Theme: A Gem of a Puzzle - To make it a little harder, the loot is divvied up between two words.
58A. Some buried treasure, or what are literally found in the answers to starred clues : HIDDEN GEMS
17A. *Ten times the seller's cost, say : HUGE MARK-UP
34A. *Green labyrinth : HEDGE MAZE
41A. *Groundbreaking desktop publishing software : PAGE MAKER. Wiki.
10D. *Fundraising receipts : PLEDGE MONEY
24D. *Child star's parent : STAGE MOTHER
Argyle here. I like the gems crossing each other in two spots. See grid. Steve gave us a pangram today with few three-letter entries and zero cheater squares. Maybe too many proper names though.
Across:
1. Word before dark or hours : AFTER
6. Black Friday event : SALE. AFTER Thanksgiving.
10. Prefix with fall : PRAT
14. Where towels are the usual attire : SAUNA
15. Nice price? : PRIX. (Nice is French this time.)
16. Rob of "Parks and Recreation" : LOWE
19. Actor McGregor : EWAN
20. "All My __ Live in Texas": George Strait song : EX's. Clip
21. Pre-A.D. : BCE. (Before the Common Era)
22. Waiters take them : ORDERS
24. Comes down hard : SLEETS. Comes down as frozen raindrops.
27. Come to terms : AGREE
28. Tin alloy : PEWTER. Certain athletic contests, such as the United States Figure Skating Championships, award pewter medals to the fourth place finishers. Per Wiki.
31. "__-ho!" : HEAVE
33. Homeric war epic : ILIAD. So not on my reading list.
38. Dynasty known for porcelain : MING
39. Sleepiness inducers : BORES
40. Draft animals : OXEN. They are giant yet docile creatures.
43. Golfer Sam : SNEAD. (Slammin' Sammy)
44. Less than zero : MINUS
45. Competes in a bee : SPELLS
46. Where dos are done : SALON
49. How the rain in Spain falls on the plain : MAINLY
51. Warning to a pest : "QUIT IT!"
53. Once named : NÉE
54. Slangy morning drink : JOE. Coffee (and another shout-out).
57. Provo's state : UTAH
62. Top-notch : A-ONE
63. Lake near Lake Ontario : ERIE
64. College big shots : DEANS
65. Ivan IV, for one : TSAR
66. "Das Kapital" author : MARX.(Karl) I think of Russia when I hear his name but he was German and died in London.
67. "The King" of golf, to fans : ARNIE (Palmer). Remember Steve's last "The King" puzzle?
Down:
1. 1968 U.S. Open champ : ASHE Tennis.
2. Imitation : FAUX. What!? No FAUX gems here.
3. Harbor towers : TUGS. They are pushers, too.
4. Hydrocarbon suffix : ENE
5. Spoke absent-mindedly : RAMBLED. What my commentary feels like today.
6. Spending outing : SPREE
7. Genesis craft : ARK
8. Actress Lucy : LIU
9. Former Montreal player : EXPO. (baseball)
11. Dinghy propeller : ROWER. How's that for tricky?
12. Conscious (of) : AWARE
13. Uptight : TENSE
18. Excellent server : ACER. Back to the usual.
23. All-night party : RAVE
25. Maria __, former queen of Hungary : THERESA
26. Passover meal : SEDER
28. MTV's "__ My Ride" : PIMP
29. Director Kazan : ELIA
30. Chicken morsel : WING
32. Justice Dept. heads : AG's. (attorney general)
34. Hooey : HOKUM
35. It may follow a Salchow : AXEL
36. Intensity : ZEAL
37. Conclusions : ENDS
39. Prohibition : BAN
42. Revealing skirt : MINI
43. Dieter's sweetener : SPLENDA
45. Dagger of yore : SNEE
46. Powerlifter's move : SQUAT
47. Roadsters, e.g. : AUTOs
48. Rainforest vine : LIANA
50. Back-of-the-book reference section : INDEX
52. The opposition : THEM
54. Stapleton who played Edith Bunker : JEAN
55. Luxury hotel : OMNI
56. In __: actually : ESSE. As opposed to "in posse": in potential
59. Nest egg letters : IRA
60. Movie set VIP : DIR.ector
61. Pol. neighbor : GER. (Poland/Germany)
Argyle
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteNot a speed run like yesterday, but nothing really difficult either. The theme was cute, but I didn't realize it until I got to the theme reveal at the very end.
I took my son to an ice skating exhibition on Sunday (called "Ice Chips" in case anybody is curious). We saw plenty of AXELs and saw a number of performers who won PEWTER medals at various national and international competitions. I guessed that PEWTER was a fourth-place finish, but it's nice to know for sure...
I got a couple of the themes before I ran across the revealer, then looked for and plugged gem into the rest of them which I then was able to figure out, except for hedge maze. I was thinking of corn maze, and after I put gem in it, I entered sedge maze. The finally changed it to hedge maze which gave me hokum.
ReplyDeleteMy WOD: pratfall, Provo's state (should of known that, it's where my tax returns go, I'd better get busy on that), Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina, and Salchow
Good Morning, Argyle and Friends. This was a pretty easy Tuesday with lots of fun and misleading clues. Also, it contained yesterday's missing "Q", for the pangram.
ReplyDeleteEWAN McGregor is in the movie Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. I saw it over the weekend. I highly recommend seeing that film.
Passover begins this Friday night, so there will be lots of people celebrating the SEDER then.
I was amused by the Harber Towers = TUGS. That was a good mislead.
I wanted Tally-Ho instead of HEAVE-Ho.
QOD: The single most exciting thing you encounter in government is competence, because it's so rare. ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Good day folks,
ReplyDeleteAnother straightforward solve today by just filling in the across clues. I was fortunate not to have needed the down clues because 28D, 35D, & 56D were "Huh's?".
Can someone explain MTV's PIMP MY RIDE please? I have a feeling it differs from my definition of PIMP.
The only other confusing fill for me was JOE. For some unexplainable reason, I always thought it was "A cup of Jo"
Lovely spring day forecast for Ct, so I'm sure it's going to be a Honey Do Tuesday.
Hi HH,
DeletePIMP in this instance alludes to "customize" in today's parlance. As you might have guessed, this usage originated in urban areas and now has become a common phrase especially (again, as you probably could have guessed) among younger people.
---Sam in MT
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteI was really impressed at the six long theme entries making up a total of sixty theme squares, a pangram, and no drek fill. Wow.
I liked seeing Sam SNEAD and ARNIE Palmer in the puzzle, since this weekend is the Master's championship at Augusta National.
My one hiccup was entering "solder" instead of PEWTER at 28A. But a quick glance at the downs gave me PIMP (wow, that was actually in a LAT puzzle??) and ELIA, so that section was quickly patched up.
HH, pimps used to wear outlandish outfits, so now the word means anything that gets "dressed up", like the customized cars on "PIMP My Ride".
@Hondo: The PIMP in "Pimp My Ride" derives, I believe, from the same pimp you are thinking of. The stereotypical pimp (in movies and TV shows) always dresses very flashy with lots of gold chains, diamonds, fancy (and loud) clothing, etc. So to pimp a car (or anything else) is to add a lot of flash to it. In the case of a car, that can mean oversized chrome wheels, custom paint jobs, extra lights, etc.
ReplyDeleteOr, what HeartRx said... ^_^
ReplyDeleteMorning, all.
ReplyDeleteFun, easy and fast Tuesday entree. I never heard of a STAGE MOTHER (Stage Mom, yes). I also don't understand how RAVE translates to an all-night party. I've heard of a rave review and rant and rave, but not an all-nighter.
Good morning everyone. Thanks, Argyle, for the comments to lead us in.
ReplyDeletePretty much WEES. Filled it in almost as fast as I could print in a general clockwise pattern. No strikethroughs, no Wite-Outs. MING/PIMP were last to fall. When QUIT IT was filled, I assumed it was a pangram. Third recent day for OXEN, but AXEL was a gimme; BH is a skater. The theme was simple, but fun. While there were a lot of names, most have been common fare in the puzzles or are historically well known, ie. MARX, THERESA. Good job, Steven.
Welcome to Montana.
Enjoy the day.
I had to struggle with this one for a Tuesday, but liked it a lot. And I'm beginning to detect a trend:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Argyle and Steven!!
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteSpeed run today.
D-Otto - a rave is a type of party popular with the kids today, generally an all night thing, at which Ecstasy is the drug of choice - it makes them feel all cuddly. Or so I've read. I'm past that age myself.
Argyle, fine write up. Steve St, John, although the puzzle was easy, it held my interest. Neat theme.
ReplyDeleteThe STAGE MOTHERS for the little girl beauty pageants, as well as the pageants themselves, really turn me off.
I often come across the PIMP My Ride show while clicking through the TV channels to find something worth watching. I keep on clicking.
There is a TV show called Morning JOE whose symbol is a cup of coffee. It is sponsored by Starbucks.
Spitzboov, thanks for pointing out last night that rutsch is standard German for sliding. I didn’t know that. The PA Dutch have slightly altered it to mean sliding on one’s posterior. (I looked it up in the PA Dutch dictionary.) I have never heard the PA Dutch use it in any other way. Mom says, “Stop rutsching around in church. Can’t you sit still?”
Very enjoyable Tuesday CW. I got everything, but had read towers as the structures and was trying to think of another word for a bridge pylon. Also read dieter as the German name Dieter, and wondered what was German about SPLENDA when it surfaced.
ReplyDeleteThe GEM concept was obvious after the unifier, so for once the theme wasn't a problem and I even noticed the pangram too. The names weren't too difficult either. Quite a fun ride for me.
Sorry 4 the delayed reaction, have not done the puzzle yet but having the comment box on the bottom means i can type with my eyes open and not be cheating.
ReplyDeletePK Yest@9:38am
I had hoped to return with something funny but hours of Mr. Peanut searching only turned up some dreadful bathroom humor about peanut butter. Thanks for yr concern, but my numb leg happened 21years ago, (i sneezed) and i totally forgot about it until i came to a stop on my bicycle, put my bad foot down, and next thing i knew i had turned turtle with the bike on top of me. Doesn't bother me though, especially after reading Ron Warden's posts.
Learning moment of the day = H.H.Munro.
Good morning everyone! Fast and fun puzzle today.
ReplyDeleteI liked 24A: Comes Down Hard: SLEETS and 46A: Where Dos Are Done: SALON. Also liked 3D: Harbor towers: TUGS because I thought it referred to building type towers. Harbor tower - Lighthouse perhaps? TUGS was good.
34D: Hoey: HOKUM was great.
Attaching my UNpimped ride via avatar.
Good morning! Great write up, Argyle, for Steven's excellent effort.
ReplyDeleteLike others, I didn't spot the theme until the unifier was in place.
Hahtoolah, absolutely LOVE your QOD. Sadly, there's a lot of truth in it. Oh, you wanted tally-ho? Heigh-ho just came naturally for me.
As promised Sunday, here are the links to the 1929 Ford Trimotor flight. The two videos are about 9 to 10 minutes each. Part I
Part II
Argyle: Nice write-up & links. Steven J. St.John, Thanks for the FUN offering.
ReplyDeleteAlways liked the Sam SNEAD Bar in Met-West, when I lived in Orlando.
Also the 'shout-out' to Orlando's # 1 citizen, ARNIE.
When I was an Ex-PAT. in Croatia, for the 1st three weeks I lived in a Hotel with few "English" TV shows.
Had about 20 channels, most in Croatian (which I don't speak other than the cuss words).
But it did get MTV, and PIMP My Ride was on all the time. ALL-THE-TIME ...
Kind of a hoot watching them take (generally) a worn out AUTO and fix them up. A lot of the Croatians thought we all did this to our rides. lol
Ron Worden (YEST): Glad to hear they got the "fit" right. Third times a charm! Yea!
A toast to all at Sunset
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Steven J. St. John, for a great Tuesday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the great review. Fun morning.
ReplyDeleteGot through this quite easily.
I had HEIGH HO for 31A. Did not know what a RAVE was. Thank you, Dudley, for explaining it. Perhaps I should ask my nineteen year old daughter. But, on second thought, maybe I won't. Finally figured out HEAVE HO and accepted RAVE. PLEDGE MONEY also helped when I got to that point.
Again, my hometown Lake made the puzzle, ERIE.
Late last night, on my way back from Chicago, I finished the Sunday puzzle. That was a tough one for me.
My rhubarb is just about ready for picking.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Good morning all:
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, Steve, and nice expo, Argyle. No problems, typical Tuesday fare.
With Passover coming up, I am reminded of a faux pax I made while trying to be nice. (You know what they say about that road and good intentions?)
Anyway, I was very young and not very worldly and as I was leaving my work place right before Passover, I met one of my Jewish colleagues and said, very seriously, have a nice See-der and he said, without missing a beat, And a very Happy Ey-ster to you, too. That happened over 40 years ago and we are friends to this day.
Have a great Tuesday everyone.
Nice Tuesday puzzle and write up, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Welcome, all. Once the Anon. person left, I figured I could join in.
After across clues, I had 9 words to finish. The perps finished those. Struggled with meaning of tugs-didn't get it until I read it here. I almost always finish Tuesday puzzles, but not as easily as many of you. I usually read this blog in the morning when there are 8-20 comments. I didn't realize I should read it again in the evening and I would learn lots of trivia I didn't know.
Have a sunny day,
Montana
Thanks to the person who explained how to get this puzzle on the iPad using Across Lite. I prefer paper/pencil, but when one doesn't have access to a printer, the iPad is great. Usually I read my state paper online and print off the puzzles.
ReplyDeleteI used my desktop computer to join you, yesterday, but I just posted my first comment from my iPad. Neat, except that I have a password which is a nightmare to type on the iPad.
Have a great day everyone,
Montana
Good morning to all and thank you to all for the well wishes. Kudos to Mr.St.John for the puzzle and Argyle for your write-up.This was very smooth and went down in order for me. Only smudge had stopit at 51A then got squat and made the change.My only nattick was 35D only because in a jump combination that is impossible because a salchow is a backward landing and an axel is a forward takeoff. Although only skating afficiianados would know or care about this. Have a great day to all feeling taller again.RJW.
ReplyDeleteTwo comments about Argyle's write up:
ReplyDeletePEWTER - Actually, the 4th place medal factoid was the clue I submitted. Too bad Rich didn't keep it since it would have had a nice pay-off, at least for Barry G. But it was an obscure clue (I didn't know it before researching the word).
ARNIE - I was really pleased to be able to sneak in a reference to my previous puzzle, and I was really pleased that Argyle spotted the connection (I had the feeling a few of the LA Crossword Corner folks would remember.)
Rich Norris changed a few clues probably to ease them up for a Tuesday. On the other hand, it was he that wrote the cruel but clever clue for TUGS. (I had "Pulls on".)
Some other changes:
BCE - I had "Dater's abbreviation" which I thought might misdirect.
OXEN - Midwestern team
SNEAD - The only man to win an LPGA event. (It's true!)
DEANS - Bad guys, in college comedies
WING - Superficially wound (too grotesque a clue?)
SPLENDA - Loser's additive?
INDEX - Pages at the end you might go to first
THEM - 1954 classic B-movie with irradiated giant ants (I thought any clue with "classic" and "irradiated giant ants" in the same sentence would be a keeper!)
Rich tweaked several other clues a little, including most of the theme clues, and I was especially glad he did for those.
It would have been nice if every "GEM" were a different one.
ReplyDeleteI found the intersection of 21A, 24A and 18D very very messy.
Steven J. St. John:
ReplyDeleteI especially liked yr "losers additive, and wing" clues, thanks for the info.
Must report a "FIW", when you combine French, & Sports, its always going to be a Natick for me! I could only think of "Espo", & Lucy "Lou", which left me with a perped Nice price?=Pros???
Oh well, live and learn.
Steven,
ReplyDeleteI would have preferred your SPLENDA clue to the dieter one. Cute!
Before finding the hidden GEMS, I was fixated on MA.
ReplyDeleteI went from a grassMAZE, to a maiseMAZE, then settled on HEDGEMAZE.
Had difficulty with the harbor clue, kept wondering what kind of towers (aka silo shaped structures) were in a harbor. Had TUGS from the start, but it didn't make sense until I hyphenated tow-ers.
Liked HEidiHO instead of HEAVEHO.
I am disappointed that there haven't been any links to help visualize that 42D clue.
In honor of today's theme-
ReplyDeleteNOSREDNUG EMOREJ
Jerome, you are a gem!
ReplyDeleteSteven St. John, it was really fun to read your "alternate" clues. I loved the SPLENDA one!
Greetings, cyber friends. Thank you Argyle, for your excellent EXPO.
ReplyDeleteNice (not French) to see you, Stephen St. John and your alternate clues. Loved the SPLENDA one.
A sweet sashay today, very speedy, with some learning moments. Had never heard of a PEWTER medal and no idea what salchow meant but AXEL emerged without help. And thank you for explaining PIMP your car; that's a mystery solved!
For some reason HOKUM and FAUX made me chuckle. And before HEAVE ho I filled HEIGH ho but PLEDGE changed that.
Have a splendid Tuesday, everyone!
Jerome, that's a real GEM!
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle, Steve--although I'm thankful that Rich made it a little easier for us. But the symmetry of the GEMs is amazing. I love it when puzzles offer aesthetics as a bonus to knowledge! And I enjoyed the added explanation of the constructing and editing process. Also Argyle, great write-up, as always.
ReplyDeleteMy only momentary hang-up was SLEETS--a powerful misdirect, that one. And I didn't 'get' TUGS for harbor towers until Kazie's 8:15 explanation (duh!).
Have a great Tuesday, everybody!
SJ SJ
ReplyDeletereally cool of you to stop by and give us even more insight into the world of puzzle creation. It is such fun to see the thoughts and the editing. perhaps some of your originals would have been steep for a Tuesday, but they were great.
Hello everybody. Terrific puzzle today. It is really interesting to learn about such things as alternate clues and the thinking processes that go into creating the puzzles.
ReplyDeleteHands up for HEIGH ho, then HEIDY ho. Hey, IGS for 32D and RAGE or RADE for 23D looked sorta okay-ish to me. Impeded me from getting PLEDGE, though.
When I got HUGE and HEDGE my thought process went along the lines of syllables that sound alike except for the vowel, which in turn made me want the first letter of 41A to be H.
Wanted BEATIT instead of QUITIT, and didn't know if 65A was going to be CZAR or TSAR or what, which gave me fits in the SW for a while.
Hahtoolah, thanks for your Quotes Of The Day.
Husker Gary, thanks for your musings.
Montana, welcome.
Best wishes to you all.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteJerome - you are a GEM, and there's no hiding it.
Steven - Now I will never be satisfied until I see "irradiated giant ants" in a puzzle. Great insights. Thanks for stopping by.
The GEMS truly were buried - I never found them until I got here. Seems like I always gave a trouble spot. This time, the NE corner. Not AWARE of my actors.
Even for an American Magyar like me, Maria Theresa is pretty obscure.
Per Wikipedia: (German: Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina) (13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress.
Busy girl.
Cool regards,
JzB also from the shore of Lake ERIE
Here are lots of views of the Maria Theresia-Denkmal statue in Vienna. She was pretty big in Austrian history.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Argyle, C.C. et al,
ReplyDeleteLike Bumpa said, those gems were definitely hidden.I had to go back and look at the grid. Thx Argyle
Had trouble getting started in the NW corner.Putting rattled slowed me down.
Loved seeing Ashe, Snead, and Arnie-not too hot seeing Theresa taking center stage, although seeing what she accomplished, she deserved the spotlight.
No time yesterday to thank you Argyle for the clips.Thanks for introducing me to Queen..where was I in '82?? Mr. Peanut clip was hysterical.
Ron Worden-so happy for you
Steven J. St. John-enjoyed seeing how your mind worked. Thanks for your gem..and also to Rich
learning moment PIMP
Fun puzzle. The sleet clue seemed a little off to me. I think of hail as hard but sleet as mushy. Maybe that's because I haven't seen sleet for 50 years. Otherwise, WEES.
ReplyDeleteI came across this sweet video of a kitten and a pitbull.
Hola Everyone, I finished today's puzzle in good time this morning. I found that the proper names filled in nicely with the perps,so those that were unknown quickly became known.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing where dos are done/salon, and harbor tower/tug today. Like others I was looking for some kind of building in the harbor. A nice Ah-ha when tug emerged from the murky waters.
Ron Worden, It is good to hear that you are up and running.
What a gem of a name JeroME G.
I started the puzzle in the waiting room at my husband's eye appointment clinic, just to be interrupted by my DH telling me that his appointment had been cancelled. The clinic had NOT called us so we had a 45 minute trip in heavy commute traffic at 8:15 this morning for nothing. Then another 45 minute trip back home. The only retina specialists in our area are at the clinic where we go, so we don't have a choice--but the clinic had a choice when they failed to call us an tell us his appointment had been cancelled--GRRR!
Have a great rest of the day everyone.
S J St J @ April 3, 2012 9:56 AM: I love that new Splenda clue. You've got to try it in a future puzzle!
ReplyDeleteBill G @ 1:40 pm: I love it! I don't know which one to root for!
ReplyDeleteHere's a really enjoyable swing dance video. It gets extra-specially good at 1:40 into it.
ReplyDeletePalos@10:45
ReplyDeleteHere's the Mini you requested...
Bill G@1:40
i have seen that Kitten & Pit Bull before, its a classic, i can watch that everytime.
(speaking of watching everytime,)
Mini Skirt Fashion Show Circa 1970.
Dudley, thanx for the enlightenment. I'm definitely too old and fuddy-duddy for a RAVE party.
ReplyDeleteSJSJ, thanx for stopping by. It's always nice to hear things from the constructor's point of view, even from those who feel compelled to write their names backwards.
RJW, glad you're feelin' taller nowadays. Hope they got it right this time.
Bill G. Two great videos! The music on the pit bull/ kitty vid was purr-fect. And that guy Chaney sure can dance - would you call that a "two-step"? I was absolutely mesmerized by the footwork on all three of them.
ReplyDeleteSJSJ: loved the GEM of a puzzle! Always great write-up, Argyle!
ReplyDeleteTotally missed the X on E_PO/PRI_! LIANA was new to me. For some reason wanted PLEDGEdonor which slowed me down.
I'm glad my invaders are not Giant Irradiated ones. One ant crawled out of my Kindle last night. Another was in my shoe biting me. I've sprayed until I'm fogged out--they seem to thrive on it.
CED: glad you're not in constant pain.
A kitten schooled by a pit bull is going to be a mighty tough cat! I had a kitten who crawled into the dog pen where the two dogs would each grab an end and shake her. I would hear it and rush out to save her. She did this several days. One day I wasn't there.....
Loved the geriatric swing dancers.
Montana is beautiful. Been on I90 from west state line to Bozeman then south to Yellowstone.
We just got back from another nice lunch. It is a pretty spring day and we ate outside though we had the waiter turn on the heater to warm us up a little extra. I had shrimp and corn chowder and we split a thin-crust pizza with brie, mushrooms and Italian sausage. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteI'm heading out for a short bike ride. There is a new little coffee shop I'm going to try in a mild protest at having the price of my macchiato raised from $2.55 to $3.50.
PK, sorry to hear about your kitten.
Hello all. Feel a bit gooberish as late last week I came out of the lurker closet and then a relocation weekend left me unforeseeably Netless and unable to participate in this forum that so warmly welcomed me last Thursday.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Steven’s puzzle. Wonderful absence of crosswordese, except for AGS--I’ve never seen/heard of that abbreviation, and I can’t help but wonder if that was, for Steven, the thorn in an otherwise beautiful puzzle’s toe; also ACER: we should migrate over to the Monitor clue, and stay there, imho. Re PRIX: what does Grand Prix racing have to do with big prices? I, too, fell victim to the “towers” homonym, frustrated that whatever the word is for “tall buildings normally residing in a harbor“ wasn‘t coming to me sooner. Had no idea the Expos left Montreal, and the first name that comes to mind when I think of ice skating is Dorothy Hamill; yeah, me and sports sort of went our separate ways at some point.
Can’t stomach much MTV fare these days; I gave up after they quit showing the syndicated “My So-Called Life.” Lucy LIU, for me, will always be Ling from “Ally McBeal,” a series unfortunately remembered more for its MINIs and that awful animated-baby thing than for the wonderful scriptwriting, acting, humor, and humanity; David E. Kelley’s character-driven series made for great Americana.
Irish Miss, you made me laugh. Indirect point-making is an art form.
Steven, I thought your SNEAD clue was awesome, as well as THEM, SPLENDA, and DEANS. Maybe one day there’ll be a site where we can see/solve published puzzles with the clues the constructor wanted.
Why, Placematfan, you have found "the" site where you can see/solve puzzles with the clues the constructor wanted: RIGHT HERE!! Go to the home page, and look on the right-hand menu for "Curious Conundrums". These are pure, unadulterated puzzles direct from the constructors, with no editing.
ReplyDeleteGrumpy1 @8:34
ReplyDeleteFinally found time to watch yr part I & II.
My old PC came with stereo speakers & a box style subwoofer that i keep on the bottom shelf of my computer desk. I have used it for years without thinking about it, & keep the volume low. But when that old TriMotor revved up to take off, i had to hang on because the desk, & everything on it was shaking. I swear that old bird could not have gone more than 50 yards before it jumped into the air... Amazing!
I liked the passengers comment at the end about the vibrating seats. The only thing i didn't like was some of the noises i heard upon landing.
20 minutes is kinda long, but i was smilin' the whole time.
CED, Thanks for the comments. I think the "official" liftoff number is about 800 feet, but it sure was a short run. The thought back then was that a 40 acre square grass field would have a minimum dimension of 1300 feet. That way you could take off or land into the wind in any direction without having to worry about crosswind corrections.
ReplyDeleteThe only noises I recall on landing was the tire squeal as one tire made contact and then the other.
The blond in the right seat ahead of me is my sister, the brunette behind her is my LW. She's the one that commented about the vibrating seat.
It was fun to watch and listen to the old Ford tri-motor take off. Those were great-sounding engines. Every now and then I will hear that sound down at the beach. I look up and usually see an old Stearman hooked up to and pulling an advertising banner up the beach. It has a similar radial engine that has the same throaty sound.
ReplyDeleteVibrating seats? That could be a good thing. Yes?
BillG, depends on how quick you can get her home...
ReplyDeletePlacematfan @6:42: AGs is ATTORNEY GENERALs. The abbreviation seemed a common usage to me.
ReplyDeleteGrumpy1: Loved your video. I was impressed with your camera work. You did a fine job of showing the engines, cockpit, landing gear and all of the great views. I watched both videos more than once!
ReplyDeleteSteven J. St. John: Enjoyed solving your puzzle and your commentary. I wonder if we can call you 2SJ or SJ2 or SJ superscript 2(don't know how to do that) or SJ squared. Seriously though, thanks.
Thanks to Argyle also.
I only know of Attorneys General for the plural. Same as Notaries Public, Attorneys at Law, etc.
ReplyDeleteA final wrap up post just to say I appreciate learning from this blog (I will remember that an axel can't come after a Salchow, though I suppose my clue is saved if one assumes it came not directly after), and to make sure I say that while I like some of my clues that got changed, in my short career I haven't yet had a puzzle that wasn't 50% improved thanks to the editing overall. Naturally I didn't spend too much time in my post to go over the several clues editing improved, but there were many!
ReplyDelete^^^
ReplyDeleteGRR, keyboard fumble. That one above is from SJSJ or SJ squared, or whatever you're calling me!