Theme: Is there a doctor in the house? - The Doctors are at the front of the line in the four theme entries.
20A. "Yes, indeed" : "NO DOUBT ABOUT IT"
25A. Dinner table dispenser : PEPPER SHAKER
45A. Sentry's question : "WHO GOES THERE?"
52A. Tenth novel in Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series : "J IS FOR JUDGMENT"
66A. Brief titles for the starts of 20-, 25-, 45- and 52-Across : DR's
Dr. Argyle here. I'm not a real doctor but then, neither are our entries today. Dr. No is the title character in first James Bond film. Dr. Pepper is the soft drink with a unique taste. Dr. Who is a Time Lord whose exploits are chronicled by the Beeb(BBC). And the very real Julius Winfield Erving II(Dr. J), a Hall of Famer with a degree in basketball.
Nice long entries with the reveal at the very end. A wide range of fill should produce some nits for the nit wits. A fluid puzzle.
Across:
1. Favorite texting partner, for short : BFF. (Best Friends Forever)
4. In a crooked position : ASKEW and 41A. Like bees attacking : ASWARM
9. Form : SHAPE
14. Lord's Prayer opener : OUR
15. Deli counter unit : SLICE
16. What actors have to learn : LINES
17. Barcelona gold : ORO
18. Kin of "Skoal!" : "SALUT!". "Cheers!"
19. Like much pub ale : ON TAP. "Here's to ya!"
23. Parlor or den : ROOM. Tap room, thirst parlor.
24. Kindergarten basics : ABC'S
32. Restful resorts : SPAs
35. Mystery writer Stout : REX. He created Nero Wolfe.
36. Et __ : CETERA. 11-Down yesterday, in its abbreviated form.
37. Destiny : LOT
38. Calculates : FIGURES
40. Parisian negative : NON
43. Computer network acronym : LAN. (local area network)
44. Talk show moderator : HOST
48. It replaced the punt in Ireland : EURO. The Irish pound.
49. Shade trees : ELMS
58. Lite cigarette boast : "NO TAR"
59. Messing of "Will & Grace" : DEBRA.
60. Afternoon potful : TEA
61. Hold holdings : CARGO
62. Best-case : IDEAL
63. Brain scan, for short : EEG. (electroencephalogram)
64. "Stuck __": Elvis hit : ON YOU. Related: 2D. Much ado about something : FUROR
65. Funeral song : DIRGE
Down:
1. Blessing : BOON
3. Bilbo Baggins's nephew : FRODO. From Lord of the Rings.
4. Postulate : ASSUME
5. Hunk : SLAB
6. Garment for Rob Roy : KILT. Kilted hunk.
7. Quito's nation: Abbr. : ECUA. Map showing the capital city of Ecuador.
8. Place to grab a screwdriver at home? : WET BAR. Equipped with a sink and running water.
9. Sits sloppily : SLOUCHES. "Sit up straight!"
10. Doesn't exactly tell : HINTS AT
11. Not pro : ANTI
12. __ moss : PEAT
13. Parapsychology subj. : ESP
21. "Didn't mean to do that" : "OOPS!"
22. Like a banned book, perhaps : OBSCENE
26. First, to Franco : PRIMERO. Spanish.
27. Wooden pin : PEG
28. Rejoice : EXULT
29. Lotto-like game : KENO
30. Mythical archer : EROS. His Roman counterpart is Cupid.
31. Talk wildly : RANT
32. Chopped side dish : SLAW
33. High-end : POSH
34. Welk's upbeat : "A TWO".
38. Frills, ribbons, ruffles, and such : FROUFROU
39. Bit of arena support : "RAH!". 86-Down on Sunday.
42. In olden days : AGES AGO
44. Skipper's area : HELM
46. Morally base : SORDID. The second meaning of base. Link.
47. Wine and dine : REGALE
50. Measured (out) : METED
51. Look of derision : SNEER
52. Rivers of comedy : JOAN. "Can we talk?"
53. "Just doing my job" : "I TRY"
54. User of the Force : JEDI. From Star Wars.
55. Over, in Hanover : ÜBER
56. Wet blanket, so to speak : DRAG
57. Luggage attachments : TAGS
58. Sgt., e.g. : NCO. (NonCommissionedOfficer)
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to Husker Gary. Love that photo, which was taken on his last day as a full-time teacher.
Husker: Happy 66th Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteFUN Tuesday offering. Really enjoyed the DR'S theme.
Faves were SALUT crossing WET BAR.
Cheers to all at Sunset!
Tinbeni, there were several things today that made me think of you.
ReplyDeleteMorning, all (and Happy Birthday, Husker Gary)!
ReplyDeleteFun Tuesday puzzle. I got the theme reveal early on and knew all the doctors, so that helped immensely.
Only sticking spot today was the crossing of EURO and FROUFROU. I've never heard of "punt" before and was only vaguely aware of FROUFROU (I actually had FROOFROO for awhile there). ON YOU at 64A set me straight with FROUFROU, however, and that was enough to get me EURO (even though I still didn't know what "punt" was).
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteCruciverb was misbehaving last night, giving me a random puzzle from a Sunday in May. Had to wait until after midnight to get the right file another way.
Once that was squared away, I managed an easy pace right through but could not suss the theme until the very last, via the unifier.
No groaners anywhere, but I do claim that the clue "Welk's upbeat" isn't right for A TWO. A leader saying "and a one, and a two" would be on the downbeat at the word two. I therefore filled AND A at first, because that would be where the upbeat comes.
Good Morning, Argyle and Friends. Interesting Tuesday puzzle, but nothing really grabbed me today.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Husker Gary!
QOD: The past is always tense, and the future perfect. ~ Zadie Smith
Thank you, Dudley. I tried AND A first and now I know why. A TWO doesn't feel right.
ReplyDeleteThank you Victor and Thank You Argyle !
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Husker Gary !
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy Husker Day!! I hope your birthday is special, with many more to come.
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.
Thanks for the fun write-up, Dr. Argyle. You have a PhD in wit! Unlike Barry G., FROU FROU was no problem here. I seem to remember a FROU-FROU MUUMUU somewhere in a recent puzzle?
I didn't get the theme until the reveal, so that was a nice surprise. I wasn't crazy about ASWARM ("disarm" could work at 41A, with a little rework on the two rows above it). But the rest of the fill was no SLOUCH...
Have a lovely day everyone!
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Victor, for a swell puzzle, even though I did not get the theme. Thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.
ReplyDeleteThe theme eluded me. I should have studied harder. I actually never read the clue for 66A. Got that answer with the three downs. I should be more vigilant.
Did not know BFF or FRODO in the NW. Got them with perps and a wag for the F.
I also had AND A for 34D. Sounds like others think like me, as well. ASWARM fixed that.
Did not know what a punt was in Ireland. EURO appeared.
Never heard of FROUFROU. Eight perps fixed that.
All the rest was pretty easy. I had fun.
Happy Birthday, Husker Gary. Good photo of you in your environs.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Fun puzzle! Did not know 59a. And wasn't sure of user of the force. Had a good time, tho. Liked pic of husked. Happy birthday
ReplyDeletenice puzzle not a speed run. did not see the theme until I looked at the blog. Julius Irving does hold 2 doctorate Degrees one from Temple University and the other from UMASS.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. Barocas for a nice, challenging puzzle and Argyle for your thoughtful commentary. I finished it, but a challenge, nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Husker, and many more to follow ! ... and in that spirit, some 'musings' .....
Argyle,
1. I notice your link on 'Base', has meanings as in Architecture and Botany, but no Chemistry. ... yet, another definition is (Chem.) - a chemical compound containing a hydroxyl ( - OH ) group, which neutralizes an acid.
2. I had 'Tell' before 'Eros'.
3. ( I thought Ecuador had a 'Q', so that misled me.....)
4. Shouldn't screwdriver have a capital S, since it is a proper noun for a type of drink ? ... or are there many types of the drink screwdriver.
5. Isn't 'slaw' shredded, rather than chopped ?
ALT QOD:- Dear Groucho; I would have answered your letter sooner but you didn't send me one. ~ Goodman Ace.
Have a good week, you all.
I wanted to not only say "and a" for Welk, but "anna" with his Scandinavian accent. Also put Froofraw in at first and had to correct to froufrou. And had to change the salud to salut for the wetbar cross. Spent a weekend with college students who love Dr. Who (the 11th or 12th actor to play him since I watched in the 70s).
ReplyDeleteGood morning everybody!
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the unifier until the very end. It didn't help that I had METER insted of METED for 50D.
I also was unfamiliar with the word "punt". I also didn't know "skoal" was anything other than a brand of chewing tobacco.
Middletown Bomber at 7:53 am: I am curious if Dr J earned those degrees or if they are honorary degrees. Those honorary degrees annoy me. I'd love to get my Masters, but I'll be paying off my Bachelors until 2027. Wealthy celebrities should not be given free rides IMHO.
PS: Happy Birthday to Husker Gary!
ReplyDeleteOn a more somber note, lets all remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
I forgot to wish Husker a Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteMaybe today you should pamper yourself with that pedi.
Howdy everyone,
ReplyDeleteWell, I got my butt kicked today . Everything went fine until I reached the South. Never heard of the aAphabet Series so 52A was a blank. Frou Frou was a "huh?" The center portion of the South was totally barren. Nothing registered.
Not as good effort today, but tomorrow will be better.
HG, have a terrific day.
Good morning everyone. Argyle, nice explanation of the 'Drs"
ReplyDeleteI found this a little harder than the usual Tuesday fare, but somehow constructed in such a way to make me reach out and 'get' it anyway. Due to initial difficulty, I found myself going down the E side and getting to DRS early on. That was very helpful with the theme fill, so the only one to pause at for a short while was J IS FOR JUDGMENT. All the times I've had to pass a sentry, I've never had to answer WHO GOES THERE. HELM - I guess so on a small boat. Larger vessel would be the bridge or pilot house. Nice mix of fill, today. Fun to solve.
Back in the 1800's the Tate's Watch Company of Massachusetts wanted to produce other products, and since they already made the cases for watches, they used them to produce compasses. The new compasses were so bad that people often ended up in Canada or Mexico rather than California. This, of course, is the origin of the expression, "He who has a Tate's is lost!"
HBDY Husker Gary. SALUT.
Contrary to some here, I thought this was a wonderful, easy CW today. Just goes to show what some like, others will find difficult. I even knew all the names except REX, not that there were so many. This was definitely my kind of puzzle--mainly words and only a little popular culture, which I mostly knew.
ReplyDeleteDidn't notice the word SORDID until reading Argyle's excellent blog. It had appeared without my help. The theme was obvious when it appeared too.
Have a fabulous Birthday, Husker!
Good morning, all.
ReplyDeleteSpitz, that one is terrible! BTW, the Enterprise NCC-1701 had a HELM, and it was pretty big.
Before I forget, HBD HG. My oldest brother is also a 911. In fact, all three boys have September birthdays which tells you what kind of Christmas celebrating my folks were into.
Another hand up for ANNA (and a). I never did get the Dr. theme. No matter. And I thought a punt was a boat of some type.
Irish Miss, thanks for posting those Vanity Cards -- I had no idea that's what they were called. After I mentioned them nobody said yea, nay, hey or no way about them. I figured maybe there was some lengthy discussion that I'd missed.
Do you remember what you were doing on 9/11/2001? How 'bout 11/22/1963? (I'm just starting Stephen King's book with that title. Anybody read it? Is it any good?)
And did anybody get the 3rd Jumble word today? Help! Would you believe it? As I was writing this, CREAMY popped into my brain.
Hi Y'all!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Gary! May you always be as happy as you look in that picture.
Fun puzzle, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! Good comments & links, Argyle.
I finished the puzzle okay with a few erasures. For hunk I wanted Stud instead of SLAB. Thought a punt was a boat (don't they go punting on the Thames?). Didn't know what LAN stood for.
I've read all of Sue Grafton's books.
I don't remember ever hearing that Elvis song. How could any man who made such ridiculous movements be so doggone sexy? Elvis imposters just never quite get it right.
Went to see "Dr. NO" on my honeymoon. My husband was Dr. Oooh Yeees!
"Lite cigarette boast: NO TAR."
ReplyDeleteThis is a poor clue/answer, unless "lite" refers to a brand of electronic cigarettes.
Tobacco-cigarette manufacturers are prohibited by law from making claims that their products contain no tar, because there is no such thing as a no-tar tobacco-cigarette, no matter how "lite" it may be.
Hi there ~!
ReplyDeleteHappy B-day HG ~!!!
Never saw the theme til I came to the blog - thanks for the write-up Argyle~!
As for the "Welk's upbeat", I think as a drummer, it's half wrong; maybe JazzB can add his expert opinion - for me, counting 1 2 3 4, the 'DOWN' beat is the kick drum, on 1 & 3 (a back beat would be 2 & 4); the upbeats are the 'other' notes -but- syncopated rhythms count "a" or "and" for the notes 'off the beat' to keep in time.
And a moment of silence for those lost at the WTC and Pentagon, 11 years ago....
Splynter
Happy birthday, Husker Gary! Enjoy the whole next year!
ReplyDeleteNice Tuesday puzzle from Victor and neat review by Argyle. I found out this morning that "The Modesto Bee" has our puzzle in it, so got to do paper and pencil solving today. Yay!
Could only think of Skoal as chewing tobacco. Many, many rancher students chose the no-snoose in school rule, as the rule to break, so I sent many a boy to the office to be relieved of the Skoal in his back pocket. Sent a few girls too.
I slowed in the SW as I couldn't get I T_Y and CA_ _O. I could not parse the AGESA_O vertically. Finally, mentally, went through alphabet and got the necessary G then R. Finished the puzzle.
I am off to Yosemite Park today. It will be a day trip, so won't sleep where the rodents do.
Have a good day,
Montana
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kazie on this one. I just breezed right through, no hang- ups, no write-overs. Thanks, Mr. Barocas, for a great Tuesday romp and thanks to Argyle for a fun expo.
Dudley, my Cruciverb is still giving me a puzzle from back in May. I had to solve today's in the newspaper.
Happy Birthday, Husker Gary, and best wishes for many, many more.
Your welcome, D-Otto; I had read somewhere that these Vanity cards were available on the web, so have fun reading them.
Speaking of TBBT, I only know Frodo because Leonard went to Penny's Halloween party as Frodo and our lovable "Shellie" went as the Doppler Effect!
PK, I, too, have read all of Sue Grafton's alphabet series. She is due for "W". Any idea what it will be? Widow? Warning? Woe? Wicked?
On this sad and somber day, let us remember the victims and their families, and all the others who suffered from the tragic events of that day.
Hi everyone! I have either been gone or too pooped to ponder the puzzle for the last few weeks. It felt good to finally zip through this enjoyable one. The Dr.theme escaped me until the reveal; good thinking, Victor!
ReplyDeleteThe Lawrence Welk clue made me smile. When I was in the first grade, we lived only a few miles from where he grew up in Strasburg, ND. Watching him on TV was cool; he had the same German accent that a lot of our neighbors did back then, since many of their parents had been immigrant Germans from Russia. I got to see him in person once, at the Strasburg High School graduation ceremony, where he danced a little impromptu polka with the friend of mine who was graduating! Fun!
Inspired by REX Stout's Nero Wolfe, I have been trying to keep an orchid alive and happy. It suffered from the heat while we were on vacation. I think it needs it's own temperature controlled room...but my husband doesn't think so :)
Happy birthday and SALUD, Husker. Glad to have something else to celebrate on this date, along with being alive and free.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle. I got the unifier from perps and missed the theme completely. Long theme entries - nicely done.
Smooth sailing in the north, rocky shoals in the south. Finally navigated the whole map, though.
Dudley has it exactly right. To elaborate on Splynter's drum riff, the beat is typically counted off as two measures, like so: 1 (pause of one beat) 2 (pause), 1-2-3-4.
Welk's "and-a" is syncopated, with the "and" exactly on the upbeat. His "two" is the second down-beat, actually the third beat of the measure. So the clue is exactly wrong. Hope that didn't make things too muddy.
Subbed with the Swing City big band (17 pieces!) last night at Plymouth Roc in Ply, MI. First bar gig I've played since AGES AGO - almost a decade. Had a great time, got $40 and a free drink. Opted for the pale ale ON TAP.
Cheers!
JzB
Good job, Vic. I thought it was just right for a Tuesday!! I got the corners first, then a few theme answers. Thus, the unifier came early. From there, not too bad!!
ReplyDeleteSay, how about the O's in the NE!!
A better clue for 59A might have been "Messing with Will."
On the O-theme, had FROOFROO for 38D. Seems others had problems here, too.
The unifier helped me with 52A but I should have noticed that it was the "tenth" letter of alphabet.
The Lawrence Welk thing messed me up the worst, like many others, I guess.
11D wasn't AMAT or CON like I expected when reading the clue.
I wonder, do Germans use "umlauts" in their solutions, as in 55D?
Love clues like 61A!
Enough said. Thanx for "listening."
PS. How does one close an HTML tag?
Easy, breezy puzzle today with no hang ups Dr. Argyle, your delightful wit made my morning.
ReplyDeleteSometimes ignorance is bliss. I didn't know enough to challenge Welk's A TWO, so it was a gimme for me.
Probably actual guards do not say, "Halt! Who goes there?" but they do in the movies. Another gimme for the uninitiated.
Happy birthday, HG. i enjoy your posts.
Anony-Mouse @7:54, if you go back to that link, you will see a button that says "EXPAND". That increases the meanings from five to twenty-five. Chemistry is included
ReplyDeleteThe Wizard,
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, I think Germans use an 'e' after the letter instead of the Umlaut. It is a bit hard to be sure of crossing letters that would both need Umlauts. I don't have any mags handy to check, they all went home with our d-i-l Sunday.
Another hand up for ANDA. I didn't get the theme until I was finished so it didn't help much. Otherwise, WEES.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Gary!
I've got three students for tutoring already.
Only a’s puzzle:
When placing constanants in place of the dashes below, what relatively common word can be made from: _a_a_a_a_?
(I know of two answers.)
Happy Birthday.Husker Gary.. I look forward to your post everyday.. I am also a retired teacher.. I do miss the kids but did not like subbing...
ReplyDeleteI love a speed run on a Tuesday morning! It tastes like . . . Victor-y! And great kilt pix, Dr. Argyle!
ReplyDeleteI bet I've made a dozen trips to Ireland over the last 35 years, and have never heard of a PUNT? How did that happen? I thought it would be some sort of sports thing--not money! Thank goodness I got it with perps.
Have a great birthday, Husker Gary.
And a great day for everybody!
Bananas, cabanas
ReplyDeleteI was very offended by yesterdays article about the United Methodist Church. It was not at all accurate.
ReplyDeleteMarge
HBDTY and many more HG, a fellow Virgin, one of many here at the corner.
ReplyDeleteNice job A and Vic this was frou frou all the way
Bill G: catamaran kavakavas lavalavas maharajah
ReplyDeleteSorry, Marge.
ReplyDeleteBaNaNa MaN (oops. 2 words)
ReplyDeleteBill G (in addition to the ones Spitzboov listed):
ReplyDeleteCARACARAS: A large, predatory hawks of the subfamily Caracarinae. Native to South and Central America.
CARAGANAS: A plant of the genus Caragana having even-pinnate leaves and mostly yellow flowers followed by seeds in a linear pod. pea tree.
KATAKANAS: The form of Japanese syllabic writing used especially for scientific terms, official documents, and words adopted from other languages.
MAHARAJAS: A king or prince in India ranking above a rajah, especially the sovereign of one of the former native states.
TACAMAHAC: Any of several aromatic resinous substances used in ointments and incense.
And, YES! there was major google searches to find these.
Geez, the Sun must be setting somewhere ... think I'll wander over to my favorite Pub that has 50 (yup, fifty!) micro-brews ON-TAP.
Cheers
Good work on the A's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteContinuing a conversation from yesterday, what am I missing about Caller I.D.? I don't have it. I get about one nuisance call a day. I pick up the phone and, after about five seconds, I politely say "No thank you" and hang up. If I had Caller I.D., I would go to the phone. If it showed a number I didn't recognize or a blocked number, I wouldn't answer. Five seconds saved. But once in a while I would miss a call that might have been important to me. Just now I answered a called from Unicef. I checked my list to see I hadn't already given to them recently and gave them a contribution. I think the uncertainty over not knowing who a call was from is just as big a worry as the nuisance calls.
Hello everybody, and happy birthday, Husker Gary. I second PK's well-stated wish: "May you always be as happy as you look in that picture."
ReplyDeleteTotally WEES today: wanted ANDA, FROOFROO, and SALUD until the perps showed me the error of my ways. I haven't read all of Sue Grafton's books, but knew her title paradigm, so it was easy to fill J IS FOR J--------. Didn't get the theme until the reveal.
Best wishes to you all, whose posts I very much enjoy reading.
11 years ago on my 55th birthday, I was teaching and a rookie teacher ran in to tell me to turn on the TV. I saw that the first tower had been hit and then the unspeakable happened as the second tower got hit, then the pentagon before the heroes of Flight 93 chose sacrifice rather than let the last plane fulfill its horrific mission.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-I played golf today and got a fun note from Tin who said he made an effort to blog first in my honor. Thanks for that and all the lovely sentiments I received today. That picture that C.C. chose is a favorite of mine as well and represents the fun I had in 42 years of teaching. I am looking at those 6 rocket models right now as I type. It ain’t work if you look forward to going everyday!
-I saw the ultimate golf addict today. He was playing with an oxygen tank on his back.
-Puzzle was a breeze and theme was fun at the reveal, especially with the variety of DRS.
-Every sportscaster in the world overuses the phrase “No doubt about it” when agreeing with a colleague
-Pepper shakers aren’t used here. We mill our corns.
-A month ago, my back was ASKEW!
-Some kindergartners can read when they enter the classroom and some don’t even know their ABC’S
-I was thinking first of a PUNT as a boat
-Our church music is all DIRGE-like and makes no one feel like EXULTing. When I play, I gots to move it!
-We started out intending to put out a few bags of PEAT yesterday. It turned out to be 60 bags and 10 bags of dirt, tilling and edging.
-Lawrence Welk played in ball rooms all around here before he went to L.A. (cheapest man in the world the story goes)
-Joann proposes to REGALE me for supper in Omaha tonight
WEES on the puzzle. Easy enough, but with a little crunch.
ReplyDeleteHBD to HG. Hope you have a great day!
SALUT! to all especially our resident DR. Argyle who cures our crossword ills.
ReplyDeleteAnd SALUT to you Husker Gary. I hope you have many, many more.
It is also my granddaughter's 16th today.
A fun sashay today from Victor Barocas. I chuckled at the theme when I saw it because I had reviewed the long answers before the unifier was apparent and wondered what the theme would be.
Rivers of comedy is a great clue for JOAN.
ATWO emerged independently and on studying it took me a long while to suss A-TWO and the reference to L Welk. Not being musical I appreciate the commentary from those of you who are.
This morning I had a dental appointment to attach the final crown so that made me late here.
I hope your Tuesday has been wonderful, everyone!
Bill G:
ReplyDeleteCaller I D has made a huge difference for me and believe me, it's quite possible to discern the unwanted callers from the desired ones.
Bill G @ 1:16 - You are very lucky if you get only one nuisance call per day; some days I get 4 or 5. The majority of them are scams or someone trying to get you to buy something or renew a subscription, etc. Southern Living magazine called me every day for a month and then finally gave up.
ReplyDeleteUsually when the phone rings I am near enough to just glance at the caller ID and see the number. I am not going to miss any calls because if it is a legitimate call,
my answering machine comes on and a message can
be left.
As far as charitable solicitations, I have adopted a new approach. Instead of giving a modest donation to 20 different causes (which I did one year), I now give a generous donation twice a year to the local humane society, the local food bank, and a local mission for men and women in crisis.
I could wallpaper my entire house with the requests I receive for donations by mail. Not a day goes by that my mail box doesn't have a solicitation request and some days there are 3 or 4.
I have even written to several organizations asking that my name be removed from their mailing list, pointing out that they are wasting their time and money by sending calendars, tote bags, pens, labels, etc., when I just can't
afford to make a donation. Some of them complied but others still keep sending their requests.
Sorry if I went overboard in replying to your comments.
Seemed to be a good Tuesday level puzzle. Had to move around to get fills, but very doable. Theme was helpful and aided in completion. Thank Argyle for enjoyable and informative write-up. Enjoyed seeing the PUNT likeness. As an Irish-American, I would like to own one.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Gary! I always enjoy your post. Are you continuing to sub this year?
Kazie, I'm glad you were able to celebrate your anniversary with all your family.
My daughter likes nothing pink, lacy,etc. When she moved away from home I enjoyed adding all the FROUFROU I could to her old room.
Thank you to all our military for sacrificing to keep the rest of us safe since 9-11.
Irish Miss re: calls for donations
ReplyDeleteYour charity several years ago probably put you on a CALL LIST.. Sad to say
a lot of charities can make more $$
selling adresses/phone #' lists than they get in donations.. the
Govts "NO CALL"law is exempt from
Politicians and anyone you have
done business with..ie..siding Co's
magazines, charities
Sad to say the best way to avoid this is by putting $$ in a jar or
an anon donation..
I have a policy of not donating to **any** telephone solicitor. Like Irish Miss, I give several large donations to a few select charities each year.
ReplyDeleteThe real problem with the no-call list is that there's no enforcement. The majority of the spam calls I receive are from commercial enterprises trying to make a sale -- businesses I've never dealt with. I've been on the no-call list, both federal and state, since they were started. Every year I make an attempt to re-new my registration, just to make certain that I haven't expired. I'm not sure why I bother; the phone solicitors pay no attention to the list.
One of the many benefits of Caller ID is the retention of the number which called you; so if your receive a call from someone with whom you would like to speak and you are not near your phone, you will have the number availabe, even if no message is left.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of your info on Caller ID. Food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI am still curious if folks (food servers especially) in your part of the country are saying "No problem" instead of "You're welcome."
I was a rotary dialer. In fact, I wonder if my first memory of a telephone wasn't placing calls through a local operator. I know we used a long distance operator to call my grandmother in Upperville, Virginia. Her phone number was 71W. Our first phone number in Falls Church, Virginia was FA 0333.
Speaking of Virginia, I wonder what has happened to Lois?
It's going to be dismal around here for a while. Our daughter's long-term boy friend just backed out of the relationship. He is younger, comes from a large Mexican family and still lives at home.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteThis was a puzzle that was fun to do; great write up Argyle.
Happy Birthday Husker. Hope you do something that is fun to celebrate.
I too wrote A one. Interesting comments about that here on the blog.
Cheers
I would like to share this beautiful piece of music that brings tears to my eyes but joy to my heart.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy
Bill G @ 3:19 - It seems as though everyone's reply to Thank You is No Problem. It irks me because I think it sounds crude. Another pet peeve of mine is when you ask someone if they can help you with something and the reply is a long, drawn out AB SO LUTE LY!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAs I type this on my iPad, I am listening to the music I just linked about. So beautiful
Musings
ReplyDelete-Iris, yes I am still subbing and will start this week. Those of us who sub and are grandparents can see the parallels:
1. Doing what you love
2. Choosing not to do it if you so desire
3. Taking off as much time as you like
4. Walking away at the end of the day with no other responsibilities
5. Being the “cool” teacher/grandparent because you probably won’t see them for awhile
6. No prep work
7. Getting $135/day for doing “not much” (okay, the grandparenting thing is gratis but still…)
-We use Caller ID (it’s also on our TV) for screening too. If we don’t recognize the number or area code or if it is an 800 number, that’s the reason you have an answering machine. When I was growing up, our number was 116-X and then 132-J and Grandma Opal was the night operator.
-We never pledge money on the phone, “This is the Nebraska State Patrol and heh, heh, we don’t want to arrest you, we just want to request you donate to our…” Click!
-Where we will celebrate my 66th revolution around the Sun tonight
Irish Miss, thank you. I love Rachmaninoff.
ReplyDeleteThe one that bothers our neighbors the most is when they are seated and are greeted with anything "... you guys..."
ReplyDeleteHe tolerates it but she detests it. How are you guys doing ? Would you guys like a to order drinks ? Are you guys ready to order now or do you need more time ?
I know she feels the same way towards any other lack of courtesy or respect, such as would be the case with "No Prob" in lieu of "You're welcome."
I had a hard time with the puzzle today, & really envy all of you that get so many perps. The theme was incomprehensible.
ReplyDeleteI had ji----judgment
41A killer bees as--- (asting?)
misread 26D's Franco, & thought, "oh crap, it's french, forget it..."
Froufrou???
ages ago, sordid, & euro were also missing.
Even after a break, i was stumped! So i Googled Sue Grafton, & everything fell into place 1,2,3.
(except the theme)
So i had a huge "OH NO!" when i saw Argyle's write up. I had misread 50D as "measure" & put "meter" way before i had any theme answers. I spent the whole day looking for "RAILROADS."
Boy do i feel like a nitwit...
a poem in tribute to 4A:
Every puzzle i try to do,
somehow always winds up askew!
Excellent choice, HG. Hope you have a good time.
ReplyDeleteI've never eaten at either Omaha Charlie's, but did frequent the one in Lincoln while it was open. My favorite was their exceptional calamari!! We really don't have anyplace out of the ordinary for seafood since they closed, and I miss them. We could also use a good Thai restaurant. Most other types are well represented.
Hola Everyone, Happy Birthday, Husker Gary. Hope you have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle wasn't too difficult again today. I didn't see the Doctors until I filled in the unifier, but by that time all was already in.
I wasn't sure what a punt was, but Euro filled in nicely. I had put in Atilt instead of Askew, but the eraser took care of that one when the perps took hold.
Hands up for And A instead of A two. I can just hear Welk's voice saying that phrase before everyone began to play.
I don't shred, but chop my slaw. I think it all depends on who is making the salad. I don't have a decent shredder for cabbage, so the large knife is my choice.
Montana, enjoy your trip to Yosemite. Our most favorite of all the National Parks. We spent our Honeymoon there, many, many moons ago.
Lest we forget! (9/11/2001).
Thanks to yesterdays puzzle, i can't help but hear the "whishing" in that Lawrence Welk video!
ReplyDeleteHand up for the upbeat clue. Thanks Splynter for that beat link, i saved it to read later. Can i get an honorary doctorate if i understand it when i am finished?
NitWit,,, good one Argyle!
Happy Birthday Husker Gary!!!
HG, i saved the menu from Charlie's On The Lake to show to my DW who will be at a business dinner tonite. The steak menu looks great, & i became ravenous half way through the appetizers!
Oh well, i am off to cook the hot dogs that DW says i must get rid of before they go bad.
:(
Thank you Irish Miss for the lovely music. I listened while writing my part of the blog, and then went back and played two more pieces.
ReplyDeleteI remember so distinctly learning our telephone number when I was in Kindergarten. It was 347-J. We didn't dial we spoke the number we wanted to an operator at the other end. We didn't have a dial telephone until I was in Jr. hi. Our grandchildren don't know what a dial phone looks like. LOL.
How times have changed!
I am told that charities and political groups do not have to abide by the no-call list. We are getting a large amount of both calls these days. I have my special charities, so don't even listen to the speil that is given.
As Husker Gary said, "Click".
Joyce, is that pre-Beatles Rock-maninoff?
ReplyDeleteMontana, went to Yosemite for my fiftieth, way back when. Great trip, great park! My only regret was that I forgot to pack underwear (and you can't buy it there). Every evening I had to hand-wash my tidy-whities and then hang them out to dry on the lampshade. My friends found that to be more humorous than I did.
Gary, that sounds like an excellent restaurant. Sign me up for a medium-rare prime rib. Have a great evening!
ReplyDeleteJayce, I didn't do that on purpose. Really.
ReplyDeleteWe had a hotly contested local political race here in August. I have only a cell phone and usually don't get solicitation calls. Before the primary, I was getting at least three calls a day--at least one a day woke me up. Click!
ReplyDeleteI had Emailed the incumbent once about something, so I also got at least one Email a day from her. But I didn't mind that so much. I had already decided to vote for her. She also emailed me an invitation to her home for an election night watch party. I was shocked at that, but didn't go.
Desper-Otto, I am proud to know of a man who actually would do hand laundry. LOL I didn't know they ever did that.
ReplyDeleteWe had a relative who ran out of clothes on a trip and just turned his shirt backwards because that was the cleanest side. The next day the shirt appeared inside out. I didn't ask about underwear. Some things you don't want to know. I just stood upwind.
Jayce: I forgot to tell you. I'm about half-way through the 4th book in Dana Stabenow's Liam Campbell series. I guess I must like it, I read until I'm "blind" every night.
so D-otto kind of looks like HuskerGary no?
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle, Victor; swell write-up, Argyle, as usual.
No problems.
HBTY Husker! Nice picture!
Irish Miss: Love that symphony!
Has anyone watched Copper on the BBC channel? If so, what do you think?
Perhaps all of you with Irish roots should give it a try!
Sub-Zero fridge conked out. It is very large, old and built in. Sears repair coming tomorrow. Haven't I had enough disasters recently?
I was in bed when a student called to tell me that school was cancelled, eleven years ago today. Since then, world has really gone to hell, IMHO.
Cheers, anyway!
PS I have talking caller ID and a penchant for remembering numbers. The way to go.
ReplyDeleteBill G. I feel I should clarify my post from last night. Looking back at it I realized I made a typo on the #. The area code was 603 so to me it was a local call. On Sunday I answered after the third call from this # and it was someone pushing their candidate and I very politely told him my mind was already made up. They then ask for my wife and I told him she was decided also. So Yesterday after the fifth call from this same number in the evening I lost it. My nit was why would an honest politician (if one still exists)need to hide their phone # ? Why wasn't Sunday's conversation enough to stop them and why did they call me three more times today? Just venting I guess. But it is irritating, You are right though IMO, most people minds are made up regardless of all the ads.
ReplyDeletedesper-otto:
ReplyDeleteSince I'm usually rushed reading the comments I had not noticed your photo before. Very nice to see your face!
My lovely, dear wife and I still keep an old dial telephone handy for when the power goes out; as long as the telephone line itself is working, the phone will work. Very handy sometimes.!
ReplyDeleteDesper-otto, it's cool. I also like Roll Over Beethoven. LOL
PK, I have a wonderful MP3 of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, performed live by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowksy. I'll email it to you if you like; it's 67 megabytes but I'd be happy to. (Not as good ad Kiril Kondrashin's reading, but good nonetheless.)
Also, I took a break from the Kate Shugak novels for a while while I read some other stuff, but will return to them. Then I'll go back and reread the first two Liam Campbell books and then continue with them. Man oh man, Wyanet Chouinard is so much like Kate Shugak! Also, I have a feeling I know what kind of men Dana Stabenow likes, heh heh.
DW and I also have discovered that if you donate/contribute once, you'll be inundated with additional solicitations for a long time!
Desper-otto, I agree with Lucina: good to see your face.
ReplyDeleteHeh heh. My wife just answered an unsolicited call from Verizon. She didn't want to deal with it so she put me on the phone. They wanted to bundle my phone (with Caller ID), Internet and cable TV altogether for about $50 less than I'm paying now with Time Warner. Saving the money would be nice but I'm more interested in what kind of service they provide. Do any of you have service and a DVR from Verizon? Do you like it?
ReplyDeleteJace, Chickie, and Fermatprime - So glad you enjoyed the music. I love the entire symphony but it's over an hour in length so I chose to link my favorite movement.
ReplyDeleteD-Otto - You don't look like a desperado to me! You look like a very nice man.
HuskerG - Hope you had a nice birthday meal. The menu had me drooling and then I had to settle for measly tacos for my dinner. Bah, humbug!
Bill G. - Received 4 nuisance calls today, but only one solicitation in the mail.
Irish Miss -
ReplyDeleteWe played that Rachmaninoff movement in Symphony a couple of years ago. The rest of that symphony was beyond us.
Rocky sure could write a break-your-heart beautiful melody, and the orchestration is magnificent.
Gary -
HBD. If you're 66, then you're 3 days less than 3 months ahead of me.
Cool regards!
JzB
Bill, All I know about Verizon here is from my MIL. Phone service is no different, Internet DSL is a constant download speed, around 6.2mbs if I remember correctly and they sub out TV service to Directv or Dish Network.
ReplyDeleteJust be sure it's not an introduction offer. It could likely double after 6 months to a year.
Oh, and Bill, DVR is useful if you can find anything worthwhile watching now a days. Just being able to skip the political ads is a plus. Me, I just turn off the TV.
ReplyDeleteH Gary, I'm glad you continue to sub. I'm sure the regular teacher appreciates having a veteran teacher there while they're absent.
ReplyDeleteI subbed as a school nurse in all 30 Topeka schools. Also loved meeting the day's requirements with no responsibilities when day was done.
Manac, thanks for the input. Locally, Verizon has fiber-optic FIOS which is apparently faster and better than cable, over 10 Mbs I think. Their wireless router (my wife has an iPhone and a laptop) has got to be better than our cable company. The cost of premium channels like HBO is an introductory offer so it will go up after six months or a year but it will still be less than what we are paying now.
ReplyDeleteI have come to LOVE the DVR. I seldom watch any program live. I either record it to watch later or watch it live but get about five or 10 minutes behind so I can fast forward over all the ads.
I just got off the phone with my somewhat despondent daughter. As I said, she has an iPhone. The digital sound quality is way worse than my land line. I had to have her repeat herself several times. She has Verizon FIOS and likes it much better than our cable service from Time Warner. So, we're going to bite the bullet and switch as soon as they call back.
Blue Iris, when I retired, I thought about subbing but instead I opted for tutoring. I still enjoy explaining math but now it's one-on-one. I miss the classroom but I enjoy the tutoring too.
Out here in the sticks, Verizon can't even give us DSL.
ReplyDeleteBill, I'll have to ask my MIL if its FIOS or DSL. It does reminds of my childhood though. My father worked for Ma bell all his career and once brought home some samples of a cable that could bend light. We played with it for hours on end. Who knew it would become FIOS
ReplyDeleteChecking in late to say HBTY to Husker Gary. You've caught up for now, but I'll go back up a year in a little less than 90 days.
ReplyDeleteJust got in from a nice (not really) 3 hour walk looking for a cow, 2 hours of it in the dark. She was here at 10:00 AM, so she has likely found a secluded spot to have her overdue calf.
We have Windstream, who bought the area from Verizon a few years ago. Our home phone has been downgraded to basic service since we use the iPhones for most everything. I've been holding on to the land line in the hope that DSL might eventually be available. But when I recently asked a lineman when that might be, he said "2 or 3 days after hell freezes over". 90% of the calls I answer (and I don't always answer) are solicitations, so the thing may have to go. No answering machine, ever, for me.
To Bill G. I dumped verizon for comcast. Comcast comes out the next day and fixes the problem.
ReplyDeleteMichele said:
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday HuskerGary. enjoyed this puzzle today. didn't know Frodo but other than that was an easy run. thanks for the blog and for the write up too. I enjoy this spot at the end of the day.
Michele said:
ReplyDeleteI meant to write a comment yesterday but it slipped my mind. I agree with Marge. The link to Methodist was very skewed. I have a long family of Methodist's ministers in my family and this write up was not factual. I tried to determine where it originated but wasn't computer savy enough to do that. I hope in the future we can be more fair in picking links as to our "tenets" thanks, michele
test 123
ReplyDeleteI have two questions for Michele and Marge: What did the link portay the Methodist tenet as because I an not sure. Too conservative or too liberal?
ReplyDelete2) Can you provide a better link?
Argyle has a question mark after his "Tenet" link. Voice your opinion with supporting details if you disagree. My blogging team try our best to provide the most informative and entertaining write-up & links every day. It's unrealistic to expect every link to be your liking. Or no typo is ever made.
ReplyDelete