Theme: Swing! - The unifier may be hit by first word in the themed entries.
18A. *Hangman drawing : STICK FIGURE
24A. *Layered lunch : CLUB SANDWICH
40A. *Actor's prompt : CUE CARD
51A. *Colleague of Wyatt Earp : BAT MASTERSON
61A. *Feature of Fulton's Clermont : PADDLE WHEEL
57D. Object that may be struck by the starts of the answers to starred clues : BALL
Argyle here. Very similar to yesterday's. We had a visit from Gareth this past Friday and here he is again, proving he's good on any day of the week. And before anybody says anything about not swinging a cue, think about all those bar room brawls you've seen on TV and in the movies.
Across:
1. Doctrine suffix : ISM
4. Predatory cat : LION
8. Swiss bread? : FRANC
13. ABBA's home country: Abbr. : SWE. (Sweden)
14. Sewing cases : ETUIs
16. Defamatory text : LIBEL
17. Live __: 1985 charity concert : AID. Abba didn't perform at "Live Aid" so can't link them. Some of you are probably glad of that. (You know who you are.)
20. Pisces follower : ARIES
22. Centuries on end : AEON
23. Excessively : TOO
28. Cabbage : MOOLA
29. Resident of a city at nearly 12,000 feet : LHASAN. Geography lesson. Map.
33. Chance in a game : TURN
35. "__-dokey!" : OKEY
38. Overplay a part : EMOTE
39. Words with price or premium : AT A
42. Endearing tattoo word : MOM
43. Slowly, in scores : LARGO. What is the difference between LENTO and LARGO? (breit und langsam, in German notation) LENTO and LARGO have the same BPM but LENTO means slowly and LARGO means broadly, an indication to play with a very slow, wide tempo; to play slowly with broad, stretched out beats; “slow and dignified”.
I have little idea about what I just wrote; can I get a little help here?
45. "Dumb" girl of old comics : DORA. Drawn by Chic Young, Dora "wasn't as dumb as she looked", à la Gracie Allen. He went on to create "Blondie".
46. Message from the boss : MEMO
47. Inferior and inexpensive : CHEAPO
49. Deduce : INFER
56. Karate belt : OBI. Much narrower than the traditional sash.
59. Inside info : POOP
60. Rental agreement : LEASE
65. Strings in Hawaii : UKE
66. École enrollee : ÉLÈVE. French.
67. Baker's device : SIEVE
68. Address at a Scottish pub : LAD. Aye, but what's a laddie doing in a pub?
69. First American Red Cross president Barton : CLARA
70. Venison source : DEER
71. Effort : TRY
Down:
1. "I, Robot" author Asimov : ISAAC
2. Artistic ice cream blend : SWIRL. Variegated, in ice cream jargon.
3. Filet mignon order : MEDIUM RARE
4. Not as much : LESS SO
5. Derby-sporting Addams : ITT. Cousin but on whose side?
6. "Yes, mon ami" : "OUI"
7. Rechargeable battery : NICAD
8. Shrank in fear : FLINCHED. Remember we had QUAILED awhile back; much the same meaning.
9. Oil-drilling equipment : RIG
10. Be up against : ABUT
11. "Quo Vadis" emperor : NERO. "Quo Vadis" A novel that tells of a love that develops between a young Christian woman, Ligia (or Lygia), and Marcus Vinicius, a Roman patrician. It takes place in the city of Rome under the rule of emperor Nero around AD 64. per Wiki.
12. Mark's love, casually : CLEO. Antony and Cleopatra.
15. Distort, as facts : SKEW
19. Microwave no-no : FOIL
21. Black, to Blake : EBON. William Blake (1757–1827), British poet, painter, and printmaker.
25. Six-time baseball All-Star Moises : ALOU
26. Like a newborn : NAKED
27. Holiday entrée : HAM
30. Trampoline maneuver : SOMERSAULT
31. Physics particle : ATOM
32. Jules Verne captain : NEMO
33. Powder on a puff : TALC
34. Sundance Film Festival state : UTAH
36. Green prefix : ECO
37. Toyota subcompact : YARIS. Debut in 1991. The name,"Yaris", is loosely derived from the name of the Greek goddess of grace, Charis.
40. Compromise with the district attorney : COP A PLEA
41. Tirade : RANT
44. Chew the fat : GAB
46. For a __ pittance : MERE
48. Plains native : OTOE
50. Gal's guy : FELLER. Was Paul Bunyan a feller?
52. Trims the lawn : MOWS
53. Green-bellied sap sucker : APHID
54. Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR
55. Clingy, in a way : NEEDY
56. Oil acronym : OPEC
58. Thought : IDEA
62. TiVo, for one : DVR
63. Wide shoe letters : EEE
64. Morn's opposite : EVE
Argyle
88 comments:
Morning, all!
Mostly a speed run today. Hit a few minor pot holes and speed bumps at LHASANS (I thought I had made a mistake when I saw the LH appear), DORA (never heard of her) and OBI (I thought that was just a sash for a kimono, not also a belt for a karate outfit). Also, I initially had AGES instead of AEON, which messed things up for a few seconds.
Other than that, though, smooth sailing. Liked the cute clue for APHID.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I had a spot of trouble with coming up with the LION. I tried Puma and Linx before the Lion came through to me.
The theme answers came easily, however.
I didn't realize that Switzerland was using FRANCs and not Euros.
I am not much of a baker, but does a baker use a SIEVE? I can see a cook using a sieve, but a baker?
Is LAD the Scottish equivalent of Dude?
There are lots of Oil RIGS in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast.
I was almost fooled into thinking we were looking for a color shade with the Green Prefix.
Isn't Cleo's love usually spelled as Marc instead of Mark?
QOD: Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. ~ Mark Twain.
I really liked today's puzzle. I think it's the first time I've seen POOP in a CW. The long answers: MEDIUMRARE, SOMERSAULT, FLINCHED, COPAPLEA, CLUBSANDWICH, BATMASTERSON were all fresh. The only answer I liked not as much was LESSSO.
I have to agree with Hahtoolah about the baker and Cleo's love. Loved the QOD today. My former employer owned several of those G-O-M OIL RIGS.
Does anybody still use NICAD batteries?
Today's the last day of tax preparation. Can't decide if we're going to be busy or bored. Guess I'll find out...
Fun speed run today. It's interesting to see Gareth's work so soon, and at opposite ends of the difficulty scale. The aphid clue was masterful. With everything in place but the H, I still couldn't bend my mind to that view.
Bakers do use sieves. Sifting all the dry ingredients together before adding the liquids makes them finer, more uniform and more absorbent. Or so they say. I've always been too lazy to go through that step.
Great QOD!
According to Wikipedia (for whatever that's worth), Mark Anthony was the Roman general. Marc Anthony is the former husband of Jennifer Lopez.
Nice fresh fill for a Tuesday, not difficult, but still enjoyable. I did SW last so didn't get the theme until then.
I learned that OBI are karate belts as well as kimono sashes.
I didn't see POOP until I came here. It was filled in already by perps.
Do you remember Gene Barry as the suave BAT MASTERSON in the TV series?
Argyle, I'd flinch, too.
I thought Schindler's list was a well done, thought provoking movie. After all that has been revealed about that period, the horror is still fresh every time.
Favorite clue was APHID. It made me laugh.
SIEVE was a gimme.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Thanks for all the information, Argyle. I have no idea what you were saying at 43A, either. But I'll take your word for it!
I like the theme, and caught on at 24A, so the other entries were quite easy to fill in. There was some sparkly stuff that Desper-otto has already mentioned. So it's all good.
Hahtoolah, this is a baking
SIEVE.
Have a lovely day, everyone!
HeartRx, your baking sieve looks like a flour sifter to me.
Placematfan (from last night) enjoyed your rant in three acts. Even understood some parts of it.
Argyle, the difference between Largo and Lento: Lento never had a key named after it.
Lento doesn't have a song either. Key Largo(3:25).
All flour sifters are sieves, but not all sieves are flour sifters.
Per Wiki:Types of sieves used in cooking:
-Chinoise, or conical sieve used as a strainer, also sometimes used like a food mill
-Cocktail strainer, a bar accessory
-Colander, a (typically) bowl-shaped sieve used as a strainer in cooking
-Flour sifter, used in baking
-Mesh strainer, or just "strainer", usually consisting of a fine metal mesh screen on a metal frame
-Spider, used in Chinese cooking
-Tamis, also known as a drum sieve
-Tea strainer, specifically intended for use when making tea
-Zaru, or bamboo sieve, used in Japanese cooking
Hi All,
Fun puzzle with great clues. Argyle: I also thought of trees when I saw FELLER.
WEES regarding LESS SO and MARC. Thanks for the info on Mark vs. Marc, Barry G.
I was unfamiliar with NICAD batteries.
Fun words of the day: CHEAPO, POOP, and ABUT (ha ha).
IMHO, using the word INFER makes one seem intelligent.
Enjoy your day!
Musings
-Grandson’s idea of playing with papa is, “I hit/kick the BALL and you chase it!”
-A puzzle with a filet and a club sandwich can’t be all bad!
-Have you noticed how in the movie pool hall brawls, the 10 bad guys wait their turn to hit the hero? How sporting!
-Bread, cabbage, dough, bucks, grand, smacker, lettuce, scratch, jack, simoleon and…
-If our high resident ain’t in Lima, how ‘bout Lhasa
-How many regrets have accompanied TATOOS?
-Oh, I get it, both a geisha and a sensei can wear an OBI
-My writing instruments are CHEAPOS not Mount Blancs. I’ll repeat my question from late yesterday – Do you own an extravagant item that you wouldn’t ordinarily buy?
-Did you ever get “One for FLINCHing”?
-There are lies, damn lies and statistics to SKEW data
-Nebraskan/Yankee Joba Chamberlin severely broke his leg on a TRAMPOLINE this winter with his kid and will be out a long time.
-We are going to try to mulch the lawn this summer instead of catching the grass when we MOW this year. How ‘bout you?
-Rain is past, FORE!
LAD is not exactly a Scottish Pub visitor needed crosses!!
I can never remember ETUI always need crosses [roll-eyes]
POOP? OMG I am sooooo offended.
;-)
Cute puzzle
D-otto @ 8:01, I always call it a "flour sifter", but it really is a specialized type of sieve, as YR pointed out.
Argyle @8:10, thanks for the "Key Largo" link - I love that song!!
HG @8:22, I have a Rolex Lady's Oyster with a diamond-studded bezel. Normally I would never buy such a thing, but I picked it up at a US government auction for a fraction of what it's worth. I always intended to sell it for a quick profit, but after 20 years, I still have the darn thing!!
HG @8:22, My new car (2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse). I debated a long time whether or not to splurge. I know it's not a luxury car, but to me it was a major purchase. I usually go with a CHEAPO.
The unifier at 57-down could just as easily been "head".
No real problems today but I was wondering about LESSO until I came here just now and realized there are three Ses there: LESSSO. Also I didn't even read the wide shoe clue. Several unknown names or at least poorly remembered ones.
C.C.,
I wasn't able to reach Dot on their old email yesterday. Do you know if they changed it?
Good morning all. Thanks for the comments, Argyle.
Another easy one, today, but what's not to like with BAT MASTERSON. Geography lesson with LHASAN; I knew it was up there at a high altitude. Fantastic that the Chinese have built a train connection to that daunting part of the world. MEDIUM well or RARE was decided by CHEAPO. Lots of nice breezy fill. No searches were needed. That's about all the POOP for today. Thanks Gareth.
Have a great day.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gareth Bain, for a swell Tuesday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review. I especially liked the jet low pass.
This was an easy puzzle for the most part. Got the theme answers easily.
Wasn't sure who Dumb Dora was. Wagged it.
I even got OUI and ELEVE (with a couple perps). I am getting there.
First time I have seen ITT clued that way. Very good.
Great QOD, Hahtoolah. Also, I tend to agree with you about Marc Antony. I think his name was actually Marcus Antonius. I may look into that in a minute, just for grins.
Weather here looks good today. Hopefully less wind than yesterday. I put up a greenhouse yesterday and was afraid it would blow away. It is anchored, but the wind was gusty. It was there this morning.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Husker, my extravagant purchase was a $1,000 music server (half computer, half CD player). I loaded up the hard-drive with all 500+ CD's in my collection, because I'm too lazy to get up and change the CD every 30-45 minutes. Now I've set up playlists that are several hundred songs long that I shuffle-play. It's expensive, but I'd actually buy it again. Oh, and we always mulch the lawn.
Hahtoolah: I looked around and Mark Antony appears to be correct. Officially he was Marcus Antonius. According to the article I read he and Cleopatra committed suicide together as they were about to be captured by Octavian.
Hey guys, unlike yesterday, this puzzle had no ARGH! spots.
Had to wiki the Clermont, which is actually the incorrect title LOL.
Needed red lettering to realize FELLER isn't FELLOW
Interestingly, LION was the first one I filled in.
Here's to a puzzle with more dirty entries!(59A and 26D)
Our extravagant item would be a $200 pair of skillets that our son gave us for Christmas. Scan-Pans (tm). They are non-stick, but not teflon or anything similar. I think they are titanium coated. They work great, and are nearly indestructible (roommate-proof per our son). I really enjoy them, but would never pay that much for 2 skillets.
As for mulching, I bag the thicker, healthier grass, but only so I can use it as mulch on the garden. Any other areas that don't yield much usable grass I mow with the rider which doesn't have a catcher.
Good morning all:
Thanks, Gareth, for an easy and fun Monday romp, and to Argyle, thanks for your usual nifty expo.
HG @ 8:22-I don't know whether to feel deprived or sensible as I can't think of anything I own that is extravagant. (Certainly not my 2002 Corolla with 25,000 miles.)
Happy Monday everyone.
Don't ask where my brain is this morning!
Happy Tuesday everyone.
And an easy and fun Tuesday romp.
Mea culpa.
Good morning everyone. Thanks to Gareth for a Tuesday level puzzle and to Argyle for an interesting writeup.
I did all the across clues first pass except libel didn't register so skipped it. Down clues filled it in very quickly. I did take time to read the down clues before coming here. I rarely get the themes for puzzles, but I did today.
I didn't know karate belts were obis. My DIL displays hers coiled up artfully in a shadow box on a wall in their apartment.
I wouldn't have known Yaris or Dora, but they were already filled in when I read the clues.
I have cooked a lot of venison in my life. With 4 sons plus husband, one winter I had 7 deer to deal with. I got good at disguising it.
The low pass jet scene could have been filmed 40 miles south of where I live. The airforce was looking for training areas for low flying jets. Eastern Montana has miles and miles and miles of nothing but prairie, wildlife and cattle. They invited locals to stand in the fields and watch as they flew over very close to the ground. We all flinched and ducked. It ended up that they didn't fly over during calving season--scared the cows too bad.
Great day! We mulch our lawn except for one time after the bloom of dandelions in the spring.
I inherited a very expensive sewing machine and cabinet. I never would have purchased it myself, but I do appreciate having it now.
Have a good day,
Montana
Forgot to mention,
In "Annie Get Your Gun" musical and movie, Annie sings about her 'feller' in "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun." They are Irving Berlin lyrics.
Montana
Fun puzzle - read the theme clues first and was able to guess BALL from my guess at CLUBSANDWICH. Pretty smooth fill.
No ISAAC Asimov-related link in the write up, so I'll provide one: Jenkins' Spoiler-Laden Guide To Isaac Asimov provides one man's reviews of nearly every one of The Good Doctor's 400+ books. My own bookshelf contains 2 and a half shelves full, but I would have a long way to go to match the creator of that website.
Good morning to all thanks Argyle for your insights and Gareth for the fun puzzle. I thought 50D clue was tricky could be hall of famer Bob. Aunt Eller in Oklahoma talks about fellers, Just sayin. Have a great day to all. Having 7th birthday celebration for one of the grandson's later. RJW.
What is a co-pap lea?
Oskar Schindler also in NYT puzzle today.
On the "auld sod", "lad and laddie" are equivalent to "mack", "mate", "pal" "buddy" (a bit less formal than "Mr.")...regardless of age. Bartender, "What`ll have,lad?" also "What`ll it be, me boy-o?". And if they are obviously upper crust, it could be, "What for you today, governor?"
How nice to see GB back so soon, and as pointed out by D-O, with so many fresh clues for a Tuesday.
In the never ending coincidence of the world, I am reading an old Jeffrey Archer book, A Matter of Honour and in an early scene the protagonist invites a young lady to dinner, and as soon as she walks in he "topped up" her wine. So there you have it, right from baron Archer himself.
SJ SJ, Asimov was in a class by himself and all that and he was afraid to fly.
Anon @ 10:19a.
That is the grassy meadow where we keep all the two-teated cows.
I must be the only one who had steam engine before paddle wheel - hey, it fit and it's true! I wasn't thinking theme at the time. Everything else was easy. IMHO, a medium well filet mignon would be a sin.
Thanks Gareth for another fine offering. Argyle, enjoyable review as always. I''m with HeartRX regarding your comments on 43a, but I'll defend your right to say so.
Off to write a check to my uncle. Happy tax day everyone.
Hope all those marathon runners aren't too stiff and sore today. Heard that Sam Adams 21.6 lager is pretty good stuff.
Hola Everyone, A speed run today as I seemed to be on Gareth Bain's wavelength. I even got the theme, but if any of those items were weilded against me I would have flinched!!
My learning moments for today were Obi for Karate sash and Nicad Battery. I didn't know either until the CW today.
My aunt never used a sifter when baking. She put everything into a wire sieve and shook it all onto wax paper to be added to her recipe at the right time. A wire sieve can be larger than a sifter and easier to manipulate, especially if you have problems with stiff hands.
I thought the clue for aphid was super.
We put worm poop on our garden, but we call them castings. Are we being elitist when we use that term?
Anon at 10:19--It is Cop A Plea.
Off to the dentist.
Have a great day everyone.
Anon @ 10:19, I thought Farmer John's answer to your question was a lot better than mine. LOL.
Great puzzle and writeup today.
There are now many, many oil RIGs near where I live. Good and bad results; more crime and traffic offset the money that many are getting from the oil boom.
Fun to see POOP used in a puzzle! Didn't make the ABUT connection til I read Mari's comment, you slightly naughty ( yet funny) girl! :)
Key Largo - another great movie for your list.
Ebon - college nick name.
Had to tie Daisy to a tree while
cutting the lawn (no bag). She loves to supervise. Doing the back yard today.
eddy
Fun puzzle. Thanks for the nice writeup Argyle.
I had trouble with 64D. Because of the font, I read it as Mom's opposite rather than Morn's opposite.
I enjoyed watching the Space Shuttle Discovery on its final flight to the Smithsonian this morning.
Bill G - I had the same problem with 64d. Seems to be a common issue every time a word ends in "r n".
Good afternoon everyone.
Off to a Bibliophiles get-together.
But I must tell mtnest995 that I too had steam engine. Finally fixed that, but never did figure out what _esss_ was. (LESS SO) 'Til I came here. Great puzzle and great write up, Argyle.
Cheers
Don't blame me for this... Gareth is the one who used STICKFIGURE.
I #@$% TIGERS
Re Moises Alou: Most baseball players wear batting gloves to improve their grip on the bat, to reduce vibration and to avoid blisters or calluses. Alou was one of the few not to wear gloves so he could get a better "feel" for the bat. He still worried about blisters and calluses. His solution? He peed on his hands. (hey, we had already had poop) A few other players did also. Not on Alou's but their own!
Also Alou played a major part in the infamous Bartman foul ball play at Wrigey Field. His reaction really fueled the mob mentality of Cub fans. If you have some time to waste this documentary is well done(not medium rare). Alou's reaction is shown around the 2:30 mark(not marc).
Hello Puzzlers -
Speed run today. The only unknown I can remember is DORA, must be before my time.
I'm glad that among the various retired shuttles, Discovery was the one to end up in care of the Smithsonian. She's the only orbiter I personally worked on.
Seen - your Dayton sense of humor is showing - love it!
Hello, LADs and Lassies. Thanks, Argyle; you're such a nice FELLER.
And thanks, Gareth, for a super puzzle. I sashayed swiftly enjoying some cute cluing. WEES, you have all mentioned them but I have to say POOP in a puzzle just makes me laugh.
CHEAPO, MOOLA, OKEY dokey, dumb DORA, are all fun. Makes me EMOTE!
Over the weekend I baked two cakes so needed a sifter which I didn't realize is a SIEVE.
I own a lovely gold bracelet which I bought in Mexico years ago for
$50 and it's now worth about $1,000.
Have a fabulous Tax Day, everyone
Fun puzzle, Gareth--many thanks! And Argyle, your Paul Bunyan reference gave me a chuckle!
Am glad we got that baker's sieve issue clarified. I agonized over how to explain it.
It's good to be back home on a sunny day. Our dachshund with the coyote bites two weeks ago is almost healed. Life is good.
Have a great Tuesday, everybody!
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al,
For once the theme actually helped me with Bat Masterson, and paddle wheel, although I'm not sure I needed the hint.Wagged in a few places, like Dora and Yaris.
Argyle, you set me straight on less so..confusing.
Had lion before filling in oui. Nicad is a new word ( as is eleve), so DH showed me a few we have stashed.
Yellowrocks, your wiki list makes sense. Bakers would need to use a sieve(other than the flour sifter) at times. I washed blueberries yesterday to make muffins.
Husker, our mower (a Toro) mulches.
In grade school while other girls were into Clara Barton, Registered Nurse, I was reading the Little House on the Prairie series.
Bill, same problem here with the rn combination.
Looks like another beautiful day.
JD - speaking of blueberries, did you know if you swirl them in a mixture of one part vinegar and ten parts water they'll last much longer. Works especially well for strawberries - we just finished a bunch yesterday that I bought two weeks ago.
Just a quick swirl in the solution, drain (use your SIEVE) and store in a covered container in the fridge.
Dumb Dora may have been modeled originally on the childlike first wife of Dickens' David Copperfield. In 1920s slang, a Dumb Dora was what we would now call an airhead.
There was a Dumb Dora question in the 1970's Match Game on TV.
Link How dumb was she?
George Burns and Gracie Allen were the most successful Dumb Dora act of all time.
Here's a sample. It is long, but at 1:38 there is a crossword clue reference.
Link Burns and Allen
Hello everybody. Terrific puzzle today. I liked all the same things about it that you all have mentioned. Was also stumped for a moment at the three S's in a row on 4D; thought I had something wrong. Turns out I was wrong in other spots but not that spot: had EONS instead of AEON and OKIE instead of OKEY. Knowing NICAD (short for nickel cadmium) fixed AEON for me, and re-reading the dokey (not dokie) clue resulted in fixing OKEY.
You folks are all so smart and funny! I enjoy each and every one of you. Best wishes to you all.
mtnest995, THANKS! What a great tip.Our strawberries are huge this year.
I used to do a lot of baking; always carefully sifted the dry ingredients. The quantities called for in most recipes are the after-sifted amounts. I am reminded of the Theophilus Thistle tongue twister.
In response to Husker Gary's question, we don't own anything particularly extravagant that I am aware of. Sometimes LW and I daydream aloud about owning an extravagant house, then thoughts of trying to maintain it bring our feet back down to ground level.
Some how I did not like todays puzzle for a Tuesday. First when I trim my lawn I edge when I cut it I mow. (guess a lot of people hire someone, or dont have a lawn). I use lettuce as moola not ...cabbage? I liked Itt (ha ha). Also eleve, sieve, less so, 7d and 49a had good clues.
Here is an article from MSNBC with some great shots of the Space Shuttle circling Washington D.C. on its way to Dulles Airport.
mtnest995 @ 12:15 PM: Thanks for the tip. I eat blue berries everyday with my yogurt. Glad to know there's a trick to having them stay fresh a little longer.
A new take on HG's question: If you could spend lavishly on one thing that you normally wouldn't, what would it be.
I think DH and I would take a nice vacation, maybe to Europe. I'd love to see some grand cathederals and shrines.
Mari:
One reason I haven't any really extravagant thing is that after my DH passed away I used the insurance money to travel throughout Europe. it's worth it to see those grand Cathedrals and ancient cities. My memories are worth thousands!
Bored.
Tomorrow the sod man cometh to repair a section of lawn that was damaged by two falling trees during Hurricane Ike. I'd hoped that area would heal by itself. Wrong! Also have to go to the doctor tomorrow for my spring lecture. It's going to be a fun day!
BG: I think it's a shame that Houston didn't get one of the retired shuttles. You'd think that being the home of Mission Control and the astronaut training center would count for something. Next thing you know they'll be talking about tearing down the Astrodome. Oh, wait. They are talking about tearing down the Astrodome!
Fun puzzle, Gareth. Nice to see Dora clued as a non-explorer. Loved COPAPLEA. Learning moments: NICAD, and the fact that SOMERSAULT has only one M. Spent a few minutes trying to think of a 5-letter word describing an angry text that you send to someone from your phone, which might actually qualify as LIBEL. Didn’t know YARIS. Four themers were nouns or phrasal nouns, one was a proper noun; would like to have seen that mixed up a bit. I think it’s cool that STICK, CLUB, CUE, BAT, and PADDLE all have different meanings in their theme-entry contexts than the “ball” context that unifies them (though PADDLE might be iffy, it‘s about the best that could be done), and I appreciate it when a constructor takes the time to achieve that. APHID clue was great. Is it possible to see POOP in a grid and not smile?
Yellowrocks, omg the sieves. Never fails to surprise me that no matter how ordinary or mundane or simple something is to me, there’s a boatload of information out there about it, it’s considered very unordinary somewhere, and, odds are, someone out there specializes in it. Also, thanks for the funny and fascinating George and Gracie clip; pleasant echoes of Vaudeville.
Isaac Asimov wrote 400 books???!!! I had no idea he was so prolific. He must not have done much else.
Re: yesterday (used up my permitted space):
Thank you, Avg Joe and Ye olde Engish teacher, for the gentle and insightful feedback.
Avg Joe, I Googled the fun, gigolo lyrics of “Shattered”. Favorite stream-of-consciousness songs: “Coney Island Baby“ and “Jane Says“.
Bill G., I agree that “Moneyball” was excellent. One of those rare sports films that’s also a great drama. It’s cool to see Brad Pitt’s amazing versatility, proving he’s not just a pretty face. Fascinating and engaging story.
I’ve owned 9 or 10 expensive pens, and test-drove many, many expensive and inexpensive pens; years and years of painful R & D have yielded this:
My ballpoint pen of choice is a Zebra F-301. Never runs dry, not even temporarily, and lasts forever. Writes smoothly and never blots. Holding one in your hand, you’d swear it was balanced by a gunsmith.
My felt-tip pen of choice is a Pilot Precise V5 Extra Fine Rolling Ball. Very sturdy head but it writes like a paintbrush. Lasts forever. I use a blue one when I take the time to get a newspaper for its crossword, and it just . . . I can’t describe it.
Placematfan@2:27 : Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke had a long-running, friendly feud as to which was the greater writer. Asimov was a Boston U biochem professor who wrote science fiction, science non-fiction, even books about the Bible.
While an undergraduate he took a Bible course, and he knew that the professor always asked an essay question on the final to compare the major and minor Old Testament prophets. Asimov came loaded for bear, but to his chagrin the question this year was to compare the major and minor kings of the Old Testatment. [It's possible, likely even, that I got the topics reversed. No Matter.]
He wrote something like this, "It's very difficult to compare the major and minor kings of the Old Testament, but so far as the major and minor prophets are concerned..." He got an A in the course.
Two Gareth Bain's in a week. How'd we get so lucky? This is the first LAT puzzle I have ever done without an erasure. Also no blank squares despite several unknowns all perped: NICAD and ELEVE. (NICAD and NAKED? Great.)
Great commentary Argyle! Loved the Key LARGO link.
As for understanding LARGO, think "Pomp & Circumstance" that is used for many graduation marches.
Extravagant gift for me would be the large (for our income bracket) near-flawless diamond my husband bought me for engagement. It's in a vault because my finger gets raw under rings. Beautiful and thrilling at the time. Usually, he was CHEAPO.
Thanks for the entertaining comments! Happy that most of you enjoyed this puzzle, though I must say I hardly recognize most of the clues... As a frequent baker, I'm glad the SIEVE (orig. "Tool that will make you a fine baker?) issue was cleared up. Planning on making a couple dozen cheese puffs soon. A sieve will indeed be used on the flour!
Playing catch-up with the blog:
Lucina, heart-felt sympathy on your loss. I hope the outpouring here provided some small measure of solace for you.
Zcarguy, I struck out at the Palm Beach auction - I chased three cars in ascending priority: '63 Catalina conv't., '66 NovaSS, and a '67 GTO conv't. Really wanted the last one, but the bidding got carried away and it went for over $50K. Very nice collection you've got, by the way. How'd you acquire them?
Placematfan, try a Uniball Signo 207 sometime. I switched from a Pilot G2 to the Zebra you use, then discovered the 207. Same properties you mentioned. I have a base Mont Blanc ballpoint, but never use it anymore; the new cheapies are far superior.
Have you used a Uni-ball 207? Very smooth and helps avoid identity fraud.
Dennis @ 3:23 pm: I caught part of that auction on TV and was thinking about you. Sorry you got skunked.
Speaking of cars, I found out today it will cost me almost $200 to get a duplicate key to my car! Dang microchips.
Bill G, I was just wondering if anyone here had seen Discovery fly over--what a thrill to see it fly over so low.
Thanks for link.
Liked " artistic ice cream blend" clue.
Clues with musical references are always trouble for me. Unfortunately, Argyle's explanation concerning 43A left me lost in the dust.
Gareth Bain @3:22 said "I hardly recognized most of the clues." Somehow this bothers me. Some of the constructors have let us on their original clues. I found many more than half of them to be great ones IMHO. I guess this reflects my personal experience with editing. I don't mind when my prose is cleaned up, but I hate when my intentions are edited out.
We bought a house with a pool when they came down $20,000 on buying price. It was like getting a pool for free 20 years ago. It has ended up being our most extravagant purchase in up-keep and replacement parts. We really enjoyed it when the kids were growing up. It's nice exercise therapy for me now. Hubby likes to jump in after lawn work done. We do feel blessed to have it.
HAH! YR, your comment about editing just gave me a vivid flashback to a phone conversation I had with an insurance adjuster 20~ years ago.
I'd been in a sandwich accident. I stopped before I hit the guy in front of me, but the driver behind me rammed me and pushed me into the front vehicle. The adjuster called to get my story.
I said: "I came to an abrupt halt."
The adjuster said, while entering my response: "I slammed on my brakes."
Me: "No. I came to an abrupt halt!"
Adjuster: "Right. I slammed on my brakes."
Me: "Listen! Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say 'I slammed on my brakes', I said 'I came to an abrupt halt'!!!!"
I'm not sure she ever made the distinction, but at least she started entering exactly what I said, not what she thought she heard. I did get the claim settled without a lot of grief, FWIW.
am i the only one to DNF?
Alas, 3 SSS's in a row made me sure it was impossible. So much so it had me trying to write over "san"dwich.
Moola was as hard to imagine as this, & like a newborn did not make me think of these people. Plus i never heard of Dumb Dora, all of which would have left a nice hole in the puzzle if i had not written over it so many times.
I had as much trouble tracing cousin Itt as i did tracing my own family tree, (i think he may be adopted!)
Lastly, Sieve was a gimme. I know because my brain is a sieve!
Thank you, Dennis. Yes, I have felt very comforted and cared for by our blog family. I thank you and all of them sincerely as it does soothe the sadness.
I have been wondering all day, in what sport or circumstance, is a ball ever hit with a club?
Also, am having difficulty visualizing bar room brawls using cuesticks!
Thank you
I'm guessing golf
LACW, seriously?
caveman baseball? you see it all the time at the comic strip "B.C.".
ever watched "Roadhouse" with Swayze? its only the greatest movie of all time.
Of course, golf is clearly what the constructor meant, and if only I had gone back and reread my question, I'd have seen it!
As for B.C., that is beyond my purview, although I was thinking of Fred Flintstone! So, thank you, Anonymous.
I was looking for that clip from the Dambusters movie where the farmer was complaining about his chickens prematurely laying eggs when the pilots were practicing low level flying. i am still looking, but have to share this.
and this
& this
oh i am having such fun...
I did the puzzle this morning. Just got around to looking at the comments now, almost 6 hours later.
I should take a picture! There are no erasures or smudges and all my letters are amazingly legible.
I thought the theme was kind of ho-hum. Ok, balls and things you whack them with.... Maybe it's a guy thing?
If I ever get more cats I will call them CHEAPO and LARDO and hope that they don't POOP much.
I have never, ever heard anyone call their money CABBAGE?
I sift my ingredients when baking and put my sauces and gravies through a SIEVE. I'm thinking Gareth doesn't do a lot of baking or maybe it's a language thing.
Fun Tuesday puzzle, but I'm in a bit of grousing mood.
Did you all hear about the poor man in his kayak that was killed by an angry nesting swan?
Cross eyed Dave, my DH loved all 3. BTW, you are not alone; I have those DNF days all the time.Most people don't want to admit that on a Mon. or Tues.Yesterday's easy peasy commuter puzzle had 2 words I had never seen:usurer and envisages. Had to check today's paper to make sure I had them correct.
Oh Dennis, I never thought of you as a uni-baller. ;-)
I thought the puzzle was just "meh." Knew most of the answers except LHASAN and FRANC, but they filled in nicely. Good Tuesday effort.
DH and I went on a trip through the Texas Hill Country for our 25th anniversary in 1986. We were at a ghost town and had just put on our hiking boots to hike down to a river. I commented that it was "so quiet and peaceful." At that precise moment, five bombers roared overhead almost at treetop level. We FLINCHED! Two days later was the bombing of Tripoli. We wondered if we had witnessed a training run!
It wasn't a great extravagance, but was my greastest thrill was tickets to a Pavarotti concert in San Antonio. Greatest thrill of my life. Well, that and seeing Van Cliburn in concert.
I'm not here much lately, so it's "Hi, Y'all! Bye, Y'all!"
PS: The Texas Rangers are beating the Red Socks off Boston. 14-2 in the 8th inning.
Hey baby can you slide me some slaw? I'm still befuddled by CABBAGE/moola. I must be either too old or too young.
Bill G - thanks for those photos! I wish I had been in DC to see that arrival.
CrazyCat, I'm sure I've heard cabbage as a slang word for money once or twice. It's certainly not as common as moola.
Dudley and Blue Iris, you are most welcome. I saw it live on MSNBC and then found those photos on MSNBC's website. BTW, I highly recommend MSNBC.com as a homepage. They have all the news and lots of interesting features too.
Dudley, everytime I see your name, I think of this classic. Another Dudley!
BillG, do you get paid by the MSNBC?
Dang! I knew I wasn't being subtle enough...
It's just that when I tumble to something good, I like to share it.
I changed my home page to MSNBC, but now everything on my screen is skewed to the left.
Post a Comment