Theme: Musical Numbers - Songs with a number in the title.
17A. Temptations number : "CLOUD NINE". Song
64A. Doris Day number : "TEA FOR TWO". Song.
9D. Josh White number : "ONE MEAT BALL". Song
24D. Tennessee Ernie Ford number : "SIXTEEN TONS". Song
Two Across theme entries with numbers in the back. Two Down entries with numbers in front.
Argyle here.
Fred Piscop is a renowned constructor but this is only the second time we have seen him. The other was a Sunday. He seems to be fond of cross-references too.
There are plenty of songs with a number in the title but if there is a particular reason he chose these four, I don't see it. Do you?
Across:
1. Letters on the Ronald Reagan : USS. Aircraft Carrier CVN-76.
4. Student of Socrates : PLATO. And 29A. 4-Across, to Aristotle : TEACHER. They're all Greeks to me.
9. Travel like Eris or Ceres : ORBIT. Eris is the largest and Ceres is the smallest of the five identified dwarf planets in ORBIT in our Solar System.
14. Zippo : NIL. Nada, zero, nothing.
15. Put to work : HIRED.
16. Source of some urban pollution : NOISE. Tricky, but not as tricky as light pollution.
19. First name in TV talk : ELLEN. Ellen DeGeneres.
20. CIA boss Panetta : LEON. The man doesn't look like a secret agent.
21. Ward, to Beaver : DAD. From the old TV show, "Leave it to Beaver". And 52A. 21-Across, slangily : OLD MAN. Theodore wouldn't call his father that but Wally might.
22. Brunch fare : OMELET.
23. Tell-all news story : EXPOSÉ.
25. Market special : SALE.
27. Guinness serving : PINT.
34. Pre-fax communication : TELEX. Variations called Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs) are still used by the hearing impaired for typed communications over ordinary telephone lines.
37. Mob hit victim, often : RAT.
39. Worthless talk : TRIPE.
40. __-garde : AVANT.
41. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer : ALI. The third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,
42. School rides : BUSES.
43. Soprano Fleming : RENÉE. At the The Obama Inaugural Celebration Concert: You ll Never Walk Alone
44. Spray graffiti on, say : MAR.
45. Stocks or bonds : ASSET.
46. Swap the old for the new : TRADE UP.
48. First name in scat : ELLA.
50. Legendary loch : NESS.
56. Having just exercised : SWEATY.
60. Returns pro : CPA.
62. Move carefully : EASE.
63. Convention nametag word : HELLO.
66. Poland Spring competitor : EVIAN. (Bottled water)
67. Carriage return, these days : ENTER. Carriage, (the moving part of a typewriter) when it returned at the end of a line, would drop down a line which is what happens when you click on ENTER.
68. Catch some rays : TAN.
69. Campus VIPs : DEANS. And 4D. Deg. for many 69-Across : PHD.
70. Tractor maker John : DEERE.
71. USNA grad : ENS..
Down:
1. "I give!" : "UNCLE!".
2. Proctor __ appliances : SILEX. Frank Wolcott, in 1919, started a company in his own name as a distributor of electric heaters and appliances, using the trade name Torrid. In 1924, he bought from H.M. Bridges, the Silex Co. of Malden, Mass., which had introduced into the U.S., the German vacuum coffee maker. So does SILEX mean something in German?
3. Single -masted ship : SLOOP.
5. Tree also known as basswood : LINDEN.
6. Andrea Bocelli delivery : ARIA. He is a multiple Classical Brit-winning and Grammy and Emmy nominated, Italian pop tenor and crossover artist. Duet with Elmo.
7. Works the bar : TENDS.
8. "To a ..." poem : ODE.
10. Thespian's résumé listing : ROLE.
11. Fin or sawbuck : BILL. Fin is slang for a five-dollar bill and sawbuck is a ten. The term, sawbuck, comes from the Roman numeral for ten, X, and X looks like a sawbuck (for cutting up wood).
12. "Now it's clear!" : "I SEE!".
13. Backpacker's shelter : TENT.
18. Still in the crate : UNOPENED.
22. Soccer shout : "¡Olé!".
26. Things to wear : ATTIRE.
28. Homeless itinerants : TRAMPS.
30. One with a cause : CRUSADER.
31. Greet the villain : "HISS!".
32. Blunted blade : ÉPÉE.
33. Remainder : REST.
34. Like sourballs : TART.
35. "Rarely, if __ ..." : EVER.
36. Lang of Smallville : LANA. From Superman's youth.
38. In the style of : À LA.
47. Slangy reversal of direction : UEY. A U-turn.
49. Work shirker : LOAFER.
51. Movie segment : SCENE.
53. Dull finish : MATTE.
54. Egypt's __ High Dam : ASWAN. The newer Aswan High Dam is located a further 7.3 kilometres upriver from the Aswan Low Dam.
55. Vegas signs : NEONS.
56. Storage building : SHED.
57. "__ Only Just Begun": Carpenters hit : WE'VE. Song
58. Director Kazan : ELIA.
59. Actor Arkin : ALAN.
61. Chopped spread : PÂTÉ.
64. Fenway Park's Williams : TED. Boston Red Sox home park.
65. It usually ends in "ite" : ORE. i.e. Bauxite, Iron Pyrite.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Yesterday's "Record needles" clue for 42A (D.O.A.) in some papers are mysterious errors. Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword Editor) said his final clue was "1988 film noir remake". How the needles dropped into your local paper is still yet to be found.
2) Al solved my Firefox browser gray links problem. Thanks, Al!
17A. Temptations number : "CLOUD NINE". Song
64A. Doris Day number : "TEA FOR TWO". Song.
9D. Josh White number : "ONE MEAT BALL". Song
24D. Tennessee Ernie Ford number : "SIXTEEN TONS". Song
Two Across theme entries with numbers in the back. Two Down entries with numbers in front.
Argyle here.
Fred Piscop is a renowned constructor but this is only the second time we have seen him. The other was a Sunday. He seems to be fond of cross-references too.
There are plenty of songs with a number in the title but if there is a particular reason he chose these four, I don't see it. Do you?
Across:
1. Letters on the Ronald Reagan : USS. Aircraft Carrier CVN-76.
4. Student of Socrates : PLATO. And 29A. 4-Across, to Aristotle : TEACHER. They're all Greeks to me.
9. Travel like Eris or Ceres : ORBIT. Eris is the largest and Ceres is the smallest of the five identified dwarf planets in ORBIT in our Solar System.
14. Zippo : NIL. Nada, zero, nothing.
15. Put to work : HIRED.
16. Source of some urban pollution : NOISE. Tricky, but not as tricky as light pollution.
19. First name in TV talk : ELLEN. Ellen DeGeneres.
20. CIA boss Panetta : LEON. The man doesn't look like a secret agent.
21. Ward, to Beaver : DAD. From the old TV show, "Leave it to Beaver". And 52A. 21-Across, slangily : OLD MAN. Theodore wouldn't call his father that but Wally might.
22. Brunch fare : OMELET.
23. Tell-all news story : EXPOSÉ.
25. Market special : SALE.
27. Guinness serving : PINT.
34. Pre-fax communication : TELEX. Variations called Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs) are still used by the hearing impaired for typed communications over ordinary telephone lines.
37. Mob hit victim, often : RAT.
39. Worthless talk : TRIPE.
40. __-garde : AVANT.
41. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer : ALI. The third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,
42. School rides : BUSES.
43. Soprano Fleming : RENÉE. At the The Obama Inaugural Celebration Concert: You ll Never Walk Alone
44. Spray graffiti on, say : MAR.
45. Stocks or bonds : ASSET.
46. Swap the old for the new : TRADE UP.
48. First name in scat : ELLA.
50. Legendary loch : NESS.
56. Having just exercised : SWEATY.
60. Returns pro : CPA.
62. Move carefully : EASE.
63. Convention nametag word : HELLO.
66. Poland Spring competitor : EVIAN. (Bottled water)
67. Carriage return, these days : ENTER. Carriage, (the moving part of a typewriter) when it returned at the end of a line, would drop down a line which is what happens when you click on ENTER.
68. Catch some rays : TAN.
69. Campus VIPs : DEANS. And 4D. Deg. for many 69-Across : PHD.
70. Tractor maker John : DEERE.
71. USNA grad : ENS..
Down:
1. "I give!" : "UNCLE!".
2. Proctor __ appliances : SILEX. Frank Wolcott, in 1919, started a company in his own name as a distributor of electric heaters and appliances, using the trade name Torrid. In 1924, he bought from H.M. Bridges, the Silex Co. of Malden, Mass., which had introduced into the U.S., the German vacuum coffee maker. So does SILEX mean something in German?
3. Single -masted ship : SLOOP.
5. Tree also known as basswood : LINDEN.
6. Andrea Bocelli delivery : ARIA. He is a multiple Classical Brit-winning and Grammy and Emmy nominated, Italian pop tenor and crossover artist. Duet with Elmo.
7. Works the bar : TENDS.
8. "To a ..." poem : ODE.
10. Thespian's résumé listing : ROLE.
11. Fin or sawbuck : BILL. Fin is slang for a five-dollar bill and sawbuck is a ten. The term, sawbuck, comes from the Roman numeral for ten, X, and X looks like a sawbuck (for cutting up wood).
12. "Now it's clear!" : "I SEE!".
13. Backpacker's shelter : TENT.
18. Still in the crate : UNOPENED.
22. Soccer shout : "¡Olé!".
26. Things to wear : ATTIRE.
28. Homeless itinerants : TRAMPS.
30. One with a cause : CRUSADER.
31. Greet the villain : "HISS!".
32. Blunted blade : ÉPÉE.
33. Remainder : REST.
34. Like sourballs : TART.
35. "Rarely, if __ ..." : EVER.
36. Lang of Smallville : LANA. From Superman's youth.
38. In the style of : À LA.
47. Slangy reversal of direction : UEY. A U-turn.
49. Work shirker : LOAFER.
51. Movie segment : SCENE.
53. Dull finish : MATTE.
54. Egypt's __ High Dam : ASWAN. The newer Aswan High Dam is located a further 7.3 kilometres upriver from the Aswan Low Dam.
55. Vegas signs : NEONS.
56. Storage building : SHED.
57. "__ Only Just Begun": Carpenters hit : WE'VE. Song
58. Director Kazan : ELIA.
59. Actor Arkin : ALAN.
61. Chopped spread : PÂTÉ.
64. Fenway Park's Williams : TED. Boston Red Sox home park.
65. It usually ends in "ite" : ORE. i.e. Bauxite, Iron Pyrite.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Yesterday's "Record needles" clue for 42A (D.O.A.) in some papers are mysterious errors. Rich Norris (LA Times Crossword Editor) said his final clue was "1988 film noir remake". How the needles dropped into your local paper is still yet to be found.
2) Al solved my Firefox browser gray links problem. Thanks, Al!
85 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - Argyle, I'm with you; the theme was obvious, but no idea as to why those songs.
This was a pretty smooth Tuesday offering, but I ran into a few unknowns that required perp help. Didn't know Renee Fleming, didn't know either Josh White or what he sang and didn't know Lana Lang. I blanked on 'Carriage return' for a while too. I liked this puzzle more than most Tuesday ones, I think because of the fresh clues.
Argyle, thanks for the explanation of 'sawbuck'; never knew that.
Today is Moon Day, celebrating Neil Armstrong's stroll on the lunar surface.
Did you know:
- A full moon is nine times brighter than a half moon.
- When CBS broadcast the first television show in color, no one other than CBS owned a color television set.
- The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most well-known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
Hello All!
Thanks to Argyle and CC and all other recent solution providers.
I really didn't enjoy the Sunday puzzle. It took over an hour. However, the LA Times Calendar puzzle by Merl was Great Fun!
Today's puzzle caused me no problems. Has to be some advantage to being this old!
I was on TV playing the viola with a string quartet. We did Borodin's famous Nocturne. I was really shaky!!!
Thank heavens no VCRs in the late '50s!
CA--Very best wishes to you. I really enjoy your posts.
Good Morning, Argyle and all. I loved the challenge of this puzzle. I quickly realized that the theme answers were musical "numbers". Thanks, for adding a taste of all the theme songs, Argyle.
I stalled for a few minutes in the NE corner. It took a while before ORBIT dawned on me.
Also, I was married to OPRAH for the longest time, until the perps finally convinced me we were looking for ELLEN.
My favorite clues today were: Carriage Returns, These Days (I immediately thought of my old electric typewriter) = ENTER
Returns Pro = CPA
QOD: Home is not where you live, but where they understand you. ~ Christian Morgenstern
Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all:
It has been fun to watch a new set of people finding the corner and expressing their views; welcome and keep up the good work. It would be interesting if we ever could keep the perspective of the oldies and newbies coming at the same time.
Dennis, I thought you had more exposure to comic books, or at least cute Canadian actress Kristin Kreuk who plays LANA LANG on Smallville .
Lots of good information in the write up, thanks
ONE MEAT BALL???
Fortunately, I didn't even see that one while solving, since I got it entirely via the perps...
Good Morning Everyone!
I never heard of "One Meatball", but thanks for the link.
My radar didn't have Ellen Degeneres in it -- instead, I had "Allen" for 19A. This Man
invented the Tonight show format way before Johnny took it over and was truly the "FIRST" name in TV talk.
So the theme today totally escaped me until I came here - even after reading your comments Argyle, I don't see how these four songs are linked, other than the fact that they all have numbers in them.
Good morning all. Good write-up, Argyle.
Unique picture of the USS Ronald Reagan. It appears to have been taken during her transit of the Strait of Magellan in 2004, the first nuclear powered carrier to do so. Here is an article describing her historic passage.
Straightforward puzzle today. With a little perp help, no lookups needed.
Lemonade, I echo your comments about the new bloggers. Welcome, all.
I was also struck by the unusual photo of the USS Ronald Reagan and felt it had great composition.
Argyle, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you !!!!! ... for the youtube song from the Carpenters.It brought back the memories of my past life ( so far ) and some tears as well... really tugged at my heart strings. The singing duo were so beautiful and Karen's death was such a tragedy, and so needless ( from bulemia ).
In case I forget to mention it, your commentary was delightful ( as always ). For the first time, I got the 'theme' of the 'number songs'... all on my own... Yay !!
The NW (?) corner gave me some problem ... that is why I had to visit this blog .... I have had to put myself on a strict diet, because this damn blog is so addictive. No more than once a week.
I knew Ceres is the goddess of Cereals ... but I kept thinking, on how did she travel and get around ... did she have wings ( to fly ) like Mercury ? ... or did she plow the ground and the field ?... I never thought of dem new fangled moons. Never heard of Eris... or of Josh White. I got 'meatball' and then figured it had to be 'one' ... because all the other 3 letter numbers 2 and 6 were taken.
Dennis: I think the carriage was also called the platen. I keep a couple of typewriters on my den bookshelf to show young kids about the 'complicated' machines we had back then, along with the sliderule and the abacus and a circular nomogram.
Anon@8:26, I'm thinking the platen was the round roller and the carriage was the whole moving assembly containing the platen. I could very well be wrong, but that's my recollection.
Lemonade, no, I haven't read a comic book in many decades (I don't sell them either), and never saw Smallville.
I am amazed at the number of recordings of "One Meat Ball" there are on YouTube. This "soundie" is from the 1940's. Soundies were an early version of the music video.
I've changed my avatar to show the SAWBUCK used at my son's wedding in Germany. It was a test of their ability to cooperate. Thanks Al, I didn't know what it was called.
And no, SILEX doesn't mean anything in German.
Easy Tuesday, but like HeartRx, I missed ELLEN and had ALLEN to give me "ON A meatball", which I thought tied in a bit with the ODE clue. I also was thinking of Steve Allen.
As with other easy puzzles, I wasn't even pausing to look for the theme, so missed reading many clues that perps filled automatically, so didn't think much about the numbers in the long ones.
Kazie, I thought "On A Meatball" made sense, as I was thinking of the old children's camp song On Top of Spaghetti
Go Figure!
Easy Breezy Tuesday puzzle. A small hangup in the NE as i scanned the clues and with absolute confidence put OPRAH in first place. The crosses quickly killed that entry, though. I moved on and solved everything else with only one other hiccup. I was sure of tradein, but now that I think about it, I guess you can tradeup without having a tradein. Tradeup was in another puzzle within the last few days and I guess I was expecting something sneaky. After looking at the cross, I did a UE (I've used the term many times but never considered how it should be spelled until now)and made the necessary correction.
By the time I got back to the NE, the musical numbers theme had revealed itself, "meatball" was in place, so the "one" part of the clue was pretty obvious even though I have no knowledge of the song. Ellen gave Oprah the boot and all else quickly fell in place.
I guess there's an advantage to having reached an advanced age. ENTER was really obvious for carriage return, as well as TELEX and a couple of the songs.
My thought for the day... Age and cunning trumps youth and enthusiam.
One more comment and I have to be going.
It seems sawbuck comes from a Dutch word, zaagbok, a trestle used for sawing wood.
Good morning xworders,
I had a pretty easy time with today's puzzle. A few unknowns that I got via perps. RENEE/LANA I guessed at the N because I didn't know either of these. Was a little confused on returns pro; kept trying to figure out what you would call it if a pro had to go back to the minors and then got called back up. UEY had me for a minute because I never really thought about how to spell it, but got it with perp help.
Argyle - hand up for the sawbuck explanation. I always wondered why a 10 was called a sawbuck. And I agree: Leon Panetta certainly does not looke like a spy!
Dennis - as always, love your tidbits of information.
Don't know why, but sometimes I can see the avatars, and sometimes not. It is annoying because with the avatars, I at least have a picture to connect with the names. Any ideas on how to get them to always show up?
Have a great Tuesday, everyone. I am off to gymnastics with my almost-3-year-old.
About those numbers. Maybe Fred Piscop was indicating a postal zip code. Depending on how they are arranged 9-1-16-2 (91162) belongs to Westlake Village CA, 9-2-1-16 (92116) is in San Diego CA, 1-9-16-2 (19162) is across country in Philadelphia PA and 1-16-9-2 (11692) is Arverne NY.
Or maybe those song titles just were the easiest fits for the grid.
Vettedoe,
I don't know what to do if avatars aren't showing up at all, but on Internet Explorer, I have a "page" button on the right side which lets you enlarge the page to see them better. Now on Firefox, I can't figure out how to do that, but you can always click on the blue names and go to the blogger's info to see the avatar better.
Argyle,
That makes sense, because in German 'Bock' is a billy goat, or a buck in several wild animals, and 'sägen' means to saw. Since Dutch and German share a lot of word roots, I'm sure they were thinking of it as the shape between the goat's horns. Sawhorse is in fact 'Sägebock' in German too.
Just want to let you know that OLE is not used in soccer but in bullfighting.
Kazie - I am using Internet Explorer. It is not that I can't see them well. I just get a blank box for them. I have tried refreshing the page and that doesn't seem to help.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my favorite clue today - SIXTEEN TONS. It was a favorite in my family. Nearly every year at Christmas, after the food is eaten and the presents are opened, someone starts singing. At some point, this song is always sung. My uncle does a really good rendition of it. We even have a picture of the six siblings (Mom is the oldest) each holding these toy microphones that one of the sisters gave to each of them. I am pretty sure they were singing Sixteen Tons in that picture. Fun memories!
Easy puzzle. 17 minutes. Very straightforward solution.
Vettedoe,
I did say I don't know what to do about the non-showing-up avatars. It happens sometimes. I was rather hoping someone else would chime in and tell me how to zoom in and enlarge an internet page on Firefox.
Anon@9:47,
Olé would be used if a Hispanic team were playing I suppose, but it struck me as odd too. If Germans are playing, you're more likely to hear Tor!!!
Vettedoe - You might have to relax your security settings in the browser to see the page in question.
Zagen - to saw
to saw
to nag, to speak in an annoying tone, to repeat oneself
Conjugation:
infinitive zagen
present tense past tense
1st person singular zaag zaagde
2nd person singular zaagt zaagde
3rd person singular zaagt zaagde
plural zagen zaagden
imperative sing. zaag
imperative plur.1 zaagt
participles zagend (hebben) gezaagd
It’s a good thing for perps today as all of the proper names I would never have gotten elsewise. I have never heard of Renee Fleming, Leon Panetta, or Lana Lang. I also never would have gotten Aswan dam and I have never heard of Proctor-Silex appliances. My favorite clue today was “returns pro” – CPA.
It is already July 20th. Where is the summer going? My zucchini is coming in hot and heavy. Kazie, how is your garden going?
Also, welcome to all you newbies.
Ole, Ole, Ole is THE soccer anthem all over the world.
Felt successful today. No Google and no red letters!
It's interesting to me when I don't know stuff that obvious to others. Today was just the reverse. I had no trouble with Lana Lang having read Superboy comics. The girl who played Lana on Smallville was delicious! Also, Josh White was easy since he was a favorite of ours in college and thereafter. We went to see him in concert. Great guitarist and singer.
Hi all - sort of a strange bunch of clues and answers for me today. Never heard of Josh White or the song. I don't follow soccer but I thought the 'shout' was GOAL!! Not OLE.
Slangy reversal of direction was a mystery...and I couldn't have spelled it anyway....thankfully the perps bailed me out.
Smallville; wasn't that the town Superman grew up in? I didn't know Lana Lang, all I could think of was Lois Lane. sigh.
Anon (8:26a) Karen Carpenter died of anorexia not bulemia.
Avatar is a sanskrit word meaning a reincarnation ( that is, coming down to this earth ) of ( one of the ) God(s). As to why He or She or It would need to do that is beyond me. Sooo, in the spirit of things to be (barshast ... yiddish ) ... if one doesn't see an avatar on ones screen ... has anybody considered using the facility and the power of prayer ?
To my fellow twin ( or multiple ) Anon .... you seem to be right ... Ole' is what the peasants shout when the Toro goes muerte'. Atleast, thats what the traditional xword clues seem to indicate ...
But considering that the spaniards won the socalled World Futboll Cup ... I guess they have bragging rights for the next 4 years ( horrors !).... so I guess they can shout 'Ole' whenever they want.
However, whether that makes it a legitimate xword clue is another story.
Hi gang -
Anon @9:47 - Didn't Spain just win the world cup?
Lemonade - with the phony facial hair applique I plastered on using Picnik and a receding hair line, ANYONE would look like Gary McCord.
The variation I heard long ago on Grumpy's SAW was: youth and skill are no match for old age and treachery. At the time I didn't really get it . . .
Breezed through the left side, but hit all kinds of snags on the right. Inverted the Aristotle-Plato relationship and put in STUDENT. I hate it when the wrong answer fits!
Never heard of ONE MEAT BALL, and didn't associate TEA FOR TWO with Doris. Trombone bias, I guess. Not really much of a song, though.
Let's see . . . ONE and TWO are primes, and Fibonacci numbers, ONE, NINE and SIXTEEN have integer square roots, there's an even odd-even split, and they total 28.
Nothing striking about the grouping of four -- maybe they just fit the grid best.
Or is 1,2,9,16 some sort of subtle series? A nice set would be 1,4,9,16, the squares of the first four positive integers.
SILEX is finely ground silica. Coffee is finely ground . . . (is that sili?)
Cheers!
JzB the trombonucopia of useless information and numerology
Kazie -
Here is some useful information.
{Control} with {+} and {-} will zoom in and out on a web page in Firefox.
Cheers!
JzB the zooming trombonist
Dennis:
Back when I was a wage slave at IBM (tool and die maker), I built tooling for the Selectric and other typewriters You are correct about the platen.
As far as Paneta or anyone else NOT looking like a spy:
wouldn't that be an advantage, if not a prerequisite?
I just took a 20+ mile bike ride up to our county's Vietnam memorial (I like to 'talk' to the guys, maybe help some of my guilt, I guess) and on the way back, I was involved in a high-speed collision. I was tooling along on an open road, and out of nowhere, this little bird flies right into the side of my helmet. Startled the hell outta me, and probably the bird too. He fluttered around on the ground for a minute, then took off like nothing happened. I know it's supposedly good luck if a bird craps on you, but jeez, this was ridiculous. Guess I'll have to research who has the right-of-way.
Windhover, I had the same thought about Paneta - a spy shouldn't look like a spy.
JzB ... i have been somewhat involved ( through a venture capital firm .... ) in the processing of Silica, and I had not heard of Silex. Thanks for the wiki link-up to the ground-up version.
Grinding an ore or mineral is a relative thing ...you can grind it up mechanically or ... as the venture capital firm is involved .... the silica ( with some H2O - water molecules in the matrix ) is pieced together at the molecular level ... to make synthetic Opal. If ... sorry, When it succeeds, Opal will be much more readily available ... beautiful colors, at will, and at reasonable prices ... and the Australian miners will be devastated ( I just cant put it any other way).
Good morning all. An overcast morning here in Gilroy, perfect pre-weather for the Garlic Festival!
Ten minute puzzle today. Thought some of the clues were very clever - Returns pro, slangy reversal, homeless itinerants (don't hear "tramp" much any more).
I usually think of Jack Paar, but have always loved Steve Allen. Who can forget "Hey there mister, how's your sister? Does she still go smock, smock?" Louie Nye, Tom Poston, the man on the street, great cast of characters.
I associate Doris Day with "Que Sera, Sera" but that obviously didn't fit! Not so much "Tea for Two". Leon Panetta was a given, he's from our neck of the woods - before he hit the big time in D.C.
Off to Smart and Final, (or Stupid and Temporary, as we like to call it) to pick up a few supplies for the weekend. Everyone have a Terrific Tuesday!
Good morning Argyle,C.C. and everyone.
I didn't know any of the songs and never heard any of them until now. Thanks for the links Argyle. Otherwise an easy but fun solve with perps coming in handy.
ONE MEAT BALL? That's just a MEAL ON TABLE and ALL BEAT ME ON it.
Have a good day everyone.
August
Happy, Tuesday, everyone!
Thanks for all that info, Santa; I'll check the links later as the gym is calling me.
This was a nice, fresh puzzle. I sprinted through it with only a few hiccups.
Like Hahtool and others, I very confidently filled OPRAH until ELLEN became apparent. And I wasn't too sure about ORBIT then ROLE, BILL, and TENT nailed it.
Being of a certain age, I knew TEAFORTWO, SIXTEENTONS, WE'VEONLY JUST BEGUN, and CLOUDNINE but had no idea about ONEMEATBALL.
However, none was too difficult to suss out. One other snag was TRADEUP, where I also filled TRADE IN, but again, the downs changed that.
Favorite clue also, returns pro, CPA. Brilliant!
Besides songs and numbers, this xwd also has an education slant: TEACHER, PHD, DEANS.
Great fun from Fred Piscop!
Al, from last night, it was too late to look for the study on mosquitoes, but I plan to do so later today.
Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
That's just wierd, Dennis. How many people have been smacked in the head by a wayward bird? Must have scared the bejeezus out of you. Glad the little guy is okay. But man, what an idiot. Avian maniacs... sheesh.
Jazz -
I spent an hour on math websites trying to find a logical pattern to the sequence 1,2,9,16 without any luck...but it did serve to refresh my fascination with that wonderful science. Maybe the numbers actually represent dates - Jan 16 and Sep 2 ? Or, maybe we just have too much time on our hands trying to find a pattern ;-D
Jerome, yeah, it was definitely an attention-getter. Obviously wasn't one of our smarter feathered friends.
How many people have been smacked in the head by a wayward bird?
Don't know why, but I'm guessing Lois is better able to answer that...
Dennis - glad you and your feathered 'bullet' are ok...could have been a real disaster! While on my bike I've had a bird poop on me a few times, ewwwe, and was stung on the thumb by a bee when we ran into each other, even had a squirrel run right through my front wheel spokes!! He made a little thumping noise, but came out just fine. We stopped to make sure he was ok. Don't know what we would have done if he wasn't.
Garlic Gal, what is Smart and Final??
Nice to see ORBIT in the grid.
I wonder if that was a nod to Michael Collins who was orbiting while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were walking on the moon 41 years ago, today.
The 4 themes being songs was apparent with CLOUD NINE. But I will admit to not being familiar with ONE MEAT BALL. (Which would be a big meal if it was the size of that Soccer Ball, OLE!)
Otherwise, just a straight-forward Tuesday.
Thought the graffiti might be to tag (isn't that what the gangs do to mark their territory?) But the TRAMPS say it is to MAR.
Liked the TRADE UP for swap the old for the new.
UEY for Slangy reversal brought a smile.
First name in TV talk, I thought of Steve Allen, Larry King and Oprah long before ELLEN was revealed by the perps.
Jazz,
Thanks for the hint on enlarging. Now I can look more closely at a new avatar more easily.
Anon@11:13,
That would suit me fine. I bought an opal ring the last time I was in Oz (2004) when the aussie dollar was only worth half what it is now, and even then I felt I was being ripped off. I have some older doublets that aren't worth as much too, but I'd love to be able to get something that looks like the real thing without it costing so much. It might even bring the price of the real thing down to a more realistic level.
Dennis,
Aren't you glad it wasn't a turkey?
Soccerfan,
Good clip, thanks!
Thanks CC for this blog. It is a bright spot in my morning.
Super easy for the second day in a row. I had several unknowns today, such as ONE MEATBALL. Most of the unknowns were filled in by perps. I knew LEON Panetta, had a vague remembrance of RENEE Fleming, but no knowledge of LANA Lang. I wanted "Steve" (Allen) or "Oprah" for 19A. ELLEN wouldn't even have entered my mind without the perps.
OMELET is one of those words I always have to look up for the spelling. I think there should be an "h" in there. Maybe it is because I don't eat them.
Dennis, sorry about your "collision." I didn't know getting "put upon" by a bird was good luck. Hubby got bombed when entering Albertson's once. He stepped back to allow an elderly woman to enter, which put him directly under the edge of the roof at the exact moment for the bird. It went onto his shoulder and down the front of his shirt. As he walked in, he muttered "Why not? Everyone else does." Fortunately, they had some of the Clorox wipes handy in the basket area. We were laughing so hard, I could hardly help him clean up. People really gave us some strange looks.
I loved all the Aussie pics. Thanks, K!
Good Afternoon All,
Internet problems this morning gave me a bit of reprieve as I'm sleep deprived...That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. My problems started with writing Merve for 19A realizing the spelling error I erased and wrote Oprah. I also wrote in Quiche for 22A. Finally erased the whole mess and switched to the down clues and got some traction. It was like that all the way through. When Cloudnine and Fifteen Tons fell I think the caffeine finally kicked in. The grid was all smudged and covered with eraser crumbs by the time I finished. A good puzzle by Mr. Piscop with a unique style.
The wife and I did our first batch of dill pickles last night. I quit at 11:PM and she finished by midnight. I think we put up 15 quarts. This may become a recurring theme. I bought these seeds called "Home made pickles" and they are coming on like gangbusters. The whole garden is screaming right along due to the heat and we've been getting a decent rain/thunderstorm every few days. Looks like we'll be happy farmers for the next couple of months!
Windhover, How are your crops coming?
I'm definitely sleeping tonight.
Have a great remainder of the day!!
Had no trouble with todays puzzle despite not being familiar with many of the songs. Seems everything came quite easily with the perps.
Dennis, you take care. I was just about to go on my bike ride. I had a squirrel run into me the other day. It also was startling, just not quite as much.
A friend was biking a month ago and couldn't get her foot out of the clip, twisted her ankle and broke it in 4 places. This biking stuff is dangerous isn't it?
Dennis I have a friend that birds obviously hate. She has been dive bombed and shat upon too many occasions to count. One time a bird got into her house and it did it’s business just on her side of the bed and also just on her picture in a portrait of her and her significant other. One year I bought her the DVD “The Birds” for her birthday. She wasn’t amused.
Kazie,
No joke about the turkey. Four years ago I had a small Jake run through my front wheel. Destroyed the spokes, rim, tire and tube and gave me a hell of a case of road rash. There was nothing salvageable from the bird either. I've also been hit by deer twice. I think they where all suicidal. Why else would they jump out in front of my fat ass!
Biking is only as dangerous as the operator. That's why I always wear my helmet!
Dennis, Road bike, mountain or cross trainer?
Carol: re: Unfortunate Karen Carpenter's death post-mortem ... Thank you for pointing out to me the difference between anorexia vis-a-vis bulimia. I guess the former is perpetual starvation and the latter is starvation, temporarily postponed by overeating binges ( and voluntary voiding ).
Psch majors, please do not shoot me ,just yet.
HeartRx: You did not consider 12-9-16,... December 9, 1916 ... the Third battle of the Marne in WW 1...a full 99 days after General 'black jack ' Pershing's arrival on French soil ... smack dab in the middle of the Great War ... and the greater involvement of our dough boys in the long final onslaught.
What say you ... I think we should run a full investigation about this puzzle constructor's antecedents... :-D
One Meatball
There was a young pig from Mises
whose b***s were of different sizes
One b*** was small
and no b*** at all
But the other was big and won prizes.
Mainiac, I'm not sure if it's considered road or cross-trainer. Just got it two weeks ago; it's a Trek 7.3 FX, much lighter than my previous bike.
KQ, I just got new clips also, and fell in my own damn driveway last week when I couldn't get my shoe out. I must've looked like that character on Laugh-In, the one on the trike who would just tip over.
Hello All--A very doable Tuesday Puzzle. I didn't have to look up anything today, but did have a couple of early missteps which gave me pause in the Eastern top and center.
I had put in smoke for Urban pollution, and Trash for Worthless talk. Both of those entries hung me up for some time. I finally pulled One Meat Ball from somewhere in the way back recesess of my mind and Epee was an Aha entry, so Then things fell into place nicely.
I enjoyed the theme, and for once I knew all the songs. Usually I struggle with song fills, and I was pleasantly surprised with my memory today. Must be my age!
Argyle, Nice explanations today, especially on fin and sawbuck. I do learn something every day here on the Corner!
My Aha moments besides epee, were Returns pro/CPA and Poland Spring comeptitor/Evian.
I see that Platen has been addressed already. In Typing I class in HS, we had to learn every typewriter part--(There was one that was all taken apart), and then we were tested. I hated that part of the course. Who knew then that computers would make the typewriter pretty obsolete? We have one in our garage and couldn't even give it away at our garage sale.
Vidwan,
Do you have Indian roots? You have a strong grasp of the culture/language of that region. With your conversion yesterday, Kazie's Pink Lady are still expensive, reaching the price for Honeycrisp! Does Cherimoya taste like lychee?
Don't use Anonymous any more, OK? Either stick to Vidwan or pick another name. You have some interesting thing to say and I want to identify you easily, besides your characteristic ... hallmark.
I saw my first Linden tree in Germany several years ago. It was a beautiful old specimen in a Castle garden.
The Poem by Wilhelm Muller is a beautiful tribute to the tree. I would like to put this translation on the Blog today, as CA is not here to do so.
Wilhelm Müller:
The Linden Tree
At wellside, past the ramparts,
there stands a linden tree.
While sleeping in its shadow,
sweet dreams it sent to me.
And in its bark I chiseled
my messages of love:
My pleasures and my sorrows
were welcomed from above.
Today I had to pass it,
well in the depth of night -
and still, in all the darkness,
my eyes closed to its sight.
Its branches bent and rustled,
as if they called to me:
Come here, come here, companion,
your haven I shall be!
The icy winds were blowing,
straight in my face they ground.
The hat tore off my forehead.
I did not turn around.
Away I walked for hours
whence stands the linden tree,
and still I hear it whisp'ring:
You'll find your peace with me!
Dear C.C....I fully realized with enough (and frequent ... ) posts my modus operandi (m.o.) would become apparent. I guess thats why Ted Kazynski ( the mad bomber mathematician ) was very careful and selective on how he wrote up his letter-bombs.( I know, what a comparison ! )
I want to sincerely apologize to you and the others for my hogging up your blog space. It is unforgivable. I have to just try and avoid this blog on certain days.
As for my roots ... you are right ... I am Indian. But I would still like to keep my anonymity ... because I'm not so sure I should even be doing this in the first place... plus, I am breaking one of your commandments by straying off the main subject ... the xword clues and answers ... by jumping off into tangential subjects. I guess I like to write and interact in what appears to me to be a parallel universe... much like a twilight zone. I dont know whether I am making much sense.
RE: the apples ... you're right ... they are still expensive at 3.94 per pound... but then the US is the ONLY place where food is cheap. It is more expensive everywhere else in the world ... which is why we have such an obesity epidemic or pandemic.
Chermoyas taste like lychees but have many more seeds... about 30 to 40 tamarind sized seeds. The meaty flesh is a little gritty and somewhat sparse ... not as smooth and jellolike as the lychee. I think it is sweeter than lychee and the aroma is intoxicating.
The south (mostly central ) american chermoya, that is available here, is not as good, or sweet or flavorful as the indian variety. I suspect they have different genuses ( I dont know if this a legitimate plural term ). But since I have never been able to visit India in the season ( Sept - Nov ) ... I have not eaten the indian variety in the last 20 years.
Please accept my sincere apologies again, and I thank you and the many others who work so hard and with such dedication to keep this blog for all of us.
Take care, Vidwan
Dennis, KQ: You just listed the reason we don't use toe-clips on our mountain bikes....we are clumsy enough without having our toes anchored in something. We don't wear typical bike clothes either - it's just us, but we think they are too garish. We do have bright jackets, helmets and of course, lights.
Hello again. @Carol - Smart and Final is a small warehouse store (ala Costco, but way smaller). Maybe they are only in California, I'm not sure. My trip was uneventful, BTW.
Vidwan, if you were writing a formal paper, you should use genera for the genus plural but around here genuses will "git-r-done".
Well, I figured out that if I return to the original post for today, then click on X Comments to get back to this page, it will usually show the avatars. Jazzbumpa, I do like yours...nice.
Windhover - Touche' on the spy comment.
Dennis - If it is good luck if a bird craps on you, then what kind of luck would it be if the bird runs into you and you crap on yourself?
You all should be way more careful on your bikes, says the girl who was nearly run over while riding her brother's bike. He was not happy because his bike actually DID get run over and the man offered to buy him a new one, but Daddy said it was ok, he was just glad that I was not hurt worse than I was.
Mainiac - Careful with those pickles. One year, my Pawpaw made so many cucumbers that my Mawmaw threatened his life if he brought another one into the house. She made oodles and oodles of pickles that year.
So the full moon is nine times brighter than a half moon. I wonder why. I'm guessing it's because at half moon, all the mountains and crater walls are being lit from the side and are casting dark shadows. At full moon, they are being lit from above with no shadows.
@Vidwan: The blog hostess obviously likes you.
Dennis, Nice bike! I like the new frame geometry. I would consider it a cross but I always think about the type of rubber you've got on it. The knobbier the more "mountainish". Crosses have become more popular around here because of the Carriage Trails.
I finally got a new bike myself this year. Cannondale System Six. Totally carbon fiber frame which is a completely different feel than the aluminum frame I used to have. I'm actually on a smaller frame because of the new geometry. I replaced my shoes and helmet that were twenty years old as well. I gave the guys at the shop a good laugh when they checked out my old stuff.
Chickie, My favorite trees are Lindens. I had to cut down 50 (at least) someone had planted in an esplanade underneath some power lines. Wrong place for an 80 foot tree. The power company trimmed and trimmed and the trees continued to grow, some with holes in the middle of them where they grew up around the wires. We divided up what wood folks didn't pick up. My logs actually sprouted on the would pile the following spring. Rugged tree!
Kind of Gabby today or maybe I'm getting punchy.
Adios!
Vettedoe,
But I've got three more recipes. Bread and Butters, Spicy Dills (which I do with beans also), Dill Chips and Super Dills (which are so tart I only make 4 quarts if I have enough cukes.
Its going to have to be a rainy weekend though. I can't stay up that late anymore.
Bill G.,
Is that a Morgan your Avatar is driving? I used to have a '59 green Morgan just like it. Had to sell after my husband died, though - I didn't have his mechanical skills to keep the darned thing running!
Vettedoe:
I was "just sayin' ". Great question for Dennis. I'm guessing it would depend on how far you were from home.
Maniac:
Crops are pretty good, quite a bit of rain so far. But three weeks of 90+ (with two more forecast) have wilted the old farmer.
Vidwan:
Stick around. I love tangents and going off on them.
Vettedoe: You mentioned Pawpaw ... did you know that that is the exact name of a fruit ? I didn't, until recently. The pawpaw is THE official fruit of the State of Ohio and supposedly looks like and tastes like a mango.
Unfortunately, the fruit, which was a mainstay of the native americans in the 18th and 19th century has disappeared completely because it was replaced by more sophisticated hybrids of apples and pears ... so much so that it is not sold commercially any more and is not available at most farmers markets , leave alone a supermarket. I have never seem or tasted it myself, despite the fact that I have lived in Ohio for over 30 years.
Would anybody out there know or give advice on where this fruit may be available ? And any other relevant comments ?
Thanks, Vidwan
There is a children's song about picking up paw paws and putting them in your pocket.
Hi all!
Enjoyed the puzzle today but had a few problems.Got it all solved but was sure uey was wrong for 47D. But it wasn't, of course.
I also had Allen for 19A, which tells my age I guess.
When I was a little girl in Indiana, we had some PawPaw bushes at the back of the farm in the woods. We used to go back there and play under the branches. It made a wonderful house or fort or whatever. I didn't like the fruit though. I have no idea if they can be found today.
In yesterdays puzzle- My father met Wernher Von Braun after WW2.
My Dad was an auditor for the Atomic Energy Committee and was in Los Alamos, NM. at the same time.
I really like this blog!
Have a great evening.
Marge
I'll be damned. Cherimoya and pawpaw are in the same family Annonaceae. Very interesting.
btw, Tomato is listed as the Ohio official state fruit. Pawpaw is the Ohio native fruit.
Vidwan, I Googled Paw-paw fruit and a wonderful web site came up with information on how to grow, eat, and find paw-paws. Since they have a short shelf life they are not found in stores and or even Farmenr's markets.
When my father was growing up they had Paw-paws in the woods on their property in Arkansas. The children would eat the fruit, but his mother disliked the flavor. When the fruit has fallen and is rotting on the ground, it gives off a rather unpleasant odor, according to my Dad.
The fruit is found in many of the south eastern US states.
I have never put in a link so I can't help with the site, but I think that you will probably find something similar if you put in the fruit's name.
Good luck
Mainiac - sounds yummy! I love pickles.
Vidwan - I have heard of the pawpaw, but have never tasted one, so am unable to comment on their taste. The only Pawpaw I have ever known is my mother's father. (All other male grandparents were gone before I arrived.) He was a very talented man: played drums in a band, was a machinist, and did oil paintings that were magnificent, all without a high school education.
I did some research on the pawpaw ( or paw paw ) myself and Spitzboov... you are right ... it is the same family as the Cherimoya. ( or Chermoya ).
Apparently, it is not popular, has as short season, doesn't keep well ( once ripened, must be consumed immediately ) and just not common enough to be commercially viable. It's supposed to have a flavor that is a mix between banana, mango and papaya (?). The eating season is late summer and I am going to ask around the supermarkets in and around Cleveland and finally taste of the ( forbidden ?) fruit. Pics are on google ..but unfortunately I still have to learn how to hypertext. Apparently common in North Eastern and north central US.
Vidwan
Chickie,
If you go to the main page of this blog site, you will see a menu on the right hand side. Scroll down to the section called "Olio" and click on "Create Comment Links" to find out how you can insert a link into your post.
HeartRx, that's a 1955 MG TF 1500 in the photo. We don't drive it much anymore.
Hey, puzzlers,
Easy but interesting today. I had no idea how to spell uey and started with uee. Unfortunately I forgot to proofread after finishing and found that I hadn't changed the e to y, so sweaty became sweate. Otherwise, no problems. I got Ellen because of the system I use to solve; most of the perps were already there! I knew Tea for Two and 16 Tons, but not Cloud Nine. Vaguely remember We've just Begun. I think Karen C. died of bulimia. Oh, and One meatball, but I don't know Josh White. The name rings a bell, but apparently not loud enough.
As usual I loved your blog, Argyle, and thanks for the great clips.
Hahtool, I guess Pickin' up PawPaws, could be sung to the tune of Ten little Indians. I'm sure there are lots of other kid's songs that would acommodate as well. The first teaching job I ever had was in the town of Paw Paw, Illinois. I think there were around 500 people in the town but the school was a consolidated one, grades 1-12, so it was a fair size.
I taught English and French(Kazie, don't ask!); I was 20, some of the seniors were 18! One year was all I could take. They were all good kids, thank God, but I really needed to grow up myself! Had fun, though!
Welcome to you, Vidwan and all you other newbies.
Talk about tangents! Sorry folks.
Dodo: So glad to "see" you today. I was missing your comments. I was looking for a good PawPaw tune to link, but couldn't find one, so had to settle for the lyrics. I can sing the song (in my head) but hadn't made the connection between the PawPaw song and 10 Little Indians!
Hello everybody,
I'm late to the party today, having just put in many hours at the office and just now getting home.
Nice puzzle today, which I enjoyed.
I'll regale you all with one last mozzie limerick that I made up yesterday shortly after the other one:
There once was a mozzie from Ozzie
Whose spouse was exceedingly bozzie.
He learned in a year
To simply say "yes dear"
Though doing it made him feel a tad nauzzie.
I always wondered where Motorola got its name. Nice to know, thank you Dennis.
I also like this blog very much, and appreciate the people who make it as fun as it is.
Best wishes to you all.
Bill G.,
Ah yes - now I zoomed in on the pic using {Control} with {+} (as suggested by Jazzbumpa!!), and can see the difference in the hood. Sure is a sweet looking ride, though!
Vidwan:
Go to the website of Kentucky State University (n.b.: NOT University of Kentucky) and follow links to the agricultural research farm. KSU is home to a long term research study which has developedimproved varieties of pawpaw, and I believe you can purchase trees through them. I have several small groves of native pawpaws on my farm.
Here we call it the "Indiana banana" because of the taste of (some) varieties. Others are not very palatable.
Good evening, all.
I always enjoy Fred Piscop's puzzles. Although I didn't know any of the songs, the puzzle was perp friendly for me, so the names appeared.
Kazie-Thank you again for sharing your lovely photos. You and your families are excellent photographers. Visiting Oz has been formally added to my "bucket list."
Hahtool-There is a "Listen to this song" link on your link to the paw-paw song. Very similar to the tune I learned for the "Ten Little Indians" song. Thank you.
Chickie-My mother still uses her manual typewriter. The only problem at this point is finding replacement ribbons.
JD-I just read through yesterday's posts and loved the poem you posted "What Would Life Be." So poignant.
Enjoy the night!
Proving I know very little, I am impressed at the commentary today. Nice job people.
MJ: I knew there was that link, but I was hoping to find something with Captain Kangaroo, or someone, like that, which is where I think I first heard the song in the first place.
Nite, All.
Hello Puzzlers - Late to the party again. Now that the puzzle is all discussed, I'll get on to trivia.
Bill G.: You're on the right track about lunar brightness. As perceived from Earth, a half-moon is lit sideways by the Sun, while a full moon is lit pretty much straight-on. It has to do with the position of Earth with respect to a direct line between moon and Sun. I didn't know the brightness ratio was 9:1 but that seems reasonable.
If the moon were a perfect reflector, such as a giant silver-plated ball, it would appear as a sliver during the half-moon phase. However, its surface is a very diffuse reflector, meaning light from the sun is bounced every which way. On Earth we see a generous percentage of that sunlight, enough that the entire lunar disk looks about uniformly bright to the eye.
The Earth, as viewed from space, behaves a bit differently because it has an atmosphere. The scattering of incident sunlight happens more in the atmosphere than at the surface.
They pick paw paws in Crimes of the heart . Devin played Doc in high school.
Paw Paw looks like papaya.
Anonymous said...
Paw Paw looks like papaya.
For a long time I thought papaya was just a different name for pawpaw.
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