Words: 68
Blocks: 32
All I can say is - deceptive. Mr. Wilber gives us a grid that seems 'middle-of-the-week" in nature, yet without too much obscurity, it still managed to beat me up pretty good - but I am a better solver for it~! 6 cheater squares, but only one "answer of expanse", the 13-letter:
36A. Junk food, to a nutritionist : EMPTY CALORIES - which I nailed - just happened to be talking about this earlier in the week with a friend; he said yogurt is not very filling
crossing -
21D. Shudder-inducing nature, in modern slang : ICK FACTOR - which I got, too, because I think it's from my generation's language - though your kids might know it....
- and now to show you where I botched this one up pretty good....
onward....
onward....
ACROSS:
1. Small big-eyed flier : ELF OWL - DAH~!! Started with OWLET(s), and then switched to ---OWL, but still had no clue such a creature existed...
7. Kids' padded recreation area : BALL PIT - Dah~! my mind was stuck on "bouncy house" so all I could come up with was PLAYPEN; I don't think of a ball pit as a "padded" area....
14. Where to pick up leaves in bags : TEA SHOP - I had a dumpster delivered to the house to start a massive remodeling project; I moved a bush, mowed the grass, trimmed a tree, then picked up "leaves in bags" before the truck showed; thus, I was mentally mired in clipping clean up
16. State bordering a panhandle : ALABAMA - next to Florida; I was trying to be cute with MONTANA next to Idaho; map
17. Fictional pilot who said, "Never tell me the odds" : HAN SOLO - Nailed it, but then again, I grew up on Star Wars - can anyone tell me the odds? C-3PO stated it in the movie; more here
18. Offering extra traction : NON-SLIP - Not "GRIPPIER"
19. Anomalous : ODD - Anomaly, a Star Trek word
20. Tiffany glassmaking rival : LALIQUE - some very cool items; link to their collections
22. Nice time to tan? : ETE - our French fill for summer, Nice the city
23. Appliance with a timer : STOVE - not RANGE
25. Post-op stop : ICU
26. Hitherto : SO FAR
28. The toe of an Asian "boot" : OMAN - meh, I don't think of the Arabian Peninsula as "ASIAN", thus I went with something else that I knew was wrong, but....
29. Refs' judgments : TKOs - Boxing, a "Technical Knock-Out"
31. Become a patsy : BITE
32. Decorating pattern : MOTIF
34. In one's slip? : MOORED - didn't fool me, I knew we were talking boats here; just had to wait on some perps
39. More spiced-up : RACIER
40. Pet store array : CAGES
41. They're often beaten : EGGS - Tried RUGS here, at first
42. Groom's bagful : OATS
44. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs
47. Hail at the luau : ALOHA
49. Bobs, e.g. : DOs - Ugh, hair, I forgot about this 'bob' definition; stuck on "lure"
50. Ancient port on the Tiber : OSTIA
52. Part of R&D: Abbr. : DEVelopment, and its friend Research
53. Loud and clear : CLARION - also the brand-name of my first "pull-out" car radio
56. White House spending watchdog org. : OMB - Office of Management and Budget - I say no more....
57. Concoct : DREAM UP
59. Ideal : EPITOME
61. Sincerely zealous : EARNEST
62. Studio up-and-comer : STARLET
63. Members of a ruling line : DYNASTS
64. Expressions of mockery : SNEERS
DOWN:
1. Collective sentiment : ETHOS
2. Bring on : LEAD TO
3. Blog readership, collectively : FANDOM - we're all fans here - excluding the anons, of course
4. WWII covert org. : OSS - gaffed this with "OAS" to start
5. Stemless symbol : WHOLE NOTE - nailed it, but then again, I write my own music, so I knew this; I am betting that JazzB does, too~!
6. "Dress cut down to there" wearer of song : LOLA - I have to say, I despise this song, so someone else can link it
7. Fleance's father : BANQUO - I had no clue; the "-UO" slowed me down; Macbeth
8. Either of the first two runners-up to Rose for the 1968 N.L. batting title : ALOU - when in doubt, go with the crossword favorite "A-L-O-U"
9. They run between shoulders : LANES - nailed it, but then it screwed up my "Montana"; highway LANES
10. Birth announcement abbr. : Lbs - UGH~!! I missed this one, and now I feel dumb; how much did you weigh~??? I was 9lb,4oz
11. What the "arrant thief" of a moon "snatches from the sun," in Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens" : PALE FIRE - not the first thing that comes up on Google; this play is considered "obscure"; imagine a body of work so great that future scholars would classify some of your work as "obscure"....
12. Uses as a model : IMITATES - I had SKETCHES first, did not help me at all
13. Like chopsticks : TAPERED - I was so locked into "PAIRED" that I could not 'grasp' this answer at all
15. Prudent : POLITIC - so why aren't "politicians" as such~????
24. Not very innocent-looking : VAMPISH
27. "The Rite of Spring" quartet : OBOISTS
30. Unpleasant blanket : SMOG - Well, some of you might think SnOw is an unpleasant blanket; I for one would take snow over summer every time ~!
33. First-timer : TYRO
35. Portland daily, with "The" : OREGONIAN - makes sense when you consider the city of Portland, Oregon
36. Winged undersea mollusk hunter : EAGLE RAY
37. Loser in a '70s landslide : McGOVERN - no clue; I was that 9lb lad in 1972; fascinating for me when I learn things that took place in my lifetime, and how it might affect me now....
38. "Brigadoon" extras : LASSIES - I have heard of this, but this is the first time I looked into it; sounds like it might be a fun movie
39. Checked, as a check : RE-ADDED - could not parse this one
43. Isn't too rigid : ADAPTS
45. 2002 Honorary Award Oscar recipient : O'TOOLE - the Wiki
46. Soup recipe directive : SIMMER - not STIR IN
48. Culminations : ACMES
51. Supports in skullduggery : ABETS
54. "Curiosity is the __ of the mind": Hobbes : LUST
55. Stops vacillating : OPTS
58. Archivist's suffix : ANA - this reminds me of a Dungeons & Dragons text called "Unearthed Arcana" - I still have it, and my "Dungeonmaster's Guide" - say what you will....
Answer grid.
I see you peeking ~!
Splynter
56 comments:
Oh, that Hobbes. I just couldn't picture this one saying such a thing ... or would he?
Morning, all!
Oof, this was quite the workout today!
Leaving aside the tricky cluing, there was just so much stuff I didn't know today. BANQUO crossing LALIQUE was particularly nasty (although I did eventually drag LALIQUE up from somewhere). But then there was also ELF OWL, EAGLE RAY, PALE FIRE, OMB (I was sure this was going to be GAO for "General Accounting Office"), ICK FACTOR and CLARION. Yes, CLARION. I always thought it was a noun (an instrument of some sort) and had no idea it was also (or just) an adjective. Live and learn...
On the other hand, being from Massachusetts, MCGOVERN was a gimme for me. Supposedly, the fact that we were the only state to vote for him instead of Nixon resulted in us being denied federal highway funds during Nixon's term of office. I don't know whether that's true or just local legend, though...
Ya know, Argyle,
That's who I thought of first, too~!!
Splynter
Another A+ themeless from Brad Wilber. He builds around some of the most alluring seeds. Loved this one, as usual.
Whew! I feared this might turn into yet another dreaded DNF.
After the first pass my grid was mostly white. Then, little by little, it came together. My NONSKID in the NE slowed me down a tad, and DYNASTY in the SW had me scratching my head for a non-too-rigid thingy which ended in ***PTY. Once I got DOS I saw the error of my ways.
This had a Saturday Silkie "feel" to it. Well done, Brad. Nicely explained, Splynter.
Today's the grand opening at the remodeled city pool. The weather's cooperating, so it should be a fun event.
Fabulous puzzle. Very satisfying. Enough good perps to make it doable.
Yes, curiosity IS the lust of the mind, a strong desire to know more about almost everything. That along with reading in widely diverse areas and lingering over and savoring the new words one meets there are key to crossword puzzle solving. This blog is a good place to meet curious well read people.
I didn't know Fleance, but having ---- UO, BANQUO came to mind. Lightly writing in the Q suggested LALIQUE.
Winged undersea mollusk hunter had to be some type of RAY. E-GL- suggested EAGLERAY, which I never heard of, but it opened up the SE nicely.
Happy Saturday:
I found this to be a very challenging puzzle. I never heard of ELF OWL or EAGLE RAY and DOCKED before I MOORED, but persistence paid off. EMPTY CALORIES, MCGOVERN and OREGONIAN were very helpful in opening up the grid. They made the puzzle doable and fair. BANQUO and OSTIA and some others were in my brain, but it took a while to find them. The only Hobbes I thought of is striped.
Thanks always Mr. Wilber and Splynter
Ooof. This one beat me up, took my lunch money then kicked me in the head. Had to concede defeat with 4 squares unfilled in 15D: Po__tic and 7D: _an_ue.Same learning moments as mentioned with Elf Owl and Eagle Ray, but they fit. Even Han Solo was a flyer and McGovern required over half the perps. But, it took enormous leaps of faith to get as far as I did without errors, so it still felt like a worthy battle.
My Hobbes was orange as well. Still is, actually. :-)
Good morning Splynter, C.C. et al.
Great info and links today, Splyter – our fearless Saturday leader! I loved that last pic –so cute! ELF OWL and EAGLE RAY needed almost every perp to fill. I was also thinking of leaves for picking up things in bags, but it is Saturday so TEA SHOP it was!
I tried ODDS before EGGS for things that are beaten. OMB was not my first choice for govt. spending watchdog – hand up for wanting GAO. The rest of the puzzle was a series of AHA moments when answers appeared with a few letters filled here and there.
Nice job, Mr. Wilber!
Good morning, Splynter and the Corner FANDOM. Brad gave me a good workout this morning.
I usually don't start in the middle, but that 13 square entry piqued my curiosity and I nailed EMPTY CALORIES. Like Lemonade, I moved right on to MCGOVERN and OREGONIAN which gave me a lot of traction in the bottom half. The top half was pick and shovel work, made more difficult by trying ranges and roads before STOVES and LANES.
Whenever I see that pattern of _U and another U below the _ I lightly pen in a Q. BANQUO was a complete unknown, but I did recognize LALIQUE so it stayed.
I almost messed up the bottom by not reading the clue for DYNASTS correctly. I had DYNASTy which gave me ADAPTy. I was about to accept that it might be the same as ADAPTable, when I realized that I needed the ones that make up the DYNASTy and changed the Y to S.
Yes, Yellowrocks, this corner is a great place to meet curious people. I'll leave it to you to decide whether that is curious/inquiring or curious/ODD. Some of each around here, methinks.
LOL You didn't disappoint me, Grumpy. When I realized that I had written a straight line for someone, probably you, I let it stand. I enjoy both the curious, inquiring minds here and the curious, offbeat ones.
Happy Belated Anniversary to JD and Bob and Bill and Barbara. Bill, your seafood lunch sounds delicious.
Fermatprime and Hahtool, I am sending loving thoughts your way for your sick kitties. I know how hard it is to watch them decline.
Yellowrocks from Kathy
Hello Puzzlers -
I was outdone by Brad today. The NW corner just wouldn't fill in. DNF.
Hand up for RANGE for STOVE. Couldn't grasp ETHOS as a result. FANDOM didn't stand a chance. Had OWL fair & square, but not ELF. Cute little critter!
Other hot spot: LALIQUE and BANQUO. Not even in the same Zip code as my wheelhouse!
Oh well, that's Saturday.
Hi everyone:
Well done, Brad, and ditto to Splynter. I finished but needed help for northwest corner. Due to the small font, I misread stemless as sternless for the longest time and couldn't imagine what sternless meant. It was definitely a Saturday workout!
Have a great day.
This wasn't a DNF, This wasn't a TKO, This was the kind of puzzle that makes me wonder why i do them in the first place. This was brutal, way out of my league. 31A become a patsy, all i could think was anyone who buys a Sears Garden Tractor! (right now mine is sitting in the driveway stuck in neutral, & the mowing blades are chewing up the plastic discharge chute!)
(i am having a bad day, then Yellow Rocks says this is a good place to meet well read people...i should hang up my keyboard!)
Hi All ~~
Whew ... my newspaper is a mess. I had SO many write-overs, false starts, etc., etc, but I finished! It took a while but for some reason it wasn't frustrating. Every place I struggled seemed "gettable" if I just stuck with it.
Like Marti, I had 'Odds' before EGGS for the longest time and that really slowed down that SW corner which was my toughest spot. BOBS also held me up - wasn't thinking of hair-DOS. Really clever cluing!
Barry G. ~ I, too, learned that CLARION is an adjective as well as a noun.
Count me in with those thinking of only THAT Hobbes.
Splynter ~ another terrific write-up! BTW - I love your 'Mentally mired.' Hope you won't mind - I plan to use it ... it happens to often in my puzzle solving! ;-)
Gorgeous weather here in CT lately - so nice to have a Spring season instead of just leaping into Summer which has been the case the past few years.
Enjoy your day ~~~
My hand was on the button to start Googling but persistence paid off. This fine puzzle yielded to determination and “LUST of the mind”!
Musings
-SO FAR not AS YET, TKOS not OUTS, MOTIF not DÉCOR, RACIER not HOTTER, TAPERED not AWKWARD
-EMPTY CALORIES was a big early payoff
-The ALOU bros. talked me out of PLAY PEN
-Sheldon in the BALL PIT is hilarious!
-I said a few days ago that I am impervious to NICE misdirection!
-Who’d wanna see J. Edgar “in his slip”? High ICK FACTOR!
-My friend’s GTO was canary yellow!
-No variation of Bobs worked for me and so aDapts bailed me out
-Why wasn’t OMB watching the creeps from GSA?
-Being POLITIC means saying something without saying something
-When I get mad, Joann says, “Just SIMMER!”
-Otto, were you required to put in a permanent lift at the pool?
-Yes, Marti, I was being facetious about your having a wine clue/answer yesterday! It had to be!
I hardly ever get more than a few words on a Saturday puzzle but, shockenly, I got about 80% of this one mostly in the bottom three-quarters.
Maybe it was just my lucky day.
John28man: is your name a biblical reference?
Rain delay in Milwaukee.
Fell asleep and forgot to do this one last night.
Window washing crew here. No way I was getting up on a 16 ft ladder.
take care. eddy
Just a bunch of stuff I didn't know. I googled 11 times, didn't know the 3 quotes. The only smart clue I knew was LALIQUE. Everything else by "perps." Even had 3 bad starts: basoon before OBOIST, ExTra before EMPTY CALORIES, and OWL in the front of the word instead of the back.
Did like learning ELF OWL, EAGLE RAY and Hobbes' quote, despite embarrassment, since I was a philosophy major.
Leisure is the parent of philosophy.
Life is solitary poor nasty brutish and short. That's life, not me.
Yes-siree, this one beat me up, too! I finished it, but a technical DNF because I had to get out the dictionary and look up the definition of anomalous. ETHOS, LEADTO, FANDOM, last ones to fall.
Did anyone else think of Steuben for the Tiffany rival? We had a beautiful Steuben bowl... until the 1985 earthquake. Found out it doesn't bounce.
Great write up Splynter. Stay cool this weekend and a happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there!
Hello everybody. Hands up here for having much of the same experiences as many of you. Like Gary, I was about to go googoolala, but got up to get another cup (mug, actually) of coffee instead, and whammo, BANQUO popped into my forebrain while I was walking to and fro. It all pretty much went that way: get stuck, get up, do something else for a while, get brainstorm, get unstuck. My arm is now sprained from patting myself on the back for solving the whole thing without having to look anything up. 10 months ago I think I would have been saying something similar to what CrossEyedDave @ 10:51AM said, that the puzzle was brutal and that I felt discouraged.
By the way, The OREGONIAN was a gimme, one of only 2 or 3 entries that I nailed.
This seemed to harder for me than for most of you. I struggled even with red letters turned on.
Thanks again for the nice anniversary wishes yesterday. Good luck with your ailing cats. Ours finally got close to dying and we had to make that last sad trip to the vet.
Fermatprime, I think either you misread the question yesterday or misunderstood it. There is just one correct answer to the question.
Everyone in my family loved Calvin and Hobbes; in our collective opinion it was by far the best comic strip ever. Argyle, I think Hobbes would very well have said such a thing.
By the way, I always go back and read the late posts from the previous day before I read the current day's posts. Maybe it's the LUST of my curiosity, or maybe it's just that I don't want to miss anything.
Walking the old 7 Mile Bridge out to Pigeon Key affords a great opportunity to see Spotted Eagle Rays.
Someone said "Life is solitary poor nasty brutish and short."
Actually, that is a misinterpretation of Hobbes.
..."the life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" if there is no government, or "Leviathan."
CED, I’m sorry I made you feel discouraged. Even the most well read person gets days when the words that are still waiting to make one’s acquaintance gang up on the solver in a single puzzle. I have found some puzzles quite difficult that others found relatively easy. On the other hand, I have found some to be quite easy or not too difficult that gave others a heap of trouble.
My point is how much I appreciate all of you. You all have so much learning to impart through this blog due to your ongoing curiosity about the world. It's good that we all have met different experiences so that we can share.
Yellowrocks from Kathy
It's hard to beat Calvin and Hobbes. We have a complete three-volume set and Jordan and I read it together often.
Regarding late night posts: Maybe they are read by most people but they get almost no responses. So it's kind of unsatisfying when someone asks a question or makes a thoughtful comment or ...? I'm the kind of person who enjoys it when other people agree with something I like or respond to something I said. So I think I will make more of an effort to respond to other late posts and to post anything significant I want to say earlier in the day or save it until the next day.
Greetings, lads, LASSIES and all denizens of FANDOM (I love that!) Thank you, Splynter, for the wonderful review.
I'm so late to the weekenders' party because this was no sashay! More like a maze led by Brad Wilber's lovely misdirection. WEES. I had the same experience as most of you, started with ETE, stared at the white, then one at a time, cell by cell one fill led to another.
Wish that my memory was as sharp as my right eye vision. It took such a long time to recall MCGOVERN, LALIQUE and BANQUO. Like Splynter I flirted with MONTANA, ARIZONA then finally ALABAMA shot through the SMOG.
You have all mentioned the novel animals, ELF OWL and EAGLE RAY, which were new to me as well.
Sorry, though, Thomas Hobbes was my first thought.
Drat and darn, I had GEOS at 44A so missed OBOISTS. Grr.
BillG:
From yesterday (I already had five posts so couldn't respond) I was laughing at your remark on retirement, how you are "bearing up well under the strain."
I hope your Saturday is stupendous!
Piggybacking, but putting a perverted twist on the "well read" thread, my first gimme of the day was Oregonian. And not because I've read it... or even been to Portland. Thursday on the Bob and Tom Show they mentioned some news article that they attributed to that paper. If it hadn't been for that recent citation, that clue would have stumped me.
Interestingly, on that same Bob and Tom show, they had a guest comedian on that made the comment: "The internet is very educational. If it weren't for porn, I wouldn't know how to spell 'amateur'."
Learning is a lifelong process.... and it often happens when you least expect it! :-)
Good afternoon to all. thanks Splynter for your write-up. Great Sat.puzzle Mr. Wilbur. Late today went to the pool with DW and grandaughter. she is learning to swim and has not used the floaties the last 3 times in the water,and is doing quite well for 3 yrs.old. Brigadoon is a musical that has a lot of dancing and an unusual storyline worth watching. Have a great day to all RJW.
Oh -- add me to the list of Calvin & Hobbes FANDOM. Here's my version:
Hobbes T. Cat
That picture was taken when I first got him 12 years ago. He was already an adult and I have no idea how old he was at the time, so I'm starting to worry that he may be getting toward the end of his life (especially since he is finding it harder and hard to get up and down stairs these days).
Barry G. ~~ What a beautiful cat! I hope you'll have him for some years ahead!
Hi everyone. This is my first post since last Saturday and I want to thank CrossEyedDave and Argyle for finding and posting those Alhambra photos. The middle one was especially interesting because there were comments to read--many similar to my own experiences.
I am so sorry Hahtoolah and Fermatprime about your kitties and their illnesses. I've lost two cats to kidney failure--my 20-year-old Musetta and 18-year-old Felina. And then my loss to the coyote.
My puzzle experience today was much like everyone else's. Had DOCKED first, but SDOG wouldn't work. Never did get FANDOM or ODD. Great xw--thanks Splynter and Brad.
Just back from my chores at the pool opening. Although the entire area was dry, a storm cell formed directly over the pool and sat there until it had dumped over an inch of rain. The entire storm was only about a mile in diameter. Pool rules say if there's thunder, no swimming for 30 minutes. So....instead of opening at 11 as scheduled, the pool actually opened at 1:30 due to occasional thunder. This afternoon was nice, though.
No, Husker, we didn't put in the lift. We'll definitely have to get one before next swimming season, though.
I've been really impressed with the community support we've gotten: $21K from the improvement district, $10K from the city, $6k in merchandise from Home Depot, donated services from a local electrician and local plumber, plus hundreds of dollars in donated food and drinks for our grand opening. It feels good to see a project really come together like that.
Barry G. Re: Hobbes T. Cat
(i knew there was a reason i like you!)
Yellow Rocks, Pls forgive me, in no way have you ever made me feel discouraged. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time! I have just been having a bad day.
CC: Can i rant about my my experience with Sears Tractors, or would that be considered a (corporate) personal attack?
To give you an idea, this was my horoscope for today: (P.S. as u all know i believe Horrorscopes to be 50% wrong):
Libra:
Finding something you like about an unlikable situation will be your task of the day. It takes great creativity & focus. If you can master this, you can do anything.
Well, i will not bore you with all my troubles, but 2 of the things that i thought were good today, was this has to be one of the best weather days of the year, and this Blog always boosts my spirits. Thank you my internet friends...
Barry G ~ Your cat is beautiful. I hope he has several of his nine lives left.
CEDave ~ You are allowed to blow off steam because 99 % of the time, you are funny and helpful and a welcome voice on this blog.
BillG, Watching the Food channel between CWS games, they featured Pete's Breakfast Restaurant in Ventura. It looks delicious. Ever been there?
Avg Joe, no, I've never heard of the place. We usually passed through Ventura on our way to Santa Barbara and San Francisco and never much stopped there. But I just Googled Pete's Breakfast Restaurant and I found Fieri's Diners and Dives. Is that the show you watched? Pete's sound great! I'm guessing if we went there, I'd be better off splitting the breakfast with Barbara. It sounds good and the portions look huge. I was impressed that they made hotcakes with real buttermilk. It would be a long drive just for breakfast but who knows...?
Avg Joe @ 3:14. It is amazing how large a part serendipity plays in our lives. Of course, accessing it depends on our recognizing and remembering the incident and reapplying it to the present situation. Very many of my successes in life have benefitted from serendipity. Carpe diem.
Yes Bill. That's the place. It sounds good enough to me that I'd make it a destination if it were within an hour or less. Alas, for me it's twenty or more. Check it out if you have the chance, and report back.
YR, I'd agree that serendipity plays a huge role, but I believe it's a bit more. Just a simple awareness when in situations where you don't expect to learn anything can be beneficial.
My father had a saying: "You can learn something worthwhile from every person you meet, no matter how uneducated they are, if you're only willing to pay attention."
My earlier post was based on that premise. You can listen to, watch, or read some very base sources of information that have no redeeming grace and still learn something that will be of use.
Yellowrocks:
The best thing I have given my three (grown) children is the gene for curiosity. On the other hand, the only parenting mistake I made was taking them to church.
Avg. Joe:
A great deal of what I know I learned from Bob and Tom. Listening to them during the commute is the only thing (other than the $$) about having a job.
The music is live in Lancaster, Ky. Tonite. Not very good, but live. What more do we need? Beer from BarryG's town? Got it.
wow. avg joe just taught me someting! go figure...
Not sure whether to blame the Sam Adams or autocorrect, but that should read "the only thing I miss...."
Ave Joe, that's my point exactly.
Irish Miss@6:49pm
99%?
Oh nuts, i have to work harder...
:)
A lot of the good things in my life have occurred because of serendipity too. I went to Cornell (where I met Barbara) because my mother thought it was a cool Ivy-League school with a pretty campus. I came west because Hughes Aircraft Co. gave me the best job offer. I ended up in Manhattan Beach because another engineer heard that I was looking for an apartment and he had taken another friend of his apartment hunting in his neighborhood which was MB. I switched out of engineering into teaching because of massive layoffs due to loss of government contracts in 1970. I ended up getting a teaching job in Manhattan Beach because that's where Barbara had applied too. We ended up buying our house because we happened to drive down our street and saw an Open House sign.
The list goes on and on. Almost nothing has happened to me as a result of a well-thought-out plan; but instead, being in the right place at the right time.
Maybe anon. @ 8:44 doesn't have any significant business of his own to mind?
Windy, no religious (or anti-religion) stuff, ok?
Dennis:
Got it. But that was a very innocuous and personal comment. But, point taken.
censorship runs rampant here at the corner!
CED ~ I knew I was going to get a comment about the 99%! But you did make me laugh out loud and the only other person who can do that on a regular basis is Sheldon, so you are in good company, and I am as well.
Good evening, folks. Thank you, Brad Wilber, for a great but tough puzzle. Also thank you for occupying my day. It took all day, off and on. Thank you, Splynter, for the great write-up.
Well, I worked on this puzzle from Minot, ND, to Minneapolis, MN. Finished just as we got to Minneapolis.
I figured 1A ended in OWL. just did not know the ELF part. It came about 500 miles later.
TEASHOP came easily, since I drink tea and buy it in bulk at a tea shop.
Never heard of a BALL PIT. It arrived with perps.
LALIQUE was a newbie. Here's how I got it. WHOLE NOTE was easy once I read the clue correctly. LOLA became obvious once I thought of the tune. POLITIC was arrived at very slowly. Never heard of ICK FACTOR. Had ICE FACTOR for a while. Then TKOS gave me ICK FACTOR. Got BANQUE slowly. The Q showed up because of the U in ALOU. U was there because of ALOU. LANES gave me the E. I had ROADS for the longest time, then tried LANES. And, WALLAH, I had LALIQUE. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
A good share of this puzzle was dug out using the same method.
Had DYNASTY for 63A. Then changed to DYNASTS. Never heard of that word either.
Probably the easiest answer on the puzzle was the longest, EMPTY CALORIES.
So, we are in a suburb of Minneapolis. When out to Applebee's and had a sit down, served dinner. It was good. We are sleeping in a church tonight, then off to Chicago in the morning.
We had a hard but good week helping rebuild houses in Minot, ND.
I expect to do the Sunday puzzle on my way to Chicago.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Finished, with all answers correctly filled in-- because, again, I allowed all the time needed. Even RE-ADDED was correct. I didn't understand it because it seemed nonsensical (READDED) until checking the commentary, but at least it was correct!
CED -
I don't know what Sears is offering these days for lawn machines, but chances are it's made by MTD, the Goliath that bought out all the really good names in the business. MTD specializes in building low-cost, short-lived equipment for the usual consumer outlets such as Home Depot. I find their quality below disappointing.
Greetings!
Finally got some sleep! Had only 1.5 hours' sleep the night before.
BillG: Duh, 333! Where was brain? (Also, misread question.)
Should have left the puzzle for when I awoke today. As it was, it was torture. (But, of course, could not go to sleep, so was not using good judgment.) Red letters, finally. No googles.
Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there!
Post a Comment