Theme: Swordplay - Parse it as S-Wordplay. S is added to the start of each common phrase & spelling of the word is changed. Sound remains the same.
23A. Bathtub ring with no discernible cause? : SCUM FROM NOWHERE. Come from nowhere.
37A. Schusser's name traced in the snow? : SKI SIGNATURE. Key signature.
60A. "Alas" and "Ah, me"? : SIGH OPENERS. Eye opener.
70A. Surveillance satellite? : SPY IN THE SKY. Pie in the sky.
92A. Make Oreos? : STUFF COOKIES. Tough cookies.
110A. What grumpy old men might experience? : SURLY RETIREMENT. Early retirement.
17D. Geckos that don't set their alarm clocks? : SLEEPIN' LIZARDS. Leapin' lizards.
46D. Pilots' milieu : SPHERE OF FLYING. Fear of flying.
Very consistent theme entries. Excellent choices. Love this puzzle.
Donna is bold in her grid edge words today, lots of 7-letter entries. Not an easy task.
Across:
1. Pastry preserver of the past : PIE SAFE. Not a familiar item to me. I'd prefer not to see this entry due to 70A.
8. "Johnny __": 1948 film : BELINDA. What's it about?
15. Dreads sporter : RASTA. Bob Marley.
20. What 100 is to 2, in the base 10 : ANTILOG. Wow, I don't think I even know the Chinese word for this.
21. Rampaging : ON A TEAR
22. Dole out : ALLOT
25. Martial arts-based regimen : TAE BO
26. Hoo-ha : TO-DO
27. Balkan portico : STOA. To me, it's just old Greek portico.
28. Actor Dillon : MATT. He's so good at "Crash". Handsome dude.
29. Like a porterhouse : BONE-IN
30. Augur's concern : OMEN
31. He gave Jackie her O : ARI
32. Nuclear age govt. org. : AEC (Atomic Energy Commission)
33. Gangster film extras : G-MEN
35. EMILY's List, e.g. : PAC. They support Pro-Choice female Democrats.
36. Lawyer's thing : RES. Just Latin for "thing".
40. Escalate : RISE
41. Orb's partner, in British iconography : SCEPTRE. Scepter in our spelling.
42. "Friends" Emmy winner : ANISTON (Jennifer). Gorgeous photo. Not a Jolie fan.
44. Defames : BASHES
47. Brings up : REARS
50. Birth name of Smallville's most famous resident : KALEL, Superman.
53. Let loose, in a way : UNPEN
54. Garden party? : EVE. Adam and Eve. Garden of Eden.
56. Wacky : NUTS
58. Chevron feature : STRIPE. Not the Chevron I have in mind.
59. Giggle : TEHEE
63. Former Pakistani president : ZIA. You've got to commit this to your memory.
64. Prayer conclusion : AMEN
65. The __ Store : UPS. Just for our Saturday sherpa Splynter.
66. Suffix with Israel : ITE
67. Doce meses : ANO. 12 months.
68. Edinburgh girl : LASS
69. "Neither snow, __ rain ..." : NOR
73. Beginning : BIRTH
74. Truck capacity : ONE-TON
76. Many a saga : TOME
77. Word with garden or party : TEA
78. Soup scoop : LADLE
79. Arrowsmith's first wife : LEORA. No idea.
80. Pied-à-__: part-time residence : TERRE. This stumped some last time.
82. Blasphemes : CURSES
83. Lamborghini rival : FERRARI. Dennis is nuts about this stuff.
87. Dr. Scholl's products : INSOLES
90. It isn't right : LEFT
95. "Survivor" network : CBS
98. Home of the Braves: Abbr. : ATL
99. Rating for many "Simpsons" episodes : TV PG
100. Consume : EAT
101. Ltr. container : ENV
102. Astronomer Sagan : CARL
103. Satisfies a debt : PAYS UP
105. Vitamin also known as PABA : B-TEN. Ignorant of PABA. Need Al.
107. Deceptive hockey maneuver : DEKE. Hey eddy!
108. "Typee" sequel : OMOO
109. Senior Saarinen : ELIEL. Father of EERO.
113. Disneyland usually has long ones : LINES
114. You or me : PRONOUN. Nice clue too.
115. Failed school curriculum that was the subject of the 1973 book "Why Johnny Can't Add" : NEW MATH. Alien to me.
116. Tau preceder : SIGMA
117. "It's __ guess" : ANYONE'S
118. Lubricates : GREASES
Down:
1. Leader of the flock : PASTOR. Flock seldom refers to sheep in Xword.
2. It might be unearned : INCOME. Is Powerball win unearned income?
3. Musical technique builders : ETUDES
4. Simple guy : SIMON. Simple Simon.
5. Franklin's 1936 foe : ALF (Landon)
6. Deserts : FORSAKES
7. Bit of self-aggrandizement : EGO TRIP
8. __ fide : BONA
9. Ambient music pioneer : ENO (Brian)
10. Tin star wearers : LAWMEN
11. Home of Odysseus : ITHACA
12. Erstwhile depilatory : NEET
13. One may be used to bring down an elephant : DART GUN. To tranquilize the elephant.
14. Is for two? : ARE. Nice clue.
15. Expose : RAT ON
16. Astronaut Shepard : ALAN
18. "This Boy's Life" author Wolff : TOBIAS. Have heard of the book, not the author.
19. Medical stat? : AT ONCE. Neat to see STAT as a clue rather than an answer.
24. Damp : MOIST
29. Apiphobe's fear : BEES. Apiphobe is a new word to me. Apis is Latin for "honey bee". Apiphobia is also called "Melissaphobe", since Melissa is "honeybee" in Greek.
32. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE
34. Diagnostic pic : MRI
37. Public spectacle : SCENE
38. Like some "as is" mdse. : IRREG
39. Sampling : TASTE
40. Certain king's proclamation? : ROAR. Lion, king of the jungle.
41. Luster : SHEEN
43. NYC Theater District discount booth : TKTS. Ticket booth is just called ticket there?
44. Experimental biofuel : BUTANOL. This word looks so wrong.
45. Windflower : ANEMONE
48. "__ Day in Paradise": Phil Collins #1 hit : ANOTHER. Very moving song.
49. Mumbai money : RUPEE
51. Formal letter : EPISTLE
52. Walking aids : LEASHES. Not in the dog walking direction.
54. Catch a glimpse of : ESPY
55. Drop in : VISIT
57. Part of a mongoose's diet : SNAKE. Snakes are regarded as good food for men, at least in south China and some Southeast Asian countries.
58. Happy letters for an angel : SRO (Standing Room Only). Financial backer for a movie or a Broadway show is called an "angel".
61. Blackjack demand : HIT ME
62. Singer born Eithne Patricia Ni Bhraonáin : ENYA
65. "Moesha" network : UPN
68. They're not true : LIARS. To me, lies are not true. Liars are not telling the truth.
70. Go through the roof, as prices : SOAR
71. "__ you were the last one on earth!" : NOT IF
72. Shorthand pro : STENO
73. Muddy Waters genre : BLUES
75. Deduction for waste : TRET
81. Real card : RIOT. Card is a person who's amusing. New definition to me.
82. More shrewd : CLEVERER
84. Invitation letters : RSVP
85. Netmen's gp. : ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
86. Rec room scrape : RUG BURN. New term to me. How do you get rug burn?
88. Summer Olympics sport : SKEET
89. Pen pals' exchange? : OINKING
90. Often-satin tuxedo features : LAPELS
91. And others, to Pliny : ET ALII. Masculine plural. ET ALIA = Mixture. ET ALIAE = Femine plural.
93. __ pain: be numb : FEEL NO
94. Gorge : CANYON
95. Was costumed to look like : CAME AS
96. Literary family name : BRONTE
97. Arboreal rainforest denizens : SLOTHS
99. Oklahoma city : TULSA
102. Signal to pause : COMMA. Sigh, I drew a blank. Dummy!
104. Look : SEEM
106. "Iliad" setting : TROY
107. Cozy rooms : DENS
110. Thalassotherapy site : SPA. Thalassotherapy is sea water therapy.
111. Regret : RUE
112. Woolly mama : EWE
Answer grid.
C.C.
23A. Bathtub ring with no discernible cause? : SCUM FROM NOWHERE. Come from nowhere.
37A. Schusser's name traced in the snow? : SKI SIGNATURE. Key signature.
60A. "Alas" and "Ah, me"? : SIGH OPENERS. Eye opener.
70A. Surveillance satellite? : SPY IN THE SKY. Pie in the sky.
92A. Make Oreos? : STUFF COOKIES. Tough cookies.
110A. What grumpy old men might experience? : SURLY RETIREMENT. Early retirement.
17D. Geckos that don't set their alarm clocks? : SLEEPIN' LIZARDS. Leapin' lizards.
46D. Pilots' milieu : SPHERE OF FLYING. Fear of flying.
Very consistent theme entries. Excellent choices. Love this puzzle.
Donna is bold in her grid edge words today, lots of 7-letter entries. Not an easy task.
Across:
1. Pastry preserver of the past : PIE SAFE. Not a familiar item to me. I'd prefer not to see this entry due to 70A.
8. "Johnny __": 1948 film : BELINDA. What's it about?
15. Dreads sporter : RASTA. Bob Marley.
20. What 100 is to 2, in the base 10 : ANTILOG. Wow, I don't think I even know the Chinese word for this.
21. Rampaging : ON A TEAR
22. Dole out : ALLOT
25. Martial arts-based regimen : TAE BO
26. Hoo-ha : TO-DO
27. Balkan portico : STOA. To me, it's just old Greek portico.
28. Actor Dillon : MATT. He's so good at "Crash". Handsome dude.
29. Like a porterhouse : BONE-IN
30. Augur's concern : OMEN
31. He gave Jackie her O : ARI
32. Nuclear age govt. org. : AEC (Atomic Energy Commission)
33. Gangster film extras : G-MEN
35. EMILY's List, e.g. : PAC. They support Pro-Choice female Democrats.
36. Lawyer's thing : RES. Just Latin for "thing".
40. Escalate : RISE
41. Orb's partner, in British iconography : SCEPTRE. Scepter in our spelling.
42. "Friends" Emmy winner : ANISTON (Jennifer). Gorgeous photo. Not a Jolie fan.
44. Defames : BASHES
47. Brings up : REARS
50. Birth name of Smallville's most famous resident : KALEL, Superman.
53. Let loose, in a way : UNPEN
54. Garden party? : EVE. Adam and Eve. Garden of Eden.
56. Wacky : NUTS
58. Chevron feature : STRIPE. Not the Chevron I have in mind.
59. Giggle : TEHEE
63. Former Pakistani president : ZIA. You've got to commit this to your memory.
64. Prayer conclusion : AMEN
65. The __ Store : UPS. Just for our Saturday sherpa Splynter.
66. Suffix with Israel : ITE
67. Doce meses : ANO. 12 months.
68. Edinburgh girl : LASS
69. "Neither snow, __ rain ..." : NOR
73. Beginning : BIRTH
74. Truck capacity : ONE-TON
76. Many a saga : TOME
77. Word with garden or party : TEA
78. Soup scoop : LADLE
79. Arrowsmith's first wife : LEORA. No idea.
80. Pied-à-__: part-time residence : TERRE. This stumped some last time.
82. Blasphemes : CURSES
83. Lamborghini rival : FERRARI. Dennis is nuts about this stuff.
87. Dr. Scholl's products : INSOLES
90. It isn't right : LEFT
95. "Survivor" network : CBS
98. Home of the Braves: Abbr. : ATL
99. Rating for many "Simpsons" episodes : TV PG
100. Consume : EAT
101. Ltr. container : ENV
102. Astronomer Sagan : CARL
103. Satisfies a debt : PAYS UP
105. Vitamin also known as PABA : B-TEN. Ignorant of PABA. Need Al.
107. Deceptive hockey maneuver : DEKE. Hey eddy!
108. "Typee" sequel : OMOO
109. Senior Saarinen : ELIEL. Father of EERO.
113. Disneyland usually has long ones : LINES
114. You or me : PRONOUN. Nice clue too.
115. Failed school curriculum that was the subject of the 1973 book "Why Johnny Can't Add" : NEW MATH. Alien to me.
116. Tau preceder : SIGMA
117. "It's __ guess" : ANYONE'S
118. Lubricates : GREASES
Down:
1. Leader of the flock : PASTOR. Flock seldom refers to sheep in Xword.
2. It might be unearned : INCOME. Is Powerball win unearned income?
3. Musical technique builders : ETUDES
4. Simple guy : SIMON. Simple Simon.
5. Franklin's 1936 foe : ALF (Landon)
6. Deserts : FORSAKES
7. Bit of self-aggrandizement : EGO TRIP
8. __ fide : BONA
9. Ambient music pioneer : ENO (Brian)
10. Tin star wearers : LAWMEN
11. Home of Odysseus : ITHACA
12. Erstwhile depilatory : NEET
13. One may be used to bring down an elephant : DART GUN. To tranquilize the elephant.
14. Is for two? : ARE. Nice clue.
15. Expose : RAT ON
16. Astronaut Shepard : ALAN
18. "This Boy's Life" author Wolff : TOBIAS. Have heard of the book, not the author.
19. Medical stat? : AT ONCE. Neat to see STAT as a clue rather than an answer.
24. Damp : MOIST
29. Apiphobe's fear : BEES. Apiphobe is a new word to me. Apis is Latin for "honey bee". Apiphobia is also called "Melissaphobe", since Melissa is "honeybee" in Greek.
32. "A Death in the Family" author : AGEE
34. Diagnostic pic : MRI
37. Public spectacle : SCENE
38. Like some "as is" mdse. : IRREG
39. Sampling : TASTE
40. Certain king's proclamation? : ROAR. Lion, king of the jungle.
41. Luster : SHEEN
43. NYC Theater District discount booth : TKTS. Ticket booth is just called ticket there?
44. Experimental biofuel : BUTANOL. This word looks so wrong.
45. Windflower : ANEMONE
48. "__ Day in Paradise": Phil Collins #1 hit : ANOTHER. Very moving song.
49. Mumbai money : RUPEE
51. Formal letter : EPISTLE
52. Walking aids : LEASHES. Not in the dog walking direction.
54. Catch a glimpse of : ESPY
55. Drop in : VISIT
57. Part of a mongoose's diet : SNAKE. Snakes are regarded as good food for men, at least in south China and some Southeast Asian countries.
58. Happy letters for an angel : SRO (Standing Room Only). Financial backer for a movie or a Broadway show is called an "angel".
61. Blackjack demand : HIT ME
62. Singer born Eithne Patricia Ni Bhraonáin : ENYA
65. "Moesha" network : UPN
68. They're not true : LIARS. To me, lies are not true. Liars are not telling the truth.
70. Go through the roof, as prices : SOAR
71. "__ you were the last one on earth!" : NOT IF
72. Shorthand pro : STENO
73. Muddy Waters genre : BLUES
75. Deduction for waste : TRET
81. Real card : RIOT. Card is a person who's amusing. New definition to me.
82. More shrewd : CLEVERER
84. Invitation letters : RSVP
85. Netmen's gp. : ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
86. Rec room scrape : RUG BURN. New term to me. How do you get rug burn?
88. Summer Olympics sport : SKEET
89. Pen pals' exchange? : OINKING
90. Often-satin tuxedo features : LAPELS
91. And others, to Pliny : ET ALII. Masculine plural. ET ALIA = Mixture. ET ALIAE = Femine plural.
93. __ pain: be numb : FEEL NO
94. Gorge : CANYON
95. Was costumed to look like : CAME AS
96. Literary family name : BRONTE
97. Arboreal rainforest denizens : SLOTHS
99. Oklahoma city : TULSA
102. Signal to pause : COMMA. Sigh, I drew a blank. Dummy!
104. Look : SEEM
106. "Iliad" setting : TROY
107. Cozy rooms : DENS
110. Thalassotherapy site : SPA. Thalassotherapy is sea water therapy.
111. Regret : RUE
112. Woolly mama : EWE
Answer grid.
C.C.
43 comments:
What a great puzzle! I chuckled through it. Thanks, Donna! Nice write-up, CC. Johnny Belinda was an excellent movie starring Jane Wyman (Reagan's first) as a deaf mute. See movie review.
Favorite answers: SLEEPIN LIZARDS, SPHERE OF FLYING (didn't like the corresponding book much, though), ANTILOG (of course!), OINKING.
Total unknown (googled it), TOBIAS.
Woke up every few hours last night. Am running on empty now. Wish me luck!
Morning, all!
Nice Sunday puzzle. I grokked the theme early on and it certainly helped knowing that all the theme answers started with an S.
A bunch of complete unknowns today, including ZIA, TOBIAS, ANTILOG and ATP. Most were easy enough to get via the perps, but I struggled at the very end with ATP. I figured that "The Simpsons" was rated TVPG, but ATP just looked wrong to me and therefore I hesitated to enter that final P. I finally put it in, though, and was rewarded by the *tada* sound.
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. How nice to see Donna Levin again. I have missed her puzzles and this was a real treat.
I discovered Sinclair Lewis in high school and Arrowsmith was one of my favorite books. If I recall correctly, LEORA, was Dr. Arrowsmith's his first wife and she died of the plague.
A close friend kept so much stuff in her car that we called it her Pied-a-TERRE.
Being a cat person, I don't use a LEASH, so the walking aid didn't come easily to me.
I thought Sagas were Long. I just finished reading the saga, Fall of Giants, which is a very ambitious book about WWI. At nearly 900 pages, it is a TOME.
Speaking of Apiophobes = BEES, we missed MelissaBee's birthday last week. A belated happy B'Day, to you, Melissa! (we weren't afraid of you!)
QOD: Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. ~ Franz Kafka
48. "__ Day in Paradise": Phil Collins #1 hit : ANOTHER.
Phil Collins
33. Gangster film extras I wanted Moll. (gangster's girl)
42. "Friends" Emmy winner : ANISTON I wouldn't hesitate to marry her!She is a very beautiful woman.
The IRS consider it income and it is subject to income tax.
In lieu of having to pay tax on the money I would gladly donate some to the local university to endow a scholarship for a low income families.
If I won would go to college myself.
Fun Facts By Dave Letterman
The lowest-rated cable program ever was ESPN2's coverage of the World Series of Solitaire.
The National Weather Service has three employees who do nothing but watch for clouds that look like animals.
Well, it all came down to one letter, and I swagged O instead of E in 9. Never heard of Johny BElinda or Brian Eno. Wasn't happy with Ono as an "ambient music pioneer", but at least I had heard of her. I did know of Muzak and Gen. Squier, but couldn't fit either 5-letter word into the 3 spaces provided. Having just Googled Brian Eno, I now know that I had a completely different idea of what "ambient music" is, so, in the immortal words of Emily Litella, "never mind."
All in all, a fun puzzle and a fun learning experience.
Good Morning C.C. et al.
I have to agree with you about 68A – I hesitated to put LIARS for “They’re not true”. But after thinking about it, I realized that “true” as used there means “steadfast, dependable, creditable, honest, etc.” So I am OK with that.
I shot myself in the foot in the NE by putting Tai BO instead of TAE BO. So SLiEPIN… just didn’t make sense. And I can never remember Superman’s name KALEL. But after filling in enough of the perps, I found the mistake and finished with SLEEPING LIZARDS. Which happened to be my favorite theme entry today.
Thanks, Donna, for a wonderful Sunday diversion!
BTW, where's Jerome lately?
OH! And Happy Happy Belated B-day Melissa! I thought of you as I was filling in the answer to "Apiphobe's fear". No fears here!
Good morning Sunday Solvers all. Thanks for the blog, C.C. Donna provided a really great start to the week. There were a few unknowns, TOBIAS, ATP, LEONA, ELIEL, e.g. but the perps were solid so they didn't cause any problems.
This 'Grumpy old man' took early retirement but not surly retirement.
Melissaphobia? Not on this blog! More like Melissaphilia here.
Hmmmm, RUGBURN involves bare skin scooting across carpet. How that might happen I'll leave to your imagination, C.C.
Labor party a few days ago, now garden party. Interesting how these types of clues seem to come in bunches.
Darling daughter is here for a week or so. She has a break before her final semester at FSU. She made the Dean's list and is scheduled for the first of her CPA exams at the end of the month. She'll be doing lots of studying for that while she's here.
Wow! It’s hard to define what makes a good cwd, but I know greatness when I see it! Donna’s great Sunday offering had me scrambling and laughing at the same time!
We celebrated youngest daughter’s 40th BD and she forbad the use of the “F” word. Tonight we celebrate my MIL’s 89th and she’s proud of it.
Musings
-Gotta love cluing for EVE, ARE, ROAR, LEASHES,
-Best DEKE I ever saw was George Brett getting a ground ball at 3rd and seeming to make a mighty throw to 1st made the runner at 3rd break for home and George tagged him out with ease!
-NEWMATH was the rage when I started teaching and is indicative of the crap that comes out of gov’t education entities. 13 year olds don’t/didn’t need to learn number bases, ad nauseum.
-We now live on our “unearned” income from previous hard work.
-ALF never knew when to quit running!
-I ain’t afraid of Melissa Bee and wish her a belated HBD too!
-Generic SNAKE on mongoose menu, not COBRA
-Hahtool, I don’t run with peeps literate enough to use pied-a-terre!
-My retirement is not SURLY but can be boring
Good day folks,
Today was a 2/3 success. Central and South were completed pretty easily but the NE and NW were never in my wheelhouse. Pie safe, rasta, antilog, bone in, etudes, forsakes & tobias all contributors. I was thinking an arid space for desert. Pie Safe totally new, and the rest just were not registering.
It was fun trying to solve a Donna Levin puzzle. She has quickly become a personal favorite.
Finally getting a god rain, but much too late to save the lawn. Enjoy your day.
Hello.
Will leave RUG BURN alone. Maybe
a DFer will explain.
Jerome probably in NYC for the
crossword get together.
Race in two hrs.
60 to go. Looking forward to the Dekes.
eddy
Other favorites in today's puzzle included: Signal to Pause = COMMA
It Isn't Right = LEFT (this would have fit well into last Thursday's puzzle)
Pen Pal's Exchange = OINKING
Had an good mini-theme today:
23a 33a 103a 2d 7d 10d 15d 57d and 68d
TEHEE
Hello, C.C. et aliae.
I love Donna Levin's puzzles and she really delivered on this one. At times I felt like I was ONATEAR to fill it.
Johnny BELINDA immediately popped up and I sashayed onward. Leader of the flock didn't fool me and I really liked garden party, EVE.
OINKING was good, too, as was formal letter, EPISTLE.
They're not true, LIARS, made me pause but thinking of it as persons who are false, I realized the meaning.
I can honestly say that my early retirement has been anything but SURLY.
DNF LEORA and TRET as well as SCEPTRE and AGEE. Just lack of surveillance by me.
Melissa, belated birthday greetings to you! How did it happen that we missed it?
Everyone, have a delightful Sunday!
Happy Sunday CC and everyone.
I thought this one was a romp. My biggest issues were finding a way to solve it on paper. Our local paper screwed up the inserts today, the one with the puzzle wasn't there, but they slipped in a section from next Wednesday. Weird. Then after I finally figured out how to print the copy off the website, I realized it had numerous clues missing. No 65, 66 or 118 across and no downs from 76 through 89. Good things the perps were solid, cuz I did manage to get it done.
I know, I know. I could have just solved on line. But what would I say to my #2 pencil??
Fun puzzle and writeup. Thanks for both.
A rug burn doesn't have to be DF. If two boys are wrestling or rough housing on a rug wearing shorts and tee shirts, you can bet both of them will have rug burns (abrasions from being scraped with pressure across a rug).
I liked new math. It helped students with understanding how math worked rather than just learning a bunch of rules. The trouble came because many teachers (who weren't very good at math) then got away from the necessary drill and practice with rote work like multiplication tables. So it wasn't that learning some 'new math' was bad, it was that it sometimes incorrectly replaced all the good 'old' math. They both had their place.
To each his own, Bill G, but I think my way of getting a rug burn is a lot more fun than your's.
Avg Joe... "But what would I say to my #2 pencil??" I usually say "You 'lead' me astray".
A pie safe is a wooden cupboard with decoratively patterned punched tin inserts in the doors. The holes punched in the tin were small enough to keep out flies but large enough to let out steam in freshly baked goods. These were used in homes in the years prior to screen doors and refrigeration. I have one used by my Irish great grandparents around 1870-1930. These are prized by prairie antique collectors.
Dennis, thanks for the laugh of the day "The Village People"
Does anyone know why my LAT newspaper only prints puzzles by Merl Reagle??
I never get the same puzzle as you all.
Oops that's on Sunday only, I'm good the rest of the week.
Good afternoon everyone.
I got quite a bit of today's puzzle, which is fun. Missed the S-WORD play bit, so groked none of the theme answers.
Belated happy birthday, Melissa B. Hope it was a memorable one.
Lucina: I think we missed her b'day because Dennis used to keep track of those days.
Bill G. I agree with your assessment of the NEW MATH. I too taught it in the 60s to 6th graders, and thought it useful.
Cheers
P.S.
Back to NEW MATH: I made the students go through all 10 (I think) steps to multiply fractions. One by one they would come up and whisper to me that all you had to do was turn it upside down and multiply (or as we learned it: invert and multiply). I always answered that's right and you may do it that way, but don't tell anyone. So I'm guessing that those students didn't forget how to multiply fractions, as I had.
BIllG, way to throw cold water on a fun subject.
AVGJoe:
I would say to my #2 pencil, you "lead" the way although Grumpy 1 produced a laugh!
Hands up for New Math. As teachers we had numerous workshops upon workshops to learn how to present it and I believe for the most part students learned better. One of the problems was the textbooks. The ones we used were far from desirable.
My only problem with new math was that I attended a parochial school through 8th grade. It was a classic example of the blind leading the blind. As a result, very few saw the light.
Holy mackeral, I didn't know melissa means bee in Greek. Fascinating.
I also feel it is the lies that are untrue, not the liars.
Loved this puzzle!
More later.
Apologies to MelissaBee; I hadn't looked at the birthday list in a week. I hope it was the best ever.
Also, Happy Birthday TODAY to Gunghy; many, many more.
Hey dipsh*t anon 3:55, I was answering a question C.C. asked about rug burns. I hope you get some bad ones if that's what's fun for you.
Martydog, I dunno why but it's been the practice for a long time that the Sunday LA Times puzzle has been by Merl Reagle (or previously, Sylvia Burzstyn too) rather than the one we get here. You can get this one online at the LAT website as I do.
AvgJoe, it sounds as if your math troubles were with your school and the teachers, not the subject. You're right, the quality of the teachers makes a lot of difference. Lucina had bad textbooks and as a good teacher, she would have to figure out a way around the poor books. For a few years, our Assistant Superintendent in Charge of Instruction retired and was replaced by a despot with weak math skills. She totally screwed up our curriculum so we had to work around her bad decision and influence.
BillG, Yes. That's accurate. And my school was also run by an academic despot. We called her Sister Very Fussy. I had the multiplication tables drilled into my skull, but little else.
Dennis, thanks for the "heads up" on Gunghy's B-Day ("Best" day, ever!!). I hope it was a good one!
I am a crossover child - the "New Math" was just coming into vogue when I was in H.S. But, by then I had learned my basic math and was already into Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus. But, has anyone else heard of the Trachtenberg System? My D(late)H came into an original set of the volumes of his methods, handwritten while he was being held in a Nazi concentration camp. I don’t know what happened to those books, but I would give my eye teeth to get them back!
Gunghy!
A very happy birthday to you! I hope you are celebrating in style.
Bill G. is correct. We had to overcome the weaknesses of the textbook and create our own learning environment and materials.
Dennis,
Just found the link you put up yesterday. This guy also performs as "Dancing Christopher". I've seen him several times at New Britain Rockcat games (Twins Double A team in the Eastern League). He's always been very popular with fans of all ages. Usually has two or three appearances each year.
Donna, A great puzzle that was delightful to solve.
The 'K' in TKTS/KALEL was a miss by me. I don't know why I didn't put 'K' for TKTS, but I never remember Smallville/ Superman.
Nice write-up, CC. Always a pleasure.Thanks.
Happy B'day Melissa and Gunghy What day was yours on, Melissa?
You have worked so hard for us; sorry to have missed it.
Enjoying the posts this afternoon.
Hello.
Dixon won. Closes in on Power.
New Math for Geom., Trig. and Calc.
Tau equals 2 Pi.
Rug Burn on the knees not so bad.
Pain < Fun.
Smog check tomorrow.
eddy
Happy Birthday, Gunghy on the big one. We miss you. I hope you join us again soon.
Johnny Belinda
HOla Everyone, I've not done the puzzle yet today. I'm printing it out to do this evening.
I had to chime in, though, on the New Math.
I was fortunate to have an intensive summer course and then a year followup with a very gifted math instuctor called, Mary Barrata Lorton. She presented math, especially for the primary grades with extensive manipulataives for everything from counting to patterning to geometry.
Unfortunately, just as she was becoming well known she was killed in her home in San Francisco by an unknown assailant. Her murder has never been solved. It was a terrible loss for her family and for the Calif. math program.
Her books are still out there and are a valuable resource for the teaching of math to the young child. Our district adopted her method and purchased all the manipulatives over 20 years ago. They are still using the program.
thanks everyone for the bday wishes, yes it was last week but i like to drag these things out so the celebration continues.
busy season at spa and a few complications have kept me from commenting as often as i'd like. i've missed alot of bdays and other events but you're all in my thoughts.
A late happy birthday to Gunghy. Hope you've been having fun!
I just watched parts of Robin Hood -- Prince of Thieves for the fourth or fifth time. Kevin Costner's accent attempt is laughable and Alan Rickman makes the best villain (Sheriff of Nottingham).
Have you had your Sunday prayer fix today? If not, this prayer may do nicely.
Good Evening All, I hated that I didn't have time for the puzzle today.
GAH and I had some surprise company this morning and then I headed to Sonora with 11 women friends (the low-key red hats) for a little lunch and seeing the play "August: Osage Country". Has anyone here seen it?
Not everyone's cup of tea, but it is an intense, funny and often disturbing play. At three hours, it is one of the longest I've seen.
Belated happy Birthday Melissa and Gunghy
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