Theme: Gross Income - ICK is inserted into common phrases/words.
22A. Martial artist's autobiography?: THE KICKING AND I. "The King and I".
37A. Protest against fiery roadsters?: RED CAR PICKET. Red Carpet.
57A. Really cool security device?: WICKED LOCK. Wedlock.
78A. Price tag in the meat department?: HAM STICKER. Hamster.
93A. Communication from perverts?: SICKOS' SIGNAL. SOS Signal.
113A. Competition for greased-up pooches?: SLICKED DOG RACE. Sled Dog Race.
16D. Preserved a liquor bottle?: PICKLED THE FIFTH. Pled the Fifth. I did not know that a bottle of liquor is also called "fifth", meaning one fifth of a gallon.
44D. Aggressive policy to increase box office sales?: TICKET OFFENSIVE. Tet Offensive. Vietnam War.
I loved the theme title "Gross Income". Very nice wordplay on the accounting term. The gross "ICK" literally comes into every theme phrase.
Last time both Hahtool and I were expecting this kind of ICK insertion in Gail Grabowski's "Gross Word" (Letter C in common phrases is changed into letter G) Sunday puzzle.
Letter K always spices up the whole grid. I counted total 16 Ks in this puzzle. The record is 30, held by Don Gagliardo (Feb 21, 2008, Thursday LAT).
Across:
1. Kept afloat: BUOYED
7. Big sizes: JUMBOS
13. Things drawn across windows: DRAPES. Not enough letters for my CURTAINS.
19. Like books for long-distance road trips: ON TAPE
20. Bob Hope Airport city: BURBANK. Near LA. I had no idea that there's a Bob Hope Airport.
21. Savor: RELISH
24. Combo wager: EXACTA. Pick the first two finishers in order.
25. "Attention!": HARK
26. 1973 Stones ballad: ANGIE. Here is the clip.
27. Columnist Bombeck: ERMA. The "Joy of Cooking" author is IRMA (Rombauer).
29. Short timetable?: SKED. Schedule.
30. Theater level: TIER
32. Foofaraw: ADO. Foofaraw is a new word to me.
33. Formal orders: DICTUMS. Or DICTA.
36. "College GameDay" football analyst Corso: LEE. For ESPN. I've never heard of this guy.
40. Neruda works: POEMS. Neruda got Nobel Literature in 1971.
42. ATF employee: AGT (Agent). ATF = Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
45. Like dried soil: CAKY. Only know this word in make-up sense.
46. Emotional work: ODE. I like this new clue.
47. Try to keep, as a title: DEFEND.
49. Madden coached them in the '70s: RAIDERS. Was unaware that John Madden coached the Oakland Raiders.
51. Pirate riches: BOOTY
53. When Hamlet feigns insanity: ACT TWO. This ACT One/Two/IV combo often gets me.
56. Not marked up: AT COST. And PROFIT (80A. Entrepreneur's goal).
60. Mortar trough: HOD. Brick hod.
61. "Classic" drinks: COKES
62. "The queen of sciences": Gauss: MATH. Maybe our Fermatprime knows this quote.
63. Thought-revealing drama techniques: ASIDES
64. Genre of the band Fall Out Boy: EMO. First encounter with the rock band Fall Out Boy.
65. Charlemagne's reign: Abbr.: HRE (Holy Roman Empire)
66. Come out with: SAY. Dictionary gives an example: Always comes out with (SAYS) the truth.
67. Check for authenticity: VET
68. Sibs, uncs, etc.: FAM. OK, Family.
69. Boxing writer Fleischer: NAT. Was he very well-known?
70. Piercing cry: SHRIEK
73. Storage facility: SHED
75. Curing solution: BRINE
77. Vow after reading vows: I DO. Nailed it.
81. LL Cool J label: DEF JAM. No idea. Does DEF stands for Definite?
83. Actor Feldman or Haim: COREY. Obtained the answer from crosses.
84. Jewish pancake: BLINTZE. Always thought it's spelled without the last E.
85. Alarm setting for one with a paper route, maybe: FIVE AM. Too late, don't you think?
89. Globule: BEAD
90. That ship: HER
91. __ brûlée: custard dessert: CRÉME. Dennis' favorite dessert.
97. Over there, back when: YON
98. Gear on the slopes: SKI MASK
100. Google had one in Aug. 2004: IPO (Initial Public Offering). I remember the hype.
101. W. Coast enforcer: LAPD
104. Letter sign-off: BEST
106. Organic compound: ENOL. Instinctive fill.
107. "__ the Boys": Katy Perry album: ONE OF. See this cover. Unknown to me.
109. Didn't hold, as dyes: BLED
111. It'll put you under: OPIATE. Great clue.
117. Energizes: REVS UP
118. Sky lights: AURORAS. Aurora is the Roman goddess of dawn.
119. "Knocked Up" director Judd: APATOW. Also the director for "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". Recognized him when I googled.
120. Does an usher's job: GREETS
121. Football bettor's concern: SPREAD. Same as "The Line"?
122. Buds at sea: MATEYS
Down:
1. Inclusive choice: BOTH
2. Doff a bowler: UNHAT. Bowler hat.
3. Castmate of Gasteyer, Ferrell et al.: OTERI (Cheri). All "SNL" cast.
4. Gas bag: YAKKER
5. Dermal opening: EPI. Epidermal.
6. Prefix with -gon: DECA. Decagon. Polygon with ten angles and ten sides.
7. Son: JUNIOR
9. W.'s degree: MBA. Bush got his MBA from Harvard.
10. Blackball: BAN
11. Batting next: ON DECK. So happy that Twins got Jim Thome.
12. Got around: SKIRTED
13. Night vision?: DREAM. Sweet clue.
14. Latin king: REX. Regal is rooted in REX.
15. "Unfortunately ...": ALAS
17. High regard: ESTEEM
18. Hipster's accessory: SHADES. Sunglasses.
20. It may be circled on a calendar: BIG DAY
23. Special gifts: KNACKS. Was thinking of real gifts.
28. Remote control?: MUTE. Have seen this clue before. Still like it.
31. Break: RECESS
33. Got a B-minus, say: DID OK
34. Summer refresher: ICE TEA. Iced Tea, please!
35. Traces: SPECKS
38. Tavern flier: DART
39. Hound: POOCH
41. Niagara Falls prov.: ONT (Ontario)
42. Spider, e.g.: ARACHNID
43. Drink named for a football team: GATORADE. Named after the University of Florida Gators.
48. Phase: FACET
51. Series of jokes: BIT. Was ignorant of this BIT meaning.
52. Football stat.: YDS
54. Emulate Don Juan: WOMANIZE
55. Gas mileage calculating aid: ODOMETER
57. Can't tell which __ up: WAY IS. I wrote down ONE IS first.
58. Onions partner: LIVER. Because you always cooks liver with onion?
59. Had too much: OD-ED. Overdosed.
62. Old school add-on?: MARM. "Add-on" to the old-time schoolteacher Schoolmarm.
66. Humiliate: SHAME
70. They may be close: SHAVES
71. And so forth: Abbr.: ETC
72. Convention booths: KIOSKS. Two Ks in this word.
73. Misrepresents: SKEWS
74. "I'm talking to you!": HEY
75. Like some gowns: BRIDAL. Bridal gowns.
79. Swindler: CROOK
80. Seating __: PLAN. I wanted DUCK.
82. Bowie at the Alamo: JIM
84. Parent's reminder: BE GOOD
87. Brunch drinks: MIMOSAS. Champagne & orange juice.
89. Humans and ostriches, e.g.: BIPEDS
91. Many a sci-fi villain: CYBORG. Cyb(ernetic) Org(anism). Mechanically enhanced human.
92. Former "At the Movies" co-host: ROEPER (Richard). The other co-host is Roger Ebert.
94. Bring to the majors: CALL UP. Major League Baseball.
95. "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer O'Connor. SINEAD. I love this song.
96. Experimental runner: LAB RAT
99. Stays fresh: KEEPS
102. Fundraising dinner unit: PLATE
103. Plastic duck, e.g.: DECOY
105. Subdue by shocking: TASE. Don't Tase Me, Bro!
107. Fried Cajun veggie: OKRA
108. Flat beer's lack: FOAM
112. King whose tomb was found in 1922: TUT. Poor lad!
114. Bargain bin abbr.: IRR (Irregular)
115. "Take This Job and Shove It" songwriter David Allan __: COE. Sorry, dude, don't know you.
116. College résumé fig.: GPA (Grade Point Average)
Answer grid.
C.C.
22A. Martial artist's autobiography?: THE KICKING AND I. "The King and I".
37A. Protest against fiery roadsters?: RED CAR PICKET. Red Carpet.
57A. Really cool security device?: WICKED LOCK. Wedlock.
78A. Price tag in the meat department?: HAM STICKER. Hamster.
93A. Communication from perverts?: SICKOS' SIGNAL. SOS Signal.
113A. Competition for greased-up pooches?: SLICKED DOG RACE. Sled Dog Race.
16D. Preserved a liquor bottle?: PICKLED THE FIFTH. Pled the Fifth. I did not know that a bottle of liquor is also called "fifth", meaning one fifth of a gallon.
44D. Aggressive policy to increase box office sales?: TICKET OFFENSIVE. Tet Offensive. Vietnam War.
I loved the theme title "Gross Income". Very nice wordplay on the accounting term. The gross "ICK" literally comes into every theme phrase.
Last time both Hahtool and I were expecting this kind of ICK insertion in Gail Grabowski's "Gross Word" (Letter C in common phrases is changed into letter G) Sunday puzzle.
Letter K always spices up the whole grid. I counted total 16 Ks in this puzzle. The record is 30, held by Don Gagliardo (Feb 21, 2008, Thursday LAT).
Across:
1. Kept afloat: BUOYED
7. Big sizes: JUMBOS
13. Things drawn across windows: DRAPES. Not enough letters for my CURTAINS.
19. Like books for long-distance road trips: ON TAPE
20. Bob Hope Airport city: BURBANK. Near LA. I had no idea that there's a Bob Hope Airport.
21. Savor: RELISH
24. Combo wager: EXACTA. Pick the first two finishers in order.
25. "Attention!": HARK
26. 1973 Stones ballad: ANGIE. Here is the clip.
27. Columnist Bombeck: ERMA. The "Joy of Cooking" author is IRMA (Rombauer).
29. Short timetable?: SKED. Schedule.
30. Theater level: TIER
32. Foofaraw: ADO. Foofaraw is a new word to me.
33. Formal orders: DICTUMS. Or DICTA.
36. "College GameDay" football analyst Corso: LEE. For ESPN. I've never heard of this guy.
40. Neruda works: POEMS. Neruda got Nobel Literature in 1971.
42. ATF employee: AGT (Agent). ATF = Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
45. Like dried soil: CAKY. Only know this word in make-up sense.
46. Emotional work: ODE. I like this new clue.
47. Try to keep, as a title: DEFEND.
49. Madden coached them in the '70s: RAIDERS. Was unaware that John Madden coached the Oakland Raiders.
51. Pirate riches: BOOTY
53. When Hamlet feigns insanity: ACT TWO. This ACT One/Two/IV combo often gets me.
56. Not marked up: AT COST. And PROFIT (80A. Entrepreneur's goal).
60. Mortar trough: HOD. Brick hod.
61. "Classic" drinks: COKES
62. "The queen of sciences": Gauss: MATH. Maybe our Fermatprime knows this quote.
63. Thought-revealing drama techniques: ASIDES
64. Genre of the band Fall Out Boy: EMO. First encounter with the rock band Fall Out Boy.
65. Charlemagne's reign: Abbr.: HRE (Holy Roman Empire)
66. Come out with: SAY. Dictionary gives an example: Always comes out with (SAYS) the truth.
67. Check for authenticity: VET
68. Sibs, uncs, etc.: FAM. OK, Family.
69. Boxing writer Fleischer: NAT. Was he very well-known?
70. Piercing cry: SHRIEK
73. Storage facility: SHED
75. Curing solution: BRINE
77. Vow after reading vows: I DO. Nailed it.
81. LL Cool J label: DEF JAM. No idea. Does DEF stands for Definite?
83. Actor Feldman or Haim: COREY. Obtained the answer from crosses.
84. Jewish pancake: BLINTZE. Always thought it's spelled without the last E.
85. Alarm setting for one with a paper route, maybe: FIVE AM. Too late, don't you think?
89. Globule: BEAD
90. That ship: HER
91. __ brûlée: custard dessert: CRÉME. Dennis' favorite dessert.
97. Over there, back when: YON
98. Gear on the slopes: SKI MASK
100. Google had one in Aug. 2004: IPO (Initial Public Offering). I remember the hype.
101. W. Coast enforcer: LAPD
104. Letter sign-off: BEST
106. Organic compound: ENOL. Instinctive fill.
107. "__ the Boys": Katy Perry album: ONE OF. See this cover. Unknown to me.
109. Didn't hold, as dyes: BLED
111. It'll put you under: OPIATE. Great clue.
117. Energizes: REVS UP
118. Sky lights: AURORAS. Aurora is the Roman goddess of dawn.
119. "Knocked Up" director Judd: APATOW. Also the director for "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". Recognized him when I googled.
120. Does an usher's job: GREETS
121. Football bettor's concern: SPREAD. Same as "The Line"?
122. Buds at sea: MATEYS
Down:
1. Inclusive choice: BOTH
2. Doff a bowler: UNHAT. Bowler hat.
3. Castmate of Gasteyer, Ferrell et al.: OTERI (Cheri). All "SNL" cast.
4. Gas bag: YAKKER
5. Dermal opening: EPI. Epidermal.
6. Prefix with -gon: DECA. Decagon. Polygon with ten angles and ten sides.
7. Son: JUNIOR
9. W.'s degree: MBA. Bush got his MBA from Harvard.
10. Blackball: BAN
11. Batting next: ON DECK. So happy that Twins got Jim Thome.
12. Got around: SKIRTED
13. Night vision?: DREAM. Sweet clue.
14. Latin king: REX. Regal is rooted in REX.
15. "Unfortunately ...": ALAS
17. High regard: ESTEEM
18. Hipster's accessory: SHADES. Sunglasses.
20. It may be circled on a calendar: BIG DAY
23. Special gifts: KNACKS. Was thinking of real gifts.
28. Remote control?: MUTE. Have seen this clue before. Still like it.
31. Break: RECESS
33. Got a B-minus, say: DID OK
34. Summer refresher: ICE TEA. Iced Tea, please!
35. Traces: SPECKS
38. Tavern flier: DART
39. Hound: POOCH
41. Niagara Falls prov.: ONT (Ontario)
42. Spider, e.g.: ARACHNID
43. Drink named for a football team: GATORADE. Named after the University of Florida Gators.
48. Phase: FACET
51. Series of jokes: BIT. Was ignorant of this BIT meaning.
52. Football stat.: YDS
54. Emulate Don Juan: WOMANIZE
55. Gas mileage calculating aid: ODOMETER
57. Can't tell which __ up: WAY IS. I wrote down ONE IS first.
58. Onions partner: LIVER. Because you always cooks liver with onion?
59. Had too much: OD-ED. Overdosed.
62. Old school add-on?: MARM. "Add-on" to the old-time schoolteacher Schoolmarm.
66. Humiliate: SHAME
70. They may be close: SHAVES
71. And so forth: Abbr.: ETC
72. Convention booths: KIOSKS. Two Ks in this word.
73. Misrepresents: SKEWS
74. "I'm talking to you!": HEY
75. Like some gowns: BRIDAL. Bridal gowns.
79. Swindler: CROOK
80. Seating __: PLAN. I wanted DUCK.
82. Bowie at the Alamo: JIM
84. Parent's reminder: BE GOOD
87. Brunch drinks: MIMOSAS. Champagne & orange juice.
89. Humans and ostriches, e.g.: BIPEDS
91. Many a sci-fi villain: CYBORG. Cyb(ernetic) Org(anism). Mechanically enhanced human.
92. Former "At the Movies" co-host: ROEPER (Richard). The other co-host is Roger Ebert.
94. Bring to the majors: CALL UP. Major League Baseball.
95. "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer O'Connor. SINEAD. I love this song.
96. Experimental runner: LAB RAT
99. Stays fresh: KEEPS
102. Fundraising dinner unit: PLATE
103. Plastic duck, e.g.: DECOY
105. Subdue by shocking: TASE. Don't Tase Me, Bro!
107. Fried Cajun veggie: OKRA
108. Flat beer's lack: FOAM
112. King whose tomb was found in 1922: TUT. Poor lad!
114. Bargain bin abbr.: IRR (Irregular)
115. "Take This Job and Shove It" songwriter David Allan __: COE. Sorry, dude, don't know you.
116. College résumé fig.: GPA (Grade Point Average)
Answer grid.
C.C.
37 comments:
Good Morning, C.C.,
I'm not really awake yet and just scanned your post but I have to thank you for a good chuckle(chortle even) already.
80. Seating __: PLAN. I wanted DUCK.
It took me a moment but the phrase is Sitting DUCK.
Now I can go out for coffee with a smile on my face.
Good Morning, CC. A good Sunday puzzle. You are right, CC ~ this insertion of ICK is exactly what I was looking for this morning. I am always amazed at your wonderful write-ups!
I thought UNHAT was a very strange. Is that really a word? Rhetorical question.
My favorite clues, other than some some clever theme clues, were: Experimental Runner: LAB RAT and Parent's Reminder: BE GOOD.
More than you ever wanted to know about Blintzes.
In the play, "You Can't Take it With You", there is a wonderful line: "Olga, Never be stingy with the blintzes."
QOD: I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people." ~ Isaac Newton
Good morning! CC, let me add my thanks for your excellent write-ups. Insightful and fun, always.
I got the first theme clue right away, the following ones took a little while and needed help from cross entries. Completing the puzzle with just a little cheating took 45 enjoyable minutes.
A couple of d'oh moments for me were: recess (break) - I was thinking of actual breakage, and J __ Juliet (as in) - I was thinking of Romeo and Juliet.
Does anyone else think 'caky' is an odd answer for dry soil? Caky implies moist to me, the kind of dirt you can make a clump with. Dry would be dusty. I'm so ready to get my hands in the dirt and garden!
Goodbye to February - don't let the door kick you in the butt!
Gracie
Re: Dry soil. If the soil has high clay content then indeed it may be CAKY when dry.
Hmmm. Did anyone else notice that DRAPES and RED CARP(ick)ET were in the same puzzle?
I hope all of our friends in the North East (especially in New England, ie, Mainaic) are okay. I just spoke with someone from there (fortunately cell phones worked) and, due to the strong hurricane-force winds of greater than 90 miles per hour, electric and phone lines are done. Many trees have crashed onto houses and cars.
Also, keep those harmed by the Chilean earthquake in your thoughts. A lot of damage caused by that event as well.
Happy Sunday all, and to follow up on last evenings discussion, one of the reasons I do not correct people any more, is I am generally wrong, as anyone who knows any Latin would not believe it could be DICTUMS or DICTA, as DICTA is the plural, or that BLINTZE or BLINTZ are both proper, but they are and I am sure they were checked by the constructor and the editor.
I do not get as much fun out of these random insertion puzzles, but it certainly made the puzzle go quickly as the theme was apparent from the KING and I variation in the very beginning.
John Madden was not only the coach of the Raiders, but has the best winning percentage of any professional coach who won 100 or more games. His insight into the game is what made him such a successful analyst for so many years on various NFL broadcast. He also managed to make the transition without ever looking back, an oddity among professional athletes who un-retire all too often.
LEE CORSO is an amazing story, of a football coach who was never particularly successful becoming a fan favorite on TV, who suffered a stroke in 2009, and managed to work his way all the way back to work the fall season of college football. If you do not bleed orange and blue, or whateve colrs you college team wears, you would not know this entertaining, and now amazing man.
Fleischer: NAT made boxing a legitimate sport in the US with his excellent articles in newspapers, his own participation as a referee and all the words he wrote in books and in RING magazine, which he co-founded and is the bible of the sport.
I do love the Sitting Duck reference and appreciate what a ridiculously hard job spoken English is to learn.
Yes to all weather torn areas from Chile, Hawaii and the northeast, be safe. Take care all.
Hahtool, all we want to know is does the carpet match the drapes....
On a totally unrelated subject, also from yesterday, I am all for a Doug Peterson/Brad Wilber collaboration. I know I only speak for myself, but I really perceive Doug and Jerome as close friends of the Corner, and appreciate all the time they have spent teaching us things they have learned,
BTW Doug, did you ever read a short story by Asimove, in his Black Widowers' series where the reall Bruce Wayme was the guest of honor? As a Batman afficianado, it was interesting.
Well I am off to work, when is the hockey?
Just got finished in about 56 minutes with too much red letter help. Knew less than was unknown and I didn't really enjoy this one much.
One of my few gimmes was of course crème, but I didn't know any of the names and when I have to either google or cruise the keyboard for them I lose interest fast.
Hahtool,
I'm sure unhat is not the same as doff, even if it is a word. I would think of it as someone else knocking my hat off my head to insult me.
Yesterday I didn't get too far either and am still working on it.
Time to go enjoy the rest of my Sunday.
Good Morning All, I had to nibble my way around the edges on this one and slowly work my way to the center.
THE KICKING AND I was the second theme answer I got and was the one that turned on the light bulb. I could then jump around and (in most cases) fill in ICK in the proper places.
The Bob Hope Airport in BURBANK is very convenient for other than international flights. It is much smaller, with easier access and cheaper parking, than LAX.
Wish I'd had an winning EXACTA for the 1992 Kentucky Derby. It paid $854.40.
Hmmm, we didn't like SKED very much before and here it is again.
GAH's favorite non-participation sport is boxing. The only magazines we subscribe to are National Geo, Smithsonian and Ring. I must have heard him mention NAT Fleischer.
Pablo Neruda poem coming up soon.
Afternoon, all!
Finally got around to doing this one (had to head out early this morning for a church service/concert performance). For awhile there, I really struggled with this one, not knowing which end was up. Partially, that was because I couldn't actually read the theme and had trouble figuring out what was going on. It was also, of course, because I've always heard the phrase "which END is up" and not "which WAY is up," so that caused me some grief.
Without knowing the theme, I had a real hard time parsing 113A, even after getting most of the letters. I've never heard of David Allan COE and thought he might have been named after Edgar Allen POE. But that gave me SLIPKEDDOGRACE. I thought the last word of the phrase was GRACE and couldn't figure out what SLIP KEDDO GRACE was supposed to be...
Ah well, I finally replaced END IS with WAY IS, figured out the puzzle's essential ICKiness, and managed to finish with a slightly less-than-stellar time.
Oh -- and we survived the 60 MPH winds here the other day. Lots of trees down, but fortunately none hit our house and we didn't lose power.
Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet. I've previously posted a couple of his 100 love sonnets. They are very intense and full of beautiful imagery. It is rather touching that his sonnets weren't written to some forbidden mistress, but were inspired by his wife, Matilde.
Sonnet LXXXI
And now you're mine. Rest with your dream in my dream.
Love and pain and work should all sleep, now.
The night turns on its invisible wheels,
and you are pure beside me as a sleeping amber.
No one else, Love, will sleep in my dreams.
You will go, we will go together, over the waters of time.
No one else will travel through the shadows with me,
only you, evergreen, ever sun, ever moon.
Your hands have already opened their delicate fists
and let their soft drifting signs drop away;
your eyes closed like two gray wings, and I move
after, following the folding water you carry,
that carries me away. The night, the world, the wind spin out their destiny.
Without you, I am your dream, only that, and that is all.
- Pablo Neruda
Hi CC and everybody. I enjoyed the puzzle. Themes are good.
A bottle of liquor used to be called a fifth but not for a while. It's 750 mL now. I have never seen schedule abbreviated as SKED either, always SCHED. Yes, chicken liver cooked with onions. Bacon too.
I hope Jim Thome does better for the Twins than he did for the Dodgers last year. He seems like a nice guy though.
Good morning everybody.
C.C. your take on "seating....." is not only charming, but proves that you're becoming a master at American idiom! Your writeups are so amazing that if I hadn't read your profile, I would never believe English is you second language. Keep up the good work!
I think 'caky' is a good description for dry soil,think of a dried-up creek bed. But I would have spelled it 'cakey'. I suppose both are correct, as in 'blintze'. As for them, where does 'latke' fit, other than with Gravis?
CA Was Burbank Airport once called Whiteman Field, or something like that?
Hello C.C.,
Did anyone have a different puzzle in their issue of the Feb.28,2010 L.A. Times? I had one called "Idle" thoughts with a 6 part quip. The puzzle was by Merl Reagle. Thanks
Karen
There are two annoying basketball color announcers that leave the 'g' out of 'strength' and 'length' and pronounce them as 'strenth' and 'lenth'. The online dictionaries do list them but as the third choice. Are they regional pronunciations do you suppose?
Yes, Karen, the San Francisco Chronicle has that puzzle today as well as the LAT one and a Frank Longo one called "Stocking Cups". We Chron subscribers have a full Sunday provided for us! There are always three cws as well as an acrostic, a jumble, and a 'Cypher' which I haven't tried. I've done the acrostic but it's so time-consuming I gave it up.
Hello C.C. and all,
Thanks for a fun write up and the usual wandering comments.
Dodo, I followed Hahtool's link to blintzes and then on to Latkes. It says they are potato pancakes. Personally, I prefer blintzes, with a sweet filling. My son got a crepe maker for Christmas and we've enjoyed several varieties.
Here's a song by David Allan Coe that my husband likes to sing. I especially like the end, a tribute to the perfect country and western song.
Clear Ayes, Thanks for the Pablo Neruda poem. Great imagery and all for his own wife!
The Chicago Tribune also offers a variety of puzzles on Sunday. We have Peter Wentz's Gross Income, Doug Peterson's Cross sword puzzle, Charles Preston's Culinary Contributions, all with cute themes. The quote-acrostic, jumble and sudoku round it out. I did them all today; sometimes I carry the Sunday pages with me all week.
Just snow flurries here today. The big problem is our plumbing problem. Tree roots times ten. No more rodding, now we are into replacing the whole sewer line from the house to the street.
I hope March brings electricity and fewer natural disasters to all.
Mary, that is a very enjoyable country song for sure!
Quite a hockey game. I don't care much for hockey but that was exciting. One of our favorite movies is "Miracle" about the 1980 hockey game between the US and Russia.
Good afternoon, C.C. and all:
I've been away all afternoon and just returned from babysitting my grandbaby and church this morning.
Before leaving, I had finished about 3/4ths, enjoyed the theme, chuckled over extractions within the theme. Well done, Peter Wentz.
My favorite clue was night vision: dream.
I agree about caky, I would have spelled it "cakey" and I hadn't seen blintz with an "e"; I had to chuckle over "sked" thinking about the previous discussion over it.
53A gave me trouble because I thought it was Act III and I wanted it in Roman numerals (tee hee) so of course it took a while to unravel it. The light bulb turned on with "womanizer".
Re: unhat. Is this a contrivance for the xwd only?
C.C.:
Keep up the good work. You are an amazing xwd analyst.
Dennis:
I can't imagine doing this before coffee!
Adios, hasta manana.
Hi all,
Enjoyed the parts of the puzzle I could do, and always enjoy your write-ups, CC.
I stumbled over foofaraw, but as I said it over and over, it became familiar. Such an odd word; found it spelled 4 ways(foofooraw ,fofarraw,foofoorah) in my Dictionary of American Slang. Origin uncertain, perhaps from French frou-frou(frills)
*a loud disturbance
*gaudy clothing
*ostentation;proud show
Didn't like unhat or hod.Loved remote control and tavern flier. Creme Brulee is our favorite dessert, although I rarely make it.
Annette, I so agreed with your statement last night,"It's better to be kind than right." I think everyone had the right idea. I think at this point in my life I would only correct my daughters,(not their husbands) and never in a group...unless I was tipsy. :)I certainly don't mind when I am corrected on this blog for an idiotic spelling mistake.
Does anyone here say sall for saw? I think it is regional.
well. I stand corrected and should have done the research before blogging. Both cakey and caky are listed in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1961.
Unhat is listed in a Google Dictionary; it seems to be a British expression, my opinion.
Kazie, I'm with you on 'unhat'. One would never say, frintnce, "I unhatted myself when I met her on the street". I could imagine, "She went outside unhatted". How about "dehat"? Nope! I'm afraid not. Guess we'll have to go along with the cunstructor.
J.D. What's wrong with 'hod'? I heard the word 'hodcarrier' before I ever heard of a 'hod' but it made sense when I knew the definition.
C.C., I hope you don't mind the word study. I love it, myself. If words weren't such fun, we wouldn't have crosswords, would we?
Hi All!
Great write-up C. C.!
Note that dictionary.com does not like CAKY or CAKEY (which I would spell it too, Dodo). I could check the OED but that would mean I would have to find it and install it. Just too tired for that. Another sleepless night. Had one lazy error, BIN DAY instead of BIG DAY. (Had ASH BIN last week in one of the puzzles. Was trying not to google. Perps took care of the other things that I did not know--mostly names.
Thanks for the poem, Clear!
LA Times paper never has the syndicated puzzle that is blogged, I think, Karen. I do not like the "quip" puzzles. But I suppose that I shall have it to work it as one of my friends will probably call me about it; I hate trying to fill in random answers over the phone. Hard work!
Read a Mrs. Pollifax mystery (Dorothy Gilman). Didn't put me to sleep. Her books are fun if one is an old dame.
Hope you all survive your weather problems!
let's not have any logomachy here.
Argyle, is 'logomachy' actually in your speaking vocabulary? '-machy' what does that suffix mean? It must be 'dispute' or something like that. Is it Greek or Latin? Can you give us another word with that ending, please?
Argyle, I agree. We wouldn't want a kerfuffle about words.
Does anyone know if "our" crossword can be found in a paper in Oahu?
dodo, nothing is wrong with the word hod. It was just another clue (mortar trough-even hard to say) that I said..."huh?" and the answer made me say "huh" once more.
Actually, I am always amazed that the constructors can put together these puzzles so cleverly. It's great that there was such a word that fit in the correct spot.
Speaking of Oahu, where are you Keanu (okay, you know I am teasing) but I would like a first hand on the atmosphere in Hawaii.
It is amazing we had so little commentary today, after having tremendous Sunday responses for weeks; I wonder what determines. I guess now that we have more young people, they actually have more to do on weekends. It is all the same to me.
I hope you all had a joyous PURIM .
Lemonade---love the new pic! Looks like it could be one of your sons, but I imagine it is a young lemon.
IPO.
I was wondering what happened to you. I hope all your Hawaiian friends are fine.
I am glad you noticed the avatar.
Lemonade: we did the whole Megillah last night. Is your avatar from a prior Purim or were you a thesbian?
The pic is from many years ago, H., but as far as my being a Thespian, that is just a bit personal....I do like the sweater, though and wonder where it ended up?
The California rain has stopped for a while, so GAH and I headed out with another couple this afternoon. We had tickets to our local repertory theater production of "Guys and Dolls". It received terrific reviews and it turned out they were well deserved. It was a great show and we went out to dinner afterward. The restaurant gave us a free glass of wine with each theater ticket stub. Win-win!
Lemonade, Funny thesbian. Nice avatar.
Congrats to the Canadian hockey team. I'm glad they won. The gold medal means so much more to Canada as a whole than it does to the U.S.
Stay safe, East Coasters. It looks like you have more snow and maybe rain coming your way.
THESBIAN .
hmmmmmmmmmm
Lemonade asked: It is amazing we had so little commentary today, after having tremendous Sunday responses for weeks; I wonder what determines.
I wonder why too. It was a good puzzle. I posted several comments with no responses. Maybe many of our folks were watching the closing ceremonies? Or maybe they had more exciting stuff happening in their lives?
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