Theme: THE POWER OF TEN (51A. Exponential measurement, and in a way, what's demonstrated in how answers were formed in 20-, 34- and 41-Across?) - IO, which looks like Arabic number 10 in a way, is attached to the end of each common phrase.
20A. Barbecue area without chairs?: STANDING PAT(IO). Standing Pat.
34A. Relative value used in a scientific workplace?: LABORATORY RAT(IO). Laboratory Rat.
41A. Small apartment for a comical septet?: SEVEN CARD STUD(IO). Seven-Card Stud. Poker game. (Card is a slang for someone who is comical/facetious. Thanks, Dennis.)
Then we also have OHIO (63A. One of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers). OH, IO, marvelous! Did you guys catch the IO & 10 connection immediately? I hope Bill G did. He just encountered a similar gimmick in another puzzle.
I really like the theme tie-in entry THE POWER OF TEN. It certainly spices up our regular add/delete/substitute a letter string Friday fare, exponentially.
The four 9-letter non-theme answers all crumbled easily for me, with their straightforward clues. Did struggle a bit with a few short entries, very deceptive clues with several alternative answers.
Across:
1. Sugar substitute?: DEAR. Endearment "Sugar" substitute. The intersecting DOT (1D. Pointillism unit) prevented me from filling in BABY/BABE. Shout-out to our Dot, whose husband Irv will be 96 years old at the end of this month. Possibly the oldest crossword solver in our group.
5. Flirtation: PASS
9. Travel needs, perhaps: VISAS. Travel abroad.
14. End of an estimate: OR SO
15. Rival rival: ALPO. Not familiar with the pet food brand Rival.
16. __ coffee: IRISH. I wanted TEA OR.
17. Hobart resident: TASMANIAN. Did not know Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, though the answer appeared rather swiftly.
19. Lip-smacking: TASTY.
22. Certain mil. member: NCO
23. Gray head?: LEE (R. E. ). The Civil War "Gray" side. Great clue.
24. Cereal ingredient: BRAN
27. Stallone role: RAMBO. Did you want ROCKY also?
31. Plant activity: Abbr.: MFG (Manufacturing)
38. Lost a lap?: AROSE. Mine was STOOD. At least, I was in the correct "lap" direction.
39. Padre's hermana: TIA. Hermana is Spanish for "sister". Father's sister = Aunt. Several Spanish references in the grid.
40. Snacking (on) to excess: OD'ING. Overdosing.
44. Before, in verse: ERE
45. Backspace, often: ERASE. And ERROR (61. What an X may indicate).
46. "O, gie me the __ that has acres o' charms": Burns: LASS. I peeked at the answer sheet. Have ne'er heard of the poem.
47. Word-word link: FOR. Word for word. FOR links word & word.
49. Pres. between JAG and GC: CAA (Chester A. Arthur). JAG = James A Garfield. GC = Grover Cleveland. Stumped me. Gimme, Melissa?
58. Bread: MOOLA. Tough without the question mark.
59. Like clones: IDENTICAL
62. Supply, as paper to a copier: FEED
64. California baseballer: GIANT. Could also be ANGEL.
65. Signs: INKS
66. Chuck __, only coach to win four Super Bowls: NOLL. With the Steelers. Learning moment for me.
Down:
3. __ mgr.: ASST
4. Prominent facial feature: ROMAN NOSE
5. Ill-fated opener of myth: PANDORA. Pandora's Box.
6. Et __: and others: ALII. Masculine plural. Et alia is neutral plural. Et aliae is feminine plural.
7. Bridge: SPAN
8. Berlin number: SONG. Irving Berlin. I bet Kazie was in the German "number" direction too.
9. Curriculum __: VITAE. CV. Resumé.
10. Fit to be tied: IRATE
11. Spanish ayes: SI SI
12. Reference words: AS TO
13. Unassuming: SHY. Was surprised by how unassuming Andre Agassi is in his various interviews.
18. Mandela's gp.: ANC (African National Congress)
21. Gamer's maneuver: PLOT. (Added later: The answer should be PLOY. Sorry for the error.)
24. Apathetic: BLASE
25. Harder to dig up: RARER. Harder to find (dig up), like a Mint/Near Mint condition Mickey Mantle Topps 1956.
26. Upstairs: ABOVE
28. Fragrant oil: ATTAR. Rose oil.
29. Kelly of "One Tree Hill": MOIRA. First encounter with this actress. She looks demure.
30. Wire fasteners: BRADS
31. Highest peak on Crete: Abbr.: MT. IDA. Got me again. MT always give me trouble.
32. "Done!": FINIS. I sure need a French hint in the clue.
33. "We Got the Beat" singers: GO-GO'S. Here is the clip. I cheated.
35. TV Chihuahua: REN. Ren and Stimpy.
36. Baloney: ROT
37. Excessive flattery: ADULATION
42. Uno minus uno: CERO. Spanish for "zero" I suppose.
43. They can ruin diets: SECONDS. Really?
47. Pen resident: FELON. The prison "pen". I just can't get pigs out of my mind. I am a Pig. Can't be friends with those who are born in the year of Snake.
48. Illusionary genre: OP ART
50. Back on the water: AFT. Back of the boat.
51. Famous Amos: TORI. Tori Amos. Loved the sweet "Famous Amos" clue. What's your favorite cookie?
52. Joyful group dance: HORA
53. Coffeehouse connection: WIFI
54. 1950s British prime minister: EDEN (Anthony). Prime Minister from 1955-1957. Succeeded Churchill on the latter's second term.
55. Offend the olfactories: REEK. Thanks for the ODOR explanation yesterday, everyone.
57. Pointed fastener: NAIL
58. Unit of RAM: MEG (Megbyte). I was thinking of the component word unit for RAM (Random Access Memory).
60. Texter's tehee: LOL.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a happy photo of our gifted linguist Kazie and her husband in front of the Little Rock Capitol Building. The picture was taken last Friday March 19, 2010.
On the front page of the blog, there is a Blog Photo sidebar. Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) your picture if you want to be included in our virtual family. Thanks.
C.C.
20A. Barbecue area without chairs?: STANDING PAT(IO). Standing Pat.
34A. Relative value used in a scientific workplace?: LABORATORY RAT(IO). Laboratory Rat.
41A. Small apartment for a comical septet?: SEVEN CARD STUD(IO). Seven-Card Stud. Poker game. (Card is a slang for someone who is comical/facetious. Thanks, Dennis.)
Then we also have OHIO (63A. One of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers). OH, IO, marvelous! Did you guys catch the IO & 10 connection immediately? I hope Bill G did. He just encountered a similar gimmick in another puzzle.
I really like the theme tie-in entry THE POWER OF TEN. It certainly spices up our regular add/delete/substitute a letter string Friday fare, exponentially.
The four 9-letter non-theme answers all crumbled easily for me, with their straightforward clues. Did struggle a bit with a few short entries, very deceptive clues with several alternative answers.
Across:
1. Sugar substitute?: DEAR. Endearment "Sugar" substitute. The intersecting DOT (1D. Pointillism unit) prevented me from filling in BABY/BABE. Shout-out to our Dot, whose husband Irv will be 96 years old at the end of this month. Possibly the oldest crossword solver in our group.
5. Flirtation: PASS
9. Travel needs, perhaps: VISAS. Travel abroad.
14. End of an estimate: OR SO
15. Rival rival: ALPO. Not familiar with the pet food brand Rival.
16. __ coffee: IRISH. I wanted TEA OR.
17. Hobart resident: TASMANIAN. Did not know Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, though the answer appeared rather swiftly.
19. Lip-smacking: TASTY.
22. Certain mil. member: NCO
23. Gray head?: LEE (R. E. ). The Civil War "Gray" side. Great clue.
24. Cereal ingredient: BRAN
27. Stallone role: RAMBO. Did you want ROCKY also?
31. Plant activity: Abbr.: MFG (Manufacturing)
38. Lost a lap?: AROSE. Mine was STOOD. At least, I was in the correct "lap" direction.
39. Padre's hermana: TIA. Hermana is Spanish for "sister". Father's sister = Aunt. Several Spanish references in the grid.
40. Snacking (on) to excess: OD'ING. Overdosing.
44. Before, in verse: ERE
45. Backspace, often: ERASE. And ERROR (61. What an X may indicate).
46. "O, gie me the __ that has acres o' charms": Burns: LASS. I peeked at the answer sheet. Have ne'er heard of the poem.
47. Word-word link: FOR. Word for word. FOR links word & word.
49. Pres. between JAG and GC: CAA (Chester A. Arthur). JAG = James A Garfield. GC = Grover Cleveland. Stumped me. Gimme, Melissa?
58. Bread: MOOLA. Tough without the question mark.
59. Like clones: IDENTICAL
62. Supply, as paper to a copier: FEED
64. California baseballer: GIANT. Could also be ANGEL.
65. Signs: INKS
66. Chuck __, only coach to win four Super Bowls: NOLL. With the Steelers. Learning moment for me.
Down:
3. __ mgr.: ASST
4. Prominent facial feature: ROMAN NOSE
5. Ill-fated opener of myth: PANDORA. Pandora's Box.
6. Et __: and others: ALII. Masculine plural. Et alia is neutral plural. Et aliae is feminine plural.
7. Bridge: SPAN
8. Berlin number: SONG. Irving Berlin. I bet Kazie was in the German "number" direction too.
9. Curriculum __: VITAE. CV. Resumé.
10. Fit to be tied: IRATE
11. Spanish ayes: SI SI
12. Reference words: AS TO
13. Unassuming: SHY. Was surprised by how unassuming Andre Agassi is in his various interviews.
18. Mandela's gp.: ANC (African National Congress)
21. Gamer's maneuver: PLOT. (Added later: The answer should be PLOY. Sorry for the error.)
24. Apathetic: BLASE
25. Harder to dig up: RARER. Harder to find (dig up), like a Mint/Near Mint condition Mickey Mantle Topps 1956.
26. Upstairs: ABOVE
28. Fragrant oil: ATTAR. Rose oil.
29. Kelly of "One Tree Hill": MOIRA. First encounter with this actress. She looks demure.
30. Wire fasteners: BRADS
31. Highest peak on Crete: Abbr.: MT. IDA. Got me again. MT always give me trouble.
32. "Done!": FINIS. I sure need a French hint in the clue.
33. "We Got the Beat" singers: GO-GO'S. Here is the clip. I cheated.
35. TV Chihuahua: REN. Ren and Stimpy.
36. Baloney: ROT
37. Excessive flattery: ADULATION
42. Uno minus uno: CERO. Spanish for "zero" I suppose.
43. They can ruin diets: SECONDS. Really?
47. Pen resident: FELON. The prison "pen". I just can't get pigs out of my mind. I am a Pig. Can't be friends with those who are born in the year of Snake.
48. Illusionary genre: OP ART
50. Back on the water: AFT. Back of the boat.
51. Famous Amos: TORI. Tori Amos. Loved the sweet "Famous Amos" clue. What's your favorite cookie?
52. Joyful group dance: HORA
53. Coffeehouse connection: WIFI
54. 1950s British prime minister: EDEN (Anthony). Prime Minister from 1955-1957. Succeeded Churchill on the latter's second term.
55. Offend the olfactories: REEK. Thanks for the ODOR explanation yesterday, everyone.
57. Pointed fastener: NAIL
58. Unit of RAM: MEG (Megbyte). I was thinking of the component word unit for RAM (Random Access Memory).
60. Texter's tehee: LOL.
Answer grid.
Picture of the Day: Here is a happy photo of our gifted linguist Kazie and her husband in front of the Little Rock Capitol Building. The picture was taken last Friday March 19, 2010.
On the front page of the blog, there is a Blog Photo sidebar. Please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) your picture if you want to be included in our virtual family. Thanks.
C.C.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - what a clever, clever puzzle; misleading clues abound. I absolutely loved it, despite a completed puzzle that looks like an ink-blot test.
ReplyDeleteI found the theme equally impressive; a very clever concept, a good unifying answer and the subtle insertion of 'ohio', which I thought was brilliant.
C.C., I put 'stood' for 'lost a lap' too. Matter of fact, just about everywhere there was a misdirection, I bit. Rocky instead of Rambo, money instead of moola, etc. Favorite clues: Famous Amos, Gray head and Berlin number. This was also one of my favorite puzzles, period.
Today is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day. Any suggestions? Mine are a bit too explicit to publish.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "The best computer is a man, and it's the only one that can be mass-produced by unskilled labor." -- Werner von Braun
And even more random thoughts:
- Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
- Always borrow money from a pessimist. They won't expect it back.
Kazie, great picture.
Good Morning, CC and all. I was going swimmingly at on the first half of this puzzle, then stumbled a bit on the bottom third. Was able to get it completed without any outside help, which is an accomplishment for a Friday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI raise my hand for Rocky instead of RAMBO. I had filled in OP ART, so with the "A" in place, MOOLA immediately popped into my head after reading Bread.
Like CC, I couldn't get pig out of my head for a Pen Resident. The FELON was an Aha Moment for me.
Mini Southern theme with DEAR (for Sugar) and Lee for Grey Head (brilliant clue). I never heard the expression "Give me some Sugar" until after I moved to the South.
My azaleas are finally in bloom. They are about a month late this year.
Happy Friday, everyone.
In honor of the President between JAG and GC, here is today's QOD:
I may be president of the United States, but my private life is nobody's damned business. ~ Chester A. Arthur
(I bet there are some modern presidents who wish that this were true.)
Good Morning CC and All,
ReplyDeleteStood, Rocky and Money had to be erased before I started to plug in the theme answers. A bit of a slog I couldn't finish without red letter help. A lot of head slapping as some of the clues were almost tongue in cheek. My favorite was Pen Resident.
From last night, We went smelting a couple of weekends ago. The warm weather had them running great. Love pulling net fulls out of the water. Good food and great bait.
So much for the spring like weather. I biked in the 50s yesterday and today woke up to wet snow with temps in the 30s. Its supposed to drop and not get out of the 20s today as Arctic air moves in. Wind chills below zero tonight!
Have a great Friday!
Morning all,
ReplyDeleteThis was one of those puzzles that I put down, drank another cup of coffee, and then came back to the puzzle and discovered how much I was enjoying it. First go round had me thinking plant activity had to do with flora, Berlin number had me trying to count in German, and pen resident thinking of pigs. The second cup of coffee helped me clear up all my misdirection.
Love all the new pictures, keep them coming. Dot, you and Irv are amazing. I don’t know anyone who reached 96 years of age. My grandfather made it to 92 smoking stogies and using whiskey in his coffee in the a.m. I’m sure that is not your secret to longevity but let us know what it is.
I love the Southern euphemisms. Up North, after we eat seconds, we say I’m stuffed--ate like a pig. In the South, the ladies say I over served myself. I have over served myself all winter long. Got to lose those 5 pounds before they reach 10 lbs. Have a great day.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeletePretty straightforward puzzle for me today. I figured out that IO was being added to the end of the theme answers pretty quickly, but had no idea it was supposed to represent "10" until I got the final theme answer.
I'm glad I don't do these on paper, or else I'd have a big ink blot where I initially put ROCKY instead of RAMBO. That caused a bit of a pause until I got it figured out. I also had BIT instead of MEG for for 58D, but that didn't last very long.
Other than that, it was smooth sailing. I didn't know who Mr. EDEN was and couldn't guess CAA for the life of me, but the perps took care of those. Ditto for NOLL and OHIO (although, now that I know his first name is Chuck, NOLL does ring a bit of a bell).
Ooh -- and I did get a little hung up at the very end when I finished the last letter and didn't get the "tada!" sound. It took me a little while to find my mistake -- I had ALIA instead of ALII for 6D. Silly me...
Theme was horrible. What if you write your I's lowercase? Seven card stud? What's so comical about that?!?
ReplyDeleteSee, 'cards' is a slang term for comedians, and a septet would be seven of something, and a studio is a small apartment. And even writing 'i's in lower case, the theme should be readily apparent.
ReplyDelete21 down is ploy not plot - typo on your answer page.
ReplyDeleteActually 21 down is ploy, not plot, if it were, laboratoryratio would be wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe correct answer to 21 down is ploy not plot. The y in ploy is used as the y in laboratory
ReplyDeleteWell, count me among the lost ones today--I still didn't get the theme of 10 added on until Barry G's explanation (I only skimmed the beginning of the main blog). I thought at first it was going to be rhymed endings with ATIO, then STUDIO screwed that idea up, so I just gave up. I got THE _O_ER OF TEN, but still couldn't see the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteNever got GIANT because I had MEM for MEG. Had to google TORI (was thinking of Amos and Andy), MT. IDA, and hermana (never knew that Spanish word!), but then figured it was TIA, and I started off with ROCKY and STOOD too.
My Spanish is limited to what I can guess from knowing Latin and French, and CW experiences.
I'm also not familiar with card playing expressions, so what is humorous about SEVEN CARD STUD? I was trying to fit ZANY in there because I had ZERO for CERO (after changing NADA).
Dennis,
Good thoughts today, but what about digital cameras nowadays? No memory card?
C.C.,
Thanks for the pix today--I didn't realize I'd be in two in one day. The magnolias were wonderful in Little Rock when we were there. We don't see them up here too much.
Irv,
Congrats on another birthday coming soon! Hope Dot is continuing to improve after the cataract surgery.
Thankfully I tend to do the puzzles from the bottom up.
ReplyDeleteProbably since that is where theme reveals are located.
As a result I had 'The Power of Ten' early.
Can't really say I found the "I" and "O" as "10" that impressive.
Actually I thought it was a bit obtuse.
Enjoyed the language quiz.
Good morning all
ReplyDeleteLois and Kazie: nice happy pictures.
Another Steinmehl (translates to stone flour) puzzle.
I was 'ground down' some in the E center, but finally got OD'ING and MFG, which gave me MTIDA and GOGOS which I did not know. Got the theme words OK but not the "10" part. Thought SONG, PANDORA, and AFT had very clever clues. No searches needed. Overall a fun challenging Friday solve.
And now FINIS - enjoy the day
Good morning, C.C.and all,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dennis' plaudits about this puzzle. I had a go at it before my 7:00 AM meeting and finished it without any trouble when I got home. I confess to being a Rocky - moola guy, but red letters took care of those answers. Favorite clue was for felon.
Off to the gym. Have a great weekend.
That reminds me, I think FINIS is Latin. The normal French would be fini, unless it was plural. I remember that years ago, some movies would use FINIS at the end of all the credits--I had a boyfriend who always insisted on staying until the bitter end, so that's why I saw it there.
ReplyDeleteDennis,
Thanks for the CARD explanation--I totally missed it, probably because I had zany until I was here.
Well, this one defeated me. I got everything OK until I hit the SW corner. I figured out the theme OK, but it didn't help. For 48D I kept thinking about literature and never considered an artistic genre. For 47D I thought about animals and pens for writing, but somehow never considered the penitentiary. Didn't know 51D, and not being a baseball fan, couldn't dredge up the right California baseball team. Also couldn't get 58D. I wanted to use "bit," but that didn't take me anywhere. So, nice work, Gary. This is the first one I couldn't finish since I started signing onto this blog.
ReplyDeleteHi gang -
ReplyDeleteVery inventive puzzle, and lots of fun. As a broken-down erstwhile OHIOan almost chemist, I enjoyed the lab ref, and powers of io.
Yes, io = 10 is a bit obtuse, but i=1 is standard X-word fare, so o = 0 isn't much of a stretch. G = 6 or P = 9 would definitely be pushing it.
I was definitely down the Deutsche Nummer route, and also had ROCKY plugged in.
Went to kindergarten, lo these many years past, at Garfield school, so JAG was easy for me. But GC and CAA, who I figured out ex post, took some thought.
Putting the Pittsburgh reference next to NOLL was a nice touch.
I thought Burns might have been talking about sombody like Mo'nique, but he meant a LASS with some arable assets! Practical man.
Jeanne -
Love that south'n take on gustatory overachievement. As does Mo;nique, I suppose.
For my make up holiday, I'm going with HUG A TROMBONIST DAY!
Cheers!
JzB the Hungarian-IRISH BLASE ERROR-prone GOGO trombonist
I enjoyed Mr. Steinmehl's earlier March offering, which had the five theme answers with "Tie" sounds, and much of this one was fun, I personally think SEVEN CARD STUDIO was dumb. I understood CARD means comedian, but it is still a bunch of disjointed words put together and something no one would ever say. It is like having different clues, and figuring out to avoid the black square. The rest of the fill was good, and some original clues for regular words. Knowing how constructors are, I assumed it was RAMBO, because Rocky would be too easy for a Friday. Earlier in the week I would put in Rocky.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when I try to rush at work.
Happy Friday all
Good Morning All, Did you guys catch the IO & 10 connection immediately? Are you kidding, C.C.? If you hadn't colored coded "IO" at the end of the theme entries, and I hadn't read it twice, I'd probably still be flailing. Still a wonderful "Aha".
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun, frustrating and fine Friday for me. (Alliteration abounds!) I tried without the "X-the-letter" solving option, but after my first time through I gave that up without a whimper.
"Berlin number" and "Gray head" were both great clues. I also loved what should have been an easy "Famous Amos" for TORI, because I was wracking my brain to come up with the cookie guy.
It was pure guessing with CERO, but it made sense (for a while) with my cross of ERROR instead of ERASE. I did get RAMBO and I fell into the 47D pig pen with SWINE.
Even with some "Preference" help the second time around, I liked this puzzle a lot.
Early Happy Birthday to Irv.
C.C. Yes, I did get the theme. I'm trying to remember the other puzzle you referred to. Was it one with actual numerals in it? You may remember it better than I do. Thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteGood Friday, C.C. and all.
ReplyDeleteThis seemed almost like a midweek xwd as it filled in quickly; the midwest slowed me and I knew we had seen Mt. Ida before so was determined to pull it out, neuron by neuron, and finally did. On 31A had MFR and didn't notice my error.
Yes, I'm in the Rocky and German counting camp. Howver, I have a mental image of Mr. Anthony Eden, he was a tall, slender, quite dignified.
Great clues for me:
back on the water: aft
gray head: Lee (brilliant)
ill fated opener of myth: pandora
Spanish ayes: si si
Of course, I'm always glad to see Spanish tia, cero (slap me with a noodle, I wrote zero at first!) and the above si, si.
Dennis:
Watch it, I can almost read your mind for your holiday!
Kazie and Dot, lovely pics.
Have yourself a fabulous Friday everyone!
I think Dot has a birthday coming up soon, too. What date is Irv's birthday?
ReplyDeleteLemonade714, do you say STANDING PATIO or LABORATORY RATIO either?
ReplyDeleteMy bad CRS: I finally remembered Chester Arthur but I was away from the computer. By the time I sat back down again, I'd forgotten it. ¡Ay, caramba!
Hello all.
ReplyDeleteLove the flour miller's grid and
clueing. A lot of fun.
Tinbeni. Don't agree with your evaluation of Halsey. His actions cost a lot of lives and oil. His reaction to the last three words are on record in the Naval Archives.
We studied three battles at the Naval Prep School. This was one on which we had to write a paper. RR
Have a great day all. Looks like there are blue skies over Tampa.
eddyB
Bill G,
ReplyDeleteIt's a Merl Reagle Sunday with numbers on the lower right corner. Can't remember the details. I think Jazzbumpa encountered a similar number entry in a recent Boston Globe puzzle - 20 MUZZLE TEAM with 20 in the grid.
Hahtool,
Irv's birthday date is March 31, a la Dot's recent post.
Clear Ayes,
Thanks for the alliteration observation. Sometimes I fail to bring out the beauty of the cluing due to time restraint, my inadequate grasp of English language (esp idioms & slang), or just my focus shift on a given day.
Speaking of 4 Gs, did you all read
ReplyDeleteDilbert this morning?
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteWhom do you want with in your "explicit" Your Own Holiday?
Kazie,
Is FINIS the past particle of FINIR in any way? Since the clue is "Done". Latin FINIS is a noun, isn't it?
Spitzboov,
Thanks for the "stone flour" translation of the constructor's name. Interesting! I know you call your wife BH, but what does BH stand for? RR, the world wonders. (OK, probably only I do.)
I got into the SW corner and couldn't get out so I threw in the towel and looked up Famous Amos; turns out his name is Wally.But I had a To so I knew it had to be Tori.I'm not familiar with her (she is a her?) singing (she does sing?) but I've heard her name somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe 10 was lost on me until I read your blog, C.C. even though I got 51A without any trouble. Made all the same mistakes everybody else did:money,alia,Rocky,nada, and more but mostly was able to correct them
Back to looking for a trombonist to hug.
I could conceive of walking out to a barbecue with no chairs and commenting, "What is this, a Standing Patio," and I can imagine a reference to a Laboratory Ratio, but no circumstance where Seven Card Studio would make it for so many reasons. It is just my opinion, and I doubt it matters.
ReplyDeleteHello everybody, and happy Friday.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man, I fell into the same traps many of you did, pencilling in RAMBO, STOOD, MONEY, and BIT. The only ones I got correct right off the bat were DEAR, VITAE, ANC, EDEN, and LOL. And yes, I also was trying to count the numbers in German and thought of pigs in pens.
What animal is the year 1941? That's what I am. I'm also a Libra.
Not until I had finished the whole puzzle (took me about 2 hours but I didn't cheat I swear, LOL) did I finally, with some mental stretching, get the connection between 10 and IO. At least knowing that 41A would probably end in the letters IO I could pencil them in rigfht away, helping me get FINIS and GOGOS. Of course, up until then, Plant activity made me try to think of some abbreviation for photosynthesis or metabolism.
My fave entry was Pen resident. Made me LOL.
A pleasure reading all your comments; love this blog. Best wishes to you all.
Yes, Dilbert was funny this morning. I love that Wally guy.
ReplyDeleteC. C. As I hoped was apparent, I made the 'stone flour' comment as an elfin euphemism for the 'grind' the constructor put the solvers through, today. Stone or rock flour is formed by the action of glaciers rubbing over rock strata; it is probably formed by other means, as well.
ReplyDeleteThe BH are her actual initials but in this context they mean "better half".
Spitzboov,
ReplyDeleteDon't forget what BH stands for in German! But maybe that's appropriate too.
C.C.,
Finis could be the masculine plural form of the past participle of finir, but I thought if one were indicating a French word for "finished" or "ended" out of context, you'd normally use "fini" without agreement. The noun is "la fin".
Favorite Bobby Burns quote: "Oh wad some power the gifte gie us To see oursel`s as others see us. It wad froe monie a blunder free us, And foolish notion."
ReplyDeleteJeannie: We probably all gain weight in the winter...hope your fingers are better.
Kazie: Why Little Rock? Are you visiting state capitols?
Kazie: LOL. You're right, tho; thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes,
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I just realized you were talking about your own fun, frustrating & fine alliteration. But I noticed the same device in 1A, 15A, 38A, 53D, 55D & 60D clues as well. So it qualifies for your "alliteration abounds" comment too.
Lucina,
Thought of you with the Spanish references this morning.
Spitzboov,
Had to read your post again for the layered "ground down" meaning.
Kazie,
What does BH stand in German?
Is that a BRA reference?
ReplyDeleteLemonade,
ReplyDeleteYes.
C.C.,
BH = Busenhalter or bra (literally bosom holder). They always just say the letters B-H when talking about or buying bras. Knowing of Spitzboov's familiarity with German, I thought he must have given it some thought already too.
Thank you, C.C. Usually my heart goes "oooooh, la, la Spanish in the puzzle today. I may do a salsa right here and now."
ReplyDeleteHahtool:
ReplyDeleteThat's the coolest hat I've seen in a while. Of course, it wouldn't work without the shades. Tres cool.
EddyB & Tenbini:
While I agree with EddyB in this particular case, the fact is that most great military victories (or defeats) are not the result of brilliant strategy. It is usually a case of serendipity, where a sequence of events and unintended or unforeseen consequences come together. The admirals and generals study the past but they don't seem to learn much from it. It is a fact that "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then".
Hello All--I was not on the same wave length as Gary Steinmehl today. I only had about a dozen fills until I reached the bottom third of the puzzle and then I got all of the answers, one after the other.
ReplyDeleteI did fall into the same traps as most everyone else, Rocky and Stood, and a few others that no one mentioned. I tried angry,then upset for irate and so finally gave up on the NE corner. My grid looked like something had shot it with bb's as it was pockmarked with white spaces. I finally gave up and came here for the rest of the fills. Even with "The Power of 10" I was clueless!! Oh well, tomorrow is another day.
After looking at the answers, my admiration for the constuctor was immense. Some very out of the box clues.
Kazie, a great picture of you and your hubby.
Dennis, Is that an X rated holiday you're planning?
Hi all -
ReplyDeleteMy V-8 can ran screaming out my back door when I was half way through this bad boy! Boy, all of you are one smart bunch and have my utmost admiration.
I did ok on the top part, then I put ROCKY in 27A - well the rest was too pitiful to mention.
Kazie, really great picture!
Dennis..have you decided on what your holiday will be as yet?
"National Willie in the Wind Day"
"Studs in the Storm Day"
Puts a whole new meaning to Blown' in the wind...:)
I really bombed on this one. I couldn't even think of the answers to the things I know.
ReplyDeleteC.C. Did I say Mar. 31st for Irv's birthday? It is Mar. 30th. Mine is April 16th. The doctor once said the secret to longevity is to choose the right grandparents. If that's the case, our kids and grandkids should live long. My mother died at 100; her parents were each 93 when they passed away. Irv has lived longer than either of his parents or grandparents but they were in their eighties. However long I live, I just hope I have a clear mind until the end.
I looked through the whole picture blog. Are good looks a requirement to be a good cw-er?
Dot
Windover:
ReplyDeleteI agree on Leyte Gulf.
I look at Halsey's career in total.
He lead a lot of victories in WWII.
During that situation the three words "The World Wonders" were not intended to be part of the message. They were added to confuse the enemy if intercepted.
Hence, his being a bit P.O.'d was understandable.
Like here, it is always easier to be a Monday Morning Quarterback.
Like this puzzle, I got all the clues & answers. The fact that my opinion on the theme was "less than sterling" is OK.
I did today's AFTER the NYT (not my normal order). And that puzzle was arcane, obscure to the max. Probably put me in a lousy solving mood.
Oh well the cars were cool.
And tomorrow has a new offering.
First of all, a big sigh of relief and a cocktail or two tonight as I "dotted" my I's and "crossed" my T's today for the final touches of the foodshow. Which will be held here . I also have a hand in the customer appreciation party for about 500 customers held here. I half heartedly attempted the puzzle but evidently my mind wasn't focused so just a couple of "personal" posts.
ReplyDeleteKazie, I love that picture of you and the "other half".
Dennis, great random thoughts.
Mainiac, your smelting story reminds me of cleaning those damned things. I grew up on Lake Michigan and every early spring my Dad and friends would head out in the early morning hours and come home with about a hundred of them. My Mom
and I would stand at the double sink and snip heads, snip down the belly and run our fingers up the cavity to clean them. Nothing better that smelt dredged in seasoned flour and fried. I make an annual trip up to the north shore just to find a smelt feed.
WH, I must have encountered a blind squirrel today on my way home and unfortunately as much as I swerved to miss him...he zigged when I zagged.
Lemonade, stop laughing.
Annette, my finger feels a little bit better today, and is not as impressive when I flash it in the rear view mirror at a tailgater as it did yesterday.
Tinbeni said: "I did today's AFTER the NYT (not my normal order). And that puzzle was arcane, obscure to the max. Probably put me in a lousy solving mood."
ReplyDeleteI know that the NYT puzzles are supposed to be the gold standard but I've had the same reaction as you. I do OK up until the end of the week and then they get too difficult for me and no fun at all. If I want something other than the LAT puzzles, I've been going to Cruciverb and downloading ones from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, CrosSynergy, Village Voice and The Chronicle of Higher Education. I've quit trying the themeless Saturday LAT puzzles because they aren't fun for me either. I still read this blog though. Thanks C.C. and everybody that contributes.
I'm not sure why the landmark site didn't show up. But it used to be the courthouse way back when in St. Paul, MN and is a beautiful venue.
ReplyDeleteDot - Your mind is certainly clear..I only hope mine is when I am your age. From the sound of your history, you should live until you are 110 :)
ReplyDeleteJeannie, so glad your finger is better...but be careful of that one finger salute, there are pistol packin' people out there!!
Carol said: "Jeannie, so glad your finger is better...but be careful of that one finger salute, there are pistol packin' people out there!!"
ReplyDeleteHeh heh, so true. Isn't it sad when people have such strong disagreements about political issues and resort to yelling, spitting and brick throwing instead of civil discourse. I don't things used to be that way as much as they have become now.
BillG and Carol, be rest assured that I am not one of those poopy commuters. I would never stoop to giving anyone "the bird". I was just trying to be funny and poke fun at the size of my F-U finger yesterday. My commute is very rural (until Monday) when I have to drive around Minneapolis and into St. Paul and it's a pretty easy drive.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels and Bunnies on the other hand are on their own.
I was gone most of the afternoon today, so I just caught up on the posts.
ReplyDeleteJeannie, glad to hear that your unswelling. Take care and don't overdo at the food show. Great looking venue, by the way.
Nice photo, Kazie. It looked like you were having a great time.
C.C. Yes, I meant my alliteration, but that of this puzzle and most others too. Constructors seem to love clue alliteration.
Have a great evening everyone!
Jeanne:
ReplyDeletePositive thoughts are going your way for the event tomorrow. I just know it will be a huge hit.
From "Lost a lap" (A rose) said...
ReplyDeleteKazie: Why Little Rock? Are you visiting state capitols?
No, we were visiting our son there. He works for an oil/gas energy company there monitoring the drilling from a computer.
Incidentally, he is very happy in this new job--says this company actually treats its workers much better than the previous two jobs he had. We were able to visit finally, because he now has a predictable schedule--one week on with 12 hour days, one week off. So we could schedule going when he was off. Before he never could be sure of when he'd be free.
Thanks to all who admired the photo today. We had a very enjoyable time there.
Jeannie,
I hope everything runs smoothly for your food show, and that your finger is up to the strain.
Jeannie - I wish you all the best for your show, I know you will knock 'em out. Take care of that finger! (I know you would not really flip anyone off) I have sure thought about it, but have never done it either. Let us know how it all went :)
ReplyDeleteLucina, CA, and Kazie, the worst is done as of today. Matter of fact, there will be little to none keying on Monday and Tuesday. I got smart and printed all the show sheets and ordered a printer. (Approved of course) Just walking that venue back and forth which will probably give me sore feet. My PT at work thought that was a good thing. I'll muddle through it. I am made of sturdy stock. I'll probably come back with fantastic recipes to boot. Not sure where that saying came from. Anyone?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of southern sayings, have any of you heard, "higher than a cat's back", "britches", "draw up"? "I'm not just whistlin' Dixie"? I heard them all while growing up from my Mom from KY.
Now we have a Jean, Jeanne, Jeannie. Would anyone have an adversion if I changed my log on to Lo-li-ta? I would still be Jeannie in your minds, it just might make it easier to differentiate.
ReplyDeleteI've flashed someone the 'bird' maybe fewer than 10 times in my life and, while it felt good at the time, I've always regretted it afterward.
ReplyDeleteJeannie (or Lo-li-ta), I never imagined that you had actually done that. Go either way with your name change that suits you best. I discovered that there was another Bill here (once or twice I think) after I registered with Bill G. To be honest, all the unusual screen names here tend to confuse me since I came in late to the party and had to get used to them. I do my best.
I enjoyed today's puzzle, and am glad I still took time to do it, as late as it is. It was tricky, but felt good to finish with only red letter help. I had no idea how THE POWER OF TEN applied though, until I came here. It still amazes me how much interesting hidden fun I was missing in the puzzles before joining this blog.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing the OHIO river (in Pittsburgh), and Chuck NOLL (the incredible coach of the Pittsbugh Steelers when I was in high school/college) by each other! The Steelers have a history of hiring great head coaches!
Good WOW today too. I don't need to make up a holiday today though. It's my sister's birthday (a different one than in the photo), and she came down from Richmond to celebrate with us, homemade pizza, and coconut topped cupcakes!
Kazie and Dot: Great pictures!
C.C.: The one movie I've seen actress MOIRA Kelly in, she was anything BUT demure! She was extremely outspoken.
Lemonade714: How about a separate poker room at a casino: The SEVEN CARD STUDIO.
Jayce: That's the direction I was going in for Plant activity too!
"A Rose...": I think you're mixing Jeannie (who has tendonitis), and Jeanne (who mentioned gaining 5 pounds this past winter)... Jeannie, I bet seeing that bandaged appendage would make other drivers feel WORSE than a boring old F-U finger. Good idea, Jeannie...I mean Lo-li-ta!
Good idea, Jeannie. I'm sure I've seen comments addressed to you but spelled Jeanne. We will all know Lo-Li-ta. I'm glad your hand is better. It's no fun to have pain when you've got lots to do,
ReplyDeleteKazie you pic is great. I'm having trouble getting one sent....probably just as well! CA, I kept wondering when we would hear from you. You and many others never miss a day! We're so late with ours on the left coast sometimes it hardly seems worthwhile. I've done the puzzle on Cruciverb a couple of times, but then I'm out of sync in the a.m. Plus I haven't been able to retrieve it.
Chickie, the hemp is on its way.
Spring is really bustin' out all over the Central Valley! Happy weekend, all.
Thank you so much, Dodo. There is a "green" yarn shop here in our area that my knitting friend told me about this week. I want to visit very soon.
ReplyDeleteJeannie (Lo-li-ta), best of luck with your show. You'll have swollen feet tomorrow, I'm sure. We go to trade shows and rent booths, but I hope I never have to be on the planning end like you are. It is a huge job.
Glad that your finger is doing better and hope that flare-ups are few and far far between.