Theme: None
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 29
This puzzle is anchored by two 14s:
33A. Twisted party decorations : BALLOON ANIMALS. Quite a few refreshing & unique fill today.
39A. Purported source of Revere's historic signal : OLD NORTH CHURCH. Gimme for BarryG, I am sure. I needed crossing help. Total 10 letter Cs in the grid.
The above 14s are intersected by six 10-letter Down entries. A couple of 9s and fourteen 7-letter answers form the basic framework of the grid.
And as the norm with our Saturday puzzles, some clues are ambiguous and puzzling to me, some answers are just outside my knowledge zone.
Across:
1. Vamp attachments : T-STRAPS. I need a lesson on the anatomy of the shoe. Was picturing a seductive "vamp" girl.
8. They may follow shots : CHASERS. Drink "shots".
15. Hard up : IN A HOLE. In debt.
16. Crash : ZONK OUT. Was in the collide "Crash" direction.
17. Crown : CORONET. And TIARA (47D. Bridal accessory).
18. Things in the back : ADDENDA. Plural of addendum. Back of a book.
19. Certain Sopwith Scout : TWO-SEATER. Sopwith Scout is nicknamed Sopwith Pup. Some fighter aircraft. Total stranger to me. Educate me, Dudley!
21. Aid for a large-group photo : RISER
22. Invoice abbr. : AMT
23. Rolls in a nursery : SOD. Garden nursery.
24. "Naked Pictures of Famous People" author Stewart : JON. I guessed.
25. After-school request : COCOA. Thought of SNACK.
28. Tar Heel State campus : ELON
30. Eliot's Old Deuteronomy, e.g. : CAT. The musical "Cats" is adapted from T. S. Eliot's Cats poem.
37. Volunteer, often : FIREMAN
38. "If you can find a better car, buy it" speaker : IACOCCA (Lee). Three Cs in his name alone.
41. Check alternatives : X'ES
42. Gulf of Finland feeder : NEVA. See the map. Stumped me again.
43. Popped up, in baseball lingo : SKIED
45. Leftover : ODD
46. Union Sq., e.g. : STA. Union Square Station.
49. Soul on the Seine : ÂME. French for "soul".
50. Listed, to sailors : LEANT. Sailors say "leaned" as "leant", Spitzboov? Listed here meant "tilted".
53. Not finished yet : STILL AT IT
56. Dip (in) : IMMERSE
58. Fatty : ADIPOSE. Learned from doing Xword.
59. "The Time Machine" actress (1960) : MIMIEUX (Yvette). Should make Jazzbumpa happy. He & Lemonade have linked this picture a few times.
60. Finally turns (to) : RESORTS
61. Influential second-century astronomer : PTOLEMY
62. Three-syllable foot : ANAPEST. Poetic foot. The last syllable is stressed.
Down:
1. "Get a bang out of life" mint : TIC TAC
2. Treaded transport : SNOWMOBILE
3. Justice and Temperance, e.g. : TAROT CARDS. I peeked at the answer sheet.
4. Frat letters : RHOS
5. Excellent : A ONE
6. They may be affected by bargaining : PLEAS
7. Small scrap : SET-TO
8. Energy boss : CZAR. Energy Czar.
9. Mortar trough : HOD
10. Shakespeare title name : ANDRONICUS. "Titus Andronicus", Shakespeare tragedy. Headache for me.
11. Yarn unit : SKEIN
12. Seemingly forever : EONS
13. Like some awakenings : RUDE. Rude awakening.
14. Have the lead : STAR
20. Third-day creation : EDEN. God knows.
24. Fish story notable : JONAH. Bible story. He was swallowed by by a whale.
26. Author Robert __ Butler : OLEN. I've never heard of this author.
27. Source of some sundae toppings : ALMOND TREE. What? Because almonds are from almond trees?
29. Of the flock : LAIC. As opposed to "of the cloth".
30. Prepared with tomatoes, mushrooms and herbs : CACCIATORE. No idea. Wikipedia says it means "hunter" in Italian.
31. Philosophers' stone seekers : ALCHEMISTS
32. Airport screening org. : TSA (Transportation Security Administration)
34. Did galley work : OARED
35. Being broadcast : ON TV
36. Alien who reported to Orson : MORK. Mork & Mindy.
37. Site for aspiring idols : FOX. Home to "American Idol".
40. Dost own : HAST. What JD wanted yesterday.
44. Not fancy in the least : DETEST. Fancy is a verb here.
45. Negro Leagues legend Buck : O'NEIL. So humble. He should be in the Hall of Fame.
48. Mayflower Compact signer : ALDEN (John). The first person from The Mayflower to set foot on Plymouth in 1620, a la Wikipedia.
50. Worn out : LIMP. Oh.
51. Shoot out : EMIT
52. Battle rounds : AMMO
53. Steamy, in a way : SEXY
54. Co-star with Courteney and Jennifer : LISA (Kudrow). In "Friends".
55. For one : A POP
57. Dim __ : SUM. I miss Guangzhou. The food & the nightlife.
Answer grid.
Here are Part II of Kazie's Oz pictures. The colors are just so vibrant. I love that lonely lizard.
C.C.
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 29
This puzzle is anchored by two 14s:
33A. Twisted party decorations : BALLOON ANIMALS. Quite a few refreshing & unique fill today.
39A. Purported source of Revere's historic signal : OLD NORTH CHURCH. Gimme for BarryG, I am sure. I needed crossing help. Total 10 letter Cs in the grid.
The above 14s are intersected by six 10-letter Down entries. A couple of 9s and fourteen 7-letter answers form the basic framework of the grid.
And as the norm with our Saturday puzzles, some clues are ambiguous and puzzling to me, some answers are just outside my knowledge zone.
Across:
1. Vamp attachments : T-STRAPS. I need a lesson on the anatomy of the shoe. Was picturing a seductive "vamp" girl.
8. They may follow shots : CHASERS. Drink "shots".
15. Hard up : IN A HOLE. In debt.
16. Crash : ZONK OUT. Was in the collide "Crash" direction.
17. Crown : CORONET. And TIARA (47D. Bridal accessory).
18. Things in the back : ADDENDA. Plural of addendum. Back of a book.
19. Certain Sopwith Scout : TWO-SEATER. Sopwith Scout is nicknamed Sopwith Pup. Some fighter aircraft. Total stranger to me. Educate me, Dudley!
21. Aid for a large-group photo : RISER
22. Invoice abbr. : AMT
23. Rolls in a nursery : SOD. Garden nursery.
24. "Naked Pictures of Famous People" author Stewart : JON. I guessed.
25. After-school request : COCOA. Thought of SNACK.
28. Tar Heel State campus : ELON
30. Eliot's Old Deuteronomy, e.g. : CAT. The musical "Cats" is adapted from T. S. Eliot's Cats poem.
37. Volunteer, often : FIREMAN
38. "If you can find a better car, buy it" speaker : IACOCCA (Lee). Three Cs in his name alone.
41. Check alternatives : X'ES
42. Gulf of Finland feeder : NEVA. See the map. Stumped me again.
43. Popped up, in baseball lingo : SKIED
45. Leftover : ODD
46. Union Sq., e.g. : STA. Union Square Station.
49. Soul on the Seine : ÂME. French for "soul".
50. Listed, to sailors : LEANT. Sailors say "leaned" as "leant", Spitzboov? Listed here meant "tilted".
53. Not finished yet : STILL AT IT
56. Dip (in) : IMMERSE
58. Fatty : ADIPOSE. Learned from doing Xword.
59. "The Time Machine" actress (1960) : MIMIEUX (Yvette). Should make Jazzbumpa happy. He & Lemonade have linked this picture a few times.
60. Finally turns (to) : RESORTS
61. Influential second-century astronomer : PTOLEMY
62. Three-syllable foot : ANAPEST. Poetic foot. The last syllable is stressed.
Down:
1. "Get a bang out of life" mint : TIC TAC
2. Treaded transport : SNOWMOBILE
3. Justice and Temperance, e.g. : TAROT CARDS. I peeked at the answer sheet.
4. Frat letters : RHOS
5. Excellent : A ONE
6. They may be affected by bargaining : PLEAS
7. Small scrap : SET-TO
8. Energy boss : CZAR. Energy Czar.
9. Mortar trough : HOD
10. Shakespeare title name : ANDRONICUS. "Titus Andronicus", Shakespeare tragedy. Headache for me.
11. Yarn unit : SKEIN
12. Seemingly forever : EONS
13. Like some awakenings : RUDE. Rude awakening.
14. Have the lead : STAR
20. Third-day creation : EDEN. God knows.
24. Fish story notable : JONAH. Bible story. He was swallowed by by a whale.
26. Author Robert __ Butler : OLEN. I've never heard of this author.
27. Source of some sundae toppings : ALMOND TREE. What? Because almonds are from almond trees?
29. Of the flock : LAIC. As opposed to "of the cloth".
30. Prepared with tomatoes, mushrooms and herbs : CACCIATORE. No idea. Wikipedia says it means "hunter" in Italian.
31. Philosophers' stone seekers : ALCHEMISTS
32. Airport screening org. : TSA (Transportation Security Administration)
34. Did galley work : OARED
35. Being broadcast : ON TV
36. Alien who reported to Orson : MORK. Mork & Mindy.
37. Site for aspiring idols : FOX. Home to "American Idol".
40. Dost own : HAST. What JD wanted yesterday.
44. Not fancy in the least : DETEST. Fancy is a verb here.
45. Negro Leagues legend Buck : O'NEIL. So humble. He should be in the Hall of Fame.
48. Mayflower Compact signer : ALDEN (John). The first person from The Mayflower to set foot on Plymouth in 1620, a la Wikipedia.
50. Worn out : LIMP. Oh.
51. Shoot out : EMIT
52. Battle rounds : AMMO
53. Steamy, in a way : SEXY
54. Co-star with Courteney and Jennifer : LISA (Kudrow). In "Friends".
55. For one : A POP
57. Dim __ : SUM. I miss Guangzhou. The food & the nightlife.
Answer grid.
Here are Part II of Kazie's Oz pictures. The colors are just so vibrant. I love that lonely lizard.
C.C.
59 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - wow. Doug got me good today. Loved the long fills, loved the deceptive clues, loved the challenge, but boy, I had a hard time.
It always amazes me, the stuff that's lodged in one's brain bucket - 'adipose', 'ptolemy' and 'anapest' all popped out with just a few letters filled in. Not exactly words I've used in the past several decades. The puzzle actually started out ok, because I knew the 'TicTac slogan, then immediately hit a wall because while I thought 2D was going to be 'snow'-something, I couldn't see how 1A could start with 'ts'. So I bounced around, filling in where I could, and eventually got through it.
I could fill a page with similar travails, but suffice to say, I had 'WTF' moments throughout. Loved 'Rolls in a nursery', 'Did galley work' and 'Not fancy in the least'; all three had me going in the wrong direction. Didn't like 'leant' (really? when's the last time THAT one was used by anyone?), and thought the timing on 'limp' was perfect, given yesterday's discussion. Oh, and I had 'ort' for 'Leftover', which didn't help any with 27D and 34D, both of which had me screwed up to start with. Anyway, I really enjoyed this one; I wish to hell Doug would check in here once in a while like he used to so we could get some insight into the genesis for it.
Kaz, more great pics - keep 'em coming. C.C., what was great about Guangzhou? Were you a party animal?
Today is Teddy Bear Picnic Day. Not sure why anyone would wanna eat a teddy bear, but I guess you'd get stuffed quickly.
Did you know:
- A hummingbird consumes the caloric equivalent of 228 milkshakes per day.
- The foreign city most visited by Americans is Tijuana. (It was the first foreign city I 'visited', when I was stationed at Camp Pendleton; spent the night in jail there.)
- One in four Americans isn't sure if the earth travels around the sun or vice versa.
Morning, all!
I approached today's puzzle with much trepidation after reading that somebody who found today's NYT puzzle to be of "medium" difficulty (it utterly killed me) had much more difficulty with today's LAT puzzle. However, in the end, I was actually able to finish this puzzle unassisted (as opposed to the NYT puzzle which required multiple trips to a variety of online reference sources to finish).
Yes, OLD NORTH CHURCH was a huge gimme for me, and that certainly helped. I also knew that Yvette MIMIEUX starred in "The Time Machine" (although I initially misspelled her name as MIMEAUX). And I've actually made BALLOON ANIMALS at parties before, so that was another huge gimme right off the bat. Oh -- and I love Chicken CACCIATORE!
Other more-or-less gimmes included IACOCCA (who I initially misspelled as IOCOCCA) and PTOLOMENY. I even managed to get ANDRONICUS off the final US from OLD NORTH CHURCH and IACOCCA.
So much for the easy part....
There were some unknowns today, including ONEIL, OLEN, JON and NEVA [gee -- all proper names, go figure...] and some missteps, (like Dennis's ORT for ODD, but what really killed me was the cluing on some of the answers. I don't mind tricky clues that make you think, but I really don't like clues that are just marginally accurate at best. Do people really (or commonly) put ALMONDS on ice cream sundaes? How many brides actually wear TIARAS? Are vamps really known for wearing TSTRAPS? Purposely obscure clues like that just wear me down and suck the fun out of the puzzle after awhile.
Ah well, in the end I was bloodied but unbowed by this one. And, overall, it was a fun solving experience.
Good morning C.C. and everyone.
Oh,boy! I seemed like a tyro all over again and felt like a DimWIT(my first fill for 57D) and LIMP after finishing this puzzle. Plenty
of unknowns for me. The skillfull
cluing led me astray so many times.
I liked the crossing of IACOCCA and CACCIATORE, one of my favorite Italian dishes.
45D is also on Newsday's Saturday
Stumper.
Overall ,despite the challenge and difficulty, the solving experience is worth it.
Have a good day everyone.
August
Ditto Barry G.
Nine black flags when I got done but no reds, at least(did the AcrossLite version).
Good morning everyone. Kazie; very interesting pictures.
I had much the same experience of previous commenters. Got CHASERS right away but then got bogged down. Getting OLD NORTH CHURCH spurred me on and slowly got the S and E filled. SNOWMOBILE helped to get the NW. Didn't realize X was a transitive verb, so I finally used red letter help with the FOX/XES cross. Did not like LEANT; never heard it used by any sailor. Many good clues included those for OARED, DETEST, SET TO, SOS, and PLEAS.
Anon @1:57 am from yesterday's blog. Glad you found us. Jump in whenever you're ready. The water is fine.
Enjoy the weekend.
Better to say what I did get today: only SKEIN, SOD, JON, JONAH, NEVA, ON TV, HAST, AME, STA. Needless to say, I gave up and came here.
Happy Saturday C.C., it is great to see our friend Doug Peterson back in action, and man did he make me work! First glance, I did not put anything in until I got to BALLOON ANIMALS, which luckily was near the OLD NORTH CHURCH, which I imagine every kid from New England will know. I remembered IACOCCA’s commercials, which helped me get COCOA. TICTAC came next, then Titus ANDRONICUS and SKIED. Put in SNOW MOBILES and TAROT CARDS and was sure no word could start TST. I did not know VAMP meant part of a shoe, vamp1 /væmp/ Show Spelled[vamp] Show IPA
–noun
1. the portion of a shoe or boot upper that covers the instep and toes, so I was lost with T STRAP, but after really fighting with SMALL SCRAP, and finally realizing he meant a little confrontation, it was there. Much I did not know, like NEVA, and OLEN, but I slowly chipped away, enjoying answers like CHASERS (so many kinds of shots to think about) and the misdirection of not Fancy and DETEST. Still not crazy about OARED, but I am getting my son to record my version of OAR, OAR, OAR your boat, gently down the stream. His band is playing tonight somewhere.
I enjoyed JONAH and EDEN together and the tricky reference to TS Eliot’s Old Deuteronomy along with LAIC made for an interesting middle block. Also loved the crossing of SEXY and Yvette MIMIEUX who also was in Where the Boys Are which may have contributed to my ending up in Fort Lauderdale.
I second Dennis' comment, wasssup Doug?
Off to sunshine, ciao chow
A tough puzzle to end the week. Missed one by misspelling MIMIEUX and not knowing the cross of ONEIL. Considering the difficulty of the puzzle, I won't quibble about missing one letter. The NW corner was the last to be solved. My first fill was ALCHEMISTS. 53 minutes.
Good Morning All, I had to work on this one clockwise from the NE. That pesky NW almost refused to surrender. The misleading 1A "Vamp attachments" for T-STRAPS was one of the last to show up at the party. Maybe that was because I insisted on MENTOS for 1D.
I also started 27D as COCOA BEANS. I was thinking of chocolate syrup. I hadn't filled in 25A COCOA yet, so I was just flailing around.
By now I should know better than to try and solve Friday and Saturday puzzles without the Across Lite "incorrect letter indication preference". I always have to go back and change it.
Thank goodness for OLD NORTH CHURCH. It was one of the few entries I was sure of during the first pass through the grid.
I've never read 10D "Titus ANDRONICUS", but I have seen the movie "Titus" with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. It is about as gory as it gets.
Dennis is so right about things that are stuck in the corners of our brains. I was pleased that ADDENDA, ADIPOSE and PTOLEMY weren't problem fill.
I didn't understand 44D "Not fancy in the least" for DETEST until coming here.
You really have an eye for photography, Kazie. Your photos are terrific. Thanks so much for the informative captions too.
Delicious dinner last night and Lewis Black was just as funny as we expected he would be. Both political parties got skewered and the oil company execs were even higher on his list of targets.
CA,
I love Lewis Black! What a treat to be able to see him in person.
I think I must still be in a culture warp--I'd never have thought of balloon animals at parties--I wanted some sort of streamers, and I had train for TIARA and SIMPLE for DETEST. But mostly today I just had a lot of blanks,so feeling very inadequate now I see how well you all did on this.
Good morning cc and all..
Did not get very far with this X word today either Kazie. Dont usually even try.
Am sure glad I came here though for the wonderful pictures from Oz.
They are only spectacular. The enlargement makes them even better.
Good W/E to all.
I thought of Snoopy for the clue 'Certain Sopwith Scout', but couldn't get 'Camel' to fit anything. Also thought of Mentos for 1D. Some of these clues were certainly obscure, to say the least - but fun to see how they worked out. Thanks for the help! Without it I would now be endeavoring to cover up a large frustration-induced bald spot.
x
Hard puzzle but enjoyable. Same experiences as you all had.
Gimmes were IOCOCCA, NEVA (learned from previous xwords), AME, MIMIEUX, SKEIN, and few others.
I too was thinking of Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel, so at least I knew a Sopwith is a kind of airplane. Didn't help me get TWO SEATER, though.
I loved that there were so many long fills, and some of my favorites are ADIPOSE, CACCIATORE, TAROT CARDS, ALCHEMISTS, and PTOLEMY. Wonderful words all, with interesting letter juxtapositions (PT as the first 2 letters of a word, for example, and A as the last letter of a word, not to mention TS as the first 2 letters of an entry).
Favorite misdirections are "Rolls in nursery" and "Eliot's Old Deuteronomy". Made me chuckle when I finally got them.
Every time I see ELON I think of Elon Musk and his Tesla Motors company. I want one!
I do feel good that I didn't have to look anything up.
Kazie, thanks ever so much for the wonderful photos.
Best wishes to you all.
Humdinger today but I got most of it before resorting to G and red letter. PTOLEMY, ADDENDA, ANAPEST and OLD NORTH CHURCH were givens. I knew CACCIATORE, but wasn't sure of the spelling until I got IACOCCA. Had "in a bind" for 15a instead of INAHOLE, so that threw everything else in NW off until the very end. Also had "wages" instead of PLEAS for a while, thinking of union bargaining.
As always, I was stymied by the pop culture references.
It has been raining here off and on since before Alex. Yesterday, it would suddenly "swoosh" down as if someone had kicked over a big bucket and then stop just as suddenly. It did that all day. We are having a respite right now, but we expect more rain later today.
Our temps have stayed in the 70s for the most part, but it is very humid. Looks like the east coast got our high temps and we got their more moderate ones.
Wonderful pictures, Kazie! Wish I could go there.
Well, I'm off to take a nap just because I can!
Hello, C.C. and everyone!
Yowza! Doug Peterson has my everlasting respect. This was hard but thoroughly enjoyable. I love the long fills and love that he takes me out of my comfort zone with the many misdirections.
My first fills were JON and JONAH, CAT, TSA (my brother works for them). CACCIATORE with IACOCCA crossing were great. LAIC gave me CHURCH and then the light dawned on OLDNORTH. By then I had enough letters to complete BALLOONANIMALS which have been a staple at many birthday parties.
Surprisingly the bottom fell quickly, too and as Dennis and CA have mentioned, PTOLEMY, ADIPOSE and ANAPESTS just jumped out of somewhere.
For women who love shoes, and I know you are out there, TSTRAPS on vamps make perfect sense whereas SKIED meaning popped up is not in my lingo.
I confess I did have to look for Yvette MIMIEUX and TICTAC since I stubbornly held on to ALTOID.
But finishing this was completely satisfactory except for FOX which I forgot about and left blank. Not fancy was also off my radar and ended up with DITEST. I see that sould on the Seine is AME not AMI. This calls for more French lessons!
Kazie, again thank you for the marvelous pictures.
ARBAON, I'm sorry about the humidity. I wish I could send some of our dry heat although the humidity is slowly rising here, too, with the monsoon season.
I hope all are having a sensational Saturday!
30A CATS reminded me of poet/author T.S. Elliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats These are the poems from which the musical CATS was taken, almost word for word.
This is a different Elliot poem. It's funny and sad at the same time.
Aunt Helen
Miss Helen Slingsby was my maiden aunt,
And lived in a small house near a fashionable square
Cared for by servants to the number of four.
Now when she died there was silence in heaven
And silence at her end of the street.
The shutters were drawn and the undertaker wiped his feet—
He was aware that this sort of thing had occurred before.
The dogs were handsomely provided for,
But shortly afterwards the parrot died too.
The Dresden clock continued ticking on the mantelpiece,
And the footman sat upon the dining-table
Holding the second housemaid on his knees—
Who had always been so careful while her mistress lived.
- T.S. Eliot
Here is my QOD, "Poetry may make us from time to time a little more aware of the deeper, unnamed feelings which form the substratum of our being, to which we rarely penetrate; for our lives are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves." - T.S. Eliot
Wow. This one was tough. The NW corner was the last to fall. As others have noted, some of the short answers were harder than the long ones today: NEVA, OLEN, had to actually use Google today to get a little traction.
I knew what a Sopwith Camel was, that's what Snoopy used to fight the Red Baron (a real dogfight), but that didn't give me TWO SEATER until I got most of it through the perps. For a while I had RED BARRON, even though I knew BARON should only have one "R", and he actually used a triplane.
And Doug? Anything you want to tell us about knowing what T-Straps are, and how they are constructed? Everything I know about them now came from my investigation just today. I probably need to complete a more thorough search to be sure though, the world would be a bit less interesting without them.
Hello Puzzlers – This one had Saturday written all over it. There were some really tricky, misleading clues in there, such as “small scrap”. I seem to remember we’ve had OARED recently – it seems wrong, but I guess it’s been vetted. I solved on paper this time, so no red letters; I had no option but to Google for NEVA, MIMIEUX, JON, OLEN, and ANDRONICUS. Some answers were slo-o-ow to emerge, such as BALLOON ANIMALS, TSTRAPS, and ALMONDTREE. That NW put up the most fight! Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one having a tug o’war.
C.C. – I gotta say that I had no idea which Sopwiths were two-seat aircraft and which ones weren’t, so TWO SEATER wasn’t obvious. The fill came gradually with perp help. World War One was a time of amazingly fast aircraft development, considering how speedily the technology advanced from the aerodynamically miserable early Wright designs to the nimble and capable air combat machines. A lot was learned about stability, control, materials, and engine design in a few short years. It does make sense that many aircraft of the day would have only a single seat – lower weight means better performance, and a single pilot was generally sufficient to get the job done.
Thanks, Kazie, for the Oz pix. I was looking forward to them and they do not disappoint!
A 70 word wonder!
MIMIEUX over PTOLEMY, ALCHEMISTS and ANDRONICUS side by side, SNOWMOBILE and TAROT CARDS next to eachother. ZONK OUT, TICTAC, JONAH, CZAR, yahoo! As mentioned, IACOCCA crossing CACCIATORE, and flat-out amazing, IACOCCA is hiding in CACCIATORE!
This sucker gets a big, fat wow!
Yikes! What a treat and a trial all rolled into one. Got through most of it with the aid of perps, then stared at the empty NW. A trip to Mr. G. to find out what a Sopwith Scout was helped that corner to finally fall. So many delicious words in the fill today, as has been pointed out by others.
Favorite clue/fill: 44D Not fancy in the least/DETEST
Having missed posting most of the week, some belated shout-outs to:
Happy Birthday, Clear Ayes!
Argyle, Jazzbumpa, Al, and C.C., terrific week of blogging. I enjoy all your unique styles.
JD- Truman, Grady, and Cameron are such cutie pies!
Lois, I hope your foot heals quickly from the surgery.
Vettedoe, hope that your surgery was successful, and that you mend rapidly, as well.
Kazie, thanks for sharing the stunningly beautiful photos from your trip to OZ. Spectacular!
Enjoy the day!
@Kazie, what camera are you using?
Mary
Hello All--A real workout today with lots of reference work and Googling. It must be Saturday! But I stuck with it and did finish, but it took me way too long.
I started out with Conk out instead of Zonk out, Walnut tree instead of Almond tree, and snack instead of cocoa, so there were a lot of changes and erasures. Since I always do the puzzle on paper I wore out a couple of areas.
Old North Church was a given. I've always loved Longfellow's poem that references it with "One if by land and two if by sea"--the signal lanterns in the tower of the church.
I did learn some new things today. Sopwith Scout was new as well as the Shakespeare name, Andronicus. I should have known the latter, but it had escaped my little grey cells.
My favorites today were Vamp attachments/ T Straps, and Did galley work/oared.
Jayce, Did you see the article in our San Jose Mercury News about Tesla today? They are going to be huge in our area.
Kazie, your photos are marvelous! thank you.
Kazie, thanks for sharing such beautiful photos with all of us.
MJ, what an adorable avatar!
My puzzle experience was about the same as what most of the others expressed. About half way through, with very little filled in, I almost called it quits. But I pushed on until I at least completed a full pass. Luckily, the SW was much friendlier to me. Next thing I knew the whole west was filled in, and about 80% of the east. Then some more struggles to get through the rest.
Without this blog to explain the cleverness behind them, clues like "44D Not fancy in the least/DETEST" would have pissed me off because it made no sense until I came here. It's one thing not to know of an obscure river or port in some foreign country, but the clues that just didn't seem to match up with the fill were so frustrating without anyone to clear them up for us. Eventually, I'd have become discouraged from solving for a while.
So, once again, thank you C.C. for keeping us all in the game.
P.S. - I didn't mean that to sound like a rant, but before coming here, I had no idea of the wordplay the amazing constructors we have here employed for our entertainment (and theirs).
Like others have said to, what we learn from the blog, and hearing from the constructors themselves, has (have?) added so much appreciation for the effort they put into the puzzles. Of course, it also adds to our enjoyment of them too!
What a puzzle! It's a good thing I didn't think of Altoids. I had a hard enough time finally giving in and erasing Mentos. I too tried Snoopy, Camel, Red Baron, beagle...
Loved "detest". But I didn't understand that fill until reading the blog. Sooooo clever. Also had ort for leftover.
Eliot's Deuteronomy was so appropriate because my daughter, the tech guru in our house, named my laptop "Deuteronomy" on our network. Just because it's a hand-me-down and is a little (?) older and sloweeeer than the others floating around our house! Guess it's better than Grizella...
Hi Chickie, yes I read the article in the San Jose Mercury News today about Tesla. I fervently hope they succeed. As an engineer I'm fascinated with the technology. I hope the various (future) manufacturers of plug-in cars agree on a standard plug size. The electrical service to our oldish house is insufficient to install the charger equipment so we will unlikely buy a fully electric car in the near future. We love our hybrid, though.
By the way, the Germany vs. Uruguay World Cup game just finished and Germany won 3-2. It was a good game, most everyone played well, and there was a minimum of fouling, dirty stuff, and the old fall-down-roll-on-the-ground-while-grabbing-your-shin trick. Just lots of skilled playing.
See yawl tomorrow.
We have it from her own mouth. CC also looks at the cheat sheet!
I don`t feel as bad now since I "thought" 'sopwith' was what you did with biscuits and gravy, a `two-seater` was a fancy path instead of a bath, and a `roll in a nursery` was `adipose` tissue around a new mother`s waist! I didn`t `fancy` this puzzle at all! How is a tender, southern belle to know what a `mortar trough` is called, and that `vamp attachments` aren`t hosiery. And I mean really! Any southern lady worth her mint julip knows that a `check alternative` comes in a jewelry box and has bunches of carats!
Dennis,
All young girls party hard in Guangzhou. It's HOT there.
ARBAON,
Your comments made me laugh...
Dudley,
Shuffling Mah-Jongg tiles is pretty noisy, don't you think?
Hi all
well I started this one early. Old Deuteronomy was a given as I have seen Cats many times. However the rest was a slog. I left it for a while and went out and played.
We went to the Ferndale arboretum, which is beautiful.
A little hot, as it hit 90 again today. Last summer was cold and rainy, this year hot and humid. Ah well, Welcome to the midwest.
Dennis, never been to Tiajuana, but have been to Nogales, Won't talk about it!
Kazie, great pictures, have always wanted to go to Australia.
Hi all
well I started this one early. Old Deuteronomy was a given as I have seen Cats many times. However the rest was a slog. I left it for a while and went out and played.
We went to the Ferndale arboretum, which is beautiful.
A little hot, as it hit 90 again today. Last summer was cold and rainy, this year hot and humid. Ah well, Welcome to the midwest.
Dennis, never been to Tiajuana, but have been to Nogales, Won't talk about it!
Kazie, great pictures, have always wanted to go to Australia.
OOps
sorry about the double post.
Annette,
I am sure constructors feel comforted and pleased when their pun/wordplay is appreciated. Mutual feeling.
JD,
I am not a aquaphobia. I enjoy long bath. I just can't breathe when I dip into a swimming pool or ocean.
Anonymous @1:57am yesterday,
Welcome on board! We love fresh blood.
Our former neighbors (they have moved away and we have new neighbors now) used to play Ma-Jong late into the night on weekends. We could tell because we could hear the loud clatter as they shuffled and mixed the tiles. I've played it too, and I sometimes got the impression that expert players seemed to get enjoyment out of making as much noise as possible. Either that or in the belief that the noisier the mixing is, the more thorough is the shuffle. It's a fun game, though! It's a little bit like gin rummy in that you try to form runs and threes or fours of a kind, and the first person to play out all his tiles wins.
If I'm factually wrong here, I'm sure you won't hesitate to correct me.
It's always interesting listening to the World Cup announcers. They don't use collective nouns as we would in the US. They just said, "Uruguay do not want to go home ...." It sounds strange to my ears though I've come to expect it and understand it. We would always consider Uruguay singular.
Speaking of Tijuana, I have been to Tijuana several times. One time I came close to seeing the inside of the Tijuana jail. It was about 1964. I had become friends with older Spanish man living next to me. (Turns out he was a well-known author, Ramon Sender.) He suggesting going to Tijuana, taking in a Jai Alai game and dinner. We ended up later having some watered drinks in a disreputable-looking club where the dancers took off much less than advertised. We got back to my car to drive home. The bridge out of town was narrow and a car came driving toward me. Turned out to be a police car. The policeman told me the bridge was one way. When I backed off the bridge, I finally saw a hand-lettered sign saying Uno Paseo or something similar. I followed him nervously to the police station where the man inside typed up a copy of my crime report. He typed the fine as $40. I had about $12. Turns out the amount was in pesos, about $8 American. I paid the fine and had just enough left over to put some gas in the tank.
My newspaper print copy at 36d looked like:
"Allen who reported to Orson" and I kept thinking "Orson who?" "Orson Wells?"
Then as I entered my "THIRD mug of coffee time limit" and I saw it was "ALIEN" and that got me MORK (the damn Orkian!).
In the SW I just refused to give up on 57d DIM__ being WIT. (and this dimwit can be ornery!)
I've lived practically all my life in Florida.
COCOA for an "After school reguest" is nowhere in the cob-webs. I'm wanted Oreos!!!
This applies also to the "Treaded transport" being a SNOWMOBILE. Never snow-bound so mine was an Automobile with great tires!
This worked great for MY Vamp who was wearing "Tassels." (You can figure out where!)
OLD NORTH CHURCH was my first fill. I know my Paul Revere history. Own some of his silver items.
Fave was the RUDE awakenings.
Probably that point when I realized this was going to be a Saturday DNF.
I DETEST the ALMOND TREE for the "Source of sundae toppings."
Geez, the ones served around here have peanuts.
Kazie:
Thank you for the Uluru photos.
Boy does that bring back the memories.
Oh, by the way, when you were there did you find my sunglasses?
I took them off to look closely at some of the wall-art back in '85.
Kazie: Your pictures belong in a travel brochure!
CC: As long as you laugh with me and not @ me! :)
Lucina: Me Español es muy mal pero muchas gracias! (por la humedad)
Mr. Peterson; Muchas gracias por la leccion de ortografia!
Dennis, what's your tijuana story?
Bill G. said: They don't use collective nouns as we would in the US. They just said, "Uruguay do not want to go home ...."
I think it's a British Commonwealth thing. I used to serve with joint US Canadian committees and boards. They always seemed to treat collective nouns in the plural. Such as "The government have ... " or the board do not ...". I've seen similar treatment on an Australian submarine blog that I frequent.
FWIW
Crazyhorse, if you are still signed in, you can go to the comments section, and you will see a little trash can at the bottom of your posts; every post you make while signed in. Click on the can and you CAN delete your double post. The system makes us all double posters one time or another.
Tinbeni, I never put it in, but since I had TIC TAC right away, I too thought of TASSELS especially after our recent Burlesque discussion, and being an ex-preppy, even TASSELS .
Good World Cup match, and some amazing golf from Steve Stricker
Lemonade
re: Tassels
I was thinking more along the line of your former.
Though like you I do wear the latter.
Barry G
Today was interesting.
I finished the NYT.
Got my ass kicked by the LAT.
When that happens it is usually the other way around.
Your analysis was spot on so I didn't repeat.
But that ALMOND TREE for Sundae topping source was a stretch, at best.
Forgot to mention earlier, but EDEN being a Third-day creation is a stretch also.
OK, God created the veggies on the 3rd in Genesis 1. But Eden isn't mentioned until after Adam & Eve.
Howdy, CC and friends. Sorry for not piping up earlier. I read some of the comments this morning & hadn't come back to see what else was added.
OLD NORTH CHURCH was the seed for this puzzle. There are a lot of interesting 14-letter words (BALLOON ANIMALS is another) that haven't shown up much in puzzles, so I wanted to use a couple in this one. I'll probably use this grid or a similar one to showcase another pair of 14's someday.
As for T-STRAPS, everything I know about those I learned from Google. And I did like the double meaning of "vamp" a lot.
Hello All--It was nice of you Doug P. to stop by and give us some insight into your crossword today. Yes, and a vamp could be wearing t-straps with very high heels, I would expect.
CA, I'm so glad you had a great dinner and enjoyed Lewis Black. A nice belated birthday gift.
Lois, did you get to choose the color of your cast? My friend has just had acquired a bright blue one.
Have a wonderful Saturday evening, everyone.
Good evening C.C. and all,
Doug, this was a brilliant puzzle- It's probably the hardest one I've seen in a long time.Like Kazie, I didn't have enough gimmes to get any traction. I resorted to cheating to keep going, but again I stalled as there were 10 fills which I absolutely did not know: anapest, adipose, neva, ame, hod, Andronicus, R.O.Butler, Buck O'Neil, and the other definitions of vamp and skied.Sadly, there were plenty I should have gotten. It was a beauty though.
On the 3rd day, God created land..which can still be Eden even if it didn't have all the goodies yet.Yes, I put land.Didn't help.
Kazie, those pictures should be in National Geographic! The contrast of sky/cliffs are spectacular! Thanks for sharing.
MJ, Drake is a doll! Who says we can't dress up our boys?
Doug Peterson, great of you to stop - it's always such a treat to get the constructor's thoughts behind a given puzzle, especially one as creative as you. Means a lot.
anon@5:31, I'll not bore the group with my Tijuana jail story, suffice to say it was a bit more violent than BillG's tale.
Chickie and Jayce, I am pretty impressed. Tesla already has 2000 orders for its next version, a $50K car! Elon Musk is ONLY 38; he enrolled in a graduate program at Stanford, but left after 2 days. Guess he knew what he wanted to do!
Mary,
I used a Nikon S8000. I only got it a few weeks before the trip, because my other Nikon, also a great camera (P50) only has a 3.6X zoom, and this one has 10X. My decision for this one against all others was based on its portability--one of the flat new ones that look deceptively incapable of anything. Also my familiarity with the brand and the short warm up time I had to get used to it.
Thank you all for your wonderful remarks on the pix. I've been taking photos for years, so lots of practice. I learned a lot of what I know about composing and framing a shot from a tour guide in New Zealand in 1966. That was the first time I traveled with a 35mm camera.
My kids always tease me that I take far too long to line up a shot, but it's worth it mostly...that is, unless it's a croc too fast off the rock (see the next pix installment). I do sometimes miss things because I'm trying for perfection.
Tinbeni,
You know, I think those sunglasses must in the section where you walked but where our group was on the bus to get to the back side faster. If I ever go back, I'll look for them!
I wonder if C.C. or the ESL teachers here or anybody else can shed some light on this. I follow the Lakers and the Dodgers. The Lakers have a very good Spanish fellow at center, Pau Gasol. He speaks beautiful English. Many of the eastern European basketball players speak English well too. The baseball players from Mexico or the Dominican Republic speak English OK but with a strong accent. However, most of the Asian baseball players speak with an interpreter. What is the difference? Is it in their background? Education? Life experience? Or is English harder to learn for some cultures than others?
Tinbeni-I also read the newsprint for 36D as "Allen" and tried to think of what relationship Steve Allen had with Orson Welles, so MORK came by the perps. Also felt 20D: EDEN was a stretch, but, hey, today is Saturday, and the third day creation was the vegetation on the land, so I decided the Garden of Eden was justified.
Annette and JD, thanks for the shout-outs for my new avatar. Drake is quickly wrapping me around his fingers.
BillG-Great Tijuana story. And Dennis, as I said recently to BillG's Fourth of July story, "boys will be boys."
Bill G:
Here is my take on English learners. First, the answer to all your questions is, "yes."
However, much depends on (1) the level of education; the more education, the better a person respond to learning a foreign language.
(2) Some countries start teaching English to their children at a very young age. Students have told me it was part of their curriculum. If that is the case with ball players, their English would be quite good.
(3) Speakers from Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic have a naturally thick accent in their own language and it transfers to English when they try to speak it. But for the reasons cited above, some Mexican English speakers can become quite proficient in English. I would imagine the same is true of the other countries.
I'm sure other ESL teachers have more to add to this discussion.
Bill, in your experience did you notice that most of your students from Europe/Asia picked up English within that 1st year? These are my thoughts from my years in the classroom.
* Many European schools teach English in their schools, so they have an easy transition, and education is valued in their homes.
* Asian families stress education above all else, but most come here without any English skills.These students always rise to the top 10%- impressive.
* Most of these students don't have a group to continue speaking their own language, so they learn faster.
*The children from Mexico, in many cases, have not been taught English, and they continue to speak Spanish at school with friends, and at home.It takes them much longer to pick up written/spoken English.
JD said: "Asian families stress education above all else, but most come here without any English skills.These students always rise to the top 10%- impressive."
I didn't have much experience at my school with non-English speakers. Mostly I was speaking about Asian baseball players. I agree with what you said, that they stress education. So is English not taught in Asian schools? Why do the Asian baseball players seem to have such a hard time becoming confident with speaking English? They earn lots of money playing baseball so I'm sure they could hire people to help them with their English. C.C. writes great English and can even do English crosswords well. I'm just flummoxed about why most Asian Dodger players want an interpreter and seldom give live interviews. It must be hard playing baseball and being a bit of a celebrity without being confident about your ability to communicate with others.
Bill,
It has been my experience that the linguistic differences between English and Chinese, Viet Namese, Cambodian, Japanese, etc. are so profound as to make it almost impossible to form certain English sounds even after speaking it for decades.
We have mentioned before on this blog that the linguistic formation begins in infancy and influences any other, different sounds we try to make.
It is true that athletes could very likely hire language coaches; it is a mystery that they don't.
Lucina said: "It has been my experience that the linguistic differences between English and Chinese, Viet Namese, Cambodian, Japanese, etc. are so profound as to make it almost impossible to form certain English sounds even after speaking it for decades."
So would an English speaker have an equally difficult time learning Japanese, Chinese, etc.? I learned a little bit of Spanish fairly easily but never was exposed to learning Asian languages.
C.C., what's your thought on all this?
When did it become proper to verb a noun? An oar is a thing with which you row...
I know that recent years seem to have made it proper to verb any noun but come on!
I can't speak from personal experience about learning Asian languages, but presumably the same problems would exist.
Spanish is not too difficult for English speakers because both langauages are strongly based on Latin.
Another observation I have made is that musically inclined people have more of an aptitude to learn languages. Apparently hearing plays a large part in language acquisition.
Good day, C.C., Argyle 'n folk.
Here is something, not intended to be cross words, but puzzling, none the less...
*R-Rated
*Nothing on TV, no food in the frige, I'm in the mood for a stroll.
I buckle my newly pedicured feet into my favorite spiked heels; the red TSTRAPS! A pair of these, I think, are essential in every female's closet. That vampy look is killer.
Once out there, I can't help but smile, the way I get the CHASERS to oogle me! I am presently unemployed, so I keep an eye open for opportunities. It just doesn't suit me to be INAHOLE.
Now, I relax. This is not the time or place to ZONKOUT. I at the top of my game...AONE...all decked out, wearing my CORONET to boot! It's fake but with my ADDENDA, I capitalize on the assets I have so I can slow down these TWOSEATERS passing by. I say out, "well, helloooo there," and they're answering!
Looking this hot, I could stand to pose myself on some of those RISERS for the right AMT, that is!(LOL)
...it's a fine night tonight. I let out a breathy sigh. I'm getting this guy's interest. He tells me his name; he's another JON. Not uncommon to me. He says, "I may be COCOA-nutz, but when I'm ELONe, I do like to make the occasional CAT call. Doggy is just not my style." He looks me over and wiggles his eye brows. Speaking of cats, I smile like a Cheshire, knowing I've got this one in the bag!
To protect those of you with delicate constitutions, I won't describe the blow... by blow... details of my ensuing encounter.
Let's just say, I get the thrust of it and I play it like a fine fiddle.
ODDly, I'm thinking about it...this life. I know how to conduct the unspoken activities of these streets and avenues just like a FIREMAN knows how to handle his hose.
Bless my XES!
I'm around and have see my share of SKIED balls. This STAtement may seem lAME, but, back home, as I LEANT over, unstrapping these, my lucky charm heels, I think, "Yes, I'm older, but, I'm STILL A TIT!" (oops, I mean to say, "I'm 'stillatit!'")
I'm out.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary has OAR as a verb, anon.
The clue for "cacciatore" is not entirely correct. Dishes prepared "hunter's style" always include bell peppers along with onions, tomatoes and mushrooms. Chicken cacciatore is a great example: brown the chicken in olive oil; cover with sliced onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and garlic and chopped tomatoes; add a little white wine; simmer for about 45 minutes! You'll love it!
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