theme:
30a. *memorable, as a day : red letter. a red-letter day is a day of special significance. would have been a good entry for yesterday, valentine's day.
48a. *one seeding clouds : rain maker. Wikipedia page.
61a. *knee-slapper : rib tickler. har har.
2d. *nuclear plant sight : reactor. device used to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction.
6d. *suitcase lugger's aid : roller
12d. *rosie's role : riveter. rosie the riveter - cultural icon representing women who worked in factories during world war II.
41d. *broke up late, as a meeting : ran over
46d. *short-antlered animal : roe deer. painting.
50d. *one paying a flat fee? : renter
and the unifier, beautifully placed right in the center:
36a. they're not in the in-crowd ... and read differently, what each starred answer has two of : outsiders, or outside r's
wow! eleven theme answers (including the unifier), all words or phrases that begin and end with the letter r. that can not be easy to do.
across:
1. superfluous thing : frill. i like frills.
6. copy room unit : ream. paper.
10. good-sized building site : acre
14. __, meenie ... : eenie. miney mo, catch a tiger by the toe. also a song by justin bieber - i only knew that because it popped up on google. not a fan. i'll spare you the link.
15. best way to make a mistake : once. measure twice, cut once.
16. like a fly ball that hits the foul pole, ironically : fair. baseball rules.
19. thomas __ edison : alva
20. old at&t rival : mci
21. dockworker's gp. : ila. international longshoreman's association.
22. sign of the ram : aries. zodiac sign. any aries' here?
23. tchotchke stand : etagere. open shelving unit to display small items.
26. o'er and o'er : oft. over and over - often.
28. vw forerunners? : stu. alphabet letters, s - t - u - v - w.
29. fifth canonical hour : nones. the ninth hour after sunrise, about 3 p.m., one of seven specified times for prayer in the roman catholic church.
33. part of dot: abbr. : trans. department of transportation.
34. marvin or majors : lee
35. bern's river : aare. came easily since we just saw this last wednesday.
35. bern's river : aare. came easily since we just saw this last wednesday.
40. humorist bombeck : erma. i never leaf through a copy of National Geographic without realizing how lucky we are to live in a society where it is traditional to wear clothes.
43. snitch : rat
44. video game pioneer : atari. steve jobs was a technician there for a time.
51. animal toxin : venom
52. berlin conjunction : und. german for and.
53. tarzan raiser : ape. tarzan the ape man. yeah baby.
54. comes out of hiding : emerges
56. wooden peg : dowel
58. yoko from tokyo : ono
59. tokyo, before 1868 : edo
60. currier's partner : ives
65. experiment : test
66. soothing additive : aloe
67. doting aunt, perhaps : cooer
68. art deco master : erte. a russian-born french artist and designer known by the pseudonym erté, the french pronunciation of his initials, r. t.
69. heckle : jeer
70. more than reasonable interest : usury. lending of money with large interest charge.
down:
1. turn to wine, as grape juice : ferment
3. home to purdue : indiana
4. full deck at caesar's palace? : lii. deck of cards, 52.
5. "seinfeld" uncle : leo
7. "shepherd moons" grammy winner : enya
8. unreturnable serve : ace
9. sea, in paris : mer
10. out yonder : afar
11. actress flockhart : calista
13. puzzle solver's smudge : erasure.
18. commonly decorated tree : fir
22. consumed : ate
24. columbus, by birth : genoan
25. "mi casa __ casa" : es su. spanish, my house is your house.
26. scarfed down too much, with "on" : od'ed
27. run for the hills : flee.
31. in-crowd : elite
32. busy employee of a paranoid king : taster
37. snare : trap
38. "oh, for pity's __!" : sake
39. "must-see" review : rave
40. scholarly : erudite
42. 3-down's region : midwest
45. "and still i rise" poet : angelou. maya.
47. "forgive me" : i'm sorry
49. practice opening? : mal. malpractice.
55. pierre, to pierre : moi. french for me.
57. tequila sunrise direction : este
58. bassoon kin : oboe. wind instruments.
61. indian rule from 1858 to 1947 : raj
62. __ de la cité : ile. one of two islands in the seine within the city of paris.
63. hosp. heart ward : ccu. critical care unit.
64. ring victories, briefly : ko's. boxing - knock outs.
Answer grid.
melissa
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Skip (HondoHurricane on the blog)!
melissa
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Skip (HondoHurricane on the blog)!
Morning, all (and Happy Birthday, Hondo)!
ReplyDeleteVery easy puzzle for me today. A couple of cute clues ("VW forerunners" and "Full deck at caesar's palace?") but not terribly exciting overall. I'm sure it was a challenge to construct a puzzle like this and, fortunately, it didn't result in a bunch of bad fill. But the theme was rather dull in my opinion and nothing really sparkled (aside from those aforementioned tricky clues).
Oh -- And I would have thought the best way to make a mistake would be NEVER instead of ONCE. But I guess we all need to make mistakes in order to learn from them...
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle; not a speed run however. Thanks Kurt, melissa!
No. My little brother had a radio flyer. My Victorian parents gave me only girl things.However, when money was very, very short, my dad made up unisex things out of wood and metal.
Got to swim again today. Girlfriend Chris actually appeared, but only swam briefly. Still too sick.
Does anyone have a cure for people who are getting bitten to death by fleas? (Chris.)
Have not been able to send out email for a few days. ATT will help for $50. Haven't called Apple yet. After swim I was too beat to call today.
YR: I have been enjoying your many fine contributions!
It is supposed to freeze here--maybe already is. Worry about my many plants.
Have a good day!
PS: the happiest of bdays Hondo!
ReplyDeleteGood day folks,
ReplyDeleteThis will be quick because we're spending the day in Boston with number one son & his family.
I really enjoyed this puzzle. It was a fair challenge for a Wednesday. Favorites were full deck/LII and Rosie the Riveter, who I think of as a Norman Rockwell creation.
I've often accused those who charge a fee for credit card usage as practicing Usury. Never heard of Calista Flockhart.
Wanted Haj instead of Raj for Indian Rule. Rib Tickler took care of that miscue.
Have to run. Happy hump day to all.
Good Morning, Melissa B and friends. I had so much fun with today's puzzle. I quickly realized that all the starred clues began and ended with the letter R.
ReplyDeleteSome fun clues, too. Although I am usually not keen on Roman Numeral answers, I laughed at Full Deck at Caesar's = LII.
I also liked that ONCE is the Best Way to Make a Mistake.
My favorite clue was One Paying a Flat Fee = RENTER.
My mother-in-law was amused when she visited the Great Wall in China and was asked if she wanted to purchase some Tchotchkes. It's not a word she expected to hear in China.
Happy Birthday, Hondo. Hope you do something extra special today.
In honor of Susan B. Anthony, who was born on this day in 1820, here is today's QOD: No man is good enough to govern any woman without her consent. ~ Susan B. Anthony
My experience with this puzzle is simmilar to Barry's. I head slapped a few clues but most I knew I had a few interuptions so i can not call this a speed run. Well time to drink the coffee. Happy Birthday Hondo enjoy your day in Boston and thank you Melissa for the write up.
ReplyDeleteGood morning MB and happy hump day to all. Happy birthday Hondo and enjoy your day with your son.
ReplyDeleteNothing too difficult in this puzzle. The VW forerunner clue was devilish. Even after it was filled, I looked at it again and wondered if there was any way the STUdebaker could be considered a forerunner of the VW. I finally figured out that we were talking alphabets, not cars. D'OH!
The person that never makes a mistake is not doing anything.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteDid it again, zoomed right through without noticing the theme.
WBS about the clever clues. I like "VW forerunner" best.
HB Hondo. Thanks MBee.
Windover, sorry I didn't get chance to respond yesterday. Got 1/2 inch of snow/rain=thick slush here outside Louisville. Really nasty...daughter had little "issue" with it driving to school (read: deductible). Oh well, she wasn't hurt and it's just a car. Hope things are good in LAN-Ca-Ster!
ReplyDeleteBased on the theme, would the in-crowd ELITE be considered OUTSIDEES?
ReplyDeleteFrom Johnny Dangerously -
"My father hung me on a hook once. ONCE." (0:23)
Melissa B.: Nice write-up & links.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this theme.
Very ERUDITE.
Also liked the Swiss AARE in the grid.
(Since it is pronounced 'R').
All-in-All a FUN Wednesday.
Cheers!
Good morning melissa, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy birthday hh, and have fun in Boston with your son. That's so nice to be able to spend time together on your special day!
melissa, thanks so much for the Tarzan link - and for not linking Justin Beber!!
Not WBS, as I really enjoyed this puzzle. Packed with theme entries, and no dreck. Nice chewy stuff for a Wednesday puzzle.
I loved the clue for ETAGERE, as Tchotchkes was a new word for me. And I wanted Columbus to be GENOese, not GENOAN. The small "p" in Caesar's palace made me realize we were talking about the old Roman emperor, not the Las Vegas nightclub. So even LII got a smile!
Happy hump day, everyone!
Good morning. HBD, Hondo. Good to "see" you again, Melissa.
ReplyDeleteAlmost a speed run today, but I did have to WAG the "S" in the NONES/ESSU crossing. I don't know canonical from bayonetical, and though I did learn a little French, I never learned any Spanish. (Sort of stupid, considering where I live now.)
Fermat, I can only assume that some pet has brought them inside. That pet should be treated with Advantage/Frontline or similar breed-appropriate product. Then all carpets should be thoroughly vacuumed (and the bag discarded outside), and all infested clothes and bedding should whirl a while in a hot clothes dryer to kill any "lurkers." Repeat as necessary.
Our prodigal cat returned home yesterday after going missing Friday night. The other cats hissed at him -- he must have smelled bad. He's neutered, so I'm guessing he got cooped up in somebody's shed or garage. He seemed glad to be home.
Regarding your comment on 40A, anyone who has been to a nude beach will arrive at the same conclusion.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable morning puzzle. One stumble out of the blocks but finished in "red-letter" fashion. Easy for a Wednesday which is usually harder for me. Great day to all!
ReplyDeleteMB good to see you back in your regular place. A nice puzzle with so much themeage; not difficult but amusing. Two of my least favorite fill were done well with the Roman numeral and the letter string.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Wednesday and happy birthday Hondo and Susan B.
Good morning to this ERUDITE crowd of passionate puzzlers. Great write-up, Melissa; thank you.
ReplyDeleteHow could you not expect at least an UND from a Kurt Krauss:-)?. This solve was a lot of fun; especially with the theme. Favorite clues were for MOI and RENTER. The sun enters the first point of ARIES in about 6 weeks. No ERASUREs and no look-ups needed.
Happy Birthday to the H Hurricane!
Have a great day.
Nice enjoyable puzzle. I liked 15A: Best way to make a mistake: ONCE, 28A: VW Forerunners: STU, and 50D: One paying a flat fee: Renter. I thought of "tailor" for the paranoid king, as I was thinking of The Emporor's New Clothes for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe of anybody here who knew that a Tchotchke Stand was an ETAGERE. (My learning moment of the morning.)
And I'm sure none of us have any experience with 13D: Puzzle Solver's Smudge: ERASURE. Who us? No way!
Hope you all have a great day - especially The Hondo Hurricane!
Happy Birthday to Hondo!
ReplyDeleteI had similar solving to the rest of you today. I also didn't know Tchochkes were knickknacks and the FAIR reference is foreign to me too. I was fooled by Caesar's palace but laughed when LII appeared. Wanted GTE until MCI perped up. I always pause at IRMA/ERMA clues because I can never remember which spelling to use.
At first I thought the OUTSIDERS were RE and ER, but as I got more of them, realized it was only the R's.
I never had a red wagon, kids didn't get those at all in Oz. The only wheeled toy I ever had was a little trike I rode up and down the street while singing Annie Get Your Gun, probably much to the horror of neighbors since I'm sure I only knew about two lines of the lyrics.
Phil Donahue yesterday and ERMA Bombeck today. Maybe tomorrow will bring Paul Laurence Dunbar.
ReplyDeleteFunny, for my peers, ERMA Bombeck is the street where all of the Univ. of Dayton's bars are located. We still call it Brown St. or "the Ghetto"(affectionately)
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Kurt Krauss, for one of the best puzzles I have done in a while. Thank you, Melissa B, for the great write-up. BTW, wouldn't CCU be Cardiac Care Unit? Hope I never have to go into one.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was excellent. Enjoyed the theme. It appeared after a few answers and helped with the rest of the puzzle.
As others, I thought 4D LII was a great clue/answer. Same for STU. Good job.
MCI started Judge Greene's breakup of the telecommunications industry as we knew it a few decades ago. Pros and Cons on that one.
I had ITALIAN for Columbus, by birth. GENOAN appeared after a while and a few perps.
I give this puzzle a RAVE review.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Happy Birthday Hondohurricane, and many more
ReplyDeleteAbejo
Hi all -
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Hondo!! Nice that you can spend it with your son.
I rarely get the themes, and didn't this time either. Very tricky!
Did not know ENYA, ANGELOE, CALISTA (sort of a pretty name) or LII (that one really fooled me!!)
67A Doting Aunt: COOER. really?????
I know, I know...the auntie 'coos' at the baby, but I have just never heard the word 'cooer'.
57D TEQUILA SUNRISE direction: I would have said 'toward the bar'...but WTH.
Theme took a minute or so to discern but was a fun addition.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-ENYA and ETAGERE new to me and STU took some cogitating (I had Grumpy’s take on it)
-Shepherd moons are moons that orbit in the rings around planets like Saturn
-The NRC last week okayed two new nuclear reactors for Georgia
-I had a Flexible Flyer, not a Radio one
-Rosie’s role changed life in America
-In baseball, foul lines (and poles) are in bounds and in basketball and football not
-Would we really remember her if she hadn’t married John Lennon and had those great cwd letters?
-Aren’t these new payday loan services guilty of usury? Any port in a storm, I guess.
-XXI is the goal when you play blackjack with the LII cards
-Amen Erma. Also works for Speedo’s on beach! Is your mirror broken?
-HBD Grumpy. I wish you better luck driving in Boston than I had.
Hi There ~!
ReplyDeleteHB-Day, hh ~!
I liked this puzzle, but I am partial to the letter "R" to begin with. Lots of theme, and crossing, too - Had to cheat the "S" at noneS and eS su....F'n foreign words...
I knew what tchotchke because when I worked at Roadway, Friday night I was in charge of sorting a trailer 700+ pieces full of "Home Interiors", which my terminal manager referred to as tchotchke, so I had to find out what that meant - bric-a-brac, knickknacks, curios, etc.
Splynter
Calista Flockhart / Ally McBeal and The Unisex Bathroom(1:28)
ReplyDeleteBTW: Kalista/Calista is name common in my family. The meaning of the name Calista is Beautiful (Greek) as my sister is quick to point out.
Hi everyone:
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Hondo, and thanks for the write-up, Melissa.
Fun, easy puzzle. I'm an Aries so that was a given. also liked LII and STU, even though I didn't get the meaning of STU until I came here. Never heard of a roe deer but knew etagere right away.
Does anyone else share my absolute conviction that Mother Nature is just biding her time before she sends us a sharp reminder of true winter weather? Here it is, the 15th of February and today's temp is going to be 43 degrees. Here, in upstate New York, we have had only 13 inches of precipitation since winter began. Me thinks we're in for a rude awakening, sooner or later.
Happy Wednesday to all.
Good morning all. HBD Hondo.
ReplyDeleteA little slow but steady for me today. Actually enjoyed the LII clue as a nice changeup. The theme was a little tough to coax out of hiding for me, but it finally dawned. 12 theme answers had to be tough.
I wasn't familiar with Sheppard Moons, but Enya is such common fill that a couple of perps solved that. Orinoco Flow is the more common clue.
And there's a new Calista in town this year. Too bad her hair looks like combat gear.
Irish Miss - My theory is 180º out from yours. I feel that the severe last couple of winters augered for the mild winter we are having:-). Seems like the severe weather has shifted to Europe this year. Snow in the Balearic Isles the other day.
ReplyDeleteGood one today. Especially liked the VW forerunners as I was expecting the car.
ReplyDeleteThere are actually eight canonical hours: Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Vespers, and Compline.
Happy Birthday Hondo, it's a good day to spend with family! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle and I really enjoyed the write-up too. I want to add my thanks for not linking to Bieber!!
Calista Flockhart was Ally McBeal, LOVED that show until Robt. Downey began spiralling downward. She's now married to Harrison Ford.
As a landlord, I loved "One who pays a flat fee".
Here in AZ I've seen the Rosie the riveter poster with Jan Brewer's face in place of Rosie's many times.
Fermataprime, D-O is right, wash everything, and remember, the eggs in the carpet will hatch again in a few days/weeks so it must be done all over again :(. Several times.
Also, I've been told that the best way to keep them from biting is to take large doses of Vitamin B. Apparently it makes your skin smell unattractive to the little buggers and they'll leave you alone. Also works for mosquitoes.
My weather theory: The earthquake that caused the Tsunami in Thailand rocked the earth on it's axis AND stopped it's rotation for a micro- second. Maybe it caused all the nasty winter weather to slide across the Atlantic????
ReplyDeleteHi gang, before my wife left for work we got the double R theme.
ReplyDeleteHere's the theme song from Ally McBeal (AKA Calista Flockhart) the show ran from '97 to '02, I think we stopped watching it before the last episode but the video helps to bring back the show characters that I had forgotten.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle, but DNF. Was stuck on the red wagon; what came after RADIO?
And no, I never had a wagon, nor did I ever want one. Also was stuck on suitcase. First had wheels, then red cap, and then was flummoxed.
Great write up, MelissaB. Love the links. Thank you.
Happy birthday, Hondo. It sounds like fun for you.
Cheers
The small "p" in Caesar's palace made me realize we were talking about the old Roman emperor, not the Las Vegas nightclub. So even LII got a smile!
ReplyDeleteThe problem there is that playing cards, having been introduced into Europe in the 14th century, were unknown to the Caesars. Romans preferred dice for their gambling.
Interestingly, "the" Caesar (Gaius Julius) didn't live in a "palace", he lived his youth in the Subura region of Rome (a rather low-class area) and his adulthood in the Domus Publica on the Via Sacra next to the Forum since he was the Pontifex Maximus.
Augustus Caesar set up the bureaucracy of the Empire to operate out of his home on the Palatine Hill. Later Emperors, especially Nero, expanded this rather modest domicile until it encompassed the entirety of the crown of the hill. It is from "Palatine" that "palace" is derived.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteHBD, Hondo.
Puzzle is pretty much Meh! for me. Yeah, the OUTSIDE R theme must have been tough to deliver - but - it doesn't move me.
I'm surprised that the vw preceder is getting so much affirmation. I think an alphabet run is the absolute lowest class of dross. Well, except, maybe for a Roman numeral.
That said, most of the fill is quite good, and I do appreciate MCI not being 1101.
Not up on my Tchotchkes. We have on of them ETAGERE thingies in the kitchen. It holds cookies, a bread box, a shelf full of cookbooks, and one honking big Hamilton Beach slow cooker.
Found this in the side bar of the Dangerously vid. A propos of nothing, but pretty funny.
Cheers!
JzB
Word origin; I was suprised so many know Tchochke, but for those who do not.
ReplyDeleteThe word "tchotchke" derives from a Slavic word for "toys" (Ukrainian: цяцька, tsiats'ka, [ˈtsjɑts.kɑ]; Polish: cacka, [ˈtsats.ka]; Slovak: čačka,[3] [ˈtʃatʃ.ka] chach-ka, Russian: цацки, tsatski, [ˈt͡sat͡s.ki])—adapted to Yiddish טשאַטשקע, tshatshke, "trinket". Tchotchkes are often given at Chanukkah as part of a game.
A wide variety of spellings exist for the English usage of the term, e.g. tshotshke, tshatshke, tchachke, chachke, tsotchke, chotski, or chochke, because there is no standardized transliteration.
Per wiki
Hey gang - haven't had much time to check in lately, but I wanted to thank C.C. for the (undeserved) shout-out yesterday and the kind words from many of you.
ReplyDeleteI loved this puzle - mostly because I stared at the reveal clue for God knows how long trying to figure out how to read the theme answers differently rather than the reveal answer. As I've said before, dumber than a bag of socks sometimes. Some very clever clues today and overall, a fun solve.
Jazz, just a suggestion, but I'd really back off the frequent use of the word 'dross' - it's defined as "worthless rubbish", and I don't think any of our constructors deserve that, and it's probably not how you meant it anyway.
Hope it's a great day for everyone; here's a couple clips to brighten it. The last one almost cost me a soaked keyboard (water).
Hello, Melissa B., C.C. and fellow puzzlers. Nice blog, MB.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, HH!
WEES on this one which though I am sure was difficult to construct did not ring my chimes.
However, some clever fill included RENTER and LII.
My youngest brother had a RADIO FLYER and we used it every weekend to sell tamales.
And one of my aunts was a RIVETER as there was an airplane factory in Goodyear, AZ during the war.
Also did not know tchotchke but I have an ETAGERE with photos, etc so could assume the meaning.
Jazz:
I hate to tell you this but I believe what is in your kitchen is a Baker's Rack which come to think of it is a kind of ETAGERE.
Have a RED LETTER day, everyone, especially the Hondo!
When I was in CCU 26 years ago, it was called "Coronary Care Unit". Don't know if the definition has expanded over the years.
ReplyDeleteI thought I had this nailed, but it turns out that I didn't watch enough "Seinfeld" and never had a RADIO FLYER since I grew up in Austria. My son must have had a wagon when he was little, but the name didn't stick, I guess. But other than that this puzzle was a delight, even though I didn't catch the outside Rs until I read Melissa's great write-up. So many thanks, Mr. Krauss, for a fun Wednesday puzzle, and Melissa for helping me 'get' what I got.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Hondo, and have a great hump day, everybody!
Not every unreturned serve is an ACE, it must also be untouched by the returner.
ReplyDeleteI know I had enough of them.
Almost forgot - a very Happy Birthday to HH -- sounds like a great way to spend your day.
ReplyDeleteBut every "serve" that was an ACE was "unreturnable".
ReplyDeletePete's right. I had 113 aces in my 11 hour match against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon, If they gave me an ace for an unreturned serve I would have had 500.
ReplyDeleteHello everybody.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Mr. Hurricane.
Fun puzzle. Thank you, Mr. Krauss.
Thank you, Melissa Bee, for your writeup.
What Lemonade said: refreshing and chuckle-producing clues for the Roman numeral and letter sequence entries.
Some really great fill, such as USURY, ERUDITE, ANGELOU, ERASURE, and FERMENT. Cool words!
I have a theory. Since the German "Kaiser" and Russian "Czar," both meaning "Emperor," were derived from Gaius Julius Caesar's surname, my theory is that "Caesar" is/was/should be pronounced more like "Kai sar" than like "See zer." Just a silly theory. "See zer" is more fun to make rhymes with, though :)
Best wishes to you all.
This puzzle would have been fine with just the four across themers. But incredibly enough, Kurt added six more. And that's not the most incredible thing about this grid. Draw a line through all the themers at the top half and you will see how they all connect! Ditto for the lower half. Beautiful piece of work.
ReplyDeleteI had one of Dennis` speed runs on this one and I was on Mr. Krauss` wave-length, also ala Dennis. Boy, you really made an imprint on this blog, Marine!
ReplyDeleteFound a tiny radio flyer wagon and put a small, stuffed dalmatian in it for Christmas decoration. Thought "outside r`s" was clever as was "one paying a flat fee.". Doting aunt stumped me until "kos" fell.
Back on the road tomorrow...we need to light a while!
RedLetter Day to an ink & paper purist like me are dirty words...
ReplyDelete(OK, not really, but today i really should have gone to those red letters)
I could not get "cooer" and was begining to think it was "usery" because AngeLLa (?) could not possibly end in a "U".
Not only did i get Columbus' tribe wrong, i had the wrong country! (i had Minoan)
Also, my PC was making weird hard drive noises, & getting VERY slow, so i CTRL+ALT+Del and shut down the process that was maxing out my hard drive. I did not realize what i had done until i discovered that all your link YouTube clips had no sound.
I guess i kinda looked like THIS
Interesting and challenging puzzle (aka: on my wave length). Thanks, Mr. Krause. Only problem was putting two downers in the wrong rows. Soon corrected. Knew all the names for once.
ReplyDeleteGiggle-worth links, y'all!
Enjoy your Boston Birthday, Hondo! I celebrated one in Boston, my 20th, an enchanting day! Hands up for Aries, apt sign for me since I've spent much of my life butting heads with someone. My husband was also an Aries.
Spitz @10:02-You may be right; time will tell.
ReplyDeleteArgyle @ 9:25-Interesting info re Calista. I had never heard of the name until Calista Flockhart came along. (I sometimes wonder how many of us are happy with our given name; I know I'm not thrilled with mine!)
Irish Miss.
ReplyDeleteTried to reply to your gmail.
It was rejected by your domain
address. ???
eddy
Good afternoon and happy hump day to all. Thanks Mbee for your insights. Fun puzzle and I have seen etagare in prior puzzles. I am also partial to R like Splynter. Hey Tin saw on the news alcohol spurns creativity so I hope you come up with something good at sunset. also from yesterday their is Hockey,even though our Bolts are'nt so hot right now. Have a great day to all and happy birthday HondoH RJW.
ReplyDeleteI thought the clue answer for 31D- in crowd/elite- crossing the theme unifier-outsiders- was brilliant. cw
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon Melissa, C.C. et al,
ReplyDeleteAlways love a Wed. puzzle, and today's fooled me. I thought I was going to fill it in much faster than usual.My 1st run through gave me a lot of coverage, so I assumed a quick finish. Not so.First of all, I had to go through the alphabet to get the F in frill- doh! Usury not in my voc., so that itty bitty corner defeated me.Cooer? really?
Had to look up tchotchke to fill etagere.I have a beauty that my grandfather purchased somewhere in Asia long ago.
stu- ha,ha, thought it was short for studebaker- no car smarts here.
So Melissa, merci for all the explanations and links.
favorites: the clues for LII & renter.
Happy Red Letter Day to you, HH.
Desper-otto, so happy your cat returned. I panicked when ours did that.
Happy birthday HH! Yes, I had a Radio Flyer. The cleverness of LII passed me by 'cause I didn't need the down clues in that area. Now that you guys brought it to my attention, I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Desper-otto, use Advantage on the pets for a couple of months and all the fleas will be gone. It didn't hurt our dog and cat at all and it totally eliminated the flea infestation. As I remember, it keeps the new eggs from hatching too.
Really funny commercials. I much prefer them to the dross that shows up on my TV. Makes me appreciate the DVR even more.
I had a dentist checkup yesterday and fasting blood tests this morning preparatory to a physical. Geez, I dread going to the doctor. It doesn't make sense but I can't seem to get my brain to change its reaction.
eniac...didn't we just have this word recently? This is from Today in History:
ReplyDelete1946 Computers ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first general-purpose stored program electronic digital computer, is dedicated at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering in Pennsylvania. It could calculate 1,000 times faster than anything previous. It required 18,000 vacuum tubes and 130,000 watts of power.
Maybe I'll remember it the next time.....
...we don't really care what kind of toothpaste you use to brush your teeth. Just as long as you brush them...
ReplyDeleteGreetings! Thank you Melissa. Happy Birthday Hondo H. Lots of February birthdays here in "The Corner." Tomorrow is a "big" one for me.
ReplyDeleteNot much of anything to add to the comments. This seemed more like a Tuesday to me. ERUDITE, FERMENT, and ANGELOU were all nice fill though. The OUTSIDE RS theme was fun.
I still have my kids' (both ARIES) RADIO FLYER. It comes in handy in the garden.
I'm still recovering from the fact that a dust bunny won "best in show" last night.
I'm now up-to-date with Downton Abbey!
Jayce,
ReplyDeleteYou guessed right--my Latin teachers all pronounce Caesar much the same as Kaiser. In Latin of the golden age the letter 'c' always should be hard. I guess later on in the silver age, it might have become more like the 'ch' you hear in the Christmas carol (Excelsis Deo?)
EddyB:
ReplyDeleteI just sent an email with a couple of suggestions. Hope they work.
Thanks.
For you Downton Abbey fans: From today's paper.
ReplyDeleteSo we have a HBDTY for Eniac and with HH, who will now forever be our resident artifical intelligence, the day is most memorable?
ReplyDeleteWater, Dennis? yeah cleaning up?
Jayce:
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly my theory too on the pronunciation of Caesar and it makes sense since the CA is normally a K sound.
I had never voiced the idea but thought it.
In Latin it is pronounce KIE ZAR
ReplyDeleteJust thought i would reveal my True Identity
ReplyDelete@Dennis 3:34 Many thanks for posting the 'Downton Abbey' link. Not that I needed anyone telling me why I was hooked--and I sure am hooked. The plotting has some incredible creakiness, but my husband and I both almost cried at Bates and Anna's wedding. And it's nice to enjoy an un-guilty pleasure (we're hooked on 'The Bachelor' and the 'Bachelorette' too--programs that we admit are total crap). Anyway, hope to hear more about 'Downton Abbey' when we don't have to worry about spoilers anymore!
ReplyDeleteCED:
ReplyDeleteGood one!
Thank you kazie, Lucina, and Lemonade.
ReplyDelete@Dennis 3:34
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Downton Abbey link. I'm glad I'm in good company. I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. last night to finish season 2 episode 6. I think I'm now caught up.
So discuss away everyone.
Hola Everyone, Happy Birthday, Hondo and many, many more. Enjoy your day in Boston with your family.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have any lookups today and filled in everything pretty quickly. The R's were evident after the first three theme answers. However, Outsider didn't come as quickly. I also wanted a country for the birthright of Columbus. Genoan came with Erma (Bombeck) and Nones then filled in. Nones was new to me.
Loved the clues Full Deck at Caesar's palace? and busy employee of a paranoid king.
Thanks Melissa for a sparkling writeup. Loved your links today. Seinfeld is one of our favorites.
Crazy Cat, How was your trip to Ojai last weekend? I don't think it rained, but it was cool. My son-in-law said he pruned all the trees in their backyard, so the weather must have been nice.
ReplyDeleteGood one CED. It's often been said that our cats rule the roost.
Hatool, the quote today was excellent.
Our rainfall here in San Jose is only about 26% of normal for this time of year. We need much more to sustain us through our dry summer months.
Lucina @ 11:45
ReplyDeleteYour mention of Goodyear is music to my ears. My Reds moved their spring training site to Goodyear last year. Although the writers miss the restaurants and beaches of Sarasota, the players have much improved facilities in AZ.
Just got home from Seven Springs, PA yesterday; pitchers and catchers report on Sunday. Time to change avatar.
Fermatprime:
ReplyDeleteDepending on the infestation, your friend may need to buy flea bombs, one for each room. She will need to close up all the windows and leave the premises for at least 8 hours. Don't forget to remove all pets and cover any fish tanks. Instructions are on the can.
Treat the offending pet(s) with Frontline. This not only kills fleas, but kills ticks and eggs as well. It usually lasts for approx 3 weeks per application.
Do wash your bedding and clothing as previously suggested with good hot soapy water.
As for the friend, she can treat bites with calamine lotion, which will soothe the itching. Also raw garlic will help ward them off either eaten or hung around one's neck.
It is imperative that action be taken regarding this. Fleas carry disease, and you do not want them either on your person, or in your home. I hope I helped.
Good evening MelissaB, CC, et al., Loved this puzzle! Great write up too, MB. Thanks for all the insight and links. For some reason
ReplyDeletegoing down was so much easier than going across...hmmm. I never get the themes anyway so rarely look for them. This one just flowed. Loved it. Thank you Mr. Krauss.
Crazy Cat: LOL w/your dust bunny comment. I thought it was a dust mop myself. What a hoot of a dog! Happiest of birthdays to you tomorrow. Hope it's a spectacular day.
HondoH: Happiest of Birthdays to you today! Love the way you are celebrating your birthday. I did the same thing a little early for my bday but w/#1 daughter and the Phoenix Open. What a party!!! We're celebrating this whole month...any excuse, right? This wkend is w/#3 daughter in N.C. OBX. Party on!!!
Dennis: thanks for the Downtown Abbey link. Love that!
Lemonade: 3:35 LMAO!!you beat me to it! Something's so not right w/that comment. water...and...???
Enjoy your night.
CrazyCat:
ReplyDeleteI was sooooooo disappointed that the
"dust-RAT" won the Westminister last night.
In the final 7, it was my # 7.
I wanted the Dalmation.
Also liked the German Shepard, Doberman and
Irish Setter.
Todays puzzle had (probably) the first alphabet run (the STU) where my 1st thought of the clue WASN'T ... LAME!.
Cheers!
Seen:
ReplyDeleteSince tourism is so important to Arizona, most of the cities that host spring training have in the past few years built new, state of the art sports facilities. That includes Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria and Scottsdale.
I'm told they are exceptional training facilities. Have you been here?
Chickie 5:45 - Ojai was perfect! What a peaceful, beautiful valley. We loved, loved, loved the Inn and Spa. We parked the car and didn't leave until Monday afternoon. I can't wait to go back.
ReplyDeleteNights and mornings were chilly, but it warmed up nicely in the afternoon.
We've had a lovely all-day steady rain here in Claremont today.
Lois- Thanks for your BD wishes. Like others, I'm making a week of it!
Nice! Thank you, Kurt and Melissa.
ReplyDeleteFunny thing about Latin pronunciation is that no-one has ever heard the language spoken, so everyone's guessing. The Romans had a K in their alphabet, so why not use it? :)
RAINMAKER gave me fits due to me reading the clue wrong and jumping to a (stretch) of a conclusion before I got the theme - I read "One seeing clouds" (no D) and added MOONR to my AKER, on some bizarre supposition of moonrakers seeing clouds in ponds.
Happy Birthday Hondo!
@Tinbeni
ReplyDeleteI was cheering on the Kerry Blue Terrier. That was the dog of my childhood. My parents had three.
Their personality can best be described as "merry Irish tricksters." They were cheerful, energetic and devoted pets. I'm still a terrier fanatic to this day.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteI'm not aware of any Latin words with a K in them. My dictionary says the letter K originally existed, but was replaced by C, and afterwards was only used in abbreviations for Kalendae and Karthage.
My bet is that any K's were derived from words borrowed from Greek. C was always hard and they didn't need K. For that matter they used a V for U too--just look at inscriptions on ancient monuments in Italy.
The question of pronunciation is a valid one, since normal Latin has not been used for so long. But some vestiges remained in the church for a long time, so maybe ancient rules were learned and passed down for pronunciation too.
Latin has been used in the Catholic church since its beginning in Rome and even today many of its publications are in Latin. So I believe Kazie's theory is correct that the church has maintained a link to its pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteI have been told by some priests who studied in Rome that Latin is sometimes used for communication because all priests study it.