Theme: I will B Ceeing you later. Each of the five theme answers are phrases with the last word having a “B” replace the “C” in the original phrase, creating a rib tickling new phrase. I always enjoy this 81 year old constructor, who had his first puzzle published when he was 73. You newbies might want to read his INTERVIEW. And away we go...
17A. Adelaide altercation?: AUSTRALIAN BRAWL, Hi KZ, from OZ, did you learn to swim with the Australian Crawl?
31A. Beginning poet?: GREEN BARD. I wonder if Shakespeare would be able to a Green Card to work in the US?
39A. Fight over the last quart of milk?: DAIRY BATTLE. Being lactose intolerant, no chance, but I do like them Cattle.
46A. One always talking about his MacBook Air?: APPLE BORE. A very accurate image of Apple users, and does bring to mind my favorite APPLE CORE.
63A. Can't color the sky, say?: DOESN'T HAVE A BLUE. I do not have a clue why he did not use AZURE.
And the unifier, which did not help me:
62D. Handle user, and a hint to this puzzle's theme: CBER.
ACROSS:
1. Certain lymphocytes: T-CELLS. Made famous during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
7. Clumsy sort: LUG. I wanted OAF, but I got LEI'd so I was okay.
10. Kind of signal: BUSY. A cute but almost obsolete concept.
14. Had none left: RAN OUT. Just when he had to go on stage his jokes were gone.
15. Ajman and Fujairah, for two: EMIRATES. One of the seven principalities which make up the UAE; unlike the more familiar Abu Dhabi or Dubai, AJMAN has problems.
19. "Are we ready?": IS IT A GO? TAGO?
20. Pose: SIT. Have anyone here had a painting done?
21. Relay part: LEG. Racing.
22. Singer's yeshiva boy: YENTL. Barbra's MOVIE. (3:15).
25. Samoa's capital: APIA. Pretty.
29. Joint acct. info: SSNS. Social Security Numbers.
34. Jazz __: ERA. Age, Era. Tomato tomato.
37. Keen on: INTO. Man she was really into the Smashing Pumpkins.
38. Pince-__ glasses: NEZ. French for nose. Also an Indian tribe.
42. ESP, e.g. : PSI. This LINK.
44. Palm starch : SAGO. This is a basic food of the southwest Pacific area, where it is used in meal form to prepare soups, cakes, and puddings. See Melville.
45. Exhaust: USE. Use up?
49. Court team: Abbr.: ATTS. Attorneys, but the ATTY, is the preferred abbreviation.
53. Org. at 11 Wall St.: NYSE. New York Stock Exchange.
54. Rubs the right way?: ROLFS. Named after IDA.
57. Big Apple subway div.: IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit.
58. Sneeze, cough, etc.: AIL.
61. Certain college member: ELECTOR. The antiquated Electoral College, too much politics.
68. Stuff in the back: APPENDIX. In the back of the book, not the body.
69. Soaks: STEEPS. Tea bag, or tea bagging?
70. Cleaning challenge: MESS. Yes, I am not very good at this, my excuse being my poor vision.
71. Date: SEE. Why I wonder?
72. Swarms: HORDES. Not bees.
and then:
DOWN:
1. Gets behind: TRAILS, like in the polls; immediately followed by 2D. Things to get behind: CAUSES; all these behinds and I cannot talk politics. Dennis, WH, help me. Buckeye, Crockett, where are you when I need you?
3. Naval officer: ENSIGN. I am now hooked on NCIS.
4. Early 2000s Senate minority leader: LOTT.
5. Virginia's __ Caverns: LURAY.
6. Life time: STAGE. Really, it is just a stage I am going through, just very slowly.
7. Island welcome: LEI. Where are our Hawaiian friends? Mahalo.
8. Emma's portrayer in "The Avengers": UMA. 11D. Hagen of Broadway: UTA. Don't you just love a man who gets these two in so close together
9. Wins a certain card game: GINS. Gin Rummy, not 'and Tonic'.
10. Drink listing: BAR TAB. I had how many GINS?!?
12. Alter, maybe: SEW.
13. Fashion monogram: YSL. Yves St. Laurent
16. Slugger's stat: RBI. For you KZ, baseball, Runs Batted In.
18. Pine: LONG. Very tricky for a simple clue as TREE also has 4 letters.
23. Bridge renamed for RFK in 2008: TRIBORO. Spanning the Harlem River, the Bronx Kill, and the Hell Gate (part of the East River), the bridges connect the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx via Randall's Island and Wards Island, which are joined by landfill. (WIKI).
24. Olin of "Alias": LENA. A Swedish actress who has done everything from TV's Alias to a role in this great MOVIE. (2:30).
26. Glass piece: PANE. Window pane.
27. Wrath: IRE. Don't get angry if there is some crosswordese fill.
28. Wood-smoothing tool: ADZ. You must memorize this one.
30. Place for buoys and gulls: SEA.
32. Words spoken before the Senate: ET TU. And you, Brutus? By poor dying Julius.
33. Have-__: disadvantaged: NOTS.
35. Gentle slope: RISE. A bunny run, hearti?
36. __ League: ARAB.This has 22 countries, and none of the old UAE as members.
39. Market fluctuations: DIPS. All peaks and valleys in the Stock Market, not the produce market.
40. Wolf Frankenstein shoots him, in a 1939 film: YGOR. The SEQUEL (0:40).
41. Green span: LEA. A nice erudite federal reserve pun.
42. Trash, in a way: PAN. A bad review, not garbage; well sometimes garbage.
43. Alias user: SPY. This MOVIE? (1:21).
47. Landlord's fileful: LEASES.
48. Mtn. stat: ELEV. ation.
50. Like nobility: TITLED. Milady...
51. Band on the road: TROUPE. A french word co-opted and used synonymously with troop and company.
52. Burnout cause: STRESS.
55. Crayola color renamed Peach in 1962: FLESH. Yes finally colored people would appear in different colors. No politics, just fact.
56. Cold War defense acronym: SEATO. Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
59. B&B: INN. This will always be Brandy and Benedictine to me, rather than Bed and Breakfast.
60. Fords of the past: LTDS. Ford made lots of them, mostly big behemoth cars like the Galaxie 500 and the Crown Vic.
63. Impede : DAM. Dam, some of these clues impeded my solving and writing. I was such and eager beaver.
64. Unlock, in verse: OPE. "Ere Heaven shall ope' her portals ...": Byron.
65. Mini-albums, briefly: EPS. Extended Plays.
66. Make haste: HIE. One of those great English words that has so many Homonyms, Hi, High, Heigh, and of course HAI.
67. Fire: AXE. A pretty dramatic word for termination, which I guess is pretty final sounding as well, and the name of the band, and a perfect place for me to exit.
A real honor to be a part of this group and to prepare the last write up of year 4. An exciting time here at the corner, a wonderful week of puzzles continues, and hope to C you all next time. B good.
Lemonade
Good morning, L, C.C. and gang - no time to read the write-up, but this was anything but a smooth run for me; I was perping right from 1A.
ReplyDelete'Emirates' also fell out of the perps, as did the first theme answer, and that part helped although I kept looking for something beyond just switching 'c' for 'b' until I got to the unifier. Some good clues, including 'life time' and 'rubs the wrong way', but far and away my favorite was 'place for buoys and gulls'. 'SEATO' was a gimme, as it was responsible for my very, very quick maturation (although many of my friends are still waiting for that). Good Friday puzzle.
Do try to check in tomorrow on our fourth anniversary; off to the gym.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteVery smooth solve overall today. The theme was cute and I was able to figure it out very early on, which helped a lot.
Only one unknown today (LURAY) and a minimal number of initial mistakes (BAR for DAM, HOARDS for HORDES). In fact, the only thing that caused me to raise an eyebrow was, as Lemonade pointed out, the clue for USE. I agree the answer should be USE UP or else a different clue should have been provided.
Good morning, all. Not too bad for a Friday. The theme revealed itself with GREEN BARD and I went back and finished up the missing crossings for AUSTRALIAN BRAWL. From there on it was pretty straight forward.
ReplyDeleteRemember that DAIRY we all were trying to put in the puzzle a few days ago? It found its home today.
Thanks for the write up, Lemonade.
Congratulations, C.C., for managing to keep your sanity and guide this blog for four years. It's a really great group of people and I've made friendships, virtual and in real life, that would never have happened were it not for you and your blog.
Got the theme with AUSTRALIAN BRAWL. CBER as the reveal was kinda cute. Some of the theme entries didn’t seem to spark for me – GREEN BARD, APPLE BORE (yawn).
ReplyDeleteBut I did think that this was more of a Tuesday level (for me), as I flew through it with few pauses, no lookups and nary a “huh?”.
Are TCELLS the new EPEE ??
I liked seeing IS IT A GO? And ROLFS was hilarious, as I always associated it with having way too much to drink in college.
Its not a slippery slope, but a “Gentle slope” today. But you won’t get a RISE out of me for thinking of skiing, Lemony!
TGIF!
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. Good Friday level puzzle. The theme clicked when I filled in DOESN'T HAVE A BLUE. Up until then, I thought the unifier was telling me that the first would would begin with a C and the last with a B.
ReplyDeleteI promise I won't bore you talking about my MacBook Air.
I think the BUSY signal has gone the way of the Toll Call that we had earlier this week.
YENTL the Yeshiva Boy was a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Congratulations, C.C. on 4 years of a successful and fun blog.
QOD: Let Wall Street have a nightmare and the whole country has to help them back in bed again. ~ Will Rogers
Happy Friday, all.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was easier than yesterday, but I still got a few ink blots in my newspaper: OAF/LUG, BUSH/ARAB, CDS/EPS.
Never heard of the Australian Crawl (what is it?), so I got the theme at GREENBARD. Also never heard of ROLFS; I, too, pictured a commode-hugging adventure. HIE is another word I've never heard used outside the CW world.
Best clue: Words spoken before the Senate. Worst clue: Exhaust.
Do you remember EP's? Instead of a single 33-1/3 RPM LP you bought three 45 RPM EP's. I bought Buddy Holly and the Crickets' first album that way.
SWIMMING STROKES
ReplyDeleteGood morning all. This was no speed run for me. Very much Friday level. But I got the theme out of the chute with Australian Brawl. Maybe it was a regional thing, but I remember the free style (IIRC) being referred to archaically as the Australian Crawl when I was learning to swim in 1960.
ReplyDeleteNatick moment at that crossing of Pan and Psi. Figured from the down that it had to be a C or a P, and tossed a coin. Did not know Psi in that usage, so thanks for the explanation Lemonade.
Nice puzzle and write up. The puzzle offered the usual Friday challenge, but I was able to finish it with some Perps.
ReplyDeleteThe first theme answer I got was "Doesn't have a blue", then I got the unifier and was all set.
(I love that: Doesn't have a blue!)
Have a great day and a nice weekend. We're in for tons of snow here. I'm hoping the boss lets us out of work early ;)
CC Thank you for your 4 years of dedication and guidamce to this wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteInteresting puzzle. I understood the theme with DOESN'T HAVE A BLUE which allowed me to fill in the first words of the other themes.
Lemonade, liked your write up, esp.
APPLE CORE. The guys tried to talk like Donald Duck when I was a kid.
First thought for B&B was the liqueur. Too much of it could lead to ROLFS.
My favorite Emma Peel is Dianna Rigg.
Thanks to CC, the bloggers and all you commenters for making this site a learning experience, fun, and sooo warm and friendly.
WAJS (What Avg.Joe Said)
ReplyDeleteGot the 'C' to 'B' (Yup, it's Friday, so let's change a letter) off the RBI ... though mine are Runs BatteD In.
Enjoyed seeing both UMA and UTA in the same grid.
LURAY Caverns was my learning moment.
Had Igor before YGOR, easy fix.
All-in-All, a FUN Friday. Thanks Jack.
Cheers!!!
PS: So Mari@8:21am, you're still waiting for the 7 inches???
This one had it all: a clever theme, learning moments, clues that make you go hmm… and a nice unifier!
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Jack saved DOESN’T HAVE A BLUE for last and it made me laugh out loud and unlocked the bottom of the puzzle
-Apple peeps can be a little arrogant and the Foxconn Company where some of their products are made is deplorable. John Steward ripped them on Comedy Central
-Keystone Pipeline, IS IT A GO? Nope.
-You know you’ve done cwd’s for a while when APIA and SAGO go in quickly
-Kate Winslet didn’t sit for her portrait on the Titanic, she was reclining
-Nice blog by our ATT
-The college of cardinals are can also be ELECTORs (portrayed well in Angels and Demons)
-I thought GIN as a verb only applied to cotton
Thanks for adding a wonderful component to my day C.C.! The learning and camaraderie here are priceless. Maybe these daily exercises and interactions can stave off my complete mental deterioration.
ReplyDeleteTinbeni @ 8:32: I think I'll be waiting a loooong time for those 7". ;)
ReplyDeleteOn another note, the snow is coming down.
Good day folks,
ReplyDeleteCC, congratulations on your four year anniversary. Your dedication has made each day a little more enjoyable for me and I'm sure many others.
This was a pretty smooth puzzle, a rare Friday solve. Picked up on the theme with GREENBARD and that helped a lot. Still, I needed plenty of perp assistance.
ROLFS and EPS learning experience. Tried Bunt and Turn before BUSY appeared at 10A. 32D ETTU had me chuckling.
Snowstorm tomorrow, I guess one had to arrive sooner or later. A two inch "clipper" last night gave me the opportunity to make sure the snow blower was in running condition.
Happy week end all. Hope it is a GIANT success.
Husker@8:35am
ReplyDeleteHad THAT same thought when I entered APIA & SAGO. lol
re: Keystone Pipeline
What is the "local" opinion (Yeah or Nay) on this project?
Here in Tampa Bay, most folks I've talked with are for it.
(There's little chance "a problem" could affect OUR water table).
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jack, for a great, but tough, puzzle. Thank you, lemonade, for the write-up.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thank you, C.C., for hosting this wonderful daily experience. I have been here for over 13 months and have enjoyed every minute.
This puzzle was not easy, but I got it. The tough part was that I never got the theme. Read about it in the write-up.
TCELLS came easily for 1A. We have had that a lot, lately. That's OK. Another gimme is helpful.
Got PSI with perps. that was tough.
ROLFS was unknown. As was the TRIBORO bridge, never having been to NYC, except the airport.
Had STRIPE for 51D, TROUPE became obvious after a while.
Had UTA and UMA mixed up, but EMIRATES fixed that.
It is 7 degrees here and 6" of snow on the way.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Thank you Mr. McInturff (- Golden Arches, on the racecourse - ) for a nice puzzle, and my favorite Virgo for a delectable review. BTW, 'Steve' is another Virgo. The puzzle ? A DNF, but so close, that its a win, sort of.
ReplyDelete'Hordes' of relatives, in the Gulf, who generally, prefer to invest their earnings into something more portable, say, like gold. The Indians earn what the Arabs amass.
"Rolfing.... a form of bodywork that reorganizes the connective tissues, called fascia, that permeate the body." Hmm ... so a 'Rolfer' could also be called a 'fascist' or 'neo-fascist' ??
So, 'peach' is the new 'flesh' ? How in the heck are we supposed to color in the nude Caucasians - like the peachy Godiva, for instance ??
Lemon, thanx for 'splaining the Australian Crawl. I thought it probably had something to do with barhopping. The Aussies I met in the awl patch where prodigious drinkers.
ReplyDeleteCC, thanx and congratulations on your four-year blogging anniversary. We all appreciate what you've built here.
Mari,
ReplyDeleteScrew the boss, leave early anyway. It's Friday.
Wait a minute, if you -----
Never mind.
Pretty smooth Friday, faster then usual on the top/middle. Slowed down a bit on the bottom which was broken open by getting the theme fill. A lot of the three letter fill was pretty icky and in general a lot of crosswordese. I did like the mix of proper names and locations. Overall easier then usual Friday and a decent puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHi There ~!
ReplyDeleteI did quite well with this Friday puzzle - must have been on the right wavelength.
While I had the first two theme answers filled in, I had no idea what the Australian "CRAWL" was; I couldn't be sure of the letter change, since "GREEN BOARD" is a reference to 'Moisture Resistant' drywall; so was that the change, BOARD TO BARD?
Nope - once I figured out 'hasn't got a BLUE", I was on my way - I have to agree, half the themes were witty, and the other half "meh".
We got a dust of snow yesterday evening, enough to melt, and then freeze overnight - a little slick on my way in at 4am. More on the way for tomorrow, and so I plan on staying in bed after my blogging turn.
Splynter
Tin, the consensus of people I know (including Governor Heineman whose son I had in class) are for getting started. Our state is crisscrossed by pipelines and this one would mean jobs, tax revenue and a huge source of oil from people who like us. It has been studied for years and even the head geologist at UNL says its location is fine but now the process must start over as more research is to be done if the pipeline is moved east.
ReplyDeleteHere is the latest as the fight drags on.
May I congratulate CC for this wonderful blog, and the main page web Blog-Contributors and all the other blog posters for their contributions.
ReplyDeleteSago, an essentially tasteless fodder of 100% starch, and no protein, is a cheap, 'diet' food in India.
Also sophisticated Indian cooking uses a spice 'Ajwan' or 'Ajwain', ( Carum ajowan ), originally obtained from that emirate, in ancient times. Also called 'Bishop's weed', the celery-spice seed, is closely related to caraway and cumin. The assertive flavor resembles thyme, with pepper and oregano overtones.
Tin, Gary's World Herald link only tells part of the story of public perception here in NE.
ReplyDeleteIn the interest of equal time, here's the editorial staff comment from the Lincoln Journal Star this morning.
Suprisingly easy for a Friday! Wish our paper would give the theme. We in Chicago start out at a disadvantage! Thanks to the Crossword Corner for easing our frustrations!
ReplyDeleteHusker & Avg.Joe
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "local" info.
Granny:
Your Chicago Papers are not putting you at a disadvantage.
Only the Sunday puzzle has a "theme" listed.
Here at CC's Corner, the "theme" is determined/decided-on by whomever is doing the Blog Write-Up on Monday thru Saturday puzzles.
Lemonade: Excellent job, as always. When you date someone, you are "see-ing" them. You have a special place in my "thumping gizzard" (heart.) I love someone who also has poor, and getting poorer, vision.
ReplyDeleteDennis: Good too have you back. Is it to stay?
WH: We all know your "slips" are rarely "slips" (Sometimes they are other pieces of lingerie.)
CC: Your blog is an American phenomenon. You`ve brought saints and sinners, all races, and many countries into more or less harmony. Not many others have ever done that. Perhaps you should run the caucuses! Sincere congratulations.
G'day all,
ReplyDeleteGreat CW and outstanding write-up, Lemon. Re: your 64A comment, "Ere Heaven shall ope' her portals..." What a great expression! But who is this "Heaven" babe who is about to do that? (Milady on horseback?!)
Very pleasurable solve today. Took twice as long as earlier CW's this week, but worth it. Didn't know LURAY or those particular EMIRATES. I always debate about LENA or LINA, always get YENTA and YENTL mixed up, haven't seen IGOR spelled YGOR.
NE corner was the last to fall. Took awhile to get LUG instead of oaf. But no look-ups, no red letters and I FIGURED OUT THE THEME! Not that it helped in the solve. LOTT's of fun.
Mari, we all know size matters, but what if you were to look at those particular dimensions in centimeters instead of inches! Just a thought.
Cheers mates!
BTW, what does "natick" mean? I keep forgetting to ask.
ReplyDeleteStarted last night with a very empty puzzle after first pass. Decided to sleep on it. This morning got APPLEBORE quickly and most of the rest filled in rapidly. Unfortunately did not know any of the LURAY/YENTL/LENA crossings so had to take a DNF, (had LURAl/lENTz/zENA). Should have know YENTL as I've read some Singer, but it wouldn't come.
ReplyDeleteThere are those of us for whom AUSTRALIANCRAWL and ROLFS were gimmes... then there are you young 'uns. Similarly, to me, Diana Rigg is the ONLY Emma Peel. OK, OK, I'll put the new Avengers on my Netflix queue and check out the new kid on the block.
Not being good with letter replacement themes, I never did figure out what it was. I toyed with AUSSIE CITY BRAWL, and never got TCELLS, RAN OUT (tried was out), IS IT A GO, LEG, YENTL, DAIRY (LACTO), psI, SAGO, BORe, or ROlfs. I've never seen the term rolfs before, and of course had no idea bout LURAY, LOTT or TRIBORO. So a definite DNF today.
ReplyDeleteFelt smart to have got only two thirds filled.
Yes, I learned the Australian crawl. My teacher was a former wrestler, who was tried for the murder of a guy who had raped his daughter. He got off, but I was too young to really know or understand all the details, so I'm unsure whether they thought he was justified or that he just hadn't done it.
Desperotto,
You're right about Aussie drinkers, but bar hopping is called either a boat race or a pub crawl.
Natick is a phrase coined by Rex Parker that tries to define two unfamiliar words crossing in a puzzle. Natick is a small town I believe in Massachusetts that was in a puzzle and crossed another likewise unfamiliar word and hence the name.
ReplyDeleteI am not a big fan of the concept because one person's unfamiliarity is another person's gimme and it is too difficult to try and define that in a puzzle when you're also trying to define what is easy, medium, and hard. Too many variables as far as I'm concerned, so I rarely if ever cry foul.
And Mari, just so you don't have to look it up,
ReplyDelete1 inch = 2.54 centimeters!!!
@Len, re "Natick". Page down to the bottom of this link, Vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone:
ReplyDeleteGreat write-up, Lemonade and a fun, overall easy Friday. Saw the theme early with Australian Brawl which led to a faster than normal finish. I'm happy to say this has been a week with nary a Google.
Congratulations, CC, and thanks to you and the rest of the bloggers for the time and dedication given to make this site a fun and interesting place. Checking in here has become a part of my day.
Happy Friday to all.
Sometimes you start to make a switch a letter theme and realize that you can go in the opposite direction. Jack switches a C for a B. You could switch a B for a C.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare as a joke writer?
THE CARD OF AVON
Switching gears-
IRT- Answer to, "Who are you Mr.?"
For Rube @11:32. Yes, Dianna Rigg is my favorite Emma Peel, too.
ReplyDeleteLink Dianna Rigg
Luray Caverns were designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service and the Department of Interior in 1974. They now have 500,000 visitors a year.
Well, this started out easy, I thought, until I got to the south. So it took a while, though I thought I nailed it even though I never got the theme or the unifier. In the end I did have one goof: SAGE instead of SAGO, since I also didn't know TRIBORO. I guess that was a 'Natick' for me (thanks for explaining it again, David@11:42. By the way, how do these times work, since we all seem to live in a lot of different time zones?).
ReplyDeleteBut I like a challenge, so thanks Mr. McI. And you, too, Lemonade--would not have gotten the theme without your write-up. And to C.C. for getting this whole wonderful project going! I only joined this year, when LA Times Confidential closed up shop. But my mornings would be much less interesting and fun without this blog!
Greetings, puzzlers. Thanks again, Lemonade for your always thorough blogging.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, C.C., for this blog of which I can't say enough. It is a stupendous success both in terms of fulfilling the crossword queries and providing friendship, cyber and real.
Wow! Great puzzle, thank you, Jack, and it took a long time to find his wave length. Still a DNF with CAN instead of PAN and PSI, and can't remember TCELLS!!
I Love DOESN'T HAVE A BLUE.
Have a fantastic Friday, everyone!
Enjoyable puzzle, but it sure was slow going. I'm with Hahtool at 7:17 - thought the theme answers would begin with c and b. Once I got Australian brawl it started to make sense.
ReplyDeleteGot Rolfs thanks entirely to the perps. That and Luray were my learning moments today!
Thanks Lemon for an enjoyable write up, as usual. Special thanks to C.C. for getting this whole thing started and keeping us all on the straight and narrow, more or less. What a diverse and fascinating group is gathered here and I am thrilled to be a teeny part of it.
BTW, for all you Stephanie Plum fans out there, One for the Money, starring Katherine Heigl opens a week from today. I, for one, can't wait.
Cheers, and have a stellar weekend, in case I miss you tomorrow.
David @1142 am
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation of "natick". I scrolled back to Avg Joe's post @8:18 where the word was used in today's blog, the crossing of
42A PSI and 42D PAN, and I have to agree with you. Those two would not have been a "natick" moment for me.
Lemonade, even after all this time, you still amaze me!
ReplyDeleteReferencing an obscure metal band (3:25) from the 80s?! Awesome! (Tame link, btw. Catchy melody, too.)
Referencing tea-baggers?! Oh, my! (No - no link. Sorry.)
Has anyone seen The GIN Game? A fantastic piece of writing! I've read the play, and have only seen the Cronyn/Tandy version on PBS, but I'd love to see it live. I don't know how the actors could keep straight faces in these roles.
Rube @ 11:32. Don't bother checking out Uma Peel. Uma may be beautiful and a fairly decent actress, but that movie (all 80-some minutes of it) really sux.
ReplyDeleteHello.
ReplyDeleteRIP, Etta James.
Waiting for the brown truck to stop
out front.
Raining here and snowing in the mountians. A lot of skiers headed
that way for the week-end.
Amazed that six hockey games ended
with a score of 4-1 last night.
PHO and LA lost SOs.
Take care. eddy
Len @ 11:44, We just might have those 2.54 centimeters already.....of snow!
ReplyDeleteI just logged onto Amazon.com to see if any new Chicago Tribune Sunday Crossword Puzzle Books
It cracks me up that people are selling their used copies! Reminds me of growing up in a poor family. My mom would often bring me home used coloring books from garage sales.
@Rube @11:47
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great link. I have heard the name Rex Parker mentioned from time to time but have never visited his site before.
I may check out something he mentions in FAQ No.13, a free piece of software called Crossword Butler that apparently downloads all the available CW'S of that day except the NYT to your desktop.
What you don't learn on this blog!
C.C. I'm relatively new to your blog and am very appreciative of the time and effort you put in to it. The daily write-ups are always great and the sense of community here is heart warming. Plus, there are some very funny people out there!
ReplyDeleteAs to the puzzle; I really wanted LUG to be OAF but found OEI to be confusing, read 32D as words spoken BY the Senate and immediately put in LIES. Once I got that figured out things went pretty smoothly.
I too thought of Brandy & Benedictine, with B&B, which made me think of once upon a time when I found a bottle of plain Benedictine - ambrosial, if you like that kind of thing.
Again, thanks C.C. for making this such a hospitable stop on thr info super hiway (do they still call it that?)
Re: Keystone, I under the permits were first spplied for in 2009!!
mtnest995 @ 12:03: I am definately looking forward to Ms. Plum. DH, not so much.
ReplyDeleteOOps, that should be understand the permits were applied for on 2009. All thumbs today.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Ms. Plum as well! Can't wait to see who plays Ranger and Morelli. My choices were Duane "The Rock" Johnson and Benjamin Bratt.
Good afternoon to all and happy Fri.Thanks for the great write-up Lemon. Also much thanks to C.C. for your diligence to this site that is enjoyed by myself and many others. Nice and smooth for a Friday. I also agree Diana Rigg was the best Mrs. Peel,and Patrick McNee also was a fine actor. I saw him in 1975 in Sleuth on Broadway was amazing. Hope all in the north stay warm as we are in the upper 70's. Have a great weekend to all RJW.
ReplyDeleteRube@11:47
ReplyDeleteExcellent link for a newbie like me, Thanks.
Does this blog have an FAQ section?
Note: Q#5:using HTML
My computer had a fit when i clicked on the link, apparently Google has detected Malware here and red flagged it.
Virginia - Morelli is played by Jason O'Mara and Daniel Sunjata is Ranger. I'm not familiar with either one, but the real hoot is that Debbie Reynolds was cast as Grandma Mazur. The trailer is hilarious, so I've got high hopes for the movie.
ReplyDeleteMari - I forced DH to read the book and he is actually looking forward to the movie too.
Good afternoon Lemonade and all. Congratulations to C.C. on the 4th anniversary of the Corner. What a wonderful achievement.
ReplyDeleteThe themes were fun and led me into 62d, CBER. I've grown to like Jack's puzzles. I did not know ROLF or PSI, but the perps worked well. I liked the clues for ELECTOR and APPENDIX. I guess an ADZ could be used for wood smoothing, but I think of its use more for hewing and debarking. But I yield to Splynter on this. Having once been an ENSIGN, this was a gimme. Overall, I felt it was on the easy side for a Friday.
Enjoy the day.
Loved this, and a great write-up, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteFor 17A, I had AUSTRALIAN FIGHT and it took the longest time to let it go - it was perfect (The Australian Bight is the big half-moon coastal shape in the south of the country) - I couldn't see how it could be wrong until I got the unifier and had to admit that I was wrong.
Unifier aside, I was amused to see two alternative answers which would totally fit the clue.
Loved the clue for APPENDIX, learned LURAY.
Happy Friday everyone!
Nice one, although I agree that CBER is not much of a clue. My first notion of a theme came from GREEN BARD, but only when I had it initially wrong as EARLY BARD. I figured there was an "I" to "A" switch because of that. Anyway, I finished this--and a bunch previously this week--in record time for me. So either I am improving or the CWs are getting easier. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
ReplyDeleteOh - and the Pub Crawl/Boat Race - a boat race is a drinking game in one spot.
ReplyDeleteYou get about eight people on each team lined up parallel to each other with a beer at the ready - on the signal the first person on each time downs his beer and puts the glass upside down on his head to signal the next team member to start drinking. The winning team is the first to finish with some kind of drinking forfeit for the losers. An awesome pub crawl would be a boat race in each new bar.
You can "cheat" in the boat race by upturning the glass on your head before it is empty with obvious consequences.
hello all -
ReplyDeletefirst: THANK YOU so much to CC for this blog. without getting too sentimental, a little history about me: i grew up watching my grandmother and my mother do the LAT CW every day, in the real paper with a real pencil. i always looked up to them for their small daily accomplishments. a few years ago i tried my hand at the LAT CW but couldn't come close to finishing one. so i worked on my local paper's website (that is far easier) until i felt i was strong enough to take on the LAT. i would not have kept at it if it were not for this blog. its one thing to autofill the answers just to see what they are - its entirely different to find the answers and understand the meaning behind them (prime examples: ROLF and AUSTRALIAN CRAWL aka freestyle). so THANK YOU ALL - CC and all of you contributers - for teaching me so much.
second: RIP ETTA JAMES. you will always be remembered in these puzzles.
good day to all - have a good weekend! mine will involve some GIN - both the game and the beverage! cheers!!
t.
How's this for a 63A clue : ROYGIV rainbow.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe 1962 was the date Crayola renamed their crayon color flesh to peach. I do remember it being changed in my youth, but despite what Crayola has claimed on their site, I'd have said they renamed it somewhere between 1966 and 1970. I suspect a case of corporate historical revisionism going on here.
ReplyDeleteNot the only one to say so either. See the Straight Dope boards for a previous discussion on the topic.
A better Eve Plumb would have been Zoey Daschanel but the Ranger character is perfect...so is the black gal partner. When I read the books, I imagined Fran Fine`s grandma as Eve`s grandma. Debbie is a little too prissy.
ReplyDeleteARGYLE: It`s ROYGBIV
ReplyDeleteAnt: what your "non-linked reference" referenced is illegal.
ReplyDeleteAnon@2:22, I'd tell you the joke about the roof but I'm afraid it's over your head.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lemonade for remembering my interview. I reread it and saw that MELTDOWN was my grandchild. I have 11 of them but don't know this one. Maybe I'm being adopted.
ReplyDelete59 down, 'INN' for the clue 'B&B,' was a foul. 'B&B' is an abbreviation and calls for an abbreviated answer without an indication contra.
ReplyDeleteA very enjoyable puzzle today. I agree with Yellowrocks about Diana Rigg.
ReplyDeleteThank you C.C. for this blog. It makes up a very enjoyable part of my social life these days.
And hands up for Macs. I don't brag about my Mac but it seems to suit ME better than a PC. I don't know if that's because of its user-friendly design or because I'm more used to Macs. I was forced to use a PC in school for taking attendance, grades, etc. but it was always a struggle for me.
I'll bet Lois knows about the famous Luray Caverns.
I think B & B has become a term in our language that can stand alone and doesn't need to be thought of as an abbreviation.
An English teacher friend of mine gave me a grammar question. "I'll give the leftover candy to Whoever/Whomever wants it." What do you think?
Apparently, this is a store front in Berlin. How do you suppose this is accomplished? Video
ReplyDeleteWe were all appalled by the FED X delivery of the computer monitor over the fence. Now USPS has made a similar delivery of a valuable, fragile item. They plan to "retrain" the employee. He didn't know that what he did is not standard procedure? It was not lack of knowledge, but lack of concern.I think a written warning in his file is necessary. He needs to realize that such disregard for the rules has consequences.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem with all package deliveries is that I have no porch or overhang by my front door. Although I live in a quite safe, but not totally crime free area, I obsess about a delivery being stolen or more likely being weather beaten if a I am away for several days. I actually have received soggy unacceptable packages.
Link USPS package toss
The world seems to be full of stuff that I don't know. Here are some photographs of a variety of Eucalyptus trees that are amazingly colorful. They look like they've been painted. Trees
ReplyDeleteWhat do 63A, Neil Young, ELO, UFO documentary and 7 crayons in a Crayola box have in common?
ReplyDeleteWow, and here I thoughy you and Lemonade knew everything!
ReplyDeleteIt's been too many years since I was taught all of the nuances of usage, but I lean toward 'whoever'.
ReplyDeleteChanging the phrase to 'I give the candy to he/she that wants it (as opposed to him/her that wants it) seems to call for who instead of whom. I may be wrong though. I'm sure we will get more elegant explanations.
Hi, all!
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly easy puzzle for a Friday! Got the theme quickly as AUSTRALIAN cRAWL was a gimme. (I really miss being able to use this stroke, since my left shoulder cannot be repaired. Oh, well, the orthopod told me that old folks should not use this stroke anyway.)
C. C.--I cannot say how much I have appreciated this blog! Great fun; nice people; Alzheimer's preventer?
I hope that Plum movie is available to rent soon! (Funny, I always pictured a young Ray Liotta as Joe Morelli.) I cannot quite see an Irishman as a hot blooded Italian. What gives?
Only a short sleep last night. Prescription nasal spray was in my truck but its current user neglected to bring it in. Ah, well, had plenty to read on my super Kindle! (Thanks again, dear hearts!)
Have a great weekend!
Not so sure about One for the Money. Still think Marisa Tomei or Mira Sorvino would be a better Steph. Can't see the movie being better than the book. Hope it does well tho. There won't be a second
ReplyDeleteif it doesn't. This one took three
years to get released.
eddy
Argyle @ 2:40 Do tell. Please!! I am intrigued.
ReplyDeleteForgot to say thanks to Jack and Lemonade. Great work!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I cannot imagine what a hardship it is to you folks who are experiencing sub-zero weather! I have lived in L A County all of my life. Of course, many of us just can't wait to be plunged into the sea when the next REALLY big quake comes.
Bill,
ReplyDeleteFantastic video, but I'm sure the whole thing was a projection, except for the things dropped to the crowd at the end.
YR,
When my son had two huge containers of frozen salmon and halibut shipped "FedEx overnight" to us last summer, not only was it over 100 degrees outside when he left it at our next door neighbor's instead of our house, but our neighbor was gone. Only because someone happened to be there to feed their cat, was it even signed for. He'd left it on their asphalt driveway in the sun, and when she realized it was for us and called me, we had to drag and carry both boxes over to my garage and freezer ourselves. They did refund the cost of delivery, but nothing would have been refunded if the fish hadn't still been edible.
pretty easy and funner than yesterday. at first put jazz age, and igor. But being a friday stump the chump puzzle I changed em to jazz era and ygor which 99% of normal people wouldnt use. loved ten down bar tab and always loved uma and lei. go niners
ReplyDeleteyellowrocks at 3:51
ReplyDeleteWhile you are waiting for Argyle,
how about:
"So Far So Good"
(what the guy said every time he passed a floor after he fell off the roof)
Yellowrocks @ 3:51
ReplyDeleteQ: How many lawyers does it take to roof a house?
A: It depends on how thinly you slice them.
I hope you got that one...
Argyle @2:05, ROYGIV gave me a real chuckle,
ReplyDeletebut I almost lost it when I read your 2:40 comment. Hilarious!
Bill G. @3:23...those Germans can do anything, eh? Fascinating video clip of that store front. I have no idea how they could do that, as I barely mastered the art of relay switches yesterday...And @3:35, beautiful colors...are you sure those Eucalyptus trees haven't been photo-shopped???
YR, in defense of the USPS, my postal worker actually re-delivered a bill to me that he found in the gutter a block away today. I had thrown it into the recycle bin, but the recycle truck must have missed the hatch when they picked up my bin, and some of my papers must have landed on the roof of the truck, only to fly off as they drove down the street.
ReplyDelete...so, I threw it into the recycle bin. (Lets see how long this endless loop goes on....)
So...this was a bill you just didn't want?
ReplyDelete:-)
Cross eyed Dave @ 3:51 and Anon @4:45, thanks for the V 8 can. Duh. The light dawns. ROYGIV ( no blue) Very clever, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteBill G: Whoever
ReplyDeleteDudley, long story, but my partners in Austria pay many of our vendors directly, so I don't even have to look at their bills. (Don't tell my mail carrier, that as soon as he leaves the driveway I just toss 99% of the stuff in the recycle bin...)
ReplyDeleteWhich brings up another point. How long do you think it will be before home delivered mail will be a "thing of the past"? (Remember when they used to deliver milk to your door???) I am betting it will be less than 5 years...any takers?
As a point/counterpoint to your comment about the letter carrier Marti, a few years ago I rented an office that was approx 8 blocks from my house. Being that close, I'd usually go check my mail on Saturday. One Saturday in February, the parking lot in front of the building was very slushy from melting snow. I found an envelope with a check to me that had been dropped by the mail carrier in the middle of that parking lot slush. I wasn't terribly happy.
ReplyDeletethanks mr. counterpoint
ReplyDeleteIt's already been eleven years since we've had mail delivered to our door. Our street is considered dangerous (driving safety, not crime) so the residents have their PO mail box clustered on a more traveled street. Basically. it's a quarter of a mile away.
ReplyDeleteMarti, I hope home delivered mail is never suspended, but in five to ten years, you may be right on. It will be a hardship for a lot of people, especially seniors and/or disabled.
Ant:
ReplyDeleteAXE is releasing a retrospective 4 CD set in February, and the son you picked was a hit on mTV early 80's.
Mr. McInturff, thank you so much for stopping by. It was a pleasure to present your work. I hope we are both doing this for many more years
@Bill.G @3:23. Looks like the video was made by LG to introduce their new Android Smart Phone. Very impressive.
ReplyDeleteSorry folks--I don't buy ROYGIV for 63A. Indigo is blue, surely. I wish the Indigo Girls were on this blog--they're huge crossword puzzle fans, if I remember correctly. I bet they'd vote for my take on this.
ReplyDeleteOops. Forgot about the missing B and that both blue and indigo are in that rainbow. My bad.
ReplyDeleteHi gang -
ReplyDeleteI am commentor no. 93. Won't take time to read the string.
Tough puzzle. Even with the unifier, i was Blueless for a while. Took another look and sussed it.
This is one of those puzzles I like more in retrospect than I did while working it.
Happy weekend. We're supposed to get a bunch of snow overnight.
Cheers!
JzB
Bill G:
ReplyDelete"to whoever wants it" because whoever is the subject of the verb "wants" and the entire clause, "to whoever wants it" is the object of the preposition "to."
Fascinating video of the building and the trees.
Nice of Jack McInturff to stop by. I would like him to know that I love his challenging puzzles.
If JazzB is #93, I am 94 & 95.
ReplyDeleteGood whatever it is now, Lemonade, CC, et al., Loved this puzzle way earlier today and thought it was perfect for a Fri. Thank you Lemonade for a fine write up. Theme? What theme? Thank you, L.
ReplyDeleteAlmost lost my coffee w/the first down fills. 1D Gets behind and 2D Things to get behind...I love AStronomy and have been studying Uranus in depth for quite a while. It never ceases to amaze me. I'm never too BUSY to SEE a new Cave, and Bill G, you are sooo right. LURAY is one of my favorites. Some of the largest and most amazing long and hard formations from top to bottom can be found there. Sometimes they even meet in the middle and create a beautiful and entirely new formation. Gives a whole new dimension to getting something straight between them, but it is exciting. Been there, done that, many times. The caverns are in the northern LEG of the Skyline Dr. which can never say it DOESNT HAVE A BLUE Ridge Pkwy 'cause that's part of the Shenandoah Valley & Appalachian Mtns of Western VA too. Worth the trip.
Happy Fri. Gonna go listen to the band Crazy X's. Isn't that funny? They are good!! Enjoy your night!
Hello everybody. A quick in and out to wish you all, who make this blog a pleasant place to associate with, well.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th Anniversary, CC. It's been a lot of fun w/you, the original 3 D's and my oh my all the others who have climbed on board. You are utterly amazing...truly my idol. Congratulations for so many things, this site being just one of your outstanding accomplishments. You have enriched so many lives, mine included.
ReplyDeleteCheers!!
Jayce @7:14
ReplyDelete"A quick in and out" is seldom appreciated by distaff members of the blog, Jayce. You are not going to OPE many portals that way!
Hi,everyone,
ReplyDeleteJust want to get my 2cents worth in
answering Bill's and Tin's questions. Tin: I don't know about everybody else in my neighborhood, but I'm really, really against the pipeline. We'll never get off the oil addiction that way!
Bill: I'll say 'whoever' since it has a verb and an object.
C.C. congratulations! Your blog is one of a kind and I love it! Ask the refugees from the defunct blog; they all seem enthusiastic about the Corner! Probably didn't know what they were missing!
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteA great Friday xwd, and as usual for the end of the week, I always need a little help. Thanks Lemon.:-)I just don't get how 3 little letters can be so mindboggling (42 A&D). Loved "greenspan---wish I had filled it and _tts!!!! Never got the theme, but I always enjoy trying.
Fav.clue: "stuff in the back" = appendix
Triboro was a gimme; my older sister lived in NY and the 1st time I visited her eons ago, she told me that I HAD to tell the cabbie to take the Triboro Bridge, not an $$$ scenic route.
C.C., you must know that we all are in awe of you.You blogged our puzzle daily for so long, and it wasn't until you shared your labor of love with others that we realized how much work you did and continue to do each day.We did go through a mourning period without you, but now we get it.Thank you.
Yes, it should be "I'll give the candy to WHOEVER wants it" for the reasons several of you have already given. I thought Lucina explained it very well. You would properly say TO WHOM because WHOM is the object of the proposition TO. But following the word TO in this sentence is an independent clause that has the verb WANTS. WHO has to be the subject of that independent clause. At least that's the way I understand it.
ReplyDeleteSeemed pretty tough to me, tho I was able to finish. Rather NYC-centric, IMHO, with NYSE, TRIBORO and IRT. One of my pet peeves, being a born and bred Second Citier.
ReplyDelete