Theme: "What's in store for us?"
35A. Local retailer, and an apt description of eight entries in this puzzle : CORNER STORE
Oh my! Each of the eight entries in the corners of this puzzle are a type of (corner) store:
1A. Little barker : TOY. A toy poodle can be a little dog who barks. Or, a toy store.
10A. Sedate : DRUG. To drug someone means to give them a sedative. Or, a drug store.
63A. Brogue or brogan : SHOE. Brogues and brogans are types of shoes. Or, a shoe store (my favorite kind!)
65A. Favored student : PET. Like a "teacher's pet". Or, a pet store (My cats love PetCo!)
1D. Couponer's skill : THRIFT. If I were thrifty, I would cut coupons. Or go to a thrift store.
13D. Petraeus's rank : GENERAL. David Howell Petraeus is the head of the CIA, and a four-star general. A general store used to be a staple in small towns. Now, they are giving way to Wal-Marts all across America...
38D. More than needed : SURPLUS. I have a surplus of books in my library, but I don't think I will bring them to a surplus store.
46D. Hole in the wall : OUTLET. Fun clue for a type of electric plug. Do they sell those in an outlet store?
Don and C.C. love to pack their puzzles with theme entries. In this one, they have 40 theme letters (excluding the unifier), but their position is in the "corners", rather than stretching across the main part of the grid. Very clever!!
Marti here, to see what else our Dynamic Duo has to offer...
Across:
4. Protect the border, in a way : PATROL.
14. Charlemagne's realm: Abbr. : H.R.E. Holy Roman Empire.
15. "Lawrence of Arabia" star : O'TOOLE. I still like him in "My Favorite Year", best! 0:15
16. Walk in the wild : HIKE. Like the link from CrossEyedDave the other day of El Camino Del Rey. (DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVE ACROPHOBIA!)
17. Children's author Asquith : ROS. Her latest is "Letters from an Alien Schoolboy". A must-read?
18. Takes second, maybe : STEALS. Second base, that is. Do you know Rickey Henderson?
19. Amaze : STUN
20. "Ready!" : I'M SET.
22. Done to death : TRITE. Nothing trite in this puzzle, for sure!
24. Ginger ___ : ALE. We only had Ginger Ale or Moxie as soft drinks when we were growing up. Other than those, it was either milk or water as the beverage of choice.
25. Nurture : FEED
26. Tenor Carreras : JOSE. Music, from "Carmen"! 4:54
27. Subject of the 2006 documentary "An Unreasonable Man" : NADER. Ralph. 2:16
29. Cold porter fan? : TOSSPOT. Fun pun on "Cole Porter", for a tippler, or drunkard.
31. Soft drink since 1905 : R.C. COLA.
32. On ___ streak: winning : A HOT
34. Brit's academic milestone : A LEVEL
38. Red Cloud, for one : SIOUAN
40. Summers in Arles : ETES. Nice summers!
41. Not picked up : UNTIDY.
42. Ristorante herb : OREGANO. "Ristorante" is Italian, and refers to the ubiquitous Italian herb.
47. "Midnight Cowboy" con man : RATSO. Rizzo.
48. Net enablers, briefly : ISPs. Internet Service Provider (s).
50. Two-generation MLB family name : ALOU. The family name in the Dominican Republic is Rojas!
51. Country club hire : PRO
52. Precise-sounding blade : X-ACTO. They are precise!
35A. Local retailer, and an apt description of eight entries in this puzzle : CORNER STORE
Oh my! Each of the eight entries in the corners of this puzzle are a type of (corner) store:
1A. Little barker : TOY. A toy poodle can be a little dog who barks. Or, a toy store.
10A. Sedate : DRUG. To drug someone means to give them a sedative. Or, a drug store.
63A. Brogue or brogan : SHOE. Brogues and brogans are types of shoes. Or, a shoe store (my favorite kind!)
65A. Favored student : PET. Like a "teacher's pet". Or, a pet store (My cats love PetCo!)
1D. Couponer's skill : THRIFT. If I were thrifty, I would cut coupons. Or go to a thrift store.
13D. Petraeus's rank : GENERAL. David Howell Petraeus is the head of the CIA, and a four-star general. A general store used to be a staple in small towns. Now, they are giving way to Wal-Marts all across America...
38D. More than needed : SURPLUS. I have a surplus of books in my library, but I don't think I will bring them to a surplus store.
46D. Hole in the wall : OUTLET. Fun clue for a type of electric plug. Do they sell those in an outlet store?
Don and C.C. love to pack their puzzles with theme entries. In this one, they have 40 theme letters (excluding the unifier), but their position is in the "corners", rather than stretching across the main part of the grid. Very clever!!
Marti here, to see what else our Dynamic Duo has to offer...
Across:
4. Protect the border, in a way : PATROL.
14. Charlemagne's realm: Abbr. : H.R.E. Holy Roman Empire.
15. "Lawrence of Arabia" star : O'TOOLE. I still like him in "My Favorite Year", best! 0:15
16. Walk in the wild : HIKE. Like the link from CrossEyedDave the other day of El Camino Del Rey. (DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVE ACROPHOBIA!)
17. Children's author Asquith : ROS. Her latest is "Letters from an Alien Schoolboy". A must-read?
18. Takes second, maybe : STEALS. Second base, that is. Do you know Rickey Henderson?
19. Amaze : STUN
20. "Ready!" : I'M SET.
22. Done to death : TRITE. Nothing trite in this puzzle, for sure!
24. Ginger ___ : ALE. We only had Ginger Ale or Moxie as soft drinks when we were growing up. Other than those, it was either milk or water as the beverage of choice.
25. Nurture : FEED
26. Tenor Carreras : JOSE. Music, from "Carmen"! 4:54
27. Subject of the 2006 documentary "An Unreasonable Man" : NADER. Ralph. 2:16
29. Cold porter fan? : TOSSPOT. Fun pun on "Cole Porter", for a tippler, or drunkard.
31. Soft drink since 1905 : R.C. COLA.
32. On ___ streak: winning : A HOT
34. Brit's academic milestone : A LEVEL
38. Red Cloud, for one : SIOUAN
40. Summers in Arles : ETES. Nice summers!
41. Not picked up : UNTIDY.
42. Ristorante herb : OREGANO. "Ristorante" is Italian, and refers to the ubiquitous Italian herb.
47. "Midnight Cowboy" con man : RATSO. Rizzo.
48. Net enablers, briefly : ISPs. Internet Service Provider (s).
50. Two-generation MLB family name : ALOU. The family name in the Dominican Republic is Rojas!
51. Country club hire : PRO
52. Precise-sounding blade : X-ACTO. They are precise!
54. Quarterback Favre : BRETT
55. Fontanne's dramatic partner : LUNT. Lynne Fontanne never gave up her British citizenship, even though she lived for 60 years in America, and was married to Alfred Lunt.
57. "Miracle Mets" pitcher : SEAVER (Tom). Another baseball reference! From the 1969 season?
59. ___ pal : GAL
60. Org. that dropped "Lawn" from its name in 1975 : USTA. United States (Lawn) Tennis Association.
61. Small-winged creature : PIGEON
62. Salt Lake City collegian : UTE
64. Buffet fuel : STERNO
Down:
2. Beginning of Juliet's balcony speech : O ROMEO, "wherefore art thou?"
3. Green lights : YESSES. In other words, "gives the green light to."
4. Blog update : POST. Like this!
5. J.D. holder : ATT.orney. "Juris Doctor".
6. In direct confrontation : TOE TO TOE. Like this?
7. Has a good laugh : ROARS. One of my favorite things to do...often.
8. Stan's sidekick : OLLIE
9. For fear that : LEST
10. Some A.L. sluggers : DHs. Designated Hitter (s). (I'm starting to get into this baseball stuff!)
11. Poet honored with a 2011 National Medal of Arts : RITA DOVE
12. Island music maker : UKULELE. It means "Jumping flea" in Hawaiian.
21. Mad workers, briefly : EDs. Editors on "Mad Magazine".
23. Put in the envelope : ENCLOSE
26. Familiar latecomer? : JOHNNY. (come lately). I searched for the origin of the saying, but can only (loosely) attribute it to a song by that name...
28. Top server : ACER
30. "I never tell the truth," e.g. : PARADOX. Contradictory statement. Is the quoter telling the truth, or is (s)he lying?
31. Movie critics, at times : RATERS
33. Quattro meno uno : TRE. Four minus one, in Italian. (Uno, dos, tres, cuatro in Spanish)
35. Grow fond of : COTTON TO. Another expression that has vague origins, but probably has more use in the south, where the success of fibers meshing together to form "cotton" was very important.
36. Nice okays : OUIS. See 40A.
37. Drop by : STOP OVER. Verb is two words, Vs. the noun "stopover" which is one word.
39. How looming deadlines may be met : IN A RUSH
43. Spearlike fish : GAR. Indeed.
8. Stan's sidekick : OLLIE
9. For fear that : LEST
10. Some A.L. sluggers : DHs. Designated Hitter (s). (I'm starting to get into this baseball stuff!)
11. Poet honored with a 2011 National Medal of Arts : RITA DOVE
12. Island music maker : UKULELE. It means "Jumping flea" in Hawaiian.
21. Mad workers, briefly : EDs. Editors on "Mad Magazine".
23. Put in the envelope : ENCLOSE
26. Familiar latecomer? : JOHNNY. (come lately). I searched for the origin of the saying, but can only (loosely) attribute it to a song by that name...
28. Top server : ACER
30. "I never tell the truth," e.g. : PARADOX. Contradictory statement. Is the quoter telling the truth, or is (s)he lying?
31. Movie critics, at times : RATERS
33. Quattro meno uno : TRE. Four minus one, in Italian. (Uno, dos, tres, cuatro in Spanish)
35. Grow fond of : COTTON TO. Another expression that has vague origins, but probably has more use in the south, where the success of fibers meshing together to form "cotton" was very important.
36. Nice okays : OUIS. See 40A.
37. Drop by : STOP OVER. Verb is two words, Vs. the noun "stopover" which is one word.
39. How looming deadlines may be met : IN A RUSH
43. Spearlike fish : GAR. Indeed.
44. Edge to get in competition : A LEG UP. Hmmm...C.C. and Don G., you have me running all over the place with these idioms! This one originates from the act of a groomsman kneeling down and offering his bent knee to help his master get onto the horse. So giving "a leg up" is literal in that sense.
45. Record using symbols : NOTATE. (Notate to self: get an idiom dictionary.)
48. Seal the deal : ICE IT. Lots of idioms with "ice": Ice over, on ice, on thin ice, cold as ice, break the ice...but "ice it" means to preserve something (usually in writing, but alliteratively "in ice"), so as to keep the intentions of both parties intact.
49. Mount, as a comeback : STAGE. OK, so it's Thursday, and the clues are getting trickier.
53. Nile reptiles : ASPS. Or, maybe they are still Monday-friendly?
54. Former capital of Moravia : BRNO. Second-largest city in the (now) Czech Republic.
56. ___ kwon do : TAE. Or, spelled "Taekwondo", the national sport of South Korea. Here's an interesting tidbit: "In Korean, tae (태, 跆) means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon (권, 拳) means "to strike or break with fist"; and do(도, 道) means "way", "method", or "path". Thus, taekwondo may be loosely translated as "the way of the hand and the foot." (From Wiki)
58. Quite a stretch : EON. I know, it has been quite a stretch, but you are finally done with me! So, on to the comments...
Answer grid.
Hugs,
Marti
Note from C.C. & Don:
The new Walgreens in our neighborhood inspired this theme. Not many specific stores could be meshed perfectly in the corner letter-wise, so we were excited to make the grid work. Don was initially concerned that Outlet stores are not common enough, and we went ahead only after getting positive feedback from our guinea pigs Dennis & Argyle.
71 comments:
Morning, all!
Fun puzzle that was mostly smooth with a few speed bumps scattered throughout.
In the NW, it took me awhile to accept that TOY could stand on its own without "dog" or "poodle" or something similar. Also, ROS Asquith was a complete unknown and just looked wrong in the grid.
I originally guessed RITA LOVE at 11D, but Ralph NADER took care of that.
Down in the SE, I originally put in A LEG UP for 44D but changed it to A LAP UP in order to get PEN for 59A. But then, after getting NOTATE and OUTLET, I realized that my PEN had changed to PAL (which left me with PAL PAL), so I went back to A LEG UP and GAL.
Elsewhere, I didn't know LUNT or SEAVER, but the perps took care of them.
Oh -- and it was nice to see UKELELE in all it's glory for a change! I can never understand why it shows up so often as simply UKE with no indication that the answer is an abbreviation...
Good Morning Marti and friends. Interesting puzzle. There is both a little Mom-and-Pop Drug Store near my house where we get our prescriptions filled. The pharmacist is really wonderful. There is also a little independent grocery store around the corner that we refer to as our pantry.
Lots of baseball references. I especially liked Takes Second, Maybe = STEALS.
Small-Winged Creature = PIGEON was a fun clue.
I've taken the train through BRNO to visit relatives in the Czech Republic.
Dodo: The Elegance of the Hedgehog is on my "to read" list.
QOD: The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. ~ Albert Einstein
A perfect Thursday with marti describing another Don and C.C. special. I do not recall ever seeing a puzzle with this structure for the theme answers, or with three letter fill part of the theme, I had no idea until the reveal.
I did not know tosspot and did not believe notate is a word, thinking it was made up like orientate, and BRNO did not seem right, but it all worked out.
Thanks guys
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Don G., and C.C., for a great Thursday puzzle. Enjoyed it. Thank you, Marti, for the excellent write-up.
Got started with HRE for 14A. That was easy. PATROL came next. Then OTOOLE.
HIKE was a gimmie. Reminded me of "A Walk In the Woods" by Bill Bryson. A funny book about the Appalachian Trail.
The easy start faded as I worked South. Lots of tough ones.
TOSSPOT was one of my last answers. Never heard that term before.
I even got OUIS easily. Amazing, for me.
Wanted INK IT for 48D. After a while ICE IT became obvious.
Did not figure out the theme until I saw the blog this morning. Did not look real hard though. I finished this a 4:30 AM and laid back down for a few mo ZZZZs.
Breakfast is being served shortly. Breakfast burritos in the mess tent. About 115 people are eating.
See you tomorrow, from Minot, ND.
Abejo
Hahtoolah. We read the "Elegance of the Hedgehog" at our book club. As I recall, I was not real hep on it. But, don't let that stop you. I could be all wet.
Abejo
CrossEyedDave,
Read Melissa's summary before the first Across entry. Your blue problem will be solved.
Bill G,
Rich accepts all theme types except rebus.
Real cute theme, C.C. & Don! Thanks, Marti.
I erased dog and TOY twice before finally arriving at THRIFT and getting that corner partially. FEED never occurred to me. Had heard of TOSSPOT in an English novel but had no idea it meant drunk tho I suspected the porter clue was probably the drink.
UKULELE spelling is hard to remember: 2 U's, 2 L's, 2 E's. Since I noticed that, maybe it'll stick in my mind.
I spelled SIOUxN, so plugged in an "M"at 30 thinking it was something Groucho Marx might say. Didn't make a whole lot of sense, but I didn't have the "X" for XACTO. Since I used an XACTO almost daily during my newspaper years, I'm disgusted to miss that.
I just had a domino effect on down the line with InkIT and didn't know SEAVER so had BeNO.
Everything else I had. I'm just always proud to get anything in a tricky Dynamic Duo Thursday challenge.
An amazing construction, fun cluing and Marti for dessert! It don’t git no better! Golf at 11 this morning with 14 colleagues has allowed me to savor this one!
Musings
-Corner stores in our town are now small homes or have been torn down. Kwik Shops are the modern day iteration.
-My SIL loves SHOE stores. Me? I’ll take that root canal now! I have very 4 expensive pairs of SAS shoes and they still look new after years of wear.
-Teacher’s PET? I heard they do.
-Niles Crane loved a GENERAL store where you could buy French fries in one aisle and French doors in the next
-I had to point to an OUTLET in Siena, Italy to show the lovely Italian man that I needed an adapter
-CED’s video gave me the willies as well!
-Tom Terrific (SEAVER) was a big part of the Miracle Mets. It was one of those times where the athletic stars all lined up.
-I learned long spelling of UKE ( 2 U’s) today and NICE ain’t fooling me again!
-All my first editions of Mad and Superman comics were in the same garbage as my complete 50’s baseball cards
-GAR are nuisance fish around here
-Late free throws and field goals can ICE IT for a team
-What was Ollie’s famous line that he always used when Stan had done something wrong?
This was certainly Thursday level for me. The entire west coast was blank for a long time. I finally picked away and got everything except the R at the crossing of Seaver and Brno. Didn't remember Seaver well enough to be sure, even though it sounded OK. Ran the alphabet in my head on Brno and didn't like anything that yielded. So I ultimately took a flyer on the R and was surprised and relieved to find it was correct.
Clever theme and precise execution. Well done!
Congratulations to our Dynamic Duo for crafting another fine puzzle. This one was not too difficult but did take a little jumping around thr grid to get it done.
Barry, that instrument shows up as Uke so we don't have to decide whether it's UKULELE or UKeLELE.
Outlet stores are very common, but usually located in an outlet mall around here. There's usually a corner somewhere in that mall, though, so at least one of the outlet stores will be a corner store.
Great write up, Marti.
CC and Don, I loved having the theme entries in the corners with lots of clever fill, such as, takes second, cold porter fan, net enablers (had me going for a while), familiar late comer, and small winged carrier.
TOSSPOT is one of those words frequently found in novels and seldom in real life.
Marti, thanks for the Carreras link. He's one of my favorites.
The book, A Walk in the Woods, is indeed hilarious. My sister who hiked the entire AT in pieces over time was just amazed at the hiker's ineptness.
I recently cleaned my closet and couldn't bear to throw away a couple dozen pretty pairs of shoes that I am no longer allowed to wear. These days SHOE stores are a big disappointment to me. But, I am grateful to be back on my feet dancing again.
Husker G. Oooh, oooh, I know that one! But I thought it was Stan's line:
"There's another fine mess you've got us into, Ollie!"
For the 62nd consecutive year, Omaha will be hosting the College World Series in its beautiful new TD Ameritrade Park downtown. Many of the usual suspects made the eight team field but, alas, everyone’s favorite, the LSU Tigers, got beat out by the Stony Brook Seawolves. If you had heard of this school and knew where the campus is, you’re a better man than I am Charlie Brown. They are everyone’s Cinderella team now!
Also, the US Olympic Team Trials - Swimming will be held across the street at the Century Link Center and there will be a few days overlap. This event had been rotated for years but Omaha’s overwhelming response four years ago made them put it back there this year. Nothing persuades the NCAA like butts in the seats!
Hello Puzzlers -
The DGCC Team out-clevered me today. I had to settle for a Technical DNF because of whiteness in the NW. O ROMEO seemed right enough, but ROS and TOSSPOT were unknown to me, and I didn't realize the how much real estate Charlemagne managed. Once those points were Googled, everything fell into place.
Clever grid style!
Good morning all. A double treat - a puzzle from C.C. and Don and a write-up from Marti. And today is Flag Day.
Interesting puzzle. Somewhat eclectic but no real hard or arcane words. Nice touch with SIOUAN. 4 different vowels in a row. Did not know TOSSPOT but the perps were kind. BRNO was a gimme - while growing up, our neighbors were an extended Czech family from BRNO. Also learned that RC COLA has been around a long time. Also liked the baseball fill Some zippy clues, too such as for JOHNNY and PIGEON. BZ
Have a great day. Time to POST.
HG, I don't know if the CWS generates as much buzz around the country as it does here in flyover country, but it sure IS a big deal here, as you well know. Not being much of a baseball fan, over the years I'd only caught a few games, but didn't watch it religiously. But 6 years ago I was hospitalized during the entire series and it was my main source of entertainment for that period. Sure beats CNBC, quiz shows and soaps. Since then I try and steal as much time as I can to catch at least several games when it's on. It's very good baseball.
I'd never heard of Stony Brook before last week, but I'd guess that Splynter knows a thing or two about them. I hope they do well.
I'm sure happy it's Thursday! Finished my 3 miles in 50 minutes, and I managed my DNF in under 10.
I didn't get the theme until the unifier, but that allowed me to go back and change CALM to DRUG in Maine -- I had no idea what a DH was, and there were lots of letters that could have worked with *ITADOVE.
What really killed me was Texas. I INKed IT and didn't know BRNO, so XACTO became XANTO which I thought might be some special type of Asian sword. And SEAVER wound up as SKAVEO which sounded like it could be a sports name -- at least as good as SEAVER.
Still working on the pool every day in preparation for this Saturday's grand opening. The finish line still seems a long way off.
Nicely done puzzle. I loved the theme placements.
Don't forget that today is Flag Day.
DNF!!! The SW corner did me in today.
Never heard of TOSSPOT. And all the proper names threw me off: ROS Asquith, Jose CARRERAS, Tom SEAVER, Alfred LUNT. I knew Peter O'TOOLE, the ALOUs, OLLIE Hardy, RITA DOVE, and BRETT Favre (Green Bay is the Chicago Bears major rival....with or without Favre.)
Better luck tomorrow.
Husker G., I stand corrected and humbled, as always. It was, indeed, Ollie whose famous line was
"Another Fine mess..."
I liked the unusual grid layout.
My baseball bias skewed the midwest(?) section. JOHNNY and JOSE are two of my favorite Reds, Bench and Rijo. A HOT CORNER STORE is a place where many teams would love to shop for a quality third baseman.
Last night it was fun to watch Joey Votto and Derek Lowe go TOE TO TOE. Serious head games going on there.
Husker Gary: Stony Brook beating LSU is a great story. I clicked on your links. That is a great looking stadium. The one picture from home plate makes the batting eye look somewhat small. Have there been complaints or is the picture misleading?
Thanks Don, C.C. and HeartRx.
I was off in the wilds of WA for a few weeks, so was resigned to having to do the NYT crosswords for the duration. Definitely different, and more enjoyable in some ways, but it's good to be back.
Today was the first day I've had to consult with Dr Google in ages, and I'm embarrassed. The NW corner in general gave me lots of problems, mostly because I wanted 1A to be PUP in the worst way. Once I erased that, started fresh, and asked the good Dr who Mr/Ms Asquith was, everything fell into place. Never had heard of TOSSPOT, but took it on faith.
Hello, Marti and all.
How lovely to awaken on a Thursday and find the Dynamic Duo in my newspaper. It was a fun challenge, especially the west side. The east fell quickly and you might recall we saw RITA DOVE in a Sunday puzzle not too long ago.
Good thing that DRUG, HIKE and STUN filled DHS because I would not have known it.
While waiting for the computer to fire up, I found seven of the STORES. Thank you, Marti, for your detailed analysis.
I have a niece who is the coupon queen and usually pays only a few dollars for a large quantity of groceries. She has four of her ten children still at home and two every alternate weekend.
SIOUAN stymied me because the X was missing and I completely overlooked that Nice was not congenial, but the French city. Still, got it right.
Small is not how the PIGEONs here would be described. They are enormous and leave equally enormous droppings and are a great nuisance.
Dodo, my reading list also includes The Elegance of the Hedgehog for this summer.
Have a terrific Thursday, everyone!
Good morning to all and happy Thursday. Thanks to the dynamic duo and Marti for a good workout today. I got the unifier early on,but it took me awhile to see the four corners.Duh for me finally toy and thrift got me to the finish. Have a great day to all. RJW.
Good morning:
Congrats Don andi CC for a fun, but tough Thursday offering. I finished w/o help but with a few write-overs. Loved the theme and the cluing! Thanks to Marti for a great expo.
Happy Flag Day everyone.
Musings 3
-Seen, I have not heard of that problem but it is a bad week to try to drive or get a hotel room in Omaha! Everyone is all atwitter about Michael Phelps but Dara Torres is my fav and an inspiration for all athletes north of 40.
-Flag Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc. are a big deal here in our little burg of 27,000 souls. Flags of Veterans are posted along Military Avenue for 2.5 miles and several tableaus with military themes are on walls along the way.
-Fore! I’ll tell the guys Hi for you! All in all, some days I prefer the geese!
Morning all,
Very clever theme and well executed, nice write up Marti
It felt like only the right side of my brain was working, I finished the whole east side of the puzzle in record time,
but for some reason didn't have the same experience with the west side ,had to google Siouan , Ros and Lunt
In my business ROS is a Report Of Sale for the big TOYs
At first I thought Johnny was referring to the Late Carson ,
What I liked best about the execution , is the fact that there were no other entry that can go before or after STORE.
eliminating any confusion . Well done
US Open week I'm all Fore it .
As Grumpy 1 said, outlet stores are quite common. At Christmas time there is the usual reminder that often times the outlet stores will sell a lesser quality line of their products, not the ones normally sold in other stores.
I remember Lowell Thomas responding to a question about Lawrence of Arabia. Asked how much of the movie was true, his answer was quite brief -- the sand.
Florida is afloat in Outlet malls, including the biggest SAWGRASS MILLS here in South Florida.
hearti, glad you caught the Laurel and Hardy line and posted; it should end any confuison as to who was the fat one (Oliver Hardy) and who was the skinny one.
FLAG DAY was a big deal where I grew up in New England. (marti, LaLa, mainiac, HH and the rest?)also as a precursor to Bunker Hill day the 17th, but in my French dominated home town, Bastille Day exactly one month later was equally popular.
Lemonade: I remember the Flag Day celebrations, too, when I lived in New England. When I was working in Boston, I especially liked Bunker Hill day because it was a holiday. Although I don't get to celebrate Bunker Hill day now, Mardi Gras and Good Friday are both state holidays in Louisiana. Unfortunately, no recognition of Flag Day.
DNF. I had to come here to ink in my missing letters. Some though, I figured out after cheating on the first few blogged items, so what follows in caps are the only ones I completely cheated on:
ToY
imSEt
feED
tossPot
DRug (I had smug)
CoRner
SUrpLuS
ShOE
XaCTo
seAveR
I stared for the longest time at 30D's clue, wondering what e.a. was an abbreviation for--the tail on the g was missing in the paper we get, and only now do I notice the a would have had to be a different font from what they use. Of course all the perps for the above missing letters were screwed up too. But never mind, it's Thursday.
All in all a very cleverly constructed CW but beyond me today.
Lemon, we used to make a big thing out of flag day when I was in school (another excuse to get out of the classroom). We had speeches around the outdoor flagpole, songs, poetry readings, etc.
Sadly, the schools where I now live don't even recognize it on their calendar of events. Perhaps some of the teachers use it as a subject for discussion in their classrooms, but that's about it.
We never celebrated Bastille Day because my mother's family were the object of the French Revolution...
I had a bad experience at the CORNER STORE yesterday. I was in a last minute rush to make macaroni and cheese for the homeless shelter.
I had already begun when I realized I had not one bit of flour for the roux. I rushed to pick up some at the CORNER STORE. As I opened the bag I saw a little bug on the outside and one inside. I immediately put the flour bag back into the plastic grocery bag and then into a garbage bag, and took it out to the curb.
I substituted corn starch "by guess and by golly" as Mom would say. (You need a smaller amount of corn starch than flour.) It turned out fine.
This morning some bugs had already worked their way out of the three bags before the trash pickup. How fast they could have spread throughout my pantry had I not noticed!
OUTLET STORES have sprouted throughout the desert and quite conveniently beside the freeways. As someone mentioned, stocked with less than the best quality.
I just finished another puzzle with the clue Red Cloud, e.g. but the answer was SIOUX.
I solve about 1,500 puzzles a year. Most of them are good, some are great, and some are masterpieces. Today's puzzle is a masterpiece. Terrific theme... terrific fill... and a whopping 30 entries that are 6 letters or longer! C.C. and Don, you two are somethin' else!
Don G. & C.C.: Wonderful, cleverly themed, FUN Thursday offering.
Esp. enjoyed all the baseball (I'm a huge fan!) DH'S, STEALS, ALOU & SEAVER.
Fave today was GAL-pal (since I've used that term here often).
Acckkk moment: ICE-IT ... y'all know that would never happen at Villa Incognito.
Husker: I'm a fan of the CWS. Watched as Stony Brook waxed both the Miami Hurricanes and then LSU.
Hope they win the whole thing! (I'm NOT a Gator/Seminole fan).
HeartRx: Flag Day wasn't "big here in school" since we ended the school year the first week of June.
I surmise UKE is seen "often-in-puzzles" due to the 2 vowels.
A toast to all at Sunset.
While HRE was a gimmie, it still happens to be wrong.
Charlemagne's realm was the Kingdom of the Franks and, historiographically, the Frankish or Carolingian Empire. While he was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" and is included in the regnal history of the HRE (and France and Germany), the Holy Roman Empire was not established as an entity until the crowning of Otto I in 962, almost 150 years after Charles The Great's death.
I spent a month one afternoon at an upscale outlet mall (could this be an oxymoron?) called Ellenton (central FL.) I`m not a shopper but my "party" thought they had died and gone to heaven!
A real "Thursday" puzzle IMO. Thanks Don and C.C. Loved the theme, when I finally got it. I think THRIFT and TOY were the last to fall for me. We have the ubiquitous Outlets here, too. Big draw for a lot of folks...not me.
Dodo, good to hear from you last night.
Lucina, wonderful news about the surgery.
Fly the flag proudly!
I am a great admirer and follower of Ralph Nader, who has done alto for this country in terms of seat belts and consumer safety. So I enjoyed 27-across :) (It's a great documentary by the way)
Hi gang -
Outstanding, clever and creative puzzle this morning. Brilliantly executed theme. Our prolific pair continues to amaze.
My Natick was the crossing of RITA DO?E with ALE?EL. Absent the V, A LEVEL is impossible to parse. I took a swag with "L." L of a bad choice.
Also wanted PEN PAL, though a GAL is certainly preferable.
Refreshing to see UKULELE spelt out.
TOSS POT sounds like something the sot might need on the morning after.
A couple of M.D.'s make a paradox.
Lemonade - NOTATE is most definitely a word.
Went to grandson Ryan's middle school graduation this morning. Four granddaughters dancing tonight.
Everybody STEALS in Nate's league.
Cool regards!
JzB
Flag Day is very special here in Troy, NY as Troy is not only the Home of Uncle Sam, but is the home of the largest Flag Day parade in the country. It was held on Sunday.
Shortly after reading the comments about Stoney Brook being in the CWS, I read an article in the Albany newspaper about a pitcher for SB who graduated from an Albany high school. It's a small world!
Forgot to mention earlier that I completely overlooked the theme until coming here. My brain must be still asleep.
Having read both, 'The Girl with the Dragon tattoo' AND 'The elegance of the hedgehog', may I add a comment.
The Girl, is very Swedish in culture, with some occasionally disturbing scenes and matter, and an improbable, but delightful ending. I found it enjoyable ( except for a few pages - ) , with some excitement, especially in the last part of the book.
The hedgehog, is French. The plot, if there is one, is irrelevant, the author is trying to show off her liberal education, with essays on philosophy. Those who like to discuss Hegel and Kant, (or have pretensions of doing so .... ) will find an echo and clecho here. The rest (of us ) have been forewarned.... Forget the story, and dust off your old college philosophy textbooks.
Sorry, but thats my take on it.
To Marti, ....'We never celebrate Bastille Day, because my mother's family were the object of the French Revolution'.
I have been thinking of this for the past hour, and felt I had to ask - what do the (lucky surviving - ) descendants of the pre-Napoleonic, French nobility, do today, to celebrate the obligatory French National Day ? ... when the rest of the country closes down for the ete's and heads to the topless beaches in the south of France, do the 'noble' descendants just gnash their teeth, and head off to the UK and Switz. and the low countries (as they did then - ), or do they symbolically convert their Francs ( now Euros ) to gold, to keep alive the memory of the ancien re'gime ? For, if history is any guide, Napoleon, despite a brief blaze of glory, bankrupted and enfeebled the nation, more than any of the kings had been able to do. Please note:- some attempt at humor here. (lol).
FACT:- Hedgehogs, properly skinned, are the preferred gourmet delicacy of British gypsies and Irish travellers. They are abundant, free, available year round and a good source of protein.
Source; C.R. Hill and H. De la More, Gypsy and Irish traveler, Pavee culture and norms. Penguin Press.
A very decent puzzle. Nothing exciting, but not dull either. I just need to give each level the appropriate amount of time. This couldn't be finished quickly, but with a cool eye and steady hands it was done.
Anony-Mouse @ 2:07, I don't know about the others, but I go to work.
Keith Fowler, how have you been?
So, Marti what pops up in your beheaded heritage, Duc, Marquis, Comte, Vicomte, Baron, Prince, ou Roi?
JzB, stupid of me, I know notate in music, just forgot. I think orientate is like well and good being synonyms, or other made up words which get in dictionaries like irregardless. Which I guess is foolish as all words are made up. I do not see any advantage to adding a syllable which does not change the meaning. Less letters is better IMO
Hello everybody. I must echo the plaudits lavished upon this excellently-constructed puzzle today.
I didn't know what DHS (10D) and EDS (21D) are until reading the blog. Had trouble with SEAVER because I wanted INKIT, and after XACTO got filled I didn't go back to fix the rest, so 48D ended up as ICKIT and SKAVER stayed as SKAVER.
Held out for the perps before deciding whether 7D was going to be ROLLS or ROARS.
Loved the clue for JOHNNY.
Well done!
Lemon - it's a mixed bag, from what I understand !
Anony-Mouse, thank you for your comments.
Lemonade, that would be FEWER letters. LOL :)
It's all well and good that hedgehogs are abundant, free, available year round and a good source of protein, but why do they have to be such pricks about it?
Oh c'mon, you know you thought it.
DNF, I had the entire NE filled, but only a toe, & corner store poked into the SW, when a break didn't help i started Googling Shakespeare (& others.) After a couple more breaks i could not stand the suspense anymore & had to know the answers. I am kind of mad because i saw general connected to corner store, but totally missed "drug" staring me in the face. It would have been fun to find the other stores, but that NW corner totally blocked me.
Had to correct Ukelele, & at 1st thought 59A was "pay" pal.
CC:@6:52, My bad (now "i" feel blue) i must have clicked the interview link, & went straight to the write up upon my return.
Based on all your reviews, i must run out & buy "a walk in the woods." Sounds like a good read.
AvgJoe 6/13@5:49pm, interesting review of the Dune series. I enjoyed reading it, but it was not until i finished the entire trilogy that i realized i had accidentally read book 1, & then 3, and never noticed the difference until i got to the end of book 2!
I can't tell if there is some confusion around here or we are being put on. My wife, years ago, taught me the difference between fewer and less, few being used for countable things, such a fewer letters but less milk. So I've learned to make that distinction but I've always wondered why it doesn't apply to 'more' as with more letters and more milk.
I learned to spell 'ukulele' from doing the LAT CW when I typed 'ukelele' in my post and it got underlined in red. It was spelled wrong in the puzzle and I never understood whether it was just an oversight or not.
Bill G. I always made that distinction between "fewer" and "less", as well. Then there is the "like" and "as if" confusion.
There is a sign in my neighborhood:
"Drive like your kids live here"...hmmm, who can come up with the grammatically correct way to say that one?
Marti, If being grammatically correct is the primary criteria, I'd say: "Drive as though....."
But if you're only trying to get the point across, my preferred message would be: "Don't be a forking idiot!!! Slow down!"
HG, Duck! It looks like you've got serious weather moving through. Send rain our way.
Avg Joe, I like your thinking!! "As if" and "as though" both would be correcto - "as if" is more tentative, while "as though" is more definitive. But there are more errors in this sign...
I was surprised by this crossword as back home in England TOSSPOT is a very rude word!
Trevor Briggs: If it is good enough for Shakespeare, it's OK by me!
Drive as though your kids lived here
Great puzzle. I even managed to get all but one letter. Which is unusual for me on Thursday. Thanks CC, Don and Marti. I always enjoy the blog.
The Ginger Ale I drank as a kid was Vernor's. If you tried to drink it right after pouring it into the glass, the effervescence would go up your nose and make you sneeze. It seems they have tamed it down since then. Too bad.
Speaking of Baseball, did anyone see the Perfect Game pitched by Matt Cain of the SF Giants last night. Unfortunately I missed it. But all accounts say it was a gem.
Jayce, my only final "nit" is the word "kids". Are there a bunch of goats who live on that street?
"Drive as though (if) your children lived here..."
And here is the article that supported my grammarian
rant.
Please, don't even get me started on the many misuses of the English language. One of my main peeves is number/amount. Drives me crazy!
So many of our grammatical foibles have to do with count and noncount nouns. I don't know if it's lack of understanding or apathy or both.
Avg Joe, The rain hit us hard up north in Tekamah but didn't do all that much down here in Fremont. Omahs is getting it in spades!
Hola Everyone, A DNF for me today. I've been extremely tired after almost three weeks with grandchildren here and my brain is not working like it should.
I wanted to check in and tell Lucina how wonderful to hear that her surgery went well. Hooray!
I loved the puzzle today, despite not having finished. I almost made it, but the very first fill TOY was my downfall and the North west area went begging. Neither Pup nor Dog would fit. I also had Tend for Feed and Toss Pot was totally an unknown.
Thank goodness for Marti's great writeup so I could have all those learning moments for today.
Have a great evening everyone.
Chickie, I hope you have better luck tomorrow!! I don't have any grandchildren, but do cats count as time- and energy-drainers??
Hi all,
It's kind of late to post but I will do it anyway.
Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were famous actors in the 30s and 40s,almost like royalty in the theater. They had an estate just west of Milwaukee a few miles, called TEN CHIMNEYS. They lived there in the summers and had many of the famous actors,writers, etc
as guests. It is now open for tours every summer.
I don't understand why Cole Porter was connected to the word tosspot and the word tippler was connected to his name. He wrote beautiful music and was from Peru,In. His ancesters started the Cole Brother Circus.
The puzzle was hard and I didn't finish but it was fun.
Have a good night all!
Marge
The clue wasn't Cole Porter it was cold porter, porter is a type of dark ale so they are referring to someone who drinks too much, not Mr. Porter.
Unfortunately, the language has changed quite a bit since the 16th century, and it now has a different meaning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosspot.
Marti, school is always over in our neck of the woods by Flag Day, so yes, so we don't celebrate in the classroom. JD's holder and I do since it is our anniversary.
While fewer letters is correct, there were two reasons for less.
1. I love alliteration.
2. That was the whole point, things become accepted if people use them, correctly or not.
get some sleep, hard work ahead
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