Theme: puzzle² - 1 through 4 squared and the unifier.
16A. *Start of a Jackie Gleason "Honeymooners" catchphrase : ONE OF THESE DAYS (1²)
29A. *Vivaldi classic, with "The" : FOUR SEASONS (2²)
36A. *Cat's blessing, so it's said : NINE LIVES (3²)
46A. *Tennessee Ernie Ford hit about coal mining : "SIXTEEN TONS" (4²)
59A. What the starred answers start with : PERFECT SQUARES
Argyle here with PSD - post-Superbowl Depression. Sorry to say but this puzzle doesn't lift my spirits. It is an ambitious debut but the theme seems like it's been done before and there are too many abbreviations.
Across:
1. PC screens : CRTs. Can you even buy a cathode ray tube(CRT) anymore?
5. Bumbling types : OAFS
9. Washer or dryer: Abbr. : APPL. (appliance)
13. Banister : RAIL
14. "Deck the Halls" syllables : FA LA
15. Cuba, to Castro : ISLA. Spanish for island.
19. Capone associate Frank : NITTI. "The Enforcer" was in charge of all strong-arm and 'muscle' operations.
20. Political satirist Mort : SAHL
21. Pale : WAN
23. "Be right with you!" : "IN A SEC!"
25. Moe, Curly or Larry : STOOGE
28. Space-saving abbr. : ETC.
33. Pot-scrubbing brand : S.O.S. An abrasive cleaning pad made from steel wool saturated with soap.
34. Fencing sword : EPEE
35. King with a golden touch : MIDAS
39. Brainstorms : IDEAs
42. Company with a "swoosh" logo : NIKE
43. "The Racer's Edge" : STP
49. Musician's asset : EAR
50. Big name in tea : TETLEY
51. New Orleans university : TULANE. The nickname of sports teams at Tulane University is the Green Wave.
53. Orch. section : STR. (strings)
54. Coarse file : RASP
58. Pantyhose that came in a shell : L'EGGS
63. Upscale hotel chain : OMNI
64. Potatoes' partner : MEAT
65. Post-Christmas retail event : SALE
66. Bog fuel : PEAT
67. Hwy. accident respondents : EMTs. (Emergency Medical Technicians)
68. Managed care gps. : HMOs. (Health Maintenance Organization)
Down:
1. Chums : CRONIES. You don't hear CRONIES that much and when you do, it often has an unsavory connotation.
2. Met by chance : RAN INTO
3. Men's wear accessories : TIE TACs
4. Bandits in Vegas? : SLOTS. One-armed bandits.
5. More than occasionally, to a bard : OFT
6. Oohs' partners : AAHs
7. Circus insect : FLEA
8. Scout uniform component : SASH
9. Help : AID
10. Free TV ad : PSA
11. Layered building material : PLYWOOD
12. Layered ristorante offering : LASAGNA. Interesting clecho.
17. Feudal estate : FIEF. The property granted to a vassal in return for service
18. "Do it, or __!" : ELSE. Something you might hear on a fief.
22. Loch of legend : NESS. Scottish legend.
24. Filmmaker Ethan or Joel : COEN
26. Domesticated : TAME
27. Suffix with psych : OSIS
30. Ivy League sch. in Philly : UPENN. (University of Pennsylvania)
31. Got going again, as a fire : RELIT
32. Fancy watch : SEIKO
36. NHL part: Abbr. : NATL. (National Hockey League)
37. "Understood" : "I SEE"
38. Dryer outlet : VENT
39. Followers: Suf. : ISTs
40. Low-cal soda : DIET POP
41. Radical : EXTREME
43. Company associated with the alcoholic "7" in a "7 and 7" : SEAGRAM. An extensive but interesting history of Seagrams. site I am still searching for the reason it's called 7 Crown.
44. Citrus hybrid : TANGELO
45. Gets the creases out of : PRESSES
47. Brontë's "Jane __" : EYRE
48. "Star Trek" helmsman : SULU. George Takei has been receiving a lot of press lately.
52. Dog restraint : LEASH
55. Zenith : ACME. I tried APEX first.
56. Goblet feature : STEM
57. Jr.'s exam : PSAT
60. Cell "messenger," briefly : RNA
61. Tailor's concern : FIT
62. Fourths of gals. : QTs. (quarts)
Argyle
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - back in NJ with a lot to do over the next six weeks before the move.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle was a flat-out speed run, right at four minutes; even the theme answers were gimmes. I agree with Argyle that there were too many abbreviations, but I'm reluctant to be very critical of Carl's initial offering. My only question was whether scout uniforms actually have a sash; I remember a scarf, but not a sash. Of course, I didn't last very long in the Boy Scouts, so my memory could be flawed.
Hope it 's a great day for everyone.
The sash is to display their merit badges, I beleive.
ReplyDeleteMorning, all!
ReplyDeleteI'm extremely disappointed but not actually depressed. I guess my expectations weren't as high this year and there wasn't as much riding on the win. The "let's win four in a decade" ship sailed long ago...
The puzzle was a typical Monday effort. I got the theme answer early and that let me go back and fill in SIXTEEN TONS of the "X" I had stuck in earlier. I was wondering whether 1A would be CRTS or LCDS. I don't even think you can by CRT televisions anymore, but you can probably still get CRT computer monitors.
TULANE was the only remotely obscure answer today and, even though I didn't know where it was, I've heard of it and could get it after a perp or two.
And yes, Boy Scouts wear sashes on which to display their merit badges.
Argyle, you're right - I completely blanked on that. I've talked to enough scout groups in the past several years so you'd think I should remember that. This getting old stuff is interesting.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Argyle and gang!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, Carl!
I liked the theme! (D'OH) But sure did not work this terribly speedily. CRT???
Think that food poisoning affects have abated considerably. What an awful day. Brain decided to wake up a few minutes ago. Darn.
POSSIBLE SPOILER:
How many episodes of the Abbey are left this year??
Figure someone is going to be up for murder. Pity someone does not bump off Sir Richard!
Have a great day!
BTW: Girl scouts had sashes too!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning, Argyle and friends. I actually had fun with today's puzzle. I liked the PERFECT SQUARE theme. The starred theme clues were easy, and I saw quickly realized the numbers were the square of another number.
ReplyDeleteI got stuck on the CRT, however. I couldn't for the life of me remember the "C" in the RT. It didn't help that CRONIES didn't come easily, either.
Argyle, since CRONIE has a negative connotation, it is apropos that it crossed with Frank NITTI.
TULANE came easily to me.
Very cold here today. Quite a shock after having temps in the 80s for the past week.
Frenchie: Good to have you back!
QOD: I am not upset that you lied to me, I am upset that from now on I can't believe you. ~ Frederich Nietzsche.
Dennis: I think the SASH
ReplyDeletethat the Boy Scouts wear holds the badges they ear.
I think I would have liked the puzzle better if he could have worked TWENTYFIVE into that last theme spot somehow, with no unifier needed.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, here's a song that should get your blood pumping this morning: 25 or 6 to 4 (3:28) - Chicago.
Waiting for the break of day
ReplyDeleteSearching for something to say
Argyle, the blog wasn't able to work my last post in! Unloose me, please!
Mornin' to all,
ReplyDeletePiece of cake....well, it is Monday...what else is expected other than easy.
@Dennis: "Interesting" is not the word you will use when you hit the 80s!
Good morning all. Yep, it's Monday. I don't recall an easier puzzle. OK, I did have to make a decision between LCD and CRT, but from there on, I just wrote in the answers. Lipton or TETLEY was the only other ambiguous entry, quickly decided by the ISTS crossing.
ReplyDeleteI left the theme entries blank, except for SIXTEEN TONS, so I had a reason to read at least some of the down clues. Of course, I could have made it more difficult had I gone with my first impulse on the Jackie Gleason catchphrase... To the moon, Alice!
I was more interested in the girl scout's sashay than her sash.
Good Monday to you all.
ReplyDeleteYup, it was a speed run, but Monday's are supposed to be easy, right? I'll never catch Dennis, though. I can't write fast enough to finish in four minutes, even with no pause for thinking.
I gather from the comments that some team managed to win the Super Bowl, and they'll get to put another merit badge on their sashes. I've just never been able to get into this whole "our mercenaries are better than your mercenaries" mentality.
No wags, no puns, no brainer. Even for a Monday, I was kinda disappointed. I noticed the clecho at 11D and 12D, which Argyle also pointed out. It was the only interesting bit.
ReplyDelete7and7 was popular with the girls when I was in college. It wasn't my cup of tea . . er I mean booze.
NJ Gov.Christie said, The New York Giants "train in New Jersey, they play in New Jersey and most of their players live in New Jersey."
Their summer training camp this year was in East Rutherford, NJ. They live in NJ during the football season. It rankles us that they are a NY team. The only thing NY about them is the lettering on their helmets. Still we root for them. Yay, Giants! Thrilling nail biting conclusion to the Super Bowl.
Thanks for the puzzle and write up.
ReplyDeleteWEES: What Everbody Else Said. It was easy and quick but enjoyable. (That sounds kinkier than it should.)
The puzzle could have added one more dimension to CRONIES and NITTI, by referencing Eliot NESS on 22D. Incidentially, Nitti wasn't so much in charge of muscle as usually portrayed. He was a very analytical business man who kept things in line while Capone was in prison and afterward. Incidentially, Nitti and Capone were buried a stones throw away from each other in Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
Argyle, I'm enjoying your link to Funding Universe. I work in finance, so it's interesting to see how some of thse companies got their starts.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteI really stalled in the south, because I put "fifteen" tons instead of SIXTEEN. What was I thinking?? Finally got that straight, but it killed a speed run this morning.
Point of order: L'Eggs hosiery no longer comes in a "shell".
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteA proper Monday speed run. No unknowns. I see the three STOOGEs have made an appearance. I detest their brand of humor.
Since we're talking about sashes and scouting: The mom who brought me a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints wasn't looking very pleased, because her daughter's troop had been forced to accept and sell 56 cases of cookies this year. Gone are the days of pre-ordering, along with the door to door visits by uniformed girls. Now it's all big-volume sales, with teams of kids and parents setting up shop at Wal-Mart or wherever, unloading boxes and boxes of overpriced cookies onto the public. The kids' troops don't keep much of the revenue, it mostly goes up to the mother ship. I smell a rat!
Cute and appropriate "Thought for the Day" from yesterday's AWAD weekly summary:
ReplyDelete"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra." -Lewis Carroll, mathematician and writer (1832-1898)
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Carl, for a swell monday puzzle. I liked it. A good refresher from Saturday's, which I never finished. I worked on it all through the Superbowl. Thank you, Argyle, for the review.
ReplyDeleteZipped through this so fast that I never even thought about the theme until I got to 59A.
I had ONE SEC before I realized IN A SEC was what was being looked for.
I put in LEGGO 58A for the pantyhose. Eventually got LEGGS. I must have been thinking of the waffles EGGO.
Two "Layered" answers right next to each other. 11 and 12 D, PLYWOOD and LASAGNA. One is strong, the other tastes good.
From yesterday, I wear Pajamas in the cool weather. Summer no, something less.
I'll be traveling tomorrow. Will try this on the IPAD, unless I get a Trib on the way.
Abejo
Not quite a speed run for me but close, not close to 4 minutes though. I left the NW until after the NE was finished and when I came back it worked better. Had to perp quite a few today too. SULU/TULANE were my last fills. I got the theme after I read the unifier and realized there had been asterisks in front of those clues. I'd caught that there were numbers earlier, but that cleared things up.
ReplyDeleteDudley,
I believe that it might be time to stop supporting all big mother ship charities. I don't give to any charity when they send me useless crap in the mail. I have a stack of notepads I'll never use that wasted good people's money on postage, but not mine. It's a pity you can't just slip the girl scout at your door some money under the table, so to speak, for her own troop.
When a puzzle is as easy as this one, there's not a lot to say. But it was a fun little romp nonetheless. Nice debut and just what you expect from a Monday.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of George Takai, we watched Larry Crowne this weekend. Certainly no Oscar contender, but it's a fun B movie and George Takai is hilarious as a smug econ professor.
And speaking of Tom Hanks movies, one of the better opening scenes ever came from another of his B movies...and it ties in nicely with today's theme: Joe Vs the Volcano and Sixteen Tons.
I think the clue alluded to the fact that Leggs no longer come in a shell.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity you can't just slip the girl scout at your door some money under the table, so to speak
ReplyDeleteEarly start for me today as I'm on EST for a couple of days in Atlanta. Straightforward Monday, what Argyle said about CRT and the surfeit of abbreviations.
ReplyDeleteI managed to miss the entire game yesterday as I was on a plane the whole time; disembarked to discover my pool squares didn't win any money (boo!) and a message from my doctor telling me I've got a touch of pneumonia (double boo!) and I need to pick up some antibiotics stat.
Happy Monday!
Well happy Monday all and welcome Mr. Esposito (related to the hockey brothers?) and A., your usual fine work.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, WEES, except for the Joe vs. Volcano reference which along with yesterday's Super Bowl halftime show reminded me of this classic Fritz Lang MOVIE . Have a great week all, and how is Hank doing?
Steve @ 8:39 am: And here I thought the key to winning on football squares was to not watch the game. That's what did it for me (woo hoo!) Maybe the key to winning is to NOT CARE about the game.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better Steve.
Hi CC, Argyle and folk,
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle to soothe the mind and good discussion, Argyle! I enjoyed!
@Dennis, a sash is an essential part of the girlscout and boys out uniform. BOY SCOUT SASH
Might I proudly add, my son, Calder, is an Eagle Scout.
Good Morning Argyle and all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the earlier comments. Not quite a speed run for me, but still easy. I took SASH to be the cloth on which the merit badges are worn. Aren't all SQUARES of intergers PERFECT? At least the abbreviations were fairly common. Zenith is usually apex or ACME. Since EMTS was obvious, I went with acme.
PEAT - Low German Törf. One of those 'cousin' words. Related to English 'turf'. In nature Törf and turf have similar origins.
Have a great day.
We math teachers enjoyed this, didn’t we FP? This had a nice Monday level of difficulty and theme but quite a few abbr’s.
ReplyDeleteMusings-
-Nebraskan Danny Woodhead had a nice super bowl.
-Gleason, Meadows and Carney were magic!
-It’s funny how lovely pieces of music like The Four Seasons need a movie (2:12) or cartoon to bring it to our consciousness
-The coal companies with their company stores were close to slavery
-I bought a 220/110 volt converter in a Siena, Italy appl. store
-I taught Emma how to slide down a banister
-Nitti’s (:32) death generated a very cool line in The Untouchables
-The Nike shoe riots in December were scary
-QOD has been said by all parents
-Amen Otto! We won?
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get the theme but after a slow start (couldn't remember CRT for PC screens) managed to solve this.
Had no idea about 24D, 36D and that pesky RNA/DNA - it used to just be DNA....I'll have to look up the addition of the R.
Guess I've never stayed in an 'upscale' hotel...what is OMNI????
My only gripe with this one was "diet pop". If you ask for a pop in the South, you will get a blank stare, or worse.
ReplyDeleteThe Leggs reminds me of a story I read once set in the distant future, after the total destruction of our civilization. Some extra-galactic beings found the remains of a grocery store and from the Leggs display decided that earthlings laid their eggs in conical masses and only possessed a waist and legs.
Happy to see this puzzle today! After Fri. Sat. and Sun. I considered quitting altogether!
ReplyDeleteDudley, I agree, I loathe the Stooges. BTW, I simplified getting the puzzle thru the Crosswords app. When you get to the calendar, touch the date of the puzzle you want, it downloads, touch "done" then the puzzle icon in lower left and your puzzle should be at the top of the list. No mailing it to yourself. But there are people listed on their scoreboard who say they've done pizzles in just under 2 minutes - is that possible?
Darn! If I'd previewed my post would say puzzles instead of pizzles, sorry about that.
ReplyDeleteKazie, we used to try to give the Girl Scout at the door a donation without buying cookies, they wouldn't take it. I saw yesterday where they've been issued credit card readers for their smart phones. It's scary enough to think those kids have smart phones, but now they can take credit cards too??
Just checked my vendors and the only CRTs I could find were in black-and-white closed-circuit security system bundles (ie, the CRT, cameras, cabling, etc. all in one package). No CRT TVs or monitors to be had. And since I no longer have to haul 50 Lbs of 20" monitor up three flights of stairs on a regular basis, I'm very, very happy with this situation.
ReplyDeleteHad the ONESEC stumble and, as a southerner, it took a minute to process DIETPOP, but everything else fell quickly.
Here in NJ, gingerale and Coca Cola, etc. are called soda, never POP. In Chicago, my sister's family says POP and never soda. I hear some places call it soda pop. I seems to be quite regional.
ReplyDeleteLink soda vs pop regions
I thought it was a nice, smooth puzzle. I didn't notice the abbreviations - only appl. seemed like a stretch. I liked the theme. I like to see some math every once in awhile - along with sports and science - categories that don't make it in very often, theme wise. Us word geeks like sports and science too!
ReplyDeleteIf that's a debut, I think it was a pretty puzzle. When your theme requires a Q and an X, that's a challenge right off. The theme answer especially for ONE was very evocative. I had to start in the NE; had trouble getting started in the NW.
Virginia, not only is there a Santa Claus (our own Argyle) but people do pizzle in less than two minutes. As you get older, it takes even less time.
ReplyDeleteVirginia said: they've done pizzles in just under 2 minutes - is that possible?
ReplyDeleteI used to be able to but now it takes a little longer. Sigh.
Carol @ 9:06: There are about 3 dozen OMNI hotels spread across the US and one in Cancun, Mexico. They're not all that "high-end." The nearest one to you, though, would be San Francisco. There are none in the great northwest, which is probably why you've never heard of them.
ReplyDeleteOn the super bowl I am glad I did not put down any money on the game. I felt the PAts were going to loose when Brady through that first pass and was called for Intentional grounding. My son is totally bummed.
ReplyDeleteThis would have been a speed run for me but for the back spasm I suffered 3.5 hours ago but still just under 11 minutes in complete pain is not that bad. Got the theme clues fairly easily and there was not a real tough. I know tulane As I have friends and family who have gone there. Knew Scouts has Sashes as I had one when i was a Scout though my was devoid of merit badges.
thanks you argyle for hte write up.
Hi everybody! A fun puzzle but Argyle has already mentioned a couple of my gripes. I eventually took out LCDs and put in CRTS but I didn't like it. It would have been so easy to make the clue 'Old PC screens'. And I too think CRONIES has a derogatory connotation, more like a partner in crime. Still, I liked the puzzle just fine and finished it with no help.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the math theme. Since there are several people here who enjoy math, I thought I would try a little different puzzle out on you as test subjects for my newspaper column. I would be happy to get your feedback and/or any suggestions for improvement. If you figure it out, give your answer in a cryptic way so as not to spoil it for others. I'll put the body of the puzzle in the next post.
This is a little puzzle I adapted (stole) from an idea from my British internet friend, Elliott. It consists of a sequence of numbers (part of an infinite sequence), each represented by a somewhat cryptic, almost crossword-like clue. The numbers and corresponding clues are out of order. Your job is to figure out the numbers, put them in order and identify the sequence.
ReplyDeletea) Bo's number
b) The second smallest perfect number
c) The percent of inspiration required for genius according to TAE
d) LA to IL via TN (on I?)
e) The missing number in this sequence
f) The exterior angle of a 120-gon
g) The 7th digit of pi after the decimal point
h) One fewer than Yosarian's problem
i) (4!)/[sqrt(.44444...)]
j) Three times the missing number
Virginia- About 3 years ago a speed solver finished a puzzle of mine in a little over 2 minutes. Just for the heck of it, I wanted to see how long it would take to do it myself. 3 minutes. I had forgot a few of the entries, but still... Yes, they are that fast.
ReplyDeleteCarl- If this is a debut puzzle, congrats! Nice idea, and well done. Good to see a Monday puzzle that you can't figure out without the helper.
@yellowrocks@9:49, my relatives down in the Missouri bootheel region always said "sodypop", all one word with a definite 'y' sound.
ReplyDeleteI was always an easy mark for those GS thin mint cookies. As soon as Kylie, two doors down, got her order blanks, she would make a beeline for our house and lock in my order for six boxes.
Hello, Argyle, C.C. and all puzzlers.
ReplyDeleteWEES, what everyONE else said about this speed run. Hardly had to think much. Since I do up and down together didn't even see some such as WAN, QTS and FIT. A Z short of a pangram.
My older granddaughter plays music by EAR.
Yesterday when I turned on the TV about a dozen or so men in tights were running across the screen. Any one know anything about that?
Have a Marvelous Monday, everyone!
Kazie:
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about not supporting charities that send useless "gifts." Besides a stack of notepads I have enough return address labels for several lifetimes as well as pens, stickers, ETC.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteI quite enjoyed this pizzle. NW caused me some problems, CRTS, NITTI was on the lam, hadn't RAN INTO my CRONIES, but eventually it all came together.
The Superbowl was an exciting but not especially well played game. Both side got called for 12 men on the field!?!
I'm indifferent to the winning team, but it was a satisfying outcome for me since I really dislike the Patriots.
Where I come from it's traditionally been POP, or occasionally SODA POP. SODA is creeping in, though.
COOL REGARDS!
JzB a cat with only ONE LIFE
Morning all:
ReplyDeleteI know it's Monday but this was the easiest puzzle I've ever done. Nice write-up, Argyle.
Loved our local (Albany, NY) newspaper's bold headline this morning: IT'S DEJA BLUE. Congrats to Eli and company for a Super ending of a Super game.
Hahtool: Wonderful QOD.
Dudley and Kazie: When I reached the point where I had enough address labels to wallpaper my entire house, I decided that I would make contributions only to the local food bank, the local animal shelter, and the local rescue/homeless mission. These organizations don't bombard you with address labels, notepads, calendars, and other unwanted "stuff.". And what you give helps local people.
Happy Monday everyone and enjoy the BLUE skies.
Do we have any corner contributors from the Denver area? Colorado? Have not been there in a while.
ReplyDeleteSpeed solving- even if I finish a puzzle and go back and redo the solve, it still takes me 4-5 minutes.
Morning all,
ReplyDeleteYesterday I asked for help explaining a clue/answer
maybe it was a stupid question and no one wanted
to embarrass me, but...
Clue : set free
Answer : unloose
if the clue was " caged " or " not free "
would " unloose " be a correct answer ?
If so ? how can set free and not free have
the same answer ?
And if someone is " loose " which means free.
become " unloose " when you set them free ?
Help
Great debut, Carl! Not a speed run since I too had to work at the NW corner, but it all fell satisfyingly into place. Argyle, sorry you're a bit down today, but thanks for posting a picture of L'Eggs. I got it, but forgot that I used to wear them until I saw your image. Two questions, though. Is it really TIETACS rather than 'tie tacks'? And what's "clecho"? This blog is literally producing a new vocabulary for me!
ReplyDeleteI liked Desper-ottos Humpty Dumpty quote to go with the L'Eggs.
Don't want to produce a spoiler for 'Downton Abbey' fans, so here's an oblique hint: "Ding Dong the witch is dead!"
Finally, I actually appreciate the personalized labels, note pads, and especially the calendars I get from charities. I use them, need them, and they come from worthy causes. I've also encouraged friends to have us substitute charity donations (local animal shelter, local community clinic) in place of stuff for Christmas gifts.
Misty, see here for info on clecho.
ReplyDeletegood morning all!
ReplyDeletei had a really hard time for a monday and am sad about it. i normally love monday puzzles.
there were way too many outdated references for my liking. my age and experience failed me in this puzzle: CRT's are hazardous waste and aren't sold anywhere, don't know who ernie ford is, never seen a whole episode of the honeymooners, never heard of TETLEY (i had LIPTON). i'm near 40 years old yet feel like a kid doing a puzzle circa 1985.
WEES re: abbreviations.
i did know OMNI thanks to oprah - at the end of every show she said her guests stayed at the "all suites OMNI hotel".
and it took awhile for the POP to pop - i'm a soda girl. where does your lingo come from?
the great thing about CW's is that even if i didn't enjoy today - tomorrow is another day! (see i do know some 'old' references!)
thanx to Carl for the effort and to Argyle for the write up.
have a good day :)
t.
@Anonymous12:06--many thanks. I've now got it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. Carl Esposito for a very nice and interesting puzzle, it was quite easy - as a Monday pizzle should be, and thank you Argyle for your commentary.
ReplyDeleteI remember Girl Scout sashes, paying for the different merit badges,( once they were earned - ), AND then stitching them, by hand .... still have them in some closet. Most people buy GS cookies to impress or 'in obligation' to the 'parents' of the girls. BTW, national GSA audited figures reveal that the actual troop makes only 8 cents and the 'girl' makes only 6 cents on the dollar, all in overpriced 'prizes'.
It is more optimal, and far more useful, to give a $ 100 donation to the individual GS troop, directly, and it is a legit charity deduction... if you do not receive any benefits, in return.... and, if you dont take the cookies, you also dont have to worry about your wt.
ALT QOD:- The other night, I ate in a nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going. ~ George Carlin.
@ZcarGuy, 'unloose' for 'set free' does sound like a contradiction if you're thinking of 'loose' equal 'free'. Then 'unloose' would equal 'not free'. But if the subject is already not free, i.e. penned up or tied up, and you 'unloose' it, you have set it free.
ReplyDeleteHello everybody. Some strange football yesterday.
ReplyDeleteMan oh man, I can't believe I FIW (finished it wrong). Put in TIETACK and left it that way, not knowing what SOK was and assuming it was simply another household cleanser product whose name I had never heard of.
I immediately wrote in EPEE, then erased it when I encountered what I thought should be COHN, then realized I had spelled Ethan and Joel's last name wrong, and re-entered EPEE. Sheesh.
Off to have Louisiana-style food tonight. Think I'm gonna order either the tried'n'true jambalaya, or maybe a skirt steak. Any recommendations as to beer?
Best wishes to you all.
Superbowl 46. Watched the only football game, that I will, of the year. NYG won by a cat's whisker - they would have lost if Big 'G' had made the touchdown catch, in the last seconds - but the braggadocio that the winners display is so sad. Is humility totally out of style ? The ads were so much more fun. Loved the Chevy graduation 'gift' ad. Spent an hour this morning reviewing the best ads - on the Internet - lest I missed any of them.
ReplyDeleteMari - An exception to the 'rule',- about winning a football pool - I 'watched' the game and still won $ 280, from a 'reluctant' investment. I don't think think there is a 'causal' relationship (lol). I am going to donate the money, anyway, - easy come, easy go. BTW, really nice avatar.
Have a nice week, you all.
Yes - UNLOOSE means loosen, unbind or set free.
ReplyDeleteConsider also
FLAMMABLE and INFLAMMABLE.
Language oddities.
Cheers!
JzB
Unloose the Kraken!
ReplyDeleteIf you want the answer to why Seagrams called it Crown 7 or 7 Crown...go to Google books....type in....why is seagrams called 7 crown. It's a page from the book Whiskey And Spirits For Dummies.
ReplyDeleteNo results found for "why is seagrams called 7 crown". Google
ReplyDeleteDirect link to the page.....http://books.google.com/books?id=nQaAhFjtFFAC&pg=PT149&lpg=PT149&dq=why+is+seagrams+called+7+crown&source=bl&ots=XhM67NtxEX&sig=fG4_O5kq4gZor8cF3hYUn49l3go&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jCAwT_DXGo6ftweB9MDVDw&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=why%20is%20seagrams%20called%207%20crown&f=false
ReplyDeleteThe other day, I went to a bar, our local hangout, and ran into some 'loose' gals. They didn't seem to be caged or anything, although they were stuck around a pole, and since they didn't seem to be chained, I lost the opportunity to 'unloosen' them, but apparently, by the way they behaved, they had nothing to lose. They were making some negotiating offers, but I assure you they were not 'free', in any sense of the word. Their prices were actually rather stiff, something more than I could afford to loose.
ReplyDeleteDH and I saw Chronicle and The Woman in Black at the theater this weekend. Has anybody seen either of them?
ReplyDeleteLooks like we're going to wait to see One For the Money on video.
Virginia, as you get older pizzling not only takes longer, but it wakes you up several times during the night.
ReplyDeletesite one, Back up one page to 243 for full story.
ReplyDeletesite two, Thor's site.
Cheer up, Argyle, we bloggers love you! Good puzzle. I had every square right, for once. Slow start, didn't have a clue about 1A and read 1D as CHURNS.
ReplyDeleteYou guys better watch it, getting those girl scouts under the table with money involved! Great sashay joke.
SIXTEEN TONS is what one weighs after all the super bowl snacks.
Signs of the times: I needed a new drier last month. Found the mom & pop store, where I bought my last two appliances, was defunct. Last week I went to buy gas at a nearby BP station I always use. The building & pumps were gone and they were digging up the tanks! It was always a busy place too.
Desper-Otte, many thank you's for the info on OMNI hotels. No wonder I have never heard of them. :)
ReplyDeleteTawnya, thank you for the neat 'Lingo' map....loved it! Being in Oregon all my life (except for a few months in Wyo) I say POP. Here, we can always tell if someone is from the mid-west or east coast (if you can't tell by their accent) because they always say soda. They also pronounce VASE differently than we do. Ours rhymes with ACE...theirs with OZ. Fun to hear the differences across our country!!
As to the GS cookies....long ago and far away, they actually TASTED GOOD. Today, BLAH, I don't know what happened about 10+ years ago, but something changed. I wouldn't eat them if they were free.
That soda/pop map is interesting. What's going on with that split in Wisconsin?? And you have to wonder what "other" might be. Maybe "I'd like a bottle of that s$*# please."
ReplyDeletetawnya, thanks for the map. I wonder how much that survey cost, and who paid the costs.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many counties there are.
ReplyDeleteyellowrocks posted the map earlier at 9:49 AM
ReplyDeleteHello.
ReplyDeleteMari. One For The Money will be
available on DVD before you know
it. It isn't making back it's production cost.
Why is a squared number called a
perfect square? Can there be an imperfect square.
Great hockey games yesterday!
eddy
Argyle:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link. That is a riveting account and it makes me want to read the entire book.
tawnya:
Interesting map about soda, pop and coke. Thank you.
i am the cautious type, so i left 1A blank right away. That left me with only "rail" in the NW corner. So with just "R," the answer to 1D Chums had to be friends. Of course there are no PC Screens that start with "F," but friends sounded so good.
ReplyDeleteMaybe i have been Mr. Mom too long, "Leggs" came right away.
HeartRx@8:11 what do mean no shell?
How long has this been going on?
(Ack!, i'm not only Old, i am out of touch too!)
WAS (what Ant said)
Dennis@5:41 & Southern Belle@7:40
Sitting in the parking lot, too old and stiff to get out of the car, i noticed a bumper sticker that said:
"GETTING OLD IS NOT FOR SISSIES"
Frenchie@12:23am (yesterdays post)
John Stamos is an Outie?
I don't often actually laugh out loud, as in LOL, but Spitz at 10:39 that was damn funny! LOL!
ReplyDeleteKazie & others -
I have sometimes just given cash to the kids at the door, with a quick explanation as to why. Some of them catch right on! This whole Girl Scout Cookie thing has become a racket, a pyramid scheme. I hate seeing those kids send all that money into a black hole at HQ.
Virginia - I guess we didn't finish! That technique you described is the normal day-to-day process. Emailing the .puz file is just for emergencies.
I am disappointed with my papers editing, i wanted the headline to read:
ReplyDelete"SUPERBOWL WON BY A GIANT BUTT"
(from the side links, can someone recommend an interview that would enlighten me to how constructors feel about editors?)
eddyB-
ReplyDeletere: Land Rover. Sorry for the late response. Busy weekend!
Before e-mailing, can you tell which model (RR? Disco?) And how many miles?
I'm not in California, but would be willing to get there if it makes sense.
PS - Anyone (from the States) who rhymes VASE with OZ needs to have a certain stick UNLOOSED.
@Grumpy I
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation ,
Can " penned up " or " tied up " also mean
unloose ? as in not free ?
Re: Useless Gifts
ReplyDeleteMagnetic Bow at gas station that said "Support Our Troops" says made in China on the back!
i have about a dozen mini blankets, and several "Dreamcatcher" chimes that some Indian School in Arizona will not stop sending me. They say the Dreamcatchers were made made by their Indian children, but i noticed a made in china label on the back. When i researched them on the internet, i discovered they were being sued by their former pupils for cruelty...
Jayce@12:49
Your inquiry as to recommended beers for Skirt Steak and Jambalaya has me intrigued. I will do some extensive research and hopefully get back to you in a week...
@Zcarguy
ReplyDeleteStop thinking of unloose as an adjective, and start thinking of it as a verb. I think that might help.
CrossEyedDave, good one. Thanks! I trust you will have a fun exploration.
ReplyDeleteWould the square of, say, 2.7 (= 7.29) be an imperfect square?
I say soft drink or soda; never pop. I pronounce vase so as to rhyme with haze. I give to almost all charities that I think are doing good in the world. I have stopped giving to the vets because there are so many different organizations, they call all the time and I'm not sure they are all legitimate. I even gave a dollar to a homeless man when I went for a macchiato last Friday. My friend said that he would probably use it to buy alcohol. I doubted it but I really didn't care. He needed the dollar much more than I did.
ReplyDeleteThe weather is usually very pleasant and I often drive with the windows down and the sun roof open. But then I often have the A/C on low too because I enjoy the cool breeze in my face.
Co-incidence, your pronunciationmap was just like the one a published hours earlier.
ReplyDeleteAs the King of Siam said in The King and I: "'Tis a puzzlement". (Pun intended.)
ReplyDeleteI was just on the LA Times web site and there is a completely different puzzle for yesterday, titled A Month To Remember by Merl Reagle. Thoughts, anyone?
Dennis @ 5:30AM My thoughts on Speed Runs
ReplyDeleteBeing retired, I do the puzzle for relaxation so speed runs seem to counterproductive to me.
To make the early week puzzles more puzzling and last longer I don't read the clues for the longer fills. I also avoid the unifier if I can. As I get more of the preps I try to figure out the answer.
For example: 46Across _IXTE__TON_ Aha I bet it's SIXTEENTONS. If I'm pretty sure I read the clue to verify it is. The clue Tennessee Ernie Ford hit would have been a gimme for me, he only had the one hit.
I try to figure out the unifier as well. If I get bogged down and can't go further I'll read the clues and see if that helps.
I find it makes the easier puzzles more interesting.
I enjoy the blog.
ZCarGuy, that would seem somewhat logical, but then we all know that the English language is not always based on logic. The word 'unloose' seems to be one of those words that stands on its own and not as a combination of a root and a prefix. Consider 'release'. I can release my tenant from his lease or I can release to him for another term. In the first instance, 'release' is a complete word. In the second it is a root word modified by a prefix.
ReplyDeleteCarol 1:50 -
ReplyDeleteI don't find GS cookies as tasty as they once were either. Of course, it could be frailty of memory...
I once read that Burry Corp. had had a lock on GSA's baking contracts for years, possibly decades. All that was upset more recently when the GSA put their cookie conrtact(s) out for competetive bid. It's not clear whether one bakery handles the entire nation, or if it's split up regionally. The point is that there could be quite a bit of product variation from place to place and year to year.
It's not about Scouting. It's about profits.
Hi there, Yellowrocks. I know exactly what you're saying.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 8:34, sorry! I misread the clue as "come" instead of "came". (Damned glasses...)
ReplyDeleteThe Irish is from East Tennessee, where every soft drink is referred to as a "Coke". Drives me nuts.
ReplyDeleteI call it pop. My father (my pop?) just moved to Tennessee - I wonder if he'll have to start calling it Coke.
ReplyDeleteI call a vase a vase (not a vahz), and I never say "wersh".
AvgJoe @ 2:03: Yes that Wisconsin map does look weird. I grew up in one of those "Soda" counties, but we never called it soda. Our little town was home to the WIECO (short for Wiesmann) Beverage Company. Everybody in town called it the pop factory. Now I live in Texas in an area where everything is a coke, whether it was made by Coca Cola or not.
ReplyDeleteIn parts of SW Kentucky in and around the Bowling Green area pop/soda is referred to as RC (Royal Crown) even if its not an RC.
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteIt took me awhile to get going but after I did,it came quite easy.I didn't remember the Jackie Gleason quote, got it with the perps and the others came easily. Especially the one by Tennessee Ernie
When I started working for Lands' End (in 1984) they called the computers CRTs. After a few years they got rid of those and had regular PCs. I don't know That they have now.
We were't too interested in the Super Bowl game without the Packers but watched some, actually I watched 3 different things at the same time back and forth. My DH doesn't care for my back and forth watching so retired to his "reading room".
Dudley- I am glad to see the Girl Scouts at Walmart,etc. because I don't know very many girls that age and I like their cookies.
Marge.
D-Otto, I've got people in Wisconsin. A nephew and niece from my wife's side near Milwaukee (Burlington). Then I've got a number of cousins and their scion in the western part of the state from my Mother's family (Boscobel, Blue River, Madison, Richland Center, Onalaska etc.). I've not had enough lifetime exposure to the cousins etc. to know what they call a soft drink, but always noticed that our niece and nephew used the soda term. That's why I checked out that area on the map first. It's very odd that it's so distinctly delineated.
ReplyDeleteWeirder still is that in Nebraska, there are only 2 counties that call it soda. Big counties, I'll grant, but with populations of about 5,000 each. Makes you wonder how accurate this survey is, then moreover it makes you wonder if they went door to door asking people. Now that's not a job I'd want! :-)
BillG-
ReplyDelete"One for Five"
Believe it or not, a) took the longest to figure out. And we just had this conversation! D'oh!
Good one!
In response to Mr ED, per Wiki there are 3,143 recognized counties in the country and of these, 3,033 are organized. (I guess that means 110 are disorganized.) This does include parishes in LA and boroughs in AK, but "a rose by any other name....". Texas has the most with 254, Delaware the least with 3. Nebraska has 93.
ReplyDeleteWiki on counties.
As a side bar, I took a seminar this past year that touched on this topic. It was stated by the instructor that there a few areas that are not in recognized counties. St. Louis was the one cited example (don't know if this is true). Maybe that explains the disparity between organized and recognized.
CrossEyed Dave (2:26) If you are too 'stiff' to get out of your car, you are not too old ;) ;)
ReplyDeleteHola Everyone, Fast, and easy today, but with a couple of missteps. DNA instead of RNA and Apex for Acme. Fixed those pretty quickly with the perps.
ReplyDeleteMost everything has been said already. There are 99 comments at this time, so I'll have to find a few free minutes to read everything.
One comment about Tulane. The U. came down to our High School (English Speaking) in Colombia to help with our US accredidation. This was so our grads could attend American Universities. We were a very small school in the early '60's, so their stamp of approval meant a lot. They also sent educators down to do demo lessons at all grade levels. They were a huge help in getting our new school and campus off the ground.
We have three Boy Scout sashes. My husband and his Father, The Scout Master, got their Eagles at the same ceremony and his little brother, now deceased, a few years later. It is a big deal to be an Eagle Scout.
Soda - pop discussion. On Jan 28 I posted this:
ReplyDelete"SODAS - Apparently there is a fault line for usage west of here, maybe Syracuse. In western NY, they say 'pop', from our area eastward, they say SODA. Don't know about the rest of the country."
Locally my observation seems to agree with Tawnya's county link. Very interesting map. Thanks.
@CrossEyedDave, yes, he does! (John Stamos has an outie. Yesterday's puzzle had: "navel style/ OUTIE and I linked a photo of John Stamos' 'outie')
ReplyDeleteI happened to be changing channels the other day and he was asked about it. He said he actually had a rupture and it was operated on and it stayed like that. He said it doesn't bother him that lots of people have outies!
Hello.
ReplyDeleteHad to stop taking N Type Insulin.
Injection sites were turning red and hurting. Got new syringes.
Rover Anon. Will be happy to meet you here or stay where you are if not too far.
!999 Land Rover SD
111K miles. Mostly on I80 to Reno
and to Temple in SLC. I last drove it to Ft Ord for last years AT&t Pro-Am.
4.0 V8, AC,PW,PDL,PS 6 Disc CD
player etc.
Will have new CA Smog Check,tags and tune-up. Four new tires.
Contact me at gmail so I can send
you Brian's address. Don't want to publish it for the world to know.
eddy
As a Monday, this was rather TAME.
ReplyDeleteOn vacation, in Jamaica, I like to enjoy a SEAGRAM "7 and 7" during the day with a Lime slice.
As such, I call it "a 15" ...
Regarding soft drinks, out in the countryside in Virginia where my grandmother lived, Cokes were called Coke-Cola, not Coca Cola. I heard that pronunciation recently in a TV show or movie.
ReplyDeleteBetsey, a behind-the-scenes crossword solver, sent me this link. It is interesting, fun and has some of the most beautiful images I've even seen on my computer screen. Enjoy!
Still enjoy an easy Monday puzzle. Everything has pretty much been said by now.
ReplyDeleteWeird day yesterday. I made BBQ smokies, chile con queso, veggies & dip, cookies, & chocolate strawberries. While we were waiting for Superbowl to start we started watching the movie " The Help". We were all in tears and missed the start of the game. We weren't in a celebratory mood by that point.
There's nothing to be said about this puzzle that hasn't already been said. We found it rather easy for us.
ReplyDeleteAve. Joe,There is a St. Louis County so I wonder why your instructor said
St.Louis is not in a county? As far as I can determine from the Atlas, St. Louis is about midway in the north -south direction of the county and, of course, is right on the eastern edge.
I'm from the Madison area of Wisconsin and always say "pop" but maybe that is because I'm originally from So. Ill. I hear both terms here.
Dot
Dot
Good evening Argyle, CC, et al., What a fun pizzle! And what a good write up, Argyle, as always. Every time I see HMOS I get an EXTREME visceral reaction & WANt to VENT my anger primarily at the BCBS OAFS and STOOGES. They've dropped Walgreens. Such a crock! Where's Elliot NESS when ya need him?
ReplyDeleteThe OMNI here is very nice and will have my daughter's wedding reception in April.
Carol: 5:05 LMAO Great catch!
Dennis: Are GS cookies better than their brownies? I remember you mentioning a weakness for them.
Lois!
ReplyDeleteI'm all for being DF - but Brownies are only 11-15 years old! Shame on you!
Bill G. @ 6:09, wonderful video…be sure to give my thanks to Betsey for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJayce-Jambalaya?? Gotta be Dixie Beer!
ReplyDeleteAs to Bill G's. puzzle @11.02, since he hasn't volunteered the answer, I am giving my conjectures, hoping somebody else can use my 'partial' answers and solve it.
ReplyDelete1. Bo's number - 10 ?
2. Second smallest perfect no. - 28 ?
3. % of inspiration, via Edison - 1 ?
4. LA to IL via TN - I- 88 ?
5. Missing no. in this seq . dont know.
6. Ext. Angle of 120-gon - 3 ?
7. 7th digit of Pi, after decimal - One ?
8. One fewer than Yoassarian problem - Catch 22 - 1 = 21 ?
9. 4 ! / Sqrt .444 = 24/.666 = 36 ?
10. three times the missing no - dont know.???
10 28 1 88 x 3 1 21 36 3x ......
What order, what sequence ?
Bill G. hope you give the complete answer tomorrow. Thanks.
I can tell you that two of your numbers are wrong (in addition to the numbers you're already missing). Also, unless you're a math geek like Square Peg above, the sequence may not mean anything to you.
ReplyDeleteKeep trying.
How 7 Crowns got the name....
ReplyDeleteI Googled this "how did Seagram's Seven Crown get its name?"
If the link below does not work, put in the above question in a Google search, and look for the link to ""The rest of us": ...."
http://books.google.com/books?id=M1bzaOS3_tsC&pg=PA244&lpg=PA244&dq=how+did+Seagram's+Seven+Crown+get+its+name&source=bl&ots=5OCAqv88MW&sig=Gxh2v0SpbiZcur0JHuzHHoHPmEc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=o5owT7TABMbf0QGW7vWLCA&sqi=2&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=how%20did%20Seagram's%20Seven%20Crown%20get%20its%20name&f=false
Great education about advertising!
Janet in cloudy Sherman Oaks
Anony-Mouse: Great job! Everything's right except the fourth one; LA to IL via TN - I-? You are looking for the Interstate from Louisiana to Illinois via Tennessee. Then put the numbers in order from smallest to largest and see if a pattern emerges. If not, remind me and I'll give the answer.
ReplyDelete~ Bill
Thank you, Janet in cloudy Sherman Oaks. (9:41PM)
ReplyDeleteIt's the same site I linked at 1:33PM.
Avg Joe,
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you have family here--I'm in Richland Center. I think people mostly say pop here but you do hear soda too. In Oz I always said soft drink.
I too have a collection of address labels, both to me, DH, and also to us both. Now I only keep the pretty ones and recycle the old ones from time to time. It's fun to know others here have the same attitude to these things as I do. I have also given up on almost all but local charity options, except Heifer International, which is centered in Little Rock where our son lives.
Chester: It was when HE was a kid, not a grown up! You don't know the history.
ReplyDeleteMy own rating for crossword puzzles has to do with how many answers I've never heard of. This one gets a high rating, as 53A "STR" was the only answer that left me asking "huh?"
ReplyDeleteHowever, I initially got 1A wrong when I pencilled in LCDs for an answer. I mean, how old does your computer have to be to use a Cathode Ray Tube, "CRT."
Boy Scout uniforms often include the optional merit badge SASH, AND/OR the Order of the Arrow SASH.
I don't know why I knew 50A "TETLEY," but I did, although I started with "LIPTON."
I had more false starts than I wanted. In addition to "LCDS" and "LIPTON," "APEX" became "ACME," "ROLEX" became "SEIKO," "OTIC" became "OSIS," and "HOME" became "ISLA."
As a result, it wasn't my usual Monday quickee.