Theme: "Pop" goes the weasel. This was an unusual theme, which would be almost impossible to suss without the unifier: 45D. Asked, burst open, extracted, or broke, as the ends of this puzzle's four longest answers : POPPED. Or, as my title for the theme suggests "Jumped out". Can you think of any other meanings?
17A. "Will you marry me?" is one : YES OR NO QUESTION (I would, Gareth, but DH might object!)
"Popped the question" uses the first unifier verb, meaning "asked".
32A. Steak au poivre flavoring : PEPPERCORN. "Poivre" is French for "pepper". And "popped corn" demonstrates the second unifier verb, for "burst open".
41A. Administrative area on Ireland's south coast : COUNTY CORK. A "popped cork" uses the third unifier verb for "extracted".
59A. Bit of wedding toast effervescence : CHAMPAGNE BUBBLE. A "popped bubble" is the final unifier verb, meaning "broke".
Marti here, with what I hope was a logical explanation for this puzzle.
Across
1. English horn, e.g. : REED. And clecho 47. __ anglais: English horn : COR. Cor Anglais is the French term for English horn. But it is not from England, and is not a horn. It is a double-reed woodwind in the oboe family.
5. No Doubt lead singer Stefani : GWEN. Their first ska-pop album failed to make any waves. Gwen went on to launch a solo career with her successful album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby". "Hollabak Girl" from the album was one of the most popular songs of 2005. Judge for yourself.
9. Hard stuff : BOOZE. Did anyone want "cider"?
14. Old apple treatment : ALAR.
15. Gaelic tongue : ERSE.
16. Part of A/V : AUDIO. 50/50 shot of getting this one right..
20. Play flawlessly on the green : ONE PUTT. I'd rather pitch in for eagle.
21. Gets ready for market, as livestock : FATTENS
22. "Stillmatic" rapper : NAS. "One Mic" from the album (released in 2002), samples a portion of Phil Collins's "In the Air tonight". Can you hear it?
23. Commoner : PLEB
25. 4:00 English drink : TEA. I guess that would be 11:00 AM in Boston?
26. Levi's alternative : LEE. Both popular brands of jeans.
27. Big pitcher : EWER. Weighing in at 270, NY Yankees pitcher Andrew Brackman would also qualify.
29. General Arnold of WWII : HAP. The only five-star general in both the Air Force and the Army, he was instructed how to fly by the Wright brothers.
36. Danish toy brand : LEGO.
37. Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego : ALI G. He also portrays Borat and Bruno in his whacky comedy routines.
38. See red? : OWE. Great clue.
39. Orenburg's river : URAL
40. Elizabeth of "Jacob's Ladder" : PENA. I can't watch thriller/horror movies like this. You?
44. Street sign abbr. : AVE
45. Shroud of gloom : PALL. "McCarthy got drunk at Sullivan's wake, fell off the bar stool and broke his leg...threw a pall over the entire funeral!"
46. Much : WAY. As in, "I've had WAY too much to drink..."
48. Fall short : FAIL
50. GI entertainers : USO. "United Service Organizations"
53. Bit of moral fiber : SCRUPLE. From the Latin "scrupulus", meaning "pricking of conscience"; literally, "small stone". Like a pebble in your shoe, giving you anxiety.
57. Skateboarder's wear : KNEEPAD
61. Peregrine's place : AERIE.
62. Reason to warn boaters : GALE. Does anyone remember the old sitcom "The Gale Storm Show"?
63. Caramel candy brand : ROLO. Yummm. Who doesn't like chocolate and caramel?
64. Pollster's find : TREND
65. Sardine's cousin : SHAD
66. Wilson of "Drillbit Taylor" : OWEN. Is this Friday? That was one of his more obscure (and poorly rated) movies, as I remember him better for "The Royal Tenenbaums", "Marley and Me", "Zoolander', "Starskey & Hutch" or "The Wedding Crashers".
Moving on...
DOWN
1. Lustrous synthetic : RAYON. As I have said before, nylon, orlon, rayon...just wait for the perps.
2. 2010 tennis retiree Dementieva : ELENA. She won the singles gold at the Beijing Olympics. Interesting website.
3. Alleviates : EASES. Aleve alleviates arthritis pain...
4. Pearl __ earring : DROP. I think of this painting by Vermeer.
5. Less violent : GENTLER
6. Authored : WROTE
7. Lawyer's letters : ESQ. Why are they "esquires"?
8. Bordeaux ball team? : NEUF. HaHa..."NEUF Ball". Get it? (Nerf ball?)...oh, never mind. I think Gareth meant there are nine on a ball team, and neuf is French for nine. (This is getting WAY too complicated, so I'll move on now).
9. Turkey-roasting tool : BASTER. That little syringe-y think that sits in your drawer all year, and comes out only on Thanksgiving. Remember?
10. "I'm __ here!": "Bye!" : OUTTA. Not yet! I still have more 30 more clues to unravel!
11. Comic strip dog : ODIE. One of my favs, from "Garfield".
12. Mount sacred to Judaism : ZION
13. Geologic periods : EONS
18. Indian capital : RUPEE. One of these days, they are actually going to be looking for "Delhi" as the answer.
19. Unlike leftovers : EATEN. Why, that's true! My leftovers usually sit in the 'frig for about two weeks, and then they are tossed.
24. Old English epic poem : BEOWULF. Did anyone see the 3-D version with Anthony Hopkins?
26. Org. for Paula Creamer : LPGA. Ladies Professional Golf Association.
28. Birdhouse songbird : WREN
29. Po' boy relative : HERO. Or Hoagie, sub, grinder, torpedo, blimpie...
30. Ice cream thickener : AGAR. Much better image than "bacteria-growing medium".
31. Mexican War president : POLK. James Knox Polk, served 1845-1849. The victory in this war gave the USA much of the present southwest.
32. Bear with a hard bed : PAPA
33. Mountain sign no. : ELEV. Elevation.
34. Turpentine source : PINE
35. Not nerdy : COOL
36. "Peanuts" fussbudget : LUCY
41. "Cheers" barmaid : CARLA. Her full name was Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec.
42. Hotel room choice : TWIN BED. Make mine a double...
43. New Eng. school since 1701 : YALE U. Hard to suss this one. I think of it as simply "Yale".
47. Curry flavoring : CUMIN
49. "The Jungle Book" pack leader : AKELA. Not familiar with this lone wolf.
50. Violin stroke : UP BOW. The player pushes the bow from tip to the frog (bottom of the bow), moving it towards the left shoulder.
51. Hôtel room : SALLE. More french. I wanted "chambre".
52. Cineplex name : ODEON
53. Gibberish singing style : SCAT. Ella Fitzgerald was one of the greats.
54. Mother of Chaz : CHER. Chaz is a transgender advocate, having completed a female-to-male gender transition in 2010.
55. A bit beyond raw : RARE. I like both raw tuna and rare steak.
56. Breakfast order : EGGS. These, I like cooked!
58. River to the Mediterranean : EBRO. Northern Spain. Want some monster catfish? Map.
60. Slangy dismissal : NAH. Yeah, now I'm OUTTA here!
Marti
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our blog matriarch (good one, Dennis) Clear Ayes. Thanks for being here for us.
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our blog matriarch (good one, Dennis) Clear Ayes. Thanks for being here for us.
Good morning, Marti, C.C. and gang - just wanted to check in to wish our blog matriarch, Clear Ayes, a most HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Long our steadying influence here, CA's been as integral a part of this blog as anyone. CA, I hope this is your best year yet.
ReplyDeleteYes, the youngster in the skirt yesterday is me, and as to the comments about the lack of DF, well, the only thing I had on under the skirt were shoes, just in case there were any attractive altar girls.
GREAT retro pictures over the past few days! This is one good looking crew. I'll change that with one from 22 years ago.
Splynter, from Saturday, a truly remarkable accomplishment, one that most of us probably can't comprehend in terms of difficulty. Congratulations!
Marti, very enjoyable read.
Hope it's a great day for everyone.
Morning, all (and welcome back, Dennis)!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle for the most part today. I really enjoyed the clever theme, "Things that can be popped." I wasn't 100% thrilled about some of the fill/clues, however. In particular, I'm having trouble figuring out how ONE PUTT fits grammatically for "play flawlessly." Is it a verbal phrase? I'm not a golf fan, so it just seemed odd to me, but it's probably very common usage.
Also, I agree with Marti that YALEU was a bit awkward. And one of these days I really need to learn all the French numbers (as well as months, days of the week, rivers, political divisions, etc.)
Nits aside, however, a very enjoyable puzzle.
Good Morning, Marti and friends. This was one of the easier Wednesdays in a long time. Maybe because it is a "short" week, since Monday was a holiday.
ReplyDeleteI though of POPPED immediately upon reading the clue for 17A, which actually helped me with 41A. At first I thought "I don't know anything about Ireland," then I remembered hearing of COUNTY CORK. I must have been on Gareth's wave length.
A different ELENA appeared in a recent puzzle.
Nope, Marti, Cider never entered my head for the Hard Stuff.
A very BIG Happy Birthday to you, Clear Ayes
QOD: The truth isn't always beautiful, but the hunger for it is. ~ Nadine Gordimer
Happy Humper everyone,
ReplyDeleteDennis you have not changed in 22 years, good to see you. CA, a very happy birthday and a happy and healthy year for you and many more.
Mr. Bain, you are very entertaining, it took me a while to understand why POPPED kept POPPING in my head; you did not POP my bubble today. I really enjoyed the NEUF ball clue, among others. Any puzzle giving props to JK POLK, BEOWULF, CHER, NAS (making a comeback), ALI G and GWEN STEFANI clearly is a multicultural delight.
Marti, to a T.
Happy
ReplyDeleteBirthday
ClearAyes.
I have a question for Dennis, after viewing the new avatar pic:
Do you still have your '00' classification, and is that the aging James in the background?
Barry G., maybe the version you were solving was missing part of the clue, or maybe, as I do sometimes, you just didn't read it all the way down to its last line, but the clue I had was "Play flawlessly on the green," for which ONEPUTT is a perfect answer.
ReplyDeleteKnowing nothing about golf, or most of the names on this one, there were a lot of WAGS to get through it. But the theme was fun and I ended up with only a couple of missteps.
ReplyDeleteCA,
Happy Birthday! I hope you can celebrate without any ill effects.
Marti,
Funny take on NEUF/NERF ball! I'd never thought of that.
Have a great hump day, everyone!
Good Morning C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteJust POPPING in after a late night, to wish our Clear Ayes the happiest birthday, ever!! Haw can it be bad, with so many friends POPPING open the bubbly in your honor? (We do what we can...)
Barry G., yes golfers do use ONE PUTT as a verb: "I have to ONE PUTT this hole just to make a bogie..."
Dennis, great to see you! Loved the "innocent" altar boy outfit. (Really, nothing??) But I dunno - those sexy shorts with the tuxedo have my heart racing, too!
Happy hump day, everyone!
Good morning, Marti and the Happy Humpers. Happy, Happy Birthday ClearAyes!
ReplyDeleteNot too difficult. I got all of the theme entries before I got to the unifier. The SE corner was a little slow but came together OK. Fortunately for me most of the lesser known fill have been seen recently and I didn't have to dig through too many layers of cobwebs to get them.
Happy Birthday, Clear Ayes.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fast puzzle today, even the WAGs were quite intuitive.
I used to read a blog for the Sunday NYT puzzle. The famous writer is so snarky and negative that I stopped reading it and only checked in for the answer grid. This week I read it again for the last time. It was more negative than ever. Why read a joyless downer every Sunday? It really makes me appreciate our fun, upbeat blog here.
Good Morning All, how many 69 year old matriarchs (nice name for bossy, older lady? :o) does it take to figure out a Wednesday puzzle theme? If it hadn't been for 45D unifier POPPED, I'd still be poised with a V-8 can in mid-air over my head, waiting for another matriarch or two to stop by. Fortunately, I got to bang it into my forehead when the theme lightbulb finally went on.
ReplyDeleteI really liked SCRUPLE and UP BOW. I don't recall seeing either of them before.
There was quite a nice book and movie, "The Girl With The Pearl Earring", that drew it's story from Vermeer's painting. What can I say? I'm gonna like any movie with Colin Firth. Gentlemen...Scarlett Johansson was in it too.
Dennis nicely said I have been a steadying influence here (well...sometimes). Thank you, and I will return the compliment to him, C.C. and all of you. There have been times I have felt really crummy in the past couple of years and this blog and its residents have helped me to laugh on days when I really didn't feel like laughing and to think on days when I wasn't too sure I had enough brain cells left to even try. You really are a terrific group.
It's two-for-one day with two short poems, from opposite sides of the world, Egland and Japan. They both make me smile.
ReplyDeleteTakings Things Easily
Calm your mind, get quiet within
And hold yourself in check,
Try to do too much and you
will end a nervous Wreck.
Do not rush and tear through life,
Conserve your energy.
Keep on at a steady pace
And take things easily.
- Patience Strong (1907-1990)
Too Lazy To Be Ambitious
Too lazy to be ambitious,
I let the world take care of itself.
Ten days' worth of rice in my bag;
a bundle of twigs by the fireplace.
Why chatter about delusion and enlightenment?
Listening to the night rain on my roof,
I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out.
- Ryōkan Taigu (1758-1831)
Hello, everyone. Great write-up, Marti. Great puzzle, Gareth.
ReplyDeleteHBDY Clear Ayes. Drei mal hoch!
Fairly easy for a Wednesday. Had to bypass the NW at first, but when theYES OR NO ---/RAYON cross loomed, I finally remembered that the English horn was a REED. ALAR followed. Fun theme. URAL was a WAG. I thought the clues for RUPEE and POPPED were quite clever. No searches were needed.
Enjoy the day.
Marti; FUN write-up.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Clear Ayes.
Liked the POPPED theme.
Enjoyed that the unknowns (ELENA, NAS, PENA, CHER, COUNTY CORK, URAL, ROLO, SALLE, probably a few more) were all doable via the perps.
Hmmm, my fave today?
Silly question ...
Cheers!
Hi gang, Marti, nice write up...it was better than this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI am going to be in the minority today, but this thing just beat me up. It was so bad (for me) that I didn't even get to use my V-8 can.
46A MUCH/WAY ??? I know...."way too much" but to me they do not mean the same thing. "I've had WAY to drink" Huh???
Anyway, WAY too many unknowns for it to be a pleasant experience.
CA: A very, very happy birthday to you!! You are very special and your wit and cheerful attitude are a boon to all of us. I hope you have a wonderful day!!!
Thanks, Carol, I really did not get way/much till I read way too much.....clever, thanks
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant "way too many"
ReplyDeleteHello Puzzlers - Straightforward fill today, no speed bumps and no peeks. I thought the theme was different and clever.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely benefitted from past puzzles with ERSE, EWER, AERIE, NAS, and URAL. Steak au PEPPERCORN et A-1 is still fresh in memory, as is COR Anglais.
Nice work Hearti! I tried to keep the clever nickname goin', but it looks like the crowd favors Marti. Gotta go with the flow.
Since my copper kettle is too bland, and since we're trying out old pix, my new avatar is my senior photo from the summer of '76. Remember, things were different then...
Hello All,
ReplyDeleteI struggled with 42 Down Hotel Room Choice I wanted smoking or single I would have never thought of twin bed as an option. I got with help of the other clues that were around it.
Late Show Fun Facts by Dave Letterman
If you say have a nice day to someone after 5 PM it refers to the next day.
If you see the glass as half full, you're an optimist. If you see it through lenses you prescribed for yourself, you're an optometrist.
Have a nice day all! :-)
Wishing CA an absolutely lovely Birthday...hope the weather up your way is cooperating so you can be out and about doing something fun to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteMarti...thank you for a terrific blog which I had to check in on because I actually, finally, finishing up this morning, managed to fill in every square...and, to my amazement, eveything was correct! YAY!
Thank you Gareth Bain, for a very nice puzzle. Thank you Marti for very enjoyable blog - loved your link to Ella, - Gwen, not so much.
ReplyDeleteI prefer Justice 'Elena', to some tennis star, no matter how famous and photogenic. IMHO.
Clear Ayes, very nice pic of two very beautiful and classy ladies. You are a great moderating ( and, may I say, loving ? ) influence on this blog, and your genial, bonhomie, broad-minded attitude creates a ( desired - ) 'halo' around you. The poems help as well.
Alternate QOD - Since each of us, do not see, talk to or observe anybody else on this blog; their words and more importantly, their feelings, that seep through, between the lines, is all we have to judge them.
That is what strikes our brains, and touches our hearts, and that is the only thing which stays on in our mind about them. - humbly, by myself.
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteA fun puzzle today ... no look-ups, no real problems. The few I wasn't sure of were taken care of with perps.
Really heating up here in CT ... 86 already today. Three weeks of vacation in Rhode Island starts next week ... hope the good weather continues!
~~~ Happy Birthday, Clear Ayes ... I hope you have a wonderful day! ~~~
I have to agree with Barry G - the ONEPUTT answer really doesn't fit here. In order to play flawlessly (and achieve par), golf courses/greens are designed for two putts. To ONEPUTT would be to play birdie golf - which is even BETTER than flawless (and the goal of every hack who ever picked up a club/putter).
ReplyDeleteBarry G., yes golfers do use ONE PUTT as a verb: "I have to ONE PUTT this hole just to make a bogie..."
ReplyDeleteThank you, HeartRx! As I said, I'm not a fan of golf and assumed that ONE PUTT was a noun and not a verb.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Clear Ayes. The many compliments are well deserved. Hope Charlie and GAH give you many kisses and hugs.
Great write up Marti, HeartRx. You managed to make some meaning of WAY for Much, but I agree that they are not the same.
Cheers
L714 is corner's patriarch.
ReplyDeleteHello everybody, and warm wishes for a happy birthday, Clear Ayes. May your health improve and you feel crummy way less often.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a witty and interesting writeup today, Marti.
I didn't get the theme until I reached the unfier late in the solving process, and then smiled as its ramifications dawned on me. Very nice indeed.
Saw the movie "The Girl With The Pearl Earring" and enjoyed it. Was Colin Firth in it? Haha.
Didn't know whether 1A would be REED or WIND until some of the perps filled in, and of course I pencilled in ON for the last two letters of 1D, and O for the last letter of 16A.
The last letter I filled in was the G in LPGA, and stared at ALIG unknowingly until coming here. Never saw any of Cohen's movies, so had no idea there was such a character as Ali G.
Favorites: See red - OWE
and Bear with a hard bed - PAPA.
Not so much: Much - WAY.
Clear Ayes, I have read the book and seen the movie - both were very well done, IMHO. That's why I thought of Vermeer as soon as I got "PEARL drop".
ReplyDeleteCarol @ 10:21, I agree that "Much"/WAY is a stretch, but there it is, both in Merriam-Webster and my Funk & Wagnalls: "adv. by far: much / very much or very far". And Webster gives the example "[ate way too much]", (as in, "much too much).
As much as I feel weird with the Much=WAY entry, I have never seen anything other than scrupulous accuracy in the editing of these puzzles. Sometimes it's a stretch, which I think is the whole point sometimes, but the correctness of the cluing always proves out.
ReplyDeleteGood that you dropped in today, short-pants Dennis.
By the way, for Hard stuff (9A) I kept thinking of hard substances like diamond or steel. In fact, STEEL ... Nope.
For the 'hard stuff', I thought of SOLID - but that's easy and conventional - and since this is supposed to be a Wednesday puzzle, hence something else, pseudo-DF ... Scotch, Vodka, Heroin, Cocaine maybe ?
ReplyDeleteMarti, thanks for the "much too much"/way....that makes more sense. I don't like it, but it is correct.
ReplyDeleteJayce, I agree, the puzzles have been edited for correctness and they are accurate, it's just that I sometimes have never heard a word used in such a way so it sounds incorrect. Hey, if we couldn't grouse about some of these crosswordese thingy's, it wouldn't be as much fun :)
Bill G (from last night)...yes the Historic Scenic Highway is beautiful! Having been down it for decades, I know nearly every inch. It is a treasure we hope will last another century. Have you been to the Vista House? That is where the highway 'starts'. The view of the Columbia River Gorge from there is spectacular!
Good Day C.C, Marti and all,
ReplyDeleteMy solving experience was like Jayce’s. Perped ALIG, but had no idea what it was. Also, the SE corner was a crawler for me. A letter at a time; SALLE was my only known, going in to it.
Theme was funny and elusive til unifier.
Thanks, Gareth for this effort.
Thanks, Marti for your write-up. Yeah, I’m with you: no thriller and horror films for me.
CA, indeed our matriarch ,as well as our Poetry Appreciation Teacher, and the final decision Chairman of the GAVEUP Committee, all honors to you on this your special day. Happy Birthday!
Hope Hondo comes out OK and that CA can whoop it up on her day. By the way the new avatar is very, very pretty; love that sweet face, CA.
Welcome to all the new Blues! A very colorful and exciting group. The more the merrier.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day everyone.
Hi Marti, et al, had to play on a beautiful morning like this but got done early in the afternoon. I love your picture inserts Marti (and your write-ups in general)! We can’t do that as peon bloggers!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-HBD C.A.!
-That ALAR stuff appears to be good for nothing but cwd puzzles
-Some teachers still just lecture and give notes and don’t even try all the fabulous new A/V stuff. I was a leader for new technology at 64 years old. Go figure!
-I pitched in for a birdie on the last hole today!
-ONEPUTT is a great (and elusive) verb and noun in my world! Once you are on the green, a one-putt is flawless!
-Orville, Wilbur and Hap! Cool!
-What wonderful poem mentions a “pall-like silence” falling
-Yes, I remember My Little Margie!
-French baseball? Sacre bleu!
Dudley, even DH has slipped and called me "Hearti" once in a while. But he is saying "Hon" and "Marti" together, so the nickname carries on...
ReplyDeleteCarol, don't feel bad. I am usually the one who screams indignation when I perceive what I think is an error...but Lemonade usually sets me straight.
\|||/
(. . )
' ~
just stopped in to say Happy Birthday CA! Hope you have many, many more!
ReplyDeleteNo time for puzzledom, but I wanted to make sure I checked in to wish Clearayes a very, very, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Also today is National Fried Chicken Day. I know what I’m making for dinner!
ReplyDeleteMy Little Margie - yes, we watched it every week.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday CA. I always enjoy your input.
Regarding technical advances in teaching; some of them I adopted immediately; others, not so much. Our PTA wanted to give me a classroom set of graphing calculators. I turned them down. I wanted my algebra students to learn how to graph lines and parabolas, not just punch keys on a calculator to get the answer. It would have been like giving fourth-grade students calculators rather than have them learn their multiplication tables. I loved using an overhead projector. I would work out the steps to an algebra equation in washable marking pens directly on the glass. I avoided using Power Point. I thought having the students see me working out the steps was much preferable to having the steps presented to them in Power Point.
Jeannie, I never saw your answer to the Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, violin, piano puzzle. I got an answer but maybe I made a careless mistake.
ReplyDeleteJayce @ 12:30, you are right about the scrupulous editing that goes into these puzzles.
ReplyDeleteI had a puzzle that Rich really liked, with the following theme entires (Jerome, you probably remember this one that I ran by you, too):
RATTLE SOME CAGES
COIL SPRING
STRIKE ZONE
and the unifier:
SNAKE IN THE GRASS (What to avoid if it is doing the beginning of the theme entries)
But, after researching "rattlesnakes", they found out that species actually doesn't "hide" in grass. Rocks or logs, maybe, but not grass. So, the entire puzzle had to be scrapped! But, I really appreciate the fact that Rich makes sure every puzzle (and each clue) has a sound basis in fact, while providing our little corner of the world with a few minutes of entertainment each day!
Jeannie, how was the sailing? I was afraid you were stuck in the doldrums when we didn't hear from you.
ReplyDeleteHola Everyone, I did well on the puzzle until I stubbed my toe on the very last corner. The SE crossings of Salle, Owen, and Odeon sent me to Google for "Drillbit" Taylor, and I had put in Salon for Salle. Oh well, I can't seem to get through a whole week without one or two visits to Google.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought for the Hard stuff was Hooch, but that certainly didn't work. Eraser crumbs mixed with my bread crumbs as I did the puzzle during my lunch time.
CA, A super Happy Birthday to you today. Eat Cake!
The two poems hit a chord with me today. I think I'll take it easy this afternoon and finish reading my book.
Have a great evening, everyone.
Yes, Marti, I remember well. And I'm still grumpy about the reject. :)
ReplyDeleteHey, I've got it! Change it from rattlesnake to boa. Then you can be a boa constructor!
Argyle, sailing was wonderful. It was probably the nicest 4th of July weekend in recent memory. Foodshow is looming up ahead of me so by the time I read your comments at night, there really isn't much more to add about the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteBill G, here is the answer:
1. John played Mozart on the violin
2. Nick played Bach on the piano
3. Kate played Mozart on the violin
4. Mary played Bach on the violin
5. Larry played Vivaldi on the piano.
I was thinking about lunch and realized I hadn't been to a local southern California favorite but once in all the years I've lived here. So I headed out to In-N-Out Burger. A block away I got a whiff of the smell of hot grease. They must blow it through an exhaust fan over the local neighborhood. Anyway, I ordered their iconic Double-Double. Really good! I won't be doing that very often but it sure was tasty.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeannie. I got it right!
Gee, Bill, what'd you have on it?
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon all,
ReplyDeleteI so enjoy Wednesdays as I can usually finish without any help.The acrosses didn't fly with me, so I sailed thru the downs until arriving at that SE corner. Refused to look up "Drillbit Taylor", so got it here. Sheesh! That was a new one. Go see Midnight in Paris if you enjoy Owen.
Marti,great write up..lots of learning, lots of laughs. Liked hearing Gwen Stefani.Golly! How could we forget Gail Storm? Didn't she have a fixed smile? And lastly, I do NOT like horror movies-scariest ever was Cape Fear..too real.
salle-new
cumin=curry flavoring= a ha
Lego not Brio
see red= owe-favorite
Dennis, you ARE a tease
Clear Ayes, big hug to you today.I know every day is special to you, but hope this one is the bestest.
Just heard NZ had another big one today, a 7.8..so sad
Clearayes, Happy Birthday and many more to come!
ReplyDeleteA late afternoon hello to all! Nothing especially witty to add. I thought YALEU was a little awkward, but WTH it's a crossword puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI'm really only chiming in to wish Clear Ayes a Happy Happy B-Day! Celebrate to the max. We will be toasting you tonight with a little of the bubbly!
GarlicGal over and out...
Chickie, I had to laugh at your mix of eraser crumbs with bread crumbs. Tell me, did you add a little parmesan to them? That always makes them taste better, IMO...
ReplyDeleteJerome, LOL! Yes, maybe I will become a boa constructor...and wring some necks in the process. But, I still can't fault Rich for his attention to detail!
JD, I will definitely make a point to see "Midnight in Paris", as I think Owen Williams is just a funny actor - especially when he and Ben Stiller team up! But "Cape Fear" is definitely OFF my list !! (Along with "Silence of the Lambs"...brrgghhh!)
Marti; I doubt anyone heard Phil Collins in the the Nas link. But I liked it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll hear it here.
CA. Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteHeart RX, Actually, the Parmesan was on the bread which was toasted.
ReplyDeleteHow did you know?
Carol, the Columbia Gorge River Hiway is one of our favorite drives. It is so spectacularly (if that is a word) beautiful.
Jeannie, Good luck on your upcoming Foodshow. I know how much work a show can be, and I'm usually only one of the vendors!
Hello, all,
ReplyDeleteLiked this puzzle a lot and particularly your writeup, Marti. Wednesdays seem to be getting a bit easier.
Clearayes, your avatar is lovely and you deserve all the nice things being said abut you!. . .WAY cool! There!
I don't like that definition much, either.
For once I haven't much to say.
The G after Ali, was my last entry, also. I try not to think about Sasha Baron Cohen.
Has Lois left us for the summer?
I'm grasping at straws.here, so I'm outta here. Night.
Bill G: Such a coincidence that you mentioned In-N-Out Burger and the Double Double...I was listening to my favorite morning show on the radio this morning and the host was talking about that very restaurant!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have them in Oregon but they were rated #1 in a survey of the best place to buy a burger and the Double Double was the favorite.
We have Burgerville here and it's very good, but cost a lot more than say, Burger King. It's popular because they (Burgerville) use all local produce, pay their employees well and even offer the part time people insurance benefits. I rarely eat a hamburger, but when I do they are delicious. I understand In-N-Out does not franchise so maybe that is the reason we don't see them outside Calif.
Yellowrocks, I could have sworn I saw you on a promo for squaredacing
ReplyDeletecoming up locally in a few weeks.
Think that sounds like so much fun. I used to love it as a little kid and a teen at parties. Love dancing period.
Crazyhorse, good to see you back.
We might be getting a mini coven group in our neck of the woods.
The Cal Coven only has to drive 2
hrs; though coming and going can make for a long day.How far is Indianapolis from you? Not planning...just sayin..Just saw a salad touted on FB of tomatoes,watermelon and feta..
Seen @ 5:40, U have GOT to be kidding me??? Was that for real?
ReplyDeleteChickie, parmesan goes with ANYthing, LOL! Just had some chicken parm for dinner - and I'm stuffed!
Creature, watermelon (juicy sweetness!), tomatoes (tart freshness!) and feta (creamy earthiness!); I can't imagine anything that sounds yummier....Thanks for the idea!
Thanks, Marti, for the blogging today.
ReplyDeleteI loved this one, since champagne is my favorite sin beverage. Did you know that the bubbles in champagne ae called "legs"?
9D-I never use a baster. Instead, I cook the turkey breast side down until it's done, then flip it right side up to brown it. This works like a charm and the bird stays moist without all that pesky basting. 57a-Kneepad? Please, only one? All my boys were skateboarders and they used kneepads; one for each knee.
24D-Beowulf-ugh. I hope to never read it again. It was quite enough, thank-you very much. the first ime.
42d-Twin bed? Really? The only time I ever had a twin bed at a hotel was in a small one in Spain many moons ago. Let me say here; it was cozy with company! Hehehehe! That was a no repeat experience (see Beowulf) also.
Dennis, you remind me of a guy I dated a long time ago who loved to dress for dances in Madras shorts and a tux jacket complete with the shirt, bow tie and pearl studs! He was a stud-muffin!
Corner folks, I love the avatars and would put one up if I thought I could find one that looks ok! In all my old pictures, I look like a Ted Bundy vicitm! You know the look; long hair, eye-make-up, '70s look.
Oh well, 'night y'all.
Mom:
ReplyDeleteIf it was good enough for Bundy, it's good enough for the likes of us (me). C'mon, give it up. We won't tell your friends. ;}
I assume the video is real. And it went viral as is. But the audio is obviously tampered with. I mean, seriously, what D.J. goes from Miami Sound Machine's Conga to Phil Collins? ;)
ReplyDeleteWH: Jinx...you owe me a Coke! ;) ;}
ReplyDeleteJust a quick check in after reading the comments to wish CA a happy birthday.
ReplyDeleteAnd Marti, I don't care much for raw fish (around here we call that bait). But a good Vet could save any steak I consider worthy of eating. Eggs? Runny is the way to go when fried, and Hollandaise is the most noble use of poultry ova.
Had a long day folks. Up at a bit after 3 and now ready for bed. Manana!
Mom Speaks Out, yes, I love me some good legs, too. Wine-lovers (like myself) also look for good "legs" in a glass...
ReplyDeleteAnd your turkey recipe sounds exactly how I do it, too - roast upside-down at high temp for 30 min, then take it out, stuff, and flip right side up - keeps the juices in, and needs (almost) no basting to be moist and juicy...but, that's a topic we'll probably be reviewing in November.
Avg. Joe, how can you not like tuna, fresh from the sea, with wasabi and a little soy sauce?? Bait? for me, maybe- I'll take it any day. LOL! And, I agree with you about hollandaise...jest give me some fresh 'sparagus, artichokes or broccoli, and I am in heaven!
Chiming in to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLEAR AYES. Wishing you good health, good times, and happy memories in the days and years to come!
ReplyDeleteJeannnie-I am having fun with your brain-teasing puzzles of late. I also appreciated your recipe posts in the past. I hope you are continuing to enjoy your Le Creuset, and I that you're not lamenting not selecting those lovely shoes!
Enjoy the night!
Dennis, NICE PICTURE!
ReplyDeleteCarol, In-N-Out Burgers seem to be mostly in California with some locations in Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Utah. They certainly are tasty for a fast food chain. They were really busy today. The drive through line was long and there was no place to sit inside so I took my burger for a short drive home.
ReplyDeleteMom and Marti, we roast the turkey breast down too. We leave it that way until it's time to carve it. Very juicy white meat.
Juicy breast? Nice legs and thighs? What was I talking about...?
Hi.
ReplyDeleteJD. Thanks. They were funny.
PH. Hope you came through the dust
storm OK.
Real treat tomorrow.
Any one want an old computer? I am
autograph this one with the toe of my shoe.
Dear fellow cruciverbalists,
ReplyDeleteNeat puzzle today! Thanks Gareth and Marti!
A very happy natal day, CA. Sorry not to have come here sooner. I was very busy on the telephone.
Have dumped ATT Uverse!!! It's too bad that ATT and Verizon have divvied the country into regions in which you can have only one of them!!! Went to Direct TV again. Will have to keep ATT phone and internet.
Yellowrocks--I know what you mean. You forgot to mention that said person is also nasty and mean. (Egad, two "means" in a row!)
I'm glad ONEPUTT was explained. It confused me, but no cheating, even though I am reaaalllly tired.
Great to "see" you Dennis! Miss ya'.
EddyB-- you should really get a Mac!
I couldn't seem to parse ALIG. Probably because I do not like the guy much. Rather watch a horror movie!
Really like OWEN Wilson. Hope he's gotten over that suicide thing!
HHD!
Oops. Sorry CC. 4 extra lines.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit late, but Clear Ayes, I hope you had a wunnerful, wunnerful birthday!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed both poems today, and will print them off to post in my cubicle as a reminder of life's priorities!
C'mon, how can you be missing that devilish glint in Dennis' eyes that totally contrasts with his attire. That naughty glance almost has me believing he could be naked under there...
The "wunnerful, wunnerful" comment started off as a typo that I decided to keep to mimic Lawrence Welk.
ReplyDeleteJust as I hit Publish, I realized how it mirrored the CHAMPAGNE BUBBLES in the theme, making it a true birthday toast to CA!
fermatprime, don't count it as a line if it doesn't have any words on it. Putting in spaces between lines just makes it easier to read.
ReplyDeleteBillG, did you just experience my FRIED CHICKEN? All parts are involved. It was tasty. I have a Southern "IN" you know. I have my Granny's well seasoned pan, my Thelma's recipe. (Seasoned buttermilk soaked chicken) then dredged in seasoned flour. It didn't take long for me to coax up some folks for dinner.
ReplyDeleteJeannie, sounds fantastic! Don't tell me you had cornbread on the side? Or buttermilk biscuits? Greens? Potatoes and gravy? In any case, good fried chicken is hard to beat.
ReplyDeleteBillG,
ReplyDeleteNice avatar.What's his name? A 'He'?
AvgJoe,
What about your new avatar?
Hmm.. love roasted turkey..nice tips.
Good CA Festival today. Hope it was to your liking, CA. Many more.