Theme: You think I'll tell you the theme? As if! - And if that's not enough, I'll repeat it five times.
17A. "As if!" : "AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!"
27A. "As if!" : "NO WAY, JOSE!"
38A. "As if!" : "DREAM ON!"
46A. "As if!" : "YEAH, RIGHT!"
57A. "As if!" : "FAT CHANCE OF THAT!"
Argyle here. You get the picture? Jeff has delivered a nice tight Tuesday, with two grid spanners and a couple of long climbers, too.
Across:
1. College donor, often : ALUM. A shortened version that can encompass single and plural of both genders. Handy.
5. 401(k) cousin, briefly : IRA. (individual retirement account)
8. Garden ground cover : MULCH
13. Mount Olympus wife : HERA. The wife of Zeus.
14. Break bread : DINE
16. Novelist Zola : EMILE. The most common of the crossword Emiles
20. Halley's sci. : ASTR. (astronomy)
21. Full of vitality : GO-GO. Full of Red Bull?
22. Ideological suffix : ISM
23. Lift with effort : HEFT
25. '60s counterculturist Timothy : LEARY. "Turn on, tune in, drop out"
31. Rants about the boss, e.g. : VENTS
34. Jacob's brother : ESAU
35. Niagara Falls prov. : ONT. (Ontario)
36. Gorky Park city : MOSCOW. Song.(5:13)
37. Like hor. puzzle answers : ACR. (horizontal/across)
40. Hostility : IRE
41. Started, as a keg : TAPPED
43. P.I. : TEC. (private investigator/detective)
44. Hypnotic trance breaker : SNAP
45. "Friend __?" : OR FOE
48. Pal of Threepio : ARTOO. Star Wars droids.
50. Not at all droopy : TAUT
51. Intro makers : MC's. (master of ceremonies)
52. One might say "shay" for "say" : LUSH. Drunks don't talk so good.
54. Inevitable end : FATE
61. Honolulu hello : ALOHA. Nice alliteration.
62. Egg on : GOAD. Phrase Finder link for "Egg on.
63. Sculling gear : OARS
64. Headwear in iconic Che posters : BERET
65. Many ESPN fall highlights : TD's. (touchdown)
66. Way to be tickled : PINK
Down:
1. Cry of enlightenment : "A-HA!"
2. Film heroine with memorable buns : LEIA. My mind was boggling for a bit there but, oh, it's just another Star Wars reference.
3. Java vessels : URNS
4. "Grumpy Old Men" co-star : MATTHAU
5. Rite words : I DO
6. Modern caller ID, perhaps : RINGTONE. Different tones can be assigned to frequent incoming callers, right? I still don't have a cell phone.
7. Part of A.D. : ANNO
8. Drop-line link : ME A. Exactly like Sunday's entry.
9. Wrigley Field judges : UMPIRES. Wrigley Field is the home of the Chicago Cubs.
10. Mouthing the lyrics : LIP SYNCING
11. Red Skelton character Kadiddlehopper : CLEM. The joys of live TV.
12. Cooped-up layer : HEN
15. Bird on old quarters : EAGLE. How 'bout that; going from a chicken to an eagle.
18. Earl __ tea : GREY
19. Groundbreaking tool : HOE
24. Greenland coastal feature : FJORD
26. Company that rings a bell? : AVON. Cute clue.
27. "Marvy!" : "NEATO!" and 57D. "Marvy!" : "FAB!"
28. Green grouch : OSCAR
29. "Star Trek" velocity measure : WARP FACTOR. About 338,000 results if you Google "warp factor".
30. Word in many university names : STATE
32. Bar mitzvah reading source : TORAH
33. Didn't lose a game : SWEPT. Giants in the World Series this year.
36. Java order : MOCHA
38. Off! ingredient : DEET. Another Sunday answer.
39. Mike, to Archie : MEATHEAD. "All in the Family"
42. Upscale sports car : PORSCHE. Any Porshe owners out there?
44. Perch on : SIT ATOP
46. Like babes : YOUNG. I found this to be a little strange.
47. Dennis the Menace's dog : RUFF
49. Pay extension? : OLA. (payola)
51. Stallion or bull : MALE
53. Craig Ferguson, by birth : SCOT. The Late Late Show is hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It is on after Letterman.
55. Asian tongue : THAI
56. Bring home : EARN
58. Monopoly token : HAT
59. Has too much, briefly : OD's. (overdose)
60. Clucking sound : [TSK!]
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Don G and I made today's NY Times crossword. I hope you have a chance to solve it. Now, Jayce/Splynter/TTP, will NYT 11D's ex-girlfriend's husband "Call me, maybe?"
2) Here is a recent photo of dear Sallie.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Don G and I made today's NY Times crossword. I hope you have a chance to solve it. Now, Jayce/Splynter/TTP, will NYT 11D's ex-girlfriend's husband "Call me, maybe?"
2) Here is a recent photo of dear Sallie.
What a .nice way to start the week, yesterday Done and C.C. now Jeff. Lots of morning beverages to start the day with two javas and some Earl Grey.
ReplyDeleteArgyle said it all. Now to get a NY Times.
Thanks
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteFine puzzle with a fine theme and no hiccups today.
Congrats to C.C. and Don on their [first?] NY Times published puzzle! Sadly, although I do the puzzle there every day, there is a glitch on their site right now and the puzzle that is being displayed is an old one from August 3, 2010!
Greetings!
ReplyDeleteThanks for swell puzzle, Jeff! Great expo, Argyle!
Thanks for Skelton link!
Nice pic, Sally!
Winds obnoxious today. Knocked down a tomato cage. As if I did not have enough troubles fighting the darn horn worms! Also took out electricity for awhile.
Enjoyed Castle as usual! Does anyone watch?
Time for beddy!
Cheers!
Forgot to mention a few things from previous blog.
ReplyDeleteCED: I have an L-shaped lot. The driveway is very long and goes back to my house, which is in back of another house. I have so many trees that you cannot really see anything with google.
I loved the Peter Gunn show. Craig Stevens was yummy. Thanks for the music, all!
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteA straightforward Tuesday solve, no glitches and no groaners.
Congratulations to the DGCC team on your NYT debut! I'll look around for the paper today.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. What a Fun, Fun, Fun Tuesday puzzle. I loved this and the cluing was just MARVY!
ReplyDeleteFavorite clues included: A film heroine with memorable buns = LEIA. and Bird on old quarters = EAGLE.
Way to Be Tickled = PINK is how I feel about this puzzle.
URNS for the Java Vessels was the answer I wanted for a recent puzzle's clue of Java Container.
I noticed the shout-out to our Abejo, with the Earl Grey Tea.
Nice photo, Sallie.
QOD: The logic of words should yield to the logic of realities. ~ Louis D. Brandeis (November 13, 1856 ~ October 3, 1941)
Nice puzzle, Jeff. Nice writeup, Argyle. Congrats to C.C. and Don Hard-G. Bet you're tickled pink. Nice Tuesday all around.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteFine puzzle from Jeff, but unlike others, I had a slowdown or two..... self inflicted. Always mess up the spelling of Walter MATTHAU's name. Today I tried Matheau, before getting it right. Clem Kadiddlehopper is alway Klem to me.
For 50a started with firm before TAUT arrived and Stag for 51D before MALE.
Argyle, thank you for the links to Grumpy Old Men & the Skelton skit. LMAO. I always thought some of Reds funniest stuff was when Carol Burnett was involved. The two of them made a few classics together.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Jeff Chen, for a swell puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the good write-up.
ReplyDeleteWell, looks like I will have to find a NY Times, or equivalent, today. I think the Chicago Sun-Times carries the NYT puzzles. I will check that out. Congratulations, C.C., and Don G.
Zipped through this puzzle quite easily. Liked the theme.
Liked MULCH. Like compost better in the garden.
36A MOSCOW and Gorky Park piqued my interest. I read a good mystery/adventure years ago entitled Gorky Park.
Of course 18D made me drool. Earl GREY tea is what I drink. Gave up coffee a few years ago. Drank too much of it and it was bothering me. Talk about withdrawal symptoms. That was tough. Tea does not bother me and I enjoy it.
Off to my day. It was 24 degrees this morning when I got up, with a dusting of snow on the ground. Kind of makes you forget the long, hot, summer we had.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
Hahtoolah, you remembered my Earl Grey. Thank you. I am on my second cup of the morning, with several to go.
ReplyDeleteAbejo
Good puzzle, but I had trouble in SE. 64a I had "do rag" -- messed up sports car -- had son in law for 39d.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on NY Times puzzle , cc n don!
Good Tuesday puzzle.
ReplyDelete"I have so many trees that you cannot really see anything with google."
Speaking of Google...
Wonder how the FBI confirmed that General David Petraeus was having an affair? They checked his personal e-mail. Want to know who gave them access?
Google.
Petraeus used G-mail.
I'll bet he doesn't do so anymore.
two speed runs for me this week wow. congrats to Don and C.C. for the NYT Puzzle. Since Id do my puzzles on line I do not do the NYT as it is behind a pay wall. Which I refuse to pay for.
ReplyDeleteGood morning everybody. Great puzzle today, pretty easy - but then again it's Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteI drink hot tea while I'm at work. I've been enjoying a ginger peach blend lately. I like coffee, but it never seems to turn out the same. Sometimes it's just way to strong for me. Tea is consistent and predictable.
I loved seeing MEATHEAD. I like watching All in the Family reruns when I can catch them. Archie certainly wouldn't get away with his hi-jinx today.
Talk to you later, I've got to GO GO!
Gen. Petraeus used Gmail because he was preoccupied with a G-string.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding - He was (is) a great, decorated and distinguished soldier and a true patriot and it is indeed sad that he should have had to resign for a SIN. He was brilliant, dedicated and very good looking (boy oh boy !), his wife was brilliant and dedicated and his paramour was brilliant, somewhat dedicated and very sexy - why couldn't they have just formed a menage a' trois ???
In most other countries, such behavior is not only tolerated, but expected of great leaders - indeed it is considered a standard 'fringe benefit'.
Only in America do we expect our gods to be free of all faults and perfect in every respect. Thus our greatest soldiers fade away.
Had soninlAw before MEATHEAD.
ReplyDelete@Mari - I bet there'll come a time when All in the Family will be rerun as a quaint artifact. By then, I'll be dead.
I keep wondering if this Broadwell was a plant to bring him down. Why would a woman with all that going for her think that the next prize was to conquer a general. Or, she has some psycho problem. This action must have ruined her career, too.
@Abejo - why give up coffee? (Unless you're Mormon.) Science keeps finding more benefits for the stuff.
Good morning everyone. Good comments, Argyle. Agree with your assessment as a tight puzzle.
ReplyDeleteFirst ACR was ALUM. Somehow knew FJORD was trying to tell me NO WAY JOSE. Wasn't sure about WARP FACTOR but the perps confirmed it. Many HENS aren't cooped up but they're still layers. It's convenient for the puzzle to use 3 letter abbreviations for some Canadian provinces, but I believe they use the 2 letter convention for postal use as we do. ON for Ontario and QC for Quebec I thought the cw had a lot of bright fill.
Great picture, Sally.
Have a great day.
C.C. and Don,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your NYT debut!
Thank you Jeff Chen for a very nice, challenging and easy puzzle... Now I know what 'as if', means - never had the occasion to use it before. I find it is much better not to use slang, unless you know exactly what it means and all its implications ... much better to use the long version and state exactly what you intend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Argyle for your always delightful commentary - I had problems opening your links - but that is entirely at my end - I'm having computer problems - time to get a new computer.
For a moment, I thought of 'Archie', the comic book - and I only knew of Veronica and Jughead. Fortunately, I remembered 'All in the Family', and that gave me a big break.
Have a good week, you all and best wishes to all.
Congratulations to CC and Don G., for the New York Times puzzle - you have hit the big time !
I love Jeff’s puzzles and Argyle’s explanations. Congrats, CC and Don for the debut NYT.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t speed through this puzzle. I read across and down clue before entering each letter. Had to skip over a lot of them, first pass through. Didn’t complete the puzzle second time through, either. Spelling got in my way. And there were a few I just didn’t know and had to rely on perps. ACR, TEC, MCS and would you believe STATE? As I look back at the puzzle, it was more the spelling of LEIA, MATTHAU, PORSCHE, ARTOO that slowed me down the most. Fun puzzle, though.
A Porsche was the ‘dream’ car of my sons as they were growing up. As adults, however, three chose Mazdas (a sports car, a pickup and a sedan) and the other chose a BMW Z3. My daughter has never owned a new car.
Blue sky today. Keep warm,
Montana
I enjoyed Mr. Chen's puzzle, and Argyle's write-up (great Red Skelton link!).
ReplyDeleteGood for you, C.C. and Don! You're getting to be quite a famous team. Lovely photo of Sallie. It's always fun to see what our fellow posters look like.
Enjoyed the space show references today: LEIA (fabulous clue!), ARTOO, and WARP FACTOR. I really wanted WARP speed, but it just didn't fit.
I enjoy Castle too, Fermat. What is it about crime-solving mystery writers? Murder She Wrote was one of my favorites, and I still record it once in while, just for a blast from the past. (They have MSW marathons every now and then on the Hallmark Channel.)
So sad about Gen. Petraeus. Our country is losing the work ethic and experience of a good soldier. Sad for their families. Wish the media would just get over itself sometimes. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.
This is one my all time favorite puzzles. By no means a speed run...had to check perps on a majority of answers....but I also had nary an erasure. Good theme execution and clever clueing.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the NYT debut, C.C. and Don.
ARTWO/ARTOO held up completion but fell on this satisfying Tuesday offering from Jeff.
ReplyDeleteMusings
-All of these sayings or variations are staples on Pawn Stars when rejecting outrageous pricing
-We like sedum and vinca minor for ground cover but use some MULCH too.
-Halley is hardly ever pronounced correctly. Darn that Rock Around The Clock!
-Much preferred GOGO
-If you decide to VENT at the boss, you’d better have an option waiting!
-Being broke or having given up can be “TAPPED out” but “TAPPED in” is good too
-A VERY conservative and staid librarian colleague got hypnotized in front of 1,500 kids and faculty at convocation and did a vigorous Elvis until the SNAP. He was angry about that for years!
-Ann Margaret looked so hot in Grumpy Old Men and Lemon and MATTHAU looked like, well, the title.
-FJ_ _ _ gave me pause for a while, SON IN LAW fit for MEAT HEAD too
-QOD abridged – Talk’s cheap!
-Congrats on dynamic duo taking NY and lovely picture Sallie!
-Petraeus was a great general but I always wondered how this all just rolled off Bill Clinton. Jimmy Crack Corn and I don’t care about famous sex lives, I just hate to see spouses and children hurt. Hilary handled it differently than how I read Holly Petraeus is.
-Who had their Grammy revoked because the lead singers were caught LIP SYNCHING?
-I was hoping for WHEN PIGS FLY. BTW, what TV waitress was famous for this porcine aphorism?
Hi All ~~
ReplyDeleteA quick and very enjoyable puzzle ~ thanks Jeff Chen. I liked the opening to your write-up, Argyle - glad I didn't need you to tell me the theme. ;-) Lots of good info.
~ Great theme answers - I've used most of them at one time or another. My favorite clues/answers were: 2D - ... memorable buns - LEIA and 12D - Cooped up layer - HEN.
~ I've seen many reruns of Archie and MEATHEAD.
~ I, too, thought of Abejo on 18D - Earl GREY tea.
~ Good to "see" you, Sallie - beautiful photo! (love the colors in your outfit)
~ Congrats, C.C. and Don on your NY Times debut - off to try your puzzle now!
Enjoy the day, everyone ~~
Husker, well butter my buns and call me a biscuit. That's gotta be Flo.
ReplyDeleteFor Marti's collection: https://i4.ytimg.com/vi/SUMcA--ejOc/default.jpg
ReplyDeleteHusker:
ReplyDeleteMilli Vanilli lost their grammy. What were they thinking?
Jeff, I liked it. Struck a chord. Sounds like my early dating rejections. Then I started driving my Porsche Turbo Carrera GT and everything changed. As if.
ReplyDelete2D - OH ! Those buns. Liked 6D Modern Caller ID = RINGTONE, and neither do I Argyle. If I could restrict it to a tight inner circle, then perhaps. 51A Intro makers - Hopefully not another car manufacturer. No, MCS. I enjoyed your write up. Started listening to the Scorpions and forgot what I was doing.
Nice picture Sallie.
And CC, Congratulations to bot you and Don ! I am so curious as to 11D. Don't get the NYT. Son of a gun. Must see if I can find one.
Mari, right ! Wake Me Up Before You Go GO
Of course, when I listen to them, I always have to listen to this one Careless Whisper I wonder where the line, "Guilty feet have got no rhythm" came from ? Like that horn in the beginning...
Have a good day all !
Addendum
ReplyDeleteJoann and I decided to attend a rehearsal of a new contemporary singing group at church last night. Here’s what we found:
-We were on time but the rehearsal area was dark and the church was locked
-We finally got into the building after waiting in the cold for 5 minutes
-Nothing was set up and the director was three-hole punching music and putting them into folders
-No one acknowledged us or made us feel welcome
-We finally got started 20 minutes late
-Some of the members were 12 years old and acted like 12 year olds.
-One piece was very difficult and way too high for the group (G). The director stopped to pitch that part down an octave and get an acceptable transition into it; wasting another 10 minutes
Are we going back? See today’s theme answers! Have you ever had such and experience?
Right you are Qli and Otto! That group can “Kiss our grits!”
Today was a technical DNF because of MEATHEAD, but still quite fun, as a Jeff Chen puzzle always is.
ReplyDeleteI put in a good word for Don and C.C. on Wordplay (look for the Wolverine photo) but everyone there seems to be obsessed with insulting the new format.
Something tells me if I ask for more "thumbs up", the response won't be AS IF! (Or will it?_
Temps dropped to the upper 30's in Houston overnight. Oh dear! I think you northerners may get a kick out of this photo from the Houston Chronicle front pageHouston Chronicle front page.
ReplyDeleteThe NYT Sunday crossword puzzle can be found online, but it is always last weeks edition just like you find in most syndicated papers.
ReplyDeleteTwo of my cousins have Porsches, a 911 Targa 4S and a Boxster Roadster Cabriolet. ( Prices ~ $ 94,700 to $ 132,420, plus taxes - ). I drove both of them - and have often been a passenger.
ReplyDeleteNothing big - gets you lots of double-looks and stares - and lots of envious eyes ( which I can do without - ). The 'pickup' leaves you breathless and your stomach five feet behind you. But you're terrified to park it at a shopping mall.
I've found that the truly rich don't really need them - it's for the hapless souls with middle age angst and the midlife crisis obsessed .... and ofcourse, real estate agents, who feel that they are under a tremendous pressure to show off their 'apparent' wealth.
Much, much better to have a slew of T-bonds, anyway.
BTW, Paula Broadwell's husband, Scott is an Interventional Radiologist in NC. Median salary = $ 376,000 +. Definitely a one percenter. Though that's not his fault - and he's an innocent man who is absolutely entitled to to keep his privacy.
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh at 2D, I wasn't thinking of hair style when I read it. Also I have never been able to remember how to spell LEIA...maybe this time it will stick.
Anony-M, I thought if Archie comic books too, then I got the M and E and it clicked.
I tried Earl Grey tea once and that was enough, BLAAK, it's not "my cup of tea". I prefer coffee but I only drink one cup.
Had no idea who 53D was, even after I got the answer.
Argyle, thanks for the out-takes on Grumpier Old Men...I loved both those movies. With a cast like that, you just can't go wrong.
Fun puzzle today.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted Klem for Clem.
I also can't spell Matthau....
Saw the picture on the front of the Chronicle as well, did not even register. I played tennis last night and it was a little nippy..but still fun
Going up North for Thanksgiving should find some cold weather
Good morning:
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeff, for a fun Tuesday offering with a little extra crunch. Clever theme and cluing. Great write-up, Argyle. Archie of comic book fame was my first thought, also.
Congrats to Don and CC on their NY Times debut. I'll try to pick up a paper later on.
Lovely picture and outfit, Sally.
Yesterday, it was 68 degrees and today's high is going to be 47. Oh well, it is November.
Happy Tuesday.
Hello, Argyle and all.
ReplyDeleteA fun run today. Thank you, Jeff Chen. I was on his wave length immediately and just kept sashaying without even stopping to sip coffee! Thought of Abejo, too, at Earl GREY tea.
Loved the theme! I've used those phrases a time or two especially around my sisters when we tease each other.
Argyle, I'm right behind you regarding cell phones. I have a flip phone which my daughter and granddaughter tell me is a dinosaur.
LEIA was my daughter's hero growing up and she insisted on having her hair in buns for years.
Congratulations, C.C. and D.G. on your NYT debut! I'll have to look for it.
ALOHA, everyone; have yourselves a wonderful Tuesday!
Sallie, great picture. You look happy and cheerful.
ReplyDeletePorsche passenger, so higher-end performance cars are strictly for "the hapless souls with middle age angst and the midlife crisis obsessed"? Certainly one of the more asinine comments we've had on here. I suppose anyone who enjoys acceleration/speed should stick with roller coasters? Or is this a 'haves/have nots' problem coming out?
ReplyDeleteAnd get your facts straight - the Boxster Roadster Cabriolet goes for around $65K and the 911 Targa 4S for around $102K. Still expensive, but about 2/3 of what you cited.
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
ReplyDeleteI am certainly no cynic, but this puzzle just tickled me pink! Nice zippy phrases for the theme entries, plus a lot of nice bonus fill like RING TONE, LIP SYNCHING, WARP FACTOR and MEATHEAD. Argyle, funny out-takes from "Grumpier Old Men," and I cracked up at the Red Skelton video!!
Lovely picture, Sallie!
BTW, I had no problems downloading the NYT puzzle onto my iPad - I think they fixed the problem, so if you had trouble earlier you might want to try again. It was a really fun puzzle, packed with themers as only Don and C.C. can do!
Anyway, Good morning, Argye, C.C. and gang and CONGRATULATIONS to DonG and C.C. for the NYT puzzle; not doubt the first of many.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be a nice smooth solve, right up until the time I started writing 'warp speed' into 29D and promptly ran out of letters before I ran out of blocks. Everything else fell into place as it was supposed to. And Argyle, great blog today; a fun read.
As luck would have it, I got involved in a brief altercation last night at the restaurant/bar that was having a special for vets. Some 40-something wearing a baseball cap backwards (note: no one over 30, much less over 40, should still be wearing a bb cap backwards) unfortunately used the word 'mooches' in referring to those of us partaking of the deal. Long story short, the local sheriffs now have my name in their system. Didn't take long, did it? At least the guy got tossed. And one of the cops I was talking to said we should've just taken the guy outside and 'taught him a lesson'. Think I'm gonna like these guys...
Oh, and my wife's PO'd at me because I just happened to be the closest to him. Can't win.
An old but fitting joke.
ReplyDeleteA hobo knocked on the door of a rich man's home and asked if there was any work to be done. The rich man gave him a can of white paint and asked him to paint the porch on the side of the estate.
About an hour later the rich man was surprised to hear the man had finished. "By the way said the hobo, it wasn't a porsche, it was a Maseroti."
Terrific Jeff Chen puzzle this morning! I too never understood precisely what one of our friends meant when she said "As if!" Now I have a much better idea. So thanks for keeping me up to date, Jeff, and you too, Argyle.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the NY Times gig, Dynamic Duo!
Fermatprime, we too are big "Castle" fans although more for the characters, including Rick's delightful mother and daughter, than for the sometimes bizarre and silly plots. And we're happy that Castle and Beckett now have a little romance in their lives.
Have a great Tuesday, everybody!
Princess leia & buns!!!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I read the Gorky Park clue I thought of The Scorpions song. Thanks Argyle. (do you listen to Coast To Coast in the a.m.?)
ReplyDeleteI think there are too many generals listening to their privates.
I'm still waiting for the butt fitting joke. Does it have something to do with 'do these jeans make me look fat'?
ReplyDeleteC.C. and Don G.:
ReplyDeleteWell, I went out and bought a Chicago Sun-Times today. Did the puzzle that said it was the NY Times puzzle, however, there were no names of constructors. I just assumed it was you two.
I worked the puzzle. It was not too bad, being a Tuesday.
Went to the Rex Parker site and discovered I did not do your puzzle.
The 1A was Shooter through whitewater rapids/RAFT.
The 1D was Air balls miss it/RIM.
Anyhow, I tried.
Abejo
I have an award signed by General Petraeus. I wonder if its worth anything? One answer i didnt like. PAL OF THREEPIO shouldnt it have been DTOO. Both last names?
ReplyDeleteChen usually f(swear word)p one or two clues. No offense. AS IF clues usually are at the end of the week arent they?
Hi Y'all, Great puzzle, Jeff! Not a speedo but I got 'er done. Great blog & links, Argyle! Jack Lemon is my favorite comedian.
ReplyDelete37A Never did figure out what hor. stood for until Argyle told us.
2d As for memorable buns, my first thought was Kim Kardashian. That pair of basketball's under her skirt has to be Mother Nature's trick to keep her humble after giving her so much facial beauty? Shocked me.
29d WARPForce looked good for a bit.
I have my yard men grind up the leaves with the mower to MULCH my big maple tree. That tree is on a slope which washed badly until I started putting MULCH under it. The "Y"-shaped trunk runs water off it in great volumes. After mulching the other day, we got 1.25 in. of rain. So glad it was done.
Pinto @11.23: your privates quip is priceless.
Good afternoon everyone.
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle was fun to do, but DNF because I couldn't suss out some of the "As ifs". Plus was wrong on spelling of Matthau, which didn't help!
Thanks for the compliments on the picture.
I also read "Gorky Park" and liked it, but did not enjoy a sequel.
Cheers
This was an easy Tuesday sashay with fun clues. Witty expo, Argyle. I enjoyed your Clem and Grumpy old Men links.
ReplyDeletePinto @ 11:23 Too many generals listening to their privates LOL. Too true.
For Broadwell, an extremely bright woman with a security clearance it was poor judgment to jeopardize herself and the Gen. by involving a third party, Kelley, solely to pass on middle school type emails. The more people in on a secret, the greater the risk of disclosure.
IMO Kelley’s judgment was just as poor in overreacting to the sophomoric emails. If she was such a great platonic friend of the Gen., she should have known that involving the FBI carried the possibility of bringing him down, and herself along with him. Her going to the FBI with something so trivial is odd. One wild guess would be that her relationship with him was more than platonic and she was trying to punish the Gen and Broadwell.
Gorky Park movie trailer.
ReplyDeleteOur son drives a Boxster and likes it a lot. He is not having a midlife crisis. In fact, he has owned that car for about 8 years now. Bought it used for between $40 and $50K. I have driven it and it's a lot of fun; it's actually a pretty nice run-errands-around-town kind of car as well. BTW his other car is a Honda Odyssey.
ReplyDeleteWhat luck!
ReplyDeleteNeeding a really good cappuccino, I popped into Northampton's best coffee shop...and found a New York Times on the table. Nobody had done the puzzle yet.
I can now recommend Don and CC's NYT debut puzzle to all takers! I did it old style - on paper, in ink - and made it mostly unscathed. There were some cross-outs where I mixed up the two different styles of Eskimo boats. Drat.
Well, like several others of you seem to have had, I have had trouble getting hold of today's NYT puzzle to solve. Rex Parker's and Deb Amlen's blogs show the solved puzzle, which I carefully did not look at, in hopes of still finding an unsolved one. Congratulations to you, Don G. and C.C.
ReplyDeleteAbout today's LAT puzzle, I liked it. Nice job, Jeff. The only head scratcher I had was not understanding the meanings of hor and ACR. I thought the clue meant "horrible" puzzles answers, and that the answer meant ACRONYMS.
ReplyDeleteI read Gorky Park long ago and liked it a lot, so of course I went out and bought more works by Martin Cruz Smith. Didn't particularly like any of them.
Every time I see the word ALUM I think of Alum Rock Park here in San Jose, where a relatively major earthquake occurred a few years ago, providing us earthquake researchers lots of fodder to chew on. We're still chewing on it.
Holy wow, Darren Aronofsky's ex-girlfriend's husband?!?! Talk about connections, six degrees, Kevin Bacon, and all that! Whew!
ReplyDeleteLike Jayce, I, too, read Gorky Park years ago and liked it so much went looking for more by Martin Cruz Smith. Didn't like them although Rose was semi-enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteHaven't look for the NYT yet because I went to the dentist for my semi annual cleaning.
Pinto:
LOL! Good joke. I concur with YR that maybe there is more than meets the eye to the "other" other woman.
Hi to all. I enjoyed the puzzle. I don't think I've ever said "As if" in my life. I've heard it on TV but I don't remember anyone saying it in my presence. So trying to come up with the answers to clues depended a lot on the crossing letters. I agree that it seemed a bit harder than the usual Tuesday but I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteTricky one from Elliott
I have a good friend, Elliott, who I knew from an Internet puzzle conference. Then we started emailing. We got to know each other so well that he came all the way from England to visit me one weekend. We had a great time by the way. He has come up with several original puzzles. This is the easiest in a series of new, very cryptic puzzles. They may be easier if you collaborate with a friend.
“A mile-long Scottish bridge, loud music, a ruby celebration, an outspoken manner and endurance all hint at what kind of building?”
It might work well for you to disguise your answer in a clever way so that I will understand it but others who might be working on it won't have the answer reveealed.
Anon @ 9:33, sweet!
ReplyDeleteDennis @ 10:57, I feel for you! But your wife should be PO’d at the AH who made the comment, not at you for defending your rights…just as you have defended everyone else’s by your service!!
Better to give most veterans a wide berth. Some of them appear to have a chip on their shoulders. Maybe they think they got a raw deal when they came back to civilian life. Maybe its PTSD. Maybe they are just combative from the courses they have been trained in or from the horrors of war. Whatever it is, it makes no sense to start an argument with them. And being in a bar raises the aggression crescendo a dozen notches higher. I am not being unpatriotic here.
ReplyDeleteA lot of Wees!
ReplyDeleteClem/Klem
Mathau?/mathwho?
& son in law before Meathead (8:14)
Took a lot of Perpage to straighten out.
Just rec'd a very disturbing Spam Email.
ReplyDeleteIt said it came from my wife, using her full name.
It started "Hi Dave!" followed by a link.
My wifes emails look different, so i looked at the properties (right click, bottom option)of this email before opening. It came from what looked like a legitimate email address, but one i did not recognize.
Opening this email led to a website tauting Green Coffee Bean fat reducing system, & trying to exit led only leads to more messages saying are you sure you want to leave? This is the tip off that MALWARE has been downloaded. the only way to escape is to reboot your computer. Then run your malware or antivirus programs.
What really pisses me off is that it looked like it came from my wife!
Sorry for ranting, but it is a public service message. Maybe this will make up for it:
10 bets you will never lose.
I'm back from a short, exhausting and fun trip. I had no access to a computer while i was gone so have a lot of catching up to do. So far, I did Mon. & Tues. puzzles and read Tues. comments.
ReplyDeleteWe won a trip from the Midwest Hemophilia Association to attend the National Hemophilia Association, in Orlando, Florida. We flew out on Nov. 1st and back on Nov. 10th. This also gave us the opportunity to see my daughter and son-in-law.
We voted absentee ballots and it was good not to listen to all political coverage on TV.
I haven't warmed back up since returning to Kansas. Slept most of yesterday and today.
Didn't hear " as if " much from my students but had to remind myself I was a professional when i heard "whatever" a few times.
Very nice picture, Sallie!
Congrats C.C. and Don for branching out into the NY Times!
CED
ReplyDeleteI have received several of those e-mails purportedly from my friends or family. However, I saw an item on the local news describing them as spam and so I simply delete them when they appear.
anon@1:41 - to the contrary, I would posit that the AH (thanks, Marti) had the chip, not any of us. We were there to have a good time.
ReplyDeleteFurther, as to the 'raw deal' we got when we came back, it gives most of us a deep sense of satisfaction that, because of that treatment, the servicemen and women coming home now get the proper reception. The country learned from what happened to us.
Perhaps you had a personal experience that's causing you to paint all vets with the same brush?
Hola Everyone, I must have been on Jeff's wave length today. I loved the theme and had a great time sussing out all the 'As If's".
ReplyDeleteI've always spelled Artoo R2D2. Don't know why, so Artoo was a little slow in coming. I also thought about the Archie comics rather that Archie Bunker, so Meathead had to fill in with the perps.
Congratulations, C.C. and Don G. for your NY Times puzzle debut.
I loved your picture, Sallie. Thanks for sharing.
Fermatprime, You still have tomatoes? Ours have been long gone.
Dennis, sorry to hear about your altercation last evening. What was this other person thinking? Probably not thinking most likely.
Have a great evening, everyone.
Tickled pink with Jeff's puzzle, and Argyle's links. Had forgotten how silly Red Skelton was.I also had problems with spelling Leia and Artoo. Worked the perps to get them right.
ReplyDeleteSallie, great picture.It's nice to see all of you who are sending in photos.
Congrats on NYT xwd, C.C. and Don. I am not surprised. Your puzzles are A#1...a trifle :-o difficult for me.
Lucina, I also am a proud owner of a dinosaur.It's ready if I need it..like the other day when my car would not start.
Dennis, don't really know what you did to get your name in the books, but I'm proud of you.
SPAM, most of the email I get from that group purport to be from friends and relatives who have died, which make the decision not to open rather simple.
ReplyDeleteThe NY Times puzzle was a delight, a bit more of a LAT Wednesday with a couple of toughies, but a delightful theme and execution. A truly impressive achievement for the lady who started this all less than 5 years ago blogging TMS puzzles. Nice comments by the commenters in the blogosphere, minus the nasties from the nastys.
Wonderful, I am so proud of all you have accomplished C.C.
Great pic Sallie!
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention - great picture, Sallie, thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteYellowrocks, couldn't agree more about both Kelley and Broadwell. I have a feeling the CIA is quite happy about all this, since their dislike for Petraeus was well known. Being a true 'green machine' soldier, he had a reputation for favoring the pentagon over the CIA when it came to money allocation.
anon@11:58, his autograph used to be worth around $100; now, about $50, if that.
JD, thanks.
Aagh, I forgot I had the puzzle today! I meant to check in earlier and say hi, but totally forgot. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge Star Trek fan (TOS yes, but the later of TNG YES!) so couldn't let go of WARP FACTOR. It necessitated some ugly stuff, but heck, I like WARP FACTOR.
Happy Tuesday!
Jeff
P.S. I have the NYT on 11/25 - hope you get a chance to do it over Thanksgiving Day weekend!
Anon @ 2:17:
ReplyDeleteI am not a vet (unless you count mandatory ROTC in .1962) although I have been a foot soldier in the War on Ignorance (we lost that one) and it is possible that I have one or more chips lodged on my shoulder. But if I had been sitting with a group of vets and some jerk insulted them, I would have spared them the inconvenience of giving the perp a look at the ceiling lights from the vantage point of the floor.
To An old veteran:@ 8:21,
Isn't it amazing that we use sex to sell everything from cars to cigarettes to toothpaste, but when somebody actually HAS sex it's front page news? When President Mitterand of France died, his wife and his mistress sat together at the funeral. The worst thing Clinton did was lie about it. Other than that, which was both stupid and despicable, no one really cared. Since reputedly the FBI determined early on that there was no security breach, the only person Petraeus owes anything is his wife. It's literally none of our business.
We have such great weather in Florida but no good dirt, so we grow a lot of rotten tomatoes. Sorry Dennis, but most do not agree with AH and were very happy to see the out pouring, because those of us of Vietnam age do remember and were embarrassed. Nobody asked AH to pick up the check.
ReplyDeleteSo, JD, is your sister Mayo Loiseaux?
ReplyDeleteWho is the person C.C. is talking about? NYT 11D ex girlfriend"s husband? If someone has the time and don't mind sayin
ReplyDeleteWindy, that was certainly my first thought, but down here, it's very important to let the other guy swing first, otherwise you're open to a suit. There's 88,000 lawyers down here in Florida and over half the commercials on TV are of the flavor, "Let me help you sue somebody." This guy was aware of it, because even when I had him up against the wall, he wouldn't do anything. Not like the old days, huh?
ReplyDeleteLemonade, it's the old 10% rule. You're always gonna have them.
YAY! for C.C. and Don.
ReplyDeleteI can't find it online, though.
My cancelled paper used to carry the syndicated version, but discontinued...so I discontinued.
I wasn't as thrilled as some regarding this puzzle.
FAT CHANCE(of that) doesn't ring familiar. Just fat chance.
TEC is ugly IMO.
HAT is a Monopoly token?
Bill G: from yesterday @9:08 p.m.
It was originally "The Caisson Song",1908. Then "U.S. Field Artillery"1918, and then "The Army Goes Rolling Along"1956.
LIP-SYNCING reminds me of this
VOICEOVERS
Nope. But then I got my clock cleaned a few times in the old days, too. I did finally learn that when there are more of them than there are of us.......
ReplyDeleteI see the anonymice are with us again. I saw a quote the other day (I hope it wasn't on this blog!), "On the Internet you can be whoever you want. It's a pity so many choose to be idiots!"
ReplyDeleteTo the earlier anonymouse, who chooses to air his/her ignorance (while widely hiding his/her identity) droids do not have "first" and "last" names - they're robots for goodness sake! They do have designations, however, and the two in question are R2-D2 and C-3PO, who were addressed by Luke as "Artoo" and "Threepio", so Jeff's clue was perfectly in order.
Oops, that should be "wisely" - I have no basis on which to comment on the poster's girth.
ReplyDeleteYea verily, Dennis. HOOHAH ! Good stuff and glad you did it. I may joke and kid about my time in the service, but push come to shove, it's the men and women that have served this country that have given the freedoms for some people to be aholes. I salute and thank those men and women that have served and sacrificed, and to hell with idiots that would suggest that vets are moochers.
ReplyDeleteJayce, yes my sister was Mayo Loizeaux.(I think sometimes she used an s instead of the z) She would have been 75 yesterday.I hadn't looked at that mag article for 20 years.
ReplyDeletePas, those animal voiceovers are really funny! Droll! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Desper-otto on Elliott's puzzle solution so far. Well done.
Argyle, great write up today. Red S. is one of my favorite people of all time so I watched a few other segments while on You Tube. I enjoyed this puzzle and my thanks to the constructor, Jeff. I did feel it was a bit harder than the typical Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteDennis, sorry that there are people (apparently everywhere) who can ruin a nice event for veterans. Even funerals can't seem to escape being involved.
Off to watch NCIS, have a great evening.
Dennis, Windy, TTP....My son was in the U.S.Air Force when an acquittance ask about him. During the conversation, I mentioned that we had heard that the U.S. government was discussing putting a payment cap on number of dependent children.
ReplyDeleteShe said "Good, why should I pay for their children!
My husband said I turned beet red all over. Our sons might make the ultimate sacrifice for their country and she didn't want to take care of their children!!!
IRIS:
ReplyDeleteSo let me picture this; you were red, white, and blue?
Just kidding, I agree with you totally.
When I first moved to the county where I live, 16 years ago, there was a bond issue on the ballot to build a new high school. The old one, then 40+ years old, was overcrowded and inadequate in several other ways, including a recently collapsed wall. The question was voted down by a large majority. A sample quote from the newspaper: "I don't have kids in school. Why should I pay more taxes to build a new one?" Our county government recently voted down a tiny tax increase to increase revenues for the local health department. The amount? $2.50 a year on the average tax bill. One magistrate said, "We are already taxed to death. We can't afford more." By the way, our county's school system ranks 110th among a total of 120 in the state. But our taxes are low.
Windhover, many people are so short-sighted and selfish (and many are not). We are retired and our children are grown. Yet I would be happy to vote for a school bond issue if there was one. I didn't vote for the candidate who would keep my taxes lower but for the candidate who I thought would do the things that would be better for the United States.
ReplyDeleteAlright, I'm going to violate the no politics rule... Then I'll quit.
ReplyDeleteMost citizens and most taxpayers go through a window during their lives when they are dependent on the system to educate their young'uns. During that period, they feel great about paying taxes. Before and after, they feel put upon. What most fail to realize is that the piddly sum they pay during that window does not approach the cost of educating their children. "As if!"
There's no doubt waste in the system, but the few thousand dollars that the average taxpayer pays into the system towards support of schools during that 13 year window is so insignificant it's laughable. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the crux of what it has come to define being conservative in our society today.
Out.
Avg. Joe...good use of "as if" :-)
ReplyDeleteBill G, I hope you give the answer tomorrow, or I'll get an "F" on the quiz. ;D
ReplyDelete????????
pas de chat, I'm still laughing about those voice overs! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIMO, there are those things that should be sacrosanct, among them, taking care of our wounded warriors and their families. When a man or a woman puts their life on the line by signing that signature, they have committed that they are willing to give all.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not your best student. Nary a senator's son. But they fought and died for what we have. God Bless.
End of diatribe.
For those that disagree:
---——-/´¯/)——----(\¯`\
———/—//———--\\—\
——--/—//————-\\—\
—-/´¯/—/´¯\———/¯`\—\¯`\
-/-/--/—/—/-|_—-_|-\---\—\—\-\ -
(-(—(—(—/-)--)--(--(-\—)—)—)-)
-\————\/--/—\—\/————/
--\———— /——\-————/
In that vein, if anyone's interested: This is a great way to help.
ReplyDeleteWell done Desper-otto!
ReplyDelete“A mile-long Scottish bridge, loud music, a ruby celebration, an outspoken manner and endurance all hint at what kind of building?”
After several false starts, this was my solution to Elliott. “The bridge is over the Firth of Forth, loud music is forte, the ruby anniversary is the fortieth, outspoken is forthright and endurance is fortitude. So I'm guessing the building is a FORT.”
Bill G: YAY!
ReplyDeleteI DID get an "F" on the quiz for Fort!!!
Dennis: Thanks for the link.
We give to DAV and PVA. Never knew of your link. Will look into it tomorrow and see what we can do.
I would rather send to the Vets than any other cause.
JD: Glad you liked it.
Daytime, Night-time!!!
Does anyone know a poem about being a soldier's wife/sweetheart that has words in it:
ReplyDelete"Since when were soldiers ever true?"
It goes on something about the soldier kissing another woman then ends
"And call her by my name."
Maybe by Dorothy Parker?
Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your NY Times puzzle, C.C. and Don. I finished with no problems and picked up on the theme "word" but I have to admit I missed the "downfall." Geez - that was the best part - very clever!
ReplyDeleteI always get a chuckle when I'm able to get something in a puzzle (that others see as an unknown) only because I've taught it to 4th graders - i.e. UMIAK. :-)
Looking forward to more of your work!
Dennis (and anyone else),
ReplyDeleteI most likely won't read more till tomorrow (been a long day), but what is your opinion of the POW-MIA group? Worthwhile as a donation?
Excellent Pas. I thought it was a clever puzzle from Elliott. What did you (and Desper-otto) think of it? He has another one like it but even harder I thought.
ReplyDeleteBill G: I liked the puzzle, and thought about it off and on through the day. Only problem is....there's NO BLOG to go to if you're stumped! :-)
ReplyDeleteCan C.C. publish her xword tomorrow? or is that not allowed?
Gotta get back to the lamb stew.
Mmmmm
For PK,
ReplyDeleteWar Song by Dorothy Parker.
Anonymouse is a regular poster who has not turned blue but has a screen name. He has revealed much about his life and has taken an interest in ours. He is not actually an ANON. I enjoy his posts and personality.
ReplyDeleteHe deserved an explanation, not snarkiness
Anonymous @5:01pm,
ReplyDelete11D: ARONOFSKY
Darren Aronofsky's ex (long time) girlfriend is Rachel Weisz, who's now married to Daniel Craig, who starred in "Skyfall". See Jayce's post at 1:21pm.
LaLaLinda et al,
Thanks for solving and thanks for the nice comments.
Nick,
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Pas de chat,
Unfortunately I can't publish the puzzle. It should be in syndication papers (including Abejo's Chicago Sun-Time) in 6 weeks' time.