Theme: Stock Exchange. Common two words phrases used on Wall Street are clued with wacky new definitions. This puzzle is also a pangram, using every letter of the alphabet - a rare gem for constructors!
20A. Chicken, beef, or fish? : STOCK OPTION. Stock options are offered to employees as a non-cash compensation, and as an incentive to make the company profitable. Chicken stock, beef stock and fish stock are different options a chef can choose, when preparing his delicious recipes.
58A. Expensive bottle of wine? : LIQUID ASSET. Liquid assets are those which can be sold easily, without loss of value. Wine is a liquid that can really be an asset, especially at a party!
11D. Shop specializing in Winnie the Pooh merchandise? : BEAR MARKET. A bear market is a general decline in the stock market, leading to investor pessimism. Winnie the Pooh is a cute little bear who has been merchandised to excess. Does anyone have a WTP watch?
29D. Money set aside for garden mazes? : HEDGE FUNDS. A hedge fund is a special investment that is aggressively managed to offset losses in a bear market, often by using fluctuations in currency exchange rates or commodities. A maze hedge requires frequent trimming and upkeep, so you'll need that money to pay for all the gardeners!
Marti here, and I chuckled as soon as I filled in the first theme entry. I have many stock options in my pantry, liquid assets in my wine cellar, and 100 feet of hedge in front of my house. I do not, however, own a Winnie the Pooh watch...
Across
1. Beatles film : HELP. Four letters, Beatles didn't make many movies. Easy peasy lead in to this delightful puzzle, and BAM, a chance for a musical link right off that bat. Did you know the inspiration for this film was the Marx Brothers classic "Duck Soup", and was a take-off of the James Bond films?
5. Globetrotter's need : VISA. Passport wouldn't fit.
9. TV choice : CABLE.
14. x, y and z, in math : AXES. Plural of "axis".
15. Israel's Barak : EHUD. Ehud Barak, for those who were wondering if "Barak" was his first or last name. He is the Minister of Defense.
16. Curved moldings : OGEES. O, gee...crosswordese, and plural, no less. But these types of entry give us a "freebie fill", so you can use the perps to fill in other answers. Don't complain!
17. Hard to spot : TINY. Is this "tiny"?
18. Muddy up : ROIL. Stir up the waters and get them all muddy.
19. Chestnut-hued horses : ROANS
23. Bar order : RYE. OK, hands up for all of you who put in "ale", "ice", "gin", "nip", "pop" or "rum" before RYE emerged from perps?
24. Sweetie : HON. My favorite nickname for DH.
25. Three-time Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film : BERGMAN. Were you thinking of Ingrid? She did win three Oscars, but not for best foreign film. The winner here is Ingmar Bergman, one of the great directors our our time. The films? "The Virgin Spring", "Through a Glass Darkly" and "Fanny and Alexander".
27. Saw : APHORISM. An old saw is a saying that teaches a lesson, like "A penny saved is a penny earned."
32. Membership list : ROTA. Mainly a British term (Nice Cuppa?), but it is also used in the Catholic Church to mean a tribunal of prelates in an ecclesiastical court.
33. Slangy morning cup : JOE. Some people have a cuppa tea, others need their cuppa Joe (coffee).
34. Tabloid exclusive : SCOOP. Or, what I do in the litter box every day. (Where does it all come from???)
36. Inferior : WORSE
39. Director of the last episode of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA. Alan Alda. He was also the first person to receive Emmy Awards for acting, writing and directing for the same series.
41. Concerning : ABOUT
43. Hershey's toffee bar : SKOR. Yumm!
44. First name in daytime TV : REGIS. Regis Philbin. Did you know that he holds the Guinness world record for the most time spent in front of a TV camera?
46. World-weariness : ENNUI. General feeling of boredom.
48. Gin maker Whitney : ELI. The cotton gin, of course. But I really wanted Bombay. What's your poison?
49. Jazz and swing periods : ERAS. (And a shout-out to our own "bumpa"!)
51. Word with crew or key : SKELETON. Skeleton crew is the bare essential staff needed to keep things afloat. (Or, it could be the members of the Black Pearl?) Skeleton key is an old-fashioned master key for locks.
53. Gridiron call : OFFSIDE. American football...it's complicated, but basically it's a five yard penalty if a member of the offensive team is over the line of scrimmage at the snap.
56. Respectful title : SIR
57. French vineyard : CRU. "Cru" indicates a specific growth place, or it's wine.
64. River including Livingstone Falls : CONGO. Dr. Livingstone, I presume?
66. Major in astronomy? : URSA. Ursa major, the "Big Dipper". Cute clue.
67. Balm ingredient : ALOE
68. Milk dispenser : UDDER. And here is one for the guys...
69. Hardly handsome : UGLY.
70. Loads : TONS
71. Run for the __: Kentucky Derby : ROSES. Run for the Roses is a nickname for the Kentucky Derby, so called because of the blanket of roses that is draped over the winning horse.
72. Understands : SEES. Oh, I see it now.
73. Gusto : ZEST
Down
1. Boaters and bowlers : HATS. Your weren't thinking sports, were you?
2. Auditorium sign : EXIT
3. "Leading With My Chin" author : LENO. Jay Leno, who else?
4. Film with a creepy motel owner : PSYCHO. One of Hitchcock's finest, starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh.
5. Archie's heartthrob : VERONICA. Comic book from the 40's. Were you thinking Edith Bunker?
6. Denny's competitor : IHOP
7. Diamonds, but not emeralds : SUIT. Playing cards.
8. Robin Williams forte : AD LIB.
9. Tight braid : CORNROW. These look painful.
10. Gone by : AGO
12. Lotte who played Rosa Klebb in "From Russia With Love" : LENYA. Call her "Colonel". We have had her before...it is Lotte Lenya, and she was married to Kurt Weil, who wrote "Mack the Knife" for her to sing. Remember? (I won't link it again...)
13. German steel town : ESSEN
21. Fashion designer Michael : KORS. I'm not much into fashion: jeans and a t-shirt are fine for working in the garden.
22. Anthem contraction : O'ER...the ramparts.
26. Pontiac muscle cars : GTOs. I bet Dennis, Windhover or Bill G. could fill us in!
27. Slightly cracked : AJAR. Hand over the V-8 can: I was thinking "loony".
28. Angler's need : POLE. Not reel, line, fish, bait, pier...
30. Drink brand with a lizard logo : SOBE. Pepsi brand of teas and juice blends named for South Beach.
31. Mars pair : MOONS. Phobos and Deimos. Memorize them. You never know when they will show up in a puzzle!
35. __ rock : PUNK. Not folk, hard, acid, soft...
37. Alone : SOLO. Not many chances for music links today, so I give you this solo...
38. Joyce's homeland : ERIN. OK, how many times have we had "Erin" in xwords? So, here is the scoop on the name:
The Irish word for the homeland is "Éirinn". "Erin" is the Irish-English derivative of that name. So poets and Irish Nationalists use the word "Erin" as a romantic name for Ireland. Got it? (There will be a quiz later...)
Oh, and James Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, who likely used the name "Erin" for his homeland. Clear Ayes?
40. Ostentatious behavior : AIRS
42. "__ With Morrie": Albom best-seller : TUESDAYS. Subtitled "an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson". An incredible non-fiction novel about a beloved professor with Lou Gehrig's disease. If you haven't read it, put it on your list!
45. Salts on the ocean : SAILORS. We all know that "salt" is a nickname for a sailor, right? But, do you know why?
47. Hip bones : ILIA. And what are dem bones connected to?
50. Star Wars prog. : SDI. Strategic Defense Initiative, proposed by President Ronald Reagan.
52. German sub? : ERSATZ. I loved this clue/answer. Ersatz means "substitute", and is the literal German word for "substitute", derived from the word "ersetzen", meaning "to replace".
53. Present itself, as a thought : OCCUR. It just occurred to me, that I have to go get a snack. Don't go away, I'll be right back....
...OK, I'm back now.
54. Tolkien ringbearer : FRODO. Frodo Baggins, bearing the ring to Mordor to destroy it, in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. (But you all knew that.)
55. 1975 Tony-winning play about a stableboy : EQUUS. A very disturbing play.
59. The munchies, e.g. : URGE. I have my snack, so I'm good!
60. Cruise stop : ISLE. Port, dock, pier...I have to stop over thinking these things!!!
61. Dark purple fruit : SLOE. Why did "sloe" pop into my head, and not "plum"? ("Because it's Thursday!!")
62. Eternities, seemingly : EONS
63. Midterm or final : TEST. I always think of midterm "exams" or final "exams", not tests.
65. "Golly!" : GEE. Gee, I think I am done. Goodnight, all!
Answer grid.
Marti
75 comments:
Only theme clue that was a gimme was Hedge Funds.
Gridiron call- offsides. also referred to as false start.
offsides on offense-
means his helmet or any part of his body pas the line of scrimmage (aka any part of football)
false start on offense-
means someone other than a person in motion moved before the ball was snapped
false start on defense-
doesn't exist. Even if the player crosses the line of scrimmage he can run back before the snap and there's no penalty
Fun Facts by Dave Letterman
Pac-Man's ravenous appetite was the result of an enzyme disorder.
The shish kebab was invented when a mathematician tried to make an abacus out of meat.
Globetrotter's need I thought of ball.
Good Morning, Marti and friends. This was a fun and easy Thursday puzzle. I got the theme with STOCK OPTION, which helped me with the other theme responses.
My favorite clue was Milk Dispenser = UDDER.
I was also amused by Diamonds, not Emeralds = SUIT.
Windhover: thanks for sharing your photos yesterday. From your current photo, I'd say you are still as handsome as ever.
Good day folks,
Another fun puzzle, again filled with some fresh cluing. I thought the theme clues were appropriate considering the roller coaster ride Wall St has given the investing community recently.
Needed lots of perp help today. Ehud. skor, sobe, SDI, cru, + Equus were beneficiaries. How many words besides Equus have two consecutive U's ?
Always wondered if Archie ended up with Veronica, the spoiled rich girl, or Betty, the girl from next door type. Probably someone else.
25A Bergman was a given. How many other Swedish directors have won an Oscar?
Favorite clue was Milk Dispenser/Udder.
Looks like Irene is a can't miss. Another power outage. I'll be renewing my vow to spend the big bucks for a generator.
Hey all,
After I finished this puzzle, it called to me to take the time to look it over. Panagram, fresh fill- even had a movement to it- lively.
Theme was dead-on, with original, humorous clues.
Thanks, David.
Marti, I need to get back to your write-up later. Thanks.
Good Morning, folks. Got up early and found this puzzle amazingly easy for a Thursday. Thank you, David Poole, for a great puzzle. Thank you, Marti, for a most interesting write-up.
Got started slowly in the NW. Could not think of HELP at first. Could not decide between HATS or CAPS initially. AXES came easily. As did EXIT and LENO. HELP emerged and did HATS as well as PSYCHO.
The theme answers came easily.
Interesting to have SLOE again. That answer seemed to have replaced ASP or ASPS of late.
Did not know SKOR, but perps helped.
My only miss was CRU. I had CEU. I did not know FRODO either. I still wish constructors would not use foreign words. I expect it makes the puzzle easier to construct, but. . . .
Wish me luck today. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Abe Joe,
Best of luck today. I'm sure everything will be fine.
M. I do not know if I enjoy your puzzles or your write ups more. Thank you. An ambitious but fairly easy Thursday puzzle with a really fun theme, a pangram with great visuals for the alternate meanings. Lots of nice fill, I like the SKOR KORS anagram.
I personally found Mitch Albom's book sophomoric and self aggrandizing and; RDS, trying to explain football rules is a slippery slope as there are for example penalties against the defense for "unabated to the quarterback" and when a defender crosses the line and touches an offensive player before the snap, both of which are offsides penalties. Then there is inducing an offsides...ah well thanks Marti and David
Good Morning, C.C. et al.
RSD, thanks for expanding on the OFFSIDE penalty. LOL at your shish-kebab Letterman "factoid".
Good luck, Abejo! Hope all goes well for you today.
Good Morning my puzzling friends, a very nice Thursday entry that involved some head scratching, some learning (ROTA, CRU, SOBE) and Marti’s lovely narrative.
Musings
-I had an IDIOM/ADAGE issue with Marti’s puzzle this week and now APHORISM joins the dance
-I wonder if I could tell the difference between a $10 bottle of wine and a $1,000 bottle.
-Our church is going to the Holy Land this fall but Joann is scared to go! Ehud has his hands full.
-I taught for 4 years with Dani Ogee!
-I had ALE, PORT, GETS and REEL first
-SKOR is my fav candy bar! Tastes like Butter Brickle ice cream, also my fav.
-Sorry Oprah, it’s REGIS
-Is the Derby really “the most exciting 2 minutes in sports”?
-Phobos is so small you could throw a ball around it (put it in orbit) by throwing it.
-I am going to “ERSATZ” at schule again this year
-Nitpick time – an offensive false start is “Illegal Procedure” and in high school football a defender is offside as soon as he crosses the scrimmage line. Love your Letterman facts, RSD!
I did it ! I dont know how - but I did it ! A THURSDAY - whoopee !!
Thank you Mr. David Poole for a wonderful puzzle.( And Mr. Norris, for 'dumbing down', Thursdays - ). I really enjoyed it - altho' the theme escaped me entirely. I had 'Stick Option' for the longest time - Fish stick, Beef Stick etc.
Thank you Marti, for some lovely, lovely explanations - and your subtle comments in the blog - May you snack ( within limits, of course ) for evermore.
I kept trying to fit 'Chlorides' ( or Bromides or Iodides ) for Salts of the ocean - too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Abejo - sincerely hoping the hernia operation was a success - and take plenty of rest - and no heavy lifting. Thank your stars that a qualified surgeon is doing the operation. I mean, it could have been so much worse , umm, like Lorena Bobbit. Sincere best wishes for a complete recovery.
I did it ! I dont know how - but I did it ! A THURSDAY - whoopee !!
Thank you Mr. David Poole for a wonderful puzzle.( And Mr. Norris, for 'dumbing down', Thursdays - ). I really enjoyed it - altho' the theme escaped me entirely. I had 'Stick Option' for the longest time - Fish stick, Beef Stick etc.
Thank you Marti, for some lovely, lovely explanations - and your subtle comments in the blog - May you snack ( within limits, of course ) for evermore.
I kept trying to fit 'Chlorides' ( or Bromides or Iodides ) for Salts of the ocean - too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Abejo - sincerely hoping the hernia operation was a success - and take plenty of rest - and no heavy lifting. Thank your stars that a qualified surgeon is doing the operation. I mean, it could have been so much worse , umm, like Lorena Bobbit. Sincere best wishes for a complete recovery.
Anony-Mouse, Strange you should mention Lorena Bobbit. A Kentucky doctor was performing a circumcision on a man and intentionally cut off his, er, member. The linked article is of interest in 3 ways
1. Why the doctor did it
2. The amount for which the man sued
3. The jury’s decision
Off to Omaha to golf while my bride shops. She is so great about allowing me my obsession and not making me look at cloth at Kohl’s! What a gal (2D from yesterday!)
Marti/HeartRx: Wonderful write-up.
TINY link? Nope, packing sock ...
UDDER link? Ya-got-me ... lol
I think I made it harder than it was by "over-thinking" some clues also.
Hand up for ale before RYE, port before ISLE and plum before SLOE.
Otherwise a FUN, straight forward puzzle.
LIQUID ASSET was my theme fave (surprise?).
Just a Pinch of Avatar every now-and-then.
German sub? ERSATZ was a great clue/ans.
Archie was an idiot. VERONICA was a bitch.
Betty was a better catch. Sexier too. lol
(Which leads us to the Ginger-v-Mary Ann thingy).
Cheers to all at Sunset.
Very nice Thursday puzzle. Marti's writeup was fun and informative. I noticed the braiding link seemed to be from Oz, as prices were quoted in AUD (Oz dollars), and the phone was a "mobile" (cell) number. Interesting!
I got the theme quickly and it helped a lot. But there were many unknowns and perps were needed almost everywhere.
Good luck Abejo!
If I were the crossword puzzle editor, I'd have run yesterday's puzzle today, and made this one Wednesday's. Might be just me, but this was a lot easier, reversing the usual progression of difficulty level through the week.
Clued in to the theme pretty early on, unlike yesterday, and knowing it was actually a big help in filling in the later, longer entries. Once I knew they were familiar financial terms, needed just a few perps to nail them.
Crossword pet peeve of mine: I hate that Ireland clue that might be ERIE, EIRE, or ERIN! Oh, and I thought I knew my Hershey's candy, but I don't think I've ever seen much less eaten a SKOR bar (if indeed it does come in bar form).
Otherwise, some clever and creative cluing, just hard enough to make me feel smart this morning.
Oh, and I echo Tinbeni:
Hand up for ale before RYE, port before ISLE and plum before SLOE.--Me too!
Also I was so surprised to see 41A not be IN RE, ABOUT seems so pedestrian after all the times we've had the other.
Good morning all. Marti, thanks for a very informative commentary.
A little on the easy side for a Thursday. Got most of it without difficulty; however the central west gave me pause for a while. But after changing B to H for HEDGE FUNDS, it all came home. Liked seeing APHORISM there. Favorite clue was 'milk dispenser' for UDDER. Also liked the clever clueing of the theme words; especially LIQUID ASSET and BEAR MARKET. Haven't seen ESSEN in a while. It also is the German infinitive for 'to eat' (by humans). (When animals eat it is called Fressen.)
Have a great day and all the best to Abejo.
Good morning Marti,
No time to read anything yet, but could this really be Thursday? What a delightful puzzle. Being ill the last few days must have refreshed my memory bank.Ersatz filled in smoothly with perps, and going up and down at the same time, made this a smooth run.
I'm thinking of Abejo this morning and hope all goes well.
Lois, hope you have a new clean decrisped room.
Peppermint Patty, you cracked me up yesterday- both times. Don't ever leave us!!
Thanks Marti and Mr. Poole
ROTA in BRIT-speak is NOT a membership list, but a list of when each person has to do a particular chore. Could be a family or workplace rota, need not include every member of the group - e.g. the boss, or a wee bairn. The related ROSTER has the correct meaning, but that is US-speak too.
Abejo, you may be soon be the last man on (not MIddlle) Earth not to know the name of the ring-bearer. I expect David Letterman would have something to SAY - an aphorism? - about that.
Marti - you asked about SALT and SAILORS. Beyond the obvious, sea-salt-connection, I note that "SIT BELOW THE SALT" refers to a social order when salt was a valuable commodity, and those below it at table were the lowest social order. Given that sailors would also spend much of their lives literally below the salt-water line that might fit. Then their is the link between SALT and salary, as in salaried employees. But I doubt they were worth their SALT. But you may take that all of this with a grain of SALT.
Plimsole line limit being reached I will end this post.
NC
Hi all.... it really is Thursday and I am feeling smug as I managed to complete 3/4 of this clever offering.
Marti: Great write-up! LOL at 17A..most likely a sock stuffed in there! 68A was another chuckle, great picture for the guys.
Lots of unknowns for me but I did learn a few things reading the answers Marti provided and that's always a plus. I never heard of SOBE but then I rarely drink things like that.
How does one pronounce EQUUS???? I had URSA and UGLY filled in but wondered what word would have 2 'U's in it. I finally filled it in and still didn't know.
Hi gang, great blogging Marti! Rye was my last guess also after trying 'ale' at first.
Cuppa joe?
My favorite is Java ;-)
...and now for the Irish bit:
The modern name for the Republic of Ireland is Eire, of course. I wondered what the relationship between Eire and Érin/Éirinn was. Turns out Éirinn is the dative case of Éire, and Éirinn go Brách! is probably a Brit-version of a longer Irish phrase, which the Brits screwed up, not being scholars of Celtic grammar. the modern Irish phrase is Éire go Brách. Not a lot of people know that. I suspect even fewer care.
Finally, on James Joyce -
The thing I least remember: the second half of Ulysses, but I am probably not alone there.
The thing I most remember: the name of the woman he eloped with to Zurich - NORA BARNACLE - I suppose she stuck with him.
NC
Good Morning All, the theme phrases fell into place once I got the drift and the first few letters were in place.
I must be REALLY old. I didn't even think of Edith Bunker. 5D)VERONICA Lodge has been Archie's heartthrob for as far back as I can remember. I read something in the newspaper a while back that they were marrying, but now I find out it was a dream sequence.
It took a while for 27A)APHORISM. I couldn't get away from "Saw" as a tool. (BTW, nice "Tiny" link, Marti...oh lordy, forgive me....another meaning of OFFSIDE.)
I got 52D)ERSATZ, but I didn't know its German meaning. I always thought it was a inferior substitute.
I've never had a 43A)SKOR bar. I thought it might be SMOR.
Hi All ~~
An easy but fun Thursday puzzle. I guessed the theme after STOCK OPTION and the other theme answers fell in quickly. I didn't notice the pangram until coming here. Thanks for a great write-up, Marti. Loved the links!
~~ Wouldn't have had ROTA without the perps.
~~ Archie Bunker came to mind first but the V in VISA set me straight. Loved Archie & Jughead comics!
~~ Now I know where 'SOBE' comes from.
~~ Happy Birthday to Regis ... 80 today!
I guess it's time to think about preparing for the hurricane ... much like we prepared for winter storms. Maybe it'll miss us?
My best to you, Abejo!
Hello Puzzlers - a straightforward Thursday romp, nary a speed bump insight.
Thanks for the high quality writeup, Marti!
Hondo - I'm with you, always wondered whether Archie would have the sense to hook up with Betty, rather than shackle himself to a very costly Veronica.
Now for the age-old, and similar, question: Ginger or MaryAnne?
Best wishes for an easy time for Abejo. And very much good luck for those in Irene's path. As a young lad, I lived through one hurricane back in Virginia. I'm sure it worried my parents more than I knew.
THH
Words with 2 u's that are not foreign/scientific/have been anglicized are indeed very rare.
I could only think of:
vacuum
continuum
menstruum
NC
I removed the two Anon's(9:32, 9:56) for being offensive.
Loved the puzzle today! Agree though - equus was tricky, and kept making me second guess myself. Clever theme!
Carol, I believe it's pronounced 'ekwus'.
Hello everybody. I liked this puzzle a lot. As I was solving it, I drew smileys next to SKELETON, APHORISM, VERONICA, CORNROW, EQUUS, ERSATZ, and TUESDAYS. Excellent fill, all.
Drew frownies next to SKOR and KORS (like Lemonade I noticed the anagrams), and had a question mark next to OFFSIDE because I always thought it was 'offsides.'
Equus was a magnificent play; I loved it.
I couldn't help but notice Dudley's 11:01AM post in which he stated "Now for the age-old, and similar, question: Ginger or MaryAnne?" as if it was his original thought, even though Tibeni had already proffered the same thought "(Which leads us to the Ginger-v-Mary Ann thingy)" in his post of almost 2 hours earlier.
Lemonade, I agree about "TUESDAYS With Morrie". Same thing with "Five People You Meet In Heaven". I haven't read other Mitch Albom books, but they always show up as a "made for TV movie", so maybe I'll get them in two hour sessions.
I finished reading "Shanghai Girls" by Lisa See. It is a novel, but there is a lot of interesting information about Shanghai, Mainland China and San Francisco from the 1930's through the 1950's.
Lucina, I launched into "The Postmistress" last night. It's reading well so far.
Wow, Nice Cuppa, the definition of menstruum was a surprise to me....a solvent, huh?
Best wishes to Abejo for a quick recovery. I had diaphragmatic hernia repair surgery about five years ago. No stitches on the outside. The surgeon glued me together...the wonders of modern medicine!
Thanks for a terrific writeup today, Marti. So full of humor, information, and perceptiveness.
Thank you, Argyle.
Hands up for wanting LURE or someother 4-letter word than POLE for 28D. Also for wanting ALE for 23A. Wanted ROLL instead of ROTA.
I go all squishy inside when a woman calls me "Hon."
Never heard of Skor. I rarely ever eat sweets. Never drink bottled sugar-water either, such as SOBE.
When I was a kid, I called Red Skelton 'Red Skeleton.'
Muh ilia be connected to muh sacrum, fused into muh sacroiliac joint (or maybe it was some other joint where the fusion occurred.)
Speaking of Frodo, what parents in their right minds would name their kid Bilbo?
Best wishes to you all.
Kazie, you are really sharp! I didn’t notice that was an Aussie link when I posted the cornrow link. I just wanted to find a picture that had several different examples. (I still think they look painful!)
Nice Cuppa, thanks for the info on rota. Now that you mention it, we had a monthly “rota” in our garden club, too. It listed all the chores and who was supposed to weed/water which planters in town.
And I really was asking the question about why they are called “salts”. I never knew, but your explanation makes perfect sense.
Cleareyes, I just got a noseful of JOE when I read your comment about OFFSIDE. Too funny!
Dennis, thanks for the EQUUS info :)
I never would have guessed....sounds sort of yucky. Hairball anyone???
CA: I love Lisa See's books also Amy Tan's. Good historical facts in each.
I just picked up The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls from the library and can't wait to start it. (have to finish another book first).
Jayce: the same parents who would name their kids Cleetis, Boog, Rufus or Moon Unit - :)
Hi gang -
Great write up, Marti.
Fun puzzle. Loved the theme. BEAR MARKET - hang on to your hats. It's just beginning. Stocks, gold, oil - everything is down today.
Inlike many, I did not find this one easy. ALE, PORT, PLUM, EXAM, and GETS for SEES - many erasures and false starts.
SOBE and SKOR - total unknowns.
ELI and SLOE - two wrong kinds of GIN, but only one the wrong LIQUID ASSET.
If "ring bearer" is a title, then only FRODO qualifies. If it is merely a descriptor, then the field opens up to SAURON, ISILDUR, SMEAGOL (aka GOLLUM,) BILBO, and even SAMWISE GAMGEE. Only FRODO and BILBO fit, though.
One MOON yesterday, two MOONS today, it's PLAIN to SEE - with or without a PLANE.
Fav Clue: Major in astronomy.
Good luck Abejo!
Cheers!
JzB who will occasionally AD LIB
Hello puzzlers and thank you, Marti, for another sparkling blog.
No HELP needed and UDDER delight (sorry) with David Poole's puzzle, but I did have to skip around a bit for a toehold.
When STOCKOPTIONS appeared I realized what the theme might be so BEARMARKET came up easily as did the others.
VERONICA, too, like CA, that was my first thought and I already had a few letters for it. You all do realize that it is fiction, right? Why worry about VERONICA or Betty, Ginger or Maryann?
Since I don't drink SOBE that escaped me completely as did MOONS so the resulting APHORING made no sense but then it seemed exotic enough to be right. Wrong!
OFFSIDE, too, gave me fits because as you all know sports clues befuddle me and I must try to remember SDI.
Have a thoroughly wonderful Thursday, everyone!
CA:
Enjoy The Postmistress; I started Shelters of Stone by crossword's fav author, Jean Auel.
Tom Bombadil also wore the ring but only for a moment and on the tip of his little finger. The ring had no effect on him.
The first time I saw SoBe drinks was ~ 2001 or so while I was still working for High Tech but I never knew it meant South Beach until today. We get a SoBe pink punch from Quiznos on most Wednesday's when we stop for a sandwich and drink for pottery night.
Hello.
Welcome to the White Beard Club
(WBC) seen.
Hope someone has a camera on Sep 10th. (Hint, Hint)
My question: Who will take Danica's Izod ride next year?
Hope it is Pippa.
Back into the 90s. Uniform of the day: swim trunks and sandals.
Three DVDs to go.
eddy
Per the link generously provided by Clear Ayes;-
Menstruum: A substance that dissolves a solid or holds it in suspension.
The first part would mean a solvent - the second part indicates it is NOT a solvent.- And the 2 definitions are internally incompatible.
Its like saying someone is pregnant OR definitely NOT pregnant ??? That is nonsense under the rules of logic. This definition would include All women AND men.
( Either you are A or not-A. If you include both A AND not-A then there is no distinction, which makes it meaningless for the word to exist - ).
I shudder to think that any self respecting scientist would use the word 'menstruum' as a substitute for solvent. He/She would be the joke of the scientific community !! IMHO.
Jayce 11:44 - Ooops, I didn't see Tin's post before putting in the Ginger/MaryAnne bit.
Even as a kid I thought Ginger was kinda high maintenance...
:-)
Hola Everyone, I thought that today's puzzle was easier than yesterdays. No look ups and the theme became clear when I filled in Stock Option. Hands up for Ale for Rye, Roll for Rota and Plum for Sloe. I didn't realize that a Sloe was deep purple. The perps took care of my mistakes.
I haven't eaten a Skor bar. My favorite toffee bar is a Heath bar.
My aha moment for today, was Ajar. I was thinking along the lines of a crack in a pottery bowl. Well, Aphorism for saw was just plain mean!!
We had Madam yesterday and Sir today. Do we still have Maam and Miss to come?
Thanks Marti for a great writeup. I'm still humming the Beatle's song.
Thinking good thoughts, Abejo.
Back to peeling apples before the fruit flies chase me out of the kitchen.
Anon @ 1:59 -
You are mistaken. Solution and suspension are not opposites. They are matters of degree of attraction between a (potential) solvent and solute. If the attraction is great enough, the solute dissolves, and you have a solution. At an intermediate level of attraction, the solute sill form a stable suspension (colloid) - milk is a good example. A suspension maintains two homogeneous phases that will not separate and settle out. Without sufficient attraction, the solid and liquid remain as two separate phases.
Soaps act as emulsifiers to allow dirt to become suspended in water so that it can be washed away.
This is all very broad brush, of course.
Argyle - I totally forgot about Tom Bombadil and the ring. Good catch.
Cheers!
JzB who also bears a ring
Chickie
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
Hello, everyone,
Marti, outstanding commentary! Thanks.
Our morning paper printed yesterday's LAT crossword today. In fact it had yesterday's Jumble, also. Maybe the whole page was from yesterday; I didn't look at Dear Abby.I thought maybe other papers had run the same thing, but I guess not.
Anyway, I did the puzzle online and was surprised again by how easy it was. And very enjoyable, too. J.D., I tried your method of saving it, but never noticed the title so when I tried to retrieve it, nothing. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't saved. Exstremely frustrating when reading comments!
eddyB, Sept 10th is the first day of our BHC pottery sale?
I just watched the latest weather and unfortunately ---- WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!
Yeah, this looks like a bad one, but jeezus, they make it sound cataclysmic. I'm waiting for the locusts to show up.
Jayce,
With parents named Bungo and Belladonna, Bilbo isn't so bad, is it?
I suppose no worse than calling a bakery Bimbo. Though I'm not so sure I'd want them as a sponsor for my football squad.
Did anyone else think of MandM for 31D? Or is it just me that has candy on the mind?
Nice puzzle and good blog. Thanks
I was wondering why vacuum is pronounced with one "long U" sound, while those other two words were pronounced "U-uh.". It turns out, however, that vac-U-um is an accepted pronunciation. News to me!
Does anyone here say it this way?
Got the theme but had one letter missing. Just couldn't get EH_D or S_IT. "Diamonds, not emeralds" totally had me kerflumped. Thanks Marti - I had to see it in your write up to get it! (Insert forehead smack)
Had the same as a lot of you - PLUM/SLOE; PORT/ISLE. CRU was easy. Just finished the book "The Widow Clicqout" and learned all about the Champagne region of France.
No hurricanes or tornadoes here, just summertime weather...finally. My "Ann Arbor" daughter called last night to report on tornado watch, but assured me she was in the safest possible place - a basement bar she and friends found! Go Blue!
Happy Thursday all.
Dennis, when it starts raining frogs, you'll know your "ass is grass"! Seriously, they love to hype these storms but one cannot really ignore the warnings. Hard to know what the 'balance' is.
How about another fairly common double/double UU word, MUUMUU.
Dodo, I like doing the puzzles online too. You can save them under Options. Saving a new one replaces an older saved one. Ask me later if you want to unsave one. Heh heh.
Sept. 10th is our big neighborhood yard sale, but I don't think that is what eddyB is referring to.
I talked to my Florida sister today. She and her husband live on a boat. She told me the weather is pretty blustery, but they are "in a hurricane-safe marina in Ft. Lauderdale". I sure hope so!
Positive thoughts and prayers going out to all who are in the path of Irene. Ironically, Irene means peace loving.
Irene means peace loving? They didn't know my mother-in-law, the IRENE!
Ditto to everything that has been said.
I really don't have anything to add.
Carol, _The Glass Castle_ is a good book. In fact I couldn't put it down. A friend's daughter knew Ms. Walls, so I was intrigued by the pictures the book painted of a real live person.
Enjoy it.
Great blogging, Marti!
Tata ALL
Dudley, I totally understand. Yesterday I made comments and observations that others had already made (several others!) because I hadn't read the comments before posting mine :)
Warren. Right! I want to make sure
there is still some jam. Yes sir, yes sir, three jars full.
eddy
thehondohurricane, I hope this one doesn't have your name written all over it! And LaLaLinda, stay safe! I hope you are not too near the coast?
We have our flashlights, batteries, water, propane lanterns and stove. The cats have extra litter in their boxes, and I have a bottle of wine...I guess we are as prepared as we'll ever be!
Umm...Marti, if it gets really scary and spooky, can we come over and help you drink the wine?
Marti ~~ I'm pretty much smack in the middle of CT but in a state this size, if a hurricane hits we all get it! I do like your ideas for storm prep: take care of the cats and have the wine ready. Done! What more is there to worry about?
Hello all!
Haven't blogged in a while. Partly due to problem with hard drive. I have used everything under the Sun to cure the problems. (Have loads of repair software.)
I am most distressed about the illness of Steve Jobs which has caused him to resign as CEO of Apple. Must be really bad now.
Have enjoyed ALL of this weeks puzzles, with particular kudos to our MARTI.
Also, had no problem with today's. Quite fun!
Best wishes to Abejo!
Cheers!
Dudley, if you want to fly over here in a hurricane, I will ALWAYS have wine ready!!!
Avg Joe, How true--they also like apples, and peaches. Right now it is apples at our house. I just finished peeling the last of a bushel that I raked up off the ground. I use the windfalls for apple butter, crisps, and applesauce.
The news about Irene looks very scary. Take care everyone and do take heed. Be prepared and you'll be fine.
Here's a great movie I've seen several times before and I just found it again on cable; Gunga Din with Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Victor McLaglin. If you like the same kinds of movies that I do, you might want to search it out or add it to your NetFlix cue.
I also recorded Casablanca and I'm looking forward to watching it again. I love that La Marseillaise scene in Rick's Café.
Gunga Din made me think of Rudyard Kipling and that made me think of another, not quite so old movie that I want to see again; The Man Who Would Be King with Sean Connery and Michael Caine. It's another great adventure story.
I'm still thinking good thoughts about Abejo and those threatened by Irene. I hope all goes well.
I'm a weather junkie. And I've been watching the weather closely the last couple of days. There's no doubt that those of you on the eastern seaboard are looking at a bad, bad weekend. Take all recommended precautions, no matter how silly they might seem. And I hope you can all ride out the storm safely.
Hey, this is nothing. I've now been through a 1.2 earthquake.
BERGMAN was poorly clued. The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is won by the country that submitted the film for consideration, not the director, so the three films by Ingmar Bergman that won the Oscar were won by Sweden.
Marti, only ONE bottle?
Always late to the party, but wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your write up..so many new facts. Had no idea about SOBE...see it in the store as its bottle is pretty distinctive.saw = an aphorism; new meaning for me,and Eirinn-thanks!
Like Chickie, I prefer Heath Bars to Skors, but will buy either if they are on sale and squirrel them away for cookies or an ice cream pie recipe that I rarely make.
Ehud (eee-hoood?), now that's a name.
Loved udder too..did think of tit right off. lol
Oh, I had a huge laugh about hedge also.Our boxwoods were planted 30+ yrs ago and they have become a giant maze that houses 1000's of snails.I made a rude suggestion to my DH that he sell it on Craig's list.
Warren, there will be jam too???
JD
There is a story behind the name EHUD and the movement in Israel to name people after Jewish heroes from the Bible and elsewhere. Obviously as a word in a foreign tongue the sound is very odd.
BillG, we just watched Gunga Din a couple Sundays ago on TCM. I couldn't believe that I had never seen it. What a great movie. In fact I just checked it out from our local library so my daughter could watch it. A real adventure movie with a heart.
La Marseillaise scene from Casablanca-the best!
Good night now.
Welcome, John. Thank you for that information about the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film being won by the submitting country and only accepted by the director. I'm sure our constructors can make use of this info to trick us in the future.
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