Theme: Be careful how you pet my cats!
17A. Pirates' home : PITTSBURGH. This Major League Baseball team is the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the Central Division of the National League.
26A. Group working on tips? : NEWS BUREAU. Fun clue. "Tips" aren't the extra cash left on the restaurant table, but news items furnished from those in the know.
48A. Jersey Shore city popularized by Springsteen : ASBURY PARK. "The Boss" performed regularly at this seaside resort in the 70's. Here's his "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".
59A. Trudeau comic : DOONESBURY. One of my favorite un-PC comics here. (Note: A "Deaniac" was a supporter of the liberal Vermont Governor Harold Dean's unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2004).
And the unifier:
39. Bugs, or what's literally found in 17-, 26-, 48- and 59-across : RUBS THE WRONG WAY. In each of the theme entries, the word "rubs" appears the "wrong way", or backwards.
Marti here, so it must be Thursday again. I started off very slowly on this one, but when I finally went back and figured out 2D. UZI, it finally seemed to all flow in the right direction! Loved this unusual theme, and clean execution. Let's look at the fill:
Across:
1. Big picture : MURAL. Why yes, that would be a really big picture.
6. Title holder? : SASH. I wanted "belt"...
10. Bean used in Asian sauces : SOYA. I'm sure C.C. uses this bean in her cooking, right?
14. Protective layer : OZONE. I skipped this one for the time being...
15. "Salome" solo : ARIA. This Strauss opera highlights Salome's disturbing obsession with St. John the Baptist that drives her to demand his head on a platter, in exchange for performing the "Dance of the Seven Veils".
16. Piece of mind? : OP-ED. "Opposite the Editorials (page)". And 11D. Write a 16-Across : OPINE
19. Complete, in Cannes : FINI. Literally, "end". Seen at the end of French films in Cannes.
Correction from Kazie (thank you!): "Fini" actually means "finished" rather than end
which is "fin", which I think is more likely at the end of movies.
And then we have 13D. Final word at Orly : ADIEU. Yes, I guess the last word you would say to someone embarking on the plane in Paris would be "adieu" (good-bye!)
20. Committed to : SET ON. I'm set on having a turkey next Thursday for dinner.
21. "Divine Comedy" poet : DANTE
22. High-tech printer capability : SCAN. I just bought a new printer that faxes, scans, and prints wirelessly. Problem is, I can't figure out how to make it work !
28. Playwright Pinter : HAROLD. Surely you know him as the author of "The French Lieutenant's Woman"? Correction: Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay adaptation. John Fowles didn’t write it, either (really). In 1977, Fowles translated the 1893 novel “Ourika” by Claire de Duras, and titled it “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”. He later revised it in 1994. What a tangled web !
30. Six-pack muscles : ABS. We have a mini-muscle theme going on here, with 29D. Back muscle, for short : LAT. (Could have been clued as "Publisher of this puzzle: Abbr."). And this is for the gals...
31. Laundry room brand : AMANA. I was looking for a detergent, not the washing machine!
32. About half a million square miles of Asia : GOBI. The Gobi desert is most notable as the location of several cities along the Silk Road.
35. Dept. of Labor arm : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
42. Caesarean infinitive : ESSE. "To be" (or not to be...). Not to be confused with a Caesarean section, which has an entirely different meaning!
43. It parallels the radius : ULNA. The two bones of the forearm.
44. John Barleycorn : BOOZE. The "Z" in this one was my very last fill. I was thinking of "Daniel BOOnE". (What was I thinking???)
45. "___ Sera, Sera" : QUE. What will be, will be.
47. One with goals : SCORER. Loved this clue/answer! A real V-8 moment, when I realized they were talking about things like hockey goals. I bet Eddy B and JD got this one immediately!
54. Pol. convention attendees : DELS. I had "DEmS" at first. Then realized, they wanted "delegates", not "democrats".
55. Swing vigorously : FLAIL. I think of "flailing" as swinging randomly, not vigorously?
56. Flexible wood : OSIER. Willow wood, used for making baskets and other crosswordese items.
58. Down the drain : LOST. Oh goodness, my train of thought just went down the drain...
64. Largest of the Near Islands : ATTU. Part of the Aleutians, and site of a famous ski hill. (You knew I had to get in a reference to my favorite sport, right?)
65. Ornamental vases : URNS.
66. Aqua ___: alcohol : VITAE. Thank goodness, the constructor provided the "alcohol" hint. Otherwise, I would have penned in VELVA without any hesitation!
67. Singer who said "Men should be like Kleenex: soft, strong and disposable" : CHER. Always the philosopher, that one...
68. Enlightened response : I SEE.
69. Frost and others : POETS
Down:
1. Clean, in a way : MOP
2. Israeli gun designer ___ Gal : UZI. My one gate-opener for this puzzle! It's usually clued as "Israeli submachine gun". Nice to see this attribute to it's creator. (I think...)
3. Turn bad : ROT.
4. Exterminator's target : ANT. Wanted "rat", at first.
5. Diminished state : LESS. Ah, but "Less is more", right?
6. Brown : SAUTE. Wow! This one whacked me upside the head when I finally sussed it through perps. What an ambiguous clue for such a common word. Loved it!
7. Robin's weapon : ARROW. Had to think: "Batman" or "Hood"?
8. Traces : SIGNS
9. "That's rich!" : HAH. HAH! Loved this one, too!
10. "Everything's fine for now" : SO FAR SO GOOD. Wonderful, lively fill. And so far so good...only 31 more clues to unravel.
12. Gossipmonger : YENTA. A Yiddish busybody.
18. Give a little : BEND
21. Add (in), as music to a film : DUB
22. Piece of the pie : SHARE. Hands up for all who filled in "slice"??
23. "The Stranger" writer : CAMUS. "L'Etranger" by Albert Camus. Said to be an existentialist novel, but the novel had much broader meanings and explores absurdism to the extreme. Curious to know, have you read it, Hahtool?
24. Most Egyptians : ARABS
25. Conclusion that doesn't follow : NON SEQUITUR. "So, I plan to make meatloaf for dinner tonight..."
27. Scott of "Happy Days" : BAIO
32. Hair goop : GEL
33. Have : OWN
34. Uplifting garb : BRA. For the guys..
36. Cursed : SWORE. #*^@&!~$%#&@* puzzle...
37. Not brown or blue, perhaps : HAZEL. Like this here.
38. Australia's ___ Rock : AYERS. In the land of "Oz" (Australia). I immediately thought of our Kazie.
40. One of three duck brothers : HUEY. Dewey and Louie are the other two, but they wouldn't fit here.
41. Letters after C or MS : NBC. CNBC and MSNBC are both cable networks. CNBC is the "Consumer News and Business Channel". MSNBC is another cable news channel, whose name comes from a combination of "Microsoft" and "NBC".
46. www address : URL. Does anyone need an explanation of this one? (email me...)
47. Arcade game starter : SKEE. -ball
48. Company with a spokesduck : AFLAC.
49. A deadly sin : SLOTH. To cover all the bases, you need to have wrath, greed, pride, lust, envy and gluttony as well.
50. Moisten while cooking : BASTE. See 20A. It requires careful basting.
51. Standard partner : POORS. Standard & Poors, a US based financial services company that publishes financial research analysis on stocks and bonds.
52. In cahoots : AS ONE. Any questions?
53. Light wash : RINSE. Hmmmm...I still think a light wash requires some sort of soap?
57. Invitation letters : RSVP. "Répondez s'il vous plaît". Literally, "Respond, if it pleases you." Well, what if I don't feel like responding?? Emily Post would frown on that attitude, I'm afraid.
59. SADD focus : DUI. Students Against Drunk Driving are concerned about people who Drive Under the Influence.
60. Theater program item : BIO. Biography. No hint of abbr. in the clue? So, I guess "bio" is a legit modern term?
61. Colorado native : UTE. What's a "ute"??? (See "My Cousin Vinny" clip, done before.)
62. Informer : RAT. "You dirty rat..."
63. Celebratory cry : YES! ("I FINISHED THIS BAD PUPPY!!")
Answer grid.
Thanks for hangin' with me for a while. I'm looking forward to hearing all your comments. I am flying down to Chapel Hill, N.C this morning to meet DH (he's doing a project down there this week). So I will be offline for part of the day. But I will check in as soon as I get settled into our hotel room. In the meantime, carry on, and play nice!
Hugs,
Marti
82 comments:
Hey gang - just thought I'd check in and say hi. By the time I get to the puzzle anymore, the blog's all commented out and I don't wanna be redundant.
My life is still in advanced turmoil -- among other things, the prospective move is on/off/on/off depending on what time of day it is (my wife's company can't decide how many pieces it wants to break into), I put a deer into low orbit with the front end of my toy ($4800 in damage), still working seven days a week, had a prostate cancer scare and a skin cancer scare. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln....
The skin cancer scare was a false alarm, confirmed by a second opinion. Sometimes a spot is just a spot. The prostate scare I'll expain separately 'cause it's a good piece of information for our male posters and the husbands of our distaff members.
I went in for a routine physical a while back, and my prostate (PSA) number was suddenly high, at 4.7. It had always been in the 2's until then. My doc asked if I'd been riding a bike or had sex in the 48 hours prior to the test.
I answered yes, in fact both. Matter of fact, at the same time. Didn't even get a smile. So I mentioned I was alone at the time. He finally figured out I was kidding. Anyway, it seems that either of those activities drives the little prostate gland into a frenzy, and it spews whatever it spews into the blood. So a word to the wise - if you're getting a PSA test, make sure you don't 'ride anything' for a couple days prior.
Hope everybody's well, and doing well. I'll check in when I can.
Hello Puzzlers -
Well done, Gary! A fun theme, a nice grid spanning unifier right in the middle, and not a groaner in sight.
Went right through with nary a speed bump. Maybe a tad easy for a Thursday, but no complaint.
Marti - in exchange for your sparkly write-up, I pledge not to pet your cat incorrectly!
Glad to hear the end of your stories Dennis; I really enjoyed the puzzle, especially the theme which was quite elusive, as always marti your write up was great fun. You also have tempted me to go to a bad place with your cat comment, but I will yake the high road; for now
Up and at'em atom ant!
Morning, all (and great to have you back with us, Dennis)!
Today's puzzle started out easy enough, but ended up being a bit of a challenge for me.
I had SLICE instead of SHARE and couldn't remember HAROLD Pinter's first name for awhile.
I had no idea what "John Barleycorn" referred to and was baffled by the clue for NBC. Plus, the clue for HAZEL baffled me as well.
I'm sure ASBURY PARK is famous, but I didn't know it.
I felt very confident that 56A was BALSA (OSIER didn't occur to me until much later).
I know ATTU from crosswords, but I've never heard of the "Near Islands" before.
Got it all done in the end unassisted, but it was quite the workout. Nice one, Gary!
Good day folks,
Dennis, good to hear from you. The only riding I do anymore is "in my dreams."
I had a workout today, but eventually got it done without assistance. The area that was the most difficult was sussing out SASH and SAUTE. TITLE HOLDER/SASH didn't make a lot of sense to me. ARROW was slow to arrive also. I figured it was Robin Hood, but I think the bow is the weapon and the arrow is the implement. Like a gun is the weapon, the bullet is its threat.
Wanted GEICO before AFLAC. Perps solved that dilemma. Guess a Getko ain't a duck!
Have an enjoyable Thursday. Back to doctoring this Damn cold.
Good Morning, Marti and friends. What Dudley Said!
I saw the BURs immediately in the theme clue, then it hit me ~ I needed to read from right to left! Fun puzzle. Even though I breezed through it, I did learn that Brown is not a Color, but a cooking term.
I also learned that a Piece of the Pie is Not a Slice, but a SHARE.
Hand up for thinking that a Laundry Room Brand is a detergent.
Less is More was the motto of the architect Mies van der Rohe.
QOD: Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand. ~ Kurt Vonnegut
Hand up for SLICE GEICO (Senior Moment, I guess) and VELVA. But I did manage to get everything straightened out in normal Thursday solving time.
As usual, I was too busy solving to get the theme. Thanx for enlightening me, Marti. We've got seven cats that hang around our homestead, so you'd think I'd have gotten it.
Hahtool, loved the QOD today. And Gary, thanx for a fine Thursday puzzle.
Flailing and winnowing(1:46)
Today's Non Sequitur.
Loved interview, CC.
Loved write-up, Marti; just right.
Loved puzzle, Gary.
Loved seeing Dennis first up.
Yes, yes, and yes: slice, dems and laundry soap.
Hospital duty for last week. Working out well.
Happy Thursday All.
Thanks to several emails, I should clarify that I'd been on an exercise bike for an hour the day before the prostate test; hence, the high PSA number.
And yes, it was a joke that I was having sex, by myself, while bike riding. That would require a degree of coordination beyond my skill set.
Good morning fellow puzzlers. Marti, I was on your wavelength on several answers, chuckled quite a bit.
Dennis! Good to see you and glad the outcome was positive.
YES! I finished! The NE corner filled nicely after SOYA then I sashayed right down through the GOBI and beyond.
Like Barry, I didn't know ASBURY PARK but easy enough to suss out.
I learned that UZI is an eponym.
Also thought of Kazie at AYERS rock.
Misspelled NONSEQUITUR with an "e" and had ATTE not ATTU in spite of its being so common in cwds. Now i know it's for skiing, too.
Very nice, Gary, thank you.
Happy Thursday, everyone!
Marti: Great write-up & links.
Got a laugh at the BRA link, the tab said: Stupidcelebrities.net
Any puzzle with BOOZE & Aqua VITAE gets a YES from me. (Avatar like it too).
As I filled in AYERS (Rock) I remembered its real name, ULURU.
My Aborigini guide, James, said to me:
"You white people are funny. You think you can OWN the land ... this will still be here, long after we are gone."
Smartest thing I ever heard someone say.
YENTA over HAZEL. In that old TV show, she was one? YES?
Glad you dropped by Dennis.
You get first "toast" at Sunset.
Fun theme, learning and clever cluing. What else do you need? What a nice ride and interview Gary!
Musings
-I shared lots of Marti’s false starts she mentions in her lovely write-up that included stimulation for both genders!
-SOFARSOGOOD got me going finally and then, refer to first words in this sentence
-Who’d wear the sash with I DA HO?
-Hey John, I’d like to see a good dance too but…
-HAROLD and CAMUS required Natick principle
-In golf “Que Sera Sera” is “Play It Where It Lies”
-OSIER and YEW are our flex woods
-I dropped the ball on the U in ATTU/SEQITUR
-I’ve taught with lots of YENTAS (If you can’t say something nice, come sit next to me)
-It’s always awkward having to call peeps that refuse to RSVP
-Dennis, my doctor said all of us men will die WITH but rarely OF prostate cancer but that PSA number gets your attention. Glad all is well!
Per the above comments, its true that 'active' sex and vigorous exercise can cause a high PSA level, indicative of (possible - ) Prostate cancer.
But a reading of 4.7 ( normal level 1- 4.0 ) is not necessarily something imminently fatal. Its when the nos. go to 6.0 then to 9.0 then 12.0 or more, thats when you have real trouble.
As my urologist says, all men above a certain age will eventually get prostate cancer, because they have no occasion or need to use the gland. Even (male) dogs get it. If it is a small comfort, the cancer grows very slowly. It could take 15 years. The bad news is that surgery is generally not recommended because of the complications that will eventually follow and the incontinence that occurs, and the quality of life goes down the drain. So, the patient will live just as long with or without surgery.
BTW, the Pres. panel on Medicare has identified the PSA test as the most un-necessary test for most men. The test is not completely indicative, give false positives etc. Read details on Google.
Sorry to be so gloomy this morning.
My doctor refutes the accuracy of a PSA test and only uses it as another piece of data in his diagnosis. That may be why various kinds of riding can skew the results. Unfortunately, the definitive test is a lot more invasive, and taller men have an even more uncomfortable time with that invasion. It seems the longer the torso, the farther away that little bugger sits!!
I finished - howza ! Yee haw ! Hoot-hoot ! - A Thursday at that. Thank you Gary Cee. You deserve a better grade than that - how about Gary Aaye ?
The interview by CC was really very nice - I never got the 'theme', but I realize someone worked very hard over it, and we are the lucky beneficiaries.
Marti, your comments are a pure delight and so much fun ! Hope you have a safe and happy trip and get to help on your hubby's project.
I thought 'most Egyptians' were Nubians ( wouldn't fit.)
Haight-Ashbury in SF was where the beatniks got started ?
Had 'Mung' bean before 'Soya'.
Alt QOD:. - A reality TV star said she was so surprised she "literally died". I could hardly wait to get a confirmation. ~ Seth Grimaldi.
Got stuck in the upper middle when I put taupe in for saute. Once I could get out of being stuck there, it opened up that whole square.
Loved the theme.
One of these days will try to not be anonymous, but adjusting to juggling the second computer record system with the first at work --(soon to be three,) and I just can't make room to come up with any new user names, passwords, etc.
Hello, fellow solvers!
Got this one without much difficulty but never bothered to check out the theme. Thanks Gary, HeartRx for a good time.
Favorites were the non-theme long answers, especially NON-SEQUITUR. Hands up for goofing up last U at first,
I watched Dr. Oz's segment on pulsed magnetic therapy pads Wednesday. Expensive, but could assist with problems with osteoarthritis, fibro and insomnia. Anybody have one? (The static magnets which have been ever so popular are deemed to be a scam.)
Much catch some zzzs or I won't be able to drag myself out in pool. Any of our new members live near Northridge?
Cheers!
Marti-
The French Lieutenant's Woman was written by John Fowles. I never read it, but I did read The Magus - a long time ago in college. I recall it being a very strange book.
And the N in MSNBC actually goes with both companies: MSN (Microsoft Network) and, of course, NBC.
Anon, yes of course! Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay adaptation of that novel. Thanks for th correction!
I finally figured out SASH...duh! It's the ones like they wear in the Miss America pageant...
Sitting at the airport waiting for my flight...
Sorry, the MSNBC might be an assumed portmanteau that I just made up. I can't find any real confirmation of it.
So, never mind.
John Fowles, however, is real.
I had trouble with John Barleycorn and finally guessed BOONE rather than BOOZE to finish it. Don't know why, but eye color never occurred to me either for HAZEL, even though my eyes are more or less hazel as were both my parents'. Also wasn't helped by having DEMS for DELS. UZI was my first fill. Never got the backward SBUR as RUBS.
I searched all four of our Springsteen CDs for ASBURY, but finding Atlanta as the only city name in any title, had to WAG PARK.
Marti,
"Fini" actually means "finished" rather than end which is "fin", which I think is more likely at the end of movies.
Dennis,
Very glad to hear all was well with you healthwise.
I had a lot of the same errors as Barry, and I concur with Anonymous @ 8:06 on Taupe. Here I was thinking "BROWN is a really vague clue for Taupe." Now I know why!
I'm thinking the clue for 16A sould contain an abbreviated word, since "OP ED" is technically an abbreviation. Maybe it's just me...
Happy Thursday to all.
Really enjoyed this puzzle and surprised myself by finishing, Booze came easily, Asbury Park, not so much. Never heard of it but I'm a West Coast gal and probably the only living non-fan on Springsteen.
I am also enjoying this blog, felt somewhat at sea when PG closed up shop as when I found her I was a blog virgin, but am having fun, you are all entertaining and educating.
fermataprime: I used to live in Northridge, right near where you probably taught - on Rathburn, 3 doors N of Lassen. House Red tagged,after '94"earthquake.
Kazie, thanks! I added your correction to my write-up.
MURAL, UZI, and ROT were my first entries. A three letter clue beginning with U about an Israeli gun designer, had to be UZI.
I had --OLD for PINTER. It had to be ARNOLD or HAROLD, which ruled out SLICE and indicated SHARE. I did not enjoy the novel, "French Lieutenants' Woman." It was disjointed as someone said. But, I loved, Pinter's movie version, the only case where I preferred a movie to the original novel.
I like Sprinsteen, and having ASB and knowing the theme SBUR, ASBURY PARK was easy.
I am surprised that JOHN BARLEY CORN was an unknown. It appears in my novels about early America.
I was hung up on a detergent for a while,and switched to AMANA with the perps.
I thought of Miss America for SASH.
Interesting, Wed. type puzzle. Marti, yours was a delightful write up, as usual.
Good morning All. Nice commentary, Marti.
I thought this was an easy Thursday. I, too, had slice before SHARE, but the perps gently set me straight. With the unifier at 39a, I got the backward RUBS theme which helped me get ASBURY PARK and DOONESBURY. Two French words today, FINI and ADIEU. I liked the OPINE/OP ED cross; also NEWS BUREAU. Finally learned whom the UZI is named after.
Dennis - good to see you. Good luck with your prostate health. I had a rising PSA several years ago and finally was biopsied. One malignant sample (out of 12) found. Opted for the 'seeds' (Iodine124 - 57 day half-life) treatment and have had no re-occurrence in over7 years. Your advice on pre-test activity is apt.
Enjoy the day.
Hang the puzzle for a while...DENNIS SHOWED UP! Please let us know if you suffered any property damage during "Irene?" (or would that hinder property sale?)
I have read that false positives in PSA tests can cause unnecessary treatments and more harm than prostate cancer it self (which is relatively easy to cure.) I`ve also read that regular sex can keep the prostate from swelling as badly as men age. True, Heartrx?
If any of you are easily off-ended, please read no further.
An old joke you might appreciate, Dennis. The hell-fire and brimstone preacher thundered, "If any of you been a he-in and she-in outside of marriage, raise your hand and repent. If any of you been a he-in and a he-in or a she-in and a she-in, raise your hand and repent!" A guy on the first row had not raised his hand so the "preacher" said, "What about YOU, young feller?" to which the guy replied, " You ain`t said nuthin about a me-in and a me-in!"
Oddly enough, the things about this puzzle that bothered me gave me no problems. It was SASH/SAUTE that gave me the DNF.
OK, NW corner. Unclued abrev, French crossing French *and* Yiddish, and a highly questionable clue for DUB. That's a mess in my book, but an easy one.
2D needs to indicate it's a nickname of Uziel Gal.
But the most glaring offender is 24D. Most Egyptians consider themselves ethnically separate from ARABS. It's a good subject to bring up in Cairo if you want a fight on your hands.
Hey, love a Thurs. puzzle on my wave length. Thank you Gary Cee! Fun writeup, Marti!
I was a newswriter, raise soybeans on my farm, just read Doonsbury and once visited Asbury Park on the New Jersey shore. Springsteen grew up there and his band is named for a street there.
Only screwup: C in Nonsequiter.
Marti: I'm with you. My HP Photosmart Premium Printer is much smarter than I am. I learned to print photos then was out of ink for 5 mos. Forgot how to make it print on photo paper. SIL showed me how to scan stuff two weeks ago. Can't do it now. Very little sequential memory in the old noggin'.
I'll never get computer smart enough to go blue.
Magnets no scam! I sleep with magnets on a bad foot every night. Broken tendon years ago. Magnets reduce swelling and pain. Definitely can tell if I don't magnetize for a few nights. I was skeptical at first.
Also use for jaw pain.
-PK
Great write-up Marti. Fun puzzle. I have heard of non sequitur before, but really not in my general vocab so that threw me for a loop. There were many unknowns today, but could generally get them with the perps. Was looking for laundry detergent also.
Love the Jersey Shore reference. Anyone ever watch the intro by Jon Stewart at the Kennedy Center Honors presentation for Springsteen? Hilarious. I am sure I have watched it dozens of times, and am in stitches each time. I no longer watch the news at night - just Jon Stewart.
Good to see you Dennis. All that prostate talk this am. Whew!!! Have to inform my hubby of that little piece of info.
CC - didn't get to say thanks for the lovely Hall puzzle the other day. Touches my heartstrings being a Twins fan. He is a lovely man. Came out to the opening of my kids summer baseball league when they were young kids. Very generous.
Have a great day all. Very chilly here and stood in line 45 minutes for a charity CD they sell every year. Brrrrrr. Anyone sick of Christmas music in the stores already?
Loved the puzzle and the write-up.
@Dennis - not sure if I've met you being quite new around here but glad you're OK - maybe the deer might not agree with me :)
Now - SASH - I *thought* I knew what Gary was getting at, and it seems I was right, but unless a pageant winner is actually called "The Sash" I don't really understand it. Can someone enlighten me?
OP-ED crossing OPINE was grand!
My three male first cousins died of prostate cancer which spread because they ignored symptoms. Their father & his brother, my dad also had PC. Believe me, my brothers were clued in and get PSA's. My sons have been told. High PSA's cause some alarms, but also save lives.
When I was a news editor, a cancer survivor asked me to do a prostate cancer awareness story blitz. He got the doctors in our rural county to do a screening clinic. We used an "If you love your wife, give her the gift of a checkup." The turnout was astonishing and a number of cancers were eventually diagnosed and treated as a result. Sadly, a few found that day, were too late and later terminal.
-PK
Couldn't 6A Title holder? have been CASH instead of SASH. After all CASH is KING?????
KING is a title
KQ, our adult contemporary radio station is already playing Xmas music! Usually they wait until after Thanksgiving...
For all you Pisces and/or basketball fans out there, do you remember the movie The Fish That Saved PITTSBURGH?
Here's a little Joanie and Chachi duet (3:21) for you Scott BAIO fans out there. This was in Happy Days, but it later became the theme song to their Joanie Loves Chachi spin-off.
And, hey! What's up with that "exterminator's target" anyway?! Ants are people, too!
Of course, being a Cleveland Browns fan, PITTSBURGH rubs me the wrong way!
Fun theme, Mr. Cee, and great write-up, Marti. A good start to the post-hump part of the week. (Thanks for yesterday's explanation, Steve).
Lots of trouble at the beginning, but the literati saved my day--Dante, Camus, and Pinter all in one puzzle! My husband and I met Pinter a few years ago when he was given an honorary degree from University College Dublin. No anecdotes: we said "Congratulations" and he said "Thank you."
Good Morning, folks. Thank you, Gary Cee, for a great Thursday puzzle. Thank you, HeartRx, for the swell write-up.
Nice to see your appearance, Dennis. Keep coming back!
Took me a while to get the NW corner. I had a different name for UZI for a while. Finally fixed that.
SASH was arrived at by Perps and Wags. Never figured it out until I read the reviews of this puzzle on the Blog. Thank you, all.
Got the theme answers and them the theme unifier.
JOHN BARLEYCORN was first seen by me in a biography of Jack London. He wrote a story about that character after living in England for a while, I believe. There is also a chain restaurant/bar with that name near me in Schaumburg, IL. I ate there a couple times.
Nice to See AYERS Rock, the largest single stone ever discovered in the world.
Got FINI and ADIEU amazingly fast. That is not normal for me.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
I got a little hung up with SADD, which I know of as Seasonal Affective Disorder Depression.
I also learned that Students Against Drunk Driving is now Students Against Destructive Decisions.
Loved the puzzle and the interview. I enjoy learning about the constructors. I solved the robs the wrong way clue first and then looked for where that would be in the answers. I flew through the puzzle but didn't greet the booze/hazel clues because I couldn't get past dems. Didn't get it until I read it here. Thanks.
John Barleycorn Must Die. Traffic 1968.
KQ:
I haven't heard Christmas carols in the sores yet but what is odious to me is changing the words in Carols for commercials on TV.
Hah! I wonder if the editor wrote the clue to 9D.
Dear Lucina: Pobrecita, I hope your sores heal before they begin playing any music at all.
Wiilie, why don't you refer to the clu instead of just the number?
Hi Everyone ~~
It's all been said but I did like the puzzle (seemed easy for a Thursday) and I really enjoyed your write-up, Marti! I caught the theme only after the unifier. I then went back to see all the "back" rubs.
My cats don't seem to mind if I rub them the 'wrong' way ... as long as they have my attention. The three of them seem to be competing for that lately. Their antics make me laugh. >^:^<
I lost power again for a while yesterday ... scary reminder of the five days during past storm! Hopefully no one in our group was affected by the storms in the southeast yesterday.
Glad you're doing OK, Dennis ~~
Enjoy the day!
Steve, the pageant winner's SASH holds the title, in the sense that MISS AMERICA is printed on it.
Wikipedia and acrionym and abbreviation websites say OP-ED is an abbreviation,. Numberous online dictionaries and my 4 inch thick dictionary do not list it as an abbreviation. I agree. With most abbreviations we read them as the word they are meant to stand for. We pronounce Mr. as Mister
We never say "OPposite the EDiotorial page" in place of OP-ED.
I knew ARAB was the intended answer for MOST EGYPTIANS, although I questioned it. This morning I read quite a few articles on the ethnicity of Egyptians. There is no definitive answer.They do not all agree. Some are passionate. It does seem that for thousands of years many ethnicities almalgated into what is know as Egyptian.
Oh dead, Lucina. Do keep us posted on your musical sores! LOL!
LaLaLinda : one of my cats also likes lots of attention, so she doesn't mind being rubbed the wrong way, either. The other cat doesn't much liked to be patted either the right or wrong way.
I meant to write Oh, Dear, not oh dead. Darn autocorrect!
Lemony-
It's all in the reveal.
And, Yellowrocks, it's not really important whether they're ARAB or not, it's whether they can walk the walk.
Hahtool and Lemonade:
I am laughing so hard I can hardly type. Really, I must do a better job of editing my posts!
However, it is a SORE point with me when perfectly lovely songs are capriciously changed to suit a commercial. Lately I've heard O Sole Mio as well as Christmas Carols.
Toot N. Common( great name )
After watching your link, I watched the one with Michael Jackson for the video portion. Crazy, man, crazy.
Hello.
First post lost in outter space.
Will just thank JD for the great photos. Wish I had taken them.
Can't stay up long enough to ride a bike.
eddy
You mean that I am not alone?
SOS!! As you can see in my 12:01 comment, I cannot find a way to use spell check in this blog. Sorry. Any advice would be appreciated.
KQ Could you possibly be a fellow (gal) Jerseyite? I haven't seen any on this blog. Are there others posting as ANONs?
Hahtool, you beat me to posting, but I was LMHO at your DEAD LUCINA. First she was fine. Then she had sores. Now she was declared DEAD. Thank goodness it is all in fun.
Yellowrocks, yes, south Jersey.
@Yellowrocks - thanks for the edification, but I'm now really not liking the clue. Something printed "holds" the printed words? Nah.
Ignoring the letter count, but BOOKSTAND, HOMEOWNER, DUKE (or any nobilty) and I'd be smiling at "Title Holder?"
SASH - nope.
My condolences go out to you, Yellow (though it does now explain your name). I do agree with your assessment that this was a Wed-type of puzzle. Much too easy for a Thurs.
C.C., et al:
Looks like your days of cluing 'STRO as a TX NLer are coming to a close. There will now be two AL teams in Texas.
Hi, Dennis! Good to hear from you!
This one is for you, Dennis.
Another example of timely coincidence!
Yellowrocks, as I was drifting off to sleep last night, my mind was stuck on your descriptions of the Japanese bath and trying to dry off with the tiny towel. Had some chuckles over that.
My husband used to stand in the tub after the water was drained and use both hands as a squeegee down his body and legs. Then he would raise one leg and shake it off, step out onto the mat with that leg, then shake his other leg over the tub. Other parts also were in motion. I tried never to laugh at him.
Maybe this ritual would work at the Japanese bath.
- PK
Yellowrocks @2:08 - Re Spell Check. On my browser (Safari), under the "Edit" pulldown, click on 'Spelling and Grammar' and make sure 'Check Spelling While Typing' is checked. Your browser may have a similar setting.
Just got back from a doctor's appointment and I've been reading the blog and posts from Wednesday's puzzle since I wasn't able to get to it yesterday. Wow ... lots of funny stuff!
~~ Hahtool -- I loved your 'Hillside whizzers' --> PEE connection and all the like comments that followed.
~~ Marti -- I had forgotten about 'Chits in a pot' LOL! I remember how funny it was when you clued it -- this time I just filled it in with nary a thought!
~~ JzB -- thanks for the information-filled and wonderfully entertaining write-up! I never did get 'Summer's column' -- TENS until checking in with you.
~~ Steve -- I chuckled at your comment re: gasoline-fires and some anon/troll comments. I'll be watching! ;-)
Oh, JzB, how little they appreciate your gentle nudging.
I just returned from a doctor's appointment where I was declared in good health with no sores of any kind, thank you all for the chuckles.
Thanks, Spitzboov, but I have clicked on that and everything else without success. Would a different browser work? If so, what would you suggest.
NOT IN JOYSEY
No offense, but "Joysey" works on my nerves. I never hear it said like that, although there may be a small area where it occurs.
"My condolences go out to you, Yellow (though it does now explain your name). " Huh? Why do I need condolences? You have totally miscontrued my name. YELLOWROCKS means hugs in square dance language.
I've heard it pronounced exactly like that. But the speaker wasn't from Jersey. They were from the Bronx.
Seen, thanks so much for the flashback. I always get concerned when I ask the proctologist where to put my clothes, and he says, "on top of mine".
Thanks for all the greetings; I've truly missed the blog.
PK, I do the same 'squeegee' thing with my hands, but it comes from the service days when most towels were about the size of dishrags and it was necessary to get as much water off as possible before using one.
Yellowrocks, where in Jersey?
Hello everybody. Been doing a lot of catching up on this blog since returning from vacation; love all your wonderful, funny, and enlightening posts. As for today's puzzle, I enjoyed it. Wanted WEDGE for piece of the pie. Somehow got 20A (SETON) from the perps without seeing the clue, and thought of Seton Hall when I saw the fill.
Thank you all for posting. Thank you C.C. for the interview with Gary Cee (Holy wow, he's finishing a symphony?!?!) And thank you JazzB for the links to the various musical performances.
Best wishes to you all.
Yellowrocks: I don't know which browser you are using; I can speak only for Safari which runs on Apple computers. A quick google search seems to say that Internet Explorer does not have spell checker but you may be able to utilize a free plug-in. Firefox apparently has a spell check feature.
The other thing you could do is compose your comments in a text editor which has a spell checker. Then simply edit copy/edit paste your comments onto this blog.
Dennis - I thought the humor on this blog was pretty funny, but your asides are truly messed up! No wonder everyone's always asking after you. Hopefully, you stick around for a while.
As to your squeegee comment - my dad was in the Navy, and he used to make us take "navy showers" when we were kids. Water on, get wet, water off. Soap up. Water on, rinse soap, water off. We had full-sized towels, but I think I'd prefer the squeegee method over the lack of shower-time any day.
..."on top of mine." And alone on the bike! I'm still laughing those off. Though, of course, I'm glad you're ok...
Toot N. Common - Great alias! Thanks for the Bangles clip, Susanna Hoffs was a major cutie.
"There were 3 kings into the East
Three kings both great and high,
and they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn must die!"
Robert Burns
What happens is they cut him down and FLAIL him and chop him to bits, and grind him - and drink his blood, which indeed is whiskey.
The only thing we don't like about Scott Baio is how he pronounces his Italina name.
Sorry I missed so many great posts today, but I am down here in Chapel Hill, trying to keep DH's prostate healthy!!
Dennis, it was sooooo good to hear from you. I really miss your humor and wisdom every day.
Lucina, I SORE hope you are better soon!
Drats! Left this am without my printed copy of the xwd, and couldn't bring it up on computer at school...but I was able to read the great interview. Thanks C.C.
And Marti, you rock!
Mostly, it made my day hearing from Dennis.
Hey, @Ant--I just checked out the Joanie and Chachi duet: what a gift for all of us "Happy Day" fans! I even saw the Fonz in the audience--along with Mr. and Mrs. C, of course.
I'm still watching the Fonz on a show about a "concierge doctor" in the Hamptons. Can't remember the name of the show.
But my, wasn't "Happy Days" a happy program! And for such a long time. We actually got to see Joanie and Chachi go from kids to teenagers over the years!
Hi gang -
Dennis - great to have you back. Love your wit and spirit.
I thought the puzzle was on the tough side, but did manage to finish.
It's all been said, and most cleverly, too. Great blogging and comments today.
We have a couple granddaughters for the day tomorrow - school is out for conferences. I'll check in if I can.
Cheers!
JzB
That's "Royal Pains", Misty. A more enjoyable medical show than most. Back in January.
Virginia: Did indeed teach at humongous campus that you mentioned. House has undesirable lists to various sides in some rooms. Scary.
Dennis: Great to hear from you. Hope all is peachy with p. p.
Dennis & Frank: Thanks for the come back. My husband was in the service so that may be where the bath ritual came from.
I thought it came from being one of five kids with one bathmat and a bathroom the size of a postage stamp.
I heard of one family with 17 kids who allowed only seven minute showers on strict schedule. Always wondered how big a hot water heater they had.
-PK
Dennis the scariest thing with a proctologist is:
a) You feel both his hands on your shoulder during the examination' or
b) You see his name is Dr. Sandusky
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