THEME: Kooky Curriculum. Each of the five, in the language phrases, is reclued with the second word a synonym for the credit hours needed to procure a degree, producing a new and witty study. We have one of the most dependable and entertaining of the stable of regular contructors giving as a nice Friday work out with very few proper names, and lots of misdirection and wit. Lemonade here to lead you through the amazing maze of words, and the five (5) theme answers including a central grid spanner.
18A. Part of an astronomy degree?: LUNAR MODULE. Some university schedules are set in groups of requirements, called modules, so there the study of the moon would be the Lunar Module, as is the LEM which took the astronauts across the moon's surface.
18A. Part of an astronomy degree?: LUNAR MODULE. Some university schedules are set in groups of requirements, called modules, so there the study of the moon would be the Lunar Module, as is the LEM which took the astronauts across the moon's surface.
24A. Part of a surgery degree? CUTTING CLASS. My favorite image, as surgeons do consider themselves cutters, and we all have cut some classes.
36A. Part of a physics degree?: COLLISION COURSE. Even here I have trouble with Physics, even though I know objects do collide, and I guess one could study that. Neils Bohr, where are you? (hmm)
47A. Part of an economics degree?: MONETARY UNIT. We all study money, one way or another.
55A. Part of a theology degree?: GRACE PERIOD. Ah, the extra time we are given to pay a bill before going default, becomes a class where we study (a) how to say a prayer before a meal? or (b) achieving a state of tranquility with divinity?
Okay on with the show...
Across
1. Tool used for loosening: HOE. Gee Gareth, we all hate not getting 1 across and this was tricky; how do you spell wrench or screwdriver in three letters? Oh, loosening the earth to plant something, it is spring.
4. What some chambers hold: AMMO. Chambers of a revolver, not bedrooms, I guess it must be Friday.
8. Put down: ABASED.
14. Calder Cup org.: AHL. The trophy at the end of the minor league hockey season of the American Hockey League, named for Frank Calder, first president of the NHL. Pretty obscure.
15. Take it easy: LOAF. Probably adapted from German landläufer ‘vagabond’, a compound of ‘land’ and läufer ‘runner.’
16. __ threat: performer who can sing, dance and act: TRIPLE.
17. Ergot host: RYE. Fascinating stuff which grows in rye bread as it goes bad, creating a substance with hallucinegenic properties. If you want the history and the alleged tie to the Salem Witch trials and LSD read this LINK .
20. All of us, to Bugs: DOCS. What's up?
22. Like Inverted Jenny stamps: RARE? Do we have any philatelists among us?
23. As it __ : WERE.
27. Reward of a kind: RAISE. In this economy not getting a pay cut is a bonus.
28. "Good move, torero!": OLE. This means bullfighter; only English speaking people call the man with the cape the Matador; in Spanish, it is Matador de Toros, the killer of the bulls.
29. Shot target: FLU. How many had the shot this winter?
32. Component of some screwdrivers, briefly: STOLI. A Russian vodka made from wheat and rye, full name Stolinyacha, which means Capital
34. West of Brooklyn: MAE. Very tricky, not another borough, but the creator of the buxom blonde persona.
35. Crabby SOUR. Sourpuss is such an evocative word, and so accurate.
40. Responsibility: ONUS. Burden.
41. Gp. for GPs: HMO. Group for General Practitioners, the non-specialists.
42. Like mottoes: PITHY. Pith being the core of a plant or an idea.
43. They're often sold in blocks, for short TIX. Tickets.
44. Bra part: CUP. I never thought of bras having parts; I have never taken one apart.
45. Surprise, sometimes: PARTY. How many have had their birthday's sprung on them?
51. Bit with a nucleus: ATOM.
53. Act the affectionate grandparent: DOTE. It works with grand nephews and nieces as well, see latest avatar of little Mia.
54. High-grade cotton: PIMA. The best sheets.
58. Code word for "N" in the old U.S. Phonetic Alphabet: NAN.
59. Rather, once: ANCHOR. Dan, the man.
60. Security concern: MOLE. The underground spy named after the gopher like animal.
61. __ salad: EGG. You got any other three letter salads? Eel?
62. Mendel's field: BOTANY. Yes, it was with plants he studies genetic progressions.
63. Actor Morales: ESAI. He was a regular back in the old pre LA Times days, where they loved that vowel combination.
64. The car in Thurber's 1933 story "The Car We Had to Push": REO. Again, you know any other three letter cars from 1933?
DOWN:
1. Repeated cacophonic sound?: HARD C. Not our friend Don.
2. Words to a kidder: OH YOU. Sometimes, but today I am being serious.
3. Hoover rival: ELECTROLUX. I still remember when my mother got hers.
4. Without exception: ALL. Hmm, so simple.
5. Grieves: MOURNS. Our thoughts to all who have lost anyone, a sad part of life we all most face.
6. Conduct: MANAGE. Like a business, not a symphony and not the noun.
7. Joan __: OF ARC. My favorite French Maiden Warrior appears again.
8. Gas station convenience: ATM. Convenience? They charge you to get money for things you pay too much for, eh!
9. Shop for books: BROWSE. In this day and age of web browsers, it was hard to focus on this 1870s meaning.
10. White House staffers: AIDES.
11. Type of poker?: SPUR. I wanted STUD, but I guess we are referring to attachment riders use to poke their horses to get them going.
12. Model Macpherson: ELLE. Beautiful export from Oz.
13. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" author Brown: DEE. A very interesting perspective of the mistreatment of the indigenous tribes of the Americas, which may not be accurate, but is a major best seller.
19. Bit of kindness from a bank: RELOAN. Kindness? Really, I have been a banker and a loan is not a kindness.
21. Gate divisions, at the track: STALLS. Where they line up before, "They're off!"
25. Unusual clock number: IIII. I have actually seen this instead of IV, but why?
26. Smart __ : ALEC. Baldwin?
29. Clementine's dad, for one: FORTYNINER.
30. Verdant: LUSH. Green, like a golf course.
31. 1934 chemistry Nobelist: UREY. Never heard of this expert on ISOTOPES who trained with puzzle favorite Neils Bohr.
32. Caber thrower: SCOT. We remain in the highland to watch this SPORT.
33. "Unbreak My Heart" singer Braxton: TONI. LISTEN .
34. Milking murmur: MOO. Always alliterative.
35. Get ready to play: SUIT UP. Baseball players?
37. Ostracize: SHUN.
38. Bar: IMPEDE. Like impediment.
39. Down-home theater: OPRY. Grand olde.
44. "Be serious!": COME ON.
45. Artificial turf sites: PATIOS. Does anyone still have astroturf patio?
46. Ring of color: AREOLA. Where is C.C. now that you need her with her classic link?
47. Eponymous Yemeni seaport: MOCHA. Eponymous meaning taking the name of, and Mocha being now a coffee chocolate drink, though the seaport was the home of the leading naturally flavored coffee in the 1700s.
48. Singer with the 1995 album "Velvet and Brass": TORME.
49. JPEG file content: IMAGE. Which picture format do you prefer?
50. Suggestive dance: TANGO. Aren't all dances suggestive? Marlon Brando? Paris?
51. Pisa's river: ARNO. No new slant on this clue.
52. Savoir-faire: TACT. Quick French lesson; SAVOIR: to KNOW, FAIRE: to DO, together to know what to do.
55. Dubious "gift": GAB. Ah, the blarney stone.
56. Wield a crowbar: PRY.
57. Agnus __: DEI. We finish with a classic crossword clue. So I will leave you with best wishes for a wonderful Father's Day week end, and an entertaining US Open golf tournament and more questions than answers.
Answer grid.
Lemonade
Answer grid.
Lemonade
74 comments:
What's up docs?
Nice puzzle, Gareth. Fine writeup, Lemonade. (Don't know whether you want to correct spelling of coffee in mocha line.)
Must admit that I finished with red letters. Too tired. Want to sleep a looong time. Didn't expect the blog to be up! Was going to peruse previous comments. Funniest answer--STOLI.
Lemonade, I put in COB salad first!
Also, I collect stamps, but the collection has been unattended for about 20 years. How do I afford all those mounts? (Have no Jenny but mediocre Zepps which have not increased in value in 30 years.)
Favorite answer
Bye now!
Morning, all!
Pretty easy for a Friday. The only total unknowns were UREY and NAN.
I really resisted putting RELOAN at 19D, even after getting RELO__. It just doesn't seem like a real word, I've never seen or heard it before and, as Lemonade pointed out, why is it a "kindness"?
I've never seen AstroTurf on a PATIO before, so that one took awhile to get.
Good soggy morning from the lower Hudson and Connecticut valleys,
I was hung up in the SW because I wouldn't give up on ESP for 55D. Dubious "gift": GAB.
Good job, Garth and Lemonade. Quite enjoyable.
Good day folks,
After all my grousing about this weeks constructors, Gareth Bain comes through. I found this puzzle fair, cleverly clued ..... a good Friday test.... and unfortunately a DNF due to brain lock in the NW corner.
Hoe, Docs, Tix & Electrolux were the culprits. No unknowns, just couldn't pull them out of my diminishing memory bank. Loved the Stoli clue.
Enjoy your weekend.
Good Morning, Lemonade and Friends. Loved the write-up.
Wow! Mr. Bain surely gave me a run for my money today. Lots of blanks on the first pass. Yes, I get worried when I can't fill in 1-Across.
I loved the theme. After getting CUTTING CLASS, I knew what we were looking for. I still fell into lots of his traps. Initially tried AMA for Gp. for GP. I never heard of UREY, so confidently wrote down Bohr for the Nobelist.
My favorite clues were Shot Target = FLU
West of Brooklyn = MAE.
In honor of the 34-Across, here is today's QOD: A man in the house is worth two in the street. ~ Mae West
Good Morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.
Stellar write-up, Lemonade. And a fun TGIF puzzle from Gareth.
I loved the five solid theme entries. Very clever! And the fill was awesome, too. My one nit to pick was with the IIII entry “Unusual clock number”. Well, yes, it is. Glad you mentioned that.
Loved “All of us, to Bugs” for DOCS. “What’s up DOCs?”. Great clue/ans. “West of Brooklyn” had me pause before I remembered MAE. Lovely misdirection! (“Come up and see me sometime…”)
And then there was “Repeated cacaphonic sound” clueing HARD C – Don, you have competition! And “Hoover rival” had me wondering, “are we talking about the pres, or the vacuum?” “Get ready to play” had me thinking “ante” UP before SUIT UP. I like poker better than baseball, I guess.
Too many other fun things with this one, so I’ll wait for everyone else’s comments to fill in the blanks.
Have a great day, everyone! TGIF!!
An example of a IIII CLOCK .
Good Morning C.C., Lemon and all,
Nice write up, Lemon. As usual, I shall return.
Gareth great puzzle. Lots of fun and definitely fair. My experience was like Barry’s, except I had to look up UREY for the ‘Y’. This opened up all my problems on the E and SE. I had stopped it up with ‘money’ instead of MONETARY Literally, the ‘Y’ did it - good and bad..
SCOT was a wag, as well as STOLI {booze, I guess}.
Been tied up, mentally and physically {schedule-wise}, but have worked the puzzle each day and read all the posts. Yesterday’s was , indeed a ‘phoey’. Got the answers, but didn’t believe what I had , because no reference to Latin in clue for unifier, and it is not in everyday usage. OK, IMHO.
Have a nice day everyone.
FUN Friday.
Fave was that LUNAR MODULE that revealed the themes.
Had Argyle's ESP, Hatool's AMA, and before I play I like to warm-up (SUIT-UP). Easy fixes.
Last to fall was that 1934 chemistry Nobelist, UREY.
Damn, why can't I remember the Nobel prise winners I've never heard of ???
STOLI (surprise, surprise, creature: I knew a booze clue) was a gimmie.
Hmmm, a screwdriver about now sounds like a GREAT idea!
Cheers !!!
Belated “Happy Anniversary” to JD and Bob {42 yrs}, Mainiac and Jill {15 years} and BillG and Barbara {46 years}. Whew! Congratulations to all of you.
Jeannie, such sad news. Thanks for sharing.
BillG, yeah, Musee D’Orsay - very exciting for me. Good place for a rerun.
Lemon and FP, really sorry for the eye problems.
Yes, this was a good way to end the week! Thank you Gareth and Lemonade.
Slow and steady for me with a lot of jumping around. The theme answers were easy enough to figure out and were very helpful in getting the other fill. That SW corner was really tough cuz I also started with ESP, then switched to GAG. But it all worked out.
I did resist clicking on the link to Clementine. It was already in my head, and I didn't want to embed it. Toni was a nice way to dislodge it. I'll take that earworm any day. Thanks.
Oh. Forgot to comment on RELOAN.
I work with bankers every day. I can assure you there is nothing about it that is a kindness. The motive is at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Good morning! Thanks for the great write up Lemonade. Hand up for cob salad, AMA and wanting ESP, but I already had ANCHOR and wasn't about to turn loose of that. MAE didn't fool me and I remembered the discussion here about Cabers and SCOTS, so the puzzle came together pretty easily in those areas.
I took COLLISION COURSE as a reference to sub atomic particle collisions, as in the Hadron Collider.
I wanted 'tuneup' as in a musical group getting ready to play, and that slowed that area for a bit.
The theme came early with LUNAR MODULE and that definitely helped me see the other theme entries. I wonder if any of those courses would be easy A's?
UREY came solely from perps. Everything else was in the dark recesses waiting for just a few perps to bring it into the light.
I agree with Barry G about PATIO for astroturf. had the same dilemmas as heart Rx for Hoover and HOE. Those and AHL took a while, since Calder was a total unknown. Had ANATOMY before CUTTING, but once that sank in, the theme answers helped to perp some other mysteries. Tried CURRENCY before MONETARY though. The north- and southwest were my last fills.
Thanks Lemonade for your struggle to do such a fantastic blog with your eye problems. That must be frustrating.
It was also a relief to see Gareth's name today, being Friday, and he didn't disappoint.
I visited the home of the Australian artist featured in the movie "Sirens" when I was in Oz in 2004. It's Norman Lindsay, and the place is now a nice little teahouse and café in the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney. One of my best friends was planning to have her second wedding there later that year, and wanted me to see it. The artist was widely criticized in his day for the "shocking" frankness of his themes.
Frenchie,
Thanks for your concern. I've been unmedicated since Tuesday, and my back seems to be almost back to normal. I can now raise my left leg to don pants and only feel stiffness first thing in the morning or after sitting too long.
Fermatprime has a much more serious long-term back problem. I hope she is getting some relief and sleep.
Tinbini: I got a good chuckle on your comment about not remembering the Nobelists you never heard of. UREY seems pretty obscure. I initially tried Bohr even though I knew he was a physicist and not a chemist.
HeartRx: I, too, pondered on the Hoover rival, wondering if it was a reference to the president or another vacuum cleaner.
I threw a surprise party for my husband on a milestone birthday. I even had people come in from OOT. He never had a clue.
Hello everybody. Fermatprime, you asked me to remind you, so here is the link to the San Francisco Chronicle article I mentioned yesterday, which is now posted in its full entirety on the web. You all are welcome to read it. I'll post a reminder next Wednesday about the local news broadcast on NBC at 11:00 PM that evening.
Another beautiful day in Huskerville – if you live sufficiently far from the Missouri River. Anybody remember the answer to the question, “How high’s the water Momma?” in the Johnny Cash song?
Musings
-In 1962 Gene McDaniels had a great song Mansion of Love that contained the lyric “Chip, chip, chippin’ away”. That is what I did in this puzzle with a very satisfying outcome!
- Your links were wonderful as usual, Lemon – poor young women of Salem.
-OLE is ubiquitous and any cluing with Spanish huzzahs is pretty obvious
-I got STOLI (and know it is a vodka) but it took Lemon to show me THAT screwdriver!
-Dan, did Kenneth ever tell you the frequency?
-Bill Clinton said he had astro turf in the back of his El Camino!
-My surprise 50th Birthday party was going on for 5 min. before I realized it wasn’t just a coincidence that all these people had shown up at my house! I am slow on the uptake sometimes!
-Going golfing after I finish my vacuuming – Oreck!
Jayce – great precursor article. We just have to realize that we lease this planet, we don’t own it! The natural disasters of 2011 certainly underscore that. I showed my kids parts of the movie Dante’s Peak and it does a good job with precursors (earthquake swarms, bad water, nervous animals, gas emissions, etc) but those are not foolproof and can be caused by other phenomena.
BTW, here is the Johnny Cash Song in question.
Good morning Lemonade, C.C. et al,
This was full of clever clues. Starting off with hoe and ammo were tricky, and slow to arrive.Wanted demean for abased.Red letters were my friend.
Lemonade, great write up..cleared up oh-so-many questions, like modules.So, it wasn't until I filled in class and course that I got it.I need something stronger than a V8!!
Favorites:
shot target=flu
Rather once=anchor
Day of fun: after yoga, out to lunch with DH's best man(out of towner), and then going to an ipad workshop.
Guday, all. Tough start to today's puzzle. I'm struggling, and haven't finished yet, so I haven't read Lemon's write-up, nor the comments and since I'm covered with Dr. Appts. and other "thangs" I might not be able to get back. SOOOO!
Father's Day is just around the corner so I will borrow a poem from Paul Gilmartin: (For you CE)
Dear old dad it's father's day
and I just want you to know
you're the best there ever was
at the things I'll list below:
Stinking up a bathroom
Snoring like a beast
Teaching me to mow the lawn
before I had front teeth.
Showing how to hide your feelings
Over-emphasizing winning
Teaching me the birds and bees
at a Cub game between innings.
Turning off our cartoons for
news and "Meet The Press".
Picking a vacation spot
where clowns could get depressed.
Never taking out the dog.
Forgetting my friends names
Picking at your nose while coaching
all my baseball games.
I guess as I grow older,
I'm supposed to get like you,
and in some ways I must admit
I think that this is true.
When I yell my veins pop out
I've yet to touch a broom
I chuckle in my Lazy Boy
when gas clears out a room.
But one thing you won't catch me do
as long as I can breathe...
That's wearing shorts around the yard
with dress-socks to my knee.
I must be off!
TGIF! Last to fill in 1D - HARDC. Boy did that have me scratching my head for a long time. STOLI, ANCHOR = inspired!
Have to run. Working all day today!
Hi all - This is Friday and I did not expect an easy puzzle but wanted to see how far I would get...NOT FAR, although it was way better than yesterday's IMO. I needed help with many of the names.
11D TYPE OF POKER/SPUR had me for a long time...I had put in STUD with such confidence that I refused to change it, and when the correct answer was revealed, I said what kind of game is SPUR poker??? Geez, I need more coffee!!!
I am with the others (and you Lemonade) that a bank load is not a kindness. I have never heard the term RELOAN.
TIX didn't come to me either, I have trouble getting used to these new, shortened words - pretty soon we will forget how so spell. So many things seem to be abbreviations or written in text message style.
Good ol' Electrolux vacuums...my mother had an old canister type that I inherited and that thing lasted for years!!
Buckeye, laugh out loud funny, and on the mark.
Hey, has anyone seen Quidam? We've seen several Cirque Du Soleil productions, some outstanding, some just ok, and I'm curious about this one, as it's coming to Philly.
Good day, C.C., Lemonade and all stalwart puzzlers.
A great Friday challenge from Gareth(another hard G) which had me jumping around, chipping here and there, finally got the theme and NW was the last to fall. Loved HARDC!
Thank you, Lemon, for your splainin' MOCHA,SPUR, STOLI and IIII. Though filled. I scratched my head about their meaning. And I have even bought STOLI vodka.
I loved the misdirection of MAE, West of Brooklyn and shot target, FLU.
Thank you, Gareth, for the lovely Friday entertainment.
Happy Fathers Day to all you who are such! And everyone have a wonderful Friday!
kind of salad : three letters=== cob-salad
Good Morning All, busy day today, so just a couple of quick comments.
The theme was terrific. I liked every one of the witting answers.
Unfortunately, I was a DNF. I would like to think it is because I'm short on time this morning, but the truth is...
I thought Gareth Bain was being sneaky/witting with 62A/Mendel's field and entered GARDEN (well, he did work in fields of pea plants) Ah well, that messed up that corner, particularly since I could make no sense out of 59A/Rather, once. Of course, all that made a jumble out of 47D and 51D. Thank you so much Lemonade, for finally slapping me in the noggin with Dan, the TV ANCHOR and Mendel's scientific field, BOTANY.
That's all for now. I have to whip up a quiche Lorraine for cribbage brunch. See you later.
Thank you Mr. Bain for a very nice puzzle - I 'got' most of it, and for a Friday, it is a great personal achievement for me.
Lemonade, you did a wonderful job, with delectable humor, and this despite your lingering eye medical problems. Thank you. Your Mae west link did not show her - but I managed a sneak-peek at lotsa others .....
I got Stoli, but did not understand why, (never had a Screwdriver drink, before ), never heard any of (Mel) Torme's songs, or artif. turf on Patios.
On the other hand, have known about Harold Urey, since 1970, and earlier.... he was more famous than Hans Bethe, Isidore Rabi, and the others.
I know its a Friday, and I am glad it comes only once a week. This too shall pass.
Good morning all. Great commentary, Lemonade.
And a great Friday puzzle from Gareth.
Difficult but great fun clues and fill. Good theme. Only one lookup, 'ergot' giving me RYE and finally, the NW. Many fun clues; especially liked those for MAE, GAB, FLU, and HARD C. Liked the long downs of ELECTROLUX and FORTY NINERS, too. Interesting that AREOLA and CUP WERE in the same puzzle. NAN is now 'november' in the post WWII era. Bravo Zulu, Gareth.
Hope all the fathers and father figures out there have a great weekend.
For what it's worth, It is cobb salad. There is a cobb lettuce, also.
I really enjoy, when our crossword puzzles, become learning moments.
Soooo, I went and looked up the 2010 Nobel chemistry winners.
Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki "for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis".
Have not a clue what that is, but it has the words "cross-couplings" and "organic."
I'm so glad they analyzed this situation.
(Of course, I'll forget their names as soon as I post this).
Then, I came here and learned my 'COBB salad'
is 3 letters.
Variation on the theme:
"When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate."
suggestive dance = tango
Hello Puzzlers - What Garlic Gal said. HARD C took some doin'.
I haven't Googled it, but isn't the salad spelled Cobb? I was thinking HAM when I got to that clue.
Kazie, loved the Norman Lindsay house link.
Mel Torme is my vote for one of the finest crooners. I do declare that his ability was far ahead of the overrated Sinatra's.
Jayce - interesting article. Thanks for sharing.
Lemonade @6:52, thanks for destroying another nit !
Hahtool, from yesterday - yes, we do have the same taste in books! I just finished "Save Me" by Lisa Scottoline for our book club, and would advise you "don't bother". We're doing "Sarah's Key" next mo. Do you know it?
Our vacuum is a Miele...good crossword-y name, LOL !
Hello all.
Nice one Gareth.
AHL not obscure to hockey fans.
It's like the AAA of baseball.
Try the ECHL.
Blood test results coming in one
at a time. Results not very good.
Take care.
You all know I'm a tech dunce, so I'll leave you to your own devices to find Paul Gilmartin's "Sister Joan" and "Tom Thumb". Hilarious.
You're a hard act to follow, Buckeye.
I found this one much easier than yesterday. I usually gauge how I will do on a puzzle with 1A and 1D. I thought I was going to be in trouble when I couldn’t get either right off the bat. But 2d “oh you” and 3d “Electrolux” gave me enough to set off the lightbulb to get “hoe”. Egg salad was a gimmee but I do make a darn good BLT salad. Cobb salad is spelled with two B’s. It was named for the owner of the Brown Derby restaurant whose name was Robert Cobb.
Enjoyed your write up MFCounselor. I am sorry to hear of more eye problems for you.
Buckeye, that poem was hilarious!
Happy Father’s Day to all of you Father’s.
Marti, I too am not a Lisa Scottoline fan. Have you read any of John Lescroart?
Buckeye, just don't show your poem to my sons. Good to see you and happy father's day to you.
I have son#2 and lots of nephews in town, while my oldest toils in Gabii, Italy.
Today's riddle:
Melissa is 54 years old and her mother, Katie is 80. How many years ago was her mother, three times the age of her daughter, Melissa?
Jeannie: 36
Also, in typical dunce fashion (but with excellent blood pressure for a curmudgeon) I got one PG title wrong. It's "Circus Love".
Enjoy.
Jeanne,
41 yrs ago.
41
Well, improving the Anons right today. 41.
Hondo and Spitzboov are correct. When Katie was 39 her daughter must have been 13.
Windhover, how are you improving the anons?
Good afternoon everyone.
Fabulous write up, Lemonade. Thank you. Especially with detached retina. I admire you for doing write ups with that going on. Best of luck with it.
The theme answers were fun, but I got bogged down and DNF.
Rather, once, got me for sure.
The ergot link was fascinating.
IMBO
The dreaded Autocorrect. Windhover meant "I'm proving the anons right today."
Dennis is, of course, auto(matically) correct. In any case, the quality of Anons is, as always, variable. We have some nice ones, and we have some that could stand improving.
But then (the new and improved Windhover says), couldn't we all?
Damn, it almost hurts to be nice.
Fun but tough puzzle. I figured out the theme pretty early on and that gave me a little help with everything else. I needed to Google Calder and Ergot though.
Jeannie's coming up with the math puzzles so I'll try a word puzzle. Make the longest mostly-logical sentence you can using this constraint. The first word has one letter, the second word has two letters and so on.
I be out fore three nights.
OK, so it's both poor grammar and English. But it follows the instructions. And it's also true. I'm heading off to my home town's annual celebration. Tonight I'll be drinking with professionals!! Have a good weekend all.
Of course, all of you that have poiinted out that the salad is spelled with two B's are correct. I've seen it on menus so often spelled with one B that it's easy to forget the correct spelling. Fortunately, the perps corrected the fill, but I would have gone my merry way thinking that cob salad could also be correct, were it not for the discussion here.
HeartRx and other readers: I have read Sarah's Key. I have mixed feelings about the book. It interweaves two stories 60 years apart. The story that takes place in Paris in the early 1940s is interesting and is based on historical fact. The modern story doesn't hold together well. If you liked Sweet Dates in Basra, I recommend Wedding Song by Faridah Golden. It, too, is about Iran.
I am the most happy person without problems, anxieties, oppression.
I'd like to continue but have to leave now.
Hi.
Re: Artical in SFC
Live near Alum Rock Park and there are no BART trains anywhere near here. Wish there where. We have been paying for a line for 30 yrs.
Was just reading about the new faults they found near Truckee. If the dam goes, so does half of Reno.
Take it easy.
Hi gang -
I'm waaaaayyyy late today. Oldest grandson, Danny, graduated from middle school this morning. Then I did stuff in the yard. Then I made one honkin' big martini - the real kind with GIN, not STOLI.
Fun puzzle from Gareth. Hockey fan that I am, I entered NHL for 14A. And this was long before drinking anything but water, alas. HNRDC was, of course, very mysterious, but I was confident The Counselor would make it all clear. And he did!
What a great, creative theme!
And any time we have bra CUP and AREOLA in the same puzzle, it's going to be a great day. Coincidentally an amazingly buxom young mom sat next to me at the graduation. The LW called her my "bosom buddy." I imagine her name was June, the way she was busting out.
Buckeye - that as a gem. But, what else is new?
As my role model says, IMBO!
Cheers!
JzB Who didn't suss ANCHOR, even after the perps filled it in
Bill G - Here's an attempt at your *assignment*...only got up to 8 letters, I'm sure some of you mensa's out there got many more:
I am too darn tired, please produce mattress.
oh ... BTW ... I LOVED todays puzzle, so clever and just worked out so well.
I shall remain anonymous for reasons you will soon see...but I DO post here regularly. Every once in a while I get a cache of pictures "taken at Wal Mart." They are usually pretty terrible. After today, I might just show up in one. I walked into Wal Mart in pants I knew were loose (I perspire a lot working in the yard/garden) but evidently, they had gotten looser because they fell down around my akles! I threw my keys down and bent over to retrieve them, and my pants! If anyone saw or noticed, they were kind enough not to laugh or snicker. At least my shorts were clean!
ankles
Anon (6:59) LOL...I do hope I see you in the WalMart photos I receive with great regularity. They are so funny and I for one cannot imagine being in public view dressed as most of them are. I know, I know, different strokes for different folks but come on. Some of these folks REALLY are over the top, or bottoms if you have seen the pictures :)
Thank you all for another fun day; GB stop by and tell us your title one day. Carol, I am not sure how you will recognize our Wal-mart Anon, which I guess is the whole idea.
I appreciate the kind words and the good thoughts.
Ciao.
I hope everyone is more enthusiastic than Buckeye. Life is good and my father was a great man.
I hope windhover is serious about his journey.
I hope...
FP:
I looked at the Hamish Macbeth TV series online, and I am shocked what they did to this wonderful character, not only an impossibly wrong actor, but they make Hamish a Glaswegian, thereby destroying his motivation to stay a Lochdubh bobby. I am glad I never saw the show.
Good Evening, folks. Thank you, Gareth, for a great Friday puzzle. I liked it much better than yesterday's. This puzzle made my day.
Thank you, Lemonade, for a great write-up. Really enjoy your comments and wit.
Well, I did not get started at 1A, like I always try. I jumped around and filled in here and there. It all came together pretty well, except for1A and the rest of the NW and W.
Got LUNAR MODULE for the first theme answer. The rest came easily.
I kept trying for the Hoover answer as a presidential candidate. Finally, I tried vacuums. Got STOLI with perps, but I was thinking of a screwdriver tool. I was pretty sure I knew all there was to know about a screwdriver, but I had an open mind. Turns out it was vodka. At least I got the letters right.
IIII was a good one. I never thought of those as a 4. I entered the answer as 1:03, 2:02, and 3:01. I got the letters right, but was thinking along another line. Oh well.
HARD C was a tough one. But we did have similar answers in recent weeks.
SCOT was easy. We have had the Caber question several times through the years.
TIX was tough for me. I have never heard of tickets as TIX. I wagged it and perped it and won.
Also tried AMA instead of HMO for a short while. My puzzle just doesn't like right unless I have a write-over.
To Jayce: Enjoyed your article. Really sounds interesting and progressive.
To Hahtool: I'll have try that book, I used to live in Iran and enjoy the stories.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Sorry C.C. I ran over.
Abejo
Hola Everyone, Late to the party today as I had an appointment earlier today. I didn't do the puzzle this morning as our paper was soaking wet from the lawn sprinkler and it didn't dry out until late this afternoon!
I made some of the same mistakes as others, but felt that the misleading clues were very clever and made me think out of the box--e.g. Hoe, Anchor, and Stoli. Thanks Lemonade for the entertaining writeup.
We have four antique clocks in our house and all of them have the IIII number for the 4. I NEVER even noticed that anomaly before this evening when I started looking at our clocks. Shows me how observant I am!
Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend for everyone who is a Dad, has a Dad, or is a Father figure for someone.
Good Afternoon C.C. Argyle and folk,
Good puzzle today. Lemonade714, excellent write up as usual. Your humor is toned down, pour quoi?
Thanks so much for an educational unit!
Interesting you should bring up Niels!
Niels...quite a character! "There are some things so serious you have to laugh at them."
Niels Bohr
14a. AHL...Calder Cup. Don't know about the American league. Ice hockey is cool! It gives me the chills!
We named my son 'CALDER' but it had more to do with Alexander.
@Lemonade714, your clock link led me to the Skymall site and I started browsing and have a few things in my cart! Damn you!
I tried to use 'Stoli' as a Scrabble word the other day and, for obvious reasons, it was rejected! I guess I could have used a Screwdriver after that!
COBB (with 2 B's) SALAD RECIPE
@eddyB, what the hell? We need you to turn those results around! You don't deserve being ill!
@Buckeye, love the puzzle! Right on!
@anon., if youe shorts showed, you are most likely male and older...other wise you'd say boxers. My father used to call them shorts.
Happy fathers day to all and Lucinda, wonderful to see you are happy and well. Keep doing whatever you are doing!
I'm out
I am not seeing my Dad this weekend. Last weekend my Dad proved (again) he was the Patriarc of the family. He's been behind my brother and Olivia spending money and time with her. Olivia seemed to have most eye contact and awareness when he was with her. When my brother didn't have the funds to send Josh to Northern Mich, my Dad (Papa) came through and is funding his college. He does have a contract though that states Josh needs to carry a 3.5 avg. So far, so good. Josh has worked in a shop for the Jr-Sr years of high school, and has landed a job this summer at Ford in DET. Eddyb, Josh is a motor head and is studying engineering so he can build better Nascars.
What I am trying to say is my Dad IS the Patriarc. I just wished I had utilized his knowledge when it was bestowed on me.
Sorry C.C. the link didn't work.
elton
Bill G.:
My post at 3:51 was the sentence you requested. I really wanted to add more but after returning I had lost the momentum.
Nice word play.
Lucina, I appreciate your response.
A friend who responded to this puzzle in my newspaper column offered, “I am one very quiet person, usually friendly, sometimes ostensibly adversarial.”
I'm sure you can get longer sentences but they begin to make less and less sense I'm guessing.
Did somebody say Frank Sinatra?
Pretty easy for a Friday. The only total unknowns were UREY and NAN.
thanks to share this.
Speaking of airport screenings: If you can`t afford a checkup...go through airport security. You`ll get an x-ray and a breast exam...mention "Al Qaeda" and get a colonoscopy...and all for FREE!
A try at the progressively longer words sentences:
"I am too thin," aunty always intones painting beanpoles vertically, perennially.
11! Read em and weep!
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