Theme: OL' MAN RIVER (57. "Show Boat" classic, and where to find the ends of 17-, 26- and 44-Across) - The ends of first three theme entries are parts of a river.
17A. Soft mattress topper : FEATHER BED
26A. Edison's electrical preference : DIRECT CURRENT
44A. Government-owned financial institutions : NATIONAL BANKS
I am not familiar with the song. The Ol' Man River does refer to the mighty Mississippi, correct?
Actually, a 5-letter RIVER will work as a unifier too. But OL' MAN RIVER provides a more sparkling choice, in addition to its 10-letter symmetry to FEATHER BED.
Quite a scrabbly 74 worder. Only letter J is missing. Total 18 entries are of medium 6/7-letter length. A nice mix. Also a few clue echos.
C.C. here. Argyle's sister is visiting. He'll be back next Monday.
Across:
1. Money in Mumbai : RUPEE. Alliteration.
6. Lose effectiveness, as painkillers, with "off" : WEAR. And WEAKENS (10D. Loses strength).
10. Wild or Old region : WEST
14. Pole vault, e.g. : EVENT
15. Palindromic pop group : ABBA. And 'N SYNC (33. "No Strings Attached" pop group). Pop group echo.
16. Big fair : EXPO
19. Eagerly excited : AGOG
20. Monterey County seat that's the birthplace of John Steinbeck : SALINAS. I forgot. We had this clue before.
21. '50s-'60s USSR leader Khrushchev : NIKITA. Cold War is so far away.
23. Grafton's "__ for Corpse" : C IS
24. Set aside for later : STORE. TABLE also has 5 letters.
31. Bills with George on them : ONES. I'd prefer "Bills with Washington on them". Also ABE (8D. Prez on a penny).
32. Roman moon goddess : LUNA
36. NBA position : CTR (Center)
37. Grazing land : PASTURE. And LEA (58D. Grazing land).
39. Small taste : SIP
40. Composer of marches : SOUSA. He died in the month of March also.
42. Like most pets : TAME
43. Fashion's Chanel : COCO
47. Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil : SIMMS. Wikipedia says he's known for inaugurating the phrase "I'm going to Disney World!".
48. Big mouth, in slang : YAP
49. Diocese leader : BISHOP
52. Abandon : FORSAKE
56. Workplace protection org. : OSHA
60. Scold severely : FLAY
61. Croat's neighbor : SERB. I've never understood the Balkan War. Is it about religious conflict?
62. Online read : EZINE
63. Online help pages, briefly : FAQS. Frequently Asked Questions.
64. City transport : TAXI
65. Real bargains : DEALS
Down:
1. NFL arbiters : REFS
2. Eye layer containing the iris : UVEA. Latin for "grape".
3. Ring loudly : PEAL
4. Draws in : ENTICES
5. Cultural, as cuisine : ETHNIC. I miss authentic Thai food & my experiences.
6. Major conflicts : WARS
7. Flow away, as a tide : EBB
9. Philadelphia suburb : RADNOR. What is it famous for?
11. Former soldier : EX GI
12. Dick and Jane's dog : SPOT. Obtained the answer via crossers.
13. Forum garb : TOGA
18. "Born in __": Cheech Marin film : EAST LA
22. Good-night girl of song : IRENE. Have never heard of the song "Goodnight, Irene".
24. Beach bronzings : SUN TANS
25. Psychological shock : TRAUMA
26. Medicos : DOCS
27. Division word : INTO
28. Show over : RERUN
29. Standard practice : CUSTOM
30. Boxing's "Iron Mike" : TYSON. I remember the ear-biting incident.
34. Shaver's mishap : NICK
35. USN noncoms : CPOS (Chief Petty Officers)
37. Barbecue site : PATIO
38. Trust, as a friend : RELY ON
41. Walks with attitude : SASHAYS. Lucina likes to use this word.
43. Turn over at sea : CAPSIZE
45. Customs levy : IMPOST
46. Kept out : BARRED
49. Big Broadway hit, in slang : BOFF. So is BOFFO.
50. Land in el mar : ISLA
51. NBAer O'Neal : SHAQ
52. Formula One racer Teo __ : FABI. His name escaped me also.
53. Nike competitor : AVIA. Latin for "fly".
54. __ Ration: pet food : KEN- L. Third time in a month?
55. "__ Tu": 1974 hit : ERES. Eres Tu = "It is You".
59. Mysterious guy : MR. X. Nice edge word.
Answer grid.
Here is a recent photo of our Cool Hand Larry (Windhover). Looks more like a philosopher than a farmer, no? Still want to share his bike, Annette?
C.C.
17A. Soft mattress topper : FEATHER BED
26A. Edison's electrical preference : DIRECT CURRENT
44A. Government-owned financial institutions : NATIONAL BANKS
I am not familiar with the song. The Ol' Man River does refer to the mighty Mississippi, correct?
Actually, a 5-letter RIVER will work as a unifier too. But OL' MAN RIVER provides a more sparkling choice, in addition to its 10-letter symmetry to FEATHER BED.
Quite a scrabbly 74 worder. Only letter J is missing. Total 18 entries are of medium 6/7-letter length. A nice mix. Also a few clue echos.
C.C. here. Argyle's sister is visiting. He'll be back next Monday.
Across:
1. Money in Mumbai : RUPEE. Alliteration.
6. Lose effectiveness, as painkillers, with "off" : WEAR. And WEAKENS (10D. Loses strength).
10. Wild or Old region : WEST
14. Pole vault, e.g. : EVENT
15. Palindromic pop group : ABBA. And 'N SYNC (33. "No Strings Attached" pop group). Pop group echo.
16. Big fair : EXPO
19. Eagerly excited : AGOG
20. Monterey County seat that's the birthplace of John Steinbeck : SALINAS. I forgot. We had this clue before.
21. '50s-'60s USSR leader Khrushchev : NIKITA. Cold War is so far away.
23. Grafton's "__ for Corpse" : C IS
24. Set aside for later : STORE. TABLE also has 5 letters.
31. Bills with George on them : ONES. I'd prefer "Bills with Washington on them". Also ABE (8D. Prez on a penny).
32. Roman moon goddess : LUNA
36. NBA position : CTR (Center)
37. Grazing land : PASTURE. And LEA (58D. Grazing land).
39. Small taste : SIP
40. Composer of marches : SOUSA. He died in the month of March also.
42. Like most pets : TAME
43. Fashion's Chanel : COCO
47. Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil : SIMMS. Wikipedia says he's known for inaugurating the phrase "I'm going to Disney World!".
48. Big mouth, in slang : YAP
49. Diocese leader : BISHOP
52. Abandon : FORSAKE
56. Workplace protection org. : OSHA
60. Scold severely : FLAY
61. Croat's neighbor : SERB. I've never understood the Balkan War. Is it about religious conflict?
62. Online read : EZINE
63. Online help pages, briefly : FAQS. Frequently Asked Questions.
64. City transport : TAXI
65. Real bargains : DEALS
Down:
1. NFL arbiters : REFS
2. Eye layer containing the iris : UVEA. Latin for "grape".
3. Ring loudly : PEAL
4. Draws in : ENTICES
5. Cultural, as cuisine : ETHNIC. I miss authentic Thai food & my experiences.
6. Major conflicts : WARS
7. Flow away, as a tide : EBB
9. Philadelphia suburb : RADNOR. What is it famous for?
11. Former soldier : EX GI
12. Dick and Jane's dog : SPOT. Obtained the answer via crossers.
13. Forum garb : TOGA
18. "Born in __": Cheech Marin film : EAST LA
22. Good-night girl of song : IRENE. Have never heard of the song "Goodnight, Irene".
24. Beach bronzings : SUN TANS
25. Psychological shock : TRAUMA
26. Medicos : DOCS
27. Division word : INTO
28. Show over : RERUN
29. Standard practice : CUSTOM
30. Boxing's "Iron Mike" : TYSON. I remember the ear-biting incident.
34. Shaver's mishap : NICK
35. USN noncoms : CPOS (Chief Petty Officers)
37. Barbecue site : PATIO
38. Trust, as a friend : RELY ON
41. Walks with attitude : SASHAYS. Lucina likes to use this word.
43. Turn over at sea : CAPSIZE
45. Customs levy : IMPOST
46. Kept out : BARRED
49. Big Broadway hit, in slang : BOFF. So is BOFFO.
50. Land in el mar : ISLA
51. NBAer O'Neal : SHAQ
52. Formula One racer Teo __ : FABI. His name escaped me also.
53. Nike competitor : AVIA. Latin for "fly".
54. __ Ration: pet food : KEN- L. Third time in a month?
55. "__ Tu": 1974 hit : ERES. Eres Tu = "It is You".
59. Mysterious guy : MR. X. Nice edge word.
Answer grid.
Here is a recent photo of our Cool Hand Larry (Windhover). Looks more like a philosopher than a farmer, no? Still want to share his bike, Annette?
C.C.
78 comments:
Good morning, C.C. and gang - good puzzle, but not an especially easy Monday one for me - had a couple answers that required perpassists. And the theme didn't come to me until I read the unifier.
Ken'l Ration is now the fashionable dog food, I guess; previously it was Alpo. And again we have 'boff' instead of 'boffo', which still doesn't seem right. Needed perp help with 'Salinas' and for getting a foothold with the theme answers.
'Radnor' was a gimme for me because it's a local suburb, but did you who are not from this area know it? C.C., no, I don't think Radnor has any national claim to fame. Also, I believe the Balkan Wars were fought over possession of parts of Europe under the Ottoman Empire. And I never equated 'sashaying' as walking with confidence; it has always had a completely different connotation to me.
I enjoyed the solve -- it was nice not having a 'speed run' Monday.
Windhover, great pic - you really look much younger than your years.
Today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, and Sister Day.
Did You Know:
- Mozart's real name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart.
- Bill Gate's first business was Traff-O-Data, a company that created machines that recorded the number of cars passing a given point on a road.
- Millard Fillmore's mother feared he may have been mentally retarded.
C.C., hmmm, is this really Monday? A J short of a pangram, only 8 three letter words, some tough place names SALINAS County and RADNOR PA okay a gimme for some like Dennis, but not most) I went to school with a bunch of Mainliners, and I am not referring to my heroin addict friends, so I have been in the area. CAPSIZE, FORSAKE, IMPOST on a Monday? TEO FABI? Luckily I have a friend who loves formula one, so that was in there someplace. Yet it was done quickly with no look ups and no help. Nice challenge, thank you.
C.C. if you like talent and a most powerful voice from a true leader, you must listen to PAUL ROBESON as he sings Ol’ Man River.
Handsome men in this blog.
Good Morning C.C. et al.
Easy Monday puzzle, with pretty straight-forward clues. I stumbled on 32a. as I started writing "DIANA", but duh...quickly realized that wouldn't fit into a 4-letter answer. (Aren't I sharp for a Monday??)
I put "SLAV" for 61a, so that little south central bit had me stumped for a couple minutes. Other than that, it was a typical Monday breeze.
Like Dennis, I can't think of anything that made Radnor PA famous, but C.C., you must have something in mind? I'll wait to see if anyone else out there can guess it...
Good Morning, CC and all. This was a tad harder than I expected for a Monday, but I was quickly able to grasp the theme.
I am not familiar with any Philly suburbs, but RANDOR came through the perps.
I liked how the Q appeared without being followed by"U" (FAQS and SHAQ).
You should come to southern Louisiana, CC, if you miss Thai food. There is a plethora of Thai restaurants here.
BOFF must really be the "word of the hour", since we have seen it so often so recently.
Great photo, Windhover. We need to "see" you more often. I miss your comments.
QOD: The tragedy of life is not that the beautiful things die young; it is that they grow old and mean. ~ Raymond Chandler.
Good morning, all. Nice write-up, C. C.
Fairly easy. One horizontal, and one vertical pass got most of it. Perps helped get the few unknowns. Didn't get the theme from the unifier until too late to do any good. But it wasn't needed. DIRECT CURRENT was a gimme. RADNOR came easily because a son used to live nearby. Liked MR X.
FEATHER BED - grew up sleeping in one. A Federdecke
Enjoy the day
Morning All,
I was getting concerned I would need help on a Monday. Salinas and Ropee were bothersome in the NW. My first thought was Horse Hair which didn't work for 17A. My mom use to buy our beds and bedding at yard sales. Horse hair mattresses fit the budget. After trying to fit A Moon River and spelling out Old, the Aha moment came and things filled in. Nice puzzle this AM.
Have a great Monday!
Dennis,
Who is Millard Fillmore?
I couldn't for some reason come up with NSYNC, since I know nothing about naval ranks and NICK doesn't seem right for a mishap to me. But otherwise a fairly fun fill.
Windhover,
Nice photo, but I wish we could see your face better. The halo effect of the sunlight makes it difficult. But what better person to be haloed?
Kazie, Millard Filmore was the 13th U.S. President.
C.C.
Today, for the first time, I decided to go back and see the Sat and Sun puzzles, and the posts. I'm glad I did ... and got your earnest instructions ... which I promptly printed it out and posted it on my study desk shelf.. as a 'to do' item.
I fully intend to follow up, by becoming a 'Blue' ( ...also a person who represents the university sports team -like scull/rowing - in Cambridge, England ... ). I just have to figure out an 'Avatar'.
Your blog was very well written, ( as usual ). The xword, itself, was relatively easy,( which what I fully expect on Mondays )... and I got the unknown words by perps. ( there ... I used that word.)
The Yugo Balkan wars, were about Roman Catholics vs. ( other ) Protestants vs. Russian Orthodox Christians, ... and the hapless ( in this case ... ) Muslims caught in the middle. It was a long drawn, miserable fight ... with no obvious winners ...and the UN was totally impotent ... and something that could very well happen in India, if the various states decided to secede ... fortunately, Indians have no stomach for fighting, so there is a begrudging tolerance, of each other, and an enduring 'live and let live' philosophy.
I thought the difficulty level was, perhaps, a bit stepped up for a Monday (which is not a bad thing). And with all the clue echoes, I had to check twice to see whether John Lampkin managed to get two puzzles published in a row...
Never having gone through customs and/or hearing of the word IMPOST, import seemed a reasonable word to me, like an import tax or something, and since I don't follow European racing, (or any racing for that matter), Fabi was a complete unknown to me. That made it pretty difficult to see SERB, with the leading letter wrong and the last letter missing.
12 Down (Houston Chronicle, Aug 2, 2010---
Spot (I remember that from my first grade reader in 1948!!!)
Fred
Good morning CC, et al., Good write up, CC. I love how you analyze things.
Saw Allan Parrish's name and thought this will not be a breeze. I was delighted to find it balanced between difficult and pleasurable.The names of obscure places like Radnor make me nuts but when the perps easily come to the rescue, I'm okay with it, as it went today. Like Maniac, when Moon didn't work for 57A, the perps again came thru w/ one of my all time favorite songs and musicals Ol Man River. Loved it!
Lemonade: thank you so much for the link to Paul Robeson singing that fabulous song. I didn't know until now that the words had changed, did you? My favorite line, "tired of livin', scared of dyin'" was changed to something about livin' and 'keep on fightin'...I prefer the original version but what a delivery either way.
Windhover: hubba hubba, Bubba! Wanna see my etchings? Outstanding (pun intended) picture of our hot resident philosopher. Made my day.
Sure am thirsty for some Ky Bourbon Ale. Fine stuff in KY. Fun times.
I'm off to 'trauma'tize the public by 'sashay'ing around the mall, looking for 'deals', and parting the crowd like Moses did the Red Sea w/my broken appendages and 'roll about' that goes from 0-60 in about 3 minutes now. Practice, practice, practice. Like Ol Man River, I'm just going to keep rollin along. Wonder if I can get a speeding ticket...wreckless driving is more like it tho'.
Maybe we'll have an ice cream sandwich in honor of today. Thanks, Dennis.
Enjoy your day.
I too thought this was somewhat stepped up for a Monday, which was kind of nice. I am familiar with Ol Man River, but didn't get the connection until coming here. I am not too focused though. Was stumped on a few clues like ISLA and FABI.
I doubt RADNOR has any specific connection. I have often seen EDINA as a xword answer - clued as suburb of the Twin Cities. I know there is nothing famous about it, I believe the letters just work well as a fill. That is just an easy fill for me living in the area. I needed perp help for RANDOR as I have never heard of it before.
Have a great Monday all.
The government does NOT own the national banks although it does charter them. The government does not even own the Frderal Reserve System.
C.C. Excellent fill-in for Argyle.
As Monday theme's go, this was So-So.
Since I follow Formula-1, FABI was a gimmie.
But I think non-racing fans were in the weeds on this one. Too obscure.
Is RADNOR, the Philly suburb "general knowledge" ?
Easy get from the perps but a bit obscure also.
C IS for Corpse. These Sue Grafton novels are too easy since the crime/object is usually listed.
Did anyone miss the "C" part of the fill ???
KEN'L Ration, the first time we saw this it was just "___Ration."
Now we get it with the ": pet food."
Along with Alpo, I now know a few dog food brands.
Liked seeing NIKITA, COCO & SOUSA.
The line SIMMS YAP got a LOL since I sometimes wished he would shut his yap during football games.
EZINE ... is it just me? I'm tired of the Ezine, Etail, Ecash reference clues/answers.
All-in-all a blase, but FUN, Monday solve.
Vidwan covered the Balkan thing very well.
I remember a Croat Co-worker (who was a Major in their Army during the early '90's) saying the funny thing was all these people inter-married over the years, so they were just having a family squabble. But it seems the Serbs were the most aggressive after Yugoslavia split-up, and that was about land and ethnic cleansing.
Sashay: According to the OED:
1. to do a chasse' in a square dance,
2.(Colloq.) to move, walk or go esp., in a casual way.
I have always considered sashaying to be a brazen, show-off, flirtatious kind of walk, by a woman, showing off her figure or dress ... or both, ... ( preferably while intoxicated.*)
*... with apologies, to Lemonade714, borrowed from one of his posts, ( about the 'type' of different newspaper readers ..) of April 1, 2010 ... one of the funniest posts I have ever read.!! Worth reproducing, if possible...
Balkan Wars - There have been several including 1912-13, which Dennis alluded to.
I believe some foreign NATIONAL BANKS are government owned. To wit: "National Bank of Ethiopia" and 'National Bank of Cambodia". Bank of England is government owned and it could probably be termed as such with 'national' in small letters.
Good morning all,,
My Turkish coffee kicked in quick this morning , and before I know I was done ,, then I paused and looked at the answers,, " Olman river " I wonder what country is that in ??
I felt dumb after reading your posts.
Can someone explain " boff " ??? Sounds naked!!
Good morning C.C. and solvers all. This was just a tad more difficult than I expected for a Monday, mostly because I made it that way.
Putting ENGULFS in 4D messed up the NW but I finally let it go and let the crosses ENTICE me toward the correct answer.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that was trying to figure out how to get moon river into 57A, but I knew Tio Fabi an RELY ON for perps, so that fell easily. Only problem now, I've got the song stuck in my head for the rest of the day! Does anyone else remember Stan Freberg and his "grammatically correct" version "Elderly Man River"? I tried to find a clip to link to, but didn't find anything except downloads of his albums. I haven't heard it for years, but I remember it being a very funny lampoon of grammatical correctness.
RADNOR only came through perps. I'm not familiar with very many Philly suburbs. SALINAS didn't pop into my brain immediately, but after a couple of perps, it was one of those "But, of course!" moments.
It's time to wander off and get some chores done... or maybe I'll "just keep rollin'... keep on rollin' along".
BTW
I do agree with Anon 9:09 ,, my understanding the government only owns the army and the post office,, well that is until Mr Autorama Obama diceded to bail out GM.
Hi C.C. & gang, I think that this was the first Monday puzzle in quite awhile that we didn't finish before my wife left for work. I had never heard of 'Radnor' and we had WEAN instead of WEAR for 6A which made it even worse!
I couldn't remember the 1987 MVP player and had SI_MS for the longest time.
But we (I) did get OLMANRIVER just before she left.
wiki says that Radnor was:
"Once a country retreat for Philadelphia's most prominent families, the community includes the estates of Woodcrest (now Cabrini College), Eltonwood (now part of Eastern University), Bolingbroke, Rock Rose, and The Woods."
boff:
"
n. Slang
1. A line in a play or film, for example, that elicits a big laugh: "He doesn't go for the big boffs, artificially inflated, but lets his comedy build through a leisurely accumulation of bizarre details" (Vincent Canby).
2. A big laugh.
3. A conspicuous success. Also called boffo, boffola.
[Probably from b(ox) off(ice).]
"
Fast and easy. Sue is up to V is for. Teo should be a gimmie for non-racing fans by now. We see his name quite often. Also, slept IN a feather bed
Warren,
can " boff " also mean box office favorite ?? Perhaps ?
Also,, inre to Anon's 9:09 and my own post 10:01
the clue does not refer to the US government in particular.
So in fairnest it is correct . And me and Anon are wrong.
Along with Warren's posted dictionary entry information, you can go right to the source, Variety magazine's "slanguage" dictionary, the perpetrator of such Hollywood-isms as boff, boffo, socko, whammo, etc...
Camille, "Mr Autorama Obama diceded to bail out GM." Political name calling is not appreciated. A 2008 CNN article presents a different bailout origin.
Hi all - Not an easy Monday puzzle for me, but still very enjoyable. I was stumped by 9D, still don't get it. Why would anyone not from the area know that?
Edison's direct current was a dangerous thing, burning children and causing many house (and other fires). Tesla invented alternating current which was much safer but he got little recognition for it..until much later.
Do real guys sashay??
Impost??? I have never heard that word. Always thought it was 'imposing an levy or tax'...or a levy was imposed. Didn't know there was a 't' in it. I learn something each crossword I do. :)
Windover, great picture, halo and all.
I wanted Moon River too. Love the song: Ol Man River, but thought it was OLD. Oh well, I got it eventually.
Lois, you didn't answer my e-mail question about your 'roll-along'...is it a Segway(sp)??? Those are so neat, we saw one in use last May on our beach trip. A man was 'rolling' along a paved bike/walking path. We stopped him and found out he could not walk and usually was in a wheelchair, but with this gizmo, could stand up and get around - a nice change of pace for him. He loved it.
Anon 10:33
I agree that political stuff should not appear here.
But I did enjoy checking out that link.
It reminded me that when these types of subjects do come up a little research into where the issue originated is in order.
Then again, anything said as an Anon gets "no traction" even when valid.
I almost never have to hit the g-spot on a Monday but had to today to get Teo Fabi as I couldn’t even tell you what a “Formula one” race was. Being a football fan I did know who Phil Simms was though. Other unknowns were Salinas, Nikita and Radnor but I eked those out via the perps. All in all I thought this was a more difficult Monday solve.
The “tall ships” were certainly something to see, although I could have done without such a big crowd. Gunghy gave a great explanation on “yardarms.” My favorite ship that I toured was the Bounty. The actual ship was used in filming The Mutiny of the Bounty with Marlan Brando and also used in the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean. Pretty exciting to know that I walked somewhere Johnny Depp stood. I just have a little crush on Johhny Depp :)
Windhover, farming suits you.
Lois, I hope you are on the mend. I am pretty sure that this wasn’t how you wanted to spend your summer.
Carol: DC current is no more/no less dangerous than AC current. ( just like ... all explosives have their own uses ... but are inherently dangerous ... and no one exp is safer than the other ...).
Currently DC current is used in elevators, trams, subways, cable cars and earth moving eqpt. - because DC motors have a higher initial torque. Thats just the way they are designed. Autos use DC current from batteries, that is converted to AC, by means of an alternator ( rheostat). When the motor runs, the alternator feeds DC current back to the battery, recharging it.
Nicolai Tesla was one of the main developers of AC current technology, but there were others as well.
55 down "____T" 1974 hi. Loved it when it came out. Played it again a week before this puzzle.
Carol;
Not to harp on it - but Nikola Tesla is considered by the Serbs ( Tinbeni, please note ..?) ... to be the greatest Serbian scientist ever...and, who in their opinion should have got a Nobel Prize ... and a 12 foot bronze statue of his, 'sits' at Niagara Falls, USA - just above the Bridal Veil Falls. Unfortunately, he died, penniless, all alone in a Manhattan apartment.
Other notables in AC tech, were George Westinhouse ( who commercialized it ), James Maxwell ( british scientist ) and Charles Pro Steinmetz ( Math., engr and all.)
Charles Steinmetz ( See Wiki ) .. was a jewish, hunch-backed, dwarf ( 4'1") genius ... called the Wizard of General Electric. His story will inspire any immigrant. His honorary doctorate, in 1919 said in part, '... as the greatest elctrical engineer in the USA, and therefore in the whole world ...".
Electrician said...
Autos use DC current from batteries, that is converted to AC, by means of an alternator ( rheostat). When the motor runs, the alternator feeds DC current back to the battery, recharging it.
I have to take issue with this statement. Automobiles do, indeed use direct current, but it is not converted to AC current. An automotive alternator has no ability to convert DC to AC. You would need an Inverter to do that. The alternator that charges the battery does produce AC, and that is converted to direct current by diodes, usually built into the alternator. The AC current is never seen again in the automobile electrical system once that conversion takes place. A rheostat is a variable resistor and has nothing to do with conversion of AC to DC or vice versa, except that one or more may be found in the conversion equipment to adjust voltage levels.
Good day, C.C. and puzzle people.
Great blogging, C.C.
Yes this was just a tad tougher than the usual Monday, but quite solvable without help. For me, Salinas was a given because I love Steinbeck's writing and I have actually visited Salinas; a cousin lived there for many years.
As for RADNOR, that emerged by itself and was a learning moment but then so was Phil SIMMS, Teo FABI (although we've seen him before) and initially I wrote OLD MANRIVER then realized the error.
NIKITA Kruschev is very memorable to those of us who lived in that era especially the shoe thumping episode at the U.N.
My first reading experience also was SPOT, Dick, Jane and Sally who all lived on Pleasant Street.
Tinbeni:
Don't you think that we are now stuck with the "e-" vocabulary for the duration since it's part of this brave new world in which we live?
Windhover:
You are a fine looking man!
Gunghy:
I forgot to mention your wonderful pictures of AZ yesterday. Have you rested from your trip?
Much to do today, loads of washing, a farewell party for one of our group who is moving to Ohio and washing my car. It looks like it's been through a rainstorm.
I hope you all sashay merrily through this Monday!
Electrician2
Nikola Tesla was born an ethnic Serb in Smiljan, a village in the mountainous region of Lika in Croatia.
On a drive from Split, on the coast, back to Zagreb, I made a side-trip off A1 (about 10 miles) to visit his Memorial in Smiljan. Boy, talk about a small town. I think today it is less than 500 pop.
This is what my co-worker, Arturo, was talking about as "a family squabble." Smiljan is mostly Serbs living in Croatia.
It would be like making a big deal out of a Floridian living in Georgia.
I consider myself an American, that state citizenship is secondary.
But in the former Yugoslavia this ethnicity thingy goes back thousands of years.
There was a show about Tesla on the History Channel over the weekend.
C.C., I can't view blog photos from work, but let me assure you, I would definitely accept any ride offered by Windhover! ;-)
Really looking forward to quitting time now, so I can go home and see the photo all these comments are referring to!
Grumpy 1: My bad. I thought I could /would use a little b***s*** to prove some other point. I am glad somebody who reads these posts is way smarter than I am.
I just ASSUMED that AC current would be required to provide the high voltage for the spark plug 'sparks'. I did not know DC current voltage, could be 'stepped up', from 6 or 12 volts to ?, like the AC type.?
Hello All--I thought the puzzle today was a bit harder than most Monday puzzles. I did finally get it all, but the SE corner was a problem for a while as I put in Banned for Kept Out which put in Old Man for Ol Man River. It fit, but only for a moment. The aha came when Mr. X became apparent.
Impost was a new word for me today. But Salinas was a gimme as we live only about 25 miles from there and there is a Steinbeck museum in the city of Salinas. Radnor was unknown, but gotten with the perps. So I guess it depends upon where you live, which place names you know-right?
Goodnight Irene was popular when I was in High School. We listnend to all the popular songs on the radio and this was a sing-a-long.
Have a great Monday, everyone.
Hardest Monday in a long time. MEMORYFOAM fits into 17A, and,boy, does it screw things up!!
I tried E-ADS for 63A. Hand up for bored by anything E-.
Radnor was a total WTF, but then I suppose Salinas would be the same for our eastern members. I didn't know Steinbeck was born in Salinas, but he referred to it often, and it is the area used in 'Of Mice and Men.'
No clue on FABI, Formula One doesn't have sails; but I'm embarrassed that I couldn't get SIMMS without Perp help. And yes, SIMMS' YAP should shut more often.
Anon 6:28, Thank you.
Anon 8:55, Did you mean this?
Carol, Yeap, whenever I pull up to a biker bar, I always sashay up to the bartender to order my Sarsaparilla. It makes me soooo many new friends.
Lucina, Thank you and yes, I finally crawled back on last week. Part of that, though, was because retired life doesn't always allow time for what I want to do. Anyone else wonder how you ever got stuff done as a working stiff?
DC is much more efficient than AC. Edison almost won because of this. However, it only travels for about 2 miles. To promote DC, Edison worked on an AC electric chair. (He opposed capital punishment) and he had employees publicly electrocute animals using AC, Including a rogue elephant from a zoo near Coney Island.
Gotta run.
A great picture Windhover. The typical farmer in overhalls is not what you depict. I like this better. Thank you for sharing.
Lemonade, Thanks for the link to Ol Man River. That is one of my all time favorite songs.
Hello everybody, good to type to you all this fine Monday.
Enjoyable puzzle today. Not much to add to what you all have already said. Interesting how our various backgrounds contribute to our knowing and not knowing some of the entires, and how often what stumps one person is a gimme, or close to a gimme, for another person.
For example, having lived in a couple of Philadelphia suburbs, I knew RADNOR right away (once I got the R and A), and I agree there is nothing particularly outstanding or defining about it that would make it well-known. Also, living near Steinbeck country now, I knew SALINAS right away, too. On the other hand, since I know almost nothing about sports, FABI totally stumped me, as did SIMMS. Eeenteresting.
I'll say no more about the use of AC and DC in automobiles, but I will say I agree Tesla was a genius who indeed should have at least been nominated for a Nobel prize. Like so many scientists, inventors, engineers, and innovators, he was overshadowed by more ruthless, business and profit oriented, and self-aggrandizing colleagues such as Edison and Westinghouse. Heck, Lord Kelvin got his title because he "won out" by squashing and even suppressing excellent science that was done by people more interested in doing good work than in grabbing headlines and fame (and money). So Kelvin got a temperature scale named after him. At least Tesla has the honor and legacy of having a unit of magnetic energy named after him, a phenomenon that I study as a profession. AC current, which Tesla advocated and pioneered as the mainstream electrical power in the USA, was adopted over the DC current that Edison promoted, because Edison's system didn't work. (Ironically, the upcoming "smart grid" will most likely distribute electrical power via very high-voltage DC lines!)
End of rant :)
Thanks for the photo of windhover.
Paul Robeson sure had an awesome voice, didn't he? Unforgettable.
Could "boff" also be in any way related to the old Italian "opera buffo"? Somehow in my mind I associate "boffo" with comedy, the getting of laughs, and being a successful "knockout".
So, HeartRx, what do YOU have in mind with regard to Radnor, huh huh huh? :)
Enough for now. Best wishes to you all.
Jeannie,
That Bounty ship was used for a number of years to give tourists trips around Sydney Harbor. Two of my friend's sons worked on it during that time. One of them has the name "Christian" so of course the other workers all called him Fletch. I'm not sure if the trips still run when it's there, but the two boys have of course moved on in life.
I too object to Obama getting blamed for everything that's now wrong with the economy. All politicians are forced to compromise, and they all make some unpopular decisions. I also object to credit (positive or negative) being misplaced.
Dennis,
Thanks for Millard Fillmore.
"Sashaying" makes me think of a girl walking with swaying hips in a full skirt swishing as she goes.
"Ol' Man River" is from Jerome Kern's great musical "Showboat." It was written in the 1920s and was a great hit on Broadway. At least two movies were made of it. One had the great bass Paul Robeson singing the song, the other a lesser known but very fine singer, William Warfield. If you've never seen it, it's worth a nostalgic look, especially at the gorgeous Ava Gardner singing "Can't Help Loving that Man."
Kazie, I gave up shaving and grew a beard because I got tired of NICKing myself all the doggone time.
Lemonade- If I had to list my top ten American heros #1 would be either Thomas Paine or Paul Robeson.
Good morning C.C. and all,
a quick hello/good-bye as we are heading up the coast to Oregon. Will be back next Sunday. Didn't comment on Fri/Sat puzzles as I found them way too hard, which meant I had to go to Google every 4th entry.Ugh. Yesterday's was fun, but had to do it in bits and pieces with 3 babies all over the place.
Today's was a breeze, and fun.Of course, it's Monday. To finish I had to change import to impost and spy to mrx..ah ha..Mr.X!ABBA is still my favorite group when exercising.Salinas has a wonderful rodeo every year. Right now it is artichoke time.
Wishing good thoughts to all.
First saw the word 'sashay' used in a comic book, in my younger days. It was used to describe how a cowboy walked into the saloon.
Camille,
I like the nickname, but we do tend to shy away from politics here.
C.C.,
Radnor is about an hour away from my home. We know it for two things, Cabrini college and next door in Paoli is Villanova.
Good afternoon everyone.
Great write up C.C..
I wanted taxi for city transport, but couldn't figure out the mysterious guy. Wanted spy. So I was stuck. Nor could I figure out how bed, banks, and current were related. Sigh.
Thank you Jerome and John for replying to my query about Macs for constructors.
Lois, I missed your broken limbs. Which two? Sounds grim. Lucky you are young and in good shape (you must be for all your shenanigans) and therefore will heal well and probably quickly. Best of luck.
Hope all you electricians stay with us. I've copied the info to give to DH who may well understand it. I was interested in the link to cars because our new Ford Focus Hybrid is full of electric gizmos, and we try to run on battery as often as we can. (It's a boffo car!)
Cheers
Jayce,
D'uh! I was not thinking of shaver in the literal sense--I thought it referred to a little kid. Thanks!
@ Jayce,
My thoughts on what RADNOR PA is famous for?
About the only significant thing I could come up with after doing the g dance, is that Radnor PA had no registered sex offenders living there as of May 2009.
But why "Philadelphia Suburb"? There are cities called Radnor in CA, IN, MT, OH, TN and WV as well.
Aside from that, I guess it is famous for being a town that is named after a (semi?)-famous actor named Josh Radnor ("How I met your mother" on CBS). So why didn't Mr Parrish clue 9d. as "Actor Josh from 'How I Met Your Mother" "??? It would have given a lot of us fewer fits ;-D
Hi gang -
Rather tough Monday. Decent theme, good fill, not a lot of sparkle.
You can get SUNTANS in a PASTURE.
I've played lots and lots of SOUSA.
I firmly believe wars are always ultimately about economics. Religion and ethnicity are hot buttons that stir up passions and make people willing to kill.
Jerome -
Paine and Robeson are great choices. Edmund Burke hated the one, and almost certainly would have hated the other.
I'm thinking Theophilus = Amadeus = Gottlieb; Greek - Latin - German.
Can anyone confirm?
Had some grandkiddies over today, then went to lunch. Nice time.
Cheers!
JzB
Blog webmaster: I think the above post ( above mine ...) with linkup is a fake and leads to some nonsense. Pl. check it out.
Spam Danger,
Thanks. I spotted the spam immediately. He simply copied part of Dennis' comments.
JD,
Have you heard the joke about Artichokes three for a dollar?
HeartRx,
I had nothing in mind when I asked the Radnor question. But now we know MR. ED lives close by.
Hate Dr. G for this:
Tired of constantly being broke & stuck in an unhappy marriage, a young husband decided to solve both problems by taking out a large insurance policy on his wife with himself as the beneficiary, and then arranging to have her killed.
A 'friend of a friend' put him in touch with a nefarious dark-side underworld figure who went by the name of 'Artie..' Artie explained to the husband that his going price for snuffing out a spouse was $5,000.
The husband said he was willing to pay that amount, but that he wouldn't have any cash on hand until he could collect his wife's insurance money.
Artie insisted on being paid at least something up front, so the man opened his wallet, displaying the single dollar bill that rested inside.
Artie sighed, rolled his eyes, & reluctantly agreed to accept the dollar as down payment for the dirty deed.
A few days later, Artie followed the man's wife to the local Super Wal-Mart store. There, he surprised her in the produce department & proceeded to strangle her with his gloved hands. As the poor unsuspecting woman drew her last breath & slumped to the floor, the manager of the produce department stumbled unexpectedly onto the murder scene. Unwilling to leave any living witnesses behind, ol' Artie had no choice but to strangle the produce manager as well.
However, unknown to Artie, the entire proceedings were captured by the hidden security cameras & observed by the store's security guard, who immediately called the police. Artie was caught and arrested before he could even leave the store. Under intense questioning at the police station, Artie revealed the whole sordid plan, including his unusual financial arrangements with the hapless husband who was also quickly arrested.
The next day in the newspaper, the headline declared...
'ARTIE CHOKES 2 for$1.00 @ WAL-MART!'
High voltage can be transmitted over fairly long distances without much loss in power but would be dangerous to have pumped into your house. Back in Edison's day, DC electricity couldn't be changed from high to low voltage. AC power can be changed using transformers (those big cylindrical things you see on some power poles). Both AC and DC work fine for light bulbs and electrical appliances but AC won out because it could be transmitted over long distances easier.
Good Night Irene was first popularized by the Weavers, a wonderful folk-singing group from the 60s. One of our first dates was a Weavers concert at Cornell. Great stuff! They were such enthusiastic performers.
Jerome:
You are right about both gentleman; I am glad Paul Robeson can still be appreciated; I hope we can teach our children some of his history, so his memory will carry on.
The same is true of Millard Fillmore, who while not very well known, was a president and is buried in Buffalo; last August when I visited my son who is in graduate school there, we went to the cemetery where Fillmore and his wives are buried. Millard Fillmore was only in office for less than three years. However, his acceptance of the Compromise of 1850 averted the Civil War for another eleven years. His support of the Fugitive Slave Act caused the Whig Party to split in two and caused the downfall of his national political career.
Events and Accomplishments of Millard Fillmore's Presidency:
Fillmore's administration lasted from July 10, 1850 - March 3, 1853. The most significant event of his time in office was the Compromise of 1850. This consisted of five separate laws:
California was admitted as a free state.
Texas received compensation for giving up claims to western lands.
Utah and New Mexico were established as territories.
Fugitive Slave Act was passed which required the federal government to help return runaway slaves.
The slave trade was abolished in the District of Columbia.
This temporarily staved off the Civil War for a time. The Presidents support of the Compromise of 1850 cost him his party's nomination in 1852.
Also during Fillmore's time in office, Commodore Matthew Perry created the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854. This treaty with the Japanese allowed America to trade in two Japanese ports and was important for allowing trade with the far east.
Thank you, Anon, go blue and I can be more gracious, but for those who wanted to know of what he spoke you can read April 1, 2010 Posts .
Dr. G and Gunghy,
Ohhhh noooo!! I saw it coming, but I couldn't do anything to stop you two !! Inflation has taken a toll on the "Artichokes" joke: when I first heard it, he strangled three people, and the headline read "Arti Chokes 3 for a $ at Wal-Mart" ...guess I'm showing my age again, huh?
C.C. ,
Well, it just goes to show ya, whenever you ask a rhetorical question, you are bound to get all kinds of silly answers (from people like me) !!!
Greetings to all with thanks to C.C. and congrats to Allan.
Lemonade, it is indeed true that Fillmore is buried in Buffalo.
In an astonishing coincidence, there is no buffalo buried at the Fillmore.
Re: Vidwan @ 8:24
Is this what you are referring to as that Indian "live and let live philosophy"?
My brother won the amateur hour provided by music department at junior high school singing 'Ol Man River. Understandable if many haven't heard of song as this 55 years ago.
Auto Ignition System - ( See Ignition system wiki ...)
The average auto battery supplies DC power at 12 to 18 Volts.This has to be converted to an ( simulated ) AC electric current at 45,000 to 90,000 volts, so that the spark plugs can 'spark'. This is done by using an Ignition induction coil and an LC circuit.
Currently, on new cars this is all done electronically through a micro-processor and IC circuits.
Psst - Tinbeni: They’re saving 'Pet food’ SCIENCE DIET for a Friday… jk...but you never know!
Does anyone remember "Sing along with Mitch?" Mitch Miller died today at age 99.
Bill G (3:01) Thanks for your input on the high and low voltage coming into homes (direct vs alternating current)...this is why I said children were hurt/burned and homes caught fire, among other things. This was in Edison's and Tesla's day...not how it is now. But A/c can still be dangerous, I remember when I was little, I stuck a fork in a wall socket. I'm was so lucky all that turned black and blue was the fork, I must have dropped it in time. A wisp of smoke, the smell of ozone and my Mom was right there to wail the tar out of me...you can bet I didn't do THAT again!!
@ Hahtool,
So sad to hear about Mitch Miller...he was certainly a joy and inspiration to all... I remember my mother "making" us watch him on Saturday (Sunday? Friday?) nights, and singing along to the "Bouncing Ball". She was a violinist and my father played accordion, so music was a great part of our lives. A great loss, but I know his memory will live on @ You tube 4-ever ...
Carol, maybe you already know all this. If so, I apologize in advance. AC isn't more dangerous than DC. If you and the fork were exposed to 120 volts DC, the same thing would have happened. The AC is is generated at high voltage so it can be transmitted over relatively long distances through "high tension" lines without much loss in power. Then it's transformed back to 220 or 120 volts before it enters your house.
It is true that most DC you have around your house is not dangerous but that's because it's much lower in voltage, maybe 1.5 volts in AA batteries or 9 volts in those batteries.
Carol: Here's the 'scooter'. It has a hand brake on the handle. I'm sorry for the omission. I thought I did answer your question. This is at the beautiful Tides Inn in Irvington, VA on the way home from MD the other day. Good for a great get-away.
Electricians, I love when you talk like this ....and my Energizer Bunny.
High voltage can be transmitted over fairly long distances without much loss in power Bill G
DC is much more efficient than AC. Gunghy
Currently DC current is used in elevators, trams, subways, cable cars and earth moving eqpt. - because DC motors have a higher initial torque. Thats just the way they are designed. Autos use DC current from batteries... Electrician
Sallie: both feet, one in a cast (by design) the other in a broken foot shoe (by accident). You made me LOL. I think the shenanigans keeps me young. Mending seems to be on track if I can just stay out of trouble. Now THAT'S the challenge.
Jeannie: You're right to some extent. This summer was set up for my 60,000 mile tune up. It has taken a few detours and the tune up will take a little longer than expected. Murphy's Law is alive and well...the freakin' son of a motherless goat!
Love the Artie Chokes joke...all versions. Hilarious!
Annette
Good one !!!
I'm a gamer, so I googled SCIENCE DIET and learned they are also a pet food brand.
Now I know three.
(Note to self: Walk down the pet food aisle at grocery store, mentally note the different varieties & brandnames.)
Lucina
I know we are stuck with the "E" words (ezine, etal) in our puzzles. Doesn't mean I have to like them.
Like the Roman Numeral clues, they just seen trite.
To All
Glad to see everyone got the "C" ...
Lois, thanks for the picture and explanation...I did not get your e-mail on it. Your 'device' looks different than what we saw. His was larger and allowed him to stand, supported by a 'U' shaped handle bar. It had 2 largish wheels, properly balanced so he could stand. Pretty nifty 'vehicle'. All battery powered but could go quite a ways before re-charging. If I could spell the name of it, I could Google it.
I am sure some one on this blog will know.
Bill G, thanks again:)...I really don't know that much about direct current but I was just going what I read about how it was in the late 1800's. I thought that what came into houses then packed more 'punch'. Guess it doesn't take much to 'fry' some careless person.
Sure glad we have circuit breakers now, I remember the old fuse boxes and my Dad putting a penny behind the fuse as a temporary fix. Of course the pennies then were actually made of copper.
Cute 'Artie'chokes jokes...:)
Carol, was it a Segway?
For Carol, fork in AC outlet?
Wow you're very lucky not to have been hurt (too much) from it.
FYI, in Tech school they told us a story on how 3 prong and polarized 2 prong 'safety plugs' were invented.
In the old days cords weren't polarized which meant that you could insert them backwards.
This wasn't a big problem if the neutral was isolated from the chassis but in old TV sets it wasn't, neutral was tied directly to the chassis frame of the TV.
The horror story (as far as I can remember it) goes something like this.
A newly wed couple with a small child had plugged in their TV set with the cord backwards. The set was located next to a iron steam heating unit.
The couple went out for dinner and probably hired a baby sitter but while they were gone the baby had somehow crawled behind the TV set and the heater and was found dead when they returned.
BTW, that's also the reason for the safety plastic plugs that the recommend for small children these days.
Dennis, wow, there it is! the Segway. Thanks, I knew someone would find it.
I guess I did spell it correctly in my 10:43 comment.
Warren: Yes, a fork! In an outlet...I was about 7 at the time and no one had heard of plastic outlet covers in those days. Kids will do the damndest things, I have no idea why I did that, guess I was just intrigued by the little slots in the outlet.
We are leaving tomorrow for our meeting with Dick and his LW, JD and her LH on our coast. We will have 2 days together. Weather looks good, we are looking forward to a lot of fun...maybe even get in a crossword or two.
Hello Bloggers,
Thanks CC, for posting my pic, and thanks to all for the comments.
Dennis:
I look younger than my years because the pic was taken last year.
Hahtool:
Thank you, dear. We have a two member Mutual Admiration Society.
Kazie:
Believe me, you don't want to see a clear picture of this face. The lines look like a Kentucky road map. But that isn't sunlight; that glow has been there since I was immaculately conceived.
Anon @ 6:28:
You are the smartest Anon ever to post on this blog. You also should make an appointment with your oculist.
Lois:
I have notified the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale folks to lay in some extra supplies for later in the year. With two bad feet and a few beers, you may not be able to outrun me this time. Have you considered a little stretching?
Annette:
The BMW is in the shop, but when it comes home there is always a spot on the rear seat for you.
Lucina:
You are much too kind, but thank you.
Carol:
Sunspot Baby?
If I have missed anyone, I'm sorry. I'm here so late because I spent my 15 minutes (or as Dennis said the other day, my day in the barrel) baling hay in 95 degree heat. Finally got in a few minutes ago, got my Kentucky Ale from the Irish (yes, it was already opened, she is properly trained), and am enjoying what's left of the day.
Hey everybody,
Good puzzle, great info. has come out of it...so many comments for a Monday!!
Ditto to everything!
@Carol. love your new avatar. I first thought it was a Chihuly glass sculpture CHIHULY SCULPTURES
dodo, when I take off for the weekend, I have limited computer access and don't post. I've also reverted back to my standard left coast posting habits. By the time I get to the blog the comments are usually made. I'll still chime in when I can add to the exchange.
Post a Comment