Theme: Three Diminutive Swine - First word of the first three long entries describe the protagonist of this classic children's tale. Also included are the integral structures associated with the story.
17A. High rollers: BIG SPENDERS
29A. "Do as I say, not as I do" speakers: BAD EXAMPLES
45A. Shrill "compliment" to a pretty woman: WOLF WHISTLE
61A. Catch your breath, or what the subject of this puzzle (found at the start of 17-, 29- and 45-Across) does: HUFF AND PUFF
Also:
39A. Like the house this puzzle's subject couldn't destroy: BRICK. Very center of the grid.
26D. Like a house destroyed by this puzzle's subject: STRAW
33D. See 26-Down clue: STICK. Both fragile houses are symmetrically placed along the edges of the grid. Very nice.
And a bonus entry: PENNED (6D. Confined, as pigs).
Argyle here.
Heavy themeage (57 theme squares) for a Monday with some questionable abbreviations but no real problems. It has been over a year since we have had a puzzle from Betty Keller and again, she isn't big on trickery or obscurity, as is right for a Monday. I think "cute" would be my description of this puzzle.
Across:
1. Sign up : ENROL
6. "My Cousin Vinny" star Joe : PESCI
11. Cooperstown shrine: Abbr. : HOF. The official site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, NY.
14. First lady before Michelle : LAURA. Mrs. Bush.
15. Revolutionary Allen : ETHAN. Vermonter. His brother, Ira, did not get the press that Ethan did.
16. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO
19. Pin for hanging : PEG
20. Election losers : ALSO-RANS
21. Observing : EYING
23. Musical scale unit : NOTE
24. Morales of "Jericho" : ESAI. We have seen this regular lately. His vowel-laden name use to show up on a seemingly weekly basis.
26. Duped person : SAP
34. Deal in stocks : TRADE
36. Stimpy's partner : REN. Ren is the scrawny "Asthma-Hound" Chihuahua
37. Actor Brad : PITT. Must post picture or else! Image.
38. Thinker Descartes : RENÉ. "Father of Modern Philosophy".
41. K-12 sch. years : ELHI
42. On a cruise : ASEA
43. "The View" network : ABC
44. Dig discovery : RELIC
49. "How revolting!" : ICK
50. One, to Beethoven : EINS. German.
51. Den or parlor : ROOM
53. One in a multiple birth : QUINT
56. Pet lizards' homes : TERRARIA
60. German conjunction : UND. More German.
64. Swearing-in words : I DO
65. Motionless : INERT
66. Nightmare loc. of film : ELM ST.
67. D.C. deal-maker : POL
68. Like a catching-up letter : NEWSY
69. Some towed vehicles, briefly : REPOS
Down:
1. Napoleon's exile isle : ELBA
2. File target : NAIL
3. Carpets : RUGS
4. Director Welles : ORSON
5. Carriage passenger's warmer : LAP ROBE
7. Approx. takeoff hrs. : ETDs. Estimated Time of Departure (ETD)
8. Boater's pronoun : SHE
9. Automobile : CAR
10. Crotch-to-ankle pants measure : INSEAM
11. Native Arizonans : HOPI
12. Plow pullers : OXEN
13. Verne's circumnavigator Phileas : FOGG. World traveller in Jules Verne's 1873 novel, "Around the World in Eighty Days". (Updated later: the original clue Phineas is a typo.)
18. "I could __ horse!" : EAT A
22. "Yahoo!" : YIPPEE
24. Biz VIP : EXEC. Very Important Person in business.
25. Went down like a stone : SANK
27. "Am not!" retort : ARE SO
28. Group of judges : PANEL
30. Idle and Clapton : ERICs. Eric Idle, English comedian, performed as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python. Eric Clapton, English guitarist, performed as a member of rock bands the Yardbirds and Cream.
31. Actress Palmer : LILLI. She was married to Rex Harrison. Image.
32. Code of conduct : ETHIC
35. Overwhelm with noise : DEAFEN
39. German road : BAHN. More German...again.
40. MLB scoring stats : RBIs
44. Stock up again : REORDER
46. Live __ one's means : WITHIN
47. The "T" in NATO : TREATY. North Atlantic Treaty Organization
48. Forsaken : LORN. Forlorn is the more common usage.
52. Source of Canada's symbolic leaf : MAPLE
53. Comical comment : QUIP
54. Cancel : UNDO
55. Fan club favorite : IDOL
56. Swaps between accts. : TFRS.. Is this a common abbreviation?
57. Type of roast : RUMP
58. In that event : IF SO
59. P.M. periods : AFTS. Now this abbreviation is a strain.
62. A, to Berlioz : UNE. Louis-Hector Berlioz was a French composer, regarded as a pioneer of modern orchestration.
63. Not many : FEW
Answer grid.
Argyle
Added 8:45am:
Congratulations to constructor Mangesh Ghogre and his wife Rupali. They just had a new baby boy today. Their first, I think.
17A. High rollers: BIG SPENDERS
29A. "Do as I say, not as I do" speakers: BAD EXAMPLES
45A. Shrill "compliment" to a pretty woman: WOLF WHISTLE
61A. Catch your breath, or what the subject of this puzzle (found at the start of 17-, 29- and 45-Across) does: HUFF AND PUFF
Also:
39A. Like the house this puzzle's subject couldn't destroy: BRICK. Very center of the grid.
26D. Like a house destroyed by this puzzle's subject: STRAW
33D. See 26-Down clue: STICK. Both fragile houses are symmetrically placed along the edges of the grid. Very nice.
And a bonus entry: PENNED (6D. Confined, as pigs).
Argyle here.
Heavy themeage (57 theme squares) for a Monday with some questionable abbreviations but no real problems. It has been over a year since we have had a puzzle from Betty Keller and again, she isn't big on trickery or obscurity, as is right for a Monday. I think "cute" would be my description of this puzzle.
Across:
1. Sign up : ENROL
6. "My Cousin Vinny" star Joe : PESCI
11. Cooperstown shrine: Abbr. : HOF. The official site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, NY.
14. First lady before Michelle : LAURA. Mrs. Bush.
15. Revolutionary Allen : ETHAN. Vermonter. His brother, Ira, did not get the press that Ethan did.
16. Tic-tac-toe loser : OXO
19. Pin for hanging : PEG
20. Election losers : ALSO-RANS
21. Observing : EYING
23. Musical scale unit : NOTE
24. Morales of "Jericho" : ESAI. We have seen this regular lately. His vowel-laden name use to show up on a seemingly weekly basis.
26. Duped person : SAP
34. Deal in stocks : TRADE
36. Stimpy's partner : REN. Ren is the scrawny "Asthma-Hound" Chihuahua
37. Actor Brad : PITT. Must post picture or else! Image.
38. Thinker Descartes : RENÉ. "Father of Modern Philosophy".
41. K-12 sch. years : ELHI
42. On a cruise : ASEA
43. "The View" network : ABC
44. Dig discovery : RELIC
49. "How revolting!" : ICK
50. One, to Beethoven : EINS. German.
51. Den or parlor : ROOM
53. One in a multiple birth : QUINT
56. Pet lizards' homes : TERRARIA
60. German conjunction : UND. More German.
64. Swearing-in words : I DO
65. Motionless : INERT
66. Nightmare loc. of film : ELM ST.
67. D.C. deal-maker : POL
68. Like a catching-up letter : NEWSY
69. Some towed vehicles, briefly : REPOS
Down:
1. Napoleon's exile isle : ELBA
2. File target : NAIL
3. Carpets : RUGS
4. Director Welles : ORSON
5. Carriage passenger's warmer : LAP ROBE
7. Approx. takeoff hrs. : ETDs. Estimated Time of Departure (ETD)
8. Boater's pronoun : SHE
9. Automobile : CAR
10. Crotch-to-ankle pants measure : INSEAM
11. Native Arizonans : HOPI
12. Plow pullers : OXEN
13. Verne's circumnavigator Phileas : FOGG. World traveller in Jules Verne's 1873 novel, "Around the World in Eighty Days". (Updated later: the original clue Phineas is a typo.)
18. "I could __ horse!" : EAT A
22. "Yahoo!" : YIPPEE
24. Biz VIP : EXEC. Very Important Person in business.
25. Went down like a stone : SANK
27. "Am not!" retort : ARE SO
28. Group of judges : PANEL
30. Idle and Clapton : ERICs. Eric Idle, English comedian, performed as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python. Eric Clapton, English guitarist, performed as a member of rock bands the Yardbirds and Cream.
31. Actress Palmer : LILLI. She was married to Rex Harrison. Image.
32. Code of conduct : ETHIC
35. Overwhelm with noise : DEAFEN
39. German road : BAHN. More German...again.
40. MLB scoring stats : RBIs
44. Stock up again : REORDER
46. Live __ one's means : WITHIN
47. The "T" in NATO : TREATY. North Atlantic Treaty Organization
48. Forsaken : LORN. Forlorn is the more common usage.
52. Source of Canada's symbolic leaf : MAPLE
53. Comical comment : QUIP
54. Cancel : UNDO
55. Fan club favorite : IDOL
56. Swaps between accts. : TFRS.. Is this a common abbreviation?
57. Type of roast : RUMP
58. In that event : IF SO
59. P.M. periods : AFTS. Now this abbreviation is a strain.
62. A, to Berlioz : UNE. Louis-Hector Berlioz was a French composer, regarded as a pioneer of modern orchestration.
63. Not many : FEW
Answer grid.
Argyle
Added 8:45am:
Congratulations to constructor Mangesh Ghogre and his wife Rupali. They just had a new baby boy today. Their first, I think.
77 comments:
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - good thing this is a Monday puzzle, 'cause I'm not sure my head could've taken anything more difficult.
I did pick up on the 'Big bad wolf' theme after the first three theme answers (I've gotten used to looking at just the first or last words in the theme), so it made the unifier pretty easy. Everything else was pretty easy, but I put 'Lilly' for 'Actress Palmer' which led me to put 'yuk' for "How revolting!", and that slowed things down a bit. And I can't ever look at 'enrol' without thinking it needs (var.) after it.
I really liked the symmetry of the other theme-related answers, 'brick, 'stick' and 'straw'. Argyle, thanks for pointing out 'penned' -- I completely missed it.
Today is Crush a Can Day.
Change of pace - some questions for you, and no fair looking them up. Answers later today if needed, but I have no doubt this group will nail them first:
1. What are the only mobile National Monuments?
2. Who were the first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV?
3. What color was Coca-Cola originally?
4. What state has the highest percentage of people who walk to work?
5. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
Good Morning, CC, Argyle and all. Cute puzzle this morning. I loved the theme. I am not usually keen on puzzles with cross-references. Today's puzzle was a speed run, and I was doing both across and down at the same time, so all the pieces fell in quite quickly.
Morning, all!
I blew (pardon the pun) through most of this puzzle in record time, only to come to an abrupt halt at the very bottom where NEWSY intersected TFRS. No, Argyle -- I don't think that TFRS is a common abbreviation. I had the TFR part and knew I must have made a mistake somewhere. Plus, for some reason, I just couldn't parse the clue for NEWSY. I tried NEWLY and even NEWBY, but my heart wasn't really in it since I knew that something was wrong with TFR_ and I kept getting distracted as I tried to figure out how I could have possible screwed that up.
I finally accepted that TFR_ had to be right and went ahead and played the "let's try every letter in the alphabet" game with the missing letter. I got the TADA! at the letter S, and here we are. Yay.
Good morning. Good write-up, Argyle.
C.C: Thanks for the shout-out for RPI in yesterday's blog.
Mostly a speed run today. One pass and a return to get QUINT and it was done. Didn't get the theme until near the end but in time to solve for HUFF AND PUFF. For 62d, I was looking for something to do with 'A' the note, not 'a' the indefinite feminine French article.
Good to see René the 'born again' mathematician.
Have a good day.
Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,
A nice Monday morning grid. I got the theme which gave way to the down fills quickly. Very straight forward grid.
Hahtool, That picture looks familiar.
Sitzboov, you mentioned going Saratoga for a special dinner over the weekend. Did it happen to be for your 58th high school reunion? If so, my father was there.
Have a great Monday.
Good Morning C.C.,Argyle and all,
A special Monday- Big Bad Wolf puzzle- a delight!
It told and showed the whole story and I was a small child, for one brief moment, 'coloring' in the 'picture', this morning.
'Lorn' seems as old as the 'big bad wolf'; I've never heard it alone [pardon the pun], but it was part of the 'color'.
Thanks Argyle for 'penned' and for a neat write-up. I'm going back to reread it, as I am wont to do with your words and links.
Have a nice day everyone.
Hello everyone,
Just to let you know that yesterday's constructor Damien Peterson is another alias name of Rich Norris, anagram of "Editor's Pen Name".
Thanks Dennis + Betty
Well that got me through that (for)lorn MM feeling. Yes I can! And no big puffs encountered (puffs and fags are starting to get filed in my same neuro-folder).
One question: When did women in the US start ending their first names with the the letter 'i' (and WHY?). I can guess some of this began when women started to commandeer men's names and wanted to indicate in print that they were not men - might have been easier to use a woman's name in the first place... how old-fashioned of me. At least Billie Holliday put an 'e' on it. But why LILLI ? Don't know many guys named LILLY.
Answers on an e-CARD, please.
NC
Creature,
To answer your question regarding the linked pictures, unless they are from Ginger Roots, then they are not mine. I "Go Fetch" them from Google Images Dogpile style.
Vettedoe,
Thanks for the always positive & caring comments. You've shown us immense strength and grace under tough times.
NC:
It isn't clear that women (US or elsewhere) actually name themselves. Most names are hung on children by their (hopefully) well-meaning parents. In the case of names that appear to be androgynous, it's often the case that the male parent wanted a son, got a daughter, and stuck his name on her in a feminized version (example - Paul, Paula).
In the case of stage names, it's only a recent development (I think) that the performer chose their own name. It was/is usually an agent or publicist doing the renaming. As for the "i" - "y" choice, maybe it's just a matter of style or a fad, although the "i" seems to have more European roots.
Maybe Kazie, our resident linguist, will weigh in on this later.
Argyle, Great write-up. More interesting than the puzzle. JMHO
The abbr. of TFRS and AFTS were ugly. Only ICK's in the grid.
The rest was pretty standard Monday stuff with a visit from that BIG BAD WOLF (Nice theme).
Oh, I forgot the trivia.
#1 The San Fran. Cable Cars, though I think they are classified as National Landmarks by the Dept of Interior.
#2 Fred & Wilma Flintstone, those cartoons have all the fun.
#3 Clear (this is a WAG)
#4 Oregon? Sounds like something they would do.
#5 The Ocean. as in Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico
Though "Where they were born" makes sense, too.
....and on an etymological note.
LORN is the old past participle of LOST. The 'FOR' in FORLORN is an intensifier.
1) However, a principle meaning for 'FORLORN' as late as the 17th Century was 'lost' in the sense of 'morally lost' or 'depraved'. So LORN may have been preferred by poets (the only people who have used it in the last few centuries) to distinguish its "decent" meaning from the older less salubrious one. It also happens to rhyme with 'BORN', which must have been useful.
2) The phrase "forlorn hope" derives from the Dutch 'verloren hoop' = 'lost troop/company", and refers to the soldiers sent into the first line of battle, with little hope of retuning. Hence its slightly erroneous figurative use today.
3) Now, we use the phrase "the fallen" to refer to soldiers who die in battle, and I just wonder whether this phrase was derived (erroneously, the words are not related) by the similar pronunciation of "forlorn"
e-Comments??
End of Wonder.
Weather watch: It could rise to a whopping 88° near the coast today - our hottest day of the year. 100°+ a few miles inland and in downtown LA. Not humid though, and not a Santa Ana (high pressure to the West for a change), so little wind, hence limited wild-fire danger.
NC
Hi guys, I accidently did the World Herald crossword (we have two in every paper) this morning and thought, "Hey, that's pretty lame for the LAT!" before I saw my mistake and went to "ours". What fun, even for an easy run. Cute works for me!
There are certain movies that contain lines that we quote all the time and "My Cousin Vinnie Quotes" is one of them - "Ya blend", "He's a toughie", "Breakfast?" (three choices on the menu). Two other movies are Caddyshack and Stripes!!
OXO was fun and of course Yahoo took us techies in a different direction for a while. What in the world is ELHI and where in the L is the last letter in ENROL? I know advice columnists give comfort to the loveLORN.
Off to the golf course on a spectacular fall day!
SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!! I
am going to attempt Dennis' questions without Vitamin G (I feel a shutout coming on but I'm game and incapable of embarrassement).
1. Traveling Vietnam Wall and some Moon Rocks? (lame attempt)
2. Rob and Laura Petrie
3. Clear (with cocaine)
4. Hawaii (great weather, horrible traffic and should we say a tolerance for tardiness!)
5. A Wal Mart (got to be!)
Good morning all, first time poster, long time lurker.
Fun puzzle today, helped that I know German. Monday puzzles always make me feel like I'm a genius. I like that, good way to start a Monday.
No real issues, had STILL for 65A but quickly figured out INERT with the perps. Wanted 27D to be ARETO instead of ARESO, since when are kids that proper? (Though I suppose I should've used ARETOO for that to be correct.)
I'm going to take some WAGs here.
1. What are the only mobile National Monuments?
-The Constitution and Decleration of Independence?
2. Who were the first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV?
-Fred and Wilma of the Flinstones
3. What color was Coca-Cola originally?
-Clear
4. What state has the highest percentage of people who walk to work?
-WAG, New York
5. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
-Another WAG, Their mom? McDonalds?
Have a great day all!
Good Morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Although it was an easy Monday puzzle, I was scratching my head over some of the "Abvns" (that's my take on "abbreviations").
HOF (Why not BHF?)
QUINT (wasn't clued as an abbr.)
TFRS (not xfers?)
AFTS (why not just "Fores' opposites?)
Then there were the language lessons
EINS
UND
BAHN
UNE
As I have said before, I can forgive a lot if the puzzle is otherwise elegantly/cleverly constructed. This one was well constructed, with STRAW, BRICK and STICK flanking the middle, and four long theme entries. But it just did not strike me as elegant / clever enough to make up for the many "forced" entries IMHO.
Dennis,
1. Cable cars - I recently visited SF and was told they were listed as a national monument.
2. I remember the scandal of Bob Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette being shown in bed together (Before that, twin beds ruled the night time scenes)
3. No idea
4. New York - guess? WIth so many Manhattanites, it would probably increase the overall % in that state
5. Has to be Dunkin Donuts or a mall - I try to stay as far away from both as I can.
Have a great day, everyone!
Oh, and I forgot about the "ELHI" abbr.
and "ENROL" - huh?
Hello Puzzlers - Yep, I got mixed up on ENROL, yuk/ICK, and ELHI. The latter is only known to me through crosswords, we sure didn't use that abbrev. in my district.
TFRS: A bit clumsy for transfers, but understandable. To a pilot, TFRS are the despised Temporary Flight Restrictions that pop up from time to time, sometimes with little notice, to "protect" high-ranking politicians. They can be paralyzing to air traffic.
Dennis, It looks like my Spoiler warning was far from necessary and I batted .000%. What fun though and it will be interesting to see other guesses.
1. I've been to those mobile mounuments!
2. I now remember Rob and Laura's separate beds (Mary Tyler Moore was hot however!)
3. Nice to know the original color but not the cocaine was maintained.
4. People in "The Last Frontier State" probably can't get their vehicles started half the time.
5. Proximity to Wal-Mart is probably MUCH higher than 50%!! Ubiquitous, thy name is Wally World!
Thanks again Dennis. Semper Fi!
Good morning Argyle, CC, et al., Good job, Argyle, as always. Loved this puzzle! Love the speed run but I started getting excited as I realized the theme was all about blowing. For some reason, I immediately thought of Dennis out in his front yard and I'm sure a well deserved 'wolf whistle' would be forthcoming for that event. Big bad wolf got me all fired up as I have visions of huffing and puffing my 'rump' off with me probably chasing him all around the 'room'. He'd be another of my 'big spenders' who would be considered an 'also ran'(s). 'Hop i' will get 'im next time b/c I'll have a 'car' and he won't. I'll teach that guy a new dimension of 'nail' and 'rbi's. it's all good.
Dennis: interesting questions. I'll be back w/my answers.
Enjoy your day.
p.s. Joann and I met a cousin in SW Germany who lives in Eastern Switzerland and he took us to his house acroos the border at 125 mph on the AutoBAHN in a freakin' Ford Escort (built for those roads). It took Joann 5 minutes to unclench her fists when we got to Hieden, Switzerland (which incidentally is beautiful beyond words!!)
Fore!
Good morning all~!
Yes, I am going to add to the "ICK" of ENROL, hanging there without it's last L, and TFRS as opposed to XFERS, and I could have lived with AFTS opposite FORES, too.
My stab at the answers, Dennis -
I am going with the others,
and guessing the cable cars in SF;
The Bradys, Carol and Mike;
Clear, sounds right:
NY seems like a good choice;
and how about their workplace?
WAG s
Still, the Big Bad Wolf is a change up on Monday themes, and I liked it.
Take care -
Splynter
ELHI = Elementary and High School. The abbreviation is quite common in my world. I didn't realize it wasn't universal.
Ethan Allen was a Green Mountain Boy and fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was a Vermonter.
Mainaic: the photo was taken outside of Newark's restaurant in Dover, NH.
I wasn't keen on AFTs. And can anyone use LORN in a sentence?
Final Post
GAVEUPS/Crosswordese/general gripes.
GAVEUPS - LORN for the hall-of-fame. Makes me think of LORNA DOONE - may have been influenced.
Strong words/phrases - TERRARIA, LAP ROBE, NEWSY, QUINT
22D - YAHOO = YIPPEE - not cool to clue such a similar exclamation. Also, prefer to see it in the context of Swift's original coinage. Allusion to search engine would do too.
29A BADEXAMPLES - So you are calling all of us parents bad examples? Probably true. But we just do the best we can...
Clue for 47D might have been "COMPACT" again.
Crosswordese - 42A ASEA, ESAI (I say, not again!), OXO, HOPI, ARESO, RBIS, ICK, IFSO, IDO, ETDS
ABBRS.: ETDS, RBIS, TFRS (Dodgy!), AFTS (as noted by others, there's a perfectly good word here), POL, ELHI (more of an acronym, so OK), QUINT (OK in context), EXEC, HOF, ABC, ELMST, ETDS
MOVIES, LITERATURE, NAMES: PESCI, HOF, LAURA, EETHAN, ESAI, REN, PITT, RENÉ, ABC, ELMST, ELBA, ORSON, HOPI, FOGG, ERICS, LILLI
Back to my day job.
NC
Foreign words: UND, UNE, EINS, BAHN - all OK.
Hi all, seems like most of us are having the same goof-ups. I also put Lilly and Yuk in and got punished for it. I also always have trouble with the spelling of ENROL, think in should be ENROLL, and apparently my spell check thinks so too!
Crush a Can Day: that is pretty easy to do today, but the original cans were made of steel and not easily crushed.
I am going to try some of the answers to Dennis's questions:
#1 Airstream Trailers
#2 ?
#3 Green
#4 ? Oregon was a good guess
#5 McDonald's
Good Morning All, There were several small annoying fill today, like ENROL, TFRS and AFTS. OTOH, I finally remembered EL-HI, so I got a self-applied back pat for that one.
Ms Keller must have gone pretty far back to find LORN. I vaguely remembered the line "lost and lorn" from something and after googling came up with this modernized verse from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (The Franklin's Tale):
"He said: "Apollo, governor and god
Of every plant, herb, tree, and flower in sod,
That givest, according to thy declination,
To each of them its time of foliation,
All as thy habitation's low or high,
Lord Phoebus, cast thy merciful bright eye
On wretched Aurelius, who is lost and LORN."
(I'll spare you any more.:o)
I thought the theme was lots of fun and was surprised that nobody had yet posted the Disney classic cartoon. So here is The Three Little Pigs....talk about drilling a work ethic tale into our tender little brains! No BAD EXAMPLES there.
About that quiz..I agree that the SF cable cars are the mobile National Monument.
I also read quite recently that Alaskans walk to work more frequently than their southern neighbors. I remembered it because it really surprised me. You wouldn't get me strolling in -20, or less,degree weather.
Best wishes to Mangesh Ghogre and his wife Rupali on the birth of their son, what a happy day for them!
Good morning everyone.
Fun puzzle, nice write up, Argyle, and good comments on Dennis's bonus puzzle.
It's also National Dog week. I click every night on
Animal Rescue Site
If I again am unsuccessful at putting up a site, it is this: http:www.theanimalrescuesite
I was stuck in the SW corner for quite a while, and finally figured quip, and that unlocked that corner.
As to women's names: My mother named me Sally, but the clerk at wherever one registers told her that she couldn't name a child a nick-name, crossed out Sally and penned it Sarah. That's how it is on my birth certificate! I always go by Sallie (I changed the spelling to be cute in 8th grade and have stuck with it.)
Cheers
How about this, Sallie Animal Rescue Site
I'm way too late this a.m. to weigh in on the WAGs I'd have needed for Dennis' questions. The only one I would have been any ways confident about would be #4 New York.
As WH suggested, I will weigh in on Lilli Palmer. My guess was immediately that she was German, and I wasn't disappointed. On checking WIKI, I found the above. She was one of many Jews who fled Germany in 1933.
Considering the ease of this puzzle, My solving was not brilliant today. I didn't notice that Lilly had to have 'I' to fit ICK. I never know how to spell those yuk, yech, words. And then I confidently assumed the end of EIN would be the feminine 'E', and having never seen the RMIS clue, which I wouldn't have had a clue about anyway, it never occurred to me to check the perp. Oh well, maybe I'll slow down more for Tuesday.
I did get the theme very quickly and that helped a lot.
My abbr. of afternoon is arvo, and yes, afts looks very strange.
On EPICENE names (yay, I used it!), both my first and middle names are such that one is possible for a man here, though I've never seen it in other English speaking areas for a male. The other is a man's name in German with one letter changed (think Lilly/Lilli) at the end. So when I get mail from Germans who don't know me, it's always addressed to Herr ....
CA,
Don't assume that AK is always that cold. We often have it colder here in south west WI than in Anchorage. I am aware of that because when son #2 lived there, we used to check frequently. Of course on the North Slope, when he was working there, it was a different story.
I can't remember who suggested the place where cars wouldn't start, but walking to work in that kind of weather might get a few other things stuck together too. There are stories of spit freezing before hitting the ground, and I've experience the inside of my nose freezing solid here too.
Re: day job
How would anybody like this job and what hourly pay rate would cover it?
It is too freekin' hot here today. Supposed to go up to 96. Too hot!
Hands up for disliking ELHI and ENROL. I guess if I were a constructor, I would use 'em if I needed 'em. I could only get one of Dennis's questions by myself (number 5) but I agree with cable cars and clear. Oregon sounds reasonable. For the last one, I vote for where they were born. I am 3000 miles away though.
When I was in college, I learned a trick for crushing steel soft drink cans one-handed. When they switched to aluminum cans, my ability was no longer appreciated.
Hi gang -
Nice job Argyle. "Cute" is exactly how I describe this fun puzzle. Other than that, Dennis made my comments.
Bringing the German and (for)lorn together, the cognate is verloren, which means - you guessed it - lost!
1 Cable cars, fer sure.
Guesses:
2 I'll go with the Petri's (LAURA was a dish)
3 Uh -- carmel?
4 NY
5 I was thinking of a single thing, but can't come up with one.
C.C. -
Did your puzzle over the week end - fun, clever, challenging, and a great tribute to Dennis, who is a great friend to everyone at the corner. Really nicely done.
Dennis - HBD, only a little late.
Cheers!
JzB
What's in a name? My sister was named with the actor Joel McCrea in mind. My mother had a movie star crush on him, thought she was having a boy and my sis wound up with "Joell".
Similarly, my daughter thought Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham was so cute and liked his unusual name. Our first grandson started out as "Lindsey", but after 10 years or so, he chose to go by his middle name, "Joe". There are a lot of girls named Lindsay (Lohan, Wagner). The E is usually changed to an A for a girl.
Kazie, Of course it can get just as cold in Wisconsin, but your sensible state (just kidding Alaska) doesn't hold the "walk to work record" Summers can be lovely, just as they are in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Who wouldn't mind walking to work in that kind of weather? Alaskans must be getting out there all year round to top the list. (LOL, there is a reason I don't live in either Alaska or Wisconsin.)
Watch out, she's sneaky. She put it right there. Right smack dab in front of our face.
PIG PENS in BIG SPENDERS.
Spitzboov - That was riveting! I've flown by some tall towers and often wondered what it's like to change a light bulb or whatever.
"Summers can be lovely, just as they are in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Who wouldn't mind walking to work in that kind of weather?" Oops, "Who would mind walking...?"
No time for poems today....art class coming up. Our art teacher has decided that we will pursue the art of watercolor this semester, so no pastels for a while. I've never been too interested in watercolors, but I'll reserve judgment until I have totally drowned several pieces in puddles of watery muddled gray. How's that for artistic confidence?
Hello, Argyle, C.C. and everyone.
Nice, fast run today and it's a good thing when babysitting a nine month old baby.
Cute theme, I agree, though did not connect the BIG, BAD, WOLF until the blog. Great job, Argyle.
I can only agree with what has been said about the ICK factor on abbreviations and ENROL and could AFTS be the rears of ships?
PIMA is found everywhere in Arizona, not only the people, but I live within a mile of Pima Road and there's Pima Freeway, etc.
I'll try the quiz answers:
1. SF trolleys seems right
2. I think the Petri's as well
3. clear
4. Starbucks
Congratulations to Manghesh and his wife Rupali. I apologize if the spelling is incorrect.
Have a lovely Monday, all!
oops, mixed 4 and 5
4. New York
5. Starbucks
Thanks, Tinbeni, for your advice. I feel the same way. Do you think I have said too much? I'll watch it and/or change it. Again, thanks.
Congrats to Manlesh & Rupali on you boy!
Dennis- I have read all the others'
answers and here are mine;
1.
2.Nick and Nora Charles
3.red
4.N.Y.
5.Ocean
Now, I'm not sure if the Charleses
even had the same bedroom?
Fun to see the answers.
Ca,
I'd find it hard to believe Anchorage is right--it seemed very spread out to me when I was there. And you'd have to be wary of the stray moose in the streets.
W T
I R
T E SWINE and STY
H A
I T
NEWSY
PEG PIG PEN again
EYING
WOLFWHISTLE
EINS SWINE again
No, I'm not paranoid. She's messin' with us.
My guesses:
1. Cable Cars
2. Flintstones
3. Clear
4. New York
5. McDonalds
Sounds like you had a good time Dennis!
Hahtool, That could be the Lobster Coop in Manset.
Spitzboov, That's an amazing video! I don't mind heights but there isn't enough money to get me up there.
Hola Everyone, My take on the puzzle was that it was fun, but cute describes it better. Thanks Argyle. I fell into the Lilly/Lilli trap and that made Yck a rather funny abbreviation.
I didn't think that enrol was correct or that afts could be P.M. periods. I always think of P.M. as after 6:00 and getting dark.
I didn't see some of the answers until coming to the blog as they had filled in on their own as I sped through this puzzle. I had Big Bad Wolf early on as I do the across and downs together. That helped with the types of houses and Huff and Puff.
Congratulations to Mangesh and Rupali on the birth of their son. Such a day truly is a blessing.
My name is a blend of my father's name and a feminine ending. We are from the south and many girls were named after their fathers. My middle name is Floydene, my cousins' names were, Billy and Clydella. Billy had a hard time as she was always addressed by mail as Mr.
I'll try some answers for the questions that Dennis has thrown out today.
l. Cable cars in S.F. for sure.
2. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
3. Clear
4. New York
5. Ocean
For number 5, when you think of all the coastline we have in the U.S. what with Florida, the Gulf Coast, West Coast and Eastern Shorline, and the population density along those coasts, it would be a logical answer in my mind.
Congrats, Mangesh.
Mary
Good morning all..oops, afternoon,
Loved today's theme and will go back and view The Three Little Pigs. With grandchildren, I get to relive all those old rhymes, cartoons, and songs.Truman is singing Humpty Dumpty for his next little show at "school."
I had to laugh at the answer "alsorans" ;thought it was a new word.Thanks Argyle!!Would not have filled ren, Rene, tfrs or une without perps. Like CA, I remembered ELHI from awhile back, and how we all thought it inane.I left out the F in hof/fogg.Didn't know either.
I love trivia, and so did my class.Each morning the kids would find a new odd fact on the board along with a geography question. The problem for me is remembering them.
1.cable cars
2. Flintstones(never posted this)
3. green..I can tell you a lot about coke)
4. their birthplace
5. AK
The active ingredient in coke is phosphoric acid, and will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. PH acid also leaches calcium from our bones and is a major contributor in osteoporosis.I never checked on this to be true, but read it somewhere.Coke denies that they have been using it for years to clean the engines of their trucks. It's probably false.
Chickie, if you lived in Greece, that #5 answer would be true.
oops, I mixed up #4 & 5.
Like Sallie, my daughter, Corinne, was at 1st Cory. She changed it to Cori, then to Corie...which stuck, but as now an adult, she and many of her friends have gone back to their given names.Her best friend, Mandy, is now Amanda.
Nice Cuppa, I have noticed that many parents, no matter what they name their baby (boy or girl) put a silly i or y on the end of it when they are small. My nephew was called Brenty for way too long..ick
Hookers in Vegas add an i to the end of their name, e.g, 'Brandi'.
JD, congrats, you nailed them! Nice going.
Dennis,
Coca Cola has always been the same color it is now since it was born in 1888 or so. As for the other questions you pose, maybe someone else can answer them. I should know the answer to the one re 'in bed together' but it slips my mind. Fun bit Denni.
MR ED, part of the presentation I went through last year at the Coke headquarters in Atlanta talked about how Coca-Cola was originally green. I'd be really surprised if they were wrong. You can confirm it online as well.
Dennis:
This is from the Coca Cola web site.
Rumor: The drink Coca-Cola® was originally green in color.
Our Response: This is indeed just a rumor. Although the famous contour bottle is green, Coca-Cola has always been brown in color, since its start in 1886.
Personally, I prefer Avatar over Coca-Cola, with a tint from the Oak barrel.
more trivia: Coke will remove grease stains from your driveway, and supposedly will remove rust if you rub it with an abrasive sponge.To clean corrosion from your car battery terminals, pour a can of Coke over the terminals to bubble it away-poof!
And, in many states the highway patrol carries 2 gallons of coke(or other soda to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
Wilma Flintstone's maiden name was Wilma Slaghoopal.
Tinbeni, yeah, I just saw the same thing on their website. It's funny, this came from a book of facts, and I really do remember the woman at Coke talking about how it started out green.
I've gotta stop shooting heroin, dammit. MR ED, my apologies.
If anyone is wondering if I've gone mad, I haven't. That scrambled scrawl of my last post was not mine. There must be wee macro beasties loose in the cyber world rewriting text for their own demonic reasons.
My point was-
In the grid is PEG over EYING. When you look at it you get PIGPEN again just like you do in BIGSPENDER.
Where WITHIN meets NEWSY you get SWINE.
Where TREATY meets NEWSY you get STY.
EINS sits right under center of WOLFWHISTLE. Again, there's SWINE.
Considering the theme of today's puzzle, I thought these coincidences intriguing.
Hi Guys, Just in off the course. I played lousy and enjoyed every stroke. It is so chilly here early in the day, I had to wear my Pope pants. I bought them for Italy, the legs zip off after you leave the cathedrals where your arms and legs have to be covered. They will sell you paper shirts and pants in the narthex of St. Peter's for a Euro each that you can then discard. They should have paid that much attention to the priests in the sacristy with altar boys (recent word).
In 42 years of teaching, I have seen AMY spelled in infinite ways. The girls are always upset when I don't spell their version correctly and I tell them to blame mom, dad or whoever because they will have to spell it for peeps the rest of their lives.
AMY
AME
AMEE
AMIE
AMEY
AMYE
AMIEE
AIMEE
A'MIEE
ad nauseum.
What are the parents thinking?
Hi all.
Nice, easy cw for a MondaY. Did As and Ds together for a speed run.
102 in the back yard @1PM. Am going to San Mateo for diner and taking my red cabbage dish as a side.
Take care.
Dennis:
Is that the green heroin or the brown heroin? lol
According to NOAA, Over half of the American population lives within 50 miles of the coast.
Also my last statement makes it sound like I like Avatar mixed with Coca-cola.
Nope, it is still Scotch in the snifter glass, neat.
Forgot about my name. My teachers in primary gave me Lucy because they found Lucina hard to pronounce.
All my family and friends use that, too. I like Lucina on the blog because it's the only time I use it, other than legal documents and it was my grandmother's name.
I was named Patricia, called Patty (cakes...ugh!!!!) and renamed myself Patsi with a heart over the "i"...so some of us DO name ourselves...and I had an aunt named "Bessie" who hated it so much she legally changed it to Beckie!
Clear Ayes - Thank you for the link to the Three Little Pigs - I throughly enjoyed it.
********
In 'A History of the world in six glasses', by Tom Standage, Walker & Co., (2005)...
The Chairman of the Coca-Cola company, in 2000, at their annual shareholders general meeting said ...
'A billion hours ago, mankind first made its appearance on this earth ... a billion minutes ago, Christ was born .... a billion seconds ago, the Beatles burst into the music scene ... and a billion Coke bottles ago - why that was yesterday.'
--------
Phosphoric Acid has been used in Coke, Pepsi and numerous other soft drinks for tartness and pH balance, - for a reason.
The soft drink manufacturers could have used Citric Acid ( Lime juice) , Ascorbic Acid ( Vit C), Oxalic Acid (Cranberry juice and others ) , Acetic Acid ( Vinegar), Maleic Acid ( Apple Cider), ... indeed, a whole list of organic acids ( they have lower pH ...)
... but they have chosen to use an inorganic acid, Phosphoric Acid, because it is more 'body friendly'. It is not the cheapest acid, nor the most convenient ... but the fact, that it still remains, after almost a 120 years, the preferred method of adding tartness, and has been studied copiously, on behalf of the FDA and others, should indicate its 'relative' safety.
Of course, drinking anything (!) to excess is counter productive for the human body and 'colas' are no exception - I dont drink Coke, but I do drink diet Pepsi ( yes, there is a difference - ).
Hi all!
Well, I've lived in Wisconsin for 55 of my 78 years(not consecutivley) and I've never walked in the winter very much. You could probably tell it if you saw me.)
Right now it is high water in Wisonsin that is the concern- not where I live but about 25 miles southeast.
The way I've seen lorn used, is
in romance novels where the person is lovelorn.
We once went to the Hopi reservation for an Elderhostel service event where we spent time in the elimentary school tutoring.
It was very interesting learning their customs. The next week we went to another Elderhostel in Sedona. What a beautiful place.
I really enjoyed this puzzle
Good evening all.
Marge
#30 d- Eric Clapton was also in Derrick and the Dominos. He is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times!
Nice Monday puzzle! Thanks
1. S.F cable cars
2. Lucy and Ricky
3. clear
4.NY
5. Their hometown
just a guess or two
Here's an blog site from a guy who researches (at least it seems that way) those interesting pieces of information. On the Part II page Jeff Lewis documents via snopes.com that the first human TV double-bedders were on a sitcom called "Mary Kay and Johnny" in 1947. No tape survives for that show. Cartoons Fred and Wilma were kinky enough to tape their shenanigans.
Even more interesting is the 2006 U.S. Census chart that lists estimates of how many people walked to work. Yup, Alaska wins with 4.3%, even though Washington D.C., which isn't a state had 5.8%. Then there is California with 1.2% (no surprise there), Wisconsin and Oregon with 1.8%, Minnesota and New Jersey with 1.6% and Florida with .8%. Most of the southern states come in at less than 1%. Looks like it is easier to walk in the cold than when it is just too goldurn hot.
Congratulations Mangesh and Mrs Mangesh and MiniMangesh
2... Mr & Mrs Brady
5... The place where they were born
Well, no talking about the gentle sea breezes today. It was over 100, probably close to a record for this area. And there's a brush fire well north of here. I would have paid some good money for a sea breeze or a quickly-installed A/C unit.
Heard about the record breaking temps in LA today.....113, new high for the city!! I was about to whine about our temps at 84 with high humidity today, but will be happy with what we have. The weather this year is odd. Seems our seasons are out of whack.
I just had a blitch in the system and am too tired to retype it all. In a nutshell, I thought Dennis questions, Lois' take on it and Argyle's blog were more fun than the puzzle. I hated "Election losers" - also rans, and that K-12-Elhi which I know is crosswordese.
My given name is Jean Ann. My Mom wanted Jeanna but my Dad said he wanted a middle name, and none would fit in his mind for Jeanna. Interestingly enough, all my southern relatives, and most older people I meet, (take no offense any of you in that catagory) call me Jeannie. That might be something about I call myself, huh?
I didn't follow through on that vein on my name...I have SO much respect for the generations that came before me. I am just somewhat surprised when I meet them for the very first time I magically become Jeannie, even when I introduce myself as "Jean".
Evening, folks.
At last, a F crossword (as opposed to DNF). I didn't like AFTS either. I had less of a problem with TFRs. The accountant I worked under as a bookkeeper always wrote TFR (or TRF?) for transfer, and I use TRF myself on To Do lists. I'd read xfer as cross-fer, like crossword.
C.C. Thanks for info on Rich's alias yesterday. No wonder I really liked the puzzle.
The FDA might have been doing research on soda for 120 years, but until recently, people didn't drink half a dozen or more cans a day. Having used Coke on numerous occasions to get the buildup off my car battery deters me from drinking soda very often.
Jerome, very interesting pig observations. I think you might be onto something there.
NiceCuppa, a lot of words/abbreviations on your crosswordese list are frequently used outside of crosswords (e.g., HOPI).
Spitzboov, commenter Dwane's "kuhnan'a the size of melons" best encapsulates my reaction to the video, after the abject terror I felt watching it. I was only moderately uncomfortable at heights until I fell off a ladder at work painting at about 16 feet above ground thirteen years ago.. Despite forcing myself to continue climbing ladders, my legs still shake uncontrollably.
Happy late birthday, Dennis.
Vettedoe, I am so very sorry for your l losses. Sending sympathy and positive wishes.
Otis
Otis, how is that a screen name for a female? Any more information you're willing to provide?
Spitzboov:
Just now had a chanct to watch the video and I can tell you of one man I know, my late DH, who had to climb one of those to do repairs.
He was well paid for his trouble.
Good night, all!
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