Theme:: How to have great ABs. The letters AB are added to the beginning word of a known phrase to create a new and humorous new phrase. We still see so many addition on puzzles, so let's look and find what I believe new constructor Mr. McDermott has done to amuse us.
17A. Entrance exam study guide?: ABOUT DOORS. I really like the trickery of ENTRANCE EXAM cluing DOORS.
62A. Behar's home?: ABODE TO JOY. Beethoven's WORK is trivialized into the View hostess, Joy Behar.
11D. Steal office supplies?: ABDUCT TAPE. We recently discussed duct tape, now we our ABDUCTING (kidnapping) TAPE, fun.
28D. Missing letters?: ABSENT MAIL. SENT MAIL being an email concept, making this a fresh clue.
Happy Friday; Lemonade back on the job, with a doable but cleverly clued puzzle, with a simple theme, but many common answers clued differently, and 7 fill-in-the blank clues. When you are teaching some one to do crosswords, everyone suggests they start with the FITB clues. While you do this effort, I will highlight all the fill that I can twist into having a meaning directly for me, maybe you can do the same with different angles.
Across:
1. Put one's hands at ten and two: STEER. Very visual, but seldom followed by anyone after they secure their license.
6. Aptly named lotion: AFTA. A brand of AFTER shave.
10. 1970 NBA expansion team: CAVS. The Cleveland Cavaliers, and ex-home of LeBron James.
14. Poet Neruda: PABLO. He is becoming our poet laureate.
15. Affect, in slang: GRAB. How do Mr. McDermott's clues GRAB you so far?
16. Reed in a pit: OBOE. Orchestra pit, another nice visual.
19. Jim Davis pooch: ODIE. Well first you need to know who created GARFIELD, but better than the usual drool clue.
20. Parlor treat: SUNDAE. Lois and Carol probably had different treats in mind in their parlors.
21. "Break a leg": GOOD LUCK. You are never supposed to wish an actor good luck, though no one is sure why they must break a leg. One myth says it came from John Wiles Booth, who broke his leg when he leapt on stage to shoot Lincoln, bu that hardly makes sense.
23. Mediterranean high spot: ETNA. The mountain in Sicily. I would have LOVED the clue if left out the "spot."
25. Dazes: TRANCES.
26. They go nowhere: DEAD ENDS. Because of all our canals, Ft. Lauderdale has more dead end streets than any other city. (I just made up that fact!)
30. Lead singer Michaels of Poison: BRET. He had a very trying year with health problems, and the Donald, but he was once quite the STAR . ( I represent rock and roll bands).
31. Sphere: ORB. From the Latin Orbis, meaning circle. (It also can mean eye, and I studied Latin for years).
32. American Patriot Deane: SILAS. I suggest you read about this one time hero, one time pariah. LINK . (he was born in Conn. near where I was born).
34. Legally prevent: ESTOP. Both Latin and a legal term.
37. Game with a Ural territory: RISK. This game never thrilled me; not into war I guess.
39. Only part of Egypt in Asia: SINAI. Hard to recall Egypt is an African country.
41. "Ditto": SAME. How many remember DITTO and MIMEOGRAPH machines?
42. They're tucked in a cannonball: KNEES. Jumping into the pool to make a huge wave.
44. Suisse capital: BERNE. Ah ha, not EURO; I went to Switzerland to Ski. Berne? No it was quite chilly, actually.
46. Selfish sort: PIG. Ah, more about this.
47. Russian refusal: NYET. A shared MEMORY ?
49. Squash relative: RACQUETS. Squash actullly derived from this GAME .
51. Flanders city: ANTWERP. Belgium.
54. Sink or swim, perhaps: NOUN. Tricky, but becoming common.
55. Cross, often: MEMORIAL. So sad to see them on the edge of the highway.
57. Title for Bovary: MADAME. M. Flaubert's novel.
61. Man __: O WAR. Since we are approaching the Kentucky Derby, it is appropriate to see the first super horse in a puzzle.
64. John __, the Lone Ranger: REID. How many recall our discussion of the Green Hornet (because of the movie) who is Britt Reid, the nephew of the LR?
65. Atty.-to-be's exam: LSAT. I used to teach an LSAT prep class, to help kids get into Law School, many are now suing me for getting them in.
66. Maternally related: ENATE. Well, NATAL we know is birth, but did not know this word.
67. Six-sided rooms: ELLS. A nice change from the overhead trains.
68. Guidelines: Abbr.: STDS. Now for me, I would clue this Crabs and Clamydia, because of the following clue, 69. Battle of the __: SEXES.
Ok, on to the rest.
Down:
1. Mudbath offerers: SPAS. Also many places in the south now.
2. House of Dana perfume: TABU. This perfume was introduced in 1932, and used the creative spelling to get attention, something the Beatles capitalized on.
3. "By a swan's __ bill": Keats: EBON. Maybe CA knew this line, but the perps filled with this common poetic abbreviation.
4. Gave the runaround: ELUDED. My FAVORITE .
5. Spins: ROTATES.
6. Back: AGO.
7. Throat trouble: FROG. Got a frog in your throat, or are you croaking?
8. Card worth a fortune?: TAROT. Nice fresh way to clue this standard. With, 43D. 8-Down user: SEER.
9. Engross: ABSORB. A bit of a confusing fill, as it conflicts with the theme; deliberately?
10. Snoopy-wearing-shades trait: COOLNESS. he actually is Joe Cool, when he wears them.
12. Declare: VOICE. As in opinions, which reminds me where are WH?
13. Looks for: SEEKS.
18. Menace with a blond cowlick: DENNIS. A shout out to our own.
22. Schoolyard pressure: DARE. I like this clue, and certainly my earliest memories of the schoolyard were a series of stupid dares.
24. Stage surprise: AD LIB. It was always fun to watch White Fang and Black Tooth deliberately change things to throw Soupy Sales off his game.
26. Doofus: DORK. Funny, I just was explaining this to a foreign friend of mine.
27. "__ Brockovich": ERIN. Did you like the MOVIE ?
29. Less fruity?: SANER. Like fruit cake? Meh.
33. Wrap around a wrap, maybe: SARAN. Nice play on wrap/wrap.
35. Drop: OMIT.
36. Identifies: PEGS. My ex-wife's least favorite nickname. She thought she had me pegged.
38. Googling elements: KEY WORDS. Actually, it is AOL that used that term.
40. Net __: INCOME. When I was a kid I was fascinated why anyone would consider money GROSS income.
45. Puts on a par (with): EQUATES.
48. Olympic qualifying events: TRIALS. Well he could have use a legal clue....
50. Incomplete: UNDONE. We are almost done, so hang in.
51. Martin's "That's __": AMORE. DEAN remember when we loved our drunks?
52. Staircase support: NEWEL. We have had this clue before; also my son Devin's middle name is Newell. Speaking of brewers of beer, he is offically a brewer now, with business card.
56. Pack: LOAD. I caution him not to get too loaded at work.
58. Trojan War hero: AJAX. I am sure you all recall this giant redheaded warrior, and my betta.
59. Floating speck, perhaps: MOTE. Which is what I have floating in my eyes because of all the surgeries.
60. Looks closely at: EYES. Did I mention eyes?
63. Some NFL linemen: DTS. Last week it was Delerium Tremens, I guess that means the draft is on and we all need some Defensive Tackles.
Well, another new guy, another new experience. have a great week-end, here comes May!
Lemonade
79 comments:
Morning, all!
Decent Friday effort. Lots of tricky clues, but nothing too bad. I struggled for a long time before I finally got AGO at 6D (I had AFT) and, while I know what SARAN wrap is, I totally didn't get what "wrap around a wrap" was supposed to mean (what's the other sense of "wrap"?).
I think the only total unknown today was RAQUETS, but it was inferable. Oh -- and I kept trying to figure out how KEYWORDS fit into the theme before realizing it was just a random long answers...
A WRAP is supposed to be healthier form of sandwich.
WOW, what a day for something different (than CNBC) to watch with my morning coffee & puzzle.
I'll bet it has been 30 years since I watched ...
"One Million Years B.C." on TCM.
Theme became apparent with the ABODE-TO-JOY.
Liked the ABDUCT-TAPE and ABSENT-MAIL.
Thought the ABOUT-DOORS was a stretch with the cluing.
Nice "Shout-Out" to DENNIS.
Oh well, I "got'er done" correctly, in non-record time.
(Where was that Wednesday 'SLOG' when I needed it?)
Cheers to all at Sunset.
I loved the way that tarot and trance crossed each other.
Hello Puzzlers - Burned right through this at one AM, must be the vitamins. Caught on early despite being a little miscued at ABSORB. Never heard of RACQUETS as opposed to RACQUETBALL, but it fits. AGO took forever to dawn on me.
SILAS Deane was a gimme. I used to travel the Connecticut state highway named for him to get to Pratt & Whitney's training facility, the place where they teach airline mechanics to maintain those big engines. Interesting place (since relocated).
I've read somewhere the the real Erin Brokovitch wasn't as gorgeous as Julia Roberts.
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I loved this Friday puzzle, which seemed a bit easier than the usual Friday. I had a spot of trouble in the northern section, but once I found ABODE TO JOY, I realized the theme.
I, too, was amused by the crossing of Tarot and Trance. Also the fresh cluing for TAROT.
Wrap around a Wrap mislead me into thinking the answer was Saris. Unfortunately, the first three letters were correct.
My favorite clue was They're Tucked in Cannon Balls = KNEES.
Best to Will and Kate.
Good morning.
Yes - tricky clues but not hard to figure out. Did need the perps for some.
Saran wrap wrapped around a sandwich wrap.
Racquets threw me as I kept thinking of a squash/vegetable relative. Not thinking of the sport.
I remember the ditto and mimeograph machines and everyone in school sniffing the paper because of the ink that was used.
How's this for a holiday? Today is National Hairball Awareness Day.
Happy Friday!
Tricky, but doable, though I confess to getting stuck in the NE in the end, turning to Google to look up the Keats line, and finding that the first few hits were in fact crossword solving sites that inadvertently gave me SUNDAE and ELUDED, which had, until that point, ELUDED me. I'm sure armed only with EBON I could have worked those out eventually for myself, but once I saw them, I saw them.
Lots of what I think of as sideways clues, clues that don't quite exactly fit the answers, but are close. My one nitpick would be CAVS for "1970 NBA expansion team," which should have said something like "for short" (since the full name is obviously Cavaliers) and without it, I felt sure it had to be Nets, but then again, now that I look more closely at the clue, the abbreviation NBA probably was my clue that it was abbreviated, and I should shut up and stop whining.
Lemonade, funny you should think of a game for man O WAR, and not the stinging, blue-tinted, balloon-like jellyfish that have been washing up on Fort Lauderdale's beaches for the past few weeks and giving the tourists (and a few unwary locals) painful welts!
They Go Nowhere = DEAD ENDS. All I could think of here was the Talking Heads song, Road to Nowhere, and now that song is running through my head.
Not bad for a Friday and doing the ping-pong head movement between the puzzle and the telly. Tried to put rutabaga for a squash relative; I had the "r" from saner. Thought the home of Behar was a bit punny.
Actually saw some sun yesterday and a bit already this a.m.
A good weekend to all.
Barry G - the other sense of "wrap" that comes to mind is the windup of a film shoot, as in "It's a wrap."
My snag today, 5Down: Spins.
Tried REVOLES (Oops, wrong spelling.) Then RELATES, (as in spin a tale. Thought I was clever for catching that.) Finally, I came around (ROTATES).
Sandwich wrap, eh? That's what we call "strollers" around here.
Guess it's sort of like the old Sub/Hero/Grinder/Hoagie issue...
This week has been doable except for all the proper names, but today was a different story. Not only names but also foreign references.
Two clues that stumped me: 6 across; aptly named lotion? Afta, a razor as far as I know not a lotion. Also, 49 across; Squash relative? When does equipment necessary to play a game become a relative of the game? Anyone?
Argyle:
I like your take on 'Spins.'
Barry G.:
Around here, in Tarpon Springs, we have Gyro's ...
My only "write-over" was Mavs into CAVS.
(Hell, I have "no-idea" when "ANY" NBA team came into being through expansion).
Couldn't figure out what "Moolness" was before the V-8 can head slap.
Snoopy in the sunglasses IS "COOLNESS" personified !!!
Sherry, The Razor is ATRA, the clue is for the AFTER SHAVE .
If you read my explanation, RACQUETS is the game from which Squash devolved. It does not refer to the things used to hit the balls.
If those were your only problems, you had this one knocked.
Sherry, the razor is Atra, the lotion Afta.
I don't know Barry. You're in Mass and I'm in RI. Down here we call them wraps.
FYI - When my granddaughter took Driver's Ed - she said they NOW advise drivers to NOT STEER at 10 and 2 but to hold the wheel at 9 and 3. Something to do with your own hands/arms hitting your face if the front air bag deploys.
Racquetball, to the best of my knowledge, is often shortened to racquets. So the term is referring to the game itself and not the equipment. Therefore, relative of squash fits.
Good morning Lemonade and TGIF'ers all. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that didn't know ENATE. Perps to the rescue though.
I fell into the ALOE/AFT trap for a while, but caught the theme early when ABDUCT TAPE jumped out at me after the first three letters.
RACQUETS had to emerge through perps as I too was thinking vegetables.
I thought it was easier than most Friday's but it was an enjoyable solve. We've had a pretty good week of new or seldom seen constructors.
Good Morning, folks. Thanks for a great puzzle, Jeff. Thank you Lemonade 714, for all your hard work and expertise.
Got through this slowly, but methodically. I was watching the Royal Wedding at the same time.
Thought Thursday's and Friday's puzzles should have been switched. I still do not have Thursday's done.
The theme appeared with ABDUCTTAPE first. I had to skip the NW initially. Nothing jumped out. That was the last corner to finish. I had OPEN for 3D for a while. Once I got ABOUTDOORS that gave me EBON.
I thought 1A was excellent with STEER. I kept putting my hands up in the air at 10 and 2 and tried to figure out what it meant. Kept thinking of the song YMCA. Oh well. It came to me eventually.
Thought PABST was a good one. I have had a few of those.
Really enjoyed the wedding this morning. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
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Good Day Everyone,
Similar experience. Tricky clues but able to figure them out. A bit lower on the difficulty than a normal Friday. Very fun.
Hahtool, you got me yearning some Heads. Good tune!
Sunny and closing in on 60 today. First cruise ship is in also.
TGIF
Kate and Williams' wedding has made it to the Google doodle today ... interesting.
Hi There ~!
I moved through this one quickly today, with little hang-up anywhere.
I jammed "Every Rose" on the electric guitar with a buddy of mine a couple of years back; I insisted we do it, even though he wasn't a big fan - I knew it was a crowd pleaser, and we got our loudest applause for it, too ~!
I am not thrilled with Newel as a "staircase support" - it's more of the handrail support; I had riser first, and even that isn't as good as stringer. Sorry, just the carpenter in me.
I loved RISK in high school - we had Castle Risk, too. a group of us would race over to the house to get a round in on lunch.
We used to play "wall-yball" in the racquets courts - essentially volleyball with hockey-style boards as part of the play - fast and fun ~!
Splynter
Good Morning All, who knew that RACQUETS is an actual game? Thanks for the link, Lemonade.
Scotty, Ha...rutabaga? I shouldn't laugh. My first thought for "squash relative" was pumpkin.
I did laugh that I remembered TABU. That was hot stuff when I was a kid.
"Less fruity" means SANER? Very strange connection. In the phrase, "nuttier than a fruitcake", it is the nuts that are insane. (Come to think of it, that is pretty strange too.)
Barry G.'s "stroller" as a sandwich wrap was new too. That's always been a baby carriage to me.
I enjoyed the theme phrases. Maybe that's because I got them fairly easily. No problem with PABLO Neruda or Keat's EBON line.
Not easily filled were 32A SILAS Deane (I never heard of this patriot.) and 37A RISK. I've never played the game. Perps to the rescue!
Julia Roberts is very pretty, but I'm not a big fan of most of her movies.
Hi gang -
No DENNIS, on a day when the puzzles asks for him?
Fun run today. Couldn't come up with Dean Martin - somehow got stuck on Steve. So the SW corner ELUDED me. ABODE was my first theme ans. Great performance at the link
Good finds on Jug bands last night, guys. They do seem to be rather short of actual jugs, though. I guess you blow across the mouth of the jug, rather like playing a flute. Or a milk bottle from long AGO. I Haven't played one.
IMBO. Cheers!
JzB who has some opportunities to AD LIB
In honor of today's royal wedding, we can all use our royal name. Simply start with Lord or Lady. Your first name is that of one of your grandparents' names. Your surname is the name of your first pet, then "of" followed by the name of the street you grew up on.
My royal name is Lady Mae Polly of Gilbert.
Finishing today's puzzle requires some absolving.
Counselor- Besides ABSORB, we also have PABST, TABU, GRAB, and PABLO. Kind of fun.
Not so fun-
ABSORB- Belly button
ANTWERP- Puny picnic pest
Puzzle was easy enough, except my paper hyphenated 'lotion' in 6A. I kept reading it as 'location' and put in Alta (the aptly named ski resort). Skreem!!
Afternoon, Lemonade, C.C. and gang - dragged out of bed by my feet at 4 this morning to watch the wedding stuff, then to the gym, then to one of my distributors, so this is the first chance I've had to post. As to the wedding, it was actually pretty neat to watch and I gotta tell you, outside of my wife, that woman was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen.
Looks like all my thoughts on the puzzle have been well covered. I liked the shout-out, although the cartoon name followed (haunted)) me until my teens. Tried putting 'straighter' for 'less fruity?', but alas, it was a bit long. Favorite clue was 'they're tucked in a cannonball'. Very, very enjoyable puzzle.
anon@9:12, the few advanced driving schools I've been to have been adamant about using the 10-2 position as it provides maximum flexibility, but I can understand the airbag concern. I still think I'd rather have the flexibility and hopefully that'll help me avoid that thing going off in my face. (So many lines...)
you got me yearning some Heads.
Mainiac, amen.
Good Day C.C., Lemonade and all,
Thank you for your autobiographical write-up; I must return to it a little later.
The puzzle seemed so much more doable than yesterday’s. ABODE TO JOY revealed the theme; and perps took care of PABLO and SINAI; DTS too ENATE was an immediate ‘known’ for me; and I would swear it comes from crossword puzzles.
I have been ABSORBed with the Royals’ coverage. This seems to be the real thing and my hat’s off to
them.
Have a nice day everyone.
Hello.
Hands at 10 and 2. A hold over from my days racing my Jag and before air bags. Also with the paddle shifters on the steering wheel , easier to shift and thumbs
don't get stuck and broken if you hit anything. Several Izod drivers are driving with broken wrists.
Avoided the wedding.
Take care.
Splynter, the carpenter in me has to agree with your take on Newel. My first thought was post. Since that didn't fit I wrote Dowel, which I erased later.
Splynter, Mainiac, I guess the only reason I didn't have a fight with the 'newel' clue is that I thought, "well, it is a support, and it is on a staircase.
eddyB, excellent point about the paddle shifters, although some manufacturers are now placing them at the 9/3 positions. Which model Jag did you race?
Jazz et al, you mean a jugs band isn't an all-girl band?? Jeez, all these years...
Fun puzzle but hard for me. But I got her done and enjoyed the process.
I thought it was elegant, emotional, appropriate and just lovely. (Not the puzzle.)
Dudley: Few are as pretty as Julia roberts anway, but the real Erin B. did a commercial on TV not too long ago. I thought she resembled JR surprisingly so.
Lemonade: LOL w/your comment about Carol's and my parlor treats...or tricks....games at any rate. Poker is my favorite parlor game.
Drdad: Hairballs? hmmmm yum, made by Schweddy, right?
Happy Friday!!! Cheers to all!
Good morning Lemonade & all,
Some really cute clues in this one:wrap around a wrap and they're tucked in a cannonball.The theme a-ha came too late to help, but loved "abduct tape."
Estop, newel and mote slid in with perps (plus lots more)-not an easy ride.
Lemonade, did you mean floaters? I have finally gotten used to mine..3 black dots connected by a spider web..very visual on a gray day.More on motes-"Dust motes hung in a slant of sunlight"
Dead end- just think of all of the possible definitions.
As always, Lemonade, you make me smile. And who could not like "Ode to Joy"? I very much enjoyed Erin Brockovich. That lady is still fighting for consumer rights.She may not be a beauty, but she has doesn't need a script to get her point across.
Lady Lucia Hopalong of Ensley
I didn't purposely get up to watch the wedding, but there it was...everywhere. I got caught up. The couple looks like they are truly in love and Dennis is right, the bride was a 10. It's nice that they had a perfect day. They do not have an easy job in the future. It's not as miserable as being president, but it goes on for life.
The funniest moment was watching William's cousins Eugenie and Beatrice. Those hats are called "fascinators", but what were they thinking!!
Hahtool@11:09...oops, I mean Lady Mae Polly, that's a cute game.....so, my name would be Lady Augusta Heidi of Osceola. It sounds like it's right next door to Lichtenstein. It's probably a good thing that I don't come from a titled family! BTW who was Polly? Heidi was a little dachshund. JD, a rabbit?
Lois, are you thinking of breaking with tradition and indulging in pre-Christmas treats from the glorious Pete Schweddy?
Well, who wouldn’t like a puzzle with a lot of “abs” in it? Where was the pic MFCounselor? I must admit I did have to hit the g-spot for the Poet Neruda. Got some perp help with Cavs, (not a basketball fan), Silas, and Ebon. I still don’t understand “six sided rooms’ –ells. Is it because the walls make so many “L’s”? I also learned that a mote is a floating spec in the eye. I call the one I get occasionally a squiggle.
No French lesson today....
I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. It’s supposed to be dry here but chilly.
Lady Stella Sandy of Lakewood.
Hey, Lady Lee Buttons of Walnut here.
Fun idea, Hahtool!
Lord William MacGregor of Winchester.
Puzzle was a slog, but completed it without outside assistance. Any comments have already been covered by others.
Lord Hershell Homer of Sandusky... it'll take some getting used to.
Jeannie, If a room is L shaped, it will have six walls.
-Home again after a long 2 days getting my daughter’s house ready for occupancy to her buyers. Our girls don’t clean like their mom!
Musings
-Watches in stores are mostly set at 10 and 2 on display
-CAVS not MAVS. ELUDES not EVADES.
-Jerry as he watches Kramer and Newman play Risk on Seinfeld - "It's Risk. It's a game of world domination being played by two guys who can barely run their own lives."
-My wife wore TABU when we dated. What sweet memories it evokes when I get a whiff of it!
-Yes, I saw Erin Brokvovich and now she is pitching a law firm on TV
-CA, agree on Roberts, her Eat, Love, Pray was one of the worst movies I ever paid to see.
-British monarchy is silly and anachronistic but a little harmless game of dress up is fine. Dennis, I wonder where the groom and his brother earned all those medals and military decorations?
CA, I agree on the Fascinators! They reflect the harmless fun of today’s event and the famous race scene from My Fair Lady!
Does anyone remember the wonderful musical where a character promises to wear her “Fascinator” if a much younger man asks her to the social?
Lord Edward Fritz of Duke of York
Sounds a little pretentious, but there really is a Duke of York Street in Washington, Ky.
My backup isn't much better:
Lord William (Bill) Pudgy of Laytham.
Sounds more like a porn name.
In a really weird genre.
Better stick to Windhover of Windhover.
BTW,
Thanks for the shout out, 714.
Lord Roy of Gilman.
WH, I like to keep track of all the important peeps; we keep misplacing people, who pop in and out (WM, how are you?) and I know we have 100 readers for every post, so I sometimes try and stir the water.
Isn't it time we had a Jeff Chen puzzle?
Dennis, A modified XK120. C racing
engine, ceramic header, 3X2 carbs etc. Right hand drive meant everything was reversed. Qualed for SCCA licence in NE Region -
Lime Rock,CT to Cumberland,MD.
Most of the drivers who broke their hand were rookies with hands at 9 and 3. Believe that the new Izod cars for 2012 will be 10 and 2
Will be watching hand positions on
Sunday.
Sport sedans may stay at 9 and 3.
Not setting any land-speed records with the chair but gettin around.
Are any of the local artists having a booth at the Berressa A/W
on Sat, May 7th?
Hello from Lord Charles Frizzy of Custer.
I was surprised at how quickly I solved this puzzle today; apart from a few head-scratchers I guess I was on just the right wavelength. Overall an enjoyable solve.
One of the head-scratchers was trying to see "swim" as a noun, but soon it became clear. I loved the clue for PABST, as well as the string of consonants in the word. Also loved the clues for FROG and KNEES. Didn't like the clues for ADLIB and LOAD so much.
Thanks for the cool writeup, Lord Ron, and the comments from all you Lords and Ladies, all of which are interesting.
The Duchess of Cambridge seems to be a very classy lady.
Best wishes to you all.
Every time I toss a pumpkin up in the air, it comes down squash. Then again, so does a tomato.
Er, that would be Lord Roy. Sorry.
Hello, everyone.
I haven't read the blog or comments yet, very late for the Ball as my dance card is quite full.
What a fun puzzle, FULL of misdirection. I sashayed through the center and downward, stumbled at the NE corner and mid top, but completed, then stuck in the SW because I wouldn't give up ABSENTTEES which I though very clever. But finally saw ABSENTMAIL and got AMORE and MEMORIAL.
Hit me hard with that V-8 can!
Now I have to go.
I hope your Friday is wonderful!
Couldn't contribute yesterday - it appears that it allowed only registered folks (which I suppose I should figure out and do).
I liked the puzzle today. A bit above my capabilities, but a good growth opportunity. Never heard of Neruda - I really enjoy poetry, especially the ones that begin "There once was a girl from Nantucket..."
My favorite V8 moment was the entrance exam clue, and i wonder if I'll ever remember how to spell Sinai.
Around here, a wrap is just fancy for using a tortilla or similar thin, flat bread instead of a bun or roll.
Seems like we get enate every few weeks, and Ajax and ebon as well. Don't know enough about carpentry to get fooled by newel, I just know they are stair things from doing crosswords.
Lord Magnus Shadrack of 64th Street.
Not very royal sounding, but it fits my peasant roots.
Lord Magnus Shadrack of 64th Street.
Of the Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego clan?
The lesser expensive macular degeneration shot has not "been approved" for that kind of treatment, though...even though it is just as effective in clinical trials.
Hi Guys, a tricky puzzle today that my wife and I only got ~25% done before she left for work. But she did pick up the 'duct tape' idea.
RE: driving with your hands at 10 and 2 has been out of style since airbags. My favorite hand position for steering cars is about 8 and 4, that position works the best for me and is also less of a strain on your arms to drive long distances since you can usually rest onto an armrest...
Just my 2-cents...
BTW, if there are any bloggers from San Jose area, we're setting up for a 2 day pottery sale tonight, see: BHC
cheerio from lady charles dopey dick of jerome.[dopey was a japanese fighting fish named after moby. he was a killer all right]
RE: driving with your hands at 10 and 2 has been out of style since airbags.
Interestingly enough, a recent episode of Mythbusters debunked that there was any danger whatsoever associated with driving in the classic 10 and 2 position due to airbags. Still, once these urban legends start spreading, people will believe them regardless...
Jeez, on top of everything else, now I'm out of style.
Warren, did we know that you are a potter?Will look for you tomorrow. The Relay for Life begins tonight at Union Middle School..close by.
CA..Lady Augusta Heidi, Hopalong was one of many horned toad lizards that we had; my sister kept naming them I, II, the third,...Cookie was our dog.
My options: Lord Jess Henry Lord Runty III of High, or Lord Robert Trixie of High. Both problematic.
Fun anyway, Lady Polly Mae!
Warren, If you are still on Hugo,
I will be down there between 10 and 2.
Just had to do a Google search for Gene Chanddle's Duke of Earl. Love
that song.
Dennis, I wonder where the groom and his brother earned all those medals and military decorations?
Husker Gary, William has his helicopter pilot wings and two minor medals, but Harry has several from his service in Afghanistan.
BTW< WH, mine is actually Lord Roy Fritz of Gilman. Fritz and later Freda were long haired daschunds. We lived near a convent and Fritz loved the attention from all the marching nuns.
Okay, so who did I set up tonight?
Hi Again ~!
OK, I would be titled
Lord Mortimer Zeus of Rosemary -
Doesn't sound half bad....
My parents were born and raised in England - you know they were up this morning to watch - I might have a trace amount of royal blood in me somewhere.
Zeus was my iguana.
Bill G - a belated congrats on 6 months - I was saying to all yesterday that my first year took a long time, and the next 5 blew by.
Splynter
I did the puzzle last night and had other stuff on my mind today, but somehow I guess it made its subliminal impression - I arrived home very thirsty tonight and pulled out a PABST Blue Ribbon beer! I didn't realize why until I started reading the blog.
Bill G., sorry I'm a day late, but congratulations on your anniversary! Keep up the great work!
I'm sorry for all the other events I've been missing lately. I try to keep up on the blogs as best I can, but by the time I finish, it's too late and I'm too tired to comment much. Know that my thoughts are with you all, through your good and not so good news...
EddyB:
Bygod it's taken a while, but finally something you and I agree on. Duke of Earl, hell yeah. Of course, that tells everyone we're old.
I was listening to some Roy Orbison earlier this evening, and for a few minutes I was 15 again. We're all boys on the inside. Here's to you, from the Shakey Ground bar in Nicholasville, Ky.
Lord Russell Tippy of Holmes Run.
This old thing is so confusing; like you WH, I transport back in my mind for so many different reasons, from music to old girl friends, and as long as I do not look too hard, I really am there. I think the puzzles are part of what keeps the old so real for me, as they were part of my childhood and they provide triggers for memories, like Runaround Sue for me today. I wonder fi the grown ups do the same thing? Thanks for today's ride all.
Lemonade,
Philosophy? Sure. Who wants to be old? The dead. As long as we're on this side, it's real. There are days I feel nothing, then there are days it's all good, and anything and everything is possible. Too much is barely enough. Twice? Sure, why not? Live, let live. The music will make you free.
Listen to it.
Guess i've closed this joint tonight, unless the estimable Frenchie or Otis shoes up later. Good night all.
Do I count? I'm still here.
Sure you do, Bill, but it's all yours now. I'm out of here.
What a fun game I missed today! We, some of my family and I, are teaching a friend to make tamales for Cinco de Mayo and it is time consuming.
Good night from '
Lady Aurora Menina of Thomas Road.
Hi C.C., Argyle, Lemonade714 and folk,
A few preliminary impressions:
I know what I know, I know what I don't!
14a. Neruda: PABLO The painter I know...the poet I don't.
15a. Affect in slang: GRAB huh???
32a. American patriot Deane: SILAS Marner yes...Deane no.
Lemonade, Help!
OK, I've read through the commentary and personal entries. I really enjoy each of you!
Now,
@lemonade, illimitable is your knowledge! Silas Deane...from your neck of the woods, no less!!! Actually, his story is fascinating. Thanks to Jeff McDermott for referencing the name and thanks to you, L. for shedding the light on Deane's story.
Hi, WH...how r u doing? I guess I've become predictable!
eddieB, I really enjoy your humor. U r a cool guy. I'm glad that chair keeps you rolling around. Whatever it takes.
Lady Diana Snowfoot of Woodstock and on that note,
I'm out.
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