Words: 68
Blocks: 35
Well,
this one was a complete clunker - I had about two-thirds done, ran out
of my allotted time, and had to red-letter solve the rest. I was
thinking that I have not been beaten up by a Saturday in a while, and as
soon as I saw Mr. Farmer's name, I knew that this was going to be the
one. I said the same thing on his two previous Sat puzzles - and the
irony is that the last one was on C.C.'s Birthday, and today is Boomer's
birthday~!!! Nothing terribly formidable, just things I don't know,
and the DOWNS were even worse; Four big entries:
19A. Wearing one can block a mind reader, some believe : TIN FOIL HAT - uh, OK, I have seen this on some TV shows (Mythbusters, e.g.), but just not in tune with the idea today
25A. Hotel amenity : FITNESS ROOM
- I had the "ROOM" part, but then I got the "S", too, and that led me
to start looking for a ---'S ROOM, so I was never going to get it
40A. Unlikely place for his-and-hers towels : BACHELOR PAD - probably my favorite clue for the day, but unfortunately, I did not get it without help -- my bachelor pad has everything labeled HIS....
51A. Centipede, e.g. : ARCADE GAME
- DAH~!!! I knew this was an ATARI game, but forgot it came out in the
'quarter-per-play' 80's - and there was an arcade around the corner
from me, too....must be me
Oh well, On ward....
ACROSS:
1. Visit : STOP AT - I had "IN", and "BY", and they were both "the 16A"
7. Cleaned, in a way : VACUUMED
15. Ronald Reagan's alma mater : EUREKA - complete unknown
16. "Guess again" : WRONG ONE
17. Windy : PROLIX - new word for me; I knew POLLUX was in the constellation Gemini, tho....
18. Voice of Buzz Lightyear : TIM ALLEN - hey~! I got one~!!!
21. Modest profession : I TRY
22. Four quarters, in Quito : ANO - one year, in Spanish
23. See 47-Down : REINER; 47. With 23-Across, actor/director/writer with nine Emmys : CARL - "Ocean's Eleven", among others - he was "Saul Bloom" playing "Lyman Zerga"
30. One often seen from behind? : ALPHA DOG - well, I get it, but I don't like it; I can think of better ways to clue this without 'giving it away'
34. Its GTS model can get 70 miles per gallon : VESPA - I started with TESLA, the sports car that runs on electricity; enough to get me started
35. Fate of some old ways : DISUSE - like 38A
36. Treats with malice : SPITES
37. Operation Crossroads event, 1946 : A-TEST - again, I had "N", and "H", but never heard of "A" - but I get it; A as in Atomic
38. Vintage player : TAPE DECK - I did want EIGHT TRACK, with the "-CK" in place; I still have a tape deck; used it to dub songs and my talking to make cassettes to send out to friends
43. Bench order : NO BAIL - I have been arrested three times, and I have gotten "R.O.R." all three times; I doubt it will happen again - all three were drink-related incidents
44. One often sleeping on the floor : PET - @#$%%~!!!! I had DOG, CAT, TOT....
47. Free of charge : COMP - like the hotel with the amenities; I got a room comp'ed at Atlantic City - they make all their money on the gambling floor, so they love to keep you overnight~!
54. "I Cain't Say No" singer : ADO ANNIE - didn't know this at all, here's the Wiki
56. 1805 musical premiere : EROICA - the Beethoven symphony, #3, in E-flat major - hey, I figured I didn't know its premiere date, either
57. It may include gas masks and shields : RIOT GEAR - hey~!! I got another~!
58. 2002 Best Original Song Oscar winner : EMINEM - a learning moment for me; from the movie "8-mile"; I like his Marshall Mathers LP - a little strong for the blog, unfortunately
59. Chickens named for an Italian city : LEGHORNS - another learning moment; only familiar with this one
7. Cleaned, in a way : VACUUMED
15. Ronald Reagan's alma mater : EUREKA - complete unknown
16. "Guess again" : WRONG ONE
17. Windy : PROLIX - new word for me; I knew POLLUX was in the constellation Gemini, tho....
18. Voice of Buzz Lightyear : TIM ALLEN - hey~! I got one~!!!
21. Modest profession : I TRY
22. Four quarters, in Quito : ANO - one year, in Spanish
23. See 47-Down : REINER; 47. With 23-Across, actor/director/writer with nine Emmys : CARL - "Ocean's Eleven", among others - he was "Saul Bloom" playing "Lyman Zerga"
30. One often seen from behind? : ALPHA DOG - well, I get it, but I don't like it; I can think of better ways to clue this without 'giving it away'
34. Its GTS model can get 70 miles per gallon : VESPA - I started with TESLA, the sports car that runs on electricity; enough to get me started
35. Fate of some old ways : DISUSE - like 38A
36. Treats with malice : SPITES
37. Operation Crossroads event, 1946 : A-TEST - again, I had "N", and "H", but never heard of "A" - but I get it; A as in Atomic
38. Vintage player : TAPE DECK - I did want EIGHT TRACK, with the "-CK" in place; I still have a tape deck; used it to dub songs and my talking to make cassettes to send out to friends
43. Bench order : NO BAIL - I have been arrested three times, and I have gotten "R.O.R." all three times; I doubt it will happen again - all three were drink-related incidents
44. One often sleeping on the floor : PET - @#$%%~!!!! I had DOG, CAT, TOT....
47. Free of charge : COMP - like the hotel with the amenities; I got a room comp'ed at Atlantic City - they make all their money on the gambling floor, so they love to keep you overnight~!
54. "I Cain't Say No" singer : ADO ANNIE - didn't know this at all, here's the Wiki
56. 1805 musical premiere : EROICA - the Beethoven symphony, #3, in E-flat major - hey, I figured I didn't know its premiere date, either
57. It may include gas masks and shields : RIOT GEAR - hey~!! I got another~!
58. 2002 Best Original Song Oscar winner : EMINEM - a learning moment for me; from the movie "8-mile"; I like his Marshall Mathers LP - a little strong for the blog, unfortunately
59. Chickens named for an Italian city : LEGHORNS - another learning moment; only familiar with this one
60. Port on the Loire : NANTES - map
DOWN:
1. Anatomical walls : SEPTA - Bzzzt
2. 2006 Winter Olympics host : TURIN - cheated, Googled it; wasn't Tokyo
3. Eponymous chief of the Penobscot nation : ORONO - name
4. Crooked gains : PELF - seen this before in crosswords, but I forgot
5. Japanese magnate Morita : AKIO - name, and one of those vague clues that just don't help (From C.C.: Aki = Bright, O=Man/Husband, hence Akio = Bright man. Similarly, the Akira in Akira Kurosawa means "Bright & Shining". Yellowrocks/Pas de chat can correct me if I'm wrong.)
6. Way across town : TAXI RIDE - ugh
7. 1970s military-style German import : VW THING - Volkswagen - yep, I remember this
8. Audrey's "Love in the Afternoon" role : ARIANE - name
9. Ancien Régime nobles : COMTES - Foreign
10. Señorita's "a" : UNA - Foreign
11. Hybrid edible : UGLI - sounds Foreign
12. Slough off : MOLT - hey, got one~!
13. Cabinet dept. formed in response to the 1973 oil crisis : ENERgy
14. Shoot down : DENY
20. Actor Jared : LETO - name
24. Offered regrets, perhaps : RSVP'ed
25. Fix : FASTEN - not REPAIR
26. "Criminal Minds" genius Dr. Spencer __ : REID - name
27. Bone: Pref. : OSTE
28. Org. that Angola joined in 2007 : OPEC
29. Pretense : MASK
30. Not much at all : A DAB
31. "Kiss Me Deadly" rocker Ford : LITA - Careful~! Maybe not an earworm, but the images...
32. Very brief time, briefly : PSEC - a picosecond, or one TRILLIONTH - HUP~!! you missed it
33. Quiet : HUSH
36. Stickball ball, familiarly : SPALDEEN - anyone play stickball as a kid? Growing up, we did hockey with sticks from the woods and a tennis ball
38. Radioisotopes used in medicine : TRACERS
39. Island capital near Robert Louis Stevenson's burial site : APIA - name
41. Repair shop offer : LOANER
42. "Master and Commander" novelist Patrick : O'BRIAN - I prefer Conan O'Brien
44. Body shop supply : PAINT - not BONDO
45. Function runner : EMCEE - oh, that kind of function
46. Sides : TEAMS
48. Comics dog : ODIE - Garfield comic strip
49. "Switched-On Bach" instrument : MOOG
50. Course : PATH
52. "Forever, __": 1996 humor collection : ERMA
53. Get past the bouncer : GO IN - meh, period
55. Vietnam's __ Dinh Diem : NGO - see, now, I thought this was a place, and it's a him
Happy B-day Boomer~!!! (if I am not mistaken)
Splynter
Note from C.C.:
Thanks, Splynter (and Marti), for remembering Boomer's birthday. Happy 65th Birthday to my dear husband, the best chili maker west of Mississippi.
Note from C.C.:
Thanks, Splynter (and Marti), for remembering Boomer's birthday. Happy 65th Birthday to my dear husband, the best chili maker west of Mississippi.
 |
| Boomer, Oct 1, 2012 |
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteMan, this was one brutal puzzle. Thank heavens I'm getting a bit more sleep these days and my brain cells were fully functioning. It was nice to see PROLIX and PELF in a puzzle (and even nicer that I actually knew what they meant), and ADO ANNIE brought back fond memories of my high school musical theater days (I played "Poor Judd"). I even managed to get VW THING because one was featured on an episode of "Pawn Stars" that I saw awhile back.
But SPALDEEN? REID? NO BAIL? ARIANE? OBRIAN? TRACERS? So much stuff I didn't know today. And I couldn't even figure out what the clue for EMCEE ("Function runners") meant.
In the end, though, my head was bloodied but unbowed as I did manage to finish unassisted thanks to plenty of semi-educated and totally wild guesses (I'm talking about you, ERMA and EMINEM).
Good morning folks,
ReplyDeleteRegarding Mr Farmers puzzle ......
FOGETTABOUTIT
Barry G ... you're the man and anyone else who solved this "beauty" without assistance.
After my first pass, I had one answer across TIN FOIL HAT, and zero words down, so I quit.
ReplyDeleteHaven't read the write up and just jumped to comments, and haven't read them yet. May or may not come back to this one.
Read last night's posts. I would occasionally tune into the The Big Bang Theory for a few minutes over the last couple of years, and did find the humor funny. With all the discussion about it this year, I tried to watch it a couple of times.
Sorry, can't do it. I can't stand the annoying volume of the laugh tracks on TBBT. It's like the humor isn't that funny, so they turned up the laugh tracks.
I wonder if my decibel meter will pick up the difference ? I can watch the reruns on TBS and compare to this years.
I was amused to see EUREKA immediately following VACUUMED. Personally, however, I prefer my Hoover.
ReplyDeleteWow, this one was worse than a Silkie! My fears from yesterday were confirmed. I finally got it, but the game went into overtime.
ReplyDeleteADO ANNIE from Oklahoma got me going in the southwest. I slowly worked back around to the completely empty northwest. TURIN was slow in coming -- I remember it as the TORINO Olympics. That changed my CALL AT to STOP AT and ORONO magically appeared. Then it all came together. Whew! What a workout! Thanks, John Farmer. And good job, Splynter.
Anybody ever heard of SPALDEEN? I think she has a cooking show.
Good morning Splynter, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteYou are a brave man to tackle these Saturday stumpers, Splynter. Yep to all your comments today! "Bondo" before PAINT, STOP "in" before AT, "N" TEST before A, "Tokyo" before TURIN...but, I came up with an original one for the sleeper on the floor: "sot"!!!
Just too many names and unknowns to finish this one unassisted. I burned up Wiki this morning, and things finally started appearing. Favorites were TIN FOIL HAT and ALPHA DOG. I went on a dogsled ride in Banff one time, and thought of the old saying, "If you're not the lead dog, the view is always the same."
For once, I actually remembered a birthday and sent an email greeting last night. (Did I tell you about the year that I forgot DH's birthday?) But it bears repeating:
Happy Birthday Boomer, and many more to come!!
.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:..:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.
Just brutal! No other term for it. Made a lot of wags and prolly had 75%, but HTG for far too many. A lot of the clues were clever, but in the aggregate it was a killer.
ReplyDeleteHappy BDay, Boomer!
Just caught the late comments from yesterday. I think I've seen all the TBBT shows this year, and realized that I'd never noticed the laugh track before this season. This year it's incredibly annoying...as though turning it up will make it seem funnier. Bleah!!
ReplyDeletemost googling for help in a long time. Learning moments: spaldeen, pelf, obrian, lita Ford. Switch for Orono from Maine college town made it Saturday challenging.
ReplyDeleteNew record for Saturday Googling - 17. I have to do it or there's nothing to hang the other answers on, For instance, I put in Victorola, proudly - but it was TAPEDECK. I liked my answer better, especially on the same puzzle as MOOG.
ReplyDeleteOf course, TURIN is really Turino (re: Desperotto) and LEGHORN is Livorno. The Brits are the worst at pronouncing foreign words. Even Byron called Don Juan "Don Jewan." yeesh.
Welcome new fact - VW THING.
Caught up on last night's comments - Bill G.@ 12:16 AM, those photos from the Ellen show were absolutely hilarious. But I loved the "cute" puppy most of all!!
ReplyDeleteWorst experience in years of doing these puzzles, even though I got a lot of it. Stupid pride keeps me from Google help. When esoteric words and too clever cluing negates the fun it’s time to go do something enjoyable like sorting my sock drawer.
ReplyDeleteTBBT observation – In the beginning, the premise was so unique and funny and maybe it has just about run its course. I get it – Sheldon’s asocial, a sober Raj can’t speak to women, eternally horny Howard can’t leave his mother, less learned Penny’s ambitions are doomed and Leonard hates being a nerd. You can only go to the well so often. M*A*S*H and Seinfeld knew when to leave.
HBD Boomer!
This was the most difficult LAT puzzle I have ever tried to solve. There were many, many unknowns, and many should have knowns that I couldn't come up with. After I Googled five times, I quit. It felt like I was taking the solution grid and copying it onto the puzzle. No fun! Not my own work!
ReplyDeleteI did get Eureka and Ado Annie, but not much else. I was disappointed in myself for missing PROLIX.
Besdies this being an extremely difficult puzzle I am "non copos mentis" today. I am making so many small mistakes in all I do. One of our inexperienced dancers wears a pin that says, "Don't rush me. I am making mistakes as fast as i can." That's me, today. (That's I sounds weird.)
It looks like this storm will make landfall on NJ. I am not likely to have my home flooded, but I could have a long power outage, and many local roads will be blocked by trees and water.
Happy birthday, Boomer. Welcome back Grumpy1. Please don't be a stranger.
Good morning Splynter and all.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Boomer. Welcome to Medicare.
Pretty much agree with Splynter and others. Quite hard and some difficult words without mitigating brightness. To wit: PELF, PROLIX, PSEC, LETO.. Kind of grated against me. But there was some charm; I liked 21a, I TRY. Liked the shout out to CARL REINER, one of my favorites. He could be a real manic.. Skip ahead to time 1:30 if you want.
Have a good day.
Finish? Barely started. I managed to get 5 entries on my own right: 13d ENER, 36a SPITES, 48d ODIE, 54a ADO ANNIE (I was set to play Aunt Eller but moved to Massachusetts instead), and 57a RIOT GEAR.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle theme at my house: 16a WRONG ONE!
Thanks Splynter for a valiant effort. If the great Splynter can't get it, it's too hard.
BOO HISS! Ruined my mood for the day.
Way harder than usual, scored 6 on the Googlemeter. Got a surprising number of them -- TINFOILHAT fell immediately -- but still a lot of blank spaces remained after my inital A and D passes. Looks like I had lots of difficulties in common with others.
ReplyDeleteLast to fall was the NW; PROLIX was new to me, and will be held in reserve for my next Scrabble game. Had just watched Oklahoma! not long ago, so ADOANNIE also fell pretty quickly, as might be expected, I suppose.
In spite of the difficulty and the high Google count, it was very enjoyable.
HBTY Boomer...perhaps CC will make you a nice rice cake!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Danvers: between a Hoover and a Eureka, I prefer the cleaning lady!
"Prolix, leto, pelf etc..." just go to show that you can google any corsswordese concoction and find a definition.
My sympathies to the upper east coast. Hurricanes are bad enough but to combine one with a nor`easter is horrifying!
Tried more than once to watch TBBT...While I recognize some of my traits in the nerd, for the most part, it`s a "niche" program and it`s not in mine.
We will have frost on the pumpkin tonight! (in my other "home.")
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteThis one was a bear. DNF.
Started with SEPTA and TURIN, maybe STOPin? Then ENER, TRACER, ODIE & EMCEE.
ReplyDeleteAcross, got TINFOILHAT, RIOTGEAR & LEGHORNS.
End of story! The rest were too hard, and the words I filled in were too scattered in the puzzle to help. I quit and went to the blog. I can’t usually solve a Saturday puzzle, but can get more than 9 clues. Glad (sad?) that more experienced solvers also had problems. I don’t feel so bad.
Happy B-day, Boomer.
Montana
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteThis was a very difficult puzzle, IMO. I needed help with the NW and had trouble in other areas. Mr. Farmer deserves credit for the construction but I didn't enjoy trying to solve it. Nice expo, Splynter.
Re TBBT sound track comments, I read that the show is performed before a live audience. Whether that is still the case, I don't know. But, unless some major changes are made in future episodes, there won't be any audience at all.
Happy Birthday, Boomer.
Happy Saturday to all.
Hi Everyone ~~
ReplyDeleteGlad to see I'm not alone on this one. As Marti said: "Just too many names and unknowns to finish this one unassisted." When it turns into a Google fest, it just isn't fun anymore. I look forward to a Saturday challenge, but I'm glad I didn't spend any more time than I did (way too long) trying to come up with things on my own. After looking up the names, etc., I found that these are things I never would have known anyway. Nice work, John Farmer, but way beyond me!
Splynter ~ another wonderful job explaining it all. Your comments made me feel better about my many unknowns.
Grumpy1 ~ Nice to see you!
Happy Birthday, Boomer ~~ hope you have a wonderful day!
Hope your right-coasters have got your hatches battened! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHand up for SOT before PET. Plus I kept thinking [something] GONE, so WRONG ONE was slow to appear.
HBD Boomer. Hope ya roll a 300!
Well, I've pretty much stopped commenting on Saturday puzzles, since I decided if I had nothing nice to say, I wouldn't say anything at all. But the comments today made me feel a little better, starting with Splynter's--many thanks. I actually did get the SW corner unassisted but after that it took tons of cheating to get through.
ReplyDeleteAm worried about what Sandy will do to the Northeast--especially Pennsylvania where my dad and brother live. Hope all of you living in the area will be safe.
Happy Birthday, Boomer--great photo!
Have a good weekend, everybody!
Happy 65th Birthday Boomer !!!
ReplyDeleteAs for the puzzle ... DNF Ink-Blot.
Though I did like the "shout-out" to my FOIL-HATs.
Cheers!
Late posting today. Slept in a little then spent the next 2 hours or so tearing my hair out and cursing this puzzle to no end. What a tough go. Finally finished this dog of a puzzle. Now I am off for a nap with a hairline resembling that of Kelsey Grammar. Have a good weekend everyone.
ReplyDeleteSigh, as i sit here typing, with my tin foil hat,,,
ReplyDeleteDid Boomer ever type on the Blog? I don't remember, (then i don't remember much these days.) But, behind every great woman, there must be a man! So, Happy Birthday Boomer! ( & lets hope CC gets the msg,,,)
AnyWho...
36D Spaldeen, (Desperotto@7:56 that should be typed SpalAdeen) I 1st had Spalding, then Spaldene,,, never did get Spaldeen, but it did remind me of a story...
CED PROLIX CORNER:
Having grown up in Brooklyn, (4th St.) Stickball was mandatory. I was playing outfield, center, a lonely position, just me & the manhole cover. When the batter cracked the ball,, (excuse me, Spaldeens do not go crack!) Well, that dang Spaldeen went flying straight over my head, above the tree tops, i had no choice, i had to at least try to save the game! So i ran. Ran as fast as i possibly could, hoping to at least catch that dang Spaldeen on the 1st bounce & throw it home!
Having my eyes in the air, i did not see the Van double parked... I noticed it at the last (picosecond!) It was too late to stop! (funny how time slows down in these situations) All i could do was lift up my legs to avoid my knees slamming the bumper, as i tried to use my arms to slow the impact of my face into those rear double doors!
Well,,, these 2 big guys jumped out of the van to see who had rear ended them, only to my skinney little me jumping around & holding my knees cursing!!! (the van was still rocking!)
Until next time...
CED Prolix Corner,,, signing off...
This was a killer but
ReplyDeleteI got it, finally with no help. My DIL called and talked a while giving my brain time to regroup and get the last few.
Actually, based on my time living in Britain, I would say that the Brits do an excellent job pronouncing foreign words when they are speaking in that language. The problem arises when they are speaking English. I think they do not feel that foreign words and names are worthy of proper pronunciation since they are not up to their standards.
As for spaldeen, when I was a teenager here in SC we used to play a beach game called "half rubber". It was played sort of like baseball but with the rubber ball cut in half and the bat was an old broomstick. Because of the hemispherical shape of the ball and ocean breezes, the ball tended to go all over the place. And the narrow bat made it hard to hit the half rubber.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't know it as a "spaldeen" but it was the same thing. We just called it a rubber ball.
Happy Birthday, Boomer and may you have many more.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing C.C. to grace our shores and our blog!
Ado Annie role originated by Celeste Holm who recently died
ReplyDeleteFrom Oklahoma
More Prolix Corner.
ReplyDeletere: 37a, 1946 A-TEST. Among the ships sacrificed in the test were the USS Saratoga (CV-3) of WWII fame, and the German cruiser Prinz Eugen of "Sink the Bismarck" fame.
Old joke: What's the definition of an optomist?
ReplyDeleteA trombone player with a pager.
(Sorry JazzB)
New version answer:
Me holding my pencil ready to fill in this puzzle.
I had two answers, TOM HANKS and ODIE.....
And Tom Hanks was wrong.
I thought a TINFOIL HAT was to keep space aliens from stealing your brain......whatever.
Thanks, C.C. for this blog,otherwise this puzzle would bug me all day. Thanks, Splynter, how did you get the Saturday gig? You deserve combat pay.
I quit, I know when I'm beat.
Stay safe, all in Sandy's path.
Glad to find out that I'm not alone in thinking this was a killer puzzle. Yowzwer, Mr. Farmer! Kudos to Splynter for having the guts to tackle the commentary.
ReplyDeleteThe only answer I had on my first pass was TIM ALLEN as the voice of Buzz Lightyear. Just saw a tiny Buzz at the YMCA's annual Halloween party last night.
I too am disappointed in TBBT this season. You'd think that by now Raj could talk to women while sober, and that Sheldon and AFF would have made some sort of headway in their physical relationship.....
Nice to see a picture of Boomer; hope he has a happy birthday planned. was that picture taken at MOA?
Thought going out to all who are in the path of Sandy. Our son says that their local grocery is out of chips, but has lots of cereal left. Priorities, I guess.
Uncle! This puzzle was way too hard for it to be fun for me. 'Function runner' for EMCEE seemed especially unreasonable. Farmer or Rich Norris I wonder?
ReplyDeleteMarti, I'm glad you liked the puppy photo from the Ellen show from last night. Anybody else? If you want a DF smile/laugh, it's worth going back to see it I think (late last night).
"I say, I say ... Son? I ... forgot what I was going to say!"
ReplyDeleteHello everybody. Definitely Google City today. Got TIM ALLEN right away, which made me feel better after having gotten nothing before that. Then blank blank blank blank until EROICA.
ReplyDeleteThe VWT letter combination at 7D made me scratch a patch out of my head. And at 57A the _IO made me try for BIO-something.
At least I knew Dr. Spencer REID because DW and I enjoy the show Criminal Minds. Speaking of TV shows, I agree TBBT has lost its way; Sheldon has degenerated into nothing but a selfish, domineering, demanding, unlikable, unfunny jerk.
Thank you, Splynter, happy birthday, Boomer, and best wishes to you all.
This is my first time here, and I am glad to learn that I am not developing Alzheimer's. My reason for looking for these answers can only be attributed to a diabolical cluer named John Farmer.
ReplyDeleteI'll be back when next vents his frustrations with life into another crossword.
Happy Birthday Boomer
ReplyDeleteI was going to give up. Which I really don't like to do, but I wiki'd six times during the morning. Three and a half hours! I originally had lead helmet which I thought very smart on my part, oh, please. My last change was from an A to a P. P sec, not A sec, as in wait a sec! So I had no idea what a alaha dog was. Alpha dog I do know, and I liked the clue.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday Boomer! Good picture!
Hi again~!
ReplyDeleteLook here - I say - Look here~!
Jayce, one of my favorite looney tunes characters of all time, just for that cadence~!
Splynter
I hereby dub John Farmer as Natick Tsar!
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon Splynter, CC, et al., well it was a good one until I tried this puzzle. Your write up, splynter, was the fun of it. This wasn't misdirection. It was down right obtuse and deceitful.
ReplyDelete'WRONG ONE' describes every answer for me. What Bachelor Pad has a 'hers' towel? Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? And Alpha Dog seen from behind? Guess that's doggie style in the Fitness Room. I just have to remember to remove my Tin Foil Hat and wear Riot Gear next Sat. Oh well.
Jayce: great Foghorn Leghorn imitation. Love that cartoon.
I hope all of us in Sandy's path stay safe.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOOMER! Love that name!
GO SOONERS!!!!SOONER BOOMER!!!
25A ROOM SERVICE, but of course! NOT
ReplyDelete22A UNO, but of course! NOT
4D BOOT, but of course! NOT
25D NEUTER, but of course! NOT (My dog is looking at me funny -- thinking how dare you)
30D A BIT, but of course! NOT
30D A TAD, but of course! NOT
32D N SEC, but of course! NOT
45D EXCEL, but of course! NOT
WEES! Big time.
ReplyDeleteSo I had TIMALLEN and the lower left corner. That was it! Just chalked it up to a DNF.
HBDay Mr. Boomer! Here's to many more.
An 80 degree day here in NorCal. I feel for all you folks on the east coast. Be careful...it's a jungle out there kiddies!
spaldeen = b.s.
ReplyDeleteI think i found my Halloween costume!
ReplyDeleteOh Crap! Oleg must have been in yesterdays puzzle
Alright, you must be a crazy S.O.B. to torture a cat like that!
& The Winner of the Ugli contest!!!
Hi all, those of you who remember me know I don't do the Sat / Sun puzzles but wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Boomer!!!! Welcome to Medicare! All kidding aside, you have given us some delightful comments, love your sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteHope your special day is all you want it to be and more, maybe you'll bowl a 300 :) :)
Happy Birthday, Boomer. The best is yet to come.
ReplyDeleteFirst, happy birthday to Boomer, may you have a blessed year ahead. Thanks for the great write up, learned a bunch today. Didn't get but two answers in the north, VW thing and Tim Allen
ReplyDeleteBelow that I was able to complete the rest of the puzzle. Does that count? Haha! I agree with everyone else on this one. Hope everyone has a great Sunday.
I thought you would enjoy these funny SIGNS..
ReplyDeleteBill G., I know where the Reynolds & Burt intersection is. How 'bout that!
ReplyDeleteMy apologies Boomer, (re: did Boomer ever type on the Blog...) Pls forgive my alzheimers, i did a Blog search, & there you were , on August 29th, A Blog i do not remember, & i was about to comment,,, where the heck was i 8/29?, When i decided to check the comments, & sure enough, there i was.
ReplyDeleteWell, Happy Birthday Boomer, (did i say that already?)
Oh Well, at least i can do the puzzle again tonight...
(What am i saying, that was the hardest *&%&^$ puzzle i ever saw!)
P.S., did i mention i have a split personality?
Checking back in after a full day of fall yard work. Relieved that it wasn't just me. Thought maybe that the Tilapia that I had last night might have disconnected a few brain cells.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Boomer ! Best wishes for 12 in a row in a game and many 7xx series (or better) this season !
Tough, tough puzzle - took forever to get through it.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Boomer - hope it's been a great day for you.
Good night everyone.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to the puzzle today, and reading the comments – it's obviously just as well.
Happy Birthday, tho belated, Boomer. Nice picture.
Cheers
Good evening, folks. Thank you, John Farmer, for the toughest puzzle I have seen in a while. thank you, Splynter, for braving through it.
ReplyDeleteWow. This was a humdinger! I got EUREKA for 15A easily, since I live in Illinois. I have actually been to Reagan's boyhood home in Dixon, IL.
I did get CARL REINER as well. SEPTA, TURIN, ORONO, PELF, and TAXI RIDE weren't bad. OK, MOLT came easily too.
I had to go away this morning, and just got home a short while ago. I had to look some stuff up. There was to many I had no idea what they were. I finished, but with help.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a banner day.
Happy birthday, Boomer. Many happy returns.
See you in the AM, which is only a few hours from now.
Abejo
HBTY, HBTY, HB Dear Boomer,HBTY
ReplyDelete♪♩♬♫•*¨*•.❤.•*¨*•♫♪•.¸¸.•´♫♪♩♬*¨*`•.♥.•´*♫♪♩♬ Hope you had a great day!
Sat. puzzles are way too difficult for me, but sometimes I just cheat my way thru.
Bill, got a laugh out of the signs.
Sandy is not looking good. Take care all of you in her path.
Goooo Giants!
CC, would you ask booomer to send me his recipe for his chili. I like chili but dont have a good recipe. send it to:
ReplyDeletejkoury102@comcast.net
thank you
hey BOOMER, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warm birthday wishes for Boomer. He bowled a lousy 586 in his big dog Friday night league & was in a stew over the intimidate 5 point drop in average. You all cheered him up, hopefully he'll perform well in his monthly tournament today.
ReplyDeleteQli,
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, the picture was taken just before we met with Lucina at Mall of America. What does Qli stand for, by the way?