Theme: Mark Time - Each theme answer contains GPA ( 110D. Scholastic mean, briefly, hidden in this puzzle's seven longest answers).
27A. It's a racket: PING-PONG PADDLE. Indeed. A racket. I am very fond of "it" or "they" containing clues.
41A. S.O.S, for one: SCOURING PAD
64A. "Come again?": BEG PARDON? Would be interested to know what Dennis was thinking.
89A. Group in power: RULING PARTY
101A.State of inaction: HOLDING PATTERN
15D. You might get it in your pajamas: MORNING PAPER. Another "it".
58D. More than a walk-on: SPEAKING PART
All of ING-ending phrases are in-the-language. Not the simple ING progress verb form.
Of all the theme answers, I like BEG PARDON the most.
Quite a few sports references in the grid too:
15A. National League East team: METS. But YANKEE (30A. New Englander) is not clued as baseball related.
40. Bobby Orr, for most of his career: BRUIN. Boston Bruins. Good to see Orr as a clue.
40. Mile High athlete: BRONCO. Denver Broncos. I've never heard of Mile High Stadium. Don't follow football.
80. Baseball Hall of Famer Wilhelm: HOYT. Pitcher. Have no recollection of his name, though I might have one or two of his baseball cards.
Very enjoyable puzzle. As the norm with Sunday puzzle, lots of entertaining clues. MESA (108. Big butte) made me laugh. Precious!
Across:
1. Group of notes: CHORD. Wanted SCALE.
6. Is, in Ixtapa: ESTA. Ixtapa is a beach resort in Mexico. Unknown to me. Alliteration.
10. Prefix with grain: MULTI. Multigrain.
19. Renée's "Chicago" role: ROXIE. Catherine Zeta-Jones played Velma.
20. Milky Way ingredient?: STAR. Sweet clue. I bet many thought of the chocolate bar first.
21. Guesstimate word: ABOUT
22. Speed-skating rink, e.g.: OVAL
23. Invites the public: OPENS
24. You can't go when you're in it: PARK. Another tricky "it".
25. Districts: ZONES. Plunked in AREAS first.
26. Pantheon site: ROME. And GODS (103D.Pantheon figures). Pantheon echo. We also have ITALIA (56. Venezia's land). Venice.
32. Begin to use, as resources: TAP
33. Just so: NEAT. I don't get this clue.
34. Most violent: GORIEST
35. __ de corps: ESPRIT
38. Caravan stopovers: OASES
43. Trevi Fountain coin count?: TRE. And TRI (99. Bi- plus one). I have no objections to words of same roots.
44. Gelling agents: AGARS
48. Having just seen a ghost, maybe: PALE
49. Mechanical connectors, half the time: MALES. Wikipedia says the "female" connector is generally a receptacle that connects to and holds the "male" connector. I've never heard of this term before. Sounds so DF.
50. Jumping contest entrants: FROGS
52. __ du jour: bistro special: PLAT. Sipped on SOUP first.
53. Hundreds of wks.: YRS. I liked the clue.
54. Cavalry blade: SABER. And EPEES (114. Duel-purpose equipment).
58. Feed store?: SILO. Would be a tricky though still valid clue without the question mark.
59. Alpine mont: BLANC. Mont Blanc. Highest mountain in the Alps.
60. Managing: COPING
61. Acts of faith?: LEAPS. Leaps of Faith.
68. Like urban populations: DENSE
69. In __ and out ... : ONE EAR. A 6-letter fill-in-the-blank partial. An exception to the 5-letter limit rule.
71. Pottery ovens: KILNS
72. Frankenstein aide: IGOR. I often confuse him with the "Othello" villain IAGO.
74. Throw a feast for: REGALE
75. Data transfer unit: BAUD. No idea. It's named after the French inventor J.M. E. Baudot.
76. Odessa's home: TEXAS. Ukraine too.
78. "Like that's gonna happen!": HAH
81. "Gymnopédies" composer Satie: ERIK
82. 1936 Olympics champ: OWENS. The only 1936 Olympics champ I can think of.
84. Simple fellow: SIMON. What? I only know Simon as a guy's name.
85. Seat of Hawaii County: HILO
86. Plebe's denial: NO SIR
88. Some hangings: ART
91. Asian menu assurance: NO MSG. Great entry.
93. Musical "don't play": TACET. Literally "Be silent". Same root as "tacit", Jazzbumpa?
94. "Very well": SO BE IT
95. Disconnects: HANGS UP
98. Knot, as of hair: HANK. A hank of hair.
100.Justice of the peace customer: ELOPER. Have never heard of Justice of Peace.
109."Enough already!": I GIVE.
111.Dig find, perhaps: TOOL. Primitive tool.
112.Part of a TV signal: AUDIO
113.Constantly: EVER
115.Command after "Oops!": UNDO. Nice clue.
116.Touches the tarmac: LANDS
117.Brooding place: NEST
118.Soup scoop: LADLE. Alliteration.
119.Thorn in one's side: PEST
120.Cut drastically: SLASH
Down:
1. Harvester's haul: CROP. And OXEN (3. Farmer's helpers).
2. Northern Arizona native: HOPI. They make beautiful ollas. Today's constructor is from Scottsdale, AZ, the same city as our Lucina and Frenchie.
4. Sound right: RING TRUE
5. Lose heart: DESPAIR
6. Armchair QB's channel: ESPN. Nailed it.
7. Men-only affair: STAG. And LONE (12. Sans companions lone)
8. Field shield: TARP. Rhyme.
9. Hot Springs National Park state: ARKANSAS
10. Tribute and Miata: MAZDAS. Had trouble obtaining the answer.
11. It might have a nut at each end: U-BOLT. Another "it".
13. Digital watch abbr.: TUE
14. Dress shop compliment: IT'S YOU
16. Draw forth: EVOKE
17. Emulates a horse whisperer: TAMES. I loved the movie "The Horse Whisperer".
18. Frozen drops: SLEET. And RAINS (46. Gully fillers).
28. Most favorable: OPTIMAL. Nice non-est ending entry.
29. Scout's good work: DEED
31. Mezzo's moment: ARIA
34. Sportscaster Gumbel: GREG. Oh, his mug is very familiar.
35. See from afar: ESPY
36. Wound remnant: SCAR. Scab too.
37. Campaign vets: POLS. And TREND (43. Exit poll indication).
38. Eye impolitely: OGLE
39. One making a good impression?: APER. Indeed. Fun clue.
42. Mover and shaker: NABOB. Learned this phrase from Agnew's "nattering nabobs of negativism". I can see Dennis nodding in agreement.
45. Exhausted: ALL IN
47. Frontier transport: STAGE. Stagecoach.
50. What the dauntless lack: FEARS
51. [Quoted verbatim]: SIC. Only ten 3-letter words in this grid.
54. Rope fiber: SISAL. Can never remember this word.
55. Needing spicing: BLAND
57. Ruckuses: TODOS
59. High 80s, roughly: B PLUS. Oh, good to know. We did not have A, B, C grading when I was college.
61. "Space Cowboys" actor __ Dean: LOREN. Nope. First meeting with this actor.
62. Start of a new año: ENERO. January.
63. Tutelage: AEGIS. Sometimes it's spelled as egis.
65. "La Dolce Vita" actress: EKBERG (Anita). I peeked at the answer sheet.
66. Beanstalk menace: GIANT. From "Jack and the Beanstalk".
67. President who appeared on "Laugh-In": NIXON. "Sock it to me?".
70. '20s-'30s Flying Cloud, e.g.: REO. I think we had this clue before.
73. Rap genre: GANSTA
76. Scrabble piece: TILE.
77. Throw off: EMIT. New meaning of "throw off" to me.
79. Cathedral voices: ALTI. Plural of alto?
83. Slender-bodied stinger: WASP
84. Silently endure difficulty, in slang: SUCK IT UP. Cool fill.
85. Chronic: HABITUAL
87. Greeted the judge: ROSE
89. "Atlas Shrugged" author: RAND (Ayn)
90. Internet gateways: PORTALS
92. Spark in a bookshop: MURIEL. Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist. Unknown figure to me.
93. "Thy Neighbor’s Wife" author: TALESE (Gay). Stumper also.
95. Studly sorts: HE-MEN
96. Naproxen brand: ALEVE
97. Small victory margins: NOSES. Win by a nose.
98. Crude abode: HOVEL
101.Zipped: HIED. And NONE (102.Zip). Zip echo. Different meanings.
104.Conspiracy theorist's subject: PLOT
105."Show Boat" author Ferber: EDNA. Several authors in today's puzzle.
106.Clears (of): RIDS
107.Small snack: NOSH. Alliteration.
Answer grid.
Happy 89th Birthday to Jazzbumpa's mom!
C.C.
27A. It's a racket: PING-PONG PADDLE. Indeed. A racket. I am very fond of "it" or "they" containing clues.
41A. S.O.S, for one: SCOURING PAD
64A. "Come again?": BEG PARDON? Would be interested to know what Dennis was thinking.
89A. Group in power: RULING PARTY
101A.State of inaction: HOLDING PATTERN
15D. You might get it in your pajamas: MORNING PAPER. Another "it".
58D. More than a walk-on: SPEAKING PART
All of ING-ending phrases are in-the-language. Not the simple ING progress verb form.
Of all the theme answers, I like BEG PARDON the most.
Quite a few sports references in the grid too:
15A. National League East team: METS. But YANKEE (30A. New Englander) is not clued as baseball related.
40. Bobby Orr, for most of his career: BRUIN. Boston Bruins. Good to see Orr as a clue.
40. Mile High athlete: BRONCO. Denver Broncos. I've never heard of Mile High Stadium. Don't follow football.
80. Baseball Hall of Famer Wilhelm: HOYT. Pitcher. Have no recollection of his name, though I might have one or two of his baseball cards.
Very enjoyable puzzle. As the norm with Sunday puzzle, lots of entertaining clues. MESA (108. Big butte) made me laugh. Precious!
Across:
1. Group of notes: CHORD. Wanted SCALE.
6. Is, in Ixtapa: ESTA. Ixtapa is a beach resort in Mexico. Unknown to me. Alliteration.
10. Prefix with grain: MULTI. Multigrain.
19. Renée's "Chicago" role: ROXIE. Catherine Zeta-Jones played Velma.
20. Milky Way ingredient?: STAR. Sweet clue. I bet many thought of the chocolate bar first.
21. Guesstimate word: ABOUT
22. Speed-skating rink, e.g.: OVAL
23. Invites the public: OPENS
24. You can't go when you're in it: PARK. Another tricky "it".
25. Districts: ZONES. Plunked in AREAS first.
26. Pantheon site: ROME. And GODS (103D.Pantheon figures). Pantheon echo. We also have ITALIA (56. Venezia's land). Venice.
32. Begin to use, as resources: TAP
33. Just so: NEAT. I don't get this clue.
34. Most violent: GORIEST
35. __ de corps: ESPRIT
38. Caravan stopovers: OASES
43. Trevi Fountain coin count?: TRE. And TRI (99. Bi- plus one). I have no objections to words of same roots.
44. Gelling agents: AGARS
48. Having just seen a ghost, maybe: PALE
49. Mechanical connectors, half the time: MALES. Wikipedia says the "female" connector is generally a receptacle that connects to and holds the "male" connector. I've never heard of this term before. Sounds so DF.
50. Jumping contest entrants: FROGS
52. __ du jour: bistro special: PLAT. Sipped on SOUP first.
53. Hundreds of wks.: YRS. I liked the clue.
54. Cavalry blade: SABER. And EPEES (114. Duel-purpose equipment).
58. Feed store?: SILO. Would be a tricky though still valid clue without the question mark.
59. Alpine mont: BLANC. Mont Blanc. Highest mountain in the Alps.
60. Managing: COPING
61. Acts of faith?: LEAPS. Leaps of Faith.
68. Like urban populations: DENSE
69. In __ and out ... : ONE EAR. A 6-letter fill-in-the-blank partial. An exception to the 5-letter limit rule.
71. Pottery ovens: KILNS
72. Frankenstein aide: IGOR. I often confuse him with the "Othello" villain IAGO.
74. Throw a feast for: REGALE
75. Data transfer unit: BAUD. No idea. It's named after the French inventor J.M. E. Baudot.
76. Odessa's home: TEXAS. Ukraine too.
78. "Like that's gonna happen!": HAH
81. "Gymnopédies" composer Satie: ERIK
82. 1936 Olympics champ: OWENS. The only 1936 Olympics champ I can think of.
84. Simple fellow: SIMON. What? I only know Simon as a guy's name.
85. Seat of Hawaii County: HILO
86. Plebe's denial: NO SIR
88. Some hangings: ART
91. Asian menu assurance: NO MSG. Great entry.
93. Musical "don't play": TACET. Literally "Be silent". Same root as "tacit", Jazzbumpa?
94. "Very well": SO BE IT
95. Disconnects: HANGS UP
98. Knot, as of hair: HANK. A hank of hair.
100.Justice of the peace customer: ELOPER. Have never heard of Justice of Peace.
109."Enough already!": I GIVE.
111.Dig find, perhaps: TOOL. Primitive tool.
112.Part of a TV signal: AUDIO
113.Constantly: EVER
115.Command after "Oops!": UNDO. Nice clue.
116.Touches the tarmac: LANDS
117.Brooding place: NEST
118.Soup scoop: LADLE. Alliteration.
119.Thorn in one's side: PEST
120.Cut drastically: SLASH
Down:
1. Harvester's haul: CROP. And OXEN (3. Farmer's helpers).
2. Northern Arizona native: HOPI. They make beautiful ollas. Today's constructor is from Scottsdale, AZ, the same city as our Lucina and Frenchie.
4. Sound right: RING TRUE
5. Lose heart: DESPAIR
6. Armchair QB's channel: ESPN. Nailed it.
7. Men-only affair: STAG. And LONE (12. Sans companions lone)
8. Field shield: TARP. Rhyme.
9. Hot Springs National Park state: ARKANSAS
10. Tribute and Miata: MAZDAS. Had trouble obtaining the answer.
11. It might have a nut at each end: U-BOLT. Another "it".
13. Digital watch abbr.: TUE
14. Dress shop compliment: IT'S YOU
16. Draw forth: EVOKE
17. Emulates a horse whisperer: TAMES. I loved the movie "The Horse Whisperer".
18. Frozen drops: SLEET. And RAINS (46. Gully fillers).
28. Most favorable: OPTIMAL. Nice non-est ending entry.
29. Scout's good work: DEED
31. Mezzo's moment: ARIA
34. Sportscaster Gumbel: GREG. Oh, his mug is very familiar.
35. See from afar: ESPY
36. Wound remnant: SCAR. Scab too.
37. Campaign vets: POLS. And TREND (43. Exit poll indication).
38. Eye impolitely: OGLE
39. One making a good impression?: APER. Indeed. Fun clue.
42. Mover and shaker: NABOB. Learned this phrase from Agnew's "nattering nabobs of negativism". I can see Dennis nodding in agreement.
45. Exhausted: ALL IN
47. Frontier transport: STAGE. Stagecoach.
50. What the dauntless lack: FEARS
51. [Quoted verbatim]: SIC. Only ten 3-letter words in this grid.
54. Rope fiber: SISAL. Can never remember this word.
55. Needing spicing: BLAND
57. Ruckuses: TODOS
59. High 80s, roughly: B PLUS. Oh, good to know. We did not have A, B, C grading when I was college.
61. "Space Cowboys" actor __ Dean: LOREN. Nope. First meeting with this actor.
62. Start of a new año: ENERO. January.
63. Tutelage: AEGIS. Sometimes it's spelled as egis.
65. "La Dolce Vita" actress: EKBERG (Anita). I peeked at the answer sheet.
66. Beanstalk menace: GIANT. From "Jack and the Beanstalk".
67. President who appeared on "Laugh-In": NIXON. "Sock it to me?".
70. '20s-'30s Flying Cloud, e.g.: REO. I think we had this clue before.
73. Rap genre: GANSTA
76. Scrabble piece: TILE.
77. Throw off: EMIT. New meaning of "throw off" to me.
79. Cathedral voices: ALTI. Plural of alto?
83. Slender-bodied stinger: WASP
84. Silently endure difficulty, in slang: SUCK IT UP. Cool fill.
85. Chronic: HABITUAL
87. Greeted the judge: ROSE
89. "Atlas Shrugged" author: RAND (Ayn)
90. Internet gateways: PORTALS
92. Spark in a bookshop: MURIEL. Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist. Unknown figure to me.
93. "Thy Neighbor’s Wife" author: TALESE (Gay). Stumper also.
95. Studly sorts: HE-MEN
96. Naproxen brand: ALEVE
97. Small victory margins: NOSES. Win by a nose.
98. Crude abode: HOVEL
101.Zipped: HIED. And NONE (102.Zip). Zip echo. Different meanings.
104.Conspiracy theorist's subject: PLOT
105."Show Boat" author Ferber: EDNA. Several authors in today's puzzle.
106.Clears (of): RIDS
107.Small snack: NOSH. Alliteration.
Answer grid.
Happy 89th Birthday to Jazzbumpa's mom!
C.C.
47 comments:
Good morning, CC et al,
I didn't get a chance to read yesterdays blog until just a few minutes ago. I spent most of the day at the farmers market and the rest catching up on chores. Thanks a lot for the shout out for the Irish and myself. I'll show it to her as soon as she puts that first cup in my hand so I can get started on last Sundays John Lampkin puzzle.
Have a great Sunday. It rained overnight here and more is forecast today, so there may be some rest for the wicked, after all.
Jerome, I have an answer for your food bank question if you'll Email me.
Good Morning, CC and all. I always get my newspaper in my pajamas. Usually it gets thrown on my walkway, but sometime I have to look for it in the trees.
QOD: My mother should be a travel agent; she specializes in guilt trips. - unknown
Hello fellow cruciverbalists! Good work CC as usual. It was good to hear that many people are on the mend. Very best of luck to BarryG.
JzB: Love your witty letters and music references! It has been a long time since I was in an orchestra or string quartet and I miss this immersion in the music. Love the pieces that you mentioned yesterday, with the exception of the waltz!
This puzzle went rather fast. I slept half the night and all day and even now brain seems to be running faster than usual.
Hands up for SOUP. Not thrilled with GORIEST.
Just watched Dream Catchers . Now that was gory.
Morning, all!
Very smooth puzzle overall for me. Unknowns were LOREN and MURIEL, and I think that was it. I got the theme easily enough at 110D, and it actually helped me finish the answer to 89A (I had RULING_____ and knew the next two letters had to be PA because of the theme.)
Despite breezing through this puzzle, however, I am feeling a little on the stupid side here. I know that GPA stands for Grade Point Average, but what does that have to do with the title of the puzzle ("Mark Time")? I'm guessing it's somehow playing on the fact that "grade" can be synonymous with "mark", but I'm just not really getting it...
Oh -- and thanks for the well wishes, fermatprime! It looks like I've been dumped right into a snake pit, since I've been asked to make sure all the product lines have full coverage and I found out yesterday that two of the existing writers that are in other offices being closed are both leaving at the end of this month. Each of those writers has been covering product lines that none of the remaining writers in the company know anything about, and I'm in charge of making sure that all knowledge gets transferred and that upcoming product release dates are not delayed. Hopefully, they didn't allow me to stay on just so they can have a scapegoat when things go pear-shaped...
Hey gang - just a quick note, as I've got a busy morning.
Fun, clever puzzle today, and of course I couldn't see any common theme until the 'GPA' aha moment at the end. I always love misleading clues, such as 'S.O.S. for one' and 'Milky Way ingredient?'. The puzzle gave me a good half-hour of enjoyment.
C.C., you know exactly what I was thinking for 'Come again', and my answer for 'You might get it in your pajamas' was equally DF.
Hopefully more later; enjoy your day.
Good morning C.C. and all. Not a difficult puzzle for a Sunday. Some clever clueing; ELOPER and MALES, although believe 'males' should have been clued as 'half the connection' vice 'half the time'. (Maybe Lois can help us out here). Thought of Maniac for New Englander before YANKEE loomed. Did not know MURIEL or LOREN but perps got it. No searches needed.
NOSH - German 'naschen' to snack. Common word in our home while growing up.
CC Excellent write-up!!!
Other than Loren and Muriel, easy via the perps.
Even the Rap genre, Gangsta, a total non-fave form of music, didn't put me off.
SUCK IT UP and have FUN is my Sunday motto.
Barry G, I don't think they kept you to have a scapegoat. Actually this looks like a time to shine and show your true value. The ring is there, time to grab it.
Hello Puzzlers - Straightforward, same unknowns as others'. Was a tad surprised with Arkansas, a state whose hot springs I had forgotten. Also forgot the Nixon appearance on Laugh In, a show that couldn't hold a candle to Monty Python...feel free to jump in and agree!
Hi gang -
Off to T-town.
C.C. thanks for the call out for my mom. I'll post a picture later. Ot maybe tomorrow.
Jayce -
Yup - Baba Yaga segues right into the Great Gate, and that is full brass. I played the bass trombone part - a first for me in symphony. Out regular b tbn player is the one I mentioned a while back with leukemia. Anyway, he's doing pretty well and is now able to play again. Hope he can join us again in the fall.
I grabbed the 3rd (bass) part, since it is so much meatier than the 2nd. Even a few featured moments.
We did play La Gazza Ladra a couple of years ago. I don't remember much about it. I think a lot of oompa stuff, except for the scale runs near the end.
Here's a Link.
I'll do the puzzle later,
cheers!
JzB who just slides through life
Good Morning All, I expected a little more difficulty on a Sunday, but all I found was bigger. That's OK. I enjoyed this straightforward, "either you know it or you don't" puzzle.
I recognized C.C.'s photo link of LOREN Dean, but still couldn't place him in the movie.
At first, for 58D "More than a walk-on", I had STARRING ROLE. Of course, there is a lot of wiggle room between "walk-on" and "starring". After a couple of perps, I could see my error.
The first Spark I thought of for 92D was Nicholas, rather than MURIEL, but his name is SPARKS and NICHOLAS wouldn't fit anyway. His books remind me of yesterday's SOB SISTER, all super sentimental tear jerkers. OK, I haven't read them all, just two and have seen one movie. That was enough.
C.C. Simple fellow: SIMON, refers to the Mother Goose rhyme. According to Wikipedia, Simple Simon goes back to the 17th century.
Dudley, yes to Monty Python.
Among other problems, I thought 55Down was Needing splicing. Must have been influenced by the Nixon entry.
@C.C., from the idioms dictionary: just so
1. in perfect order; neat and tidy. Her hair is always just so. Their front yard is just so.
Etymology Dictionary
baud: 1932, originally a unit of speed in telegraphy, coined in Fr. 1929 in honor of Fr. inventor and engineer J.M.E. Baudot (1845-1903), who designed a telegraph printing system. Bits per second.
Early modems had a blazing speed of 300 Baud, and since there are 8 bits in a byte, that translates to not quite 38 characters per second; acceptable for sending text, but that's about it. The little icon pictures that show up in the blog by each post are about 13 Kilobytes or so and at that original modem rate, they would have each taken almost 6 minutes to download. It's truly amazing how much technology has advanced since then.
Good morning, C.C. and fellow bloggers.
I agree, not too difficult for a Sunday, just long and engaging, some fun along the way, especially the entire east side which filled in quickly.
I, too, dispute "goriest"; should be "gorriest."
Clever cluing already mentioned.
Must go. Later.
Have an excellent Sunday!
Hand up for "splicing"! Took a while to discover.
Interesting. My paper failed to print the clue for 110d., so I was completely in the dark until reading this blog. Thanks for the clarification!!
Good day,
Good puzzle; easier than Saturday's.
Barry G: Yes, mark is synonymous with grade. As I recall, the periodic report cards that we received from our elementary school teacher contained a grid, with subjects (math, history, etc) on one axis and levels of competence (excellent, good, fair, poor) on the other axis. The teacher would put a check mark in the appropriate box where the subject and the competency level intersected. Thus, the result would be your "marks".
No time to do the puzzle yet, but I finally watched last Monday's "How I met your Mother" (sitcom, Monday nights, 8 pm, CBS). I was surprised to see Will Shortz in it! He's got a few lines throughout with one of the main characters.
I'm sure you can find the episode online if you're interested. I g'd "met mother will shortz" (without the quotes) and found an interesting transcript from NPR last weekend where he announced it.
Another article said Neil Patrick Harris had announced the cameo on his tweet as "Highbrow HIMYM cameo - ten letters: Death Document + Legless Pantz. I'm a fan. I geeked out."
Sorry if this is repeated info. If it was mentioned earlier in the week, I must've missed it.
Hello.
Surprised by the ease of this puzzle. Kept looking for more GPAs.
SF falcons ready to fly.
Great APOD photo today. Crescent
moon and crescent Venus in the daytime.
Weird. 1&2 in the West and 7&8 in the East for the hockkey play-offs.
CA. How did the $17K work out for
you?
For those who critized Jessica saying she didn't sail far enough
or spend enough time north of the equator, a big FU.
It's hockey time.
eddyB
eddyb, no one on the blog said anything disparaging jessica, so kindly keep your mouth shut.
I loved the puzzle. So clever. I moaned and groaned throughout. Had band in 75A and came here to get the explanation for BPLNS. B-PLUS should have been a given for someone who MARKed grade-sheets for 32 years. Marks is a very common alternative for grades.
Any hands for FREESUP on 95A?
I took Barry one further: I got RULING and then slapped in CLASS. Just try to make since of that area after that! 110 also helped with NW, as I was trying to go with INGPA (swatting paddle?)
My favorite clue and answer was 'You might get it in your pajamas," as I'm still in them at 11:45 after my late night of fish cleaning.
Dennis, what's the DF mean? I'm not very up on acronyms.
CC, I assume you check the previous posts when yu get up, but if you didn't, I addressed the AXOLOTL for you after I 'finished' the puzzle at around 11PM PDT.
Fermat and Lucina, the root is gore, so goriest is correct. On the other hand, gore refers to blood, not violence. You can get very gory with little violence and very violent with little gore. Fermat, you can have all the movies like that one. I can't handle them.
Off to help a daughter make a house into a home. have a great day!
Good day, all.
C.C.-A fine blog job. Thank you!
I agree with others that the puzzle was easier than a usual Sunday, but that in no way detracted from the enjoyment. So many clever clues. A couple of favorites: "You can't go when you're in it"/PARK, and "Big butte"/MESA.
Found the connection of BEGPARDON and NIXON amusing.
Al-Thank you for the great explanation of Baud.
Enjoy the day!
EddyB, I'm assuming you are referring to Jessica Watson, who, for those that don't live to sail, recently became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe. I couldn't find any criticism of her when I searched back through the blog, so allow me to introduce some.
Hi.
Quick updates. SJ up by one after one. Rain at Indy.
EddyB
Gunghy, what's up with the avatar? Looks DF.
It has been mentioned that our cruciverbalist family is dysfunctional, or DF, for short.
Hi.
Gunghy. I was. RYC doing the critizing and saying they won't enter her in the record books as the youngest.
She is saying that her next challange is getting her Aussie driver licence.
Tied 1-1 after two.
Helio did 227+ between the rain drops.
eddyB
Gunghy, Webster agrees with you on gory. Thanks.
Just wanted to mention some clues I found to be quite fresh, though we have seen them in other incarnations.
brooding place: nest
Milky Way ingredient: star (that was my first entry as the surrounding fills were in place)
some hanings; art
food store: silo
And today's most clever, in my opinion, most favorable "optimal" usually destined to end in -est as C.C. commented.
Also thought "holding pattern" was different. What is so satisfying about Sunday puzzles is that entire words and phrases can be fitted and this one had few abbreviations. This one had none that I can find. How great is that? High marks for you, Bonnie!
Jazz:
Please wish your Mother a very happy birthday! You are so fortunate to still have her.
I'm cooking dinner for the fam, so Im out. "See" you later.
GORIEST is the right spelling, but it was clued wrong. The correct definition is "One who acts most like Al"
Thanks for the funny clip, Gunghy and for the clarification.
eddyB, Phew! It sure sounded like you were coming down really hard on somebody on the blog. Next time please mention the reference right up front. BTW, what is RYC? Most of us don't sail or know anything about it.
I don't know who SJ is either, but I figure he is a racer at Indy. I do know who Helio is though. He was very cute on Dancing With The Stars.
About that $17,000 for the Preakness superfecta....don't I wish I'd had a crystal ball?
Jerome...groan! :o)
Hi.
Sob! SJ loses 2-1. Neimi did a great job in the net.
Heavier rain in Indy. Practice called for today. Next Saturday is Pole day and the $175K prize. Five women will try to qualify for the race.
One hour untill the next hockey game.
eddyB
Lucina, What about GPA? dd
C.C., the word butte is pronounced with a long 'U'.
Nuf said about the puzzle for me!Can't add a thing.
Jerome, here's an echo for CA's groan!
I suspect RYC stands for Royal Yacht Club, though I don't follow sports any where near as faithfully as Eddie B. apparently does!
CA
When EddyB says SJ he means San Jose, hockey team.
Gunghy
DF can be explained like this.
It's OK for me to get my MORNING PAPER in my pajamas.
But sometimes I forget to wear them.
So when I go out to get it, it becomes an ESPY moment or DF.
Hell, either way it's dark at 5:00am, and I'm probably sleep-walking.
Duh! LOL, Thanks Tinbeni and Dodo.
Sorry, eddyB, too many abbreviated sport references for me to figure out. As long as the yachting and hockey fans are up to speed, they'll know what is going on.
GAH is an interested racing fan and keeps me sort of posted on what is going on. He is a child of the California 50's and he still loves "the drags" best. Matter of fact, he is in the den right now, watching drag racing on ESPN.
Hi.
Sorry that I didn't explain terms better.
dodo and Tinbeni are both correct.
My motto is KISS. Short and to the point.
eddyB
CA:
I've got to meet this guy GAH. I've still got dozens of $1:99 plastic trophies that cost me literally thousands of dollars to win from about 1963-68. My life goal (yeah, I know, typically male shallow) was to come to California (aka The Promised Land) and see the races at Pomona and Bakersfield and San Berdoo. Maybe it's not too late, but those tracks are all gone I think.
IMHO, any sissy boy can drive in circles, and many do. It takes cojones to go 4.50 @ 300+. I'll bet GAH agrees.
Personally, my vote goes to the F1 drivers, and not just because I took the driving course. I think the combination of straights and turns, and the thought and skill that has to go into each and every one of them, is what sets them apart. As Windhover said, anyone can drive in circles, but I also believe that it's 90% cajones and 10% skill that marks the typical dragster.
Just my biased opinion, of course.
100a Justice of the Peace: ELOPER - C.C., this is an official in the legal system who performs civil marriage ceremonies, usually for people who want to marry quickly, or without religious affiliation.
Windhover, Last post of the day is devoted to a red 1961 Ford Starliner that GAH ran at Lyons (in Long Beach), Fontana and Pomona. It started out as a 3 speed, but after those thousands of dollars you were talking about, it wound up as a 401 HP 4 speed. His eyes got all glassy and moist when I asked him about it.
You'll be happy to know it's not too late. The Winternationals still run at Pomona.
Always get my paper in my pjs...my pjs consist of draw string comfort pants and tees...this AM, there was a kitten caught in the undercarriage of one of my vehicles. He was black and hard to coax out...but the one I chauffeur for finally got him out, barely weaned and scared to death. We fed him milk so I guess we have a pet now. Apparently, there is a monkey on the lamb too. He`s been loose over a year now.
I completed the puzzle with a shameless amount of "help" but tomorrow`s Monday!
BTW, Hot Springs, AR was the first ever National Park and was a favorite hangout for Al Capone. The Arlington Hotel can show you or rent you his favorite room! Many of the win-place-show horses in the Derby ahd Peakness have run in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn in Hot Springs. I have relatives there and, yes, they do wear shoes and none of them slept with Bill Clinton!
MR ED @5:30pm,
I know. It's the visual pun of "Big butte" that delighted me and MJ.
Annette et al,
Thanks for always addressing my questions.
Hi gang -
Thank for the good wished for my mom. She's doing great. She had a hip replacement a couple of years ago, and that improved her quality of life A LOT.
Fun puzzle today. I got through it more quickly than a typical Saturday, so I guess it was a bit on the easy side. Didn't seem like it at first.
C.C Looks to me as if TACET (sell check doesn't like this one) and TACIT are pretty much interchangeable. I think the music term can be spelt either way.
I can be neither tacet not tacit
about granddaughter Amanda, who had her Cecchetti ballet grade 4 exam today, and got a top score, with a near-perfect result - as did two other girls from her studio. They are a year or two older then she is. At 12, Most serious dancers are a year or so away from grade 3, so she is pretty advanced for her age. Which also makes me think last week's competition judges had their heads in a dark, awkward place.
Part of the exam was to choreograph a 1 minute dance to music you select. She selected this. The first section, conveniently, is exactly one minute long
Nine Yr old Rebekka got a pass + on grade 2. We are very proud of our girls.
Pretty big week end for our clan. I'm tired.
Cheers!
JzB the Nattering NABOB
Dodo @ 5:27:
You are correct, but since GPA was not a fill by itself, I didn't count it among the balance of the fills. Stil, it's awesome that it is the only abbreviation, don't you think?
Just sent my clan home after dinner and loving my baby Sloane. She is precious and I'm in love.
Jazz:
Your girls must be very talented. That is a complicated piece for dancing. Congratulations! You should be proud.
Good night, everyone. I believe I'm ready to sit and relax.
@ Lucina: 53-Across YRS
Windhover, Bakersfield and Pomona are still active. Glen Helen in S.B. is sand and dirt only. This info comes from a guy who thinks cannon mounted on the bows of a sailboat should be legal if used on anything with a motor. Turns or straight, racing just points out the variety of interests people have.
Tinbeni, GETTING UP at 5:00 am is DF. I had to do it on the fishing trip, which confuses me. Do fish only eat breakfast?
Argyle, the avatar is a joke. I posed it because some friends were making way too much of my ski abilities.
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