Theme: "Before and After". No, not those weight-reducing ads...
17A. *Place for after-dinner courses : NIGHT SCHOOL. Night cap. I need one right now...I'll never make it to trade school at this rate!
25A. *Repress : BOTTLE UP. Bottle cap...yes, pop one open for me, please! On second thought, I want to trade up to something like Remy Martin!
51A. *Skating exhibitions : ICE SHOWS. Ice cap. No thanks, Tinbeni would be horrified if I added ice!! Anyway, I can't drink while I am doing trade shows...
64A. *Delta's aptly named monthly : SKY MAGAZINE. Sky cap. Uh, I think he needs one. Maybe he should read about proper behavior for coaches in a trade magazine?
And the unifiers:
40A. See 33-Down, and word that can precede the end of the answers to starred clues : TRADE
33D. With "and" and 40-Across, emissions-reducing method whose first word (this answer) can follow the start of the answers to the starred clues : CAP. "Cap and Trade" is an environmental policy tool for delivering positive results with a mandatory cap on emissions...you have heard of your "carbon footprint", right?
Whew! This was a really convoluted theme reveal for the simple word "cap", that can follow the first words of the theme entries, and "trade", that can precede the second word. I hope the colors that I used will help you to "see" this theme. It certainly took me a few minutes before I realized the elegance of it! I blogged the last Bill Thompson LAT offering, and there was plenty of good stuff there, as well!!
Marti here, to explore the other beauties in this one.
Across:
1. Loathe : ABHOR
6. Poke into : PROBE
11. "Blue Hawaii" prop : UKE. OK, so we go back in time a bit for this one.
14. Rear : RAISE
15. Houston hockey team : AEROS
16. Frat letters : NUs. and 71A. Sorority letters : ZETAS
19. Banned pesticide : DDT
20. Magic show reaction : OOH
21. Lots : OCEANS. Tons, oodles, a whole bunch...
22. "Omertà " author : PUZO. Mario Puzo. Have you read it, Mari or Irish Miss?
23. Mystery writer John Dickson ___ : CARR.
27. Double-___: puzzle type : CROSTIC
30. German pronoun : SIE. Formal "you". Informal you is "du". But, be very careful that you never use the informal (familiar) form, until you are invited to do so!
31. When many Lyon Lions are born : AOUT. In August, in French.
32. Brownish purple : PUCE. Eeeww...that just conjures up bad images.
35. Certain commuter's aid : STRAP. On the bus. I've spent many hours hanging onto them!
39. Utter : PURE. Sheer, pure terror (like when facing an audience for the first time?)
42. Grinder : HERO. Sub, Po' Boy, Hoagie, Zep, Muffalata, Panini...What's yours?
17A. *Place for after-dinner courses : NIGHT SCHOOL. Night cap. I need one right now...I'll never make it to trade school at this rate!
25A. *Repress : BOTTLE UP. Bottle cap...yes, pop one open for me, please! On second thought, I want to trade up to something like Remy Martin!
51A. *Skating exhibitions : ICE SHOWS. Ice cap. No thanks, Tinbeni would be horrified if I added ice!! Anyway, I can't drink while I am doing trade shows...
64A. *Delta's aptly named monthly : SKY MAGAZINE. Sky cap. Uh, I think he needs one. Maybe he should read about proper behavior for coaches in a trade magazine?
And the unifiers:
40A. See 33-Down, and word that can precede the end of the answers to starred clues : TRADE
33D. With "and" and 40-Across, emissions-reducing method whose first word (this answer) can follow the start of the answers to the starred clues : CAP. "Cap and Trade" is an environmental policy tool for delivering positive results with a mandatory cap on emissions...you have heard of your "carbon footprint", right?
Whew! This was a really convoluted theme reveal for the simple word "cap", that can follow the first words of the theme entries, and "trade", that can precede the second word. I hope the colors that I used will help you to "see" this theme. It certainly took me a few minutes before I realized the elegance of it! I blogged the last Bill Thompson LAT offering, and there was plenty of good stuff there, as well!!
Marti here, to explore the other beauties in this one.
Across:
1. Loathe : ABHOR
6. Poke into : PROBE
11. "Blue Hawaii" prop : UKE. OK, so we go back in time a bit for this one.
14. Rear : RAISE
15. Houston hockey team : AEROS
16. Frat letters : NUs. and 71A. Sorority letters : ZETAS
19. Banned pesticide : DDT
20. Magic show reaction : OOH
21. Lots : OCEANS. Tons, oodles, a whole bunch...
22. "Omertà " author : PUZO. Mario Puzo. Have you read it, Mari or Irish Miss?
23. Mystery writer John Dickson ___ : CARR.
27. Double-___: puzzle type : CROSTIC
30. German pronoun : SIE. Formal "you". Informal you is "du". But, be very careful that you never use the informal (familiar) form, until you are invited to do so!
31. When many Lyon Lions are born : AOUT. In August, in French.
32. Brownish purple : PUCE. Eeeww...that just conjures up bad images.
35. Certain commuter's aid : STRAP. On the bus. I've spent many hours hanging onto them!
39. Utter : PURE. Sheer, pure terror (like when facing an audience for the first time?)
42. Grinder : HERO. Sub, Po' Boy, Hoagie, Zep, Muffalata, Panini...What's yours?
43. Uncredited actor : EXTRA
45. Yani Tseng's org. : LPGA. Currently ranked # 1 in women's golf.
46. Home of Miami University : OHIO. Ha! Didn't fool me at all.
47. Neighbor of Leb. : ISR.ael
49. Neverending : ETERNAL
56. Fertile crescent land : IRAQ
57. Musty : DANK
58. Butter sources : CHURNS. Not nowadays, though.
60. American rival: Abbr. : UAL. United Air Lines.
63. "___ Fine Day": 1963 hit : ONE. The Chiffons, 1963. Oldie but goodie. (Ugh, I hate those YouTube ads!!)
66. Fly the coop : LAM. Usually, we hear "on the lam", but the actual meaning of "lam" is to break away, or escape.
67. Stud : HE-MAN. Like yesterday's "Ken" doll?
68. Assays : TESTS
69. Like some looks : SLY
70. Put up : ERECT. OK, I will leave this one alone...
Down:
1. River of Tuscany : ARNO. Obligatory geography lesson for the day. (Just above Florence.)
2. "Joanie Loves Chachi" co-star : BAIO. Scott. This "kid". My guess, is that Joanie is the one on the left?
3. Hearer of final appeals : HIGH COURT. Lemon and Hahtoolah can expand...
4. ___ Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. I never liked this clue/ans. "Kosh" and "Gosh" contain the entire thing, don't they??
5. Comeback : RETORT
6. Go to and fro : PACE
7. Post-op program : REHAB
8. Maine campus town : ORONO. Mainiac, where've you been?
9. Promotes : BOOSTS
10. Immigrant's subj. : ESL. English as a Second Language.
11. Excessive : UNDUE
12. Invasive Japanese vine : KUDZU
13. Prevent legally : ESTOP. (See comment on 3D)
18. What ad libbers ignore : SCRIPT. Great clue! And best show with ad libbers I have ever seen.
22. Overabundance : PLETHORA
24. Star : ASTERISK. *******
26. "My country, ___ ..." : TIS of thee...
27. Horn, for one : CAPE. Another geography lesson...
28. Gravy thickener : ROUX
29. Ringlet : CURL
34. Sidle : EDGE. Edge through the crowd, to the front of the line?
36. Burger follower : REHNQUIST. William, 16th Chief Justice of the US.
37. "Nessun dorma", e.g. : ARIA. Oh boy, I get to link an aria from Puccini's Turandot!! The aria is Italian for "None shall sleep". It's a long story, but basically the cold-blooded princess has to guess, before dawn, the name of the one who has won her hand (by correctly answering three riddles). She is repulsed at the thought of marrying him, and demands that no one shall sleep that night until his name is figured out. If the name is revealed, she is freed from the marriage demand. Kind of Rumpelstiltskin-esque, don't you think?
38. Combine, as assets : POOL
41. Using (up) : EATING
44. Fireplace powder : ASH
48. Chair on a porch : ROCKER. Cracker Barrel, anyone?
50. Fake : ERSATZ. Love that word!
51. Fan club focuses : IDOLS
52. Towpath locale : CANAL. They used to be used by donkeys towing barges through the canals. Now, it's mostly Sunday joggers.
53. She's not for you : ENEMY. Why "she"?
54. "What did I do to deserve this?" : WHY ME. ...why me?
55. "Poison" plant : SUMAC. Poison oak is much more allergenic.
59. Harangue : RANT.
61. Architectural pier : ANTA. Post or pillar on the sides of Greek temple entrances.
62. More, to a minimalist : LESS. "Less is more..."
64. Elle, across the Atlantic : SHE. HaHa, a reversal of the usual clue we see.
65. Bit of a snore? : ZEE. So now I have gone full circle from 71A ZETAS to ZEE tonight, so I'll say "Zo long".
Answer grid.
Hugs,
Marti
From C.C.:
Last Sunday Wisconsin State Journal published a thought-provoking letter Kazie wrote regarding student and teacher evaluation here in the US.
Below is the letter. (Thanks for the alert, Marge!)
"Having taught high school more than three decades, in four countries on three continents, I feel uniquely qualified to comment on education here. In Australia, I grew up and taught in a system where most student assessment relied on massive three-hour tests twice yearly--not the best way to foretell future success. However, I am also appalled that here, most testing consists of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-bubble guesses, very quickly gradable by computer, as opposed to subjective tests demanding active recall. The main concern at the end of the year, if teachers need more than 24 hours to get tests graded and results out, is how to entertain students after exams are done.
In contrast, French and German schools encourage daily, graded, student discussions of material they’ve studied, as well as long essay assignments throughout the year. Students can’t hide behind objective test guessing. Teachers there don’t just “lecture” in class, as is common here. Students participate actively in all their classes, resulting in more thorough comprehension and commitment to learning. The fault here is with the system itself. Changing student expectations, not just evaluation of teachers, will result in improved student performance, and that is the ultimate goal."
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteBlew through this one pretty quickly, despite not knowing ANTA, CROSTIC, AEROS and (as usual) AOUT. Didn't even bother to read the overly long clues for the theme reveals -- the perps got me to C_P and TR_DE and I was able to just guess the connecting A.
Fun puzzle overall. How can you not love a puzzle that has both PLETHORA and ERSATZ?
Good Morning, Marti and friends. I loved all wonderful clues in this puzzle. I figured out the theme, finally, after I had completed the puzzle. Clever theme, but way too convoluted to follow before my first cup of coffee!
ReplyDeleteThe theme clue: Place for After Dinner Course = NIGHT SCHOOL was my favorite clue.
Any puzzle with ORONO has got to be good, right Mainaic? Come back, Come back, where ever you are!
Where I now live, KUDZU can be very invasive! Don't worry, that is NOT my car.
I love the word PLETHORA. While I was doing today's puzzle and watching the morning news, the anchor actually used this word!
QOD: A study of economics usually reveals that the best time to buy anything is last year. ~ Marty Allen
Morning all,
ReplyDeleteI just realized that the theme would have been simpler to see, if I just insert the unifier “CAP and TRADE” between the two words of each theme entry. So we have:
NIGHT CAP and TRADE SCHOOL
BOTTLE CAP and TRADE UP
ICE CAP and TRADE SHOWS
SKY CAP and TRADE MAGAZINE
See how easy it is, after a good night’s sleep??
Thank you all for your kindness and comfort. We were all shocked by the speed of Fred's death. He was disconnected from all tubes at about 6 P.M. Tuesday and removed to Hospice. He lasted until 8 the next morning.
ReplyDeleteYour concern has been a consolation and a blessing for me.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteColor me crazy, but I thought this one felt more like Monday/Tuesday. I zoomed right through it. My only over-write was changing SNOOP to PROBE. There were quite a few 3-letter answers, but no stinkers. Not one. And the longer non-theme entries were super: ASTERISK (which everybody seems to pronounce ASTERICK in Texas) and PLETHORA (which nobody pronounces in Texas).
Way to go, Kazie!
Lucina, sorry to hear about your brother.
Gotta run, busy day ahead.
Clever, but easy for a Thurs.
ReplyDeleteMarti: Nice write-up. Thank you for the ARIA.
ReplyDeleteLucina: My sincere condolence.
I liked this CAP & TRADE theme. Though ICE never SHOWS up in my Avatar.
KUDZU, ERSATZ, HIGH-COURT with REHNQUIST, HE-MAN over ERECT; lots to like in this offering.
"She's not for you" for ENEMY seems like a clunker clue/answer. IMHO (S,double ASTERISK,T-Happens).
In Tarpon Springs we enjoy Gyro's instead of a HERO (Grinder).
A "toast" to all at Sunset.
Lucina, my deepest sympathy for your loss.
ReplyDeleteKazie,that was a good article. We should expect more from our students. In college and grad school we wrote and wrote. It is too bad they don't require that in high school.
Very clever puzzle today from Bill Thompson and a very clever write-up by Marti. I enjoyed the BLUE HAWAII and NESSUM DORMA links.
It has been a four day romp. Will the Friday and Saturday puzzles be bears?
NIGHT SCHOOL was a great pun.
OSHKOSH B’GOSH is the actual brand name. It sounds silly, so it is easy to remember.
My efforts on the CW today were less than brilliant. The NE took the longest to fall, due to my having LEI for UKE for too long. I also did not know ANTA, so UAL took a while too. Otherwise, I enjoyed the fresh fill and the clever double word connections.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Marge for noticing the letter, and to Desper-otto and Yellowrocks for commenting here. It was difficult to include all I wanted to say succinctly enough to fit in 200 words. My experience in Europe included only a year as assistante d'anglais in Montpellier, France, and guest appearances in our German sister school classes in Hessen, when there with our visiting student groups. But over the 16 years of those visits, I saw enough to know which system was the most successful. Those kids really had to know their stuff and defend their answers in their high school (Gymnasium) final oral exams!
Re: "Obligatory geography lesson for the day." When did they move Florence? I liked it much better on the Arno, although, during their prime, I imagine the Fiorentini would get much pleasure from knowing that offal from Ponte Vecchio was flowing to Rome.
ReplyDeleteHi Marti - art thou a NYC straphanger? I'm new to this blog.
ReplyDeleteI like the subway, but not so much the bus. But the Ralph Kramdens who pilot these whales in heavy midtown traffic deserve our admiration, IMHO. I always say "thank you" when I get off.
I love "ersatz" too, one of my all-time-favorite words, along with "angst".
Good morning everyone. Thanks, Marti, for the write-up and subsequent enhanced theme clarification. For once I got the theme while actually doing the puzzle, but it wasn't needed for the solve.
ReplyDeleteFairly easy, today, but took my time to savor the many exquisitely phrased clues. Particularly liked the clues for 31a, AOÛT and 36d, REHNQUIST. The clecho with HIGH COURT at the diagonal opposite at 3d was cool, too. Also liked the long downs of PLETHORA and ASTERISK. Had 'creams' before CHURNS. Great fun today.
C.C. Thanks for sharing Kazie's letter on education.
Enjoy the day.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Bill T., for a great Thursday puzzle. Thank you, as well, Marti, for the great review.
ReplyDeleteOnly got one word initially in the NW, OSH. I own a pair of bib overalls made by Osh Kosh B'Gosh. Good Wisconsin company.
In the center I was able to get ORONO and ESL immediately. In the NE ESTOP.
With all those to start I slowly got the entire North.
Took me a while to get REHNQUIST. I was thinking of Burger as a sandwich. Got the SE, then IRAG came easily. Then ETERNAL. I knew OHIO for Miami University. HERO was obvious. That only left the "R" REHNQUIST fell.
The theme came easily after I studied it for a minute. CAP and TRADE has been in the news for a couple years.
Of course 31A AOUT was totally with perps.
Had ZZZ for 65D for a short while. Fixed that to ZEE.
Fun puzzle. I am off the the Cubs/Brewers game today. The Cubs can only go up.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
WEES on the great words. I loved seeing PLETHORA, ASTERISK and ERSATZ. I hadn't heard of REHNQUIST and couldn't figure out what would follow a burger. Fries? Coke? Shake? (I must be hungry!)
ReplyDeletePUCE is such an odd name for a color. I always think the answer will be Plum.
I knew PUZO because I read a lot of true crime books.
Have a happy Friday eve.
Well this is odd...According to Wikipedia: "Puce is the French word for flea. The color is said to be the color of the bloodstains remaining on linen or bedsheets even after being laundered from a flea's droppings or after a flea has been killed.
ReplyDelete"Bedbugs leave the same color stains from their droppings as part of their nightly wanderings on the surfaces of bedsheets, pillowcases, and blankets. The appearance of these small colored stains on ones bedding even after being laundered is one way to diagnose that one's bedroom has been invaded by bedbugs."
How could I not have thanked C.C. for posting the letter? I think I did in my email to her. She is always wonderful in her support of all of us in our various endeavors.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to thank Marti for the blog and for linking that wonderful collection from "Whose line is it anyway?" I used to love that show!
Hey hey its Thursday:
ReplyDeleteWonderful puzzle full of much fresh fill and as always a lesson in the wit and wisdom of our own patient Hearti. Thank you.
Nice shout out to my favorite American author of British mysteries John Dickson Carr, as I just finished reading AND SO TO MURDER a Sir Henry Merrivale.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteLucina - very sorry to hear of your brother's passing.
Mari - thanks for the PUCE enlightenment. Now - how can I scrub that from my memory banks?
Excellent puzzle today. Impressive intricate theme. Lots of pitfalls, too. Fell into the LEI trap. HOGY messed up the east central. My bad.
It's been decades since I last held onto a bus STRAP.
Forgot all about Burger. RHENQUIST was a Nixon appointee who became Chief Justice under Reagan. IIRC, the original confirmation hearings were quite contentious because his prior career had been undistinguished in any way prior to his appointment, and he was an extremist.
He was against the decision in Brown vs Board of Ed, for Plessy vs Ferguson, and a staunch opponent of desegregation.
The FLA branch of our clan arrives this evening and will be with us through the week end. See Y'all next week.
Cheers!
JzB
Kazia - This is why American students lag behind their peers.
ReplyDeleteGreat Thursday, Bill and Marti.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your brother, Lucina.
It has been a good week after Monday's DNF. I usually can't finish Thursday puzzles, but did today. "Blue Hawaii" evokes memories. A few weeks ago I attended a son's wedding in Honolulu on the beach of the air force/navy base there.
Unfamiliar with the term, grinder, but after the perps, seem to remember reading the word somewhere.
I learned the Greek alphabet as a challenge in a women's teacher organization I belong to.
Kazie, great article. I was a hands-on teacher, but I sure heard a lot of 'lecturers' in rooms around me.
Have a good day everyone,
Montana
Lucina:
ReplyDeleteI just read about your brother; I send my best wishes and prayers. I too lost a brother while here, and received much comfort from the people here. If you need anything which we can provide, let us know. My emails are always working
Hello.
ReplyDeleteNo problems with this one.
Houston Aeros - AHL affiliate for Minn Wild.
No essay tests in Engr classes. Plenty in Lib Arts.
Third day of rain. Getting cabin fever. Hope it doesn't move south to Long Beach.
Sharks play tonight! Fliers surprised the Pens last night.
eddy
Embarrasingly easy Thursday puzzle today... more of a Mon-Tues level with not one writeover. Its saving grace was ANTA, which I had never heard before and is now in my crosswordese list. And, yes, ERSATZ, PLETHORA, and ASTERISK are all great words.
ReplyDeleteBill T., great puzzle! Marti, thanks for the commentary and links! I'll return for a second aria.
ReplyDeleteThis looked like a DF on the first pass. Almost no fills. Put "rock" for "to and fro". My brain activated on the next pass so the puzzle took shape.
Wanted German "meister" to follow burger. Hadn't read either author. Had to Kindle them. Eventually finished without my usual one-letter error.
Kazie: great letter. When I used to interview AFS students annually, I would ask how school was different in their countries. European students especially mentioned the emphasis on school sports and activities in the USA. If they wanted to do sports or music in Europe, they joined a sports club or took lessons away from school. School was more serious and intense. They seemed to think the US students minds were too distracted by what is called extra-curricular activities to pay attention to a classroom teacher. Did you find this, Kazie?
Parachute Jump @ 8:32, welcome to the blog! Not NYC - Boston! I worked at Mass General for several years, then for a biotech company in Southie.
ReplyDeleteKazie, your letter was very succinct and to the point, with a great deal of thought behind it. I felt as if I were reading one of your posts here!
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteLucina, my sympathy and best regards to your family. A great friend recently died earlier than predicted, soon after he went into hospice. Going sooner when the outcome is known is a blessing.
Kazie, a truly great commentary on education. Totally agree.
Yesterday's question about using eBay: my son who lives in Manhattan and who had been without a car for years, bought a car on eBay. And it's been wonderful for him and his family, and has more than 100,000 miles and is still going strong.
Cheers
PS It was great having Nessun Dorma, which is one of my favorite arias. And thanks for the explanation for those who are not opera buffs.
ReplyDeleteGood write up, as always.
I stopped having anything to do with Ebay after PayPal got its hooks into it. Now it is nothing like it used to be.
ReplyDeleteTerrific puzzle today, thanks Bill! I love it when they're challenging but doable. And delightful write-up, Marti. Am I the only one who doesn't get Grinder=HERO? I've never heard a sandwich called a grinder. But except for the occasional Pastrami, I'm not much into sandwiches, I guess. Speaking of fast food, the Burger follower had me stumped for quite a bit too, although, thank goodness, I did remember REHNQUIST. Finally, Osh Kosh B'Gosh used to have very cute TV ads. So that was a gimme for me.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and thoughtful education discussion, Kazie.
And welcome, Parachute Jump!
We're off on our little vacation this afternoon, so I probably won't check in again until next week. Have a great weekend, everybody!
Welcome PJ:
ReplyDeleteGrinder is just a new England thing, cna't you imagine people ordering their grindahs?
Fun puzzle and lots of interesting fill. Don't believe I've ever seen Ersatz as an answer before. I didn't realize that the second word of the theme answers factored in until I came here. I guess I got bored reading the long unifier clues and quit before finished. But knowing that raises my opinion of the theme exponentially. Good job!
ReplyDeleteRain on the plains today. Much needed, I might add.
First comment ever!
ReplyDeleteLove this Blog - a great asset for improving our crossword skills.
Hate this puzzle - theme is too obscure!
Hello huckses,
ReplyDeleteI'd say figuring out the unifier was convoluted but not that obscure. Reread Barry G.'s post.
CAP and TRADE were not used as a single entry but as two separate ones so not knowing what "Cap and Trade" meant didn't affect solving the theme entries, although I did waste some time trying to do just that. D'oh!
Here are some inconvenient truths concerning Kazie`s letter: We (teacher`s) are not allowed to fail over a certain percentage of certain groups of students, regardless of their abilities. We must take the raw material (students), in what ever form they reach us, ie: proficient, challenged, street-raised, neglected and/or abused etc., and produce the same results...able to pass a test often not even relevant to our area. (Once, we had an illustration of a soccer goal...most of our students had never seen one!) Europe has "tracks" that lead some students to vocational schools and some to colleges. In our corner of the world, if a few students don`t want to learn and are just in the classroom because the law says so, they can and do infect the whole. We are constantly required to make allowances for some students. Those that see this soon expect the same. These are but a few of the challenges our broken, educational system faces.
ReplyDeleteKazie, perhaps you coul;d run for congress and get some of this changed!
Huckses:
ReplyDeleteAre you related to Huck Seed the great poker player? In any case, welcome and remember the puzzles are designed to be more diffuclt as the week progresses from Monday to Saturday. As you can see by many of the comments, this group of puzzle solvers who all work very hard at their skills, amd their learning did not find this to be an overly difficult Thursday puzzle. Keep solving and remember, even though some of us have done puizzles for 50+ years, somedays they are too hard. Good luck
Welcome huckses! No matter what your opinion of the puzzle, it is always welcome.
ReplyDeleteConstructors should especially enjoy hearing what you do or do not like, as it allows them to hone their constructing skills, just as doing them hones your solving skills!
So don't be afraid to jump in any time - the water here is quite friendly!!
Clever theme. Interesting write-up, Marti. Enjoyed KUDZU and WHYME. Got the middle late. For some reason I couldn’t figure that “Burger follower” would be a surname and I stared at ??HN??IST for ten minutes before I conceded to a DNF; I hate when what should have been the “aha” moment during a solve is instead the “duh” moment of reviewing an unfinished puzzle. ERSATZ, as many have stated, rocks. The semantics of PLETHORA are such that it indicates an overabundance, as clued here, and not just, as it is often used, an abundance; i.e., technically, “plethora” and “bevy” are synonyms, “plethora” and “multitude” are not.
ReplyDeleteMarti, thanks for the “Whose Line” clip. I was rolling. Classic show. Nothing else like it. The show’s maturation is fascinating, starting on BBC with a stark, awkward format and reaching its peak in the American version that simply allowed four talented improv artists to do their thing.
Kazie, I’ve read a lot about the “teach the test” mode of American education, and how it pales in comparison to that of other countries. Makes me sad. I think, collectively, we’re becoming more aware of this and one reaction to that awareness is the boom in home-schooling. . . . Mass education is young, and we’re learning (pun intended).
Good puzzle! Bill Thompson got this Bill at least twice. 'Horn for one' (CAPE) and 'Burger follower' REHNQUIST were too tricky for me until the crossing words filled in some of the letters. Hard but about right for a Thursday. Fun writeup Marti. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to see ERSATZ in a puzzle. Who will be the first constructor to clue VERKLEMPT (or has it been done already)?
Kazie, I enjoyed and appreciated your letter.
Great to see all the education discussion continue.
ReplyDeletePK, yes, my husband and I have always been amazed that so much time, energy and money is spent on sport in school here. We hear that some kids would not stay in school if it weren't for sport. The answer to that is not to force them to continue an academic schedule for four years, but rather to let them seek alternate skill training at tech schools by leaving high school earlier. But it's always the lockstep all the same for everyone program here.
Anon @12;11 mentioned the European tracking, which is frowned upon here, but which allows students with a less academic leaning to start following more practical interests sooner. Many of them, presumably late bloomers, return to college type courses later on. Most degreed engineers in Germany have worked several years in the field before taking their degree courses.
Bill G. @ 1:11, VERKLEMPT has been used twice - once in a NY Times Friday puzzle (John Farmer, 2007), and once in a CrossSyngery Tuesday puzzle (Randall Hartman, 2008).
ReplyDeleteOh, and the clues were "Overcome with emotion, to Linda Richman", and "Choked up", respectively.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon everyone:
ReplyDeleteI'm late to the dance as I had appts. and errands.
I thought the puzzle was very, very clever and, like so many others loved Ersatz, Plethora, Asterisk, etc. I did go astray early on with cameo instead of extra for 43A, and return instead of retort for 5D. Perps soon ironed those out. Good job, Bill T., and great expo, Marti.
Yes, Marti, I did read Omertà , but many, many years ago. Puzo's masterpiece was The Godfather; everything after that was so-so, IMHO. Also, Marti, I have a friend who taught in the nursing program at Mass. General several years ago.
Welcome, Huckses and Parachute Jump.
To add to the comments concerning education: Equality in education does not mean educating everyone the same way. It means educating each individual to the fullest potential they will allow. No one can make a person learn if they choose not to. I have seen many a capable student choose to be mediocre because of cultural and peer pressure. What a great pity!
ReplyDeleteAfter I played the Pavarotti rendition of NESSUM DORMA, I saw this one in the sidebar.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ46Ot4_lLo&feature=related
Amazing. Both my wife and I had a good cry.
Welcome to Huckses and Parachute Jump.
ReplyDeleteERSATZ has appeared at least 5 times in the LAT during the last 3 years according to a Corner search.
Please explain the burger clue
ReplyDeletethanks
I thought of Hamalton Burger of Perry Mason (being thusday and anything goes) so thats how I got Rqst. Pretty easy except for southwest and northwest VERY easy. cheers
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 2:55, William REHNQUIST was the 16th Chief Justice of the US, serving from 1986 - 2005. Before him, the Chief Justice was Warren Burger. So, REHNQUIST "followed" Burger.
ReplyDeleteRemember - it's late in the week, and clues get trickier.
Hello everybody. Wow, what a terrific enhancement to an already good day: a fun puzzle with some razzle-dazzle fill and awesome cluing, an interest-piquing writeup by Marti, links to some tear-evincing and knee-slappingly funny clips, and thought-provoking discussions of the American education system. Can't ask for more! I'm a happy man! Thank you all.
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteI found this a hard puzzle but plugged away at it.
Lucina: I'm sorry about your brother and you have my sympathy. I have two brothers and they are very important to me.
Oshkosh was a Menominee Native American Chief in NE Wisconsin and the name of the city where the Oshkosh B'Gosh Company is.
This morning I found myself singing a couple songs as I did some chores around the house. One was 'My Country 'tis Of Thee' before I even looked at the puzzle. Strange!
I never heard of ROUX, I use flour. Oops, I just looked it up and see its base is flour and butter mixed together but appears to be a term used in the south. Well, we live and learn.
Thanks to all involved with this blog. Thanks C.C. for finding Kazie's letter and posting it. I thought it was very good.
Have a good afternoon!
Marge
Thanks to Marti for answering,
ReplyDeletesympathy being sent to Lucina
The minimalists totally stole the "Less is more" line from the modernists! Then again, so did the Brutalists... and the Functionalists... and De Stijl... The Bauhaus... Bucky Fuller ...
ReplyDeleteLucina, i am very sorry to hear about your brother.
ReplyDeleteI managed to finish the puzzle using red letters, but it was a difficult slog. My brain was stuck on some car emissions gadget, & unkowns like "crostic,ringlet/curl,LPGA" pretty much bottled me up and sent me back to night school.
Kazie @1:24: For awhile our state had vocational-technical schools where high school students could go for training before HS grad. These have evolved into tech colleges for the most part. I don't know whether high schoolers still can go part-time.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my kids went for two-year vocational training after HS and two went for full bachelor's degrees. One has two bachelor's and a master's degrees. Strangely, the one with the most education makes the least money. The one with vo-tech training makes the most. But both are doing what they love, so money is not the first consideration.
I urged my yard boy to do vo-tech when he was graduating from HS. His parents wanted college. He went for two months and was home again then went to vo-tech and is now a plumber with a good job. His brother with a 4-yr. philosophy degree clerks in a bike shop.
Some kids just are not scholars.
(cont.)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I recently discussed the fact that basketball players go to a year or so to college then opt to become NBA players without a degree. Colleges deplore this.
She recently had a ballplayer student who could not write an understandable paper. Some athletic programs provide tutoring at her college, while others don't. She feels they all should.
She would prefer getting an education before going to pro-ball. I told her this is sad, but it seems to me the goal should be to do whatever lifts these guys out of poverty. Usually, the big pro-ball money is most practical. Hopefully, they can learn to spend it wisely.
PK,
ReplyDeleteI know that academic college degrees don't always bring the highest incomes, that is obvious to any teacher who has to pay electricians or other tradespeople these days.
I agree that kids/people should be guided into what interests them and can lift them to whatever level they are capable of, which is certainly not the same path for everyone. That is where our system fails many students. Often bright kids drop out, either mentally, or altogether because of lacking a challenge too. I'd also like to see more gifted and talented programs for them.
I dropped out of college, I was so bored, uninterested. My dad was so mad he made me enlist in the military. The military taught me 100 times more than college ever could and did, and did it 100 times more effectively. My disgust for college professors grew so profound I gave up my objective to go into that profession and became an engineer and scientist instead. Darn glad I did.
ReplyDeleteOne professor's lectures were so boring they put everybody in the room to sleep. The notes from which he read were so old the paper was literally yellowed and crumbling. By far the most instructive classes were seminars, study groups, and discussion groups. IMO lectures are utterly useless.
ReplyDeleteOne of my early morning college classes was from a professor who had written the text we were using. Boring. Another eight o'clock elective was English history with a very dull professor. He required attendance. So I hiked up the hill every morning, put my head down on the desk and slept through the lecture. A few professors were such good speakers that the students whistled and clapped when the lecture was over.
ReplyDeleteAnother boring professor (who had written the text) had a habit of looking out over the class to the back of the room while never making eye contact. I was sitting up front but had a hard time keeping awake. I would occasionally doze off. I would awake with a start afraid he had noticed me sleeping. But no. He had just paused and was still staring over the class at the back of the room.
Hey, everybody.
ReplyDeleteWhoopee, I got it done and early,too, but I had appointments and couldn'post till now.
Great article, Kazie. We certainly do need to get some right-thinking educators busy improving our educational system. Some of you may have read "The Freedom Writers Diary" , also a movie, wherein a beginning teacher reforms a classroom of delinquents by having them write every day. It's a great read and full of common sense. True story, too.