Theme: Childish Behavior - With a HINT (32A) from 56A. Admonition to one acting out the starts of 17-, 23-, 34- and 48-Across: MIND YOUR MANNERS.
17A. Battle of the Bulge air assault division: SCREAMING EAGLES. The Army 101st Airborne Division. Timely clue related to Veterans day, today.
23A. Doppelgänger: SPITTING IMAGE. In fiction and folklore, your evil double. Also considered bad luck, or even an omen of death, to see one.
34A. It's hard to get romantic with one: NAGGING HEADACHE. This is probably worse. One percent of the population, really?
48A. Reason to see a mechanic: WHINING ENGINE.
Al here.
Heavy 71 theme squares. Seven Down fill intersect 3 theme entries. An ambitious grid.
Not a pangram, missing six letters, no helper squares, better than average theme, and a few clever clues. Parts of the theme did help me for once, the "ing" letters filled in a few spots. So, on with the answers. Don included a note to C.C. about the puzzle, which is included at the end of the write-up.
ACROSS
1. U.S. dept. with a Race to the Top reform prog.: EDUC.ation.
5. Iconic rings: HALOS.
10. Lock style: COIF. Lock of hair. Coif from old French for a skull cap worn with headgear, as under a helmet.
14. JV team member, perhaps: SOPH. Junior Varsity, Sophomore. A second year student, literally an "arguer". From sophume, variant of sophism (specious, fallacious argument).
15. Warning: ALERT. From Italian all'erta "to the height," from erta "lookout, high tower".
16. Back in the day: ONCE.
20. Willows for weavers: OSIERS.
21. Cause to suffer: AIL. What ails you? What is causing you to suffer? Never having looked it up before, I never realized the word had this meaning, but just thought that it referred to a state of health not being good. Even knowing that, I still wouldn't ever say "A cold ails me".
22. Word with meal or cake: OAT. I've never heard of oatcakes (similar to pancakes but with a lot of fiber), most references I found seem to be from the UK. Must be more common there?
27. Name on an airport shuttle: AVIS. They try harder.
29. Incarnation of Vishnu: RAMA.
30. Alice's workplace: DINER. Mel's Diner in the TV series, with Alice played by Linda Lavin. There's also Alice's Restaurant, the spoken "song" by Arlo Guthrie, based on a true story and made into a movie.
31. Yang's partner: YIN. Male/female, day/night. The concept of balance in all things. You cannot have a back of your hand without there being a front.
32. Clue: HINT. From old English hentan "to seize", related to hunt.
33. Cul-de-__: SAC.
40. Important no. to most car buyers: MPG. Miles per gallon.
41. Coastal raptor: ERNE. The "sea eagle".
42. It starts with "http": URL. Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol, Uniform Resource Locator.
43. Sheer: STEEP.
46. Desertlike: ARID.
47. Teeny: ITSY. Could have been itty too.
51. Reservoir borders?: ARS. The letter "R" begins and ends the word reservoir.
52. Besides: TOO.
53. __ Tunes: LOONEY. Warner Bros animation.
60. Court entry: PLEA.
61. Shopping list entries: ITEMS.
62. "Woe __!": IS ME.
63. Some shooters, briefly: SLRS. Single Lens Reflex cameras.
64. Mythical animal kingdom ennead: LIVES. Ennead: "group of nine". A reference to cats.
65. Peter or Paul, but not Mary: TSAR. There were tsarinas named Maria, though. A diversion kind of clue to get you thinking MALE, or folk music instead of rulers.
DOWN
1. Gas acronym: ESSO. Standard Oil initials: SO (say it out loud)
2. Holliday and others: DOCS. The two "L"s were a giveaway to look deeper than calendar dates.
3. Revolting situation: UPRISING. Punny.
4. Nest chorus: CHEEPS.
5. Target of pre-race stretching: HAMSTRING.
6. "__ Baba Bunny": classic Bugs cartoon: ALI.
7. Hall of Fame quarterback Dawson: LEN.
8. Leia's last name: ORGANA. One of her last names... The Star Wars universe. Born Leia Amadala Skywalker, daughter of Darth Vader. Hidden and adopted by Bail Organa, a royal family on Alderan. Also Mrs. Solo after being married.
9. "Shrek!" author William: STEIG.
10. Minor player: COG. Just a nameless tooth on a gear that keeps the wheel turning.
11. Checked out, as a book: ON LOAN.
12. Cooling-off period?: ICE AGE.
13. Uncle at 0001 Cemetery Lane, in '60s TV: FESTER. The Addams Family.
18. First name in shipping: ARI. Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate.
19. Angular measurement device used in surveying: ALIDADE. Many different types.
24. Bite: TANG. "Serpent's tongue" (thought to be a stinging organ), later "sharp extension of a metal blade", then "sharp taste" followed later.
25. "Count me in!": I'M THERE.
26. Mineral with basal cleavage: MICA.
27. Writer Rand: AYN. Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead.
28. Routing word: VIA. Latin, by way of.
32. __ Hop: bouncing ball brand: HIPPITY.
33. Time-measuring device: SANDGLASS. During the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan around the globe, his vessels kept 18 hourglasses per ship. It was the job of a ship's page to turn the hourglasses and thus provide the times for the ship's log.
35. Feds: G-MEN.
36. "__ go bragh!": ERIN.
37. Kitten's quality: CUTENESS.
38. Retail posting: Abbr.: HRS. Open hours.
39. Callaway of golf equipment fame: ELY. The founder and also the stock ticker name.
43. Overwhelms: SWAMPS.
44. Rollercoaster ride, e.g.: THRILL.
45. Former Disney chief: EISNER. Michael.
46. Rainforest rodent: AGOUTI.
47. Part of a conspiracy: IN ON IT. From prefix com- (together) + spire (breathe), so, to breathe together.
49. Kind of salad dressing: NO OIL. I may have mentioned before that you need (the right) oil to properly absorb the phytochemicals from plants, like carotene, lutein, and various flavenoids.
50. Charged particle: ION. A Greek word meaning "go" adapted by Michael Faraday to label particles that move towards an electrode of opposite charge.
54. Columnist Bombeck: ERMA.
55. Nieuwpoort's river: YSER. Belgium.
57. Courtroom VIPs: DAS. District Attorneys.
58. Test, as an engine: REV.
59. Sra.'s neighboring counterpart: MME. Senorita, Mademoiselle. Spanish and French for miss.
Answer grid.
Note from Don about today's theme:
"I think secretly that everybody finds a bratty kid more interesting than a thoroughly well-behaved angel. I found some words that describe the bratty behavior, and put them into phrases, wondering when the solver would catch on. It is not the usual kind of puzzle theme, which might make it more of a surprise when the solver comes to the last theme answer. I felt fortunate to find a 15-letter phrase to tidy it up. Next time someone says, “Mind your manners”, you can say “That’s a 15-letter phrase that addresses bratty behavior!"
Al
17A. Battle of the Bulge air assault division: SCREAMING EAGLES. The Army 101st Airborne Division. Timely clue related to Veterans day, today.
23A. Doppelgänger: SPITTING IMAGE. In fiction and folklore, your evil double. Also considered bad luck, or even an omen of death, to see one.
34A. It's hard to get romantic with one: NAGGING HEADACHE. This is probably worse. One percent of the population, really?
48A. Reason to see a mechanic: WHINING ENGINE.
Al here.
Heavy 71 theme squares. Seven Down fill intersect 3 theme entries. An ambitious grid.
Not a pangram, missing six letters, no helper squares, better than average theme, and a few clever clues. Parts of the theme did help me for once, the "ing" letters filled in a few spots. So, on with the answers. Don included a note to C.C. about the puzzle, which is included at the end of the write-up.
ACROSS
1. U.S. dept. with a Race to the Top reform prog.: EDUC.ation.
5. Iconic rings: HALOS.
10. Lock style: COIF. Lock of hair. Coif from old French for a skull cap worn with headgear, as under a helmet.
14. JV team member, perhaps: SOPH. Junior Varsity, Sophomore. A second year student, literally an "arguer". From sophume, variant of sophism (specious, fallacious argument).
15. Warning: ALERT. From Italian all'erta "to the height," from erta "lookout, high tower".
16. Back in the day: ONCE.
20. Willows for weavers: OSIERS.
21. Cause to suffer: AIL. What ails you? What is causing you to suffer? Never having looked it up before, I never realized the word had this meaning, but just thought that it referred to a state of health not being good. Even knowing that, I still wouldn't ever say "A cold ails me".
22. Word with meal or cake: OAT. I've never heard of oatcakes (similar to pancakes but with a lot of fiber), most references I found seem to be from the UK. Must be more common there?
27. Name on an airport shuttle: AVIS. They try harder.
29. Incarnation of Vishnu: RAMA.
30. Alice's workplace: DINER. Mel's Diner in the TV series, with Alice played by Linda Lavin. There's also Alice's Restaurant, the spoken "song" by Arlo Guthrie, based on a true story and made into a movie.
31. Yang's partner: YIN. Male/female, day/night. The concept of balance in all things. You cannot have a back of your hand without there being a front.
32. Clue: HINT. From old English hentan "to seize", related to hunt.
33. Cul-de-__: SAC.
40. Important no. to most car buyers: MPG. Miles per gallon.
41. Coastal raptor: ERNE. The "sea eagle".
42. It starts with "http": URL. Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol, Uniform Resource Locator.
43. Sheer: STEEP.
46. Desertlike: ARID.
47. Teeny: ITSY. Could have been itty too.
51. Reservoir borders?: ARS. The letter "R" begins and ends the word reservoir.
52. Besides: TOO.
53. __ Tunes: LOONEY. Warner Bros animation.
60. Court entry: PLEA.
61. Shopping list entries: ITEMS.
62. "Woe __!": IS ME.
63. Some shooters, briefly: SLRS. Single Lens Reflex cameras.
64. Mythical animal kingdom ennead: LIVES. Ennead: "group of nine". A reference to cats.
65. Peter or Paul, but not Mary: TSAR. There were tsarinas named Maria, though. A diversion kind of clue to get you thinking MALE, or folk music instead of rulers.
DOWN
1. Gas acronym: ESSO. Standard Oil initials: SO (say it out loud)
2. Holliday and others: DOCS. The two "L"s were a giveaway to look deeper than calendar dates.
3. Revolting situation: UPRISING. Punny.
4. Nest chorus: CHEEPS.
5. Target of pre-race stretching: HAMSTRING.
6. "__ Baba Bunny": classic Bugs cartoon: ALI.
7. Hall of Fame quarterback Dawson: LEN.
8. Leia's last name: ORGANA. One of her last names... The Star Wars universe. Born Leia Amadala Skywalker, daughter of Darth Vader. Hidden and adopted by Bail Organa, a royal family on Alderan. Also Mrs. Solo after being married.
9. "Shrek!" author William: STEIG.
10. Minor player: COG. Just a nameless tooth on a gear that keeps the wheel turning.
11. Checked out, as a book: ON LOAN.
12. Cooling-off period?: ICE AGE.
13. Uncle at 0001 Cemetery Lane, in '60s TV: FESTER. The Addams Family.
18. First name in shipping: ARI. Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate.
19. Angular measurement device used in surveying: ALIDADE. Many different types.
24. Bite: TANG. "Serpent's tongue" (thought to be a stinging organ), later "sharp extension of a metal blade", then "sharp taste" followed later.
25. "Count me in!": I'M THERE.
26. Mineral with basal cleavage: MICA.
27. Writer Rand: AYN. Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead.
28. Routing word: VIA. Latin, by way of.
32. __ Hop: bouncing ball brand: HIPPITY.
33. Time-measuring device: SANDGLASS. During the voyage of Ferdinand Magellan around the globe, his vessels kept 18 hourglasses per ship. It was the job of a ship's page to turn the hourglasses and thus provide the times for the ship's log.
35. Feds: G-MEN.
36. "__ go bragh!": ERIN.
37. Kitten's quality: CUTENESS.
38. Retail posting: Abbr.: HRS. Open hours.
39. Callaway of golf equipment fame: ELY. The founder and also the stock ticker name.
43. Overwhelms: SWAMPS.
44. Rollercoaster ride, e.g.: THRILL.
45. Former Disney chief: EISNER. Michael.
46. Rainforest rodent: AGOUTI.
47. Part of a conspiracy: IN ON IT. From prefix com- (together) + spire (breathe), so, to breathe together.
49. Kind of salad dressing: NO OIL. I may have mentioned before that you need (the right) oil to properly absorb the phytochemicals from plants, like carotene, lutein, and various flavenoids.
50. Charged particle: ION. A Greek word meaning "go" adapted by Michael Faraday to label particles that move towards an electrode of opposite charge.
54. Columnist Bombeck: ERMA.
55. Nieuwpoort's river: YSER. Belgium.
57. Courtroom VIPs: DAS. District Attorneys.
58. Test, as an engine: REV.
59. Sra.'s neighboring counterpart: MME. Senorita, Mademoiselle. Spanish and French for miss.
Answer grid.
Note from Don about today's theme:
"I think secretly that everybody finds a bratty kid more interesting than a thoroughly well-behaved angel. I found some words that describe the bratty behavior, and put them into phrases, wondering when the solver would catch on. It is not the usual kind of puzzle theme, which might make it more of a surprise when the solver comes to the last theme answer. I felt fortunate to find a 15-letter phrase to tidy it up. Next time someone says, “Mind your manners”, you can say “That’s a 15-letter phrase that addresses bratty behavior!"
Al
57 comments:
Good morning, Al, C.C. and gang - well, I don't know if it's because I'm not exactly 100% or this puzzle was just tough, but I had a pretty good struggle with it today.
I had trouble getting any traction anywhere and ended up going clockwise all the way to the bottom, where I finally got a foothold, and ended up getting the unifier before the other theme answers. That at least helped me fill in the rest, although I don't think a 'whining engine' is necessarily a bad thing. As usual with a Don G. puzzle, there were some very clever clues in this one, including 'Reservoir borders?', 'Some shooters, briefly' and 'Cooling-off period?'. 'Sandglass' gave me problems; I've only heard it called an 'hourglass'. And 'hamstring' brought back some less-than-pleasant memories. All in all, a very enjoyable puzzle though.
Al, I got all excited when I saw a link to something cleavage-related at 26D, and here it's a damn rock. Very informative blog today, by the way; great job as always.
Today is Veterans Day. For me, it's a day of remembering those buddies that didn't get to come home. I hope everyone will take a minute or two and think about the sacrifices so many have made for this country.
Did You Know?:
- The geodesic dome is the only structure that becomes stronger as it increases in size.
- The highest capital city in the world is La Paz, Bolivia.
- And for all you beer aficionados, if you feed beer to a laboratory rat, it will live six times longer than a rat that drinks only water.
And here's a little something for both men and women:
What's the difference between a girlfriend and a wife?
- 45 pounds
What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband?
- 45 minutes
AL, and Hard G.,
You both were in fine form today. Thank you.This was the hardest puzzle for me in two weeks at least, even though I kept putting in answers from the back of my brain like OSIERS, HIPPITY and STEIG. I also had a hard time with SANDGLASS, and struggled to pull AGOUTI out, even though we have had it and it was mentioned on some show I was watching recently.
My boys would be disappointed I did not know ORGANA and it took me along while to get the perps in place, all in all a fun workout.
I enjoyed the NINE LIVES cluing and CUTENESS not far away, I guess Don likes cats.
Morning, all!
Yeah, bit of a slog today, but not too bad. I did not know ALIDADE, so that section slowed me down a bit, but I eventually got through it via the perps. As with Al, I hesitated to put AIL in for 21A. I kept thinking, "if it's supposed to be AIL, why isn't it just clued 'suffer' instead of 'cause to suffer'?" The answer, of course, is "to make it trickier!"
I've done enough of Don "Hard G" Gagliardo's puzzles that ARS didn't slow me down at all at 51A. I did get a bit stuck at the very bottom of the puzzle, though, where REV and MME were not easy to figure out and the clue for LIVES had me scratching my head for awhile as well.
Oh, and Dennis -- I can certainly believe that a rat will live six times longer on beer than on just water, but how much longer will it live if you actually give it food and water instead of just water?
Barry, probably longer, but less happy.
Good morning all. Thanks for the informative write-up, Al.
The puzzle did not seem as difficult for a Thursday as I expected. When SCREAMING EAGLES loomed, I briefly thought there would be a Veteran's Day connection, but alas, the theme quickly segued over to 'bratty kids'. No matter. The theme words readily revealed themselves. Unknowns like ORGANA, STEIG and ELY came easily from the perps. YSER and OSIERS were WAGS. Thought ARS was clever and I also liked MME. 'Doppelgänger' made for an interesting clue.
Thanks to all who have served this country in war and peace.
Like Spitzboov, I was expecting a Veteran's Day theme, and the first theme clue made me think that was the direction in which we were headed.
I thought this was quite a tough puzzle. I had lots of blanks on the first and second pass.
I wasn't fooled by Reservoir Borders? = ARS, even though I am not keen on this type of cluing.
I didn't realize that Shrek began his life as a book.
Favorite clue was Cooling Off Period = ICE AGE.
In honor of our Veteran's, here is today's QOD: We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~ Cynthia Ozick
Good Morning Al, CC and All,
Happy Veteran's Day and many thanks to those who are and have served!
This was sloggish. My brain was bound and determined to fit Skywalker into 8D which I obviously couldn't. I also tried every possible abbreviation for Snipers for 63A. I've never heard of a Whining Engine, although turbos add a bit of a whine when you stomp on it, which ain't bad.
I'm working the holiday unfortunately. Paving plant will be closing soon and we're getting a water storage tank back on-line after maintenance work. A lot going on in this little town. I am grabbing my youngest to go to the ceremony at the pier later in the morning.
Crystal clear here today with a steady easterly wind. Almost cold.
Have a great day!
Howdy folks,
This was a bear. After my first pass. I was ready to throw in the towel, but the South started to fill in and presto.... the unifier appeared. Shortly afterwards I had whining engine and from there it began coming together. There were lots of unknowns..... Agouti, Alidade, Steig, & Organa were most prominent.
Favorite clues were 2d, Holliday & others; 51A Reservoir Borders. Al, thanks for the explanation of ARS. It had me scratching my head. Like Dennis, sandglass is new to me with "hourglass" the more familiar term.
Once I got going, I enjoyed this puzzle. I feel it was a difficult, but fair challenge.
Happy Thursday all and to the Vets out there, Thank You.
Hondo
Good Morning Al, C.C. et al.
Great write-up Al, and thanks for the note from Mr. Hard G. I had to chuckle about his "take" on bratty kids being more "interesting"...hmmm, wonder if he's ever sat next to one on an 8 hour flight to Europe? Interesting, indeed!
Barry, like you I had a learning moment today with ALIDADE...file that one in the old memory bank. Hands up for "hour-" vs. SAND GLASS.
I finally finished without any help, but it was a bit of a struggle. First pass was looking pretty swiss cheese-y. I put in some words that I thought for sure were correct (nasa instead of EDUC, brass instead of HALOS and pope instead of TSAR). But after several passes and eraser crumbs, I got 'er done. Fun theme and enjoyable challenge for a Thursday.
Many thanks to all our veterans, not only today but every day of the year.
51 across. "Reservoir borders?" = "ARS."
So...
the letter "R" is spelled "AR."
Get serious, already.
In too much pain from fibro to go to sleep! Puzzle was a bit difficult too!
Thanks for nice write-up, Al.
Rather than google, I used some red letters. How many of you knew Princess Leia's last name? Guess I could have looked it up. Never heard of ALEDADE. Got confused concerning NOOIL for quite a while!
HOORAY (I think)! Friend Harvey did some measuring and thinks electric wheel chair will fit alongside doggy door. Friday is my big day. (Doctor will determine whether I can try to put weight on busted leg.)
Have a great Thursday!
Like others, I want to thank the veterans of this and allied nations for their sacrifice on our behalf. As an Aussie, I do this also on April 25.
I was all over the place on this puzzle, getting my main foothold in the middle and then having to work the top and bottom later with g'ing AGOUTI, STEIG, screaming EAGLES, ORGANA (got sick of SW before the prequels came out). I had started with COIL for COIF, which gave me Lester, and I did have ITTY for ITSY, and never knew what was meant by HRT.
For SHEER I was after something to do with fabric, so STEEP was slow to come. And for my last problem, despite grokking the theme, I was sure the unifier would start with DON'T, so I had to get the end of it to clear that up.
My V8 moment was SLRS.
Al,
I don't know if you were simply giving the "misses" as extra examples, but SRA and MME are abbreviations of Señora and Madame. Miss would be Srta. and Mlle.
Have a great day all of you!
anon@8:08, it is how you'd pronounce it.
Lighten up, already.
Good morning Al and all, WOW I got my backside kicked for a long while this morning. I struggled to get any traction and finally managed to get a few answers in the lower half and got the unifier which really helped with the other theme answers.
Al, as usual a great write up and informative.
I had some stupid mistakes in the NW corner when I put eskers for osiers. This caused me a lot of pain in that section until the light finally came on. Also, I kept trying to put Mel’s for 30A and it took a long time to see diner. I finally dredged alidade from the recess of my mind which gave me the “D” for diner. I think we had alidade in a puzzle not too long ago.
Overall a very fun puzzle even though it took me a long time to solve.
Temps supposed to go into the 60’s today so perhaps I can get another round of golf in this afternoon.
Salutes to all of our veterans.
Hope you all have a great Thursday.
Good Morning C.C., Al and all,
Al, Thank you so much for your explanations. Very clear and helpful.
I got my entrance into the puzzle in the south and continued working in a clockwise rotation. Sometimes, I jump from here to there.Therefore, my biggest danger in working that way is in not double checking when I finish. I had answers I had not even read; but I felt in a hurry- running late. Haste makes waste.
I had 'alarm' and never changed it to 'alert'- I had 'rami' for 'rama' and 'Lester'{ I never watched the 'Addams Family'}and 'coil' looked ok{xwd ese} for 'lock'.
I enjoyed the theme-creative-but got it on first go-round. The 'ing' helped.
Good puzzle, Don. Thanks!
Good point,Barry,on rat.
Fermatprime,I didn't even know she was a princess. Great news on the wheelchair and the doogy door!
Can't wait for your doc's next exam.
Thanks to the Veteran's.
Jeannie,again thanks, if you missed later posts from yesterday.
Have a nice day everyone.
Good morning Al, CC, Don et al
To all our veterans here and everywhere, a big "Thank you" and a prayer for all of our troops.
This was not an easy puzzle but I was able to tease it out a letter here, a letter there... Of course, it would have been easier if I hadn't been so confident of some of my first thoughts that I put them in without checking the perps. e.g. 33d just had to be "stopwatch" and 65a just had to be "a man". Enough perps fell into place that all of the theme entries and the unifier were obvious. With those in place the rest of the unknowns gradually came around.
I know the term "alidade" but it didn't come to me at first. My first thought was "theodolite" but it wouldn't fit. "Sextant" fit but didn't seem quite right for the clue. Fortunately the crosses filed everything but the "L" and then I recognized the instrument.
A combination of clever clues and uncommon entries made this a fun one.
Good Morning All, "Woe" IS ME. This was a toughy for me. I must still have jet lag. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
I had problems right from the beginning with the NW...oh yeah..then the NE, SW, SE and the middle. ORGANA, STEIG, ALIDADE, MICA, RAMA, AGOUTI, SLRS weren't stored anywhere in my brain. Thanks to Al for the explanations.
I've never heard SANDGLASS either. Hourglass is the stored word here.
A respectful Veterans Day greeting to all. It is also GAH's birthday, so we are heading over to Yosemite for lunch today. Some of the roads will be iffy soon, so we'll take the opportunity while we can.
Hang in there, fermatprime.
Kazie, we watched the Melbourne Cup horse race broadcast from OZ on Nov. 2nd. NZ pretty much stops for it too. The Triple Crown here is a big deal, but nowhere near the OZ race...very exciting.
HeartRx, 8 hours with a whiner is rough, but 12 hours + with a crying baby can be "just put me out of my misery" time. Luckily this time the baby was closer to the front of the plane and we brought earplugs.
Our cheap seat flying hint for the day is the last left or right row (67 rows..yikes!) of a 747, or R65 of a 777. Only two seats across, so nobody to climb over (or over you) and nobody banging the back of your seat. It is a little noisier, but bring those earplugs if you want to sleep. Surprisingly, people seem to prefer waiting for the toilets mid-plane, or maybe they didn't see the signs in back of them, so that wasn't a problem either. The draw back is waiting to get off the plane, but if you aren't in a big hurry it's OK.
Best wishes to you all on Veterans Day (U.S) and Remembrance Day (UK&C) and similar commemorations in Europe and elsewhere.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month has just passed in Britain, with 2 minutes silence observed nationwide. Here is a brief piece of today's BBC footage - it's a sign of the times that even this piece must be preceded by a commercial.
SILENCE
It's a strange day here. The kids don't have school today so the usual SCREAMING/WHINING/SPITTING (that's the dog)/NAGGING (that's the wife) of early morning have been absent, adding to the serenity of the occasion.
Well, I shall wear my Flanders Poppy proudly to work today, and politely field the many puzzled glances.
NC
CA,
Very nice that you got caught up in Melbourne Cup Fever. You must feel like an honorary citizen of the Antipodes now! Unfortunately, I'm usually chasing a tight connection when I return to the US, so the back row doesn't work for me, but your reasoning is sound.
I also meant to mention before, that some of the bratty kids I had in classes were also the brightest--not always, but when they were, I often liked them better than the more serious bright ones. Those that were bratty without brains were just annoying. But the bright ones were entertaining, and I thought they simply felt unchallenged in school.
On a plane, it's a totally different story.
In recognition of Veteran's Day some of you may want to take the time to read this story about "The Last Flight". A typo in the article - the air show is in Geneseo, NY near Rochester.
Al, I think your statement "Seven Down fill intersect 3 theme entries." should have been five down not seven.
Hi, Al, C.C., and all.
Thank you to all veterans and prayers for those in harms way.
Bad boy today! Took 44 mins. overall, but I had to "G" the willow thing, which I can never remember. I got caught up in reading about basket weaving instead of getting back to the puzzle. Also had to "G" ORGANO and STEIG. Pop culture always stymies me. The reservoir clue didn't fool me, but I put "RRS" at first. With WAGS, SWAGS, and just plain luck, the rest fell eventually. I was sure ALIDADE was wrong, but the big "tada" came anyway.
If my years of child rearing taught me anything, it is that children who are perfectly behaved at home will often become bratty monsters in public.
Hope everybody has a great holiday (not Holliday!)
Hi everyone:
I am just amazed that I didn't have too much trouble with this puzzle! Not that it was any speed run for me, but I actually finished it (a THURSDAY puzzle), I will have a smile on my face for a few days over that.
I guess I was just on Don G's wave length.
I loved 3D (UPRISING).
21A (AILS) I agree with Al (and others), this seemed a weird usage to me too.
8D (ORGANA) heck, I have trouble remembering how to spell LEIA, let alone her last name!
51A - naughty, tricky thingy! I might have had it if I knew 45D (EISNER), but I couldn't remember his name. Also didn't get 51A right away, as I am no good with camera 'stuff'. Eventually it got filled in with a bit of help.
Hand up for SAND GLASS. I have only heard of HOUR GLASS.
65A - PETER, PAUL, etc. It seems we had this same clue (or something very much like it) several months ago. I was on alert and knew it would be something clever.
Dennis: loved the 'differences' :)
A big thank you to all our Veterans today. We owe you so much!
CA: please wish GAH a very happy birthday!
I would have preferred "Animal kingdom mythical ennead" over "Mythical animal kingdom ennead". Made me think we were looking for something from the "Jabberwocky".
Jeez, Spitzboov, I'm working the store today and that story had me in tears. Fortunately, I was able to hide out in the back office.
Wonderful story - thanks for posting it.
Spitzboov,
Thank you so much for the story link. I read the whole thing with tears in my eyes - what a special day that must have been for the entire crew.
Nice Cuppa,
Thank you, too, for the link to the 2 minute silence observation. I noticed that many were wearing their poppies!
CA.
I agree that ear plugs are a must on any long flight - I usually have my iPod turned onto classical music for the duration. Also, an eye mask, neck pillow and my own blanket always travel with me (I never use those airline ones - I understand that they don't even WASH them between uses. Ugggh !)
Thank you to all of our veterans, we owe you so much.
Hard for me, but very cool clues and an enjoyable ride. I was not even able to get close to completion! Ah me, there is always monday...
Here's the Wendell Berry poem excerpt from "The Country of Marriage" I promised to WH yesterday. Berry isn't a rhymer, but his verses flow so rhythmically and his language is so lovely you (well, I know WH and MelB are fans too) can't help but get caught up in it. A lot of us have been in both the "I quit" and the "I'm sticking with it" places in marriage, so we all can relate to the feelings expressed here.
The Country of Marriage - 3.
Sometimes our life reminds me
of a forest in which there is a graceful clearing
and in that opening a house,
an orchard and garden,
comfortable shades, and flowers
red and yellow in the sun, a pattern
made in the light for the light to return to.
The forest is mostly dark, its ways
to be made anew day after day, the dark
richer than the light and more blessed,
provided we stay brave
enough to keep on going in.
- Wendell Berry
Time to get ready to head out if we want to get to the Ahwahnee for our noon reservation. Have a good day everyone.
Good day, everyone!
Al, thank you for your thorough explanations, especially AIL as I could not accept that meaning "causing to suffer" and even googled STEIG and ORGANA to make sure.
Not a speed run today, but fun and doable with some skipping around and fill in the blanks eventually finished it. Then realized a few errors, COIL instead of COIF and did know Uncle FESTER but failed to check. Also had ITTY instead of ITSY.
Some of these we have seen before such as AGOUTI, OSIERS and RAMA.
I thought TSARS was particularly tricky.
I liked ARS, reservoir borders. For anyone who plays scrabble
those three letter oddities are golden.
Well done, Don with hard G!
Happy Veterans' Day and a big, special thank you to all who serve and have served. We owe you a huge debt of gratitude.
For those interested look for the tamale recipe later today. I have been trying to condense it as it is quite long.
Have a glorious Thursday!
Spitzboov, thanks for "The Last Flight".
HeartRx, we brought our own blow-up neck pillows and eye masks too. I always dress in layers for plane travel. This time it was draw string jersey pants, stretchy long sleeve top (closest I could get to pajamas without looking totally ridiculous), a shirt jacket to wear or take off according to the temperatures and Footzyrolls slippers in my purse so I could get out of my shoes. Amazingly, I didn't come home with the usual terrible cold from the recirculated air. (Oh yeah, that last row thing keeps you away from all the close-up hacking coughing passengers.) Or maybe chemo is the cure for the common cold. I haven't had a cold in over a year and a half...coincidence?....hmmmm.
Really gotta go now. GAH is waiting.
There is always Paris.
When I was little I wanted to go to the Coast Guard Academy, and drive around in my fancy white uniform on big boats, patrolling the coast. Because of my eye problems, there was no chance, but I too want to add my appreciation to all of my friends and family who have served, as well as every veteran and every mother and father, sister and brother who waited at home.
Hi all.
Am heading to Applebee's. Free lunch for Vets today. Don't forget
your DD217.
Thanks to all for your remembrance.
Take care.
Hi gang -
Ouch, this one was hard. Woe IS ME? I'M THERE!
The whole SW corner was an empty reservoir.
CA -
Love the Wendell Barry poem.
By way of counterpoint, here is one of mine. No extra charge for the Yang and YIN.
THE SUBSTITUTE
There are those whose lives are meant to be entwined,
Lovers thrust together by the force of destiny,
When choice and fate converge, that they may be
Connected at the soul, the heart, the mind.
Within their closed circumference one can find
Two curves in perfect fit -- his yang, her yin,
That in each cycle once again begin
To cluster into love's sweet spiral bind.
But consider -- if in the vast span of infinity
One of them becomes displaced in small degree;
Is born a decade late, perhaps is sent
To the farthest corner of the continent --
The distant echo of an unfelt touch, an unseen face.
Who will be the one who comes to take his place?
Copyright JzB
Cheers!
JzB the occasional poet
Veteran's Day is a bit poignant here with Tom in Afghanistan.
He should be home again by the end of January.
Cheers!
JzB
Well, it’s official. I might as well be Carol. I didn’t find this one too daunting at all. I did have to hit the g-spot a couple of times . Once to find out what ennead meant and that gave me “lives”. I got a lot of perp help with osiers, rama, and alidade. Agouti filled itself in (cute little critter), as well as Organa. I am not a fan of science fiction and have never seen a single Star Wars movie. I just recently learned what a Doppelganger was as I took a pic of a woman who could be a “spitting image” of my friend Mary’s cousin and she used that term when I showed her the picture. Favorite today was “minor player” – cog.
Creature, I am glad that you found those recipes. Let me know how you like them when you try them. A favorite of some here are the meatloaf and tomato/basil pie. You should be able to find them by using the search this blog engine.
Clearayes, thanks for that wonderful poem and wish GAH a very happy birthday.
Dennis, good to see you survived your long day yesterday. I am sure you could tell a few stories.
Spitzboov, that story was touching. I sat here with tears streaming down my face. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks to all you veterans for watching over us.
Good morning Al, C.C. and all,
slow going, but lots of fun, Mr. G.Loved your theme.Just enough gimmes to keep me goin' without searching; DH gave me "screaming eagles". I did have to look up to see what a Doppelganger was..ha,ha. What a funny word. Luckily the perps helped fill osiers, organa, alidade, ely, ars, and slrs.
I did not like "lives" because I still haven't connected it to the 9 great Osirian gods. Carol, throw me a V8 and I'll see if it helps."No oil" - odd.
Al, I enjoyed your write up and the effort you always put into it.Thanks for clearing up ars(should know that by now!!!) and slrs.
Nice Cuppa, enjoyed the silence clip, and the little boy picking his nose while being very quiet.
Hail! Hail and a hearty THANKS to all our vetrans, near and far.I wonder why we don't have a time out for giving thanks.
CA, HB wishes to GAH! Last spring when we lunched at the Ahwahnee, it was sunny and bright when we went in, and snowing when we left.
BTW, your necklace is lovely, and it's good to have you and your poetry corner back.
My take on sandglass/hourglass: If the container is glass, the material that flows from one reservoir to the other via a narrow connecting tube is sand, and it takes one hour to make that transfer then either term is correct. However, the more commonly seen version is the three minute egg timer. That could hardly be called an hourglass but sandglass would describe it.
On the other hand,I'm not sure my wife would appreciate being described as having a sandglass figure instead of an hourglass figure though. I'd better not even think of commenting about where the sand has sfifted to over the years.
Grumpy 1, you are a wise man indeed.
Thanks Spitzboov. I also had tears.
Didn't forget the t this time.
CA, happy birthday to GAH!
Herewith I present the Lopez Family Tamale Recipe (New Mexico style)
20 Lbs ground nixtamal (fresh masa)
2-3 Lbs John Morrell lard
1 cup salt (Mom said it must be Morton's)
4 Lbs. beef (flank, brisket or any cut)
4 Lbs. pork roast
1 Lb. New Mexico red chile pods (frozen red chile can be used if it is available)
3 Lbs. corn husks (very clean)
2 Lge cloves garlic and garlic poweder for added flavor
1 Lge yellow onion
2 cups flour
1 cup olive oil
1 box of butcher parchment paper
Day 1: Trim any fat from the meat and boil it with onions and salt to the point of shredding. A meat mallet will finish the job nicely.
Save the broth for the masa.
Split the red chile pods and clean the seeds off, remove the stems. Fill a large pan with water and add the chile pods and garlic; bring to a boil. Blend it or use the food processor until it is finely pureed.
In a large roaster/pan pour 1/2 cup of the olive oil and bring to a high heat. Add 1/2 cup finely minced onions and 2 TBSP garlic; saute them until translucent. Slowly add 1/2 c flour, stir to keep from lumping. When this forms a gravy-like substance, add the shredded meat then the pureed red chile. Add salt to taste. Cool to room temp.
Refrigerate all overnight.
Day 2: Buy the masa freshly ground that day.
Soak the corn husks in warm water until they are soft and pliable. They must be totally free of cornsilk. When ready to use them, dab them dry with a soft towel.
Place the masa in a heavy duty mixer or lacking that, knead it with 1 Lb of lard and 1/2 C salt.
Slowly add a little broth, meanwhile kneading or mixing until the masa is fluffy. It is done when a small ball of masa floats in a glass of water. Continue mixing the masa and lard until it is all used, a little at a time, enough to fill the mixing bowl.
Have the cornhusks ready and spread one heaping serving spoon of masa mix onto the center of the husk and spread it evenly from the widest end toward the pointed end.
Next, place a heaping spoon of red chile on the widest part of the husk, then wrap the husk like a burrito, side over side, then bottom.
Wrap each tamal in a sheet of butcher parchment and bag one dozen at a time in ziplock baggies.
Tamales can be frozen for cooking later. To cook them, place as many as desired in a steamer and cook for one hour.
This is a labor intensive process and we form an assembly line so that many people are involved in the final process. It can be done by one person; my Mother used to make 150 dozen by herself during the holidays, but we gradually came together to help her and continue the tradition.
I thank my brother, Art, who quantified Mom's informal measurements into a usable form.
If you are so inclined, make them and enjoy them. They are delicious. We also make green chile and cheese tamales.
If you have any questions about making tamales, feel free to e-mail me.
Not a terribly difficult puzzle, but it did take 28 minutes to finish successfully. Another one that just took some patience.
Service patch worn by paratroops of the 101st Airborne during WWII:
SCREAMING EAGLE PATCH
Lucina, I've been studying your recipe for an hour or so. I don't know if I can access masa. I think I can access corn husks- not this year.The salt brand, I can handle; not sure about lard; I will be Emailing you when my head's screwed on tight. Wow! It's unbelievable, when you describe your mother's making these alone, I'm in awe. I can't imagine such a task, and I've been pretty game in my day. Looking forward to pics. Maybe, I could sell the project with pics. I doubt it, but am game to try. Thanks so much.
Back to reality TV.
creature:
My sister who lives in Charlotte cannot find fresh masa so she uses some packaged product which works well for her. I'll check with her for the name.
Spitzboov:
That was a thrilling and emotional story! Thank you for posting it and I'm glad I took the time to read it.
Cuppa:
Your post was also tremendous. I really enjoyed it. Thanks.
Lucina, I am in awe of your family recipe!!Thanks so much for posting it.
Good evening,all.
I loved the puzzle today. I think it is an honor that Dan G. sends notes to C.C. to be posted here as to his mind process and inspiration for his constructions. Thank you, Dan!
I couldn't let this Veteran's Day go by without posting. Thank you to all on this blog who have served our country to keep us safe. Thank you, as well, to those who are still serving. (JazzB and Gunghy, I am especially thinking about you and yours as I write this.)
Last Sunday, our church choir did a medley of songs from the various United States services (Marines, Air Force, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard) to honor our service personnel. Members of the congregation were asked to stand during the duration of "their song". It was very moving. At least one gentleman had served in WWI.
Fermatprime, I wish you well.
Enjoy the weekend!
Oops!
WWII
My bad!
Amazing story, perfect for the day. Thanks
All food post:
Lucina, WOW, what a recipe! I've known a lot families who have a holiday tradition of getting together to prepare tamales. Unfortunately nobody had a mother who could do it all herself. I don't have enough family members who live close to get together to form the production line. Sounds delicious though.
Jeannie, I've made your tomato/basil pie for one of my cribbage lunches. It was a big hit.
Our lunch today in Yosemite was great. I had some ale/cheddar soup and a Monte Cristo sandwich....so good! GAH had a crab cocktail and the New York steak (Happy Birthday!). The Awanhnee is a beautiful old restaurant with great views. It was a little chilly, but no snow yet. The waterfalls were flowing because of last week's rain, so that was a bonus sight.
Hola Everyone,
My first pass through of the clues only resulted in about a dozen answers. My first error was putting USDE for the Dept. of Educ. I should have known better because U.S. was in the clue. Once that was corrected the NW corner fell and the first answer Screaming Eagles came to light.
This was a harder than usual puzzle for me but putting ing into answers began to fill the rest of the puzzle where I had quite a few white squares. Just enough perps were in to give me a toehold.
Thank you Jazz and CA for the poems. Jazz you are very talented to be sure.
At a large Dollar Store today, About four children started running and playing tag in the aisles. NOT One parent said a thing for several minutes. My school teacher mind kicked in and "Mind your Manners" was the first thing out of my mouth when one of the children ran into my cart. After that things quieted down, but I couldn't see the children using the store for a playground.
Lucina, Thanks for the recipe, but I'm not sure that my stamina would hold up long enough to do this by myself, and like CA my girls are not nearby to get together and do it. How many do you get from this recipe? Too bad I'm not closer to you as I would be glad to become a Lopez family member to participate in your tamale making.
CA, I'm so envious of your lunch at the Awahnee today. We haven't been to Yosemite all year and I miss going. We usually are there at least once a year and sometimes more. It was our honeymoon spot.
What exactly is 'masa'?
Dennis:
"masa" is moist cornmeal which has been ground to a semi solid consistency.
Addendum to the recipe: after cooking the tamales, the paper and corn husks are removed before eating.
I'm so sorry, but I believe I have exceeded the 5 limit post; the recipe yields 20 dozen. It could be halved for 10 dozen.
Last one. Good night everyone.
If the old rulers of Russia were Tsars and their wives Tsarinas, were their children Tsardines?
did I do it?
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