Theme: Dairy Aisle - The second half of the theme entries are items found at the back of the store.
17. Meat jelly with a dairy-sounding name : HEAD CHEESE.
29. Jelly companion : PEANUT BUTTER. (Sure hope it's not that meat jelly.)
47. It's usually not needed with an electric razor : SHAVING CREAM.
62. San Francisco gay rights martyr played by Sean Penn in a 2008 film : HARVEY MILK. Assassinated on November 27, 1978, along with Mayor George Moscone, by Dan White.
Argyle here. The cheese and butter are made from the milk and cream. What the head cheese is made from...you don't want to know.
A few bumps on the road to Monday but, if you stayed up for the fireworks, there may have been some flash-bangs.
Across:
1. Have a meeting of the minds : AGREE.
6. Broadway attraction : SHOW. "The Phantom of the Opera" is now the longest-running show in Broadway history.
10. Matrix : GRID.
14. Yankee Stadium's borough : BRONX. Hence, the Bronx Bombers.
15. Came to : WOKE.
16. Top-ranked : A-ONE.
19. Old-fashioned pleated neckwear : RUFF. Image.
20. NFL tiebreakers : OTs. Football. OverTime
21. 1963 Paul Newman title role : "HUD". For Lois, Image.
22. What pests do : ANNOY.
23. Charlie Brown cry : "RATS!". What a blockhead. "Rats!"
25. Read the riot act to : LECTURED.
33. Hospital supply : BLOOD.
36. "The Man Who Fell to Earth" director Nicolas : ROEG. Also directed, "Walkabout", a 1971 British film set in Australia.
37. Outback bounder, briefly : ROO. An intended echo?
38. Dizzy feeling : VERTIGO.
41. Sensible, à la George Bush Sr. : PRUDENT. Brings back memories of SNL skits.
43. Ex-veep Quayle : DAN. There's that echo again.
44. 1040 or 1040EZ : FORM.
46. Wind-carried soil : LOESS.
51. TV hero who was really good with a Swiss army knife : MACGYVER. If you've never watched the show, MacGyver could always come up with fantastic devices from common items he might find.
52. Hops-drying oven : OAST.
56. Public embarrassment : SCENE.
58. Partner of vigor : VIM.
60. Tic-tac-toe loser : XOO.
61. Short skirt : MINI.
66. Feedbag stuff : OATS. And in cereal boxes, too. Get the MILK.
67. Top : ACME.
68. Treasure cache : TROVE.
69. "Gee" : "GOSH".
70. Patch up : MEND.
71. Biceps-flexing guys : HE-MEN. Flexing their biceps because they are feeling their OATS.
Down:
1. Really hate : ABHOR.
2. Legendary Garbo : GRETA. A classic look of this Swedish actress who successfully made the transition from silent films to the "talkies".
3. Family dinner entrée : ROAST.
4. Wrap up : END.
5. Part of NYSE: Abbr. : EXCH. New York Stock Exchange
6. Nobel's birthplace : SWEDEN. Stockholm, same as Garbo.
7. Gardener's tool : HOE.
8. Acceptances : OKs.
9. Tiny : WEE.
10. January birthstone : GARNET.
11. "Shaft" star Richard : ROUNDTREE. "But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft".
12. Facts, briefly : INFO.
13. Resist openly : DEFY.
18. Hawaiian dance : HULA.
22. Salad bar greens : ARUGULA. Mediterranean plant, of the mustard family, having pungent leaves.
24. Blemish to remove : SPOT.
26. Junkyard dog : CUR.
27. Sporty car roof : T-TOP.
28. "Deutschland __ Alles" : ÜBER. "Germany Over All" Classical German anthem.
30. Big building : EDIFICE.
31. Many millennia : EONS.
32. Decays : ROTS.
33. Some briefs : BVDs. BVD stands for Bradley, Voorhees & Day, a New York City firm that initially manufactured bustles for women but became famous for their men's union suits.
34. Sister of Rachel : LEAH. Yeah, from one the Bible soap operas.
35. Yule danglers : ORNAMENTS.
39. Loud bell : GONG.
40. Out-of-control indulgence : ORGY.
42. Major-__: steward : DOMO.
45. Roman 1,105 : MCV.
48. Disappear : VANISH.
49. Gunned, as an engine : REVVED.
50. Cleveland's lake : ERIE.
53. Geometry postulate : AXIOM.
54. Finish, as a crossword : SOLVE.
55. Arcade coin : TOKEN.
56. City skyline blurrer : SMOG.
57. Italian's "So long" : CIAO.
59. Greek god story, e.g. : MYTH.
62. Breakfast meat : HAM.
63. Golfer's dream : ACE. A hole-in-one.
64. Pres. who resigned in '74 : RMN. Richard Milhous Nixon.
65. G.I. field ration : MRE. Meal, Ready-to-Eat.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Congratulations to Argyle for his 100th write-up for our blog. Thank you for the time and dedication, Santa. No one compares to you!
17. Meat jelly with a dairy-sounding name : HEAD CHEESE.
29. Jelly companion : PEANUT BUTTER. (Sure hope it's not that meat jelly.)
47. It's usually not needed with an electric razor : SHAVING CREAM.
62. San Francisco gay rights martyr played by Sean Penn in a 2008 film : HARVEY MILK. Assassinated on November 27, 1978, along with Mayor George Moscone, by Dan White.
Argyle here. The cheese and butter are made from the milk and cream. What the head cheese is made from...you don't want to know.
A few bumps on the road to Monday but, if you stayed up for the fireworks, there may have been some flash-bangs.
Across:
1. Have a meeting of the minds : AGREE.
6. Broadway attraction : SHOW. "The Phantom of the Opera" is now the longest-running show in Broadway history.
10. Matrix : GRID.
14. Yankee Stadium's borough : BRONX. Hence, the Bronx Bombers.
15. Came to : WOKE.
16. Top-ranked : A-ONE.
19. Old-fashioned pleated neckwear : RUFF. Image.
20. NFL tiebreakers : OTs. Football. OverTime
21. 1963 Paul Newman title role : "HUD". For Lois, Image.
22. What pests do : ANNOY.
23. Charlie Brown cry : "RATS!". What a blockhead. "Rats!"
25. Read the riot act to : LECTURED.
33. Hospital supply : BLOOD.
36. "The Man Who Fell to Earth" director Nicolas : ROEG. Also directed, "Walkabout", a 1971 British film set in Australia.
37. Outback bounder, briefly : ROO. An intended echo?
38. Dizzy feeling : VERTIGO.
41. Sensible, à la George Bush Sr. : PRUDENT. Brings back memories of SNL skits.
43. Ex-veep Quayle : DAN. There's that echo again.
44. 1040 or 1040EZ : FORM.
46. Wind-carried soil : LOESS.
51. TV hero who was really good with a Swiss army knife : MACGYVER. If you've never watched the show, MacGyver could always come up with fantastic devices from common items he might find.
52. Hops-drying oven : OAST.
56. Public embarrassment : SCENE.
58. Partner of vigor : VIM.
60. Tic-tac-toe loser : XOO.
61. Short skirt : MINI.
66. Feedbag stuff : OATS. And in cereal boxes, too. Get the MILK.
67. Top : ACME.
68. Treasure cache : TROVE.
69. "Gee" : "GOSH".
70. Patch up : MEND.
71. Biceps-flexing guys : HE-MEN. Flexing their biceps because they are feeling their OATS.
Down:
1. Really hate : ABHOR.
2. Legendary Garbo : GRETA. A classic look of this Swedish actress who successfully made the transition from silent films to the "talkies".
3. Family dinner entrée : ROAST.
4. Wrap up : END.
5. Part of NYSE: Abbr. : EXCH. New York Stock Exchange
6. Nobel's birthplace : SWEDEN. Stockholm, same as Garbo.
7. Gardener's tool : HOE.
8. Acceptances : OKs.
9. Tiny : WEE.
10. January birthstone : GARNET.
11. "Shaft" star Richard : ROUNDTREE. "But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft".
12. Facts, briefly : INFO.
13. Resist openly : DEFY.
18. Hawaiian dance : HULA.
22. Salad bar greens : ARUGULA. Mediterranean plant, of the mustard family, having pungent leaves.
24. Blemish to remove : SPOT.
26. Junkyard dog : CUR.
27. Sporty car roof : T-TOP.
28. "Deutschland __ Alles" : ÜBER. "Germany Over All" Classical German anthem.
30. Big building : EDIFICE.
31. Many millennia : EONS.
32. Decays : ROTS.
33. Some briefs : BVDs. BVD stands for Bradley, Voorhees & Day, a New York City firm that initially manufactured bustles for women but became famous for their men's union suits.
34. Sister of Rachel : LEAH. Yeah, from one the Bible soap operas.
35. Yule danglers : ORNAMENTS.
39. Loud bell : GONG.
40. Out-of-control indulgence : ORGY.
42. Major-__: steward : DOMO.
45. Roman 1,105 : MCV.
48. Disappear : VANISH.
49. Gunned, as an engine : REVVED.
50. Cleveland's lake : ERIE.
53. Geometry postulate : AXIOM.
54. Finish, as a crossword : SOLVE.
55. Arcade coin : TOKEN.
56. City skyline blurrer : SMOG.
57. Italian's "So long" : CIAO.
59. Greek god story, e.g. : MYTH.
62. Breakfast meat : HAM.
63. Golfer's dream : ACE. A hole-in-one.
64. Pres. who resigned in '74 : RMN. Richard Milhous Nixon.
65. G.I. field ration : MRE. Meal, Ready-to-Eat.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Congratulations to Argyle for his 100th write-up for our blog. Thank you for the time and dedication, Santa. No one compares to you!
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - Pretty much a pause-less puzzle this morning, but it took me three of the four theme entries to catch the theme.
ReplyDeleteUnknowns for me included 'Ruff' and Nicolas 'Roeg'. I can't wait to see what Lois does with today's offering, given the presence of BVDs, he-men and an orgy. You know she'll be 'revved' up. Argyle, no link for 'orgy'?? And congratulations on your 100th write-up - that's one hell of an accomplishment.
A quick, fun puzzle; perfect for a Monday.
Today is Workaholics Day. I've successfully put those days behind me. Any of you working today?
Happy Birthday to Linda, a former poster who may or may not still be looking in.
Did you know:
- Mr. Ed's real name was Bamboo Harvester.
- the Bayer Aspirin Company trademarked the brand name Heroin in 1898.
- in the original comic, Superman couldn't fly.
Good Morning. I was zipping along as I completed the top half of the puzzle, then hit a minor road bump when I got the the lower section. As I filled in the first dairy item (CHEESE), I was thinking this was a Kosher puzzle (no mixing of meat and dairy), then I hit the HAM! (And yes, I know that HEAD CHEESE is made of "parts", so it isn't a dairy product.)
ReplyDeleteBVDs used to have an ad slogan that said "Next to myself, I like BVDs best. I wonder what they say in Japan?
Who can think of VERTIGO without thinking of Hitchcock?
A non-work day, so maybe I can catch up on some of my summer reading.
QOD: To catch a husband is an art; to hold him is a job. ~ Simone de Beauvoir
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteI didn't stay up late for the fireworks last night, but we did have a very nice BBQ with lots of people. Fortunately, somebody brought along their 5-year-old nephew for my 5-year-old son to play with...
Smooth puzzle overall. I only got bogged down a bit at the very end where ACE refused to come to mind for "golfer's dream." I've never heard that term used with regard to golf before. I initially put in PAR, even though I was thinking that wasn't much of a dream.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. and everyone.
ReplyDeleteSmooth sailing today; no major snags; perps took care of the few
unknowns.
Have a good day everyone.
August
Linda,
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Any great find at the garage sales this year? I hope you are having a nice summer.
Clear Ayes,
KittyB or someone else mentioned on the blog a while ago that Lang Lang is a pianist who's fond of exaggerated display. Then I watched him perform in 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. That's all I know about him.
Bill G,
Yeah, I am familiar with Hong-Chih Kuo. There are so few MLB players from Taiwan. None from Mainland China, where baseball is still in its very infancy. Kuo is from Tannan, Taiwan, just like the ex-Yankee Chien-Ming Wang.
By the way, I don't get the PRUDENT clue (41A. Sensible, à la George Bush Sr.). Is it a quote or something?
ReplyDeleteCC,
ReplyDeleteBush The First said once that something or other "wouldn't be prudent", and afterward the guy on SNL that parodied him used the line whenever they did a sketch about him. The word became associated with him, but has faded since his withdrawal from the spotlight of public life.
Happy hundred Argyle, and knowing the time involved, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fairly simple Monday, with an interesting non-dairy dairy theme and some words I either did not know (ROEG and RUFF, which I guess should be simple because of RUFFLE) and others I did not recall, like LOESS. Researching our site, I see ROEG last appeared in an Allan Parrish puzzle in January 2009, just before I found this haven.
I thought OUTBACK BOUNDER, BRIEFLY:ROO was a nice fresh clue.
I also saw the anagrammatically presented OAST and OATS, as well as the OAST, ROAST rhyme.
Other than that, HBDTY Linda and enjoy the fabulous 5th of July holiday.
BTW, "wouldn't be prudent" was a comment made by George Bush the First, which was lampooned by Dana Carvey so many times on SNL it became GB's tag.
Sorry WH, I type too slowly and did not see your post. The sheep afraid of fireworks?
ReplyDeleteSheep fear only the wolf, and then only when it appears. Sheep, unlike their self-appointed caretakers, are not afflicted by angst.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Argyle!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the haste this morning, but am off for the day--our son is finally on his way back to Germany, so we must see him off.
Also have to apologize for the delay in getting photos ready, but the computer has suddenly decided all my files are corrupt and won't let me work on them. Back to the computer hospital I guess.
Anyway, a nice easy and fun puzzle for me today, though at first I thought it was going to be hard for a Monday.
Happy B'day to Linda, who I think does look in from time to time.
Have a great holiday Monday everyone!
Everyone must be sleeping in today. Based on the lack of traffic this morning I would bet that I am only one of the few working today. This was a typical Monday puzzle. I got Roeg and loess via the perps. Loess was my learning moment today. Not much more to comment on.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, happy 100th to you. You do a great job blogging.
I know you are lurking out there Linda. Happy, happy birthday to you!
Hey!
ReplyDeleteAnd there was the
"1,000 points of light"
from that SNL skit, too!
Did OK for a Monday, but the fanfare didn't come at the end - couldn't figure out why, forgot I put in "ONE" for "ACE".
Liked MacGyver, ROEG, not so much.
I DO have to work today, but as a contractor, I like to take advantage of these days.
Everyone else, stay out of the heat - this week up here we are getting slammed with 95 degrees AND 90% humidity...UGH.
Later,
Splynter
Good Morning fellow SOLVErs. Reporting my return aboard.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Argyle. BZ!
ÜBERall, a nice fun puzzle. Liked the dairy theme. Unknowns were easily gotten from the perps, so no look-ups were needed. Did have 'urge' before ORGY loomed.
Expecting 92º here, today. Enjoy the rest of the Independence Day weekend, everyone.
CIAO
Slightly harder than the usual Monday puzzle. 13 minutes.
ReplyDeleteHere's a portrait of a lady wearing a ruff
Hey,
ReplyDeleteMaybe I don't know something, but I just did the USAToday puzzle, and it was the same theme with the dairy answers - slightly different, but still the same "dairy" products, and HE-MEN was in there, too.
Good Morning All, Congratulations to Argyle...time sure does fly!
ReplyDeleteI've eaten HEAD CHEESE....once. Actually it tastes better than it sounds. The same goes for blood sausage.
11D ROUNDTREE had to be perped. I never saw "Shaft". OTOH, I did see 21A HUD at least twice. I think it had a pretty good plot....I was distracted by the star.
I didn't watch MACGYVER, but I have seen the SNL skits "MacGruber", which parody the TV show. There was a MacGruber movie too, but I missed that one too.
ROEG's The Man Who Fell To Earth starred David Bowie as an extraterrestrial. It was an interesting cultish little movie.
C.C., Lang Lang did seem to be carried away for his first number, but he had lots of fun playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever".
Good morning, everyone! Argyle, congratulations on the 100! You always do a sterling job.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know why the dairy section seems to always be at the back of the store?
Hahtool, your kosher comment is priceless.
Spitzboov, welcome back. Hope you had an enjoyable trip.
Lang Lang is an excellent pianist and an exquisite showman, IMO. Can't wait for his recital here next year.
Have a great Monday, all.
Crockett:
ReplyDeleteNot sure if your question is rhetorical, but here's the answer.
Dairy and bread are items that are most likely to be purchased on an "as needed" basis because of their perishability. So placing them at the back of the store requires the shopper to walk through the aisles coming and going and increases the possibility of impulse buying of items that were not originally "on the list".
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteI had trouble with Roeg and the spelling of MacGyver, but otherwise a nice smooth Monday puzzle.
We didn't go to the fireworks on the gulf; 1000+ people there. But there were some in the neighborhood, so we sat on our lanai with some wine and enjoyed the mini show.
Good article by Dan Thomasson on the 1st amendment. Do you know all the provisions included in it? He says that usually people can come up with 2 or 3 but not all. Can you?
He adds that invariably someone adds "the right to bare arms".
Thank you, Argyle, for 100 write ups, all of which have been excellent.
Cheers
Lang Lang played at the 4th of July celebration on the capitol mall in D C last evening. It was on Public T V
ReplyDeleteHi all -
ReplyDeleteArgyle, great job as usual and congratulations on your 100th! Wow, doesn't seem like it has been that long since you first guest-blogged. :)
I had no problems because my unknowns, 36A and 28D were filled in by the perps. Oh and 45D as well (I don't do Roman numerals at all).
CA: as to Hud, I heartily agree - it was hard to parse the plot while looking at 'Hud the hunk'. Ah, what wonderful eye candy!!
Hope you all had a good 4th...we had what sounded like WWlll in our neighborhood. Don't know where all those fireworks came from but it sure wasn't in a local store or stand. Maybe they smuggled them in from Montana or Wyoming (unless those states curbed their selling of rockets/bombs/dynamite sticks, etc. - LOL)
My Grandfather made head cheese and my Mom actually explained what was in it and I nearly got sick - who in hell would try something like that? Reminded me of the discussion here a few months ago when we wondered about the first person to eat snails, crab, squid, eels, mushrooms, or grab a cows teat and say wow, that's really good!
@WH and Crockett, there are also valid logistical reasons for dairy and produce to go in the back, and that is refrigeration (and proximity to storage and delivery). Not all the product that a store has is necessarily immediately placed in a display case, especially in larger stores. It would be more expensive to build and maintain separate refrigerated areas for both storage and display. Also, since deliveries are in the rear, you want to keep the path short to the display case to minimize exposure to heat. And the front, where people are continually entering and exiting, includes hot air moving along with them, so putting the refrigerated sections in the rear buffers the heat swings somewhat, so it takes less energy to maintain the cooler temperatures needed to prevent spoilage.
ReplyDeleteNot that you're wrong about the marketing reason, that is still a valid observation, but it is probably more of a bonus for them compared to operating costs.
Hello, Argyle and puzzle people.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Argyle! I'm only sorry I wasn't around to read all 100 of those blogs; you always entertain and inform wonderfully.
What a nice breakfast theme, except for HEADCHEESE; as soon as I scanned and saw HARVEYMILK I knew it would be dairy.
My erasable pen then took off on its own and didn't stop until five minutes later. What a great sprint!
Although we don't hear much about Dan Quayle anymore, his son, Ben, is running for office here in Arizona.
I thought ROTS, RATS, ROO, RUFF, ROEG and ROUNDTREE created a nice alliterative group.
Not only do I not work today, but the gym is closed so it's a good day to do laundry.
You all have a delightful Monday!
It's important to note that all of the theme entries ARE NOT dairy products. That makes the puzzle much more interesting.
ReplyDeleteWindhover, thanks for the reply. The question was a serious one. Marketing 101. Al, I wondered if the logistics answer was also in the equation.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Argyle, C.C. and all,
ReplyDeleteThis one took a little longer than a usual Mon., but I don't think it was any harder..just took me longer to come up with words that I knew (trove, loess,prudent). Luckily ruff and Roeg came with the perps.
Argyle, a BIG thanks for your time, great links and information.
OK guys, headcheese just sounds disgusting!
I awoke one night with vertigo. It was very scary as the room was spinning, and I had not been drinking, nor did I have a cold that might affect my ears.It has never come back.Still a puzzle to me & my doctor.
A nearby school burned down last night...no doubt from fireworks which are illegal in our area. The school on the other side of our fence had a grand display for a few hours..no need to go anywhere.
Hello All--A quick puzzle today. I loped along until I hit the SE corner and put in oox for the Tic-Tac-Toe loser. That caused an erasure pretty quickly as I put in Harvey Milk and knew that it was reversed--XOO--to get the down fills of Axiom and Solve.
ReplyDeleteRoeg and Roundtree were unknowns, but both were gotten with perps. I have boosted my ego once agian with a very doable Monday puzzle.
Congratualtions on your 100th blog writeup today, Argyle. I always enjoy the comments and links. Here's to your next 100.
Carol, I'm with you. Fireworks are illegal in or area but we had about 3 hours of non-stop blasts, whistles, and flashes. It sounded like a war zone.
Happy Birthday, Linda and many more.
I just got finished watching a replay of NPR's coverage of A Capitol Independence Day Celebration. Sousa marches, 76 trombones (one of my favorites) and great fireworks with the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial and Washington monument as backdrops. Really exciting! What a pretty city! I remember my father taking us to the monument grounds for fireworks when I was about ten years old. The traffic and parking were tough then. They must be impossible now.
ReplyDeleteC.C., you should make a trip to Washington D.C. as a new citizen. There are lots of special things to see and do. I grew up about seven miles due west and got into Washington fairly often. Maybe that was partly because you could drink beer at 18. :>)
Congratulations, Argyle! Thank you for enhancing our puzzling experiences!
ReplyDeleteSplynter, I'd noticed that too! I think it was Saturday's USA Today puzzle though. They probably didn't post a fresh one for today. I think there were a few echo'd clues/fill.
Jerome,
ReplyDeleteWhy "It's important to note"? Isn't it a norm that this type of seemingly food/drink theme always involve inedible theme entries? We've seen plenty similar gimmicks in LAT. Barry Silk's recent JAVA APPLICATION/JOE LIEBERMAN coffee puzzle for example.
Windhover,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the PRUDENT explanation. I meant to give you a shout-out yesterday on the JOHN JAY clue, then I forgot.
Anonymous @10:44am yesterday,
Actually it's John Lampkin who first noticed Rich's "Boxer's outbursts" typo last Saturday when we tried to convert the circles intact to one-page pdf puzzle.
C.C., not to speak for Jerome by any means, but here is my 2¢ about your question.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to think of the LAT Monday as being somehow the easiest of published crosswords. However, there are collections of "super easy" ones that are very successful and are geared towards novice solvers. Random House puts out a book called "Casual Crosswords" for example. Many puzzles there use the device Jerome describes for today's puzzle and which you correctly cite as common. However most are near the back of the book. Many of the easiest use very literal themes like this one of mine where there is no word play whatsoever: SPRING FEVER, SUMMER STOCK, FALL FOLIAGE, WINTER GAMES. It is still an interesting set, but there is no "Aha!" moment when the brain gets the double play.
So I agree with Jerome that today's puzzle is more interesting for being "non-dairy dairy." Thanks Jerome, for stating what may not be obvious.
And while Monday truly is "easy" day here, there is usually more to these puzzles than one might think.
And C.C., the outbursts typo was mine which slipped by me, Rich, and his proofreaders. Must be the weather! I fixed it when I sent you the pdf for the Corner here.
John Lampkin, et al:
ReplyDeleteI love these Monday, Tuesday puzzles! Yes, they are very easy, but quite engaging; they also reaffirm my solving capabilites which are vastly challenged later in the week.
As many here have noted, even though easy to solve, the construction has to be just as complicated and challenging for the creator. This blog has helped me appreciate the workmanship of the constructor, something I did not much notice before.
Argyle:
Have been meaning to ask you, what is the significance of Santa for you?
C.C.:
ReplyDeleteYes! If you have not visited Washington, D.C. I highly recommend it.
I had visited many foreign capitals before going there and I often wondered if ours lived up to the splendor of London, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, etc. and I was greatly surprised.
Yes it does and more! I love the marble buildings, the layout and the many monuments. I couldn't help but cry in Arlington Cemetery and the Viet Nam Wall. Altogether visiting our nation's capital is a gratifying and emotional experience. I hope you go one day.
John,
ReplyDeleteAh, OK, now I get Jersome's drift. Thanks for the SEASON example.
Lucina,
When Argyle first posted on our blog, he has a Santa avatar. I think his first comment on the blog is "Ahem..." when Lois was behaving naughtily.
Spitzboov,
Welcome back! Any pictures to share?
Argyle, another Great write-up!
ReplyDeleteHappy 100th !!!
GOSH, this was a FUN Monday SOLVE.
Caught the theme early, though the thought of HEADCHEESE so early in the day got a wince.
Did not know the January Birthstone is GARNET.
Never heard of the the Director ROEG.
Liked the cluing for ROO & XOO.
ARUGULA has a great sounding name.
CC Congrats to your Avatar, sorry about the weekend series.
Making head cheese doesn't seem to make these Scandinavian historical reenactors very happy. Generally speaking you had to be poor and hungry to eat the stuff.
ReplyDeleteThen there is "the real thing"...yummy!
Ode To Cheese
Shall I compare thee to a piece of cheese?
Though art more ripe and coagulated
Rough farmers’ hands stir the curds and the whey
And turn milk to cheddar within a day
Sometimes the rennet disgusts the veggie
And fermentation is sought with fungus
And non-meat eaters are no more edgy
By eating lovely cheese like one of us
But your ripeness will never, ever, fade
Nor lose the odour that twirls the senses
Nor shall staleness leave you somewhat dismayed
When old age assails your strong defences
So long as cows have horns, udders and moo
So long I will love you, my Danish Blue.
- Bob Lock
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteJohn L - masterful puzzle yesterday, and very enjoyable. Great job!
Pretty good puzzle today. I just got to it now. Glad I didn't see HEADCHEESE over breakfast. Bleechhh!
Somebody was setting off fireworks in my neighborhood last night. We could watch through the window. Not something I enjoy very much.
Why has nobody linked to a MINI?
CIAO!
JzB the PRUDENT trombonist
C.C., a few days ago you asked for a mango chutney recipe. Here is one that I make:
ReplyDelete2 cups of sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
4-5 mangoes chopped in ¾” chunks
1 medium onion chopped
½ cup of golden raisins
¼ cup of crystallized ginger
1 clove garlic minced
1 tspn whoe mustard seed
¼ tspn red chili pepper flakes
Bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil, add all other ingredients and simmer for about 45min-1 hr stirring occasionally. Makes 6- 1 pint jars.
Hello everybody, enjoyed the puzzle today. My reactions and responses to it are very similar to those most of you had.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, scrapple (you Pennsylvanians probably know what that is) is traditionally made from the head of the hog. Scrapple is delicious, but is really mostly comprised of corn meal. I confess I've never had head cheese.
JD, there is a thing called Benign Positional Vertigo that is caused by those teeny "rocks" (literally!) in your ears that enable you to balance and have a sense of your position. Sometimes a few of these rocks (called otoliths) break loose and roll into the wrong place, causing severe nausea, dizziness, and, um, vertigo. Maybe what you had wasn't that, but I wanted to throw that out there.
Best wishes to you all.
But seriously, Jerome and John L. what about the coincidence of the theme in USA today and here? It did use very different non-dairy clues, but had HEMEN and CIAO. Is this a fear, or a result of a central pool of ideas or just random acts of a chaotic world?
ReplyDeleteC.C., Argyle and kind folk,
ReplyDeleteHope a happy 4th was had by all!
There was a possibility my cousin may have come to visit for a few days. Our ancestors struggled making it to the US and continued to work so hard to make a new start for themselves and their families. I have deep feelings for them and the risks they took. Sorry we couldn't celebrate it together, cousin !
AH, delicious headcheese. The one I ate in Canada was nice and creamy. This particular recipe was not at all gelatinous. 29a
Shaving cream actually has a gel formula available now, 47a
Nicholas Roeg 36a an unknown to m
could someone explain the 'echo' explanation to me...
"37. Outback bounder, briefly : ROO. An intended echo?""
"43. Ex-veep Quayle : DAN. There's that echo again."
51. TV hero who was really good with a Swiss army knife : MACGYVER. If you've never watched the show, MacGyver could always come up with fantastic devices from common items he might find. I had a student who had seen an episode where MacGuyver had made a bomb or a fire thrower with a can of hair spray. He was severely burned and had to wear pressure bandages, pressure gloves, etc. every day and had to avoid being in sunshine. He was about 9 years of age.
33. Some briefs : BVDs. our first stock purchase many years ago was fruit of the loom!!!
I'm out.
Crockett: glad to learn you enjoyed Trombone Shorty. Check your email; that account doesn't always let me send out messages.
ReplyDeleteC.C.- I should have made my comment more clear, but `John made the point more understandable. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason I wrote what I did is because not everyone picks up on the different layers and twist and turns and nuances of a puzzle. There's a heck of a lot of people who read the 'Corner' that are beginning solvers. What's obvious to you and I might not be to budding crossword enthusiasts.
Jayce, I'm a big fan of scrapple. Most people haven't had it or think it sounds awful but I love it with fried eggs. You can get it frozen at the local markets.
ReplyDeleteMy maternal grandmother lived in a very rural area, about 50 miles west of Washington D. C. She and my uncle raised pigs and made great homemade sausage. I never thought about where the sausage came from and wasn't aware of the pigs being slaughtered. I did enjoy taking out the Sunday dinner scraps and 'slopping' the hogs.
BTW, you used the word 'comprised' in your post. I find that is a hard word to use correctly. I often have to look it up (as I just did again) or else I avoid it and write the sentence a different way. I discovered recently that I and many other folks often use it incorrectly. In case you are interested, here's an article on how to use it correctly. (There are lots of other interesting acticles about grammar on that same website.) Maybe somebody who's better at grammar than I am can let me know, but I think it would be correct to say scrapple comprises ground-up pig parts and lots of cornmeal.
Bill G, thank you. It is indeed a difficult word to use.
ReplyDeleteLemonade- It's happens a lot. Many times I've walked away from a theme because that exact same one was just published. The first theme idea I sent Nancy Salomon was, word for word, one she had just had published!
ReplyDeleteEven though there is an endless supply of themes there is, I believe, only a couple of hundred active constructors. In many ways I'm sure are brains are wired alike. Voila, theme duplication.
There is also absolutely nothing wrong with marketing a puzzle that you've seen done before if you came up with it on your own. Of course, you wouldn't send it to the same publication. Nobody owns a theme, a grid layout, a clue, or fill words. They're all fair game.
Hello, everyone,
ReplyDeleteArgyle, I've missed a great number of your blogs, since I only arrived in January, 2010, and I'm truly sorry because I enjoy yours very much. 100 of them is a body of work to be proud of. Thank you and congrats! C.C. has done a great job of recruiting guest bloggers.
Enough has been said about today's puzzle so I can't add much more. However I'm surprised that so many of you are acquainted with head cheese. My grandmother used to make it and I never would even try it. She really relished it; she was Scottish (from Canada, 2nd generation) and as I grew older I wondered if it was something like haggis. That's supposed to be pretty repulsive to those of us used to ordinary steaks, chops, etc. I wouldn't know.
Loved the 'Ode to Cheese', CA. I guess mold is a fungus, isn't it. I remember reading in some book (I can never remember the titles) in which a description of Stilton suggested the presence of worms contributing to the ripening of that cheese! Ewgh! Maybe somebody can extrapolate on that......or not!
For Lucina, I've changed my avatar to my original.
ReplyDeleteFor Frenchie, the clue for 36A. was "The Man Who Fell to Earth" director Nicolas : ROEG and my comment was "Also directed, "Walkabout", a 1971 British film set in Australia.". So when 37A. was Outback bounder, briefly : ROO, I wondered if it was a link to "Walkabout", which was set in the Outback of Australia.
Clue 41A. was about George H.W. Bush and clue 43A. was about his vice-president, Dan Quayle. If not exactly an echo, at least they are linked.
For Jerome and John, I'm surprised no one complained that the first two clues were foods(although the jury is still out on head cheese).
Is everyone alright with calling the George Bushes, Jr. and Sr. even though their names are not the same?
I forgot: Thank you for all for the kind words today. It has been a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm willing to try most anything that others think is good to eat. I would be willing to try head cheese at least once. Being a Scotsman, I'd certainly have to give Haggis a try.
ReplyDeleteDodo, I certainly don't know anything about worms in Stilton but it and Gorgonzola are two of my favorite cheeses.
Speaking of cheeses, I enjoy Wallace and Gromit very much. Wallace does go on about cheese.
Argyle- Yeah, but man, that would be getting really picky. There's just no other phrases with CHEESE and BUTTER at the end that would work. Non-dairy words anyway. All I can think of is HEADBUTTER and CHEESECLOTH. The first is somewhat contrived. The second puts the theme word up front. In this case, not good.
ReplyDeleteJayce, thanks so much for that information. I just read more about it and sounds exactly like what I had, but it lasted about 3 hrs. I get the same sensation when I try to roll around on the lawn with Truman, but it goes away when I sit up.Gives another meaning to "She's got rocks in her head!"
ReplyDeleteCa, another great ode
Lucina, hopefully, Ben wasn't taught to spell by his dad.
Jerome, I'm one of those newbies that is in the process of learning the complexity of putting together xwds, and the many things to look for when solving them. I'm still not a theme finder, so I LOVE everybody's insights and comments. This blog is worth AT LEAST 3 college credits .
The last few days the puzzles have been so impossible, I thought maybe I had hit my head when I fell and was addle-brained! I'm thankful for the one today which was solvable.I am improving rapidly; not too much pain and getting around quite well with a walker. However, I am going to be completely spoiled. Our daughters have come and cleaned the house thoroughly; some young men came over and mowed, mulched and raked the lawn; S-I-L did some chores. The house looks like a green house with all the flowers I received. And my husband hasn't had to do anything about food except to reheat some things. Every day another meal appears.
ReplyDeleteKazie, I was going to ask when you reported on your trip so I could go to the archives & catch up but it sounds as if you still haven't got any pictures posted. I'm looking forward to seeing them.
Thanks, Argyle, for the 100.
Dot
CA: Loved the poem about cheese. Can't say the same thing about 'headcheese' yuk. I couldn't help doing this:
ReplyDeleteIs head cheese something you'd eat?
Some would without missing a beat,
it's got tongue and heart,
it won't make you fart,
you could even call it 'feet meat'
Good evening, folks!
ReplyDeleteA great puzzle today. Words like ARUGULA, PRUDENT, VERTIGO, ORNAMENTS, and TROVE usually don't appear on a Monday.
Argyle, thanks for 100!
Dot, it sounds like you have an awesome support system. So wonderful.
JD-I think our local news referenced the fire at the school that you noted. San Jose area, arson, is what was reported here.
Enjoy the evening!
Crockett: Thanks. It was a great trip with pretty good weather. Bermuda was lush and verdant with lots of colorful flowering shrubs. Good time with some extended family, too.
ReplyDeleteC. C.: Nice, to be back, too. When I get some pictures, I will send them along.
Argyle, wow! you do make a great looking Santa. Now I understand.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
CA:
Loved the cheese poem.
Carol:
Yours too!
And is there some kind of arson epidemic? Some young children were arrested here, ages 6-16, for setting an apartment building on fire at 3 AM.!
JD:
I'll take special note of the spelling on Ben Quayle's campaign signs.
JD- Pay attention to C.C. and her co-writers, most of the posters, and you'll be a solving whiz in no time! Buck on the side says within months you'll be doing Monday puzzles in ten, fifteen minutes.
ReplyDeleteRe Santa: I can't imagine referring to the former presidents as Jr. and Sr. would be accepted among this blog. It has been requested here before that all comments be correct in spelling, grammar and political correctness. Not to mention that it's just not accurate.
ReplyDeleteMy posting just got lost when anon @9:58 crashed in. Here it is again:
ReplyDeleteCrockett: Thanks. It was a great trip with pretty good weather. Bermuda was lush and verdant with lots of colorful flowering shrubs. Good time with some extended family, too.
C. C.: Nice, to be back, too. When I get some pictures, I will send them along.
Argyle and Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteIt beats the hell out of what I usually call them; that isn't acceptable here, either.
I just recorded and started watching "The Runaway Jury" on cable. I've seen it twice before and I will enjoy it again. I would prefer watching a good movie a third time to a new crappy movie for the first time. John Grisham's book are always good for the first 90 percent but his endings are often weak; something like witness protection. However, this is a really good movie.
ReplyDeleteHahtool, nothing in my in-box.
ReplyDelete