((Note to late visitors: Due to computer error, we lost both the write-up and comments. This version is a recovered one. )
Theme: None
Total words: 68
Total blocks: 33
Only four 3-letter answers in this grid: ERR/PEP/TSE/UTE. Amazing.
Harvey placed triple stacks of 10s in each quadrant of the grid, the layout is quite similar to his last Saturday. Notice his answer for 17A? Ha ha, RADIAL TIRE!
Here are the 10s:
14A. Motel convenience : ICE MACHINE
17A. Quicker picker-uppers? : STIMULANTS
19A. Pigeon : EASY TARGET. So is EASY MARK.
48A. Mixed condiment : GARLIC SALT. Mostly salt.
55A. Cause of senselessness : ANESTHESIA
57A. "Don't waste your time" : IT'S USELESS
10D. Churches with carillons don't need one : BELL RINGER. Wow, really? How do they ring the bells then?
11D. Being supportive : AT YOUR SIDE. Oh, being supportive of me.
12D. Opalescent gems : MOONSTONES
24D. Extreme : INORDINATE
25D. Automotive innovation that improved fuel economy : RADIAL TIRE. We also have 36A. It purrs when it's cared for : ENGINE. And 60A. Trip interruptions : FLATS. Flat tires. Needed Dennis' help.
26D. Front borders : ENEMY LINES. Nailed it.
I had an easier time. The lack of obscure names certainly helped.
Across:
1. Worker with many keys : VALET. Was picturing a hotel maid.
6. Fleece : CLIP. Didn't know clip can mean "swindle".
10. Nick Saban's team, familiarly : 'BAMA. Nick Saban & Bear Bryant are all I know about the Crimson Tide.
16. Thames landmark : ETON
18. City on the Rhône : LYON
20. Actress Anderson : LONI. The "WKRP in Cincinnati" girl.
21. Guilty and more : PLEAS
22. Dodge : RUSE
23. Juice carriers : WIRES. Current "juice". I wanted FRUIT.
28. Go astray : ERR
29. Fountain contemporary : HIRT (Al). Pete Fountain.
30. Foolishness : INANITY
32. Spot remover, at times : SPONSOR. Does "spot" here refer to ads? I don't get the clue.
35. Surfing equipment : MODEMS. Internet surfing.
37. Got ready for a big date : PRIMPED
39. Stepped on it, with "up" : SPEEDED. Spell check wants SPED.
40. Boxes of calendars? : DAYS. Clever clue.
41. Mountain West Conference athlete : UTE
43. Code subject : DRESS. Dress code.
44. Builder's truckload : FILL. Or all the non-theme answers in any crossword.
45. High school math calculations : AREAS
47. One fighting something : ANTI
54. Early exile : CAIN. Into the land of Nod.
56. French 101 verb : ETRE. "To be".
58. Driving aids : TEES. Golf.
59. Biweekly tide : NEAP
Down:
1. Workbench item : VISE
2. Court records : ACTA. Learned from doing Xword.
3. Floral gifts : LEIS
4. Peabody relative : EMMY. Peabody Award.
5. Having no play : TAUT. Is "play" the same as "slack"?
6. Pride of country music : CHARLEY. What's his most famous song?
7. Extend one's stay : LINGER
8. Visibly moved : IN TEARS
9. Raid targets : PESTS
13. Warbucks's charge : ANNIE. Daddy Warbucks.
15. What fans do : CLAP
23. Unlikely hero : WIMP
27. Ninnies : SIMPS
29. Perfected : HONED
31. Japanese financial market inits. : TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange). Had to post-google.
33. Dash : PEP
34. Film for which Warren Beatty won a Best Director Oscar : REDS
38. Mrs. Calabash's creator : DURANTE (Jimmy). Mrs. Calabash is his wife.
39. Shrink-wraps, e.g. : SEALS UP
42. Mother in Calcutta : TERESA. Mother Teresa.
44. Aspect : FACET
45. Over : AGAIN
46. Is in session : SITS. Congress session?
49. Frequent taster : CHEF. So is COOK.
50. Push, in a way : SELL
51. Cruising : ASEA
52. Where guests may be ticked off? : LIST. Nice clue.
53. Sputnik coverer : TASS. Media cover. I wanted CCCP, which covers Sputnik too.
Answer grid.
Today we celebrate the birthday of JimmyB (most right), a very passionate LA Times crossword solver who has been keeping track of the exact time each puzzle takes him to complete since our switch in 2009. Sheng Ri Kuai Le, Jim!
C.C.
Theme: None
Total words: 68
Total blocks: 33
Only four 3-letter answers in this grid: ERR/PEP/TSE/UTE. Amazing.
Harvey placed triple stacks of 10s in each quadrant of the grid, the layout is quite similar to his last Saturday. Notice his answer for 17A? Ha ha, RADIAL TIRE!
Here are the 10s:
14A. Motel convenience : ICE MACHINE
17A. Quicker picker-uppers? : STIMULANTS
19A. Pigeon : EASY TARGET. So is EASY MARK.
48A. Mixed condiment : GARLIC SALT. Mostly salt.
55A. Cause of senselessness : ANESTHESIA
57A. "Don't waste your time" : IT'S USELESS
10D. Churches with carillons don't need one : BELL RINGER. Wow, really? How do they ring the bells then?
11D. Being supportive : AT YOUR SIDE. Oh, being supportive of me.
12D. Opalescent gems : MOONSTONES
24D. Extreme : INORDINATE
25D. Automotive innovation that improved fuel economy : RADIAL TIRE. We also have 36A. It purrs when it's cared for : ENGINE. And 60A. Trip interruptions : FLATS. Flat tires. Needed Dennis' help.
26D. Front borders : ENEMY LINES. Nailed it.
I had an easier time. The lack of obscure names certainly helped.
Across:
1. Worker with many keys : VALET. Was picturing a hotel maid.
6. Fleece : CLIP. Didn't know clip can mean "swindle".
10. Nick Saban's team, familiarly : 'BAMA. Nick Saban & Bear Bryant are all I know about the Crimson Tide.
16. Thames landmark : ETON
18. City on the Rhône : LYON
20. Actress Anderson : LONI. The "WKRP in Cincinnati" girl.
21. Guilty and more : PLEAS
22. Dodge : RUSE
23. Juice carriers : WIRES. Current "juice". I wanted FRUIT.
28. Go astray : ERR
29. Fountain contemporary : HIRT (Al). Pete Fountain.
30. Foolishness : INANITY
32. Spot remover, at times : SPONSOR. Does "spot" here refer to ads? I don't get the clue.
35. Surfing equipment : MODEMS. Internet surfing.
37. Got ready for a big date : PRIMPED
39. Stepped on it, with "up" : SPEEDED. Spell check wants SPED.
40. Boxes of calendars? : DAYS. Clever clue.
41. Mountain West Conference athlete : UTE
43. Code subject : DRESS. Dress code.
44. Builder's truckload : FILL. Or all the non-theme answers in any crossword.
45. High school math calculations : AREAS
47. One fighting something : ANTI
54. Early exile : CAIN. Into the land of Nod.
56. French 101 verb : ETRE. "To be".
58. Driving aids : TEES. Golf.
59. Biweekly tide : NEAP
Down:
1. Workbench item : VISE
2. Court records : ACTA. Learned from doing Xword.
3. Floral gifts : LEIS
4. Peabody relative : EMMY. Peabody Award.
5. Having no play : TAUT. Is "play" the same as "slack"?
6. Pride of country music : CHARLEY. What's his most famous song?
7. Extend one's stay : LINGER
8. Visibly moved : IN TEARS
9. Raid targets : PESTS
13. Warbucks's charge : ANNIE. Daddy Warbucks.
15. What fans do : CLAP
23. Unlikely hero : WIMP
27. Ninnies : SIMPS
29. Perfected : HONED
31. Japanese financial market inits. : TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange). Had to post-google.
33. Dash : PEP
34. Film for which Warren Beatty won a Best Director Oscar : REDS
38. Mrs. Calabash's creator : DURANTE (Jimmy). Mrs. Calabash is his wife.
39. Shrink-wraps, e.g. : SEALS UP
42. Mother in Calcutta : TERESA. Mother Teresa.
44. Aspect : FACET
45. Over : AGAIN
46. Is in session : SITS. Congress session?
49. Frequent taster : CHEF. So is COOK.
50. Push, in a way : SELL
51. Cruising : ASEA
52. Where guests may be ticked off? : LIST. Nice clue.
53. Sputnik coverer : TASS. Media cover. I wanted CCCP, which covers Sputnik too.
Answer grid.
Today we celebrate the birthday of JimmyB (most right), a very passionate LA Times crossword solver who has been keeping track of the exact time each puzzle takes him to complete since our switch in 2009. Sheng Ri Kuai Le, Jim!
C.C.
68 comments:
Here's your Charley Pride song(2:19), C.C.. And appropriate, too. Check out them threads!
Morning, all!
I had a lot of trouble getting into this one today. So much so, in fact, that I eventually abandoned the top half entirely and decided to try working my way up from the bottom. That actually worked fine, and by the time I returned to the top I was firmly on the constructor's wavelength and was able to finish unassisted.
I think the only actual unknown today was TSE, but there was plenty of tricky cluing to make up the difference.
Oh -- and a carillon is played with a keyboard, similar to an organ.
January 8, 2011 6:19 AM
And another thing...
The clue for SPONSOR also confused me. I think you are right, C.C., and that the "spot" in question refers to TV ads. Occasionally, a sponsor will pull an ad that is running, so I guess that would be equivalent to "removing" a "spot".
January 8, 2011 6:21 AM
Hi All~!!
Yes, ask Tiger about a SPONSOR pulling a spot, if you get my meaning...also, my AA Sponsor would have an alternative clue, too!
I 'breezed' through this one, compared to yesterday - I got to the end-of-the-week puzzles late, because I moved into my own little cottage, too late to comment.
I nailed MOONSTONE and RADIAL TIRE, and felt pretty good about BELL TOWER, since I figured the organ was inside the church - I was close enough.
Wanted WOOD for builders truckload, I would have preferred "landscaper's" in the clue...
Had SUPER for VALET, but I knew VISE had to be right, so...also, BOARDS fit for surfing, but later realized it was computer 'jargon'...
We got about another 2" of snow, and I have heard we might get a humdinger this coming Tuesday here on the "big toe" of NY.
Splynter
January 8, 2011 6:36 AM
Hello week end warriors:
I found this a perfect Saturday which required some thought, but nothing ridiculously obscure. I also was impressed with the symmetrical use of 17A. Quicker picker-uppers? : STIMULANTS and 55A. Cause of senselessness : ANESTHESIA
My old favorites are the soundalikes, such as 23. Unlikely hero : WIMP
and 27. Ninnies : SIMPS
My favorite fill: 52. Where guests may be ticked off? : LIST and
24D. Extreme : INORDINATE
46. Is in session : SITS. Congress session? Actually, SITS also covers judges in the courtroom, “Oyer Oyer, the 17 Judicial Circuit Court is now in session, the Honorable Judge Mental presiding.”
January 8, 2011 7:31 AM
Good day everyone,
Lots of clever cluing by Harvey. Valet had me confused because I thought of a personal attendant, something I've never had, nor will I. I guess he's referring to a parking attendant. I liked spot remover/sponsor and like Splynter, immediately thought of Tiger.
We've seen Ruse, Hirt, and Anti (I think) earlier in the week. I often wonder if there is someone out there who gives constructors "words of the week" to consider while they create. Ah, the minutia one thinks about sometimes!
If radial tires were supposed to improve gas mileage, they sure didn't on my guzzlers.
Overall though, this was a fun puzzle and on the easy side for a Saturday. CC, wonderful write up, as usual. Now I have to go get primped for a big date with yesterdays half a foot of the white stuff.
Enjoy!
January 8, 2011 7:32 AM
Good morning, C.C. and gang - I'm in the midst of shoveling, but wanted to check in on this one 'cause I thought it was a beauty.
I love the longer answers anyway so getting 12 ten-letter ones was great, but the clever cluing was an added bonus. This one took a while, and I really screwed up the NE by confidently, no-doubt-in-my-mind, putting in 'Tide' for 'Nick Saban's team, familiarly'. Only when I g-spotted to see if Daddy Warbucks had anybody else under his charge whose name started with 'E', did I make the change to 'Bama'.
As I said, some great cluing here. Loved 'juice carriers', which I actually nailed, and marveled at how old I am when I knew Jimmy Durante coined 'Mrs Calabash'. I agree with Splynter that a more appropriate clue for 44A would be 'Landscaper's truckload', but other than that, I thought this was a brilliant puzzle.
Gotta get back to the shoveling. It's funny, I've got a snowblower sitting in my warehouse, but it's such a hassle to get to I end up shoveling, which I enjoy. Then I'm pissed off the next morning when my back hurts (which of course I won't admit). I hope to grow up some day.
Have a great weekend, and do something fun.
January 8, 2011 7:58 AM
Good morning everyone. Nice write-up, C.C.
Tough to get a toe hold at first. First fill was 20a LONI and next was 23a WIRES so you get the picture. But then the solving picked up to where the entire SW was done. Then, gradually, the N and NE were completed. Kind of liked the 10 letter stacks; once sussed, they were common enough words. RADIAL TIRE and ACTA were WAGs. Noted that FILL was in the singular :-). I liked the clueing for DAYS, ENEMY LINES, and BELL RINGER. (A church with a carillon would have a carillon player, either a human or a computer based one, The carillon would be in lieu of a church bell.) All in all, a good Saturday workout.
Happy Birthday JimmyB
January 8, 2011 8:09 AM
Forgot - a very Happy Birthday to JimmyB, whose compilations of stats amaze me. Jimmy, I hope it's your best year ever.
January 8, 2011 8:12 AM
I worked the puzzle in 35 minutes but my husband has been stumped on the middle west side. It helps to work the puzzle on the computer because I do not have to erase. Oh, he finally finished after 1 hour & 20 minutes.
You really had to think outside the box with with 23 wires and 35 across.
January 8, 2011 8:13 AM
Good Morning C.C. et al.
Thanks for the great write-up, C.C. I didn't even notice how it was laid out until I read your comments, but I see now it is a very challenging design. And only four three letter words - amazing!
LOL at 44A FILL, since we had that discussion last night. Thanks for all the explanations, guys!
Again, I shot myself in the foot right off the bat by putting "super" at 1A (for superintendent of an apartment building). Then I continued the carnage by putting "tide" (for "Crimson Tide") instead of BAMA at 10A. Guess what? None of the northern answers were going to fit after that mess.
So I did a Grumpy and dropped down to the bottom and clawed my way back up. And guess what? It worked! Thanks for the "insider information, Grumpy! (That last sentence is in the "tongue in cheek" font, of course).
Happy Birthday JimmyB, and many more!
Have a great day everyone!
January 8, 2011 8:19 AM
Good Morning Crossword folks. A special tribute to Harvey Estes for a great puzzle. I really enjoyed it and was able to conquer it in only 1 hour and 45 minutes. That's not bad for me. Thank you to CC for a nice write-up. I am not sure if Mrs Calabash was Jimmy Durante's wife. I remember him saying "Good Night, Mrs. Calabash, where ever you are." I had the opinion at the time that she was some sort of mystery woman. But, I could be wrong. Just my instantaneous thoughts.
This puzzle started not real easily. I jumped around until I got two words, DURANTE and AREAS. Then I was able to work my way through the south and east. I had FLATS wrong for a while with RESTS, but fixed that with the perps.
The SW section stumped me for a while. I had ELBA in stead of CAIN. Once I got RADIALTIRE I realized ELBA was wrong and was able to finish all those words.
This puzzle was easier than Friday's. I was thinking they should have been switched. I enjoyed the long words and the no theme was nice for a change. A little variety is good. Very clever at constructing this puzzle. Lots of long words and few short words.
I hope to get started on Sunday's puzzle tonight. I just buy the Chicago Tribune Sunday paper today, which is available in stores.
Abejo
January 8, 2011 8:25 AM
Good Morning C.C. and all,
I'm so glad Argyle started us off with your song request. Super to see you again this morning; and thanks. Great write-up.
The puzzle was relatively easy for me today,but it did not come without some thought-provoking moments in the midwest.
I had 'Lines' instead of 'Wires' for the longest time; then I went to the SW corner and filled 'etre' and 'Cain'. This gave me 'tire', then 'wires' jumped out.
Japanese financil market was an unknown, but filled in from perps.
Spot remover was a question for me, but Splynter and Hondo cleared that up in a flash with the references to Tiger.
I think Juice carriers was my fav,also.
Daffy Dill, thanks for your answer to me last night; along with Argyle's link you really helped me.
I have vague recollections of that, but basically, I think I was 'sick that day'. It wasn't ever gonna' come to me.
Have a nice day everyone.
January 8, 2011 8:27 AM
I had too many errors to finish today. the first was trying to work it on paper. If I'd used the computer with red letter help I might have done it. the next error was ATM for ICE machine, BY, and then ON, YOUR SIDE, SUPER for VALET, and so it went on. I won't bore you with the rest. I was looking for a London landmark and never thought of ETON, but couldn't come up with a four letter one, (eye, Big Ben, etc.)
Have good weekend everyone!
Happy Birthday to Jimmy!
January 8, 2011 9:06 AM
LA Times Sunday puzzle maker Sylvia Bursztyn died.
January 8, 2011 9:23 AM
Whew! That was a tough one with all the long words. I thought the construction was interesting - almost like 4 separate puzzles (each quadrant) with only minimal connection between them. Good cluing - not too obscure but not obvious either. Good write up, thanks!
January 8, 2011 9:48 AM
Good morning, all. What a great puzzle! It almost seemed like four separate puzzles since there is only one letter tying one quadrant to the next.
Happy, happy Birthday, JimmyB! Many happy returns of the day.
I tried to get way to cute and put in TUNER for the 'worker with many keys' and TOOL for 1d. OK, forget that corner for awhile.
The crossing of LONI and ANNIE (why wasn't Daddy Warbucks charged with child endangerment for allowing Annie to get into all of those predicaments?) got me going in the NE and that area filled completely. DURANTE, NEAP and TASS did the same for the SE.
WIRES was a gimmee in the SW, but it took some time before I figured out WIMP and SIMPS. Once I had those I started seeing the other entries in that corner.
Back to the NW, I came up with CHARLEY, PESTS and EMMY. From there, the rest fell in place.
LOL, HeartRx, at "did a Grumpy".
Nice to see TSE clued as something other than 'half of a fly'.
Thanks for a great start to the weekend Harvey.
January 8, 2011 10:06 AM
@ MH, I need to type faster! You beat me to the comment on the puzzle construction. Good minds think alike, some just a little slower.
January 8, 2011 10:09 AM
Hello Puzzlers - I took one pass through and filled in almost nothing. Bit by bit, however, I saw the light and got going.
The NW was the last to fall, partly because I had put --IMPLANTS for Quicker Picker Upper. Hey, it was plausible...
I hear my neighbor's snowblower running, darn it, now I'm shamed into clearing the driveway.
January 8, 2011 10:28 AM
I really like your blog and i really appreciate the excellent quality content you are posting here for free for your online readers. thanks peace claudia.
January 8, 2011 10:49 AM
I don't much care for Saturday themeless puzzles but I liked this one more than usual. Clever cluing I thought. I made it through with a little red-letter help. Interesting to see FILL as fill. I remember Jimmy Durante and the invisible Mrs. Calabash. It was nice to be reminded about WKRP also with the clue about Loni Anderson.
Happy birthday JimmyB.
I was sure sorry to find out about the passing of Sylvia Bursztyn. I enjoyed her puzzles.
Welcome Claudia. Why don't you register, go blue and stick around?
January 8, 2011 11:03 AM
Happy Birthday, JmmyB.Good looking family- Family? right? Many more.
Thanks,Anon for the news about Sylvia Burszten. It seems tomorrow will be her puzzle. Will miss her.
Anon-Claudia,thanks for joining in and welcome.
January 8, 2011 11:30 AM
Sad news about Sylvia Bursztyn.
Claudia,
It's definitely worth going blue here, and not blue with the cold! You have already wet your feet, jump in the water's warmer than the air outside. Welcome!
January 8, 2011 11:47 AM
Good day, puzzlers. Thanks, C.C. for your usual insight.
Yowza! I liked this puzzle even though it took me 20 minutes longer than my allotted hour for a Saturday.
Long FILL is so enticing although I misinterpreted many: INEPTITUDE for ANESTHESIA, PHASE for FACET, ABEL instead of CAIN. However, it made the tumultuous ride more fun.
The top went fairly easy all the way to DRESS code but the aforementioned errors slowed me at the bottom.
Fav clue:
boxes of calendars, DAYS
A wonderful puzzle, thank you Harvey Estes!
Happy, happpy birthday, Jimmy B.!
Have a stupendous Saturday, all and please be careful of your backs, snow shovelers. 62 and sunny here today.
January 8, 2011 11:49 AM
So sad about another young ocnstructor leaving us. Farewell Sylvia, thanks for the memories.
HBDTY Jimmy B.
And good night MRS CALABASH we know where you were.
January 8, 2011 12:03 PM
Does the SPONSOR clue refer to legislative bills? This is from the New York State assembly.They use a star. Do others use a spot?
STARRED BILLS ON ORDER OF THIRD READING: --A star (*) preceding the bill number means that action on the bill has been deferred by or on behalf of the sponsor. A bill cannot be considered by the House until one day after the star is removed.
NC
NC, ads are called 'spots' in the trade, and they're created by the sponsors.
January 8, 2011 12:23 PM
I really like your blog and i really appreciate the excellent quality content you are posting here - Claudia
Don't waste your time welcoming this poster, or should I say poser. If you were to google the opening line, you would find it on tons of different sites.
What do they get out of these random postings, I don't know?
January 8, 2011 12:27 PM
For PN, if you are still with us:
Not all anons are trolls but trolls are almost always anons.
Thank you, Anon@9:23.
January 8, 2011 12:31 PM
Great catch, Argyle. In retrospect, it does seem quite generic.
January 8, 2011 12:32 PM
Hello everyone,
Nice to start the day with "Kiss An Angel Good Morning". I think I'll be hearing it all day now. Thanks, Argyle!
My first thought for 'Spot Remover' was the new-ish Clinique facial product that's been advertised quite a bit lately. BTW, I tried it and it worked really well for me, just as advertised.
Kazie, I think ATM for ICE Machine is very clever!
Rest in peace, Sylvia Bursztyn... Thank you for having shared your gift with us.
Happy Birthday, JimmyB!
I think the most impressive part of this puzzle (besides the long, stacked fill!) is the connection between the separate quadrants. This puzzle would have been so much more difficult for me (and it sounds like others, too) if there hadn't been "gettable" alternate avenues for approaching a quadrant. If those fill had been too difficult, the puzzle might've been a DNF... Constructors (and editors) have so many things to take into consideration for our enjoyment. Great job, Harvey!
Annette
Thanks, C.C.
Argyle, that was the Charley Pride song that came to my mind, too. Thanks for the link. He had a concert here many years ago. Somewhere around here I have several pictures I took. I'm not a C&W fan, but I went to see him, Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn because they were a welcome relief from the hard rock bands we usually get here.
Toughie today, but I completed it in under 35 minutes. I sabotaged myself by confidently entering "over the top" at 24D. It fit but messed me up good in that entire quadrant. Had BELLtower at first, too. Had to go to Mr. G for the sports clue, as usual. ICEMACHINE and VISE came to mind immediately, so that helped in NW, even though ACTA and EMMY were not on my radar. I'm not happy with SPONSORS for spot remover, but I'll live with it.
We had a brief and very small sprinkling of something this morning. I sounded like rain, but looked like tiny hail. It is too warm at 54 deg. for sleet. The sun is out now.
January 8, 2011 12:52 PM
Forgot to say Happy Birthday to JimmyB. Many happy returns. Nice family.
January 8, 2011 12:58 PM
Good Morning All, the packed n' stacked sections were impressive. It is amazing to me that a constructor can come up with 12 ten letter fill for one puzzle. Harvey Estes seems to be able to do it at will.
His talent made it rough for me. I had to do a lot of skipping around to fill in my picket fences.
Grumpy 1@10:06, "I tried to get way to cute and put in TUNER for the 'worker with many keys' and TOOL for 1d.". Thank goodness I wasn't the only one. It seemed so logical at the time! But those choices did shut down that corner.
With so many blanks, I finally wound up at the bottom (like others) and worked my way up.
I loved the mid-west WIMPS, SIMPS and PRIMPED area. I don't think I would have gotten (23A) WIRES if I hadn't first had WIMPS.
There were several enjoyable AND misleading clues here. (40A) Boxes of calendars?/DAYS was my favorite. I made use of Carol's V-8 can several times.
(6D) Pride of country music/CHARLEY was a semi-WAG for me. I vaguely knew the name, but I was thinking of Charlie Rich. I don't know much about country music or its big names and Charley Pride's song was unknown to me.
Sorry to hear about Sylvia Bursztyn.
Happy B-Day, Jimmy B.
January 8, 2011 1:03 PM
Hello Everyone ~~
Being able to finish a Saturday puzzle unassisted makes me realize how much this blog has helped me solve and enjoy puzzles. I've learned so much ~~ the art of misdirection probably being the most important thing. I tend to not go for the obvious answers as I might have in the past. Of course, "Crazy-cat-lady" that I am, I did want FELINE for 36A until the G in Bell RINGER changed that to ENGINE! I still have a problem with SPEEDED ~~ I've always thought it was SPED and was only able to find SPED when I looked it up. Oh well... My favorite clue was "Quicker-picker-upper."
A very entertaining puzzle and a great write-up as always from C.C. Thank you!
Enjoy the day!
January 8, 2011 1:08 PM
a good gray morning to you all,
Mercy me!! I could not get out of the box today. While reading C.C.'s write-up, I must have dented a 1/2 dozen V8's!There are many items on a workbench but every one turned RED!!!In fact almost every 1st guess was red. Well, kudos to Harvey; it was clever and most of you got a nice workout.
new word: carillons. Sass and simps were not recognizable either.
Favorite: having no play = taut.
My favorite gem is the very simple moonstone necklace my mom gave me before she passed.It quietly takes me back to my childhood , and I can picture her smile.
Happy birthday, JimmyB!
January 8, 2011 1:26 PM
Builders use land FILL to level the area before they start construction of a subdivision .
January 8, 2011 1:39 PM
Has anyone heard the news? Democratic Congresswoman Giffords of AZ has been shot and is in critical condition in surgery. Several others were wounded and killed at a shopping mall.
January 8, 2011 1:44 PM
Husker Gary said...
Good Afternoon C.C. all, I felt this puzzle was very fair because there were some nice gimmie’s like BAMA, CHARLEY, VISE, etc. The only negative today is that when you work out an area, there is only one letter as an entry to the next section (as MH and Grumpy said). This one fell easier than Friday’s and Thursday’s por moi. The long fills were very logical once a few letters were ferreted out.
It is sunny in Eastern Nebraska right now but 5 – 10 inches of snow are coming. Hopefully Joann won’t get buried while I am in Orlando from Jan 14 – 18. This snow is a month later than last year! I had to judge a science fair in Omaha this morning and that is why I am posting late.
Musings
-Any WIMP can become an instant hero under extraordinary circumstances
-I vividly remember Jimmy saying Good Night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are and walking out through several spotlights
-Jimmy B, what a lovely family, HBD!
-Dress codes take up an incredible amount of time for school administrators. Our school has no sagger/bagger boys and that helps. Suggestive female apparel is the main issue
-I thought Spot remover was some kind of dogcatcher first
-CHARLEY, yes. CHARLIE, no.
-Had FLAT also instead of FILL
-Never had seen ACTA. I will put that in my Electronic Flashcards.
-LAPTOP for surfing? Nope
-New radial tires that get 60,000 miles beat the heck out of our old 15,000-mile wonders of 40 years ago. If they don’t have a steel belt, they can be ground up into wonderful playground cover!
January 8, 2011 1:50 PM
kazie, I've been following it for about an hour. CNN is reporting that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, D./Ariz, was shot in the head and has died, along with several others who were either killed or wounded. She was doing an appearance at a Safeway grocery store in Tucson.
January 8, 2011 1:50 PM
And that quickly, CNN has backed off on saying she died.
January 8, 2011 1:57 PM
54A ADAM, 45D ABOVE and 52D DOOR sure made working bottom up easy. (Would someone please develop that 'tongue in cheek' font??) Using 'above' is particularly embarrassing after patting myself on the back yesterday for avoiding 'sass.'
The other problem I had down south was that I have never considered salt and pepper as condiments. Naturally, I am wrong and Harvey's right.
I do agree with the statements made that this was easier than yesterday.
I love "Kiss an Angel, but Charley may be better known for this one. Definitely a toss-up.
Since we share weather so much, you may wish to check this site for temperatures.
Did anyone else try to fit this Peabody into the puzzle?
HBTY JimmyB
January 8, 2011 2:00 PM
Gunghy, I don't know which Peabody I thought of first, the cartoon or the hotel, but both thoughts came before the award!
January 8, 2011 2:13 PM
Hola Everyone, JD, I'm afraid the lid never came off the box I was in today. I had about 1/4 of the puzzle finished and had to come to the blog for the rest of the answers. My thought processes are all jumbled this morning. What I did fill in was correct, but there wasn't enough to get me going.
I did want to wish Jimmy B. a very happy birthday and many, many more.
Have a great weekend everyone.
January 8, 2011 2:16 PM
Thanks, C.C. and so many others for all your warm birthday wishes. I am proud to be a member of such an amiable family of crossword lovers.
The puzzle was a real treat, but not a birthday gift for me. For some reason I bogged down in the SE, perhaps because there were no obscure names I could look up to bail me out. I wasted some time thinking of the great outdoors for 52D and thought "where guests may be ticked off" might be a CAMP.
January 8, 2011 2:26 PM
HORRIFYING .
January 8, 2011 3:04 PM
JimmyB- Thought you might want to know that it took me an average of 27 seconds to read your 2010 posts to Crossword Corner.
January 8, 2011 3:25 PM
Gah and I have been zeroed in on CNN for the last hour or so. It's difficult to think about much else right now.
January 8, 2011 3:40 PM
I actually finished a Saturday with no help--rarely happens for me.
I'm confused, though, several of you mention "tse" as an answer and I don't have it anywhere. What clue is it? Thanks.
January 8, 2011 3:42 PM
Oops--found it.
January 8, 2011 3:44 PM
Good evening CC et al., Excellent job, CC. I messed this one up badly and you cleared it up beautifully. This puzzle ate my lunch! I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who was stumped on several clues. ‘Speeded’ I guess is used but it sounds like a 2 y o’s overgeneralization , like ‘falled’ to me . Pep is dash??? and more. I did like seeing Charley Pride here. I rode the skylink at DFW with him not too long ago. He was singing to himself right next to me and was very friendly. Beautiful voice. Past that. This was not my favorite puzzle but it’s Sat.
Argyle: love the link and your Avatar. See that same set up here.
Lemonade: thanks for the Durante link.
JD: I love how you described your moonstone necklace…so sweet.
Happy Birthday JimmyB. I hope you have many many more. Beautiful family too!
Gunghy: I loved Rocky and Bullwinkle, esp Mr. Peabody and Fractured Fairy tales. Great link! Thank you.
I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Sylvia Bursztyn. She will be missed.
My prayers are for the Congresswoman and the other victims of that horrible AZ attack. There are no words…thanks for the link, Lemonade.
January 8, 2011 4:29 PM
Jerome:
That is the funniest comment of the new year, and not a pun in sight.
January 8, 2011 5:40 PM
So sad to hear about Sylvia Bursztyn...she will be missed.
And horrifying to hear about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the others that were killed today.
Grumpy, windows alternate key codes show French / Spanish angle quotation marks as ALT key codes 0171 and 0187. They are actually double << >>, which look like "tongues in cheeks". If put before and after the target sentence, that might signal a "tongue in cheek comment", no? Unfortunately, I don't know how to do these on a Mac. Anyone?
Good afternoon, everyone. This definitely was a puzzle worthy of Saturday. Used some red-letter help in places, but thanks to perps and a few wags, I didn't have to consult the Almighty Google today. Thanks for the fine write-up as always, C.C.
Argyle, thanks for the Charley Pride song. If you hadn't posted it I would have.
Dennis, I hope you can get out there and fire up the snow blower, thereby saving your back.
Dudley, hmm. For quicker picker upper, I also thought of "implants" first. Like you say, it's plausible, I guess.
Gunghy, I had almost forgotten "Is anybody goin' to San Antone", another Pride favorite of mine.
As I scrolled down, I learned of the tragedy in Arizona today. Very, very sad.
My notes for today:
(6D) Pride of country music: Charley. Great, great talent. one of my favorite country stars of all time.
(10A) Thought of "tide" first, then "bama", when "bellringer" (10D) came into view.
(29A) Fountain (Contemporary): Al Hirt, which was a WAG for me. His rendition of "Java" was one of my favorite trumpet pieces when I was growing up.
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERNdH-0OcXc"]Java[/url]
Hope the link works. First try for me.
(20A) Anderson actress: "Loni". Who else could it be? ;-)
(24D)Extreme: (WAG) over the edge. Didn't quite work.
(36A) It purrs when it's cared for: Aww. here kitty, kitty. Wanted "kitten" but it was "engine" instead. Very important for that thing to purr.
(32A) Spot remover, at times; clever clue: "Sponsor"; I was thinking something dog related at first.
(37A)Got ready for a big date: I thought "dressed" at first. Red letters nixed that. Guess I didn't get that it was "primped" due to the fact, that being male, I don't do that very much.
(44A) LOL! There's that word, "fill" again. They keep using that word. Inconceivable!
Best to all,
Burrito34
January 8, 2011 6:06 PM
Nope. Trying to post the link didn't work. Back to the drawing board.
January 8, 2011 6:07 PM
The good news regarding Congresswoman Giffords is that the surgeon was "very optimistic" about her recovery.
The type of wound she suffered is called a 'through and through', meaning it passed through without lodging, and that's not a bad thing. Also, they said she's responding to, and following commands. The next 24 hours will be critical, because of the concern for brain swelling, but the news is about as good as it can be, given the circumstances.
January 8, 2011 6:14 PM
HeartRx: ««»»
I did this on a Mac. option +\ gives you «
shift option +\ gives you »
Hope this helps
January 8, 2011 6:18 PM
Burrito, you have to start with the www, not the http, when you are using html to link; if you email me, I can send you a template to learn from. For the rest of you enjoy Al Hirt
January 8, 2011 6:23 PM
Java
Okay, that did it! :D
January 8, 2011 6:49 PM
this sure was good as a brain workout. i'm doing the happy dance!
January 8, 2011 7:14 PM
Spitzboov, Thank you thank you thank you!
As a Mac newbie I am still learning the tricks. Hope you don't mind being my «pimp»
January 8, 2011 7:16 PM
Argyle, imho there are too few people who express their appreciation for anything, in this day and age. So even if it is generic, I'm happy to hear words of appreciation. Maybe Claudia has made a resolution to compliment someone everyday and if she can't find anyone to compliment personally, she goes to a blog. One of the things I've noticed about all the regular bloggers here is that they are quick to commend constructors, commentators and bloggers. That's something I appreciate.
Happy birthday, Jimmyb. A goodlooking family.
Dot
January 8, 2011 7:17 PM
Hello, all,
Great blog, C.C. I just don't know how you do it!
As for me, DNF! I may have had as many entries as Chickie, 1/4 of the puzzle, but I lost patience early on and threw in the towel! Just came here and let C.C. do it for me! Now you're telling me it was easy! Yikes!
Anyway, I'm here to wish you HBTY, Jimmy B. It's a bit late in the day, but that seems to be my MO.
January 8, 2011 8:21 PM
Good night all.
Thank you C.C. for a great write up.
Happy birthday, Jimmy B.
Thanks for the updates on the horrifying situation in AZ.
I did only a few and then threw in the towel. I had to get the house ready for my every other Saturday house cleaner. I know you guys will laugh at that, but the ladies will know exactly what I'm talking about.
January 8, 2011 10:35 PM
Dot,
The comment from Claudia is definitely a spam. Argyle speaks with authority because he monitors every blog comment and has helped me delete lots of posts like that.
The Google result for that phrase was about 356,000 hits in about the last year. It must be some sort of program but for what purpose, I have no idea.
Anonymous @11:58pm yesterday,
1) You shouldn't steal Jerome's identity.
2) Several people have password to this blog. Sometimes when they forget to sign out after some blog work, they comment under my name. But they always delete the wrong avatar and re-post.
Note to late visitors:
Due to computer error, we lost both the write-up and comments. This version is a recovered one.
Post a Comment