Theme: None
Words: 70
Blocks: 29
Yes, I believe this is my first Peter Wentz puzzle, and according to my search, his last Saturday LAT grid was Aug 2009 - before my time. Scrabbly, with just the "X" absent. A nearly perfect spiral of a layout, with a "+" in the middle, only six 3-letter entries, and triple 9/5 and 8/7 stacks going around. Heavy on the music, and sports, too, with;
34A. Five-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner : GRETZKY - Wayne, one of the best forwards to ever play hockey; this is the award for best sportsman - I am not up to speed on my trophies; I know that the best goalie gets the "Vezina" trophy; also 31A. 34-Across's realm : ICE
19A. Hoops legend : DR J - Julius Erving, but I do not care for basketball
39A. Only Dolphin quarterback to win a Super Bowl : GRIESE - Not Marino, this guy
33D. Common Sunday NFL game time : ONE PM
36D. Events after coin tosses : KICKOFFS - and now it's all over, until September
So ONWARD~! to the rest of today's fill~!
ACROSS:
1. 2001 OutKast chart-topper whose title refers to Erykah Badu's mother : MS. JACKSON - I like "Roses" better
10. Dover souls : BRITs - slang for British; Dover is on the channel - has a CASTLE, awesome
15. High seas shout : AHOY THERE
16. __ acid : BORIC - not AMINO, not FOLIC
17. Dogs first bred in Thuringia : DOBERMANS - nice fill; these "1D's"
18. Out of place : QUEER
20. Allow to go after : LET AT
21. It may be fixed : STARE
22. Buckwheat's "You betcha!" : "OTAY~!" - Eddie Murphy did a pretty good Buckwheat
24. Holy orders and extreme unction, e.g. : RITES
27. Ashram leaders : GURUs - some more here about Ashram
29. Geographical name from the Hebrew for "dry" : NEGEV - as in the desert
32. Choke up : CLOG - I don't think sinks "choke up", people do - either crying or batting
36. Original name of Whiskas cat food : KAL-KAN
40. Words after a rhetorical "Is this a good idea?" : I SAY YES
42. "Just the facts" Jack : WEBB
43. Hack : CAB - #3 of the 3-letter words across
44. Reckon : S'POSE - bit of Southern, Redneck speak
46. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER
50. Tae __ do : KWON
52. "Dude, Where's __?": 2000 film : MY CAR
54. Wander : ROVE
55. Laura's classic cry on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : "OH ROB~!"
57. Peabrain : MORON
59. Shared ride to wk. : H.O.V. - High-Occupancy Vehicle - a colossal waste here on Long Island; the problem? No Long Islander cares to let someone else drive, and no one is ever going back to "Levittown" the same time as you are....
60. Four-page sheet : FOLIO
61. "I'm serious" : IT'S NO JOKE
63. Instant : FLASH
64. Circus chairperson? : LION TAMER
65. Culvert : SEWER
66. Rapper with the multi-platinum debut album "The College Dropout" : KANYE WEST - not a fan to begin with, and just an ass after his video awards obnoxiousness
DOWN:
1. Rabies victim : MAD DOG - liquor, too, in the same category as "Nighttrain", and "Thunderbird"; while I did drink to get drunk, I never "sank" this low
2. Puzzling sound? : SHORT u - nice mis-direction; the "uh" in pUzzling
3. Chore assignment simplifier : JOB JAR - never heard of it - but a great idea
4. High seas okay : AYE - this is #5 of the three-letter words; two were up top
5. PC key : CTRL
6. Cambodia's official language : KHMER
7. Theater arrangement : SEATING
8. Showy : ORNATE
9. Retirement fund : NEST EGG
10. Smoking parties, briefly? : BBQs - and 26A. Side at 10-Down : SLAW
11. Beats the pants off : ROUTS
12. "It's clear to me ..." : I REALIZE...
13. Closet organizers : TIE RACKS
14. Fastener with a loop : SCREW-EYE - popular on gates; this thingy
23. Gross : YUCKY - I had the "Y", so I tried "YIELD", which works, too, in economic terms
25. Twilled fabric : SERGE
28. More than amuses : SLAYS
30. Hide and seek, e.g. : VERBS
35. Vatican City's river : TIBER
37. Taken together : AS A WHOLE
38. Attorney's specialty : LABOR LAW
41. Coffee additive for vegans : SOY MILK
42. Starts to get to : WEARS ON
45. Nova __ : SCOTIA - Off Canada's East coast - image
47. Yankee follower? : GO HOME - Anti-American; some more here
48. Conjures up : EVOKES
49. Go back : REVERT
51. Electric interference : NOISE
53. Cox of "Deliverance" : RONNY
56. Father or son physics Nobelist : BOHR
58. Quick reminder : NOTE
62. Argue : JAW - and we end on the last of the 3-letter words
Answer grid.
Splynter
Words: 70
Blocks: 29
Yes, I believe this is my first Peter Wentz puzzle, and according to my search, his last Saturday LAT grid was Aug 2009 - before my time. Scrabbly, with just the "X" absent. A nearly perfect spiral of a layout, with a "+" in the middle, only six 3-letter entries, and triple 9/5 and 8/7 stacks going around. Heavy on the music, and sports, too, with;
34A. Five-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner : GRETZKY - Wayne, one of the best forwards to ever play hockey; this is the award for best sportsman - I am not up to speed on my trophies; I know that the best goalie gets the "Vezina" trophy; also 31A. 34-Across's realm : ICE
19A. Hoops legend : DR J - Julius Erving, but I do not care for basketball
39A. Only Dolphin quarterback to win a Super Bowl : GRIESE - Not Marino, this guy
33D. Common Sunday NFL game time : ONE PM
36D. Events after coin tosses : KICKOFFS - and now it's all over, until September
So ONWARD~! to the rest of today's fill~!
ACROSS:
1. 2001 OutKast chart-topper whose title refers to Erykah Badu's mother : MS. JACKSON - I like "Roses" better
10. Dover souls : BRITs - slang for British; Dover is on the channel - has a CASTLE, awesome
15. High seas shout : AHOY THERE
16. __ acid : BORIC - not AMINO, not FOLIC
17. Dogs first bred in Thuringia : DOBERMANS - nice fill; these "1D's"
18. Out of place : QUEER
20. Allow to go after : LET AT
21. It may be fixed : STARE
22. Buckwheat's "You betcha!" : "OTAY~!" - Eddie Murphy did a pretty good Buckwheat
24. Holy orders and extreme unction, e.g. : RITES
27. Ashram leaders : GURUs - some more here about Ashram
29. Geographical name from the Hebrew for "dry" : NEGEV - as in the desert
32. Choke up : CLOG - I don't think sinks "choke up", people do - either crying or batting
36. Original name of Whiskas cat food : KAL-KAN
40. Words after a rhetorical "Is this a good idea?" : I SAY YES
42. "Just the facts" Jack : WEBB
43. Hack : CAB - #3 of the 3-letter words across
44. Reckon : S'POSE - bit of Southern, Redneck speak
46. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER
50. Tae __ do : KWON
52. "Dude, Where's __?": 2000 film : MY CAR
54. Wander : ROVE
55. Laura's classic cry on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : "OH ROB~!"
57. Peabrain : MORON
59. Shared ride to wk. : H.O.V. - High-Occupancy Vehicle - a colossal waste here on Long Island; the problem? No Long Islander cares to let someone else drive, and no one is ever going back to "Levittown" the same time as you are....
60. Four-page sheet : FOLIO
61. "I'm serious" : IT'S NO JOKE
63. Instant : FLASH
64. Circus chairperson? : LION TAMER
65. Culvert : SEWER
66. Rapper with the multi-platinum debut album "The College Dropout" : KANYE WEST - not a fan to begin with, and just an ass after his video awards obnoxiousness
DOWN:
1. Rabies victim : MAD DOG - liquor, too, in the same category as "Nighttrain", and "Thunderbird"; while I did drink to get drunk, I never "sank" this low
2. Puzzling sound? : SHORT u - nice mis-direction; the "uh" in pUzzling
3. Chore assignment simplifier : JOB JAR - never heard of it - but a great idea
4. High seas okay : AYE - this is #5 of the three-letter words; two were up top
5. PC key : CTRL
6. Cambodia's official language : KHMER
7. Theater arrangement : SEATING
8. Showy : ORNATE
9. Retirement fund : NEST EGG
10. Smoking parties, briefly? : BBQs - and 26A. Side at 10-Down : SLAW
11. Beats the pants off : ROUTS
12. "It's clear to me ..." : I REALIZE...
13. Closet organizers : TIE RACKS
14. Fastener with a loop : SCREW-EYE - popular on gates; this thingy
23. Gross : YUCKY - I had the "Y", so I tried "YIELD", which works, too, in economic terms
25. Twilled fabric : SERGE
28. More than amuses : SLAYS
30. Hide and seek, e.g. : VERBS
35. Vatican City's river : TIBER
37. Taken together : AS A WHOLE
38. Attorney's specialty : LABOR LAW
41. Coffee additive for vegans : SOY MILK
42. Starts to get to : WEARS ON
45. Nova __ : SCOTIA - Off Canada's East coast - image
47. Yankee follower? : GO HOME - Anti-American; some more here
48. Conjures up : EVOKES
49. Go back : REVERT
51. Electric interference : NOISE
53. Cox of "Deliverance" : RONNY
56. Father or son physics Nobelist : BOHR
58. Quick reminder : NOTE
62. Argue : JAW - and we end on the last of the 3-letter words
Answer grid.
Splynter
73 comments:
Morning, all!
Well, I gave this one my all, but it defeated me in the end. I managed to pick my way through most of it, even getting the wholly unknown MSJACKSON completely via the perps, but the NE corner proved to be my undoing.
I did finally guess GRETZKY at 34A, despite not know what the heck the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy was, but unfortunately I mispelled it as GRESZKY. The crossing of TIBER and GRIESE was completely impenetrable and downright unfair in my opinion, even if I had the initial T in TIBER instead of a S.
I had AMINO instead of BORIC at 16A, which kept most everything else from view in that section. The clue for BBQS was delightfully tricky, but too much for me to get today. The cross referenced clue at 26A was therefore useless. Similarly, I just couldn't figure out what "Dover souls" was referring to.
And then there were SCREW EYES and I REALIZE, which just wouldn't come to me.
I finally turned on the red letter help and noodled around a bit until I finished, but that's a DNF in my book.
Ah well...
I only persevered through this one because I'd planned a lazy morning at home. Very nice puzzle.
First guess for yankee follower was doodle but that harkens back to when we wanted the BRITS to go home, eh?
HOVs are a good thing if you're willing to be a little flexible. As a passenger you can work the crosswords during the commute.
Enjoyable puzzle.
Good morning. Great write up, Splynter.
I got my start down in the SE, worked across to the SW and gradually worked my way up to the top. AHOY matey looked good when I wrote it in, along with amino and Marino, but perps kicked those out.
BRITS/BBQS/SLAW unlocked that corner. I never heard of that trophy, but Knew GRETZKY after a few perps and that gave me Tinman's nemisis (ICE).
This one had just enough easy fill to let me get my unknowns. Good Saturday puzzle.
Happy Saturday, all. Thank goodness it's the weekend so I have a longer self-imposed time limit. Barely made it under the wire!
I thought this one was going to do me in. I'm not into sports and don't know much about post-1980 music or artists, so there were lots of unknowns in this one. My only gimmes were AHOY THERE, AS A WHOLE and LION TAMER, but they allowed me to build out in those areas. It also didn't help that I misread the clue for 46A and entered SIMON (Paul Simon, "I Am A Rock") for SEGER.
Like Barry, my NE was a mess with AMINO directly above AMISS. Only after I WAGged GRETZKY and ICE did I realize that it should be I REALIZE. Then BORIC appeared and it slowly came together.
Tough puzzle, Mr. Wentz. Nice writeup, Splynter. And was that a shoutout at 44A?
It’s below zero on the plains but this exercise was a good warming device. The first shall be last as I finished in the NW where I had to give up MA for MS to get SHORT U, but “got ‘er done”! Thanks Peter and Splynter!
Musings
-What Grumpy said/did
-No shot on rap info. KANYE and OUTKAST don’t live in the ‘hood anymore.
-GRETZKY and DR J were great representatives of their sports
-Marino set records but didn’t get the big enchilada
-NFL games start here at noon and at 7 am when we were in Hawaii
-AHOY MATEY, LITIGATE and YUKKY didn’t cut it
-Did anyone else think of this Doberman (6:10)
-Seeing Sgt. Friday in Sunset Boulevard reminds you that Jack did have other roles
-Laura never said OH ROB while they were in bed together. Censors dictated twin beds.
-What cartoon strip featured a JOB JAR?
-I call it an EYE SCREW. Splynter?
Good day folks,
Like Grumpy, this was a South first, North last effort for me. The sports clues gave me enough of a foothold to make progress. There were a few slowdowns, mostly of my own doing. Siberians/DOBERMANS, NHL/ICE, & doodle/GO HOME were the culprits.
The North was a bear and in the end I had MK JACKSON, thus an incorrect solve. 1A & 2D were "did not knows". Well, all WAGS aren't going to be correct.
An old lady's nightmare - sports and rap. And a Saturday.
It's Saturday! Get out there and dance!
Here's a kitchen CLOG (2:38).
Splynter, long legs (3:08) to CLOG your mind.
And Yellowrocks, this CLOG's for you (6:16).
Wasn't it Morris the Cat, who, in those iconic commercials in the 70s/80s said:
"KALKAN, take me away!"
Hands up for the Amino, Folic, Boric progression. Also tried NHL after wagging Gretzky. The whole thing was a crawl and the NE was a brute. But after 45 minutes~ and a large chunk of eraser, it fell into place.
Hi and Lois prominently feature the Job Jar. It's a bit ironic that Lois instigates this tyranny while her brother, Beetle Baily, is renowned for sloth.
-4 degrees this morning. Again, TGIF! If this were December, that would strike dread in the hearts of the upper great plains.
Sorry, Splynter, here's the long legs you're looking for.
Husker, I used to watch Sgt Bilko as a kid, but I don't actually remember Pvt Doberman. Enjoyed all three parts of that episode, though. Thanks for posting it.
On the topic of hardware, we call it a SCREW EYE in these parts. Reversing it just sounds too DF!
Have to link the only pleasant scene from Deliverance.
And the morning funnies also had more than one common CW reference in this strip: Pickles
A pleasing, but tough, Saturday puzzle requiring a couple consults with Mr Google. Left nothing but blank space cruising through the As until hitting 42A (WEBB), which was a gimme, and picked up the pace from there.
In Florida, my Prius is an HOV irregardless (I know, but I love that non-word) of the number of occupants. In the olde days, in the SF Bay area, they were not only HOVs, they also got to use the express bus lane across the Bay Bridge -- for free!
But who woulda thunk "Lady Byng" had anything to do with hockey (GRETZKE)? And crossing a rapper with a movie star (RONNY X KANYEWEST) outdid me. Still, very enjoyable and finished within my personal time limit, determined by the wait required after breakfast before taking my morning assortment of pills.
Hi There ~!
ant, thank you very much for the "long legs" link - I noticed there are no close-ups when she spins....
otto, I did not know you were from the south; I lived in Jacksonville, FL, and Cincinnati OH was "further south" than that....
Splynter
Racy (for the time) Job Jar Answer. Second strip down.
DO, I always think of the item as being a screw that has an eye on top and called it an eye screw. The adjective following the noun not only sounds DF but very French!
Joe, the boy banjo picker looked like a 57 across but I loved the link to that scene. That old boy could sure clog but I couldn’t stop thinking of the fate that awaited poor Ned Beatty!
Good morning Splynter, C.C. et al.
Fun puzzle and great write-up Splynter! I thought I wouldn't finish this one when I saw 1A, but for some reason it all fell pretty smoothly from top to bottom. Don't ask me why my first thought was BORIC for __ acid.
Wayne GRETZKY is a well-known sports figure who is recognized by people like me who don't even follow hockey.
The Tiber is one of the first European rivers taught in geography, along with the Seine, Loire, Rhine and Rhone, etc.. So even though I couldn't dredge up GRIESE, it was easily filled in by the perps.
Satisfying to do such a nice Saturday puzzle in record (for me) time. Thanks Peter!
Hello Puzzlers -
Thought for sure this was going to be a DNF. Then I tried FOLIC acid in the empty NE, and even though it was wrong, it secured the TIE RACKS to the wall. Finished up from there.
Husker - That would be Hi and Lois. One Father's Day, Lois replaced all the slips in the JOB JAR with new ones reading "play golf". It was a nice present for Hi.
Oops, I guess I was still typing when Husker added his example from Hi and Lois.
Good morning all:
Nice write-up, Splynter. Lots of write-overs today: doodle/go home, roam/rove, I surmise/Irealize, okay/otay, ma Jackson/ms Jackson, Kwan/kwon. All in all, a big mess. Can't say I had fun. Oh well, tomorrow's another day.
Happy Saturday everyone.
Husker, I Googled it and you're right. I got 4 million hits on SCREW EYE and 80 million hits on EYE SCREW (though a lot of those hits were labeled SCREW EYE). Not sure about it sounding French, though. Wouldn't EYE become JE?
Dudley, two answers passing in the virtual night! I would love to find those JOB JAR notes all saying Play Golf. The one in the cartoon would be good too!!
Ant, guess which clog link was my favorite?
Splynter, eye screw or screw eye?
AHOY THERE Everyone. Good write-up as usual, Splynter.
AYE, I SPOSE this had the usual Saturday difficulty. I liked a lot of it, especially the clueing for BRITS and LION TAMER. Did not like the clues for SHORT U, VERBS, and JOB JAR. Interesting about where DOBERMANS were developed. Perps helped with GRETZKY and BOHR. NEGEV was a good guess for 'dry'. FOLIO was another WAG. Had 'roam' before ROVE. No searches needed.
Enjoy the weekend.
NE quadrant did me in. Had to turn on the red letter help. Once I had BORIC(kept dwelling on AMINO)it got a lot easier.
Good Morning and Happy Saturday.
This was an odd one, at times seemed simple and at others (SHOUTU) horribly difficult. The NE was hard for me as I hung on to Marino so long I went to red letters. I should have known better as it was the Super Bowl between Marino and Joe Montana that made me appreciate football (and Joe!).
I agree, not a basketball fan. For me, it's the noise and the seemingly endless season.
I did get BORIC though. Harkens back to when I worked in a Hotel and learned we put boric acid behind all the booths in our fine dining restaurant to keep the cockroaches away from the diners. Apparently a common practice but it was a long time before I'd eat out again. Husband was very happy about that :)
The clue for screw eyes read so that all I could think of was Frog, as in a jacket closure and that sure didn't fit.
Mari, from yesterday, I read somewhere recently that M.M. was a size 14 - Gasp!
Oops make that shoRtu, but then you knew that!
Enjoyed your blog, Splynter. Interesting and challenging Saturday puzzle. My only doubt after I had fit it all together was RONNY or RONNI and KAN(Y)WEST or I. Y seemed better.
ANT @ 8:37 thanks for the clogging dance video. I've enjoyed seeing a lot of square dance cloggers at country fairs in PA and also at national conventions. It's a little too high energy for me. It seems my knees are protesting even regular square dancing. Many of the steps in the video are like ours, but a caller calls them out. We dance to a little bit of everything: bluegrass, show tunes, rock, gospel, swing, Latin.
SCREW EYE/EYE SCREW. At home we used to say, "Es macht nicht aus." It makes no difference, six of one or half dozen of another.
You say Po-tay-to, I say po-tah-to.
DNF, NE corner did me in. I'm new to this blog but been avid crossworder since late 80's. Hope to add to conversation in the future as I've greatly enjoyed all of the members' posts.
Obviously, I can't proof read for typos on a screen. I can proof read only for flow, content, and coherence. I print out my work to proof read for small things. Since we have many Germanic posters I will correct myself. The saying is Es macht nichtS aus with an S. Yesterday I typed ONE'S instead of ONES.
I was late posting today because I had to phone the entire club about visiting hours for a funeral. About half have email, but half or more of those only read it every week or two. Very annoying.
Hey. Someone other than Bobby Orr.
Sharks lose to the 12th seed and then beat the 6th seed. Go figure.
50s and rain.
eddy
Saturdays really clean my clock! Was very glad for the few, three-letter words. know football and some basket ball...not much hockey. Knowing how Saturdays are, I wagged (thanks, Marine) "screw eyes."
Thanks for the warning on the links. I regret enough things without looking at the nubile young things!
I understand tomorrow will feel like the north here in the south.
Time for some slow-cooked, creamy grits with sausage patties and an over-easy egg. SO called me corn-fed. He`ll be out of the hospital in a few days with an "eye-pad!" (Today`s "Pickles.")
Hi Again,
HG, I am not sure if I call the thing either one - most of the time I think we refer to the two parts as one - hook and eye, and it's usually a bolt, not a screw - yeah, I know, it is more like a screw, but....
Splynter
Please write your German phrase phonetically, Yellowrocks.
Hello, weekend warriors. Thanks, Splynter, for your great commentary and links.
Yowza! A typical Saturday challenge that almost beat me to a pulp. Like others, I did well in the south and east flirting with amino, folic and finally BORIC when BBQ appeared.
Ditto on yankee DOODLE before GOHOME. I knew GRETZKY, which I misspelled as GRETZKE only because he lives here in AZ.
Because of that error I never got the EYE in SCREW.
MS JACKSON was a total unknown and I filled it as MA which messed with SHORT U but then I had OKAY and not OTAY. Never watched Buckwheat.
So thank you, Mr. Wentz, you win this one.
Enjoy your Saturday, everyone!
Ah, Saturday,,,
what the crossword screwed me up with, the Blog made up for...
If you don't mind, i think i will take it easy for today, and just enjoy "reading" the Blog.
Yep, this was another toughie, although I ended up getting everything but the NW. Never did get SHORT U--have to remember that sometimes clues are self-reflexive like that. But I did get BBQS once I saw "side" and realized we were talking food, and that helped the NE.
So, clever puzzle, Mr. Wentz. And always a great write-up, Splynter! Is there some reason why I think MADDOG goes with Englishmen or BRITS? Isn't KALKAN a dog (mad dog or Doberman) food? Also found "Circus chairperson" clever. And I fondly remember Laura Petrie's OH ROBs.
After all the discussion of Marilyn Monroe yesterday, we watched the new series "Smash" last night. Found it totaly delightful!
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Rose @ 11:19 Pronunciation aprroximation
Es macht nichts aus.
Ess mocked (ends with a T sound) nix aus (rhymes with house.)
Here's what our kind of square dancing looks like. Although the steps are still the same
the cotumes are becoming passe, except for special occasions like this one. Ordinary jeans, slacks,or prairie skirts are often worn. I alternate between slacks, prairie skirts, and full costume to validate everyone's choice of clothing.
Link square dancing
Good morning one and all.
"An old lady's nightmare - sports and rap. And a Saturday." Thank you Sfingi, you summed it up perfectly!
Although I did get Gretzky - sort of (spelled it with an "s"), that rap crap, as we refer to it around here, had me scratching my head... unless it's "Dr. Dre". That is the only one that comes readily to mind. Finally Kanye West appeared.
Missed BBQs, Slaw, Screw. Had the eye but I've never heard that term.
So much for Saturday. Onward and upward.
Hasta la Pasta
Yellow Rocks re: Es macht nichtS aus.
We used to say that too, in Low German: Dat mookt nix ut. It doesn't matter.
Splynter: Great write-up & links.
Also enjoyed the "posted" links.
Especially the Dueling Banjo's, thanks Avg.Joe.
All-in-All ... a FUN Saturday. Thanks Peter.
Solve was like Grumpy, from the SE to SW, then NW before that NE almost did-me-in.
Sorry Barry G., as HeartRx said, TIBER was a gimmie. Totally a fair clue.
And Marino fans: He never won the Super Bowl.
For "Smoking parties" I was trying to figure out how to abbreviate "Doobie" or "Joint" or "Roach" or "Spliff" or fit ... Roll-em if you got'em.
Hand up on the Amino to Folic to BORIC Acid.
Also, GRETZKY's realm was the NHL ... and changing it to ICE (Ugh!) was my last fill.
It really 'frosts-me' when I have to put 'I' 'C' 'E'
in the grid (or anything for that matter).
A "NEAT-toast" to all at Sunset.
I don't care for the self-referential clues like SHORTU and VERBS for "Puzzling sound" and "Hide and Seek." Am I the only one who finds those lame? Maybe it's just taking me too long to catch on to those. Overall, a tough puzzle, but doable.
I've heard fairly many people say 'To-mah-to' but never 'Po-tah-to.' Does anybody say it? Maybe I've just led a sheltered life.
First saw a Job Jar in Hi and Lois comic strip.
Before your time too.
YR, at our house the expression was, "It's like the difference between a duck -- one foot is both the same." Don't ask me why. It just was.
Of course a few of my relatives also "threw the cow over the fence some hay."
TIBER is completely fair as it is the river through Rome with beautiful bridges across it. Alas, many bodies ended up there.
Yellowrocks:
The square dancing looks like great fun and colorful with those costumes.
Misty, I also found circus chairperson, LION TAMER, clever.
Stiff competition for me, but I bested it. The last to fall was the NE corner, but once I decided on BORIC as the simplest answer for "___ Acid," it went quickly.
The boric acid answer has been eating at me all day (sorry, couldn't help it). When it finally occurred to me as the answer, the only image I could evoke in my mind was a small cardboard drum of Rexall brand boric acid that my mother kept around the house as an eye wash. Checking Wiki, they confirm this use, along with as an insecticide. Does anyone else remember using it as an eye wash?
...and throw Mama from the train a kiss...
Great puzzle! The best Saturday in months. Hats off to you, Mr. Wentz.
Karl Doberman was a German tax collector that got tired of getting beat up and waylaid by bandits. He bred all kinds of different dogs until he came up with what we call the Doberman. I've got a Manchester Terrier. She's 12 pounds and packs a ton of attitude. She doesn't walk. She actually struts, as if saying to other dogs, "Go ahead and try, sucker" But she loves people. I mention all this because the Manchester is one of the breeds Doberman used. Except for size, in appearance they're twins.
I managed to just sail through the south, and work my way back to the north. All came to a screeching halt there. I WAGged BORIC acid, which led to BBQS and the NE got filled in. The NW, however, was a stumper. I correctly had AYE, CTRL, and OTAY. Chipped away, got more, but I finally called my 86 yr old Mom to finish. She too had trouble with the NW, but together we got it done. So, DNF today. Definitely a Saturday challenge!
Here is an example of CHOKED meaning CLOGGED: The pipe was CHOKED (CLOGGED) with debris.
I have often heard tomahto (tomato)and eye-ther (either.) I suspect the Gershwins made up potahto from hearing tomahto. Potahto seems to be used in actuality only in the phrase "potayto/potahto" meaning, "You are splitting hairs."
Hi all,
I never blog on Sat. but decided to today. The puzzle was hard and I got some answers, then looked at the blog
During WWII one of my favorite songs was "The White Cliffs of Dover". A beautiful song.
Our son had a Doberman named Char. She was a really nice dog and we had custody of her many times when he was in college, when he went alot of other places, visiters were wary of her at first, but they soon realized how nice she was.
Cold here today.
Great grandson Logan is two years old today. Wow,time flies!
Marge
Marge, here's Bobby and Bill's version of The White Cliffs of Dover. Agreed, it's a beautiful song.
And I'd also agree that the "aggressive" breeds get a bad rap. Our Rottie could be intimidating, but he was just a big baby and as affectionate as can be. Still miss that dog badly!
Rats! I lost my comment!
Hi, all. This was a real workout! I had to have Google straighten me out.
Having big computer problems but I think the end is in sight. That's one of the reasons I haven't been very regular posting lately. Also I'll be having some P. T. for the next six weeks, so if I'm not here, you'll know why.
Great family new to share: My 17-year-old granddaughter has been accepted at her first choice college, George Washington U. and they're offering her a merit scholarship! Big excitement around here!
Dodo:
Congratulations to your granddaughter! What a wonderful accomplishment and really good genes, too, I suspect.
I hope your P T isn't for anything too serious. Stay well.
Hello everybody. Interesting that so many of you got clobbered by the NE corner; I got clobbered by the NW corner. 19A did me in. First of all, like many of you, I know very little about sports and athletes, and tried like heck to figure out whose initials were B_J. "Magic Johnson? Nope. Michael Jordan? Nope. Kareem Abdul Jabbar? Nope. Maybe it isn't D, but I *know* MADDOG is right..." Never did get DRJ, although the name Julius Irving is familiar to me.
Buit wait, there's more. (All credit due to HeartRx.) Even *after* cheating and filling in that doggone R, SHORTU made no sense to me. I kept thinking a word ending in U must be Japanese, and I kept trying to think of what Japanese expressions are associated with puzzles. "Shattu? Nope. Shitzu? Nope. Shazam? Nope. Yahtzee? Nope Atari! Nope ..."
So DNF by one letter.
Part 2:
Gretzky is a familiar name, but Lady Byng is not. Never heard of Griese before today. Learning moment. I think I will remember that name, if for no other reason than the expectation it will show up in a future crossword.
Loved the clues for LION TAMER and BRITS. "Smoking parties" elicited thoughts of hookahs, reefers, even "British Banker's Club" style cigars. Nope.
If it had not been for his rudeness toward Taylor Swift that dominated the news for a while, I would never have heard of KANYE WEST. Come to think of it, I don't thing I want to hear of him again.
Spelling KWON as KWAN messed me up with LABARLAW for a few minutes.
Altogether a well-constructed puzzle, although I agree that the clues for SHORTU and VERBS are lame. Thank you, Splynter, for an interesting writeup.
Best wishes to you all.
Dodo: Congratulations to you and your granddaughter (and her parents)! I grew up near GWU.
The new avator photo is a slot canyon in Utah. My son and daughter went there for a quick weekend getaway and hike.
I'm embarrassed to say we went out for lunch again today. We tried a new, local place with the unassuming name of Sammy's Wood-fired Grill. We each had lobster bisque and split an artisan pizza. Both were really yummy. I wish some of you could have joined us.
Hi Dodo! Nice to "see" you. Congrats to the granddaughter. I remember those "big" envelopes arriving here.
AvgJoe - YES! My Mom used boric acid to wash out our eyes, too. A relic of the past, I'm sure.
Dodo, Many congratulations to your granddaughter and to her family, too.
Boric Acid has a place in our bathroom cabinet. It is used even today for an eye wash and to make an ant insecticide. It is toxic, so make sure you don't put it where your pets can get it.
Dodo1925@3:59
Small World (no peas) My daughter just got accepted to George Washington U (her 1st choice,) unfortunately the scholarship she rec'd was to Hofstra, but there is no changing her mind, its GWU alltheway.
I don't mean this to be an Ad, but i discovered a way to play golf a couple of years ago, even though i have 2 herniated discs, necrosis of the knee, and psoritic arthritis. I tried golf on the Wii, but ended up with tennis elbow for a year.
Its called WORLD GOLF TOUR, and yes, it has that stupid golf swing meter, but everything else is spot on. You play on actual photo images of renowned courses, and it gets so complicated, you want to curse it out like a real game of golf.
Try it out (its free, they make their money selling you unecessary balls, clubs, and embarassing outfits.) You just have to create an identity. Practice, and then i look forward to kicking your butt on the course.
:)
Yes, Avg. Joe, I remember BORIC acid as an eye wash.
About some dogs getting a bad rap - we have three Bull Terriers (Spuds McKenzie) that love people but people don't love them. I'd post my favorite, Bonnie bin Laden the Bull Terrorist, as my avatar if I could figure out how.
Bill G. Sammy's is part of a chain. There's one on Pearl in La Jolla that I frequented when my mother lived nearby.
Boric acid as eyewash. Yes, indeed.
Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun.
Hi Again ~!
I don't mind the teeth-gritting fist clenching clues like "HIDE and SEEK" for VERB - makes one step outside of your mental shell to find the link; same with the "SHORT u" - I do go Rrrrr, but then I smile, because it works.
And since no one else posted this, I am adding Cliffs Of Dover, from Eric Johnson - ANT, I think you'll dig it. The actual "song" starts at 2:11
Splynter
Bill G.
Just got back from my favorite restaurant (I believe it's a Scottish chain) where I had their special ...
"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."
With a Medium Coca-Cola and small chips (oops, I mean fries).
It was yummy.
Cheers!
Aye Laddie, we have that same Scottish chain here, too. Now, if they would serve some good Scottish drinks, they would be just perfect.
Got in a real mess in the top right with YOGIS where GURUS should sit. Gave me YiCKY (seemed OK), JOB loG, then was fiddling around with things like RAT BOY and SHORTO for an age before I admitted defeat and red-lettered.
Nice write-up, Splynter!
Of course, top right should read top left. I've had that kind of day :)
Greetings to all!
Have been feeling three quarters dead as friend Chris has not been able to swim for 10 days due to accidents and a cold. Also, had another, relatively slight, fall.
Did not do very well on last two puzzles and had to resort to cheating to finish. Felt that SHORTU was way out. Also agree with Sfingi!
Cheers!
Virginia: First make a contribution to the blog. (Old contributions will not necessarily work if google has forgotten you. This happens to me at least once/week.) Click on your blue name. Click on the EDIT button in the upper right hand corner of the profile page. Scroll down to where you can insert a picture from your computer or from web. Choose the picture you want. (I always choose jpeg format.) Wait a while while it comes up. Voil á! Scroll down and click SAVE. That's it.
Tinbeni @ 7:20
Just curious. Do you put ICE in your Medium Coca-Cola? Or does avatar forbid that, too?
Dodo @3:59 congratulations to your grandaughter and CEDave @5:36 congratulations to your daughter on their acceptance at GWU.
Fermatprime, sorry to hear about your fall and lack of awimming companion. Hang in there.
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