Theme: WORLD LEADERS or TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER, since the world leader is always who the little green man wants to meet. The first part of each theme entry can also precede "WORLD" to give a different slice of a real or imagined universe.
17A. *Happy-go-lucky: FREE AND EASY - not a care in the world - any of the worlds. FREE WORLD - a cold war era term for every place outside the iron and bamboo curtains, i.e. non-communist countries.
26A. *Scandal involving plumbers: WATERGATE - I had forgotten that the Watergate crew was called the plumbers. Their original assignment was to stop leaks to the media during the Nixon administration, but they branched into illegal activities. WATER WORLD - a Kevin Costner movie I never bothered to see. I think it had bad revues.
45A. *Something to touch before getting home?: THIRD BASE - this home is home plate, in baseball. Or is this totally DF? THIRD WORLD - Here's a learning moment. I always thought this was a label generally applied to developing (read poor) nations. Actually, it is a cold war term for those nations who did not align with either the First World of NATO, etc. (aka the FREE WORLD) or the Second World of the SOVIET BLOCK.
5D. *Genuine article: REAL McCOY - does anybody know where this comes from? Could it be the Hatfields and the McCoys? REAL WORLD - what can you say about the real world? It is what it is. Nice pairing with -
11D. *Baseball fan's dream come true: FANTASY CAMP - an opportunity to go through training and play a game with the big leaguers. It's not limited to baseball. One of my friends went to the Red Wings fantasy camp a few years ago. FANTASY WORLD - a place where delights are only limited by your imagination.
25D. *Letter writer, formally: UNDERSIGNED - Formal, indeed: I, the undersigned, do solemnly attest that this is one fine puzzle. UNDERWORLD - this can mean several things: the mythological land of the dead; the criminal sphere of activity from gangster film noir; an actual place, like the London Underground; or a FANTASY WORLD, like the imagined London Underground of Neil Gaiman's novel NEVERWHERE.
35D. *Veterans: OLD TIMERS - they've been there and done that. Maybe even a long time ago. OLD WORLD - regions of the globe known to European and Asian civilizations of the 15 Century, as distinct from the New World revealed by the next century's (give or take a decade) voyages of discovery.
And the unifier:
54A. Summit attendee, and what the first word can be in each answer to a starred clue: WORLD LEADERS. And each theme "leader" can also a world "leader." Pretty tidy.
Hi, gang. It's Jazzbumpa, and I'm delighted to participate in a stellar week of puzzling: wonderful entries by John and Jerome, and now one from our gone, but not forgotten friend Dan. With Dan's puzzles you can count on an outstanding theme, clever clues, lots of long fill, and more names than some of us like. I count 13 entries of 6 or more letters, but you might want to double check me. Also, several fives. Quite a few threes, as well - but that's geometry for you.
Let's embark on a voyage of Dan's WORLDS.
Across:
1. Hook-and-loop fastener: VELCRO. Velcro is made up of tiny fiber hooks and loops that give you something to latch onto.
7. Masterpieces: GEMS. Top notch stuff, like this week's puzzles, or Pictures at an Exhibition.
11. Lucrative: FAT. A highly profitable venture - not including Ponzi schemes, I assume. Yesterday we had FATTEST and OVEREAT.
14. Marvin of boxing: HAGLER. Not a boxing fan, but I came up with his name, eventually. What is he famous for?
15. Carbon compound: ENOL. If it's carbon compound, 4 letters, enter ENOL and move on.
16. Priest's robe: ALB. As an erstwhile Catholic, I knew this one.
17A. *Happy-go-lucky: FREE AND EASY - not a care in the world - any of the worlds. FREE WORLD - a cold war era term for every place outside the iron and bamboo curtains, i.e. non-communist countries.
26A. *Scandal involving plumbers: WATERGATE - I had forgotten that the Watergate crew was called the plumbers. Their original assignment was to stop leaks to the media during the Nixon administration, but they branched into illegal activities. WATER WORLD - a Kevin Costner movie I never bothered to see. I think it had bad revues.
45A. *Something to touch before getting home?: THIRD BASE - this home is home plate, in baseball. Or is this totally DF? THIRD WORLD - Here's a learning moment. I always thought this was a label generally applied to developing (read poor) nations. Actually, it is a cold war term for those nations who did not align with either the First World of NATO, etc. (aka the FREE WORLD) or the Second World of the SOVIET BLOCK.
5D. *Genuine article: REAL McCOY - does anybody know where this comes from? Could it be the Hatfields and the McCoys? REAL WORLD - what can you say about the real world? It is what it is. Nice pairing with -
11D. *Baseball fan's dream come true: FANTASY CAMP - an opportunity to go through training and play a game with the big leaguers. It's not limited to baseball. One of my friends went to the Red Wings fantasy camp a few years ago. FANTASY WORLD - a place where delights are only limited by your imagination.
25D. *Letter writer, formally: UNDERSIGNED - Formal, indeed: I, the undersigned, do solemnly attest that this is one fine puzzle. UNDERWORLD - this can mean several things: the mythological land of the dead; the criminal sphere of activity from gangster film noir; an actual place, like the London Underground; or a FANTASY WORLD, like the imagined London Underground of Neil Gaiman's novel NEVERWHERE.
35D. *Veterans: OLD TIMERS - they've been there and done that. Maybe even a long time ago. OLD WORLD - regions of the globe known to European and Asian civilizations of the 15 Century, as distinct from the New World revealed by the next century's (give or take a decade) voyages of discovery.
And the unifier:
54A. Summit attendee, and what the first word can be in each answer to a starred clue: WORLD LEADERS. And each theme "leader" can also a world "leader." Pretty tidy.
Hi, gang. It's Jazzbumpa, and I'm delighted to participate in a stellar week of puzzling: wonderful entries by John and Jerome, and now one from our gone, but not forgotten friend Dan. With Dan's puzzles you can count on an outstanding theme, clever clues, lots of long fill, and more names than some of us like. I count 13 entries of 6 or more letters, but you might want to double check me. Also, several fives. Quite a few threes, as well - but that's geometry for you.
Let's embark on a voyage of Dan's WORLDS.
Across:
1. Hook-and-loop fastener: VELCRO. Velcro is made up of tiny fiber hooks and loops that give you something to latch onto.
7. Masterpieces: GEMS. Top notch stuff, like this week's puzzles, or Pictures at an Exhibition.
11. Lucrative: FAT. A highly profitable venture - not including Ponzi schemes, I assume. Yesterday we had FATTEST and OVEREAT.
14. Marvin of boxing: HAGLER. Not a boxing fan, but I came up with his name, eventually. What is he famous for?
15. Carbon compound: ENOL. If it's carbon compound, 4 letters, enter ENOL and move on.
16. Priest's robe: ALB. As an erstwhile Catholic, I knew this one.
19. Sgt., for one: NCO. A non-commissioned officer in the military. Any veterans care to elaborate?
20. Natural emollient: ALOE. The plant based lotion frequently used to smooth out difficult puzzle sections.
21. Use a crib for: CHEAT ON. Ah, back to school days. A "crib" sheet was a piece of paper with the answers to anticipated test question, that could be used for cheating. Alternatively, you could write the answers on your hand. Tattooing on the inside of the eyelids is quite impractical. No DF thoughts, please.
23. __ und Drang: STURM. STURM UND DRANG is German for Storm and Stress (or impulse) - a descriptor for a period of German literature, about 1760 through the 1780's, when subjectivity and emotionalism played a prominent role. This was a reaction (or over-reaction) to rationalism and the enlightenment.
28. Part of BYOB: OWN. Included in an invitation to the kind of party where you Bring Your OWN Booze. More on this later. Yesterday, we needed a deed to OWN something. With booze, I think possesion is adequate. Though you may be asked to pass the bottle.
29. Controversial 2000 election issue: CHADS. These were those little hanging paper thingies on ballots in Florida that prevented the tabulating machines from getting an accurate vote count. Or not. Let us leave this one be.
31. WWII transport: LST. Landing Ship Tank. An amphibious vehicle for depositing GI's, vehicles and supplies onto the shore duirng WWII. Again, our veterans can fill in the blanks.
32. Brandy cocktails: SIDECARS. As the story goes, it was developed for a patron of Harry's bar in Paris, who would arrive in a motorcycle sidecar. A bit inconvenient for a BYOB event, don't you think? Read more.
34. Koala kid: JOEY. Really? Kangaroo kid, sure. Koala kid, too?
36. Oppressive: ONEROUS. For some reason, I really like this word. It feels so heavy on the tongue. or, if someone asks you about a deed held in common you can say:" The owner? Us!"
37. Tightened, as shoes: RELACED. It took me a long time to figure this one out. And I have to do it all the time.
40. Actor John __-Davies: RHYS. Gimli, my favorite non-tossable dwarf.
41. It's undeliverable and unreturnable: DEAD MAIL. I've heard of dead letter. Dead mail is a reasonable extension, but it it in the language?
42. Civil War letters: CSA. Confederate States of America. More about this I shall not say.
43. "I __ born yesterday!": WASN'T. In fact, my half birthday is two Tuesdays hence. I think that's TerraJo's BD. Hi TJ - you out there?
44. Radiology staple, for short: MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging. The LW had an echocardiogram today, which revealed what I always knew - she has a good heart!
48. Louvre Pyramid architect: I.M. PEI. He did a lot in glass besides the Pyramid. I actually walked around on the roof of a structure of his, much like this one. I was not a happy camper.
50. #1 hit for the 4 Seasons: RAG DOLL. Big Girls Don't Cry was more famous. Vivaldi was totally uninvolved.
51. Appoint: NAME. Some appointments have to be confirmed. More than that I shall not say.
53. Bed-and-breakfast: INN. Frequent stop-over for puzzlers, too.
59. Some people lie about theirs: AGE. Not this OLD TIMER.
60. Theater souvenir: STUB. This search for pix came up with "drive in" and "the violent femmes." Make of it what you will.
61. Directions from the brass: ORDERS. Military brass, I'm sure. Orders TO the brass are to not play so damned loud.
62. Directed: LED. The conductor led us with orders to not play so damned loud.
63. Exxon, once: ESSO. Many mergers ago, there was a bee flying around the gas pump . . .
64. Home to online newsgroups: USE NET. Does anyone use USE NET anymore?
Down:
1. TV channels 2-13: VHF. Very high frequencies, the only channels we had when I was a JOEY. UHF is ultra-high frequency. BYOB, and you can get even higher.
2. Pencil holder?: EAR. This got a grin.
3. Bigger than med.: LGE. Abbr fr. large. Nt: Abbrv in Cl and ans. Small, Medium, Large. Who says size doesn't matter?
4. Exonerate: CLEAR. A legality, I presume. Let our legal eagles speak.
6. "Yes __?": OR NO. It that right? I can't decide . . .
7. "How about that!": GEE. Or something to say to THE WIZ.
8. Passes: ENACTS. A law is enacted when it is passed and signed by the Prez.
9. Israel's Dayan: MOSHE. Famous military leader, Foreign Minister and eye-patch wearer.
10. More devious: SLYER. Does sly imply devious? Hmmmm . . .
12. "Little Women" author: ALCOTT. Louisa May Alcott's famous novel was more or less autobiographical.
13. Steakhouse order: T-BONE. Alternatives are Porterhouse, Sirloin, and Rib Eye. Or this.
18. J&B alternative: DEWARS. A couple of rather pedestrian blended Scotches. It's J&B for JzB, if those are the choices. I have a snifter of Lagavulin at my elbow as I write this.
22. Shining: AGLEAM. Like my eyes after a large snifter of Lagavulin. I heard about a guy who was a careless tooth brusher and had that Gleam in his eye. You can't make bad jokes like that about Ipana. Right, Bucky?
23. Ho-hum: SOSO. Bland, second rate. Not like this week's puzzles.
24. Bed in old sitcoms: TWIN. Married couples had to sleep in separate beds in the old days of TV - even if nobody snored. Not exactly REAL WORLD.
27. Much spam: ADS. Yeah. Or notices that I've won a million pounds. Don't open a message that looks like spam. Just delete - it's a lot safer.
30. Fräulein's residence: HAUS. A Fräulein is an unmarried German woman or girl. In German, "house" is HAUS, and "mouse" is MAUSE. I don't know about "grouse" and "louse."
33. Est founder Werner __ : ERHARD. I guess this stood for Erhard Standard Training, a method of empowerment and personal transformation. Or a scam. Not a veteran, so I couldn't say.
34. Composer Sibelius: JEAN. He is most famous for Finlandia, which I have performed a few times. His symphonies are GEMS.
37. React to an e-mail error message, maybe: RESEND. Send it again, please. If you do not resend, I will rescind.
38. The Auld Sod: EIRE. Ireland, briefly. Will it be EIRE or ERIN? Perp help is always required.
39. XCII x VI: DLII. I refuse to do Roman numeral math, and hit the "reveal word" key, which still works, even when the answer isn't a word.
41. Perp prosecutors: DA'S. District Attorneys are prosecutors. If they get their way, I'm stuck with EIRE - ERIN. Very inconvenient.
42. Adapt: CHANGE. Just this morning I adapted my socks.
43. Critter in a John Lennon title: WALRUS. You all know the Beatles.
45. Dry run: TRIAL. Checking something out to see if it will work, before putting it to serious use. Why is it called a dry run? Is the real thing a WET RUN? Why doesn't this TRIAL involve any DA'S? I'm getting confused.
46. Look for water: DOWSE. This involves antics with a forked stick, that presumably leads an adept to UNDERGROUND water. But a Google search gave me this.
47. Dries gently: BLOTS. to pat gently with a towel. Was 45D to 47D a dry run?
49. Gettysburg general: MEADE. Two coordinated Civil War entries are just a coincidence, not a sub-theme.
52. Baseball's Moises: ALOU. A baseball great, along with his brothers. I linked them the last time, I think. Is there a baseball subtheme? I haven't kept count.
55. Wall St. deal: LBO. Leveraged Buyout. Somebody borrows a bunch of money, buys a company on credit, raids the companies cash reserves, bankrupts the company, and relocates to the tax-free Cayman Islands. Not to be confused with a Ponzi Scheme.
56. Barcalounger site: DEN. Barcalounger is a chair that looks like a La-Z-Boy, but isn't. Remember the story of Goldilocks? Papa Bear's Barcalounger was too hard . .. .
57. Prepositional palindrome: ERE. This is good. "ERE" is the central palindrome of the greater palindrome, "Able was I ere I saw Elba." Elba is the den where Napoleon sat on his Barcalounger.
58. Queue after Q: RST. A letter string. A SO-SO finish to an otherwise GEM of a puzzle.
Hope you had as much fun as I did - and in a lot less time. Puzzle - 18 minutes; blog - a little over three hours.
Answer grid.
Cheers!
JzB
75 comments:
Good morning, Jazz, C.C. and gang - what a week! First John, then Jerome, then Dan -- who's next, Barry Silk and Will Shortz?
So needless to say, I loved the puzzle. This one had a theme that was impossible for me to get without the unifying answer, which added to the challenge. I liked 'fantasy camp' and 'undersigned'. 'Veteran', I tend to think more of someone who served, young or old, rather than an 'old-timer', although both are correct. 'Third base' is always a nice stopover. One unknown in this one: Jean Sibelius.
I know Rich Norris said he had enough Naddor puzzles in the pipeline to last the year, but don't you find you treat each new offering as if it might be the last? I hate the thought of not having his puzzles to look forward to. Does anyone know if he ever published a book of puzzles?
Jazz, like you, I always thought 'third world' referred to impoverished countries. Good job with the blog.
Today is Ride, Sally Day. Off to the gym.
Good morning Jazz and All, another fine Dan Naddor puzzle today. Don’t you just wish they could continue forever? A fairly easy puzzle for me this morning, only unknowns were 40A Rhys and 34D Jean, but both were attainable via perps.
I started this puzzle working from the NE corner, down the east side, across the south, up the west and then the center. This rotation allowed me to get the theme early when 54A filled.
I have always heard that there was a boxer named McCoy who came into a bar one night boasting that he was McCoy the boxer. One of the other patrons took issue and said he was not McCoy the boxer. One thing led to another and a fight between the two resulted. It seems McCoy knocked the guy out with one punch. When the guy woke-up he looked up and said ”Yes sir he is the real McCoy.”
Hope you all have a great Wednesday.
Good Morning, CC and all. What a wonderful Dan Naddor puzzle and one I could complete without any outside help!
Koala's seem to be the theme this week. Isn't this the third time we've seen a reference to these critters this week? Constructors must "know" that Kazie is off to Australia. And, being marsupials, their offspring are called Joey's.
Finlandia is the most famous piece I know that Jean Sibelius wrote.
John Rhys-Davies may have been a Dwarf, but he was also in some of the Indiana Jones movies as well.
My favorite clue was Something to Touch on the Way Home = THIRD BASE. Some people consider Louisiana a THIRD WORLD. Not so.
Moshe Dayan lost his eye in June 1941, when fighting the Vichy French forces in Syria. He was scanning enemy positions through his binoculars when he was hit by a sniper's bullet. His son is a well-known Israeli actor. I met Dayan when I was in college.
QOD: Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have. ~ James Baldwin
Pretty easy for Thursday. 17 minutes to complete. Not much thinking involved.
Very meaty summary. Thank you, JzB.
Jazz Fan
Good Morning. Nice write-up JzB
A nice engaging puzzle; typical of Dan. No look-ups needed. Lots of clever clues - liked CHEATON, RST and EAR. WAGs included ENOL and ALOE. HAUS and STÜRM were easy for me, but got ERHARD fromj the perps. Had to assume that a koala kid was termed the same as a kangaroo kid. Overall a nice reminder of Dan's talent and special gift for clueing.
Enjoy the day.
Happy Wednesday all:
What a great week of puzzles, a Dan Naddor, heavy on themeage, but one where I was on his wavelength immediately and slowed only to check the perp for ERHARD , as I was uncertain if his name ended in D or T (it was not his real name). I do know people who took, EST very seriously.
The puzzle begins with something old (VHF and UHF dials on the TV) then VELCRO, reasonably new and Florida’s OWN hanging CHAD controversy.
REFEREE’s in the legal system are used by judge’s to gather information and make recommendations, and thereby help the process move more quickly. They have no intrinsic power.
We are moving one of our offices and I am tired and unfocused and have no phones or internet, so it all takes time.
Ciao chow
Morning, all!
I hate to speak ill of the dead, but I'm usually just not on the same wavelength as Dan Naddor when it comes to his puzzles. Today, however, it was mostly smooth sailing.
I've never heard the phrase FREE AND EASY before, I pulled MOSHE seemingly out of thin air, and mistakenly put REAL THING instead of REAL MCCOY to begin with, but other than that there were no real snags. I'm not an imbiber, so both SIDECARS and DEWARS didn't spring immediately to mind, but as soon as I got a couple of perps in place they were easy enough to get.
90 degrees and sunny yesterday, 92 and sunny today. And then, everything changes...
Good Morning, Jazz, C.C. and all of Puzzledom.
What a Beautiful Day.
On more levels than space will allow I think this is the perfect Dan Naddor LAT puzzle.
Seven themes, all good ones, leading to the reveal clue's answer WORLD LEADER. I was mesmerized!
Had a minor glitch when I popped in IPO before the Theater STUB made me realized it was a LBO (leveraged buyout).
Then there was the one clue and answer I have been waiting for. IMHO the best clue/answer of all time.
J&B alternative. DEWARS.
Not my brand, but I will purchase a bottle of the DEWARS 12yo to celebrate that SCOTCH, aka Avatar, finally made it into a grid.
Yeah, there is an Ear-to-Ear grin on my face.
I smiled this morning when I saw Dan Naddor on top of the puzzle. He tricked me right away with VELCRO. While it is a hook and loop fastener, one doesn't think of it that way as that is not how it appears. Had to hit the g-spot for STURM and RHYS, but otherwise all the unknowns (ERHARD and JEAN) came via the perps. I love that his puzzles take some work to get done, but in the end they are doable. Loved the THIRD BASE clue.
Yesterday our sports section had an article about our new Twins stadium and how there have been so few times that the players have been able to "touch them all". Seems it is not going to be a big home run stadium.
For all you nostalgic people, we saw James Taylor and Carole King last night. Just a fabulous performance. What pipes they both have, especially considering she is 68 and he 62. He has incredible wit and they both rocked out on stage too. If they are coming your way I would highly recommend attending.
Good morning Jazz, CC, et al., Superb write up, Jazz. Love your plethora of comments and links. Thank you for taking the time. The link for theater tickets brought back a flood of memories of working the box office for my dad. He had the 2nd type on the top row. Great times. Thanks for that.
What a fun puzzle! For whatever reason, it was an easier Dan Naddor puzzle than previous ones for me. I really enjoyed this one.
21A Cheat on 'crib' sheet hit close to home. Just yesterday a Sr just got a big fat zero on one of his last tests for using a 'crib' sheet. I put my hand out for it and he tried to eat it. The kid has seen too many movies. He choked. I got it eventually. It was comical and disappointing. No 'world leader' there for our future unless he can 'change'. Wouldn't trust him to follow 'orders'. He never 'own'ed up to being at fault. He was a real 'hagler' over the "yes 'or no'" question even with being caught red handed. Guess he's in
'den'ial right now and if he's not careful he'll be on 'trial' eventually.
I thought 'free and easy' and 'third base' in the same puzzle were 'gems' along w/'walrus' who is known for having the largest male reproductive organ which has a bone called an
"oosik". We've had this discussion before. So if a guy is nicknamed "Wally" but his given name is James??
Loved seeing 'Dewars' here - that straight up always puts 'a-gleam' in my eye and makes me so happy that to be any happier I'd have to be 'twin's. Will investigate
'sidecars' soon. New to me.
Really enjoyed this puzzle, esp considering the awesome source.
Enjoy your day. I'll be taking a 'ride' in honor of Sally today.. but I'll go 'topless' in my car.
Hi Jazz, C.C. & gang, an enjoyable and somewhat poignant reminder of Dan's passing. I wonder how many of his puzzles remain?
Here's the definition of 'real McCoy':
`The origin of the idiom "the real McCoy" stems from the prohibition era. As a rumrunner, William McCoy ferried alcohol illegally. Transporting $8 cases of the liquor from the Bahamas to Martha's Vineyard on his ship the Arethusa, he made $300,000 in profit for each trip. McCoy's liquor was genuine imported spirits — and not homemade swill or moonshine — but imitators tried to claim their illicit drink was "The Real McCoy." `
Dennis- Dan told me that he had about 120 unpublished puzzles that he was considering for a book. This was mere days before he died. In a perfect world those puzzles might somehow see the light of day. Wouldn't that be something! You could do one a week and get a Naddor fix for a couple more years.
Good afternoon all. Another enjoyable Dan Naddor puzzle. I had a different take on J&B alternative. I had the EW filled in and thought of Jazz & Blues so I filled in newage. I now need another V8 can.
Have a great day
Jerome, from your lips...
Jerome: Maybe Dan Naddor's book can still be compiled.
Good day, Jazz, C.C and puzzlers.
Great blogging, Jzb! LOL at almost every comment.
Well, just like the weather in AZ this week, lovely surprises; as has been mentioned, John, Jerome,and Dan. Is that a trifecta?
Must admit I wasn't on Dan's wavelength and had to take the tour, i.e., fill in one after another as I could, not my usual style of up then down.
After that I filled in quarter sections. This called for some head scratching as misdirection often met me. Fat is not the first word I would think for lucrative and agleam didn't come readily for shining.
Have never heard of "sidecar" for a brandy cocktail although Deawars flowed out easily.
I was surprised to know that a kid koala is also a joey. And don't know if I had heard walrus in John Lennon's song.
A great offering from Dan, may he rest in peace.
For me, today is rug cleaning day; i guess I'll "ride" the cleaner.
I hope you all have a really good Wednesday!
Hello Puzzlers -
Even a noob like me can appreciate a Naddor puzzle, and this one sure didn't disappoint. Good write-up, Jazz! I suspect you know waaay more about scotch than I'll ever know.
The VHF answer sure brought back memories...when I was a kid, it was a big deal to own a TV that had a UHF tuner in it. My grandfather was the first in the family to have a TV, one of those 50's contraptions, B&W and VHF only. We young 'uns loved to watch the little dot fade out in the center when it was turned off. Remember?
Lucina: Here is the Beatle's I am the Walrus song. You have probably heard it before, just didn't recognize it from the clue.
FANTASY GAME and REAL THING slowed me big time. Other than that I loved it. Surprisingly, I.M. PEI straightened up 11D for me. In fact, the only name I didn't know was Jean, which came easily from perps.
I don't know if Dan ever participated here, but I do hope he had Tinbeni and Argyle in mind when he clued 18D. I sure smiled when I saw it.
Ragdoll was never my favorite; I was dating my first love when the Four Seasons were hot.
Dennis, I did a fairly extensive google search for Naddor books, and found nothing. Might be something to campaign for.
Bob, I didn't race my boat last night, so I'm pretty sure this isn't a Thursday puzzle.
Jazz, Great writeup, loved the links and commentary. Marvelous Marvin Hagler dominated the boxing scene in the 80's. He was undisputed Middleweight champ from '81 to '87. He finished with a record of 62-3-2 after a career where he fought anyone and everyone that was willing to take him on.
I'm off to take my 88 year old dad to get a blood test. His 85 year old wife won't let the caregiver take him. Somehow she's become fixated on this test as an evil plot against her. It truly has consumed her life since the doctor ordered them 6 months ago. I told my kids that I want to be left in a snowdrift when I start behaving this way.
Hi gang -
I only scanned the comments - thanks for the kind words. We're off to T-town for dinner with mom and some other OLD TIMERS.
We have to cherish these moments while we can.
Cheers!
JzB
Hey, does anyone else have problem seeing Jazzbumpa's write-up before 34A? My screen only has a few green-lighted theme words.
Yeah, somehow the text got changed to display as white instead of black. If you highlight the text with your mouse, you can still see it...
same problem for me, c.c.
highlighting didn't work for me. i'm using firefox, if that makes any diffence ...
Barry & Melissa,
Thanks for the quick feedback. Does it look OK now?
all good now, thanks.
Yep, this was a Dan Naddor puzzle alright. Clever cluing, wonderful theme and all in all enjoyable. I can also tell it was a Naddor puzzle as I had to hit the g-spot for Hagler and Moshe. Tinbeni, I thought of you immediately when Dewars exposed itself. My favorite clue today was “pencil holder” – ear. Perps included Enol, chad, Sturm and Erhard. I have never heard of the cocktail “side car” and I was a bartender through my college years and couldn’t tell you what “cointreau” is either.
Jazz, nice write up. No wonder it took you 3 hours to complete it.
KQ, I was at that concert last night too! Too bad we didn’t know ahead of time and we could have met for a pre-show cocktail or two. I too, thought it was fabulous. Carol King’s Tapestry album was the first LP I ever bought.
C.C. - I had the problem you mentioned. But when I went back after reading the comments, everything was fine.
Barry & Melissa,
I erased Jazzbumpa's Brandy Cocktail step by step direction, then it's OK. How strange!
Gunghy
Whenever Dan had a puzzle published he would drop by and add a few insights.
Jazz
Your write-up taking 3 hours. Outstanding job and dedication.
Plus all that time sipping Lagavulin from a snifter ... must have been a great time.
For the last three hours I have been researching Scotch Whiskey. In more ways than one.
The way I figure, I have been on a campaign to get the Avatar into a puzzle. Seems to me every other libation got its due, why NOT Agua Vitae, the water of life.
Oh yeah, tonights Toast at sunset will include a special sip to Dan with that Dewar's 12yo I just got.
A sip to Jazz and one for Argyle (been looking for the Dalwhinnie comment).
Cheers on all on "Scotch Day!!!"
Dennis, I missed what day this is. So Ride, Sally Ride!
Good Morning All, I had to be a determined Dan Naddor fan to get this one done. Last night I was about half-way through and our electricity went out, probably due to to the rain and lightning we were experiencing. I gave up and when I got up this morning, the electricity was back on, but the ISP was acting up.
Everything seems to be working now and the puzzle was worth the frustration. Wow, seven theme answers and a bonus gift with 54A.
Dan N. knew so much about pop culture, maybe "REAL WORLD" was a reference to the long-running MTV show. I don't know if it is still on or not.
Sorry Scotch fans. I've tried to develop a taste, but no matter how many highly recommended samples I've had, it still bad as far as I'm concerned. I think it is a "guy thing".
Lucky Jeannie and KQ. I have been in love with James Taylor for many years. Except for the fact that he balded (new word, still don't like it), he is just as cute as ever. With Carole King, it must have been a fabulous show.
Thanks for "Mustang Sally", Gunhgy. I was just about to link The Commitments' version. Yours is fine too.
Now, I've got to call to make arrangements for delivery of the new refrigerator. The old GE has been acting up again and after three previous expensive repairs, we are cutting our losses.
Great blogging, Jazzbumpa.
CA
Whenever someone says to me:
"I've tried to acquire a taste for Scotch, but it's just not my taste."
I say to myself:
"Good, that leaves just that much more for ME!"
The one thing I noticed over the years is if one is a Scotch or Bourbon imbiber that is what they drink. Period!
I agree, I think it is a guy thing.
I just love it when the 'craze of the day' come along.
There was that Stoli Vodka thing in the 80's follow by the Captain Morgan's Rum, then Tequila, then Skye Vodka, Yaddie, Yaddie, Yadda ...
Through it all, for me it was and always will be Avatar.
So little time, so much to enjoy.
Good Afternoon All,
I smiled this AM when I finished a Wednesday Naddor puzzle with very little red letter help and many smiles. Like most, I got the theme clue led me down the road to the answers but not quite the theme itself. The names were trouble for me but perps helped out immensely. Great Puzzle!
Started off in the 80's this morning. I was melting laying out a park project. Right at 10 AM a front came through and the wind shifted easterly and it cooled down to the upper 50s. Phew! The dogs and I are much happier.
Have a Great Hump Day!
Oh! Excellent right up Jazz!!
I was thinking we were due for a puzzle of Dan’s… And it was a pleasure, as always. Great theme that all fell into place nicely!
23A Lord knows where I ever heard of STURM and Drang, but it flowed right onto the paper.
29A Five years prior to that election, another analyst and I were sent to observe the tabulation process, because the county Supervisor of Elections was requesting $3 million for a new system, with the hanging chads being a primary reason. Dennis, were punched cards still being used during your mainframe days in IT, or were you on tape/mag. disk?
33D Est founder Werner ERHARD was my only look-up.
36A Love the pun, JzB! And thanks for the explanation of Third World.
Nobody else had a problem with the phrasing of CHEAT ON for crib? It felt awkward to me. You 'Use a crib for' CHEATING, or TO CHEAT, or a CHEAT ON A TEST.
Annette, when I first got into computers ('66), some of our mainframes (IBM 1400 series) had punched card input/output and some (IBM 7000 series) had mag tape i/o. In fact, we had some early systems where you'd actually wire the boards. First had to learn EBCDIC. Fun times.
That was a very enjoyable write-up, JzB, for a very enjoyable puzzle! Bravo to you and Dan.
No lookups for me, but I made good use of perps, as in 'realMcCoy' where I had put in 'real thing'. 'Onerous' is a good word; I like it. Never thought of 'fat' for 'lucrative'. I was thinking of money. And I never knew a Sidecar was made of brandy; thought it was bourbon. Live and learn! I like Scotch better, anyway.
Favorite clue:'dries gently', I guess. Also 'prepositional pallindrome'. I think I like that one even better!
Since the authors are not credited in my paper, I was unaware of this being a Naddor, but I knew it was exceptional.
Tinbeni & Jazz too, it is my pleasure to make sure that I don't deprive you of even one sip.
The following is one verse from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Scotsman's Return From Abroad. It isn't necessary to understand the accent to catch the meaning of the last four lines.
At last, across the weary faem,
Frae far, outlandish pairts I came.
On ilka side o' me I fand
Fresh tokens o' my native land.
Wi' whatna joy I hailed them a' -
The hilltaps standin' raw by raw,
The public house, the Hielan' birks,
And a' the bonny U.P. kirks!
But maistly thee, the bluid o' Scots,
Frae Maidenkirk to John o' Grots,
The king o' drinks, as I conceive it,
Talisker, Isla, or Glenlivet!
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Talisker 18 year old won Best Whisky in the World at the 2007 World Whiskies Awards. The taste is described as "Sweet in front, then more assertive, with a whiff of smoke. The development is towards smoke, coal-tar and toffee."
Hmmm, interesting, but "smoke, coal-tar and toffee"? BTW, I'm curious, are there any women here who like Scotch?
Annette: If you 'use a crib for' a test it's the same as 'cheat on' a test. The verb phrasings match in tense and person. IMHO.
it has been a crazy day today!
an easy wed. puzzle for me...and funny but i have used several feet of velcro for cable management today.
i just scanned the comments, but am i the only one that confidently filled in "free as a bird" only to realize later my impatience? i had or-so for 6d and thought it was wrong but moved on anyway.
then i KNEW dewars must be correct and had to rethink the whole corner.(thought of tinbeni immediately)
anyway...time to go home...will check in/comment later.....
CA, Glad you appreciated it. I actually like the Commitments better, was planning on Wilson Pickett, but who can't appreciate the Blues Brothers?
My scotch story: (From years before I realized that alcohol and I are both better off apart.)
My parents came up to watch me wrestle in Oregon with a friend of theirs. He was a lumberjack/river guide; a real he man. After the match, in his mobile home, I was offered a drink. Since I had to make weight again the next day, I asked for a small scotch, neat.
Buff (his nickname, but I didn't learn his real name until his obit was printed) shook the RV with his response, "Scotch? Scotch? That's a woman's drink!"
I never enjoyed it after that. Funny what little things can impact you a lot.
Hi gang -
Late today...had my last post op appt and the first pre-op for my second eye surgery coming up June 29. All is doing very well.
Jazz, great write up! I can see all the hard work you put in, and it is enjoyable for all of us. Also thank you for saying you refuse to do Roman numeral math...I can barely do any math so it always makes me go to G or just let the perps fill it in.
NW corner was very difficult for some reason...1A really had me fooled and I racked up ANOTHER dent in my V-8 can because I did not get 1D, 14A or 2D. You see how that corner caused that poor can to hit the recycle bin.
21A had me thinking of babies so it was a no go for a long time (I finally did get it).
Lois: I didn't know that the Walrus had that distinction! I always thought it was the sperm whale. Guess we will have to change Free Willie to Free Wallie. Gives a whole new meaning to 'boner'...LOL
33D a complete mystery as to what EST is - I knew it wasn't Eastern Standard Time...:)
Ca: I have tried scotch twice in my life and I agree with you...no good.
Glad to leave more for the guys who enjoy it. - Cute poem!!!
Hi Dennis & Annette;
Re: punch cards? My first real job ('71) included debugging very primitive (these days) wired back-plane computers for a company called Data 100 which was an offshoot of 3M.
We had to create a 4 card program using Hollerith cards because if the thing didn't work right it would always (almost) take 4 cards.
CA, take a look at the comment just above yours with the wonderful poem and you'll find one woman who loves Scotch!
Mr Naddor created such a tight mix of in-the-language theme answers, gettable clues & interesting non-theme fill. Took us several trips around the grid to complete it, but no lookups were required ; just a few lucky guesses on names : JEAN, HAGLER & the last letter of EST founder ERHARD.
The #2 pencil holder [EAR] was perhaps a sly joke? And if the Hebrew name MOSHE is related to Spanish MOISES [Alou] then we have a interesting resonance at play. Knowing neither language here, perhaps someone else can see if we're off-base.
I hope that Dan's remaining puzzles that won't be published by the LAT might be published in book form.
JzB : fact-filled & fun guest-blogging. Bravo, maestro.
Hi, again, gang!
While the carpet is drying I can stay in seclusion for a bit.
Went back to check the links, and thank you, Hahtool, for "I am the Walrus." It seems vaguely familiar though not as much as some others such as Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds; some of my friends break out into that one when they see me. Nickname: Lucy
Also, I love Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons. A few years ago in NYC we saw the Jersey Boys. An emotional experience.
One of my aerobics instructors likes to use their music for our workout. Yes, I do that, too.
Hands up for liking Scotch. I learned to enjoy it while in Scotland visiting the Glenlivet distillery. Good stuff. An ooccasional drink is enough.
Hahtool:
I don't know why anyone would think Louisiana a third world country. It is so beautiful! I have only driven through it a few times, but I was impressed with the gorgeous flowers and greenery.
Dennis:
You sound like my late DH. His solution for all ills.
Wow, Warren, I remember Data 100 and those damned wiring boards. Haven't heard the word 'Hollerith' in 4 decades.
Lucina, we've got tickets for Jersey Boys in October in Philly; I'm really looking forward to it. As with so many of us near-deads, Four Seasons songs are deeply embedded in our memories. I still have a vivid memory of sitting in the bay window of a laundromat on the Marine base at Camp Lejeune, N.C., around '63, writing a letter to my girlfriend and listening to Sherry and Big Girls Don't Cry. Funny how stuff like that stays with you.
I'll bet your late DH kept you young, huh?
Thank you, Spitzboov. That makes sense to me now. It still feels a little awkward, but so does being caught using one!
CA, I don’t drink scotch, but 2 of my sisters do. The other 2 don’t.
I hope any book of Dan’s puzzles would include ones that have already been published too, for those of us that might have missed his earlier ones. There’s a good chance if I did one from last month, I’d probably not even realize it!1 Once published by the Times, would there be any copyright issues if his family chose to produce a book?
My introduction to computers wasn’t until vo-tech/high school in ’78. We wired a couple very simple boards, otherwise it was all 80 or 96 column cards. I think I still have that first card where we printed our name and address… In community college, we were still on cards, with only 1 “rich” kid in class who had a PC. I think all my work at the university was on terminals, but only took maybe 2 actual coding classes there. Only my 1st job still had coding done on paper, that was typed onto IBM cards and loaded, then all troubleshooting and corrections were done on terminals. I do remember the name Hollerith too!
jazz: great write up...very happy you bit your tongue today...i am sure you were tempted!!
jeopardy had a category the other day "who won the state". they gave the state and year and the contestant gave the candidate who won...answer "florida 2000"...question "who is george bush" i was wating for the riot!
also i'm sure you were tempted w/21A . well, this was e-mailed to me a couple of days ago...teachers beware..cheaters
ca: yes real world is still around. i think it was the first "reality tv show". i was an "older" fan the first couple of years(maybe 15 or so years ago). but now they have jumped the shark(per my younger co-workers!)
re third base: here in ohio we have things called drive thru-s. you can drive through a building and buy beer, wine, cigs, lottery and such. i lived in fla for awhile and they did not have them. anyway...my local favorite drive thru is called third base. why? it's the last stop before going home!
my first computer lesson?(ca. 1985)
i had to write a for/next loop to randomly print 10 license plates with 3 letters/3 numbers pattern(ex. osu 001) in the BASIC language. i hate to make you all feel old but its the truth!
Dodo, LOL, your comment was just a minute before mine, so I missed it. I can see from later comments that there is a fair share of scotch drinkin' women out there. Looks like Tinbeni is going to have to do more sharing than he was hoping for.
SNH, I guess some kids would rather go through a lot of work to cheat, rather than just learn the subject. Do teachers allow kids to bring cokes to an exam? When I was in high school, we brought a pen, and maybe a #2 pencil.
Annette- Once a puzzle is sold to the LA Times, NY Times, etc., the constructor loses all rights to that puzzle. Not only that, the constructor sees not one penny of the money that puzzle generates in syndication or in books.
Thanks Jazz and Dennis for the kind tip of the hat.
Well let's be clear about the count. There are actually eight theme entries here since the capper WORLD LEADERS is part of the theme and symmetrically placed.
This is an astonishing feat! Most Sunday puzzles don't have more than eight theme entries. In essence, what Dan accomplished here was to cram a Sunday into a Wednesday. Kids, don't try this at home. And if you do try it, don't tell anyone--they'll try to talk you out of it!
I so do admire those who stretch the creative envelope, whatever the genre. Dan was one of those for sure. What an inspiration, and what a legacy he left.
We were probably writing them at the same time!
A note about Sturm und drang: J. K Rowling sort of Spoonerised the phrase to come up a name for the Bulgarian wizarding school, Durmstrang, in the Harry Potter series. Her imaginative names for people, places, things, and events added a lot to those books. My favorite: Diagon Alley. Runner up: Grimmauld Place.
About Hollerith cards: More memories! When I was a college kid, many of us could be found walking from the keypunch lab to the compiling center with thick stacks of cards. It was said there were two types of programmers: those who had dropped a whole batch of cards, and those who were going to.
Face down, nine edge first!
ca: i was thinking the same thing! i went to 12 years of catholic school(read: nuns). not only could i not take a coke into a classroom, i was not allowed to have a coke on parish grounds!
i'm thinking maybe that video is for college students
Jerome, at some point down the road, do you think Tracie would entertain the idea of turning Dan's unreleased puzzles into a book?
Dudley, "face down, nine edge first" is definitely a blast from the past; great memory!
SNH, I've always wondered why those drive-thru stores are only popular in certain parts of the country -- it really is a great concept. Hell, you don't even need to put clothes on to go to the store.
face down, nine edge first?
Guess what I found after typing in that phrase into Google?
a poem:`
THE LAST BUG
"But you're out of your mind,"
They said with a shrug.
"The customer's happy;
What's one little bug?"
But he was determined.
The others went home.
He spread out the program,
Deserted, alone.
The cleaning men came,
The whole room was cluttered
With memory-dumps, punch cards.
"I'm close," he muttered.
The mumbling got louder,
Simple deduction,
"I've got it, it's right,
Just change one instruction."
It still wasn't perfect,
As year followed year,
And strangers would comment,
"Is that guy still here?"
He died at the console,
Of hunger and thirst.
Next day he was buried,
Face down, nine-edge first.
And the last bug in sight,
An ant passing by,
Saluted his tombstone,
And whispered, "Nice try."
`
Hi Gang
Jazz, you outdid yourself. Thx for taking the time for an outstanding blog.
Loved Dan's puzzle, but was off by just a bit. Wanted PERFECT GAME and had BRONTE instead of Louisa May Alcott - made a mess of the NE.
Add IPO down in the south and I had lots of changes to my puzzle today - but learning from the blog, I persevered.
Moises Alou is the second generation of a distinguished baseball family. The three Alou brothers were Felipe, Moises' father and a star with the Atlanta Braves, Matty, platooned left-handed center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Jesus of the Giants.
I would think Moshe and Moises are linguistically equivalent. Other variations I've seen include Moish, Maish and my HS French teacher's Moese (probably with some vital accent I've omitted).
For all those Four Seasons/Jersey Boys fans, here is C'mon Marianne and a lesser-known favorite of mine Tell It To The Rain.
Gunghy, loved the Blues Brothers, but we certainly should offer The Commitments' version of Mustang Sally.
Jerome, very sorry to learn that all rights are sold to the paper - maybe the crossword constructors should join the Hollywood Writers' union so that they participate in back-end value creation.
What about Dan's never-before-published puzzles? The entrepreneur in me thinks we (this blog) should help get those published in book form and get some royalties for Dan's family. I'd be happy to work on this project. Any thoughts?
Hope it was a great Wednesday for each of you.
Kids Say the Darndest Things. Art Linkletter died earlier today.
Gerald Hebert has taken some amazing photos of the impact of the oilspill on Coastal wetlands. The insect in the first photo is stuck to the marsh grass.
To Use a Crib For = Cheat On. What about Crib Notes. They can be used as a study aid and aren't considered cheating.
Wow! I just discovered a treasure trove from the days, long ago, when I used to cut out and save xwd puzzles to take with me on vacation if no time to do them at the moment.
Peter Gordon, Dianne C. Baldwin, Bob Klahn, Raymond Hamel: does anyone remember these? I'll have fun solving them.
Yes, Dennis, he did. Why do you think I exercise so much?
Dennis- I don't know. It seems to me that an editor might want to take a shot at that kind of project.
An enjoyable puzzle, but not easy for one who isn't into sports and pop music.
I saw the asterisks and sought out the theme. The bad news is that it didn't help me.
Jazzbumpa -- I took three hours for the puzzle and 18 minutes reading the blog. :-)
34D, Composer Sibelius -- Jean leapt off my pencil. If Finlandia was his only composition, he'd still be world class.
Barry G -- I'm familiar with FREE AND EASY, but tried to put in FREE AS A BIRD, but it wouldn't fly with the perps.
I'm with you on alcoholic beverages, despite (or rather, because of) growing up around it; my Dad ran a tavern. Even so, I needed my crossword dictionary to get SIDECARS.
melissa bee -- I use the Firefox browser, and often use highlighting to make text more legible.
I did not have a problem with the disappearing text; presumably it got fixed before I got here.
I'm with Jeannie 2D "pencil holder" was a great clue. Eventually.
Seen, not heard -- no disrespect intended, but you're hardly an old-timer. I punched my first program into cards in 1959. BASIC came later (1981 for me).
Dudley - Your last line is the (joke) answer to "How was Herman Hollerith buried?" Face down, nine edge first".
I've read this as how Thomas Watson was buried. But Mr. Watson did not invent the punch card for data storage; Hollerith did, for the 1890 census.
An earlier use of punched cards was to direct the operation of the Jacquard loom, about 1725. See Punch Card.
Yes, I've dropped cards -- a tray of about 2000 of them. We picked them up carefully, sliding them together when possible. I had a listing that was nearly complete, so it was some two hours to do a line-by-line verify. Only one card had been lost.
Jerome, I was afraid of that... :(
Warren, I remember that poem fondly! A friend of mine had written a similar one with a Computer Christmas theme.
KoufaxMaravich, great song choices! But then again, you could mention almost any Four Season's song and I'd love it.
What a week Rich is giving us! First, John Lampkin, (awesome Monday puzzle! BTW), then Jerome Gunderson (I'd love to see more of your puzzles, Jerome, always so enjoyable), and a Dan Naddor at his best! What can get better? Only time will tell what is in store for tomorrow until the newspaper arrives in the driveway in the morning.
Thanks Argyle and Jazzbumpa for great blogging!
Enjoy the evening!
A while back, one of you told me how to get rid of the annoying clock on Across Lite. It came back again and I can't remember how to make it go away. Anybody?
Nobody has mention the photo on my posts. Do you know what it is? I took it several years ago while I was riding my bike in Palos Verdes.
Your caption says it's an artichoke.
Additional note about "Face down, nine edge first":
this was the way you had to load your stack of IBM/Hollerith cards into the card reader. Face down, because the reader took cards from the bottom of the stack, and of course the first card had to be first! The nine edge was the bottom of the Hollerith card - it had horizontal rows of numbers from zero to nine - and by design you had to put the bottom edges of the cards up against the card feeder.
I once read that the size of the Hollerith card matched the dimensions of US paper currency in circulation at the time, but have never confirmed this.
Jeannie, dang that would have been fun!!! However, I arrived straight from picking my DH up at the airport, so was short on time. What a great show hey?
As far as bringing coke to exams, I would bet the teachers let the kids do it. Miy kids go to a Catholic school. I know they let them have water bottles in class, and they do have pop machines in the schools. They turn ours off during lunch hours but not all day.
I too submitted those stacks of punch cards in college in a Fortran class (remember absolutely nothing about it). If you had one key punch wrong, it would spit out an error code. There was always a long line for submissions and the turnaround time was at least an hour. Thankfully, I was friends with the guy working the machine, so he would let me in the back door to correct my errors and saved me lots of time. Such a pain in the you know what.
I saw in an African American museum once that there was a black train engineer named McCoy who built a certain kind of a doohicky that was called "the Real McCoy." Gonna have to find some back up for that one.
Hi gang -
Thanks again.
The LW and I had quite a nice dinner with mom, my sis, two cousins, my dad's youngest step-brother and his wife, and one of their nieces, who is my step-cousin, I guess. Those OLD TIMERS, plus my mom's twin, are all we have left of that generation.
You always learn something at that kind of a gathering. My parents met working at a coat factory in Toledo, before WWII. Not sure why they kept that under wraps.
My dad's youngest brother was a genuine war hero at the battle of
Tarawa.
Badly shot up, he crawled to a machine gun installation and heaved grenades into the enemy nest. Total casualties were close to 8000 on that tiny atoll, over three days. Only 17 Japanese soldiers of 4700 survived.
Makes the link kind of a tough read. I'm only part-way through it. He had shrapnel working its way out of his body years later. He was a strange, quiet, and morose man, and I never really knew him. Guess I could say the same about dad, come to think of it.
I've never been to Scotland, but to honor Mr. Stevenson, It's Talisker tonight. I will also gladly sip bourbon, and love my occasional martini.
Cheers!
JzB
BillG, Looks like an artichoke to me. Where in P.V.did you see it and how long ago? I lived on the Peninsula for 38years, wishing I were in the Bay Area the whole time!
Hello All--Very late tonight. It took me most of the afternoon and evening to finish the puzzle. I had so many interruptions that I almost gave up. But to finish a Dan Naddor puzzle is always a great feeling and I finally got it done.
I only had to look up Hagler and Erhard, but had put in Real things (as several others did), so had quite a few erasures before I was done. Some unknowns like Rhys and Rag Doll were all gotten with the perps.
I loved Pencil Holder?/ear.
Great Blogging, JZB.
Good Night everyone.
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