Theme: double down. nouns that fit into a certain group are used to create a silly, two-word phrase, first word functioning as a verb & second a well-known name.
17A. *Persistently pester journalist Blitzer? : BADGER WOLF. wolf blitzer, cnn reporter. (mammals)
23A. *Evade actor Harrison? : DODGE FORD. harrison ford, actor. (car makes)
51A. *"Look out, Ichabod!"? : DUCK CRANE. ichabod crane. (fowl)
11D. *Spotted rapper MC? : SAW HAMMER. m.c. hammer. (tools). really, you can't. touch these.pants.
32D. *"Step on it, Mrs. Cleaver!"? : MARCH JUNE. june cleaver. (months)
62A. Biblical cargo, or what makes up the answers to starred clues : TWO OF A KIND
clever phrases, made me giggle. fun when the theme answers include acrosses and downs. don't recognize these constructors but they have teamed up before in at least one nyt puzzle (1/29/2008.) can you think of any more 'two of a kind' clues and answers?
melissa here, and this will be somewhat brief today. don't blink.
across:
1. Relay, say : RACE
5. Parasol purpose : SHADE. monet's woman with a parasol.
10. Nile biters : ASPS
14. University with a law school in Greensboro : ELON. north carolina. had no idea.
15. Swiss Alps refrain : YODEL
16. Like a blue moon : RARE. van the man.
19. Branch branch : TWIG
20. Business opening? : I MEAN. "i mean business."
21. Ballerina's pivot point : TOE. that's gotta hurt.
22. Dodo : SCHMO. dodo!
25. Carte start : ALA. a menu item ordered and priced separately.
26. Goof up : ERR
27. Office assortment : STAMPS
30. NCR product : ATM. ncr corporation, first made cash registers, now makes atm's (among other things).
33. Moronic : OAFISH.
37. Fictional pirate : SMEE
38. Crumbly soil : LOAM
40. Word with mouth or pool : MOTOR
41. Flu fighters : SERA
42. Taj Mahal site : AGRA
43. Large departure : EXODUS
45. Pirate's potent potable : RUM. yo ho ho.
46. Like some cows : SACRED
48. Take in : NAB. vague clue.
50. "Let me think ..." : HMM.
57. Green-skinned pear : ANJOU
59. Blood system letters : ABO
60. Tease : RAG ON. i don't really think of them as being the same.
61. Chef lead-in : SOUS
64. "Green Gables" girl : ANNE. anne of green gables.
65. Plumber's tool : SNAKE
66. Zeno of __ : ELEA. no idea. 5th century bc greek philosopher. anyone know this?
67. Amanda of "Gulliver's Travels" (2010) : PEET
68. Fall flower : ASTER
69. Paving stone : SETT. a rectangular, quarried stone.
down:
1. Auction action : RE-BID
2. Avis rival : ALAMO
3. Like some wartime messages : CODED
4. Captivate : ENGAGE
5. Turk. neighbor : SYR
6. Instruction book : HOW TO
7. "Every wall is __": Emerson : A DOOR. ralph waldo emerson quote.
8. Edited out : DELED
9. North Pole resident, presumably : ELF
10. Place for a nude : ART CLASS. but welcome in other places also.
12. Proper partner? : PRIM
13. Showy lily : SEGO. utah state flower.
18. Cool time in Madrid : ENERO
22. Made a lap : SAT
24. Set up : FRAMED
27. Diminished : SHRUNK
28. Lima or llama land : PERU. dig the alliteration.
29. Mine line : SEAM. did not know this term. "a stratum of ore or coal thick enough to be mined with profit."
30. "Woe is me!" : ALAS
31. Frat party wrap : TOGA
34. Deceive : FOX
35. "What was __ do?" : I TO
36. Instant lawn : SOD
39. Small monkey : MARMOSET. strange looking.
44. Pelvic bones : SACRA
47. Down Under runner : EMU
49. Traffic stoppers? : BRAKES
51. Suddenly occurs to, with "on" : DAWNS. dawns on.
52. WWII German sub : U-BOAT
53. "Another Saturday Night" singer Sam : COOKE. oldie.
54. Nimble : AGILE
55. The Muses, e.g. : NONET
56. Conclude by : END AT
57. PDQ relative : ASAP
58. Not a lick : NONE. aw.
62. Frisk-y govt. group? : TSA. great clue.
63. Not agin : FER
melissa
Good morning, Melissa Bee, C.C. and gang - this'll be as quick as Mustang Mel's blog, as I've got to drag my tired tail to the gym early today.
ReplyDeleteTwo mistakes: I spelled 'marmoset' as 'marmaset', and needed 'anjou' to clear it up, and put 'shrank' instead of 'shrunk' for 27D. Otherwise, a pretty fast solve. Nice seeing the shout-out to Dodo. Favorite clue was 'Frisk-y govt. group?'
C.C., all the links work now. I was in 'preview' mode before.
Today is Best Friends Day and Name Your Poison Day.
Did You Know?:
- Nine out of every ten living things live in the ocean.
- The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.
Well this team of constructors has you beat with initials, C.C. I was slowed down in the beginning by the use of a last name(BLITZER) and then a first name (HARRISON) which made me try and fit REX in the answer. The confusion did not last long and it was pretty quick for a Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the Frisk'y clue, I liked I MEAN as a busines opener.
I use IE and everything opened.
Later
Oops, now half of the blog disappeared, damn you blogger blitches!
ReplyDeleteLemonade,
ReplyDeleteHow about now? This glitch is driving me nuts.
it is all back, now.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Melissa Bee and friends. I had no trouble with your links. You always find amusing picts to accompany your commentary.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun puzzle. I figured out the theme with DODGE HARRISON. After figuring out that, I knew what to look for with the other theme clues.
My favorite clue was: Frisk-y Gg. = TSA. I recently had the "pleasure" of the full body scan on my last flight.
I was also amused by Traffic Stoppers? = BRAKES.
We had ELON recently. I didn't know the university had a law school, though.
Happy Birthday, Tarrajo. I know you must check in on occasion. I hope you have a wonderful day.
QOD: Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice. ~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Good morning Melissa Bee and all, a very entertaining puzzle this morning. I got the theme immediately after getting badger wolf and dodge ford and the rest of the puzzle fell quickly. I did screw up a couple of answers, but they were corrected by the perps. One answer was wrong and I did not see it until coming here. I had AnnA for 64A which gave me marmosAt for 39D.
ReplyDeleteMelissa when you said “this will be somewhat brief” I did not expect it to be as brief as it was. On my copy of the blog there were no down clues and the horizontal clues ended at 33A. Guess there is a problem somewhere.
Great fun puzzle today and I hope we see more of these two constructors.
Have a great Wednesday.
Dick: I think there is a blitch today. When I first looked at Melissa's commentary, there were only a few clues. I hit the refresh button, and got her entire commentary.
ReplyDeleteI just went back and refreshed the blog and the entire page is now coming up. I had no problems with the links and I use FireFox.
ReplyDeleteBTW, thanks mb; it is always a pleasure to see you in your briefs.
ReplyDeleteGood day folks,
ReplyDeleteFrom hot and humid Ct, everything is working except me. Like shrink,shrank, shrunk, today I stink, stank, stunk. I never saw exodus and with fob for 34D & shrank for 27D, never came close to seeing it.
Otherwise it was smooth sailing. Noticed Abe Jo gets to wrestle with Asps again. Zeno of Elea was a total unknown and I wouldn't have been surprised if it had turned out to be wrong. Amanda Peet also new to me.
Moronic/oafish has to be a favorite because it matches my performance today.
For those who need it, enjoy the AC.
Hello Puzzlers - I had no blitch problems or link failures, using the Safari browser that is native to my much-loved, indispensable iPad.
ReplyDeleteAs to the puzzle: what Dick said. The theme made sense early on, but I still stumbled over the unknowns such as Zeno of ALEA. SACRA took a while because I wanted ILIA, if only it would fit. SCHMO is a WTF for me. As for SETT, I simply forgot 'cause it's been a while.
AGRA was mentioned recently; I wonder, does anyone remember the character called Agra in the combined animation/muppetry movie "The Dark Crystal"?
Hondo reminded me that there are certain verbs I fear to conjugate, and Shrink is definitely among them. I try to do things properly in the grammar department, but those sorts of verbs leave me shaking in my boots!
ReplyDeleteHearti from yesterday - loved your (1) and (b) list sequence! I recall seeing that in a Fred Armisen bit on SNL once also. The little thing amuse me most, I guess.
Good Morning Melissa Bee, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteNo problems with the blog today - I am also using Safari on my Macbook, like Dudley. (Glad I could amuse you yesterday!)
Thanks for the "briefing" MB!
I had to laugh when I saw ASPS - Abejo, there you go again! And TOGA is "properly" clued today as Frat party wrap! Yesterday when we had INDIA, everyone wanted AGRA. Today we have AGRA – did anyone try to squeeze in INDIA?
I had trouble in the very bottom right – did not remember ELEA, and just didn’t know SETT. So I wondered if 55D would be NONad or NONet. And 56D – should it be END on, or END AT? I finally just put in what looked “right”, and got lucky.
.
Fun theme, and it must have been a bear to come up with six entries, both across and down, and still get some great fill. Not only that, all but the unifier have a person's name, coupled with a verb. But they get turned into two nouns by the unifier... I am in awe!
Happy Hump Day, everyone!
Good morning all,
ReplyDelete3 hours of trying and no sleep! However, am plenty sleepy. Enjoyed your work, Stewart and Hummel! Also enjoyed CC and Don yesterday. The former was easier. The latter had the most enjoyable theme, I think.
I knew Zeno of ELEA from years of injecting history into my Math Ideas course. Didn't know SETT. No cheating though.
There seemed to be many frequent answers in today's offering. No? ASP again?
Happy hump day!
HMM(m, I always use 3 M's) ...
ReplyDeleteHeartRx; After the Taj Mahal site (location, in that puzzle) I did put in AGRA (since I questioned INDIA as the answer a few days ago) ... but I thought maybe we were going on an even wider-scale ... maybe (wait for it) ... ASIA??? lol.
Learning moments, Zeno fo ELEA and Paving stone is a SETT.
And once again I put in SOUP for the Chef before the perps got me the French SOUS.
Fave for me was FRAMED (Set up).
Cheers ...
I can only see 1-6 down answers. Is the browser failing or is the site incomplete?
ReplyDeleteMorning all. Thanks MB for the writeup. I'm not familiar with that Van Morrison song. It was great.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle wasn't a speed contest, but was a smooth solve. Enjoyed the pairings. WOTD for me was SETT.
I'm on a PC, XP OS, using Firefox. I'm only seeing the down answers thru #6. So the blitch must still be active.
Good morning MB, C.C. and a happy hump day to all.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very clever puzzle and enjoyable solve. I fell into the shrank/SHRUNK trap, but after I thunk about it, I got the right one.
Hearti, we were both muddleing around that bottom corner. Fortunately, END on never entered my mind and I had END AT. I stared at total unknowns EL_A and SE_T, crossed by NON_ _. I finally dredged up nine muses from somewhere and figured out NONET.
Given my druthers, I'll take a TSA frisking over the "frisking" I'm likely to get from my urologist tomorrow...
My banana plants have no human intervention except for harvesting a bunch when it ripens and cutting down the old stalk. New stalks keep coming up and producing more, though.
Good Morning, folks. Thank you C.W. and J.K. Thank you, too, M.B. I enjoyed this Wednesday offering. It was just the right level of complexity. I will use my initials, too. B.B.
ReplyDeleteHad no problem 3/4 of the way down. When I hit the South, it was a little tougher.
Had SHRANK instead of SHRUNK for a while. EXODUS fixed that. That is one of my favorite old books, Exodus, by leon Uris.
Had NET instead of NAB. BRAKES fixed that. Had NINES for the Muses. I knew there were nine of them. Then I plugged in NONES., thinking that was a form of Nine. Missed SETT. So, that corner got me.
Still, all in all, a fun puzzle. Thank you all.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Tinbeni, you're right - the "India" one was a few days ago, not yesterday. (My, how time flies when you're having fun!) And yes, "Asia" would seem to be the next logical step in the progression, LOL!
ReplyDeleteMB, I forgot to thank you for the Van the man clip. My DH gave me an iPod for xmas when we first started going together, and this was one of the songs that he had "pre-loaded" onto it!
Good Morning C.C., Melissa B and all,
ReplyDeleteActually, MB, I prefer ‘brief’ and pic links or I go back after I’ve read what the other bloggers experienced and written my post, to take the time to enjoy all the razzmatazz. I think it’s my old mind that can’t take the confusion when I’m trying to concentrate on the different aspects of the puzzle. I do go back and I do enjoy.
Thanks.
The Stewart-Hummel team had an inventive theme that stood out; even the unifier was a fun pun. I imagine they were talking about each other, as well.
Same as Marti, for the SE corner. Don’t think I ever knew Zeno of ELEA, though SETT came to me after the fact. Still in a fog about it, however. Couldn’t decide what the pic was Depicting.
This team approach to crosswords seems to expand the possibilities for uniqueness and creativity for the solver
Happy Birthday, Tarrajo.
To all my Best Friends, Thanks for being there, and I’ll have a Chardonnay. Not a good breakfast wine.
What’s with the Banana? {thks, spellcheck}
Not too bad for Wednesday, but not as easy for me as for some of you. I was wishing I knew the Spanish for winter, until it DAWNED on me that I needed ENERO. I didn't know ELEA, SETT, PEET or COOKE, all of which I g'ed except Cooke which perped itself. I wanted to spell HMM as HUM and OAFISH and MOTOR took me way too long. the theme came fast, but wanting TWO BY TWO slowed that one.
ReplyDeleteDudley,
I shrink, I shrank, I have shrunk.
Fermatprime,
How does Zeno or Elea fit in with math?
We'll have 90 + here today after a "low" of 80 this a.m.
HeartRx
ReplyDeleteNext time the Taj Mahal is clued and there are 5 spaces ... I'm wondering if "Earth" will become an acceptable answer.
HMMM ... The Arch, with 7 spaces will be Mid-West not St.Louis. LOL
Tin,
ReplyDelete...or MickyDs?
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle, but a bit of a slog for me. Feeling quite stiff (not in a good way) and tired today. Clever, ambitious theme.
Never can remember ELEA. SETT is new to me, and I have a paver patio.
Got TSA from the perps and never saw frisk-y until I got here. Great clue!
Too bad SERA came between SMEE and his RUM.
Is HOW TO COOKE a Julia Childe reference?
Interesting to see the dangling MARMOSET. What dangles in ART CLASS?
Can DELED possibly be legitimate? DELE is an editorial mark, and an abbrv for DELETE. DELE is not a verb in the language. Am I wrong?
Much to do, I MEAN IMBO.
Cheers!
JzB less than AGILE
Hi all - After a very slow start, my coffee must have kicked in. I filled in a few here and there and suddenly the letters all became friendly with each other and made some sense.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I agree that (to me) 60A TEASE/RAG ON have different meanings. If I'm 'ragging on' someone, I sure as heck am not teasing them (and they usually know it :))
SETT was a new word this morning. I always thought it was just paving stone.
55D MUSES, I just didn't realize there were NINE of them....and I never remember that NONET is the word for 9 of something.
Jazz; there IS a cure for your 'stiffness', enjoy!!
Lemonade (6:24) LOL
22A Dodo: she certainly is NOT a SCHMO! She is sweet and witty!!
Good morning everyone. Thanks for the commentary, M.B.
ReplyDeleteMedium difficulty, but fun to work on. Could not suss out the SE_T/NONE_ cross in the SE but got everything else without a search. Liked the theme a lot; all very clever. Especially liked 20a. I MEAN 'business'. Took my time doing this so I could enjoy it. Thanks CW and JK.
I don't think our Dodo is a SCHMO.
Expecting 95º here today.
Nice Wednesday offering. Thanks MelissaB.
ReplyDeleteI had to do a little erasing this a.m. First had LIE, then FIB, finally FOX. NAGAT for RAGAT. I agree that rag at doesn't mean "tease" to me. Last fill was OAFISH. I like that - think I'll try to work it into as many conversations as I can today!
AvgJoe on Tuesday: I had never heard of garlic scapes until just last weekend when I went to a local Farmers Mkt. I had to ask the vendor what the heck those funny long things were! Thank goodness Jeannie stepped up to the plate. Was the Pesto really really
garlicy? How potent was it?
My poison is gin. Maybe a nice Saphire?
That's all Folks!
We are having a veritable cold spell here. Temperature are "only" expected in the low to mid 90s.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Melissa, C.C., et al,
ReplyDeleteToday's clever theme came very easily which is very unusual for me.Loved it, as it flowed easily...except for that SE corner
(elea, sett and nonet). Like Marti, I guessed. Agra was another guess, as Asia did not fit.
lie....fib....fox, Loved exodus
Had to do the abc thing to come up with the g in rag on.
fer? deled? They just happened.
C.W & J.K. must not know our Dodo.
Happy Birthday Tarrajo.We miss you.
Garlicgal, It was very garlicky, but it wasn't overly potent. I doubt you'd want to eat it before a job interview, but it didn't overwhelm all other flavors and I don't think you could stand on your breath after partaking. I'd give it an A, but I really like garlic.
ReplyDeleteIf anybody wants to try and grow it, remember it requires hard stem varieties.
Ditto for me, Garlic Gal, re: Scape.
ReplyDeleteCarol, Spitzboov, JD, I’ve been waiting to pounce on 22A. Dodo is spunky and a bit sassy, as well; and, once in a blue moon, a tad naughty for excitement, and never, ever boring. Anyone else?
I am now able to see all the down answers. Must have been a browser problem on my iPhone 4. At the same time I was failing, my wife could see all the answers on her iPhone 3GS. Go figure!?!?
ReplyDeleteAn OK Wed puzzle. Thanks for another great job MB.
ReplyDeleteMonday, I didn't mean to start all this acrimony. (Sure I did.) I did find it rather amusing that "Witty Irony" blasted me for hiding behind an alias. I think he's just upset that his mama and papa, Mr. and Mrs Irony, named him "Witty".
Sorry I mispelled Lybia.
I AM a bit resentful. THAT IS NOT A MASK!!!! A.H.
I must be off.
I have to admit I hadn't a clue as to what a garlic scape was and my first thought was a painting of garlic growing on a hillside...although for the life of me, I couldn't see why anyone would want to paint that. After looking it up, I just laughed! Why call the stems or greens something like 'scapes'???? Too funny (to me). Are green onion stems also called scapes or is it just the garlic?
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot.
ReplyDeleteHusker Gary; Your comment, "Anna stood up to the King and more Arab women are starting to do so much as Saudi women wanting to drive". A rather convoluted sentence, but you got across your point. You were lucky that "Witty Irony" didn't jump your posterior for mentioning religion, politics and sexism in a single sentence. Think before you post!
IMBO
Good day, Melissa, C.C. and everyone. You do well in briefs, MB, and I love Sam Cooke; thank you for the link.
ReplyDeleteNot a RACE but a fun run today. I had WOLF and FORD first then worked on the rest and chuckled when they emerged. Knew what the theme would be then.
It all flowed together and I have to say I'm surprised so many don't remember Zeno of ELEA as it occurs often. SETT was a lucky WAG.
AGRA stacked on SACRED cows, HMM, could be an omen of some sort.
What an amusing opus from Stewart and Hummel. Thank you.
Hahtool:
We also are experiencing a 90s cool down. Very unusual for June.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Miss read the first clue, thought it read,"relax,say" Duh! must need new glasses. Sure screwed up that corner completely. Had alamo & coded which gave me badger & dodge but kept reading 1 across as relax.
ReplyDeleteGot the unifier right away & all the starred clues. Also, last clue,"paving stone", didn't know. Otherwise, Cool!
I can only say that our dodo is delightful and I'm looking forward to seeing her again.
ReplyDeletetried using garlic scapes last year in a pesto when I got them in my farm basket----yuck, yuck, yuck! One taste and I threw it all away; way too garlicy (garliky?) for us.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to hide the clues and answers to the puzzle or scroll them down-- my eyes make me want to cheat!
ReplyDeletethanks
Good Morning All, I had fun with this one and except for wanting to fill 57D with BACH for "PDQ relative", it all went smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI loved the photo of the MARMOSET, melissa bee. He looked a little like a former boss of mine. I don't think the boss had opposable thumbs either.
MY version of YODELing is singing, "Old lady shoes" over and over with a lot of melismas ups and downs tossed in for good measure. (How long until we see MELISIMA in a crossword?...I'm ready!)
Lucina@11:16, me too..again for the first time!
How's the family curmudgeon today? So glad to see you, Bro.
Heading out for lunch and a touch of shopping with some best friends.
Carol -
ReplyDeleteAlas, that's why I said, "not in a good way."
It's my back that's stiff.
Buckeye - Yo mamma and pappa should have named you Witty. On 2nd though, Smarta$$ might have been a better choice.
Anon @11:43. That's why you do the puzzle first, THEN come here.
TJ - Happy birthday, wherever you are.
Cheers!
JzB
I'm always up for a name game crossword. My first published puzzle was this kind of theme. However, this puzzle is far superior. It's a dandy!
ReplyDeleteNot so dandy-
"I'm fine... ANJOU?"
Idi IMEAN
Robert ENERO
Lakota SOUS
SHRUNK is a retired psychiatrist and ALA a minor Islamic god
Buckeye, I havent heard from you before ... tell me, how do you get away with it ? I'd really love to get your persona. Your avatar had me fooled as well, my suggestion would be to get some rouge and eye shadow, it can do wonders.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, WH blew up, in his predictable volcanic style - and then just as things were getting interesting, and I waited with baited breath - Dennis had to jump in and pour a ton of his extra virgin olive oil over troubled waters - party pooper !
IMHO, if this blog is restricted to crosswordese, and the inane parsing of words and phrases - we are going to lose out on all our younger readers. I mean, who wants to hear from little old biddies enunciating pasta sauce recipes, which is about as exciting as quilting with belly button lint. What we need is politics, sex and un-PC-ness and lots of it, in no particular order. If this means we are restricted to male egotistical hormonal-fired drunken Republicans, so be it. Far better than boring trips to Disneyland, and the insipid private lives of sub-teachers. ( horrors !).
Hello everybody. As for yesterday's puzzle, which was fun to work, my experience with it was very close to what Dennis described in his opening remark.
ReplyDeleteAs for today's, after filling SAWHAMMER at 11D, I was convinced that the theme had something to do with word order (hammer and saw,) which held me back with WOLF, as I kept searching for a two-word phrase starting with the word wolf. Once I got the aha moment, however, I giggled like Melissa says she did.
Clues/answers that brought smiles to my face include I MEAN and FER. SCMHO made me frown. I got totally stuck with NONET and SETT, and spelled ELEA as ELIA which didn't help either. Zeno is the guy who is famous for his "paradoxes" such as his assertion that a wheel does not actually touch the road (mathematics: a line tangent to a circle.)
Melissa, you da woman!
More later maybe.
Blogger blooper,
ReplyDeleteI love your "which is about as exciting as quilting with belly button lint." But what makes you think any of us have excitement in our lives other than what we discuss? How else would we find time to be here so much? What do you do for excitement?
More sooner.
ReplyDeleteAmong poisons, I guess my favorite is red wine, followed (ordinally, not sequentially) by potato-based vodka such as Luksusowa from Poland.
Dodo, wanna change your nickname to DotDot? :)
"Scapes"???
Thank you Melissabee for a brief yet entertaining blog today. I did manage to get the theme answers but had no idea what the theme actually was. I got lots of perp help with Elon (I know, I know), Sera, and nonet. Sett was purely a WAG and was my learning moment today. Favorites were “made a lap”-sat and “mine line” – seam.
ReplyDeleteAvg Joe, I am glad you enjoyed the pesto recipe.
Tarrajo, if you are out there, Happy Birthday to you!
Blogger blooper, I, as well as others here on this fine blog can assure you that I am NOT a “little old biddy” enunciating pasta sauce recipes.
Lo-li-ta.
kazie, I'm not sure I would want to discuss here everything I do for excitement, haha.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes, any chance we could hear a recording of you singing?
Thank you, BB (is that a subliminal clue to your cup size?) for the volcano imagery, but alas, it has been years since I was able to emulate Mt. St. Helens. I miss those days......
ReplyDeleteAnd if there was a blog such as you describe, it would be so crowded you couldn't get a word in. So like Kazie said, we fogies will just continue our parsing.
I have ordered a case of Tang as a peace offering, though.
Back to mowing this endless hay. The work ethic is a curse. So Biblical, full barns and handwriting on the wall.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteGreat write up Melissa B.
My problem today is I confidently put in for 62A TWO ANIMALS. Made the theme answers impossible. As well as the SE corner. Oh well.
Happy birthday, Tarrajo. We miss you and little joe.
And good to see you Buckeye. And take it from one who has tried, makeup won't help.
My poison is Bogle, thanks to a suggestion from Clear Ayes.
It's very hard not to reply to the long insulting comment from a newcomer not blue. But we do not talk to trolls.
Cheers
Cheers
I never trust anyone who's breath smells like minnows and worms.
ReplyDeleteBlogger blooper, you must be blind. Jeannie, an "old biddy"???
ReplyDeleteYes, TJ, how is little Brady Joe and the new bf? Many happy returns of the day to you and Tasha Jo.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for the birthday wishes! I don’t get to the puzzle much these days, but do read your blog occasionally. It’s good to see some of the regulars are still participating. Hi Kazie, Dennis, C.C., Lemonade, Clearayes, Buckeye, Carol, Judy, Lois, Melissabee, Jeannie, Windhover, Hahtool, Warren, Sallie, Jazzbumpa and any of those I might have missed.
ReplyDeleteMy life has been busy with work and of course Brady Joe. It seems the older he gets the more work this single parenting job entails. We are still fishing, gardening, (no zuchini yet)and playing soccer. He just finished school (all A’s and B’s) and is happy for the summer. I’ll try to not be such a stranger in the future.
Tashajo says thank you too!
Fun puzzle but DELED seemed odd to me too.
ReplyDeleteThe weather is still cool today but June Gloom has shown up. It's dreary-looking today. Still, with no AC, I prefer it to the 90s that some of you are coping with.
Meredith Viera signed off from Today today. She is about my favorite TV personality ever. She's attractive, warm, intelligent, emotional and funny. Here's a very enjoyable goodbye video from MSNBC. She is one classy person.
Yesterday, WH blew up, in his predictable volcanic style - and then just as things were getting interesting, and I waited with baited breath - Dennis had to jump in and pour a ton of his extra virgin olive oil over troubled waters - party pooper !
ReplyDeleteblogger blooper, it wasn't my first instinct. You shoulda been here in the good old days when we had more latitude (before we became respectable) -- you would've enjoyed the fireworks.
IMHO, if this blog is restricted to crosswordese, and the inane parsing of words and phrases - we are going to lose out on all our younger readers.
I'm sorry -- who is 'we'? And the bottom line is this: if this blog isn't 'blowing your dress up' as the saying goes, there's no end to your other choices. C.C. has shaped this blog according to what she wants to see out of it, and she's done an amazing job, as the numbers show. I doubt, however, that this is the end-all, be-all for anyone; most of us have many other outlets for discussion, both physical and virtual.
Hope this helps.
Today's Riddle:
ReplyDeleteIn a street there are five houses, painted five different colors. In each house lives a person of different nationality. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brands of cigar and keep a different pet. Who owns the fish?
Given below are some clues that will help you solve the riddle.
Clues:
ReplyDelete• The British man lives in a red house.
• The Swedish man keeps dogs as pets.
• The Danish man drinks tea.
• The Green house is next to, and on the left of the White house.
• The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
• The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
• The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
• The man living in the center house drinks milk.
• The Norwegian lives in the first house.
• The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
• The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
• The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
• The German smokes Prince.
• The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
• The Blends smoker lives next to the one who drinks water.
Jeanie: Are the houses in a straight line or in a circle, say on a cul de sac?
ReplyDeleteSpitzboov, I believe they are in a straight row, but the thing to figure out is who owns the fish. This one was a toughie.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARRAJO/TASHAJO! Good to hear that everything is going okay for you. Don't be a stranger!
Re: Name my poison. Ah, so many choices. Sorta like choosing between your children.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite summer drinks are:
Gin (Bombay) and tonic with lime over ice
Campari and tonic with lime over ice
Winter: Makers Mark and ginger ale over ice.
And in any season, there's always beer (Stella Artois or Beck's)
Wow, Jeannie, that is too hard for me.
ReplyDeleteName your poison...hmmmm. I usually use D-con to get rid of the little critters.
ReplyDeleteThe curmudgeon is still "curmudgeoning". (See Fred - for you newbies - Fred is Fred Webster's First Edition Community College Dictionary and Book Of Motor Cycle Maintenance). Miss ya, Sis.
ReplyDeleteJazz: Good to see you still "get it". Keep it up, and I love you, too.
Dennis: (Picture musical notes) - "Those were the days, my friend...."
From the GBRV, IMBO
Good Day All! I left just after sunrise to play golf and got in 40 holes on a perfect day with low temps and humidity’s and a north breeze!
ReplyDeleteThere are Saudi women who have driven cars in protest and they are setting a day when they will do so en masse. A friend of ours lives there and is very interested in the outcome. She is not like Anna who stood up to the King of Siam but has had to adjust the lifestyle there. Thanks for the fun heads-up Buckeye!
Musings
-Geese and goslings on the course are making a big mess with feathers and, uh, droppings but they are so beautiful.
-Very nice puzzle and clever theme.
-Loved Blue Moon by the Marcels!!
-Hook and Smee were in a lot of Disney shows last week. I never paid any attention to 2nd banana until I started doing puzzle.
-SETT and ELEA new to me
-I’ll take a swig of that Tang and the tenor or the blog is fine. If people use short words and small sentences, I can learn to blog even gooder, more well, better!
Jeannie, fun puzzle! I have the answer (ich denke), but will wait for others.
ReplyDeleteJeannie,
ReplyDeleteI'm French and Irish. I live in a green and brown house. I have a dog and a cat. I drink beer. I smoke Camels. I printed this puzzle out and took it out to the smokers lounge, whereupon I drew charts and columns with all the myriad data points. After about 15 minutes I got so confused and addled that drinking beer seemed like a much better idea than solving the puzzle. Skol!
Solution: I don't know and I don't care. But I'm happy knowing it won't be a time vampire. (meant in the best possible sense, not a snarky one.)
Happy birthday Tarrajo. I hope you stop by more often.
ReplyDeleteJeannie, I've solved your puzzle several years ago and have the solution. I don't think I'll try it again. It's a good one though.
OK, here's one for you (and everybody else). It's got a fun twist to it.
A mother is 21 years older than her child. In six years, the mother will be five times older than the child (or five times as old). Where is the father?
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteMonday and Tuesday puzzles were fun, Tuesday a little more difficult. Todays was also fun, not quite as hard as a Wed.puzzle usually is. I got the theme early for once, when I got dodge-ford, the rest went well. The SE corner also was more difficult but it was fun.
Thanks C.C. and Melissa Bee and also the constructors.
I didn't remember Zeno but when I looked in my puzzle book, I had written 'Zeno of alea' at the top and that took care of that.
I liked Prim,Exodus, and of course, Anne of Green Gables.Never heard of sett.
Hot here today, same as Kazie.
Have a good evening all!
Marge
Bill G. -
ReplyDeleteSolving simultaenously, if 'x' is the child's age and 'y', the mother's age, it is easily solved at
x = -0.75 yrs
& y = +20.25 yrs.
The minus sign indicates, the child has not yet been born, and the 'age' of 0.75 yrs or nine months, indicates the fetus ( if you can call it that- ) has just been conceived,** under the normal period of gestation, for humans.
So, - since this a family friendly blog, according to St. Dennis, - at this moment, the father may be in a position of putatively 'cooperating' with the mother in 'conceiving' the child....
** - actually the fetus would be a single celled organism or ova.
Hey Tarrajo and Tashajo; a very, very happy birthday to you both.
ReplyDeleteTarrajo, so glad you stopped by and gave up an update...I sincerely hope you can do that again soon :) I am sure BradyJo is happy that summer is beginning, that and childhood just go together so well...have a wonderful time.
My poison: light beer - period. Ok, ok you guys can stop gagging now, I can't tolerate the hard stuff and regular beer/ale is also too strong. I will sip an occasional glass of wine but read line one :)Light beer is my friend.
Geez Buckeye, you make my day!
WH, Dennis: thanks :)
Jeannie, no takers on your puzzle? I thought it was a really good brain stretching exercise, and like Avg Joe, I got so confused after 15 min that my brain was getting fried.
ReplyDeleteBut, I thought, well if you take each piece, and then put the pieces together (like a jig-saw puzzle – which is one of my other obsessions), it would all make sense, right? So, Here is how I had to do it. But it is the German who raises fish…”PROSIT!!”
Tarrajo:
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday! It's good to "see" you again!
Forgot about naming my poison.
gerweistermiener wine
riesling wine
either of the above with a splash of cassis, i.e., kir royale
plum wine
whiskey with water or soda
HOla Everyone, I had the NE corner with too many blank spaces until I re-read 10 Across. It was NILE Biters, NOT NAIL biters. If I hadn't miss read this I might have been able to finish everything on my own.
ReplyDeleteI had to come here to get Melissa's take on Nail Biters and had a huge knot on my head from the V-8 can hit!!
I had two new words to add to my personal crossword dictionary today. One was Sett for Paving Stone and Deled for Edited out. Delete and Stet are the only other editing words I had in my memory bank.
A nice shoutout to Dodo this morning. Today we did get to put in Agra for the Taj Mahal site, not India. My favorite clue was Frisk-y govt. group?
I only know Zeno of Elea from doing crosswords. It appears in all of my Crossword dictionaries, but I don't have any information on this. Google says he is a 5th century Greek Philosopher and mathematician.
Hi, friends,
ReplyDeleteMy! I'm on tenterhooks until someone prints the answer to that puzzle, Jeannie. My attention span is much too short to try to figure it out, much like Avg.Joe!
What is a tenterhook, anyway?
Unlike most of you, I made my big mess of today's puzzle in the northwest corner. Simply could NOT get 4D. I didn't even trust 'coded'; put it down and then erased it several times, then gave up. Never got 'engaged'. So 'dodo' is really pretty apt.
I really don't mind being called a schmo when so many people here come to my defense with "our dodo"! Makes me all warm and fuzzy! Thanks!
After all, a little notoriety never hurts. Did I spell it right?
Otherwise, I got pretty much everything without any ggs. Nice puzzle, CW &JK. MUch nicer than our usual Wednesday.Thanks.
Oh, no blitches here, but I never get here till things are all warmed up!
dodod (like that better?)
Favorite poison? Glenfiddich; but mostly I drink red wine
ReplyDeleteDodo: How good to "see" you, and I never think of you as the way the crossword puzzle describe you. You are so clever and smart! If it is any consolation, a common nickname in Israel is DooDoo. My Israeli friends are always surprised when Americans laugh at that name.
ReplyDeleteTarrajo: I am glad you stopped by. I miss you and hearing about your beautiful son. (and your tales of zucchinis!). Please pop in more often.
If my reasoning is correct, the Norwegian, living in the yellow house, smoking Dunhills and drinking water owns the fish.
ReplyDeleteah, Zeno of Elea and his paradoxes of motion. The arrow and the rabbit problems of calculus. The arrow never gets to the target.
ReplyDeleteA race car can never lap a slower car. dx/dt.
Single malt whisky and no ice (or
sugar).
Game on. #4
take care.
HBDTY, HBDTY, HBD dear Tarrajo, HBDTY. Many happy returns to Tashajo, also.
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice to "see" you on the blog today. Visit us some more this summer and let us know how your garden grows!!
I know that Brady Jo is really looking forward to summer vacation. Kids and summer just go together. Have fun you two.
Sorry Grumpy 1, I think the Norwegian has cats. It is the German in green house #4, who drinks coffee, smokes Princes and has pet fish. I did have to make a chart...starting with "milk" in the middle. Next comes the Norwegian in house #1, then house #2 is blue...so it goes. Bueller? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteYup Sallie, Bogle is very nice. If you can get it, I'd also recommend "Twisted Oak *%#&@!". That's really the name (sorta). It's a blend of 50% Mourvedre, 28% Syrah and 22% Grenache. It's quite tasty. As a matter of fact, I think I'll pop a bottle right now.
So nice to see you Tarrajo. Happy birthday to both of the sisters and a high-five to Brady.
blogger blooper is OK "restricted to male egotistical hormonal-fired drunken Republicans"? What about our blog's female egotistical... etc? What a misogynist. Where are the feminist Saudi drivers when we need them?
First I need to clarify my poison.
ReplyDeleteI add soda water and lots of ice to the wine- a spritzer. It lasts a long time that way and for a big night I can almost finish two of these.A small straw seems to be important ,also.
Yep, Marti's right The German owns the fish. My stuff got so messy and I originally had the British guy with the fish, but after my spritzer- ladened brain tried to clean it up, I gave.
Now what about that father, Bill?
Sorry Marti, I didn't go back far enough and check on your link. I had to smile at your neatly structured chart. No wonder you mind is capable of crossword construction. Here's my totally scrabbled chart.
ReplyDeleteCreature, doing some basic algebra, the child comes out to -(3/4) in years. That's negative nine months or at conception. So I don't know where the father is exactly but he's damn close to the mother.
ReplyDeleteGood evening, all.
ReplyDeleteTarrajo, HBTY! I joined the blog in the summer of 2009, and totally enjoyed the "Zucchini Chronicles" of that era. Glad to hear that all is well with you and your wonderful son, Brady Joe. Congratulations to him on his wonderful showing in school!
Enjoy the night, folks!
Father off having a cigarette.
ReplyDeleteeddy
Hope it isn't too late to say Happy Birthday to a fine Mom, Tarrajo, and hello to a future fine young man, Brady.
ReplyDeleteIt was a scortcher in the Outer Bluegrass today, 96. Four more days of humping hay (if it doesn't rain) and the Windhover may fly.
Bill G and Creature: I don't know *&^$ about algebra but for conception to occur, the father usually has to be 'close' to the mother :)
ReplyDeleteWhere's the damn autocorrect when you need it? Let's just say it was hot.
ReplyDeletekazie--I finally got a little sleep. I see that your question about Zeno has been amply answered. Some of the paradoxes smack of calculus.
ReplyDeleteI drink non-alcoholic merlot, one glass with dinner. It is great.
Blooper--find another blog, one for unpleasantness.
Clear Ayes--I love PDQ Bach! There were great concerts in L. A. in the good old days.
It is still too cold for my area, but a few plucky zucchinis have nonetheless appeared.
OK, why does the German have the fish?
ReplyDeleteI went back through my spread sheet and found my error. I agree with the others on the German owning the damn fish.
ReplyDeleteThat was a fun one. I built a 5x5 matrix with all five choices for each block. It's just a matter of crossing out the ones that have been eliminated by the clues. It was necessary, however to make the assumption that house #1 is on the left.
I applaud the effort y'all made at solving this riddle, but I still like my answer better. It's far too confusing to be worth the effort and it's better to drink beer. A lot better. Of course your mileage may vary.
ReplyDeleteWassa matter, Avg Joe? You can't solve riddles and drink beer at the same time? Multitasking is the "in" thing these days, ya know.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Joe, beer makes everything better, and sometimes, depending on who drinks it, easier.
ReplyDeleteMy poison-Patron and Murphy's Stout. Not together. As per my agreement yesterday, 4 and done, all brief.
It's pretty late, but I wanted to add my birthday wishes to Tarrajo! I miss hearing about Brady Jo. I hope you're both doing well!
ReplyDeleteGood Evening, folks. Thought I would check in after selling onions.
ReplyDeleteMy poison is strictly beer. In Illinois I drink Samuel Adams Black Lager. In Pennsylvania I drink Yuengling Traditional Lager.
I am going to try to figure out how to get a picture on my blog entry. I am about the only one who hasn't a picture. Let me work on that.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Fermatprime, here's the puzzle solution.
ReplyDelete