Theme: All theme answers are in the pattern of: "country name" + a word which happens to be the first 3 letter of the country.
17A. Caribbean preserves? : JAMAICA JAM
27A. South American fellow? : GUYANA GUY
49A. North American food container? : CANADA CAN
63A. Balkan priestly vestment? : ALBANIA ALB. Alb is a classic crosswordese.
10D. East African beachgoer's color? : TANZANIA TAN
24D. West Indies watering hole? : BARBADOS BAR
C.C. here again.
"Jamaican Jam", "Canadian Can" (adjective+noun) feel more natural, no? We say "Chinese food", not "China food". Or am I missing something?
Otherwise, the gimmick is tight and consistent. Amazing intersection. Julian Lim's grids often feature nice theme entry interlocking. Also, 8 Z's in this grid. Very scrabbly.
Across:
1. Derby drink : JULEP. Persian for "rose water".
6. Scully on "The X-Files" : DANA
10. "Wasn't I amazing?!" : TA DA. And 19. "Amazing!" : NEAT. Clecho (Clue echo, another word coined by Dummy Dennis.)
14. Met offering : OPERA
15. Carded at a club : ID'ED
16. "It's __ to tell ..." : A SIN. A lie.
20. NBA tiebreakers : OTs
21. Mineo of movies : SAL
22. Vitality : PIZZAZZ. Four 4 Z's.
24. WWI's Red __ : BARON
26. Moths-flame connector : TO A
31. Backed-up, in a way : ON CD. Or on your flash drive. The Geek Squad guy is coming to our house this Friday. Can't get an earlier appointment.
34. Lined up : IN A ROW
35. Not blabbing : MUM
37. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC
39. The Bee Gees' "Gee" : GIBB
40. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE (Astaire)
42. Prefix with -naut : AERO
43. Japanese noodle : SOBA. Buckwheat. I love eating it cold. This looks delicious, Steve!
44. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER
45. Arrives : GETS IN
47. Zero, to Zapata : NADA. Alliteration in the clue.
51. Available sans Rx : OTC. Marti is skiing somewhere in Austria/Germany.
53. Hogwarts motto language : LATIN. What's their motto?
54. On a rampage : BERSERK
58. Oatmeal cooker : POT
59. Corp. leader's degree : MBA. Both Jazzbumpa and Marti have a "Corp. leader's degree".
62. Many a Saudi : ARAB. Strange country.
66. Oscar winner Minnelli : LIZA
67. Brio : ZEAL
68. Harriet's TV hubby : OZZIE
69. Bakery worker : ICER. Not a fan of icing on the cake.
70. Polite rural agreement : YES'M
71. Ceaselessly : NO END
Down:
1. One-named singer with the debut album "Leave (Get Out)" : JOJO. Here she is.
2. __ the crack of dawn : UP AT
3. Moon landers, briefly : LEMs
4. Internet __ : ERA. Internet and Jeggings are the best inventions to mankind.
5. Pal : PAISANO. Rooted in Spanish. "Peasant".
6. Play exchange : DIALOG
7. Noun modifier: Abbr. : ADJ
8. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP
9. Allow entry : ADMIT
11. On a liner, say : ASEA
12. Cameron on camera : DIAZ. Still dating A-Rod.
13. 1998 insect-world animated film : ANTZ. Hi there Ant! Tell us a bit about you. Musician?
18. Seed used in sauerkraut : CARAWAY. No idea. The seed is too strong for my taste.
23. Cagey locale? : ZOO
25. C or D, to old Romans : NUMERAL. C= 100. D = 500.
27. A cappella group bookings : GIGS
28. Confederacy foe : UNION
29. Start of a Flintstone cry : YABBA. "Yabba dabba doo!"
30. Brynner of "The Ten Commandments" : YUL
32. Dimin.'s opposite : CRESC. Crescendo. Dimin = Diminuendo.
33. Andrea __: ill-fated ship : DORIA
36. Nuclear test unit : MEGATON
38. Yale Univ. state : CONN. For Hondo & LaLaLinda. Where are you originally from, Jayce?
41. Yule's mo. : DEC. Timely.
46. Textbook update specification : EDITION
48. Got into a stew? : ATE. Fun clue.
50. Flamethrower fuel : NAPALM. "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning".
52. __ eights : CRAZY
54. Indonesian island : BALI
55. "Modern Family" actor Stonestreet : ERIC. One of Barbara Walters's "10 Most Fascinating People of 2011".
56. Demolish, as a building : RAZE
57. Bauhaus painter Paul : KLEE
59. Pencil puzzle : MAZE
60. Pancake with caviar : BLIN. Caviar? Nope, never had it this way.
61. In the sack : ABED
64. Eng. majors' degrees : BAs
65. Nitrogenous dye : AZO. Azo-dye.
Answer grid.
Happy Birthday to our always cheerful Lucina and our LA Times constructor Donna Levin!
C.C.
17A. Caribbean preserves? : JAMAICA JAM
27A. South American fellow? : GUYANA GUY
49A. North American food container? : CANADA CAN
63A. Balkan priestly vestment? : ALBANIA ALB. Alb is a classic crosswordese.
10D. East African beachgoer's color? : TANZANIA TAN
24D. West Indies watering hole? : BARBADOS BAR
C.C. here again.
"Jamaican Jam", "Canadian Can" (adjective+noun) feel more natural, no? We say "Chinese food", not "China food". Or am I missing something?
Otherwise, the gimmick is tight and consistent. Amazing intersection. Julian Lim's grids often feature nice theme entry interlocking. Also, 8 Z's in this grid. Very scrabbly.
Across:
1. Derby drink : JULEP. Persian for "rose water".
6. Scully on "The X-Files" : DANA
10. "Wasn't I amazing?!" : TA DA. And 19. "Amazing!" : NEAT. Clecho (Clue echo, another word coined by Dummy Dennis.)
14. Met offering : OPERA
15. Carded at a club : ID'ED
16. "It's __ to tell ..." : A SIN. A lie.
20. NBA tiebreakers : OTs
21. Mineo of movies : SAL
22. Vitality : PIZZAZZ. Four 4 Z's.
24. WWI's Red __ : BARON
26. Moths-flame connector : TO A
31. Backed-up, in a way : ON CD. Or on your flash drive. The Geek Squad guy is coming to our house this Friday. Can't get an earlier appointment.
34. Lined up : IN A ROW
35. Not blabbing : MUM
37. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC
39. The Bee Gees' "Gee" : GIBB
40. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE (Astaire)
42. Prefix with -naut : AERO
43. Japanese noodle : SOBA. Buckwheat. I love eating it cold. This looks delicious, Steve!
44. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER
45. Arrives : GETS IN
47. Zero, to Zapata : NADA. Alliteration in the clue.
51. Available sans Rx : OTC. Marti is skiing somewhere in Austria/Germany.
53. Hogwarts motto language : LATIN. What's their motto?
54. On a rampage : BERSERK
58. Oatmeal cooker : POT
59. Corp. leader's degree : MBA. Both Jazzbumpa and Marti have a "Corp. leader's degree".
62. Many a Saudi : ARAB. Strange country.
66. Oscar winner Minnelli : LIZA
67. Brio : ZEAL
68. Harriet's TV hubby : OZZIE
69. Bakery worker : ICER. Not a fan of icing on the cake.
70. Polite rural agreement : YES'M
71. Ceaselessly : NO END
Down:
1. One-named singer with the debut album "Leave (Get Out)" : JOJO. Here she is.
2. __ the crack of dawn : UP AT
3. Moon landers, briefly : LEMs
4. Internet __ : ERA. Internet and Jeggings are the best inventions to mankind.
5. Pal : PAISANO. Rooted in Spanish. "Peasant".
6. Play exchange : DIALOG
7. Noun modifier: Abbr. : ADJ
8. Spring tide counterpart : NEAP
9. Allow entry : ADMIT
11. On a liner, say : ASEA
12. Cameron on camera : DIAZ. Still dating A-Rod.
13. 1998 insect-world animated film : ANTZ. Hi there Ant! Tell us a bit about you. Musician?
18. Seed used in sauerkraut : CARAWAY. No idea. The seed is too strong for my taste.
23. Cagey locale? : ZOO
25. C or D, to old Romans : NUMERAL. C= 100. D = 500.
27. A cappella group bookings : GIGS
28. Confederacy foe : UNION
29. Start of a Flintstone cry : YABBA. "Yabba dabba doo!"
30. Brynner of "The Ten Commandments" : YUL
32. Dimin.'s opposite : CRESC. Crescendo. Dimin = Diminuendo.
33. Andrea __: ill-fated ship : DORIA
36. Nuclear test unit : MEGATON
38. Yale Univ. state : CONN. For Hondo & LaLaLinda. Where are you originally from, Jayce?
41. Yule's mo. : DEC. Timely.
46. Textbook update specification : EDITION
48. Got into a stew? : ATE. Fun clue.
50. Flamethrower fuel : NAPALM. "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning".
52. __ eights : CRAZY
54. Indonesian island : BALI
55. "Modern Family" actor Stonestreet : ERIC. One of Barbara Walters's "10 Most Fascinating People of 2011".
56. Demolish, as a building : RAZE
57. Bauhaus painter Paul : KLEE
59. Pencil puzzle : MAZE
60. Pancake with caviar : BLIN. Caviar? Nope, never had it this way.
61. In the sack : ABED
64. Eng. majors' degrees : BAs
65. Nitrogenous dye : AZO. Azo-dye.
Answer grid.
Happy Birthday to our always cheerful Lucina and our LA Times constructor Donna Levin!
C.C.
78 comments:
Hello Puzzlers -
Caught on to the theme early for once, sped up the solve a bit. Love the grid symmetry!
Morning, all!
Fun puzzle overall. I didn't get the theme at first due to putting in URL instead of ERA at 4D. Yeah, I know "Internet URL" doesn't make a lot of sense, but for some reason "Internet ERA" made even less sense to me this morning. And Mint JULUP didn't strike me as odd in the least...
JOJO was a complete unknown, which only made the theme that much harder to get at first.
And yes, a lot of Zs! So many, in fact, that I started putting them in where they didn't belong. BERZERK looked perfectly fine to me until I saw how wrong BARBADOZ looked.
The only other minor hiccup was a misspelling of DORIA as DOREA. I didn't catch that until the end when I didn't get the "tada" and had to go scour the puzzle for errors.
Happy Birthday to Lucina and [Donna] Levin!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Julian, for a swell puzzle this Tuesday. Thank you, C.C., as well, for the review.
Got most of the NW corner right off the bat, JULEP, OPERA, LEMS, UP AT. JOJO came later. Do not know her (him?).
JAMAICA JAM came first, then BARBADOS BAR. Then I had the theme. That helped with the rest.
Had ARGONAUT first, but that did not work, so fixed it to AERONAUT.
Yes, lots of Z's. I think that helped with the puzzle.
CAROWAY seeds and sauerkraut make me hungry for New Year's Day. Pork and Sauerkraut are the fare for the day. My favorite. We bake it in the oven. Lots of mashed potatoes on the side. With a few brewskis to enhance it.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Good Morning, C.C. and friends. I just Loved, Loved, Loved today's theme! I caught on early with the JAMAICA JAM.
I wanted to cook my Oatmeal in a Panama Pan!
Like Barry, I misspelled the Mint JULEP, only I spelled it as Julip. That gave me an Internet IRA, which made almost as much sense as as the Internet ERA.
I hope our California contingent is safe from those Santa Ana winds.
Happy Birthday, Lucina! Share some of your day with us.
Happy Birthday to Donna Levin, too. I hope to see one of her puzzles again soon.
QOD: You are only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't loose it. ~ Robin Williams
Hello all!
Fun puzzle, Julian; fine exposition, C. C.!
Caught theme early also. Great theme!
Happiest of birthdays, Lucina and Linda!
Am slogging away on the web trying to get Christmas shopping accomplished. Much of it on Amazon. Takes lots of time.
Well, it certainly seems that our pal Brody (Homeland) is indeed a terrorist. Bummer.
Had a long nap after swimming. Pool house really cold.
Time to try to sleep again!
Best wishes to all for a productive Tuesday!
C.C. Wonderful write-up!
Happy Birthday Lucina & Donna.
21 again? ... I'm not surprised!
Really enjoyed the themes.
Can't say I loved them.
I reserve that feeling (and word) for more important things.
JULEP for 1-A ... yup I know them.
JOJO for 1-D ... never heard of her. Nice pic.
ERIC Stonestreet on WaWa's 10 most fascinating list ... never heard of him either.
YUL did like his Yule Mo. DEC.
I guess if a puzzle has A-BED there should be a lot of ZZZZZZZZ's.
Learning moment was trying to figure out what
32-D, Dimin.s was an abbr. for. CRESC was all perps and a V-8 CANADA CAN head slap.
Cheers to all at Sunset.
Good day folks,
Hand up for JULIP. I kept wondering what the Hell an Internet IRA was.
Picked up on the theme early and it helped move me along at a steady pace. The only one that confused me was GUYANA.... I thought Guyana is in Central America, not South America. Guess I'll check my globe.
The rest of the puzzle went smoothly although i must admit I wasn't crazy about it. Thought it was blah. Must be the overcast, yucky day in ELI country because I always look forward to Julian's puzzles.
Happy birthday Lucina and Donna. Have fun and enjoy the cake.
Fun puzzle, cute (if awkward sounding) theme answers, quick solve. Missed a lot of the southbound clues because the words were already filled in before I got to them.
Hand up for ARGONAUT before AERONAUT, and just a couple of weeks ago I added to my Internet Roth IRA. Didn't know you used CARAWAY seeds in sauerkraut. Never ate SOBA, but didn't puzzle over it because it was already there.
Alright, CC, I'll bite. What is/are jeggings? It doesn't sound appetizing.
Happy B-Day to Lucina and Donna.
Mornin' to all,
Zots....that was a fun puzzle. No zzzz's while working this puzzle!
Dennis...congrats! I just moved from Florida to Birmingham....Brrrr...
Note to C.C.: What are jeggings? No one else has asked for an explanation....so am I a dummie?
Enjoyed this one because the theme arrived early and seemed like fun. But did get stuck in the mid east--I don't know anything about ANDREA DORIA, or IROC, couldn't come up with ON CD and had GETS TO instead of IN. So came here with that empty.
I put caraway seeds in my bread--3 Tbsp. to 5 loaves.
No problems with JULEP, but didn't know JOJO, so perps did their bit there too.
C.C.,
Great job, as usual. I agree about the country name rather than their adjectives, but sometimes you hear just the name too, as in Canada Dry.
Have a great day everyone!
Good morning!
Happy Birthday, Lucina and Donna.
A toast to many more!
Easy puzzle. Didn't stumble on the spelling of Julep or Doria, but all those Z's made me want to take a nap.
C.C., I agree that all of the theme entries except BARBADOS BAR would sound more natural if the country name had the N or, for CANADA, IAN ending, but the theme is consistant by not using the endings on any of the countries.
Morning all,
I caught the theme pretty early, but had a few minor hang ups. I was thinking Andrea GAIL for 33D (from book/movie The Perfect Storm).
I didn't know JOJO, ERIC, or Paul KLEE. The rest went smoothly.
Happy birthday to Lucina and Linda! I hope the ICER did a good job on your cake ;)
Southern Belle, I believe jeggings are denim leggings. Sort of a cross between tights and blue jeans.
I'm kind of in the meh camp on this one. The theme was almost too easy once figured out. But the fill was good enough to carry it otherwise. No major hang ups, but certainly not a speed run either.
The only JoJo that came to my mind is this one.
Clear and close to zero here this morning. I guess it is indeed December!
Fun puzzle! liked all the zzzzzs! Still warm here in va doesnt feel like december but i love my light bill! FPres
Thank you Julian Lim for a very nice puzzle, and thank you CC for a delectable and fascinating commentary. I learnt a new word about the jean-leggings, jeggings. ( the less said, the better).
I did not know Julep comes from Julab ( Arabic), from Persian Gulab ( gul/rose, aab/water). Abejo would definitely know. In India, Gulab is the word for rose, and julab is a generic word for a strong laxative, like Milk of Magnesia.
Alt QOD:- I went up to the Wailing Wall and just stood there, like a moron, with my harpoon. ~ Emo Philips.
Whaa ?
Enjoyed this one, caught the theme early, thout it clever. Really wanted 12D Cameron on Camera to be Carl (Fox news). Funny that Julep means rose water, man those things'll knock your socks off!
We're heading out of town for a month tomorrow so I won't be getting the puzzle (sob!). I really widh there was a way to do them on an iPad!
Desper-otto said - ' ... What is/are jeggings? It doesn't seem appetizing.'
That, DesperO, would depend upon the shape of the wearer and the intentions in the eye of the beholder.
Avg.Joe:
How can you say almost meh on the:
AICA, ANA, ADA, ANIA, ZANIA, BADOS theme?
Yeah, I can tell it is DEC.
Temp. is only going to top out at 83 degrees today.
No wonder St. Petersburg, FL was ranked the saddest city in the USA last week.
(Thank GOD I live 15 miles North).
Anony-Mouse,
Were you asking, or just reacting, to wailing/whaling at the wall?
Hi all,
C.C. is correct, this was a scrabbly ol' puzzle.
I really didn't understand 5A...why the Italian "PAISANO"??? There was nothing in the clue to indicate that.
I always have trouble with the spelling of JULEP and never can remember it. At least it gave me the first letter for 1D and the perps answered the rest....so glad for perps :)
Southern Belle, don't feel bad about the word Jeggings, I didn't know either. I still wonder how teens get those skinny jeans on...is there a zipper hidden in the ankle area....oh, maybe they are sprayed on!! That must be it.
67A BRIO and 60D BLIN were new to me.
A very happy birthday to Lucina and Donna. I hope you have a wonderful time in whatever you choose to do today.
Hi, I'm ant, and I'm a crossword addict.
Thanks for the shout-out, C.C.! No, not a musician (unless you count desk- and steering wheel-percussion), but I do love music. All kinds - from classical & jazz, techno & ambient, metal & blues, country & R&B, new age & world - and everything in between.
I especially appreciate live music, which is why I try to link to live performances as much as I can.
No song (as far as I know of) about the Andrea DORIA, but here's Gordon Lightfoot with The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (6:20).
Btw, in addition to all the Zs in the grid - there are 7 of them in the cluing.
Oh - and a Happy Birthday to Lucina - a fellow PAISANO from ariZona!
Country as attributive noun? Sure, why not, and Jamaica is a great place to start. Here is the late great Bob Marley
JAMAICA RUM
NC
......Although in terms of usage, here is an interesting piece of "research" based on Google hits. It seems that COUNTRIES nearly are always searched in adjectival form, while STATES use the noun form.
STATE of the COUNTRY
NC
Hi C.C. & gang, a medium tough puzzle for today, my wife and I only finished ~50% before she left for work. I finished it online but had problems trying to spell 'paisano' , 'guyana'. Lot's of Z's in the puzzle too!
For EddyB, LD and others that may be interested, remember that our holiday potter and jam sale is this weekend with a special Friday night meet the potter with wine and snacks from 6 to 9 PM.
Here's a link to the sales flyer where you can download directions, it's indoors at the Los Gatos History Club.
;-)
Hello, C.C. and all. I like your asides, C.C. and it feels so natural to see you there today.
Happy birthday, Donna Levin! This must be why I'm always on your wave length. LOL
Well, I thought Julian added plenty of PIZZAZZ to this puzzle. It can't be easy to find and use all those words with so many Zs.
TADAsana is how every pose ends in yoga.
What? No BeeGees links!
Hand up for DOREA before DORIA and not understanding 32D dimin.'s opposite, CRESC. DNF there, drat!
Otherwise I enjoyed this as it was quick, easy and clever.
Thank you all for the birthday wishes! I am going to lunch with my sister and since I teach a class tonight the big party will be on Saturday which I'll share with my baby granddaughter who will be 2 tomorrow. You know who will be the star at that party!
Have a beautiful Tuesday, everyone!
I forgot the birthday wishes to Donna and Lucina! So, many happy returns to you both.
I was stressing out over getting the newsletter off today. Now it's done and I can get back to my life again!
A wonderful Tuesday to all!
Virginia C: there is an iPad app that has crosswords, including the LAT puzzle. It costs about $10, but you can access numerous daily crossword puzzles. I use it when I travel.
I loved all the ZZZZZZZ's in today's puzzle.
I enjoyed the puzzle and writeup. The theme was pleasant but nothing to get excited about.
A week or so ago, one of you guys (Avg Joe?) was kind enough to post a recipe for shirred eggs ala Fritz Brenner, Nero Wolf's fictional chef. I tried it this morning and it came out pretty good. I really enjoy eggs and this was a new way to prepare them. Thanks.
~ Bill
Ooh, I forgot to include myself in wishing happy birthday to Lucina and Donna. I would have made you shirred aggs if the opportunity had presented itself. I'm sure your granddaughter will enjoy her day too.
Jordan and I taught his little girlfriend how to play UNO yesterday. Then they both got to sit on Santa's lap when the sleigh came around through our neighborhood.
Per special request:Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees...
Kazie, thank you for your comment - which explained the QOD, ..... TO ME !
the 'Whaa...' was because I did not get the joke or the comment, myself. It was like a WTF ?
I just typed the QOD, out of a newspaper, and did not, even remotely connect the word 'wailing' with its punny homophone 'whaling'. Thanks to you, now I get the joke. ( sort of - ).
I guess that's what happens when you follow a routine, blindly.
Have a nice day.
BTW, the proper, preferred term is 'The Western Wall'. I should know, I have a coffee table book, 'The Western Wall', by Michal Ronnen Safdie, autographed by Teddy Kollek, one time very popular mayor of Jerusalem.
Sorry, for this delay, to respond ... My computer is on the blink.
Hi gang -
HBD to the birthday girls.
The theme was easy, once you caught on, and might have given away a bit too much, but it's still brilliant - as is Hatool's oatmeal from a Panama Pan!
What's the record for Z's in a puzzle?
Jeggings.
Drinking song for a BARBADOS BAR
Cheers!
JzB
I too loved the theme--many thanks, Julian. As a result the West filled in quickly, but then got stuck on the East. Geography is clearly not my strong point because I insisted on "Cancuncan" instead of "Canadacan" even though I kept wondering if Cancun can really be considered North American (duh!). Then insisted that it had to be "It's hard to tell" which made the NE corner impossible. Even after I finally got "as in" I kept thinking of it as two words that made no sense, rather than having to do with "sin." Guess I'm not in the mood for moralizing on a Tuesday. But I always enjoy a challenge and thought both puzzle and CC write-up had lots of "pizzazz"!
Happy birthday from me too!
Good afternoon everyone.
Great write up C.C. And happy birthday Lucina ad Donna.
The puzzle? DNF because I didn't get the theme, therefore many blanks on my puzzle. Hand up for Dorea (interestingly, spell check does spell it correctly and flags Dorea)and Julip ).
Time for lunch.
Cheers
Lucina, I try to find a connection to songs that are hidden in the clues and/or grid - and stay away from the overt ones.
However, in honor of your birthday, I offer up this GIBB (4:28) performance.
Good morning C.C. and happy happy birthday to Lucina and Donna,
Loved the z's
"I guess if a puzzle has A-BED there should be a lot of ZZZZZZZZ's"
a few ahh's and ohh's would be good too...just sayin'
Had just a few unknowns that filled with perps:azo,cresc and JoJo.The T in ate took f o r e v e r, and I don't grok OTC??! The abbreviations are still my downfall.To fill blin I menatally went thru the alphabet to fill that N.(sigh)
Ant, thanks for a Gordon favorite.
Chilly here, but no winds up our way.
@JD, OTC means Over The Counter. These are stocks that are not sold on an exchange.
It is a common error is to call the big birds that eat putting greens and leave big messes behind, "Canadian Geese". In fact Canada Geese don't belong to the Canadians, they spread their "wealth" around.
Good afternoon to all and happy birthday Lucina and Donna. I always have liked your puzzles. Thanks for the write-up C.C. Everyones has to like a puzzle with pizzazz in it. Nice speed solve today even though I did not get to it untill lunchtime. To Tinbeni I'm another 20 miles farther north from where you are. Have a great day to all RJW.
Hello everybody.
Haha, I had to look up jeggings on Google to find out what they are.
Wanted "It's HARD to tell ...", ARGOnaut, and ZEST instead of ZEAL. Wrote in POT then thought, "Nah, that's too obvious" and erased it, only to ultimately put it back in again.
Lots of, how do you call them?, partials today.
My neighbor had a beautiful IROC-Z and he let me drive it once. Fun! Lots of PIZZAZZ.
I also liked the theme.
Last to fill was ONCD and CRESC. All I could think of was traffic backup, and wanted some abbreviation of "augment" for "Dimin.'s opposite". Finally the musical term come to mind and the solve was completed. Shoulda thought of that right away.
Did anybody look up what the Hogwarts motto is?
Fun and easy, but being an engineer, I know of no engineer with a BA degree, only BS, re 64D.
I loved that Wailing Wall joke. Thanks for posting it.
Cool to learn that JULEP comes from Persian. Also from Arabic, apparently. I love to learn trivia like that.
Good point about PAISANO. I didn't even notice it, as I filled it entirely from the perps.
Where am I from originally? Well, I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but my family moved from there to Philadelphia when I was very young. So I usually say I'm originally from Philadelphia. Still have family and contacts there; well, suburban Phila, not in the city itself. We are still very proud of our Philadelphis "sons," such as Mario Lanza, Eugene Ormandy, and even Fabian.
Happy birthday, Lucina and Donna. Yep, Lucina, I can guess who's going to be the star of your Saturday party. Maybe two stars, though :)
Best wishes to you all.
Jimmie, good point about most engineers having BS (or MS) degrees rather than BA (or MA) degrees. Allow me to introduce myself, the exception that proves the rule. I 'are' an engineer with a BA and MA degree. Welcome to the crossword corner.
Hello.
Warren. Hope to see you on Sunday.
Army/Navy game on Sat and must get my printer fixed.
Agree on NYD menu. Pork, mashed potatoes and kohl mit caraway seed.
eddy
Where is the Brazil Bra?
It contains a Z and would have made for an enjoyable link.
The Ireland Ire was caused by Iceland Ice being put in the Spain Spa.
Another learning moment. I sure didn't know caraway seeds were used in sauerkraut. I love good sauerkraut, along with a hearty schweinshaxe and mashed potatoes. Yum!
But hey, I'll eat almost anything, including Chinese hai shen (sea cucumber).
In this case, the degree wasn't an ENGineering degree, but an ENGlish degree.
Also in this case, OTC is Over The Counter drugs, not stocks. It's all those medications you don't need a prescription for.
Hogwart's Motto.
Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus: "never tickle a sleeping dragon".
Argyle, you da man. Thanks.
Hello fellow solvers,
When I couldn't remember the traditional Derby Day Drink, and couldn't get the other two first liners, I thought it was going to be a slog, but julep finally squeezed out of the black hole and the other perps seemed to be ok except for Jojo and Dana, neither of which I knew. I took them on faith and things began to move.
I didm't get the theme until I was well into it, but it would have helped a lot. I liked the puzzle, though and was glad that I was able to get it done even though there were a number of unknown names. 'IROC?' never hear of it.
Back later, I hope.
Virginia C @ 9:38 - I gather you missed the posts last week about crossword apps for iPads.
I use my iPad for puzzles every day. Our own HeartRx was the one who told me about Crossword in the App Store. As Hahtool said, it's a ten dollar app, well worth it. If you need help, put up a post or drop one of us a message.
Nobody should have to go through grid withdrawal! :-)
Jayce, did I see you put your hand in front of your mouth as you whispered "Fabian?"
Of course there are other famous Philly kids like Frankie Avalon and Dion Dimucci and those Bandstand dancers Kenny Rossi and Arlene Sullivan. My remembering that trivia is the sure sign of a warped mind.
And before anybody posts a link to "Like a Tiger" or "Turn Me Loose", let me say this. Please don't.
Thank you, Warren and ANT for those Gibb tunes! Stayin' Alive is in fact my motto!
Life is good! Lunch with my sister, flowers delivered from another sister, e-card and call from my brother, calls, songs, e-mails. It has been and continues to be a wonder filled day.
Thank you again, for the birthday wishes. Are there any nicer people in the world than on our blog? I think not.
...but a Loverboy nonetheless. D'oh!
Turn Me Loose
Ron Worden:
How did the "fitting" go yesterday?
Are you going for one made from titanium, or the Captain Ahab model?
Great guess. 20 miles farther North.
Per Map Quest Weeki Wachee is 31.6 from my door.
C.C.
I was sorry to see that only Ron Santo was voted in by the HOF Veterans Committee.
(They passed over him 3 times before ...).
SOOOOO maybe Tony Oliva will get in the
Hall-of-Fame after another few votes.
(I guess his .304 BA, 220 HR and 947 RBI isn't as good as a .277 BA, 342 HR and 1,331 RBI for Santo).
Cheers from the cold!
(Weatherman blew it. It only got up to 81 today).
Hola Everyone, I got the theme with Tanzania tan so went through and put in what I thought would fit. Guyana Guy eluded me for a while, but the downs filled in enough for me to decide which country to enter.
I thought all the z's added a little pizzazz to the puzzle today.
They were in the fill and quite a few words in the clues contained z's.
I toyed with Astro and Cosmo (naut), but they wouldn't fit.
Hatool, I love your new Avatar.
Happy, happy Birthday to Lucina and Many Happy Returns to Donna Levin as well. May you both have many many more to come.
Good one Tinbeni. I thought your bed and zzzzzzz's comment was fun.
I agree with C.C. and Kazie about the country Jamaica vs. Jamaican being a bit awkward. Great writeup, by the way, C.C.
My computer has been sick--slow, slow, slow, and then frozen up. It would work one day and then not the next. My hubby deleted some unused programs, and cleaned up things last evening. I'm speedy quick this morning. I hope it stays that way.
He really didn't want to reinstall Windows. That was his next step.
I've had withdrawal symptoms for over two weeks.
Hi EddyB, BTW lot's of the best seller Jam's sell out the first day of the sale and on Friday night,
Take look at the link to mcdunnjam.com above and let me know if you'd like to reserve any for Sunday?
mailto:warren@mcdunn.com.
;-)
Happy Birthday, Lucina; you,too, Donna!
Love to all.
Warren, your pottery is beautiful! I really like the whimsical dragon bowl and wish I were closer to go to your event.
Hi Everyone ~~
I enjoyed this puzzle and caught the theme quickly with JAMAICAJAM. That helped with the other theme answers ... GUYANAGUY being the only one that was a bit unfamiliar. For some reason I was thinking Africa ... geography is not my strong suit!
~~ I loved all the Zs and as ant mentioned Zs were also in a number of clues.
~~ I thought first of the JOJO at the beginning of the Beatles' "Get Back."
~~ I do know of jeggings but they're about thirty years too late for me!
~~ Seen -- I really liked your "additions" to the puzzle!
~~ A great write-up, C.C. and thanks for the shout-out. I'll be watching uCONN basketball tonight. Both men and women off to good starts.
~~ A very Happy Birthday to you, Lucina ... I'm glad you've been having a happy day!
For Lucina,
The pottery sale is more than just me and my wife, we concentrate on functional pot's not the Raku artistic that can't be used for food. I think that the entire BHC pottery studio has ~200 members but only ~19 are signed up for this show.
;-)
For those who are pressed for time here is a shorter version of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".
Edmund Fitzgerald in 30 seconds
I was at the Home Depot the other day, and I asked the salesman what type of shovel he could recommend for the vegetable patch I'm working on, but he said, "spades are not my strong suit."
Good Afternoon All, Fun puzzle and easy to get the theme after JAMAICA JAM.
Is 19A)"Amazing!" the same as NEAT? Other than "tidy" and "neat whiskey", NEAT is "cool" and even "groovy", but not "Amazing!"
The only JOJO I'd heard of is the name of my sis and B-I-L's first catamaran. Both of their names start with JO.
Happy Birthday, Donna and Lucina..LOL great motto! Mind if we share?
A cyber-hug to creature. It's nice to know you are checking in.
fermatprime, both GAH and I are enjoying "Homeland". I'm sure Brody's story has another twist to it before the end of the season.
To Tinbeni, thanks for asking. I have to wear a thing called a shrinker for the next 2 weeks,it looks like a thick nylon that fits over the stump and up to mid-thigh. then if all is good they will cast me for the piece that holds the leg in place. The kind I am getting will look kinda like terminator with a cosmetic foot. I am a bucs fan they laughed when I asked if I could get a wooden one. RJW.
Hi Ho everyone!
First of all a very Happy B-Day to Lucina. I'm sure there will be a Bounce House at "the party" Saturday...We will all want to see that...TAKE PICTURES!!! (Don't forget your jeggings though.)
Warren, thanks for the flyer link. I may drop by - I know JD and Chickie have enjoyed previous shows. I'm a sucker for homemade jam. :)
I have nothing to add about the puzzle. I actually came upon the theme early on, as many of the rest of you. And a Happy Birthday to you too, Donna L.
Dimininuendo/Creswcendo - musical terms
Andrea Doria, the man, was a 16th cent. Genovese Admiral. The sinking of the ship was a great embarassment to Italy, since they were trying to show how well they recovered from WWII.
PAISANO can mean pal, but I also think of it more as a case of campanilismo - that is, living within the sound of the same church bell.
A new book out. The Pursuit of Italy, by David Gilmour states that the risorgimento and Italian unification by Garibaldi was never successful, and Italians continue to think of themselves as living in "city-states," though not quite tribalistic.
Paul Klee, one of my favoites, was a Swiss painter with his own style of Cubism and fantasy, using mixed media.
Ron Worden -
Love your positive attitude. Stay strong, man.
Seen -
.The Brazil Bra must be seen
Cheers!
JzB appreciating the afterglow of a couple Macinac IPAs.
Thank you xtulmkr. That clip made my day
Ron Worden: I love your positive attitude! It is so refreshing. You are a true role model.
Argyle, thanks for the Hogwarts info about the motto. I've read all the books, and never saw (or don't remember seeing) the motto. It's truly funny. What a great series!
Again, thank you all for the birthday wishes.
Garlic Gal:
If there is a bouncing house (I'm not privy to the plans) pictures shall be posted sans jeggings!
What Chapstick said. Xtulmkr's clip was a hoot!
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