Theme: It's a Monday, Natch - Five rhyming endings.
17A. Br'er Rabbit's thicket : BRIAR PATCH
39A. Dramatic grab in the outfield : SHOESTRING CATCH. Often while running full tilt towards the infield to catch a dying quail. Did you pay attention when we discussed what a BLOOP was?
59A. Mark with intersecting sets of parallel lines : CROSS HATCH
10D. Fight in a ring : BOXING MATCH
25D. Childproofing device : SAFETY LATCH
Argyle here. Gerry's second puzzle for us and again we might question the day of the week. Gerry made a comment on that puzzle you can read at the bottom of this link Monday, April 9, 2012. Starting out with Occam's razor did set the tone for what was to come. One grid spanner with two theme entries crossing it. All in all, a nice balance. No foreign words? Is that possible?
Across:
1. __ razor: principle of logic : OCCAM'S. Rule favoring simple theories, aka, the Law of Parsimony.
7. Tempe sch. : ASU. (Arizona State University) Google Map.
10. "Back to the Future" bully : BIFF. I was blown away by the size of the entry for Biff on Wikipedia. The Biff Tannen bio. TMI
14. Vladimir Putin's country : RUSSIA
15. Tractor-trailer : RIG
16. Face-to-face exam : ORAL
19. Powerful TV princess : XENA
20. Computer code acronym : ASCII. (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
21. Pub beer orders : PINTS
22. "Gil __": Lesage novel : BLAS. "Gil Blas" (French: L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane) is a picaresque novel by Alain-René Lesage published between 1715 and 1735. It is considered to be the last masterpiece of the picaresque genre. Quote from Wiki.
26. Baseball's Ott : MEL
27. Underhanded type : SNEAK. Not softball.
28. Wyoming college town : LARAMIE. (University of Wyoming)
31. '60s "Gotcha" : "I DIG". "I'm hip, dude."
33. "Whee!" : "IT'S FUN!". the sixties.
34. Chinese chairman : MAO
35. What rolling stones don't gather : MOSS. Phrase Finder.
42. Email status : SENT
43. Cont. north of Africa : EUR. (continent of Europe)
44. Country singer Kathy : MATTEA
45. Knitter's purchase : YARN
47. Theater section : BALCONY. Becoming a thing of the past, alas.
48. Ability : SKILL
51. Tina with a spot-on Palin impression : FEY
53. Chart toppers : HITS
54. Like pop music : TONAL. What is the difference between tonal and atonal?
55. "__ the loneliest number": '60s song lyric : ONE IS. By "Three Dog Night" (another past discussion on the blog.) Clip(3:07)
58. Sunrise direction : EAST
64. Actor Baldwin : ALEC
65. Suffer : AIL
66. '80s-'90s quarterback Dan : MARINO. Great Miami Dolphins player, Hall of Fame, but no Super Bowl Ring.
67. Subject with fractions : MATH
68. Urban transit org. : MTA. (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) The Kingston Trio sang about the Boston Metropolitan Transit Authority.
69. Least outgoing : SHYEST
Down:
1. Mars or Venus : ORB
2. Junkyard dog : CUR
3. CBS forensic drama : CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation)
4. Red __ beet : AS A
5. Actress Sorvino : MIRA
6. Patsies : SAPS. (dupes, victims, fools, chumps)
7. Wheelchair guy on "Glee" : ARTIE. Just Artie (or Arty).
8. Thick-crust pizza style : SICILIAN
9. "How gross!" : "UGH!"
11. Goodnight girl of song : IRENE. The Weavers hit number one with it in 1950.
12. Classic orange soda : FANTA 13. Back-pocket liquor holder : FLASK
18. High point : ACME
21. Letter before omega : PSI
22. Supreme happiness : BLISS
23. Wood shaper : LATHE
24. Fiery crime : ARSON
29. Conservatory subj. : MUS. (music)
30. Prefix meaning "between" : INTER
32. Church doctrine : DOGMA
34. Fallen space station : MIR
36. 10th century Roman emperor : OTTO I. There were no Popes named Otto? Is that right?
37. Perfume feature : SCENT
38. One-horse carriages : SHAYS
40. Try to escape capture : RUN FOR IT. Lam.
41. Lo-__: lite : CAL
46. Every bit : ALL
47. Tournament exemptions : BYEs. If there is an uneven number of entrants, the top seeds don't play anyone in the first round.
48. Teakettle emission : STEAM
49. Eucalyptus eater : KOALA
50. City map on a state map, e.g. : INSET
52. WWII plane __ Gay : ENOLA
56. Belief systems, for short : ISMs
57. Deposed Iranian ruler : SHAH
59. Photo taker : CAM. (camera)
60. Suffix with station or honor : ARY
61. 1-1 score, e.g. : TIE
62. Neurology subj. : CNS. (central nervous system)
63. Really sexy : HOT
Argyle
From C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Chickie (with husband Bill)! I want to see your backyard with all the wonderful fruit trees.
From C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Chickie (with husband Bill)! I want to see your backyard with all the wonderful fruit trees.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteI started out blasting right through this one in record time. OCCAM'S razor is very familiar to me, so that didn't give me any pause whatsoever.
Sadly, my speed run was short lived due to ARCHIE. And MATTEA. And LARAMIE. And OTTOI. And CNS. CNS??? Oy. None of these caused a DNF; they just slowed me down a surprising amount for a Monday.
The theme was innocuous. I did figure out what was going on early on, so it actually helped me get the aforementioned MATTEA and CNS (CNS???). I'll admit I'm not familiar with SHOESTRING CATCH (I thought it was going to be STRETCHING CATCH for a bit), but the perps took care of me.
CNS means Central Nervous System...
DeleteGood Morning, Argyle and friends. Interesting Monday puzzle. We had not had a Rhymes Time puzzle in a while. I was not familiar with the phrase SHOESTRING CATCH, however.
ReplyDeleteLike Barry, OCCAM'S Razor didn't bother me. We've seen it often enough in the puzzles, that it just flowed.
I did, however, get stuck in the mid-west. I am not familiar with Gil BLAS, and BLISS didn't immediately come to me. It finally all came together, though.
Hand up for Orange Crush instead of FANTA. You know who you are!
QOD: A narcissist is someone better-looking than you are. ~ Gore Vidal
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gerry W., for a fine Monday puzzle. Thank you, as well, Argyle, for the equally fine review.
ReplyDeleteMontana: thank you for the note the Bubble Level, etc. I will check them out.
Got started slowly. Did not know OCCAMS razor. erupted it eventually.
The rest of the stuff up north was pretty easy, except BIFF.
Got the theme answers easily (for a change).
ENOLA Gay has been in our puzzles I think since WW II. Certainly not before.
SHAH for 57D reminds me of two dinners I had while in Alexandria, Ghormeh Sabzi. Found a Persian restaurant and my favorite Persian dish was on the menu. So, I had Ghormeh Sabzi twice. Some of the greatest pleasures in life are often very simple.
With that, I will see you tomorrow.
Abejo
CNS means Central Nervous System...
ReplyDeleteThank you Gerry and thank you Argyle.
ReplyDeleteNice fun puzzle to start a Monday morning. 39A SHOESTRING CATCH... My (unproven) original fill was gamesavING CATCH.
Time to make coffee and wake up DW.
Happy birthday Chickie !
Happy Birthday, Chickie! Hope you have a great day with family and friends.
ReplyDeleteHere is a pretty good example of a shoestring catch. clip
ReplyDeleteOr in softball. clip
Nice videos and explanation on the shoestring catch Argyle.
ReplyDeleteThe videos got me thinking about shoestring catches in football.
NFL Football Famous Shoestring Catch
Monday speed run for me would have been really fast if I could spell better. Occams razor and mattea were slight problems but due only to spelling. got the theme so it helped me figure out the ends of (ATCH) some of the clues. Enjoy Monday all. Great write-up Argyle.
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to find ARCHIE in the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteHi:
ReplyDeleteAs the composer of this puzzle, I'd like to make a few comments.
As I said after my previous publication, I have no control over the day of publication. IMO, this is a Monday theme with some non-Monday fill.
My original clue for CNS was: Brain and spinal cord: Abbr. I thought this was quite likely to evoke Central Nervous System and then CNS. The harder cluing on that one is Rich's. OTOH, Rich changed many of the other clues to make them easier. E.g. My clue for LARAMIE: Ft. ___, Oregon Trail site. Published clue: Wyoming college town.
The puzzle's author does not see the final cluing. Rich, IMO wisely, does not enter into correspondence on the cluing.
Argyle also mentioned a few features that are worth a comment. No foreign words -- give Rich the credit, he removed "essai" from an earlier draft. One grid spanner with two theme entries crossing it. IMO, this was the nicest feature of today's puzzle. As a composer, I often look for possible crossings when choosing my theme entries. Here I was lucky enough to find this harmonious arrangement
Thanks for all the nice comments.
Gerry W.
Hi:
ReplyDeleteThis was likely my speediest solve of the year. A fun, light way to start the week. A grid spanner, BIFF and Dan Marino, loved it. A tight Monday means a good fun day.
HBDTY Chickie and many more.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun links today, Argyle. I was not familiar with Kathy MATTEA, so I listened to her clip. I don't like country music, but actually found her quite entertaining! SHOESTRING CATCH wasn't on my wavelength, either - so thanks for clarifying that one as well. Makes sense now!
I loved the simple theme, and thought it was just right for a Monday. The fill was really smooth and didn't slow me down at all.
Gerry W., as a fellow constructor, I always pay close attention to Rich's editing, and compare my original clues with the ones that are actually published. Sometimes, when I think a theme is Wednesday-level but it actually gets published on a Monday or Tuesday, there are lots of changes. I tend to like devious clues, but I really need to learn to reel it in for early week puzzles!
Great job on this one!!
Wow, a great puzzle - Thank you Mr. Wildenberg, and to follow his own blog post, to boot ! Thank you Argyle for a very nice blog and commentary.
ReplyDeleteI was not familiar with 'Mattea' and Gil Blas, ( is he a cousin of Bill Blass, the designer ? ). I'm sure some constructors are now working on the Olympic champions .... You've 'seen' Bolt anywhere ?
ALT QOD:- I notice that, unlike other holidays, the police don't make a big deal about drunk driving on Good Friday. ~ George Carlin.
Have a nice week, you all.
great puzzle, keep um coming
ReplyDeleteGood morning Argyle and everyone.
ReplyDeleteA fairly easy romp today. The rhyming theme endings were straightforward but fun enough. Couldn't spell CSI- had 'cis'; d'uh. Did not know MATTEA or ARTIE but the perps were ample. Got OCCAM'S razor since we had it a while back. While there were no foreign words (who'd of thought?, there were some borrowings or names like SHAH, MIR, or MAO.
Avatar was driven by STEAM turbines; 4 marine boilers, 600 psi, 850º superheat, 60000 SHP, able to deliver 36 kts.
Have a great day.
Gerry,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a fine puzzle and no qualms here. Of course, I never saw the clue for CNS. The other words filled it in.
IMO, cluing is going to make a big difference in the degree of difficulty of a puzzle. eg, change 3D to Jerry Bruckheimer series and it's a Saturday clue. IMO.
I started doing these online at the Chicago Tribune website. You have to choose to solve at either the Regular or Master level. Regular gives you "Red Letter" help.
The first time I saw the online site, I thought it just might be that there were alternate sets of clues for the same puzzle. One for regular and one for master level. Alas...
Argyle, how is this for ATONAL ? Bet no one can listen to this to the end... Of Mice and Men I prefer Kathy Mattea and Three Dog Night to that...
WBS, except for OCCAMS razor, which I had to drag out of the mists of memory. And Gil BLAS was easy, since I had to read it in college. But at first I thought "too many names", and then they started to fall in with perps to the rescue.
ReplyDeleteGerry,
Nice to hear your side of the story. I would have preferred your clues for CNS and LARAMIE, since I'm unfamiliar with interstate colleges and their towns.
This was a little tough for me, but I was able to finish. The rhyming helped. I'm not sure how I get pop music being TONAL. Maybe I don't listen to enough pop music.
ReplyDeleteI wanted Crush for 12D, but when I saw BIFF I tried Faygo (another fruity soda brand). But I couldn't figure out what a PING or a SNEOK were so I knew I was wrong.
I hope you have a great birthday Chickie! Eat a big ole' slab of cake for me!
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteNice, quick solve today. Just right for a Monday. MATTEA was a gimme, and MARINO was gettable, dredged from some dark recess.
HBD, Chickie. If that's your front lawn, I can see why C.C. wants to see the back yard. Oofta!
Argyle, the difference is the "a".
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteOverall, a nice Monday offering from Gerry W. with maybe a few Wednesday-level clues. Good expo, Argyle. The theme added to the ease of solving.
Happy Birthday, Chickie, have a great day.
Have a fun Monday everyone.
This clip might help answer some questions about 'tonal' vs 'atonal'
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Chickie.
Gerry W. re: Your Monday offering. IT'S FUN.
ReplyDeleteSHOESTRING CATCH, a total gimmie. I say that because I played a lot of baseball as a kid. Made quite a few of these.
OCCAM'S Razor, the tenet I live by.
MARS or Venus (ORB) well my first thought was God (But I already had the 'O' and 'R').
Only snag in the solve. Well, since I've NEVER watched "Glee", ARTIE was ALL perps, A total wag.
Hmmm, it's raining, but the Sun is out. Gotta love the Tampa Bay weather.
Cheers to all at Sunset!
Chickie,
ReplyDeleteHBTY! I almost forgot, but I hope you have a great day!
Hello,Argyle and all cyber friends.
ReplyDeleteHappiest of birthdays, Chickie! What are your plans?
I DIG this puzzle! Very nice, Gerry Wildenberg, and thank you for stopping in.
A few sips of coffee and it was done! OCCAMS razort takes me back to college days though not the ones at ASU but USD.
It's a good thing the perps proved easy because relying on my knowledge of sports would have resulted in a disaster. However, Dan MARINO is burned in my brain.
And yet I could not suss SICILIAN even though we have seen ASCII before it eluded me. Not enough coffee I guess.
Wishing you a joyous Monday, everyone!
Appropos of nothing in this puzzle, I want to thank Rich Norris for hours of entertainment he has provided me. This weekend I finished a puzzle book he created and which I bought about a year ago. It's unique in that EVERY puzzle is a pangram. It consists of 26 themed and 46 unthemed puzzles. The themed ones were really easy and fun, but the unthemed ones became progressively more difficult. Usually I completed one or two every day but the themed ones sometimes spanned over more than one day.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the challenge and learned much throughout especially Rich's style of cluing. He is really brilliant. One of my favorite clues, for example, is Baa Maid (EWE). So simple but so clever. I highly recommend this book, A-to-Z Crosswords. Now I must find another to feed my insatiable puzzle appetite.
After that tough Silkie on Saturday I needed precisely this sort of fun and delightful speedrun this morning. So thanks, Gerry W., and Rich, for getting my week off to a great start! And you too, Argyle--always.
ReplyDeleteIt's really fascinating when constructors tell us a bit about the editing process, so thanks for visiting, Gerry. And Lucina, I'd love to order the Rich Norris book, if you can give me the title. My husband and I always do a puzzle before bedtime. Makes us happy, sleepy, and wards off nightmares!
Happy Birthday, Chickee. And have a great Monday, everybody!
Good morning to all and happy Monday. Thanks for a fun puzzle with no smudges or write overs kudos to Mr. Wildenberg. Thanks Argyle for your writeup. Happy birthday to Chickie hope you have a great day . I missed out on welcoming Tampagirl the other day so welcome to you another Floridian on the blog.
ReplyDeleteTo Tinman love that reverse weather pattern thundering here now.
Have a great day to all . RJW.
Misty, here's the book Lucina was talking about
ReplyDeleteA-to-Z Crosswords: All 26 Letters in Every Puzzle.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al,
ReplyDeletePerfect xwd for a Monday, although I did run into several spots that took awhile to fill: SICILAN crossing ascII,I dig ,and shoestring catch. I needed perps for occams (felt like a dummy as I knew it). Kathy Mattea was 1/2 perps, 1/2 WAG.
The only wood making tool I'm familiar with is a gouge (college art class).S-i-l's WHOLE garage is a "wood shop", all BIG machines.
Argyle, great links, esp the shoestring catches = a-ha moment
Gerry W., always interesting to hear the creator's mind set. Thanks.
HBTY dear Chickie! ♪♩♬♫•*¨*•.❤.•*¨*•♫♪•.¸¸.•´♫♪♩♬*¨*`•.♥.•´*♫♪♩♬ See you domani.
Chickie, how could I forget to give you a BIG happy birthday HUG??
ReplyDeleteThe cat had an extra one hanging around, so it's all yours. If you want it, click here!!
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Chickie.
HeartRx, that's a wonderful picture of a cat hug.
With a lot of help from my DH, we got this finished. I'd never heard of a shoestring catch (which he-as a former bastball player got immediately), so thanks for the video, Argyle.
And thanks for a great write up.
Cheers
Misty:
ReplyDeleteArgyle has the link to the puzzle book. Thank you, Argyle.
In my last paragraph that should read "the UNthemed ones were more difficult." Believe me, some were very challenging especially since I allowed myself only 30 minutes a day, just before bedtime, too, and that's why it took so long to complete the book. Also, I savored the solving experience.
Nice puzzle on the upper end of Monday! I am a proponent of OCCAM’S Razor. Most everything can be shucked down to good/bad, right/wrong. Reams of DOGMA don’t cut it for me.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-Who takes their shirt off more often – Putin or Matthew McConaughey?
-Want a job? Drive a big RIG, there are many semis waiting.
-How in the heck did I know BLAS?
-A rolling stone gathers momentum ;-)
-I have many pleasant memories of time spent in the Fremont Theater BALCONY. There might have been a movie showing at the time.
-When Tina FEY is shown on TV, she is almost always filmed with the right side of her face toward the CAM due to the scar on her left cheek from a childhood attack.
--Photo taker is the best clue for CAM?
-The Sun rises in the WEST on Venus and, man, is it hot.
-Dear MATH, I’m not a therapist, solve your own problems!
-I always tell grandson “Good night IRENE” when we go to sleep and now he uses it.
-Joann SENT me a lot of cwd friendly Tabu SCENTED letters in college.
-Five NFL teams did not get BYES but won the Super Bowl including last years Giants
-The orange soda of my "ute"
-HBD Chickie!
p.s. I appreciate your insight Gerry. I always assumed the cluing was a collaboration between you constructors and Rich. How ‘bout dat?
ReplyDeleteFun Monday romp! My only nit 58A sunrise direction,,, i would have preferred sunset direction on Venus, but i guess constructors just have to be happy to get published. The day they get published seems to be up to the editor, changing the clues at will to fit whatever day they need to stick a puzzle! I just saw "Newsies" on Broadway yesterday! I say constructors go on strike to get to pick their own clues and days!!!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Marti, loved the cat hug,,, but the cats eyes tell a completely different story....)
Gerry W.: Good ATCHa, mate! (As a New Zealand guest once said.) Fun puzzle!
ReplyDeleteArgyle, loved the music clips. MATTEA was a favorite of mine back in her heyday.
The son of a good friend of ours just went to LARAMIE on a football scholarship. Big smart kid!
Knew OCCAMS but forgot the two "C's". Perped it.
Loved Brer Rabbit stories and "Good night, Irene" as a kid. My sis and I sang the latter on a trip over & over until Dad banned it. We could really wail it.
The A to Z book order link offers "used CWD books"??? Only $1.99? Boy, snap that up! Do they throw in an eraser?
My husband's grave is next to a couple named BLISS. I told my kids, it's the only way I could guarantee he'd have eternal BLISS.
Happy birthday, Chickie!
If you go to TTP'er 2nd comment & clicl on the
ReplyDeleteNFL Football Famous Shoestring Catch
you will see at the end of the clip a number of NFL's Greatest Moments. The puzzle? One of my fastest.
Hi, all,
ReplyDeleteDid the puzzle in 5 minutes before I went to bed (I'm a night owl, which explains why this is my earliest post ever.) but needed to turn on the red letters when no TADA occurred. MATHEA seemed good to me after all I only own 3 of her CDs. And OTHOI could be a emperor, no?
Thank you, Gerry, for checking in. But a little early to be thanking for the comments. They should continue into the night, One of the all-time great Mondays. Now, how 'bout a Fri. or Sat. that we can sink our teeth into?
I just moved out into the sticks and it looks like it's gonna be permanent. No cable, No DSL. I'm not happy with Hughesnet. I've exceeded their daily limit on downloads 5 or 6 times so far and then dialup looks fast. Has anyone got a suggestion for what might improve my access?
Later
Don't you think space available has something to do with clues Rich chooses? The briefer, the better?
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, everyone.
ReplyDeleteI did the puzzle late last night, but too early for the blog.
I knew Occams but not necessarily how to spell it. Perps to the rescue. The rest of the puzzle was a Monday one but I did skip around to finish.
I haven’t read how to link things yet, so changed my avatar to show my grandson, Sammy, seeing his first ‘live’ koala at Christmas in Australia. He has stuffed ones, but this was the real thing. A wombat is his favorite stuffed animal--he can ride it!
Happy birthday, Chickie!
Have a good week,
Montana
Happy Birthday Chickie!
ReplyDeleteLucina, are you OK with doing puzzles online? If so, there are several high-quality ones each week available on Cruciverb. I download the ones from Village Voice, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Onion and a couple of others. They have the similar good qualities to the ones we are used to in the LA Times. All free.
It's been hotter than usual here with no letup in sight. Still, not as bad as some other areas. With no A/C, I find it helps to keep a fan running.
One more iPhone app called Photo Stitching. I took 5 pictures from due west to due east off our deck and then had the app stitch the 5 pix together into this Panorama of my backyard. The pictures have to have 30% overlap and the camera then puts them together. Cool, huh?
ReplyDeleteShoe String Catch made me wonder if that's how "Shoeless Joe Jackson got his name! (way b/4 my time, & a different country) but, alas a wiki search proves me wrong...
ReplyDeleteHBD Chickie
(omg! that was awful, i must be able to do better!) i will keep looking!
My favorite soft drink growing up = Fanta! (still is) But 1 of my only momento's from Australia is a can opener that says Tarax on it ?
( i don't remember it, but i guess i must have liked it!)
In my childhood, soda was best at Gagne's drugstore, but if any was bought at the store it was COTT'S.
ReplyDeleteThe editor I am sure is looking for a certain balance in cluing where there is a consistent flow to each puzzle to make it day appropriate, not too obscure, not too easy.
Here's a video of a cabbage-stealing dog. I think he looks a little guilty.
ReplyDeleteCube number?
Three consecutive integers are multiplied together and the middle number is added; e.g., 3 x 4 x 5 = 60 and 60 + 4 = 64 = 4^3.
Will this always produce a cube number?
Seem to be a few obscure fills for a Monday. Didn't know OCCAMS, ASCII, BLAS, OR ARTIE. I've never watched Glee and just learned about TBBT from all of you. Tried to find TBBT (Used show's full name ) on streaming Netflix and didn't come up. Didn't someone say " watching on Netflix" ???
ReplyDeleteIRENE seems to be regaining popularity. Has anyone here noticed other " old names " returning?
HBTY Chickie! I'm curious, do you collect chicken or chick things? My friend in NC did her kitchen in a chicken theme and it was really cute.
My bird feeders are emptying in a day and a half. Does anyone know the best place to get birdseed cheap ?
Blue Iris, did you mean 'birdseed cheep'?
ReplyDeleteWhat kinds of birds?
I miss the Olympics already. Here's a link to my new Olympics idol. Jessica Ennis.
Bill G.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the 'cube' isn't ICE, what do I care.
But the ans. w/b YES ...
Cheers!
Another shooting? Crazy! What is this world coming to?
ReplyDeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteSince I am doing this on a different computer today I will see if I can get it through.
Our son Dan came home yesterday for a few days. He drove from Atlanta in a day and a half. later in the week he is going to Fond du Lac for a reunion with a drum and bugle corp he was in, in the late 70ss, then heading back south.
This puzzle was fun but I didn't find it easy as I didn't take a lot of time. Tonight we are having a birthday party here for Dan and my nephew,they were born one day apart. Of course we didn't meet Dan until he was 5 1/2 weeks old when we brought him home from the adoption agency. What a beautiful baby he was. That was 51 years ago.
Have a good week all!
Marge
PS Happy birthday Chickie
Afternoon all,
ReplyDelete1'st clue Occam's razor, I thought I overslept to Wednesday. Knew it but had to remember it. The rest fell in place easily enough.
Blue Iris, I only use black oil sunflower seeds and suet from the local hardware store. Those cheap (cheep) versions the birds won't eat
They toss away most of it to get to the good stuff.
Tin. One too many Cheers today?
No, then Yes, is Maybe next? Just joking of course. Time for my cheers now.
Bill G, Re: cabbage stealing dog, loved the last scene, but i just wasted an hour of my life trying to one up you by Googling ColeSlaw stealing video's! (dont try!)
ReplyDeleteChickie, i looked high & low, i even looked at a 7-1/2 minute video of Chickie Fontina playing accordian for her 80th birthday, i am all Googled out! So, forgive me, but when i saw your movie choices, i thought "maybe" this might be a good HBD to you!
(it's nice knowing you!)
Hello everybody. Cool puzzle today; I liked the theme, and once I caught on to it, it made it easy to fill in final ATCH letters ahead of time. Some terrific fill, such as SICILIAN and BALCONY.
ReplyDeleteI notice we have both MIR and MIRA.
OCCAM was a gimme, since I wrote an essay on him in college. ASU was, too, since my granddaughter is going to start her 2nd year there in a few weeks. A good friend of ours and her husband both got their Ph.D. degrees in MATH from the university at LARAMIE, so that was gimme, too. I didn't know BIFF at all, though, nor ARTIE and MATTEA.
Thanks for explaining CNS; I had no idea what the heck it was.
Best wishes to you all and special happy birthday wishes to you, Chickie.
Now that we have had Occam's Razor, maybe some clever constructor (CC?) could treat all of Sheldon's fans with Schrodinger's Cat!
ReplyDeleteLucina @ 10:23 - In addition to Bill G's suggestions for CWP's, the Friday Wall Street Journal is usually a real challenge. It's available through Cruciverb, also.
HeartX @ 11:35 - That "cat hug" is cute as can be.
Hg @ 1:34 - Your backyard looks very enticing.
Bill G @ 2:40 - Very funny clip of the cabbage-stealing dog. I can't imagine a dog liking the taste of raw cabbage. Or cooked, for that matter!
Blue Iris @ 2:49 - Yes, older names seem to be very popular today. My great- nephew and wife just named their new baby Stella. All I can think of is Marlon Brando screeching it in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Blue Iris: The cheapest I've found is BJ's has black oil sunflower seed for around 61¢ per pound in a 40 lb bag. Pretty clean, not much chaff. Next cheapest might be Walmart.
ReplyDeleteBill G:
ReplyDeleteThank your for that suggestion, but no, I don't like doing puzzles on line. Sitting at the computer for a long while is uncomfortable and I just don't get the same tada from the screen. I've tried it.
I may print some of the ones you suggested but I shall still search for a book.
Woohoo! My home state made it in the crosswords for other than Yellowstone! Go Pokes!
ReplyDeleteJames:
ReplyDeleteWhat are Pokes? Is that short for cowboys and cowgirls?
Montana
Hola Everyone, A fun puzzle today, and I was able to get all the theme clues with no trouble. Occams razor, Gil Blas, and Artie from Glee were a bit obscure, but all doable with the perps.
ReplyDeleteBlue Iris said it all for me. I had the same expericence today.
Thank you all, dear friends, for the lovely Birthday wishes. My husband and I have close birthdays (his is Aug. 9th) so our children were here over the weekend and did a lovely dinner for us both.
But, tomorrow, I'll celebrate with the Calif. Coven in Stockton at Dodo's retirement village. We'll see CA, and Dodo. JD, Garlic Gal and I will drive about 2 hours to see them, so we'll have a long visit before we even arrive. We'll fill you in on all the gossip tomorrow!
Heart RX, That cat hug was so warming and welcome. Thanks. Also, Cross eyed Dave, I am just the same old Chick that I was yesterday, just a day older. You gave me a real chuckle!
Have a great evening everyone.
Blue Iris, No, I don't really collect chicken things, though I seem to have accumulated a few things over the years. I have some framed antique Chicken prints in my kitchen, and two sets of ceramic hens and roosters that belonged to my mother and mother-in-law. My kids give me small chicken things off and on, so I guess you could call it a small collection.
ReplyDeleteGerry W., Thanks for your visit to the corner. It is always interesting to find out where constructors ideas and inspirations come from. I love themed CW's--they are easier for me.
C.C. We'll have to take some backyard pictures. We have two new fruit trees which are just little right now. Sometimes I would rather have trees that don't require so much work, but I then think about all the lovely jams, and dried fruit that I make during the summer and would be hard pressed to do without.
Desper-Otto--As you probably have guessed that "front-lawn" is in Germany--Don't I wish we had such a yard!!
I haven't posted in ages, life is to busy. I just had to say that Laramie is my hometown!! It gave me a little thrill to see it in todays puzzle. Also, pokes are cowpokes. The University of Wyoming teams are the Cowboys, nicknamed The Pokes. Go Pokes!
ReplyDeleteChickie:
ReplyDeletePlease give all of the ladies my regards, and a hug.
LizLee, a year and a half is too long. Don't be a stranger.
ReplyDeleteWell really, we appreciate your comments anytime
Lemonade, Will do.
ReplyDeleteChickie: please tell ClearAyes, Dodo , Garlic Girl and JD we miss them. JD stops by sometimes, but not often enough.
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteVery late today as I fell asleep after a good swim and then brunch.
Really liked puzzle, Gerry, and write-up, Argyle!
No problems but not a speed run.
I am having one of those walk in tub/shower thingies with jacuzzi effect and two shower heads. No interest. $200/month. Ease to get into, theoretically. Anyone else have one? Anyone reading such a late entry to the blog?
Hope birthday was great, Chickie! Many happy returns. Do you hear from CA anymore?
Cheers!
Bill G: Yes, since
ReplyDeleten(n+1)(n+2) + (n+1) = (n+1)^3.
Fermatprime, yes and yes. I don't have a walk-in Jacuzzi but it seems like a desirable thing. Being on the west coast, you and I seem to be online later than most. I have been told several times that it's common practice for most bloggers to read the late posts from the night before. That may be so but they don't get responded to very often.
ReplyDeleteI pulled too far forward when I was parking and lightly bumped into a stone wall. The front bumper has a little scratch and the license plate holder is bent a bit. I called the nice customer service lady at the Toyota dealer and she will be seeing that it gets fixed tomorrow. The cost will be $200 on down depending. I appreciate her helping me out. They have given us very good service. Maybe the fact that we bought two cars from them a month apart has something to do with it.
Fermatprime:
ReplyDeleteI've seen those walk-in tubs advertised and they seem really convenient. I hope yours helps you.
You know you are on my prayer list. The results of prayer may not be immediately realized, but I firmly believe prayer brings strength and guidance. One of my sisters suffers from fibromyalgia so I know how serious that is.
Bill G:
I'm sorry to hear about your small fender bender, but even a small one is distressing so I'm glad you will have help for it.
Until tomorrow. Have a good night.