Theme: "Secret Stash"(St as h). The "ST" of common phrases is replaced with "H", to make pun-y new phrases. As in:
24A. Jack Benny in his patented pose? : HAND UP COMIC. Pun on "STand up comic", which was a forte of Jack Benny. He always put his hand to his cheek when delivering his lines.
26A. One military stint after another? : CHAIN HITCH. Everyone who sews knows the "chain STitch". This is a funny pun on soldiers who continually re-up.
37A. Causes serious damage at sea? : HACKS THE DECK. "STacks the deck" is getting an advantage early. But the pun on this one has a very different meaning.
61A. Getting flattened by a gridiron lineman? : HUMBLING BLOCK. Oooh, to get put down by a lineman?? How humbling. It could be a STumbling block to any QB's career!
75A. Hollywood hopeful's pursuit? : PUBLICITY HUNT. Maybe they could do a publicity STunt to get recognized?
97A. Cad on his best behavior? : TEMPERED HEEL. Tempered STeel is tough stuff.
111A. Coven gatherings? : HAG PARTIES. STag parties are more fun, I bet.
24A. Jack Benny in his patented pose? : HAND UP COMIC. Pun on "STand up comic", which was a forte of Jack Benny. He always put his hand to his cheek when delivering his lines.
26A. One military stint after another? : CHAIN HITCH. Everyone who sews knows the "chain STitch". This is a funny pun on soldiers who continually re-up.
37A. Causes serious damage at sea? : HACKS THE DECK. "STacks the deck" is getting an advantage early. But the pun on this one has a very different meaning.
61A. Getting flattened by a gridiron lineman? : HUMBLING BLOCK. Oooh, to get put down by a lineman?? How humbling. It could be a STumbling block to any QB's career!
75A. Hollywood hopeful's pursuit? : PUBLICITY HUNT. Maybe they could do a publicity STunt to get recognized?
97A. Cad on his best behavior? : TEMPERED HEEL. Tempered STeel is tough stuff.
111A. Coven gatherings? : HAG PARTIES. STag parties are more fun, I bet.
117A. Give a ride to roadside yokels? : PICKUP HICKS. Did you ever play "Pickup STicks"?
14D. One going from theater to theater? : SHOW HOPPER. A show STopper would stop a show hopper. (Try saying that on three times fast...)
73D. Pawnbroker's niche? : HOCK MARKET. STock market might as well be a hock market, these days!
Marti here, again blogging a delightful offering from Don G. and C.C. So, let's get to it!
Across:
1. Award named for a Muse : CLIO
5. Carlisle's wife in "Twilight" : ESME
9. "No prob!" : A SNAP
14. Kane's Rosebud, e.g. : SLED. Did you all remember "Citizen Kane", starring Orson Welles?
18. Loch with sightings : NESS
19. Financial claim : LIEN
20. Hooch source : STILL
21. "I'd like a say" sounds : AHEMS
22. St. Petersburg is on it : BALTIC SEA
28. Recently retired NBAer : YAO. Yao Ming just retired from the Houston Rockets. He was 7' 6" tall. I could give him a job painting my ceilings!
29. Mac-PC battles, e.g. : AD WARS
30. Hole advantage : ACE
31. Expression of disdain : TUSH
33. Semicircular structure : ARCH. Like this one, in St. Louis.
34. "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" Newbery Medal-winning author : AVI. The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Avi is the single-named author of this 2003 winner.
42. Hautboy, more commonly : OBOE
46. Certain boss's group : GANG
48. 2, at Putt-Putt : PAR
49. Saintly Mother : TERESA
50. 29-Across units : SPOTS
51. Spider automaker : ALFA ROMEO
54. Cop's catch : PERP. Or what we cruciverbalists refer to as "the crossing answer".
55. Tradition-challenging genre : POP ART
56. Pageant topper : TIARA
57. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA. (Ummm...need help here). I think it means "How goes it?" Lucina?
59. Under-the-hood knock source, perhaps : ENGINE ROD
65. You may read it before turning a page : (OVER)
66. Poehler of "SNL" : AMY
67. Wee start? : PEE
68. "... boy __ girl?" : OR A
69. UAL West Coast hub : SFO. United Airlines / San Francisco.
70. Consequence of over-toasting?: Abbr. : DUI. Used to be DWI (Driving while intoxicated). Now more often DUI, or "driving under the influence"...of hash, coke, pot, liquor, etc. Much more comprehensive.
73. Piltdown man, say : HOAX. Famous paleontological hoax by Charles Dawson (eerily similar to Charles DARWIN). It took over 40 years before it was exposed.
79. Stuff, pad, cover, etc. : UPHOLSTER
83. Hopper : FROG
84. Indian melodies : RAGAS
85. Breaks bread? : SLICES
86. Conn of "Grease" : DIDI. She played "Frenchie". Remember her?
89. "I'm not making this up!" : TRUE STORY. DH tells so may wild stories, that when he is serious he always has to tell me, "True story..."
91. Dweebs : DORKS
92. Elegy, for example : LAMENT
94. What big girls don't do, in a '60s hit : CRY. Our first musical interlude by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons...
95. Sport with Shinto rituals : SUMO
96. "Up and __!" : AT 'EM
100. Sch. in Nashville : TSU. Tennessee State University. Go Tigers!
101. Magician's opening : ABRA...ca-dabra
103. Bailiff's request : RISE
104. Pres. after JAG : CAA. James A Garfield was president for only 200 days, when he was shot by an assassin. He was succeeded by Chester A. Arthur.
106. Tilde feature? : SHORT I
109. Word after Wuzzy : WAS. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear...
120. Ritual before a fall, hopefully? : RAIN DANCE
121. First pot chips : ANTES
122. Shower time : APRIL
123. Repair : MEND
124. Scientology's __ Hubbard : L. RON
125. Now, in the ER : STAT
126. Kid's choice word : MEENY. Or, eeny - whatever floats your boat!
127. __ listening : EASY. Typified by this one by Barry Manilow.
128. Give, but expect back : LEND. I'd give you a hand, but I expect it back...
Down:
1. "Street Signs" network : CNBC. This program focuses on the day's market action. In addition, prominent Wall Street analysts, investors and executives regularly appear on the program to offer their perspective.
2. Wife of Jacob : LEAH
3. Cuba, to Cubans : ISLA
4. Old Roman port : OSTIA
5. "Your Stinginess" : EL CHEAPO. Loved this answer!
6. "You bet, señor!" : SI SI. I wonder if C.C. was the inspiration?
7. Assemble : MEET
8. Puts into law : ENACTS
9. Shade of blond : ASH
10. "Don't move!" : STAY HERE
11. "Project Runway" judge Garcia : NINA. C.C knows all these people's names.
12. Designer Gucci : ALDO. I bet she knows him, too!
13. Like cats and dogs: Abbr. : PLU. Funny clue/ans. for "plural".
15. 1964 British Open champ : LEMA. Ironically, while flying a small plane to an exhibition appearance in 1966, he was killed when the plane crashed...on a golf course.
16. Qatar bigwig : EMIR
17. Mil. medals : DSCs. Distinguished Service Crosses
21. Current initials : AC / DC. (Back in Black?)
23. Foot part : INCH. Heel?
25. Use a lot? : PARK
27. Pizza the __: "Spaceballs" role : HUTT. A spoof of Jabba The Hut in Star Wars.
32. Herding dog name : SHEP
33. Here, in Havana : ACA
34. First name in mystery : AGATHA. Christie.
35. Drug for anxiety : VALIUM
36. Disrepute : INFAMY
38. Followed : CAME NEXT
39. Kmart founder : KRESGE
40. Yankees all-time hit leader Jeter : DEREK. HA! A baseball name I actually knew...
41. "Home Run Derby" airer : ESPN
43. Hog wild? : BOAR
44. Juan's "other" : OTRO
45. Abbr. before a year : EST'D. Established.
47. Duds : GARB
50. Loudness unit : SONE
52. "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-__": Irish lullaby : RAL
53. Handicapper's hangout, briefly : OTB. Off-track betting (parlor).
55. Turning point : PIVOT
58. Jesus of baseball : ALOU. Jesus, you'd think I would have all these names memorized by now...
60. "Beats me" : GO FIGURE.
62. "No thanks" : I PASS
63. Heavenly body : ORB
64. Little lower? : CALF. I chuckled at this one. I was thinking of DH scratching my back!
69. Burn badly : SCORCH
70. Where many bats are seen : DUGOUT. Wanted belfry.
71. Takes weapons from : UNARMS
72. Fitting room "That looks fabulous!" : IT'S YOU!
74. Corrida cries : OLES
75. Dress fussily : PRIMP.
76. NYC subway : IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit.
77. Mos. and mos. : YRS. Abbr. of mos. indicates abbr. for "years".
78. Bowlers, e.g. : HATS. Or, Boomer, for example!
79. Food stamp : USDA. United States Department of Agriculture.
80. Novel idea : PLOT
81. Take on : HIRE
82. Dutch treat : EDAM
87. Fur trader's supply : DEERSKIN
88. Cross letters : INRI. Latin, "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum". "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews".
90. Head turner, say : EYE CANDY
92. Green span : LEA
93. New Ager John : TESH
97. Stumble : TRIP
98. "Oh, no!" : DEAR ME
99. Hog fat : LARD
102. Heat meas. : BTUs. British thermal Units.
105. Even a little : AT ALL
106. Places with lots of white robes : SPAs
107. Request from one who's stumped : HINT. Uh, I coulda used a few while doing this puzzle!
108. Numerical prefix : OCTA
109. Rub dry : WIPE
110. Lot size : ACRE
112. Mother of the Titans : GAEA
113. Ones knocked off during strikes : PINS
114. Memo starter : IN RE. (Not to be confused with 88d). I always thought this was Latin for "in res". But nope, it's just short for "In regards..."
115. MBA course : ECON. omics
116. iPhone command : SEND
118. It may be cured : HAM
119. Crafty : SLY. Yep, those two are crafty ones, C.C. and Don!!
Answer grid.
Bye-Bye for now!
Marti
Note from C.C. & Don:
I thought it would be fun to take advantage of the hidden *AS* in a word and make a letter substitution puzzle. The first word I proposed to Don was actually SMASH (SM AS H), which did not yield enough phrases for us to choose. Don suggested STASH. I'm not a punny person, but with many trials and errors, we came up with a good number of potential theme answers. The type of puns in this puzzle require surface sense and a certain humor. By generating enough examples that seemed promising, we were able to have some fun with it. We both learned from the experience how to look at changed phrases in a way that the solver can enjoy the unexpected nature of an exquisite alteration.
Greetings,
ReplyDeleteA most enjoyable puzzle. I got hung up in the NW corner because I wouldn't give an INCH for the ARCH I had for part of a foot.(23-Down) Switched to red letter and found my mistake, allowing me to fill the corner in.
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. Wow, a Sunday puzzle by C.C.! This was fun. I loved all the puns. Lots of good other funny clues, too. I also liked the misdirect of Foot Part = INCH.
ReplyDeleteI also liked Used a Lot = PARK
I got out of town before Lee reared it's head. My poor husband is home alone to hold down the fort. So far he has experienced only heavy rain.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteI really love C.C. and Don "Hard G" Gagliardo. Alas, I didn't love this particular puzzle. Some of the individual clues were very nice. I can't actually remember any of them right now, but I do remember thinking some were very nice while solving...
The theme remained a mystery to me for most of the solve. I did finally figure out there was a ST to H switch going on, but it wasn't until I came here that I found out what that had to do with the puzzle's title. Entirely my fault, but it did make the experience a little more of a drag than it should have been.
As for the theme answers, I've never heard of a CHAIN STITCH and HAND UP doesn't mean "hand on chin" to me. HOCK MARKET was a long time coming because I had NERDS instead of DORKS at 91A. And I wonder how modern practitioners of Wicca like being referred to as HAGs?
Throw in PLU, AVI, SFO, CAA, LEMA, KRESGE, RAL (I had RAH) and LARD (I had SUET), and I started feeling like somebody was hitting me over the head repeatedly with a baseball bat. When I finally finished the puzzle and didn't get the *tada* sound, I just turned on the red-letter help to find my mistake since I had no desire to scan the grid again.
Ah well. As I said, the fault lies more in me than in the puzzle. I still didn't enjoy it, though...
Marti,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun write-up. SI SI is just needed entry there. It comes handy in many a grid, with perfect letter combination.
CALF (Little lower?) is Rich's clue. He also spiced up the theme clues & smoothed out many fill clues. I should also point out that the upper left BALTIC SEA area is Rich's work. Don and I originally had IN A PICKLE there with a crossing entry Rich did not like.
Made me laugh with your ceiling painting job to Yao Ming. Now he could easily place a spy bug there, or on your walls.
Splynter,
ReplyDeleteFunny TUSH links yesterday. You're so DF!
Good morning, Marti, C. C., Don and Rich) and the gang.
ReplyDeleteThis is one time that I cant say "what Barry said", because I really enjoyed this puzzle. I didn't parse the title to ST as H, but figured out the gimmick with CHAIN HITCH and that helped a lot.
I really wanted St. Petersburg to be on Tampa Bay, but I already had the 'B' and it wouldn't fit anyway. Oh, wait, there is that other St. Pete. I've actually spent more time there than I have the one in Florida.
AS_A_ crossing _INA and _LU had me totally flummoxed for about ten minutes. The rest of the puzzle was done, but no combination of letters in those two spaces seemed to work. Finally, the light bulb went on. I really felt like a dunce when the missing letters turned out to be NP! No Problem!
This was a lot of fun and a great start to the day. Congratulations to our dynamic duo.
Thanks, Marti, for a great blog and links.
A Sunday surprise from the dynamic duo. C.C. you finally figured a way to get a day off from blogging the Sunday puzzle. I really loved the puzzle, especially the double word play of the title and the theme. CHAIN STITCH was a phrase I am not familiar with, but it filled quickly. Some of the other theme were really funny. Pick up HICKS is a hoot.
ReplyDeleteI guess HOLE ADVANTAGE: ACE refers to golf, but maybe not. Did not know NINA Garcia, I wonder how many recall Champagne Tony LEMA? Also has LEA and LEAH, lots of LEAWAY in this puzzle.
Also a puzzle that has PEE, TUSH and no DF from Marti? Do my New England cornerites remember the SS Kresge stores?
Enjoy, thanks C.C., Don and Martin. Hope the rain does not go crazy in LA. Be safe Mr. Hahtool.
Even after reading here, I still don't see how "Secret Stash" describes what went on with the theme solutions. Got 'em all, though.
ReplyDeleteHand to look up NINA Garcia, not at all familiar with the show. Haven't watched any commercial TV in about 16 years, so I'm totally out of touch with popular "culture". Don't miss it much.
Lemonade714, I'm pretty sure ACE and "Hole advantage" are related by the phrase "Ace in the hole", which could in fact be a "secret stash", I suppose, so is related to the theme as well, perhaps unintentonally.
A fun Sunday puzzle.
Duh, just as I hit PUBLISH, I figured out the theme. Ignore 1st paragraph in previous post.
ReplyDeleteA mind is a terrible thing to lose.
What a LOVELY puzzle for this bright, sunny, COOL Sunday after a so-so Husker win but a great time with grandson! I loved reading Marti’s witty write-up and C.C. post note.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-I got HUMBLINGBLOCK and HACKTHEDECK first and so struggled with CHAINHITCH before I saw the substitution could be later as well – stainhitch?
-Jack Benny was “Your Stinginess” and I was looking for a proper noun but got him later
-Humbling blocks are also known as pancakes
-Yup, I played a lot of pickup sticks, Marti
-I love Pawnstars!
-If I am rewarded for knowing all the 60's sitcom characters, I guess I can be expected to be penalized for having no idea about Twilight characters or Runway judges
-Oh! That St. Petersburg!
-Geeks? Dolts? Nerds? Nope, envelope please, the answer is DORKS.
-Jersey Boys in 3 weeks!
-Up and Away, Over, nope ATEM.
-It had to kill C.C. to put in a Yankee
ACE in the hole is a stud poker term for your face down card being an ACE.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought for 30A. Hole advantage was IUP which can be parsed to ONE UP, having a one hole advantage in a match play golf game.
Good morning Marti and all. Nice job, C.C. and Don.
ReplyDeleteGuess my experience was closer to Barry's. Took me a while to get the cadence of the theme. Finally with PUBLICITY HUNT, I was on my way. Many good 'puns'. 81d, 'take on'; I had lade before HIRE. I think of St. Petersburg as on the Gulf of Finland, but the Gulf is part of the BALTIC SEA. Needed red letter help for LEMA. Finally remembered L RON's initial. Best clue - EYE CANDY. Worst clue 106a for tilde feature (~), SHORT I, although the perps smoothed it OVER.
Enjoy the day..
Hello Puzzlers - My NW corner troubles were based on having GULFCOAST for St. Petersburg. That plus a few other force-fits kept that area bollixed for the whole time.
ReplyDeleteHad to Goog Tony Lema, never heard of the guy. After reading that he died in a plane crash, I pulled up the NTSB report from 1966. It's pretty short, but it looks like a fuel management accident: the plane ran out of gas, right next to the destination airport. Bummer!
Lemon: the Kresge stores are unfamiliar to me. Maybe before my time.
About chain stitches: when I was a kid, grain for our horses was just appearing in heavy paper sacks, in lieu of burlap. The sacks were sewn shut with a chain stitch at the top which was supposed to come undone with a single pull of the proper twine. Never worked.
Thanks to the DGCC team for another fine product, and Marti for clarity!
Hardly ever have time or inclination to do the large, Sunday puzzle, but CC`s name and Marti`s blog caused me to try...
ReplyDeleteMy problems came from the foot part 23d (heel was what I stubbornly kept...) and wanting "dead skin" for 87d. I thought that would be a clever answer...wanted "hand to chin" for 24a...111a I knew had to end with "parties"...I just kept trying to tie it to the California one...wanted "tsks" 31a but the clue did not call for a plural. Enjoyable puzzle and blog which I completed with theme answers "help." Yay for Rose!
Good Morning puzzlers, all.
ReplyDeleteLemonade, Splynter stole my thunder with his TUSH link from yesterday - how could I top that one?? LOL
Argyle, I once had the fill RTE I, which Rich rejected because capital "i" is not the same as the number "1". So, I don't think you'll ever see I UP, either. Too bad, because that would open up so many possibilities for fill:
M I RIFLE
I PUTT
IOOI NIGHTS
IOI DALMATIONS
CHAPTER II
Here in Wisconsin, the official term for drunk driving is OWI: operating while intoxicated. It's an abbreviation you see a lot, unfortunately; Wisconsin leads in the nation in drunk driving. (Incidentally and somewhat mysteriously, the local paper runs the syndicated LA Times puzzles Monday through Saturday, but the NYT puzzle on Sunday.)
ReplyDeleteBiggest ST/HUMBLING BLOCK for me was ENGINE ROD. I really wanted [Abbr. before a year] to be ESTB for some reason--possibly because you often see ESTAB clued similarly?--and ended up with ENGINE RUB. Boing.
Fan fact: SLY was the last down entry in both the syndicated and print LA Times puzzles today,
Hello.
ReplyDeletePost dissappeared. So, I'll try again.
Real nice puzzle and write-up. Had a lot of fun with it last night.
Fil: Newgarden had a great race. Came from P14 to P2. But, could't get around Yacaman.
Izod: very scary moment during warm-up when Kanaan lost his brakes, hit and flew over Helio.
Hitting Helio probably saved his life as he was heading straight for the wall.
Have time to do Merl's before the main race today.
Take care. eddy
Hello everybody. I haven't read your comments yet, but I liked this puzzle so much, on so many levels, that I just had to put fingers to keyboard right away to express my pleasure at solving it. Great clues, terrific fill, and very little dross.
ReplyDeleteNow I'll read what you all had to say.
Good afternoon everybody. I am just back from 10 days in Northern Alabama, and it's good to be reading this blog again.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if DUI is really an abbreviation. I'm not sure what it is if not. It's like AWOL; is that considered to be an abbreviation?
A comment about an earlier puzzle: a SITZ bath is not the same as using a bidet. I've had colorectal surgery, and was given a device to put hot water in and then sit in it. Or one could sit in a bathtub with hot water. It's just to have hot or warm water on one's tush.
Cheers
P.S. It was great fun reading the grammar comments about trayfuls. My spell check doesn't like it either.
ReplyDeleteHi All ~~
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a great puzzle, Don & C.C. ... I really enjoyed it! Such fun puns!
The NE corner was my trouble spot. ADWARS took a while, I didn't know LEMA and wasn't sure about SLED. But it finally all came together.
I caught the theme with PICKUPHICKS ... somehow I was working the bottom first. I saw the 'H' replacing the 'ST' in the theme answers, but didn't see the STasH until I came here. Duh. Thanks for wonderful write-up, Marti ... informative and entertaining!
~~ So many great clues ... 'Little lower' and 'Use the lot' among my favorites.
~~ C.C. ~ I always love your baseball clues!
~~ Even a Red Sox fan can like Derek Jeter.
~~ Lemonade ~ I remember both Kresge and Woolworth stores on Main St. I usually spent more time ( and my allowance!) in Woolworth.
~~ Hahtool ~ Glad you're safe!
Enjoy the rest of this long weekend!
I really liked this puzzle and Marti's explanation and links. I was waiting for TUSH pictures, but realized we had them yesterday. Hands up for the first picture yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI almost never use red letters or Google. I persevere no matter how long it takes. Today after 45 minutes I was running late for church. I was almost finished so I resorted to using three of them. Even so, I had a "stoopid" mistake so DNF. I am kicking myself.
I remember Kresge's. They lasted until the 60's and 70's when many items sold for more than 5 or 10 cents. Kresge stores were in the midwest and northeast, as well as New England, and maybe elsewhere. McCrory's was similar. I understand the two merged at some point. My Grandmother in Reading, PA sometimes took me to Kresge's lunch counter. As a very young child from a large family living out in the "sticks" I was quite impressed. We seldom ate out.
Something about being on the wavelength, I guess, because I intuited INCH, BOAR, and SUMO. On the other hand, most of the proper names (DIDI, LEMA, and ALOU, for example) gave me difficulty. Heck, I don't know and can never remember the names of sports figures, and I guess I don't watch the kinds of television shows that would give me familiarity with such folks as ESME and NINA. Did know L. Ron Hubbard, though, because my brother, much to my and my sister's chagrin, is a follower of his teachings; ie, he's a Scientologist.
ReplyDeleteLove love loved the 'Little lower' and 'Use a lot' clues!
As Grumpy_1 said, This is one time that I can't say "what Barry said".
My wife is an avid knitter and crocheter, so I know what a chain stitch is. She'll sometimes ask me to help her decipher knitting instructions she has seen in various books and the newspaper, because man oh man they are sometimes impossible to understand!
ReplyDeleteForgot that "Rosebud" referred to a sled, so wanted CODE for that entry at first.
'Greem span' was another outstanding clue.
'Hautboy' kind of threw me a bit at first, because I'm used to seeing it as 'hautbois.' After completing the puzzle I looked it up, and sure enough 'hautboy' is valid, as I knew it must be or else Rich would never have allowed it.
Best wishes to you all and to Mr. Hahtool.
Sallie, I agree a SITZ bath is not a bidet. Without having a special contraption, sitting in a tub of warm water serves as a sitz bath.
ReplyDeleteOn this blog we often go off on a tangent when something sparks our interest, so the comments on bidets and high end,water spraying toilets arose. Imagine my surprise last night when the History International channel ran a segment of its Modern Marvels series on Toilet Tech including, at the end, the high end models we discussed yesterday.
Great puzzle. Many clues/answers brought a smile. Always like baseball clues and thought 37a could be one also.(hack = strong swing, on deck = next batter).
ReplyDeleteRe 61a: My DF mind wandered and I thought of the HUMBLING(rooster)BLOCK performed by jealous friends in a bar. "Did you tell her about upgrading to a double wide?" or "Did you tell her that you still live at home?" or "Tell her about winning employee of the month...at McDonalds!"
Irish Lullaby?
Happy Sunday, gang,
ReplyDeleteAnother winner from C.C. and D.G.
Congratulations, favorite constructors! I liked this puzzle! I got the theme somewhere along the solving and really enjoyed the theme answers as well as lots of the other fill. Good stuff! Finished without external help. I made a lot of wags and had plenty of help from perps.
Good feelings restored after a couple of gloomy days!
Tried Prozac and Zanax before Valium fit. Favorite clue, I guess: 117A ...."Pick up hicks.".
Is the engine rod the same thing as the drive shaft? Mine broke and was very expensive to get repaired (replaced?), Then I gave the car away! What an idiot!
con't'd.
ReplyDeleteArgyle what IS your avatar, anyway?
Kinda spooky! Are we already prepping for Halloween?
Nobody better call our summer coven a 'hag partie!' y'hear?
Hahtool, I'm glad you're safe!
ReplyDeleteHi dodo. No, I don't think the engine rod is the same as the drive shaft. Usually the term 'rod' refers to the piston rods, the rods that connect the piston to the crank shaft. In older engines there were also the valve push-rods but nowadays I believe most car engines have overhead camshafts which eliminate the need for push rods. There is the phrase 'threw a rod' which usually meant one of the piston rods detached from the piston and rammed out into or through the engine block. It's an expensive repair. So is, I imagine, repairing/replacing the crank shaft. To confuse things even more, I think the 'drive shaft' is/was the longish shaft that extends underneath the car from the transmission at the front of the car back to the differential gearbox at the rear of the car, to transfer power from the engine to the driven rear wheels. Again, nowadays most cars are front-wheel drive, so there is no drive shaft. TMI, huh.
ReplyDeleteWell, my previous post was poorly and hastily written, but at least it fit into exactly 20 lines :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Alan 'Greemspan' would chuckle at the typo I made earlier.
Finally, I want to acknowledge and give a shout-out to our own LEAH.
Happy Labor Day!
SS Kresge was a five and dime in the Midwest. I think most had soda fountains. I remember that they used to sell parakeets and fish. Our small town in Michigan had a D&C 5+10, not a SS Kresge.
ReplyDeleteI think DUI is an acronym for Driving Under the Influence. That is what they use in California. Remember the clue "Acronymous" yesterday?
Chain stitch: I remember 25lb bags of dog food, chain stitched at the top. If you pulled the wrong end, it would knot. But if you pulled the correct end it would completely unravel. Chain stitching uses only one thread, rather than the two threads used in a normal sewing machine.
It is amazing how our brain can freeze; major V8 for me and the ACE in the hole explanation. I was determined it was golf related, duh. Thnks for waking me.
ReplyDeleteHello, cyber friends. Marti, I recognized your blogging style about one-fourth of the way down and chuckled through it.
ReplyDeleteAnd again, congratulations on another triumph to that power team, C.C. and Don.
I enjoyed this on all levels for its cleverness and originality.
My only DF was STANDUPCOMIC as it would not emerge and didn't know LEMA.
Added to that, I was tired as the girls spent the night again and the baby awakens very early. Naturally I needed a nap before finishing.
Thanks to CWS we shall never forget Citizen Kane and Rose, the SLED. The same for ALOU, all four of them.
KRESGE stores existed here in the SWest and I believe the brand went on to become KMART.
cont'd.
DUI is the designation used here and it does mean Driving Under the Influence.
ReplyDeleteWICCA members may not like to be called HAGS but it is a synonym for witch. Our use of COVEN is much more understated so not to worry, Dodo.
I loved used a lot, PARK and HOCK MARKET, LOL. My original fill was HOLDRACKET but SLICES, DORKS and USDA changed that.
I hope everyone is having a super Sunday!
Hi Lucina, for sure, your COVEN is not a bunch of HAGs!!
ReplyDeleteBTW, did I get "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA right??? I know French, German, Italian and Finnish, but my Spanish is kind of "iffy".
Unlike Barry, I enjoyed this puzzle a lot. Once I sussed out the theme, it helped with the solving in the lower half. Ritual before a fall, hopefully/RAINDANCE was clever. Dunno why but I also enjoyed Oh No!/DEAR ME. I don't think I've ever seen 'Dear Me' in a puzzle before but I like it's old-fashioned sound.
ReplyDeleteMarti, "¿Cómo esta?" means "How are you?"
Here's a fun column from yesterday's LAT about teaching. I enjoyed it and I thought many of you would too.
Yes, Marti, Bill G. is right. I'm sorry, I had forgotten you asked.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm really impressed that you know all those other languages. Finnish? Who learns Finnish? Maybe it is your home language.
Thanks for your concern, everyone. Mr. Hahtool is fine. Lots of rain but little wind damage and the live oak in our back yard is intact.
ReplyDeleteI've read Davis - Gardner's "Butterfly's Child",a sequel to Puccini's opera, "Madame Butterfly." The opera tells of the love of a geisha and a U.S. naval officer. During his absence she gives birth to his child, unbeknownst to him. When he returns with an American wife Butterfly committs suicide so he will take her child to raise in America. This novel traces the mixed race child, passed off by his father as an orphan. It tells of the boy's lack of acceptance in either culture and his attempt to find his mother's family. The insight into character and culture is wonderful. I ordinarily don't like sequels written by a different author. This is an exception. The original was, after all, a tale, a play, and then an opera, changing each time. I had studied the Japanese language for several years. My duaghter-in-law is Japanese. Although I have forgotten most of it, I was pleased to be able to understand the snatches of Japanese embedded in the novel.
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks, congratulations on learning Japanese. I too studied it and admire anybody who can learn it. My teachers always told me the reason I had a harder time than my colleagues in learning it was that I was steeped in Chinese, but I don't agree with them. I think it's just because I really didn't like the language, perhaps because I found trying to learn completely different meanings, usages, and pronunciations of Chinese characters drove me nuts.
ReplyDeleteHere is my Japanese style avatar. The kimono belonged to my home stay host.
ReplyDeleteJayce, I eventually gave up studying Japanese because I had no one to practice with or listen to. I see my daughter-in-law only once a month or so.
The Chinese characters do have different pronunciations in Japanese but many have the similar meaning, for instance, the numerals, rain, cloud. I could read beef, pork, and chicken in the Chinese market. At school on indoor recess days my Chinese students and I would write charaters on the chalk board and compare.
Lucina and Bill G. thanks for confirming - I guess "How goes it" and "How are you" are pretty much the same thing!?!
ReplyDeleteJayce and Yellowrocks, I am in awe of anyone who studies Japanese or Chinese as an English-speaking person, or vice versa, ala our C.C.!!
ReplyDeleteGood evening, folks. Thank you Don Gagliardo and C.C. For a great Sunday puzzle. It was really special. Thank you, HeartRx, for a great write-up.
ReplyDeleteWell, to get started on this puzzle, I had to go to the motel office this morning and ask for the clerk to print it from the internet. That, he did.
I worked on it over the day, off and on, since I am at a funeral in Virginia.
Finished this evening and am now reporting. The theme came easily. That really helped with the puzzle.
Got GAEA with peeps. Also PLU with perps.
Remembered Tony LEMA from years ago.
Had PREEN instead of PRIMP for a while. Fixed that.
CAA, Chester A Arthur, was a perp. I get confused on those older presidents. Do you know we had eight presidents that died in office?
So, I am going to try to get tomorrow's puzzle printed in the morning and work it as we travel back to Pennsylvania. Hope to send a blog to this site tomorrow from the car.
See you tomorrow, I hope.
Abejo
Marti:
ReplyDeleteActually, "Que tal" would be a more accurate translation of "how goes it" which is a uniquely English idiom.
Marti, I forgot to thank you for your great commentary,which I enjoyed, as usual.
ReplyDelete'Night, all!
Did you get that sore checked?
ReplyDeleteCC,Don and Marti,
ReplyDeleteThanks for fantastic puzzle that I worked 24 hrs ago. LOved, loved all the word play, including the theme title, which I didn't get until this AM. Thanks, Marti.
I missed TUSH/HUTT. Still don't understand, but I'll take your word for it. I guessed an 'i', since had no idea.
Been poring over it and the posts.
Hope this will go on yesterday's posts.
Had to do a Polo Match party, which was a party within a party.
My children and I gave ours together and I had to 'hightail it' to Lou. to help get it set up and decorated, since they did all the cooking. Actually, they wound up doing most of the work; which is happening more all the time.
It's hard to say which play on words tickled me more, but the title knocked my socks off, when I read Marti's remarks; then CC's.
Have a Happy Labor Day, All.
I do all three Sunday puzzles I get (LVRJ+Sun) but usually blog just for the Shortz-edited NY Times one in the Sun. In this case, however, I was forced to make an exception. I wrestled with this baby all day yesterday and a good part of today, trying to figure out the key. HACKSTHEDEEP: what can that mean? Didn't know, so I kept moving around. I must have had five or six different places started. Finally, HOAX fit with CAMENEXT (a nifty cross, BTW!) and I seemed to wind up with HOCKMARKET. Should be stock...I thought, and then glanced up at the title. Secret: ST as H! Light bulb comes on! What a moment.
ReplyDeleteELCHEAPO makes me think, with great fondness, of Bob Barker hosting that car price game where you have to get the front two numbers and the back two. It was nearly always 05, or "El Cheapo," as he called it, that formed the back end of the price. So many people missed that one by going for the 95s and the 89s, etc. So thank you, Don and C.C., for that nice memory--and for a just-barely-solvable (the very best kind!!) puzzle.