Theme: The Clothier's Apprentice - Common phrases involving a sartorial word are humorously re-interpreted & clued as tailor-related. "The Clothier's Apprentice" story is narrated through the combination of clues & answers.
23A. Poor prep technique earned the apprentice the nickname __: TURKEY BASTER. To baste is to sew together loosely. Turkey = Poor.
34A. He thought NASA sewed astronauts' uniforms with the __: SPACE NEEDLE. Have you visited the Space Needle in Seattle?
48A. Mixing up orders from a cop and a priest, he __: COLLARED THE WRONG MAN. Superb choice of "a cop and a priest"(clerical collar). Different collar intimation.
65A. He designed a shirt, but wound up with a vest because he __: LOST THE THREAD. I hate when I lose the thread of conversation in blog Comments section.
82A. Jogging, he forgot about the pin cushion in his pocket and __: GOT A STITCH IN HIS SIDE. Learned a few months ago that "stitch" can refer to a sudden, sharp pain.
100A. He thought inferior fabric came from __: WORSTED WOOL. I understand the fabric term "worsted". But is the wordplay inferior "worst" here used as a verb?
113A. Upon reviewing the apprentice's work, the boss said, "Truly you are a __": TAILOR'S DUMMY. Hilarious!
Today marks the one-year anniversary of our switch to LA Times. What a fun, fine pangram gift from John Lampkin!
John is a musician, so quite a few music references in the grid:
7A. A to A, to Puccini: SCALA. Italian for "scale". We all know La Scala in Milan.
22A. Numbered Beethoven work, e.g.: OPUS
32A. Early prog rock gp.: ELO. Often clued as the "Xanadu" band.
88A. "The Planets" composer: HOLST (Gustav). I strung his name together via crosses.
109A. Wagner work: OPERA. Opera is also a plural of opus, isn't it?
122A. Clarinet and oboe: REEDS
104D. Early strings: VIOLS
Also brilliant word-weaving & echos in today's clues, hallmark of John's puzzles. I've highlighted them in green color in my write-up.
Across:
1. Yak: JABBER
12. Cape Town's country: Abbr.: RSA (Republic of South Africa)
15. Country bumpkin: RUBE
19. Farm vet's specialty: EQUINE. And NAG (73. Not much of a racehorse). And AT STUD (83D. Like some retired racehorses). Dictionary defines At/In Stud as: (of a male animal) offered for the purpose of breeding. New to me. Also SHOE (84. Horse's footwear).
20. Like a purring Jaguar: TUNED
21. Gambler's haunts, briefly: OTB (Offtrack Betting). But the clue is asking for plural OTBS.
25. Langley operative: CIA AGENT. CIA is based in Langley, Virginia. (Thanks for the correction, Haltool.)
27. Rotated car parts: TIRES
28. Ultimatum ender: ELSE. We often have OR ELSE.
29. Subj. concerned with habitats: ECOL
31. Fencing move: LUNGE
33. All over: ANEW
36. Dirty deed doer: DASTARD. Triple alliteration.
39. Eggs in labs: OVA
41. "The Chosen" author Chaim: POTOK. Have never heard of the book.
42. Divinity sch.: SEM (Seminary)
43. Shout in a ring: OLE. Bull ring. And I'LL GET IT (74. Response to a ring). Doorbell ring.
44. Finish, as a cake: FROST. Oh, noun "finish".
46. Kilmer poem ending: A TREE. From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". (Added later: The ending is from Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees".)
54. Sultan's wives: HAREM. Always thought harem refer to the room they live. Have you ever wondered why those Muslim girls' eyes look bright and mysterious? Well, they use KOHL for eyeliner.
57. Feline greeting: MEOW. And HOWL (85D. Wolf's cry).
59. Repeats: ITERATES
61. Vinyls, for short: LPS
62. Robust: HEARTY
64. Sale indicator: TAG
71. Bordeaux choice: CLARET. Bordeaux wine.
76. Hägar's daughter: HONI. Must be a gimme for all your "Hägar the Horrible" fans. Not me.
77. Censor's target: SMUT
79. Approaching: NIGH. So is NEAR.
81. Choose: ELECT
87. Lucy's chum: ETHEL. "I Love Lucy".
89. 1963 Cleo player: LIZ. And NILE (79D. Cleo's river). The latter is asking for an abbreviated answer.
90. Spot order?: SIT. Spot the dog. And AD REP (11D. Spot seller). TV Ad spot.
93. Enjoys a bath: SOAKS. And the consecutive WET (95. Like a bather). And WASH (51D. Bathe), followed directly by AERATED (52. Like hot tub water). John must love Degas.
96. Flamboyance: PANACHE
105. Family mem.: REL
106. "Au revoir": ADIEU. Does anyone know how to pronounce French R properly?
107. Speedy: FAST
108. Flex at the barre: PLIE. Barre is the ballet rail. And BEND (24D. Flex)
111. Varied assortment: MIXED BAG. Olio!
116. Brief confession: I DID
117. GI morale booster: USO
118. Kick out: EXPEL
119. "Enclosed __ please find ...": HEREIN
120. Dates: SEES
121. St. Helens, e.g.: MTN
123. Carol opening: ADESTE. The opening of hymn "Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful").
Down:
1. Took a red-eye, e.g.: JETTED
2. Eagle constellation: AQUILA. Latin for "eagle".
3. Forty-niners' carriers: BURROS. The Gold Rush forty-niners who arrived in CA in 1849.
4. You can pop a wheelie on one: BIKE
5. Hydrocarbon endings: ENES. I don't mind the pluralized form of a chemical ending. How about you chemical expert, Al/Jazzbumpa?
6. King, in Spain: REY
8. Geezer's invectives: CUSS WORDS
9. Part of a.m.: ANTE. Man, I never know that a. m. stands for ante meridiem (before noon).
10. Poe's Annabel: LEE. Poe's "Annabel Lee".
12. Fragonard's paintings exemplify it: ROCOCO ART. The answer emerged itself. Not familiar with the French painter Fragonard. How does Rococo differ from Baroque?
13. Sharp-looking heels?: STILETTOS
15. Rapscallion: ROGUE
16. Overturns: UPENDS
17. Botch: BUNGLE
26. Source of a draft?: ALE KEG. The beer draft. I only felt air draft.
30. Seal, as an oil well: CAP
34. Accessory indicating rank, perhaps: SASH
35. Norse goddess of fate: NORN. Any of the three. The Furies also consist of three goddesses.
37. Chan portrayer: TOLER (Sidney). Total stranger to me.
38. Stag: ALL MALE
40. It's cast in a booth: VOTE
44. Big spread: FEAST. Was imagining a big spread of farmland.
45. Play the vamp: TEMPT
47. Austen novel: EMMA
48. Mail order book: CATALOG
49. Pasta sauce herb: OREGANO. Jeannie's sweet potato with dried herbs sound delectable.
50. Roger of "Cheers": REES. First encounter with this guy.
53. Nasty: NOT NICE
54. Pull (up), as pants: HITCH. And LEG (61. An April fooler might pull yours).
58. One of the Earps: WYATT
60. Tiny one: TOT
62. Cartoonist Foster: HAL. No idea. Wikipedia says he's the cartoonist for "Tarzan" and "Prince Valiant".
63. Enters stealthily: EDGES IN
66. Wood fastener: T-NUT
67. Concoct: HATCH
68. "Exactamundo!": RIGHT
69. K-12 catchall: ELHI (ELementary + HIgh school)
75. Alfred Doolittle's daughter: ELIZA. "My Fair Lady".
77. Ever dedicated: STEADFAST
78. Bygone delivery vehicle: MILK WAGON. I don't have any milkman memory as many of you do.
80. Set up, as software: INSTALLED
86. Croat or Serb: SLAV
90. Hindu masters: SWAMIS
91. Salt used in thyroid treatments: IODIDE
92. "Hi and Lois" baby: TRIXIE. Uh-uh. Nope.
94. "Help!" at sea: SOS
96. Place to tie up: PIER. Tie up the boat.
97. Thickish liqueurs: CREMES
98. No social butterfly: HERMIT. Like Salinger.
99. Comic Boosler: ELAYNE. Is she very famous?
101. Bird feeder filler: SEEDS
102. Furry river critter: OTTER
108. Old King Cole's smoke: PIPE. Simple English nursery rhymes are often stymies to me. Cultural gap.
109. Used too much: OD'ED. Overdosed.
110. Squeaky clean: PURE
112. Dover derrière: BUM. Dover is picked for alliteration again.
114. Forest feller: AXE. One more alliteration.
115. Syllable in oldies: SHA
Answer grid.
A special "Thank You" to Rich Norris for a wonderful year of daily entertainment and education.
C.C.
23A. Poor prep technique earned the apprentice the nickname __: TURKEY BASTER. To baste is to sew together loosely. Turkey = Poor.
34A. He thought NASA sewed astronauts' uniforms with the __: SPACE NEEDLE. Have you visited the Space Needle in Seattle?
48A. Mixing up orders from a cop and a priest, he __: COLLARED THE WRONG MAN. Superb choice of "a cop and a priest"(clerical collar). Different collar intimation.
65A. He designed a shirt, but wound up with a vest because he __: LOST THE THREAD. I hate when I lose the thread of conversation in blog Comments section.
82A. Jogging, he forgot about the pin cushion in his pocket and __: GOT A STITCH IN HIS SIDE. Learned a few months ago that "stitch" can refer to a sudden, sharp pain.
100A. He thought inferior fabric came from __: WORSTED WOOL. I understand the fabric term "worsted". But is the wordplay inferior "worst" here used as a verb?
113A. Upon reviewing the apprentice's work, the boss said, "Truly you are a __": TAILOR'S DUMMY. Hilarious!
Today marks the one-year anniversary of our switch to LA Times. What a fun, fine pangram gift from John Lampkin!
John is a musician, so quite a few music references in the grid:
7A. A to A, to Puccini: SCALA. Italian for "scale". We all know La Scala in Milan.
22A. Numbered Beethoven work, e.g.: OPUS
32A. Early prog rock gp.: ELO. Often clued as the "Xanadu" band.
88A. "The Planets" composer: HOLST (Gustav). I strung his name together via crosses.
109A. Wagner work: OPERA. Opera is also a plural of opus, isn't it?
122A. Clarinet and oboe: REEDS
104D. Early strings: VIOLS
Also brilliant word-weaving & echos in today's clues, hallmark of John's puzzles. I've highlighted them in green color in my write-up.
Across:
1. Yak: JABBER
12. Cape Town's country: Abbr.: RSA (Republic of South Africa)
15. Country bumpkin: RUBE
19. Farm vet's specialty: EQUINE. And NAG (73. Not much of a racehorse). And AT STUD (83D. Like some retired racehorses). Dictionary defines At/In Stud as: (of a male animal) offered for the purpose of breeding. New to me. Also SHOE (84. Horse's footwear).
20. Like a purring Jaguar: TUNED
21. Gambler's haunts, briefly: OTB (Offtrack Betting). But the clue is asking for plural OTBS.
25. Langley operative: CIA AGENT. CIA is based in Langley, Virginia. (Thanks for the correction, Haltool.)
27. Rotated car parts: TIRES
28. Ultimatum ender: ELSE. We often have OR ELSE.
29. Subj. concerned with habitats: ECOL
31. Fencing move: LUNGE
33. All over: ANEW
36. Dirty deed doer: DASTARD. Triple alliteration.
39. Eggs in labs: OVA
41. "The Chosen" author Chaim: POTOK. Have never heard of the book.
42. Divinity sch.: SEM (Seminary)
43. Shout in a ring: OLE. Bull ring. And I'LL GET IT (74. Response to a ring). Doorbell ring.
44. Finish, as a cake: FROST. Oh, noun "finish".
46. Kilmer poem ending: A TREE. From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". (Added later: The ending is from Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees".)
54. Sultan's wives: HAREM. Always thought harem refer to the room they live. Have you ever wondered why those Muslim girls' eyes look bright and mysterious? Well, they use KOHL for eyeliner.
57. Feline greeting: MEOW. And HOWL (85D. Wolf's cry).
59. Repeats: ITERATES
61. Vinyls, for short: LPS
62. Robust: HEARTY
64. Sale indicator: TAG
71. Bordeaux choice: CLARET. Bordeaux wine.
76. Hägar's daughter: HONI. Must be a gimme for all your "Hägar the Horrible" fans. Not me.
77. Censor's target: SMUT
79. Approaching: NIGH. So is NEAR.
81. Choose: ELECT
87. Lucy's chum: ETHEL. "I Love Lucy".
89. 1963 Cleo player: LIZ. And NILE (79D. Cleo's river). The latter is asking for an abbreviated answer.
90. Spot order?: SIT. Spot the dog. And AD REP (11D. Spot seller). TV Ad spot.
93. Enjoys a bath: SOAKS. And the consecutive WET (95. Like a bather). And WASH (51D. Bathe), followed directly by AERATED (52. Like hot tub water). John must love Degas.
96. Flamboyance: PANACHE
105. Family mem.: REL
106. "Au revoir": ADIEU. Does anyone know how to pronounce French R properly?
107. Speedy: FAST
108. Flex at the barre: PLIE. Barre is the ballet rail. And BEND (24D. Flex)
111. Varied assortment: MIXED BAG. Olio!
116. Brief confession: I DID
117. GI morale booster: USO
118. Kick out: EXPEL
119. "Enclosed __ please find ...": HEREIN
120. Dates: SEES
121. St. Helens, e.g.: MTN
123. Carol opening: ADESTE. The opening of hymn "Adeste Fideles" (O Come All Ye Faithful").
Down:
1. Took a red-eye, e.g.: JETTED
2. Eagle constellation: AQUILA. Latin for "eagle".
3. Forty-niners' carriers: BURROS. The Gold Rush forty-niners who arrived in CA in 1849.
4. You can pop a wheelie on one: BIKE
5. Hydrocarbon endings: ENES. I don't mind the pluralized form of a chemical ending. How about you chemical expert, Al/Jazzbumpa?
6. King, in Spain: REY
8. Geezer's invectives: CUSS WORDS
9. Part of a.m.: ANTE. Man, I never know that a. m. stands for ante meridiem (before noon).
10. Poe's Annabel: LEE. Poe's "Annabel Lee".
12. Fragonard's paintings exemplify it: ROCOCO ART. The answer emerged itself. Not familiar with the French painter Fragonard. How does Rococo differ from Baroque?
13. Sharp-looking heels?: STILETTOS
15. Rapscallion: ROGUE
16. Overturns: UPENDS
17. Botch: BUNGLE
26. Source of a draft?: ALE KEG. The beer draft. I only felt air draft.
30. Seal, as an oil well: CAP
34. Accessory indicating rank, perhaps: SASH
35. Norse goddess of fate: NORN. Any of the three. The Furies also consist of three goddesses.
37. Chan portrayer: TOLER (Sidney). Total stranger to me.
38. Stag: ALL MALE
40. It's cast in a booth: VOTE
44. Big spread: FEAST. Was imagining a big spread of farmland.
45. Play the vamp: TEMPT
47. Austen novel: EMMA
48. Mail order book: CATALOG
49. Pasta sauce herb: OREGANO. Jeannie's sweet potato with dried herbs sound delectable.
50. Roger of "Cheers": REES. First encounter with this guy.
53. Nasty: NOT NICE
54. Pull (up), as pants: HITCH. And LEG (61. An April fooler might pull yours).
58. One of the Earps: WYATT
60. Tiny one: TOT
62. Cartoonist Foster: HAL. No idea. Wikipedia says he's the cartoonist for "Tarzan" and "Prince Valiant".
63. Enters stealthily: EDGES IN
66. Wood fastener: T-NUT
67. Concoct: HATCH
68. "Exactamundo!": RIGHT
69. K-12 catchall: ELHI (ELementary + HIgh school)
75. Alfred Doolittle's daughter: ELIZA. "My Fair Lady".
77. Ever dedicated: STEADFAST
78. Bygone delivery vehicle: MILK WAGON. I don't have any milkman memory as many of you do.
80. Set up, as software: INSTALLED
86. Croat or Serb: SLAV
90. Hindu masters: SWAMIS
91. Salt used in thyroid treatments: IODIDE
92. "Hi and Lois" baby: TRIXIE. Uh-uh. Nope.
94. "Help!" at sea: SOS
96. Place to tie up: PIER. Tie up the boat.
97. Thickish liqueurs: CREMES
98. No social butterfly: HERMIT. Like Salinger.
99. Comic Boosler: ELAYNE. Is she very famous?
101. Bird feeder filler: SEEDS
102. Furry river critter: OTTER
108. Old King Cole's smoke: PIPE. Simple English nursery rhymes are often stymies to me. Cultural gap.
109. Used too much: OD'ED. Overdosed.
110. Squeaky clean: PURE
112. Dover derrière: BUM. Dover is picked for alliteration again.
114. Forest feller: AXE. One more alliteration.
115. Syllable in oldies: SHA
Answer grid.
A special "Thank You" to Rich Norris for a wonderful year of daily entertainment and education.
C.C.
48 comments:
Morning, all!
Fine, fun puzzle. My one sticking point was in the NW corner, which always bugs me since that's where I start the puzzle. I finally had to give up and do the rest of the puzzle before coming back to that section.
I know what a TURKEY BASTER is, but in connection with the clue I couldn't see how TURKEY fit. And, while I know that EQUINE is the Latin name for horse, somehow I can't get it to fit grammatically with the clue "Farm Vet's Specialty." It feels like either the answer should be EQUINES or else the clue should be asking for a straight synonym for horse (or horse-related). It also didn't help that I spelled the constellation AGUILA instead of AQUILA for 2D and initially had WAGONS instead of BURROS for 3D. And, sad to say, I immediately put in BASTARDS for 36A, which kept 1D hidden from view.
As I said, a real mess up there. I finally managed to get through it when I decided to just go with TURKEY BASTER even though I didn't get what TURKEY had to do with anything. That led me to reconsider WAGONS and gave me JETTED, which eventually let me get everything else.
Good morning all,
Great puzzle and theme! Barry, I think turkey baster comes from "baste", a type of stitch. The apprentice was so bad it looked like he had basted a turkey.
I managed to get through this in about an hour, and the few clues I could not figure out, I got from the perps.
Favorite clue was for worsted wool.
I usually don't finish these Sunday puzzles until the afternoon because of church activities, but today went pretty fast.
Have a good day.
Good Morning, CC and all. This was a nice clean puzzle with all the Bathing clues and answers (Like a Bather: WET / Enjoys a Bath: SOAK / Bathe: WASH).
I also really loved the theme. My first theme clue was SPACE NEEDLE.
There were also a lot of fun, fresh clues: An April Fooler Might Pull Yours: LEG.
Seeing FROST for Finish, As A Cake was fun instead of seeing the usual "Icing." My mother didn't ICE cakes, she FROSTED them.
MIXED BAG was a fun response.
TEL AVIV means "Hill of Spring." It is a beautiful city on the Mediterranean.
Chaim Potok (1929 ~ 2002) was/is one of my favorite authors. I loved "The Chosen" and its sequel, "The Promise." I recently read "A Seat at the Table" by Joshua Halberstam, which is very reminiscent of Potok (my review isn't completed yet).
In honor of this author, here is today's QOD:
Everything has a past. Everything ~ a person, an object, a word, everything. If you don’t know the past, you can’t understand the present and plan properly for the future. ~ Chaim Potok
— Chaim Potok (Davita's Harp)
P.S. Langley Operative should be CIA AGENT.
Dear CC,
Thanks for lovely blogging! Please note that Joyce Kilmer, who wrote the poem, died in 1918 whereas book cited written in 1940s! Also, gold rush misprint!
Nice puzzle!
Barry, I think turkey baster comes from "baste", a type of stitch. The apprentice was so bad it looked like he had basted a turkey.
Yeah, I got the "baste" part. I just didn't get the connection between TURKEY and "poor." I guess if a movie stinks you call it a real TURKEY, but other than that I don't associate the word with being inferior or poor.
Ah well...
Here is the Kilmer poem. Have always loved it.
I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Good morning C.C. et al., I really enjoyed your write up, especially making sense of the usually unwieldy Sunday grid. The skill of Mr. Lampkin, who is another favorite constructor, to weave so many sub-texts was enhanced by your deft analysis. My only problems were the complete unknown GUSTAV HOLST , Eagle constellation: AQUILA, and one of my really least favorite crosswordese, ELHI, which I have never heard outside a puzzle. Of course since so many of you are educators, my experience may be wrong, especially as my teaching was college and law school, but it sets my teeth on edge.
I was a teen-age Jewish boy when I read The Promise and while their lives were very much different than mine, I could relate to the intricate complications of the relationship between fathers and sons, as well as the internal conflicts between being religious and living a complete life. I thought the writing was very well done. Ans thank you Hahtool, I had forgotten the Promise which I beleive I enjoyed more. Chaim was my grandfather's name.
As far as pronouncing the “R” in French, I am sure our missing compatriot, KAZIE would be confident, and having grown up with a French speaking mother, in a town where 90% of the people spoke French, I think I would pass the sound test. However, it does remind me of the story of the Englishman who went over to Paris for dinner, and after a wonderful meal decided he wanted a dessert. He did not speak the language, but had managed to communicate with his very voluptuous waitress by pointing at the menu. He pointed, and she, said, “Oui monsieur, you will ‘ave zee rrred rrraspberry torte.” Hoping to strike up a conversation with the lady, he said, " You know, I really like the way you roll your Rs.” Oh, Merci, but it is these new high heels, I am just learning to walk in them.”
@C.C. I don't really mind plurals, partials, abbreviations or roman numerals as fill in a puzzle. The fewer, the better, of course, but it takes what it takes, and clever cluing can make up for a lot. Until the time I decide to try start constructing myself, I figure I don't really have a leg to stand on to criticize someone else's efforts as to what goes into the actual grid.
The rest of this is probably going to sound like a rant, so I apologize beforehand... Also, let me first say that I found this puzzle fun and the rest of my comments aren't meant to reflect specifically on this particular constructor.
Having said that, I do find it unfair when short answers like chemical endings or compass points are used without enough of a clue to be able to definitively get them without the perp fill. On-line, you can check with red letters and such, which is at best unsatisfying, but if you work on paper, with an obscure crossing, you can't really know for sure whether you have it right, and it really doesn't help in solving at all. Sure, there are real words that can be multiple answers too, like the forehead slappers, but somehow that is different, you get a sense of satisfaction when solve those, they allow you to work both directions to solve, and the answer makes sense when you're done.
So, while I don't really mind ENES so much just because of the plural, it is an un-gettable answer on its own. There should be at least a mention of a "double bond" in the clue for ENE. ANES are single bonded, and YNES are triple bonds. There are so many other different ones: OUS, IDE, ITE, INE, ONE, IOL, ATE, IUM, ASE, OSE, et. al., that the clue may as well have been left blank (or clued as "three random letters") than to leave it merely at "Chemical Endings".
Had to google sartorial, CC, this puzzle became more enjoyable after reading your detailed blog. Thank you John Lambkin.
Hello C.C. and fellow bloggers.
Great analyzing as usual, C.C. You enlightened me on a number of things.
I had trouble with the NW corner as I had put "yoyo" for 4D, don't ask me why. Anyway I went on to other sections and I know it sounds lame, but it's Sunday and I have to go to Church, but I filled all the three letters everywhere and anywhere then returned to complete the longer ones.
This was fun and unexpected. You have already mentioned most of the really good clues so I'll leave it and maybe return later.
Have a great Sunday.
Good Morning All, As a long-time seamstress, I liked all the theme answers. I don't sew much anymore, but all the terms were familiar.
The online slang dictionary defines TURKEY as (1): failure; flop. (2): dumb person. Either one would fit 23A.
I agreed with Barry G. that the cross of EQUINE (singular) just didn't sound right. But I changed my thinking to EQUINE as an adjective, rather than a noun, as in the specialty of EQUINE medicine.
My biggest problem was putting USA for Union of South Africa in the 12A place. I thought it was so clever that there were two USA's. Directly beneath, I also was looking for a plural "Gambler's haunts". The perps kicked in eventually and took care of those.
I liked the way STILETTO butted up against the cross of NEEDLE. Those heels don't just look sharp, they can be dangerous.
Not a TAILOR'S DUMMY, but a similar dressmaker's dummy had a four month stay in our den when I was making my daughter's wedding dress. Yup, that was the project that put me off sewing. We saved a lot of money, but it was just too much tedious work.
Thanks Al, for making me feel not so dumb about those chemical endings. I usually leave them and come back with the hope the perps have filled them in. Of course, even if there had been a "double bond" in the clue, I still would have been clueless :o)
Another thanks to Al for last night's link to Fredericksburg.com LAT puzzle. With the problems cruciverb.com has had, it is good to have another source to get the puzzle online. As Al said, it isn't available as early as cruciverb.com, but is there a couple of hours earlier than the regular LAT site.
Clear Ayes et al,
Cruciverb is back to normal. They even released the Monday March 22 puzzle.
Barry G, Jeannie, Lucina, Haltool, Annette, Dodo et al,
Would you like to include your pictures in our Blog Photos archive? If so, can you email me the picture at crosswordc@gmail.com? Thanks.
Al,
"Double bonds" or "Triple bond" would have confused the hell of me :-) I love your rants.
Clear Ayes et al,
Thanks for sharing your views on the JEW clue yesterday. By the way, Kazie said "Hi" to everyone.
Robin,
Are you alright? Not even a word on Lemonade's brilliant blogging?
Annette,
Do you really use KOHL as eyeliner? Or just a Kohl's brand?
Crockett,
Happy Anniversary!
Lemonade, I agree with you about ELHI. I was a middle-school teacher in a unified district with elementary schools and high schools and I've never heard the word until I started solving crosswords. I dislike words like AROAR too. I'm guessing constructors aren't fond of them either and use them only when they can't find any other way to make the grid word.
Alfred Joyce Kilmer's Trees has been with us, Lo, these many years, but not everybody is a Kilmer fan.
The Philoexian Society of Columbia University hosts a Joyce Kilmer Memorial Bad Poetry Contest every year in honor of their famous alumnus. "Trees" is read aloud by audience members at the contest's end.
The following poem isn't a contest winner (that I know of), but it is of interest to those of us who suffer at this time of year.
Wheeze
(With no apologies whatsoever to Alfred Joyce Kilmer.)
I think that I shall never see
A beast so ruthless as a tree;
Whose majestic blooming buds
Have filled my sinuses with crud.
A cheery harbinger of spring,
Oblivious to my suffering;
A tree who pollinates all day,
Plotting 'gainst my nasal spray.
Whose blossoms blow their gentle sighs
Directly in my swollen eyes.
A nest of tissues in my pocket rests
(An extra tucked between my breasts);
Seasons announce themselves with roses
My fanfare comes in blowing noses.
My head fees like a sewer drain,
Who intimately lives with pain.
Anyone can plant a tree,
But only God would do this to me.
Posted by Lady Pistol Whip (poet..?)
Hi all.
Got the home page but the link to the LAT still wasn't working last
night. I was able to down-load Merl's which went in the recycle bin.
Over did the work yesterday. The hot shower and Tylenol didn't work
and I over slept this morning.
Great photo on APOD this morning.
Was there and saw it once.
Dodo. Saw the late post and will
answer via gmail.
eddyB
Hi gang -
Cruciverb is only partly back to normal. I can get the puzzle on my Sony Lap top, but not on the Mac. If any Mac user is successful, please email me with the instructions. Jazzbumpa@gmail.com.
I tried twice to have the puzzle emailed to me from Cruciverb, and that didn't work, either
I pretty much agree with Al, but IMHO, he is too lenient. C'mon - "ane" does not lend itself well to being pluralized. Especially when specifically clued as a suffix.
Al's use of ENES and YNES is legitimate, however, as shorthand for those kinds of molecules.
Affixes are second class fill. Plurals are often second class fill. A plural of an affix is simply out-of-the-language nonsense, and IMHO, not a legitimate fill of any kind.
Other than that, a fine puzzle, with very clever word-play in the theme answers. WORSTED WOOL is the weakest of the bunch.
I think it goes: worsted, worsteder, worstedest.
Always thought Elayne Boozler was pretty funny. Haven't seen her in years.
Busy rest of the day. IMBO.
Cheers!
JzB the ROGUE trombonist
Hi.
Decided to do Monday's puzzle. Will be watching the HBO mini series on TV tonight.
eddyB
Re: potential chemical suffix plural clue ANES. Don't know why clue couldn't be plural suggesting methane, ethane, propane, etc. Am I missing something?
Joyce Kilmer fans, I like "Trees" too. I did think the "Wheeze" parody was pretty funny though.
Jeannie, from last night..ditto.. my favorite yam prep is baked with butter, salt and pepper.
Off to get a few things done. Have a great afternoon everyone.
JZ, I can get on Cruciverb on my Mac but there's no trickery involved. I just go to www.cruciverb.com on my browser (Firefox). Good luck.
I was excited to think I was going to be able to see a Cornell basketball game on network TV but alas, it was not to be. I can watch it on my computer but the quality is not as good.
Both tough, and cute. Well done! Took 2 hours to complete, about an hour longer than usual.
Lemonade:
Who could blame you for preferring a comment from the airborne (and AWOL) nurse, but I have to tell you I LMAO at the "roll your (a)Rs(e)" line.
I believe Joyce Kilmer's poem was call 'Trees'. It has been set to music. 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' is a play by Betty Smith.
Fermatprime,
Just corrected my forty-niners error. Thanks. Can you email me your picture as well? Dodo, you too.
Dennis,
Where the heck have you been?
Anonymous 10:38am,
The Sartorialist is one of my favorite blogs.
Thanks, Eddie. I seem to be okay today, but I'll watch for your email for future problem solutions.
Lucina, Maybe I'm an unorthodox solver but I don't think it's lame to do any words you know first, however many letters! Nobody could possibly know ALL the answers without any perps. That's what makes it fun, to me.
Al, are you, by any chance, the Al in the film I mentioned yesterday, "Wordplay"? Oh, and I must agree with those who said even having 'double or single bond' would mean nothing. Probably it would do so only to you and Jazz, the chemical trombonist.
CA. I loved your poem! LOL! Soooo many people are wheezing and wiping these days! We just have to try to appreciate the beauty of it all! And isn't it?
Bob: TWO HOURS? YOU?
Dodo,
I've seen "Wordplay". The Al in the documentary is Al Sanders, not our Al.
Lemonade,
Try to teach me in simple term how to roll the French R sexily. How should my throat/tongue behave?
Windhover:
As long as I evoke one laugh my day is better, thank you.
C.C., you are too kind,
but I don't mind.
I also echo the sentiment of all those who have not, to please send in pics to C.C. so we blind people can see you all, so if I am walking down the street, I know whether to run and hide or stop and talk.
I will start naming names soon....
Bob:
Two hours! I'm euphoric, I finished in one hour. Not that it's any kind of competition, I understand, but you set the bar for all of us, I believe. You must have been distracted!
I loved this theme having been a seamstress in my younger life, my own clothes and my daughter's until she was in kindergarten when she informed me that she wanted "store clothes". Fine with me.
But basting, sewing, tailoring all brought a flood of memories from when I was wedded to my Singer, sewing machine, that is.
Dodo:
Thank you. It's just that due to time constraints I deviated from my usual technique of filling the up and down together. I was able to fill most of the three and four letters, then the rest.
Forest feller: axe, was my fav
The wording of the theme clues and the answers was inspired. Thank you, John Lampkin.
Now, I must go cook dinner for my S-I-L's birthday.
Great commentary everyone!
CA:
Loved the wheezing poem. I often react like that.
C.C., the tongue is pulled back with the tip behind the teeth and the rest of the tongue lightly touching the roof of the mouth; it is then pulled slowly back toward the uvula as you say the "R" word while breathing out, letting ther air pass between the tongue and the roof of the mouth. The tongue should be firm, but the tip loose to vibrate with the air to produce the trill.
Lucina dear, Dennis, Embien and Barry G. often do the puzzles in less than 5 minutes, so if you were at a solving contest, they would be the bar for competition. Not to take away from Bob who is obviously skilled; but,the speed solvers tend not to announce their times, to keep everyone encouraged.
am I out, or one more?
Thank you C.C. for nailing my puzzle and construction style so simply and completely. It is a wonderful feeling to be understood and appreciated!
Thank you all for the kind comments and intelligent criticism.
Regarding ENES, just take a look at what that wart made possible. Scrabbly J, Q, BB and fresh nouns and verbs in that corner justified its use.
It's rather like having a good-looking spouse who cooks an amazing meal and then shows off original artwork and then plays the cello for a house full of guests. What everyone remembers though is the birthmark on the wrist!
Thanks again, and best to all
Bravo!
(flicks his Bic)
Good job!!!
He lights his ZIPPO ...
He raises his ever present Scotch Snifter in a salute ...
How nice of John Lampkin to stop by. I loved his analogy. It was witty and right on the mark as well.
His compliments to C.C. are so well-deserved. Her understanding of crosswords never ceases to amaze me.
We are a lucky group to have her guiding us.
Thank you for articleI really liked it
See you later
OK, I admit the Sunday puzzle is not my favorite. Probably has to do with the time it takes me.
I am by no means a speed solver, esp. since I do them wathing the news, CNBC, SportsCenter, sipping coffee ... waking for the day.
Barry G. I fell into the same thought process at TURKEY BASTER, and I knew what baste meant.
That aside, I like the Main Themes and Mini-Themes, the horses, getting wet ...
For the second day in a row I knew the last words in a poem. Since Shelley & Kilmer won't be used soon, if another poem's last word comes up, I'm toast.
Mr. Lampkin, thanks for the elucidation re: ENES.
But I endure CLARET & CREMES, beers and wines, all the others ... but my beloved Scotch is never given its due.
Hey, Pinch can be clued in a way that only I and Argyle will understand.
Just a suggestion.
I haven't had a chance to do the puzzle yet today, so no comments to share. It's all probably been said by now anyway.
C.C.: The eye liner shade is just called Kohl. The brand is Cover Girl, so I'm sure they wouldn't be putting actual lead in it. I just checked it and it doesn't list the ingredients on the pencil. It must just've been on the packaging. BUT, the shade is actually 'Very black', not kohl! The previous one had said kohl, but it was discontinued, and I had to find one similar when I ran out.
It's going to be a hectic week, but I'll get a photo out to you.
On the excellent Discovery Chan. series Life tonight I finally got to see one of CW`s staple words come alive: the Ibex! An encore presentation of the first two installments is now airing. Wonderful, except for the (shudder) snakes!
Tinbeni and Argyle are apparently fans of Pinch scotch. I'm guessing it's a high-quality blended Scotch. If they'd like to send me a bottle for testing, I'm open to the idea. :>)
My preference is Jack Daniels though I do enjoy good Scotch too. My favorite single malt is Oban. A good stronger-flavored single malt I've tried is Lagavulin. The strongest I've tasted is Laphroaig. It tastes as if it's been strained through dirty socks. Still good though but I'd call it an acquired taste.
Amazingly enough, Cornell advanced to the Sweet 16, the first time an Ivy League team has done that since 1979. They don't give athletic scholarships. Their scholarships are granted for academic merit and need. So naturally, it makes it hard for them to compete with schools that do give athletic scholarships.
Hey, I propose an experiment. It's been discussed whether or not west-coasters posting late (like me) have their posts read by very many of us. I'm sure some folks do read them but I'm guess some (many?) don't. So to try to find out, if you have read this, include the word "turkey" in your first post tomorrow.
might be the funniest statement ever since i started watching several months ago. a secret code?
John Lampkin -
Touche!
That was a beautiful touch of reality.
Cheers!
JzB the occasionally realistic trombonist
"109A. Wagner work: OPERA. Opera is also a plural of opus, isn't it?"
NO. It is NOT.
Anon@10:23 YES, It is TOO!
From Merriam_Webster Dictionary
Main Entry: opus
Pronunciation: \ˈō-pəs\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural op·era \ˈō-pə-rə, ˈä-\ also opus·es \ˈō-pə-səz\
Etymology: Latin oper-, opus — more at operate
Date: 1809
: work; especially : a musical composition or set of compositions usually numbered in the order of its issue
L714:
Thank you for the well deserved rap on the knuckles. I am actively seeking a remedy for foot in mouth disease.
Believe me, I would never intentionally distress anyone.
But sometimes I type before I think and publish before I edit. That shall be remedied.
I was recalling that in high school we held an annual arbor day ceremony in which we planted a tree and sang Kilmer's poem. It makes a lovely song and it's a nice memory.
Lucina, it was not intended as criticism, more an appreciation for those who speed solve. Because we have many different levels of solvers, it realy is not a competition, so many do not post times.
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