Theme: The Ayes Have It - The last word of each theme answer rhymes with "ayes".
17A. Fibs: LITTLE WHITE LIES. IES spelling.
25A. Seductive peepers: BEDROOM EYES. YES variation. Or is it eyes?
45A. Like large cereal boxes: ECONOMY SIZE. IZE form.
57A. 1963 Elvis hit with the lyrics "You look like an angel ... but I got wise": DEVIL IN DISGUISE. ISE alteration.
Any more long "I" spelling alternatives? I've never heard of Elvis' song "Devil in Disguise". Man, he looks so handsome in that clip.
This puzzle reminded me of Dan Naddor's "Great Food" puzzle. All theme answers end with /ood/ pronunciation, different spellings of course: CAME UNGLUED, POOH-POOHED, FRESHLY BREWED, BUMMER, DUDE, TAKE-OUT FOOD.
Today's is our third Ken Bessette since the TMS switch in March 2009. I enjoyed very much his last STOUT puzzle, in which STOUT is clued as "Heavy brew, and a clue to this puzzle's theme and ST is cut out from all the theme phrases. Very clever interpretation of ST OUT.
When did you catch the theme? I did not glom onto it until I completed the grid.
Across:
1. Hit bottom?: SIDE B. D'oh, hit record. Got me immediately.
6. Irritate: MIFF
10. Excessive elbow-benders: SOTS. Did not know "elbow-benders" means heavy drinkers.
14. Put down: ABASE
15. Sandy color: ECRU
16. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. True!
20. Author LeShan: EDA (Thanks, Hahtool!)
21. "Bad" cholesterol letters: LDL. The "good" one is HDL.
22. Scrooge creator: DICKENS (Charles)
23. The first film it aired was "Gone with the Wind": TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Unaware of this trivia.
24. Inauguration Day events: GALAS. I bet there were a few went uninvited at Obama's Inauguration galas.
32. A car with this is often easier to resell: ONE OWNER
33. What quibblers split: HAIRS. Split hairs.
35. Asian on the Enterprise bridge: SULU. Played by George TAKEI, who was just in our crossword the other day. Enterprise is the ship in "Star Trek".
36. Deadens: DAMPS
39. Spanish hand: MANO. Mano-a-mano (one on one) is literally "hand to hand". I used to think it's "man to man".
40. Seagoing mil. training group: NROTC (Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps)
42. Montgomery native: ALABAMAN. Who are the most famous Alabamans?
44. His, to Henri: SES. His or her or its.
48. Online suffix with Net: SCAPE. Netscape. Belongs to AOL. Does anyone actually still use Netscape as browser?
49. Some dashes: ENS. Sometimes it's EMS.
50. Like test papers awaiting grading: IN A PILE. Nice answer, though PILE appears in the clue for AMASS (34D. Pile up)
53. __ chi ch'uan: TAI. Chinese martial art. Cantonese spelling. Mandarin Chinese is Tai Ji Quan. Very scrabbly.
54. Swell, slangily: FAB
61. Signaled backstage, perhaps: CUED
62. "The Da Vinci Code" star: HANKS (Tom). I liked the book more.
63. Shake, as a police tail: LOSE
64. TV's tiny Taylor: OPIE. Another triple alliteration.
65. Typical O. Henry ending: TWIST.
Down:
1. Black Friday store event: SALES. Mayhem!
2. Term paper abbr.: IBID. "Ditto".
3. Excel input: DATA
4. Part of i.e.: EST. Latin "id est" (i.e.).
5. Easily heard herd leader: BELL COW. We also have MAA (29. Barnyard sound). So many lambing in Windhover's farm. Ewe got to be kidding.
6. Feeble cry: MEWL. Baby cry.
7. German "I": ICH. Ich liebe dich.
8. "Dragnet" sergeant: FRIDAY. Sergeant Friday.
9. Useless: FUTILE
10. Jockey's wear: SILKS. Light.
11. Steinbeck migrant: OKIE
12. Suffix with four, six, seven and nine: TEEN. Felt silly not getting the answer immediately.
13. Say freshly: SASS
18. __ Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo: EDMOND. One of my favorite books.
19. PayPal "currency": E-CASH
23. Brook fish: TROUT. Freshwater fish.
24. On point: GERMANE. Don't see this word in grid often.
25. Cap'ns' subordinates: BO'S'NS. Boatswains. The warrant officers (warship) or petty officers (merchant ship). Never know where to put those apostrophes.
26. Make used (to): ENURE
27. Apollo's birthplace, in Greek myth: DELOS. Birthplace of Artemis too, since they are twins.
17A. Fibs: LITTLE WHITE LIES. IES spelling.
25A. Seductive peepers: BEDROOM EYES. YES variation. Or is it eyes?
45A. Like large cereal boxes: ECONOMY SIZE. IZE form.
57A. 1963 Elvis hit with the lyrics "You look like an angel ... but I got wise": DEVIL IN DISGUISE. ISE alteration.
Any more long "I" spelling alternatives? I've never heard of Elvis' song "Devil in Disguise". Man, he looks so handsome in that clip.
This puzzle reminded me of Dan Naddor's "Great Food" puzzle. All theme answers end with /ood/ pronunciation, different spellings of course: CAME UNGLUED, POOH-POOHED, FRESHLY BREWED, BUMMER, DUDE, TAKE-OUT FOOD.
Today's is our third Ken Bessette since the TMS switch in March 2009. I enjoyed very much his last STOUT puzzle, in which STOUT is clued as "Heavy brew, and a clue to this puzzle's theme and ST is cut out from all the theme phrases. Very clever interpretation of ST OUT.
When did you catch the theme? I did not glom onto it until I completed the grid.
Across:
1. Hit bottom?: SIDE B. D'oh, hit record. Got me immediately.
6. Irritate: MIFF
10. Excessive elbow-benders: SOTS. Did not know "elbow-benders" means heavy drinkers.
14. Put down: ABASE
15. Sandy color: ECRU
16. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. True!
20. Author LeShan: EDA (Thanks, Hahtool!)
21. "Bad" cholesterol letters: LDL. The "good" one is HDL.
22. Scrooge creator: DICKENS (Charles)
23. The first film it aired was "Gone with the Wind": TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Unaware of this trivia.
24. Inauguration Day events: GALAS. I bet there were a few went uninvited at Obama's Inauguration galas.
32. A car with this is often easier to resell: ONE OWNER
33. What quibblers split: HAIRS. Split hairs.
35. Asian on the Enterprise bridge: SULU. Played by George TAKEI, who was just in our crossword the other day. Enterprise is the ship in "Star Trek".
36. Deadens: DAMPS
39. Spanish hand: MANO. Mano-a-mano (one on one) is literally "hand to hand". I used to think it's "man to man".
40. Seagoing mil. training group: NROTC (Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps)
42. Montgomery native: ALABAMAN. Who are the most famous Alabamans?
44. His, to Henri: SES. His or her or its.
48. Online suffix with Net: SCAPE. Netscape. Belongs to AOL. Does anyone actually still use Netscape as browser?
49. Some dashes: ENS. Sometimes it's EMS.
50. Like test papers awaiting grading: IN A PILE. Nice answer, though PILE appears in the clue for AMASS (34D. Pile up)
53. __ chi ch'uan: TAI. Chinese martial art. Cantonese spelling. Mandarin Chinese is Tai Ji Quan. Very scrabbly.
54. Swell, slangily: FAB
61. Signaled backstage, perhaps: CUED
62. "The Da Vinci Code" star: HANKS (Tom). I liked the book more.
63. Shake, as a police tail: LOSE
64. TV's tiny Taylor: OPIE. Another triple alliteration.
65. Typical O. Henry ending: TWIST.
Down:
1. Black Friday store event: SALES. Mayhem!
2. Term paper abbr.: IBID. "Ditto".
3. Excel input: DATA
4. Part of i.e.: EST. Latin "id est" (i.e.).
5. Easily heard herd leader: BELL COW. We also have MAA (29. Barnyard sound). So many lambing in Windhover's farm. Ewe got to be kidding.
6. Feeble cry: MEWL. Baby cry.
7. German "I": ICH. Ich liebe dich.
8. "Dragnet" sergeant: FRIDAY. Sergeant Friday.
9. Useless: FUTILE
10. Jockey's wear: SILKS. Light.
11. Steinbeck migrant: OKIE
12. Suffix with four, six, seven and nine: TEEN. Felt silly not getting the answer immediately.
13. Say freshly: SASS
18. __ Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo: EDMOND. One of my favorite books.
19. PayPal "currency": E-CASH
23. Brook fish: TROUT. Freshwater fish.
24. On point: GERMANE. Don't see this word in grid often.
25. Cap'ns' subordinates: BO'S'NS. Boatswains. The warrant officers (warship) or petty officers (merchant ship). Never know where to put those apostrophes.
26. Make used (to): ENURE
27. Apollo's birthplace, in Greek myth: DELOS. Birthplace of Artemis too, since they are twins.
29. Home of the Hurricanes: MIAMI. The University of Miami sports team.
30. Cuban-born TV producer: ARNAZ (Desi). Husband of Lucille Ball.
31. United: AS ONE
37. Mideast political gp.: PLO
38. No different from, with "the": SAME AS
41. De Beers founder Rhodes: CECIL. Founder of the Rhodes Scholarship as well. I wonder why he named the company "De Beers".
43. When "They Drive," in a 1940 Raft/Bogart film: BY NIGHT. I've never seen "They Drive By Night". I spotted our crossword stalwart Ida Lupino.
46. Cat of many colors: CALICO. Many colors indeed. The clue is a play on "Coat of many colors", the clothes Joseph owned.
47. Demand from a door pounder: OPEN UP. Frightening!
48. Vindictiveness: SPITE
50. Superstar: IDOL
51. Pixar clownfish: NEMO. "Finding Nemo".
52. Alamo competitor: AVIS. Car rental.
53. Ocean motion: TIDE
54. Done, to Dumas: FINI. Another alliteration.
56. "__ in Show": BEST
58. __ gratia: by the grace of God: DEI. So easy to confuse "Dei gratia" with "Deo gratias (thanks to God").
59. Mich.-based labor group: UAW (United Automobile Workers)
30. Cuban-born TV producer: ARNAZ (Desi). Husband of Lucille Ball.
31. United: AS ONE
37. Mideast political gp.: PLO
38. No different from, with "the": SAME AS
41. De Beers founder Rhodes: CECIL. Founder of the Rhodes Scholarship as well. I wonder why he named the company "De Beers".
43. When "They Drive," in a 1940 Raft/Bogart film: BY NIGHT. I've never seen "They Drive By Night". I spotted our crossword stalwart Ida Lupino.
46. Cat of many colors: CALICO. Many colors indeed. The clue is a play on "Coat of many colors", the clothes Joseph owned.
47. Demand from a door pounder: OPEN UP. Frightening!
48. Vindictiveness: SPITE
50. Superstar: IDOL
51. Pixar clownfish: NEMO. "Finding Nemo".
52. Alamo competitor: AVIS. Car rental.
53. Ocean motion: TIDE
54. Done, to Dumas: FINI. Another alliteration.
56. "__ in Show": BEST
58. __ gratia: by the grace of God: DEI. So easy to confuse "Dei gratia" with "Deo gratias (thanks to God").
59. Mich.-based labor group: UAW (United Automobile Workers)
93 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - for me, this was a tough puzzle for a Wednesday. I did enjoy the hell out of it, though; lots of fresh and misleading clues.
I wonder if younger people will understand 1A, 'Side B', which of course goes back to the vinyl days -- I thought it was a great clue. Unknowns included 'Cecil' Rhodes and 'Edmond' Dantes. And I got thrown off at 29 - as soon as I had the 'M' in 'Miami', I confidently put in 'Moo' for 29A; that didn't go too well. Nice change of pace seeing 'Maa' instead of the usual 'Moo' or 'Baa'.
I want to echo C.C.'s congratulations to Fred Jackson on his debut in Newsday - well done! And C.C., I picked up on the rhyme after the second theme entry, but still wasn't sure until the end.
Today is National Anthem Day, Peach Blossom Day, and....If Pets Had Thumbs Day. One can only imagine.
Today's Words of Wisdom: "Time is a great teacher. Unfortunately, it kills all its pupils." -- Hector Berlioz
More definitions:
- Human Being: an ingenious assembly of portable plumbing. -- Christopher Morley
- Hatred: the coward's revenge for being intimidated. -- George Bernard Shaw
More snow today. Unbelievable. 1 & a w/u.
Another fast romp, but with some new TWISTS, like TV’s Tiny Taylor: OPIE, and Hit Bottom: SIDE B. I grew up near many dairy farms, and used to watch the herd parade, led by the BELL COW though I never thought of the term.
Not familiar with the movie THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT but since I have a truck driving BIL, and it has Bogart, I will have to watch it.
On so many levels BEDROOM EYES are a wonderful thing, appreciated by both MEN and WOMEN .
Side B was a horrible clue, Even when the answer appears, there is no connection.
Lol, I rest my case.
C.C., Thanks for the link, I enjoyed Fred's effort as well. Now I MUST get ready
Good morning, everyone. Another fun puzzle, just right for a Wednesday. I struggled to get SideB, but it was an 'aha!' moment. Bogart used to be my fave actor, I saw all of his films, though I can't specifically recall They Drive By Night.
More mythology, but now I know that Apollo and Artemis are twins.
I didn't get the theme til I came here, but what a great clue is Seductive Peepers. Why do I think that's going to get a lot of mention here today ;-)
Gracie
Good Morning, CC. I immediately grasped the "it rhymes with ayes" theme, but that doesn't mean I didn't zip through this puzzle. A puzzle custom made for Clear Ayes!
Like Dennis, I got pulled of the track by confidently writing in MOO. Then I had to change it when I though the 31D response was IS ONE instead of AS ONE. Couldn't figure out a MAI as a barnyard sound, but we've seen stranger responses in the past.
I enjoyed the puzzle because of the struggle.
I loved seeing the tiny TV Taylor: OPIE. As a kid, l loved the Andy Griffith reruns just to see OPIE.
I especially liked seeing DICKENS and DUMAS responses. Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books.
QOD: A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about. ~ Miguel de Unamuno.
Good Morning CC and All,
I actually got the theme clues but not the theme of course. I was thinking some sort of song theme but didn't think everyone would know this Sammy Hagar song. A number of the clues were "mis-directional" for me today sending me for some red letter help. Bit harder than the normal Hump day but fun just the same.
Have a great day!
P.S. LaShan's first name is EDA.
Added thoughts, A car with this is often easier to resell” ONE OWNER, I wonder why? Unless it was the LITTLE OLD LADY FROM PASADENA . Which reminded me of German "I": ICH, if you do not know the work of Eddie Izzard a funnyman, who self bills as an ‘executive transvestite.’ Which leads into Jockey's wear: SILKS perhaps not what was intended, but…
We also have a reference to Alexander Dumas, as well his character __ Dante the Count of Monte Cristo: EDMOND, did anyone like the version with JIM CAVIEZEL ?
Did anyone else notice TIDE and FAB were both in the puzzle? These were the washing detergents of my youth (no RINSO BLUE for us).
Check one down: SALE
Check twenty across: If SALE in correct, then IDA doesn't fit.
H. you caught C.C. thinking about IDA LUPINO, . Author LeShan: EDA, she was quite outspoken on behalf of children but she has become most famous in crossword puzzles.
@CC, How about Edelweiss?
Haltool & Anonymous,
I corrected my EDA error. Thanks. What's your answer to my 25A question? Is it YES or EYES?
Lemonade et al,
In the sentence "I bathed, then I went to bed". Is "then" a conjunction or an adverb?
CC: I think the answer to your 25A question is EYES, not Yes.
Lemonade: You're on a roll this morning. I hadn't made the JOCKEY's / SILK connection until you pointed it out. I never saw the Monte Cristo movie. I've only read the English translation of the novel.
Kazie (from last night):
The word "pluperfect" was stuck in my subconscious, but it has been 51 years since I was a ninth grader, which is where and when I learned all the grammar I
have ever known, except for what I have learned here.
Thank you.
Good morning CC, et al., This was an easy puzzle for me for some reason. It went so fast I missed some of the clues. And on a Weds too!
Had to laugh at 'sots' crossing
'Okies'. Reminded me of the time my brother came to visit. He's really not a drinker but he came ready to party and we would joke about the 'sots from OK'. We found beer cans around the house for days after he left. Fun times.
I do have test papers 'in a pile', essays to grade w/'ibid's everywhere, 'data' that needs to be entered into the electronic gradebook, and need to work like the 'dickens' to get it all done by 'Friday'. But 'by night', it's 'futile'. I 'lose' momentum. It's over. 'Fini'. So, I 'open up' a bottle of something and Voila! I am the 'same as' the 'devil in disguise'! We are 'as one'!I've e'scape'd the bonds of tedium and 'data', of 'amass'ed essays and 'ibid's, of 'sass' and
'teen's. My 'man-o'f the moment says I look 'fab' and 'asks' "What now?" Those 'little white lies' are the 'best'. What happens next 'Cecil' B. DeMille couldn't surpass. I look at him w/my 'best' 'bedroom eyes' and
show him a whole new 'twist' to 'mano' a mano combat - with a 'cued' up pool stick and ball. Even in 'spite' of usually
'lose'ing, at the end of the night, he still 'ses'
"T'hanks', I enjoyed that." It's all good.
We have no school today b/c of snow....again. If my pets had thumbs, we'd be playing cards.
Congratulations, Fred. That's quite an accomplishment.
Dennis: how many inches do you have? uh, of snow. Hope you have a good trip Fri.
Enjoy your day.
Lois, more than I can handle. You?
Hello, everyone.
Nice work-a-day puzzle, today. No lookups, but had to erase 'mates' when BEDROOMEYES told me to use BO'S'NS; Got the theme fills easily, but didn't get the theme until coming here.
C. C.- Petty officers also serve on Navy ships and ashore. The petty officers in the deck department are termed bo's'ns, short for boatswains mate.
CALICO - Had a nice calico cat, 'Sneaky' who lived until age 20.
ICH - Low German: ik, Dutch: ik. Good 2 letter fill
SIDEB was favorite clue; quite clever.
Enjoy the day!
good morning c.c. and all,
just a great puzzle today, perfect start to the day. first theme answers i got were little white lies and economy size, so i thought it had something to do with size until i got the other two. we get 'side b' or some variation once in a blue moon, i always like it. did not know bosns, that was my last fill.
congratulations fred!!
the pic is my daughter working sharks game, posing in front of their olympic medals .. lots of happy fans in the tank last night.
Dennis: about 4 inches and it's warming up. Sounds promising, doesn't it. It's all in how you look at it.
I got hung up in the west for a while. I had Eduard instead of EDMOND and had misspelled INURE which didn't help either. I've never heard the term BELL COW so only when I guessed that, other things began to fall.
I'm more familiar with "come-hither-eyes" and couldn't see bedroom because of inure. ONE OWNER was what got EDMOND for me and BOSNS followed where I'd wanted ENSNS. SIDE B took a while too. But a great "aha!"
I didn't and still don't understand ENS--what sport is it associated with? I don't know what animal goes MAA either.
Congratulations Fred!
WH,
You're welcome. It makes more sense when you think of its French term: plus-que-parfait, literally, more than perfect, meaning that it was already perfected at an earlier time.
WI has beautiful sunshine and warmer temps this week--in the 30's and climbing. Now I can see all the doggie dew I have to clean off the lawn!
The name "DeBeers" comes from the family name of the farmers who owned the land where the diamonds were found. They ultimately sold their property, but the name was already associated with diamonds. The DeBeers family couldn't handle the stress of the diamond seekers. I wonder if the family ever regretted its decision to unload such valuable property?
Good Day C.C., Argyle and folk,
Ken, Your puzzle has fresh clues that I enjoyed. Thanks!
Good Day C.C., Argyle and folk,
Ken, you put together fresh and enjoyable clues . Thanks!
Congratulations on your Newsday appearance.
One clue/answer I was baffled by is
25. C.C. writes,"Cap'ns' subordinates: BO'S'NS. Boatswains. The warrant officers (warship) or petty officers (merchant ship). Never know where to put those apostrophes."
I'm familiar with boatswains, but I have not encountered BO'S'NS. Where is this abreviation used?
18. __ Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo: EDMOND. One of my favorite books.I seemed to remember, "Count Of Monte Christo," as being a play and had the longest run at that time. So much for high school history,(I didn't link this Wikipedia information as it was lengthy.) "The Count of Monte Cristo was a play and Dumas was a playwrite. I found that this particular play was short lived on stage.
Eyes are the window to the soul
The theme answers are also all song titles, although it was tough to find a vid for Economy Size so I had to settle for an Amazon clip.
Little White Lies
Bedroom Eyes
And C.C. already linked Devil in Disguise.
There is quite a list of song titles with EYES in them.
Clearayes, I thought of you immediately this morning once I figured out the theme. It seems I was on Lois’ wavelength this morning as some of the answers simply revealed themselves without even reading the clues. One of them was “deadens” – damps. What? My favorite clue was “hit bottom” B-side. What’s your favorite B-side tune?
Lemonade, your mind went in all kinds of directions this morning. Whew.
Bill G, here is one of my favorite pork chop recipes. (Dennis, you can leave out the mushrooms)
4 or 6 pork chops
2 tbsp. butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained
1 small onion chopped fine
1 c. beer
2 tbsp. onion soup mix
Pepper to taste
Brown pork chops on both sides in butter. Lower heat and add soup, mushrooms, beer and onion soup mix. Simmer chops and sauce over low heat for about 1 hour. Serve with rice.
I make my own onion soup mix:
3/4 cup instant minced onion
1/3 cup beef bouillon powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed celery seed
1/4 teaspoon sugar
The name "De Beers" originated with two Afrikaner farmers, Diederik Arnoldus De Beers and Johannes Nicholas de Beers. The De Beers brothers discovered diamonds on their farm and unable to deal with the stress of protecting the farm from the influx of diamond seekers, they sold the land and the mines. The land was home to two large mines were involved in the transaction: Premier and Kimberly.
Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/15362/the_history_behind_the_debeers_diamond.html
A diamond is forever.
BC
Good Morning All, I saw all the rhymes, but it didn't occur to me to fit them into a clever title the way C.C. did. Shame on me, so much for Clear Ayes!
"Hit bottom" for SIDE B. I was a child of the '50's. This should have come easily. I had to come back to that corner because I kept thinking of SOTS hitting the bottom of the barrel. BARREL wouldn't fit.
Has anyone heard of Please Don't Drag That String Around? It was a total unknown to me. That one did hit bottom. It was the B-side for DEVIL IN DISGUISE.
I also got stuck for a while on ECRU. Isn't OCRE a light sandy yellow too?
The 1947 Dick Haymes version of Little White Lies is the one I remember. I bet Dodo, Dot and Jimbo (where are you Jimbo?) are on board with this one too. So smooooth.
Mainiac, LOL. I may have mentioned in the past that Sammy Hagar's older sister and I were very good friends when we were teenagers. She and I still keep in touch via FB and email. I always think of Sammy as the annoying kid who kept bugging us.
There are dozens of famous people from Alabama. Helen Keller, Lionel Hampton, Joe Louis and Hank Aaron are just a few of them.
It seems that ALABAMIAN is the preferred choice, but ALABAMAN is also acceptable. Any Alabam(i)ans out there who can fill us in on which one they prefer?
Lois...so funny.
Jeannie, thanks for another pork chop recipe.
Jeannie,
That looks like a great recipe. I added it to my other one from you: Mapled pork chops, so not I have them both printed on the one sheet. What a wonderful idea making your own onion soup mix--the commercial ones are so salty.
CA,
Isn't OCHRE always spelled with the "h"? i think of it as a darker shade too--more orangey.
Frenchie,
I always go by where the omissions are for apostrophes.
ClearAyes:
Our blog friend DixieJoy is from Alabama.
Say Hi, DJ.
Hi C.C. and all -
This puzzle was great fun even though there were words I had never heard of. I cannot say I flew through it, but I didn't have to look up too many words.
I had the worst time with the NW corner..I have never heard the expression BELL COW, did not know IBID, or EDA. I did get 17A right away, but it didn't help me much with that corner.
Lois - LMAO
Fred - way to go! Congratulations!
CA - Ocre does have more yellow in it, ecru is just a fancy name for beige.
More later, the bicycle is calling.
Kazie, you're right about OCHRE. But if I'm going to misuse it, I might as well misspell it too. :o)
Jeannie, I forgot to mention that anything with mushrooms in it gets my vote. About the homemade soup mix, is it good in dips too?
Sorry about the extra snow some of you are having. Here's a short "cheer up" poem
DUST OF SNOW
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
- Robert Frost
Good morning, C.C. and all,
This puzzle seemed fairly easy to me for a Wednesday. Echo Lemonade's comments on OPIE and SIDE B. Fun to learn some new names and terms through the perps--EDMOND, CECIL, TCM, and NROTC. All in all, very enjoyable.
Congrats to Fred Jackson! A great puzzle, a "Q" short of a pangram.
Enjoy the day!
Hi C.C. & gang, a tough one for Wednesday. I had to finish it online again.
C.C. I think you forgot to comment on 29A in your write up. I've never heard of a barnyard sound called MAA
"A cow goes moo - its calf goes maa."
6 down. Clue is—Feeble cry)—Answer us “mewl” As a native, 4th generation American with a MS in Engineering and working puzzles for over 45 years, I have never run across “mewl”. But then, new words get made every year!
I like your work!!
Fred
C.C. and fellow bloggers:
Hahtool:
"I enjoyed the puzzle because of the struggle"
My feelings exactly! I love it when I have to work at it and there were plenty of misleading clues.
Dennis:
LOL when you mention "side b" and the glory days of vinyl.
For once, the theme hit me, "the ayes have it"; maybe because I have been secretary on so many Boards, including my present HOA.
Jeanne:
I love your recipes although have not as yet tried one; they look delicious and plan to use one this weekend when I cook for the family.
Have a great day, everyone! The gym is waiting for me and it's a gorgeous day today, all sunshine w/70s temps. I'm thinking of all snow people. Take care.
Most of us remember the song DEVIL IN DISGUISE. However, it was one of Presley's poorest selling albums. It was titled-
DUDE, I ELVIS! I SING!
Fred, you're an awesome blossom!
Fred:
"Mewl" dates from 1600 according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
Hi gang -
Good puzzle, clever theme.
C.C. - 25a is EYES, without question.
Kazie - Ems and ens are these kinds of dashes: "-" of different lengths. I wonder if they are now as passe as pica and elite?
I'm a bit surprised that nobody has woven the theme answers into a story.
But I really didn't like the middle West. NROTC, SES, DELOS, CECIL make for a bad cluster.
I confidently put SPANK into 1A, and 1D SALE, convinced me it was right. I was wondering if I should link any pix, but have been spared that moral dilemma. The G is there for any who are curious.
Never heard of THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT. Interesting clip. Ann Sheridan looks fabulous, but my advice is to avoid the red head!
Cheers!
JzB the SIDE B trombonist
After THWACK the other day, once I had the S, my initial entry for 1A Hit bottom? Was SPANK…
I couldn’t figure out how 53A Swell, slangily equated to TAI. There was a typo in the paper! The correct clue for 53A was OMITted…and 54A wasn’t listed at all. Anyone else have that mistake in their edition? Still finished, thanks to the perps! Had to hit the g-spot for 20A, 44A and 27D.
And I thought all cows wore bells, not just one herder… (The closest I’ve been to a ranch is the local dairy farm.) I have a cowbell on my screened door to let me know if anyone goes into the porch.
Mostly, I just hear it when the wind blows hard enough to ring it though.
I didn’t think of the theme until I was done, but it jumped right out at me, although it was too late to be helpful.
Congratulations on your debut, Fred! And it’s introduced me to a new puzzle source to add to my list.
Bill G: In college one year, my RA was a budding chef. She taught me to soak pork chops in milk for a few minutes before breading and baking to make them more tender. It never failed for me! Jeannie, that recipe sounds more my style! Printing it off now…
Jazz: I read thru ALLLLLL the posts before sending my mistake for 1A to make sure it wasn't a duplicate. And the minute it took me to proofread it, yoor post slipped it in first! Glad to know someone is on the same naughty track as me...
Kazie, I hate packaged foods but there are a lot of recipes that use the instant soup mix, so I googled a recipe and this was the result. CA, you can use it in any other recipe that calls for it.
Lucina, which recipe are you going to try? I suggest the meatloaf.
Jerome, you almost had me hitting the g-spot for that album name until I realized what you were up to!
For you Jazz…
When I invited him to my room, with those bedroom eyes, that Devil in disguise had told little white lies as he definitely was NOT economy size.
Hey, I’m no Lois!
SIDEB killed me; I wrote in SPANK. That prevented me from getting the NW corner.
Misspelling EDMOND as EDMUND didn't help me either, until I realized BEDROUM should be BEDROOM.
I was pleased and surprised to see ___ chi ch'uan spelled with the apostrophe in ch'uan. There are 2 prevailing ways of spelling Chinese words using the Roman alphabet. The century-old Wade-Giles "Romanization" used apostrophes to distinguish between "breathed" and "unbreathed" consonants. Today the People's Republic of China's spelling method prevails, which renders ch'uan as quan. Don't get me started on how I think using the letter q to denote the "ch" sound is, well, a misuse of the Roman alphabet. Anyway ...
I liked the puzzle overall.
Oh, and about the barnyard sound MAA, I am reminded of a movie called Iceman, in which John Lone played a neanderthal brought back to life by a scientist played by Timothy Hutton. There's a scene where the scientist is singing to the neanderthal man, and the neanderthal is responding by singing maa maa maa. A good movie.
Cheers.
Jazz,
Thanks for "-". Did I say the other day that I was a late starter when it came to typing? No, maybe that was somewhere else. But I went to an academically selective high school in Sydney where typing wasn't even on the curriculum. It was thought that it was only needed by those heading for secretarial jobs, and we were all college material. Our minimal curriculum included Latin and French in "1st year" which was 7th grade, in my case a third foreign language from 8th grade on, so those plus English, two math courses, history and a science pretty much filled the day. I took a brief typing course in Madison when we moved here in 1974, but never learned more than the basics, and still have to watch what I'm doing all the time.--All ten "fingers do the walking", but they'll "never walk alone" without my watching where they go.
They Drive By Night was Mae West's first movie
Great job with the story, Jeannie!
And welcome, Jayce. I don't think I'd said it when you'd first posted the other day.
Thanks to you all for your warm welcome.
Lemonade714, the nickname "Jayce" comes from my initials J.C. My name is John, though, not Jason. Because my dad was also John, my family called me Jayce in order to distinguish between us. My best friend named his son Jason specifically in honor of me, for which I feel very honored.
Maa! :)
Calico cats are female.
Doreen
Doreen, almost all are, but not 100%.
Morning, all.
Fred, I did your puzzle and enjoyed it a lot. Congrats!
I thought the LAT was pretty easy for a Wednesday. However, when I got 'Little White Lies' I thought the theme would be something about old songs and when 'BedroomEyes' came up I figured that probably was another oldie. But when I got to 'Economy Size' I realized that couldn't be, so it wasn't until I finished the puzzle that I knew it had to be the sound of 'eyes'. At last I caught on to a theme! A first!
CA I think '...Lies' is even older than the Dick Haymes years. I'll have to G that.
Annette, the clue your paper must have omitted was 53A because 'swell, slangily' was 54A.
But WTH, as long as you got it!
Jeannie, I used to have a couple of cookbooks when I was heavily into cooking called "The Make-a-Mix Cookbook" and "More Make-a-Mix." That soup mix recipe was in one of them,as well as my fave, the one for Ranch Dressing. Unfortunately, I got rid of most of my collection of cookbooks when I moved, so I can't tell you the publisher. They were large paper backs. Maybe Amazon would have them.
Speaking of pork and pork chops, I find that pork just isn't very tasty any more. I think since they've decided to make it the other "white meat" and taken all the fat out, they've lost the flavor. Where I live now we have a very good dining service, really first class, but the pork never tastes like anything to me. Just the outside flavoring or the sauce that's served with it. I even bought some chops and a little roast and cooked them myself, and they didn't have any better flavor. Of course, I'm told that aging affects your senses of taste and smell, as well as everything else that goes to pot, so maybe that's my problem. It's nice, Bill, to have a little corroboration.
I just wish they would leave our food alone. They're making everything so big and beautiful they're taking all the flavor out. I keep trying to get some small (normal sized) nectarines but they're all giants. Too much to eat in one sitting!
Only off one letter today. Being neither a fan of Startrek nor Greek Mythology, I did not know the crossing of Sulu and Delos. I also thought Arnaz was Arnez, but got it correct anyway due to Alabaman. Also, mewl and maa were mysteries. Couple of good chuckles lately. One was getting a mental picture of Windhover's baby lambs's artistic aerial acrobatics.
The other was the comments of "spanking" for "hit bottom".
Both brought back some memories of long ago days on Tar Heel farm.
I really enjoy this blog and appreciate all the efforts extended to keep it going.
Old Sage in Virginia Beach
Weather still lousy here.
dodo: They were both as good as missing, since the number was wrong, not indicating what it was a good clue for, if anything. In hindsight, I know what happened, but when the blank grid is staring at you, you take the clues at face value.
Mae West's first movie was in 1932."They Drive By Night was made in 1946.
The first listing of "Those Little White Lies" was 1930, Fred Waring. I knew I remembered my mom humming it.
So true, Annette; I would probably be cursing the puzzle editor!
So true, Annette; I would probably be cursing the puzzle editor!
The poop on Calico cats
Guday, all. Mewl? Maa? I mewled when I didn't get maa, at first. "Alabaman" cleared off my "moo".
When you check out CA's - Haymes' "Little White Lies" check out two of my favorite songs that are listed on the right of the "show box". "Stella By Starlight" and "Laura". Great songs. The song, "Laura" comes from the film of the same name and David Raskin asked Johnny Mercer to write the lyrics to the song. Mercer did - having never seen the movie "Laura" (with the incomparable Gene Tierney). The lyrics fit the film quite well. Shows Mercer's genius!
Never heard of "The Count Of Mountie Crisco", but I'm not into Canadian cookbooks. (baa-dum).
There are TWO rules to success.
1. Never tell everything you know.
I must be off!
Melissa: Meant to tell you how cool that picture is of your dauaghter w/those Olympic medals. What a thrill for her! I'd frame that puppy. Plus she's beautiful!
Jeannie: thank you for that recipe. It's exactly what i like to do. Great job on the theme answers too. Very funny!
Dodo: I agree w/you on the taste of pork anymore. Maybe Jeannie's recipe will help that, or like Annette said soaking them in milk first. Thanks, Annette.
CA; Great poem. Like his attitude. The trees had wet snow packed onto the north side of their tall trunks, which is unusual. It's been an interesting day. And I saw 2 more robins...hop, hop, hoppin along.
Spring can't be too far away. I believe...I believe...I believe.
48 Across. Have been using Netscape
and Google Chrome for a long time.
Despise Explorer, clumsy and slow.
48 Across always use NETSCAPE or
GOOGLE CHROME. Much better and faster than EXPLORER
Hello All--A little more challenging puzzle today, but doable. I had trouble with the NW corner as our paper printed Black Friday store with the word event at the top of the next column. I didn't see event until I came here to the Blog. Duh! That will teach me to go too fast!
I didn't get the theme rhymes until I got here even though I had all the theme fills. Again, C.C. never ceases to amaze me with her insight.
I liked the clues Hit Bottom, and TV's tiny Taylor as well as What quibblers split. Inventive clues for answers that we have seen before.
Congratulations to Fred Jackson.I just printed out his puzzle to do later in the evening.
Kazie, I also couldn't understand the Ens, Ems for some dashes. Thanks to JazzB for clearing that up for us.
Our rain has stopped for a while, but I'm still sorry to hear that the snow is still falling on some of you. Enough already!
Have a good evening, everyone.
Annette and Jayce -
We are the THWAKING triumvirate!
Jeannie -
You go girl! The protagonist of your story might have been disappointed, but I'm not!
Cheers!
JzB
Speaking of not being disappointed - I really enjoyed doing Fred's puzzle! He had some great new clueing in it, yet I found it to be very doable after a bit of erasing and re-working.
It really bums me out to not be able to complete a puzzle on a Wednesday, but this one got me. Unknowns were DELOS, BOSNS, EDMOND - unfortunately all in the same grid area. I had EYES but couldn't think of BEDROOM.
I started this puzzle the the am, but had to leave to go to the chiropractor and scrapbooking, so finished it this afternoon. Of course, I left the house and answers started coming into my head, but didn't have the puzzle to fill them in. Twas a good puzzle though.
Someone asked why ONE OWNER is a more preferable car. I think it is because you take care of a car that you intend to keep better than if you sell it off. If you have several owners, who knows how it has been maintained.
Jeannie, thanks for the onion soup mix. I have a recipe that I use that for, and can always use a way to make it when I am out. However, I think I will just start using this instead. I could make it in bulk and always have it on hand. I am sure it is better than boxed. Cute story too.
Dennis, I think that is the first time that you have said you had too much of anything. Hope Florida is warmed up when you get there. I am about two weeks off of my trip.
Jerome, looking forward to doing you puzzle. Hopefully I am more successful with that one.
Maniac, from yesterday, the boys do not have am practice (thank goodness, they would have quit). The older will in college though, and they did do 6:15am practices in the summer. As with you, they do all the events at some point. On their team, they excel in most of the events more than their teammates, so they sometimes have to do the 200 IM for the team. However, that would not have been the event they would have quaified for State with. They have also done the 500, but the team has some good distance swimmers, so not often. It is a grueling sport, but so good for you. Very injury free.
Dodo, I checked out Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians' version of L.W.L., but (amazingly) that was before my time. It was almost before your time too! Dick Haymes' hit version was just so romantic, I can picture you at a much more appropriate age, listening to Dick Haymes crooning.
Buckeye, it must be in the family genes to love Johnny Mercer. The TV special you recommended a while back was sensational. Love Laura and that sexy Gene Tierney overbite. Did you know that Dick Haymes was married for a couple of years to my choice of most beautiful woman ever, Rita Hayworth? BTW, when you are finished with the genes, please wash them and fold neatly before you send them back.
C.A. I did know about Dick and Rita. She was beautiful as were Maureen O'Hara, Gene, Sophia and a few more. I feel sorry for today's generation, not having the "classic" beauties we had. Today's men ALMOST hold their own, but no Gable or Tyrone in sight.
IMBO
P.S. My genes will be distroyed. Too much clorine in my gene pool.
IMBO
Jeannie. Try subing fresh mushrooms for the canned and add 15 minutes before serving. The taste is so much more gooder.
IMBO
For once, we did the puzzle in the afternoon and I posted some comments here. Forgot to see if the comments were posted. Now I see they weren't. I'm too lazy to write it all again - plus most of the comments have now been said by someone else. So, I'll just say we found it an interesting and fairly easy puzzle.
Dot
Pretty easy puzzle. No real surprises. 14 minutes.
Dodo and Lois - I agree with both of you on the lack of taste in pork. I do love the pork chops I get at Costco but I have to cut them in half because they are about 3" high! That is great is you want to stuff them, but I do ours in the crock pot after browning them and adding veggies, etc and a sauce I dreamed up. They are moist and tender and actually tasty after about 4 to 5 hours on high.
Jeannie, I liked the sound of your pork and peanut sauce recipe the other day. I have one using pork tenderloin that is similar but it doesn't have the peanut sauce, which I love. I use a small pork tenderloin that I roast at 425 for about 45 minutes and let rest then slice it for the pan fry portion. The recipe says to slice it raw and saute it, but I think roasting it seals in the juice making it very tender. There are snow peas and fresh basil in mine too. I serve it with Jasmine rice - just love that stuff:)
Dodo:
if you only eat what the food service provides the following won't help you much, but if you cook sometimes it might, and maybe some others will appreciate it.
You are exactly right; the taste (or more properly the lack of it) problem in modern pork is in the breeding. Believe it or not, there is a company called PIC, Inc. (Pig Improvement Company), that has developed a genetic strain that has several traits similar to what you describe. It has almost no back fat, the belly fat used for bacon in the past is nonexistent, and the animal has such exaggerated "hams" that it can barely walk. A friend of mine bought one of these frankenpigs a few years ago for breeding, and found that the poor devil did not know how to eat corn from the cob, could not function outdoors and thrive, and was nearly incapable of breeding a sow. PIC's boars are mostly used for artificial insemination.
I told you that to tell you this: if you want to eat tasty pork, find someone who breeds one of the so-called heirloom breeds. My neighbor now has Berkshire and Tamworth pigs, and the line at his Farmer's market stand (next to mine) is always long.
My breed of sheep, Cheviots, are a very old breed originated in the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish border. People frequently tell me it is the best lamb they've eaten. I tell them that's because they've been eating those damned Texels (a new, large, fast growing breed) from New Zealand.
I'm sure there are people here who know more about genetics than I do, but this much is true: when you select for a narrow range of traits, something else must be sacrificed. In the case of many recently developed meat animals, taste is what has been lost.
If this is too much information for some of you, maybe tomorrow I'll tell you a cute story about my grandkids.
Hi, Buckeye.
28
I got MAA by accident with Miami, Arnaz and As one. After I was finished I checked ECRU and it was not in any of the dictionaries near me so I thought I got it wrong. Other than that I thought it was easy for a Wednesday. Bring on Friday!!!
gmony
I'm still here CA.
Never miss a day doing the puzzle and reading the comments. Just not good at sounding off.
My paper opted for the Wayne Robert Williams offering, so I have to print the L.A. Times xword.
He never lists a constructor other than himself.
As for the L.A. Times, I do fairly well Monday through Wednesday and have been known to finish the latter ones, but not very often.
Thanks for allowing me to lurk in the background and enjoy the "goins on".
Thanks for the pork chop recipe. I am looking forward to it. I will try soaking them in milk too.
I learned MEWL and SIDEB from doing crossword puzzles along with AVER, etc.
I caught Jim Caviezel' version of The Count of Monte Cristo on cable about six months ago. I liked it.
Jimbo! Great to see you again - don't be shy about 'sounding off', ok?
Jeanne:
I went shopping for the ingredients for the meatloaf and found everything except the shiitake mushrooms. Do you thin portabello mushrooms would be a good substitute? Thanks.
Hi Y'all. Responding to C.C.'s question of the most famous Alabaman's and Alabamian's, my list would include 2 time Governor, the sort of infamous George Wallace (his wife was also Governor for 1 term); Paul Bear Bryant, Alabama football coach who some say was the greatest football coach ever (including Joe Paterno); and Joe Namath, the great, loveable QB at Alabama and later the NY Jets. A 4th might be Jefferson Davis, born in Kentucky but became the first President of the Confederacy with it's capital sometimes in Montgomery AL.
Good to be back home in south Florida even if we are freezing our six's off down here.
Thanks for the congratulations from everyone concerning the Newsday debut, I really appreciate each one.
JAZZBUMPA: A few days ago you posted an excerpt from "Daphnis et Chloe" by Ravel on this blog. The piece struck me so deeply I ordered a CD of the complete work by Pierre Boulez on DG. Thanks for that, mon ami!
Don't forget Ken Stabler of the Raiders!!!
Lucina, I would try to find crimini mushrooms as the are the "little guys" of the portabellas. Portabella's tend to be bigger and meatier.
Buckeye, I have made the pork chop recipe both with fresh and canned mushrooms...the jury is out and I was trying to give Bill G a quick prep recipe. Bill G, I also have a recipe for frying pork chops that you soak your chops in a buttermilk and salt brine. I wasn't sure which way you wanted to go, baking, frying or simmering.
Dodo...thanks for the information on making your own dressings/rubs and such. Too bad you don't have your recipe books anymore.
Dennis, do you have your speedo packed?
Windhover, here in rural MN, we can get really good pork you just have to look for it.
Jeannie, just the competition orange one and the lime green one. They go best with the dark socks and sandals.
I'm not sure I learned MAA as a child, but certainly as a parent reading to my little ones. MAA is the sound a goat makes.
I also knew MEWL, crossword-ese.
Bill G.
I really enjoyed the Jim Caviezel , Guy Pearce version of Monte Cristo , surprised more have not seen it.
Dennis, just don't bring the snow.
Dennis: Thong-style, right? Better make sure they're fleece-lined too! I think you sent the cold weather on ahead this time. It's 54 right now, but I swear it feels under 40. But at least you'll be away from the snow and all that shoveling. Have a safe trip!
Windhover: That sounds so cruel to those poor animals...
Lemonade, you flashy dresser, saw the sweater...is Dennis well equipped? I guess you can or CAN'T answer that question later...hope you two do have a chance to "toast" one another.
Neither one of you are following my lead. I guess that's why I am such a bad dancer.
No-Lo-Li-ta?
Paul "Bear" Bryant may have lived, coached and made a name for himself in Alabama, BUT he was an Arkansan by birth and formative years. That`s where he got his famous nickname...he actually wrestled a (muzzled) bear when he was a teenager (in his home town) at a place called the Lyric Theater. I understand the building is still there as well as the modest frame house where he lived while growing up.
The local high school (albeit it in new facilities from when he attended) named an arena after the hounds-tooth- patterned hat wearing ARKANSAN.
Jeanie, I would go anyway at all. :>)
I think that several people have touched on part of the problem; ie, that commercial pork has become lean and less flavorful. Your recipe sounds good. I don't know which way would be best. I am looking for a recipe where the pork ends up moist with a good flavor. I can get good steak here (from Costco) but I kinda gave up on pork for a while.
Fred -
Wow. Happy to be of service!
And congrats on the Newsday puzzle. I forgot to mention that earlier
For our May concert, we're doing Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION.
This week, it's Brahms and Beethoven.
Hayrake -
Namath played his college ball for Bear Bryant at Alabama, but he is a Hungarian boy from the coal mining region of western Pennsylvania.
Cheers!
JzB the (occasionally) GERMANE trombonist
Yes, Lemonade, it was very enjoyable. I can't remember if I ever read the book or saw an earlier movie but that one is definitely worthwhile putting in one's NetFlix cue. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Lots of responses today. I wonder why. Could it be MEWL"? SIDEB? MAA? Pork chops?
Shouldn't they still teach diagramming sentences in English classes? I learned a lot of my grammar that way. It seemed tedious but I learned a lot from while resenting it at the time.
I learned sentence diagramming from an old-fashioned teacher who thought it was useful even though it was not in the curriculum. I still use diagramming principles when I need to figure out things like whether to use "who" or "whom" in a sentence.
Do you guys really think that "then" is an adverb?
A comment on the pork issue. For years, I bought boneless pork pieces but one day I brought home pork chops with the bone in and cooked them the usual way on the grill. They had a lot more taste so that's what I have bought ever since.
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