Theme: None
Total words: 72
Total blocks: 34
I'm guessing either FORT MCHENRY (23A. War of 1812 battle site) or the intersecting KEY BRIDGE (21D. Potomac span named for a poet, familiarly) is Barry's seed entry.
Wikipedia says Fort McHenry (in Baltimore) is named after James McHenry, Secretary of War under George Washington & John Adams. And it was during this bombardment of this fort that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner". Interesting Key connection in the crossing two clues.
It always delights me when the constructor weaves various clues together, like the below different bugs:
40A. Small bug: MITE
9D. Bugs: ANNOYS
50D. Really bugged: ATE AT
I struggled again today, despite the friendly help from various plural S answers. Some of the clues are just too tricky and certain answers out of my knowledge zone. INC (57D. Business issue) for example. I've never heard of the business magazine Inc. So my "Aha" moment came only after I googled post-solve.
Across:
1. Dramatic descents: SWOOPS
7. Down with relish: SCARF UP. Only familiar with "scarf down".
14. Adorns, as curtains: TASSELS. Verb here.
16. Grant: CONCEDE
17. Mike's Hard Lemonade, e.g.: ALCOPOP. From Alco(hol) + (soda)pop. New word to me.
18. Organs and such: INNARDS. Haggis really looks awful.
19. Health and Human Services agcy.: FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Was unaware that FDA belongs to the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
20. Start enjoying: TAKE TO
22. Stutz contemporary: REO
26. Coll. divisions: YRS
27. No matter what: AT ANY COST
29. 1970s CIA director, familiarly: BUSH SR. He was the CIA director from Jan 1976 to Jan 1977. Got me.
32. North Sea country: Abbr.: BEL (Belgium). I miss Christmas in Brussels.
33. "@&#^$%!," e.g.: OATH
37. Legalese, say: ARGOT. Jargon.
38. J and others: DRS. Drew a blank, even though I knew NBA's Dr. J.
39. "Laugh-In" regular: BUZZI. Have never heard of Ruth Buzzi. What a strange surname!
41. French pronoun: TOI. "You".
42. Send by wire: TAP OUT. Such an old feel.
43. Nightly news snippet: SOUND BITE. Great answer.
46. Stick (out): JUT
49. 1993 Dean Koontz best-seller: DRAGON TEARS. No idea. Here is the book cover.
53. "Until every one comes home" org.: USO (United Service Organizations)
54. Ingratiate: ENDEAR. To me, "ingratiate" has a negative connotation. Endear does not.
55. Honduras family member: TIA. Spanish for "aunt".
56. Portia's maid in "The Merchant of Venice": NERISSA. Man, I can't even remember Portia.
58. Not in over one's head: SOLVENT. So, "in over one's head" means "insolvent"?
61. Narrow window: TRANSOM. The one above the double door.
62. Like child's play: TOO EASY. Did not come to me readily.
63. Refuse collectors: ASH CANS
64. More prosperous: FATTER. I guess it's too sensitive to clue it as "chubbier".
Down:
1. Employees: STAFF
2. Literary middle name: WALDO. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
3. Prize since 1929: OSCAR. And SLOT CAR (6. Lionel creation of 1912). I like the year trivia in both clues.
4. Bear, in Bolivia: OSO. And PESO (13D. Cuban currency). Alliteration in both clues.
5. Sparkle: PEP
7. Math and others: SCIENCES. We see the abbreviated SCI too often.
8. Mastery: CONTROL
10. Company that developed TV's Indian Head Test Pattern: RCA. Unknown fact to me also.
11. Styx crosser: FERRY. Souls of the dead were ferried across Styx, a river in the underworld Hades.
12. Dairy container?: UDDER. The clue makes me smile.
15. Winningest baseball southpaw: SPAHN (Warren). Ah, I mentioned this trivia last time when he appeared in our puzzle. Total 363 wins. Hall of Famer.
24. Chevy SUVs: TAHOES
25. __ Helens, Wash.: MT ST
28. It may cover a spot: TOUPEE. I sure was not thinking of bald spot.
29. Emeril exclamation: BAM. Bam! Kick it up a notch! Emeril is sweet.
30. Ocean State sch.: URI (University of Rhode Island)
Total words: 72
Total blocks: 34
I'm guessing either FORT MCHENRY (23A. War of 1812 battle site) or the intersecting KEY BRIDGE (21D. Potomac span named for a poet, familiarly) is Barry's seed entry.
Wikipedia says Fort McHenry (in Baltimore) is named after James McHenry, Secretary of War under George Washington & John Adams. And it was during this bombardment of this fort that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner". Interesting Key connection in the crossing two clues.
It always delights me when the constructor weaves various clues together, like the below different bugs:
40A. Small bug: MITE
9D. Bugs: ANNOYS
50D. Really bugged: ATE AT
I struggled again today, despite the friendly help from various plural S answers. Some of the clues are just too tricky and certain answers out of my knowledge zone. INC (57D. Business issue) for example. I've never heard of the business magazine Inc. So my "Aha" moment came only after I googled post-solve.
Across:
1. Dramatic descents: SWOOPS
7. Down with relish: SCARF UP. Only familiar with "scarf down".
14. Adorns, as curtains: TASSELS. Verb here.
16. Grant: CONCEDE
17. Mike's Hard Lemonade, e.g.: ALCOPOP. From Alco(hol) + (soda)pop. New word to me.
18. Organs and such: INNARDS. Haggis really looks awful.
19. Health and Human Services agcy.: FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Was unaware that FDA belongs to the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
20. Start enjoying: TAKE TO
22. Stutz contemporary: REO
26. Coll. divisions: YRS
27. No matter what: AT ANY COST
29. 1970s CIA director, familiarly: BUSH SR. He was the CIA director from Jan 1976 to Jan 1977. Got me.
32. North Sea country: Abbr.: BEL (Belgium). I miss Christmas in Brussels.
33. "@&#^$%!," e.g.: OATH
37. Legalese, say: ARGOT. Jargon.
38. J and others: DRS. Drew a blank, even though I knew NBA's Dr. J.
39. "Laugh-In" regular: BUZZI. Have never heard of Ruth Buzzi. What a strange surname!
41. French pronoun: TOI. "You".
42. Send by wire: TAP OUT. Such an old feel.
43. Nightly news snippet: SOUND BITE. Great answer.
46. Stick (out): JUT
49. 1993 Dean Koontz best-seller: DRAGON TEARS. No idea. Here is the book cover.
53. "Until every one comes home" org.: USO (United Service Organizations)
54. Ingratiate: ENDEAR. To me, "ingratiate" has a negative connotation. Endear does not.
55. Honduras family member: TIA. Spanish for "aunt".
56. Portia's maid in "The Merchant of Venice": NERISSA. Man, I can't even remember Portia.
58. Not in over one's head: SOLVENT. So, "in over one's head" means "insolvent"?
61. Narrow window: TRANSOM. The one above the double door.
62. Like child's play: TOO EASY. Did not come to me readily.
63. Refuse collectors: ASH CANS
64. More prosperous: FATTER. I guess it's too sensitive to clue it as "chubbier".
Down:
1. Employees: STAFF
2. Literary middle name: WALDO. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
3. Prize since 1929: OSCAR. And SLOT CAR (6. Lionel creation of 1912). I like the year trivia in both clues.
4. Bear, in Bolivia: OSO. And PESO (13D. Cuban currency). Alliteration in both clues.
5. Sparkle: PEP
7. Math and others: SCIENCES. We see the abbreviated SCI too often.
8. Mastery: CONTROL
10. Company that developed TV's Indian Head Test Pattern: RCA. Unknown fact to me also.
11. Styx crosser: FERRY. Souls of the dead were ferried across Styx, a river in the underworld Hades.
12. Dairy container?: UDDER. The clue makes me smile.
15. Winningest baseball southpaw: SPAHN (Warren). Ah, I mentioned this trivia last time when he appeared in our puzzle. Total 363 wins. Hall of Famer.
24. Chevy SUVs: TAHOES
25. __ Helens, Wash.: MT ST
28. It may cover a spot: TOUPEE. I sure was not thinking of bald spot.
29. Emeril exclamation: BAM. Bam! Kick it up a notch! Emeril is sweet.
30. Ocean State sch.: URI (University of Rhode Island)
31. Pepper, e.g.: Abbr.: SGT. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" from the Beatles. Of course, I was thinking of salt & pepper.
34. __ dye: chemical coloring: AZO. Learned from doing crossword.
35. Shih __: Tibetan dog: TZU. Shih Tzu is Literally "lion" in Chinese. The complete name is Shih Tzu Kou. Kou = dog.
36. Successful: HIT. Successful is an adjective. Hit is a noun. How can they be equivalent?
38. Actor who often said, "Sorry about that, Chief": DON ADAMS. In "Get Smart". I peeked at the answer sheet.
39. Matted cotton sheet: BATT. New word to me.
41. Excites: TURNS ON
42. Inexpensive home protector: TIN ROOF. Ah, cat likes a hot one.
44. West Texas city named by Russians: ODESSA
45. Let out hot air?: BOAST. Nice clue.
46. Small ruling faction: JUNTA. Burma is ruled by the military junta.
47. Web browsers, e.g.: USERS
48. Ark contents: TORAH. The Torah cabinet ark, Not Noah's Ark.
51. Salon job: RINSE
52. Member of Dionysus' retinue: SATYR. The guy (left) with a perpetual erection. Part human, part goat, forever drinking & chasing nymph.
59. Long, on Niihau: LOA. Hawaiian for "long'. Niihau is island in Hawaii. Mauna Loa = Long Mountain.
60. Examine carefully: VET. Some of the vetting process goes too far.
52 comments:
Where to start? Typical Barry Silk fare! Difficult clues leading to answers like alcopop makes for a tough solve albeit it's a Saturday! 14a seemed to clue a verb but the answer is a noun. Oh well....can't wait til Monday!
Good morning, C.C. and friends,
I knew I was in for a workout when I saw Barry's name, and was I right! He is one of my favorites, with offbeat and tricky clues. This was a 52 minute solve on line, and I enjoyed every minute.
My last fill were Buzzi, azo and tzu; I can never remember that damned dog's name! I hate to visit Mr. Magoo, but had to to get Dragon Tears. I guessed RCA as I have found that it is the answer to many early TV clues. Other unknowns supplied by perps were slotcar, loa and batt. Favorite clue was for toupee.
I have not posted much lately as I have busy repairing damage from my recent computer virus. All of my Quicken data was lost for last year and had to be re-entered and then reconciled. I have switched my backup company as the one I had been using failed.
We have lots of Spring breakers in town, but only two things are missing - sunshine and warm weather. Air temps are in the 50-60 range, and the water temp is in the fifties. Brrrr!
Have a great weekend.
ALCOPOP???
Even when I (finally) got it, I couldn't believe it was a real word. I had ALCOHOL for the longest time, which really messed me up. It didn't help that I wanted NOLAN instead of SPAHN, either.
I finally managed to see the error of my ways and finish the puzzle unassisted. But, still...
ALCOPOP???
A nice Saturday with some tricks and some fun
I have seen CHARON the ferryman who takes souls across the STYX to the underworld in many puzzles.
I remember watching WARREN SPAHN pitch in the world series against the hated Yankees in 1957 and 1958, along with Lew Burdette. “SPAHN and SAIN and pray for rain,” is one of the best sports sayings of all time.
ALCOPOP apparently not only a real world, but the subject of legislation in California.
Challenging puzzle, too much for this old fart.
In today's Lockhorns comic, Loretta tells Leroy, "Of course you're having trouble withthat crossword...it's a sudoku."
That's what I felt like today.
Morning, all. This was a tough one indeed. I had to use the check letter feature in four spots. Like Barry, had alcohol instead of alcopop (WTF?). I've consumed my share of soda-pop drinks, but I've never heard that exact term for them. And had at ALL cost instead of ANY cost. Should have seen that, though. ALL would have required using the plural of cost instead. Lionel was misleading, too. I couldn't think of what kind of train set started with an S.
There's something funny or ironic in the word "Grant" (who beat Lee) meaning concede. And, when I hear the word TASSELS, my first mental image of where they dangle isn't of curtains...
The FDA may be a part of HHS on paper, but in reality it's just a clearing house that belongs to the big pharmaceutical companies.
Ruth Buzzi was better known as the "defenseless" handbag lady.
C.C. equivalent in this way: A successful record. A hit record. A gold record.
Missed one (17A) and not knowing 15D didn't help. I knew I had 5D wrong but didn't spend enough time trying to figure out what it could be. I might have figured it out if I'd spent a little more time on it, but I needed to get on to something else. Took me a while to get any traction at all but gradually made progress. 37 minutes.
Argyle
When I see it is Barry Silk I generally groan knowing he likes arcane/obtuse/puns (that aren't fun) cluing.
He did not disappoint me today.
Finally raised my hands in surrender.
Now the sudoku puzzle, I kicked its ass.
Good morning. Pretty much UDDER disaster today. Real tough to get started, but gradually built in from west to east. Had much the experience of tfrank and Barry G. Only had to google DRAGONTEARS. Once I got the spelling of TZU right, AZO and BUZZI finished it.
C.C. SCARF: –verb (used with object), verb (used without object)Slang.
to eat, esp. voraciously (often fol. by down or up): to scarf down junk food.
Sunny Saturday here. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
I couldn't finish Friday's puzzle but I was able to finish Saturday's puzzle without any problems. Go figure!
I never heard of alcopop before. I'll file that away in my head somewhere. Tuff puzzle but doable.
Fred
Good morning, C.C. and friends,
Another terrific Barry Silk creation today. And as is often the case for me solving his puzzles, my "Magic Rub" eraser had a bit of a workout. Favorite clues were "Dairy container?" and "Let out hot air?". Had to smile at "Nightly news snippet" after having SNIPPETS yesterday. Also fun to see Ruth BUZZI. She is such a talented, versatile actress, and although I didn't watch "Laugh-In", I saw enough of the trailers at the time to be acquainted with the regular characters. Finished the puzzle in the SE after finally getting DRAGON TEARS.
C.C.-You asked a number of word-study questions today in your write-up. Al answered the"HIT" question, and his explanation is exactly what I first thought. However, I was unable to find HIT listed as an adjective anywhere (slang, perhaps?). Maybe "Success" would have been a more linguistically correct clue, though I didn't have a problem with it the way it was clued.
As for 54A Ingratiate, the word comes from the Latin "gratia" meaning in grace or favor. On the other hand, the words "ingrate" and "ingratitude" have negative connotations meaning ungrateful. Go figure...that's why English is so hard to learn (and to teach).
For 58A, the idiom "in over one's head" often refers to money. It can also mean getting involved in something one does not have the ability or knowledge for which to be successful.
Enjoy the day!
I may have a handsome transom...but I am not smarter than a fifth grader! Needed mucho helpo! (That`s my pidgin Spanish...)
Buckaye: (using the family name) I do "get" you. And you do have a great spirit...(which gets many of us through horrific times, BTW.)
I decided not to annoy myself trying a themeless puzzle so I just came right here. I was working on last week's WSJ puzzle from February 26 but I can't figure out the theme of that one. The title is table talk and the center theme entry is Pass The Butter. Any ideas?
Re HIT as a noun. People often refer to a popular broadway show as a HIT show. That usage would be an adjective, wouldn't it?
Goodmorning, c.c. and my fellow puzzleteers. Barry Silk and I were on the same wave-length this morning and I thought today's puzzle was summed up by 62a. ("Too easy" for a Saturday).
Liked 7a Down- With relish-"scarf up", 28d It may cover a spot "toupee" and 31d Pepper-"Sgt". (Loved that album).
I have something in common with that satyr, c.c. Can you guess?
Yep! We both play musical instruments. (Too easy).
@MJ: I guess that we ofter use the prefix "in" to mean "un". Hence "ingrate" and "inflamable".
How many of you "oldsters" remember going to the theater on Saturday mornings and watching the cartoons and whatever "serial" they were showing at the time? I have a story to relate, and because of it's length, I'll do it "serial" fashion. I'll regurgitate the story throughout the day. O.K? After you hear it, you, too, may wish to regurgitate.
I must be off
So when is an abbreviation not an abbreviation? (57D) When it's the name of a magazine? (INC.)
Part one of the serial entitled:
"THE GREATEST HEALTH CARE IN THE WORLD" "Meeting Chester"
My friend, Chester Drawers, stopped by the GBRV to say "Hiddy". Chester is a Sanitation Engineer (garbage man) for the city. He and his wife, Fonda (nee Peters) are old friends.
"How are you, my stately friend? Do you have a moment for a bit of discourse?" asked Chester.
"Of course, Chester (for god's sake, don't call him Chet). Pull up a chair and regale me with your wisdom," I responded.
"Well, last October, while covering my route, I came across a wooden board by the curbside that a gentleman wished of which to dispose. While ferrying the object to my disposal compartment, I was penetrated, through my glove, upon the right forefinger, by a large sliver of wood from said board. It cause a great ejaculation of my life giving blood and I knew I need immediate medical attention".
"What did you do, Chester?" I inquired.
"I went to that new health insurance owned hospital on the East Side. What's the name of that establishment?"
"Oh! You mean The Humanus Insurance Josef Mengele Center; where they only treat patients who are insured by Humanus."
"Indeed! Here's what happened there!"
To be continued.
IMBO
Good Morning All, The three letter fill got me again. RCA, URI, BEL, DRS, AZO and INC were all stickers.
Things I've never heard of -
TASSELS as a verb
ALCOPOP
BATT rather than BATTING
Dean Koontz book DRAGON TEARS
Things I've heard of, but have forgotten -
SPAHN
NERISSA, read the play, but she didn't stick
ASH CANS, I haven't heard TRASH CANS called ASH CANS for about five decades.
Ah well, at least FORT MC HENRY, TOUPEE, BUZZI and DON ADAMS came easily.
It's a good thing I had Cruciverb set to show incorrect letters immediately. I'd still be plugging away if I hadn't.
Buckeye, with a cautionary, "Be home before dinner" and 50 cents in my pocket, I'd head to the bus stop on Saturday. Mom was sensible enough to not let me go by myself until I was about ten years old. (It was a much more innocent time!) I was in heaven with dime popcorn, a nickel soda or candy bar. Then came the cartoons, a serial and a sepia toned Republic Pictures Roy Rodgers western.
I'm just as excited by your serial and am looking forward to the next installment. Chester may not be as gorgeous as Roy, or sing as well, but I'm glad he lived to tell the tale, so we don't have to worry about that!
Here's the poop on "in" vs. "un" prefixes when they mean "not": In general, words take un- when they are of English (Germanic) origin and in- if they come from Latin.
However, inflammable is a rule-breaker that comes from Latin inflammare, which uses a different in- prefix, one that intensifies the meaning of the root word (so turning flammare, to burn, into inflammare, to burst into flames).
And with MJ's explanation of the Latin root "gratia", the in- prefix of "ingratiate" is also the same kind of intensifier, I think. One current sense of the word is that which C.C. feels doesn't match the clue: To "endear" is to charm. To actively "ingratiate" yourself is to try too hard to be endearing, thus having the opposite effect if it is detected. Sometimes it takes a third person to see such an attempt for what it is, and the person actually being snowed only sees endearment. In less cynical times, ingratiate and endear were more synonymous. I think what has happened is one of those gradual shifts in meaning over time.
Part two of the serial entitled:
(BTW, I'm not going to recap the previous episodes. You SOBs have to go back and read them if you want to keep up).
THE GREATEST HEALTH CARE IN THE WORLD "Chester at the Josef Mengele Center"
"I got to the hospital and they took me fairly quickly. Of course, I was leaking blood all over their highly polished floor.
"They cut off my glove, gave me a tetanus shot, soaked my hand in Merthiolate, shot my finger with novacaine, removed the sliver, sent me to x-ray to be sure they had removed all of the wooden particles, put in two sutures, re-soaked my hand in Merthiolate, gave me another shot of tetanus and then asked, 'does it hurt?'
"In a fit of rage and unimaginable pain, I picked up a copy of 'Grey's Anatomy' and hit the Doctor soundly upon his left ear. 'Yes, Doctor. It hurts worse than your 'bleeding' ear' and I meant that both literally and figuratively. So they gave me a shot of morphine.
"'Why so much attention to such a small incident?" I inquired.
"Because we don't want your sorry ass suing us for negligence," said the Doctor. (Such foul language from a man of Hippocrates.) "I'm going to give you another injection, this one an antibiotic and write you a prescription for another antibiotic that I want you to fill immediately. There will be eight capsules. Take them for eight days, with meals and don't miss one. Here's you 'script; pick up your bill at the front desk".
"I went to the front desk and they handed me a bill for $7284.63. Thank God I have insurance, I thought".
To be continued.
IMBO
Hi C.C. and all -
I could not finish this but that did not surprise me. I do enjoy Barry Silk's puzzles, they are full of 'out of the box' clues/answers and they usually get the best of me. I could not get anywhere in the top half of this but the bottom was doable.
Barry G: I put ALCOHOL in 17A as well. Sure screwed that up and I never did get the answer until I looked on line.
TFrank: I had to laugh when you said you can never remember "that damned dog's name"...neither can I! Don't know why that is.
Argyle (8:50) LOL - I agree!
CA: (From last night) Loved the definition of a curmudgeon...and I know I am one, thankfully, so is Joe :)
Love your post today!!! Glad you and Buckeye keep track of each other.
Buckeye: Keep the installments coming.
ALCOPOP??? I have some Mike's Hard Lemonade (Light) in the fridge...it is surprisingly good.
Back later.
C.C. and all who swoop in here:
Good morning! In times past I never bothered to check on the constructor, but since finding this blog, it's the first thing I do, and upon seeing Barry Silk, my heart leaped! Yes, I was up for the challenge and I was determined at all costs to finish without searching although nearly shed dragon sized tears. Not being a Dean Kuntz fan,I slogged it out; after that it was almost child's play.
I loved Ruth Buzzi and watched her regularly; as has been well phrased already, she is a brilliant and talented performer.
Mike's hard lemonade was my first introduction to that world of spirits though I've not heard of alcopop.
Sadly, sports are my downfall and I let "Spahl" work itself out, as I had written "at all costs" and didn't bother to check it until I saw it here and of course, didn't check on "Key Bridge" either.
Altogether a satisfying Saturday puzzle. Thank you, Barry Silk!
Have a wonderful Saturday or what's left of it.
The AZ dessert flower.
Oh yeah, I put in Alcohol first, but PEH made no sense, perps got me the ALCOPOPS, a new term to me.
I'll just stick with the Scotch.
Part three of the serial entitled:
THE BEST HEALTH CARE IN THE WORLD
"Chester at the pharmacy"
"I went to my local pharmacy to get my prescription filled and talked with my pharmacist M. Balmer.
'Wow, Chester! This is some powerful stuff your Doctor prescribed. What happened?'
I told him and he went back and filled the order.
'Ya know, Chester, Eli Lilliput just came out with this stuff and it's REAL expensive. It's penicillin, but it's made from the mold of whole wheat bread instead of the white stuff. It's supposed to ward off infection and keep your bowels regular. It's $200.00 a pill'.
'That's O.K.,M. I've got insurance".
'Er, about that, Chester. It seems you're in the 'donut hole'. You're going to have to pick up the $1600.00 yourself".
'You can't be serious!' I exclaimed.
'I'm as serious as that heart attack Ol' Buckeye had a while back".
I left, much chagrined and very much poorer."
To be continued.
IMBO
Buckeye:
I'm panting in suspense . . .
Hello all.
Alcopop is probably in someone's
dictionary. Just not mine.
The Russians didn't name Odessa. A group of investors from Zanesville,Ohio so named it.
Speaking of two cities with the same name, I hope everyone knows
about the other Bethleham in Galilee.
Went off blog to answer Tinbeni and Lemonade714. Tinbeni, thanks for the reply.
Fantastic photo on APOD this morning of a sun pillar.
eddyB
Today's NYT puzzle is also written by Barry. A rare feat.
A tip 'o' the hat, Mr. Silk.
Completed the easy answers
this a.m. and then decided that I needed a body work out rather then one for my brain. Returned from the gym with a much clearer head and ate lunch while completing the puzzle. I don't read too many books so 49 across nailed me...I'm rather embarassed with my answer but you might be able to guess!
Hi everybody,
You all are so much fun! I love reading your comments.
I couldn't get more than half way done with the puzzle today. Way too hard for me. C.C., how do you do it? You're amazing.
Wishing you all a good weekend.
Hello All--I didn't finish the puzzle today. Didn't really get it started as I put rapels in for Dramatic descents and I dropped from there into a deep abyss. I came here to get C.C.'s answers! I won't say anything more, because it would sound too much like whining!!
I can usually get through a puzzle with some Googling help, but today was another story. I did start reading the comments and then came across Bucheye's serial story. Had to finish that before I log off. A real cliff hanger, Buckeye.
Have a great weekend everyone. We're off to see a grandson who's visiting here from Columbus, Ohio.
THE BEAT HEALTH CARE IN THE WORLD
"Chester's last straw"
"Jesus, Chester!" I shouted. "That's a big hit!"
"Yes, my highly educated friend; but use your Unitarian background and don't use the Lord's name in vain around us believers".
"Sorry, Chester".
"But here's the straw that broke the camel's back, my compadre. Last week I got a bill from the Mengele Center for $7284.63. It seems my insurance company rejected my claim because the sliver was a 'preexisting' condition. They said the sliver was in my digit BEFORE I entered the hospital, hence, 'preexisting'. It's like that couple who gave their consent to their Doctor to correct their newly born child's clef pallet. After the proceedure, the insurance company rejected their claim saying it, too, was a preexisting condition developed in the womb, and the parents had to pay the $18,000.00 out of pocket. It seems, my astute comrade, I'm between the proverbial 'rock and a hard spot'".
With that, Chester sighed, bid me adieu and left, looking like a man who had just been horse-whipped.
However, there is reason for hope. We have people fighting for us in Washington. They want to scrap the existing health care bill and start with a "clean sheet of paper", upon which they will omit fixing "donut holes", leave 30 million people without health care, continue rejection of insurance because of preexisting conditions and leave everything in the hands of insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Business as usual. EXCEPT!! By golly, we'll get rid of those pesky "death panels", you betcha.
FINIS
Composed by Buckeye, the Old curmudgeon.
I must truly be off. (Post #5)
Hi C.C. & gang, When I saw it was a Barry Silk puzzle I decided to do it online and my wife does the hard copy in pencil We managed to finish it that way in 32 minutes but She said that without the online assist she would've given up.
Here's a link to "The term 'alcopop' (a portmanteau of the words alcohol and pop) is used by advocates of tighter restrictions on alcoholic beverage sales, who argue that the beverages are especially appealing to underage drinkers.[2"
For Jeannie: I thought that you'd like to know that we're going to try your recipe for pork chops today. My wife modified it slightly using low sodium cream of chicken soup vs. cream of mushroom. She said she doesn't like cream of mushroom soup because it rubbery pieces of mushroom in it. Go figure.
IMBO - borrowing from you know who.
It's been a long time since I've done so poorly on a puzzle and given up... Maybe it was just my mood today. I couldn't seem to string enough fill together to give me any perp help. I guess I was on the wrong wavelength.
It didn't help not being able to access the LAT puzzle online from their site. I tried the cruciverb version, but just don't care for the interface.
On a better note: You'll be happy to hear that we had a beautiful, WARM, sunny day here in South Florida to welcome Dennis, after all that shoveling of snow he's been doing!
Annette said: "I tried the cruciverb version, but just don't care for the interface."
I react the same way. I have gotten more used to Across Lite but I like the LAT applet better. Somebody, Dennis maybe, feels just the opposite. I know it's silly but if I run into a hard puzzle and turn on red letter help with the LAT, I get the help and that's all. With Across Lite, it puts a black triangle in the corner if you make a mistake and worse yet, a red triangle if you get stuck and ask it to solve the letter. Sort of like putting a dunce cap on a student who doesn't know the answer.
Even though I didn't try the themeless puzzle, I was glad to see it included SCARF instead of SNARF. Which version do you use?
Buckeye, I enjoyed your 'serial.' I hope all of the smart people we elected come up with something better than Chester's insurance. Yes I remember the movies with cartoons and newsreels. Now all we get are previews and advertisements.
Bill G.: I found the coloring more difficult to read too. And the navigation didn't seem as smooth, but maybe if I'd used Across Lite first, I'd be more comfortable with it.
And I'd probably use INHALE, or maybe SCARF before SNARF.
There are many color options for Across Lite.
When I change between the two systems, I have trouble going from ACROSS to DOWN and might change or lose letters.
Swoop means to go up and down. Of course, I used swoon ,which means to go down,[dramatic descents] Please, more precise cluing would be a help!
Good Evening All, I see Buckeye has enthusiastically adopted the curmudgeon label. Use it in good health Bro. I appreciated, and agreed with, both final episodes of Chester's story.
As I remember, it is our recently absent friend Embien who REALLY doesn't like the LAT applet. I think he has used the term "despise" at least once. I think the LAT site is OK. It is just what you get used to. The advantage of using cruciverb.com is that it is available much earlier the previous evening. The west coasters can get cruciverb at 7PM, but the LAT site isn't available until 11PM. For our eastern neighbors that makes it 1 or 2AM. Either way, that is too late for me. GAH starts rustling around at 5AM, so I have to keep that in mind when I am considering bedtime.
He is watching boxing on HBO right now, so I'll get started on the Sunday morning puzzle. See you then.
Argyle said: When I change between the two systems, I have trouble going from ACROSS to DOWN and might change or lose letters.
Yes, me too. Do you use the mouse or the arrow keys?
I would suggest putting "The Mask of Zorro" in your NetFlix queue. There are a few laughably bad parts but lots of good stuff too. If you are of the female persuasion, you will enjoy Antonio Banderas. Male types will find Catherine Zeta-Jones lustworthy. Anthony Hopkins is good too. Lots of good swash and buckling. The bad guys get their comeuppance. You scientists will find them tossing around bricks of gold silly as they should weigh more than fifty pounds each. But, it's a movie after all. Heavy gold would slow down the action.
~ Bill G
Annette,
I was like you today. I looked at it various times throughout the day, but never felt I got even a toe-hold. I only ended up with 13 correct answers. Wanted SUCK UP for ENDEAR and many other such missteps, probably out of desperation. Most of the clues meant absolutely nothing to me, and if you don't know where the clue came from, the answers don't follow.
Al mentioned the Germanic use of the un- prefix for negatives. It's true--one of the easiest things about German is that all opposite meanings are formed by using un-. For example, Unkraut is a weed, where Kraut is a generic plant; unhöflich = impolite; unmöglich = impossible; unordentlich = untidy.
Buckeye,
Such a fun way to comment politically in a non(un)political way! I too am hoping enough people see the light and do away with the strangle hold of the medical mafia, aka. insurance company monopolies.
I can't seem to download the puzzle at cruciverb.com. We have an apple computer. Any suggestions? (I usually do the puzzle in the newspaper, but not on Sunday, as it is different.)
Buckeye-Thanks for the amusing read of today's serial-style story. So clever, albeit so true.
MJ asked:"Any suggestions? (I usually do the puzzle in the newspaper, but not on Sunday, as it is different.)"
If you log onto the LATimes website at latimes.com, you will find this puzzle at MORE (upper right), then GAMES then DAILY Crossword Puzzle. There is a second one at Sunday Crossword puzzle.
I hope that helps.
~ Bill G
Bill G.-Thank you for your reply. Following your instructions, I can get today's Barry Silk puzzle at "Daily", or last week's Merl Reagle Sunday puzzle from the newspaper at "Sunday Crossword". Do you know how to get the Sunday puzzle that is discussed at Crossword Corner? ClearAyes said it was available at cruciverb.com at 7pm.
Many, many unknowns today. I gspotted all over the place. Still had mistakes.
Clearayes, I've tried to get the cruciverb.com LAT xword juat after 7 but haven't been able to get it until around 9 or later. Could it have something to do with cable or the ISP? I haven't checked tonight yet but if I get it I'll let you know.
I'm happy how many are in agreement with Buckeye re: Chester's plight. I keep hearing 'polls' that sound as though nobody wants a change! Hard to believe.
Wonderful serial, Buckeye. You're very clever; Isee you gave "sometime reporter" as an occupation. I suspect much more than newswriting.
I wrote a comment around noon or so but it disappeared. Must have hit the wrong button.
It's still giving me March 6! Is there some secret I don't know?
Ah, the SECRET!
It's in the archives, shhh!
Spent almost 2 hours filling in the holes.
36 DOWN clue is fine with me.
CLearAyes. what specifically type of rustling begings at 5:00 at your house? Also what is a GAH. It is fun? Could You send some my way?
Thanks
3 Down is the University of Pennsylvania.
One of the worst puzzles I've worked on in a long time. Will save the cost of the paper if I see the author's byline next time.
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