Theme: (In)CH In - CH is attached to the end of the second word of a common phrase.
20A. Taking pictures of potatoes and pasta?: SHOOTING STAR(CH). From "shooting stars." Watch your carbs.
30A. Trapdoor in an Old West saloon?: COWBOY HAT(CH). From "cowboy hat." Ten gallon capacity.
40A. Group of show-offs?: HOT DOG BUN(CH). From "hot dog buns."
54A. Spiel from a maestro?: ORCHESTRA PIT(CH). From "orchestra pit".
HI THERE gang. I've been in a few orchestra pits, and occasionally have trouble with pitch, so I can relate.
It's JazzBumpa, your KEMOSABE trombonist. Do you think they're GROANERS? I loved them all! I had all kinds of trouble, and went for red letters all over the place.
Across:
1. Predatory group: PACK, as in wolves.
5. Grifter's ploy: SCAM. Swindle, defraud, gyp. Definitely not NICE.
9. Jerk: SCHMO. A stupid or obnoxious person, so I guess it fits.
14. Stadium near Citi Field: ASHE. Named for the late tennis star Arthur ASHE.
15. Pear, for one: POME. According to Wikipedia, "A pome is an accessory fruit composed of one or more carpels surrounded by accessory tissue. The accessory tissue is interpreted by some specialists as an extension of the receptacle and is then referred to as "fruit cortex", and by others as a fused hypanthium or "torus"; it is the most edible part of this fruit." There will be a quiz.
16. From the other side: THEIR. I'm thinking over THERE, but THEY'RE in position in THEIR place over THERE. So THERE!
17. Topical treatment: BALM. Salve, me!
18. Bring down: RUIN. I had RAZE, which caused more problems.
19. Has coming: EARNS. Paycheck, punishment, revenge, etc.
23. Has a connection with: TIES INTO. This is OK, but I could not TIE INTO it.
24. Diamond brothers' surname: ALOU. NEIL has a brother named ALOU? NOPE, they are Matty, Felipe and Jesus Alou. Not your average ball players.
25. DJIA part: Abbr.: AVG. Dow Jones Industrial Average. Huge gap down yesterday, before scrambling back, but still ended off for the day.
26. PC key under Z: ALT. On my desk top and lap top, it's a Windows flag symbol. ALT is under X. Tsk, tsk.
27. Circuit: LAP. Once around the track. Or this.
35. "Baudolino" novelist: ECO. Italian novelist Umberto ECO. Didn't know this one. I did read "Foucault's Pendulum." Weird ending, but still better than anything by that hack Dan Brown.
36. Massage target: ACHE. Melissa - I have this knot under my left shoulder blade . . .
37. Lee who founded the Shakers: ANN. From Wikipedia. "The Shakers were originally located in England in 1747, in the home of Mother Ann Lee. Both Quaker and Shaker groups believe that everybody could find God within him or herself, rather than through clergy or rituals, but the Shakers tended to be more emotional and demonstrative in their worship. Shakers also believed that their lives should be dedicated to pursuing perfection and continuously confessing their sins and attempting a cessation of sinning." So, why aren't there more of them?
38. Ink holders: PADS
39. Sixers, on a scoreboard: PHI. The City of Brotherly Love. Not my experience. Perhaps Dennis can fill me in.
44. "Kidding!": NOT. Well, are you kidding or NOT?
45. Project's conclusion?: ILE. No comment. (ILE is the end of "Projectile")
46. Meat seasoning: RUB: "Aye, there's the RUB!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;"
- Piglet, or Hamlet, or one of those guys from the PEN.
47. Chiseled abbr.: ESTD (Established). Chiseled into the cornerstone of a building.
49. Like radon: ODORLESS. I shall smell no evil. It seeps out of the earth in some places. Here is more than you want to know about it.
56. Talia of "The Godfather": SHIRE. My favorite actress of Hobbit heritage.
57. Harrow rival: ETON. Totally cricket.
58. Sound after ah: CHOO. This one, I get. Ahchoo. I'm considering buying stock in Kimberly-Clark.
59. Less brusque: NICER. Rude and Curt. If my name were "Curt" I would find this repugnant.
60. Kevin's "Tin Cup" co-star: RENE (Russo). And Kevin Costner. Though the cups might be optional.
61. In a bit, poetically: ANON. Back at ya, later B'RER.
62. "Brigadoon" composer: LOEWE. Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical about a strangely magical Scottish town. I spent a century there one night, but the Whiskey was HERCULEAN.
63. Sibling, in dialect: B'RER. A brother of Remus's niece.
64. Casual dissent: NOPE. Ain't gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.
Down:
1. Brewer Frederick: PABST. What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon! Alas, I put in Coors.
2. Leading Japanese brewery: ASAHI. Leading glass company too. True story. Some visitors came from Asahi Glass. Their business cards were in Japanese on one side, and English on the other. On the English side, they said: Asahi Grass Company. I am not making this up.
3. Lover of Daphnis: CHLOE. Ravel knew them when they were young.
4. Friend in old Westerns?: KEMOSABE. Don't care for the clue. Not just any old westerns!
5. Elastic: SPRINGY. And Boingy.
6. Matter: COUNT. If it matters, I'll count it. Or, I'll let the COUNT decide.
7. Plรกcido's pal: AMIGO. Mi amigos, I was expecting a specific person, not a generality.
8. Retail store department: MEN'S. Where guys might go to slack off.
9. Tiger's asset: STEALTH. Well . . .
10. "Cuchi-cuchi" entertainer: CHARO. She is well known for being famous.
11. Requiring superhuman effort: HERCULEAN. But just right, if you have the right dad.
12. Ho Chi __ City: MINH. Named for the National hero of Viet Nam.
13. Hosp. areas: ORS. Operating rooms. Or ERS, emergency rooms. Of course, I guessed wrong.
21. Record, in a way: TIVO. New, hi-tech crosswordese.
22. Powder source: TALC. A mineral, if you're playing 20 questions. AKA, H4Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
28. Elec. designation: AC/DC. Alternating current / Direct current. Not one of my favorite groups, and not so current. I do like seeing it cross "circuit."
29. Ritzy: POSH. And possibly spicy.
30. Crunch's rank: CAP'N. Cute. It got me. Daws Butler did the voice. I thought it was Jim Bacus.
31. Cuatro doubled: OCHO. I ate this one up.
32. Jambalaya basic: WHITE RICE. Really wanted something more spicy. (See 29D.)
33. Find repugnant: HATE. I love the way this crosses ILE.
34. So-so center?: AND. Center of the expression "so-and-so." A so-and-so is someone who is not NICE.
38. Tavern keeper: PUBLICAN. I did not know that. From public house, perhaps? Is that where PUB comes from? So, if someone is a tavern keeper, then does something else, then become a tavern keeper again, is he a - Hold on. No politics!
40. "Howdy!": HI, THERE. Hola mi amigas y mi amigos.
41. Shoppe modifier: OLDE. As in curiosity, maybe?
42. Pun, often: GROANER. Well, I'd say that depends on who you ask.
43. Tupperware sound: BURP. Excuse me, but nobody has ever called me "Tupperware" before. Maybe I associate with too many PUBLICANS.
48. Thread site: SCREW. Machine screw. But you knew that. Didn't you?
49. Weasel relative: OTTER. Playful as an OTTER works for me. Playful as a weasel just doesn't seem right.
50. Mindless worker: DRONE. You just never know what The Google will reveal.
51. Prefix with centric: ETHNO. ETHNOcentric. My group is better than your group. I had HELIO, which caused no end of problems.
52. Exclusive story: SCOOP. I always like exclusive stories about ice cream.
53. Performed superbly: SHONE. Like the recently completed lady's skating programs. Nothing short of HERCULEAN!
54. Wheeling's river: OHIO. What is the greatest feat of strength on the map? Wheeling West Virginia on the Ohio River. I can't remember important stuff, but dumb jokes stay with me forever.
55. Balkan native: SERB. Serbians and Croatians have the same (or very close) spoken language, but different written languages.
56. Show with a "Weekend Update" segment, briefly: SNL. Saturday Night Live. Crossward stalward. Pick a skit.
Answer grid.
Pretty good puzzle, and fun to blog. That's all, folks.
Cheers!
JzB
20A. Taking pictures of potatoes and pasta?: SHOOTING STAR(CH). From "shooting stars." Watch your carbs.
30A. Trapdoor in an Old West saloon?: COWBOY HAT(CH). From "cowboy hat." Ten gallon capacity.
40A. Group of show-offs?: HOT DOG BUN(CH). From "hot dog buns."
54A. Spiel from a maestro?: ORCHESTRA PIT(CH). From "orchestra pit".
HI THERE gang. I've been in a few orchestra pits, and occasionally have trouble with pitch, so I can relate.
It's JazzBumpa, your KEMOSABE trombonist. Do you think they're GROANERS? I loved them all! I had all kinds of trouble, and went for red letters all over the place.
Across:
1. Predatory group: PACK, as in wolves.
5. Grifter's ploy: SCAM. Swindle, defraud, gyp. Definitely not NICE.
9. Jerk: SCHMO. A stupid or obnoxious person, so I guess it fits.
14. Stadium near Citi Field: ASHE. Named for the late tennis star Arthur ASHE.
15. Pear, for one: POME. According to Wikipedia, "A pome is an accessory fruit composed of one or more carpels surrounded by accessory tissue. The accessory tissue is interpreted by some specialists as an extension of the receptacle and is then referred to as "fruit cortex", and by others as a fused hypanthium or "torus"; it is the most edible part of this fruit." There will be a quiz.
16. From the other side: THEIR. I'm thinking over THERE, but THEY'RE in position in THEIR place over THERE. So THERE!
17. Topical treatment: BALM. Salve, me!
18. Bring down: RUIN. I had RAZE, which caused more problems.
19. Has coming: EARNS. Paycheck, punishment, revenge, etc.
23. Has a connection with: TIES INTO. This is OK, but I could not TIE INTO it.
24. Diamond brothers' surname: ALOU. NEIL has a brother named ALOU? NOPE, they are Matty, Felipe and Jesus Alou. Not your average ball players.
25. DJIA part: Abbr.: AVG. Dow Jones Industrial Average. Huge gap down yesterday, before scrambling back, but still ended off for the day.
26. PC key under Z: ALT. On my desk top and lap top, it's a Windows flag symbol. ALT is under X. Tsk, tsk.
27. Circuit: LAP. Once around the track. Or this.
35. "Baudolino" novelist: ECO. Italian novelist Umberto ECO. Didn't know this one. I did read "Foucault's Pendulum." Weird ending, but still better than anything by that hack Dan Brown.
36. Massage target: ACHE. Melissa - I have this knot under my left shoulder blade . . .
37. Lee who founded the Shakers: ANN. From Wikipedia. "The Shakers were originally located in England in 1747, in the home of Mother Ann Lee. Both Quaker and Shaker groups believe that everybody could find God within him or herself, rather than through clergy or rituals, but the Shakers tended to be more emotional and demonstrative in their worship. Shakers also believed that their lives should be dedicated to pursuing perfection and continuously confessing their sins and attempting a cessation of sinning." So, why aren't there more of them?
38. Ink holders: PADS
39. Sixers, on a scoreboard: PHI. The City of Brotherly Love. Not my experience. Perhaps Dennis can fill me in.
44. "Kidding!": NOT. Well, are you kidding or NOT?
45. Project's conclusion?: ILE. No comment. (ILE is the end of "Projectile")
46. Meat seasoning: RUB: "Aye, there's the RUB!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;"
- Piglet, or Hamlet, or one of those guys from the PEN.
47. Chiseled abbr.: ESTD (Established). Chiseled into the cornerstone of a building.
49. Like radon: ODORLESS. I shall smell no evil. It seeps out of the earth in some places. Here is more than you want to know about it.
56. Talia of "The Godfather": SHIRE. My favorite actress of Hobbit heritage.
57. Harrow rival: ETON. Totally cricket.
58. Sound after ah: CHOO. This one, I get. Ahchoo. I'm considering buying stock in Kimberly-Clark.
59. Less brusque: NICER. Rude and Curt. If my name were "Curt" I would find this repugnant.
60. Kevin's "Tin Cup" co-star: RENE (Russo). And Kevin Costner. Though the cups might be optional.
61. In a bit, poetically: ANON. Back at ya, later B'RER.
62. "Brigadoon" composer: LOEWE. Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical about a strangely magical Scottish town. I spent a century there one night, but the Whiskey was HERCULEAN.
63. Sibling, in dialect: B'RER. A brother of Remus's niece.
64. Casual dissent: NOPE. Ain't gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.
Down:
1. Brewer Frederick: PABST. What'll you have? Pabst Blue Ribbon! Alas, I put in Coors.
2. Leading Japanese brewery: ASAHI. Leading glass company too. True story. Some visitors came from Asahi Glass. Their business cards were in Japanese on one side, and English on the other. On the English side, they said: Asahi Grass Company. I am not making this up.
3. Lover of Daphnis: CHLOE. Ravel knew them when they were young.
4. Friend in old Westerns?: KEMOSABE. Don't care for the clue. Not just any old westerns!
5. Elastic: SPRINGY. And Boingy.
6. Matter: COUNT. If it matters, I'll count it. Or, I'll let the COUNT decide.
7. Plรกcido's pal: AMIGO. Mi amigos, I was expecting a specific person, not a generality.
8. Retail store department: MEN'S. Where guys might go to slack off.
9. Tiger's asset: STEALTH. Well . . .
10. "Cuchi-cuchi" entertainer: CHARO. She is well known for being famous.
11. Requiring superhuman effort: HERCULEAN. But just right, if you have the right dad.
12. Ho Chi __ City: MINH. Named for the National hero of Viet Nam.
13. Hosp. areas: ORS. Operating rooms. Or ERS, emergency rooms. Of course, I guessed wrong.
21. Record, in a way: TIVO. New, hi-tech crosswordese.
22. Powder source: TALC. A mineral, if you're playing 20 questions. AKA, H4Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
26. "... __ additional cost to you!": AT NO. But wait, there's more ...
28. Elec. designation: AC/DC. Alternating current / Direct current. Not one of my favorite groups, and not so current. I do like seeing it cross "circuit."
29. Ritzy: POSH. And possibly spicy.
30. Crunch's rank: CAP'N. Cute. It got me. Daws Butler did the voice. I thought it was Jim Bacus.
31. Cuatro doubled: OCHO. I ate this one up.
32. Jambalaya basic: WHITE RICE. Really wanted something more spicy. (See 29D.)
33. Find repugnant: HATE. I love the way this crosses ILE.
34. So-so center?: AND. Center of the expression "so-and-so." A so-and-so is someone who is not NICE.
38. Tavern keeper: PUBLICAN. I did not know that. From public house, perhaps? Is that where PUB comes from? So, if someone is a tavern keeper, then does something else, then become a tavern keeper again, is he a - Hold on. No politics!
40. "Howdy!": HI, THERE. Hola mi amigas y mi amigos.
41. Shoppe modifier: OLDE. As in curiosity, maybe?
42. Pun, often: GROANER. Well, I'd say that depends on who you ask.
43. Tupperware sound: BURP. Excuse me, but nobody has ever called me "Tupperware" before. Maybe I associate with too many PUBLICANS.
48. Thread site: SCREW. Machine screw. But you knew that. Didn't you?
49. Weasel relative: OTTER. Playful as an OTTER works for me. Playful as a weasel just doesn't seem right.
50. Mindless worker: DRONE. You just never know what The Google will reveal.
51. Prefix with centric: ETHNO. ETHNOcentric. My group is better than your group. I had HELIO, which caused no end of problems.
52. Exclusive story: SCOOP. I always like exclusive stories about ice cream.
53. Performed superbly: SHONE. Like the recently completed lady's skating programs. Nothing short of HERCULEAN!
54. Wheeling's river: OHIO. What is the greatest feat of strength on the map? Wheeling West Virginia on the Ohio River. I can't remember important stuff, but dumb jokes stay with me forever.
55. Balkan native: SERB. Serbians and Croatians have the same (or very close) spoken language, but different written languages.
56. Show with a "Weekend Update" segment, briefly: SNL. Saturday Night Live. Crossward stalward. Pick a skit.
Answer grid.
Pretty good puzzle, and fun to blog. That's all, folks.
Cheers!
JzB
64 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - very much a fun Friday puzzle; clever theme, and several 'think twice' clues. Still seems like an easier week, though.
I had a problem in the West, where I had 'Capt.' for 'Crunch's rank, then I couldn't make any sense of 'tot' for "Kidding!". Took a bit for that light to come on. Couldn't remember Umberto Eco, even though we've seen him before. And of course, 'ache' reminded me of the ache remover, the lovely and talented Mustang Mel.
Jazz, great job as always. And as to the city of 'brotherly love', I think it's more of a fervent hope than fact. Wouldn't live there for free.
Still snowing and windy here; at least I'm getting a good workout. We've had house guests all week who are leaving today, so there's yet another car to dig out.
Today is Carnival Day, National Pistachio Day, and Tell a Fairy Tale Day.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Nothing happens to anybody which they are not fitted by nature to bear." -- Marcus Aurelius
And a few words of wisdom from Lois' predecessor, Mae West:
- "Every man I meet wants to protect me. I can't figure out what from."
- "Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before."
Dennis,
Fun theme indeed. Very Dan Naddor-like, isn't it? Does THEIR and its clue "16A: From the other side" really equate grammatically?
Jazzbumpa,
I knew the ILE clue would induce a groan from you. But I like those kind of wordplay, though they seldom fool me. Surprised to see NOT and NOPE in one grid. Superb links and write-up from a trombonist who's still under the weather. Xie Xie!
C.C., yeah, I forgot to mention 16A - I did think it was a bit loose.
Off to move some snow.
Good Morning CC. Well this was an easy puzzle ~ NOT! There were way to many unknowns after the first, the second, the third ... pass. I caught on to the CH ending early on after getting SHOOTING STARCH, but the rest did not come easily.
I can promise you that if you ask any Louisiana cook, WHITE RICE is not the first thing that they will say when asked about Jambalaya.
From the Other Side made me think of something more sinister than THEIR.
Talia SHIRE is Francis Ford Coppola's sister, but you all knew that.
QOD: What we call progress is the exchange of one nuisance for another nuisance. ~ Haverlock Ellis.
JazzB:
You posed the question about the Shakers, Why aren't there more of them. To the best of my knowledge, there aren't any of them. The last Shaker passed on several years ago. There is a restored and open to the public as a tourist attraction Shaker village at Pleasant Hill in Mercer County, Kentucky, about 20 miles from where I live. Parts of their 3000 acre farm overlook the beautiful Kentucky River Palisades.
The Shakers did not believe in and did not practice (at least openly) sexual congress for any reason including procreation. They relied on prosyletizing and recruiting to maintain their numbers, and although they were evidently successful at that strategy for a time, biology eventually caught up with them and the sect gradually died out.
The Shakers were wonderful artisans and are especially famous for their furniture designs and cooking skills. Every building in the village had two separate entrance doors, one for men and one for women. Google will reveal more to those who care.
Good morning!
A number of years ago we visited Shaker Village in Kentucky, a beautiful place where the Shakers lived their spartan and, yes, chaste existence. I recall the hall where they would hang their chairs on pegs when not in use. We stayed there overnight and had a meal in the community hall. A really nice place to spend a day or so.
This was a really hard puzzle but a fun one, despite more of those dratted myths ... I had no idea about Chloe as lover of Daphnis, but Herculean was an easy get.
Charo - a blast from the past, eh? It's funny how her shaky coochie-coochie comes to mind immediately ;-) She was married to some band player, no doubt he was attracted by her mind!
Pear - Pome, holey smokes. Who knew?
More snow on the way today, but winter is on the way out, finally.
Enjoy the day -
Gracie
Good morning:
It is great to have Doug here to fill the void left when Dan Naddor died; a puzzle where the first time through the empty spaces dominate, but then they fill, and you have to shake your head. My sticking point came from reading it as TROPICAL not TOPICAL.
I lived in ANN LEE Cottage in the Berkshire mountains my last two years of high school, and they were quite skilled at a variety of crafts. It was hard to create a booming religion when they preached celibacy, but for such an extreme group, they have left a mark.
JB, if you play like you blog you might wear us all out; still looking forward to hearing your tribute.
No skating reaction yet? It is over for another 4 years....
I was at the site of the NEW LEBANON community, where the buildings and the farm were all built by the Shakers. I did not understand the dismissal of "Go forth and Multiply" but cleibacy has been an important part of many religions.
This one took some thinking, and figuring out the theme was important for the longer fills. A fun Friday puzzle. No help or errors. 34 minutes.
Good Morning Jazz, CC and All,
Slogged my way through this one today. A lot of spelling errors didn't help. Using an i in Kemosabe was a typical blooper. I also refused to erase the T in Capn which added more holes on the west side. Very much a Friday difficulty for me.
Rain and wind here. Power is out all over due to trees in the wires. Job security.
We've got to get the chainsaws going so I can go be a roadie at the District Jazz festival.
Speaking of Jazz, Great write up!
Have a great day!
Re Shakers - I don't know much about them, but damn, I'd be shaky too if I spent a lifetime without sex...
Good morning all -
Great blogging today, Jazz. I enjoyed your commentary as much as I enjoyed the puzzle. Tried the puzzle in ink first, but had too many blanks after the first pass, so moved online. Got some traction with a little red letter help, and then was able to get through it. Loved the theme and the theme answers. Cowboy hats is very top of mind, given our upcoming Texas trip. Hotdog buns was fun given my years at Oscar Mayer. All in all, a challenging yet fun start to the day
Publican is a great restaurant in Chicago. Unbelievably incredible pork belly. We went for my husband's birthday with a large group earlier this month - had terrific meals, but the service was a bit off. He had been once before and raved about the incredible service, so we were a bit surprised, but sometimes off nights happen. Especially with large groups on busy Saturday nights. Would still recommend.
What's Charo up to these days??
Jeannie - Modern Family is on our must watch list. Usually by DVR after Zoe is asleep. VERY funny show. Also, my parents 49th is March 18. They spend their winters in Florida now, so we're planning a family trip to Disney to celebrate their 50th next year. We went almost every year when I was growing up, as my grandparents lived down there, so it will be a nice spot for us all to get together and celebrate. Will be Zoe's first trip; don't think I'm going to tell her about it for quite a while yet...
DVR'd skating last night, but haven't watched yet. Saw the results on the Today Show this am.
Dennis and others in the NE - be safe with all that snow! I'm sure you are looking forward to spring!
g'morning all,
Jazz--Great write-up!
I was slow on this one, doing it on paper, I had a spotty first run, guessed at the many unknowns, resisting the g'spot until I got to my last fills in the west. Had TOMboyhatch, had no idea about CAPN Crunch--thought it must be slang for some army peon, since, as you know, I don't watch most ads, and I don't eat most cereals, I had no clue. Went looking for jamalaya recipes to get that, and never even noticed the white rice, couldn't even see it as the clues began to open up reading jazz's wonderful write-up. Of course it was no help that I had guessed SHORE for 56A, and misspelled LOHWE at the bottom.
Sometimes guessing, as today, is my downfall, but at others, like yesterday, when I had many unknowns, yet got the whole thing pretty much out, it helps. I often look at what I already have in unknown names and just guess what letters would make sense in the blanks, and it usually works. Then I feel much better than if I had run to the G.
Good puzzle. There are still shakers alive in Maine and New Hampshire.
Good morning, hope all is well. Today's crossword kicked my butt!! Ironically I will be smoking baby back ribs today and was going to google a rub for them after I checked Cross Word Corner and found you had already found a site for me, ha.
Keep up the good work and stay warm.
Kindest regards,
Carl
Hi gang -
Thanks for the kind words. Full disclosure: C.C. had to fix some things.
We were gong to go out to breakfast this morning, but the snow kept us in. Big fun tonight, tough: I'm going square dancing with granddaughter Rebekka. She and her sister Samantha are in Scouts, and this is a Daddy-daughter dance, a dad short. So, Bumpa to the rescue!
I'm slowly getting better. Slept well last night.
Cheers!
JzB
Good morning, C.C., Jazz & Friends,
This was more than a handful today! I needed a lot of red letter help, guessing, and even had to G. Loewe when all I had for that clue was --e-e. My time was 51 online, more than double the usual for me. Did not grok the theme til I came here
Favorite clue was thread site, which earned me a d'oh head slap. My last fill was the Ann/and crossing, and Ann was a guess, even though I had toured the Shaker Village in Stockbridge, MA a few years ago with my daughter, Lee. Very impressive, but hard to understand their views on chastity, seeing as how the Bible is quite explicit about going forth and multiplying.
Like others, I did not like the "their" clue, and agree with Hahtool about jambalaya.
Great job, Jazz - very entertaining.
Off to the gym.
good morning c.c., jazzb, and all,
fantastic job jazz, great info and links. i wandered around this one for a while. had trouble in the north and had to come back to it after solving the bottom. wanted dirtyrice, which caused a few problems. got the theme with hotdog bunch, but i think i need lois to explain just exactly what a cowboy hatch is ...
i'm with you jazz, my ALT key is also under the X.
off to relieve a few aches ...
Good morning Jazzbumpa and all fellow blog readers!
Excellent write up. You're humor and diversity is much appreciated in these quarters. RUIN was my last fill -- just couldn't see it. Hand up for ERS.
Carl, what's up with the shed?
Have a great Friday!
Morning all.
Couldn't figure out what a cowboy hatch was and then the light bulb was turned on.
tfrank. Glad you are enjoying the series. Part 1 of the story is called Winds of War. It developes the characters and the relationship
Pug has with FDR. The two books are also a great read.
They are what I mean by historical
fiction.
Tinbeni. No UTES in the LAT today.
Behind schedule and have to run.
eddyB
Interestingly enough I had an easier time with the puzzle today than yesterday. No g-spotting, however I did get some red letter help and perp help with alou, and Asahi. Favorite clue was Tupperware sound: burp. I also wanted “there” instead of “their”. My ALT key is kind of centered underneath the Z and X.
I enjoyed your witty write up today Jazz, plenty of eye candy for the guys. Don’t forget us girls next time.
Good morning JzB, C.C. and everyone -
Great write up JzB, I clicked on your link for RUBS and got more than I expected, it will throw Lois into a tizzy for sure!!! LOL... Nothing like a good 'meat' rub! One picture even showed disposable gloves for the application, seems like that would take all the fun out of it...just saying.
I did not do too well with this one, but appreciated it for the cleverness of the clues (the ones I could get). Had to laugh at 4D ol' KEMO SABE.
I would imagine CHARO is still trying to shake it up somewhere, although now, 'it' probably doesn't move as well. (Botox and plastic surgery can be 'movement inhibiting') :)
I have to defend Doug on a technicality for the {alt} key...
The entire bottom row of my keyboard is:
{ctrl} {fn} {windows logo} {alt} {space} {alt (again)} {menu dropdown} {ctrl (again)} and all four arrow keys.
Technically all of those keys are "below" the Z key, which is located in the row above. True, alt isn't directly below it, but the clue wasn't specific about the exact position...
You're an entertainer at heart, Jazz.
Crossword of Curiosities- CHARO, SCHMO, CHOO, OCHO, OHIO, ECO, AMIGO, INTO, KEMO, TIVO, ATNO, ETHNO. O my word!
Jambalaya basic = WHITE RICE
What am I missing that makes this clue, answer combo iffy?
Good afternoon, everyone.
Great write-up, Jazz. Thanks.
As to "their", think of it as "their side." That makes it grammatically correct and makes sense.
Feel bad for the snow in Manhattan, where my son , d-i-l, and two grandsons live. Manhattan is not cut out for such snow!
Keep warm out there. I'm wearing a sweater in Naples because it's only 60°.
Cheers
Good Morning All, One word....then one letter....then a couple of more letters.....and so on. This one took a while.
The NW corner was rough. I did get PACK, but I had no idea about PABST or ASAHI, so I had to work the perps backward from KEMOSABE and CHLOE.
The NE was where things began to stick. After I got 20A STARCH and 30A HATCH, I still didn't know what the theme was, except that I filled in CH as the last letters of 40A and 54A. That helped to get me started in the South.
Toughest clues for me were 25A DJIA part: Abbr, and 47A Chiseled abbr. HUH??? I got them filled in and still had to stare at them for a while before I understood what they meant.
I am in the minority I think. I have never been to a Shaker community museum, although I did know who ANN Lee was.
Guys, about Jazz's link for 29D, do you think POSH Victoria Beckham's breasts are attractive or just weirdly fascinating? She's very wealthy, so I'd think she could afford to have a more natural look than upended cereal bowls.
I got home in time to see the last group of skaters. I was pleased that the top women skated so beautifully. It is sad when someone has an "off night" and falls. The top three were placed just as they should have been.
Nice job Jazz!
Why is it a mystery that the Shakers ignored the"go forth and multiply" directive? Maybe they thought it was referring to using their abaci.
On the other hand, no one pays any attention at all to "sell all you have and give to the poor" or "turn the other cheek", or "the meek shall inherit the earth".
As for waiting over two years to get involved in World War II, I agree that was very un-Christian, and wouldn't happen today.
Buen dia, amigos!
JZB, I loved your funny write up. I chuckled loudly several times.
Today was somewhat difficult as the theme emerged fairly quickly and I liked "shooting starch"; actually, I thought the theme answers were all clever.
My waterloo came in the NW because I wrote scamp in 9A, not good I realize, and it gave me problems. As many times as I've seen the "Alou" brothers in xwds, I should remember! As you can imagine, cowboy, kemosabe, and ocho were fun for me as well as howdy although I don't know anyone who actually says that. I also thought 7D, amigo, would be a name.
Charo married Xavier Cougat. She was recently in one of those Geico commercials that featured celebraties but it was hard to really see her because of make-up, etc.
Windhover:
You are so right about that sentence and I knew it too as soon as it was posted; but my Thursdays are so full with gym, class prep, dinner, and class, that there wasn't time to go back. I should just have waited.
Did anyone else see the gibbous moon last night? The sky was luminous at 9:15 just after my class and it brought a smile because gibbous is my new favorite word thanks to xwds.
People from the snaow country, I hope you stay safe and warm.
Hasta luego. Your amiga.
I meant to say, "somewhat difficult but the theme emerged fairly quickly."
And I meant, snow.
Actually, there are still RC monks and nuns who do sell or give away what they own and live in celebacy.
I know a few and those of you who live in or near Kentucky must know there is a trappist monastery there.
Adios.
The Western show called "the Lone Ranger" had his Indian friend, Tonto call the Lone Ranger: KEMOSABE. Maybe this is what the constructor was thinking.
ALso a PUBLICAN is what the owner or manager is called in an English Pub. PUB, I think stands for Public Houses and are the local bar there.
C.A. -
I guess I'd have to say breasts are fascinating. Weirdness is an orthogonal dimension.
My personal bias, despite being a disreputable chemist, is pro-skin, flesh and blood, and anti-silicone.
I believe both the Beckhams are listed in dickipedia.
This is from the Mac. My laptop is dying.. I'm trying to get everything backed up, and it won't recognize the external hard drive. I'm writing everything off to DVDs.
Relatively painful. Not sure if all be back tonight with all the square dancing excitement.
Cheers!
JzB the twinkle toe trombonist
Great rundown on the puzzle,Jazz; lots of laughs to start off the day!
Dennis, LMAO at your take on the Shakers.
Ii thought the 'their' clue was a little 'shakey' too. Can't really think of a good one, though.
This is another one I slid right through. We had Pabst last week in a cw and I took a stab at Asahi and was right for a change. Never have read Eco but with a title like 'Baudolino' and only three letters, what else could it be?The theme answers fell into place after 'shooting starch'.
Only time I've seen Talia Shire was as Rocky's girlfriend in the first R. Must have seen her in 'godfather' but I don't recall.
Never been to a Shaker village, either, CA, but I admire their craftsmanship, what I've seen of it. Nice, but not my cup oc tea.
Dozeedo away, tonight, Jazz! I have to stop now, to go look up 'orthogonal'. Bye
P.S., I think Charo was Cugat's first wife. He also married another Latina singer, whose name escapes me, but she had a bit more class than Charo. (very blurry memory about this, tho.)
Lucina:
You are speaking of Gethsemane, a monastery about 60 miles from here whose most famous resident (member?) was Thomas Merton, who, had he lived, might have helped bridge the gap between the major Eastern and Western religions.
Merton was less known for the fact that in his later years, he very privately ceased being celibate, a decision for which I find no fault in him whatsoever. He was a good man, and it is difficult if not impossible to be a good man without the presence of a woman in your life. Although it will be taken by some as a joke, the last statement is one of the most serious I have ever made, here or elsewhere.
Also, I was pretty sure that you would see the problem with the sentence as soon as you reread it.
Will take flaxseed help my hair loss?
WHITE RICE is no good. Eat brown rice.
Windhover- Thomas Merton. I haven't heard his name in years. No doubt he still has a following, but he has surely faded from the public eye. As a young man I read a few of his essays. I doubt they influenced me much, but he certainly was an interesting man.
Merton reminds me somewhat of Alan Watts. Both very popular among young people in the 1960's who were curious about Eastern religions. Their anti-war stances also enhanced that popularity. I heard Watts speak at a small, private gathering organized by a friend who was a writer for the Catholic Worker newspaper. Watts was drunk and I remember not a word he said.
Howdy.
Greeeaat job bumpa. I especially like some of the links. Can you guess which ones? Some of your comments were over my head but I loved them all. How long you been doing this stuff Jazz? Keep up the good work man.
Charo was the coochie, coochie girl for sure, coochie-ing on her husband, Xavier Cugat's T-V show. I think she was on one of the morning talk shows recently and she looks pretty good for her age.
Tell me Bumpa, is schmo really a word? Does any one know? And what does 34D's answer -'and- mean?
Dennis,
Easy on Phila., I lived in south Philly and some of my friends there wouldn't like to hear that. Know what I mean? Same as the boys in Bayonne. How much snow did you get, we got 14".
Jerome:
Number 4, and now I will be short for the lively Friday night jam, but:
One reason you haven't heard much from
Merton "lately" is that he died in 1968 at a relatively young age. He was not that much of a public figure during his lifetime because he was cloistered. His fame probably got him sprung from the monastery on occasion, and made possible his escape from the vow of celibacy. I am not a Catholic (or former Catholic), but I have many friends who are, some of whom are current or former priests or nuns, some of whom have close relatives who are the same, and I have a couple of friends who got to know TM before his death. I can pretty confidently say that while celibacy is intact in the Church de jure, its de facto days are numbered. Merton had, over 40 years ago, an ongoing relationship with a woman in Louisville. In my mind this in no way detracts from his integrity or his standing as a thinker/writer. His early writings on his conversion, spiritual journey, and submission to his vocation were tedious reading at best, typical of the zealotry in new converts to any cause. His later writing, as he began to delve into his study of Christianity and the commonality to other, especially Eastern, religions, is much more interesting and readable.
I've never heard of Alan Watts.
33
alan watts was a brilliant philosopher with a gift for speaking. his son mark is working on a biography that will be released soon. i have many of his lectures on audio and some on video, just a riveting speaker.
here's a clip.
It was David Geffen who Carly Simon sang "your're so VAIN
I was anxious to do the puzzle and didn’t have online access to the puzzle. I sure missed the red letter help today…! The top half filled pretty easily, but the SE/C was a mess! I finally googled a couple strategic clues, which gave me enough letters to fill in the rest, and I felt better. Forgot to even look for the theme.
16A From the other side: THEIR I didn’t like the clue at first either, but rationalized it as a competition – THEIRS vs. OURS – and it made more sense.
A COWBOY HATCH must be like the dropped seat in long johns – something that may have come in handy for “Brokeback Mountain”…
JAZZ, Melissa bee: Do you both have MACs? I just checked 3 different styled PC keyboards, and all have the ALT key below both the Z and X keys. GREAT point, Al!
Wasn’t Thomas Merton a recent fill?
MR ED: 34D So-so center? AND The word in the center of the phrase “so-and-so” is AND.
Hello All--Great job of blogging today, Jazzbumpa. I'm glad to see that evem you had trouble with todays puzzle. I put in stripes instead of stealth for Tiger's asset. That really held me back in the NE corner.
I thought the clues were very clever and once I had Shooting Starch in and ---hatch and ----pitch I caught onto the theme.
I had more trouble with yesteday's puzzle than today's, but both seemed to me about the same difficulty. I did have to Google DIJA, and Asahi. Getting a few answers here and a few more there finally paid off.
Winhover, very interesting comments today on the Shakers, and like groups. The artisans from the Shaker's group will be known for many generations to come. Their work was wonderful.
Rainy and blustery here today, but I feel for all of you who have to deal with snow. Take care and stay warm.
Fishy:
You believe everything you read? David Geffen? A gay man? It obviously was me she was writing about.
Windhover:
You are right, it was Gethsemane I was thinking about. In the early 1960s while I was studying at the Univ. of Dayton during summer, some friends took me to visit the monastery and we spent the day there. It made a huge impression on me.
As a young novice I read "The Seven Storey Mountain", Merton's autobiography and I'm certain I did not understand most of it as I had no real life experiences at that age but Thomas Merton was held up as a model for spiritual development.
Later in life, after he died, I read his biography and a description of how it happened that he became involved with a student nurse. No one knows for certain if he broke his vow of celibacy, but it was certainly strained. He is buried at the Abbey.
I agree with you most assuredly about the necessity of the male/female relationship in order to have a balanced life.
One of the many factors that caused me to leave the Convent was that very imbalance which I observed as the people around me grew older. Their perspective was somewhat skewed even though they are/were extraordinary human beings,most of them altruistic and genuinely saintly in many cases. This is, of course, my opinion and I truly value the years spent among their company; it enriched me in so many ways.
Got a touch (more like a sock) of the winter blues...I really dislike the month of March. Foodshow looms up ahead, ice houses have to come off the lakes, football is over, Olympics are over, you get a thaw and then get dumped on. I would feel much better if I was looking forward to SOMETHING, like getting out of town to burn my white skin.
This is when I usually put on about 5lbs though as I tend to want to cook.
WM, gazing at the daisies helps...
Good evening all,
JzB, you were soooo much more entertaining than today's c/w. It was a real groaner for me.I felt helpless without the red letter help. I do it on paper when I'm subbing and sneak in 5 min here 'n there.Had more success teaching conjunctions!
shooting starch made me groan, but kemo sabi made me laugh.
Andrea, we saw Charo(Marรญa Rosario Pilar Martรญnez Molina Moquiere de les Esperades Santa Ana Romanguera y de la Najosa Rasten- really, that is her name)in a show about 5 yrs ago at the Riviera in LV. She is a very accomplished flamingo guitar player, but her cuchiness only goes so far; wouldn't recommend it.
What will we do when there is no more curling???? LOL!
Truman is picking up so much new vocabulary (he's 2) from "school". He now says "note" very seriously as he thinks he is saying nope like the big kids.
with "ah choo" in mind, DO NOT buy the Puffs plus Vicks. Yikes!
testing Charo
Just trying to see if I can link a picture.
Did any of you do the CrosSynergy puzzle today? I can't figure out the connection between the theme answers and the puzzle title.
A lot of rain is due here tonight. I hope the folks in the burn areas don't get hit with mudslides. I enjoy the rain but I'm sure those folks dread it right now.
Mr. Ed, I think Schmo came from Lil' Abner.
I had to smile at the idea of flamingos playing guitar. I'm thinking you meant flamenco guitarist. :>) I had a friend who talked about going to see some flamingo dancers at a local bar. That's a good image too.
According to the freedictionary.com SCHMO comes from the Yiddish work SCHMUK.
Annette -
I do have a Mac, but blogged from My Sony Vaio laptop. We also have an old Sony desk top. On both is these Alt is under X.
The Sony desk top is totally unreliable. The lap top is terminally ill. After a couple of days it will be all Mac, at least for a while.
Mr Ed. I've been doing this since the day after Labor day, '09. I think this is my fifth time.
We had a great time dancing tonight. Lots of fun.
Thanks again, friends, for all the support.
Cheers!
JzB the tired trombonist
The word SCHMO is one of many Yiddish words which have become part of the language, like GONIFF (GANEF) the other day.
Al Capp in Lil ASbner introduced us to the race of SHMOOs which may be descended from SCHMO, but were much nicer.
Good night all you quiet kiddies
JD. Your Truman is adorable! How did he get his name? Is he named after some one?Interesting that the young folks are giving their offspring some of the old or different names. One of my friends has a toddler grandie named Henry. How long since you've heard that? Truman has a great nicknname: Tru; I like that!
I love little babies! Wish I had felt more that way when I had my own. Not that I didn't adore the girls, but I kept waiting for the next phase. Like 'soon she'll be out of diapers' and 'soon she'll be walking', 'soon she'll be in school'. . And now look! Seemingly in a trice!
LOL! Well Bill, I have to admit, that was a funny visual after realizing my faux pas.I'm still laughing. Thanks for the note, Sallie.
Annette, thank you for the help. just couldn't see that one.
@Bill G, in the CS puzzle today, for all the theme phrases, the first word starts with "P" and the second word starts with "E". P.E. = Phys Ed = Gym.
dodo, I think the kids just thought it was a unique name. I think they were going to call him Tru, but so far he's Truman.When the 2nd one came along their favorite names were presidential, like Harrison, Kennedy, Grant, Madison..but they felt that would be too weird, so he's Grady. Henry will come back with this generation; that was my dad's name.
JD (10:59) Toooo funny clip of he flamingo 'dancers'...you have such a great sense of humor and the wonderful ability to laugh at a small faux pas. Love it!!!
Speaking of kids names today, I like most of them...and it is true that the old ones are making a small comeback. We were at a BBQ a few years ago and one of the couples invited had 8 children (YES 8)...yikes. There were 2 girls (the oldest) followed by 6 little boys, all named after English kings AND (wait for it)... the last little boy was named Henry... Henry the 8th!!!! I kid you not.
JD, it was enjoyable. I'm glad you weren't offended. Now it's your turn to catch my faux pas of which I'm sure I will make more than one. (But I don't know the plural of faux pas.)
Al: How did you figure that theme out? Neither my wife or I had a clue. Dang! I hate when that happens. Thanks. I love clever themes (and will hate tomorrow's puzzle because it won't have one), but this one was way too tricky for me. Good on you
~ Bill G.
Rudyard Kipling's poem "Tommy" begins with a line about a "publican":
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
"Tommy" (technically "Tommy Atkins")is a somewhat archaic British term for an ordinary soldier, kind of like our G.I. Joe.
Lemonade, thanks for the shmoo link; I'd forgotten about them, and they used to be a favorite of mine when I was a kid.
Carol, JD, thanks - I'll have that image of flamingo dancers for quite a while.
Mr Ed, I lived in Philly for many years - I meant what I said, regardless of your 'friends' or 'boys', or even Luxor.
As a relatively new contributor, what do I not know about Luxor that I should know?
I like Grady, JD. As presidents go, Grant wouldn't be too unusual; I kind of like Madison. My two grown grandsons are just Joe and Tom. The younger one, the cousin, is Nick. Pretty common. My younger daughter is Carol but she added an e in her adulthood to become Carole. Interesting. Martha is now Molly. Oh, well. I've never been too crazy about Dorothy but wouldn't have dreamed of changing it. Wouldn't even know to what!
Carol, I think Henry VIII is great!
@Bill G, before I was a Database Administrator, I was a database programmer. I had to find recognizable patterns in raw data to be able to pick it apart, sort it, organize it, and work with it. Since I did that a lot, and still do to some extent, I got pretty good at finding patterns everywhere, and seeing connections between seemingly unrelated things. Whether it is just a kink in my brain or a skill learned on the job is something I am not even sure about myself. Connections have always fascinated me; one of my favorite PBS shows of all time was presented by James Burke and was simply called Connections.
Bill G...Luxor thinks that this Jeannie is a "not so nice girl". Don't know quite why he got that opine.
Bill G. We, meaning 99% thinks Jeannie is the"bomb". For some reason Luxor seems to vent a lot about her or others. He must truly feel like he is "The bees knees'....... seems like what his generation would say LOL!! Just wait, you'll get your turn. CC prefers that we ignore and do not feed the trolls. Which as worked recently has far as I know.
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