Theme: FILL-er Up - The first word of each two-word common phrase is a synonym of "stuff".
18A. Mule or burro: PACK ANIMAL. I am sure we all have our own favorites.
26A. Where to see racquets: SQUASH COURT. I guess the spelling with the “que” told you it was not TENNIS.
48A. Daring diamond device: SQUEEZE BUNT. wonderful alliteration and one of the exciting plays in baseball, where a runner on third comes charging home, expecting the batter to bunt the ball away from the other side, so the runner can score.
63A. Impromptu jazz performance: JAM SESSION. Being not musical, I never knew there were rules? JzB, help me out here.
A near pangram, or at least I don’t see a V or X anywhere. Three Qs.
Each of the four first words refer to stuffing things into other things. Too esoteric for me, so I cheated.
Lemonade here, and I feel like I have failed my third exam, and I am not happy, but the puzzle was fun with many new variations on clues and fill. So sit back and put on your seat belts, cuz here we go.
Across:
1. Final Four org.: NCAA. A simple beginning, with a reference to the March Madness of College BasketBall.
5. Bedouin homes: TENTS. How many remember my joke about the Jewish Genie and the Arab lost in the desert?
10. Bed board: SLAT. Okay we are motoring now.
14. The enemy: THEM. The classic US against THEM.
15. Saved on supper, one would hope: ATE IN.
16. Hot spot connection: WI FI. All right, it is coming soon.
17. Bondman: SERF. Okay, a little harder word, it is Wednesday after all.
20. Relief provider: BROMO. Did you ever associate BROMO with ART ?
22. Place with trails and trams: SKI RESORT.
23. B&O et al.: RRS. Made famous as a Monopoly RAILROAD .
25. Cousin of –trix: ESS. A Latin feminine ending, for example, EXECUTOR, EXECUTRIX: AVIATOR, AVIATRIX, thus the same as, the –ESS ending, like PROPRIETOR, PROPRIETRESS. And, 59. And the following, in a bibliog.: ET SEQ, literally an abbreviation of the Latin words. And 34D. In other words, to Brutus: ID EST, the famous i.e. and the rest of Latin lesson.
32. "Aladdin" prince: ALI. Avoiding the simple, boxing great clue.
35. Ilsa __, Bergman's "Casablanca" role: LUND. We love knowing complete names; Rick’s was Blaine.
36. Game ender, at times: HORN. I see some hockey fans amongst our group, and they end with a HORN.
37. Put on, as cargo: LADED. Same stem as Bill of Lading.
39. "Ouch!": YOWIE. Okay, we have made it from OWIE to YOWIE.
41. Backstabber: RAT. Am I the only one who always hears James Cagney when the word RAT comes up?
42. A-list: ELITE .
43. Use, as a cot LIE ON .
44. Dart through the air: FLIT. Does anyone remember the FLIT GUN ?
46. Island rings: LEIS. And, 52. Arthur Godfrey played it: UKE , for our missing Hawaiian group; hope all is well.
47. Financial statement abbr.: YTD. Year to date.
51. "Turandot" slave girl: LIU. rejecting the easy LUCY clue, we have a reference to PUCCINI’s final Opera . I never saw the clue until I was done, but it is one for the memory banks.
53. Earlier today, say: A WHILE AGO. Confusing, a short while?
65. South African Peace Nobelist: TUTU Desmond.
66. "Rent-__": Reynolds/Minnelli film: A COP. Very forgettable movie, interesting Song.
67. Parishioner's pledge: TITHE. 10% of what you make.
68. Poet Pound: EZRA.
69. Katharine of "The Graduate" ROSS. Was such a pretty girl, who also was so wonderful in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid , hard to believe she is 70.
70. Flippant: SASSY. Becoming a crossword staple.
71. Bassoon, e.g.: REED.
Yay we made it to the
Downs:
1. Airline investigative org.: NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board.
2. "Moonstruck" Oscar winner: CHER.
3. Sleek, for short: AERO. Such as AERODYNAMIC.
4. Feature of a new car: AM FM RADIO. Well, he did not say what kind of car.
5. Beer source: TAP. loved the misdirection here, as we all know my beer comes from my brew meister boys.
6. Flight data, briefly: ETAS.
7. Post-Thanksgiving soup starter: NECK. Eww.
8. "Kon-__": TIKI. Thor Heyerdahl will always be in my memory bank.
9. Trapper: SNARER. Well they can’t all be gold.
10. Deli platter cheese: SWISS. I know, there are lot of holes in that answer.
11. One might pick you up at an airport: Well after I gave up on fitting in, ATTRACTIVE KRISHNA CHICK, It hit me, LIMO .
12. Way off: AFAR.
13. Lean: TILT. Of course I was thinking of Jack Sprat from the other day.
19. Get cozy: back to my Krishna, or maybe, NESTLE .
21. RN workplaces: ORS. Operating Rooms.
24. Reaction to a library volume? : SHH. Another nice trick.
26. With cunning: SLYLY
27. Ring used in a horseshoe like game: Who did not love playing with a QUOIT ?
28. Single: UNWED. Very sexist.
29. Greek vacation isle: CORFU. There is both an Island and a city named CORFU in Greece.
30. Papal vestment: ORALE. Now this was impossible, I had to work to find this link, but it was surrounded by easy fill, so.
31. Set free: UNTIE.
32. "Farewell, mon ami": ADIEU. And, 61. French 101 verb: ETRE. To be, ah well the end of today’s French lesson.
33. Grant entrance to: LET IN.
38. Completely recovered: ALL BETTER. The owie, yowie healed.
40. Store, as fodder: ENSILED. Fancy way to say put in a silo.
45. Shih __: Tibetan dog: TZU. Aww, CUTE .
49. Pursuits: QUESTS
50. Struggle to make, with "out": EKE.
51. Struggles with sibilants: LISPS. Making a come back.
53. When it's __: answer to an old riddle about a door: A JAR.
54. City SSW of Dallas: WACO. Home of BAYLOR University.
55. Managed care gps.: HMOs
56. __ Minor: ASIA
57. Skedaddles: GITS. Only someone who says GITS would skedaddle, I guess.
58. July 4th sounds: OOHS
60. Financial advisor Orman: SUZE
62. One of a four in a nursery: : QUAD. Well if you can’t have 8 at once, have at least four.
64. Marshal at Waterloo: NEY. NEY was one of 18 Marshals appointed by Napoleon, his name was Michel Ney, and he was one of the main players at the Battle of Waterloo if you have interest in military history and strategy, it is worth reading.
Answer grid.
Lemonade
18A. Mule or burro: PACK ANIMAL. I am sure we all have our own favorites.
26A. Where to see racquets: SQUASH COURT. I guess the spelling with the “que” told you it was not TENNIS.
48A. Daring diamond device: SQUEEZE BUNT. wonderful alliteration and one of the exciting plays in baseball, where a runner on third comes charging home, expecting the batter to bunt the ball away from the other side, so the runner can score.
63A. Impromptu jazz performance: JAM SESSION. Being not musical, I never knew there were rules? JzB, help me out here.
A near pangram, or at least I don’t see a V or X anywhere. Three Qs.
Each of the four first words refer to stuffing things into other things. Too esoteric for me, so I cheated.
Lemonade here, and I feel like I have failed my third exam, and I am not happy, but the puzzle was fun with many new variations on clues and fill. So sit back and put on your seat belts, cuz here we go.
Across:
1. Final Four org.: NCAA. A simple beginning, with a reference to the March Madness of College BasketBall.
5. Bedouin homes: TENTS. How many remember my joke about the Jewish Genie and the Arab lost in the desert?
10. Bed board: SLAT. Okay we are motoring now.
14. The enemy: THEM. The classic US against THEM.
15. Saved on supper, one would hope: ATE IN.
16. Hot spot connection: WI FI. All right, it is coming soon.
17. Bondman: SERF. Okay, a little harder word, it is Wednesday after all.
20. Relief provider: BROMO. Did you ever associate BROMO with ART ?
22. Place with trails and trams: SKI RESORT.
23. B&O et al.: RRS. Made famous as a Monopoly RAILROAD .
25. Cousin of –trix: ESS. A Latin feminine ending, for example, EXECUTOR, EXECUTRIX: AVIATOR, AVIATRIX, thus the same as, the –ESS ending, like PROPRIETOR, PROPRIETRESS. And, 59. And the following, in a bibliog.: ET SEQ, literally an abbreviation of the Latin words. And 34D. In other words, to Brutus: ID EST, the famous i.e. and the rest of Latin lesson.
32. "Aladdin" prince: ALI. Avoiding the simple, boxing great clue.
35. Ilsa __, Bergman's "Casablanca" role: LUND. We love knowing complete names; Rick’s was Blaine.
36. Game ender, at times: HORN. I see some hockey fans amongst our group, and they end with a HORN.
37. Put on, as cargo: LADED. Same stem as Bill of Lading.
39. "Ouch!": YOWIE. Okay, we have made it from OWIE to YOWIE.
41. Backstabber: RAT. Am I the only one who always hears James Cagney when the word RAT comes up?
42. A-list: ELITE .
43. Use, as a cot LIE ON .
44. Dart through the air: FLIT. Does anyone remember the FLIT GUN ?
46. Island rings: LEIS. And, 52. Arthur Godfrey played it: UKE , for our missing Hawaiian group; hope all is well.
47. Financial statement abbr.: YTD. Year to date.
51. "Turandot" slave girl: LIU. rejecting the easy LUCY clue, we have a reference to PUCCINI’s final Opera . I never saw the clue until I was done, but it is one for the memory banks.
53. Earlier today, say: A WHILE AGO. Confusing, a short while?
65. South African Peace Nobelist: TUTU Desmond.
66. "Rent-__": Reynolds/Minnelli film: A COP. Very forgettable movie, interesting Song.
67. Parishioner's pledge: TITHE. 10% of what you make.
68. Poet Pound: EZRA.
69. Katharine of "The Graduate" ROSS. Was such a pretty girl, who also was so wonderful in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid , hard to believe she is 70.
70. Flippant: SASSY. Becoming a crossword staple.
71. Bassoon, e.g.: REED.
Yay we made it to the
Downs:
1. Airline investigative org.: NTSB. National Transportation Safety Board.
2. "Moonstruck" Oscar winner: CHER.
3. Sleek, for short: AERO. Such as AERODYNAMIC.
4. Feature of a new car: AM FM RADIO. Well, he did not say what kind of car.
5. Beer source: TAP. loved the misdirection here, as we all know my beer comes from my brew meister boys.
6. Flight data, briefly: ETAS.
7. Post-Thanksgiving soup starter: NECK. Eww.
8. "Kon-__": TIKI. Thor Heyerdahl will always be in my memory bank.
9. Trapper: SNARER. Well they can’t all be gold.
10. Deli platter cheese: SWISS. I know, there are lot of holes in that answer.
11. One might pick you up at an airport: Well after I gave up on fitting in, ATTRACTIVE KRISHNA CHICK, It hit me, LIMO .
12. Way off: AFAR.
13. Lean: TILT. Of course I was thinking of Jack Sprat from the other day.
19. Get cozy: back to my Krishna, or maybe, NESTLE .
21. RN workplaces: ORS. Operating Rooms.
24. Reaction to a library volume? : SHH. Another nice trick.
26. With cunning: SLYLY
27. Ring used in a horseshoe like game: Who did not love playing with a QUOIT ?
28. Single: UNWED. Very sexist.
29. Greek vacation isle: CORFU. There is both an Island and a city named CORFU in Greece.
30. Papal vestment: ORALE. Now this was impossible, I had to work to find this link, but it was surrounded by easy fill, so.
31. Set free: UNTIE.
32. "Farewell, mon ami": ADIEU. And, 61. French 101 verb: ETRE. To be, ah well the end of today’s French lesson.
33. Grant entrance to: LET IN.
38. Completely recovered: ALL BETTER. The owie, yowie healed.
40. Store, as fodder: ENSILED. Fancy way to say put in a silo.
45. Shih __: Tibetan dog: TZU. Aww, CUTE .
49. Pursuits: QUESTS
50. Struggle to make, with "out": EKE.
51. Struggles with sibilants: LISPS. Making a come back.
53. When it's __: answer to an old riddle about a door: A JAR.
54. City SSW of Dallas: WACO. Home of BAYLOR University.
55. Managed care gps.: HMOs
56. __ Minor: ASIA
57. Skedaddles: GITS. Only someone who says GITS would skedaddle, I guess.
58. July 4th sounds: OOHS
60. Financial advisor Orman: SUZE
62. One of a four in a nursery: : QUAD. Well if you can’t have 8 at once, have at least four.
64. Marshal at Waterloo: NEY. NEY was one of 18 Marshals appointed by Napoleon, his name was Michel Ney, and he was one of the main players at the Battle of Waterloo if you have interest in military history and strategy, it is worth reading.
Answer grid.
Lemonade
Good Morning, CC and all. I realized the theme early on, but SQUEEZE BUNT was my last theme fill. I knew it was a baseball reference, but couldn't get the BUNT part.
ReplyDeleteLooked high and low for the V and X, but none there. Liked all the Qs though.
AM/FM RADIO is a new car feature? Really? The first AM/FM radio was installed in the early 1950s, and have been a standard feature since at least the 60s.
Learned some new words today: ENSILE and QUOIT.
Turandot is not one of Giacomo Puccini's more famous operas. Looks elaborate, though.
Today's QOD is more of an opera-themed dialogue:
Shostakovich: What do you think of Puccini?
Britten: I think his operas are dreadful.
Shostakovich: No, Ben, you are wrong. He wrote marvellous operas, but dreadful music.
~ Quoted in Lord Harewood, "The Tongs and the Bones" (1981)
Another easy one. Took 14 minutes. Nothing much to think too deeply about first thing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteGood morning all. This was a very interesting puzzle this morning and contained a few unknowns for me. I did not know 51A Liu, 60D Suze and 65A Tutu. I tried mightily to put tennis in for squash and just would not give it up for the longest time. The theme answers came easily and quickly which, again, helped to complete the fills.
ReplyDeleteNice work Lemonade and yes I do remember the Flit Gun and might even have one stashed somewhere in the garage. Also, I agree with your comments about Katharine Ross and I had a real crush on her years ago.
Guess Dennis must have been a party guy last night as I don't see any posts from him this morning.
Hope you all have a great Wednesday
Morning, Puzzlers - Not a hard puzzle, true, but I managed to go down a lot of wrong avenues. CRETE for CORFU, POPS for OOHS, ERS for ORS. SQUEEZE BUNT fuddled me right to the end 'cause I didn't make the baseball connection.
ReplyDeleteI had ENSILE right away but lost confidence and cleared it. Glad it came back, I like the word.
Papal vestments? Not likely. Didn't grow up with all that.
Good Morning CC and All,
ReplyDeleteSqueeze Play caused all kinds of trouble in that block and I've never heard of Quoit. I struggled getting Slyly for some reason also.
Lois, Great news on Brooke. Its truly amazing how soon they get them up and walking. I nearly passed out when my dad was off the respirator a couple hours after triple by-pass surgery a couple years ago.
Hank decided he needed to play outside with the cats at 3:30 this morning. I'm working on about four hours sleep plus the tree pollen has popped and so are my ears. The antihistamine is adding to my goonyness (more than normal).
Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteI actually found this rather challenging today. I did manage to muddle through unassisted, but I was definitely hampered by the fact that I've never heard of a SQUEEZE BUNT before. A SQUEEZE PLAY, sure. But not a SQUEEZE BUNT. It didn't help that I misspelled the dog as Shi TSU instead of Shi TZU.
I also didn't know LUND, LIU, or ORALE, which made things a bit thorny. Fortunately, however, I did remember NEY, QUOITS and CORFU (although I originally had CAPRI), otherwise the puzzle would have been a complete unsolvable disaster for me.
My job situation is still in flux. I've told them I do not want to relocate. The original letter said that if I chose not to relocate I would need to vacate my office by tomorrow. I met with management personally yesterday, however, and they are going to try and work out some sort of "transition" plan that would let me stay on for a period of months while I transfer knowledge and finish some projects I'm working on. It's not optimal, but at least I'd still get full pay and benefits while looking for another job...
In other news, here is a picture of my son getting his cast on Monday. Once the swelling went down and he had his temporary splint on, the pain disappeared and he has been in good spirits. The doctor says he'll probably only need the cast for 4 weeks.
Good morning all. Lemonade, nice write-up.
ReplyDeleteFairly easy Wednesday. Got the theme words easily, but didn't 'get' the theme until the end. Nice to see ÊTRE again. Few unknowns like QUOIT came from the perps.
NEY - My favorite Waterloo marshal was Blücher, Wellington's ally.
THE WAY IT WAS:
It was 49 years ago today, May 5, 1961 that Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut in space - on a sub-orbital flight.
He flew 400 miles from Cape Canaveral across the Atlantic, and 80 miles above the assembled Navy ships acting as life guards that day, should anything go wrong.
One of the ships was the avatar to this blog post, the USS Beale, with your humble fellow correspondent on board.
Some years later, Shepard was a guest at a Navy event in Buffalo, NY. It was a privilege to attend and meet him in person.
ADIEU
Good morning all!
ReplyDeleteBG,
At least he was happy enough to smile for the camera. Our older son had a similar cast at about the same age, and suffered no long-term problems afterwards.
My puzzling was mixed today: I never got the theme at all, despite getting everything out easily except the NW and midwest. I had TENNIS for a long time, until I decided it could be SQUASH, and then everything in the midwest fell in, except for misremembering QUOIL for QUOIT, giving me YLD for yield instead of YTD. I don't look at our investment statements, leave all that to my DH.
I really didn't know many of the names, but perps helped. I g'ed NCCA, because I couldn't remember the first or last letter of NTSB. I had ATS-, then had a brainstorm and put CREME in for BROMO, which I've never heard of. I thought the C worked for "commission", and I've never heard of CERO. So I came here with those errors.
Glad to hear that my non-sportism didn't make me the only one to have never heard BUNT, but that arrived via perps, and I had to change the spelling of TSU as well when SQUEEZE seemed to work there, but I have no idea what the phrase means, and don't really care, since nothing else about the sport makes any sense either.
On the whole not too bad a Wednesday. Thanks for the entertaining blog, Lemonade.
Good Morning All, With fill like QUOIT, ORALE and ENSILE, I thought this was right in there for a Wednesday. The perps gave just the right amount of help. Of course, "Slave girl" LIU was a WAG crossing ENSILE.
ReplyDeleteDo they still make BROMO Seltzer? I guess so, but we usually see Alka Seltzer at the pharmacy. Thanks for the link, Lemonade. Who would of thought BROMO had a building?
The favorite PACK ANIMAL around here is Gunsmoke's Ruth the mule, who is Festus' mount. I'm sure I've mentioned GAH has been a big Gunsmoke fan for years.
Barry G, good for you, taking a stand on your job situation. Don't let them push you around. It was nice to see a pain-free Joshua photo. I bet he can hardly wait to show off his cast...or has he already done so?
Good morning, C.C., Lemonade and all,
ReplyDeleteHilarious write-up, Lemonade. I LMAO at some of your cracks.
The puzzle was pretty easy, I thought. I did not really see a theme, nor was I looking for one, for some reason. It seemed like a themeless one, I guess.
I am not a big BB fan, but are not most squeeze plays bunts, usually with a runner on third?
I wanted tennis, also, but since I work online, the red letters saved me. I did not know Liu or Tzu but the perps did. I, too, thought the clue for 4D was weak, for the reason pointed out by others.
Thanks for the comment about Shepard, Spitz. Very interesting. It must have been exciting to be a participant.
Have a good day, all.
Lemonade excellent write-up.
ReplyDeleteNow I have to admit I do not recall ever playing QUOIT. Clicked on your embed and now I'm in fear of the USQA, U.S. Quoiting Assn. Damn!
Ilsa last name, LUND, all perps. Thanks for Rick's also.
Instantly wrote in "Rent-A-COP" thinking it was that fine Burt movie filmed here in Tampa Bay.
It wasn't? Oh, yeah, that was the other great Burt movie, "Cop-and-a-Half."
Liked passing the latin & French test. Id est, Et.Seq., Ess, Adien, Etra.
ORALE & ENSILE gave me reason for that BROMO.
Finally, since it is in the crossword, it is time for everyone to get ALL BETTER.
Yeah, I passed the language test in the puzzle but failed the typing test here.
ReplyDeleteADIEU !!!
good morning c.c., lemonade, and all,
ReplyDeletegreat write-up as always, lemonade.
i have to agree with barryg, i found this a little challenging. never heard of squeeze bunt, corfu or quoit, and had to work to get ensile. never knew elsa's last name.
i'll be humming orale all day.
i think the new in 4D refers to the car, not the feature - not a new feature in cars, a feature in new cars.
barryg, brave, cute little guy you got there.
Lemonade, my counselor, I enjoyed your write up much better than I enjoyed today’s puzzle. Although your Latin lesson made me dizzy. I had trouble all over the place. Bromo, Corfu, and I have never heard of “quoit”. It’s a good thing I do it on line or the paper would have been a mess. I did manage to get NTSB and Liu from the perps. My favorite clue today was “reaction to library volume”- shh. When I saw flit it immediately reminded me of the farewell song in the Sound of Music. I flit, I float, I fleetly flee I fly…Oh, and I always save the turkey neck for soup whenever I roast a turkey.
ReplyDeleteBarry, good to hear you are still somewhat employed and your son is adorable. Did he get to pick the color of his cast?
Today is Cinco de Mayo. Check the blog archive for my Chicken Wet Burrito recipe. They are good!
tfrank: all squeeze plays start with a runner on third. if a runner is on first or second and the batters bunts, he is just trying to "move the runner over" into a better scoring position. occasionaly a batter will bunt for a base hit but he better be very fast or catch the defense off guard.
ReplyDeletekatharine ross might have been my first movie star crush.
never heard of quoit before. but i do remember lawn jarts. loved them as a kid. then the "fun police" got involved and they are no longer available(i think). i remember them changing the tips from metal to plastic first, then got rid of them all together.
tfrank: just read your comment again and i think you were asking if all squeeze plays were bunts and not about where the runner was. either way you are correct sir. the runner is always on third and it is always a bunt.
ReplyDeleteTinbeni,
ReplyDeleteAlso it's être, not êtrA.
I remember playing quoits as a kid, and they used to be standard entertainment on board ships, before ships became floating pleasure islands.
Corfu (Kérkyra) has been on here before. I remember mentioning that I landed there after taking the ferry from Brindisi, Italy, to Greece. Fun place (off Greece's northwest coast) for young people, rentable motor scooter transport, nice pubs with Greek dancing, and a very laid back youth hostel.
Good morning, Lemonade, C.C. and fellow folk. Entertaining blog, L.
ReplyDelete"Yowie" was my first thought about this thinking it was at least Thursday instead of Wednesday. Since I work on paper, I skip around until traction sets in.
Pack animal came readily and then that whole mid section. "court" was easy and "slyly" trumped "tennis" with the "s".
Hand up for "Crete" first, but "tzu" changed that. I really thought it a bit more challenging for Wed. yet looking it over, it doesn't seem so. Yet, "quoit" and "orale" seemed "w" (weekend) rated.
"Squeezebunt" was of course foreign to me, thanks for all the explanations. I'm learning!
"Casablanca" is my fav all time movie, but Lund escaped me. "Moonstruck" is next; I LOVE that mvovie. Cher and all the cast are so well developed. Never tire of seeing both of those.
Barry, your cute son looks to be in no pain. I hope that is so.
Hahtool, your calla lilies look lovely. I have been meaning to tell you that I admire your writing style. You write with clarity and precision.
Cheers, everyone; I hope all the ailing improve and the well stay that way. Have a great Wednesday!
Kazie
ReplyDeleteYou're right.
In puzzle ETRE
Maybe I should have an avatar before I type ....
All,
ReplyDeleteMy son is, fortunately, in no pain. And yes, he got to pick the color. He wanted glow-in-the-dark, but they didn't have any of that color in stock...
Just thought I'd stop in and say "Hi all".
ReplyDeleteTook me a few minutes to get a toehold today but when I finally did things fell like dominoes.
Didn't catch the theme but got all the right answers.
Oh, well.......been like a zoo here so we're going on a short hop to (Lois, are ya here???) Amelia for the bluegrass festival next week.
CY'All Later
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteGot most of this one. Even my baseball playing DH missed Squeeze Bunt, and I had already put in ezebunt!
Great write-up Lemonade. Enjoyed it.
Corfu is the place one of my favorite authors spent wonderful childhood years: Gerald Durrell. Try "Birds, Beasts, and Relatives" or "My Family and Other Animals".
So it was a gimme. My family and I spent a week there in 1970 because of the books.
Cheers
P.S.
ReplyDeleteBarry G.: Semi good news about your job. At least a little breathing room. And your son's pic is so cute. Glad things are a little better for you all.
I too remembered today as CINCO DE MAYO but I had some distractions when I was writing and forgot to link. I also wanted to mention, I now always remember May 5 for two reasons. One, when in law school I was introduced to a beautiful young lady who was an heiress, and we began to date. I was thinking how neat it was to find someone smart, pretty and rich. (My grandmother always said it was just as easy to love a rich girl). Well, funny thing, she loved to go out to the most expensive restaurants, eat, drink and be merry. She also loved for me to pay, and as a struggling law student who was working as a law clerk making $2.50 an hour, our time did not last long. Years later she hired me to do her divorce.
ReplyDeleteTwo, how many of you remember this pre Millenium Prophecy ?
Anyway, thank you all, you are too kind as I had an off day, BTW, her birthday is/was May 5.
ReplyDeleteHi gang -
ReplyDeleteLemonade - terrific write up, sir!
I had a tough time with the puzzle. Got interrupted by a computer problem and, alas, never finished.
I'd say those were jam session guidelines, rather than rules. But it's a good, well thought-out list that would make any jam session run smoothly.
I'm not much of an opera fan, but hey -- if there's a slave girl . . .
Yes hockey games end with a horn. And season's can end with a game. I expect that on Thursday. NHL officiating has always been quirky. It has now degenerated to the point where it makes absolutely no sense. No kidding - it's worse than basketball.
If Katherine Ross is 70, then I must be 63.
My son-in-law's shoulder surgery went well, yesterday. He had a bone spur and a slap tear repaired. After an hour's recovery, they sent him home. Follow-up is Monday, then he will probably have no restrictions. Wow!
That's about all I have today.
Cheers!
JzB the old man with a HORN
L714 - Great blog, but to take it back to snakes one last time: When my daughter was really young, a friend saw a little foo-foo dog like a shih-tzu and exclaimed, "Isn't that cute?!" My daughter replied, "Snake food." Might explain why I filled in TZI.
ReplyDeleteI had trouble reading today. 52A was clued Godfrey played him. Ike fit. 65A was South American and I never did solve that one. Dented my V8 can on both.
It's a suicide squeeze play, so suicide bunt makes more sense. Doesn't even mess up ENSILE. Which, by the way, the spell checker doesn't like any more than I do. My ag friends all load their silo. Guess it's like EELY or APER.
Considering that I spent over 60 days at various ones this winter, It sure took me a long time to figure out what a SKIRE SORT was. I filled it 100% with perps.
Best to all, time to cruise.
Loved the post, L-714.
ReplyDeleteCC has terrific guest bloggers.
Hello.
ReplyDeleteWent to a larger type size so I could see what I was reading and writing.
Have an excuse for any typos and mistakes that I may have made. Did
the puzzle while watching the hockey game last night.
Have switched my attention to the Chi/Van series since the Sharks will play the winner. Don't think
that Det can win 4 of 4.
Forgot, Did anyone mention that yesterday was the 40th anniv of the Kent State shootings?
Looks like PA is going to try to join AZ on the illegal laws.
Go ahead and ignore my repeated questions about the Lo-li-ta. I am
starting to wonder. RR
Have a nice day. Amused but not
surprised.
eddyB 25
Lemonade: your story about your rich heiress girlfriend, whose birthday is today (present tense), reminded me that way back when, I knew someone who was born on 5/5/55. I always envied her because of her birth date. Today she is still alive at 55.
ReplyDeleteIf your heiress friend uses the Gregorian calendar, then her birthday will always be May 5th even if she is no longer here.
Sallie: you got me reading Gerald Durrell.
Good afternoon Lemonade, CC, et al., Yet another fun puzzle. Learned the same new words as Hahtool and made the same mistakes as Dick. Wanted tennis also for 26A but had to laugh at Quoit..new word. Wonder if you can Quoit somebody like you can deal or card or hit or ace. I can just hear it now..Here, let's play this game. Try to 'quoit us'. Interesting game...w/rings of fire maybe.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that 'mom' or 'mama' wasn't an answer for today's theme. I've always felt like a pack animal whenever the 6 of us traveled or went anywhere. "Here, Mama, (honey...whatever)can you put this in your purse please?" plus baby bags, supplies, keys, everybody's everything (there's a spin on 'jam session')...it was what I did best...well in one form anyway -(hello jam session # 2)- gotta love this puzzle! A little 'nestle'ing always makes a 'yowie' 'all better' even if the 'yowie' is self induced from a 'tap' or if you're all a'tilt' from those fruity drinks in the 'limo' (dang that bachelorette party last Sat was sooo much fun!) 'ess' all good!
Cute little fellow Barry G. Sorry for his 'yowie' and hope he mends quickly. Gotta love a kid who wants to wear florescent, glow in the dark anything!
Wonder where Dennis is...playing Quoit? or probably in the 'Swiss' Alps w/his free spirit buddy from Alaska. No telling w/those two paired up. Who wants to bet that Bromo's won't touch their headaches and that they've given yet another whole meaning to 'jam session'.
Enjoy your day.
Lemonade,
ReplyDelete"Years later she hired me to do her divorce."--I sure hope you added the cost of those dinners!
Maybe Dennis is with his ailing friend. Was the surgery to be this Friday?
I searched for a Cinco de Mayo poem, but I couldn't find one (except for 1st graders), so I went back to the crossword puzzle for today and 68A, EZRA Pound. Sure, why not. I love the way he ends it with "So that I might find you again,.......Alone." Very sexy.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca
You came in out of the night
And there were flowers in your hand,
Now you will come out of a confusion of people,
Out of a turmoil of speech about you.
I who have seen you amid the primal things
Was angry when they spoke your name
IN ordinary places.
I would that the cool waves might flow over my mind,
And that the world should dry as a dead leaf,
Or as a dandelion see-pod and be swept away,
So that I might find you again,
Alone.
- Ezra Pound
Sorry Eddyb, I just looked through the last ten days and only found one post that you inquired that I must have missed. Here is Lo-li-ta
ReplyDeletetfrank said: It must have been exciting to be a participant.
ReplyDeleteYes, upon reflection, I guess it was, especially for a 23 year old. Two weeks later our Task Group was at sea again positioning a vessel every 300 miles between Newfoundland and Ireland to act as potential rescue assets for JFK's flight to Vienna to meet with Khrushchev, an historic meeting in late May of 1961. It was the very first time I had heard the phrase 'Air Force One'. The media did not use that phrase then.
seen, not heard @11:06,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confirmation. Welcome to the blog, BTW. Have you considered "going blue"? It is real easy, and makes one feel like one of the family. Like most families, we have squabbles now and then, but this is a great bunch of folks, who will make you feel right at home.
CA:
ReplyDeleteYour choice of poetry was much better as I doubt that there are any for Cinco de Mayo; it is the remembrance of a minor battle, kind of like a feast for Appomattox or similar. It is, I believe a commercial holiday, an excuse to drink which pleases many, I know!
Some, though not on this blog, I imagine as you are all astute, believe it is Mexican Independence Day. Not so, that is Sept. 16th.
Had to laugh to see an Alan P. Olschwang puzzle after all this time...he kept us good company with the awful Williams puzzles. I kind of thought of vacation packing for theme..SQUASH, PACK, SQUEEZE and JAM although I am very light traveler packing wise. Actually found out that I had been traveling with carryon luggage for years...lol...what do I know?
ReplyDeleteBreezed through the puzzle except for dead center where I seriously wanted CAPRI but I also wanted RAT for 41A and dithered over TSU or TZU...if I had just filled my original thoughts it would have been slam.
Just seems to me that as of late the Wednesdays puzzles are just a tad more difficult than either Thurs or Fri...but that's probably just me.
Off to have a playday in Lowe's to get some costs for a couple of must do projects for the house.
Hello All--I knew we were in for a good time when I saw Alan Olschwang's name at the bottom of the puzzle. I did have to cheat a bit today, but most of the long fills came fairly easily. I had to look up Liu, Quoit, and Lund. I don't think I'd ever heard Ilsa's last name.
ReplyDeleteI thought Island rings, and Reaction to a library volume were great clues. I did put in Tennis Court for place to see racquets. But nothing else would fit in the perps, so had to erase that and gradually the Squash became evident. This was a fun puzzle with some out of the box clues.
I haven't had time to read all of the blog, yet, so will save any other comments for after dinner.
Fire engines have been going down our street to a very black and smoky fire in the foothills in front of our house. The last two were Hazardous Incident trucks, so i'm very curious as to what was burning up in the hills. We've had marijuana growing raids up there twice, now, and I'm wondering if something like that has happened again. Will know more later, I'm sure. Only thing now is a lot of smoke.
Lucina
ReplyDeleteI always thought that Cinco de Mayo had something to do with the Mexican Army victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
Of course this did not end that conflict. Later the French put Maximilion I, an Austrian Habsburg, in charge in 1864. He was disposed by Benito Juarez and executed in 1867.
(History Channel did a nice piece on this a few days ago.)
Sounds like a good enough reason to consume some avatar to me.
Chickie...just in case it is marijuana burning you may want to step outside and take a very deep breath or two...you know...just to be sure. ;o)
ReplyDeleteTinbeni, you are correct, but it was still a minor battle in relation to its huge celebration in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteMexican students often ask why there is so much ado about it here.
But, right again, any excuse to tip the avatar. I'll do it tonight at my dtr's.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, a bit of clarification.
ReplyDeleteA SQUEEZE bunt involves a runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs.
There are then 2 options:
A SAFETY SQUEEZE where the runner on 3rd waits for actual contact by the batter before the runner attempts to score from 3rd.
A SUICIDE SQUEEZE where the runner takes off from 3rd while the pitcher is still delivering the ball. Obviously you better have a pretty good bunter at the plate to even consider this, since the result is usually either scoring a run, or a complete disaster. Which makes it one of the most exciting plays in baseball.
Or, for most of you, TMI.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteNot my smoothest effort on a puzzle but I did get it finished with a bit of help... I sure was surprise at 20A BROMO ??? I haven't heard that since the days of the Edsel...and I wasn't paying much attention at that age.
I didn't like 1A and 1D being initials for orgs. I didn't know either one, so that corner gave me fits for 'quoit' a while.
Never heard Bergman's last name either, believe it or not, I have never watched Casablance. I started it once, but it bored me silly.
Lemonade - great job as usual, interesting links as always.
Barry G... your son is so cute. Love the fact he could choose his cast color. Wish they did have a glo-in-the-dark one for him...but he probably would not sleep at night for all the fun of watching it.
Nice to see Bill, Melissa Bee, and WM back for a visit. Hey guys, stick around, we love your comments and have missed you.
Jazz, glad your S-I-L is going to be A-OK. Amazing what they can do to people now. I still think they boot them out the door too fast though.
When I was still teaching I taught my French students the Marseilles. I would show them clips of movies containing the song. Their favorite was the one in Casablanca when the German soldiers entered the restaurant and everyone stood and sang the Marseilles. My students sang it with them. They loved it.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Katherine Ross--no segue here: I always remember her line in Butch & Sundance movie when they asked her to go to Bolivia with them. She said, "I'm 26, single, and a school teacher. It doesn't get any lower than that. Yes, I'll go."
Doreen
Here you go Doreen re: Casablanca:
ReplyDeleteDie Wacht am Rhein followed by La Marseillaise
Like so many other holidays, Cinco de Mayo is commercially driven. At least the promoters don't try to fool you with the notion that it is about something that changed the history of Mexico. In this case the Mexican army won the battle, but lost the war.....Margaritas for everybody!! And while we're at it, let's have a festival with fantastic food. Hey, works for me.
ReplyDeleteWM@3:56, LOL, you beat me to it. If Chickie doesn't show up again this evening we'll know she is still researching the subject.
Carol, in a lot of ways, Casablanca was pretty corny. Humphrey Bogart certainly wasn't a drop dead gorgeous leading man. And who could take the lines "Here's looking at you, kid.", or "We'll always have Paris." seriously. On the other hand, there was a lot of really funny stuff.
Captain Renault: "What in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca?"
Rick: "My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters."
Captain Renault: "The waters? What waters? We're in the desert."
Rick: "I was misinformed."
WM, LOL. Darn, the wind was blowing the other way. I still don't know what was burning. Probably will have to wait for the news tonight.
ReplyDeleteBarry, your son looks like he is enjoying all the attention. I love the red cast.
Jazz, I'm glad that your SIL's sugery went well. They certainly don't keep you in the hospital very long any more!
Lemonade, A great write up today. I thought the mule link was fun. I'd forgotten about some of those critters. The 20 mule team was interesting. I visited the borax mines in Death Valley where those mules had quite a workout. In reading a bit more the loaded wagon weighed 7,800 pounds, and had to be pulled over very rugged, rocky desert territory. The mules also pulled a water tank which was needed because of the blistering heat.
Tinbeni: "He was disposed by Benito Juarez and executed in 1867." I like that. I'm guessing you may have meant "deposed," but "disposed" kind of works too (via firing squad no less).
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes: Bromo-Seltzer is in fact still available, an OTC generic. It made its inventor, Isaac Emerson, rich. The Emerson Bromo-Seltzer tower in Baltimore, modeled directly on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, was for a time in the early 20th century the tallest buiding in the city. It still stands and is, I believe, an arts complex now. Bromo-Seltzer, of course, fizzed when mixed with water and was regarded by some as a remedy for hangover, prompting a classic line in a W.C. Fields film. He's on a commercial flight, obviously suffering from hangover, and the flight attendant asks him if he would like a "Bromo." He wearily looks at her and says, "Nooo...I couldn't stand the noise."
Been out of town for a semi-annual men`s chorus concert...lots of show tunes, some pop classics and old, cathedral hyms. The surprise encore was "Love Potion #9". I don`t know who enjoyed it more...the chorus or the audience...any who...haven`t done the puzzle and was just "splainin".
ReplyDeleteBary G.: Your son is adorable! My Imaginary Friend "did good!"
Hello all.
ReplyDeleteHorn just sounded and Bos is up 3 and 0. Now for the next one.
No need of the 'sorry'. One was a late post. Kept asking because I was very intested. Would like to see the SJ21 and the Cat22 race.
Swing keel vs fixed keel and all that. The extra foot probably makes a big difference in the cabin layout. Been reading about the different keel options available.
Were do you keep it in the winter?
Fire must be on the west side of town. Don't smell any smoke. Darn.
Time for hockey and tomorrow's puzzle.
eddyB
Eddyb, I am not a racer but Lo-li-ta could probably hold her own. Not really, when I looked up Ghunghy's boat. She is just plain fun for me. That is all that matters for a Minesotan "icelocked" most of the time. Kind of like fresh sweet corn and fresh tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteI think racing sail boats has all to do with how you manage your sails. Lo-li-ta doesn't have a spinnaker as his appears to. She does have a brand new main sail and jib sail. So who knows. I am just out there to feel the breeze in my face, bleach my blonde hair and catch a tan. Just kidding, those benefits are secondary.
ReplyDeleteCinco de Mayo is a wonderful celebration. If you have never been to one, I urge you to go next year. The festivities are fun, colorful, joyous, and loaded with dance, music, and tons of great food. It's one of many celebrations that makes America what it is; a place for all of us, from all around the world to call home... at last.
ReplyDeleteAs a Norwegian, I must say that I'm thankful that we do not celebrate Viking Day. I wouldn't be caught dead at a festival with thousands of people who looked like me, all drinking beer, and having the same to hell with you pagan attitude. Skoal!
Jerome said: As a Norwegian, I must say that I'm thankful that we do not celebrate Viking Day.
ReplyDeleteIf you did, would it including drinking beer and eating fermented fish (lutefisk?). I know they have something like that in Sweden too. I'll try anything once.
Spizboov -
ReplyDeleteLove the Casablanca clip. That might be a corny movie, but I love it.
Thanks to all for their kind wishes re my S-I-L.
Lucina, and others who are good at prayer -- My step son is gong back to Afghanistan in about 6 weeks. This is a totally unexpected turn of events. His mother is especially displeased.
Got some good news about my trombone buddy with leukemia. His bone marrow transplant was successful, and is doing quite well. For some reason, though, he is unable to play. Said he can't get a sound out of any of his horns. Odd, but less important in the grand scheme of things.
Cheers!
JzB the bad news,good news trombonist
If Hungarians had anything to celebrate, it would probably involve kocsonya (pronounced kootchonya.)
ReplyDelete.
I can gross out my niece just by mentioning it.
Gags!
JzB
Hello All:
ReplyDeleteHere's another piece of poetry by Ezra Pound: circa 1913: It's short & sweet.
In a Station of the Metro
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
This, perhaps, describes the dark raincoats of commuters --- likely men, in that era ---viewed from afar or on high.
Such a beautiful image : crisp, precise, & clear. It has been described as a Haiku, albeit not meeting the standard 5/7/5 pattern.
Mr Pound wrote this before he, sadly lapsed into insanity, anti-Semitism, and mad ravings. He did write some beautiful poems.
This puzzle was a pencil-twister: I wasn't familiar with 'LADED' as an English word; same with 'bondman', {I knew just just 'bondsman',] Nor could I place the word 'bromo' in my vocabulary.
Have attended many a JAM SESSION, met Bishop TUTU [briefly] and ridden a PACK ANIMAL or two while in South America! It sounds more fun than it is, actually! One never is sure if they're seeking to buck one off into a ravine. YOWIE!
Karin P.
Jerome and Bill G, There may not be a Vikings Day but how about Syttende Mai? You can get all the lutefisk, lefse, romegrot (sp?) you could possibly want in Stoughton, WI on Syttende Mai. And enjoy the Norwegian Dancers, Parades and 20 mile run. visitors from Norway have said the celebration is more Norwegian than their celebrations. The only part that doesn't fit your description Jerome, is they don't appear to be pagans.
ReplyDeleteJzb, I will also pray for your stepson and his mother. May she find peace and faith in the situation.
Dot
So Dot and Jerome, give me an idea of the sensation of smelling and eating lutefisk. As I said, I'll try anything once though I have no idea how and where to try it. It sounds like an acquired taste. Maybe I need to take a trip to Lake Woebegon?
ReplyDeleteCarol, you and I may be the only two people in the world who don't think Casablanca was the greatest movie ever made. My husband, who was in love with Ingrid Bergman, thought so, as apparently did Woody Allen. Maybe that's what the problem was. I just had a very hard time pairing Bergman and Bogart.
ReplyDeleteSallie, good to hear someone else who appreciates Durrell. My daughter turned me on to Rosie is my Relative, when she was in high school. I have never read anythong else of his, but will certainly do so now. However, I have enjoyed some very funny essays ( I guess you'd call them) by his brother Laurance, who wrote the Alexandria quartet, three books of which I slogged through many years ago. It's hard to believe they were all written by the same author. They're about life in the British foreign service just after WWII. One little book is called Stiff Upper Lip and another Sauve Qui Peut. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the other one, but they were laughing out loud funny, sort of in the way of P.G. Wodehouse. I did find recently through Amazon what I guess is a compilation of all three called Antrobus Complete. I have passed it on to my daughter without even opening it myself, but I must get it back. She's much too busy to take the time to enjoy it right now. She also found a DVD from Netflix about the Durrells' life in Corfu (I think, though it might have been Cyprus) which is delightful. Gerald is a teenager in the movie and the whole family is wonderful! Can't remember the name, though. If I can retrieve it, I'll email it to you.
Loved the Ezra Pound poem, Clearayes. Didn't he end up in some sort of trouble with the government? Or went crazy, or maybe both?
The Shostakovich/Britten conversation sounds a bit like sour grapes. That simply gorgeous aria from Turandot sung by Luciano Pavarotti, Nessun Dorma, can't be equaled! (Spelling may not be accurate).
ReplyDeleteJazz:
ReplyDeleteYou got it! I shall certainly pray for your stepson and his mother. If you care, please tell me his name.
I'll include your fellow trombonist, too; prayers and positive thoughts going your way.
Dodo:
I completely agree about Nessun Dormus. It is absolutely beautiful and heartrending. I love Puccini's music.
Bill G. - Take a fish, soak it in a Lye solution, then dry it slowly in an area that rarely reaches 80 degrees. Store this until deepest winter, then soak it several times in water to leach out the lye (very bitter). Boil what's left and serve with boiled potatoes and boiled onions. It's an acquired taste that this Swede never could acquire.
ReplyDeleteWe used to start a race at the same time as the C-22's. They aren't as maneuverable, but are close to the same speed. By exploiting wind shifts and tacking we can outsail all but the best skippers. Then, downwind we pop the chute and leave them behind. On a 6-7 mile race we beat them by 2 - 3 minutes.
The biggest problem with starting with them is their larger sail size can really block the wind if you get below one. For this reason, we whinged enough to get their start changed.
There weren't any marijuana fires today, but two homes burned and the fire went to four alarms. It took almost two hours to get the fire under control. The late news showed pictures of our neighbor's houses, pretty much destroyed. So sad.
ReplyDelete