Theme: The Accent is on fun! Each of the four designated theme answers must be pronounced as if by a Southerner with a pronounced drawl. When I moved to Gainesville in 1971, I sometimes had difficulty buying gas (25 cents a gallon) because the speech seemed so foreign. What a pleasant way to return home to a Heart warming puzzle, where Marti never drawls the line on fun.
20A. *Hail: DANTE'S INFERNO. What the hell is she thinking?!? Oh, I get it. The cold place.
28A. *Tar : GROW WEARY I will never tire of good humor.
39A. *Tin: SAWBUCK. Ten dollars; a twenty is a double sawbuck from the days when fins were not on cars.
48A. *Poe: FLAT BROKE. In the south people are not just poor, they are dirt poor. Also home of the Po'Boy sammich.
and the reveal:
58A. What you need to get the starred clues to fit their answers: SOUTHERN DRAWL.
Across:
1. Storage spot: SHED. Okay no tear here.
5. 10-Down's request: Abbr.: IDENT. I guess she means Identity, but when they are throwing you out, as in 10D. Imposer of a drunk's comeuppance: BOUNCER, I do not think they care about ID.
10. State along the Sea of Cortez: BAJA. MAP.
14. Overhead projector?: EAVE. Very popular in New England homes; not to be confused with 17A. Some Monopoly props.: AVES. Interesting visual.
15. Control __: TOWER. How many thought of this LINK. (3:48)
16. Sensory stimulant: ODOR. Well a one in five guess.
18. Long look: STARE. Another of the senses, and one which requires
19. Iris locale: UVEA. An eye reference for me; the middle of the eye.
23. Club with very little loft: ONE IRON. There is an old joke about Jesus playing golf...
24. William of __, known for his "razor" maxim: OCCAM. If you did not know it before, you could watch Big Bang Theory or listen to THIS. Less is more, more or less (8:43).
27. Bouquet __: GARNI. This FRENCH is the same in English.
32. "You rang?": YES.
34. Dos Passos trilogy: USA. Can you name all three? I cannot. Hint, I think 42nd Parallel is first.
35. Some map nos : RTES. Not aves.
36. [not my mistake]: SIC. From the Latin meaning "thus" to show you are just repeating what was written by another. Notice the use of brackets.
42. Lunch, say: EAT. No, it is too late, but thanks.
43. Norsk Folkemuseum setting: OSLO. A clue partially in Norwegian for our Scandinavian brothers.
45. Sashimi choice: AHI. Tuna anyone?
46. Shelf-filling ref. work: OED. Oxford English Dictionary. The biggest and the best, it helped me learn puzzling.
51. "The best is __ be": Browning: YET TO. come, grow old with me...Hey CA hope all is well. Creature you hanging in? Buckeye, Mainiac?
55. Fractious: TESTY.
56. Had a slice of humble pie: ATE CROW. A bonus southern expression. While I am sure crow must taste bad, the British English equivalent eating humble pie, comes from the word umbles which were the innards of the deer: the liver, heart, entrails and other second-class bits. Steve? Nice Cuppa?
62. Shell occupant: CLAM. Also used to mean a dollar.
64. Handled: SAW TO/ In the sense of taking care of a situation.
65. Pilate's "Behold!": ECCE. Straight Latin.
66. Typesetting unit: PICA. Back in the day, it was this or ELITE.
67. Paper fan feature: PLEAT. Also in Jay Gatsby's trousers.
68. Unité politique: ETAT. French for STATE, ETATS UNIS.
69. Envelope abbr.: ATTN. Attention!
70. Sturdy fabric: SERGE. Not sarge, but this MATERIAL used in military uniforms.
71. Est. and Lat., once: SSRS. Where are U?
Down:
1. Seasoned salt?: SEA DOG. Veteran sailor.
20A. *Hail: DANTE'S INFERNO. What the hell is she thinking?!? Oh, I get it. The cold place.
28A. *Tar : GROW WEARY I will never tire of good humor.
39A. *Tin: SAWBUCK. Ten dollars; a twenty is a double sawbuck from the days when fins were not on cars.
48A. *Poe: FLAT BROKE. In the south people are not just poor, they are dirt poor. Also home of the Po'Boy sammich.
and the reveal:
58A. What you need to get the starred clues to fit their answers: SOUTHERN DRAWL.
Across:
1. Storage spot: SHED. Okay no tear here.
5. 10-Down's request: Abbr.: IDENT. I guess she means Identity, but when they are throwing you out, as in 10D. Imposer of a drunk's comeuppance: BOUNCER, I do not think they care about ID.
10. State along the Sea of Cortez: BAJA. MAP.
14. Overhead projector?: EAVE. Very popular in New England homes; not to be confused with 17A. Some Monopoly props.: AVES. Interesting visual.
15. Control __: TOWER. How many thought of this LINK. (3:48)
16. Sensory stimulant: ODOR. Well a one in five guess.
18. Long look: STARE. Another of the senses, and one which requires
19. Iris locale: UVEA. An eye reference for me; the middle of the eye.
23. Club with very little loft: ONE IRON. There is an old joke about Jesus playing golf...
24. William of __, known for his "razor" maxim: OCCAM. If you did not know it before, you could watch Big Bang Theory or listen to THIS. Less is more, more or less (8:43).
27. Bouquet __: GARNI. This FRENCH is the same in English.
32. "You rang?": YES.
34. Dos Passos trilogy: USA. Can you name all three? I cannot. Hint, I think 42nd Parallel is first.
35. Some map nos : RTES. Not aves.
36. [not my mistake]: SIC. From the Latin meaning "thus" to show you are just repeating what was written by another. Notice the use of brackets.
42. Lunch, say: EAT. No, it is too late, but thanks.
43. Norsk Folkemuseum setting: OSLO. A clue partially in Norwegian for our Scandinavian brothers.
45. Sashimi choice: AHI. Tuna anyone?
46. Shelf-filling ref. work: OED. Oxford English Dictionary. The biggest and the best, it helped me learn puzzling.
51. "The best is __ be": Browning: YET TO. come, grow old with me...Hey CA hope all is well. Creature you hanging in? Buckeye, Mainiac?
55. Fractious: TESTY.
56. Had a slice of humble pie: ATE CROW. A bonus southern expression. While I am sure crow must taste bad, the British English equivalent eating humble pie, comes from the word umbles which were the innards of the deer: the liver, heart, entrails and other second-class bits. Steve? Nice Cuppa?
62. Shell occupant: CLAM. Also used to mean a dollar.
64. Handled: SAW TO/ In the sense of taking care of a situation.
65. Pilate's "Behold!": ECCE. Straight Latin.
66. Typesetting unit: PICA. Back in the day, it was this or ELITE.
67. Paper fan feature: PLEAT. Also in Jay Gatsby's trousers.
68. Unité politique: ETAT. French for STATE, ETATS UNIS.
69. Envelope abbr.: ATTN. Attention!
70. Sturdy fabric: SERGE. Not sarge, but this MATERIAL used in military uniforms.
71. Est. and Lat., once: SSRS. Where are U?
Down:
1. Seasoned salt?: SEA DOG. Veteran sailor.
2. Plaza de la Revolución locale: HAVANA.
3. Hit that sends the game to extra innings, e.g.: EVENER. A baseball clue from a skier.
4. Predetermined outcome: DESTINY. Kismet, fate and many exotic dancers.
5. "__ Easy": Buddy Holly classic: IT'S SO. A great song, but my computer crashed and will not let me link.
6. Like many aunts: DOTING. And gruncles.
7. Actor McGregor: EWAN. A fine Scottish actor in many MOVIES, but is no relation to the crossword staple 61D. Decorative jug: EWER.
8. Dorm hoops ball: NERF. Sponge Bob Square Pants illegitimate father.
9. Lineage display: TREE. He has quite the family tree.
11. Champion: ADVOCATE. Also a name for lawyers.
12. Break fluid?: JOE. Wonderful coffee pun.
13. First name in Fighting Irish history : ARA. Parseghian, the very successful Notre Dame football coach.
21. Northeastern natives: ERIES. The Native Americans, not the lakes.
22. Theater ticket word: ROW.
25. Quarter: AREA. Like the French Quarter.
26. Computer game set on an island: MYST. Kids played it, but not me, I was all Luigi and Mario.
29. Inventive cubist?: RUBIK.
30. Pac-12's Beavers: OSU. Oregon State University. Speaking of beavers, where is Dennis?
31. Seat of Texas's McLennan County: WACO.
33. Coal-rich region: SAAR. oft fought over REGION.
36. Woefully out of shape: SOFT. Not me.
37. Ferry destination: ISLE. Fire Island perhaps for you mean punsters.
38. Someone to admire: CLASS ACT. So where is Dennis?
40. Question of identity: WHO. The Doctor? (1:00)
41. Worked (up): KEYED.
44. Empire partitioned by the Treaty of Lausanne: OTTOMAN. This LINK.
47. Official proclamations: DECREES.
49. Mitt Romney's alma mater: Abbr.: BYU. Brigham Young University. The Mormon college name for its founder, who is reputed to have said, "Whatever you do, just bring'em young."
50. Livestock marker: EAR TAG Nice visual.
52. Developers' acquisitions: TRACTS.
53. RV follower: TOW CAR. Fooled me, but it is Friday.
54. Nocturnal newborns: OWLETS.
57. CD alternative: T-NOTE. Treasury Note, in between a Bill and a Bond.
59. Baker's qtys.: TSPS. Teaspoons.
60. Healthy: HALE.and Hearty, a self-plug for our constructor. Nice.
62. Returns pro: CPA. Income Tax Returns, which used to be due on March 15.
63. Aflame: LIT. We finish with an A word, it must time for a drink.
Answer grid.
Wow, another night/morning of computer issues, but Marti kept me in a good mood. Here are her thoughts and see you next time. lemonade.
"Anyone who knows that my dear husband is from The South and I am from New England, will understand the teasing humor in this one. We each find the other's accent endearing, and wouldn't change a thing. The theme was actually inspired by a comment that Bill G. made on Feb. 18th:
"My wife was always amused when one of her students would ask to borrow a pin. They wanted something to write with but pronounced pen as pin..."
3. Hit that sends the game to extra innings, e.g.: EVENER. A baseball clue from a skier.
4. Predetermined outcome: DESTINY. Kismet, fate and many exotic dancers.
5. "__ Easy": Buddy Holly classic: IT'S SO. A great song, but my computer crashed and will not let me link.
6. Like many aunts: DOTING. And gruncles.
7. Actor McGregor: EWAN. A fine Scottish actor in many MOVIES, but is no relation to the crossword staple 61D. Decorative jug: EWER.
8. Dorm hoops ball: NERF. Sponge Bob Square Pants illegitimate father.
9. Lineage display: TREE. He has quite the family tree.
11. Champion: ADVOCATE. Also a name for lawyers.
12. Break fluid?: JOE. Wonderful coffee pun.
13. First name in Fighting Irish history : ARA. Parseghian, the very successful Notre Dame football coach.
21. Northeastern natives: ERIES. The Native Americans, not the lakes.
22. Theater ticket word: ROW.
25. Quarter: AREA. Like the French Quarter.
26. Computer game set on an island: MYST. Kids played it, but not me, I was all Luigi and Mario.
29. Inventive cubist?: RUBIK.
30. Pac-12's Beavers: OSU. Oregon State University. Speaking of beavers, where is Dennis?
31. Seat of Texas's McLennan County: WACO.
33. Coal-rich region: SAAR. oft fought over REGION.
36. Woefully out of shape: SOFT. Not me.
37. Ferry destination: ISLE. Fire Island perhaps for you mean punsters.
38. Someone to admire: CLASS ACT. So where is Dennis?
40. Question of identity: WHO. The Doctor? (1:00)
41. Worked (up): KEYED.
44. Empire partitioned by the Treaty of Lausanne: OTTOMAN. This LINK.
47. Official proclamations: DECREES.
49. Mitt Romney's alma mater: Abbr.: BYU. Brigham Young University. The Mormon college name for its founder, who is reputed to have said, "Whatever you do, just bring'em young."
50. Livestock marker: EAR TAG Nice visual.
52. Developers' acquisitions: TRACTS.
53. RV follower: TOW CAR. Fooled me, but it is Friday.
54. Nocturnal newborns: OWLETS.
57. CD alternative: T-NOTE. Treasury Note, in between a Bill and a Bond.
59. Baker's qtys.: TSPS. Teaspoons.
60. Healthy: HALE.and Hearty, a self-plug for our constructor. Nice.
62. Returns pro: CPA. Income Tax Returns, which used to be due on March 15.
63. Aflame: LIT. We finish with an A word, it must time for a drink.
Answer grid.
Wow, another night/morning of computer issues, but Marti kept me in a good mood. Here are her thoughts and see you next time. lemonade.
"Anyone who knows that my dear husband is from The South and I am from New England, will understand the teasing humor in this one. We each find the other's accent endearing, and wouldn't change a thing. The theme was actually inspired by a comment that Bill G. made on Feb. 18th:
"My wife was always amused when one of her students would ask to borrow a pin. They wanted something to write with but pronounced pen as pin..."
The "ten" - "tin" pronunciation is in the same category. So, be careful what you say on this blog - it might just end up as a puzzle theme by some brain-warped constructor!"
Hugs,
Marti
Note from C.C.:
Tomorrow marks the two-year blogging anniversary for Lemonade. But we're celebrating today as some of you do not visit the blog on Saturdays. Lemonade has been through some tough time, but he's always enthusiastic and putting all he has into his every blogging post. Thanks, Lemonade!
Here are some wonderful photos from his business/pleasure trip last week to Denver and Las Vegas with his son Devon. He mentioned on the blog that "I did not do much gambling, though I did win $175.00 on a penny machine."
Note from C.C.:
Tomorrow marks the two-year blogging anniversary for Lemonade. But we're celebrating today as some of you do not visit the blog on Saturdays. Lemonade has been through some tough time, but he's always enthusiastic and putting all he has into his every blogging post. Thanks, Lemonade!
Here are some wonderful photos from his business/pleasure trip last week to Denver and Las Vegas with his son Devon. He mentioned on the blog that "I did not do much gambling, though I did win $175.00 on a penny machine."
88 comments:
Greetings!
Great, humorous puzzle, Marti, as usual. Fine write-up, Lemonade.
The theme took awhile to suss out. Also, read Pirates instead of Pilates at first. Never mind what I thought JOE should be!
Time for beddy bye!
Wondered if it would be "Habana" for a while. I ran a half-marathon there in November.
Morning, all!
Definitely a toughie today for me, but on the whole very enjoyable. I definitely needed the theme reveal to figure out what was going on, and even then it took awhile to figure out the individual theme answers (I'm not really up on my southern accent, I guess).
Lots of fiendishly clever clues today -- overhead projector, break fluid, etc. Also, had no idea whatsoever about GARNI, so that was the very last thing to fall.
Elsewhere, had OFFICER instead of BOUNCER and CRAB instead of CLAM, both of which held me up for awhile. I also wanted FREAK instead of TOWER for 15A, but figured that probably wasn't right (no comments from the peanut gallery, please).
Good day folks,
Marti, what a enjoyable puzzle for the end of the week.
After my initial pass I was sure i had a DNF in process, but starting in the South, fills began to happen until I was left with the NE. Being a baseball know-it-all, 3D was driving me nuts. I wanted CLUTCH but it couldn't/wouldn't work. Can't argue with EVENER, but I've never heard it used in baseball lingo.
The M in 24A & 26D was my only wag. Neither fill was in my wheelhouse.
Returns pro, considering the time of year, was spot on.
Lemonade, happy "anniversary". Your blogs are always amusing and informative. Marti, enjoy Florida and keep your "kool" on the links.
Good morning, all.
Marti, great puzzle. Got your theme at GROW WEARY and was able to SUSS the rest of the theme answers almost immediately. Lemon, happy anniversary. Enjoyed your [SIC] humor. Barry, interesting that you had CRAB for CLAM. A couple of days ago several of us had CLAM for CRAB.
Garry Moore (remember him?) used to have a segment about fractured language on his show. JEET? = Did you eat? You get the picture...
The AWAD Thought for the Day seems particularly appropriate for this group: It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us. -Epicurus, philosopher (c. 341-270 BCE)
Happy Anniversary, Lemonade, and thanks for all your Friday insights and wit !!
I have no idea why I thought bill G.'s Feb. comment was the "inspiration" for this theme. I had actually submitted it and it was accepted way before then. But I guess the comments that day just triggered my chuckle button, and confirmed that this theme might be appreciated here on the Corner!!
Puzzle had great difficulty for a friday. I am not a big fan of the theme as it seems to be making fun of an entire section of our nation. I would hope I would be consistant if a crossword made fun of the newengland accent.
the evener is not a baseball term however it is a used in sports where overtime is a possibility.
Otherwise great puzzle marti keep up the good work and excellent write up lemonade. Happy friday all
Well, Gawlee, Marti Shuggabuns, Ah dint know y'all cottoned to that suthin lingo. Ah do declah, Y'all's jist full of su-prizes.
Really, really fun! I was poking around trying to figure out what the hail was going on when FLAT BROKE started emerging. I looked back at the clue, roared out loud, and went back to fill the empty spots in the now obvious theme.
I still had to use perps to suss out some of the other fill, but there wasn't anything that hasn't been seen recently. No nits to pick. Thanks for a great Friday puzzle and thanks for your write up, Lemonade.
Happy Anniversary Lemon. Thanks for your efforts, today and throughout. Enjoyed the Bowie link...that's a new version to me.
Tough but doable puzzle, Marti. I typically try to avoid the reveal (when there is one) until the end. Today I needed it. First fills were Garni, Is Yet and Occam. IOW, I had to really bounce around to find a toe hold and ended up solving from the bottom up. And thanks for the shout out to Tin and myself.
Oh, and Midtown Bomber, Marti has had clues that made light of the NE accent. Don't recall an entire theme, but clearly some dialect influenced clues. I don't see anything pejorative about this.
being from Louisiana, you have to Eat Crow when you borrow a Sawbuck and you 'cain't' pay it back because you are Flat Broke. When your soon to be ex-friend 'tars' of asking for his money, he tells you to go to 'hail'.
For at least 40 years, I thought "[sic]" meant "as in aggressive dog behavior", which never made sense from the context: thus do we labor in ignorance unless corrected. Thank you Mr. Lemonade for straightening me out about this.
Bomber : I am with you. I am not a fan of making fun of dialects, either. Some of the clues were fun, though.
Marti, cute theme and great puns.
I had a difficult start, so I went south. Getting SOUTHERN DRAWL made it easy. I have a friend from GA who talks like this. I am sure she wouldn't be offended by the puzzle.
Lemonade, thanks for your patience with your balky computer. In spite of it all, your blog is wonderful, as usual. Happy anniversary.
I miss CA. Dare I post Robert Browning's poem?
RABBI BEN EZRA
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, ``A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!''
Great idea Marti, well-delivered. This puzzle ranks very ha on ma list of clever gimmicks.
Congratulations Lemonade! And you're lookin' good besides.
Lemonade, Annette and I will be connecting for the first time in person this Wednesday in Hollywood, Florida. We're going out to dinner and anyone reading this is welcome to join us. Email me at JohnLampkin@JohnLampkin.com
.. thank you for the anniversary wishes; time really flies when you are having fun. What better way to celebrate than a Hearti special followed by meeting and eating with JL next week.
Mornin' y'all,
Great puzzle - easy as pie!
Thanks for a great 2 years, Lemonade!
Fabulous Marti! I filled in DANTES INFERNO and had no idea but TAR (tire) gave me the theme and when I reread the Dante fill, I laughed out loud!! All that and learning too while drinking my break fluid. Wow, I’m not worthy!
Musings
-We can’t have certain flowers because bunnies under my neighbor’s SHED think they are a salad
-My best friend from ELHI (yuk!) lives in a villa on the Sea of Cortez
-A THREE IRON is as low as most iron sets go
-The Encyclopedia Britannica will no longer print after 244 years and will be strictly online. Can the OED be far behind? Think of all the trees that will be saved.
-Our H.S. typewriters were mostly PICA
-Seasoned salt around here is LAWRYS
-Anyone know what Buddy Holly song was inspired by a John Wayne line?
-A QUARTER around here is 160 acres
-How can you drive a humongus motor home and tow a 4,000 lb. car with $5 gas?
-Love your pix and blogging, Lemon!
Congrats and many thanks to you Lemonade. Your work is much appreciated - and I like Devin's piano!
Some great comments today. I loved the one about Dancer Destiny, and Spongebob's illegitimate father.
As for the QWP, I got the unifier early on, but got hung up in the NE. I had POP for break fluid instead of JOE. 57D CD Alternatives: TNOTE threw me off. I was thinking that I used cassettes and CDs, but kids these days are using downloads on thier IPODS so the reference must have had something to do with music. EEENT! Wrong Answer! :)
Best wishes for a great Friday and nice weekend. For my fellow workers - here's to a quick one!
Day 2 of trying to ween myself from those red letters, So i am typing this with my eyes closed as i don't want to spoil my enjoyment of MArti's puzzle, which i expect i will be able to rave about approximately some time on Sunday...
Kazie@3/15@10:58
Did you forget i was born in Australia? Oh well, thanks for pointing out Swagman is not a New Zealand term. We were just referencing 56D "swag" & some of its possible origins.
Forgive me for using your Blog as a test site, but i wanted to see if it were possible to link pics from storage sites. Here is a pic of Me & PK from my Shutterfly collection.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Marti, for a very good Friday puzzle. It was tough to get started, but then worked out. thank you, Mr. Lemonade, for a swell review. Congratulations on your two-year anniversary. Great photos of you and your son. I envy you two at the brew pubs. Enjoy them myself (occasionally).
Could not get started in the North, East or West. Headed South. Started there and then headed North. The SW came first. That corner was easy: CPA, LIT, OTTOMAN, ATTMN, PICA, CLAM. The rest of the South was just as easy.
SOUTHERN DRAWL appeared, then the theme answers became obvious. They were all quite easy.
Had a problem in the NE. Had POP for 12D. Finally got BOUNCER and ADVOCATE. Those gave me BAJA and then JOE appeared. UVEA became obvious.
Did not know 24A, William of OCCAM. Also did not know 26D MYST. I guessed at those and guessed wrong. You can't Wag them all.
All in all, fun Friday.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Irish Miss on March 15, 2012 @ 6:11 PM and Kazie @ 6:52 pm: I'm ADDICTED to Person of Interest! We must be long lost sisters or something ;)
Lookout, everybody! Mari's offering quickies.
Marti, forgot to thank you for the shoutout at 44D.
CED, how'd you teach PK to type so well? :)
I also like Person of Interest, but I'm not addicted. I definitely don't like GCD, D&C, GED or whatever the heck it's called.
I had a similar experience to Abejo’s. I had trouble getting started so I headed south. SOUTHERN DRAWL made the rest easy. Marti, what a clever puzzle with great puns! My friend who grew up in GA has a cute SOUTHERN DRAWL. I am sure she would not be offended.
I drink a lot of break fluid, but it is vino that gets me oiled.
Lemonade,in spite of the balky computer,you wrote your usual witty, informative blog. Happy Anniversary. I enjoy your daily contributions.
A BOUNCER checks your ID at the door before admitting you. I think 5A’s connection with 10D is only the BOUNCER, not the drunk’s comeuppance.
I miss CA. Dare I offer Robert Browning’s poem?
RABBI BEN EZRA
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, ``A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!''
Hi There ~!
I spent two years in Jacksonville FL, and heard my share of "drawl" - especially the Winn-Dixie store manager I worked for....the one thing I found most strange is that ALL soda/cola is referred to as "Coke"
"What kind of Coke do you want?"
"Diet Pepsi."
Congrats to two years, Lemon~!
Splynter
Good morning folks.
Marti, I loved this puzzle! It had me chuckling all during the solve. I think some of you puzzlers take some of the themes way to seriously! Just enjoy the constructors creativity for pete's sake.
I liked ONEIRON - I had to stare at it even after I had all the letters in place. DUH! And I have finally gotten William of Occam in my memory bank.
Thanks Lemonade for all the time and effort you put into entertaining us.
Happy Friday to One and All.
Husker: "That'ill Be The Day" when I come up with an answer.
It was my DESTINY to have too many write-overs.
Denim/SERGE, Ruhr/SAAR, Brands/EAR-TAG, Eel/AHI, and my favorite, T-Bill/T-NOTE.
IT'S SO easy to get in trouble when I don't check the crossing clues first.
So, it was a "Cup-of-JOE" slog.
FUN Friday. Thanks Marti.
Cheers to all at Sunset.
Husker, That'll Be The Day would also have been my first pick, although Well...All Right and Rave On were also in contention. Holly died too young. But had he lived, I doubt that his popularity would have survived the British Invasion of the mid '60's. That brought an end to the Rock-a-billy era.
Another breezy Friday puzzle didn't really try to figure out the theme until I was already halfway done. All the fill other then GARNI was all pretty standard and no real difficulties. Is it me or are Friday LAT puzzles getting easier?
Good morning all:
Congrats, Marti, on a very clever and funny puzzle. Loved the clues: break fluid, seasoned salt, and the theme clues. It was Friday-level tough but finished w/o help and no write-overs. Happy anniversary, Lemon, and thanks for your always amusing expos.
Mari @9:05-We do seem to be on the same page re our favorite TV shows. All of mine are: The Good Wife, Unforgettable, The Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest, Blue Bloods, and Harry's Law. (Prime Suspect was good but it's no longer on.) I also like Criminal Minds but sometimes find it too violent or gory. I have just recently started watching A Gifted Man which I like also, and,of course, the ongoing The Killing.
Happy Friday everyone.
Happy O'Green Day today, for those that might not be around tomorrow for St. Pat's Day or just want another reason to drink green beer.
Mari: You may be right about us being long, lost sisters. Go to my profile and read my last question; it's almost identical to yours.
Happy Friday!
Hello.
Used a two iron on all of the short courses in AZ.
A point behind and two games in hand. Looking better.
eddy
Lemonade,
Just saying congrats to Lemonade, and to Marti for an inspired CW.
Unfortunately, I was totally lost on all the accent clues. Never having been around southerners at all, even after getting the unifier, I couldn't come up with the other theme answers. So although my bottom half was OK, the top and middle suffered from a lot of blanks.
Only now this minute have I realized what AVES are--I was thinking of the tokens as props (like theater props, not properties. Abbreviations are another weakness of mine, along with computer games, slang and a few other things as well.
I probably shouldn't try Saturday's this week! Have a great weekend!
I really liked the theme. I usually fine Friday puzzles impossible but was able to this with very little google help. This is the first time I have commented on this blog. I enjoy reading everyday and learn so much.
Thanks to all who post
OSU ending into BUCK gave me a smile. GO BUCKS!
There is a commentator for NASCAR races that says "tin" all the time. "Junior will have to pit in the next tin laps and get some fresh tars."
Hey Y'all -
Marti - quite a work out today. Not a slog, though - too much fun for that. I was looking for the drawl to be in the answers, not the fill - D'OH!
Had the most problems in the SW, but eventually got it all.
Break fluid was my fav.
Can never remember the last vowel in OCCUM. A CLAM is a HAPPY shell occupant.
Lemon - sparkling write up, amigo. Great pix, too.
UMBLES was a learning moment.
Playing a concert tonight. Amanda is dancing in a school show tomorrow and Rebekka is in Music Man for the 2nd weekend.
We did Music Man my Sr. year in HS. Seeing it for the first time since, there's a lot you miss from the orchestra pit.
Cool regards!
JzB
Living half-time in a mostly southern state, "tar" is also that tall thing that carries your cell phone signal, what can go flat on your auto and what older folks do easily. "Tushes" are those things elephant hunters prize (tusks), "Muh gum reh" is in Alabama, ""De Moinz" is in I-Oh-way" and "Chickcargo" is in "Illi-noise."
The cleverness of our home-blog constructors and bloggers never ceases to amaze me. Thumbs up, Marti! Happy aniversary, Lemonade714! I`m assuming that there are, at least, 713 other "Lemonade`s" out there...but none as witty and clever as ours.
Some linguists think the very broadest southern drawl came from the pre-civil-war`s close contact with the British...but I de-clayuh, I can`t "see" (hear) that.
Hello Puzzlers -
Marti's theme today sure fit perfectly for me! You see, my mom was from arid West Texas, while my dad grew up north of Boston, on the "Nawth Shaw". Thus I had a built-in accent comparison with which to grow up. I'm quite sure that neither would have been annoyed at gentle ribbing over his/her accent.
For my part, I was brought up in a good school system with no regional accent. I prefer it that way.
Hand up for reading Pirates instead of Pilates, and OFFICER for BOUNCER. Tried ESPANA for a while, seemed to make sense even though I don't know much about revolutions in Spain.
Was really on Marti's wavelength today as I zipped thru this CW in probably Friday record time. Got the first 3 theme answers from crosses then went back and looked at the clues again. let out a groan and filled in the rest of the reveal and wenTBROKE. Curses... that, CrAb and RTES/avES were my only writeovers.
First read about OCCAM's razor in a SciFi novel when I was a kid. I think the novel was titled Occam's Ride. It would occasionally pop up over the years, but I never had the opportunity to pursue it. Almost 50 years later I chanced upon another reference and the internet was then available to finally answer that enigma from long ago.
The OTTOMAN empire and the Treaty of Lausanne are my learning moment of the day. @David, I agree only in that the late week LAT XWs are usually easier than the NYT, IMO, and not to be confused.
Good afternoon everyone.
Great write up, Lemonade, to a very clever puzzle, HeartRx. I DNF because I am not familiar with the SOUTHERN DRAWL. Even though I live in Florida, so many of us are transplants we don't hear the drawl that those in parts north of here apparently do. But what I did get was fun. Thanks.
I totally missed BAJA because I didn't realize it would be called a state.
And thanks, Lemonade, for your daily comments and your wonderful Friday write ups.
I shall be wearing orange this weekend because all Irish aren't Catholic. And my b'day is July 12, which is Orangeman's Day. Someday I shall paint an orange stripe down our main street on July 12.
Cheers
Good afternoon to all and happy Friday. Happy anniversary Lemon and a fun puzzle Marti Hats off to both of you. Loved the clues for joe and eaves. Theme was clever had to think harder than I should being a floridian and all,but where I have lived more New York transplants reside so not so much drawling goin on. Have a great weekend to all. RJW.
I loved this puzzle, Marti--many thanks. Didn't get the theme until SAWBUCK fell into place. I knew that was a 'ten' and not a 'tin' so that turned the light bulb on. Now GROW WEARY made sense for 'tar,' and so on. Delightful. On my first day of teaching in Tulsa many years ago, a student came up and said "I just love your British accent!" Turned out it was a Pennsylvania accent she was hearing., but I was so charmed I just thanked her.
Lemonade, a sparkly write-up that made me chuckle, as always. And Yellowrocks 9:33--many thanks for the poem. I always love getting the whole poem on this blog! And Klilly 10:04, great to have you join us!
Hope you're all going to have a great Irish Spring this weekend. We're having showers here in California, unfortunately.
Retrieved from the spam filter.
Marti, cute theme and great puns.
I had a difficult start, so I went south. Getting SOUTHERN DRAWL made it easy. I have a friend from GA who talks like this. I am sure she wouldn't be offended by the puzzle.
Lemonade, thanks for your patience with your balky computer. In spite of it all, your blog is wonderful, as usual. Happy anniversary.
I miss CA. Dare I post Robert Browning's poem?
RABBI BEN EZRA
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, ``A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!''
Posted by Anonymous to L.A.Times Crossword Corner at March 16, 2012 8:35 AM
Fun crossword Marti, and great write-up, Lemonade. Happy Anniversary!
Loved the theme!
Sorry, but two quibbles - IDENT (ugh) and BAJA. The name of the state is Baja California so it needs to be clued differently. It's like saying "South" or "North" are states, conveniently leaving off the "Dakota" or "Carolina" part. (Baja actually means "Lower" in this context).
Happy Friday all!
Argyle@ 12:19. Thanks. This morning I tried Fire Fox again. It corrects my spelling but causes other problems, just as it did a few months ago. It wouldn’t let me sign in and only let me be ANONYMOUS. It wouldn’t let me edit my preview and deleted my post. I typed my post again and published without editing. The post didn’t appear on the blog. Now I see it must have gone to SPAM.
So I typed it in WORD and copied to the blog. As you can see by the 2 posts, I spent an hour on them.
My first pass resulted in two words- SIC & ISLE. Once in the South (of the puzzle, not the country), I managed to get traction. From then on, it was smooth and seamless up to the NW, where GARNI was filled in by perps. I knew MYST, but had no idea about OCCAM. Overall, nice, fun puzzle. Y'all have a good day, heah?
Wail, hail far this was a goodun. Plumb tarred me out. Gave muh poe brain a workout. Fun puzzle! Some wonderful clues!
Wanted Control FREAK at first, but since EWAN was a gimme I knew it was wrong. Filled in the C at 62A and waited for the perps to tell me whether is was going to be CRAB or CLAM. Also waited to see if it was going to be TBOND or TNOTE.
OCCAM was a gimme, too. In college I wrote a paper on his "razor" concept.
Thanks Marti for a clever, humorous, witty, and fun puzzle. Thanks Lemonade for your informative writeup, and thanks for sharing the photographs.
Well, Hi, y'all. Lemonade, you make Fridays joyful, thank you.
Marti, I love your puzzle! One of my sisters lives in Charlotte and when I visit I have to "retune" my ear. They, southerners, laugh at themselves whenever I mention the drawl.
One of my nephews challenged me to a southern Scrabble game once where the answers would be spelled as they sounded. He did great, I didn't.
The east, central and south filled easily and I sashayed right through it. But Mexico also has a plaza de la revolucion and I refused to give it up. Finally was forced to change and it fell like dominoes except EVENER which I had to look up. Woe is me! Sports kill me!
Also I had fLUE for overhead projector and thought how clever is Marti! But so is EAVE.
Great fun today, thank you.
Happy Friday, everyone!
What Steve said about BAJA. I had intended to explain that but he did it well.
One year a college student in the Jeopardy! tournament lost because she wrote only BAJA instead of the entire name, BAJA California.
Growing up in Tennessee prepared me well for this fun puzzle. There are really multiple southern drawls. I can still detect differences between, say, a Tennessean, a Mississippian, and a South Carolinian.
I lost my drawl when I was living in Southern (!) California but still slip easily and unconsciously back into it when I visit TN.
To add to Steve @ 12:26, BAJA (10A) refers to the peninsula below SoCal, but it consists of two states, BAJA California del Norte whose capital is Tijuana, and BAJA California del Sur, whose capital is La Paz.
I'd second what Anoa Bob said. There's huge differences between regional dialects. Tennessee is dramatically different from Mississippi. And Texas doesn't really even count as southernese in my book. The beauty of southernese is the elision of sounds and syllables, making it as economical as possible. Texans not only don't elide, they add syllables (sometimes even multiply). It has a similar southern tone, but the words are entirely different.
I'd also second that it's easy to fall back into the habit. I wasn't born to it, but became fluent while living in Tampa in the 70's for a few months. To this day, if I'm talking to someone with a southern accent, I'm talking their language within minutes. Reminds me of a joke about a bartender and a......, but this is not the place for that one. :-)
Sallie,
My Dad's birthday was Orangeman's Day too, so I've always known about it, though was not into the Irish thing enough to worry about what color to wear on March 17th.
Hi All ~~
I really, really enjoyed this puzzle, Marti! It was fun to figure out the theme before discovering the unifier ... TAR and HAIL were my first two. Everything seemed to fall into place with no problems, although the NW corner where I usually start was the last to fill and IDENT wasn't my first thought. Knowing OCCAM from this blog helped to keep me from trouble in that area. I, too, had Control 'Freak' before TOWER.
My favorites were 'Break fluid' - JOE, 'Inventive cubist' - RUBIK and 'Question of identity' - WHO.
A great write-up, Lemonade! I learned a lot and enjoyed your comments and links. I discovered that I knew what a 'Bouquet GARNI' is but didn't know what it's called. Thanks for all your work at the Corner over these past two years. Nice photos of you and your son!
Back to March Madness ~~
Irish Miss @ 10:47 am: It's too funny that we have almost the same "last line"!
I enjoy Criminal Minds because of the psychology. Also, I've never met a Law & Order I could refuse.
Your profile mentions siblings, neices and nephews but no kids. If that's the case, we have another similarity. Must be DESTINY.
I'm new to crosswords and enjoy this site to help me become more proficient. Loved today's theme and it reminded me of working in Wash., DC, when my southern-raised office mate came in and said there were a lot of "blonde" people in the building and wondered if they were having a convention. Convention of blonde people? I went into the hallway and saw the white sticks -- BLIND people!
Mari @ 1:31-If you wish, feel free to email me. Thanks.
Avg.Joe:
I'm perplexed trying to figure out where in Tampa I can find people with a SOUTHERN DRAWL.
Never even heard a "Y'all" until I worked in Birmingham, Alabama back in '75.
When I returned to Tampa Bay, and then used it, my buddies gave me a look like "OK, if you say so ..."
Glad to learn we're part of "the Peanut Gallery" ...
Cheers!
Happy Friday! It's cool and cloudy outdoors and, if the weathermen are to be believed, some significant rain is on the way tomorrow. I am looking forward to it.
Several times while working on this puzzle I noticed the clever cluing. Well done. I enjoyed the theme too. Thanks for the shout out, Marti. It's fun to discover my off-topic contributions are noticed and enjoyed. There's a big difference between good-natured gentle teasing and mean-spirited making fun. This puzzle's theme certainly was the first one and not the second one.
Hi all,
Interesting puzzle!
We are in Ga., our son now has a house and he and DH are working on some of the fix-it items today and most of next week. It was a good price but the people who lost it to banqueruptcy took out all appliances stove,fridge,furnace,air conditioner and water heater etc.
Wonderful weather here and in Wi. too,I guess.
Have a good day all!
Marge
Hi Y'all,
I got nowhere with this puzzle, despite having lived in Tayuxsas (Texas) long enough to speak fluent Suthren and have "y'all" forever imbedded in my vocabulary. Thanks for solving it for me, Lemonade, and happy anniversary.
When a friend in San Diego took me to BAJA (which is all he called it), I saw all these cars with BC tags and wondered why so many people from British Columbia were there. Dawned on me before I opened my mouth and proved my stupidity.
CED: Liked the picture. Fine handsome hairy beast! And the cat is cute too. LOL Lucky PK, getting to curl up on your shoulder!
Hi people. I enjoyed the theme today even though the puzzle was a major slog for me. I erased holes in the paper. Thanks for the witty write up Lemon and happy anniversary. I liked your pictures!
Not much else to add. I could relate to the theme. It made me remember when we first moved to Dallas, TX. We had a fellow doing some work in our kitchen. He asked me for an "inkpin." I told him I didn't know what that was and that I was pretty sure we didn't have one, but he was welcome to look though our tool chest. He looked at me like I was a few bricks short. After a few minutes, I was able to figure out what he wanted. D'OH.
Agree with Steve about BAHA. Also, is a car being towed by a RV really called a TOW CAR?
@Anon 1:44 - great story! Now get yourself a proper name and keep coming back!
As many of you express your appreciation for my two years of blogging here, I must stop and restate what a great pleasure it is to have C.C. as our founder and guide who is always there to step up and overcome our errors, while creating a friendly, stimulating and fun place to hang out. Along with all the fine people she has attracted who come here either often or now and then, I thank you all for keeping me challenged.
It is also great to share my life joys, like Devin playing the Piano downtown in Fort Collins for a bunch of college kids; an unexpected treat. The paino is one of many random ones owned by the city and scattered about.
Time to change my avatar
Lemonade, I forgot to comment on the wonderful photos of you and your son. Thank you for sharing them.
Hello, everyone.
Just wanted to thank Marti for another opus. Started out being somewhat annoyed with the starred theme entries, although they were filling in from the perps. Finally saw the unifier and it all made sense. My spelling of the Southernisms might have been a little different. However, after reading Marti's explanation, I fully accept her version. Great job, and it added a dimension to the puzzle. (In fact, I forgot to check who the author was, so didn't know it was her work until I was done and printed out the answer grid:-))
Hand up for misreading Pirate before Pilate. Agree with the EVENER comments. I think RVers usually refer to the TOWCAR as a dinghy. EAR TAG was a gimme; all of our cattle had one. ÉTAT was a WAG, but it seemed germane. Overall, great job. BZ
I must a little simple-minded and would be a cheap date. I've found an iTunes radio station that plays classic country music. So I'm listening to Eddy Arnold sing "Just a Little Lovin Will Go a Long Way" while watching the iTunes Visualizer. I haven't heard that simple-minded melody but maybe twice in my life 50 years ago but it stimulates a hook in my brain in a way that modern popular/country music just doesn't.
Hola...the answer to #10 across is incorrect. Baja per se is not a state. There are two states on the Baja peninsula....Baja California (BC)and Baja California Sur.(BCS) I know because I lived in BCS for 20 years
BillG, here's a tune that I think you'll like that I was reminded of by your comment: Simple Man. A simplistic ditty that was actually made more famous by Linda Ronstadt. This version isn't that fantastic, but it is by the composer.
That said, JD Souther's magnum opus, IMO, was this cover from the movie "Always". An old standard performed beautifully: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Enjoy!
All this time I thought I was wearing earrings. Now I find out they're only EAR TAGS...
Constructor's note II:
At 5A, I originally had INEPT (making 6D NOTING and 8D PERF). Changing it to IDENT got rid of an awkward verb and a more obscure abbr. for philatelists...So a 1-for-2 change was indicated. That's how it goes in the cruciverbal world.
Unless you are from one of the BAJA states, many of us "gringos" just associate the entire peninsula/state with the word BAJA. But, if more precise clueing is needed, so be it! Thanks for the input, everyone.
CrazyCat : love the new avatar and visual with the ear tags!
Avg.Joe, that 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' is one beautiful song. I remember slow dancing to the version by the Platters.
I just got back from a short bike ride before the rain hits. I was surprised to discover I've put over 9,000 miles on that bike, all from short rides up and down the Strand along the ocean.
Speaking of bikes, a preacher was known for always riding his bike everywhere. One day a parishioner noticed him walking without his bike. 'What happened to your bike?'
'Someone must have stolen it,' the preacher replied.
'OK, here's what you should do. Next Sunday, preach a fiery sermon about the Ten Commandments. When you get to the eighth one about Thou Shalt Not Steal, lay it on thick. The guilty party will look guilty and maybe even confess.'
So the preacher did preach on the Ten Commandments but didn't emphasize the part about not stealing. The parishioner asked him about it afterward.
'Well, I was going to do it but when I got to the seventh commandment about Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery, I remembered where I left my bike!'
Hutch here. Finally completed a Friday puzzle with a two hour sussing. Now to the big question! Why does no-one eat crow! They spend mucho dollars shooting little quail whereas crow are much bigger. My Korean wife says they dont eat crow in Korea either(you will lose your memory). I know no-one who has ever eaten a crow. Why?
GREAT puzzle marti!! i wasn't getting the theme, but i easily got SOUTHERN DRAWL. when i went back to the themes (starting with POE) i laughed so hard i made a few dogs jump! i <3 your sense of humor!
happy anniversary to lemon - thank you for all your hard work and dedication. you are much appreciated!
i've learned some new language in missouri, "you-ins" [sic] is similar to y'all. and if you ask a dog to "set" he will usually take a seat. and of course "unsweet tea" is pronounced as all one word.
thanx again for a fun friday puzzle, marti!
have a great weekend!
t.
Lemonade, congrats on two years, may your world have poles:)
Marti, your puzzle had me puzzled for hours, thanks for the fun. I started at lunch, & kept peeking at it during work all day. I did have to Google some things that were incomprehensible to me, occum, fractious, McLennen County Seat etc... Poe gave me the theme answer, but my brain refused to make hail sound like hell, so that gave me the hardest time.
I looked for a good link, but could not find any, unless you want to watch Paula Dean cook something. But i did find this Accent test/quiz, which nailed me as from new jersey. (it's not true i tell ya, iv'e only been here 20 years!)
Accent Quiz
Avg Joe, thanks for the "Smoke" link. The Platters version wa "our song" for me and my highschool sweetheart, who later became my wife for over forty years. That song always brings back a lot of good memories.
Bill and Grumpy, You're welcome.
CED, I'm not impressed with the accuracy of that test...(it pegged me from Chicago?)...but it raises a lot of interesting points that force you to "listen" to yourself in unfamiliar ways. Fun effort! Thanks.
CED - I took the accent quiz. Thanks. It said I was a Northerner. Who'd a thought?
Best wishes to Lemonade on his 2nd anniversary. Always enjoy your comments.
43a Norsk Museum - First wanted to write in 'Aker" but then finally recalled it is on the Bygdøy peninsula halfway between the former airport location and downtown Oslo. The Kon-Tiki Museum is nearby as is the King's own cattle farm which has recently been incorporated into the Museum.
CED, according to the quiz, I have no accent... BOOORING! It did identify my probable region as a wide band across Western PA, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Yep, right in the middle was where I grew up.
Thanks for the "Simple Man" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" links. Suited my mood.
CED: took the quiz. Said I had no accent and mapped me with the area I live.
Lemonade: missed your pictures the first time through, so went back and found them. Very nice! Thank you for sharing.
BillG, Good bike joke! We had a preacher like that when I was growing up, but he didn't ride a bike. All of us kids knew it, but for some reason didn't ever tell the grownups.
CED, your accent quiz said I had a mid-Atlantic accent. Pretty accurate I'd say since I grew up in northern Virginia. I don't thinking moving to California changed it much.
From my Internet searches, crow is safe to eat but not very tasty. One fellow said you kin eat crow but darned if he hankered after it.
Another fellow said: I eat crow on a regular basis. Not that I choose to -- my wife generally insists that I eat it following most disagreements. It can tend to make your mouth dry and it might be a little tough to swallow, but as distasteful as it may be, it's generally pretty good for you in the long run. I'm not sure about recipes, but I do know that it's often best accompanied by jewelry or flowers.
These days, the kids still would not tell their parents, but they would post pictures on Facebook. What a fun day, glad to see made it to Florida safe and sound H. To everyone thanks for a nice day
There was a quiz on my wife's Facebook page. I was supposed to count the triangles in a shape. There were 13. But I first answered 12. I won! Then I tried again and answered 10. Wow! I won again! Can you believe it! I am so lucky! I win two iPads!
CED:
The accent quiz found me to be neutral but I wonder if my pronunciation is influenced by the fact that I taught phonics for many years. Ah, well, I just hope to be understood.
Fun test.
CED:I took the accent test, and it correctly placed me from Chicago. I looked at some of those words, and asked myself: you mean there are OTHER ways to pronounce them???
Fellow Gator lovs this one. It took a few erasures, but easily finished in decent time.
Gainesville taught this Connecticut chowda head how to tell Miss from GA from LA drawls. True CT yankees no longer call ourselves the Y word to distinguish that w know how to wear a baseball cap. Most are Bosox fans anyway.
Thx Marti, this puz was the perfect addition to a rainy Sunday morn'n. Not much can top a good cup of Joe, the sound of rain drops on the roof, and a devilishly constructed CW.
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