Theme: Add a silent K. Rather than giving you a long explanation, I'll let Marina Orlova explain it.
17A. Tough handicap to overcome in a joust?: KNIGHT BLINDNESS. Nyctalopia may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition, for example, a lack of vitamin A. The opposite is hemeralopia.
22A. Hoopster featured in a news magazine?: KNICK OF TIME. Possibly from an old custom of recording time as it passed by making notches on a tally stick.
39A. What "purls of wisdom" is an example of?: KNITWIT. Nit, from nix, a variant of nichts (German for nothing).
51A. Was familiar with Britain?: KNEW ENGLAND. Not in the biblical sense, I hope...
59A. Bow tied by mortal hands?: KNOT OF THIS WORLD. The nautical unit of measure is from the practice of attaching knotted string to the log line. The ship's speed can be measured by the number of knots that play out while the sand glass is running. The distance between knots is 1/120 of a mile.
Hi all, Al here. If it's Thursday, it must be obfuscated clue day, and there sure were plenty that took a second or third thought.
ACROSS:
1. Volkswagen model since 1979: JETTA.
6. Stare: GAWK. Here you go, ladies.
10. Charm: MOJO.
14. Unit of capacitance: FARAD. Named for Michael Faraday. A capacitor that can store one FARAD would have to be somewhere between the size of a tuna can up to a one liter soda bottle. To store the total energy that a single AA battery can deliver, a capacitor would have to be of over 10,000 times larger than that.
15. "Would __?": I LIE.
16. Baseball's Moises: ALOU. Son of Felipe, also associated with baseball. You could see either name for this bit of crosswordese.
20. Words after post or suffer: A LOSS.
21. Beginning: ONSET.
26. Leo, for one: SIGN. All the focus on Astrology lately, but the dates aren't going to be changed.
27. Manhattan neighborhood acronym: NOHO. NOrth of HOuston St.
28. Ready to serve: DONE.
32. Uncertain concurrence: I GUESS.
35. Gave a buzz: RANG. Telephone.
37. Snaps: PIX.
38. Mineo of "Rebel Without a Cause": SAL.
41. HBO competitor: TMC. Home Box Office, The Movie Channel. For once it wasn't SHOwtime, but same difference, really.
42. __ king: ALA. Cooked in a cream sauce with green pepper or pimiento and mushrooms.
43. Hokkaido native: AINU. Indigenous people of Japan, conceptually like Native Americans here, the Maori of New Zealand, or Australian Aboriginal people.
44. Shoot for, with "to": ASPIRE. Associated with the concept of excitement, heavy breathing (inspiration, expiration), not the spire of a tall building.
46. Old Italian bread: LIRA. This bread/money misdirection shouldn't catch you off guard late in the week.
48. Puts on: DONS. Contraction of "do on", the original sense of "do" was "put". Contrast with doff, as with removing your hat in the presence of a lady.
50. Biol. branch: ECOL. Living organisms (biology) being optimized to suit their environment (ecology).
55. Unlikely lint-gatherer: OUTIE. This article about a collector is probably: 61D. "I didn't need to know that!": TMI.
58. Without delay: APACE.
65. Pinup Hayworth: RITA. Margarita Carmen Cansino. Died of Alzheimer's. Her case, and Ronald Reagan's years later, were instrumental in bringing this problem to light, not just to hide it away.
66. Pianist Gilels: EMIL. Rachmaninoff. Not a lot of other music references today, an unknown for me. Lots of youtube vids though.
67. Church parts: NAVES. Winchester Cathedral. (note, C.C. reported that link not working for her, even though it does for me. So here's a new one: Naves)
68. They have heads and handles: AXES.
69. Mug imperfections: ZITS. Facial acne. Again, probably TMI.
70. Symbol of strength: STEEL. Superman.
DOWN:
1. LaGuardia alternative, familiarly: JFK. Yesterday's Google banner paid tribute to Kennedy's inaugural speech. "Ask not..."
2. Suffix with Caesar: EAN. There are etymology stories that attribute naming of c-sections to his birth, but this is unlikely because his mother lived to see his triumphs, and those would have been fatal in that day and age. More likely the name comes directly from Latin caesus past participle of caedere "to cut."
3. Like jibs: TRIANGULAR. Sails.
4. Movie poster words: TAGLINE. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.
5. For a specific purpose: AD HOC. This clue is as direct of a translation from Latin as they come.
6. Big name in guitars: GIBSON. Also MARTIN, TAYLOR, FENDER, IBANEZ, SUZUKI... There are a lot of six letter guitar manufacturer names is what I'm saying. I only have two of those, neither of which is today's puzzle answer.
7. Pledge of Allegiance ender: ALL. Congress recently read the constitution out loud. If that wasn't just a stunt, they should pay equal attention to the words in the pledge, too. "Indivisible"? Not for lack of trying.
8. November 2006 Nintendo release: WII. The two lower case letter "i"s in Wii symbolize two people standing together playing. Pronounced "we".
9. Barbie's beau: KEN. According to Mattel, they broke up in February of 2004, but in 2006 a "new" Ken came along and now they are reunited.
10. Took one's place at, as a post: MANNED.
11. Cries following charges: OLES. I say we make Merill Lynch clean up all their "bullish".
12. __ Cuervo tequila: JOSE.
13. Remove from office: OUST.
18. Sound of reproach: TSK.
19. End for free: DOM. Freedom.
22. Capital of Rwanda: KIGALI. Geography lesson of the day.
23. Cookie information, perhaps: FORTUNE. Oh, the archaic kind of cookie, not something that your web browser saves your ADDRESS in... Speaking of which, if you are concerned about privacy, you might want to visit this site and opt out of letting them show (and sell) your personal information.
24. Relax, as tense relations: THAW.
25. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.
26. Cordage fiber: SISAL. Rugs, mats, dartboards. Versatile.
29. Retina-brain link: OPTIC NERVE.
30. Jerk: NIMROD. A word that has flipped it's original meaning. Originally "great hunter" (Biblical reference to the son of Cush). Speculation (lets leave it at that) on the reason for the reversal has Bugs Bunny ironically referring to Elmer Fudd as a poor little nimrod. It may be that over the course of history among "manly" hunters, it started to be used in a sarcastically mocking fashion, and the popularity of Bugs gave it an extra boost, but I wouldn't go so far as to claim that to be the true etymology. Makes for a good story, though.
31. Stand out: EXCEL. Or a Microsoft spreadsheet program.
33. Calypso offshoot: SKA. Reggae relation.
34. Like ugly remarks: SNIDE.
36. Fast sports cars: GTS. Gran turismo, Grand tourer.
40. "__ pronounce you ...": I NOW.
45. Naval attire: PEACOAT. Originated from the Dutch or West Frisian word pijjekker, in which pij referred to the type of material used, a coarse kind of twilled blue cloth with a nap on one side.
47. Loyal Japanese dogs: AKITAS.
49. Sluggards: SNAILS. As in "sluggish", I guess.
52. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. Whoa! Keanu Reeves.
53. Modern dash-mounted device: Abbr.: GPS. Global Positioning System.
54. Croquet venues: LAWNS.
55. Creole vegetable: OKRA.
56. Windows alternative: UNIX. Unless you want to play a few certain specific games with certain video cards, that is. With Ubuntu you can do just about everything else.
57. Handy bag: TOTE.
60. Casbah headgear: FEZ. Also, the 11th Doctor (Who) thinks they're cool.
62. Best seller: HIT.
63. General at Antietam: LEE.
64. Step up from dial-up: DSL. Digital Subscriber Line. Cable is faster still.
Answer Grid.
Al
17A. Tough handicap to overcome in a joust?: KNIGHT BLINDNESS. Nyctalopia may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition, for example, a lack of vitamin A. The opposite is hemeralopia.
22A. Hoopster featured in a news magazine?: KNICK OF TIME. Possibly from an old custom of recording time as it passed by making notches on a tally stick.
39A. What "purls of wisdom" is an example of?: KNITWIT. Nit, from nix, a variant of nichts (German for nothing).
51A. Was familiar with Britain?: KNEW ENGLAND. Not in the biblical sense, I hope...
59A. Bow tied by mortal hands?: KNOT OF THIS WORLD. The nautical unit of measure is from the practice of attaching knotted string to the log line. The ship's speed can be measured by the number of knots that play out while the sand glass is running. The distance between knots is 1/120 of a mile.
Hi all, Al here. If it's Thursday, it must be obfuscated clue day, and there sure were plenty that took a second or third thought.
ACROSS:
1. Volkswagen model since 1979: JETTA.
6. Stare: GAWK. Here you go, ladies.
10. Charm: MOJO.
14. Unit of capacitance: FARAD. Named for Michael Faraday. A capacitor that can store one FARAD would have to be somewhere between the size of a tuna can up to a one liter soda bottle. To store the total energy that a single AA battery can deliver, a capacitor would have to be of over 10,000 times larger than that.
15. "Would __?": I LIE.
16. Baseball's Moises: ALOU. Son of Felipe, also associated with baseball. You could see either name for this bit of crosswordese.
20. Words after post or suffer: A LOSS.
21. Beginning: ONSET.
26. Leo, for one: SIGN. All the focus on Astrology lately, but the dates aren't going to be changed.
27. Manhattan neighborhood acronym: NOHO. NOrth of HOuston St.
28. Ready to serve: DONE.
32. Uncertain concurrence: I GUESS.
35. Gave a buzz: RANG. Telephone.
37. Snaps: PIX.
38. Mineo of "Rebel Without a Cause": SAL.
41. HBO competitor: TMC. Home Box Office, The Movie Channel. For once it wasn't SHOwtime, but same difference, really.
42. __ king: ALA. Cooked in a cream sauce with green pepper or pimiento and mushrooms.
43. Hokkaido native: AINU. Indigenous people of Japan, conceptually like Native Americans here, the Maori of New Zealand, or Australian Aboriginal people.
44. Shoot for, with "to": ASPIRE. Associated with the concept of excitement, heavy breathing (inspiration, expiration), not the spire of a tall building.
46. Old Italian bread: LIRA. This bread/money misdirection shouldn't catch you off guard late in the week.
48. Puts on: DONS. Contraction of "do on", the original sense of "do" was "put". Contrast with doff, as with removing your hat in the presence of a lady.
50. Biol. branch: ECOL. Living organisms (biology) being optimized to suit their environment (ecology).
55. Unlikely lint-gatherer: OUTIE. This article about a collector is probably: 61D. "I didn't need to know that!": TMI.
58. Without delay: APACE.
65. Pinup Hayworth: RITA. Margarita Carmen Cansino. Died of Alzheimer's. Her case, and Ronald Reagan's years later, were instrumental in bringing this problem to light, not just to hide it away.
66. Pianist Gilels: EMIL. Rachmaninoff. Not a lot of other music references today, an unknown for me. Lots of youtube vids though.
67. Church parts: NAVES. Winchester Cathedral. (note, C.C. reported that link not working for her, even though it does for me. So here's a new one: Naves)
68. They have heads and handles: AXES.
69. Mug imperfections: ZITS. Facial acne. Again, probably TMI.
70. Symbol of strength: STEEL. Superman.
DOWN:
1. LaGuardia alternative, familiarly: JFK. Yesterday's Google banner paid tribute to Kennedy's inaugural speech. "Ask not..."
2. Suffix with Caesar: EAN. There are etymology stories that attribute naming of c-sections to his birth, but this is unlikely because his mother lived to see his triumphs, and those would have been fatal in that day and age. More likely the name comes directly from Latin caesus past participle of caedere "to cut."
3. Like jibs: TRIANGULAR. Sails.
4. Movie poster words: TAGLINE. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.
5. For a specific purpose: AD HOC. This clue is as direct of a translation from Latin as they come.
6. Big name in guitars: GIBSON. Also MARTIN, TAYLOR, FENDER, IBANEZ, SUZUKI... There are a lot of six letter guitar manufacturer names is what I'm saying. I only have two of those, neither of which is today's puzzle answer.
7. Pledge of Allegiance ender: ALL. Congress recently read the constitution out loud. If that wasn't just a stunt, they should pay equal attention to the words in the pledge, too. "Indivisible"? Not for lack of trying.
8. November 2006 Nintendo release: WII. The two lower case letter "i"s in Wii symbolize two people standing together playing. Pronounced "we".
9. Barbie's beau: KEN. According to Mattel, they broke up in February of 2004, but in 2006 a "new" Ken came along and now they are reunited.
10. Took one's place at, as a post: MANNED.
11. Cries following charges: OLES. I say we make Merill Lynch clean up all their "bullish".
12. __ Cuervo tequila: JOSE.
13. Remove from office: OUST.
18. Sound of reproach: TSK.
19. End for free: DOM. Freedom.
22. Capital of Rwanda: KIGALI. Geography lesson of the day.
23. Cookie information, perhaps: FORTUNE. Oh, the archaic kind of cookie, not something that your web browser saves your ADDRESS in... Speaking of which, if you are concerned about privacy, you might want to visit this site and opt out of letting them show (and sell) your personal information.
24. Relax, as tense relations: THAW.
25. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.
26. Cordage fiber: SISAL. Rugs, mats, dartboards. Versatile.
29. Retina-brain link: OPTIC NERVE.
30. Jerk: NIMROD. A word that has flipped it's original meaning. Originally "great hunter" (Biblical reference to the son of Cush). Speculation (lets leave it at that) on the reason for the reversal has Bugs Bunny ironically referring to Elmer Fudd as a poor little nimrod. It may be that over the course of history among "manly" hunters, it started to be used in a sarcastically mocking fashion, and the popularity of Bugs gave it an extra boost, but I wouldn't go so far as to claim that to be the true etymology. Makes for a good story, though.
31. Stand out: EXCEL. Or a Microsoft spreadsheet program.
33. Calypso offshoot: SKA. Reggae relation.
34. Like ugly remarks: SNIDE.
36. Fast sports cars: GTS. Gran turismo, Grand tourer.
40. "__ pronounce you ...": I NOW.
45. Naval attire: PEACOAT. Originated from the Dutch or West Frisian word pijjekker, in which pij referred to the type of material used, a coarse kind of twilled blue cloth with a nap on one side.
47. Loyal Japanese dogs: AKITAS.
49. Sluggards: SNAILS. As in "sluggish", I guess.
52. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. Whoa! Keanu Reeves.
53. Modern dash-mounted device: Abbr.: GPS. Global Positioning System.
54. Croquet venues: LAWNS.
55. Creole vegetable: OKRA.
56. Windows alternative: UNIX. Unless you want to play a few certain specific games with certain video cards, that is. With Ubuntu you can do just about everything else.
57. Handy bag: TOTE.
60. Casbah headgear: FEZ. Also, the 11th Doctor (Who) thinks they're cool.
62. Best seller: HIT.
63. General at Antietam: LEE.
64. Step up from dial-up: DSL. Digital Subscriber Line. Cable is faster still.
Answer Grid.
Al
68 comments:
Good morning, Al, C.C. and gang - ok, I'm all out of sync; this seemed like a Tuesday puzzle and yesterday's seemed like a Friday one.
I was off and running right from the beginning, and didn't hit a snag until the intersection of 'Uncertain concurrence' and 'Capital of Rwanda'. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what 'i_uess' could be until I came back to it at the end and the V8 can came out of nowhere.
The other unknown was 'Emil' Gilels. I really liked the theme answers, especially 'Knight blindness'. My only complaint is with 'Fast sports cars'/'GTs'; car manufacturers tack on 'GT' to all kinds of models now to suggest sportiness, but they're by no means 'sports cars'. Favorite answer was 'Akita'; I've had two and just love the breed.
Al, thanks for today's education; loved the Orlova video. Regarding 'nimrod', I hear it a lot from my Canadian friends, often directed at me, so I had assumed that's where it originated. Also an old British aircraft.
Today is National Buttercrunch Day and Penguin Awareness Day.
Did You Know?:
- The word 'deadline' originated in Civil War prisons, where lines were drawn that prisoners passed only at the risk of being shot.
- There are 2,598,960 possible hands in Texas Hold 'Em.
- The term 'the whole nine yards' dates from World War II. When fighter planes were armed, the 50-caliber machine-gun ammunition belts loaded into the fuselage measured exactly 27 feet. If a pilot fired all his ammo at one target, it got 'the whole nine yards'.
Also, please try to stop by tomorrow as we commemorate something special.
Morning, all!
This puzzle had a fun, easy to get theme, and I blew through the theme answers in record time. The rest of the puzzle, alas, wasn't quite as easy...
I tripped myself up big-time by putting LION instead of SIGN at 26A, which wasn't helped by the fact that I had no idea whatsoever about KIGALI at 22D. [Hmmmm... I was going to say that I had no clue, but then I realized that I did have a clue -- "Capital of Rwanda" -- just not a very helpful one. But I digress...]
KIGALI was probably the only complete unknown, but the tricky cluing kept me chipping away for quite awhile. I also did myself no favors by misreading the clue for 20A as "Word" instead of "Words" and the clue for 32A as "occurrence" instead of "concurrence."
Favorite tricky clue of the day was definitely "Mug imperfections" for ZITS.
Oh, and Dennis -- that explanation for "whole nine yards" is just one of many possible explanations that have been offered up over the years (including the amount of cloth needed to make a specific garment such as a three-piece suit, etc.). Last I checked, the true origin was still not known for sure.
Morning, all. This was a pretty easy Thursday puzzle, but maybe that is because I got KNIGHT BLINDNESS immediately. I smiled when I got to KNEW ENGLAND, especially since many of our blogger friends live there, or once did.
I hadn't paid much attention to the changing/addition to the astrological signs. I am now in that "new" Ophiuchus group. Hmm... I don't even know how to pronounce it.
QOD: Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick with possibilities; truth isn't. ~ Mark Twain
Good Morning Al, C.C. et al.
Interesting write-up, Al. I did listen to the video of “HotForWords”. At first I thought it was going to be a song, but it actually was quite informative! I also loved the link at 2A – I think that would be an “unlikely lint gatherer”, LOL.
I flew through the top half, hit a sheet of ice in the middle and skidded down to the bottom before I got any traction again.
The center took a long time to finish – could not think of Ainu and refused to gg. So I had to pick my way through that section. I too stared at “Cookie information” for the longest time, thinking of computer “cookies”. Then I started going back and forth to the edible kind, thinking “calorie”?
It didn’t help that the first thing I put in that section at 40D was “Now I” pronounce… When I finally flipped it around, KNIT WIT fell and it was home free from there.
I really enjoyed this one. It was challenging enough, but the answers were all doable. But did it seem like there were really a lot of proper names in it? Or maybe it's just me.
Dennis, I will definitely join in the festivities today - love Buttercrunch!!
Have a great one, everybody.
Good morning Al and all, a very difficult puzzle for me this morning. There were several unknowns i.e. Hokkaido native/ainu, pianist Gilels/emil and suffix with Caesar/ean. Most of the unknowns today were doable with the perps. However, throw in some dumb mistakes it makes for a tough solve.
I was solving from the bottom up and had the two lower theme answers in place when I looked at 22A. I confidently entered knite of fame thinking of Bobby Knight and made it fit by misspelling his last name. This caused me some pain in that area. And, finally, I had rap for ska. Lots of errors to make the solve more difficult than it should have been.
Al, another helpful and informative write up. I always enjoy your explanations and word histories.
Expecting 4 to 6 inches of snow this afternoon/evening. UGH!!
Hope you all have a great Thursday.
Good morning fellow solvers
Amusing writeup, Al!
I am on medication now for latest problem. Slept a good long time.
For some strange reason, all four of this week's puzzles were easy for me. Unknowns all taken care of by perps. Yesterday's easier than two previous puzzles.
Re Möbius strip: (Mac users get the umlaut with option u + o.) roller coaster
My sick friend keeps going to his meetings and is a wreck. I'm still taking a pile of vitamins and minerals, so perhaps I will escape. Had no one else to take me to the doctor's office yesterday. Those vans that transport cost a huge bundle!
Still warm here!
fermatprime@gmail.com
Lemonade and Jazz did an analysis of yesterdays puzzle (which got quite mixed reviews, I think). So I looked at today's puzzle to compare:
Yesterday:
42 of the 76 words were 3 or 4 letters long
Today:
44 of the 76 words are 3 or 4 letters
Yesterday:
17 were 5 letters
Today:
14 are 5 letters
Yesterday:
Only 6 words with 8 or more letters.
Today:
Only 6 words with 8 or more letters.
Yesterday:
10 proper names
Today:
11 proper names
I was one of the ones who did like both puzzles, but I' m curious to know if everyone thinks today's was a much different experience?
HeartRX, I guess today's experience was different in that I struggled today and found yesterday's puzzle easy. I did find the theme to be easy today even with the errors I made, but overall the puzzle was difficult for me. I did find your comparison of the two puzzles interesting, thanks.
Good morning Al and all,
Well now we know what happened to all the "K"s removed from Friday's puzzle.
The puzzle analysis was interesting, and the fact Dennis found yesterday difficult and today easy, while Dick felt just the opposite is interesting. I thought the puzzles were similar, with yesterday’s getting some credit for creativity using only down fills for the theme, and today’s theme having some WIT knitted in the grid. We have APACE and AROAR, we have some new stuff, some unknowns but, overall, to me, both good but not great puzzles.
Ironically, my favorite was KNIGHT BLINDNESS, put in AINU, FARAD and EMIL from some obscure part of my brain. Maybe I am just grumpy this week, or spoiled by last week.
I am late, have a great day
Al, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for ALL the information.
OK, I liked the themes ... and the Rwanda Geography lesson.
Only my perps knew it was KIGALA.
FARAD shows up without our buddy Tesla?
RITA brought on a smile.
OUTIE got a laugh. Mine's an innie.
Dennis, I thought the "Whole nine yards" was a reference to some dumb, frat party, beer drinkin' game.
HeartRx, I liked both puzzle's about the same.
I thought Lemon was "dead-on" in his analysis.
After all, the constructor's from yesterday (esp.Rex Parker Does the NYT) critique crossword puzzles daily.
They very often give puzzles with so many 3 & 4 letter entries the 'Thumb-Down' ... then when they construct, they do it just the same.
Tinbeni, yes, that is "interesting" about Rex Parker. I was just curious to hear everyone's take on today's puzzle, as it was pretty similar. But somehow, the "feel" of this one was much more enjoyable, to me anyway. Maybe it was the subject of the themes that made the difference (I am not a big Sherman Tank fan, LOL). Today's had a "punn-y" theme, while yesterdays was just a list of "things" that can precede a word..."meh".
You've probably seen BQ's list on the internet, so yesterdays would probably be listed as "See #5 here".
Nice job, Al!
I fouled up the top half and had much less trouble with the south. Got the theme after KNOT, but didn't know KNICK so that was a croc. Also had POPE for SIGN until I cheated at the g'spot and found a few other answers. Never heard of FARAD or several other things here either.
The KN explanation was good, but in case you don't mind TMI here's more: The old English referred to is from the Saxon language and hence German--at least it was related, (now I'm not sure after hearing in the mouths of my d-i-l's family). The KN- as in Knecht--knight, which also meant manservant or farm hand, is why the knight always swears allegiance to a king or higher up of some sort. There are many other KN- words, Knote--knot, kneten--to knead, Knie--knee, Knopf--knob, and a lot of others that got lost in English.
But also, the -ght ending in knight is related to the same origin: in German it is always -cht, as in Knecht, Nacht--night, Licht--light, acht--eight, etc. So when you curse those spellings, blame the Germans.
Good Morning folks. A special acknowledgement and thanks to Mark Bickham. I thought the puzzle was excellent. About the right pace for a Thursday. A few really tricky clues to make it interesting. Also, a great write-up Al. Thank you. Thanks as well for posting, C.C.
I got started on this from the top down. It all came together until I got to the SW corner. First I put ALES instead of AXES. Ales have heads and handles. The foam on the head and handle on the mug. Oh well. I did not know the pianist Gilels, but I guessed EMIL, and got it right. I knew most of the crosswords. TMI was unknown to me until I thought about it. "Too Much Information" Then at 55A, I could not figure what an Unlikely Lint Gatherer was. Upon fixing ALES with AXES I realized that UNIX was a good answer, and then OUTIE jumped off the page at me. So, it all worked out. Successful crossword solve! I still have to solve last Thursdays puzzle. But, I will get it.
I had your beer, Melissa Bee. Definitely different. Should sip from a wine glass instead of chugging from a beer glass (as I did). At 9 percent you do not swill down multiple ounces in one gulp.
Abejo
Agree with Dennis - kind of an easy one for a Thursday. I got the theme right away and all the theme answers came easily which helped fill in much of the puzzle.
Nice right up and great pic of Rita.
Good Morning Al, et al, Just got back from Florida with my 23rd bunch of kids and except for a Biblical deluge on Monday, we had a great time! BTW, the torrent of rain drove lesser souls out of Magic Kingdom and the lines were miniscule! The Sun came out finally at 5 pm and we stopped helping an elderly gentleman load two of every animal on this big boat.
Waddaya mean you didn’t notice I was gone?
Nice info in the write-up Al! I can never understand why NASA, aviation and others insist on using knots instead of mph. When you see a plane is travelling at 500 knots, don’t you assume that is 500 mph? Also liked Bugs’ use of NIMROD info.
I loved this theme and it did help after I got KNIGHTBLINDNESS. East fell last with AIMFOR and the fact that I do not consider TMC in the same ballpark as HBO although I love TMC. It’s like a museum for clothing and mannerisms of bygone days you can see on TV.
Musings
-Nice FARAD bone for us physics phreaks
-AIMFOR instead of ASPIRE
-Loved OUTIE cluing
-Rita Hayworth, hubba hubba!
-Winchester Cathedral, you’re bringin’ me down
-Too many peeps aren’t asking, “What can I do FOR my country”. The country is running out of money to “do FOR you.”
-Oh to be in Kigali, now that winter is here
-Are AKITAS exceptionally loyal? I just traveled on four airplanes that were exceptionally, completely and very full. Redundancy, thy name is air travel
-Thought about LION but resisted
-Thought of computer COOKIES
-Stare = GAZE?
Hi There ~!
Well, I liked this puzzle, as I chimed in late last night to say I liked that puzzle, also, and it did seem a bit easier for a Thursday.
I did the same as BarryG, read concurrence as occurrence, made no sense for a long time.
Had SINU for AINU, and SKS didn't get me my Ta-Da, so I had to red-letter my mistake.
Good write-up, Al, and Dennis, I had heard that a WW I ammo box contained a belt of 27feet - therefore, when the box was empty, they got the "whole nine yards" - ever had anyone try to sound better by suggesting they go '10' yards?
I have....
I do not own a GIBSON; the 6 & 12 string guitar in my pic is an Epiphone, the 'bastard step-child' of Gibson. I do have an acoustic Fender.
Crummy, crummy morning, so I am calling it a day and getting ready for tomorrow's new 2-6" snow.
Splynter
Darn, I missed an opportunity there for 9D... I should have pointed out that Ken was reunited with Barbie after having undergone plastic surgery...
Good morning all ye puzzled people.
Thanks for a very informative write-up Al. Maybe a little TMI in some areas though...
At first glance this one looked a lot like yesterday's puzzle with lots of black squares and three letter fill. I wondered how the stats would compare. Thanks for the info, HeartRx. I found this to be fairly easy for a Thursday, but not a straight through solve by any means. I went through and put in the ones that (to me) were obvious and unambiguous, like JETTA, ALOU, FARAD, SAL, RITA and a few others and used those to trigger a thought on some of the crossing clues. No lookups needed and, since I do the puzzles on paper, no red letter help possible.
Like Dennis, that "G" was a hard one and came as the last entry. The "add a K" theme came easily and filled a lot of the puzzle. I missed the fact that "purls of wisdom" was part of the theme and, in spite of knowing that purl is a knitting term, I was looking for some sort of term associated with such a phrase. Sort of like mixed metaphors. When perps gave me enough to see KNITWIT, I had to duck the flying V8 can and felt like a nitwit for KNOT seeing it sooner.
Re, the astrological signs, born a Taurus, still a Taurus and don't give me any bull about it.
Hi all -
I thought this was less difficult than Tuesday, but I still had trouble.
It didn't help anything that I put LION in for 26A and I sure didn't know KIGALI (who did?).
Had to laugh at the cross of TMI and ZITS. Yuk. (my fault for doing this right after breakfast)
I usually have trouble with play on word puzzles and this one did cause some frowns and groping for the V-8 can (just in case), but I did manage to get all solved with perp help.
I was surprised that NIMROD just popped out of my gray matter...funny what lurks in there isn't it?
Dennis: I thought of you when reading 47D.
I put SOHO in for 27A...had to chuckle (my evil mind) thinking that one would be a 'SOHO' if working Manhattan...busy, busy.
Good morning all. Nice detailed write-up, Al.
I thought today's puzzle was easier than yesterday. Got the theme early and particularly liked KNIGHTBLINDNESS and KNEWENGLAND. Thought the clue for OUTIE was one of the funnier ones we've had in a while. PEACOAT crossed NAVES. The root or origin of nave is the same as for navy or naval. (And we had a word for navel today, as well.:-))
KNOT- is a nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile is a very convenient unit for navigators, because it is one minute of latitude. This makes it much easier to find position, work with a sextant and LOPs (lines of position) use charts and dividers to lay out courses, compute ETA's, etc.
(A statute mile = 5280 ft.; a nautical mile ~= 6076 feet.)
Enjoy the day
Hi Al & gang...
My wife and I got 90% of today's long entries before she left for work. I didn't connect knit wit with knitting until I got here?
I had to look up the term and found:Knitticisms
Always a great job, Al.
HeartRx - I'm with you. Enjoyed both puzzles equally but yesterday's took me 5 more minutes to solve. Today's seemed like the easiest Thursday in a long while.
Fun (or maybe disgusting) fact about Moises ALOU: it is well known that he would urinate on his hands to keep them soft. Actually there's some science behind this since urea is a common component of hand lotions.
Which brings to mind 61D: TMI
Might explain why no one wanted to share a high five with him.
Hello, Al, C.C. and all blogger friends.
Thank you, Al, for your thorough explanations and yes, I GAWKed at the hunk.
I started slowly on this but after one cup of joe, it speeded up for me. Ny first fill was Moises ALOU which I know only from xwds. Then JOSE Cuervo and MOJO so the entire NE ws complete and on to the rest of the east.
FARAD came slowly and once I looked for KIGALI in my gazeteer, the theme jumped out and it sailed on with TRIANGULAR jib.
I really liked the theme especially KNITWIT and KNOTOFTHIS WORLD. Very clever.
Hahtool:
I am also in the Ophiucus group and recently I heard it pronounced. It sound like "O f** us" so I doubt I'll be saying it much. Of course that was Jon Stewart so maybe not.
I liked this because it felt comfortable; yesterday's seemed disorienting only because of the vertical theme, but I still enjoyed solving it.
Manhattan, I believe, has both NOHO and Soho, north and south of Houston.
Cookie information threw me off especially since I had KNICKINTIME with IN instead of, OF. After studying it a while FORTUNE rose up at me.
HuskerGary:
Welcome back! I'm glad you had a good time and avoided being flooded away.
HeartRX:
That's very interesting and as I said above, the solve was not difficult, just disorenting. Nothing bad about that.
Kazie:
Thank you for the further explanation of KN et al. ESL students find those combinations really difficult.
Have a great Thurdsy, everyone!
I'm sorry about the typos; it's time I started wearing my glasses when posting.
Good Morning All, how easy it was after completing the first theme answer KNIGHT BLINDNESS and jumping down the grid to fill in other "K's" in the appropriate place. I admit that was of minimal help. It did remind me of Monty Python's Knights Who Say Ni!, so it was good for a morning laugh.
I started going downhill when I understood (3D) "Like jibs" to mean JIBES. No way I could make TRIANGULAR jibe with jib.
(6A) "Stare" so often shows up as OGLE, that GAWK didn't fly into my radar.
Eventually MOST everything was figured out. I didn't know FARAD, KIGALI, UNIX or EMIL.
If anybody wants "cookie" information, my granddaughter is selling Girl Scout cookies. $4 a box and they can be donated to Operation Cookie Drop to the troops overseas. GAH and I don't need the calories, so that is what we are doing. I won't mention it again, but Girl Scouts is a wonderful program to keep young girls and teens in school, involved in their communities and un-pregnant. All good stuff.
JimmyB@10:31 that little bit about Moises ALOU really was TMI (even more than the belly button fuzz link with photos. Hey,calling it navel fluff doesn't make it any more appealing). I can't help but wonder if Moises let the urine dry on his hands. I wouldn't imagine it would have the desired softening effect if he washed it off right alway.....YUCK...
Be back later. Time to get ready for our Ladies Mystery Tea. Should be fun. I'm one of the characters and have to defend myself against the charge that I killed the Duke. I won't know until it's over if I am guilty. I'll let you know later.
Have a good day. Thanks as always, Al.
I finally completed it - Yeaahh ! - a Thursday puzzle ( this is for the record books - ). Actually it was way easier than yesterdays. Very punny - and yet do-able - made all the difference. God bless Mark Bickham.
Al, I loved your blog and commentary - let me count the ways -
-Loved your font - it's elegant and EASY TO READ ! ( Serifs can go to hell - ).
-Your humour is much appreciated.
Soo, you are a chemist, a physicist, electrical engineer, IT expert and an etymologist ( or entomologist - or that too ) to boot ! You should go the whole 9 yards and Jeopardize yourself. God knows, they need a better grade of contestants out there.
Some musings:
Intra-ocular lens, as for cataract surgery also cause some form/degree of night blindness.
I had used Farads in calculations, but had no idea of their dimunitive size. Thank you for giving me a perspective of their 'relative puny-ness'. I have seen capacitors, the size of a house - 18 feet high - now they dont feel very impressive.
As my professor always said - If a man can figure out how to store electrical energy - efficiently and in large quantities - he will rule the universe. ( We haven't done it yet - )
Lucina:
I'm with you. In spite of the appeal of the pronunciation (although I somehow doubt that "What's your sign?" is an effective pickup line these days), I think I will remain a Saggitarius.
ClearAyes:
"I won't know until it's over if I am guilty" is either a description of my typical argument with the Irish or a good working title for my autobiography.
I have a tanktop that reads "Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder". So?
I think we can also say that "Difficulty is in the mind of the solver" since I also found today's puzzle much easier than yesterday's.
Dennis: Yes some gts are strictly paint and trim upgrades but my dream car is fast sports car! Now if could only hit that Powerball...
Would I lie to you?
I want everyone to know that I aint NOHO. But I am easy. I did try HOES first for 68A
Whoa, a speed run! I was filling in answers without reading the clues first. I mean, what else could N_MR_D be? Loved the cluing, but every mis-direction just seemed to shove me toward the correct answer.
HeartRx's analysis is interesting. I liked them both, but definitely had an easier time today.
I loved the girl in the astrology article: I'm not a Taurus, they're stubborn. I'm open-minded, so I refuse to change!!! It's interesting that this has come up now, since it's something that every beginning astronomy class has taught for years. I heard it back in the early 70's in mine. Should I be traumatized that I'm no longer a LEO? Probably KNOT, since I can't remember what precedes Leo and don't care enough to look it up.
I stated once on here that I wanted to get a dog and name it Kick. That won't happen soon, as I just acquired Shila. She belonged to a lady I was seeing this past summer and seemed happier with me, so I was gifted her. Makes me happier, too.
All triangular foresails are Jibs. But a larger foresail can be called a Genoa. Amongst San Juan sailors, the large sail is called Genoa and the smaller is called the jib. The San Juan 21 association is fighting over continuing to allow the use of the Genoa, so I first thought of small sails as the answer for 3D, since TOO TINY SAIL wouldn't fit. Can you guess which side of the fight I'm on?
Off to get a dog bed.
Hi everybody. Another pleasant, sunny day here. I feel guilty not having some snow to shovel. I had to deal with it for several years while at Cornell. I lived at the bottom of a big hill called Libe (library) slope. Getting up that hill every day when the paths were icy was no easy feat.
Husker Gary, was Miss American an ex-student of yours? I read where Omaha was voted one of the most affordable cities because of low unemployment, price, real estate and relatively good salaries.
I had trouble with NOHO, AINU and KIGALI among others. I enjoyed Al's writeup as I always do. Since JFK was in the puzzle, have you checked out the JFK Google doodle today?
You've all heard about the dangers of texting while driving? Texting while walking can be risky too. Oops!
Also, here's a video of a super Wiffle Ball pitcher. I used to enjoy pitching and hitting a Wiffle ball but I never saw anybody who could throw like this.
CA,
email me an address and I'll buy some boxes if you promise to donate them for me.
Rita Hayworth was Aly Khan's second ( or third ) wife - she had a daughter, by him (Princess) Yasmin Aga Kahn - younger step sister to the present Aga ( or Agha) the Karim Aga Khan.
During Barbie and Ken's estrangement - there was a divorced Barbie for sale ,at $ 199, - she came with Ken's house, Ken's car, Ken's pool and his retirement plan...
Talking of divorces, Zsa Zsa Gabor was on the news. As Lemonade said, she claimed to be a good housekeeper, because after each of her 8 divorces, she kept the house. Unfortunately, now she is 93, and had to have an amputation, above the knee, on her left foot, because of gangrene.
It seems like only yesterday, when she was so young and such a sex symbol. As Bob Hope said ' She had so much oomph, when she was born,her parents had to name her twice.'
Vidwan, why are you posting as anon lately?
Hi gang -
Got off to a good start with this puzzle, but bogged down quick. Sussing the theme - which I enjoyed immensely -helped. Eventually made it through by hunting and pecking, without technical assistance.
Great fill: OPTIC NERVE, TRIANGULAR, FORTUNE, TAG LINE!
On of my great^4 grandfathers in the mid 1800's was named Nimrod. His wife was Terza.
Like Hatool, I've been Ophuiched.
Didn't have insomnia last night, but did have odd, troubling dreams, which have now escaped me. Not very restful, and I don't have a lot in the TANK today.
I'm gong to hit the treadmill and see if I can get some energy flowing - just as soon as I can drag my sorry carcass off the couch.
Cheers!
JzB
First off I needed to check the calendar to verify that this was indeed Thursday as the puzzle seemed more like a Tuesday level to me. The theme came early and usually when I suss that out, it’s going to be a good solving experience. I admit I did have to hit the g-spot for the capital of Rwanda, “Kigali” but other unknowns like Farad, alou, ainu and sisal all filled in via the perps. My hand is also up for Soho instead of Noho and I should have known better. Favorite today was “mug imperfections” – zits.
Al, as always, I learn something new every time you blog. You are a fountain of information! I could have done without the belly button “fluff” link. That indeed was TMI!! Oh, and thanks for the link to that gorgeous example of a male….I did indeed “gawk” a couple of times!
We are heading into the deep freeze tonight with temps well below zero with heavy winds making it even more unbearable. I am definitely digging out the lined wool slacks and long johns for work tomorrow!
Good Afternoon C.C.,Al and all,
Really enjoyed your write-up,Al. Thanks.
I think today's puzzle was similar to yesterday's; and thanks to HeartRx for the work on that. I did like today's better. The theme had some humor and life to it.
Today's was easier, but strange, long names always seem harder to me- more remote. Also, my maiden name was in today's- can't gripe about that.
I put ALES for AXIS, but everything else was a breeze. After reading the posts, ALOU will never be the same for me, I doubt he washed his hands;and navel lint finally has been quantified.
Think I'll be checking in later. BRRR,Jeannie; take care.
Have a nice evening everyone.
Urine and TMI -
At the cost of sounding gross etc. - I must mention that I have come across - in a non-fiction book on deep sea fishing for King Crab etc., on the inner banks ( i.e. southern border of - ) Alaska ---
--- and on one of the various episodes of the show about deep sea fishing on the Discovery channel ( "Deadliest Catch") -- that 'ship hands' or fishermen ( 'salt tars' in xwordese ), who suffer from a particular form of arthritis ( & joint inflammation )on their finger joints and toes, because of the biting cold and the corrosive salt water, sometimes use their own warm urine, to run on the affected parts, to alleviate the pain and inflammation and reduce the incidence of those attacks. Please note that this is not an accepted medical procedure.
Lucina, thanks for the welcome back! It was 70 degrees cooler when I got in on Wed. morning!
Bill G., the new Miss America is from Gering, Nebraska which is 400 miles west of here. She's a cutie and the state is very proud of her.
Yes, we have a very low unemployment rate and live on top of the best underground aquifer on the planet. We also have Fortune 500 companies and great schools. Winter ain't so great but that's the way it goes.
Thanks to all who answered my question. ClearAyes, I forgot to thank you for yesterday's poem by Sherman ALexie. It was quite moving to hear, from a native American. But I still want to read his "Absolutely true diary..."
Fermatprime, keep taking those vitamins! But I'm glad to hear you got a good night's sleep for a change.
Welcome back, Husker ! (Yes, you were missed...) Hope you got all those animals loaded without any problems...
And Spitzboov, thanks for the explanation of "knots". I always wondered about that!
As for all the urine info...eewwww, TMI !!!
HG:
During the holidays one of my cousins and her family returned to live in Nebraska. Her husband failed to find employment here but returned to his previous job there, in Hastings.
She usually has no problem as an occupational therapist.
In the pics she sent it looks very, very cold. But those are the breaks, aren't they?
Spitz:
I thank you as well. I had not known why "knots" was used.
Since we are getting into TMI:
in the Jethro Tull song, "Aqualung", there is this line, "he goes down to the bog and warms his feet." ...it is a common practice for homeless people in the dead of winter to go to a public toilet (bog) and urinate on their feet to keep from getting frostbite on their toes. If they had wool socks, it could help because wool retains more heat if it is wet.
Maybe Mainiac can confirm that fishermen in winter soak their woolen mittens just for that reason. (Not that they soak them in urine, I hope.)
O.K., I'll bite...
It is true about Alou.
I've heard stories that many baseball players use the urine trick. The funny thing is that they do this not to soften them but to make them tougher.
Also, since they are a superstitous bunch, if it works for one guy having a successful streak, then it will work for every guy...the TMI point? It's not their OWN urine that's on a streak!
Argyle: respectfully -
Woven Wool = bad heat conductor = very good Insulator
(Static) Air = not a good conductor of heat = fairly good insulator
Water (Moisture ) = a little better conductor of heat = not so good insulator
Ergo, me thinks, a 'dry' woolen mitten would be a better insulator than (soaking ) wet mittens.
As for the poor, hapless, homeless man - if he knew the principles of physics, he might not have been in that unenviable predicament in the first place. Perhaps, he has to work with what he's got.
Although this wasn't easy, it certainly was not as difficult as the normal Thursday. Maybe because I figured out the 'silent k' idea. Yesterday's puzzle was much more difficult for me.
Dot
Why do I always get a message"There was an error with your password", the first time I try to post my comments? Then when I enter exactly the same info, the comment is saved.
Dot
I don't know Dot. I get the same thing.
Anon, Google it.
(going over my anon limit ...)
Argyle, respectfully, Google what ?
Argyle and Dot, I have found that MOST of the time, if I enter my password very slowly and carefully, it will "take" it the first time. Occasionally, it doesn't work, but most of the time it does.
Won't comment on the puzzle except to say it seemed a tad harder than Wednesday's. My solving experience was pretty much like everyone elses'.
Living north of the Mason Dixon Line is an acquired taste even in Hastings, NE - the birthplace of Kool Aid. There is a certain insular quality to being bundled up tight and getting lost in a good crossword or book! Being productive can be so annoying!
Unemployment is not a big issue here and our state has never gone into debt like Illinois, California, et al seem intent on.
HeartRx Thanks for the kind words.
Back to subbing tomorrow!
Urine also neutralizes Jellyfish venom, so if you are stung, go p*** on yourself.
Gunghy (7:14) puts new meaning to "better to be pissed off than pissed on."
All right, here is the infamous Friends link.
Thanks for the "Friends," link Seen. That's the first thing I thought of after reading some of today's discussions!
AL: Did you change fonts for your write up today?
Seen, too funny!
Argyle, dot and D.dill, before we switched over to Firefox, I ALWAYS had to sign in twice.
Al, thanks for all the wonderful extras today. The silent K-a good find.But, you almost lost me at obfuscated. I had to look up capacitance: enjoyed all the math I didn't get.
favorite-cookie information,perhaps
some fun fills today.
Husker, yes, we missed you.Do you usually sub in science? Tomorrow I have math,L.A. and art.
Seen, OMG, that is the FUNNIEST link I have"Seen' here. TMI !!!!!!!!
I have done mostly math and science but have done reading and get social studies tomorrow. Where in the world is Mr. Schlapfer?
Referring to the urine on jellyfish stings, I had always heard that it worked like that for bluebottles. They wash up on Sydney beaches at certain times and their long tails pack a very painful sting, so it's good to know in case you get too close to one or accidentally walk on one half submerged in the sand. I believe they are related to the famous men-o-war jellyfish found in other areas.
@ARABON, the font for all the blog entries should be "Georgia", C.C.'s standard choice. I don't think I did anything differently...
I just took the garbage and recycling to the curb for pick up tomorrow. You guys, if I were brave enough could have 'pee'd your name in the snow bank here and it would probably still be here come March!
Husker Gary, good to see your "musings" again. I am glad you had fun with the "chillin's" as my southern Mom would say. I just say, "It's chillin' here" as it's very cold outside and as promised took the wool lined slacks off the hanger and came up with an "outfit" for tomorrow.
Night-all. Cross your fingers that my car starts tomorrow, as I have an important meeting I MUST attend down town tomorrow morning.
Seen:
That link is hilarious. Thanks for posting it.
Has anyone been watching Oprah this week? She is showing the trip to Australia (when she took 300 fans) and the scenery has been gorgeous!
I hope to make that trip at some point.
Good night everyone!
Jeannie, do I remember rightly from my father and my days growing up in Virginia, that you have to winterize your car? Antifreeze, lighter weight oil and grease, etc.? Batteries don't last as long? No such worries here.
BillG, growing up in the snow belt of Lake Michigan, I know all too well about getting ready for winter. Remember snow tires? I think those are a thing of the past. It was always a ritual to put up the snow fence and put the snow tires on the vehicles. Yes, I know how to change a tire, thanks to Nick. I can also wield a shovel, and drive a tractor w/ a plow. Matter of fact, that's where I got my first "stick shift" experience!
Stick shift, Lo lita you are a dirty bird
MFCounselor....thank you for my "bow" out tonite on "69"
I forgot to sign,
Lo-li-ta. (Jeannie for you newbies)
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