Theme: Handicap Zone - Take the last word of the reveal and place it before the first word of the three theme entries.
17A. Ice cream headache : BRAIN FREEZE. LAMEBRAIN - To borrow an automotive phrase: someone not firing on all cylinders.
31A. Written permission to skip school : EXCUSE NOTE. LAME EXCUSE - "The dog ate my homework."
47A. Elmer Fudd, at times : DUCK HUNTER. LAME DUCK - Originally, a British term for one not being able to cover one's financial obligations.
63A. "What a dumb idea!" (or what you might say about the beginning of 17-, 31- or 47-Across) : "THAT'S SO LAME!"
Argyle here. Hey, I get to call this a lame puzzle and not be insulting. The fill is a nice step up from a Monday.
Across:
1. Foursome times two : OCTAD
6. "And there you have it!" : "VOILA!". or "ta-da!"
11. Barnyard bleat : [MAA!]. I'll bet windhover is hearing a few BAAs this week. 23A. Woolly mama : EWE. 11D. Sheep prized for its wool : MERINO
14. Supercharged engine, for short : TURBO. Sorry, not the same although they both result in boosting power.
15. Like much bar beer : ON TAP
16. Foul up : ERR
19. Theology subj. : REL. (religion)
20. Of the state, to Sarkozy : D'ÉTAT. Nicolas Sarkozy is a French politician who served as the 23rd President of the French Republic from 16 May 2007 until 15 May 2012.
21. Fur from a weasel : ERMINE
25. Whistle-blower? : STEAM. Train clip.(0:58)
28. Soon, to Shakespeare : ANON
29. Dieter's progress : LOSS
34. Campbell's line : SOUPS
36. Old Russian leaders : TSARS
37. Support, as a cause : ESPOUSE
40. Response provokers : STIMULI. More than one stimulus.
44. Earthy tone : OCHRE
46. Soothes : EASES
52. Old Nair rival : NEET. (depilatories)
53. Concert reed : OBOE. Double reed.
54. Flight school finals : SOLOs
56. "King Kong" studio : RKO
57. Proficient in : GOOD AT
60. Corn Belt resident : IOWAN
62. Google Earth offering : MAP
68. Put away some groceries? : ATE
69. Holy ark contents : TORAH
70. Citizen under Caesar : ROMAN
71. Cold War state: Abbr. : SSR
72. __Sweet: aspartame : NUTRA. (artificial sweetener)
73. Agriculture giant celebrating its 175th anniversary this year : DEERE. Logo.
Down:
1. Gambling letters : OTB. (Off Track Betting)
2. Unfriendly dog : CUR
3. Swaps for a better model : TRADES UP
4. "__ Baby": "Hair" song : ABIE. Abraham Lincoln, not Abbie Hoffman.
5. No-nos : DONT'S
6. Whirlpool : VORTEX. First thought: appliance.
7. Dollar bill : ONE
8. Suburban suffix : ITE
9. Lounge around : LAZE
10. Simon Says player : APER. Players must copy what "Simon" says.
12. "Am too!" retort : "ARE NOT!"
13. "What's My Line?" panelist Francis : ARLENE. Old TV show.
18. Kismet : FATE
22. Macho guy : MAN'S MAN
23. End of a vague threat : ELSE
24. Goes a-courting : WOOs
26. Pretense : ACT
27. Tousle : MUSS
30. Scared, as horses : SPOOKED
32. Warmed the bench : SAT
33. Albany-to-Buffalo canal : ERIE
35. The like : SUCH
38. Moo __ pork : SHU
39. White-tailed shorebirds : ERNS. The loon may be our crossword bird, visually, but the erne/ern gets more use.
41. Login requirement : USER NAME
42. Onion's cousin : LEEK
43. Comparison words : IS TO. Onion is to leek like potato is to __?
45. DDE's command : ETO. (Dwight D. Eisenhower/European Theater of Operations)
47. Articles of faith : DOGMAs
48. German subs : U-BOATS
49. "The Last of the Mohicans" author : COOPER, James Fenimore.
50. Cuthbert of "24" : ELISHA
51. Aussie bounders : ROOs
55. Weapon used with a shield, maybe : SWORD
58. Memo abbr. : ATTN. (attention)
59. What you used to be? : THOU. Cute.
61. Mother Nature's burn balm : ALOE
64. Getty display : ART. The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
65. Street cover : TAR
66. Deface : MAR
67. U-turn from WSW : ENE
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our blog treasure CrossEyedDave! Click here for two more pictures of young Dave and his cat PK. He works hard every day to bring us the most entertaining pictures. I propose we all link something funny for him today.
Notes from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to our blog treasure CrossEyedDave! Click here for two more pictures of young Dave and his cat PK. He works hard every day to bring us the most entertaining pictures. I propose we all link something funny for him today.
91 comments:
A horse in our area was SPOOKED by something and was found running on the NY State Thruway. Luckily, some people stopped and were able to calm him down. SPOOKED was an easy fill for me today : )
Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - Marti, this was a fun puzzle, albeit a bit of a speed run. The theme completely escaped me until the reveal. Loved the misdirection in 'Whistle-blower?' and the cleverness of 'What you used to be'. Had to have the perps get me 'Elisha' Cuthbert. Great Tuesday offering.
The reunion was great - we had about 50% attendance from our class, which is not bad considering that we had twenty-seven deaths. Remarkably for our age group, not one was lost in Vietnam. And, during all the reminiscing, it became clear why I almost always got an 'F' in conduct. I guess I didn't study enough for it. I'll pass on posting a picture out of respect for people's breakfasts.
Have an outstanding day.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Marti, for a swell Tuesday puzzle. thank you, Argyle, for the swell review.
Well, I almost wrote in EIGHT for 1A, but held off until I had a crossword. With OTB and CUR, I found OCTAD.
Entered BAA for 11A. Eventually, I figured it had to be MAA. But I am trying to figure what animal would say that?
ON TAP, 15A, OK I've had a few through the years. Slowing down now.
For some reason RKO for 56A just popped into my head.
TORAH was easy for 69A. That is quite a story of the Israelites carrying the Ark of the Covenant to Mt Moriah, marching in a hollow square for years. I love that history.
LEEK was easy for 42D. You can't get any better than potato leek soup. I have grown leeks in my garden.
Even got D ETAT for 20A. I am getting smarter.
Good picture CrossEyeddave.
Argyle, is the answer YAM?
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Morning, all!
Nice and smooth. Only hangup was when I put in TRADED IN instead of TRADED UP, which messed up that spot until I fixed my mistake at the end.
And yes, superchargers and turbochargers are different. Both work by forcing extra air into ignition chamber via a fan, but in a supercharger the fan is powered by the engine itself via a belt and in a turbocharger the fan is powered by the exhaust. Turbocharged engines therefore have a slight "lag" before the power is available but do not rob the engine of any power. Superchargers don't have the lag, but don't produce as much power since they need some of the engine power to power the fan.
And yes, I've owned both... ^_^
How fun to see a Marti masterpiece to start the day. Loved the Australian blunder and glad you survived Dennis
Good morning to all. A slight step up from Monday, but still fairly easy over all. I had BAA instead of MAA, TRADESIN instead of TRADESUP and AIR instead of ACT, but they were quickly corrected. I didn't get the theme until the very end once again but that doesn't seem to be a problem when the puzzle is this easy. Have a good day everyone!
Greetings!
Excellent puzzle and expo, Marti and Argyle!
Workers haven't shown up again, after entire week off. Egad!
Happy birthday, CED! What kind of fish is that?
We are having a hot spell during the days. Quite a bit cooler nights. Maybe more tomatoes will ripen!
Aspartame is a killer. See articles. Unfortunately, I used a lot of it for many years. My brain is not the same, by far.
Cheers!
Almost forgot - a very Happy Birthday to our linkmeister Dave, who brings so much to the table each day. Hope it's a great one for you.
Hello Puzzlers -
Yep, it's WBS again. I had Trades In first. Apart from that, it was smooth sailing.
Morning, Marti! Thanks for another groan-free grid!
HBTY Dave.
Still looking for the Gagliardo & DuGuay-Carpenter masterpiece.
Good day all,
Marti, what a fun Tuesday puzzle and unlike others, it was no walk in the park for me. Troubles began immediately when I entered OCTET foe 1A. Hand up for TRADED IN , Bunch of other false starts too- 38D GOO before SHU. 58D ASAP before ATTN, 64D OIL before ART & 41D PASSWORD before USERNAME.
As evident by the above, never was able to get a foothold today.
175 years for John Deere is amazing and for 16 of them they supplied me with my lawn tractor.
Dave, a very happy birthday. Thanks for your efforts,
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Happy birthday to CrossEyedDave. In honor of your day, and in keeping with today's theme, here is a special link just for you...3:47
Greetings, CC and crew!
I've been AWOL the past couple of days with out-of-town visitors. Things are back to normal now.
I thought this MDC offering was just right for a Tuesday. I had to wait for the perps to decide OCTET/OCTAD, BAA/MAA, OCHER/OCHRE (isn't OCHRE British?), but in just a few minutes....VOILA.
HBD CED. I really enjoy all the links you post. Hope you have a great day.
Thank you Marti and thank you Argyle
3 slow down areas. OCTet before OCTAD. ENDORSE before ESPOUSE. And due south at TORAH NUTRA and ELISHA
Loved "What you used to be" First thought TEEN, then THIN, then thought it had to apply to everyone. Then put the emphasis on "you" and got it.
CED - Happy Birthday !
I was distracted by the "Women of RKO" video narrated by Debbie Reynolds that was after Argyle's RKO Morse Code vid, and I almost forgot to tell you happy birthday.
Good morning everybody!
I'm joining the OCTET, TRADES IN, and BAA club today.
Great clues:
- 25A: Whistle-blower? STEAM
- 68A: Put away some groceries? ATE
- 59D: What you used to be? THOU
Great Words:
- Viola
- Vortex
- Spooked
I could use some weight LOSS, but apparently should stear clear of NUTRA Sweet.
Happy Birthday CED! I love the picture of you and your young friends.
Abejo, sorry to hear about your car, but glad your daughter is ok. The car is just property, right ?
Hopefully she be able to laugh about it some day. "I was car-jacked by a cross dressing..."
Did you know, there's also an Elgin in Texas ? You can always tell the out of staters. In Texas, it's el-gun rather than el-jen.
Marti. you have a great talent for making early week puzzles interesting and fun.
I thought OCTET, but ABIE Baby fixed that. I thought TRADED IN, but SOUPs soon fixed that. I had MAA from the start. ELISHA was unknown, but the perps made it easy.
MAA is often used in English for the sound of the goat. I find it interesting that animal sounds vary in different languages.
Japanese: dog-wan wan. sheep-mee, mee, pig-buu, buu, cat nyaa, nyaa, mouse-chuu, chuu.
I think moo SHU pork is heavenly, actually moo SHU anything. I love hoisin sauce.
Whistle blower=STEAM and what you used to be=THOU were clever.
Happy birthday, Dave. Thanks for the fun links every day. Nice pics.
CED,
Happy Birthday!
I was slowed by TRADES IN for UP until SOUPS had to be its perp, and I had EAT/ATE for a while too, but those were my only erasures. Oddly enough no other hitches. Fun offering today, Marti--thanks!
Thank you, thank you, Marti - fastest puzzle I ever solved. You must have reincarnated in my mind. I really, really loved it. Thanks Argyle, your comments were still delightful reading.
Happy Birthday CED,... hmm, so close to Q.E.D. in Geometry.... I really regret I can't 'link' in your honor, maybe something to do with my biology. Hope you have a great day. To my fading eyesight, the fish you caught looks like 2 curved fishes ( or fish - ) joined at the mouth.... I'm like - he caught a double ? Love your links... what a talent !
Horses, in our neighborhood NEVER get spooked - (except on Halloween ;-) ).....We have such a lot of excess police force in out neighboring towns, that 60% of the 'crimes' reported to the cops are 'animals on the loose' ! If a horse just decides to slip out of the padlock for a little stroll, .... its owner, the passing motorists, the neighbors, the school bus driver, and all manners of riff raff - all call the cops, to round it up - and by the time the cops arrive, its generally back in the barn.
Our deer are so domesticated, they actually daintily step 'tween the passing cars... and actually follow traffic rules. Most of them have been vaccinated, rabies immunized and now there are proposals for 'family planning' prophylactic procedures. Hmm, I wonder if humans are next.
Thank you Barry G. for a quick but clear difference between 'turbo' and 'supercharged'.... and here I thought 'turbo' was just a 5 letter word to jack up the price...
Too easy.
Good morning all. Nice intro, Argyle.
Happy Birthday to CrossEyedDave. C.C. has ESPOUSED that we link something funny. I'm sorry this is not up to Dave's level of visuals but it might dissuade him from providing this new service.
Great puzzle today, Marti. Nice shoutout to the ANONs giving them the recognition they deserve. As usual, I didn't get the theme until the reveal @ 63a. Re: BRAIN FREEZE, would a headache on the Autobahn be a BRAINFAHRT? Love LEEK SOUP. Suspect Marti does, too; both words being in the puzzle.
Have a great day.
A lovely Tuesday puzzle excursion hosted by our own Marti. A piece ‘o cake except for my lack of knowledge of breeds of sheep, uh, it wasn’t BERINO.
Musings
-Cure for an ice cream BRAIN FREEZE
-Poor EXCUSE NOTE forgery? “Please excuse Johnny from missing school yesterday.” Signed “Johnny’s Mom.”
-Yeah, I had an OCTET first
-How ‘bout this TURBO? (For Dave on his BD)
-Joann asks me every night, “What’s ON TAP for you tomorrow?” Code for, “Are you going golfing?”
-Adding a TURBO to your car SOUPS it up
-Any of you remember your first singing SOLO? I got started in the key of X
-Finish this King Kong quote, “Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was _____ killed the beast.”
-I used Google Map to find remote golf course in NW Lincoln yesterday
-John DEERE Green
-Is an eddy a baby VORTEX?
-I know they are a cwd staple, but have you ever heard anyone use APE, APER, APED, etc in this context?
-Marti, you’re not old enough to remember What’s My Line?
-Even a golf cart doesn’t SPOOK the geese on our course anymore.
BTW So many of you seem
very knowledgeable about cars. During most of the summer my Nissan Sentra lost its pick up and it took longer and longer to get up to speed on highways. Suddenly its pick up is back to normal. For a while I had to be careful because I needed to step on the gas more lightly, especailly when passing, etc.
I can think of no change, except this: I have been buying gas at the same station for 20 years, except duriong an ocassional trip. This past month I have been buying more than half of my gas on the road. Could that be why?
Instead of a link, I am going to write a joke, I heard yesterday. It doesn't apply to CED, but it may apply to me..... Its kind of a senior moment...
An old man links up with a old woman, at a park, and she invites him to her house for dinner. After a nice dinner, they end up in a conjugal position. Then the old man goes home.
The old man is thinking, ' If only I had known in advance that she was a virgin, I would definitely have been more gentle ....'.
The old woman thinks, ' If I ever thought the old geezer could have got it up, I would have taken the trouble to roll down my pantyhose ...'.
Blog-keeper, feel free to delete this, if inappropriate.
Addendum to “wife code” referenced above. Joann will say something like, “There’s a DQ.” I always wonder if that means:
1. I’ve never seen a DQ there before.
2. How about that? A DQ there.
3. That’s an unusual building for a DQ.
4. I’d forgotten they built a DQ out here.
5. Equivalent to there’s a beautiful tree, flock of geese, the state capital, ad infinitum. Requiring no action on my part.
6. It’s too bad we don’t have time to stop at the DQ today.
7. The grandkids sure love the DQ.
8. Remember the old DQ we had growing up?
Last Sunday she said, “I’d like to stop at that DQ and get a cone.” We had a good laugh as all ambiguity was erased and I didn’t have to ask, “Do you want to stop there?”! BTW, a small chocolate cone cost $2.36. It tastes the same as the 50¢ version at Mickey D’s to me.
Nice Xword Marti, Argyle, thanks for the insights.
WEES
Happy Birthday CED - Some Lame Puns for you...PunDaves
Thanks, Marti, for ten minutes of pure fun this morning! Great theme. Nice write-up, Argyle. Growing up on a ranch, I heard calves bleating MAA. (But you have to say the A as in at.)
Speaking of the ranch, I got bucked off a horse once, after a car going by SPOOKed her.
I also had OCTET first, but TONTS didn't make a bit of sense. Didn't know about ABIE baby, so that didn't help much.
Happy B-day, CEDave! You have given me so many laughs. Enjoyed the pictures of you and your friends, human and furry.
Mari, you don't look like you need to use NUTRAsweet. Nasty tasting stuff anyway.
Thanks, Husker, for the Joe Diffie link; I have one of his CDs; some great goofy songs on it!
Our John DEERE snowblower has been a workhorse for many years. Wonder if it will get much use this winter?
Profound QOD (though I don't know who said it, just that I love it!):
"Nothing runs like a DEERE, and nothing smells like a john."
Husker Gary, that's funny. But what she really wants to know is if you are still in love with her.
You were probably very attentive to her every whim and perceived need when you were courting. You still may be, but just not to the same degree. At that time, a comment from her such as "There's a DQ" might have caused you to leap tall buildings... She just wants to know if you still desire her as much. Oh yea, and she'd like an ice cream cone.
Enjoyed yesterdays and today's puzzles. Didn't respond in a timely matter due a little problem with blood pressure meds.
Happy Birthday CED from a tech challenged friend (I don't know how to link). I enjoy all the efforts providing fun pictures, etc.
Very nice pictures of WH yesterday. Congratulations on your wt loss. You look terrific! Sorry, I just have to say it...Only a man could loose 25 lbs by cutting out lunch. Am I right girls?
CC AND Boomer, I would E-mail you the following info, but noticed other friends here who are also dealing with nerve pain and might benefit from a piece of nursing advice. Diabetic neuropathy is very difficult to endure.
1)Anti-inflammatory drug are the most helpful(Ibuprofen or Aleve)
2) Prescription Drugs, such as Neurontin--Ask your MD.
3)See Physical Therapist or sports trainer about Range of Motion exercises before bed.
4) Someone mentioned Bengay--Apercreme Massage to feet may also work.
Hope this is somewhat helpful. Sorry about its untimely reply.
LOL - TTP@9:05 but you forgot the foot massage!
TTP, of course there is an element of truth in what you are saying to this left-brained physics teacher. I love my bride of 45 years dearly but this is where the lack of two X chromosomes comes into play. Men’s and women’s brains sometimes work differently. No really ;-)!
We have also had a conversation where I spot the DQ (Baskin Robbins, TCBY, etc.) and ask if she wants to stop for a cone and she replies, “Oh, we don’t have to” or “That’s not necessary” or “We just ate an hour ago” or “We’re going to eat when we get home”. I have to then decode that piece of information and have guessed wrong on then as well. That was why it was so funny to both of us when she made a simple declaration last Sunday, “I’d like to stop at the DQ and get a cone.” Damn the ambiguity, full steam ahead!
This morning I am not playing golf even though she says there is no reason I shouldn’t. All of a sudden she has come up with a lovely agenda of things for us to do to fill the day. Maybe I got this one right. Nobody said this cohabitation stuff was going to be easy.
Razz, I've offered the foot massage but she hates having her feet touched.
Morning All!
Thanks Marti for a fun Tuesday puzzle and Argyle for a fun commentary, as usual.
A Very Happy Birthday to you, CED!
Clues I liked: Aussie bounder- I kept looking for CAD. ROUÉ, etc. ROO made me smile.
Did OCTET, BAA til perps put me straight.
One of these days, I must remember to look for the theme, dang it!
Well, got to get Casey off to the Vet for his surgery. My stomach is in knots...
AriadneArts, good luck, and think positive. You're both in our thoughts.
Happy Birthday Dave
For you
Kid friendly
For the disturbed
Have a good one!
Husker Gary, I'm still decoding and see no end in sight. Ain't love grand ? I have one up on her though. My ace in the hole is that I can ask her the direct question, and if she mindlessly rubs the left side of her face with her left hand, I know it's not what she really wants to tell me...
Yellow Rocks, it could be a number of things. I'm no mechanic, but I would drive down to the local Auto Zone or O'Reillys or other national chain auto parts store. Most of them will do a free diagnostic code readout of the computer and give you the codes. They may give you recommendations for a local repair shop. Back home, plug the codes into your google search with the year, make and model. You'll be a more knowledgeable consumer should you decide that you need to take teh car in...
HG, Enjoyed your link on brain freeze. Wish I had that info years ago to post in the nurse's office.
I'm glad you are still trying to understand your wife utterances. After 45 years, it can be tempting to set on automatic pilot.
Good morning:
Happy Birthday, CED, and best wishes for many, many more. You bring us a lot of joy and laughter which is much appreciated. Nice pictures!
A wonderful Tuesday offering, Marti. Hand up for octet, trades in, and draft before on tap. Nice cluing and cute theme. Kudos to Argyle for his on-spot expo. BTW, Argyle, was that rock slide near you?
Mari, I agree with Qli; you do not look as though you need to use Nutra Sweet.
AA, best of luck with Casey's surgery; we will be thinking of you both.
HG. I understand completely. My daughter in law is Japanese, a people known for never being direct. She hints very broadly she needs help or babysitting, whatever. I volunteer and she acts delighted. It turns out I wasn't needed and am in the way. Other times when she gives out the same type of hint and I don't bite, I later discover I was expected to help. Of course, this happens even more to my son, David.
David is very direct. I usually know exactly what he wants or doesn't want. I have much better luck pleasing him.
Years ago I entertained my Japanese class and teacher. We asked Sensei three times if she wanted any more dessert and she refused it strongly, so it seemed. I gave the rest to John to finish. Then Sensei said in a disappointed voice, "Oh, you ate it all!"
Yellow Rocks, case in point, my mini van started stalling and sputtering all of a sudden. At intersections, I would have to put it in neutral and rev the engine a little bit to prevent the stalling. The nebulous "check engine" light came on. The guy at Auto Zone did the read out and said it was a vacuum issue and could be any combination of one to four sensors or vacuum lines, but could also be a loose gas cap. Voila ! New vehicles need to have that gas cap closed all the way.
Happy Birthday, CED. Nice fish. :)
Blue Iris:
That dear, was a very sexist comment. And the fact that you're probably right doesn't make it any less so. :-) :-)
If its any consolation, the Irish said it made me mean as hell for a couple of weeks at the start. Not true. A little snappy, maybe. :)
Anyway, if anyone is interested (or not), since the anon didnt email last night (and I was looking forward to getting an email from Anon@gmail or something similar), here's how it went.
I read an article on fasting, in which the author (and others) fasted for what seemed to me to be an extreme length of time (weeks). Not for me, I like food and eating too much.
So I decided to try a less extreme regime: fasting for 12 hours or so. This was more for health benefits than weight loss. The only medication I take regularly is Prevacid for acid reflux, and like all medications it has side effects. Let's just say stomach acid has beneficial purposes, and suppressing it defeats those.
The weight loss, though, was immediate and steady for about 15-16 weeks, after which I leveled off at 175 and have stayed there for 5 months now, even though I've continued the regime.
My theory (I have a theory about everything, most of which are probably wrong) is that the 12 hour fast (twice a day) changes your metabolism such that when you eat with an empty stomach the nutrients are immediately metabolized rather than stored.
In any case, I've cut the Prevacid from 2x to once a day with no symptoms of reflux and my jeans are once again 33-32's.
Gunghy from yesterday:
Like Dennis', the August reunion was my 50th, although I graduated at 16. It "only" took me 33 years to get a college degree (1995) so I'm looking forward to attending that 50th at the age of 100.
Good morning to all, thanks Marti for a fine puzzle and Argyle for your write up. Really liked whistle blower and Campbell clues.
YellowRocks: it could be your catalytic converter, which is part of the exhaust system. When it starts to fail it can cause back pressure in the system.
Blue Iris: I have had type 1 diabetes for 30 yrs my M.D. says anti-inflammatorys can cause kidney problems so he advised me not to use them.
Have a great day to all.RJW.
P.S happy birthday CrossEyedDave. Hope you have a fantastic day. RJW.
Most of the same hang-ups as everyone else, but I did know Abie, so Octad came easily.
Agree that Leek-Potato soup is great. I've grown my own potatoes and leeks for over 30 years just so that we can have a few batches of vichyssoise every year. Just had it Sunday. Even tried adding some shallots this time.
Hope you have a great birthday Dave. Do something wacky....out of the ordinary. Oh wait. That prolly describes your daily routine. :-)
I enjoyed the puzzle and writeup. Thanks Marti and Argyle.
CED, I'm glad you're around to make perceptive and enjoyable contributions to the blog. Happy birthday!
I always love Marti's puzzles and this one was especially delightful--so, many thanks! Also to Argyle for the always fun write-up--not a bit LAME!
Happy Birthday, Dave--hope you have a great celebration planned!
And we'll be sending our best vibes to Casey, AA.
Have a great Tuesday, everybody!
Greetings, all.
Happy birthday, CED! You bring us such laughter and jollity every day, thank you.
And congratulations, Marti, on yet another opus. This one was fast. I sashayed through in less than five minutes, but it was fun!
WEES. You all have noted the highlights and count me in for OCTED before OCTAD and BAA then MAA as well as TRADES IN before TRADES UP. No major problems, though.
Must be a sign of cold weather with the wool references: woolly mama, EWE, sheep prized for wool, MERINO.
WH:
Congratulations on your successful weight LOSS.
Have a fantastic Tuesday, everyone!
I am only about 1/2 way thru the comments (as of lunchtime EST) but i am smiling my butt off!
Marti, with this theme, i feel you have created a puzzle just for me, on my birthday! Thank you!
As far as the puzzle is concerned, WBS! ( i would never trade in Barry, how else would we be able to abbreviate our posts!)
Argyle, steam train video (BIG SMILES) really cool!
Anyway, i must take a break, i promised myself i would take my daughter on a picnic lunch to enjoy this beautiful day. Plus i have to go get more paper to write notes on things to link, like Marti's Lame Jokes! I really do not think you captured my style... (& yet you stole the one eye deer joke i was going to respond with!) Hmmm,,,
AnyWho,, I have been thinking what to link on my birthday, when i linked 30,000 lbs of bananas several days ago. It reminded me that Harry Chapins brother Tom played a Gig at our local Gazebo. He sang what i think id the perfect song for this occasion.
I forgot to mention one little disappointment, Marti. I would have liked the clue for 49D to be "Our Beloved Sheldon."
:|)
Happy Tuesday all.
Marti: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday offering.
AA: Hope everything works out for Casey.
CED: Happy Birthday! First 'toast' at Sunset is to you.
Time to wander over to my favorite Pub. They have 50 potables ON-TAP.
None named Bud-Light, Miller Lite, Coors etc. Real beers that aren't anything like makin'-love-in-a-canoe."
49 micro brews and Guinness. yum!
Go Yankees !!!
Cheers!
Marti, a neat Tuesday puzzle. I didn’t get the theme until reading Argyle’s explanation. Thanks to both of you.
Happy birthday to CED and belated birthday to WH.
I had no troubles with the puzzle, but bounced around filling in clues. Last ones were steam, act, and muss. Don’t know why I didn’t get them, first pass through.
Have a great day all,
Montana
Montana,
Thanks, but don't make me old before my time. My birthday is a few weeks away. Pearl Harbor Day.
BTW - Do you know anyone in Circle, Mt. ? I have friends there.
For the Birthday boy, CED
Dumb jokes
What Hondo said, except that I was able to correct almost everything. I wrote in THAT IS SO LAME for the reveal, and never noticed that only one of the S's fit. ELIIHA didn't look right, but considering there was a girl with the name L-A and her mother expects people to know that that is Ladashah, I went with it.
A Cross-eyed Babe for Cross-eyed Dave.
Anon at 8:23, It's a Tuesday puzzle. Buy a NY times Saturday omnibus and shut the EFF up!
Hello everybody, and happy birthday greetings to you, oh cross-eyed one.
Marti, thanks again for diverting us with another delightful puzzle, and thank you, Argyle, for your comments on it.
I filled in OCT__ and let the perps tell me whether it would be ET or AD. Same thing with _AA. Same thing with TRADES__. Same thing with __ARS.
For some reason I like the term BRAIN FREEZE. Hate getting it, though.
Loved the clues "Wooly mama" and "What you used to be."
Agree that Aspertame is dangerous; I won't consume anything that contains it, nor anything that contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or high-fructose corn syrup. Amazing what crap the packaged "food" manufacturers are allowed to put into their products.
I drove a turbocharged car once many years ago, a Datsun 200-something Z. It felt and sounded so weird as the turbo spun up and only then did the acceleration really kick in. The owner also told me to let the engine idle for a minute before shutting it off, to allow the turbo to cool.
Best wishes to you all.
Tinbeni, I laughed my ass off at those dumb jokes. Thanks for linking to them.
I really enjoyed the steam locomotive video. One of my favorite movies was Murder on the Orient Express; not only for the mystery story but for the beautiful shots of the train going through the countryside.
I see where a Zumba instructor in Maine has been arrested for prostitution and her customer's names have been released. I think it would be better to decriminalize it, regulate it and tax it.
So many of you have mentioned TBBT that I've watched it a few times. I didn't enjoy it much but I get the impression that maybe it's gone downhill lately. Can you suggest some YouTube videos of old shows that you recommend?
An old Ole/Lena joke:
Ole & Lena were at a drive in movie and Lena says "Ole, would you like to go into the back seat?" "No," says Ole, "I think I'll stay here with you." (Even Norwegians don't understand their women)
Bill G.
Are you going to post the answers to your quiz from yesterday?
Jayce
Amazing how a "rim-shot" can make almost anything funny.
Tinbeni, sure. Answers coming up. The only two people I heard from were Marti and Irish Miss, both 100 percent. I wasn't sure if anyone else had tried it and was interested. Anyway, here are Marti's answers.
Elements: sulFUR, ioDINE, tungSTEN
Astrological signs: liBRA, CapriCORN, GeMINI
Bibical books: HosSEA, GeneSIS, ProVERBS
Musical Instruments: trumPET, tromBONE, basSOON
Countries: jorDAN, gerMANY, sPAIN
Dogs: malaMUTE, maSTIFF, bEAGLE
Flowers: foxgLOVE, phLOX, mariGOLD
States: tennesSEE, connectiCUT, wisconSIN
Disney movies: fantaASIA, alladDIN, cinderELLA
Tinbeni and Bill G - Two additional answers on yesterday's quiz are: Flowers and Films
Hi Everyone, Loved this puzzle, Marti. Had to erase a few, like WEES. I'm still amazed that anyone can construct a xword. 10,11 letter answers...VORTEX, STIMULI, a THEME! IMHO, the reason for the ease of solving any puzzle is the CLUING, and your clues were straight-ahead AND clever AND funny.
Here's one for Dave and everyone who walks into a room and forgets why.
Happy Birthday Dave, and you don't look cross-eyed to me :D
Remember !...Dave
Hi y'all, Excellent job, Argyle. Unlike Dennis, I didn't get the theme until I read your write up, but I never claimed to get them easily anyway. Whistle blower and What you used to be, made me LOL. Very cute. Fun puzzle, Marti.
Happy birthday CED and Happy belated birthday, Windhover. Handsome handsome pix. Whoo hoo! The fish ain't bad either.
Ariadne-Arts: wish you well. I'm so sorry for you both. Hard times.
Play time - gotta go - piano that is. Ohhh, CED, that clip of Backward Birthday Party was sooo dang cute! Loved the piano in that. I might use that in Feb. How fun would that be! So befitting for me!
It's all good!
Spitz, right you are. Did you enjoy it? Can you think of any additional fun categories?
Before I forget, thanks for all the kind comments today. And yes, Irish Miss, I did think of cluing COOPER as "Our beloved Sheldon," but decided to save that one for a Thursday-Friday puzzle, LOL!
Tinbeni, loved all those LAME JOKES! But my favorite one was "What do you get when you cross a sheep with a bee?" (Bah-humbug!)
Bill G., thanks for publishing the answers. I bet more than a few people tried it, but gave up too easily. It was kind of like a Saturday Silkie to me...I just had to niggle at it bit by bit until I get 'er done!
C.C., I hope all went well with Boomer today, and that he will get some relief from the foot pain. I've been thinking about both of you all day.
Vet just called. He said Casey came through the surgery ok.
Thanks so much to all of you for your kind wishes. We pick him up in a few hours
Then we wait for the analysis of the 'questionable' growth. Don't know how long that will take. At least a few days is my guess.
You folks have kept me laughing with your 'nutty' posts and links on the blog--kept my mind (somewhat) off of the situation. Thanks.
A crossword blog... Who would of thought? :-)
Bill G. _ I agree with your opinion that prostitution should be decriminalized, and it should be licensed and regulated, especially with regard to the medical issues that may be involved.
The 'world's oldest profession' shouldn't have been a crime in the first place.
But tax it ? Why should the Government have to reach into every part of the human body ? Next thing, they'll be prescribing what kinds of stances, and how often you should do it. This obsession with the nature of human sexual behavior is worse than the rules and regulations of a certain organised religion.
For a 'humane' approach, read about laws on prostitution in Holland and Hong Kong ( single person, owner-proprietor shops only allowed ). If it is any consolation, it probably wont happen in our lifetime.
Hola Everyone, Thanks Marti, for another fun puzzle. I finished up while waiting for my car to be Smogged. (I love sitting in lawn chairs in the corner of a smelly garage! Ha!) At least the puzzle kept me occupied while I was there.
I entered Octet for Octad and had a problem with Abie and Don'ts, so that was the last corner to fill in. Other than that it was pretty much a fast fill puzzle for me today.
Dear friends spent their whole working life with John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa. The husband was blind and operated a machine that was set up with jigs. He also had a workshop in his home and the jigs were set up so he could make wooden toys for children. He was a remarkable person. Blindness was just a stumble along the way.
HBDTY CED. I hope you do something really fun to celebrate.
Dennis, how large was your graduating class? Your conduct was probably what kept all of those old classmates in stitches, which is probably what everyone needed!
Have a great day everyone.
Chickie, what is "Smogged"? I also went to the garage today, to get my annual car inspection (another way for Massachusetts to "tax" the population...) And I agree - but I think I would rather sit in a lawn chair than in the overstuffed, 50+ year old, foul-smelling, insect-infested ones at my garage!! (I actually stand outside and wait for them to finish...)
AA, I've been thinking of you and Casey all day. I'm happy to hear the operation went well. I know you will be on pins and needles until you hear about the test. I hope it is favorable.
Thanks for all the suggestions about my car.
I'm happy right now that I can safely pull onto the highway without chugging along a "fer piece" at 40 mph until I can get up to speed and that I can pass without flooring it, but I do worry about why it was wimping out before.
I'm due next week for my 160,000+ mile check up. I drive more than 20,000 miles a year. I'm sure that I can't hold a candle to Abejo in that regard. Anyhoo, they will give my car a computer check. I hipe it doesn't mean big bucks.
Marti, Chickie is in Calif. The car has to pass a smog test. We get the notice EVERY 2 years.
BillG: Your quiz was fun. I guessed in yesterday's comments..WALT and WOOF and thought of JazzB for the instruments.
AA: Glad all went well at the vet's.
Casey's gonna be groggy.
Michele: Did you find your kitty????
My cat, Bunny (aka Houdini)slips out the screen door once in a while if she is poised just right to get past us. She just stays around the yard, but won't come in sometimes until midnight.
I hope you found her. Let us know?
Happy birthday, Dave! You give us something more to look forward to. Hope you have many more.
Great puzzle, Marti! Great blog, Argyle!
Thank you for your expressions of concern for my health on Sunday. That kept me going when I couldn't get in touch with my kids. Really bad weekend for me. Finally got a ZPak last night and things became more hopeful. Pneumonia is definitely not fun!
YR: I had similar problems with my car many years ago when I was using "gasahol". More recently, my fuel injectors varnished over and the restricted gas flow caused some severe failure to accelerate.
Fermatprime @ 6:07 That fish was a sunny, N.J.s aquatic equivalent of the NYC street rat. (Also, i look so proud because "that" was the biggest fish i ever caught!) I read somewhere that at the end of the season, when the tomatoes are going to die green anyway, you can speed ripening by grasping the stalk at the base & pulling gently until you here the roots breaking. This puts the plants under sudden stress, & the fruits ripen faster. (supposedly)
LM714@5:52 Australian blunder??? pls axplain! Also, Marti, re: 51D Australian Bounder can also mean an obtrusive, ill bred man.
61D if you live in NYC, you know to be careful when stepping on street covers.
Re: Excuse note, i once got in trouble for cutting the date off the top of an excuse note, & using it again...
Pas De Chat@3:46 Tx for the Remember Song, i learned & played that song for my wife at a party a couple of years ago, without the capo at the 3rd fret because my vocal range is lower. Unfortunately, i totally forgot, Thanks again!
YR@4:10 160,000 miles? it could be any number of things at that age!
Good evening everyone,
Happy Birthday to CED! Agree that is a great fish. Did you eat it or release? Marti, enjoyed this puzzle. My fav clue was 25A. as my beloved grandpa worked on steam engines as a fireman for most of his life. Argyle, great write up today. Enjoyed the video too. Ariadne, good wished on the outcome of that biopsy. Enjoy your evening, it is gently raining here.
MICHELE.....What about the CAT???
Pas de chat:
thanks for asking! After dark last night I finally spotted her and talked her into coming to me! I felt such relief. I won't leave that door open any more. Whew!
BTW, Little Bit looks very much like your avatar. She is black with green eyes and just a few white hairs on her chest. She was rescued from an abusive situation. She has stayed hidden away almost all day being glad to be back in the house.
Pas, I totally missed your clever response of WOOF and WALT. Too clever for me.
Michele, good news about your cat.
YAY! Glad she came to her senses and that you could get her back in. Don't know if you spotted my inquiry @ 4:33, but when Bunny gets out, she won't come in 'til after dark. Reminds of the quote puzzle we had . A dog will come when you call him, but a cat will take a message and (maybe) get back to you.
Thanks for your reply.
Bill G. More puzzles... if you got 'em
Favorite commercial (for cleverness):
"John, Dear, drives a Kubota"
Ron Worden, I should have put Type 2. Dealing with Type 1 Diabetes is much more challenging. I congratulate you for controlling it for 30 yrs. I'm glad you have a good doctor.
Windhover, I did not mean to diminish how hard it is to lose wt. for anyone. I'm sure the physical activities of farming really helped. I was showing my frustration at watching my husband loose weight by cutting out sweets. Sorry, more hormonal than sexist ;)
Hey Blue Iris,
I was (gently) teasing you. You have no need to apologize.
Blue Iris - I once (in my youth) dropped 25 pounds over a week by cutting out a 4th meal I had added into my daily routine. Your observation isn't sexist, the loss is a factor of muscle mass and its metabolism and back then, I had a lot.
Good night!
My message for today got lost somehow. It was here this afternoon, but now it's not.
So Happy Birthday CrossEyedDave. Hope it was a good one.
Enjoyed the puzzle and Argyle's write up, as always.
Cheers
I have no idea where it went!
Sallie has left a new comment on your post "Monday, October 15, 2012 Nancy Kavanaugh":
Good afternoon everyone.
Happy Birthday, CrossEyedDave. Hope you have a great one.
Loved this puzzle, especially the long ones because this is the first time I got them all without a lot of to-do. (I lie. I had to use perps to get DUCK HUNTER.) But it was all fun.
So thank you HeartRX and Argyle.
Cheers
Posted by Sallie to L.A.Times Crossword Corner at October 16, 2012 12:14 PM
The blogger still has it, Sallie, so why it doesn't show up is a mystery.
Blue Iris,
Thank you so much for the 9:16am information.
Marti,
Great puzzle. Silky fill. Boomer had a very productive visit with his VA doctor, who recommends some Capsaicin cream. The nerve problem was gone before he visited the doctor, but we know it'll be back, as we've been dealing it on and off for 2 years.
Argyle,
Nothing wrong with Blogger. Sallie wrongly put her first comment (Tuesday) on Monday's blog.
D'OH!
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