Theme: End for end. Suffixes are swapped between the two words of the answers to wackily change their meanings.
20A. Choir members during the sermon?: SINGERS WAITING. Singing waiters. Restaurant gimmick.
24A. Grocery employee dealing with a shortage of shelf space?: STOCKER STUFFING. Stocking Stuffer. Christmas.
47A. Top sellers sealing the deal?: CLOSERS PITCHING. Closing pitchers. Baseball.
53A. News hound's sign-off?: ROVER REPORTING. Roving reporter.
Hi all, Al (mostly) here again. A pretty solid Thursday puzzle overall, I liked seeing SNORKEL and some of the clever clues. Not much else jumped out and grabbed me, but I could just be sleepy yet. On with the analysis then...
ACROSS:.
1. Sieben und eins: ACHT. German: seven and one macht eight.
5. Roe source: SHAD. Caviar.
9. Finish the doughnuts?: GLAZE. Wisconsin is down to one remaining Krispy Kreme. That wave sure peaked and receded quickly.
14. New York restaurateur: SHOR. Toots. Apparently a big deal with celebs. Anyone not from NY ever heard of him?
15. Not, some time back: NARY. Shortening of "never a".
16. "The Kiss" sculptor: RODIN. A depiction of illicit love taken from Dante's Inferno.
17. Certain conic sections: PARABOLAS.
19. Gladiator's milieu: ARENA. From Latin harena "place of combat," originally "sand, sandy place" The central stages of Roman amphitheaters were strewn with sand to soak up the blood.
22. Reaction to one who's revolting: ICK. That's sick.
23. Palais denizen: ROI. French: palace, king.
33. Neighbor of Arg.: URU. Argentina, Uruguay.
34. Evoke gaiety with gags at a gig: SLAY. Overwhelm.
35. He shared the peace prize with Shimon and Yitzhak: YASIR. Peres, Rabin, Arafat, 1994, the Oslo Accords.
36. "Do the __": MATH. An alternate idiom for "It doesn't add up"
38. Male sovereigns' address: SIRES. From Latin "senior" for elder.
41. Polynesian pendant: TIKI. Carved image of the creator-ancestor of Maoris and Polynesians.
42. Lent a hand: AIDED.
44. __ Jackson, Fonda title role: ULEE. I only got this because of how often it appears with Fonda's name in these crosswords.
46. One of the 10 lowest digits?: TOE. This one shouldn't have tricked me, but it did. Looking at too many numbers lately.
51. Monodrama about Capote: TRU.
52. Toy magnate __ Schwarz: FAO. Frederick August Otto Schwartz.
61. Anglo-__: SAXON.
62. Road safety feature: GUARDRAIL.
63. Throw out: EJECT. Literally in Latin: Ex- prefix(out) jacere (to throw).
64. Once, once: ERST. Earliest.
65. Make eyes at: OGLE. Low German oglen from oege, meaning eye.
66. Indian noble: RANEE.
67. "He __ not sleep": Shelley: DOTH. Adonaïs: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats.
68. Pill bottle instruction: DOSE.
DOWN:.
1. Some cobras: ASPS.
2. Spiced tea: CHAI.
3. Cape __: HORN. Chile. Not quite the lowest tip of South America, named for the city of Hoorn in the Netherlands.
4. Disastrous: TRAGIC. Tragedy is apparently literally "goat song," from tragos "goat" + oide "song." The connection may be via satyric drama, from which tragedy later developed, in which actors or singers were dressed in goatskins to represent satyrs.
5. Reef exploration gear: SNORKELS. From German navy slang Schnorchel "nose, snout," related to schnarchen "to snore". So called from its resemblance to a nose and its noise when in use.
6. Dutchman who painted "Gypsy Girl": HALS. Cleavage...
7. Got __ deal: A RAW.
8. "L.A. Law" actor: DYSART. Richard. I didn't recognize any characters even after I saw all the pictures...
9. Please: GRATIFY.
10. Actress Loughlin: LORI. I did recognize "Jessie's Girl" though.
11. Yemeni port: ADEN. Today's geography lesson.
12. Sock it to: ZING. "High pitched sound," of echoic origin.
13. Faline's mother, in Salten's "Bambi": ENA.
18. Bremen brew: BECKS. Imported bier aus Deutchland.
21. Pot marker: IOU. Big Julie: "IOU one thousand --signed X." Nathan Detroit: "How is it you can write one thousand, but not your name?" Big Julie: "I was good in arithmetic, but I stunk in English."
24. Poison __: SUMAC. Three of a kind.
25. Hiker's route: TRAIL.
26. Best: OUTDO.
27. Heyerdahl craft: RA I. A papyrus craft that broke apart, but RA II made of Totora reeds survived his journey and proved that ancient mariners could have crossed the Atlantic using the Canary Current.
28. Corn product: SYRUP.
29. Budgetary waste: FAT. Oh how conceptions change over time starting with one flawed study by Ancel Keys... fat used to mean the "best or most rewarding" part.
30. Last Supper question: IS IT I. Mark 14:18-21 The passage about betrayal.
31. Maker of Coolpix cameras: NIKON.
32. "Peer Gynt Suite" composer: GRIEG. In the Hall of the Mountain King.
37. Boys and men: HES.
39. Lilly of pharmaceuticals: ELI.
40. Outline, as a plan: SET FORTH.
43. International thaw: DETENTE. Related to the catch on a crossbow you use to relax the string, or the detent catch used to regulate a clock's action.
45. Convenient greeting: E-CARD. When you don't care enough to send the very best.
48. Sch. basics: RRR. The three "R"s. Spelling must not have been emphasized.
49. Progressed in waves: SURGED.
50. Dragster's wheels: HOT ROD.
53. Indian noble: RAJA.
54. Paddy team: OXEN.
55. Viva __: VOCE. Literally "with living voice" but usually translated as "by word of mouth".
56. Cannes cash: EURO.
57. Tense time?: PAST.
58. Emilia's husband: IAGO. The villain who thought Othello was sleeping with his wife.
59. Lofgren of the E Street Band: NILS.
60. TV show about a high school choir: GLEE.
61. Rev.'s speech: SERmon
Good morning, Al, C.C. and gang - I was absolutely thrilled that I got through this one without outside help, but jeezus, it wasn't easy by any stretch.
ReplyDeleteThe theme became apparent with the first theme answer, which helped a bit the rest of the way. Knew it wasn't gonna be a speed run right away with 1A; my German is right up there with my Swahili. I did like seeing 'glaze' -- Al points out that Krispy Kreme franchises are shrinking in Wisconsin, but they're popping up here in the Philly area which is a double-edged sword. And Al, you really got me with the 'cleavage' link.
I had numerous other problems highlighted by a series of errors that gave me 'Set farts' for 40D; and so it went.
Al, as always, great blog -- I never fail to learn something from them.
Today is ANNETTE'S BIRTHDAY! A very, very Happy Birthday, Annette - any special plans?
Today is also Donald Duck Day. Not quite sure what one does on this day, but if you do something, consider posting the video.
Did You Know?:
- The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
- A comet's tail always points away from the sun.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteBack from my trip and a bit brain dead due to the late flight (delayed by thunderstorms). Definitely not a speed run for me today...
It took me awhile to figure out what, exactly, the theme was all about. I mean, I could tell that ER and ING endings were being switched, but that didn't make it any easier to uncover the underlying phrases.
The intersection of SLAY and RAI was rough. The clue for SLAY was just too much for my brain to process this morning, and I didn't think to parse RAI as RA I.
I didn't realize that TIKI was a pendant of some sort, since I've never seen anybody wear a TIKI god around their neck. Well, maybe in an old episode of The Brady Bunch when they went to Hawaii. But still, not the common usage.
The rest was pretty straightforward.
95 and stormy today. What to wear, what to wear...
Good Morning, Friends. I got the theme with STOCKER STUFFING, but really had to wrap my head around the rest of the theme clues, even though I knew what I was looking for. What a challenge today.
ReplyDeleteTOE(s) and ASP(S) must be the words of the week. They have both appeared with some frequency recently.
I liked the crossing of Indian Noble with Indian Noble (RANEE and RAJA).
My favorite clue was Tense Time? = PAST.
I was on Cape HORN a few years ago, but when I saw the clue, all I could think of was Cape Fear.
Happy Birthday, Annette! Hope you have a wonderful day. By the way, I love your new avatar.
QOD: The old believe everything; the middle aged suspect everything: the young know everything. ~ Oscar Wilde
This was a normal Thursday puzzle--with obscure clues. I did not get the theme; although I knew that the ending of each themed clue was "ing."
ReplyDeleteI really liked 9A Finishing doughnuts--GLAZE. And, i too, was tricked by TOE.
There have been a lot of Indian Royalty titles lately, along with TOE & ASPs.
Good Morning Al, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great write-up, Al! Yes, I have heard of Toots Shor, even though I’m not from NY. He was quite a character, actually.
I messed up right out of the gate by putting ”Klimt” at 16A. When I realized that the clue asked for the sculpture, not the painting, the V8 can came out and and I changed it to RODIN. Much better!
Other than that goof, I was pretty much on James’ wavelength – didn’t get fooled by TOE or IOU, knew TRU and ULEE (great movie, B.T.W.). Had to pause at GUARD RAIL. (Is it “speed bump”?) (No, check the perps, dummy!) And so on through the grid. Figuring out the theme early on really helped. It wasn’t exactly a real speed run, but steady solving got ‘er done.
Hahtool, I also liked the clecho and crossing of RAJA and RANEE!
Happy Birthday, Annette! Any special plans today?
I think it would be fun to go around all day talking like Donald Duck – QUACK!
Good Morning C.C., Al and all,
ReplyDeleteAl, great blogging! Yes, I think Toot Shor was so involved with the Hollywood crowd in the fifties and maybe that’s how I knew of him. I guess the ‘pop culture’ of the day. With CA’s fantastic memory, I’m sure she can clear that up.
The puzzle was much smoother for me than Tuesday or Wednesday. I liked the humor in the reverse endings. 53D and 66A crossing was a real winner and check out the clues!
James did a super job of fill. I only had to find out where to put the ASPS, so they didn’t bite. A minor precaution. Thanks for a good Thursday morning; I needed it.
Annette, Happy Birthday! Hope life’s good for you these days. I have a feeling you’re someone with lots of friends so I’m sure you won’t be at a loss on how to celebrate. Have at it!
I forgot. Al, loved your comment on the three R’s. A comment that has been waiting in the wings all my life. More than LOL.
Have a nice day everyone.
Thank you, Hahtool. Proof that I'm still middle aged; none of "well you sure don't look it, stuff". A real sign!
ReplyDeleteAl, Informative write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteThemes didn't GRATIFY me.
Mostly just brought out a groan (or two).
Put in RA I but really wanted Kon-TIKI. A fave book from my youth.
Don't know why but I just put in SHOR for the NY Restaurteur, and GRIEG for the 'Peer Gynt' clues. Must be things I learned from crosswords that actually stuck.
For "Poison____" I really wanted Pinch. Missed the discussion yesterday.
BECKS for the Bremen brew was a gimmie (and another personal fave).
Cheers to all at Sunset.
Happy Birthday Annette; happy Thursday to the rest. thanks Al, my early problem was the 'S' which appeared in the theme answers 1 and 3 not 2 and 4.
ReplyDeleteBeyond the Russell Crowe movie, the use and meaning of GLADIATORS in Roman culture is filled social and political meaning.
Krispy Kreme has had tremendous internal leadership problems since it went public which have undermined the retail stores, which also have suffered from its poor coffee. They also compete with their own outlets by selling doughnuts at so many major grocery stores. Find a way to make their coffee as good and popular as DD and you will be rich.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteWow - I made it through a Thursday - quite a struggle though. My first theme fill was ROVER REPORTING, which is highly amusing. Got stuck on STOCKER, though. Had STACKER for a long time which messed up the west central. Finally sussed it, and that section was the last to fall.
As has been mentioned, liked the intersection of RAJA and RANEE. Presumably, they did as well.
Yes, this mid-westerner knows about Toots SHOR, though I couldn't tell you how or why.
Was Thunder Road a TRAGIC HOTROD story?
More TRAGIC: The ambidexterous gaucho had a PARA BOLAS.
IMBO to the Chirocracker.
Cheers!
JzB who thinks HORN is a trombone
Without getting DF, there's few things in life that melt in your mouth as wonderfully as a warm KK doughnut does. If you haven't tried them, you really should visit sometime when the 'HOT' sign is flashing. There's one coming 10 miles from here in the next two months, at which time I'll be moving to the gym permanently.
ReplyDeleteGood day folks,
ReplyDeleteBottoms up! That's how I completed this toughie. After the first pass there was a preponderance of empty spaces. I finished off the South rather easily, but from that point on it was a slog; little bit here, a little bit there, and eventually it was done. No one was more surprised then I that there were no mistakes.
Never did figure out the "roll reversals" in the theme answers until I read Al's write up. Noticed Abe Jo has his fav answer- Asps- again today.
Kept wanting to put in Scuba ..... for 5D, but eventually Snorkel, aka Beetles fav NCO, appeared.
My waistline is very happy that Krispy Kreme has vanished from the Ct landscape. Dennis, if teeth could heal themselves, I'd be living in the penthouse.
Rover Reporting from midst of weather buffet – mid 90’s early this week, low 80’s yesterday and mid 60’s today. Don’t like the weather…
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Nice info in write-up Al!
-STOCKINGSTUFFERS gave theme and it was fun and helpful from there on
-My knowledge of South America geography ain’t great
-Ditto on ULEE
-I was a big fan of LA Law and remember Corbin Bernson there and as a prima donna third baseman in Major League
-Grandchildren love Full House in 2011
-Big Julie had to hope that “luck would be a lady tonight”.
-I prefer ecards but am married to a woman who likes the $4 Hallmark versions
-Great quote, Hahtool! We get too soon old and too late smart!
-We stood next to a lovely Indian man at the Disney parade and he said that the caste system (Rajahs too?) is going out quickly in his old country and American culture is everywhere!
-My ‘rithmetic has always been better than my ‘ritin.
Good morning, all. Happy Birthday, Annette! Great blog, Al.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, each of the 'blocks' of the puzzle had a pair of crossing entries that I knew and that gave me enough to get the few unknowns. SHOR/HORN were my first entries.
Interesting that 'low digit'/TOE has suddenly started showing up on a regular basis here and in some other puzzles. I've noticed that with other clue/fill combinations also. There must be a secret constructors' site where they all share the latest and greatest wacky clues.
Hot Krispy Kreme glazed donuts have to be the closest thing to my Aunt Effie's homemade donuts that were an all too infrequent treat in my childhood. Oh, what memories.
Addendum – Every Thursday, UNL publishes the Drought Monitor. You can click on sections of the country to get regional information and then on your individual state to see conditions locally. Today’s map really shows how the south is suffering.
ReplyDeleteHello Puzzlers - Bumbled through in Thursday style. Always liked "The three R's" as a school phrase!
ReplyDeleteGot a little confused with RANEE - didn't we just have it as RANI a few days ago? ERST is always hard for me to recall. TIKI was, and still is, a WTF for me - what Barry said. Toots who? SHOR? If you say so.
Krispy Kreme doesn't have much of a presence around here. I've never had a hot one from a shop, only the boxed supermarket version, and only in Oshkosh.
CHAI is wonderful stuff when it's well made. Most coffee shops use crappy mixes such as Oregon Chai, which are way, way too sweet, like most such things in America. We are lucky to have a small shop nearby that makes real chai by hand, as they were taught by their Indian manager.
Ok. I know there were only 4 spaces for the clue "Do the _____", but all I could think of was that old disco song "Do the Hustle". Now I can't get that tune out of my head. Help!
ReplyDeleteNot too bad but needed some help. I agree with Barry about slay & Rai. Couldn't for the life of me think of the name of the craft. I kept thinking Ark. Perhaps because of the Last supper question. I really liked the doghnut clue. Hit me like a brick. Ranee with two e's threw me I thought it was spelled Rani.
ReplyDeleteHahtool
ReplyDeleteYou have my condolences ...
With 4 spaces, I put in (at first) Do the WAVE.
Then every 30 or 40 seconds, I got up and cheered.
Maybe you can just 'dance it out-of-your-head.' lol
Good Morning All, nice one for James Sajdak and blogging by Al.
ReplyDeleteI gave up trying to go straight Across a long time ago. It seems to work better for me to start with the Downs. That strategy paid off today.
I've been reading "Cleopatra, A Life", but I haven't gotten to the ASP part yet. As long as our CW's keep it in the forefront, I won't forget that it's coming.
I caught the theme ING ending early on and filled that in where I could. I didn't "get" the theme until STOCKERS STUFFING.
I also like intersecting clechos "Indian noble" for RAJA and RANEE.
Hahtool...Do the HUSTLE? LOL, Thanks a lot! I'm going to try to concentrate on NILS Lofgren I Came to Dance (anything but the Hustle).
Dennis @ 7:36, LOL, very clever, "without getting DF", that is exactly what you did.
Happy Birthday, Annette.
Hi gang,
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was waaaay over my head for the theme...I just didn't get the long answers at all.
I am here to wish Annette a very happy birthday!!! Hope you do and have all you want today (you don't have to tell us what happened either, but we'd love to hear it ;)
Al, your write up was more fun than the puzzle (for me) Thanks!
Krispy Kreme opened some stores in Portland but their timing was terrible..it was just after the Adkin's diet craze a few years ago. They are not here now. That is probably a good thing for most people, including me. I'd be doing what Dennis is proposing...move into the gym :)
ReplyDelete67A/Shelley's "Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats" is a reeeally long poem about..well, John Keat's death (495 lines.... ennui...ennui), so I won't link it.
ReplyDeleteNow, "Elegy for a Krispy Kreme" is something I could get into..."O, DOTH the feverish and fragile torus abide?", etc.
Anyway, back to Shelley. This one is nice and short and the first couple of lines can help explain why we can't get The Hustle out of our heads.
MUSIC, WHEN SOFT VOICES DIE
Music, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory;
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.
Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heap'd for the belovèd's bed;
And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.
- Percy Bysshe Shelly
I knew only a few of the names today (TRU, ULEE, HORN, RODIN, TIKI, YASIR, GRIEG, BECKS, NIKON), but only g'ed IAGO,NILS, LORI and DYSART, the rest perped up.
ReplyDeleteCA has a NZ jade pendant, but not of the tiki, I believe.
I never did see the ending reversals and just thought the theme was cute phrases. Wanted SURFING for SURGING and also went for SCUBA until SINGERS arrived.
Bremen, a former Hanseatic city, is also known for Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians of Bremen). If you know the fairy tale, you also know the "musicians" never made it that far, but there's a statue of them near the town hall. Bremerhaven, which serves as Bremen's port, has a big emigration museum.
I've just had a sickening thought. If I believe the Oscar Wilde quote, doesn't that put me into the next category?
ReplyDeleteHelp.
Ah! now I'm suspicious.
You really should watch the movie, Ulee's Gold, starring Fonda. It is great!
ReplyDeleteI missed it yesterday, so happy belated birthday to Tarrajo and Tashajo. And today to Annette a HBTY too!
ReplyDeleteAl,
Glad to see you back on deck and awake. I hope the workload has slowed at least a little for you.
Wow! I can't find my earlier post. That is weird.
ReplyDeleteBut hello puzzlers and thank you, Al, for a fine blog and for explaining ARENA. I have often wondered about it since ARENA means sand in Spanish.
Happy, happy birthday, Annette! I hope you do something fun.
I found the puzzle a bit of a slog but then decided to work downwards and that went faster. Finally the long theme answers revealed themselves and I could finish them.
I, too, liked the crossing of RAJA/ RANEE. Maybe Wikwak can enlighten us but I believe RANI is masculine and RANEE, feminine.
Krispy Kreme moved out of AZ and i am ambivalent about that. However, had they stayed I, too, would be applying for residency at the gym!
Have a special Thursday, everyone!
Hello everybody. Rani/ranee, aga/agha. Made me want Ahgra or Aghra instead of India the other day.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the letter H messed me up in the center, where I put in RAH for Heyerdahl's craft and stuck with it in spite of the resulting SHRES for 38A, which I thought might be a variant of SRIS (SRI plural). Man oh man, sometimes it's hard to get out of the hole one digs for oneself.
At least, like Clear Ayes, I quickly figured out to fill in ING at the ends of the four long entries.
HeartRx, excellent idea to talk like Donald Duck today!
Just call me Carol today. I just couldn’t get a TOE-hold. I, like Clearayes noticed the “ing” endings and that helped me a little bit by putting those letters in the theme answers. I had to hit the g-spot for Shor and Dysart. Ra i is a new term for me today. Favorite clue – “please”-gratify. Don’t know why…
ReplyDeleteFavorite by far was your write up, Al. As others have said before me, I always learn something new when you blog.
Good job Heartx and Clearayes on that puzzling riddle yesterday. I got it too, but it also took me quite a while.
Annette, a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
Good afternoon Al, CC, et al., I'm surprised that this is a Thurs. It went more smoothly than most for me. The perps were excellent and i picked up on adding 'ing' to the theme entries, which helped. Never would've gotten the theme tho'. Nice work, Al. Always enjoy your efforts. That 'shor' was some cleavage! 'yasir', she could've
ReplyDelete'rod-in' on the water without a y'acht' using them for flotation devices. I relate and possibly
'out do' her. Kon 'Tiki' would've been taken to a whole new dimension w/ Thor and me. Instead of Parabolas...para bra las that would've worked as sails and shortened the trip w/'glee' and
'zing'. too 'tru'!
Dennis: LMAO w/out getting DF? great imagery! Also loved your 40D error. very funny.
Annette: happy birthday to you! I wish you many many more. Toasting to you will start in about 10 mins.
Happy birthday Annette!
ReplyDeleteLucina, don't you live in Arizona? No where near the fires I hope. They sound terrible. We have our share in southern California but not lately, fingers crossed. I hope things are OK for you, your family and friends.
Gloomy again here today. At least the weather is cool so I won't complain.
Anyone suffering from the drought? It must be difficult for some farmers right now.
The boats Thor Heyerdahl built from papyrus were actually named:
ReplyDeleteRA (Note: NO NUMBER!)
RA II
As such, the answer "RA I" is wrong.
(Dang, that has been bothering me ever since I filled in the puzzle).
I had a battle on my hands with this one. First fill was detente, and I started working across at the top. The bottom did fill fairly easily, then I picked my way through the top. Really couldn't grasp Ra I and also couldn't get beyond Kon Tiki for the boat. I filled it, but didn't like it and didn't understand until I got here: Doh! Ra! The Egyptian Sun God!
ReplyDeleteI'm not having any trouble with the Hustle earworm, but don't let it kill you if it's bothering you. (At least my song might break the curse:-). But I am having trouble shaking the imagery brought on by Dennis' opening comment on 40D. My inner 14 year old keeps seeing a Zippo or a Bic.
There is nothing on earth better than a hot Krispy Kreme. And nothing worse than a cold one.
Creature: You are so funny! I don't know whether to believe you or not. LOL!
ReplyDeleteToday's riddle:
ReplyDeleteWhat number would be next in sequence?
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
Hi CC and all
ReplyDeleteGreat write up Al
Boy I struggled with this one! Like most of you I wanted Kon Tiki. I did know Ra, but didn't get it until coming here. For 36A I put mash first. .I also misread 55D as Vida, so put Loca. Of course that didn't work.
Happy Birthday to Annette and to Tarrajo. I miss seeing your comments.
I never get the themes and today was no exception. I had to resort to Google for some of the answers.
As for RRR,was OK at readin, rightin, but never at rithmatic. Failed miserably in H.S.
Please, more from Buckeye!
I wanted to thank everyone for the kind birthday wishes yesterday. Brady got me a package of fish hooks, made me a bracelet (aka Sierra probably did) and potted me some herbs. He also made me a gourmet dinner of hot dogs and we had ice cream cones complete with a candle in mine. So, as you can see my first day in my mid-thirties turned out very nicely.
ReplyDeleteJeannie, would that be :
ReplyDelete11111111
We had another storm last night that hit like a ton of bricks. You couldn't see more than 10 feet, and the trees were whipped into a frenzy.
ReplyDeletePower was cut and water was coming in everywhere. So we groped around in the dark with towels, trying to sop up the worst of it. I think I mistakenly used one of the cats to try to mop some of it up at one point.
This morning, there were more trees down at the end of the street, and it turns out there was a microburst over us. But still, I feel lucky that the house is still standing.
But I feel kind of like a duck, wading around in the leftover puddles...QUAACK !
1113213211 Yes? No?
ReplyDeleteTarrajo, that sounds like a very nice birthday. I forgot how old Brady is. Middle school?
Did some grocery shopping. Among other stuff, got a roast chicken with lemon herb seasoning and a bouquet of sunflowers.
Dennis your profanity is disturbing evenwhen you change the spelling.
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you.
ReplyDeleteQuack! Uhhhh, what's up, Doc? (Wait, wrong cartoon character.)
ReplyDeleteYou dangled a preposition. I find using correct grammer is blah...blah...blah.
ReplyDeleteBill G you are correct. I will let you explain it. Out of time, and no PC working at home.
ReplyDeleteBill G:
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't live near the fires. They are in the mountainous central part of the state. It has dense forests which are now torched. That is all much farther north of where I live.
The strangest part of the AZ fires that I have witnessed is that NE has had a lot of smoke in the atmosphere the past 5 or 6 days from those fires. We've seen smoky skies from both KS and OK fires in the past (those were grass fires, not forest), maybe even CO. But I've never seen anything as pronounced from any of those as this and AZ is easily at least twice the distance from us. Today it's a low overcast, so I can't tell if it's there. But whenever it's been sunny since this past Saturday, the smoke has been readily apparent.
ReplyDeleteHello all,
ReplyDeleteDNF today; didn't even try! Can't seem to stay awake.
Annette, I just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday!
Thufferin' thuccotash! (Dang ...)
ReplyDeleteHola Everyone, I surprised myself by finishing this puzzle with a few Dictionary lookups. the first time through I had a lot of blank spaces so I walked away.
ReplyDeleteAfter lunch I picked the CW up again and things began to click. Before I knew it I had it finished.
I thought the theme was very clever, but I didn't get the ending switches until I read Argyle's writeup. Glad to see you back, Argyle.
Dysert was a complete unknown, as was Asps. I didn't know that an asp was a cobra. I just guessed because nothing else would fit. I didn't know Hals/ Dutch painter, either, but that filled in with the perps.
Monodrama about Capote, and Jackson, Fonda Title role were fresh cluing for crosswordese that we see quite often.
Many Happy Returns, Annette. I hope you have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThe Senegal Peace Corp Volunteers in the region where my grandson is serving are installing rope pumps to help with the pulling of water from local wells. Their motto is 52 pumps in 52 weeks. They have installed 2 so far and both have been funded by donations. The smiles on the faces of the villagers tells the story.
The women spend half of their working time pulling water by hand from the wells, and this will give them more time to spend on their gardens. Some villages will actually be able to sell some of the excess produce to help feed and clothe and educatate their children.
It is amazing to me how a small improvement can create such a large result.
If you are interested their web site is watercharity.org. Their project is titled "52 Pumps".
Marti, You quack me up; the image of the cat (hopefully a Persian) being used as a mop is too funny. I hope you did not insert a handle...ouch
ReplyDeleteHad a hot KK donut in Atlanta a few years ago ... it's the closest I'll ever get to heaven!
ReplyDeleteKazie, the Bremerhaven Emigration Museum is one of the BEST museums that I have ever visited. We took a day trip there from Keil (Sp?).
ReplyDeleteThey have done a superb job with all of the material they had to present. While going through the museum you really felt like one of the immigrants!
Addendum to my comment earlier about Krispy Kreme. Back in the late 70's there was a Daylight Donut shop in Boulder that had a Bear Claw pastry. Fresh, it was as light as a KK donut, but it had cinnamon. Better than the orgasmatron!
ReplyDeleteI have never had a KK donut, hot or cold. I think I'm missing out.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Annette.
AvJo:...and the wild fires produce their own storms with attendant down drafts, causing flaming pine cones and other debris to hurtle for miles!
ReplyDeleteHeartrx: If it quacks like a duck...
Husker Gary: Got your takeoff on the puzzle theme...clever
Fun police: It`s grammar!
CC: Missed your citizenship anniversary...my congratulations.
CA: Your pink dogwood blossoms (I think that`s what they are) are lovely.
As to KK donuts, give me plain, cake ones any day, with just a touch of nutmeg.
Been a harrowing few weeks for us...Going to hustle off now...
Good evening all. Great write-up Al.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Annette.
Dennis, I had 'set farts' for a while, too. Finally sussed it to SET FORTH. Only got a third done this morning before we had to run off to see some friends 1⅔ hrs away. Got home this evening and was able to finish without any look-ups. Even tho I started off strong with ACHT, it took quite a while to get the theme, but it was a fun solve. Thanks James.
Have a good night.
Chickie, I am back but unless this consarn new 'puter did it on its own, I didn't do any write-up.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, great to see you back. New computer or fixed?
ReplyDeleteJayce@5:09, hang in there, you'll get it sooner or later...quaaaaack
ReplyDeleteLemonade @5:21, no, she is not a "persian", but she thinks she is the RANEE around here...
ReplyDeleteHeartRx, toooooo funny about thinking you grabbed your cat to mop up. I just howled at that, and imagined so did your cat. We know how much they 'love' water :)
ReplyDeleteSure hope you in Arizona are not in the huge fire area..it's very disturbing to see the pictures. So many violent weather related incidents of every kind this year.
Good night all.
ReplyDeleteI know it's late, but I wanted to wish Annette a late happy birthday. And to compliment Al on the write up.
Had some holes in my puzzle; did not figure out the long ones except one. (Rover Reporting)
Love this blog.
Quack! Quack!
ReplyDeleteOh my Ra! After filling in a TOTAL of 5 on my 1st run thru the acrosses,which included guardrail, I rallied with the DOWNS offerings. Phew!My hardest fill was Dysart, and I do not recognize him, but thanks, Al.
I am getting better at remembering words like denizen and milieu, so I can work on the answers rather than deceiphering the clues.
Which reminds me, I HAD NO CLUE about the theme even when filled in.No problem with the singers and stockers, but the perps did my thinking.
Loved glaze; luckily we don't have a kk nearby. Had a hot one once..
:))
A very happy birthday to you, Annette.
Now I have Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 9 on a Compaq tower and I can't find anything but it's coming together slowly.
ReplyDeleteI made that same upgrade recently, Argyle. Now that I've gotten used to it, I like it.
ReplyDeleteWe've got a really fun Hearti puzzle on tap for tomorrow
Wow, finding those theme word combinations must have been difficult... Very impressive!
ReplyDeleteLoved the clue for 46A One of the 10 lowest digits?: TOE.
Fresh, hot, glazed KK are 100 times better than the packages sold in grocery stores. I've seen a recipe for bread pudding using KK donuts! I never thought there was such a thing as too sweet until I tasted KK's, but sadly, they GREW on me... Luckily, the stores with HOT signs aren't very convenient for me to get to.
C.C., thank you for the shout out, and thank you to all my blogger friends for being a very special part of my birthday celebration! I appreciate you remembering, and all the nice birthday wishes you sent out to me! As Hahtool kindly remembered, it was a significant birthday - my 50th!
Has anyone found AARP membership really worthwhile? Or are the savings comparable to AAA?
Annette, I had AARP for 10 years or more, but threw it away when I figured out that they don't really represent seniors. They exploit seniors to hawk their insurance products, IMO. I never saw any savings that I couldn't get with AAA.
ReplyDeleteHahtool, the new avatar is an antlered chandelier from the rustic lodge my niece from the photo C.C. posted of me was married in. My shower gift to her was an antlered bowl.
ReplyDeleteHahtool, the new avatar is an antlered chandelier from the rustic lodge my niece from the photo C.C. posted of me was married in. My shower gift to her was an antlered bowl.
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm so late to the party! Work was just busy enough. I think birthday wishes arrived via almost every possible medium! One co-worker gave me a bottle of French wine I can't pronounce.
ReplyDeleteI was looking forward to some hot, DF plans tonight, but something came up (not what I was hoping would!), and they were puy off until tomorrow night.
So I went to a local Mexican restaurant for margaritas, and found something called a "Pain Killer" instead. Two of those, and the ruined plans were barely a memory! Stopped at the grocery for a scratch off tickets, birthday cake, and my traditional chocolate milk (which I used to concoct some mock-choco-tini's this year). I almost made my money back on the tickets...
I still have a few more treats on Saturday: massage, mani/pedi, dinner with family at a nice restaurant.
Thank you for being one of my favorite "gifts"!
Good Evening, folks. Thank you James S. for a swell Thursday puzzle. Thank you, Al for the write-up.
ReplyDeleteI finished this puzzle earlier in the day, but was so busy I could not log on to the blog. I just got home from my Royal Arch Chapter meeting and here I am .
No time to read all the various inputs from you all. I might read them tomorrow. As for now, I am going to bed. I have to get up in 4 1/2 hours.
The puzzle was a good one. Easier than most Thursdays, i thought.
Thought RAJA and RANEE crossing was intentional and clever.
Nice to see ASPS again. I still think that word is a high runner.
Last supper question/IS IT I? And the response is"Thou hast said."
Nice theme.
See you tomorrow. I am hitting the hay.
Abejo
Dear Annette,
ReplyDeleteGood question. No, I haven't found AARP membership good for anything. If you want a life insurance policy, auto insurance or a long term health care policy, you can do better elsewhere. I don't think they're really an advocate for seniors. I think AAA is better. I use them for car insurance and homeowners insurance.
Sorry Al about crediting your writeup to Argyle.
ReplyDeleteArgyle it is still good to see you are back in the computer living world.
Hello, hello,
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Annette!
Good job, Al
Enjoyable Thursday puzzle. Everything has been well discussed, so just a few words...
@Tinbeni, I, too thought about "Kon Tiki" and the 'tiki' cluing felt like a supporting clecho, ha!
@Jazzbumpa, I hope you feel better!
I've enjoyed what each of you has had to say today!
Good night and...
I'm out.