Theme: Size Matters - The first word of each theme answer is a synonym for very small. Toy, Pygmy, Miniature, and Dwarf are also terms used for certain small animal breeds (i.e., Dachschunds can be dwarf, toy, teacup, or micro-mini).
18A. Members of a small army : TOY SOLDIERS. Great clue. I think every kid played with these.
20A. Lumbering critter of Borneo : PYGMY ELEPHANT. So cute.
36A. Some Steinways : BABY GRAND PIANOS. Also, concert, parlor or boudoir grand. Baby grand is the smallest of the grands.
52A. Game often involving a windmill : MINIATURE GOLF. Anyone willing to take a crack at explaining this? (As Dennis says, so many lines.)
57A. Pluto, now : DWARF PLANET
Melissa here.
Melissa here.
An honor to blog one of the few remaining Dan Naddor puzzles. Full of his typical clever clues. I think he wanted us to have some fun with this one.
Dan also overlapped the first & last two pair of theme entries. Hard to achieve in Xword construction.
Across
1. Rd. traveler's stat : MPG. Miles per gallon.
4. Spinnaker, e.g. : SAIL
8. Tending to hang down : DROOPY. No one here though, it's others.
14. Treasure de la Sierra Madre : ORO. Oro is the Spanish word for gold.
15. "M*A*S*H" star : ALDA. Alan Alda. One of the greatest characters, in one of the greatest shows ever.
16. Merited : EARNED
17. Kung __ chicken : PAO. A spicy Sichuan dish with chicken, chili peppers, and peanuts, named after Ding Baozhen, who's title was Gōng Bǎo (宮保), or "palatial guardian."
22. Conger catcher : EELER
23. Publicize : AIR
24. Delivery experts, for short : OB'S. Obstetricians deliver babies. Cute.
27. Remnant : DREG
28. Stuffed : FULL. For you, Jeannie.
31. "Knock it off!" : STOP
32. Poker ploy : RAISE. Was thinking something more like bluff - great subtle clue.
34. Grumpy co-worker? : SNEEZY. Another fun clue.
40. WWII depth charge targets : U-BOATS
41. Bungling : INEPT. Thought of him. "A clue, a clue, a clue!"
42. Any day now : SOON
43. Bite like a beaver : GNAW. Great word.
44. Construction beam : I-BAR
48. Loud laugh : YUK
51. Take potshots : SNIPE
59. Former CNN anchor Dobbs : LOU
60. Wreck, as plans : DERAIL
61. Losing proposition? : DIET
62. Soul, to Sartre : AME
63. Start liking : TAKE TO
64. WWII Normandy battle site : ST. LO. From Wikipedia: Saint-Lô was almost totally destroyed (95% according to common estimates) during the Battle of Normandy in World War II, earning the title of "The Capital of the Ruins" from Samuel Beckett; it was even questioned whether to rebuild it or to leave the ruins intact as a testimony to the bombing.
65. OPEC unit : BBL. Oil - bbl is a designation for a standard unit of measure of a barrel of oil, 42 gallons.
Down
1. Swabbed : MOPPED
2. Bedtime ritual for many : PRAYER
3. Provider of millions of hits : GOOGLE. Great mis-direction.
4. Woodlands deity : SATYR
5. Lip balm ingredient : ALOE
6. Pastoral verse : IDYL
7. Cut with a surgical beam : LASE
8. Indian metropolis : DELHI
9. Tool for scouting pitchers : RADAR. Used to measure the velocity of a pitch.
10. "Are you out __?" : OR IN. Theme related?
11. Count that may diffuse anger : ONE TO TEN. Could prevent eight-to-ten.
12. Part of 1-Across : PER
13. QB's gains : YDS
19. Birthstone after sapphire : OPAL. September = Sapphire, October = Opal.
21. "When Harry Met Sally..." co-star : MEG RYAN.
25. Doofus : BOZO
26. 1974 CIA spoof : SPYS. Do not remember this.
28. Fragrant evergreens : FIRS. Timely. This just came up on Monday's comments. That time of year already ...
29. __ Today : USA
30. Red Square honoree : LENIN
31. Restaurant host's purview : SEATING
33. FBI employee : AGT. Agent.
34. Gush : SPEW
35. Barely beat : NIP
36. Not taking calls, perhaps : BUSY
37. "__ Ben Adhem": James Leigh Hunt poem : ABOU. I'll leave it to Clear Ayes.
38. Web surfer's shortcut : BOOKMARK
39. Paternity suit letters : DNA. Made me chuckle.
43. Intent : GOAL
45. Class with dissections, for short : BIO-LAB. Biology.
46. Poise : APLOMB. Great crossword word, two vowels, four consonants. Surprised we don't see it more often.
47. Gas up : REFUEL.
49. Not qualified : UNFIT
50. Double: Pref. : DIPLO. Diplomat, diplocardiac.
51. Brief brawl : SET-TO
53. Wrath, in a hymn title : IRAE. Dies Irae (Day of Wrath). So dramatic.
54. Smidgens : TADS
55. Military group : UNIT
56. Casting need : REEL. Fishing.
57. Banned bug killer : DDT. Thanks, in large part, to one of my heroes, Rachel Carson.
58. "Are __ pair?": "Send in the Clowns" lyric : WE A
Answer grid.
Notes from C.C.:
Today we celebrate the birthday of our trombonist/poet/wordsmith Jazzbumpa, Iron (I, Ron) in real life. This is one of my favorite blog photos, Ron with his Lovely Wife Gloria and their 11 grandchildren.
Melissa
Answer grid.
Notes from C.C.:
Today we celebrate the birthday of our trombonist/poet/wordsmith Jazzbumpa, Iron (I, Ron) in real life. This is one of my favorite blog photos, Ron with his Lovely Wife Gloria and their 11 grandchildren.
Melissa
Committed Asian Woman/Penny P,
ReplyDeleteCan you settle down on one name and stick with it? You always have something interesting to say, but your constant change of your avatar names and frequent skirting around of my 5-posts-per-person-per-day displease me.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteA very smooth puzzle by Dan Naddor today. The theme was fun (and dense), the fill was fresh, and the clues were enjoyable. I'm still not crazy about BBL as an abbreviation, but I'm at least used to it by now and everything else in the puzzle today was like buttah. If anything, I thought this was on the easy side for a Wednesday, but that's not a complaint.
Have a good one!
About ravens, crows, squawks, and caws --
ReplyDeleteI can provide a good explanation. I'd seen large black noisy birds at Yosemite National Park, and smaller ones here at home. I asked a friend who is a serious birder how to tell crows from ravens.
Generally, ravens are larger, but a large crow can be about the same size as a small raven.
The key is to listen to them. Both species squawk, but crows also call their typical CAW! CAW! along with the croaks/squawks. Ravens do not CAW. I write that in capital letters, as crows do not speak their CAW, they shout it!
Lastly, crows and ravens prefer different habitats, so you will seldom find them together.
aspirin:
Regarding routine aspirin: I take a "baby" aspirin, 81 mg/day, on recommendation of my gastroenterologist. It helps protect against colon cancer, or a recursion of it.
I was diagnosed with early colon cancer in early 2000, after flunking the occult blood test. Fortunately, mine was a single large polyp, which was removed and the margins were clear of cancer.
So, boys and girls, get your colonoscopies! If you think that's too gross and not fun, I'll tell you all about six weeks of radiation and the really cool side effects, some of which remain even now.
Colon cancer is one of the more deadly cancers, yet it is almost entirely preventable.
Good Morning, Melissa Bee and Friends. Great write-up.
ReplyDeleteI just knew when we saw Donna Levin earlier this week that Dan Naddor would also make an appearance. I wasn't disappointed by today's puzzle. Good Things Come in Small Packages. I caught on to the theme early on and didn't need GOOGLE to help me today.
When I read Grumpy (shout-out to you Grumpy1!) Co-Worker?, I knew that this referred to one of Snow White's Dwarf friends. It was just a question of Sleepy or SNEEZY.
I also smiled at Delivery Experts = OBS.
Happy Birthday, JazzBumpa! Hope you can enjoy your day with your beautiful family.
QOD: To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up. ~ Ogden Nash
Hello Puzzlers - Nicely done, MB, and congratulations for getting your very own Naddor. As to explaining that mini-golf green, well, I can't. Hard to imagine it's an accident...
ReplyDeleteToday's puzzle was definitely smooth. Hafta agree with Barry that BBL is an odd little abbrev., but it's well established and we're stuck with it. Similarly, I often see "mfg" instead of "mfr" for Manufacturer - makes no sense.
Good Day all!
Good Morning MelissaB, CC and All,
ReplyDeleteBack in the groove after oral surgery on Monday morning. I thought I would be back to work Monday afternoon but it really kicked my butt enough to use the pain meds. My head is finally clearing out, just in time for a Naddor puzzle.
Bunch of erasing. Oil instead of BBl, Bluff for Raise and Setting instead of Seating kept me scratching my head. Favorite clue was Grumpy co-worker? which we've seen before. I also wrote TDS for YDS which was fixed by Droopy. Duh! Speaking of TDs, How bout them Pats!!
Hope all are well, between the snow and medical procedure, I've got some catching up to do!
Belated Happy Birthday WH!!
Have a great hump day!
Good Morning All, Got here early, as I suspected I would. Tuesday chemo always messes with my sleep for a couple of days, so why not start before the crack of dawn with a fun Dan Naddor puzzle.
ReplyDeleteDan must have been channeling our discussion last week with (10D)DROOPY. Lemonade,I still don't have any empirical evidence, but if Dan is willing to come from the great beyond, I dasn't argue with him.
It always takes me a while to decipher (65A) BBL. It could just as well mean BE BACK LATER when we have raised the price on the BBLs of oil.
Melissa, loved your take and explanation of the theme. The photo of the MINIATURE GOLF brought to mind the fuzzier anatomy of Mrs. Jolly Green Giant. Any other ideas, people?
JVN, our crows around these parts are hugh and CAW raucously. They are constantly terrorizing the towhees and quail. But then the vultures terrorize the crows and the hawks hang around just waiting for the opportunity to terrorize anybody.
Happy Birthday, Jazzbumpa. Have a good one.
Melissa Bee, Wonderful write-up.
ReplyDeleteI always like to start the day in a joyful mood, that dies IRAE brought a smile.
Jazz, Happy Birthday! Great photo, too.
What a fabulous Dan Naddor offering.
Liked each and every theme answer.
Learned ABOU and UDO via the perps.
Had oil before that Opec BBL, easy fix.
Got a laugh at USA and LENIN being next to each other.
I've come to a fork in the road.
Yogi would tell me to take it.
Currently have two offers on the table.
One in Moscow, one in Muscat, Oman(where I would work with a Texas buddy I met when we worked together in Zagreb).
But I prefer to stay here in Tampa Bay ... something about my Sunset addiction, I think.
Now I wonder if 'greed' will over take personal joy ...
Oh well, a 'toast' to all at 5:34.
Cheers !!!
37. "__ Ben Adhem": James Leigh Hunt poem : ABOU. I'll leave it to Clear Ayes.
ReplyDeleteSure Melissa, I'll be happy to. It's is one of those great poems that let those who study such things, know that it is impossible to understand the mind of the Lord. It was one of my father's favorites poems.
Abou ben Adam
Abou ben Adam (may his tribe increase!)
awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight of his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
an angel, writing in a book of of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adam bold,
And to the Prescence in the room he said:
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?"said Abou, "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still, and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."
The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again, with a great awakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blest,
And lo! Ben Adam's name led all the rest.
- Leigh Hunt
Good morning everyone. Great write-up Melissa. And Happy Birthday to JazzB.
ReplyDeleteA special morning with a treat of still one more puzzle from Dan. Always fun to do. Medium difficulty with one pass but frequent stops or pauses to fill in perps. After the third theme cross, the lead-in of small size became clear and helped with MINIATURE GOLF and DWARF PLANET. I liked the clueing for OBS and SNEEZY. BBL was more 'in tune' with 'unit' in the clue. Only unknowns were ÂME and IRAE which were gotten from the perps.
JVN - Good advice on colonoscopies.
Have a nice day.
Good morning, all!
ReplyDeleteIt was too cold here to go out and get the paper from the driveway, so I completed this online. Didn't catch it was a Dan Naddor until I came here, although I must say I really enjoyed the puzzle, so wasn't surprised to see his name. A very nice treat.
Melissa, great blogging. Thanks for the link for Jeannie. Happy Birthday Jazz!
Does anyone have any recommendations on a golf range finder? Want to get one for hubby, but not sure what to get.
We are expecting an electrician to arrive soon, so time to get on with the morning routine. Have a great day - stay warm!
Hello Everyone!
ReplyDeleteThanks MB! Great write-up.
Belated happy birthday WINDOVER! Great pics!
Happy birthday to JAZZ!
Sexy pics SPLYNTER.
Had my doubts about NIP and IDYL. (I remember "IDYLLs of the King.")
The following appeared in Sigma Xi Newsletter.
baby aspirin. Wish we had heard of this a lot sooner!
Happy hump day!
PS: The UDO looks like an ET.
ReplyDeleteWow, Wednesday already:
ReplyDeleteThanks MB, you and Dan Naddor, what a great birthday present for our dear JzB. And many more, I do love the pic with all the little horns.
S*P*Y*S was an example of Hollywood’s mental process; since M*A*S*H (and I am sure the inclusion of Alan Alda by Dan was no accident) with Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland was such a fabulous hit, why not make another 4 letter titled movie with Gould and Sutherland and put in asterisks; it will certainly be a great hit. They forgot it needed a plot etc.
I can not imagine a reference to When Harry Met Sally and not recalling the one of the greatest scenes and lines of all time, I’LL HAVE WHAT SHES HAVING . Meg was so cute back in the day.
MB loved the Clouseau and thought the GRUMPY SNEEZY was great.
BBL is the abbreviation used by oil traders, refineries etc., and has been around for years. Do not know why, but every so often I get involved in oil stuff, currently working with the NAWE in Ecuador, but anyway, it is the accepted designation.
30’s here? Why? Ah well, 60’s before the day is over. ciao
Good morning, MB, CC et al.
ReplyDeleteI saw Dan Naddor's name on the puzzle and figured it would be a really fun ride. My mind must be warped in the same direction that Dan's was when he did this puzzle, though, as I zipped through it pretty easily. There wasn't as much misdirection and punniness as I expected.
Thanks, Dan, for putting one of my partners in the puzzle. Come allergy season, he and I get to be real close buddies, but we try to stay away from our other buddy Doc.
Speaking of docs, my cardiologist has me on a full aspirin (325mg) per day. I have four stents in various plumbing lines around the ticker and he wants to keep them unclogged. I had a pulmonary embolism following pelvic repair surgery and was on Warfarin for a year. During that time my cardiologist cut my aspirin back to 81 mg aspirin but would not discontinue. His statement was that aspirin is most effective on arterial blood, warfarin works primarily on venous blood. I haven't have any problems with the full dose so I'll keep on keeping on.
Tinman, it sounds like you might need a double shot of Avatar to mull over that decision. Best of luck, whichever way you chose to go.
Dudley, I've only see mfg as abbreviation for manufacturing, with mfr for manufacturer.
Bbl is a very common abbreviation for barrel and since the clue was "unit" it was an obvious answer.
Happy birthday JZB, and happy hump day to all.
Nice puzzle - difficult but, with perseverance, very doable. I'm sure that DROOPY is bound to elicit some comments but remember that droopy is different from saggy. Being a car guy, I've always heard of carburetors with 4 throats or "barrels" abbreviated as 4BBL carbs.
ReplyDeleteJVN, what a coincidence. I just had a colonoscopy yesterday to check on my intestinal blockage of three weeks ago. It's actually a piece of cake since I was sedated for the procedure. Preparation is the only bad part but even that isn't *so* bad. So I join you in encouraging everyone of a "certain age" to get checked out.
Regarding crows. Our neighborhood is suddenly (in the past 2 years) overrun with crows with lots of CAW!-CAW!-CAW!ing to drive us all crazy. Would like to know why!
Nice job on the blog, Melissa Bee! I enjoyed the links a lot.
30's? We're stuck around zero so far here today.
ReplyDeleteMB,
Great blog job!
JVN,
I second the advice on colonoscopies. I had my first in my early 40's and have been on a five year schedule ever since. They found small polyps that first time that were safely removed. My mother died at 67 of cancer that had begun in the colon.
I screwed up the SNEEZY thing because I had PIP for NIP, thinking of "pipped at the post". I didn't realize the co-worker was an associate of Grumpy's, but thought it was the grumpy one. Otherwise a smooth run, despite not knowing UDO and not even looking at several down clues along the top (LASE, OPAL, OR IN) and not noticing it was a Dan Naddor until MB mentioned it.
The sun's out now, so time to get busy.
Good morning Melissa Bee, CC, et al., Excellent job, MB...and an absolutely perfect illustration of 'full'. That eagle can land here any time he wants to. Hilarious link for min. golf too. I'm thinkin' a hole in one is out. It looks like at least a 5 stroke hole to me with a firm putter. Or a guy could actually jump it or skirt the whole taco/enchillada or he could just simply blow it off altogether. It would take some foreplay/forethought to really make this hole. Did Gary Play'er design this?
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Jazz. wish you many many more. Great phamily photo.
Enjoy this day.
Good Morning Melissa B, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteLove your blogging style, MB -- too funny! What a great way to start hump day, LOL.
Every time I see a Dan Naddor puzzle I have mixed emotions. It's kind of like wondering if the present you are opening is the last one under the tree?
This one had so many fun clues, it's hard to pick my favorite. But I guess I'll go with 24A "Delivery experts" for OBS. I really wanted UPS or something like that. I loved the theme, too, with the stacked pairs at the top and bottom.
HBD Jazzbumpa - you rock!
BTW, CLear Ayes - is your new avatar the watercolor that you finished this week? Very lovely!
Have a great day everyone!
I'll be waiting to see my oncologist nexr week to ask him about baby aspirin. I'm not planning on having any more surgeries, but even if that were to happen I stop taking them a week or so in advance.
ReplyDeleteCan't help you Andrea. I bought a range finder for GAH and he used it about 5 times. He said it was more trouble that it was worth. Of course the more you are willing to spend the better doodads you will get. Any club proshop should be about to show you several samples.
HeartRx,the avatar is THE last watercolor. (Well, maybe not) I find them beautiful to look at, yet so tedious to paint. Our instructor said it was very photo-like. I'm not sure if that was a compliment. I said "Thank You" anyway". I'm much more fond of pastels and acrylics. Much quicker gratification.
I'm still confused about the Godiva chocolates from yesterday. Are they 5 indidivual pieces of chocolate to a box, making each chocolate cost over $18.00 and thus $89.00 a box?...or can you buy 5 boxes containing however many chocolate pieces for $89.00 plus tax? In that case each box would cost $19.00. I like Godiva chocolate too, but I'm not about to spend $18 or $19 bucks per bonbon.
Hi All~!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see another Dan Naddor puzzle, and I nailed MINIATURE GOLF (uh, no pun intended...), which led me to believe all the answers would be "small" related - and I refuse to concede Pluto - there were 9 planets when I went to school.
lois, such a vibrant description of the golf green...of "course" it would be a par 5, unless one were to "lip" the cup a few times...
uh, anyway, had a little trouble in the NW because I had POW instead of PAO, and I knew it was wrong, but forgot to go back and fix it, and with MPH also wrong, it left me with HOWGLE, and that couldn't be right...
Happy B'day jazzbumpa !
Splynter
Snow White wasn't feeling well and went to bed early one night. It was probably a flu bug. She didn't sleep very well. Anyway, she awoke the next morning feeling sleepy and sneezy and dopey and grumpy. Those little guys loved every minute of it.
ReplyDeleteI forgot earlier--Happy Birthday Jazzbumpa!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to link a picture of the fantastic TOY SOLDIERS I saw set up in full battle scenes in Nuremberg years ago, but couldn't find any online. It was when my younger son was with me on a free day there while traveling with students. We wandered down the main drag looking for stores that might interest him, and found this one where all the old historic European battles were represented in pewter soldiers in authentic period regalia. A true history lesson in toys.
Melissa and hump Day puzzlers, I’m not sure the ease of this one earned 2*’s but was fun none the less. I called to sub at 6:30 am this morning and the guy had very little for me but the kids are so good they are busy figuring out the chemical formulae for xenon tetrafluoride, phosphorous pentachloride, etc. and I did the puzzle while they worked. It feels like stealing $135/day with great kids like this. I had 90% of them as 7th graders and they are so different as HS Juniors.
ReplyDeleteHappy BD to my favorite tromboner JB (Jazz, are the last two syllables of that name a running joke among trombone players?). All right the only one I know, but still…
Musings
-I loved the Peter Sellers/Clouseau reference to ineptness in your write-up Melissa. No one else should play that role but hey, the beat goes on.
-A surgeon friend of mine let me use his YAG laser to cut up some chicken and the stench was horrible when his suction tube carrying away the fumes stopped. Burning flesh is nauseating!
-No idea on IRAE, ABOU and AME but perps made them easy by default
-I too am on the colon screening bandwagon. The worst part of the colonoscopy is not the event, it is the prep the night before where you are banished to the toity!
-I had MINOR instead of DWARF that designates Pluto’s demotion
-I had BOOB for BOZO
-My bucket list has St. Lo and Normandy at the top!
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteGreat write up MB, lots of fun.
HBD, Wndhover, a little late. I never got here yesterday.
Thanks, all, for the BD wishes. And having one of Dan's puzzles is a great present. I'm a year and a day behind Windhover, and one just year away from medicare.
Gary - Yes, of course. We tromboners have no disdain for the obvious.
I think that golf hole is called "Mounds of Venus." If you get lucky, have a firm grip on your club, and shoot straight, a hole in one is possible.
Temp in the upper 20's here today, going down to 12 overnight. Winter is here.
Have you ever MOPPED up after a sloppy REFUEL?
The guy in that poem said his PRAYER with APLOMB.
You might find this, if you GOOGLE BIOLAB
Maybe not a good movie, but they were BUSY S*P*I*E*S.
Didn't cast RADAR - he was UNFIT for the role.
The Dwarf that Snow White didn't TAKE TO was DROOPY.
After wandering in the forest, she preferred a SET TO with a SATYR.
I spent a big chunk of yesterday putting up one of my epic blog posts on the history of the Federal deficit. Check it out if you're curious. You might be surprised.
Cheers!
JzB a very blessed trombonist
Splynter: LOL I think we play golf the same way...big driver, firm putter, and a lot of strokes, staying away from the rough, most likely going into a trap,but having such a good time scoring. Gotta love that game!
ReplyDeleteGreetings puzzlers. Thank you, Melissa B. for your take on the blog. I enjoyed Jeannie's shot except for the tattoos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun puzzle from Dan Naddor! Easy but always entertaining.
I loved the "small" theme as I am so attracted to miniatures, except for certain anatomical areas, of course.
Used the eraser a few times ith OBS, UDO, which I can't recall ever seeing and BBL where I had OIL.
The only dog I ever had was a papillion. Talk about a toy! She was precious and lived 17 years.
Dies IRAE is sung or played during Lent.
Happy birthday, Jazzbumpa! What a wonderful photo of you and your family. You have mentioned the girls dance ballet, but do any play an instrument?
Have a delightful Wednesday, everyone! 76 here today and heading for 80 by the weekend.
This is just to help out Clear Ayes on her question on the price of a box of the Godiva Chocolates - from a story that started yesterday, by Penny Pantyhose@2.20 pm.
ReplyDeleteThe chocolates were 5 Boxes for $ 89.00.
Under normal standard store pricing that makes it $ 17.80 each, rounded up to $ 18.00 per box, if bought individually.
The OSRP - Original Suggested Retail Price, for those box of chocolates, was $ 60.00 per box. You have to remember, as in the story, the date was Jan 2nd, and the discount price was 70% off. Also, these chocolates were "Godiva" - the food and the brand is an expensive one - the chocolates are not meant for eating by oneself, but is meant to be given away,(and consequently, impress ), ones friends and well wishers. !!?! ;-) ;-D
BTW, the first week of January, is the only good time to buy Godiva chocolates, at a decent price. - in suburban DC or elsewhere.
Andrea- The very best range finder is a good caddy. However, the room and board is pretty expensive. Worst of all, when you're not golfing they tend to just hang around with nothing to do.
ReplyDeleteJerome, I hope you will excuse me for my DF thoughts - but I can think of something else,
ReplyDelete- je' ne sais quoi -
which can match the exact description, of the last 2 lines, of your last comment.
;-D ,lol.
If my first post means nothing to you, I am asking you to leave!
ReplyDeleteHOCA -
ReplyDeleteI see that you have chosen not to comply with CC's request, but also that your math skills have improved. One thing at a time, I suppose.
JazzB -
Happy Birthday friend, and here's hoping you don't catch up with me anytime soon.
The Medicare -take it or leave it- is a question I'm. Wrestling with. Irish still has me covered,
(I'm on her insurance, too, but at significant cost) so I'm doing a line by line comparison. Tough, though, because of no direct comparison, and there's always the donut hole to consider. I only take one inexpensive medication, but that can change at any time.
Great write up Melissabee, and thank you for Lo-li-ta’s eye candy! Mark this day down, as I didn’t have to GOOGLE anything in Dan’s offering today! I didn’t know what the lumbering critter of Borneo was but with enough perp help “pygmy elephants” emerged. To tell you the truth I had never heard of a pygmy elephant. Udo does indeed look “droopy” does anybody know what it tastes like? BBL came easy to me as we sell grease barrels and the description has BBL in the system. Favorites today were “Grumpy co-worker” – Sneezy and “delivery experts” – Obs.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Jazz! I love the family photo. I hope you get to do something special today.
It’s still cold here with snow moving in again tomorrow. At least we’ll have a white Christmas!
Dennis, we miss you!
Great puzzle, love that Dan is still with us.....
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Jazzbumpaman!!
Great write up Melissa.
Splynter is correct on the pulp fiction x3, I was the 3rd person to agree, Honey Bunny. Yes CA, we do love the hockey players.
BTW my avatar is for YOu Lemony! ;)
Hi all - Great job Melissa! Had a good laugh and lots of DF thoughts at that picture of the mini-golf 'hole'. LOL....Lois, you sure had me cackling at your apt description of 'playing' said 'hole'....:0
ReplyDelete(You too Splynter :)
Happy Birthday Jazz!!! Your picture with your lovely wife and cute grands was so nice to see.
I was so pleased to see a Dan Naddor puzzle on a Wednesday. I did have trouble with IRAE. I didn't know it was ever sung, just thought it was a word on a cross. Oh, well you must forgive me, I am not in the least religious so don't know all the correct meanings in stories and songs.
The poor UDO, it certainly is not related to the mighty morel, but does look like a sick third cousin.
I read 60A as "Wreck, as planes" for some reason and I could not figure out how 'DERAIL' fit in. Another lovely V-8 moment. Ouch!
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteGood call, C.C. Thank you.
Happy birthday Jazzbumpa. The picture of you, Gloria, and the 11 grands is beautiful. Loved to see the little guy's comments on the procedure.
Great write up Melissa B. Enjoyed the links.
Cheers
Hi all.
ReplyDeleteProbably best if I say nothing about this xwrd. Which, I guess, is saying some thing.
Last night's sun set was awesome.
Looked like the sky was on fire.
Very cold rain this morning.
Am making a dent in Clancy's latest
novel. On page 280 of 951.
@Jerome - LOL
ReplyDeleteWH -
ReplyDeleteMy mom and my MIL have only good things to say about Medicare. Mom had two surgeries last year, and did NOT end up in the poor house.
I'm not on any maintenance meds, and hope never to be. I'm still on medical insurance from my former employer, but that comes to a screeching halt in about a year.
I expect to spend a lot of time pondering this whole thing next fall, but for now - party on!
Lucina -
Yes - Ryan (left) and Danny (right) are brothers and bookends in the photo; both play: Ryan on clarinet, Danny on trumpet and french horn. I'm seriously thinking we could have our own dixieland band.
Cheers!
JzB who just slides through life (another standard t-boner joke)
Cheers!
Robin:
ReplyDeleteLove your gingerbread cookies!
Thanks, JB. Yes, you could start your own band.
CA:
your painting is beautiful! And I love Abou Ben Adham. Thank you.
For anyone who hasn't found Robin's avatar amusing and totally harmless ...don't knock it unless you've tried it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me a few months ago we had a few foot fetishists drooling over her shiny red spike heels.
Dirty or silly humor is always in the mind of the beholder.
Hey, everybody,
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle today. I never know the constructor until I'm here but this did seem to me a Dan Naddor! It was a pretty easy one for Wednesday or am I improving? This blog has helped me a lot. Lately, tho, I'm wondering if Rich has had to cave to the complaints of "puzzlers" who want to go back to easier offerings, like my neighbor; if she can't get the first two or three, then they're too hard! I think she wrote to the newpaper! Bah, humbug!
Anyway no lookups today and only one erasure, when I didn't read the correct clue. I did leave 49A until the very last because I never heard of "udo" and the perps didn't fail me!
Happy Happy birthday, Jazzbumpa, and many more. I always look forward to your comments; love your sense of humor and your happy family! How many parents for those eleven beautiful children, you lucky fellow? BTW, I don't remember being offered a choice about Medicare; they just sent me my cards practically the minute I turned 65! It's been a blessing. I don't use the prescription benefit because my copay insurance is very good in that respect. The pension(my late husband's) from which I'm sure the premium is taken is not very large but with SSS and small teachers' pension I do just fine. Fortunately my husband was very forward-looking. Also he died when real estate was at its peak, bless his heart! That also contributed. Of course it would have been nice if we could have had more years together but que sera.
Go, C.C.! You're just great! You too, CA!
Oh, Andrea, have you tried Hammacher Schlemmer? I'm no golfer but I know HS is high quality.
Oops, I forgot to applaud your writeup, Melissa Bee. You're always right on!
ReplyDeleteHahtool, love your QOD. It applies to life in general as well as marriage!
Lemonade, "Spys" reminded me of "Sneakers". Remember that one?
ReplyDeleteCA, your watercolor is lovely. I know what you mean about the medium, though. I dropped out of the one watercolor class I ever tried! No patience and I was much too sloppy!
Carol: LOL about the planes DERAILing. Actually, after I filled in the answer, I realized that "Wrecks, as Trains" would work as well as "plans."
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes: I like your now painting.
Robin, your latest avatar is toooooo funny! Love it.
ReplyDeleteBTW, i'm wondering if I get penalty strokes for out-of-bounds play on that par 5 hole.
Andrea, I'm not a golfer but I am a tech guy. I recommend looking into GPS based golf systems. It's basically a hand-held GPS system that allows you to download various golf courses so that you can see where you are on the course, how far from the hole, etc.
ReplyDeleteThere are several on the market and they are not cheap but they are the best way of judging golf course distances. Just google "gps golf". If he has an iPhone there may be an app. Or maybe this is an excuse to buy an iPhone or Android ;-)
A third easy puzzle in a row this week (10 minutes).
ReplyDeleteNot much to comment on today.
JazzB: Happy Birthday!
Good afternoon, all!
ReplyDeleteNice blogging Melissa B on this nifty Dan Naddor.
Please tell me that I wasn't the *only* one singing "Tiny Bubbles" after the second theme answer!
I was on Dan's wavelength today except for UDO and DIPLO. The latter I should have known due to an occasional bout with "diplopia" a.k.a. double vision. If you're afraid of that happening to you, well, you're got "diplophobia" which is a real word.
An uncle of mine used to call pingpong "MINIATURE tennis." The golf version was very popular for second dates when I was in high school. Our theory was that the young women would think there's nothing manlier than a guy who can---in less than three putts---get the ball into the Clown's mouth on the 9th hole. Not surprisingly, there were very few third dates.
Hands in air for "bluff" rather than RAISE. No wonder I always lose at poker. The name ABOU somehow percolated up from what I call the "Memory Savings & Loan." (Thanks for the poem, ClearAyes)
Happy BD JazzB, and happy day-after WH!
So far, a sweet three day run of very solid puzzles this week. It's nice to be back on the Corner. Will return whenever it's possible.
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI finished yesterdays puzzle last night too late to post.The puzzle was fun. My husband enjoys Car Talk on NPR. It is also called Click and Clack. They also have a column in some newspaper. It is a lot of fun to read.
When we got out first baby, Ivory Snow was what you were supposed to use to do your baby's clothes, diapers, etc. Well, they came out rather dingy so I quit using it. Regular detergents worked fine.
MB-I enjoyed your write up, also your Links.
Happy BD a day late to you, Windhover and today to JzB. Hope you had great times.
Todays puzzle-I remember Abou Ben Adhem from high school or junior high. The first sentence is all I remember, thank you CA for posting it.
I do not understand why anyone would turn down Medicare. It is there for us and makes a bit difference in our quality of life. We do have Medigap insurance which has a drug plan. The one we have is good about paying for most of our Meds.
A good evening to everyone!
Marge
Hello everybody. I got great pleasure from yesterday and today's puzzles. I also have been enjoying the back-and-forth conversations here for the last couple of days.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MelissaBee, for the writeup and the links. Like so many here, I enjoy your take on things and your sense of humor.
Happy birthday wishes for you today, Jazzbumpa.
My experiences with the puzzle today, slip-ups as well as gimmes, are much the same as you all have already mentioned.
I wish my PC could display Chinese characters. All I see are blank squares. Apparently, to display the characters, i need to install the character set, but one needs the original Windows CD to do it, and I don't have the CD. Fortunately, there's always my iPhone, which has no problem displaying them nicely. I assume my wife's Mac can, too. She doesn't let me touch it, and I don't blame her, because I don't let her touch my computer either.
Best wishes to you all.
PJB-Chicago: So good to "see" you again. I hope you can stop by often. I have missed you this past year.
ReplyDeletegood afternoon all,
ReplyDeletethanks for the nice comments, was a fun puzzle to blog.
thanks clear ayes, i knew you'd come through. you too, lois ;).
good to see you here, pjb, do stick around.
a belated happy birthday to wh and Jazz, hope you made the most of it.
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteI like the new avatar, too, Robin, especially the look on Mr. Gingerbread's face...
Grumpy1 - LOL, out-of-bounds...but is it really a 'penalty'?
Splynter
He lives!!! Great to see you, PJB.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, thanks for the BD wishes. Considering the number, it was a good one. My hope is that it will just keep getting better, until it doesn't.
JazzB :
I think I'm going with the Medicare + a supplement. I have noticed, though, that having health insurance tends to make you sick. From the time I left my parents' home in 1962 at the age of 16 (to go to college) until I got health insurance through the Irish in 2002, my total personal medical bills totaled less than $500. Until I started getting some baseline tests done that same year, the last time I saw a doctor was in 1974, for stitches from a chain saw accident. I
have been very lucky, but luck does run out.
See you all tomorrow.
PJB -
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! Hope all is well with you.
The grandkiddies come from 4 contributing families: My son and daughter, and Gloria's 2 boys.
That pic is from August, '09. Danny (far right) and Amanda (middle with Em on her lap) have both grown several inches since then -- A couple of long, thin kids
I haven't changed a bit.
Off to rehearsal - IMBO
Cheers!
JzB (blowing his own horn)
Forgot to add:
ReplyDeleteA shout out to my favorite poem-monger, and my choice for an arbiter to settle any dispute, hello
ClearAyes, you are simply #1.
Here's to you, JazzBumpa!
ReplyDeletePJB - welcome back! You were missed. I look forward to return visits.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing about miniature golf...I played once years (and years) ago. I have never played 'real' golf but I grabbed that club and hit the ball so hard it shot out of the golf course, over the entry booth and across a very busy street!! I am surprised it didn't maim someone! Actually, I was afraid to look. (I was a teenager at the time). Maybe I should have taken the game up. At least I know I could hit it off the 1st tee :)
ood Evening C.C.,Melissa B and all,
ReplyDeleteWow ! what a write-up, Melissa. That link for miniature golf blew me away. What a hoot!.Thanks for the super write-up.
The puzzle was a delight. I worked it before my Dr.s appts this a.m., and then came home to disruption on some kitchen work {new counter tops,garbage disposal,sink,faucets] that was long overdue and a broken new IPhone to boot. Took a deep breath, drank some wine and came to the blog.[ The plumber fixed my phone] and the snack food[close your ears Jeannie] and left over ham became dinner. DH is very adaptable to say the least..No water in the kitchen yet...dogs now go to bathroom for water and feed...they are as confused as we are.
Happy B'day, Jazz. Love looking at your marvelous family and to think you possibly have your own music group- it couldn't be more fun or better.
CA, I love that poem. Thanks.
'Aplomb'- a word I learned from my mother's great descriptions.
CA, Love your barn. Such precision
Udo is not something on my shopping list. It looks as if it needs to go into the crisper,wrapped in a wet paper towel.
Loved Dan's puzzle.Very colorful.
I'm going to get comfortable with the plumber- it's gonna be a long night...we're in the sticks ..Dh has settled in with a Larsen book..
Plumber is friends with one of our children..not as far out as you'd think and he thinks we're close to running water. Praise Be...
I probably should have avoided this posting, but needed a shoulder....
Hope you get a good night's sleep, Jeannie. It hurt to read your 4 AM plea for sleep.
Tomorrow...
Creature:
ReplyDeleteGettin" comfortable with the plumber?
Video at 11?
creature, holy cow, the plumber fixed your phone? LOL
ReplyDeleteMelissabee, I just got home and opened all the links that I can't from work. Good thing I didn't open up (forgive the pun) the mini golf one. I just blew wine out of my nose! BTW, loved that my pic was tatooed on "full's" bicep. That one I was able to open at work and just had to open it again.
ReplyDeletePJB!! Great to see you again. I always enjoy reading your posts. What's the weather like there in Chicago?
Marge, I had to chuckle at the phrase, "when we got OUT first baby". Very descriptive!
Creature, what kind of snack food with the ham? You never did share with me what your brunch menu was. I guess you'll be too busy tonight while you get comfortable with the plumber. That wine will do it every time! It really does sound like your DH is very adaptable.
Robin, GREAT new avatar. I love the look on the woman's face and the fact that the guy is smoking a cigarette in the "aftermath".
Haha, now link to Posh in a bikini! haha!
ReplyDeleteMelissa Bee, your golf course looks like a labia of love!
ReplyDeleteMelissa:
ReplyDeleteJust looked at your golf link. I've played there before. That course is on a mountain on Venus
Jayce, He found my Sims card, took it out. put it back in and I'm as good as new!
ReplyDeleteJeannie, I didn't have a brunch. That must have been Chickie. Our snack foods were Gorgonzola cheese,Cheezits olives stuffed with garlic and jalepenos and ham slices. Some potato chips, also. I know this is disgusting but I was desperate. The plumber understood.
Windhover, I bet you have licked that course and gotten a hole in one try.
ReplyDeleteHuskergary, whomever groomed that hole certainly did have a labia of love. It looks pretty intricate.
Creature: hell of an understanding husband you have as well as a very talented plumber! Wow, have to hand it to you! And all that with the 'meal' you described. LOL.
ReplyDelete"Ah, a jug of wine, a handful of Cheezits, an olive and thou under the sink" Don't get much better than that!!
Hey Happity Bday Jazz. What a fun puzzle. Often times Dan Naddor puzzles can be a little more elusive, fun but more difficult then this one. This was a keeper for sure.
ReplyDeleteWe are a huge mini-golf family and love the Pirates Cove courses. I know they have them in Ft. Meyers and Brainerd MN. They do a fabulous job. And the Toy Soldiers reminded me of the Toy Story sagas. What wonderful movies they are too. The first came out when my 18 year old was a little tyke, and the last just when he was going off to college. If you have seen the third, you will know why that is bittersweet.
Great job blogging MBee. Awaiting the bitter cold here. My hubby is training for a February marathon (this is what he wants to do on his 50th bday - the only saving grace is it is in Ft. Lauderdale so I am happy to cheer him on) and he needs to do 15 miles this weekend. We hear there will be highs of 15 or so. Hmmmm. Not sure if that is going to work.
Fishy, what a wonderful present
ReplyDeleteFor my eye, my soul, my mind.
I am impressed at your find;
The thought is so very kind.
Of course it is quite naughty
Humor straight from the potty,
Do not let it make you haughty.
In the end it looked quite yummy
Not something to show my mummy
It did bring joy below my tummy
Jazz, Happy Birthday and great shot of you and the younger part of the clan!
ReplyDeleteMelissaB, Great write up but whiskey coming through my nose. Very creative golf course architect!
mainiac, that's gotta hurt ....
ReplyDeleteJzB, Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeletePJB, it's nice to see you here again. I hope you're doing well. I don't remember what prompted it, but I was just thinking of you recently.
KQ, it could still be in the 30's-40's here in February, which may be warmer than back home for you, at least.
Melissa, GREAT job with the links today! Except how's Jeannie going to get any sleep again tonight, with visions of your FULL link going through her head? It really FILLED my laptop screen much better than it did on my new smartphone.
Jerome, during lunch yesterday, I went to the local wine store and bought 3 bottles of your friend's wine - "Old Vine Red" (lot 53). One for me to try, one to give as a Christmas gift, and the third because it got me 10% off my total purchase!
ReplyDeleteI just poured a glass, and it's delicious! It has a nice fruity flavor, not too dry or heavy, and is warming me up very nicely on this chilly night.
Thanks for the recommendation! Please pass the good words on to your friend.
I can't believe I found his wine so easily, just a fews blocks away from my office...
Hatool -
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I had totally forgotten about that song. Thanks - that was terrific.
BTW, the LW did give me a bottle wine.
Cheers!
JzB
Annette- You're a lady of great taste.
ReplyDeleteLemonade- There's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Daughter and son, Bonnie and Tim, came by after stopping at a Vietnamese restaurant. They brought four helpings of Pho. Unusual but good. You probably already know about Pho though.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of stuff you probably already know, I've discovered I've mispronounced what you do in a biology lab (dissect)for most of my life. How do you say it?
Annette, I need to purchase a good red wine for my party this weekend to serve with my "Itai" stuff. Mostly good toasted bread rubbed with garlic, and your choice of toppings. Roasted red peppers, good asiago, artichokes, olive tampanade, cream cheese pesto, etc...I wonder if I can find it here in MN? If not, I will fall back on my Bogle. Annette, don't worry, I'll sleep tonight after that viewing. There are other means. (See yesterday's theme).
ReplyDeleteBillG, I don't know if it's a midwestern thing but I pronounce "dissect" like "die-sect".
Wow Lemonade, all I ever got was Jeannie, Beannie...consider yourself lucky Robin. I guess I need to bake more :)
Dan Naddor, we love you whereever you are; Jerome, you are a peach! JL don't be a stranger. C.C., thanks again.
ReplyDeletePoor Lo-li-ta has forgotten my poetic predeliction, which was aimed at her as well. CA will vouch for my history of bad rhymes with good intentions. I admit, I was surprised what Robin was able to find so quickly.
ReplyDeleteWho does not like to down some gingerbread cookies; oddly the book I am reading is called Gingerbread Cookie Murder which is an annual book with three holiday themed mystries written by Joanna Fluke, whose heoine runs a cookie store and who includes recipes, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier. I read em all.
So take a bite of that, a sip of this, and relaxxxxxxxxx.
Jeannie, that's the way I used to pronounce dissect too (like "die-sect" and bi-sect). But I found out it should be pronounced "dis-sect).
ReplyDelete