Theme: Psst, got a second - The first word in four common phrases can be the second word, behind the word 'SECOND', in four new common phrases.
20A. Socioeconomic tension : CLASS STRUGGLE. Second class.
27A. Skinny guy's nickname : STRINGBEAN. Second string(B squad).
38A. Wages sans overtime : BASE PAY. Second base.
47A. Informational stroll through the forest : NATURE WALK. Second nature.
55A. "Same here," and what might be said about the start of 20-, 27-, 38- or 47-Across : "I'LL SECOND THAT"
Argyle here. I found this to be a smooth conglomeration with a couple of minor themes. As with yesterday, decent fill.
Across:
1. Banned chem. contaminant : PCB and 43D. Contaminate : POLLUTE
4. Confess : OWN UP
9. Pie-in-the-face sound : SPLAT
14. __ Na Na : SHA. Retro rock group.
15. "One of __ days ..." : THESE. "BANG, ZOOM! Straight to the moon!"
16. Break down over time : ERODE
17. '60s-'80s Bosox star : YAZ. Carl Yastrzemski.
18. Talk big : BOAST
19. Cattle breed named for an English county : DEVON
23. Get well : HEAL
24. Dawdler who prefers to remain horizontal : LIE-ABED
32. Modern recording device : TIVO
33. Take exception : DEMUR
34. Toast starter : "HERE'S ..." and 22D. Martini liquor : GIN
35. Spot for a peel : SPA. Clever clue.
41. Grammy-winning Dr. : DRE and 47D. "Stillmatic" rapper : NAS
42. Big name in trading cards : TOPPS
44. YouTube shorts : CLIPS
46. Dalmatian's dinner, perhaps : ALPO
52. Auto racing safety device : ROLLBAR
54. Pulitzer-winning author James : AGEE
60. Stimulate : PIQUE. Great word.
62. Bonkers : NUTS-O
63. Colony member : ANT
64. Like intense pain : ACUTE
65. Change one's pants? : ALTER
66. Cardinals' home: Abbr. : STL(St. Louis) and 67A. Young cardinal's call : CHEEP and 28D. Cardinals' beaks : NEBS
68. Warehouse supply : STOCK
69. Digit with a ring, maybe : TOE
Down:
1. Intimidates, with "out" : PSYCHS
2. Swiss Alps abode : CHALET
3. Mideast market : BAZAAR
4. Wagering venues, briefly : OTBs. (Off-Track Betting)
5. "__ Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" : WHO'S. Broadway play that was made into a movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
6. Uncluttered : NEAT
7. Pre-1991 atlas abbr. : USSR
8. "Downtown" singer Clark : PETULA
9. Swamp plant : SEDGE
10. Church dignitary : PRELATE. On their way to being a Cardinal?
11. One of an amorous pair : LOVEBIRD. We certainly have our lovebirds here on the blog.
12. Big fuss : ADO
13. Decimal base : TEN
21. Tried to avoid a tag : SLID
25. Always : EVER
26. Two capsules, say : DOSE
29. Show for early risers, briefly : GMA. (Good Morning America)
30. Urban transport : BUS
31. Build : ERECT
34. Overblown publicity : HYPE
35. Symbol on Texas's flag : STAR. The Lone Star State.
36. Golfer's shirt : POLO
37. Sewn-on ornamentation : APPLIQUE
39. Not sing. : PLU. (singular/plural)
40. Hair dryer? : AIR. Clothes dryer, too.
45. Do in, as a fly : SWAT
48. Big game venues : ARENAs
49. Horrified : AGHAST. Great word.
50. Simple shelter : LEAN-TO
51. Stovetop pot : KETTLE. Did you have kettle corn at your local fair?
53. Censor's sound : BLEEP
56. Religious sect : CULT
57. Film director Preminger : OTTO
58. Fraction of a min. : NSEC. Nanosecond (ns or nsec)
59. Geeky sort : DORK
60. NCAA's __-12 conference : PAC. (Pacific-12)
61. "__ bin ein Berliner" : ICH
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
Last time when we had Gail & Bruce's "Dog Days of Summer", I said this:
"Here is my guess at how the puzzle was created:
1) Gail came up with the theme idea (Her name came up first in the byline);
2) Bruce liked it, then they brainstormed for the full set of the theme answers;
3) Bruce did the grid design;
4) They each filled in half the grid;
5) Gail clued the whole grid, since Bruce is not fond of cluing."
Gail and Bruce later told me that I was right except except #4. Bruce filled in the whole grid. I imagine they followed the same procedure on this puzzle.
Gail & Bruce are also regular contributors to the CrosSynergy & Newsday. Gail is noted for her smooth grids & Bruce for his masterful gridding skill. Just look at the theme intersection in this grid. No cheater squares again today. Bruce makes all his black squares count.
Last time when we had Gail & Bruce's "Dog Days of Summer", I said this:
"Here is my guess at how the puzzle was created:
1) Gail came up with the theme idea (Her name came up first in the byline);
2) Bruce liked it, then they brainstormed for the full set of the theme answers;
3) Bruce did the grid design;
4) They each filled in half the grid;
5) Gail clued the whole grid, since Bruce is not fond of cluing."
Gail and Bruce later told me that I was right except except #4. Bruce filled in the whole grid. I imagine they followed the same procedure on this puzzle.
Gail & Bruce are also regular contributors to the CrosSynergy & Newsday. Gail is noted for her smooth grids & Bruce for his masterful gridding skill. Just look at the theme intersection in this grid. No cheater squares again today. Bruce makes all his black squares count.
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteBlew through the top 3/4 of this one and then struggled a bit at the bottom. Tried GEEK and then NERD before coming up with DORK at 59D and really didn't want to accept CULT as a synonym for "Religious sect" due to the negative connotations of that word.
Still, not much of a struggle in the end...
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Gail and Bruce, for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the great review.
ReplyDeleteWent through this pretty quickly. Did not get the theme connection. Of course I just finished a few minutes ago and did not study real hard.
Enjoyed PRELATE. That is my title in my Commandery of Knights Templar.
DEMUR is kind of a new word for a crossword. Do not recall seeing that before. Good job.
STRING BEAN was an excellent country and western singer and entertainer. Tall and thin and bib overalls. Too bad he and his wife were murdered.
OTTO reminds me of my old dog. A German shepherd. We still get mail in Otto's name.
Anyhow, I am off and running. Heading back to Chicago later today.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Fun Tuesday puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI always AIR dry my hair unless I am at the salon getting it cut
I liked the Place to Get a Peel = SPA, although I have never gotten one there.
I was thinking that Toast Starter was Bread. I guess I was thinking too literal.
First day to return to work after Hurricane Isaac. It has been strange to be out for so long.
QOD: Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory. ~ Albert Schweitzer
This puzzle could've been titled zip-a-dee-doo-dah, because I certainly zipped through it. I ADMITted before I was able to OWN UP, but that was my only snaggle.
ReplyDeleteI no longer think of TIVO as "modern". NAS amd YAZ were unknowns, but the perps handled 'em.
It was just right for a Tuesday.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle today. Mostly smooth sailing, but had to pause in the SW. But with POLLUTE, CHEEP, and then the delicious sussing of APPLIQUE, it all came home quickly. Wanted 'Argyle' before DEVON, but it wouldn't fit.:-) There seemed to be lots of 'cardinal' stuff. Favorite clue was 'spot for a peel' - SPA. Good job, Gail and Bruce.
Have a good day
DEVON. How now brown cow. We have mostly Holsteins (b & w) or the Oreo variety (belted Galloway) in these parts.
ReplyDeleteHad Nano before Nsec, rim before SPA, mar before PLU,
Didn't know PAC (sports) or NAS.
In the '60s, PETULA Clark cut several Italian hits, as well as other languages, and toured with Jacques Brel.
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI'll SECOND Barry on GEEK, NERD, DORK and CULT.
Otherwise I Take No Exception.
Favorite clues were 35A: Sport for a peel: SPA and 40D: Hair dryer? AIR. Change one's pants was cute too.
Back to work after a long weekend. Have a great one!
I meant to link Stringbean but forgot. Check out his fashion statement in this clip.(1:50)
ReplyDeleteSorry, I mis-spoke earlier. I meant to say 'Ayrshire' vs. 'Argyle'. (Ayr and Argyle are both in the SW of Scotland)
ReplyDeleteI mostly zipped through today too, but couldn't come up with the 'o' at the end of NUTSO, having sarted with NUTTY, I forgot to check the down DORK.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, didn't know the sports card thing or rappers, but they perped OK. The theme phrases were easy, so that helped.
I still don't have TIVO, but I used to tape a lot of movies off TV on VHS. Now I don't even bother to watch them as the quality is so bad.
Thank you Gail and Bruce for a very nice, somewhat challenging puzzle. The unifier, was a surprise, when I finally did get it. Thank you Argyle for everything ... Petula Clark really, really elated me and charmed my day.... Boy, what verve, and what a voice - I'm feeling on the top of the world already.
ReplyDeleteI had Nano before Tivo, and 'ASec' before 'NSec'... Nsec is such a minute fraction, so infinitesimal, its less than a 'Sec.' as a fraction of a 'Yr.' - maybe the best Xword puzzlers will not be physicists or mathematicians, but language majors, so that their resident bias of 'order' does not dominate their logic.
ALT QOD:- My brother is gay, but my parents don't really care as long as he marries a doctor. ~ Elayne Boosler.
Huh ?
Have a nice rest of the short week, you all.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteGreat write-up, Argyle. And thanks for the bonus link to STRINGBEAN. I had never heard of the banjo-player, but the nickname sure is appropriate for him!! I loved all the mini-themes you pointed out, because I zipped through the puzzle so quickly I didn't even notice them as I was solving.
C.C. brilliant guess on the method that Gail and Bruce use when collaborating!
I "did in" a lot of flies yesterday sitting outside in our screened gazebo, but I didn't have to SWAT them. I just used my handy-dandy electric fly swatter to zap them. It gave a sort of sadistic sense of satisfaction whenever I saw one of the critters lighting up like a Christmas tree before falling to the ground!
It's rainy and chilly out, so no gazebo for me today. Flies live to see another day!
never used nutso, is it a word? prelate pique lieabed applique great for tuesday puzzles. Already cant wait for friday. going on a nature walk, while tivoing gma. u all have a good day while I get the BLEEP outta here!
ReplyDeleteYesterday, in a burst of uncharacteristic flippancy, I made some comments that I now most ruefully regret... but, alas, its out there in cyberspace, forever.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, we went looking for car to buy, to splurge, if you will, a swan song, and found the dealership having a wine and cheese party, at 1 p.m. in the mornin' ! I mingled with the guests and I saw how the truly rich speak and more to the point, think. It was so callous, so incredible, so far removed from the realities of daily living .... I was deeply depressed - I would not care to be in such a company of fellow owners - I had to sit down - ( maybe it was those three sips of wine - ). Then I carefully put down my glass, thanked the salesman, who was very gracious ... and we left. Wild dogs couldn't drag me back. Instead of going on their knees, and thanking their karma, their luck and fortune, and Providence, or God - these people actually believe that their wealth is due to their character and intelligence (!) - there were a coupla baseball players ( horrors ! ) - and on whole, the most obnoxious people I have ever met. Live and learn.
People having such large amassing of disposable incomes - that they treat money like water or chickenfeed, is the ONLY reason, I would support a raising of the federal income tax to 99%. God knows, its no use to them.
Suddenly, some Honda or Toyota models actually look pretty nifty.
As everyone else said, this was a quick and easy puzzle with interesting fill, such as PIQUE, AGHAST, DEMUR, DEVON.
ReplyDeleteThanks Argyle for the witty expo. and for connecting all the cardinals.
YAZ was ubiquitous in his heyday. He was all over the news and his odd nickname stuck with me. Am I showing my age?
I have no nit with CULT.
IMHO, just as GOLF SHIRT called for a member of a subset of golf shirts, POLO, RELIGIOUS SECT called for a member of a subset, CULT.
Even if that were not so, SECT can have a pejorative meaning as well as a positive meaning.
-from Dictionary.com
1. a body of persons adhering to a particular religious faith; a religious denomination.
2. a group regarded as heretical or as deviating from a generally accepted religious tradition.
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteA nice, fitting Tuesday offering from Gail and Bruce, with an equally fitting expo from Argyle. Thanks to all concerned. Got the theme with the unifier.
Right now, the skies are gloomy; this is the first day in ages without sunshine. Rain coming in later, the remains of Isaac, I think. That's okay, we need it.
Have a great Tuesday.
Anony-Mouse @ 1011 - You're getting into politics here, Let's be mindful of C.C.'s wishes.
ReplyDeleteHeartRx @ 0948 - I'm picturing a world-class crossword puzzler sitting in her gazebo using high tech to eliminate flies. See Executioner's Song LMAO
What Barry Said.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, Gail and Bruce. And great photo for that APPLIQUE, Argyle.
Only a small struggle on the bottom area although TOPPS, DEVON cattle, NEBS, and a few other items were new to me. Aren't bird beaks 'Nibs' rather than 'Nebs'? Who knew?
Anony-mouse 10:11, sorry the luxury car buying spree turned out to be such a downer, but I really admire and appreciate your values. Thanks for sharing the experience.
Anonymouse:
ReplyDeleteLack of success is due to bad luck?
God singles-out some people for success, and others for failure?
Please shed some light on these questions for me. As luck would have it, God made me too simple to understand these complex issues.
Or...maybe this isn't the best venue to be talking about these things.
Greetings, cyber friends.
ReplyDeleteWEES. I'LL SECOND THAT! My experience was very similar to yours with long pauses at PSYCHS because of course YAZ is unknown to me. Hand up for NUTTY befcre NUTSO Wasn't there a movie by that name? No, I guess it was Nuts!
And at the bottom I had NERD and STORE not STOCK but a little erasing was all it took to ALTER it.
Really liked seeing APPLIQUE, AGHAST, and DEMUR.
Love PETURLA Clark. Thanks for the clip, Argyle.
I hope your Tuesday is suberb, everyone!
Anony-Mouse said:
ReplyDelete"I made some comments that I now most ruefully regret... but, alas, its out there in cyberspace, forever."
Its deja vu all over again!
It's too bad STRINGBEAN had to shop in the little boys' department. Banjo players must not be paid much.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the puzzle very much. Clever fill I thought but even though I had everything finished correctly, I had no clue what the theme was. So Argyle, did the concept of the theme come immediately to you? If not, what do you do to figure it out?
ReplyDeleteAnony-mouse's post seemed more like a comment on philosophy of life than politics though most everything seems to be related to politics lately.
BTW, I wish anony-mouse, PK and other regular contributors would 'Go blue' and get a Profile so I find out a little about them.
It would be great to hear from Creature, Jeannie, Lois and others again. I miss them.
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteCute offering, Gail and Bruce; great expo, Argyle.
Favorites, APPLIQUE and PIQUE.
How can I sleep with noisy plumbers outside my room?
Cat that has given up grooming had chunks of matted hair removed last week, before he went ballistic. Now he will have bath today. Vet not cheap! (Dirty white cats look really terrible. Don't imagine he will stay clean very long and his favorite pastime is rolling in dirt. I will take lots of pictures.)
Cheers!
Spitzboov @ 10:43, as with many items that DH brings home, I thought the electric flyswatter was way out there, and unlikely to be of any practical use. And as with many items that DH brings home, I usually end up being the main user!
ReplyDeleteMarti, your post reminded me of this, which I came across just the other day:
ReplyDeleteI was visiting my son last night when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper. "This is the 21st century", he said. "I don't waste money on newspapers. Here, you can borrow my IPad.". I can tell you that fly never knew what hit it.
Anony-mouse:
ReplyDeleteOne definition (among many) of politics is "a system for determining who's "in" and who's "out". "
You've ratified my already high opinion of you by opting out of that group, and on the basis of philosophy, not politics.
I'm sure you and your DW will look and feel great in the car of your choice.
Apropos article just posted on yahoo.
ReplyDeleteBill G. - trust me, you're better off not knowing me - I am booring in real life... there's not much to describe. This blog is my 'alter ego' - and I feel confident enough to give my mind free rein. Not even the wife knows - she suspects, but is too smart to inquire. So, if you do, enjoy my writing, and leave it at that. To know me in real life, is like 'xplaining a magic trick - all of a sudden, its totally mundane.
ReplyDeleteTo the Anon, who is upset about my equating wealth with 'undeservedness' ( if thats a word ) - I deal with many very successful people, who have earned it through hard work - and courage - and through desperate gambles - sometimes against conventional wisdom and even reality - and you wouldn't recognize them even if they were plopped down in front of you. I guess the problem I have is with inherited wealth, sudden wealth ( lottery, lawsuit whatever ) and the ginormous earnings of athletes ( sorry, thats a bias - ). I fundamentally believe, that in most cases, people can handle their money better than any Govt. will .... still, there are exceptions.
As for the car, waay back in my memory bank, I see the first 21 years of my life - and those memories I cannot ever forget - and those wispy claws are embedded too deep inside me, constantly tugging, and will be so, till the end of my life.
After all, we all are only the accumulation of our experiences through life.
Thank you for the privilege.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Elaine Benes told Keith Hernandez he would not get to second BASE
-I always told kids that it’s easier to OWN UP to a mistake and get it over with
-Yaz won the A.L. Triple Crown in 1967 - .326, 121 RBI, 44 HR’s (last to do it)
-In what song did Fatima have bells on her TOEs and not rings?
-PET Clark had a lot of great hits during my college days
-The smell of KETTLE corn is intoxicating at all of our local events
-Great insight to puzzle construction, C.C.
-Knowing DRE and NAS is a by-product of activities here like knowing APU and MOE
Here is what the Yahoo article is appropo to:
ReplyDeleteDerrick Jensen, who I have quoted here before, says,
"All writing is propaganda, including what you're reading now. "
If the author really spent "decades" researching that book, he wasted his life, and the people who bought it wasted their money. It's tripe.
Ray Stevens' Ahab the Arab.
ReplyDeleteOnce again we are told that the only opinion that matters is windy's.
ReplyDeleteLove it, absolutely love it. That's not what I said, and only my very attentive and reliable idiot anon would read it that way. Love it, and thanks for renewing my faith in you.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle, loved the theme, still trying to find funny links for it though!
ReplyDeleteStringbean reminded me of Twiggy, but i can't find an appropriate link.
Don't forget second chances!
& who can forget second bananas, (by the way,,, which one was the 2nd banana???)
How many second bananas can you name?
ANON @2:17 Your post is way out of line. I have so many telling arguments in rebuttal, but I am at a disadvantage because I observe this blog's scruples against political discussion.
ReplyDeleteCease and desist.
Not WH
Second fiddle
ReplyDeleteSecond wind
Second life
Second person
Second shift
Second job
Second city
Second ammendment
Second grade
Second degree burn
Anony-mouse, thanks for responding but in spite of your explanation, I would continue to enjoy the opportunity to find out a bit more about you (and others). For instance, though you may have said so before, I wasn't sure if you are male or female. Now I know but will I remember? CRS... Now I know you are married. Kids? Where do you live? What do you work at for income and fun? However, if you chose not to explain the 'magic trick,' I'll cope and will still enjoy your company.
ReplyDelete-Good short list of second bananas to start discussion
ReplyDelete-BTW, I know the second banana in my new avatar!
Horshack to Vinnie, Radar and Klinger to everybody else on MASH, Rochester and Dennis Day to Jack Benny, Buffalo Bob to Howdy Doody...
ReplyDeleteHola Everyone, The puzzle was quick and easy, except for the mid-east section where Here's was the answer for Toast starter. Like Hatoolah, I had bread on the mind. Too literal, again.
ReplyDeleteI entered DDT for PCB so had to re-do that whole corner when Psychs became evident.
I thought that Alter for Change one's pants was a fun clue. That was my Duh! moment today.
Just yesterday my daughter put pictures on Facebook titled Washer and Dryer. First picture a wash tub on the back porch and the second one two clotheslines and clothespins in the back yard. This was her Florence, Italy laundromatte. How many of you have hung sheets and towels to air dry in the sunshine?
My daughter and I labored all day yesterday making Bread and Butter Pickles and Hot Garlic Dill pickles from the cucumbers in our garden. We've had few cucumbers so far this year, and all of a sudden there were more than we really wanted to take care of on our day off. But the pickles will be really great come Thanksgiving time.
Afternoon all, Liked today's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteMy only slip up was like others. Put in Nerd first.
(caution, some strong language)
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was almost as hard as yesterdays, although I did finish yesterdays late in the evening.
I thought Anony-mouse made a good point about going to that party and I don't see it as political.
Yesterday, Labor day, we went to a movie. We only go to one about twice a year as there's seldom any worth seeing. We saw 'The Bourne Legacy.' Since we hadn't seen the first three Bourne movies before, it took us half way thru the movie to tell who the real heros were. But I enjoyed the popcorn.Have a good evening all!
Marge
Aonoy-Mouse:
ReplyDeleteGetting rich, especially by virtue of playing a sport, acting, winning a lottery, or inheritance, etc. is certainly no guarantee of wisdom or merit, but it likely also not a universal damnation of the people. I have met people in all walks of life and all socio-economic positions, and some are thoughtful and some are not, and none are simple. We may universally chide Tiger Woods for his apparent lack of appreciation for his life, but we cannot ignore the tremendous good his foundations does. Perhaps the show room of a luxury car dealer is not a fair environment to evaluate people. I think most there are posturing in an effort to control the salepeople.
BTW, if this is politics, then so are sex and rock and roll and crossword puzzles. Or not.
Enjoyed the puzzle but continue to have computer issues. HG, I cannot see well enough to interpret your avatar, is it someone I should know?
We just got back from lunch at a new little local restaurant called The Hamptons. We had clam chowder and lobster bisque, shared a lobster roll and a cold beet and cheese side, homemade kettle chips and a homemade apple cobbler. Pretty damned good. Fairly expensive though. It might have gotten even more expensive had a policeman noticed it when I crossed a double yellow line to get to a vacant parking meter. Now off for a short bike ride.
ReplyDeleteChickie: because I live in the South, it is much too humid to air dry my sheets and towels. They would mildew before they got dry. My mom, however, who lives in New England, hangs all her laundry outside. Even in winter. The "dried" clothes are often still when brought into the house. Air dried laundry, however, sure smells nice and fresh.
ReplyDeleteChickie:
ReplyDeleteExcept for towels and sheets, I hang all other laundry outside. With our daily, relentless sunshine it dries in a very short time. Have been doing this for over 30 years. I love the freshness of it as Hahtoolah mentioned.
Bill G., what are you, a stalker?
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle PSYCHed me out right at the start. I had everything but the "Y" and could not see the right word! Duh! Nor can I OWN UP to getting the NC section because I had THoSE and never heard of ATBS. The rest of the puzzle I aced although I never heard of DEVON cattle. Enjoyed it. Thanks, Argyle!
ReplyDeleteAnony-mouse, I didn't find your comments political as much as chronic CLASS STRUGGLE. I have had similar experiences. Sometimes I felt the problem was "group mentality" which I detest. Some very lovely people on a one-to-one basis are humane, but turn into arrogant SOB's in an "exclusive club" setting. One time a snobby guy asked me if I had flown 1st Class. I said, "Hey, I can be classy in Coach". Everyone laughed and a slightly tense moment of put-down was defused.
Read on a T-shirt at Dairy Queen: "I love my country--it's the government that scares me."
Here i was, thinking i had found a source of great second bananas @ Husker Gary's "Kansas City Bob" link in the comments. great stuff, like
ReplyDelete"Barney Rubble to Fred Flintstone, Potsie Weber to Richie Cunningham, The Skipper to Gilligan, Wilbur to Mr. Ed, Chester to Matt Dillon, Artemus Gordon to James West, Buddy and Sally to Rob Petrie, Vanna White to Pat Sajak, Officer Bill Gannon to Joe Friday, Tonto to the Lone Ranger, Bosley to Charlie's Angels, just to name a few"
& who do i see write at the end after Boo Boo, with "Bullwinkle to Rocky"? Our Argyle!!!
(Darn that Santa, he's everywhere!)
Marge - when a comment is made about what the tax rate on a class of individuals should be, I seems political to me; even though a political party or politician are not mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI think Lemon brings up a good point about posturing before a salesman. I do that in the used car class of buyers that I circulate in.
Instead of musings, I'll go with ramblings.
ReplyDeleteLiked the puzzle. Very crunchy for a Tuesday. Not overly difficult. Just good fill with enough perp help to make it very doable.
Liked Anony-Mouses comment regardless of it's PC quotient. Keep in mind, A-M has known and lived in the caste system first hand. IMO, it was nothing more than a reaction to seeing it up close here in the US.
Like air drying. When our kids were in diapers, we had a 30' clothes line with 3 wires that was full nearly every day. It's pretty amazing how much longer things last when hung on the line. But....haven't got our clothes line up at our present location even though I brought the poles with us when we moved 5 1/2 years ago :-(
And on the topic of second place, keep in mind that even though the early bird may get the worm, the second mouse gets the cheese.
I saw nothing political in Anony-Mouse's posts, and I doubt any political agendas were being espoused. I can tell you that he's a class act, having gone way past 'above and beyond' in guiding me through the process of helping my wife get ready for her trip to India. I've always found his posts to be well thought out and on topic.
ReplyDeleteI too read the Yahoo article, and in a rare disagreement with Windhover, found a lot of confirmation of my life's experience, both personally and observing others.
And please excuse the ridiculous grammar at the end.
ReplyDeleteI am well "a-doored" today. My older son is getting ready to finish his basement. They left my grandsons with me yesterday to go to the grand opening of a new super store where they got some bargains on very nice pine doors.
ReplyDeleteThe doors fit well into the SUV but left no room for the boys. So I have three wonderful-smelling unfinished doors in my livingroom and office. I would have preferred keeping the boys, but they had school.
Since I stained and finished all the other doors and windows in their house, I'm wondering if they are hoping the doors will magically become finished in my company. Lack the health to do it now. But I have a strong urge to wield a brush & watch the wood grain become more beautiful. Loved that!
Sad to report that my six-year-old grandson who is my "cuddle bunny" grew so much over the summer that he is almost too big a load to rock on my lap and watch TV. We did it, but it won't be long....
Chickie, I used to dry everything on the lines in nice weather. Spring signs were pinning sheets on the line while sandhill cranes flew over trumpeting. Elated me!
ReplyDeleteA friend wrote that her new home was in a subdivision so exclusive that clotheslines were not allowed. I felt so sorry for her never having the privilege of going to sleep with that fresh air smell on her sheets.
Speaking of class acts, Thats the way people who respect each other disagree. Thanks, Dennis.
ReplyDeleteAnd Anony-mouse, I have a daughter in law who is Indian, here from the age of three.
Nice Tuesday-level puzzle, however I do have a nit. A rollbar is NOT an
ReplyDelete"Auto racing safety device". A rollbar is a regular part of most cars' suspension. (I believe it's the part that stops your wheels from tucking under when you go round a corner - but don't quote me). The thing that goes over the driver's head in a race car and some sports cars is a roll-over bar.
You might be thinking of the sway bar. As a racer, I can tell you we call them rollbars.
ReplyDeleteLemon, It's my wife and I and those four guys on Rushmore
ReplyDeleteI agree with Argyle - the rollover protection is called a roll bar by most everyone, and the sway bar is what helps prevent said rollover.
ReplyDeleteHello everybody. Enjoyed working this puzzle, then had to go to work, so no time to read or post to the blog. (I actually put in a full 8 hours today, which for me, being semi-retired, is a lot!)
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you all.
Finally finished puzzle. Polaris motor out and had to hand clean the pool (which, Anonymouse, we worked and went to school and saved and invested to be able to afford. But then if we belonged to your luxury car group, we would have had a "Rauel" to do the cleaning.)
ReplyDeleteFavorite clues: "Change one`s pants" and "Tried to avoid a tag."
Lucina, if I air dry anything, it`s our sheets. I love the smell of sun-dried.
CC: Are "Topps" baseball cards?
You haven`t stopped amazing me! First, you do puzzles, then you blog them, then you construct them and THEN, you analyze them to the point that you can predict what other constructors will do? Do you still enjoy simply working a puzzle, now?
We didn't go down the shore for our post Labor Day vacation due to all the rain. Instead, my son wants to eat out most days.
ReplyDeleteMy yen for spanakopita was whetted by this blog, so we went to our favorite Greek diner tonight. Unfortunately the soggy spanakopita tasted like it was made yesterday, and instead of the feta being crumbled it was left in solid quarter inch cubes. What a disappointment. The Greek salad which included stuffed grape leaves was delicious.
My son had stuffed shells which he enjoyed immensely. I should have done likewise.
Bill G. Being a huge lobster and clam lover all my life, I am curious about something. A continent apart, do they
ReplyDeletediffer much from here in New England ? I know they differ some the further south down the coast you go on the east. Lobster rolls aside, I'm talking whole ones.Clams too.
Now look what a fine mess I got us into ! I should have let sleeping dogs lie and kept my thoughts to myself.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments supportive or otherwise.... and thank you Dennis for the appreciation, and Lemonade, I agree with you, and Windhover for your kind thoughts .... Let us not judge others until we have walked a mile in their moccasins -( the 'other' Indian proverb .....)
Windhover, I hope your DIL is good to you and your family - my older married daughter really drives me up the wall (!).... maybe I need to keep my thoughts to myself in my social and family life, as well....
On clotheslines, ... most cities in NE Ohio, around Cleveland, do not allow clotheslines, in the back yards... funny, I don't remember them in the front yards either. But, there's always the basement .... great during the low humidity of the winter. In the summer, when the humidity is high, we learn to 'love' the mildew smell ... we like to pretend that that's what fresh daisies smell like ...
Goodnight all, tomorrow is another day.
Manac, I can't really give you a completely informed answer. I grew up in Virginia. We spent a week back in Maine a few years back. We had a lobster roll for lunch then and another day, we had a whole lobster. It is possible to get something called lobster tails here, good but not Maine lobster. You can also get real Maine lobsters flown in. I like clams but I haven't had them often enough to be knowledgeable about their quality. I'm easy to please with seafood.
ReplyDeleteA little end of the day song. Nighty-night.
ReplyDeleteArgyle, that's a great rendition of a great song.
ReplyDeleteManac, lobster, clams, oysters, crab, abalone, scallops, sand dabs, shad... What have I missed?
Manac, I saw lobsters in Baja California. They don't have the large front claws that New England lobsters have. I believe they are mostly smaller too. I didn't eat any in Baja because I had an allergic reaction to East Coast lobster and didn't want to spoil a lovely day.
ReplyDelete17A: YAZ; 41A: DRE; 28D: NEBS; 47D: NAS; 58D: NSEC. Ingredients for messing up an otherwise pretty good crossword. Neeeever heard of 'em.
ReplyDeleteAll have been used before and will be again. Try to remember them.
ReplyDelete