Theme: ALL TOLLED. vowel progression in the last word of each theme answer.
17A. Men's clothing category : BIG AND TALL
22A. 1993 military directive : DON'T ASK DON'T TELL
33A. Bad thing to be caught with at work, with "a" : HAND IN THE TILL
46A. Wears greatly : TAKES A HEAVY TOLL
54A. Rock and roll band whose lead singer often played flute solos : JETHRO TULL
Melissa here.
all fun phrases to see in a puzzle, with two grid-spanners. must have been challenging to come up with them - can you think of any other phrases that end in T*LL and are 9 to 15 letters in length?
Across:
1. Pop singer Jackson : JANET. nipple-gate.
6. Create a cobbler : BAKE. yum.
10. Rubella symptom : RASH
14. Tabriz resident : IRANI. had to look it up.
15. Astonishes : AWES
16. Pelvic bones : ILIA. should be a gimme by now.
19. 53-Across et al: GEM. and 53A. Translucent stone : OPAL
20. Harmonizing groups : CHOIRS. clear ayes & barry g., anyone else?
21. Sushi bar spirits: Var. : SAKIS. usually see sake.
26. Building supporter : JOIST
27. Orbital extreme : APOGEE. the point farthest from a planet or a satellite (as the moon) reached by an object orbiting it. (perigee is the point nearest.) see?
28. Emilio Estevez, to Martin Sheen : SON.
29. Sony portable since 1984 : DISCMAN. dinosaurs now.
38. Seers : ORACLES
39. Large loafer letters : EEE. cute.
41. Droll comic Wright : STEVEN. funny guy.
44. Overfamiliar : BANAL. needed a few perps to get this.
51. Small streams : RILLS. did not know this term.
52. Prized statuettes : OSCARS. gimme. grammys and emmys wouldn't fit.
58. Musical Horne : LENA
59. Snack with a removable top : OREO. new clue for an old friend.
60. Dutch export : TULIP. so pretty. dennis's favorite flower, as i recall.
61. Shuteye aids? : LIDS. hee.
62. Exxon, previously : ESSO
63. Serene spots : EDENS. thought oases first.
Down:
1. Sail at the front : JIB. i know nothing about sailing, but this was still a gimme.
2. Jackie's "O" : ARI. nice clue.
3. Pester : NAG.
4. Passes, as legislation : ENACTS
5. Grunt's helmet : TIN HAT. if he only had a heart.
6. Javanese hand-dyed fabric : BATIK. beautiful.
7. Prize : AWARD
8. Kutcher's "That '70s Show" role : KELSO. have never seen this show, but it's well known trivia.
9. Alien's subj. : ESL
10. Trattoria tubes : RIGATONI. more yum. from the Italian word rigati, which means 'ribbed' or 'lined.'
11. It's tapped in a pub : ALE KEG. was tricky with both words.
12. Black as night, e.g. : SIMILE
13. Bother : HASSLE
18. Lavish parties : DO'S. not sure i've heard it used that way.
21. Mar. honoree : ST. PAT. saint patrick's day - great excuse for a party.
22. Party spinners, briefly : DJ'S. and 57A. 22-Down's vinyls : LP'S
23. "I'm really impressed!" : OOOH
24. Simone of jazz : NINA
25. When repeated, squeals : NAMES. such a tricky clue. 'names names,' as in the huac hearings. several good movies made about the subject: guilty by suspicion with robert de niro, citizen cohn with james woods, and the front, with woody allen (don't click if you're offended by bad language).
29. Beloved princess : DIANA. her absence was sad at prince william's wedding.
30. "Monsters, __" : INC
31. Cardinal letters : STL. is that the official abbreviation on the scoreboard?
32. Friend of Fidel : CHE. fidel castro and ernesto “che” guevara.
34. "Animal Farm" et al. : NOVELLAS. longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel.
35. Work code subject : DRESS. dress code.
36. Letterman rival : LENO.
37. Sharon of "Boston Public" : LEAL. another show i've never seen, have never heard of this actress.
40. Pipe shape : ELL
41. Leisurely walk : STROLL
42. Republic of China capital : TAIPEI
43. Bond girl Britt of "The Man With the Golden Gun" : EKLAND
44. Without thinking : BY ROTE. rote memory.
45. Like some retired racehorses : AT STUD
47. Gardeners, at times : HOERS
48. __ Park, Colorado : ESTES
49. Allergic reaction : ACHOO. bless you.
50. Alt. spelling : VAR. alternate / variant.
54. Java : JOE. coffee.
55. Gran- suffix : ULE. granule.
56. Architect Maya __ : LIN. did not know the name of this woman who, at age 21, designed the vietnam veteran's war memorial.
54A. Rock and roll band whose lead singer often played flute solos : JETHRO TULL
ReplyDeleteFrom Crest of Knave 1987
Farm On The Freeway
JETHRO TULL
24. Simone of jazz : NINA (1933-2003)
I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl 1967
Nina Simone
Fun Facts By Dave Letterman
At the end of his life Thomas Edison didn't have enough money to pay his electric bill.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II declared the microwave oven a miracle.
5 down link doesn't work It goes to the blogger sign in page.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, MelissaBee and friends. We haven't had a vowel progression puzzle in a long time. this was a pretty easy Wednesday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation of NAMES NAMES. I had it filled in, but didn't know why it fit.
Not much else jumped out at me today.
QOD: I was walking down the street wearing glasses when the prescription ran out. ~ Steven Wright
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteNifty puzzle today. I'm afraid I didn't get the theme until it was all done, but all the theme answers were fresh and lively.
Not quite a speed run, as I put in WALKMAN instead of DISCMAN and got bogged down a bit as a result. Also had no idea who Sharon LEAL was and hesitated before accepting the extra O of OOOH. Other than that, nothing held me back except for the tricky cluing in spots...
Good Morning CC,MB and all,
ReplyDeleteA very smooth puzzle. Outstanding clue was 25D when repeated, squeals : NAMES. 23D was regulated by how many spaces to fill = no. of O’s. Nice Wednesday edition. Thanks, Pete.
Melissa, enjoyed your write-up. I guess the theme is harder than I realized. I thought JETHRO TULL had to be the only t-ll, that followed the progression of vowels., but I suppose none were easy to come by and fit the grid. Thanks.
Celebrating a 13th b’day today. It will span lunch through dinner. Everyone wants in on the act.
Have a nice day everyone.
H all,
ReplyDeleteDog woke up to go out, but Rube Goldberg contraption not working so far. Nuts.
I believe it should be DOS, not DO'S, mb.
Egad, I'm tired!
No problems today. When I saw Cardinal letters I thought of the mitre and the letters on his hat. But with the other clues it came together.
ReplyDeleteLearning moment: Maya Lin
My earliest experience with "rills" is "I love thy rocks and rills," in "My Country Tis of Thee."
ReplyDelete60A Tulip brought to mind a great novel, "Yellow Tulip" by Rosalind Laker. This novel is set in Holland in the 1600's. In addition to being an absorbing love story it has a wealth of information about Tulip Mania (an early economic bubble), and the life and painting of Vermeer.
42D Taipei brought to mind James Clavell's Asian Saga, a set of 6 novels, one of which is "Taipan." Besides the rich cultural learnings, it delineates the fallout on both sides of East meets West. I am fascinated by stories and articles that explore the cultural shock when different cultures meet, and how each side considers the other, "barbarian."
Good morning. Roared at your description of 1A Melissa. I have a pic saved in my archives of Miss Piggy in a similar awkward moment. I remember seeing the Super Bowl miscue live and then seeing pictures on the net within a couple of minutes. Amazing how quickly scandal travels in this age.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was enjoyable. Liked the theme answers. No major hang ups anywhere.
My favorite Jethro Tull song is one of the shorter ones. It doesn't include any flute, but it does have the signature vocal licks of Ian Anderson. I think we all know someone that's described in Only Solitaire.
Good morning everyone. Thanks for the commentary, MB.
ReplyDeleteI found this cw easier than yesterday's. Got the theme early so that I could enter TOLL and TULL before reading the clues. Speeded things up a bit. EKLAND was a WAG. Couldn't remember the official name for Taiwan, but TAIPEH seemed right. LEAL was gotten from the perps. No look-ups needed
Enjoy your hump day.
What a relaxing and fun way to start the day; thanks MB and Peter. After 16 hours at the computer yesterday, I am ready to take a break, but life won't let me.
ReplyDeleteWhere in Floirda are you ending up JzB?
Who is your favorite BOND GIRL ?
I watched Boston Legal and do not recall Ms.Leal.
You are a mature 13 year old Creature, many happy returns.
Well I am off to plan a big do for the week end. Ciao.
Lemon: It's Boston Public, not Boston Legal which I watched, too. Ms. Leal is prominently featured in the Imdb credits for Boston Public.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Melissa, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the great info in your write-up today. Between the cobbler and the rigatoni, I am already getting hungry for dinner...
I think the only words for T_LL are the ones used in this puzzle - which makes it even more difficult to find theme entries that will fit the grid!
5D link worked for me. Amazing the detail in the make-up for those characters. I remember reading somewhere that Buddy Ebsen had a severe allergic reaction to the aluminum powder that was used as the makeup. When he was replaced by Jack Haley, they also changed from aluminum powder to aluminum paste, to prevent any further incidents.
Have a great hump day, everyone!
I loved today's puzzle! It was easy as well as entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThanks, MB.
cute; shuteye aids?=lids
Jethro Tull- love the flute and all on "Bungle in the Jungle"
How about the irony of the cross of "Don't ask; don't tell", "hassle" and "names"?!
A little tongue-n-cheek cross="hoers" and "Oscars". teehee
How about an oreo with your morning joe? Yum.
On to the day! A haircut w/touch-up is on today's agenda. Better than tomorrow's root canal finishing in the A.M.! Tonight we will go to the Brazilian steakhouse for a mega meal to celebrate our daughter-in-law's birthday.
Happy Wednesday to all!
Hello Puzzlers - I didn't notice the theme until reading MB's write-up. I wish I had, it's clever and must have been hard to construct.
ReplyDeleteThanks MB for clearing up STL, I misunderstood that one completely (was thinking along the lines of Fra and other religious titles). As for Janet Jackson, that bit of jewelry looks uncomfortable to wear...
I always thought the Bond girl's name was spelled Eklund, but must be wrong. All in all an easy enough Wednesday workout.
Hi all -
ReplyDeleteGreat write up Melissa! Thanks for explaining about 25D NAMES. I had the same reaction as Hahtool, got it filled in but didn't understand it.
I also put WALKMAN in for 29A but soon realized that wouldn't work. I have to day I have never heard of DISCMAN and have never used either. I dislike things in my ears when walking or biking. I'd rather listen to the natural sounds around me, with the exception of power mowers, edgers or trimmers. Some diesel trucks are tooooo loud as well. We do live in a noisy world. I sometimes wish I had purchased stock in hearing aids :)
44A BANAL was a learning moment for me. I have seen that word many times, but never really bothered to look up the exact meaning.
Good Morning All, This one flowed pretty easily. I caught on to the theme after TALL and TELL and went on to fill in TILL, TOLL and TULL. Filling in those theme answers went quickly with the last word in place.
ReplyDeleteDidn't like OOOH much. I guess if I were really really impressed (and spaces allowed for it) the fill could be OOOOH. Come to think of it, I was super impressed with 25D)clue/fill for NAMES. OOOOH!
I did like just about everything else. I enjoyed the other double LL cross of STROLL and RILLS. How Pete Muller came up with RIGATONI and NOVELLAS was beyond me.
Oh, what the heck...my favorite JETHRO TULL song is Skating Away.
Elephant in the room? DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL was a shameful policy. Since the repeal was signed into law in December, 2010, it is hardly a political opinion anymore.
Good morning Melissa, C.C. Et al,
ReplyDeleteI too thought this was easier than yesterday's zed, and more fun.Swept through the top,but slowed down at joist and apogee.Put in Walkman also. We have graduated from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to Monster's Inc, and Diana was a shoe in.
Got the theme, but do not know Jethro Hull.I think I am stuck back in the 60's and 70's.
Pete, loved the clue for Oreo.
Melissa, thanks for the write up.
Learning to maneuver on this iPad.
Update: IMDb says the actress was originally named Britt-Marie Eklund. Maybe the ol' memory is not so bad after all!
ReplyDeleteRe: Boston Public. Sharon Leal played the chorus (choir?) teacher. It was clear she was an actress who didn't know how to conduct. Very pretty though.
ReplyDeleteBoston Legal: One of my favorite shows on television, ever.
Interesting. On the HBO show, Tremé, they have musicians playing many parts rather than actors trying to act like musicians. It sure makes the music look (and sound) more real.
Hello, melissa Bee, C.C. and all cyber friends.
ReplyDeleteIt's so great to be in routine again and have a puzzle to solve.
Pete Muller gave us a good one today. Nothing BANAL about it though LENA and LENO are familiar and snack with a removable top, OREO was cute.
Had WALKMAN, too, but DIANA and monsters, INC changed that. I don't recall DISCMAN.
JIB brought Jeannie to mind.
The a,e,i,o,u progression helped to fill the last word in the theme answers.
Shout out for ESL!
Funny thing about spelling; in Montana, Helena is announced as CAPITOL on a highway sign. I'm surprised no one has corrected it.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Late getting here today due to DH taking a day off and stealing the computer for the morning.
ReplyDeleteHad a good time with this one, not too many serious pauses and got it all without look-ups.
Melissa,
Fine and entertaining job on the blog. I'm also hungry after the food links!
Brit Eklund was married to Peter Sellers when he had his first heart attack. Speculation was he worked too hard to satisfy her.
CA,
I've been mostly away lately, but have noted comments regarding your new round of treatments. I join others in wishing you all the best and a spectacular recovery this time too.
Hola Everyone, Almost a speed run for me today. I couldn't believe it was Wednesday. I also put in Walkman for Discman so that middle section was a problem until I decided that Diana had to be right. Things made sense after that. I always have a good eraser on the end of all of my pencils.
ReplyDeleteSteven, Leal and Ekland were unknowns, but all filled in nicely with the perps. Lin has been seen before and I've finally planted her name in my gray cells from doing crosswords.
I thought snack with a removable top was a new fun clue for Oreo. It must be hard to come up with original clues for that cookie. We see oreo often.
Hands up, too, for names. Thanks, Melissa, for the theme explanation. I "got" it after I came here. Very clever.
Hahtool
ReplyDeleteYou might enjoy these.
"I stayed up all night and played poker with tarot cards, I had a full house and four people died."~Steven Wright
"After a long day at work, I came home stuck my car key in the door and took the building for a drive, cops pulled me over and asked where do you live? I said right here pal."~Steven Wright
Haaaapy Hump Day, all. Oooooh this was soooo much fun! Thanks for the write up MB and to RSD for the links.
ReplyDeleteNo major hangups except for briefly flirting with Walkman instead of DISCMAN. I remember when the Discman and other portable CD players first came out and all of the problems they had trying to keep them from skipping when people tried to wear them on their hips while jogging.
Like so many others, I didn't groke the 'NAMES NAMES' clue. It filled itself via perps so I didn't give it much thought.
Question: Will constructors ever run out of ways to clue OREO?
Chickie, it looks like we were thinking along the same lines, but you type faster than I do.
ReplyDeleteThis is picture of a discman. The earlier ones didn't have skip protection. If you wore one while jogging the slightest bump would cause the player to skip. The later versions had 30-45 second anti skip which means the song played 30-45 seconds ahead of the skip. Young kids today who have had MP 3's aren't aware of previous music technology. From LP's to reel to reel tapes to 8 tracks, then cassettes to CD's I'm always amazed at how many music mediums have come along and I can't wait to see what the next music delivery system will be.
ReplyDeleteDISCMAN
5d i put kevlar. Tin hat??? Wtf. Get to the real world. (Former grunt)
ReplyDeleteHello everybody. Wow, once again Barry G has said it just right. All I can say is ditto.
ReplyDeleteMelissaBee, thank you.
Best wishes to you all.
Red State Dem, thanks for jogging my memory with the picture of the discman.
ReplyDeleteBill, Boston Legal was one of my all time favorites too.
Creature, what is the significance of a 13th birthday? Hope it was fun.
Favorite Bond girl would be Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder in Dr No, although that wasn't my fav. movie.
It's always something! My HP All-In-One printer just decided to die. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling it, but it has been being very fussy for quite a while, so I think it is time for a new one. Any recommendations? Nothing very fancy. I don't need a fax, but yes to copy and scan.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Melissa Bee this morning for the NAMES explanation. I got the word, but not the meaning.
Halle Berry's "Jinx" in "Die Another Day" was gorgeous. I liked Pierce Brosnan as the best in line to Sean Connery's Bond.
RSD, LOL. My husband threw in the technology towel when 8-tracks went to cassette. I buy and manage all our gadgets now.
Hello, all. I love those new Avatars. You all look so young and cute. I should dig one up, too.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I forgot to tell you how much I enjoyed your blogging.
Hope your afternoon is going well, everyone!
JD,
ReplyDeleteA granddaughter's birthday. We've been celebrating it for over a week now. Today it's official. She's having an overnight party for friends on Saturday night and I suppose that will be it.
The only significance is that she's officially a teenager like her sister.
My Discman came with an adapter that plugged into my car's cassette player.
ReplyDeleteIt "skipped" when I hit a pothole.
It was hard to be cool when cruising through my high school parking lot with Van Halen on full blast and driving over the speed bumps.
"....everybody wants some some some some some....I want some too too too too too"
Ca, Remember a short while ago I had the same --or so I thought --problem with my HP? I took it to the guy who fixes my computer and he said to unplug it without turning it off, open it up and see if something is sticking in there. When he did that and then plugged it in again it worked. Apparently there was something stuck, but turning it off gives it the message not to allow access to the moving parts, so you can't see anything then. I don't know how old yours is, and mine, a deskjet 932C, might be totally different, but give it a go and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes: I run a Canon PIXMA MP480 Series inkjet - copy, print and scan printer off an IMac. 2 years old and no problems. Real easy to operate. Seems to have robust software. Cost was ~$100 from Apple.
ReplyDeleteToday I mused that since , "I love thy rocks and rills," led me at an early age to define "rills," why did I not question, "Thy woods and templed hills."? I now realize that the only meaning of "templed" could be "having temples." Since the writer made so many references to God, he must have taken poetic license to refer to churches as temples.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing that so much of what we hear and read slides past us without any comprehension or questioning? This is why children skip over anything incomprehensible to them withour trying to understand. It takes an insatiable curiosity to learn.
AvgJoe,
ReplyDeleteI do indeed know someone described in 'Only Solitaire'. Oh wow! Help!
Yellowrocks, I so agree that many of us let so much pass by us without asking questions about what we hear or read.Are you familiar with Kipling's Elephant's Child who had a "'satiable curiosity" about everything? I'm not sure whether that was to teach a good or bad lesson to kids, but I love all of hisJust so Stories
ReplyDeleteCa, Bob is recommending a Canon, and they are relatively inexpensive. He has a PIXMA MP series. I'll e-mail you the link.
CA, I've always had HP printers (18 year time frame), but have never had a multi-function device. I've had pretty good luck with them, but have also been cautioned by various tech guru's that they are "control freaks". IOW, they will override other systems to the point that they can cause their own set of problems. I can't say with any certainty that I've had those problems, but I also sure can't say I haven't. Based on my own experience, I'm likely to give preference to other brands when I go shopping in the next few months for a complete change of equipment. And in the interest of full disclosure, I have a son that works for HP...not too far from you.
ReplyDeleteCreature, Everybody knows someone described in that song. If you merely keep in mind that it IS only solitaire, the armor is in place. :-)
Sorry, but I still don't get "NAMES NAMES" -- help?
ReplyDeleteI didn't get 'NAMES NAMES' either until I read the writeup again. During the hearing of the House Unamerican Activities Committee, people were expected to provide names of those suspected of belonging to communist organizations. So people were being a 'rat' by 'squealing' names of supposed communist sympathizers; thus naming names. So a squealer Names other's Names or NAMES NAMES.
ReplyDeleteDid you read or hear about the woman in Oak Park, Michigan who is being taken to court for planting a vegetable garden in her front yard? It might not conform to the rest of the front yards in the neighborhood but I don't see why anyone would view it as a problem.
Jeannie, I answered your question late last night about the pork tenderloin I had for dinner. I also asked you what new stuff is BK coming up with. Just curious.
ReplyDeleteThe plural for sake is sakes not sakis. Look it up. Really not right to make up words to confuse people. It was the only thing I needed any help on because it does not exist.
ReplyDeleteWorld English Dictionary - sake , saké or saki 2 (ˈsækɪ) — n
ReplyDeletea Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice