Theme: Don’t quote me, but it is raining cats and dogs.
Hello from sunny but also often rainy South Florida, where we await our next tropical storm. This is I believe my first “quip” puzzle, as well as my first for this Bruce: (INTERVIEW) the words revealed themselves quickly, which was good because quips can be hard to get going, though many clues seemed perfect for me. Bruce V. is one of many skilled and prolific puzzle makers, who has more collaborative puzzles than anyone else I have seen, many lately with Gail G.. We get many of his themeless. He is best known for his 15 letter fill, and this puzzle is no exception. Finding a saying which breaks into symmetrical pieces is not easy. I hope all our cat owners enjoy.
In addition to the quip there are so many intertwined thoughts in this puzzle, including some fine long fill, and some other related clues, quite a few 4 letter fill, but it made it doable, so...
Let’s do this
17A. Start of a Quip: A DOG COMES WHEN HE (15)
27A. Quip, part 2: IS CALLED, BUT A (12)
38A. Quip, part 3: CAT WILL (7)
48A. Quip, part 4: TAKE A MESSAGE (12)
62A. End of the quip: AND GET BACK TO YOU (15)
Across:
We begin in my wheelhouse...
1. Seat of Florida's Marion County : OCALA. 28 miles down the road from Gainesville and law school, piece of cake.
6. Airhead : LOON. The official bird of the Corner (and Minnesota).
10. Nonkosher : TREF. Easy for a Jewish boy.
14. Tijuana address : SENOR. Finally, a bit tricky, not a street address, but like the Gettysburg.
15. Cooper's tool : ADZE. I am sure we all know by now the tool of this PROFESSION.
16. Incline : HILL.
20. Berry of "F Troop" : KEN. A Classic SITCOM. (1:16), and 50D. The BBC's "Pinwright's Progress" is reportedly the first TV one : SITCOM. I did not know this FACT.
21. Network with NEA funding : PBS. Public Broadcasting System.
22. Like some pasts : SORDID. Nice new word. (1)
23. Decked out : ADORNED. (2).
26. Contemporary of Dashiell : ERLE. Stanley Gardner creator of Perry Mason and others, who were contemporaries of 57A. "To speak the broken English is an enormous asset" speaker : POIROT.
32. Power, slangily : JUICE. used in many different contexts, such as referring to politicians, as well as electricity. A word that is a self pun.
35. Want ad initials : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer.
36. First name in fashion : YVES St. LAURENT. Odd website design.
37. Lumber tree : ELM. and its mirror, 42A. Lodge member : ELK.
43. Cocktail party irritant : SNOB.
45. Agnus __ : DEI.
46. 80% of them come from South Australia : OPALS. By now all of you, not just Kazie must know this fact, as I seem to have a reference every Friday.
52. Skull and Bones members : ELIS. A Yale secret society for seniors, which brings us to our irritant, 12D. Curriculum range, briefly : ELHI.
53. Emphatic follow-up : I MEAN IT. mini-theme, 34D. "There's nothing wrong with me" : I'M OK. and 55D. "Came up short" : I LOST. But not, 59D. Author's inspiration : IDEA.
60. Pontiac muscle car : GTO. Gran Turismo Omolagato, name stolen from Ferrari.
61. Cautionary road sign : SLO.
66. Stead : LIEU. In stead of, in lieu of, nice law word.
67. Cartesian connection : ERGO. Cogito Ergo Sum, I think therefore I am, the Dualist philosophy of Rene Descartes, in Latin because that it made it Academic, just like Cartesian, a Latin form of the name Descartes which scholars thought sounded better in those days. Many books were translated into Latin to make them seem more profound. van Gulick for example translated the Pillow Books, from Chinese to Latin, to make them unavailable to the masses. Another story for another time.
68. Surrealism pioneer : ERNST. Max.
69. PDQ, in the ICU : STAT.
70. Pharmacy unit : DRAM.The liquid measure, and a favorite way to order whiskey in Scotland. Like
8D. Liq. measures : OZS. Ounces.
71. The FDIC may insure them : ACCTS. Accounts in banks, an abbreviation because FDIC is an abbreviation, sort of, though really an initialism.
Part II.
Down:
1. Honshu city : OSAKA. While many of the cities have five letters in this PROVINCE of Japan, with the "O" from Ocala, this was easy.
2. Relinquished : CEDED. Not to be confused with putting out stuff for your lawn.
3. Reprimand ending : A NO NO. "That's ...."
4. Roleo item : LOG. Not a misprint, even if you do not know this poor cousin of Rodeo, this one was as easy as falling of a....
5. Delaware's Twelve-mile Circle, e.g. : ARC. LINK.
6. 11th Greek letter : LAMBDA. probably time to memorize the Greek alphabet.
7. Works of Sappho : ODES. Ancient Greek woman poet who lived on an island, and is the supposed matriarch of the lesbian world. They did not have TMZ in those days, so we will never know. MUSICAL INTERLUDE.(3:26)
10. In that connection : THEREBY.(3) and a law word to boot.
11. Outer coating : RIND. Watermelon season is almost over.
13. Escaped : FLED.
18. '70s embargo gp. : OPEC. I was in LA doing music business when the first embargo hit, it was chaos in a place where everyone drives everywhere.
19. Tactic on a mat : HOLD. As someone who began wrestling in eighth grade and continued through college, this was easy. When I started I did not realize the opponents would be boys. Anyway, this should have been easy for everyone because it is followed by, 24D. Wrestler Flair : RIC. This BIMBA. (0:37)
25. Minute minute pt. : NSEC. A nanosecond. I love it being in the puzzle with 54D. Band that sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella at the 2000 World Series : 'N SYNC, the copy cat boy band formed after the success of the Backstreet Boys, both put together in Orlando, with Justin Timberlake (who is the name sponsor of this week's PGA event) being the emerging star from "N. Do not know them from the world series. MUSICAL INTERLUDE. (3:24). Some video for the crowd, forgive the ads..
26. Frail sci-fi race : ELOI. Yvette, why do you haunt my Fridays?
28. "Elmer Gantry" novelist : LEWIS. Sinclair, who wrote so many classic novels like Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowhead, and won the Pulitzer Prize for literature. I think he turned it down.
29. Where the iris is : UVEA. One of my favorite eye parts, even though I have hole in mine, but not related to 33D. Humerus neighbor : ULNA. Speaking of which, does anyone watch and find the new ABC series about aliens Neighbors, humorous?
30. Gambler's giveaway : TELL. Does anyone watch the World series of Poker on ESPN? Which oddly fits with, 60D. Lady of pop : GAGA. MUSICAL INTERLUDE.(3:36).
31. Tries to learn : ASKS.
32. Good-natured taunt : JEST. The heart and soul of the Corner, for me.
39. Checked in : ADMITTED. Like to a hospital, nice tricky clue. (4).
40. Driver's needs : TEES. I read the already filled in answer as TESS and was quite puzzled for a while. I finally got in the swing of the clue.
41. Opera house section : LOGE. Must we have this every day?
44. Result of too much suds? : BEER GUT. Not soap; for all my beer loving boys and for me (5).
47. Green shade : PEA. generally not a compliment.
49. Fleshy-leaved plant : ALOE. Also green, but very soothing in the sunburn south.
51. Crazy way to run : AMOK. I love how he slipped this in a puzzle with I'M OK to mess with your head!
56. Pushes : TOUTS. Just think racetrack, where you run into one of your
57. Friends : PALS. Who spoke with the jockey will let you in
58. Handling the problem : ON IT.
63. Icy comment : BRR. Well, we started near the soon to be freezing Minnesota, (C.C, Jeannie and the rest) so maybe it is time for a hot cup of...
64. Leaves in hot water : TEA.
65. Dungeons & Dragons foe : ORC. They are everywhere a good bad guy should be, and I am outta here.
Answer grid.
Thank Mr. V. for our Friday, and I hope you all enjoyed the product of this man's mind. Another week has flown by and the days are getting shorter, and sadly so am I. Thanks for stopping by and say what you want, until next time, I remain.
Lemonade 714
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteMostly enjoyable and straightforward romp today. Absolutely loved the theme quip and, as somebody who has owned both cats and dogs, I can attest to its truthfulness.
Mucked up the NW corner a bit when my mind blanked on KEN Berry and I put in TED instead. OSAKA got me out of that mess when I went back to double-check my work. ANODO just looked wrong at 3D, but ANONO doesn't look all that much better to me, to be honest.
Wasn't crazy about LOON clued as "airhead." A LOON is a crazy person and an airhead is somebody who is stupid. At least in my mind. Your mileage may differ. In a related vein, I wasn't too fond of "Came up short" as a clue for I LOST, but at least its accurate enough (if a bit awkward).
Elsewhere, I had DOSE for DRAM at first, which complicated things in the South for a bit. Perps came to the rescue soon enough, though.
Favorite clue was "leaves in hot water," although I'm sure we've seen it before.
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I am not usually keen on quips but this was fun and the puzzle was within my reach. TREF was my first fill, but it got easier from there.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite clue was Leaves in Hot Water = TEA.
I was momentarily stymied by Driver's Need = TEES, but then remembered we hadn't yet come across the puzzle's obligatory golf reference.
I wanted Coco (Chanel) for the first name in Fashion. YVES St. Laurent works, too!
My mother's reprimands were a bit more emphatic that That's A NO-NO!
Welcome, Newbies!
In honor of what would have been his 76th birthday, here's today's QOD: Lying can never save us from another lie. ~ Václav Havel
Good morning all. Thank you Bruce and thank you Lemonade. They say that puzzles make you smarter. Your write up certainly did. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNot easy for me. 1 hr, 11 min, 56 secs. May be due to the fact that I woke at 3:30 or because I couldn't find my glasses and had to use the drug store cheater glasses. I think a cup of mud might have helped improve my time.
Had bits of trouble all over the place, but mostly in the North and East. Had no idea about TREF. Didn't get 10D clue, which looks easy now. 11D Outer Covering could have been skin, skim, hull, peel, husk, coat... Cross that with 16A Incline that could be tilt, lean, bent, ramp, rise etc.
Finally, finally got the Start of Quip grid spanner, and guess who came to my rescue in the NE ? ELHI. Then realized Mat tactic was HOLD, so got SORDID across, and the NE fell.
Good grief. ELHI to the rescue ? Argh !
TGIF, All!
ReplyDeleteI flew through this one quickly until I'd worked my way around to the NE. TREF was new to me: learning moment. I agonized over whether it should be WHEREBY or THEREBY and finally WAGged the "T".
I thought an author's inspiration was his/her muse. That didn't last long.
Hahtoolah, I see that you, too, are raining cats and dogs today. LOL
Actually I think that quip is missing a word. The cat will take a message and MAY get back to you.
Howdy folks,
ReplyDeleteAnother toughie for me today, largely due to a couple of incorrect fills. After a struggle, for 27A I had it ending in "...ANDA." 10D slowed me down too because I started with THEREAT. That left me totally confused with 30D & 31D. When I took a shot at "..BUT A" for 27A, the other fills came together.
10A, TREF wholly reliant on perps.
My BEER GUT has disappeared since last years knee surgery. Pre dinner cocktails have been discontinued and it sure helped control my diet.
Besides TREF, POIROT, LEWIS, & TELL were unknowns. TELL/ GAMBLERS GIVEAWAY has me at a loss.... just don't get it.
Pleasant puzzle today, but all the ones I finish correctly usually are.
Have a pleasant weekend.
What a 'perp' workout.
ReplyDeleteOK, I'll admit that "quip" puzzles are not a fave ... especially when the "quip" is lame. JMHO
Fave today was 51-D, Crazy way to run, AMOK.
SITCOM was a total wag off the 'T' in GTO (got lucky!).
Liked the 'shout-out' to Husker Gary with TEES.
I didn't catch that pet yesterday (when it was raining, as I said: "Cats and Dogs").
Dang, those things are slippery when wet.
A 'toast' to all, with a DRAM of Pinch, at Sunset.
Cheers !!!
Better than hailing cabs and busses.
ReplyDeletePART I
ReplyDeleteFine blog, Lemonade. I enjoyed the puzzle. I was on Bruce's wave length and went down the Eastern half very smoothly.
I knew TREF from novels, which led to completing the whole North and the first two parts of the quip. I wagged the rest of the quip and went down the western half quite smoothly.
I learned from LAT Xwords that OPALS come from Australia.
I remember the newsreels at the movies when I was a kid. That started my lifelong interest in the news. Unfortunately so much of the news is reported poorly. And much of it is trivial.
We watched a cooper make a barrel in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. I've been there 3 times and would like to return. . It is a fascinating place.
I thought they ordered whisky in Scotland(not whiskey).
ReplyDeleteTref, pronounced trayf is obscure for non Jews or New Yorkers. A tell is where a card player unintentionally reveals that he has a good hand by doing something like messing his hair when he has good cards.
ReplyDeletePART II
ReplyDeleteCurriculum range could be called scope. In order for our school to pass state regs we had to write scope and sequence documents for courses we were phasing out the following fall. This was done over spring break with no extra remuneration. ELHI UGH! God help me to accept the things I cannot change.
From Wiki: A tell in poker is a change in a player's behavior or demeanor that is claimed by some to give clues to that player's assessment of their hand.
I knew this from reading novels, too. I would say that at a large portion of my Xword vocabulary comes from reading novels.
I watched 20 minutes of TBBT last night without a single laugh so I switched channels. TBBT must be an acquired taste like Scotch. I didn't like Scotch the first time I tasted it, but now I appreciate it very much.
Lemon: As a non-Jew, I only got TREF because of my 'perps' ...
ReplyDeletewho have informed me they want the weekend off.
Yellowrocks: I stayed with TBBT 'til the end. Two "new" shows (so far) this season ...
and I'm still waiting for the 'first' laugh.
Nice Friday level puzzle today. I'm usually not too good at quips and quotes, and this one was a workout. But with a few write overs in the NE everything fell nicely into place.
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing about CATs and DOGs. Although I sometimes wonder if my cat Sam isn't part dog.
I wanted GRAM for DRAM.
I didn't know DRAM, TREF, Roleo, ERNST or Sinclair LEWIS.
I've read over 100 ERLE Stanley Gardner books.
My favorite clues were:
- 31D: Tries to Learn: ASKS
- 44D: Result of Too Much Suds? BEER GUT.
Any SORDID pasts you'd like to reveal?
Happy Friday!
Today's write up seems a bit pretentious, making it hard to enjoy. Lemonade 714 is more concerned about how the puzzle relates to himself than just simply reviewing the puzzle's construction.
ReplyDeletePrevious anon, you could use that last line on just about every Friday.
ReplyDeleteLemonade is great in my book, I thoroughly enjoy all of his write ups. What makes this blog interesting is hearing how it relates to everyone's personal experiences, as well as dealing with the puzzle's constructuion. We are a community here. Maybe we are not really your type.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce V., for an excellent puzzle. Thank you, Lemonade, for an outstanding write-up.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle appeared quite daunting at first, with the long quip. However, once I got a few letters here and there it slowly came together. I enjoyed it. We used to get more of these types.
My first word was SENOR for 14A. That gave me OSAKA, OCALA, LOG, and CEDED. I was feeling better already.
Did not know TREF. Four perps and I had it.
My first theme partial answer was TAKE A MESSAGE.
BEER GUT came easily. I don't really have one. Not sure why.
Had GEST for 32D for a while. Towards the end it tried Jest and JUICE appeared.
Thought 64D TEA was excellent. I am drinking a cup of Earl Grey right now.
Eventually I pieced the Quip together. Very clever. Not me, the Quip.
I am heading to Edinboro, PA, in an hour or so. Helping my nephew with his "Kegs and Eggs" event
tomorrow. They will go through thousands of eggs and about 35 halves of beer before noon. Then it is over.
See you tomorrow. Probably in the afternoon.
Abejo
Yellowrocks, this is a forum for opinions. I was merely expressing mine.
ReplyDeleteKeep it on topic, guys.
ReplyDeleteThis was totally out of my wheelhouse. For once I decided to look things up when I got totally stumped, and ended up spending half an hour doing that. Even OPALS escaped me, since I was thinking of wines, but couldn't find any type that would fit the perps and the SEAgreen I had for 47D.
ReplyDeleteI emphatically (and I do mean that!) HATE quip puzzles, especially when most of the many names in the rest of the clues I have never heard of. It's like doing a puzzle where more than half the clues are missing.
GSDEIF (Gott sei Dank, es ist Freitag!)
I never heard the term ELHI until I came here. Is that a regional term? Here in the Chicago area we have elementary schools, junior highs / middle schools, and high schools. No ELHIs.
ReplyDeleteHmmm -- I wonder if there's a
ReplyDeleteG.S.D.E.I. Freitag's in Germany.
Theme was fun, true and helpful! I had to work it in since we have the grandkids for two days. We have 2 computers, 7 TV’s, 2 smart phones and scads of toys but the one thing the kids want more than anything else is our TIME where we play analog things like Play Doh and catch. We are off to Wal~Mart and where each one gets to spend $20 and then to Hotel Transylvania. Hope to muse later today.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everyone. Nice write-up, Lemonade.
ReplyDeleteLoved the quote. Isn't that the truth? Basically found the puzzle very entertaining for the reasons Lemon mentioned. Interesting about the first SITCOM. Mostly good fill, but did not like SLO. Have never seen a road sign reading "SLO". Didn't like BRR either, but I found a reference for it so I'll let it slide (on the ice:-).) Good job Bruce.
Tomorrow, Oct. 6, is German America Day. The day commemorates the first immigrants landing in Philadelphia Oct.6, 1683. Prosit!
Good puzzle, except for "Roleo item: LOG" which is crap.
ReplyDelete"loon" = a crazy or simple-minded person
ReplyDeletea simple-minded person = "airhead"
"Loon" for "airhead" is fair -- not great, but fair.
anon@9:23, what's wrong with log for 'Roleo item'? Roleo' is not an uncommon crossword word, and a log is certainly an item used in a Roleo.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lemonade, for your write-up and your humor ... although our interests diverge quite a bit, there is a lot of charm in what you say. Thank you Mr. Venzke ... without you, there would be no puzzle. I had a difficult time, but it was a learning experience going through the answers.
ReplyDeleteMy first Erle Stanley Gardner book, was 'A cat among the pigeons' ... but I don't have too many of his novels. I still read the old Agatha Christies - even though they have been read 4 times already.
Did you hear about the ethnic who used to read mystery novels ... he would begin reading from the middle of the book ....
He said, 'This way I double my "mystery" pleasures ... not only is the ending a mystery ... but the beginning is also a mystery ... '
Last year, I had to respectfully, but firmly decline to take care of my best friend's cat, while his family went out on a vacation.... the cat actually thought he was a member of the family, and used to jump up on the dining table during dinner and insist on inspecting the food...
ALT QOD:- My husband wanted one of those big-screen TVs, so I just moved his chair closer to the one we have. ~ Wendy Liebman.
Have a good week, you all.
Good morning and happy Friday. Thanks Bruce and Lemon.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle,but have to agree with Tin Man not a Quip fan.
I agree with YR always enjoy Lemons observations.
Let's hope the Annons don't get to testy today after all T.G.I.F.
Have a great weekend to all RJW.
You want "reviewing the puzzle's construction"? Look at Lemonade's first 3 paragraphs. He outlined accurately Bruce's style better than anyone could.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to read how the puzzle relates to his or mine or my team's personal experiences, you're simply one click away.
As a confessed lurker, I want to express my extreme gratitude that I am allowed to skulk among these erudite daily comments from lighthearted and hilarious crossword experts. Thank you all for allowing me to learn to work puzzles here, and even though I am a former teacher, former lawyer, musician and quilter, I do not feel competent to contribute any comment other than my disappointment that any of you are ever insulted as you were by Anonymous 8:39.
ReplyDeleteTo Anony-Mouse; we have a cat for about 11years,we got him when he was about 6 months. I was very strict about animals on counters and tables. I trained him to respond to a vocal inflection. Never had a problem with him,and he is very well behaved. RJW.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Lemonade, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteFun write-up today with many chuckles along the way, Lemony! Sorry to hear you had to wrestle with boys in 8th grade, Lemon! (Hmmm, maybe I should have taken up wrestling....)
I CEDED my lawn this year...to fungus, grubs and squirrels.
This theme was right up my alley. DH tries to call the cats in the evening, and they just sit about 10 feet from the door and stare at him. Then he has to come get me to call them. As soon as I open the door and tell them "Get your fuzzy butts in here," they come racing in...and I swear, they smirk at DH as they pass by him!!
TGIF!
TGIF - All
ReplyDelete@CC - Sweet!
WEES - 'cept 'nons
Could use some of the rain here in Texas.
L8R
You were right C.C.! Gareth did a fine job. Concise and funny without a hint of arrogance. Thanks for the advice.
ReplyDeleteNow go away and don't ever return.
ReplyDeleteThis is one puzzle where patience and perseverance paid off. Got 'er done! Thanks, Bruce! A good chuckle when the quip became apparent.
ReplyDeleteMy cat got back to me with a message last night: it's officially the beginning of fall. He started jumping against the screen door about 10 p.m. to let me know he will deign to enter the garage to sleep because it is getting cold out (40 degrees). A few nights ago he signaled, but changed his mind after I got up and raised the door a little. Last night he came right in but twitched his tail to let him know the accommodations are not completely to his liking.
Lemony, I enjoy the bits and pieces you share of your life and personality. A person is more interesting than straight facts in my book.
Knew TREF from reading Faye Kellerman.
Good excuse to get out the atlas and study Florida and Delaware. I enjoy map reading. Didn't help with the ARC but lead into Lemonade's link very well.
Still not sure what Roleo is or what kind of log.
Anon at 8:06, you raise the age old question of what really is 'pretentious' when you talk about the Whisky vs. Whiskey DEBATE. While I am familar with Scotch Whisky ( especially from the wonderful Ian Rankin mysteries) it is not a term I use. Should I spell it colour if I were talking about Kate Middleton's dress?
ReplyDeleteAs for the comments about my write up, feel free to say your opinion, I have had much worse said about me, but consider how could I (or anyone) relate to the clues and the fill except through my experience? I am writing to explain and entertain, but I certainly do not know everything about everything- that would be pretentious. What I do know comes from having lived, and read and talked. By telling stories or impressions, it may help others recall stuff, or it may make them smile, or it may not. Thank you all who say nice things, and the ones who don't thank you for reading and caring enough to comment.
Hi gang -
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 9:40 - You are very welcome here. Get an ID and join the fun. We need more musicians. I'm hoping we could start a dixieland band.
I have the greatest respect for Bruce and tried really hard to like this puzzle, but just couldn't get there. The quip theme spoiled it for me, and the geographic proper names at 1A and 1D made for a poor start.
IMHO a LOON is crazy, while an airhead is merely silly or foolish. No correspondence at all.
For a Catholic boy (however fallen) from Toledo, TREF is impossible.
I'll stop now, lest my comment become to personalized. Hate to annoy the trolls.
Cool regards!
JzB
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteI had a bit of trouble in a few places but perps and patience paid off. The theme is cute and even though I have had no experience with cats, I have heard enough about them to know the quip is true!
Another disappointment with TBBT, although last night's episode was a tad better than last week. Let's hope they are just off to a rocky start and the show improves as the season continues. I taped Person of Interest and Elementary so I have some catching up to do.
Thanks Mr. V for a good Friday challenge and thanks to Lemony for a great expo. Enjoy the day, everyone.
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't seen any. Might be an idea to start a business there though!
BTW, I had never heard of a ROLEO before today.
Re Coopers:
ReplyDeleteA lady leaned out her half door and shouted to a traveling cooper (about pots) "Are you aluminuming them?"
His reply, "No, I`m copper-bottoming them." Try saying that three times in rapid succession!
Kaz, unfortunately (wait - I mean fortunately), I've got my hands full with the current business.
ReplyDeleteFunny, now I thought today's puzzle was easier than yesterday. Our brains work in strange ways. Never heard of the the word"tref" before, but then again I'm not Jewish. Be well.
ReplyDeleteSome see a forum without vitriol, so rare, they can't resist to tag it in a petty act of vandalism.
ReplyDeleteTrolling is soooo 1999, but a childish mind might think they invented it yesterday.
CC and Lemonade are I suspect appreciated by untold legions of lurkers such as myself.
Well, clearly my little grey cells (cf. POIROT) don't work too well on a Friday morning because I spelled ERLE as EARL, and that made it difficult to get the NE. And I'm not only a mystery novel fan but have actually written a couple! So DOH!
ReplyDeleteBut even though I too am daunted by quips, I enjoyed this puzzle, especially with Lemonade's delightful write-up. So many thanks, Bruce!
Have a great weekend, everybody!
Happy Friday! I enjoyed the puzzle, quip and all. I kinda figured out the quip early on which helped with my solving. I learned the word TREF today which I should have known already. I agree with the LOON/airhead comments.
ReplyDeleteI too watched TBBT last night and smiled a couple of times. I thought the old clips on YouTube were funnier.
==========
What Pat likes:
Pat likes pots and pans but doesn’t like to cook. Pat likes gas but not oil. Pat likes a dam but not water.
What are some other things that Pat likes? Pat likes straw but not hay; rats but not mice; to nap and to sleep but, perchance, not to dream. (More clues follow below.)
My wife figured this out quicker than I did. If you have a theory about what Pat likes and dislikes, list your guesses in a post but don't give away your theory as to the rule. I'll let you know if your guesses fit the rule. More clues to follow. Even more clues are listed below.
Pat likes his dog but not his cat; likes a liar but not the truth; likes rap but not rock. Pat likes evil (hmm?).
Mornin' All! Began the day with a lot of blank staring at this puzzle. Finally, OSAKA, CEDED, and OCALA flashed at me. I began to feel less senile when the theme flashed in (I live with a dog and 4 cats). From there it quickly fell in place, except for a gap at 64D. Had put an S for the plural of leaves and got myself stymied--and me, an Irish, lifelong tea drinker! lol.
ReplyDeleteSpitz: I have a prob with SLO, too.
Lemon: Thx for a great write-up. Interesting about van Gulick and his trans of "The Pillow Book". The book was written by a Japanese, Lady Sei Shonagon, turn of 10th Cent. In those days, only the Japanese elite were literate, and they read and wrote in Classical Chinese. (Forgive me, a lifelong Japanophile). He did a whole lot of translating from both Japanese and Chinese. You've
renewed my interest in him, so I'm planning to check out some of his many Japanese murder mystery translations. Thanks.
Heart: This year I've ceded my lawn to gophers! Alas...
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happened to our not feeding the trolls rule? Lets reinstate it. This was way too much today.
AriadneArts, you will find many Japanophiles on this blog, including me. Have you read the historical fiction novel called The Printmaker's Daughter? It is about Hokusai, the artist of the famous Great Wave and his daughter Oei, who became an artist herself. How extraordinary that Oei could be a sort of feminist in the Edo period in Japan. She rejected domesticity for her art, but was extremely loyal and obedient to her eccentric father.
ReplyDeleteThere is much in the novel about edo art. It also discusses pillow books. It gives a fine snapshot of life in that period. Since you are a Japanophile and artist I am sure you will love this novel.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Golf yesterday using my TEES, Tin at 55F but today it is 39F (BRRR) and windy and so Hudson and I didn’t go. I did hide five $1 bills and had him find them using my GPS unit.
-Speaking of JUICE, here is my best friend’s son (far right) with Mitt Romney. He was instrumental in talking his good friend Paul Ryan into running for VP.
-Roleo was just fine from here. Not so much in Sourgrapeville.
-Peel, Skin, Aril, nope RIND this time
-Read y'all after the movie
Sallie, we'd answer you, but then we'd be violating the rule.
ReplyDeleteHola Everyone, Since Tref was an unknown, and I put in Ramp for Hill and Hidden for Sordid and lock for hold the whole NE corner was erased and redone several times. I even wore off the numbers from the squares I erased so much.
ReplyDeleteI eventually did get it all in after going to Google and finidng tref. This was my learning moment for today. Now I'm hoping Tref will stick to my little grey cells until I need it next time.
I loved the quote and had the second half in so it was easy to guess what the first part was going to be. Never having been a cat owner, but hearing others tell about their pets, I can almost believe this quote to be true.
Thanks for a great blog today, Lemonade. Also for helping with a tell for a gambler. That answer was also obscure for me.
Marti--loved your cat story today.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Sallie:
ReplyDeleteI'll answer you. We all know you're right, and we shouldn't feed 'em, but honestly, it's just too damn much fun. When one of those (as Gary Liwe said so well) vandals criticizes one of our own, it just feels good to skewer 'em.
Dennis:
Have fun at your 50th. Attended mine in August and had a blast. Who knew how good those girls of '62 were going to look at 68? Amazing!!
Sorry, Gary Lowe. Damned iPhone!
ReplyDeleteWe have had "roleo " and TREF before. I did remember roleo was a log-rolling contest, so that was easy. Did you know, there is even a US Logrolling Association? All you need to know, here.
ReplyDeleteBut that funny little word TREF took some perp help to jog it out of my grey matter...
Bill G. @ 11:43, would Pat like rap, but not opera?
Hello everybody. Somewhat tough puzzle today, especially because of the quips. Had WHEREBY for 10D, giving me WREF for 10A, so FIW. Now I remember TREF; I think I learned it before but forgot. Had no trouble with Agnus DEI, though, even though I'm not Catholic. Just a matter of what sticks in one's mind and what doesn't, I guess. So, call me, maybe.
ReplyDeleteWanted Dorothy Parker for 26A, but ERLE fit better.
My wife loves to walk to the dog park every morning, chat with the dog owners there, and run their dogs. She almost always brings some small pieces of meat as treats for them. The owners say they never see their dogs so well behaved as when she's with them. We joke about whether it's her winning personality or just the meat in her pocket. We both like dogs but don't own one.
Didn't watch TBBT last night; watched Last Resort instead. Jeez, we should have watched TBBT in lieu! Last Resort is a muddled incomprehensible mess. How was Elemenary? I rather liked the first episode but we watched Inspector Morse last night so I missed Elementary.
So, does a sign that warns "Slow Children Ahead" mean we should keep our eyes open for slow children?
Wow, todays puzzle was a waste of time if u ask me. Quips are the most biggest copouts, especially when they are as lame as this one was. Dram , Tref, Dei and Adze were words that didn't help either. going to say hi to my cat, maybe hell get back to me.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like a good example of a gambler's "tell" watch Maverick with Jodie Foster, James Garner, Mel Gibson (before the meltdown), and James Coburn.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the ARC, we have LOOP 494 that begins in Kingwood and runs in a straight line to its end in New Caney. Some loop.
I think HS reunions are fine if both spice attended the same high school. Otherwise they can be a deadly bore for the non-attending spouse.
HeartRx 2:05, yes. Pat likes rap but not opera. He likes his bro but not his poppa. He likes cod but not lox. Pat likes God but oddly enough, he also likes sinned and reviled.
ReplyDeleteTough puzzle for me. Barry, love dogs never had a cat 'til this one! 10 years old now. She comes when ever I call her. Toad
ReplyDeleteMaybe watching these guys solve a puzzle will give us some encouragement. The very end is quite funny.
ReplyDeleteTELL - One of our bridge players is constantly giving off tells. Breathing, eye action, anticipation of playing a high card, etc. We all probably exhibit tells that we are not aware of.
I, um, *cough cough* never *twitch* exhibit any t-t-tells. They don't call me, maybe, Mr. *sweat* Poker Face for nuffin.
ReplyDeleteAbout "training cats" and how "well-behaved" they can be: I saw a film once about some well-behaved, well-mannered cats and how they were filmed getting onto and into everything when they were left alone in the house. Might want to set up your own camera and see for your self. "Training" cats is about like "holding" water in a sieve.
ReplyDeleteWH only answers when he can act the tough guy!! Dude, you need to chill, I know you know how
ReplyDeleteIt's like an "Anon Convention" around here.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeannie, miss you
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks 12:30. Thanks so much for the tip re The Printmaker's Daughter. I just now purchased it and it's on my Kindle for iPad as we "speak".. Can't wait to start reading it. Love, love Hokusai's art. When I was in Japan waaaay back when, I stumbled upon a studio of woodblock print artists who, among other things, hand copy antique works and I bought a couple of Hokusai Fujisan pieces. They are exquisitely done and I still enjoy them very much now, over 40 years later.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of historical novels, many years ago, I read Oliver Statler's "Japanese Inn" and enjoyed it very much. It revolves around a family-owned ryokan on the Tokkaido Road and 300 years of receiving guests who travel the road. If you haven't read it, you might pick it up. It's one of the few novels I know I'll reread someday.
LOG was last clued in connection with ROLEO on 11/9/11
ReplyDeleteOops!
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks, my bad. I wrote HOKUSAI Fujisan pieces, when of course, it was HIROSHIGE's "Views of Mt. Fuji" depicted along the Tokkaido Road.
Speaking of 50th's I missed mine this year since I had to be here for the visit from our kids in September to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. They really didn't plan it far enough in advance for me either. I need a few months to arrange flights and rendezvous with other friends. One of my favorite teachers was there too--she was very young when we first had her, so maybe only about 10 years, if that, older than we are. I hope I can make it to one before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteOh my, i have so many notes to talk about today that i can no longer see the paper i was writing them on! This may take some time...
ReplyDelete1st: Lemonade714 @10:23 "Well Said!"
2nd Thanks Bill G,,, & i thought i had trouble with math problems!
3rd WBS!
4th Anon @7:58 LOL!
5th Husker Gary, your a Geocacher? (sorry, you are,,, i'm learning...)
6th, i love whisky, but i can love whiskey a little longer...
7th,, Dennis has posted 4 times,,, if we can get him to post one more time, we can say whatever we want!!!
&, of course, the solution to those pesky telemarketers! (who knew a cat was smarter than we are!)
Jayce: Another road sign you might see that's like "Slow Children Ahead" is "Slow Men Working".
ReplyDeleteThe second is probably more accurate than the first.
Here you go, CED.
ReplyDeleteWEIRD TOILET SIGNS
ReplyDelete1, Disabled toilets
2. TOILETS
ONLY
FOR
DISABLED
ELDERLY
PREGNANT
CHILDREN
CED @ 4:52, LOL at that cat...the phone was probably disrupting her nap...
ReplyDeleteBill G., I am decidedly better at logic puzzle than math puzzles. So I think Pat likes nuts but not olives, with his (her?) cocktail hour.
Jayce, I occasionally watch a hold-em poker TV show that has a commentator who talks about 'tells'. Funny thing, he can always show you a 'tell' that means a player is either insecure or confident once he knows the outcome of the hand. Bogus!
ReplyDeleteCED, I enjoyed your post and link.
HeartRx, you are correct. Pat likes nuts and other grub while sitting on his favorite stool.
Here is the sign that anon @ 5:05 referred to:
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:23 guess you aren't from logging country....
ReplyDeleteBill G, after he knows the outcome of the hand? I agree with you, bogus.
ReplyDeleteHeartRx, you are way ahead of me. I can't figure out what Pat may or may not like. *twitch twitch, scratch my head*
Enjoyable puzzle and writeup. Liked reading the interview with the constructor as well- very informative.
ReplyDeleteWhat does RH2 in the interview refer to?
Thanks.
This would be my guess: Random House Puzzlemaker's Handbook.
ReplyDeleteRandom House publishes many other crossword books though.
!st of all, the only reason i said that Dennis, is to point out you should never mess with a Marine! ( i aint sayin' nothin')
ReplyDeleteRe: F Troop, I grew up with that show! my favorite gag, was how the Hekowi got their name... & i cannot find the clip! To make a long story longer... The Hekowi indian tribe got their name after travelling many moons thru the forest, & finally the Chief upon walking into a clearing said " where the heck are we!"
5D Delaware Arc,,, more research needed!
44D Beer gut,,, more research needed...
The HondoHurricane,, OMG! i am trying to find the M*A*S*H* episode where Winchester loses the Poker Game because they realize his tell is he whistles opera louder when he has a bad hand!
Poker Face = No Tells
I think the Heckowi, the forest tribe, are closely related to the Fuggawi, a plains tribe who live in very tall grass.
ReplyDeleteOh crap! Jayce, forgive me, but i am not that bright, Fuggawi? Tall Grass? explain pls.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Slo ( because i love tugboats.)
& just in case you forget...
Larry @ 3:13,
ReplyDeleteIf I get any more chilled it'll be brass monkey time.
Sowwy, CED. The grass of the Great Plains of America was so tall that the inhabitants had to jump up from time to time to see over the top of it, yelling as they did so, "Where the Fuggawi?" Later that was shortened to simply "Fuggawi!" sort of like "Marco!" ("Polo!") That's how the white man came to name that tribe.
ReplyDeleteAsk Husker Gary why the Otoe are called that. LOL
LMAO!
ReplyDeleteBill G., OK I think you need to let Jayce know how I figured out what Pat likes. The first hint would be that PAT likes "TAP", but not "jazz"...
ReplyDeleteG'nite, all!!
OK, I am utterly baffled.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the code for what Pat likes?
JzB
We just got back from practicing tennis with grandson Jordan. Then some adventures at the park. Now he's settling in for a span of computer games.
ReplyDeletePat likes words that, when spelled backward, make another word. So Pat likes Dennis but not Bill.
wtf is a sinned,,, oh i get it
ReplyDeletei do that all the time!
The puzzle,,, i dunno...
I don't know what the question is but is the answer Metheny?
ReplyDeleteOr, could it be Pat Travers?
ReplyDeleteIs he a she?
ReplyDeletePat?
ReplyDeleteSeen, it could be Richard Nixon. They say he spent most of his life trying to get it down Pat.
ReplyDeleteWait, I got it!
ReplyDeletePat the dog.
Is this my final post? I know what you're thinking.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the music.
Seen:
ReplyDeleteA very poor imitation of the great Fats Domino, but all in all
not bad for a skinny white boy. :)
fun day all, thanks. good to see you Razz and the rest
ReplyDeleteWindhover
ReplyDeleteIt was probably too late for my post the other nite. Darned computer. :) and probably too late tonite too.... but, still curious about what and where you raced.. :)
I googled a few old racing things... :) lots of kool stuff... :)
T
This is my first post although I've been reading the blog daily for about a year and learning lots about cross wording. Didn't start doing cw until I retired 3 yrs ago but am addicted now and learn so much from doing 2 or 3 puzzles a day and reading the blog.Today the comments finally motivated me to jump in-what is it about cyberspace that allows us to suspend civility? Anonymity allows so much snarkiness that would not be tolerated in person. People need to relax and enjoy the camaraderie that this space affords us.
ReplyDeleteGood on ya, Retatty. Can't believe you waited a whole year to comment. Lol. Hope you'll continue to share here. As you can see, there's a WHOLE LOT of camaraderi on this blog. Humans being, well, human, it's undoubtably impossible to avoid the occasional snark. And trolls being who they are, wait for the bait... Or, even snap unbaited, as I'm sure you've seen. Well, I guess camaraderi is good enough bait for them. Let's all camarade it up. If it psssss them off, c'est la vie, eh?
ReplyDeleteTo clarify,
ReplyDeleteRH2 = Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition.