- Zach Galifianakis
Good morning!
Dennis, I think "whence the wise men" means "from where did the wise men come" and the answer is "afar".
I have no idea about Bierce defines hers as his.
Favorite clues were Mecca (attractive locale) and graft (plant connection). Graft immediately brought to mind the cherry tree in the backyard of my childhood home where my father had grafted three different cherry types on to one tree. Wonder if it's still there ...
Like C.C., I think the plural of no is nos, not noes.
Olympics opening ceremonies tonight, I guess a hockey great will light the cauldron.
Gracie
Good morning C.C. All, this was a really fun puzzle today. I skidded around the grid twice before I got a good toe hold in the NW corner. After getting the NW corner and with the fills I had already scattered about I was able to get the first theme answer. Afterward, everything else just fell into place.
The damn A TO B got me again! Some day I will nail this sucker. I liked the OD clue/answer.
I had completed 55A when I saw the clue for 51D making Bjorn a gimme with the J so prominent.
Katarina Witt was a very popular skater and during the Olympics the newspapers were reporting some romantic link between Witt and an Italian ski racer. Guess that never panned out so she posed for Playboy.
This was a tough puzzle for me , but living in Madison WI the one clue I found easy was Crazylegs Hirsch- a legend at the UW and we have an annual run named for him.
Good Morning, CC and Friends. This was a fun Friday puzzle. I did better than I thought I would. A lot of fun clues. We had SAG yesterday and I liked yesterday's clue for that better.
Favorite clues today were Fly Over Africa: TSE TSE (it was nice to see the whole name instead of only half a fly.)
I also liked seeing the LIONS with their Pride and the CODE that can't be understood.
It's a SNEAUX DAY here even though there is no snow. Schools and government offices are closed in case it does snow later today (There is a covering of snow about 20 miles away). Don't Snow on My (Mardi Gras) Parade. The big parades begin in ernest this weekend.
QODs: All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher. ~ Ambrose Bierce.
Sweater: n. A garment worn by a child when its mother is feeling chilly. ~ Ambrose Bierce from The Devil's Dictionary.
I thought there was too much old crossword fill AESOP, TSETSE, ABIE, ATTILA but the theme was cute and there were some new cluing.
For Dennis’ favorite clue, braless , the reason Katerina WITT was so unique was she was a great classic skater with big breasts. Boobies in motion….
I liked LORI PETTY as Geena Davis’ little sister in A League of Their Own .
Enjoy the snow Hahtool and everyone in Atlanta
"We three kings of Orient are / Bearing gifts we traverse AFAR / Field and fountain, moor and mountain / Following yonder star ..."
The Devil's Dictionary is online here. The HERS entry along the right only returns HERS: pro, HIS. Since he is male and was being "devilish" you would interpret that to mean the female owns everything. What's hers is hers, and what's his is also hers.
The dictionary contents are best appreciated in small doses...
Gracie:
I don't have time to look it up this morning. Hahtool has given us some Bierce-isms, and I'm sure ClearAyes will be along later with more.
Ambrose Bierce was a very prescient cultural critic, along the lines of H. L. Mencken. What a field day he would have with our present mess.
An interesting puzzle today. I went down the wrong path with a number of entries the first time before I found the right fill, like UPTURNS instead of UPTICKS, EAST instead of AFAR, VEIN instead of SEAM. Finally, though, everything worked properly. No errors. 23 minutes.
Good morning, C.C. and all,
A very enjoyable puzzle today, with many fresh clues. Same favorites as already mentioned by others. A few false starts such as wanting "UPTurns" for "Market advances," and "date" for cookie fruit, but nothing that perps didn't take care of eventually. I have to admit to being in a bit of a fog this morning, as I thought it was Saturday (holiday from work for me today), and I kept thinking, "Wow, a Saturday puzzle with a theme! Won't Bill G. be happy!" It wasn't until I came to the blog that I found out it is Friday. Doh!
Enjoy the day!
hi everyone,
I missed Thursday since I had to leave for the day and only had time to g'spot the Troggs hit before leaving. So by the time I was back and done with it, it was too late to domore than read some of the comments.
I found today's a lot easier. No googling at all. Despite my proximity to Madison, I had forgotten who Crazy Legs was, and had perp help there. I also had EAST at first for AFAR, until perps intervened again. Didn't know OMRI, but raked up PEI's initials from the backblocks of my brain to complete it. Also was slow to "see" A TO B again. Other than that it was a straight run through. I loved all the theme clues/answers and thought they were brilliant, though I also have doubts as to ONO's BEATLEness.
I think 9D is LETS BE, without the apostrophe, meaning "leaves alone" rather than a suggestion for us to be something.
I agree with Al's interpretation of the HIS/HERS one.
Sunny and snowcovered here today
I liked the tricky clues today. I had the most trouble in the SE corner. I wanted CEASE at 40D and sports figures can spell trouble for me. POOF-I am outta here!
Having lunch with some of the gang. Will post later on the puzzle.
Today is my FATHER'S 105th Birthday. Wish he were here to celebrate it. You old timers remember some of his quotes. "It it ain't broke - it ain't from the lack of tryin'".
"If at first you don't succeed, have a beer at give it another shot". (two egs).
@ Gracie: I refuse to watch a cauldron that doesn't have three witches around it.
@anon 6:53. Go blue. You sound fun. I remember "Crazy Legs" when he caught passes from Bob Waterfield (Jane Russell's hubby) with the L.A. Rams.
I also remember when the "Yankees" were an NFL team, the Cardinals were in Chicago and the Pistons were in Fort Wayne.
"Don't let the sun go down on you...."
Away to lunch.
I must be off!
Anybody remember the Minnesota Lakers, Syracuse Nationals and Cincinnati Royals (acquired from Rochester)? And many others!
IMBO
Hi C.C. and gang, a 'great' puzzle today. We finished ~1/2 of it before my wife left for work and I picked up the theme after I got 55A
I couldn't resist, here's a link to a very funny version of 'these three kings...'
I was in the minority yesterday since I found that puzzle too hard and not very enjoyable. But like C.C., I liked this one very much.
Hey MJ, I would have really enjoyed this more if it had been Saturday. When I read what you wrote, I really wasn't sure what day it was either and had to stop and think. That never happened to me when I was teaching full time.
Yes Buckeye, and the St. Louis Browns, the Boston Braves, the Cleveland Rams, Boston Patriots, Dallas Texans, Seattle Pilots, Houston Colt .45s, Montreal Expos, Philadelphia Athletics, The Kansas City Athletics, Washington Senators. New Orleans Jazz, Baltimore Colts. Atlanta Flames...
I also remember Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Pinky Lee .
and I apologize to the Ice Skating fans and participants (sorry ladies) I meant to link Witt in 1984, not 1994 when she did badly, or at least 1988 when she won her second gold.
Yoko Ono contributed some backing vocals on the White album, and helped John with some of Revolution No.9. She moved her bed into the studio and was present during a lot of the recording of said album.
John said at one stage that she was the fifth Beatle, but it was later pooh-poohed by the other three.
Hence the question mark after the clue.
C.C.
恭喜發財
Good Morning All, Not only did this puzzle have a clever theme, it brought back some fun memories to me.
I got what I thought was the theme after STAINLESS STEAL. But when I got STOCKING FEAT I figured that, in addition to the replacement of EA, the theme answers must all start with ST. Wrong!! The perps were all great and helped me through my self-made quagmire.
Loved UPTICKS, FOOTSTEPS and BI-PLANES. Some great tricky clues too!
Hmmm, interesting cross of BRALESS and BJ. Lois? Lois?
I was a kid in L.A. when ELROY "Crazylegs" Hirsch was the current PHENOM. No TV, but my dad listened on the radio and I remember going to at least one game.
Katarina WITT was not a particular favorite of mine. She seemed to have her eye aimed at her post skating career (money), more that what she was doing at the moment. 1984 Olympic highpoint for me was Ice Dancing's Torvil and Dean and in 1988, it was Pairs Gordeeva and Grinkov. Robin, your take?
Happy birthday, ABIE Baby from "Hair"
I opened by Devil's Dictionary at random. I thought I'd post whatever came to my eye first. Not so easy given our mild blog cautions. "Baptism" was what I saw first....Oh Oh...Oh what the heck folks, it's humor.
"BAPTISM, n. A sacred rite of such efficacy that he who finds himself in heaven without having undergone it will be unhappy forever. It is performed with water in two ways - by immersion, or plunging, and by aspersion, or sprinkling."
But whether the plan of immersion
Is better than simple aspersion
Let those immersed
And those aspersed
Decide by the Authorized Version,
And by matching their agues tertian.
- G. J.
C.C.,
How does one pronounce I.M. Pei's first name "Ieoh" in English? Thank you!
In the process of making a change a letter theme you often discover you can do the opposite of what you're doing. What the heck does that mean? Well, today we have FEET turned into FEAT. You can also do just the opposite. Example-
AMAZING FEET = Tightrope walker's asset?
There we turned FEAT into FEET.
Oddity- 14 across = AESOP
53 down = APOSE
Silly- "Who are you?" "I'm Pei"
OK, for the final, last, never to be repeated again, time! Constructors and editors do not, and cannot make up words! NOS, NOES are both correct!
Kurt and Jan-Michele, excellent puzzle. I had a good time solving it. A big "YAY" for UPTICKS, POOF, and JAPANESE BEATLE. By the way, STAINLESS STEELS was an entry in today's NYT puzzle.
Good morning everyone!
Fun puzzle. Boomer, Way To Go! That's a dang impressive series.
Quite an analysis to find that theme. I was satisfied with it just being punny.
The wise men came "from afar," so the "whence" refers to their originating point, I think. I see gracie already chimed in with that. Who is Bierce?
@hahtool Thanks for the Bierce quotes. Learn something new every day here in C.C. land.
@al Thanks for the Devil's Dictionary link.
@buckey The Cincinnati Royals in the Cincinnati Gardens!
@warren That was a very cute Three Kings clip. Loved the clay animation.
@lemonade714 A big Kukla, Fran & Ollie fan here. That was an entertaining show.
@jerome It's a tough crowd. Keep trying to educate us!
Have a great Friday. Off to do some Singing Valentines today!
Hi gang -
Great puzzle today - almost like a Saturday with a theme. It had me a STAINLESS STEAL, but I did not get the Alter E (go) theme till I got here.
C.C. - you are brilliant!
I liked the BOWL - BALL cross, but not OMRI with I M PEI - a bit obscure, no?
We got a Wii for our anniversary, and BOWL a few lines after supper most nights. It's more fun than I expected.
I actually walked around on the roof of one of I M PEI's creations during my life in the glass biz. It was a huge all-glass atrium between two buildings. Scared the bejeezus out of me fer sure. I do not like heights.
I don't mind a little crosswordese, if the clues are fresh. I'd like to see TSETSE as "a complete fly." I saw that horrible "half a -" in an WRW puzzle just a few weeks ago. And even worse, "One third of a war movie," for TORA.
Markets gapped way down to start the day. Mostly UPTICKS since. Rather a volatile week. I expect the bottom to fall out some time soon. I understand companies are sitting on big piles of cash, with nothing productive to do with them, and are unwilling to hire anybody. We are living in interesting times, alas.
I guess BRALESS was my favorite fill - oh, wait a minute . . .
Here in SE Michigan, any reference
to LIONS just makes us sad.
Tigers are courting Johnny Damon. Looks like the erstwhile Milwaukee Braves might outbid them.
Wings lost in O/T.
At home.
Again.
Pistons - always a FOOTSTEP behind, it SIMIs.
Just remembered an old Judy Carne line from Laugh-In: My mother says I'm two young for dates. She does let me go out with a FIG, now and then.
I think I've used up all my WITT.
Cheers!
JzB your bosom-buddy trombonsit
Al,
After reading your post, now I have the opposite interpretation: What's HERS is his.
Terry,
Thanks for the "The fifth Beatle" information on Yoko Ono. 恭喜發財 to you too! What special meals are you preparing for the Spring Festival Eve/Day?
MR ED,
Re: My College Education. Chinese government paid my education because I was once good.
Good Morning CC, and all. I made it through this puzzle without too much difficulty. My favorite clue was 'Witt' especially on the eve of the Olympic opening ceremony.
I have heard the story too about Yoko being abed in the studio, but the reason was, she had a miscarriage, following a car accident the days before. It was at John's insistence. It was mentioned in the 'Anthology', I believe, sooo The Japanese Beatle is a stretch, In my mind.
I was pretty young ClearAyes in 1984 and 1988 when Katarina was the reigning queen of figure skating. I had heard also that her major interest was financial and that her boobs were fake. I can understand the financial interest, even though she lived a life of privilege. People that trained with her said that her ' assets' were real!! Maybe enhanced as she got older. Those hooters can get in the way with spins and jumps, as you can imagine. Never was a problem for me.... I agree Torvil and Deans , "Bolero" was the best representation of figure skating that I have EVER seen.
Hello CC and all y'all Blogerts. I really enjoyed today's xw. Also, glad to read in yesterday's comments that I'm not the only one who wasn't crazy about that one. Today's puzzle was a struggle, but fun. I'm not smart enough to figure out why one puzzle can be tough but fun, while another one can be tough but not fun.
I'm also not smart enough to figure out how to get my d***** google account figured out so I can go blue again!!! Curses!!!
MJ,
Re: Ieoh Ming Pei: Ieoh is pronounced like "you".
Chickie,
Just got a nice box of dried persimmons for Chinese Spring Festival. So sweet. By the way, my hometown Xi'An is famous for its persimmons.
Chuck of the West,
You said yesterday that "I hate to be a pooky-head". What is the meaning of "pooky-head"?
Frenchie,
You'll be in Florida?
CC: Hmmmm, the meaning of pooky head. I know the gist of the meaning, but to explain it might require the use of colloquial terms equally as baffling. I'm guessing the meaning of pooky comes from the term "to poo poo" something as in to dismiss it out of hand. A pooky head is someone who is, maybe, unnecessarily negative.
How'd I do, y'all?
Would someone like to earn $1.10 and fifteen minutes of fame? I'm clueing the word ECOLE. I'm not happy with what I've come up with. Anyone have an idea? Short and simple. Punny... maybe, but not at all necessary.
If published the puzzle pays $85. There are 78 clues. That's about a $1.10 a clue. But that's nothing compared to the fame.
Chuck -
Ya done good, pard.
At the risk of being a pookie-head, here is some more flaying of the poor deceased equine, for anyone who might be interested. Otherwise, feel free to ignore.
Also, I went on a minor Tom Swiftie rampage over at my blog. All JzB originals. Come and play, if your so inclined.
Cheers!
JzB the ICE SAG trombonist
Robin, this may be just for you and me, but it is worth it Torvill and Dean Bolero. For those of you who haven't been figure skating fans up until now, you may change your minds if you watch these two. Unfortunately, they are long retired, but I am always on the lookout, and I'm sure Robin is too, for skaters of this talent, imagination and sheer beauty. (Go, Johnny!) Not a crystal clear video, but you'll get the idea.
I'm looking forward to see how Bodie Miller does too. Happy Olympic enjoyment everyone.
MJ,
Sorry, my husband says I was wrong about Ieoh, it's close to "Yo".
Chuck of the West,
Thanks. I've never heard of that expression before.
Jerome,
How about "Sand's School"? George Sand. Alliteration.
Jerome, Couldn't face going to Nice this time. "A Paris school (or maybe class) shout-out?" ECOLE (A call)...No? Your turn, Jazz.
BTW Jazz, I'm alternately groaning and whistling in amazement at your Swifties. Very clever.
Well, this is off-topic, but our snow has come and gone. It stayed on the ground about an hour. Still, for Southern Louisiana, it was quite an event.
Jerome,
What about lycée prep?
or destination for Tours pupil. I like C.C.'s better though.
Good brief and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Say thank you you seeking your information.
jazz bumpa...i have a son who may rival your stubborness. please read buckye comment from last night @ 115am
Jazzbumpa - Thanks, Pard.
C.C. - Glad I was able to add a tiny bit to the Americanization of C.C.
I was surprised to see the plural of no written as NOES rather than nos in the puzzle as were a couple of other folks. However, I was even more surprised when I looked it up and found only noes given as the plural. If I do enough crosswords, maybe I'll become an educated person.
Hello all.
Used to watch the Pittsburgh Hornets at the Duqesne Gardens.
Oh, to be in Daytona tomorrow.
eddyB
Bill G- One of the neatest things in life is finding out what I think I know, isn't.
@C.C., what if I wrote it this way?
HERS: Everything he thinks is his.
Hi C.C. and all -
I was surprised that I enjoyed the puzzle as much as I did, what with 4 of the infamous play on word clues that I usually dislike.
CA: Had to laugh at the BJ and Braless as well. Also, thanks so much for the link to Torvill and Dean...I LOVE Bolero too, so it was even more moving. I actually got tears in my eyes watching and listening. Might be a long time before we ever see that type of talent together again.
Dick, I was fooled again by 36A (A to B)...kept wondering what the *&#@ atob was!! :)
25D SCAB had me confused for a time. I was thinking more in the line of a skinned knee.
eddyB, weren't the Johnstown hockey team called the Hornets at one time?
make that wasn't the Johnstown...
A few favorites from Ambrose Bierce:
Cabbage=A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head.
Dentist=A prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coins out of your pocket.
Marriage=The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two.
Doreen
C.A. - Yeah. They make ME groan.
French is rather opaque to me. I mentally stumbled onto E COLI, and haven't recovered.
ECOLE: Home of French scholars, perhaps? French study hall? Parisian Pupil's Place? Where LeRoi studies his subjects?
I almost like that last one.
For "place of reading, writing, arithmetic," Google translate gives me: "lieu de lecture, écriture, calcul."
"Reading" is "lecture?!?"
Who knew? (Well, probably Kazie)
Cheers!
JzB the don't-know-much-about-French trombonist
Dick -
There was a Toledo Hornets hockey team. Others at various times: Mercuries, Goal Diggers (my favorite) Storm, and now Walleye.
Baseball - back in the 1890's - Black Pirates. More recently, Glass Sox, and, of course, MUD HENS
There was once a Tornadoes (semi-pro, minor league?) football team - back in the mid 60's.
Gotta run. Meeting some frinds for dinner.
Cheers!
JzB the Toledo Sports Trombonist
Al,
Now I got it. What's his is also HERS. I confused who defines whom earlier.
Jazzbumpa,
Your WITT is in full display today.
Kazie,
I love your Tours connection. "Tours school" for ECOLE might be better. Kind of like Peter Gordon's "Tours with" gimmick for AVEC.
Clear Ayes,
Thanks for the wonderful "Bolero" link. Simply beautiful!
Buen dia, C. C. and all bloggers, the internet was down until 30 minutes ago so I missed the ongoing dialog. I liked this puzzle and the "ea" clue was a big help; I did not see "alter ego" until coming here. Thanks, C.C, you are brilliant! I can understand why the Chines Gvt. paid for your education.
As for the plural of no: the rule is when a word ends with "o" and a vowel, add only "s" (tattoos) when a word ends with"o" and a consonant, add "es" (heroes, noes).
I could not imagine a name being "Omri" only because I had not heard of it. Live and learn, especially here. for 51D I innocently had "Jobless" until I came to Bjorn and " a pose" (insert quiet remark here since I am very familiar with DDD).
I'd like to know if the following qualifies as a Swiftie:
"Do that again," she moaned repeatedly.
Buckeye, I hope you don't mind but I sent your story from yesterday across cyberspace; it was too good to keep here.
Oops, I misspelled "Chinese" and I'm sorry.
Thank you, Clear Ayes, for the link to Torvil and Dean dancing to Bolero and Jazzbumpa for the link to Sam Cooke. I love his music and he died much too young.
Lucina, re: Sam Cooke,
Yes, he did, but for a good cause.
Maniac, do you all tawk like the people on Non Sequitur? If so, I LOVE it.......
Hello.
Dick, I don't know about the J-town
Hornets.
I'll ask Jill when she comes out from under the electric blanket.
No furnace until Monday. The repairman couldn't get the old
one to work.
The Chief's uniform is a 70s-era
Boston uniform. Fans voted for the name when the movie Slap Shot was
filmed in J-Town. (Loved that movie).
eddyB
Fishy, CA, any video; I love people who try stuff, I finished third in an oylymic trial for wrestling a lifetimme ago (1964). No I am high and sleepy
manana
Thank you, C.C. and Boomer, for the pronunciation of I.M. Pei's (Ieoh Ming Pei) first name. You both are awesome! I had never seen Pei's first name spelled out until today, and my thought was "too many vowels!"
Night, all!
Dick.
Before they became the Chiefs in 1977, they were the Jets.
Looks like good racing weather in Daytona tomorrow.
eddyB
Boomer, congrats!
Lemonade- You actually tried out for an event that Popeye's girlfriend judged?
Potato Pealer?
OK, I could understand Potato Peal, a ringing sound.
Pealer = disorder.
Yeah, I liked it.
Thanks eddyB that is the name I was trying to remember. Jets, yes.
@clearayes Torvill and Dean really captured my attention. Incredible stuff. I was able to get BOTH of their autographs on my program at Worlds in Cincinnati in 1987. I have been privileged to have made it to Worlds in Cincinnati in 1987 and Oakland in 1992. Quite an experience!!
Delivered a few Singing Valentines today, and got a couple of very surprised ladies on the verge of tears. Not from the singing, but from the shock!
A few more on Sunday. Can't do tomorrow since I have another chess tournament of 100 or so players to run.
What fun!!
Good night, all.
Bob Costas and Matt Lauer, two of the most appealing commentators for the Winter Olympics I could imagine.
Very sad start with the tragedy with the luger.
I'm looking forward to these Olympics. I don't enjoy the Winter Games as much as the Summer Games, I guess because I've never been a skier or snowboarder or skater but I have been a runner and a thrower.
Good Evening C.C., Argyle and Folk,
The theme, the clues, the answers...loved, loved and loved!
@Boomer, good job, precise with a good balance of humor.
@C.C., I am taking a 3 week FL vaca. Thank you! You read my post and 'got' my riddle. Your response is greatly appreciated!
@ Dennis, oh those younger days when I was able to go braless! ...I, however never burned one!
My mother would have assailed me in a most unpleasant manner resulting in me having to 23A my derriere!
I'm out.
Hello All--A finished puzzle is always a GOOD puzzle. I did struggle a bit, but finally finished after walking away from it for a few hours. A fun theme. Thank you C.C. for the great theme title.
I especially liked the Line crosser of a sort clue, as well as Whence the wise men?, even if I did put in East to begin with .
C.C. Persimmons dried are very sweet. I think the drying brings out their special flavor. Such a nice New Year's gift.
As for the Nos, Noes discussion. I tried to explain to my first graders that a word needed two vowels together for the first vowel to be long (say it's name). If you just put an S after no then the word becomes nos, like the word not. Does all that make sense to you adults?
Why the brackets around the words (It's gone!)?
@ Jerome,
What great fun; thinking for a living!
ecole:
a place where students see leurs sœurs (their sister's) habits...clumsy verbiage. It's obscure to those who haven't attended parochial school.
I just had to share, though I typically take time to think over ideas of this nature.
Bonne chance!
Torvill and Dean's Bolero was beautiful, but I preferred their comedic routines: "Hat Trick" and Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel
Windover: Is that rainbow photographed from your farm? Beautiful photo! Could you send it to me? It looks like it'd make a pretty background for my computer...
Frenchie: Will you really be going to Ocala, or going back to visit your college campus?
@CC: excellent theme title.
My first anon. post in many months goes out to Jerome: Not on my A-game here but:
ÉCOLE
* Where 1 + 1 = deux
* Nice place for kids OR
* Place for études
I hope this helps
@Jerome, "University of Notre Dame" for ECOLE?
@Chickie, square brackets indicate a non-verbal gesture answer [I don't know] for SHRUG, or an answer that is an onomatopoetic word. [Uh-oh!] could be a clue for GULP, as opposed to “Uh-oh!” (in quotes), which might clue YIKES. Likewise, [What a babe!] (or dreamboat) could be a clue for SIGH.
Al, thank you for the [bracket] explanation. I learn something new on our blog everyday.
Annette, I'll pass through Ocala. I've known people who lived there.
I land in FT. L and do sun and fun activities.
I will visit the campus and look up old college friends!
C.C. D.O.C. is drug of choice, a crude expression, I learned it on the A&E series, "Intervention."
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