Theme: None
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 29
Looks like Brad planned the grid with triple stacks of 10s in the upper left and lower right, then added two black squares in the corner to get the smoothest fill. Here are the resulting four 10s:
14A. Manhattan clam chowder feature : TOMATO BASE. New England clam chowder is milk-based.
16A. Nanny's challenge : HOLY TERROR. Fun to say.
55A. Dramatic atmosphere source : FOG MACHINE. Needed crossing help.
58A. Some tree sculptures : TOTEM POLES. Nice full name.
Difficult solving for me. Brad Wilber has strong backgrounds in literature, art & theater, and his grids naturally reflect his interests. Stuff like DANILO (41D. "The Merry Widow" hero) is just out of my wheelhouse.
On the other hand, I was so happy to see THOME (14D. Jim with 589 lifetime homers). Such a classy guy. Twins just signed a one-year contract with him on Friday. He's going to reach 600 homers this coming season. The new Target Field certainly fits his eyes.
Across:
1. Its leaves are used as a heart stimulant : DIGITALIS. Foxgloves. Don't think they grow in Minnesota.
10. More than comfortable? : RICH
15. "The Aviator" actor : ALDA (Alan). Four letter? I could only picture CATE Blanchett & her amazing portrayal of Katharine Hepburn.
17. Disco family name : GIBB. Andy Gibb or any of the Bee Gees?
18. Like the Ford logo : OVAL
19. 2/9/2010 victory parade honoree : SAINT. The Superbowl winner New Orleans Saints.
20. Lemming predator : SKUA. Had no idea skuas prey on lemmings. Both live in the Arctic region.
21. 59-Across element : METER. 59. Frost lines? : POEM. Robert Frost.
23. The Lean One, in "Peer Gynt" : SATAN. Unknown to me. I've never read "Peer Gynt".
25. Directional suffix : ERN. As in western.
26. "... __ we extinguish sight and speech": Browning : ERE
27. Kennedy associate : ALITO (Samuel). Anthony Kennedy. Supreme Court.
29. Nitrogen compound : AMINE
31. Lupe's "Later!" : ADIOS. Is Lupe a typical Spanish name?
32. Van Helsing's creator : STOKER (Bram). Only know he wrote "Dracula".
33. Serving : PORTION
36. Imaginary monster : CHIMERA. Fire-breathing monster: with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
37. Certain Honshu resident : OSAKAN. I confused it with Okinawa, the Blue Zone prefecture, where people live a long long life.
38. Exotic smoothie ingredient : GUAVA. Love tropical fruit. Not guava though.
39. Lennon love song : WOMAN. Ode to Yoko Ono.
40. Arens of Israel : MOSHE. Stumper. Only know MOSHE Dayan. His face does look familiar though. Must have seen his interview somewhere.
41. Part of HUD: Abbr. : DEV. HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development,
44. Logical tips? : ELS. Letter L starts and ends the word "logical".
45. Mom's dinnertime plea : TRY IT
47. Pundit : SWAMI
49. Handbook list, briefly : REGS
51. Otherwise : IF NOT. Give OR ELSE a rest.
53. Spanish cordial : ANIS. How does it taste like, Santa?
54. Latin I word : AMAT. Amo (I love), amas (You love), amat (He loves).
57. Somewhat, with "a" : MITE
60. Inventory site : STOREROOM
Down:
1. Mulligan, e.g. : DO-OVER. Golf. Some men are so vain, often take several mulligans per round.
2. White Rabbit's cry : I'M LATE
3. Rabbitt's "You and I" duet partner : GAYLE (Crystal). Eddy Rabbitt. Here is the clip. I like the consecutive "Rabbit" and "Rabbitt" clues.
4. Derby-wearing Addams : ITT. Cousin ITT. The Addams Family".
5. Water testers : TOES
6. Neosporin target : ABRASION
7. Rodeo twirlers : LARIAT. Spanish for "La Reata".
8. Sees through : IS ONTO
9. Sealy competitor : SERTA
10. Cleaning aids : RAGS
11. 1950s Irving Berlin campaign song : "I LIKE IKE". Know the slogan, not the Berlin reference.
12. Modern storage aid : CD BURNER. Thanks to Al, now I've got FLASH DRIVE.
13. Sultry Cuban dance : HABANERA. Does this look sultry to you?
22. Luminous : RADIANT
24. Locals : NATIVES
28. Savanna stalker : LION
30. NYC home of Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" : MoMA
31. Alaskan island : ATKA
32. Bygone Persian title : SHAH
33. PA system essential : POWER AMP. Our PA often blasted a song for Chairman Mao every morning when I woke up.
34. The Tony Martin hit "There's No Tomorrow" is based on its melody : 'O SOLE MIO. Not familiar with the Tony Martin reference. Elvis's "It's Now or Never", yes.
35. English Channel resort : RAMSGATE. Was ignorant of this resort. Must have lots of rams there.
36. Pitch target? : CUSTOMER. Sales pitch.
38. Attending : GOING TO
40. "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!" : "MY FOOT!"
42. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM
43. Workbench gadgets : VISES
46. Schisms : RIFTS
48. Exultant yell : "WAHOO". I've yet to cry out a "Wahoo!" on a Brad Wilber puzzle.
50. Goblet feature : STEM
52. Not very edgy : TAME
56. Lifeguard's skill, for short : CPR
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 29
Looks like Brad planned the grid with triple stacks of 10s in the upper left and lower right, then added two black squares in the corner to get the smoothest fill. Here are the resulting four 10s:
14A. Manhattan clam chowder feature : TOMATO BASE. New England clam chowder is milk-based.
16A. Nanny's challenge : HOLY TERROR. Fun to say.
55A. Dramatic atmosphere source : FOG MACHINE. Needed crossing help.
58A. Some tree sculptures : TOTEM POLES. Nice full name.
Difficult solving for me. Brad Wilber has strong backgrounds in literature, art & theater, and his grids naturally reflect his interests. Stuff like DANILO (41D. "The Merry Widow" hero) is just out of my wheelhouse.
On the other hand, I was so happy to see THOME (14D. Jim with 589 lifetime homers). Such a classy guy. Twins just signed a one-year contract with him on Friday. He's going to reach 600 homers this coming season. The new Target Field certainly fits his eyes.
Across:
1. Its leaves are used as a heart stimulant : DIGITALIS. Foxgloves. Don't think they grow in Minnesota.
10. More than comfortable? : RICH
15. "The Aviator" actor : ALDA (Alan). Four letter? I could only picture CATE Blanchett & her amazing portrayal of Katharine Hepburn.
17. Disco family name : GIBB. Andy Gibb or any of the Bee Gees?
18. Like the Ford logo : OVAL
19. 2/9/2010 victory parade honoree : SAINT. The Superbowl winner New Orleans Saints.
20. Lemming predator : SKUA. Had no idea skuas prey on lemmings. Both live in the Arctic region.
21. 59-Across element : METER. 59. Frost lines? : POEM. Robert Frost.
23. The Lean One, in "Peer Gynt" : SATAN. Unknown to me. I've never read "Peer Gynt".
25. Directional suffix : ERN. As in western.
26. "... __ we extinguish sight and speech": Browning : ERE
27. Kennedy associate : ALITO (Samuel). Anthony Kennedy. Supreme Court.
29. Nitrogen compound : AMINE
31. Lupe's "Later!" : ADIOS. Is Lupe a typical Spanish name?
32. Van Helsing's creator : STOKER (Bram). Only know he wrote "Dracula".
33. Serving : PORTION
36. Imaginary monster : CHIMERA. Fire-breathing monster: with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
37. Certain Honshu resident : OSAKAN. I confused it with Okinawa, the Blue Zone prefecture, where people live a long long life.
38. Exotic smoothie ingredient : GUAVA. Love tropical fruit. Not guava though.
39. Lennon love song : WOMAN. Ode to Yoko Ono.
40. Arens of Israel : MOSHE. Stumper. Only know MOSHE Dayan. His face does look familiar though. Must have seen his interview somewhere.
41. Part of HUD: Abbr. : DEV. HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development,
44. Logical tips? : ELS. Letter L starts and ends the word "logical".
45. Mom's dinnertime plea : TRY IT
47. Pundit : SWAMI
49. Handbook list, briefly : REGS
51. Otherwise : IF NOT. Give OR ELSE a rest.
53. Spanish cordial : ANIS. How does it taste like, Santa?
54. Latin I word : AMAT. Amo (I love), amas (You love), amat (He loves).
57. Somewhat, with "a" : MITE
60. Inventory site : STOREROOM
Down:
1. Mulligan, e.g. : DO-OVER. Golf. Some men are so vain, often take several mulligans per round.
2. White Rabbit's cry : I'M LATE
3. Rabbitt's "You and I" duet partner : GAYLE (Crystal). Eddy Rabbitt. Here is the clip. I like the consecutive "Rabbit" and "Rabbitt" clues.
4. Derby-wearing Addams : ITT. Cousin ITT. The Addams Family".
5. Water testers : TOES
6. Neosporin target : ABRASION
7. Rodeo twirlers : LARIAT. Spanish for "La Reata".
8. Sees through : IS ONTO
9. Sealy competitor : SERTA
10. Cleaning aids : RAGS
11. 1950s Irving Berlin campaign song : "I LIKE IKE". Know the slogan, not the Berlin reference.
12. Modern storage aid : CD BURNER. Thanks to Al, now I've got FLASH DRIVE.
13. Sultry Cuban dance : HABANERA. Does this look sultry to you?
22. Luminous : RADIANT
24. Locals : NATIVES
28. Savanna stalker : LION
30. NYC home of Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" : MoMA
31. Alaskan island : ATKA
32. Bygone Persian title : SHAH
33. PA system essential : POWER AMP. Our PA often blasted a song for Chairman Mao every morning when I woke up.
34. The Tony Martin hit "There's No Tomorrow" is based on its melody : 'O SOLE MIO. Not familiar with the Tony Martin reference. Elvis's "It's Now or Never", yes.
35. English Channel resort : RAMSGATE. Was ignorant of this resort. Must have lots of rams there.
36. Pitch target? : CUSTOMER. Sales pitch.
38. Attending : GOING TO
40. "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!" : "MY FOOT!"
42. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM
43. Workbench gadgets : VISES
46. Schisms : RIFTS
48. Exultant yell : "WAHOO". I've yet to cry out a "Wahoo!" on a Brad Wilber puzzle.
50. Goblet feature : STEM
52. Not very edgy : TAME
56. Lifeguard's skill, for short : CPR
57 comments:
Hi all.
Decided not to do the xwrd today.
So, no comment.
Just a thank you to Annette. I've been a diabetic for over twenty years so I knew it was going to happen.
Btw. Calvin is available on line every morning @ gocomics.com.
Since they have added another Zodiac sign, I am now a Tauri.
Take care.
Happy weekend, everyone.
Perps, help me. You're my only hope. They were with this Saturday bad boy. Challenging Saturday Xword and great writeup as usual. Thanks, Brad and C.C.
C.C., Lupe is a nickname for Guadalupe, a common spanish first name.
Now to the play by play:
The southeast filled up first.
Favorite clue: (5D) Water testers: toes. I often test water at our power plant, so this caused me to think outside the lab.
(16A) Nanny's challenge: holy terror (???)
It was surprisingly easy going for a Saturday puzzle until I bogged down in the SW and the NE. Turned on red letter help to clear some errors. Odd that I didn't need help from the Almighty Google today.
SW finally fell when (33D) "PA system essential" came into view. "something" amp became "power amp." Okay, never saw that one coming.
NE now. (17A) "Disco family name." Hmmm. ah-ah-ah-ah stayin' alive.
Thinking outside the lab reminded me of labrador retrievers, and that reminded me of dogs, and then of a quote I read somewhere:
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx
Best wishes,
Burrito34
Hello Puzzlers - Yeah, the puzzle was tricky, but we've got something more important to square away.
I am a New Englander, through and through. I've lived nowhere else for a half century. I have direct ancestors on the Mayflower. I have personally waded in coastal marshes gathering clams and quahogs to eat. I have the pedigree and résumé to know this: CLAM CHOWDER HAS NOT A SCRAP OF TOMATO IN IT!
Just reinforces the notion of what a loony lot those New Yorkers are.
Mainiac, you know what I'm talkin' about. Weigh in, neighbor! You too, Barry and HeartRx, and that lurker in RI...
Morning, all!
Man, what a struggle today! It took multiple passes and a lot of guessing, but I finally managed to tame the beast. Total unknowns included THOME, ALITO, DANILO, ANIS, MOSHE, GAYLE and RAMSGATE (gee -- all proper names, go figure). And there were plenty of words that I knew but which I had trouble getting via the clues.
I nearly sunk myself in the middle by putting LUEGO instead of ADIOS for 31A. Because, you know, LUEGO is literally Spanish for "later." You know what they say about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing...
And yes, tomatoes in chowder of any sort is an abomination. There, I said it, and I'm proud of it!
Good morning CC and all, today’s puzzle was, like most of this weeks, a very slow solve. The first area to get any traction was the SW which resulted in that section slowly filling completely. I then moved to the east and got the center and SE section completed. Moved up the east side, but stumbled mightily by not knowing Stoker, chimera or Gibb. Finally the perps kicked in and I got rich then rags and that section fell.
Since I do not get the paper on Saturday I had to do the puzzle on line and finally turned on the red letter help. This helped me on the west side as I kept trying to force Jim Thorpe into too few spaces. Not having followed baseball for many years I did not know Jim Thome. I did get oval and meter so then the down perps started to fill the remainder of that area.
Over all this was a difficult puzzle, but doable.
CC, I enjoyed your write up and explanations today.
As to clam chowder there is no way Manhattan chowder should be named clam chowder. I love the thick, white creamy stuff that barely falls off of the spoon.
No new snow over night, but more forecast for today.
Hope you all have a great Saturday. Go Steelers!!
Good Morning C.C. et al.
Thanks for the great write-up on this difficult puzzle, C.C. I loved the clip of Eddy Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle. I had never heard that one before.
I thought I was going to have an easy time because I filled in DIGITALIS, DO OVER, IM LATE and TOMATO---- in the NW right away. Screeeeeccch. The next fill wasn't until 29A AMINE. Then at 54A I managed AMA- but needed the perp to get the T.
After a cup of coffee I went back and started getting bits here and there. Luckily, the bits helped to get the long answers, so I finally was able to finish. I did have to gg SKUA (never knew they preyed on lemmings, either) and ATKA (I had "ATtu"). In the end, it was very satisfying to have tackled this one. As with all of Brad's puzzles, there is always a learning moment or two...or three, four, five, six (plus)!
Burrito, LOL at your 17A comment. I was trying desperately not to go there, but now I'll have that banging around in my head all day.
It was close to 0 (F) here this morning. Brrrrr. So I'm just going to hunker down in front of the fire and try to stay warm. Have a great day everyone!
Dudley,
I'm with you - CLAM CHOWDAH HAS NO TOMATOES!!
Last night I made a nice fish soup with tomatoes, but it was definitely not CHOWDAH.
HeartRx,
Actually, I thought about posting a youtube link for that BeeGees recording, but I'm glad I didn't. I see that I've done enough damage for one day! ;-)
Good Morning C.C. and all,
C.C., great write-up. Thanks, I enjoyed.
I found this puzzle to be hard, but gratifying. I stared at my immediate fills forever. ADIOS, O SOLE MIO,TOMATO --,POEM, AMAT, STEM . Then LION and OSAKAN and TOES. Now almost 30 minutes passed. Suddenly,everything but the NE corner fell. Finally looked up SKUA and STOKER in Dogpile.
It was a different type of experience than I have ever had- from not much of any thing to 'almost' completion. BAM! like that. Fun. Thanks, Brad.
eddyB, sorry to hear this; thinking of you.
DH said it was illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowder; forgot which state. He's from Ga.- doesn't remember where he got this info.
Back later.
Have a nice day everyone.
Hi All ~!
I got through this one, but I knew I was going to have to red-letter cheat, since ANIS and DANILO are not in my wheelhouse, either...
I did nail FOG MACHINE, maybe it's a rock musician thing, along with TOTEM POLE, DO-OVER and POWER AMP.
Hesitated at ABRASION, and I was "ri-i-i-ght"
eddyB - I didn't hear about this new astrological shift, but I do believe in the precession of the Earth, so I am OK with changing the rules - hey, as far as I am concerned, we lost Pluto recently...all this makes me a Capricorn now, not an Aquarius...
What happens to the "Age of Aquarius" now? This is 'disco', but not from the Bee-Gee Gibbs...
Oh, and I celebrate on 2/9, but not for winning a Superbowl...
Here's "Bert", my blue OVAL work van.
Hey, guess what? I actually have nothing to do today, so I might just so something for myself for a change !!
Splynter
Regarding the chowdah:
Here in RI, clam chowder has neither tomatoes nor milk. Very often on restaurant menus here, you will see three choices for chowder: New England, Manhattan, and Rhode Island. Guess which one I prefer!
This was a tough slog for me today. Lots of unknown and much red letter help was required to complete. Like CC, I was heartened to see Jim Thome mentioned. Ironically, the news was reporting his signing just as I was filling in that space. He is a real gem, and I was fortunate to see the home run of the season in person that day.
Lots of cold. wanted to go xx skiing but possibly a little to chilly for my bones this am. Back to painting.
For those on the NO TOMATO's in clam chowder soap box, I get what your saying, but my understanding is New England version is cream based and Manhattan is tomato based. I happen to like them both.
Stay warm and dry everyone. Lots of treacherous driving around here.
KQ, it's kind of an inside joke when New Englanders get on their "no tomatoes in the chowder" soapbox. It’s just another old Boston - NY rivalry that will heat up again tomorrow, no doubt. But it's all in fun, and I wouldn't take it too seriously.
However, there is some basis in fact for the ”no tomatoes” attitude.
The original clam chowder (with cream) dates back to the 1700s, but "Manhattan soup" was invented much later (in Rhode Island, actually) by Portugese immigrants. And Creature was partly right - the state of Maine did have a bill introduced to the legislature banning tomatoes, but it was never passed.
Burrito, I was going to thank you for not posting that link, but as you said, "The damage was already done".
Then DANG, doesn't Splynter go and post that "Aquarius" link, and I'm off again.
Good morning all. Thanks for the commentary, C.C.
Quite a struggle today. Slowly the NW-SE axis filled in but I had to do a lot of initial guessing. WAGs included MOSHE, OSAKEN, METER, RAMSGATE, and STOKER. After I could figure out what was eating the lemmings, SKUA, the NE gradually filled in. I thought the clue for my last fill, ELS was quite clever. I liked seeing CHIMERA in the puzzle. Years ago when I first learned the word 'chimera', I had occasion to use it in a memo because I thought it was apt. My boss reminded me to consider ones audience, and, to communicate effectively, to use words they would understand. Lesson learned.
Belated Happy Birthday to JD.
Enjoy the day.
C.C. and saturday sloggers, thank you for the write up and there certainly was some difficult fill, but also lots of things to think about.
DIGITALIS, the scientific name for the Foxglove, as well as the medicine which is taken from the active poison in the plant, is a very dangerous part of nature, This pretty flowering plant with it purple, yellow or white bell like blooms is deadly even is small amounts, and has been used as the murder weapon in countless mystery stories. While not native to the US, it has been brought here and is used in gardens even in Minnesota .
I know about SKUA only from crossword puzzles, but I believe the name comes from the Norwegian word for sea gull. Does our Norse contingent agree? Anyway, I love the way they are described as “parasitic jaegers”, from the German, hunter.
C.C., speaking of hunters, Van Helsing is the vampire hunter of Dracula in the novel and the movie, and STOKER wrote many other books.
Would you like this PET CHIMERA .
ANIS is the same as what we call ANISETTE in French, which is the licorice flavored liqueur.
C.C., Wonderful write-up !!!
You pointed out all of my woes.
A FUN Saturday.
Thanks Brad ... but, alas, another DNF. (tears!)
SKUA was a total unknown.
Didn't have a "Peer Gynt" clue it was SATAN.
For that "Exotic smoothie ingredient" GUAVA I wanted (duh!) PINCH.
Well it is perfect here.
Sunny, little wind, 60 degrees and time to head up to the Sponge Docks to the Tarpon Springs Art festival.
Will get to the NEW "Dali Museum" in St.Pete when the crowds get a little thinner.
eddyB, Thanks for the Calvin link. It is now listed in "Favorites."
Toast to all at 5:56 Sunset.
Cheers !!!
I danced the Hokey Pokey with this one. First you put it in then you take it out, put it back in, dance about, repeat untill you give up and find the first try was the correct one.
Good morning to CC and my fellow opinionated solvers. I love tomatoes! I love clam chowder! Keep the two of them separate!
THOME was a gimme. I lived in the Cleveland area and watched him as he developed with the Akron Aeros (Indians' farm club) and as he moved on up to the big leagues. When he was eligible for free agency, Chicago was determined to sign him. The reason? Frank Thomas was being intentionally walked to get to a weaker hitter behind him. With Thome in that spot, Thomas would draw far fewer walks and could improve his batting stats.
This puzzle had really easy spots and incredibly tough spots in it. In the end, I had one mistake that messed me up. I had EMENEM instead of EMINEM and just accepted ANES for the crossing instead of running the alphabet looking for something that looked better.
I feel pretty good about completing this one with one error and no Googling.
After the discussion of Calvin and Hobbes yesterday, seeing HOLY TERRUR in today's puzzle brought a chuckle.
Have a great weekend!
In re CLAM CHOWDER
Much as I recall enjoying New England Clam Chowder 20 years ago when I lived in Boston, I now experience both lactose (milk sugar) AND milk FAT intolerance. These are both very common, but to varying degrees, in adults. Many people will go through life experiencing mild discomfort/bloating/gas/diarrhea, etc., and not know the cause.
For me, any food containing full-fat cream has a disastrous effect on my digestive tract - I will spare you the details.
In short, on purely pragmatic grounds, I am delighted that a tomato-based chowder exists.
NC
Nice Cuppa - I am truly sorry to hear that a medical factor forces you away from a proper, tasty chowdah. We'll forgive you for eating that tomato stuff so long as you agree not to call it chowder.
Paolo - I figured the middle-ground clear broth chowder would come up. It occupies an interesting place; lacking as it does those unsuitable tomatoes, at least it disinvolves itself from Manhattan. This is key. So we need not strip it of the rank of Chowdah.
Truth be told, the finest chowdah I ever had was served on 12/27/81 at The Brotherhood of Thieves, an enduring Nantucket restaurant (one of the few open all winter). It was the clear broth type.
Good afternoon everyone.
I'm proud to announce that I got 4 correct items in today's puzzle. Wow!
I knew tomato was what was wrong with Manhattan clam chowder, but I couldn't figure out how to put it in.
When I lived in Maine ('56-'60), the Portland paper had a full page big deal about Manhattan's tomatoes. It truly is a big deal there to desecrate a dish that is so native to NE.
Cheers
Not much time to read comments yet, so I'll just say none of this triviathon was in my wheelhouse. Were it not for the g'spot and some lucky WAGs, I wouldn't even have finished. Back later.
I've never met a clam chowder I didn't like. Almost any soup for that matter. Still, I like the thick, white stuff better.
Burrito, that's one of my favorite Groucho Marx quotes. Well, favorite of anybody's quotes for that matter.
Good Afternoon All,
I was elated to get the NE corner filled in FIRST for a change. The only hitch was putting LARIOT and getting SOTAN for SATAN
I, too, am an Indians fan and the loss of Jim Thome was frustrating.
In the Southern end, I had MERE and MEO. This gave me RAMSGERE, which I had never heard of. When I red-lettered to get Ramsgate, I immediately thought of the Cold War Airbase there. Probably form James Bond Movies. I also think there may have been a Ramsgate Production Company. The Wikipedia link is to RAF Manston.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Manston#USAF_use
From "The Xfiles" and "House" TV shows, I learned that chimera is a real medical and genetics term. Something merges two zygotes and the animal has the genes for two different animals inside of it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics)
I looked up "The Aviator" and there were too many 4 letter names, Cate, Kate, Jude, Alan, Alec. I forgot the last name Alda. I chose Alec and never even got beyond RI for RICH.
I did get “I LIKE IKE”. HABANERA sounds like HABANERO, the really hot chili pepper. But basically, getting only I LIKE IKE led to a lot of guessing and frustration. SKUA was a new one. I was guessing SKOL after the tobacco. It was the only 4 letter SK—word I could think of. I had AMIDE not AMINE. With the D there and the top totally wrong I was hopeless.
It was a fun puzzle though. Encouraging with all the 10 letter clues I could get the first go through, or with only 1 or 2 perps. Then the number of HOLY TERROR 4 letter clues made it a good challenge.
Have a great day. Our High is supposed to be 28F and I may take my granddaughter to the zoo. It is half- priced if the high is predicted to be 32F or below and the wolves and polar bears love it. We can go into the Rainforest exhibit if we get too cold.
VirginiaSycamore
I was a Taurus, now am Aries, apparently.
C.C.,
Thanks for your patience with these HOLY TERRORs on Saturdays. Mostly I leave them alone but today the challenge got to me. I only had RICH, OVAL, ERN, PORTION, ELS, DEV and VISES for sure before resorting to the WAGs and Google, but along the way did my share of Argyle's Hokey Pokey too.
I'm in the middle of my regular baking of 5 loaves of whole wheat bread, and while kneading, I peered over the edge of my bowl, and from that distance "saw" MACHINE taking shape in the SE. That made me decide to erase CALM and PRESENT. So when I did so, I got TAME and GOING TO, which in turn helped change the EAT IT to TRY IT, and so it went. That corner was the first to complete, then I had to hit the g'spot for most of my remaining inspiration to take shape.
Unfortunately, my wheelhouse (cute expression!) is very narrow, with little knowledge of, or memory for, theater or music as well as sports. I have a hard time remembering acronyms too. CPR took me a while, though I knew it, I had to piece the actual words together before it came.
Now back to the bread--it should be ready to go in the pans.
Hi there!
Good puzzle. NE and SW slowed me down. I finally got enough in SW to realize it was "O Sole Mio" for 34D then the rest fell into place. I was still stuck on NE and thought I had it when COMPUTER seemed to fit for 12D, but I couldn't get anything else to go. After settling on ERN and AMINE for 25A and 29A, I finally transformed computer into CDBURNER. The rest still came a little slow - I've never run across SKUA before. Well, goodbye, and let's not turn into HOLY TERRORs over TOMATO BASEd soups! ha ha
Good Morning All, I got the TOMATO part of 14A right away, but BASE took a little longer. Lots of smiles at how involved people are with their clam chowder. I don't like clams, so I don't eat either kind. I do like potato chowder though.
(35D) English Channel resort/RAMSGATE didn't hit my radar. The only resort I could think of of PENZANCE.
(40D) "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!"/MY FOOT. I've never heard MY FOOT used as "Now I get it". I guess that is what the "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!" clue means.
I really liked (41D) DANILO and (42D) EMINEM cuddling up to each other. They couldn't be much more different, but to each his/her own music-wise.
I almost got up in arms about the supposed changes to the Zodiac, but many astronomers say, "Who cares?" and I don't believe in astronomy anyway. I'll never remember a change from Cancer to Gemini, so I'll just stick with what I know. I rather doubt that I will ever be in a bar and be asked (yet again) "What's your sign?"
(59A) "Frost lines?"....sure.
CA,
About "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!"/MY FOOT, I think the "oh, right" part is being cynical, saying "in your ear", "like I would believe that!". I've heard "my foot" used that way.
Good afternoon C.C. and all,
Woke up this morning feeling like a virgin-reborn into the realm of a laid back sagittarius.JK. Those stars will have to work pretty hard to change DH into a libra..ha,ha.
C.C., I don't know how you do it with these difficult puzzles. As always, thank you.
Thanks again for all the b'day shout-outs.Enjoyed doing nothing.
Lots of unknowns today, namely names like Thome, Alito, Stoker, Moshe, Danilo, and Ramsgate. Should have known Crystal Gayle. Did she ever cut that hair?? On the other hand, I did get Cousin Itt( a Halloween costume one year), Alda, Gibb, Eminem and chimera (wonderful image,Lemonade)
Brad must be watching those nature programs too. Who knew a skua was a lemming lover?
Annette, so sorry about your smash-up. Hope you are not too sore today.
Enjoy your new selves, wherever you were realigned.
V-8 can to head...BOOM BOOM! @2:00. I really do know that there is a difference between astronomers and astrologers. I absolutely do believe in the existence of planets, stars and galaxies, just not in telling fortunes by them.
Thanks, Kazie, I got MY FOOT now. It isn't an expression I've used, but I can understand "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!" used in a cynical disbelieving way.
Not only was Beverly Sills a marvelous singer, she was an excellent actress. Here's "Bubbles" with Alan Titus as DANILO
singing Love Unspoken (The Merry Widow Waltz) and the finale.
When I started this puzzle, I thought it would be a DNF, but the very common long fill came pretty smoothly with hints from the perps.
CA, maybe you're more familiar with the saltier version of "MY FOOT!" - "My a**!" :-)
Thanks, JD. I am pretty achy today, but no actual pain other than a swollen knee that I'm icing.
A funny thing happened while on the phone with my insurance company. Just after confirming my birthdate, he said "Well, there shouldn't be any problems. I see this is your first accident, and you've been a loyal customer since 19**."
I had to make him repeat the year because it was the year before I was even BORN! Somehow, I must still be tied to my parents account, even though I'd switched companies for a few years, and both parents are long deceased!
It's almost playoff time - Go Steelers! PLEEEEEEASE win!
Annette@3:11 you may have a point about my take on MY FOOT. Get better soon.
Sorry to hear about your problems with diabetes, eddyB.
Don't let all the snow get you down, folks.
DESERT PLACES
Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast
In a field I looked into going past,
And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,
But a few weeds and stubble showing last.
The woods around it have it--it is theirs.
All animals are smothered in their lairs.
I am too absent-spirited to count;
The loneliness includes me unawares.
And lonely as it is that loneliness
Will be more lonely ere it be less--
A blanker whiteness of benighted snow
With no expression, nothing to express.
They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars--on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places.
- Robert Frost
CA, I almost wrote you back about astronomers vs. astrologers but I felt I knew you well enough to know what you intended.
Here's a fun video. Do you have an idea how he did it? I think I do but I'm certainly not sure.
Here's a challenging aerial geography quiz. I got 10 out of 16 correct.
Bill G,
I got 13 out of 16, which makes me a global know-it-all! For the many I didn't know, I applied what I assumed about how they should look from the air.
Bill G. - Thank you for the wonderful video on youtube about the French (?) pianist playing on the levitating piano. It is a hoot !
I got '11' out of the '16' on the geog quiz. and I have never been to any of the landmarks in my life. Beginners luck, I guess.
To all the clam chowder afficianaddoes - I am sensitive to tomatoes, lactose intolerant ( no milkies ) and allergic to clams - so I have Campbells condensed mushroom soup- with no dilution - heated right out of the can -
- It really sticks to your spoon -
- and ( this is important !!) - if you heat it , on high, on the stove top, in a steel pot - and char the bottom layer -just a little bit - it tastes just like clam chowder from the best shanty house in Boston.
Microwave a dried mackerel head in some salt water for 5 minutes, and throw in the extract into the soup for the authentic flavor...
Wow! I had a time with this one today. It made me feel classically inept. However, some of the answers were a gimme and the others came slowly with fill ins.
As to the chowder debate; Eat whatever makes your heart sing and takes the wrinkles out of your belly!
Annette, sorry about your knee; the
Insurance co story is hysterical! Ye Gads!
CA thanks for all the entertainment.
The Bev. Sills link was wonderful. Of course, I knew you would deliver on the Frost poem.Thanks.
"My foot" is a retort; I haven't heard it in a generation or so. It even made me feel nostalgic; I meant to mention it in my blog.
JD, Thank heavens, you mentioned the hair- I became fascinated by it. Why don't I remember it? Do you?
Bill G, I scored 12 out of 16. Fun.
I meant to ask where do we find our new sign?
creature, here you are.
Bill G, thanks for the vote of confidence. Sometimes my fingers just type what they want regardless of what my brain is telling them.
I enjoyed the geography test and finished with a score of 11. Mostly I got the ones I've seen in person and just SKUED (or is it SKEWED) my brain to imagine the overhead view. Weird that I figured out Bush's Crawford Ranch though. I've never even been close.
Anon@4:50, I don't usually have dried mackerel heads hanging around, so I don't think I will be trying to duplicate your unusual soup prep.
I haven't seen anyone else reporting my same hangup, so here goes: I got stopped for the longest time on 36D, "Pitch target?". I had nearly the entire solution, " _ _ S T O M E R", but I insisted on looking at "pitch" as a product of the pine tree and was wanting something chemical for the answer and got "elastomer" in my head and NOTHING would drive it out, even though 1) it has too many letters, and 2) it doesn't make sense as an answer anyway!
Guava finally gave me " _USTOMER" and I STILL didn't see it! Even when "Chimera" finally fell (and that rated a V-8 can all its own), I looked at it and said to myself, "Self, (that's what I call myself when I talk to myself) what the heck is CUSTOMER and what does it have to do with PITCH?!
The juice can came retroactively a few moments later; it's actually a little embarrassing to share this. [blushes and shuffles his feet]
Good evening, C.C. and Saturday solvers.
Thanks for your explanations, C.C.; this one kicked me but hard.
In the morning, after my allotted hour when I couldn't finish the NE and SW, I said "to heck with it" as the weather was GORGEOUS and I had many errands to do. It reached 75 degrees and I saw people outside in droves: walking, jogging, bicycling, playing in the park, etc. It was a lovely day!
Finally I came home and decided to try this CHIMERA again but my heart was no longer in it so I went to your blog, C.C and filled in the blanks.
Yes, Lupe is a very common Spanish name as Burrito said.
I love anything that tastes like licorice so ANIS, anisette, Greek ouzo and Turkish raki are high on my list.
I am still having a hard time equating SWAMI with pundit.
JD:
That was my question exactly when I saw the clip, has she ever cut her hair?
Anette:
That is hilarious about the insurance company!
eddyB:
I am so sorry about your health; diabetes is not fun as many friends have told me.
Well, as if nothing else could happen, I am now a sign that I can't pronounce!
I hope Saturday was good for you all!
Bill, fun test..I missed 3.
CA, Frost really paints a picture.
WikWak, I thought I was the only one who has a hard time filling in that last letter sometimes. It's usually on a vertical, but not always.
Creature, here is Crystal Gayle, but we'll never know if she ever got a hair cut.My head hurts thinking how heavy it must have been.
oops, hadn't seen that Gayle/Rabitz clip until now..no one needs to see Crystal's tresses twice!!
Bill G - 12 out of 16 was the best I could do. I had no idea there was so much grassy space around the Tower of Pisa.
Kazie - Turns out our Queensland friends recently moved to Toowoomba, right smack in the flood area - but to an area of high elevation. Muddy floodwaters were all around.
Hi Again ~!
12 of 16 on the quiz, Bill G - and I am sorry to say that I did not get Times Square - there was something not right about the shadows and building lines and it didn't gibe for me.
As for the piano, my guess is a huge steel beam between the curtains with an equally massive counterweight - but it's just a guess.
Re: Yesterday's loon.
Way back March '09, there was discussion of what would be the best mascots for Crossword Corner.
TJ suggested the loon as our emblematic bird and I posted this:
Argyle said...
I like TJ's idea for the loon. What other bird has a crossword grid on its back?
loon picture
This loon was found in a small lake, Chant Lake, off a portage of Burntside Lake near Ely, MN in August 2006.
Loon video
And when they dive, they come up some distance from where they went under; I can relate to that.
March 28, 2009 7:24 PM
And several of us related to the loon.
Annette,
Sorry to hear of your accident--very similar to Tinbeni's. I remember a comedian (but can't remember who) who made fun of Florida drivers, saying they were so old and shrunken, that all you could see in the windshield were the white knuckled hands hanging onto the wheel. I wonder if they just don't see as well from that height?
Dudley,
Glad to hear your friends are safe. It's going to take a long while to get everything back to normal there.
Splynter,
That was my thought on the piano too, something could be concealed behind it, since it never swiveled to show the other side of the piano.
Bill G,
Thanks for linking the video and the quiz--both were fun. One of the three I got wrong was the Bush ranch. For a guy who's always cutting brush, I thought there was too much clear space there for it to be his.
I don't know how the piano trick was done. My guess involved a light-weight fake piano, canned piano music and a mechanism behind the piano.
Cleverly done I thought.
I can't say much about the actual levitation, that was a pretty good trick, and without a seat belt, too. But the music was most certainly canned. A piano depends on gravity (the only musical instrument that does) for the hammers to fall back into place in between notes, so there's no way that was live playing once it went vertical or upside-down.
I'm with Bill G. on the piano.
Hands down on the loon; too Canadian. :-)
Oh, the quiz. It came around in e-mail a week ago. 13/16. I agree with Splynter about Times Square.
Kazie, we definitely have quite a few drivers who fit that description! And people joke about them all the time. However, the cause of this accident was a 44 year old man not paying attention. He wasn't very tall, but taller than me or the other woman hit. His only injury was getting hit in the head by his drum set!
As far as the changing signs, as I've gotten older, I've changed some, but I really can't believe I've changed from a mercurial Gemini to a stubborn Taurus...I've always been stubborn when I felt strongly about something! ;)
Concerning the quiz, I need to travel more!
Bill G:
For some reason I was unable to open the piano link.
Evenin' all, Yes, Eddie, I've become a Libra instead of a Scorpio. New horoscopes all around!
I did this with all kinds of outside help! Very challenging. It was an all day job, working off and on!
Dudley-I'm late! But you'r right. I'm from puget sound and you only cook clams with water or a little milk. Us purests only use pure water and salt and pepper. The other way is to cut them out of the shell and eat them off the beach. Thats the best way.HUTCH
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