Theme: None
Total words: 68. Total blocks: 33
Very unusual grid design. It has:
1) the standard 180 degree rotation;
2) a left to right symmetry;
3) a top to bottom mirroring pattern.
Rarely do we see this kind of grid structure. As a result, we have a even-numbered count of all entries with various length, including an amazing 28 of seven-letter words.
The puzzle is anchored by a pair of music grid spanners:
27A. It lost to "Moon River" for a Best Song Oscar : TOWN WITHOUT PITY. Unknown trivia to me. "Moon River" is lovely.
42A. 1964 Record of the Year Grammy winner, with "The" : GIRL FROM IPANEMA. Sweet song.
Across:
1. Avid ones keep Life Lists : BIRDERS. Is "Life Lists" a specific term to birders?
8. Weapons restriction of a sort : TEST BAN
15. Circling : IN ORBIT
16. Coin's "heads" : OBVERSE
17. Take a plane? : SKYJACK. My favorite clue today.
18. Formed before delivery, as concrete : PRECAST
19. Mom and pop financing gp. : SBA
20. Roger who coached eight NHL teams : NEILSON. No idea. Obviously this guy is in Hall of Fame. Is eight a record?
22. Taste : SIP. Drink.
23. Collaborator with a Count and a Duke : ELLA (Fitzgerald). Count Basie. Duke Ellington. I don't feel the two a's are necessary. You?
25. Dance genre : TAP
26. Peak in Thessaly : OSSA. Mt Ossa. Peak near Olympus.
32. View from Jackson Hole : TETONS. Grand Tetons. Big boobs.
33. Safe portfolio investments : T-NOTES
34. Ad-committee link : HOC. Ad hoc committee.
35. Dr. Ray Langston's TV team : CSI. Have never watched CSI. Don't know the doctor.
36. Come to a head : BOIL UP
39. Puget Sound port : TACOMA
45. Sub. for omitted names : ET AL. Literally "and others". French got their "et" from Latin I gather.
46. Hammett's Spade : SAM. Sam Spade. And 11D. Hammett's Spade, e.g. : TEC. Short for detective. Nice clue tie-in.
47. Library Card Sign-up mo. : SEPT
48. Like some painkillers, briefly : OTC
49. French lover? : AMATEUR. I don't get it. Is it literally "lover" in French, Kazie?
53. Frat letter : RHO
54. Told : RELATED. And 59. Not told : UNAWARE. Another clecho (clue echo).
56. Easily attached : STICK ON
58. Island north of Trinidad : GRENADA. Needed crossing help.
60. Sect linked to the Dead Sea Scrolls : ESSENES. I can never remember this sect. So close to Essences.
Down:
61. Jai alai balls : PELOTAS. It's just Spanish for "balls", correct?
1. "Bullitt" co-star : BISSET (Jacqueline). Total stranger to me. Bullitt is a character's name in the film.
2. Therapy aid : INK BLOT
3. Pluralis majestatis : ROYAL WE. Pluralis majestatis is "majestic plural" in Latin.
4. Court physician? : DR. J. Julius Erving. Basketball court.
5. "Personal Witness: Israel Through My Eyes" author : EBAN (Abba)
6. Potatoes alternative : RICE
7. Nevis neighbor : ST KITTS. See this map. Crazy STK*start.
8. Leadership position : TOP SPOT
9. River through Aragon : EBRO. To the Mediterranean.
10. 1984 Swedish speed skating medalist Gustafson : SVEN. Both his given name and surname are so Swedish/Norwegian.
12. Golfer's 2-wood : BRASSIE. Gimme to me. Watched lots of the old Bobby Jones golf tips when I first started golfing.
13. Rink stats : ASSISTS
14. Working capital? : NET PAY. Nice misdirecting "working".
21. __-di-dah : LAH
24. Colonial mound : ANTHILL. Tricky "colonial".
26. Sunroof and CD changer, e.g. : OPTIONS
28. "A Room of One's Own" author : WOOLF (Virginia). Not familiar with the book. What's it about?
29. Arouse, as wrath : INCUR
30. Open without a corkscrew : UNCAP
31. 1900 Puccini premiere : TOSCA. Well, 5-letter Puccini work answer is either TOSCA or OPERA.
36. Pink Gin ingredient : BITTERS. No idea. Have never heard of Pink Gin.
37. Sources of ambiguous answers : ORACLES. Warren Buffett would love this clue. He's called the Oracle of Omaha. Guess who's the Oracle of Nebraska?
38. Some Iberian inns : POSADAS. Spanish for "inns"?
39. "Pencils down" : TIME'S UP. From proctors.
40. Mongoose family member : MEERKAT. Cute.
41. Antique oil holder : AMPHORA. Or "Antique wine holder". The Greek vase. Learning moment for me.
42. Magazine whose debut issue featured a cover photo of Cindy Crawford dressed as Washington : GEORGE. Another gimme. See the cover. It's not worth anything collection-wise. The first issue of Playboy with Marilyn Monroe in good condition can easily fetch hundreds of bucks (just to annoy Annette).
43. Comb breaker, perhaps : MAT. Have never heard of "hair" being referred as "mat".
44. Makes up (for) : ATONES
49. __ end : AT AN. Partial.
50. Early Iranian : MEDE. They live din Media.
51. Big name in alternative press : UTNE. Utne Reader.
52. Shiraz spending money : RIAL. Another Iran reference. Shiraz the city. Not the wine.
55. Suffix with oct- : ANE. Octane.
57. USN rank : CWO (Chief Warrant Officer). Is it a common abbr, Spitzboov? I was clueless.
Answer grid.r grid.
Total words: 68. Total blocks: 33
Very unusual grid design. It has:
1) the standard 180 degree rotation;
2) a left to right symmetry;
3) a top to bottom mirroring pattern.
Rarely do we see this kind of grid structure. As a result, we have a even-numbered count of all entries with various length, including an amazing 28 of seven-letter words.
The puzzle is anchored by a pair of music grid spanners:
27A. It lost to "Moon River" for a Best Song Oscar : TOWN WITHOUT PITY. Unknown trivia to me. "Moon River" is lovely.
42A. 1964 Record of the Year Grammy winner, with "The" : GIRL FROM IPANEMA. Sweet song.
Across:
1. Avid ones keep Life Lists : BIRDERS. Is "Life Lists" a specific term to birders?
8. Weapons restriction of a sort : TEST BAN
15. Circling : IN ORBIT
16. Coin's "heads" : OBVERSE
17. Take a plane? : SKYJACK. My favorite clue today.
18. Formed before delivery, as concrete : PRECAST
19. Mom and pop financing gp. : SBA
20. Roger who coached eight NHL teams : NEILSON. No idea. Obviously this guy is in Hall of Fame. Is eight a record?
22. Taste : SIP. Drink.
23. Collaborator with a Count and a Duke : ELLA (Fitzgerald). Count Basie. Duke Ellington. I don't feel the two a's are necessary. You?
25. Dance genre : TAP
26. Peak in Thessaly : OSSA. Mt Ossa. Peak near Olympus.
32. View from Jackson Hole : TETONS. Grand Tetons. Big boobs.
33. Safe portfolio investments : T-NOTES
34. Ad-committee link : HOC. Ad hoc committee.
35. Dr. Ray Langston's TV team : CSI. Have never watched CSI. Don't know the doctor.
36. Come to a head : BOIL UP
39. Puget Sound port : TACOMA
45. Sub. for omitted names : ET AL. Literally "and others". French got their "et" from Latin I gather.
46. Hammett's Spade : SAM. Sam Spade. And 11D. Hammett's Spade, e.g. : TEC. Short for detective. Nice clue tie-in.
47. Library Card Sign-up mo. : SEPT
48. Like some painkillers, briefly : OTC
49. French lover? : AMATEUR. I don't get it. Is it literally "lover" in French, Kazie?
53. Frat letter : RHO
54. Told : RELATED. And 59. Not told : UNAWARE. Another clecho (clue echo).
56. Easily attached : STICK ON
58. Island north of Trinidad : GRENADA. Needed crossing help.
60. Sect linked to the Dead Sea Scrolls : ESSENES. I can never remember this sect. So close to Essences.
Down:
61. Jai alai balls : PELOTAS. It's just Spanish for "balls", correct?
1. "Bullitt" co-star : BISSET (Jacqueline). Total stranger to me. Bullitt is a character's name in the film.
2. Therapy aid : INK BLOT
3. Pluralis majestatis : ROYAL WE. Pluralis majestatis is "majestic plural" in Latin.
4. Court physician? : DR. J. Julius Erving. Basketball court.
5. "Personal Witness: Israel Through My Eyes" author : EBAN (Abba)
6. Potatoes alternative : RICE
7. Nevis neighbor : ST KITTS. See this map. Crazy STK*start.
8. Leadership position : TOP SPOT
9. River through Aragon : EBRO. To the Mediterranean.
10. 1984 Swedish speed skating medalist Gustafson : SVEN. Both his given name and surname are so Swedish/Norwegian.
12. Golfer's 2-wood : BRASSIE. Gimme to me. Watched lots of the old Bobby Jones golf tips when I first started golfing.
13. Rink stats : ASSISTS
14. Working capital? : NET PAY. Nice misdirecting "working".
21. __-di-dah : LAH
24. Colonial mound : ANTHILL. Tricky "colonial".
26. Sunroof and CD changer, e.g. : OPTIONS
28. "A Room of One's Own" author : WOOLF (Virginia). Not familiar with the book. What's it about?
29. Arouse, as wrath : INCUR
30. Open without a corkscrew : UNCAP
31. 1900 Puccini premiere : TOSCA. Well, 5-letter Puccini work answer is either TOSCA or OPERA.
36. Pink Gin ingredient : BITTERS. No idea. Have never heard of Pink Gin.
37. Sources of ambiguous answers : ORACLES. Warren Buffett would love this clue. He's called the Oracle of Omaha. Guess who's the Oracle of Nebraska?
38. Some Iberian inns : POSADAS. Spanish for "inns"?
39. "Pencils down" : TIME'S UP. From proctors.
40. Mongoose family member : MEERKAT. Cute.
41. Antique oil holder : AMPHORA. Or "Antique wine holder". The Greek vase. Learning moment for me.
42. Magazine whose debut issue featured a cover photo of Cindy Crawford dressed as Washington : GEORGE. Another gimme. See the cover. It's not worth anything collection-wise. The first issue of Playboy with Marilyn Monroe in good condition can easily fetch hundreds of bucks (just to annoy Annette).
43. Comb breaker, perhaps : MAT. Have never heard of "hair" being referred as "mat".
44. Makes up (for) : ATONES
49. __ end : AT AN. Partial.
50. Early Iranian : MEDE. They live din Media.
51. Big name in alternative press : UTNE. Utne Reader.
52. Shiraz spending money : RIAL. Another Iran reference. Shiraz the city. Not the wine.
55. Suffix with oct- : ANE. Octane.
57. USN rank : CWO (Chief Warrant Officer). Is it a common abbr, Spitzboov? I was clueless.
Answer grid.r grid.
To Jayce, a belated 生日快乐! Jayce speaks and recognizes some Chinese characters. I bet he knows a few naughty slang.
C.C.
64 comments:
I hope Dennis shows up while I'm typing this. Hate to be first, but I either comment now when I have time or not at all today...
Fairly straightforward puzzle for me, especially for a Saturday. It helped immensely that I knew both of the theme songs and could get them after only a few perps.
Biggest sticking point was in the South where I'd never heard of POSADAS (I tried HOSTELS at first) and didn't catch the trick cluing for AMATEURS. Once I got everything but the crossing letter, however, I knew it had to be an "A." CWO was also a complete unknown to me, but the perps were solid (thank heavens for my Spanish, or else PELOTAS would have been impossible to guess).
I think the only other unknown for me was NEILSON, but the perps took care of him as well. Somehow I managed to come up with BRASSIE after only the first couple of letters, but I honestly don't know how...
Oh -- and the "pluralis majestatis" clue gave me a major WTF moment, but once I got a few letters I understood the gist.
Have a great Saturday!
Good Morning All,
I'm glad you broke the ice, Barry G., now I can post my man, Gene Pitney, singing "Town Without Pity". Live(at the start you can see a couple of people running off stage), and, I believe, it isn't being lip-synced either.
Hello Puzzlers - Tons of unknowns today, had to Goog at least six entries just to get a foothold. What in the world is a BRASSIE?
I didn't know Jackie Bisset was in Bullitt. She came onto my radar in the undersea adventure film The Deep, in which she famously displayed her Grand Tetons by scuba diving in a T-shirt.
I knew Girl from Ipanema but not its award, and Town Without Pity is a mystery. Thus was had a lot of open real estate.
I can't believe that a MEERKAT popped out of some cranial fold, but it did!
This strikes me as a well-crafted Saturday corker. Thanks, C.C., for shining a light in its darker corners!
"a" count refers to Count Basie, "a" duke refers to Duke Ellington...two different band leaders hence, two "a`s". A fresh clue for "ella" which appears quite often.
Pshaw! The 'a's were added to confuse the issue. Otherwise Count Basie and Duke Ellington would be too recognizable.
Good morning all. Nice commenting, C.C.
Tough puzzle today which was expected. Initial across and down passes left entire NW open, and the rest didn't look encouraging either. But with several footholds, it gradually came under control. WAGS included OSSA, GEORGE, and GIRL FROM IPANEMA. Got the geography clues easily. Perps were helpful and gradually wrested control of the NW with INORBIT. Loved clueing for the ROYAL WE (are not amused). Liked NET PAY, too.
C.C. - CWO is common enough. Warrant officers rank between senior enlisted rank and commissioned officers. They are designated an officer by a 'warrant' issued by the service Secretary. They are usually highly skilled individuals in their area of expertise, and tend to serve on larger vessels like carriers or repair vessels. I believe all the services have WO's or CWO's. Dennis could probably comment better but I think the Army's helicopter pilots are largely warrant officers.
I'm starting to like James' puzzles more. Keep it up.
Enjoy this beautiful weekend.
Good morning, C.C. and gang - I wasn't going to post today, but I really liked this puzzle. It was a nice challenge, plus I learned stuff, which to me is a big plus.
I got off to a fast start with the very buoyant Jacqueline Bisset, but needed g-spotting to learn that birders have Life Lists that record each type of bird they've seen. I thought 'Take a plane' was a brilliant clue, as was 'Pluralis majestatis', once I finally got it.
In the NE, I only knew 'obverse' from selling coins, and 'brassie' from doing crosswords. Roger 'Neilson' was a gimme, as he coached the Philadelphia Flyers for a few years. I knew 'Tetons' because Jackson Hole was on my bucket list of places to ski. The Girl from Ipanema, while a pleasant lilt, is now endlessly looping in my brain. Seems to me that there was a rather steamy video accompanying the song at one point. Anyway, all in all, a really fun puzzle to solve, and a nice job by Mr. Sajdak.
seen, jeez, you guys had us down for the count, right where you wanted us. This team has a history of making others pay for any mistake, and four errors certainly was more than enough to open the floodgates. I was thinking of you during the collapse, knowing that if it were me, I'd be shopping for a new TV this morning. As it was, we had a celebration going here until the very small numbers on the clock.
Spitzboov, correct on all counts regarding CWOs. Many Marine helicopter pilots are Warrant Officers as well.
Hope it's a great day for everyone. Do something fun -- the clock never stops ticking.
CWO, WTF?
Hi all ~!
PHEW !! - It looked grim to start, but then I kept an open mind about some of the "typical" crossword answers, so my WAGs were OSSA, RIAL, OTC, and ELLA (I think the 'a's were to mis-direct, too).
Knew Roger NEILSON from his NY Rangers days, and guessing STICK-ON and PELOTAS (one of those CW entries that stuck, too) led to MEERKAT, and then I was off and running.
Alternative answers to start;
NO NUKES for TEST BAN;
OPERA for TOSCA;
TOP SEAT for TOP SPOT
_ _ _SKIN for AMPHORA, which quickly became obviously wrong.
All in all, needed only two Red Letters, since I thought it was KITTy (but was OK with STK* to start), and never heard of TOwN without pity. Thanks for the link, Argyle.
Rangers season opener -
HOCKEY IS BACK !!!
YEA !!!
Splynter
Oh, yeah,
I knew there was a word for the side of a coin, too, Dennis, like the CW knowledge I gleaned about VERSO and RECTO for book pages, and I thought SKY JACK was great - originally I had HI_JACK, and just coudn't work it out - then came INK BLOT, another good clue, and V-8...
I didn't spend quite enough time on this one and as a result missed a couple in the NW corner. Everything else went OK, after I managed to finally get something going. Ended up missing 1A, 17A, and 23A, which meant I also missed 2D, 4D, and 6D. This puzzle needed a bit more patience than I could dredge up this morning. A worthy challenge for a Saturday, though.
Good Morning C.C. et al.
@Barry
Glad you were "brave" enough to break the ice. Thanks for dropping in Dennis, even though you didn't plan on it!
I don't usually like Saturday puzzles. Today, I had the same experience as Spitzboov in the NW, and was in for another typical Saturday slog. But then the coffee finally kicked in and I was able to dredge up some answers, and realized how clever this puzzle was.
It seemed to have a good mix of foreign words, opera, peoples names, books, movies, phrases and geography, with a few abbr. thrown in.
Yes, I also think the two "a's" in 23A ELLA were a deliberate obfuscation. But it's SATURDAY, fer cryin' out loud. So we just have to suck it up and move on...
I loved, loved, loved the SKYJACK clue: "Take a plane?). But only, of course, after I had figured out the answer.
Today will be spent raking leaves an taking down dead plants in the gardens. Sad time of year. Have a great day everyone!
Almost forgot: Belated Happy Birthday greetings to Kitty B and Jayce.
Re: CWO - After ruminating on my remarks above, I am reminded that the very first watch I ever stood in the Navy was during Summer training as a midshipman with a CWO as Officer of the Deck, in our dress whites with choker collar, on the quarterdeck of the carrier USS Yorktown moored in Long Beach, CA. (The Yorktown is now a museum ship in Charleston, SC )
I thought BRASSIE was any old wooden club with a brass sole plate like the old Billy Baroo. Remember Ted Knight in Caddyshack when he pulled out the special club for an important putt?
I looked it up and it seems it only refers to the 2 wood. So, once again, I was wrong and the contructor was right.
Dennis, the Reds have bounced back from devastating losses all year but I don't think we can come back from that one...
Just watched Argyle's Gene Pitney link. "A Town Without Pity" didn't even twitch the needle on my Recognize-O-Meter - flat out never heard it before!
I can't resist commenting today. Your repartees lifted a sour mood incurred by a notice from the IRS - the third time THEY have been wrong. Working thru the puzzle distracted me and I enjoyed it, but missed "town" in the first song, so had to consult with you guys to finish it.
I'm near 82, but I knew CWO and even WTF (altho it's not part of my usual vocabulary). Enjoy the beautiful day.
C.C. Excellent informative write-up.
Don't look at me for the answer to 'Pink Gin ingredient' ... BITTERS was all perps. It doesn't sound like something I'd ever consume.
I'll stay with Avatar.
For 37D Sources of ambiguous answers, ORACLES,
I wanted to put in "This puzzle" but it wouldn't fit.
PELOTAS, a gimmie, I was a Jai Alai fan until they closed the Tampa Fronton.
MEERKAT brought a grin, I love that show.
Mini-theme, Caribbean Islands with ST.KITTS and GRENADA.
MEDE we had Wednesday.
If you asked me who was an American speed skating medalist in 2010 I wouldn't remember, so that 1984 Swedish guy SVEN was also all perps.
Dennis, I was surprised to see you before noon. Nice come-back win.
SEEN, your team has won three in-a-row many times. It ain't over 'til the Fat Lady sings. Well that's what the TB RAY's fans are saying around here.
Loved seeing POSADA'S in the grid. It's a Yankee thing.
CC, regarding mats. A mat is a tangle in hair, not just hair itself. We've had two Old English Sheepdogs with beautiful long hair. It was a problem to keep them groomed because their long hair would get tangled into mats that were hard to get a comb through. As a result, we often kept them clipped down with shorter hair.
I enjoy the names of old golf clubs like brassie, mashie, niblick, etc. They just sound interesting.
Can anyone explain how " therapy aid " means INKBLOT ??
Bullit is a favorite movie with , IMO, the only good car chase on film so 1D was a given. But, like so many others, the NW corner wasn't finished. The rest was a grind and I eventually got there, but a few blocks are barely readable.
Posada was a favorite clue and I hope he has a great game tonight. Gene Pitney, writer of A Town Without......... is a Connecticut guy and he has given back a lot to his hometown, Rockville. Meerkat and amphora fell into place, but on their own, never would have gotten them.
Enough complaining, it's time to get ready for kick off and a deluge of televised college games.
Good morning. Very slow start today but finally finished unassisted.
I loved the "Bullitt" clue. It is still one of my favorite movies.
The famous car chase scene in the movie features a Mustang 390 GT, a Charger 440 and some great music. Catch it some time if you have never seen it. Try to ignore the green VW bug and the four upshifts with a 4-speed transmission.
Bye
Good Morning All, Several WAGs today. (10D) SVEN seemed like a probable choice for a Swede and (35A) CSI looked good for a three letter TV show. (57D) CWO was perped. I had the "C", but was thinking of abbreviations for commodore or commander.
Apparently I know more about Jai Alai than I thought. (61A) PELOTAS almost filled itself in.
It's a good thing I had some Down letters for(27A) T-W- --TH-U- P-T-. TOWN WITHOUT PITY finally clicked. I know it was a popular song at the time, but I was never a Gene Pitney fan. It was played (annoyingly, I thought) thoughout the movie of the same name. "Moon River" was a far better choice for an Oscar.
(42A) GIRL FROM IPANEMA came very easily with just a couple of letters.
C.C. (49A) AMATEUR: According to Wikipedia "The word “amateur” comes from a French word meaning: "lover of". An amateur is someone who does something (e.g. play the piano, football) because they enjoy doing it. They are not doing it in order to be paid. It is not how they earn money to live."
Zcarguy, the Rorschach INKBLOT test is used by psychologists to examine a person's personality. What do you see??
Hey Zcarguy, I didn't understand that one at first either. Perhaps this link will help:
Rorscach Test
Oops, bad link, but here's a good one. Rorschach card. Anon@11:07 had lot of examples too.
CA You beat me to it.
I actually did Laugh-Out-Loud when I got INK BLOT because (like a lot of Saturday puzzles) my grid was beginning to look like a Rorschach Ink Blot test.
When I look at them they usually look like Bats ... OK, some other things too that I won't mention here.
Jayce (from yesterday)
PINCH is my "everyday" scotch.
The Glen's ETAL are for special occasions ... like making it to another day.
Good morning C.C. et al,
Took 1 sip and I was done. This was no tap dance for me. I am definitely an amateur puzzler.Top spot for me was Tetons, a favorite vacation spot for us.
I only chimed in today to wish Melissa and Jayce belated birthday wishes.Finished yesterday's xwd before going to school and enjoyed Lemonade's write up late last night.
Dot, thanks for recipe. It's getting to be crock pot time.
Have a lovely Sat.Little Cameron (4 mo.) will be here all day and night, so I don't see me sitting at the computer.
Good day, C.C. and all puzzle friends.
Wonderful write up, C.C.
To answer your questions:
PELOTA means ball
POSADAS are inns
We have seen EBRO several times lately.
A tough Saturday puzzle from James Sajdak, but quite doable especially the bottom. What I didn't know, I could WAG.
ESSENES is one learned from xwds many years ago.
I love CSI, especially when Grissom was in it; now it lags a bit.
Loved the SKYJACK and ROYALWE clues.
Naturally I had to look up the totally unkown names, NIELSON, SVEN, EBAN and did not know BISSET was in Bullitt since I've not seen it. It sounds like a guy movie.
I filled STBARTS on a guess but that soon proved to be wrong.
OBVERSE is familiar only because I collected the state quarters.
What a great challenge; at times I can't finish J. Sajdak's, but with help, this was satisfyingly done.
I hope you are having a joyful Saturday!
Have to agree about Moon River over Town without Pity; Moon River has certainly been more enduring and well loved. I don't even recall ever hearing Town without Pity.
Hi all.
Crock pots can also be used for desserts according to Yahoo artical.
@Jayce. 12yo Macallan is my everyday scotch. (Whisky - no e).
30yo is $900. 55yo is $20K.
@ Spitzboov. Frat brother was an Ensign on board Yorktown during
Apollo 8 recovery.
Used to use my 2 wood to hit from the tee.
Don't care about Baseball now that Hockey is back. Go Sharks!
Wireless network now up and running
but, computer and printer still not talking with other.
Beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Take care.
the girl from ipanema was a 1965 award winner
Really surprised by all those who don't remember Town Without Pity... guess you had to be in high school in the early '60s.
Other than knowing that, today was just chock full of WTF moments for me; one of the hardest I've done in weeks! Ugh.
Good Day C.C. and all,
Today's puzzle is a good Sat. puzzle as I see it. I love a bit of a challenge on Sat.-doable, but a push- today was a little more than a push, but I've learned some new words- so its ok. Thanks,James-good work.
I bumped into a lot of what others did- 'hi jack' instead of 'skyjack'-still, my fav.
Had to look up St. Kitts [hope I have finally mastered this];Bisset[didn't see it];Sven. Perped out all the others: posadas,essenes,pelotas.
"Towm w/o Pity"-sounds like a bad song with a bad idea.
I had to leave yesterday to pick up my granddog from the vet. Now babysitting her. She's being treated for heart worms-so sad- we all feel so bad about it. She'll be my charge for a large part of the next month or so; she needs such constant 'over-seeing' during her treatments. A super dog- we love her tons.
Melissa B I didn't know it was your b'day-saw it in the blog today. Happy Birthday and many more!
Jayce I still want to say Happy Birthday! even though its a tad bit late; sounds as if you had a nice one, but then you have a good attitude and that makes things turn out better.
Dennis- just in case, my b'day is
the day Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.
C.C. your write-up was super! You keep me on track, yet expanding. Your crossword savy is amazing. Thanks.
Have a nice day everyone.
OH! BTW Kitty B., I hope you had a nice birthday, also. I don't think we have met, but hope that we do.
NW corner was tough - Royal We?? Had "ARMS BAN" because I read 11 Down clue before 46 across. That made it a little challenging. Kind of fluffy for a Sat., but tickled the brain cells enough to be fun!
We were certainly amused by today's crossword. Oh, and "mm" symmetry too. Orthogonal mirror planes for one who already inhabits the other side of the mirror was certainly challenging, but fun. It left us in the pink; and rarely stymied - we know our golfing terms.
Only one quibble: "French lover?" - amateur. Yes, OK, the word ultimately derives through the French for 'lover', but the word is now absolutely English. Amateur in French can now mean either amateur in the English sense, or a lover (of the arts, music, etc.; not the sexual kind). So why the question mark? To clue it without the question mark would be legit., if a tad obscure.
And now to the Queen mum's favorite tipple:
PINK GIN - the standard etymology simply states that the "pink" comes from the color of the bitters that are added, typically the red-colored "Angostura" bitters which were invented in the mid-19th century by a Spanish physician in Venezuela.
There is a problem though. At that time, the word "pink" did not mean the color we associate it with today. However, "gin and bitters" were used in the the 19th century to ward off sea-sickness and other mals-de-mer on British naval vessels (it was reserved for officers; the ratings received rum rations).
In fact, pink had several meanings in the 18th and 19th centuries. “pink” was a general name for a sea-going vessel (originally with a "pinched" stern). It was also used in the sense we still use of "in the pink" - the picture of health.
So "Pink Gin" could have meant "Ship Gin" or even "Health-giving ship gin"
Now Royal Navy Gin (which is 57% alcohol (100° (British) proof; i.e., doesn’t spoil the gunpowder if spilt) is still supplied as “Plymouth Gin”, and is the only British 100° proof gin available in the U.S.
In short, this would suggest that Plymouth Gin "Navy Strength" + Angostura’s bitters is about the most authentic you can muster. A few drops of bitters which you may leave in the glass or swill around and throw out, before adding the gin.
Powerful stuff. Kept the Queen Mum going for 102 years.
NC
I'm baffled. How does James get by with TOWN WITHOUT PITY? When I used that same entry all I got was a short rejection letter that said, "HOW WITTY! NOT! PTUI!
For golfers, "Brassie" was an old term used for a "2 Wood". There was also a "Spoon", a "Mashie" and a "Mashie Niblick", among others. The Cleveland company just came out with a "Niblick"a year ago, so don't be surprised if we start seeing some of these archaic names in new products resurface in the coming years!
The "Posada" is performed several nights before Christmas on Olvera Street in Los Angeles. Joseph and Mary on a donkey go from store to store (decorated to look like inns) asking for a place to stay for the night. They traverse the length of the small street until finally the last shopkeeper, i.e., innkeeper lets them in.
In spite of attending the Posada enactment for many years, I didn't know that "posada" meant "inn" until it dawned on me while working this puzzle. Doh!
Doreen
Thanks CA and anon for the links to INKBLOT,
I must say, it makes you wonder about ones mental health
after seeing and guessing at the blots or plaats,
now I think I need a shrink..!
Sorry it took so long to respond , but I had to take my son
to a soccer game.... And yes they won ..
Hello everybody. Really good to 'see' you all today. C.C., thanks for the insightful writeup; it's always a pleasure to see what your reaction to the clues are. Thanks for the birthday wishes; unfortunately neither my Internet Explorer nor my Firefox were able to display the Chinese. I assume you wrote hsin nien kwai le? Xie xie! Maybe Boomer will mo-mo a little dofu tonight. haha
Hard puzzle, but ultimately satisfying. Especially satisfying to me because I didn't have to googoo anything. It all came from my very own noodle.
Favorite clue/answer is Take a plane/SKYJACK. Totally awesome. Now The John Denver song about leaving on a jet plane is whooshing around between my ears.
Dear Wife (DW) and I spent this morning attending the funeral service for a dear friend who died from cancer. It was an uplifting service, perfect tribute to a man who had a big heart and more love overflowing out of him than anybody I have ever known.
A psychotherapist was showing inkblots to a patient, asking him each time what he saw. The patient kept saying he saw two people having sex. He said that for every ink blot. Finally the therapist asked him why that was always what he saw in the inkblots, to which the patient replied, "Hey, I can't help it. It's you that keeps showing the dirty pictures!"
Best wishes to you all.
"Town Without Pity" is not an easy movie to watch. FAQ. It was based on a book, Das Urteil (The Verdict).
Tinbeni and Dilbert, I checked with my son and he says what he serves me when we visit is 18 year old MacAllan, not 30 year old. I think it was about $60 a bottle. That sure makes a lot more sense. No way he (or I) would pay $900!
Jerome, aaaarrrgh.
Hi C.C. and gang! I have been absent for a couple of days because I have been subbing and their filter seems impermeable to anything with games or puzzle in the URL. I had big obligations afterwards and so posting seemed pointless but I enjoyed both Thur. and Fri. puzzles.
Like last Saturday I had to start low and work my way up and did all but about 5 cells in the NW. I learned a lot today.
The song I most associate with Gene Pitney is "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" although it was not used in the wonderful John Ford/John Wayne/Jimmy Stewart film. The movie contained the wonderful line, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Isn't that how most history is written?
Rorschach Joke
A man goes to a psychiatrist. To start things off, the psychiatrist suggests they start with a Rorschach test. He holds up the first picture and asks the man what he sees.
"A man and a woman making love in a park," the man replies.
The psychiatrist holds up the second picture and asks the man what he sees. "A man and a woman making love in a boat."
He holds up the third picture. "A man and a woman making love at the beach." This goes on for the rest of the set of pictures; the man says he sees a man and a woman making love in every one of the pictures.
At the end of the test, the psychiatrist looks over his notes and says, "It looks like you have a preoccupation with sex."
And the man replies, "Well, you're the one with the dirty pictures."
Blecho.
Oh, I intended to mention it and forgot to: Dot's "Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff" is cooking as we speak, er, type. We started it going before we left for the frooneral this morning, and are looking f'ard to having it this evening. Thanks, Dot!
Aaaarrrgh? C'mon Jayce, it could have been worse. How much worse, you ask. How 'bout this-
The GIRL FROM IPANEMA left her sexist Persian boyfriend because he was a MALE PIG FROM IRAN.
Sorry for the blecho. Note to self: don't retell moldy-oldie jokes.
Maybe I can make a naughty joke out of "renminbi" some day...
Jerome, thank you. Glad I asked! LOL. That was pretty damn good!
And that's all for today. Here's wishing you all a very good night.
We've been having trouble with Internet connections. Sometimes, a web page will load partially and then hang up. Occasionally, I get the message that it can't find the server. About six months ago they gave me a new modem and things were better for a while. Now they have gotten bad again. So another call to Time Warner. The technician checked the signal but it was OK. He replaced the cable modem again. So far it's working great. Really fast. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but it's hard to type that way.
Hi weekend solvers, C.C., Argyle and all of you fine folk!
8a. Weapons restriction of a sort : TEST BAN: Several types of bans crossed my mind. Here is a ban that many young people wanted to become common place. (circa nineteen '60s-'70s) BAN THE BRA! After all, the twins can be weapons...Am I right?
16. Coin's "heads" : OBVERSE.My new word of the day. OBVERSE
23. Collaborator with a Count and a Duke : ELLA I suppose Duke and Count would give the twist away showing they were specific people as opposed to generalized, designated Royalty. I'm with Argyle, HeartRX and Splynter on this one.
11D. Hammett's Spade, e.g. : TEC. Short for detective. Could any one explain this one to me, I don't get it? Who would be the potential users of 'TEC?'
61. Jai alai balls : PELOTAS. OPI: In a high school French class, we read a novel about the Basque Region and the celebrated game was called Pelote. BARE HAND PELOTE
I'm out!
BTW the song "Town without Pity" has lyrics but the music was the theme song for MASH both movie and TV series...
"Suicide is Painless" is the MASH theme song...
No anon, it was Suicide Is Painless...
I was going to comment on this yesterday but it got even later than it is today. The people on this blog are so literate. They are smart and knowledgeable of course but they are good writers too. High-quality prose and interestingly presented. It's a pleasure to be part of such a group.
C. C., I never guessed you had an evil side! Thanks for the shout out...I think? :-)
I've never cared for the song "Town without pity", but I did know it. However, "Moon River" is my favorite song.
My favorites were SKYJACK and ROYAL WE, too.
I had e-mails from a person responding to my puzzle column who always used the royal 'we' in his correspondence. "We did it this way" and "we got this answer." I thought maybe he was doing it with his wife or someone. So I asked him about it. He said just that he thought it sounded more polite. I thought it sounded pretentious and snooty.
Geez it's great having this super fast connection again.
I think it's going to be the Phillies against the Yankees in the World Series.
I never liked "The Town Without Pity" song. Unpleasant lyrics and in a minor key (I think). Not much fun.
Hi, everyone,
I almost abandoned this one after trying the first four entries,but after leaving it for an hour and coming back, I hung in there and finally got it. Not without several lookups, though. True, the lower half was doable. Nothing much to say about it. Oh, yes, is there a similar Latin expression for the 'editorial we?'
JD, I thought you were retired. Why are you going to school? Subbing, like Gary?
As for Town Without Pity, which I never have heard before, I can see why it was surpassed by Moon River for an award! I'm surprised it came close! Even the title is goofy for a song. And I can't say much for Gene Pitney's voice, either! But I'm old, and used to more mellow music. Thanks anyway, Argyle,for the clip.
I liked skyjack and meerkat. I had entered manatee, but it just didn't work, so I got meer and knew it had to be meerkat. The pix I've seen of them aren't as cute as the linked one. In fact they're kind of weird looking with their buggy eyes.
CC, your blog was marveloous! How do you do it?
Clearayes, you must be pretty excited about the upcoming trip! I'm sure you'll have a great time!
If there was mention of a birthday for Melissa B., I missed it. Happy birthday, MB, just in case!
Time to prove my identity again. dd
Dennis, didn't you once hint at Dilbert possibly being Eddie B? He sounds similar in his interests but he lives in California. I think Eddy B. is in the Chicago area, No?
AHA, my name is in place! Horray!
Hi dodo - Dilbert has acknowledged that he's Eddie B. No idea where he lives.
Frenchie, unfortunately, your 'ban the bra' link didn't open. Weapons indeed.
Today's puzzle was challenging! I did learn some new stuff, however.
Condolences to the Twins fans. The Yankees are just too strong. Lots of money will buy a good baseball team. In inter-league play, the Yankees made the Dodgers look like a minor league team.
I think it is ridiculous after the first round of the playoffs to be squirting each other with cheap champagne. Are they so unimaginative that they can't wait until the World Series and think up another way of celebrating? It seems trite.
I attended an outdoor wedding this afternoon that was really beautiful. It was at the groom's family farm - the audience sat on a hillside that sloped down to a fairly large pond, The geese on the pond honked at several inappropriate moments which added interest to the ceremony. However, since we had a record breaking high temperature (somewhere in the high 80's) it must have cooked my brain because I couldn't make any headway at all on this puzzle. I did learn the meaning of a couple of words. The songs and performers names i will no doubt forget.
Jayce, I hope you enjoyed the chicken. By the time I had finished typing the recipe, I was ready to have some. so that was what we had for supper the next day.
To all of the recent birthday people, "a happy belated birthday". Enjoy the coming year.
Going back to Friday's puzzle, I did not see any comment questioning the clue for the afro hairdo. I've seen a lot of afros and I looked on the internet for pictures of them, but I did not see any curly do's. Am I right?
Dot
Dot:
Look on Lemonade's blog. He had a link for an AFRO. Scroll down.
Good night, everyone! Great entertainment again today on the blog.
Dodo, yes I retired 2 years ago, but do sub at "my" school 3 or 4 times a month just to keep in touch with everyone there.I will be there on Monday also..kids are learning negative integers..37 6th graders..much too large to really get to all the students who need help, no aide or any helper for an autistic student.
I wonder why I loved the song"Town Without a Pity" now that I listen to it. Gene Pitney sounds like he's in pain.It was another world completely.
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