Theme: MADE IN CHINA. Nine items that were invented in CHINA - the unifier - over the course of millenia, are arranged in perfect symmetry.
1A. *Rock conqueror? : PAPER. Rock-PAPER- scissors game. Oh - and that stuff you write letters on.
10A. *Soy milk brand : SILK. I'll pass on the soy milk, thank you. But high quality fabric made from the cocoon fiber of silk worms is OK by me.
17A. *Dental checkup freebie : TOOTHBRUSH. I always take a red one.
28A. *Wile E. Coyote buy : GUNPOWDER. Ka-Boom stuff.
35A. *Gets creative : NOODLES. I usually think of NOODLING as thinking deeply on a challenging subject, but OK.
39A. *Extent : COMPASS. Not the most obvious sense of this word. Is it within the COMPASS of your vocabulary?
45A. *Flashy display : FIREWORKS. Clever clue, and a carefully NOODLED use for GUNPOWDER.
59A. *Beginner's piano piece : CHOPSTICKS. The eating utensils used in Chinese restaurants that can be tricky to use if you don't know how to hold them.
64A. *Forged check : KITE. We had a discussion of check-kiting recently. I will defer to the resident legal staff. But the other meaning is a cloth or paper form that flies in the wind on the end of a string.
And the unifier -- 66A. It celebrates National Day on October 1 (and it's where the answers to starred clues were invented) : CHINA
Wow - this is some dense themage in another virtuoso technical masterpiece by our dynamic duo. Note that only some of the theme answers have double meanings. Symmetrical pairings GUN POWDER - FIREWORKS and TOOTHPICK - CHPSTICKS add to the impressive fun. Would you make a KITE out of SILK? If so, add that one in, too. And PAPER plates for CHINA?!?
Hi gang, JazzBumpa here. C. C. is rightfully very proud of the rich heritage and culture of her original homeland, and shows them off here to good effect. Let's explore the rest of this puzzle.
Across:
6. Ilk : TYPE. Categories
14. Diminish, as trust : ERODE. A virtual wearing away.
15. Court target : HOOP. Basketball
16. Singer with the platinum 1992 album "The Celts" : ENYA. Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin is a fine lass from County Donegal. Potential ear worm.
19. Hungarian spa city : EGER. I did not know that, sad to say. But I do know of the famous, full-bodied red wine from the surrounding region, EGRI Bikavér - Bull's Blood of Eger.
20. "30 Rock" is loosely based on it, briefly : SNL. Saturday Night Live. Having never watched 30 Rock, I didn't know that either.
21. Georgia campus : EMORY. Pretty frequent crossword grid campus, as well.
22. Transparent personality? : GHOST. This one gave me eyestrain and brainstrain.
23. Webber's partner : PAINE. PAINE, Webber & Co. was an asset management firm founded in Boston in 1880, now a part of trans-national mega-corporation UBS AG, headquartered in Switzerland.
25. Are proper for : BEFIT
32. Napoleon, before seeing Elba? : ABLE. From the palindrome that everyone knows.
33. Its symbol is "$" : PESO. And its country of origin is the United States of Mexico.
34. West Bank initials : PLO. Palestine Liberation Organization
41. "Alice" spinoff : FLO. Everyone remembers her famous quote, right?
42. Gives goose bumps, maybe : AWES. Like Papa Grande shutting down the Indians for his 49th straight save this year.
44. Pennsylvania port : ERIE. On Cleveland and Toledo's Lake of the same name.
48. Umbrella brand : TOTES. Boots, too.
49. Idiot : LUNK. As in LUNKhead, or "Ya big LUNK!"
50. Finalize, as a comic strip : INK IN. Converting a sketch to the final drawing. Now you can do it electronically.
52. Pub drinks : SWIGS. This one fooled me. I was looking for the actual drinks, not the action of drinking them.
54. Sudden outpouring : SPATE. Another learning moment. I thought it was just a large quantity.
55. Sch. with a Phoenix campus : ASU. Arizona State University, home of the Sun Devils.
58. Comic book buyer of old? : DIME. Can't go along with this. As a kid, I was the buyer of many comic books -- with my dimes.
61. Analogous : AKIN.
62. Forceful takeover : COUP.
63. John who played Gomez Addams : ASTIN. Father of Sean Astin who played Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings.
65. Maker of Kate Moss fragrances : COTY. Anybody remember MY SIN?
Down:
1. Bo and Barney, e.g. : PETS. The two most recent Presidential Pups.
2. Mountain climber Ralston, subject of "127 Hours" : ARON. No idea.
3. Hustler's game : POOL. AKA billiards, not swimming. The Hustler was a famous movie about a sand-bagging POOL player.
4. Atlanta summer hrs. : EDT. Easter Daylight-savings Time. Toledo, too.
5. Warm up : REHEAT. I thought about playing scales and arpeggios, not nuking leftovers.
6. Crowd : THRONG. Good old Anglo-Saxon word for a multitude.
7. Words to one on deck : YOU'RE UP. Could it be a C.C. puzzle without a baseball reference? Playoffs start Friday. Consult your local listings.
8. Nosegay : POSY. This is correct. I thought a posy was actually a variety of flower, not a small bouquet or single blossom.
9. Bk. before Philippians : EPH. The Epistle to the Ephesians in the Christian Bible.
10. Envision a way : SEE HOW.
11. To a great extent : IN GOOD PART. I guess this is in the language, but it feels very clumsy.
12. Caustic fluids : LYES. Solutions of sodium hydroxide. Would I lie about LYE?
13. Go-__ : KART.
18. ASCAP rival : BMI. Broadcast Music Incorporated collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it distributes as royalties to songwriters.
22. Union member? : GROOM. Along with the bride, he enters into a marriage union. Clever!
23. Like pintos : PIED. Of two or more colors in blotches. Perfect.
24. Lhasa __ : APSO. A small, hairy dog. Terminally cute.
25. Alberta national park : BANFF. Majestic.
26. "Christ Stopped at __" : EBOLI. A social realist political novel by Carlo Levi.
27. Amount requiring a credit card authorization : FLOOR LIMIT.
29. Japanese chip maker : NEC. "One of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions." Sounds like another trans-national mega-corporation.
30. Borden mascot : ELSIE. The spokesbovine for Bordon since 1936.
31. Derby prize : ROSES. The Kentucky Derby.
36. Some green acres : LAWNS. My 0.4 acres is more than enough to cut.
37. "Star Wars" tree-dweller : EWOK. Lhasa APSO look alikes?
38. Sun. talk : SER Sermon.
40. Drudge : PEON. Hard work, long hours, low pay.
43. Abandon, with "on" : SKIP OUT.
46. Oregon Ducks' home : EUGENE. City in Oregon where the University is located.
47. Irritable : SNAPPY. I thought SNIPPY. SNAPPY to me means lively or quick.
48. Pin in a shirt : TIE TAC.
51. Gold units: Abbr. : KTS. Karats. A unit of fineness for gold equal to 1⁄24 part of pure gold in an alloy.
52. Mt. Rushmore's state : S.DAK. South Dakota.
53. Joint Web project : WIKI
54. "Buzz off!" : SHOO. Scram
55. When Emile sings "Some Enchanted Evening" : ACT I. Where: Across a crowded room.
56. Word with care or cream : SKIN. An in-depth look.
57. Oliver North's alma mater: Abbr. : USNA. United States Naval Academy.
59. V x LX : CCC. 5 x 60 = 300, no matter where or when. Or, it could be C.C. - See?
60. -like relative : ISH. Somewhat comparable, relatively speaking.
Answer grid.
Jazzbumpa
Constructors' note:
The theme was inspired by one of Dennis' "Did You Know". Don and I managed to fit in 9 of the inventions & CHINA, a rather heavy themage with 70 squares. It is customary in this type of theme to asterisk the clue when there are many theme answers and they are not very long. We also clued each in away that's far from the product itself and with no hint to China. We're happy with the grid and I'm very proud of my heritage. A special "Thank you" to Rich for running this puzzle as close to China's National Day as possible.
Answer grid.
Jazzbumpa
Constructors' note:
The theme was inspired by one of Dennis' "Did You Know". Don and I managed to fit in 9 of the inventions & CHINA, a rather heavy themage with 70 squares. It is customary in this type of theme to asterisk the clue when there are many theme answers and they are not very long. We also clued each in away that's far from the product itself and with no hint to China. We're happy with the grid and I'm very proud of my heritage. A special "Thank you" to Rich for running this puzzle as close to China's National Day as possible.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteC.C. and Don are becoming quite the regulars, eh? Always good to see them.
This was definitely a challenge for me. Than heavens I got the theme reveal at the end, or else I would never have been able to go back and suss out some of the theme answers. COMPASS and NOODLES, in particular, were clued in a very obscure way. KITE was also a bit off the radar (I know the verb "to kite," but I've never heard a forged check called a KITE before).
In addition to the painfully obscure cluing on some of the theme answers, there was a host of obscure answers such as EGER, COTY, ARON, EMORY and EBOLI (gee -- all proper nouns, go figure).
And then, of course, there was the usual SPATE of tricky clues, such as "Pub drinks" for SWIG and "Comic book buyer of old" for DIME.
To whomever did the blog: What's wrong with 'dime' for 'comic buyer of old'? That's exactly what they used to cost. I thought it a wonderful clue.
ReplyDelete-John
What's wrong with 'Elvis middle name' for 'ARON'?
ReplyDeleteGood day folks,
ReplyDeleteI used as much eraser as lead today! Lots of trial and error, but eventually the grid filled up. 66A, China was sussed before filling the starred clues.
An example of my groping around; for 6D, I began with threes and Emery for 21A. Once I corrected those mistakes, a lot of the North was solved. I never knew the toothbrush was invented in China, what a surprise!
Noodles and compass in the central section were late solves and that caused a lot of trial and error (erasures) in the region. But again, right prevailed. The South was the easiest section for me and I didn't experience any nasty log jams.
Plenty of fun clues, but 58A, comic book buyer of old/dime was at the top of the list. Hell, I remember nickel comic books.
Thanks to CC & Don, another terrific offering. JzB, your usual entertaining write up.
To all Red Sox fans ........ good night.
Anon John @6:00
ReplyDeleteI expressed an opinion. That clue didn't work for me, since the buyer is a person not the cost of the transaction. YMMV.
Anon @6:03
For a Monday or Tuesday you would be correct. Later in the week, clues become more obscure and puzzles become more challenging.
Cheer!
JzB
CC and Don, Great puzzle. It was wonderful to have so many inventions squeezed into a small puzzle. It took some thinking and experimenting, as puzzles on a Thursday should, but it was a relatively fast solve.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the links. Thanks JzzB.I was hoping to see Wile E. Coyote.
I hate when people irritably SNAP at me(speak harshly).
Step right up! Only one thin DIME buys you a comic book!
I used to use My Sin cologne by COTY
SWIGS threw me for a while, but then I realized SWIG is a noun, too. Cute clue.
I try to file away in my memeory bank the proper nouns that we see over and over in puzzles. It takes a while to dredge them up, but usually they come, especially if I have a partial answer by PERPS.
Good Morning Jazzbumpa, C.C., Don et al.
ReplyDeleteMy oh my, what a stuffed treat this was, just like a Double-Stuf Oreo cookie!!! And your commentary was equally sweet and filling, Jazzb! To get 10 theme entries into a 15 x 15, and then have satisfying fill for the rest…well, I have goose bumps, and am in AWE!
Loved “Transparent personality” for GHOST and “Union member” for GROOM. Thanks for a great Thursday romp C.C. and Don G.
Unlike yesterday, this was a real challenge for me. Especially the mid- and southwest, where I resorted to google for EUGENE and despite having been there, couldn't get my mind around S. Dak for the longest time because I had SAME for AKIN until google revealed Eugene.
ReplyDeleteC.C.,
If I'm not back until next week, enjoy your private commemoration of October 1st. I will be seeing the "kids" off to fly home Saturday. It will be sad to see them go, but also nice to step off the treadmill this two weeks has been and return to my comfort zone.
Good morning! Fun write up, JzB and a really great puzzle, C.C. and Don. I really, really wanted 'Acme Anvil' for that purchase until the unifier sent me back to take another look at the starred clues. I confidently filled eROO but perps forced a change to AROO. Figured I'd better check before crying "foul" and, sure enough, it is a variant spelling. Perfect for Thursday.
ReplyDeleteLoved the way the clues led to words that just happened to be the same as the word for a Chinese invention. Very clever indeed.
Considering the complaints we've had about tricky/obscure cluing already this week, today's comments should be a real hoot.
C.C. and Don, what a wonderful puzzle that gave both ends of my Staples pencil a workout. The theme was the key to FIREWORKS which is where I finished. 謝謝這麼多！
ReplyDeleteMusings
-What, no spaghetti (I know, noodles)?
-Struggled/struggling with COMPASS, SNAPPY & KITE, but am trainable
-My crowd was THREES and I was drinking GROGS
-Acme gunpowder of course!
-Chopsticks dexterity? Ain’t got it!
-Nice effort Jazz, but I’m not sure that wine sounds so tempting! BTW, what was "your sin"?
-I am getting into 30 Rock and notice how they always photograph Tina Fey’s right profile due to her scar. She is funny but seems to play a weaker character than her real persona.
-I bought many dime comics that would be worth a fortune if…
-Oregon’s Basketball Court in Eugene is amazing!!
Granddaughter’s jump serve for Lincoln High. I was NEVER that flexible!
ReplyDeleteShe is the only white (Caucasian, non-black, non-African American, or whatever is PC) girl starting for her inner city team and is having a great time!
Good morning everyone. Nice commentary, JazzB.
ReplyDeleteWow, another great puzzle by our 'Made in China' C.C. and (probably not made there) Don G.
Even had some baseball, YOU'RE UP. When I saw the invented in CHINA theme, the starred items became easier to fill in. EGER and PESO were WAGS. PIED we had before. The clue for GROOM was very clever. I did not remember that the magnetic COMPASS was invented by the Chinese. On a larger ship, the compass is normally housed in a binnacle. In the first illustration, note the compensating magnets on either side of the compass to correct for the magnetism in the ship's hull. In the US, these are sometimes called the Navigator's balls. Also, the process of correcting for magnetic deviation is called "swinging" the compass.
Hope you all have a great day.
This was a wonderful puzzle - Thank you Don. G. and C.C. - I never thought I'd get it - but I 'lucked' out on 'China' - and then all the rest slowly fell in place. What a revelation !!
ReplyDeleteC.C. - you should be justifiably proud of all the ancient ( and recent - ) achievements. When I was involved in numismatics, some time ago, I was able to buy one of the first Chinese paper money (note ). It was expensive at the time - and still even more valuable.... but I bot it for its history.
Jazz, great blogging - I loved all the links and your attitude and opinion are a miracle to behold. I learnt a lot - and enjoyed every moment of it !!!
Alt QOD: The only reason lightning doesn't strike the same place twice is that the same place is no longer there. ~ Willie Tyler
Happy Rosh Hashana to those of us celebrating the 'New Year' holiday - and probably for that reason, are not here today. Mazel Tov for the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Don and C.C, for a great puzzle. To me it seemed more like a Friday puzzle than Thursday, but, I got it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jazzbumpa, for a great write-up.
Got started slow. Was able to get PAPER quickly. With that I wanted to try Egypt for the unifier, but wisely did not write it in. I thought paper was invented in Egypt (ie: papyrus). With a little thinking I got CHINA. That really helped with all the starred clues. With that help it only took me two hours to work the puzzle.
Had BE APT for a while until BEFIT became obvious.
Several unknowns that required perps, ENYA, EGER, and KTS.
SWIGS was clever.
ERIE was easy since I grew up swimming in that lake. My old Boy Scout Camp (Camp Sequoyah) was right on the lake, until the brainpower of the scout professionals sold it. Now it is a housing development, something that you can never get back. Oh well.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Husker Gary: On the "jump serve"
ReplyDeleteWhat makes most physical effort easier with a little tongue hanging out? (When I finished typing this I thought, "Uh huh...we`ll hear from WH on this one!)
Good Morning All, That's some good blogging, JazzB. Lots of good explanations and links.
ReplyDeleteC.C. & Don are getting quite proficient at this stuff. I don't think they are holding much back anymore.
I loved the "Invented/Made In China" theme, although I wanted something "Acme" for Wile E. Coyote buy @28A.
"Buyer" also popped up in 58A for DIME. I looked at at least six "buyer" definitions and they all defined it as a person. But Thursday through Saturday are "stretchy clue days".
I had to check up on 64A)KITE definition too. The first definition included the bank check reference, but it is usually drawn on insufficient funds, not necessarily "forged". When I worked for a bank (in the dark ages) KITE and "forged" meant two different things.
I can use CHOPSTICKS although I am a little slow. and sometimes sloppy. Same thing with NOODLES.I used to try these only with close friends. Now I don't care if I look silly.
I should mention that I found this. puzzle to be quite difficult.
ReplyDeleteGary -
1) What a great action shot!
2) EGRI Bikavér is a fine, robust red. Give it a try.
3) I don't sin and tell.
Marti - big design flaw in that tower cookie - it's undunkable!
YellowRocks - This is for you.
Cheers!
JzB who now needs a nap
Jazz: Wonderful write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteDon G.& C.C. FUN Thursday, thank you!
My fave today (of course!) was SWIGS.
Fell for the three's trap before my perps reminded me the GA school is EMORY (not emery).
Gal-Pal has 2 Lhasa APSO's.
I was never a "dog-person" until these guys "jumped-into-my-heart."
They were bred to "protect the queen" in Tibet.
When we walk them, the older one, Rusty, all of 10 lbs. and the alpha-dog, looks at other dogs approaching, and let's them know who's boss.
(even if the other dog is 5 times bigger).
Finally, as to our "Trop game" last night between our beloved "Evil-Empire" and the Rays.
WOW !!! It doesn't get more exciting than that.
We were "high-fiving" the walk-off Home Run.
Go Yankee's ... and (WTH) Go Ray's.
Cheers to all at Sunset !!!
I thought this was developing into a "... and a word that can follow" theme. I never look at the revealer clue so I was stumped... but good. Hey, it's one for you guys. Now I've got to find a way to get even. Great job... a load of fun.
ReplyDeleteI was going to do a puzzle like this, but with Norwegian inventions. However, I realized no one was going to care for a puzzle about blood sausage and fish soaked in lye.
Good day, puzzlers. C.C. and Don, thank you for another powerful opus. Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteJazz, as always, your blogging is entertaining and fun.
With just enough known fill this was quite doable without searching though I did look at my umbrella for TOTES.
Some PAINE was involved with obscure cluing such as for ARON, EBOLI, EGER, and NEC. They were pure WAGS aided by perps.
BANFF is on my bucket list and this summer I visited Mt. Rushmore so that was easy.
In fourth grade I taught a unit on CHINA and was AWEd by the number of inventions from there. The list could easily fill another puzzle.
Happy Rosh Hashanah to our friends.
Gary, that is an amazing granddaughter you have.
Have a joyous Thursday, everyone!
Jazzbumpa:
ReplyDeleteGreat link to the Bugs and Wile E. cartoon.
Abejo
I am off visiting with both my my sons up in Buffalo, but I had to stop by to congratulate C.C. and Don on another wonderful effort. Thank you also JzB, this write up took some work. To all of you, my best for a happy and healthy year ahead.
ReplyDeleteNit; kiting is where you write a check, knowing you do not have sufficient funds, but plan to make the deposit before it is processed; usually involving two bank accounts. No forgery involved.
The Song Dynasty was the first to issue PAPER money and had the first known use of GUNPOWDER, as well as first discernment of true north using a COMPASS.
ReplyDeleteSu Shi (1037 – 1101), was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, and statesman of the Song Dynasty He is often referred to as Su Dongpo. As a statesman he was rather cynical about politicians in general. Pretty free speech for 1,000 years ago.
On the Birth of his Son
Families, when a child is born
Want it to be intelligent.
I, through intelligence,
Having wrecked my whole life,
Only hope the baby will prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he will crown a tranquil life
By becoming a Cabinet Minister.
- Su Dongpo
I enjoyed the puzzle and writeup. JzB, I also enjoyed the cartoon. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of you. My favorite clue was Comic book buyer of old/DIME. It had me for a while until I got a couple of crossing letters. When I take grandson Jordan to the comic book store these days, it's $2.99 plus tax.
I'm tutoring this afternoon. I guess she's not Jewish. Happy Rosh Hashanah!
Jazz, I sneaked a peek at the link you had for Yellow Rocks. ( Sorry, for prying .... )
ReplyDeleteThe Wile E. Coyote cartoon was absolutely delightful !!!! But, I was so surprised to find Bugs Bunny in the starring role - I didn't even know they lived on the same continent. O.K., maybe the same continent - but in the same neighborhood ? I thought Bugs Bunny lived in NuYork with Elmer Fudd.
BTW, another accompanying cartoon - High Diving Hare - with Yosemite Sam, doing the straight guy honors, is so funny, it will give you a tummy ache.
I really should get back to work.
I did watch High Diving Hare and actually laughed out loud. Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteNaw...just too easy.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteHusker, thanks for showing us that jump serve of your granddaughter's. And the slide show was great. You are right to be proud.
C.C. and Hard G. a great puzzle, but too hard for me to finish. I could admire the beauty while reading Jazz's outstanding write up. Thank you all three. (a crowd)
Toothbrush and compass were surprises for me.
We're working on getting rid of ghost ants. Three weekly visits from bug man today. They're all over our bathroom sinks. Ugh.
Cheers
Hey Anony -
ReplyDeleteLinks are open for all to use.
Happy that it did amuse.
Our eyes are for the glad espying,
Using thus is never prying.
C. A.
If you knew Su Shi like knew Su Shi . . .
Jerome --
Now you have me craving HURKA (pronounced hoolkah, with rolled l. Don't ask me why.)
Cheers!
JzB
Kite used as a noun.
ReplyDelete•1. kite -- (a bank check that has been fraudulently altered to increase its face value)
•2. kite -- (a bank check drawn on insufficient funds at another bank in order to take advantage of the float)
•3. kite -- (plaything consisting of a light frame covered with tissue paper; flown in wind at end of a string)
•4. kite -- (any of several small graceful hawks of the family Accipitridae having long pointed wings and feeding on insects and small animals)
Aron Ralston is the hiker who cut off his own arm after it was trapped by a boulder. He was hiking alone in Utah. It was widely televised, and then turned into a movie. Just an FYI on 2 down.
ReplyDeleteJazzb, didn't you remember our lesson from Saturday? With Oreos, you TWIST off the top, LICK off the filling, and then you DUNK!
ReplyDeleteHi all.
ReplyDeleteBeen short on time this week. When you try to get out of town, the work load either gets bigger or far more difficult. Twas the latter for me.
Great puzzle. Had to work at the whole thing as nothing came easy. The clues were greatm, but not always easy to figure out. But I did win in the end and felt pretty good about the triumph.
Manana it's off to Mad City. Look out Wisconsin, you're about to be invaded by 20-30,000 fans just as rabid as you are. It should be a lot of fun. Oh....and if anyone has tickets for $20 let me know. :-)
Wow wow holy cow, what a fabulous puzzle today. I second and throng all the compliments that have been written about it.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, the compass in China is called the "south-pointing needle." As I understand it, south was the "top" direction on maps because that is the direction the emperor faced while sitting on his throne.
I laughed heartily when I solved "Rock conqueror". I kept wanting something like piton. I also love love loved the Napoleon clue and "Union member".
Thanks ever so much.
Jazzbumpa, *groan* :)
ReplyDeleteClear Ayes, thanks for the Su Dongpo piece.
CC, DonG and Jazz,
ReplyDeleteYou all have exceeded all I was looking for and then some. The compass and the toothbrush were fresh pieces of neat info, that I told everywhere I went today. Almost total strangers; well we shared the same waiting room.Yes, I did credit this puzzle. We may have some new posters here.
The two of you are dynamite together! Keep it up!
Jazz, you were great today also. Thanks.
I had some thoughts like the others on KITE, but cannot add anything new. Yeah, I was in the dark ages of banking, also, CA.
BillG, the mama lion link just blew me away. Such a brave parent.
Couldn't quit thinking about it. Thanks.
Creature, I'm glad you like the Mama lion link. Pretty special.
ReplyDeleteWe just got back from lunch (haven't been in a while). We went to California Pizza Kitchen, an up-scale chain. I see they have restaurants in Minnesota too. We split everything; two soups in one bowl (artichoke and broccoli/corn tortilla), a CPK Cobb salad, a thin-crust white pizza and a slice of Key Lime pie. Great stuff with leftover salad and pizza for dinner.
Marti -
ReplyDeleteI missed the Saturday discussion. But I must be some sort of heretic. I never dismember my Oreos.
Some dunkers give it twist.
They tell me it's all in the wrist.
Then plunge it in milk, or possibly Silk,
For my mill the whole cookie is grist.
Cheers!
JzB who actually prefers a home made chocolate chip
Anony-Mouse@2:00, starting in 1945 with "Herr Meets Hare", Bugs traveled cross-country (and, in some cases, intercontinental) tunnel-digging, ending up in places as varied as Mexico (Bully For Bugs, 1953), the Himalayas (The Abominable Snow Rabbit, 1960) and Antarctica (Frigid Hare, 1949) all because he "shoulda taken that left toin at Albukoikee." He may not have been there for very long, but he did spend some time...several times... in Albuquerque getting disoriented. He was bound to run into Wile E. Coyote sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteCA:
ReplyDeleteLove that poem; such cynicism with public officials. Imagine that!
Surely not today! LOL
Congrats to Don and C.C. for another notch in the belt. It's always nice to learn something while having fun. 70 theme squares is not easy. Good job!
ReplyDeleteJazz, you are taking a great poetic turn today.
ReplyDeleteHG, nice photo of your talented granddaughter. Our Rachael's mom is giving her a choice between volleyball and basketball. It looks like she may be a six-footer. Gotta help with those college costs somehow.
Don't quit on the Norwegians, Jerome. There's some excellent stuff there. The forerunner of the aerosol can, the paper clip and the cheese slicer all came from Norway. Don't forget Edvard Munch's The Scream, the world's most famous fjords, or anything by Sonja Henie.
Cheese slicer and a paper clip. Wow... we be awesome!
ReplyDeletePig Swig
ReplyDeleteI am back from the NYC trip. We had a fabulous time! I am too tired to finish the wonderful puzzle from our CC and Don.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Dennis? What pithiness did I miss this past week?
Catch me up friends; but please do that tomorrow.
Good night All!
OK, this is gonna be one of those variations on the one about the club where the same jokes have been told so many times that people just shout out the number when they want to tell a good joke. So here goes....."Number 27!"
ReplyDeleteThe punch line is: "Shorty's Automotive and Transmission Repair. Albuquerque, New Mexico."
WOW! That was a great puzzle C.C. and Don!Loved the theme, and all your clever clues. Did not know Aron, Eger, Eboli or the term, flood limit. Actually this was not a snappy one for me, but laughed like a lunk and said ah ha along the way.
ReplyDeleteFavorites:rock conqueror and transparent personality.
My class was intrigued with all China's inventions. Learned that fireworks were used in wars to light up battlefields at night, to send signals, and to set up smoke screens.All early fireworks were white or pale colors.
Jazz, you are a delight! Love your blogging.
CA, funny stuff!!!
Ellen DeGeneres had the Mama Lion photos on her show today but we had them yesterday!
ReplyDeleteThey've been on the internet since Monday.
ReplyDeleteJazz, Loved your blog. Thanks for the Wile E. Coyote clip. I had never seen Wile E. with Bugs Bunny. Thank you, Clear Ayes, for discussing Bugs' cross country trip.. Also new to me.
ReplyDeleteIn re: NOODLING=being creative. One of our "Momisms" was Use your NOODLE (brain).
Transparent personality= GHOST, one of my favorites.
ANON Thanks for the info on ARON Ralston. Nice change up for the usual Elvis ARON Presley.
Gary, nice action shot of your granddaughter. What grace!
Hola Everyone, This was a DNF for me today. I gave my Crossword dictionary a real workout. With that said I had about 4 clues unanswered in the SW area.
ReplyDeleteI thought the theme clues were very clever, and the large number of theme answers very impressive. Good job CC and DonG. Clever of you all to put in CC (C) as well.
Thank you, too, Jazz B. for the writeup so I could fill in my blank spaces.
Lots of learning moments for me today.
I've done the puzzle the last two days, and read the blog, but not until late afternoon and evening. Very busy with an antique's class and catching up on errands after being away last week.
Husker Gary, You can be very proud of your granddaughter. Your action shots are very impressive.
ReplyDeleteCA, Thank you for the poem today. I can imagine that most people are cynical at times when it comes to the people who run their government. However, not everyone is quite as articulate as Su Dongpo! And to think it has been going on for over a thousand years. Who would have thought?