Theme: uptight- the last word of each theme answer, when preceded by the word 'tight,' forms a common phrase.
16A. *Itching for a fight : TWO FISTED. tight fisted.
23A. *Steady guy or gal : MAIN SQUEEZE. tight squeeze.
36A. *Third base, in baseball lingo : HOT CORNER. tight corner. did not know the baseball lingo.
54A. *Shower convenience : SOAP ON A ROPE. tight rope. made me think of man on wire.
62A. Football linemen, or an apt description of the last words of the answers to starred clues : TIGHT ENDS
what about tight-lipped? Lots of non-theme 7's in this puzzle.
melissa here. had trouble right away, some clues seemed a bit obscure for a wednesday.
across:
1. Skips, as stones : DAPS. if i've heard this word before, i forgot it. definition: to skip or bounce, especially over the surface of water.
5. __ jure: by the law itself : IPSO. latin.
9. Ancient Briton : PICT. i'm in awe of anyone who knew this.
13. Catchall survey opción : OTRO. opción = spanish for option. otro = spanish for other.
14. Like a prof. emeritus: Abbr. : RETD. retired.
15. Raw fish dish : SUSHI. this was my first fill-in.
18. From years past : OLDEN
19. Elephant in stories : BABAR
20. Prints a new edition of : RE-ISSUES. and 38. Start from scratch : RE-DO.
22. Suffix in taxonomy : OTA. taxonomy is the science of classification. Eukaryota (plural of eukaryote). which seems even more obscure than pict.
26. Gathered together : MET
27. Objective : AIM
28. "Cats" poet's monogram : TSE. andrew lloyd webber's musical based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by t.s. eliot.
16A. *Itching for a fight : TWO FISTED. tight fisted.
23A. *Steady guy or gal : MAIN SQUEEZE. tight squeeze.
36A. *Third base, in baseball lingo : HOT CORNER. tight corner. did not know the baseball lingo.
54A. *Shower convenience : SOAP ON A ROPE. tight rope. made me think of man on wire.
62A. Football linemen, or an apt description of the last words of the answers to starred clues : TIGHT ENDS
what about tight-lipped? Lots of non-theme 7's in this puzzle.
melissa here. had trouble right away, some clues seemed a bit obscure for a wednesday.
across:
1. Skips, as stones : DAPS. if i've heard this word before, i forgot it. definition: to skip or bounce, especially over the surface of water.
5. __ jure: by the law itself : IPSO. latin.
9. Ancient Briton : PICT. i'm in awe of anyone who knew this.
13. Catchall survey opción : OTRO. opción = spanish for option. otro = spanish for other.
14. Like a prof. emeritus: Abbr. : RETD. retired.
15. Raw fish dish : SUSHI. this was my first fill-in.
18. From years past : OLDEN
19. Elephant in stories : BABAR
20. Prints a new edition of : RE-ISSUES. and 38. Start from scratch : RE-DO.
22. Suffix in taxonomy : OTA. taxonomy is the science of classification. Eukaryota (plural of eukaryote). which seems even more obscure than pict.
26. Gathered together : MET
27. Objective : AIM
28. "Cats" poet's monogram : TSE. andrew lloyd webber's musical based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by t.s. eliot.
29. Up to, casually : TIL. from dusk til dawn.
30. Author Harte : BRET. déjà vu.. he appeared just last wednesday. part of the the brat pack of literature.
32. "Let's not" : NAH
34. Like law school courts : MOOT. open to discussion or debate.
40. Gumbo thickener : ROUX. equal amounts of fat and flour, heated, blended, and used as a basis for sauces.
42. Quite small : WEE
43. "Oedipus Tex" composer P.D.Q. __ : BACH. see wikipedia.
47. "There's no __ team" : I IN. teIam. problem solved.
48. Cat's pajamas? : FUR. cute.
51. Man of the house : DAD
53. However, briefly : THO. shortened though.
57. Suffix for velvet : EEN. velveteen. from the classic children's book, the velveteen rabbit:
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
58. Batman, for Bruce Wayne : ALTER EGO
59. Surprise hit, maybe : B-SIDE. singles where both sides became hits are known as 'double a-sides.' example: queen: we will rock you / we are the champions.
61. Threw verbal tomatoes : BOOED. no tomatoes, but tiger did get a hot dog thrown at him on sunday. i am just glad the tournament is over - it was a zoo. the players got free vouchers for meals and spa treatments, and even so, most of them did not tip.
65. Black hues, in poetry : EBONS
66. Spread in a tub : OLEO. no comment.
67. Pierre's South Dakota? : ETAT. etat is french for state.
68. A whole bunch : LOTS
69. Tiny fraction of a min. : PSEC
70. One of the Gilmore girls : RORY. i've never seen the show. rory gallagher is more my speed.
down:
1. Internet failure, punnily : DOT BOMB
2. '80s Republican strategist Lee : ATWATER
3. Court concerned with wills : PROBATE
4. Crash site? : SOFA. very true for my 'empty' nest.
5. E-file org. : IRS. internal revenue service.
6. Apple of one's eye : PET. a person especially cherished or indulged; favorite: He was the teacher's pet.
7. Not easily amused : STERN
8. Most likely to raise eyebrows : ODDEST. didn't come easily.
9. Vital sign : PULSE
10. Happens because of : IS DUE TO
11. Cracker with a hole in the middle : CHEEZIT. yech. and 45d. 11-Down flavor : CHEDDAR
12. Holiday glitter : TINSEL. people are funny about tinsel - it seems to be a love it or hate it thing.
15. "What are you gonna do about it?!" : SO SUE ME
17. "__ la Douce" : IRMA. billy wilder film based on the french musical of the same name.
21. Mensa stats : IQ'S. intelligence quotients.
24. Grammar class no-no : AIN'T
25. 13-year-old Apple : iMAC. timely nod to steve jobs.
31. TGIF eve? : THU. thursday. (thank god it's friday).
33. Question of method : HOW
35. Ball : ORB
37. Laced dress shoes : OXFORDS
39. Tide table term : NEAP. tide that occurs when the difference between high and low tide is least.
40. 1970 John Wayne western : RIO LOBO. the third film in a trilogy directed by howard hawks: the other two films were Rio Bravo (1959) and El Dorado (1966), both also starring john wayne.
41. Painting the town red : ON A TOOT. new to me.
44. Eroded, as profits : ATE INTO
46. Lincoln forte : HONESTY. honest abe.
47. Writer Allende : ISABEL. chilean author, wrote 'the house of the spirits.'
49. French 101 article : UNE. a, or an.
50. Convertible, in slang : RAGTOP
52. Balance due, e.g. : DEBT
55. Hammer parts : PEENS. this is the peen.
56. Churns up : ROILS
60. Reader of signs : SEER
63. "Go figure" : GEE
64. Ad __ committee : HOC. committee formed for a specific task or objective, and dissolved after the completion of the task or achievement of the objective.
and finally, for INXS fans .... tight.
Answer grid.
melissa
94 comments:
Morning, all!
No real problems for me today. I paused a few seconds at 1A, but fortunately I have seen DAP before and it was still rattling around in my brain.
ATWATER and IPSO also caused brief pauses, but once again the answers was buried somewhere in the cobwebs and they came to mind after getting a few perps.
In fact, the only complete unknown today was ISABEL at 47D, but by the time I even saw the clue the answer was mostly filled in, and what else was ISABE_ going to be? No, wait -- HOT CORNER was also unknown to me, but again the perps took care of most of it and the rest was easy to guess.
Everything else was smooth sailing. Lots of fun clues today, like "cat's pajamas" for FUR and "Pierre's South Dakota" for ETAT.
Good Morning MelissaBee and friends. I, too, had trouble in the NW corner. I remembered that I had seen the word for Skipping Stones from previous crosswords, but I couldn't come up with the word DAPS.
PROBATE was my first fill.
Yesterday I asked if anyone knew PDQ Bach and today he appears.
I am not familiar with the Gilmore Girls and, since I had the second "R", I initially tried Sara.
In south Louisiana cooking, one generally starts a recipe with: First you make a ROUX.
My favorite clue was Cat's Pajamas = FUR.
QOD: Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there. ~ Josh Billings
for npr's wait wait don't tell me and/or philippe petit (man on wire) fans. i knew i loved him when he said he had no tv. just great.
Not what Barry says; I agree with mb about the obscurity of some of the clues and fill (OTA?) though I did know PICT from reading my son's archaeology books. Unless you are a baseball fan, HOT CORNER was not easy. There were some fun images like throwing verbal tomatoes, and some gimme law stuff, PROBATE, IPSO and MOOT, which is an interesting word which also means the argument is purely academic because the issue is decided.
Thanks mb and Patti
Good morning, folks. Thanks, Patti, for a great puzzle. thank you, Melissa B, for the equally great write-up.
Did not know 1A, DAPS. Since ATWATER, PROBATE, and SOFA were easy, eventually it came after DOTBOMB became obvious. My only passion when I am on the shores of Lake Erie, is to skip stones. I do it every year. I have never heard of DAP until now. I am sure I will remember it.
Several unknowns, but perps filled them in. ie: PICT, TSE, ROUX, RORY
For once, the french words were actually easy. Maybe I'm getting smarter.
Now I am off to raking leaves and an appointment with my eye doctor (glaucoma checkup).
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Good morning and happy hump day! Thanks for the write up and links, MB.
This did seem to have some pretty obscure stuff for Wednesday, but there were enough solid perps crossing that no wags were needed. It definitely took some jumping around the grid to 'giterdone', THO.
(Misplaced on the wrong post)
A fun and chatty bunch ye be! :)
I'm bamboozed by 9A (PICT), but got a kick out of 48A (Cat's Pajamas/FUR), and 4D (Crash Site/SOFA). But my favorite is the answer to 41D (ON A TOOT). Love that word, toot!
Happy Wednesday all. We're half way there!
Melissa: Excellent write-up & links.
FUN themes.
Being a baseball fan, HOT CORNER was my fave.
Hmmm, the world record for stone skipping was set on July 19th by Russell “Rock Bottom” Byars.
51 skips. (Old record was 40).
And yes, it was certified by Guinness World Records experts who analyzed film of Byars’ toss, checking the concentric circles in the water by each skip.
I'll do more research to find out if it was recognized by the Int'l Stone Skipping Association.
I hope it was ... because the last thing Mr. Byars needs is to have the I.S.S.A. on his ass.
Cheers !!!
Good morning all. Thanks for the commentary, MB.
I don't know why, but I really liked this puzzle. Did not hurry, and savored every clue and fill. Some I couldn't get right away such as PICT, but it would 'click' in on review. BH helped me with OTRO. Otherwise, no lookups needed. I remember ATWATER as being very good at what he did and that he died young, from cancer. Liked ÉTAT for Pierre's S. Dak. NIce touch. Theme was OK. Never found SOAP ON A ROPE to be convenient - rope kept getting in the way. Liked the shout out for one of my favorite movies RIO LOBO. Had the pleasure of visiting the casting location for this segment outside Tucson some years ago.
Enjoy your hump day.
Several unknowns/never heard ofs for me: DAP, DOT BOMB, BRET, ON A TOOT, RORY, HOT CORNER, OTA, CHEEZIT, (I don't eat junk food), but I wagged all except DAP (ZAP), toot (TROT) and I had BORED for BOOED.
The NW was last to fall, but on the whole an enjoyable solve. PICT offered no problem--I remembered hearing about Picts and Scots long ago. And état never fools me--another example of the French é = English s before t or p.
A nice start to my Wednesday.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who tried MOck for MOOT.
And, while there is no "I" in team, there is a "me".
Abejo, you will no longer be skipping stones off Lake Erie, you will be dapping. And, apparently, looking good while you're doing it...
About the non-tipping golfers: I was a window cleaner in the wealthiest Brooklyn neighborhoods for over 25 years, and I can tell you from long experience that rich people are some of the cheapest humans on this planet. Go figure.
Well now I've opened a "can-of-worms."
First off: It is the I.S.S.F.
Int'l. Stone Skipping FEDERATION
located at PO Box 189, Driftwood, Texas.
They are the parent of the N.A.S.S.A.
North American Stone Skipping Association.
(Note: no street address indicated).
After numerous Google searches I can NOT find anything that proves they accept the above
51 skip record.
They're apparently more secretive than the CIA & NSA.
Geez, Now I'm probably on both the I.S.S.F & N.A.S.S.A. "Hit Lists."
I better lay-low or I'll get doinked by a skipping stone.
Thanks for explaining BSIDE. I thought it was short for blind side, a surprise hit in football. When I was in baseball we called third the "hot box."
My first day here. Nice write-up.
Hi gang -
I believe the PICTS were the ones who originated wearing blue face paint into battle.
We like CHEEZITS in split pea and tomato soups.
First off, I like the theme, and the long, occasionally glittery fill. "Crash site" is clever.
Yes, there were things a bit on the obscure side for a WED. I'm more troubled by the inexactness, though. TWO FISTED does NOT mean itching for a fight. There is a pinhole in the middle of a CHEEZIT, but most crackers have similar indents, so it is hardly a defining characteristic. PJ's are worn to bed; a cat is in its fur all the time (THO there is more than one way to skin one.) Plus, the unifier is not well clued.
Throw in a couple awkward affixes, some slang, a bit of French, and the puzzle seems forced and strained. Overall - a mixed review.
Cheers!
JzB TWO FISTED CHEEZIT eater
Tinbeni -
Stones are not the only doink delivery devices.
Since the ISSF is in TEXAS, they might send Josh Hamilton after you with a bat.
Cheers!
JzB who has a headache
Who woulda thought that eating mushrooms and listening to Pink Floyd would later assist in solving a crossword puzzle?
Explanation by wiki.
Jazz:
WOW, not only are the Ranger's giving your Tiger's a hard time, they're coming after your fans.
But, like I said yesterday, relax ...
The Tiger's will be just fine.
Hmmm, yesterday we had:
STOP-IN-FOR-A-DRINK.
Today:
TWO-FISTED and ON-A-TOOT.
I may just have to break-down and have some Avatar ...
Speaking of CHEEZITS...
Argyle, Jazz, Jerome, Grumpy, DH, and the "Anonymous" from yesterday, in regards to the "pejorative" comment you were all discussing:
Here's an article from my local paper that you might find interesting.
Good morning Melissa, C.C. et al.
Thanks for a fun write-up, Melissa! I can’t believe that the golfers did not even tip you, when they were getting free spa treatments. So much for personal integrity, huh? I wanted “celt” instead of PICT at 9A, but eventually sussed it from the perps. Like JazzB, I remember them as having blue painted faces for some reason. Oh, and I cracked up at your solution to “no I IN team”!
P.D.Q. BACH was a gimmee today - thanks, Hahtool!!
I thought the theme was OK, but there are many phrases that could begin with TIGHT (-knit, -laced, -shoes, -spot, -a**)… OK, well, maybe not all of them are suitable for a daily crossword. Hands up on the clue for TWO-FISTED. I always associate it with heavy drinking. But I did enjoy seeing CHEEZIT. We used to say “cheez-it” instead of “cool it” when I was growing up. Go figure.
Have a happy hump day, everyone!
Great write-up, Melissa!
Enjoyed the puzzle and got everything except DAPS and DOTBOMB (had "netbomb" and "naps," which admittedly made no sense at all). Since I've had a lot of internet failure in my day, I should have heard this before!
Now I have a silly question: what's a "perp" in crossword lingo? Never heard that before.
Thanks again, Argyle and Chickie, for making us LA Confidential orphans feel welcome yesterday!
We use terms with each other that are very offensive when they come from another race. If you know that, and still do it...the onus is on YOU!
Oh my goodness--if I did that, I absolutely did not know it. And I am mortified even at the possibility. I'm not even sure if I've gotten it even now, but of the two things I mentioned I was thinking of "short sleeps" or small cloths at tables or something, which of course has nothing to do with skipping stones. Maybe I'm a little too old or out of it to be a blogger after all.
Good Morning All, Is it just me, (and melissa, and others) or does this seem a little difficult for a Wednesday?
With DAPS, IPSO, PICT, OTRO, RET'D and especially DOT BOMB, I was off to a less than an auspicious start.
Never mind, it is just me. There was lots of good stuff. I enjoyed the theme answers, even though (as usual) I didn't get it until 62A) TIGHT ENDS. I thought it had something to do with boxing.
CHEEZITs aren't bad if you are trying to stave off nausea. I've been lucky. My bug-a-boo is chills and fever on chemo night. I'm cool and collected by the next morning.
Our house buyers fell though, so we are back to square one. I have my suspicions that they were overly optimistic on the amount they could qualify for. That leaves our buy up in the air. I don't know if we can scrounge enough to pay for it without selling this one. We are wayyy past getting a mortgage stage.
Have we had enought TSElliot poetry? We'll see.
Is it just me that's not heard of TWO-FISTED meaning ready to fight? The only usage I knew of is when you've got a drink in each hand and you're "drinking two-fisted".
Anyway - I struggled a bit with this today but it eventually came together. Enjoyed the clues for BSIDE and ETAT
Nice to meet you guys - I'm another refugee from "Confidential" blog.
Just a small question - is Anon 11:12 just having a general rant, or is there some specific point being made? Being new here, I don't want to get on the wrong etiquette foot, but is that kind of comment normal?
Welcome to all the 'refugees' from the other blog. This should be good for the gene pool.
Two-fisted - From the Free dictionary:
Fig. [of a male] aggressive and feisty. Perry is a real, two-fisted cowboy, always ready for a fight or a drunken brawl.
I'm not going to list them, but this puzzle is loaded with great fill! DOTBOMB really shines.
Pretty dull-
ETAT- The Illustrated Man's blog
EBONS- Abba's family in a dark mood
OXFORDS- Cars for oafs
SO SUE ME- SUMOESE for " Don't like my wrestling?"
My boredom at the open air concert
IS DUE TO IO DUETS OUTSIDE
Montezuma's MAIN SQUEEZE was one of the MAIZE QUEENS
First of all, if I am quick enough, I can just thank Steve ( from yesterday's comment - ) for his correction of my ALT QOD. I should have typed 'escalator' instead of 'elevator'. Thank you, so very much.
As for the rant by the Anon. - just ignore it - It just comes with the territory. It'll pass. Never feed the trolls.
The puzzle was a little beyond my IQ - hence did not finish. I knew 'Pict' and 'daps', tho'.
To Misty: 'Perps' are 'perpendiculars' - the words crossing the word in question, either across or down - which give you additional letters and a hint to the correct answer - and just make them crosswords. and .... BTW, WAGS are wild A-- guesses.
Welcome to all from the other blog. You are not refugees, you are honored guests, and we hope you stay long and learn to love and grow old with us.
I guessed 9-across only because I rememeber listening to the song by Pink Floyd "several species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and grooving with a pict" in college about 30 years ago. We named our intramural basketball team "Several Species" and we WERE a motley crew.
Good morning Melissa, C.C. et al,
Wed. is still my favorite puzzle day as it gives me just enough challenge that I don't feel stupid.Today I did have to search for Atwater. My 1st correct fill was sushi, as celt did not fly.And I learned the correct spelling of roux, not roue!
New words: daps, pict, otro- (couldn't grok opcion), and dotbomb. Stumbled with 3 words going vertically.
Liked clue- surprise hit- B side. Remember enjoying the flip side of many 45's.Love the phrase "on a toot".
Gilmore Girls was on for about 7 seasons and a good one to watch with daughters. Lauren Graham (Rory's mom) is now part of the cast of a terrific sitcom: Parenthood.
Welcome all "orphans"! Nice to return to many new faces.
CA, so sorry about the deal falling thru; hopefully someone else will fall in love with your hilltop heaven very soon.
I wanted to thank Patty Varol for a very nice ( and just a little difficult - ) puzzle, and melissa bee for her charming commentary.
Suggestion:--- If the 'massagees' don't tip you, you could probably consider putting some Capsaicin in the rubbing oils, and 'burn' them up, just a lil bit, - just to hint to them - on how you feel.
I was fascinated by the picture of T. S. Eliot drawing a complex hierarchical relationship on the blackboard.... Was the poet also a 'genome-ist' or a molecular biologist or an expert on chromosomes or was he drawing the periodic table of elements ?? I searched high and low, and finally found out that he was drawing the relationships between the character(s) of some play of his.....
ALT QOD:- My wife says she wants to go someplace she's never been. I told her, "Great, you can start in the kitchen". ~ Henny Youngman.
Hello.
Nice easy Wed puzzle. Enjoyed doing
it.
Picts reminded me of the Mel Gibson
movie. Watched it again the other night.
@ Misty. Perps are ans that cross
another ans. Think of a T.
At least the Lions are 5-0. Sharks finally play their second game tomorrow.
Welcome to the newbies.
take care. eddy
I've been YEARS trying to find out where the mad Scotsman in a cave came from. I think I heard in The Fourth Tower of Inverness, probably broadcasted by WRPI although WEQX was pretty freaky back then. Amazing where crosswords will take you.
Misty, keep your head down; those shots weren't directed at you. There was a discussion of pejorative words late last night.
There is an amazing, interactive, Google doodle of Gumby and Pokey , and all the other claymation characters, in honor of the artist Art Clokey's 90th birthday.
Hello, Melissa and all.
This was different! In all HONESTY, My first thought was that it might take a long time, but Grumpy 1 said it well.
DAP and PICT came easily as did some other fill until I could take a stab at the long fill.
TIGHTENDS! They were the reason I used to watch football! And I loved seeing MAINSQUEEZE!!
Love ISABEL Allende; Daughter of Fortune was my fav of her books.
Hahtool:
We also start all cooking with a ROUX. It's the sine qua non of cooking.
Welcome to all newcomers!
Have a terrific Wednesday, everyone! Keep going, Joon!
Melissa, thank you for all the explanations as I need them!
Parti Varol, thank you for the great challenge today.
CA:
I, too, am sorry the sale failed but I'm sure someone else will come along soon.
Enjoyable puzzle with no really difficult words and plenty of help from PERPS. It was just enough of a work out for a Wed.
-I remebered PICT from school.I had tried CELT for a just a bit.
-I loved DOT BOMB. I had D and BOMB so wagged it.
-DAP was my first entry. It is also a fishing word, to bob the fly lightly on the water.
-A cats FUR being called PJs is a bit of a stretch, I agree.
-Spitzboov's definition of TWO FISTED is a legit. alternative to the other meanings.
-I wagged -OTA. Lucky guess, because I found I really knew nothing about it.
-Does anyone have info on PSEC?
- ON A TOOT is old fashioned, but I've seen it in novels.
CA, sorry your house deal fell through. Buying and selling a house at the same time is usually very stressful. I hope you have good luck.
Welcome to all the newcomers. Plese stay and join in the fun.
Misty - I'll second what Argyle said. You didn't do anything wrong.
Steve - the anon comment is relative to a discussion late last night about pejoratives. Ant's link is relevant.
We have a number of anons who post here. Some are friendly, some not so much. Any questionable comment from an anon can be safely ignored.
I gave some further thought to the discussion of a specific pejorative. It can be found here, for anyone who is interested. I'd be interested in your comments.
Cheers!
JzB who had CHEEZITS and tomato soup for lunch
Very poor taste to plug your blog on another's blog, especially more than once.
-John
Being now past noon, I can't say good morn, so good day, all.
Nice write-up, MB. Pithy. And fun.
Fun puzzle with lots of zip and, agreeing with many, on the tougher side.
Sometimes it's the short ones that throw you for a loop. Had "wby" for TSE for a while, and left FUR to be filled with crosses.
Apropos of not much, just watched "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" last night. "I don't want FOP. I'm a DAPper Dan Man." Would that mean skipping along the surface? @Yellorocks-like the fishing connection. Wasn't a DAP a sort of fist bump in the 60's?
Oh, the things one learns here!
Living far northwest of the Mason-Dixon line, I thought Cracker was a Ritzy or Cheez-ity thing and therefore desirable. Silly me!
I thought DAP was a window sealing putty.
I hope Tinbeni doesn't get STONED by the ISSF.
Good puzzle and write-up. Thanks. - PK
Here is some background on the Florida cracker . Maybe this would help some people.
Thank you all for the welcomes. Will enjoy this new and friendly fun spot to visit.
CA, Sorry about the sale falling. But those things do happen. In our market, most listing agents require that buyers be prequalified before they will entertain an offer. The house still has to pass muster (appraisal, whole-house inspection, etc.) but at least the buyer has some evidence in hand that they might actually have the ability to get the needed loan. This may be a regional thing and I suppose there could be some broker license law prohibitions in Cali, but I doubt it. Talk to your agent about it. It won't find you another buyer, but it might avoid this hassle on the next transaction.
Misti: The remark was a generality and not aimed at you...it just happened to appear right after your post. Rest easy.
John -
I have some thoughts derived from commentary here that may or may not be of interest to readers. It struck me that, for a variety of reasons, this was not the place to express them. Anyone can chose to follow the link, or not. That is not plugging my blog, which is a totally non-commercial exercise, anyway, so hit-count doesn't mean much to me.
Besides which, there is nothing wrong with linking to relevant content. The fact that it is located on my personal blog doesn't change anything.
If you don't like what I have to say, please feel free to ignore my comments. Henceforth, I will be ignoring your criticisms.
And please recognize you really have no standing to be giving lectures on etiquette to anyone.
Since you gave your name, I'm responding, and taking you not to be a troll. Lighten up a bit, play nice and join the fun. That's what we're here for.
Cheers!
JzB the DOT BOMB trombonist
Doesn't excuse the fact that it's poor blog etiquette.
- John
Since it's time to lighten up a bit, let me offer a slightly naughty take on ON A TOOT.
When I sit ON THE TOOT (pronounced to rhyme with FOOT), it's to unload an imminent eminence. I was unfamiliar with the usage implied in our puzz today, but I use the word this other way just about every time I have to "go", eschewing the American euphemism of "going to the bathroom".
Clear Ayes,
Since you so often regale us with timely poems, here are two for you, by the "esteemed" (ahem) poet Edgar A. Guest.
Home
Selling The Old Home
Kazie, I read your post while enjoying a lunch of Chunky Beef Stew. It suddenly doesn't look quite so appetizing now.
I've never heard the expression used that way before. We learn so much here.
- John
CA,
Sorry, I meant to mention before that I sympathize with your situation vis à vis the house sale. When we were selling our place in the country in 1997, it took a long time. In this market today, I don't envy your situation. A lot depends on having the right realtor and getting the right kind of buyers to look at it. But the stress comes in always having to have it in "show mode" at the drop of a hat, and the ensuing worry as to whether it will sell. As far as getting a mortgage, would a bridging loan be possible? Either way, the uncertainty puts extra strain on you, especially with your health as it is. I hope something comes through for you quickly.
Hello.
Just watched last night's Unforgettable. Show's hook is that
Carrie does not forget any thing. Showed her solving a puzzle in 5:04A handy skill to have when solving.
Also doing them for 60 years helps.
CA. Hope you get off the mtn before it snows.
Hope someone has some pine tar handy for the next game.
eddy
Hello friends,
What Grumpy said. Did not know 'dap' although my brother used to be able to do it. I had 'celt' before 'pict' but when the perps gave it to me, I did recognize it. Just didn't seep out.
CA, I am sorry about your house sale disappointment. I didn't realize that you had already purchased another house. That does make things even tougher. I'm sure your luck will be better in the future. I'm also concerned about your ague.(That's the first time I've ever used that word in a sentence! I've been longing to since I found out the correct pronunciation. I always thought it was 'aig') I'm glad it only lasts one night!
Take care.
Excellent and enjoyable puzzle! It's nice to know that regular members of this blog have blogs of their own. Thank you for sharing! I'm sure if sharing that information was a problem, CC would let us know. Please don't worry yourself needlessly on that point, anonymous John. I'm guessing you have enough problems already.
Kazie said:
"When I sit ON THE TOOT (pronounced to rhyme with FOOT), it's to unload an imminent eminence."
Ahhhh, my OZ friend, you had me ROTFLMAO !!!
Here, at Villa Incognito, when THAT situation arises, it's called "Taking an Anon" ...
Anon 1:22
Yup, I got stoned ... but NOT by the ISSF.
(This Florida Cracker loves his Jamaican friends).
Anon-John:
You talk about "poor blog etiquette."
Yet when I reviewed the comments ... did I MISS where you actually made ANY comment ( EVER !!!) about the LAT Crossword Puzzle???
Your "Holiet-Than-Thou" attitude is BORING.
Kazie:
LOL! You are so full of surprises. I had not heard ONATOOT used that way.
Hello Puzzlers - Late to the party again, life's busy.
The puzzle seemed manageable enough, so I'll go with W.B.S. (what Barry said).
Thanks for your fun blog-style, MB!
JazzB : interesting bit about the Picts inventing the use of blue war paint. (I guess they didn't want to get de-picted! Hee hee) So now I wonder: what material might they have been able to lay their hands on, perhaps mineral, to use as blue pigment?
JzB
Interesting blog on CRACKER. John, you don't have to protect me;
I'm my own woman. I read it because I wanted to read it. Otherwise I would have passed it up. And CC protects this blog.
I got PSEC because I had _SEC and the PERP supplied the P. What does it mean?
On this rare night home. it's almost time for Jeopardy and Joon in NJ.
Hi puzzle people. Welcome to all the new folks! Nothing to add that hasn't been said.
So, CA, have you considered the old St. Joseph theory on selling a house? Buy a statue of him and bury it in your yard. Sure fire way to get an offer...so I hear. Google it for details. XOXO
Hola Everyone, I was able to finish all but the NW corner. Otro didn't come to mind as I didn't even think Spanish. Dot Bomb was new and Atwater was no longer in my data bank. Unlike Barry, I had too many cobwebs today!
Crash site/sofa and Cat's Pajamas/ Fur were both clever clues today. I chuckled when they fell into place.
I couldn't decide on Celt or Pict, but that was taken care of when I filled in the down Cheezit.
Thanks MB for another stellar writeup.
Gilmore girls was a favorite at our house, as we have four Gilmore girls. It was fun to see our last name in the puzzle today.
Have a great evening, everyone.
@Dudley - the source of the blue pigment was something called "woad", from memory it's a flowering plant.
I remember from my history lessons that Queen Boadacia (sp?) painted herself blue before battle. Fun times.
Yellowrocks: Your question? was answered @12:02 by Anony-Mouse. Unless if you mean psec - that would be picosecond.
A plant, interesting!
Thanks, Patti, for your puzzle. 1A and 22A and 2D were not for me, but it was an OK solve for me- overall.
MB, very colorful; thanks.
Welcome to all the 'refuges'. Thinking this will make a lot more work for CC and Argyle.I'm thinking a donation is in order and I'm ashamed I haven't thought of it before. Anons should shut up or face being eliminated, unless they donate. At least, in my humble opinion.
It may be a hardship for some of us, and I don't think we should have to foot the bill for the out- of -order anons, who only carp and never add to the puzzle comments.
I will donate by the month, if that works. Actually, I may be the only regular who has not donated.
Sorry.
Spitzboov,
Picosecond, yessss!! Thank you. I have been wondering all day. I couldn't find my answer at @12:02 AnonyMouse, but I always enjoy his (her) other comments.
Good show! The king is dead; long live the queen!
Lost my post. It was 65, I think, and its post was acknowledged. But when I rebooted, we were back to 64 and my post was gone. A problem with what I said? or the blog?
Kazie, ON A TOOT, what a hoot!!
PK @ 1:22, I also thought of the window sealing putty when DAP emerged. And CRACKERs were always the "Westminster" ones made in the Central MA town by that name. We always put them into our clam chowdah...
CA, Sorry about the un-sale.
Recent readers, not only are you welcome, we foster diverse opinions, we have wit, wisdom, wickedness, wrath, whining, whatever you can imagine. We also comment earlier and later. Most of us begin the day reading the late night additions. Finally, because the daily write up is written by differe4nt people we have many voices. Finally, we have people drop in often and others once in a great while, so put on your seat belt and ride along.
Hi Everyone ~~
I really liked this puzzle and the write-up ... Thanks, Melissa! The few things I wasn't sure of filled in with perps ... DAPS, PICT, and ATWATER.
~~ like JD, I keep spelling ROUX as 'Roue.' Maybe this time I'll remember it.
~~ I thought 'Cat's pajamas' - FUR was great! My cats' fur is their PJs, dress clothes, leisure wear, etc., etc. >^:^<
~~ As much as I follow baseball, I don't remember hearing third base called the HOT CORNER. I'll have to file that away.
~~ ON A TOOT was fun, and even better were the comments about it here ... Kazie -- LOL ! Tinbeni ... your comment struck me funny too!
~~ Watched Joon on Jeopardy ... he had a good ride.
~~ STILL watching the Tigers ...the Rangers just took the lead 3-2.
Welcome to all the new folks ... glad you're joining us!
Snarky anons are really tiresome.
Please tell us more about donating. Why? How? What are the expenses? Etc. etc. I would like to help keep this great blog going.
YR, I just noticed a "donate" button on the first page of LA Times Crossword Corner.
I think the folks that keep this going- CC and Argyle are really burdened and with the influx of new people mixed with more Anons, I think there is some overhead, not to mention the gruelling man hours this thing takes to oversee.
What do you think?
Wow! It was in the low 70s yesterday; today it's close to 90 and dry. This is Lucina weather. Actually, compared to what she's used to, I'll bet she would find this balmy.
(Maybe it's all the anons causing climate change and an increase in temperature.) :>)
Evening all!
Fun puzzle, Patti; nice write-up, mb!
No problem with PICT. Favorite answers: iMAC, SOFA. I bought a lot of Apple stock after I saw the video of Steve announcing the iMAC at a user group meeting. Turned in the whole life policy that I had on my soon to be ex. Wish to heck that I had held on to that stock!
Went to a retirees' lunchion for Science and Math today. Only about 23 of those 45 attending were actual (tenured) retirees, out of a possible 119 still surviving. Only 3 from math. Disappointing. (It was free too!)
Then went for a x-ray and to see the derm. It was 100 DEGREES out! Really miserable in my wheelchair too. Very strange weather. Can anyone beat that?
The sudokus at the upuzzle.com site have been utterly awful this week. Hope this is not the contributers' long-term plan. Might as well struggle with the LA Times puzzles.
TBC...
CA: I truly hope that you house problem is soon solved. Is it hot in Fresno area? Do you have lots of bloomers gussying up the place? (I have been in my place for 45 years. The only way that I am leaving is feet first!)
Have missed you folks. Have been knocking myself out swimming and trying to take care of overdue business.
Cheers to all!
CC and Argyle,
I appreciate all your dedication and hard work. As an organizer for many altruistic causes, I have learned people respond when they understand the need, when they can analyze the expenses.
I can feel your reluctance to be so straight forward when puzzledom is your passion. But, your many, many hours of work on this should see some physical renumeration, if only to establish that all this work is valued. Any amount could express appreciation and encourage you to keep on trying. Also are there other fees for being online, or whatever?
Without knowing what is involved, it is hard to gauge what a reasonable donation would be.
If CC and Argyle are too modest to
express this, please, old hands, help out.
PS. I was an avid PDQ Bach fan. Was fortunate to see him come on stage by various insane means, like sliding down the aisle on a rope (if I recall correctly). Laughed my head off at all of the many concerts that I was fortunate enough to see in L. A. Bought all of the LPs too!
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Don Gagliardo and C.C. B...":
I'm a "first timer" and am exhausted with all the unnecessary "jabbering". I came hoping for "enlightment" and answers. Perhaps today is unusual?
from Sherman Oaks CA
Posted by Anonymous to L.A.Times Crossword Corner at October 12, 2011 8:13 PM
Anon, if you see this, you posted to the wrong day. There are two post on one page and if you go all the way to the bottom to comment, it will be on the previous post.
My experience is that the first 'half' of the posts usually are about the puzzle; tricky clues, answers, complaints, compliments, etc. Then it's all been pretty much said. And the conversations turns to other things. I don't think of it as 'unnecessary jabbering', a pejorative term for sure. I think we're all interested in the joys and tribulations of each other. Without that input, I wouldn't enjoy this blog as much.
Also, if you have sincere suggestions and comments, why not use a name (your name?) and go blue rather than hiding behind an anon?
Ease up, Bill. I don't think Sherman was dissing us that much. We are a different blog from what they were use to. In fact, maybe I better leave a meassage on the end of Tuesday's comments. Ciao.
Argyle, I love your posts but all of your 8:44 post is totally lost on me. What did you mean?
I'm confused too!
I receive all the comments as emails, so does C.C., so I thought Sherman Oaks just posted to to the wrong day BUT...
The second part of today's write-up was yesterday's URAQT which means Sherman Oaks was actually commenting on Tuesday's puzzle and I screwed up moving it to today's.
Does that help?
anony-mouse, that's a fine idea, except that tipping happens after the treatment.
heartrx and anon@9:12a, it's quite surprising sometimes. some of the biggest celebrities, politicians and other well knowns that come in are often the worst tippers. and considering tips make up roughly half of our income .... ugh. but there are also many very decent members who make up for the others. it's all good.
welcome to new commenters misty, mari, mokus, steve, goligirl and anyone else i missed. good to have you here.
ca, i'm in the same boat. my house has been on the market since february, and i've lowered the price 3 times, even though i've lost 50% of my equity. ugh. tough times. but every day is a new one .... gotta stay optimistic.
BillG:
"Balmy" is not a common word around these parts. We have the same high front as you and the temps are in the 90s. Forecast is good until next week. So much for autumn.
We don't use 'balmy' much around here either. It just popped out of my fingers.
I just reread my comment at 9:17 and it didn't seem overly critical to me. I explained my perception of the style of this blog. I do find it a little odd that someone coming to a new blog for the first time would comment on the 'unnecessary jabbering' but maybe that's just me.
Well BillG,
You are just a lot kinder than most. Actually, an excellent question to ask after the last two days would be:
WTH are you people smoking?
It looks like there might be a period of adjustment. The point is, we're all guests, people. Dennis made that point often, but it never seemed to stick. You don't visit someone's home and suggest changing the color scheme. If you don't like the color of the carpet, maybe you should keep quiet about it until you know your hostess a little better.
Just a lil heads up, sherman posted that remark on pg's blog!!!
Jazz:
What can I say but ... tears.
OK, here's my deal (on the D-L):
To help your team out, I'll faux-cheer for the other team.
(Remember, I openly cheered for the three teams that have ties to Tampa Bay ... and they lost in the first round).
Bill G.
I think your point-of-view at 9:17 was well said and "put-into-words" why many of us enjoy coming here.
If a theme or clue isn't "perfect" you seldom see anyone going too far dissing the constructor or puzzle.
The one thing I really like is the "positive attitude and sincere joy-of-solving" that is expressed here.
I've also noticed my list of people I
"toast-at-Sunset" has gotten longer.
(That's a Great-Thing!)
I wanted FILO for gumbo thickener because that's what I use to thicken gumbo that I make. I honestly don't think anybody has ever thickened their gumbo with a ROUX. Gravy, yes. Cool word, though.
Anyway, fun puzzles these past 3 days.
Best wishes to you all.
Hey, if ole Sherm can't find his way to the right day, then ....
Jayce,
I think that a roux is the basis of all New Orleans gravies. It's basically just flour and grease of some sort browned in the pan, with condiments added.
Thanks to all for the good thoughts. The "buyer" agent should have caught the problems, but commissions are not as easy to come by as they once were. I guess she got too anxious. Lesson learned.
Dodo, "Ague"...great word! It wasn't a problem to cancel our offer. I'm sure there is another house out there we will be just as pleased with. We have our daughter's neighbor, the Venezuelan Dynamo keeping an eye out for us.
I wish we could easily afford to buy a house without hitting investments or relying on the sale of this one. But...NOT. We are fortunate that we don't and won't have to get a loan for our next place. It's our age and the circumstances that keep us very cautious.
Garlic Gal, I'm not Catholic, not religious and not even superstitious. But why not? Some of my mom's ashes are scattered on our hill. Maybe her molecules would like some company with a St. Joseph statue.
Thanks to Not T.S.E.@2:30. The (ahem) poems gave me a laugh.
CA, sorry for your house problems. both my daughter and I went through similar things. After a year without selling, my daughter recently resorted to renting the lovely new home that became her "albatross". The people want to buy, but no longer qualify. They had good references so they pay enough rent to cover the mortgage payments. My daughter agrees to apply the principal amount toward their purchase price if their status changes in the future. She hopes they will take care of the place with this possibility. Risky, but better than the financial drain for a house they couldn't live in.
-PK
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