(Please click here to solve the LA Times Daily Crossword in old format.)
Theme: DF families
I will give the reveal first:
59A. Show since 12/17/1989 whose five main family members are hidden in this puzzle's other long across answers : THE SIMPSONS
...and then I'll introduce the leading characters:
17A. Tomato-based concoctions : CHILI SAUCES. Lisa, a precocious 8-year old activist.
20A. Do-it-yourselfers' projects : HOME RENOVATIONS. Homer, the father, who works as a safety inspector at a nuclear power plant (God help us!).
29A. Birthplace of the Bauhaus movement : WEIMAR GERMANY. Marge, the stereotypical housewife and mother.
41A. Mughal emporer, 1556-1605 : AKBAR THE GREAT. Bart, the 10-year-old troublemaker.
52A. Lone Star State collegiate athlete : TEXAS A AND M AGGIE. Maggie, the pacifier-sucking baby who never speaks.
Homer would say, "MEH"...This puzzle is packed with theme entries -nice! I have never watched the Simpsons, and only know their names from doing crosswords!
Marti here, so it must be Thursday already?
Across:
1. Goes on : LASTS
6. "Dude!" : MY MAN
11. Jamboree gp. : BSA. Boy Scouts of America.
14. Wise youngster? : OWLET
15. Dumas's Edmond Dantes, e.g. : COMTE. French count.
16. PC-to-PC system : LAN. Local Area Network.
19. Not safe : OUT. "Y'errrrrr out!!"
22. Lee org. : CSA. Confederate States of America, General Robert E. Lee.
23. Word after mess or media : KIT
24. End of the war : V-DAY. "Victory" Day
25. Lowdown : INFO
28. They may be tipped in acknowledgement : HATS
36. Totally dominate : OWN
37. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" actress : MIA SARA. A.K.A. Sloane Peterson in the movie.
38. High deg. : PH.D
44. Race invented about 800,000 years before its time : ELOI. From H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine"
45. Schools of thought : ISMS
46. Field workers : OXEN
47. End of many a riddle : AM I.
(I have an eye but cannot see. I am stronger and faster than any man alive but have no limbs. Who am I?)
50. Range part: Abbr. : MTN. Mountain.
58. Greek vowel : ETA
60. Dreamer's acronym : REM
61. Coastal safety measure : LEVEE. ..Not so safe in New Orleans in 2005, though.
62. Lincoln and Ford : AUTOS
63. Return adressee, briefly? : IRS. Internal revenue Service, where we must send all of our tax RETURNS
64. "Waiting for Lefty" playwright : ODETS
65. Sudden burst : SPATE
Down:
1. Ness, for one : LOCH
2. "Horton Hears ___" : A WHO
3. Not good, chance-wise : SLIM...to none!
4. BellSouth, for one : TELECOM
5. Moves a muscle : STIRS
6. Thom ___: Shoe brand : MCAN
7. Concerned query : YOU OK?
8. XCV years from now : MMCVI...do the math!
9. Troubled a lot : ATE AT
10. Leaves home? : NEST...OK, this one stymied me. Help?
11. A and B, e.g. : BLOOD TYPES. We had A NEG yesterday...
12. Hot spots : SAUNAS. When we were children, my father had a sauna every Saturday for his Finnish friends...us kids would have to wait until they were done, before we got to go into the sauna.
13. Not sitting well? : ANTSY
18. Noted septet member : SEA
21. Russian John : IVAN
25. ___ Jima : IWO
26. Mint : NEW. I bet Dennis and C.C. both have mint baseball cards in their colletions...
27. Reason for cramming : FINAL EXAMS
28. Den ___. Nederland : HAAG
30. Prefix with dexterity : AMBI
31. River inlet : RIA
32. Spearlike fish : GAR. Yes, they are spear-like!
33. Recordholder's suffix : EST
34. Word of support : RAH
35. G.I. chow : MRE. Meal, Ready to Eat.
39. One acting badly : HAM
40. Boozer's syndrome : DTS. Delirium tremens...not a nice thing to go through.
42. ___Coast, Hawaiian coffee district : KONA
43. Calls, in Chelsea : RINGS UP. One of my 'Brit friends used to say "I'll knock you up in the morning..." Nice Cuppa, is that a familiar phrase for you?
44. English cathedral city : EXETER
46. Former "SNL" regular : OTERI
47. Sounded content : AAHED
48. Novelist Binchy : MAEVE
49. Atlas enlargement : INSET
50. "Delicious!" : MMM
51. Spanish bar snacks : TAPAS. MMM!!
Theme: DF families
I will give the reveal first:
59A. Show since 12/17/1989 whose five main family members are hidden in this puzzle's other long across answers : THE SIMPSONS
...and then I'll introduce the leading characters:
17A. Tomato-based concoctions : CHILI SAUCES. Lisa, a precocious 8-year old activist.
20A. Do-it-yourselfers' projects : HOME RENOVATIONS. Homer, the father, who works as a safety inspector at a nuclear power plant (God help us!).
29A. Birthplace of the Bauhaus movement : WEIMAR GERMANY. Marge, the stereotypical housewife and mother.
41A. Mughal emporer, 1556-1605 : AKBAR THE GREAT. Bart, the 10-year-old troublemaker.
52A. Lone Star State collegiate athlete : TEXAS A AND M AGGIE. Maggie, the pacifier-sucking baby who never speaks.
Homer would say, "MEH"...This puzzle is packed with theme entries -nice! I have never watched the Simpsons, and only know their names from doing crosswords!
Marti here, so it must be Thursday already?
Across:
1. Goes on : LASTS
6. "Dude!" : MY MAN
11. Jamboree gp. : BSA. Boy Scouts of America.
14. Wise youngster? : OWLET
15. Dumas's Edmond Dantes, e.g. : COMTE. French count.
16. PC-to-PC system : LAN. Local Area Network.
19. Not safe : OUT. "Y'errrrrr out!!"
22. Lee org. : CSA. Confederate States of America, General Robert E. Lee.
23. Word after mess or media : KIT
24. End of the war : V-DAY. "Victory" Day
25. Lowdown : INFO
28. They may be tipped in acknowledgement : HATS
36. Totally dominate : OWN
37. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" actress : MIA SARA. A.K.A. Sloane Peterson in the movie.
38. High deg. : PH.D
44. Race invented about 800,000 years before its time : ELOI. From H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine"
45. Schools of thought : ISMS
46. Field workers : OXEN
47. End of many a riddle : AM I.
(I have an eye but cannot see. I am stronger and faster than any man alive but have no limbs. Who am I?)
50. Range part: Abbr. : MTN. Mountain.
58. Greek vowel : ETA
60. Dreamer's acronym : REM
61. Coastal safety measure : LEVEE. ..Not so safe in New Orleans in 2005, though.
62. Lincoln and Ford : AUTOS
63. Return adressee, briefly? : IRS. Internal revenue Service, where we must send all of our tax RETURNS
64. "Waiting for Lefty" playwright : ODETS
65. Sudden burst : SPATE
Down:
1. Ness, for one : LOCH
2. "Horton Hears ___" : A WHO
3. Not good, chance-wise : SLIM...to none!
4. BellSouth, for one : TELECOM
5. Moves a muscle : STIRS
6. Thom ___: Shoe brand : MCAN
7. Concerned query : YOU OK?
8. XCV years from now : MMCVI...do the math!
9. Troubled a lot : ATE AT
10. Leaves home? : NEST...OK, this one stymied me. Help?
11. A and B, e.g. : BLOOD TYPES. We had A NEG yesterday...
12. Hot spots : SAUNAS. When we were children, my father had a sauna every Saturday for his Finnish friends...us kids would have to wait until they were done, before we got to go into the sauna.
13. Not sitting well? : ANTSY
18. Noted septet member : SEA
21. Russian John : IVAN
25. ___ Jima : IWO
26. Mint : NEW. I bet Dennis and C.C. both have mint baseball cards in their colletions...
27. Reason for cramming : FINAL EXAMS
28. Den ___. Nederland : HAAG
30. Prefix with dexterity : AMBI
31. River inlet : RIA
32. Spearlike fish : GAR. Yes, they are spear-like!
33. Recordholder's suffix : EST
34. Word of support : RAH
35. G.I. chow : MRE. Meal, Ready to Eat.
39. One acting badly : HAM
40. Boozer's syndrome : DTS. Delirium tremens...not a nice thing to go through.
42. ___Coast, Hawaiian coffee district : KONA
43. Calls, in Chelsea : RINGS UP. One of my 'Brit friends used to say "I'll knock you up in the morning..." Nice Cuppa, is that a familiar phrase for you?
44. English cathedral city : EXETER
46. Former "SNL" regular : OTERI
47. Sounded content : AAHED
48. Novelist Binchy : MAEVE
49. Atlas enlargement : INSET
50. "Delicious!" : MMM
51. Spanish bar snacks : TAPAS. MMM!!
53. D-Day target city : ST LO
54. Fizzles out : DIES
55. "___ light?" : GOT A. First time I went to Germany, I needed a cigarette lighter and asked, "Haben sie ein licht?" The guy looked up at the ceiling light, quizzically wondering what I wanted! I think the correct way to say it would be "Haben sie feuer?" Maybe Kazie can correct me...
56. Trying to get untied, briefly? : IN OT. My favorite clue/ans of the day. In overtime, trying to break a tied score!
57. To be, to Brutus : ESSE
Answer grid.
Now it is time "to be" going.
Hugs,
Marti
100 comments:
It's strange to look at Crossword Corner for Wednesday at 11:10PM and find Thursday's puzzle's write up.
Good night all.
a NEST is a home - made of leaves.
as far as the puzzle is concerned - WBIGTS!
(what Barry is going to say).
Hello.
A little German came in handy.
Goodness, ANH beat PHO. What next?
eddy
Sorry about the schedule mix-up! There are so many fine points about blogging I have to learn...
Ari, thanks for the V8 moment!
Very nice theme and reveal clue - I needed the reveal to start going back to fill in a lot of blanks. Needed to do some Latin Math to get a good toe-hold at the top middle too.
Nice write-up Marti - I'll stand in for Nice Cuppa and say that you don't really hear the "knock you up" expression much any more; it's a little archaic now; a servant or hotel employee would knock at your bedroom door to wake you up back when there were no alarm clocks or phones in the room.
Agree that INOT was great.
Hi all,
I'm new to this blog, but reading it is more fun than actually solving the puzzle. It's gotten unsatisfying now to do a crossword without this kind of follow-up. You guys and the constructor should EACH get $85. Sam Zell can afford it.
Agree w. Ari on LEAVES HOME as NEST made of leaves but can't think of any birds or insects that do this. Is the clue a little too clever?
22A,clued Lee org., is the United States of America Obama's "organization"?
Couldn't get RA at the end of MIA SARA. Didn't know her, MRE or HAAG, so INOT complete puzzle.
Finally, does DF Families stand for dysfunctional or something else? And, from previous posts, what is a DNF?
What an acronymonious world we live in now!
Len, I used "DF" to mean "dysfunctional", yes. "DNF" means "did not finish" here on the blog.
DNF - Did Not Finish
Leaves home: Think of it like a home in the leaves. A mountain home could be a cabin or A-frame but it wouldn't be made from a mountain. OK, maybe a cave could be.
Morning, all!
Definitely not a "meh" rating from me! Maybe because I used to be a huge fan of "The Simpsons," but I thought this puzzle was brilliant. I was especially impressed by the fact that all the theme names spanned two words in the theme answers.
MMCVI was utterly dreadful, but that was really the only junk fill. There were certainly some unknowns (MIA SARA, AKBAR THE GREAT), but nothing the perps couldn't handle.
PLEASE change your avatar.
Good day folks,
Today was a struggle from the start, but it eventually came together for me without any look ups. The South was finished first, then the North and finally the Central. MIASARA was the last to fall. Never heard of her. The last A was a WAG.
AKBAR THE GREAT was a who?
The three and four letter clues were slow to arrive too. Typical Thursday.
Knowing the theme wasn't much of a help because I never watch the SIMPSONS. Even though the characters are often seen in crosswords, they are not something I've committed to memory.
I wanted either GMAN or TMAN for 1D. The LOCH light went on late,
Marti, glad to have you back on Thursdays. Always look forward to your comments.
Good Morning, Marti and friends. Another puzzle that I just LOVED! It seemed an easier puzzle than usual for Thursday, but maybe that was become once I knew I was looking for the SIMPSON family, the long clues fell into place.
My favorite clues were Wise Youngster = OWLET
I also liked Not Safe = OUT.
I was briefly flummoxed by Leaves Home, but after getting the _EST, the NEST made sense to me.
The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite novels. I read the English translation, though but knew he was a French COMTE.
Let's hope the new/repaired LEVEEs will be strong enough for the next storm.
Office Christmas party today! and it is nearly 80F!
QOD: A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew. ~ Herb Caen
@Argyle - IMHO, strictly speaking, a cave isn't made of mountain, it's made of air, mostly surrounded by mountain *s*
@len - acronymonious goes down as my WOTD - awesome!
Argyle, your interpretation is, of course, the correct one - making my clever name not so clever.
D'oh!
-Sam Eaglet
Hello Puzzlers -
WBS.
Yup.
Argyle and Ari, whatever...
I just couldn't wrap my head around someone who exits from their house, connected to the answer NEST. But now I see that a NEST could be found in the leaves of a tree, OR, it could be made of leaves. i guess interpretation is all in the distorted mind of the beholder.
~ ~
0
Hi, all!
Puzzle great fun, Mark; fantastic write-up, Marti. So, why is this given a time of 5:30 when it appeared at incredible hour of 10 pm or so?
Yes, loved INOT and others, but am fading fast again. Got really stressed out earlier and took a Xanax in despair. LADWP no longer answers phones about solar heating. Mine, since last May, still not hooked up. Also, too many horrible bills arriving that I can't pay. Yippee! Fixed income deal no fun.
Cheers!
PS. Still hate NEST!
Fermatprime, last night when I finished my write-up, I scheduled the blog for the normal time of 5:30 AM today. Then I hit "publish" before it had a chance to save my preferences. So it got published immediately when I finished..."Mea culpa"!
I believe a squirrel's NEST is made mostly of leaves.
Marti, thanx for 'splaining INOT. Got it, but didn't.
Thank you Mr. Bickham, for a very nice puzzle. Altho' I never watched 'The Simpsons', I have a Rubic's cube with their pics on it.... and I know their names, which are now history and American literature. I finished, and that's all that matters - nest or no nest.... and a Thursday, at that.
Marti, your commentary was a joy to behold. I see you have recovered from your long and arduous trip - and are now probably allocating your chocolates, to the days on which they are be eaten. Give yourself plenty of time. BTW, I loved your humor.
ALT QOD:- The couple at the next table thinks some weird chick is eavesdropping on them, but I don't see her anywhere. ~ CAPRICE CRANE.
well the la times responded to the complaints and changed the platform again. The new platform makes the last platform seam like you are in heaven. ultimately had to find the chicago tribune platform and solve the puzzle there. Overall a good puzzle harder than the rest of the week so it was a good thursday most of the clues came quickly i did not understand the theme until reading the blog. good work Marti for your writeup.
I am not sure if I mentioned this before but - 'Akbar the Great' is a misnomer because , 'Akbar' itself, means 'great'. ( as in, the common Islamic exclamation, 'Allah-hu- Akbar', " God is great".)
Would Queen Elizabeth the First be called, 'Virgin the Virgin' ? or the present Queen, as 'Second the Second' ?
His name was really Jalal-ud Din Muhammed, born 10.10.1542, reigned 2.1556 thru 10.27.1605. - honorific Akhbar-e-Azam, Shahanshah... 'Greatest in the universe, King of kings'. Among numerous other titles - he was also 'The shadow of God on Earth'....
I can sympathize with the constructor, because the word BART is difficult to get with two words.
BTW, Bart. is also a rank of peerage (nobility) by the British - Knight- Baronet ( a sort of mini-Baron, the lowest rank )- who had the 'right' to pass on his title of 'Sir' to his eldest male descendant. Sorry, Marti , girls need not apply. I think about 5 Indians , in the British-Indian Empire actually reached that rank, in 280 years.
I'm with Sallie--I came here again after refreshing all day on my desktop, but I was lazy and did it on the laptop in the living room. And what came up was Thursday--at about 9:30 CST.
Enjoyed Marti's write-up, but found the CW difficulty level quite a jump from yesterday. Complete unknowns, such as AKBAR, ODETS, MIA SARA, and then some long forgottens like ELOI, KONA, and most of the Simpson names, made it slow going, but satisfying when done. First fill: MCAN, last: IN OT.
Will Anon from 6:59AM yesterday please stand up?
Agree with Hondo on 1D and AKBAR. and agree with Desper-Otto on Squirrel Nests. Plenty of squirrels in my yard.
I liked 19A Not Safe: OUT. Never knew IVAN was Russian for John, and never heard of Novelist Binchy. Thought Akbar was a typo on my part. I learn something new every day here.
Have The Simpsons really been on TV for 22 years? D'Oh!
Marti, since nobody has commented on your riddle - would it be fair to take a guess ?
I have an eye ... and stronger than any man, but have no limbs ... Would that be the 'eye' of a storm or a hurricane? - or the eye of a needle?
Anonymouse: Bingo! It is a hurricane eye.
Although needles also have eyes, the question would be, are they really stronger than any man? Well, from my experience using needles in the ER, many a strong man has fallen to the floor when he sees one, haha!
AM I 'THE SIMPSONS' fan?
NOT!!!
But I've learned about them in crosswords.
THIS was my FAVORITE puzzle-solve this year.
Clever (genius!) misdirection.
With THE BEST clue EVER for ELOI!
Unknowns, a few, all doable via "the perps."
Even "A-TEAT" in the grid. lol ...
Thank you Marti, for a great write-up.
Mark Bickham, for a Wonderful Thursday puzzle.
A 'toast' to ALL, at Sunset.
Cheers !!!
Tinbeni, are you sure that's not "AT EAT"? (ha ha)
Here in Chicago we're supposed to love Ferris Beuler's Day Off (37A). I never liked that movie.
For all our blog friends who celebrate Christmas and Season`s Greetings to those who don`t
Enjoyed the banter as much as the puzzle and the original commentary. Thanks!
Noted in passing that there were only 2 Ks in the puzzle:
@23 provided the solve by changing 9D from a meh-y ATEAR to a doh-y ATE AT.
@42 provided the History Lesson of the Day. I recognized the name (even if it is a misnomer) but would never have known the "Mughal" or the century.
Mornin' to all,
My NEST wanted to be a TREE...but, alas, no apostrophe!
Tried thinking like a man...but still couldn't come up with INOT!!
Really had to work on the puzzle, but don't think even knowing The Simpsons would have helped today. Very well constructed puzzle.
I have faith that the weekend is slowly approaching....not that it matters at all....need another xray of that @#$%** toe again tomorrow. Why couldn't the fracture have been near the toenail, instead of the base???
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Mark Bickham, for one of the best puzzles I have encountered. Great job! Thank you, as well, HeartRx, for the excellent write-up.
Got started slowly. My first answer was DTS for 40D. I spread from there.
The puzzle was tough in spots, but it is Thursday.
Lots of misdirection. Great clues and answers, ie: 1d LOCH. I had GMAN and TMSN for a while. OWLET was great. NEST was a puzzler for a while. OXEN was late to fall. IRS was clever.
Enjoyed BSA. The Boys Scouts of America was one of my main activities as a youth. Went to the Jamboree in 1960 at Colorado Springs. Saw James Arness and President Eisenhower (from a distance).
I am guessing that AKBAR THE GREAT must have been Persian from the comment of Anony-Mouse regarding shahanshah. That means King of Kings in Persian.
It's raining in Pennsylvania. Heading back to Chicago tomorrow afternoon.
Abejo
Thanks for sharing your formidable puzzle skills with us Marti.
I know about honest linguistic errors. The time I asked the woman at the market in Mexico if she had "huevos grandes" created much mirth among her friends standing by. The world of puzzledom has been my home ever since.
El Gringo, you're gonna have to help me out on that one: "huevos grandes" = "large eggs"? . Must be another meaning in there, that I can only guess!
I also used to say "Ich bin heiss" when I wanted to say "I'm hot", until I found out that phrase means an entirely different thing to Germans! (Think, touching your index finger to your butt, with a sizzling sound...)
Marti,
In apology for your German question in the write up which I totally forgot to answer: Haben Sie Feuer? is indeed the way to ask for a light.
Your comment above on Ich bin heiß brings a knowing smile. Something that was always difficult to drum into students: Es ist mir warm is the correct way to say it. There are many "impersonal expressions" like that, but also, Germans tend to avoid the extremes when talking about personal temperatures. Warm and kühl are preferred to heiß and kalt for the way we feel. Hot food is either heiß, or spicy: scharf.
Hello again.
in OT was easy if you watch hockey.
Chi and Wild went to OT and then to a SO. Chi won.
Bauhaus Movement was the attempt to establish a Republic after WWl.
Keep hitting publish early.
eddy
Hello Marti, C.C. and the Corner. I am finally home from the hospital and have survived my scare. I apparently have some problems with my heart which surfaced with some serious shortness of breath, caused by Pulmonary Edema. Anyway, I am back, have missed reading and writing here, and have seen many of the well wishes, and prayers all of which are appreciated.
After more than 20 years on TV it is hard to believe so many have never watched the Simpsons, but it was a fun puzzle and write up as always
Good to be home
Lemonade: I am so glad to "see" you again! Glad to hear you are home and are on the mend. Stay well and follow your doctor's orders. We have missed you and your witty comments.
Bauhaus Movement was the attempt to establish a Republic after WWl.
Uh, no. It was an art school most noted for giving the world the boring glass box building. It just happened to be founded at the same time and in the same city that was the seat of the Weimar Republic.
I highly recommend Tom Wolfe's From Bauhaus to Our House to anyone interested.
Eddy,
You might be thinking of the Weimar Republic, during which the Bauhaus Architectural movement got its start under Walther Gropius.
...Sorry, Krankor,
I was so busy trying to remember what I was omitting to get my link to work, that you beat me to it. I didn't mean to be repetitive.
But I needed to come back anyway to say how happy I am to see Lemonade back among us. Welcome back!
Good morning Marti and all.
Fun puzzle today with the SIMPSONS theme, but I got the long acrosses directly; without cross-help. ETA was a WAG. I also questioned NEST, at first, but I saw it is a cleverly phrased clue. Never thought about OXEN; the perps filled it all in, before I realized it. No lookups needed.
Den HAAG - The familiar Dutch form of The Hague. Den is an archaic form of the dative case for the definite article. Modern Dutch has lost much of its inflective grammar, so the only times you see 'den' is in some place names or as part of a surname.
People! The nest is the place the parents reside in once the children leave home.
Good morning everyone.
Thanks for the totally understandable explanation, HeartRX.
And thanks for the very cute Christmas card, ARBAON.
As I have never watched THE SIMPSONS, this was a DNF. But I thought a most clever puzzle. Fav was OWLET. The only long one I got was HOME RENOVATIONS. And I did get THE SIMPSONS but that didn't help.
My shopping is finished except for DH. He wants a new computer, but I can't do that for him because I would just go to an Apple store. He is a PC user. Sigh.
Cheers
Hi gang, my wife got the answer for leaves home - nest, and I went Duh!
She also got the owlet answer.
Here's a link to (over 21) beer brewed with Kona coffee!
Lemonade, so good to hear from you! I hope you're back to your old self real soon.
Marti, clever write-up, as usual. This puzzle was easy for a Thursday. I solved the theme answers without the reveal.
"Acronymoniouos" is a delightful madeup word!
Desper-otto, a squirrel's NEST is the perfect answer for LEAVES HOME.
Anony-Mouse, your argument about AKBAR is perfectly logical and interesting. However, something is often lost in translation to English or other new languages, with a messy, illogicsal result.
Encyclopedia Britannica and history sites use the title, AKBAR, the Great. Other than mentioning his given name, they simply refer to him as AKBAR throughout the article. Apparently he was called "Great One", instead of usiing his name. I am guessing that historians accepted AKBAR as his name without knowing its meaning, and so felt the need to add "the Great."
Maeve's books are a favorite of mine.
Welcome back, Lemonade. Good health.
Happy to see you, Lemonade. So glad you're home, and listen to Hahtool's advice!
Three cheers.
Hi gang -
Lemon - welcome home and welcome back!
Fine puzzle today. I have also never watched the Simpson's, though I've seen bits and pieces from time to time.
Mis-spelt HAGG. The unknown MIA SARG was no help atoll.
Really don't like "leaves home." Though squirrels will make nests from leaves, they'll also use twigs, strings, cotton batten and old underwear if they can find any. "Home in the leaves" is probably the intent, but it's trying too hard to be clever.
Not fond of O/T in any sport (except baseball, where extra innings have always been part of the game.) If you can't win in regulation, you don't deserve the win. S/O is even worse. I will not watch it.
Cheers!
JzB not an AKBAR trombonist
HeartRx: As I later was informed by an amused Mejicano friend, "huevos" is a word used South of the Border to describe the two appendages that are suspended between the legs of most males, with the notable exception of eunuchs and castratos.
Lemonade, Welcome back! Prayers and best wishes on your continuing recovery.
Welcome back, Lemonade. We were all worried about you.
LA CW Addict: Many, many thanks for the info! Sifted through and found LAT sudoku at http://www.uclick.com/client/wpc/wpdok/. PS: Can you work all of them w/o guessing?
Marti: No objections here! Get CW at 11 pm (do not fancy cruciverb). Wish everyone would post blog sooner, considering time difference!
Lemonade--you just gave us a blogger's Christmas present by returning. Hope you can get ongoing treatment for the heart problem and take good care of yourself. And Southern Belle, we'll keep our fingers crossed that your toe heals soon!
Terrific, though not easy, puzzle this morning--thanks, Mr. Bickham, and Marti for the great write-up.
Thank goodness for the south, which filled in quickly. And getting THE SIMPSONS really helped with the other long answers. I just knew HOMER was in there somewhere, and BART too. Got everything except MIA SARA and MRE. But a fun Thursday puzzle!
PROPS! To the creator of this puzzle....That had to have taken a lot of time to find words and or phrases containing the names of all the Simpson's characters....very clever and very creative. Especially the the Aggie answer that when combined spelled out Maggie. HATS OFF!
Hello, Puzzlers. Welcome home, Marti. It's great to have you back.
This was really fun from Mark Bickham and though I am not a Simpsons fan I found the names when I looked it over. I also have learned the names from crosswords.
I managed to suss out all the long entries as most of the short perps seemed obscure or obscurely clued. Great fun!
one acting badly, HAM was fun.
Yesterday was completely exhausting as we made the tamales then cleaned up so I arrived home at 11:30 P.M. However our CHILISAUCES are not tomato based but pure red chile pods, pureed and mixed with the meat. We sampled the first tamales and they were deliciosos!
We also made some with green chile and cheese, no meat. Those are to die for!
Now I'm going for a massage.
I hope your Thursday is terrific, everyone!
I forgot to mention that I did yesterday's very clever puzzle as we had some down time. There was no chance to post a comment but I loved the DIGITAL / RETRO theme.
Good Morning All, Somebody must be watching THE SIMPSONS. GAH and I used to watch it all the time, but now just once in a while. It sure can keep you up to date on any political or religious viewpoint, music, movies and popular culture in general.
So I did know all the characters, but I had a problem finding them hidden in the various phrases. I didn't know that Bauhaus was connected to WEIMAR. AKBAR who? The only TEXAS school I thought of was the Longhorns.
Another sticker was 24A)V DAY. I'd only heard of V-E DAY and V-J DAY.
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is quite a cult classic. I started with MIA and SARA followed automatically.
OK, Marti....I'm going to say what a lot of people were probably thinking about your riddle....answer: penis. (Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger.) Hi Lois, Dennis, Carol, Jeannie,.....
Hi Lemonade, it's such a relief to have you back!
Hi all -
Marti, terrific job, always love your write-ups!
I did better with this one than most Thursday puzzles (which I usually DNF).
I have used up 2 V-8 cans this morning: one on 10D (what a hoot), and one on 56D....boy, did I stare at that answer for a looong time.
43D - Had to laugh at the "knock you up in the morning" expression...geez, I'd hate to be knocked up at any time of the day!!!!
35D I always want to put MESS in there...I never learn.
I am another one who has never watched The Simpsons but I did get 59A after having serious trouble with 29A and 41A (never heard of ol' AKBAR)
S.Belle, sure hope your toe heals now...you have been through ENOUGH with that pesky digit!
Oh CA: LOVE where your 'head' goes on occasion!!! :)
Lemonade,
Welcome back. Look forward to your weekly blog again.
Good afternoon to all. Welcome back Marti thanks for the write-up.It's great to hear from you lemon continue to be on the mend. This was a little tougher,but it is Thur. Was able to get the theme from seeing lots of simpsons clues in puzzles. Never been a big fan of that show. I am a fan of games that have O.T. because it is a hard fought battle for both teams. I also like the shoot-out because it gives the goalie or the shooter a chance to be the game star. I just wish the Lightning would get out of this slump. Have a great day to all RJW.
First things first.
Thank G-d, you are fine, Lemonade. That is indeed very happy news - and lets hope you keep well for a long, long time.
As Hahtool said;-
Follow the doctor's orders faithfully. ( but stop emulating her, if she starts taking her clothes off ... )
Hope to read your blog when you are better - your health permits, and your corny jokes begin to get funny....
Next, Yellowrocks, Re: Akbar the Great.
I hear you. This was just a small nit ( a 'nit-tic'). My original purpose should have been tongue-in -cheek, but somewhere I lost my sense of humor. Akbar the Great, is perfectly fine - especially now that he lies six feet under. lol. :-0)
Have a great rest of the week, you all.
Good morning Martin, C.C. Et al,
I had so much fun with this one...had to do it in 2 parts- last night and finished all but 2 this morning.DNF the T in spate/inot or the -mm.Had a few "if you say so" spots like Weimar and Akbar.Took awhile to fill THR GREAT. Actually it all took awhile.
Not having watched the Simpsons filling in the 5 names was challenging, but fun. I just made my list and kept looking and hoping. I had the checkerboard effect first time around, but there was enough to get me goin'.
Glad I tuned in to see that you are alive and kicking, Lemonade. You worried all of us. Thanks eddy for keeping us in the loop.
BTW, I loved NEST, although I had a completely different take on it. It reminded me of a clue we had a few days ago with wed being the answer. Well, that may have been a different xwd...I do them all when out of town.
Martin, thanks for the great write up.....aloha
Good afternoon Marti, CC, et al., Had a moment inbetween piano lessons to get a drink and scan the blog. Happened to see CA's answer to the riddle and just spewed! Then here comes Carol's answer...I just went limp. The one time I check in and I have no time to play. Thanks for the laughs. Free time is a coming...along w/SANTA BABY!!! Yipppeee! I hope you are doing well, Santa Sweetie. My chimney is spotless and ready for you to come in. You know the cookies won't be the only things warm around here.
Happy Holi'daze', to all y'all.. that's the plural form for y'all.
Hello.
Stand corrected. Thought it also
meant reconstructed house and was tied to 20A.
Yea! He's back.
eddy
Hurray! Lemon is well enough to let us know himself! Bless you, sir, and best wishes for continued recovery.
Thanks for the enlightenment, Marti. I got THE SIMPSONS, but never watched them. For some reason, thought Elmer instead of Homer. Remembered MAGGIE so got help there. Couldn't think of Bart or Marge.
Had watched part of a TV special on the influence of the BAUHAUS school of architecture in America. Didn't help because I thought the architect lived in Connecticut. I finally got WEIMAR, but wanted republic which didn't fit. No AAHED here!
Got HOME and OV on 20A and put in mprovement, thinking this was one of those puzzles where a letter was left out.
Oh, well! Thought it was a clever puzzle. I'm not.
- PK
Lemonade, Hooray! I'm so glad you're okay. Mind your doctor, now, and don't scare us again!
DNF for me today. And 0-2-say,except thank you, Marti, for your always cheery writeups, and you, too,
ARBAON, what a delightful greeting!
Lucy, I can't believe it's already time for the tamales! I thought I got a whiff of your cooking yesterday! YMMM!
I did not find Anony-mouse's explanation at all 'illogical or messy.'
Yellowrock, the need to require exacting language in students must be deeply imbeded in former school teachers.
My roof project manager (a former school teacher) called me the other night and argued for 49 minutes 31 seconds (my cell phone says so). I had told his boss he and the foreman "refused" to install new plywood. He argued that they never "refused" me anything. No, they "neglected to act" on my request.
The wording in this case isn't as important as the fact that the old warped sheeting makes the newly shingled roof look like crap. I finally hung up on the man in frustration. It's a game with him. For me it's a reality I have to face which devalues my property, while they demand big bucks for the work.
So fermatprime, I can identify with your frustration with your solar system. Old ladies like us get no respect with macho workmen.
- PK
PK, I sympathize with your roofing problems. I have had considerable experience with roofers, as a home owner, as a rep of our condo assn,. and as property chair at church. I thought from the start, when you mentioned it before, that you were being given the run-around. Your roofer's argument is not to the point, neither here not there. I wish I were there to argue for you.
I am not sure why you thought of me
since I am in total agreement with you. In real life, I am not this exacting, but on this blog the nits themselves are often too exacting and often inaccurate, so I feel they need an exacting response. When in Rome....
Careful Lois, you could find yourself "knocked up" in your chimney!!! Puts a new meaning on Santa Baby!!
PK: I feel your pain. It's hard being a single woman. Got stiffed on my deck...uh, guess that needs to be restated. Got taken...no. Got ripped off with my deck and am now taking notes on your roofing experience. 3 bids and checking BBB and local Angie's List and still have qualms.
Carol, LMAO! Who's your daddy!!! very funny! Cute, cute, cute. Love you!
Welcome Home, Lemonade!!!!
Neat! It took quite a while to do, but finally fell into place. I love it when we have the answers and still don't "get" them. Doh!
So, our blog guide solved NEST but couldn't grasp the connection to the clue. I finally had the right AGGIE answer, but never understood it until I checked in to the blog. I was truly wondering who these Texan HAND MAGGIEs were!
Lemonade, welcome back. Hope you keep mending and improving.
PK - Roof. Did you hold out some of your payment until the work was completed to your satisfaction? Was plywood in the scope of the work or to be decided later? Why didn't you just cancel the contract, move on, and work with another installer?
Baseball season is over, so to me, "Not safe" was "out" as in, "the bridge is out." I guess I was lucky on that one.
Lemonade:
Yay! You're back and you're recuperating! Please do take good care of yourself as we miss you when you are absent.
Earlier I had not read all the comments so did give you my welcome then.
Dodo:
Yes, the tamales are finished and ready for the approaching festivities.
arbaon:
Loved the card!
PK, you have been on my conscience ever since you brought up your roofing problem. Have you contacted your state's Better Business Bureau? In my case I would google NJ BBB. Even if you have a non accerdeited contractor, BBB will help you. Contractors are concerned by what BBB says about them, Have you contacted your local dept. of consumer affairs and asked for advice?
PK and Lois, your complaints are a really big deal and are worth pursuing. As a private entity I might have caved, but as a rep for the Condo Assn and the church, I have learned to stand up and fight, which has benefited me as a private home owner. I am no longer too shy to press my case. You go girl!!
PS I got a fantastic price on my last new car due to the negotiating skills I developed in my church work.
I wasn't impressed with today's puzzle. When I did the USA Today's, I knew why.
Generally, when I see the same stuff on 2 puzzles, I suspect something - little green men sending e-mails: both puzzles had (Texas A & M) AGGIES, OXEN and ANT.
But the USA Today had no 3-letter words and only 2 abbrevs.
LA, on the other hand, had some 25 3-letter words and 10 abbrevs.
I did like MYMAN and remembered how I thought Thom MCAN was Atomic Ann when I was a kid.
Thanks, all for suggestions to my roofing woes.
Big hail storms last spring caused much demand for roofers here. My daughter and SIL had good results with the company I contacted.
My first request to the project manager was for all new 3/4 inch plywood sheeting and an upgrade on shingles. He said, "Lets wait and see what your insurance company says. I told him I didn't care what they said, I would pay for upgrade. He looked at my modest home, my unimpressive self in sweats, and thought I couldn't pay. Now if he knew my bank balance, he would throw up because of his stupidity.
Weeks later he came out with an "estimate" which had to be signed before scheduling. This is October with bad weather fast approaching. I signed after he told me, if they tore off the shingles and saw that the sheeting needed to be replaced, they would.
A month later a non-English-speaking crew showed up on a rain-threatening day, tore the shingles off the back roof and reshingled in half a day. Very good, efficient workers. Mist coming down as they finished. Rained for day and a half. Work stopped.
When the rain stopped, I went out and saw the roof was as humpy-bumpy as before because they installed over old warped too-thin plywood. I immediately started calling and Emailing the project manager. I told him I definitely needed new sheeting on the front of the house. He said he'd come out and look at it, and if needed, would "authorize new plywood."
I am an experienced remodeler and was paid for writing many remodeling newspaper articles. I just look too old and stupid to be taken seriously.
Seven a.m.on the third day, I awake to the patter of big feet on my front roof tearing off old shingles. No project manager with new plywood in sight. Latino foreman said new plywood wouldn't help. (Baloney!) He ignored request and didn't close a crack between sheeting and fascia board where water had been backing up and running down the back of my inside drywalls. Mold growing in there by the smell of it.
- PK
Hi All ~~
I liked today's puzzle but DNF due to some really dumb mistakes. I also didn't get the theme until coming here ... thanks, Marti. I got THE SIMPSONS but just didn't see the names hidden in the theme answers! DUH. I guess my mind has been moving in too many directions. (lame excuse) Oh well, it was still fun. My favorite is the one others have mentioned --'Trying to get untied' - INOT ~~ great!
Glad you're back ~~ home and here at the Corner, Lemonade. Thoughts and prayers for your good health.
Enjoy the evening ~~
Hola Everyone, I've been super busy, so haven't had time to blog. I have done the puzzles everyday, but not until late in the evening.
I'm so glad you are home Lemonade. Do mind your Dr. and get better soon.
Thanks, Marti for the great writeup. This was a difficult puzzle for me, I did finish, but with Mr. G's help. Since I've not watched the Simpsons, but learned the family names from doing CW's I managed to find all the family. It helped to circle the names with a red pen.
Lucina, I thought I heard all that family buzzing over the airwaves. How I wish I were part of your Tamale making. My good friend always gave us a dozen tamales for Christmas, but she is no longer living in our area. I do miss those delicious mouth watering treats.
PK, please be aware of the line limit guideline per post. Thank you.
I almost forgot to ask. I'm usually very good at doing the math with Roman numberals. But today, I bombed out. I had the correct answer in the CW, but only because I had the crosses to fill it in.
Somebody, please enlighten me!
Thanks ahead of time.
Roof, (cont.)
The roof looks better than expected but is so humpy, I don't think I could sell the house. It certainly doesn't look as good as it could with a better underlayment.
The estimate, now said to be a binding contract, contains materials that weren't used. I know, because I watched. It also includes a $400 fee for removal of a second layer of shingles which never existed. I've got a sneaking suspicion that some of the materials went to Texas where the Latino foreman lives in the winter.
At first, I thought I would just pay the bill and chalk it up to experience, then decided the boss needed to know what his workmen were up to. Five weeks after the roof was done, my 3 requests for a corrected billing are ignored. I paid a portion of the bill to show good faith. I hope the rest comes out of the project manager's hide. His boss will receive another letter outlining our long phone call.
I told my kids, if they find me murdered, look at the roofers. Whistle blowers aren't popular.
- PK
Yellowrocks, I thought of you because I know you were a school teacher and are a precise language tehnician. When the former school teacher workman got picky about the difference between "refused" and what they did, I thought of your love of language.
I also knew of your construction connections and thought, as a woman, you could understand. In no way did I intend to disparage any thing about you.
Contacting BBB is next on my list, although we are warned by the newspaper about a scam here connected with logging onto the BBB site.
I didn't need all this at Christmas, cheerio!
- PK
ANON@ 6:50 Have a heart!
Chickie - XCV years from now = 95 years from now
Now is 2011. 2011 + 95 = 2106.
2106 in Roman = MM + C + VI = MMCVI
Hello Fermatprime: I tried your link and it is exactly the same as the Washington Post, or www.washingtonpost.com which is easier to get to than your link. In answer to your question, no I do not guess, and yes I solve them. When I get to the harder puzzles, usually Thursday & Friday, although today's was easy, I use the notes by pushing the shift button. This is truly a quality puzzle, which is one reason I missed it so much.
Arbaon: Thank you for that wonderful Christmas link! Would love to send it to my bro in MD. Wish I knew the website.
Now for the puzzle. Missed 6 letters in the SW corner. Screwed up Exeter & Kona which in turn messed up Eloi, Oxen & IRS. Should have known the oxen & IRS but did not know Kona. However, will remember from now on which is why I love this puzzle so much. I always learn something and I find it refreshing compared to the typical run of the mill banality in other puzzles.
PK - I second the suggestion to contact your local Consumer Affairs agency. Ours is part of the county government. They were very helpful in straightening out a problem I had with an alarm company. I still had to document everything in detail, but their advice and official-sounding name made more of an impact than if I'd just sent the letters myself.
Also, I'd recommend contacting whoever the permit was pulled with (City or County) and lodge a complaint against the Contractor and may place a black mark against their license.
Lemonade - I'm so glad to hear you're back home and doing better. Home and this blog should be the best medicine for you right now! Take care and welcome back. As you saw, there was a lot of concern for you.
Is this a blog about the LAT Crossword puzzle?
I wanted YUM for 50 down "Delicious!"
TMI:
It is that, and often a great deal more.
And often, some troublemaker like yourself, with absolutely no stake in this little community, inserts themselves rudely into the mix by asking that or a similar question.
This blog has become very popular just as it is: a discussion at great depth about the LAT Crossword puzzle, and also a forum where people discuss and commiserate about things occurring in their lives.
Don't like it? GTFA. And stay there.
Thank you Spitzboov! I was misreading the original XCV.
PK: Please keep us informed as to your roof saga. I will start the search for a roofer soon. Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm all for you finding justice in some sort of pursuit...legal perhaps...Lemonade? I'm mad enough for a blood letting myself - making 'going postal' look like a gnat's fart compared to 'Going Lois'. Hold me back, hold me back!
I am kind of new to crosswords. I am down with an injury so now I have time to do them. Very fun.
Why is 53d "D-Day Target City" STLO?????????????? How do you get that out of Normandy, France? I'm obviously missing something.
Thanks.
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy. Being a strategic crossroads, Saint-Lô was almost totally destroyed (95% according to common estimates) during the Battle of Normandy in World War II. Map.
Thank you for the information.
Post a Comment