Theme: It's Jelly time! Oops I mean JAM time. Each of the four 14 letter theme answers are clued by the unifier, JAM. Patti, who we just saw in March with her Monday letter progression puzzle, left out BASKETBALL DUNK, but hey it is a complicated little three letter word. We have some music, some people, some easy, some hard and let's get to it, and have some BREAD and BUTTER. (1:55)
20A. See 38-Across : TRAFFIC PROBLEM. Traffic JAM. I guess because cars are jammed together.
26A. See 38-Across : TOUGH SITUATION.In a JAM. Not sure why.
44A. See 38-Across : FRUIT PRESERVES. Just plain JAM.
54A. See 38-Across : JAZZ CLUB IMPROV. You like this JAM.
and the unifier clue:
38A. Clue for four puzzle answers : JAM. Time to cram in the rest of the answers....
Across:
1. "The __ Kings Play Songs of Love": Hijuelos novel : MAMBO; living in South Florida when the movie came out, helped me remember this easily. Never read the book. It also introduced American audiences to Antonio Banderas.
6. "But wait, there's more!" : PLUS. Let's Make a Deal or Ron Popeil?
10. Surrounded by : AMID. As opposed to amidst, or that one of hearti's var.?
14. Animated mermaid : ARIEL. Hebrew for Lion of G-d.
15. Mascara target : LASH. Eyelash, not this LASH.
16. Better half, so to speak : MATE. Is it mating season already? Oh I guess that is why I have a grand baby on the way.
17. Did a fall chore : RAKED. I will leave those bad puns alone.
18. Kid's comeback : AM SO. Am Not.
19. Luau strings : UKES. Is this my new Friday word; I wish we had our Hawaiians back.
23. Pathetic : SAD. Yes, their absence along with all of our MIA make me sad, say hello CA and all of you...
24. Where to 'ang one's 'at : 'OME. Nice Cuppa you out there? How about this man.
25. Insightful : KEEN. Sharp.
32. "The Matrix" hero : NEO.
20A. See 38-Across : TRAFFIC PROBLEM. Traffic JAM. I guess because cars are jammed together.
26A. See 38-Across : TOUGH SITUATION.In a JAM. Not sure why.
44A. See 38-Across : FRUIT PRESERVES. Just plain JAM.
54A. See 38-Across : JAZZ CLUB IMPROV. You like this JAM.
and the unifier clue:
38A. Clue for four puzzle answers : JAM. Time to cram in the rest of the answers....
Across:
1. "The __ Kings Play Songs of Love": Hijuelos novel : MAMBO; living in South Florida when the movie came out, helped me remember this easily. Never read the book. It also introduced American audiences to Antonio Banderas.
6. "But wait, there's more!" : PLUS. Let's Make a Deal or Ron Popeil?
10. Surrounded by : AMID. As opposed to amidst, or that one of hearti's var.?
14. Animated mermaid : ARIEL. Hebrew for Lion of G-d.
15. Mascara target : LASH. Eyelash, not this LASH.
16. Better half, so to speak : MATE. Is it mating season already? Oh I guess that is why I have a grand baby on the way.
17. Did a fall chore : RAKED. I will leave those bad puns alone.
18. Kid's comeback : AM SO. Am Not.
19. Luau strings : UKES. Is this my new Friday word; I wish we had our Hawaiians back.
23. Pathetic : SAD. Yes, their absence along with all of our MIA make me sad, say hello CA and all of you...
24. Where to 'ang one's 'at : 'OME. Nice Cuppa you out there? How about this man.
25. Insightful : KEEN. Sharp.
32. "The Matrix" hero : NEO.
33. Bit of shuteye : NAP.
34. Hi-tech brains? : CPU. Central Processing Unit. Computer brains.
35. Test one's metal : ASSAY. Used in metallurgy, and a var. of ESSAY.
39. Family insignia : CREST. Why would a family want to be known by toothpaste even if their teeth are very white?
41. Like some coll. courses : REQuired. As opposed to elective.
42. Big initials in Detroit : UAW. United Auto Workers is actually The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America.
43. Low digit? : TOE. Very cute foot humor.
50. SFO guesstimates : ETAS. SFO is the airport code for San Francisco, and Estimate Time of Arrival.
51. One is often seen near a dessert array : URN. The coffee kind, not the one with your favorite pet's ashes.
52. RAV4 or TrailBlazer, briefly : UTE. UGH.
58. Turbaned Punjabi : SIKH. Now marti none of your sick jokes here.
59. Feels lousy : AILS. here is the place for sick humor.
60. Professeur's charge : ELEVE. French lesson: Student. Hey Jeannie.
61. Colored part of the eye : UVEA. They do not let me forget my eyes. For you all...LINK.
62. Pool path : LANE.
63. "American Idol" success Clay : AIKEN. LINK.(2:43)
64. Club membership, maybe : PERK. From the odd word perquisite, not to be confused with prerequisite. I love English.
65. Logician's "E," perhaps : ERAT. Quod erat demonstrandum.
66. Numerical extreme : LEAST, At least we are halfway home.
Down:
1. Some are mini : MARTS. Apu where are you?
2. Mount sacred to Armenians : ARARAT. I loved a girl from ARMENIA once.
3. Title Gilbert and Sullivan ruler : MIKADO. The most played OPERA?
4. __ Wellington : BEEF. Named for the original Duke, take that John Wayne.
5. Stick-in-the-mud : OLD FOGEY. My kids often think I am an...
6. Connects with a memory : PLACES. The voice is familiar, if I could just place the face...
7. Desktop item : LAMP. Not an ICON, an old fashioned desk, wonderful clue.
8. Outdated globe letters : USSR.
9. Badly rattled : SHOOK UP. We just had Elvis from Gareth.
10. Talisman : AMULET.
11. Reprimand to quarreling siblings : MAKE NICE. C/mon children....
12. Brangelina, for one : ITEM.
13. __ Arc, Arkansas : DES. This may be the most obscure clue of all time, especially from a NYC girl living in new haven with all the yalies.
21. Texter's "If you ask me ..." : IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Humble?
22. TV's Arthur : BEA. We see her often.
27. A, in Oaxaca : UNA. One in Spanish.
28. Bowled over : IN AWE.
29. Souvenir from Scotland : TAM. Tam O'shanter, a cap, not to be confused with 46D. Spinning toon : TAZ, LINK (6:21)
30. Black __: spy doings : OPS. Operations. NCIS.
31. Zealous type : NUT.
35. "Walk me!" : ARF. Damn, I thought that meant 'feed me', no wonder he got so fat.
36. Inspiring msg. : SERmon.
37. Close game : SQUEAKER. Won by a whisker.
38. Mason __ : JAR. Invented by a guy named John Mason, and used in canning (not jarring) where I grew up we were taught to eat what we can and we can't we can.
39. Polenta base : CORN MEAL.
40. Crank (up) : REV. Vroom, vroom.
42. High-end : UPSCALE. One word or two?
43. She played Lois on "Lois & Clark" : TERI. She used to hang out in SoFla, now she hangs out in pics.
63. "American Idol" success Clay : AIKEN. LINK.(2:43)
64. Club membership, maybe : PERK. From the odd word perquisite, not to be confused with prerequisite. I love English.
65. Logician's "E," perhaps : ERAT. Quod erat demonstrandum.
66. Numerical extreme : LEAST, At least we are halfway home.
Down:
1. Some are mini : MARTS. Apu where are you?
2. Mount sacred to Armenians : ARARAT. I loved a girl from ARMENIA once.
3. Title Gilbert and Sullivan ruler : MIKADO. The most played OPERA?
4. __ Wellington : BEEF. Named for the original Duke, take that John Wayne.
5. Stick-in-the-mud : OLD FOGEY. My kids often think I am an...
6. Connects with a memory : PLACES. The voice is familiar, if I could just place the face...
7. Desktop item : LAMP. Not an ICON, an old fashioned desk, wonderful clue.
8. Outdated globe letters : USSR.
9. Badly rattled : SHOOK UP. We just had Elvis from Gareth.
10. Talisman : AMULET.
11. Reprimand to quarreling siblings : MAKE NICE. C/mon children....
12. Brangelina, for one : ITEM.
13. __ Arc, Arkansas : DES. This may be the most obscure clue of all time, especially from a NYC girl living in new haven with all the yalies.
21. Texter's "If you ask me ..." : IMHO. In My Humble Opinion. Humble?
22. TV's Arthur : BEA. We see her often.
27. A, in Oaxaca : UNA. One in Spanish.
28. Bowled over : IN AWE.
29. Souvenir from Scotland : TAM. Tam O'shanter, a cap, not to be confused with 46D. Spinning toon : TAZ, LINK (6:21)
30. Black __: spy doings : OPS. Operations. NCIS.
31. Zealous type : NUT.
35. "Walk me!" : ARF. Damn, I thought that meant 'feed me', no wonder he got so fat.
36. Inspiring msg. : SERmon.
37. Close game : SQUEAKER. Won by a whisker.
38. Mason __ : JAR. Invented by a guy named John Mason, and used in canning (not jarring) where I grew up we were taught to eat what we can and we can't we can.
39. Polenta base : CORN MEAL.
40. Crank (up) : REV. Vroom, vroom.
42. High-end : UPSCALE. One word or two?
43. She played Lois on "Lois & Clark" : TERI. She used to hang out in SoFla, now she hangs out in pics.
45. Violinist Perlman : ITZHAK. Listen (7:32).
47. Group within a group : SUBSET. The new math,
48. "I've got it!" : EUREKA. Not the vacuum cleaner, the exclamation made by Archimedes when got in a bath and saw he displaced the water. from the Greek I found.
49. Log cabin warmers : STOVES.
53. Olympics segment : EVENT. Ready for the London Olympics? Coming soon.
54. Baloney : JIVE. Don't give me your...
55. One writing a lot of fiction? : LIAR.
56. Prismatic bone : ULNA. A radical new clue for this bone.
57. Ballet class bend : PLIE. There is a ballet school in my backyard. LESSON.(0;52)
58. "How's it hangin', bro?" : SUP. An abbreviation for 'what is up?' and one of my personal favorites.
Answer grid.
Well we are done, it was an interesting journey with all kinds of nice fill, CORN MEAL FRUIT PRESERVES, ITZHAK JAZZ CLUB IMPROV, MAKE NICE, OLD FOGEY, SHOOK UP SQUEAKER, TOUGH SITUATION, TRAFFIC PROBLEM but also lots of three letter fill. Ah well, I had fun and may is around the corner.
ciao
L 714
Answer grid.
Well we are done, it was an interesting journey with all kinds of nice fill, CORN MEAL FRUIT PRESERVES, ITZHAK JAZZ CLUB IMPROV, MAKE NICE, OLD FOGEY, SHOOK UP SQUEAKER, TOUGH SITUATION, TRAFFIC PROBLEM but also lots of three letter fill. Ah well, I had fun and may is around the corner.
ciao
L 714
77 comments:
Morning, all! SUP?
I actually managed to make it through this in pretty quick time for a Friday, but that was mostly due to the fact that I blew through most of the long theme answers without even knowing what the theme was. In each case, it just took a few perps to let me figure out the answer, since they were all common phrases. The one exception was JAZZ CLUB IMPROV, but by then I had seen the theme reveal and could guess that one pretty easily as well.
The rest of the puzzle definitely had its thorny bits. DES was obscure and cruelly clued. Never heard of a "prismatic" bone before (does that mean it's colorful?) I had to guess a lot of letters before I finally figured out how to spell ITZHAK correctly. Oh -- and I misread "dessert" as "desert" at 51A and had a hard time coming up with an otherwise obvious three word answer.
That's it for me. PLAY NICE, everyone!
Hmmmm....
Just looked it up and apparently the ULNA is somehow shaped like a prism, hence "prismatic." Go figure.
Greetings!
Superb Friday puzzle! Thanks Patti, Lemon. Am listening to the Bach in the background!
Was very surprised to find an easy Friday. No cheats. ULNA as prism (triangular?) was new.
Was thinking CPU should be plural, so hesitated there.
Just barely rescued my railroad stool from the zealots who are cleaning up stuff that has been disgorged into my yard by the termite people. I have lots of RR memorabilia, including a NYC bell! Found some partial calendars from the 20s that my late father had saved. Rescued them from the rain. Any suggestions for selling them?
Happy weekend!
PS The RR bell is at my front door. Clapper is on a sturdy rope. Makes a heck of a noise. Most people that come are afraid to use it!
Good morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.
I laughed out loud at all your SIKH jokes, Lemon – fun write-up! Thanks especially for the ITZHAK Perlman link – beautiful! Re 10A, The Chicago Manual of Style prefers AMID over “amidst”, so I’m OK with that!
Other than that, WBS – it seemed really easy for a Friday, and I really didn’t need the unifier to get the common phrases. My only hangup was wanting JAZZ band instead of CLUB. But perps rescued me from that pitfall.
Great fill, too, as Lemonade mentioned. Ya just gotta love a puzzle with OLD FOGEY, SHOOK UP, MAKE NICE and SQUEAKER. Great stuff!
TGIF…
UNA is actually "an a" in Spanish, UNO is one.
Here in South Florida everyone knows UNA is "a" in Spanish. "One' is uno. Well, almost everyone.
Lemon: Wonderful write-up & links. Bet you had a great time doing this one.
Enjoyed the JAM themes.
OK, a few write-overs:
For RAV4 or Trailblazer I had SUV before UTE. OK, I'll admit, I never have liked this clue/answer combo.
For 'Colored part of the eye' had IRIS before UVEA (off the 'U' in S'UP).
Not a fan of the term S'UP for "How's it hangin'?" Was the "Bro" necessary?
Yup, I guess you could say it was my LEAST favorite fill today.
But OLD FOGEY, EUREKA, SQUEAKER and SHOOK-UP were KEEN.
A 'Toast' to all at Sunset.
Cheers !!!
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I don't generally like puzzles that are so cross-referenced, but I found this one to be quite fun. I easily got the TRAFFIC PROBLEM and TOUGH SITUATION, so the JAM came easily.
Lemonade, you and I were on the same wavelength today. I also laughed at the OLD FOGEY, since we had a blog conversation on that topic recently.
I, too, remembered Antonio Banderas from The Mambo Kings, a movie I loved. I highly recommend the book as well as other novels by Hijuelos.
Favorite clues were Test One's Metal = ASSAY, and One Writing a Lot of Fiction = LIAR.
Low Digit = TOE was also good.
QOD: Some people seem to be born to suffer. ~ August Strindberg
Good day folks.
As a rule, I'm not crazy about puzzles that keep referring you another clue to come up with your fill. This being said, today's puzzle was easy considering it was a Friday and I proceeded with minimal hold ups. Unfortunately it was a DNF because I had SIKA for 58A & ITZAAC for 45D. And I omitted filling in the U for 34A & 31D.
BRANGELINA/ITEM a big ???????. I began wit ICET.
Lemonade, thanks for the Lash LaRue link. I've always been a fan of the Oaters. Lash was one of the "hero's" we could look forward to on Saturday afternoons at the movies.
Glad this week is over, it's been disastrous for solving puzzles.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Patti V., for a good puzzle (as it turned out). Thank you, Lemonade, for a great write-up and Links.
I got started and then saw the four long answers with no Clue other than the reference to 38A. I generally do not like those types of Clue/Answers. To make it worse I had entered GMC for 42A instead of UAW. That made it tough to get the perps so I could get JAM for 38A. I finally got FRUIT PRESERVES. That gave me JAM, which gave me JAR for 38D, which gave me UAW. Whew!
I was then able to get through the puzzle, slowly.
Had IRIS for a while for 61A. UVEA appeared with perps.
Not sure what Polenta is for 39D, but CORNMEAL fit.
Not sure what a UTE is. I had SUV at first. I am not a new car expert at all.
Liked ERAT for 65A. Q.E.D. is one of my favorite terms. I am not much on foreign languages, but Latin I like.
Took a bunch of perps to get ELEVE for 60A. I should remember that. We have had it plenty in the past.
Have no idea what Brangelina means at 12D. ITEM fit with perps. So I stuck with it.
Lots to do today. See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Seemed terribly easy for a Friday. When finished, didn't know this TERI.
Abejo: Brangelina = Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I, too, initially tried SUV instead of UTE. Not sure what a UTE is, either.
More Itzhak Perlman for your puzzle-solving enjoyment.
Either I'm getting smarter or this was very easy for a Friday....and I think we all know which is true.
I had to look up ITZHAK and ELEVE, but everything else feel into place quickly.
I didn't particularly like 35D: "Walk me! ARF" beacause it was too vague. Also not a fan of "How's it hangin', bro? SUP".
Have a great Friday. I have a big meeting to prep for at noon, but after that it will be smooth sailing.
My bad, should have mentioned it is Teri Hatcher, now of Desperate Housewives and also famous for her appearance on Seinfeld
LINK .
Good morning everyone. Thanks for the comments, Lemon.
WBS. I liked the way JAM/JAR crossed. I sussed 'jam' after getting TRAFFIC PROBLEM. FRUIT PRESERVES fell right out after that. Had ' 'ook' before 'OME. Didn't seem to have much crosswordese but SUP came close. Lots of good fill like Lemon pointed out. Strategically placed anchors like SIKH, PLIÉ, and ARARAT helped a lot to confirm perps. Favorite fill was MIKADO, and I liked the cleverness of the CPU clue. Great job, Patti.
Here is a description of the Mikado locomotive.
Enjoy your day
For how many years are we going to have to read that certain posters do not generally enjoy cross-referential clues? Oy. We get it. I expect that some people do enjoy them, and the editors certainly approve of them as a valid crossword feature.
I like the clues in the puzzle format and found this to be a lot of fun! When I got eVent and saw a phrase ending in a V, I was hesitant but it’s all good!
Business as usual where I am subbing today – I have 42 years of experience as a middle school science teacher and I am subbing for an English teacher while the sub for the middle school science guy across the hall is, wait for it, yup, a PE teacher.
Musings
-Granddaughter’s 7th birthday party last night was a resounding success!
-Wow, I had no idea what the New Beats looked like.
-Lash was a staple of TV’s Church of the Sunday Morning Western if you adverse to hearing a SER. when I was growing up
-Geez, Beav, that shirt is KEEN
-Ben Stiller’s breaking the URN in Meet the Parents is one of the funniest movie scenes I have ever, uh, seen.
-What great sitcom character made a fool of himself by singing the role of Yum-Yum from The Mikado over the phone?
-After 14,000 students, I got no chance to PLACE a name with a face!
-My grandkids watch this Arthur before bed, not BEA
- I think Lemon’s picture between 43D and 45D is TERRI and not ITZAHK. BTW, for Seinfeld fans, they appear “real and spectacular”
Greetings, cyber friends. Lemonade, you are in fine fettle today, thanks.
Loved starting with the MAMBO Kings, a movie I have seen many times what with both Antonio Banderas and Armand Assante to entertain me, what more could I ask for in a movie?
And so I sashayed through the top part rather quickly, bolted at DES Arc, but fortunately it emerged with the crosses.
Laughed at the crossing of JAR and JAM but then struggled at the bottom with all the misdirection and couldn't remember the spelling of ITZHAK. Had to work it out letter by letter. Tried ERGO before ERAT and guessed ULNA. Hand up for IRIS then UVEA.
Great fill as has been mentioned already.
Hoping nothing AILS you, I wish you a fantastic Friday, everyone!
Wow! I really enjoyed this romp, although I wasn't too sure when I saw the long cross-referenced spots in the grid. It all came together in fairly good time.
Misread 2d as Mount sacred to Americans at first and thought - WTF? Re-read it correctly on the second pass. Hand up for iris before uvea. Had PCs before CPU, thinking the clue was calling for a plural answer - shouldn't it have been clued as hi-tech brain? Minor nit. Also thought ergo before Erat for logician's e.
We've seen toe clued as low digit before, so I wasn't fooled.
Favorite fill ome for where to 'ang ones 'at and liar for one writing a lot of fiction. Also liked the clue for perk.
Thanks to Patti for a cleverly constructed puzzle and to Lemon for a delightful review as usual.
Have a glorious weekend, everyone.
HG: Thanks for picking up on my Teri Seinfeld reference, as well as voicing my shared opinion about being shocked at what the "New Beats" looked like. It seems that may be his real voice?
My problem with cross-dressers, I mean cross-referencers, is with comments that reference just clue numbers, like "I thought what Lemon said about 34A was stupid."
Speaking of which, apparently UTE is an accepted reference to any kind of "utility" vehicle, not just sports ones. There also are vehicles in Australia named UTE, they say.
For those tired of vehicles, Native American, or U of Utah athlete for UTE, take a look at the Wiki's pseudo-disambiguitization page for Ute. You will find about 40 listings in 8 categories and sub-cats, including these gems:
a genus of calcareous sponge in the family grantiidae
the symbol for untriennium (at no139) in the extended periodic table
military versions of Beechcraft planes (were it also means utility)
634 Ute, a minor planet orbiting the sun (It's in the asteroid belt, and was discovered in 1907 by August Korpf of Heidelberg, so he may've named it after a relative or friend as Ute is a German feminine given name.)
For the acronymophile/-phobe, UTE is a Uruguayan power company or a Hungarian sports club (soccer team?)
Polenta is coarsely or finely ground yellow or white cornmeal, ground maize, used as a foodstuff. It is cooked by boiling to a paste in water or a liquid such as soup stock, and may be eaten with other ingredients. After boiling it may be baked or fried; left-over polenta is often used this way. Per wiki.
Lucina thanks, I try to keep my fettle positive. I believe the word comes from a word meaning girdle.
These type of themes usually come in two varieties. The first is where the defintions or phrases are impossible to suss out without lots of crosses which results in a crossing slog. The other method is without getting the hint or word you can still fill in the themes with relative ease. This puzzle fit into the latter category which made it move quickly.
I filled in JAM after the first definition and it was off to the races. It would be nice to find that sweet spot where these puzzles have a bit more resistance but not be impossible to deduce.
I was totally lost on this, so I won't bore you with details, other than that I never got JAM. Need I say more? Probably at least partially due to my shortage of time before an expected visitor this morning.
Here is an Aussie UTE by Holden, the Chevy equivalent brand there. They are very common, especially in the outback.
Lemonade, enjoyed your blog tremendously - even tho' I couldn't finish the puzzle. Thanks for the Taz devil cartoon, it really made my day - now I feel great. Your charming words really resound in my heart. Cheers.
Good morning all:
Thanks Patty V. for a fun romp and Lemonade for a good expo.
I thought this was a fairly easy Friday offering although I went astray with iris before uvea and old fogie before old fogey. Overall, though, pretty easy sailing.
Happy Friday everyone.
I had never heard of a ute until I visited New Zealand a few years back. They use the term a lot to refer to a "utility vehicle" and Ford of Australia makes a dynamite model. I now hear and see the term ute used in the US.
Fun puzzle today. Especially liked "walk me".
Good morning to all and happy Fri. Thanks Lemon for your musings. I had the theme and the reveal before i got most of the puzzle. Only smudge was in SW corner had raja before sikh and like Tinman had iris. Nice and smooth for a Fri. but I agree on ute not a fan of that one for an SUV. Have a great weekend to all going out on Sat. night for DW and I's anniversary. RJW.
I also had 'ook before 'OME, but my real problem was aLso before PLUS, confirmed with LAMP, giving me... trouble. However, easily cleared up. The other write-over was TOE/onE. I've made this mistake before.
All in all, much too easy for a Friday. MAKENICE just doesn't ring true. To me, it's either "make peace" or play nice".
WLS --not the Chicago Station, but what Lucinda said.
David @ 10:30, that puzzle genre has already been invented. It's called a Saturday Silkie. You get just enough to claw your way through it, and when you've finished, you know you've been in a real slog.
I always approach Friday and Saturday puzzles with trepidation but was off and running on this one. Many thanks, Patti V. And great write-up, Lemon. Can't remember if I congratulated you on that grand-baby in your future--it'll be wonderful!
Like Tin, I had IRIS before UVEA so that slowed me down a bit. But I had no trouble with ARF for "Walk me"--being a dog person and everything.
Have a great Friday, everybody!
Anyone for 6a clus and 6d clicks??? Works well until 21d. Had to have ook for 24a--like I did.
Too busy watching the 2OT hockey
game last night to pay much attention to the CW.
Will pick up a mason jar of Ruth's jam tomorrow.
Back to the 80s on Sunday. Can make my fried potatoes and onions outside.
eddy
Thanks to PattiV and L214.
Fun puzzle, but a DNF for me because I had two typos (increasingly common w/my crooked fingers!) and I had to employ red letters to find them.
The year I was ten, I lived downstream from DES Arc at St. Charles. Deadend at the river. No ferry, no bridge. To cross the river, you had to double back and go around. OTOH, I have no experience with small towns on the eastern seaboard, which makes them obscure to me when a clue crops up for them.
I don't think I ever said AMSO when I was a kid; it was AMtoo.
When my mother made it, it was CORNMEAL mush that morning, then it was fancied up and became fried CORNMEAL mush that evening - not polenta.
One time I mentioned ITZHAK to a co-worker, but I misspoke and said Isaac, although I knew better. Thought I was going to have to gag him to shut him up about it.
Oh, yes! Temp was 103 deg. yesterday. More of the same today.
I apologize for give you a 'D', Lucina. You get top grades in my book.
Daffy Dill, you took away 500 from me? Ah well, good to see you anyway
Re mason jars: "To be a success, get all you can, can all you get and sit on the can!"
A Friday on my wave-length, EUREKA (which was my first entry in that corner.) Thanks, Patti! Fun puzzle. Excellence as usual from Lemonade!
Never saw the movie "Matrix" and put in OLD FOGgY. Actually, this is more descriptive of my brain power some days.
Daughter bought a RAV4 last year and loves her UTE for hauling her cairn terriers. I wanted "hearth" for heating a log cabin, though.
Hey guys, if you doubt the effectiveness of "putting the crossword away", last night at 4:30 I got through the top half (including JAM), but got stuck and had to sleep. I wake up in the morning and try it pen and paper, I get through almost all with just a dictionary for a couple. (Although I had to redletter SE, as I had STOKES and had no idea what ELEVE was.
Could someone help me. Is it UNa or UNo?
Maybe some of you recall our discussion of "top up" some time ago. I just read it in Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear, a UK born author. "He topped up his own glass . . ."
BTW, I love all her Maisie Dobbs books. They are charming and heartfelt.
UNA means a or an, feminine, un is the masculine.
UNO means one.
una muchacha, a girl
una vida, a life
una fruta, a fruit
una cebolla, an onion
un perro, a dog
un gato, a cat
Yo quiero uno. I want one.
Thank you, Lucina!
Busy Friday, no time, saw cross ref's & went straight to red letter. Shame really, wasn't that hard, wish i had more time. Wees...
Newbeats? I always thought that was a girl?
Lemonade, i hope you have insurance, i hurt myself reading the Blog. Yes i watched "the entire" Taz cartoon & i think my face cracked from smilin' at the end!
Polenta? Polenta? It's just GRITS dangit, & i wouldnt touch it with a ten foot pole unless it had lots of butter & salt, hmm, maybe some basil, hmm hmm , pepper, throw in some pea's maybe,,,
Excuse me, i have to go to the kitchen & experiment...
OMG! I loved today's puzzle and every day when I'm done I come here to read your blog which puts a huge smile on my face. Plus I learn so much! Thank you all!
Husker @9:22 asked:
"What great sitcom character made a fool of himself by singing the role of Yum-Yum from The Mikado over the phone?"
That would be Frasier and Bull-Dog used the recording to torture him. That episode was a hoot.
Also Husker, I enjoyed a laugh at your "sub" assignment.
(Who determines which 'class' you get? LOL)
Ron Worden:
Happy Anniversary tomorrow! Hope you and the DW have a great time.
Cheers!
Lemonade said, "Daffy Dill, you took away 500 from me? Ah well, good to see you anyway"
Sorry, L714! I can't even blame that on my crooked fingers!
Found this rather tough today, but able to do it, only having to look up how to spell ITZHAK. "DES Arc" is more than obscure--just about the lamest clue ever, IMHO. Close second is SER used as an abbreviation for "sermon." Has anyone ever seen that used as an abbreviation?
UKES aren't just for luaus anymore. Check out Jake Shimabukuro on YouTube (10 million+ hits):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puSkP3uym5k
I've seen him in concert several times. He sells out the Old Town School auditorium in Chicago, and will be at Ravinia this summer. Should be good.
Tin Man, Of course you are right about Frasier, one of my all time fav sitcoms. Smart and funny and everyone loved seeing ego balloon popped. When he and Niles took the course on how to fix car engines, I thought I was going to burst from laughing.
Question 2 – What song contains the lyric, “Grape wine in a MASON jar, homemade and brought to school…”
CED: I maintain full coverage for all of the humor, as it is generally sick.
Thanks for the LINK F.
Am,azing what musicians can do to make music
Husker, I remember Niles and Frasier discussing their perfct meal and, like a Navajo blanket, to be perfect, it had to have a flaw they could pick apart.
Well, I have to be chug-a-lugging along.
Do not know the name but loved Roger Miller; oh Argyle you are so subtle, no I do know.
chugalug chugalug, makes you wanta holler hideeho, burns you tummy, don`t cha know
Kulcher lesson: Cook grits low and slow until creamy. Mix with pan-fried sausage patties and over easy eggs with lots of black pepper. Food for the kings!.
Hang me from the highest treeeeeeeeeee! Baby dontcha weep fer me!
I'll try any food once. Well almost anything at least. Not sure I'd try the rotted eggs you hear about from Nam.
There's two things I've tried that I'll never eat again. One of them is grits.
Ah, my Friday morning is satisfyingly complete: solving a fun puzzle and reading all your comments about it and each other on here.
Fun and clever responses! There might be another song that references a MASON jar but I don't know what it is.
I enjoyed my English subbing day, especially teaching about Langston Hughes and seeing the blank stares when I asked if the kids if they had ever heard of Harlem. I found some great youtube videos to show in support of his poem and also showed a fairly graphic video showing part of the Battle of Gettysburg when talking about Lincoln's address. as literature. There's a lot of arrows for your teacher's quiver today if you have enough ambition to use them.
Ron W: Happy anniversary to you and your wife. How many years?
Here's a nice photo story about a dog and an owl being best buddies.
desper-otto:
No apology needed and you'd be surprised how many people want that D in my name' however, I deal with D's just not in my name.
Sorry Bev @2:22, you were caught in the spam filter until now.
Avg Joe...boy, are you missing out! I don't know who prepared your grits(maybe instant?) but I would guess they didn't know what they were doing. Creamy cheddar grits or spicy shrimp and grits are to die for.
About variant spelling: Link.(3:09)
Avg. Joe @ 3:56, I agree with Seen @ 4:51. Until you have had the Shrimp and Grits at Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, S.C., you haven’t tasted anything! I never liked grits, but after I married DH (who is no stranger to grits), I fell in love with this dish!!
Mmmmm, I love grits. Polenta, too. About once a month or so DW and I make osso buco and polenta; she makes the former and I make the latter (lots of standing there stirring the pot.) Fun teamwork and good food, too!
I really liked this sweet JAMmy puzzle. Lemon, as usual your write-up and links were very entertaining. Thanks!
My only big mess up was throwing in PSA instead of SER at 36D. That slowed me down for a while. What was I thinking?!
Seeing Clay AIKEN made me long for the good old days of American Idol with Simon and Paula.
Total comfort food: Braised short ribs with creamy polenta/CORNMEAL.
Ron W - Happy anniversary!
Great comments today.
Here is where I get my grit-fix. I wasn't going to link it because there wasn't a picture of the dish. But since HeartRx took care of that...
Re polenta: The polenta dishes I've had has been excellent also.
My grandmother(from Louisville) used to buy corn mush in a tube. She sliced it crosswise, fried it in her iron skillet and served it with maple syrup(honey and fresh strawberries on special occasions).
So are polenta, grits and mush the same?
I believe the song is "Dang Me"
Abejo
To Hahtoolah: Thank you for the definition of Brangelina. I wouldn't have figured that out in a million years.
Abejo
Seen - From my experience grits are white and polenta is yellow. What isn't all that good is instant grits.
Back when I lived in TX "cheesy" grits were big. When I used to visit my in-laws in South Carolina, grits came with everything.
In Italy, polenta was served sometimes in place of pasta. I make it with butter, chicken stock, cream and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (the real stuff) - heaven!
As Jayce said, it's also excellent with osso buco, if you don't feel like making rissoto.
I've never had mush, but it's probably the same. There is a packaged polenta that comes in a tube. You can slice it and fry it up. Sounds good with strawberries and maple syrup.
Brangelina is/are getting married, after birthing/adopting 6 kids.
Just finished yesterday's puzzle--haven't done today's yet. Got a kick out of red or green. New Mexico has a State Question--red or green? When you answer this in a restaurant, your food will be smothered in red or green chile. If you want some of both,the answer is Christmas.
I prefer the green. Sometimes red tastes dusty to me and I wonder if theyjust go out on the porch and take one off of a rista.
Just figured out how to get my old picture back. Now off to do today's cw.
Sorry so late. I Thought this easier than wednes day. Got jam in one of my first answers. Everything came to gether. See yas.
Another stormy night here. We were in the path of a rotating cloud which never touched down that I heard. Small hail and heavy rain at my house. They sounded the tornado sirens for half an hour--very unusual. If we ever have a tornado, we'll all have been tired of warnings and not take precautions, I fear. Gets old fast.
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