Theme: None
Words: 70
Blocks: 28
Wow~! - Considering the fine and challenging offers from our "Corner Constructors" of the last two days, I smoked this puzzle, without a single hesitation, and only one quick review to find my one-letter goof. We have seen Doug before on Saturday, his last being the duo with Barry Silk.
A nearly a 'pinwheel' symmetrical puzzle, with triple stacks of 10 in each "arm" - just a black square off in the NE and SW.
Onward~!
Splynter
ACROSS:
1. It may be picked : BASS GUITAR - I actually switched to the DOWNS first, but once I had _SS G_, I pretty much got it - I play, but use a pick more often then the finger or slap technique
11. Revival figs. : EMTs - nice misdirection, human revivers, Emergency Medical Technicians
15. Sly role, as a rule : ACTION HERO - Sylvester "Sly" Stallone, in movies such as Rambo, Cliffhanger, etc. - I still want to see "The Expendables" with "ALL" the action heroes.
16. Fly on the river, perhaps : LURE
17. One who might steal kisses : CHOCOHOLIC - those little Hershey kisses here
18. Protected from buffeting : ALEE - Saturday level cluing for this word
19. Shorten, in a way : HEW
20. Smoking choice : PIPE
21. Big name in test preparation : KAPLAN - Here
23. Certain surfer's power source : KITE - I would rather sail my Hobie Cat than do this
24. Stands in a field? : COPSES
25. Choice cut : T-BONE
28. Dealt with loose ends : MOPPED UP
30. Shadow removers : RAZOR BLADES - "5 o'clock shadow" for the hirsute man
33. Treasure State motto word : ORO
34. Intaglio stone : ONYX - Here
35. Not as refined : RUDER - I had rawer to start
36. Times to get ready : EVES
37. "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." producer : MGM - a WAG with the -G- there
38. Sinuous storytellers : HULA DANCERS - show me your links ~!
40. One of the noble metals : PLATINUM - nailed it; also Gold et. al.
42. Champion, for one : HORSE - I got it, but didn't know who Champion was....
43. Absinthe flavorings : ANISES
44. Chicago's __ House : HULL - Here's the story
46. Out there to the max : ODDEST
47. Tightly : FAST - meh, not sure about this
48. NASCAR no. : RPM
51. Doce halved : SEIS
52. "You Should Be Dancing" group : THE BEE GEES
55. Pre-bar letters : LSAT
56. Trying to get close to : ESTIMATING
57. Extremely : OHSO
58. Cops often take them at crime scenes : STATEMENTS - Huge Law & Order fan, usually this segment comes right after the first commercial break
DOWN:
1. "Little Organ Book" composer : BACH - Four-letter organ composer?
2. Not quite smart? : ACHE - Loved this, reminds me of this
3. Put away : STOW
4. Disclaimer in a quote : SIC - most often brakceted [sic] like this....
5. More likely to ooze : GOOPIER
6. Like a pitch that's taken, ironically : UNHIT
7. "My wish is ..." : I HOPE
8. Tubby leader? : TELE - Tele-tubbies, those pastel colored things
9. 1968 newlywed, familiarly : ARI - I had LIZ at first, a WAG at Elizabeth Taylor
10. Pink Floyd's "The Wall," e.g. : ROCK OPERA
11. Slip by : ELAPSE
12. Chewed on : MULLED OVER
13. Balancing pros : TREASURERS - well-clued
14. Caught, in a way : SEEN
22. Useful downloads : APPS
23. First U.S. secretary of war (for whom a fort was named) : KNOX
24. Put into bars, say : CODED
25. Defeat badly : TROMP
26. East Pakistan, today : BANGLADESH
27. Sonnet likely inspired by Ramses the Great : OZYMANDIAS - One and the same
28. Chair's title, at times : MADAM
29. Sheriff's outfit : POSSE
31. Gentlemen's second choices? : BRUNETTES - Well, now, they happen to be this gentleman's FIRST choice
32. Corkers : LULUs
36. Sierra Club subj. : ECOL. - Ecology, hear here ~!
38. Sign of an escape? : HISS - as air from a punctured tire
39. Devils, e.g. : NHL TEAM - New Jersey - I will root for them if the NY Rangers aren't on
41. Words with organized crime : TIES TO - Another L&O reference, as in "Biegel has ties to the Masucci family..." ( I had tieD to, my only boo-boo )
44. Order clothes : HABIT - I had ROBES to start here
45. "I'm yours to command" : USE ME - I think of the lyrics here at 0:58
46. Vigeland Sculpture Park city : OSLO - Images
47. Crumbly topping : FETA - cheese, on salads, etc
48. Arabian checker : REIN - Arabian, the horse, but not Champion
49. Shut (up) : PENT
50. In-box queue: Abbr. : MSGS
53. Fair Deal initials : HST - Harry S. Truman
54. Former comm. giant : GTE - I remember these guys
See ya next time ~!
Splynter
45 comments:
Morning, all!
Wonderful Saturday puzzle. I think the only unknown today was HULL House, but, ye gods -- some of the cluing really played havoc with my brain. I almost gave up at the end when I had everything finished except for a bunch of blank squares down in the south. Partly, that was due to the aforementioned HULL, but the clue for HABIT ("Order clothes") threw me for a long time.
I had some minor stumbles elsewhere due to putting RAWER instead of RUDER at 35A and MCI instead of GTE at 54D.
Oh -- and I loved seeing OZYMANDIAS in the grid! I used to have pet Iguana named that, since I thought it was the perfect name for a little dragon...
Say "Hey!" (for WH, say "Hay!")
Didn't care for the clue for 23A. Certain surfer's power source : KITE . The wind is the power; the kite is the device to harness it, like the cord on an appliance. Electricity is the source of power.
The link to the answer grid is missing.
Have a nice day. I'm off to a car show and flea market in Rutland, VT.
Santa,
OK now.
Hello Puzzlers - Yikes, Splynter and Barry are making me look bad here. I stumbled all over the place and tripped every trap. Of course, it was midnight when I did the puzzle. Couldn't remember OZY and ORO even though we've had them before. Had HILL House. Hand up for MCI.
I figured we were headed into Hershey country with the kiss-stealing thing, but couldn't tell just where. I played BASS GUITAR for some years but never, ever used a pick. Tried SOUPIER for its ooziness, but, well, it didn't ooze quite properly.
Got it all done eventually!
I loved this puzzle with its interesting, offbeat cluing. I wracked my brain, but had tons of fun completing it.
Like Argyle, I question that "kite" in 23A is the source of power rather than the wind. I thought of "kite" very early because I had the K, but it didn't seem to fit. Eventually I had to use it.
"Fast" as a synonym for "tightly" in 47A is okay by me. The fox's paw was held fast in the steel jaws of the trap.
44A was my first entry: "Hull"House in Chicago. One summer when I was a college student I worked at the Settlement House in Philadelphia in a decaying neighborhood. I was a naive country girl and didn't know enough to be afraid. Fortunately, the neighborhood guys liked me and protected me like a sister. It was an eye opening experience for an innocent young girl.
Good Morning Splynter, C.C. et al.
Great write-up, Splynter! I enjoyed all the links, but expcially loved the statues in Oslo. I definitely have to get there some say...
On you comment at 47A, I think "Tightly" for FAST is fine. You must be familiar with the sailing expression as in, "The line was held fast ("tightly") to the cleat"?
There were so many clues that led me straight to the right answer, but I had to keep second-guessing myself. Really liked HABIT for "Order clothes", and CHOCOHOLIC for "One who might steal kisses". Fund stuff!
Have a lovely Saturday, everyone. We are preparing to do some wilderness camping tomorrow through Tues, so I won't be around. Keep the home fires burning for me!
Our first solo Doug Peterson this year, and I thought it was a very entertaining and challenging themeless. The cluing for CODED, HISS, HABIT and REIN for example was tricky but not impossible. It made me think and I had to work my way around to finish. The CHOCOHOLIC and RAZORBLADES clues were also great.
CHAMPION was up the with TRIGGER, BUTTERMILK, TOPPER, SCOUT and SILVER as horses every kid in the 50's watched and wanted to own.
HULL House reminded me of the wonderful book Devil in White City which I recently recommended; and finally, I found it interesting the day after my gratuitous reference to the Pink Floyd Wall it appears in the puzzle. If you want to listen, it is there.
I leave you this IMAGE .
Marti, the nit picker unpicking nits?
Ain't life grand, have a wonderful time in the woods and don't hurt the bears.
Good morning, Splynter and Saturday solvers all. Thanks for the excellent write up.
Doug had me hopping around the grid with some of the misdirections, but then I would get one of the ten letter entries and that would lead to some more fill.
I'm with the rest of you that thought KITE was rather oddly clued, but knew it had to be the answer. I guess it's OK, though, if you think in terms of the way the term 'power source' is often used, as in "connect the cord to the power source". The real source is somewhere other than where the connection is made, but we don't think about the details of the power production as long as it works.
We've had some really great puzzles this week and some excellent blogging to entertain and educate us. Thanks, constructors and blog team.
Good morning, everyone. Thanks for the commentary, Splynter.
After much huffing and puffing, nailed all of it except 51a; SEIS. Guessed wrong on its spelling. Many misdirectional or obscure clues, but all fair. I agree with Argyle's take on KITE, but the perps removed any doubt. The clues for ACHE, CHOCOHOLIC, HULA DANCERS, and HABIT were especially clever. I have been to Vigelands Sculpture Park (called Frogner) in OSLO. A fascinating large collection of outdoor sculptures about life: birth, death, families. Well worth the visit.
Enjoy your weekend.
Good Morning All, OZYMANDIAS slapped next to BANGLADESH was a Saturday morning treat. I can't forget the HULA DANCERS flirting around with Pink Floyd's ROCK OPERA and THE BEE GEES following all of them. I love the "Packed and Stacked" grids.
Is "Doce" and SEIS Spanish? At least I can count to ten in English and French.
Ha, I thought KAPLAN was Gabe, from "Welcome Back Kotter." D'oh!
Splynter...so young to not remember Champion, the HORSE! I wasn't crazy about Gene Autry, but Champion was the best horse.
Oh yes, I did get my PET scan results a few days ago. It looks like I'm due for more chemo. (I hate when that happens :o) Ah,well, I should be pretty used to it by now.
More partying at an afternoon BBQ. Hopefully it won't be too hot.
C.C. Are we going to find our who yesterday's little boy photo was?
thanks Splynter for an informative write up. Not to shabby for a Sat. Disppointed in the underhandedness of the "Devils" clue. Where was the cluing for an abbreviation? I kept thinking something was wrong when the first two letters was nh? not a sports fan so ..I didn't think of NHL at all,duh?
once=11
doce=12
seis=6
Thanks Splynter for the writeup.
This was a bear for me. Lots of misdirections and obliquities, but still a satisfying solve once completed. The clue for Chocoholic was my favorite. WOD was Ozymandias. Doug's work is always challenging, but also solvable with enough effort. This was no exception.
It's been a very good week for blogger/constructor puzzles!!
... en Espanol
avg joe: aren`t the brick supports and white columns (in your avatar)indicative of "craftsman type" architecture?
Clear Ayes,
Hahtool was right yesterday. The sweet boy is little Argyle.
Stay strong. We're all here for you and we need you.
CA:
I echo C.C., we are here and our combined thoughts will be with you to once again overcome.
Any WATCHMEN fans out there who appreciated OZYMANDIAS? Dr. Manhattan was a very MOREL guy.
Splynter; Great write-up & links.
CA: Good-luck with the chemo.
Amazing, they give you poison to make you better.
Dudley: I'm with you. I was never on Doug's wavelength. Walked away 3 times. Finally it fell into place.
Liked the 'shout-out' to our SEEN.
Hmmm, was ODDEST a 'shout-out' to moi?
Cheers to all at Sunset!
Nope nope nope. Could not finish. Wasn't even fun.
Good afternoon everyone.
This was a buffeting puzzle for me. DNF. Got a few, missed the ones mentioned, such as rawer.
Clear Ayes, your upbeat attitude is a plus for you! Yes, we are all rooting for you.
I like gentlemen's second choice. Clever and doable for me (one of the few.)
Cheers
Yes, Lemonade, I agree that "Devil in the White City" is a great book. The story behind the building of the Chicago Fair was fascinating and the murders were mysterious and gruesome. In 2012 the story will be made into a movie starring Leonardo Di Caprio.
Clear Ayes, best wishes to you during your new course of chemotherapy.
Good Day C.C., Splynter and all,
Nice write-up, Splynter. Thanks. Also, thanks from all of us brunettes and altered ex-brunettes. I have a vague recollection of that hair color.
Doug, that was a powerful puzzle. NW was slow, but the ‘right angle’ of ‘p’ s, took me all morning, off and on to fill in. A huge mental block for me.
Superior fill and great cluing; my mind just shut down. Thanks.
CC, hope you keep Argyle and his dog pic at your site. Such a dear classic pic- I see the bond.
CA, I know this is trying your patience. Applause for your attitude; I think of you often.
Have a nice day everyone.
Hola Everyone, An almost DNF for me today as I had put in Rock Album for Rock Opera. That really held upthe NE area for a long time. Once I decided to erase Album and started filling in known answers such as copses and Mopped up I finally had things fall into place.
However, this took me way to long to finish. I went over my 1 hour limit by a LOT today.
Anises seemed awkward to me. Aniset, or Anise but I don't remember seeing or using anises.
I didn't finish without lookups, though as Kaplan, and MGM were unknowns.
The brain was teased today, but in a good way.
Loved the Chocoholic entry. I'm one. Who else is?
Thanks for all your support. I truly appreciate it.
As a youngster, my hair was naturally strawberry blonde. The years have taken their toll, so any strawberriness or blondeness has to be chemically induced. I always found that the guys I dated (not always total gentlemen) liked blondes and redheads very much indeed. OTOH, even though Anita Loos' book was made into the hit movie with MM, Ms Loos also wrote another book that was made into a movie, "Gentlemen Marry BRUNETTES". Given the bizarre, weird and totally un-PC musical number seen here, I'm not surprised it was quite as popular as Marilyn. BTW, that is Mr. Ed's pal (Alan Young) playing the gorilla.
AvgJoe, I liked your ‘parapets’ and sweet ‘doggie; remembrances.
Jayce, my Yalie, I know that feeling…
I think the nightclub you talked about in Covington, Ky. burned down shortly after that. Big story around these parts- so long ago, that’s all I can remember.
I do remember a lot earlier than that, when I accompanied my mother and grandmother on a shopping trip to Cincinnati for winter clothes and fabrics, I learned a lot of the inner workings of the family that day in spite of their secret code and repeated warnings that ‘little pitchers have big ears’. Anyone else know that saying?
Sorry, Jayce didn’t mean to leave you hanging , while I took a trip down Memory Lane.
CA, Please add my good thoughs and hopes for a favorable outcome to this round of chemo, as well as admiration of your spirit.
Creature, I'm familiar with the saying Little pitchers have big ears from the John Prine song Sam Stone but I've never understood what it really means. Do tell.
Anon @10:38, yes that house was a Craftsman style. Also called Carpenter Gothic, Arts and Crafts, or simply "Bungalow". It was a 4 gable, one story structure with a walkup attic, wide eave overhangs, a large front porch and was built in 1926. That porch has been proclaimed by many to be an excellent beer drinking porch. I even made a specific point of that when we sold it 3 years ago.
Good day all!
Challenging, yet fun puzzle today. Favorite clues were "Revival figs." for EMTS, and "Order clothes" for HABIT.
Clear Ayes, so sorry to hear that you must endure further chemo. I join others in wishing the best for you.
Enjoy the night!
This puzzle kicked my butt! Needed lots of lookups to finish.
CA My thoughts and prayers are with you. I too think it would be lots of fun to sing in a flash mob!
Creature I am about 4 hours from Indy
Cute pic, argyle. Haven't we seen this picture before?
Thanks, Splynter.
I had some trouble, but muddled through.
Defeat badly;tromp? really? Walk heavily, but tromp for a bad defeat.? Come on!
Off for dinner at our favorite Asian fusion joint. the word "fusion" conjurs up an odd visual for me. I have infused turkey, beef and chicken with herbal mixtures and Cajun seasonings.
Seee you later!
Thanks, Splynter & the rest of the Corner Crew. I don't remember the inspiration for this puzzle. I think I was just playing around with the grid design, trying to make nice stacks in the upper left and lower right.
AvgJoe,
Went to Dogpile, came up with : “’ Little pitchers have big ears’ is a proverb. The phrase depicts a child as a pitcher with ears hearing what people around them say or do, which is stored inside.
The adults are also cautioned that the children might not be as naïve as they perceive them to be.”
Pitcher’s ears are handles.
Also goes back to 1594, Shakespeare’s Richard III : ’Good madam, be not angry with the child - pitchers have ears.’
Got a kick out of the Sam Stone refrain. Thanks.
CC, Splynter, Doug, CC&DonG, Lemonade, thanks to you all.
I was too sleepy to do the Friday puzzle last night so I had double fun this morning with two terrific puzzles!
I asked my English major husband for help with OZYMANDIUS, even though I was sure I would think of it eventually. That gave me so many crosses that it seemed the whole puzzle fell into place. What a fun feeling.
Favorite clues:
HABIT for order clothes, HISS for sign of an escape, UNHIT pitch
Seems that I'm late to the party with the old pix, but I've been waiting for a chance to use this one from my early days.
CA, your attitude is terrific. That and the chemo will get you through again. Lots of goodwill being sent your way too.
I don't have anything to say about the puzzle that hasn't been already said. It seemed like a perfectly fine construction but I just don't enjoy the themeless puzzles as much.
My father took me to see a Gene Autry/Champion show when I was a child. He had met Gene once before and took me backstage to get an autographed photo. I still have it.
CA, I am hoping for the very best for you. I am very impressed with your positive spirit. I only hope I could do as well.
The past few days have been lonely ones for me. Barbara organized a 50th high school reunion on Facebook. She is back in East Rockaway, New York untill tomorrow night. Weekends are too crowded on the bike path for me to feel safe. So, I just finished lunch and am watching the hapless Dodgers, hitless so far.
Clear Ayes ~~
Good wishes and prayers being sent to you. You are a lady to be admired!
CA, so sorry to hear you have to go through chemo right now. I admire your courage and positive attitude. When I want to complain about my own aches and pains I realize that others, including you, have it much harder. I remember the proverb,"I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet." We are all pulling for you.
When I was growing up all the adults said, "Little pitchers have big ears." Of course we kids understood what that meant and listened all the harder.
I see "tromp" on the sports pages all the time, in the sense of beat decisively, thoroughly thrash.
I eventually got the whole puzzle, but I had to overcome writing down "lying snakes" for "sinuous storytellers".
HELLO c.c., Splynter, and gang:
Ditto Jayce@11;50 A.M.
My sister used to say "Little pitchers have big ears" a lot when either me or my brother were around. It always made us even more curious what she was saying, and sort of made us feel a little bit put down, too, as if we were somehow slightly inferior beings. The end result was the opposite of what she wanted, I think, because it gave me and my brother more resolve and gave us more incentive to listen and pay attention. Oh my, the little dramas we all played out! Some of us still do :)
Hi there, lovely southern Indiana girl.
Hi there, dodo, dotdot, not Squat Dot :)
1 Across Bass Guitar.
Jason Newstead of Metallica My Friend of Misery
Metallica
other observations.....
2 down not quite smart. I thought dumb.
11 across revival figs. I put tent
49 down shut up. I put hush
58 across cops often take them at scenes. I wanted photograph.
Fun Facts By Dave Letterman
Originally, answers on Jeopardy! were given in the form of a threat.
Before the invention of popcorn, moviegoers would snack on entire cobs of corn.
Creature, is this what you were talikng about?
The Beverly Hills Supper Club fire in Southgate, Kentucky is the third deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. It occurred on the night of Saturday, May 28, 1977, during the Memorial Day weekend. 165 persons died and over 200 were injured as a result of the blaze.
Beverly Hills Supper Club
Doug Peterson did not mention that he also constructed today's Newsday's SATURDAY STUMPER puzzle. A real bear!
Doug, I could do the LAT puzzle, but you did me in with the Stumper. I am learning.
Doug P., thanks for stopping by. Doug was an early inspiration for me when I fist discovered the Corner, as he provided invaluable insight.
Mary, very nice pic.
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